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REVIEW: Freida Nipples presents…The Exhibitionists, The Old Paint Shop, York Theatre Royal Studio, October 5

On a highway to hell: Freida Nipples’ nun in The Exhibitionists

THE Old Paint Shop season of burlesque, comedy, improv, jazz, folk and more in York’s newest cabaret nightspot is under way in the York Theatre Royal Studio.

So named in a nod to the Studio’s former status as the theatre workshop, the new venture is the brainchild of chief executive Paul Crewes, who took pleasure in a bustling Saturday night, where the American coming-of-age tale Little Women was playing in the main house as not-so-little women and men formed the first Freida Nipples presents…The Exhibitionists bill next door.

A buoyant full house, gathered around tables beneath a sky of lampshades, two mirror balls and The Old Paint Shop neon sign, greeted York queen of burlesque Freida’s parade of fabulous artistes from around the UK.

First, here’s your saucy host in high heels and rhinestones, Leicester’s Deeva D, international Neo Burlesque/Bearlesque performer, go-go dancer, compere and co-founder of Boudoir. Queer, South Asian and Hindu to boot. Hair aglow, like an angel in an Italian Renaissance painting. Impromptu singer too, as he filled a temporary black hole with a karaoke-style singalong Spirit In The Sky.

The black-box Studio makes for a compact cabaret locale. Performers are within touching distance, but this is a “Look, but don’t touch” joint, rightly so. And no flash. Flesh, yes, of course, but flash, no, if you must insist on taking out your distracting phone camera.

The Exhibitionists gather on stage at the close of the first night of The Old Paint Shop: left to right, compere Deeva D, promoter, producer and performer Freida Nipples, stage manager Trixie Blue, Ebony Silk, Kiki Lovechild and Lady Wildflower

Acts enter either by swishing through the cabaret crowd, like a boxer’s ring walk, or through a black door, halfway up the back wall, and down a metallic stairwell, take your pick.

Here come The Exhibitionists, one by one, one act each per half: Ebony Silk, full of circular motions at every turn; northern burlesque icon and Hebden Bridge festival founder Lady Wildflower; then clown-faced and skilled “professional idiot” Kiki Lovechild (aka Jack Smart), with audience participation to the max in Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse Of The Heart.

Totally eclipsing everything else? Not so. Freida Nipples emerges in a sparkling nun’s habit to the rallying call of AC/DC’s Highway To Hell. Line by line, garment removal by garment removal, she will reveal the devil inside. 6, 6, 6 placed you know where, and a tail, likewise, at the back. Nun better to conclude the first half.

Post-interval, Deeva D re-emerges as the first sighting of Santa Claus in 2024; his fancy-dress frippery will never last until Christmas, and sure enough the red threads don’t survive even five minutes here.

Ebony Silk throws more shapes; Freida pops balloons at bathtime; Kiki turns into a puppeteer with strangely hot chanteuse Jessica Blue, all topped off by Lady Wildflower doing her wild thing, spinning her titillating tassles to eye-popping effect in a catherine wheel blur.

The Exhibitionists’ roster of performance artistes – named in honour of York Theatre Royal’s proximity to Exhibition Square – will return for a Hallowe’en Special on October 26 when Freida Nipples presents more burlesque, drag and cabaret acts with the promise of the three Gs: glamour, gags and giggles. Both the 6pm and 9pm performances have sold out already, the bare cheek of it.

What’s coming up at The Old Paint Shop?

Not Gonna Lie: Fool(ish) Improv’s night of “Unbelievable Comedy” in The Old Paint Shop

October 10, Fool(ish) Improv present Not Gonna Lie

THE message from Paul Birch and co’s York comedy troupe Fool(ish) Improv is: “Come confess and unburden yourselves of some silly secrets, tales of the office and childhood memories and we will shape them into surreal sketches and sensational scenes.”

Not so much Who’s Line Is It Anyway as Who’s Lie Is It anyway, these North Yorkshire improvisers, trained by Chicago’s best, promise a playful night of joy, nonsense and completely making things up.

Saxophonist Brendan Duffy

October 11, The Brendan Duffy Quartet

SAXOPHONIST and vocalist Brendan Duffy is joined by Tom Townsend on drums, Christian Topman on double bass and Karl Mullen, “the hardest-working pianist in York”, on upright piano for an eclectic and exciting cabaret night of jazz through the ages. Everything from Louis Armstrong and singalong fun to John Coltrane and Charles Mingus.

October 12, Jess Gardham, cancelled.

AWARD-WINNING York blues singer-songwriter and musical theatre actress Jess Gardham’s show has been scuppered by ill health.

Debs Newbold in Dauntless – Grace O’Malley, Pirate Queen

October 17, Dauntless – Grace O’Malley, Pirate Queen

IN a night of performance storytelling by Debs Newbold, presented by the Crick Crack Club, she gleefully delivers the boisterous, remarkable and inspirational story of her heroine: Grainne ni Mhaille (Grace O’Malley), legendary Irish clan chief and queen of the sea.

Stowing away aboard her father’s ship aged eight, Grace became a 16th century force of nature:  a multilingual, seafaring weapons expert, leader of 2,000 men, rebel, politician, kingmaker and slayer, prodigious lover, avenging hero and notorious pirate.

From the west of Ireland to the court of Elizabeth I, from wild youth to even wilder old age, Dauntless is an epic celebration of uproarious storytelling, high drama and one fascinating 16th century feminist.

Bay Bryan in The Meadow. Picture: Brendan Ashmore

October 19, Bay Bryan: The Meadow

AS heard on BBC 2’s The Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe, Bay Bryan’s music is accessible yet complex with a philosophical edge akin to 1970s’ Labi Siffre. Existential in nature, The Meadow is heavily influenced by Bryan’s upbringing in the Rockies of Colorado. In performance, Bryan draws on skills as an actor and storyteller.

The Not So Ugly Sisters, a theatre show for which Bryan co-composed songs, was named in the Guardian as one of the Top 25 shows to book for Christmas 2021. The short film Egg Party, with music scored by Bryan, won the Audience Choice awards at both the Coven and Cinequest Film Festivals that year. Acting credits include The Gifting (Leeds, 2023) and Napoleon (Apple TV).

Hyde Family Jam, fronted by Will Dreyfus, at The Old Paint Shop

October 24, Hyde Family Jam

SINCE 2014, this York band has appeared in many forms, to delight and entertain on the streets, in clubs, castles, tipis, tapas bars, stately homes and even on film sets. This October they finally set foot in York Theatre Royal, where Will Dreyfus will be on front man duty. Prepare for a fusion of irreverent covers, folk instruments and punk energy in a set of pop bangers that adds up to a “one-of-a-kind musical journey”.

Pete Selwood. Stand-up’s debut show. Picture: Andy Hollingworth

October 25, Pete Selwood: Uninspiring

UNINSPIRING is the debut show from stand-up comedian Pete Selwood (as seen on Comedy Central Live and The Emily Atack Show), spotlighting the pitfalls of being a disabled man coming to terms with his limitations after becoming a parent. Last seen at York Theatre Royal supporting Guz Khan, he is a regular tour support for Jack Carroll.

October 26, Freida Nipples presents…The Exhibitionists, Hallowe’en Special, 6pm and 9pm, both sold out.

All shows start at 8pm except Freida Nipples’ Hallowe’en Special. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

York Theatre Royal chief executive Paul Crewes on setting up The Old Paint Shop

York Theatre Royal chief executive Paul Crewes. Picture: Charlie Kirkpatrick

“THE idea is to turn the Studio into a cabaret space, The Old Paint Shop, twice a year for three or four-week sessions of one-night shows with a range of acts from York and from further afield, hosted by the Theatre Royal, presenting music, theatre, burlesque and stand-up comedy.

“I did something similar in Los Angeles and it became so popular that people were contacting me to perform in it.”

Did you know?

THE inaugural Old Paint Shop season is dedicated to Terry Bounds, who worked as stage carpenter at York Theatre Royal for more than 30 years before retiring in 2013.

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond amid murder mysteries times two. Hutch’s List No. 37, from Gazette & Herald

Ed Gamble: No mention of hot dogs at the Grand Opera House, York, despite the show title and tour publicity photo. Picture: Matt Crockett

IT would not be a Gamble to the see the comedian of that surname, Peter Hook’s Joy Division and New Order excavations, a Miss Marple mystery or a new Rebus play, advises Charles Hutchinson.

