Dominic Goodwin’s Pat, left, and Thomas Frere’s Alex in Clap Trap Theatre’s Switcheroo, played comically
SWITCHEROO writer Tom Needham is a BAFTA-nominated North Yorkshire playwright and scriptwriter who lives on a very small farm with, at the last count, three cats, three dogs, six ducks, seven chickens, five pigs, two horses, two turkeys, two llamas and one conure parrot by the name of Pearl.
He has an impressive writing stock too with 100-plus theatre and TV credits: 65 episodes of The Bill over 25 years; episodes of Casualty, EastEnders, Wycliffe, Dangerfield, Dalziel & Pascoe, Silent Witness and more, plus his own series, Cold Blood and children’s show Retrace.
Needham is in his 13th year of writing for Ryedale company Clap Trap Theatre, Switcheroo being the latest addition to the ghost story The Room Upstairs, The Wrecker, The Rape Queen, Impact and Blindfold.
Rehearsed in Needham and company co-founder Cal Stockbridge’s converted barn near Pickering, shared with a small colony of bats, Switcheroo is heading out on a month-long tour, opening at York Theatre Royal Studio this week and running until June 24.
Directed by Riding Lights Theatre Company artistic director Paul Birch, opening night timer in hand, Switcheroo is spun on a simple premise: “It’s not what you say, it’s the way that you say it”.
Three squabbling siblings, stuck in the mud of midlife, are confronted by a bombshell revelation in their mother’s will when charged with the task of scattering her ashes.
In keeping with the two faces of theatre, the play is first played out as a rollicking comedy, nudging into farce. Post-interval, the same play, the same dialogue, is replayed seriously seriously by the same actors, but now playing different roles, having done their own switcheroo.
And the way they say it most definitely changes, to the point where you wonder how it could ever have been a comedy in the first place, such is the impact in particular of Dominic Goodwin’s embittered, drunk, wounded Alex, the one who had looked after their mother in her last days.
Cal Stockbridge’s Pat in Switcheroo, played seriously straight
It would be wrong to divulge the plot, but let’s just say it forces Alex, Sam and Pat to confront their past, their relationships, their parental bonds, what is true, what is false, as family secrets bubble to the surface.
Thomas Frere transfers from wild-haired, wild-eyed, heavy-drinking Alex, shirt buttoned erratically, to the uptight, neat, trim, testy Sam, trying to hold things in check. Cal Stockbridge transforms from guarded, glacial Sam to exasperated Pat.
Goodwin, always a larger-than-life presence on stage, all the more so here, changes from the spoilt child of the family to the emotionally bruised Alex, albeit that both his characterisations are marked by self-pity.
Just wondered: could the production do its own switcheroo, where one performance is comedy first, then straight drama post-interval, and the next night would be played vice versa?
Needham answers that question in his programme note: “For a long time, I thought the straight version should go first and then be hammed up in the second, but it just didn’t work that way round.
“The straight version has to be performed second because we learn so much more from it – it contains the pain, the emotion and the truth.”
How right he is, but so too is his observation that Switcheroo is “two completely different plays. And yet, it isn’t.”
Clap Trap Theatre in Switcheroo: A Story Told Twice, York Theatre Royal, tonight, 7.45pm; tomorrow, 2.30pm and 7.45pm, all sold out; Helmsley Arts Centre, May 31, 7.30pm; The Old Dining Room, Thirsk Hall, Thirsk, June 5, doors from 6pm; Georgian Theatre Royal, Richmond, June 6 and 7, 7.30pm; Hutton Rudby Village Hall, June 8, 7.30pm; Askrigg Temperance Village Hall, Leyburn, Wensleydale Community Arts Festival, June 11, 7.30pm; Birdsall House, Birdsall, Malton, June 24 (no details available).
Magic ahead: The Wizard of York, alias Dan Wood, raises his wand to conjure WizardFest, York’s first festival of wizardry. Picture: The Story Of You
THE Wizard of York has waved his magic wand over the upcoming Spring Bank Holiday to conjure up the city’s first WizardFest.
Programmed by Dan Wood, owner of The Wizard Walk of York, the May half-term festival will feature a spellbinding range of activities, events, workshops and fantastical food and drink.
Little Vikings are co-hosting the May 24 to 26 event with support from Make It York. Maps can be collected from the Visit York Centre or from festival sponsors Loopy Scoops, The Cat Gallery, Totally Awesome Toys and The Society of Alchemists.
Alternatively, a full list of events and booking links can be found at wizardwalkofyork.com/wizardfest to plan your magical itinerary. Prompt booking is recommended.
“One of my favourite moments on The Wizard Walk is when visitors new to the city first turn down Minster Gates and see the Minster in all its magnificent glory,” says The Wizard of York, Dan Wood. Picture: The Story Of You
Here Dan Wood discusses wizardry, walks and the magic of York with CharlesHutchPress.
What gave you the idea to run a Wizard Fest in York, Dan?
“I’ve been running The Wizard Walk of York for more than three years now, and in that short time I’d already collaborated with lots of businesses doing magical things in the city. We’d enjoyed other York festivals as a family, and thought it was high time we really celebrated York’s magical side with a city-wide family festival of fun!
“I’d previously helped create festivals during my role as creative manager of Alton Towers – including ScareFest for Halloween and JingleFest over Christmas – so it’s nice to don this hat once again.
“My wife Bev is stage managing the festival, and we have a whole team of marshals (in hi-vis wiz jackets) involved. It’s quite the undertaking, but also very exciting and the first of many to come.”
You have brought plenty of partners on board, wide ranging too. How important is that support?
“We’ve been absolutely blown away by the support from local businesses. I’ve approached companies with some fairly unusual and outlandish ideas, and they’ve almost always said ‘yes, we can do that!’.
“The goal has always been to bring together small businesses, to really champion and shout about great independent organisations in the city. Almost all WizardFest partners are indies, except for LUSH, who are providing magical bath bomb making sessions with Avocado Events.
“We have a new exclusive Black Cat Quest with the Cat Gallery, Beastly Burgers in the shape of a monster from Baby Boy’s Burger at SPARK:York, Dragon Sundaes at Loopy Scoops and lots more. Professor Kettlestring’s have a new Cursed event, where visitors can find the witches and wizards around the attraction to lift the spell, and there are all kinds of workshops, tours and trails. Wizard fans can even catch the first three Harry Potter films at City Screen.
