Jocasta Almgill’s Brooke Wyndham leading the skipping-rope exercise in her big number, Whipped Into Shape, in Legally Blonde The Musical. Picture: Matt Crockett
WEST End star Jocasta Almgill is heading home to Yorkshire to play fitness-empire queen Brooke Wyndham, on trial for murder, in Legally Blonde The Musical.
Hull-born Jocasta last appeared on the York stage as villainous fairy Carabosse, East Riding accent and all, in Sleeping Beauty at Theatre Royal last winter, and now she is on tour in Heather Hach, Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin’s American musical. Next stop, Grand Opera House, York, from tomorrow (21/4/2026) to Saturday.
“I auditioned for the part last summer before going to Japan to play Diana Morales in A Chorus Line. We were there for ten weeks, playing three cities, Tokyo, Sendai, Osaka and then back to Tokyo. Japanese is a tricky language to learn, but within the company there were lots of Japanese people, so I could practise my Japanese.”
How did that go? “Sometimes they would laugh at me! Like when I thought I was saying ‘That was delicious’ and in fact I’d said ‘Would you marry me’!”
She could not reveal her Legally Blonde role until the full cast was rubber stamped shortly after her panto run in York, one she had so enjoyed. “Playing Carabosse was fantastic. I really loved playing a baddie. That was fun!” says Jocasta. “It’s such an amazing time to be there, for Christmas, taking my dog, Luna, with me, who’s now doing this tour too.
Jocasta Almgill’s villainous Carabosse in York Theatre Royal & Evolution Productions 2025 pantomime Sleeping Beauty. Picture: Pamela Raith
“She’s a Lurcher, a big dog but a super theatre dog because she’s so quiet. She goes everywhere with me on tour, and there are only a few theatre that aren’t dog friendly. It’s absolutely wonderful I can take her with me, and though I could do it without her, it makes it so much better that she’s there, making friends in the theatre.
“When you’re on tour, touring becomes everything, but with Luna there, I get up every day and go on a walk with her and it’s a reminder that there’s more to life. It gives a broader sense of purpose.”
Jocasta’s Theatre Royal pantomime performance – her first as the baddie after myriad Fairy roles – featured her Act Two-opening big number Pinball Wizard, and likewise Legally Blonde calls on her to inject high energy straight after the interval. “Brooke opens Act Two with this amazing number [Whipped Into Shape]. She’s a fitness influencer, and in this scene we’re exercising with skipping ropes,” she says.
“It’s a really spectacular opening to the second half, and for me, it feels so exciting to play this role because previously it’s been played by very slender women, but I like to think of myself as curvy and strong, so it’s been interesting to show a different side to the fitness industry.
“In the Olympics, they’re all different body shapes, and I’m really finding joy in portraying this role, showing women you don’t need to be one shape to be fit.”
Hull-born actress Jocasta Almgill
Buoyed by the perennially pink perma-positivity of stereotype-shattering ‘It Girl’ fashionista-turned-Harvard Law School ace student Elle Woods (played by 2025 Strictly Come Dancing finalist Amber Davies), Legally Blonde is “such a feel-good show”, enthuses Jocasta. “It would be hard to watch this show and not feel uplifted,” she says. “It’s a story about being yourself, fighting and persevering, even in the face of being judged, discovering who you are and being happy with that.”
Legally Blonde will be Jocasta’s fourth show in York: “I was in the original tribute to The Blues Brothers, which came to the Grand Opera House years ago in my first job out of college [Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, from where she graduated in 2009],” she recalls. “Then I came back on tour in 2018 with Hairspray, when I was Peaches, one of The Dynamites.”
After her journey to the dark side as Carabosse in Sleeping Beauty last Christmas, now Jocasta will be in the dock in Legally Blonde, on the road in North Yorkshireman Nikolai Foster’s co-production for Curve Leicester and ROYO until next January.
“That means no panto this winter, unfortunately, because I love panto, but there are very good reasons for that!” she says, as she revels in playing Brooke Wyndham. “The whole company are so wonderful, with a good working atmosphere among us, which is so important.”
Made At Curve & ROYO present Legally Blonde The Musical, Grand Opera House, York, April 21 to 25, 7.30pm plus Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday matinees, 2.30pm. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Rug weaver Jacqueline James: Demonstrating her craft on her loom in Rosslyn Street, Clifton, at York Open Studios h home in York.
SHAKESPEARE is in the spotlight with international guests and a York nightclub rom-com while artists and makers open their studios, as Charles Hutchinson’s diary bulges with inviting opportunities aplenty.
Art event of the month: York Open Studios, York and beyond, today & tomorrow, then April 25 & 26, 10am to 5pm
ACROSS two weekends, 150 artists and makers within York and a ten-mile radius of the city are welcoming visitors to 107 workplaces and studios.
This annual event offers the chance to gain a sneak peek into where the artists work, their methods and inspirations, whether a regular contributor or the 27 new participants, spanning traditional and contemporary painting and print, illustration, drawing, ceramics, mixed media, glass, sculpture, jewellery, textiles and photography. For more information, visit yorkopenstudios.co.uk; access the interactive map at yorkopenstudios.co.uk/map.
The Rollin Stoned: Rolling out The Rolling Stones’ hits and deeper cuts in Malton tribute show
Tribute gig of the week: The Rollin Stoned, Milton Rooms, Malton, tonight, 8pm
THE rock’n’roll circus rolls into Malton for a tribute to The Rolling Stones that focuses on the Brian Jones years from 1964 to 1969. Now in its 27th year, in The Rollin Stoned show the costumes are shamelessly camp, gaudy and fabulous, the instruments vintage, the wit irreverent, the trademark tongue never far from the cheek, but never to the detriment of the music.
As Keith Richards’ late mother, Doris, once remarked of the line-up featuring Mick Jaguar, Byron Jones, Keith Retched, Bill Wymandy, Charlie Waits and pianist Nicky Popkins: “Phenomenal…I can’t wait to tell Keith and Mick that you could easily stand in for them.” Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
The poster artwork for Aljaž and Janette’s Let’s Face The Music…And Dance show, on tour and on the move at York Barbican
Dance duo of the week:Aljaž and Janette, Let’s Face The Music…And Dance!, York Barbican, tonight, 7.30pm
STRICTLY Come Dancing couple Aljaž Škorjanec and Janette Manrara pay tribute to “the heroes behind the music we love” as they dance their way through the work of Cole Porter, Hans Zimmer, Quincy Jones, George Gershwin, David Foster and more besides, joined on stage by an ensemble of dancers and Tom Seals’ Big Band. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Diversity: Asking what it means to be human within the digital age in Soul
Futuristic dance show of the week: Diversity presents Soul, York Barbican, April 20 and 21, 7.45pm
BRITAIN’S Got Talent’s 2009 winners, Ashley Banjo’s Southend dance ensemble Diversity, base Soul around the technological advancements of artificial intelligence, asking what the future holds and what it means to be human within the digital age.
