Category: Breaking News

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More Things To Do in York and beyond when the river flows into artworks. Here’s Hutch’s List No. 3, from The York Press

Audience members of all ages enjoying Opera North: Little Listeners. Picture: Tom Arber 

IN his third highlights package of the New Year, Charles Hutchinson picks out a riparian exhibition, murderous deeds in 1590 and 1950s’ Italy, Davina’s wellbeing tips and a tribute on Shaky ground.

Family event of the week: Opera North: Little Listeners, National Centre for Early Music, York, today, 2pm and 3.15pm

OPERA North: Little Listeners is a treasure hunt with a tuneful twist, where the Orchestra of Opera North needs your help to find hidden musical gems. Discover different “Tuneful Treasures” as you go, collecting them all in time for the grand finale in this relaxed, interactive concert.

“Singing and movement is not just encouraged – it’s expected!” says the Leeds company. “Join us to experience the magic of orchestral music up close, whatever your age. We can’t wait to sing and dance with you.” Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.

Death Of Gesualdo: Tableaux Vivants team up with The Gesualdo Six and a puppet at the NCEM on Sunday and Monday

World premiere of the month: Death Of Gesualdo, The Gesualdo Six with Tableaux Vivants, National Centre for Early Music, York, Sunday and Monday, 6.30pm to 7.40pm

THE Gesualdo Six reunite with director Bill Barclay for the world premiere of a daring new successor to international hit Secret Byrd. Featuring six singers, six actors and a puppet, Death Of Gesualdo creates living tableaux that illuminate the life and psyche of madrigalist Carlo Gesualdo, a tortured genius most famous for murdering his wife and her lover in an explosive fit of jealousy, but revered among composers for anticipating chromaticism by 200 years.

This is the boldest look yet at how the life and sometimes chilling music of this enigmatic prodigy must function together for the true Gesualdo to emerge from the shadows. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.

York Printmakers artist Jane Dignum at work in her studio

Exhibition of the week: York Printmakers, Rivers of York, City Screen Picturehouse, York, until February 7

CELEBRATING York Printmakers’ tenth anniversary, Rivers of York presents original hand-made prints inspired by the River Foss and River Ouse. On show are a variety of printmaking techniques, including etching, linocut, collagraph, monotype, screen print, solar plate, Japanese woodblock, lithography and stencilling, in works that explore the rivers’ place in the history, ecology and culture of York from Roman times to the present. 

Taking part are printmakers Pamela Knight; John Haste; Roger Goldthorpe; Lyn Bailey; Safron Sunley; Sandra Storey; Robin Linklater; Bridget Hunt; Sally Clarke; Yvonne Hogarth; Jen Dring; Michelle Hughes; Madelaine Lockwood; Vanessa Oo; Jane Dignum; Jane Duke; Phill Jenkins; Becky Long-Smith; Rachel Holbrow and Sally Parkin.

Ed McVey as Tom Ripley and Bruce Herbelin-Earle as Dickie Greenleaf in The Talented Mr Ripley, on tour at Grand Opera House, York. Picture: Mark Senior

Game of deception of the week: The Talented Mr Ripley, Grand Opera House, York, January 19 to 24, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday and Saturday matinees

BEFORE its West End run, The Talented Mr Ripley plays the Grand Opera House with a cast led by Ed McVey as Tom Ripley, Bruce Herbelin-Earle as Dickie Greenleaf and 2020 Strictly Come Dancing finalist MaisieSmith as Marge. Tom is a nobody, scraping by in New York, forging signatures, telling little white lies, until a chance encounter changes everything. When a wealthy stranger offers him an all-expenses-paid trip to Italy to bring home his wayward son, Dickie, Tom leaps at the opportunity. 

In the sun-drenched glamour of 1950s’ Italy, surrounded by shimmering waters and whispered secrets, Tom is seduced by Dickie’s freedom, wealth and effortless charm. Fascination turns to obsession in Patricia Highsmith’s story, whereupon an innocent chance turns into a chilling game of lies, identity theft and murder. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Davina McCall: Uplifting conversation and personal stories at York Barbican

Talk show of the week: An Evening With Davina, York Barbican, January 22, 7.30pm

REARRANGED from October 22 2025, television presenter and wellness advocate Davina McCall presents an evening of uplifting conversation and personal stories. From her groundbreaking career on screen to her tireless campaigning for women’s health, Davina opens up about the moments that shaped her with honesty, humour and heart, followed by an audience Q&A. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Mr Wilson’s Second Liners: On the front line for New Orleans brass and 1990s’ club culture at The Crescent

When New Orleans converges with Hacienda: Mr Wilson’s Second Liners, The Crescent, York, January 22, 7.30pm

MARDI Gras brass band meets 1990s’ club classics for a rave funeral without a body as a rabble of mischievous northerners, Mr Wilson’s Second Liners form a traditional New Orleans Second Line at The Crescent.

However, this is no sombre occasion: Mr Wilson’s expend their collective musical talent paying homage to the diehard days of the Hacienda, Nineties’ club culture and its greatest hero, Manchester mover and shaker Mr Tony Wilson. Box office: thecrescentyork.com.

Recommended but sold out already:York indie rock band Skylights’gig at The Crescent on January 23, 7.30pm.

