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REVIEW: York Theatre Royal & Riding Lights Theatre Company, His Last Report, at York Theatre Royal, until August 3 ***1/2

Billy Heathwood’s Riley, left, and Antony Jardine’s Seebohm Rowntree in His Last Report at York Theatre Royal. Picture: S R Taylor Photography

YORK Theatre Royal’s latest summer community play is in keeping with the progressive tenet of York social reformer Seebohm Rowntree’s trio of reports from 1899, 1936 and 1951. Community pulling together in enlightening enterprises. Welfare for the common man. Live well, play well, work well. He would probably have made the tickets free, but that isn’t practical.

“Made with passion, joy and enthusiasm”, in collaboration with York Christian theatre company Riding Lights, His Last Report involves 250 volunteers, from 100-strong cast and 55-larynxed York Theatre Royal Choir and new choir recruits, to wardrobe, props, stage management, hair & make up, technical, marketing, front of house and photography.

“The past is back. And it’s got something to say,” reads the tagline. It turns out it has a lot to say, arguably too much, over its two-and-three-quarter-hour span that crams in everything from politics to chocolate recipe improvements; cow parlour udder-pulling  to aerial acrobatics; King Lear to Lloyd George and Winston Churchill; Caribbean chocolate trade slavery to the  idyll of New Earswick; moo jokes to a salty dig at Saltaire visionary Sir Titus Salt.

Under the direction of Theatre Royal creative director Juliet Forster and Riding Lights artistic director Paul Birch, everything is thrown in, including the kitchen-sink style of British  theatre and films of the gritty, grainy late-Fifties and Sixties, with echoes of Bertold Brecht and Kurt Weill’s Threepenny Opera too.

Amelia Donkor, one of two professional actors leading Juliet Forster and Paul Birch’s cast, in the role of Gulie Harlock in His Last Report. Picture: S R Taylor Photography

Misha Duncan-Barry and Bridget Foreman’s script has the restless, questing energy of York-born professional actor Antony Jardine’s Seebohm Rowntree, his name taken from his mother’s surname of Swedish-German origin, we learn in one of many facts dropped in with humorous relish.

We start at the end, Seebohm despondent post-reports, before heading back to 1890s’ York with personal secretary Gulie Harlock (Amelia Donkor), where his Quaker family’s cocoa works is booming, new Rowntree factory et al, under the noble guidance of father Joseph (Mark Payton, in a performance as bubbly as Aero, with a lightness of humour to match).

But something is not hitting the sweet spot for chemist, industrialist and philanthropist Seebohm. Blue-collar life is bitter, when it needs to be better for the factory workers, housed in the city’s back streets and snickelways. In tandem with Donkor’s perspicacious Gulie, he advocates better working and living conditions, improved wages and the provision of education for all and facilities to bolster both mental and physical health.

He never invented a chocolate bar called Nirvana, but his vision of a promised land of healthier, happier, wealthier workers that in turn benefits the productivity of businesses provides the seed bed for the welfare state, attracting the support of Churchill (Colin Beveridge) and Lloyd George (Andrew Wrenn).

Maurice Crichton’s Frank Benson, centre, in King Lear guise in His Last Report, with principals and ensemble looking on in His Last Report. Picture: S R Taylor Photography

Welcome to New Earswick, the model of a village to house the workforce, with a school and a library. Welcome to Rowntree’s world of Yearsley Swimming Pool, the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, gymnastics, pageants and plays. All’s well but can it end well?  Ah, there’s the rub. Finance. All the good things cost money.

Jardine’s Seebohm is haunted by the spectral figure of an impoverished child, Riley (Edmund Djimramadji/Billy Heathwood) that only he can see, and all around him the figures don’t add up. The second half turns post-modern, with modern clothing interwoven with period couture, references to writers Misha and Bridget and an in-joke impersonation of the Theatre Royal’s costume department Scottish supremo Pauline.

Rather than ending well it ends Orwellian, Jardine’s despairing Seebohm observing the Britain of today, the Britain of cuts to the arts and libraries, swimming pool and factory closures, robots replacing workers, jargon replacing plain speaking, and being number 52 on  the waiting list when phoning the GP at 8am.

Maurice Crichton gives us his best King Lear in the guise of grandstanding actor Frank Benson railing against the way Shakespeare is taught at schools. You may find yourself thinking, “are we going too far off the beaten track here?”, but Crichton, not for the first time, makes every second in the spotlight count.

There is nevertheless a feeling that His Last Report is preaching to the converted, those of us who do go to the theatre, who know of its value beyond cost. Who needs to listen? Those who don’t go, those who slash and burn.

A modern-day board meeting full of blue sky/dark cloud thinking as His Last Report turns theatre of the absurd. Picture: S R Taylor Photography

You might wish the solution were as simple as waving a magic wand. Seebohm Rowntree tried to do more than that, but the truth is that in this rotten world, the good things increasingly cost too much, when even chocolate bars and tins are forever diminishing in size.

Forster and Birch’s cast and choir, as much as Duncan-Barry and Foreman, make an impassioned, worthy case for wishing that life could be as Seebohm envisaged. The theatrical scale is grand, the humour uneven, the ensemble spectacle impressive, orchestrated by David Gilbert’s movement direction. Edwin Gray’s compositions and sound design, in tandem with Madeleine Hudson’s vocal musical direction, are impactful throughout.

Returning after designing previous Theatre Royal community productions The Coppergate Woman and Everything Is Possible: The York Suffragettes, Sara Perks’s set design is five-star quality, whether evoking the Rowntree building, factory floor, boardroom, train carriage or cow parlour, complemented by Craig Kilmartin’s lighting and Hazel Fall’s delightful costumes.

One last thought, where is the Seebohm Rowntree of today?

York Theatre Royal and Riding Lights Theatre Company present His Last Report at York Theatre Royal until August 3, 7.30pm except Sundays and Mondays, plus 2pm matinees, July 26 and August 2 & 3. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Gymnastic skill: Christie Barnes’s Brynhild Benson in His Last Report. Picture: Natasha Sinton

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Martin Shaw finds all manner of reasons to revisit A Man For All Seasons for more of Sir Thomas More on Grand Opera House debut

Portrait of a scholar, ambassador, Lord Chancellor and friend to King Henry VIII: Martin Shaw’s Sir Thomas More in A Man For All Seasons

YORK is the only city in the north to be playing host to Jonathan Church’s production  of Robert Bolt’s A Man For All Seasons.

Playing the Grand Opera House from July 29 to August 2, the cast will be led by Martin Shaw, from The Professionals, Judge John Deed and Inspector George Gently, in the role of Sir Thomas More and star of stage and screen Gary Wilmot as The Common Man.

“This is the first time I’ve worked with Gary and I hope it will not be the last,” says Martin. “It’s been a complete joy. He’s very funny and multi-talented.”

Welcoming A Man For All Seasons to York before its London run at the Harold Pinter Theatre from August 6 to September 6, venue director Josh Brown says: “We’re thrilled that the Grand Opera House has been selected as the only venue in the north of the UK to host this magnificent play. We’re confident it will be a hit with both visitors and locals alike, offering a fantastic opportunity for history enthusiasts and theatre lovers to experience a high-quality production about such fascinating and influential figures.” 

