Bass-baritone soloist Alex Ashworth. Picture: Debbie Scanlan
THE opening “Kommt, ihr Töchter, helft mir klagen” – scored for double choir and double orchestra – set the performance tone impeccably.
The beautifully judged slow processional unfolding – surely one of the most distinguished openings in all music – allowed the textures to breathe. Bach immediately establishes the Passion’s grand dramatic architecture: public narrative and crowd commentary interwoven with moments of intensely personal reflection.
The performance used an English translation; original German titles are used here when referring to individual movements.
The simple question-and-answer phrases of the two choirs acted as dramatic crowd commentary, while the soprano ripieno choir (from St Peter’s School) sang the floating chorale “O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig” impeccably. The YMS orchestra provided the dotted rhythmic processional underpinning.
This antiphonal, call-and-response writing was further exploited by director David Pipe in the positioning of the six soloists. Bass-baritone Alex Ashworth, singing the role of Jesus, performed from the elevated pulpit, while tenor Gwilym Bowen, as the Evangelist, was placed on the left-hand side of the performance space.
The remaining soloists – soprano Clare Lloyd-Griffiths, mezzo-soprano Marie Elliott, tenor Daniel Joy and bass Jack Comerford – were positioned on the right-hand side.
For listeners seated on the left-hand side of the nave, however, clarity proved problematic. From that position it was difficult to hear the soloists with any real degree of definition, particularly the soprano and mezzo-soprano voices.
For example, although Clare Lloyd-Griffiths brought depth of interpretation to “Wenn ich einmal soll scheiden,” some detail – especially in the lower register – was lost in “Jesu, deine Passion will ich jetzt bedenken.”
Similarly, Jack Comerford’s singing in “Der Heiland fällt vor seinem Vater nieder” and “Gerne will ich mich bequemen” suffered from the same loss of textual and musical clarity.
Fortunately, Daniel Joy overcame the acoustic challenges in his performance of the reflective aria “Ich will bei meinem Jesu wachen”. The relatively spare texture – tenor line, single oboe obbligato (Jane Wright) and short choral interjections – comes through with admirable clarity. Consequently, it proved one of the highlights of Part I.
No such acoustical difficulties troubled Gwilym Bowen’s Evangelist or Alex Ashworth’s Jesus. The clarity of their delivery could hardly have been greater.
Particularly moving was Ashworth’s “Ihr seid ausgegangen als zu einem Mörder”. Bach’s characteristic halo of sustained strings often surrounding the words of Christ added an extra layer of expressive warmth.
The closing Part I chorale “O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groß” – one of Bach’s most expressive chorale settings – provided a beautifully judged musical conclusion to the first half.
Matters improved noticeably in Part II. The reason, I suspect, lies in Bach’s scoring. Whereas Part I is often monumental and choral – with large crowd scenes and dramatic exchanges – such textures can become dense in a very resonant space.
By contrast, Part II is more introspective, with arias frequently accompanied by smaller instrumental groups and prominent obbligato lines, allowing individual vocal and instrumental details to emerge more clearly.
Mezzo-soprano Marie Elliott sang “Erbarme dich, mein Gott” – one of Bach’s loveliest arias and arguably the emotional heart of the Passion – with touching expressiveness. The aria was beautifully enhanced by the lyrical violin obbligato (Sarah Reece), creating a moment to treasure.
Clare Lloyd-Griffiths was heard to particularly good effect in “Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben”. The absence of a continuo bass line – highly unusual in Bach – together with the delicate scoring for flutes (Della Blood and Ruth O’Brien) and oboes da caccia (Jane Wright and Alex Nightingale), created an atmosphere of striking purity and stillness.
Jack Comerford brought conviction to the dramatic aria “Gebt mir meinen Jesum wieder,” protesting at Christ’s arrest, with strong support from energetic strings and continuo.
Bach’s gentle closing chorus, “Wir setzen uns mit Tränen nieder,” brings the work to one of the most serene endings in all sacred music. What a work — and what an impressive performance.
The choir sang their hearts out and held fast throughout; the orchestral playing, with excellent obbligato contributions, was consistently musical; the sopranos of St Peter’s School sang beautifully; and the soloists, although sometimes hampered by the acoustic, were consistently excellent.
Shaun Turnbull (chamber organ) and Lindsay Illingworth (continuo cello) were the evening’s unsung heroes – but the Oscar surely goes to director David Pipe, whose assured direction balanced both the drama and the inward reflection at the heart of Bach’s St Matthew Passion, even in the vast acoustic of York Minster.
Riding Lights executive director Ollie Brown, left, and artistic director Paul Birch
YORK theatre company Riding Lights has vowed that the show must go on after the theft of its van and set for 2026 Lent tour show Night Falls.
The van contained the entire set, costumes and technical equipment for artistic director Paul Birch’s fresh, vivid and dynamic retelling of the Easter story.
After weeks of preparation and the 31-date UK tour’s launch at The Lowry, Salford, the sudden, overnight disappearance of almost everything needed to stage Night Falls has left the company devastated at the loss yet determined that the tour will continue despite the setback.
Riding Lights Theatre Company actors Matthew Rutherford and Esther Atkins in Paul Birch’s Night Falls. Picture: Tom Jackson
Cast and crew returned to their Friargate Theatre base in York to begin work on rebuilding the production, sourcing replacement technical equipment, assembling an alternative set from the company’s warehouse and pulling together replacement costumes with support from suppliers and partners.
“The production may look different when it returns to the stage, but its story and message remain unchanged — a message of hope emerging from grief, and the belief that even in difficult moments, joy can follow,” says executive director Ollie Brown.
“We are truly devastated by this loss. Months of work disappeared overnight, but we are determined to pick ourselves up and carry on. The show will go on. We are already working hard to rebuild the production so we can get back on the road. We are moving mountains to make it happen.”
Matthew Rutherford and Esther Atkins in a scene from Riding Lights’s production of Paul Birch’s Night Falls. Picture: Tom Jackson
Riding Lights is asking for support from the public and the theatre community to help sustain the remaining tour dates and rebuild what has been lost. Donations can be made at www.ridinglights.org/donate.
Blending music and powerful drama, alongside space for reflection and worship, Birch’s new Passion Play covers the final four days before an execution that will change everything in a story of three enemies who want to put an end to the so-called Messiah, two strangers torn between faith and doubt, hope and grief, as they try to prevent Jesus of Nazareth from getting himself arrested, and one safe house in Bethany.
The hours are running out, but even as night falls, a strange hope is wrapped in a secret that both strangers share. For this is the house of Lazarus, and under his roof, the impossible has already occurred.
In the weeks ahead, Night Falls is booked to play Dorchester, Gloucester, Camberley, Ash, in Kent, Chelmsford, Lowestoft, Billericay, St Albans, Chiswick, Skegness, Stratford-upon-Avon, Croydon, St German’s Priory, in Cornwall, and Minehead on the tour’s closing day, April 6.
Djibril Ramsey’s Barnardo , Ralph Davis’s Hamlet and Colin Ryan’s Horatio in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Hamlet. Picture: Marc Brenner
THE Royal Shakespeare Company will present multi award-winning Rupert Goold’s touring production of Hamlet at York Theatre Royal from April 14 to 18.
“Hamlet is a play about the inevitability of death: the death of fathers, the death of kings, the mortality facing each and everyone of us, but it is also a play about how to live, what makes a good life and a just one too, however brief our allotted time,” says Goold.
The York run will coincide with the 114th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic on the night of April 14-15 in 1912.
“Our production is set aboard a ship but one that is soon to founder, going down with all hands,” says Goold. “Its inspiration comes from the most famous sinking in history, and just as that icy tragedy came to pass in a little over two and a half hours, our play takes place in real time and for about as long, as much catastrophic thriller as poetic meditation. It’s a production that asks what it means to be human and decisive when time is running out.”
Georgia-Mae Myers’ Ophelia. Picture: Marc Brenner, Royal Shakespeare Company
Shakespeare’s epic family drama of deceit and murder will feature classical actor Ralph Davis in the title role of Hamlet. He was nominated for the 2023 Ian Charleson Award for his performance as Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, appeared as Edmund in King Lear, both at Shakespeare’s Globe, and played Iago in Othello at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, for which he came second in the 2025 Ian Charleson Awards.
