Category: Comedy

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More Things To Do in York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 28, from The York Press

Super Furry Animals: Flower power in the botanical gardens at Live At York Museum Gardens. Picture: Ryan Eddleston

NINE comedians on one day in a garden, a mythical tale of a goddess and the dark side of the moon, a near-future re-spinning of the selkie myth and a bothersome briefcase in a love story keep Charles Hutchinson’s head spinning with artistic possibilities.  

Rock gig of the week: Futuresound presents Live At York Museum Gardens, Super Furry Animals, today, gates 4pm

FUTURESOUND’S third season of Live At York Museum Gardens concerts climaxes today with Welsh psychedelic rock band Super Furry Animals’ headline set. On the bill too are  singer-songwriter Baxter Dury, indie-pop septet Los Campesinos!, Nottingham alt-country band Divorce and North Wales psychedelic act Pys Melyn.  Box office: futuresoundgroup.com/york-museum-gardens-events.

The Gesualdo Six: Performing Wishing Tree: A Choral Journey 1 at St Lawrence’s Church, York, on July 14 at 3pm at Ryedale Festival. Picture: Ash Mills

Festival of the week: Ryedale Festival, until July 26

RYEDALE Festival presents 60 events this month in 40 different venues, including Tenebrae, The Gesualdo Six, John Wilson & Sinfonia of London’s An English Summer, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia and Opera North.

Taking part too are tenor Mark Padmore and pianist Christopher Glynn, Sheku & Isata Kanneh-Mason, pianist Benjamin Grosvenor, Eliza Carthy and The Restitution, soprano Erika Baikoff, cellist Laura van der Heijden, BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists and Kirkbymoorside Town Brass Band. For the full festival programme and tickets, go to: ryedalefestival.com.

Cutting a dash: Russell Kane’s 7.10pm set will last 25 minutes at York Comedy Festival tomorrow

Comedy event of the week: Futuresound presents York Comedy Festival, Live At York Museum Gardens, York, tomorrow, gates 3pm

TOPICAL comedian Russell Howard (9.30pm) and Geordie surrealist Ross Noble (8.35pm) take top billing at the second open-air York Comedy Festival, promoted by Futuresound.

In tomorrow’s line-up too will be Irish stand-up and podcast sensation Joanne McNally (7.40pm); stand-up and presenter Russell Kane (7.10pm); Big Kick Energy podcaster and comedian Suzi Ruffell (6.15pm); Alex Lowe’s 82-year-old comic creation Barry From Watford (5.45pm); cult stand-up hero and viral sensation Jeff Innocent (4.50pm)  and Britain’s Got Talent finalist Nabil Abdulrashid (4.20pm), all hosted by Jarred Christmas. Box office: yorkcomedyfestival.com.

Megan Drury in Wright & Grainger’s SELENE, part of Theatre@41’s Halfway To Edinburgh Season

Radical myth revamp of the week: Wright & Grainger and Theatre@41 present Megan Drury in SELENE, Halfway To Edinburgh Season, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, July 15, 7.30pm; July 16, 8.30pm

AUSTRALIAN actor Megan Drury stars in Easingwold duo Phil Grainger and Alexander Flanagan Wright’s tale of the goddess and the dark side of the moon in a radical explosion of an ancient myth.

A young girl watches the moon landings on repeat. A teenager makes a list of all the things they are not. A young adult starts to discover who they are. Expect a story addressing the light sides of us, the dark sides of us, the things orbiting around us as we grow up and not least the wild stuff inside us. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Silence is golden: Rowan Armitt-Brewster’s Thomas in A Brief Case Of Crazy at York Theatre Royal Studio

Silent love story of the week: Skedaddle Theatre & Shoddy Theatre present A Brief Case Of Crazy, York Theatre Royal Studio, July 16 to 18, 7pm plus 2pm Saturday matinee

INSPIRED by the timeless genius of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Mr Bean,Rowan Armitt-Brewster, Samuel Cunningham and Lennie Longworth’s physical comedy A Brief Case Of Crazy is a silent love story with a very loud heart, told through slick choreography, mime, clowning and puppetry.

Meet Thomas, an awkward, introverted office worker with a quiet crush on his equally shy colleague, Daisy. His quest for love must contend with a boisterous boss named Simon and a rather bothersome briefcase that drags an awkward introvert into extraordinary events. Will his quest for love fail? Or will he discover that what’s on the inside counts most? Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk. Age guidance: Five upwards.

Hannah Davies & Jack Woods: Performing The Ballad Of Blea Wyke at Helmsley Arts Centre on July 17. Picture: Matt Jopling

Dystopian vision of the week: Hannah Davies & Jack Woods in The Ballad of Blea Wyke, Helmsley Arts Centre, July 17, 7.30pm

IN North Yorkshire writer and storyteller Hannah Davies and musician Jack Woods’ dystopian re-imagining of the selkie myth in a not-too-distant future, a young woman wants to see the sea. A stranger stands on a cliff. The last grey seal swims towards the shore. 

On her 18th birthday, tough care-leaver Cerys breaks the city’s lockdown and travels to the coastal cliffs that birthed her, the crumbling landscape drawing her back to her mythic past. Cue a haunting interweaving of story, music, poetry and song. Box office: Helmsley, 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Dominic Goodwin in a triptych of three of his multiple roles in Twice Nightly at Friargate Theatre

Recalling variety’s golden days: Pyramus and Thisbe Productions present Dominic Goodwin in Twice Nightly, Friargate Theatre, York, July 17 & 18, 7.30pm

RYEDALE writer, performer and pantomime dame Dominic Goodwin is touring his first one-man comedy show, directed by York director and actor Thomas Frere.

Twice Nightly follows the story of struggling comedian Freddie Francis in 1956 as the final curtain hovers over variety. Many acts of the time are highlighted, including Norman “Over The Garden Wall” Evans (said to be an influence on Les Dawson) Stockton comic Jimmy James, wartime star Robb Wilton and the iconic Max Miller. Box office: York, 01904 655317 or ridinglights.org/friargatetheatre.

Turning up the heat: North Yorkshire chef Tommy Banks

Culinary event of the week:  An Evening with Tommy Banks: Spinning Plates: Live, York Theatre Royal, July 17, 7.30pm

MICHELIN-STARRED chef, restaurateur and hospitality leader Tommy Banks makes the trip from his Oldstead family farm to York Theatre Royal to bring his extraordinary story to the stage for the first and only time. Told across three intersecting timelines – the past 25 years, the defining 12 months and the opening night for his latest pub —each moment teeters on a knife-edge.

Banks runs the Black Swan at Oldstead (head chef since June 2013), Roots York, in Marygate, York (since 2018) , and the Abbey Inn at Byland (since 2023), as well as co-founding Jeopardy Hospitality, whose first venture is the General Tarleton at Ferrensby, Knaresborough, in 2025.

His debut cookbook, Roots, was published by Orion in April 2018. He set up the food box business Made In Oldstead in 2020, Banks Brothers canned wine company in 2021, Tommy’s Pie Shop in 2024 and Tommy Banks Hospitality, for large-scale events, stadia catering and corporate hospitality nationwide, in 2025.

In 2019, Banks became resident chef at Lord’s Cricket Ground; in 2022, chef partner of Twickenham Stadium; in 2025, chef partner of Sunderland AFC. A lifelong Sunderland supporter, he now leads the culinary offering at Banks on the Wear and oversees corporate hospitality at the football ground.

Exemplified by the three-acre kitchen garden by the Black Swan, sustainability sits at the heart of everything Banks does. His field-to-fork commitment to responsible growing, foraging and low-impact cooking has been recognised with a Michelin Green Star, while his dedication to nurturing future talent continues through apprenticeship programmes and industry partnerships.

For one night only, he combines storytelling and immersive cinema to lift the lid on hospitality service at its most intense, reflecting on a lifetime of ambition, vulnerability, risk and pressure (cookers). 

Set against a turbulent backdrop, where soaring business rates and crushing VAT force three pubs to close every week, Banks exposes the brutal reality of keeping the doors open while revealing the plate-spinning demands of leadership and what it takes to pursue excellence.

Along the way, discover the community of talent he has built in the once-sleepy village of Oldstead, firmly rooted in camaraderie, resilience and Yorkshire grit. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

This Is Torture for Sean Walsh: Anxiety levels rising at Harrogate Theatre, York Theatre Royal and the SJT, Scarborough. Picture: Jiksaw

Gig announcement of the week: Sean Walsh, This Is Torture, Harrogate Theatre, October 6, and York Theatre Royal, November 6, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, April 14 2027

I’M A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! 2022 series survivor Sean Walsh has decided to name his latest stand-up tour show after the phrase he says the most: “This Is Torture”.  The dishevelled Camden comedian will be bringing his signature blend of chaos and charm to Harrogate, York and the newly added Scarborough to put himself through an anxiety filled-hour, as he indeed will on no fewer than 71 occasions on a tour now extended by 37 dates.

The ever-observant Walsh’s podcasting portfolio takes in co-hosting Oh My Dog! with Jack Dee, where guests discuss their special canine bonds, and What’s Upset You Now?, putting the world to rights in cathartic trips to the pub with Paul McCaffrey. In addition, on Class Clown, he sits down with the boldest rule-breakers in entertainment to explore the personal battles that shaped them.

In 2024, he made his Shakespearean debut as Malvolio in Twelfth Night at Stafford Gatehouse, then played Yvan in a tour of Yasmina Reza’s Art. Tickets: www.seannwalsh.com; Harrogate, 01423 502116 or harrogatetheatre.co.uk; York, 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk; Scarborough,01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.

In Focus: Navigators Art presents Moss Glow And Shadow Bloom, The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse, York, tonight 7.45pm

York singer Gabriella Hunzinger

YORK arts collective Navigators Art’s final gig before a summer break brings together four Yorkshire performers whose work conjures unique worlds up in a magical programme of electronic, acoustic and vocal sounds, influenced by folk traditions and environmental awareness.

Combining ancient and modern iconography, art, poetry and music, the bill features York singer Gabriella Hunzinger, No Spinoza, previewing forthcoming album Jupiter’s Great Hurricane, Sheffield experimental songwriter Pefkin and Things Found And Made’s lost cinematic folk-tales.

No Spinoza’s Thomas Pearson

GABRIELLA HUNZINGER: Her songs take wisdom from nature’s seasonal cycles and explore connections between ourselves, the earth and what lies beyond our conscious experience. Accompanied by cellist Filipe Massumi and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Webster.


NO SPINOZA: Welcome to the thematic universe of forthcoming album Jupiter’s Great Hurricane, where Thomas Pearson’s songs bridge history and legend, ancient and modern. Featured in session on BBC Introducing.

Pefkin

PEFKIN: Sheffield performing and recording artist. Multi-instrumentalist and experimental songwriter of slowly unfolding psychedelic hymnals, inspired by nature.

THINGS FOUND AND MADE: Lost cinematic folk-tales: imagined histories, half remembered rituals of sound and nature, from York.

