Illyria in Oliver Grey’s adaptation of Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind In The Willows at Ripon Racecourse on July 5 at 5.30pm
RIPON Theatre Festival returns from July 1 to 6 July with a line-up of shows, stories and community spirit that promises to light up the North Yorkshire city.
Drama, storytelling, puppetry, street theatre, circus and dance feature in more than 100 performances of 60 different events, backed by the festival’s first Arts Council funding, with a developing outreach programme too.
The best of British touring theatre Performances from top-quality touring companies, such as festival favourites Illyria bringing The Wind In The Willows to life in the leafy setting of Ripon Racecourse.
Unforgettable outdoor theatre experiences From Breadcrumbs, Hansel & Gretel with a difference from Leeds company Wrongsemble, to open-air Shakespeare at the Old Deanery gardens, Ripon becomes the stage for magical performances under the summer sky.
Buzzing city vibe Ripon will be alive with street performers from across the UK, pop-up stages and 25 local groups showcasing their talents. The festival creates a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere across the city, using the streets and historic buildings as a unique backdrop.
Opportunities to be involved From storytelling workshops and community art installations to the chance to try out Flamenco or join in circus skills, there are plenty of ways for all ages to participate.
Something for everyone From classic theatre and cutting-edge new writing to comedy, and family-friendly fun, the packed programme is for all ages and tastes.
World-class storytelling International storyteller-in-residence Peter Chand will bring tales inspired by his British Punjabi heritage to the atmospheric Leper Chapel.
Free family entertainment Two days packed with free performances and activities make Ripon a destination for families looking for affordable fun. The Spa Gardens are turned into a Family Theatre zone for Festival Sunday with a rolling programme of theatre, puppetry, music, dance and walkabout acts.
City-wide offers for festival-goers Ripon’s independent businesses will be participating too. The city’s cafés, restaurants, and shops are joining the celebration with offers for ticket holders.
Bringing theatre to every corner The festival’s outreach programme ensures that care homes and community spaces are part of the action, spreading the joy of theatre across the city.
Spoilt for choice on opening night The festival kicks off on (1/7/2025) with two very different shows. Audiences can choose from stand-up with rising comedy favourite Larry Dean orvisit Ripon Cathedral for gripping one-man theatre at The Beloved Son.
Olly Murs: Returning to familiar turf at York Racecourse’s first Summer Music Saturday meeting this afternoon
AS the outdoor concert season awakens, a festival goes to heaven and hell and a koala tries something new in Charles Hutchinson’s list for the upcoming week.
Back on track: Olly Murs, York Racecourse, Summer Music Saturday, today, first race at 1.55pm; last race, 5.25pm, followed by concert
ESSEX singer, songwriter, actor and television personality from Olly Murs completes his hat-trick of appearances at York Racecourse this weekend, having played the Knavesmire track in 2010 and 2017.
Performing after today’s race card, his set list will draw on his seven albums and 25 singles, including the number ones Please Don’t Let Me Go, Heart Skips A Beat, Dance With Me Tonight and Troublemaker. Race day tickets: yorkracecourse.co.uk.
Marcelo Nisinman: Argentinean bandoneon player, performing Martin Palmeri’s Misatango at York Guildhall today
Reverence and rhythm of the week: Prima Choral Artists presents Scared Rhythms: From Chant To Tango, York Guildhall, The Courtyard, Coney Street, York, tonight, 7.30pm
ARGENTINEAN bandoneon maestro and composer Marcelo Nisinman performs Martin Palmeri’s Misatango as the finale to director Eve Lorian’s Sacred Rhythms – From Chant To Tango concert.
He joins the 60-strong Prima Choral Artists choir, pianist Greg Birch, Yorkshire mezzo-soprano soloist Lucy Jubb and the New World String Quintet for tonight’s journey through sacred and spiritual choral music. Box office: primachoral.com.
Justin Moorhouse: Giving two of the greatest performances of his life at Pocklington Arts Centre this weekend
Comedy gigs of the week: Justin Moorhouse, The Greatest Performance Of My Life, Pocklington Arts Centre, today, 3pm and 8pm
ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE comedian, radio presenter and actor Justin Moorhouse covers subjects ranging from pantomimes to dreams, how to behave in hospitals, small talk, realising his mum is a northern version of Columbo, and how being a smart-mouthed child saved him from a life of continually being beaten up. Funny, interesting, perhaps it will warm the soul too. Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.
Bluebird Bakery: Makers’ Summer Fair on Sunday in Acomb
Arts and crafts of the week: Makers’ Summer Fair, Bluebird Bakery, Acomb Road, Acomb, Sunday, 10am to 3pm; The Fox Summer Craft Market, The Fox Inn, Holgate Road, York, Sunday, 1pm to 5pm
ARTISAN baker and cafe Bluebird Bakery plays host to York artists and makers’ craft, jewellery, print, ceramic, plant, candle and woodwork stalls under one roof. Meanwhile, The Fox Inn holds its second annual Summer Craft Market, featuring live music, handmade gifts, craft stalls and street food vendors.
Swift service: Xenna pays homage to Taylor in Miss Americana at York Barbican
Tribute gig of the week: Miss Americana: The Eras Experience, A Tribute To Taylor Swift, York Barbican, Sunday, 7.30pm
STEP into Step into world ofTaylor Swift and her Eras experience in Xenna’s homage to the Pennsylvania pop sensation’s music, style and stage presence, from her country roots to such hits as Love Story, Blank Space and Shake It Off. Cue replica costume changes, storytelling and dancers too. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Dawn Landes: Amplifying the voices of women who fought for equality at Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb
Country gig of the week: Dawn Landes, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York, July 2, 8pm
AMERICAN country roots singer-songwriter Dawn Landes showcases The Liberated Woman’s Songbook, her March 2024 album that re-imagines music from the women’s liberation movement.
Inspired by a 1971 songbook of the same name, Landes breathes new life into powerful songs spanning 1830 to 1970, amplifying the voices of women who fought for equality throughout history. Box office: seetickets.com/event/dawn-landes/rise-bluebird/.
James Sheldon’s Mr Darcy and Rosa Hesmondhalgh’s Lizzy Bennet in Pride And Prejudice at the SJT, Scarborough
Introducing America’s most performed living playwright to North Yorkshire: Pride And Prejudice, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, July 3 to 26, 7.30pm plus 1.30pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees
LOTTE Wakeham directs American writer Kate Hamill’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s story of love, misunderstandings and second chances, staged with music, dancing, humour aplenty and a cast led by Rosa Hesmondhalgh’s Lizzy Bennet (CORRECT) and James Sheldon’s Mr Darcy in a whirl of Regency parties and courtship as hearts race, tongues wag and passions swirl around the English countryside. Box office: 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.
