Don’t rain on his parade: Jamie McKeller’s Captain Hook lays down his terms and conditions in Rowntree Players’ The Pantomime Adventures Of Peter Pan. Picture: Matt Hillier
DIRECTOR Howard Ella had resisted staging Peter Pan for more than 15 years. So much story to cram in, so familiar, and how do you stay true to J M Barrie while putting the Pan into pantomime and vice versa, he pondered.
Thankfully, always saying never to Neverland has turned into, well, you should never say never, as he teams up for a second time with Rowntree Players’ regular goofing panto loon Gemma McDonald to construct a script that retains all but the Darling parents among the regulation principals (until a late sub-plot).
Meanwhile, Nana the dog is turned into Nanny McFlee, Michael Cornell’s affable role in his third year on cheeky dame duty, forging a double act with sidekick McDonald, in trademark ginger bubble perm, rouge cheeks and riotously colourful clothing as Nanny’s dogged apprentice cum putative entrepreneur Barkly.
McDonald’s panto character never knowingly rejects the opportunity for a burst of bottom burps, but here takes raspberry blowing to new levels by bottling Barkly’s noxious wind for its powers of toxic termination of any opponent.
McFlee bite: Michael Cornell’s Nanny McFlee on dame duty. Picture: Matt Hillier
Effective, apparently, against all but those who suffer from anosmia: the medical term for the complete loss or lack of the sense of smell that five per cent of us experience and winner of the Unexpected Word of the Day in a York pantomime award.
Such a detail marks out the welcome unpredictability of a Rowntree Players panto, one of the assets of Ella and McDonald’s script that keeps the storytelling to the fore while promoting spectacle and slapstick too.
Jamie McKeller, spookologist Dr Dorian Deathly of Deathy Dark Tours by night when not treading the boards, has long craved the chance to play Captain Hook, a “real bad guy”, as he calls him. McKeller has beefed up his singing chops too with six months of lessons to add further impact to his latest character from the dark side, most notably in Don’t Rain On My Parade.
Irascible, arch, obsessive in his wish to put kill Peter Pan, his Hook is the master of the putdown, the waspish quip, yet fearful of the croc and the clock, here hounding him with electronic messages that Doom Is Imminent: a running gag that nods to modern technology.
She’s back! Hurrah! Claire Horsley’s Gloria on glorious piratical form performing in Pink Parade Club. Picture: Matt Hillier
Tradition plays its part in Rowntree pantomimes, and so Hannah King is a conventional, thigh-slapping, resolute principal boy as Peter Pan, working in tandem with Sara Howlett’s tinkering Tinkerbell.
Laura Castle knocks out a belting Holding Out For A Hero as the “never mess with a Yorkshire lass” Tigerlily; Sophie Bullivant’s Cornish clot of a Smee is amusingly disruptive before bringing the house down with Sit Down You’re Rocking The Boat.
Claire Horsley returns to the Rowntree ranks after a long hiatus to remind us of her vocal prowess as Gloria in the triumphant Pink Parade Club, while Tom Bettany’s John, Fergus Green’s Michael and especially Eva Howe’s storytelling Wendy have their moments as the Darling children.
Among the Lost Boys – ties tied around their heads as if band members of AC/DC – are company veterans Geoff Walker as Curly and Barry Johnson as Slightly, complemented by senior chorus, principal dancers and two junior teams (Blue at Sunday’s matinee) when Ami Carter’s choreography skilfully turns solo numbers and duets into full-scale ensemble routines.
The calm before the panto storm for Rowntree Players’ comical double act, Gemma McDonald’s Barkly and Michael Cornell’s Nanny McFlee. Picture: Matt Hillier
Rather than flying to Neverland, the Darlings are transported on their bed, lifted into the night sky with Pan and Tinkerbell to either side in set designer and scenic artist Anna Jones’s most striking scene. The show even makes fun of the budget limitations of trying to conjure an underwater scene…without water (save for water pistols).
Musical director Sam Johnson regularly lifts his band to the heights in the big numbers, especially in the Will Survive/Survivor mash-up and One Day More.
Rowntree Players’ Pantomime Adventures Of Peter Pan are fun, funny, fast-moving, full of silliness, but magical storytelling and colourful characterisation too. Tickets are selling fast and rightly so for this ever-rollicking community show
Rowntree Players in The Pantomime Adventures Of Peter Pan, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2pm Saturday matinee. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Actor-directorGary Oldman and York Theatre Royal chief executive officer Paul Crewes in the auditorium when first planning Krapp’s Last Tape. Picture: Gisele Schmidt
YORK Theatre Royal has been shortlisted for Theatre of the Year in The Stage Awards 2026.
Award winners will be crowned at the Royal Opera House, London, on January 12 2026, when the Theatre Royal will be competing against fellow nominees Almeida Theatre, London, Nottingham Playhouse, Royal Court Theatre, London, Soho Theatre, London, and Watermill Theatre, Newbury.
Chief executive officer Paul Crewes says: “2025 has been such an incredible year for York Theatre Royal and we are so proud to be shortlisted for The Stage’s Theatre of the Year.
“It is the first time for us, and this recognition is a real testament to the remarkable work from the whole York Theatre Royal (YTR) staff team, as well as the talented creative, production and technical teams, performers, stage managers, practitioners, producers, collaborators, partners, funders and volunteers who have worked with us and supported us this year.”
Gary Oldman on stage at York Theatre Royal in Samuel Beckett’s monodrama Krapp’s Last Tape. Picture: Gisele Schmidt
Over the past 18 months, the YTR’s increasing focus has been on building up an ambitious programme of produced work, a strategy spearheaded by Crewes since taking up his CEO role in October 2023.
