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What happens when you put Eric Morecambe, Tommy Cooper and Bob Monkhouse in one room? The Last Laugh ensues at Grand Opera House, York

The fez, the spectacles and the bow tie: Damian Williams’s Tommy Cooper, Bob Golding’s Eric Morecambe and Simon Cartwright’s Bob Monkhouse in The Last Laugh. Picture: Pamela Raith

WHO will have The Last Laugh at the Grand Opera House, York, when British comedy triumvirate Eric Morecambe, Tommy Cooper and Bob Monkhouse reconvene in a dressing room in Paul Hendy’s play?

Find out from June 10 to 14 when Bob Golding, Damian Williams and Simon Cartwright take on the iconic roles in this new work by the Evolutions Productions director, who just happens to write York Theatre Royal’s pantomimes too.

“I’ve always been fascinated by what makes something – or someone – funny,” says the award-winning Hendy. “I wrote The Last Laugh to explore those questions, to examine comedy’s mechanics.  How a pause, a look, or one word can change the way a joke lands – or doesn’t.  I hope The Last Laugh brings some of the joy and laughter that these three men brought to so many.

“As you’ll see, Damian Williams is the perfect Tommy Cooper, Bob Golding embodies Eric and Simon Cartwright is Bob Monkhouse”

The Last Laugh writer-director Paul Hendy

Here the cast discusses the nostalgia and poignancy of The Last Laugh, the public response and the craft of comedy.

Do you have your own memories of Eric, Tommy and Bob?

Bob Golding: “I have strong and fond memories of all the comics. I especially remember a Christmas special where Eric & Ernie were dressed as turkeys. I was mesmerised at their ability to make not just me laugh but my parents, my younger brother and my elderly grandmother, who would chuckle and mutter “silly b***ers” under her breath.”

Damian Williams: “I have so many fond memories of these iconic men from watching them at Christmas with the family, particularly sitting with my dad watching Tommy Cooper and seeing him crying with laughter. I grew up with them and was certainly influenced by them. Tommy is the reason I got into the business.”

Simon Cartwright: “All three were iconic legends of British light entertainment and featured in positive childhood memories for me. I enjoyed watching Bob Monkhouse presenting in the very early  ’70s – I would have been six years old  – on programmes like The Golden Shot and then into the ’80s with Bob’s Full House. They are fond memories of a time that I can recall, happier family environments when we’d all watch stuff together.”

Having a laugh: Damian Williams’s Tommy Cooper, Bob Golding’s Eric Morecambe and Simon Cartwright’s Bob Monkhouse in The Last Laugh. Picture: Pamela Raith

Without giving too much away, what happens in The Last Laugh and why does the play resonate with audiences today?

Golding:  “Well, put simply, The Last Laugh is what happens when you put three comedy legends in a dressing room and lock the door. You’ve got Tommy Cooper, Bob Monkhouse, and yours truly – Eric Morecambe – putting the world to rights, one laugh at a time.

“It’s a love letter to comedy, to friendship, and to those glorious gags that never get old (unlike us!). But it’s not just about jokes—it’s about legacy, about life, and about how laughter carries us through the darkest moments.

“Audiences are coming in expecting a chuckle and leaving with a lump in their throat – and possibly a stitch in their side. It reminds people why comedy matters, especially in today’s world where we could all do with a bit more joy and a lot more heart.”

Williams: “Watching The Last Laugh is the closest you’ll get to spending 80 minutes in the company of these great men. It’s about the art of comedy, the relationship between these three men and what’s it’s really like to be funny for a living. It’s full of laughs, nostalgia, warmth and love.”

Cartwright:  “It reflects on a time when families would sit down and watch television together. Nowadays that’s very rare because of streaming, people being dissipated around family lives and watching things on their smartphones.

“I think people do remember times when they sat down together, the halcyon days. Looking back into the ’60s and 70s, people seem to think they were happier times.”

Dressing room discussions: Damion Williams’s Tommy Cooper, Bob Golding’s Eric Morecambe and Simon Cartwright’s Bob Monkhouse in The Last Laugh. Picture: Pamela Raith

The show has played the Edinburgh Fringe, London’s West End and New York ahead of its UK tour opening in York next week.  What has been the response so far?

Golding: “Oh, it’s been an absolute riot – in the best possible way! Edinburgh? Huge laughs and standing ovations. The West End? Packed houses, five-star reviews and audiences who didn’t want to leave the theatre. And New York? Well, they absolutely loved it, even if they didn’t know who Eric was!

”We’ve had people in tears – happy ones! They have told us how much it meant to see their comedy heroes brought back to life. And the joy is infectious. Every single night has felt like a celebration, not just of these three men, but of what it means to really laugh. It’s been the experience of a lifetime.”

Williams: “The response has been amazing. It really has struck a chord with people. The comments and the reviews have been fantastic. We really didn’t know how it would be received when we started and it’s totally blown our minds.”

Cartwright: “We’ve had a remarkable reaction from the public, getting standing ovations and moving people – particularly men of a certain age becoming quite emotional. I think they can apply positives memories from their youth, and somehow connect with these comedians, triggering those thoughts and memories.

“It was also a time when comedy was a lot more innocent, and I think people appreciate that the comedians we’re representing were not particularly political or had an agenda other than being funny and making us feel good.”

In character, not caricature: Bob Golding’s Eric Morecambe, Damian Williams’s Tommy Cooper and Simon Cartwright’s Bob Monkhouse. Picture: Pamela Raith

How do you find the balance between playing a caricature and making it your own?

