The poster for Strangers On A Train’s tour travels
BILL Kenwright Ltd’s national tour of Craig Warner’s stage adaptation of Strangers On A Train will play the Grand Opera House, York, from February 2 to 6 2027.
Based on Patricia Highsmith’s 1950 psychological thriller and inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s 1951 film-noir classic, this new touring production will be directed by Roxana Silbert, former artistic director of Paines Plough, Birmingham Rep and Hampstead Theatre and associate director of the Royal Shakespeare Company. The cast and creative team is to be announced.
David Gilbery, chief executive officer of Bill Kenwright Ltd, says: “We’re delighted to be working with the brilliant Roxana Silbert to bring Craig Warner’s gripping adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s celebrated novel to audiences across the UK.
“Few thrillers have stood the test of time quite like Strangers On A Train. Its tension, psychological complexity and relentless sense of suspense make it a hugely entertaining night at the theatre, and I can’t wait for audiences around the country to experience it.”
The production will be dedicated to the memory of Hollywood-born, Suffolk-based playwright and screenwriter Craig Warner, who passed away earlier this year. “I had been looking forward to sharing this journey with him and greatly treasured the conversations we had about the production and his exceptional adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel,” says David.
“Craig’s writing is elegant, gripping and profoundly theatrical, and it has been a privilege to revisit his work in preparing this production. His absence will be keenly felt throughout the rehearsal process and beyond. I hope this production stands as a celebration of his talent.”
In Strangers On A Train, two strangers meet on a train. Charles Bruno has an idea for the perfect crime. Two murders. Two strangers. No motive. No connection. No consequences.
Guy Haines dismisses it as a joke, but Bruno is not joking. As Bruno’s obsession spirals out of control, Guy finds himself trapped in a nightmare of guilt, manipulation and fear.
Dark, gripping and full of suspense, Strangers On A Train is a psychological thriller built on obsession, manipulation and the devastating consequences of a chance encounter.
York actress Frances Marshall in rehearsal for Alan Ayckbourn’s The Trial Of Romeo Oscar. Picture: Tony Bartholomew
REHEARSALS are into tech week for Alan Ayckbourn’s 92nd play, the groundbreaking The Trial Of Romeo Oscar, whose premiere will run at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, from September 4 to October 3.
Directed by Sir Alan, Elizabeth Boag, Frances Marshall, Russell Richardson, Richard Stacey, Leigh Symonds, Hayden Wood and Olivia Woolhouse will be performing his first courtroom drama.
No ordinary courtroom drama at that, but one set in the year 2194, with the undercurrent of a detective story too, when “humanity is scattered around the solar system and day-to-day life on Earth looks very different”.
“Preparations are underway for a landmark legal case,” reveals Sir Alan. “Romeo Oscar, a military issue android, is on trial for murder: the first non-human to be tried in a court of law. The circumstances surrounding the incident are unclear, the evidence is polarising, and selecting an impartial jury is proving to be a challenge.”
Introduced by Ayckbourn’s observation that “in space, no-one can hear you dream”, The Trial Of Romeo Oscar asks a question that artists have been positing for centuries: what makes us human?
“When you reach my age, you really only have the choice as a writer of either looking back or moving forward,” says Sir Alan, now 87. “At the moment, I’m sort of swinging between past and future with each play. But where we’re going, particularly with AI, is always interesting. I don’t think it’s a bad thing. Look at Shakespeare, he went into complete fantasy and was none the worse for that!”
Why has Sir Alan not written a courtroom drama until now? “They all required big casts,” he says. “You could use the audience as the jury, which is a gimmick many theatre directors have used, or you could have 12 actors sitting around for a long time before doing anything.
Playwright Sir Alan Ayckbourn in his Scarborough garden. Picture: Tony Bartholomew, 2020
“The advantage of me doing the play set in 2194 is that most of the cast can be virtual, invisible to the audience, so we only hear their voices.
“It’s set so far in the future that you would think that by then they would be bringing in witnesses by video or hologram.”
The Trial Of Romeo Oscar nevertheless ends up with a cast of seven: “That’s still quite big for the SJT,” says Sir Alan. “The play is still within the tradition of a courtroom drama with a judge, defendant, prosecution and defence lawyers and witnesses, but it’s a very different world.
“Firstly, because the defendant is an android, and secondly, because it’s a world no longer ruled by politicians but now run by huge corporations, in this case the Citrus organisation in London. It’s a post-holocaust world after a World War of some description, and it’s the first play of mine to be set entirely underground but still on Earth – and it features my first replicant.
“The war has been over for 20 years and was fought by frontline troops that were all androids, where humans had very little involvement, except remotely. Like now, with drone controllers sitting safely in their bunkers.”
Sir Alan continues: “In a sense, the androids return home as war heroes and are one step closer to being independent citizens, after being prescribed as a different class of being for so long.
“They are sentient, although they are made on work benches, so people argue that they have no soul, but it was increasingly apparent in my last android play [2023’s Constant Companions, featuring an android building janitor named Jan Sixty and an auto-domestic maid named ED] that they were seeking independence at the end.
The poster for Alan Ayckbourn’s courtroom drama The Trial Of Romeo Oscar
“Now, in The Trial Of Romeo Oscar, they have been granted responsibilities and acknowledged as having independence, and as a result, they also become liable to be prosecuted. This trial is the first case because previously it was impossible to think of an android killing a human, but this looks a slam-dunk case.
“Into this mix we bring an outsider, a defence counsel shipped in from an Earth colony, Titan, Saturn’s largest satellite.”
Ayckbourn’s play may be set in the future, but one too close for comfort. “If politicians keep mucking up in the way they are, someone is going to grab the reins of power in the way that Trump has. Only one step from a businessman, where that gap is growing smaller, and now what I’ve done is to extend that possibility to infinity,” he says.
“In my youth, I used to read so much sci-fi literature, and the thing that I latched on to was how they presented conundrums and made them into parables for today.”
Drawing parallels with the rise in racism and right-wing intolerance today, Sir Alan says: “If you then introduce another race, in other words the androids, where do they fit in? They’re the next victims of racism, seen as a threat, ‘taking our jobs away’. All that racism and sexism starts all over again.”
Ayckbourn’s world in 2194 is one where the arts have virtually disappeared. “After the war, humanity vowed that anything that was created before that should not be encouraged,” he says. “It is a dark premise, but all the better for producing laughter as we will recognize some of it as being close to where we are now. It’s what I call ‘oh my God’ laughter.”
What makes us human, Sir Alan? The arts, music, Shakespeare, this play’s message, he would no doubt reply.
Alan Ayckbourn’sThe Trial Of Romeo Oscar, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, September 4 to October 3. Box office: 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.
York Theatre Royal Youth Theatre’s cast for Wendy & Peter Pan. Picture: James Drury
YORK Theatre Royal Youth Theatre will perform on the Main House stage for the first time since 2019 in a large-scale production of Ella Hickson’s Wendy & Peter Pan from September 3 to 5.
Forty-six young performers aged eight to 19 will perform this magical re-telling of J M Barrie’s Peter Pan, where the focus now falls on Wendy’s adventures in Neverland.
Performers are drawn from all the youth theatre groups, as well as newcomers, while a further seven young people are supporting the production as backstage crew, from stage management, sound and lighting to craft and prop making.
