Kate Rusby: Headlining today’s bill at Underneath The Stars
THE last Underneath The Stars festival “for now” is under way today for three days of music and arts, fun and festivities at Cinder Hill, Darton Road, Cawthorne, Barnsley.
On June 19, the organisers issued this statement: “Dearest Stargazers, it is with heavy hearts that we announce this year’s festival will be our last for now and that we have decided to take a break on our festival journey.
“Worry not though, all is on track to ensure that 2024 will be our best yet and a fitting celebration of ten stellar years. Join us if you are able”
Festival director Emma Holling explained: “We never imagined that a wild idea conceived around our dining room table, overlooking the hills near Cawthorne, would blossom into the amazing festival it is today.
“When we started a decade ago, we were driven, as now, by passion and a sense of adventure. Now, we find ourselves in different places, both personally and professionally and operating in different times. We can’t believe this will be our tenth event. It is an amazing achievement and now our adventures are leading us in different directions.”
Emma continues: “This decision, though difficult, feels right as we embrace these new chapters in our lives. Looking back, we are overwhelmed with pride and joy. From our humble beginnings to welcoming a beautiful, ever-growing audience, every moment has been a dream come true.
King Zepha: Playing on Sunday
“The laughter, music, and unforgettable memories we’ve shared together have exceeded our wildest expectations. Those we have worked with and who have supported us, together with our incredible audience and volunteer team, have been the heart and soul of this festival.
“Your involvement, energy, love, and unwavering support turned our little dream into a phenomenal and award-winning success. Each year, you’ve brought magic, transforming our event into a celebration of community, creativity, and pure joy.”
“While this news may come as a shock, we wanted to share it with you in good time and so that our stargazers can all come together to celebrate one last time.”
Could the festival return? “Never say never of course and no-one ever knows what we might do in the future,” said Emma.
As for this year: “We do know that the festival landscape is challenging at the moment and our hearts and minds are with all our festival friends and family.
“If you are thinking at all about supporting Underneath the Stars or any independent event or festival this year, now more than ever is the time to and we would urge you to do just that.”
Bill Bailey: Following up tonight’s appearance at Scarborough Open Air Theatre by headlining Sunday’s line-up at Underneath The Stars
The June 19 statement from Team UTS (Underneath The Stars) concluded: “Looking forward to this summer, plans are firmly in place to make this final festival our best and most spectacular yet, filled with love, and the biggest cheer possible.
“Thank you for being a part of this incredible journey. Let’s cherish every moment and create one last round of memories that we will treasure forever; we look forward to seeing you there!”
The festival was founded in 2014 by the production team behind South Yorkshire folk singer Kate Rusby and the Pure Records label. Kate headlines today’s bill, also featuring Blazin’ Saddles, Hope & Social, John Smith, Katherine Priddy, Oh My God! It’s The Church, Fanny Lumsden, Cahalen Morrison and Ruth Lyon.
Tomorrow’s line-up comprises headliners The Feeling, plus Rumer, Dervish, Beans On Toast, O’Hooley & Tidow, Keston Cobblers Club, Rumba De Bodas, Dolores Forever, Suntou Susso, Barnsley Youth Choir and The Hunch.
Comedian and musician Bill Bailey tops Sunday’s bill, when Lucy Spraggan, Hamish Hawk, Skinny Lister, Damien O’Kane & Friends, Gary Stewart’s Graceland, The Bar-Steward Sons Of Val Doonican, Brown Horse, King Zepha and Simeon Hammond Dallas perform too.
The Delma Tomlin sculpture in the York Trailblazers trail of tansy beetle artworks
TRAILBLAZERS in beetle form, Georgian festivities, colliery band dramas, and riverside art take Charles Hutchinson in different directions in the week ahead.
Trail of the week: York Trailblazers, around York city centre, August 1 to September 30
FACT of the day: the river Ouse has the largest population of tansy beetles in the United Kingdom. Now sculptures of these insects form a new trail, York Trailblazers, a celebration of York’s unsung heroes mounted by York Civic Trust and Make It York with National Lottery Heritage Fund support.
Nominated by the public and community groups, the Trailblazers project highlights remarkable individuals who have made a difference to people’s lives either locally or globally.
Author Terry Deary: Introducing his new novel at the York Georgian Festival this evening
Festival of the week: York Georgian Festival, today to Sunday
THE second York Georgian Festival opens tomorrow, when Horrible Histories author Terry Deary’s 6pm showcase of his new novel, A History Of Britain In Ten Enemies, will be an early highlight.
Tours, talks and fascinating hidden Georgian gems will be at the heart of the festival. The first York Georgian Ball will be held at the Grand Assembly Rooms (now home to the ASK Italian restaurant) on Saturday at 7pm. Look out for Mad Alice’s Rogues Gallery Tour around the city at 4pm on Saturday and Sunday. For the full programme and tickets, head to: yorkgeorgianfestival.co.uk.
Brass band blues: A scene from Brassed Off at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough
Play of the week outside York: Brassed Off, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, tomorrow (2/8/2024) to August 31
ADAPTED for the stage by Paul Allen from the 1996 screenplay by York filmmaker Mark Herman, Brassed Off takes to the stage in a co-production by Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake, Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre and Bolton’s Octagon Theatre, directed by Liz Stevenson.
The setting is 1994, ten years after the miners’ strike, when the tight-knit mining community of Grimley, Yorkshire, is fighting to keep the colliery open. Once the uncertainty around the pit’s future becomes too much for the pit band members, loyalty is tested, pressure mounts and the community begins to break apart. Can the band find a way to play on? Box office: 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.
Yard Act: Leeds art rock band play in their backyard on Saturday. Picture: Phoebe Fox
Leeds gig of the week: Yard Act, Here’s Our Utopia, Leeds Millennium Square, August 3, doors 6pm; 10.30pm finish
LEEDS art rock band Yard Act play their biggest gig yet on home turf at Leeds Millennium Square this weekend in the wake of the March release of second album Where’s My Utopia?.
Co-produced by James Smith’s indie quartet and Gorillaz member Remi Kabaka Jr, the album peaked at number four, following the number two success and Mercury Prize shortlisting of 2022 debut The Overload. Support acts will be English Teacher, Fat Dog and Ultimate Thunder. Box office: 0113 376 0318 or millsqleeds.com/whatson-event/yard-act/.
Laura Joy’s poster design for the 2024 York River Art Market weekends. She will be participating in all six days. Check out her work at laurajoydesign.co.uk
York’s answer to the Left Bank in Paris: York River Art Market, August 3 and 4; August 10 and 10; August 17 and 18, 10am to 5pm
ORGANISED by jewellery designer and York College art tutor Charlotte Dawson, York River Art Market returns to the riverbank at Dame Judi Dench Walk for a ninth summer season from this weekend.