Comedy gig of the week: Ed Gamble, Hot Diggity Dog, Grand Opera House, York, tonight, 7.30pm

ED Gamble is promising “all your classicGamble ranting, raving and spluttering, but he’s doing fine mentally. Promise”. After all, he co-hosts the award-winning podcast Off Menuwith James Acaster, is a judge on Great British Menu and Taskmaster champion, hosts Taskmaster The Podcast and The Traitors: Uncloaked and has his own special, Blood Sugar, available on Amazon Prime. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Not Gonna Lie: Fool(ish) Improv conjure comedy from audience stories at The Old Paint Shop, York Theatre Royal

Improv gig of the week: Fool(ish) Improv present Not Gonna Lie, The Old Paint Shop, York Theatre Royal Studio, tomorrow, 8pm

THIS show by Paul Birch and co will take the truth to task by using real stories from the audience to improvise “unbelievable comedy”. Not so much Who’s Line Is It Anyway but more Who’s Lie Is It Anyway, Fool(ish) welcome you to a playful night of joy, nonsense and completely making things up.

“Come confess and unburden yourselves of some silly secrets, tales of the office and childhood memories and we will shape them into surreal sketches and sensational scenes,” say the Yorkshire improvisers trained by the best in Chicago Long-Form improv. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Peter Hook: Revisiting Joy Division and New Order with The Light at York Barbican. Picture: Mark McNulty

York rock gig of the week: Peter Hook & The Light, Substance World Tour, York Barbican, tomorrow, doors 7pm; start 8pm; curfew 11pm

PETER Hook & The Light compare and contrast his bands Joy Division and New Order’s Substance compilation albums, playing both Manchester groups’ vinyl versions in full, complemented by 12 tracks featured on CD editions.

Hook will be joined by David Potts, his regular companion from Monaco and Revenge, on guitar and vocals, new addition Martin Rebelski, from Doves, on keyboards, Paul Kehoe on drums, and Paul Duffy, from The Coral, deputising for Hooky’s son, Jack Bates, on bass. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Martin Stephenson: Back with The Daintees in Malton

Ryedale gig of the week: Martin Stephenson & The Daintees, Milton Rooms, Malton, October 13, 8pm

MARTIN Stephenson’s focus will be on You Belong To Blue, the February 2023 album that saw original Daintees’ members Gary Dunn, Anthony Dunn and Charlie Smith, plus a selection of special guests, joining up with the Durham-born singer-songwriter once again.

His Malton set will feature Daintees and Stephenson solo favourites stretching back to his 1986 debut Boat To Bolivia as he dips into country, folk, jazz, blues, skiffle and reggae. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.

Billy Mitchell and Bob Fox: In tandem at the Milton Rooms

Duo of the week: Billy Mitchell and Bob Fox, Milton Rooms, Malton, October 15, 7.30pm

THIS is a rare opportunity to see North Eastern masters of vocal harmony and musicians Billy Mitchell and Bob Fox perform once again as a duo after several years of individual work. Actor, singer and songwriter Mitchell founded Jack The Lad in the 1970s and was Lindisfarne’s the front man for eight years until their retirement in 2003.

He has undertaken two tours of The Lindisfarne Story and performs in The Pitmen Poets with Fox, Jez Lowe and Benny Graham, presenting songs and stories of Durham and Northumberland’s coal mining communities. Fox interprets traditional and modern songs, played the Songman in the National Theatre’s Warhorse and first toured with Mitchell in 2006, leading to their studio album of Tyne and Wear songs Back On City Road. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.

Gray O’Brien as Inspector John Rebus in Rebus: A Game Called Malice, on tour at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Nobby Clark

York play of the week: Rebus: A Game Called Malice, York Theatre Royal, October 15 to 19, 7.30pm; 2pm, Wednesday, Thursday; 2.30pm, Saturday

SCOTTISH crime writer Ian Rankin’s much-loved detective, John Rebus, takes to the stage in a new storyco-written with Simon Reade. Gray O’Brien, from Coronation Street, Casualty and Peak Practice, plays Rebus in a cast also featuring Abigail Thaw and Billy Hartman.

When a splendid Edinburgh mansion dinner party concludes with a murder mystery game created by the hostess, suddenly a murder needs to be solved. However, guests have secrets of their own. Among them is Inspector John Rebus, but is he Is playing an alternative game, one to which only he knows the rules? Rankin will attend the October 18 post-show discussion with the cast. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

1812 Theatre Company’s poster for The Mirror Crack’d, a Miss Marple mystery, at Helmsley Arts Centre

Ryedale play of the week: 1812 Theatre Company in Agatha Christie’s The Mirror Crack’d, Helmsley Arts Centre, October 16 to 19, 7.30pm

1812 Theatre Company presents Rachel Wagstaff’s adaptation of Agatha Christie’s 1962 thriller, wherein Hollywood star Marina Gregg has moved into Gossington Hall and has been persuaded to host the village fête.  

When the harmless Heather Badcock, a St John’s Ambulance volunteer with not one enemy in the world, is poisoned by a drink meant for Marina, Chief Inspector Craddock quickly realises the wrong person has died. Fortunately, his aunt, Miss Marple, lives in the village, ever ready to unravel the truth behind the killing as seven suspects face investigation. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Strictly between us: Husband and wife Aljaž Škorjanec and Janette Manrara announce A Night To Remember tour for 2025

Show announcement of the week: Aljaž Škorjanec and Janette Manrara: A Night To Remember, York Barbican, June 1 2025

STRICTLY Come Dancing favourites Aljaž Škorjanec and Janette Manrara – married since 2017 – will be touring next year with A Night To Remember, featuring an ensemble of “some of the UK’s very best dancers and singers”.

 Aljaž, partnering Tasha Ghouri in the 2024 series, and It takes Two presenter Janette will “perform stunning routines to an eclectic array of music”, spanning the Great American songbook through to modern-day classics, backed by their own big band, fronted by boogie- woogie star Tom Seal. Tickets go on sale on Friday at 10am at yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/aljaz-and-janette-a-night-to-remember.

In Focus: Pickering Musical Society in Wonders Of The West End, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, October 10 to 13

Paula Paylor, left, and Danille Long in Pickering Musical Society’s Wonders Of The West End. Picture: Robert David Photography

CURTAIN up tomorrow, Pickering Musical Society is in full swing, putting the final touches to its highly anticipated autumn concert Wonders Of The West End.

This year’s production promises to be a spectacular event, featuring not only the society’s talented performers but also more than 40 dancers from the Sarah Louise Ashworth School of Dance.

In a dazzling programme of classic and contemporary show tunes, selections include iconic hits from Gigi, Half A Sixpence, Oliver! and Waitress, to name but a few.

Colin Wragg in Wonders Of The West End. Picture: Robert David Photography

The cast and dancers have been working hard under the expert guidance of resident musical director Clive Wass, who will be conducting the orchestra each night.

“The combination of live music, powerful vocals, and stunning choreography promises an unforgettable night of theatre,” says director Luke Arnold. “The carefully curated programme offers something for everyone, whether you’re a fan of the golden age of musicals or the latest West End sensations.

“It would be remiss to reflect on the music without a special mention to the society’s rehearsal pianist, Carl Schofield, who has worked tirelessly with the cast over the past three months to help deliver a stunning performance.” 

Under the parasol: Alice Rose in Wonders Of The West End. Picture: Robert David Photography

This year’s concert marks the debut of regular principal actress Courtney Brown as assistant director under Luke’s stewardship.

“It has been a privilege working with Courtney,” he says. “I could not have wished for a better assistant. We have got on fantastically well from day one and our interest and taste in musical theatre is very similar, which has helped us create a unified production. I look forward to working with Courtney again and seeing her develop as a director.”

Pickering Musical Society presents Wonders Of The West End, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, October 10 to 13, 7.30pm nightly. Box office: 01751 474833 or online at Wonders of the West End (littleboxoffice.com).

Pickering Musical Society’s full company for Wonders Of The West End. Picture: Robert David Photography
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Slam dunk! Say Owt celebrates ten years of battles of poetic wits, spoken word and rap with Oct 18 birthday bash at The Crescent

Henry Raby, left and Stu Freestone: Co-founders of Say Owt Slam

SAY Owt, York’s loveable gang of garrulous/grandiloquent/just plain good poets, is celebrating a decade of performance poetry, spoken word, rap and music at The Crescent Community Venue, York, on October 18.

Established in 2014, Say Owt hosts high-energy nights of words and verse, led by York-born artistic director, “nerd punk poet laureate”, playwright, Vandal Factory co-artistic director and arts & activism podcaster Henry Raby and co-founder, associate artist, actor, Nottingham Forest devotee and The Cheese Trader cheesemonger Stu Freestone.

“As our first ever event was ten years ago, the team has decided to host a party to celebrate,” says Henry. “Whether you’re a regular, or never been to a Say Owt gig before, everyone is welcome to this party of performance poetry.

Say Owt squad member Hannah Davies: Taking part in 10th anniversary Say Owt Slam, Henry Raby vs Hannah Davies vs Stu Freestone vs Bram Jarman

“It’s been a privilege to put on poetry gigs for the people of York. We’ve hosted such legends as Hollie McNish, Harry Baker and [Barmby Moor-raised] Rob Auton and made so many friends and met so many amazing poets along the way.”