The Koala Who Could: Up a tree at York Theatre Royal for three days next week. Picture: Pamela Raith
Children’s show of the week: The Koala Who Could, York Theatre Royal, July 3, 1.30pm; July 4, 10.30am and 4.30pm; July 5, 11am and 2pm
JOIN Kevin the koala, Kangaroo and Wombat as they learn that “life can be great when you try something new” in this adaptation of Rachel Bright and Jim Field’s picture book, directed by Emma Earle, with music and lyrics by Eamonn O’Dwyer.
Danny Hendrix (Wombat/Storyteller 1), Sarah Palmer (Cossowary/Storyteller 2) and Christopher Finn (Kevin/Storyteller 3) perform this empowering story of embracing change – whether we like it or not. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Richard Hawley: Playing Coles Corner with strings attached at Live At York Museum Gardens on July 5. Picture: Dean Chalkley
Open-air concerts of the week: Futuresounds presents Live At York Museum Gardens, Elbow, July 3; Nile Rodgers & CHIC, July4; Richard Hawley, July 5; gates open at 5pm
LEEDS promoters Futuresound Group’s second summer of outdoor concerts in York begins with Bury band Elbow’s sold-out show next Thursday, when Ripon singer-songwriter Billie Marten and Robin Hood’s Bay folk luminary Eliza Carthy & The Restitution support.
New York guitarist, songwriter and producer Nile Rodgers and CHIC revel in Good Times, Le Freak, Everybody Dance and I Want Your Love next Friday, supported by Maryland soul singer Jalen Ngonda. Sheffield guitarist and crooner Richard Hawley revisits his 1995 album Coles Corner with a string section on its 20th anniversary next Saturday, preceded by Leeds band English Teacher and Manchester-based American songwriter BC Camplight. Box office: seetickets.com.
Le Consort: French orchestral ensemble, making York debut with Vivaldi concert at National Centre for Early Music on July 6
Festival of the week: York Early Music Festival, Heaven & Hell, July 4 to 11
EIGHT days of classical music adds up to 19 concerts featuring international artists such as The Sixteen, The Tallis Scholars, Academy of Ancient Music, viol consort Fretwork & Helen Charlston and the York debut of Le Consort, performing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons “but not quite as you know it”.
Directed by Delma Tomlin, the festival weaves together three main strands: the 400th anniversary of Renaissance composer Orlando Gibbons, the Baroque music of Vivaldi and Bach and reflections on Man’s fall from grace, from Heaven to Hell. Full programme and tickets at ncem.co.uk/whats-on/yemf/. Box office: 01904 658338.
In Focus: Harry Baker, Wonderful 2.0, The Crescent, York, Sunday (29/6/2025)
Poet, mathematician and world slam champ Harry Baker
YOUNGEST ever World Poetry Slam champion Harry Baker’s two Wonderful 2.0 shows at The Crescent , York, tomorrow have sold out. Wonderful news for Harry; not so wonderful if you were yet to book for either bite of the poetic cherry, the 3.30pm all-ages matinee or 7pm evening event.
Enough negativity. Let this preview be suffused with positivity. “One thing that I know that I will always find amazing is what a thing it is to live a life,” posits Maths graduate Harry, who always looks for plus signs. “P.S. Let’s also do this loads before we die.” Good, because that means Baker will be back and next time you can be quicker off the mark.
Baker, the 34-year-old poet, mathematician, writer and comedy turn from Ealing, London, first spread his Wonderful wings from April to August 2024, visiting The Crescent on May 20 with poems about wellies, postcodes and his favourite German wheat beer Schöfferhofer on his sold-out 40-date itinerary.
At the time the “Maths-loving, TED-talking, German-speaking, battle-rapping, happy-crying, self-bio-writing unashamed human” said: “After the mental health struggles I shared in my last show, this time around the plan was to have a fun time touring a fun show full of fun poems to celebrate coming out of the other side. But it hasn’t quite worked out like that.
“For the first time ever I have been to more funerals than weddings in the last year. I have hit the age where everyone around me is either having babies or talking about having babies or definitely not having babies, and found out first-hand how complicated and painful that can be. And yet I am more fascinated and amazed by the world around me than ever before.”
Harry added: “From the transformational power of documenting moments of everyday joy to the undeniable raw energy of performing a garage song about Greta Thunberg, I am learning more than ever that life can indeed be incredibly hard sometimes, but that doesn’t make it any less incredible.
“If anything, it is the darkness that helps us to appreciate the light, just as it is the puddles that help us to appreciate the wellies. And what could be more wonderful than sharing all of this with the glorious folk who come along after reading about it here.”
Now he returns with a new message to accompany his poems about “all the important stuff like hope, dinosaurs and German falafel-spoons”. “May one thing match the gravity of all you’ve ever done. This wonderful reality: The best is yet to come,” Harry pronounces.
“More full of wonder than ever”, he will celebrate wellies and postcodes once more, funerals and fertility journeys too, in his trademark amalgam of the playful, the vulnerable and the hopeful.
“Wonderful 2.0 hopes to make you cry with laughter, laugh through tears, or dream scenario: both. The show will contain old faves as well as brand new work, celebrating what a thing it is to live a life.”
For all his popularity on TikTok and Instagram, Baker’s favourite place to be is still on stage in front of an audience, sharing his words in person. “By its very nature, I don’t think it makes sense for poetry to go viral,” he says.
“It is all about taking the time out of your day-to-day to stop and pay attention to the world and the wonder it contains, which it feels like so many of us are too busy to be able to carve out time to do. And yet I think it is precisely this reason why people have been able to connect with my work so much.
“From the vulnerability of sharing my own personal struggles with trying to conceive a baby, to the power of making list of requests in advance of what I would like to happen when I die (an obnoxious amount of sunflowers and negronis all round, please), or even just a stupid (yet subversive?) poem about how great my knees are, there is a playfulness and poignancy that has changed the way others look at the world too.”
Harry continues: “I have been performing for 15 years now and last year’s tour was my favourite by far, because of the openness audiences were willing to bring and share in, so that we could all have a cry and a laugh and go away feeling slightly more connected to one another and the world, and I am so excited for a chance to do this all over again.”
Assessing where he fits in as a performer, Harry decides: “I think I fall somewhere in between a band (where you hope they will do your favourite songs) and a stand-up (where you expect new material!). So, as well as keeping in the classics, I have updated the show with new poems about everything that has happened in the meantime, including (finally and joyfully) having a baby.”
Did you know?
HARRY Baker’s honest, heartfelt and hopeful poems have reached more than ten million people on TikTok and Instagram.
Raised in a Christian community, Baker is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 2’s Pause For Thought.
Tours UK in comedy-rap-jazz duo Harry and Chris Baker, also appearing on The Russell Howard Hour.