Up to 30 artists and makers per day will be exhibiting ceramics, jewellery, paintings, prints, photographs, clothing, candles, T-shirts, shaving products and more. “We care that each of the six events are never the same, so we host a different variety of creatives at each one,” says Charlotte. Admission is free.
Richard Hudson’s Unwind: On show at Thirsk Hall Sculpture Garden. Picture: Celestine Dubruel
Exhibition of the week: Thirsk Hall Sculpture Garden, Kirkgate, Thirsk, open Wednesdays to Saturdays, 11am to 5pm, last entry 4pm
THIRSK Hall Sculpture Garden showcases modern and contemporary sculptures in 20 acres of walled gardens and parkland at the grade II-listed town house, complemented by artwork in Gallery One and The Orangery.
Artists on show include Farnoush Amini, Kenneth Armitage, Tere Chad, Tim Ellis, Laura Ford, Richard Hudson, Jeff Lowe, Gerald Laing, Michael Lyons, Trory Menage, Zak Ové, Tim Pomeroy, William Tucker, Austin Wright and Emily Young. To find out more about the 2024 exhibition, visit willoughnygerrish.com. Tickets: thirskhall.com/sculpture-garden.
Chris Hagyard, pictured in Guys And Dolls mode, will sing in Bev Jones Music Company’s One Night Of Broadway Hits
Musical revue of the week: Steve Coates and Bev Jones Music Company present One Night Of Broadway Hits, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, August 3, 2.30pm and 7.30pm
BEV Jones Music Company performs hits from 26 musicals, including Guys And Dolls, in an unashamedly traditional fashion under the musical direction of James Rodgers.
His band is joined in this moving, lively and at times funny show by vocalists Chris Hagyard, Annabel Van Griethuysen, Anthony Pengelly, Ruth McNeil, Sally Lewis, Stephen Wilson, Geoff Walker and producer Lesley Jones, back on stage for this show, wearing a silver cat suit unseen since 2010, when she played Vera in Stepping Out. Box office: 01904 501395 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Hurry up Harry: The Three Inch Fools cast for The Secret Diary Of Henry VIII at Helmsley Walled Garden
Ryedale play of the week: The Three Inch Fools in The Secret Diary Of Henry VIII, Helmsley Walled Garden, August 6, 7pm; gates 6pm
THE Three Inch Fools, founded by the Cumbrian Hyde brothers, producer James and writer, composer and director Stephen, present an essential guide on how to keep your head in the Tudor Court in a new comical take on Henry VIII and his six-pack of infamous wives.
Unexpectedly thrust into the limelight, Henry must navigate the ups and downs of courtly life, all while fighting the French yet again and re-writing religious doctrine. Bring chairs, blankets, picnics, but not umbrellas. Park in the Cleveland Way car park. Box office: 01439 771700, helmsleyarts.co.uk or threeinchfools.com.
Korn-ucopia of heavy metal hits at Scarborough Open Air Theatre on August 8
Coastal gig of the week: Korn, Scarborough Open Air Theatre, August 8, gates 6pm
FORMED in California in 1993, Korn continue to push the limits of alt. rock and heavy metal after 40 million album sales, two Grammy awards and countless tours. Expect to hear such anthems as Blind, Falling Away From Me, Here To Stay, Freak On A Leash, Twisted Transistor, Make Me Bad and Did My Time as their European tour arrives in Yorkshire. Support acts will be Wargasm and Loathe. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com/korn.
Riley Catherall: Playing Pig & Pastry, York, on a tour that takes the Australian singer-songwriter to Nayland, Kirton in Lindsay, High Wycombe and Stockholm, Uddevalla and Oland in Sweden
Introducing: Riley Catherall, Pig & Pastry, Bishopthorpe Road, York, August 8. Doors: 7.30pm for 8pm start
MELBOURNE singer-songwriter Riley Catherall’s graceful trajectory into the Australian alt-country world has not gone unnoticed. So much so that he will be playing in York on Thursday, promising songs of poetic sincerity from his June 14 sophomore album The Light, The Beautiful Liar and his 2021 debut When I Go, a record focused on leaving, losing love and finding somewhere to settle down. Box office: wegottickets.com/event/624233/.
Anastacia: Playing York Barbican next May on her Not That Kind 25th Anniversary Tour
Gig announcement of the week: Anastacia, Not That Kind 25th Anniversary Tour, York Barbican, May 4 2025
CHICAGO singer-songwriter Anastacia will play York Barbican as the only Yorkshire concert of the 13-date British and Irish leg of her Not That Kind tour next year, marking the 25th anniversary of her debut album.
“I didn’t get to do a tour for my first album, which makes this all the more special,” says Anastacia. “I can’t believe it’s been 25 years since Not That Kind; we will be sure to celebrate in true Anastacia style. It’ll be one big anniversary party. I can’t wait to see you all there !” Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/anastacia-2025/.
In Focus:The Magpies Festival, Sutton Park, near York, August 9 and 10
Actress, vocalist and accordion player Natalia Tena fronts Molotov Jukebox at The Magpies Festival, backed by Balkan fiddle, Latin trumpet and a pounding rhythm section, on Friday
RUN by transatlantic folk band The Magpies, The Magpies Festival is rooted in the trio’s native Yorkshire, where they first met. Now in its fourth year, the 2024 event will be headlined on Friday on the main stage by bi-lingual six-piece Molotov Jukebox at 10pm, preceded by Chris While & Julie Matthews, 6pm, and Jim Moray, 8pm.
Friday’s Brass Castle Stage bill features Em Risley, 5pm; Taff Rapids Stringband, 7pm; The Turbans, 9pm, and Easingwold musician Gary Stewart’s Graceland, 11pm.
Saturday’s main stage bill will be topped by Sam Kelly & The Lost Boys at 10pm, preceded by Charm Of Finches, 12 noon, The Often Herd, 2pm, Jesca Hoop, 4pm, The Magpies, 6pm, and Nati (formerly known as Nati Dreddd), 8pm. Saturday’s Brass Castle Stage line-up comprises Painted Sky, 1pm; Suntou Susso, 3pm; Northern Resonance, 5pm; Awkward Family Portraits, 7pm, and Marvara, 9pm.
Festival organisers The Magpies
The all-female The Magpies – Bella Gaffney (singer, songwriter, guitarist and banjo player), fellow founder Holly Brandon (fiddle player and tunesmith) and Ellie Gowers (guitarist, singer and songwriter) – are set on championing gender equality in the music industry, achieving gender parity in both line-up and staff, as well as providing a safe and comfortable environment for female musicians and festival goers.
Festival director Holly Brandon says: “We are so excited to put on The Magpies Festival. We’ve been over the moon at the response to the festival, from the incredible performances from world-class folk musicians to the high-energy spirit that our attendees brought along. It’s felt like a whole new feel to a folk festival.”
Box office: themagpiesfestival.co.uk/tickets.
