Filthy mouthed and fabulously fiendish: Shawna Hamic’s Ursula with her underwater co-stars in Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch
IN the introductory words of Robyn Grant & Daniel Foxx (book & lyrics) and Tim Gilvin (music), Ursula is “the baddest bitch in the ocean and the undisputed Queen of Villains. A businesswoman. Plus-size and proud. Her hair is big, her chutzpah bigger and yet her screentime is woefully small”.
Cue Unfortunate, her frank, fruity, fabulously rude riposte to Disney’s disservice to a devilish diva deserving of centre stage in The Little Mermaid, one allegedly inspired by Divine, the Baltimore actor, singer and drag queen, of Hairspray fame, but so much more so in The Untold Story of Ursula The Sea Witch.
This is Ursula in “all her octo-glory”, as New York actress Shawna Hamic describes her, revelling in her British theatre debut, now on tour after a ten-week London run. Part gossipy narrator, part mistress of ceremonies, totally outré queen of the potty-mouthed putdown, her Ursula is as lippy as pre-TV fame Lily Savage or Terence Stamp’s Bernadette Basenger in The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert.
Unfortunate was conceived one dark and stormy night in 2018 as Grant and Foxx discussed their favourite post-dinner topic: fabulous evil witches. In particular, Ursula. Brash, yes. Mean, a tad. But evil? Up for debate.
“Unapologetically fat, unapologetically loud and unapologetically hot; a caring mother to two gay eels and a connoisseur of the bold rep lip, Ursula is, if anything, a role model,” they contended.
River Medway’s Ariel and Shawna Hamic’s Ursula on the riverside in York
Leeds-born, East 15 Acting School-trained Grant always stood out as an original voice in her York theatrical performances, not least the Fat Rascal Theatre musicals she brought to the Theatre Royal Studio. One day, we may yet see her Mother Shipton show here, but who can predict when?!
By 2019, Grant was starring as Ursula in Unfortunate with six spindly whale bones and foam fish in a lecture theatre at the Edinburgh Fringe, since when this fearless musical parody has grown and grown into this fully formed touring version with a cast twice size of the original. New songs too.
The show is in very rude health indeed, still true to its original principles of wanting its “comedy to feel transgressive and naughty, the references punchy and queer, and the staging ambitious”, in the way that Hair, The Rocky Horror Show, Rent and Spring Awakening were once pioneering too.
Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead, Stephen Sondheim’s Into The Woods and Stephen Schwartz & Winnie Holzman’s Wicked have re-told stories with imaginative, inventive, radical, tables-turned brio previously. Now Unfortunate does likewise with delicious irreverence and a raft of colourful sea-world characters, who put the naughty into nautical with waspish, combative dialogue and an exuberant Gilvin score that revels in drag, disco, pop and musical theatre tropes, as varied and impactful as Six!
Robyn Grant: Director and co-writer of Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch
In a show that “celebrates the individual in a silly, joyful, beautifully chaotic explosion of fun and a chance to shine a light on those of us who didn’t make it to Disney”, not only Hamic’s “glorious monstrosity” shines.
Under Ursula’s dark magic, and through the prism of a riotously queer musical, the bubble of Disney’s animated stereotypes is pricked, each protagonist breaking free in full force as Atlantica goes absurdist, whether RuPaul’s Drag Race star River Medway’s imeptuous mermaid Ariel, Thomas Lowe’s rebellious Triton, Allie Dart’s Sebastian and better still Chef Louis, James Mawson’s fickle Prince Eric or Julian Capolei’s anything-but-grim Grimsby.
Abby Clarke’s ship-shape set, costumes and puppet designs add to the joy, as do Melody Sinclair’s snappy choreography and Arlene McNaught’s exuberant band, all steered with glee and ribaldry by director Grant.
She was always one to watch, and what a joy to see her riding the crest of a wave with Unfortunate, a camp cruise of sex, sorcery and suckers where, unlike around Britain’s coastline, only the humour, not the sea, is filthy.
Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch, Grand Opera House, York, 7.30pm tonight and Friday; 2.30pm, 7.30pm, Saturday. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Tiran Aakel, left, Stuart Vincent and Amar Aggoun in a kite-flying scene in The Kite Runner. Pictures: Barry Rivett
STUART Vincent was three weeks into his cover role on the 2020 tour of The Kite Runner when the Covid pandemic sent the world into lockdown.
“The tour got cancelled, including the possibility of going to America,” he recalls. “But then I was contacted in December, when they asked if I was available and if I’d like to come back for the new tour. I said I’d love to try out for one of the lead roles – how about Amir?”
Stuart auditioned successfully, graduating from understudying the villainous Assef to playing Amir on a tour that began in late-February and brings Californian university professor and playwright Matthew Spangler’s stage adaptation to York Theatre Royal for the first time since October 2014 next week.
Based on Khaled Hosseini’s novel, this haunting tale of friendship spans cultures and continents as it follows Amir’s journey to confront his past and find redemption. That past was in Afghanistan when the country was on the verge of war and best friends Amir and Hassan were soon to be torn apart on a beautiful afternoon in Kabul, when a terrible incident at a kite-flying tournament would shatter their lives forever.
Giles Croft’s production is as resonant as ever, given the fracturing of the overheated political world and its clashing cultures. “It really is prescient, and we get a beautiful response every time we step out on stage,” says Stuart. “The roars we receive, the standing ovations.”
The innocence of playing cowboys, of sharing mythical stories, will disappear as the boys – played by adults – become entangled in a web of betrayal and guilt in a male-dominated world of masters and servants, bullies and victims, where Amir’s blossoming talents as a writer are not appreciated by his macho father, Baba.
