Category: Comedy

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More Things To Do in York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 41, from The York Press

Amelia Bullmore in rehearsal for her lead role as Penelope in The Penelopiad at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Pamela Raith Photography

FROM The Penelopiad’s feminist twist on The Odyssey to Alan Carr testing new material, the Brontë  sisters’ other story to Jamie’s blossoming, Charles Hutchinson Hutchinson watches autumn find its fifth gear.

Greek tragedy twist of the week: Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad, Odyssey: Her Story, York Theatre Royal, today until October 31

BOOKER Prize winner Margaret Atwood revisits Homer’s The Odyssey in an exuberantly irreverent and darkly humorous retelling where she gives voice to Odysseus’s silenced wife, Penelope – still awaiting his return 20 years after the Trojan War – and her chorus of maids in a tale of injustice, betrayal and revenge that exposes the truth behind the myth. Creative director Juliet Forster’s cast is led by Happy Valley and Riot Women star Amelia Bullmore. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Nancy Cadogan: Exhibiting At The Bend In The River at Beningbrough Hall from today

Exhibition opening of the week: At The Bend In The River: Paintings by Nancy Cadogan, Beningbrough Hall, Beningbrough, near York, today 11am to 4pm

LONDON figurative artist Nancy Cadogan explores how a place is shaped by memory, artistry and human connection in At The Bend In The River, an exhibition spread across four rooms of Beningbrough’s Reddihough Galleries that brings together newly commissioned large-scale  paintings, drawings and immersive creative spaces that respond  to the National Trust  estate’s Ouse riverside setting, historic house and changing landscape.

Through art, film, drawing and creative writing, Cadogan invites visitors to “pause and reflect on the journeys we take and the places and memories that sustain us”. Look out too for intimate works that reflect on women, time and storytelling. Tickets (as part of National Trust admission): nationaltrust.org.uk/beningbrough.

Alan Carr: Two gigs in one day at Pocklington Arts Centre

Comedy gigs of the week: Alan Carr, Work In Progress, Pocklington Arts Centre, tomorrow, 3pm and 7.30pm

THE Celebrity Traitors 2026 winner, comedian, television presenter and quiz host Alan Carr is heading to Pocklington for a brace of “very special work-in-progress shows” ahead of his Have I Said Too Much? tour, when  he will play York Barbican on March 13 2027. Box office: Pocklington, pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk; York, yorkbarbican.co.uk.

James Fountain: Trumpet soloist for York Guildhall Orchestra’s concert at York Barbican

Classical concert of the week: York Guildhall Orchestra, York Barbican, tomorrow, 3pm

YORK Guildhall Orchestra launches its new season with a Sunday afternoon programme of works by Malcolm Arnold, William Walton and Spanish composer and pianist Manuel de Falla.

Arnold’s ebullient Trumpet Concerto, composed in 1981, will be played by soloist James Fountain after the opening orchestral fanfare of Walton’s Crown Imperial. De Falla adapted his 1919 ballet Three Cornered Hat, featuring Spanish folk and dance music, into two orchestra suites; the second will be performed tomorrow. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Jess Murray’s Emily, left, Lara Stafford’s Charlotte and Millie Rhodes’s Anne Brontë in York Settlement Community Players’ Underdog: The Other Other Brontë

York premiere of the week: York Settlement Community Players in Underdog: The Other Other Brontë, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, October 13 to 17, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

CHARLOTTE Brontë (played by Lara Stafford) has a confession about how one sister (Emily, Jess Murray) became an idol, and the other became known as the third sister. You know the one. No, not that one. The other, other one: Anne (Millie Rhodes).

Claire Morley directs Settlement Players in Sarah Gordon’s irreverent retelling of the life and legend of the Brontë sisters as you have never the Yorkshire scribbling sisters before. Premiered at the National Theatre in 2024, this not a story of well-behaved women but of the power of words, sisters and sisterhood, love and jealousy, support and competition. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Henry Raby: Wrestling with the twin emotions of hope and anger at The Old Paint Shop

Poetry gig of the week: The Old Paint Shop presents Henry Raby, Hope and Anger, York Theatre Royal Studio, October 14, 8pm

YORK punk poet and Say Owt artistic director Henry Raby wrestles through the twin emotions of hope and anger with a spoken-word cocktail of poetry and comedy as he seeks to understand the righteous and the rotten. “Come and share in fist-clenched frustration and celebrate examples of the world, and the heartfelt people in it, at their shiniest and brightest,” says Henry. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

“Reaching 25 years in music is incredibly emotional,” says York Barbican-bound Katherine Jenkins

“Reunion with old friends” of the week: Katherine Jenkins, 25 Year Anniversary Tour, York Barbican, October 15, 7.30pm

WELSH mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins, 46, the biggest-selling classical artist of the 21st century, plays York Barbican as the only Yorkshire venue on her 25 Year Anniversary Tour, her first in five years. “Reaching 25 years in music is incredibly emotional, but this tour is truly a celebration of the fans who have been there from the very beginning,” she says. 

“To be heading out across the UK and Ireland for 18 special shows feels less like a celebration of a career and more like a reunion with old friends, and I can’t wait to stand on stage, look out into those familiar faces and share it all over again.” Jodok Cello supports. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

York Stage’s cast for Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, starring Frankie Bounds as Jamie New

Bold and unapologetic musical of the week: York Stage in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Grand Opera House, York, October 16 to 24, 7.30pm, Tuesday to Saturday, plus 2.30pm Saturday matinees and 4pm Sunday

TOM MacRae and Dan Gillespie’s Sheffield musical plays the Grand Opera House for the first time in Nik Briggs’s production for York Stage that restores the grit to both complement and counter the glitz in the uplifting underdog story of Jamie New (Frankie Bounds), a 16-year-old schoolboy from a Steel City council estate with big dreams and the courage to stand out when it would be easier to stay quiet.

Equipped with the love of his mum, support of his friends and the strength to face the world head on, Jamie fights prejudice, finds his voice and discovers the freedom of stepping into the spotlight on his own terms. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Tom Stade: Playing by his rules at York Barbican

Come and see for yourself why…Tom Stade Rules, YO1 Radio Live Lounge, York Barbican, October 16, 7.30pm

CANADIAN free spirit Tom Stade takes aim at the absurdities of modern times with his incisive, gloriously unfiltered wit as he grapples with rebellion, responsibility and the tension between the old and the new. From unspoken social codes and cultural divisions, identity to marriage, Stade dismantles all the rules and redefines them his way. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 41, from Gazette & Herald

Tracy-Ann Oberman’s Geri Essendine and Seb Carrington’s David Stillington in Present Laughter. Picture: Simon Annand

FROM classic Coward in Present Laughter to Frayn’s funniest farce, Noises Off, Alan Carr’s work in progress to Joe Jackson’s hope and fury, Charles Hutchinson piles up the good stuff for the week ahead.