Golding: “I try to avoid the word ‘caricature’ as it conjures a larger-than-life interpretation of the person I’m portraying. When it comes to playing a well-known person, I think it’s all about capturing the spirit of them and avoiding cliché impressions or over-used gestures etc. I also feel that with every character I play there will always be an element of myself in it. It’s almost unavoidable.

“I’ve played Eric for over 16 years now, so I think my connection and respect for him has almost certainly become stronger and I have never lost sight of the fact that I’m merely on the coat-tail of his greatness and talent. It’s been a huge honour.

Williams: “As an actor, I wanted to play Tommy as the man he was and try to avoid just doing an impression. It’s been interesting to really study him and to learn more about who he was. The three of us have worked incredibly hard to capture them without doing a caricature.”

Cartwright:  “First and foremost, I knew Bob Monkhouse personally, so from a method-acting point of view, I can really draw on and recall what he was like off-stage, so I have that distinct advantage. These are three very vulnerable men who share the love of making people laugh, and they get there in different ways.

“It’s all about finding authenticity and truth, rather than trying to create a caricature or an impression. We’re not doing that, we’re going for truth and sentiment. I think the more we perform this, the more truth we’re finding in the words, and it’s resonating with our own personalities as well.”

“It’s very much a ‘feel good’ piece of theatre and a reassuringly British experience,” says Bob Golding, centre, of Paul Hendy’s play The Last Laugh. Picture: Pamela Raith

Are there any cities or venues on the tour where you will be especially excited to perform?

Golding: “I love touring! Of course, I miss my family, but I love seeing all the different theatres and feeling the energy of the different audiences.

“I think we are lucky here in the UK as it does provide many of those lovely pockets. I love the history and charm of a place like York, for example, but then also the buzz of the Glasgow nights is exciting and appealing too.

“Milton Keynes is very close to my actual home, so I will certainly look forward to being able to sleep in my own bed during that week, but overall, I am comforted by the ‘safe space’ of every theatre we visit. For an actor, the theatre is the home away from home.”

Williams: “I can’t wait to start the tour and bring it to some amazing cities. Personally, I’m looking forward to the Sheffield audiences, as it’s where I do panto every Christmas [playing the Lyceum dame], and Southend as it’s my hometown.”

Cartwright: “I’m looking forward to Sheffield – I have an affinity to Sheffield. There’s always this feeling that the audiences get warmer as you go further north, even though the temperature might get cooler outside.

“It will be interesting to try Glasgow as well – we mention the Glasgow Empire [in the play], the infamous venue where every comic failed. Will we be able to get the Glaswegian crowds to reflect warmly on our efforts? I do hope so.”

The poster for The Last Laugh, bound for York next week after playing the Edinburgh Fringe, the West End and New York

What do you hope audiences will take away from The Last Laugh:  not only laughter, but maybe something deeper too?

Golding: “What we’ve certainly found with The Last Laugh is that people of a certain age have left in a bit of an emotional state after enjoying the play. They’ve laughed and they’ve cried as I think it awakens a more innocent time in our youth when elder family members were still with us, and possibly reminds us of what those times mean to us.

“The laughter hopefully evens out the more poignant and sadder feelings though. It’s very much a ‘feel good’ piece of theatre and a reassuringly British experience.”

Williams: “What we’ve learnt so far is that the audiences are totally transported back to a time when they sat as a family and watched these great comedians on the TV. We can totally feel the love from the audience as soon as the play starts. You’ll be laughing one minute and crying the next. You’ll learn more about these men and what it was really like to be them. “

Cartwright:  “I hope that audiences take away a new and fresh insight into the three comedians. I hope that a younger generation, who might not have seen the comedians before, discover them and walk away with an interest, and we ultimately keep their memories alive. I hope for the older generations we’re a warm reminder of a bygone age, the golden age of British comedy.”

The Last Laugh, Grand Opera House, York, June 10 to 14, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday matinees. In the second half, a Q&A session will enable audience members to put their questions to the cast. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

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York Beethoven Project Orchestra to perform Symphony No. 5 at St Mary’s Church, Hemingbrough, on June 9. French horn and bassoon players still needed

Conductor John Atkin, front, centre, with York Beethoven Project musicians

YORK Beethoven Project Orchestra is approaching the half way point in its aim to play a complete cycle of all nine Beethoven symphonies before his bi-centenary in 2027. 

Next up will be “probably the best known of all”, Symphony No. 5 Op 67 in C minor, at St Mary’s Church in Hemingbrough on Saturday, June 28,  concluding with an informal, free public performance at 4pm.

Founder and  conductor John Atkin says: “To reach the half way point is a great milestone. It’s come around so quickly since the first discussion to set up the project took place under the stage in Harrogate Theatre in 2023.

“We have played the first four symphonies with an average of 52 musicians and the format works well for us. Registrations take place up to six months in advance, with music being distributed electronically, then we meet and rehearse the whole work throughout the day, finishing with the free concert.”

Some musicians have done all four days, others only one. “We have played with more than 80 musicians in total so far,” says John.

“Symphony No. 6 is coming up in September at Selby Abbey with Symphonies No. 7, 8 and 9 planned over the next 18 months. We are always interested in hearing from new players, especially an extra bassoon and French horn, but we are not short of  players.

“The problem we are having is finding venues big enough for us all to fit in but I think we are now sorted for the next three. Details are to be announced soon.”

The York Beethoven Project aims to use “local players in local venues” and hopes to continue after No. 9 with similar occasional days, two or three times a year, playing some more varied repertoire.  

“By the time we performed the Eroica (No. 3) at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre last year, we were getting invitations to  work with a number of venues and questions about what we will do next,” says John.

