Music Archives - Page 4 of 187

February 13, 2025February 13, 2025

Drag diva Velma Celli goes bingo agogo with launch of Dragamama Bingo at Wagamama York restaurant tonight

Velma Celli: Eyes down, hoping for a full house at her debut Dragamama Bingo evening at Wagamama, York

YORK international vocal drag diva Velma Celli, alias West End musical star Ian Stroughair, turns bingo caller for an evening of camp comedy drag bingo fun and games in Dragamama Bingo at Wagamama, York, tonight.

Eyes down for a full house and a feast of Velma fun and games, running from 7pm to 9pm at the Japanese restaurant in Goodramgate. “Wagamama wants to do community-based stuff on the first-floor mezzanine,” says Ian. “They said they knew who Velma was and asked what could she do for them. I suggested drag bingo for starters.

“So this time it’s bingo and comedy, £8 to join, with a top prize of £100, and Scott Robert will be on the piano to add to the atmosphere. The idea is that I’ll do a Dragamama night either once a month or once every other month with a different theme each time, whether bingo, or a game, or a quiz night.”

How would he rate Velma’s bingo-calling skills? “My mum was the accountant for Holgate Working Men’s Club, so we used to go to the bingo there. I loved it. ‘Thatcher’s House, number 10’. That’s one of mine.”

Velma Celli turns bingo caller at Wagamama, Goodramagate, York, tonight

Looking ahead, Velma’s diary for 2025 is taking shape for nights – and days – of cabaret music, risqué comedy and generally fabulous entertainment. Velma Celli’s Drag Brunch returns to the Impossible York Wonderbar, in St Helen’s Square, from March 8 with further shows booked for April 5, May 3, June 7 (York Pride Bottomless Brunch), July 5 and August 2. Doors open at 3pm. Book by emailing reservations@impossibleyork.com and copy in stroughair2@hotmail.com.

God Save The Queens – Velma’s celebration of British music icons, from Julie Andrews, Cilla Black, Shirley Bassey and Dusty Springfield and Kate Bush to The Spice Girls, Adele, Florence Welsh, Amy Winehouse, Jessie J and Dua Lipa, with room for George Michael and Sinead O’Connor too – will play the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, on March 13 at 7.45pm. For tickets, go to: https://tinyurl.com/4z6bvwsy, 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.

Velma will head to Skipton Town Hall on March 15 at 7.30pm with Show Queen, where she harks back to Ian’s stellar turns in Cats, Chicago, Fame and Rent in a parade of the best of London’s West End and Broadway musical theatre hits.

“Velma takes you to every corner of the fabulous genre, from Kander & Ebb and Lloyd Webber to Stephen Schwartz’s Wicked and Schönberg’s Les Miserables and many more,” says Ian. “Like, more than Six!” Box office: https://shorturl.at/MJVaO.

Velma Celli’s Show Queen: Heading for Skipton Town Hall, Cardiff, Millom, Southampton, Cowes, London and Dudley

Last year, Velma’s global travels with A Brief History Of Drag took in Australia, where she won the Best Cabaret prize at Perth Fringeworld 2024, 54 Below in New York City and a sell-out UK tour that culminated in a hit run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Now she brings the show to The Playhouse, Sheffield, on April 4 (7pm) and Hull Truck Theatre on June 13 (7.30pm) for a diva dive into the most iconic drag moments in music, theatre, movies and popular culture.

“From Hedwig to Kinky Boots, Rent to Priscilla Queen Of The Desert, Boy George to Freddie Mercury, no stone is left unturned in this electrifying beast of a performance,” says Ian. Box office: Sheffield, https://shorturl.at/hDDiv; Hull, https://shorturl.at/2saW5.

Farther afield, Velma’s Show Queen plays Welsh Millennium Centre, Cardiff, March 29; The Beggar’s Theatre, Millom, Cumbria, April 18; The Stage Door, Southampton, May 23; Cowes Fringe, Cowes, Isle of Wight, May 24; The Duchess Theatre, West End, London, June 2, and Dudley Town Hall, June 20.

“The idea is that I’ll do a Dragamama night either once a month or once every other month with a different theme each time,” says Velma Celli

Before then, her new show, Rock Queen, will be making its debut at Crazy Coqs, the Art Deco cabaret, jazz, theatre and comedy space at Brasserie Zedel, in Soho, London, on March 20 at 9.15pm (tickets: https://tinyurl.com/yc2wur77).

“It will be all the rock classics, like Cher, Bon Jovi and Nirvana, but with a twist, so Velma will do rock songs in a musical theatre style and vice versa,” says Ian. “From Queen to Heart and every Gun N’ Rose in between, she will, she will, rock you!” Watch this space for news of a York performance in 2025.

One more York show definitely in the diary is Velma’s Pride Cabaret at Impossible York on June 6 from 7pm to 11pm (doors 6pm) in a special event to herald York Pride on June 7. Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/ucky9emr

Velma Celli’s Dragamama Bingo, Wagamama, Goodramgate, York, February 13, doors 6.30pm. Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/4hmukk69.

February 12, 2025February 13, 2025

What’s On in Ryedale, York & beyond, under dark skies where wildlife roams. Here’s Hutch’s List No. 6 from Gazette & Herald

*Colour & Light: Illuminating York Minster’s South Transept with wildlife imagery*

FROM wildlife illuminations to characterful faces, dog origin tales to dark sky wonders, Charles Hutchinson finds February fulfilment.

Illumination of the week: Colour & Light, York Minster South Transept, today to March 2

THIS free outdoor event promises a “mesmerising projection” of famous and lesser-known stories of York’s animal world, from the Minster’s peregrine falcons and the urban foxes that roam the streets after dark, to the Romans’ horses for their ride into Eboracum and the legendary dragons carved into the city’s history.