Released third poetry collection, Wonderful, in May 2024, featuring fan favourites Wellies, Sunflowers and Sticky Toffee Pudding. Published by Burning Eye, copies are available at gigs, all good bookshops and www.harrybaker.co.
Katie Cole’s fawning courtesan Giuletta in York Opera’s The Tales Of Hoffmann. Picture: David Kessel
YORK Opera is alive and kicking. Not content to fall back on one of its favourites, it is breaking new ground with Offenbach’s opéra fantastique. But in another sense it is building on the legacy of one man who gave well over half a century to this company as singer, set designer and director: Clive Marshall, who died in March at the age of 88.
A protegée of Clive’s, Liz Watson now takes the reins in this lively production, assisted by John Soper. Clive would have been equally pleased that the chorus includes a dozen new members, a sure sign that he left the company in good health.
In largely modern dress, it uses an older edition than is nowadays usual, in an English translation by Edward Agate, omitting most of the spoken dialogue and almost all of the recitatives inserted after the composer’s death.
Ian Thomson-Smith’s evil genius in York Opera’s The Tales Of Hoffmann: “His first-class diction and forthright baritone carried continuing menace”. Picture: David Kessel
This sensibly cuts the show down to a reasonable two and a half hours. Alasdair Jamieson’s orchestra is reduced to two dozen, in Tony Burke’s version, which is more than adequate for this theatre, given the expertise of the players involved, led by Claire Jowett.
Hamish Brown fashioned a steady Hoffmann, sympathetically unveiling the character’s ups and downs with the opposite sex if without much change in vocal tone. He was at his best in the Legend of Kleinzach. He certainly curried sympathy for his unfortunate predicaments along the way. His alternate (for June 26 and 28) is the equally experienced Karl Reiff.
Watson reminded us of Nicklausse’s origins as Hoffmann’s muse with a subtle change from dress to suit in the prologue. Alexandra Mather’s stage presence offered ample reassurance of Nicklausse’s value as friend to Hoffmann, with an admirable mezzo to boot.
Stephanie Wong: “Brought delightful coloratura to the mechanical Olympia, carrying off her aria with wit and charm” in York Opera’s The Tales Of Hoffmann
Understandably, three different sopranos covered Hoffmann’s would-be conquests. Stephanie Wong brought delightful coloratura to the mechanical Olympia, carrying off her aria with wit and charm, not least when she had to be rewound.
Ione Cumming’s strong tone as Antonia ensured this was the most dramatic of Hoffmann’s affairs, singing herself to death persuasively. As the fawning courtesan Giuletta, Katie Cole made the most of the famous Barcarole, duping Hoffmann in their duet before sugaring off with a gondolier.
Hamish Brown’s Hoffmann in York Opera’s The Tales Of Hoffmann: “Curried sympathy for his unfortunate predicaments along the way”
The evil genius behind all three of these deceptions – variously Coppélius, Dr Miracle and Captain Dapertutto – was excellently embodied by Ian Thomson-Smith, in a variety of pseudo-mystical costumes. His first-class diction and forthright baritone carried continuing menace.
Several smaller roles were well characterised. Mark Simmonds as Hoffmann’s perpetual opposition Lindorf, Leon Waksberg as the inventor Spalazani, Molly Raine as his assistant, and Rebecca Smith as the ghost of Antonia’s mother, all caught the eye.
Alexandra Mather: “Her stage presence offered ample reassurance of Nicklausse’s value as friend to Hoffmann, with an admirable mezzo to boot”. Picture: David Kessel
With John Soper’s perpetual set covering the full width of the stage, it was a smart idea to limit the chorus choreography to only ten singers, whose movements largely echoed the trials of the three principal ladies. The chorus, clearly well drilled, threw itself wholeheartedly into the fray when required without too much action off the ball.
It almost goes without saying that Alasdair Jamieson sustained a firm grip on all his forces. The orchestra responded with particular enthusiasm, to the point of occasionally overpowering a couple of soloists. But these were brief misdemeanours and the overall spirit of the evening was unaffected. A tricky opera smoothly negotiated and another feather in York Opera’s cap.
York Opera in The Tales Of Hoffmann, York Theatre Royal, tonight, 7.15pm; tomorrow, 4pm. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Ione Cummings’ Antonia and Karl Reiff’s Hoffmann in York Opera’s The Tales Of Hoffmann. Picture: David Kessel
Dawn Landes: Playing York for a fifth time next Wednesday
AMERICAN country roots singer-songwriter Dawn Landes will showcase The Liberated Woman’s Songbook at Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb Road, Acomb, York, on July 2.
Arriving on the back of making her Glastonbury debut on Sunday, she will be performing in York for the first time since her November 2018 gig with keyboardist husband Creighton Irons at The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse, where she contemplated the “big themes of midlife” in mid-tempo songs of heartbreak, youth fading into the distance and love lost and found.
Playing with Irons once more, this time Landes will interweave songs from her seven previous albums with her celebration of women’s voices of activism, freedom and equality, rooted in her March 2024 album that re-imagines 11 folk songs spanning 1830 to 1970s’ Women’s Lib.
The project began when Landes stumbled on the 1971 collection The Liberated Woman’s Songbook at a thrift store during the pandemic. Following the 2022 overturn of the Roe v. Wade case in the United States, the songs took on an even greater urgency, she says. “We’re suddenly back in 1971 all over again,” Dawn reflects. “I know we’re in for a long fight, and it helps to find solidarity where you can.”
Recorded in Upstate New York and and her home of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, The Liberated Woman’s Songbook features contributions from Emily Frantz (Watchhouse), Kanene Pipkin (The Lone Bellow), Rissi Palmer, Charly Lowry, Annie Nero and Lizzy Ross (Violet Bell).
“A lot of work went into the album,” says Dawn, 44. “I still feel I’m learning because I never took a course in women’s history, so it’s been an initiation into feminism for me.
The cover artwork for Dawn Landes’ album The Liberated Woman’s Songbook
“I did a lot of research and I continue to do that research. I just wanted to share with people what I’d learned because the important thing was to see how much progress there had been. Like how it took 100 years for women to get the vote – and it feels like we’re going backwards now.”
Dawn’s learning curve continues. “I didn’t intend to say I know everything about feminism [with this album]. There are 77 songs in the original 1971 songbook and I’ve only done 11 on the album,” she says. “But I do more in the full-length concerts, two hours, with costumes and projections, like I played at the [London] Barbican last year – and there are more songs that I’ve discovered.
“I really enjoy doing the full performances because it’s a more theatrical show in theatres, with the characters coming through, and I feel it works best in that setting, even more than as a double album.”