Coward classic of the week: Theatre Royal Bath Productions and Augusta Productions present Present Laughter, Grand Opera House, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday and Saturday matinees

TRACY-ANN Oberman stars as hugely successful actress Geri Essendine – who has been 39 for the best part of a decade – in Lindsay Posner’s new touring production of Noel Coward’s celebrated portrayal of the temptations and pitfalls of theatrical celebrity. 

On the cusp of departing for a tour of Africa, Geri finds herself besieged by a bevy of would-be lovers, her long-suffering secretary, estranged husband and an obsessed young playwright. Will she ever disentangle herself from their tightening clutches and incessant demands? Then again, deep down, does she really want to? Box office: atgtickets.com/york. 

Pick Me Up Theatre cast members Pearl Mollison, left, Craig Kirby, Alexandra Mather, Andrew Isherwood, Helen Spencer, Adrian Cook and Mark Simmonds, under the withering eye of Rory Mulvihill, right, director of the play-within-the-play in Michael Frayn’s Noises Off

Slamming doors, falling trousers and flying sardines of the week: Pick Me Up Theatre in Noises Off, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

MICHAEL Frayn’s backstage farce Noises Off takes a wicked look at the follies of theatre folk, whose susceptibility to out-of-control egos, memory loss and passionate affairs turns every performance into a high-risk adventure.

This play-within-a-play captures a touring theatre troupe’s production of Nothing On in three stages: dress rehearsal, the opening performance and a performance towards the end of a debilitating run. Robert Readman directs a stellar York cast of Helen Spencer, Andrew Isherwood, Alexandra Mather, Rory Mulvihill, Pearl Mollison, Mark Simmonds, Craig Kirby, Jessica Hardcastle and Adrian Cook. Box office:  01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

Joe Jackson: Returning to York Barbican tonight

York gig of the week: Joe Jackson + Band, Hope And Fury Tour 2026, York Barbican, tonight, doors 7pm

JOE Jackson played York for only the second time at York Barbican on July 29 2022 as part of his Sing, You Sinners! Tour, having first shared a bill with Todd Rundgren and improvisational string quartet Ethel at the Grand Opera House in June 2005.

Now, the Portsmouth-raised singer, musician, songwriter, bandleader, producer, author and campaigner, 72, returns with his regular band to perform work from throughout his career and to showcase his 23rd studio album Hope And Fury, released in April. Conner Youngblood supports. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Avatar: The Last Airbender: Screening accompanied by live orchestra

Visual journey of the week: Avatar: The Last Airbender In Concert, 20th Anniversary Tour, York Barbican, tomorrow, 7.30pm

The 20th Anniversary Tour of Avatar: The Last Airbender In Concert combines a live orchestral performance with a two-hour visual journey through fan-favourite moments from the animated series, shown on a full-size cinema screen. 

This special edition features new surprises, inviting fans to experience the story in a new light. Original dialogue and sound effects remain intact, while Emmy Award-winning composer Jeremy Zuckerman’s score is performed live, synchronised with the visuals. From taiko and erhu to strings and clarinets, the orchestra brings every moment to life, immersing you in the elemental world of Aang, Katara, Toph, Zuko and the rest of Team Avatar. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

An artwork by Angela Hall from the York Created exhibition at Pyramid Gallery, York

York exhibition of the week: York Created: Paint-Clay-Print-Collage From The Heart Of The City, Pyramid Gallery, Stonegate, York, until November 14

YORK Created: Paint-Clay-Print-Collage From The Heart Of The City features a “collection of talented artists from across our fair city”. “Some have exhibited with us before, others are new to us,” says Pyramid Gallery manager Fiona Macfarlane. “All the works are for sale.”

Taking part are potters Danny Aitkin, Chiu-i Wu, Loretta Braganza, Ben Arnup, Emily Stubbs, Jessica Jenyns and Ruth King, painters Rory Barke, Carolyn Coles, Jill Tattersall, Ric Liptrot, Lesley Birch, Mick Leach, Lesley Shaw and Angela Hall and stained glass artist Helen Bower. Opening hours are 10am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday.

Tom Carradine & Lili Redman: Wartime music, merriment and memories at Kirk Theatre, Pickering

Festival of the week: Pickering 1940s Weekend, V For Victory, Johnny Victory, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, Friday, 7.30pm; Tom Carradine’s Wartime Songbook , Sunday, 7.30pm

JOHNNY Victory opens the Pickering 1940s weekend on Friday by heading back to the good old days to guide singalongs of vintage songs that helped to keep wartime morale high and brought us together. Johnny combines songs from music hall days, 1920s, 1930s and 1940s’ wartime hits and show tunes with a warm, cheeky humour.

On Sunday, moustachioed maestro Tom Carradine leads a joyous, toe-tapping celebration of the songs that kept Great Britain smiling through two World Wars in a nostalgic show packed with rousing classics, history, humour and stories behind the songs, such as the tragic tale of the Powell brothers who wrote Pack Up Your Troubles. Joining Tom will be cabaret songbird Lili Redman, his podcast co-host of The A To Z Of Wartime Song, to perform Gracie Fields, Vera Lynn and deliciously cheeky numbers. Box office: 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk.

Victoria Firth in Batty!: Exploration of “the wildness – as opposed to madness – of women” at Helmsley Arts Centre

Alternative coming-of-age story of the week: Victoria Firth in Batty!, Helmsley Arts Centre, Friday, 7.30pm

WRITTEN and performed by Victoria Firth and directed by Natasha Holmes, Batty! is the story of a woman who fears she might be a witch: an ordinary woman stuck with an extraordinary shape-shifting companion, a wild thing. This curious twosome shares a disintegrating cottage in a forest on the cusp of another world that lies beyond responsibilities and social norms and where myths and magic are real. 

Featuring an original soundscape and live song, Batty! combines “the intimacy of private conversations, raucous stories, snorting humour, gay abandon and exquisite tenderness” in its exploration of “the wildness – as opposed to madness – of women and how our feral side can reconnect us to ourselves and our environment”. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Celya AB: Saturday Night Live UK writer on stage at Theatre@41

How to break free from shame, as advised by: Celya AB, We Must Stop Meeting Like This, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, Friday, 8pm

HAVE you ever forensically over-thought your life choices? Are they all somehow connected to a passing comment your Spanish teacher made when you were 15? Has it made an impact on everything from your love life to your career? Stand-up comedian and Saturday Night Live UK writer Celya AB’s new show focuses on breaking free from shame and what ensues when you do. Box office: https://tickets.41monkgate.co.uk/.

The Paul Simon Songbook, performed by Alastair James and his seven-piece band at Helmsley Arts Centre

Tribute gig of the week: The Paul Simon Songbook, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 7.30pm

ALASTAIR James and his seven-piece band highlight the carefully crafted arrangements inspired by Paul Simon’s most iconic live and studio performances, featuring renditions of Mrs Robinson, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Scarborough Fair, Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover, Still Crazy After All These Years, Late In The Evening, You Can Call Me Al and Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Brodsky Quartet: Playing chamber concert at Helmsley Arts Centre on Sunday

Classical concert of the week: Brodsky Quartet, Helmsley Arts Centre, Sunday, 2.30pm

SINCE forming in 1972 as the Cleveland Quartet in Middlesbrough, the Brodsky Quartet has performed more than 3,000 chamber music concerts on the major stages of the world and released 70-plus recordings.