Colour & Light runs nightly from 6pm to 9pm with projections on a ten-minute loop. The final hour each evening is a designated quiet hour with reduced noise and crowd levels. No tickets are required.

*A detail from one of Holly Capstick’s portraits in her We Are Layers exhibition at Pocklington Arts Centre*

Exhibition of the week: Holly Capstick, We Are Layers, Pocklington Arts Centre, until February 28

HOLLY Capstick explores the layers of our beauty and character in her textile and mixed-media portraits that capture expressions and snapshots of moments in everyday life. “Faces have always amazed me,” she says. “The subtleties of the changes within a face can show so much of how we feel and how we connect to others.”

Thread and Press CIC tutor Holly will run portrait-themed workshops this month for children aged 7 to 16 (Learn To Draw A Face, February 19) and for adults (Textile Portraits, Free-motion Machine Embroidery, February 28). Find out more at hollycapstickart.co.uk.

*In the pink: Emma Swainston’s Elle Woods in York Light Opera Company’s Legally Blonde The Musical. Picture: Matthew Kitchen Photography*

Musical of the week: York Light Opera Company in Legally Blonde The Musical, York Theatre Royal, tomorrow to February 22, 7.30pm nightly (except February 16) plus 2.30pm matinees on February 15, 20 and 22

JOIN Elle Woods, a seemingly ditzy sorority girl with a heart of gold, as she tackles Harvard Law School to win back her man. Along the way, Elle discovers her own strength and intelligence, “proving that you can be both a beautiful blonde and brilliant”.

Emma Swainston’s Elle Woods leads Martyn Knight’s 35-strong cast in this feel-good, sassy and stylish show with its powerful message of staying true to yourself, booted with music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin and book by Heather Hach. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

*The Tannahill Weavers: Fire-driven instrumentals, topical songs, Celtic ballads and humorous tales of Scottish life at Helmsley Arts Centre*

Folk gig of the week: The Tannahill Weavers 2025, Helmsley Arts Centre, Friday, 7.30pm

THE Tannahill Weavers, from Paisley, Scotland, play a diverse repertoire that spans the centuries, taking in fire-driven instrumentals, topical songs, ballads and humorous tales of life north of the border.

Roy Gullane, on guitar and lead vocals, Phil Smillie, on flute, whistles, bodhrán and harmony vocals, Scotland’s youngest clan leader, Iain MacGillivray, on Highland bagpipes, fiddle and whistles, and Malcolm Bushby, on fiddle, bouzouki and harmony vocals, demonstrate the rich Celtic musical heritage in their exuberant concert combination of traditional melodies, rhythmic accompaniment, and evocative vocals. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

*Paul Metcalfe in his Rod Stewart tribute act, Some Guys Have All The Luck*

Tribute show of the week: Some Guys Have All The Luck – The Rod Stewart Story, Grand Opera House, York, Friday, 7.30pm

CELEBRATING Sir Rod Stewart’s 80th birthday in a West End tribute show endorsed by his family, Paul Metcalfe takes a live concert journey through six Stewart decades from humble beginnings in rhythm & blues clubs through to swaggering rock showman.

“Rod’s music brings back a lot of memories for people, and everyone can remember the first time they heard Maggie May,” says Metcalfe. “Rod has such an amazing back catalogue of songs and such variety as well. Wonderful ballads, joyful upbeat songs and some great rockers.”

Metcalfe feels like the guy with all the luck in performing this tribute. “When I’m on stage I go into another world and do things I wouldn’t normally dream of doing,” he says. “The show has come on massively since we started. The music, the lighting, the set and the video backdrops have all come on a lot. Fortunately, the audience seems to agree.” Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Festival of the week: National Parks Dark Skies Festival, North York Moors, from Friday to March 2

THIS year is the tenth anniversary of the Dark Skies Festival and where better to celebrate than on the North York Moors, one of only 21 global locations to be recognised for pristine dark skies as an International Dark Sky Reserve.

Look out for Stargazing Experiences in Dalby Forest; Stargazing at Ampleforth Abbey; the Robin Hood’s Bay Dark Skies Ghost Walks; Evening Adventure Walks with River Mountain Rescue; a Night Navigation Experience with Large Outdoors; Dancing with The Long Dead Stars and plenty more. For full details, visit: darkskiesnationalparks.org.uk/north-york-moors-events.

*David O’Doherty: Tiny Piano Man’s pageant of Irish humour and song at Grand Opera House, York*

Comedy show of the week: David O’Doherty, Tiny Piano Man, Grand Opera House, York, Saturday, 8pm

THE dishevelled prince of €10 eBay keyboards tries to make you feel alive with a pageant of Irish humour, song and occasionally getting up from a chair. “It’s gonna be a big one,” says Dublin comedian, author, musician, actor and playwright David O’Doherty, star of The Great Celebrity Bake Off 2024 and Along For The Ride With David O’Doherty. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

*Gareth Gates: A Valentine Special brimful of movie love songs at York Barbican*

Romantic concert of the week: Gareth Gates Sings Love Songs From The Movies – A Valentine Special, York Barbican, Sunday, 7.30pm

EXTENDING the St Valentine ‘s Day vibes to the weekend, Bradford singer Gareth Gates combines beloved ballads from classic films with the electrifying energy of up-tempo hits, from Unchained Melody to Dirty Dancing, in a celebration of love stories that have graced the silver screen.

Joining the 2002 Pop Idol alumnus and musical star will be Wicked actress Maggie Lynne, Dutch singer Britt Lenting, Performers College graduate Dan Herrington and a four-piece band. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

*Ugg’n’Ogg: Telling the story of The World’s First Dogg at the Milton Rooms, Malton*

Children’s play of the week: Rural Arts presents Fideri Fidera in Ugg’n’Ogg & The World’s First Dogg, Milton Rooms, Malton, February 20, 2pm

IN the fresh sparkling world just after the last Ice Age, there were no dogs. How, then, did we attain our best friend and the world’s number one pet? Luckily for us, along came young hunter gatherers Ugg‘n’Ogg to pal up with the wolves, Tooth’n’Claw, to defy flying meat bones, raging forest infernos and even a time-travelling stick to invent the dog.