Sam Kellly & The Lost Boys: To be found at The Magpies Festival at Sutton Park on Saturday
York Georgian Festival: for fans of fans and the period alike
THE second York Georgian Festival runs from today to Sunday, buoyed by an “overwhelming turnout” and VisitYork Tourism Awards nomination for last August’s inaugural event.
Day one’s highlight, Horrible Histories author Terry Deary’s 6pm showcase of his new book, A History Of Britain In Ten Enemies, has sold out.
In response to much demand, the festival will host the first York Georgian Ball at the Grand Assembly Rooms, now home to the ASK Italian restaurant, in Blake Street, on Saturday at 7pm. This ballroom played host to dances and dinners in the 18th and 19th centuries, and now guests will be dressed in their finest as they country-dance under the chandeliers this weekend.
Further festival highlights will be tours, talks and the chance to discover hidden Georgian gems across the city.
Festival creator Sarah White, events and marketing manager for York Mansion House, says: “I am delighted to be working with some of the most beautiful museums, venues and minds in York to bring this festival to life. We want to showcase the impact of this time period on the modern day, and we also want to dance the night away.”
Terry Deary: Introducing his new book this evening
Thursday
10am: Behind the Scenes Curator Tour, at Fairfax House.
10am to 3pm (pre-bookable tours available): Tours and Tea for Charity at York Medical Society, 23 Stonegate.
10am to 5pm (last admission 4pm): Discover the “illegal chapel” at Bar Convent Living Heritage Centre.
10.30am to 5pm (last admission 4pm): Hobs Go Georgian, a fun family trail at York Mansion House. Free with admission.
11.30am: 18th century cooking demonstration, York Mansion House. Free with admission.
11.30am: Blood, Guts and Bedlam Tour, from York Medical Society.
2.30pm: Dressing a Georgian Lady, York Mansion House. Free with admission.
4pm: Rogues Gallery Tour with Mad Alice, around the city.
6pm: Terry Deary previews his new book, A History of Britain in Ten Enemies. SOLD OUT.
7pm: Mad Alice History Talk and Gin Tasting, at Impossible York bar.
Friday
10am to 5pm (last admission 4pm): Discover the “illegal chapel” at Bar Convent Living Heritage Centre.
10am to 3pm (pre-bookable tours available): Tours and Tea for Charity at York Medical Society, 23 Stonegate.
10.30am: Georgian Dance Class at the Guildhall.
10.30am to 5pm (last admission 4pm): Hobs Go Georgian: a fun family trail at York Mansion House. Free with admission.
11.30am: 18th century cooking demonstration, York Mansion House. Free with admission.
11.30am: Blood, Guys and Bedlam Tour, from York Medical Society.
2.30pm: Fan language, York Mansion House. Free with admission.
4pm: Rogues Gallery Tour, with Mad Alice, around the city.
7.30pm: Bridgerton by Candlelight, Ignite Concerts. SOLD OUT.
Saturday
10am to 5pm (last admission 4pm): Discover the “illegal chapel” at Bar Convent Living Heritage Centre.
10.30am to 5pm (last admission 4pm): Hobs Go Georgian, a fun family trail at York Mansion House. Free with admission.
11am: Regency Rejigged dance performance, St Helen’s Square.
11.30am: 18th century cooking demonstration, York Mansion House. Free with admission.
2pm: Regency Rejigged dance performance, St Helen’s Square.
2pm: Anatomy of a Ball, Barley Hall Coffee Shop.
2.30pm: Dressing a Georgian Lady, York Mansion House. Free with admission.
3pm: Regency Rejigged dance performance, St Helen’s Square.
4pm: The Raree Show of The Fox Trap’t, Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate. SOLD OUT.
4pm: The Rogues Gallery Tour, with Mad Alice, around the city.
5pm: Family Walking Tour: A Day in the Life of Jane Ewbank, with York Georgian Society, starting from St Helen’s Square.
7pm: The York Georgian Ball, at Grand Assembly Rooms.
Sunday
10.30am to 1pm: Hobs Go Georgian: a fun family trail at York Mansion House. Free with admission.
11am: Regency Rejigged dance performance, St Helen’s Square.
11.30am: 18th century cooking demonstration, York Mansion House. Free with admission.
1pm: Uncovering The Parrot: A Forgotten Women-Led Satirical Periodical of the 18th Century at York Mansion House. SOLD OUT. York Mansion House will be closed temporarily from 12.30pm to 2.20pm to accommodate this ticketed event.
2pm: Regency Rejigged dance performance, St Helen’s Square.
2.30pm: Fan language, York Mansion House. Free with admission.
4pm: Rogues Gallery Tour, with Mad Alice, around the city.
In black and white: Back row: Rebecca Jackson’s Maria, Finlay Butler’s Tony and Kit Stroud’s Riff; front, Kristian Barley’s Bernardo and Maia Beatrice’s Anita in NETheatre York’s West Side Story. Picture: NETheatre York
CREATIVE director Steve Tearle first saw West Side Story at the age of nine. Within two years he was performing in The Sound Of Music at the Sunderland Empire, whereupon a life-long love of musical theatre was born.
Yet he desisted from directing Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim’s 1950s’ musical. “I was always comparing what I could achieve with that amazing film,” he says, but then he attended a Broadway production in 2019 that changed his mind.
Here comes his different take, “not as ‘dancey’, not as polished, but very raw, very emotional, focusing on the acting”. In a nutshell, NETheatre York’s production would be built more on movement than choreography, although Melisa Boyd is still credited as choreographer, rather than movement director, working in tandem with Tearle.
After Rebecca Jackson’s Maria and Finlay Butler’s Tony cross without noticing each other in a sliding doors moment, the physical performance style is established in a long sequence without dialogue that opens the over-long first act, distilling the chaos and friction between two Upper West Side working-class gangs in New York: the Polish-Irish Catholics, The Jets, and their Puerta Rican rivals, The Sharks.
All are wearing variations on black and white streetwear, as sharp as in the era of 2Tone Ska, but here designed to be timeless, representing all eras from the 1950s to the present day to emphasise the continuing resonance of a tragic teenage romance rooted in Shakespeare’s ill-fated, star-crossed tale of forbidden love, Romeo & Juliet.
Kit Stroud’s Riff and The Jets in NETheatre York’s West Side Story
The black-and-white uniformity is also designed to reinforce common humanity beneath the codes of a turf war, here delineated by The Jets moving in a jive style, The Sharks more fluid in their stride.
Black and white defines Tearle’s set design and lighting too: even the three mobile scaffolding towers that facilitate much climbing and clambering, not least for Maria and Tony’s balcony scenes, are decorated that way, matched by the bold-typed projections that chart the story’s calamitous rush from 5.34pm on Friday evening to 2.31am on Sunday morning on a countdown clock. The New York skyline is depicted in monochrome too.