“The future is now,” says Banjo. “Humans have become plugged in and completely connected to a world full of artificial intelligence – a world in which it is hard to distinguish reality from fiction. AI has become so advanced it’s considered a life form of its very own. Is this the next stage in our evolution? What exactly have we created? What makes us human?” His answer: “Soul.” Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Amber Davies as Elle Woods and Sprout as Bruiser in Legally Blonde The Musical, on tour at the Grand Opera House, York
Musical of the week: Made At Curve presents Legally Blonde The Musical, Grand Opera House, York, April 21 to 25, 7.30pm plus Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday matinees, 2.30pm
STRICTLY Come Dancing 2025 finalist Amber Davies plays Elle Woods in the 2026 tour of Legally Blonde The Musical, joined by York Theatre Royal pantomime villain Jocasta Almgill as Brooke Wyndham, after playing wicked fairy Carabosse in Sleeping Beauty last winter.
Davies had been set to appear as Hollywood hooker Vivian Ward in Pretty Woman The Musical at the Grand Opera House in February 2024, but Sydnie Hocknell understudied that week. Hannah Lowther, otherwise playing Margot, will step in for Davies at the April 23 matinee. North Yorkshireman and Curve artistic director Nikolai Foster directs the uplifting, totally pink tale of Elle’s transformation from ‘It Girl’ fashionista to legal ace at Harvard Law School, all in the name of love. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
York International Shakespeare Festival artist-in-residence Lisa Wolpe in Shakespeare and the Alchemy of Gender
Festival of the week: York International Shakespeare Festival, April 21 to May 3
YORK plays host to two weeks of world premieres, unmissable performances, enlightening talks and world-class exhibitions, bringing together artists from Romania, Croatia, Ukraine, Poland and United States, along with British creatives and York talent, in celebration of Shakespeare’s impact across the globe.
Highlights include festival artist-in-residence Lisa Wolpe’s show Shakespeare and the Alchemy of Gender, York St John University Creative Centre, April 22, 7.30pm; Petty Men – ShakeSphere Selection 2026, Theatre@41, Monkgate, April 29, 7.30pm; Common Ground Theatre’s Hamlet, Creative Centre, April 25, 7.30pm, and April 26, 4pm, and Olga Annenko’s Codename Othello, performed in English and Ukrainian, Creative Centre, May 2, 6pm, and May 3, 2pm. Full festival programme and box office: yorkshakes.co.uk.
Ben Reeves Rowley’s King of Navarre in York Shakespeare Project’s Love’s Labours Lost. Picture: John Saunders
York nightlife drama of the week: York Shakespeare Project in Love’s Labours Lost, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, April 22 to 25, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
FOUR Wheel Drive co-founder and artistic director Anna Gallon directs York Shakespeare Project for the first time in Love’s Labour’s Lost as Shakespeare’s comedy of wit, wordplay, vows and romantic mischief meets the 1990s’ club scene in an immersive new take on the Bard’s early comedy, set in the heat and heighted passions of urban nightlife.
Her playful reinvention mixes verse, rhythm, dance and striking visuals to create a fresh and contemporary celebration of love, temptation and folly, wherein the King of Navarre and his three companions are DJs who once ruled York’s club scene but now have renounced the wild world of drink, dance and late nights, committing themselves instead to a retreat of abstinence: no women, no drink and definitely no dance floors. However, when the Princess of France and her entourage arrive, their solemn vows begin to unravel. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Jalen Ngonda: Performing in York for the first time since Futuresound’s Live At York Museum Gardens last July. Picture: Paul Rhodes
Soul show of the week: Jalen Ngonda, York Barbican, April 22, doors 7pm
AFTER appearing on Nile Rodgers & CHIC’s bill at Futuresound’s Live At York Museum Gardens last July, willowy soul singer and pianist Jalen Ngonda opens his seven-date spring tour at York Barbican. Originally from Maryland and now based in Liverpool, Ngonda’s voice and music recall the best of the great Sixties and Seventies’ soul artists, delivered with a contemporary edge. Deptford Northern Soul Club support. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
News Justin: Justin Fletcher in Justin Live, Justin Time To Rock!, York Barbican, Sunday, 11am and 2.30pm
For those about to rock: Justin Fletcher in Justin Time To Rock!
BAFTA-winning CBeebies legend Justin Fletcher MBE, erstwhile Mr Tumble from Something Special and Justin’s House, Gigglebiz and Gigglequiz star, teams up with his friends for a high-energy new theatre show bursting with music, dancing and giggles.
When DJ Engelbert, the coolest canine in the dog-house, launches a contest to find the best rock song in all the land, Justin and his band – Justin Time to Rock! – are determined to win, but can they deliver their song to DJ Engy before the sneaky Rock Lord and his sidekick Vulture try to steal it? Expect The Hokey Cokey, Music Man and Hands Up plus new songs written by Justin and his team. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
What can families expect in Justin Time To Rock!, Justin?
“Justin Time To Rock! is a brand-new story about how me and my friends formed our own band. You’ll hear lots of well-known songs and some brand-new ones too, written especially for the show. Amongst all the fun and laughter, we will need to keep an eye out for the mischievous Rock Lord and his sidekick Vulture, who are out to steal the band’s favourite tunes!”
What is your favourite aspect of performing live?
“Performing live to an excited family audience is such an uplifting and rewarding experience. The moment we run out on the stage, there is a great atmosphere, and the party begins! Our shows are really interactive, and it is great to see many generations of families and friends come together to watch the show and have fun!
What inspired the “music” theme for Justin Time Rock!?
“I’ve always loved music; it’s a very powerful way to express yourself. We wanted to create a show that features lots of different styles of music. I like rock’n’roll music in particular, because it is great to dance to and has a feel-good factor.”
What can you reveal about the new songs in the show?
“When we were writing the story about the band, we wanted to include some brand-new songs that that have never been heard before. One of my favourites is a song called Share A Little Sunshine, which is all about sharing happiness, kindness and friendship. Sharing these feelings can create a ripple effect through the audience, which in turn creates a great atmosphere.”
Your shows are very interactive. How will audiences be involved this time? Are there any moves or songs they should practise at home?
“There will be lots of well-known action songs to get the party started, so everyone should practise their Hokey Cokey, Head, Shoulders, Knees And Toes and an audience favourite, Hands Up. There will also be some new songs to dance to, including the Bubble Pop Bop! Bring on the Bubbles!
What do you enjoy about touring?
“The opportunity to meet so many of our friends all around the UK and to perform our show to them is pure joy!”
What advice would you give to young fans who dream of being on stage or even becoming a rock star?
“Always follow your dreams and be yourself. You never know, some of our songs in the show might encourage you to learn a musical instrument, or to sing, or dance, or to write a song. Surround yourself with good people who care for you and have a go!”