This original play for families and pooch lovers aged three upwards highlights the evolutionary transition from lupine to canine in a show full of physical comedy, puppets, music and song. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.

*James Iha, left, Jimmy Chamberlin and Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins: Off to the Yorkshire coast in the summer*

Gig announcement of the week: The Smashing Pumpkins, TK Maxx Presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, August 13

AMERICAN alternative rockers The Smashing Pumpkins will play Scarborough on their Aghori Tour. Billy Corgan, James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlin’s multi-platinum-selling band will be supported on the Yorkshire coast by London post-punk revival band White Lies.

Since emerging from Chicago, Illinois, in 1988 with their iconoclastic sound, Smashing Pumpkins have sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and collected two Grammy Awards, seven MTV VMAs and an American Music Award. Tickets go on sale at 10am on Friday at ticketmaster.co.uk

February 11, 2025February 11, 2025

Why Emma Swainston is in the pink as she takes on dream role of Elle Woods in York Light Opera Company’s Legally Blonde

Emma Swainston’s Elle Woods in York Light Opera Company’s Legally Blonde The Musical, opening at York Theatre Royal on Thursday. Picture: Matthew Kitchen Photography

OMIGOD You Guys! Emma Swainston will be playing her “dream role” of Elle Woods in York Light Opera Company’s staging of Legally Blonde The Musical from Thursday at York Theatre Royal.

“I’m thrilled,” she says. “Growing up, I watched Reese Witherspoon, who was so incredible as Elle in the original film [made by Australian director Robert Luketic in 2001]. Elle is such an icon and her story is so empowering that I used to watch the film on video, on repeat, in my room.

“I then followed the stage show’s progress ever since it was brought to Broadway with Laura Bell Bundy as Elle about 12 years ago, when I was 18. I’d listen to the music through headphones when the soundtrack first came out – and I got obsessed with it because it’s so inspiring.

“The music and the lyrics are just brilliant, true to the story, but with extra details put into the lyrics, so you have to listen quite hard. You really feel the message of self-discovery and female empowerment.”

Quick refresher course: Elle Woods is a “seemingly ditzy sorority girl with a heart of gold, who tackles Harvard Law School to win back her man” in this sassy and stylish award-winning musical comedy with music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin and book by Heather Hach.

Along the way, Elle discovers her own strength and intelligence, “proving that you can be both a beautiful blonde and brilliant”.

“Although times have moved on, there is still that stereotypical blonde image, and she does wear that pink suit [like Leanne Quigley, the British Army veteran, pointedly did when winning the third BBC series of The Traitors].

“But Elle’s determination to break through the barrier of expectations is so empowering. Just be yourself, she says.”

Directing his third production of Legally Blonde after Bournemouth and Newcastle a decade ago, Martyn Knight says of his choice of Emma for his lead: “You could judge by the cover, and the book looked perfect…she was perfect for the role, blonde with the look of a wonderful vamp, but it was more than that.

“Emma and her sister Sarah [Craggs] have played leads for me before, and when Emma came in, I thought, ‘this is it’. We are spoilt for choice in York, but Emma has, dare I say, star quality – and she works so hard in rehearsal.”

Martyn shares Emma’s passion for the show’s message. “As I grow older – I’m nearly 70 – I think, ‘people should be whatever they want to be’. A lot of people see it as a frothy musical, but it’s not. It’s as powerful as Fiddler On The Roof, but obviously in a lighter form, and the message is something we should not let up on.”

Emma had singing lessons in York with Margaret Berg from the age of 14 to 18 and dancing lessons with Rebecca Davies as a teenager at Huntington Dance School before graduating with a First in musical theatre at the University of Central Lancashire, Preston, nine years ago.

Later, when she felt “something wasn’t quite right” about her voice, a camera inspection revealed a nodule in her throat. “Luckily, it didn’t grown any further but it sort of knocked my confidence, thinking I couldn’t do it professionally,” she recalls.

“So I did a Masters in creative producing at Mountview Academy [of Theatre Arts] and I lived and worked in London while I was studying but decided London was not right for me.”

Emma now balances creativity in her professional career in Leeds with performing in York. By day, “I work full time as a senior project manager for The Brand Nursery, a design consultancy in Hunslet,” she says.

By night, she can be found singing with sister Sarah at private functions as The Bella Belles, as well as appearing in such shows as Doctor Doolittle, The Railway Children, Fiddler On The Roof and as Sister Mary Leo in York Light’s Nunsense: The Mega Musical at Theatre@41, Monkgate, last summer. Sarah, by the way, will be performing in Legally Blonde too, playing Margot.

Roll on tomorrow.’s opening night. “Elle is a really inspiring character and I can’t wait to share her journey with the audience,” says Emma. “She goes through such an emotional rollercoaster, with moments of humour versus vulnerability throughout, and I love how she breaks through ‘the fourth wall’ by singing directly to the audience.”

You can sense Emma’s exhilaration in performing when she says: “Especially in a production like Legally Blonde, that moment of breaking free from societal expectation, I love it! It’s so intoxicating. It’s a feeling you don’t get anywhere else but on stage. That’s why we do it.”

You will note the change of stage name from Emma Craggs to Emma Swainston (and indeed from Emma Craggs-Swainston, briefly, for Nunsense: The Mega Musical). “I got married 18 months ago,” she explains.

Husband Brad Swainston is not involved in musical theatre. “It’s sport for him,” she says. “He plays padel and tennis.”