Finding the songbook was a light-bulb moment for Dawn. “I don’t remember which book store I was in, but I travel a lot, and wherever I go, I like to find a good cup of coffee and a good bookshop,” she says.
“I used to work in one, and I love second-hand bookshops in particular. When I found the book, I loved the cover and I was curious about the songs. Stuck at home in the pandemic, I unearthed the book and learned a song a day as my daily medicine when I was thinking, ‘how am I going to get through this day?’“
She felt connections with “female singers, who maybe I didn’t know and like-minded activist poets, when there’s not a lot of space for that to happen, where you can feel part of a community.
“I still feel I’m learning because I never took a course in women’s history,” says Dawn Landes
“I do feel that sense of community, which otherwise I feel I’m lacking, though even when I do the songs solo I still feel a connection to the women of the past,” she says. “A lot of people have come up to me at shows to say they had family members who had worked in the mills of North Carolina in poor working conditions, in the heat, in full skirts and black dresses.”
Looking ahead, without giving too much away, Dawn says: “I have some plans to do something this summer, so hopefully I’ll have something out soonest. I started on it in the spring.” Watch this space.
First comes her UK tour, where playing the Bluebird Bakery could not be more apt for Dawn. “I have an album called Bluebird, of course,” she says, recalling her 2014 release and its title track, sure to feature in Wednesday’s set list. “There’s a Bluebird Theater (CORRECT) I’ve played in Denver, Colorado, and my goal is to play all the Bluebirds in the UK.”
Dawn Landes, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb Road, Acomb, York, July 2, doors 7.30pm for 8pm start; box office: https://www.seetickets.com/event/dawn-landes/rise-bluebird/3372912?aff=id1bandsintown. Also Hebden Bridge Trades Club, July 3, 7.30pm; thetradesclub.com.
Did you know?
DAWN Landes was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on December 5 1980. She spent many years living and performing in Brooklyn, New York, where she studied at university, then in Nashville. Now she is based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
In York, she played Fibbers twice in 2006, supporting The Earlies in May and Fionn Regan in September, then opened a five-date UK and Irish tour at Fibbers, Toft Green, in January 2015 and performed at The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse, in November 2018.
South Bank Singers performing at their Of All The Birds – A Winter Chorus concert in January
SOUTH Bank Singers perform Her Music We Sing, a celebration of choral music by female composers across six centuries, from Renaissance madrigals to Baroque sacred compositions and contemporary works, at St Clement’s Church, Scarcroft Road, York, tomorrow, 3pm, and Holy Trinity Church, Micklegate, York, July 1, 7.30pm.
Works by Maddalena Casulana and Sulpitia Cesis feature alongside the rich romanticism of Fanny Hensel; the expressive lyricism of Amy Beach; the bold contemporary soundscapes of Stef Conner, Louise Drewett and Sarah Ann Marze, the lyrical beauty of Priscila Vergara and hopeful introspection of Victoria Benito, complemented by madrigals arranged by group member Marian Smales.
The York chamber choir’s summer concerts will be directed by Chilean-born composer and conductor Carlos Zamora, who works in the Royal Academy of Music’s composition and contemporary music department.
Since 2021, Carlos has directed South Bank Singers with passion and precision, shaping their sound and expanding their repertoire with his artistic vision. His music has been performed on five continents and has been recorded widely.
“These concerts are a celebration of the outstanding choral music created by women across the centuries right up to the present day,” says the musical director. We’re thrilled that several of the featured UK-based composers will be joining us for the concert on June 28. Among them are a teacher of composition and a student of composition, both at the Royal Academy of Music in London.”
South Bank Singers musical director Carlos Zamora
Admission to both concerts is free with a collection in aid of the York charity Kyra Women’s Project. South Bank Singers chairman Duncan Wills explains: “The choir has always aimed to combine music making and performance with good causes. We nominate a different charity for each concert and are delighted to be supporting the valuable work of Kyra on this occasion.”
Established in 2011, the 30-strong choir rehearses on Tuesday evenings from 7.30pm to 9.30pm at St Clement’s Church to perform a diverse repertoire of less traditional, mostly a cappella choral music from the Renaissance period to contemporary works, in beautifully curated themed concerts.
Anyone who is considering joining a small chamber choir is welcome to contact the choir. “If you’re musical, have a voice that blends well with others and are keen to be part of an ensemble where every voice matters, South Bank Singers could be the perfect fit for you,” .
“The choir has openings in all voice parts, particularly tenors and basses. Please visit the website for further information at southbanksingers.co.uk.”
Annabel van Griethuysen’s hostess Marlene Cabana vamping it up in York Light Opera Company’s Eurobeat: Pride Of Europe. All pictures: Matthew KitchenPhotography
EUROBEAT is essentially Eurovision by another name, and if you love the campery, pageantry and “political” shenanigans of Eurovision, then you will love Eurobeat.
Presented in York its third iteration (after 2008’s Eurobeat…Almost European and 2016’s Eurobeat Moldova), this affectionate send-up is the work of Aussie composer, writer and lyricist Craig Christie, a Eurovision devotee whose love of the annual song contest pre-dates Australia’s inclusion since 2015’s special guest appearance.
Should you still be wondering why the faraway land of Oz is involved, apparently Aussies have a long-standing affection for Eurovision and the nation is a member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
Emma Swainston’s Astrid Lungstomberg waving the flag for Swedish entry Semaphore Of Love
Christie updates his show with each re-telling, tongue pushed further into cheek, politically and culturally savvy to the world’s woes, and steeped in Eurovision’s tropes, gauche jokes and awkward silences, while keeping the distance of a mischievous onlooker.
In the words of York Light director Neil Wood, “it’s fun”. “It ends up as more of an event, though it’s still a theatre show, and from the audience point of view, it’s a blast!” he says. “If you want to come in costume, you’re more than welcome to do so. We’ll have slash curtains, glitter and haze, everything you’d expect from Eurovision, but without the big budget.”
No-one took up the costume invitation at Wednesday’s press night: auditorium conditions were too hot and airless for that, but a Portuguese flag was waved enthusiastically from the front row, probably doubling as a cooling fan too.
Zander Fick’s punctilious martinet, Master of Protocols “Boring” Bjorn Bjornson, in Eurobeat: Pride Of Europe
Welcome to Lichtenstein, hosts apparently by default of Eurobeat 2025. Up on the mezzanine level are Joy Warner’s Fanny Feuberger and Simon Kelly’s Kevin Kupferblum, starchy Cultural Ambassors with their regal airs and cod European accents.
They look over everything and, in turn, tend to be overlooked by show-off show hostess Marlene Cabana (Annabel van Griethuysen), glamorous Lichtenstein singing star, who has a costume change for every song and a putdown quip or three for every contestant and national stereotype. She is as much the mouthpiece for Christie as an echo of Terry Wogan and Graham Norton’s mickey-taking.