Lydia Crosland, York Theatre Royal’s head of communities for five years, is co-directing the show with Sophie-Jade Howell in her last production after two years as head of youth theatre before leaving the Theatre Royal on September 23 to take up a new youth theatre post at Leeds Heritage Theatres.
“This is such a wonderful opportunity to showcase the talent of our brilliant Youth Theatre community, both on stage and off,” says Lydia. “There is something truly special about co-creating a show with young people and I can’t wait to watch their creativity shine. We’re seeking to make a production where young people really feel ownership of it.”
Sophie-Jade says: “Ella Hickson’s take on the Peter Pan story is so beautiful and heartfelt. It’s got everything I love in an adventure: raucous pirate battles, a punk-rock fairy and plenty of magic and mischief along the way. We have such a talented company of young performers and I know the whole process will be such a blast!”
Soar up into the night sky with Wendy, Peter and Tink in Hickson’s fairy dust-sprinkled girl power account of Barrie’s story as a quiet sadness besets the Darling household, until the unexpected arrival of a mischievous young boy called Peter and a rather sassy fairy, Tink.
Sophie-Jade Howell, left, and Lydia Crosland, co-directors of York Theatre Royal Youth Theatre’s production of Wendy & Peter Pan
Cue Wendy leading the rebellious Lost Boys, taking on the terrifying Captain Hook, finding the key to her parents’ lost happiness and discovering the power of being brave and strong.
“We picked the play with the young people from our Youth Theatre Forum,” says Sophie-Jade. “We hold 13 youth theatre sessions per week in term time, and from each class two people take part in the forum.
“We were encouraged by the theatre management to pick a classic, which I’m always excited by because there are loads of stories that be told in new ways.
“We brought the forum four or five plays to choose from, and Ella Hickson’s play won unanimously. We did a reading and got everyone interacting on their feet.”
Wendy & Peter Pan appealed to the co-directors and youth members alike with its radical re-positioning of Wendy in the storyline. “I always think, ‘why does Wendy only get to play at being as mum in J M Barrie’s story, when everyone else gets to be a pirate?’,” says Lydia.
“But in this play, she does get to do battle with the pirates , and everyone really identified with that, wanting to celebrate their empowerment. Tink is sassy too, and Mrs Darling joins the Suffragettes and takes a job as a seamstress and dress maker, so all the female roles are much more fleshed out.”
Sophie-Jade adds: “It’s now Wendy’s story. It just felt right to us as creatives to look at this story in a new way, and it’s exciting to do that in a feminist way. When you’re working with this age group, you have to look at stories that speak to them in a contemporary way.”
Molly as Captain Hook and Esther as Wendy in York Theatre Royal Youth Theatre’s Wendy & Peter Pan. Picture: James Drury
Hickson’s play features a fourth Darling child, Tom, a Lost Boy, whose loss necessitates Wendy to become his mother figure because the parents are so grief-stricken.
“The story has real heart to it,” says Lydia. “But there are comedic moments too; it’s funny and playful at times, raucous too, and because of that, the emotional, tender moments work even better, to contrast with the absolute carnage of the pirate scenes!”
Lydia and Sophie-Jade are joined in the production team by designer Kate Marshall and lighting designer Craig Kilmartin and composer and sound designer Joe Allen, with music being co-created by York Theatre Royal’s Youth Theatre and Access All Areas group, complemented by actor-musician students from Leeds Conservatoire.
York Dance Space will also be supporting with movement direction for the show. “We’re trying to move away from the traditional idea of Peter Pan flying across the stage,” says Sophie Jade. “We’re using physical theatre and puppetry instead, with lots of lifting and movement.”
York Theatre Royal’s Autumn Youth Theatre will start again for another term from September 21 with places available for children of all ages from five to 19.
The weekly drama sessions take place at York Theatre Royal, York College and York St John University, offering young people a fun way to develop performance skills, improve their confidence and make new friends. For more details on how to take part, go to: https://www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk/be-part-of-it/children-and-young-people/youth-theatre.
On September 24, Sophie- Jade will begin her new post “updating the youth theatre programme” with Leeds Heritage Theatres, which runs Leeds Grand Theatre, Leeds City Varieties Music Hall and Hyde Park Picturehouse.
“”I’m really sad to be leaving because York Theatre Royal has been my home,” she says. “I’m not leaving for any other reason than that I live in Leeds.”
York Theatre Royal Youth Theatre presents Wendy & Peter Pan, York Theatre Royal, September 3 to 5, 7pm plus 2pm Saturday matinee. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk. Age guidance: five plus. The show is being made with support from The Feoffees of St Michael’s Spurriergate, York Youth Partnership Funding and the York Common Good Trust.
Age guidance: Five plus. Content guidance: This production has theatrical smoke, sudden loud noises and audience participation (a large inflatable ball will be passed around the Stalls).
Katsushika Hokusai’s The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, from Making Waves: The Art of Japanese Woodblock Print at York Art Gallery, on loan from Maidstone Museum
FROM Making Waves’ finale to 50 years of Aardman, a comic convention to a slapstick Three Musketeers, Charles Hutchinson highlights a diverse week ahead.
Last chance to see: Making Waves: A Closing Celebration, York Art Gallery, Exhibition Square, York, today and tomorrow, 10am to 5pm
YORK Art Gallery marks the closing of the Making Waves: The Art of Japanese Woodblock Print with a two-day festival of music, workshops, creative activities and food and drink for all the family in the gallery and York Museum Gardens. Making Waves talks take place at 11am and 2pm each day; The Art of Kokedama in the Studio today has sold out but limited tickets are available for 11am tomorrow.
Highlights in the gardens include the Ippuku Tea Stand today, 10am to 5pm (free); Japanese Gardening Society today and tomorrow, 10am to 5pm (free); face painting, today and tomorrow, 10am to 4.30pm; Paddle in the Surf: Mokuhanga printmkaing, today and tomorrow, 10.30am to 4.30pm; sun ring making, 10.30am to 4.30pm (free); Jiu Jitsu performance, today and tomorrow, 2pm (free); Taiko drumming performance, Sunday, 11am and 3pm, with interactive session at 1.30pm (all free), and Micklegate Choir performance of Sound Waves, tomorrow, 12 noon (free). Koto Japanese harp music performances will be at 10am, 11.20am, 12.40pm, 2pm and 3.15pm in the Foyer tomorrow (free). Exhibition admission tickets: yorkartgallery.co.uk.
York singer-songwriter Beth McCarthy: Opening August 29’s bill on The Grid Stage at Leeds Festival at Bramham Park. Picture: Leeds Festival
Festival of the week: Leeds Festival, Bramham Park, near Wetherby, continuing August 29 and 30
TODAY serves up York singer-songwriter Beth McCarthy (12.30pm to 1pm), James Marriott, Declan McKenna, Skepta, Charlie XCX and bill-topping Fontaines D.C. on The Grid. Catch Geese in The Gallery too. Sunday’s Grid finale features Absolutely, Slayyyter, Maisie Peters, Sombr, Raye and the festival-closing Dave. Box office for day tickets: leedsfestival.com/tickets.