Talking of physical exertion, Emma will, of course, be doing “The Bend And Snap” in Legally Blonde. How is Elle’s trademark move coming along? “It’s good,” she says. “I think I’ve mastered it!”

York Light Opera Company presents Legally Blonde The Musical, York Theatre Royal, February 13 to 22, 7.30pm nightly except February 16; 2.30pm, February 15, 20 and 22. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

February 10, 2025February 10, 2025

REVIEW: Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company in Disney’s Beauty And The Beast, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York ***

AFTER a winter of Beauty And The Beast pantomimes, from the Grand Opera House, York, to Harrogate Theatre, here is Disney’s Broadway Musical, American accents et al despite being set in a small provincial town in France.

Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice’s Broadway show premiered in 1994 but what sticks in the mind is the animated adventure that arrived on screen three years earlier, and it is those oh-so Disney characters that come to stage life anew in the Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company’s fundraising production for the JoRo theatre, whose 90^th anniversary falls this year

The show is directed by Kathryn Lay, now the Haxby Road theatre’s creative director, whose programme note recalls how she danced around the house in her first Belle dress as a child, when the idea of directing the musical tale was ‘beyond her wildest dreams’.

“Big challenge,” she said in her programme note. “Important to preserve the magic of the classic film and for you, the audience, to see on stage the characters you know and love.”

Her production does exactly that, putting the emphasis on characterisation and storytelling, song and dance, rather than technical flourishes or a bells-and-whistles set. Better that money is raised to the max, going towards £100,000 target for the JoRo’s new Garden Room project.

That said, Julie Fisher and Lichfield Costume Hire pull out all the stops with the costumes, especially for the big ensemble numbers, where assistant director Lorna Newby’s choreography is at its best for the likes of Be Our Guest and especially Human Again.

Anthony Gardner’s old-school punctualist, Cogsworth, with a clock-winding key protruding from his clothing, and Jennifer Dommeck’s Mrs Potts, dressed as a teapot to a T, bring personality aplenty to their amusing performances, while Helen Barugh’s Madame de la Grande Bouche springs into life from a standing starting position as a piece of furniture. Novel!

After appearing in every JRTC production since Made In Dagenham in 2020, Jennifer Jones takes the female lead role of the plucky, resourceful Belle with aplomb, equally adept in song (Home and A Change In Me) and dialogue, and clicking well with Adam Gill’s Beast as love gradually blossoms. Gill, in turn, captures the Beast’s desire to be “human again”, at his peak in Act I’s closing number, If I Can’t Love Her.

Paul Blenkiron’s Maurice and Kit Stroud’s daft Lefou are as reliable as ever, while Spotlight Dance Academy teacher Heather Stead revels in her first JRTC principal role as the fluffy, showy Babette and Stan Richardson has his moments as teacup Chip. Jim Paterson’s Gaston has to defy a bird’s nest of a wig that undermines his villainous authority.

Aptly, no-one shines more brightly than Stagecoach York singing teacher Tom Menarry in his JRTC debut as Lumiere, his stand-out performance as flamboyant as his French accent. His rendition of Be Our Guest with Dommeck’s Mrs Potts is the show’s musical highlight.

Musical director Martin Lay steers the 11-piece orchestra through a score full of variety and contrast with attention to detail and drama in ballads and big numbers alike.

February 10, 2025February 10, 2025

REVIEW: Steve Crowther’s verdict on Flutes & Frets Duo, York BMS Concerts, Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, University of York, Feb 7

*Flutes & Frets Duo’s Beth Stone and Daniel Murphy*

THIS rather enchanting concert by Beth Stone (flutes) and Daniel Murphy (plucked strings) could be likened to a historical musical journey from the 15^th Century to the present day.

The first stop was the 15th Century and the musical station entitled Renaissance Flute & Lute. Rabanus Maurus’s haunting Veni Creator Spiritus was paired with Guillaume Dufay’s setting (originally for three voices). Beth Stone’s chocolatey flute tone was simply gorgeous.

Of the next pairing, I particularly enjoyed Guglielmo Ebreo da Pesaro’s courtly dance Falla Con Misuras, as did lutenist Daniel Murphy, whose crisp syncopated rhythms added to the music’s delicate vitality.

The performances of the Thomas Campion and Robert Johnson pieces were also rhythmically engaging and it is no surprise that both composers were professional lutenists.

This set closed with a touching duet by French composer Balthazar de Beaujoyeulx, Overture from Balet Comique de la Royne. The ballet was inspired, evidently, by the escape of Ulysses from the clutches of the enchantress Circe (from Homer’s Odyssey). And yes, the performance was indeed enchanting.

Now it wasn’t until I disembarked at the platform marked Baroque Flute &Theorbo that, despite the excellent performances and refreshing informative communication by players, I realised that the musical journey hadn’t been a particularly gripping one.

This all changed with the set of arias by Claudio Monteverdi. Take the performance of Quel Sguardo Sdegnosetto, the last one of the set, for example. Ms Stone’s flute playing really captured the pretty radical, virtuosic vocal melody, which itself responds to the emotionally descriptive poetic text. But it was the hypnotic ground bass, the closing Chaconne that sealed the deal.

Before we arrived at our final destination, Modern Flute & Guitar, we stopped off for refreshments at Eight-Keyed Classical Flute & Nineteenth Century Guitar. Diabelli’s arrangement of Louis-Luc Loiseau de Persuis’ Six Favourite Airs from Nina Ou La Folle Par Amour was brimming with wit and energy, and clearly enjoyed by both performers and ourselves.

Diabelli’s arrangement of Gioachino Rossini’s The Thieving Magpie Overture was even better and even more rewarding. Well, it is Rossini. Ps Diabelli’s transcription is simply inspired.