Looking forward to next Friday’s 8pm party, Henry says: “We want this gig to be a poetry party. Get ready for cheering, thumping your feet on the floor and kindling a love for words!

“Our first ever event was a poetry slam, where poets battle to win the adoration of the audience, so we’ve decided the four members of the Say Owt Squad will take part in a mini-slam to find out once and for all who is the best poet out of the four: Henry Raby vs Hannah Davies vs Stu Freestone vs Bram Jarman!”

Elizabeth Chadwick Pywell: York poet and teacher, winner of Northern Debut Award for Poetry: Out-Spoken Press Programme at the 2022 Northern Writers’ Awards

What else, Henry? “We wanted to highlight the amazing spoken-word scene in York by inviting our local poet pals to take to the stage. Performers will include Crow Rudd (surveyor of Sad Poets Doorstep Club), Chloe Hanks (co-host of Howlers) and Elizabeth Chadwick Pywell (rouser at Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb).

“We’ve also invited back two Say Owt Slam Champions, previous winners at our poetry slams. Ruth Awolola is a Nigerian Jamaican poet, performer, theatre maker and creative facilitator, based in Manchester.

“Sophie Shepherd has been a poetry slam enthusiast ever since competing in the Say Owt slams whilst at York Uni [University of York]. She’s continued her love of slam since moving back down south by creating the Rhyme Against The Tide slam in Weston-super-Mare.”

West Yorkshire rapper, beatboxer and playwright Testament. Picture: Anthony Robling

On the bill too will be York alt-rock band Everything After Midnight, performing a special acoustic set. “They’ve recently decided to call it a day (or call it a night?), so they’ll be playing their second-to-last-ever gig at our birthday party! And you can’t spell ‘penultimate’ without ‘ultimate’!” says Henry.

“Finally, we have a very special guest in the form of West Yorkshire-based rapper and playwright Testament, whose critically acclaimed work ties together strands of poetry, rap and lyrics. He’s a Guinness World Record-breaking beatboxer with numerous TV appearances on BBC, ITV and Sky Arts to his name.

“He performed Orpheus In The Record Shop at Leeds Playhouse in 2020 and 2022; he’s appeared on the BBC Radio 4 poetry show The Verb, BBC1xtra and BBC Radio 6 Music many times, and his work has received praise from voices diverse as Alan Moore, Lauren Laverne, Mark Thomas and the progenitor of Hip-Hop himself, DJ Kool Herc.”

Say Owt 10th Birthday Bash,The Crescent Community Venue, The Crescent, York, October 18. Doors open at 7.30pm for 8pm start. Tickets £8 on £13 in advance, pay whichever tier you want, at https://thecrescentyork.com/events/the-big-say-owt-10th-birthday-bash/. Or, pay £15 on the door.

Rob Auton: Say Owt alumnus
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Navigators Art to celebrate W H Auden in Co-Audenation night of spoken word, live music & performance art at The Basement

Navigators Art & Performance’s poster for Co-Audenation. W H Auden picture: George Cserna, 1956

YORK collective Navigators Art & Performance presents Co-Audenation: A Creative Exploration of W. H. Auden, a night of spoken word, live music and performance art, at The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse, York, on October 19.

“This is a revised and expanded version of our sold-out summer show for the York Festival of Ideas and York Civic Trust’s York Trailblazers sculpture trail project, for whom we researched and constructed one of the sculptures commemorating York’s unsung heroes,” says Navigators Art co-founder Richard Kitchen. “Our W. H. Auden tansy beetle sculpture can be seen outside City of York Council’s West Offices in Station Rise.”

All works in October 19’s 7pm to 10pm show are written or inspired and influenced by W. H. Auden, the “Picasso of modern poetry” born in Bootham, York, on February 21 1907.

Navigators Art & Performance’s tansy beetle sculpture of W. H. Auden for York Trailblazers at West Offices, Station Rise, York

“A leader of the British avant-garde at a time of cultural upheaval in Europe, Auden experimented ceaselessly with poetic form and subject matter,” says Richard. “Openly gay and defiantly anti-establishment, he was controversial and influential in his views on politics, morals, love, and religion.  His poem Funeral Blues was popularly featured in the film Four Weddings And A Funeral.”

Navigators Art’s inspiring line-up features award-winning and published Yorkshire writers and performers in a mixed-media event replete with songs and physical theatre, as well as poetry.

“Expect the unexpected!” says Richard. “An informal discussion will precede the main event from 6pm. All ticket holders are welcome to attend. The performance will begin at 7pm after a short break.”

Carrieanne Vivianette: Leeds performance artist

Taking part will be:

Anthony Vahni Capildeo: poet, professor and writer in residence at the University of York.

Antony Dunn: poet, dramatist and screenwriter.

Carrieanne Vivianette: performance artist and experimentalist from the creative hotlands of Leeds.

Elizabeth Chadwick Pywell: York poet, English/Drama tutor and co-host of Rise Up! at Bluebird Bakery in Acomb.

Ian Parks: Award-winning and widely published poet and translator; editor of Versions Of The North: Contemporary Yorkshire Poetry

Anthony Vahni Capildeo: poet, professor and writer in residence at the University of York

Jane Stockdale: Singer and multi-instrumentalist from beloved York alt. folk legends White Sail.

Janet Dean: Poet and novelist exploring contemporary themes through the prism of history.

JT Welsch: Exploratory musician and poet; lecturer in English and Creative Industries at University of York.

Richard Kitchen: Visual artist, poet and Navigators co-founder.

Plus contributions from York luminaries Alan Gillott, Hugh Bernays and others.

For full details and tickets, go to: https://bit.ly/nav-auden. “Advance booking is advised,” says Richard.

Antony Dunn: poet, dramatist and screenwriter
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‘What kind of society do we want to live in?’, asks Red Ladder in new musical Sanctuary

Aein Nasseri (Alland) and the CAPA College Chorus (Vox) in Red Ladder Theatre Company’s Sanctuary. Picture: Robling Photography

RED Ladder Theatre Company’s powerful and moving new musical, Sanctuary, asks “What kind of society do we want to live in?”

Presented in collaboration with the Theatre Royal, Wakefield, and CAPA College, Wakefield, composer-lyricist Boff Whalley and award-winning playwright Sarah Woods’ topical political drama is directed by artistic director Cheryl Martin in her first production since taking over the Leeds company.

Sanctuary opened at the Wakefield theatre on September before setting off on an eight-week tour of theatres, community venues and churches that visits Selby Abbey tonight; Hull Truck Theatre tomorrow and the Welsey Centre, Harrogate, on Saturday.

Red Ladder’s musical premiere charts one man’s plea for help and refuge at a time when not all strangers are welcomed. When young Iranian Alland (Aein Nasseri) begs to be given sanctuary at a church in northern England, sparking a community to react in all the ways each member believes to be right, young church worker Molly (Ingrid Bolton-Gabrielsen) joins forces with vicar Fiona (York actress Emily Chattle) to resist both the angry vigilantes and the hard-hearted authorities beyond the church walls to try to protect him.

Holding a special community service where voices on all sides sing their songs of redemption and condemnation, Fiona asks the question to everyone present: “Do we give Alland over to the State or live up to our well-versed ideals of compassion?”

The creative team has worked closely with people hoping to call the UK home, shaping Alland’s story. Writers Whalley and Woods spent the past six years collaborating on projects for Welsh National Opera, in partnership with the Oasis Centre for refugees and asylum seekers, to co-create original operas for a more diverse audience. Director Martin spent eight years directing women refugees and asylum seekers in shows for Manchester’s Community Arts Northwest.

Earlier this year, Leeds-based Mafwa Theatre ran sessions with the team and CAPA College students, who then created their own workshops for secondary school pupils, supported by asylum seekers, that have helped shape the production.

This unique collaboration between Red Ladder, Theatre Royal Wakefield and CAPA College, featuring a chorus of  performing arts students, mixes hard-hitting ideas with memorable melodic tunes and harmonies.

Martin says: “Sanctuary comes at a critical moment in the conversation about immigration, refugees and asylum seekers. I hope this musical helps open up this conversation because it’s one that goes to the heart of who we are and the kind of society we want to live in.”

Co-creator Woods says: “Boff and I have been collaborating for a number of years, including co-creating work with people seeking refuge and asylum, and this is a story that we both feel needed to be told.

“There is a lot of hostility in the media when it comes to immigration, and we want to counter this narrative by offering audiences different viewpoints. I believe the stories we tell can really affect change in the world.

“A lot of people who come to the UK seeking asylum are here because they’ve stood up against oppression, doing things that many of us might not have the strength to do. We can learn a lot from them and the stories they share with us.”

Co-writer Whalley says: “Working with refugees and asylum seekers over the past handful of years has been an education. A steep learning curve in understanding how both Theresa May’s ‘hostile environment’ and the non-stop onslaught of the trash media has impacted Britain.

