THE Academy’s Autumn Concert opened with Gabriel Faure’s Suite: Masques et Bergamasques, Op. 112. Not only have I never heard of this work, but I would never have recognised Faure as the author.
The opening Allegro, brimming with pastoral wit and energy, was delivered with clear relish but I couldn’t get the musical image of the great Arthur Sullivan out of my head. And then to the ball. The performance vividly reimagined the aristocratic formal nonsense in this ritualised Menuet. But goodness me, the signing off was simply divine. The Gavotte was rhythmically tight, the strings holding the melodic line with cute woodwind contributions.
As a stand-alone movement, the closing Pastoral worked just fine, and it was well performed too. But I could not link it whatsoever to the first three movements; not sure if it was a Faure thing or a me thing. Probably the latter.
On the whole, Bruckner’s Adagio (from the String Quintet in F Major) was both committed and persuasive. The contrapuntal dialogue was well expressed – clear and nicely judged. There were, however, some intonation issues but with the strings so exposed, there are no hiding places.
I have waited years to say this: the Beethoven (Rondino in Eb for Wind Octet, WoO – whatever that is, 25) was dreadful. Irredeemably so.
It wasn’t that the horns weren’t quite on top of their game, which they weren’t, but that the music in the contrasting central section was meant to be humorous; alas it wasn’t. Indeed the musical ‘jokes’ made Shakespeare’s gags sound as though they were written by Ben Elton.
OK, there was some excellent woodwind playing, especially Lesley Schatzberger (clarinet) whose playing was simply divine.
The ‘brass fanfare’ ushering us politely back to our seats always works well and the Scottish piper’s piobaireachd [pipe playing] announcing Mendelssohn’s ‘Scottish’ Symphony No. 3 was a delight.
I really enjoyed the Academy’s performance of this remarkable symphony: it was infused with a buoyant energy, lovely phrasing, reliable string playing – the key to success – and top-notch woodwind contributions – for example, Alexandra Nightingale (oboe) in the closing Allegro Guerriero.
What struck me in Alan George’s assured direction was the weighty, solemn sound world of Beethoven or indeed Brahms. Not throughout, which would have been overwhelming, but in the opening Andante con moto and third movement Adagio with its stirring, almost triumphalist, processional music. The touching, lyrical wind and string responses humanised matters. Impressive.
YORK unlocks for the weekend. Charles Hutchinson unlocks the door to multiple other delights too.
Festival of the week: York Unlocked 2024, today and tomorrow from 10am
IN its third year, York Unlocked welcomes residents and visitors to experience York’s architecture and open spaces with the chance to discover, explore and enjoy around 50 sites.
This year’s new addition is a children’s trail book; families can pick up a free copy from York Explore Library, All Saints’ Church, North Street, or The Guildhall. Full details of the participating locations, from Spark: York to City Screen Picturehouse, Terry’s Factory Clock Tower to Bishopthorpe Palace, Holgate Windmill to York Railway Station, can be found at york-unlocked.org.uk. Entry is free, including those requiring booking.
Rachel Croft: Heading back to York to play The Crescent
Return of the week: Black Deer Live in association with TalentBanq presents Rachel Croft Live, supported by Tom Sheldon Trio, The Crescent, York, tonight, doors 7.30pm
AFTER relocating to London almost three years ago, thunderous alt-rock singer-songwriter Rachel Croft returns to York for an explosive hometown show, backed by a full band.
Caffe Nero Artist of the Month in February 2024, she has performed at The O2 Arena Blue Room, Bush Hall and Camden Assembly in London, the Bitter End in New York and Bluebird Cafe in Nashville and such festivals as Cambridge Folk Festival, Secret Garden Party and Black Deer. Her cinematic songs have featured on Netflix, the BBC and in rotation in Tesco, Waterstones and Centre Parcs stores. Box office: thecrescentyork.com.
Much more than stripping assets: York’s queen of burlesque, Freida Nipples, hosts The Exhibionists in The Old Paint Shop
Cabaret night of the week: Freida Nipples presents…The Exhibitionists, The Old Paint Shop, York Theatre Royal Studio, tonight, 8pm; Halloween Edition, October 26, 6pm and 9pm
YORK’S award-winning burlesque artiste Freida Nipples launches the Theatre Royal’s new Old Paint Shop cabaret season with some of her favourite fabulous performance artists from across Great Britain.
“From burlesque to drag and beyond, be sure to expect the unexpected,” she says. “Get ready to be dazzled, shocked and in awe. Only a few things are guaranteed: glamour, gags and giggles.” Tickets update: all three shows have sold out. For returns only, call 01904 623568.
Frankenstein (On A Budget): One man, one monster, one glorious dream at Friargate Theatre, York
“Comedy musical Hammer Horror homage you didn’t know you needed”: Frankenstein (On a Budget), Friargate Theatre, York, tonight, 7.30pm
ONE man, one monster, one glorious dream to singlehandedly tell the most famous cult horror story of all time on absolutely no budget whatsoever. What could possibly go wrong? Inspired by Mary Shelley and Boris Karloff, Frankenstein (On a Budget) features one actor, some decidedly dodgy backdrops, new music, weather-based based puns, cardboard props, gore and flashing lights.
Can the ill-fated doctor build his monstrous creation, play 25 characters, sing songs aplenty, attempt accents from across the world, perform a dance routine, and ultimately save the day in only 60 minutes? Find out tonight. Age guidance: 14 upwards. Box office: ridinglights.org/friargatetheatre.
The Shires: Playing York on intimate acoustic tour
Country gig of the week: The Shires: The Two Of Us Tour, Grand Opera House, York, tomorrow, 7.30pm
GREAT Britain’s biggest country music export, The Shires, return to York on their intimate acoustic tour, where Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes play songs from 2015 debut, 2016’s My Universe, 2018’s Accidentally On Purpose, 2020’s Good Years and 2022’s 10 Year Plan.
The Shires have achieved three consecutive UK Top Three albums, four UK Country album chart toppers, more than 100 million streams, two gold-certified records and two CMA Awards, headlining the Royal Albert Hall too. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Aein Nasseri (Alland) and the CAPA College Chorus (Vox) in Red Ladder Theatre Company’s Sanctuary. Picture: Robling Photography
Play of the week: Red Ladder Theatre Company in Sanctuary, Selby Abbey, October 7, 7.30pm; Hull Truck Theatre, Hull, October 8, 7.30pm; Wesley Centre, Harrogate, October 12,7.30pm
DIRECTED by new Red Ladder artistic director Cheryl Martin, this timely premiere by Sarah Woods and musician Boff Whalley tells the vital story of Alland, a young Iranian man who begs to be given sanctuary at St Mary’s Church in a northern town, sparking a community to react in all the ways each member believes to be right.
Featuring a chorus of Wakefield’s CAPA College students, Sanctuary mixes hard-hitting ideas with melodic tunes and harmonies, asking the question: do we want safety and freedom for only ourselves, or for us all? Box office: Selby, 01757 708449 or selbytownhall.co.uk; Hull, 01482 323638 or hulltruck.co.uk; Harrogate, 01423 502116 or harrogatetheatre.co.uk.
Carrie Hope Fletcher: Love Letters in song form at York Barbican
Musical theatre revue of the week: Carrie Hope Fletcher, Love Letters, York Barbican, October 8, doors 7pm
WEST End musical theatre actress, author and vlogger Carrie Hope Fletcher explores all forms of love, from romantic to maternal, unrequited to obsessive, all told through a concert of musical theatre favourites, accompanied by specially written letters about each song by Carrie.
She is best known for playing Éponine and Fantine in Les Misérables, Veronica in Heathers, Wednesday in The Addams Family, Cinderella in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella on the London stage. Her special guest will be Bradley Jaden, her West End co-star in Les Miserables. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Ed Gamble: Not discussing hot dogs in Hot Diggity Dog at the Grand Opera House. Picture: Matt Crockett
Comedy gig of the week: Ed Gamble, Hot Diggity Dog, Grand Opera House, York, October 9, 7.30pm
ED Gamble is promising “all your classicGamble ranting, raving and spluttering, but he’s doing fine mentally. Promise”. After all, he co-hosts the award-winning podcast Off Menuwith James Acaster, is a judge on Great British Menu and Taskmaster champion, hosts Taskmaster The Podcast and The Traitors: Uncloaked and has his own special, Blood Sugar, available on Amazon Prime. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Not Gonna Lie: Fool(ish) Improv use audience true stories to improvise “unbelievable comedy”
Improv gig of the week: Fool(ish) Improv present Not Gonna Lie, The Old Paint Shop, York Theatre Royal Studio, October 10, 8pm
PAUL Birch and co will take the truth to task by using real stories from the audience to improvise “unbelievable comedy”. Not so much Who’s Line Is It Anyway but more Who’s Lie Is It Anyway, Fool(ish) welcome you to a playful night of joy, nonsense and completely making things up.
“Come confess and unburden yourselves of some silly secrets, tales of the office and childhood memories and we will shape them into surreal sketches and sensational scenes,” say the Yorkshire improvisers trained by the best in Chicago Long-Form improv. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Sharleen Spiteri: Leading Texas at Scarborough Open Air Theatre next summer
Gig announcement of the week: Texas, Scarborough Open Air Theatre, July 26 2025
SCOTTISH band Texas, fronted as ever by Sharleen Spiteri, will return to Scarborough Open Air Theatre for the first time since July 2018 to showcase five decades of songs, from I Don’t Want A Lover, Say What You Want and Summer Son to Inner Smile, Mr Haze and Keep On Talking next summer. Irish rock band The Script are confirmed already for July 5. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.co.uk and ticketmaster.co.uk.
