Category: Theatre

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York author Tom Wilson tells story of alcoholic recovery in intrepid debut book

York author Tom Wilson holding a copy of his first book, The Intrepid Odyssey Of A Salford Alcoholic

YORK playwright, poet, TV scriptwriter, musician, artist, outreach worker and teacher Tom Wilson has written his first book, The Intrepid Odyssey Of A Salford Alcoholic, part one of his How To Relapse And Die double bill.

Let Tom introduce himself, “I’m a recovering alcoholic in the 12-step fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. I’ve been sober now coming up to 38 years.

“I’ve lived here in York for just over 20 years now and I’m so glad I came here. It’s a wonderful place for artists such as myself to garner inspiration and to find opportunities to express themselves.

“My biography covers a lot of my Salford childhood and the more recent years covering the first 25 years of my recovery in the rooms of AA.”

One of 11 children, from whom only nine survived the poverty cull, in his early school days Tom was bullied relentlessly until he went to secondary school, where he became a notorious and disruptive “pain in the a**e” for teachers.

“I was constantly fighting, swearing, smoking and causing trouble most of the time while involved in truancy, vandalism and petty crime,” he says. “Early futile jobs led to extreme frustration and increasing dependence on drink and drugs and further forays into serious criminal behaviour.”

The back and front cover artwork for Tom Wilson’s The Intrepid Odyssey Of A Salford Alcoholic

Tom’s drinking, self-destructive attitude and immature belligerence raised his marriage to the ground and his now added drug indulgences soon took him into jail.

“Then a road accident left me with a serious disability after being run over on Christmas Day! I then formed a band, The Parody, which absconded to London when Manchester was an apathetic ghost town,” he says.

“London eventually provided me with a harrowing rock bottom after the demise of the band in 1985. I was at the ‘jumping off place’.”

Roll forward to late-2005, when Tom moved to York. “I began to think more and more about getting out of London but I really didn’t want to go back to Salford as it had become incredibly feral with the drug wars and even more deadly with the burgeoning gun culture,” he says.

“I think I managed to get out of London just in time, looking back. York opened up a lot of new vistas and challenges for me. I’ve done another four plays, two of which I wrote. I‘ve had three successful art exhibitions, all for good charitable causes, I must stress – people from the Ukraine living in York; Medical Aid For Palestinians; MIND and the Haiti earthquake foundation.”

Tom Wilson at the launch of his exhibition at St Bede’s Pastoral Centre with York Central MP Rachael Maskell in September 2022

Tom continues: “I’ve made around half a dozen short films and I’ve written a feature film about my sister Christine. I’ve done a little teaching since settling in York and I’ve worked at the council as a drug and alcohol strategy advisory role.

“I’ve retired from full-time work and decided to take Mark Herbert (This is England and  Adolescence) at his word and write a book just to send a copy to ‘him’ in particular. The original title originated from a kind of comedy sketch I’d been working on a few years earlier called (very tongue in cheek) ‘How To Relapse And Die’.”

Tom used this as the starting point for the book’s title when contacting a publisher, i2i Publishing, in Manchester. “They were recommended to me by two dear friends,  both great writers: Alan Franks, formerly of The Times and Simon Van Booy, who I knew from Dartington College of Arts,” he says.

“They liked the concept of me telling my true life story but also with an emphasis on my drinking and debauchery but also on my cataclysmic fall from grace and subsequent recovery and resurrection, for want of a better word.

“As I’d never written a book before, only standard plays on A4 paper, I started to write like fury once I’d started and then when I got to something like page 480, I submitted it to the publishers, only to be told it was far too long. After long discussions with the powers that be, we decided to split the manuscript in half, thus producing not one but two books!”

In 1991, Tom had a poem published called The Intrepid Sylph. “I’ve always liked the word ‘intrepid’, especially when it’s attributed to an alcoholic’s journey. So I thought also of various word searches that would dredge up good traffic. Then I came up with The Intrepid Odyssey Of A Salford Alcoholic,” he says.

Tom Wilson with his artworks at his City Screen Picturehouse exhibition

“I thought it had a certain ring and a cachet to it. So under the banner of ‘How to relapse and die’, part one, The Intrepid Odyssey Of A Salford Alcoholic. Part two will be called ‘The Gift Of Desperation’, which is the term we use in the fellowship to describe every alcoholic’s moment of heartfelt surrender and it invokes a kind of a spiritual awakening.

“The first book deals with my making it to my first ever A.A. meeting and the second picks up from the previous 38 years of sobriety and recovery.”

Tom wrote his story with “a lot of humour and a kind of flippant attitude”. “But, believe me, there’s a strong serious undercurrent and a powerful message for the souls that are still suffering who may not know there’s a way up and out of this maelstrom,” he says.

“There are a lot of light-hearted japes and some intriguing and zany memoirs but it also carries a vitally important message for those who may need hope and some guidance; it’s all in there.

“I’m hoping that the books serves to entertain and enthral the non-addict and the non-alcoholic but should anyone with those insidious tendencies read it, they may find something in the book more valuable than just entertainment and an old ‘sot’s’ nostalgic romp.”

The Intrepid Odyssey Of A Salford Alcoholic, by Tom Wilson, published by https://i2ipublishing.co.uk/, is on sale on Amazon and at waterstones.com and foyles.co.uk.

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REVIEW: Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company in Agatha Christie’s A Murder Is Announced, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, until tomorrow, ***1/2

Kit Stroud’s Edmund Swettenham, left, Katy Barrow’s Mitzi, Victoria Beale’s Mrs Swettenham, Catherine Edge’s Letitia Blacklock, Paul Betts’s Sergeant Mellors, Adam Kadow’s Inspector Craddock, Joy Warner’s Dora ‘Bunny’ Bunner, Oscar Langford’s Patrick Simmons, Jennifer Jones’s Julia Simmons, Em Sinclair’s Phillipa Haymes and, front, Julie Russell Wilson’s Miss Marple in Agatha Christie’s A Murder Is Announced

A MURDER is announced and will take place on Friday, October the Thirteenth, at Little Paddocks at six thirty P.M. Friends, please accept this, the only intimation. So runs the public notice in the local newspaper, The Chipping Cleghorn Gazette.

You will find it on the  programme cover for the Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company’s latest fundraising production for the JoRo. A landmark show too, as this is the first Miss Marple mystery to be staged there.

“Not only am I a huge Agatha Christie fan,  A Murder Is Announced is my favourite Miss Marple mystery and in my top three of all Agatha Christie’s stories,” enthuses director Alex Schofield in his programme note.

This is not the only first connected with this week’s production. Appearing as Miss Marple,  Julie Russell Wilson is performing her first theatre role since returning to Yorkshire last year, while Adam Kadow is making his company debut – and Christie bow too – as “dry-humoured detective” Inspector Craddock.

They give the outstanding performances in Leslie Darbon’s adroit adaptation of a murder mystery with all the classic Christie features, in Schofield’s words: “a closed group of suspects; characters who may not be what they seem and plenty of red herrings.

“But importantly it also ‘plays fair’ and gives us, her audience, the opportunity to solve the mystery, which I invite you all to do.” A group lining the auditorium wall on Thursday was seeking to do just that, somewhat excitedly in the interval, prompting a gentleman nearby to ask them to desist as he did not want his own speculations to be influenced. Such is the abiding appeal of a Christie mystery.