For me, the final set of pieces was mixed. The best of the musical bunch was undoubtedly Jacques Ibert’s Entr’acte. This popular, flamenco-inspired work had a quirky, gently bonkers quality. The opening breathless toccata was followed by an Iberian serenade before returning to a vibrant recapitulation or return. I loved it.

François Borne’s Fantasie Brillante Sur Carmen was really well transcribed, brilliant, in fact. But it soon outstayed its welcome. It was just too long. For me, the Broadway hits simply don’t work.

The earlier vocal transcriptions worked because they were creatively transformed. Here we simply had songs without words. Stephen Sondheim’s gem, Send In The Clowns, was played beautifully. But in my head I added the words; I heard Judy Collins’ 1975 version – it was originally written for Glynis Johns. So too with Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm and Hurwitz’s City of Stars.

With this in mind, the duo says that “future project plans include commissioning new works for both the modern flute and guitar combination and also the historical flutes and lute/theorbo instrumentation”. And this has to be a good thing.

As for Edvard Grieg’s Morgenstemming (from Peer Gynt), for flute and guitar? Well, this shouldn’t have worked but, because of the utterly musical playing by both Beth Stone and, particularly, Daniel Murphy on guitar, it did; beautifully.

Review by Steve Crowther

February 10, 2025February 10, 2025

The Smashing Pumpkins confirm August 13 concert at Scarborough Open Air Theatre. When do tickets go on sale?

*James Iha, left, Jimmy Chamberlin and Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins: Playing Scarborough Open Air Theatre on August 13*

AMERICAN alt. rockers The Smashing Pumpkins will play TK Maxx Presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre on August 13 on their Aghori Tour. Tickets will go on sale at 10am on Friday at ticketmaster.co.uk.

Billy Corgan, James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlin’s multi-platinum-selling band will be supported on the Yorkshire coast by Ealing post-punk revival band White Lies.

Corgan, Iha and Chamberlin continue to fuse rock, pop, shoegaze, metal, goth, psychedelia and electronia into a kaleidoscope of melancholic melodies, fuzzy distortion, bombastic orchestration, incendiary fretwork, eloquent songcraft, and unshakable hooks.

Their back catalogue is highlighted by 1991’s platinum-selling Gish, 1993’s quadruple-platinum Siamese Dream, 1995’s diamond-certified Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness, 1996’s platinum Adore (1998) and 2000’s gold-selling Machina/The Machines Of God.

In 2023, The Smashing Pumpkins released ATUM, a rock opera presented in three acts, alongside a sold out North American tour. Only nine months later came Aghori Mhori Mei, their 13^th studio album.

London guitar band White Lies topped the charts with their 2009 debut album To Lose My Life, leading to a BRIT Award nomination, a stadium tour with Coldplay, appearances on David Letterman and Later…With Jools Holland, and five further studio albums.

Julian Murray, venue programmer for promoters Cuffe and Taylor, says: “The Smashing Pumpkins have been at the forefront of alternative rock for more than 30 years and remain true standard bearers.

“We have had so many requests down the years from fans to bring them here, so we are delighted to announce this show. It’s going to be another incredible night here, which we know The Smashing Pumpkins’ legions of fans will absolutely love.”

Corgan and co also will perform at TK Maxx presents Live at The Piece Hall, Halifax, on August 12.

The Scarborough Open Air Theatre diary for 2025 now comprises: June 11, The Corrs and Natalie Imbruglia; June 13, Gary Barlow; June 14, Shed Seven plus Jake Bugg and Cast; June 20; Pendulum and their newly confirmed support act, Swedish rockers Normandie, June 21, Basement Jaxx and June 27, Snow Patrol.

Into July, when July 5 features The Script plus Tom Walker; July 6, UB40 featuring Ali Campbell plus Bitty McLean, July 10, Blossoms plus Inhaler and Apollo Junction; July 11, Rag’n’Bone Man plus Elles Bailey and Kerr Mercer; July 12, McFly plus Twin Atlantic and Devon; July 19, Craig David presents TS5; July 23, Judas Priest plus Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons and July 26, Texas.

Faithless and Orbital are booked in for August 2, with further August additions expected from Cuffe and Taylor. Watch this space. To book tickets for the 2025 season, head to ticketmaster.co.uk.

February 8, 2025February 13, 2025

More Things To Do in York and beyond the dark skies of February nights. Here’s Hutch’s List No. 6 from The York Press

*Freida Nipples: Hosting a cabaret night of burlesque exhibitionism in The Old Paint Shop at York Theatre Royal Studio*

FROM exhibitionist burlesque to imaginative dance moments, wildlife illuminations to bend-and- snap musical empowerment, Charles Hutchinson finds February fulfilment.

Cabaret night of the week: Freida Nipples Presents…The Exhibitionists, The Old Paint Shop, York Theatre Royal Studio, tonight, 8pm

YORK’S very own internationally award-winning burlesque artiste Freida Nipples welcomes some of her favourite and most fabulous performance artists from across Great Britain and beyond to The Old Paint Shop’s flesh-flashing cabaret night.

“Get ready to be dazzled, shocked and in awe,” says Freida. “Only a few things are guaranteed: glamour, gags and giggles.” Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk, for returned tickets only.

*Chris Newman and Maire Ni Chathasaigh: Heading to Helmsley Arts Centre*

Folk gig of the week: Maire Ni Chathasaigh and Chris Newman, Helmsley Arts Centre, tonight, 7.30pm

MULTIPLE award-winning, internationally renowned virtuoso harp and guitar duo Maire Ni Chathasaigh and Chris Newman return to Helmsley after playing to a full house there in December 2023.