This year, award-winning actor Gary Oldman worked with York Theatre Royal on Krapp’s Last Tape, directing himself and designing the set for Samuel Beckett’s melancholic monodrama from April 14 to May 17. He would end the year with a knighthood for outstanding services to drama; producers York Theatre Royal with the award nomination.
They will be in tandem again for Krapp’s Last Tape’s transfer to the Royal Court Theatre, London, from May 8 to 30 2026 as part of the Chelsea theatre’s 70th anniversary celebrations.
Sir Gary started his professional career at York Theatre Royal in 1979-1980 and talked of completing the cycle when he made his return 45 years later. “This was an amazing opportunity for audiences, and York Theatre Royal ensured ticket prices remained accessible,” says Crewes,
Debbie Isitt’s Military Wives – The Musical: Premiered at York Theatre Royal in September. Picture: Danny With A Camera
York Theatre Royal’s revival of The Railway Children with Keighley & Worth Valley Railway for Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture at Oxenhope Station
“The show was a huge success, attracted international press and welcomed people from across the world – 48 per cent of audiences surveyed were coming to the theatre for the first time and every performance sold out. ”
The world premiere of Military Wives – The Musical, written and directed by BAFTA-award winning Debbie Isitt, was another landmark production from September 10 to 27. Isitt’s musical drama told the story of the first Military Wives choir and the YTR worked closely with choirs across the country to tell their stories through marketing. Feedback found that 93 per cent of those surveyed gave the show five stars.
Crewes’s ambitious plans to expand the YTR programme of produced work will continue with upcoming spring season productions of a revival of The Secret Garden – The Musical, directed by Tony award winner and former YTR artistic director John Doyle and the world premiere of The Psychic from Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson, the writers of Ghost Stories.
More widely, the YTR aims to take its work across the UK and the globe, best exemplified by collaborating with Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture to bring director Damien Cruden and York writer Mike Kenny’s Olivier Award-winning stage adaptation of E Nesbit’s The Railway Children back to the tracks at Oxenhope Station on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway from July 15 to September 7.
Billy Heathwood, left, and Anthony Jardine (as Seebohm Rowntree) in this summer’s community production, His Last Report. Picture: S R Taylor Photography
Community is at the heart of the YTR too, built around a proactive creative engagement programme that reaches people from a wide variety of backgrounds and ages, from youth theatre for age five upwards through to adult acting and participation programmes.
At the epicentre this summer was the community co-production of Misha Duncan-Barry and Bridget Foreman’s His Last Report, a premiere staged with York company Riding Lights from July 19 to August 3 that highlighted the life and work of York social reformer Seebohm Rowntree.
This local story with national impact brought together 300 volunteers on and off stage, including a cast of more than 100. To ensure cost was not a barrier, YTR implemented a pay-what-you-can pricing strategy for opening night that resulted in a sold-out performance.
In 2025, York Theatre Royal secured funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Garfield Weston Foundation to expand community outreach activities to reach more people through the Sweet Legacies project, putting on fun, free and inclusive activities connected to the Rowntree family and legacy across the city.
Enjoying theSweet Legacies project at York Theatre Royal. Picture: James Drury
Eve Lorian conducting Prima Choral Artists and New World String Quartet
EVE Lorian’s York choir Prima Choral Artists will perform Family Christmas Concerts at St Olave’s Church, Marygate, York, on December 13 and 20 from 4pm to 5pm.
Audiences are invited to join the Prima Choral singers and their guests for two uplifting afternoons filled with festive favourites for all ages.
Produced and conducted by director Eve Lorian, the concerts will feature the New World String Quartet, organist James Webb and pianist Greg Birch in Prima’s reflective and cheerful Christmas celebrations.
Eve’s programme will offer a vibrant blend of high-spirited Christmas classics, modern choral arrangements and string and organ repertoire, including works by Tchaikovsky and Rawsthorne.
“A highlight of the concerts will be the much-loved audience carols, giving everyone the chance to join in and share the joy of live festive music together – an annual favourite for families and singers alike,” says Eve.
“With its atmospheric setting and warm seasonal programme, this one-hour concert is the perfect way to celebrate Christmas in York.”
Tickets are on sale at primachoral.com and on the door each Saturday from 3.30pm. “These popular 4pm concerts tend to sell quickly, so early booking is highly recommended,” advises Eve.
For event updates, behind-the-scenes videos and the latest news, follow Prima Choral Artists on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
The Grand Opera House poster for 2026 pantomime The Further Adventures Of Peter Pan: The Return Of Captain Hook
THE Grand Opera House pantomime for next winter will be The Further Adventures Of Peter Pan: The Return Of Captain Hook, setting sail under UK Productions livery in York from December 5 2026 to January 3 2027.
Join Peter Pan, Hook, Smee, Tinker Bell, Emily Darling and Ethel the Mermaid on a new adventure full of audience interaction, flying effects, giggles galore and a snappy crocodile.
Life has been smooth sailing for Peter Pan since he defeated Captain Hook, or so he thought. Whispers are spreading that the notorious Hook survived those stormy seas and is out for revenge. Could it be true? Watch out…he might be right behind you in this action-packed adventure.
“Get ready for gravity-defying flying scenes, stunning choreography and mind- blowing special effects that will leave you gasping,” says the Grand Opera House show announcement. “Pirate sword fights, crocodile chases and jaw-dropping stunts bring Neverland to life like you’ve never seen before!
“Bursting with hilarious jokes, show-stopping songs and non-stop action, this is the pantomime event of the year – and you won’t want to miss it.”
Star casting will be announced, but for early birds who want the worm, tickets go on sale today for ATG+ card holders and general sale on Tuesday at agtickets.com/york. The early bird offer will run until February 1.
THE Grand Opera House pantomime for next winter will be The Further Adventures Of Peter Pan: The Return Of Captain Hook, setting sail in York from December 5 2026 to January 3 2027.
