THE strange sight of a roller-skating robot grooming Marilyn Monroe's hair greeted visitors to the Theatre Royal, Newcastle yesterday.

The spectacle involved Frederick Ruth and Sarah Beaumont, who play Ariel the robot and Miranda in Return to the Forbidden Planet, appearing at the theatre until Saturday.

Loosely based on Shakespeare's The Tempest, it transports audiences into hyperspace for a tale of interplanetary love and adventure.

The show features 1950s and 1960s pop classics including Great Balls of Fire, Good Vibrations and All Shook Up.

Tickets are available from the box office on 0870 905 5060.