As well as theatre credits at the Almeida, Chichester Festival Theatre, Ustinov Studio and elsewhere, Davis’s RSC credits include Tamburlaine, Timon Of Athens, Richard III and King John.
Davis co-wrote, created and starred in Film Club for the BBC in 2025. His other screen credits include House Of The Dragon for HBO, Big Boys for Channel 4 and SAS: Rogue Heroes, Life After Life and Steve McQueen’s Small Axe for the BBC.
Ship shape: Rupert Goold’s cast in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Hamlet. Picture: Marc Brenner
Alongside Davis’s Hamlet in the RSC cast will be Rob Alexander-Adams (Voltemand); Richard Cant (Polonius); Kat Collings (Ensemble); Raymond Coulthard (Claudius); Maximus Evans (Marcellus); Ian Hughes (Ghost/Player King); CJ Johnson (Player Queen); Julia Kass (Guildenstern); Poppy Miller (Gertrude); Georgia-Mae Myers (Ophelia); Mark Oosterveen (Cornelius/Priest); Djibril Ramsey (Barnardo); Colin Ryan (Horatio); Jonathan Savage (Ensemble); Jamie Sayers (Rosencrantz); Leo Shak (Francisco) and Benjamin Westerby (Laertes).
Goold directed Dear England for the National Theatre and Romeo And Juliet and The Merchant Of Venice (RSC). This year he will take up the role of artistic director of The Old Vic after 13 years at the Almeida Theatre.
He has received Olivier, Critics’ Circle and Evening Standard awards for best director twice and won a Peabody Award in 2011 for Macbeth. In 2017 he received a CBE in the New Year’s Honours for services to drama.
Joining Goold on the creative team are revival director Sophie Drake; set designer Es Devlin; costume designer Evie Gurney; lighting designer Jack Knowles; composer and sound designer Adam Cork; movement director Hannes Langolf; video designer Akhila Krishnan; fight director Kev McCurdy; dramaturg Rebecca Latham and casting director Matthew Dewsbury.
Poppy Miller’s Gertrude and Raymond Coulthard’s Claudius in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Hamlet. Marc Brenner
Sophie says: “I’m so looking forward to taking this exciting show on the road. We’ve assembled a wonderful cast, led by Ralph Davis, who promises to make a great Hamlet. It’s probably Shakespeare’s most famous play, but I’m sure no-one will have seen a Hamlet like this before. I can’t wait for audiences to see it.”
The Hamlet tour is supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, whose funding makes it possible for the RSC to expand its tour to work in partnership with more places across England.
Royal Shakespeare Company in Hamlet, York Theatre Royal, April 14 to 18, 7pm plus 1.30pm, April 16 and 2pm, April 18. Post-show discussion, April 17. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Hamlet is touring to Truro, Bradford, Norwich, Nottingham, Blackpool, Newcastle, York and Canterbury, from February to April 2026.
Here Ralph Davis discusses his role as Hamlet and why Shakespeare is “the best”.
What can audiences expect from this particular production of Hamlet, Ralph?
“They can expect something epic and cinematic. We’re doing it on a scale that will be very exciting to watch but also relatable. The play deals with a deeply human experience – Hamlet has to deal with the fallout of his father being murdered, and everything that spirals from that. So yes, I hope audiences will be both riveted and moved.”
Where is Rupert Goold’s production set?
“It’s set on a sinking ship, which is reminiscent of a particular disaster that happened in 1912. It will be a real spectacle. We’ve got these amazing projections of the sea and storms, and a huge, raked stage.
“Hamlet is a play that feels big, and putting it right in the middle of the sea on a ship takes the audience to a very exciting place.
“That said, we’re not literally setting it on the Titanic: I don’t see all these characters as sinking and drowning. The play deals with the theme of justice, and the point of it when we’re all dying anyway.
“So the setting Rupert has chosen feels appropriately dangerous, with death and disaster all around whilst Hamlet is trying to work out what he should do when he’s told that his uncle has killed his father.”
Ralph Davis’s Hamlet clashing with Raymond Coulthard’s Claudius in the RSC’s Hamlet. Picture: Mark Brenner
How did you feel when you were picked to play Hamlet, probably the most famous stage role of all?
“I found out when I was sitting alone in my flat in Camberwell. It had been a few days since the audition, and I thought I’d given a fairly good account of myself, and I had a good feeling about things.
“Anyway I found I’d got the role, and, to use Hamlet’s words, I was ‘struck so to the soul’. I couldn’t believe it. I was so giddy and excited.
“Partly because I’ve already done quite a lot of Shakespeare, people have always asked me if Hamlet was a role I wanted to play. And I’d always said ‘no, it wasn’t something I was interested in’. But I know I was just saying that in case it never happened!
“I found out that I’d got the part quite a long time before rehearsals began, so I had a while to be excited about it. Of course I then read the play again, and thought, ‘God. What am I going to do with this?’”
How are you approaching it?
“I’m trying to approach it like any other role. It is different, of course, because it’s so iconic, and there are so many different preconceived ideas about what the part is and what the play is.
Skull’s out: Ralph Davis’s Hamlet contemplates once knowing Yorick well in Hamlet. Picture: Marc Brenner
“I’m stripping all of that away, getting rid of all of that noise, and reading it like it is a new play. And trusting my instinct of what I think the role is.
“So I’ve been very resistant to knowing how anyone else has done it in the past. I’m just working from the words on the page – what’s happening in this scene? What’s this relationship about? Why is he saying these words at this point? I’m treating it like it’s a new play.”
What was your route into acting?
“My mum dropped me off at Playbox, a theatre company for young people, in Warwick when I was literally 18 months old. I don’t think you’re capable of acting at 18 months, but I was there for some sort of storytelling session.
“That place became a second home to me. It was a tremendously professional and exciting environment for a young person to be in, and I just did play after play after play there.
“And then I was at the RSC as a child actor. At the age of ten, I was in King John alongside actors like Richard McCabe and Tamsin Greig. Then, still as a boy, I was in Richard III, directed by Michael Boyd and with Jonathan Slinger in the lead.
“I’m treating it like it’s a new play,” says Ralph Davis of playing Hamlet. Picture: Marc Brenner
“I also did lots of plays at Warwick School. I actually played Hamlet at school. That was set on a ship as well, although it was set pre-World War Two, so a bit later than the show we are touring. I think I was probably terrible because I was trying to do my A-levels at the same time!
“I went straight to RADA from school, and since then I’ve done a lot of Shakespeare, including a season at the RSC, and I’ve played Edmund in King Lear, Benedick in Much Ado and Iago in Othello at the Globe.”
Does Shakespeare particularly interest you?
“Yes. I’m just very old fashioned, or I’m just influenced by the people I would watch growing up. Those actors that I saw on stage would do a lot of Shakespeare until they were in their 40s, and then they’d make the leap to TV. And that’s what I wanted to do. And that’s sort of what I’ve done.
“I think my life was changed and shaped by the Shakespeare I saw at the RSC growing up, particularly Michael Boyd’s productions of the History plays. I think watching Jonathan Slinger in those plays probably did change my life.
“I thought, ‘that is something worth doing’. I find Shakespeare easier to do than modern texts sometimes because Shakespeare’s writing is the best there is.”
Ralph Davis’s Hamlet and Poppy Miller’s Gertrude in the RSC’s Hamlet. Picture: Marc Brenner
What were the highlights from the roles you have played?
“I enjoyed playing Benedick in Much Ado. I was 26, which is a young age to be playing that part, but I was leading a company at the Globe. It was shortly after Covid, during which I thought my dream of playing lead roles was perhaps over.
“Both Benedick and Iago were a real test of my abilities. And now, in rehearsals for Hamlet, I feel – and I know this might sound pretentious – that this part is going to change me. It’s such a challenge. Shakespeare really stretched the actor who played the role originally, because I think the play meant so much personally to Shakespeare.
