Dales Lambs, by Askrigg artist Piers Browne, at Pyramid Gallery, York
WENSLEYDALE artist
Piers Browne bathes his travel-inspired exhibition of paintings and etchings in
Full Sunlight at Pyramid Gallery, Stonegate, York.
Piers has put together a show that celebrates the bright light of Morocco, the South of France and the Italian Lakes, alongside landscapes in the Yorkshire Dales, where his home studio overlooks Askrigg.
“This rather special exhibition of
small spontaneous acrylics and watercolour crayon works is the result of happy, more frivolous days
abroad in sunshine,” says gallery owner Terry Brett. “The flow of inspiration
to paper is easy and the results are fresh and uncomplicated.
Peaceful Moment In The Sun, by Helen Martino
“Piers had great success with the
show Call Of Celtic Seas in Highgate, North London, this January and
regularly shows at the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition. He now finds
the painting of large canvasses to meet his high expectations more effort than
ever before. In contrast, creating the Full Sunlight collection has been a
pleasure for him.”
Piers, who has
exhibited at Pyramid Gallery for 25 years, is joined in the Full Sunlight show
by Holtby potter Hannah Arnup, Cambridge figurative sculptress Helen Martino
and Stroud glassmaker Fiaz Elson.
Hannah Arnup has been
making a new collection of sgrafitto decorated bowls and tripod vessels at her
studio in Ballimorris, County Clare, southern Ireland, and at the late Mick and
Sally Arnup’s former studio at Holtby, near York.
One of Hannah Arnup’s studio ceramics in her latest collection of tripod vessels and plates depicting the Yorkshire Wolds and gothic windows at Pyramid Gallery
Inherited by Hannah,
the Holtby studio has been re-opened to provide studio space for a group of
artists.
Terry Brett views Full
Sunlight as a “new start” to the gallery year after several challenges to
trading in York.
“Although we had our
best Christmas season in 38 years, there have been several challenges to the
first two months of the year,” he says.
Pyramid Gallery owner Terry Brett holds one of Piers Browne’s Full Sunlight works as he stands on the newly repaved Stonegate
“I think shoppers took
a break between New Year and Brexit [January 31], and then we had Stonegate being
completely repaved, along with severe storms, floods and the effects of
Coronavirus, which has affected tourism.
“Thankfully City of
York engineers and the contractors really worked hard and finished repaving our
end of the street four weeks ahead of schedule. I’m very grateful for their
efforts and very pleased with the result. Stonegate looks amazing now and the
slabs will be less likely to crack under the weight of delivery vehicles.”
Full Sunlight runs until April 26, open 10am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday, and 11am to 4.30pm on Sundays, including over Easter. More images of the work on display can be found at pyramidgallery.com.
Heather Agyepong as Sephy in Pilot Theatre’s Noughts & Crosses at York Theatre Royal last April . Picture: Robert Day
YORK company Pilot Theatre will revive
their award-winning 2019 production of Noughts & Crosses for an autumn tour.
This announcement comes amid the blaze
of publicity for BBC One’s six-part adaptation of Malorie Blackman’s young
adult novel, filmed in South Africa, that began earlier this week.
Sabrina Mahfouz’s stage version of a modern-day
Romeo & Juliet tale of first love in a dangerous fictional dystopia will
be directed once more by Pilot artistic director Esther Richardson, whose
co-production of Crongton Knights played York Theatre Royal from February 25 to
29 on Pilot’s latest tour.
“We’re delighted that this show, which
was nominated for best show for children and young people at UK Theatre Awards,
is returning later this year,” says Esther. “It’s wonderful that even more
young people can experience this production and that Pilot will be able to tour
to areas of England that we haven’t visited, thanks to the support of Arts
Council England.”
Class act: more than school friends Sephy (Heather Agyepong) and Callum (Billy Harris) in Noughts And Crosses last year.
Noughts & Crosses will open at the
York theatre in a September 11 to 19 run before embarking on a national tour
until late-November.
Told from the perspectives of two
teenagers, Sephy and Callum, Blackman’s love story set in a volatile,
racially segregated society, where black (the Crosses) rules over white (the
Noughts), as she explores the powerful themes of love, revolution and what
it means to grow up in a divided world.