The quartet’s name is taken from the Russian violinist Adolf Brodsky, himself a passionate chamber musician, and the 2026 line-up comprises Krysia Osostowicz and Ian Belton, violins, Paul Cassidy, viola, and Jacqueline Thomas, cello. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Alan Carr: Testing out new material in two gigs in one day at Pocklington Arts Centre

Comedy gigs of the week: Alan Carr, Work In Progress, Pocklington Arts Centre, Sunday, 3pm and 7.30pm

THE Celebrity Traitors 2026 winner, comedian, television presenter and quiz host Alan Carr is heading to Pocklington Arts Centre for a brace of “very special work-in-progress shows” ahead of his Have I Said Too Much? tour, when  he will play York Barbican on March 13 2027. Box office: Pocklington, pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk; York, yorkbarbican.co.uk.

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Filthy historical comedy love letter of the week: Little Wander presents Rachel Mars in Your Sexts Are S**t, Harrogate Comedy Festival, Harrogate Theatre, Oct 9, 7.30pm

Rachel Mars

IN her filthy and funny solo show Your Sexts Are S**t: Older Better Letters, award-winning theatre-maker Rachel Mars mashes up love letters of long-dead artists with modern-day ‘equivalents’ from Grindr, Whatsapp and b*g-standard texts.

Your Sexts Are S**t is billed as “a gloriously rude show that unearths the hot-as-hell historical letters that make sexts blush”. Equipped with the help of the internet, friends and two sexologists, Mars has unearthed missives dating back centuries.

Triangulating these sex and love letters of long-gone artists and writers with contemporary sexts, coupled with a meditation on the construction of the queer female body, the hour-long show is a tender and surprising hour that asks “How do we write ourselves and for whom?”.

“Bring your lovers, your ex-lovers or your perhaps-future lovers,” reads Mars’s invitation. “Take pleasure in James Joyce’s passion for a*se; find out who sneaked her gay lover into the White House; hear from Frida Kahlo, Georgia O’Keeffe and Mozart and bear witness to the best/worst sexts ever sent.”

Mars is a performance maker and stage and screen writer with a background in theatre, live art and comedy. Her work wrestles with female, Jewish and Queer identities and their intersections in her explorations of the “idiosyncratic cultural and political constructs that inform the way we are together, as people, just trying to figure it all out”.

The intimate, humorous and surprisingly humorous Your Sexts Are S**t is an “erotic archive shot through with Mars’ personal ventures in contemporary Queer kink”. Box office: 01423 502116 or harrogatetheatre.co.uk. Age guidance: 18 plus. Content warning: Sexual themes.

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More Things To Do in York and beyond unlocked secret spaces & hidden places. Hutch’s List No. 40, from The York Press

Angela Hall’s artwork from York Created at Pyramid Gallery

FROM classic Coward in Present Laughter to Frayn’s finest farce, Noises Off, York’s unlocked buildings to Joe Jackson’s hope and fury, Charles Hutchinson piles up the good stuff for the week ahead.

Exhibition opening of the week: York Created: Paint-Clay-Print-Collage From The Heart Of The City, Pyramid Gallery, Stonegate, York, until November 14

YORK Created: Paint-Clay-Print-Collage From The Heart Of The City features a “collection of talented artists from across our fair city”. “Some have exhibited with us before, others are new to us,” says Pyramid Gallery manager Fiona Macfarlane. “All the works are for sale.”

Taking part are potters Danny Aitkin, Chiu-i Wu, Loretta Braganza, Ben Arnup, Emily Stubbs, Jessica Jenyns  and Ruth King, painters Rory Barke, Carolyn Coles, Jill Tattersall, Ric Liptrot, Lesley Birch, Mick Leach, Lesley Shaw and Angela Hall and stained glass artist Helen Bower. Opening hours are 10am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday.

Dennis Rollins: Delivering Funky-Funk! to YorkJazzFest’s Bishopthorpe Road Car park Finale tomorrow

Festival of the week: YorkJazzFest, today and tomorrow

TODAY, Beppe Lombardo’s inaugural YorkJazzFest features: 6pm, Flowerden, The Winning Post; 6pm, Mutant DJ Jazz, Angel On The Green; 6.30pm, Emma Foulds Quintet, York Arts Barge; 7pm, SwanNek, Young Thugs Studios; 8.30pm, Al Morrison Quartet, The Winning Post;  8.30pm, Olivia Cuttill, York Arts Barge;  9pm, Borgia, Angel On The Green, and 9pm, Lovedancin’ DJ, Young Thugs Studios. For tickets, go to: yorkjazzfestival.com.

Tomorrow,  the Bishopthorpe Road Car Park Finale runs from midday with free entry and no ticket required. On the bill are: 12 noon, YorkJazzFest Orchestra; 1pm, Vipertime; 2.15pm, Big Bamboo; 4.15pm, Fergus Quill Sextet, and 6pm, Dennis Rollins’ Funky-Funk! Ian Chalk concludes the event at The Phoenix Inn at 8pm; free entry.

Federico Pendenza: Two world premieres at this afternoon’s York Late Music concert

Season finale of the week: York Late Music presents Federico Pendenza, Folk Roots To Classical Form, Unitarian Chapel, St Saviouragte, York, today, 1pm

UNIVERSITY of York guitarist Federico Pendenza concludes York Late Music’s concert season with Folk Roots To Classical Form, featuring William Walton’s only piece written for guitar (following a persuasive word from Julian Bream!), two intimate pieces by the “Chopin of the guitar”, Agustín Barrios, and two world premieres, Macey Collins’s Impressions Of Tension and Noor Hingorani’s Pomegranates On My Altar, which draws on the Persian Sofreh wedding ceremony, where pomegranates represent joy, passion and strength. Box office: latemusic.org/federico-pendoza-guitar or on the door.

York Unlocked: Unlocking York’s significant, hidden and secret buildings

Free discoveries of the week: York Unlocked, today and tomorrow

YORK Unlocked opens York’s most interesting, significant, even hidden and secret buildings to the public completely for free, although some buildings require free pre-booked tickets.  This weekend’s festival enables residents and visitors alike to see York in a new way and aims to educate and inspire a love of architecture this weekend. To download the full programme, go to: https://www.york-unlocked.org.uk/_files/ugd/972e50_ba8593730b26433e8b060829ff5bd5ac.pdf.

Michael Shafar: Headlining Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club at The Basement

​Comedy gigs of the week: Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club, The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse, York, today, 4pm and 8pm

LAUGH Out Loud promoter Damion Larkin has added an extra show at 4pm in response to ticket demand for tonight’s 8pm bill of Michael Shafar, Ant Dewson, Mike Carter and Gary Jennison.

