Category: Breaking News

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Stephen Joseph Theatre to reopen with The Greatest Play In The History Of The World

Is this The Greatest Play In The History Of The World…? Yes it is! Catch Julie Hesmondhalgh’s one-woman show at the SJT from May 18. York Theatre Royal and Hull Truck Theatres will follow

THE Stephen Joseph Theatre will reopen its doors to the public on May 17, with the first live show a day later.

Further ahead, the SJT summer season will begin with a new play by director emeritus Sir Alan Ayckbourn but the title and dates are yet to be confirmed.

Under the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown, pending the latest pandemic data, entertainment venues can play to Covid-secure limited capacities to allow for social distancing from May 17.

The reopening show, from May 18 to 22, will be the first dates of the debut UK tour of The Greatest Play In The History Of The World, a one-woman show written by the Bruntwood Award-winning Ian Kershaw for his wife, the former Coronation Street and Broadchurch star Julie Hesmondhalgh.

The SJT programme of live theatre will be announced for the summer and autumn next month. The SJT cinema programme in The McCarthy will re-start from Tuesday, May 25; full details will be released shortly.

Having taken over the first-floor lounge bar last August, Eat Me Café will continue its residency until at least the autumn, open Mondays to Saturdays from 10am, with last orders at 6.30pm, Mondays to Wednesdays, and at 7.30pm, Thursdays to Saturdays. All the usual Covid restrictions will be in place.

The SJT’s joint chief executives, Paul Robinson and Caroline Routh, say: “We can’t wait to open our doors again to our wonderful audiences. We know from their messages how much they’re missing being in the building for live theatre, films and the Eat Me Café.

“We’ll be keeping all the Covid security measures that made them feel so safe when we reopened briefly last year in place for quite some time. These will include temperature checks and hand sanitising on entry, social distancing everywhere in the building, and regular ‘fogging’, or safe disinfecting, of both auditoria in between shows or films.”

“We can’t wait to open our doors again to our wonderful audiences,” says SJT joint chief executives Paul Robinson and Caroline Routh. Picture: Tony Bartholomew

Martyn Hyde and Stephen Dinardo, owners of Eat Me Café, say: “We’re absolutely delighted to continue our residence at the SJT. It’s a great space.”

Like all other British theatres, the SJT closed its doors suddenly when the first lockdown was announced last March, reopening in August with rigorous safety procedures in place.

After the second closure was imposed in November, the SJT was able to re-open in time to present its Christmas show, Nick Lane’s The Snow Queen, starring Polly Lister throughout December, but the doors have since remained shut throughout 2021.

Whet the lips for The Greatest Play In The History Of The World, set to be staged in the Round at 7.30pm from May 18 to 22, plus 1.30pm on May 20 and 2.30pm on May 22.  

After the 2018 Edinburgh Fringe premiere at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, the play transferred to Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre Studio in September 2018 and later to London’s West End.

Winner of The Stage Edinburgh Award in 2018, Raz Shaw’s production has been adapted especially for the Covid-safe tour in light of these pandemic times and performances will be housed in the larger spaces of each theatre. 

Kershaw’s play heads out on a heartfelt journey that starts and ends in a small, unassuming house on a quiet suburban road, as Hesmondhalgh narrates the story of two neighbours and the people on their street, navigating the audience through the nuances of life, the possibilities of science and the meaning of love. 

“A man wakes in the middle of the night to discover that the world has stopped,” explains Kershaw, who has written for Coronation Street, Cold Feet and Shameless. “Through the crack in his bedroom curtains, he can see no signs of life at all, other than a light in the house opposite where a woman in an over-sized Bowie T-shirt stands, looking back at him.”

“A beautiful play that shows us, the human race, in all its glorious messiness, confusion and joy,” says Julie Hesmondhalgh of The Greatest Play In The History Of The World…

Recalling the play’s roots, Hesmondhalgh says: “I had a notion, a romantic notion, that my husband, the writer Ian Kershaw, should write a one-woman show for me and we could tour it together into our dotage, like travelling troubadours (or something).

“A couple of Christmases ago, Ian kept disappearing to the cellar for an hour at a time, wrapping presents maybe, I thought. And then he presented me with this lovely thing. 

