“Belle is everything I wished I could be when I was growing up,” says Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company lead actress Jennifer Jones
THE Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company will present Disney’s spin on the timeless tale of Belle, a young woman in a small provincial town, and the Beast, a prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress, at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, from tomorrow to Saturday.
If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed into his former self, but time is running out. Should the Beast not learn his lesson soon, however, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity.
“This ‘tale as old as time’ is filled with the classic songs that you know and love, so please ‘be our guest’ and join us for this family favourite,” says director Kathryn Lay, who is joined in the production team by musical director Martin Lay and choreographer Lorna Newby.
The cast comprises Jennifer Jones as Belle; Adam Gill as the Beast; Tom Menarry, Lumiere; Jen Payne, Mrs Potts; Anthony Gardner, Cogsworth; Heather Stead, Babette; Helen Barugh, Madame de la Grande Bouche; Jim Paterson, Gaston; Kit Stroud, Lefou; Paul Blenkiron, Maurice; Alex Schofield, Monsieur D’Arque, and Stan Richardson and Paige Sidebottom as Chip.
“Belle is everything I wished I could be when I was growing up,” says Jennifer Jones. “She’s confident in who she is and willing to stand up for herself, but also kind and incredibly loyal. There are actually quite a lot of similarities between Belle’s past and my own experiences (up until the ‘being imprisoned by a cursed beast’ part), so getting to channel that into the performance is a real privilege.”
What is Jennifer most looking forward to in the show? “I’m a sucker for a big ball gown. But honestly, my favourite part of any show is listening to the overture backstage with the whole company as we wait to go on. There’s absolutely nothing like it!”
Jennifer Jones’s Belle and Adam Gill’s Beast
Naming her favourite scene, she says: “Be Our Guest is such a delight! It’s the big song from Beauty And The Beast and it’s been so exciting to see it coming together and everyone giving it so much energy. I’m lucky that my character gets to watch it all, and the grin on my face is 100 per cent genuine.”
Looking forward to playing the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, Jennifer says: “To have a full theatre so easily available to you as an amateur performer is really special. I’ve performed in nearly every theatre in York, but the Joseph Rowntree Theatre feels like home.
“It’s really an amazing community asset, and it provides so many opportunities for literally anybody to get involved, even if they’ve never stepped foot in a theatre before.”
She loves the experience of rehearsing and performing. “For me, it’s all about the people you do shows with. Of course, it’s very nice to sing for an audience that is more appreciative than my cats are, but getting to spend several nights a week having fun in rehearsals with an excellent group of people with a shared sense of purpose and belonging is the most important thing for me.”
Adam Gill shares his first name of Adam with the Beast: ”Of course that 100 per cent proves that I was made to play this part!” he says. “He’s one of the most iconic Disney characters, easily the best Disney prince, and I love the way that he changes and grows throughout the show: it’s a story that has always resonated with me.”
Adam, who picks the musical number Gaston as his highlight, “even though I’m not in it!”, has fond memories aplenty of performing at the JoRo. “I love the warm, intimate atmosphere that surrounds it,” he says.
Jim Paterson rehearsing his role as Gaston in Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company’s Beauty And The Beast
“I love the escapism taking part in shows provides, watching brilliant people build confidence and grow into characters and trying to be the best performer I can.”
Jim Paterson has one reason above all others to look forward to playing Gaston. “This is the first show I’ve done that my eight-year-old daughter can actually come and see – and it’s special as we used to play with her Disney dolls a lot and I would often be Gaston getting into various scrapes trying to marry Belle!” he says.
Beauty And The Beast contains Jim’s favourite set of Disney songs. “I can’t wait for us to share the energy of the big chorus numbers like Belle, Be Our Guest and, of course, Gaston,” he says.
What does he enjoy most about performing at the JoRo? “It’s always a delight to step on the stage and see that beautiful auditorium, but what makes it special is the sense of camaraderie among the Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company team, with everyone pitching in and supporting each other,” he says.
Summing up why he loves to perform, Jim says: “Someone once asked a writer why they wrote plays rather than novels and they replied, ‘because I like it when they applaud’. There’s something about spending weeks creating something as a team in rehearsal, then finally putting it in front of an audience and suddenly it’s an entirely different performance because of how their presence and reaction changes how it feels. It’s why live theatre is so special.”
Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company in Disney’s Beauty And The Beast, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, February 4 to 8, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee.Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
“There are actually quite a lot of similarities between Belle’s past and my own experiences,” says Jennifer Jones
Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company: the back story
FOUNDED in 2017, the Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company is the JoRo theatre’s official in-house production company, established to help raise funds for the maintenance and development of the Haxby Road theatre, while entertaining audiences with innovative productions of both classic and contemporary musicals.
So far the company has raised more than £23,000 from such shows as The Producers (2018), Kiss Me Kate (2019), Hello, Dolly! (2023) and Curtains (2024).
Nina Gilligan: Headlining today’s Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club gig at The Basement
CHEEKY drag fun and games, a dandy giant, outsider art, folk luminaries aplenty and a terpsichorean comedian light up Charles Hutchinson’s early February diary.
Afternoon gig of the week: Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club presents Nina Gilligan, Ryan McDonnell, Adam Anwar and Damion Larkin MC, The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse, York, today, 4pm to 6.30pm, doors 3.30pm
2021 Leicester Mercury Comedy Award winner Nina Gilligan tops this afternoon’s comedy bill with an act described by Scottish culture magazine The Skinny as “a bolshier Mrs Merton”.
Belfast’s Ryan McDonnell interjects wit and Irish charm into his observation of everyday life. “Sometimes bizarre, often dark, he’ll guide you on a unique journey through the world as he sees it,” says master of ceremonies and club promoter Damion Larkin. Third act Adam Anwar’s stand-up material draws on themes of identity, race, and social issues. Box office: lolcomedyclubs.co.uk.
The Isolation Creations: Bingo meets drag in The Old Paint Shop
Looking for an evening of fun, games, bingo and daft prizes with a party atmosphere?Haus Of Games with The Isolation Creations, The Old Paint Shop, York Theatre Royal Studio, tonight, 8pm
CHEEKY comedy drag double act The Isolation Creations host a variety show to leave you blushing, giggling and maybe even holding a “crappy prize or two”. “Don’t come expecting RuPaul’s Drag Race,” they say. “We’re here to remind you that drag can be a bit saucy, rough around the edges and a whole lot of fun! Step into our world where the heels are a bit lower, the banter is a lot cheekier and the wigs have a delightful hint of nostalgia.”
Inspired by Les Dawson, Dame Edna, Dick Emery and Lily Savage, and begun in the pandemic lockdown, Alan and Jamie’s characters embody the spirit of classic British drag. Think of cheeky barmaids, seaside B&B landladies and your Nanna’s gossipy friends. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Untitled 7, by Neil Bunting, from Art Of Protest’s Outsider Inside York exhibition
Exhibition of the week: Outsider Inside York – An Exhibition of Words and Pictures, Art of Protest Gallery, Walmgate, York, today 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.
Meet The Smartest Giant In Town in Little Angel Theatre’s show at the Grand Opera House, York
Comedy gig of the week…and next spring too: Chris McCausland, Yonks!,Grand Opera House, York, Monday (3/2/2025) and May 17 2026
AFTER lifting the glitterball trophy as the ground-breaking first blind contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, Liverpool comedian Chris McCausland returns to his “day job” on his Yonks! tour, now to be extended into 2026. He has added a second York date after selling out the first. Meanwhile, virtuoso ventriloquist Nina Conti’s Whose Face Is It Anyway? show on February 7 has sold out too. Box office: atgtickets.com/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 Beauty And The Beast, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, February 4 to 8, 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.