Former lawyer Shafar left Australia to ply his comedy trade over here. Dewson is a comedian, mediocre piano player and singer of silly songs, many of them rude. Carter covers everything from living with your nan in your 30s to the realities of engaging in “kinky stuff” when you have a coordination disorder. Jennison promises dance-offs, game shows, magic and unbridled chaos. Box office: lolcomedyclubs.co.uk.

Brian Bilston: Poetic words at Milton Rooms, Malton

Poet of the week: Brian Bilston, How To Lay An Egg With A Horse Inside, Milton Rooms, Malton, tomorrow, 7.30pm

BRIAN Bilston, a poet with more than 500,000 followers on social media, returns to the stage this autumn with his latest book, How To Lay An Egg With A Horse Inside, as he takes a journey through the hows, whys and whats of reading, writing and enjoying poetry every day.

Bilston has published such collections as You Took The Last Bus Home, Alexa, What Is There To Know About Love? and Days Like These, along with debut novel Diary Of A Somebody, poetry for younger readers and his 2025 album of poetry set to music, Sounds Made By Humans, recorded with The Catenary Wires. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.

Tracy-Ann Oberman’s Geri Essendine and Seb Carrington’s David Stillington in Present Laughter. Picture: Simon Annand

Coward classic of the week: Theatre Royal Bath Productions and Augusta Productions present Present Laughter, Grand Opera House, York, October 6 to 10, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday and Saturday matinees

TRACY-ANN Oberman stars as hugely successful actress Geri Essendine – who has been 39 for the best part of a decade – in Lindsay Posner’s new touring production of Noel Coward’s celebrated portrayal of the temptations and pitfalls of theatrical celebrity. 

On the cusp of departing for a tour of Africa, Geri finds herself besieged by a bevy of would-be lovers, her long-suffering secretary, estranged husband and an obsessed young playwright. Will she ever disentangle herself from their tightening clutches and incessant demands? Then again, deep down, does she really want to? Box office: atgtickets.com/york. 

Pick Me Up Theatre cast members Pearl Mollison, left, Craig Kirby, Alexandra Mather, Andrew Isherwood, Helen Spencer, Adrian Cook and Mark Simmonds, under the withering eye of Rory Mulvihill, right, director of the play-within-the-play in Michael Frayn’s Noises Off

Slamming doors, falling trousers and flying sardines of the week: Pick Me Up Theatre in Noises Off, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, October 6 to 10, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

MICHAEL Frayn’s backstage farce Noises Off takes a wicked look at the follies of theatre folk, whose susceptibility to out-of-control egos, memory loss and passionate affairs turns every performance into a high-risk adventure.

This play-within-a-play captures a touring theatre troupe’s production of Nothing On in three stages: dress rehearsal, the opening performance and a performance towards the end of a debilitating run. Robert Readman directs a stellar York cast of Helen Spencer, Andrew Isherwood, Alexandra Mather, Rory Mulvihill, Pearl Mollison, Mark Simmonds, Craig Kirby, Jessica Hardcastle and Adrian Cook. Box office:  01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

Joe Jackson: Returning to York Barbican

Gig of the week: Joe Jackson + Band, Hope And Fury Tour 2026, York Barbican, October 7, doors 7pm

JOE Jackson played York for only the second time at York Barbican on July 29 2022 as part of his Sing, You Sinners! Tour, having first shared a bill with Todd Rundgren and improvisational string quartet Ethel at the Grand Opera House in June 2005.

Now, the Portsmouth-raised singer, musician, songwriter, bandleader, producer, author and campaigner, 72, returns with his regular band to perform work from throughout his career and to showcase his 23rd studio album Hope And Fury, released in April. Conner Youngblood supports. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Acosta Danza in Andonis Foniadakis’s new work Pearls. Picture: Charlie Kirkpatrick

In Focus: Carlos Acosta’s Acosta Danza in Cuban Baroque, York Theatre Royal, October 3, 2.30pm and 7.30pm

IN this new double bill from Acosta Danza, the lush artistry of the Baroque period intersects with the energy, creativity and vibrancy of Cuban dance.  Emerging from the 17th and 18th centuries, the creative movement was characterised by deep colour, elaborate detail and intricate decoration.

Produced by Valid Productions in collaboration with York Theatre Royal, Cuban Baroque opens with the world premiere of Andonis Foniadakis’s new work Pearls, a journey to the rhythmic heart of Baroque, followed by choreographer and set designer Goyo Montero’s 2011 work Chacona.

Artistic director Carlos Acosta says: “I am very excited about this programme which will encapsulate the essence of Acosta Danza, fusing as it will, classical, Cuban and contemporary vocabularies and styles.

“I am, of course, a big fan of both choreographers and am delighted that Andonis will create a brand-new piece on my dancers. I look forward to seeing how that develops over the coming months.

“The flavour of the evening is summarised neatly by the title Cuban Baroque, but essentially this is a programme that anyone interested in any kind of dance can enjoy. I look forward, as always, to seeing how audiences react to the atmosphere this programme will create at its premiere in our first-ever visit to the wonderful York Theatre Royal.”

Acosta Danza in Goyo Montero’s 2011 work Chacona at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Charlie Kirkpatrick

Theatre Royal chief executive Paul Crewes says: “It is truly wonderful that York audiences will be the first to experience this phenomenally exciting dance programme on our stage and we are really looking forward to working in collaboration with Carlos Acosta and his company on the show.”

Set to Esteban Sallas’s Salve Regina, the work explores the classic chaconne-looping structure that circles through phases of acceleration, fracture and rebound. As the score shifts from Baroque lyricism toward Cuban drive, Foniadakis showcases the fusion between memory and contemporary.

Andonis Foniadakis says: “The piece is being built as a chaconne in the broadest sense: a looping architecture that keeps circling back to the same theme like a mantra, each return opening a new variation in colour, density and impulse.

Cuban rhythmic principles will seep into the texture (clave, layered pulses, dance-derived momentum) and begin to tilt the baroque theme from within — bringing Sallas’s music fully into the present.

“In this dialogue, contrast becomes fusion: baroque memory meets Cuban propulsion; choral breath meets percussive drive; live sound meets a discreet electronic halo — shaping a single energetic trajectory that stays clear, intense, and emotionally resonant.”

Acosta Danza in Goyo Montero’s Chacona. Picture: Charlie Kirkpatrick

Closing the 1hr 20 min programme is Goyo Montero’s powerful Chacona, a piece that originally was created for the Staatstheater Nürnberg Ballett during Montero’s 17-year tenure as director. Chacona is the final movement of Bach’s masterwork Partita No.2 in D Minor for violin, accompanied in this performance by guitar and piano. Physically and musically demanding, classical in sound and contemporary in heart, it requires total cohesion from the ensemble of 16 dancers.

Goyo Montero says: “This is going to be my fourth collaboration with Acosta Danza since 2015. To bring this work to them and adapt it to their fearless and exceptional dancers is something I am looking forward to very much. To restage this early work and revisit it for them will develop the work further and keep it alive, relevant and ever changing, a choreographer’s dream!”