“We’re a nation in turmoil over immigration. A country at war with itself over small boats – whilst at the heart of it all are desperate people fleeing war and imprisonment, searching for hope and a place to call home.

“And that’s why Sanctuary is important right now. Which all sounds a bit grim, doesn’t it? And grim isn’t a great starting point for good musical theatre! So the idea is to make this big subject entertaining as well as poignant and educational.”

Whalley continues: “It’s my job with the music to use melody and harmony to draw people in, to create shared moments, to give the audience a helping hand into this story of a young asylum-seeker looking for sanctuary.

“Music is such a powerful tool, and it can cross divides, it can patch up differences between people. Which is what Sanctuary will hope to do.”

Sanctuary welcomes everyone in, challenging audiences to consider: “Do we want safety and freedom for only ourselves, or for us all?” “Come on in – the service is about to begin,” reads the invitation.

Did you know?

SANCTUARY is supported by the Mayor of West Yorkshire’s Safer Communities Fund.

Did you know too?

ALL performances will be captioned via The Difference Engine, a tool that enables deaf and hard-of-hearing people to read performance captions on their phone. 

Red Ladder Theatre in Sanctuary, Selby Abbey, October 7, 7.30pm; Hull Truck Theatre, Hull, October 8, 7.30pm; Wesley Centre, Harrogate, October 12, 7.30pm. Box office: Selby, 01757 708449 or selbytownhall.co.uk; Hull, 01482 323638 or hulltruck.co.uk; Harrogate, 01423 502116 or harrogatetheatre.co.uk. Age guidance: 13 upwards.

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More Things To Do in York & beyond when doors open and cabaret nights launch. Hutch’s List No. 41, from The Press, York

YORK unlocks for the weekend. Charles Hutchinson unlocks the door to multiple other delights too.

Festival of the week: York Unlocked 2024, today and tomorrow from 10am

IN its third year, York Unlocked welcomes residents and visitors to experience York’s architecture and open spaces with the chance to discover, explore and enjoy around 50 sites.

This year’s new addition is a children’s trail book; families can pick up a free copy from York Explore Library, All Saints’ Church, North Street, or The Guildhall. Full details of the participating locations, from Spark: York to City Screen Picturehouse, Terry’s Factory Clock Tower to Bishopthorpe Palace, Holgate Windmill to York Railway Station, can be found at york-unlocked.org.uk. Entry is free, including those requiring booking.

Rachel Croft: Heading back to York to play The Crescent

Return of the week: Black Deer Live in association with TalentBanq presents Rachel Croft Live, supported by Tom Sheldon Trio, The Crescent, York, tonight, doors 7.30pm

AFTER relocating to London almost three years ago, thunderous alt-rock singer-songwriter Rachel Croft returns to York for an explosive hometown show, backed by a full band.

Caffe Nero Artist of the Month in February 2024, she has performed at The O2 Arena Blue Room, Bush Hall and Camden Assembly in London, the Bitter End in New York and Bluebird Cafe in Nashville and such festivals as Cambridge Folk Festival, Secret Garden Party and Black Deer. Her cinematic songs have featured on Netflix, the BBC and in rotation in Tesco, Waterstones and Centre Parcs stores. Box office: thecrescentyork.com. 

Much more than stripping assets: York’s queen of burlesque, Freida Nipples, hosts The Exhibionists in The Old Paint Shop

Cabaret night of the week: Freida Nipples presents…The Exhibitionists, The Old Paint Shop, York Theatre Royal Studio, tonight, 8pm; Halloween Edition, October 26, 6pm and 9pm

YORK’S award-winning burlesque artiste Freida Nipples launches the Theatre Royal’s new Old Paint Shop cabaret season with some of her favourite fabulous performance artists from across Great Britain.

“From burlesque to drag and beyond, be sure to expect the unexpected,” she says. “Get ready to be dazzled, shocked and in awe. Only a few things are guaranteed: glamour, gags and giggles.” Tickets update: all three shows have sold out. For returns only, call 01904 623568.

Frankenstein (On A Budget): One man, one monster, one glorious dream at Friargate Theatre, York

“Comedy musical Hammer Horror homage you didn’t know you needed”: Frankenstein (On a Budget), Friargate Theatre, York, tonight, 7.30pm

ONE man, one monster, one glorious dream to singlehandedly tell the most famous cult horror story of all time on absolutely no budget whatsoever. What could possibly go wrong?  Inspired by Mary Shelley and Boris Karloff, Frankenstein (On a Budget) features one actor, some decidedly dodgy backdrops, new music, weather-based based puns, cardboard props, gore and flashing lights. 

Can the ill-fated doctor build his monstrous creation, play 25 characters, sing songs aplenty, attempt accents from across the world, perform a dance routine, and ultimately save the day in only 60 minutes? Find out tonight. Age guidance: 14 upwards. Box office: ridinglights.org/friargatetheatre.

The Shires: Playing York on intimate acoustic tour

Country gig of the week: The Shires: The Two Of Us Tour, Grand Opera House, York, tomorrow, 7.30pm

GREAT Britain’s biggest country music export, The Shires, return to York on their intimate acoustic tour, where Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes play songs from 2015 debut, 2016’s My Universe, 2018’s Accidentally On Purpose, 2020’s Good Years and 2022’s 10 Year Plan.

The Shires have achieved three consecutive UK Top Three albums, four UK Country album chart toppers, more than 100 million streams, two gold-certified records and two CMA Awards, headlining the Royal Albert Hall too. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Aein Nasseri (Alland) and the CAPA College Chorus (Vox) in Red Ladder Theatre Company’s Sanctuary. Picture: Robling Photography

Play of the week: Red Ladder Theatre Company in Sanctuary, Selby Abbey, October 7, 7.30pm; Hull Truck Theatre, Hull, October 8, 7.30pm; Wesley Centre, Harrogate, October 12, 7.30pm

DIRECTED by new Red Ladder artistic director Cheryl Martin, this timely premiere by Sarah Woods and musician Boff Whalley tells the vital story of Alland, a young Iranian man who begs to be given sanctuary at St Mary’s Church in a northern town, sparking a community to react in all the ways each member believes to be right.

Featuring a chorus of Wakefield’s CAPA College students, Sanctuary mixes hard-hitting ideas with melodic tunes and harmonies, asking the question: do we want safety and freedom for only ourselves, or for us all? Box office: Selby, 01757 708449 or selbytownhall.co.uk; Hull, 01482 323638 or hulltruck.co.uk; Harrogate, 01423 502116 or harrogatetheatre.co.uk.

Carrie Hope Fletcher: Love Letters in song form at York Barbican

Musical theatre revue of the week: Carrie Hope Fletcher, Love Letters, York Barbican, October 8, doors 7pm

WEST End musical theatre actress, author and vlogger Carrie Hope Fletcher explores all forms of love, from romantic to maternal, unrequited to obsessive, all told through a concert of musical theatre favourites, accompanied by specially written letters about each song by Carrie.

She is best known for playing Éponine and Fantine in Les Misérables, Veronica in Heathers, Wednesday in The Addams Family, Cinderella in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella on the London stage. Her special guest will be Bradley Jaden, her West End co-star in Les Miserables. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Ed Gamble: Not discussing hot dogs in Hot Diggity Dog at the Grand Opera House. Picture: Matt Crockett

Comedy gig of the week: Ed Gamble, Hot Diggity Dog, Grand Opera House, York, October 9, 7.30pm

ED Gamble is promising “all your classicGamble ranting, raving and spluttering, but he’s doing fine mentally. Promise”. After all, he co-hosts the award-winning podcast Off Menuwith James Acaster, is a judge on Great British Menu and Taskmaster champion, hosts Taskmaster The Podcast and The Traitors: Uncloaked and has his own special, Blood Sugar, available on Amazon Prime. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Not Gonna Lie: Fool(ish) Improv use audience true stories to improvise “unbelievable comedy”

Improv gig of the week: Fool(ish) Improv present Not Gonna Lie, The Old Paint Shop, York Theatre Royal Studio, October 10, 8pm

PAUL Birch and co will take the truth to task by using real stories from the audience to improvise “unbelievable comedy”. Not so much Who’s Line Is It Anyway but more Who’s Lie Is It Anyway, Fool(ish) welcome you to a playful night of joy, nonsense and completely making things up.

“Come confess and unburden yourselves of some silly secrets, tales of the office and childhood memories and we will shape them into surreal sketches and sensational scenes,” say the Yorkshire improvisers trained by the best in Chicago Long-Form improv. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Sharleen Spiteri: Leading Texas at Scarborough Open Air Theatre next summer

Gig announcement of the week: Texas, Scarborough Open Air Theatre, July 26 2025

SCOTTISH band Texas, fronted as ever by Sharleen Spiteri, will return to Scarborough Open Air Theatre for the first time since July 2018 to showcase five decades of songs, from I Don’t Want A Lover, Say What You Want and Summer Son to Inner Smile, Mr Haze and Keep On Talking next summer. Irish rock band The Script are confirmed already for July 5. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.co.uk and ticketmaster.co.uk.