“To be honest, I’d not thought beyond No.9, as it was set up as part of my bucket list to complete a cycle I started at university 35 years ago. We’ve discussed the York Puccini Projector the York Sondheim Project, but I think we’ll just keep it open for now, complete the nine symphonies and see where we are in 2027.

Anyone interested in playing with the orchestra should email yorkbeethovenproject@gmail.com. Anyone wanting to attend Symphony No. 5 on June 28  should turn up at around 3.45pm.

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REVIEW: Martin Dreyer’s verdict on Beverley & East Riding Early Music Festival, Florilegium, St Mary’s Church, North Bar Within, Beverley, May 23

North Riding soprano Rowan Pierce

THE appearance in Beverley of a North Riding soprano who has made it in the international arena was enough to attract any Yorkshireman. For anyone who had actually heard Rowan Pierce before, it was an unmissable event.

With the superb backing of the ten members of Florilegium, she delivered a Handel aria and one of Bach’s most challenging secular cantatas. Orchestral works by the same composers combined to make this a succulent opening night of the festival.

The demanding coloratura of ‘Sweet Bird’, from Part I of Handel’s Milton-inspired oratorio L’Allegro (1740), sounded as if written with Pierce in mind, so flexible was her tone. Her duetting alone with Ashley Solomon’s equally agile flute was delightfully evocative of the poet’s “most melancholy enchantress of the woods” (a bird otherwise unidentified).

Florilegium, led by Ashley Solomon. Picture: Amit Lennon

She returned later with Bach’s Cantata No 204, Ich Bin In Mir Vergnügt (‘I am content in myself’), which decries the vanity of riches. Its prodigious length, four arias in succession with preceding recitatives, is a test of any singer’s stamina. But Pierce was undeterred, showing particular involvement with the text.

The recitatives were unusually dramatic. But the restfulness of the opening aria, with two oboes in close attendance, and the crisp interweaving of voice and flute in the penultimate one, were more typical of the contentment she conjured.

The evening opened with Bach’s First Orchestral Suite. With its two chirpy gavottes and acharming woodwind trio in its bourrées, it crystallised the spirit of the dance. Handel’s Concerto Grosso, Op 3 No 3 in G, showed why Florilegium has been at the forefront of our Baroque orchestras virtually since its formation all but 25 years ago, especially in its lively fugal Allegro at the close. Voices ebbed and flowed with stylish precision.

But the evening belonged to Pierce. She capped it with Arne’s setting of Where The Bee Sucks, with flute and strings, which made a perfect encore.

Beverley & East Riding Early Music Festival, Stile Antico, Beverley Minster, May 24

Stile Antico: “Undoubtedly Beverley Minster suited the singers down to the ground: they were on top form.” Picture: Kaupo Kikka Hogg

THE 12 voices of Stile Antico celebrated the quincentenary of Palestrina’s birth with a programme centred on “The Prince of Music” in what is arguably the best cathedral-style acoustic anywhere in the north of England. Undoubtedly Beverley Minster suited the singers down to the ground: they were on top form.

The choir’s very name evokes the ‘old style’ attributed by later centuries to Palestrina, so he is in effect its patron composer. His achievements are still regarded as the epitome of classical Renaissance polyphony, especially in its controlled use of dissonance. If that sounds dry and academic, the effect here was quite the contrary: the music positively gleamed.

It was a smart move to give this music some context by including earlier samples from Des Prez and Arcadelt. The former’s antiphon for compline, Salve Regina, with its high soprano entries, was neatly contrasted by the latter’s Pater noster, darker coloured and beautifully worked here. Further contrast came with Palestrina’s six-voiced Tu es Petrus, whose vigorous inner parts emerged with notable clarity.

The best-known of Palestrina’s 104 masses, Missa Papae Marcelli, was represented by its Credo, whose mood changes are remarkable. The shift from the reverential Crucifixus to the optimism of the Ascension was enhanced by a gradual progression to an Amen of extreme celebration.

Another clever juxtaposition – revealing something of the composer’s own personality – was the downbeat humility of Peccantem Me Quotidie, written in the wake of serious family loss, immediately countered by a secular madrigal reflecting his unbridled happiness on remarriage. A sacred madrigal, in the vernacular not Latin, might have completed the picture.

There were several tributes to the composer’s legacy. The Spanish-tinged harmony of Lassus’s Musica Dei Donum was almost an early ‘An die Musik’, and there was some expert shading in Allegri’s Easter motet Christus Resurgens.

Lovely modern homage came from Cheryl Frances-Hoad’s A Gift Of Heaven, which dressed Palestrina’s style in modern clothing, even imitating him at the quotation of Latin text half-way through. Its significant tenor solo was handled with admirable aplomb by Jonathan Hanley.

Finally, the luxuriant 12-voice Laudate Dominum in tympanis revealed Palestrina at his most supremely confident; like the whole evening, it was impeccably tuned.

By way of encore there was a nod to the 400th anniversary of Gibbons’s death, with The silver Swan. Suffice to say, it brought tears to the eyes.

Reviews  by Martin Dreyer

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REVIEW: New Adventures in Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell, York Theatre Royal, until Saturday *****

New Adventures in Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell. Picture: Johan Persson

YORK had to wait 30 years for a first visit by Matthew Bourne’s dandy dance company. That came in March 2017 with Early Adventures, when he vowed to return in his post-show Q&A.

True to his word, he did so in October 2021 with another mid-scale touring work on his world premiere tour of The Midnight Bell, and now he does again with the same show in a case of For Whom The Midnight Bell Tolls Twice.

No complaints here, nor from the exhilarated, enraptured full house on the first night. Some of the original cast remains, joined by actor-dancers steeped in his dance dramas.

