THIS week saw the premiere of a new play at The Customs House, South Shields by celebrated North-East writer Tom Kelly. Baby Love Productions are now touring his new play Love Songs to four venues in the region.

Tom Kelly is well-known throughout the region for his plays and musicals. His work is often featured at the Customs House, where his most recent works The Dolly Mixtures and Geordie The Musical, played to rapturous houses. His one-man play, I Left My Heart In Roker Park won a WOW award, and Tom was a finalist in the Writer of the Year category in the Journal Culture Awards for Geordie.

Love Songs features an array of classic songs, such as Bridge Over Troubled Water, Somewhere and Love Me Tender performed by the two protagonists as part of a 60s tribute tour. The play deals with themes of mental health and domestic abuse as the two lead characters face up to their demons.

Tom wrote the play for his friends, and next-door neighbours, real-life married couple, Helen and Jonathan Cash, after initially working with them on a revival of his play, Baby Love.

Jonathan, who directs and acts in the play, explains: “We had a great time working with Tom on Baby Love and had the joy of experiencing at first hand the emotional impact his writing has on audiences. It’s the authenticity of his characters and the depth of feeling he brings to his writing that makes his work so satisfying, both to watch and to perform.”

n Loves Songs: Arts Centre, Washington on Thursday, October 18; Middlesbrough Theatre on Tuesday, October 23. W: babyloveproductions.co.uk