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Musical theatre star Carrie Hope Fletcher delivers Love Letters to York Barbican

Carrie Hope Fletcher on stage in Love Letters, on tour at York Barbican

WEST End musical theatre star, author and vlogger Carrie Hope Fletcher will explore all forms of love, from romantic to maternal, unrequited to obsessive, in Love Letters at York Barbican on Tuesday.

Joining her for this concert of musical theatre favourites will be West End leading man Bradley Jaden, her Les Miserables co-star, one of three special guests on her 14-date autumn tour.

Best known for playing Éponine and Fantine in Les Misérables, Veronica in Heathers, Wednesday in The Addams Family, Cinderella in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella and Beth in the arena tour of The War Of The Worlds alongside Jason Donovan, Carrie’s tour marks her return to the stage after time away since giving birth to daughter Mabel, now seven months old.

“My last job finished on New Year’s Eve: panto in Crawley. I was Carabosse in Sleeping Beauty, the villain. It’s the best role – Sleeping Beauty is asleep for half the show!” says Carrie, 31.

“That was my second panto, and again I did it with Evolution Productions [co-producers of the York Theatre Royal pantomime] after Canterbury in the first year, both written and directed by Paul Hendy, who’s so much fun and just knows the essence of what makes a good panto.

“Last year I also did my first tour, called An Open Book, where I told stories from throughout my career that I hadn’t told before and paired them with songs, and we had such a great time, I wanted to do another show like that.”

Here comes Love Letters. “The fun thing is that it will be a different set list every night,” says South Harrow-born Carrie. “There are six songs that will be sung every night, at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of each act, with ten in between that will be completely different at each show.

“A list of songs will go live on social media before each concert, where fans can pick out their venue and make their choices from 25/26 songs per show.”

At first Carrie said that the six songs sure to feature each night were a secret but then she revealed: “There are three I can confirm: Journey To The Past, from Anastasia; Home, from Beetlejuice The Musical and Someone’s Waiting For You from The Rescuers.”

Carrie Hope Fletcher in her dressing room

Explaining the theme behind Love Letters, Carrie says: “I just felt that because the world is so fast paced, especially with social media, that I miss the slow-paced art of writing a letter, when you know that the writer has taken time to prepare before writing the words. It’s not just about people we love, but things we love as well: musical theatre, books, Disney.

“I’ve written a love letter to go with every song, dedicated to a person or a thing. Audience members for each show can send in a love letter and I’ll choose one and read it out. We’ve been going through the letters that have come in over the past few weeks and a lot of them are dedicated to someone who’s coming to the show with them.”

Assessing why love is the subject of so many songs, Carrie says: “It’s the thing that unites us all. We all feel love for someone or something one way or another, and we feel it deep down, whether it’s for a person, a pet or a favourite film.”

Carrie’s career has required her to sing some of the greatest songs in musical theatre. “There’s a responsibility singing those songs, especially when playing roles that people hold great affection for. Like singing I Dreamed A Dream in Les Miserables, where it’s become bigger than the musical.

“People attach it to their own lives, so I do feel that sense of responsibility when the opening chords are played and you know you have to deliver.

“It put things in perspective when people say, ‘you’re not a doctor, or a lawyer defending someone, you’re just putting on a wig and singing’, but for people who come to the theatre, it’s a chance to escape and that one night could have a life-changing effect on someone. You have to remind yourself that what you’re doing is important to people.”

Carrie finds joy in singing, joy that transfers to the audience too. “It’s a joy I feel just to sing and that’s what people latch on to. Maybe the joy I get from it separates me from others. That’s what people connect to,” she says.

“ I do think that musical theatre is based in expressing emotion, and if you’re not feeling it one night, then it won’t transmit to the audience.”

Carrie Hope Fletcher with special guest Bradley Jaden, Love Letters, York Barbican, October 8, doors, 7pm. Box office: yorkbarbian.co.uk.  Carrie will play the lead role in Nikolai Foster’s production of Calamity Jane, on tour at Grand Opera House, York, from April 29 to May 3 2025. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

The poster for the 2025 tour of Calamity Jane starring Carrie Hope Fletcher

CARRIE Hope Fletcher will lead the cast in the 2025 tour of Jamie Wilson Productions’ revival of the Watermill Theatre’s whip-crackin’ production of Calamity Jane prior to a West End run. The Grand Opera House, York, awaits from April 29 to May 3.

“Calamity Jane is one of those roles that doesn’t come around all too often,” says Carrie. “She’s action, romance and comedy all packed into one character, and I can’t wait to take on the challenge of filling her shoes.”

Marking the tenth anniversary since the Watermill show hit the road, next year’s production reunites the creative team with direction by Curve artistic director Nikolai Foster, co-direction and choreography by Nick Winston, orchestration and music supervision by Catherine Jayes and set and costume design by Matthew Wright. Lighting design will be by Tim Mitchell and sound design by Ben Harrison.

Producer Jamie Wilson says: “With this new version of Calamity Jane first opening at The Watermill Theatre in 2014, I am delighted to be collaborating with them again to finally bring this wonderful production back to theatres all over the country after a ten-year absence.

“We have been waiting for the right moment and artist to step into Calamity’s boots and bring this hilarious and joyful musical back to the nation, and we are thrilled that Carrie Hope Fletcher will be leading the company as the iconic Calamity Jane. Carrie is one of the UK’s most talented artists whose broad fan base will introduce this much beloved musical to audiences across the country.”

Based on the cherished 1954 Doris Day movie, this foot-stomping new production features such songs as The Deadwood Stage (Whip-Crack-Away), The Black Hills Of Dakota, Just Blew In From the Windy City and the Oscar-winning Secret Love.

The tour publicity invites you to “meet the fearless, gun-slinging Calamity Jane, the biggest mouth in Dakota territory and always up for a fight. She’ll charm you hog-eyed, however, especially when trying to win the heart of the dashing Lieutenant Gilmartin, or shooting insults at the notorious Wild Bill Hickok.

“But when the men of Deadwood fall hard for Chicago stage star Adelaid Adams, Calamity struggles to keep her jealousy holstered. Her heart’s a thumpin’… but who for? What are you waiting for, you wild coyotes? Whip -crack-away!”

Tickets for the 7.30pm evening performances and 2.30pm Thursday, Friday and Saturday matinees are on sale at atgtickets.com/york.

Carrie Hope Fletcher: More than one million views every month on her YouTube channel

Carrie Hope Fletcher: back story

Born: October 22 1992, South Harrow, Harrow

Occupation: Actress, author and vlogger.

Theatre includes: Elizabeth in The Crown Jewels (West End/UK tour), Grusha in The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Rose Theatre), Cinderella in Cinderella (Gillian Lynne Theatre), Fantine in Les Misérables: The Concert (Gielgud Theatre), Veronica in Heathers (Theatre Royal Haymarket), Carabosse in Sleeping Beauty (Marlowe Theatre), Brenda in The Christmasaurus Live (Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith), Wednesday in The Addams Family (Music and Lyrics), Eponine in Les Misérables (Dubai – Cameron Mackintosh), Truly Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Music and Lyrics), Eponine in Les Misérables (Queen’s), Beth in Jeff Wayne’s War Of The Worlds (arena tour), Wind In The Willows (Regent’s Park Open Air), Jane Banks in Mary Poppins (Disney Theatrical/Cameron Mackintosh), Jemima in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Young Eponine in Les Misérables.

Television: In Two Minds, Break Kids, Princess Beatrix in Wilhelmina and Dog & Duck.

Concerts:  Once – In Concert (London Palladium), Treason – The Musical in Concert (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), When The Curtain Falls (Cadogan Hall), Jason Robert Brown in Concert (Haymarket Theatre), West End Does Love (FortyFour Productions), West End Does Christmas (FortyFour Productions), West End Does Animation (FortyFour Productions), Edges (Prince of Wales), Andrew Lippa in Concert, Sheytoons in Concert (St James) and Ramin Karimloo’s 2012 tour Road To Find Out. 

Carrie’s first solo tour in 2023, An Open Book, toured UK and played London Palladium (sold out) in a celebration of her career so far.

Music: Debut solo album When the Curtain Falls was released in March 2018, produced by 2300 Records. Reached Top 20 in UK album charts and number two in iTunes Soundtrack Charts. 2022 Grammy nominee for Best Musical Theatre Album for Cinderella (Original Concept Album) and Les Misérables: The Staged Concert (Live Album).

Presenting: Host of 2016 Olivier Awards in the Piazza; backstage host of 2018 Olivier Awards at Royal Albert Hall.