When so much misery about Britain’s decline percolates the airwaves, what a delight to sit back and enjoy something as indestructible as Agatha Christie’s quintessentially British crime capers. This one has a country pad, stocked with a stoical family, a loud clock, two doors into the drawing room (one barred from opening) and a paranoid Hungarian housemaid (Katy Barrow’s delightfully scatty Mitzi).

Christie’s story assembles childhood friends, the haughty Letitia Blacklock (Catherine Edge) and often befuddled Dora “Bunny” Bunner (Joy Warner), the mischievous siblings Patrick (Oscar Langford) and Julia Simmons (Jennifer Jones) and a young widow, Phillipa Haymes (Em Sinclair).

Intrigued by the newspaper announcement, enter nosy neighbour Mrs Swettenham (Victoria Beale) and, clinging to her arm, her son, unpublished writer Edmund (Kit Stroud, magnetically drawn to the wall on each entry, perhaps to hide his incongruous man-bun).

Suddenly. Lights out. Three bullets. Torch light. One dead body (Paul Betts’s Rudi Scherz). One murder for Kadow’s wry, meticulously methodical, flamboyant Craddock or Wilson’s ever astute, under-the-radar amateur sleuth Miss Marple to crack. One case? Soon make that two, spoiler alert.

Schofield’s production is fast-moving fun, led by Kadow and Wilson’s terrific turns and precise diction, with the company nailing both the humour and deadly set-pieces in Darbon’s script. Chocolate cake, a taciturn village bobby and not every costume fitting well, what a vintage British visit to the amateur theatre unfolds.

Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company in Agatha Christie’s A Murder Is Announced, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, tonight, 7.30pm (last few tickets); tomorrow, 2.30pm (sold out). Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

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REVIEW: Black Treacle Theatre in Poor Clare, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York ****

Isabel Azar’s Clare, centre, with her family servants, Clare Meadley’s Peppa and Emily Hansen’s Alma, in Black Treacle Theatre’s Poor Clare. The bowl containing her hairpins will reappear later in Jim Paterson’s production as a begging bowl. Picture: John Saunders

FIRST, the history bit. The Franciscan order of the Poor Clare Colettines was based at St Joseph’s Convent, in Lawrence Street, York, founded in 1865 by nuns from Bruges. Where once it housed 40 nuns, now the site provides student accommodation. How very York in 2026.

The original Poor Clare is the subject of American playwright Chiara Atik’s 2021 play, premiered in Los Angeles and given its European debut at the Orange Tree Theatre, London, in 2025.

Black Treacle Theatre founder and director Jim Paterson read a review and then the script ,“intrigued by the description of the play’s deliberately anachronistic use of modern, ‘Gen Z’ dialogue and attitudes in the telling of the lives of these religious figures in 13th century Italy.”

Hot on the heels of York Settlement Community Players’ staging of Sarah Gordon’s irreverent re-telling of the Brontë Sisters’ literary lives, Underdog: The Other Other Brontë, with its frank and fruity language and modern sensibilities, Theatre@41 plays host to another conflation of old and modern in its York premiere. This one, however, is as much reverent as irreverent. 

PJ Gregan’s zealous but never pious Francis in Black Treacle Theatre’s Poor Clare. Picture: John Saunders

Paterson’s cast is in medieval costumes, complemented in Richard Hampton’s design by a plain white backdrop. Then, the first time you hear each and every actor speak with an American accent straight out of Hollywood’s rom-coms or Frank Zappa’s satirical song Valley Girl, you will be puzzled.

Think Legally Blonde. Every second word, like, is ‘like’. Hey you guys, give us a break. But wait, Atik’s script is so smart and sharp and wise that you are soon wholly on board.

As it happens, Clare is played by an American actress, Isabel  Azar, from Memphis but now extending her studies in York to opera singing with a view to a career embracing acting, writing and opera. She is Catholic too, drawing her even closer to St Clare, founder of the Poor Clare order of nuns.

In Atik’s faithful re-telling, Clare is a young noblewoman in 13th century Assisi, where she is preparing for marriage to an aristocrat and a life of even more wealth and privilege than she has already as part of the second most wealthy family in the central Italian town – even if younger sister Beatrice (Eleanor Stephenson) and their mother Ortolana (Victoria  Delaney) will argue over whether they are rich or not.

Isabel Azar’s Clare in her putative wedding dress with her high-society mother, Victoria Delaney’s Ortolana. Picture: John Saunders

Yes, of course they are: at the start, Azar’s Clare is idling the day away with her droll servants, Emily Hansen’s Alma and Clare Meadley’s Peppa, endlessly titivating her hair. Stephenson’s Beatrice cares only about clothes. Such superficiality is rife in this high society.

Yet the presence of Ben Reeves-Rowley’s Beggar, bowl in hand, is a haunting reminder that poverty besets Assisi too. Into the town strides Francis (yes, that Saint Francis of Assisi, played by PJ Gregan), who has turned his back on his privileged upbringing to campaign tirelessly for the poor and the redistribution of wealth. A man of bare feet and facts laid bare. Zealous, yes, pious, no.

Azar’s Clare finds herself drawn to rather more than the beautiful robe and golden locks of Gregan’s Francis, as he sets her on her way to a life of devotion to the cause of caring for the needy. Yet she has a long way to go when she initially assures him she will still give to charity after her marriage.

Eleanor Stephenson’s Beatrice, left, Victoria Delaney’s Ortolana and Isabel Azar’s Clare looking delightedly at one of her wedding presents, a book, in Black Treacle Theatre’s Poor Clare. Picture: John Saunders

Atik’s play moves with such pace and vigour that past productions have eschewed an interval, but here the break was a perfect chance at Wednesday’s performance to ask each other questions. “It’s not what I expected,” was the most common reaction, but uttered with approval and excitement at what was to follow.

Reeves-Rowley will reappear in modern clothing, linking with the modern world, as he begs for money from the front row while spinning his life story.

Azar’s Clare will find herself in discussions with bewildered sister and bemused mother and Gregan’s Francis alike. The more the two converse, and indeed clash in the high point of Paterson’s production, the more she feels compelled to reject aristocratic airs for service to the poor. By now, she is wearing a scratchy hair shirt to remind her constantly of the suffering, while his robe is no longer ostentatious blue but dull brown.

Come the finale, Azar’s Clare is in nun’s habit, addressing the ills of the modern world directly. The play was doing that already, albeit indirectly, but this monologue seeks to trigger more to follow Clare’s lead.

Eleanor Stephenson’s Beatrice, Victoria Delaney’s Ortolana and Isabel Azar’s Clare bathe their feet in the company of servants Alma (Emily Hansen) and Peppa (Clare Meadley). Picture: John Saunders

Paterson’s cast all enjoy the wit and fizz of Atik’s dialogue. Stephenson’s Beatrice is a riot, spoilt, blinkered but amusing; Gregan’s Francis has weight and authority but boyish charm too. Azar’s Clare combines impish humour and quiet intelligence with rising defiant steel as radiance settles on her. 