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, February 5, 1pm and 4pm, and February 6, 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 good folk of the Transatlantic Sessions, bound for York Barbican on Wednesday
Folk and Americana gig of the week: Transatlantic Sessions, with Loudon Wainwright III, Julie Fowlis, Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams and Niall McCabe, York Barbican, February 5, doors 7pm
TRANSATLANTIC Sessions 2025 celebrates 30 years since the original television series. Taking to the stage will be the all-star, virtuoso house band, led as ever by Aly Bain and Jerry Douglas, plus guest vocalists Loudon Wainwright III, Julie Fowlis, Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams and Ireland’s Niall McCabe.
Joined by Phil Cunningham, John Doyle, Michael McGoldrick, Tatiana Hargreaves & Allison de Groot, John McCusker, Donald Shaw, James Mackintosh and Daniel Kimbro, they will interweave original material with age-old tunes and songs as they explore shared roots and find new common ground, celebrating the rich musical traditions that connect Scotland, Ireland and the United States. Box office: yorkbarbican.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, February 7, 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.
Craig David: Parading his singing, MC and DJ skills at Scarborough Open Air Theatre this summer
Gig announcement of the week: Craig David Presents TS5, TK Maxx Presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, July 19
SOUTHAMPTON rhythm & blues musician Craig David parades his triple threat as singer, MC and DJ at his TS5 party night – patented at his Miami penthouse – on the East Coast this summer. Expect a set combining old skool anthems from R&B to Swing Beat, Garage to Bashment, while merging chart-topping House hits too.
“I cannot wait to bring my TS5 show to Scarborough and the beautiful Yorkshire coast in July,” enthuses David, 43. “2025 is a massive year for me as it’s the 25th anniversary of my debut album [Born To Do It] and my debut number one single (Fill Me In]. What better way to celebrate than bringing the party to Scarborough this summer.” Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.
In Focus: What’s the line-up for Futuresound Group’s first York Comedy Festival in York Museum Gardens? ADDED ON 3/2/2025
Dara Ó Briain
THE inaugural YorkComedyFestival will take place on Sunday, July 6 in the finale to Futuresound Group’s second season of Live At York Museum Gardens shows.
Irish comedian, broadcaster and writer Dara Ó Briain and Canadian comedian, writer, presenter, actress and singer Katherine Ryan will co-headline the open-air bill of nine acts, also featuring Maisie Adam, Joel Dommett, Clinton Baptiste, Angelos Epithemiou, Vittorio Angelone, Scott Bennett and host Stephen Bailey.
Ó Briain will be playing York for a second time this year: his 2025 tour show Re:Creation is heading for a sell-out at York Barbican on May 14 with tickets on sale at yorkbarbican.co.uk. He hosted 21 series of Mock The Week from 2005 to 2022 among myriad TV appearances on such shows as Have I Got News For You, Robot Wars, Dara And Ed’s Big Adventure, Dara Ó Briain’s Science Club and Three Men In A Boat.
Katherine Ryan
Ryan is a team captain on 8 Out Of 10 Cats and has appeared on Never Mind The Buzzcocks, A League Of Their Own, Mock The Week, Would I Lie to You?, QI, Just A Minute, Safeword and Have I Got News for You.
Maisie Adam, who grew up in Pannal, Harrogate, is an award-winning stand up, podcaster and comedy panellist; whip-smart stand-up, broadcaster and author Joel Dommett hosts ITV’s The Masked Singer.
Also taking part in the first comedy festival in York since Martin Witts’s Great Yorkshire Fringe (2015-2019) will be Phoenix Nights’ resident clairvoyant, Clinton Baptiste; cult surrealist comedian Angelos Epithemiou, from Shooting Stars; Italian-Irish offbeat comic, podcaster and rising star Vittorio Angelone and the brain behind viral hit Stand Up From The Shed, Scott Bennett. Comedian and presenter Stephen Bailey will be on compere duty.
YorkComedyFestivalwill follow Futuresound’s three Museum Gardens concerts, headlined by Elbow on July 3 andNile Rodgers & CHIC on July 4, with one more name to be announced for July 5.
Maisie Adam. Picture: Matt Crockett
Andy Smith, of Futuresound Group, said: “We’re thrilled to be introducing York Comedy Festivalthis July as part of our second series; building on our collaborative offering with a wider variety of entertainment beyond music.
“Our inaugural sell-out concert series last summer gave us the opportunity to see the lasting cultural impact that these large-scale outdoor events have on the city so this year we’re really excited to be bringing world-class comedy to York Museum Gardens alongside some incredible live music”
Richard Saward, head of operations at York Museums Trust, said: “The introduction of a comedy festival as part of Live at York Museum Gardens is a fantastic addition to the programme and York Museums Trust is delighted to be hosting this special evening. We are looking forward to welcoming these amazing comedians to York.”
Tricia Paoluccio’s Dolly Parton in Here You Come Again, on tour at the Grand Opera House, York
ON Tuesday, queen of country and philanthropist Dolly Parton announced her new autobiographical stage show, Dolly: An Original Musical, would be opening in Nashville in July, ahead of a Broadway debut in 2026.
Previously, Dolly wrote the music and lyrics for 9 To 5 The Musical, premiered in 2008, having starred as secretary Doralee Rhodes in the 1980 film version.
Here she comes again in Here You Come Again, a musical full of Dolly songs, both familiar and not so familiar (Me And Little Andy), picked with Dolly’s approval for the story of diehard Dolly devotee Kevin, who needs dollops of Dolly advice on life and love in Covid times.
Written by Bruce Vilanch, director Gabriel Barre and Broadway actress Tricia Paoluccio, the show first ran in the United States and is now visiting its 33rd city on its debut British tour, produced by Simon Friend Entertainment and Leeds Playhouse.
The setting is an attic in Halifax in lockdown 2020, not Halifax, Nova Scotia, but now in West Yorkshire, home of the Halifax Courier et al, after Gimme Gimme Gimme writer Jonathan Harvey was entrusted with a British re-write.
Or, as the programme credits put it, “additional material” that brings British humour to the core story, along with Covid references, such as a UK news bulletin, banging a pan for the NHS, singing Happy Birthday twice through when washing hands, and stocking up on loo rolls.
Kevin (Aidan Cutler, understudying very capably for Steven Webb at Wednesday’s matinee) has returned to his parents’ home from London, on furlough from his job at a comedy club. His attic is a chapel of adoration to Dolly Parton, as well housing as the best hi-fi and finest retro turntable, a pink flamingo by his bedside and a pulley system for delivery of meals made by his parents on the floor below.
Only he can enter, by a ladder from the outside. His boyfriend, money-man Jeremy, is keeping more than a six-foot distance. Indeed Jeremy has just sent a message to say the relationship is over.
We need to talk about Aidan Cutler’s Kevin: Impressive understudy for Steven Webb at Wednesday’s matinee
Kevin may play by the Covid rules, but what he needs is an agony aunt angel to lift him out of the doldrums. Who could that possibly be but a fantasy vision of rhinestone splendour. Yes, Miss Dolly Parton, y’all.
Nothing is a barrier to Tennessee’s queen of Dollywood, who enters as if by magic, through a poster turning into a real-life Dolly (Tricia Paoluccio, every inch Dollied up to the max), equipped with quips, bon mots, kind words and a song for every scenario.
They need to talk about Kevin. He does, she does, and only occasionally do we see or hear from the parents (Austin Garrett and Emma Jane Fearnley, popping up on backing vocals too) in a show where the two leads do the heavy lifting, backed by a band of Jordan Li-Smith, keyboards, Luke Adams, guitar, Ben Scott, drums, and Kevin Oliver Jones, bass/harmonica. Sometimes musicians appear in the attic, more often they are behind Paul Wills’s set design.