Books:  First book All I Know Now: Wonderings and Reflections on Growing Up Gracefully, was released in 2015; On The Other Side, July 2016; All That She Can See, 2017; When The Curtain Falls, July 2018; In The Time We Lost, 2019; first children’s book, Into The Spotlight, a reimagining of Noel Streatfield’s Ballet Shoes, September 2020; With This Kiss, 2022;  The Double Trouble Society, 2023.

Awards: Three-time winner of Best Actress in a Musical at WhatsOnStage Awards for roles of Cinderella in Cinderella, Veronica Sawyer in Heathers and Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family. Also won WhatsOnStage Award for Best Takeover in a Role for Eponine in Les Misérables

Social media: Established online presence with more than 472,000 followers on X, 600,000 on Instagram and 630,000 subscribers to her YouTube channel with more than one million views every month. Named in The Sunday Times Influencer List as one of UK’s top 100 influencers.

Davide Ortu’s illustration for the book cover for Carrie Hope Fletcher’s 2023 children’s novel, The Double Trouble Society And The Worst Curse

Carrie Hope Fletcher: the writer

“I HAVE written eight novels and one non-fiction book, my first book [All I Know Now: Wonderings and Reflections on Growing Up Gracefully, published in April 2015], written off the back of the lifestyle blog I wrote from 2011 onwards.

“I was 22 when I wrote it with all the knowledge of what I thought I knew as a teenager. I could easily write another now at 31,” she says.

“I wrote for Little, Brown Books for the first five books and then switched to Harper Collins.  I have this incredible editor, who transferred to Harper Collins, and I followed her.

“My recent books were my first children’s books, the Double Trouble Society series. Last year Puffin published The Double Trouble Society And The Worst Curse, where the Double Trouble Society know how to handle witches but can they manage vampires, werewolves and ghosts as well?

“I have ideas for my next books, both for children and the adult market, but I’ve been preoccupied with being a new mum!”

Carrie Hope Fletcher: the vlogger

“YOU can find them on YouTube @Carrie. It’s mainly behind the scenes of musical theatre. I’ve been doing it for 11-12 years now and it’s been a delight to keep doing it,” says Carrie, who has made 893 videos and has 628,000 subscribers.

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Freida Nipples launches The Old Paint Shop with Exhibionists burlesque shows at York Theatre Royal on October 5 and 26

Nun better: Freida Nipples in one of her burlesque guises

YORK’S new cabaret club, The Old Paint Shop, opens its doors in the Theatre Royal Studio for the first time on Saturday when York queen of burlesque Freida Nipples presents The Exhibionists.

The internationally award-winning Freida – who keeps her real name under wraps, except on her passport – will be welcoming some of her favourite and most fabulous performance artists from across the UK and further afield, from burlesque to drag and beyond, with the guarantee of glamour, gags and giggles.

York-born performer and promoter Freida is no stranger to the Theatre Royal stage, having presented drag queens, acrobats, whip crackers, circus acts, sideshow performers and ‘stripteasers’ of many different flavours there, from comedy caricatures to sensual fan dancers. 

Such is her popularity – not least at her Baps & Buns Burlesque nights at Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb – that not only October 5’s 8pm launch show has sold out but so too have her The Exhibitionists: Hallowe’en Edition shows at 6pm and 9pm that close the inaugural Old Paint Shop season on October 26.

In between, the Studio space that previously housed the theatre’s workshop will present comedy, improv, jazz, folk and more in a cabaret nightclub setting with tables and chairs. Full details can be found at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

“The big question is, are you ready for it?” teases Freida ahead of The Exhibitionists’ arrival.  Judging by the hattrick of sell-outs, the answer is a resounding Yes.

“I just fell in love with it,” says Freida Nipples. “I instantly knew I wanted to become a burlesque act”

What first drew her to burlesque? “I’d just gone to university to study sociology and politics in Manchester,” she recalls, sitting in big Fifties spectacles and civvies at the Theatre Royal. “It was the day before my 20th birthday, when I saw a poster for a burlesque show in Oxford Road. I didn’t have any plans for my birthday and thought, ‘this sounds fun’.

“I went with friends, and it was like a huge lightning bolt to my heart. It was, ‘oh my god, these are my people’, and I just fell in love with it. I instantly knew I wanted to become a burlesque act myself.”

As chance would have it, she met her “burlesque mother” that very night, the legendary Lady Wildflower. They did not speak, beyond Lady Wildflower saying, “thank you for coming”, but “I then went to her burlesque classes. She produces lots of burlesque shows in the north, in Manchester and Yorkshire, and she’s one of the best tutors in burlesque.

“There are burlesque schools, but we don’t have many here apart from in London, but Lady Wildflower teaches lots of classes in Manchester and Leeds.”

The nascent burlesque performer needs to build their “act”. “You learn basic burlesque movement through the classes, and your act can be anything. Often people think of burlesque as having this vintage jazz club vibe, and that can be part of it, but actually there can be a lot of variety,” says Freida. “It’s all just art basically, it’s not all about taking your clothes off.

“Some will do comedy; some will do clowning, some will be political, but it’s definitely not just Jessica Rabbit. So, for example, for my show, I like to tick the classic Fifties’ box .”

“It’s all just art basically, it’s not all about taking your clothes off,” says Freida Nipples

Expect “a lot of bare flesh” – “we don’t like to be modest,” says Freida – but humour and stories are equally important. Lady Wildflower will be doing her majestic Moth Queen act, while Ebony Silk’s Marvel comic-themed act is described as “nerdlesque”. “She comes out as a stormtrooper and then tells a story about that character rather than doing a traditional striptease.”

What does Freida say to opponents of burlesque? “When Lady Wildflower and Heidi Bang Tidy started the Hebden Bridge Burlesque Festival ten years ago, lots of people called them ‘middle-class strippers’, but they were saying, ‘we are women doing what we want with our bodies. Who are you to say we can’t?’. I’ve been lucky not to have had too much of that going on.”

Banish preconceptions of burlesque acts playing to men in dirty raincoats. Seventy five per cent of Freida’s audiences are women: “Maybe it’s about seeing a version of themselves on stage,” she says.

“That’s part of it – body positivity. There aren’t many places you can go to see a lot of different body types. A lot of people find that very refreshing, especially when you don’t get diverse body types in the papers and magazines where there’s usually only one type. Young and slim. That’s not what you’re going to see at a burlesque show.

“Gay guys and couples are regulars too. Men on their own, with or without dirty raincoats, are a rarity. In eight years of producing shows in York, I don’t recall seeing a men’s group in the audience – but literally everyone is welcome”.

Freida is as much a promoter as a performer. “When I started in London, I struggled to find somewhere to perform so I started a night at the Old Nun’s Head, at Nunhead Green, near Peckham, putting my own money into it, as I still do,” she says.

“One of my most poular acts is where I start as a nun and then reveal the devil inside, done to [AC/DC’s] Highway To Hell,” says Freida

“Even now that’s one of the biggest stresses. Ticket sales and the cost of costumes – and I have zero sewing skills! For professional cosumes, you’re looking at a minimum of £500 and it can go up to £10,000. Nice underwear, £150. Wigs, £150.”

She launched Freida Nipples Productions in York in 2017. “I did shows in The Basement at City Screen a few times a year, then some at the Impossible York bar, and I now host a regular show, Baps & Buns Burlesque, at Rise@Bluebird Bakery, as well as the Theatre Royal nights” she says.

“I sometimes do shows at the more intimate Cat In The Wall [in Stonebow] too, and this year I hosted a Valentine’s Day night at The Crescent [Freida Nipples Presents…Valentine’s Day 2024 – Burlesque, Drag & Cabaret, ‘full to the brim full with titillating talent’].

“I like to bring performers from all over the country and would love to have international acts too, like Lady Wildflower does at Hebden Bridge, such as bringing in a headliner from Australia.”

Looking forward to Saturday, Freida says: “I am so honoured to be opening The Old Paint Shop as my grandfather used to do paint work for local productions in his twilight years. He’s one of my influences, especially my love of the 1950s.”

Freida Nipples will be appearing in various guises, not least as a nun. “I was never shy, but drama was my least favourite subject at school [Queen Margaret’s in Escrick]. I found it terrifying. So Freida is me, but revved up,” she says. “I’m not terrified because I feel I’m being me, whereas if I had to play a charcater in a play, maybe I would be.

“‘Reveal’ is what I do, as I’m not a dancer, I didn’t train in dance, so my costume is really integral to my act,” says Freida

“I love fashion, I love design. ‘Reveal’ is what I do, as I’m not a dancer, I didn’t train in dance, so my costume is really integral to my act.

“I find playing to 1,000 peope easier because you just go on and do your stage show, whereas when it’s up close and personal you have to adapt and change your choreography, though it’s harder to interconnect with your audience when there are 1,000 people there.”

Freida, who uses her spare bedroom as her home studio, is putting together a new addition to her acts. “It’s a kind of rebellion by my inner angry punk girl against how much capitalism and consumerism is attacking our industry, so I’m working on making a costume out of bin bags,” she says.