Annabel Van Griethuysen (could the lead actress have a more pan-European name?) is fabulous from start to finish. Her five-star Marlene is an irresistible, irrepressible force, with no time for woke sensibilities, and an Alpine European accent befitting a Bond Girl of Connery days. She takes the demands of direct address in her sassy stride, always accompanied by eye contact.
This Is How I Dance (by not dancing): Idomus (Pierre-Alain van Griethuysen and Megan Taaffe) in statuesque form for Lithuania in Eurobeat: Pride Of Europe
As well as parading her operatic prowess in her singing, especially in Act Two, Van Griethuysen does pretty much all of the script’s heavy lifting, aided occasionally by the staid Cultural Ambassadors and Zander Fick’s Master of Protocols, “Boring” Bjorn Bjornson, a moribund martinet whose every energy-draining interjection is begrudged by Marlene as unnecessary competition for her limelight-hogging.
Trained in opera and jazz singing, Fick has been carving a niche for himself on the York stage in a series of impressively understated yet bang-on performances since moving here from South Africa in April 2023.Once again he favours less is more as he blossoms on the arid terrain of the humourless killjoy, making being “boring” highly watchable.
The importance of being Earnestasia: Emma Rockliff performing Romanian entry Listen
In Act One, somewhat reluctantly on each occasion, hostess Marlene has to make way for the ten acts (nine European, plus the United Kingdom, she quips), looking to upstage them on each costume change. The songs must do their talking for them.
Christie plays on each nation’s Eurovision history and characteristics, kicking off with the infectious, over-calculated melody hooks of Sweden’s Semaphore Of Love, sung by Emma Swainston’s Agnetha-blonde Astrid Lungstomberg.
Poland’s Obwody Wirujące (Kit Stroud, Sophie Cunningham and Chloe Branton), all hard hats and robotic movements, clash for attention with three maids in traditional dress, their song pulling in different directions too. Romania’s Earnestasia (Emily Rockliff) throws in every outdated Eurovision cliché, boom-bang-a-bang style, in Listen.
Nigel and Nadine (Stephen Wilson and Pascha Turnbull) at odds with each other in the United Kingdom’s typically unloveable Why Don’t You Love Me Anymore
The United Kingdom’s Nigel and Nadine (Stephen Wilson and Pascha Turnbull) are akin to a washed-up cabaret act from a bygone era on a crash course to nil points with Why Don’t You Love Me Anymore. Or more accurately, why don’t you love us anymore, post-Brexit?
Representing Lithuania are Idomus (Pierre-Alain van Griethuysen and Megan Taaffe), seriously Eastern European yet delightfully, cutely devoid of self-awareness (unlike hostess Marlene) in singing This Is How I Dance, statuesque to a T, eschewing dance steps in the best moment of Wood and Sarah Cragg’s amusing choreography.
Greece is the word: Chloë Chapman’s Persephone performing Oh Aphrodite, a song she also choreographed
On song for Greece is Persephone (Chloë Chapman), tapping into Greek tragedies in the highly theatrical Oh Aphrodite. Portugal’s Mateus Villela (boy band looker Cain Branton) lives up to the lonesome title Guy With The Guitar, ushering off violinists while stoically declining to play his allotted instrument until the last note in one of Christie’s titular best jokes.
Vatican City (rather than Italy) gives Christie the chance to take pot shots at the Catholic church before Mother Morag and the Sisters of Perpetual Harmony (Evie Latham, Lizzie Kearton, Sophie Cunningham and Emma Swainston) catch the Sixties girl group habit in Good Girl – throwing in a Bucks Fizz costume “strip” for good measure.
Mother Morag and the Sisters of Perpetual Harmony: Vatican City’s answer to a Sixties’ girl group
Christie’s best pastiche goes to France’s Estelle LaCroix (Amy Greene), in red beret and matching lipstick, with a mime artiste to one side and a cyclist with baguettes and string of garlic to the other, as she sings the Gallic ballad Je Vous Deteste Tous, resolutely in French bien sur, her disdain writ large.
Norway closes the contest with Hammer Of Thor (Daniel Wood and Matt Tapp) hammering out the heavily metallic The Vikings, wherein an accountant sheds his day-job skin to join the Nordic warrior beside him as if on a Jorvik Viking Festival weekender in York.
Time for an interval break, one where audience members must pick their top three, either by utilising a somewhat resistant QR Code or resorting to time-honoured pen and paper.
Pulling the heart strings, but not playing the guitar ones: Cain Branton’s Mateus Villela holds back on his fret work in Portuguese entry Guy With A Guitar
Van Griethuysen’s hostess comes even more into her element as the Eurovision send-ups continue, the tension rises and the forced jollity of a Euro party takes over. Martin Lay’s band has fun; costumier Carly Price has even more fun.
Who wins? That’s up to you each show, but you’re on to a winner here if Eurovision is your guilty pleasure.
York Light Opera Company in Eurobeat: Pride Of Europe, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until July 5.Performances: 7.30pm, tonight and July 1 to 4, plus 3pm, June 28 and 29 and July 5. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Who wins at Eurobeat? You decide in the audience vote
Lee Mead: Leading Barnum as circus showman P.T. Barnum in Bill Kenright Ltd’s touring production
LEE Mead will lead the cast as legendary circus showman, businessman and politician P. T. Barnum in Bill Kenwright Ltd’s tour of Barnum, visiting the Grand Opera House, York, from February 24 to 28 next year.
West End performer and television star Mead, who will turn 44 on July 14, made his breakthrough in winning the BBC One reality show Any Dream Will Do in 2007, going on to star in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, bringing him to the York theatre in 2010, and later Wicked and Legally Blonde.
Broadway musical Barnum first took the UK by storm at the London Palladium in 1981, when Michael Crawford made theatrical history with a death-defying nightly tightrope walk across the stage.
He would go on to perform the role of the 19th century American showman throughout its West End run of 655 performances and subsequently on tour from 1984 to 1986. Now Southend-on-Sea actor Mead will step into Barnum’s shoes and onto the tightrope.
Jenny Seagrove, chairperson at Bill Kenwright Ltd, says: “I was captivated when I saw Barnum at the Watermill Theatre last year and knew immediately that this was a show I wanted to bring to audiences across the country.
The tour poster for Barnum, The Circus Musical, bound for the Grand Opera House, York, in February 2026
“Our spectacular new staging will feature an extraordinary ensemble cast of more than 20 actor-musicians playing 150 instruments, acrobats and amazing international circus acts, led by the wonderful Lee Mead playing the title role.”