Not a word is said in The Midnight Bell, but evocative 1930s’ music abounds – dancers miming in character to the oh-so very English Al Bowlly, Elisabeth Welch and Leslie A. “Hutch” Hutchinson’s male interpretation of George and Ira Gershwin’s The Man I Love – to complement Terry Davies’s nightlife score and Paul Groothuis’s  supreme sound design, ear-piercing tinnitus screeching, rain dancing on the roof, et al.

Inspired by the novels of Gaslight playwright Patrick Hamilton, Bourne’s storytelling through dance is so expressive that he creates a narrative language in visual form. You find yourself drawn to each character’s path as seamlessly as that story moves from beautifully framed scene to beautifully framed scene on a typically wondrous set design by Lez Brotherston, replete with the ever-changing London skyline that matches the mood of the scene.

Even the Magritte-style multitude of suspended window frames, the ever-populated bed and the pub bar move with the graceful swish of choreography. Bourne applies wit too: a red telephone box is represented by only the Telephone neon sign and the top of the box; the phone itself is pulled discreetly from the jacket of waiter Bob (Andrew Monaghan).

Brotherston’s costume designs are fabulous too. From lines and contours to hats and correspondent brogues, here is such elegance to meet Bourne’s eloquence in sensuous movement.

Set in The Midnight Bell pub, the surrounding bedsitland, rooms to rent, gated park, members-only club and cinema seats of London, Bourne’s work is billed as a “dance exploration of intoxicated tales from darkest Soho, delving into the underbelly of early 1930s’ London life”.

Devised and directed by Bourne, he peoples the tavern with a lonely hearts’ club of drinkers and staff; troubled souls more at the unhappy hour, rather than happy hour, stage of intoxication.

All have a drink in one hand, slammed down on tables at the outset. All are looking for a refill as much of the heart as the glass, or at least some form of connection, but will they be sated or are they destined for the loneliness of the lovelorn?

What couplings will end up in that bed in cleverly overlapping storylines involving a young prostitute, Jenny Maple (Ashley Shaw), the waiter, the barmaid Ella (Bryony Pennington) and the oddball regular Mr Eccles (Danny Reubens)?

On to the not-so-merry-go-round spin the bespectacled lonely spinster Miss Roach (Michela Meazza); the pickpocket cad Ernest Ralph Gorse (Glenn Graham); the out-of-work actress Netta Longdon (Cordelia Braithwaite), and the schizophrenic, tinnitus-troubled, tortured romantic George Harvey Bone (Alan Vincent).

The forbidden The Man I Love storyline entwines West End chorus boy Albert (Liam Mower) with new customer Frank (Edwin Ray), taking risks in that repressed era, captured in Bourne’s most sublime, serpentine choreography of this remarkable show.

Bourne calls these stories of requited and more often unrequited love in restlessly on-edge London “bitter comedies of longing, frustration, betrayal and redemption”. “Bitter comedies” could not put it better, the humour being as dark as London porter in this neon-lit world, but all life is here, sad, bad, mad, yet hopefully happy hereafter too, stamped with the distinctive Bourne identity, as full of panache as punch.

After Emma Rice’s take on Alfred Hitchcock’s North By North West and Gary Oldman’s residency in Krapp’s Last Tape, and now The Midnight Bell, York Theatre Royal is having a cracking 2025, as bright as Bourne’s dance hall mirror ball that dances with delight.

New Adventures in Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell, York Theatre Royal, tonight and tomorrow (6/6/2025) at 7.30pm; Saturday, 2.30pm and 7.30pm. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk. Choreographer Sir Matthew Bourne will be in conversation with Theatre Royal chief executive Paul Crewes after tomorrow’s performance (6/6/2025).

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York Pride prepares for biggest LGBT+ festival yet on Saturday on Knavesmire – and look out for Georgian fan language

Angels Of The North: Headline act on the main stage at York Pride on Knavesmire on Saturday

NORTH Yorkshire’s largest LGBT+ celebration and York’s biggest free one-day festival,  York Pride 2025, takes to the streets for its biggest, boldest and most fabulous event yet on Saturday.

“We are so proud to stand together in love, solidarity and Pride,” says chair Greg Stephenson. “As we celebrate this weekend, we must also reflect. Around the world – and here in the UK ­– our trans and non-binary community is under increasing attack, facing rising hate, hostile attack, and systemic challenges.

“At York Pride, we stand proudly and unequivocally with our trans and non-binary siblings. You are loved, you are valued, and you are welcome here.

“Pride has always been a protest as well as a celebration. We march not just for ourselves, but for those who cannot.  We raise our voices for those still silenced. And we will continue to champion inclusion, equality and visibility for all members of our LGBT+ family.”

In 2024, more than 17,500 people filled the city streets for a record-breaking York Pride, and once more the festival promises to be bold, inclusive and joyful in 2025, led off by the Pride Parade that will follow a new path through the streets with an updated starting point on Parliament Street at midday.

On Knavesmire, the festival’s main stage will be headlined by Angels Of The North (6pm) and on the bill too will be Ryan Petitjean (1.10pm), tribute act Pet Shop Boys, Actually (1.35pm), Marcus Collins (2pm), Eva Iglesias (2.30pm), York drag superstar Janice D (3.35pm), La Voix (4pm), West End queen Kerry Ellis (5.15pm), The Cheeky Girls (5.35pm) and plenty more. Find the full line-up at yorkpride.org.uk/line-up.

Look out too for the Cabaret Stage, featuring PJ Taylor, Emily Moran,  Ferne Ando, Oliver James Perkins, Malin Fox, Queer Arts Rainbow Choir, The Drag Lord Victorious, Miss Kitty Lee, Coldhell, Liv Harper and 5.45pm headliners The Movement Project. 