Azar’s mother was in Wednesday’s audience, all the way from Memphis. She was not the only one whose face was wreathed in smiles after encountering such a bravura play.

Black Treacle Theatre in Poor Clare, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until November 7, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: https://tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

P.S. Should you be wondering, if you attended Poor Clare, in keeping with the play’s meeting ground of modern and medieval, director Jim Paterson chose “medieval bardcore” renditions of songs by the likes of Lady Gaga, performed by such artists as Hildegard von Blingin’ and Beedle The Bardcore, each as magical as a madrigal, for the scene changes.

PJ Gregan’s Francis and Isabel Azar’s Clare finding common ground – and clothing – on Richard Hampton’s set, with its wheel-on chapel, in Black Treacle Theatre’s Poor Clare. Picture: John Saunders

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Dressed for multiple occasions, Jane Asher tackles regal role as The Queen in By Royal Appointment at York Theatre Royal

Jane Asher as The Queen and Laura Main as The Dresser in Daisy Goodwin’s play The Dresser, on tour at York Theatre Royal next week. Picture: Robert Day

DAISY Goodwin wrote ITV’s historical drama series Victoria. Now, her debut play, 2025’s By Royal Appointment, is to tour to York Theatre Royal next week in a co-production presented by Daniel Schumann, Lee Dean and The Arts Theatre, Cambridge.

Directed by Anthony Banks and designed by Jonathan Fensom, the play stars Jane Asher as The Queen and Laura Main as The Dresser, replacing the originally announced Samantha Womack.

By Royal Appointment explores their relationship and how the pair created the public image of the world’s longest-reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who was famous for her discretion, never saying anything in public that could ruffle the lightest of feathers. However, Her Majesty had one way of expressing what she really thought – through her wardrobe. 

Goodwin’s humorous, poignant and celebratory play considers the kind of power that only a Queen can wield, charming the world through coats and admonishing her family through a carefully chosen hat.

Yet Goodwin depicts The Queen as uninterested in fashion, her look being managed by her Designer (played by David Robb), her Milliner (Matthew Cottle’s role) and most powerful of all, her Dresser (Main).

In By Royal Appointment, the Dresser is a working-class girl who goes from advising The Queen on the colour of her lipsticks to the real power behind the throne. However, the Dresser, like all royal favourites, is living on borrowed time.

Taking the regal role in Goodwin’s  behind-the-scenes peek into the world of our most popular monarch and the image she presented to the world is “acting royalty” Jane Asher, the queen of cake bakers to boot.

“I was asked if I would like to do the role,” says Jane, now 80. “I was sent the play – I didn’t know it existed. It’s pretty much new but was first done in a different version last year. I read it and thought it was a somewhat terrifying prospect, but I knew the producer, Lee Dean, who asked me to do it before there was a director attached.

“By chance, a few weeks previously, Anthony had sent me a lovely message via my agent after seeing me in a rehearsed reading at the Orange Tree [Richmond, London]. I knew of him and his work, and when Lee suggested him to me I jumped at it.”

By Royal Appointment is based loosely on the books by The Queen’s senior dresser, Angela Kelly: Dressing The Queen (2012) and The Other Side Of The Coin: The Queen, The Dresser And The Wardrobe, (2019)].

“She more or less became her carer towards the end and had been given permission by The Queen to write the books,” says Jane.

“So the role was irresistible for me: challenging, terrifying but wonderful too. People do really seem to be enjoying it: people of my age group and younger too, really love it, remembering some of The Queen’s clothes that got into your psyche. To see those clothes being brought to life again is remarkable, but of course it’s about much more than that.”

By Royal Appointment is being well received on tour. “I’ve done a great many new plays and I always enjoy it, partly because the writer is usually still alive – and so ‘straight from the horse’s mouth’ is still available,” says Jane.

Jane Asher as The Queen, surrounded by regal clothing in By Royal Appointment. Picture: Robert Day

“You never know how the audience will take it, whether they will laugh or go quiet, but they’re enjoying this play, where with some jokes you get the most from them if you know the history. Overall it’s one of those plays that’s both funny and sad.”

By Royal Appointment is a slice of theatre vérité. “All the characters are taken from reality, so what you have – almost a first – is the chance to go behind the scenes, getting an insight backstage,” says Jane, who drew mostly on the script for her characterisation.

“I didn’t do specific research beyond checking certain dramatic moments in The Queen’s life, such as Lord Mountbatten’s boat being  blown up by IRA bombers, happier times too, and her children’s marriages.

“I’ve gone mainly with Daisy’s view because she’s such a good writer about the Royals. It’s terrifying that so many other actors have played The Queen, and I’ve not ignored them, because they’re deeply ingrained, but I can only do Jane Asher’s version, which will never be The Queen, but audiences will accept this version.”

Did Jane ever encounter The Queen? “Yes, like many actors, I’ve been lucky enough to meet her a few times, like at a do at Buckingham Palace, and when my husband [illustrator and political cartoonist Gerald Scarfe] received the CBE [in October 2008], The Queen did the ceremony and I was there that day.”

Here is a statistic to ponder: “People dream about The Queen more than any other figurehead, which is relatively common,” says Jane. “It may be rather banal to say, but she did reign for an incredibly long time.

“She was so incredibly good at her job, fantastic in that way of being tactful and resolute that no-one should know her political views, and she did such wonderful things in speaking through her ‘clothes’.

“She just loved being in her head scarf and knitted skirt in the Highlands, because I can imagine that if you have to dress up in grand, uncomfortable clothes, you would long to get back into casual wear!”

Central to Jane’s role in By Royal Appointment is the clothing. “I love clothes, so of course it’s a lovely part of the job of acting to wear completely different clothes, but in a play like this, with eight or nine changes, it can get a bit tiring. I’d love to go back to playing a cavewoman!”

Jane wrote about clothing in Jane Asher’s Costume Book: Over 100 Costumes for Children and Adults and How to Make Them. “I thoroughly approve of things like Vinted,” she says. “I’ve always appreciated beautiful clothes that have been kept. I like being dressed in period clothes or ‘vintage’ clothes as they’re now called – but second-hand as I called them.”

Daniel Schumann, Lee Dean and The Arts Theatre, Cambridge, present By Royal Appointment, York Theatre Royal, November 10 to 14, 7.30pm plus 2pm Wednesday & Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees; post-show discussion with cast members after Thursday’s 7.30pm show. Age guidance: 14 plus. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

One last question for Jane Asher, cookery book writer

What do you consider to be the Queen of cakes?

“That’s so tricky: as with most food, so much depends on one’s mood! I don’t have a particularly sweet tooth so although I love making beautiful iced cakes for special occasions, if I was making one for myself to have a slice with a cup of tea I’d choose something like the old-fashioned Madeira – simple but delicious…”

Jane Asher: Actress, businesswoman and author

Jane Asher: back story

Stage credits include: Twelfth Night, The Circle (Orange Tree Theatre); A Song At Twilight, Moon Tiger (Theatre Royal Bath); An American In Paris (Dominion Theatre); Great Expectations (West Yorkshire Playhouse); The Gathered Leaves (Park Theatre); Pride And Prejudice (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre); Charley’s Aunt (Menier Chocolate Factory); The Importance Of Being Earnest, Farewell To The Theatre, Bedroom Farce (Rose Theatre Kingston), The Reluctant Debutant (Yvonne Arnaud Theatre).