“Many businesses have donated prizes too, whether for my recent Name A Dragon contest for the free Fancy Dress Parade on the final day. Many are offering discounts for anyone dressed up as a witch or wizard too, so be sure to dress to impress.
“We’ve partnered with Little Vikings, York’s leading guide to what’s on for families across the city. Loopy Scoops, The Cat Gallery, Totally Awesome Toys and The Society of Alchemists are sponsoring the event. Make it York are also supporting it with the Owl Trail and Magical Night Market.”
What first drew you to wizardry, Dan?
“I started magic as a young child but discovered wizardry later in life when, like so many others, I got swept up in the Harry Potter phenomenon. In fact, long before becoming The Wizard of York, I was hired as a wizard at a bookshop whilst living in London, for the launch of the fifth book.
“When I moved to York, wizardry was one of many themed parties I offered as The Magic Hatter. My Halloween shows at Piglets Adventure Farm became wizard-themed rather than spooky or scary. The National Railway Museum later booked me to perform walkaround magic as a wizard when they had the Oulton Hall, aka Hogwarts Express. Who’d have thought I’d now be York’s own full-time wandering Wizard?!”
Dan Wood in his magical Easter bonnet circa 1992
When did you first do a magic/wizard show?
“My magical journey first started with a Paul Daniels Magic set one Christmas. I liked it, not a lot! I was fascinated with how the tricks worked and the reactions they got from friends and family.
“My first magic show was at the tender age of seven, in a cardboard top hat and my dad’s oversized wedding jacket. A young entrepreneur, I’d charge friends ten pence to watch shows in our back garden. No photos or video unfortunately as this was long before smartphones, but I wonder if I’m still doing any of the same jokes…
“I did manage to find a photo of me in a magical Easter bonnet top hat though, circa 1992, and it’s funny to think I later became The Magic Hatter and made a career in magic!”
Who inspired your love of wizardry?
“I’ve always been intrigued by wizardry, and find it elevates magic from just magic shop props to something a little more theatrical. The eagle-eyed may recognise that my first Wizard of York outfit – complete with dark red cloak and hat – is actually more inspired by Pratchett’s Rincewind than Potter!
“I grew up watching and reading The Lord Of The Rings, and then the Harry Potter series too. Along with Mrs Wizard, I’m heading to London this summer to see Cursed Child for our 40th birthday celebrations, which I hear is full of magic, illusions and stage trickery. It should be right up my alley.
“For the Wizard Walk though, and for WizardFest, I feel we’ve put our own stamp on wizardry and created something unique. It’s ideal for Harry Potter fans, but no knowledge of the wizarding world is needed.”
What makes York such a magical city?
“Quite simply, York is magic. The cobbled streets, winding alleys and crooked buildings could be lifted from the pages of any fantasy novel. It’s the people who really make it though; whether the enthusiastic and excited families who join my tours, or the shop owners who are always up for a friendly chat and to throw ideas around.
“Some locals will say that it’s becoming a theme park, but I don’t think wizardry detracts from the history or beauty of York. I love York’s rich and diverse history, and there are some fantastic historical tours, activities and museums. Some will want to explore York’s history – which is still very much available and accessible – and others will want to focus on magical family fun, or ideally a bit of both!”
The Wizard Of York print, designed by Lincoln Lightfoot in a nod to The Wizard Of Oz
Factually, Harry Potter has no links with York and yet he has become synonymous with Shambles. Is that good for York and for wizardry in the city?
“The Wizard Walk is not a Harry Potter tour, and I never make the claim that York has anything to do with the franchise. But, of course, the city attracts Potter fans by the thousands, and there are plenty of magical things to do for visiting families.
“There are no tangible links to Harry Potter in York, not even York Railway Station. Many people think that the footbridge was used for shots in the first film, but this was in fact a bridge in Kings Cross that has since been moved to the Watercress Line in Hampshire.
“I still hear tour guides – and tourists – saying that Shambles inspired JK Rowling, or even that Harry Potter was filmed here! Not true in the slightest, but to me this doesn’t make York any less enchanting.
“Perhaps the local link is a rumour that got out of hand, but wizardry is very much here to stay, especially with a new ten-season Harry Potter TV series in the works. For me, York really lends itself to the concept of wizardry and I absolutely love bringing a whirlwind of magical entertainment to the streets.”
What makes York an ideal city for all manner of walking tours: from ghosts to history to wizardry?
“There really is something for everyone in York, whether visitors want to find out about local history, get spooked on a ghost walk or enjoy magic and comedy. The beauty of any tour in York is that we pass the most spellbinding sights…from the iconic Shambles to York Minster, Clifford’s Tower to St William’s College.
“One of my favourite moments on The Wizard Walk is when visitors new to the city first turn down Minster Gates with me and see the Minster in all its magnificent glory.”
Which WizardFest events have sold out?
“We’ve added extra tours on the Wizard Walk of York over WizardFest – and throughout half-term – and some of these filled up well in advance. The Story Craft Theatre workshops, A Kind Of Magic, are sold out, and there are very limited spaces left on the Brick Magic LEGO workshops at York Medical Society.
“We recommend visitors book for all paid activities as soon as possible, before tickets all…vanish! All booking links are at wizardwalkofyork.com.”
York artist Lincoln Lightfoot with his Wizard of York print
How did York surrealist artist Lincoln Lightfoot become involved in the festival?
“The idea for the Wizard of York print was a real light bulb moment. One day the sun was bouncing off the Shambles cobbles, giving them a yellowish hue. It reminded me of the Yellow Brick Road from The Wizard Of Oz, and then I thought back to Lincoln’s renowned film prints.
“He had already put King Kong on York Minster, a Kraken in the Ouse and a T-Rex on Shambles – so it wasn’t a stretch to create a Wizard of York/Oz mashup!
“Another ‘full circle’ moment is that I played the Wizard in The Wiz in a high school production many moons ago too…
“It’s a real ‘pinch me’ moment to be immortalised in a piece of art and I’m thrilled with the piece that he’s conjured up. The print is available from me directly, from Fabrication Crafts, on Stonegate, or Lincoln’s website, lincolnlightfoot.com.
“Lincoln also will have a stall at the Magical Night Market as part of the festival, on Monday evening in Shambles Market between 7.30pm and 10pm.”
What a wizard idea for a festival
What plans are in place for the 2026 festival?