Jeffrey Martin: Blending folk, Americana and literary short stories at Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb

Folk gig of the week: Please Please You and Brudenell Presents present Jeffrey Martin and special guest Tenderness, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York, January 24, 8.15pm (doors 7.30pm)

PORTLAND musician Jeffrey Martin’s narrative-driven songwriting  is a blend of folk, Americana and literary short stories with echoes of Raymond Carver. Before turning to music full time in 2016, he spent several years as a high-school English teacher, a profession he left to “chase his dreams at all cost.”

His lyrics are marked by his insight into the human condition, often focusing on the struggles and quiet dignity of people on the margins of society. Box office: bluebirdbakery.co.uk/rise.

Shakin’ all over: Rebel Dean rolls out the Eighties’ rock’n’roll hits of Shakin’ Stevens at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre

Tribute show of the week: Whole Lotta Shakin’ – The Shakin’ Stevens Story, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, January 25, 7.30pm

ENDORSED by members of Shakin’ Stevens own family, West End star Rebel Dean’s award-winning tribute to Great Britain’s biggest-selling singles artist of the 1980s tell the story of the rockin’ Welsh boy and his rise to chart-topping superstardom.

Whole Lotta Shakin’ combines a live band with rare footage and images in a nostalgic night of Shaky hits, Green Door, Oh Julie, You Drive Me Crazy and This Ole House et al, complemented by Eddie Cochran, Chuck Berry, Ritchie Valens and Elvis Presley numbers that he covered. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

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Rob Rouse, the comedians’ favourite comic, to shake his Funny Bones on tour. Seven Yorkshire venues await from March 12

Rob Rouse: Craftily spun tall tales, eerily convincing characters, bucketfuls of manic energy, daft flights of fancy and a barrage of one-liners in Funny Bones. Picture: Karina Lax

ROB Rouse will play seven Yorkshire gigs on his Funny Bones stand-up tour, buoyed by winning Comics’ Comic Best Act of the Year 2025 in the UK Comedy Awards and Best Act at the 2025 Yorkshire Comedy Awards.

Rouse, 52, will play Pocklington Arts Centre on March 12; Helmsley Arts Centre, March 20; Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, March 21; Crookes Social Club, Sheffield, March 26; Richmond Georgian Theatre Royal, March 27; Leeds Glee Club, April 12, and Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield, April 17.

Determined exclusively via a poll of comedians on the UK comedy circuit, the Comics’ Comic award recognises the Cheshire-born comedian’s standing after more than 25 years on the road.

“It’s taken me completely by surprise, I’m very grateful and genuinely touched to receive this,” says Rouse. “We all love making audiences laugh and we all love the feeling of getting a laugh from our fellow clowns at the back of the room. It’s one of the things that encourages us to keep going and keep writing.

“I’ve been doing this a long time and to be acknowledged by your peers, who truly understand the highs and lows of this crazy job, feels deeply moving and humbling.”

Rouse first rose to prominence after winning Channel 4’s So You Think You’re Funny Award at the 1998 Edinburgh Fringe, building a reputation for his joyous silliness, infectious energy and storytelling craft.

“To be acknowledged by your peers, who truly understand the highs and lows of this crazy job, feels deeply moving and humbling,” says Rob Rouse. Picture: Karina Lax

He has gone on to appear in the BBC’s Upstart Crow, playing manservant Ned Bottom to David Mitchell’s William Shakespeare, as well as on 8 Out Of 10 Cats, The Friday Night Project and Dave’s One Night Stand and making countless radio appearances too.

Rouse has toured all over the world, from Australia to the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, clocked up 12 Edinburgh Fringe shows, mounted three UK solo tours and performed in two sold-out West End runs of Upstart Crow The Play.

Now living in the Peak District, he is resident host of The Comedy Village at the Crookes Social Club in Sheffield, where he bills himself as the “comedy village idiot”.

Funny Bones marks Rouse’s return to solo touring after support slots with Nina Conti, Kerry Godliman, Rory Bremner and Marcus Brigstocke. The high-spirited new show is packed with craftily spun tall tales, pitch-perfect, eerily convincing characters, bucketfuls of manic energy, daft flights of fancy and a barrage of one-liners in a celebration of comedy and being alive.

Tickets are on sale at: Pocklington, 01759 301547or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk; Helmsley, 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk; Scarborough, 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com; Sheffield, thecomedyvillage.com; Richmond, 01748 825252 or georgiantheatreroyal.co.uk; Leeds,  0871 472 0400 or glee.co.uk; Huddersfield, 01484 430528 or thelbt.org.

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Maisie Smith takes on first American role as Marge Sherwood in The Talented Mr Ripley, on tour at Grand Opera House, York

“Marge was ahead of her time,” says Maisie Smith, who plays the American writer and photographer in The Talented Mr Ripley. Picture: Mark Senior

THE press release for The Talented Mr Ripley’s visit to the Grand Opera House, York, ends with this question: how far would you go to become someone else?

In the case of the acting world, the answer is the whole way for every change of role. For Maisie Smith that means transforming into Marge Sherwood – the character portrayed by Gwyneth Paltrow in  Anthony Minghella’s 2000 film and Dakota Fanning in the 2024 Netflix series – in Mark Leipacher’s touring production. Next stop, Grand Opera House, York, from January 19 to 24.

“I was so, so intrigued when the role came through and it’s very different to any character I’ve played,” says Maisie, who last appeared on a Yorkshire stage as Fran in her musical theatre debut in Strictly Ballroom The Musical at Leeds Grand Theatre in July 2023.