In addition, Acosta Danza will hold an Open Class today (3/10/2026) at 10am on the Theatre Royal stage in an exclusive opportunity to watch how the dancers warm up and prepare ahead of a performance. This non-participatory event is open to all ages.  

The York Theatre Royal premiere of Cuban Baroque will be followed by performances at Sadler’s Wells in London and Norwich Theatre Royal with further 2027 dates to be added. Box office for shows and Open Class: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Did you know?

ACOSTA Danza performed Carlos Acosta’s Nutcracker In Havana at the Grand Opera House, York, in January 2026.

Acosta Danza in Pearls at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Charlie Kirkpatrick

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Tom Allen to play York Barbican and four more Yorkshire gigs on 2027/28 Totally tour

Totally Tom Allen: “Totalling up what life is all about” on his 2027-2028 tour

SMART comedian Tom Allen has gone from Completely to Totally in picking his tour titles. Tickets go on general sale at https://tomindeed.com/ at 11am today for his 2027-2028 itinerary that will take in five Yorkshire gigs.

On his Totally travels, Allen, 43, will play York Barbican on December 11 2027, along with Halifax Victoria Theatre, November 25, Hull Connexin Live, November 26, Scarborough Spa Grand Hall, December 10 and Sheffield City Hall as far away as April 28 2028.

In Totally, Allen is totalling up what life is all about. Told to live in the moment, he is distracted by old women on the bus listening to music without earphones. Annoying influencers show him how his house should look, but his kitchen has just flooded and the plumber wants to fit a ‘fanny trap’.

He knows he should be enjoying things, but he still feels that he never quite fits in. Maybe he has been getting life just ever so slightly…wrong?

Bromley-born stand-up comedian, actor, author, TV and presenter and podcaster Allen co-hosts ITV’s Cooking With The Stars and the Like-Minded Friends podcast and hosts gardening visualised podcast Pottering.

He has appeared on The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice, Last One Laughing: Halloween Special, Apprentice You’re Fired, 8 Out of 10 Cats , 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Would I Lie To You? and QI.

He starred in the hit musical Titanique in the West End, playing Ruth, Rose’s mother, at the Criterion Theatre, London, from March 4 to April 12 this year. “The laughs and camp spoofing are addictive and exactly what the world needs right now,” he said ahead of his six-week stint.

Allen is the author of two memoirs, No Shame and Too Much, and his debut novel, Common Decency, was published by Hodder & Stoughton on May 21.

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Laugh Out Loud adds 4pm show for Saturday’s Basement bill of Michael Shafar, Ant Dewson, Mike Carter & Gary Jennison

Michael Shafar: Headlining Laugh Out Loud Comedy’s brace of gigs at The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse, York, on Saturday.

LAUGH Out Loud Comedy Club promoter Damion Larkin has added an extra 4pm show in response to ticket demand for Saturday’s 8pm bill of Michael Shafar, Ant Dewson, Mike Carter and Gary Jennison at The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse, York.

Michael Shafar has taken plenty of big steps in his career as a comedian,  not least leaving his native Australia to ply his comedy trade in the UK.

Before that, he left a career in law for comedy and has been working hard ever since to win his Jewish mother’s forgiveness. He has (somewhat) achieved that, having performed around Australia, New Zealand, Asia, the United States and on international waters.

Ant Dewson

In 2016, Shafar burst onto the comedy scene in the RAW Comedy National Final, represented Australia in the Laugh Factory’s Funniest Person in the World competition and toured across Asia, headlining the continent’s biggest clubs.

He has since appeared on Network 10’s The Project and Studio 10, ABC’s Comedy Bites and triple j’s Good Az Friday and toured four shows around the country, regularly selling out at Australia’s major festivals, not least the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.​

Shafar has drawn more than 70 million views to his comedy videos online and has a comedy special, A(LIVE), available on Amazon Prime and a second special, Alright, Next Joke, on YouTube.

Mike Carter

“Amazingly there’s a rare chance to see him in town soon, so don’t miss this one!” advises Larkin.

Ant Dewson is a comedian, mediocre piano player and singer of silly songs, many of them rude. He has written comedy for BBC Radio 4 and Sky TV and commercials for many brands, performs on BBC Radio London and is the co-host of Carpet Martin’s Comedy Market on Riverside Radio.

Dewson has sung at the Royal Festival Hall, Guildford Cathedral, Fairfield Halls, New WimbledonTheatre, Southwark Cathedral, Cadogan Hall and even on the pitch at Wembley before the Rugby eague Challenge Cup Final.

Gary Jennison

Mike Carter broke into stand-up comedy after accidentally signing up for a comedy course intended to help middle-aged men suffering from depression. He was 27 and just happy to be out of the house.

Carter covers everything from living with your nan in your 30s to the realities of engaging in “kinky stuff” when you have a coordination disorder and brings a fearless yet friendly approach to comedy. His clips have attracted more than one million views on Facebook, YouTube & Instagram.

Force of nature Gary Jennison promises dance-offs, game shows, magic and unbridled chaos, and he may even try something dangerously funny, as he delivers surreal, energetic humour like a toddler with a Tommy gun. Cue 100 per cent unscripted, unsupervised comedy full of observations with a twist.

Doors open at 3.30pm and 7.30pm respectively. Box office: lolcomedyclubs.co.uk.

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Comedy gig announcement of the week: Alan Carr, Work in Progress, Pocklington Arts Centre, Sunday, October 11, 7.30pm

CELEBRITY Traitors 2026 winner, comedian, television presenter and quiz host Alan Carr is heading to Pocklington Arts Centre for a “very special work-in-progress show” next week. 

“This is a fantastic addition to our already strong comedy line-up and we’re expecting high demand for tickets,” says venue director Kelly Munro-Fawcett. 

“We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome Alan Carr to Pocklington Arts Centre. He’s such a well-loved comedian, and it’s fantastic to have him performing here in Pocklington. It’s a brilliant opportunity for audiences to see him up close as he tries out his new material, and we’re really looking forward to what promises to be a very special evening of comedy.”

Carr, the son of former York City full back Graham Carr, has presented four series of BBC One’s quiz show Alan Carr’s Picture Slam and has hosted the Channel 4 intelligence competition series Secret Genius, along with Alan Carr’s Epic Game Show on ITV and Interior Design Masters on BBC One, and he has co-presented Amanda & Alan’s Italian Job, Greek Job and Spanish Job,BBC One’s travel and home renovation series, with his friend Amanda Holden.

Carr, 50, made his breakthrough co-hosting Channel 4’s comedy/chat show Friday Night Project and Sunday Night Project, presented 16 series of Channel 4’s late-night chat show Alan Carr: Chatty Man and serves as a regular judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race on BBC One. He co-wrote and starred in his autobiographical sitcom for ITV, Changing Ends, playing his present-day self.