“Burlesque shows are a lot more performance art than people realise. Not just cabaret, but lots of stories in the artform that people don’t expect.

“Trixie Blue [‘burlesque echantress, show host principal at House of Trixie Blue and Newcastle Burlesue Festival producer’] once said that going to a burlesque show is like going to Aldi: coming in expecting one thing but going away with so much more after shopping in the middle aisle!”

“Very much living our best child-free life” with her boyfriend, Freida’s burlesque diary for September took her to Drax Working Men’s Club for a charity night and The Macbeth bar in Hoxton, London, for Temple Of Love, “a celebration of all things goddess”.

Now comes The Exhibionists. “I was very nervous choosing a name for the shows as I don’t like giving things names. Like they want a name for the three or four shows that I’ll be doing at the Old Woollen [at Sunnybank Mills, in Farsley, Leeds] next year, after I was invited to do their drag show, Glamourpussy,” says Freida.

Freida Nipples at the Impossible Bar, York. Picture: Daisy Daydream

“It’s The Exhibitionists at the Theatre Royal because my nan’s friend Olga said the theatre was in Exhibition Square; it’s Baps & Buns at Rise because it’s a bakery. Now I just need a name for the Old Woollen shows.” [Freida had used the does-what-it-says-on-the-tin Freida Nipples Presents: A Night of Burlesque & Cabaret for her August 27 revue night there].

As for her own stage name, Freida worked under several guises at the start of her career. “Finding a name is the most difficult thing, as with a drag act, finding something that’s not already taken. At first I used a few other names, like Curvella De Ville, which is good, but there were lots of De Villes already,” she recalls.

“After I went to a burlesque workshop in Sheffield, on the train back home, we were talking about using vintage names. Like, think of your nana’s name, but ‘Janet’ wasn’t giving me glamour!”

‘Freida’, her great aunt and sister’s name, however, had possibilities. “When I realised ‘Freida’ had the potential to be wordplay on ‘free’, I knew it had to be Freida Nipples’.”

Freida Nipples presents The Exhibitionists, The Old Paint Shop, York Theatre Royal Studio, October 5, 8pm, and The Exhibitionists: Halloween Edition, October 26, 6pm and 9pm; all sold out. Box office for returns only: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

One last question

Do you ever reveal your real name, Freida?

“No, but it’s on my passport. My family and friends know…but when I’m at work…it’s Freida Nippes.”

 

Bottom of the page: “It’s all just art basically, it’s not all about taking your clothes off,” says Freida Nipples
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What’s On in Ryedale, York & beyond when going there and back for entertainment. Hutch’s List No. 36, from Gazette & Herald

The cover artwork for Michael Palin’s new book, in focus at the Grand Opera House, York, tomorrow

FROM a talkative traveller to a Californian Kate Bush tribute act, York’s weekend of open doors to a best-of-British musical revue, Charles Hutchinson seeks diverse cultural opportunities.

Globe-trotter of the week: Michael Palin, Grand Opera House, York, tomorrow, 7.30pm

IN the words of Monty Python alumnus, actor, presenter and Yorkshireman Michael Palin: “In There And Back – The Diary Tour 2024, I’ll bring to life the fourth collection of my diaries and the first to be released for ten years.

“Lots of fun as I go through the Noughties, and some dark times too. I constantly surprise myself with the sheer amount I took on.” Tickets update: still available at atgtickets.com/york.

Baby Bushka: Delighting in the theatricality of Kate Bush’s songs at Pocklington Arts Centre

Tribute show of the week: Baby Bushka, Pocklington Arts Centre, tomorrow, 8pm

THE music and magic of Kate Bush has reached across the seas and skies to San Diego, California, where the eight women of the bewitching Baby Bushka have honed their wide-eyed, other-worldly versions of Kate’s baroque, ethereal pop.

Performed in jump-suits by Natasha Kozaily, Lexi Pulido, Nancy Ross, Leah Bowden, Batya Mac Adam-Somerm, Marie Haddad, Heather Nation and Melanie Medina, their kooky rock show is filled with four-part harmonies, avant-garde choreographed dancing, theatrical props, costumes and glitter masks. Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.

The Korgis: This is the time for everybody to learn about their favourite songs at Selby Town Hall

Sing something synth-full: The Korgis Time Machine, Selby Town Hall, tomorrow, 7.30pm

WHIRL back in time with The Korgis as they undertake a musical and audio/visual journey though the songs and bands that influenced them. Best known for their 1980 hit Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime, the Bristol synth-pop band will put their spin on songs by The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, 10cc, The Buggles, Peter Gabriel and their own songs of peace and hope with The Korgis and, earlier, with Stackridge.

If I Had You, Bringing Back The Spirit Of Love, If It’s Alright With You Baby and Something About The Beatles will feature, along with new compositions from this year’s two-album set, UN – United Nations. Questions will be taken too. Box office: 01757 708449 or selbytownhall.co.uk.

Lucy Porter: No regrets about her regrets at Selby Town Hall

Comedy gig of the week: Lucy Porter, No Regrets!, Selby Town Hall, Friday, 8pm

REGRETS? Frank Sinatra had too few to mention, but Lucy Porter has hundreds, and she is raring to go into graphic detail about all of them. From disastrous dates and professional calamities to ruined friendships and parenting failures, she charts all the mistakes she has made, works out why they happened, and ponders how her life would have turned out if she had acted differently.

Porter posits that if you regret something, you can use it to change your ways. “See the thing you regret as your rock bottom, and let it spur you on to become a better person,” says Porter, who names guilt as  one of her top five hobbies as a middle-aged, middle-class, left-leaning ex-Catholic. Box office: 01757 708449 or selbytownhall.co.uk.

Barbara Dickson: Reflecting on her career in music and musical theatre at All Saints Church, Pocklington, and Leeds City Varieties

Folk gigs of the week: Hurricane Promotions present Barbara Dickson & Nick Holland, All Saints Church, Pocklington, Friday (sold out) and October 16, 7.30pm. Also Leeds City Varieties Music Hall, October 20, 7.30pm

SCOTTISH folk singer Barbara Dickson and her pianist Nick Holland explore her catalogue of songs in these acoustic concerts in intimate settings, where the pair will let the words and melodies take centre stage as they draw on Dickson’s folk roots, contemporary greats and her classic hits, from Another Suitcase In Another Hall to I Know Him So Well. Box office: barbaradickson.net; Leeds, 0113 243 0808 or leedsheritagetheatres.com.

Festival of the week: York Unlocked 2024, Saturday and Sunday

IN its third year, York Unlocked welcomes residents and visitors to experience York’s architecture and open spaces with the chance to discover, explore and enjoy around 50 sites.

This year’s new addition is a children’s trail book; families can pick up a free copy from York Explore Library, All Saints’ Church, North Street, or The Guildhall. Full details of the participating locations, from Spark: York to City Screen Picturehouse, Terry’s Factory Clock Tower to Bishopthorpe Palace, Holgate Windmill to York Railway Station,  can be found at york-unlocked.org.uk. Entry is free, including for those requiring booking.

Stevie Williams & The Most Wanted Band: Heading to Helmsley

“Wild journey” of the week: Stevie Williams & The Most Wanted Band, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 7.30pm

LED by powerhouse vocalist Stevie Williams, The Most Wanted Band take their audiences on a wild musical journey with tight grooves, searing guitar solos and a rhythm section that hits with precision in an accomplished, high-energy, explosive show.  Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Courtney Brown: From playing Ado Annie in Oklahoma! to assistant-directing Pickering Musical Society’s Wonders Of The West End

Ryedale musical show of the week: Pickering Musical Society, Wonders Of The West End, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, October 10 to 13, 7.30pm

PICKERING Musical Society performs the best of British musicals, from the early 20th century to current hits next week, when the full company will be joined once again by Sarah Louise Ashworth School of Dance students. Lesser-known gems will complement show-stopping favourites.

Regular performer Courtney Brown, seen latterly as the Princess in Aladdin and Ado Annie in Oklahoma!, steps up to the role of assistant director alongside regular director Luke Arnold after expressing an interest in directing. Box office: 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk.

Sharleen Spiteri: Fronting Texas at Scarborough Open Air Theatre next summer

Gig announcement of the week: Texas, Scarborough Open Air Theatre, July 26 2025

SCOTTISH band Texas, fronted as ever by Sharleen Spiteri, will return to Scarborough Open Air Theatre for the first time since July 2018 to showcase five decades of songs, from I Don’t Want A Lover, Say What You Want and Summer Son to Inner Smile, Mr Haze and Keep On Talking next summer. Tickets will go on sale at 9am on Friday at scarboroughopenairtheatre.co.uk and ticketmaster.co.uk. Irish rock band The Script are confirmed already for July 5.