Aardman In Concert: Celebrating 50 years of clay, comedy and creativity with a live orchestra at York Barbican
Film celebration of the week: Aardman In Concert, York Barbican, August 29, 1pm and 3.30pm
FIFTY years of Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, Timmy Time, Morph and Creature Comforts are marked in a heart-warming big-screen celebration, clay, comedy and creativity.
Presented in partnership with Aardman, Carrot Productions’ new show takes a joyful journey through five decades of stop-motion clay animation from the Bristol studio with its blend of treasured characters, oh-so British humour and music, climaxing with a screening of Wrong Trousers accompanied by a live orchestra. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
York Unleashed Comic-Con: Comics galore on the Knavesmire
Convention of the week: York Unleashed Comic-Con, York Racecourse, Knavesmire, York, August 30, 10am to 4pm
YORK Unleashed Comic-Con promises a cosplay-friendly atmosphere, Yorkshire artists and comic creators, traders, collectables and geeky merchandise, gaming and interactive zones, a comic book chill-out zone, family-friendly activities and accessible, inclusive spaces. Media guests include Alex Jordan, Harry McEntire, Alan Fletcher, Richard Price and Jamie Kenna. Tickets: unleashedtickets.co.uk.
The Rocket Man: Playing Elton John’s greatest hits on his Yellow Brick Road Tour at Grand Opera House, York
Tribute gig of the week: The Rocket Man – A Tribute to Sir Elton John, Yellow Brick Road Tour, Grand Opera House, York, August 30, 7.30pm
THE Rocket Man and his band travel down the Yellow Brick Road to perform two hours of Elton John hits, from Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting), Crocodile Rock, Daniel and Your Song to Philadelphia Freedom, I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues and I’m Still Standing. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
The Dead South: Progressive bluegrass and alternative Americana at York Barbican
Recommended but sold out already: The Dead South, Europe 2026 The Return, York Barbican, August 31, doors 7pm
WHATEVER you call The Dead South’s music – progressive bluegrass, alternative Americana, country, folk or Western – people from different backgrounds, beliefs, experiences, languages and ages love it, clubbing together as the cosplaying “Good Company” at gigs.
Formed in 2012 in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, the line-up comprises Nate Hilts, Scott Pringle, Danny Kenyon and Colton Crawford, always attired in bolo ties and custom brims. Carter Family meets Addams Family in songs that address themes of murder, disloyalty and ghosts while going from weepy to weird, wistful to wicked. Rob Heron & The Tea Pad Orchestra support. Box office for returns only: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Snake Davis: Celebrating the art of the sax solo at Pocklington Arts Centre
Saxophonist of the week: Snake Davis Band, Classic Sax Solos, Pocklington Arts Centre, September 3, 8pm
AN instrumental solo can break hearts, lift spirits, even change lives. Saxophone is the favourite instrument of many folk, and for good reason; so emotional, so passionate; it sings, screams, whispers. Step forward saxophonist to the stars Snake Davis, leading his five-piece band through more than 20 classics, from Baker Street, Careless Whisper, Respect and Yakety Yak to his own solos from Take That’s Million Love Songs, M People’s Moving On Up and Lisa Stansfield’s Change.
Davis reveals their background and history as well as playing them in context. What is their individual magic ingredient; what makes these solos classic? How did they emerge; how did the players produce that magic? Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.
The poster for Pete the Temp’s Romantics, Mystics and Revolutionaries
Spoken-word gig of the week: Say Owt presents Romantics, Mystics and Revolutionaries by Pete the Temp, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, tomorrow, 7.30pm
POET, author and comic Pete the Temp’s Romantics, Mystics and Revolutionaries is a spoken-word show about rebellion, resistance and wild imagination. The 1800s’ Romantic movement began as a rebellion: against empire, industry and the mechanisation of the soul. Yorkshire became the epicentre of its rebellion.
Tomorrow’s storytelling stage show fuses scholarship with music, comedy and poetry in a spellbinding history of riot, repression and psychedelic experimentation. As we face this age of despair, find out what we can learn from past dreams of freedom and renewal. Bangladeshi-Geordie spoken-word poet and creative practitioner Tahmina Ali supports with her explorations of identity, belonging, motherhood, mental health and cultural inheritance, viewed through a distinctly northern lens. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Our Star Theatre Company: Turning up the slapstick quotient in The Three Musketeers
Slapstick silliness of the week: Our Star Theatre Company in The Three Musketeers, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, September 4, 7.30pm
OUR Star Theatre Company’s re-telling of The Three Musketeers is packed with humour, audience participation and energetically silly performances as a small troupe of performers gears up for its debut performance of Alexandre Dumas’s story.
However, what starts as a simple theatrical endeavour soon unravels into a whirlwind of confusion, mayhem and comical mishaps. From forgotten lines to chaotic set changes, the actors become entangled in a series of blunders. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Louisa Ashdown in rehearsal for her role as The Actor in Hephaestus Theatre’s Richard iii Redux
Introducing: Hephaestus Theatre in Richard iii Redux, The Basement, City Screen Playhouse, York, September 10, 7.30pm
UNIVERSITY of York theatre graduates Eleanor Doig (producer) and Louisa Ashdown (director and performer) introduce new York company Hephaestus Theatre in Kaite O’Reilly and Phillip Zarrilli’s dark comedy Richard iii Redux.
The company’s mission is to tell disabled stories and put disabled and neurodiverse actors on stage and behind the scenes, this time with Ashdown playing The Actor opposite Georgina Way’s Presenter (on film) in a journey to find who the real Richard iii was while exploring the challenges of being a disabled actor. Box office: eventbrite.co.uk.
The poster for Wildflower Wildfire’s Botanically Brontë – A Literary Cocktail Experience. Artwork by Laura Crow. Calligraphy by Emily Hansen, Leaf on Letters
WILDFLOWER Wildfire invites you to step in the world of Yorkshire’s scribbling siblings, the Brontës, for Botanically Brontë – A Literary Cocktail Experience at Friargate Theatre, Lower Friargate, York, on September 25.
This original immersive theatre event blends storytelling, performance and botanical drinks in a journey through the seasons alongside Charlotte, Anne, Emily and Branwell Brontë, exploring their lives, relationships and literary legacy.
“Across the performance, audiences will be served four specially created botanical cocktails, each inspired by a different season and member of the Brontë family, from the bright florals of Elastic Springs to the bittersweet Last Winter Rose,” says event creator Xandra Logan, York actress, writer and producer – and barrister to boot – who has moved into theatre development to make this 90-minute piece for this autumn’s York Food and Drink Festival.
Miles John: Playing Reverend Arthur Bell Nicholls
“Expect literature, atmosphere, storytelling and a little theatrical magic as the world of the Brontës is brought to life around you. No prior knowledge of the Brontës needed.”
Incorporating bespoke cocktails as part of the package, “there will be both alcoholic and non-alcoholic options to suit audience preference”.
The cast comprises Vicki Glover as Charlotte Brontë; Xandra Logan as Emily Brontë; Leah Paige as Anne Brontë; Katie Leckey as Branwell Brontë; Adam Marsdin as Patrick Brontë; Miles John as Arthur Bell Nicholls; Laura Haynes Bury as Martha Brown and Molly Meleady-Hanley as The Phantom.