“We are already busily working on plans for WizardFest 2026 and I have spreadsheets…I mean ancient parchment scrolls…full of new ideas and activities,. We’re already accepting applications from new sponsors and collaborators, and looking to build on the partnerships we already have.
“We’re considering a world-record attempt on a huge scale, and we’re talking to various companies about bringing in pop-up events, such as broomstick training, wand duelling and more.
“With 25 activities this year, it’s bigger than we ever expected, but we plan to go even bigger and better next year. Like a great magic trick though, I don’t want to give away the secrets and spoil it, but be sure to keep an eye on my Wizard Walk of York socials for details.
“To get involved, send me an owl of enquiry via wizardwalkofyork.com, where you can also plan your magical itinerary for this coming weekend. Bring on the magic!”
Hayley Bamford’s Deloris Van Cartier, now hiding as Sister Mary Clarence, centre, in York Musical Theatre Company’s Sister Act, A Divine Musical Comedy. Picture Lucy Baines, Joy Photography
AFTER York Stage Musicals’ York premiere in 2014 and Coronation Street star Sue Cleaver’s Mother Superior and Landi Oshinowo’s Deloris Van Cartier on tour at the Grand Opera House in 2024, Sister Act, A Divine Musical Comedy returns to the city in Kathryn Addison’s hands in 2025.
You can see why companies are making a habit of staging Alan Menken’s Broadway and West End musical spin on Emile Ardolino’s 1992 movie. We know nuns en masse are fun from the film, so full of cheery daftness.
Then add Motown, funk, soul and disco pastiches and even a brief burst of rap by Little Shop Of Horrors’ maestro Menken, lyrics by Glenn Slater and a sassy book by Cheri and Bill Steinkellener, steeped in the original spirit and re-booted with theatrical camp sparkle.
Jack Hooper’s Eddie Souther performing I Could Be That Guy. Picture: Lucy Baines, Joy Photography
It has been the norm for the likes of Alexandra Burke at Leeds Grand Theatre and Cleopatra Rey for York Stage to whoop up the lead role of lounge singer Deloris in the Whoopi Goldberg manner, but the movie part was first offered to Bette Midler.
Step forward Hayley Bamford, and, wham-bam, Bamford still stands out from her fellow wimple wearers, on account of her height, her strut and her soul-filled lung power.
We lose the nods to Richard Roundtree movies, Pam Grier and Shaft, but Addison’s smart production still echoes the American Seventies of Studio 54, Saturday Night Fever and Telly Savalas’s Kojak (although the programme states Act I is set at Christmas 1997 in Philadelphia, New Jersey).
Director Kathryn Addison, right, in rehearsal with Kirsten Griffiths (Mother Superior), right, and Hayley Bamford (Deloris Van Cartier)
Bamford’s Deloris has been placed in protective custody by gun-shy, profusely sweaty cop Eddie Souther (Jack Hooper) after witnessing her cool but cruel mobster lover Curtis Jackson (Zander Fick) commit murder.
She may sing Take Me To Heaven, but Curtis has taken her closer to hell. Now she must flee from the Mafia’s clutches into the safety and sanctity of the Queen Of Angels convent, whose stained glass frames double as the nightclub decor.
Bamford’s irrepressible Deloris kicks the habits into shape, transferring the sisters’ hapless, off-key singing from doleful into soulful and herself into a divine diva. In doing so, she impresses Monsignor O’Hara (Rob Davies); exasperates the earnest Mother Superior (Kirsten Griffiths, whose singing hits the spectacular heights); re-invigorates the rundown neighbourhood’s church services and coffers, and rekindles the flame in Eddie’s schooldays crush.
Philadelphia mobster Curtis Jackson (Zander Fick, second from left) and his hoodlums, Eddie (Jonathan Wells), TJ (James Dickinson), Pablo (Adam Gill) and Joey (Joe Marucci). Picture: Lucy Baines, Joy Photography
Addison directs with an eye to both individual expression and collective impact, bringing an irreverent edge to the comedy and fabulous flair and fun to the choreography, while musical director John Atkin’s11-strong orchestra are as soulful as James Brown’s band The J.B.’s.
Bamford is feisty, lippy, funny and a natural show leader; Hopper’s amusing Eddie pulls at the heart strings; Eve Clark, in her gap year after A-levels, announces her singing talent as Sister Mary Robert; Fick’s Curtis, with his cigarette-card moustache, is a matine-idol villain, and Katie Melia, so “super excited to be playing Sister Mary Patrick”, is exactly that in her scene-stealing role.
Look out too for Sandy Nicholson’s Sister Mary Lazarus, rapping in shades, and the bungling badinage of Curtis’s hoodlums, Joe Marucci’s Joey, James Dickinson’s TJ, Adam Gill’s Pablo and Jonathan Wells’s soon-to-be-deadie Eddie. All’s well that ends up Wells, however, as he has three further cameos, topped by a camp flurry as a drag queen.
Sister Act, A Divine Musical Comedy, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, until Saturday, 7.30pm and 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: limited availability on 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Easingwold singer and workshop leader Jessa Liversidge, left, with her poet sister Andrea Brown
First published on May 16 2025
EASINGWOLD singer, songwriter and community singing workshop champion Jessa Liversidge will perform A Tapestry Of Life today (16/5/2025) as part of Rural Arts’ Mental Health Awareness Week at The Courthouse, Thirsk, at 6.30pm.
Jessa’s 60-minute, one-woman musical performance, inspired by Carole King’s album Tapestry, features such much-loved songs as You’ve Got A Friend, Will You Love Me Tomorrow?, It’s Too Late, So Far Away, I Feel The Earth Move and Natural Woman, interspersed with original songs, rooted in the powerful poetry of Jessa’s sister, Andrea Brown, from her Life, Love, Loss collection.
“With titles such as Unrequited Love, The Girl Who Wasn’t Enough, If Only, Crazy, Sorry and Beautiful Day, these new pieces reflect on life’s big themes of love and friendship and loss, situations and journeys, that every human can identify with and all go through, just as Carole King’s timeless songs on Tapestry do,” says Jessa.
In addition to her debut Courthouse concert, she will be running a Friday Feelgood Singing Sessionearlier in the day, with a discount available if booking for both the workshop and performance at ruralarts.org. Tickets are on sale at ruralarts.org/whats-on/performances/jessa-liversidge/.