Tickets:  https://www.ticketsource.com/navigators-art-performance or on the door.

Things Found And Made

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 28, from Gazette & Herald

Becca Magson’s Rita and Joe Gregory’s Frank in 1812 Theatre Company’s Educating Rita. Picture: Lauren Wyeth

RYEDALE Festival and 1812 Theatre’s Educating Rita, compact Shakespeare and Live At York Museum Gardens are uppermost in Charles Hutchinson’s recommendations amid the July heatwave.

Ryedale play of the week: 1812 Theatre Company in Educating Rita, Helmsley Arts Centre, tonight to Saturday, 7.30pm

SAMANTHA Hughes directs Helmsley Arts Centre resident troupe 1812 Theatre Company in Willy Russell’s comedy Educating Rita, wherein Frank (Joe Gregory) is a tutor of English Literature in his 50s whose disillusioned outlook on life drives him to drink and bury himself in his books.  

Enter Rita (Becca Magson), a forthright 26-year-old hairdresser who is eager to learn. After weeks of cajoling, she slowly wins over the hesitant Frank with her highly original insights and refusal to accept “No” for an answer. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk. Picture: Lauren Wyeth.

Michael Flatley’s Irish dancers in the 30th anniversary tour of Lord Of The Dance, in action at York Barbican tonight. Picture: Brian Doherty

Dance show of the week: Michael Flatley’s Lord Of The Dance30th Anniversary Tour, York Barbican, tonight, 7.45pm

THE 30th anniversary tour of Michael Flatley’s Lord Of The Dance promises a grand celebration of the revolutionary Irish dance production’s legacy, after captivating more than 60 million fans in 60 countries since its 1996 debut.

The 30 Years of Standing Ovations tour features “brand-new choreography, stunning costumes, state-of-the-art special effects and cutting-edge lighting, ensuring that the production continues to push boundaries and deliver an unforgettable experience”.  Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/lord-of-the-dance-30th-anniversary/.

Clive Francis’s Sir Humphrey Appleby in I’m Sorry, Prime Minister. Picture: Johan Persson

Political drama of the week: I’m Sorry, Prime Minister, Grand Opera House, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday matinees

JIM Hacker is back, older, but perhaps not wiser, and still utterly baffled by the real world. Hoping for a quiet retirement from government as the master of Hacker College, Oxford, Jim (Robert Kitson, replacing the indisposed Simon Rouse) instead finds himself facing the ultimate modern crisis: cancelled by the college committee. Enter Sir Humphrey Appleby (Clive Francis), who has lost none of his love for bureaucracy, Latin phrases and well-timed obstruction.

Can Humphrey and Jim outmanoeuvre the hostile students, the Fellows and reality itself? Or is it finally time to say “I’m Sorry, Prime Minister”? Brimming with wit, nostalgia and more double-speak than a press briefing, the final chapter in the evergreen comedy series is written and directed by Jonathan Lynn,co-directed byMichael Gyngell and presented by The Barn Theatre, Cirencester. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Reduced Shakespeare Company’s 2026 tour cast for The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), squeezing into York Theatre Royal this week

Shakespeare shake-up of the week: Reduced Shakespeare Company in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), York Theatre Royal, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees

MARKING 30 years of performances in the UK, the Reduced Shakespeare Company’s 2026 tour company of Efé Agwele, Woogie Jung, Tom Pavey and Kiran Raywilliams presents Hamlet told backwards, a micro-condensed Othello scored to a ukulele, a carnage-filled Titus Andronicus presented as a YouTube cookery tutorial and the History Plays as a manic football game, passing the crown from king to king.

Californian co-founders Adam Long,  Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield have re-booted, re-imagined, reinvented and updated the restless comedy for a new generation to undertake a rollercoaster ride through all 37 of the Bard’s First Folio of plays. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Stephen Smith’s Claude Monet in A Montage Of Monet at York Medical Society. Picture: Amie Barton-Young

Storytelling actor of the week: Threedumb Theatre presents Stephen Smith in A Montage Of Monet, York Medical Society, Stonegate, York, tonight, 7.30pm and July 11, 3pm; One  Man Poe world premiere, July 11, 7.30pm

THREEDUMB Theatre artistic director and actor Stephen Smith performs Joan Greening’s new play exploring French Impressionist artist Claude Monet’s life and loves: his two marriages, his first wife’s devastating death, his lover’s erratic behaviour, his suicide attempt, his thoughts on fellow Impressionists and the torment of his failing eyesight. The 55-minute Monet montage combines projection design and Joe Furey’s music with Smith’s storytelling in  two York performances.

Smith also presents the world premiere of his latest Poe double bill (The Business Man and The Case of M. Valdemar) ahead of his Edinburgh Fringe residency. Box office: York, 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark’s Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys: Summer of Hits concert at Live At York Museum Gardens

Rock and pop festival of the week: Futuresound presents Live At York Museum Gardens, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, tomorrow, gates 5pm; Self Esteem, Friday, gates 5pm, and Super Furry Animals, Saturday, gates 4pm

WIRRAL synth-pop pioneers Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark open Futuresound’s third season of Live At York Museum Gardens concerts tomorrow with a Summer of Hits bill featuring Heaven 17, China Crisis and rising Newcastle singer-songwriter Andrew Cushin.

Mercury Prize nominee Self Esteem, aka Rotherham singer, songwriter and actress Rebecca Lucy Taylor, tops Friday’s line-up, featuring London indie group The Big Moon, South African ghetto funk musician Moonchild Sanelly and Nigerian-born musician and spoken-word artist Joshia Idehen.

Welsh psychedelic rock band Super Furry Animals are Saturday’s headliners, joined by singer-songwriter Baxter Dury, indie-pop septet Los Campesinos!, Nottingham alt-country band Divorce and North Wales psychedelic act Pys Melyn.  Box office for July 10 and 11: futuresoundgroup.com/york-museum-gardens-events.

Ross Noble: Playing York Comedy Festival at Live At York Museum Gardens on Sunday

Comedy event of the week: Futuresound presents York Comedy Festival, Live at York Museum Gardens, York, Sunday, gates 3pm

TOPICAL comedian Russell Howard (9.30pm), from Russell Howard’s Good News, and Geordie surrealist Ross Noble (8.35pm) take top billing at the second open-air York Comedy Festival, promoted by Futuresound.

In Sunday’s line-up too will be Irish stand-up and podcast sensation Joanne McNally (7.40pm); stand-up and presenter Russell Kane (7.10pm); Big Kick Energy podcaster and comedian Suzi Ruffell (6.15pm); Barry From Watford (5.45pm), the 82-year-old comic creation of Alex Lowe; cult stand-up hero and viral sensation Jeff Innocent (4.50pm)  and Britain’s Got Talent finalist Nabil Abdulrashid (4.20pm), all hosted by Jared Christmas. Box office: yorkcomedyfestival.com.

The Gesualdo Six: Performing Wishing Tree: A Choral Journey at St Lawrence’s Church, York, on July 14 at 3pm as part of Ryedale Festival. Picture: Ash Mills

Festival of the week: Ryedale Festival, July 10 to 26

RYEDALE Festival presents 60 events this month in 40 different venues, including Tenebrae, pianist Junyan Chen, The Gesualdo Six, Dunedin Consort, John Wilson & Sinfonia of London’s An English Summer, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia and Opera North.

Taking part too are tenor Mark Padmore and pianist Christopher Glynn, Sheku & Isata Kanneh-Mason, pianist Benjamin Grosvenor, Eliza Carthy and The Restitution, soprano Erika Baikoff, cellist Laura van der Heijden, BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists and Kirkbymoorside Town Brass Band. For the full festival programme and tickets, go to: ryedalefestival.com.

Hannah Davies and Jack Woods: Re-imagining of the selkie myth in a not-too-distant future in The Ballad Of Blea Wyke. Picture: Matt Jopling

Dystopian vision of the week: Hannah Davies & Jack Woods in The Ballad of Blea Wyke, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, York, July 10, 8.30pm; Helmsley Arts Centre, July 17, 7.30pm

IN North Yorkshire writer and storyteller Hannah Davies and musician Jack Woods’ dystopian re-imagining of the selkie myth in a not-too-distant future, a young woman wants to see the sea. A stranger stands on a cliff. The last grey seal swims towards the shore. 

On her 18th birthday, tough care-leaver Cerys breaks the city’s lockdown and travels to the coastal cliffs that birthed her, the crumbling landscape drawing her back to her mythic past. Cue a haunting interweaving of story, music, poetry and song. Box office: York, https://bluebirdbakery.co.uk/rise; Helmsley, 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

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More Things To Do in York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 27, from The York Press

SledOne’s mural, What Walks Amongst Us, taking shape at AcombFest. Picture: Art of Protest

MURALS in Acomb, early music beyond borders, Mystery Plays on waggons, a political swansong and compact Shakespeare keep Charles Hutchinson’s thoughts off the July heatwave.

Art event of the week: AcombFest, Acomb, York, today and tomorrow

CURATED by Art of Protest, York’s first international street art festival continues today and tomorrow with its theme of A Return To Nature, featuring 20 art installations, live murals, RARE Collective’s Paint Jam, spray battles and more than 30 bands, DJs and performers, across 22 venues.

Look out too for interactive family-friendly workshops, an art market, history walks and talks, special events and tastings and a community cinema. Muralists taking part include SMUG, from Australia, Sheffield muralist Peachzz, wildlife artist Curtis Hylton and Acomb’s very own SledOne. For full details, go to: https://acombfest.co.uk/.

Baroque collective Solomon’s Knot: Performing Friedrich Nicolaus Bruhns’ St Mark Passion, directed by Jonathan Sells, at The Quire, York Minster, on July 10

50th anniversary event of the summer: 2026 York Early Music Festival, Beyond Borders, until July 11

THE premier British early music festival marks its 50th anniversary with a celebration of “just how far early music has travelled – beyond the borders of the myriad historic venues of our city to a worldwide audience,” says director Delma Tomlin.

The festival welcomes The Sixteen, B’Rock Orchestra & Vocal Consort, Imago Mundi, mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston, Solomon’s Knot and NCEM Platform Artists Anacronia and Contre le temps, among others. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk/yemf.

Bodhan Pitel’s Herod in DSpace Ukrainian Theatre’s The Massacre of the Innocents in the York Mystery Plays 2026. Picture: John Saunders

Theatrical outdoor event of the week: 2026 York Mystery Plays, streets of York, tomorrow, 10.30am to 4.50pm

THE four-yearly staging on the York Mystery Plays on pageant waggons takes place at four locations across the city: free viewing at the Minster Refectory Gardens, Deansgate, (from 10.30am) King’s Square (from 11.10am), St Sampson’s Square (from 11.50am) and ticketed seats at Dean’s Park (from 12.30pm). Ten core plays will be complemented by further extracts to tell the story from The War In Heaven to Doomsday. For full details, go to yorkmysteryplays.co.uk; tickets, ticketsource.com/york-festival-trust.