Before The Party (Queen’s Theatre); Blythe Spirit, Henceforward, House/Garden (Vaudeville Theatre); Festen (Almeida Theatre), Look Back In Anger (Royal Court Theatre, Criterion Theatre); Making It Better (Hampstead Theatre, Criterion Theatre); Measure For Measure, Romeo and Juliet, The Happiest Days Of Your Life… (Bristol Old Vic, US tour); Old Flames (Bristol Old Vic).

Peter Pan (Shaftesbury Theatre); Strawberry Fields, The School For Scandal, To Those Born Later (National Theatre); The Philanthropist (Royal Court Theatre, Mayfair Theatre, Broadway); The Shallow End, The Worlds Biggest Diamond, Treats (Royal Court Theatre) and Things We Do For Love (Gielgud Theatre).

Her film credits include: A Family Affair;  Splinter; Burn Burn Burn; I Give It A Year; Alfie; Closing Numbers; Death At A Funeral; Deep End; Dream Child; Henry VIII And His Six Wives; Paris By Night and Runners.

For television: Crossing Lines; Pompidou; Eve, Stella; The Old Guys; Poirot: 3 Act Tragedy; The Palace; A For Andromeda; Crossroads; Miss Marple; The Mistress; Brideshead Revisited and The Mill On The Floss.

Books: Three novels,The Longing, The Question, and Losing It.

Lifestyle, costuming and cake-decorating books: Jane Asher’s Fancy Dress; Jane Asher’s Quicky Party Cakes; Jane Asher’s Tricks Of The Trade; Jane Asher’s Costume Book; Jane Asher’s Children’s Parties; Jane Asher’s Eat For Treats; The Complete Christmas Book; Jane Asher’s Calendar Of Cakes; Jane Asher’s Complete Book Of Cake Decorating Ideas; The Best Of Good Living With Jane Asher; Good Living At Christmas With Jane Asher; Cakes For Fun; Beautiful Baking and Jane Asher’s Easy Celebration Cakes.

Children’s books: Moppy Is Angry; Moppy Is Calm; Moppy Is Happy; Moppy Is Sad and Rhymes For All Seasons.

Businesswoman:Owns a company that makes party cakes and sugar crafts for special occasions.

Did you know? Jane is a shareholder in the satirical magazine Private Eye.

Did you know too? Jane has served as the president of the National Autistic Society since 1997.

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 45, from Gazette & Herald

Isabel Azar’s Clare in rehearsal for Black Treacle Theatre’s Poor Clare at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York. Picture: Jim Paterson

FROM the 16th Aesthetica Film Festival to a nocturnal ghost sculpture trail, Strictly stars after hours in Vegas to punk poet Dr John Cooper Clarke, Charles Hutchinson says yes to November events.

Life-changing story of the week: Black Treacle Theatre in Poor Clare, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

THE lives of the young St Clare and St Francis of Assisi are the subject of American playwright Chiara Atik’s comedy Poor Clare, presented in York for the first time by Black Treacle Theatre, directed by Jim Paterson.

Noblewoman Clare (Isabel Azar) is set for marriage to a rich aristocrat and a life of wealth and privilege in 13th century Assisi, but then she meets Francis (PJ Gregan), whose strong faith and commitment to rejecting the established order and serving the poor makes her look at her life in a new way. Box office: https://tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Ghosts After Dark: Taking over York Museum Gardens for five nights from November 4

Sculpture trail of the week: York BID and York Museums Trust present Ghosts After Dark, York Museum Gardens, today to Sunday, 5.30pm to 9.30pm; timed entry slots until 8pm

AFTER the Ghosts In The Gardens free public art trail of 70 wire-mesh sculptures – including ten new ones – across 32 city-centre locations concluded last Sunday, Ghosts After Dark takes over for five atmospheric nights of nights of live storytelling, light, smoke and sound next week in the Museum Gardens, plus King’s Manor courtyard and Library Lawn, the Anglian Tower, Edible Wood, Artists’ Garden, St Olave’s churchyard and the area beside York Art Gallery.

Representing a fascinating person, creature or story connected to York’s history, each sculpture was made by York creative agency Unconventional Design. A new interactive experience and the inaugural night market will be further highlights of the 90-minute trail. Bookings: www.theyorkbid.com/ghosts-after-dark/.

Heading for the Aesthetica Film Festival in York

Festival of the week: Aesthetica Film Festival, York, today to Sunday

IN its 16th year under the artistic directorship of Cherie Federico, Aesthetica Film Festival welcomes filmmakers, games developers and virtual reality experts from around the world. The five-day programme comprises  screenings, VR & games labs, a podcasting lounge, industry masterclasses and workshops, networking sessions, live performances, pitching opportunities, the New Music Stage and much more. For the full programme and tickets, go to asff.co.uk.

Strictly Come Dancing stars Pasha Kovalev, Brendan Cole, Vincent Simone, Ian Waite and James Jordan head to York Barbican in Legends in Vegas: After Hours. Picture: Ryan Howard

From Strictly to Sin City dance show of the week: The Legends in Vegas: After Hours, York Barbican, tonight, 7.30pm

THE Legends, alias Strictly alumnae Brendan Cole, James Jordan, Pasha Kovalev, Vincent Simone and Ian Waite, reunite for a third tour, Vegas: After Hours, where the dance floor never sleeps as they bring the spirit of Sin City to life through breathtaking routines and nonstop entertainment, set to a soundtrack inspired by the greatest Las Vegas performers of all time. 

Think neon lights and electric nights, roulette tables spinning, glamorous showgirls, dazzling casinos, desert sunsets, lavish pool parties, whirlwind weddings, iconic hotels and world-class entertainment, captured in dance. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Julie Russell Wilson’s Miss Marple, centre, leading the Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company cast in Agatha Christie’s A Murder Is Announced

Murder mystery of the week: Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company in Agatha Christie’s A Murder Is Announced, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

WHEN a mysterious announcement appears in the local newspaper, stating the date and time a murder will take place in a quiet village home, curiosity and disbelief turn quickly to alarm: it is chillingly clear that the threat is all too real. 

What follows is a classic Agatha Christie puzzle of mixed motives, concealed identities and long-held secrets for the sharp-witted Miss Marple (Julie Russell Wilson) to unravel in Alex Schofield’s fundraising production in aid of the JoRo.

“Christie was a master of surprise who understood that audiences love being challenged,” says Schofield. “Then there’s the incredible premise. Someone reveals that a murder is going to take place, but not who the victim will be. From that moment on, anyone could be the victim and anyone could be the killer.

“There’s also something wonderful about hearing a collective gasp from the audience when their expectations have been turned upside down.”Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

An artwork from Kate Brown’s Among exhibition at Helmsley Arts Centre

Exhibition of the week: Kate Brown, Among, Helmsley Arts Centre, until February 26 2027

NORTH Yorkshire artist Kate Brown gathers new and existing works on paper that reflect on her engagement with place through lived experience, observation and making, “inviting a slower way of looking, encouraging reflection on our place within the environments we inhabit and the relationships that shape them”.

