Leeds abstract surrealist Nicolas Dixon, front, spotted at the launch of the debut RARE v WET exhibition with WET proprietors James Wall and Ella Williams and RARE Collective organiser Sharon McDonagh
A SURREALIST wine bar exhibition, a comedy thriller in an hotel and Australian children’s games stir Charles Hutchinson’s interest.
Exhibition of the week: Nicolas Dixon, RARE v WET, at WET, Micklegate, York, until April 22
YORK artist and event organiser Sharon McDonagh and DJ/artist Sola launch their RARE v WET series of solo exhibitions in aid of York charity SASH (Safe and Sound Homes) at WET, James Wall and Ella Williams’ indie wine bar and restaurant, with Nicolas Dixon first up.
Leeds abstract surrealist Dixon’s murals and artworks have become landmarks in Leeds, including at Kirkgate Market, Trinity Shopping Centre and the University of Leeds, as well as Leeds United tributes to the 1972 FA Cup Winners at Elland Road and the iconic Bielsa the Redeemer in Wortley. On show is a mixture of new and older work, both prints and originals.
In the shadows: Michael Hugo in Claybody Theatre’s The Grand Babylon Hotel. Picture: Andrew Billington
Thriller of the week: Claybody Theatre in The Grand Babylon Hotel, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, tonight to Saturday, 7.30pm plus 1.30pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees; Harrogate Theatre, April 1 to 4, 7.30pm plus 2pm Saturday matinee
CONRAD Nelson directs an ensemble cast of multiple flamboyant characters in a rollicking comedy thriller of rapid-fire character changes, sharp humour and theatrical fun, presented in association with the New Vic Theatre.
In Deborah McAndrew’s adaptation of Arnold Bennett’s novel, Nella Racksole discovers steak and beer are not on the menu for her birthday treat at the exclusive Grand Babylon Hotel, prompting her American millionaire father to buy the chef, the kitchen, the entire hotel. Cue kidnapping and murder. Have Theodore and Nella bitten off more than they can chew? Box office: Scarborough, 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com; Harrogate, 01423 502116 or harrogatetheatre.co.uk.
Bluey’s Big Play: Australian bean bags, games and cleverness at Grand Opera House, York
Children’s show of the week: Windmill Theatre Co in Bluey’s Big Play, Grand Opera House, York, 10am, tomorrow and Friday; 10am, 1pm and 4pm, Saturday and Sunday
COMBINING puppets and original voices from Ludo Studios’ Emmy Award-winning Australian children’s television series, including Dave McCormack and Melanie Zanetti as Dad and Mum, this theatrical adaptation is based on an original story by Bluey creator Joe Brumm, featuring music by series composer Joff Bush. When Dad wants a bean bag time-out, Bluey and Bingo have other plans as they pull out all the games and cleverness at their disposal. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
The Brand New Heavies: Acid Jazz joy, funk, love and fancy clothes at York Barbican
York gig of the week: The Brand New Heavies, York Barbican, tomorrow, doors 7pm
EALING Acid Jazz pioneers The Brand New Heavies – Simon Bartholomew, vocals and guitar, Andrew Levy, bass and keyboards, and Angela Ricci, vocals – mark their 35th anniversary with a 12-date tour that takes in York Barbican as their only Yorkshire destination. Expect joy, funk, love and fancy clothes. Galliano support. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Lizzie Lawton’s Jack Worthing, front, and Jorja Cartwright’s Algernon Moncrieff in Rowntree Players’ The Importance Of Being Earnest
Comedy classic of the week: Rowntree Players in The Importance Of Being Earnest, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, tomorrow to Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2pm Saturday matinee
ROWNTREE Players bring Oscar Wilde’s 1895 farcical comedy of manners to the York stage in the original four-act version reconstructed by Vyvyan Holland, under the direction of Hannah Shaw.
Lizzie Lawton’s Jack Worthing and Jorja Cartwright’s Algernon Moncrieff lead double lives under the false name of “Ernest” to escape social obligations, leading to romantic entanglements and comedic misunderstandings, played out by a cast featuring Jeanette Hambridge’s Lady Bracknell, Bethan Olliver’s Gwendolen Fairfax, Katie Shaw’s Cecily Cardew, Wayne Osguthorpe’s Reverend Canon Chasuble, Rebecca Thomson’s Miss Prism and Max Palmer’s Lane/Merriman. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Jessica Fostekew: “The silliest of comedy for the scariest of days”in Iconic Breath at Pocklington Arts Centre
Comedy gig of the week: Jessica Fostekew: Iconic Breath, Pocklington Arts Centre, Friday, 8pm
ICONIC Breath, Jessica Fostekew’s most rousing and uplifting show yet, provides the silliest of comedy for the scariest of days as The Guilty Feminist, Hoovering and Contender Ready podcaster discusses tolerance and temperance.
“I can feel myself becoming an emotional wildebeest right when my world (and the whole world, thanks) demands cool, collected, ultra detached, saint-like kindness and understanding,” says Fostekew, who has hosted two series of Sturdy Girl Club on BBC Radio 4. Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.
This won’t hurt: Andrew Margerison, Rebecca Vaughan and Gavin Robertson in General Medical Emergency Ward 10
Hospital drama homage of the week: Dyad Productions and Company Gavin Robertson in General Medical Emergency Ward 10, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, Friday, 7.30pm
UNITING for the first time, Dyad Productions and Company Gavin Robertson’s Rebecca Vaughan, Andrew Margerison and the aforementioned Gavin Robertson knit every cliché-ridden doctors-and-nurses TV and film drama into a pacy comedy mash-up spoof that promises to leave you in stitches.
On Dr Ann Fleming’s first day at St David’s, her unfortunately-named mentor, Dr Death, is determined to show her who’s boss. As medical emergencies overload the hapless staff, Dr Fleming must juggle a complicated budding love affair with a kidney and a nosey hospital boss. Not literally, of course. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
The Budapest Café Orchestra: Fronted by Christian Garrick at Helmsley Arts Centre
Snappiest attire of the week: Christian Garrick & The Budapest Café Orchestra, National Centre for Early Music, York, Friday, 7.30pm, sold out; Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 7.30pm
CHRISTIAN Garrick (violin, darbuka), Murray Grainger (accordion), Kelly Cantlon (double bass) and Adrian Zolotuhin (guitar, saz, balalaika, domra) team up in this refreshingly unconventional and snappily attired boutique orchestra. Playing gypsy and folk-flavoured music in a unique and surprising way, The Budapest Café Orchestra combine Balkan and Russian traditional music with artful distillations of Romantic masterworks and soaring Gaelic folk anthems.
Established by British composer Garrick in 2009, BCO have 16 albums to their name, marked by an “astonishing soundscape and aural alchemy” characteristic of larger ensembles, evoking Tzigane fiddle maestros, Budapest café life and gypsy campfires. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Hope & Social: Unforgettable spectacle, energetic songs and chaotic moments at Milton Rooms, Malton
Ryedale gig of the week: Hope & Social, Milton Rooms, Malton, Saturday, 8pm
LEEDS band Hope & Social’s eight musicians pour their heart and soul into creating exuberant, high-energy tunes in gigs full of pure joy, infectious enthusiasm, unforgettable spectacle and chaotic moments.
Each performance by “Yorkshire’s own E-Street Band” is spiced up with Northern wit and self-deprecating humour as a powerhouse three-piece horn section and intricate five-part harmonies contribute to a massive sound that spans genres, drawing influence from soul, indie, folk, disco and art rock. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Crosscut Saw’s Alex Eden : Leading his blues band at Milton Rooms, Malton
Blues gig of the week: Ryedale Blues Club presents Crosscut Saw, Milton Rooms, Malton, March 26, 8pm
YORKSHIRE blues trio Crosscut Saw’s Alex Eden (lead singer, guitarist and harmonica player), Richard Ferdinando (drums) and Richard Green (bass) draw inspiration from Magic Sam, RL Burnside, Taj Mahal and Dr John in performances marked by raw energy and unpredictability.
They hold a monthly residency at the Duck & Drake in Leeds, have played the Great British Blues Festival and Tenby Blues Festival, collaborated with TJ Norton, Paddy Wells and The Haggis Horns and worked as a backing band for Jake Walker and King Rollo. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Elizabeth Marsh in rehearsal for The Secret Garden The Musical at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Marc Brenner
A MAGICAL Yorkshire garden, an hotel comedy thriller, a surrealist wine bar exhibition and Pulp confessions exhibition stir Charles Hutchinson’s interest.