Young Composers Awards winners Kat Farn, left, Laura Kesiak and Edward Tait. Picture: Ben Pugh
KAT Farn, Edward Tait and Laura Kesiak have won the 19th National Centre for Early Music Young Composers Awards.
Presented in partnership with BBC Radio 3, the final took place on Thursday at the NCEM, St Margaret’s Church, Walmgate, York.
Kat Farn and Edward Tait were joint winners of the 19 to 25 years category with LABYRINTH and My Troubled Sense Doth Move respectively; Laura Kesiak’s In This Strange Labyrinth How Shall I Turn received the prize in the 18 years and under category.
Edward Tait: Composer of My Troubled Sense Doth Move. Picture: Charlie Kirkpatrick
The NCEM and BBC Radio 3 invited aspiring young composers to compose a new song setting for soprano, cornett and keyboard, to be performed by The Gonzaga Band (Jamie Savan, cornett, Faye Newton, soprano, and Steven Devine, keyboard), who are renowned for innovative programming underpinned by cutting-edge research.
The composers took inspiration from the experimental and innovative music of Claudio Monteverdi and his contemporaries, evoked in The Gonzaga Band’s recital programme Love’s Labyrinth, released on the Deux-Elles label in July 2025.
The song setting explored the theme of love through the relationship between the voice and instruments, setting a poem by Lady Mary Wroth, a contemporary of Shakespeare.
Kat Farn: Composer of LABYRINTH. Picture: Ben Pugh
The eight young finalists took part in a day of workshops at the NCEM, where the sessions were led by composer Professor Christopher Fox, honorary professor of music at the University of York, and The Gonzaga Band, who then performed the pieces in a public performance.
The concert was live-streamed and is available to view on the NCEM Young Composers Award website at https://www.youngcomposersaward.co.uk/
The shortlisted composers and pieces in the 19 to 25 category were: Kat Farn, LABYRINTH, Edward Tait, My Troubled Sense Doth Move, and Sequoia Ralph, In This Strange Labyrinth How Shall I Turn?
Laura Kesiak: Composer of In This Strange Labyrinth How Shall I Turn. Picture: Charlie Kirkpatrick
In the 18 and under category, the finalists were: Heath Thompson, HOW SHALL I TURN?; Ben Hadland, In This Strange Labyrinth; Laura Kesiak, In This Strange Labyrinth How Shall I Turn; Ernest Chui, In This STRANGE Labyrinth How Shall I Turn???, and Alma Nunez Debretzeni, In This Strange Labyrinth How Shall I Turn?
The 2026 panel of judges were: BBC Radio 3 producer Les Pratt, NCEM director Delma Tomlin and The Gonzaga Band’s Faye Newton.
Farn’s LABYRINTH, Tait’s My Troubled Sense Doth Move and Kesiak’s In This Strange Labyrinth How Shall I Turn will be premiered by The Gonzaga Band at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire on Tuesday, October 27, when the lunchtime concert will be recorded for BBC Radio 3’s Early Music Show and BBC Sounds.
National Centre for Early Music director and Young Composers Awards judge Delma Tomlin
Delma Tomlin said: “The Young Composers Award is one of the most important elements of our work here at the NCEM and is recognised as an important stepping stone in the composers’ careers. The finalists spent an intensive day in York working on their compositions and sharing ideas with fellow participants before having the chance to hear their music performed on stage.
“It was wonderful to enjoy such an array of outstanding music, and my congratulations go to Kat Farn, Edward Tait and Laura Kesiak. It has been a pleasure to join forces with The Gonzaga Band, and I’d also like to say a huge thank-you to Dr Christopher Fox, my fellow judges and BBC Radio 3, who will be recording Kat, Edward and Laura’s pieces at their premiere in Birmingham for broadcast later this year.”
Les Pratt said: “BBC Radio 3 has been in partnership with our colleagues at the National Centre for Early Music for nearly 20 years now, supporting this award. As the home of classical music, nurturing young talent is one of our core missions, as well as encouraging audiences to discover the latest creations.
The Gonzaga Band soprano and Young Composers Awards judge Faye Newton
Giving a voice to young composers is so important for classical music, enabling the art form to always stay fresh, reflect present trends and look to the future. We’re very much looking forward to sharing these exciting new compositions with listeners on the Early Music Show.”
The Gonzaga Band said: “It has been such a joy to be the collaborating ensemble for the 2026 competition. The young composers have done such a brilliant job that we have eight wonderfully varied and imaginative pieces in the final, any and all of which we’d be delighted to perform in our future recitals.”
The Young Composers Award is open to young composers resident in the UK up to and including the age of 25. The 2027 edition will be announced in late-autumn.
Amabile Clarinet Trio: Playing innovative programme at York Late Music concert
HAMLET on a sinking ship, family politics on a calamitous wedding day and artists’ studios opening on two weekends are the headline acts on Charles Hutchinson’s latest bill of arts delights.
Classical concert of the week: York Late Music presents Amabile Clarinet Trio, Unitarian Chapel, St Saviourgate, York, April 11, 7.30pm
THE Amabile Clarinet Trio – York clarinettist Lesley Schatzberger, cellist Nicola Tait Baxter and pianist Paul Nicholson – presents an innovative programme featuring two premieres plus Thea Musgrave’s Canta Canta!, patron Nicola LeFanu’s Lullaby and Nocturne, American composer Robert Muczynski’s rarely played Fantasy Trio and the first York performance ofAlexander von Zemlinsky’s Trio in D minor.
The UK premiere of David Lancaster’s Canzone Sospesoand a world premiere from composer David Power will be complemented by a set of Morris newly transcribed by York composer Steve Crowther. Lancaster gives a pre-concert talk at 6.45pm, to be enjoyed with a complimentary glass of wine or juice. Tickets: latemusic.org or on the door.
Lesley Jones and Steve Coates: Teaming up for the last time for Swing When You Sing
Farewell concert of the week: Steve Coates Music Productions present Swing When You Sing, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, April 12, 7.30pm
BEV Jones Music Company and The Jubilee Celebration Singers producer Lesley Jones bids farewell to the York stage after 20 years of mounting shows with Swing When You Sing, presented with Steve Coates Music Productions.
Alan Owens’s 16-piece big band will be joined on stage by singers Ruth McNeil, Annabel van Griethuysen, Hayley Bamford, Johanna Hartley, Adele Barlow, Larry Gibson, Terry Ford, Stephen Wilson, David Hartley and Geoff Walker to perform Rat Pack, Minnie The Moocher, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, Under The Sea, Cheek To Cheek, Sway (Latin), Fever, Mr Bojangles, Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black and Sing, Sing, Sing (with Bob Fosse-style dancing). “Varied? Yes! Upbeat? Yes! Emotional? Yes!” says Lesley. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
The poster for the launch of Bishy Road Community Choir
Start-up of the week: Bishy Road Community Choir, Stables Yoga Centre, Nunmill Street, York, from April 13
THE Stables Yoga Centre and Rachel Davies are setting up the Bishy Road Community Choir to run on Mondays from 5pm to 5.50pm at £5 a session from April 13. This welcoming, musically accessible group will use song to promote happiness, wellbeing and community. No experience or musical skills are needed; only enthusiasm to try feel-good singing. To book a place, visit stablesyoga.co.uk/timetable.