Further performances of A Tapestry Of Life will follow in Dundee-born Jessa’s Scottish homeland, at Leslie Town Hall, Fife, on May 31 at 7.30pm (UPDATE on 22/05/2025: CANCELLED) ; Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, on June 15 at 6pm (tickets, tickets.41monkgate.co.uk), and her Husthwaite Village Hall debut on July 18 at 7.30pm (tickets, 07836 721775 or at sheila_mowatt@btinternet.com).
Jessa and Andrea in 1970s’ childhood days in Dundee
In 1971 Carole King released her award-winning album, Tapestry, whose themes of love and friendship are still so relevant more than 50 years later. Thousands of miles away, two sisters were born in Dundee that year.
Jessa moved to Yorkshire at 18, Andrea stayed in Dundee, and although they followed very different pathways, their bond grew stronger as they followed their dreams and went through difficult times, such as losing their parents.
In 2022, Andrea published a first book of poetry, Life, Love, Loss, inspired by her experiences. “I wrote this show during 2024, sparked by my sister’s poetry book,” says Jessa. “As a family, we hadn’t realised she wrote poems until she said she wanted to read at our mother’s funeral, and and then at our father’s too.
“Andrea works as a medical practice manager and wrote the poem Three Sides To Every Story during Covid, written from the doctor’s side, the patient’s side and Reception’s side. She then came up with the idea of a self-challenge to write a poem a day, and a lot of them were quite personal and emotional.”
Jessa “thought it would be lovely to set them to music”. “Andrea wrote about struggles that people go through, and I, as a sister, felt bad that I hadn’t realised it. Her revelations drew us closer,” she says.
The cover artwork for Jessa’s album recording of A Tapestry Of Life
“I’d never really written my own music, so I started writing songs using my looping skills, layering up harmonies, and it felt very therapeutic to work on them.”
A photograph that Jessa found of Andrea and herself in their childhood days reminded her of the cover to Carole King’s Tapestry, and the seed for A Tapestry Of Life was sown. “I’d sung Carole King’s songs through the years but had never focused on the album,” says Jessa. “Almost any of them could have featured in the show, but I picked out nine in the end to go with nine of my compositions.
“Hopefully I’ve created a journey through the show that’s not seamless but certainly is a journey, and I talk a little between songs about the stories behind them. Like Ripples In The Water, which reflects on four of us going our different ways but having strong roots that hold us together, and not realising how lucky we were as children but appreciating how close we are as adults, having gone through so much separately.”
Jessa first pieced together A Tapestry Of Life for a performance at the Durham Fringe last year. “It was a chance to try out material, as well as play Carole King songs, and I got good feedback from that, so it was a really positive experience and a very emotional one too, because people remembered when they first heard Carole’s songs; the feelings that the songs triggered in them.
“It was the same with Andrea’s poems set to music, with people identifying with those experiences. The way I perform it, just me and the piano, and the style I perform the show in, a heartfelt style where I just tell the story with my voice, and just a little piano assistance underneath, means the audience can really feel the emotions.”
“People have said the music has helped them connect with Andrea’s poetry,” says Jessa Liversidge
Creating the song settings of Andrea’s poetry came naturally to Jessa. “I struggle to call some of them songs as it’s me singing the poems, but some have more layers of harmonies; on others, it’s me playing one or two chords, almost improvising as I go along.
“Hopefully the music complements the poems and it’s more than just me reciting them. People have said the music has helped them connect with the poetry.”
The choice of intimate performance spaces has a further benefit. “Performing in a small space makes people think more about the possible meaning behind Carole King’s lyrics too,” says Jessa.
She has made an album version of A Tapestry Of Life, recorded live over a day at Beck View Studios in Scarborough, where she was joined by Malcolm Maddock, who played the piano parts on Carole King’s songs. The album is available at Jessa’s concerts, as well as on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music.
As well as performing, Jessa spends her week leading choirs, singing groups and workshops, as well as one-to-one singing teaching. Her regular groups include York Military Wives Choir, Easingwold Community Singers, children’s choir Wigginton Singstars and her dementia-friendly group Singing For All.
Jessa Liversidge’s poster artwork for A Tapestry Of Life, her show combining Carole King songs from Tapestry with Jessa’s musical settings of her sister Andrea’s poetry
As a certified vocal health first aider, Jessa knows how to bring the best out of voices safely and will happily share plenty of healthy voice tips through her singing sessions.
Today’s (16/5/2025) workshop participants will take part in useful vocal warm-ups, then work with Jessa on songs linked to the A Tapestry Of Life show, both King and Liversidge compositions.
There is no need to be able to read music; all parts will be taught by ear and the songs will be tailored to whoever takes part. Jessa is known for her encouraging and positive leading style and is experienced at bringing diverse groups of people together to sing, so the workshop will be suitable for all abilities and levels of experience. Younger singers will be welcomed if accompanied by an adult, who would be responsible for them at all times.
Workshop singers will be able to take a break at teatime, then return in the evening to enjoy the show, with an opportunity for those who wish to perform the songs they have learned in the afternoon as part of the performance.
More information on Jessa and her singing leadership can be found at jessaliversidge.com or JessaLiversidgeSinger on Facebook.
Paul Chowdhry in the poster artwork for Englandia, on tour at York Barbican tomorrow
PAUL Chowdhry, Britain’s most successful British Indian stand-up comedian, brings his Englandia tour to York Barbican tomorrow night.
Now extended to 41 dates between March 3 and September 25, this tour is the London-born Punjabi Sikh humorist, actor and podcaster’s biggest ever itinerary in a career stretching back to 1998, with such highlights as hosting Channel 4’s Stand Up For The Week and being the first British act to perform at the Caribbean Comedy Festival in Trinidad in 2003.
Englandia, his follow-up to his 20121-2023’s Family-Friendly Comedian tour, returns him to the road “after more than a quarter of a century and half my life on comedy stages”.
Why pick comedy for a living, Paul? “The term ‘certified mad’ would be politically incorrect, but I think people realise that being a comic and being confronted by a room full of strangers, there has to be a chemical reaction in the brain, an imbalance, to make you want to do it!” he says.
Now 50, his stand-up career has taken such experiences as performing to music audiences at festivals such as Glastonbury and Latitude and the “weird environment” of playing in nightclubs where the stage is a sofa or chair at 1am in the morning. “I’ve come through the trenches,” says Paul.