Using ink, pigment, copper leaf and natural materials, she creates layered compositions that evolve through an intuitive process of accumulation, erasure and response. Rather than depicting specific landscapes, the works emerge from direct encounters with the natural world and from the ongoing use of mind maps and rhizomatic diagrams as tools for thinking, connecting and understanding. Organic forms, shifting marks and delicate surfaces suggest patterns of growth, movement and relationship, alluding to seasonal change and the transient nature of experience.

Special guest Heather Findlay performing with the John Hackett Band

Ryedale gig of the week: John Hackett Band with special guest Heather Findlay, Helmsley Arts Centre, Friday, 7.30pm

YORK singer-songwriter Heather Findlay will be the special guest of John Hackett Band, the prog-rock band led by Steve Hackett’s brother, whose second album, Red Institution, was released last year.

From Hackett’s pastoral flute textures, through the funky interplay between drummer Duncan Parsons and bassist Jeremy Richardson, to the intricacies of Nick Fletcher’s lead guitar, the group embraces pop, rock, jazz, classical, funk and all stops in-between, from tender ballads to hair-raising instrumental workouts. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Dr John Cooper Clarke: Showcasing new poetry collection Have It at the Grand Opera House, York

Punk poet of the week: Dr John Cooper Clarke, Grand Opera House, York, Friday, doors 7pm

SALFORD sage Dr John Cooper Clarke’s anarchic punk poetry and no-nonsense approach to his work has led to a career spanning cultures, art forms and continents, drawing audiences from clubs to arenas. On his 20-date tour, Cooper Clarke, 77, promotes his new collection, Have It, the follow-up to 2024’s What, as well as performing fan favourites with his trademark machine-gun delivery. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

The Shires’ Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes: Playing songs from Bonfire the night after Bonfire Night at York Barbican

Country gig of the week: The Shires, York Barbican, Friday, 7.30pm

BRITISH country duo The Shires – Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes – promote their sixth studio album, July 3’s Bonfire, on their 12-date UK tour, their first with a full band in four years. Expect new songs celebrating togetherness, escapism and positivity, complemented by fan favourites. Kaylee Bell supports. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Seann Walsh: Find out why “This Is Torture” at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Jiksaw

York comedy gig of the week: Seann Walsh, This Is Torture, York Theatre Royal, Friday, 8pm

I’M A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! 2022 series survivor Seann Walsh has decided to name his latest stand-up tour show after the phrase he says the most: “This Is Torture”.  The dishevelled Camden comedian brings his signature blend of chaos and charm to York to put himself through an anxiety filled-hour. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Karl Bushby: The Man Who Walked The World

In Focus: Norwell Lapley Productions present Karl Busby: The Man Who Walked The World, York Theatre Royal, November 22, 6.30pm

KARL Bushby, the Yorkshireman who walked the world, will set out to York Theatre Royal from his Hull home on November 22 to tell his extraordinary story.

Adventurer Karl, now 57, set off from Punta Arenas, Chile, in 1998 with the almost unimaginable ambition of walking all the way home to East Yorkshire.

He made himself two promises:  he would use no transport to advance his journey and he would not return home until he had completed the entire expedition on foot. After 28 years, he was welcomed home to Hull on November 2.

Along the way, Karl has crossed some of the world’s most hostile landscapes, faced life-threatening dangers and endured immense physical and psychological challenges, pushing himself to limits few could comprehend.

From navigating the perilous Darién Gap between Panama and Colombia, to tackling the frozen expanse of the Bering Strait, between Russian and Alaska, his journey is a remarkable testament to courage, resilience and the indomitable human spirit.

Now, York audiences are invited to step inside an adventure spanning continents, cultures and generations. Through first-hand storytelling, Karl will reveal the experiences behind the headlines:  the moments when survival hung in the balance, the obstacles that threatened to derail his mission, the sacrifices demanded by a life on the move and the extraordinary determination that kept him heading towards home. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

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Play announcement of the week: The Housemaid, Grand Opera House, York. When do tickets go on sale?

Keyhole urgency: Psychological thrills in The Housemaid: The Play

EVERY house has its secrets. The question is: who holds the keys? Find out the answer in The Housemaid: The Play, whose debut tour will visit the Grand Opera House, York, from November 23 to 27…NEXT year.

ATG+ pre-sale opens at 10am on November 5; general sales follow from 10am on November 6 at atgtickets.com/york/.

Based on Freida McFadden’s best-selling novel, the psychological thriller makes its stage bow in Melting Pot’s gripping new production, led by Simon Friend and Hanna Osmolska (Life Of Pi; Paranormal Activity), to be mounted in collaboration with Lionsgate,

Adapted by stage and screen writer Bekah Brunstetter (Tony Award nominee for The Notebook; The Five-Star Weekend) and directed by Tony Award and Olivier Award nominee Matthew Dunster (2:22 A Ghost Story; The Hunger Games: On Stage), the show will be based on both the Lionsgate film, released last December en route to grossing $400 million at the box office, and McFadden’s literary phenomenon.

Directed by Paul Feig from a screenplay by Rebecca Sonnenshine rooted in McFadden’s book, the film was produced by Todd Lieberman, Laura Fischer and Feig.

Opening at the Richmond Theatre, London, on September 14 2027, the stage production marks the latest step in the studio’s continued expansion of The Housemaid franchise, where the film sequel, The Housemaid’s Secret, is in production already, set for a global theatrical release on December 17 2027.  

Bekah Brunstetter will write the play. She earned a Tony Award nomination for her work on the book for the Broadway musical The Notebook. Last year, her play Mother’s Day debuted as part of the DNA New Works Program at La Jolla Playhouse, University of California, San Diego. Her play The Cake has been produced more than 100 times globally.

Brunstetter also created the television series The Five-Star Weekend, starring Jennifer Garner and Regina Hall, and her television work includes American Gods, This Is Us and Maid, for which she won a Writers Guild of America Award.  

Matthew Dunster is a theatre and film director and writer. Previously an actor, he has directed or written more than 60 theatre shows, often with major companies, such as the Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre, Royal Court, Young Vic, Royal Exchange, Shakespeare’s Globe and The Bridge, as well as directing on the West End, Broadway and internationally. He has been the associate director of The Young Vic and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.

His theatre credits include: 2:22 A Ghost Story, which ran in the West End for 694 performances; Shirley Valentine and The Pillowman (The Duke of York’s); The Homecoming (Young Vic); Dealer’s Choice (The Donmar) and The Hunger Games: On Stage (Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre).

Dunster has been nominated for four Olivier Awards and his Broadway production of Hangmen was nominated for five Tony Awards. 

American author Freida McFadden is known for her psychological thrillers and medical-themed suspense novels. She gained widespread recognition with The Housemaid (2022), which became a viral sensation, leading to two sequels: The Housemaid’s Secret (2023) and The Housemaid Is Watching (2024).  

McFadden’s work has been selected as one of Amazon Editors’ best books of the year; she has won the International Thriller Writers Award for Best Paperback and she is a Goodreads Choice Award winner.