Join Peter Pan, Hook, Smee, Tinker Bell, Emily Darling and Ethel the Mermaid on a new adventure full of audience interaction, flying effects, giggles galore and a snappy crocodile.
Life has been smooth sailing for Peter Pan since he defeated Captain Hook, or so he thought. Whispers are spreading that the notorious Hook survived those stormy seas and is out for revenge. Could it be true? Watch out…he might be right behind you in this action-packed adventure.
“Get ready for gravity-defying flying scenes, stunning choreography and mind- blowing special effects that will leave you gasping,” says the Grand Opera House show announcement. “Pirate sword fights, crocodile chases and jaw-dropping stunts bring Neverland to life like you’ve never seen before!
“Bursting with hilarious jokes, show-stopping songs and non-stop action, this is the pantomime event of the year – and you won’t want to miss it.”
Star casting will be announced but for early birds who want the worm, tickets go on sale today for ATG+ card holders and general sale on Tuesday at agtickets.com/york. The early bird offer will run until February 1.
Musical actor Bradley Judge heads from Leeds to York to play Dandini in Cinderella
Bradley Judge
LEEDS lad Bradley Judge completes the Grand Opera House principal cast for Cinderella at the Grand Opera House, York, in the role of Dandini.
Bradley has wowed audiences in the West End and on the regional circuit in Sister Act, Hairspray, Joseph And the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Grease and pantomimes such as Aladdin.
Bradley says: “I’m delighted to be appearing at the Grand Opera House over the festive period as Dandini in the fabulous Cinderella! As a Yorkshire lad, performing so close to home gives me so much joy and pride. Let’s have a reet good Yorkshire Christmas!”
Judge is performing in Ellis Kerkhoven’s star-studded by Lisa George (Coronation Street) as Fairy Godmother, Tobias Turley (ITV’s Mamma Mia I Have A Dream) as Prince Charming, and West End actress Rachel Grundy (Rocky Horror Picture Show, Legally Blonde and Starlight Express) as Cinderella.
Bringing the mayhem are West End drag duo Luke Attwood and Brandon Nicholson as naughty Ugly Sisters Harmony and Melody Hard-Up, joined in the comedy corner by Jimmy Bryant’s Buttons.
Cinderella runs until Sunday, January 4 2026. Box office: atgtickets.com/york. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Director Ellis Kerkhoven: back story
AWARD-WINNING theatre director, writer and lyricist. After graduating from Guildford School of Acting, he has built a vibrant career across traditional and immersive theatre, committed to developing his passion for collaborative, ensemble-based theatre making.
Credits include: co-stage director and creative direction for Opening Ceremony of Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo; associate director, resident director and performance-capture director for Disney – The Castle (Riyadh Season, Saudi Arabia); director & script adaptor of ETTIE award-winning and OFFIE-nominated new musical Stranger Sings! (Southwark Playhouse, The Vaults, London & UK Tour).
Pantomime direction & dramaturgy includes: Beauty And The Beast and Jack And The Beanstalk (co-director, Hereford Courtyard – Best Direction winner and Best Script nominations at British Panto Awards).
Collaborations with Singapore Repertory Theatre: Charlotte’s Web (Straits Times Award nomination for Best Play); Nursery Crimes and Playmakers.
For more than a decade, he has written and directed large-scale, original musicals for British Youth Music Theatre, nurturing the next generation of performers and creatives. Credits include: Nightshade, The Midnight Flower Press, ALICE In Wanderlust and Maelstrom – Legends Of The Underworld.
“I am delighted to be directing Cinderella this year here in York,” he says.
The cover artwork for Don and Jo Pears’ festive album Christmas Carols
YORK musical stalwarts Don and Jo Pears are releasing a festive album, Christmas Carols – A Musical Celebration of Tradition and Talent.
The CD comprises 23 beautifully arranged carols written by the duo as “the culmination of decades of musical passion and collaboration, dedicated to Don’s late mother, Rhoda Robinson, and her family for their unwavering support”.
Don’s musical journey began in the small mining village of Leadgate, County Durham, where his love for music was nurtured in the Methodist Church choir under the guidance of Mr L. T. Whaley.
His career spans more than 34 years as head of music in schools and includes studies at Huddersfield University, The Guildhall, King’s College London, and Bretton Hall, West Yorkshire.
Today, Don is a legendary figure in York’s musical community, built around strong ties to the Joseph Rowntree Theatre.
Jo Pears, a well-known singer in York, has starred in numerous musicals and performed with the York Guildhall Orchestra at York Barbican.
Christmas Carolscomposer Don Pears, left, York Guildhall Orchestra leader Fiona Love, producer Bob Whitney and conductor Simon Wright
Together, Don and Jo have helped raise funds to support the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, a cherished cultural landmark and beacon for community arts.
Performing together for decades, composer Don and lyricist Jo have written songs and carols since the early 2000s. Their music is created for everyone to enjoy and reflects their lifelong dedication to the arts and community.
The album was recorded at the National Centre for Early Music, St Margartet’s Church, in Walmgate, with the York Guildhall Orchestra and a specially formed choir of friends, who were conducted by musician and Guildhall Orchestra director Simon Wright.
The Singphonia Singers, a group of talented performers formed by Don, will showcase some of the carols at A Christmas Selection Box: A Music Night Production at the Rowntree Theatre on Sunday, December 14 at 7pm. Tickets are on sale on 01904 501935, at josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk or on the door, priced £12 to £15.
The Christmas Carols CD will be on sale at Sunday’s concert or can be downloaded from Spotify, Apple iTunes and Amazon Music.
The track listing for Don and Jo Pears’ album Christmas Carols
Wanderful: Coronation Street star Lisa George’s Fairy Godmother in Cinderella at the Grand Opera House, York
CHRISTMAS music and pantomimes aplenty dominate Charles Hutchinson’s recommendations for December fun-filled fulfilment.