“I also had a great time when I was in A Streetcar Named Desire at the Almeida, alongside the likes of Paul Mescal and Patsy Ferran. I had quite a small role, but it was such a fun company.
“What’s so nice about Hamlet is that I haven’t been on stage for about a year, and it’s lovely to be back in a company putting on a play.”
As well as acting, you write…
“Yes, I spent all of last year writing. I feel very fulfilled by making something and putting it in front of an audience. At RADA it was understandably all about acting, but I knew I also wanted to create things.
“I think Shakespeare’s stories are the best stories,” says Ralph Davis. Picture: Marc Brenner
“I co-wrote the BBC show Film Club. There’s a lot of work in getting something on TV, pitching it is a really tough process. But then you end up making it with all these talented people pulling in the same direction. I really like that feeling.
“In the future I’d like to direct as well. All of that said, I certainly feel fulfilled now working on Hamlet.”
How would you persuade audiences to see this production if they think Shakespeare is not for them?
“What I’m seeing in the rehearsal room is people speaking Shakespeare’s words, which really are words that we use nowadays, but just put in a more poetic and perfect order. People speaking the language like you and I are speaking now. And when actors harness those words and make them real, then I think there’s nothing more thrilling.
“And there’s no reason for anyone to be scared about the play, or feeling that they won’t be able to follow the story.
“I think people sometimes feel alienated because they hear words like ‘thee’ and ‘thou’ and certain words that are a little strange to the ear, but they make perfect sense when an actor delivers them right. And I think Shakespeare’s stories are the best stories. They are stirring and have fantastic characters.
“I’m really pleased that we’re taking this show on tour and reaching lots of different parts of the country, and perhaps people who’ve never seen Shakespeare before. I hope they find the experience as exciting as I did when I saw my first Shakespeare. Just don’t be scared of it – Shakespeare’s the best.”
Elizabeth Marsh in rehearsal for The Secret Garden The Musical at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Marc Brenner
A MAGICAL Yorkshire garden, an hotel comedy thriller, a surrealist wine bar exhibition and Pulp confessions exhibition stir Charles Hutchinson’s interest.
Musical of the week: The Secret Garden The Musical, York Theatre Royal, March 17 to April 4
TONY Award-winning director John Doyle, artistic director of York Theatre Royal from 1993 to 1997, returns to pastures past in more ways than one to present his actor-musician staging of Lucy Simon and Marsha Norman’s Broadway musical account of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s story of love, loss, healing and hope, set on Yorkshire moorland in 1906.
Newly orphaned, Mary Lennox is sent to live with her widowed uncle at the secluded Misselthwaite Manor, a house in habited by memories and spirits from the past. On discovering her Aunt Lily’s neglected garden, she vows to breathe new life into its mysterious stasis as she learns the restorative magic of nature. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Leeds abstract surrealist Nicolas Dixon, front, spotted at Thursday’s launch of his RARE v WET exhibition with WET proprietors James Wall and Ella Williams and RARE Collective organiser Sharon McDonagh, right
Exhibition of the week: Nicolas Dixon, RARE v WET, at WET, Micklegate, York, until April 22
YORK artist and event organiser Sharon McDonagh and DJ/artist Sola launch their RARE v WET series of solo exhibitions in aid of York charity SASH (Safe and Sound Homes) at WET, James Wall and Ella Williams’ indie wine bar and restaurant, with Nicolas Dixon first up.
Leeds abstract surrealist Dixon’s murals and artworks have become landmarks in Leeds, including at Kirkgate Market, Trinity Shopping Centre and the University of Leeds, as well as Leeds United tributes to the 1972 FA Cup Winners mural at Elland Road and the iconic Bielsa the Redeemer in Wortley. On show is a mixture of new and older work, both prints and originals.
Stephen Joseph Theatre favourite Bill Champion as American billionaire Theodore Racksole in Claybody Theatre’s The Grand Babylon Hotel, on tour at the SJT next week. Picture: Andrew Billington
Thriller of the week: Claybody Theatre in The Grand Babylon Hotel, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, March 18 to 21, 7.30pm plus 1.30pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees
CONRAD Nelson directs an ensemble cast of multiple flamboyant characters in a rollicking comedy thriller of rapid-fire character changes, sharp humour and theatrical fun, presented in association with the New Vic Theatre.
In Deborah McAndrew’s adaptation of Arnold Bennett’s novel, Nella Racksole discovers steak and beer are not on the menu for her birthday treat at the exclusive Grand Babylon Hotel, prompting her American millionaire father to buy the chef, the kitchen, the entire hotel. Cue kidnapping and murder. Have Theodore and Nella bitten off more than they can chew? Box office: 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.
Baroque Alchemy’s Lyndy Mayle and Piers Adams: Playing NCEM tonight
Classical-electronic concert of the week: Baroque Alchemy, National Centre for Early Music, York, tonight, 7.30pm
ANCIENT and modern meet in a spectacular musical fusion in Baroque Alchemy, the realisation of recorder virtuoso Piers Adams and keyboard player Lyndy Mayle’s long-held dream. Ever since the rise of synth-led bands and New Age music in the 1980s, Red Priest frontman Adams has nurtured a vision to combine the drama of baroque music with the expansive sound-world of the electronic era. Now Baroque Alchemy turn the traditional early music recital on its head for the 21st century. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.
Dominic Halpin & The Hurricanes: Evoking the Grand Ole Opry in A Country Night In Nashville at the Grand Opera House
Tribute gig of the week: A Country Night In Nashville, Grand Opera House, York, Sunday, 7.30pm
A COUNTRY Night In Nashville re-creates the scene of a buzzing Honky Tonk in downtown Nashville, capturing the energy and atmosphere of a night in the home of country music in a journey through the history of its biggest stars past and present. Hits from Johnny Cash to Alan Jackson, Dolly Parton to The Chicks, Willie Nelson to Kacey Musgraves are showcased by Dominic Halpin & The Hurricanes. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
The book cover for Mark Webber’s I’m With Pulp, Are You?, under discussion by the author and guitarist at York Literature Festival
Book event of the week: York Literature Festival, I’m With Pulp, Are You?, An Evening With Mark Webber, The Crescent, York, March 17, 7pm
PULP guitarist and avant-garde film curator Mark Webber discusses I’m With Pulp, Are You?, his visually rich chronicle of the Sheffield band’s history from the perspective of a fan-turned-manager-turned-guitarist.
In his music memoir, 40 years of archived material comes to life as Chesterfield-born Webber recalls his fascination with David Bowie, The Velvet Underground, Andy Warhol and counterculture, writing fanzines and organising concerts from the age of 15, joining Pulp in 1995 and playing on Different Class, This Is Hardcore, We Love Life and More, 2025’s recording renaissance after a 24-year hiatus. Box office: 01904 623568, yorktheatreroyal.co.uk or yorkliteraturefestival.co.uk.
Bluey’s Big Play: Australian fun and games for children at the Grand Opera House
Children’s show of the week: Windmill Theatre Co in Bluey’s Big Play, Grand Opera House, York, March 19 to 22, 10am, Thursday and Friday; 10am, 1pm and 4pm, Saturday and Sunday
COMBINING puppets and original voices from Ludo Studios’ Emmy Award-winning Australian children’s television series, including Dave McCormack and Melanie Zanetti as Dad and Mum, this theatrical adaptation is based on an original story by Bluey creator Joe Brumm, featuring music by series composer Joff Bush. When Dad wants a bean bag time-out, Bluey and Bingo have other plans as they pull out all the games and cleverness at their disposal. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Scouting For Girls: Re-visiting Everybody Wants To Be On TV at York Barbican
York Barbican gigs of the week: Scouting For Girls, Everybody (Still) Wants To Be On TV Tour 2026, March 17, doors 7pm; The Brand New Heavies, March 19
AS Scouting For Girls’ vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Roy Stride puts it: “I can’t believe we’re already celebrating the 15th anniversary of our second album [Everybody Wants To Be On TV], and I’m beyond excited to get back on the road in 2026! The shows are going to be immense: a massive nostalgic Scouting singalong every night.” Expect further hits to feature too.