Beyond her literary successes, McFadden has been lauded for her contributions to literature, with her novels consistently appearing as #1 on bestseller lists (The New York Times, Amazon Charts, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Sunday Times and Publishers Weekly). To date, her novels have been translated into more than 45 languages. 

“With the stage play debuting next year and our sequel film in production, the momentum behind The Housemaid franchise continues to grow,” says Jenefer Brown, Lionsgate’s president for Global Products & Experiences.

“We’re thrilled to work with Simon, Hanna, Bekah and Matthew to bring this story to the stage in an entirely new way, giving audiences the chance to experience its suspense, twists and turns live.”

Melting Pot producer Simon Friend says: “Bekah’s adaptation of The Housemaid is exactly what we’d hoped for – a fresh and uniquely theatrical take on this wildly popular story – and made with Matthew Dunster’s vision, it will certainly bring a thrilling new dimension to the franchise.”  

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York Theatre Royal to stage revival of Arthur Miller’s Death Of A Salesman with Glasgow Citizens Theatre next year

The poster for York Theatre Royal and Glasgow Citizens Theatre’s 2027 co-production of Arthur Miller’s Death Of A Salesman

YORK Theatre Royal is to revive Arthur Miller’s Death Of A Salesman in a first co-production with Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre in 2027.

Running in York from March 2 to March 27 (preceded by previews from February 24) and in Glasgow from April 7 to May 1, Miller’s dissection of the American Dream will be directed by Citizens’ Theatre artistic director Dominic Hill.

In a second major co-production, York Theatre Royal will continue its creative collaboration with the Emma Rice Company and Nottingham Playhouse with a revival of Kneehigh and Emma Rice’s Tristan & Yseult. Last seen on stage in 2017, the production will be staged at York Theatre Royal from April 6 to 17 as part of a nationwide UK tour.

Theatre Royal chief executive officer Paul Crewes says: “We’re very excited about this upcoming season. Most notably, in a first for us, we will be working with our friends at Citizens Theatre in Glasgow on Arthur Miller’s modern classic Death Of A Salesman, directed by the fabulous Dominic Hill. This is a wonderful collaboration with a great theatre.

“Spring 2027 will also see us co-producing again with the Emma Rice Company and Nottingham Playhouse on a revival of Tristan & Yseult. I have such fond memories of originally producing this show with Emma when we were both at Kneehigh alongside Mike Shepherd. I can’t wait for York audiences to have the chance to finally see this production that successfully toured the world for many years.

Dominic Hill says:  “I am delighted to be directing a new production of this brilliant Arthur Miller play that is one of the most influential works of the 20th century. It could not be more timely in the age of Donald Trump’s politics of greed and toxic masculinity.

Tristan & Yseult: First time on a British stage since 2017. Picture: Richard Grassie

“But Death Of A Salesman is also an ordinary working man’s story, as a family tries to wrestle with living up to expectation and forging their own path. I can’t wait to see the reaction from audiences in York and Glasgow to this new production.”

In Miller’s play,  after 34 years on the road, travelling salesman Willy Loman returns home exhausted. A man who has sacrificed everything in pursuit of success and recognition. Yet the American Dream seems always just out of reach. As his career falters and the debts mount, Willy is lost in memories of the past as his family try desperately to reconcile the man they love with the tragic consequences of his delusions.

 Miller’s powerful and heartbreaking 1949 story about the pursuit of wealth and popularity remains devastatingly relevant today.  

ADAPTED and directed by Emma Rice Company founder Emma Rice, Carl Grose and Anna Maria Murphy’s Tristan & Yseult will return to the UK for the first time in ten years, offering a rare chance to encounter a modern masterpiece fresh and live on stage.

Created in 2003, Tristan & Yseult took the theatrical world by storm. Visceral, playful and heartbreakingly beautiful, this internationally celebrated production blends myth, music, movement and storytelling in a landmark show that has inspired a global generation of artists and audiences. Next year it returns, remade and remastered.

The York Theatre Royal, Emma Rice Company and Nottingham Playhouse co-production will feature music by Stu Barker, original set and costume design by Bill Mitchell, set and costume design by Vikki Mortimer, choreography and intimacy coordination by Etta Murfitt,  sound design by Simon Baker and lighting design by Malcolm Rippeth.

Tickets can be booked on 01904 623568 or at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

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Recommended but sold out already: James Swanton in The Signal-Man, York Medical Society, Stonegate, York, November 2 to 8

James Swanton: Back on track with The Signal-Man at York Medical Society

A RED light. A black tunnel. A waving figure. A warning beyond understanding. And the fear that someone – that something – is drawing closer in The Signal-Man, Charles Dickens’ most frightening ghost story, here paired with the supernatural terrors of The Trial For Murder in York storyteller and actor James Swanton’s delightfully macabre double bill.

James promoted his return to York Medical Society when performing Gothic poetry at two sold-out launch events for Isla Coole’s new horror-themed book store, Horrifically  Good Books, in Goodramgate, last Monday and Tuesday.

Here he answers a handful of CharlesHutchPress questions on The Signal-Man’s return.

What makes York Medical Society such an ideal setting?

“I enjoy a black-box theatre space, but it’s difficult to beat the immersive feel of antique wood panelling, latticed windows and an open fireplace. The room in which I’m performing puts me in mind of the tavern in Barnaby Rudge. Perfect for relating ghostly tales!”

Without giving away the ending, what happens in The Signal-Man and why does it suit live performance?

“In short form, a wandering gentleman befriends a lonely signal-man on an isolated stretch of railway. He there hears about the signal-man’s uncanny supernatural experiences. I feel this is one story that works far better when spoken out loud than read in private.

“Simon Callow agreed with me after he recorded it as an audio drama. Even so, I’d recommend that people familiarise themselves with the text in advance. The final revelation takes some digesting, not unlike the ending of Nicolas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now. But once the core idea sinks in, it’s forever burned into the memory.”

What happens in The Trial For Murder and why does it suit live performance?

A city gentleman does jury service at the Old Bailey and begins to catch sight of an unsettling figure whose face is “the colour of impure wax”. People don’t generally know this story – it also goes by the unhelpful title ‘To Be Taken With A Grain Of Salt’ – so there’s a vital element of surprise. After all, a courtroom is itself a type of theatre, and this narrative’s structure is deliberate verging on procedural, which contrasts well with the shocks.”

What keeps drawing you back to Dickens?

“His invented people are irresistible; Dickens is essentially the character actor’s Shakespeare. That said, his narration interests me more and more with the passage of time. And there’s rather a lot of that in these two pieces! The eye-catching grotesques melt away and the storyteller takes centre stage.”

Performances are at 7pm, tonight, tomorrow, Thursday and Sunday; 5.30pm & 7.30pm, Saturday. Box office for returns only: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Coming next from James Swanton

JAMES will return to York Medical Society to present Charles Dickens’ Ghost Stories from November 23 to 29.

Choose from two of Dickens’ seasonal classics: A Christmas Carol, the famous saga of Ebenezer Scrooge, and The Haunted Man, a neglected Gothic gem.

Their words unlock a world teeming with chain-rattling spectres, dark and shadowy doubles and Ghosts of Christmases Past and Present and Yet To Come. “These tales chill the marrow and tickle the funny bone, but always they enchant, as only the works of a master storyteller can,” says James.