Englandia, a conflation of England and India, addresses his experiences as a British Asian. “In the show, I talk about the cultural clashes I’ve experienced between the two cultures, and what I’ve lived through,” says Paul.
“I’ve come through the trenches,” says Paul Chowdhry of his rise through the comedy world
“I’m British, born in London in 1974 [August 21 to be precise] after my family emigrated to England in the 1960s, when my dad came to Southampton on his own, with his brothers and sisters joining him later,” says Paul.
“He was in his early 30s at the time; a very different time. You look back to what people went through, with Enoch Powell’s ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech. It wasn’t unlike that in the Seventies too, growing up against a backdrop of racial tension, though times have changed.”
Englandia looks back to that history and at the impact of social media platforms today. “All that toxicity, all that right-wing outpouring, on what was formerly known as Twitter; if I was young, I’d be influenced by it.
“Language has changed a lot since the Seventies, but if you look at what is happening now, it reminds me of then.”
Paul contrasts the impact of comedians with politicians or social media influencers. “First and foremost I am a comic, so first and foremost what I say should be taken as a joke, but in parliament or a place of power, Nigel Farage and Andrew Tate are not comedians. That’s not a platform for comedy,” he says.
“Comedy is essentially linguistics, the use of language and twists and turns, but when Boris Johnson cracks a joke, it’s not a joke. Those people are politicians, not jokers. They are a person of influence, as I am, but I’m not making political points. I’m a comedian and I definitely shouldn’t be a politician – they say politics is showbusiness for narcissists!”
“Comedy is a more endangered artform now that you barely see on TV,” says Paul Chowdhry, standing up for stand-up comedy
Paul may be playing his biggest tour yet, but he notes: “Though I’m in a fortunate position of selling tickets, [stand-up] comedy is a more endangered artform now that you barely see on TV. Entertainment has changed and the way we consume media has changed, especially how we consume information online.”
Paul has appeared in the international TV series Devils and on Taskmaster; his social media videos have chalked up millions of views, and he hosts The Paul Chowdhry PudCast podcast, interviewing celebrities on life’s turning points, but live comedy still tops his bill.
“I can’t believe the number of people who come out to the shows. Comedy is a risk; audiences never know what to expect,” he says.
True, but Paul draws the crowds home and abroad. “I took the last tour to Canada and the USA. It costs you £10,000 for an AE visa,” he says. “That’s Alien of Extraordinary Ability.
“I’ve still got a little time left on my visa, so I can go back – if he [President Trump] doesn’t change the rules!”
Paul Chowdhry, Englandia, York Barbican, tomorrow (23/5/2025), 7.30pm. Tickets update: still available at yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Mikron Theatre Company actor-musicians Catherine Warnock, left, Georgina Liley, James McLean and Robert Took in Harvey Badger’s debut play Operation Beach Hut. Picture: Robling Photography
First published on May 17 2025
MIKRON Theatre Company will tour to 138 venues by van and narrowboat in 2025, none more outdoor than Scarcroft Allotments, their regular fertile ground for quirky comedy, song and enlightenment in York.
The travelling players from the Pennine village of Marsden, West Yorkshire, are on the canal, river and road for a 53rd year from April 4 to October 18 with the world premiere of Mikron acting alumnus Harvey Badger’s debut play, Operation Beach Hut, setting up base camp amid the Scarcroft Road flowers and vegetable plots on Sunday afternoon.
As is their custom on their pop-up theatre travels to halls, community centres, pubs and village greens , Mikron will pop back to York in the autumn to present a second world premiere, Hush Hush!, wherein Lucie Raine infiltrates the clandestine world of wartime code-breaking to expose the vital contributions of the unsung heroes of Bletchley Park, whose ingenuity and unwavering resolve helped secure victory. More on that world of secrets, cyphers and song later.
First, let’s dig into Operation Beach Hut at the allotments. Badger’s musical will whisk Sunday’s inland audience off to the golden sands of Fiddling-On-Sea for the annual Best Beach Hut competition when stressed-out city dweller Holly seeks solace by the sea.
As the competition draws closer, the history of the seaside floats to the surface, washing up a host of characters and stories from centuries gone by, delivered by Marianne McNamara’s quartet of actor-musicians: Georgina Liley, Robert Took, Catherine Warnock and familiar face James McLean.
Soon Holly realises far more is at stake than merely a prize for best beach hut in a play that combines Mikron’s signature bright and brisk storytelling with original songs (composed by musical director Amal El-Sawad with lyrics by Badger).
Guaranteeing you will have a “whale of a time” in Badger’s slice of seaside nostalgia, Marianne says: “This production is a celebration of British seaside culture, filled with heart-warming stories, catchy tunes and plenty of laughter. We’re excited that we have integrated audio description at every performance too.”
Harvey Badger is delighted to be making his Mikron bow as a playwright after touring on board Mikron’s narrowboat Tyseley as part of the cast for the 2023 productions of Poppy Hollman’s Twitchers and Amanda Whittington’s A Force To Be Reckoned With.
“I was at the opening night, packed out with Mikronites in Marsden, and it’s been lovely to hear how well the play’s going down,” he says.
“This is my first experience of opening a play where I’ve been the one working on it and then handing it over to the director and actors. That was a lovely moment.”
Harvey had studied on the actor musicianship course at Rose Bruford College, in London.“They really push you to try our your own work there,” he recalls. “I wrote music, did little play projects, bits and bobs, nothing that you would call professional, but enjoyable to do.
“Then while I was on tour in 2023, Mikron did a call-out for new writers, and I felt I had the gist of what they’d be looking for. I submitted an initial application with an idea for a potential show and a sample of the first ten pages – and it’s pretty much ended up as that play!”
His submission involved two rounds: those opening pages to show his writing style, the patter between characters, the dialogue. “But I still had to show I could handle three acts. So the second round was more of the structural side, showing how I would develop the character arcs,” says Harvey.
Mikron has a structured way of commissioning plays, where the first two months are given over to research. “I knew the play was always going to be about an out-of-towner, from London, but I’m from Brighton originally, which is where the drive to write this play came from,” says Harvey.
“Having lived in London for eight years now, it’s been lovely to revisit Brighton – I’m getting married this year and we went to The Lanes in Brighton to get our rings.