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Oddsocks return to Joseph Rowntree Theatre after hiatus with ‘gentle and silly’ spoof radio play take on Frankenstein

Taking the mic: Oddsocks’ Andy Barrow, Jack Herauville and Elli Mackenzie in R.O.G.E.R Radio Attempts Frankenstein. “Between us we play all the roles,” says Elli. “Part of the fun is the amount of the roles we split between us“

ODDSOCKS make a “happy and long-awaited return” to the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, on October 20 with their new show, R.O.G.E.R Radio Attempts Frankenstein.

“We have played there many times in the past. Such a welcoming space,” says creative producer Elli Mackenzie

The Matlock company invites audience members to delve into the grim laboratory of Dr Frankenstein from the comfort of a theatre seat; to experience the creation of a monster from several human corpses; to gasp as the creature comes to life and to play the part of a humble local to save the village from the creature’s revenge.

Will Dr Frankenstein face his destiny? Will the monster eat your crisps? Will there be a dry seat in the house? Answers to all these questions and more besides will be revealed when R.O.G.E.R Radio attempts Frankenstein.

“We are very excited to be bringing this play to our audiences in York.” says Elli, one half of the husband-and-wife team that runs this family theatre company, whose open-air production of Julius Caesar played the 2024 Harrogate International Festival at RHS Garden Harlow Carr in July.

“We last appeared at the Rowntree Theatre in the small window of touring opportunity during Covid with A Christmas Carol and we are very excited to be returning. Our audiences know it’s worth the effort to come along: we make people laugh out loud and we ensure that you leave the theatre feeling happier than when you arrived.”

Noted for creating bold, challenging, innovative and interactive theatre from classic texts for a family audience of all ages, Oddsocks’ comedy adaptation of Frankenstein features artistic director Andy Barrow as one of the cheeky chappies of the R.O.G.E.R Radio cast.

Multi-role playing is an understatement as he takes on the parts of the Sea Captain, Frankenstein’s father, Henry Clerval and others, not least Frankenstein’s monster. “The joy of presenting the story as though we are performing a radio play is that we can play so many characters in quick succession by just a change of wig or hat,” says Andy, who has appeared in most of the Derbyshire company’s productions since its beginnings 35 years ago.

He is joined by Elli, who likewise plays many parts, including Elizabeth Frankenstein, First Mate Jenkins, numerous villagers and landladies. “My favourite role is First Mate Jenkins, mainly because of his expressive hat…you have to be there,” says Elli, cryptically.

Here, Oddsocks producer, script writer and actor Elli Mackenzie discusses R.O.G.E.R Radio Attempts Frankenstein with CharlesHutchPress.

What’s the back story of Oddsocks, Elli?

“Oddsocks is a family company and it’s our anniversary, 35 years. I can’t quite believe it, until I think back over all we’ve done together in those years and all the thousands of people we’ve met, worked with and entertained in that time.

“We are usually to be found performing our unique take on Shakespeare throughout each summer. Our last tour, which finished in August, was of Julius Caesar. It was a lot of fun, though it’s lovely to get out of the Roman armour and put the sword and shield down, don something sophisticated and play a ‘lovely lady of the heyday radio drama’ in this gentle and silly piece.”

What is the performance style of R.O.G.E.R Radio Attempts Frankenstein?

“It evokes the heyday of radio drama, circa 1950. Lots of sound effects made using ridiculous props on our ‘foley table’…

Foley table, Elli?

“Foley artists create the sound effects which are created live in the studio or added after in the edit, and they help to bring the drama to life for the listener; doors opening and closing, tea being poured, animal sounds, ambient noise of a babbling brook, running feet on gravel, that sort of thing.

“Our audience see how these sounds are made, which is fun, and there are lots of surprises, which I won’t spoil. A lot of cabbage and celery is used, however!”

Back to the performance style, Elli…

“We have a cast of three actors to play all the roles in the story of Frankenstein. We do it ‘script in hand’, just as a cast of actors would have done in the radio studios of the 1950s, and we all play lots of roles each.

“The premise is that we ‘go live’ with a ‘live radio audience’, who are encouraged to join in by shouting out lines at suitable moments to add to the drama. If we were to record it, which we might at one performance, the idea is that you could listen back, and it would make absolute sense without physically seeing the action.

“In our performance, the evening doesn’t go quite to plan. No spoilers here, but let’s just say, it’s not just the play which Oddsocks tackles. There is very funny, unplanned drama and mild peril, which you will have to come along to on the night to enjoy. “

Why present Frankenstein?

“Frankenstein is such a beautiful, engaging, action-packed story. It is poignant, as well as scary at times. We certainly don’t shy away from the questions raised about Frankenstein’s ambition, hubris and selfishness in creating his monster, and yet we have a lot of Oddsocks-style fun with the characters and audience interaction too.”

Why are we still so fascinated by Frankenstein? 

“Monsters are still scary, and drama is part of our lives.  We watch horror films from the comfort of our armchairs at home or go to the cinema to be thrilled by them. We love to be scared from a place of safety, I guess.”

When did you first read Frankenstein? What struck you at that time?  

“I first actually read the book last year when I was due to adapt it.  What struck me at the time was the sadness of the monster, his loneliness and isolation, and Frankenstein’s inability to take responsibility for his creation.”

What was your approach to adapting Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel for Oddsocks’ production?

 “I was surprised by the story when I first read it. I guess, like a lot of people, I thought I knew the story because I had seen the famous film adaptations over the years, depicting grotesque and scary monsters.

“Like many, I fell in love with the actual story and its messages about taking responsibility for one’s own creation. For the life one brings into the world. (I am a mother, after all). I love the fact that the author was a young woman too.

“In the novel, a young, ambitious, self-centred student, Victor Frankenstein, discovers how to create life and promptly sets about doing it. However, his creation doesn’t turn out to look as he intended.

“Instead of stepping up, facing his fears and dealing with the situation, he shuns the being and tries to ignore it. Of course, he learns through terrible circumstances that he can’t escape his duty of care, and resolves, finally, to deal with the nightmare of his making.

“My ‘creation’ is a comedy interpretation of a classic 19th century novel in a spoof radio format, and even though I felt like I wanted to escape my duty of care after I’d written about ten drafts, we sat in the rehearsal room to read the rehearsal draft, and it came together hilariously.

“We introduced the creation to audiences in January and thankfully they laughed, joined in and were moved in equal measure.”

What makes Frankenstein ripe for a spoof reinterpretation? 

“There are theatre productions which are ‘straight’ adaptations, which reinterpret the story in different ways but rarely by using comedy, so we thought…’Why not?’. It really works in the context of a spoof radio play too.  Lots of sound effects made using ridiculous items, which actually work, and characterisations that look extreme but are so suitable for radio drama.

“Our interpretation is based on the original story and characters but goes in very funny directions and uses audience participation.  There are moments which are straight from the novel and are very moving, but equally our aim is to entertain our audiences, who know that what we do is funny, touching, clever, slick and a good night out.”

What does comedy add to Frankenstein? 

“We have spent the last 35 years adapting classic texts for a modern audience and with the focus on bringing out the comedy potential of piece through situation. Our audiences enjoy our interpretations, whether they have an in-depth understanding and knowledge of the original or otherwise. 

“The ‘purists’ enjoy the wit and reverence with which we adapt the original, whilst those who are new to the story, whether it’s Hamlet, Treasure Island, Frankenstein or Pinocchio (we’ve adapted so many greats),  get to know and love the story, laugh out loud, acknowledge the layers of meaning under the humour and glean the messages within the text .

“People often go away and read the original afterwards, then email us to say how they didn’t realise so much of what we did was from the original, word for word!”

What is the significance of Frankenstein being written by a woman and now being adapted by a woman?

“The significance for me is more that of us both being mothers.  I think the responsibility one feels as a mother having given birth is something which links us more than our gender.  

“I read the book as a mother with a commission to make audiences laugh and feel emotion; Mary Shelley wrote it as a mother in the 19th century, when audiences had different references and values, but we had both given life to sentient beings. There’s something primeval about the significance of that.”

In a nutshell, Elli, what should the York audience expect from R.O.G.E.R Radio Attempts Frankenstein?

“A great deal of laughing, action, mild peril and slick silliness.”

Oddsocks in R.O.G.E.R Radio Attempts Frankenstein, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, October 20, 7.30pm. Box office: 01904 501937 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

Did you know?

ODDSOCKS moved into the 17th century, Grade II listed disused Lea Chapel, Upper Lea, near Matlock, Derbyshire, as the company’s rehearsal and performance space during the Covid lockdown. “It is opening to the public with our first performance of this tour. It’s so exciting,” says Elli. “We hope it will be followed up by lots of other companies using the space too.”

Did you know too?

R.O.G.E.R Radio Attempts Frankenstein premiered at Jersey Arts Centre in January 2024 and will be on tour from October 18 to November 2.

One final question for Elli:

What will Oddsocks be staging next and when?

“WE are back on tour next summer with our new adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and will be appearing at Harrogate International Festival in July and possibly other venues near to York from June.”