Clive Francis as Sir Humphrey Appleby in I’m Sorry, Prime Minister. Picture: Johan Persson

Political drama of the week: I’m Sorry, Prime Minister, Grand Opera House, York, July 7 to 11, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday matinees

JIM Hacker is back, older, but perhaps not wiser, and still utterly baffled by the real world. Hoping for a quiet retirement from government as the master of Hacker College, Oxford, Jim (Robert Kitson, replacing Simon Rouse) instead finds himself facing the ultimate modern crisis: cancelled by the college committee. Enter Sir Humphrey Appleby (Clive Francis), who has lost none of his love for bureaucracy, Latin phrases and well-timed obstruction.

Can Humphrey and Jim outmanoeuvre the hostile students, the Fellows and reality itself? Or is it finally time to say “I’m Sorry, Prime Minister”? Brimming with wit, nostalgia and more double-speak than a press briefing, the final chapter in the evergreen comedy series is written and directed by Jonathan Lynn,co-directed byMichael Gyngell and presented by The Barn Theatre, Cirencester. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Reduced Shakespeare Company’s 2026 tour cast for The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)

Shakespeare shake-up of the week: Reduced Shakespeare Company in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), York Theatre Royal, July 7 to 11, 7.30pm plus 2pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees

MARKING 30 years of performances in the UK, the Reduced Shakespeare Company’s 2026 tour company of Efé Agwele, Woogie Jung, Tom Pavey and Kiran Raywilliams presents Hamlet told backwards, a micro-condensed Othello scored to a ukulele, a carnage-filled Titus Andronicus presented as a YouTube cookery tutorial and the History Plays as a manic football game, passing the crown from king to king.

Californian co-founders Adam Long,  Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield have re-booted, re-imagined, reinvented and updated the restless comedy for a new generation to undertake a rollercoaster ride through all 37 of the Bard’s First Folio of plays. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Stephen Smith’s Claude Monet in A Montage Of Monet

Busiest actor of the week: Threedumb Theatre presents Stephen Smith in A Montage Of Monet, York Medical Society, Stonegate, York, July 8, 7.30pm and July 11, 3pm; One Man Poe, Ripon Theatre Festival, Ripon Arts Hub, July 10, 8pm; One  Man Poe world premiere, York Medical Society, July 11, 7.30pm

THREEDUMB Theatre artistic director and actor Stephen Smith performs Joan Greening’s new play exploring French Impressionist artist Claude Monet’s life and loves: his two marriages, his first wife’s devastating death, his lover’s erratic behaviour, his suicide attempt, his thoughts on fellow Impressionists and the torment of his failing eyesight. The 55-minute Monet montage combines projection design and Joe Furey’s music with Smith’s storytelling in  two York performances.

Smith also presents four of Edgar Allan Poe’s Gothic horror  works (The Tell-Tale Heart, The Pit and The Pendulum, The Black Cat and The Raven) in Ripon, followed by the world premiere of his latest Poe double bill (The Business Man and The Case of M. Valdemar) in York. All six, amounting to 18,000 Poe words, will be performed at the Edinburgh Fringe. Box office: York, 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk; Ripon, ripontheatrefestival.org.

Musical of the week: Top Hat and Tails Theatre in Little Shop Of Horrors!, Friargate Theatre, York, July 9 to 11, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

MEEK floral assistant Seymour Krelborn stumbles across a new breed of plant he calls Audrey II, a foul-mouthed carnivore that promises him fame and fortune if he keeps feeding it with blood. Over time, however, Seymour discovers Audrey II’s plans for global domination in Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s sci-fi B-movie monster spoof, presented here with a live band and professionally hand-crafted puppets.  Box office: ridinglights.org.

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark’s Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys: Summer of Hits show at York Museum Gardens on Thursday

Music festival of the week: Futuresound presents Live At York Museum Gardens, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, July 9, gates 5pm; Self Esteem, July 10, gates 5pm, and Super Furry Animals, July 11, gates 4pm

WIRRAL synth-pop pioneers Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark open Futuresound’s third season of Live At York Museum Gardens concerts on Thursday with a Summer of Hits bill featuring Heaven 17, China Crisis and rising Newcastle singer-songwriter Andrew Cushin.

Mercury Prize nominee Self Esteem, aka Rotherham singer, songwriter and actress Rebecca Lucy Taylor, tops Friday’s line-up, featuring London indie group The Big Moon, South African ghetto funk musician Moonchild Sanelly and Nigerian-born musician and spoken-word artist Joshia Idehen.

Welsh psychedelic rock band Super Furry Animals are next Saturday’s headliners, joined by singer-songwriter Baxter Dury, indie-pop septet Los Campesinos!, Nottingham alt-country band Divorce and North Wales psychedelic act Pys Melyn.  Box office for July 10 and 11: futuresoundgroup.com/york-museum-gardens-events.

If I Knew The Way, I Would Take You Home, by Matt Sewell

In Focus: Birds of the week: Matt Sewell exhibition for RARE Collective at WET, Micklegate, York, until mid-July

SHROPSHIRE artist, illustrator and author Matt Sewelll is the latest street art luminary to be showcased in RARE Collective’s collaboration with WET wine bar, in Micklegate, York, in aid of SASH (Safe and Sound Homes), the York youth homelessness charity.

“We’re really chuffed to have Matt return to York with his fabulous Riso prints,” says RARE Collective exhibition organiser Sharon McDonagh. “If you came to the Vandalfest charity street art show last year, you would have seen his cracking bird mural on Floor 3 of the big disused office block in Low Ousegate.

Artist Matt Sewell at work

Sewell is an avid ornithologist, contributing regularly to the Caught By The River website and publishing the books Our Garden Birds, Our Songbirds, Our Woodland Birds, Owls, Penguins and A Charm Of Goldfinches And Other Collective Nouns.

He has illustrated for the Guardian, Barbour, V&A Museums, BBC, National Trust, Greenpeace, Big Issue and Levi’s and painted walls for Helly Hansen, Puma and the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds). He has exhibited in Great Britain, New York, old York, Tokyo and Paris.  

Cuckoo Cuckoo Cuckoo, by Matt Sewell

Under RARE Collective’s partnership with WET, artists and photographers exhibit their work in a six-week solo show.  As well as at WET, work can be bought online both during and after the exhibition run at rarecollective.co.uk.

In addition, a selection of Sewell’s prints is featuring in RARE Collective’s exhibition for AcombFest at The Crooked Tap, on show until August 15 in support of SASH.

Matt Sewell’s wall of bird prints for sale at WET

Exhibiting too are: spAm (Sharon McDonagh), Sola, Alison Jagger, Al Murphy, Anthony Appleyard, Boxxhead, HazardOne, Lady Mkei, Lincoln Lightfoot, Liskbot, Michael Dawson, Nicolas Dixon, Slice Of Lino, STATIC and Stephen Bottrill.

“RARE are working in collaboration with the Art of Protest Project, after being invited by AcombFest curator Jeff Clark and the AOP team to curate the live PaintJam at the Carlton Tavern, in Acomb Road, Holgate, today and tomorrow,” says RARE Collective curator Sharon McDonagh.

“This will involve nine artists painting live from 10am to 4pm each day (Boxxhead, HazardOne, Lady Mkei, Lincoln Lightfoot, Liskbot, Nicolas Dixon, Sola, spAm and VYZ); live DJ sets by Alilou, Bob Yenz, Conor Rogan, Free Da Karlos and Sola plus guests, audiovisual artists Fred DWolf, Sonas and JohnManBand on a huge screen, cocktails and mixology by Tulum Spirits Collective and street food by El Chappo, all in support of SASH.”

Did you know?

MATT Sewell is also a musician, performing as Sewell &The Gong with Chris Tate and as the deep-cut compiler of the compilation series A Crushing Glow.

Matt Sewell’s work environment

In Focus too: Michael Flatley’s Lord Of The Dance, 30th Anniversary Tour, York Barbican, July 6 to 8, 7.45pm

THE 30th anniversary tour of Michael Flatley’s Lord Of The Dance promises a grand celebration of the revolutionary Irish dance production’s legacy after captivating more than 60 million fans in 60 countries since its 1996 debut.

The 30 Years of Standing Ovations tour will feature “brand-new choreography, stunning costumes, state-of-the-art special effects and cutting-edge lighting, ensuring that the production continues to push boundaries and deliver an unforgettable experience”. 

Creative manager James Keegan says: “Michael Flatley has taught me that there are no boundaries in the creative space. When he burst onto the scene in the mid-90s, he took traditional Irish dancing to a place nobody had ever dreamed of, and that has been the key to the show’s success.

“Michael often says in rehearsals that we need to push the boundaries as much as we can, and if it’s too far or doesn’t work, we can always pull it back. That mindset is what keeps Lord Of The Dance evolving.”

Lord Of The Dance on its 30th anniversary tour. Picture: Brian Doherty

Keegan believes that the core elements of Flatley’s visionary production – choreography, music and storytelling – remain timeless while still evolving. “What made Lord Of The Dance famous 30 years ago is still what makes it work today: 40 of the greatest Irish tap dancers in the world performing in one line in perfect sync. It’s a spectacle that never loses its magic,” he says.

Reflecting on Flatley’s impact, Keegan says: “Professional Irish dancing didn’t really exist until Michael created his shows and added a more entertaining twist to the art form.

“He wasn’t just a dancer; he was a highly tuned athlete who could perform at astonishing levels for a full two-hour show, seven days a week. Today, we see young competitive dancers around the world striving to reach the levels he set.”

But beyond the footwork and the spectacle, Keegan reckons Flatley’s greatest legacy is his ability to inspire. “Michael’s motto has always been, ‘Nothing is impossible.’ He took an already intricate dance form and pushed it even further, breaking records like 38 taps per second and incorporating upper body movements that defied tradition,” he says.

Michael Flatley

“I’ve seen it time and time again: a dancer who never thought they could be a lead receives Michael’s encouragement, and before long, they are fulfilling their dream on stage.”

For Keegan, one moment stands out above the rest. “In 1997, I was a ten-year-old competitive Irish dancer in Manchester, struggling with the name-callers and the challenges of being a young male dancer,” he says.

“Then Lord Of The Dance came to town. Watching Michael and the cast that night at the Apollo Theatre changed everything for me. The masculinity, the precision, the energy, it was like nothing I’d ever seen before.

“I met Michael at the stage door, and suddenly, I knew that being an Irish dancer could mean being a superstar. Nineteen years later, I had the honour of sharing his final show with him at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, in 2016. It was a full-circle moment I will never forget.”

Michael Flatley’s Lord Of The Dance dancers

As Lord Of The Dance embark on its 30th anniversary tour, Flatley reflects on the journey. “The magic of Lord Of The Dance lives on in the hearts of our audience, and I am thrilled to bring this iconic show back to the UK in 2026,” he says.

“30 Years of Standing Ovations celebrates the incredible journey we’ve shared with fans over the years. It’s a tribute to the enduring power of dreams, the joy of dance and the unwavering support of our audience. This tour is our way of saying thank you for three decades of unforgettable memories.”