Carr, who last played York Barbican on his Regional Trinket Tour on January 14 and 15 2022, will be warming up in Pocklington for his York Barbican return on his Have I Said Too Much? itinerary on March 13 2027.

Pocklington tickets go on sale this morning at pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk. Tickets for his 3pm and 7.30pm shows in York can be booked at yorkbarbican.co.uk.

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Season announcement of the week: The Old Paint Shop, York Theatre Royal Studio

Portuguese jazz singer Raquel Alvaro: Performing with The Jazzville Quintet on October 24

YORK Theatre Royal Studio will be transformed into The Old Paint Shop cabaret club once more for an autumn season of 13 shows spanning spoken word to vibraphone, burlesque to anarchic bingo from October 7 to 24.

As ever, seating will be cabaret club style and unreserved, offering a unique theatrical experience where you can “grab a drink at the bar, sit back, relax and enjoy the show in York’s most exciting nightspot”.

Here are the acts in store:

October 7, Vibe-ology

LED by John Settle’s vibraphone, underpinned by blazing Hammond Organ, soulful drums and Al Morrison’s guitar, York quartet Vibe-ology play jazz, blues, funk and Latin.   

Collectively, band members have worked Corinne Bailey, Rae, the New Mastersounds, Haggis Horns, Martina Topley-Bird, New York Brass Band, Larry Carlton, Alan Barnes, Dennis Rollins and countless others. Expect an eclectic programme from four of the north’s busiest players.

October 8, Evolution Of Fishermen

BROUGHT together by a mutual love of storytelling, harmony and original folk songs in 2021,  contemporary folk band Evolution Of have played venues such as Green Note, O2 Academy Islington, Old Blue Last in London and The Crescent in York. They have appeared at festivals such as Wilderness, Deer Shed, Gate To Southwell, LOOP Fest and Sam Lee’s The NEST stage at Medicine Festival too.

October 9, Boogaloo Stu presents Big Squiffy Bingo

BOOGALO Stu is “altogether completely ridiculous, simply fabulous and utterly idiotic” as he hosts a night of gloriously playful and anarchic bingo where utter filth, joyous fun and flashmob dances collide.

“You’ll get non-stop nonsense, outrageous antics, buttock-clenching workouts, hilarious prizes and some very ballsy bingo to boot,” promises Stu, whose gift hamper will be stuffed to the brim with all manner of exotic prizes. “So come on down and win it big!”

October 10, Beverley Beirne Quartet

JAZZ singer Beverley Beirne has performed at leading clubs throughout the UK and Europe. For this performance, she brings with her two highly regarded jazz musicians from the London scene, pianist John Crawford and double bassist Andy Hamill, along with northern drummer Steve Hanley.

October 14, Henry Raby, Hope and Anger

YORK punk poet and Say Owt supremo Henry Raby wrestles through the twin emotions of hope and anger with a spoken-word cocktail of poetry and comedy as he seeks to understand the righteous and the rotten. “Come and share in fist-clenched frustration and celebrate examples of the world, and the heartfelt people in it, at their shiniest and brightest,” says Henry.

October 15, Hannah Rowe

NORTHERN silky vocalist Hannah Rowe will be backed by her ten-piece band at The Old Paint Shop on the first stop of her autumn tour. Described as Yorkshire’s answer to Raye and Olivia Dean, she is a standout in the independent music scene, gracing stages at Tramlines, Truck, Y Not and Victorious Festival with her jazz-infused soulful sound and timeless writing.

October 16, Freida Nipples presents…The Exhibitionists

JOIN York’s own internationally award-winning burlesque artist Freida Nipples as she welcomes some of her favourite and most fabulous performance artists from across the UK and further afield to The Old Paint Shop.

“From burlesque to drag and beyond, be sure to expect the unexpected,” says Freida. “Only a few things are guaranteed: glamour, gags and giggles. Get ready to explore the world of The Exhibitionists.”

October 17, Alligator Gumbo

THE seven-piece Alligator Gumbo 7-piece play jazz from the heyday of the New Orleans swing/jazz era, in particular the “Roaring Twenties”, when music was raw and largely improvised with melodies and solos happening simultaneously.

Performing extensively for more than ten years, Alligator Gumbo have made numerous appearances at international jazz festivals and clubs throughout the country, establishing themselves as favourites on the British jazz scene.

October 20, Coming Out Scratch Night

THIS sparkling one-off night of new LGBTQ+ performances by actors, poets and writers features eight stories in various styles, each exploring the highs (and occasional lows) of coming out.

The show is produced by Yorkshire queer touring theatre company Roots, winners of an Edinburgh Fringe First award for Happy Meal, with all proceeds going towards their support of new local artists.

October 21, Pen and Stu – Folk!

MODERN folk duo Pen and Stu play original contemporary folk with BIG whistles, tenor guitars and an assortment of other instruments. Their songs, written by Pen and arranged by Stu, tell stories of famous characters from history and folklore, heroes, villains and pirate queens.

Their Folk! show comprises plenty of wonderful traditional and original tunes and songs, including unreleased tracks and favourite folk covers.

October 22, (Fool)ish Improv: About Time

YORKSHIRE improvisers Fool(ish), return to The Old Paint Shop to deliver their usual comedic chaos inspired by you, the audience. “Together, we will rewrite the history of York by travelling through time, ignoring the experts and rediscovering what really makes York tick,” they say.

“Unvictorious Vikings, Random Romans, Wandering Wizards and brand-new ghost stories (that you wish had stayed buried) all combine in this unlikely history instantly improvised in the present moment. About Time is the time-travelling improv comedy show powered by laughter and inviting you to play with our past.”

October 23, Say Owt Showcase

THE Say Owt Showcase evening of poetry, music and comedy veers from the righteous to the raucous to the heartfelt and back again, brought to you by the same gobby gang that have been proudly packing out The Crescent for years.

Veterans of the Edinburgh Fringe and highly commended in the York Culture Awards, let Hannah Davies, Stu Freestone, Jarmouse and Henry Raby entertain you.

October 24, The Jazzville Quintet with Raquel Alvaro and Alec Robinson

AFTER two sold-out shows at The Old Paint Shop, The Jazzville Quintet return for a joyful celebration of Latin, swing and haunting jazz ballads, led by the fabulous Portuguese jazz songbird, Raquel Alvaro.

A graduate of Leeds Conservatoire, Raquel is adept at many styles of singing, embracing classical, Fado and all styles of jazz. Joining Raquel is piano maestro, arranger and composer, Alec Robinson, her fellow Leeds Conservatoire graduate, alongside saxophone star, Alex Fisher, Chris Sykes on drums and Tim Murgatroyd on double bass.

All shows start at 8pm apart from Coming Out Scratch Night at 7pm. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 39, from Gazette & Herald

David Essex: Playing York Barbican and Hull Connexin Live this week

FROM David Essex’s night of memories to the terrors of Paranormal Activity, Tony Blackburn’s Sixties’ celebration to Dirt Road Band’s blues, Charles Hutchinson heads into a fruitful autumn.