Paoluccio is the perfect Dolly mixture: wholesome, whole-hearted, glamorous yet home-spun, supportive in her philanthropic way. She sings like Dolly, talks like Dolly, moves like Dolly, but this is no mere 2D impersonation. As her Dolly says, she is not only in 3D, but “make that triple D”, and there are plenty more Dolly one-liners where that one came from.
Favourite moment? After Paoluccio’s Dolly sings the tragic, lachrymose tale of Me And Little Andy, Dolly and Kevin discuss why she has written so many sad, sad songs. To make us all feel better about ourselves, she explains.
By this stage, spoiler alert, Kevin, on the wrong side of 40, has lost his boyfriend, his job, his home, but the Dolly hits keep coming (after finding a corny excuse to include Jolene early on) as the matinee audience starts chipping in with encouragement for Dolly and Kevin alike. Two Doors Down, 9 To 5, Islands In The Stream, I Will Always Love You and the climactic Light Of A Clear Blue Morning go down particularly well, aided by Lizzi Gee’s fun choreography.
Understudy Aidan Cutler’s Kevin, camp and lovable, crushed but uplifted by Dolly, more than holds his own in such glittering company, with a sweetness to his singing chops too. As for Paoluccio’s Dolly, you will always love her.
Here You Come Again, Grand Opera House, York, runs until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Ric Liptrot: Exhibiting in The Other Collective exhibition at Bluebird Bakery, Acomb
FROM dollops of Dolly Parton advice to Stewart Lee’s werewolf encounter, devilish storytelling to a Cinderella prequel, Charles Hutchinson, cherry picks highlights for the days ahead.
Exhibition of the week: The Other Collective, Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York, until March 13
CURATED by Bluebird Bakery, The Other Collective brings together the work of Lu Mason, Ric Liptrot, Rob Burton, Liz Foster and Jill Tattersall.
“These wonderful artists were all missed off the billing for York Open Studios 2025 and we felt that was a real shame,” says Bluebird boss Nicky Kippax. “So The Other Collective was born and we hope the work will get a lot of interest from our customers.”
Mark Reynolds’ tour poster illustration for Stewart Lee Vs The Man-Wulf, playing York Theatre Royal until Saturday
Comedy gigs of the week: Stewart Lee Vs The Man-Wulf, York Theatre Royal, until Saturday, 7.30pm
IN Stewart Lee Vs The Man-Wulf, Lee shares the stage with a tough-talking werewolf comedian from the dark forests of the subconscious who hates humanity. The Man-Wulf lays down a ferocious comedy challenge to the “culturally irrelevant and physically enfeebled Lee”: can the beast inside us all be silenced by the silver bullet of Lee’s deadpan stand-up? Tickets advice: Hurry, hurry as all shows are closing in on selling out; 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Tricia Paoluccio’s Dolly Parton and Stevie Webb’s Kevin in Here You Come Again at Grand Opera House, York
Musical of the week: Here You Come Again, Grand Opera House, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday and Saturday matinees
SIMON Friend Entertainment and Leeds Playhouse team up for the tour of Here You Come Again, starring and co-written by Broadway actress Tricia Paoluccio, who visits York for the first time in the guise of a fantasy vision of country icon Dolly Parton.
Gimme Gimme Gimme writer Jonathan Harvey has put a British spin on Bruce Vilanch, director Gabriel Barre and Paoluccio’s story of diehard Dolly devotee Kevin (Steven Webb) needing dollops of Dolly advice on life and love in trying times. Parton hits galore help too! Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Hayden Thorpe: Performing Ness with Propellor Ensemble members at the NCEM, York, tonight
Arthouse gig of the week: Hayden Thorpe & Propellor Ensemble, National Centre for Early Music, York, tonight, doors 7pm for 7.30pm start
PLEASE Please You and Brudenell Presents bring Hayden Thorpe & Propellor Ensemble to the NCEM to perform Ness, with the promise of a “sonically spectacular and transformational live show”.
Thorpe, former frontman and chief songwriter of Kendal band Wild Beasts, promotes his September 2024 album. Using a process of redaction, Thorpe brought songs to life from nature writer Robert Macfarlane’s book Ness, inspired by Suffolk’s Orford Ness, the former Ministry of Defence weapons development site during both World Wars and the Cold War. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.
Sylvie (Aileen Hall), centre, demonstrates her skills to friends Amelie (Perri Ann Barley), left, and Helene (Devon Wells), right, in rehearsal for Blue Light Theatre Company’s Where The Magic Begins!
Premiere of the week: Blue Light Theatre Company in Where The Magic Begins!, Acomb Working Men’s Club, York, tonight to Friday, 7.30pm; Saturday, 2pm matinee
BLUE Light Theatre Company stage York playwright and actress Perri Ann Barley’s new play Where The Magic Begins!, a prequel to Cinderella based on characters from the original Charles Perrault version.
“We meet many beloved characters in their younger days, such as a young Fairy Godmother, who is about to discover her ‘gift’. We follow her journey as she struggles with a secret that could put her life, and that of her family, in grave danger,” says director Craig Barley. Box office: 07933 329654, at bluelight-theatre.co.uk or on the door.
Hannah Rowe: Performing in the cabaret setting of The Old Paint Shop at York Theatre Royal Studio
Cabaret night of the week: CPWM Presents An Evening With Hannah Rowe, The Old Paint Shop, York Theatre Royal Studio, tomorrow, 8pm
YORK promoters Come Play With Me (CPWM) welcome Hannah Rowe to The Old Paint Shop’s winter season. This young singer writes of experiences and shifts in life, offering a sense of reflection within her rich, authentic, jazz-infused sound. Friday’s 8pm show by upstanding York pianist Karl Mullen has sold out. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Adderstone’s Cath Heinemeyer and Gemma McDermott
Devilish delight of the week: Tim Ralphs and Adderstone, Infernal Delights, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York, Friday, doors 7.30pm
TIM Ralphs and York alt-folk storytellers Adderstone serve up a winter night’s double bill of dark delights. Let Adderstone’s Cath Heinemeyer and Gemma McDermott lead you down the steps to the underworld with story-songs from wild places in their Songs To Meet The Darkness set.
In Beelzebub Rebranded, Tim Ralphs’s stand-up storytelling exhumes the bones of ancient Devil stories and stitches them into new skins for fresh consumption in his wild reimagining of folktale, fairytale and urban legend. Box office: ticketsource.co.uk/adderstone/infernal-delights/e-xjjber.
Saxophonist Snake Davis, right, double bassist Don Richardson, left, and concertina player Alistair Anderson: Playing together at Helmsley Arts Centre on Sunday
Trio of the week: Snake Davis, saxophones, Don Richardson, double bass, and Alistair Anderson, concertina and Northumbrian pipes, Helmsley Arts Centre, Sunday, 7.30pm
ADD an old mucker to a new pal, whereupon saxophonist to the stars Snake Davis sounds excited. Snake and Don Richardson go back decades, too many gigs and shows to remember. Lulu and Paul Carrack were particularly memorable. Snake and Alistair Anderson met at a wonderfully quirky Northumberland venue in late 2023 and decided to make music together. Here comes folk, jazz, world, pop and more. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Craig David: Combining his singing, master of ceremonies and DJ skills at Scarborough Open Air Theatre this summer
Gig announcement of the week: Craig David Presents TS5, TK Maxx Presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, July 19
SOUTHAMPTON rhythm & blues musician Craig David parades his triple threat as singer, MC and DJ at his TS5 party night – patented at his Miami penthouse – on the East Coast this summer. Expect a set combining old skool anthems from R&B to Swing Beat, Garage to Bashment, while merging chart-topping House hits too.