Wedded bliss amid wedding-day blisters: Darren Barrott’s Marek and Joy Warner’s Sylvia in York Actors Collective’s Till The Stars Come Down
Family politics of the week: York Actors Collective in Till The Stars Come Down, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, April14 to 18, 7.30pm, Tuesday to Friday; 2pm and 6pm, Saturday
PREMIERED at the National Theatre in 2024 and now receiving its York premiere, Beth Steel’s contemporary British family drama is set on the wedding day of Sylvia and Marek in a South Yorkshire mining town.
Directed by Angie Millard, Till The Stars Come Down explores the tumultuous dynamics of a working-class family in a changing world of economic decline and political shifts as long-held secrets, passions, and tensions surrounding class, immigration, and social change spill over into chaos and tragedy. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Ralph Davis’s Hamlet in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Hamlet, set on a sinking ship, on tour at York Theatre Royal
Titanic anniversary event of the week: Royal Shakespeare Company in Hamlet, York Theatre Royal, April 14 to 18,7pm plus 1.30pm, April 16 and 2pm, April 18
LET director Rupert Goold introduces the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Hamlet, starring Ralph Davis, as the tour sets sail for York on the 114th anniversary of the Titanic’s descent to the depths. “Our production is set aboard a ship but one that is soon to founder, going down with all hands,” he says.
“Its inspiration comes from the most famous sinking in history, and just as that icy tragedy came to pass in a little over two and a half hours, our play takes place in real time and for about as long, as much catastrophic thriller as poetic meditation. This production asks what it means to be human and decisive when time is running out.” Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Jan Brierton and Henry Normal: Poetic humour at Milton Rooms, Malton
Poetry at the double: Edge Street Live presents Henry Normal and Jan Brierton, Milton Rooms, Malton, April 16, 7.30pm
WRITER, poet, television & film producer and Manchester Poetry Festival founder Henry Normal is joined by Dubliner Jan Brierton for an evening of poetry and humour. Normal, whose credits include co-writing The Mrs Merton Show and the first series of The Royle Family, will be reading from his new book A Quiet Promise.
Brierton riffs on modern life, love and friendships, wellness and ageing, rage and domestic exasperation in her poetic reflections on being a wife, mother, daughter, sister and retired raver, plus plenty of stuff about tea, lipstick and biscuits. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Aggers & Tuffers: The chatter of cricket and the clatter of wickets at York Barbican
Not just cricket: Jonathan Agnew and Phil Tufnell in An Audience With Aggers & Tuffers, York Barbican, April 16, 7.30pm
TEST Match Special commentator-and-pundit duo Jonathan Agnew and Phil Tufnell take to the road for more cricket chat from beyond the boundary. Former Leicestershire and England fast bowler and three-decade BBC cricket correspondent Aggers teams up anew with record-breaking former England spin bowler and crowd favourite Tuffers, who gives his spin on his maverick playing days and second wind as a media personality on I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here, Strictly Come Dancing and A Question Of Sport. Box office update: limited availability at yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Maureen Onwunali: Slam champ spinning words at Say Owt
Slam champ of the week: Say Owt presents Maureen Onwunali, The Crescent, York, April 17, 7.30pm
YORK spoken-word collective Sat Owt’s guest poet for April’s gathering will be Dublin-born Nigerian poet and two-time national slam champion Maureen Onwunali.
Rich with political observations and carefully crafted verse, her work has been featured by musicians, radio shows and organisations, such as the British Film Institute, Penguin, BBC, Roundhouse, Apples and Snakes, Obsidian Foundation and the Poetry Society. Box office: seetickets.com/event/say-owt-slam-featuring-maureen-onwunali/the-crescent/3588134.
Jacqueline James: Demonstrating her hand-woven rug-making in Rosslyn Street, Clifton, at York Open Studios
Art event of the month: York Open Studios, York and beyond, April 18 & 19 and April 25 & 26, 10am to 5pm
ARTISTS and makers involved in York Open Studios are putting the final touches to their workplaces and studios within York and a ten-mile radius of the city, in readiness to welcome visitors across two weekends.
This annual event offers the chance to gain a sneak peek into where the artists work, their methods and inspirations, whether a regular participant or the 27 newcomers, spanning traditional and contemporary painting and print, illustration, drawing, ceramics, mixed media, glass, sculpture, jewellery, textiles and photography. For more information, visit yorkopenstudios.co.uk; access the interactive map at yorkopenstudios.co.uk/map.
Book launch event of the week: Michelle Hughes, Printing Birds and Wildlife in Linocut, The Harriet Room, York Cemetery, York, April 15, 6.30pm
Michelle Hughes at work on a linocut. Picture: Jackson Portraiture
YORK printmaker Michelle Hughes is holding a special evening to celebrate the launch of her book Printing Birds and Wildlife in Linocut and her upcoming tenth anniversary in business.
Published in February, 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.
She started her creative business on June 1 2016 in the wake of her fourth redundancy. After a 25-year career in design, she decided to take a leap by working for herself.
The cover artwork for Michelle Hughes’s book Printings Birds and Wildlife in Linocut
What began with freelance graphic design and a few linocut prints has grown into a thriving creative practice. Today, Michelle creates limited-edition linocut prints, teaches in-person workshops, runs online courses for students around the world and produces commissions for organisations, including the National Trust.
What to expect at the event:
A short talk about Michelle’s journey to becoming a professional printmaker
Behind-the-scenes insights into how the book was created
The chance to see original prints and lino blocks featured in the book
A Q&A session about linocut printmaking
Book signing
Opportunity to buy signed copies
“Come and celebrate wildlife, printmaking and the joy of carving and printing by hand,” says Michelle, who will be participating in York Open Studios 2026 at Venue 37, in St Swithin’s Walk, Holgate, York, on April 18 & 19 and April 25 & 26, 10am to 5pm.
Ralph Davis’s Hamlet in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Hamlet, set on a sinking ship, on tour at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Marc Brenner
HAMLET on a sinking ship, family politics on a calamitous wedding day and artists’ studios opening on two weekends are the headline acts on Charles Hutchinson’s latest bill of arts delights.
Titanic anniversary event of the week: Royal Shakespeare Company in Hamlet, York Theatre Royal, until Saturday,7pm plus 1.30pm, April 16 and 2pm, April 18
LET director Rupert Goold introduce the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Hamlet, starring Ralph Davis, as the tour sets sail for York on the 114th anniversary of the Titanic’s descent to the depths. “Our production is set aboard a ship but one that is soon to founder, going down with all hands,” he says.