Knavesmire will play host to a multitude of main arena stalls and tents, including the York Pride Quiet Tent, City of York Council, the Diocese of Middlesbrough LGBT Outreach, York Mind, Amnesty International York, Christians At Pride In York, Sherlock Holmes’ Imaginarium, Barnardo’s North Fostering and Adoption and York St John University.

In a new addition for 2025, York Trans Pride will have a dedicated space to celebrate trans lives through visibility, community and empowerment, supported by Generate, York LGBT Forum, The Portal Bookshop, Know York LGBT and York Pride.

Queer Arts York will play host to the Queer Arts LGBT+ Community Arts Space hub, celebrating creativity, self-expression and community connection. Expect a joyful mix of arts and crafts activities, a participatory mural, interactive workshops and creative drop-ins and moments of performance, movement and expression.

The Pride day will conclude with an Official Pre-After Party with Charra Tea, from RuPaul UK Drag Race, from 7.30pm at Yates York and the Official AfterParty at Ziggy’s (bar and lounge  from 7pm; downstairs from 10m to 4am).  

York drag act Ginger Slice and York Mansion House duty manager Rio Sambrook demonstrating Georgian fan language in the Guildhall council chamber. Look out for their demonstration at York Pride

Among the festival highlights, Rio Sambrook, York Mansion House duty manager and chair of City of York Council’s staff LGBT+ network, will be giving a demonstration of Georgian fan language to drag performer Ginger Slice at the Georgian Festival stall between 1pm and 6pm.

“Fan language was a secret code of postures and motions for communicating by using a fan, central to Georgian ball culture, as a rebellion against the repression of young women and controlling of speech and lack of a voice,” says Rio, who will be dressed in Georgian inspired costume on Saturday.

“It was a time when young women’s voices were suppressed and they couldn’t speak freely, and it’s now had a strong resurgence in the LGBTQIA community and has a strong association with drag and Pride events.”

In the mid-20th century, gay people had their own secret language, spoken during a time of oppression. “Polari” was a way to communicate discreetly with each other when homosexuality was illegal – and later too when decriminalised but hostility remained widespread in society.

“Polari is an historic mix of language that was developed by sailors, who would have spoken the language at ports,” says Rio. “It was also used by Kenneth Williams [and Hugh Paddick] for  the characters Julian and Sandy on the BBC radio show Round The Horne in the 1960s.

“Its use ended because of that, but when Princess Anne told photographers to “naff off” after falling off a horse, ‘naff’ was originally a Polari word.”

Ginger Slice chips in: “‘Drag’ originates as a Polari word too, standing for Dressed As A Girl.” Ginger, a South Yorkshire-born photographer and graphic designer, now settled in York, will be donning her 90s’ Girl Power finery at the weekend in her nod to Ginger Spice.

“There are different moves with the fan to indicate love,” says Ginger. “The full fan, spread out like a peacock, is saying ‘I’m available’. It all starts with eye contact and the fan language takes over.

“In a world obsessed with language, with so many words for everything, it’s fascinating when you take all the words out of it for sign language, because we sometimes have to try to communicate in a way that others won’t understand.”

Rio adds: “If you are trying to fix up a meeting, showing three points of the fan will indicate 3pm. If you hold the fan with the back showing, it means, ‘I never want to see you again’.  A closed fan, placed against the chest, indicates you’re in love.”

Further symbols come into play too. “It could be the colour of the handkerchief you are wearing, or which back pocket you’re wearing it in,” says Ginger. “They are like the emojis of their time.”

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 23, from Gazette & Herald

The artwork for the 2025 York Festival of Ideas, making waves until June 13

A FESTIVAL full of bright ideas leads off Charles Hutchinson’s recommendations for cultural sustenance and enlightening entertainment.

Festival of the week: York Festival of Ideas, running until June 13

YORK Festival of Ideas 2025 explores the theme of Making Waves in more than 200 mostly free in-person and online events designed to educate, entertain and inspire. 

Led by the University of York, the festival features world-class speakers, performances, exhibitions, tours, family-friendly activities and much more. Topics range from archaeology to art, history to health and politics to psychology. Browse the programme at yorkfestivalofideas.com.

New Adventures in Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell, on tour at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Johan Persson

Dance return of the week: New Adventures in Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell, York Theatre Royal, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees

IN 1930s’ London, ordinary people emerge from cheap boarding houses nightly to pour out their passions, hopes and dreams in the pubs and fog-bound streets of Soho and Fitzrovia. Step inside The Midnight Bell, a tavern where one particular lonely-hearts club gather to play out their lovelorn affairs of the heart: bitter comedies of longing, frustration, betrayal and redemption. 

Inspired by the work of English novelist Patrick Hamilton, Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell returns to York Theatre Royal, where it first played in October 2021, with a 14-strong cast of New Adventures’ actor-dancers, music by Terry Davies and set and costume design by Lez Brotherston. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

The poster artwork for NE Theatre York’s fully staged concert performances of Carousel

Musical of the week: NE Theatre York in Carousel, Tempest Anderson Hall, Museum Gardens, York, tomorrow to Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

STEVE Tearle directs NE Theatre York in fully staged concert performances of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel with an 18-piece orchestra conducted by Joe Allen. The cast for this tale of hope, redemption and the power of love will be led by Kit Stroud as Billy Bigelow; Rebecca Jackson as Julie Jordan; Maia Beatrice as Carrie Pepperidge; Finlay Butler as Mr Snow and Perri Ann Barley as Aunt Netty. 