Sabrina Mahfouz’s adaptation for
teenagers is based on Blackman’s first book in the Noughts & Crosses series
for young adults, winner of the Red House Children’s Book Award and the
Fantastic Fiction Award, among other accolades.
Noughts & Crosses was produced
by Pilot Theatre, York Theatre Royal, Derby Theatre, Belgrade Theatre Coventry,
and the Mercury Theatre, Colchester, as the first show in a new partnership to
develop theatre for younger audiences. This is the consortium behind the
aforementioned tour of Emteaz Hussain’s
adaptation of Alex Wheatle’s Crongton Knights.
Pilot Theatre artistic director Esther Richardson
Last year, Noughts & Crosses won
the Excellence in Touring award at the UK
Theatre Awards, when also nominated for Best Show for Children and Young
People.
As with Crongton Knights, schools
workshops and outreach projects, along with free digital learning resources,
will be available alongside the autumn production of Noughts & Crosses
Casting will be announced in the coming
months. Tickets for the York run are on sale on 01904 623568, at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk
or in person from the Theatre Royal box office.
Here is a precis of Charles Hutchinson’s review of Pilot Theatre’s Noughts & Crosses at York Theatre Royal, printed in The Press, York, in April 2019.
“ESTHER Richardson proposed Noughts & Crosses when pitching for Pilot’s artistic directorship after Marcus Romer headed south, and her passion for Malorie Blackman’s twist on a Romeo & Juliet story is writ large in her telling of Sabrina Mahfouz’s electrifying adaptation.
Heather Agyepong’s Sephy in Noughts & Crosses last year
“In Blackman’s Britain, Noughts are the
white underlings; no orange juice; milk only on Fridays; no mobile phones;
second-rate secondary education. Crosses are the black ruling class; apartheid
divisions turned on their head.
“Never the twain shall meet on equal terms, except that Nought
Callum (Billy Harris), 15, and Cross Sephy (Heather Agyepong), 14, have been
friends throughout childhood, meeting secretly on her family’s private beach.
Sephy’s father, Kamal Hadley (Chris Jack), is the Home
Secretary; Callum’s mum, Meggie (Lisa Howard), is the Hadley family’s
housekeeper. When Callum is one of three Nought teens granted a place at
Sephy’s Crosses-only school, how will it affect their relationship?
“Blackman depicts a fractious, tinderbox world: Sephy’s mum
Jasmine (Doreene Blackstock) is an alcoholic, neglected by her preoccupied
husband; Callum’s dad Ryan (Daniel Copeland) and brother Jude (Jack Condon) are
Liberation Militia freedom fighters. Callum’s sister, so damaged in an assault,
has curled up in a ball ever since.
Pilot Theatre cast members in a scene in Noughts & Crosses
“As with Pilot’s first hit, Lord Of The Flies, our ability to
destroy rather than create bonds, to repeatedly take the wrong turn, lies at
the heart of Blackman’s damning, bleak vision that haunts us still more in
intolerant Brexit Britain.
“Sephy and Callum express a wish for a better world, one where
we rub along with each other, but this is a rotten Britain of death sentences,
an intransigent Home Secretary, thwarted love across the divide.
“Given the bold imagination of Blackman’s novel for young adults with its heroine figure of a bright black teenage girl, you might wish she had come up with a similarly bold answer to so many ultimately familiar woes.
“Alas not, but this is nevertheless a superb production with good performances all round, plenty of punch in the direction, and high-quality set, lighting, sound, music and video design.”
Lionel Richie: headlining York Festival’s Sunday line-up
MACY Gray and Lighthouse Family are big-name new additions to the bill for Lionel Richie’s closing night at this summer’s inaugural York Festival.
Grammy Award winner Gray, from Canton, Ohio, and Newcastle pop-soul duo Tunde Baiyewu and Paul Tucker will perform at the three-day event at York Sports Club, Clifton Park, Shipton Road, on June 21.
This is more good
news for festival promoters Cuffe and Taylor after the City of York Council
thumbs-up for a licence, albeit with the proviso that the volume must be turned
down.
York Festival will run from June 19 to 21, with Camden Town nutty boys Madness headlining on the first night and Irish matured boy band Westlife on the Saturday, before American soul legend Lionel Richie says Hello on the Sunday.