Written in 1960, Bolt focuses on the greatest, most powerful and dangerous figures who shaped English history in his story of Sir Thomas More (1478-1535), scholar, ambassador, Lord Chancellor and friend to King Henry VIII.

Above all, More was a man of integrity, loved by the common people and his own family, who stuck doggedly to his pious principles and moral convictions when Henry VIII demanded a divorce from Catherine of Aragon, at any price, clearing the way for him to marry Anne Boleyn.

In A Man For All Seasons, Shaw’s staunchly Catholic More is forced to choose between his loyalty and his own conscience, committing an act of defiance that will lead him to paying the ultimate price.

Birmingham-born Shaw, now 80, first played More in A Man For All Seasons in 2006. “We were at the Haymarket for quite a long time and we got life-changing reviews, the kind you wish you would always receive” he recalls.

“The character of Thomas More and the beauty of the play never quite left my mind, so I got in touch with Jonathan, as it’s such a joy to perform at the Theatre Royal Bath.”  The Jonathan Church Theatre Productions and Theatre Royal Bath co-production duly ensued.

“It’s a beautiful play, wonderfully well written, about integrity, principle and religious beliefs, of God being a higher power,  and I had this amazing attachment to the character of Thomas More, but it hadn’t been done for a long time, but why not?” says Martin.

Annie Kingsnorth, left, Martin Shaw and Abigail Cruttenden in Jonathan Church’s production of A Man For All Seaons, on tour at the Grand Opera House, York, next week. Picture: Simon Annand

“It’s all part of the general dumbing down, where people of a good, rational mind will be thinking, ‘how can it be that the first thing that suffers is the arts?’.”

Martin places Henry VIII in the pantheon of narcissistic leaders. “I think it’s entirely true that these people are self-obsessed and do not think about anyone else. It’s a very good analogy to make comparisons with Donald Trump.”

Does his portrayal of Sir Thomas differ from 19 years ago? “Nothing different,” says Martin. “When I do a role, it’s moment by moment, working with the script and my reaction to others in the room. It’s nothing planned. It just happens,” he explains.

“My job is to empathise with the character I’m playing. Had I been playing Thomas More in Wolfe Hall, I would have empathised with Hilary Mantel’s version too. I can only empathise each time with the script that’s been written: the Thomas More that’s been presented to me.”

He loves the unpredictability of each performance. “Theatre is an amplified version of the thrill of life, as you’re reacting and swapping thoughts with other people, and the audience is another part of the cast, contributing their feelings throughout,” he says.

Could Henry VIII and Thomas More both be right in their actions? “The problem for us always is that facts are not nuanced. One person’s motive might be to do evil to satisfy lust, yet another person could work with the same facts and believe they’re acting from the point of love. The motive behind each person defines them,” says Martin.

“That’s where the clash between Thomas and Henry lies. The undeniable facts might be identical but the motives for action will be different.”

He has enjoyed reuniting with Jonathan Church after playing Henry Hobson in his Vaudeville  Theatre production of Harold Brighouse’s Hobson’s Choice in London in 2016. “Jonathan is a very calming presence, a good hand on the tiller,” says Martin.

“Hobson was entirely the opposite of Thomas More and that’s the joy of the job I do: playing  people  at the opposite ends of the scale. Hobson was like Henry VIII: an utterly self-centred, alcoholic man, though he eventually saw the light, but only because he had no choice.

“I would say Hobson’s Choice is one of the most beautifully written plays in the English language that can be compared to [Shakespeare’s] King Lear.”

After West End appearances in such plays as The Best Man and Twelve Angry Men, Martin will be chalking up a first next week. “I’ve never been on stage in York before,” he says. “I’m looking forward to it a lot.”

Theatre Royal Bath Productions and Jonathan Church Theatre Productions present A Man For All Seasons, Grand Opera House, York, July 29 to August 2, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday matinees. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

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REVIEW: Steve Crowther’s verdict on Ryedale Festival, Eric Whitacre (conductor) & National Youth Choir of Scotland, Hovingham Hall, Hovingham, July 20

Conductor and composer Eric Whitacre. Picture: Marc Royce

THE concert opened with a charming theatrical gesture: the choir entered the auditorium in single file, splitting symmetrically to surround the audience — with conductor Eric Whitacre positioned halfway up the central aisle — to perform the composer’s Lux Aurumque.

I’ve attended a number of concerts here — almost all of them orchestral — and all compromised by the venue’s generous acoustic. That’s hardly surprising, given that Hovingham Hall’s concert space was originally the North Yorkshire estate’s 18th-century riding school. But not this time. The choral sound resonated beautifully, the balance was impeccable and so was the singing.

Not only is Eric Whitacre a superb composer and a highly accomplished conductor, but he’s also completely at ease in his role as presenter. Instantly engaging and often funny, he gave us a deeper understanding of the choral works being performed.

The second piece had the wonderfully descriptive title: Leonardo Dreams Of His Flying Machine. The opening burst into dissonant flight in a work that embraced the dramatic. The vocal landscape was rich, enhanced by miniature suspended cymbals and tambourines to sex-up the score. The result was a fitting tribute to the great innovator’s visionary ornithopter and his enduring fascination with flight.

As visually engaging as the conductor and chamber choir undoubtedly were, I couldn’t take my eyes off the elephant in the room: an upright piano, front and right of stage. Then, halfway through the programme, Mr Whitacre graciously welcomed the festival’s artistic director and distinguished pianist Christopher Glynn to the platform.

The composer’s Seal Lullaby is his setting of the Rudyard Kipling poem and reminded me of the music by Howard Blake in Dianne Jackson’s animated film of Raymond Briggs’s , The Snowman. The tonal harmonic clusters and gentle dissonances were very effective and sweetly sung, but it was a bit sugary for my palette. Given the instrument’s limitations, Christopher Glynn’s ability to produce such a refined sound was impressive.

Whitacre’s Sing Gently impressed both as a choral work and in its timely ambition. Written in 2020 during the global Covid-19 lockdown, the piece was commissioned for Virtual Choir 6. Its premiere performance featured 17,572 singers from 129 countries – making it his largest virtual choir to date (I looked these statistics up).

The setting of the lyrics – “May we sing together, always. May our hearts always be gentle” – was simple and unembellished, and the performance sincerely heartfelt. I thought this gentle plea for empathy, community and kindness really resonated in a world that seems to be embracing the exact opposite.

The composer’s Hurt couldn’t be more different. It is actually a choral arrangement of a Trent Reznor song recorded by Nine Inch Nails as part of their iconic 1994 album, The Downward Spiral and later by the great Johnny Cash on 2002’s American IV: The Man Comes Around.

National Youth Choir of Scotland artistic director Christopher Bell

The choir delivered a genuinely rich, darker sound world with prominent dissonances reinforcing the rawness of text: “I hurt myself today/ To see if I still feel/ I focus on the pain/ The only thing that’s real”.

The choir’s role worked brilliantly: transforming from support, commentary and then integrating with the excellent soloist. The sustained minor second cadence created a haunting effect.

The mood shifted again with two of Moses Hogan’s well-known arrangements of African American spirituals: Elijah Rock and Joshua Fit The Battle (Of Jericho). Both pieces were great, bristling with vitality and razor-sharp articulation.