Musical of the week: The Secret Garden The Musical, York Theatre Royal, March 17 to April 4
TONY Award-winning director John Doyle, artistic director of York Theatre Royal from 1993 to 1997, returns to pastures past in more ways than one to present his actor-musician staging of Lucy Simon and Marsha Norman’s Broadway musical account of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s story of love, loss, healing and hope, set on Yorkshire moorland in 1906.
Newly orphaned, Mary Lennox is sent to live with her widowed uncle at the secluded Misselthwaite Manor, a house in habited by memories and spirits from the past. On discovering her Aunt Lily’s neglected garden, she vows to breathe new life into its mysterious stasis as she learns the restorative magic of nature. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Leeds abstract surrealist Nicolas Dixon, front, spotted at Thursday’s launch of his RARE v WET exhibition with WET proprietors James Wall and Ella Williams and RARE Collective organiser Sharon McDonagh, right
Exhibition of the week: Nicolas Dixon, RARE v WET, at WET, Micklegate, York, until April 22
YORK artist and event organiser Sharon McDonagh and DJ/artist Sola launch their RARE v WET series of solo exhibitions in aid of York charity SASH (Safe and Sound Homes) at WET, James Wall and Ella Williams’ indie wine bar and restaurant, with Nicolas Dixon first up.
Leeds abstract surrealist Dixon’s murals and artworks have become landmarks in Leeds, including at Kirkgate Market, Trinity Shopping Centre and the University of Leeds, as well as Leeds United tributes to the 1972 FA Cup Winners at Elland Road and the iconic Bielsa the Redeemer in Wortley. On show is a mixture of new and older work, both prints and originals.
Stephen Joseph Theatre favourite Bill Champion as American billionaire Theodore Racksole in Claybody Theatre’s The Grand Babylon Hotel, on tour at the SJT next week. Picture: Andrew Billington
Thriller of the week: Claybody Theatre in The Grand Babylon Hotel, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, March 18 to 21, 7.30pm plus 1.30pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees
CONRAD Nelson directs an ensemble cast of multiple flamboyant characters in a rollicking comedy thriller of rapid-fire character changes, sharp humour and theatrical fun, presented in association with the New Vic Theatre.
In Deborah McAndrew’s adaptation of Arnold Bennett’s novel, Nella Racksole discovers steak and beer are not on the menu for her birthday treat at the exclusive Grand Babylon Hotel, prompting her American millionaire father to buy the chef, the kitchen, the entire hotel. Cue kidnapping and murder. Have Theodore and Nella bitten off more than they can chew? Box office: 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.
Baroque Alchemy’s Lyndy Mayle and Piers Adams: Playing NCEM tonight
Classical-electronic concert of the week: Baroque Alchemy, National Centre for Early Music, York, tonight, 7.30pm
ANCIENT and modern meet in a spectacular musical fusion in Baroque Alchemy, the realisation of recorder virtuoso Piers Adams and keyboard player Lyndy Mayle’s long-held dream. Ever since the rise of synth-led bands and New Age music in the 1980s, Red Priest frontman Adams has nurtured a vision to combine the drama of baroque music with the expansive sound-world of the electronic era. Now Baroque Alchemy turn the traditional early music recital on its head for the 21st century. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.
Dominic Halpin & The Hurricanes: Evoking the Grand Ole Opry in A Country Night In Nashville at the Grand Opera House
Tribute gig of the week: A Country Night In Nashville, Grand Opera House, York, Sunday, 7.30pm
A COUNTRY Night In Nashville re-creates the scene of a buzzing Honky Tonk in downtown Nashville, capturing the energy and atmosphere of a night in the home of country music in a journey through the history of its biggest stars past and present. Hits from Johnny Cash to Alan Jackson, Dolly Parton to The Chicks, Willie Nelson to Kacey Musgraves are showcased by Dominic Halpin & The Hurricanes. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
The book cover for Mark Webber’s I’m With Pulp, Are You?, under discussion by the author and guitarist at York Literature Festival
Book event of the week: York Literature Festival, I’m With Pulp, Are You?, An Evening With Mark Webber, The Crescent, York, March 17, 7pm
PULP guitarist and avant-garde film curator Mark Webber discusses I’m With Pulp, Are You?, his visually rich chronicle of the Sheffield band’s history from the perspective of a fan-turned-manager-turned-guitarist.
In his music memoir, 40 years of archived material comes to life as Chesterfield-born Webber recalls his fascination with David Bowie, The Velvet Underground, Andy Warhol and counterculture, writing fanzines and organising concerts from the age of 15, joining Pulp in 1995 and playing on Different Class, This Is Hardcore, We Love Life and More, 2025’s recording renaissance after a 24-year hiatus. Box office: 01904 623568, yorktheatreroyal.co.uk or yorkliteraturefestival.co.uk.
Bluey’s Big Play: Australian fun and games for children at the Grand Opera House
Children’s show of the week: Windmill Theatre Co in Bluey’s Big Play, Grand Opera House, York, March 19 to 22, 10am, Thursday and Friday; 10am, 1pm and 4pm, Saturday and Sunday
COMBINING puppets and original voices from Ludo Studios’ Emmy Award-winning Australian children’s television series, including Dave McCormack and Melanie Zanetti as Dad and Mum, this theatrical adaptation is based on an original story by Bluey creator Joe Brumm, featuring music by series composer Joff Bush. When Dad wants a bean bag time-out, Bluey and Bingo have other plans as they pull out all the games and cleverness at their disposal. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Scouting For Girls: Re-visiting Everybody Wants To Be On TV at York Barbican
York Barbican gigs of the week: Scouting For Girls, Everybody (Still) Wants To Be On TV Tour 2026, March 17, doors 7pm; The Brand New Heavies, March 19
AS Scouting For Girls’ vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Roy Stride puts it: “I can’t believe we’re already celebrating the 15th anniversary of our second album [Everybody Wants To Be On TV], and I’m beyond excited to get back on the road in 2026! The shows are going to be immense: a massive nostalgic Scouting singalong every night.” Expect further hits to feature too.
Ealing Acid Jazz pioneers The Brand New Heavies – Simon Bartholomew, vocals and guitar, Andrew Levy, bass and keyboards, and Angela Ricci, vocals – mark their 35th anniversary with a 12-date tour that takes in York Barbican as their only Yorkshire destination. Expect joy, funk, love and fancy clothes. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
The Brand New Heavies: Acid Jazz joy, funk, love and fancy clothes at York Barbican
Comedy classic of the week: Rowntree Players in The Importance Of Being Earnest, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, March 19 to 21, 7.30pm plus 2pm Saturday matinee
ROWNTREE Players bring Oscar Wilde’s cherished 1895 farcical comedy of manners to the York stage in the original four-act version reconstructed by Vyvyan Holland, under the direction of Hannah Shaw.
Lizzie Lawton’s John Worthing and Jorja Cartwright’s Algernon Moncrieff lead double lives under the false name of “Ernest” to escape social obligations, leading to romantic entanglements and comedic misunderstandings, played out by a cast featuring Jeanette Hambridge’s Lady Bracknell, Bethan Olliver’s Gwendolen Fairfax, Katie Shaw’s Cecily Cardew, Wayne Osguthorpe’s Reverend Canon Chasuble, Rebecca Thomson’s Miss Prism and Max Palmer’s Lane/Merriman. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
A collage from the rehearsal photo-shoot for Rowntree Players’ production of The Importance Of Being Earnest
Comedy gig of the week: Rob Rouse, Funny Bones, Helmsley Arts Centre, March 20, 8pm; Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, March 21, 7.45pm
FRESH from being picked as the Comics’ Comic Best Act of the Year 2025, Rob Rouse is touring Funny Bones: a daft whirlwind of craftily spun tall tales, a bucketful of manic energy, canny stagecraft, eerily convincing characters and a barrage of one-liners.
“Warning: this show has been meticulously assembled to make you laugh as much as possible,” says Rouse. “However, you will not learn anything from it. You may even come out stupider than when you came in.” Box office: Helmsley, 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk; Scarborough, 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.