Having a ball: Cinderella, Grand Opera House, York, today until January 4 2026
LEEDS lad Bradley Judge’s Dandini joins the star-studded cast of Lisa George (Coronation Street) as Fairy Godmother, Tobias Turley (ITV’s Mamma Mia I Have A Dream) as Prince Charming and West End star Rachel Grundy (Rocky Horror Picture Show, Legally Blonde) as Cinderella in UK Productions’ Cinderella, scripted by Jon Monie.
Directed by Ellis Kerkhoven, West End drag stars Luke Attwood and Brandon Nicholson bring the mayhem in Ugly Sisters mode as Harmony and Melody Hard-Up, joined in the comedy corner by Jimmy Bryant’s Buttons. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
The Marian Consort: Performing with English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble at York Early Music Christmas Festival on December 8
Festival of the week: York Early Music Christmas Festival, mainly at National Centre for Early Music, York, until December 14
HIGHLIGHTS at this Yuletide feast of music spanning the centuries, complemented by contemporary tunes, include Yorkshire Bach Choir & Yorkshire Baroque Soloists performing Hayden’s The Creation tonight and The Chiaroscuro Quartet and Consone String Quartet uniting tomorrow for Mendelssohn’s Octet in E flat major Op 20.
The Marian Consort teams up with the English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble in Looking Bach To Palestrina on December 8 and Fieri Consort Singers and Camerata Øresund present Christmas Cantatas by Christopher Graupner and English Tavern Songs on December 12. Among further festival performers will be mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston, Dowland’s Foundry, Apollo5, Lowe Ensemble, Irish folk singer Cara Dillon and Joglaresa. For the full programme and tickets, go to: ncem.co.uk. Box office: 01904 658338.
York Theatre Royal’s pantomime cast in rehearsal for Sleeping Beauty. Picture: SR Taylor Photography
No sleep till January 4: Sleeping Beauty, York Theatre Royal
YORK Theatre Royal creative director Juliet Forster directs returnee dame Robin Simpson’s Nurse Nellie, Jocasta Almgill’s Carabosse, Tommy Carmichael’s Jangles, CBeebies star Jennie Dale’s Fairy Moonbeam, Aoife Kenny’s Aurora and Harrogate actor Christian Mortimer’s Prince Michael of Moravia in Sleeping Beauty.
Written once more by Paul Hendy, the Theatre Royal’s festive extravaganza is co-produced with award-winning Evolution Productions, the same team behind All New Adventures Of Peter Pan, Jack And The Beanstalk and last winter’s Aladdin. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Hannah King’s Peter Pan in The Pantomime Adventures Of Peter Pan, Rowntree Players’ festive visit to Neverland
Putting ‘Pan’ into pantomime: Rowntree Players in The Pantomime Adventures Of Peter Pan, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, today, 2pm and 7.30pm, Sunday, 2pm and 6pm; December 9 to 12, 7.30pm; December 13, 2pm and 7.30pm
JOIN Wendy, John and Michael as they fly with Peter Pan to the fantastical world of Neverland in Howard Ella and Gemma McDonald’s pantomime for Rowntree Players. Cling on to your seats as Peter and the Lost Boys do battle with Jamie McKeller’s rather nasty Captain Hook and his even nastier bunch of pirates. Fear not as Nanny McFlea and her ever eager apprentice Barkly are on hand to assist in the most ridiculous of ways. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Bec Silk’s Robin Hood and writer Martin Vander Weyer’s Dame Daphne in 1812 Theatre Company’s pantomime Robin Hood’s Helmsley Adventure
Ryedale pantomime opening of the week: 1812 Theatre Company in Robin Hood’s Helmsley Adventure, Helmsley Arts Centre, today, 2.30pm and 7.30pm; Sunday, 2.30pm; December 9 to 12, 7.30pm; December 13, 2.30pm and 7.30pm; December 14, 2.30pm
HELMSLEY Arts Centre artistic director Natasha Jones directs company-in-residence 1812 Theatre Company in this traditional panto with a Knock Knock Joke Contest, scripted by dame Martin Vander Weyer.
Robin Hood will be rescuing the lovely Maid Marian from the wicked Sheriff of Pickering, while Black Swan landlady Dame Daphne will lead the merriment and mayhem. Knock Knock! Who’s there? Daphne! Daphne who? Daph-nitely book early to avoid disappointment on 01439 771700 or at helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Singer Dene Michael, dressed as a pineapple, in the finale to Kim Hopkins’s documentary film Still Pushing Pineapples, showing at City Screen Picturehouse on Sunday
Documentary film screening of the week; Still Pushing Pineapples (12A), City Screen Picturehouse, York, Sunday, 5pm
BLACK Lace’s Agadoo has been voted the most infuriating song of all time. What happens when you are forever associated with such a Marmite hit; what comes after fleeting fame, and what does it mean to grow old still chasing a dream?
Perennial pineapple pusher and former Yorkshire band member Dene Michael is still singing the derided party anthem across fading clubland UK: a story now told in Selby-raised filmmaker Kim Hopkins’s humorous, moving, warts’n’all documentary, a pineapple slice of working-class social realism wrapped inside a road movie and abiding love story. Dene Michael, Hopkins and producer Margareta Szabo will hold a post-show Q&A. Box office: picturehouses.com/cinema/city-screen-picturehouse.
A Nativity For York director Paul Toy
Nativity play of the week: York Mystery Plays Supporters Trust in A Nativity For York, All Saints Church, North Street, York, December 10, 7.30pm
USING medieval scripts from the York Cycle of Mystery Plays and music both medieval and folk in style, Paul Toy’s community cast tells a familiar story of a marvellous birth, threaded with humour, reverence and, sadly, hatred, where candlelight emphasises the constant struggle of the light against the darkness.