Ealing Acid Jazz pioneers The Brand New Heavies – Simon Bartholomew, vocals and guitar, Andrew Levy, bass and keyboards, and Angela Ricci, vocals – mark their 35th anniversary with a 12-date tour that takes in York Barbican as their only Yorkshire destination. Expect joy, funk, love and fancy clothes. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
The Brand New Heavies: Acid Jazz joy, funk, love and fancy clothes at York Barbican
Comedy classic of the week: Rowntree Players in The Importance Of Being Earnest, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, March 19 to 21, 7.30pm plus 2pm Saturday matinee
ROWNTREE Players bring Oscar Wilde’s cherished 1895 farcical comedy of manners to the York stage in the original four-act version reconstructed by Vyvyan Holland, under the direction of Hannah Shaw.
Lizzie Lawton’s John Worthing and Jorja Cartwright’s Algernon Moncrieff lead double lives under the false name of “Ernest” to escape social obligations, leading to romantic entanglements and comedic misunderstandings, played out by a cast featuring Jeanette Hambridge’s Lady Bracknell, Bethan Olliver’s Gwendolen Fairfax, Katie Shaw’s Cecily Cardew, Wayne Osguthorpe’s Reverend Canon Chasuble, Rebecca Thomson’s Miss Prism and Max Palmer’s Lane/Merriman. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
A collage from the rehearsal photo-shoot for Rowntree Players’ production of The Importance Of Being Earnest
Comedy gig of the week: Rob Rouse, Funny Bones, Helmsley Arts Centre, March 20, 8pm; Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, March 21, 7.45pm
FRESH from being picked as the Comics’ Comic Best Act of the Year 2025, Rob Rouse is touring Funny Bones: a daft whirlwind of craftily spun tall tales, a bucketful of manic energy, canny stagecraft, eerily convincing characters and a barrage of one-liners.
“Warning: this show has been meticulously assembled to make you laugh as much as possible,” says Rouse. “However, you will not learn anything from it. You may even come out stupider than when you came in.” Box office: Helmsley, 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk; Scarborough, 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.
Super scooper: Funny Bones comedian Rob Rouse and his skeleton dog on tour at Helmsley and Scarborough
Baroque Alchemy: Turning the traditional Early Music recital on its head for the 21st century
ANCIENT meets modern in Baroque Alchemy’s fusion of recorder virtuoso Piers Adams and keyboardist Lyndy Mayle at the National Centre for Early Music, York, tomorrow.
Ever since the rise of synth-led bands and New Age music in the 1980s, Piers has nurtured a vision to combine the simple beauty of the recorder – and the drama of baroque music – with the expansive sound-world of the electronic era.
Now, after a 25-year international career as frontman of the acoustic baroque super-group Red Priest, his new project with Lyndy Mayle turns the traditional Early Music recital on its head for the 21st century.
“By replacing the familiar ‘continuo’ sound of the harpsichord with the universe of possibilities offered by modern-day synthesiser technology, we are able to expand upon the musical dreams of composers of the past,” says Piers, whose first Baroque Alchemy concert took place at the Lewes Baroquefest, in his home town, in July 2022.
“The scientific wizardry of the synth is balanced by the natural expressive power of the recorder, thereby creating a perfect blend of ancient and modern.”
Baroque Alchemyseek to introduce a new audience to music of the past, as well as taking traditional classical music lovers on a journey of discovery, undertaken by two musicians who travel with a keyboard, a quiver of recorders, a Macbook and a state-of-the-art Bose PA.
“I’ve played in York quite a few times, mostly with Red Priest,” says Piers. “The last time at the NCEM was a concert to nobody under Covid rules in 2021 – part of a series that Robert Hollingworth [from the University of York] put on – so that was a strange experience!
“I played with Red Priest at the university at the beginning of 2023 and once at the NCEM with The Dodo Street Band, the brainchild of violinist Adam Summerhayes, where we performed Celtic Gypsy Klezmermusic on violin, recorder, accordion, double bass and bodhran, which was fun.”
Piers and Lyndy got together in 2020/2021 after her long career as a piano teacher. “Back in the day, we were at different music colleges in London, when she was a harpsichord wizard at the Royal College of Music, and she later worked as a music therapist and taught piano. This project is her return to the concert platform,” says Piers.
“We’ve played 25-30 concerts since we started up and down the country, and in Spain and Germany, and it’s taken off well as it’s quite left field.”
Describing Baroque Alchemy’s music, Piers says: “It’s something very different from Early Music, the main difference being that we use a classic keyboard run through a Macbook.” Piano, guitar, harp, strings and voices all play their part through the wonder of electronics, in tandem with Piers’s recorders.
“For me, as a recorder player, to play with such a wide range is wonderful,” he says. “I have a small mixing desk, so I can tweak things, playing with this amazing technology to see how old music would sound with new electronic elements, so we have the contrast of the ‘artificial’ [the electronic] with the beauty of the recorder.”
Piers continues: “We’re still at the beginning of this journey into the sound-world. It’s been a fascinating journey where, the more we dig around the broad palette of sound we find what works for us. We cross lots of different styles, not just ‘old’ music, but contemporary music and world music too.
“There are a number of positives in playing this way. It gives you massive flexibility, particularly as a duo, working with this big sound palette, where we love opposites, the combination of different elements, the combination of male and female too, hence we chose the name Baroque Alchemy.
“We put together the penetrating recorder with the broader range of electronics; the ancient and the modern; the simple and the complex. Add the fact that we’re a couple as well, and the whole thing becomes a melting pot.”
Why should someone attend tomorrow’s concert, Piers? “The first thing to say is that I know people will enjoy it. The response we’ve had has been universally positive: whether they like Early Music, folk music, world music or electronic music; there’s something for everyone – but it’s also quite different!”
Baroque Alchemy, National Centre for Early Music, Walmgate, York, tomorrow (14/3/2026), 7.30pm. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk
Baroque Alchemy duo Lyndy Mayle and Piers Adams
Baroque Alchemy: back story
BAROQUE Alchemy gave their debut concert at the Lewes Baroquefest in July 2022 and have since played festivals, music clubs and theatres throughout the UK.
In 2023, the duo travelled to Germany to perform the closing concert at the Blockflöten Festtage, the world’s premier recorder festival.
They launched their groundbreaking album Breaking Free at their London debut at the World Heart Beat Concert Hall in March 2024.
Piers Adams has recorded numerous CDs and given thousands of concerts and broadcasts across the world with Red Priest. His lifelong interest in alternative philosophies informed his recording Bach Side Of The Moon (charting at number five in the international New Age charts) and now Baroque Alchemy.
Lyndy Mayle was a multi-prize winning harpsichord student at the Royal College of Music before becoming a music director at the National Theatre, and subsequently working as a music therapist and piano teacher. Baroque Assembly marks her return to the concert stage.
Piers and Lyndy perform music from the baroque period, although they venture into medieval, world, contemporary and jazz music too.
Their repertoire includes Bach’s Goldberg Suite; Albinoni’s The Other Adagio; Forqueray’s La Sylva and La Boisson; Telemann’s Andante and Danse Rustique; Handel’s Aria Amorosa; Vivaldi’s The Goldfinch; Pandolfi’s La Biancuccia; Montalbano’s La Jelosa; Biber’s Sonata Representiva; Piazzolla’s Cafe 1930; Albeniz’s Asturias; Debussy’s Syrinx and Ian Clark’s Hypnosis.
The Brand New Heavies’ Andrew Levy, left, Angela Ricci and Simon Bartholomew
ACID Jazz pioneers The Brand New Heavies are marking their 35th anniversary with a 12-date tour that takes in York Barbican on March 19 as their only Yorkshire destination.
From Dream On Dreamer, Midnight At The Oasis, Back To Love and Spend Some Time to Sometimes, You Are The Universe and You’ve Got A Friend, they created a fusion of jazz, funk and hip-hop that fuelled their chart and airplay domination en route to 2.5 million album sales.
Introducing themselves with their self-titled debut in 1990, followed by fellow Top 40 album Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 1 in 1992, The Brand New Heavies exploded with 1994’s Brother Sister, peaking at number four, followed by further Top Five entrant Shelter in 1997.