Reconciliation and redemption will come eventually, but what a terrible price has been paid, as Stuart’s Amir leads the story between his past and haunted present.
Childhood friends: Stuart Vincent’s Amir, left, and Yazdan Qafouri’s Hassanin The Kite Runner
“The character of Amir is difficult because he’s trying to make the right decisions, but they backfire on him, and he must then try to make things good again,” he says.
“As the audience follows his journey, they really get involved, especially with him talking directly to them over the two and a half hours.
“It’s been a challenge, for sure, with so much storytelling to do. In rehearsal, first of all you have learn all the lines and then there’s the other element of keeping the audience engaged at all times, and as an actor you put so much pressure on yourself to do that.
“But with the trust of the director [Giles Croft] and associate director [Damian Sandys], and the training I’ve been through, all you need to do is tell the story organically and really feel the lines.”
Stuart continues: “You don’t have to have loads of visuals, just fill it with emotion, as the writing paints with imagination, capturing what Afghanistan used to be like, painting that spectacle – how beautiful it once was.”
A sense of impotent rage, despair and frustration grows among audiences every time The Kite Runner goes on tour. “History is always repeating itself, with all these heartbreaking things that are happening in the world. Look back 50 years and you see the same things are happening again, everything that Hosseini’s characters are going through,” says Stuart.
Croft has assembled a multicultural cast. “We understand the issues of immigration and that culture, and that’s why it’s important to tell this story because it’s happening to us all,” says Stuart.
“This is a play for everyone, with so many themes,” says Stuart Vincent
“It may be about different cultures, but this is a play for everyone, with so many themes – love, brotherhood, betrayal, friendship and redemption – that everyone in the audience has been through and can relate to.
“Whether they’ve had a friendship that meant the world to them, or they made mistakes or had to redeem themselves.”
Stuart develops this theme further. “One of the things that I’ve been taught is that we are unique individuals, but at the same time we’re all the same, because we all go through these kinds of emotions. Take away the cultural differences, that’s what we can all relate to: love; how alive you feel, like a kid again sometimes.”
Now 34, Stuart reflects on the lasting impact of childhood friendships. “With those friendships, you have one hell of a wild imagination, with no sense of hazards or warnings,” he says.
“I remember climbing up walls, and standing on the top, fearless, whereas now I think about vertigo. As a child, you have no thoughts of health and safety; in your imagination, one minute you’re a cowboy, the next, an astronaut.
“When I go back to some of the things I did with my friends and my cousins when I was young, I think, ‘I wouldn’t do that now’.”
The Kite Runner, York Theatre Royal, June 18 to 22, 7.30pm plus 2pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
In Focus: Actor Bhavin Bhatt on playing villainous Assef in The Kite Runner
Bhavin Bhatt’s Assef in The Kite Runner
BHAVIN Bhatt never set out to be an actor. He was just another schoolboy before his acting potential was spotted by a teacher.
“I was 12 or 13 years old and there was an annual Christmas show at my school and people were thinking about auditioning,” he says. “I was umming and aahing when my drama teacher – with whom I’m still in touch – said to me after class, ‘I want you to audition’.
“I did audition and got one of the roles! One of the leads in a cast of about 40. One night the drama teacher and director said they were going to bring in some (acting) agencies because they felt there was a lot of talent there. Luckily enough I got signed up and have been working as an actor ever since.”
Bhavin arrives at York Theatre Royal on Tuesday on the latest British tour of The Kite Runner in the role of Assef, the one that won him the Best Newcomer award at the Asian Media Awards while he was in the West End production.
Bhavin sees Assef as more than the villain of the piece. “When you read the book or the script for the first time, he comes across as a rough-and-tough bully. But the detail, especially in the book, gets inside the mind of a psychopath,” he says.
“As the story goes on, you see all the stages and the full-on psychopath he becomes later on. There are so many nuances and small details that enable you to bring out from your physicality and voice the way you deliver the lines. That makes it so interesting for an actor to play.
“We have managed to add a comedy element into the story, which I think is completely needed,” says Bhavin
“The playwright has been just so genius with the way he’s put everything that’s in the book into the script.”
Bhavin’s first experience of the play was in a smaller role, which meant he saw another actor portraying Assef. Was that a help or a hindrance when he came to play him? Neither, he says. “The person playing the part was great, but when I got the chance to play Assef I chatted with the director and decided to start again from scratch.
“My performance didn’t have to be a copy or based on anyone else’s performance. It was beautiful to go through the rehearsal process, doing your own research.”
Returning for the 2024 tour has seen much the same approach of starting from scratch. This is Bhavin’s first villainous character: fun to play, but the rehearsal process, with the need to ‘get into the mind of a psychopath’, was challenging, he says.
Humour assists Giles Croft’s production, perhaps why it has proved, and is still proving, so popular on tour. “We have managed to add a comedy element into the story, which I think is completely needed,” says Bhavin. “We take audiences on a rollercoaster ride. They’re laughing out loud at one scene and then on the edge of their seat the next.”
Bhavin Bhatt’s Assef and Stuart Vincent’s Amirin The Kite Runner
He is enjoying touring again with The Kite Runner. “It takes you away from home, from family and friends, so you have to adjust as you can. We’re doing seven or eight shows a week, so you have to look after yourself physically and vocally,” he says.
“Every single show we have to keep fresh. It’s interesting as you go up and down the country and see how audiences in different parts of the country react in different ways.”
A previous 2020 tour was cut short by the pandemic lockdown but not before the production had played the Dubai Opera House. “That building was absolutely stunning and the production was received incredibly well there,” says Bhavin.