Xandra Logan: Founder of Wildflower Wildfire, who will play Emily Brontë
“The production is an ensemble piece and the characters all make up an important part of the Brontë story,” says Xandra. “The actors are largely based in this region or derived from here. The production is an ensemble piece and the characters all make up an important part of the Brontë story.”
Drawing on her Yorkshire roots, Xandra is “delighted to portray Emily and explore her fierce imagination, independence and connection to the landscape that shaped her work.”
Her latest role follows screen appearances in Cut Deep, Closing Time and Before The Leaves Turn and the title role on stage in Mary Rose.
Vicki Glover: “Delighted to return to the Brontë world as Charlotte”
Vicki Glover trained on the RADA Foundation course and is completing her BA (Hons) Acting studies at Manchester School of Theatre. Acting professionally since the age of 14, her credits include Shrek 2, The Murder Trial Live, The Manson Family Massacre and Operation Sparrowhawk. “After portraying Emily Brontë, Catherine Earnshaw and Catherine Linton previously, I’m delighted to return to the Brontë world as Charlotte,” she says.
West Yorkshire actress Leah Paige, who has experience across stage and screen, will play Anne. “Passionate about bringing overlooked stories to life, I’m thrilled to portray the often-underestimated Anne Brontë, celebrating her quiet strength, kindness and unwavering principles,” says Leah, who will make her feature debut on Amazon Prime later this year.
Northern Irish actor and director Katie Leckey (they/them), who will play Branwell Brontë, holds an MA in Theatre-Making from the University of York and is co-founder and artistic director of York company Griffonage Theatre, for whom they perform, write and direct.
Katie Leckey: “Looking forward to giving a voice to the often-underrepresented Branwell”
Leah Paige: “Passionate about bringing overlooked stories to life“
Their credits include A Kingdom Jack’d (Merchant Adventurers’ Hall), Shakespeare and Rome (York Museums Trust/York International Shakespeare Festival), Queer Spaces (York Theatre Royal/Stephen Joseph Theatre), Dung Beetle Dan (Thunk-It Theatre, Deer Shed Festival) and The Courteous Enemy (Edinburgh Fringe).
“I’m looking forward to giving a voice to the often-underrepresented Branwell and bringing his poetry to life in Botanically Brontë,” says Katie.
Last seen on stage in York in Party Piece at Theatre@41, Monkgate. and as Dr Little in Goodnight Mister Tom at Harrogate Theatre, Adam Marsdin will play Patrick Brontë. Alongside numerous film credits across Yorkshire, he presents Pantheon Mythology, trains at NGA Leeds and is an Equity member.
“I relish exploring the warmth behind the disciplined Victorian father,” says Adam Marsdin of his role as Patrick Brontë
“I relish exploring the warmth behind the disciplined Victorian father: Patrick’s delight in his children’s imaginations, his love and pride in who they become, and the poignancy of a man who ultimately outlived them all,” says Adam.
Miles John, a professional actor raised in Scarborough and trained at UCA Farnham, is cast as Reverend Arthur Bell Nicholls. Working across stage, screen and voiceovers, his credits include Watch Me Die (Edinburgh Fringe), Loot (York Theatre Royal), The Grieving Stones (feature film), For King And Country (short film) and Pipistrelle Pipistrelle (radio drama).
Laura Haynes-Bury’s role will be Martha Brown. “I have particularly enjoyed exploring Martha as the eyes and ears of the Brontë household, offering an intimate glimpse into the family’s lives,” says Laura, whose credits include Till The Stars Come Down for York Actors Collective and various site-specific theatre performances.
Molly Meleady-Hanley: Appearing as The Phantom in Botanically Brontë
After graduating from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama with an MA in Advanced Theatre Practice, Sheffield-born actor and playwright Molly Meleady-Hanley will play The Phantom.
Her credits include Bigmouth at the Courtyard Theatre, London, as part of Camden Fringe, a self-written production at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre, and feature film Fritz And Matlock with Invisible Engine Films. “I’m excited to explore the world of the Brontës and sisterhood in Botanically Brontë as The Phantom,” she says.
Dave: Headlining The Grid stage at Leeds Festival on Sunday. Picture: Leeds Festival
NOEL Coward at the double, Snake’s sax solos, Aardman model making and Leeds Festival’s summer serenade offer contrasts aplenty in Charles Hutchinson’s choices for the days ahead.
Festival of the week: Leeds Festival, Bramham Park, near Wetherby, tomorrow to Sunday
KASABIAN headline day one of Leeds Festival on The Grid stage, where The Lathums and Arkayla play tomorrow too. Friday’s line-up on The Grid includes Blossoms, Role Model, Florence + The Machine and headliners Chase & Status Live, while headline-grabbing Belfast hip-hop trio Kneecap play The Gallery that night. Look out too for Westside Cowboy and Paris Paloma in The Ballroom.
Saturday serves up York singer-songwriter Beth McCarthy (12.30pm to 1pm), James Marriott, Declan McKenna, Skepta, Charlie XCX and bill-topping Fontaines D.C. on The Grid. Catch Geese in The Gallery too. Sunday’s Grid finale features Absolutely, Slayyyter, Maisie Peters, Sombr, Raye and the festival-closing Dave. Box office: leedsfestival.com/tickets.
Justin Fletcher: Director of CBeebies House Party Live! featuring Mr Tumble at York Barbican
Children’s show of the week: CBeebies House Party Live!, York Barbican, today, 11am and 2pm
DIRECTED by CBeebies superstar Justin Fletcher, CBeebies House Party Live! is a fun-packed family stage show full of sensational songs, stupendous surprises and mega moments.
Throwing an epic party just for you will be Mr Tumble, Mister Maker, York Theatre Royal pantomime alumni Andy Day and Evie Pickerill, Duggee, Nigel Clarke and George Webster, who promise dancing, singing, streamers, giant jellies, bubbles galore and a CBeebies bedtime story. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Seascape artist Carolyn Coles: Hosting workshop for beginnersat South Bank Studios, York
Workshop of the week: A Day At The Seaside with Carolyn Coles, South Bank Studios, Southlands Methodist Church, York, Friday, 10am to 5pm
SOUTH Bank Studios seascape painter Carolyn Coles hosts A Day At The Seaside, a workshop for beginners, in the Garden Room at South Bank Studios. “Start the day with the ‘Loosen Up and Feel The Flow’ workshop,” says Carolyn. “Then, in the afternoon, paint a panel and frame it.” Everything is included for £75. For more information and to book a place, email [email protected].
Looking ahead, Carolyn will take part in Staithes Festival of Arts & Heritage 2026 from September 11 to 13, when 113 artists will exhibit at 67 pop-up venues, alongside live music, heritage talks and outdoor screenings. General entry and the Artist Trail are free.
Lee Gemmell’s Egyptology student Edward Bellingham in Baron Productions’ The Mummy Lot No. 249
Thriller of the week: Baron Productions presents Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Mummy Lot No. 249, St Mary’s Church, Bishophill Junior, York, Friday and Saturday, 7.30pm
FOUNDED by Daniel Wilmot in 2015, York company Baron Productions presents Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1892 one-act play The Mummy Lot No. 249 as its 2026 summer show, in which Oxford student Abercrombie Smith discovers his neighbour, Egyptology student Edward Bellingham, has used ancient magic to reanimate a malevolent mummy to terrorise and attack his rivals.