“This time it was a very quick process, at very short notice. I was asked, ‘could you read a scene from the script – and you can pick the scene’. I did it on tape, filming myself when I was on holiday at the time, on a fishing trip with my boyfriend in a little lake cabin.”

Not the ideal audition scenario, especially when Maisie had to evoke living in “the sun-drenched glamour of 1950s’ Italy”. “I was in this wooden cabin, in Shropshire, and I had to drive into the nearest high street to get an internet connection! It’s such a glamorous lifestyle, as they say!”

Nevertheless, the self-tape worked and the role of Marge was hers. “That was in maybe June/July last year, and we started rehearsals in August. The tour began last September [at Cheltenham Everyman Theatre, marking the 70th anniversary of Patricia Highsmith’s novel], and we’ve just had a few weeks off [since November 22] for a Christmas break,” says Maisie. “Our first week back is in York.”

Director Mark Leipacher has adapted Highsmith’s psychological thriller for its first major UK tour, casting The Crown star Ed McVey as dangerously charismatic antihero Tom Ripley, who is scraping by in New York, forging signatures, telling little white lies, until a chance encounter changes everything.

When a wealthy stranger offers him an all-expenses-paid trip to Italy to bring home his wayward son, Dickie Greenleaf (Bruce Herbelin-Earle), Tom leaps at the opportunity. However, surrounded by shimmering waters and whispered secrets on the Amalfi Coast, he is seduced by the freedom, wealth and effortless charm of Dickie’s life.

As fascination turns to obsession and his grip tightens on Dickie’s world, the lines between truth and deception begin to blur in Highsmith’s tale of deception, desire and deadly ambition. What starts as an innocent opportunity spirals into a chilling game of lies, identity theft, and murder. 

Maisie has seen the film and the monochrome TV series, but not read the read the book. “I feel a bad actress for not reading it, but I have seen the director’s notes that he wrote years ago as this play has been in the making for six years,” she says. “I couldn’t believe it when Mark said he’d been working on it for so long.”

Maisie Smith’s Marge Sherwood and Bruce Herbelin-Earle’s Dickie Greenleaf in The Talented Mr Ripley. Picture: Mark Senior

Assessing the role of Marge, she says: “I see her as a really interesting character in this play. What I love about her and what I try to drill into is that she is one of the only people who is suspicious and recognises Tom Ripley for what he is, so she’s very valuable person in the story.

“It’s a story that’s ahead of its time because she was ahead of her time: she’s very independent; she’s a writer and photographer and has her own house in Italy. She has a boyfriend but is not in a committed relationship, which was really futuristic for a woman at that time.

“That’s why this story has been told again and again over 70 years because it’s never dated and will never go out of style.”

Marge is new territory for 24-year-old Maisie. “I haven’t played an American before, and the oldest era I’d played before this was Strictly Ballroom, set in the 1980s. Lots of characters I play are of a more juvenile age. Like Tiffany [Butcher], my character in EastEnders, was  only a couple of years younger than me,” she says.

“Tiffany was quite cocky, cheeky, whereas Marge is very intelligent – and I’ve really had to rein in my Southend accent! Once I got the part, they brought in someone to work on the accent with me as Marge has this old-school American accent.”

Maisie, you may recall, finished as a finalist in the 2020 series of Strictly Come Dancing, recorded under Covid conditions. “It was so crazy but I was 19, so I think, looking back on it, it was the first time I’d ever done live TV, and the first time I’d ever been Maisie, rather than playing a character, and I did find the whole experience nerve-wracking,” she says.

“I wish I hadn’t stressed about everything – did people like me; did I do that dance right? – but then I thought, ‘no, just be yourself, who cares what people think!”

She continued to play Tiffany for another year, “but I was itching to do theatre”, a change of tack that has been rewarded with significant roles in Strictly Ballroom and now The Talented Mr Ripley. “This new character, Marge, is the most different from me. Everything about her is different from me. It’s always  a challenge but that’s what you want.”

Hence Maisie will keep asking herself that question: how far would you go to become someone else?

The Talented Mr Ripley, Grand Opera House, York, January 19 to 24, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday and Saturday matinees. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

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Adultery, murder and beautiful music add up to Death Of Gesualdo as Tableaux Vivants and The Gesualdo Six play NCEM

Death Of Gesualdo: Bringing together The Gesualdo Six, Tableaux Vivants and a puppet for new drama of jealousy, murder and sublime madrigal music at NCEM

THE Gesualdo Six are reuniting with director Bill Barclay for the world premiere of Death Of Gesualdo, a daring new successor to their international hit Secret Byrd.

Premiered at St Martin-in-the-Fields, London, tomorrow and on Saturday, the haunting theatrical concerto, exploring the tormented life and music of Renaissance composer Carlo Gesualdo, will then head north to the National Centre of Early Music, Walmgate, York, for 6.30pm performances on Sunday and Monday.

Commissioned by St Martin’s as part of its 300th anniversary and produced by Concert Theatre Works,  this collaboration with the NCEM and Music Before 1800 in New York City utilises the sextet of Gesualdo singers, six Tableaux Vivants actors and a puppet in “living tableaux to illuminate the forces that shaped the violent life, psyche and visionary work of innovative madrigalist Carlo Gesualdo (1566–1613), Prince of Venosa.

He may be infamous for murdering his unfaithful wife and her lover in an explosive fit of jealousy, but among composers he is revered for anticipating chromaticism – the musical technique of using notes outside the main diatonic scale to add colour, tension, and expression – by 200 years.