The performance lasts one hour with no interval. Refreshments will be available. Box office: 033 666 3366, ympst.co.uk/york-nativity or on the door.
Christmas will be merry for Kate Rusby at York Barbican on December 11
Carol concert of the week: Kate Rusby, Christmas Is Merry, York Barbican, December 11, 7pm
BARNSLEY folk nightingale Kate Rusby plays her regular festive fixture at York Barbican, returning with her folk band and the Brass Boys for two sets of jolly carols from South Yorkshire’s pubs, Christmas chart chestnuts and original winter songs.
Christmas Is Merry marks her 20th anniversary of these winter warmers, drawing on her six Christmas studio albums: 2008’s Sweet Bells, 2011’s While Mortals Sleep, 2015’s The Frost Is All Over, 2017’s Angels And Men, 2019’s Holly Head and 2023’s Light Years. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Hyde Family Jam’s poster for their brace of Christmas jamborees at The Crescent, York on December 11 and 12
Christmas knees-up of the week: Hyde Family Jam, The Crescent, York, December 11, 7.30pm
FRIENDS! Come celebrate another Christmas with a right thorough knees-up at The Crescent with York buskers supreme Hyde Family Jam, a traditional-looking folk band that couldn’t be less traditional. They perform the songs they love from any decade, any genre, in any way they fancy, played as fast and loud as possible. “We call it ‘folk gone wrong’,” they say. “Expect a few special festive bonuses too!” Box office: thecrescentyork.com.
Recommended but sold out already: Hyde Family Jam’s December 12 gig and The Howl & The Hum’s traditional special Crescent Christmas gig, led as ever by Sam Griffiths after leaving York and Leeds for London.
Setting sail in Pick Me Up Theatre’s Anything Goes: Reno Sweeney (Alexandra Mather, front centre) and her Angels, Sophie Curry, left, Chloe Branton and Sophie Kemp. Picture: Felix Wahlberg
Getting a kick out of you musical of the week: Pick Me Up Theatre in Anything Goes, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, December 12 to 30
DITCH York’s December chills and climb aboard the S.S. American as it sets sail in Andrew Isherwood’s all-singing, all-dancing staging of Anything Goes!, Cole Porter’s swish musical, charting the madcap antics of a motley crew leaving New York for London on a Christmas-themed steamer.
Meet nightclub singer/evangelist Reno Sweeney (Alexandra Mather) and lovelorn Wall Street broker Billy Crocker (Adam Price), who has stowed away on board in pursuit of his beloved Hope Harcourt (Claire Gordon-Brown). Alas, Hope is engaged to fellow passenger Sir Evelyn Oakleigh (Neil Foster). Enter second-rate conman Moonface Martin (Fergus Powell) to join Reno in trying to help Billy win the love of his life. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Michael Ball’s poster for his Glow UK Tour 2026, taking in Yorkshire gigs at Bradford Live (September 2), Sheffield City Hall (September 5) and Hull Connexin Live (September 6), as well as York Barbican (September 12)
Concert announcement of the week: Michael Ball, Glow UK Tour, York Barbican, September 12 2026
MUSICAL star and radio and TV presenter Michael Ball will promote his 23rd solo album, Glow, on next year’s 25-date tour. “There’s probably only one thing I enjoy more than being in the studio – writing, producing and singing songs with people I love – and that’s taking it all out on the road and performing those songs as well as all the old favourites to the audiences I love,” he says. “It’s going to be an exciting year, and I can’t wait to see you all.’’ Box office: https://www.yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/michael-ball-2026/.
In Focus: The Christmas Collection at Pyramid Gallery, York, until January 12 2025
Bowl Of Apricots, acrylic painting, by Anita Klein
PYRAMID Gallery’s Christmas Collection, in Stonegate, York, features works by London artist and printmaker Anita Klein, York ceramicist Ben Arnup, Peak District sculptor Paul Smith, South Staffordshire mosaic artist Amanda Anderson and York floral artist Lesley Birch.
Exhibiting too will be Canadian-born painter, printmaker and cartographer Mychael Barratt, Oswestry ceramicist Jacqui Atkin and Perthshire oil painter artist and printmaker Ian MacIntyre, complemented by bird and fish blown glass by Bruce Parks, bronzes by David Meredith, Nerikromi vessels by York ceramist Patricia Qua and studio jewellery for the Christmas season by 50 British makers.
Curator Terry Brett, who has owned the gallery for 31 years, has invited Anita Klein to fill the walls with 15 linocut original prints, new aquatint etchings and two paintings.
Bee Eater, ceramic vase, by Jacqui Atkin
“The gallery has enjoyed a long, unbroken relationship with Anita as a supplier of her extensive catalogue of prints that form a diary of her family life,” he says.
“Over the 28 years in which she has shown more than 800 different pictures at Pyramid Gallery, we have watched her career progress to the point where Anita has become one of the most collectable printmakers in the UK. It seems very fitting that she is the main focus of the Christmas Collection.”
As well as showing new linocut prints, Anita is selling copies of her book Out Of The Ordinary – 40 Years Of Print Making, featuring illustrations of 550 of her best-loved prints, published by Eames Fine Art.
The Christmas Collection at Pyramid Gallery is open 10am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday, 11am to 4pm, Sundays, until January 12 2026. Closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
Welcome one, welcome all, you shall go to the ball at the Grand Opera House
AFTER the success of last winter’s Relaxed Performance of Beauty And The Beast, the Grand Opera House has picked Friday, January 2 for Cinderella’s relaxed show in York.
The Relaxed Performance is a one-off show designed primarily for those who may find visiting a theatre daunting, especially those on the autistic spectrum, or who may make involuntary sounds, or anyone who would benefit from a more relaxed environment.