Tearle only breaks the night with colour – to borrow a Richard Ashcroft song title – in moments of heightened drama or tragedy, first used when Maia Beatrice’s Anita decorates Maria’s new dress with a red band, echoing the red coat in Steven Spielberg’s otherwise B&W Schindler’s List. Later, the columns of bright white light will turn bloodshed-red.
If a musical is built on a triptych of music, story and choreography, Tearle’s production is stronger on its musicality and storytelling than movement: the ensemble motion in commotion needs more zip, more dynamism, more attack and anger, more heat too, although Riff and The Jets finger-click into the right gear in Cool.
Tearle’s “focus on the acting, the characterisation” pays off, however, in the heart-stopping performances of Jackson’s Maria and Butler’s Tony. From Puerto Rican accent to beautiful singing voice and deportment, Jackson is a terrific young talent, one to watch, leading I Feel Pretty so delightedly and delightfully. Butler, lithe and full of stage presence, sings movingly too, especially in Maria.
Steve Tearle’s Doc and Finlay Butler’s Tony in West Side Story
Kristian Barley’s Bernardo and Kit Stroud’s kilted Riff exude macho menace as hot-headed rival gang leaders, ever ready for a rumble, Scott Barnes amuses in a camp cameo as gym party chaperone Mr Glad Hand and Erik Jensen’s Lieutenant Schrank is suitably no-nonsense.
Beatrice’s abrasive Anita and Jackson’s Maria combine in the show’s outstanding number, A Boy Like That/I Have A Love, while Tearle’s Jewish drug store boss Doc – the older, outsider voice of reason, bewilderment and despair – takes over the singing of Somewhere (a song originally given to Consuelo on Broadway), giving it added adult heft.
Look out too for Melissa Boyd’s volatile Rosalia, Alice Atang’s athletic Natalia, Zachary Pickersgill’s plucky Snowboy and Erin Greenley’s tomboy Anybodys, along with Steve Perry’s vengeful Chino.
Defining West Side Story as “a play with music, rather than as a music”, Tearle has followed up a similarly focused Fiddler On The Roof by “stripping back” his latest production, restricting the cast to 35, keeping the stage pretty much bare, save for the scaffolding towers, a neon sign for Doc’s store, eight chairs and a bed. The lighting ups its game, a dazzling component in capturing the moments of conflict and conflagration.
Not all the blocking works well, the tinsel curtain cutting off heads in one scene, and the movement is sometimes heavy footed, but we are seeing a new, character-driven side to Tearle’s direction this year, more grit, less glitter. Coming next: Elf The Musical, from November 26 to 30, when the (Christmas) glitter will no doubt resurface!
NE Theatre York in West Side Story, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, 2.30pm and 7.30pm today. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrownteetheatre.co.uk.
Jane Burnell: Buxton Opera soprano performing at tomorrow’s York Proms in York Museum Gardens
IN search of high-summer highlights, Charles Hutchinson finds Proms fireworks, outdoor cinema singalongs, a mad woodland king and comedy on the coast.
Musical picnic of the week: York Proms, York Museum Gardens, York, Sunday, general admission, 5.30pm; main stage concert, 7.45pm to 10.30pm
TICKETS are close to selling out for the York Proms, tomorrow’s picnic concert under the stars organised as ever by York soprano Rebecca Newman.
Conducted by Ben Crick, the orchestra will be joined by tenor Joshua Baxter and soprano Jane Burnell, both at present performing with Buxton Opera, for a programme of classical classics, operatic arias and film music, topped off with the flag-waving proms finale, decorated with a fireworks display. Box office: 01904 909487 or yorkproms.com.
Hoglets Theatre’s puppet of Badger for Gemma Curry’s new show, The Badger And The Coins, at York Explore & Archive today
Children’s show of the week: Hoglets Theatre in The Badger And The Coins, York Explore Library and Archive, Library Square, York, today, 11am to 11.45am
GEMMA Curry’s York company Hoglets Theatre presents The Badger And The Coins, an original play about love, courage and the belief that even the most unexpected companions can bring magic into our world, suitable for pre-school and primary school children.
Based on a Japanese folk tale, the story of an old man rescuing a mysterious Badger and triggering an amazing journey is powered by original songs, outrageous characters, beautiful hand-made puppets and Hoglets’ trademark energy and creativity. Box office: tickettailor.com/events/exploreyorklibrariesandarchives/1288717.
Cinema in the open air at Castle Howard this weekend, from Disney to Abba, Spielberg to Cruise. Picture: Castle Howard Estate
Outdoor film event of the week: Adventure Cinema at Castle Howard, near Malton, today and tomorrow
PACK a picnic for Castle Howard’s open-air outdoor cinema experience on a giant screen this weekend, presented in tandem with Adventure Cinema. This afternoon features a Sing-A-Long Edition of Disney’s Frozen (PG) at 1.30pm (gates 12 noon).
An Abba disco precedes Mamma Mia! Outdoor Cinema Extrabbaganza, this evening’s all-singing, all-dancing double bill of Mamma Mia! and Mamma Mia Here We Go Again at 6.30pm (gates 5pm). Tomorrow comprises Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler’s The Gruffalo/Stick Man (U) at 11am (gates 10am), Steven Spielberg’s dinosaur blockbuster Jurassic Park (PG) at 3pm (gates 1.30pm) and Tony Scott’s Top Gun, starring Tom Cruise, at 8pm (gate 6.30pm). Box office: adventurecinema.co.uk/venues/castle-howard.
Barn Owl, by Bryn Parry CBE, in the Sculpture In The Landscape exhibition at the Himalayan Garden and Sculpture Park, The Hutts, Grewelthorpe. Picture: Celestine Dubruel
Exhibition of the week: Sculpture In The Landscape, Himalayan Garden and Sculpture Park, The Hutts, Grewelthorpe, near Ripon, until November 3
THE 2024 Sculpture In The Landscape exhibition showcases 60 works for sale by artists across the United Kingdom, complementing the permanent sculptures on show at the Himalayan Garden.
Visitors are invited to explore the intricate sculptures set against verdant landscapes. From monumental installations to delicate works of art, each piece offers a perspective on the intersection of creativity and nature. Normal garden entry applies. Tickets: 01765 658009 or himalayangarden.com
Adderstone in the trees: Music, mystery and magic in the woodland company of Mad Sweeney, the Irish king, at the Forest of Flowers, Huby
Woodland folk event of the week: Sweeney Untethered by Adderstone, Forest of Flowers, Home Farm, Tollerton Road, Huby, York, tomorrow (28/7/2024), 1.30pm to 4pm
ADDERSTONE, the storytelling alt-folk duo of Cath Heinemeyer and Gemma McDermott, present Sweeney Untethered, the tale of a 7th century Irish king who went mad, as told and sung on a caper through the wild woods and meadows of the Forest of Flowers with refreshments after the 1.5-mile walk.