“A beautiful play, a love story, but a universal one – literally! – about learning in time what matters in the end, about leaving a mark on the world – and maybe beyond – that shows us, the human race, in all its glorious messiness, confusion and joy.

“It was the best present I ever got. In these dark and confusing times, it offers a bit of love and light as we enter 2021 with fresh hope.”

Dates for the rearranged tour will be announced for York Theatre Royal and Hull Truck Theatre too.

Chief executive Tom Bird had pencilled in announcing the Theatre Royal’s reopening plans today or tomorrow, but the launch of The Love Season is on hold until further notice. The Theatre Royal will be applying for a grant from the £300 million third tranche of Culture Recovery Fund funding announced by Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden.

Tickets for The Greatest Play In The History Of The World…at the SJT cost £10 upwards on 01723 370541 or at sjt.uk.com.

Socially distanced arrangement at the Stephen Joseph Theatre from May 17:

FOR the first show, The Greatest Play In The History Of The World…, regulations will be as they were in the autumn and for the Christmas show: the two-metre rule will apply and the nature of the show means the audience will be on three sides, with a capacity of 80.

The SJT is working on the way ahead, when Government regulations will allow audiences of up to 50 per cent of capacity: 202 in the full Round. “We will certainly be continuing to operate with social distancing for the foreseeable future,” says press officer Jeannie Swales.

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The Shires move York Barbican date…again

York-Shires: Crissie Rhodes and Ben Earle move their Barbican concert again

COUNTRY duo The Shires are rescheduling their May 23 show at York Barbican for May 6 2022.

All tickets remain valid for the new date, but ticket holders are advised to contact their point of purchase if they have any questions.

Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes, Britain’s best-selling country act, had first moved their York show from May 20 2020 to November 1 2020, but the pandemic continues to play havoc with the best-laid plans of Crissie and Ben.

York Barbican is the only Yorkshire venue of their rearranged 25-date tour, when they are billed to be joined by Texan country singer and songwriter Eric Paslay. 

The first Brits to win Best International Act in the American Country Music Association awards, Earle and Rhodes released their fourth album, Good Years, in this anything but good times on March 13 2020, reaching number three in the charts.

As with their past albums, 2015’s Brave, 2016’s My Universe and 2018’s Accidentally On Purpose, the recording sessions took place in Nashville, Tennessee.

“We are so excited to be releasing Good Years,” said Earle and Rhodes last spring. “Honesty and storytelling have always been such an important part of our song-writing. We’ve poured some of the incredible experiences and life we’ve lived into these songs.

“We can’t wait to play these live across the country. The songs mean so much to us personally, but there really is nothing like looking out at our fans in the crowd and seeing how much of an impact they can have in someone else’s life. It’s truly a very special thing”.

The Shires last played York Barbican in May 2018 and performed a headline set at Pocklington’s Platform Festival at The Old Station in July 2019 .

For an update on ticket availability for May 6 2022, go to: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

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Lancaster duo The Lovely Eggs reschedule York gig at The Crescent for May next year

The Lovely Eggs: The Crescent awaits…in May 2022

THE Lovely Eggs will play The Crescent, York, on May 29 next year after reorganising the gig for a second time.

The Lancaster lo-fi psychedelic punk rock band had rescheduled their York date already from February to summer 2021.

Married couple Holly Ross and David Blackwell last released an album in April 2020 when I Am Moron went straight to number one in the UK Independent Album Chart.

“The response to I Am Moron blew us away and we couldn’t wait to get on tour and play the songs live”, said Holly last year.

“We just can’t wait to play live again,” echoed David. “We’re really looking forward to playing all the songs off I am Moron. This is a way of life for us.”

The duo run a Lovely Eggs WhatsApp Lockdown group for supporters to offer support and a friendly ear to anyone struggling during the pandemic. “We’ve just got to try and get through this together” said Holly.

“We set up one What’sApp Group and it was oversubscribed, so we had to set up another. Our fans have always been there for us and it’s important at this time that we are there for them.”

The Lovely Eggs’ York concert is promoted by Please Please You and The Brudenell; tickets cost £15 online via seetickets.com.