Young children can enjoy the opportunity to watch the pantomime in this environment, in particular if it is their first theatre experience.
During this performance, adjustments will be made, including lighting remaining at a low level in the auditorium, flashing and strobe lighting being removed, sound levels lowered and loud bangs removed.
The atmosphere in the auditorium will be relaxed and audience members can feel free to move around and make noise. In addition, symbol-friendly resources will include flashcards with symbols to help identify characters and objects found in the production and the visit to the theatre.
Jamie McKeller (Captain Hook), second from right, in rehearsal with Gemma McDonald (Barkly), Michael Cornell (Nanny McFlea) and musical director Sam Johnson for Rowntree Players’ The Pantomime Adventures Of Peter Pan
ROWNTREE Players pantomime co-writer and director Howard Ella had always avoided Peter Pan…until now.
“I see it as a bit of a Cinderella, where the story is so familiar to everybody that it’s hard to tell that story, do it justice and make it a panto at the same time,” he reasons ahead of tomorrow’s opening performance at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York.
“It’s taken me 16/17 years to find the courage. You can’t just do the book, but I want to be loyal to the[J.M. Barrie] text while making it into a panto, and I think we’ve nailed it.”
By “we” he is referring to co-writer and regular goofing loon Gemma McDonald, cast as eager apprentice Barkly this time. “I’ve had Gemma by my side again, working from a great traditional story with great characters that give you a good foundation to then work out how to bring together the traditional while being forward facing; how you then get that balance right.
“A story like Peter Pan adds another level to that challenge, but we have an exciting cast that meets that challenge with contemporary relevance amid the melee of pantomime traditions.”
Joining Gemma in the principal cast will be Hannah King’s Peter Pan, Sophie Bullivant’s Smee, Claire Horsley, returning from a long hiatus, as Gloria, Sara Howlett’s Tinkerbell, Eva Howe’s Wendy and Neon Crypt theatre company trio Laura Castle as Tiger Lily, Michael Cornell as Nanny McFlea and Jamie McKeller as Captain Hook.
“Hook is the perfect panto villain and to have someone who’s wanted to play that role forever…that’s when serendipity kicks in with Jamie.”
McKeller is a familiar face on York’s haunted streets as ghost-walk host Dr Dorian Deathly, promoter of Deathly Dark Tours, but he has taken to the dark side in Rowntree Players pantomimes too, whether as an Ugly Sister or the Sheriff of Nottingham.
“One of the things I’m most proud of this year is that he’s a real bad guy,” says Jamie. “There’s usually redemption at the end for the villain, a great epiphany, but Hook doesn’t get one –and he shouldn’t. He just says from the get-go, quite unreasonably, that he will kill this child [Peter Pan].”
What’s more, his Hook will have the gravitas of a Shakespearean bad egg. “My first entrance is two pages of what Howard calls ‘elegant prose’,” he says.
Howard rejoins: “Pantos are frivolous and fun on the surface, but there’s no reason to not have a deeper story behind it to add depth. It would be very easy to tell a simple panto story around Peter Pan, where most of it could just be a tale with fairy dust, but then you have to insert a dame and a comic.
“We haven’t gone down that path: rather than Nana the dog, we have Nanny McFlea, with some dog-like tendencies in human form, and Gemma as her comical son Barkly.”
Jamie’s Hook will be attired in de rigueur red coat, hat, scarf, stripey trousers, big boots, hook…and “flamboyant hair”. “He’s wholly evil, but with show-stopping numbers, such as Don’t Rain On My Parade, the Barbra Streisand song from Funny Girl, One Day More and the Survivor/I Will Survive mash-up from Glee.
“As soon as I was told it was Peter Pan this year and that Captain Hook would require some strong singing, I went off and did six months of singing lessons at York Singing Academy in Marygate.
“I’ve always been able to maul my way through a song as the bad guy in a ‘speak-sing’ style but I’d never learned the mechanics of singing, though I knew how to manipulate my voice because of all the voiceover work I’ve done. Sam Johnson tells me I’ve done a good job!”
Howard concurs: “When you end up with the baddie singing as the campest character in the show, then that’s my idea of what a panto should be!”
He is enjoying Michael Cornell’s progression in the dame’s role too (as Nanny McFlea this year). “You grow into this role because no two dames are the same, and you have to own your dame,” he says. “By building relationships, like working around the consistency of Gemma’s character, it all gets layered over the years.”
Jamie, who performed alongside Michael in Neon Crypt and the Deathly Dark Tours’ paranormal investigations of The Wetwang Hauntings – Live in November, says of his panto co-star: “He’s just very fearless, bringing so much to the rehearsal room. He’s not long 30, and look at how still he was on stage in our Wetwang show, his tweedy suit and moustache barely moving.”
Defining why he loves pantomime in the 21st century, Howard says: “Pantomime remains something that is multi-generational. Bringing generations together in any activity is a challenge, but I’m all for multi-generational entertainment that is safe yet challenging at the same time and doesn’t just make you laugh but cry and think as well.
“It’s a unique form of entertainment with audiences that you don’t get with other forms of theatre. And I love the tradition of it all, which is important in the right place. It’s one of the things that drove me to do what I do now, and why wouldn’t you want to pass it on to the next generation? It’s a joyous privilege.”
On the subject of tradition, Howard adds: “You’re fitting pantomime into a world that’s changing all the time, but tradition doesn’t mean unchanging and old-fashioned, but comfortable and recognisable.
“I’m still fond of having a traditional principal boy [played by a female], but it doesn’t mean you can’t sprinkle new things into the pantomime mix. That’s the joy of writing it each year.”
Jamie enthuses: “From an acting/performing point of view, pantomime is so mischievous. I’m not very disciplined, and you know you can do things in panto, like knowing looks or catching each other’s eye on stage, and the audience knows that you’re doing that.
