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More Things To Do in York and beyond when disproving ‘rotten state of modern Britain’. Hutch’s List No. 43, from The Press

The Maniac (Andrew Isherwood), left, peruses the Anarchist’s case file as Inspector Burton (Paul Osborne) interrupts him in Black Treacle Theatre’s Accidental Death Of An Anarchist . Picture: John Saunders

FROM ‘Rocky 2’ for Jason Donovan to a music-hall spin on Shakespeare’s ‘Two Gents’, Charles Hutchinson looks at a mighty crowded week ahead.

Last chance to see: Black Treacle Theatre in Accidental Of An Anarchist, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, today, 2.30pm and 7.30pm

YORK company Black Treacle Theatre stage Dario Fo and Franca Rame’s uproarious 1970 Italian farce in a new adaptation by Tom Basden, creator of Plebs and Here We Go, who updates the setting to the rotten state of present-day Britain.

Shining a satirical light on bent coppers, politicians and everything in between under Jim Paterson’s direction, the riotous drama is set in a police station where a suspect has “accidentally”’ fallen to his death, but did he jump or was he pushed? As the police attempt to avoid yet another scandal, a mysterious imposter (Andrew Isherwood’s Maniac) is brought in for questioning. Cue cover-ups, corruption and (in)competence. Box office: https://tickets.41monkgate.co.uk

Dinosaur World Live: Invading York Theatre Royal on Monday and Tuesday

Children’s show of the week: Dinosaur World Live, York Theatre Royal, October 21, 4.30pm; October 22, 10.30am and 4.30pm

DARE to experience the dangers and delights of dinosaurs in this mind-expanding, “roarsome” interactive Jurassic adventure, winner of the 2024 Olivier Award for Best Family Show.

Grab your compass and join Dinosaur World’s intrepid explorer on a venture across uncharted territories to discover a pre-historic world of astonishing, life-like dinosaurs. Meet a host of impressive creatures, not least every child’s favourite flesh-eating giant, the Tyrannosaurus Rex. A post-show meet and greet offers brave explorers the chance to make a new dinosaur friend. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Jason Donovan, centre, as Dr Frank N Furter in The Rocky Horror Show, back at its regular York haunt, the Grand Opera House, next week

Touring musical of the week: The Rocky Horror Show, Grand Opera House, York, October 21 to 26, Monday to Thursday, 8pm; Friday, Saturday, 5.30pm and 8.30pm

AUSRALIAN actor, pop singer and soap star Jason Donovan returns to the Grand Opera House in a musical theatre role for the first time since playing drag act Mitzi Del Bar in Prisclla, Queen Of The Desert in November 2015.

“Rocky is panto for adults,” says Jason, 56, who is reprising his role as sweet transvestite Dr Frank N Furter on tour, after 25 years, in Richard O’Brien’s cult send-up of horror and science-fiction B-movies as squeaky clean American college couple Brad and Janet end up in the mad, seductive scientist’s Transylvanian lair. Box office: atgtickets.york.com.

Tempest Wisdom: Directing York Shakespeare Project for the first time in The Two Gentlemen Of Verona

Play of the week: York Shakespeare Project in The Two Gentlemen Of Verona, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, October 22 to 26, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

‘TWO Gents’: possibly Shakespeare’s first play and definitely the only one with a part for a dog. But can the newly employed performers at Monkgate Music Hall pull off their production?

Under-rehearsed knife throwers, strongmen, musicians and comedians must pool their skills in Tempest Wisdom’s dazzling take on this rarely performed comedy, delivered by York Shakespeare Project. “Book now for the event of the 19th century!” says Tempest. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Steve Huison as his alter ego, working men’s club cabaret host Squinty McGinty, at The Crescent, York

Cabaret turn of the week, Steve Huison, Crescent Cabaret, The Crescent, York, October 23, doors, 6.30pm for 7.30pm start

AFTER exhibiting oil portraits of actors and musicians at Pyramid Gallery this summer, actor, artist and The Full Monty star Steve Huison presents The Crescent Cabaret in his guise as Squinty McGinty, “Agent to the Stars”, more usually to be found hosting Cabaret Saltaire.

Promoted in tandem with Pyramid Gallery owner and musician Terry Brett, who will make a stage appearance with Ukulele Sunshine Revival, this charity event will raise funds for Refugee Action York from meat raffle ticket sales at Huison’s affectionate, if outrageous, spoof of a typical northern working men’s club. Box office: thecrescentyork.com.

Company Wayne McGregor in Autobiography, on tour at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Andrej Uspenski

Dance show of the week: Company Wayne McGregor, Autobiography, V102 and V103, York Theatre Royal, October 25 and 26, 7.30pm

GENETIC code, AI and choreography merge in a Wayne McGregor work that reimagines and remakes itself anew for every performance. Layering choreographic imprints over personal memoir and in dialogue with a specially created algorithm that hijacks McGregor’s DNA data,Autobiography “upends the traditional nature of dance-making as artificial intelligence and instinct converge in creative authorship”.

Now, AISOMA, a new AI tool developed with Google Arts and Culture – “utilising machine-learning trained on hundreds of hours of McGregor’s choreographic archive – overwrites initial configurations to present fresh movement options to the performers, injecting unfamiliar and often startling content into the choreographic ecosystem”. “Life, writing itself anew,” explains McGregor. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Nadia Reid: Making her Band Room debut on the North York Moors

Moorland gig of the season: Nadia Reid, The Band Room, Low Mill, Farndale, North York Moors, October 26, 7.30pm

THE Band Room promoter Nigel Burnham first tried to book New Zealand singer-songwriter sensation Nadia Reid on her first British tour in 2017. “Persistence has paid off,” he says, welcoming her to “the greatest small venue on Earth” as part of a series of intimate, magical solo shows.

Noted for her evocative lyrics and introspective, folk-infused soundscapes, Reid has been described as “an understated, wise guide through uncertain territory”, drawing comparison with Joni Mitchell, Laura Marling, Gillian Welch and Sandy Denny. Latest album Out of My Province took her to Matthew E White’s Spacebomb Studios in Richmond, Virginia, where producer Trey Pollard surrounded her songs in luminous washes of southern country soul. Box office: 01751 432900 or thebandroom.co.uk.

Elbow: First headliners confirmed for second season of Live At York Museum Gardens, staged by Futuresound Group next summer

Gig announcement of the week: Futuresound Group presents Live At York Museum Gardens, Elbow, July 3 2025

GUY Garvey’s Mercury Prize-winning Bury band Elbow are confirmed as the first headliner for Futuresound’s second Live At York Museum Gardens concert weekend, after the sold-out success of Shed Seven’s 30th anniversary shows and Jack Savoretti this summer.

Elbow will be supported by Ripon-born, London-based singer-songwriter Billie Marten and Robin Hood’s Bay folk luminary Eliza Carthy & The Restitution. Box office: futuresound.seetickets.com/event/elbow/york-museum-gardens/3195333.

Recommended but sold out: James Swanton presents The Signal-Man, York Medical Society, Stonegate, York, October 24 to 30, 7pm

James Swanton: sell-out run of The Signal-Man at York Medical Society. Picture: Jtu Photography

“SOMETHING unprecedented has happened: we’ve sold out the entire run over a month in advance! A first in my experience,” says York gothic actor and storyteller James Swanton ahead of the home-city leg of his Halloween Dickens show, The Signal-Man, with The Trial For Murder “thrown in for fun”.

“The Signal-Man is one of the most powerful ghost stories of all time and certainly the most frightening ever written by Charles Dickens. It’s paired here with The Trial For Murder, in which Dickens treats the supernatural with just as much terrifying gravity.”