Wilmot’s cast features Jack McAdam as Smith, Lee Gemmell as Bellingham, M. Alder as Peterson, Lauren Hegarty as Hastie and Ellie Guffick as Monkhouse Lee. Box office: https://www.ticketsource.com/baron-productions.
Matt Price: Outrageous stories at York Barbican
Comedy gig of the week: Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club, York Barbican, Friday,doors 7.30pm for 8pm start
CORNISH comedian Matt Price tops Friday’s bill with his extraordinary and outrageous stories drawn from the wilder side of life, bringing warmth and heart to the stage while finding audacious humour in unexpected places.
Irish storytelling comedian Jack Hester supports, along with force-of-nature surreal humorist Gary Jennison, who promises dance-offs, game shows and magic in his 100 per cent unscripted, unsupervised set, where the audience can try to steer the unbridled chaos with suggestions and participation. Box office: lolcomedyclubs.co.uk.
The poster for Queen Of The Night: Whitney in focus at York Barbican
Tribute gig of the week: Queen Of The Night, A Tribute To Whitney Houston, York Barbican, Friday,7.30pm
THIS touring production honours the music and legacy of Whitney Houston in an electrifying show that combines sensational vocalists with a full live band. Prepare to be captivated by a journey through three decades of hits such as I Wanna Dance With Somebody, One Moment In Time, I Will Always Love You, My Love Is Your Love, So Emotional, Saving All My Love, How Will I Know, Million Dollar Bill and The Greatest Love Of All. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Noël Coward double bill of the week: UK Foundation For Dance and Pickering Musical Society in Noël & Gertie and Red Peppers, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, Friday, 7.30pm; Saturday, 2.30pm and 7.30pm
TRAVEL back to the 1930s of Noël Coward and Gertrude Lawrence in this first co-production between Scarborough’s UK Foundation For Dance and Pickering Musical Society in a double-bill of Coward’s comedy, wit and music.
The first-half revue, Noël & Gertie, introduces the legendary stage partnership and lifelong friendship of Noël Coward and Gertrude Lawrence, with songs by Coward, Gershwin, Cole Porter, Kurt Weill and Rodgers & Hammerstein. Bill Scott on piano accompanies Tim Tubbs and Rachel Anderson, co-stars of Pickering’s 2025 hit Hello, Dolly!
Then comes Red Peppers, a short play from Coward & Lawrence’s 1936 production Tonight At 8.30. This comic interlude with music, set in a northern town’s palace of varieties, features a feuding husband and wife in a corny song and dance double act, in the dying days of music hall. Pickering actor Paula Cook join five Scarborough actors in this amusing backstage bickering match, bookended by two corny song and dance routines. Box office: 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk.
Aardman Animation: Model-making workshops at York Barbican
Activity of the week: Aardman In Concert: Model Making Workshops, York Barbican, Saturday, 11.45am, 2.15pm and 4.45pm
MAKE your very own Aardman character at one of three self-led model-making workshops, where you keep your creation to take home. Aardman Animations, creators of Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, Chicken Run and Morph, have created special instruction guides to enable you to create clay versions of their much-loved characters.
Choose between Gromit (11.45am), Shaun the Sheep (2.15pm) and Feathers McGraw (4.45pm). All materials will be supplied. The workshops are suitable for all ages from five upwards; children must be accompanied by a participating adult. Tickets: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
The Dead South: Progressive bluegrass and alternative Americana at York Barbican
Recommended but sold out already: The Dead South, Europe 2026 The Return, York Barbican, August 31, doors 7pm
WHATEVER you call The Dead South’s music – progressive bluegrass, alternative Americana, country, folk or Western, people from different backgrounds, beliefs, experiences, languages and ages love it, clubbing together as the cosplaying “Good Company” at gigs.
Formed in 2012 in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, the line-up comprises Nate Hilts, Scott Pringle, Danny Kenyon and Colton Crawford, always attired in bolo ties and custom brims. Carter Family meets Addams Family in songs that address themes of murder, disloyalty and ghosts while going from weepy to weird, wistful to wicked. Rob Heron & The Tea Pad Orchestra support. Box office for returns only: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Heather Leech in Gleowit Productions’ Anne Boleyn’s Mother
Play of the week: Gleowit Productions in Anne Boleyn’s Mother, Milton Rooms, Malton, September 3, 7.30pm
WEDNESDAY, October 13, 1537: another ordinary day, except that a new queen, Jane, has given birth to a son, an achievement beyond compare in Henry VIII’s court. Elizabeth, Countess of Wiltshire, feeling the loss of her son George and her daughter Anne, previous queen of England, struggles to find cause for celebration, wholly aware of the treachery within the English court.
On the path to greatness, her losses have been heavy. Were they worth it? She is Anne Boleyn’s mother and grandmother to the motherless future Queen Elizabeth I, her story now told by actor, writer and director Heather Leech. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Snake Davis: Celebrating the art of the sax solo at Pocklington Arts Centre
Saxophonist of the week: Snake Davis Band, Classic Sax Solos, Pocklington Arts Centre, September 3, 8pm
AN instrumental solo can break hearts, lift spirits, even change lives. Saxophone is the favourite instrument of many folk, and for good reason; so emotional, so passionate; it sings, screams, whispers. Step forward saxophonist to the stars Snake Davis, leading his five-piece band through more than 20 classics, from Baker Street, Careless Whisper, Respect and Yakety Yak to his own solos from Take That’s Million Love Songs, M People’s Moving On Up and Lisa Stansfield’s Change.
Davis reveals their background and history as well as playing them in context. What is their individual magic ingredient; what makes these solos classic? How did they emerge; how did the players produce that magic? Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.
Louisa Ashdown, as The Actor, left, and Georgina Way, as The Presenter, in rehearsal for Hephaestus Theatre’s Richard iii Redux
YORK company Hephaestus Theatre will make its debut with Richard iii Redux in a bold performance at The Basement, City Screen Playhouse, York, on September 10 at 7.30pm.
Written by Kaite O’Reilly with Phillip Zarrilli, this play challenges the historical representation of Richard iii, examining what it is like to be a disabled actor while embarking on a journey to find who the real Richard iii was.
Formed by University of York theatre graduates and co-artistic directors Eleanor Doig and Louisa Ashdown, York company Hephaestus Theatre is dedicated to telling disabled stories and putting disabled and neurodiverse actors on stage and behind the scenes.
Richard iii Redux is the company’s debut performance after two successful fundraising opportunities through its Breaking Boundaries initiative, where disabled artists were invited to share their own work and showcase their talents.
“This play points out the absurdity of a character being evil because of this God-given disability,” says director and performer Louisa Ashdown
Utilising the play for the first time since its initial tour, next month’s production investigates the stereotypes of disabled bodies on stage and screen and seeks to understand why nothing has changed.
Through this dark comedy, the Actor explores their own views of their disabled body and how the body of Richard iii has been portrayed through Shakespeare for centuries.
Louisa, a disabled theatre-maker who has just finished her Theatre: Writing, Directing and Performance studies at the University of York, will play The Actor. She has a background in design, producing, music and acting.