“I cannot wait to bring my TS5 show to Scarborough and the beautiful Yorkshire coast in July,” enthuses David, 43. “2025 is a massive year for me as it’s the 25th anniversary of my debut album [Born To Do It] and my debut number one single (Fill Me In]. What better way to celebrate than bringing the party to Scarborough this summer.” Tickets go on sale at 10am on Friday at scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.
Black Sheep Theatre Productions’ poster for The Tempest at Theatre@41, Monkgate
YORK company Black Sheep Theatre Productions are to present The Tempest with live music at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, from March 26 to 29.
William Shakespeare’s timeless tale of power, love and redemption will be directed by company founder and composer Matthew Peter Clare in an innovative adaptation that blends traditional Shakespearean drama with a dynamic theatrical approach.
Known for bold and impactful storytelling, Black Sheep will seek to bring an exciting new vision to Shakespeare’s melting pot of mistaken identity, magic, intrigue, murderous schemes, comedy and romance.
“The Tempest is famously Shakespeare’s last play, focusing on family and love, subjugation and bloody plots, reconciliation and forgiveness, euphoria and despair,” says Matthew.
“It is a play that has been performed numerous times in as many ways. With Black Sheep Theatre Productions’ version at Theatre@41, we aim to marry a more Brechtian theatre style for some of our more absurd characters with a grounded, naturalistic approach for the more plot-driven characters.”
Director and composer Matthew Peter Clare
Matthew continues: “We have also utilised my musical background, alongside the incredible talent of Gregory Harper, to create a musical score for a live six-piece band, featuring strings, guitar, and harp, that will accompany the show and highlight the characters and their choices throughout.
“This will perfectly complement the singing of the island spirits, as well as our featured leading singers, such as Gemma-Louise Keane as Ariel and Josh Woodgate as Caliban.”
Both are well-known figures in York’s theatre and music scene, with Gemma-Louise being the lead singer of KissKissKill and Josh regularly performing with Inspired By Theatre, starring in Green Day’s American Idiot last year and now rehearsing for Rent.
“The strength of this production lies in the juxtaposition of absurd comedy and serious drama,” Matthew says. “The comedic energy of Charlie Clarke as Trincula, Molly Whitehouse as Stephana, Dan Poppitt as Alonso and Rocks Smith as Francisca is sharply contrasted against the more sinister and thought-provoking portrayal of Mark Simmonds’s Prospero.”
Mikhail Lim: Collaborating with Matthew Peter Clare in the Black Sheep Theatre production team for a second show in succession
The cast comprises: Mark Simmonds as Propsero; Freya McIntosh, Miranda; Gemma-Louise Keane, Ariel; Dan Poppitt, Alonso, Spirit; Megan Conway, Antonia; Chloe Pearson, Ferdinanda; Isaac McAndrews, Gonzalo; Rosie Stirling, Sebastian: Josh Woodgate, Caliban; Charlie Clarke, Trinculo; Molly Whitehouse, Stephano: Mickey Moran, Adrian, Spirit; Ellie Carrier, Francisco, Juno, Spirit; Rocks Smith, Boatswain, Ceres, Spirit, and Justine Hughes, Master of Ship, Iris and Spirit.
Matthew will be joined in the production team by Mikhail Lim, as he was for Black Sheep’s production of Jason Robert Brown’s Songs For A New World at the National Centre for Early Music, York, last October.
“Our adaptation of The Tempest is set to be an unmissable experience, blending Shakespeare’s genius, innovative staging and an evocative live musical score to bring the story to life in a bold, fresh, and deeply engaging way,” concludes Matthew.
Black Sheep Theatre Productions in The Tempest, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, March 26 to 29, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Tim Ralphs: Wild reimagining of folktale, fairytale and urban legend at Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, on Friday
ANOTHER storytelling evening in York? What the devil is going on?
Find out on Friday when York alt-folk storytelling duo Adderstone host Infernal Delights, an evening of stories and songs exploring the underworld and diabolic deeds at Rise@Bluebird Bakery,Acomb.
Joining Adderstone on the 8.30pm bill will be Nottingham stand-up storyteller Tim Ralphs, performing his Rebranding Beelzebub show to a York audience for the first time.
“Unlike most cities, York has not had an established storytelling scene for many years, but there are signs this is changing,” says Adderstone’s Gemma McDermott, who sees green shoots of a vibrant storytelling scene arising in York.
“There certainly seems to be a new appetite for a story. We’ve told our tales all over York, but there isn’t a dedicated storytelling club like there is in most cities. Maybe that’ll change?”
Gemma continues: “The Theatre Royal has been bringing storytellers to its Studio for years, but it’s great to see a scene developing that blends different influences.
“To name just a few examples: Lara McClure, who gathers packed houses in all sorts of venues with her outrageous tales of wanton goddesses; Say Owt, who have just celebrated ten years of their cutting-edge spoken-word events that have nurtured so many budding storyteller-poets.
“Experimental collectives like Navigators Art & Performance and The Good Room, who produce theatrical and gothic experiences for audiences. And a big shout-out to the independent venues like Rise, The Arts Barge and The Crescent that are hosting storytelling events and that suit the genre so well.”
In Rebranding Beelzebub, shot through with diabolical horror, absurd confessions and humour fit for the unholy, Tim Ralphs will shine a spotlight on Him Downstairs, Old Nick, Beelzebub, the Devil himself, to see if he might just be ready for a rebrand.
“Have you seen the cloven hoof prints on the cellar steps? Have you heard the fiddle player cursing? Can you smell the scent of burning secrets?” he asks. “In this wild reimagining of folktale, fairytale and urban legend, I exhume the bones of ancient Devil stories and stitch them into new skins for fresh consumption. This grand collection spans supermarket stalls, urban sprawls, mad drunken preachers, and widow’s sons with dark humour and a distinct whiff of sulphur.”
Adderstone’s Gemma McDermott and Cath Heinemeyer: Hosting a descent into the underworld for a storytelling evening of darkly devilish delights
Adderstone’s Gemma McDermott and Cath Heinemeyer will guide Friday’s audience downwards to meet Ralphs’ wild underworld with songs and stories of ancient pacts, the troubles of crones and the dangers of beasts in their Songs To Meet The Darkness opening set.
Rise, the evening event hub of Acomb’s Bluebird Bakery, has become a fulcrum for storytelling with a licensed bar and menu additions. Over the past year, as well as bringing Ben Haggarty and other nationally renowned storytellers to York, the cafe has played host to regular storytelling performances by Lara McClure.
Owner Nicky Kippax says: “We opened Rise@Bluebird in late 2023 and it’s grown into a brilliant space for all sorts of events and performances. We’re thrilled that there’s an appetite for the sort of evening where an audience can relax with good food and drink and have a real connection with performers.
“We host all sorts of acts, from live music and dance nights to theatre and art exhibitions, but poetry and storytelling are a big part of what we do. I think the intimate atmosphere at Rise provides a unique experience that you wouldn’t get in a bigger space.”
Adderstone’s Cath Heinemeyer explains what differentiates storytelling from other kinds of performance: “Believe it or not, I actually have a PhD in storytelling! And what I have found in all my work is that although the story might be about a magical being or a far-off land, there are always themes that resonate with the problems of this moment in time and land with the listener, whoever they are,” she says.
“Adderstone uses songs and music to help tell the story, but essentially it’s about having contact with the people listening, and really, that’s what storytelling is about. It’s not a theatre show with loads of lights and cues and large props.
“It’s about a moment in time with that particular audience; no two shows are the same. You get the feel of what part of the story is resonating with the people in front of you and go with that.”