James adds: “We’re privileged to be a partner event with the York Ghost Merchants for their annual Ghost Week celebrations.”

What happens in The Signal-Man? “A red light. A black tunnel. A waving figure. A warning beyond understanding. And the fear that someone – that something – is drawing closer,” says the storyteller of Dickens’s darkest explorations of the spirit world.

Over the past year, James has played monsters in The First Omen (20th Century Studios) and Tarot(Sony), as well as the title roles in two BBC chillers: The Curse Of The Ninth in Inside No. 9 and Lot No. 249, Mark Gatiss’s annual ghost story, a performance that spurred the Telegraph reviewer to call James “the scariest man on TV this Christmas”.

His Dickens work includes sell-out seasons of the Christmas Books at the Charles Dickens Museum, London, and his one-man play Sikes & Nancy at the West End’s Trafalgar Studios.

Are you too late for tickets for The Signal-Man? Fear not, James will be returning to York Medical Society from November 25 to 28 and December 2 to 5 for his annual performances of Dickens’s Christmas ghost stories, A Christmas Carol, The Chimes and The Haunted Man, suitable for age eight upwards. Tickets for these 65-minute 7pm performances are on sale on 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

One ghost story will be told each night: November 25 to 27 and December 2 to 4, A Christmas Carol; November 28, The Chimes; December 5, The Haunted Man.

In Focus: Black Sheep Theatre Productions presents Songs For A New World, National Centre for Early Music, York, Oct 24 to 26

Co-director and actor Mikhail Lim in one of myriad posters for Black Sheep Theatre Productions’ production of Songs For A New World


YORK company Black Sheep Theatre Productions completes its October double bill of Jason Robert Brown productions with his 1995 theatrical song cycle Songs For A New World.

Tony Award-winning composer Brown is best known for his musicals Parade, 13 and The Last Five Years, the 2001 two-hander staged by Matthew Peter Clare’s company in collaboration with Wharfemede Productions at the NCEM last week.

First produced Off-Broadway at the WPA Theatre in New York, Songs For A New World defies conventional musical theatre formats. As described by Brown and original director Daisy Prince, the show is “neither musical play nor revue” but exists as a “very theatrical song cycle.”

“While it lacks a linear plot, the production explores universal themes such as hope, faith, love, and loss through a powerful collection of emotionally charged songs,” says Matthew, the production’s co-director, musical director and producer.

Black Sheep Theatre’s re-imagined production speaks directly to the growing uncertainty and tension of today’s political and social climate. Co-director Mikhail Lim and the creative team have crafted a fresh and relevant interpretation, designed to “resonate with audiences navigating the complexities of modern life”.

Songs For A New World cast member Rachel Higgs

This version expands the original cast of four to feature eight performers from York and beyond, creating a rich and multifaceted rendition.

“We believe this show will be a breakthrough in York’s theatre scene, offering something fresh, exciting, and deeply engaging,” says Mikhail. “The music alone will make audiences want to listen on repeat, but the show also connects emotionally, tugging on heartstrings and encouraging a renewed contemplation of today’s world.

“We hope audiences leave the theatre not only moved by the performances but also reflecting on the deeper themes we explore.”

After staging William Finn and James Lapine’s Falsettos at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, now Black Sheep Theatre has worked meticulously on every aspect of Songs for A New World.

Ayana Beatrice Poblete and Reggie Challenger in Songs For A New World

“The team is confident that this production will be a definitive version of Brown’s iconic work, delivering a truly unforgettable experience to all who attend,” says Matthew.

Black Sheep Theatre Productions, Songs For A New World, National Centre for Early Music, St Margaret’s Church, Walmgate, York, October 24 to 26, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: ticketsource.co.uk.

Creative team:
Co-director, musical director & producer: Matthew Peter Clare

Co-director: Mikhail Lim
Assistant director & choreographer: Freya McIntosh

Cast:
Ayana Beatrice Poblete; Katie Brier; Lauren Charlton-Mathews; Reggie Challenger; Rachel Higgs; Mikhail Lim; Adam Price and Natalie Walker.

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‘Rocky is panto for adults,’ says Jason Donovan on return to sweet transvestite role of Frank N Furter after 25 years

“The Rocky Horror Show now plays to my strengths, less musical theatre, more edgy, a little bit rock’n’roll. More me really!” says Jason Donovan, pictured centre

JASON Donovan is returning to one of his most famous roles: Frank-N-Furter in Richard O’Brien’s anarchic musical, The Rocky Horror Show.  Next stop, Grand Opera House, York, from October 21 to 26.

Why? “In a nutshell, I’m a fan,” says the Australian singer, actor and erstwhile soap star, now 56. “I love the show; I love the music; I love the character. I was touring my own show about five years ago and included Sweet Transvestite from Rocky as a key moment in my musical career. It went down a storm.”

When he read there would be a 50th anniversary production, he emailed producer Howard Panter, saying he would love to be involved. Cue Jason’s Frank-N-Furter, first back home in Australia, in Sydney and Melbourne, and now on a UK tour since mid-August.

Richard O’Brien’s cult musical tribute to horror and science fiction B-movies from the 1930s to the early 1960s tells the story of a newly engaged, clean-cut American college couple Brad and Janet. Caught in a storm, they end up at the gothic Transylvanian lair of  mad transvestite scientist, Dr Frank-N-Furter, just in time for the unveiling of his new creation, Rocky, a Frankenstein-style monster complete with blond hair and a tan.

Since 1973, the show has played to 30 million people globally in 20 languages. Now, Jason returns to a role he first played more than 25 years ago. “To be honest, I can’t really remember much about 1998 but that’s another story,” he says. “I don’t feel uncomfortable, though, playing him at 56 – and, of course, I have personal reasons for being grateful to the show.”

“The character of Frank N Furter embraces both sides of me: a strength and a vulnerability, as well as danger and denial,” says Jason Donovan

The stage manager on that late-1990s’ touring production was a young woman called Angela Malloch. “I’d be backstage waiting to go on, and  I’d get chatting to Ange, ” recalls Jason. Friendship turned into romance but the relationship hit the buffers.

Shortly afterwards, however, Angela found out she was pregnant. Ultimatum time. “If the relationship had any chance of working, she told me, and if I was going to have any involvement in the life of our child, I would have to give up the self-indulgent hedonistic lifestyle of the ’90s and take greater control of my life. And I did.”

The couple, who finally married in 2008, have three children: actress Jemma, 24; TV producer Zac, 23, and  Molly, still at school, aged 13.

Jason, meanwhile, has gone from small-screen fame as Scott Robinson in the Australian soap Neighbours to chart-topping pop stardom and onwards to musical and theatre roles: Joseph and Pharaoh in Joseph And His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat;  eccentric inventor Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; two stints as drag artist Mitzi in Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert The Musical; music mogul Sam Phillips in Million Dollar Quartet, the demon barber himself in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street  and Lionel Logue in The King’s Speech.

Jason Donovan: Heading to York Barbican on his Doin’ Fine 25 tour in 2025. Picture: Eugene Hyland

Dr Frank-N-Furter, above all, occupies a special place in his heart. “One of the reasons I love Rocky is because it’s a short show.” Explain, Jason! “It says everything it needs to say and nothing more. There’s no unnecessary padding. It means nobody gets bored and you leave them wanting more.”

What about climbing into fishnet stockings and high heels seven times a week? “In many ways, very easy, I put on the costume and there’s Frank all over again,” he says. “I’m in touch with my feminine side but I come from a masculine sensibility. The character embraces both sides of me: a strength and a vulnerability, as well as danger and denial.