His pursuit of diverse roles has been, and still can be, difficult, he reveals. “I remember when I was applying to drama schools and the way I was treated wasn’t nice. Some very hurtful and racist comments were made towards me. I have always tried to push for diversity, not just for myself but other people,” he says.
“People opened doors for me, and I would like to leave a legacy of opening doors for other people. It’s been tough but I really hope it’s moving in the right way. I think it is but there’s so much more to be done.”
“Discovering the wonderful world inside a book”: Georgie Samuels’s Mum, left, Pierre Hanson-Johnson’s Charlie and Freya Stephenson’s Izzy in Little Angel Theatre’s Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book. Pictures: Brian Roberts
LITTLE Angel Theatre’s new adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book is booked into York Theatre Royal from today to Saturday.
The touring production for three to eight-year-olds reunites adaptors Barb Jungr and Samantha Lane – who also directs – after their Olivier-nominated collaboration on The Smartest Giant In Town, another picture book Donaldson and illustrator Scheffler published by Macmillan Children’s Books.
Charlie Cook loves reading, especially books about pirates, but his sister hates it. “It’s boring!” she protests. Can Charlie convince her that reading is fun? Perhaps if she read a book about a pirate, who is reading a book about Goldilocks, who is reading a book about a knight…
Little Angel Theatre invites you to delve into a range of books with Charlie, brought to life with puppetry and enchanting songs, and “maybe you will be able to help his sister discover the wonderful world inside a book”.
Pierre Hanson-Johnson’s Charlie in Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book, on tour at York Theatre Royal from today to Saturday
“I am delighted that Little Angel Theatre has adapted Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book for the stage,” says Julia Donaldson. “It is a book that celebrates the joy of reading in many forms: books, magazines and even encyclopaedias.
“It is a book within a book within a book – in fact in there are 11 books in total – complete with pirates, ghosts, dragons and aliens, to name a few. I am excited that the story has moved from page to stage, complete with puppets and songs, and that the production will travel across the UK this year.”
Axel Scheffler adds: “Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book is very different to the other stories by Julia that I have illustrated, as it is made up of many stories in one book. I enjoyed illustrating the different genres and creating the various characters, and it is great to see my illustrations now come to life on the stage.
“Animal puppets appear out of their individual books as their stories happen”: A scene from Little Angel Theatre’s Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book
“Little Angel Theatre’s clever production team has designed and created animal puppets that actually appear out of their individual books as their stories happen, which is such a brilliant idea. I am delighted to see Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book come to life on stage and I know that all our readers, young and old, will enjoy this production.”
Little Angel Theatre, The Lowry and Rose Theatre, Kingston, present Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book, York Theatre Royal, today, 4.30pm; tomorrow, 10.30am (relaxed performance), 1pm, 4.30pm; Saturday, 10.30am, 1.30pm, 3.30pm. Age guidance: three to eight. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk
Did you know?
GEORGIE Samuels, a familiar face around the Yorkshire cultural scene, such as when she was events manager at Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre, is making her professional stage debut as Mum in Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book after studying for a BA Hons in Acting at Leeds Conservatoire.
Georgie Samuels, right, in her professional stage debut as Mum in Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book
What’s All The Fuss About?, Will Palmer’s photo of Arctic walrus Thor on the Scarborough harbour slipway, from the British Wildlife Photography Awards exhibition at Nunnington Hall. Courtesy of National Trust
WILDLIFE photography, Rodgers and Hammerstein romance, a Strictly couple and a Scottish double bill send June into full bloom for Charles Hutchinson.
Ryedale exhibition of the week: British Wildlife Photography Awards, Nunnington Hall, Nunnington, near Helmsley, until July 7
CELEBRATING the diversity of British wildlife and wild spaces, this exhibition aims to raise awareness of British biodiversity, species and habitats. On display are award-winning images selected from 14,000 entries in more than a dozen categories, including film and three for juniors.
Look out for What’s All The Fuss About?, taken by Scarborough photographer Will Palmer, who captured the headline-making Arctic walrus, Thor, when resting ashore on the harbour slipway cobbles on December 31 2022. Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10.30am to 5pm; last entry at 4.15pm. Tickets: nationaltrust.org.uk/nunnington-hall.
Courtney Broan’s Ado Annie in Pickering Musical Society’s Oklahoma! at the Kirk Theatre, Pickering
American classic of the week: Pickering Musical Society in Oklahoma!, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, running until Saturday, 7.30pm and 2.30pm Saturday matinee
LUKE Arnold directs Pickering Musical Society in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1943 love story of Curly (Marcus Burnside) and Laurie (Rachel Anderson), set in the sweeping landscapes of the American heartland.
Further roles go to Courtney Broan as Ado Annie, Stephen Temple as Will Parker, Michael O’Brien as Mr Carnes and Rick Switzer-Green as Ali Hakim, joined by dancers from the Sarah Louise Ashworth School of Dance. Box office: 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk.
Nadiya & Kai: Strictly dancers venture Behind The Magic at York Barbican
Dance show of the week: Nadiya & Kai , Behind The Magic, York Barbican, Friday, 7.30pm
STRICTLY Come Dancing professionals Nadiya Bychkova and Kai Widdrington go Behind The Magic on a journey through the world of dance, from childhood memories and competition days, to dancing on Strictly and beyond.