Carrie Hope Fletcher on stage in Love Letters, on tour at York Barbican
WEST End musical theatre star, author and vlogger Carrie Hope Fletcher will explore all forms of love, from romantic to maternal, unrequited to obsessive, in Love Letters at York Barbican on Tuesday.
Joining her for this concert of musical theatre favourites will be West End leading man Bradley Jaden, her Les Miserables co-star, one of three special guests on her 14-date autumn tour.
Best known for playing Éponine and Fantine in Les Misérables, Veronica in Heathers, Wednesday in The Addams Family, Cinderella in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella and Beth in the arena tour of The War Of The Worlds alongside Jason Donovan, Carrie’s tour marks her return to the stage after time away since giving birth to daughter Mabel, now seven months old.
“My last job finished on New Year’s Eve: panto in Crawley. I was Carabosse in Sleeping Beauty, the villain. It’s the best role – Sleeping Beauty is asleep for half the show!” says Carrie, 31.
“That was my second panto, and again I did it with Evolution Productions [co-producers of the York Theatre Royal pantomime] after Canterbury in the first year, both written and directed by Paul Hendy, who’s so much fun and just knows the essence of what makes a good panto.
“Last year I also did my first tour, called An Open Book, where I told stories from throughout my career that I hadn’t told before and paired them with songs, and we had such a great time, I wanted to do another show like that.”
Here comes Love Letters. “The fun thing is that it will be a different set list every night,” says South Harrow-born Carrie. “There are six songs that will be sung every night, at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of each act, with ten in between that will be completely different at each show.
“A list of songs will go live on social media before each concert, where fans can pick out their venue and make their choices from 25/26 songs per show.”
At first Carrie said that the six songs sure to feature each night were a secret but then she revealed: “There are three I can confirm: Journey To The Past, from Anastasia; Home, from Beetlejuice The Musical and Someone’s Waiting For You from The Rescuers.”
Carrie Hope Fletcher in her dressing room
Explaining the theme behind Love Letters, Carrie says: “I just felt that because the world is so fast paced, especially with social media, that I miss the slow-paced art of writing a letter, when you know that the writer has taken time to prepare before writing the words. It’s not just about people we love, but things we love as well: musical theatre, books, Disney.
“I’ve written a love letter to go with every song, dedicated to a person or a thing. Audience members for each show can send in a love letter and I’ll choose one and read it out. We’ve been going through the letters that have come in over the past few weeks and a lot of them are dedicated to someone who’s coming to the show with them.”
Assessing why love is the subject of so many songs, Carrie says: “It’s the thing that unites us all. We all feel love for someone or something one way or another, and we feel it deep down, whether it’s for a person, a pet or a favourite film.”
Carrie’s career has required her to sing some of the greatest songs in musical theatre. “There’s a responsibility singing those songs, especially when playing roles that people hold great affection for. Like singing I Dreamed A Dream in Les Miserables, where it’s become bigger than the musical.
“People attach it to their own lives, so I do feel that sense of responsibility when the opening chords are played and you know you have to deliver.
“It put things in perspective when people say, ‘you’re not a doctor, or a lawyer defending someone, you’re just putting on a wig and singing’, but for people who come to the theatre, it’s a chance to escape and that one night could have a life-changing effect on someone. You have to remind yourself that what you’re doing is important to people.”
Carrie finds joy in singing, joy that transfers to the audience too. “It’s a joy I feel just to sing and that’s what people latch on to. Maybe the joy I get from it separates me from others. That’s what people connect to,” she says.
“ I do think that musical theatre is based in expressing emotion, and if you’re not feeling it one night, then it won’t transmit to the audience.”
Carrie Hope Fletcher with special guest Bradley Jaden, Love Letters, York Barbican, October 8, doors, 7pm. Box office: yorkbarbian.co.uk. Carrie will play the lead role in Nikolai Foster’s production of Calamity Jane, on tour at Grand Opera House, York, from April 29 to May 3 2025. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
The poster for the 2025 tour of Calamity Jane starring Carrie Hope Fletcher
CARRIE Hope Fletcher will lead the cast in the 2025 tour of Jamie Wilson Productions’ revival of the Watermill Theatre’s whip-crackin’ production of Calamity Jane prior to a West End run. The Grand Opera House, York, awaits from April 29 to May 3.
“Calamity Jane is one of those roles that doesn’t come around all too often,” says Carrie. “She’s action, romance and comedy all packed into one character, and I can’t wait to take on the challenge of filling her shoes.”
Marking the tenth anniversary since the Watermill show hit the road, next year’s production reunites the creative team with direction by Curve artistic director Nikolai Foster, co-direction and choreography by Nick Winston, orchestration and music supervision by Catherine Jayes and set and costume design by Matthew Wright. Lighting design will be by Tim Mitchell and sound design by Ben Harrison.
Producer Jamie Wilson says: “With this new version of Calamity Jane first opening at The Watermill Theatre in 2014, I am delighted to be collaborating with them again to finally bring this wonderful production back to theatres all over the country after a ten-year absence.
“We have been waiting for the right moment and artist to step into Calamity’s boots and bring this hilarious and joyful musical back to the nation, and we are thrilled that Carrie Hope Fletcher will be leading the company as the iconic Calamity Jane. Carrie is one of the UK’s most talented artists whose broad fan base will introduce this much beloved musical to audiences across the country.”
Based on the cherished 1954 Doris Day movie, this foot-stomping new production features such songs as The Deadwood Stage (Whip-Crack-Away), The Black Hills Of Dakota, Just Blew In From the Windy City and the Oscar-winning Secret Love.
The tour publicity invites you to “meet the fearless, gun-slinging Calamity Jane, the biggest mouth in Dakota territory and always up for a fight. She’ll charm you hog-eyed, however, especially when trying to win the heart of the dashing Lieutenant Gilmartin, or shooting insults at the notorious Wild Bill Hickok.
“But when the men of Deadwood fall hard for Chicago stage star Adelaid Adams, Calamity struggles to keep her jealousy holstered. Her heart’s a thumpin’… but who for? What are you waiting for, you wild coyotes? Whip -crack-away!”
Tickets for the 7.30pm evening performances and 2.30pm Thursday, Friday and Saturday matinees are on sale at atgtickets.com/york.
Carrie Hope Fletcher: More than one million views every month on her YouTube channel
Carrie Hope Fletcher: back story
Born: October 22 1992, South Harrow, Harrow
Occupation: Actress, author and vlogger.
Theatre includes: Elizabeth in The Crown Jewels (West End/UK tour), Grusha in The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Rose Theatre), Cinderella in Cinderella (Gillian Lynne Theatre), Fantine in Les Misérables: The Concert (Gielgud Theatre), Veronica in Heathers (Theatre Royal Haymarket), Carabosse in Sleeping Beauty (Marlowe Theatre), Brenda in The Christmasaurus Live (Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith), Wednesday in The Addams Family (Music and Lyrics), Eponine in Les Misérables (Dubai – Cameron Mackintosh), Truly Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Music and Lyrics), Eponine in Les Misérables (Queen’s), Beth in Jeff Wayne’s War Of The Worlds (arena tour), Wind In The Willows (Regent’s Park Open Air), Jane Banks in Mary Poppins (Disney Theatrical/Cameron Mackintosh), Jemima in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Young Eponine in Les Misérables.
Television: In Two Minds, Break Kids, Princess Beatrix in Wilhelmina and Dog & Duck.
Concerts: Once – In Concert (London Palladium), Treason – The Musical in Concert (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), When The Curtain Falls (Cadogan Hall), Jason Robert Brown in Concert (Haymarket Theatre), West End Does Love (FortyFour Productions), West End Does Christmas (FortyFour Productions), West End Does Animation (FortyFour Productions), Edges (Prince of Wales), Andrew Lippa in Concert, Sheytoons in Concert (St James) and Ramin Karimloo’s 2012 tour Road To Find Out.
Carrie’s first solo tour in 2023, An Open Book, toured UK and played London Palladium (sold out) in a celebration of her career so far.
Music: Debut solo album When the Curtain Falls was released in March 2018, produced by 2300 Records. Reached Top 20 in UK album charts and number two in iTunes Soundtrack Charts. 2022 Grammy nominee for Best Musical Theatre Album for Cinderella (Original Concept Album) and Les Misérables: The Staged Concert (Live Album).
Presenting: Host of 2016 Olivier Awards in the Piazza; backstage host of 2018 Olivier Awards at Royal Albert Hall.
Books: First book All I Know Now: Wonderings and Reflections on Growing Up Gracefully, was released in 2015; On The Other Side, July 2016; All That She Can See, 2017; When The Curtain Falls, July 2018; In The Time We Lost, 2019; first children’s book, Into The Spotlight, a reimagining of Noel Streatfield’s Ballet Shoes, September 2020; With This Kiss, 2022; The Double Trouble Society, 2023.
Awards: Three-time winner of Best Actress in a Musical at WhatsOnStage Awards for roles of Cinderella in Cinderella, Veronica Sawyer in Heathers and Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family. Also won WhatsOnStage Award for Best Takeover in a Role for Eponine in Les Misérables
Social media: Established online presence with more than 472,000 followers on X, 600,000 on Instagram and 630,000 subscribers to her YouTube channel with more than one million views every month. Named in The Sunday Times Influencer List as one of UK’s top 100 influencers.