The vocal narrative was driven with authentic intent. However, the sheer rhythmic energy, dramatic dynamic contrasts and interplay between the powerful homophonic sections and lighter, more intricate imitation passages of the latter lingered longest in my mind.

Before looking at the musical offering from Bach, I must give a mention to Christopher Bell, the long-serving artistic director – and driving force – behind the very highly regarded NYCOS chamber choir. A point generously acknowledged by Eric Whitacre.

This and a slight whinge: the concert was about 15-20 minutes too long which, given the seating on offer, was a bit of an ask.

For me, the highlight of the concert was Come, Sweet Death: J S Bach, arranged (or rather, reimagined) by Edwin London and realised by Rhonda Sandberg.

That title needs a little unpacking: Bach’s Komm, Süßer Tod (Come, Sweet Death) was originally written in 1736 for solo voice and basso continuo. Edwin London’s concept transforms it into a richly layered choral work – the true act of creative reinterpretation – freeing the singers from strict rhythmic coordination, a distinctly modern choral approach. But it is Rhonda Sandberg who created the practical performing score, bringing London’s vision to life.

The choir reverted to surrounding the audience, with Eric Whitacre directing from the centre. All seemed like business as usual, as the Bach arrangement exchanged lines of recognisable authenticity. Then, suddenly, that world stopped – as if someone had pressed a button – and we were transported into the most exquisite, psychedelic, timeless sound world.

The music floated, as the choir bled out the original sacred tune like some otherworldly canon. A work of genius? Quite possibly. And a fitting close to a concert that constantly surprised.

Review by Steve Crowther

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REVIEW: Pick Me Up Theatre in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, until Saturday ****

Everybody’s talking about Harvey Stevens’ Jamie: the break-out star of Pick Me Up Theatre’s production. Picture: Matthew Kitchen

MADE in Sheffield and exported to the musical theatre world, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie has its second York run this week after Nik Briggs’s Teen Edition for York Stage in June 2023.

Young actors are no less prominent in York company Pick Me Up Theatre’s production, led by Harvey Stevens, even younger at 15 than Ryan Addyman  was when fronting Briggs’s cast of 13 to 19-year-olds at 17.

Harvey has been dancing since his first class at the Yorkshire Rose Academy of Dance aged three and will begin musical theatre studies at SLP College in Garforth in September. He is a stage natural, tall and lithe and mischievously energetic, here bringing his dream role of Jamie New to life with cheek and chutzpah.

There to watch him on the first night was his father, Antonie Williams-Browne, who had travelled up from Plymouth specially for the show. Twenty years ago, Antonie had shown off his own dance moves in Robert Readman’s UK amateur premiere of The Full Monty for Shipton Theatre Company at the JoRo, “lifting the first half to new heights” (York Press, July 27 2005) when playing the veteran, arthritic-limbed Horse.

Harvey Stevens’ Jamie New, front left, and his Mayfield School classmates in Pick Me Up Theatre’s Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. Picture: Matthew Kitchen

Son Harvey is a colt by comparison, with room for expansion in both his vocal and acting range, but already he has a thrilling presence on stage: everybody will be talking about his Jamie this week.

Inspired by the Firecracker documentary Jamie: Drag Queen At 16, composer Dan Gillespie Sells (from Horsham pop practitioners The Feeling) and writer/lyricist Tom MacRae drew on an original idea by co-writer Jonathan Butterell for the 2017 Sheffield Crucible Theatre premiere of a show that completed a populist trilogy of Steel City comedy dramas.

First came the defiant spirit and sheer balls of The Full Monty; next, the classroom politics and fledgling frustrations of Alan Bennett’s The History Boys, and lastly “Jamie”,  the unapologetic story of the boy who sometimes to be wants to be a girl, wear a dress to the school prom and be a drag queen.

Eight years on, “Jamie” still lives up to its billing as “the hit musical for today”, replete with bold humour, withering wit, northern nous and sassy social awareness, in a barometer of our changing times and attitudes towards gender, bigotry, bullying, homophobia, absentee fathers and the right to self-expression. Jamie’s reverence for RuPaul, whose Drag Race was not aired on BBC Three until 2019, affirms how  the show has kept  an eye on cultural shifts.

First we meet the Year 11 pupils of Mayfield School, a typical comprehensive classroom of 16-year-olds full of hopes and aspirations, but filtered through the realities of life in a northern town that makes them cynical and unruly too, typified by Stevens’ Jamie, draped languidly over his chair, bored and inattentive.

Zander Fick’s feisty drag queen Loco Chanel in Everbody’s Talking About Jamie Picture: Matthew Kitchen

In the wake of Billy Liar’s Billy Fisher and Kes’s Billy Casper, here is another young, restless Yorkshire dreamer in need of escape from the grey grime of a Sheffield council estate in a classic teen rebel story.

A breaker of rules and hearts alike, this lippy kid in lip gloss oozes confidence on the surface, graceful in high heels, but Jamie is naive and vulnerable too, desperate to strut before he can walk, especially when his stay-away father (Andrew Isherwood) is so disapproving and teacher Miss Hedge (Alexandra Mather) is so narrow-minded.

Stevens’ Jamie will be the teen star of the show, but gold stars also go to Fergus Green’s loathsome, self-loathing bully, Dean Paxton, and Ruby Salter’s quietly self-assured doctor-in-waiting Pritti Pasha, Jamie’s best friend, whose rendition of It Means Beautiful lives up to its title.

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is told from more than the teen perspective, giving it the grit of a kitchen-sink drama, where the adult viewpoint of father and teacher is compounded by Jamie’s world-weary, self-sacrificial, ever supportive mum Margaret (Rowntree Players’ pantomime clown Gemma McDonald revealing a deeper  side, her voice cracking under the emotion of singing her second heartfelt ballad, He’s My Boy.

Andrew Isherwood’s Tray Sophisticay

She forms a defiant double act with Lottie Farmer’s Ray, her blunt but sharp friend, who is always popping round with a market stall bargain, backed up by a choice putdown for authority.

Equally supportive too is dress-shop boss Hugo/veteran drag act Loco Chanelle (Zander Fick, continuing his year of outstanding performances), in tandem with the bantering drag-queen veterans Sandra Bollock (Ryan Richardson),  Tray Sophisticay (Andrew Isherwood at the double) ) and Laika Virgin (Mark Simmonds), Sheffield’s variation on The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert.

Posted high above the stage, musical director Adam Tomlinson and his band, trumpet, trombone, tenor sax et al, are in top form throughout, for big numbers and instrumental interludes alike, while Ilana Weets’s choreography hits the mark, from And You Don’t Even Know It opening to Out Of The Darkness (A Place Where We Belong) finale.

Readman wears his director and designer hats with elan,  aside from a misbehaving, overworked  central door that opens to Margaret’s kitchen, Loco Chanel’s studio, school classroom and Dad’s house alike. His triumphant production epitomises this musical’s call to “celebrate being yourself and find a place where you belong”: the stage for Jamie New and Harvey Stevens alike.