The Ukraine-Southampton couple and their cast will be highlighting the influence of 20th century dance legends, creatives and artists alike. Expect “fabulous outfits, wonderful music and sensational dancing”. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Ceramicist Emily Stubbs: Exhibiting with sister Amy and father Christopher in Stubbs3 – Canvas, Clay and Cloth at Pyramid Gallery, York
Family exhibition of the week:Stubbs3 – Canvas, Clay and Cloth, Pyramid Gallery, Stonegate, York, June 15 to August 3
FAMILY artistry unites in Stubbs3 – Canvas, Clay and Cloth, a unique exhibition featuring works by sisters Emily Stubbs and Amy Stubbs, regular participants in York Open Studios, alongside their father, Christopher Stubbs, from Hepworth, West Yorkshire.
Their first-ever joint showcase brings together diverse artistic media in a celebration of family creativity. Contemporary ceramicist Emily Stubbs works from PICA Studios, in Grape Lane; Amy specialises in textile and surface pattern design in a range of homeware and wearable art; Christopher will be exhibiting framed paintings and sketches. All three will attend Saturday’s launch in a Meet The Artists session from 12 noon to 2pm.
Amy Stubbs: Homeware and wearable art
Vintage gig of the week: Ben Beattie’s After Midnight Band, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 8pm
BEN Beattie’s After Midnight Band celebrate the greats and the lesser known, from honking jump blues to hypnotic Latin beats, joyous African township sounds to the smoky jazz normally to be found in a Chicago speakeasy at 3am. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Ben Beattie: Heading to Helmsley with the After Midnight Band
Film music of the week: A Tribute To Hans Zimmer and Film Favourites Illuminated, Grand Opera House, York, Sunday, 3.30pm and 7pm
EXPERIENCE cinema’s most iconic soundtracks performed by the London Film Music Orchestra in an immersive tribute to Hans Zimmer and more besides in an immersive illuminated setting.
The chamber orchestra will be performing music from Harry Potter, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Gladiator, E.T., Pirates Of The Caribbean, Jaws, Interstellar, Indiana Jones, Schindler’s List and Inception. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Simple Minds in Scarborough: Charlie Burchill, left, and Jim Kerr are off to the Yorkshire coast on Tuesday. Picture: Dean Chalkley
Coastal gig of the week: Simple Minds and special guests Del Amitri, Scarborough Open Air Theatre, June 18; gates open at 6pm
SOMEONE somewhere in summertime, namely Simple Minds in Scarborough on Tuesday, finds Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill’s band revisiting such hits as Promised You A Miracle, Glittering Prize, Alive And Kicking, Sanctify Yourself, Don’t You Forget About Me and, aptly for Scarborough, Waterfront.
Opening the Scottish double bill will be fellow Glaswegians Del Amitri, led as ever by Justin Currie. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com/simpleminds.
Wannabe: Spicing up the Grand Opera House, York
York tribute show of the week: Wannabe – The Spice Girls Musical, Grand Opera House, York, June 20, 7.30pm
WANNABE, the “world’s longest-running” Spice Girls tribute stage production, celebrates three decades of girl power in a nostalgic journey through the Spice World.
The show charts the English girl group’s meteoric rise, from July 1996’s debut number one, Wannabe, to Scary, Sporty, Baby, Ginger and Posh’s reunion at the 2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremony. Expect “meticulously crafted costumes, unique vocal and musical arrangements exclusive to Wannabe, iconic dance routines and stunning visual flair”. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Tim Ainslie: Leading his three-piece band in Malton
Blues gig of the month: Ryedale Blues Club, Tim Ainslie and The Vibes, Milton Rooms, Malton, June 27, 8pm
TIM Ainslie and The Vibes head up to Malton from Suffolk for a night of blues, jazz and funk, crossing over into country and rock too, making it hard to pigeonhole his three-piece’s style.
Ainslie, who turned professional in 1997, will be showcasing his original material and guitar-playing prowess that has seen him tour home and abroad with Steamboat To Chicago, Steel Street, Swagger, Groove Doctors, Delta Groove and American guitaristsBuddy WhittingtonandLightnin’ Willie. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
The poster artwork for Rick Witter and Paul Banks’s acoustic Shed Seven gigs at Huntington Working Men’s Club in December
Show announcement of the week: Shed Seven’s Rick Witter and Paul Banks, Huntington Working Men’s Club, York, December 21 and 22
RENASCENT York band Shed Seven will end their 30th anniversary celebrations with a brace of intimate acoustic concerts by frontman Rick Witter and guitarist Paul Banks at Huntington WMC, supported by a DJ set by Sheds’ bassist Tom Gladwin.
Tickets will go on sale at 9am today (12/6/2024) for these homecoming gigs: the York postscript to the Sheds’ 23-date 30th Anniversary Tour, their biggest ever “Shedcember” itinerary from November 14 to December 14. Box office: store.shedseven.com.
Tempest Wisdom: Writer, director, performer and teaching artist
TEMPEST Wisdom, York theatre-maker and educator, will direct York Shakespeare Project’s autumn production of The Two Gentlemen Of Verona at Theatre@41, 41 Monkgate, York.
Chair Tony Froud says: “Tempest [they/them] emerged from a strong field of applicants to direct the play. Their imagination, infectious enthusiasm and love of Shakespeare won the day. I cannot wait to see their production.”
Since moving to York in 2021, Tempest has made their mark with their work for York Theatre Royal Youth Theatre and as assistant director for York Theatre Royal and the Royal Shakespeare Company’s New Plays Festival, as well as in numerous stage appearances.
This year, they directed Jules Risingham’s Anorak in Next Door But One’s Yorkshire Trios at York Theatre Royal Studio and appeared in Shakespeare Speakeasy at Theatre@41 and Wittenberg Revisited, as part of the 2024 York International Shakespeare Festival.