Davide Ortu’s illustration for the book cover for Carrie Hope Fletcher’s 2023 children’s novel, The Double Trouble Society And The Worst Curse
Carrie Hope Fletcher: the writer
“I HAVE written eight novels and one non-fiction book, my first book [All I Know Now: Wonderings and Reflections on Growing Up Gracefully, published in April 2015], written off the back of the lifestyle blog I wrote from 2011 onwards.
“I was 22 when I wrote it with all the knowledge of what I thought I knew as a teenager. I could easily write another now at 31,” she says.
“I wrote for Little, Brown Books for the first five books and then switched to Harper Collins. I have this incredible editor, who transferred to Harper Collins, and I followed her.
“My recent books were my first children’s books, the Double Trouble Society series. Last year Puffin published The Double Trouble Society And The Worst Curse, where the Double Trouble Society know how to handle witches but can they manage vampires, werewolves and ghosts as well?
“I have ideas for my next books, both for children and the adult market, but I’ve been preoccupied with being a new mum!”
Carrie Hope Fletcher: the vlogger
“YOU can find them on YouTube @Carrie. It’s mainly behind the scenes of musical theatre. I’ve been doing it for 11-12 years now and it’s been a delight to keep doing it,” says Carrie, who has made 893 videos and has 628,000 subscribers.
Nun better: Freida Nipples in one of her burlesque guises
YORK’S new cabaret club, The Old Paint Shop, opens its doors in the Theatre Royal Studio for the first time on Saturday when York queen of burlesque Freida Nipples presents The Exhibionists.
The internationally award-winning Freida – who keeps her real name under wraps, except on her passport – will be welcoming some of her favourite and most fabulous performance artists from across the UK and further afield, from burlesque to drag and beyond, with the guarantee of glamour, gags and giggles.
York-born performer and promoter Freida is no stranger to the Theatre Royal stage, having presented drag queens, acrobats, whip crackers, circus acts, sideshow performers and ‘stripteasers’ of many different flavours there, from comedy caricatures to sensual fan dancers.
Such is her popularity – not least at her Baps & Buns Burlesque nights at Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb – that not only October 5’s 8pm launch show has sold out but so too have her The Exhibitionists: Hallowe’en Edition shows at 6pm and 9pm that close the inaugural Old Paint Shop season on October 26.
In between, the Studio space that previously housed the theatre’s workshop will present comedy, improv, jazz, folk and more in a cabaret nightclub setting with tables and chairs. Full details can be found at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
“The big question is, are you ready for it?” teases Freida ahead of The Exhibitionists’ arrival. Judging by the hattrick of sell-outs, the answer is a resounding Yes.
“I just fell in love with it,” says Freida Nipples. “I instantly knew I wanted to become a burlesque act”
What first drew her to burlesque? “I’d just gone to university to study sociology and politics in Manchester,” she recalls, sitting in big Fifties spectacles and civvies at the Theatre Royal. “It was the day before my 20th birthday, when I saw a poster for a burlesque show in Oxford Road. I didn’t have any plans for my birthday and thought, ‘this sounds fun’.
“I went with friends, and it was like a huge lightning bolt to my heart. It was, ‘oh my god, these are my people’, and I just fell in love with it. I instantly knew I wanted to become a burlesque act myself.”
As chance would have it, she met her “burlesque mother” that very night, the legendary Lady Wildflower. They did not speak, beyond Lady Wildflower saying, “thank you for coming”, but “I then went to her burlesque classes. She produces lots of burlesque shows in the north, in Manchester and Yorkshire, and she’s one of the best tutors in burlesque.
“There are burlesque schools, but we don’t have many here apart from in London, but Lady Wildflower teaches lots of classes in Manchester and Leeds.”
The nascent burlesque performer needs to build their “act”. “You learn basic burlesque movement through the classes, and your act can be anything. Often people think of burlesque as having this vintage jazz club vibe, and that can be part of it, but actually there can be a lot of variety,” says Freida. “It’s all just art basically, it’s not all about taking your clothes off.
“Some will do comedy; some will do clowning, some will be political, but it’s definitely not just Jessica Rabbit. So, for example, for my show, I like to tick the classic Fifties’ box .”
“It’s all just art basically, it’s not all about taking your clothes off,” says Freida Nipples
Expect “a lot of bare flesh” – “we don’t like to be modest,” says Freida – but humour and stories are equally important. Lady Wildflower will be doing her majestic Moth Queen act, while Ebony Silk’s Marvel comic-themed act is described as “nerdlesque”. “She comes out as a stormtrooper and then tells a story about that character rather than doing a traditional striptease.”
What does Freida say to opponents of burlesque? “When Lady Wildflower and Heidi Bang Tidy started the Hebden Bridge Burlesque Festival ten years ago, lots of people called them ‘middle-class strippers’, but they were saying, ‘we are women doing what we want with our bodies. Who are you to say we can’t?’. I’ve been lucky not to have had too much of that going on.”
Banish preconceptions of burlesque acts playing to men in dirty raincoats. Seventy five per cent of Freida’s audiences are women: “Maybe it’s about seeing a version of themselves on stage,” she says.
“That’s part of it – body positivity. There aren’t many places you can go to see a lot of different body types. A lot of people find that very refreshing, especially when you don’t get diverse body types in the papers and magazines where there’s usually only one type. Young and slim. That’s not what you’re going to see at a burlesque show.
“Gay guys and couples are regulars too. Men on their own, with or without dirty raincoats, are a rarity. In eight years of producing shows in York, I don’t recall seeing a men’s group in the audience – but literally everyone is welcome”.
Freida is as much a promoter as a performer. “When I started in London, I struggled to find somewhere to perform so I started a night at the Old Nun’s Head, at Nunhead Green, near Peckham, putting my own money into it, as I still do,” she says.
“One of my most poular acts is where I start as a nun and then reveal the devil inside, done to [AC/DC’s] Highway To Hell,” says Freida
“Even now that’s one of the biggest stresses. Ticket sales and the cost of costumes – and I have zero sewing skills! For professional cosumes, you’re looking at a minimum of £500 and it can go up to £10,000. Nice underwear, £150. Wigs, £150.”
She launched Freida Nipples Productions in York in 2017. “I did shows in The Basement at City Screen a few times a year, then some at the Impossible York bar, and I now host a regular show, Baps & Buns Burlesque, at Rise@Bluebird Bakery, as well as the Theatre Royal nights” she says.
“I sometimes do shows at the more intimate Cat In The Wall [in Stonebow] too, and this year I hosted a Valentine’s Day night at The Crescent [Freida Nipples Presents…Valentine’s Day 2024 – Burlesque, Drag & Cabaret, ‘full to the brim full with titillating talent’].
“I like to bring performers from all over the country and would love to have international acts too, like Lady Wildflower does at Hebden Bridge, such as bringing in a headliner from Australia.”
Looking forward to Saturday, Freida says: “I am so honoured to be opening The Old Paint Shop as my grandfather used to do paint work for local productions in his twilight years. He’s one of my influences, especially my love of the 1950s.”
Freida Nipples will be appearing in various guises, not least as a nun. “I was never shy, but drama was my least favourite subject at school [Queen Margaret’s in Escrick]. I found it terrifying. So Freida is me, but revved up,” she says. “I’m not terrified because I feel I’m being me, whereas if I had to play a charcater in a play, maybe I would be.
“‘Reveal’ is what I do, as I’m not a dancer, I didn’t train in dance, so my costume is really integral to my act,” says Freida
“I love fashion, I love design. ‘Reveal’ is what I do, as I’m not a dancer, I didn’t train in dance, so my costume is really integral to my act.
“I find playing to 1,000 peope easier because you just go on and do your stage show, whereas when it’s up close and personal you have to adapt and change your choreography, though it’s harder to interconnect with your audience when there are 1,000 people there.”
Freida, who uses her spare bedroom as her home studio, is putting together a new addition to her acts. “It’s a kind of rebellion by my inner angry punk girl against how much capitalism and consumerism is attacking our industry, so I’m working on making a costume out of bin bags,” she says.
“Burlesque shows are a lot more performance art than people realise. Not just cabaret, but lots of stories in the artform that people don’t expect.
“Trixie Blue [‘burlesque echantress, show host principal at House of Trixie Blue and Newcastle Burlesue Festival producer’] once said that going to a burlesque show is like going to Aldi: coming in expecting one thing but going away with so much more after shopping in the middle aisle!”
“Very much living our best child-free life” with her boyfriend, Freida’s burlesque diary for September took her to Drax Working Men’s Club for a charity night and The Macbeth bar in Hoxton, London, for Temple Of Love, “a celebration of all things goddess”.
Now comes The Exhibionists. “I was very nervous choosing a name for the shows as I don’t like giving things names. Like they want a name for the three or four shows that I’ll be doing at the Old Woollen [at Sunnybank Mills, in Farsley, Leeds] next year, after I was invited to do their drag show, Glamourpussy,” says Freida.
Freida Nipples at the Impossible Bar, York. Picture: Daisy Daydream
“It’s The Exhibitionists at the Theatre Royal because my nan’s friend Olga said the theatre was in Exhibition Square; it’s Baps & Buns at Rise because it’s a bakery. Now I just need a name for the Old Woollen shows.” [Freida had used the does-what-it-says-on-the-tin Freida Nipples Presents: A Night of Burlesque & Cabaret for her August 27 revue night there].