Super scooper: Funny Bones comedian Rob Rouse and his skeleton dog on tour at Helmsley and Scarborough
Scottish musician, producer and songwriter Ure, 72, promises a “rare and deeply personal concert experience on a tour that will “blend classic album tracks and fan favourites with cinematic instrumentals in a seamless, emotionally resonant journey through his expansive career”.
He last played York in April 2023, joined by Band Electronica on his Voice & Visions Tour at the Grand Opera House to mark the 40th anniversary of Ultravox albums Rage In Eden and Quartet, released in September 1981 and October 1982 respectively, backed up by landmark songs from Ure’s back catalogue.
Ure & Band Electronica first performed there in November 2017 when headlining a 1980s’ triple bill with The Christians and Altered Images, returning in October 2019 on The 1980 Tour, when Ultravox’s 1980 album, Vienna, was performed in its entirety for the first time in four decades, complemented by highlights from Visage’s self-titled debut album, .
Having celebrated his 70th birthday with a sold-out Royal Albert Hall show in 2023, followed up with a major UK tour in 2024, Ure now challenge musical expectations with a new live concept for 2026.
“This is my two worlds coming together,” explains the Slik, Rich Kids, Ultravox and Visage musician. “Almost every album I have made over the last 40-plus years has featured at least one instrumental track. Instrumental music is one of my main loves.”
For the first time, these often-overlooked instrumental pieces will share the stage with the songs generations know and love. Interspersed throughout the performance, they will act as sonic bridges.
“I realised most of these have never been performed live,” reflects Ure. “So my intention on this tour is to seamlessly insert some of these atmospheric, cinematic instrumentals between a selection of hits and favourite album tracks.”
The result is a curated show designed not only as a set list of songs, but also as a multi-sensory narrative “to take the audience on a journey rather than just play a list of individual songs,” adds Ure. “This will be an immersive experience for the audience both visually and sonically.”
From his glam rock days with Slik, through the punk-tinged energy of The Rich Kids (also featuring Glen Matlock, later of the Sex Pistols), to encapsulating the electronic sound of the 1980s with Ultravox and Visage, Ure has been at the forefront of innovation.
His role in co-writing and producing the 1984 global anthem Do They Know It’s Christmas? and helping to orchestrate Live Aid at Wembley Stadium remains among the most significant moments in modern music history.
After a career crowned with Ivor Novello, Grammy, and BASCAP awards and a legacy of gold and platinum-selling records, Ure now brings fans something completely new.
Tommy Carmichael in the poster announcing his return to the York Theatre Royal pantomime in Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs
THE funny fixtures are in place for both the 2026-27 York Theatre Royal and Grand Opera House pantomimes.
After Jimmy Bryant was confirmed for a second season in UK Productions’ The Further Adventures Of Peter Pan: The Return Of Captain Hook, playing Smee from December 5 to January 3 at the Cumberland Street theatre, now Tommy Carmichael has signed up for a third winter of daft-lad tomfoolery in Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs at the Theatre Royal.
After starring as ever-cheerful Charlie in Aladdin in 2024 and Jangles in Sleeping Beauty last Christmas, Doncaster-born Carmichael will play Muddles, reuniting once more with regular panto dame Robin Simpson.
Tommy Carmichael’s Jangles with panto dame Robin Simpson’s Nurse Nellie in York Theatre Royal’s 2025-26 pantomime Aladdin. Picture: S R Taylor Photography
Now based in Livingston, near Edinburgh, Carmichael has played Timternet in Big Strong Man (national tour), Silly Willy in Robin Hood (The Maltings, Ely), Chief Weasel in The Wind In The Willows (national tour), “Himself” in Big Strong Man (CAST, Doncaster), Buttons in Cinderella (The Maltings, Ely), Queen Of Hearts in Alice In Wonderland (national tour) and Bagheera in The Jungle Book (national tour).
Written by Paul Hendy and directed by Theatre Royal creative director Juliet Forster, Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs will be co-produced with award-winning Evolution Productions, the team behind such York pantomimes as Jack And The Beanstalk, Aladdin and Sleeping Beauty.
Juliet says: “We are delighted to have Tommy back with us for Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs this year! Robin [Simpson] and Tommy have such a fabulous energy and comedic rapport when they’re on stage together and we know audiences will love having them back to bring all the laughs once again.
Tommy Carmichael: Actor and children’s theatre tutor
“Feedback from last year was just so brilliant and we already have performances which are closing to selling out, so it’s never too early to get your tickets.”
Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs will run from December 4 to January 3, with the promise of “lavish costumes, stunning sets, hilarious jokes and dazzling special effects”.
Family tickets are available for all performances with savings of up to £61 on bookings for four tickets. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Ben Arnup: York ceramicist taking part in York Ceramics Fair
THE cream of ceramics, the dancing Gentleman Jack, Harry Enfield’s comedy characters and two cases for Sherlock Holmes make for a cracking week ahead, reckons Charles Hutchinson.
Top of the pots: York Ceramics Fair 2026, York Racecourse, Knavesmire, York, today, 10am to 5pm; tomorrow, 10am to 4pm
EXPLORE work by more than 70 of the UK’s finest makers in a balanced mix of established artists and emerging talent, complemented by inspiring talks and demonstrations, in this Craft Potters Association event run by the makers.
Among those taking part will be Ben Arnup, Hannah Billingham, Cosmin Ciofirdel, Ben Davies, Sharon Griffin, Jaroslav Hrustalenko, Jin Eui Kim, Ruth King, Francis Lloyd-Jones, Emily Stubbs, Asia Szwej-Hawkin, Shirley Vauvelle and Jo Walker. Tickets: yorkceramicsfair.com.
Heather Lehan, left, and Julie Nunès in rehearsal for Northern Ballet’s Gentleman Jack at Leeds Grand Theatre. Picture: Colleen Mair
Dance premiere of the week: Northern Ballet in Gentleman Jack, Leeds Grand Theatre, today, then March 10 to 14, 7.30pm, plus 2.30pm matinees on March 12 and 14
THIS groundbreaking new ballet marks a trio of ‘firsts’: the first time the story of Anne Lister has been told through ballet, the first large-scale commission for Northern Ballet since 2021 and the first under artistic director Federico Bonelli.
Yorkshirewoman Anne, the “first modern lesbian”, lived, dressed and loved as she desired, not as 19th century society expected of her. Northern Ballet’s interpretation of her life is choreographed by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. Box office: 0113 243 0808 or leedsheritagetheatres.com.
Candie Payne: Singer-turned-artist taking part in pop-up art fair at RedHouse Gallery, Harrogate. Picture: Chris Morrison
Pop-up art event of the week ART at RedHouse Gallery, Cheltenham Mount, Harrogate, today, 10am to 6pm
REDHOUSE Gallery, in Cheltenham Mount, Harrogate, introduces ART, its inaugural pop-up fair dedicated to contemporary art, prints, archive editions and sculpture, showcasing young and emerging artists from Harrogate and beyond.
Many of the artists will be attending the event. Among those taking part are Schoph, Christopher Kelly, Candie Payne, Thomas James Butler, Florence Blanchard, Alfie Kungu, Gareth Griffiths, David Rusbatch and Siena Barnes.
Harry Enfield: No Chums but a cornucopia of comedy characters on his return to York, where he cut his comedy teeth in his university days
Comedy legend of the week: Harry Enfield And No Chums, Grand Opera House, York, tomorrow, 2.30pm and 7.30pm
FROM the meteoric rise of Thatcherite visionary Loadsamoney to the fury of Kevin the Teenager, satirical comedian and self-styled “stupid idiot” Harry Enfield reflects on 40 years in comedy, bringing favourite characters back to life on stage.
Then comes your chance to ask the former University of York politics student (Derwent College, 1979 to 1982) how comedy works, what makes him most proud and what would he say to those who suggest “You wouldn’t be allowed to do your stuff today, would you?”. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Aisling Bea: Tales of travel, home, history, music, lovers and enemies at York Barbican
Big life answers of the week: Aisling Bea, Older Than Jesus, York Barbican, Sunday, 7.30pm
BAFTA and British Comedy Award-winning Irish stand-up, actor and writer Aisling Bea presents tales of travel, home, immigration, history, sex, babies, music, lovers and enemies and will even answer your big life questions.