Look out too for Tempest as the writer, producer and MC of Bard At The Bar, the bi-monthly “Shakespeare karaoke” readings at the Micklegate Social bar.
“I have exciting plans for the production, set in a Victorian music hall,” says Tempest. “I’m looking for a diverse and multi-talented ensemble of lively actors to bring Shakespeare’s comedy to life for a contemporary audience.”
Auditions for the October 23-26 production will be held at Southlands Methodist Church, in Bishopthorpe Road, on June 19 and 20 with callbacks on June 23. For further information and details of how to apply, contact Tempest via https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hVNoRWLyKhVQQfEcBn-hv-r0WfWj4mT0/view
Tempest Wisdom (they/them): the back story
Writer, director, performer and freelance teaching artist.
Originally hails from United States of America, where they wrote, directed, performed and taught for several years. Received Bachelor’s degree in theatre and performance studies from University of Chicago in 2018.
Relocated to York in 2021 to pursue Masters in theatre-making. Now here to stay!
Specialises in clown, mask and comedy work, with majority of training stemming from Italian tradition of commedia dell’arte.
The University of York Choir and Symphony Orchestra in concert at York Minster. Picture: Steve Crowther
AS the Match Of The Day football pundits might say, this was a game of two halves.
Despite the obvious musical intelligence and quality on offer, I struggled with the performance of Mozart’s Mass in C minor. It is a large-scale work scored for two soprano soloists, a tenor and a bass, double chorus and large orchestra.
Coupled with the nature of Mozart’s musical dialogue, this meant that I simply could not hear all of the detail, thanks to this very generous Minster acoustic.
There was, however, much to admire: Elspeth Piggott’s soprano solo in the Christie was impressive, although I lost some of the lower register. The fine, crisp string playing in the Gloria. Soprano Rebecca Lea, a last-minute substitute for Helen Neeves, sang the Laudamus Te with real assurance, although again I lost some of the lower register.
More rewarding was when the two singers combined forces in the Domine Deus – tender exchanges and reassuring support. The following Qui Tollis was also satisfying, with Mozart using a double chorus underpinned by a pulsating dotted rhythm ostinato.
The highlight was always going to be Et Incarnatus Est, simply because of the intimacy of the scoring: soprano solo, solo flute, oboe and bassoon. That and the quality of Ms Piggott’s performance of this operatic aria.
Elspeth Piggott and Rebecca Lea were joined by tenor James Beddoe and bass Patrick Osborne for a very fine Benedictus before the recap of the fugal Hosanna, signing off the performance with aplomb.
And so, to the second half. As vocal musical experiences in the Minster go, it doesn’t come much better than the excellent The 24, directed by Robert Hollingworth, singing Bruckner’s Locus Iste and Christus Factus Est motets.
These are not the most technically demanding of works but, nevertheless, we were royally treated with performances of clarity, balance, detail and very real musical insight. The Minster acoustic loved it and, as a consequence, so did we.
This was followed by an inspired piece of programming with Elgar’s rarely heard Elegy op. 58. Well, I’ve never heard it anyway. The performance revealed a delightful jewel of a work intimately scored for string orchestra.
To be sure, there were echoes of Nimrod. Evidently his friend August Jaeger had died one month earlier, but it worked just fine in and of its own terms. Quite poignant, actually.
The concert closed with a full-bodied performance of Bruckner’s Te Deum in C, superbly marshalled by conductor John Stringer. Due to the cleaner, predominantly homophonic nature of Bruckner’s setting, the experience was much more rewarding than the Mozart.
The textures were less busy. Having said that, the sound world had a monumental quality: full-on tonal building blocks of sound augmented by the organ blasts of affirmation; a “cathedral of sound”. This is, after all, a deeply religious work.
There were moments of tranquillity, glimpses from within: the wonderful quartet of soloists – Elspeth Piggott, James Beddoe and Patrick Osborne, who were now joined by mezzo-soprano Helena Cooke. It was such a welcome relief to actually hear all the detail; a tender tenor solo with telling solo violin commentary (Michael Capecci).
However, the work ended as it had begun, in triumphant affirmation and splendour. I thought the sheer volume of sound might blow the Minster roof off; it certainly brought the house down.
“Coming together now to showcase our work as a family is incredibly special,” says PICA Studios cereamicist Emily Stubbs
FAMILY artistry unites in Stubbs3 – Canvas, Clay and Cloth, a unique exhibition by sisters Emily Stubbs and Amy Stubbs, regular participants in York Open Studios, and their West Yorkshireman father, Christopher Stubbs, at Pyramid Gallery, York, from June 15 to August 3.
All three will attend Saturday’s launch at Terry Brett’s gallery in Stonegate in a Meet The Artists reception from 12 noon to 2pm.
Their first-ever joint showcase brings together diverse artistic media in a celebration of family creativity. Contemporary ceramicist Emily Stubbs works from PICA Studios, in Grape Lane; Amy specialises in textile and surface pattern design in a range of homeware and wearable art; Christopher, from Hepworth, will be exhibiting framed paintings and sketches.
Vessels, by Emily Stubbs, at Pyramid Gallery, York, from Saturday
“It’s incredibly rewarding to see my daughters continuing our family’s creative tradition,” says Christopher. “Exhibiting together is a wonderful experience, and it fills me with pride.”
Emily, who studied ceramics at Cardiff University, creates contemporary ceramic vessels that explore the relationship between colour, form and texture. Her work is characterised by the juxtaposition of contrasting elements, which she achieves through a process of sketching, drawing and collaging.
Emily’s ceramics are exhibited in galleries and events across Great Britain. In her latest exhibition, she will be showing a selection of abstract vessels.