Cue such R&H classics as June Is Burstin’ Out All Over, If I Loved You, When I Marry Mister Snow, Blow High, Blow Low and the iconic Liverpool and Celtic terrace anthem You’ll Never Walk Alone. Box office: ticketsource.co.uk/netheatre-york.

King Creosote’s Kenny Anderson: Serving up a Storm In A Teacup at The Crescent, York

Scottish visitor of the week: Please Please You and Brudenell Presents host King Creosote, The Crescent, York, tomorrow, 7.30pm

KING Creosote follows up 2024’s springtime tour Any Port In A Storm with his Any Storm In A Teacup travels from April to June this year, again with a mix of modular synths, his back catalogue from 50 studio albums and his November 2023 album I Des, the first King Creosote recording in seven years.

As ever, Scotsman Kenny Anderson’s performance will be marked by his singular voice, allied to roguish, roving, ever-evolving, gorgeous songs in the key of Fife. Box office, for returns only: thecrescentyork.com.

Lady Nade: Paying tribute to Nina Simone. Picture: Joseph Branston

Celebration of a legacy: Lady Nade Sings Nina Simone, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 7.30pm,

KNOWN for paying homage to those who have influenced her journey  profoundly, Lady Nade holds Nina Simone in high regard  for leaving behind a legacy of liberation, empowerment, passion and love through her extraordinary body of work.

As a black woman, Lady Nade acknowledges Simone’s trailblazing role in paving the way for artists of her generation. Her high-energy performance is a heartfelt dedication to recreating the transformative sound that blended popular tunes of the era into a distinctive fusion of jazz, blues, gospel, and folk music. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Pink Floydian: Showcasing the golden era of progressive rock at Milton Rooms, Malton

Tribute gig of the week: Pink Floydian, Milton Rooms, Malton, Saturday, 7.30pm

PINK Floydian’s immersive experience transports fans back to the golden era of progressive rock in a two-and-a-half hour show that takes in the Syd Barrett, Roger Waters and David Gilmour eras.

From the lush landscapes of Shine On You Crazy Diamond to the haunting refrain of Great Gig In The Sky to the anthemic Comfortably Numb and Wish You Were Here, Pink Floydian undertake a magical journey through Pink Floyd’s illustrious recording career. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.

Rachel Anderson’s Dolly Gallagher Levi, centre, and the ensemble in Pickering Musical Society’s Hello, Dolly! Picture: Robert David Photography

Goodbye to musicals: Pickering Musical Society in Hello, Dolly!, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, June 10 to 14, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

PICKERING Musical Society is preparing to raise the curtain on its final full-scale musical production, after more than a century, citing rising production costs and falling membership.

Set in the energetic bustle of 1890s’ New York, Jerry Herman’s Hello, Dolly! follows the irrepressible Dolly Gallagher Levi (society favourite Rachel Anderson) – a witty matchmaker, meddler and “arranger of things” – as she decides to find a match for herself. Box office:  01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk or in person from the box office on Tuesdays, 11am to 1pm.

Christopher Simon Sykes’s photograph of Mick Jagger in concert on the Rolling Stones’ Tour of the Americas in 1975, on show at Sledmere House from June 13

Exhibition launch of the week:  On Tour With The Rolling Stones 1975, A 50th Anniversary Exhibition of Photographs by Christopher Simon Sykes, Sledmere House, Sledmere, near Driffield,  June 13 to July 6, except Mondays and Tuesdays, 10am to 5pm

IN June 1975, Christopher Sykes, of Sledmere House, joined the Rolling Stones Tour of the Americas, known as T.O.T.A ’75: his first rock’n’roll itinerary as a snapper after specialising in photographing stately home interiors.

“You know going on tour is not like country life, Chrissie,” advised Mick Jagger on his first day of accompanying the Stones on their three-month tour of North America and Canada, playing 40 shows in 27 cities. The photos were used in a tour diary published the following year, and this exhibition showcases a selection of the best of the behind-the-scenes and stage pictures in the Courtyard Room. Tickets: sledmerehouse.com.

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Friends Lesley Shaw and Steve Huison share animal admiration in Pyramid Gallery exhibition of beloved cats and dogs

Artists Lesley Shaw and Steve Huison at the launch of Reigning Cats And Dogs at Pyramid Gallery, York

IT’S reigning cats and dogs at Pyramid Gallery, Stonegate, York. Yes, you read that right. Reigning. Not raining.

Welcome to a show of animal art work in mixed media by Lesley Shaw and paintings by Steve Huison, the actor from The Full Monty -turned artist, on display until July 6.

Lesley and Steve first met at Pyramid Gallery in 2016 when Steve had his first portrait exhibition at Terry Brett’s gallery, A Year In Bay, featuring paintings of locals he met on moving to Robin Hood’s Bay on the Yorkshire coast.

“They quickly became friends and admirers of each other’s art work, purchasing pieces from each other and swapping techniques and ideas,” recalls Terry. “After a conversation here in the gallery, they decided they wanted to do an exhibition showcasing collective work with the subject matter of beloved pets”.

As an actor, Huison is best known for his portrayal of Lomper in the 1997 film The Full Monty and his reprisal of the same character, 25 years on, in Disney’s  eight-part series The Full Monty in 2023.

Among other acting work, Steve played Eddie Windass in Coronation Street from November 14 2008 to April 25 2011, having appeared previously in the Weatherfield soap as Andy Morgan in 2003.

Terry enthuses: “Steve is an exceptional artist. His subjects are usually people; he has an incredible ability to capture character in his work, whether it is a person, an animal or indeed a building.”

Between acting projects, Steve has been working on pet portraits. He works mainly with oil on canvas but has experimented with other media and has taken a class with Lesley to learn how to work with drypoint.