As for her own stage name, Freida worked under several guises at the start of her career. “Finding a name is the most difficult thing, as with a drag act, finding something that’s not already taken. At first I used a few other names, like Curvella De Ville, which is good, but there were lots of De Villes already,” she recalls.
“After I went to a burlesque workshop in Sheffield, on the train back home, we were talking about using vintage names. Like, think of your nana’s name, but ‘Janet’ wasn’t giving me glamour!”
‘Freida’, her great aunt and sister’s name, however, had possibilities. “When I realised ‘Freida’ had the potential to be wordplay on ‘free’, I knew it had to be Freida Nipples’.”
Freida Nipples presents The Exhibitionists, The Old Paint Shop, York Theatre Royal Studio, October 5, 8pm, and The Exhibitionists: Halloween Edition, October 26, 6pm and 9pm; all sold out. Box office for returns only: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
One last question
Do you ever reveal your real name, Freida?
“No, but it’s on my passport. My family and friends know…but when I’m at work…it’s Freida Nippes.”
Bottom of the page: “It’s all just art basically, it’s not all about taking your clothes off,” says Freida Nipples
The cover artwork for Michael Palin’s new book, in focus at the Grand Opera House, York, tomorrow
FROM a talkative traveller to a Californian Kate Bush tribute act, York’s weekend of open doors to a best-of-British musical revue, Charles Hutchinson seeks diverse cultural opportunities.
Globe-trotter of the week: Michael Palin, Grand Opera House, York, tomorrow, 7.30pm
IN the words of Monty Python alumnus, actor, presenter and Yorkshireman Michael Palin: “In There And Back – The Diary Tour 2024, I’ll bring to life the fourth collection of my diaries and the first to be released for ten years.
“Lots of fun as I go through the Noughties, and some dark times too. I constantly surprise myself with the sheer amount I took on.” Tickets update: still available at atgtickets.com/york.
Baby Bushka: Delighting in the theatricality of Kate Bush’s songs at Pocklington Arts Centre
Tribute show of the week: Baby Bushka, Pocklington Arts Centre, tomorrow, 8pm
THE music and magic of Kate Bush has reached across the seas and skies to San Diego, California, where the eight women of the bewitching Baby Bushka have honed their wide-eyed, other-worldly versions of Kate’s baroque, ethereal pop.
Performed in jump-suits by Natasha Kozaily, Lexi Pulido, Nancy Ross, Leah Bowden, Batya Mac Adam-Somerm, Marie Haddad, Heather Nation and Melanie Medina, their kooky rock show is filled with four-part harmonies, avant-garde choreographed dancing, theatrical props, costumes and glitter masks. Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.
The Korgis: This is the time for everybody to learn about their favourite songs at Selby Town Hall
Sing something synth-full: The Korgis Time Machine, Selby Town Hall, tomorrow, 7.30pm
WHIRL back in time with The Korgis as they undertake a musical and audio/visual journey though the songs and bands that influenced them. Best known for their 1980 hit Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime, the Bristol synth-pop band will put their spin on songs by The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, 10cc, The Buggles, Peter Gabriel and their own songs of peace and hope with The Korgis and, earlier, with Stackridge.
If I Had You, Bringing Back The Spirit Of Love, If It’s Alright With You Baby and Something About The Beatles will feature, along with new compositions from this year’s two-album set, UN – United Nations. Questions will be taken too. Box office: 01757 708449 or selbytownhall.co.uk.
Lucy Porter: No regrets about her regrets at Selby Town Hall
Comedy gig of the week: Lucy Porter, No Regrets!, Selby Town Hall, Friday, 8pm
REGRETS? Frank Sinatra had too few to mention, but Lucy Porter has hundreds, and she is raring to go into graphic detail about all of them. From disastrous dates and professional calamities to ruined friendships and parenting failures, she charts all the mistakes she has made, works out why they happened, and ponders how her life would have turned out if she had acted differently.
Porter posits that if you regret something, you can use it to change your ways. “See the thing you regret as your rock bottom, and let it spur you on to become a better person,” says Porter, who names guilt as one of her top five hobbies as a middle-aged, middle-class, left-leaning ex-Catholic. Box office: 01757 708449 or selbytownhall.co.uk.
Barbara Dickson: Reflecting on her career in music and musical theatre at All Saints Church, Pocklington, and Leeds City Varieties
Folk gigs of the week: Hurricane Promotions present Barbara Dickson & Nick Holland, All Saints Church, Pocklington, Friday (sold out) and October 16, 7.30pm. Also Leeds City Varieties Music Hall, October 20, 7.30pm
SCOTTISH folk singer Barbara Dickson and her pianist Nick Holland explore her catalogue of songs in these acoustic concerts in intimate settings, where the pair will let the words and melodies take centre stage as they draw on Dickson’s folk roots, contemporary greats and her classic hits, from Another Suitcase In Another Hall to I Know Him So Well. Box office: barbaradickson.net; Leeds, 0113 243 0808 or leedsheritagetheatres.com.
Festival of the week: York Unlocked 2024, Saturday and Sunday
IN its third year, York Unlocked welcomes residents and visitors to experience York’s architecture and open spaces with the chance to discover, explore and enjoy around 50 sites.
This year’s new addition is a children’s trail book; families can pick up a free copy from York Explore Library, All Saints’ Church, North Street, or The Guildhall. Full details of the participating locations, from Spark: York to City Screen Picturehouse, Terry’s Factory Clock Tower to Bishopthorpe Palace, Holgate Windmill to York Railway Station, can be found at york-unlocked.org.uk. Entry is free, including for those requiring booking.
Stevie Williams & The Most Wanted Band: Heading to Helmsley
“Wild journey” of the week: Stevie Williams & The Most Wanted Band, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 7.30pm
LED by powerhouse vocalist Stevie Williams, The Most Wanted Band take their audiences on a wild musical journey with tight grooves, searing guitar solos and a rhythm section that hits with precision in an accomplished, high-energy, explosive show. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Courtney Brown: From playing Ado Annie in Oklahoma! to assistant-directing Pickering Musical Society’s Wonders Of The West End
Ryedale musical show of the week: Pickering Musical Society, Wonders Of The West End, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, October 10 to 13, 7.30pm
PICKERING Musical Society performs the best of British musicals, from the early 20th century to current hits next week, when the full company will be joined once again by Sarah Louise Ashworth School of Dance students. Lesser-known gems will complement show-stopping favourites.
Regular performer Courtney Brown, seen latterly as the Princess in Aladdin and Ado Annie in Oklahoma!, steps up to the role of assistant director alongside regular director Luke Arnold after expressing an interest in directing. Box office: 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk.
Sharleen Spiteri: Fronting Texas at Scarborough Open Air Theatre next summer
Gig announcement of the week: Texas, Scarborough Open Air Theatre, July 26 2025
SCOTTISH band Texas, fronted as ever by Sharleen Spiteri, will return to Scarborough Open Air Theatre for the first time since July 2018 to showcase five decades of songs, from I Don’t Want A Lover, Say What You Want and Summer Son to Inner Smile, Mr Haze and Keep On Talking next summer. Tickets will go on sale at 9am on Friday at scarboroughopenairtheatre.co.uk and ticketmaster.co.uk. Irish rock band The Script are confirmed already for July 5.
Taking the mic:Oddsocks’ Andy Barrow, Jack Herauville and Elli Mackenzie in R.O.G.E.R Radio Attempts Frankenstein. “Between us we play all the roles,” says Elli. “Part of the fun is the amount of the roles we split between us“
ODDSOCKS make a “happy and long-awaited return” to the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, on October 20 with their new show, R.O.G.E.R Radio Attempts Frankenstein.
“We have played there many times in the past. Such a welcoming space,” says creative producer Elli Mackenzie
The Matlock company invites audience members to delve into the grim laboratory of Dr Frankenstein from the comfort of a theatre seat; to experience the creation of a monster from several human corpses; to gasp as the creature comes to life and to play the part of a humble local to save the village from the creature’s revenge.
Will Dr Frankenstein face his destiny? Will the monster eat your crisps? Will there be a dry seat in the house? Answers to all these questions and more besides will be revealed when R.O.G.E.R Radio attempts Frankenstein.
“We are very excited to be bringing this play to our audiences in York.” says Elli, one half of the husband-and-wife team that runs this family theatre company, whose open-air production of Julius Caesar played the 2024 Harrogate International Festival at RHS Garden Harlow Carr in July.
“We last appeared at the Rowntree Theatre in the small window of touring opportunity during Covid with A Christmas Carol and we are very excited to be returning. Our audiences know it’s worth the effort to come along: we make people laugh out loud and we ensure that you leave the theatre feeling happier than when you arrived.”
Noted for creating bold, challenging, innovative and interactive theatre from classic texts for a family audience of all ages, Oddsocks’ comedy adaptation of Frankenstein features artistic director Andy Barrow as one of the cheeky chappies of the R.O.G.E.R Radio cast.
Multi-role playing is an understatement as he takes on the parts of the Sea Captain, Frankenstein’s father, Henry Clerval and others, not least Frankenstein’s monster. “The joy of presenting the story as though we are performing a radio play is that we can play so many characters in quick succession by just a change of wig or hat,” says Andy, who has appeared in most of the Derbyshire company’s productions since its beginnings 35 years ago.