Performances: November 23 and 26, The Haunted Man, 7pm.
November 24 and 27, A Christmas Carol, 7pm.
November 28, A Christmas Carol, 2pm & 6pm.
November 29, A Christmas Carol, 2pm.
November 29, The Haunted Man, 6pm.

Box office: 01904 623568 or https://www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk/show/charles-dickens-ghost-stories/.

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More Things To Do in York and beyond as Aesthetica Film Festival expands again. Hutch’s List No. 44, from The York Press

Fladam Theatre’s Florence Poskitt and Adam Sowter cooking up the York musical comedy duo’s Halloween show in Hallowbean

FROM the 16th Aesthetica Film Festival to a nocturnal ghost sculpture trail, Strictly stars after hours in Vegas to punk poet Dr John Cooper Clarke, Charles Hutchinson says yes to November events.

Children’s Halloween show of the week: Fladam Theatre in Hallowbean, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 2.30pm

FLADAM Theatre, the madcap York musical comedy duo of Florence Poskitt and Adam Sowter, head to Helmsley this afternoon with their spooktastic musical comedy Hallowbean. In the town of Ghooul, Dr Frankenheinz is rustling up his Hallowbean for the annual Halloween cooking competition, hoping his tomatoey terror will dazzle Scary Berry, the most frightful food critic of them all.

Rather than scary, however, Hallowbean is downright lovable. Problem! “Will Halloween have to be cancelled? Or can the Hallowbean find her scare in time?” ask Fladam. Find out in this hour-long, pun and puppet-packed Halloween treat for three to ten years olds. Box office: Helmsley, 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Seann Walsh: Putting himself through an anxiety filled-hour at York Theatre Royal on November 6

Comedy gigs of the week: Russell Howard, Don’t Tell The Algorithm, York Barbican, today, 3.30pm & 7.30pm, and Sunday, 7.30pm;  Seann Walsh, This Is Torture, York Theatre Royal, November 6, 8pm

POLITICAL comedian and Five Brilliant Things podcaster Russell Howard returns with a new stand-up show for 2026, where he invites you back into the room: no phones, no distractions, only humans and jokes, but don’t tell the algorithm. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk; best availability on Sunday night.

I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! 2022 series survivor Seann Walsh has decided to name his latest stand-up tour show after the phrase he says the most: “This Is Torture”.  The dishevelled Camden comedian brings his signature blend of chaos and charm to York to put himself through an anxiety filled-hour. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

James Swanton: Back on track with The Signal-Man’s return to York Medical Society

Recommended but sold out already: James Swanton presents The Signal-Man, York Medical Society, Stonegate, York, November 2 to 8, 7pm, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday; 5.30pm & 7.30pm, Saturday

A RED light. A black tunnel. A waving figure. A warning beyond understanding. And the fear that someone – that something – is drawing closer in The Signal-Man, Charles Dickens’s most frightening ghost story, here paired with the supernatural terrors of The Trial For Murder in York storyteller and actor James Swanton’s delightfully macabre double bill. Box office for returns only: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Isabel Azar’s Clare in rehearsal for Black Treacle Theatre’s Poor Clare at Theatre@41, Monkgate

Life-changing story of the week: Black Treacle Theatre in Poor Clare, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, November 3 to 7, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

THE lives of the young St Clare and St Francis of Assisi are the subject of American playwright Chiara Atik’s comedy Poor Clare, presented in York for the first time by Black Treacle Theatre, directed by Jim Paterson.

Noblewoman Clare (Isabel Azar) is set for marriage to a rich aristocrat and a life of wealth and privilege in 13th century Assisi, but then she meets Francis (PJ Gregan), whose strong faith and commitment to rejecting the established order and serving the poor makes her look at her life in a new way. Box office: https://tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Ghosts After Dark: Taking over York Museum Gardens for five nights from November 4

Sculpture trail of the week: York BID and York Museums Trust present Ghosts After Dark, York Museum Gardens, November 4 to 8, 5.30pm to 9.30pm; timed entry slots until 8pm

AFTER the Ghosts In The Gardens free public art trail of 70 wire-mesh sculptures – including ten new ones – across 32 city-centre locations concludes on Sunday, Ghosts After Dark takes over for five atmospheric nights of nights of live storytelling, light, smoke and sound next week in the Museum Gardens, plus King’s Manor courtyard and Library Lawn, the Anglian Tower, Edible Wood, Artists’ Garden, St Olave’s churchyard and the area beside York Art Gallery.

Representing a fascinating person, creature or story connected to York’s history, each sculpture was made by York creative agency Unconventional Design. A new interactive experience and the inaugural night market will be further highlights of the 90-minute trail. Bookings: www.theyorkbid.com/ghosts-after-dark/.

All heading to the Aesthetica Film Festival 2026 as York awaits five days of film and much more

Festival of the week: Aesthetica Film Festival 2026, York, November 4 to 8

IN its 16th year under the artistic directorship of Cherie Federico, Aesthetica Film Festival welcomes filmmakers, games developers and virtual reality experts from around the world. The five-day programme comprises  screenings, VR & games labs, a podcasting lounge, industry masterclasses and workshops, networking sessions, live performances, pitching opportunities, the New Music Stage and much more. For the full programme and tickets, go to asff.co.uk.

Strictly Come Dancing stars Pasha Kovalev, Brendan Cole, Vincent Simone, Ian Waite and James Jordan head to York Barbican in Legends in Vegas: After Hours. Picture: Ryan Howard

From Strictly to Sin City dance show of the week: The Legends in Vegas: After Hours, York Barbican, November 4, 7.30pm

THE Legends, alias Strictly alumnae Brendan Cole, James Jordan, Pasha Kovalev, Vincent Simone and Ian Waite, reunite for a third tour, Vegas: After Hours, where the dance floor never sleeps as they bring the spirit of Sin City to life through breathtaking routines and nonstop entertainment, set to a soundtrack inspired by the greatest Las Vegas performers of all time. 

Think neon lights and electric nights, roulette tables spinning, glamorous showgirls, dazzling casinos, desert sunsets, lavish pool parties, whirlwind weddings, iconic hotels and world-class entertainment, captured in dance. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Julie Russell Wilson’s Miss Marple, front, leading the Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company cast in Agatha Christie’s A Murder Is Announced

Murder mystery of the week: Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company in Agatha Christie’s A Murder Is Announced, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, November 4 to 7, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

WHEN a mysterious announcement appears in the local newspaper, stating the date and time a murder will take place in a quiet village home, curiosity and disbelief turn quickly to alarm: it is chillingly clear that the threat is all too real. 

What follows is a classic Agatha Christie puzzle of mixed motives, concealed identities and long-held secrets for the sharp-witted Miss Marple (Julie Russell Wilson) to unravel in Alex Schofield’s fundraising production in aid of the JoRo.

“Christie was a master of surprise who understood that audiences love being challenged,” says Schofield. “Then there’s the incredible premise. Someone reveals that a murder is going to take place, but not who the victim will be.