Lesley has been drawing as long as she can remember. “In her childhood, there was always a family pet cat or dog that had their images immortalised by her hand,” says Terry. “People and animals are her muse. She has been attending life drawing classes for more than  30 years and has studied both fashion and illustration.

“She begins with a sketch, then works quickly and instinctively in charcoal, pencil or ink, trying to capture the beauty and simplicity of the form. She then uses traditional printmaking techniques or mixed media to create her final images.”

Reigning Cats And Dogs in the front room at Pyramid  Gallery, Stonegate, York, until July 6, Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm; Sundays during summer months, but ring to check on 01904 641187.

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Pickering Musical Society to say goodbye to musicals after 100 years by pouring everything into Hello, Dolly! next week

Making a stand: Pickering Musical Society in Hello, Dolly! All pictures: Robert David Photography

ANTICIPATION is building with only one week to go as Pickering Musical Society prepares to raise the curtain on its final full-scale musical production, Hello, Dolly! 

Luke Arnold’s show will run from June 10 to 14t at the Kirk Theatre, Pickering, with evening performances at 7.30pm and a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm.

After more than a century of staging book musicals in the Yorkshire town, the society has decided to step away from staging spring musicals in future seasons, citing rising production costs and a shrinking membership base.

Before that curtain falls, however, the society is determined to deliver one of its most dazzling and memorable shows to date.

Tim Tubbs’s Horace Vandergelder and Rachel Anderson’s Dolly Gallagher Levi in Pickering Musical Society’s Hello, Dolly!

Theatre manager and director Arnold says: “It has been a difficult decision to make, but the soaring costs associated with performance rights, casting demands and mounting a full musical such as Hello, Dolly! have made it increasingly challenging to continue.

“That said, we do not aim to go quietly! We’ve poured everything we have into this production — from the dazzling costumes to the towering set pieces — and I believe it will be a truly show-stopping finale.”

Set in the energetic bustle of 1890s’ New York, Jerry Herman’s Hello, Dolly! follows the irrepressible Dolly Gallagher Levi — a witty matchmaker, meddler, and “arranger of things” — as she decides this is the time to find a match for herself.

The musical is filled with Broadway classics, including Put On Your Sunday Clothes, Before The Parade Passes By, It Only Takes A Moment and the title number, Hello, Dolly!

Jack Dobson’s Barnaby Tucker in Pickering Musical Society’s Hello, Dolly!

Arnold’s cast is led by society favourite Rachel Anderson as the effervescent Dolly, while Tim Tubbs returns to the Kirk Theatre after his performance as Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady to play the curmudgeonly half-a-millionaire Horace Vandergelder.

Stephen Temple and Jack Dobson bring comic warmth as Cornelius Hackl and Barnaby Tucker, joined by a strong principal cast that features Paula Paylor, Danielle Long, Courtney Brown and Will Smithson as the artistic and earnest Ambrose Kemper.

Adding to the production’s scale and sparkle, a ten-piece professional orchestra will provide live musical accompaniment throughout the show, bringing Herman’s beloved score to life.

Also joining the ensemble will be talented students from the Sarah Louise Ashworth School of Dance, contributing energetic and stylish choreography to the show’s biggest numbers.

Pickering Musical Society musical director Clive Wass and members of his ten-piece orchestra

Behind the scenes, Hello, Dolly! marks one of the most ambitious technical undertakings in the society’s long history. The production team has installed a complex array of lighting and sound equipment, with more arriving daily as the full vision comes together.

The centrepiece of the elaborate set is the Harmonia Gardens staircase, a grand and glamorous showstopper in its own right. Meanwhile, the wardrobe department, led by the tireless Maureen Symonds, has been hard at work for months crafting a rich collection of period costumes designed to dazzle.

Early ticket demand has been strong: two performances are nearing sell-outs and bookings have been brisk for the rest of the week. Audiences are urged to book soon to avoid disappointment.

Sue Smithson and cast members in Pickering Musical Society’s Hello, Dolly!

Although Hello, Dolly! will be the final musical to be staged by Pickering Musical Society, the society’s commitment to live performance will continue.

The annual pantomime, a firm fixture in the Kirk Theatre calendar, continues to go from strength to strength, drawing large audiences each winter.

The society’s popular concert, previously held in October, will shift to June from 2026 onwards to ensure Pickering audiences can still enjoy high-quality musical entertainment each year.

The society emphasises that Hello, Dolly! is not a goodbye, but a celebration: a tribute to the talent, community spirit and dedication that has defined the society’s musical legacy for generations.

Pickering Musical Society in Hello, Dolly!, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, June 1o to 14, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: 01751 474833; kirktheatre.co.uk or in person from the box office, open Tuesdays, 11am to 1pm.

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Question: Why will NE Theatre York shows no longer be reviewed? Here is the answer

NE Theatre York director Steve Tearle with his pooch Millie Bell

NE Theatre York will no longer provide press tickets for reviews, donating them instead to charity.

“Our reason for going forward without professional reviews is simple really,” says chairman, director and producer Steve Tearle. 

“As we are a diverse and inclusive company, we create a safe environment for everyone and build up confidences to a level to get them on the stage and start to have faith in themselves and above all self-belief. 

“For instance, we had 27 people on the stage for The Sound Of Music [Joseph Rowntree Theatre, April 29 to May 3] that had never been on stage or sang before. Twenty of these  had to sing in Latin. It was a wonderful, outstanding achievement. To which we celebrated that success.”

Steve’s statement, on behalf of the NE Team, continues: “Professional reviews are always open to individual interpretation, and they should be, but do tend to compare and rate.

“They can lead to people feeling let down, disappointed in themselves, and can create personal setbacks. They also can go against everything we have achieved with that individual, even ourselves.