“My parents now live in St Leonards on Sea, my grandparents live In Brighton, and I think the love of the sea is embedded in all of us because we’re a small island, where the sounds of the sea and our beaches are inherently part of our culture. It’s a big part of who we are.
“I grew up on the sea front, looking out of the window, seeing the sea every day, so I find a big sense of calm standing by the sea, feeling very grounded there.”
Harvey decided it would be important in Operation Beach Hut to represent both those who live all year round by the sea and those who visit. “They are two different communities, and I’m aware of the gentrification of some places that has led almost to ghost towns being created, when people only come for three months of the year when the weather’s good.
“I wanted to show the difficulties but also that if the two communities could support each other, they can create the magic that these places can be. There are no perfect answers, and I don’t think plays are meant to provide answers but to ask lots of questions.”
Mikron Theatre Company in Operation Beach Hut, Scarcroft Allotments, Scarcroft Road, York, Sunday (18/5/2025), 2pm to 4pm. No tickets required; a pay-what–you-feel collection will be taken post-show.
Nikita Kuzmin in his debut solo dance spectacular, Midnight Dancer, on tour at the Grand Opera House, York
First published on May 15 2025
STRICTLY Come Dancing’s Ukrainian star dancer and choreographer Nikita Kuzmin leaps into the Grand Opera House, York, on May 20 in Midnight Dancer, his debut British and Irish solo tour.
The Kyiv-born holder of six Italian Championship Latin and Ballroom titles invites you to “a fairytale ball like no other and a night full of music, sequins and world-class dancing” in the company of fellow dancers Sophie Baker, Thomas Charles, Lowri Hamilton, Samuel Lake, Charlotte Lee, Zara Liu, Seamus Mcintosh, Daniel Rae and Andreea Toma.
Joining 27-year-old Kuzmin too will be singer Rebecca Lisewski, who has appeared in Mamma Mia! and Cabaret in the West End and the UK tour of The Spongebob Musical.
Follow the highs and lows of a classic romance story as two star-crossed lovers meet only to be torn apart. Will they reunite at the masked ball or will real life put an end to their fairytale fantasy?
Presenting 2024 Celebrity Big Brother runner-up Kuzmin “like you’ve never seen him before”, Midnight Dancer promises a modern-day Cinderella story with “all of your favourite dancefloor anthems, dazzling costumes and explosive dancing”.
“Whenever I create my shows, I want them to be different, so every detail matters about the narrative,” says Nikita. “I need a narrative, as a dancer, as a creative person, otherwise I don’t see the point if they don’t have a story.
“When I see other shows without a narrative, I feel they get lost. A show can only resonate with me if it has meaning.”
Explaining the roots of his debut solo show, Nikita says: “It was always quite clear to me, I knew where I wanted to go with it, after many years of prepping it, making the show with creative director Tom Jackson Greaves, who I’m working with for the first time.
Nikita Kuzmin in the poster artwork for Midnight Dancer, heading for York on May 20
“We started at the beginning of last year’s Strictly season, and I’ve spent every single day for the last eight months working on it. It’s been a lot of work.”
In putting the show together, “being in my position, you do have the final say, but I do like to listen to other opinions, and we chose what we’re doing as a collective of me, the [creative] director and the company – though I always have quite a say!” says Nikita.
When picking the company of dancers, “I look for characters; I look for different movement, distinguishing one from the other; I look for the sparkle in the eye; the intensity inside the body,” he says.
“It needs technique but I love individuality and to see people move in a way that I wouldn’t necessarily do. To find people who embrace that quality, it’s fantastic.
“I think my job and Tom’s job is to ask ‘when do we want to see the individual, when do we want to see the collective?’, and it should be like ocean waves that have their individual course but are also collective – and I think we’ve done a pretty good job of doing that.”
The tour opened on March 8 in Bromley. “It’s gone so much better than I expected. It’s a dream come true,” says Nikita. “I think it’s surprising the audience in how we’ve created something that is very different from other Strictly [off-shoot] shows, by not following the usual course but by going our own way and exploring feelings in a deep way, like a movie that starts well, then goes badly and then all is well again at the end.”
Selecting one word to describe Midnight Dancer, Nikita chooses “drama”. “That’s my favourite word,” he says. “It’s a very dramatic show, but you know what, I love how deep, how fast paced, it is,” he says of a show with 53 songs and 120 costumes.
Nikita Kuzmin in Midnight Dancer, “a classic romance story where two star-crossed lovers meet only to be torn apart”
“The most important thing is to have fun. I think audiences are in for the best night ever. If not, let’s make them feel better, with plenty of banter from me as well. I always try my best.
“I think we’ve done the show in such a way that it’s very clear when we’re doing the story and when we’re breaking off from that to have a chat, and I’m really proud of that.”
Nikita’s own performance draws on “a combination of things”. “I have a certain character on Strictly, and I do play to that, but I also like to be honest on stage. I’ll discuss my feelings in a very honest way, being funny or talking of sometimes feeling a bit scared performing on my own,” he says.
“Being honest makes the audience feel we’re all together in this show because I can be honest with them, they can be honest with me.”
Midnight Dancer will be on the road until May 24. Looking ahead, Nikita’s return is confirmed already for his fifth season as a Strictly professional. “I’m so excited. I can’t wait. You never know how it will go,” he says.
“I would say the year I reached the final [with Layton Williams in 2023] was my favourite, but I would take every year I’ve done it because I love to be partnered with different personalities. You always try to make sure they have the best time ever and enjoy every bit of it.”
Before then, “I’m looking to have a little vacation, a little break, before Strictly,” says Nikita. “Exciting projects” are in the pipeline too. Watch this space.
Nikita Kuzmin in Midnight Dancer, Grand Opera House, York, May 20, 7.30pm. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Hayley Bamford in rehearsal for the lead role of Deloris Van Cartier in York Musical Theatre Company’s Sister Act The Musical
First published on May 15 2025
YORK Musical Theatre Company will perform Sister Act The Musical at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, next Wednesday (21/5/2025) to Saturday under the direction of Kathryn Addison with Hayley Bamford in the sassy role of “novice nun” Deloris Van Cartier.
As you will recall from Emile Ardolino’s 1992 film, the story is centred on club singer Deloris, who witnesses her partner, nightclub owner Curtis Jackson (Zander Fick), commit murder, forcing the police to hide her in a convent where she meets the Mother Superior (Kirstin Grififths) and an ensemble of 22 nuns. Cue multiple upbeat numbers as friendships grow and the convent is saved from financial ruin. Hallelujah!