The touring production will be directed by Jonathan O’Boyle, whose credits include Picture You Dead and The Last Five Years, and choreographed by Oti Mabuse, from Strictly Come Dancing, Dancing On Ice judge duties and I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here.
The musical invites audiences to “step right up and enter the dazzling world of P.T. Barnum, where imagination and ambition know no bounds”. Hand in hand with wife Charity, Barnum finds his life and career twisting and turning as he schemes and dreams his way to headier heights”.
Come follow the band with the glorious music of multi-award-winner Cy Coleman, Michael Stewart’s lyrics and Mark Bramble’s book in a show that features Join The Circus, Colours Of My Life, Come Follow The Band and Love Makes Such Fools Of Us All.
The creative team includes set and costume designer Lee Newby; lighting designer Jai Morjaria; sound designer Tom Marshall; musical supervisor George Dyer (arrangements and orchestrations); circus director Amy Panter; associate choreographer Matt Nicholson and associate sound designer Nick Lodge.
Tickets for the 7.30pm evening performances and 2.30pm Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday matinees are on sale at atgtickets.com/york.
Good day…or not? Ryan Kopel’s Evan Hansen in Dear Evan Hansen
DEAR Evan Hansen, today is going to be a good day, and here’s why. “Words Fail” may be Evan’s climactic song in this Nottingham Playhouse touring production of Benji Pasek, Justin Paul and Steven Levenson’s musical, but words will not fail this review’s praise of the Olivier, Tony and Grammy Best Musical award winner.
Pasek and Paul were the Oscar-gilded composers of The Greatest Showman and La La Land, and nine years since its premiere, director Adam Penford re-imagines this similarly impactful work through a contemporary lens.
He does so with an “exciting mix of musical theatre legends and rising stars”: his stellar company being led by Ryan Kopel (from Newsies) as Evan Hansen, Lauren Conroy (Into The Woods)as Zoe Murphy, although she was absent on press night, and West End luminary Alice Fearn (Wicked, Come From Away) as Evan’s mum, Heidi.
Kopel’s Evan is a friendless, bullied, 17-year-old American high school senior struggling with social anxiety and depression, who would like nothing more than to fit in and befriend Zoe Murphy (Tuesday understudy Lara Beth-Sas). Especially with his mother Heidi (Fearn) always being too busy with her nursing work and legal studies to see him, and his father long absent.
Evan’s therapist (the never-seen Dr Sherman) asks him to write letters to himself – the Dear Evan Hansen letters of the title – as a therapeutic exercise to explore his feelings and boost his positivity when courage and words desert him in the presence of others.
“Dear Evan Hansen, today is going to be a good day, and here’s why,” each letter should start. Except that for Evan, they either don’t start at all or when one finally does, today is going to be anything but a good day. That letter is snatched off him by fellow friendless school outsider, Zoe’s brother, Connor (Will Forgrave, understudying Killian Thomas Lefevre), Dear Evan Hansen’s riff on Heathers’ JD.
It will be the last words Connor ever reads, spoiler alert. When Connor’s parents (Helen Anker’s Cynthia and Richard Hurst’s baseball-loving American jock Larry) assume it to be his suicide note, Evan tries to explain otherwise, but words fail him, and so, trouble this way lies…
…And lies and lies again as the lies pile up, a form of self-preservation that utilises the writing skills of Puck-like family friend Jared Keinman’s (Tom Dickerson) to concoct past text messages from the outsiders’ “secret friendship”, along with the relentless drive of social media “ambulance chaser” Alana Beck (Vivian Panka) to set up a fundraising appeal to reopen the orchard where the two teens met.
In doing so, he deceives Connor’s parents and Zoe, as she starts to warm to him. The thing is, it’s not that simple. Yes, he is lying, but he is doing so to comfort them, to make them feel better, to build a full picture that puts the destructive, nihilistic Connor in a better light.
You should find yourself at Dear Evan Hansen this week
The other thing is, it’s not that simple either, because suddenly he has Zoe where he always wanted her to be, with him. Dilemma, dilemma, dilemma! What would you have done in these circumstances?
Evan has an angel on one shoulder, but the heavier tug of the devil on the other, so how much does everything come down to him, or are Jared and Alana complicit too by seeing an opportunity to further their own popularity? Could the pre-occupied Heidi have done more to guide him?
Pasek and Paul’s wonderful songs and Leversen’s witty, sharp, probing dialogue addresses Evan’s rising predicament with admirable complexity. Not only his mother will tell him he is not a bad lad; chances are you will feel that way too, and the compassion that ultimately prevails does not seem unreasonable. Kindness wins out here; you wish it would more often in a world in such a rotten state.
Recalling Joshua Jenkins’s remarkable performance as neuro-divergent schoolboy Christopher Boone in the National Theatre’s The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time – although Christopher was incapable of lying – Ryan Kopel gives the outstanding lead performance of the year in a touring musical. So much pent-up energy, so much inner turmoil, expressed in movement, expression, vocal mannerisms and angelic, pure singing voice.
Beth-Sas’s Zoe is part rose, part thorn; Fearn brings West End star quality to Heidi, especially in her devastating showdown with Evan and her rendition of So Big/So Small, but Forgrave’s Connor could be darker (to match LeFevre’s haunting, gothic presence at Leeds Grand Theatre last November).
Dickerson amuses as scene-stealing prankster Jared, while Panka’s Alana is as persistent as a bee trying to escape from a window. You absolutely connect with Anker and Hurst’s struggling parents too.
Michael Bradley’s band are on top form, especially the beautiful strings, in a score of powerful, emotive, melodic song after song from the heart, topped by Waving Through A Window and You Will Be Found.
Top marks too to Penford’s exhilarating, emotionally-layered direction; Carrie-Anne Ingrouille’s brisk, punchy choreography to rival her work in SIX The Musical; Morgan Large’s set (and costume) design, with its use of sliding, see-through doors, and the state-of-the-art video design by Ravi Deepres, complemented by Tom Marshall’s cacophonous sound design.
Do not miss this Generation Z musical with far wider appeal.
Dear Evan Hansen, today is going to be a good day, and here’s why. You are going to book tickets NOW for a 7.30pm evening performance, tonight until Saturday, or 2.30pm matinee on Friday or Saturday. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
‘Together we can help shape a future where young men feel empowered, understood and supported,’ says Menfulness chief exec Jack Woodhams as York charity visits GOH
Menfulness team members meet the Dear Evan Hansen cast, including Ryan Kopel (Evan Hansen), centre, on the Grand Opera House stage
THIS week’s run of Dear Evan Hansen at the Grand Opera House offers opportunities to discuss often stigmatised issues such as mental health, loneliness and identity, especially among young people.
On Tuesday, the theatre’s nominated charity, Menfulness, visited the Cumberland Street venue, being on hand for members of the audience to talk with if they had any questions.