County Cork harpist Chathasaigh and flat-picking guitarist, improviser, composer and record producer Newman have toured to 24 countries on five continents, playing venues ranging from village halls and town halls to palaces in Kyoto and Istanbul, from London’s Barbican to Cologne’s Philharmonia. Expect a fusion of traditional Irish music, hot jazz, bluegrass and baroque, spiced with new compositions and Newman’s subversive wit. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

*Unstoppable! Evie Hart, Sean Moss, Hobie Schouppe, Juliette Tellier, Donny Beau Ferris, Risa Maki and Oliver Rumaizen in Jasmin Vardimon Company’s Now. Picture: Tristram Kenton*

Dance show of the week: Jasmin Vardimon Company, York Theatre Royal, today, 2.30pm with post-show discussion and 7.30pm

NOW, a new creation by choreographer Jasmin Vardimon MBE, celebrates her company’s 25th anniversary in a work that reflects the current moment, the present, and the continuous movement of time in a terpsichorean toast to the beauty of imagination and art.

Rooted in her interest in contemporary lives, the structures of society and the ever-changing socio-political dynamics, Vardimon uses her distinctive dance theatre style to tell a story of our time with an international cast of performers and relevant and iconic moments from the Ashford, Kent company’s repertoire. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

*Jamie Walton: Cello soloist at York Guildhall Orchestra’s concert tonight at York Barbican. Picture: Matthew Johnson*

Classical concerts of the week: Yorkshire Bach Choir, Bach To The Future, St Lawrence Parish Church, York, tonight, 7.30pm; York Guildhall Orchestra: Sibelius, Bloch, Tchaikovsky & Shostakovich, York Barbican, tomorrow, 3pm

PETER Seymour conducts Yorkshire Bach Choir on a choral journey through German polyphony, including music by Schutz, Johann Bach, JS Bach, Mendelssohn, Brahms and Rheinberger tonight. Professor Thomas Schmidt gives a pre-concert talk at 6.45pm. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.

Jamie Walton, cellist and North York Moors Chamber Music Festival artistic director, will be the soloist for Ernst Bloch’s “rarely played, but utterly beautiful” Shelomo in tomorrow afternoon’s concert by the York Guildhall Orchestra. Sibelius’s Karelia Suite, Tchaikovsky’s Romeo And Juliet and Shostakovic’s Symphony No. 9 in Eb feature too in conductor Simon Wright’s programme. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

*Dominic Halpin & The Hurricanes: Turning the Grand Opera House into a honky-tonk in downtown Nashville*

Country gig of the week: A Country Night In Nashville, Grand Opera House, York, tomorrow, 7.30pm

DOMINIC Halpin & The Hurricanes re-create a buzzing honky-tonk in downtown Nashville, capturing the energy and atmosphere of an evening in the home of country music, featuring songs from its biggest stars both past and present: Johnny Cash to Alan Jackson, Dolly Parton to The Chicks, Willie Nelson to Kacey Musgraves. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

*Colour & Light: Illuminating York Minster with wildlife imagery*

Illumination of the week: Colour & Light, York Minster South Transept, February 12 to March 2

THIS free outdoor event promises a “mesmerising projection” of famous and lesser-known stories of York’s animal world, from the peregrine falcons that call the Minster home and the foxes that roam the city after dark, to the horses on which the Romans rode into Eboracum and the legendary dragons carved into York’s history.

Colour & Light will run nightly from 6pm to 9pm with projections on a ten-minute loop. The final hour each evening will feature a designated quiet hour with reduced noise and crowd levels, ensuring everyone can enjoy the event. No tickets are required.

*Pop Princesses : A fairytale epic adventure of pop hits and show favourites at the Grand Opera House*

Children’s pop concert of the week: Pop Princesses World Tour, Grand Opera House, York, February 13, 6pm

IN a magical show where four fabulous fairytale princesses become pop stars on an epic adventure, they just love to sing the hits of Taylor Swift, Meghan Trainor, Miley Cyrus, Dua Lipa and Lizzo, complemented by a few of the best songs from all your favourite films and musicals. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

*Drag diva turned Dragamama bingo caller Velma Celli*

Drag bingo agogo: Velma Celli’s Dragamama Bingo, Wagamama, Goodramgate, York, February 13, doors 6.30pm

YORK international vocal drag diva Velma Celli, alias West End musical star Ian Stroughair, has won the Best Cabaret prize at Perth Fringeworld 2024 – again! – Down Under. Next Thursday, Velma turns bingo caller for an evening of camp comedy drag bingo fun and games in Dragamama Bingo at Japanese restaurant Wagamama. Eyes down for a full house and a feast of Velma cabaret from 7pm to 9pm. Box office: https://tinyurl.com/4hmukk69.

*Emma Swainston’s Elle Woods in York Light Opera Company’s Legally Blonde The Musical. Picture: Matthew Kitchen Photography*

Musical of the week: York Light Opera Company in Legally Blonde The Musical, York Theatre Royal, February 13 to 22, 7.30pm nightly (except February 16) plus 2.30pm matinees on February 15, 20 and 22

Emma Swainston’s Elle Woods leads Martyn Knight’s 35-strong cast in this feel-good, sassy and stylish show with a powerful message about staying true to yourself, booted with music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin and book by Heather Hach. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Festival of the week: National Parks Dark Skies Festival, North York Moors, February 14 to March 2

THIS year is the tenth anniversary of the Dark Skies Festival and where better to celebrate than on the North York Moors, one of only 21 locations in the world to be recognised for pristine, dark skies as an International Dark Sky Reserve.

Look out for Stargazing Experiences in Dalby Forest; Stargazing at Ampleforth Abbey; the Robin Hood’s Bay Dark Skies Ghost Walks; Evening Adventure Walks with River Mountain Rescue; a Night Navigation Experience with Large Outdoors; Dancing with The Long Dead Stars on a walk to Boggle Hole and plenty more. For full details, visit: darkskiesnationalparks.org.uk/north-york-moors-events.