Rebecca Jackson as Maria in The Sound Of Music, the last NE Theatre York show to be reviewed by CharlesHutchPress on April 30 after more than three decades

“This has been been proved already with the cast and the team. Hence the time to change. Therefore, we have added this into our manifesto. 

“The teams and myself have made the decision not to invite any professional reviewers to ensure that we have put our cast first and put the people ahead of the company. 

“We sell tickets based on the campaigns we create around each the show; creating different campaigns for different demographics. 

“I have also found out, with the help of some market research, that previews are better than reviews to sell tickets for our company as we are only in the theatre for a small limited time.”

Did you know?

FORMED in 1914 as the New Earswick Dramatic Society, the society has mutated into New Earswick Dramatic and Operatic Society, New Earswick Operatic Society, New Earswick Musical Society, latterly NE Musicals York, NE and now NE Theatre York. “NE” stands for New Exciting Theatre York.

Coming next: Carousel, Tempest Anderson Hall, Museum Gardens, York, June 5 to 7

NE Theatre York’s poster artwork for Carousel, The Fully Staged Concert

NE Theatre York will present a fully staged concert version of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel at Tempest Anderson Hall, Yorkshire Museum, Museum Gardens, York, from June 5 to 7.

After the sold-out run of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound Of Music at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, director Steve Tearle is turning his focus to another R&H favourite, Carousel, premiered on Broadway in April 1945.

This time, follow the swaggering path of carefree carnival barker Billy Bigelow as he falls in love with the sweet but naive mill worker Julie Jordan, but romance comes at the price of both their jobs.

The story turns darker still when Billy participates in a robbery to provide for Julie and their unborn child. After the heist goes wrong, Julie turns to her Aunt Netty for comfort. Meanwhile, Julie’s best friend Carrie Pepperidge has her eyes on Mr Snow, leading to a marriage proposal.

NE Theatre York cast members for Carousel: top row, Kit Stroud and Maia Beatrice; bottom row,
Finlay Butler and Rebecca Jackson

Cue such R&H classics as June Is Burstin’ Out All Over, If I Loved You, When I Marry Mister Snow, Blow High, Blow Low and the iconic Liverpool and Celtic terrace anthem You’ll Never Walk Alone.

Tearle’s cast for this tale of hope, redemption and the power of love will be led by Kit Stroud as Billy Bigelow; Rebecca Jackson as Julie Jordan; Maia Beatrice as Carrie Pepperidge; Finlay Butler as Mr Snow and Perri Ann Barley as Aunt Netty. 

 “This will be a fully staged concert version with 29 voices,” says Steve. “The score will be given its full glory with an 18-piece orchestra led by Joe Allen. “You get every word said, so you can follow the story between the songs. Projections will transport the audience to Middle America to capture every moment of the story.”

The composers are said to have regarded Carousel as their personal favourite among their works. In 1999, Time magazine named Carousel as the best musical of the 20th century.

Tickets for this week’s 7.30pm evening shows and 2.30pm Saturday matinee are on sale at ticketsource.co.uk/netheatre-york.

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After ‘huge success’ of first night, Funny Fridays announces second comedy bill at Patch at Bonding Warehouse on June 13

Saul Henry: Performing at second Funny Fridays night at Patch

THE second Funny Fridays comedy night at Patch, at The Bonding Warehouse, Terry Avenue, York, will feature Saul Henry, Gemma Day, Ethan Formstone, Lucy Buckley and headliner Jack Wilson.

Once again, the 7.30pm bill will be hosted by founder and comedian Katie Lingo, alias Katie Taylor-Thompson, managing director of Katie Lingo, award-winning provider of copywriting,  content strategy, journalism, digital marketing, reporting and data visualisation services – and now comedy too.  

Katie Lingo hosting the first Funny Fridays bill on May 9 at Patch. Picture: Laurence Tilley

“I’m over the moon that the first Funny Fridays event on May 9 was a huge success,” says Katie. “We had more than 130 guests crammed into the Bonding Warehouse and they all loved our comedians, Kenny Watt, Tuiya Tembo, Matty Oxley, Saeth Wheeler and John Pease. They also had record bar sales!

”It’s an honour to have performed in such an iconic space and pillar of York’s comedy scene. I look forward to hosting many more.”

Saeth Wheeler performing at the inaugural Funny Fridays night at Patch. Picture: Laurence Tilley

Thom Feeney adds: “Funny Fridays was such a rip-roaring success that we’ve been forced to do another one! The support from York folk to make the Bonding Warehouse sing, laugh and cry again is heart-warming. It’s a special building and Patch are proud custodians.”

Looking ahead to June 13’s line-up, comedian Nish Kumar said of bill-topping Jack Wilson: “This man’s got the game locked down.” Gemma Day, from Stoke-on-Trent, defines herself as “stand-up comedian, sit-down mardy bum”.  

Ethan Formstone: The witty York brickie, constructing jokes at Funny Fridays on June 13

Lucy Buckley took third place in the Hull Comedian of the Year 2024; stand-up comic and writer Meryl O’Rourke has described Saul Henry as “very naturally funny”, while Blue drummer Dave Rowntree called him a “great performer – one to watch”.

Ethan Formstone’s profile reveals he is a bricklayer from York, who grew bored and now, “using his natural stage presence and wild imagination, lays surreal stories that will delight you and leave you slightly confused”. 

Tickets are on sale at £10 at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/funny-fridays-at-patch-tickets-1353208666549?aff=oddtdtcreator

Up in lights: The first Funny Fridays night at Patch at the Bonding Warehouse on May 9. Picture: Laurence Tilley