“Look, I come to the role as an actor. I always dreamed of fronting a rock band and this is about as close as I’ve got. When I put on those high heels, I become that rock’n’roll star. It makes me feel powerful, tall, in charge.

“And audiences love it. As I look out from the stage, I see a beautiful landscape of people wearing outrageous costumes. It’s not hard to see why: in many ways, Rocky is panto for adults. The costumes are just as much a part of the show as the characters and the music.”

Touring surely means wear and tear to his back? “I spend a lot more time in physio these days, something I’ve put in as an appendix in my contract! I’m in my mid-50s. I’m aware of having to look after myself,” he says.

Jason Donovan’s Mitzi Del Bra in his last appearance at the Grand Opera House in Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert The Musical in November 2015

Does that require regular exercise? “Yes, but not obsessively so. Mental health and physical fitness go hand-in-hand for me. This life is a long journey, you hope. My dad gave me the tool of a good work ethic linked to physical activity,” he says.

“I don’t go to the gym: I’m not interested in lifting weights. But I swim. I ride my bike. I stretch. I steam. I do those things more or less on a daily basis. In fact, they’ve become a borderline addiction. And, of course, doing the show is a work-out in itself: I put a lot of energy into my performance.”

Jason says vocals were “never my strongest point back in the day”. “But since Joseph, I’ve worked really hard and through 30 years of strengthening my vocal cords – they’re a muscle like anything else – I’ve become a better singer. Rocky now plays to my strengths, less musical theatre, more edgy, a little bit rock’n’roll. More me really!”

What’s next for Jason post-Rocky?  “I’ve got my Doin’ Fine 25 tour. That’s 35 concerts across the UK and Ireland,” he says. “It’s a greatest hits show, a celebration of 35 years of work.” York Barbican awaits next March.

The Rocky Horror Show, Grand Opera House, York, October 21 to 26, Monday to Thursday, 8pm; Friday and Saturday, 5.30pm and 8.30pm. Box office:  atgtickets.york.com. Jason Donovan: Doin’ Fine 25, York Barbican, March 8 2025, 8pm. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond when seeking that lovely jubbly feeling. Hutch’s List No. 38, from Gazette & Herald

Lethal tea maker: The Black Widow at York Dungeon

DEL Boy in a musical, a Dungeon murderess, a Greek teen tragedy and gruesome Tower tales promise entertainment and enlightenment, advises Charles Hutchinson.   

New attraction of the week: The Black Widow, York Dungeon, Clifford Street, York, daily from 10am

HERE comes this Hallowe’en season’s new show at York Dungeon. Be prepared to encounter the grim tale of Britain’s first female serial killer: Mary Ann Cotton.

A north easterner with a propensity for lacing tea with a drop of arsenic, the Black Widow was convicted of only one murder but is believed to have killed many others, including 11 of her 13 children, and three of her four husbands. Box office: thedungeons.com/york/tickets-passes/. Pre-booking is essential.

Sam Lupton’s Del Boy on a date with Georgina Hagen’s Raquel in Only Fools And Horses The Musical at the Grand Opera House, York

“Plonker” musical of the week: Only Fools And Horses The Musical, Grand Opera House, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm matinees today and Saturday

BASED on John Sullivan’s long-running BBC One series, his son Jim Sullivan and comedy treasure Paul Whitehouse’s West End hit, Only Fools And Horses The Musical, combines 20 songs with an ingenious script.

“Join us as we take a trip back in time to 1989, where it’s all kicking off in Peckham,” reads the 2024-25 tour invitation. “While the yuppie invasion of London is in full swing, love is in the air as Del Boy sets out on the rocky road to find his soul mate, Rodney and Cassandra prepare to say ‘I do’, and even Trigger is gearing up for a date (with a person!).” Box office for the last few tickets: atgtickets.com/york.

Chris Mooney and Helen “Bells” Spencer in Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years, the debut collaboration between Black Sheep Theatre Productions and Wharfemede Productions

Debut of the week: Wharfemede Productions & Black Sheep Theatre Productions in The Last Five Years, National Centre for Early Music, St Margaret’s Church, Walmgate, York, tonight to Saturday, 7.45pm

HELEN Spencer and Nick Sephton launch their new York company, Wharfemede Productions, in tandem with Black Sheep Theatre Productions, by staging The Last Five Years, Jason Robert Brown’s emotive musical story of two New Yorkers, rising novelist Jamie Wellerstein and struggling actress Cathy Hiatt, who fall in and out of love over the course of five years.

Combining only two cast members, York theatre scene luminaries Chris Mooney and Spencer, with a seven-piece band, expect an intimate and emotive evening of frank storytelling and gorgeous music. Box office: ticketsource.co.uk/wharfemede-productions-ltd.

Alexander Flanagan-Wright in Helios, his modern take on the Fall of Phaeton, performed under the Great Hall dome at Castle Howard

Theatrical event of the week: Wright & Grainger in Helios, The Great Hall, Castle Howard, near York, today, 5pm and 7.30pm

A LAD lives halfway up an historic hill. A teenager is on a road trip to the city in a stolen car. A boy is driving a chariot, pulling the sun across the sky. In a play about the son of the god of the sun, Helios transplants the Ancient Greek tale into a modern-day myth wound round the winding roads of rural England and into the everyday living of a towering city.

“It’s a story about life, the invisible monuments we build to it, and the little things that leave big marks,” says writer-performer Alexander Flanagan-Wright, who presents his delicate tale with a tape-player beneath the Great Hall dome’s mural, painted by 18th century Venetian painter Antonio Pelligrini, whose depiction of the Fall of Phaeton was the thematic inspiration behind Helios. Box office: castlehoward.co.uk.

Alison Weir: Gruesome tales of executions, beheadings and Royal intrigue from 900 years at the Tower Of London

Literary event of the week: Kemps Bookshop Presents Alison Weir – Ghosts & Gruesome Tales Of The Tower, Milton Rooms, Malton, tonight, 7.30pm

IF any place could lay claim to a host of tortured souls and ghosts, it would be the Tower of London. Historian Alison Weir regales her Malton audience with chilling ghostly tales of grim events, bloody deeds, intrigues and violent deaths the Tower has witnessed over 900 years and the ghosts that reputedly haunt it. After her talk, she will take questions and sign copies of her books. Box office: 01653 696240 themiltonrooms.com.

Mary Bourne, left, and Jessa Liversidge: Uplifting journey of song in Songbirds at Helmsley Arts Centre

Songbirds: A Celebration of Female Musical Icons, with Jessa Liversidge and Mary Bourne, Helmsley Arts Centre, October 25, 7.30pm

DEVISED and performed by vocalists Jessa Liversidge, from Easingwold, and Mary Bourne, from Kingston upon Thames, Songbirds is an uplifting journey of song, celebrating “some of the most iconic female singers and songwriters ever known”, from Carole King and Annie Lennox to Kate Bush and Adele. Special guests include HAC Singers and Easingwold Community Singers. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Nadia Reid: Making her Band Room debut on the North York Moors

Moorland gig of the season: Nadia Reid, The Band Room, Low Mill, Farndale, North York Moors, October 26, 7.30pm

THE Band Room promoter Nigel Burnham first tried to book New Zealand singer-songwriter sensation Nadia Reid on her first British tour in 2017. “Persistence has paid off,” he says, welcoming her to “the greatest small venue on Earth” as part of a series of intimate, magical solo shows.