Throughout the years, our work has clearly inspired one another,” says Amy Stubbs
“This exhibition is an exciting milestone for us,” she says. “Growing up immersed in Dad’s artwork profoundly inspired my creative journey. Studying an art foundation degree in Dewsbury, I realised my passion for ceramics.
“Amy, too, pursued her creative calling in textiles. Coming together now to showcase our work as a family is incredibly special.”
Amy, who studied at Falmouth University, combines manual print-making techniques with digital manipulation to create intricate surface patterns. Her work includes lampshades, cushions, silk scarves, other home furnishings and fashion accessories.
Cushions, by Amy Stubbs, on show at Pyramid Gallery from Saturday
Her designs are influenced by nostalgia and family heritage, reflecting a blend of traditional and contemporary style in her homeware and wearable art.
“Throughout the years, our work has clearly inspired one another,” says Amy. “We share a common language of mark-making and shapes, with a vibrant love of colour that resonates across all our pieces.”
Christopher is a seasoned artist with a multifaceted career since leaving school at 15 and working in engineering and textiles before transitioning to psychiatric nursing. He later studied fine art at Huddersfield College of Art, where he was influenced by the great masters and the importance of observation under the tutelage of William Cowper.
“Exhibiting together is a wonderful experience, and it fills me with pride,” says Christopher Stubbs
Further honing his skills in printmaking at Leeds Polytechnic, he drew inspiration from renowned artists such as Henri Matisse, Picasso and Willem de Kooning.
Over his career, Christopher has created works for such clients as J P Morgan, Royal Mail and British Steel and he has been the director of his own design company, alongside wife Joy, for more than 30 years.
Stubbs3 – Canvas, Clay and Cloth, Pyramid Gallery, Stonegate, York, June 15 to August 3. Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm; Saturdays, 10am to 5.30pm.
Untitled, by Christopher Stubbs, from Stubbs3 – Canvas, Clay and Cloth
Shed Seven’s Paul Banks and Rick Witter: Playing intimate acoustic sets at Huntington Working Men’s Club on December 21 and 22
SHED Seven will end their 30th anniversary celebrations with a brace of intimate acoustic concerts by frontman Rick Witter and guitarist Paul Banks at Huntington Working Men’s Club, York, on December 21 and 22.
“We are genuinely thrilled to announce a pair of very special homecoming shows,” says Rick. “And where better to end our 30th anniversary year than in Huntington, where me, Paul and Tom first met back in the ’80s and the story first began.” Tom, as in Sheds’ bassist Tom Gladwin, will do a DJ set each night.
Tickets will go on sale at store.shedseven.com at 9am on Wednesday (12/6/2024) for this York postscript to the Sheds’ 23-date November and December tour, their biggest ever “Shedcember” itinerary.
Yorkshire venues will be Sheffield Octagon, November 14 (sold out); Victoria Theatre, Halifax, November 18; Hull City Hall, November 19, and Leeds O2 Academy, November 30 (sold out).
The year began with the Sheds’ first ever number one album, A Matter Of Time, followed by vinyl chart-topping single Let’s Go Dancing, and next up will be two sold-out outdoor shows on July 19 and 20 as part of Futuresound Group’s four-day festival at York Museum Gardens.
On September 27, they will release Liquid Gold, an album of orchestral re-workings of 12 Shed Seven hits and live favourites, reimagined by the band in collaboration with arrangers Fiona Brice and Michael Rendall.
Brice’s credits include Liam Gallagher and Placebo, while Rendall worked with the Sheds on 2017’s Top Ten comeback album Instant Pleasures and A Matter Of Time.
Shed Seven’s 2024 line-up: Rob ‘Maxi’ Maxfield, left, Paul Banks, Rick Witter, Tom Gladwin and Tim Wills
For the richly reinventive recording sessions, Shed Seven teamed up with a full orchestra, brass section, gospel singers et al.
Released on Cooking Vinyl, Liquid Gold spans the band’s career, from Speakeasy and Ocean Pie, off 1994 debut album Change Giver, to Better Days, from Instant Pleasures, via a soaring, sweeping Disco Down.
It also revisits the Sheds’ landmark second album, 1996’s A Maximum High, for Getting Better, Going For Gold, On Standby and a dramatic new take on Parallel Lines, described playfully by Paul Banks as “sounding like Shed Zeppelin”.
The more luxuriant scale is encapsulated in Devil In My Shoes. Originally a slow-burning highlight of 1998’s Let It Ride, this new account adds a cinematic sheen: its new-found grandeur providing a shimmering contrast between the initially downbeat melancholy and the full force of optimism that beams through the crescendo.
Liquid Gold is completed by All Roads Lead To You, a new composition written specifically for this project, and a new version of Instant Pleasures-era bonus track Waiting For The Catch, now featuring Issy Ferris, from the UK Americana Award winners Ferris & Sylvester.
“This year we celebrate 30 years as recording artists and, after reminiscing about our career, we thought we’d celebrate the milestone by revisiting some key songs from our past,” says Rick.
“The idea being that if we cherry picked a hatful of songs and recorded them now, it would be a coherent stroll down memory lane but also sit sonically beside our recent number one album A Matter Of Time. A logical next step.”
The cover artwork for Shed Seven’s September 27 album of orchestral reinventions, Liquid Gold
Rick continues: “We see this record as a gateway into the world of Shed Seven. We also felt that adding an orchestra to each track would lend the whole project a unique slant. The songs have become widescreen, full of colour.
“The original recordings will always hold a special place in our hearts but re-recording the chosen songs was an exciting prospect for us. It’s a gift from the band to our loyal supporters and will hopefully introduce some golden moments throughout our career to a whole new audience. Enjoy, and here’s to the next 30 years!”