“It’s not about the destination, babes, it’s about the journey, but also the destinations are very important,” says Kildare-born Bea, creator, writer and star of Channel 4 and Hulu series This Way Up. Older than Jesus? Yes, Bea is 41. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Josh Jones: Still trying to earn his cat’s respect on tour at Theatre@41, Monkgate
Wrestling with humour: Josh Jones, I Haven’t Won The Lottery So Here’s Another Tour Show, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, March 11, 8pm
MANCHESTER comedian Josh Jones follows up Gobsmacked with I Haven’t Won The Lottery So Here’s Another Tour Show as he finds himself knee deep into his 30s, where nothing thrills him more than a Greggs’ Sausage Roll and an M&S food shop.
Living a more sedate life is not without its challenges, however, as he is still trying to earn his cat’s respect. “I’ll be keeping it light: nothing super-political, nothing controversial, and it’s definitely not going to change your life,” he says of a set brimful of history, cats and his love of wrestling. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Jordan Gray: Asking if the cost of success is worth it at Theatre@41, Monkgate
Gray matter of the week: Jordan Gray, Is That A C*ck In Your Pocket , Or Are You Just Here To Kill Me?, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, March 12, 8pm
JORDAN Gray, creator of ITV’s Transaction, hits the road with a guitar on her back and some very poorly written death threats in her DMs after she stripped off live on Channel 4, and won a BAFTA in the process, but bigots went ballistic.
Is the cost of success worth it, she asks in her new show. How do you live up to your own sky-high expectations? Join Gray as she explores all this and more in her “rootinest, tootinest, shootinest” hour of musical comedy yet. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Claire Martin: Joining jazz forces with IG4 at NCEM, York. Picture: Kenny McCracken
Jazz gig of the week: IG4 with Claire Martin, National Centre for Early Music, York, March 12, 7.30pm
VOCALIST Claire Martin joins IG4 pianist and composer Nikki Iles, saxophonist Karen Sharp and rising star bassist Ewan Hastie, 2022 BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year, to perform Iles’s new arrangements of Tom Waits, Burt Bacharach, Anthony Newley and Joni Mitchell songs, complemented by her stylish reworking of the American songbook, including Cole Porter and Johnny Mandel. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.
Baron Productions’ cast for Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal In Bohemia and The Speckled Band at St Mary’s Church, Bishophill Junior
Thriller double bill of the week: Baron Productions in Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal In Bohemia and The Speckled Band, St Mary’s Church, Bishophill Junior, York, March 13 and 14, 7.30pm
SHERLOCK Holmes and Dr Watson embark on two of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most captivating cases, presented by York company Baron Productions. London private detective Holmes has always despised love, until the day he pits his wits against mysterious blackmailer Irene Adler, who has a powerful hold over the King of Bohemia, one that could turn Holmes into a changed man if he dares do battle with her.
Then, when a desperate young woman begs Holmes for protection against her cruel stepfather, he and Watson must face a deranged doctor – who can commit horrible murders without entering his victims’ rooms – and a sinister “speckled band”. Box office: ticketsource.co.uk/baron-productions.
Elvis Costello: Revisiting his 1977-1986 back catalogue in Radio Soul! at York Barbican in June. Picture: Ray Di Pietro
Gig announcement of the week: Elvis Costello & The Imposters with Charlie Sexton, Radio Soul!: The Early Songs Of Elvis Costello, York Barbican, June 17
ELVIS Costello will return to York Barbican for the first time since May 2012’s Spectacular Singing Book tour, joined by The Imposters’ Steve Nieve, Pete Thomas and Davey Faragher and Texan guitarist Charlie Sexton.
Costello, 71, will focus on songs drawn from 1977’s My Aim Is True to 1986’s Blood & Chocolate in 1986, complemented by “other surprises”. Tickets: yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/elvis-costello/.
In Focus: Northern Ballet’s world premiere of Gentleman Jack, Q & A with principal dancers Gemma Coutts, Saeka Shirai & Rachael Gillespie
The woman in black: Gemma Coutts’s Anne Lister in Northern Ballet’s Gentleman Jack. Picture: Guy Farrow
Gemma Coutts on playing playing Anne Lister, 19th century icon and Yorkshirewoman, described by some as the “first modern lesbian”
What steps brought you to Northern Ballet?
“I grew up in Thailand, where I attended my first ballet school. At the age of 16, I joined the English National Ballet School and graduated in 2021. After this, I joined Northern Ballet where I am now in my fifth season with the company.”
Were you aware of Anne Lister/Gentleman Jack before being invited to create the ballet? What stuck you most about her story?
“No, I was not aware of Anne Lister or her story prior to the ballet. Having learned more, Anne’s confidence and the social impact of her actions really stood out to me.”
How have you found the process of working with choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa to create the ballet and originate this role?
“I have really enjoyed working with Annabelle. She is a passionate woman who knows what she wants. This means that we work quickly and with purpose, which suits my style and has allowed us to really dive into the roles.”
How would you describe this ballet in three words?
“Challenging. Evocative. Powerful.”
What are you most looking forward to about performing Gentleman Jack?
“I am looking forward to performing in London as my family are coming to watch all the way from Indonesia. I always enjoy my time in London as I get to see many friends from my English National Ballet School days.”
Saeka Shirai, right, in rehearsal with Gemma Coutts for Northern Ballet’s Gentleman Jack. Picture: Colleen Mair
Saeka Shirai on playing the part of Marianna Lawton, friend and lover of Anne Lister,who breaks Anne’s heart by marrying Charles Lawton.
What steps brought you to Northern Ballet?
“I’m from Osaka, Japan and trained with the Yuki Ballet Studio and Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. I danced with Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet for four years and then with Poznan Opera Ballet for two. This is my fourth season with Northern Ballet.
Were you aware of Anne Lister/Gentleman Jack before being invited to create the ballet? What stuck you most about her story?
“I had some awareness of Anne Lister before working on the ballet, and what struck me most was her courage.”
How have you found the process of working with choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa to create the ballet and originate this role?
“It’s been an inspiring and collaborative process. She knows very clearly what she wants, which I found very similar to Anne Lister herself. That clarity made the creative process focused and exciting, especially when originating a new role.”
What are the defining characteristics of your part and how are you embodying those on stage?
“I think Marianna is graceful, elegant and emotionally expressive. On stage, I try to bring her character to life with smooth movements and a mature presence.”
Are you excited to be premiering in Leeds, portraying a real person and story rooted here in Yorkshire?
“Yes, of course we are very excited!”
How would you describe this ballet in three words?
“Brave, bold and confident.”
What are you most looking forward to about performing Gentleman Jack? Do you have a favourite place to visit?
“Wherever we go, the audience is always so warm and welcoming. It really means everything to us. I hope the ballet brings them as much joy as they give us.”
Rachael Gillespie (Ann Walker), right, rehearsing for Northern Ballet’s Gentleman Jack with Gemma Coutts (Anne Lister). Picture: Colleen Mair
Gentleman Jack choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. Picture: Colleen Mair
Rachael Gillespie on playing Ann Walker, Anne Lister’s long-term partner and eventual wife, who sets Ann on a path to being a different type of woman.
What has been your dance journey?
“I have been dancing with Northern Ballet for 18 years.”
Were you aware of Anne Lister/Gentleman Jack before being invited to create the ballet? What stuck you most about her story?
“Her strength, courage and intelligence really stood out for me. To step out of social expectations to be her true self is so brave and empowering.”
Are you excited to be premiering in Leeds, portraying a real person and story rooted here in Yorkshire?
“It’s always so special for us to tour and share our stories across the UK. We have an incredible amount of loyalty from our audiences, old and new, so it’s so important to keep them involved with our performances.”
How would you describe this ballet in three words?
“Empowering, innovative, enriching.”
In the news: The women factory workers – and footballers to boot – in The Ladies Football Club at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield. Picture: Johan Persson
REVIEW: The Ladies Football Club, Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, kicking off until March 28 ****
GO Firth and multiply the possibilities. In the wake of BAFTA and Olivier Award winner Tim Firth being asked to write the book for the Madness musical Our House and adapting his Calendar Girls film script for the stage version and subsequently the musical with composer Gary Barlow, now he puts the Sheffield into Stefano Massino’s 2019 Italian play Ladies Football Club, adding “The” to become the definitive version.