Although Flatley, now 67, retired from performing during his final tour in 2016, he has remained at the helm of Lord Of The Dance, guiding its evolution while preserving its timeless magic.

Now, as the production prepares for its biggest celebration yet, fans can look forward to a breathtaking spectacle that honours the past, embraces the present, and inspires the future of Irish dance.

The 30th anniversary tour also visits Hull New Theatre, July 22 to 25, and Sheffield City Hall, August 20 to 23. For full tour dates and ticket information, go to lordofthedance.com. York tickets:  https://www.yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/lord-of-the-dance-30th-anniversary/.

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Riding Lights revive Dario Fo’s riotous twist on Mystery Plays in subversive comedy Mistero Buffo at Friargate Theatre

Cathy Sara’s Villeyn and Thomas Frere’s Jongleur in Riding Lights’ Mistero Buffo at Friargate Theatre. Picture: John Shepherdson

TWO wild strangers will roll into York today for the 2026 York Mystery Plays Fringe, tasked with telling tales destined to turn the city upside down.

Combining ferocious wit and fearless physical storytelling, artistic director Paul Birch’s production of Mistero Buffo for York’s Christian theatre company, Riding Lights, will tear into faith, power, profit and hypocrisy by turning ancient Bible stories into urgent, humorous modern theatre with a clear spiritual heart.

Translated by Ed Emery from Nobel prize-winning Italian playwright Dario Fo’s 1969 Communist take on the Mystery Plays, this subversive and unapologetically seditious comedy will be performed by Yorkshire actors Thomas Frere and Cathy Sara.

Premiered by Fo as a solo piece, Mistero Buffo was last performed by Riding Lights with a cast of four in July 2003 under the direction of late founder and artistic director Paul Burbridge, who had once performed the play in solo mode himself. 

Now it will be staged as a two-hander. “We’ve taken it that the Jongleur and Villeyn are the two central characters, building our show around that relationship, with the Jongleur – a character who came from commedia dell’arte – being the person who’s empowered to speak out,” says director Paul Birch.

“We’re staging Mistero Buffo 100 years since Dario Fo’s birth, using  Emery’s translation but they’ve let us introduce some more topical satire,” says director Paul Birch. “So we’ve gone from Italian car factories to AI and zero hours contracts. The Jongleur character is speaking truth to power now, rather than to the 1960s. It will be very obvious that’s it’s here and now, in this space, though we’re not doing it in the Yorkshire dialect.”

Paul was drawn to Mistero Buffo by Riding Lights’ long association with the York Mystery Plays and dramas where religion overlaps with politics. “For me personally, because it uses Biblical storytelling, and as a company we’re seeing how religion gets into bed with politics, and we’re faced with seeing that in America now, I see it as a distortion of faith. That’s what’s happening with faith and politics now.”

Thomas Frere says: “When you start to read the script, there are phrases that jump out at you, where you think, ‘it could have been written now with its stories of bosses trying to take advantage of people, though it was written in the 1960s’.”

Cathy Sara says: “People are people, and to me it’s the people who are victims when power is applied; how hopeless they feel, though there is always hope – but who’s going to speak up for you and who’s going to speak out?”

Mistero Buffo designer Ollie Brown, left, and director Paul Birch

Thomas rejoins: “It will be interesting to see how these stories go down because we don’t really know  at this stage. I honestly don’t know how the audience will react.”

Paul says: “The audience for our touring shows is very different from an audience at Friargate Theatre in our home city. With this show, they may come as beloved Mystery Plays followers, who might be shocked by something in Fo’s play, which shifts how you react. One moment you will laugh; the next moment you may feel differently.”

Cathy rejoins: “That’s what’s unsettling about this play, where you now question what’s true, what’s the truth.”

Paul suggests: “The imagined in Mistero Buffo can be truthful, so it’s slippery, but I hope people find the play empowering and feel inspired to make provocative work that criticises as well as celebrates. I think it’s really exciting for Riding Lights to be part of doing that. It certainly floats my political boat!”

Cathy asserts: “Theatre has the chance to ask questions, but where we don’t have to give all the answers. I think theatre is more honest than that, rougher than that.”

Paul  adds: “There’s a lot of direct address in Mistero Buffo, and plenty of audience involvement in the storytelling, so the audiences will become complicit in it and aren’t just witnesses. That’s why this production has a very different feel from when it was last done here – and Ollie Brown’s in-the-round setting will definitely have an impact on that.”

Riding Lights are delighted and excited to be participating in the 2026 York Mystery Plays Fringe. “It’s all part of York being the city of festivals, which has always been a good tourist ploy,” says Thomas. “When they come to the city, there’s always something for them to do – and theatre companies should always reach out to them, as well as playing to local people.”

Paul says: “I feel that ‘festival’ and ‘festivities’ are good words to describe this play, where people can come to the theatre and  see this kind of punky play in a city where things can grow in back alleys.

“With this Fringe production, we really want to see if there’s a way for us to make interesting and provocative work like this that’s not reliant on us touring it.” Watch this space.

Riding Lights Theatre Company in Mistero Buffo, Friargate Theatre, York, today, tomorrow, then July 1 to 4, 7.30pm, plus 2.30pm matinees on July 3 and 4. Box office: www.ridinglights.org.

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REVIEW: Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf, Grand Opera House, York, still howling tonight and tomorrow ****

Stewart Lee confronting his inner beast in the poster for Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf

EIGHTEEN months ago, contrarian comedian Stewart Lee played five nights at York Theatre Royal as he cut his lupine teeth on Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf.

How has the show moved on as he returns for three more nights in York, switching to the Grand Opera House? After a re-write in January, the basic structure remains the same, Lee ambling on stage in billowing shirt to say he still doesn’t know quite what the show is about, whether it’s even worth him doing it, but those fangs are even sharper. “I’m not a stand-up,” he asserts. “I’m more of a literary artist.”

He turns convention on its head once more by being both acerbic, acid-witted entertainer and heckler. Last time, he chided the audience for York giving him his flattest night on his previous tour, when he had picked the Theatre Royal to record his TV and DVD release.  “You ruined it,” he grouched.

This time, he may have sold out everywhere else on tour, he says, but the Grand Opera House was, in his words, “only half full”, and those who had turned up would be berated on behalf of those who had failed to do so. Tonight and Saturday’s shows have plenty of ticket availability too, especially in the Grand Circle, so the digs will no doubt continue.

Please note, Lee’s curmudgeonly schtick is delivered with good cheer in becoming a running joke. It will be the absent York’s fault that we miss out on two “toppers” as we fail to laugh in sufficient number to merit them; even the dry-ice smoke to signify his transition into the Man-Wulf will emerge from only one side, to match the “half-empty” auditorium. It had behaved erratically at the Theatre Royal too, but this time the pay-off gibe is better.

By now in his tuxedo jacket, Lee knocks out his topical five gags, set in place 18 months ago, but  in need of constant updates and revisions. He takes pot-shots at Ricky Gervais, Jimmy Carr, Russell Brand, the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg and Gregg Wallace (later to rise above the stage as the face of the Moon). Musk and Trump too. Always deadpan, but always deadly accurate.

Amid the constant cajoling of his audience, he can be self-deprecating too, returning every so often to the ever-lengthening list of unflattering Lee lookalikes. He keeps you on your toes throughout, even spotting the gum-chewing of an occupant of a dress circle box, and he likes to ask questions to which he will then deliver a smarter response than the audience member proffered

That said, York was in blunt mood on a hot night. “Please leave me alone,” requested one voice from the stalls, when asked a second question. “I wasn’t listening,” said another, after Lee sought a comment of his transition into the Man-Wulf of the title.

“We’d all love not to care and be off the hook,” he speculates once more, as he did at the Theatre Royal. “To not be accountable.” Like how a werewolf or vampire thinks. Except that Lee holds everything to be accountable: politicians, fellow comedians, York audiences.

When he asks a woman if she would prefer to be a vampire or a werewolf, she picks the vampire on account of the werewolf ‘s thick fur, a choice perhaps influenced by the June heat wave: conditions that Lee would soon be experiencing in the opening to Act Two, dressed in his £6,000 werewolf costume.

First up, he was telling liberal jokes in a liberal way. Now, after I’m The Man-Wulf, the song commissioned by Lee from Scottish garage-punk band The Primevals, had played throughout the interval, he was in his lupine attire for his pastiche of the comedy of offence perpetrated by Netflix-marketed, 60-million dollar, right-leaning stand-up comedians.

Cue reactionary jokes told in a reactionary way in a gruff American accent, in front of a New York skyline: grotesque, awkward, yet devilishly witty in its deconstruction.

To complete the experiment, he tries out reactionary jokes told in a liberal, left-leaning way, by now stripped down to tour T-shirt, boxers and the wolf’s head.

Above all, you will revel in his turn of phrase; how he picks up on American comic Dave Chappelle’s misuse of grammar; his request for Dave Allen storytelling lighting; his restless curiosity; his knowledge of experimental jazz and stone monuments, his way of being shambling but never rambling; his mimicry of Bob Dylan’s ever-worsening singing in concert; his boundless despair at humanity.

Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf, Grand Opera House, York, tonight and tomorrow, 7.30pm. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 26, from Gazette & Herald

Dan Wood, left, Stephen Wright, Lotty Farmer, Rosa Burns, Hannah Shaw and James Dickinson in York Light Opera Company’s production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

A SNAPPY crocodile and a Man-Wulf, a spelling bee musical and the York Mystery Plays on wagon wheels keep Charles Hutchinson’s arty eye on the ball and off the football.

Musical of the week: York Light Opera Company in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, today to Saturday & June 30 to July 4, 7.30pm, plus 2.30pm Saturday matinees and 2pm Sunday matinee (28/6/2026)

NEIL Wood directs York Light in Rebecca Feldman, William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin’s musical account of six ‘mid-pubescents’ battling for the spelling championship of a lifetime. While candidly disclosing stories from their home life, the tweens spell their way through a series of words hoping to never hear the bell that signals a mistake.

Cue a heart-warming message that highlights themes of friendship, identity and perseverance, all while celebrating the awkwardness and excitement of growing up. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Jordan Eskeisa, left, Marienella Phillips, Chelsea Da Silva (The Enormous Crocodile, front), Precious Abimbola and Ciara Hudson in Roald Dahl’s The Enormous Crocodile The Musical. Picture: Danny Kaan

Mischievous adaptation of the week: Roald Dahl Story Company in Roald Dahl’s The Enormous Crocodile The Musical, York Theatre Royal, tomorrow to Sunday, 10.30am and 1.30pm

ROALD Dahl’s Enormous Crocodile is weaving his way through the jungle in search of delicious little fingers and squidgy podgy knees. Only fellow jungle creatures can foil his “secret plans and clever tricks”, but they need courage aplenty to stop this greedy, grumptious, horrid brute.