February 7, 2025February 7, 2025

REVIEW: Martin Dreyer’s verdict on Opera North in The Flying Dutchman, Leeds Grand Theatre, until February 21

*Robert Hayward as The Dutchman in Opera North’s The Flying Dutchman. Picture: James Glossop*

LIKE a red rag to a bull, Wagner’s nautical traveller has provoked many concepts from opera directors. It was not an urge that Annabel Arden was able to resist, closely partnered by her designer Joanna Parker, in this new production.

Although sung in German, Act 1 opens in The Home Office, the government department responsible for processing those seeking asylum. Ocean views on a video during the overture have already conjured thoughts of desperate voyagers in tiny dinghies trying to cross the English Channel, so when we see a crowd of identically-suited bureaucrats, red-ribboned identity tags around their necks, buzzing busily against a backdrop of rapid-fire digital gobbledygook, it is all of a piece.

Myth and legend appear to have gone out of the window. Where is Daland’s boat, or the Dutchman’s for that matter? They never appear. Daland is the smug minister weathering the storms thrown into the path of the ship of state.

*Layla Claire’s Senta, centre, with the ladies of the Chorus of Opera North in The Flying Dutchman. Picture: James Glossop*

It is true that when the Dutchman’s vessel should be putting into port, a crane-load of nautical gear is lowered onto the central table, as if it were the dockside. Above this are two thin metal curtains, cut on an angle, which could well be interpreted as sails.

In truth, there has been some inkling of this twin-layered approach: before the overture, and at the start of the other two acts, the recorded voices of actual refugees speak in broken English of the trials they have endured on their way to this country.

These two strands, myth and modernity, are uneasy bedfellows throughout the evening. Alarm bells always ring when it takes several well-reasoned essays and interviews in a 50-page programme-book (not read by many of the punters, certainly not in advance) to explain and justify any departure from what the composer envisaged.

*Robert Hayward as the Dutchman and Layla Claire as Senta in The Flying Dutchman. Picture: James Glossop*

It is entirely possible that first-timers at Holländer find it all convincing or are simply not bothered; more experienced listeners will be at the very least bewildered. But that’s all part of the fun.

There are multiple compensations in the music. Music director Garry Walker seems to have stepped straight into the Wagnerian mantle he inherited from Richard Farnes. His strings are immediately on fire – one rapid run is positively spine-tingling – and there is steely determination in the brass calls.

But he also allows the score to breathe, which suits his principals admirably. Robert Hayward’s Dutchman cuts an androgynous figure on first appearance, long straggly hair, a necklace and seemingly a dress under his long cloak – until he opens his mouth and the full world-weariness flows such as no other baritone can match. His career in Leeds alone stretches back well over 30 years. He is still in imperious voice at the finish.

*Layla Claire’s Senta and Edgaras Montvidas’s Erik/Steersman in The Flying Dutchman. Picture: James Glossop*

Clive Bayley, another familiar face in these parts, revels in taking off his ministerial role as Daland, injecting humour with subtle inflexions. Edgaras Montvidas doubles excellently as Erik and the Steersman, finding a Lied-style Sehnsucht in Erik’s Act 2 aria but a biting vitriol at Senta’s rejection.

Layla Claire was unable to sing on this opening night but acted an emotionally immature Senta prostrated by her infatuation with immense conviction. Mari Wyn Williams sang the role from the side with considerable charm, reserving extra heft for the dénouement. Molly Barker, stepping up from the chorus, makes her mark as Mary.

The final showdown between the two crews takes place at a civil-service shindig with the Dutchman behind the bar at first, before he climbs onto it for his peroration. But the chorus is so thrilling there is no need to reason why.

Review by Martin Dreyer, 1/2/2025

Further performances in Leeds until February 21, then on tour until March 28, full details at www.operanorth.co.uk. Leeds box office: 0113 243 0808 or leedsheritagetheatres.com.

*The Chorus in Opera North’s The Flying Dutchman at Leeds Grand Theatre. Picture: James Glossop*

February 6, 2025February 7, 2025

What’s On in Ryedale, York & beyond. Hutch’s List No. 5, from Gazette & Herald

*Untitled 7, by Neil Bunting, from Art Of Protest’s Outsider Inside York exhibition*

A DANDY giant, outsider art, drag bingo and Cuban rhythms light up Charles Hutchinson’s early February diary.

Exhibition of the week: Outsider Inside York – An Exhibition of Words and Pictures, Art of Protest Gallery, Walmgate, York, on show until February 16

OUTSIDER Inside York celebrates the diverse voices of five artists who have used creativity to reshape their lives and challenge the status quo, revealing art’s transformative power in overcoming adversity.

Taking part will be Boxxhead, alias York mixed-media artist Kevin McNulty; former British Army soldier and PTSD sufferer Kevin Devenport, who began painting as a form of self-expression while in prison for drug offences; Peter Stapleton, who discovered a gift for painting in oils after 22 years behind bars, and late neurodivergent artist and musician Neil Bunting, who died last year, having struggled with mental health issues and personal loss throughout his life and never exhibiting his work in his lifetime. Their works are complemented by poems by Geoff Beacon, whose latest collection, Foreboding, engages with activism and politics in York.

*Jennifer Jones’s Belle in Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company’s Beauty And The Beast at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre*

Fairytale of the week: Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company in Disney’s Beauty And The Beast, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

THE Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company presents the timeless tale of Belle (Jennifer Jones), a young woman in a small provincial town, and the Beast (Adam Gill), a prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. The Beast must learn to love and be loved in order to break the spell, but time is running out in this Disney musical adventure.