Noted for her evocative lyrics and introspective, folk-infused soundscapes, Reid has been described as “an understated, wise guide through uncertain territory”, drawing comparison with Joni Mitchell, Laura Marling, Gillian Welch and Sandy Denny. Latest album Out of My Province took her to Matthew E White’s Spacebomb Studios in Richmond, Virginia, where producer Trey Pollard surrounded her songs in luminous washes of southern country soul. Box office: 01751 432900 or thebandroom.co.uk.

Elbow: Headlining first day of second season of Live At York Museum Gardens concerts

Show announcement of the week: Futuresound Group presents Live At York Museum Gardens, Elbow, July 3 2025

GUY Garvey’s Mercury Prize-winning Bury band Elbow are confirmed as the first headliner for Futuresound’s second Live At York Museum Gardens concert weekend, after the sold-out success of Shed Seven’s 30th anniversary shows and Jack Savoretti this summer.

Elbow will be supported by Ripon-born, London-based singer-songwriter Billie Marten and Robin Hood’s Bay folk luminary Eliza Carthy & The Restitution. The York exclusive postcode presale (for YO1, YO24, YO30, YO31 and YO32) goes on sale today at 10am at https://futuresound.seetickets.com/event/elbow/york-museum-gardens/3195333?pre=postcode. General sales open at 10am on Friday at https://futuresound.seetickets.com/event/elbow/york-museum-gardens/3195333.

In Focus: Nunnington Hall Autumn Festival, October 19 and 20

Nunnington Hall: Autumn garden tours next weekend

VISITORS to the National Trust property of Nunnington Hall, near Helmsley, can enjoy the manor house being decorated for autumn next weekend.

The garden team will be running garden tours and apple-juicing demonstrations, and there will be an opportunity to do autumn-themed crafts.

Programming and  partnerships officer Elena Leyshon says: “We’re delighted that our annual Autumn Festival will be returning to Nunnington Hall this year. Visitors can explore the hall decorated for autumn and join our garden team on orchard and wildlife tours, and live apple-juicing demonstrations.

“We’ll have a range of local makers and creators demonstrating and selling their work, from willow weaving to felting.

“There will also be some delicious autumnal treats in the tearoom to enjoy, so come along and enjoy a sweet treat in our tearoom and celebrate the best of the autumnal season with us.”

Robert Dutton and Andrew Moodie’s exhibition, A Yorkshire Year, continues at Nunnington Hall and will be be open to visitors over the festival weekend.

Nunnington Hall  Autumn Festival, October 19 and 20, 10.30am to 5pm each day, with last entry at 4.15pm. Visiting stalls will be on site until 4pm. No booking is required. Normal property admission applies, with free admission for National Trust members and under fives.

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Illustrator Ric Liptrot to launch York Past & Present calendar trip down memory lane

Illustrator Ric Liptrot sketching in the York plein air

YORK artist Ric Liptrot is launching his 2025 calendar, York Past And Present, at the end of October,

Based at PICA Studios, in Grape Lane, York, freelance illustrator Ric is “obsessed with York’s architecture” and is in high demand for projects relating to buildings, shop fronts and grounds in the city.

Next year’s calendar is a “gift of nostalgia”, exploring forgotten shops such as Fossgate Books and Ken Spelman’s Booksellers, Dave Dee’s Banana Warehouse and Bootham Crescent, the former home of York City FC, as well as present-day places, from The Cat’s Whiskers café to the York Nut Centre in Market Street.

Ric has produced work for Bettys Tearoom, St Michael le Belfrey and The Pig & Pastry café, creating drawings, prints and collages for his clients, who include the Guardian and The Big Issue.

Last year’s calendar, his own venture, was a celebration of York’s buildings and was so popular that he decided to launch a 2025 follow-up, but this time focusing more on the hidden past of York’s popular shops.

“I miss Fossgate Books, with its window packed full of books, and Ken Spelman’s treasure trove of old wooden panels housing all sorts of historic secrets,” says Ric.

Here Ric Liptrot discusses York past and present with CharlesHutchPress

The Banana Warehouse, illustration, by Ric Liptrot. Once home to FT Burley’s wholesale fruit merchants, then to “Dave Dee Shifts Things'” Aladdin’s Cave of second-hand goods, now only the 1925 facade will remain as the 168-bedroom Banana Warehouse Hotel rises in its stead

How would you describe your artistic style, Ric?

“My artistic style is representational, using drawings made from studying buildings in York. I like to create textures using collage and stencils, which I produce using paint rollers. I also use pen and ink for detail. 

“I use these techniques to bring out the characterful elements of shop windows, for example, signage and tiles.

“When I decide to create an image, I draw outside and study the windows and the building. Passers-by take an interest and I love to talk about what I’m doing.”

What makes York such a hot spot for artists to represent in paint/street art/whatever?

“I think it’s a mixture of characterful buildings with their wonky rooftops and intricate brickwork, as well as the history. The city is packed full of historic importance and stories. This helps artists to give more life to the artwork.”

In turn, what makes York so ideal to be represented in a calendar?

“We are lucky in York to have so many inspiring scenes to paint and draw. As well as fantastic independent businesses that I believe are very important to the local community and economy. There are not many places like York left in the UK. Cities are changing, York is one of few which still attracts a large number of visitors.” 

The cover artwork for Ric Liptrot’s 2025 calendar, York Past & Present

You describe yourself as “obsessed with York’s architecture”. In a city that hosts such events as York Residents Festival and York Unlocked, is one of the joys behind that obsession finding new architectural gems to depict?

“Absolutely! I’m still finding parts of York I’ve never noticed before. I find myself looking up at buildings and noticing the intricate detail, something I encourage others to do. It makes you really appreciate the city.”

Has any other city struck you in the same way?

“I love cities, maybe it’s because I grew up near Liverpool and Manchester. Edinburgh stands out as one of my favourites. It is such a beautiful city with its castle high up on the rock and the grand Georgian buildings of the New Town.”

York is ripe for nostalgia, both ancient and more recent. Discuss…

“There’s a huge amount of history in York, which attracts a lot of tourists year on year. When speaking to people, I hear so many stories of their fond memories of shops and places that no longer exist. The Banana Warehouse, for example, that armoured figure standing outside the door.

“A life-long York City FC fan got in touch with me to ask if I could draw Bootham Crescent before the club moved to their new stadium outside of York city centre [York Community Stadium, Monks Cross, Huntington]. It’s been such a popular illustration of mine as it evokes so many memories for fans. I love hearing their stories and seeing how much it means to them.”

The Perky Peacock cafe, at Barker Tower, North Street, York: Ric Liptrot’s illustration for September in his 2025 calendar

 Where were you born? Did it have an impact on your artistic work?

“I was born in Chester and grew up in Runcorn. During my foundation year on the outskirts of Liverpool, we would go and sit outside around the city. It’s where it all began for me, quietly sitting and taking in the cityscape. When I sit and draw outside, I lose myself in the drawing. I find it very calming, unless someone is watching me.” 

Why did you move to York?

“I moved to York two years after finishing my illustration degree at UCLAN [University of Central Lancashire] in Preston. My circumstances at the time brought me to the city but I’ve now lived here for 15 years.

“York was the perfect place for me to develop my drawing. I began by drawing a lot of the traditional pubs in York, which developed into drawing the independent shops and cafés too.” 

York artist Ric Liptrot with his plywood panels depicting central York, commissioned by York Conservation Trust for the entrance hall to its new offices at De Grey House, York

You are serving as York Conservation Trust’s artist in residence this year.  When does the work go on show?

“I was commissioned at the start of 2024. They wanted some artwork to be displayed in the entrance hall of their new offices at De Grey House. 