Although director-performer Louisa’s disability is hidden, she relates heavily to the themes of the play and is enjoying bringing the characters to life. “It has been exciting to explore all three personas within the texts and the differences between them,” she says.
The poster for Hephaestus Theatre’s debut production of Richard iii Redux
“I have focused on making these distinctions clear through vocal and physical skills and drawing on the differences between each character’s perspective and what they are trying to say.
“The dramaturgical work behind this play is absolutely fascinating. There is so much history behind this story and the play is written in a way that explores so much of the detail.”
Louisa continues: “This play is moving away from seeing Richard iii being portrayed as this evil monster and points out the absurdity of a character being evil because of this God-given disability.
“I hope that people who are not disabled leave this performance with a different perspective of this play and character which is so key in the theatre canon, while I hope people who are disabled come away and can feel themselves reflected on stage, even if their disability is different from the one being portrayed.”
Georgina Way in the rehearsal room
Georgina Way will take the occasional pop-up role of The Presenter, who contributes mostly filmed elements. “I’m delighted to be involved with this production as a person with a hidden disability,” says Georgina, who is studying History of Art at the University of York and enjoys acting and singing in her spare time.
“I am especially excited by the concept of changing long-standing views of certain historical characters and bringing them to life in a new light.”
The Basement has fully step-free access. For additional access information, go to: ttps://drive.google.com/file/d/19ifNiK1bF5P9a07KVGB-gTkJHfCcnKMU/view?usp=sharing. “The performance is captioned throughout so that we can open our doors to even more people and hopefully make it a inclusive environment,” says producer Eleanor Doig.
Looking ahead, Hephaestus Theatre is seeking to produce its own written piece about being a disabled artist.
Mary Anning Rocks at Yorkshire Museum, York. Picture: Antony Chappel Ross
DINOSAUR adventures and the CBeebies house party, Sparks’ York return after 52 years and Leeds Festival’s summer serenade offer contrasts aplenty in Charles Hutchinson’s choices for the days ahead.
Last-chance holiday activities: Yorkshire Museum, Museum Gardens, York, open Tuesdays to Sundays, 10am to 5pm
AS the school summer holidays enter their final fortnight, the Yorkshire Museum invites visitors to “make the most of the interactive activities, craft sessions and amazing exhibits before term starts again”.
Grab a dinosaur backpack to explore the Mary Anning and Jurassic galleries in dino-themed entertainment for younger ones, while spotting fossils and dino bones on their adventures on August 24 or 28. The final Melsonby Hoard treasure trove crafting session will be held on August 26, although Viking beaded jewellery and bug brooch making are available every day through the summer break. Pay once to receive all these free activities and unlimited return visits for a year. Tickets: yorkshiremuseum.org.uk.
Nile Rodgers: Celebrating Good Times with CHIC at Scarborough Open Air Theatre
Coastal gig of the week: Nile Rodgers & CHIC, TK Maxx Presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, August 22, gates open at 6pm
IN the final Scarborough Open Air Theatre concert of the summer, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, Grammy Lifetime Achievement winner and composer, producer, arranger and guitarist Nile Rodgers returns to the Yorkshire coast for the third time with CHIC, the New York City R&B and soul band he co-founded with Bernard Edwards.
Expect such disco dance-floor fillers as Le Freak, Good Times, We Are Family and I’m Coming Out. Acid jazz combo Brand New Heavies support. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.
Sparks’ Ron and Russell Mael: Returning to York after 52-year hiatus
York gig of the week: Sparks, York Barbican, August 25, doors open at 7pm
NEXT Tuesday, cult Californian pop-rock pioneers Sparks play York for the first time since their November 2 1974 gig at the University of York.
Coinciding with their release of latest album Sparks Live On The Moon, the Mael brothers, Ron (keyboards), 81, and Russell (vocals), 77, are lining up a euphoric, career-spanning set, picking from such hits as This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us, Amateur Hour, Something For The Girl With Everything, The Number One Song In Heaven and Beat The Clock. Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer supports. Box office for returns only: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Justin Fletcher: Directing CBeebies House Party Live! at York Barbican, featuring special guest Mr Tumble
Children’s show of the week: CBeebies House Party Live!, York Barbican, August 26, 11am and 2pm
DIRECTED by CBeebies superstar Justin Fletcher, CBeebies House Party Live! is a fun-packed family stage show full of sensational songs, stupendous surprises and mega moments.
Throwing an epic party just for you will be Mr Tumble, Mister Maker, York Theatre Royal pantomime alumni Andy Day and Evie Pickerill, Duggee, Nigel Clarke and George Webster, who promise dancing, singing, streamers, giant jellies, bubbles galore and a CBeebies bedtime story. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
This Is The Kit: Through the round window at The Crescent, York
Recommended but sold out already: Please Please You & Brudenell Presents: This Is The Kit & Seamus Fogarty, The Crescent, August 27, 7.30pm
IN today’s fast-paced mid-apocalyptic world, it can feel like a waste of time to discuss time, but with This Is The Kit, alias songwriter/banjo strummer/pinhole camera lover/Winchester-born Paris dweller Kate Stables, time deserves a modicum of consideration. Why? Because Stables keeps making albums of cataclysmic honesty and welcoming tonal embraces.
Placing companionship at a premium, This Is The Kit welcomes you into its space, on record and in concert halls with Stables’supporting cast of Rozi Plain (bass), Jamie Whitby-Coles (drums) and Neil Smith (guitar). Irish-born, London-based alt-folk alchemist Seamus Fogarty supports. Box office for returns only: thecrescentyork.com.
Dave: Headlining The Grid stage at Leeds Festival on August 30. Picture: Leeds Festival
Festival of the week: Leeds Festival, Bramham Park, near Wetherby, August 27 to 30
KASABIAN headline day one of Leeds Festival on The Grid stage, where The Lathums and Arkayla play too that day. Next Friday’s line-up on The Grid includes Blossoms, Role Model, Florence +The Machine and headliners Chase & Status Live, while headline-grabbing Belfast hip-hop trio Kneecap play The Gallery that night. Look out too for Westside Cowboy and Paris Paloma in The Ballroom.
Next Saturday serves up York singer-songwriter Beth McCarthy (12.30pm to 1pm), James Marriott, Declan McKenna, Skepta, Charlie XCX and bill-topping Fontaines D.C. on The Grid. Catch Geese in The Gallery too. Next Sunday’s Grid finale features Absolutely, Slayyyter, Maisie Peters, Sombr, Raye and the festival-closing Dave. Box office: leedsfestival.com/tickets.
Carolyn Coles: Hosting seascape painting workshop for beginners at South Bank Studios, Bishopthorpe Road, York
Workshop of the week: A Day At The Seaside with Carolyn Coles, South Bank Studios, Southlands Methodist Church, York, August 28, 10am to 5pm
SOUTH Bank Studios seascape painter Carolyn Coles hosts A Day At The Seaside, a workshop for beginners, in the Garden Room at South Bank Studios. “Start the day with the ‘Loosen Up and Feel The Flow’ workshop,” says Carolyn. “Then, in the afternoon, paint a panel and frame it.” Everything is included for £75. For more information and to book a place, email [email protected].