“Its inspiration comes from the most famous sinking in history, and just as that icy tragedy came to pass in a little over two and a half hours, our play takes place in real time and for about as long, as much catastrophic thriller as poetic meditation. This production asks what it means to be human and decisive when time is running out.” Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Wedded bliss amid wedding-day blisters: Darren Barrott’s Marek and Joy Warner’s Sylvia in York Actors Collective’s Till The Stars Come Down
Family politics of the week: York Actors Collective in Till The Stars Come Down, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, 7.30pm, tonight to Friday; 2pm and 6pm, Saturday
PREMIERED at the National Theatre in 2024 and now receiving its York premiere, Beth Steel’s contemporary British family drama is set on the wedding day of Sylvia and Marek in a South Yorkshire mining town.
Directed by Angie Millard, Till The Stars Come Down explores the tumultuous dynamics of a working-class family in a changing world of economic decline and political shifts as long-held secrets, passions, and tensions surrounding class, immigration, and social change spill over into chaos and tragedy. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Aggers & Tuffers: The chatter of cricket and the clatter of wickets at York Barbican
Not just cricket: Jonathan Agnew and Phil Tufnell in An Audience With Aggers & Tuffers, York Barbican, tomorrow, 7.30pm
TEST Match Special commentator-and-pundit duo Jonathan Agnew and Phil Tufnell take to the road for more cricket chat from beyond the boundary. Former Leicestershire and England fast bowler and three-decade BBC cricket correspondent Aggers teams up anew with record-breaking former England spin bowler and crowd favourite Tuffers, who gives his spin on his maverick playing days and second wind as a media personality on I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here, Strictly Come Dancing and A Question Of Sport. Box office update: limited availability at yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Patricia Veale School of Dance: Showcasing young talent in Show Dance
Dance show of the week: Patricia Veale School of Dance in Show Dance, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, Friday, 7.30pm, and Saturday, 2.30pm and 7.30pm
IN an exciting celebration of dance, the Patricia Veale School of Dance showcases its talented dancers in their very first Show Dance, drawing inspiration from classic musicals on film and Broadway, complete with top hats, flair and razzle-dazzle. Expect a vibrant mix of ballet, jazz, contemporary, tap and much more besides. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Rainey’s Revue: Evoking A Night In Harlem in….Helmsley
Jazz gig of the week: Rainey’s Revue: A Night In Harlem, Helmsley Arts Centre, Friday, 7.30pm
LED by Richard Exall on tenor saxophone and clarinet and musical director Dom Barnett on piano, Rainey’s Revue presents meticulous arrangements of Ma Rainey’s songs while capturing the essence of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s.
Sam Kelly, on drums, and Marianne Windham, on double bass, set the rhythmic foundation for the enchanting voices of Chrissie Myles and Emily Windham, whose vocals evoke the jazz clubs of yesteryear. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Comedy gig of the week: Hilarity Bites Comedy Club presents David Eagle, Anth Young and Nicola Mantalios, Milton Rooms, Malton, Friday, 8pm
HILARITY Bites headliner David Eagle has performed on BBC Radio 2’s topical comedy series The Now Show, supports Boothby Graffoe on tour frequently and is one third of three-time BBC Radio 2 Folk Award-winning band The Young’uns. Being blind, his comedy often explores how his disability means the most ordinary, commonplace events are turned into surreal and convoluted dramas.
Fellow north eastern act Anth Young finished runner-up in the Great Yorkshire Fringe New Comedian of the Year competition in 2017 in York. Completing the bill, Greek-Geordie bisexual comedian Nicola Mantalios won the 2025 Funny Women Stage Awards, hosts weekend shows at Newcastle Stand and runs her own gigs, such as Queers and Beers, in Newcastle. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
The Rollin Stoned: Covering the hits and deeper cuts from The Rolling Stones’ 1960s’ catalogue at Milton Rooms, Malton
Tribute gig of the week: The Rollin Stoned, Milton Rooms, Malton, Saturday, 8pm
THE rock’n’roll circus rolls into Malton for a tribute to The Rolling Stones that focuses on the Brian Jones years from 1964 to 1969. Now in its 27th year, in The Rollin Stoned show the costumes are shamelessly camp, gaudy and fabulous, the instruments vintage, the wit irreverent, the trademark tongue never far from the cheek, but never to the detriment of the music.
As Keith Richards’ late mother, Doris, once remarked of the line-up featuring Mick Jaguar, Byron Jones, Keith Retched, Bill Wymandy, Charlie Waits and pianist Nicky Popkins: “Phenomenal…I can’t wait to tell Keith and Mick that you could easily stand in for them.” Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Prachi Bhatnagar: Making York Open Studios debut at her Ouse Lea studio in York
Art event of the month: York Open Studios, York and beyond, April 18 & 19 and April 25 & 26, 10am to 5pm
ARTISTS and makers involved in York Open Studios are putting the final touches to their workplaces and studios within York and a ten-mile radius of the city, in readiness to welcome visitors across two weekends.
This annual event offers the chance to gain a sneak peek into where the artists work, their methods and inspirations, whether a regular participant or the 27 newcomers, spanning traditional and contemporary painting and print, illustration, drawing, ceramics, mixed media, glass, sculpture, jewellery, textiles and photography. For more information, visit yorkopenstudios.co.uk; access the interactive map at yorkopenstudios.co.uk/map.
Jacqueline Bell’s Captain Beverley Bass in York Stage’s Come From Away. All pictures: Felix Wahlberg
“WELCOME To Gander,” reads the sign, pictured in the York Stage programme. “Crossroads To The World”.
As an accompanying note explains, Gander, in Newfoundland, Canada, was once a major refuelling stop for transatlantic flights, its airport built to handle large aircraft, giving it the capacity to receive multiple unexpected landings.
In its heyday, Gander International Airport hosted The Beatles, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Queen Elizabeth II, Frank Sinatra, Neil Armstrong and Muhammad Ali. In later years, on a normal day, six planes would pass through, but September 11 2001 was anything but normal.
Suddenly, in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, under Operation Yellow Ribbon, it received 38 unexpected but now essential landings in only two and a half hours.
On board and now grounded on the runways were 7,000 international passengers, their fear, confusion and suspicion exacerbated by the information blackout. Gander’s population would almost double in that instant, and how that community responded is the stuff of Irene Sankoff and David Hein’s Tony Award-winning 2015 musical, now receiving its York premiere.
Jess Gardham’s heartbreaking Hannah, awaiting news of her New York firefighter son, in York Stage’s Come From Away
“Come from away” is the term Newfoundlanders use for someone who is visiting there or lives on the island but was born elsewhere. For five days, Gander welcomed those “come from away” strangers to this temporary new-found land. Here are the facts: 10,000 meals were prepared daily; clothing donations were sorted and distributed, counselling services provided and entertainment arranged to lift spirits (such as the Kiss The Cod drinking game).