“From that moment on, anyone could be the victim and anyone could be the killer. There’s also something wonderful about hearing a collective gasp from the audience when their expectations have been turned upside down.”Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

Dr John Cooper Clarke: Showcasing new poetry collection Have It at the Grand Opera House, York

Punk poet of the week: Dr John Cooper Clarke, Grand Opera House, York, November 6, doors 7pm

SALFORD sage Dr John Cooper Clarke’s anarchic punk poetry and no-nonsense approach to his work has led to a career spanning cultures, art forms and continents, drawing audiences from clubs to arenas. On his 20-date tour, Cooper Clarke, 77, promotes his new collection, Have It, the follow-up to 2024’s What, as well as performing fan favourites with his trademark machine-gun delivery. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

The Shires: Lighting up Bonfire at York Barbican the day after Bonfire Night

Country gig of the week: The Shires, York Barbican, November 6, 7.30pm

BRITISH country duo The Shires – Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes – promote their sixth studio album, July 3’s Bonfire, on their 12-date UK tour, their first with a full band in four years. Expect new songs celebrating togetherness, escapism and positivity, complemented by fan favourites. Kaylee Bell supports. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Karl Bushby: The Man Who Walked The World

In Focus: Norwell Lapley Productions present Karl Busby: The Man Who Walked The World, York Theatre Royal, November 22, 6.30pm

KARL Bushby, the Yorkshireman who walked the world, will set out to York Theatre Royal from his Hull home on November 22 to tell his extraordinary story.

Adventurer Karl, now 57, set off from Punta Arenas, Chile, in 1998 with the almost unimaginable ambition of walking all the way home to East Yorkshire.

He made himself two promises:  he would use no transport to advance his journey and he would not return home until he had completed the entire expedition on foot. After 28 years, he will be welcomed home to Hull on November 2.

Along the way, Karl has crossed some of the world’s most hostile landscapes, faced life-threatening dangers and endured immense physical and psychological challenges, pushing himself to limits few could comprehend.

From navigating the perilous Darién Gap between Panama and Colombia, to tackling the frozen expanse of the Bering Strait, between Russian and Alaska, his journey is a remarkable testament to courage, resilience and the indomitable human spirit.

Now, York audiences are invited to step inside an adventure spanning continents, cultures and generations. Through first-hand storytelling, Karl will reveal the experiences behind the headlines:  the moments when survival hung in the balance, the obstacles that threatened to derail his mission, the sacrifices demanded by a life on the move and the extraordinary determination that kept him heading towards home. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

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REVIEW: Wharfemede Productions in The Addams Family Musical, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until Saturday ****

Meet the Addams Family and their butler in Wharfemede Productions’ The Addams Family Musical: Abbie Law’s Wednesday, left, Matthew Warry’s Pugsley, Henrietta Linnemann’s Morticia, Chris Gibson’s Lurch, Zander Fick’s Gomez, Nick Sephton’s Uncle Fester and Rosy Rowley’s Grandma. Picture: Simon Trow

JOKE shop bats and giant cobwebs and director Helen “Bells” Spencer in a rather fetching wig greet Halloween week theatregoers on the stairway to Wharfemede Productions’  production of The Addams Family Musical.

Enter the black box theatre, where more bats and cobwebs fill the walls, and it is immediately striking how the audience is younger than usual at Theatre@41, now full of families. All this week’s performances are sold out, such is the reach of Netflix’s two seasons of Wednesday,  whose visual style carries the hallmarks of executive producer Tim Burton, full of fashion flair and camply dark humour while making Jenny Ortega “Gen Z’s scream queen”.

Combining properly tuneful music and smart lyrics by Andrew Lippa, worthy of musical theatre’s golden age, with a deeply kooky, devilishly witty book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, The Addams Family Musical spreads the focus more broadly, while giving the headline story to Abbie Law’s sourpuss Wednesday.

She may have a perma-scowl and carry a crossbow, but Wednesday Addams has fallen in love with a “normal” young  man, Dan Crawfurd-Porter’s floppy fringed, chisel-jawed Lucas Beineke, looking every inch the college jock in his varsity bomber jacket.

The masked Ancestors in director Helen Spencer’s nod to commedia dell arte in Wharfemede Productions’ The Addams Family. Picture: Simon Trow

When Wednesday invites Lucas’s ultra-respectable parents (Steven Jobson’s Mal and Connie Howcroft’s Alice) to dinner, two cultures will clash: the uptight Beinekes, from Ohio, with their unfortunate propensity for wearing yellow, and the eccentric, louche, strangely attractive Addams Family, from metropolitan, arty New York, with their penchant for black in both humour and clothing.

From the familiar theme tune opening to the disembodied hand in the picture frame and two cameo appearances by Cousin Itt (Lao Singhateh, face hidden beneath all that hair), everything is in place for a musical comedy that nods to the nostalgic TV past but also finds it own character, not least through the ghostly presence of the Ancestors, at the beck and call of Nick Sephton’s Uncle Fester.

Drawing on her own commedia dell’arte training in Italy, Spencer kits them out in masks – made with a 3D printer by Sephton – to complement their white clothing to add to their contrast to the Addams family members.

Each family member or retainer is established quickly, from Rosy Rowley’s loose-cannon Grandma to Chris Gibson’s taciturn, towering, gloom-and-doom butler Lurch and Matthew Warry’s Pugsley, whose unconventional relationship with sister Wednesday is rooted in stoic acceptance of being the target of her experiments in torture.

Zander Fick, the classically trained South African singer and actor – and software engineering director by day – has excelled on the York stage since his arrival in 2023 and here he gives his best performance yet as Gomez Addams, the father who often has to think on his feet to cover his initial actions.

Hair slicked back and turned jet black, pinstripe suit as immaculate and neat as his pencil moustache, accent a conflation of Hispanic and American, his Gomez leads the show with a showman’s panache, eyebrow-raised comic timing, nimble feet and a wondrous singing voice.

He combines delightfully with the glacial hauteur of Henrietta Linnemann’s Morticia, his elegant, aloof wife with her exacting standards and often contrasting strategy.  She sings superbly too, whether solo in Just Around The Corner or in the stand-out duet, Live Before We Die, with Fick’s Gomez.

Howcroft, always such a thrilling singer, brings the house down at the climax to Act One with her no-holds-barred rendition of Waiting, while Sephton’s love-struck Fester sings to his true love, the Moon at her fullest, in The Moon And Me, the show’s most unexpected yet beautiful moment.

Howcroft’s choreography is another joy, utilising the Ancestors to the max, capitalising on the clash between the itchy feet of Fick’s Gomez and sang-froid of Linnemann’s Morticia and exploring  the differing physicality within the company, not least Gibson’s lumbering Lurch and Rowley’s crumpled Grandma,  to humorous effect.

Musical director James Robert Ball has a ball with Lippa’s wonderful songs, his band at once playful and diligent, sprightly and fun.

Wharfemede Productions bring the “wonderfully weird world” of the distinctly dysfunctional Addams Family to glorious Gothic life, perfectly timed for Halloween. As Spencer puts it, “Beneath all the darkness, eccentricity and wonderfully questionable behaviour lies a story about love, belonging and celebrating things that make us different.” And that, by the way, is the very essence of theatre, whether performing or watching.

Wharfemede Productions present The Addams Family Musical, Theatre@41, Monkgate, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. SOLD OUT. For returns only: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

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