“The company chose this show, and they did ask me for my thoughts,” says Kathryn of Alan Menken’s musical with its 1970s-inspired score. “I think it’s a super piece of theatre that’s even better than the film. It’s ideal for this company. It has everything in it you want in a musical.
“There’s a real depth to it, beyond the music, with real emotion to Deloris’s story, but it’s also fun and the music is fabulous. The voices are phenomenal. It has a beautiful original score for a show that needs the right style vocally and physically to retain the essence of the movie’s jukebox musical hits.”
Deloris Von Cartier will forever be associated with Whoopi Goldberg’s tour-de-force movie performance and was played by Cleopatra girl group singer, I’d Do Anything finalist and West End musical actress Cleopatra Rey in York Stage Musicals’ York premiere at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre: a September 2014 production on which Kathryn worked.
Sister Act The Musical director Kathryn Addison
Explaining her choice of Hayley for the role, she says: “Hayley never stops. From the moment she rocks up, it’s an absolute powerhouse performance.
“We had some amazing auditions for the part, and they all really delivered. I had no preconceived ideas about who should play Deloris, but I needed a special spark and that’s what Hayley brought to the room. That energy.
“It’s an instinct. You can’t necessarily say what it is, but there’s a combination of things that strike you. It’s about having the right style and being able to adapt to the demands of this part, understand what you have to do, and Hayley has done that.”
Singer, children’s party entertainer and Hay Jays Disco boss Hayley has long contemplated auditioning for Deloris. “I saw that production at the Opera House, and had considered doing the show with Ripon Operatic Society,” she says. “I thought, ‘I’d love to audition for it’, but the timing wasn’t right, but now it’s come about naturally for me to do it in York, as if it was meant to be.”
Hayley auditioned last autumn and began singing rehearsals in January, followed by floor rehearsals since March. “It’s been such good fun to do,” she says. “It’s a dream come true. I’ve toyed with it for some time now, because I’ve had it in my mind that Deloris is played by a very famous black actress [Whoopi Goldberg].
Hayley Bamford, front, centre, with fellow cast members for York Musical Theatre Company’s production of Sister Act The Musical
“But when John [musical director John Atkin] said it wasn’t written specifically for a black actress, but was first offered to Bette Midler, then I could see Deloris as just a club singer where you have to put your own take on it.
“Deloris is a woman with dreams, and she has her ups and downs as we all do, but it’s what she learns from her experience that’s important.”
Hayley has loved the challenge of playing Hayley. “I played Morticia in The Addams Family a few years ago, but it wasn’t as big a role as this. It’s been good for my brain. Teaching myself things again. Like Deloris, we all have dreams to fulfil to work in theatre.
“Luckily my voice is naturally quite a low voice, the Whoopi Goldberg level, so I can do the American voice like that, but I think I’m camper than Whoopi – and you don’t want to be a copycat.”
Kathryn concludes: “What Hayley is very good at is being able to use her physicality in scenes, and it’s very definitely not like Whoopi! It’s Hayley’s interpretation; we get the whole character because she gets the movement right. Hayley is tall with long limbs and that brings individuality to her performance.”
York Musical Theatre Company in Sister Act The Musical, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, May 21 to 24, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Hayley Bamford in rehearsal for her lead role as Deloris Van Cartier in York Musical Theatre Company’s production of Sister Act The Musical
FROM Holmes & Watson to Wright & Grainger, a play told two contrasting ways to funny nun business, Charles Hutchinson fills diaries for arty times ahead.
Nun better musical of the week: York Musical Theatre Company in Sister Act The Musical, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, tonight to Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
KATHRYN Addison directs York Musical Theatre Company in Alan Menken’s American musical with Hayley Bamford in the sassy role of “novice nun” Deloris Van Cartier.
When club singer Deloris witnesses nightclub owner Curtis Jackson (Zander Fick), commit murder, the police hide her in a convent, where she meets the Mother Superior (Kirstin Grififths) and an ensemble of 22 nuns. Cue multiple upbeat numbers as friendships grow and the convent is saved from financial ruin. Hallelujah! Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Improv show of the week: Unwritten, The Literary Improv Show, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb Road, Acomb, York, tomorrow, doors 7.30pm, show 8.30pm
EVER wondered what Whose Line Is It Anyway? would be like with a literary twist? The Bluffs take classic short-form improv games, then infuse them with storytelling flair. Every show is unique, shaped by audience suggestions and spontaneous creativity. An evening of humour, surprises and plot twists awaits. Box office: bluebirdbakery.co.uk/rise.
Dominic Goodwin, left, and Thomas Frere in Clap Trap Theatre’s Switcheroo, the play told as comedy and then seriously seriously
Role-swapping play of the week: Clap Trap Theatre in Switcheroo, York Theatre Royal Studio, tomorrow to Saturday, 7.45pm and 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Post-show discussion, Friday. Also Helmsley Arts Centre, May 31, 7.30pm
TOM Needham’s play Switcheroo is based on the simple premise that “it’s not what you say, it’s the way that you say it”. Presented by Ryedale company Clap Trap Theatre, the story follows three siblings who, when it comes to scattering their mother’s ashes, are hit with a bombshell revelation that turns their world upside down.
The first act is a full-blown, larger-than-life comedy, whereupon the actors swap characters to repeat it as a serious drama. Paul Birch directs a cast of Thomas Frere (Alex/Sam), Clap Trap co-founder Cal Stockbridge (Sam/Pat) and Dominic Goodwin (Pat/Alex). Box office: York, 01904 623568 or yorktheratreroyal.co.uk; Helmsley, 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
The poster artwork for ACT’s production of Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty at Helmsley Arts Centre
Ryedale play of the week: ACT in Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty, Helmsley Arts Centre, tomorrow, 7pm
SHERLOCK Holmes and Dr Watson are back on the case as ACT (Ampleforth College Theatre) presents Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty, an investigation into the Bohemian king’s stolen letters that cascades into an international mystery filled with spies, blackmail and intrigue.