He is joined by Elli, who likewise plays many parts, including Elizabeth Frankenstein, First Mate Jenkins, numerous villagers and landladies. “My favourite role is First Mate Jenkins, mainly because of his expressive hat…you have to be there,” says Elli, cryptically.
Here, Oddsocks producer, script writer and actor Elli Mackenzie discusses R.O.G.E.R Radio Attempts Frankenstein with CharlesHutchPress.
What’s the back story of Oddsocks, Elli?
“Oddsocks is a family company and it’s our anniversary, 35 years. I can’t quite believe it, until I think back over all we’ve done together in those years and all the thousands of people we’ve met, worked with and entertained in that time.
“We are usually to be found performing our unique take on Shakespeare throughout each summer. Our last tour, which finished in August, was of Julius Caesar. It was a lot of fun, though it’s lovely to get out of the Roman armour and put the sword and shield down, don something sophisticated and play a ‘lovely lady of the heyday radio drama’ in this gentle and silly piece.”
What is the performance style of R.O.G.E.R Radio Attempts Frankenstein?
“It evokes the heyday of radio drama, circa 1950. Lots of sound effects made using ridiculous props on our ‘foley table’…
Foley table, Elli?
“Foley artists create the sound effects which are created live in the studio or added after in the edit, and they help to bring the drama to life for the listener; doors opening and closing, tea being poured, animal sounds, ambient noise of a babbling brook, running feet on gravel, that sort of thing.
“Our audience see how these sounds are made, which is fun, and there are lots of surprises, which I won’t spoil. A lot of cabbage and celery is used, however!”
Back to the performance style, Elli…
“We have a cast of three actors to play all the roles in the story of Frankenstein. We do it ‘script in hand’, just as a cast of actors would have done in the radio studios of the 1950s, and we all play lots of roles each.
“The premise is that we ‘go live’ with a ‘live radio audience’, who are encouraged to join in by shouting out lines at suitable moments to add to the drama. If we were to record it, which we might at one performance, the idea is that you could listen back, and it would make absolute sense without physically seeing the action.
“In our performance, the evening doesn’t go quite to plan. No spoilers here, but let’s just say, it’s not just the play which Oddsocks tackles. There is very funny, unplanned drama and mild peril, which you will have to come along to on the night to enjoy. “
Why present Frankenstein?
“Frankenstein is such a beautiful, engaging, action-packed story. It is poignant, as well as scary at times. We certainly don’t shy away from the questions raised about Frankenstein’s ambition, hubris and selfishness in creating his monster, and yet we have a lot of Oddsocks-style fun with the characters and audience interaction too.”
Why are we still so fascinated by Frankenstein?
“Monsters are still scary, and drama is part of our lives. We watch horror films from the comfort of our armchairs at home or go to the cinema to be thrilled by them. We love to be scared from a place of safety, I guess.”
When did you first read Frankenstein? What struck you at that time?
“I first actually read the book last year when I was due to adapt it. What struck me at the time was the sadness of the monster, his loneliness and isolation, and Frankenstein’s inability to take responsibility for his creation.”
What was your approach to adapting Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel for Oddsocks’ production?
“I was surprised by the story when I first read it. I guess, like a lot of people, I thought I knew the story because I had seen the famous film adaptations over the years, depicting grotesque and scary monsters.
“Like many, I fell in love with the actual story and its messages about taking responsibility for one’s own creation. For the life one brings into the world. (I am a mother, after all). I love the fact that the author was a young woman too.
“In the novel, a young, ambitious, self-centred student, Victor Frankenstein, discovers how to create life and promptly sets about doing it. However, his creation doesn’t turn out to look as he intended.
“Instead of stepping up, facing his fears and dealing with the situation, he shuns the being and tries to ignore it. Of course, he learns through terrible circumstances that he can’t escape his duty of care, and resolves, finally, to deal with the nightmare of his making.
“My ‘creation’ is a comedy interpretation of a classic 19th century novel in a spoof radio format, and even though I felt like I wanted to escape my duty of care after I’d written about ten drafts, we sat in the rehearsal room to read the rehearsal draft, and it came together hilariously.
“We introduced the creation to audiences in January and thankfully they laughed, joined in and were moved in equal measure.”
What makes Frankenstein ripe for a spoof reinterpretation?
“There are theatre productions which are ‘straight’ adaptations, which reinterpret the story in different ways but rarely by using comedy, so we thought…’Why not?’. It really works in the context of a spoof radio play too. Lots of sound effects made using ridiculous items, which actually work, and characterisations that look extreme but are so suitable for radio drama.
“Our interpretation is based on the original story and characters but goes in very funny directions and uses audience participation. There are moments which are straight from the novel and are very moving, but equally our aim is to entertain our audiences, who know that what we do is funny, touching, clever, slick and a good night out.”
What does comedy add to Frankenstein?
“We have spent the last 35 years adapting classic texts for a modern audience and with the focus on bringing out the comedy potential of piece through situation. Our audiences enjoy our interpretations, whether they have an in-depth understanding and knowledge of the original or otherwise.
“The ‘purists’ enjoy the wit and reverence with which we adapt the original, whilst those who are new to the story, whether it’s Hamlet, Treasure Island, Frankenstein or Pinocchio (we’ve adapted so many greats), get to know and love the story, laugh out loud, acknowledge the layers of meaning under the humour and glean the messages within the text .
“People often go away and read the original afterwards, then email us to say how they didn’t realise so much of what we did was from the original, word for word!”
What is the significance of Frankenstein being written by a woman and now being adapted by a woman?
“The significance for me is more that of us both being mothers. I think the responsibility one feels as a mother having given birth is something which links us more than our gender.
“I read the book as a mother with a commission to make audiences laugh and feel emotion; Mary Shelley wrote it as a mother in the 19th century, when audiences had different references and values, but we had both given life to sentient beings. There’s something primeval about the significance of that.”
In a nutshell, Elli, what should the York audience expect from R.O.G.E.R Radio Attempts Frankenstein?
“A great deal of laughing, action, mild peril and slick silliness.”
Oddsocks in R.O.G.E.R Radio Attempts Frankenstein, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, October 20, 7.30pm. Box office: 01904 501937 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Did you know?
ODDSOCKS moved into the 17th century, Grade II listed disused Lea Chapel, Upper Lea, near Matlock, Derbyshire, as the company’s rehearsal and performance space during the Covid lockdown. “It is opening to the public with our first performance of this tour. It’s so exciting,” says Elli. “We hope it will be followed up by lots of other companies using the space too.”
Did you know too?
R.O.G.E.R Radio Attempts Frankenstein premiered at Jersey Arts Centre in January 2024 and will be on tour from October 18 to November 2.
One final question for Elli:
What will Oddsocks be staging next and when?
“WE are back on tour next summer with our new adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and will be appearing at Harrogate International Festival in July and possibly other venues near to York from June.”
Ian Rankin reading the script for Rebus: A Game Called Malicein the rehearsal room. Picture: Jonathan Phang
NOVELIST Ian Rankin is contemplating killing someone. Not surprising, perhaps, as his business is crime in general and murder in particular.
What does come as a shock is the identity of the person he would like to bump off: his best-selling creation, Scottish detective John Rebus.
However, with a new play, Rebus: A Game Called Malice, heading to York Theatre Royal from October 15 to 19, the six-part BBC television series that aired in May and June, and a new book out next Thursday, Rebus is very much alive and investigating.
“I have tried to bump him off or get rid of him several times,” confesses the Fife-born crime writer and philanthropist, who was knighted for services to literature and charity in June 2023.
“But he seems to want to stick around. He refuses to leave my head.” Indeed so. Earlier attempts to rid himself of Rebus, including the detective’s retirement, have ended in failure.
“With the previous novel, I thought this is the end because at the end of the book he’s in court charged with murder and in the dock waiting to be sentenced,” Rankin explains.
“I thought, ‘what a great way to finish the Rebus series,’ then fans disagreed. They said, ‘we need to know what happened in court. Was he found guilty or not guilty?’, so I’ve written this latest book to explain that and answer the question.
“The end of this new book is, I think, a very good end to the series, so let’s wait and see. It’s up to him, not up to me. It’s up to Rebus. He’ll tell me when he’s had enough of me.”
The latest Rebus thriller, Midnight And Blue, will be sending Rankin out and about to do interviews and head to Yorkshire on a book tour to discuss the landmark novel, meet readers and sign copies.
His 7.30pm visit to The Cat Club, Pontefract, on November 21 has sold out, but tickets are still available for his Farsley Book Festival appearance at the Old Woollen, Sunnybank Mills, Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, on November 22, hosted by Truman Books from 12.30pm to 3pm. To boo tickets, go to: trumanbooks.co.uk/event/an-afternoon-with-sir-ian-rankin or ring 0113 805 6019.
Crime writer Ian Rankin, second left, with Rebus: A Game Called Malice cast members Billy Hartman, left, Abigail Thaw and Gray O’Brien. Picture: Jonathan Phang
Before then, at York Theatre Royal, he will take part in the post-show discussion with members of the Rebus: A Game Called Malice company after the October 18 performance of his new play, co-written with Simon Reade.
The plot? A splendid dinner party in an Edinburgh mansion concludes with a murder mystery game, wherein a murder needs to be solved. However, the guests have secrets of their own, threatened by the very game they are playing.