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Prior engagement changes as Steeleye Span put back Pocklington gig to May 2022

Steeleye Span: 50th anniversary tour date at Pocklington Arts Centre is on the move

FOLK legends Steeleye Span are moving their May 7 show at Pocklington Arts Centre to May 5 2022 in a further delay to their 50th anniversary tour.

Those golden celebrations should have taken place from 2020 onwards but the pandemic ruled out the original Pocklington date in 2021 and now the rearranged tour is being put back to next year.

Pocklington Arts Centre (PAC) will be among the smallest venues on the 2022 itinerary, when the seven-piece band, fronted by Maddy Prior, will complement key songs from their ground-breaking June 1970 debut album, Hark The Village Wait, with familiar career favourites.

PAC director Janet Farmer says: “We were, of course, disappointed that Steeleye Span were unable to perform as part of our 20th anniversary programme of live events last year, but we are incredibly excited to be able to bring the legendary band to Pocklington next year for a night of celebration filled with some absolute gems from their famous first album. 

“Things may have been delayed due to the pandemic, but it will absolutely be worth the wait.”

Next year’s concert will be Maddy’s second visit to PAC after appearing there more than a decade ago, billed as Maddy Prior & Friends.

Tickets for Steeleye Span’s 8pm gig are on sale at £35 at pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk. Visit the website too to keep up to date with PAC’s planned live events once reopening is permitted.

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UB40’s Ali & Astro move Scarborough Open Air Theatre gig from June to August

UB40, featuring Ali Campbell & Astro: New date for Scarborough show

UB40, featuring Ali Campbell & Astro, is the first concert of the Scarborough Open Air Theatre summer season to be rearranged after the Government’s roadmap roll-out.

The Birmingham reggae-pop stalwarts will play on August 28, switched from June 19, with tickets remaining valid.

Promoters Cuffe & Taylor say: “We now have a roadmap for live shows to return and we cannot wait to welcome audiences back to Scarborough OAT this summer. However, due to new Government guidelines, a number of shows scheduled to take place before June 21 will need to be rescheduled.

“Rest assured we are working with artists to find alternative dates for these shows, so please bear with us and we will announce further details very soon. Take care and stay safe x.”

Should pandemic lockdown-easement measures be lifted fully on June 21, the other concerts now in need of a new date are Crowded House on June 8; Lionel Richie, June 12; The Beach Boys, June 13 and RuPaul’s Drag Race: Werq The World, June 20.

In the Scarborough OAT diary for this summer too are Bryan Adams on July 1; Snow Patrol, July 3; Duran Duran, July 7; Keane, July 9; Olly Murs, July 10; Kaiser Chiefs, July 11; Lewis Capaldi, July 25; Westlife, August 17, and Nile Rodgers & Chic August 20.

UB40 founding members Campbell and Astro, re-united seven years ago and will play with a seven-piece band on their second visit to the Yorkshire coast, following their 2017 debut.

They have been active during the pandemic-enforced hiatus, writing songs for their forthcoming album and reassembling their touring band remotely to record a lockdown single, a poignant cover of the late Bill Withers’ Lean On Me, in aid of NHS Charities Together.

Campbell and Astro will return to the road in 2021 with bassist Colin McNeish, guitarist Winston Delandro, keyboardist Michael Martin, drummer Paul Slowly, backing singer Matt Hoy and a brass section of trumpeter Colin Graham and saxophonist Winston Rose.

A handful of new songs will complement multiple UB40 classics, notably King, a hymn to the legacy of American Civil Rights leader Dr Martin Luther King and One In Ten, a paean to the rising tide of unemployment in Margaret Thatcher’s Britain, both as resonant today as they were when first sung in 1980 and 1981.

Campbell says: “We wrote King 40 years ago, but it’s still representative of what’s happening in America. It’s depressing that nothing has changed. It’s the same with One In Ten in the UK. With the impact the Coronavirus could have on jobs, we could soon be looking at unemployment figures on a par with the early Eighties.”

Campbell adds: “Those songs will feature in a show we’ve been honing for the past 12 years. We’ll always play the classics, like Red Red Wine and (I Can’t Help) Falling In Love With You, but we like to change the beginning and end of the show.