The music, mystery and magic-infused performance will immerse the audience in story and surroundings alike as Heinemeyer and McDermott take in the wildflowers, ponds, woodland and wildlife. Bookings: forestofflowers.co.uk/event-details.
The View: Returning to the concert platform after five-year hiatus
Return of the week: The View, The Crescent, York, August 2, 7.30pm
RESCHEDULED from June 15, Under The Influence presents Dundee indie-rock returnees The View in a night of Hats Off To Buskers classics, from Same Jeans to Wasted Little DJs and Superstar Tradesma, plus material from their first album in eight years.
Recorded with Grammy Award-winning producer Youth at Space Mountain, Granada, Exorcism Of Youth was released last August on Cooking Vinyl. Five years on from their departing gig at Dundee’s Caird Hall, original members Kyle Falconer (vocals/guitar), Kieran Webster (bass/vocals) and Pete Reilly (guitar) are back on the road. Box office: thecrescentyork.com. music, mystery and magic!
Bill Bailey: Comedy in the Scarborough sea air on August 2
Coastal gig of the week: Bill Bailey, Scarborough Open Air Theatre, August 2; gates open at 6pm
COMEDIAN, actor, musician, presenter, Never Mind The Buzzcocks team captain, Black Books sitcom star and 2020 Strictly Come Dancing champion Bill Bailey heads to the East Coast with his surrealist fusion of stories, poetry and wordplay that takes aim at the modern world’s absurdities, as aired in his Thoughtifier arena tour.
A veteran of the UK festival circuit, with appearances at Latitude, Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds, Sonisphere and the Eden Project, Bailey will have his array of weird and wonderful instruments on tap too for playful pastiches of Tom Waits, Kraftwerk et al. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.
Chris Hagyard, pictured in Guys And Dolls mode, will be taking part in One Night Of Broadway Hits at the JoRo
Musical revue of the week: Steve Coates and Bev Jones Music Company present One Night Of Broadway Hits, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, August 3, 2.30pm and 7.30pm
BEV Jones Music Company performs hits from 26 musicals, including Guys And Dolls, in an unashamedly traditional fashion under the musical direction of James Rodgers.
His band is joined in this moving, lively and at times funny show by vocalists Chris Hagyard, Annabel Van Griethuysen, Anthony Pengelly, Ruth McNeil, Sally Lewis, Stephen Wilson, Geoff Walker and producer Lesley Jones, back on stage for this show, wearing a silver cat suit unseen since 2010, when she played Vera in Stepping Out. Box office: 01904 501395 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Chrissie Hynde: The great Pretender, leading her band at York Barbican this autumn. Picture: Vi Price
Gig announcement of the week: The Pretenders, York Barbican, October 31
THE Pretenders are extending their sold-out British tour, adding a new date in York, in the wake of releasing Relentless, their 14th UK Top 40 entry and highest-charting record in 23 years, last September.
Fronted as ever by Chrissie Hynde, 72, the band is joining Foo Fighters on their American tour in July and August. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/the-pretenders/.
Soprano Jane Burnell: Performing at York Proms on Sunday
THE 2024 York Proms is close to selling out as the picnic concert with the fireworks finish returns to York Museum Gardens on Sunday.
Against the backdrop of the ruins of St Mary’s Abbey, organiser Rebecca Newman presents the 7.45pm programme of classical classics, operatic arias and film music, topped off by the de rigueur flag-waving proms finale under the stars.
Conducted by Ben Crick, the York Proms Orchestra will be joined by two rising stars of the opera firmament, tenor Joshua Baxter and soprano Jane Burnell.
“Joshua, who is in his early 30s, studied at the Royal Academy of Music and performs in opera and oratorio across the UK and Europe,” says Rebecca. “Jane, who studied at Leeds College of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music, in Manchester, is only in her mid-20s and has made her professional debut this year. Definitely one to watch.
“Jane has worked with our musical director, Ben Crick, who writes the arrangements for the orchestra and conducts on the day, and she knows Josh because they are working together at Buxton Opera Festival this summer.
Tenor Joshua Baxter: Heading from Buxton Opera Festival to York Proms on Sunday
“In an interview for the York Proms podcast, she told me they don’t actually sing together at Buxton, so this will be a nice treat for them to actually do that.”
Crick directs an orchestra put together expressly for the York Proms. “Many of them often perform with big orchestras all over the country,” says Rebecca.
“I’m really excited about this year’s programme and the line-up of music looks to be one of my favourites so far, with a selection that offers something for everyone. The arias include some really big, challenging and stunningly beautiful pieces that will be a real treat to hear from two really talented and accomplished performers.”
The podcast has been released this month to tap into the community that has built up since the event was established in 2017. “It has already seen close to 1,000 downloads, which is fantastic for a newly launched podcast,” says Rebecca.
“We plan to offer interviews and news via the podcast that complements the event, but also life in York more generally. There is so much to the York Proms that we can celebrate, aside from the music, including the history of the gardens and the people who make it possible.”
The 2024 York Proms box office is remaining open later than in past years. “We usually close it about five to seven days before the event, so we know the numbers we are expecting and can plan, or when it sells out – which last year happened almost two weeks before the day – but this year has been unprecedented with the extremely wet and cold weather,” says Rebecca.
York Proms organiser Rebecca Newman
“That definitely had an impact on ticket sales as we were significantly ahead of last year’s ticket sales by six weeks before the event, but I don’t blame people for not wanting to gamble with the weather.
“However, now that the forecast is looking great and the sales have picked up, we’re leaving the box office open for a little longer to allow the final few tickets to sell. There’s only ten per cent still remaining though, and the discounted ticket price has to end soon too, so if people are keen to come, don’t leave it too long or you might miss out.”
Proms-goers can bring picnics or head to The Sketch Box on site, offering filled flatbreads, cooked freshly to order in their pizza ovens, plus posh hot dogs, hot and cold drinks and sweet treats. The Northern Bistro will be selling drinks and sweet treats too and Acaster Malbus brewery Ainsty Ales is returning with a bar for the third year running.
“I take every opportunity to source suppliers from York and the surrounding area wherever possible and champion the amazing businesses we have in our area,” says Rebecca.
Gates open at 5pm for fast track and disabled ticket holders, 5.30pm for general admission, with the warm-up stage sparking into life at around 5.45pm. The main evening show starts at around 7.45pm and will be finished before 10.30pm.
Tickets can be bought online via yorkproms.com or in person via the Visit York Information Centre, in Parliament Street, in person or by calling 01904 909 487. For more information, visit yorkproms.com.
Leading lights: Riding Lights’ new executive director Oliver Brown, left, and artistic director Paul Birch outside Friargate Theatre in York
RIDING Lights Theatre Company today announces the appointment of its new artistic director, Paul Birch, and executive director, Oliver Brown.