Further principal roles in Kathryn Lay’s cast go to Jim Paterson as Gaston; Tom Mennary, Lumiere; Paul Blenkiron, Maurice; Helen Barugh, Madame de la Grande Bouche; Heather Stead, Babette, and Anthony Gardner, Cogsworth. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

*Meet The Smartest Giant In Town in Little Angel Theatre’s show at the Grand Opera House, York*

Children’s show of the week: Little Angel Theatre in The Smartest Giant In Town, Grand Opera House, York, today, 10am and 1pm

GEORGE wishes he were not the scruffiest giant in town. When he sees a new shop selling giant-sized clothes, he adopts a new look: smart trousers, smart shirt, stripy tie, shiny shoes. Now he is the smartest giant in town…until he bumps into some animals that desperately need his help – and his clothes!

So runs Little Angel Theatre’s latest puppet-filled stage adaptation of a typically heart-warming Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler picture-book tale of friendship and helping those in need. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

*The poster artwork for Just Us & A Piano at Helmsley Arts Centre*

Fundraiser of the week: Just Us & A Piano, Songs From Musical Theatre Broadway and the West End, Helmsley Arts Centre, tonight and Friday, 7.30pm

JULIE Lomas and pianist Neil Bell bring together a grand piano and an ensemble of 1812 Theatre Company singers to celebrate the world of musical theatre to raise much-needed funds for Helmsley Arts Centre.

Songs from the Broadway classics of George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern and Richard Rodgers through to Cabaret, Wicked, My Fair Lady, Les Miserables, Hamilton and Andrew Lloyd Webber will be performed by Amy Gregory, Esme Schofield, Joe Gregory, Julie Lomas, Kristian Gregory, Natasha Jones, Oliver Clive and Phye Bell. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

*Beverley Beirne: Fronting her trio at The Old Paint Shop on Friday*

Jazz gig of the week: The Beverley Beirne Trio, The Old Paint Shop, York Theatre Royal Studio, Friday, 8pm

BEVERLEY Beirne sings songs of hope, passion, of living life to the full, of day dreaming, regret, love lost and love found and ultimately of dancing through the game and rhythm of life from Dream Dancer, long-listed for a Grammy Best Jazz Vocal Album.

Listen out for interpretations of David Bowie’s Let’s Dance, Let’s Face The Music And Dance and a bluesy take on The Clash’s Should I Stay Or Should I Go. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Drag diva deluxe at the double: The Velma Celli Show, Impossible York Wonderbar, St Helen’s Square, York, Friday, doors 7pm, show time 8pm to 10pm; Dragamama Bingo, Wagamama, Goodramgate, York, February 13, doors 6.30pm

YORK international vocal drag diva Velma Celli, alias West End musical star Ian Stroughair, has won the Best Cabaret prize at Perth Fringeworld 2024 – again! – in Australia. On Friday, Velma returns to her regular York joint for a night of sassy song and saucy badinage. Box office: https://tinyurl.com/24s4yyjt.

Next Thursday, Velma turns bingo caller for an evening of camp comedy drag bingo fun and games in Dragamama Bingo at Japanese restaurant Wagamama. Eyes down for a full house and a feast of Velma cabaret from 7pm to 9pm. Box office: https://tinyurl.com/4hmukk69.

*York Latinos: Celebrating Cuban music and culture at The Milton Rooms, Malton*

Cuban celebration of the week: York Latinos, A Night of Latin Music and Dance, Milton Rooms, Malton, Saturday, 8pm

YORK Latinos pay homage to the traditional rhythms of their homelands while infusing them with contemporary flair in a celebration of Cuban music and culture featuring a dancer from Havana.

Specialising in a variety of Latin genres, they blend the vibrant beats of salsa and the soulful melodies of Cuban Son, complemented by Merengue, Bachata and Cumbia. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.

*Chris Newman and* *Maire Ni Chathasaigh*

Folk gig of the week: Maire Ni Chathasaigh and Chris Newman, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 7.30pm

MULTIPLE award-winning, internationally renowned virtuoso harp and guitar duo Maire Ni Chathasaigh and Chris Newman return to Helmsley after playing to a full house there in December 2023.

February 3, 2025February 3, 2025

Electronic pioneers Faithless and Orbital to share Scarborough Open Air Theatre bill

*Faithless: Topping August 2’s double bill*

BRITISH electronic music pioneers Faithless and Orbital will unite for a night on the Yorkshire coast on August 2 at TK Maxx presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre. Tickets go on sale at 10am on Friday at scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.

Orbital – aka brothers Phil and Paul Hartnoll, from Otford, Kent – will open the double bill before headliners Faithless take to the stage at Great Britain’s biggest outdoor concert arena.

Almost 30 years since releasing 1996 debut album Reverence, Faithless continue to deliver boundary-breaking dance music. Rollo Armstrong, Sister Bliss and Maxi Jazz’s London band have sold more than 20 million albums, including 17 Top 40 singles and six top ten albums (three peaking at number one), while amassing more than a billion streams.

Among their UK top ten singles are Salva Mea, We Come 1, One Step Too Far, Mass Destruction, Insomnia and God Is A DJ.

Last year, Faithless returned to the live arena after an eight-year hiatus to play sold-out shows across Europe.

*At the seaside: Orbital’s Phil and Paul Hartnoll*

In the mid-1990s, Orbital reinvented the notion of what a dance act could do live, turning multitudes of rock fans on to the limitless pleasures of electronic music.

They have crafted a catalogue of ambitious yet accessible music, informed by a wide range of genres from ambient and electro to punk and film scores.

Since breaking through with their landmark 1990 Top 20 hit Chime, Orbital have released ten studio albums, including 1993’sOrbital 2 and 1996’s In Sides. Their most recent release, 2023’s Optical Delusion, included furious lead single Dirty Rat, a collaboration with Sleaford Mods.

Faithless and Orbital join Basement Jaxx, Pendulum, Craig David, Rag’n’Bone Man, Snow Patrol, Judas Priest, Blossoms, Shed Seven, Texas, UB40 featuring Ali Campbell, The Corrs, Gary Barlow and The Script among the artists confirmed for the summer ahead at Scarborough OAT.