Now, founder members Simon Bartholomew, vocals and guitar, and Andrew Levy, bass and keyboards, will be joined on tour once more by Angela Ricci, vocalist with the Ealing band since 2018.
“We can’t wait to hit the road across the UK again!” said Simon and Andrew, when announcing the tour. “There’s nothing quite like the connection we feel when we play these songs together. Celebrating 35 years of The Brand New Heavies has been incredible, and this tour is all about sharing that joy, funk and love with everyone who’s been part of the journey – old friends and new faces alike.”
Rolling back to when school friends Simon, Andrew and Jan Kincaid formed the band, they needed a name, “In a nutshell, it was the pressure of being about to sign a record deal with Chrysalis. We were in my basement, weren’t we, in Hackney?” recalls Andrew, speaking from his kitchen near Wimbledon.
“No, I remember, actually, there was another time – I think there were a few discussions – we were parked in your Morris Minor,” says Simon. “And this guy who was in the band at the time, Lascelle Lascelles, he was a DJ, and he had this vinyl, a James Brown vinyl, and it said on the back, ‘James Brown is the minister of a super new, heavy, heavy funk’. We literally had to deliver the name the next day.
“So we sort of somehow came up with ‘The Brand New Heavies’, which, over the years, a lot of people think is a rock band – until you know – but it’s stuck, it’s quite an unusual name, and there you go. People knew our songs, but didn’t know the name of the band, but that’s sorted itself out over the years.”
As for “Acid Jazz”, “Basically Giles Peterson and Eddie Piller formed a label; Acid House had come out and so they wanted to call it ‘Acid Jazz’,” explains Simon. “So they took the logo, the smiley face logo, synonymous with Acid House, and draw a moustache on it, and glasses and stuff, and it was all very fun. Very much like the name of The Brand New Heavies, we just were having a laugh.
“And then Chris Bangs was DJing at the Watermans Arts Centre in Ealing, near where we live and grew up. There was a rave before they played, playing Acid House. . .and there’s a song called Iron Leg by Mickey And The Soul Generation, an American band; it’s a proper old rare groove. They said, ‘that was Acid House, this is Acid Jazz’. They made it up on the spot, and they used it for their label name. That was the provenance, right there.”
Recalling The Brand New Heavies’ roots, Simon says: “When when we first started jamming together, we’d go around to the drummer’s house every Sunday. His mum and dad were thrilled!”
“They were thrilled that he was making friends,” says Andrew.“Oh, no, I think they probably were a bit thrilled,” rejoins Simon. “We would play just one groove, do you remember, Andrew, for ages. So all the parts sort of fitted in. You go, ‘oh, there it is’, and that became the groove, when the parts, the puzzle, fits together, the bass, drums and guitars. You go, ‘that’s a groove, that’s the groove’.”
The Brand New Heavies’ poster for their 2026 tour
Andrew says: “Yeah, it’s like cooking. Different measurements of, you know, maybe you put in more sugar, more flour, a little bit more cayenne, and you stir it for a bit longer. But because we were untrained musicians, in retrospect, I saw that as almost a way of learning.
“Listen to your fellow musicians, and how to learn how to play your instrument. Because music, in terms of playing in a band, I reckon it’s 90 per cent listening. The rest is just technique.”
Simon adds: “Especially with jazz, you know, if you’re not listening to everyone else, it’s like, that’s really where the listening is quintessential. I mean, there’s so many nuances, and it’s almost like Maths as well, the groove. You syncopate or play on top of each other, and it can be really simple. If you listen to early James Brown records, everything around the bass lines builds up into this phenomenal thing. It’s really lovely, kind of like a bowl of fruit.”
“Space” in the music is important too, suggests Andrew:“The amount of space you put into this genre of music, funk, disco, whatever, is the space that you can connect with through dance. So you don’t play all the beats, you leave a little bit of space so you can dance to it, you can put your foot in that space, or you can shake your bum to that little bit of space in the groove.”
Simon concurs: “Absolutely. I mean, one of my favourite examples of that is, because I was kind of a rock player before, playing big bar chords…but when I got into this funk, it was like, I was playing…[he makes the sound of musical notes]…space!
“And this amazing song called Green Onions by Booker T & The MGs, the guitar part is really crucial because it adds a sort of sonic thing, and without that, the record wouldn’t be the same – and that is probably the most spacious example of a groovy, funky thing. Within that, there’s different bits of space for someone else to play in.”
The space for free-form expression applies to each and every Brand New Heavies concert. “We get some complaints…but I’m not gonna name names!” says Andrew. “But, do you know what, there’s something that we do sometimes between songs, at the end of songs, or the beginning of songs, where we just make up a completely new groove arrangement, and maybe that will last for a couple of minutes, and then we go on to the actual song, but we’re very good at that.
“I suppose it’s a form of live remixing, we just change the beat, and maybe start in a different, slightly different voicing of a key of the song. And that can go on for 64 bars, or a couple of minutes, or whatever. And then we finally start the actual song that people know. We love it! I think people really like that, because we’re don’t use tapes, we don’t use any form of backing tracks or anything like that.
“Everything is off the cuff, and there’s a level of vulnerability that comes with that, because no-one exactly knows what to do next – and I think the crowd really like that.”
Vulnerability? “Oh, definitely, and that keeps it interesting for us,” says Simon. “It makes every show unique.” “Like, we don’t remember these jams,” adds Andrew. “Some are sort of songs, some might even turn into songs, occasionally.”
“We might take a song like Stay This Way, where, with the outro, we’ll just go on longer, because we’ll just break it down and let Angela have a sort of diva moment, in a positive way,” further explains Simon. “We don’t know what’s going to happen…but we’re treading the boards, and it keeps it fresh. That’s definitely a thing, so you’ll never see the same Brand New Heavies show twice, that’s for sure – but with some bands you do, you know.”
“That moment of intensity is performance, and that’s what differs from plodding away at a 9-to-5 job,” says The Brand New Heavies’ Simon Bartholomew, above, right
When Angela Ricci took on the lead vocalist’s role, occupied previously by N’Dea Davenport and Siedah Garrett, what drew Simon and Andrew to her voice? “At this point, I have to say that it’s really hard to find a singer for The Brand New Heavies,” says Andrew. “What you’re doing is kind of letting go of your own dreams and passions, or maybe ego, a little bit, because when you’re singing, it’s like being in a theatre production: you’re actually singing songs that have already been developed and sung by someone else.
“So you have to reinterpret songs that were sung by Siedah Garrett, and it’s hard to find a singer that’s willing to let go of their own own dreams or whatever. Fortunately, Angela does it so, so well – and she’s an ex-model, so she knows how to carry herself on stage.”
Simon adds: “Angela had a cassette when she was younger, an Acid Jazz compilation thing that had our song Brother Sister on it, so she’s known the band for a long time, and she’s, like, a fan, you know.”
“She’s done a lot of session work, so she’s used to that sort of role, singing someone else’s songs and interpreting,” says Andrew, who recalls Angela being thrown in at the deep end.
“I thought, ‘oh my god, I hope she can handle it’. We were playing to 5,000, supporting Soul II Soul. We were worried, and she was worried, but we pulled through, and we supported each other, and, you know, eight years later, she gets it. She slots in with what the crowd expects, she’s very poised and very good at engaging with them”… “And with putting up with us,” chips in Simon.
How have the band founders’ priorities changed from 35 years ago? “My main priority is having enough energy and resting enough, so we can deliver, because we’re not spring chickens anymore,” says Andrew, now 59. “So you’ve got to rest, and you’ve got to look after yourself, as everything’s about walking on stage at a half past eight in the evening.
“It’s also remembering that people have got so much choice in live music now and in what to do with their money. So we need to deliver: we do like to dress up a little bit, put some fancy clothes on, and do the nice lighting and pyrotechnics and stuff like that. Our main focus is putting on a good show so that people will hopefully come back and see us again.”
The thrill of performance is alive as ever in Simon and Andrew: “If you’re backstage, it’s something no-one really talks about, it’s an ongoing rule, but there’s a certain level of energy and nervousness and vulnerability that builds up and builds up and builds up three hours before the show,” says Simon.