“We’ll play Lean On Me and maybe add three or four new songs. The band members are all fantastic musicians and we’ve climbed back up to the biggest venues.”

Tickets for the Scarborough OAT season are on sale at scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.

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Stephen Joseph Theatre joins up with Children’s University for online workshops

Hands up for the Children’s University online workshops led by Ernest Acquah

THE Stephen Joseph Theatre is teaming up with the Scarborough & North Yorkshire Children’s University to present exciting and entertaining online versions of their after-school clubs.

Three sets of four workshops, separately covering dance, drama and junk band music, are available from the Children’s University’s Vimeo channel and via the Scarborough theatre and the university’s social media.

Aimed at children aged five to 11, the lively and fun 15-minute workshops will be led by regular tutors Clare Maxwell (dance) and Ernest Acquah (drama and junk band music) and will count towards learning hours in a Children’s University passport.

Cheryl Govan, the SJT’s associate director for children and young people, says: “These are join-in, fun taster sessions: young people can pick when they want to do them and whether to do all of them or just one or two, if they prefer. They’re lively and a great way to try something new at home and maybe encourage children to have a go in ‘real life’ when we can.

“The SJT is a learning destination for the Children’s University and we’ve been running after-school clubs with them for several years now. This is a great way to continue them at the moment and reach even more children.”

Richard Adams, outreach officer for the University of Hull, hosts of the Scarborough Children’s University, says: “Watching and taking part in these videos counts towards learning hours in their passports for those participating in Children’s University through local schools, but also for children from any area in the UK where the Children’s University operates.

“They are also available for any individual child, whether they are part of a participating school or not.

“This programme forms part of a wider outreach Covid response for North Yorkshire coast schools and colleges by the University of Hull, which includes online after-school clubs in a range of subjects, alongside progression support throughout secondary and college year groups.”

Ernest Acquah works at the SJT in stage and production support, creating props, looking after actors and stage-managing shows behind the scenes. He is a sound designer too, also composing music and creating sounds for various productions.

He has run youth theatre groups at the SJT, teaching drama skills and directing plays with young people.

Clare Maxwell is a dance and drama teacher who works with the Stephen Joseph Theatre. She teaches children of all ages all over Scarborough in schools, after-school clubs, in the theatre, for shows and now on video.

The Children’s University charity works in partnership with schools to develop a love of learning in children by encouraging and celebrating participation in extra-curricular activities in and outside of school. For more information, go to: childrensuniversity.co.uk.

The videos can be found at: https://www.childrensuniversity.co.uk/activities/8657

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Echo & The Bunnymen rearrange Leeds and Sheffield shows for next February

Echo & The Bunnymen’s Ian McCulloch and Will Sergeant

ECHO & The Bunnymen are rescheduling their May and June itinerary for next year, now opening the tour with two Yorkshire shows on February 1 2022 at Sheffield City Hall and the next night at Leeds O2 Academy.

All tickets for the 20 dates remain valid as influential Liverpool legends Ian McCulloch and Will Sergeant look forward to celebrating their 43-year career, with its 13 Top 40 singles, such as The Back Of Love, The Cutter, The Killing Moon, Bring On The Dancing Horses and Nothing Lasts Forever, and nine Top 40 albums, the latest being The Stars, The Oceans & The Moon, in October 2018.

Frontman McCulloch, 61, says: “Well then, here are the rescheduled dates for our 2022 UK tour. I can’t wait to be out there with the band on all those stages in all those towns and cities, doing what I love most, playing our songs to our brilliant fans and, hopefully, making all our lives a little bit happier along the way”.Tickets are still available at: http://gigst.rs/EATB.

The poster for Echo & The Bunnymen’s rearranged tour
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Rapper slowthai heads to Leeds next March on Hell Is Home tour after topping charts

Arrowing experience: Rapper slowthai’s latest publicity shot. Picture: Crowns & Owls

CHART-TOPPING rapper slowthai will play the Refectory, University of Leeds, on March 18 2022 on his Hell Is Home tour.

Last Friday, he had the rapper’s delight of his second album, Tyron, entering both the UK album chart and UK vinyl chart at number one, already selling more than double the units of his May 2019 debut, Nothing Great About Britain.