Macy Gray: Sunday new addition
Macy Gray made her
breakthrough in 1999 with the single I Try and the seven million-selling debut
album On How Life Is, her American R&B and soul song-writing inspired
principally by Billie Holiday.
Over the next two
decades, Gray released ten studio albums, the latest being 2018’s Ruby, as well
as featuring on songs with Dolly Parton and Ariana Grande and appearing in films
and on TV shows.
Lighthouse Family singer
Baiyewu and keyboardist Tucker released their first single, Lifted, in
1995, en route to selling ten million albums and charting with the singles High
and Ocean Drive.
Six-times platinum debut album Ocean Drive was followed by Top Ten albums Postcards From Heaven and Whatever Gets You Through The Day. After an 18-year hiatus, the duo reunited last year to record Blue Sky In Your Head, their fourth studio set.
Lighthouse Family: reunited
York Festival director Peter Taylor says: “We’re delighted to add
both Macy Gray and Lighthouse Family to our debut line-up. Together with the
global icon that is Lionel Richie, this is going to be an amazing and
unforgettable night.”
Opening-night headliners Madness will be joined by Ian Broudie’s Lightning Seeds, Craig Charles, for a Funk and Soul Club DJ set, Leeds indie rockers Apollo Junction and York band Violet Contours.
Westlife’s Saturday line-up features All Saints, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Scouting For Girls and Take That’s Howard Donald for a DJ set.
For more information and tickets, go to york-festival.com.
Courtney Marie Andrews: Pocklington return in the summer. Picture: Sam Stenson
PHOENIX singer-songwriter
Courtney Marie Andrews will showcase her new album at Pocklington Arts Centre
on June 17 on her six-date tour.
Old Flowers will be
released on June 5 on Loose/Fat Possum Records as her follow-up to 2018’s May
Your Kindness Remain.
Created in the ashes
of a long-term relationship, Andrews’ ten new songs amount to her most
vulnerable writing to date as she chronicles her journey through heartbreak,
loneliness and finding herself again.
“Old Flowers is
about heartbreak,” says Courtney Marie, 29. “There are a million records and
songs about that, but I did not lie when writing these songs. This album is
about loving and caring for the person you know you can’t be with.
“It’s about being
afraid to be vulnerable after you’ve been hurt. It’s about a woman who is
alone, but OK with that, if it means truth. This was my truth this year: my
nine-year relationship ended and I’m a woman alone in the world, but happy to
know herself.”
Produced by Andrew
Sarlo, who has worked with Bon Iver and Big Thief, Old
Flowers was recorded at Sound Space Studio and features only three musicians:
Andrews, on vocals, acoustic guitar and piano; Twain’s Matthew Davidson, on
bass, celeste, mellotron, pedal steel, piano, pump organ, Wurlitzer and background
vocals, and Big Thief’s James Krivchenia on drums and percussion.
“This album is about loving and caring for the person you know you can’t be with,” says Courtney Marie Andrews
Defining their
intentions, Sarlo says: “Before we got to the studio, we agreed to prioritise making this record
as cathartic and minimal as possible, focusing on Courtney’s voice and her
intention behind the songs.
“Because of this,
the record is all about performance. I believe a great recording is the
chemistry between everything during basics and the ability to feel something
happening, instead of obsessing over the perfect take. Courtney embraced this
approach and we ended up with a raw, natural and human record.”
The resulting track listing comprises Burlap String; Guilty; If I Told; Together Or Alone; Carnival Dream; Old Flowers; Break The Spell; It Must Be Someone Else’s Fault; How You Get Hurt and Ships In The Night.
Courtney Marie last
played Pocklington in December 2018, at the end of a week when she was felled
by a viral infection the morning after her London gig and had to call off her Birmingham,
Bristol and Oxford gigs.
Rested and recuperated,
she was still nursing a cough, but found the energy for a solo set of songs and
stories, introducing Ships In The Night and It Must Be Someone Else’s Fault,
two new compositions that would end up on Old Flowers.
This time Courtney
Marie will play with a full band in the lead-up to her series of summer
festival engagements. Tickets for June 17’s 8pm gig cost £20 on 01759 301547
or at pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.