The political world was in turmoil, but at such times the best of humanity comes through too, times where we find common ground – in acts of kindness – amid the threat of heightened global division.
Come From Away is billed as a “life-affirming, uplifting celebration of hope, humanity and unity”: characteristics ripe for the musical format, but no less vital is the storytelling, rooted in Sankoff and Hein’s research visit to Gander and interviews with residents and passengers.
That gives the musical its narrative drive, one that encapsulates connection and communication between town and world, grounded as much in humour as the desperate uncertainty of what may have befallen loved ones in New York or Washington DC that morning.
Directed, produced and designed by Nik Briggs and choreographed by Danielle Mullan-Hill, Come From Away is first and foremost an ensemble piece, its 19-strong cast omnipresent, all pulling together to mirror the big-hearted story with its balance of comforting comic relief and sadness, rousing spirit and silent shock, good deeds and grief.
Gander’s residents singing Welcome To The Rock in York Stage’s Come From Away
Within that collective structure, Sankoff and Hein weave the individual tales of the resolute, stout, stentorian town mayor Claude (superb York Stage debutant Richard Billings); the first female American Airlines captain (Jacqueline Bell’s pilot Captain Beverley Bass, full of leadership steel); the mother of a New York firefighter (Jess Gardham’s heartbreaking Hannah); the young local news reporter thrown in at the deep end (Megan Day’s resourceful Janice) and an animal welfare devotee (Claire Morley’s Bonnie, as bonny as her name).
Love plays its part too: blossoming in the case of York Stage regular Stu Hutchinson’s typically stiff Englishman Nick and Lana Davies’s Diane; fracturing, however, for Grant McIntyre’s Kevin T and Faisal Khodabukus’s Kevin J. Both relationships, one burgeoning, the other dissolving, are played with just the right chemistry, the dialogue being typical of why it could be argued that Sankoff and Hein’s book is stronger than their songs.
The opening ensemble number Welcome To The Rock sets the musical and choreographic tone, with its high-energy, righteous fusion of Irish and folk vibrancy under Stephen Hackshaw’s muscular musical direction, with band members in view in the wings and later bursting into the well-deserved limelight for a party hoedown.
Against the backdrop of a map of Newfoundland and a red You Are Here neon sign, Briggs moves his cast around on chairs and tables on wheels that are reassembled and reconfigured constantly, even combining to form the cockpit and cabin of a plane.
This further enhances the relentless pace of Briggs’s well-drilled direction and Mullan-Hill’s thrilling choreography, putting the motion into commotion, albeit with the welcome breathing space of ballads for reflection for Bell’s Beverley (Me And The Sky) and trauma for Gardham’s Hannah (I Am Here). Everything initially is a rush, a scramble of emotions, a need for instant practical measures, but then countered by the agony of awaiting dreaded news.
Grant McIntyre’s Kevin T trying on a Newfoundland lumberjack’s shirt for size in York Stage’s Come From Away
That sense of unnatural haste in unnatural circumstances is heighted still more by a running time of only 100 minutes with no interval, compounded further by the regular drum beat of the bodhran.
The songs tend to rush by, full of zest and zing in the moment without having an X Factor hit among them, but the combination of Hackshaw’s band (keys, accordion, whistle, fiddle, guitar, mandolin, bass, percussion, drums and even a Newfoundland ‘ugly stick’) and Briggs’s unerring ability to find outstanding singers give them greater impact than in the touring version that landed at Leeds Grand Theatre in May 2024.
Emily Hardy’s teacher Beulah, multi-rolling Traitors’ alumnus Theo Mayne, especially his Captain Bristol, and Chris Wilson’s quartet of roles, in particular Oz, all add strong characterisation, ably supported by Emily Davis, Adam Gill, Sarah Jackson, Adam Thompson, Rebecca Stevenson, Eleanor Grady and Kelly Kiernan.
Come From Away does Gander proud, York Stage does Come From Away proud, as “kindness, resilience and human connection in times of crisis” remind us of our humanity. How important that is, amid each new dawn’s screeching vitriol on Truth Social.
York Stage presents Come From Away,Grand Opera House, York, until April 18, 7.30pm nightly, except Sunday and Monday, plus 2.30pm Saturday matinees and 4pm Sunday matinee.Box office: atgtickets.com/york..Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
The ‘ugly stick’, far left, makes its bouncy, percussive appearance in the party scene in York Stage’s Come From Away
Gorillaz’ Damon Albarn with Argentinian rapper Trueno at Leeds First Direct Bank Arena. All pictures: Matt Eachus (The Manc Photographer)
THE last occasion CharlesHutchPress attended a Damon Albarn concert had been so different. York Minster, December 2 2021, 6.30pm, Damon in studious glasses on grand piano, with all-female strings attached and Covid masks re-attached among the 600-strong audience after a new Omicron variant reintroduced caution and uncertainty.
Albarn would play for 45 minutes precisely, to be followed by a second performance that night at 8.30pm, both hushed and wintry in tone, lit by candlelight, showcasing songs of fragility, loss, emergence and rebirth from that November’s pandemic-shadowed solo release, The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows, in the first ever York shows of his then 32-year career.
Roll forward to 2026, when fragility and, in particular, loss frame The Mountain, Gorillaz’ ninth album in 25 years – and third number one – in the wake of the death of Albarn and Gorillaz co-pilot Jamie Hewlett’s fathers within ten days of each other in July 2024.
“You know the hardest thing is to say goodbye to someone you love,” sings Albarn, on the sombre song of that title and the one that follows, immediately and irresistibly: Orange County. The one with the whistling and the cheeriest tune of all, the obvious single, the one with Anoushka Shankar on sublime sitar and American singer-songwriter Kara Jackson on divine vocals. The one that stood out among last season’s musical interludes on the Graham Norton Show.
As Orange County and On Melancholy Hill testify, Albarn never settles on the obvious path, unlike former Britpop sparring partners Oasis. Already whispers are surfacing that he is at work on a new opera project. Right now, The Mountain tour finds Gorillaz at their creative peak, embracing everything at odds with the rise in nationalism, intolerance, online poison and war-mongering.
Idles’ Joe Talbot performing The God Of Lying with Damon Albarn
Out of step with our grim political times, yet tellingly, Gorillaz pull in a crowd of all ages, the younger drawn to the cartoon band, the wit and anti-war imagery of Hewlett’s videos, others to Albarn’s chameleon pop skills, from Blur to The Good, The Bad And The Queen, who played Leeds Irish Centre in January 2007 with a line-up of Albarn, The Clash bassist Paul Simonon, the anthemic Nineties’ psychedelia of The Verve guitarist Simon Tong and the Afrobeat drumming of Tony Allen.