The Sheds gave a taster of Liquid Gold at their May 30 appearance on BBC Radio 2’s Piano Room, when they performed Chasing Rainbows, Talk Of The Town and a cover of Duran Duran’s Planet Earth live at Maida Vale with the BBC Concert Orchestra, conductor Chris George and arranger Fiona Brice.
Liquid Gold is available to pre-order at shedsevenn.lnk.to/LiquidGoldPR, where the Sheds’ official store offers exclusives in the shape of a splatter vinyl with unique artwork, a different colour CD and a cassette, while all bundles also add a signed postcard.
Other retailer-specific formats include silver vinyl, from Assai Records, blue vinyl, from HMV, and yellow vinyl, from select indie stores.
After their open-air summertime shows in York and at Blossoms’ Big Bank Holiday Weekend at Wythenshawe Park, Manchester, on August 25, the 30th anniversary Tour will run from November 14 to December 14. Expect the Britpop-era hits, fresh favourites from A Matter Of Time and surprise guest appearances, plus support from special guests The Sherlocks. To check ticket availability amid a raft of sold-out shows, head to gigst.rs/SS24.
Liquid Gold track listing:
Getting Better; Speakeasy; Devil In Your Shoes; On Standby; Going For Gold; Waiting For The Catch, featuring Issy Ferris; Better Days; Parallel Lines; Disco Down; Ocean Pie; All Roads Lead To You; Chasing Rainbows.
The poster artwork for Shed Seven’s Rick Witter & Paul Banks gigs at Huntington Working Men’s Club
Swing when you’re singing: Ryedale Primary Choir schoochildren doing their vocal exercises for Across The Whinny Moor
MUSICAL moorland mermaids and a villainous sea witch, motion in art and a Mozart mass, vintage Pink Floyd and a Louise Brooks silent movie set up Charles Hutchinson’s week ahead.
Ryedale Festival community event of the week: Across The Whinny Moor, St Peter’s Church, Norton, today, 4pm
THE world premiere of the Community Song Cycle: Across The Whinny Moor follows the trail of North Yorkshire’s Lyke Wake Walk, meeting cheeky hobs, angry mermaids, resourceful giants and wise witches along the way.
The all-age cast for a walk through stories and songs by John Barber and Hazel Gould includes the schoolchildren of the Ryedale Primary Choir, the Ryedale Voices, Harmonia and The RyeLarks choirs, Kirkbymoorside Town Junior Brass Band, storyteller Rosie Barrett and mezzo-soprano soloist Victoria Simmonds, conducted by Caius Lee. Box office: ryedalefestival.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173652657.
Tim Pearce’s poster artwork for Life Forms In Motion at Blossom Street Gallery
Six of the best: Life Forms In Motion, Blossom Street Gallery, Blossom Street, York, until June 30
SIX Yorkshire artists give individual responses to the challenge of interpreting the motion of life forms in a range of static media. In a nutshell, time and space condensed into single, dynamic images.
Taking part are Tim Pearce, painting and sculpture; Cathy Denford, painting; Jo Ruth, printmaking; Adrienne French, painting; Mandy Long, ceramic sculpture, and Lesley Peatfield, photography. Opening hours: Thursday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm; Sundays, 10am to 3pm.
Robert Hollingworth: On baton duty at the University of York Choir and Symphony Orchestra’s concert at York Minster tonight
Classical concert of the week: University of York Choir and Symphony Orchestra, York Minster, tonight, 7.30pm
UNDER the direction of Robert Hollingworth and John Stringer, the University of York Choir and Symphony Orchestra perform Mozart’s ‘Great’ Mass in C minor, widely considered to be among his supreme choral works.
This will be complemented by a selection of works by Anton Bruckner, celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Austrian composer’s birth, including the Te Deum, “the pride of his life”. Box office: 01904 322439 or yorkconcerts.co.uk.
Across The Fields To The Sea, by John Thornton, from his Kentmere House Galleryexhibition
“Favourite artist” of the week: John Thornton, Across The Fields To The Sea, Kentmere House, Gallery, Scarcroft Hill, York
BORN in York and now living in Selby, seascape and landscape artist John Thornton has opened his latest show, Across The Fields To The Sea, at his regular York gallery.
“John is everyone’s favourite painter,” says gallery owner and curator Ann Petherick. “I’m delighted he has produced a new and exciting collection of paintings of Askham Bog and Skipwith Common woodlands and meadows and the occasional seascape, inspired by his travels in Yorkshire since the end of Covid.” Opening hours: First weekend of each month, 11am to 5pm; every Thursday, 6pm to 9pm; any other time by appointment on 01904 656507 or 07801 810825.
Louise Brooks in Diary Of A Lost Girl, showing at the NCEM on Tuesday
Film event of the week: Diary Of A Lost Girl (PG), with pianist Utsav Lal, National Centre for Early Music, Walmgate, York, June 11, 7.30pm
TRAILBLAZING New York raga pianist Utsav Lal improvises his live score to accompany Diary Of A Lost Girl, a rarely shown gem of German silent cinema starring American icon Louise Brooks.
Presented by Northern Silents, G W Pabst’s 1929 film traces the journey of a young woman from the pit of despair to the moment of personal awakening. Box office: 01904 658338 and at ncem.co.uk.