Dear Evan Hansen tells the story of a teenager with a social anxiety disorder that inhibits his ability to connect with his peers. The York wellbeing and suicide prevention charity, dedicated to supporting men’s mental health, is campaigning to support young men as they navigate adulthood in the complex world of 2025.
The charity has received numerous requests to deliver workshops focusing on masculinity, choices and the challenges faced by this age group.
Menfulness chief executive officer Jack Woodhams says: “We believe we can make a significant and lasting impact through tailored workshops and reflective journals. These new projects will be co-produced with young men, ensuring their voices and experiences shape the content.
The Menfulness team with Grand Opera House venue director Josh Brown, second from left, theatre manager Kat Moir and University of York research fellow Emma Standley, who is helping to co-ordinate the campaign
“The sessions will be designed to be delivered in school settings, fostering open conversation, emotional awareness and positive decision making. Together we can help shape a future where young men feel empowered, understood and supported.”
Grand Opera House venue director Josh Brown says: “We’re really proud to support Menfulness as our nominated charity for 2025, and Dear Evan Hansen is a fitting collaboration for raising awareness of the important work they do.
“Dear Evan Hansen is about mental health struggles in the modern world, and the importance of community and support to finding self-acceptance; work that Menfulness recognises and does great work to help people with.
“QR codes will be around the building, which visitors can scan to find out more about Menfulness, access support, or kindly donate. Mental health charities such as Menfulness are very much needed in the world, and we are delighted to help spread the word of the fantastic work they do.”
Dear Evan Hansen is a poignant coming-of-age story with themes of social anxiety, loneliness and grief, but also connection, support, self-acceptance and, above all, hope. Menfulness promotes support for young people, highlighting the message that they are not alone. A message that Evan ultimately comes to understand when he tells himself: Today is going to be a good day, because today at least you’re you. And that’s enough.”.
Menfulness team with Josh Brown (Venue Director), Kat Moir (Theatre Manager) and Emma Standley (Research Fellow at the University of York who is helping to co-ordinate the campaign)
Hats galore: Be Amazing Arts Youth Theatre’s guys in Guys And Dolls at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York
BE Amazing Arts and more amazing arts besides add up to attractions aplenty for Charles Hutchinson’s list of recommendations
Burgeoning talent of the week: Be Amazing Arts Youth Theatre in Guys And Dolls, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, tomorrow to Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
MALTON company Be Amazing Arts Youth Theatre heads to York to present Frank Loesser, Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows’ musical fable of Broadway, Guys And Dolls.
Set in Damon Runyon’s mythical New York City, this oddball romantic comedy finds gambler Nathan Detroit seeking the cash to set up the biggest craps game in town while the authorities breathe down his neck. Into the story venture his girlfriend, nightclub performer Adelaide, fellow gambler Sky Masterson and straight-laced missionary Sarah Brown. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
The Wandering Hearts: Introducing new album Deja Vu (We Have All Been Here Before) at Pocklington Arts Centre
Americana gig of the week: The Wandering Hearts, Pocklington Arts Centre, tomorrow, 8pm
BRITISH Americana and folk band The Wandering Hearts combine enchanting harmonies and heartfelt songwriting influenced by Simon & Garfunkel, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and First Aid Kit.
Tomorrow’s set by Tara Wilcox, Francesca “Chess” Whiffin and A J Dean-Revington features songs from 2018’s Wild Silence, 2021’s The Wandering Hearts and 2024’s Mother, complemented by a showcase of new album Deja Vu (We Have All Been Here Before), released on June 20. Norwich singer-songwriter Lucy Grubb supports. Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.
Snow Patrol: More chance of sunshine than snow at Scarborough Open Air Theatre on Friday
Coastal gig of the week: Snow Patrol, Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Friday; gates open at 6pm
SNOW Patrol visit Scarborough Open Air Theatre on Friday for the first time since July 2021. The Northern Irish-Scottish indie rock band will be led as ever by Gary Lightbody, accompanied by long-time members Nathan Connolly, lead guitar, and Johnny McDaid, piano. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.
Danny Lee Grew: 24K Magic at Friargate Theatre, York
Magic show of the week: Danny Lee Grew, 24K Magic, Friargate Theatre, York, Friday, 7.30pm
CLACTON-ON-SEA magician Danny Lee Grew presents his new mind-boggling one-man show of magic, illusion, laughs, gasps and sleight of hand sorcery. 24K Magic showcases the kind of magic usually seen on television, but now live, in the flesh and under the most impossible conditions. Box office: ticketsource.co.uk/ridinglights.
Olly Murs: Returning to York Racecourse for Summer Music Saturday
Back on track: Olly Murs, York Racecourse, Summer Music Saturday, June 28, first race at 1.55pm; last race, 5.25pm, followed by concert
ESSEX singer, songwriter, actor and television personality from Olly Murs completes his hat-trick of appearances at York Racecourse this weekend, having played the Knavesmire track in 2010 and 2017.
Performing after Saturday’s race card, his set list will draw on his seven albums and 25 singles, including the number ones Please Don’t Let Me Go, Heart Skips A Beat, Dance With Me Tonight and Troublemaker and Top Five hits Thinking Of Me, Dear Darlin, Wrapped Up and Up. Race day tickets: yorkracecourse.co.uk.
Joanna Purslow, Gemma Aston and MaryAnna Kelly in Hotbuckle Productions’ Little Women, on tour at Helmsley Arts Centre
Ryedale play of the week: Hotbuckle Productions in Little Women, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 7.30pm
SHROPSHIRE company Hotbuckle Productions follow up last year’s tour of Pride And with Adrian Preater’s typically inventive make-over of Louisa May Alcott’s American novel Little Women, performed by a cast of only three, Joanna Purslow, Gemma Aston and MaryAnna Kelly.
Hotbuckle explore girlhood, family and female ambition in Alcott’s tale of love, loss and the challenges of growing up in 19th century Massachusetts in a fast-paced, humorous, multi-role-playing adaptation that crosses age and gender traditions as the four March sisters journey from adolescence to adulthood. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Justin Moorhouse: Giving two of the greatest performances of his life at Pocklington Arts Centre this weekend
Comedy gig of the week: Justin Moorhouse, The Greatest Performance Of My Life, Pocklington Arts Centre, Saturday, 3pm and 8pm
ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE comedian, radio presenter and actor Justin Moorhouse covers subjects ranging from pantomimes to dreams, how to behave in hospitals, small talk, realising his mum is a northern version of Columbo, and how being a smart-mouthed child saved him from a life of continually being beaten up. Funny, interesting, perhaps it will warm the soul too. Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.