“Running around backstage, and dressing up, and sharing jewellery, I love it,” says Andrew. “I always start shouting, I start getting loud. I can’t help myself; I think I’ve got Funk Tourette’s,” says Simon. “I get loud, I try and control it. I’m like, ‘come on, go! Whoo!’, and I just start doing stupid voices and things like that.
“It’s part of the build-up, because the whole day is based around almost everything you eat and drink. It’s all leading up to this moment. No-one talks about it but from that point, it is kind of like when sportsmen prepare over a day to go out to perform. It could be a tennis player, it could be a footballer, whatever. That moment of intensity is performance, and that’s what differs from plodding away at a 9-to-5 job. You know you have a part of the day that really matters above all else.”
Andrew concludes: “It’s that concentration on getting it so perfect and right on stage in that moment. I mean, if you’re in a relationship, you’re married, and have kids and stuff, they all have to deal with that. I’m in a new relationship, and I’ve had to explain that, yeah, Andrew might be a little bit tetchy, a little bit short, distant, but it’s just transforming from being maybe daddy or boyfriend into funky bass player.”
The Brand New Heavies, with special guests Galliano, York Barbican, March 19. Doors 7pm. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk or aegpresents.co.uk.
Director-designer John Doyle in rehearsal for The Secret Garden The Musical at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Marc Brenner
DIRECTOR and designer John Doyle returns to York Theatre Royal for the first time in 29 years with his actor-musician revival of Broadway hit The Secret Garden The Musical from March 17 to April 4.
Artistic director at the St Leonard’s Place theatre from 1993 to 1997, the Scotsman became synonymous with this performance style, going on to win Tony Awards in New York, where he directed Cynthia Erivo and Jennifer Hudson in The Color Purple.
“It is wonderful to have John Doyle return to York Theatre Royal and direct this beautiful Yorkshire story,” says chief executive officer Paul Crewes. “We are excited that this will be a fresh take on this critically acclaimed musical, and that our audiences will be the first to experience it.”
In his days of working in the United States, Paul had hoped to link up with John for a project. “I couldn’t do it at that time, but I was delighted to be asked back to York, as I’d been very happy here, so to do The Secret Garden in York felt right,” says John, now 73, of his thrill at the invitation to direct this “beautiful, hopeful musical”.
Poppy Jason rehearsing her role as Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden The Musical. Picture: Marc Brenner
“Though initially I wasn’t thinking of doing it with actor musicians, I then thought it would be good for the family elements of the story because, if you were to do it with an orchestra in the pit, so much time would be spent with only two people on stage, whereas having the cast on the stage all the time gives it a sense of community.”
The 1991 Broadway musical combines music by Lucy Simon (Carly‘s sister) with book and lyrics by Pulitzer Prize winner Marsha Norman in its account of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s beloved story of love, loss, healing and hope, set in the North Riding of Yorkshire in 1906.
When newly orphaned Mary Lennox is sent to the moors to live with her widower uncle, she finds the secluded Misselthwaite Manor to be inhabited by memories and spirits from the past.
Whereupon she discovers her Aunt Lily’s mysterious, neglected garden and determines to breathe new life into it, with the help of her new friends, as she learns the power of connection and the restorative magic of nature.
Double bass-playing Steve Simmonds in rehearsal for his role as Ben. Picture: Marc Brenner
“To me there is something holy in this story,” says regular church attendee John. “To see the world through a child’s eyes – a spunky, difficult child that she is – Mary makes a miracle happen; she makes the boy walk, which is incredible.”
In a nutshell, the appeal of actor-musician productions that stretches back to such Doyle productions as Into The Woods, Pal Joey, Cabaret and the TMA award-winning Moll Flanders lies in “putting the emotions of the music in the hands of the performers on stage, so it doesn’t come from under them but from within them instead,” says John.
“Because there’s no conductor, with no-one leading them, it has a risky potential to go wrong, but there is something joyous about that because it’s alive. It’s not a concept; it’s a means to an end to tell a story.”
John continues: “I come from the Highlands, where everybody in my family played an instrument. I played the cello, the piano and the bagpipes – not very well in the case of the bagpipes! – and this was in the days before TV when we would entertain ourselves by playing music together.”
Estella Evans, centre, will be sharing the role of Mary Lennox with Poppy Jason
That love of music, and its communal powers, has driven John’s actor-musician work all the way to winning a Tony Award for his production of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street.
“That legitimised it further because it was the first time that a major composer – Sondheim – had given his approval to work in this way,” says John.
“Now there are degree courses in actor-musician theatre, at places such as Rose Bruford, where I’m a Fellow, Mountview and the Royal Conservatoire [in Glasgow].”
He taught theatre as a professor at Princeton University Lewis Centre for the Arts for ten years too, but moved back to Britain after 20 years in America, disaffected by President Trump’s intolerant attitudes in his first term in office.
Cristian Buttaci: Rehearsing for the role of Colin. Picture: Marc Brenner
Whereupon John settled in Wells – all’s wells that ends in Wells, you could say – with time spent in his native Scottish Highlands too.
“I walk to work every day and I think, ‘how much longer can I do this? How long have I got left?’. You get to the point where you think, ‘I’m not going to live forever, what is the best way I can use that time?’, and theatre is still part of that.”
York Theatre Royal is very grateful for that philosophy and long may it continue.
York Theatre Royal presents The Secret Garden The Musical, March 17 to April 4, 7.30pm (except Sundays, Mondays and March 19); plus 2pm, March 19, March 26 and April 2; 2.30pm, March 21, 28 and April 4; 6.30pm, March 23 and 30; 7pm, March 19. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Interview copyright of The York Press.
Elizabeth Marsh: Returning to York Theatre Royal to play Mrs Medlock in The Secret Garden The Musical after earlier appearances in Into the Woods and Twelfth Night. Picture: Marc Brenner
Who’s in The Secret Garden cast and production team?
JOHN Doyle’s principal actor-musician cast for The Secret Garden The Musical will comprise Catrin Mai Edwardsas Martha;Joanna Hickman, Lily; Henry Jenkinson, Archibald; Elliot Mackenzie, Dickon; Ann Marcuson, Mrs Winthrop; Elizabeth Marsh, Mrs Medlock; André Refig, Neville, and Steve Simmonds, Ben.
In the company too will be Estella Evans and Poppy Jason, sharing the role of Mary Lennox, and Cristian Buttaci and Dexter Pulling splitting performances as Colin. The ensemble will be completed by Stephanie Cremona, Matthew James Hinchliffe, Lara Lewis and Melinda Orengo.
Completing the creative team alongside director-designer John Doyle are musical supervisor and orchestrator Catherine Jayes, co-designer David L Arsenault, costume designer Gabrielle Dalton, lighting designer Johanna Town, sound designer Tom Marshall and casting director Ginny Schiller.
John Doyle: director and designer of The Secret Garden The Musical at York Theatre Royal
John Doyle: back story
AWARD-WINNING Scottish director of theatre, film and opera. Served as artistic director of five major British and American theatre companies, including York Theatre Royal from 1993 to 1997.
Extensive stage credits include the world premiere of Alfred Hitchcock Presents at Theatre Royal Bath; Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical); Company (Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical); The Visit (Tony Award nomination for Best Musical, Drama Desk nomination for Best Director) and The Color Purple (Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director, Grammy Award).
Pacific Overtures (Drama Desk nomination for Best Musical Revival); Carmen Jones (Audelco Award for Best Musical Revival, Lucille Lortel nomination for Best Director); Mahagonny (Los Angeles Opera, two Grammy Awards); Passion (Drama Desk nomination for Best Director); Road Show, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Kiss Me Kate and Assassins (Lucille Lortel nomination for Best Musical Revival, Best Director).
In addition to numerous credits in London’s West End, John has directed at Grange Park Opera, Sydney Opera House, the Metropolitan Opera, Houston Grand Opera, La Fenice in Venice, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Second Stage Theatre, Princeton McCarter Theatre and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.