“I always say that doing panto is like a fever dream. I take the week off from everything else, just going around coffee shops.”
Audiences can’t wait. “We’ve had our third successive year of record ticket sales, which is even harder to achieve in this current climate, but we’ve had a strong team for a long time,” says a delighted Howard.
“We laugh a lot in rehearsals and that energy carries through to the performances when you have a bunch of people who love doing these shows.”
Rowntree Players in The Pantomime Adventures Of Peter Pan, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, tomorrow, 2pm and 7.30pm, Sunday, 2pm and 6pm; December 9 to 12, 7.30pm; December 13, 2pm and 7.30pm. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Christian Mortimer, centre, enjoying a rehearsal for York Theatre Royal’s Sleeping Beauty with pantomime dame Robin Simpson, left, and Tommy Carmichael. Picture: S R Taylor Photography
THE last addition to the principal players in York Theatre Royal’s pantomime Sleeping Beauty is Christian Mortimer, a North Yorkshire actor and singer with previous form in the annual co-production with Evolution Productions.
Replacing the now unavailable York-raised musical theatre actor Scott Goncalves at a month’s notice, Harrogate-based Christian, 29, is playing Prince Michael of Moravia.
“I had to miss my first day of rehearsals as I was flying back from Tampa, Florida, where I was performing in a celebration of Frankie Valli’s music,” he says. “I’ve seen all parts of the world in this show, and this gig in Florida came about because someone who’d seen the show then hired us for his yacht club party.
“We were out there for five days that overlapped with the start of rehearsals here. The weather was very different, 27 degrees when I’d go on my morning run!”
“Bari-tenor” Christian’s Frankie Valli travels and work as a lead vocalist for Celebrity Cruises have taken him to Japan, South East Asia, “lots of” America, the Mediterranean and the West coast of Africa. “We went quad-baking on the Namibian sand dunes and had the best time ever doing it,” he says.
Sleeping Beauty choreographer Hayley Del Harrison contacted Christian with a late call to to say, “we’re looking for a Prince”. “Hence I’m not in any of the posters,” he says. “I had to send off my show reel to Hayley and to casting, and they came back with an offer. I said ‘yes’, and it’s ideal as I’m in Yorkshire already.
“I was in the ensemble here four years ago for Cinderella, when I worked with Hayley. That was the show with Robin Simpson and Paul Hawkyard as the Ugly Sisters [Manky and Mardy] and [comedian and ventriloquist] Max Fulham as a wonderful Buttons.”
It was the second winter of Covid-19 restrictions, a challenging time for theatres and actors seeking to live up to the maxim of “the show must go on”, as Christian recalls. “I started in the ensemble, covering for the Prince [Benjamin Lafayette], who got Covid.
Christian Mortimer’s Prince Michael of Moravia in rehearsal with Aoife Kenny’s Princess Aurora for York Theatre Royal’s Sleeping Beauty. Picture: S R Taylor Photography
“In the lead-up to Christmas, I had one show as the Prince with Faye Campbell as Cinderella, who got Covid, then two with Lauren Richardson, who stepped up from the ensemble to play Cinderella, but then she got Covid too, so a stand-in was brought in. But then I got Covid!
“I was off for a week’s isolation period and was in my bedroom, by myself, on Christmas Day. It was definitely interesting to have to play off so many different people with differing ways of saying things, which keeps you in the moment. That was a good lesson to learn.”
Since then, Christian has been abroad at Christmas twice, performing with The Other Guys (the Frankie Valli tribute). Now, he is back on home turf in regal mode as Prince Michael of Moravia. “He’s more of a set-up guy, driving the narrative forward, though he has a few jokes and he’s in the slosh scene, so he’s definitely good fun,” he says.
“Often the Prince is seen as being a bit wet, singing a few love songs, but this show is really well written [by Evolution Productions director Paul Hendy] to make the Prince a bit more out there and stronger.
“He has a fun number near the start, called Introducing Me, when he and Princess Aurora are getting to know each other, and he also sings Die With A Smile, the Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars song, and A Thousand Years, the Christina Perri song that we’ve changed to A Hundred Years to fit the story.”
Christian, who studied at Rossett High School, York College and ArtsEd, in London, and cut his acting teeth with York Light Youth, York Light Opera Company and Pick Me Up Theatre in York, will be spending Christmas in Harrogate. “I’m commuting from home every day, and my brother Jordan and Natalie have just had a baby girl, Mia, so we’ll be together on Christmas Day,” he says.
Looking ahead, “I’ll be moving south in February with my girlfriend, Lizzy Parker, who’s a fellow musical theatre performer. She was in Heathers: The Musical as Heather McNamara, the one who wears yellow, and then did Next To Normal in the West End at the Donmar Warehouse,” says Christian.
“We’re moving to Stevenage, where we both have connections, and we’re both in a position to buy, but have never lived together until now, so we’ll move in together and then find somewhere on the outskirts of London.”
York Theatre Royal and Evolution Productions present Sleeping Beauty until January 4 2026. Box office: 01904 623568 or yortktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Christmas Is Merry for Kate Rusby: “It just seemed the perfect title for the tour that celebrates 20 years of my Christmas gigs,” she says
BARNSLEY folk nightingale Kate Rusby returns as bright as a festive robin to York Barbican on December 11 on her 20th anniversary Christmas Is Merry tour.
Kate, who turned 52 today (4/12/2025), will cherry pick from her seven winter albums, 2008’s Sweet Bells, 2011’s While Mortals Sleep, 2015’s The Frost Is All Over, 2017’s Angels And Men, 2019’s Holly Head, 2020’s Happy Holly Day (Live) and 2023’s Light Years.