Among them is Inspector John Rebu, but is he playing an alternative game, one where only he knows the rules? Cue suspects, clues and danger with every twist and turn and a shocking discovery – a yes, a real-life murder – that sends this game called Malice hurtling towards a gasp-inducing conclusion.
After mentioning his Yorkshire connections – Rankin’s mother grew up in Bradford and he still has family around there and Leeds, whom he hopes will attend the play in York – he enthuses about his upcoming train journey from Edinburgh to York.
“I like taking the train,” he says. “It’s a joy with Durham, Newcastle and the coast. A beautiful part of the world to do by train. And you get to go into the railway station bar – The Tap, isn’t it? – and have a pint.”
Tickets are selling well for the Theatre Royal run of Rebus: A Game Called Malice, testament to the public appetite for whodunnit, detective and crime stories. “It’s a very popular genre and producers know it will put bums on seats. It’s a good night out,” says Rankin.
“You’re working hard mentally in a fun way, there’s an interval when you can get a drink and discuss with your friends and family what you think is going on, what happens next. And you’re in and out of the theatre in two hours. As far as I’m concerned, I want to be home and in bed by ten o’clock.”
Rebus has been a hit on stage from the start. Rankin recalls being told by the manager of the King’s Theatre, where the first play, Rebus: Long Shadows, premiered in Edinburgh, that “he’d never seen takings like it”. “So they were very happy because they were selling more drinks at the interval,” says Rankin.
He wrote the first draft of the latest Rebus play during lockdown, “basically to entertain myself”. “It was written without anyone knowing I was doing it,” he says. “When I read it I thought, ‘it’s short but I like it’, so I showed it to Simon Reade, who is a professional playwright with whom I’d worked previously. He picked it apart and put it together again – and that’s what we’ve got.”
Writing a play and a book present differing challenges. “You have to get in a completely different mindset. In a novel, you can be inside a character’s head, you can have a huge cast of characters, you can range widely over geography and time,” says Rankin. “A play is a much more succinct entity and the actors have to speak your ideas.
“A play is a much more succinct entity [than a novel] and the actors have to speak your ideas,” says Ian Rankin
“The challenge for me is in how different it is. You have to tell a story through voices in a way that I don’t when writing a novel. Very early in my writing career I was writing radio plays for the BBC. They were a lot of fun to do and I enjoyed working with the director and actors. Sometimes the actors came up with much better lines than mine. But the writer gets the credit when it’s broadcast, so it’s terrific from my point of view.
“Writing a novel is not collective. You sit there in splendid isolation for six months to a year. With a play, from quite early on it is collaborative, especially when the actors and director get involved.
“It changes shape because the intonation of each actor is different to the way I imagined the lines being spoken. The way they move around the stage is not how I imagined it might be. And every night in the theatre is, of course, subtly different from the night before.”
Assorted actors have played John Rebus both on stage and television, among them John Michie, who appeared in a try-out of A Game Called Malice but could not commit to a long tour this year.
Gray O’Brien, familiar to TV viewers through Casualty, Coronation Street and Peak Practice, takes on the role on the road, and Rankin is confident he will do the character justice.
Not protective of Rebus, he says each actor adds something to the role: “Every actor is going to give me a slightly different interpretation. Every actor that has played him on television, on radio, on stage has brought something new to the performance and my understanding of this complex character.
“I’ve been writing about this guy Rebus since 1985, and the first book was published in 1987. 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. And so each actor helps me understand the character a little bit better.”
He missed the first week’s run of Rebus: A Game Of Malice at the Cambridge Arts Theatre on account of a pre-arranged holiday in Greece. He will turn 65 on April 28 next year and his wife has suggested that he might consider slowing down work-wise to enable them to go travelling.
It should be noted that this is a big ask of a writer who could not resist doing some work during a recent year-long sabbatical. His wife has been booking holidays aplenty, but will she be more successful at encouraging him to take things easy than he has been so far at killing off Rebus?
Rebus: A Game Called Malice runs at York Theatre Royal, October 15 to 19, 7.30pm plus 2pm Wednesday and Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees.. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Ian Rankin’s new Rebus book, Midnight And Blue, will be published by Orion Books on October 10.
Gray O’Brien’s Inspector John Rebus in a scene from Rebus: A Game Called Malice, directed by Loveday Ingram. Picture: Nobby Clark
Did you know?
GRAY O’Brien will be appearing at a York theatre for the second time in 2024. His role as John Rebus in Rebus: A Game Called Malice at the Theatre Royal follows his performance as Juror 10 in Twelve Angry Men at the Grand Opera House from May 13 to 18.
A bit tied up at the moment: Annie Cordoni’s Stella Saxby with Neal Foster’s Aunt Alberta in Awful Auntie. Picture: Mark Douet
AFTER directing Gangsta Granny, Billionaire Boy and Demon Dentist, Birmingham Stage Company actor-manager Neal Foster is at the helm of his fourth David Walliams stage adaptation – and playing the lead too for the first time in Awful Auntie.
Except that he wasn’t at Friday’s 10.30am matinee, attended by CharlesHutchPress and a block booking of York school children, when BMS made a triple substitution.
On came Zain Abrahams, stepping into Foster’s shoes and Argyle-patterned socks as Aunt Alberta and fellow understudies Emily Prosser-Davies and Frankie Oldham, playing orphaned Stella Saxby and batty butler Gibbon respectively. And a mighty fine job they made of it.
“I think he has always appreciated how we capture the tone of his work and how we understand how comedy works on stage,” says Foster of his company’s fruitful partnership with fellow Roald Dahl devotee Walliams.
Foster “gets” Walliams’s humour, never more so than in Awful Auntie, where avaricious Aunt Alberta is “menacing but very funny” as Foster emphasises how the spiteful spinster is “dangerous, but not terrifying”. Having a man play the role, echoing the casting of Miss Trunchbull in Dahl’s Matilda, puts the ‘men’ into menace but adds to the comical absurdity too.
Birmingham Stage Company productions are full of hallmark quality: in this case the surging score of composer Jak Poore; the atmospheric sound design Nick Sagar; the playful lighting detail of Jason Taylor; the fabulous puppetry design and direction of Yvonne Stone and above all, the set and costume design of Jacqueline Trousdale, a key player in creating BSC’s theatrical magic for 30 years.
After Simon Wainwright’s sepia-tinted film clip – delivered with one of those Pathé News voices as stiff as a starched collar – introduces the historic house of Saxby Hall with footage of Stella’s parents, Trousdale’s highly inventive rotating set sets the children’s adventure in motion.
It becomes a constantly changing extra character with its myriad stairways, fireplace, book shelves, doll’s house, bed, turrets, cage, cellar and much more besides. “You really get the feeling of being inside this magnificent mansion,” said Foster in his CharlesHutchPress interview and he is absolutely right.
What’s the story in all its Friday morning glory? Tweed-suited, clown-haired Aunt Alberta (Abrahams/Foster) has packed Stella and her parents off to London. Only Stella (Prosser-Davies/Cordoni) will survive a car crash, and she awakes three months later “from a coma”, wrapped head to foot in bandages, “every bone in her body broken”, her awful Auntie says.
Not everything, indeed not anything, Alberta says turns out to be true. The truth is, she wants the deeds to the house, and Lady Stella Saxby, nearly 13, stands in her way.
Stella must fight for her life against the combined forces of – in Foster’s words – “absolute nutter” Aunt Alberta and her scary-eyed Great Bavarian Mountain Owl, Wagner (handled by puppeteer Emily Essert). On her side is a ghost, Soot (the Tommy Steele-style cheeky chappy Matthew Allen) with his Cockney rhyming slang and arsenal of spooks.
In a world of his own is Gibbon, the scatter-brained butler (Oldham/Abrahams), a scene-stealing one-man show with his regular erratic interjections. His prop malapropisms become a running joke, a form of hapless physical clowning, never bettered than when he says he must clean the carpet, only to promptly push a lawn mower across the marbled hall. Walliams and Foster in theatrical tandem, being so playful here.
Awful Auntie rattles along, with room for a car and motorbike chase, a cameo by the dubious Detective Strauss, revenge pranks, a “Here’s Auntie” riff on Jack Nicholson in The Shining, and a cliffhanger of a final showdown: puppetry in motion.
At the close, the tone turns wistful, lamenting how grown-ups lose the power to see ghosts and asserting how being a child is special, when “you can see all the magic in the world”. What’s more, Lady Stella vows to turn the hall over to housing orphaned children: a social conscience putting the world to rights.
The verdict? As Dick Emery used to say, “Ooh, you are awful, but I like you”. Love it, let alone like it, when Aunt Alberta goes nuts, You would be bonkers to miss it.
Birmingham Stage Company in David Walliams’s Awful Auntie, Grand Opera House, York, today, 2.30pm and 6.30pm; Sunday, 11am. Age guidance: Five upwards. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Rievaulx Abbey, mixed media, by Robert Dutton, on show in A Yorkshire Year at Nunnington Hall
YORKSHIRE landscapes, campsite class division, horror movies to the max and a talkative traveller herald the arrival of the arts autumn for Charles Hutchinson.
Exhibition of the week: A Yorkshire Year, Nunnington Hall, near Helmsley, until December 5
THE changing landscape of the Yorkshire countryside and coastline is captured by Yorkshire artists Robert Dutton, from Nunnington, and Andrew Moodie, from Harrogate, in seasonal images.