They will serve as joint chief executive officer of the national touring theatre company, based at Friargate Theatre, Lower Friargate, York.
Playwright, sketch writer, improv comedy trailblazer and theatre director Paul Birchrejoins the company as artistic director after holding early roles as its youth theatre director and associate director of education and community.
He succeeds Paul Burbridge, co-founder of the Christian theatre company and artistic director since its foundation in 1977, who died after a short illness in April 2023.
As a freelance writer-director, his work has been produced in many theatres nationwide, expanding into audio dramas and a practice focused on improvisation, collaborating with improvisers from all over the world.
Paul has developed a track record of applied theatre-making and was artistic director of Out Of Character, a York company comprising artists with lived experience of mental illness, for eight years.
“I’ve had the privilege of working with Riding Lights for over 20 years. Paul Burbridge was a great mentor to me and offered me many early opportunities in acting, writing and directing,” he says. His influence and inspirational teaching in theatre-making has had a profound and lasting impact on my work.
“The creativity of Riding Lights has always been about making work with and for all kinds of people in all kinds of places; often those hardest to reach. I’m looking forward to finding new artistic ways to create powerful and joyful theatre in that spirit.”
Riding Lights’ new executive director, Oliver Brown, left, and artistic director Paul Birch in the black-box studio theatre at Friargate Theatre, York
Oliver Brown FRSA, at present associate director at Riding Lights,takes up the post of executive director after holding senior leadership roles in production and operations at venues including Hull Truck Theatre and CAST in Doncaster. He is the elected vice-chair and trustee director of the Association of British Theatre Technicians.
His first encounter with Riding Lights was in 1999, when the teenage Oliver knocked on the door of Friargate Theatre, soon after it opened, asking for a technical work placement. Over the subsequent decades, he has worked as a freelance technical and stage manager for the company on many occasions.
“After being a part of Riding Lights for nearly 25 years, I am delighted to be joining the company once again as executive director, having spent my summers at its annual residential summer school, my early years up a ladder amongst the lights in Friargate Theatre, and out on national tours,” he says.
“Along with Paul, I am looking forward to Riding Lights’ 50th anniversary in 2027 and planning for the future.
“I am passionate about communicating faith and social justice issues through theatre and community work – a tradition in which Riding Lights is a leader, and one in which I will be honoured to play a part as we develop the evolving vision of Riding Lights.”
Riding LightsTheatre Companyhas been making and touring theatre informed by a Christian faith for 47 years, making it one of Great Britain’s most productive and long-serving independent theatre companies. Its productions have been seen across the world, from the United States of America, through Europe, to Israel and Palestine.
John Emmett, chair of the board of directors, says: “I am delighted that Paul and Ollie have agreed to join Riding Lights. Both of them have a long association with the company and understand well Paul Burbridge’s remarkable legacy. I am confident that they will build on this in fresh and exciting ways to create theatre which entertains, challenges and inspires.”
Friargate Theatre has announced an autumn season of theatre, stand-up and improv comedy, storytelling, music, film and family shows that opens on September 5. For full details and bookings, head to: friargatetheatre.co.uk. Box office: 01904 613000.
Riding Lights is in rehearsal for Cups On A String, a new play by York playwright Bridget Foreman, directed by David Gilbert for an eight-week autumn tour across the UK, to be staged in partnership with Transforming Lives for Good, a charity that brings hope and a future to struggling children.
The brochure cover artwork for Friargate Theatre’s autumn return
Riding Lights: the back story
RIDING Lights Theatre Company was founded in 1977 by Paul Burbridge, Murray Watts and Nigel Forde and has been based in York ever since.
Riding Lights opened Friargate Theatre, in Lower Friargate, York, in 1999. It has since operated as the company’s office and rehearsal space and has two performance spaces: one a ground-floor cabaret-style space seating around 60 people; the other an upstairs black-box studio theatre seating 100.
World premieres in recent years have includedAfrican Snow, a co-production with York Theatre Royal (York Theatre Royal, West End transfer and national tour); Augustus Carp Esq. by Himself (Friargate Theatre); Dick Turpin (Friargate Theatre) and an adaptation of Jerome K Jerome’s Three Men In A Boat (national tour, co-produced with Northcott Theatre, Exeter).
In Summer 2012, Riding Lights, in tandem with York Theatre Royal and York Museums Trust, produced the epic-scale, outdoor production of the York Mystery Plays in York Museum Gardens.
Frequently characterised by quirky satire, Riding Lights’ productions challenge audiences to engage with topical themes and issues, often examining the reverberations of historical events in today’s society.
Classic plays such as Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale (two national tours), Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist (the inaugural production at Friargate Theatre), Dario Fo’s Mistero Buffo (Friargate Theatre and national tour) and Max Frisch’s The Fire Raisers (Bridewell Theatre, London) have found fresh and arresting relevance in Riding Lights productions.
Putting it in black and white: from top, Finlay Butler, Kristian Barley, Kit Stroud, Rebecca Butler and Maia Beatrice in NETheatre York’s West Side Story
FROM a musical in black and white to circus skills, outdoor comedy to racecourse music showcases, Charles Hutchinson picks his high-summer highlights.
Musical of the week: NE Theatre York in West Side Story, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm and 2.30pm Saturday matinee
EXPERIENCE the explosive love and rivalry in 1950s’ New York City in Bernstein & Sondheim’s musical re-telling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. As romance blossoms between teens from opposing gangs The Sharks and The Jets, the relationship is – spoiler alert – fated to end in tragedy. Steve Tearle’s production for NE Theatre York features a black-and-white design and cultural references from the 1950s to the present day. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Barn Owl, by Bryn Parry CBE, in the Sculpture In The Landscape exhibition at the Himalayan Garden and Sculpture Park, The Hutts, Grewelthorpe. Picture: Celestine Dubruel
Exhibition of the week: Sculpture In The Landscape, Himalayan Garden and Sculpture Park, The Hutts, Grewelthorpe, near Ripon, until November 3
THE 2024 Sculpture In The Landscape exhibition showcases 60 works for sale by artists across the United Kingdom, complementing the permanent sculptures on show at the Himalayan Garden.
Visitors are invited to explore the intricate sculptures set against verdant landscapes. From monumental installations to delicate works of art, each piece offers a perspective on the intersection of creativity and nature. Normal garden entry applies. Tickets: 01765 658009 or himalayangarden.com
Brainfools in Cabaret Cirque Enchanté at Pocklington Arts Centre
Magical and mind-boggling circus feats of the week: BrainFools present Cabaret Cirque Enchanté, Pocklington Arts Centre, Friday, 6pm, and Saturday, 10.30am
BRAINFOOLS’ collective of National Centre for Circus Arts graduates and their friends bring a collaborative imagination to their versatile, immersive and visually enriching performance of enchanted circus, dance and humour.