Choreographed by Will Tuckett, the dancers enact tableaux vivant – vivid images, like paintings brought to life –filled with iconography to superimpose Gesualdo’s psyche on to his most chilling music. The result will be “the boldest look yet at how the life and music of this enigmatic prodigy must function together for the true Gesualdo to emerge from the shadows”.

Director Bill Barclay says: “Gesualdo’s tortured mind led him into a life of violence and suffering, concluding in astonishing tales of witchcraft and malfeasance and appalling tales of sorcery and flagellation. However shockingly macabre his biography is, the Prince of Venosa’s malignant narcissism can be traced to key incidents from his upbringing in the zero-sum game of Catholic politics.”

Opening on the composer’s deathbed, Death Of Gesualdo promises to be a visceral “Stations of the Cross” for the composer’s tortured conscience as much as a bold study of his inseparable life, psyche and music.

Bill says: “I want people to hear the brilliance of Gesualdo’s music, but also to feel the immense human suffering that shaped it. This staging seeks to reveal the guilt and retribution woven through his extraordinary music, brought to life by The Gesualdo Six – some of the finest polyphonic singers in the world.”

The creative team brings together Barclay, Gesualdo Six director Owain Park, Olivier Award-winning choreographer Will Tuckett, best known for his work with The Royal Ballet and his visionary cross-disciplinary approach; former Handspring Puppet Company director Janni Younge and American costume designer Arthur Oliver.

“We so enjoyed doing Secret Byrd with Bill, and when we see Bill, we like to throw around a few ideas, and this is what’s emerged next – as we’re really well positioned to sing Gesualdo’s music,” says Owain.

He suggests Death Of Gesualdo has three layers: musical, dramatic and another layer that “provokes discussion and thoughts without necessarily coming up with the answer to the questions asked”.

“Bill is more interested in providing more questions than answers,” he says, highlighting the need for a balance between what is said and left unsaid. “When we debut the project in London and York, we will know more about that, but for now I can say it’s something we’ve never done before.

“It will be interesting to see how we present music differently, where it will heighten things in a way that you wouldn’t in concert. It becomes more sensory, like smell and touch, as we create pictures to be discovered. I think there’s going to be space for more development – which is interesting – and maybe audiences will need to come again.

“There’s more chance for spontaneity, and that’s exciting, like in sport, where you never know what the result will be, if the formula is right, whereas in music you do, but you can take different routes to the same result, but Death Of Gesualdo is more of a change from that, with the chance to be different each time.”

Secret Byrd visited more than 25 cities, with plans afoot to revisit it in the UK, Ireland and USA. “Last time, the NCEM was at the end of the first tour, so how lovely this time that Delma [NCEM director Delma Tomlin] and the NCEM are at the forefront of this new project, as we’ve built up such a wonderful relationship with them,” says Owain.

For creator-director Barclay, when St Martin’s wanted a “splashy” production to mark its 300th anniversary and suggested Gesualdo, his instinct was to resist at first. “I wasn’t drawn to the murder of his wife and her lover, the central event of his life,” he recalls, “I cherish the music, like anyone else, but I wasn’t just going to do a concert because I knew I had to reckon with the man.”

 He enjoys counterpointing singers  with other artists, and once he found a video of Tableaux Vivants, he saw the possibilities in Death Of Gesualdo. “I found their work whimsical and beautiful and was struck by how this artform could re-create horrible things in beautiful ways,” he says.

“They can create quite grotesque images  but because they’re created right in front of you, there’s a sense they can be done both playfully and beautifully. It struck me as a way I could thread the story of the murder into the performance without all the violence,  taking Gesualdo’s music as a framing device, not for the murder, but to explore what’s going through his mind  and then opening up the topical subject of odious men.

“It made me think about cancel culture today…and what lessons have we learnt from the social media accelerant that can force someone to be treated as guilty until proven innocent?”

Citing composer Richard Wagner and jazz musician Miles Davis as further examples of “odious” creative talents, Bill says: “What I’m trying to get at is, can you separate the art from the man?

“With Death Of Gesualdo, I’m suggesting that if you consider his life over the music he created, a different picture emerges of this tortured soul, who was probably bisexual. I’m not trying to inspire pity in my audience as to whether he was forced to commit an honour killing or not, but with a sensitive artist such as Gesualdo, he was tortured by various ailments, from bulimic narcissism to bipolarity.”

Bill is thrilled to be teaming up with Owain Park and The Gesualdo Six again. “Owain is a genius, he’s a treasure, and his star burns very brightly. He’s young and he’s just at the beginning of what we expect to be a wonderful career,” he says.

“Working with these wonderful singers at this point benefits everybody, most of all the audience, and we now have two pieces that we can tour around the world as the arts become more interdisciplinary. It’s fun!

“I’m delighted that they [The Gesualdo Six] have trusted me to work with them, rehearsing for longer than they normally would for concerts – and putting on make-up for the performances!”

The Gesualdo Six and Tableaux Vivants, Death Of Gesualdo, National Centre for Early Music, St Margaret’s Church, Walmgate, York, January 18 and 19, 6.30pm to 7.40pm. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.

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REVIEW: The Woman In Black, Grand Opera House, York, until Saturday *****

Daniel Burke, left, and John Mackay in the funeral scene in The Woman In Black. Picture: Mark Douet

IN the Dress Circle at Tuesday’s press night were assembled rows of Year 9 pupils, all studying The Woman In Black. They talked with bravado of not screaming, albeit some with more conviction than others.