Faced with world peace at stake, Holmes and Watson join forces with American actress Irene Adler to take down cunning criminal mastermind Professor Moriarty and his network of devious henchmen. Box office: Helmsley, 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Paul Chowdhry: Heading for York Barbican with his Englandia show
Comedy gig of the week: Paul Chowdhry, Englandia, York Barbican, Friday, 7.30pm
PAUL Chowdhry, the most successful British Indian stand-up comedian in British history, heads to York on his 41-date itinerary. “After more than a quarter of a century and half my life on comedy stages, it’s time for my biggest tour ever,” says The Paul Chowdhry PudCast podcaster.
“I hope to see you there. If not, I’ll be in massive debt and doing benefit gigs for the foreseeable future.” To help Chowdhry avoid that scenario, book tickets at yorkbarbican.co.uk.
The Dunwells: Returning to Pocklington on Friday
The boys done well: The Dunwells, All Saints Church, Pocklington, Friday, 7.30pm
LEEDS duo The Dunwells continue their working relationship with Hurricane Promotions’ James Duffy, who has promoted brothers Joe and David’s indie-folk/Americana band across Yorkshire, not least at the market town’s Platform Festival and Pocklington Arts Centre, where he worked for many years. Box office: thedunwells.com.
Alexander Flanagan Wright in Wright & Grainger’s Helios at Helmsley Arts Centre
Storytelling show of the week: Wright & Grainger present Helios, Helmsley Arts Centre, Friday, 7.30pm
A LAD lives halfway up an historic hill. A teenager is on a road trip to the city in a stolen car. A boy is driving a chariot, pulling the sun across the sky. Welcome to Wright & Grainger’s story of the son of the god of the sun that transplants the Ancient Greek tale into a modern-day myth wound around the winding roads of rural England and into the everyday living of a towering city.
“It’s a story about life, the invisible monuments we build into it, and the little things that leave big marks,” say friends since Easingwold schooldays Alexander Flanagan Wright and Phil Grainger. “Join us in a little room with a tape player and a delicate tale to tell.” Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Jed Potts: Playing with The Hillman Hunters at the Milton Rooms, Malton
Blues gig of the week: Ryedale Blues Club presents Jed Potts & The Hillman Hunters, Milton Rooms, Malton, May 29,
EDINBURGH guitarist and vocalist Jed Potts fronts Jed Potts & The Hillman Hunters and Under-Volt and also plays with The Katet, The Blueswater, Nicole Smit and occasionally with American blues artist Brandon Santini too. This time he has The Hillman Hunters for company.
Potts first picked up a guitar at nine and performed his first gig at 16.”Blues is my musical first language and it infuses everything I play,” he says. “Even when I’m playing with The Katet or Thunkfish, the blues is always there. I don’t think I could hide it even if I wanted to.” Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Tucking in: Becky Heslop’s Molly and Charlie Blanshard’s Joe with George Green’s Mum in Next Door But One’s How To Be A Kid. All pictures: James Drury
First published on May 16 2025
YORK community arts collective Next Door But One has been touring How To Be A Kid to primary schools and Out Of Character at York St John University this week, bookended by public performances at York Explore and Friargate Theatre.
CharlesHutchPress was among the audience of adults and children at the first of two shows in the Marriott Room, a regular, wood-panelled location at York Explore for NDB1’s work.
Sarah McDonald-Hughes’s hour-long play for seven to 11-year-olds and their grown-ups has its roots in a Paines Plough premiere in London, but as ever with NDB1, associate director Kate Veysey’s production has been informed, indeed influenced and rubber-stamped by working with communities with lived experience of the subject. In this case, young carers, young people in care and the Out Of Character theatre group, whose members have experience of mental health issues.
Hence NDB1 has teamed up with Our Time Charity to raise awareness of mental health, young carers and those in care. A play can go only so far. Our Time Charity can go further.
Becky Heslop’s Molly and George Green’s Taylor in How To Be A Kid
McDonald-Hughes’s story of family, friends and fitting in certainly plays its part in highlighting the work of a group that often goes unspoken, maybe even unknown: young carers. Young carers such as Molly (played by Becky Heslop).
She is 12 years old; her dinosaur-fixated dreamer of a kid brother, Joe (Charlie Blanshard), is six. When, spoiler alert, Nan (George Green) dies, Mum (Green again) is so grief stricken, she becomes house-bound, even bed-bound.
Molly must cook, do the dishes, make sure Joe brushes his teeth, get him ready for school, find time for homework and look after Mum. How can she still be a child under such duress?
At one point, Joe is packed off to live with his dad; Molly, meanwhile, is placed in a care home for six weeks, where she befriends Taylor, soon her bestie with a mutual love of dancing.
Charlie Blanshard’s Joe lets out a dinosaur roar in How To Be A Kid
Scenes are short, likewise sentences are snappy, to make revelations even more startling. Character changes are no less swift, with the impressively diverse George Green being the quintessence of multi-role-playing: at the last count, nine! Namely, Taylor/Abby/Mum/Nan/bus driver/social worker Michelle/teacher Miss Johnson/monosyllabic McDonalds worker/swimming pool cleaner. Everything’s gone Green, to borrow a 1981 New Order song title.
And yes, you read that right: swimming pool cleaner. Under Kate Veysey’s direction, How To Be A Kid enters a world of magic realism where Molly is at the wheel of a car, Joe beside her, in his dinosaur top, as they head off to the baths, closed at night to the public, yet magically open to them.
Veysey, whether working with Youth Theatre Royal Youth Theatre or now with NDB1 and Out Of Character, has a way of making theatre work for young and older alike, and here she elicits delightful performances from the chameleon Green, Heslop’s resourceful Molly and Blanshard’s ever-imaginative Joe, as full of wonder and humour as pathos and bewilderment.
Why should we see How To Be A Kid, CharlesHutchPress asked the cast. “Because it’s a beautifully epic, hilarious adventure rooted in reality,” said Blanshard.
“It’s fun, it’s honest and it’s playful,” says How To Be A Kid actress Becky Heslop
“It’s fun, it’s honest and it’s playful. They are the three words to describe it – and there’s lots of cake and dinosaurs and dancing,” said Heslop. “It turns a light on grief, mental health and carers in a positive way.“
“I think it’s fun that means something, an hour of escapism, where you learn something, but not in a preachy way,” said Green.
Your reviewer couldn’t have put it better, so take their word for it. How To Be A Kid is child’s play with a serious message, one that states how everything can be changed by communication. In this case by talking with mum, not staying mum.
Make that two messages, because McDonald-Hughes places great store in the power of imagination and creativity in pursuit of joy and hope. In a nutshell, the tools of theatre.