Pick Me Up Theatre, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

Gemma McDonald’s Margaret, left, Harvey Stevens’ Jamie New and Lottie Farmer’s Ray in Pick Me Up Theatre’s Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. Picture: Matthew Kitchen

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 32, from Gazette & Herald

Harvey Stephens’ Jamie New, front left, with his Sheffield schoolmates in Pick Me Up Theatre’s Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. Picture: Matthew Kitchen

FROM dazzling dancing to doodling, disco favourites to an orchestral festival debut, Charles Hutchinson highlights summer delights that lie ahead.

Musical of the week: Pick Me Up Theatre in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm and 2.30pm Saturday matinee

AT 16, Sheffield schoolboy Jamie New has no interest in pursuing a traditional career. He wants to be a drag queen. Supported by his loving mum and encouraged by friends, can Jamie overcome prejudice, beat the bullies and step out of the darkness into the spotlight?

Written by Tom MacRae and The Feeling’s Dan Gillespie Sells, this joyous underdog story is staged by York company Pick Me Up Theatre with Harvey Stevens, 15, and Gemma McDonald leading the cast. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

Helmsley Arts Centre’s poster for Doodle Fest’s creative workshops

Summer holiday activity of the week: Doodle Fest, The Art of Doodling Art Festival Creative Workshops, Helmsley Arts Centre, today, 10am to 3pm, ages eight to 11; tomorrow, 9.30am to 11am, ages five to seven; tomorrow, 1pm to 4pm, ages 12 to 16

ARTIST Nicola Hutchinson guides participants through taking doodling skills to the next level, from experimenting with different forms and techniques to discovering new ways to express yourself through art. Turn your sketches into articulated characters; design giant doodled picture frames to showcase your masterpieces; let your imagination run wild as your doodles come to life in beautiful works of art.

All materials will be provided, but bring a sketchbook if you have one at home. All levels and abilities are welcome; snacks and drinks are provided; dress to get messy. Tickets: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Sharleen Spiteri: Fronting Texas at Scarborough Open Air Theatre

Coastal gigs of the week: TK Maxx Presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Judas Priest, tonight; Texas, Saturday. Gates open at 6pm

JUDAS  Priest, formed in Birmingham in 1969, are still receiving a Grammy nomination in 2025 for Best Metal Performance, on top of being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, appointed by shock rocker Alice Cooper, in 2022. Their 19th studio album, Invincible Shield, was released in March 2024. Tonight’s support act will be Phil Campbell & The B**stard Sons.

This weekend, Sharleen Spiteri leads Glasgow band Texas through five decades of hits, from I Don’t Want To Be A Lover, Say What You Want and Summer Sun to Inner Smile, Mr Haze and Keep On Talking. Rianne Downey supports. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.

Steve Steinman’s Love Hurts: Feel the power of ballads and anthems at Grand Opera House, York

Jukebox show of the week: Steve Steinman’s Love Hurts, Power Ballads & Anthems!, Grand Opera House, York, tomorrow, 7.30pm

FROM  the producers of Anything For Love and Vampires Rock comes the latest Steve Steinman venture, this one built around power ballads and anthems performed by a powerhouse cast of singers and a seven-piece band.

Love Hurts embraces Fleetwood Mac, Heart, Whitesnake, Billy Idol, Aerosmith, Tina Turner, Cutting Crew, Foreigner, REO Speedwagon, Rainbow, Van Halen, Europe, Air Supply and more. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor: On course for the York Racecourse Music Showcase Weekend

Dancefloor double bill of the week: Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Natasha Bedingfield, York Racecourse Music Showcase Weekend, Friday. Gates, 4pm; first race, 5.30pm; last race, 8.23pm

AT the only evening meeting of the Knavesmire racing calendar, kitchen disco queen  Sophie Ellis-Bextor and fellow Londoner Natasha Bedingfield each play a set after the seven-race sporting action.

Ellis-Bextor, 46, draws on her five top ten albums and eight top ten singles, such as Murder On The Dancefloor and Take Me Home. Bedingfield , 43, has the hits Unwritten, Single, These Words, I Wanna Have Your Babies and Soulmate to her name. For race-day tickets, go to: yorkracecourse.co.uk.

Fifties and Sixties’ tribute gig of the week: Music Masters, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, Friday, 7.30pm

MUSIC Masters’ time machine of a five-piece band transport Friday’s audience back to 1950s and 1960s’ pop with their dedication to vintage vocal harmonies, instrumental prowess and revival of the spirit of a golden age when music was the heartbeat of a generation. As the old saying goes, “be there or be square”. Box office: 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk.

Ronan Keating: Returning to York Racecourse Music Showcase Weekend on Saturday

Irish craic of the week: Ronan Keating, York Racecourse Music Showcase Weekend, Saturday. Gates open at 11.15am; first race, 1.25pm; last race, 5pm

IRISH singer, presenter and talent-show judge Ronan Keating returns to the York Racecourse Music Showcase Weekend, back on the Knavesmire track where he performed with Boyzone in July 2018.

Expect both solo and boy band favourites. “If you’re going to a festival or a racecourse, you have to give the people what they want, what they’re expecting, and because of the Boyzone documentary that’s on Sky and NOW TV, I’ll be doing more Boyzone hits than normal this time,” he says. For race-day tickets, go to: yorkracecourse.co.uk.

Helena Mackie: Soloist for Mozart’s Oboe Concerto at Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s Ryedale Festival debut

Ryedale Festival finale: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Final Gala Concert, Hovingham Hall, Sunday, 6.30pm

THE ‘Liverpool Phil’ make their Ryedale Festival debut this weekend, exploring the Italian vistas of Mendelssohn’s Symphony No 4, complemented by Mozart’s Oboe Concerto(featuring soloist Helena Mackie), Faure’s serene Pavane and Poulenc’s mischievous, charming Sinfonietta. For the full festival programme and tickets, go to: ryedalefestival.com. Box office: 01751 475777.

Alan Fletcher: Heading to Pocklington with his band in September

Show announcement of the week: Alan Fletcher, Pocklington Arts Centre, September 19, 8pm

NEIGHBOURS soap star Alan Fletcher will swap Ramsay Street for Pocklington Arts Centre for an evening of song. Known to millions as Dr Karl Kennedy in the long-running Australian series, he has carved out a career as a musician too, first fronting rock band Waiting Room, then as an Americana and alt-country singer-songwriter.

In 2024, singer and guitarist Fletcher’s five-piece band sold out 22 British dates promoting his album The Point. Now they return to showcase latest album Back To School. His compositions blend humour (For The Love Of Lager, How Good Is Bed) and poignant reflections on love, life and everything in between (Hey You, The Point, Back To School). Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.

Kate Rusby: Performing with the Singy Songy Session Band at Ryedale Festival. Picture: David Angel  

In Focus: Ryedale Festival, Kate Rusby, When They All Looked Up, Milton Rooms, Malton, July 25, 7pm, sold out

BARNSLEY folk nightingale Kate Rusby makes her Ryedale Festival debut on Friday, performing songs from her new album with her Singy Songy Session Band.

Released on Pure Records on April 25, When They All Looked Up is Kate’s first studio set of new material since 2019’s Philosphers, Poets & Kings. In that time, she has delivered the Christmas albums Holly Head in 2019 and Light Years in 2023 and the covers collection Hand Me Down in 2020.