Still rocking on: David Essex, Thanks For The Memories, York Barbican, tomorrow, doors 7pm; Hull Connexin Live, Friday, doors 6.30pm

SINGER, composer and actor David Essex, now 79, is into the last week of his 21-date Thanks For The Memories tour, celebrating his 55-year career that began with playing Jesus in the London premiere of Godspell in 1971.

Essex has notched 19 Top 40 hits in the UK alone, such as the Grammy-nominated Rock On, Lamplight, Gonna Make You A Star, Stardust, Hold Me Close, Oh What A Circus, Silver Dream Machine, A Winter’s Tale and Tahiti. Box office: York, yorkbarbican.co.uk; Hull, connexinlivehull.com.

Dirt Road Band: “Punchy blues rock music to make your heart beat faster”

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

THE Dirt Road Band’s line-up of Steve Walwyn, guitar and vocals, Horace Panter, bass, and Ted Duggan, drums, play hard, punchy blues rock music to make your heart beat faster.

Walwyn spent 32 years in Dr Feelgood; Panter was a founding member of The Specials and Duggan has played with Banco de Gaia and Badfinger. They began Dirt Road Band  as a side project five years ago, since when it has moved centre stage with the album release of Righteous in 2024. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.

Peter Brush: Quirky one-liners and original routines at Hilarity Bites Comedy Club

Ryedale comedy gig of the week: Hilarity Bites Comedy Club, Milton Rooms, Malton, Friday, 8pm

FRIDAY’S bill comprises Peter Brush, Pete Selwood and Al Stevenson. Brush,  a deft writer of finely crafted jokes, takes to the stage unassumingly with his slight, bespectacled frame and scruffy hair to deliver quirky one-liners and original routines in an amusingly awkward fashion.

Yorkshireman Selwood focuses on tales of northern life, while being born with only one hand gives him a unique experience of the world around him, as he pokes fun at having a disability in modern Britain. Stevenson is a  quick-witted Newcastle cheeky charmer who has hosted The Stand Comedy Club in his home city. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.

Mayhem, madness and muppetry of the week: Riding Lights Theatre Company presents Right Here Right Now!, Helmsley Arts Centre, Friday, 7.30pm

YORK company Riding Lights goes on the road to Helmsley with its improvised show Right Here Right Now!, promising “no script, no clue, all chaos”. You bring the ideas for the   merry band of improvisers to turn them into high-speed comedy, using witty games and gags to bring side-splitting stories to life. Cue joy-filled nonsense and feel-good fun for the family. Who wins the comedy crown? You decide! Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Infectious pop punk covers of the week: Captain Clap & The Burning Sensations, Milton Rooms, Malton, Saturday, 7.30pm

SOME years ago three men, all old enough to know better, decided the time was right to play pop punk, only missing the genre’s peak by a couple of decades. Since then, they have been bringing covers, bad jokes and loud, lively nights to pubs and clubs around Yorkshire, playing festivals and organising fundraisers too. “Expect pop punk classics, scene anthems and inappropriate song choices,” they say. Mooch support. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.

The Jake Leg Jug Band: Songs of murder, betrayal, gambling, liquor and redemption at Kirk Theatre, Pickering

Ragtime gig of the week: The Jake Leg Jug Band, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, Saturday, 7.30pm

THE Jake Leg Jug Band delivers the authentic sounds of 1920s and 1930s’ America – jazz, blues, ragtime and gospel – in songs of murder, betrayal, gambling, liquor and redemption.

Since self-releasing debut album Cotton Mouth, Duncan Wilcox, vocals and double bass, and Warren James,  vocals, guitar and banjo, have released a further eight albums in 12 years, among them Next Stop!, Everythin’s Jake, Break A Leg, Fifth Avenue, Goodbye Booze, Hello Central and 2024’s spirituals collection Some Glad Morning. Box office: kirktheatre.co.uk.

Eighties’ double bill of the week: Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey and Blancmange, York Barbican, Saturday, doors 6.30pm

REMEMBER the Thompson Twins, makers of such 1980s’ hits as Hold Me Now, Doctor Doctor, In the Name Of Love, Love On Your Side, If You Were Here, Lies, Lay Your Hands On Me and King For A Day. Tom Bailey, the Sheffield-founded group’s lead vocalist and instrumentalist, now performs under the name Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey, revisiting his past and showcasing debut solo album Science Fiction.

On Saturday, he closes his autumn tour at York Barbican, the only Yorkshire location on his 14-date itinerary, when fellow 1980s’ chart act Blancmange support. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Psychological thriller of the week: Paranormal Activity, Grand Opera House, York, September 29 to October 3, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday and Saturday matinees

IN a new story inspired by the worldwide horror phenomenon, Paranormal Activity is directed by immersive theatre pioneer and Punchdrunk artistic director Felix Barrett and written by Levi Holloway, the playwright behind Broadway hit Grey House.

When James and Lou move from Chicago to London to escape their past, soon they discover that places are not haunted, but people are. Can you hold your nerve in the face of this chilling production on its first British and Irish tour? Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

The poster for Sounds Of The 60’s Live at York Barbican

Sixties’ celebration of the week: Sounds Of The 60’s Live, hosted by Tony Blackburn, York Barbican, September 29, 7.30pm

BBC Radio 2 presenter Tony Blackburn hosts an evening of stories and songs from “perhaps the most iconic ten years in music, fashion and popular culture” on the Sounds Of The 60’s tour, 62 years since his first broadcast on pirate radio station Radio Caroline South in 1964.

The Sounds Of The 60’s All Star Band and Singers perform hits by The Everly Brothers, Elvis Presley, The Drifters, Marvin Gaye, a Rolling Stones medley, The Walker Brothers, Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Stevie Wonder and more besides. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

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More Things To Do in York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 38, from The York Press

Ulysses Deriding Polyphemus – Homer’s Odyssey,  by J.M.W. Turner, 1829, on loan from National Gallery, London, for Turner, Wedgwood & Beyond: Inspired by Flaxman at York Art Gallery. Copyright: National Gallery, London

GHOSTLY sculptures in gardens, the best in class in brass bands, Mikron Theatre’s mobile library tribute and 60 years of Gilbert O’Sullivan are among Charles Hutchinson’s cultural highlights.

Exhibition opening of the week: Turner, Wedgwood & Beyond: Inspired by Flaxman, York Art Gallery, on show until running until January 17 2027

J.M.W. Turner’s masterpiece Ulysses deriding Polyphemus – Homer’s Odyssey, generously lent by the National Gallery, is making an epic journey north to go on display at York Art Gallery in the wake of the Odyssey’s comeback into popular culture in Christopher Nolan’s film.

Turner, Wedgwood  Beyond: Inspired by Flaxman features an ‘Odyssey wall’ in an exhibition that reflects on the life and legacy of York-born sculptor, illustrator and designer John Flaxman (1755 –1826). Opening hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm. Tickets: yorkartgallery.org.uk.