Equipped with Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab’s tunes, Suhayla El-Bushra’s rib-tickling book and lyrics and Tom Brady’s additional music and lyrics, the dastardly family adventure has been developed and directed by Emily Lim, working in tandem with co-director and puppetry designer Toby Olié. Chelsea Da Silva, Precious Abimbola, Jordan Eskeisa, Ciara Hudson, Marienella Phillips and actor-musician René Francalanza star.Age guidance: Three plus. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Stewart Lee’s illustration for Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf, on tour for three nights at Grand Opera House, York

Comedy gigs of the week: Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf, Grand Opera House, York, tomorrow to Saturday, 7.30pm

AFTER a five-night Theatre Royal run in the fledgling days of Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf in January 2025, the contrarian comedian returns to York for three more nights of testing whether the beast inside us all can be silenced with the silver bullet of Lee’s scalpel-sharp stand-up?

Lee will play the same material three ways: first up, telling liberal jokes in a liberal way, then, after a screaming transformation into the Man-Wulf, reactionary jokes in a reactionary way post-interval and, finally, wolf’s head removed, reactionary jokes in a liberal, left-leaning way. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

The Moorlands Blues Band: Playing at Milton Rooms, Malton

Blues gig of the week: Ryedale Blues Club presents The Moorlands Blues Band, Milton Rooms, Malton, tomorrow, 8pm

IN The Moorlands Blues Band, the powerhouse blues ensemble founded by seasoned musicians Giuseppe Vitale and Rod Mackay is joined by Owen Houlston on voice and guitar. In high-energy performances of soulful depth, they play everything from the rawness of Old Delta Blues to the swing of Jump Blues and the gritty soul of Chicago Blues. Box office:  01653 696240  or themiltonrooms.com.

Karl Mullen: Everything from Chopin to Oasis, via Led Zeppelin and Les Dawson, at The Old Paint Shop

Cabaret gig of the week: The Old Paint Shop presents Karl Mullen, York Theatre Royal Studio, Friday, 8pm

AFTER two Old Paint Shop gigs last year, Karl Mullen, upright-piano busker, Phoenix Inn fixture and Leeds Piano Competition Pub Piano Champion, completes his hat-trick, serving up his energetic take on everything from Chopin to Oasis, via Led Zeppelin and Les Dawson, packed with outrageous and heartfelt stories from decades of gigging. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Coastal gig of the week: Pete Tong, Ibiza Classics, TK Maxx presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Friday, gates open at 6pm

FROM the sun-soaked shores of Ibiza to the world’s biggest stages, Pete Tong has redefined live dance music over more than 30 years of pushing boundaries and supporting new talent.

After celebrating the tenth anniversary of Ibiza Classics with four sold-out nights at the Royal Albert Hall, he heads to the Yorkshire coast with The Essential Orchestra, having first visited Scarborough Open Air Theatre in 2023. Box office: scarbroughopenairtheatre.com.

Becky Hill: Performing after Saturday’s race meeting on Knavesmire

Under starter’s orders: Becky Hill, Summer Music Saturday, York Racecourse, Saturday, first race at 1.20pm

BECKY Hill, two-time BRIT Award winner for Best Dance Act, opens the summer of post-racing concerts at York Racecourse, promising a high-energy performance on the “Glastonbury-style stage” after seven races. For her set list, she can pick from such hits as Gecko; Back & Forth; Wish You Well; Lose Control; Better Off Without You; Heaven On My Mind; Remember; My Heart Goes; Run; Crazy What Love Can Do; History and Disconnect. For race-day tickets, go to: yorkracecourse.co.uk.

York Mystery Plays: Returning to streets of York on June 28 and July 5

Theatrical event of the week: The York Mystery Plays, streets of York, June 28 and July 5, 10.30am to 4.50pm; Sunset In The Shambles Market, June 30 and July 1, 7.45pm  

THE four-yearly staging on the York Mystery Plays on pageant waggons take place at four locations across the city: free viewing at the Minster Refectory Gardens, Deansgate, (from 10.30am) King’s Square (from 11.10am), St Sampson’s Square (from 11.50am) and ticketed seats at Dean’s Park (from 12.30pm). Ten core plays will be complemented by further extracts to tell the story from The War In Heaven to Doomsday. For full details, go to: yorkmysteryplays.co.uk.

Special midsummer performances of five plays will be held in Shambles Market on June 30 and July 1, introduced by the York Waits musicians before Pageant Master Dr Alan Heaven guides the audience through each play, from the Creation sequence to the End of Days in the interactive show Doomsday. These shows begin at 7.45pm and end as the dusk is deepening before 10pm. Tickets: ticketsource.com/york-festival-trust.

The Choir Of Man: Harmony singing to the max at Grand Opera House, York. Picture: The Other Richard

Foot-stomping musical celebration of the week: The Choir Of Man, Grand Opera House, York, June 30 to July 2, 7.30pm; July 3, 4pm and 8pm; July 4, 2.30pm and 7.30pm

SET in the on-stage pub The Jungle, The Choir Of Man is billed as “the best trip to your local you’ll ever have” as a cast of nine (extra)ordinary guys combine beautiful harmonies and foot-stomping singalongs with tap dance and soulful storytelling in an uplifting celebration of community and friendship.

The debut UK & Ireland tour cast features Gustav Melbardis as Maestro; Oluwalonimi (Nimi) Owoyemi as Poet; Levi Tyrell Johnson as Hard Man; Ben Mabberley as Joker; Rob Godfrey as Beast; Jack Skelton as Handyman; Joshua Lloyd as Barman; Sam Walter as Romantic and Aaron Pottenger as Bore performing Queen, Luther Vandross, Sia, Paul Simon, Adele, Guns N’ Roses, Avicii and Katy Perry hits. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

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More Things To Do in York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 25, from The York Press

Al Dunn, Matt Freeman and Nick Bunt in Oh Zeus! on Le Navet Bete’s fifth visit to York Theatre Royal. Picture: Mark Senior

A MYTHOLOGICAL farce and Lenny Henry at large, a snappy crocodile and a Man-Wulf, a spelling bee musical and a mirrored installation keep Charles Hutchinson’s arty eye on the ball and off the football.

Greek comedy of the week: Le Navet Bete in Oh Zeus!, York Theatre Royal, today, 2pm and 7.30pm

EXETER’S chaotic comedy specialists, Le Navet Bete, conduct a riotous ride through Ancient Greece, the Underworld and back in Oh Zeus! Written by director John Nicholson and company founders Al Dunn, Nick Bunt and Matt Freeman, this mythological farce finds the stability of Olympus being threatened by the marriage of Zeus’s daughter, Hebe, to a mere mortal, whereupon the King of the Gods hatches a plan to derail the wedding.

Expect physical comedy, outrageous jokes and fast-paced pandemonium as Dunn, Bunt and Freeman play 40 characters between them. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Beverley Knight: Born to perform at York Barbican. Picture: Lewis Shaw

Recommended but sold out: Beverley Knight, Born To Perform, York Barbican, tonight, 7.30pm

QUEEN of British soul Beverley Knight shares stories from her life on stage, as well as performing her biggest hits, musical theatre favourites and cherished songs that have inspired her on her 20-date UK tour.

“Born To Perform is me taking you on a journey through my life on both music and theatre stages, using my memories and of course my songs. I’m stripping back my sound so the audience can lean in a little closer and really hear my soul,” says Knight, whose hits include Made It Black, Greatest Day, Get Up, Shoulda Woulda Coulda, Gold, Come As You Are, Keep This Fire Burning and Piece Of My Heart. Her special guest is Gabriella Cilmi. Box office for returns only: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Anastacia: Playing Scarborough Open Air Theatre on Not That Kind tour

Coastal gigs of the week: TK Maxx presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Skunk Anansie & Garbage, tonight; Anastacia and Heather Small tomorrow, gates 6pm

SKUNK Anansie and Garbage play Scarborough on a six-date tour. Formed in London in 1994, fronted by Skin, Skunk Anansie blend hard rock with political and social themes;  American alternative rock band Garbage, fronted by Scottish singer Shirley Manson, combine rock, electronica and pop influences.

Chicago singer Anastacia heads to the Yorkshire coast to perform I’m Outta Love, Paid My Dues and Left Outside Alone et al on her Not That Kind tour. London soul singer Heather Small, of M People fame, is her special guest. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.

York artist Ric Liptrot’s illustration for tomorrow’s 2026 Bishy Road Street Party

Community event of the week: Bishy Road Street Party, Bishopthorpe Road, York, tomorrow, 11am to 4pm

 CELEBRATING community spirit and independent shops, Bishopthorpe Road Traders Association’s 2026 Bishy Road Street Party combines live music, family activities and food and drink, plus street vendors and community stalls. The main stage  plays host to performances by Yorkshire Voices (11am), Third Parallel (11.45am), Gaia On Fire (Juno, 12.30pm) and Bargestra (1.30pm), climaxing with headline sets by the Yorky Pud Street Band (14.15pm) and The Unnamed Band (3.15pm).

Look out for five children’s performances and interactive sessions, with appearances from Evergreen Explorers (11am), Professor Dan (12 noon), Baby Band (1pm), Elevate Dance Sessions (2pm) and Josh Benson (3pm). A children’s zone, featuring face painting, mud kitchen, crafts, hair braiding and balloons, will be set up on Ebor Street and entertainment will be spread across the event space. Charities, artists, makers and community groups offer games, activities and information. Free to attend; no booking required.

Artist and designer Es Devlin in the Temple of the Fours Winds at Castle Howard. Picture: Rick Walker, PA Media

Installation of the week: Es Devlin, Library Of The Four Winds, Temple of the Four Winds, Castle Howard, near Malton, until September 27

AS part of the Vanbrugh 300 celebrations at Castle Howard, artist and designer Es Devlin responds to  Sir John Vanbrugh’s visionary architecture with her luminous installation Library Of The Four Winds, a new mirrored sculpture that takes over the Temple of the Four Winds in honour of the National Year of Reading.

The temple’s original use as a place for refreshment and reading was Devlin’s starting point for a central sculpture made up of hundreds of books, curated from the personal libraries of Vanbrugh and Devlin.  The temple is encompassed by four concentric tables where the public can read, draw, talk, eat and listen. The space will host events throughout the summer. Tickets: castlehoward.co.uk.

The many faces of Lenny Henry: Actor, comedian, fundraiser and stand-up anedoctalist

Talk of the week: Lenny Henry, Still At Large, Grand Opera House, York, June 23, 7.30pm

PART stand-up, part storytelling and part conversation with himself and with you, Still At Large finds Lenny Henry returning to the experiences that shaped him while also exploring the ideas, challenges and creative sparks driving him today.