Combining original compositions with re-imagined traditional songs, When They All Looked Up spans a dynamic sonic landscape, from intimate acoustic arrangements to rich, immersive soundscapes, on intimate, uplifting, joyous and profoundly moving songs that explore human stories, themes of resilience, self-discovery and connection.

First single Let Your Light Shine is a heartfelt message to Kate’s teenage daughters, Daisy and Phoebe, and to all in need of encouragement, elevated by the addition of Barnsley Youth Choir’s Senior Choir. 

The album cover artwork for Kate Rusby’s When They All Looked Up

“This song is my advice to my daughters, but also to anyone who might need to hear it,” says Kate. “It’s about embracing who you are, having faith in your unique gifts, and letting the world see your light. Be strong, be positive and be kind.”

The full track listing is: How The World Goes; Today Again; Ettrick; Let Your Light Shine; The Moon Man; Judges And Juries; The Barnsley Youth And Temperance Society; The Girl With The Curse; Master Kilby; The Yorkshire Couple and Coal Not Dole.

On December 20, Kate will bring her Christmas Is Merry tour – her 20th anniversary celebration of festive folk joy – to York Barbican. As ever, she will perform traditional South Yorkshire carols, Christmas chestnuts and her own winter songs, drawn from her six Christmas albums, in the company of her regular band and the “Brass Boys” at 7pm. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

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REVIEW: Pride And Prejudice, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, until July 26. *** First half, **** second half

James Sheldon’s Mr Darcy and Rosa Hesmondhalgh’s Lizzy Bennet in Pride And Prejudice. Picture: Pamela Raith

AT the home of Britain’s most performed living playwright, Sir Alan Ayckbourn, Pride And Prejudice is presented in a transatlantic adaptation by Kate Hamill, his equivalent in the United States, although the New York writer and actress is not a familiar name over here.

Directed in its UK premiere by Octagon Theatre Bolton artistic director Lotte Wakeham in a co-production with the SJT, Hull Truck Theatre and Theatre by the Lake, Keswick, Jane Austen’s early 19th century love story remains wholly English in character on stage but shot through with modern sensibilities.

“I take a new play approach to adaptations,” Hamill says in her programme note, eschewing doing “just a copy-and-paste version” in favour of conducting a conversation with the original. “I really treat it as a collaboration between myself and the original author.”

She noted their shared interests: the humour and social smartness; Austen’s proto-feminism; “how the dictates of our conscience clash with what society expects of us”.

Hamill vowed to tell Pride & Prejudice in a totally new way, drawing on her love of irreverent theatrical shows for a play that would interest Austen advocates and new audiences alike and be fresh and surprising, even for those who know the novel (or indeed the multitude of past stage, film and TV adaptations).

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen it as a farce before,” she writes, presumably having not seen the rollicking, risqué, irreverent  romp Pride And Prejudice * (* Sort Of), Isobel McArthur’s at once faithful yet anarchic Olivier Award winner that toured York Theatre Royal last November.

“Even now, and certainly in Jane Austen’s day, we treat love like a mix between a game and a war – down to tactics and strategies,” writes Hamill. “So I wanted a play structure that’s very high stakes, and halfway between a game and a war, and I thought, that’s a farce.”

So, may the farce be with you, but farce underpinned by a desire to score serious points about our need to make the perfect match in life, refracted through a feminist lens.

The tone is too shrill in Act One, where Joanne Holden’s diminutive match-making Mrs Bennet overplays her hand, too dominant, chomping at the bit too much to be comical in the mother’s desperation.

Comedy has to wear the ring of truth but it was cast aside here. Instead, this caricature stood out for the wrong reasons, like her black shoes on press night (incongruous but excused by the need to protect a broken bone).

Compare and contrast her gurning with taciturn, preoccupied husband Mr Bennet, the towering Dyfrig Morris feeding off scraps but to far more telling effect. He would go on to be even more subversively humorous as the veiled Miss Anne de Bourgh.

Less is more in Eve Pereira’s Mr Bingley and Aamira Challenger’s Jane Bennet, although that mantra is neglected by Ben Fensome’s oleaginous Mr Collins but with scene-stealing brio. Jessica Ellis hits the bottle as Lydia Bennet, then hits the satirical bullseye as the outrageous snob Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

Minimalist staging by designer Louie Whitemore gives a fizz to proceedings, conducted with costume changes on stage and cast members moving furniture with alacrity.

Those costumes must do the heavy lifting in evoking the Regency era with its whirl of society balls, urgent young women and awkward, tongue-tied men.

All the while, musical director Sonum Batra’s string arrangements of Blur’s Country House, The Human League’s Don’t You Want Me, The La’s There She Goes, The Pussycat Dolls’ Don’t Cha and more pop nuggets besides add to the playful air, but it is not until Act Two that Hamill’s Austen re-fit hits the right note consistently.

Rosa Hesmondhalgh’s astute, assiduous Lizzy Bennet had been swimming against the tide of caricature from the start and now she moves centre stage in tandem with James Sheldon’s Mr Darcy.  Unlike those around them, their characters have the chance to grow as their romance does likewise.

Hesmondhalgh’s plain-speaking Lizzy becomes ever bolder, resolute in her beliefs yet malleable in ultimate action. Sheldon’s Darcy gradually sheds his insufferably priggish skin, his performance always alive to the comedy in the pricking of his balloon of pride and pomposity as he swells with uncontrollable love in the rain.

Romance eventually wins out in Hamill’s Pride And Prejudice, but comedy holds the upper hand in the tone of Wakeham’s direction as much as in Hamill’s dialogue. From the helter-skelter first half, they deliver a belter of a second half.

Octagon Theatre Bolton, Theatre by the Lake, Keswick, Hull Truck Theatre and Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, in association with Theatr Clwyd, present Pride & Prejudice, Stephen Joseph Theatre, until July 26, 7.30pm, plus 1.30pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees. Box office:  01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com. Hull Truck Theatre, September 18 to October 11; 01482 323638 or hulltruck.co.uk.

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How To Train A Dragon School exhibition opens at DIG in St Saviourgate. Author Cressida Cowell to make visit on August 21

Lady Viking (Lauren Caley) stands beneath the dragon at the new How To Be A Dragon School attraction at DIG, St Saviourgate, York. Picture: David Harrison

HERE be dragons! The How To Train Your Dragon School exhibition has opened at DIG: An Archaeological Adventure, St Saviourgate, York.

Created in partnership with author Cressida Cowell and publishers Hachette Children’s Group, this new visitor attraction is based on Cowell’s book Doom Of The Darkwing, published in May.

Look out for the dragon that soars overhead a replica Viking fishing boat, inspired by The Hopeful Puffin, the boat belonging to the star of the book series, young Viking Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, whose adventures with his dragon Toothless will continue in a second instalment of the How To Train A Dragon School spin-off series in 2026.

Gareth Henry, director of public engagement for York Archaeology, says: “This is a brilliant new addition to DIG, and we are confident that our young visitors will absolutely love engaging with the fantastical version of the Viking world created by Cressida.

 “There are so many different ways to engage with the content, from QR codes linked to videos where Cressida introduces each of the dragons, to a storytelling tent.  We have some of the original artwork from the books on display, as well as a large, wall-filling, hand-painted map of the Isle of Berk.”