Gorillaz are even more expansive: multicultural, multiracial, multilingual, bursting with a panoply of colours, textures, moods, possibilities and blue skies, a feast for ear and eye alike, energised by the ebb and flow between live performance and the restless commotion and compassion spread over three kaleidoscopic screens.
Throughout, guitars, keyboards, percussion, tabla and Albarn’s melodica fuse English and Indian pop. Then add a constantly rotating roster of guests, beckoned to the already crammed stage by Albarn, the avuncular master of ceremonies, albeit in the somewhat ramshackle manner of The Rolling Stones Rock And Roll Circus TV special in 1968. The effect is dazzling, dizzying, delightfully diverse and daring: the apotheosis of what a concert can be in 2026.
From the Indian mysticism of the opening The Mountain, accompanied by Hewlett’s pastiche of Mowgli’s initiation in The Jungle Book, the screens flash with comic-book imagery, mixed with live footage, and the faces of Anoushka Shankar, Sparks (for The Happy Dictator) the late Dennis Hopper, The Fall’s Mark E Smith (Delirium) and Bobby Womack (The Moon Cave), and The Roots’ Black Thought (The Empty Dream Machine, The Moon Cave, The Sad God) in a set list dominated by the new album.
All the while, the spinning top of guest vocalists and rappers keeps whirling, first up the bleached blond Joe Talbot of Idles (The God Of Lying); then Yasiin Bey, formerly Mos Def, for Stylo and Damascus; powerhouse backing singer Michelle Ndegwa for Kids With Guns; Bootie Brown, from The Pharcyde, for Dirty Harry; Kara Jackson, glory be, for Orange County, and Trueno, from Argentina, for the Hispanic word-spinning of The Manifesto.
Gorillaz in a state of Delirium at Leeds First Direct Bank Arena with the trademark stare of the late Mark E Smith on screen. Smith’s recorded vocals feature on the song
Posdnuos, from De La Soul, urges the full house to their feet for the first time for encore fireworks of Feel Good Inc, before Trueno returns for more breathtaking, breathless improvised free-styling in Clint Eastwood.
A certain grouchy President would have given Gorillaz the “absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!” verdict that he bestowed on Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX half-time performance.
Instead, the future is indeed comin’ on in Gorillaz’ glorious, beatific vision of a better world. Albarn does not proselytize or preach or reach for polemic. Rather, he and his band adorn their military fatigues with CND badges, and when the Leeds crowd boo his mention of playing Bradford (in the tour warm-up gigs), he says, “No, there’s no need for that!”. Peace and love, indeed.
The perfectionist in Albarn still burns, in a sudden chuck of the microphone and dissatisfied demand to re-start a song, but that is testament to his drive at 58 for The Mountain to take Gorillaz to new heights.
All that’s missing is a closing credits list of the night’s cast to match the opening of The Mountain book in Hewlett’s first image.
Damon Albarn and Kara Jackson meet in Orange County at Gorillaz’ Leeds First Direct Bank gig
Gorillaz’ set list, Leeds First Direct Bank Arena, 25/03/2026
THE MOUNTAIN
THE HAPPY DICTATOR
TRANZ
Intro Dark Pop
TOMORROW COMES TODAY
19/2000
THE GOD OF LYING (featuring Joe Talbot, from Idles)
York Stage’s full cast takes a seat for the York premiere of Come From Away. Picture: Matthew Kitchen
THE York premiere of Irene Sankoff and David Hein’s global hit musical Come From Away will land at the Grand Opera House tomorrow (10/4/2026).
“It’s one of the most powerful true stories ever told on stage,” says Nik Briggs, who is directing a cast of 19 in the Olivier and Tony Award winner. “If you’ve heard the buzz around this show worldwide, now is your chance to experience it right here in York.
“With just one day to go until opening night, excitement is building fast for what’s already becoming one of York Stage’s fastest-selling shows to date.”
Come From Away charts the real-life story of 7,000 air passengers being grounded in Canada in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, when 38 planes are diverted to the remote Newfoundland town of Gander, population 9,400, almost doubling that total in two hours.
The community responds by inviting these “come from aways” into their lives with open hearts as unexpected friendships form, changing thousands of lives forever.
From Bake Off to take-off: York Stage director Nik Briggs, at the controls of Come From Away after starring in The Great British Bake-Off Musical last November
“Come From Away is more than just a musical,” says Nik. “It’s a celebration of humanity, resilience and the power of community. Step into a world where kindness conquers all, brought to life with invigorating, electrifying music and stories that will make you laugh, cry, and believe in the goodness of people.”
He recalls his introduction to the show. “One day, on a drive from York to Sunderland, setting off at 6am, I put the soundtrack on – one hour 40 minutes – and as I pulled up in the car park, I had to compose myself as I was sitting there sobbing,” says Nik. “For me, structurally, and the way the piece is brought together, it’s just perfection.”
He has a philosophy on tears being shed in the theatre. “I’m a big believer that, to make an audience cry, you don’t want to see crying on stage,” he says.
“I love working with emotional texts and I like to think York Stage has had success with them over the years, but there’s something about how, in real life, when you see someone at their worst, as a human being, you want to embrace them and be there for them, whereas if you see someone being brave, or just carrying on or holding back the tears, that’s when you’ll cry more. That’s always been the approach I’ve had with shows where there’s real emotion.”
Nik continues: “Albeit that Come From Away’s story is associated with the events of 9/11, it’s not about that tragedy, but the ripple effect it had: how a Canadian community came together with compassion. That’s what’s celebrated in this show; that humanity.
Just landed: York Stage’s cast for Come From Away. Picture: Matthew Kitchen
“Twenty-five years on from those terrorist attacks, the compassion and humanity shown in Gander is what’s needed in the world now, and some would argue even more so. There’s no baddie in Come From Away. We all know what’s going on in New York that day, where there is a baddie, but though we see fear, we see uneasiness, and at first we see prejudices in Gander, we don’t see a villain. This is a show about something totally different from that.”
Come From Away stands apart in its instrumentation and musical arrangements too. “It’s not typical musical theatre instrumentation,” says Nik, who is working in tandem with musical director Stephen Hackshaw. “Instead it features musical instruments associated with Newfoundland, such as the bodhran [drum] and the ‘ugly stick’, a welly boot fitted with a mop head, bottle tops and tin cans.”
Thanks to cast member Jacqueline Bell, who will play Captain Beverley Bass, York Stage’s show will feature the aforementioned ‘ugly stick’, and thereby hangs a tale. “After getting the part in our production and doing some research, she had some time off booked to go on holiday but hadn’t booked anywhere,” says Nik.
“She said she just felt compelled to go to Gander – I said I felt the same! – and so off she went! What you hear about Operation Yellow Ribbon [Canada’s handling of the diversion of civilian airline flights in response to the 9/11 attacks] may sound too good to be true, or you wonder if it has been slightly ‘musical theatre-ised’ in Come From Away, but no, that community spirit was very much present.