SOPRANO Anna Prosser and tenor Robert Anthony Gardiner will sing with
York Musical Society for the first time in March 28’s performance of Gabriel Fauré’s
Requiem in York Minster.
This luminous work will be complemented by Michael Haydn’s Requiem in C minor. “You might think that having two requiems in one concert isn’t an imaginative programming choice,” says conductor David Pipe.
Tenor Robert Anthony Gardiner
“Even in rehearsals, though, it’s fascinating to hear how these two works, using much of the same liturgical text but separated by over 100 years, are so very different in style and musical content. This is an unusual opportunity to savour the contrasting responses of two fine composers.”
Fauré’s Requiem, first performed in 1890, uses a shortened version of
the funeral mass and is serene, peaceful and full of haunting melodies. Michael
Haydn is the lesser-known younger brother of Josef Haydn. “His less frequently
performed but exquisite Requiem (1772) is said to have inspired Mozart’s own
final work,” says Pipe, York Musical Society’s principal conductorsince
April 2012.
Mezzo-soprano Kate Symonds-Joy
Anna Prosser, a choral scholar and vocal coach at Leeds Cathedral, and Robert
Anthony Gardiner, who lives in Leeds, will be joined on solo duty by mezzo-soprano
Kate Symonds-Joy and bass Alex Ashworth.
Both have sung previously with York Musical Society, Symonds-Joy performing
Verdi’s Requiem in November 2014 and Bach’s St Matthew Passion in March 2018;
Ashworth, the title role in Mendelssohn’s Elijah in May 2015 and in Bach’s
St Matthew Passion in March 2018.
Bass Alex Ashworth
Both sing with Solomon’s Knot Collective, who performed at last summer’s
Ryedale Festival and enjoyed a sold-out performance at last December’s York Early
Music Christmas Festival at the National Centre for Early Music, York.
Tickets for this 7.30pm concert are on sale at York Minster box office, on 01904 557256, at yorkminster.org or on the door. Prices are £25/£20 in the nave; £12 in the side aisles; £6, age 13 to 17; under-12s, free, but a ticket is required and they must be accompanied by an adult.
The Hoosiers: Irwin Sparkes, on vocals and guitars, and Alan Sharland, on drums, percussion and vocals
APOLLO Festival is taking off again this
summer after a four-year hiatus, promising the biggest and best event to date.
The family-friendly festival will be
held on July 3 and 4 at the new home of York RI in Hamilton Drive, with Musicians
Against Homelessness at the core.
New for 2020, the Friday Night Chill focus
will be on a chilled-out, intimate evening of food, drinks and acoustic music for
over-18s only. The line-up includes 1990s’ acoustic tribute act Melting Pot, Leeds
band The Dunwells, Dodgy lead singer Nigel Clark and York’s lady soul, Jess
Steel.
The Saturday bill will be divided
between the Main Stage and the Musicians Against Homelessness (MAH) stage.
Jess Steel: soulful York singer, performing on the Friday night
Stereo MC’s, The Hoosiers and Happy Mondays’ alumni Bez and Rowetta, in their On The 6th Day God Created Manchester show, will be the leading acts on the bigger stage, backed up by fast-rising York band The Skylights; Gary Stewart’s Graceland tribute to Paul Simon; The Mothers; tribute acts Ultimate Killers; LMX (Little Mix) and Antarctic Monkeys and a DJ set by Danny Glew.
On the MAH stage will be The Perfect
Shambles; emerging York bands The Feds and Seratones; Bravado Cartel; Slow
Train; Page 45; The Silents; The Madchester Anthems; Y Street Band; Hot Dogz;
VLTAGE and The Peacocks.
In past years, Reverend And The Makers, Inspiral Carpets, Cast, Dodgy and, aptly, Space played Apollo Festival. Now, festival director Stuart Kelly says: “Following a break, we feel the time is right for Apollo Festival to return. We pride ourselves on being a family-friendly festival, affordable for everyone and providing a fun environment for everybody to enjoy.
“It’s fantastic to have the likes of Musicians Against Homelessness on board, not only to see the acts they will bring but also in being able to raise awareness to their cause.”