“We met a few times and developed an idea of painting on to five large plywood panels. Each panel depicts a quarter of central York – North, East, South and West – with a fifth concentrating on the central/cultural quarter, Exhibition Square and Museum Gardens.

“Each panel is a montage of the Trust’s buildings alongside other significant and iconic buildings and elements in those areas. I tried to used colour and texture to help represent the different periods of architecture in the city.

“I’ve been working on this exciting piece for six months, totally inspired by the history and stories of York. I’ve noticed so much more detail in the city stone, walls and windows. The King’s Manor has the smallest window in York and that image has entered into this commission.

“The final boards will be hung at the beginning of November 2024 and will be available for the public to see. We’ll be releasing limited-edition prints very soon.”

The Central York North panel from Ric Liptrot’s commission for York Conservation Trust, whose chief executive, Guy Bowyer, says: “We are delighted with the artwork Ric has produced for us. His five panels are an expressive, playful and an accurate take on the colours and textures of York’s historic streetscapes.
We are very much looking forward to installing them at De Grey House and will be very
pleased to welcome anyone that would like to see them in person” 

You have taken part in York Open Studios in the past. Will you be doing so in 2025?

“Unfortunately I haven’t been selected for 2025. However, I will be taking part in North Yorkshire Open Studios on June 7, 8, 14 and 15 2025. We’ll be holding our annual festive open studio at PICA Studios [7 Grape Lane, York, YO1 7HU] on November 30 and December 1.”

How did you decide on the triptych of shields, cats and Bars for this year’s Last Drop Inn commission? 

“I had never painted such a large mural before, but the landlord was keen for me to give it a go. The brief was to create a blend of York’s iconic buildings.

Ric Liptrot with his central York panels for York Conservation Trust

“The idea came from a map, using the city ‘Bars’ at Bootham, Micklegate and Monk Bar. I then filled in the areas with other buildings and landmarks, including Clifford’s Tower, York Minster and Fairfax House. I wanted to add other elements, such as the crossed keys badge and cat figure, as those on important parts of the city and add character and intrigue. The design was inspired by an illustration of London by Edward Bawden.” 

Any more commissions coming up?

“Yes, I have a number of commissions lined up, including Silvarious, a jeweller on Petergate, and Heppni Bakeri on Swinegate.”

 Do you have a “day job” too?

“I work part-time on an organic vegetable farm in Strensall, Goodness Growing. I help to plant, weed and hoe the land, as well as harvest vegetables for packing into bags, which are delivered around York.”

Ric Liptrot’s York Past & Present 2025 calendar will be available from www.ricliptrot.bigcartel.com. Pre-order now, to be delivered/ready to collect by mid-end October 2024. “Yorkies can either collect from central York or I can deliver for free,” advises Ric. “Beyond York is £3 p&p.”

King’s Manor, Ric Liptrot’s October illustration for his 2025 calendar
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REVIEW: Rebus: A Game Called Malice, York Theatre Royal, until Saturday ****

Gray O’Brien as “retired” inspector John Rebus in Rebus: A Game Called Malice

SCOTTISH crime author Sir Ian Rankin has been writing about “this guy Rebus” since 1985.

The first book was published in 1987; the latest, Midnight And Blue, arrived last Thursday. “I’ve spent more than half my life with him. I still don’t quite know what makes him tick. I keep writing about him to get to the core of his identity,” he says.

Rankin has harboured thoughts of bumping off his gnarly Edinburgh inspector, but he reckons Rebus will tell him when it’s time to hand in his badge. Not this year, it would seem, what with the BBC television series, then the play and the book.

It turns out Rebus has done the quitting bit already after 30 years in A Game Called Malice. He has retired from Police Scotland, he tells his fellow guests at a swanky dinner party in Heriot Row, one of those plush, high-ceiling Edinburgh town houses full of “art, books and fancy pictures”. Terry Parsons’ stylish design more than does it justice, filled with paintings.

Brought to the party by lawyer Stephanie Jeffries (Abigail Thaw, a familiar face from Endeavour), Gray O’Brien’s John Rebus looks a little incongruous at such a gathering.

Standing at the back, observing, listening, suited and booted but tie undone, he is reading the room, not the room reading him, he later tells us, in one of those waspish, whiplash monologues that would be a voiceover on screen but has the added impact of breaking theatre’s fourth wall here.

In the kitchen, never seen, is a fancy-dan chef, hired for the night to let party hostess Harriet Godwin (Teresa Banham) focus on hosting the murder mystery game she has invented. It turns out, of course it does, that in playing the game, the guests expose secrets, fallible character traits, of their own.

Rebus is the only one who never leaves the room at any point, for a fag, a phonecall or whatever, so when casino boss Paul Godwin (Neil McKinven) discovers a bloodied body in an en-suite bathroom, while having a nosey upstairs, all fall under Rebus’s suspicion, as he laconically returns to detective duty with that familiarly unnerving manner.

Who’s dead? That would be telling, and besides, Rankin and co-writer Simon Reade do their stage business so briskly, so smartly, we are all heading home by 9.15pm, case solved, Rebus’s droll epilogue sending us on our way.

The murderer? Was it Harriet, always on edge, or Stephanie, whose past is not without unfortunate blemish? Or Godwin, one of those business types who gives to charity, likes to wear bespoke suits that speak far too loudly, and skates very close to the edge of the law.

Or maybe Godwin’s savvy young belle (Jade Kennedy), an influencer on social media, forever tapping away, who may run too close to the wind. Or Harriet’s partner, Jack Fleming (Billy Hartman), no replacement for late husband Callum, and doesn’t he know it.

Loveday Ingram’s direction, playful, dry witted and suspenseful, matches the pace, humour and intrigue of Rankin and Read’s dialogue, her cast delivering good performances all round.

O’Brien, who caught the eye as Juror 7 in Twelve Angry Men at the Grand Opera House earlier this year, has exactly the right hangdog air for Rebus, always stirring, playing his own game by his own rules in pursuit of the truth. Welcome back; that retirement was never going to last

Rebus: A Game Called Malice, York Theatre Royal, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

UPDATE, 18/10/2024: Author Ian Rankin will take part in Friday’s post-show discussion with company members. Earlier in the day, sometime between 3pm and 6pm, he will be popping into Criminally Good Books, in Colliergate, to promote his October 10 novel, Midnight And Blue.  

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Gig announcement of the week: Futuresound Group presents Live At York Museum Gardens, Elbow, July 3 2025

Elbow: July 3 headliners for next summer’s Live At York Museum Gardens concert series

GUY Garvey’s Mercury Prize-winning Bury band Elbow are confirmed as the first headliner for Futuresound’s second Live At York Museum Gardens concert weekend, after the sold-out success of Shed Seven’s 30th anniversary shows and Jack Savoretti this summer.

Elbow will be supported by Ripon-born, London-based singer-songwriter Billie Marten and Robin Hood’s Bay folk luminary Eliza Carthy & The Restitution.

The York exclusive postcode presale (for YO1, YO24, YO30, YO31 and YO32) goes on sale tomorrow at 10am at https://futuresound.seetickets.com/event/elbow/york-museum-gardens/3195333?pre=postcode. General sales open at 10am on Friday at https://futuresound.seetickets.com/event/elbow/york-museum-gardens/3195333.

Rachel Hill, project manager for Futuresound Group, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be working with the York Museum Gardens team once more for another great event.  This year was such a proud moment for all involved. 

“Witnessing how incredibly important it is to the people of York, their support and how it was received is so heart-warming.  Seeing the city come to light and witnessing the benefits of the economic impact was a wonderful thing.”