Your reviewer, a veteran with many years’ service to watching Stephen Mallatratt’s meta-theatrical adaptation of Scarborough novelist Susan Hill’s ghost story, struck up conversation with the excited students, predicting that boisterous ghost bluster would make way for shrieks by the fright night’s denouement.

Sure enough, their reactions would alter once the early humour faded away, consumed by the gravest, ghostly, ghastly deeds in the fog and murk of Eel Marsh House, the remote mansion haunted by the hollow-faced spectral figure of the title.

No matter how often The Woman In Black plays its cards, it can still surprise, startle, jolt and, yes, scare beyond shredded nerves, such is the adroit sleight of hand of Robin Herford, still directing the show, as he first did in a pub setting at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, in December 1987.

Train of thought: Daniel Burke and John Mackay in a travelling scene in The Woman In Black. Picture: Mark Douet

Returning once more to the Grand Opera House – home to its own story of a resident ghost who greets new members of staff by name on first acquaintance in the auditorium – The Woman In Black is a celebration of the unrivalled power of theatrical storytelling, invention and the imagination, as much as the British love of chills, thrills and spills.

Like buses on a good day, another one will be coming around the corner soon in the form of Danny Robins’s 2:22 A Ghost Story from March 30 to April 4, a smart invader from modern-day London wrapped inside a state-of-the-nation character study that first played York in May 2024.

The Woman In Black is of an earlier vintage, a place of hats and overcoats, a pony and trap, worn briefcases, piles of faded papers and a rocking chair, where, as ever, “the action takes place in this theatre in the early 1950s”.

The Grand Opera House’s plush velvet design is ideal for Mallatratt’s theatrical conceit of a play within a play staged in a  disused theatre within a theatre, in which Michael Holt’s gauze set enables the stealthy revelation of a shadowy, creaking stairwell, deathly cold dark passages, a large locked door and, most disturbingly, a child’s bedroom with toys and clothes untouched from 50 years ago.

The Woman In Black director Robin Herford. Picture: Mark Douet

Rod Mead’s sound design, orchestrated on tour again by Sebastian Frost, wraps itself around all corners of the auditorium to keep the audience on alert, aided by the ironically named Kevin Sleep’s light design that cranks up the tension, changing suddenly to leave  you wondering restlessly where the Woman In Black might next appear, with no escape from her cape.

As ever, the casting for what is essentially a two-hander (save for the ghostly Jennet Humphrey’s interventions) is as key to the time-honoured production’s success as all the theatrical effects.

John Mackay, as stultified, haunted lawyer Arthur Kipps, and Daniel Burke, as The Actor he hires to tell his story, are a double act in theatre’s best traditions, as adept at storytelling as light humour and then darkening horror as Kipps seeks to exorcise the fear that has burdened his soul for so long, to end the curse on his family.

“For my health, for reason”, his story must be told, he says, and with the help of Burke’s boundlessly enthusiastic Actor, on the wings of imagination, his rambling book of notes will become a play so powerful that it no longer feels like a play, but an all-consuming reality destined to play out forever.

In the gloom of Eel Marsh House, John Mackay, left, and Daniel Burke play out a scene on a pony and trap. Picture: Mark Douet

The Actor becomes Kipps, the young solicitor sent to attend to the isolated, wretched English marshland estate of the newly dead Alice Drablow, while Mackay’s Scottish-toned Kipps, once he sheds his stage novice reserve, takes on all manner of roles, from narrator, hotel host and taciturn pony-and-trap driver, to an even more haunted old solicitor and wary landowner.

All the while, Kipps is ever more traumatised by his fears rising anew, and likewise Mallatratt applies the cunning skills of of a magician as the drama within takes over from the act of making it, while simultaneously glorying in theatre, dapper acting skills and the abiding appeal of a ghost story (especially in York, with its multitude of ghost walks) .

No need for high-tech special effects, this is old-fashioned theatre-making, where the terrifying theatrical re-enactment is applied with only two chairs, a stool, a trunk of papers, a hanging rail of costume props, dust sheets over the stage apron and a theatre curtain as frayed as everyone’s nerves by the end, an ending full of eternal foreboding. Welcome back, The Woman In Black.

PW Productions in The Woman In Black, Grand Opera House, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Thursday and Saturday matinees. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

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Be Amazing Arts to hold open auditions for March 26 to 28 run of Disney’s Newsies Jr musical at Joseph Rowntree Theatre

Be Amazing Arts’ poster for Disney’s Newsies Jr, playing at the JoRo in March

OPEN auditions are now live for Malton company Be Amazing Arts’ next production, Disney’s Newsies Jr, to be staged at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, from March 26 to 28.

Based on the hit Broadway show, Newsies Jr follows a spirited band of newsboys as they rally together to fight for what’s right against the powerful newspaper publishers of New York City. Filled with uplifting messages of courage and friendship, this family-friendly production will leave you cheering, dancing and believing in the power of standing strong together!

“This high-energy, feel-good musical is packed with unforgettable songs, dynamic choreography and an inspiring story about young people standing up for what they believe in,” says managing director James Aconley. “It’s a fantastic opportunity for performers to grow in confidence, develop their skills and be part of something truly special.

“We welcome performers of all experience levels. Whether this is your first show or you’re already stage-mad, we’re looking for enthusiasm and commitment, a willingness to learn and work as part of a team and a love of performing (singing, dancing and acting).”