From The Lenny Henry Show and Chef! to dramatic performances in Othello and The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power,  he traces the roles, characters and moments that have defined his six-decade career and shares what continues to inspire him as he reflects on a life lived out loud. On show will be the many versions of Lenny: actor, impressionist, comedian, fundraiser and stand-up anecdotalist. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Dan Wood, left, Stephen Wright, Lotty Farmer, Rosa Burns, Hannah Shaw and James Dickinson in York Light Opera Company’s The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Musical of the week: York Light Opera Company in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, June 24 to 27 & June 30 to July 4, 7.30pm, plus 2.30pm Saturday matinees and 2pm Sunday matinee (28/6/2026)

NEIL Wood directs York Light in Rebecca Feldman, William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin’s musical account of six ‘mid-pubescents’ battling for the spelling championship of a lifetime. While candidly disclosing stories from their home life, the tweens spell their way through a series of words hoping to never hear the bell that signals a mistake.

Cue a heart-warming message that highlights themes of friendship, identity and perseverance, all while celebrating the awkwardness and excitement of growing up. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Jordan Eskeisa, left, Marienella Phillips, Chelsea Da Silva (The Enormous Crocodile, front), Precious Abimbola and Ciara Hudson in The Enormous Crocodile. Picture: Danny Kaan

Mischievous adaptation of the week: Roald Dahl Story Company in Roald Dahl’s The Enormous Crocodile The Musical, York Theatre Royal, June 25 to 28, 10.30am and 1.30pm.

ROALD Dahl’s Enormous Crocodile is weaving his way through the jungle in search of delicious little fingers and squidgy podgy knees. Only fellow jungle creatures can foil his “secret plans and clever tricks”, but they need courage aplenty to stop this greedy, grumptious, horrid brute.

Equipped with Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab’s tunes, Suhayla El-Bushra’s rib-tickling book and lyrics and Tom Brady’s additional music and lyrics, the dastardly family adventure has been developed and directed by Emily Lim, working in tandem with co-director and puppetry designer Toby Olié. Chelsea Da Silva, Precious Abimbola, Jordan Eskeisa, Ciara Hudson, Marienella Phillips and actor-musician René Francalanza star.Age guidance: Three plus. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Stewart Lee’s poster illustration for Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf, on tour for three nights at Grand Opera House, York

Comedy gigs of the week: Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf, Grand Opera House, York, June 25 to 27, 7.30pm

AFTER a five-night Theatre Royal run in the fledgling days of Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf in January 2025, the contrarian comedian returns to York for three more nights of testing whether the beast inside us all can be silenced with the silver bullet of Lee’s scalpel-sharp stand-up?

Lee will play the same material three ways: first up, telling liberal jokes in a liberal way, then, after a screaming transformation into the Man-Wulf, reactionary jokes in a reactionary way post-interval and, finally, wolf’s head removed, reactionary jokes in a liberal, left-leaning way. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Karl Mullen: Playing everything from Chopin to Oasis, via Led Zeppelin and Les Dawson, at The Old Paint Shop

Cabaret gig of the week: The Old Paint Shop presents Karl Mullen, York Theatre Royal Studio, June 26, 8pm

AFTER two Old Paint Shop gigs last year, Karl Mullen, upright-piano busker, Phoenix Inn fixture and Leeds Piano Competition Pub Piano Champion, completes his hat-trick, serving up his high-energy take on everything from Chopin to Oasis, via Led Zeppelin and Les Dawson, packed with outrageous and heartfelt stories from decades of gigging. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

In Focus: Prima Choral Artists, Under One Sky, National Centre for Early Music, York, Sunday, 21/6/2026, 5pm & 7.30pm

Prima Choral Artists; poster for Sunday’s concerts at the double on Father’s Day

PRODUCER and artistic director Eve Lorian leads Prima Choral Artists in a compelling journey through global vocal traditions in two concerts on Sunday at the National Centre For Early Music, St Margaret’s Church, Walmgate, York.

Under One Sky is a signature programme by this Polish-born, York-based choral director, who has consistently introduced unique concerts and explored new territory for York choirs for nearly two decades.

Eve’s latest artistic compilation is designed to celebrate the relationship between musical language, cultural identity and vocal technique, while recognising the unifying nature of the choral canon. Spanning a wide geographical and cultural spectrum, the repertoire highlights distinctive approaches to tone production, ornamentation, rhythm and ensemble cohesion.

Sunday’s programme opens with Sakura, a Japanese folk melody characterised by its pentatonic modality and lyrical phrasing. The Bulgarian works Kaval Sviri and Dilmano Dilbero exemplify the highly resonant, open-throated “white voice” technique, and this vocal aesthetic continues in Serbian folk music, where dance-derived rhythms and communal expression are central.

Folk traditions of the North Atlantic are represented through the French-Canadian J’entends le Moulin, with its rhythmic drive, alongside Wild Mountain Thyme and Gaelic Song Of The Boatman, which reflect the modal inflections of Scottish and Gaelic song traditions.

Prima Choral Artists’ founder, producer and artistic director Eve Lorian

The programme broadens even further afield through Yeish Kochavim (Hebrew), Evohé (Venezuela) and Dao Mai Fan Ye’ (Mandarin), each illustrating the interaction between text, rhythm and collective energy within their respective traditions. These works foreground the role of music in both ritual and communal celebration.

The final section centres on vocal traditions from the Torres Strait Islands and Southern Africa. Sesere Eeye reflects oral transmission practices and community-based performance, while Ngothando, Ndikhokhele Bawo and Papaoutai demonstrate the harmonies and call-and-response structures that are foundational to many African musical forms.

Eve’s diligent research has brought together this sparkling burst of music with the support of a choir who are no strangers to world music and singing in multiple languages.

“We have always been proud of our multi-cultural, international identity,” says Eve. “Music has always been a unifying force for good. These concerts, celebrating unity through diversity, represent a truth that sometimes only music can express.”

Giving a brief glimpse into the creative process behind these events, she adds: “Selecting the music takes weeks upon weeks of research and listening. I thrive on fresh choices, on presenting the unexpected – and these pieces are far from the standard choral repertoire.

Prima Choral Artists in concert under Eve Lorian’s direction

“But the title came so naturally: Under One Sky says everything that we mean to convey in these two performances!”

International connections for Eve and Prima Choral Artists are not merely constrained to concert programming. For more than a decade, Eve has led the way in introducing outstanding overseas opportunities for York choirs.

This commitment continues this summer with a concert tour to Prague from July 8 to 13 to take part in the International Choir and Orchestra Festival (Prague Festival 2026, July 9 to 13).

On September 6, Eve will welcome the Norwegian choir Fanakoret, from Bergen, for a Friendship performance with Prima Choral Artists at St Olave’s Church, Marygate, York, at 5pm.

“Before these opportunities comes the unmissable chance to join Prima on Father’s Day on Sunday at the National Centre For Early Music with the two time slots designed to complement everyone’s plans and make for a truly special weekend celebration,” she says.

Tickets are available from www.primachoral.com; with limited seating available, booking is recommended.

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 25, from Gazette & Herald

Artist and designer Es Devlin with her Library of the Four Winds installation in the Temple of the Four Winds, Castle Howard. Picture: James Drury

ES Devlin’s mirrored installation at Castle Howard and Lenny Henry’s career reflections stand out among Charles Hutchinson’s joyful June recommendations.

Installation of the week: Es Devlin, Library Of The Four Winds, Temple of the Four Winds, Castle Howard, near Malton, until September 27

AS part of the Vanbrugh 300 celebrations at Castle Howard, artist and designer Es Devlin responds to the visionary architecture of Sir John Vanbrugh with her luminous installation Library Of The Four Winds, a new mirrored sculpture that takes over the Temple of the Four Winds in honour of the National Year of Reading too.

The temple originally was used as a place for refreshment and reading: Devlin’s starting point for a central sculpture made up of hundreds of books, curated from the personal libraries of Vanbrugh and Devlin.  The temple is encompassed by four concentric tables where the public can read, draw, talk, eat and listen. The space will host events throughout the summer. Tickets: castlehoward.co.uk.

NE Theatre York’s poster for Les Miserables School Edition at Joseph Rowntree Theatre

Youth theatre show of the week: NE Theatre York in Les Miserables School Edition, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

ALAIN Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel of redemption will be performed by under-18s from NE Theatre York, directed by Steve Tearle, with a 15-piece orchestra under Joe Allen’s musical direction, projections by Tom Turner and the obligatory  barricade in the set design.

The musical tells the story of former prisoner Jean Valjean, who is pursued for 17 years by police inspector Javert against the backdrop of a revolution brewing in 19th-century Paris. The principal cast features Sam Brophy’s Jean Valjean, Will Roberts’s Javert, Emil Marczuk’s  Marius, Juliette Sellamuttu’s Fantine, Oscar Smith’s Enjolras, Callum Richardson’s Thenardier and Bella Gledhill’s Madame Thenardier. Box office:  01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

Indie rock gig of the week: The Kooks, TK Maxx presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, tomorrow, gates 6pm

BRIGHTON indie rock favourites The Kooks are marking 20 years since the release of debut album Inside In/Inside Out in a set list likely to feature You Don’t Love Me, Naïve, She Moves In Her Own Way, Ooh La, Always Where I Need To Be, Shine On, Junk Of The Heart (Happy) and Around Town. 

In the line-up will be Luke Pritchard,  vocals and guitar, Hugh Harris, bass, guitar and synthesiser, and Alexis Nuñez, drums and percussion. Standing tickets for the show have sold out. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.

Rock Paper Goose: Showcasing Okay! album and new songs at The Old Paint Shop

Indie pop gig of the week: The Old Paint Shop presents Rock Paper Goose, York Theatre Royal Studio, tomorrow, 8pm

YORK multi-instrumentalists Nathan Greaves (vocals, guitar, synth) and Olly Whitehouse (vocals, synth, bass) write catchy melodies, taking inspiration in equal measure from rock, pop and EDM, as heard on their September 2025 debut album, Okay!.

Expect a life-affirming live show full of playful energy and joy and the promise of new songs. Dawid Ziemba supports. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

The Overtones: Teaming up with Nadiya Bychkova and Louis Smith for Jukebox Idols Of The 50s and 60s at York Barbican

Song and dance show of the week: Jukebox Idols Of The 50s & 60s, with The Overtones, Nadiya Bychkova and Louis Smith, York Barbican, Friday, 7.30pm

VOCAL harmony group The Overtones, Strictly Come Dancing professional Nadiya Bychkova and former Olympic gymnast and Strictly champion Louis Smith star together in Jukebox Idols, presented by the producers of West End hit Rip It Up 60s.

This non-stop whirlwind of 1950s and 1960s’ music icons such as Nat King Cole, Elvis Presley, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, The Beatles, The Beach Boys and the Motown roster features a stellar supporting cast of dancers as they swing, bop, jive and rock’n’roll their way through the ultimate jukebox show. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Luka Watabe: York-based Japanese jazz singer, performing in sophisticated cabaret show at The Old Paint Shop

Cabaret night of the week: The Old Paint Shop presents Velvet Jazz Night with Luka Watabe, York Theatre Royal Studio, Friday, 8pm

LUKA Watabe and her professional jazz musicians combine old-school Hollywood glamour with her rich, smooth vocal styling in a sophisticated repertoire of classic jazz standards and modern songs delivered with a sleek jazz twist. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Beverley Knight: Born To Perform show at York Barbican. Picture: Lewis Shaw

Recommended but sold out: Beverley Knight, Born To Perform, York Barbican, Saturday, 7.30pm

QUEEN of British soul Beverley Knight shares stories from her life on stage, as well as performing her biggest hits, musical theatre favourites and cherished songs that have inspired her on her 20-date UK tour.