 Richard Saward, head of operations at fellow event promoters, York Museums Trust, said: “We are excited to welcome the concerts back to York Museum Gardens in 2025.  The events last year brought in new audiences to the city and the gardens, with the income we raised invested back into our museums, galleries and collections.”

Watch this space for further news of next summer’s Live At York Museums Gardens programme.

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REVIEW: Only Fools And Horses The Musical, Grand Opera House, York, until Saturday ****

Sam Lupton’s Del Boy and Tom Major’s Rodney on the Trotters’ market stall in Peckham in Only Fools And Horses The Musical. Picture: Johan Persson

IF you have acquired a ticket, you’re cushty. If not, ouch, bad luck, like a visit from the Driscolls, except you might be the one hitting yourself for missing out.

Only Fools And Horses The Musical’s first visit north to York after four years in the West End has all but sold out. Lovely jubbly news for the Grand Opera House at the start of a run of four musicals in four weeks: next up Jason Donovan in The Rocky Horror Show, followed by Hairspray and 101 Dalmatians, starring Hear’Say singer and Coronation Street soap star Kym March as Cruella De Vil.

North-South divide? What North-South divide, on the evidence of the York audience’s affection for the Trotters, from Peckham, south-east London. Or Britain’s best-loved TV comedy, as Only Fools And Horses is commonly known.

Based on John Sullivan’s long-running, oft-repeated BBC One series, this musical spin-off is co-written by John’s son Jim and comedy treasure Paul Whitehouse (who will play Grandad when the tour visits Leeds Grand Theatre from February 24 to March 1 and Sheffield City Hall and Memorial Hall from May 26 to 31 next year).

All your favourite characters, and I do mean all, from 64 episodes in 22 years will make an appearance, just like when Whitehouse appeared in An Evening With The Fast Show at the Grand Opera House in March, incidentally.

However, Only Fools And Horses The Musical is not merely a greatest hits nostalgia trip, even if such roles as Uncle Albert (uncredited) and the Scouser, Denzil (Bradley John), are reduced to butterfly-brief cameos over the two hours.

What’s the story? “Join Del Boy, Rodney, Grandad, Cassandra, Raquel, Boycie, Marlene, Trigger and more as we take a trip back in time to 1989, where it’s all kicking off in Peckham,” reads the tour publicity invitation (although the year mentioned on stage was 1988).

“While the yuppie invasion of London is in full swing, love is in the air as Del Boy sets out on the rocky road to find his soul mate, Rodney and Cassandra prepare to say ‘I do’, and even Trigger is gearing up for a date (with a person!).

“Meanwhile, Boycie and Marlene give parenthood one final shot and Grandad takes stock of his life and decides the time has finally arrived to get his piles sorted.”

It all flows with the greatest of ease on a tide of slick direction and knees-up-Mother-Brown choreography by Caroline Jay Ranger on Alice Power’s comfy, familiar set of pub and Trotter household, complemented by Leo Flint’s animations and video designs of the Nags Head frontage and Rodney and Cassandra’s honeymoon.

Liz Ascroft’s costume designs evoke all the stylings, from Del Boy’s love of yellow and red, braces and car coats, to smug Boycie’s snug camel coat.  

What about the music in the musical? Imagine rockney duo Chas & Dave, Ian Dury, Madness and the cast of Oliver! hosting a party, with Rachel Murphy’s band in as-lively-as-New-Year’s Eve form.

John Sullivan’s Only Fools And Horses/Hooky Street theme tune makes more than one appearance; Chas & Dave contribute the typically chirpy pub singalong numbers That’s What I Like, Margate and This Time Next Year; Whitehouse and Jim Sullivan have penned Cockney tunes aplenty, sometimes together, sometimes on their own, but all working a treat, thanks in part to the singing being in character. 

Whitehouse and Chas Hodges’s Where Have All Cockneys Gone? is particularly affecting, while Bill Withers’ Lovely Day is seen in a new light and Gloria Acquaah-Harrison’s Mrs Obooko brings such poignancy to Simply Red’s Holding Back The Years, it  may well have you not holding back the tears.

Such pathos is as key to a sitcom as the lighter laughs, especially in the company of such fallible characters in this “feel-good family celebration of traditional working-class London life and the aspirations we all share”. Trying to make a living, in whatever way – and maybe that is where there is no North-South divide in Only Fools And Horses’ appeal.

Ranger’s cast capture their characters like tickling a fish: uncannily like the TV originals but not just doppelganger tribute acts. Sam Lupton’s wheeler-dealer Del Boy brings down the house, not least in his closing pratfall; Craig Berry’s Boycie has the laugh, the upwardly mobile manner, and Tom Major’s Rodney bonds delightfully with Nicola Munns’s Cassandra;

Lee VG’s Trigger, with the inevitable treasured broom and deadpan delivery, is a scene stealer; Georgina Hagen’s Raquel is all heart, while Philip Childs’s Grandad harks back to the old days, the good old days, just like this show in fact.

Only Fools And Horses The Musical, Grand Opera House, York, until October 19, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday and Saturday matinees. Box office: atgtickets.com/york. Age guidance: Six upwards.

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Wharfemede Productions team up with Black Sheep Theatre Productions for debut show The Last Five Years at NCEM

Helen “Bells” Spencer’s Cathy Hiatt and Chris Mooney’s Jamie Wellerstein in The Last Five Years, opening at the NCEM on Thursday. Picture: Simon Trow

CO-FOUNDERS Helen “Bells” Spencer and Nick Sephton are launching Wharfemede Productions by staging Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years in association with fellow York company Black Sheep Theatre Productions.

The American musical two-hander will be staged at the National Centre for Early Music, York, from Thursday to Saturday this week.

Formed by chief artistic director, musical actress and psychiatrist Helen and chief operating officer, musical actor and former Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company chair Nick, the innovative new company takes its name from their home in Thorp Arch.

After their fruitful involvement in the Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company, not least in fund-raising for the JoRo, their new venture Wharfemede Productions will focus mainly on character-driven musical theatre pieces and use Helen’s expertise to establish a culture of learning and development as part of the rehearsal process.

Wharfemede Productions chief operating officer Nick Sephton and chief artistic director Helen Spencer at the September company launch in the Wharfemede garden

“Having gained a Drama degree from Manchester University and then co-founded and company managed Envision Theatre Company, this is a return to my roots,” says Helen, who has bags of experience as a professional and amateur performer, vocal coach and company manager.

Supporting and organising the company will be Nick’s role. “With decades of logistics, managerial and computing experience, I’m excited to be founding a company that uses these skills, combined with my love for music and theatre,” he says.

For The Last Five Years, Wharfemede and Black Sheep have brought together a formidable core creative team of Helen, as director, and Black Sheep founder and good friend Matthew Clare, as musical director, complemented throughout the rehearsal process by Susannah Tresilian, a professional director and journalist from London, as guest director, and Tom Guest, from Manchester, as vocal coach.

Premiered at Chicago’s Northlight Theatre in 2001 and then produced Off-Broadway in March 2002, The Last Five Years tells the emotive story of two New Yorkers, rising novelist Jamie Wellerstein and struggling actress Cathy Hiatt, who fall in and out of love over the course of five years.

Helen Spencer and Chris Mooney working with guest director Susannah Tresilian, right, in the rehearsal room. Picture: Dan Crawfurd-Porter

Using an unconventional structure, American pop-rock musical theatre composer, lyricist and playwright Jason Robert Brown presents the story in reverse from Cathy’s point of view, first revealing the end of their tumultuous relationship.

Meanwhile, Jamie tells the story chronologically from when the couple first met. The pair only cross paths once, in the middle of the show, where they are seen together before they continue on their respective timelines.