Dragon designer Patrick Beardmore surveys his handiwork at DIG. Picture: David Harrison

In a nod to DIG’s archaeological ‘dig pits’ – always a favourite among visitors – a new pit encourages visitors to grab a trowel and uncover items that feature in the book.

Author Cressida will visit DIG on Thursday, August 21 both to celebrate the exhibition and to participate in an event for fans of her books. To book tickets, go to: https://www.digyork.co.uk/cressida-cowells-dragon-school/events.

Naomi Berwin, Hachette Children’s Group’s marketing director, says: “How To Train Your Dragon is directly inspired by the Vikings in Britain, so DIG’s focus on giving children the opportunity literally to dig into York’s history – which is of course so connected to the Vikings – makes them the perfect partner for the launch year of How To Train Your Dragon School. This is going to be a really special interactive experience for families visiting the attraction.”

Interest in the exhibition is likely to be especially high, fuelled by dragon devotees dashing to bookstores to pick up copies of the whole How to Train Your Dragon series and Universal Pictures’ June 13 release of Dean DeBlois’s live-action film, preceded by DreamWorks’ animated film trilogy.

DIG is open daily from 10am to 4pm. Tickets cost £10.50 for adults, £9.50 for children, £32 for a family of four (two adults, two children) and £37 for five (two adults, three children); admission is free for under-fives. Time slots are expected to book up quickly, so pre-booking is recommended on 01904 615505 or at digyork.co.uk.

York Archaeology’s Passport, covering visits to DIG, Jorvik Viking Centre and Barley Hall, is available too. For more details, visit digyork.co.uk/visit.

Lady Viking (Lauren Caley) and dragon enthusiast Wilf Brook, aged seven, at the How To Be A Dragon School exhibition at DIG. Picture: David Harrison

What is DIG: An Archaeological Adventure?

Hands-on archaeological adventure where young explorers (recommended for ages five to 12) can become archaeologists for the day. Aided by DIG’s friendly team, visitors uncover some of York’s most fascinating stories, buried underground for nearly 2,000 years.

DIG is located in the former St Saviour’s Church, in St Saviourgate, close to Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate, York’s shorted street, and a five-minute walk from Jorvik Viking Centre.

Cressida Cowell: the back story

Children’s Laureate from 2019 to 2022, Cressida Cowell MBE is the author-illustrator of the How To Train Your Dragon, spin-off series How To Train Your Dragon School, The Wizards Of Once and the Which Way Round The Galaxy series. She has sold more than 16 million books worldwide in 46 languages.

How To Train Your Dragon has been turned into an Academy Award-nominated billion-dollar DreamWorks Animation and Universal film and TV series.

Ambassador for the National Literacy Trust for more than 20 years, she is a patron of Read For Good, the Children’s Media Foundation and the Woodland Trust and serves on the Council of the Society of Authors.

Honorary fellow of Keble College, Oxford, she has an honorary doctorate from the University of Brighton. Her  numerous prizes include the Blue Peter Book Award, Ruth Rendell Award for Championing Literacy and Hay Festival Medal for Fiction.

She grew up in London and on a small, uninhabited island off the west coast of Scotland. Aged 59, she now lives in Hammersmith, London, with husband Simon (no, not the pop music mogul), three children and dogs Zero and Pigeon.

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Antony and Amelia team up to lead York Theatre Royal and Riding Lights cast in community play His Last Report

Amelia Donkor and Antony Jardine arrive at York Theatre Royal for their first day of rehearsals for His Last Report. Picture: Millie Stephens

PROFESSIONAL actors Antony Jardine and Amelia Donkor are leading the cast for York Theatre Royal’s 2025 summer community production His Last Report.

They take the roles of Seebohm Rowntree and Gulie Harlock respectively, performing alongside the 100-strong community ensemble in Misha Duncan-Barry and Bridget Foreman’s play about pioneering sociologist and social reformer Seebohm Rowntree, whose groundbreaking investigation into poverty illuminated the struggles of the working class and laid the foundation for the welfare state.

His Last Report delves into the life and legacy of one of the city’s most influential figures, who not only conducted three social studies in York in 1899, 1936 and 1951, defining the poverty line, but was an industrialist and philanthropist too, making his mark on the Rowntree family’s chocolate company and the development of the model community at New Earswick.

Juliet Forster, creative director of York Theatre Royal and co-director of His Last Report, says: “We are thrilled to welcome Antony and Amelia to the cast. It is so brilliant to work on these kinds of community productions where we bring together the wonderful talents of both professional actors and an ensemble cast of local people.”

Antony grew up in York, first appearing at the Theatre Royal as a “precocious child actor” in John Doyle’s days as artistic director, playing one of the princes in the tower opposite panto villain David Leonard’s Richard III in the War Of The Roses season and in Willy Russell’s Our Day Out.

“I’ve been based in London for 20 years but I did come back to the Theatre Royal in The Secret Garden, which transferred from [co-producers] Theatre by the Lake, Keswick, in 2018,” he says.

“My children were born in London, so there’s no Yorkshire in them, apart from encouraging them to eat Yorkshire Pudding and love Yorkshire Cricket Club.”

Amelia is performing at York Theatre Royal for the first time. “I’m finishing my Yorkshire Holy Grail, after playing the Stephen Joseph Theatre [Scarborough] in The 39 Steps, Hull Truck Theatre in James Graham’s The Culture and Leeds Playhouse in The Fruit Trilogy,” she says.

Antony and Amelia joined rehearsals with the ensemble company already deep into their preparations. “It was very different for us coming in that stage, when people say, ‘so this is what this scene looks like’, but everyone has been so welcoming,” says Amelia.

Antony Jardine: Suited for the role of Seebohm Rowntree in His Last Report. Picture: Millie Stephens

“It’s such a powerful piece about community being told by the York community and such a beloved story, and we’ve been really welcomed into it,” says Antony.

Introducing the character of Gulie Harlock, Amelia says: “Originally from Northampton, she worked in the East End of London, working in public health as a member of the welfare committee.

“She came to York with Seebohm originally as his personal secretary but then he realised she had a great understanding of this [social reform] work and so she ran the New Earswick project.

“She was also involved in the framing of the last report and really spearheaded the involvement of women when it was a man’s world, when Seebohm realised how important it was to represent women’s voices.”

Amelia continues “We still don’t know that much about Gulie, but we have a wonderful historical expert, Catherine Hindson,  who’s been working with us, having written a piece about her for the Rowntree Foundation.

“There’s still a lot we don’t know about her, but our writers, Misha and Bridget, have really enjoyed learning about her.”

Exploring Seebohm’s story, Antony says: “He was a chemist, which is where his initial forays lay, with that influencing the chocolate recipes, but then he undertook his reports to implement social change, but to make those changes is not as easy as coming up with a mathematical solution for solving poverty.”

Amelia rejoins: “Seebohm made three reports in total, and in the second act, we deconstruct the legacy of those reports because they had such a huge impact beyond York, as Lloyd George and Churchill both wanted to use his reports as part of restructuring programmes.

“The reports changed the way politicians saw poverty. Seebohm created the concept of the poverty line and the language we use now [in relation to social reform] came through him.”