Dutton presents a dramatic interpretation of the untamed expanses of Yorkshire, from meandering freshwater rivers and hidden woodlands to the stark beauty of the moors. Moodie directs his attention to the undulating valleys of the Yorkshire Dales, as well as coastal villages. Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10.30am to 5pm, last entry at 4.15pm. Normal admission prices apply at nationaltrust.org.uk/nunnington-hall.
The artwork for the Dead Northern 2024 Horror Film Festival at City Screen Picturehouse, York
Film event of the week: Dead Northern 2024 Horror Film Festival, City Screen, Picturehouse, York, today and tomorrow
IN “the world’s most haunted city”, Dead Northern presents a festival of movies, music and social gatherings. Today opens with Demonic Shorts at 11am, followed by the regional premiere of Scopophobia, 12.30pm; Slasher, Thriller and Creature Shorts, 2.30pm; UK premiere of The Healing, 4.30pm; Dead Talk film-making panel, 7.30pm; regional premiere of Kill Your Lover, 9pm, and VIP Awards Party at Revolution, York,11pm.
Tomorrow features the Mad Props documentary, 11am; mini-feature Strike,12.45pm; feature film The Monster Beneath Us, 1.15pm; music mini-feature The Black Quarry, 3.45pm; Music Videos, 4.30pm; UK premiere of Kill Victoria, 6.30pm, and world premiere of Lake Jesup, 8.30pm. Guests must be aged over 18 to access screenings and live events. Box office: deadnorthern.co.uk/dead-northern-2024-film-festival.
Tom Gallagher, Annie Kirkman and Laura Jennifer Banks in a scene from John Godber’s revival of Perfect Pitch
Touring play of the week: John Godber Company in Perfect Pitch, Harrogate Theatre, today, 2pm and 7.30pm; Pocklington Arts Centre, October 9 and 10, 7.30pm; Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, November 13 to 16, 7.30pm plus 1.30pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees
WHEN teacher Matt (Frazer Hammill) borrows his parents’ caravan for a week on the Yorkshire coast with partner Rose (Annie Kirkman), they are expecting four days of hill running and total de-stressing. However, with a Tribfest taking place nearby, Grant (Tom Gallagher) and Steph’s (Laura Jennifer Banks) pop-up tent is an unwelcome addition to their perfect pitch.
The class divide and loo cassettes become an issue as writer-director John Godber reignites his unsettling1998 state-of-the-nation comedy, set on an eroding coastline, as Matt and Rose are inducted into the world of caravanning and karaoke. Box office: Harrogate, 01423 502116 or harrogatetheatre.co.uk; Pocklington, 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk; Scarborough, 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.
The bird man of RedHouse Originals Gallery: artist Jim Moir at his Birdland exhibition in Harrogate
Last chance to see: Jim Moir, Birdland, RedHouse Originals Gallery, Cheltenham Mount, Harrogate, today, 10am, 10am to 5pm
“PEOPLE think that I am a comedian, but art comes first,” says Jim Moir, aka Vic Reeves, as he mounts his second RedHouse show. “This one is Birdland because of my love of birds. I spend most of my days bird watching and painting,” he says.
On show – and for sale – is an exclusive collection of 50 new paintings celebrating his favourite subject ahead of the October 24 release of his second bird book, More Birds, Paintings Of British Birds, published by Unbound. Free entry.
Clare Ferguson-Walker and Robin Ince: Plenty to discuss at Pocklington Arts Centre
Double act of the week: Clare Ferguson-Walker & Robin Ince, Pocklington Arts Centre, tonight, 8pm
TAKE a tour around two marvellous minds via the vehicles of poetry, storytelling, jokes, and general silliness when Clare Ferguson-Walker and Robin Ince link up in Pock. Poet, comedienne, sculptor and singer Clare’s explosive second collection, Chrysalis, lays bare the poet’s soul on a journey laced with humour and humane observation.
Humorist, presenter, poet and author Ince co-hosts the BBC Radio 4 series The Infinite Monkey Cage with Professor Brian Cox. His books include Bibliomaniac, The Importance Of Being Interested, I’m A Joke And So Are You and his next work, Normally Weird And Weirdly Normal: My Adventures In Neurodiversity, will be published next May. Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.
The cover design for Michael Palin’s new diary collection
Globe-trotter of the week: Michael Palin, Grand Opera House, York, October 3, 7.30pm
IN the words of Monty Python alumnus, actor, presenter and Yorkshireman Michael Palin: “In There And Back – The Diary Tour 2024, I’ll bring to life the fourth collection of my diaries and the first to be released for ten years.
“Lots of fun as I go through the Noughties, and some dark times too. I constantly surprise myself with the sheer amount I took on.” Tickets update: still available at atgtickets.com/york.
Barbara Dickson: Acoustic October concerts in Pocklington and Leeds
Folk gigs of the week: Hurricane Promotions present Barbara Dickson & Nick Holland, All Saints Church, Pocklington, October 4 (sold out) and October 16, 7.30pm. Also Leeds City Varieties Music Hall, October 20, 7.30pm
SCOTTISH folk singer Barbara Dickson and her pianist Nick Holland explore her catalogue of songs in these acoustic concerts in intimate settings, where the pair will let the words and melodies take centre stage as they draw on Dickson’s folk roots, contemporary greats and her classic hits, from Another Suitcase In Another Hall to I Know Him So Well. Box office: barbaradickson.net; Leeds, 0113 243 0808 or leedsheritagetheatres.com.
Mundane matters: Josh Widdicombe mulls over really niche observations about silly little thingsin 2025 and 2026
Gig announcement of the week: Josh Widdicombe, Not My Cup Of Tea Tour, Hull City Hall, October 2 2025, and York Barbican, February 28 2026
PARENTING Hell podcaster and comedian Josh Widdicombe, droll observer of the absurd side of the mundane, will take stock of the little things that niggle him, from motorway hotels to children’s parties, and explain why he has finally decided to embrace middle age, hot drinks and doing the school run in his 58-date tour show, Not My Cup Of Tea.
“That’s my favourite type of stand-up: really niche observations about silly little things that you wouldn’t think about. I’ve got no interest in the big topics.” Box office: joshwiddicombe.com; yorkbarbican.co.uk; hulltheatres.co.uk.
In Focus: Mark Thomas: Gaffa Tapes…Old Title, New Show, The Crescent, York, tomorrow. More Yorkshire shows to follow
This is the modern world:Mark Thomas returns to stand-up venting at The Crescent, York. Picture: Tony Pletts
LAST appearing in York in Ed Edwards’s one-man play England & Son in the Theatre Royal Studio last September, South London’s grouchy “godfather of political comedy”, Mark Thomas, returns to polemical stand-up in Gaffa Tapes…Old Title, New Show at The Crescent tomorrow night.
One of the longest-surviving alternative comics after close to 40 years of stand-up, theatre, journalism, human rights campaigning and the odd bout of performance art, his latest tour’s fusillade of jokes, rants, politics, play and the occasional sing-song adds up to “generally mucking about trying to have fun and upset (shall we say) the right people”.
Gaffa Tapes…Old Title, New Show? Explain the extended tag, Mark. “What happened is I liked the idea of ‘Gaffa Tapes’ as a title and had it last year for my Edinburgh Fringe show, but halfway through the Fringe run I got Covid and had to stop.
“Last year I toured England & Son, written by Ed Edwards, which I was really pleased with. It picked up more awards than I’d ever done before – six awards – and one of them was to perform the play in Australia, taking it out to Adelaide for five weeks – and we might be going to New York …
“But we made no money out of it. I thought, ‘right, how do we make some money?’, so it’s great to be getting back to stand-up. What I love about stand-up is… and this is simple…if you stop doing it, they say you’ll feel rusty, so if you have a hiatus, what you have to learn to do is put your hand on the neck of the beast.
“I thought, ‘I’m going to do all the clubs at the bottom of the eco-system, doing ten minutes here, ten minutes there, doing shows in different places, and the thing about it is, I died on my arse a couple of times, which feels horrible each and every time…
“But if you take a break, you need to get your muscle memory back working again. That’s why I loved doing Edinburgh this summer. I did 26 gigs. It’s just bang, bang, bang, every night. You can muck around, try things out.
Mark Thomas in England & Son, toured to York Theatre Royal Studio in 2023. Picture: Alex Brenner
“The riots were happening around that time, so I wrote about them – and it’s important to be able to talk about that. It’s a living, breathing affecting thing. I love being a warrior in the culture wars, and it’s good to be back on the battlefield.”
The tectonic plates of the political landscape keep shifting: fresh meat to a polemicist comedian’s grist. “Things are always changing,” says Mark. “What I love is that when I started work on the show, there was loads going on, because the Tories were no longer in power, and it’s good to be able to react to that and to suggest what should be happening.
“I was at the Diggers Festival, celebrating Gerrard Winstanley [English Protestant religious reformer, political philosopher, activist and leader and co-founder of the ‘True Levellers’ or ‘Diggers’], doing a talk in a church, where someone said, ‘if you get rid of the oath to the King, that would be the most radical thing you could do’.
“I said, ‘well, actually, I don’ think it is. If you want democracy to work, you should have voting at 16, proportional representation, and you need to abolish the House of Lords’…whereas they’re just tidying up what [Tony] Blair started all those years ago. The most radical thing would be to ban donations to political parties. Make it state-funded, giving money to run parties and campaigns, making it a level playing field.
“Do you know who is the only other country in Europe to have a ‘first past the post’ electoral system? Belarus. So if anyone is out of step, it’s us. I think eventually PR [proportional representation] will come in; it’s just a question of what form it takes.”