Clare’s seven-piece band combines with Helen Spencer’s Cathy and Harrogate teacher Chris Mooney’s Jamie in a to-and-fro evening of frank storytelling and gorgeous music.

 “I have loved this play for many years and in fact was cast as Cathy some years ago but unfortunately the show never went ahead,” says Helen. “I’m absolutely delighted to be finally getting the chance to sing all of these fantastic songs. Even better, I get to watch and listen to Chris, who is so unbelievably talented, playing Jamie.

The poster for Black Sheep Theatre Productions and Wharfemede Productions’ collaborative production of The Last Five Years

“Chris and I worked together on Falsettos[Black Sheep Theatre Productions, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, August 2023] and found we had great chemistry and connection on stage.

“Having talked with Matthew about producing The Last Five Years for a while, all the pieces finally aligned. I’m genuinely giddy with excitement! It’s such a cleverly written show, with wonderful music that will be brought to life by Matthew and his band.”

Helen continues: “With it just being a two hander, it’s intense, intimate and a wonderful challenge. There’s nowhere to hide for us as performers but also for the audience as well. I think I’m better known on the York circuit for portraying brash comedy characters, so it will be nice to tackle something very different. I can’t wait to share this phenomenal show with an audience.”

Calling himself “truly a sucker for a sung-through musical”, Chris says: “The Last Five Years has been on the bucket list for a while now, so accepting the opportunity was a no-brainer. The piece itself challenges audiences with songs centred around difficult concepts that we don’t often see in musicals, with no real protagonist to root for.

Guest director Susannah Tresilian, vocal coach Tom Guest, centre, and musical director Matthew Clare in the rehearsal room for The Last Five Years. Picture: Dan Crawfurd-Porter

“They simply get to experience the beauty and the challenges that can happen as two people in love grow together. The songs are a real joy to perform, and it’s been an enjoyable challenge to try to best convey Jamie’s perspective in the show. What’s been a real highlight is getting to bear witness to the professional that is Bells Spencer tackling Cathy and truly making the part her own. I can’t wait to open it all up to the audience now!”

Musical director Matthew Clare describes The Last Five Years as a “beautiful show that
highlights just how much can be achieved by a cast of two phenomenal individuals”. “In this
way, it is the ultimate challenge for a performer – to be perfect, with no room to hide or any
escape from the audience’s sight, for the entirety of a show,” he says.

“I’ve loved working with Bells before as both a member of my previous casts (Jekyll & Hyde (2022), Elegies For Angels, Punks, And Raging Queens (2023), Falsettos (2023) and For The Love Of Animation (2023)) and on production teams or as the director, such as for Musicals In The Multiverse (2023).

“Chris is a phenomenal performer that I have worked with on multiple rounds of Jesus Christ Superstar (2019, 2022) and Falsettos (2023).”

Helen “Bells” Spencer and Chris Mooney rehearsing for The Last Five Years. Picture: Dan Crawfurd-Porter

Assessing their performing skills, Matthew says: “Bells brings a robust and exciting vision to her projects with the most delightful working attitude. She’s amazing at leading any project; in particular, one like this, which requires an ability that is second to none and a dedication to match.

“Bells and Chris both have that. Their grasp of the characters and the nuances that they’re
able to bring to this show will set it apart from almost anything else this year in York. It’s
set to be incredible, with some of the best performers York has to offer, as well as seven of the best musicians! A labour of love, bursting with talent and emotion that one no-one should miss out on!”

Guest director Susannah Tresilian adds: “Interesting love stories never follow an obvious path, but the way the stories of Cathy and Jamie intertwine is so unusual that it really does stand out. It’s been huge fun to work with Bells and Chris on their timelines as they navigate who said what when and who is saying what when now!

“Plus, Bells, Tom and I first met when studying Drama at university, and spent many happy years making theatre all across Europe together, and it is pure joy to be able to collaborate again here on this!”

The logo for Helen “Bells” Spencer and Nick Sephton’s new company, Wharfemede Productions

Vocal coach Tom Guest enthuses: “I’ve always loved the beautiful score by Jason Robert Brown. It’s great to sing, with brilliant, emotionally intelligent lyrics. The ingenious structure makes this story of Cathy and Jamie’s marriage even more engaging, and even more heart-breaking.

“The solo songs are nuanced and energetic and are a fantastic showcase for the actors. Then when their two timelines join for the central duet, it’s just delicious! Ah, those harmonies…

“I’m so excited to be able to work with these two talented musical theatre performers, and especially to be doing it alongside my faves from uni days, Bells and Susannah, is
going to be perfect!”

The poster for Wharfemede Productions’ production of Little Women, The Broadway Musical next February

Coming next from Wharfemede Productions will be Little Women, The Broadway Musical, based on Louisa May Alcott’s American coming-of-age novel, with book by Allan Knee, music by Jason Howland and lyrics by Mindi Dickstein. Tickets for the February 18 to 22 2025 run at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, are on sale at tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

In the cast will be Catherine Foster as Meg March; Connie Howcroft as Jo; Rachel Higgs, Beth; Tess Ellis, Amy; Helen “Bells” Spencer, Marmee; Rosy Rowley, Aunt March; Steven Jobson, Lawrie; Nick Sephton, Professor Bhaer; Andrew Roberts, Mr Brooke, and Chris Gibson, Mr Lawrence.

The creative team comprises: Helen “Bells” Spencer, director; Rosy Rowley and Henrietta Linnemann, assistant directors; Matthew Clare, musical director, and Rachel Higgs, choreographer.

Wharfemede Productions in collaboration with Black Sheep Theatre Productions present The Last Five Years, National Centre for Early Music, St Margaret’s Church, Walmgate, York, October 17 to 19, 7.45pm. Box office: www.ticketsource.co.uk/wharfemede-productions-ltd.

Wharfemede Productions: the top team

Helen “Bells” Spencer

Helen “Bells” Spencer, chief artistic director

HELEN studied Drama at Manchester University and was then company manager of Envision Theatre Company from 2002-2010. She has performed and vocal coached all around the UK and in Europe over the past 20 years.

Highlights include: 2002 & 2004 UK/Italy tours of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change! (Woman 2), Little Voice (Little Voice), Manchester Dance House, Audrey in Little Shop Of Horrors, Barley Corn Jack (Beatrice) Manchester and Edinburgh Fringe (Best Actress Award 2002 MIFTAs).

Helen then had a period away from the stage, having qualified as a doctor and also started a family.

Since returning to musical theatre in 2019, her York credits include: We Remember Sondheim (director/performer), Young Frankenstein (Frau Blucher), Falsettos (Dr Charlotte), Musicals In the Multiverse (director/co-creator), Elegies For Angels, Punks And Raging Queens (various), Hello, Dolly! (Dolly Levi), The Sound Of Music (Mother Abbess), Wicked Origins (Ursula & Gelinda), Kipps: Half A Sixpence (Mrs Walsingham), For The Love Of Animation (various), Jekyll & Hyde (Lady Beaconsfield), Hooray For Hollywood (various) and Made In Dagenham (Beryl).

Nick Sephton

Nick Sephton, chief operating officer

NICK holds an Engineering Doctorate in Large Scale Complex Systems from the University of York, having won multiple Best Paper awards for his published works. Subsequently
worked as software architect at University of York Digital Creativity Lab.

Nick has extensive experience in leadership and event logistics roles, having worked as both a senior technical architect and lead developer. He also has experience in roles such as UK Community Leader for WPN Judge Program, Magic Tournament Floor Rules
Manager for WPN Judge Program and chair of Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company.