Why take part? “Being involved in a Be Amazing Arts production means professional, supportive direction; high-quality training in a fun and encouraging environment; making new friends and creating unforgettable memories, and experiencing the thrill of performing on stage in a full-scale musical production,” says James.

What happens next? All audition information – including dates, age guidance, what to prepare and how auditions will run – can be found at beamazingarts.co.uk. To register for the auditions, go to https://beamazingarts.co.uk/newsies/.

“If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with our team,” says James. “We can’t wait to meet the next generation of newsies and start this exciting journey together. Seize the day – and we’ll see you at auditions!”

Be Amazing Arts, Disney’s Newsies Jr, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, March 26 to 28, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: 01904 501395 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

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REVIEW: Steve Crowther’s verdict on Sean Shibe, BMS York, Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, University of York, 9/1/2026

Scottish lutenist and guitar player Sean Shibe. Picture: Iga Gozdowska

THIS concert for the British Music Society of York opened with a request: none of the usual “Please switch off your mobile phones, emergency exits this way”  stuff, but a call-out for a USB connector.

This set a tone of the unexpected, of unpredictability, and the concert was all the more refreshing for it.

Sean Shibe opened with a selection of lute pieces from the Rowallan and Straloch Manuscripts. The playing not only showcased his technical brilliance – each note plucked with surgical precision – but also the exquisite, expressive depth. I was drawn into a world which embraced a hypnotic, timeless quality.

I have never heard any of the music by Pierre Attaingnant, but it seemed to me that Sean Shibe approached the early 16th century-transcribed set of dances for solo lute, not as museum pieces but as vibrant living music. His tone was intimate and lucid, the ornamentation discreet yet expressive.

That said, I much preferred the following three unannounced Renaissance lute pieces by John Dowland: Prelude, Queen Elizabeth’s Galliard and Frog Galliard. They formed a delightfully compelling triptych, displaying the full expressive range of Dowland’s lute writing.

I loved the poise and courtly brilliance of Shibe’s Queen Elizabeth’s Galliard and the buoyant rhythm and sharply etched phrasing of its companion, Frog Galliard.

Having been forewarned that the first half was going to be short and the second half a ‘leg-crosser’ – my companion’s observation, not mine – we dutifully headed off to the proverbial refreshment rooms.

Not surprisingly, we were somewhat surprised to see the performer immediately returning with his guitar. Leaving our dignity at the auditorium exit, we quickly resumed our seats as if nothing had happened. And I’m pleased we did, as we were treated to a sublime performance of Bach’s Suite No. 1 in G major for cello, arranged, presumably by Sean Shibe, for solo guitar.

Shibe’s crystal-clear articulation of the weaving contrapuntal lines was not only technically remarkable but went way beyond virtuosity into a world of rediscovery, of genuine musical insight.

The second half should have opened with Sofia Gubaidulina’s short, three-minute solo guitar piece, Serenade (1960), only it didn’t. Instead, it was one of Harrison Birtwistle’s short guitar miniatures called Sleep Song.

Rather than the usual full-force, raw Birtwistle, the piece – as the title suggests – was quiet, introspective, and gently evocative.

The Gubaidulina was interesting in that it was quite traditional, even tonal. I also thought I detected a Spanish influence. Like the Birtwistle, it explored subtle timbres and mood. The performances were beautifully nuanced.

I was as delighted as I was surprised to see Frank Martin’s admirable Quatre pieces brèves for solo guitar – written for the great Spanish guitarist, Andrés Segovia, but premiered by (the even greater) Julian Bream – replaced by James Dillon’s Twelve Caprices for solo guitar.

Not surprisingly, these were characterised by extreme virtuosity: rapid changes from bass and treble (Caprice I); fast passagework (Caprice II); dynamic voice differences (III); crazy-fast stopped notes and harmonics (IV); left-hand extremes (VI); violent attacks (VII), through to a kind of recapitulation in the closing Caprice XII.

The musical as well as the technical demands on the performer are beyond anything I have heard for a solo guitarist, and the performance by Sean Shibe was unbelievably impressive.

For what it’s worth, it reminded me of a highly distilled version of the composer’s utterly magnificent Book of Elements – for solo piano. The problem for me was, unlike the Book of Elements, I really didn’t enjoy the ride; I just hung on for dear life: utterly exhilarating.

Sean Shibe closed the recital with Thomas Adès’ Forgotten Dances. Like the Dillon, the demands on the performer are considerable. Take the opening movement, Overture – Queen of Spiders, for example.

The fast alternation between the bright, metallic, glassy passages played very close to the bridge and the darker, chocolatey passages played very close to the fingerboard; the fast harp-like delicacy in the upper register and the jaw-dropping left-hand agility were delivered with a focus on musicality rather than display.

Was there any tone painting here? Not sure, but there was a brittle, skittering quality and a delightful winding-down of activity signalling closure rather than cadence. By contrast, in the sustained, quiet sonorities of Berceuse – Paradise of Thebes, Shibe conjured a timeless, haunting quality.

His playing in Here Was A Swift was brimming with a volatile, darting vitality. Were there echoes of Satie in Barcarolle – The Maiden Voyage? Absence of goal-orientated repetition, maybe? But the rocking motion suggests unease rather than Satie’s ironic calling card. Not sure.

Carillon de Ville came across as the most grounded, with Shibe marking a ritualistic 4/4 (to my ears) march, but one with nowhere to go. The suite closed with a homage to Purcell, Vesper – a movement signalling restraint, a quiet closing of the cycle rather than resolution. It was beautifully played.