In the company of her regular band, coupled with the added warmth of “the Brass Boys”, Kate combines carols still sung in South Yorkshire pubs with her winter songs and favourite Christmas chestnuts. As ever, look out for the festive fancy dress finale and maybe her new Christmas Chill version of The Wren@20.
Here Kate discusses the magic and joy of Christmas songs past and present with CharlesHutchPress.
The 2025 tour has a new title, Christmas Is Merry. Why did you choose that one, Kate?
“We recorded a gorgeous song called Christmas Is Merry a few years ago, and it’s a favourite of ours to play live now. It just seemed the perfect title for the tour that celebrates 20 years of my Christmas gigs. We all have such a great time on the tour, we just adore it and are very, very merry and giddy throughout, so the title just fitted.”
What will be the new elements of the latest round of Kate Rusby Christmas concerts: New set design? New additions to the set list?
“Ooooh, absolutely new set; it’s going to be so fab! I can’t give any spoilers, but when people walk into the auditorium hopefully they’ll love it. We’re going retro is the only clue I’ll give!
Kate Rusby’s cover artwork for her 2023 Christmas album, Light Years
“As for the set list, as it’s celebrating 20 years, we’ve tried to include audience faves and our faves from over the years, which actually match up!”
What will be the band line-up for this winter’s tour?
“Same as last year, my band of six: myself, Damien O’Kane, acoustic guitars, electric guitars and banjo; Duncan Lyall, double bass and Moog; Sam Kelly, guitars, bouzouki and vocals; Nick Cook, accordions and electric guitar, and Josh Clarke, percussion.
“Plus my fabulous brass lads: Gary Wyatt, cornet; Lee Clayson, flugelhorn horn; Robin Taylor, euphonium; Chris Howlings, French horn, and Nick Etheridge, tuba. So that’s 11 on stage in total including lil’ old me.
“It’s our biggest tour of the year, so we have more of our incredible crew, lights, set etc, all travelling round in a big truck. Every single one of them is a true gem and talented beyond belief. I’m so lucky to work with them all.”
What are the ingredients that go into making the perfect Christmas album? The familiar, the unfamiliar, the new and the old?
“Exactly that! I like to include something for everyone! On each Christmas album I’ve made, there are songs from the South Yorkshire pub-sings, to songs more recognisable, to classics we hear every year (but Rusby-fied, of course!)
“I like to search for more quirky, funny songs that appeal to the younger generation, (Hippo For Christmas or I’m Getting Nothing For Christmas, for instance) and then I also include songs I’ve written, about the New Year bells ringing in a new start [Let The Bells Ring] or about a lost angel I imagined sitting in a tree in our snowy garden [Glorious].”
Kate Rusby in wintertime. Picture: David Angel
How come you have made so many Christmas albums, whereas Michael Buble and Kylie Minogue both keep re-releasing the same one?!
“Ha!!! Aw, I love Michael Buble and Kylie, they’re both very cool. I see Kylie has just released a new song called XMAS. I love it. I suppose I just have way too many songs I still want to record, from the pub-sings round here and beyond. I love researching and discovering new cool Christmas songs, and I love writing them too, so there’s no way I’m done yet!”
How come there are so many versions – and variations – of While Shepherds Watched? Where do you keep finding them?
“I know them from the ‘pub-sings’ around this area of South Yorkshire, where more than 30 different versions still exist! The South Yorkshire carols are something I am truly passionate about, and the very reason I started our Christmas tour in the first place.
“The carols were lost to the rest of the country, (apart from a little pocket of Cornwall, where they have similar carols and some totally different!), so I wanted to show them off and spread them around again, and here we are 20 years later! I just love it.”
Will it be roast turkey or goose or neither for the Rusby-O’Kane household on Christmas Day?
“Ooh, we’re going turkey this year! We did have goose for a few years but we’ve gone back to turkey. With all the trimmings of course, even down to bread sauce. Whoop!”
Do you have a favourite Christmas album in the Rusby household?
“There tends to be a LOT of singing at a Rusby family Christmas, but I love listening to Louis Armstrong’s Christmas music. It feels me with warmth and always makes me smile.”
Banjo players Damien O’Kane and Ron Block: Teaming up for third album together, Banjovial, Kate Rusby’s pick of 2025
Which album have you enjoyed discovering this year that you would recommend giving as a Christmas present?
“I have to say one of my faves from this year is hubby Damien O’Kane’s new album Banjovial. His third album he’s recorded with fellow banjo legend Ron Block. “Ron plays with Alison Krauss; in fact he’s been her right hand banjo man for more than 30 years.
“Dee and Ron became best banjo buddies a few years ago and he’s played on my last few albums. He’s so great, as is Damien, and together they make the best, happy, uplifting, sunshine-in-a-bottle music! Fully recommended!”
Do you have recording plans for 2026?
“Yes, I have a plan! An album I’ve been wanting to record for a wee while, so I’ll be getting stuck into that when my girls [Phoebe Summer and Daisy Delia] are back to school in January. It’ll probably be released around the middle of the year I think.”
Kate Rusby: Christmas Is Merry, York Barbican, December 11, 7pm. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.Her tour visits Bradford St George’s Hall (December 5, bradford-theatres.co.uk); London (Dec 7); Manchester (Dec 9); Llandudno (Dec 10); York (Dec 11); Gateshead (Dec 13); Sheffield City Hall (Dec 14, sheffieldcityhall.co.uk); Brighton (Dec 16); Bristol (Dec 17); Nottingham (Dec 19) and Cambridge (Dec 20.)
On a separate matter
You played Ryedale Festival this summer at the Milton Rooms, Malton, with the Singy Songy Session Band, performing latest album When They All Looked Up. What do you recall of that experience?
“AW it was so gorgeous! What a beautiful little hall, we loved it. Our girls came along as did my parents, and other friends of the family so it was just fab. The audience were really great too, and probably the smartest dressed audience I have ever had!”