One accompanied in the city known as the “Home of Football” by foyer panels of information on the history of the women’s game, from Dick, Kerr’s Ladies FC and legendary gay star winger Lily Parr to Hope Powell and beyond.
Parr’s story, incidentally, has been told theatrically in Benjamin Peel’s Not A Game For Girls and Sabrina Mahfouz and Hollie McNish’s Offside, a play about football, feminism and female empowerment: themes in common with Firth’s premiere.
In the amphitheatre of the Sheffield Crucible, a theatrical sporting venue more associated with the multi-coloured ball-manoeuvring skills of snooker’s world championship, Sheffield Theatres’ artistic director Elizabeth Newman teams up with Frantic Assembly counterpart Scott Graham, whose trademark storytelling through movement was so crucial to the National Theatre’s The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time.
What a screamer: Chanel Waddock’s Penelope in The Ladies Football Club. Picture: Johan Persson
Bringing football alive on stage has been expressed in myriad forms, from the game enacted in the heat of Celtic-Rangers sectarianism in avant-garde ballet maverick’s Michael Clark & Company’s punk liaison with Mark E Smith’s The Fall in I Am Curious, Orange, at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in 1988, to the masks and mannequins for the “Dirty Leeds” players in Anders Lustgarten’s Brian Clough psychodrama The Damned United.
More recently, Amanda Whittington turned the spotlight on the early days of women’s football in Mikron Theatre’s four-hander Atalanta Forever in 2021 and James Graham essayed the state-of-the-nation treatise wrapped inside the so-close-but-no-cigar reinvention of England’s football team under thoroughly decent Gareth Southgate, premiered by the National Theatre in 2023 and now being stretched into a four-part BBC One series.
You could argue that theatre’s best evocation of physical combat on the sports field comes in John Godber’s Up’N’Under, wherein Rugby League’s bruising encounters are played out by actors wearing shirts with one team’s colours on the front and the opponent’s strip on the back. So simple, so economical, so effective, so Godber.
Here, in The Ladies Football Club, no football is kicked with a satisfying thud, although we still feel every lunging tackle, every meaty header, as the cut and thrust, the tension and drama, of a game is evoked by Graham through largely balletic movement, sometimes freeze-frame in the manner of Roy Of The Rovers comic strips, sometimes in cartoonish slow motion, other times with sudden circular bursts of energised running.
Ellie Leach’s Brianna in a scene from The Ladies Football Club. Picture: Johan Persson
There are 11 players on the “pitch”, sometimes fewer, depending on factory resources available, but all representing only the one team. Opponents are a ghostly blur, conjured in your imagination, as the Sheffield foundry team go through their motions and emotions.
Just as the opposing teams are absent, so too are the steel city’s men folk, sent to the front in the Great War. The women take over their Doyle & Walker factory labours, making the munitions for all that senseless fighting and bombing.
We see them on the factory floor, with their banter, their sandwiches and their rivalries, and we see them starting up lunchbreak kickabouts, with their banter, their sandwiched tackles and their rivalries, before progressing from playing with prototype explosives for a ball to local pitches and ultimately to famous stadia.
Teamwork is captured in Graham’s ensemble movement; individual stories are played out in Firth’s script, 11 stories in all, one for each player, each with a back story to tell.
Krupa Pattani’s Cheryl, left, Ellie Leach’s Brianna, Anne Odeke’s Justine and Bettrys Jones’s Olivia in discussion in The Ladies Football Club. Picture: Johan Persson
That requires Firth to emphasise one trait or trope to encapsulate a character, a device that is at risk of making them 2D, rather than 3D, but aids the humour in the clashes of personality, beliefs and habits, also brought out in the way each plays the game. The fiery Marxist activist of the team plays, where else, but on the left wing.
Firth and director Newman have to squeeze in too much, but the accumulative effect is to bring the speed and momentum of a match into the storytelling, matched by Joe Ransom’s playful video designs, using projections rather than jumpers for goalposts, as the walls and floor come alive, in tandem with the ‘cabinets’ in Grace Smart’s smart set design, from which the factory work stations are pulled out.
United in defiance in the team line-up are Jessica Baglow’s stoical goalkeeper, Rosalyn; Cara Theobold’s workforce leader, Violet; Leah Brotherhead’s idealist militant, Hayley; Lesley Hart’s minister’s daughter, Berenice; Bettrys Jones’s Olivia, first with the news from the family newsagency, Ellie Leach’s Brianna, Claire Norris’s late-blooming outsider, Melanie; Krupa Pattani’s Cheryl, reluctant player-turned-captain; Cheryl Webb’s Abigail; Chanel Waddock’s Penelope, and, most amusing of all, Anne Odeke’s loud and proud Justine, never short of a salty quip.
Charley Webb’s Abigail on the munitions factory floor in The Ladies Football Club. Picture: Credit: Johan Persson
When Red Ladder staged The Damned United, artistic director Rod Dixon summed up the play’s attributes thus: “As a story, it has it all – passion, power struggles, tragedy and a classic anti-hero – which lends itself brilliantly to theatre.” In the case of The Ladies Football Club, passion, power struggles and the tragedy of war play out. As for an anti-hero, the Football Association banned women’s football from 1921 to 1971 on the grounds of safety risks (to their anatomy). In a nutshell, the beautiful game was deemed “quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged.”
And so, women received the red card from both the post-war factory floor and playing pitch. Amanda Whittington wrote Atalanta Forever as her revenge play; Firth concludes The Ladies Football Club with a triumphant coda, celebrating the Lionesses’ victories and welcoming the next generation of young players on stage in full England kit (in a role shared by Evie-Rose Drake, Cristina La Roca, Bonnie Hill and Sophie tanner).
The audience cheers rise all the louder, honouring the wartime past of the foundry’s first flame of players while holding a torch for the future too. Football is indeed coming home…to Sheffield.
Sheffield Theatres in The Ladies Football Club, Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, until March 28. Box office: 0114 249 6000 or sheffieldtheatres.co.uk.
The full squad -including the swings on the wings – for The Football Ladies Club
Mark Hadfield’s Hercule Poirot: Immaculate investigations in Death On The Nile. Picture: Manuel Harlan
WE know of Agatha Christie’s monumental achievements, but what of Ken Ludwig, whose contribution to Fiery Angel’s European premiere of his adaptation of Death On The Nile is of equal significance?
Born in York – of the Pennsylvania, not Yorkshire, variety – he is “America’s preeminent comic playwright”, as well as author, screenwriter and director, whose work has been performed in 30-plus countries in more than 20 languages.
Screwball comedies are a specialism, but he has carved out a niche too in putting his stamp on Christie’s thrillers, working in tandem again with director Lucy Bailey and producers Fiery Angel after their sold-out collaborations on And Then There Were None in 2023 and Murder On The Orient Express in 2025.
Death On The Nile is his most humorous yet. Par example, if you have never seen Belgian detective Hercule Poirot wiggle and jiggle with his cane while talking of rumpy-pumpy, now is your chance in a play as full of punchlines as suspense and murder.
Indeed, Ludwig even branches out into meta-theatre as Mark Hadfield’s Poirot and Bob Barrett’s Colonel Race form not only a partnership in crime-solving but also a comic double act.
When Colonel Race reveals his exasperation at the tradition of Poirot rounding up everyone to deliver his whodunit verdict, Hadfield’s Poirot counters: “I love it!” We love it too, of course, hence the typically packed audience on Wednesday night, none more excited than young Charlie in the stalls row in front, as the next generation joins the Christie fan club.
Mark Hadfield’s Hercule Poirot, left, Esme Hough’s Jacqueline De Bellefort, Nye Occomore’s Simon Doyle and Libby Alexandra-Cooper’s Linnet Ridgeway in Death On The Nile. Picture: Manuel Harlan
Bailey, Ludwig and Hadfield make for a playful, yet also serious triumvirate at the heart of Death On The Nile, the balance just right, so that the tension still cranks up but the humour works a treat too, serving as comic relief rather than being irreverent.
Death On The Nile is later-days Poirot when everything is turning as grey as his little cells of logic and brain power, as he contemplates retirement and his luxury paddle steamer cruise beneath the Egyptian sun is for rest and recuperation in the affable company of Colonel Race.