Gemma adds: “With Christmas now feeling far behind us but a fairly long slog of winter still to go, what could be better than coming into the warm cosy space of a bakery, ordering a beer and maybe a cheese platter and settling down to an evening’s telling?
“So, come and grab a glass of something nice, and see what it’s all about. Maybe you’ll hear a story you didn’t know or see a new way of looking at an old favourite. Whatever happens, it’s going to be a devilishly delightful evening.”
Adderstone and Tim Ralphs, Infernal Delights, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York, Friday, 7.30pm doors for 8.30pm start. Age guidance: 12 upwards. Box office: ticketsource.co.uk/adderstone/infernal-delights/e-xjjber.
Ric Liptrot: Exhibiting in The Other Collective exhibition at Bluebird Bakery, Acomb
FROM dollops of Dolly Parton advice to Stewart Lee’s werewolf encounter, devilish storytelling to a Cinderella prequel, Charles Hutchinson, cherry picks highlights for the days ahead.
Exhibition of the week: The Other Collective, Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York, until March 13
CURATED by Bluebird Bakery, The Other Collective brings together the work of Lu Mason, Ric Liptrot, Rob Burton, Liz Foster and Jill Tattersall.
“These wonderful artists were all missed off the billing for York Open Studios 2025 and we felt that was a real shame,” says Bluebird boss Nicky Kippax. “So The Other Collective was born and we hope the work will get a lot of interest from our customers.”
The poster for South Bank Singers’ Of All The Birds concert
Nature concert of the week: South Bank Singers, Of All The Birds, A Winter Chorus, St Clement’s Church, Scarcroft Road, York, today, 3pm
SOUTH Bank Singers present Of All The Birds, A Winter Chrous, a Saturday afternoon concert of choral music inspired by the enchanting beauty and song of birds. Directed by Carlos Zamora, the choral programme spans six centuries, taking in Mendelssohn, Stanford, Ravel, Gibbons, Janequin, Vautor, Guastavino and Bartlet. Admission is free with a retiring collection for the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.
The poster for A Million Dreams, presented by Steve Coates Productions, at the Grand Opera House, York
Fundraiser of the week: A Million Dreams, A Charity Broadway Spectacular, Grand Opera House, York, tonight, 7.30pm
STEVE Coates Productions present an evening of musical magic, song, dance and laughter by York talent in aid of The Snappy Trust, a charity “dedicated to maximising the personal development of children and young people with wide- ranging disabilities”.
Bev Jones Music Company, Flying Ducks Youth Theatre and a ten-piece band perform songs from Broadway and West End shows such as Wicked, Hamilton, Frozen, The Phantom Of The Opera, Les Miserables and The Greatest Showman. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Mark Reynolds’ tour poster illustration for Stewart Lee Vs The Man-Wulf, playing York Theatre Royal from January 28 to February 1
Comedy gigs of the week: Stewart Lee Vs The Man-Wulf, York Theatre Royal, January 28 to February 1, 7.30pm
IN Stewart Lee Vs The Man-Wulf, Lee shares the stage with a tough-talking werewolf comedian from the dark forests of the subconscious who hates humanity. The Man-Wulf lays down a ferocious comedy challenge to the “culturally irrelevant and physically enfeebled Lee”: can the beast inside us all be silenced by the silver bullet of Lee’s deadpan stand-up? Tickets advice: Hurry, hurry as all shows are closing in on selling out; 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Tricia Paoluccio’s Dolly Parton and Steven Webb’s Kevin in Here You Come Again at Grand Opera House, York
Musical of the week: Here You Come Again, Grand Opera House, York, January 28 to February 1, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday and Saturday matinees
SIMON Friend Entertainment and Leeds Playhouse team up for the tour of Here You Come Again, starring and co-written by Broadway actress Tricia Paoluccio, who visits York for the first time in the guise of a fantasy vision of country icon Dolly Parton.
Gimme Gimme Gimme writer Jonathan Harvey has put a British spin on Bruce Vilanch, director Gabriel Barre and Paoluccio’s story of diehard Dolly devotee Kevin (Steven Webb) needing dollops of Dolly advice on life and love in trying times. Parton hits galore help too! Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Sylvie (Aileen Hall), centre, demonstrates her skills to friends Amelie (Perri Ann Barley), left, and Helene (Devon Wells), right, in rehearsal for Blue Light Theatre Company’s Where The Magic Begins!
Premiere of the week: Blue Light Theatre Company in Where The Magic Begins!, Acomb Working Men’s Club, York, January 29, 30 and 31, 7.30pm; February 1, 2pm matinee
BLUE Light Theatre Company will forego their annual panto in favour of staging York playwright and actress Perri Ann Barley’s new play Where The Magic Begins!, a prequel to Cinderella based on characters from the original Charles Perrault version of “everyone’s favourite fairytale”.
“We meet many beloved characters in their younger days, such as a young Fairy Godmother, who is about to discover her ‘gift’. We follow her journey as she struggles with a secret that could put her life, and that of her family, in grave danger,” says director Craig Barley. Box office: 07933 329654, at bluelight-theatre.co.uk or on the door.
Hannah Rowe: Performing in the cabaret set-up of The Old Paint Shop at York Theatre Royal Studio
Cabaret night of the week: CPWM Presents An Evening With Hannah Rowe, The Old Paint Shop, York Theatre Royal Studio, January 30, 8pm
YORK promoters Come Play With Me (CPWM) welcome Hannah Rowe to The Old Paint Shop’s winter season. This young singer writes of experiences and shifts in life, offering a sense of reflection within her rich, authentic, jazz-infused sound.
The Old Paint Shop shows by irreverent York covers combo Hyde Family Jam (today, 2pm and 8pm) and Karl Mullen, upstanding York pianist Karl Mullen (January 31, 8pm) have sold out. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Tim Ralphs: Wild reimagining of folktale, fairytale and urban legend at Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb
Devilish delight of the week: Tim Ralphs and Adderstone, Infernal Delights, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York, January 31, doors 7.30pm
TIM Ralphs and York alt-folk storytellers Adderstone serve up a winter night’s double bill of dark delights. Let Adderstone’s Cath Heinemeyer and Gemma McDermott lead you down the steps to the underworld with story-songs from wild places in their Songs To Meet The Darkness set.
In Beelzebub Rebranded, Tim Ralphs’s stand-up storytelling exhumes the bones of ancient Devil stories and stitches them into new skins for fresh consumption in his wild reimagining of folktale, fairytale and urban legend. Box office: ticketsource.co.uk/adderstone/infernal-delights/e-xjjber.
York Ice Trail: Taking the theme of Origins next weekend
Whatever the weather, here comes the new ice age: York Ice Trail 2025, February 1 and 2
YORK’S “free weekend of frosty fun” returns with a 2025 theme of Origins as York’s streets are turned into an icy wonderland of frozen tableau in this annual event run by Make It York. Among the 30 ice sculptures showcasing 2,000 years of city history will be a Roman shield, a Viking helmet, a chocolate bar, a drifting ghost, a majestic train and a Yorkshire rose, all captured in the language of ice by Icebox. Full details can be found at visityork.org/york-ice-trail.
Before all that ice, windswept York has another free event on the city streets and beyond this weekend: York Residents’ Festival today and tomorrow. For the full list of offers, head to: visityork.org/offers/category/york-residents-festival.
Snow Patrol: Returning to Scarborough Open Air Theatre this summer
Gig announcement of the week: Snow Patrol, TK Maxx Presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, June 27
THE Northern Irish-Scottish indie rock band Snow Patrol are to return to the Scarborough coast for the first time since July 2021, led as ever by Gary Lightbody, accompanied by long-time lead guitarist Nathan Connolly and pianist Johnny McDaid.