I thought the performance of Forgotten Dances was inspired, and I left the recital believing that Forgotten Dances was the real deal: a masterpiece.

And there we have it: a one-off, truly remarkable programme and performance – a   worthy tribute to Andrew Carter, president of BMS York, who died earlier this month.

Review by Steve Crowther

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Tinkling joy arrives at York Station as public piano is installed by Richard Shephard Music Foundation, LNER and Piano Equals

David Pipe: Performing at public piano launch on York Station front foyer on Thursday afternoon

A PUBLIC piano is being installed at York Station in a collaboration between the Richard Shephard Music Foundation (RSMF), London North Eastern Railway (LNER) and Piano Equals, the piano re-use initiative.

Trustees from the RSMF will gather at the piano on the front foyer on Thursday (15/1/2026) when David Pipe will play Richard Shephard’s Let Him Who Seeks for commuters, among other music.

This joyful piano installation will bring music to a public space while also supporting young musicians across Yorkshire and the North East and raising awareness of the RSMF charity’s work.

Founded in 2021 in memory of Dr Richard Shephard, church and secular music composer and Minster School headmaster from 1985 to 2004, the RSMF has celebrated its most successful year to date, when more than 8,685 children received weekly music lessons through partnerships with 34 schools in 2025.

This milestone marks significant progress toward the foundation’s goal of teaching 10,000 children every week by 2026:  a target that will mean almost one in seven primary-aged children in the region will have regular access to high-quality music education.

“Music inspires, unites and empowers,” says Andrea Hayes, former head teacher and foundation trustee. “The foundation brings that power into classrooms, ensuring every child, whatever their background, can access high-quality music teaching.”

Key highlights from the Richard Shephard Music the Foundation’s 2024–25 Impact Report:

8,685 children received weekly music lessons, totalling 8,250 hours of high-quality musiceducation.

34 partner schools participated, including new additions in East Yorkshire, Saltburn, Darlington, Richmond, and Selby.

50 children joined the foundation’s biggest-ever Make Music Day, celebrating creativity and collaboration through live workshops and performances.

Ten free “Music Explorers” holiday clubs reached 263 children, with an average of 57 per cent eligible for Free School Meals, rising to 85 per cent in Scarborough.

1,943 children took part in foundation-led events, concerts and community performances.

Independent evaluations and teacher feedback revealed transformative results:

99 per cent of staff reported improved confidence among pupils.

 97 per cent saw enhanced musical knowledge.

92 per cent observed improvements in wellbeing.

94 per cent said their school’s standard of music teaching had improved.

Reaching communities that need it most

HALF of the foundation’s partner schools have more than 30 per cent of pupils eligible for Free School Meals, 12 being based in Arts Council England’s Priority Places. By focusing on these areas, RSMF is ensuring access to the social, emotional and educational benefits of music for children who might otherwise miss out.

How you can be involved

WHETHER you are a parent, musician or member of the public passionate about music education, RSMF invites you to become a Friend of the Foundation by committing to a monthly donation, as small or large as suits you.

You will receive updates from the foundation and invitations to events. To join and donate, visit: donate.rsmf.org.uk.

“Research highlights time and time again that music education is not an equal playing field,” says foundation chief executive officer Cathy Grant. “The Child of the North report found that 93 per cent of children are being excluded from arts and cultural education due to a lack of funding in state schools, with almost half (42 per cent) of secondary schools no longer entering pupils for GCSE Music.

“The same report outlined how participation in arts activities also correlates strongly with socioeconomic status – with children from the most affluent backgrounds being three times more likely to sing in a choir or play in an orchestra than those in deprived areas.

“Our work directly addresses these inequalities,aiming to level the playing field for children across our region.”

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 3, from Gazette & Herald

York Printmakers: Tenth anniversary exhibition…with cake on Saturday

IN his third highlights package of the New Year, Charles Hutchinson picks out a riparian exhibition, a brace of pantos, murderous deeds in 1950s’ Italy and a transatlantic folk talent.

Exhibition of the week: York Printmakers, Rivers of York, City Screen Picturehouse, York, until February 7

CELEBRATING York Printmakers’ tenth anniversary, Rivers of York presents original hand-made prints inspired by the River Foss and River Ouse. Head to City Screen’s upstairs lounge today from 2pm and 4pm for Prints and Cake, a chance to share cake, find out more about the prints and meet the artists who created them.

On show are a variety of printmaking techniques, including etching, linocut, collagraph, monotype, screen print, solar plate, Japanese woodblock, lithography and stencilling, in works that explore the rivers’ place in the history, ecology and culture of York from Roman times to the present. 

Paula Cook’s villainous Queen Lucrecia and John Brooks’s scheming Chamberlain in Pickering Musical Society’s Snow White

Panto time: Pickering Musical Society in Snow White, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, until January 25, 7.15pm, except January 19; 2.15pm, January 17, 18, 24 and 25  

DIRECTED for the tenth year by resident director Luke Arnold and scripted by Ron Hall, Pickering Musical Society’s 2026 pantomime blends familiar faces with new turns, led by Alice Rose as Snow White in her first appearance since Goldilocks in 2018.