 One of 70 ghosts in the Ghosts In The Gardens trail through York this autumn. Picture: Amy D’Agorne 

Trail of the week: Ghosts In The Gardens, York, September 19 to November 1

GHOSTS In The Gardens is back for its sixth haunting season and this time the ghosts are bringing even more friends as 70 ghostly sculptures appear in gardens, on balconies, along the city walls and in unexpected corners of York city centre.

Ten new ghosts join familiar faces from York’s past, each sculpture offering a snapshot of history, bringing fascinating York people, creatures or stories back to life. Some ghosts will return to old haunts, others will be found somewhere new. Admission is free.

John Bramwell: Heading for Selby Town Hall

Humble agenda of the week: John Bramwell, Selby Town Hall, September 19, 7.30pm

AS the singer in I Am Kloot from 1999 to 2014, John Bramwell achieved a Mercury Prize nomination for 2010’s The Sky At Night, a top ten chart position for 2013’s Let It All In, numerous UK and European tours and a triumphant orchestral farewell at the Queen Elizabeth Hall.

Now, as a solo artist, Bramwell travels a very different path, a path that criss-crosses the length and breadth of the UK with a humble agenda of taking his heartwarming songs to the stage for his devoted fans. Box office: 01757 708449 or selbytownhall.co.uk.

York Railway Institute Band: Taking part in National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain at York Barbican. Picture: Keith Meadley Photography

Brass clashes of the week: National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain 2026, York Barbican, September 19 and 20 from 9am and 3pm each day

THE National Brass Band Championships bring more than 70 of the country’s finest brass bands to York for the Sections 1 to 4 national finals. Among the Yorkshire bands competing will be York Railway Institute Band, Wetherby Silver Band and Swinton & District Excelsior Band, all having qualified to compete for National honours. Tickets: Only available to buy in-person on the day. No advance tickets.

Piff the Magic Dragon and Penn Jillette in Piff & Pop’s Magic Shoppe at Grand Opera House, York

Magical show of the week: Piff & Pop’s Magic Shoppe, Grand Opera House, York, September 19, 7.30pm

LEGENDARY magician Penn Jillette, of Penn & Teller fame, is touring the UK for the first time without his 50-year companion Teller, teaming up instead with London-born, Las Vegas-based comedy-magician phenomenon Piff the Magic Dragon (alias John van der Put), from America’s Got Talent.

Act One feature a solo act from both Pop (Penn) and Piff along with Mr Piffles,  the world’s only magic-performing Chihuahua.. In Act Two, they blend into a one-of-a-kind double act. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Georgina Liley, left, Robert Took, Catherine Warnock and James McLean in Mikron Theatre’s Top Of The World, on tour at Clements Hall, York. Picture: Robling Photography

Touring theatre show of the week: Mikron Theatre in Top Of The World, Clements Hall, York, September 20, 2pm

MARSDEN’S travelling troupe Mikron Theatre makes its second visit of 2026 to York, this time with Maeve Larkin’s celebration of the importance of mobile libraries as sanctuaries, beacons of hope, public services that connect people and communities in a digital age where human connection is more important than ever.

Top Of The Wold invites audiences to hop aboard the charmingly quirky mobile library for a heart-warming journey via Bempton, Bridlington, Hornsea and Howden in an exploration of a region barely noticed by the nation it feeds, celebrating the forgotten, the resilient and the wonderfully eccentric. Tickets:  available from Pextons, Bishopthorpe Road, York; Clements Hall,  01904 466086; by email to [email protected] or 07974 867301.

Tim Key: Serving up Loganberry comical whimsy at York Theatre Royal

Unpredictable comedy gig of the week: Tim Key, Loganberry, York Theatre Royal, September 20, 8pm

TIM Key, from The Ballad Of Wallis Island and Tim Key’s Late Night Poetry Programme, pops his suit on again to plod about in new show Loganberry. In Key’s own words, “Bit gutted he’s old. Guzzling continental lager. Magnetic LOL. Decent reviews for previous shows. Played a pigeon in Bong Joon Ho’s latest movie. Been on Richard Herring’s podcast. Book out: “L.A. Baby!”. Met Steffi Graf in 1998/9. This show has poems in, and he’ll stamp and howl.” Who knows what else may lie in wait on Sunday! Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Mark Thomas: “Taster menu of government and personal mayhem, jokes, rants and a state of the nation broadcast”

Comedy landmark of the week: Mark Thomas, 40 In Stand-Up Years, Leeds City Varieties Music Hall, September 20, 8pm

WHAT?! Mark Thomas has been “standing up” for 40 years? Impossible! But how old does that make you…? Alas it is true: one of our oldest-surviving alternative comics celebrates 40 years at the mic as he takes his new show on the road this autumn.

Expect a taster menu of government and personal mayhem, jokes, rants and a state of the nation broadcast as Thomas tries to turn ‘what the **** is going on?’ into a cogent night of stand-up.Box office: leedsheritagetheatres.com/whats-on/mark-thomas-2026/.

Gilbert O’Sullivan: Songs old and new at the Grand Opera House, York

Seventies’ chart topper of the week: Gilbert O’Sullivan, Celebrating 60 Years Of Music, Grand Opera House, York, September 22, 7.30pm

GILBERT O’Sullivan will celebrate 60 years of making music, revisiting his UK chart toppers, 1972’s Clair and 1973’s Get Down, as well as such O’Sullivan favourites as No Matter How I Try, We Will, Matrimony, Ooh-Wakka-Doo-Wakka-Day, Why, Oh Why, Oh Why  and What’s In A Kiss?, his last of 16 Top 40 entries from  August 1980. Then add further selections from his 21 studio albums, the latest, On The Record, being previewed ahead of its November 6 release. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Nish Kumar’s tour poster for Angry Humour From A Really Nice Guy

Political disquiet of the week: Nish Kumar, Angry Humour From A Really Nice Guy, Grand Opera House, York, September 23, Leeds Playhouse, October 3, Hull Truck Theatre, October 9 and Scarborough Spa Theatre, November 14

“THE world is in chaos,” laments political comedian Nish Kumar. “Inequality is widening, autocracy is rising and political parties are collapsing. In these divided times, what this country desperately needs is Angry Humour From a Really Nice Guy. (In many ways it’s actually the last thing this country needs, but it’s what it’s getting, so tough luck).”

Pod Save The UK podcast co-host and former host of axed BBC Two show The Mash Report and Late Night Mash, Kumar has entered his 40s. His mind is breaking, his body is worse, “but audiences can still expect existential angst and political disquiet from comedy’s cheekiest boy”. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Ceramics by Emily Stubbs and paintings by Di Gomery at Tinker Gallery

Last chance to view: Di Gomery & Emily Stubbs, Fracture and Flow: Conversations in Paint and Clay, Tinker Gallery, Church Street, Ilkley, until September 26

THIS exhibition by York artists Di Gomery (paintings) and Emily Stubbs (ceramics) is into its final week. Gallery owner and artist Joanne Tinker has refreshed the show since much of the work sold. Opening hours: Thursday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm; other times by appointment.

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