Gary Stewart: paying tribute to Paul Simon in his Graceland set
Stuart continues: “We’re excited to be
at our new venue, York RI, and bringing in the additional evening on the Friday
is a new experience that we hope, in addition the usual Saturday, people will enjoy
too.
“It’s one of the best line-ups we’ve put
together and hasn’t been easy but I’m over the moon with the acts playing on
both days. I personally can’t wait to see our loyal supporters come back and
seeing new faces enjoying themselves too.”
Looking ahead to the July 3 and 4
festival, Stuart says: “One thing for certain is it’s going to be packed full
of entertainment with family quizzes and plenty of free kids’ activities.
“As always, being family friendly and affordable is a huge
priority within Apollo, therefore our infamous kids’ quarter will be returning with ten-pin bowling; hay-bale climbing
frames; face painting; arts and crafts; balloon modelling; magic shows and workshops;
storytelling and a children’s disco to name but a few free-of-charge activities.
Back too will be the much-loved funfair for additional fees.”
Skylights lead singer Rob Scarisbrick
An array of street food, drink, craft
beer and cider will be on offer, and festival-goers will be permitted to bring
in their own picnic food and unopened soft drinks and water (no alcohol and no
glass).
Stuart is delighted Musicians Against Homelessness
(MAH) will be running the second stage. “We could not be happier to be working
with this amazing organisation,” he says.
MAH was founded by music PR Emma Rule with the patronage of music industry guru Alan McGee, the Creation Records founder who famously signed Oasis. The project provides opportunities for up-and-coming talent while raising funds for the UK homelessness charity Crisis, and since 2016 MAH has hosted hundreds of gigs and curated numerous festival stages, featuring thousands of artists.
Emma says: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be
partnering up with Apollo Festival this year and to host the MAH stage. Thanks
to the festival and artists that support us, we will continue to raise funds to
help those living on the streets, while ensuring that people visiting the
festival enjoy a fantastic programme of music.”
The Dunwells: Leeds band playing a York festival
Maverick businessman Alan McGee believes the
MAH campaign also gives new bands a platform, in the way that Rock Against
Racism did in the 1970s.
McGee, who now manages The Jesus & Mary Chain ,
Black Grape, Happy Mondays and Cast, says: “Music brings us together
regardless of politics or social standing. It’s a great leveller and a vital
tool for change.”
Stuart concludes: “York businesses will
be given the opportunity to get involved and play a major role in York’s
premium family festival, giving exclusivity to these businesses to showcase
their company and also give their employees VIP experiences they never forget.”
Friday night tickets cost £5; Saturday general admission is £15; youth, six to 17, £5; under-fives free, at apollo-festival.co.uk. On the day, Saturday’s prices are £20; youth £5; under-fives free.
Alan Carr looks shocked as he learns he will play York Barbican four nights in a row in December
YET again, Alan?! Yes, comedian Alan Carr
is adding a fourth night of his Not Again, Alan! show on December 16 as he turns
York Barbican into York Carrbican.
Carr, ever-chatty son of former York City footballer Graham
Carr, will play four successive Christmas nights in York, having already added
December 17 to his December 18 and 19 gigs on his first tour in four years.
Tickets for the extra date areon
sale on 0203 356 5441, at yorkbarbican.co.uk or in person from the Barbican box
office.
Since his last comedy travels, chat-show host Carr has “managed
to find himself in all sorts of dramas”, apparently. Such as? “Between his
star-studded wedding day and becoming an accidental anarchist, from fearing for
his life at border control to becoming a reluctant farmer, three words spring
to mind…Not again, Alan!” says his tour publicity. “Join Alan on tour as he
muses upon the things that make his life weird and wonderful.”
Even louder hailer: Alan Carr announces a fourth December night at York Barbican
Not Again, Alan! will be Carr’s fourth UK solo show in four-year
cycles in the wake of Yap, Yap, Yap’s 200 dates in 2015 and 2016, Spexy Beast
in 2011 and Tooth Fairy in 2007. He last brought his chat, chat, chat to York
on the Yap, Yap, Yap! itinerary on July 11 2015 at the Barbican.