Looking ahead, Carolyn will take part in Staithes Festival of Arts & Heritage 2026 from September 11 to 13, when 113 artists will exhibit at 67 pop-up venues, alongside live music, heritage talks and outdoor screenings. General entry and the Artist Trail are free.
Lee Gemmell’s Egyptology student Edward Bellingham in Baron Productions’ The Mummy Lot No. 249
Thriller of the week: Baron Productions presents Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Mummy Lot No. 249, St Mary’s Church, Bishophill Junior, York, August 28 & 29, 7.30pm
FOUNDED by Daniel Wilmot in 2015, York company Baron Productions presents Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1892 one-act play The Mummy Lot No. 249 as its 2026 summer show, in which Oxford student Abercrombie Smith discovers his neighbour, Egyptology student Edward Bellingham, has used ancient magic to reanimate a malevolent mummy to terrorise and attack his rivals.
Wilmot’s cast features Jack McAdam as Smith, Lee Gemmell as Bellingham, M. Alder as Peterson, Lauren Hegarty as Hastie and Ellie Guffick as Monkhouse Lee. Box office: https://www.ticketsource.com/baron-productions.
The Snake Davis Band: Heading to Helmsley Arts Centre
Return upcoming: The Snake Davis Band, Everlasting Love Tour, Helmsley Arts Centre, September 12, 7.30pm
SAXOPHONIST Snake Davis is “so happy to be back at Helmsley Arts Centre yet again”, this time showcasing new tunes and his new album on the Everlasting Love Tour with his four-piece band featuring guitar, bass guitar and drums.
The set list spans “floaty to danceable, soul and Northern Soul to pop, jazz to world”, embracing original material and classic sax pieces such as Baker Street and Night Train, as Snake swaps performing arena and stadium gigs with stellar acts for playing intimate venues with his own music choices and favourite musicians. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Claire Sweeney’s gin-guzzling Miss Hannigan in Nikolai Foster’s touring production of Annie. Picture: Paul Coltas
CORONATION Street and Brookside star Claire Sweeny will star as bitter, gin-drinking, child-hating New York City orphanage matron Miss Hannigan in Annie at the Grand Opera House, York, from January 12 to 16 2027.
Tickets will go on sale at atgtickets.com/york on Wednesday, September 2 at 10am for ATG members and 12 noon for general sales.
Sweeney last appeared at the Grand Opera House in April 2015, leading the cast as a relationship expert in Sex In Suburbia, an uplifting, revealing and raunchy comedy about dating disasters that she co-wrote with Mandy Muden.
Claire Sweeney, centre, in her last appearance at the Grand Opera House in Sex In Suburbia in 2015
In October 2010, she starred in a re-worked version of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black’s song cycle Tell Me On A Sunday, charting the romantic misadventures of a young English girl newly arrived in New York.
Next January, Claire arrives in old York in Michael Harrison and David Ian’s tour of Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin and Thomas Meehan’s musical, set in 1930s’ New York in the mire of The Great Depression, where brave young Annie is forced to live a life of misery and torment at Miss Hannigan’s orphanage.
Her luck changes, however, when she is chosen to spend a fairytale Christmas with famous billionaire Oliver Warbucks. Meanwhile, spiteful Miss Hannigan has other ideas and hatches a plan to spoil Annie’s search for her true family.
Claire Sweeney’s Miss Hannigan on the orphanage rampage in Annie. Picture: Paul Coltas
Sweeney, 55, will be joined by Alex Bourne as Oliver Warbucks, Tanisha-Mae Brown as Grace Farrell, Christian Cooper as Rooster and Amber Kennedy as Lily St Regis.
In the company too will be Jack Buchanan, Harrison Burley, Zoë Canham, Sophie Elmes, Belle Kizzy Green, Issy Khogali, Yujin Park, Elliot David Parkes, Carl Sanderson, Michaela Stern, Matthew Sweet and Jessica Wright.
Victoria Alsina, Sophia Saravanan and June Young will share the role of Annie. The orphans will be Chloe Angiama, Freya Beer, Rachelle Bonfield-Bell, Olivia Brooks, Coco Chapman, Maddy Collings, Sienna Culm, Anna Deikalo, Dolly Ismail, Amber Koduah-Hutchison, Thandie Lalji, Jemima Lown, Kennedy-May McLeary, Mollie Moran, Myla Park, Blossom Rolston-Williams, Khit Thakhin and Marnie Rae Warren-Baker.
Amber Kennedy’s Lily St Regis, left, Claire Sweeney’s Miss Hannigan and Christian Cooper’s Rooster in Annie. Picture: Paul Coltas
Best known for It’s The Hard Knock Life, Easy Street, I Don’t Need Anything But You and Tomorrow, the Tony Award-winning Annie combines Strouse’s music with Charnin’s lyrics and Meehan’s book.
The touring production is directed by North Yorkshireman Nikolai Foster, artistic director of Curve, Leicester, with set and costume design by Colin Richmond, choreography by Nick Winston, lighting by Ben Cracknell and sound design by Richard Brooker.
Sweeney, from Walton, Liverpool, is an actress, singer and television presenter. She plays series regular Cassie Plummer in Coronation Street and appeared in Channel 4 soap opera Brookside as Lindsey Corkhill on and off from June 1991 until the final episode, broadcast in November 2003.
Claire Sweeney’s Miss Hannigan making her point to the orphans in Annie. Picture: Paul Coltas
Her TV credits include roles in Clocking Off, Holby City, Merseybeat, Candy Cabs, Scarborough, The Good Ship Murder and Benidorm.
Claire’s many West End roles include Roxie Hart in Chicago at the Adelphi Theatre and Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls, playing opposite Patrick Swayze, at the Piccadilly Theatre.
Claire’s further stage credits take in starring roles in national tours of 9 To 5 The Musical, Crazy For You, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Legally Blonde, Hairspray and September In The Rain and the title role of lippy Liverpool hairdresser-turned-Open University student Rita in Willy Russell’s Educating Rita, playing opposite Matthew Kelly’s cynical, alcoholic tutor Dr Frank Bryant.
Claire Sweeney in the tour poster for Annie
Sweeney has appeared in Willy Russell’s classic Shirley Valentine, White Christmas, Shout!, a world tour of Fosse and The Play What I Wrote too.
Tanisha-Mae Brown’s theatre credits include Singin’ In The Rain at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, Brigadoon at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Guys And Dolls at The Bridge Theatre, Evita at Curve, Leicester, UK and Ireland tours of The Lion King and Chicago, A Mother’s Song at the Lowry, Salford, and Pippin at the Garden Theatre.
Christian Cooper played Rolf Gruber in The Sound Of Music at Curve, Leicester, directed by Nikolai Foster. Amber Kennedy’s theatre credits include the UK tour of Sister Act The Musical, UK and international tours of Joseph And tThe Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the international tour of West Side Story and the pantomimes Dick Whittington and Sleeping Beauty, both at Theatre Royal Windsor.
Claire Sweeney in the photoshoot portrait announcing her role as Miss Hannigan in Annie
Mary Anning Rocks at the Yorkshire Museum, York. Picture: Antony Chappel Ross
DINOSAUR museum adventures and the CBeebies house party, CHIC’s good times on the coast and Sparks’ York return after 52 years offer contrasts aplenty in Charles Hutchinson’s choices for the days ahead.