Emotionally charged anthems such as Chasing Cars, Run and Open Your Eyes will be complemented by selections from 2024’s The Forest Is The Path, their first chart topper in 18 years. Box office: ticketmaster.co.uk and scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.
In Focus: Hayden Thorpe & Propellor Ensemble, National Centre for Early Music, York, January 29, doors 7pm, start 7.30pm
Hayden Thorpe: Performing Ness with Propellor Ensemble at the NCEM
PLEASE Please You and Brudenell Presents bring Hayden Thorpe & Propellor Ensemble to the NCEM to perform Ness on Wednesday, with the promise of a “sonically spectacular and transformational live show”.
Thorpe, 39-year-old former frontman and chief songwriter of Kendal and Leeds band Wild Beasts, promotes his September 2024 album, Ness, released on Domino Records.
Using a process of redaction, Cumbrian musician Thorpe brought songs to life from nature writer Robert Macfarlane’s book Ness, inspired by Orford Ness, a ten-mile long shingle spit on the coast of Suffolk that housed the former Ministry of Defence weapons development site during both World Wars and the Cold War.
Acquired by the National Trustin 1993 and left to re-wild, to this day it remains a place of paradox, mystery and constant evolution.
Thorpe’s ode to Orford Ness, the physical place and the book, features Macfarlane’s words and illustrations by Stanley Donwood. He premiered Ness with Propellor Ensemble at Orford Ness on September 28 and 29 last year.
Here Hayden discusses working with Robert Macfarlane and Propellor Ensemble, the Cold War, nature and past York experiences with CharlesHutchPress.
Do you have any past experiences of York, whether on a school visit or whatever, Hayden?
“My parents used to take us to the Jorvik Viking Museum when me and my siblings were young. I was always amazed by the fake open sewer smell they would pump into the space.”
When did you last play in York, either solo or with Wild Beasts?
“I believe it was in 2006 or 2007. A rather long time ago. In any case, it’s been too long. It was somewhere quite familiar to me when Wild Beasts were coming up in Leeds. We’d make a regular dash across.”
How did the Ness project come about with Robert Macfarlane?
“In a really old fashioned manner. I fan-mailed Rob and he wrote back with all the generosity and open heartedness of his books. He’s as good as his word in the truest sense.
“Rob and I decided to perform some improvised music to his reading of Ness. It was a Eureka moment. The atmosphere and drama of the sound we made demanded that we commit to expanding it.”
Did you visit Orford Ness, now the Orford Ness National Nature Reserve, for research purposes?
“Yes. Orford Ness is an astonishing place. It’s a monument to rejuvenation and a monument to destruction. The very best and the very worst of us.”
By the way, Hayden, York has a Cold War Bunker Museum, in Monument Close, Holgate: a two-storey, semi-subterranean bunker built in 1961 to monitor nuclear explosions and fallout in Yorkshire, in the event of nuclear war.
“I had no idea that a Cold War museum existed in York. That’s fabulous. Bizarrely, I’ve developed a Cold War romance. I guess the conflicts and hostilities we face today have brought these conversations back into our everyday consciousness.”
The album cover artwork for Hayden Thorpe’s Ness
How have you turned the album into a concert performance?
“The album is very much made of sounds we’ve made with our hands and lungs, so with enough pairs of those it actually translates in a very true way. The unusual instrumentation, with orchestral percussion and clarinet foregrounded alongside me, creates a very distinct ‘Ness’ sound. The shows have been really emotional as a result.”
Were you tempted to feature strings in the Ness project for their emotional heft?
“We deliberately did not use strings. We opted to use the elemental forces at my play at Orford Ness: wind and resistant materials like metal and wood. It creates a haunted, volatile soundscape.”
Which Propellor Ensemble members will play in York?
“Jack McNeill plays clarinet and Delia Stevens plays orchestral percussion. Molly Gromadzki performs the spoken-word parts and sings in the choir. Brigitte Hart and Helen Ganya make up the choral section. It’s been a joy to work with such expressive and capable performers.”
What does a “sonically spectacular and transformational live show” entail?
“Something which is sonically ambitious and immersive. Once we start the show we don’t stop, it’s the album in full back to front. We want to take the audience to Ness, have them come face to face with the monster.”
Why was the National Centre for Early Music, in the former St Margaret’s Church in Walmgate, chosen for the York gig rather than The Crescent community venue, a classic working men’s club design?
“We’ve heard such great things about NCEM. Much of the story of Ness takes place ‘In The Green Chapel’, so the work lends itself to a space of worship.”
What is your own relationship with nature? Wild Beasts hailed originally from Kendal, with all that Lake District beauty around you…
“Nature has become increasingly important to my life and work. As artists we’re forced to ask what side of the conversation we sit on, one which acknowledges the existential crisis facing us or one which excuses it. Music can carry non-human voices really effectively. Ness is very much a meditation on that.”
What will be the next project you work on?“
Good question. Ness has certainly expanded my palette. I’ve come to feel maybe my strength is in making strange and ambitious works which would otherwise not get made. It’s crucial to keep the flame burning on works of exploration and oddity in an industry which increasingly incentivises conformity.”
Tricia Paoluccio as Dolly Parton in the musical Here You Come Again, on tour at the Grand Opera House, York, next week
BROADWAY actress Tricia Paoluccio has never met Dolly Parton but inhabits the Tennessee country music icon to the max in the musical Here You Come Again.
Headed for York’s Grand Opera House next week after a London season at Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, she says: “I met her sister Rachel, who saw our show in Tennessee, but unfortunately Dolly was away shooting music videos for her rock album [November 2023’s Rockstar], so she wasn’t able to come along herself.
“I don’t know what I’d do if I ever met her. I’d die! I would ask her first, ‘Can I borrow some of your wigs for our show?’ But if I was having a real heart-to-heart with Dolly, I’d want to know, ‘How have you been able to navigate your life and career the way that you have?’ She really has never had a misstep.”
Navigating a path through life in Covid-troubled times with dollops of home-spun advice from an imagined version of Dolly is the story of Here You Come Again, wherein diehard Dolly devotee Kevin (played by West End actor Steven Webb) is taught “a whole lot about life, love and how to pull yourself up by your bootstraps…even if your bootstraps don’t have rhinestones”.
“I’ve always loved Dolly and been able to sing like her,” says Tricia. “It was my dream to someday be able to use this ability in a theatrical way and thought the best way to do it was to have it be another person’s journey.
“I wanted to sing my favourite Dolly songs but put her in a situation where we could see her in action in a real-life way, in a fantasy friendship where everything is done with lots of humour and tough love too, instead of it being a bio musical about her life.”
Fully authorised by Dolly herself, a plethora of Parton hits feature in the show: Jolene, 9 To 5, Islands In The Stream, I Will Always Love You, Here You Come Again et al. “But if people are expecting a tribute show, it’s not. It’s a proper theatre show; a play with music, with the side benefit of sometimes feeling like a Dolly Parton concert,”says Tricia.
“I think every audience member will find the show to be really funny, with lots of laughs, but they’ll also be surprised by how deep and emotional it is. It’s not about Covid, but the pandemic provides a universal backdrop experience as a time when we needed to let go of our plans, our job routines, our sense of identity. If you were defined by your career, you had a crisis over your identity – and Covid was even more of a worldwide experience than World War Two.”
Tricia co-created the original American script in collaboration with director Gabriel Barre and Emmy Award-winning comedy and song writer Bruce Vilanch in “one of the most harmonious, joyous experiences” of her creative career.
“We each brought something unique to the journey,” she says. “Gabriel is an expert in creating the theatrical framework and keeping us on track. He’s such a diplomat and truly a great director.