Local legend Marcus Burnside plays Dame Dumpling alongside mischievous sidekick Jack Dobson as court jester Fritz, his first comedic role. Company regular Courtney Brown switches to comedy too as Helga; Paula Cook turns to the dark side in her villainous debut as Queen Lucrecia; Danielle Long is the heroic Prince Valentine, John Brooks, the scheming Chamberlain and Sue Smithson, Fairy Dewdrop. Box office: 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.littleboxoffice.com.

Jack Robinson’s PC World and Evie-Mae Dale’s Sergeant Pong in Malton and Norton Musical Theatre’s Aladdin – The Pantomime 

Panto time too: Malton and Norton Musical Theatre in Aladdin – The Pantomime, Milton Rooms, Malton, Saturday, 1.30pm, 5.15pm; Sunday, 2pm; January 20 to 23, 7.15pm; January 24, 1pm, 5.15pm

BETWIXT York roles in York Shakespeare Project’s The Spanish Tragedy and Black Treacle Theatre’s Anne Boleyn, Harry Summers continues to corner the market in dark roles as wicked magician Abanazar in Malton and Norton Musical Theatre’s Aladdin.

Fresh from his villainous scene-stealing in The Spanish Tragedy, Thomas Jennings plays the Emperor. Further principal players in the mystical land of Shangri-La include Harriet White’s Aladdin, Isabel Davis’s Princess Jasmine; Rory Queen’s dame, Widow Twankey, Tom Gleave’s Wishee Washee, Mark Summers’ Genie of the Lamp and Annabelle Free’s Spirit of the Ring. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.

The Steelers: Paying tribute to Steely Dan at Helmsley Arts Centre

Tribute show of the week: The Steelers, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday 7.30pm

THE Steelers, a nine-piece band of musicians drawn from around Great Britain, perform songs from iconic Steely Dan Steel albums Pretzel Logic, The Royal Scam, AJA and Goucho, crafted by Walter Becker and Donald Fagan since 1972. 

Once described as “the American Beatles”, Becker and Fagan’s songs are noted for their clever lyrics and sophisticated arrangements. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Bruce Herbelin-Earle as Dickie Greenleaf, left, and Ed McVey as Tom Ripley in The Talented Mr Ripley. Picture: Mark Senior

Game of lies of the week: The Talented Mr Ripley, Grand Opera House, York, January 19 to 24, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday and Saturday matinees

BEFORE its West End run, The Talented Mr Ripley plays the Grand Opera House with a cast led by Ed McVey as Tom Ripley, Bruce Herbelin-Earle as Dickie Greenleaf and 2020 Strictly Come Dancing finalist Maisie Smith as Marge. Tom is a nobody, scraping by in New York, forging signatures, telling little white lies, until a chance encounter changes everything. When a wealthy stranger offers him an all-expenses-paid trip to Italy to bring home his wayward son, Dickie, Tom leaps at the opportunity. 

In the sun-drenched glamour of 1950s’ Italy, surrounded by shimmering waters and whispered secrets, Tom is seduced by Dickie’s freedom, wealth and effortless charm. Fascination turns to obsession in Patricia Highsmith’s story, whereupon an innocent chance turns into a chilling game of lies, identity theft and murder. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Elanor Moss: Songs of the nuances of life lived in relation to others at Pocklington Arts Centre

Folk gig of the month: Elanor Moss, Pocklington Arts Centre, January 29, 8pm

ELANOR Moss, an “emotionally transatlantic” talent with family roots in Lincolnshire and Baltimore, Maryland, draws on influence from homes familiar and felt in songs that turn over the nuances of life lived in relation to others, taking inspiration from the British and American folk canons alike.

In keeping with such heroes as Judee Sill, Joni Mitchell, Sibylle Baier and Vashti Bunyan, her subject is “always people in all their lovely flawed-ness”. Ned Swarbrick supports. Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.

John Doyle: Returning to York Theatre Royal to direct The Secret Garden The Musical this spring

Welcome back to nature: The Secret Garden The Musical, York Theatre Royal, March 17 to April 4

TONY Award-winning John Doyle, artistic director of York Theatre Royal from 1993 to 1997, returns to his old patch to stage his trademark actor-musician interpretation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden in a new revival of the Broadway musical with a score by Lucy Simon and book and lyrics by Marsha Norman.

In 1906 North Yorkshire (North Riding, as was), newly orphaned Mary Lennox is sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her widowed uncle in a moorland house of memories and spirits. Determined to breathe new life into her aunt’s mysterious neglected garden, she makes new friends while learning of the power of connection and the restorative magic of nature.  Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Amber Davies in the poster for Legally Blonde The Musical, on tour at the Grand Opera House, York, in April

Casting announced for: Made At Curve presenting Legally Blonde The Musical at Grand Opera House, York, April 21 to 25, 7.30pm plus Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday matinees, 2.30pm

STRICTLY Come Dancing 2025 finalist Amber Davies will play Elle Woods in the 2026 tour of Legally Blonde The Musical, joined by York Theatre Royal pantomime villain Jocasta Almgill as Brooke Wyndham, fresh from playing wicked fairy Carabosse in Sleeping Beauty.

Davies had been set to appear as Hollywood hooker Vivian Ward in Pretty Woman The Musical at the Grand Opera House in February 2024, but Sydnie Hocknell understudied that week. Hannah Lowther, otherwise playing Margot, will step in for Davies at the April 23 matinee. North Yorkshireman  Nikolai Foster directs the uplifting, totally pink tale of Elle’s transformation from ‘It Girl’ fashionista to legal ace at Harvard Law School, all in the name of love. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.