A stand-out from Tyron being championed by fans is the affecting album closer, adhd, where slowthai “digs deep and finds untold courage to expose the inner workings of his mind”.

The video is a counterpoint to the commotion caused by those for singles Cancelled and Vex, finding Northampton-born slowthai, 26, in a contemplative space: a one-take shot of him with a city-scape backdrop, feeling distant from the noise and bustle of the world. To watch adhd, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAYNdjIqcFA.

Tickets for slowthai’s Leeds gig, one of 12 dates on next year’s tour, will go on general sale on Friday (5/3/2021) via slowthai.com.

Did you know?

Tyron takes its title from slowthai’s name, Tyron Kaymone Frampton.

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Ryedale council funding boost to make Malton’s Milton Rooms a 21st century venue

A socially distanced audience at the Milton Rooms, Malton, in 2020

THE ambitious programme to transform the Milton Rooms in Malton into a “21st century community and arts venue” is to be boosted by £193,000 funding from Ryedale District Council.

The grant was confirmed at last Thursday’s meeting of the full council, prompting chairman of trustees Ray King to say: “We are grateful for what is the first major investment in the Milton Rooms, probably since it was built in the 1930s, and the money will be focused on key infrastructure areas that our local community and audiences have identified as being issues.”

Welcoming the kick-start funding, King says: “It will allow us to upgrade toilet areas, further address the access challenges that a building of this age presents and look at improving the overall fabric and technical facilities to prepare it for reopening after Covid restrictions are fully lifted.

“But, at the same time, the trustees recognise that this has to be regarded as simply the first in a new phase of investment to transform the building into a 21st century community and arts venue and we are constantly looking for additional funding from a range of sources.

“I believe this funding is also a recognition of the tremendous work that has been put in by the dedicated volunteers past and present, who have kept this iconic building open and available to all.’’

At an earlier meeting, on February 18, Ryedale District Council voted to ring-fence £307,000 in this year’s budget for the Milton Rooms to carry out further improvement work to bring it up to standard as a top-class venue for the 2020s.

The money will be released only for fully costed projects agreed by the Milton Rooms committee and the council and its officers. 

King says: “While we are delighted to receive the £193,000, the hard work starts now in developing a business plan to access the further funds and so make the Milton Rooms an even more attractive venue for the community to use and enjoy.’’

Run as a charitable company, mainly by volunteers, the Milton Rooms has just had its Covid-safe accreditation extended for 2021 by British tourism body Visit Britain.

Venue manager Lisa Rich says: “We always welcome new volunteers to the team, particularly any with experience of the technical side of arts production and presentation, so please make contact by emailing info@themiltonrooms.com, should you have a few spare hours.’’

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James release “sweet 16th” album All The Colours Of You in June ahead of Leeds gig

Time to go surfing again: James frontman Tim Booth looks forward to riding the wave of crowd adulation once more at Leeds First Direct Arena in November

JAMES are to release their “sweet 16th” studio album, All The Colours Of You, on June 4.

Billed as a “miraculous conception” by Clifford-born frontman Tim Booth, it was recorded in part before the Covid pandemic struck, with the Grammy award-winning Jacknife Lee on production duties with the Manchester band for the first time.

Lee has been at the desk previously for U2, REM, Taylor Swift, Snow Patrol and The Killers, and has brought a fresh approach to James’s sound. Working remotely from his studio, he liaised with vocalist Booth, his neighbour in Topanga Canyon, California, and bassist Jim Glennie in the Scottish Highlands, reimagining their demos and capturing the band in all their virtual glory.

“The result is a record with the most arena-ready and fresh tracks of their 38-year career; the sound of one of Britain’s best bands deconstructed and reassembled by one of the world’s most renowned producers,” proclaims the press release.

The artwork for James’s 16th studio album, All The Colours Of You, blooming in June

Booth says: “With all the s**t that went down in 2020, this was a miraculous conception and another big jump forward for us on the back of the last three albums. I hope it reflects the colours of these crazy times. Sweet sixteen is a proper album, no fillers and is up there with our best. With love, Tim.”