Last-chance holiday activities: Yorkshire Museum, Museum Gardens, York, open Tuesdays to Sundays, 10am to 5pm
AS the school summer holidays enter their final fortnight, the Yorkshire Museum invites visitors to “make the most of the interactive activities, craft sessions and amazing exhibits before term starts again”.
Grab a dinosaur backpack to explore the Mary Anning and Jurassic galleries in dino-themed entertainment for younger ones, while spotting fossils and dino bones on their adventures on August 21, 24 or 28. The final Melsonby Hoard treasure trove crafting session will be held on August 26, although Viking beaded jewellery and bug brooch making are available every day through the summer break. Pay once to receive all these free activities and unlimited return visits for a year. Tickets: yorkshiremuseum.org.uk.
No common ground: Pandora Clifford’s Mags and Liz Garland’s Liz in Handbagged at the SJT, Scarborough. Picture: Tony Bartholomew
Political drama of the week: Handbagged, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, until August 29
MOIRA Buffini’s 2013 Olivier Award-winning play imagines what happened behind closed palace doors when two of the 20th century’s most powerful women, Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, locked handbags. Meeting once a week for 11 years, one believed there was no such thing as society; the other committed her life to serving it.
Spanning 1979 to 1990, Handbagged asks if The Queen and the Iron Lady ever found common ground or did their stiff upper lips reign supreme? Hannah Tyrrell-Pinder directs the SJT cast of Pandora Clifford, Liz Garland, Alexandra Mathie, Deven Modha, Simon Darwen and Meriel Scholfield. Box office: 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.
The Magic Numbers: Brothers and sisters in unison at The Crescent
Siblings of the week:An Evening With The Magic Numbers, The Crescent, York, Friday, 7.30pm
THE Magic Numbers combine two pairs of siblings, Romeo & Michele Stodart and Sean & Angela Gannon, who are known for their unique harmonies, melodic hooks, songwriting craftsmanship and timeless sound, exemplified by Forever Lost, Love Me Like You and Love Is A Game across five albums. Box office: thecrescentyork.com.
Nile Rodgers: Performing with CHIC at Scarborough Open Air Theatre
Coastal gig of the week: Nile Rodgers & CHIC, TK Maxx Presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Saturday, gates open at 6pm
IN the final Scarborough Open Air Theatre concert of the summer, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, Grammy Lifetime Achievement winner and composer, producer, arranger and guitarist Nile Rodgers returns to the Yorkshire coast for the third time with CHIC, the New York City R&B and soul band he co-founded with Bernard Edwards.
Expect such disco dancefloor fillers as Le Freak, Good Times, We Are Family and I’m Coming Out. Acid jazz combo Brand New Heavies support. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.
Sparks’ Ron and Russell Mael: Playing York after 52-year hiatus on August 25. Picture: Munachi Osegbu
York gig of the week: Sparks, York Barbican, August 25, doors open at 7pm
CULT Californian pop-rock pioneers Sparks play York for the first time since 1974 on their 2025-2026 world tour, coinciding with this month’s release of latest album Live On The Moon.
The Mael brothers, Ron (keyboards), 81, and Russell (vocals), 77, are lining up a euphoric, career-spanning set, picking from such hits as This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us, Amateur Hour, Something For The Girl With Everything, Looks, Looks, Looks, The Number One Song In Heaven and Beat The Clock. Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer supports. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
The poster for CBeebies House Party Live! at York Barbican
Children’s show of the week: CBeebies House Party Live!, York Barbican, August 26, 11am and 2pm
DIRECTED by CBeebies superstar Justin Fletcher, CBeebies House Party Live! is a fun-packed family stage show full of sensational songs, stupendous surprises and mega moments.
Throwing an epic party just for you will be special guest Mr Tumble, Mister Maker, York Theatre Royal pantomime alumni Andy Day and Evie Pickerill, Duggee, Nigel Clarke and George Webster, who promise dancing, singing, streamers, giant jellies, bubbles galore and a CBeebies bedtime story. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Lee Gemmell’s Egyptology student Edward Bellingham in Baron Productions’ The Mummy Lot No. 249
Thriller of the month: Baron Productions presents Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Mummy Lot No. 249, St Mary’s Church, Bishophill Junior, York, August 28 & 29, 7.30pm
FOUNDED by Daniel Wilmot in 2015, York company Baron Productions presents Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1892 one-act play The Mummy Lot No. 249 as its 2026 summer show, in which Oxford student Abercrombie Smith discovers his neighbour, Egyptology student Edward Bellingham, has used ancient magic to reanimate a malevolent mummy to terrorise and attack his rivals.
Wilmot’s cast features Jack McAdam as Smith, Lee Gemmell as Bellingham, M. Alder as Peterson, Lauren Hegarty as Hastie and Ellie Guffick as Monkhouse Lee. Box office: https://www.ticketsource.com/baron-productions.
The artwork for the interactive Solve-Along-A-Murder-She-Wrote at Milton Rooms, Malton
Crime detection games ahead: Solve-Along-A-Murder-She-Wrote, Milton Rooms, Malton, September 2, 7.30pm
HOSTED by super-fan, playwright and PopHorror co-producer Tim Benzie, cult event Solve-Along-A-Murder-She-Wrote comes to Malton with an interactive screening of NBC Universal Television’s classic Murder, She Wrote episode A Fashionable Way To Die, wherein Jessica Fletcher visits Paris to support her friend’s fashion show, but soon a murder takes place that only she (or you) can solve.
Combining games, prizes and audience participation, Solve-Along-A-Murder-She-Wrote features a race to solve the crime, via the Fameometer and the Suspiciometer; a Cabot Cove quiz; a singalong to the theme tune with new lyrics, plus clips and biographies of the campy guest stars. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
The Snake Davis Band: Heading back to Helmsley Arts Centre
Return upcoming: The Snake Davis Band, Everlasting Love Tour, Helmsley Arts Centre, September 12, 7.30pm
SAXOPHONIST Snake Davis is “so happy to be back at Helmsley Arts Centre yet again”, this time showcasing new tunes and his new album on the Everlasting Love Tour with his four-piece band featuring guitar, bass guitar and drums.
The set will span “floaty to danceable, soul and Northern Soul to pop, jazz to world”, embracing original material and classic sax pieces such as Baker Street and Night Train, as Snake swaps performing arena and stadium gigs with stellar acts for playing intimate venues with his own music choices and favourite musicians. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Michelle Yim in The Ballad Of Mulan, on tour at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Malcolm Tam
Tour show announcement of the week: Red Dragonfly Productions & Grist To The Mill Productions present The Ballad Of Mulan, York Theatre Royal Studio, September 11, 7.45pm; September 12, 2pm & 7.45pm
COMMISSIONED and performed by West Yorkshire-born British-Chinese actress Michelle Yim, The Ballad Of Mulantells the story of the real woman behind the legendary Chinese female warrior who disguised as a man to join the Empire’s army – and inspired Disney’s animation and live-feature Mulan.
Woman, warrior, legend, for ten years Mulan has fought for the Chinese Empire. Now, after one last battle, she will be going home, but can she return to her old life, becoming a woman again? Yim’s hour-long The Ballad Of Mulan presents a search for identity in a violent world. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