The ensemble sets an evocative scene, evoking the cabaret flair of the 1920s with a jazz-flavoured musical score and a compere introducing family-friendly acts. In addition, in conjunction with Burnby Hall Gardens, Brainfools will host circus skills workshops for young people tomorrow and Friday. Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.
Kaiser Chiefs: A night at the races in York. Picture: Cal McIntyre
Under starter’s orders: York Racecourse Music Showcase Weekend, Knavesmire, York, Kaiser Chiefs, Friday, 8.45pm to 10.30pm, and S Club, Saturday, 5.45pm to 7.30pm
LEEDS indie rock band Kaiser Chiefs, who mounted the exhibition When All Is Quiet at York Art Gallery in 2018-2019, return to York on Friday when the emphasis will be on I Predict A Riot, not Quiet. Expect Oh My God, Everyday I Love You Less And Less, Ruby et al, plus songs from this year’s Easy Eighth Album, after the evening race card.
Saturday afternoon’s racing will be followed by British pop favourites S Club, these days featuring Tina Barrett, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, Jo O’Meara and Rachel Stevens. Here come S Club Party, Never Had A Dream Come True, Bring It All Back, Reach, Don’t Stop Movin’, Have You Ever, Two In A Million, Say Goodbye, You’re My Number One, Love Ain’t Gonna Wait For You and more besides. Raceday tickets: yorkracecourse.co.uk.
Martin Carthy: Folk trailblazer. Picture: The Press, York
Moorland gig of the week: Martin Carthy, The Band Room, Low Mill, Farndale, Saturday, 7.30pm
“WHAT we like most about Martin Carthy is that to us he’s a local hero who will once again take the high road from Robin Hood’s Bay to Farndale, jewel in the crown of the North York Moors National Park, to renew his acquaintance with The Band Room,” says gig promoter Nigel Burnham.
Carthy, 82, who has enjoyed trailblazing folk partnerships with Steeleye Span, Dave Swarbrick, wife Norma Waterson and daughter Eliza Carthy, brings to the stage more than half a century of experiences and stories as a ballad singer, groundbreaking acoustic and electric guitarist and insatiably curious interpreter and arranger of other artists’ material and trad songs. Box office: thebandroom.co.uk.
John Watterton: Celebrating the works of Jake Thackray and Les Barker at Milton Rooms, Malton
Unsung legends celebration of the week: John Watterton: An Evening Without Jake Thackray Or Les Barker!, Milton Rooms, Malton, Sunday 7.30pm
YORK guitarist and vocalist John Watterson keeps alive the spirit of Leeds singer-songwriter, poet, humourist and journalist Jake Thackray through his catalogue of songs that he describes as simultaneously “painfully funny, sad, tragic, rude, irreverent, incisive and happy”.
In this new show, Watterton also features the work of another “unsung legend”: Mancunian former accountant Les Barker, who discovered a talent for writing silly poems that he performed at folk clubs. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
The View: Returning to the concert platform after a five-year hiatus
Return of the week: The View, The Crescent, York, August 2, 7.30pm
RESCHEDULED from June 15, Under The Influence presents Dundee indie-rock returnees The View in a night of Hats Off To Buskers classics, from Same Jeans to Wasted Little DJs and Superstar Tradesma, plus material from their first album in eight years.
Recorded with Grammy Award-winning producer Youth at Space Mountain, Granada, Exorcism Of Youth was released last August on Cooking Vinyl. Five years on from their departing gig at Dundee’s Caird Hall, original members Kyle Falconer (vocals/guitar), Kieran Webster (bass/vocals) and Pete Reilly (guitar) are back on the road. Box office: thecrescentyork.com.
Bill Bailey: Comedy on the coast on August 2
Coastal gig of the week: Bill Bailey, Scarborough Open Air Theatre, August 2; gates open at 6pm
COMEDIAN, actor, musician, presenter, Never Mind The Buzzcocks team captain, Black Books sitcom star and 2020 Strictly Come Dancing champion Bill Bailey heads to the East Coast with his surrealist fusion of stories, poetry and wordplay that takes aim at the modern world’s absurdities, as aired in his Thoughtifier arena tour.
A veteran of the UK festival circuit, with appearances at Latitude, Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds, Sonisphere and the Eden Project, Bailey will have his array of weird and wonderful instruments on tap too for playful pastiches of Tom Waits, Kraftwerk et al. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.
Chrissie Hynde: The great Pretender will lead her band at York Barbican in October. Picture: Vi Price
Gig announcement of the week: The Pretenders, York Barbican, October 31
THE Pretenders are extending their sold-out British tour, adding a new date in York, in the wake of releasing Relentless, their 14th UK Top 40 entry and highest-charting record in 23 years, last September.
Fronted as ever by Chrissie Hynde, 72, the band is joining Foo Fighters on their American tour in July and August. Tickets for York Barbican go on sale on Friday at 10am at https://www.yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/the-pretenders/.
Putting it in black and white: Back row, Rebecca Jackson’s Maria, Finlay Butler’s Tony and Kit Stroud’s Riff; front, Kristian Barley’s Bernardo and Maia Beatrice’s Anita. Picture: NETheatre York
DIRECTOR Steve Tearle follows up his best NETheatre York show so far, Fiddler On The Roof, with a bravura take on West Side Story at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, from tomorrow (24/7/2024) to Saturday.
Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim’s musical, inspired by Shakespeare’s tragic tale of forbidden love, Romeo And Juliet, is set in 1950s’ New York City, where the Sharks and the Jets, two working-class gangs, clash in a violent turf war, but Steve is taking a fresh approach.
“NETheatre is known for creating innovative musical theatre and this production is no different,” he says. “We wanted to create this classic as a timeless piece of theatre as we feel the story itself is as relevant today as it was when the musical was written in the Fifties. We won’t have mobile phones but it will resonate with our modern age.
“Our show will be set at ‘anytime’, not a specific time, so we’re using costume references from the 1950s to the present day to emphasise that timelessness. Our design will be mainly black and white, using colour only to highlight crucial moments in the story. The first time you see colour is when the action moves into the gym, and whenever something tragic happens we’ll use colour.”
That story revolves around the boundary-breaking love of Tony (played by Finlay Butler), from the Jets, and Maria (Rebecca Jackson), whose hot-headed brother Bernardo (Kristian Barley) belongs to the rival Sharks gang. Events take a dramatic twist for leader Riff (Kit Stroud) after a rumble between the Jets and Sharks goes drastically wrong, leading Tony to take matters into his own hands.
Steve Tearle’s Doc and Finlay Butler’s Tony in NETheatre York’s West Side Story. “Doc has always thought of Tony as his family,” says Steve. “When Tony got out of prison, Doc took Tony in to live with him and look after him”. Picture: NETheatre York
“In our version, the story runs from 5.34pm on Friday evening and ends at 2.31am on Sunday morning to make it even more of a tragic rush,” says Steve. “The time line will be projected throughout the show.”