“There’s still a lot we don’t know about Gulie Harlock, but our writers, Misha and Bridget, have really enjoyed learning about her,” says actress Amelia Donkor. Picture: Millie Stephens

Antony adds: “Seebohm felt that if certain things were lacking in social structures, such as if people didn’t have access to education, leading to skilled employment, they would struggle to lift themselves above the poverty line and so they would continue to struggle.

“This gave rise to the Rowntree family creating New Earswick to address the problem of living conditions not being adequate.”

Amelia picks up that point. “Seebohm created the idea of living well and working well, so that people didn’t just live but could thrive. He understood that if people were thriving, the business would be thriving too.”

Seebohm’s projects led to the establishment of the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, the New Earswick library and the primary school, later attended by Antony, by the way.

Misha and Bridget’s play then turns its focus to applying Seebohm’s principles to the modern world, with its cuts to access to the arts and threat of library closures. “What would Seebohm think about those cuts, when all the progression that he brought about has stalled?” says Antony. “The play contemplates how maybe we can affect changes ourselves.

“York does brilliantly with such a thriving cultural scene, and this play could not be a better example of what Seebohm was seeking to achieve.”

Amelia concludes: “We hope people come out feeling entertained, moved and inspired, and feel they could be part of a call to action as Misha and Bridget ask: what might you do?

“You think, ‘maybe I could do this at school, or the local community centre’, so maybe it could cascade. When people know they’re empowered, they can go and do that in the rest of their lives.”

York Theatre Royal and Riding Lights Theatre Company present His Last Report, York Theatre Royal, until August 3, 7.30pm, except Sundays and Mondays, plus 2pm, July 26, August 2 and 3. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

“When I met Juliet Forster and Paul Birch for my audition and told them about the Rowntree connections, they couldn’t believe it either,” says York-born-and-educated actor Antony Jardine, who plays Seebohm Rowntree in His Last Report. Picture: David Kessel

Extra, extra. York Theatre Royal’s syndicated interview with Antony Jardine

What is the story behind the community production His Last Report and your character Seebohm Rowntree?

“The show is based on Seebohm Rowntree’s life and his works. He published three reports looking at poverty in York and those reports went on to become the basis of the welfare state.

“They did remarkable things for the quality of life for people and particularly for people that worked at the Rowntree’s chocolate factory at the time and lived in the village of New Earswick. The play tells that story.

“In the second half, the timeline moves around a little bit, and you begin to see what Seebohm Rowntree would make of the modern world and how after the years that have passed his research has come into fruition. The play uses a lens to look at what’s going on in society today.”

You have some interesting personal connections to this summer’s community production. What are your family’s links to the Rowntrees?

“It was quite an interesting phone call with my agent when she said she had an audition for me in York. I thought, brilliant I’d love to be back in York and work in my home city. She sent over the script, and I saw it was about the Rowntrees. I thought, that’s great, I know the Rowntrees well, and then when I read the play, I couldn’t believe all the other connections as that never really happens.

York Theatre Royal’s poster for His Last Report

“I was born and raised a Quaker. I went to New Earswick primary school, which is the
school that the Rowntrees built for the village of New Earswick. I learnt to swim in the
swimming pool which gets name checked in the play.

“I went to the library, which is also mentioned in the play. I went to Bootham School, which is the same school that Seebohm went to, and my dad worked for the Joseph Rowntree Housing trust for 44 years. When I met Juliet [Forster] and Paul [Birch] for my audition and told them about the connections, they couldn’t believe it either.”

Does your approach to character differ when playing a real person?

“It raises questions about what source material you have and how you use it. It’s very
hard to do an accurate imitation and it’s fair to say that a lot of our audience might
not have met Seebohm, so that gives us a bit more freedom to take what we do
know and develop that further.

“We don’t want to turn him into James Bond or anything like that, but we want our audience to invest in every character on the stage and more importantly, the work they are doing. He’s a very beloved son of York and I really want to get it right!

“We are condensing his life down into two hours, so the journey is much more compact, so much more like a rollercoaster ride. Ultimately the source material is so solid and so factual and that underpins as a foundation for the whole piece.”

“He’s a very beloved son of York and I really want to get it right,” says Antony Jardine of his role as Seebohm Rowntree

You last performed at York Theatre Royal in The Secret Garden in 2018. What keeps you coming back to York?

“Well, it’s a pretty nice city to live and work in! The theatre itself has a beautiful auditorium; as a performer it’s a joy to be on that stage. The vibrancy in the building is incredible; there are so many people working and being creative, which I think Seebohm would have approved of enormously.

“There’s just such a lot going on, but everyone is so friendly and welcoming. It’s an absolute treat and a joy to be able to come back here.”


Why book a ticket to His Last Report?

“Trust us, you’ll be in for a great night of theatre. When I first read the script, I was absolutely bowled over by how much is incorporated into it. It’s Shakespearian in its scope; it ticks every box.

“There’s so much joy. There’s going to be a trapeze, Morris dancing, music, it’s such a great story and so specific to York, but on a national and international scale as well.

“The story is about bringing people together and realising that an issue needs to be addressed, but also the production itself is bringing together a large community of people that can express themselves artistically in the theatre. I think all of that coming together is a rare and special thing.

“I would say if you are going to go and see a play, make it this one because you will
learn so much, you will think about yourself in a good, positive way and you’ll laugh
and have fun and maybe even an ice cream at the interval.”



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An Evening of Conversation and Music with David Gedge from The Wedding Present, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb Road, Acomb, York, 20/7/2025, 8pm, doors 7pm

David Gedge: 40 years of The Wedding Present

DAVID Gedge, long-time leader of The Wedding Present, discusses his “semi-legendary” Leeds indie band’s 40-year-career and his life in the music industry, in conversation with Amanda Cook at Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb tonight.

York writer/director Matt Aston joins him too on the eve of rehearsals for Reception – The Wedding Present Musical, ahead of its premiere at Slung Low, The Warehouse, Holbeck, Leeds, from August 22 to September 6.  

Tonight’s event concludes with Gedge’s 20-minute acoustic set drawn from The Wedding Present’s cornucopia of arch, romantic yet perennially disappointed songs of love, life’s high hopes and woes, chance and no chance. Box office: eventbrite.com.

Listen to David Gedge discuss 40 years Of The Wedding Present, the Reception musical and his Rise@Bluebird Bakery show with Two Big Egos In A Small Car podcasters Charles Hutchinson and Graham Chalmers at:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1187561/episodes/17507606-episode-233-interview-special-with-david-gedge-from-the-wedding-present

The Wedding Present’s David Gedge, right, with Reception writer-director Matt Aston walking through Leeds. They will discuss the new musical tonight at Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York

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More Things To Do in York and beyond as Rowntree report makes dramatic impact. Hutch’s List No. 32 from The York Press

Amelia Donkor and Antony Jardine: Playing Gulie Harlock and Seebohm Rowntree respectively alongside 100-strong community ensemble in His Last Report at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Millie Stephens

YORK Theatre Royal’s community play takes top billing in Charles Hutchinson’s selections for summer satisfaction.

Community play of the week: York Theatre Royal and Riding Lights Theatre Company present His Last Report, York Theatre Royal, today to August 3  

FOCUSING on pioneering York social reformer Seebohm Rowntree and his groundbreaking investigation into the harsh realities of poverty, Misha Duncan-Barry and Bridget Foreman’s play will be told through the voices of York’s residents, past and present.