“I helped conceive of the basic story and I’d share how I think Dolly would say something or how I think she would behave in a situation.”
Vilanch is a “comedy genius,” she says. “He fleshed out the dialogue based on all of our brainstorming sessions with personal insights to Dolly as he wrote for her and the world of stand-up comics since he’s also from that world.”.
Tricia then worked with Gimme Gimme Gimme writer Jonathan Harvey to give the story a British revamp for the UK tour that began last April in her first ever visit to these isles. “Our producer, Simon Friend, thought Jonathan would be perfect, and he’s been a lovely collaborator, so easy to work with, understanding how things will hit a British audience,” she says.
“What’s wonderful about our show is that you could adapt it to any culture of a person in trouble, who needs Dolly’s help. It could be anywhere, but for this tour we needed the humour to be specific to the UK, changing all of the cultural references to fit.
“We’ve done 32 cities already and they’ve absolutely loved it. They are so on board with it not being a concert but a comedy with a deep heart.”
Summing up Dolly Parton’s appeal, Tricia says: “When it comes to her songwriting, she is a true artist. Like any great songwriter, she knows how to tell a story and connect with the heart, and she’s just blessed with that gift to write so many songs that do that.
“She can tap into human experience, and when you hear one of her sad songs about someone else’s experience, it can make you feel better about yourself, making you think ‘I have so much to be grateful for’.”
Like Dolly, Tricia comes from farming stock. “Even though there are many things where Dolly and I are so different – I’m a plain Jane, who doesn’t care about jewels and clothes; Dolly would be very disappointed at how I look off stage – but I do connect with her in many ways.
“I grew up on a small farm in Modesta, California, a 40-acre almond farm, where my parents taught me that happiness came from small things, growing up surrounded by nature. I do align with Dolly in seeing beauty all around, and like Dolly, I have many interests and I’m an entrepreneur with two businesses as a teacher and an artist with a pressed flower brand.”
Looking forward to visiting York for the first time, Tricia says: “One of my best friends will be flying in from Virginia because we’d heard York is one of the best places in England. We’re planning walking tours and spending Monday sight-seeing.”
Tricia will be on the road in Here You Come Again until February 22. “I cannot believe what an honour this has been, having the chance as an American to learn about British culture and hear all these different accents,” she says.
“I’m just crazy about it, and our audiences have been so warm and responsive. It’s been a real pleasure.”
Simon Friend Entertainment and Leeds Playhouse present Here You Come Again, Grand Opera House, York, January 28 to February 1, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday and Saturday matinees. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
More questions for Tricia Paoluccio from her official tour Q&A
Tricia Paoluccio: Grew up on a farm, like Dolly Parton
What does Jonathan Harvey, who has worked with you on the UK version of the show, bring to the table?
“He is so funny. He’s a great writer, with fine-tuned taste, and the main thing he’s contributed is helping us set it in England because we had to change all of our cultural references. He’s also helped us to understand how things will hit a British audience because British audiences are different than American audiences and your experience during 2020 was a little different than ours.”
How did you set about becoming Dolly for the show?
“I like to say that I began rehearsing for this role when I was five years old, when I first heard Here You Come Again on the radio. I remember that moment vividly. I begged for the record and I memorised every song on it.
“I’ve always been able to tune my vocal cords to hit her vibrato and to find that cry in her voice and the musicality of her styling. When it came time to doing our show, though, I did not have her speaking voice down.
“I worked with a very celebrated dialect coach named Erik Singer, who helped Austin Butler prepare to play Elvis. We worked together on cracking her speaking voice and that took a bit more effort.
“I’ve watched tons of Dolly videos and early interviews to absorb how she does and says things, her mannerisms and everything. I just love to study her.”
How important to you is it not to simply do a Parton impersonation?
“Very important. There are wonderful tribute artists out there doing great things to spread the love of Dolly. But in terms of a play or a musical, I don’t think that would be a very satisfying evening in the theatre.
“I do not think about impersonating her. I’m only thinking about what my objective is in the story and I trust that Dolly’s presence is strong enough in me to let it go.”
What was important to get right about her as a person as well as a singer?
“Dolly is a very practical person. She’s no-nonsense and wise. I wanted to make sure that she stayed grounded and real. While we have very performative moments to the audience, I wanted to show her in a very truthful and down-to-earth way.
“I also wanted to show Dolly doing very humble things. I envisioned her as the kind of friend who if you’re going through a hard time would help clean up your kitchen and eat a meal with you. She’s not so rich and famous that she’s above doing those little things.
How did you and the team decide which Dolly songs to include?
“I love the late-70s/early 80s Dolly, so I came up with a kind of hit list. But I have to give credit to our lawyer, Thomas Distler, who’s responsible for making this all happen because he knew Dolly
Parton’s lawyer and got the material to her. That’s how we got permission to be able to do the show and the rights to all her music. Tom also said, ‘You’ve got to find a way to put Jolene in there’. At first we didn’t have it in the show because it didn’t really fit our storyline, but we found a wonderful way to put it in and I’m really glad that we did.”
Steven Webb’s Kevin and Tricia Paoluccio’s Dolly Parton in a scene in Here You Come Again
Do you have a favourite song to perform in the show?
“It’s like picking a favourite child and I love them all for different reasons. But I think my favourite one to perform is Me And Little Andy. It’s just so sad and strange, where Dolly does a little girl voice and it takes this painfully tragic turn. I love performing it and I love the reaction it gets from the audience.
“If you don’t know the song already, don’t listen to it before you come to see the show! Let yourself be surprised because I want you to have the same reaction that Kevin does.”
Like Dolly, you grew up on a farm, albeit an almond farm. Do you have other things in common with her?
“Like her, I’m very lucky to have had a happy childhood. I’m from a loving family and now, as an adult, I recognise how rare that is. My parents gave my brother and I a very wholesome childhood and I think this greatly shaped my outlook on life and helped me to be a positive, optimistic person.
“I’m also grateful for an understanding of God that brings me a lot of comfort and joy. I credit God with all good things, just as Dolly’s faith is the backbone of her creativity and art. So many of her songs reflect that in a way that’s very universal and easy for people to accept – even people who might not have a belief in God themselves. She’s able to share her faith in a very simple way that people can understand.”
How would you describe your relationship with Dolly’s music?
“As a child I spent hours and hours walking around our almond orchard in Modesto, California, singing her songs, imagining how life might be as a grown-up. Singing along to her made me want to become an actress, because I loved how she told stories and how emotional her songs could be.
“I can’t express enough how deeply her artistry has influenced my entire life: a love of beauty and a love of storytelling, culminating in what I consider the greatest achievement of my career – creating and being in this show. It’s the honour of a lifetime.”
Why do you think Dolly Parton is so beloved?
“She grew up very poor, made it big and has handled herself with dignity and grace her whole career. Watching interviews with her from the ’70s, they’re just crazy. She gets asked the most insulting and sexist questions and she never takes offence. But she never backs down either. She sticks up for herself with great humility and humour.
“What I also admire is how she uses her wealth and influence to donate to and bring attention to worthy causes, and she has managed to stay true to herself and her beliefs without ever taking sides.
“She fights for the little guy, uses her power for good and basically is one of the kindest, sweetest human beings ever to walk the earth. I’m just in awe of the life she’s created for herself and all she has given to the world.”
As well as a performer, you are an artist and designer. How do you juggle that with your theatre work?
“When you love to do something, you always find the energy and time for it. I’m really passionate about flower pressing and I’ve been doing it my whole life.
“A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to be discovered by some luminaries in the fashion and music industries. I started doing these collaborations that became very successful, such as the Óscar de la Renta collaboration, which led to Taylor Swift wearing that pressed flower dress at the Grammys.