Taught at Princeton University’s Lewis Centre for the Arts for ten years, specialising in acting and musical theatre courses. Known for his pioneering actor-musician style, he taught courses such as Development of the Multi-skilled Performer and The Nature of Theatrical Reinvention.
Elliot Mackenzie and Henry Jenkinson in rehearsal for John Doyle’s actor-musician production of The Secret Garden The Musical at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Mark Brenner
A MAGICAL Yorkshire garden, two cases for Sherlock Holmes, daft Funny Bones and chocolate cookery tips hit the sweet pot for Charles Hutchinson.
Musical of the week: The Secret Garden The Musical , York Theatre Royal, March 17 to April 4
TONY Award-winning director John Doyle, artistic director of York Theatre Royal from 1993 to 1997, returns to pastures past in more ways than one to present his actor-musician staging of Lucy Simon and Marsha Norman’s Broadway musical account of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s story of love, loss, healing and hope, set on Yorkshire moorland in 1906.
Newly orphaned, Mary Lennox is sent to live with her widowed uncle at the secluded Misselthwaite Manor, a house in habited by memories and spirits from the past. On discovering her Aunt Lily’s neglected garden, she vows to breathe new life into its mysterious stasis as she learns the restorative magic of nature. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Josh Jones: Striving to earn his cat’s respect at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York
Wrestling with humour: Josh Jones, I Haven’t Won The Lottery So Here’s Another Tour Show, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, tonight, 8pm
MANCHESTER comedian Josh Jones follows up Gobsmacked with I Haven’t Won The Lottery So Here’s Another Tour Show as he finds himself knee deep into his 30s, where nothing thrills him more than a Greggs’ Sausage Roll.
Living a more sedate life is not without its challenges, however, as he is yet to earn his cat’s respect. “I’ll be keeping it light: nothing super-political, nothing controversial, and it’s definitely not going to change your life,” he says of a set brimful of history, felines and his love of wrestling. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Cookery book talk of the week: Kemps Books presents Edd Kimber In Conversation, Milton Rooms, Malton, tomorrow, 7.30pm
EDD Kimber, 2010 winner of the inaugural Great British Bake Off, discusses his new book, Chocolate Baking, The Ultimate Guide To Cakes, Cookies, Desserts & Pastries (Quadrille Publishing, March 5), a celebration of the world’s most-loved ingredient in 100 recipes that showcase chocolate in all its forms, sometimes rich and bold, sometimes subtle and surprising.
Expect delicious insights, behind-the-scenes baking stories and possibly a little tasting and demonstration too from Bradford-raised, London-based Kimber. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Jazz singer Claire Martin: Teaming up with IG4 at NCEM, York
Jazz gig of the week: IG4 with Claire Martin, National Centre for Early Music, York, tomorrow, 7.30pm
VOCALIST Claire Martin joins IG4 pianist and composer Nikki Iles, saxophonist Karen Sharp and rising star bassist Ewan Hastie, 2022 BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year, to perform Iles’s new arrangements of Tom Waits, Burt Bacharach, Anthony Newley and Joni Mitchell songs, complemented by her stylish reworking of the American songbook, including Cole Porter and Johnny Mandel. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.
Super-scooper: Rob Rouse going walkies with his skeletal dog in Funny Bones at Pocklington, Helmsley and Scarborough
Comedy gig of the week: Rob Rouse, Funny Bones, Pocklington Arts Centre, tomorrow, 7.30pm; Helmsley Arts Centre, March 20, 8pm; Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, March 21, 7.45pm
FRESH from being picked as the Comics’ Comic Best Act of the Year 2025, Rob Rouse is touring Funny Bones: a daft whirlwind of craftily spun tall tales, a bucketful of manic energy, canny stagecraft, eerily convincing characters and a barrage of one-liners.
“Warning: this show has been meticulously assembled to make you laugh as much as possible,” says Rouse. “However, you will not learn anything from it. You may even come out stupider than when you came in.” Box office: Pocklington, 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk; Helmsley, 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk; Scarborough, 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.
The poster for Ready Steady 60’s Show at Helmsley Arts Centre
Tribute gig of the week: Ready Steady 60’s Show, Helmsley Arts Centre, Friday, 7.30pm
READY Steady 60’s Show celebrates the best of the Mod 1960s and British Beat boom in the four-piece tribute band’s two-hour show, paying homage to The Kinks, The Who, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Small Faces, The Move, The Hollies, and The Animals. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Baron Productions’ cast members at St Mary’s Church, Bishophill Junior, York, where they will perform Friday and Saturday’s Sherlock Holmes double bill
Thriller double bill of the week: Baron Productions in Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal In Bohemia and The Speckled Band, St Mary’s Church, Bishophill Junior, York, Friday and Saturday, 7.30pm
SHERLOCK Holmes and Dr Watson embark on two of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most captivating cases, presented by York company Baron Productions. London private detective Holmes has always despised love, until the day he pits his wits against mysterious blackmailer Irene Adler, who has a powerful hold over the King of Bohemia, one that could turn Holmes into a changed man if he dares do battle with her.
Then, when a desperate young woman begs Holmes for protection against her cruel stepfather, he and Watson must face a deranged doctor – who can commit horrible murders without entering his victims’ rooms – and a sinister “speckled band”. Box office: ticketsource.co.uk/baron-productions.
The 309s: Bringing together Hank Williams, Bob Wills and Louis Jordan at Milton Rooms, Malton
Swing jive gig of the week: The 309s, Milton Rooms, Malton, Saturday, 8pm
WEST Yorkshire five-piece The 309s have spent 14 years purveying their swing jive repertoire all over the country. Think Hank Williams, Bob Wills and Louis Jordan joining forces to make a classic 20th century sound at the roots of rock’n’roll.
The 309s pick songs mostly from the southern States of America from 1925 and 1955, from Western Swing, created by Wills in Texas, through to rock’n’roll’s early days in Memphis, Tennessee, while taking in country boogie and jump blues too. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Scouting For Girls: Marking 15th anniversary of platinum-selling Everybody Wants To Be On TV album at York Barbican
Anniversary gig of the week: Scouting For Girls, Everybody (Still) Wants To Be On TV Tour 2026, York Barbican, March 17, doors 7pm
AS Scouting For Girls’ vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Roy Stride puts it: “I can’t believe we’re already celebrating the 15th anniversary of our second album [Everybody Wants To Be On TV], and I’m beyond excited to get back on the road in 2026! The shows are going to be immense: a massive nostalgic Scouting singalong every night.” Expect further hits to feature too. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Leeds abstract surrealist Nicolas Dixon, outside WET, in Micklegate, York, where his exhibition launches the RARE v WET venture tomorrow
RARE, York artist and event organiser Sharon McDonagh’s new venture, will hold its launch party tomorrow at WET, the independent wine bar and restaurant in Micklegate, York.
Known as a key organiser of 2023 to 2025’s groundbreaking Educated Vandals, Rise Of The Vandals and VandalFest charity street art events in the disused office block on Low Ousegate, Sharon has teamed up with friend and fellow artist/DJ Sola as RARE Collective to continue their mission to champion the overlooked, the creatives, the independents and the underdogs while supporting York charities.
Opening tomorrow at 6pm, the first project is the debut RARE v WET art exhibition in support of SASH (Safe and Sound Homes), featuring Leeds abstract surrealist Nicolas Dixon, on show until April 22. Further solo exhibitions by artists from Yorkshire and beyond will be held there, from which a percentage of sales will go to the charity.
WET proprietors James Wall, left, and Ella Williams with RARE Collective organiser Sharon McDonagh and Leeds abstract surrealist Nicolas Dixon at Thursday’s launch
“RARE Collective will be collaborating with other creatives and businesses that rewrite the rules of events, art and community culture in York and are looking forward to working with Art of Protest, who are curating the forthcoming Acomb Fest in July,” says Sharon.
“I’m incredibly excited to launch this new venture and to have the freedom to collaborate with other creatives, curate exhibitions and street art events and organise collaborations and workshops through RARE Collective in support of SASH and other local charities. It carries the same ethos, passion and hard graft as before, just with a new crew and fresh energy.