Having been a keen singer for some time, Nick’s first named role was as the Sergeant of
Police in Pirates Of Penzance. Since become a regular in the York theatre scene.

Credits include: Fester Addams (The Addams Family), Lord Chancellor (Iolanthe), Rudolph Reisenweber (Hello Dolly!), Sir Danvers Carew (Jekyll & Hyde), Mr Shalford (Kipps: Half A Sixpence), Captain Corcoran (HMS Pinafore), Eddie O’Grady (Made in Dagenham), Sir Marmaduke (The Sorcerer), Colonel Calverly (Patience), Strephon (Iolanthe) and Escamilio (Cover – Carmen).

When not on stage, Nick is a keen double bass player and enjoys playing board games.

Guests and hosts at the September 14 launch party for Wharfemede Productions
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American director Irwin Appel to hold auditions for York Shakespeare Project’s Henry VI in November. Apply now

Welcome to York: York Shakespeare Project chair Tony Froud, right, greets American university professor Irwin Appel, director of next April’s production of Henry VI

YORK Shakespeare Project will hold auditions next month for Henry VI, to be directed by American university professor Irwin Appel.

In April 2025, YSP will stage all three parts of William Shakespeare’s Henry VI as one show in a condensed version of the trilogy by the University of California Santa Barbara Professor of Theater. “It promises to be a fascinating piece of theatre,” says YSP chair Tony Froud.

Irwin’s interest in YSP began in 2015 when he happened to be in York on a tour of Europe researching Shakespeare’s history plays. He saw Maggie Smales’s all-female Henry V, a few days after visiting Agincourt, and loved it, vowing to come back to direct for YSP.

Next year he returns to achieve that ambition. “I am excited and honoured at the prospect of creating some truly special magic with actors in the York community,” says Irwin.

A professional actor, director and composer/sound designer, he trained at Princeton University and the Juilliard School in New York City. He is the founder and artistic director of Naked Shakes, now in its 19th season at UC Santa Barbara.

His condensed Henry VI will draw upon his award-winning adaptation of Shakespeare, The Death Of Kings, his distillation of all of Shakespeare’s History cycle into two plays. 

The rehearsal process should be exciting. Joining Irwin, from the United States of America, for part of the rehearsal period will be two experienced colleagues: movement coach Christina McCarthy, a multi-disciplinary artist, who teaches and choreographs at UC Santa Barbara, and fight director Jeff Mills, an award-winning actor, director, fight director and musician, who teaches movement at DePaul University in Chicago.

Welcoming Irwin to York, Tony says: “Irwin is making a special visit for the auditions while he is in Europe. They will take place at Southlands Methodist Church, Bishopthorpe Road, on November 7 and 8 and at Theatre@41 on November 9 and 10.   Don’t miss the chance to be part of this unique opportunity.”

For further information and audition details, email info@yorkshakespeareproject.org.

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REVIEW: Red Ladder Theatre Company in Sanctuary, Selby Abbey, 7/10/2024 ***

Ingrid Bolton-Gabrielsen’s Molly clashes with Ravneet Sehra’s police officer, Uzma, as Emily Chattle’s vicar, Fiona, tends to the injured Alland (Aein Nasseri) in Sanctuary. Picture: Robling Photography

RED Ladder’s first touring production under the direction of new artistic director Cheryl Martin asks: “What kind of society do we want to live in?”

One where the arts can thrive, one where the medium’s message of co-operation, collaboration, freedom of expression, communion, connection, compassion and shared humanity spreads its wings to society at large.

One where there would be an understanding of why asylum-seeking young Iranian journalist Alland (played by Aein Nasseri) is seeking sanctuary at a church in northern England in this topical new musical by Boff Whalley (music and lyrics) and Sarah Woods (book).

Pioneering Leeds agit-prop theatre company Red Ladder has united with Wakefield Theatre Royal and CAPA College, Wakefield, for a tour of theatres, community venues and, significantly, churches from September 19 to November 9. Everyone is pulling in one direction, unlike the protagonists in this fraught drama, the different forces at play within a fractured State and Church at war with itself.

In prayer: Emily Chattle’s vicar, Fiona, in Sanctuary. Picture: Robling Photography

The programme cover takes the form of an Order of Service, on account of what will happen at the climax, but it also further pushes the Church to the fore of the debate that plays out contentiously.

Word has it that the script has been toned down, but it still packs a punch, and where better to watch the sparks fly than in a church, Selby Abbey, for all the familiar frustrations of imperfect sight lines, lighting and sound not being on a par with theatre facilities. (Faces were not well lit; some lines were lost to the acoustics of a vertiginous stone building.)

There is nothing rose-tinted about Red Ladder here. Tellingly, Sanctuary tells its story from all sides. It does not shy away from Alland being an illegal immigrant, already told to leave but pleading to stay for fear of what would ensue if he were to return to Iran, where his courageous journalism had challenged the authorities on their treatment of women.

Church worker Molly (Ingrid Bolton-Gabrielsen) and all-inclusive vicar Fiona (York actress, singer and clown Emily Chattle) support him.

CAPA College performing arts students in the Greek chorus role of Vox in Sanctuary. Picture: Robling Photography

Stone-hearted higher church authority Peter (York actor and keyboard player Richard Kay) plays it by the book, (the law of the land, not the spirit of the Good Book). So does police officer Uzma (Ravneet Sehra), a third-generation British Asian woman who attends the Christian church. The difference between Alland and her immigrant grandparents, she says, is that he came here illegally whereas they were invited to work here.

Sanctuary is billed as a musical, rather than a play with music, but the greater weight of the piece, the drama, lies in the confrontations, the differences of opinion, red tape versus blue sky thinking, the moments of confession and contemplation, albeit that protagonists burst into song in the tradition of song being the ultimate form of emotional expression when mere words won’t suffice.

There is a second musical force at play too: the CAPA College performing arts students that serve as Sanctuary’s Greek chorus, Vox, commenting in song on what is unfolding (and joining Kay in his second role as a vigilante by playing protestors too at one point). In white, they have the presence of protective angels; in dark hoods, they become symbols of the devil, in Caitlin Mawhinney’s costume design.

At times, the chorus songs feel more like the stuff of a school musical, but musical director Jennifer Pugh pulls powerful vocal performances out of Nasseri, Kay, Bolton-Gabrielsen and especially Chattle, often in tandem with Vox. Sehra’s singing of Uzma’s Lament needed better amplification to have had its desired impact.

Ravneet Sehra singing Uzma’s Lament in Sanctuary. Picture: Robling Photography

On a night of so much debate, one more came to mind: would Sanctuary have had more dramatic impetus if there had been fewer songs? Certainly, it would have cranked up the hostile environment still more in this bitter pill of a modern-day riff on Brechtian musical theatre.

Whalley posits that “music can cross divides, it can patch up differences between people, which is what Sanctuary will hope to do”, but the wound here – a nation in turmoil over immigration – appears to be growing deeper, beyond music’s healing, bonding powers.

In a nutshell, Sanctuary asks, “Do we want safety and freedom for only ourselves, or for us all?” There should be only one answer, but that would require reform, not Reform.

“I hope this musical helps open up this conversation because it’s one that goes to the heart of who we are and the kind of society we want to live in,” says director Martin. In the best of worlds, the arts can lead that progression, but right now it feels like a voice in the wilderness.

Red Ladder Theatre Company in Sanctuary, Wesley Centre, Harrogate, October 12, 7.30pm. Box office: Harrogate, 01423 502116 or harrogatetheatre.co.uk. Age guidance: 13 upwards.

Did you know?

SANCTUARY is supported by the Mayor of West Yorkshire’s Safer Communities Fund.