“Born To Perform is me taking you on a journey through my life on both music and theatre stages, using my memories and of course my songs. I’m stripping back my sound so the audience can lean in a little closer and really hear my soul,” says Knight, whose hits include Made It Black, Greatest Day, Get Up, Shoulda Woulda Coulda, Gold, Come As You Are, Keep This Fire Burning and Piece Of My Heart. Her special guest is Gabriella Cilmi. Box office for returns only: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Co-headliners of the week: Skunk Anansie & Garbage, TK Maxx presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Saturday, gates 6pm

SKUNK Anansie and Garbage play Scarborough as part of a six-date tour. Formed in London in 1994, fronted by Skin, Skunk Anansie blend hard rock with political and social themes on such hits as Weak and Hedonism (Just Because You Feel Good). 

American alternative rock band Garbage, fronted by Scottish singer Shirley Manson, combine rock, electronica and pop influences, exemplified by Stupid Girl and Only Happy When It Rains. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.

The many faces of Lenny Henry: Actor, impressionist, fundraiser and stand-up anecdotalist

Talk of the week: Lenny Henry, Still At Large, Grand Opera House, York, June 23, 7.30pm

PART stand-up, part storytelling and part conversation with himself and with you, Still At Large finds Lenny Henry returning to the experiences that shaped him while also exploring the ideas, challenges and creative sparks driving him today.

From The Lenny Henry Show and Chef! to dramatic performances in Othello and The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power,  he traces the roles, characters and moments that have defined his six-decade career and shares what continues to inspire him as he reflects on a life lived out loud. On show will be the many versions of Lenny: actor, impressionist, comedian, fundraiser and stand-up anecdotalist. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Al Dunn, Matt Freeman and Nick Bunt in Le Navet Bete’s Oh Zeus!, on tour at York Theatre Royal

In Focus: Le Navet Bete in Oh Zeus!, York Theatre Royal, June 18 to 20, 7.30pm plus 2pm Saturday matinee

CHAOTIC comedy specialists Le Navet Bete return to York Theatre Royal from tomorrow, this time with their riotous ride through the world of Greek mythology, Oh Zeus!.

The Exeter company previously toured their hit family shows Dracula: The Bloody Truth, King Arthur and Treasure Island to the St Leonard’s Place theatre.

Written by John Nicholson and Le Navet Bete and directed by Nicholson, Oh Zeus! finds the stability of Olympus being threatened by the marriage of Zeus’s daughter, Hebe, to a mere mortal, whereupon the King of the Gods hatches a plan to derail the wedding.

Cue three actors – company founders Al Dunn, Nick Bunt and Matt Freeman – playing 40 characters between them in a mythical farce that journeys through Ancient Greece, the Underworld and back.

Expect physical comedy, outrageous jokes, fast-paced pandemonium and togas aplenty in a show ideal for devotees of Fawlty Towers, Bottom and The Play That Goes Wrong.

Formed in 2008 in Exeter, Devon, Le Navet Bete travel around the UK and internationally, with support from Arts Council England, the Exeter Northcott Theatre and the Exeter Phoenix, on a mission to create and tour humorous, physical and accessible comedy theatre, replete with storytelling for “absolutely everyone (ages four to 104)” – although Oh Zeus! carries an age guidance of 12 plus. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

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More Things To Do in York and beyond as Strictly stars come dancing in clash of shows. Hutch’s List No. 24, from The Press

Hal Cruttenden: Dishing out the comical blows at Pocklington Arts Centre tonight. Picture: Matt Crockett

OPEN studios across York and beyond, Strictly dancers in  tandem, Les Miserables in its school edition and Elvis Costello’s early years are among Charles Hutchinson’s joyful June recommendations.

Comedy gig of the week: Hal Cruttenden: Can Dish It Out But Can’t Take It, Pocklington Arts Centre, tonight, 7.30pm

EALING comedian Hal Cruttenden’s new tour show promises to stick it to ‘The Man’, as long as ‘The Man’ doesn’t stick it back to him. Utilising his trademark hard-hitting comedy style, he pontificates on subjects such as middle-aged dating, social media, the insanity of modern politics and how his daughters love him but do not respect him. He believes that, after experiencing this gig, you will feel exactly the same way. Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.

Es Devlin stands by her installation Library Of The Four Winds in the Temple of the Four Winds at Castle Howard. Picture: James Drury

Drawing workshop of the day: Es Devlin, Library Of The Four Winds, Temple of the Four Winds, Castle Howard, near York, today at 12 noon

TO mark today’s opening of her Library Of The Four Winds installation at the Temple of the Four Winds, Castle Howard, artist and designer Es Devlin will hold a 45-minute outdoor drawing workshop, with materials provided. Further workshops will follow at the installation every Saturday until September 26.

Devlin will be in conversation today with Nicholas Howard and Francis Terry in a 5.30pm event supported by the Georgian Society and National Lottery Heritage Fund. Library Of The Four Winds will be on show until September 27. For full details of the workshops, conversation and installation, go to: castlehoward.co.uk.

The Jazzville Quartet: Performing with Kirsty Hughes at The Old Paint Shop

Cabaret gig of the week: The Old Paint Shop presents The Jazzville Quartet, with Kirsty Hughes, York Theatre Royal Studio, tonight, 8pm

YORK jazz combo The Jazzville Quartet are joined by University of York alumna and Royal Academy of Music graduate Kirsty Hughes, showcasing her love of Judy Garland and the great jazz singers in an intimate cabaret performance.

Piano maestro and arranger Alec Robinson, saxophonist Alex Fisher, double bassist Tim Murgatroyd and drummer Steve Hanley will be exploring the Great American Songbook too in a celebration of swing, Latin classics and haunting jazz ballads. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Shechter II in Hofesh Shechter’s In The Brain at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Todd MacDonald

New dance work of the week: Shechter II in In The Brain, York Theatre Royal, tonight, 7.30pm

HOFESH Shechter’s exhilarating new full-length work for Shechter II, In The Brain, is a raw, electrifying dive into movement, rhythm, and collective energy, taking a pulsing, urgent journey into the depths of our consciousness, where stories dissolve, identity fades and only the beat remains.

In The Brain is a space to break free, to lose yourself, to surrender to the rush of movement, the weight of bass and the euphoria of bodies locked in Shechter’s signature groove. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Abstract artist Mark Ibson

Exhibition of the week: Mark Ibson, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York, until July 30

SELF-TAUGHT Bishop Wilton artist Mark Ibson’s abstract works are back on the bakery walls at Bluebird Bakery, where he is exhibiting new artworks in the form of experiments in surface texture and instinctive marking.

Initially a furniture and interior restorer, Ibsen began painting in 2012, holding his debut solo exhibition at Partisan, Micklegate, in May 2027 at the age of 47 after years of quietly painting and honing his skills at his studio in the former Herris Fisher blacksmith’s forge. “It seemed to be a natural progression,” he said at the time.

Ric Liptrot: Taking part in North Yorkshire Open Studios in York this weekend

Open invitation of the weekend: North Yorkshire Open Studios 2026, Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 5pm

MORE than 200 artists and makers are taking part in the second weekend of the summer edition of North Yorkshire Open Studios. Among those involved in and around York are Lucie Wake;  Alex Ash; Lincoln Lightfoot; Jon Haste; Ali Hunter; Veronica Ongaro; Di Gomery; Jill Tattersall; Evie Leach; Katrina Mansfield and Lesley Shaw.

So too are Lisa Power; Lu Mason; Ric Liptrot; Jo Walton; Kai West; Emily Littler; Hannah Arnup; Michelle Galloway; Janie Stevens; Toby Staunton; Gonzalo Blanco; Andrew Bloodworth; Justine Warner; Graham Jones; Nora Gaston and Freya Horsley. The full list of artists and makers can be found at nyos.org.uk.

Amy Dowden and Carlos Gu: Reborn at Grand Opera House, York

Strictly stars of the week combination number one: Amy & Carlos: Reborn, Amy Dowden and Carlos Gu, Grand Opera House, York, June 16, 7.30pm

AFTER making her stunning return to the Strictly Come Dancing dancefloor, Amy Dowden MBE truly feels Reborn in her tour show, accompanied by fellow Strictly professional Carlos Gu.

Back on stage after a triumphant debut season, Amy and Carlos will be sharing an intimate portrait of their lives and journeys, wherein the inspirational and transformative power of dance shines through.  Reborn features world-class dancers, live vocalists and a soundtrack of iconic anthems from across the decades. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Nikita Kuzmin: Shining brightly in Supernova with Karen Hauer, on tour at York Barbican

Strictly stars of the week combination number two: Burn The Floor presents Nikita Kuzmin in Supernova, with special guest Karen Hauer, York Barbican, June 16, 7.30pm

STRICTLY Come Dancing fan favourite Nikita Kuzmin takes centre stage in the explosive dance spectacular Supernova, joined by very special guest star Karen Hauer, Strictly’s longest-serving female professional.

Created in collaboration with choreographer and BAFTA award recipient Jason Gilkison and presented by international dance sensations Burn The Floor, Supernova is fuelled by the firepower of world-class performers and global creatives in an evening where artistry meets innovation and Kuzmin’s trademark charm, power and charisma shine brighter than ever. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

NE Theatre York’s poster for next week’s School Edition production of Les Miserables

Youth theatre show of the week: NE Theatre York in Les Miserables School Edition, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, June 16 to 20, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

ALAIN Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel of redemption will be performed by under-18s from NE Theatre York, directed by Steve Tearle, with a 15-piece orchestra under Joe Allen’s musical direction, projections by Tom Turner and the obligatory  barricade in the set design.

The musical tells the story of former prisoner Jean Valjean, who is pursued for 17 years by police inspector Javert against the backdrop of a brewing revolution in 19th-century Paris. The principal cast features Sam Brophy’s Jean Valjean, Will Roberts’s Javert, Emil Marczuk’s  Marius, Juliette Sellamuttu’s Fantine, Oscar Smith’s Enjolras, Callum Richardson’s Thenardier and Bella Gledhill’s Madame Thenardier. Box office:  01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

Elvis Costello: Revisiting his 1977-1986 back catalogue in Radio Soul! at York Barbican

York gig of the week: Elvis Costello & The Imposters with Charlie Sexton, Radio Soul!: The Early Songs of Elvis Costello, York Barbican, June 17, 7.45pm

ELVIS Costello plays York Barbican for the first time since May 2013, joined by The Imposters’ Steve Nieve, Pete Thomas and Davey Faragher and Texan guitarist Charlie Sexton for a set list drawn from 1977’s My Aim Is True to 1896 Blood & Chocolate albums, complemented by “other surprises”.