Seebohm’s findings illuminate the struggles of the working class, laying the foundation for the welfare state and sparking a movement that will redefine life as we know it. However, when fast forwarding to present-day York, what is Seebohm’s real legacy as the Ministry begins to dismantle the very structures he championed in His Last Report’s York story with a national impact? Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Bean there, done that: “Appetite For Destruction” artist Lincoln Lightfoot takes his spay can to York’s iconic Bile Beans mural advert at VandalFest

Street art takeover of the summer: Vandals At Work present VandalFest, today, Sunday, then July 25 to 27, 11am to 6pm

VANDALS At Work reunite with youth homelessness charity Safe and Sound Homes (SASH) for VandalFest, the immersive street art takeover of a disused office block with a 2025 theme of the playful, cheeky, witty and mischievous.

Among more than 30 artists from the UK and beyond are Bristol graffiti pioneer Inkie, subversive stencilist Dotmasters, inflatable prankster Filthy Luker, master of optical illusions Chu, rooftop renegade Rowdy and York’s own Sharon McDonagh, Lincoln Lightfoot and Boxxhead. Entry is free, with a suggested £3 donation to SASH.

Craig David: In party mood at Scarborough Open Air Theatre today

Coastal gigs of the week: TK Maxx Presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Craig David TS5 Show plus special guest Patrick Nazemi, today; Judas Priest, July 23. Gates open at 6pm

SOUTHAMPTON rhythm & blues musician Craig David parades his triple threat as singer, MC and DJ at his TS5 party night – patented at his Miami penthouse – on the East Coast this weekend. On the 25th anniversary of debut album Born To Do It, expect a set combining old skool anthems from R&B to Swing Beat, Garage to Bashment, while merging chart-topping House hits too.

Judas  Priest, formed in Birmingham in 1969, are still receiving a Grammy nomination in 2025 for Best Metal Performance, on top of being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, appointed by shock rocker Alice Cooper, in 2022. Their 19th studio album, Invincible Shield, was released in March 2024. Wednesday’s support act will be Phil Campbell & The B**stard Sons. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.

Heather Leech in Gleowit Productions’ King Harold’s Mother at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre

Historical solo show of the week: Gleowit Productions in King Harold’s Mother, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, tonight, 7.30pm

IN 1066, a mother loses four sons; three killed at the Battle of Hastings, one branded as a traitor. However, these are times of turmoil, where crowns on the head go with swords in the hand, and this mother has lost everything.

Two years later in Exeter, King Harold’s mother, Gytha Thorkelsdottir, makes her last stand against the might of the new king, William. She is forced to face the consequences of her own actions, to accept the overwhelming might of the Conqueror. Is nothing all she is left with? Is nothing better than this, asks Gleowit Productions in King Harold’s Mother, written and performed by Heather Leech. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

Dame Harriet Walter: Pride And Prejudice celebration at Wesley Centre, Malton

Ryedale Festival theatre event of the week: Pride And Prejudice, Dame Harriet Walter, Melvyn Tan and Madeleine Easton, Wesley Centre, Malton, Sunday, 7pm

THIS theatrical retelling of Pride And Prejudice by novelist and Austen biographer Gill Hornby marks the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth. Star of stage and screen Dame Harriet Walter brings the romance of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy to life in an intimate drawing-room setting, in much the same way that Jane herself first read the story aloud to family and friends.

Carl David’s score for the 1995 BBC television adaptation will be performed by pianist Melvyn Tan and violinist Madeleine Easton. The festival runs until July 27; full details and tickets at ryedalefestival.com. Box office: 01751 475777.

The Wedding Present’s David Gedge, left, and Reception writer-director Matt Aston, pictured walking through Leeds, will be teaming up for a chat at Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, on Sunday

Gig and chat show the week: An Evening of Conversation and Music with David Gedge from The Wedding Present, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb Road, Acomb, York, Sunday, 8pm, doors 7pm

DAVID Gedge, long-time leader of The Wedding Present, discusses his “semi-legendary” Leeds indie band’s 40-year-career and his life in the music industry, in conversation with Amanda Cook. York writer/director Matt Aston joins him too on the eve of rehearsals for Reception – The Wedding Present Musical, ahead of its premiere at Slung Low, The Warehouse, Holbeck, Leeds, from August 22 to September 6.  

Sunday’s event concludes with Gedge’s 20-minute acoustic set drawn from The Wedding Present’s cornucopia of arch, romantic yet perennially disappointed songs of love, life’s high hopes and woes, chance and no chance. Box office: eventbrite.com.

Listen to David Gedge discuss 40 years Of The Wedding Present, the Reception musical and his Rise@Bluebird Bakery show with Two Big Egos In A Small Car podcasters Charles Hutchinson and Graham Chalmers at:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1187561/episodes/17507606-episode-233-interview-special-with-david-gedge-from-the-wedding-present

Out with the old, in with New: Harvey Stevens’ Jamie, front left, with his Sheffield school classmates in Pick Me Up Theatre’s Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

Musical of the week: Pick Me Up Theatre in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, July 22 to 26, 7.30pm and 2.30pm Saturday matinee

AT 16, Sheffield schoolboy Jamie New is terrified of  the future and has no interest in pursuing a traditional career. He wants to be a drag queen. He knows he can be a sensation. Supported by his loving mum and encouraged by friends, can Jamie overcome prejudice, beat the bullies and step out of the darkness, into the spotlight?

Written by Tom MacRae and The Feeling’s Dan Gillespie Sells, this joyous underdog story is staged by York company Pick Me Up Theatre with Harvey Stevens, 15, and Gemma McDonald leading the cast. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

The poster for Steve Steinman’s Love Hurts, Power Ballads & Anthems!, on tour at the Grand Opera House, York

Jukebox show of the week: Steve Steinman’s Love Hurts, Power Ballads & Anthems!, Grand Opera House, York, July 24, 7.30pm

FROM the producers of Anything For Love and Vampires Rock comes the latest Steve Steinman venture, this one built around power ballads and anthems performed by a powerhouse cast of singers and a seven-piece band.

Love Hurts embraces Fleetwood Mac, Heart, Whitesnake, Billy Idol, Aerosmith, Tina Turner, Cutting Crew, Foreigner, REO Speedwagon, Rainbow, Van Halen, Europe, Air Supply and more. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor: On course for Knavesmire

Dancefloor double bill of the week: Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Natasha Bedingfield, York Racecourse Music Showcase Weekend, July 25.Gates, 4pm; first race, 5.30pm; last race, 8.23pm

AT the only evening meeting of the Knavesmire racing calendar, kitchen disco queen Sophie Ellis-Bextor and fellow Londoner Natasha Bedingfield each play a set after the seven-race sporting action.

Ellis-Bextor, 46, will draw on her five top ten albums and eight top ten singles, such as Murder On The Dancefloor and Take Me Home, from a pop career now stretching beyond 25 years. Bedingfield , 43, has the hits Unwritten, Single, These Words, I Wanna Have Your Babies and Soulmate to her name. For race-day tickets, go to: yorkracecourse.co.uk.