Bailey’s productions opens with the familiar silhouette of Hadfield’s Poirot in dapper hat and coat on a railway platform as Esme Hough’s Jacqueline De Bellefort is mid-clinch with Nye Occomore’s Simon Doyle. It will not end well, his instinct lets us know.
Whoosh, the plot thickens at a meet-the-cast party at the British Museum to mark the imminent return of a sarcophagus to Egypt on board the SS Karnak. Mike Britton’s superbly adaptable set now transforms into the two decks of the steamer, from which no-one can escape in transit.
His use of sliding slatted doors facilitates creating differing bedroom cabins, with connecting balconies, while Oliver Fenwick’s lighting then shines through the slats to add to the air of mystery (along with Bailey’s further use of figures in silent silhouette, or even whispering in an ear while moving furniture in scene changes). Mic Pool’s sound design is vital to the rising sense of claustrophobia too.
Further scenes take place to the front of the sliders, culminating in the aforementioned Poirot dressing-down. On the subject of dressing, everyone is dressing up the max in Britton’s gorgeous designs for the women and elegant suits for the men.
Double act: Bob Barrett’s Colonel Race and Mark Hadfield’s Hercule Poirot in Death On The Nile
If one triangle – Bailey, Ludwig and Hadfield – is crucial to the style and interpretation of content, then another is the play’s fulcrum. Hough’s Jacqueline, by now jilted by Occomore’s Doyle in favour of heiress Linnet Ridgeway (Libby Alexandra-Cooper) has followed their every honeymoon step and now on to the steamer, where her choice of colour (red) spells danger.
Alexandra-Cooper’s neurotic Linnet has every right to be nervous, and not only because of Jacqueline’s unwanted presence. What happens next, your reviewer will not divulge, but only the sarcophagus is not under suspicion when the inevitable murder takes place.
Bailey’s cast has so many performances to enjoy, from Alexandra –Cooper’s haunted Linnet to Nicholas Prasad’s shy doctor Ramses Praed, topped off by the comic interplay of Terence Wilton’s veteran theatre darling Septimus Troy and Glynis Barber’s chameleon society butterfly Salome Otterbourne.
Above all else, Hadfield’s Poirot may have a limp from a wartime injury but he has a spring in his impish step, yet he is still fastidious and stern in conducting his investigations, capturing the overlapping tones of Ludwig’s script. Poirot has a closing point to make too: the importance of love and how it should not be cheated.
It would be a crime to miss Fiery Angel’s Death On The Nile, so full of style and wit.
Fiery Angel in Agatha Christie’s Death On The Nile, Grand Opera House, York, tonight and tomorrow, 7.30pm; Saturday, 2.30pm and 7.30pm. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Mark Britton’s slatted set design for the paddle steamer in Death On The Nile. Picture: Manuel Harlan
JAPANESE prints, a Belgian detective, a Tudor queen and a West Riding pioneer are all making waves in Charles Hutchinson’s early March recommendations.
Exhibition of the week: Making Waves, The Art of Japanese Woodblock Print, York Art Gallery, until August 30, open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm
MAKING Waves: The Art of Japanese Woodblock Print presents Japanese art and culture in more than 100 striking and iconic works from renowned artists such as Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Hiroshige and Kitagawa Utamaro, among many others.
At the epicentre of this intriguing insight into the history and development of Japanese woodblock printing is the chance to see Hokusai’s The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, one of the most recognisable and celebrated artworks in the world. Tickets: yorkartgallery.org.uk.
York Community Choir Festival 2026: Showcase for choirs aplenty at Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York
Festival of the week: York Community Choir Festival 2026, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, tonight to Friday, 7.30pm; Saturday, 2.30pm and 7.30pm
THE annual York Community Choir Festival brings together choirs of all ages to perform in a wide variety of singing styles on each bill. Across the week, 43 choirs are taking part in nine concerts, making the 2026 event the largest yet. Concert programmes feature well-known classical and modern popular songs, complemented by show tunes, world music, folk song, gospel, jazz and soul. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Death On The Nile: European premiere of Ken Ludwig’s new adaptation of Agatha Christie’s murder mystery at Grand Opera House, York. Picture: Manuel Harlan
Murder mystery of the week: Fiery Angel presents Agatha Christie’s Death On The Nile, Grand Opera House, York, March 3 to 7, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday and Saturday matinees
AFTER tours of And Then There Were None and Murder On The Orient Express, Death On The Nile reunites director Lucy Bailey, writer Ken Ludwig and producers Fiery Angel for the European premiere of a new adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Death On The Nile.
On board a luxurious cruise under the heat of the Egyptian sun, a couple’s idyllic honeymoon is cut short by a brutal murder. As secrets buried in the sands of time resurface, can Belgian detective Hercule Poirot (Mark Hadfield), untangle the web of lies? Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Nick Patrick Jones’s Henry VIII and Lara Stafford’s Anne Boleyn in Black Treacle Theatre’s Anne Boleyn. Picture: John Saunders
Historical drama of the week: Black Treacle Theatre in Anne Boleyn, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
YORK company Black Treacle Theatre presents Howard Brenton’s account of one of England’s most important and intriguing historical figures: Tudor lover, heretic, revolutionary, queen Anne Boleyn (played by Lara Stafford).
Traditionally seen as either the pawn of an ambitious family manoeuvred into the King’s bed, or as a predator manipulating her way to power, Anne – and her ghost – re-emerges in a very different light in Brenton’s epic play, premiered by Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in 2010. Box office: https://tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Poetry event of the week: York Poetry Society, Poetry Pharmacy launch celebration, Jacob’s Well, Trinity Lane, York, Friday, 7.30pm to 9.30pm
TO mark Friday’s opening of the third Poetry Pharmacy, part bookshop, part apothecary, part reading room, and venue for readings, workshops, creative writing clubs in Coney Street, founder Deborah Alma talks about its concept of fostering the therapeutic effects of poetry.
Local poets are invited to read poems with this aim in mind in the second half. “Normally we ask of non-members a £3 entry fee, but on this occasion, if you write a poem relevant to the evening, all we will ask is that you read it to us as part of the programme,” says programme secretary Marta Hardy.
Irish dance and magic combine in Celtic Illusion, on tour at York Barbican
Magical experience of the week: Celtic Illusion, York Barbican, Friday, 7.30pm
AFTER dazzling audiences across Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Canada and the USA, this thunderous Irish dance and grand-illusion magic show is making its premiere UK tour in 2026.
Created by Anthony Street, illusionist and former lead of Lord Of The Dance, Celtic Illusion brings together dancers from Riverdance and Lord Of The Dance, who perform to a soaring original score and remastered classics by composer Angela Little. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, as Anne Lister, rehearsing for Northern Ballet’s Gentleman Jack. Picture: Colleen Mair
Dance premiere of the week: Northern Ballet and Finnish National Opera and Ballet in Gentleman Jack, Leeds Grand Theatre, Saturday to March 14, except Sunday and Monday, 7.30pm, plus 2.30pm matinees on March 12 and 14
THIS groundbreaking new ballet marks a trio of ‘firsts’: the first time the story of Anne Lister has been told through ballet, the first large-scale commission for Northern Ballet since 2021 and the first under artistic director Federico Bonelli.
Yorkshirewoman Anne, the “first modern lesbian”, lived, dressed and loved as she desired, not as 19th century society expected of her. Northern Ballet’s interpretation of her life is choreographed by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, leading a female artistic team that includes Sally Wainwright, writer of the BBC/HBO television series Gentleman Jack. Box office: 0113 243 0808 or leedsheritagetheatres.com.
The poster for the Merely Players’ Fakespeare exposé at Helmsley Arts Centre
The Great Shakespeare Fraud of the week: Merely Players, Fakespeare, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 7.30pm
THERE are two problems with deception: being found out and not being found out. In 1794, noted antiquarian Samuel Ireland is delighted when his son William brings him unknown documents in the hand of Shakespeare, obtained from an anonymous source. However, scholars question their authenticity and denounce Samuel as a forger. The household is thrown into turmoil and family skeletons come tumbling out of cupboards.