Dawn Landes: Performing at Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York
Country gig of the week: Dawn Landes, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York, July 2, 8pm
AMERICAN country roots singer-songwriter Dawn Landes showcases The Liberated Woman’s Songbook, her March 2024 album that re-imagines music from the women’s liberation movement.
Inspired by a 1971 songbook of the same name, Landes breathes new life into powerful songs spanning 1830 to 1970, amplifying the voices of women who fought for equality throughout history. Box office: seetickets.com/event/dawn-landes/rise-bluebird/.
James Sheldon’s Mr Darcy and Rosa Hesmondhalgh’s Lizzy Bennet in Pride And Prejudice at the SJT, Scarborough
Introducing America’s most performed living playwright to North Yorkshire: Pride And Prejudice, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, July 3 to 26, 7.30pm plus 1.30pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees
BOLTON Octagon Theatre artistic director Lotte Wakeham directs American writer Kate Hamill’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride And Prejudice in a co-production with the SJT, Hull Truck Theatre and Theatre by the Lake, Keswick.
Austen’s story of love, misunderstandings and second chances is staged with music, dancing and humour aplenty in a whirl of Regency parties and courtship as hearts race, tongues wag and passions swirl around the English countryside, with a cast led by Rosa Hesmondhalgh’s Lizzy Bennet and James Sheldon’s Mr Darcy. Box office: 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.
Danny Hendrix, Christopher Finn and Sarah Palmer in The Koala Who Could. Picture: Pamela Raith
Children’s show of the week: The Koala Who Could, York Theatre Royal, July 3, 1.30pm; July 4, 10.30am and 4.30pm; July 5, 11am and 2pm
JOIN Kevin the koala, Kangaroo and Wombat as they learn that “life can be great when you try something new” in this adaptation of Rachel Bright and Jim Field’s picture book, directed by Emma Earle (Oi Frog & Friends!), with music and lyrics by Eamonn O’Dwyer (The Lion Inside).
Danny Hendrix (Wombat/Storyteller 1), Sarah Palmer (Cossowary/Storyteller 2) and Christopher Finn (Kevin/Storyteller 3) perform this empowering story of embracing change – whether we like it or not. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
AMERICAN singer-songwriter Juliet Lloyd will play FortyFive Vinyl Café, Micklegate, York, on July 10 on her debut British tour.
The ten-date itinerary will take in further Yorkshire gigs at Café No 9, Sheffield, on July 6 (7.30pm) and Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds, on July 7 (8pm), supported by Zoe Cure.
Drawing on influences ranging from Laurel Canyon-era singer/songwriters to Lilith Fair rockers, confessional country/folk balladeers to indie pop, Washington DC musician Lloyd released her latest album Carnival in 2024.
The UK tour was preceded by her May 16 single Wild Again, a song born out of a New York Times podcast about efforts to return the whale that played Willy in the 1993 film Free Willy to the wild.
“It’s an insane, heartbreaking story that asks all kinds of thorny questions about human responsibility and humility, and what’s the ‘right’ thing to do and is that the same as the ‘kind’ thing to do,” says Juliet.
“There was a line that one of the trainers said in the podcast, explaining that they were trying to ‘train him to be wild again’. The complete absurdity of that statement hit me in the moment, and I immediately started jotting down lyrical ideas.”
Raised in rural New York, Juliet was a classically trained pianist and jazz trumpet player from an early age before studying songwriting at Berklee College of Music and becoming a fixture in the Boston singer-songwriter scene.
The artwork for Juliet Lloyd’s latest single, Wild Again
Lloyd released her debut album, the heavily jazz-influenced All Dressed Up, in 2005, although she rejected the “jazz” label at the time. “I am a piano player and a woman, so I was immediately compared to Norah Jones—and I bristled at that,” she says. “Listening back now, I can totally see that it was true, and it of course wasn’t a bad thing.”
After the slick piano pop of her sophomore album, 2007’s Leave The Light On, elicited five of its songs being placed on reality TV shows on MTV and VH1, in 2009 she walked away from writing and recording for more than ten years, feeling burnt out and unhappy with her career progression, like so many other independent artists.
She switched to a lucrative corporate job, but after going through a divorce in 2019, in the midst of the global pandemic, Lloyd found herself pulled back toward the siren call of songwriting, whereupon she made the leap to pursue it full time.
In 2022, she released High Road, an EP of five Americana/soul-tinged songs produced by Jim Ebert that earned her songwriting awards both in Wasahington DC and nationally.
Next came her first full-length album since her return. Recorded in an unhurried process over nearly 15 months and produced by Todd Wright, Carnival’s nine songs are a study in contrasts.
Light and dark, devastating and self-deprecating, apologetic and angry, conversational and conceptual, they weave elements of pop, folk, soul and rock to create an often unexpected platform for Lloyd’s unflinching storytelling.
“These songs have helped me make sense of emotions and experiences that have happened both recently and those that I’ve buried for 20-plus years, to confront truths about myself and about others that I’ve been afraid or unwilling to say out loud,” Juliet says. “I’ve never been a confrontational person. But this is definitely a confrontational album – and I love it.”
The cover artwork for Juliet Lloyd’s 2024 album, Carnival
Carnival is full of deeply personal songs drawn from Lloyd’s experiences and relationships. “Coming out of that album cycle, I was feeling a little exhausted by my own navel-gazing and I was craving inspiration elsewhere,” she says.
“So, a lot of the songs I’m writing now are an evolution of sorts – focused more on external stimuli and finding the personal stories and humanity in that.”
Carnival’s songs are marked by urgency and honesty. “I’ve always been envious of writers who say they write songs because they have to, because they had these things they just had to get out of themselves,” says Juliet. “I had never really felt that way until this album. I’ve become someone who writes because they have to.”
Take the song Sorry Now, for example, written as an interrogation of her divorce. “I had a really visceral memory of sorting through our shared stuff when I moved out, boring things like kitchen utensils and towels, and what felt so mechanical at the time now feels coloured with sadness,” says Juliet.
“I wanted to pose questions in the lyrics, to myself and to whoever needs to hear them, because I still don’t have everything figured out, and that’s okay.”
Carnival marked a shift in her songwriting too. “Though I still primarily consider myself a piano player, I write and play more guitar now,” says Juliet. “That definitely influences the kinds of songs I write, because I’m so limited by the chords I can play right now. It’s forced me to be simple and to put more of an emphasis on lyrics than I may have in past.”
Lloyd performs 150 shows a year, both solo and with her band, at clubs and listening rooms across the United States. Now comes her debut UK tour. Doors open at 7pm for her FortyFive Vinyl Café show; tickets are on sale at fortyfiveuk.com/events/juliet-lloyd. For Sheffield, wegottickets.com/event/650457; Leeds, seetickets.com/event/juliet-lloyd/hyde-park-book-club/3322164.