How does the change of ruling party in Westminster from the Conservatives to Labour after 14 years have an impact on Thomas’s venting? “It changes the goalposts because it’s a new set of people to attack for a new set of reasons,” says Mark. “It’s the new austerity that they’re proposing that’s not great.
“The fact is that Starmer got some of the things right over the riots. I find it fascinating that there is this a disconnect; the idea that everyone who rioted was a racist, but not everyone was, because riots have a movement of their own, but certainly the organisers were far right.
“I didn’t vote Labour. I’m a Socilaist, why on Earth would I vote Labour?” says Mark Thomas. Picture: Art by Tracey Moberly
“You can be a Zen Buddhist but if you set fire to an asylum seekers’ hotel, then you’re a racist.”
Long associated with spouting anti-Tory sentiment aplenty, Thomas will hold the incoming Labour Party to account too. “I think it’s healthier that way in politics. The honeymoon period is over already,” he says.
“I didn’t vote Labour. I’m a Socialist, why on Earth would I vote Labour? There shouldn’t be a honeymoon period anyway, but I expect the right-wing press to go at Labour with gusto because they want to shape not only this government, but the next Tory one too.”
Any suggestions for policy change, Mark? “Local government can run the bus companies, but it’s really important that it’s not about making the maximum profit. That’s what used to happen until Thatcher changed it,” he says.
“I’m lucky now – because I’m 61, I get the 60+ London Oyster card for £20 [administration fee] that allows me to travel everywhere in London for free and I use buses a lot. That’s one of the great things about London: wherever you are, there will be a night bus coming along in a moment.”
He is looking forward eagerly to tomorrow’s return to The Crescent. “I love The Crescent,” he enthuses. “What they may lack in technical facilities, it’s a proper community venue. I always say, when talking about what community venues could be, take a look at this place.”
Mark Thomas: Gaffa Tapes, Burning Duck Comedy, The Crescent, York, tomorrow, 7.30pm; Marsdsen Mechanics, November 8, 8pm; Social, Hull, November 16, 8pm; Sheffield Memorial Hall November 10, 8pm; Leeds City Varieties Music Hall, February 5 2025; Wakefield Theatre Royal, February 6 2025, 7.30pm.
Box office:York, thecrescentyork.com; Marsden, 01484 844587 or marsdenmechanics.co.uk; Sheffield, sheffieldcityhall.co.uk; Hull, socialhumberstreet.co.uk; Leeds, 0113 243 0808 or leedsheritagetheatres.com; Wakefield Theatre Royal, 01924 211311 or theatreroyalwakefield.co.uk (on sale soon) Age guidance: 16 plus.
Mark Thomas: the back story
The next step for Mark Thomas: Touring Gaffa Tapes
“IF you don’t know what Mark does, ask your parents. In his time, he has won eight awards for performing, three for human rights work… and one he invented for himself. He has made six series of the Mark Thomas Comedy Product and three Dispatches for Channel 4, made five series of The Manifesto for BBC Radio 4, written five books and four play scripts, curated and authored two art exhibitions with artist Tracey Moberly and was commissioned to write a show for the Royal Opera House.
“He has forced a politician to resign, changed laws on tax and protest, become the Guinness Book of Records world-record holder for the number of protests in 24 hours, taken the police to court three times and won (the fourth is in the pipeline), walked the length of the Israeli Wall in the West Bank (that’s 724km), and generally mucked about trying to have fun and upset (shall we say) the right people.”
Ainy Medina, left, Laura Soper, Freya Parks, front, and Helen Chong in Little Women at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Charlotte Graham
SEPTEMBER 30 marks the 156th anniversary of the publication of the first volume of Louise May Alcott’s Little Women books. She wrote it in only ten weeks, a speed matched by the flashing hand of Freya Parks’s restless Jo March, beret in place as ever when at work, in Theatre Royal creative director Juliet Forster’s free-flowing production.
Alcott’s coming-of-age tale of the March sisters growing up in well-to-do New England during the American Civil War is deemed a “timeless classic” (to quote the Theatre Royal brochure), as popular now as when first published.
Yet the British stage has tended to stage adaptations of Jane Austen, Emily Bronte and Mary Shelley novels rather than Alcott. Looking back through The York Press archives, your reviewer cannot find any past productions in York, the closest being a Lip Service parody, Very Little Women, that toured the Theatre Royal in October 2004.
“I can’t remember ever reading Little Women as a child, but Sue [Ryding] did, and she wept buckets,” said her late partner in spoofery, Maggie Fox. “She said we must do it some time, so I had to read it, and she was absolutely right: we just had to do it. It’s so sanctimonious, so twee…just awful…and they’re Americans.”
Helen Chong’s Amy March and Nikhil Singh Rai’s Theodore ‘Laurie’ Laurence in Little Women. Picture: Charlotte Graham
Hold your high horses. Maggie went on to say the satire was applied with “affection, and also respect for Alcott. She was one of the first woman writers to write about her own life and she was able to make a living out of writing. She was incredibly successful in her own lifetime.”
Anne-Marie Casey brings a similarly affectionate tone to her adaptation of the story of sensible Meg (Ainy Medina), tomboy and would-be novelist Jo (Freya Parks, from the 2024 BBC series This Town), vain, silly Amy (Helen Chong) and consumptive, piano-playing Beth (York actress Laura Soper, in her first Theatre Royal appearance since her professional debut in Swallows & Amazons in 2019).
Sanctimonious? Twee? Just awful? No, no, and thrice no. Very American, yes, but Casey does not stir even a spoonful of sugar into her account of the siblings’ journey from childhood to adulthood in the mid-19th century.
Instead, she combines humour with sadness, candour with kindness, storytelling with travelogue, all the while addressing the matter of a women’s role in society, amid the fractious relationships, the pursuit of love, the absence of the father on chaplaincy duty in the war and the need for matriarch Marmee (York actress Kate Hampson) to be a single mother in such stressful circumstances.
The power of the written word: Freya Parks’s Jo March and Kate Hampson’s Marmee in Little Women. Picture: Charlotte Graham
Against the backdrop of a divided America’s November 2024 presidential clash coming down to a regressive man versus a progressive woman, with polar opposite views on such matters as abortion, resonance is not hard to find in Little Women.
Albeit that marriage is still the end-all, although not the be-all for Jo, who symbolically takes the lead when dancing, a habit forged in dancing with her sisters but also testament to her determination to do her own thing. Best summed up in burning the back of her dress when standing too close to the fire.
Parks is the stand-out here, a fiery talent fast on the rise (she heads off to her next filming engagement as soon as Little Women ends). The last time your reviewer saw an actor on the York stage destined for the heights was when Sally Hawkins, fresh from drama school, played Juliet in Romeo And Juliet. Parks’s Jo is full of humour, vigour, pathos, impetuous urges, artistic intellect and resolute ambition. Love too.
Medina, Chong and especially Soper more than play their part too, and there is a theatrical grace to the ailing Beth’s scene with Jo, culminating in an exit in white for Beth that symbolises the passing into death: a moment that film could not do so elegiacally or indeed so sparingly.
Clashing opinions: Freya Parks’s Jo March and Caroline Gruber’s Aunt March in Little Women. Picture: Charlotte Graham
Hampson’s Marmee is firm but as fair as her hair, always urging her daughters to maximise their talents, whether for music, dress-making, art or writing, equal in her love and counsel for each, but away from their gaze, sadness at her husband being away permeates the glowing surface.
A scene stealer emerges in Caroline Gruber’s match-making Aunt March, the Lady Bracknell of the piece with her waspish tongue, snobbery and insistent interventions.
And what of the men? Nikhil Singh Rai’s Theodore ‘Laurie’ Laurence is the handsome, elegant, well-mannered, fun-loving prankster and foil for Jo, with the devilish player streak below that smart, engaging, enquiring posh-boy, privileged surface. Hard to resist, like a matinee idol, you might say. Later, such a type would be found in a Tennessee Williams play.
Jack Ashton reveals the importance of being earnest in not one but two roles as men with academic minds, serious intentions and not much income: firstly John Brooke, Meg’s devoted tutor; then the Teutonic professor, Bhaer, who could have been borrowed from a Chekhov or Ibsen play.
Jack Ashton in rehearsal for his role as Professor Bhaer in Little Women
Forster’s direction brings out the nuances in all these performances, never over-stating anything, but letting the power of storytelling take grip, whether in the first act, where the action is concentrated in the March house, save for a skating accident depicted with clever use of lighting by Jane Lalljee, or the second, where Amy goes travelling in Europe and Jo heads to New York to begin penning her sensationalist stories.
Ruari Murchison’s set design, first used in Pitlochry Theatre Festival’s production, is first class too, making expressive use of curtains, wooden furniture and in particular silver birch tree trunks, sometimes used for hanging a coat to convey a transition from outdoors to indoors. Her costumes delight too, as do Erin Carter’s movement direction and the sisters’ singing in harmony by the piano.
Freya Parks. Remember that name. A tall woman amid Little Women, making a big impact, with a stellar career ahead.
Little Women, presented by York Theatre Royal in association with Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Scotland, at York Theatre Royal, until October 12. Performances: 7.30pm, September 27 and 28, October 1, 3, 5, 8 to 12; 2pm, October 2, 3 and 10; 2.30pm, September 28, October 5 and 12; 6.30pm, October 4 and 7; 7pm, October 2. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