Sex, sorcery and suckers: Shawna Hamic’s filthy-humoured Ursula in Unfortunate: The Untold Story Of Ursula The Sea Witch. Picture: Pamela Raith
Musical discovery of the week: Unfortunate: The Untold Story Of Ursula The Sea Witch, Grand Opera House, York, June 11 to 15, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
AFTER a hit London season, Yorkshire writer-director Robyn Grant heads north with her raucously rude, wickedly camp parody musical Unfortunate, wherein Disney diva Ursula, the villainous sea witch, rules the waves and waves the rules.
New York actress Shawna Hamic’s Ursula gives her filthy-humoured take on what really happened all those years ago under the sea in a bawdy tale of sex, sorcery and suckers. Age recommendation: 16+, on account of strong language, partial nudity and scenes of a sexual nature. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Courtney Broan as Ado Annie in Pickering Musical Society’s Oklahoma!
American classic of the week: Pickering Musical Society in Oklahoma!, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, June 11 to 15, 7.30pm and 2.30pm Saturday matinee
LUKE Arnold directs Pickering Musical Society in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1943 love story of Curly (Marcus Burnside) and Laurie (Rachel Anderson), set in the sweeping landscapes of the American heartland.
Further roles go to Courtney Broan as Ado Annie, Stephen Temple as Will Parker, Michael O’Brien as Mr Carnes and Rick Switzer-Green as AliHakim, joined by dancers from the Sarah Louise Ashworth School of Dance. Box office: 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk.
Nick Mason’s Saucerful Of Secrets: Re-visiting Pink Floyd at York Barbican
Rock gig of the week: Nick Mason’s Saucerful Of Secrets, York Barbican, June 12, 7.45pm
NICK Mason’s Saucerful Of Secrets follow up their April 2022 appearance at York Barbican with Wednesday’s date on their Set The Controls Tour.
Once more, Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason will be joined by Spandau Ballet guitarist Gary Kemp, bassist Guy Pratt, guitarist Lee Harris and keyboardist Dom Beken to perform vintage Pink Floyd material. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
The poster artwork for Calamity Jane, starring Carrie Hope Fletcher, on tour at Grand Opera House next spring
Show announcement of the week: Carrie Hope Fletcher in Calamity Jane, Grand Opera House, York, April 29 to May 3 2025
IN the week when Nikolai Foster’s production of An Officer And A Gentleman The Musical is on tour at the Grand Opera House, the York theatre announces the booking of another show with the North Yorkshire director at the helm, this one bound for the West End.
Three-time WhatsOnStage Best Actress in a Musical winner Carrie Hope Fletcher will star in the whip-crackin’ musical as fearless Dakota gun-slinger Calamity Jane. “She is one of those roles that doesn’t come around all too often,” she says. “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.” Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
THE publicity for Simple8’s Moby Dick promised a “fun, fast and joyous” production: three words not usually associated with Herman Melville’s labyrinthine leviathan novel.
What’s more, writer Sebastian Armesto described his adaptation as “mercifully brief”. “If you haven’t read the novel, you can watch our show and then pretend that you have,” he said, wryly.
Fun? No? Joyous? No. Fast? First half, yes, but the second half began to lull before a storming finale. Overall, “mercifully brief” would be doing a disservice to the intelligence and theatrical invention behind Royal & Derngate artistic director Jesse Jones’s production, although it never quite reaches the sublime heights, beauty, tragedy and surprising humour of Ockham’s Razor’s circus adaptation of Tess at the Theatre Royal last month.
The two touring productions share a use of planks of woods and sheets, an ensemble cast and a script pared back from a weighty 19th century novel, along with a combination of physicality and psychology that is the essence of theatre.
Spoiler alert, the whale of the title that cost Captain Ahab his leg turns up only in the “last few pages” as Guy Rhys’s Ahab takes his vendetta against the sperm whale to reckless extremes with his Pequod crew.
The rest is imagination: getting inside the head of Ahab and, first, the equally single-minded Ishmael (Mark Arends), the schoolmaster drawn to Nantucket to experience whale hunting on the Pequod.
The unseen threat of Moby Dick – mirroring Covid’s creeping progress, as Armesto commented in his interviews – is conjured through description and even in the shape of bones held aloft by cast members as we await the leviathan’s stealthy arrival. The only puppet is a porpoise pulled from a bucket.
Equally, Captain Ahab is the subject of much discussion, the last to arrive on board, inducing fear, adrenaline and stomach butterflies as much as the whale. His delayed entry, when it does come, is preceded by the thud of his stump, raising the blood pressure still more.
Arends’s Ishmael, rather than Ahab, is the narrator, the thinker, the innocent, intrigued outsider, learning as we do, gradually consumed by Ahab’s obsessive mission for vengeance.
In keeping with the duties of a crew, Jones’s ensemble cast of actor-musicians are “all in this together”. “Everyone does everything for a really live, complicit experience,” as Armesto puts it. They act, they move scenery, they sing rousing, haunting sea shanties, all the while evoking the dangers of the sea and the mystery and the wonder of whales.
Who needs water or the shape of a whaling ship when you can make do with plenty of floorboards, scaffolding, sheets, a raised platform and a crow’s nest.
Armesto has called his play “a ripping yarn, a great piece of theatre for all ages”. It has humour, especially in the first encounter of Ishmael and Tom Swales’s Queequeg; it has spectacle too, but it is primarily a psychological drama full of existential fear and isolation, more than a seafaring (mis)adventure, leading to the loss of momentum until the climactic clash of whaler and whale.
For all that talk of being “fun, fast and joyous”, you should not expect to have a whale of a time, but Armesto, Jones and a highly committed cast deliver a deep dive into Moby Dick.
Simple8 in Moby Dick, York Theatre Royal, 7.30pm tonight; 2.30pm and 7.30pm tomorrow. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk ***