Roll forward to 2026, when Samuel, William and their housekeeper Mrs Freeman meet again to sort out the truth of it all, if such a thing is possible. So runs Stuart Fortey’s tragicomic, scarcely believable, deceptively truthful tale of 18th century literary fraud and family deceit. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Very Santana: Celebrating Carlos Santana’s songs and guitar mastery at Milton Rooms, Malton
Tribute gig of the week: Very Santana, Milton Rooms, Malton, Saturday, 8pm
VERY Santana’s musical time travel experience celebrates the beautiful guitar melodies and creatively diverse, challenging songs of Carlos Santana, performed with room for extra improvisation.
The set list spans the Santana legacy, from the Abraxas album early peaks of Black Magic Woman, Oye Como Va and Samba Pa Ti, through the late 1970s’ hits such as Europa and She’s Not There, to the modern-era Grammy winners Smooth and Maria-Maria. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Harry Enfield: No Chums but a cornucopia of comical characters at Grand Opera House, York
Comedy gig of the week: Harry Enfield And No Chums, Grand Opera House, York, Sunday, 2.30pm and 7.30pm
FROM the meteoric rise of Loadsamoney, a Thatcherite visionary, to the fury of Kevin the Teenager, satirical comedian and self-styled “stupid idiot” Harry Enfield reflects on 40 years in comedy, bringing favourite characters vividly back to life on stage.
Then comes your chance to ask how it all works for the former University of York politics student (Derwent College, 1979 to 1982), discover what makes him most proud and find out what would he say to the many who ask, “You wouldn’t be allowed to do your stuff today, would you?”. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Elvis Costello: Revisiting his 1977-1986 back catalogue in Radio Soul! at York Barbican in June. Picture: Ray Di Pietro
Gig announcement of the week: Elvis Costello & The Imposters with Charlie Sexton, Radio Soul!: The Early Songs Of Elvis Costello, York Barbican, June 17
ELVIS Costello will return to York Barbican for the first time since May 2012’s Spectacular Singing Book tour, joined by The Imposters’ Steve Nieve, Pete Thomas and Davey Faragher and Texan guitarist Charlie Sexton.
Costello, 71, will focus on songs drawn from 1977’s My Aim Is True to 1986’s Blood & Chocolate in 1986, complemented by “other surprises”. Tickets go on sale at 10am on Friday at https://www.yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/elvis-costello/.
Jimmy Bryant: First name out of the pirate’s hat to be confirmed for The Further Adventures Of Peter Pan at Grand Opera House, York
COMEDY turn Jimmy Bryant will brew up a storm of laughter on his return to the Grand Opera House, York, in UK Productions’ swashbuckling pantomime The Further Adventures Of Peter Pan: The Return Of Captain Hook.
After shining as Buttons in Cinderella, the Cumberland Street theatre’s most successful panto ever, Bryant will take to the high seasas Smee from December 5 to January 3 2027 with his combination of comic timing, glorious chaos and heart-warming mischief.
“I’m absolutely pixie-dust levels of thrilled to be sailing back to the Grand Opera House, York!” says actor, comic performer and immersive theatre enthusiast Jimmy. “Last year’s audiences were honestly unforgettable, and the thought of stepping back onto that stage gives me goosebumps.
“Smee is such a brilliantly bonkers character – loyal, chaotic, always in the wrong place at the wrong time – and I promise we are going bigger, bolder and sillier than ever before.
“This show is packed with spectacle, surprises and so much heart. York, get ready, because this Christmas we’re not just going to Neverland…we’re going to blow the roof off it!”
Grand Opera House theatre director Allie Long enthuses: “Cinderella was our most successful pantomime to date, and that was due in no small part to Jimmy’s brilliant and hilarious turn as Buttons.
“We’re thrilled to have Jimmy returning, and we can’t wait to welcome him — along with the rest of The Further Adventures Of Peter Pan cast — to the stage for what promises to an unforgettable pantomime season at the Grand Opera House.”
It’s Smee: Jimmy Bryant in the poster for UK Productions’ 2026 pantomime at the Grand Opera House, York
UK Productions producer Martin Dodd adds: “We’re absolutely delighted to welcome Jimmy Bryant back aboard at the magnificent Grand Opera House, York, for this year’s panto, which is going to be to be a ship-shape riot!
“Jimmy’s Smee will be a masterclass in comic chaos, the perfect first mate to mischief, mayhem and a certain ticking crocodile lurking in the wings. There’ll be pirates, planks and plenty of hooks, but the biggest catch this Christmas is your ticket. So, hoist the mainsail, gather your crew and hook your tickets now!”
Bryant’s theatre credits include Cockfosters (Southwark Playhouse), Costard in Love’s Labour’s Lost (Cockpit Theatre), Al Capone in Peaky Blinders: The Rise, Herr Kutte in Jack & The Beanstalk (Cheltenham Playhouse), In The Dead Of The Night(UK tour), Doctor Who: Time Fracture (BBC/Immersive Everywhere) and The Immersive Wolf Of Wall Street (Stratton Oakmont Productions).
Among his film credits are Morris in PINKY! (ESA Films) and ROBBED The Movie, written and directed by Bryant.
Uniting leading UK pantomime producer UK Productions with the Grand Opera House for the fifth time, The Further Adventures Of Peter Pan is designed to appeal to families, offices, families and friendship groups alike.
Audiences are invited to “race to book before the best seats walk the plank”. “In panto land, it’s never too early to secure your spot, because once tickets start flying, they’ll be gone quicker than Peter Pan with a sprinkling of pixie dust. Grab your seats now before they’re swallowed by the crocodile,” reads the press release.
Further casting will be announced. Tickets are on sale at atgtickets.com/york.
Mark Hadfield as Hercule Poirot in Death On The Nile, on tour at Grand Opera House, York, from March 3 to 7. Picture: Manuel Harlan
MARK Hadfield arrives at the Grand Opera House, York, next Tuesday to play legendary private detective Hercule Poirot in the European premiere of a new stage version of Death On The Nile, carrying the approval of none other than Sir Kenneth Branagh.
The two actors are friends. “He’s been incredibly encouraging,” says Mark of his conversations with Sir Kenneth, who has played Agatha Christie’s fastidious puzzle solver in three film outings marked by his moustache topiary.
Encouragement came from Michael Maloney too, another actor friend who took on the role of the Belgian sleuth in the tour of Murder On The Orient Express that visited York last March.
As with the UK and Ireland tour of Death On The Nile, that Fiery Angel production combined Ken Ludwig’s adaptation of a Christie novel by Ken Ludwig with direction by Lucy Bailey.
“They both encouraged me to do this because they said, ‘you will have so much enjoyment in bringing him to life’,” says Mark of Branagh and Maloney. “And I think Death On The Nile is one of Christie’s best stories, so that also drew me in.
“Poirot’s journey within it is fascinating to play, because he goes from being on what he thinks is a relaxing holiday to having to solve a murder.”
The killing in question happens in 1937 when Poirot is holidaying on a luxury steamer on the River Nile in Egypt, where a couple’s idyllic honeymoon is cut short by a brutal murder. Once secrets buried in the sands of time resurface, can the world-famous detective untangle the web of lies to solve the case?
On tour from last October in Salford to May 23 in Plymouth, Mark is following in the orderly steps of Maloney, Branagh, Albert Finney, Peter Ustinov and David Suchet in playing Poirot, a familiar character that has elicited myriad interpretations. “The challenge is to try and incorporate people’s expectations but also to bring in a few surprises,” he says.
“I’m not expecting people to say, ‘oh my God, that was the most original Poirot I’ve ever seen’ by giving him a punk hairdo or what have you. But I hope to find that balance of pleasing people while leaving them going, ‘we haven’t seen that before’.”
After solving a murder on the Orient Express, Poirot is heading into his later years. “He may even be thinking of retiring,” suggests Mark. “He talks about old age and life having passed him by. There’s more of a hint of melancholy than people might be used to from him.”
Mark hopes next week’s audiences will find Death On The Nile to be “delicious, like opening a two-tray box of chocolates where you enjoy the first layer so much that you have to have the second layer too.
Christie’s story combines escapism with a timeless theme. “It’s gloriously evocative of travel in that time, but it’s also about how we should nurture love and try to be as kind as we can,” says Mark. “That’s something we could learn from with everything that’s going on at the moment.”