“Before going there in February, Jacqui emailed a few places, saying, ‘I know you’re not running tours at this time of year, but I’m in the cast for the show in York, can you help?’. The Gander community put out a plea to put together a personal tour for her.”
Jacqueline Bell, who will play Captain Beverley Bass and Annette in Come From Away, flew out to Gander and returned with an ‘ugly stick’. Picture: Matthew Kitchen
What happened next? “Rodgers TV reporter Brian Mosher, on whom one of the Come From Away characters is partly based, turned up and surprised Jacqui! He took her round all the places that featured in the story – and she stayed in the hotel where Captain Beverley Bass had stayed,” says Nik, who recommends looking up Jacqui’s video blogs from Gander on York Stage’s Facebook site.
“On her return to rehearsals, she said that everything that was ‘too good to be true’ about the people of Gander was true. Apparently, there was even one thing that had happened that the musical producers decided ‘we can’t have that in the show as no-one would believe it’ – when a rainbow formed as the last of the 38 planes took off again.”
Jacqueline brought back the all-important ‘ugly stick’, bought for the equivalent of £100. “We’ve affectionately called it ‘Brian Mosher’ in rehearsals,” says Nik.
As for his travel plans, they extend rather further than York to Sunderland as dawn breaks. “Gander is somewhere I’m determined to visit now,” he vows.
York Stage presents Come From Away,Grand Opera House, York, tomorrow (10/4/2026) to April 18, 7.30pm nightly, except Sunday and Monday; 2.30pm, Saturday matinees; 4pm, Sunday matinee.Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Lesley Jones and Steve Coates: Teaming up for the last time for Swing When You Sing on Sunday night
PRODUCER Lesley Jones will bid farewell to the York stage on Sunday with Swing When You Sing at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, at 7.30pm.
“Unique to me and York, it will be a swing concert with a 16-piece big band on stage, led by Alan Owens, from The Forum in Northallerton, who fronted our huge charity extravaganza, Million Dreams, at the Grand Opera House last year,” says Lesley.
“Funded once again by Steve Coates Music Productions, I am grateful to be given this final opportunity after my 20 years of producing shows, starting in 2005, including two sell-out productions of Les Miserables: School Edition, The Full Monty, Summer Holiday and Pirates! The Penzance Musical (Broadway version).
“Not forgetting Penny Millionaire in 2016, which we staged three weeks before the death of composer and writer Bev Jones.”
Lesley, Bev’s widow, picked up the baton of the charismatic director, musical director, composer and leading man of the York stage to run the Bev Jones Music Company and The Jubilee Celebration Singers, but has decided to “step back” after suffering a stroke.
Lesley Jones: 20 years at the helm of musical theatre shows in York
“I’ve had a wonderful experience in the world of musical theatre, joined recently by the success of our rock shows with Steve Coates Music Productions that we began with the sold-out One Night Of Classic Rock at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre in January 2024,” says Lesley, who is also a trustee of the children’s charity Snappy.
“Illness is a cruel intervention and sometimes one has to accept the inevitable and gracefully step back. In summary, I will end by thanking all the supporters over the years and welcome them on Sunday for an evening of traditional glamour, featuring our finest performers singing Rat Pack, Minnie The Moocher, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, Under The Sea, Cheek To Cheek, the Latin version of Sway, Fever and Mr Bojangles.
“There’ll be a vigorous rendition of Sing, Sing, Sing, with Bob Fosse-style dancing, and a surprising swing version of Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black. Varied? Yes! Upbeat? Yes! Emotional? Yes!”
On song on Sunday will be Ruth McNeil, Annabel van Griethuysen, Hayley Bamford, Johanna Hartley, Adele Barlow, Larry Gibson, Terry Ford, Stephen Wilson, David Hartley and Geoff Walker.
The final word goes to Lesley: “Myself and Steve agree – and Bev would have done too – that we are not on stage to educate but to ENTERTAIN.”
Steve Coates Music Productions present Swing When You Sing, with the Alan Owens 16-Piece Big Band, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, April 12, 7.30pm. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
The poster for Swing When You Sing, Sunday’s final concert to be organised by Lesley Jones
Glasses in pocket: Tyler Ramsey performing at Rise@Bluebird Bakery. Picture: Paul Rhodes
RARE are times you sense an old soul channelling music that sits outside current trends and transports you away.
For a self-described loner, Tyler Ramsey was a warm host, clearly enjoying being in this wonderful, intimate venue. He talked about how playing to small, appreciative, all-age crowds was his dream, rather than his time touring larger venues as part of Band Of Horses.
Ramsey describes the acoustic maestro Leo Kottke as a formative influence, and he clearly left a lasting impression. His 80-minute set contained a number of fingerpicked instrumentals.
Tyler Ramsey at Rise: “Playing to small, appreciative, all-age crowds was his dream, rather than his time touring larger venues as part of Band Of Horses”. Picture: Paul Rhodes
His music is often inspired by the outdoors. These included the title track from his most recent album Celestun, recorded with Carl Broemel from My Morning Jacket during the pandemic. It’s an album to leave on repeat. That particular track (inspired by a trip to Mexico) seemed also to tap back into a deep seam of 1960s’ folk rock, with shades of Tom Rush’s Rockport Sunday.
Neve Cariad’s opening set came from somewhere else entirely. There was no stagecraft, no eye contact and no chat. Playing all-new material, this Welsh singer-songwriter (now living in Leeds) left us stunned.
Not only by the power and control in her lovely voice, but by the deep spell she cast. Like Tim Buckley’s Dream Letter, this was a set that came out of the heavenly blue. This would be perfect music to sulk and sink into.
Neve Cariad: “Casting a deep spell” at Rise@Bluebird Bakery. Picture: Paul Rhodes
With the right moves, Cariad could find a devoted audience (not unlike Brigid Mae Power). Written down, these songs would have little hold, but they were transformed in performance, with the wordless parts often the most affecting.
Ramsey’s set was constructed with an experienced, discerning eye – a winning mix of solo and Band Of Horses tunes. Unfortunately, Broemel’s gorgeous Nevermind, the highlight from the record, wasn’t on the list, nor Ramsey’s equally lovely cover of Neil Young’s Sail Away.
We did get Young’s Down By The River, all the better thanks to his amusing story of how Ramsey (re) wrote the song recently. Ramsey’s voice has some of Young’s timbre, and it is a voice that lifts anything it touches. The 13-song set flew by like a warm breeze and the stage was set for him to return.
Review by Paul Rhodes
Neve Cariad (with band) will play Leeds Brudenell Social Club on April 30.
Tyler Ramsey raising a glass to his sold-out audience at Rise@Bluebird Bakery. Picture: Paul Rhodes