Later this
year, Carr will host Alan Carr’s Epic Gameshow on ITV, wherein five all-time
favourite game shows will be supersized and reinvigorated for a new audience:
Play Your Cards Right, Take Your Pick, Strike It Lucky, Bullseye and The Price
Is Right. In 2020 too, Carr will return to the judges’ panel on the second BBC
series of RuPaul’s DragRace UK.
Given the ticket demand for Not Again, Alan! again and again,
again and now yet again, York Barbican advises prompt booking.
DANCE troupe Diversity will play York
Barbican on April 25 2021 on their Connected tour.
Last year marked ten years since Diversity won the third series of Britain’s Got Talent, an anniversary celebrated on the sold-out 48-date Born Ready tour.
At those shows, Diversity promised to continue into a second decade and, true to their word, founder and choreographer Ashley Banjo has created Connected, a show that centres around the world of social media, the internet and the digital era we now live in, but, more importantly, how this connects us all.
Banjo says: “Every year that goes by,
and every time we get to create a new touring show, I cannot believe we are
still lucky enough to get to do this.
“But even after all this time, we are
still growing, and this new decade and new chapter for Diversity is sure to be
something even more special than the last. I truly do believe that we are all
connected in more ways than one and I cannot wait to bring this to life on
stage.”
Banjo has returned to the judging
panel for his third series of ITV’s Dancing On Ice, whose final on Sunday will
feature fellow Diversity member Perri Kiely competing for the
winner’s trophy.
He also has hosted, choreographed and starred in the BAFTA-nominated The Real Full Monty from 2017 to 2019 and the International Emmy Award, Broadcast Award and Royal Television Society Award-winning The Real Full Monty: Ladies Night in 2018-2019. His Channel 4 show, Flirty Dancing, completed it second series last December.
Diversity’s nine tours have sold more
than 600,000 tickets. Tickets
for next spring’s Connected show at York Barbican are on sale on 0203 356 5441,
at yorkbarbican.co.uk or in person from the Barbican box office.
Running from March 19 to May 29 2021, the Connected tour also will visit Harrogate Convention Centre on March 20; Victoria Theatre, Halifax, March 21; Hull Bonus Arena, April 3, and Sheffield City Hall, April 4. Box office: Harrogate, 01423 502116 or harrogatetheatre.co.uk; Hull, 0844 858 5025 or bonusarenahull.com; Halifax, 01422 351158 or victoriatheatre.co.uk; Sheffield, 0114 278 9789 or sheffieldcityhall.co.uk.
The Very Grimm Brothers: invitation to Grimm Castle aka Poppleton All Saints Hall
THE only thing that cheers up Adrian Mealing and John Denton, alias The
Very Grimm Brothers, is you.
These purveyors of comedy, silliness, wistful poetry, fairy tales, songs and everyday anecdotes invite you to Grimm Castle and its enchanted forest, masquerading for one night only as Poppleton All Saints Hall, Upper Poppleton, York, on April 3 at 7.30pm.
“It’s a very chatty, tangential gig,” promises Grimm John, a Malvern
Poetry Slam Champ, who sings à cappella with Men In General, A
Fistful Of Spookies and The Spooky Men’s Chorale, joined by Denton from John
Denton’s Midnight Band.
“You should expect encounters with direct action, clumsy departures, the
poetry of platforms, Seville marmalade, undimmed love, Severn Trent Water and
the spinning of gold from straw,” say The Very Grimm Brothers.
The duo have appeared alongside the Peatbog Faeries, Attila The
Stockbroker, John Hegley, Elvis McGonagall, Johnny Fluffypunk and Roger McGough
and performed at Poetry On Loan, Bang Said The Gun, Stratford upon Avon
Litfest, Wolds Words, Mouthpiece Poets, Mouth & Music, Speakeasy and the Blue
Suede Sporran Club.
“Think of The Very Grimm Brothers as the love children that Victor
Meldrew and Pam Ayres never had,” trumpeted the Church Stretton Arts Festival,
ahead of their gig there.
Who can resist such a combination?! Tickets cost £12.50 at poppletonlive.co.uk/events.
Tom Rosenthal: “Maybe I’m stuck in adolescence, I don’t know,” he says. All pictures: Idil Sukan
PLEBS and Friday Night Dinner sitcom star Tom Rosenthal is bringing his first-ever stand-up tour to Pocklington Arts Centre on March 14.