“Then Anna Wintour [editor-in-chief of Vogue] wore one of ODLR’s designs, which used my art as the pattern, at the Met Gala. It gave me the confidence to create a whole brand using pressed flower imagery in high design and now I’ve created a business.
“I really hope to make connections in the UK because I have a little following here of passionate flower pressers, which I hope to nurture. I also hope to pick and press flowers in the UK and make a body of work inspired by the flowers of this beautiful part of the world.”
The Steelers: Re-creating the songs of Steely Dan at Helmsley Arts Centre
FROM a residents’ free festival to a Steely Dan tribute, the return of The Old Paint Shop cabaret to the Poet Laureate’s foray into music, Charles Hutchinson welcomes signs of 2025 gathering pace.
Tribute show of the week: The Steelers, Helmsley Arts Centre, tonight, 7.30pm
THE Steelers, a nine-piece band of musicians drawn from around Great Britain, perform songs from iconic Steely Dan Steel albums Pretzel Logic, The Royal Scam, AJA and Goucho, crafted by Walter Becker and Donald Fagan since 1972. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Lyrical musicianship at York Theatre Royal: Poet Laureate and LYR band members Richard Walters and Patrick Pearson. Picture: Katie Silvester
The language of music: An Evening With Simon Armitage and LYR, York Theatre Royal, tonight, 7.30pm
UK Poet Laureate, dramatist, novelist, broadcaster and University of Leeds Professor of Poetry Simon Armitage teams up with his band LYR for an evening of poetry (first half) and music (second half), where LYR’s soaring vocal melodies and ambient instrumentation create an evocative and enchanting soundscape for West Yorkshireman Armitage’s spoken-word passages. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Ned Swarbrick: Debut headline gig at The Crescent at the age of 16
Headline debut of the week: Ned Swarbrick, The Crescent, York, tonight, 7.30pm
AT 16, York singer-songwriter Ned Swarbrick heads to The Crescent – with a couple of band mates in tow – for his debut headline show after accruing 40 gigs over the past two years. Penning acoustic songs that reflect his love of literature and pop culture, he sways from melancholy to upbeat, sad to happy, serious to tongue in cheek.
The first to admit that he is still finding his feet, in his live shows Ned switches between Belle & Sebastian-style pop numbers and intimate folk tunes more reminiscent of Nick Drake. Check out his debut EP, Michelangelo, featuring National Youth Folk Ensemble members, and look out for him busking on York’s streets. Box office: thecrescentyork.com.
Frankie Monroe: Transforming The Old Paint Shop into the Misty Moon working men’s club at York Theatre Royal
Beyond compere: Frankie Monroe And Friends, The Old Paint Shop, York Theatre Royal Studio, tonight, 8pm
BBC New Comedy and Edinburgh Fringe Newcomer winner Frankie Monroe hosts an evening of humour, tricks and mucky bitter in The Old Paint Shop. Join the owner of the Misty Moon – “a working men’s club in Rotherham that also serves as a portal to hell” – in his biggest show yet with some of York’s finest cabaret performers. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Clifford’s Tower: Taking part in York Residents’ Festival this weekend
Festival of the week: York Residents’ Festival, Saturday and Sunday
ORGANISED by Make It York, this annual festival combines free offers, events and discounts for valid York Card, student card or identity card holders that proves your York residency. Among the participating visitor attractions will be Bedern Hall, Clifford’s Tower, Yorkshire Air Museum, Merchant Taylors Hall and, outside York, Beningbrough Hall and Castle Howard. For the full list of offers, head to: visityork.org/offers/category/york-residents-festival.
Scott Matthews: Wolverhampton singer-songwriter plays the NCEM, York
Folk gig of the week: The Crescent and Black Swan Folk Club present Scott Matthews, National Centre for Early Music, York, Saturday, doors 7pm
ON a tour that has taken in churches and caves, Wolverhampton singer-songwriter Scott Matthews plays St Margaret’s Church, home to the NCEM in Walmgate, next weekend.
Combining folk, rock, blues and Eastern-inspired song-writing, he has released eight albums since his 2007 debut single, Elusive, won the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically. His most recent recording, 2023’s Restless Lullabies, found him revisiting songs from 2020’s New Skin with a stark acoustic boldness. Box office: seetickets.com/event/scott-matthews/ncem/3211118. Please note, this is a seated show with all seating unreserved.
The Cactus Blossoms: In harmony at Pocklington Arts Centre
Harmony duo of the week: The Cactus Blossoms, Pocklington Arts Centre, January 31, 8pm
THE Cactus Blossoms’ brothers, Jack Torrey and Page Burkum, are modern practitioners of the magical art of harmony duo singing, as heard on their August 2024 album Every Time I Think About You. Like any great magician, they cannot or will not fully explain the illusion they create. See if you can work it out at Pocklington Arts Centre.
Support act Campbell/Jensen features the late Glen Campbell’s banjo-playing daughter Ashley Campbell, who performed in her father’s band on several world tours, including at York Barbican. The duo combines Campbell’s country and Americana with New York guitarist and songwriter Thor Jensen’s rock and gypsy jazz. Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.
Snow Patrol: Returning to Scarborough Open Air Theatre this summer
Gig announcement of the week: Snow Patrol, TK Maxx Presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, June 27
THE Northern Irish-Scottish indie rock band Snow Patrol are to return to the Scarborough coast for the first time since July 2021, led as ever by Gary Lightbody, accompanied by long-time lead guitarist Nathan Connolly and pianist Johnny McDaid.
Emotionally charged anthems such as Chasing Cars, Run and Open Your Eyes will be complemented by selections from 2024’s The Forest Is The Path, their first chart topper in 18 years. Tickets go on sale today (24/1/2025) at 9am at ticketmaster.co.uk and scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.
“I’m thrilled to be playing Elle Woods,” says Emma Swainston. “It’s a dream role!” Picture: Matthew Kitchen Photography
OMIGOD You Guys! Legally Blonde The Musical is coming to York Theatre Royal in York Light Opera Company’s fabulously pink production from February 13 to 22.
The sassy and stylish award-winning musical comedy with music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin and book by Heather Hach is directed by Martyn Knight.
Emma Swainston will take the role of Elle Woods, a seemingly ditzy sorority girl with a heart of gold, who tackles the strictures and preconceptions of 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”.
York Light Opera Company’s full cast for Martyn Knight’s February production of Legally Blonde The Musical. Picture: York Light Opera Company
Based on Amanda Brown’s novel and Australian director Robert Luketic’s 2001 film for MGM, Legally Blonde The Musicalis billed as a fun, feel-good show with a powerful message about staying true to yourself.
Martyn Knight says: “We are so excited to bring this empowering and hilarious show to York. Our production will celebrate Legally Blonde’s joy and energy while highlighting its important message of self-discovery and female empowerment.”
Emma Swainston will be following up her appearances on the York stage in 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.
“Elle is a really inspiring character and I can’t wait to share her journey with the audience,” says York Light lead actress Emma Swainston
She will be part of a cast of 35, also featuring Zander Fick as Emmett Forrest, Emily Hardy as Paulette Bonafonte, Neil Wood as Professor Callahan, Emily Rockliff as Vivienne Kensington, Helen Miller as Enid Hoopes and Pippa Elmes as Brooke Wyndham.
Emma says: “I’m thrilled to be playing Elle Woods; it’s a dream role! Growing up I watched Reese Witherspoon play Elle in the original in the film on video, on repeat… and she’s such an icon. Elle is a really inspiring character and I can’t wait to share her journey with the audience.”
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. February 17’s performance will be British Sign Language Interpreted. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
York Light Opera Company’s poster for Legally Blonde The Musical at York Theatre Royal