“What drives me is the opportunity to use creativity and experience to bring people together: organising events, working with artists and creatives, and supporting young people and adults from all backgrounds to have a voice, share their work and raise funds that can genuinely make a difference.”
DJ/artist Sola: Linking up with Sharon McDonagh to launch RARE Collective
Sharon continues: “After working with SASH on our last two events, it’s a real pleasure to collaborate with their fantastic team again. Over the past three years, we’ve been humbled by the incredible artists, DJs, volunteers and businesses who have supported what we do, and we’re excited to continue building on that momentum.
“We’re also grateful to our sponsors, Mack and Lawler Ltd and York Digital Image, whose continued financial support makes these events possible.”
Looking forward to tomorrow’s launch, artist, DJ and RARE member Sola says: “It’s great to team up with Sharon and be part of RARE Collective. We’ve been friends for several years and I’m humbled to be able to present such an amazing array of local music talents, from DJs to producers, and help connect the dots between music and visual arts.
Nicolas Dixon at work on a mural
“As Sola, I combine all these elements when producing my own artworks and am excited for what lies ahead.”
WET was opened by Ella Williams and James Wall on October 15 last year. “At WET, we’re a tiny team – we’ve just taken on our first employee – running a wine bar/restaurant in the centre of York on Micklegate,” say Ella and James.
“We prioritise seasonal cooking in our small plates, with lots of offal and North Yorkshire produce. Our wine list focuses on smaller growers, lower intervention bottles and changes once a week. There’s a popular roast every Sunday, and regular vinyl nights keep things exciting.
RARE Collective artist and co-organiser Sharon McDonagh, left, with Pam Anthony and Aimee Harding from SASH
“We met working in hospitality and have always championed independents. We’re happy to be a part of an ever-changing and growing York food, drink and cultural scene. We are therefore really happy to be able to collaborate with RARE Collective to host art exhibitions in support of local youth homeless charity SASH.”
The first artist in the RARE v WET spotlight is Leeds-born, internationally acclaimed abstract surrealist Nicolas Dixon, whose murals and artworks are known all over the world.
Closer to home, his large-scale murals have become landmarks in Leeds, including at Kirkgate Market, Trinity Shopping Centre and the University of Leeds, as well as several Leeds United tributes, such as the 1972 FA Cup Winners mural at Elland Road and the iconic Bielsa the Redeemer mural at the Pet Lodge Superstore, on Oldfield Lane, Wortley, featuring former Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa in the style of Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue.
Nicolas Dixon’s 2020 mural Bielsa the Redeemer on Oldfield Lane, Wortley, Leeds
“It’s an absolute pleasure to be teaming up with RARE Collective and WET in support of SASH for the first in a series of exhibitions at WET hosted by RARE,” says Nicolas. “Having worked with Sharon at last year’s charity street art event Vandalfest in York, it was a no-brainer when she asked if I’d like to be the first artist to exhibit for her exciting new collective.
“The show will feature a mixture of new and older work – prints and originals. It should look pretty special in this cool space on Micklegate. It’s great to be supporting SASH and hopefully raise some funds to contribute to the amazing work they do for the youth homeless community in York. Really looking forward to it. See you there.”
SASH says: “We are really excited to be able to work with Sharon again; she always goes above and beyond to ensure her projects come together and is an absolute pleasure to work with. She feels like an extension of the SASH team!
“Sharon always brings such a positive attitude and energy to make things happen, getting results and making a real difference to the lives of those around her and the communities she works with. Her new venture with Sola is a fresh take on what they have already built over the past few years and we are looking forward to working with RARE Collective.”
Among the works on sale will be original paintings of Pareidolia, Angels Gate, Untitled, Hook Lined And Sinkered, Beat In Time, VandalFest 01, VandalFest 02, No Input No Output, Shortcut and Calmer Shores, plus limited-edition prints of Cayatano’s Round Table, Chimera, Bielsa The Redeemer and Nightmare On War. For sales, contact sharon@rarecollective.co.uk.
Artist Nicolas Dixon
Nicolas Dixon: Back story
ABSTRACT surrealist, born in Leeds, whose work spans continents, with murals and artworks on display in Ibiza, Melbourne, New York, Barcelona, Antwerp, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Goa.
His large-scale murals have become landmarks in Leeds, from Kirkgate Market to Trinity Leeds, University of York to Bielsa the Redeemer in Wortley, hailed by Goal magazine as one of the most famous murals in world football.
Alongside his international work, Nicolas has completed high-profile commissions, most notably being selected by Universal Studios as one of six artists to transform Brick Lane, London, into “Yellow Brick Lane” for the global launch of the film Wicked: For Good.
Nicolas Dixon‘s artworks on show at WET in York
Deeply bonded to the underground house music scene, Nicolas has collaborated with clubs in the UK and Ibiza, including Pacha and Octan, where his 50m mural was created atop the entire club, as well as working with DJ/producers such as Nightmares On Wax and Eats Everything.
He has partnered with Rhodes Music, inventors of the electric piano associated with Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Ray Manzarek and Ray Charles, creating a hand-painted edition of their MK8 model, along with a run of 40 limited-edition versions. He has collaborated with Technics too, hand-painting their iconic 1210 turntables.
The poster for Nicolas Dixon’s exhibition on all the walls at WET, Micklegate, York
Noted for his biomorphic shapes, bold colour schemes and instantly recognisable style, Nicolas has worked with major brands such as Adidas, Ribble Bikes, Disney/Star Wars, Jägermeister, BBC, Team GB and the NHS.
Last July, his first-floor collaboration with Bristol graffiti and street art pioneer Inkie was a highlight of VandalFest at Low Ousegate, York.
As an ambassador for the charity Last Night A DJ Saved My Life, he leads art workshops and mural projects with street-affected youth in Africa.
“We are the greatest in the land”: Nicolas Dixon’s mural of Leeds United’s 1972 FA Cup winners at Elland Road
Scottish musician, producer and songwriter Ure, 72, promises a “rare and deeply personal concert experience on a tour that will “blend classic album tracks and fan favourites with cinematic instrumentals in a seamless, emotionally resonant journey through his expansive career”.
He last played York in April 2023, joined by Band Electronica on his Voice & Visions Tour at the Grand Opera House to mark the 40th anniversary of Ultravox albums Rage In Eden and Quartet, released in September 1981 and October 1982 respectively, backed up by landmark songs from Ure’s back catalogue.
Ure & Band Electronica first performed there in November 2017 when headlining a 1980s’ triple bill with The Christians and Altered Images, returning in October 2019 on The 1980 Tour, when Ultravox’s 1980 album, Vienna, was performed in its entirety for the first time in four decades, complemented by highlights from Visage’s self-titled debut album, .
Having celebrated his 70th birthday with a sold-out Royal Albert Hall show in 2023, followed up with a major UK tour in 2024, Ure now challenge musical expectations with a new live concept for 2026.
“This is my two worlds coming together,” explains the Slik, Rich Kids, Ultravox and Visage musician. “Almost every album I have made over the last 40-plus years has featured at least one instrumental track. Instrumental music is one of my main loves.”
For the first time, these often-overlooked instrumental pieces will share the stage with the songs generations know and love. Interspersed throughout the performance, they will act as sonic bridges.
“I realised most of these have never been performed live,” reflects Ure. “So my intention on this tour is to seamlessly insert some of these atmospheric, cinematic instrumentals between a selection of hits and favourite album tracks.”
The result is a curated show designed not only as a set list of songs, but also as a multi-sensory narrative “to take the audience on a journey rather than just play a list of individual songs,” adds Ure. “This will be an immersive experience for the audience both visually and sonically.”
From his glam rock days with Slik, through the punk-tinged energy of The Rich Kids (also featuring Glen Matlock, later of the Sex Pistols), to encapsulating the electronic sound of the 1980s with Ultravox and Visage, Ure has been at the forefront of innovation.
His role in co-writing and producing the 1984 global anthem Do They Know It’s Christmas? and helping to orchestrate Live Aid at Wembley Stadium remains among the most significant moments in modern music history.
After a career crowned with Ivor Novello, Grammy, and BASCAP awards and a legacy of gold and platinum-selling records, Ure now brings fans something completely new.