“For any songwriter, it has to be a compliment if people want to hear songs written up to 50years ago,” says Costello, 71. “You can expect the unexpected and the faithful in equal measure.” His special guest will be Emily Moment. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Dominic Goodwin in myriad roles in Twice Nightly at Helmsley Arts Centre

Recalling variety’s golden days: Pyramus and Thisbe Productions present Dominic Goodwin in Twice Nightly, Helmsley Arts Centre, June 26 and 27, 7.30pm

WRITER and performer Dominic Goodwin, one-time manager of Helmsley Arts Centre, returns to his old stamping ground with his first one-man comedy show, directed by York director Thomas Frere.

Twice Nightly follows the story of struggling comedian Freddie Francis in 1956 as the final curtain hovers over  variety. Many acts of the time are highlighted, including Norman “Over The Garden Wall” Evans (said to be an influence on Les Dawson) Stockton comic Jimmy James, wartime star Robb Wilton and the iconic Max Miller. “It’s been an honour to perform these stars’ material, and even more so to have the backing of the families,” says Goodwin. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Al Dunn, Matt Freeman and Nick Bunt in Le Navet Bete’s Oh Zeus!. Picture: Mark Senior

In Focus: Le Navet Bete in Oh Zeus!, York Theatre Royal, June 18 to 20, 7.30pm plus 2pm Saturday matinee

CHAOTIC comedy specialists Le Navet Bete return to York Theatre Royal from tomorrow, this time with their riotous ride through the world of Greek mythology, Oh Zeus!.

The Exeter company previously toured their hit family shows Dracula: The Bloody Truth, King Arthur and Treasure Island to the St Leonard’s Place theatre.

Written by John Nicholson and Le Navet Bete and directed by Nicholson, Oh Zeus! finds the stability of Olympus being threatened by the marriage of Zeus’s daughter, Hebe, to a mere mortal, whereupon the King of the Gods hatches a plan to derail the wedding.

Cue three actors – company founders Al Dunn, Nick Bunt and Matt Freeman – playing 40 characters between them in a mythical farce that journeys through Ancient Greece, the Underworld and back.

Expect physical comedy, outrageous jokes, fast-paced pandemonium and togas aplenty in a show ideal for devotees of Fawlty Towers, Bottom and The Play That Goes Wrong.

Formed in 2008 in Exeter, Devon, Le Navet Bete travel around the UK and internationally, with support from Arts Council England, the Exeter Northcott Theatre and the Exeter Phoenix, on a mission to create and tour humorous, physical and accessible comedy theatre, replete with storytelling for “absolutely everyone (ages four to 104)” – although Oh Zeus! carries an age guidance of 12 plus. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 24, from Gazette & Herald

Ralf Little’s disillusioned British intelligence officer Alec Leamas in The Spy Who Came In From The Cold. Picture: Johan Persson

COLD War espionage, artist open studios on moor and coast, Wright & Grainger in short form and Elvis Costello’s early years revisited make their mark on culture guide Charles Hutchinson.

Thriller of the week: The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, Grand Opera House, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm matinees today, tomorrow and Saturday

FOR the first time, a John le Carré novel is being brought to life on stage by Chichester Festival Theatre in David Eldridge’s adaptation of The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, a typically taut tale that journeys through the fog-shrouded terrain of Cold War espionage, deception and moral compromise.

Death In Paradise star Ralf Little’s disillusioned British intelligence officer, Alec Leamas, is ready to come in from the cold, until veteran agent George Smiley persuades him to take one final mission against the East German Secret Service. Deep undercover, Leamas finds his convictions tested and his defences breached by Liz Gold, a quietly defiant librarian, whose compassion threatens to thaw his frostbitten heart. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Rich Hall: Delivering comedy’s version of Chin Music at Pocklington Arts Centre

American comedian of the week: Rich Hall: Chin Music, Pocklington Arts Centre, tonight, 8pm

THE expression “chin music” has two meanings. One is idle talk; the other is a ‘brushback’ throw in baseball or cricket to intimidate the batter. Both describe North Carolina-born Rich Hall’s comedy: idle but intimidating, sharp, quick, splenetic and improvisational. Don’t duck out of seeing him in action in Pocklington tonight. Box office: 017589 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.

Florence Poskitt’s Rita and Jamie McKeller’s Frank in Black Treacle Theatre’s Educating Rita at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York

Literature lessons of the week: Black Treacle Theatre in Educating Rita, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm

YORK actors Florence Poskitt and Jamie McKeller team up for the first time under Jim Paterson’s direction in Willy Russell’s warm, witty and moving double-hander about the power of education to change lives. When Rita, a working-class hairdresser hungry for something more, signs up for an Open University literature course, she meets disillusioned academic Frank, whose passion for teaching has long faded. 

Their weekly tutorials become a battle of ideas, humour and honesty as Rita’s confidence blossoms and Frank reckons with his own choices and the possibility of a second chance. Change comes with difficult choices for both student and tutor, who must reconsider who they are and who they want to be. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

The Bluffs’ poster for Unwritten: The Literary Improv Show at Rise@Bluebird Bakery

Unscripted silliness of the week: Unwritten: The Literary Improv Show, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York, tomorrow, 8.30pm, doors 7.30pm

YORK troupe The Bluffs take classic short-form improv games and infuse them with storytelling flair in an evening of laughter, silliness and plot twists. Each fast-paced show is shaped by audience suggestions and spontaneous creativity. Expect scenes inspired by classic literature, unexpected character mash-ups and even a fanfiction-inspired musical number.

The Bluffs are drawn from a melange of theatrical, comedy and musical backgrounds, from festival stages to pantomime and competitive Theatresports. Box office: eventbrite.com/e/unwritten-the-literary-improv-show-tickets-1984763723726.

Easingwold creative duo Wright & Grainger: Presenting Say It & Play It at The Old Paint Shop

The Old Paint Shop presents: Wright & Grainger Say It & Play it, York Theatre Royal Studio, tomorrow, 8pm

FRIENDS and working partners since Easingwold schooldays, Wright & Grainger serve a carefully curated evening of stories, poems, songs and gentle chaos. Known for their internationally acclaimed adaptations of Ancient Greek myths, sometimes they do something a tad different.

Hence Say It & Play It will be a set full of Alexander Flanagan Wright & Phil Grainger’s shorter collaborative works, the poems that stand on their own, the beautiful tracks they have been writing. “It’s a gorgeous weave of our home-grown stuff, grown and told on home turf,” they say. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Paul Weller: Heading back to the East Coast to play Scarborough Open Air Theatre

Seaside excursion of the week: Paul Weller, TK Maxx presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Friday, gates 6pm

PAUL Weller follows up April’s release of Weller At The BBC Vol 2 with his return to Scarborough Open Air Theatre for the first time since July 7 2024. The Modfather, 68, will be expected to draw on material from his days in The Jam and Style Council, as well as his solo years, from 1992’s self-titled debut to July 2025’s Find El Dorado. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.

Mark Butler: Taking part in North Yorkshire Open Studios 2026

North Yorkshire Open Studios 2026, Moors and Coast, Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 5pm

MORE than 200 artists and makers are taking part in the second weekend of the summer edition of North Yorkshire Open Studios, including 73 representing the Moors and Coast. Among them will be Boo Barwick-Ward; Iona May Stock; Jo Naden; Sarah Sharpe, Alison Spaven; Anna Matyus; Pam Edwards; Deborah Wilkinson; Iona Harrison; Jonathan Pomroy and Stephen Bird.

So too will Rory Menage; Sue Slack; Mike Nowill; Studio Milena; Clare Belbin; Elizabeth Bailey; Lyn Bailey; Pauline Brown; Sally Parkin; Nettle Cottage Prints; Slab and Slip; Rebecca Callis; Kate Brown; Jess Shaw; Martin Gittins; Alice O’Neil and Gillies Jones. Full details can be found at nyos.org.uk.

Elvis Costello: Revisiting his early years in his Radio Soul! show at York Barbican. Picture: Ray Di Pietro

York gig of the week: Elvis Costello & The Imposters with Charlie Sexton, Radio Soul!: The Early Songs of Elvis Costello, York Barbican, June 17, 7.45pm

ELVIS Costello plays York Barbican for the first time since May 2013, joined by The Imposters’ Steve Nieve, Pete Thomas and Davey Faragher and Texan guitarist Charlie Sexton for a set list drawn from 1977’s My Aim Is True to 1896 Blood & Chocolate albums, complemented by “other surprises”.

“For any songwriter, it has to be a compliment if people want to hear songs written up to 50years ago,” says Costello, 71. “You can expect the unexpected and the faithful in equal measure.” His special guest will be Emily Moment. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Dominic Goodwin: Performing Twice Nightly over two nights at Helmsley Arts Centre

Recalling variety’s golden days: Pyramus and Thisbe Productions present Dominic Goodwin in Twice Nightly, Helmsley Arts Centre, June 26 and 27, 7.30pm

DOMINIC Goodwin, one-time manager of Helmsley Arts Centre, returns to his old stamping ground with his first one-man comedy show, written and performed by Goodwin and directed by York director Thomas Frere.

Twice Nightly follows the story of struggling comedian Freddie Francis in 1956 as the final curtain hovers over  variety. Many acts of the time are highlighted, including Norman “Over The Garden Wall” Evans (said to be an influence on Les Dawson) Stockton comic Jimmy James, wartime star Robb Wilton and the iconic Max Miller. “It’s been an honour to perform these stars’ material, and even more so to have the backing of the families,” says Goodwin. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

York printmaker Michelle Hughes holding a copy of her debut book, Printing Birds and Wildlife in Linocut

In Focus

Book event of the week: An Evening with Michelle Hughes, Printing Birds and Wildlife in Linocut, Kemps Books, Malton, tonight, 7.30pm

YORK linocut printmaker discusses her debut book, Printing Birds and Wildlife in Linocut, her creative story and upcoming tenth anniversary in business at Kemps Books. “Liz Kemp has been a huge supporter of my printmaking journey, selling my original prints in the early days, greeting cards over the years, and now stocking my book,” says Michelle. “Do come along and support a fabulous indie gift shop and bookshop.”

Published in February 2026, Michelle’s beautifully illustrated book shares how to design, carve and print birds and wildlife using traditional linocut techniques, guiding  readers from simple one-colour prints through to more advanced multi-colour methods, including jigsaw, reduction and multi-block printing.

“Whether you are completely new to linocut or already exploring printmaking, the book offers clear step-by-step guidance, practical tips and creative inspiration for capturing birds and wildlife in this rewarding craft,” says Michelle.

“During the evening you’ll enjoy my short talk about my journey to becoming a professional printmaker; behind-the-scenes insights into how the book was created, with a chance to see original prints and lino blocks featured in the book and a Q&A session about linocut printmaking, followed by a book signing.

Come and celebrate wildlife, printmaking and the joy of carving and printing by hand.” Tickets must be booked in advance in person in store or at kempsgeneralstore.co.uk/pages/events.