Glennie is pleased, proud and surprised by the record in equal measure. “Jacknife has pushed us and the songs somewhere new and it’s very exciting,” he says. “After all these years, we are still challenging ourselves and our fans. Enjoy.”

All The Colours Of You follows last December’s release of Live In Extraordinary Times, a live double album and DVD with a title twist on their 2018 studio set, Living In Extraordinary Times.

“As requested by many lovers of the band – a live DVD and album to capture the spirit of the gigs of the last few years,” said Booth at the time. “Hopefully, this will help us through the long nights of lockdown – reliving these gatherings of intimacy and passion. Thank you for coming along for the ride in the crazy world of James.”

“Hopefully, this will help us through the long nights of lockdown,” said Tim Booth, when James released their live double album, Live In Extraordinary Times, last December

All The Colours Of You will be James’s first album since being signed by joint managing directors Jim Chancellor and Mike Roe to  Virgin Music Label & Artists Services, formerly Caroline International.

They have a new publishing home too in Kobalt Music, these changes “reinforcing the endless and restless ambition they have” as they approach their fourth decade as a band. 

The track listing will be: ZERO; All The Colours Of You; Recover; Beautiful Beaches; Wherever It Takes Us; Hush; Miss America; Getting Myself Into; Magic Bus; Isabella and XYST.

From the first line on ZERO – “We’re all gonna die” – Booth addresses difficult subjects throughout the 11 tracks, with themes ranging from politics and climate change to dealing with the loss of a loved one during the pandemic.

James: Touring in the autumn in a maverick Manchester double bill with Happy Mondays

Miss America examines that disunited country’s tarnished image through the eyes of a beauty pageant (“Miss America’s wearing thin, she’s all tiaras and glamour”), while Beautiful Beaches focuses on the fires that ravaged California and follows a vision Booth had of an earthquake that caused his family to flee for refuge (“That life we left behind, we’re racing down to those beautiful beaches”). 

The title-track first single tackles the Trump years head on. Based in the USA for many years, Booth, 61, has witnessed at first hand the divisiveness and hatred stoked by the former President. Highlighting the sharp rise of white supremacy during Trump’s four years in office, the song nevertheless ultimately offers hope of a new and brighter future with the refrain “Love all the colours, all the colours of you”.

Recover, the album’s most poignant and delicate song, deals with the death of Tim’s father-in-law from Covid-19 in the UK. Uplifting and joyful in honouring a loved one’s legacy and spirit, it offers a celebration of life, not the sadness of death, affirming that “We will remember how to pass your spirit on”.

All The Colours Of You will be available in myriad formats: standard CD; D2C deluxe CD with bonus artwork, photos and pictures in a DVD hardback book package; standard LP; D2C deluxe LP on swirl coloured vinyl; D2C deluxe LP on picture-disc vinyl; indies and HMV deluxe LP on multi-coloured vinyl and even on cassette. Pre-orders can be made at: https://james.lnk.to/AllTheColoursOfYouSo.

The tour poster to accompany last November’s announcement of James and Happy Mondays’ 2021 itinerary

James will open their seven-date 2021 tour at Leeds First Direct Arena on November 25, supported by fellow Manchester maverick institution Happy Mondays. “Soo looking forward to seeing you,” said Booth, when announcing the gigs last November on Twitter and at wearejames.com. “We’re playing with the brilliant Happy Mondays. Last played with them in 1988, hopefully this time they won’t steal our rider or try and spike my drink…”

The tour has sold faster than any previous James tour, chalking up 60,000 ticket sales for shows in Leeds, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Dublin, Manchester and London. Remaining tickets are available at: https://wearejames.com/live/

In the summer, James will headline the Saturday bill at Deer Shed Festival 11, confirmed to run from July 30 to August 1 at Baldersby Park, Topcliffe, near Thirsk. “In light of the recent Government unlocking roadmap, we are now working flat out to bring you an amazing festival,” say the festival team, led by director Oliver Jones.

“We will bring you the maximum possible fun in July and that currently looks like a full fat Deer Shed 11. The safety of everyone in attendance will always come first, and should circumstances change, none of our audience will lose out.” Tickets are available at https://www.deershedfestival.com/tickets/.