He is revelling in directing this landmark musical. “My love of West Side Story started when I was nine when my mum and dad first took me to the pictures in Sunderland to see it, and it’s been a favourite ever since with so many fantastic songs – Maria, America, Cool, I Feel Pretty, Somewhere, Jet Song, Gee, Officer Krupke – probably more than have featured in any other musical,” says Steve.
“The film set off my love of musical theatre that kicked off my career, giving me the confidence to appear in The Sound Of Music at the Sunderland Empire, aged 11, playing Kurt. My inspiration for singing, everything, is that film.
“But I never thought I’d be able to stage West Side Story because I was always comparing what I could achieve with the impact of that amazing film.”
What changed? “I went to see the show on Broadway in 2019 and that gave me the springboard to do a different take on it, not as ‘dancey’, not as polished, but very raw, very emotional, and that inspired me to come up with this concept, focusing on the acting,” says Steve. “Our show will be raw, full of dancing, climbing and fighting.
Melissa Boyd’s Roselia Sanchez, left, and Maia Beatrice’s Anita in NETheatre York’s West Side Story. “Anita and Roselia are best friends but Roselia isn’t as keen as Anita about living in America,” says Steve
“I think of this musical as a play with music, rather than as a musical, where we’re concentrating on the characterisation and the stories, and on stories that are not usually explored in depth, such as Doc and Tony, who lives with him after prision, looking at what their relationship is, and the story between Bernardo and Maria too.
“We’ve not changed a word but what I have done is strip it back, so it uses the least props I’ve ever used, making it as raw as the emotions, showing the struggles they all go through to be in a gang. The stage will be pretty much bare, with no wings, three scaffolding towers (for the balcony scenes), eight chairs and one bed, and we’ll use white lights and strobe lighting.”
Steve is directing a cast of 35 aged 11 to 60-plus. “Look out for Snowboy, who’s played by Zachary Pickersgill. He has hardest lines in the show and he’s only 11,” he says. “We’ve reconstructed the gangs as gangland and gang warfare is like today, with generals, runners and look-outs.
“Everyone will be in black and white, and to tell the gangs apart, it will come down to movement: the Puerto Rican Sharks’ dancing will be more fluent; the Jets will be more jive based.
“Our first rehearsals were all about getting into character before we started rehearsing lines, initially keeping Jets and Sharks apart in the reherarsal room.”
NE Theatre York in West Side Story, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, July 24 to 27, 7.30pm and 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
The Jets in NETheatre York’s West Side Story. Picture: NETheatre York
Cast:
Rebecca Jackson, as Maria; Finlay Butler, Tony; Kit Stroud, Riff; Maia Beatrice, Anita; Kristian Barley, Bernardo; Stephen Tearle, Doc; Erik Jensen, Lt Schrank; Rich Musk, Office Krupke; Scott Barnes, Mr Gladhand.
The Jets
Sam Brothy, Action; Callum Richardson, Baby John; Erin Greenley, Anybody’s; Missy Barnes, A-Rab; Toby Jensen, Big Deal; Zachary Pickersgill, Snowboy; Courtney Batey, Graziella; Amy Legerton, Velma; Neve Greenley, Thelma; Ellie Roberts, Cynthia; Greg Roberts, Diesel; James Robert, Miguel; Alice Atang, Natalia.
Jack Savoretti: “A typically charismatic, energetic performance” at York Museum Gardens. Picture: Paul Rhodes
FUTURESOUND’S inaugural Live At York Museum Gardens festival got off to a stellar start on Thursday. Headliner Jack Savoretti gave a typically charismatic, energetic performance that had the sell-out crowd in the palm of his Anglo-Italian hand.
The setting framed the evening to a tee, the musicians played in front of the Yorkshire Museum, with St Mary’s Abbey off to the side. No-one was looking at the ruins, however, and Savoretti had everyone’s attention.
He has gained a large and passionate following, with back-to-back number one albums. The women in the audience especially adore him, and it’s easy to see why. Blessed with good looks and the ability to write songs with broad appeal, he’s also a natural showman.
Homeward bound: York-born Benjamin Francis Leftwich, now based in London, returns home to sing of New York in old York. Picture: Paul Rhodes
“Singing for strangers” may be his daughter’s way of describing her dad’s job, but he has the master’s gift of shrinking an arena so everyone in the audience feels he’s singing to them.
The evening had begun slowly with opener Ellur, from Halifax, starting proceedings early, followed by Benjamin Francis Leftwich. Originally from York (and conceived in a haunted house nearby, he told us, perhaps with a wink) Leftwich is not an obvious party starter. Yet he provided an ideal accompaniment to match the early evening vibe.
Playing with Jamie Squire (touring keyboard player for The 1975), Leftwich’s confident set was mellifluous and tuneful – with New York the highlight. Paul Simon he isn’t, but his hotel-room confessions were played with endearing conviction and the old York links went over well.
Foy Vance: “Performing solo, he demonstrated that with a large crowd, a big voice is not enough to guarantee a successful performance”
Foy Vance by comparison was a disappointment. On record, this Irish lothario’s songs, in Tom Waits/Joe Henry territory and bubble wrapped in Muscle Shoals high-quality packaging, are highly listenable.
Performing solo, however, he demonstrated that with a large crowd, a big voice is not enough to guarantee a successful performance. The audience chatter continued uninterrupted. The queue for beer and wine lengthened. Further back, someone did the crossword. Vance still got a big hand – but this was not his night.
The crowd (some having travelled from Swansea and beyond) wanted something, anything, to get them moving. An outdoor concert, after all, is as much an occasion as a gig, and it needs something special.
As the cloudy light slowly dimmed, the real star turn emerged. Savoretti’s performance was day to night compared to what came before.
Jack Savoretti: “His songs are naturally big, more romantic than the Milk Tray Man, and crowd pleasing”. Picture: Paul Rhodes
His songs are naturally big, more romantic than the Milk Tray Man, and crowd pleasing. We Are Bound was typical while The Way You Said Goodbye is everything Savoretti does best.
Well accustomed to playing concerts on this scale, the set list was a masterclass; mixing audience favourites with new material off this year’s Miss Italia album, even getting the crowd to sing in Italian at one point. The stories may not be new, but Savoretti told them like he meant it.
The 16-song set steadily built up to a wonderful finale. Tie Me Down was unrestrainable and Dancing Through The Rain superb. Then to close, and underline his star credentials, You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me. Made famous by Dusty Springfield, then Elvis Presley, the song began life as the Italian Lo Che Non Vivo (Senza Te).
Savoretti channelled all three to set the seal on a wonderful performance. Bringing his son on stage for the ovation melted even the coldest of hearts still intact. Un tocco perfetto, maestro.