Manhood is truly comedy with a cutting edge, wherein Rosenthal will be “avenging the theft of his foreskin”, as he discusses how he has suffered psychological distress ever since he realised he had been circumcised as a child.
Tom, the Hammersmith-born son of TV sports presenter Jim Rosenthal, applies the use of graphs, statistics, playful jokes and rigid research to tell his story, having spoken to experts on the subject matter.
He may have a Jewish background, but he was not brought up to be Jewish and that was not the reason for the circumcision. He duly felt anger towards his parents, the aforementioned Jim and his mother Chrissy Smith, a former Newsnight producer, when he was younger.
“Most comedy shows will not be an hour about genital-cutting practices,” says Tom Rosenthal of Manhood
“Maybe I’m stuck in adolescence. I don’t know,” says Tom. “As soon as I found out what happened to me, I was just constantly searching for a reason that made sense of it and I’ve still not found one. That’s sort of the driving force of the show: going through all the justifications for it being allowed.”
He is not anti-circumcision, however. “If you want to choose to do it when you’re old enough, go right ahead. It’s like any other kind of body modification, like a tattoo or a piercing,” he says.
“But to do it to a child against their will when they cannot take the decision to take that back, it feels as if it’s against our human rights. I want prospective parents to watch my show. Have a nice night out. Laugh with the boy from the sitcoms with the big nose, but also go away thinking ‘maybe that’s not cool actually’.”
Best known for playing Roman Empire nerd Marcus in ITV2’s Plebs and the perpetually adolescent prankster son, Jonny, in Channel 4’s Friday Night Dinner, Tom has long wanted to do a stand-up tour. “The nicest thing about it is getting to meet the people who actually watch the TV programmes I’m in,” he says.
“I think the story of someone who is at odds with their body is something teenagers can relate to,” says Tom Rosenthal
“I’m also really proud of Manhood. It’s a show that I always wanted to make. It has
a dual purpose for me. Obviously, I wanted to put on the funniest show that I
can, but I also want fans to go away thinking about stuff which most people
don’t really think about.
“It’s something that I think is slightly askew with our culture. I should add that this is not your typical comedy show. Most comedy shows will not be an hour about genital-cutting practices.”
After premiering Manhood at last summer’s Edinburgh Fringe and playing dates
last autumn, Tom is touring from February 8 to April 9. “I’m really a molly-
coddled actor,” he says. “It has surprised me how tiring live comedy is. Some
of my friends seem to be able to walk on stage and just be themselves, whereas
I’m always nervous. I have the utmost respect for all comedians. I guess, by
comparison, an actor’s life is quite easy.”
The tour marks a new phase in Rosenthal’s career. Although he started out as a stand-up, becoming joint winner of the Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year Award in 2011 after graduating from London University with a Philosophy degree, acting has taken up most of his time since then.
“I’m really proud of Manhood. It’s a show that I always wanted to make,” says Tom.
“I was reluctant to call myself a comedian despite the fact that I did stand-up. I felt like until you’ve done a tour, you can’t call yourself a comedian. So, one semi-benefit of doing Manhood is that now I’m a little bit more comfortable saying I’m a comedian as I’ve gone to towns, people have paid money to see me and I definitely heard some of them laugh.”
Although the subject matter of Manhood may be personal, Rosenthal believes the feelings of
alienation he discusses are universal. “I’ve had quite a lot of teenagers
coming and I think the story of someone who is at odds with their body is
something they can relate to,” he says. “What makes it interesting though also
makes it quite odd. The fact that you are watching a guy talking about his
penis quite a lot.”
His Pocklington audience next week will discover more about Tom in his Manhood
show, but for those familiar with his television characters, does he consider
himself to be closer to Marcus or Jonny?
“I probably feel I’m more Marcus,” he decides. “He’s a neurotic schemer who thinks that he’s smarter than he is, whereas Jonny is a sort of teenage boy prankster. Ultimately though, if you combine the two, that’s my whole terrible personality.”
Tom Rosenthal: Manhood, Pocklington Arts Centre, March 14, 8pm. Box office: 01759 301547 or at pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.