Mark has performed at the West Yorkshire Playhouse and Sheffield’s Crucible and Lyceum theatres but never in York previously. “York’s theatres have eluded me, though I have visited the city. This will be my first time on a York stage, so I’m really looking forward to it,” he says.
Most memorably on a Yorkshire stage, “I did the original West Yorkshire Playhouse production of The 39 Steps with Fiery Angel in June 2005,” says Mark, who played myriad roles in the guise The Clown in Patrick Barlow’s adaptation, directed by Fiona Buffini.
In another first for Mark, “Death On The Nile is the first time I’ve worked on a production with Lucy [Bailey], though I’ve known her for a long time and I’ve done workshops with her on other projects.
“Very kindly Lucy was very keen for me to do it, and it does help a great deal that the director has seen you have the capability for the part, especially one as illustrious as Poirot.”
Mark continues: “I was desperate to do it, and knowing that Lucy was keen, I didn’t need much convincing, though I had an elderly mother to think about – when ruminating over whether I could do the tour.
“That’s why I met up with Kenneth [Branagh] and Michael [Maloney], the previous Poirots. We met up at a Tottenham match, as Kenneth is a devoted Spurs fan – I’m a Manchester United fan – and he said ‘you have to do it’. That helped with the decision because it was nice to have that support.
Mark Hadfield – with grey moustache – at the publicity photographic shoot for Fiery Angel’s tour of Death On The Nile. Picture: Jay Brooks
“When we met up again, Kenneth shared his research for the role, where he said the thing that struck him most about Poirot was his kindness – when there are so many facets you could pick out: his meticulous attitude, his aloofness. So that was something that stayed in my mind.”
As for Michael Maloney, “he said he loved creating characters and that Poirot had been a joy,” says Mark. “I’ve been finding that too, and I keep finding more, little things where I think, ‘I’ll try that’ as he’s a multi-faceted character and an absolute pleasure to play.”
Mark’s research had included reading film historian Mark Aldridge’s 2020 book Agatha Christie’s Poirot: The Greatest Detective In The World, covering the character’s evolution across novels, stage, radio and screen from 1920 to 2020, the centenary of his debut.
This informs his playing of a role that combines familiarity with flexibility. “I know all the performances that have been done on screen, apart from John Malkovich [in BBC One’s The ABC Murders in 2018],” he says.
“I’ve not ignored the likes of Peter Ustnov and Albert Finney, as well as David Suchet. Peter and Albert were so memorable, partly because they each had a very different look, like Albert going for Poirot’s vanity, whereas Peter’s Poirot was very charming and avuncular. With David Suchet, it was the precise, physical aspect.”
Mark’s research also took in reading Christie’s first detective novel, Poirot’s debut in The Mysterious Affair At Styles. “As it’s his first appearance, you get a bit of background, how he came over from Belgium in the First World War, in which he served and was injured, arriving here as a refugee, like Kenneth showed in Murder On The Orient Express.
“I’ve gone for the physicality of Poirot being in his sixties, with a slight limp, using the cane as a necessity, rather than as a fashion accessory. By Death In The Nile, he’s been through a lot, where he’s got to the point where, if he could, he would retire.
“The script backs this up, where he’s reflecting on his life and growing old, where the lovers on board seem incredibly young, whereas he’s an older man who’s seen too much and grown tired.”
Mark continues: “It’s a great leap for the audience to see this man who, in the first half, is looking forward to the trip with the colonel [Colonel Johnnie Race], going up the Nile for rest and recuperation, but then the murder occurs, and he has to revert to being the Poirot everyone expected him to, with him finding this murder particularly distasteful.”
Mike Britton’s set design opens at the British Museum before the luxurious paddle steamer takes centre stage. “It’s a two-tier set with the lover dying on the upper deck,” says Mark. “What we want to achieve is a very claustrophobic feeling, where Mark creates such spaces as a cabin and a saloon by using sliders.
“Theatrically, you have to keep cranking up the tension until the denouement, where you know that everyone on board is a suspect and the intrigue builds as to who’s done it, as everyone has a back story in relation to the character who’s murdered. Everyone has a motive for committing the crime.
“The theatrical setting heightens that tension and suspense, as do the sound effects of Mic Pool, who I worked with previously at the West Yorkshire Playhouse.”
Britton’s set looks “absolutely gorgeous and sumptuous”, says Mark. “He’s done the fabulous costume designs too. He’s done a lot of research to capture the socialite world aboard the steamer in 1937. Everybody looks immaculate.”
Ludwig’s script is vital too. “He’s basically a writer of comedies, doing that very successfully, but here he’s managed to create the suspense and tension while making it witty too, with a nice strain of humour, even at the end,” says Mark.
“It’s a risk, but it works, as the audience goes through the excitement of wondering ‘whodunit’ and we can relieve all that tension with humour.”
Mark’s Poirot will, of course, have a moustache. “It’s quite a challenge as moustaches are mentioned a lot with Poirot, though I know there were films made in the 1930s where Poirot didn’t have a moustache, which caused confusion [Irish actor Austin Trevor’s Poirot in 1931’s Alibi, Black Coffee and Lord Edgware Dies],” he says.
“I haven’t gone for the severity of Kenneth or David’s moustache. I’m greying quite rapidly, and when we did the photos for the press releases, you can see mine is quite grey, but that doesn’t have a dynamic look on stage, where it has to be darker – and I did read that Poirot dyed his hair and moustache.
“I’m letting my moustache grow – so, yes, it’s genuinely attached! – and it’s become a smart, reverent gesture towards moustache twiddling . My wife complains ‘Will you stop playing with your moustache’, but I just can’t stop! It will grow even more, so it does have its own character.”
Glynis Barber’s romantic novelist Salome Otterbourne in Fiery Angel’s Death On The Nile. Picture: Jay Brooks
AMONG those joining Mark Hadfield’s Poirot on the steamer on the Nile will be flamboyant romance novelist Salome Otterbourne, played by Glynis Barber. “In the play, she’s very different to how she is in the book and in the various films – and she’s quite a character, which makes her fun to play,” she says.
“She is larger than life and she brings a lot of energy to the stage. She’s the loudest, bubbliest and most theatrical character, that’s for sure.”
A further draw for Glynis was the team behind Death On The Nile. “Lucy [Bailey] is a fabulous director and Fiery Angel is an amazing company. Plus this one hasn’t been done on stage before in the UK, so that makes it exciting,” she says.
A version of the play was staged in Washington, but now Ken Ludwig has rewritten it for its European premiere. “And the response has been phenomenal,” says Glynis. “I’ve had so many messages from people I know – and people I don’t know- going, ‘I definitely want to see that’. I’ve even got one friend who is flying in from Spain to Edinburgh to see it.”
Death On The Nile is her first theatre work since The Best Man in 2018 in London’s West End. “After the pandemic, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to return to it, because, after being isolated for all that time, I’d gotten cold feet,” says Glynis.
“But the fact that it’s a scary prospect is a good reason to do it, and I thought, ‘if I am going to go back to theatre, this is a really good play to do so with.”
Glynis understands the lure of a Christie story on stage. “The plots keep you guessing and they’re a very good way to escape the world for a couple of hours,” she says. “Who doesn’t want a bit of that, especially these days?”
Highlighting the central theme, Glynis says: “It’s about love, which is deeply pertinent for every age, and in this story it’s a very profound theme. Unless we all become AI bots, love is universal and that is something that will never change.”
Mark Hadfield’s Hercule Poirot in a scene from Fiery Angel’s production of Agatha Christie’s Death On The Nile. Picture: Manuel Harlan
One last question for Mark Hadfield
How did you settle on your voice for playing Hercule Poirot?
“I worked with a lovely voice and dialect coach, Edda Sharpe. I did a Zoom meeting with her for an hour before rehearsals started, where I did the voice and she said, ‘it’s not far off’.
“All we had to do was make it more Belgian, where the French mouth is tighter and the Belgian mouth is more smiley, so whereas the French say ‘Ze’, the Belgian says ‘de’.
“I also worked with Edda in rehearsals, where she would give me little things to think about. Lucy [director Lucy Bailey] said the focus was to find the tonal range, which makes it interesting.
“That’s been a good challenge, bringing Poirot alive. All these things, we’ve looked at, worked on and reflected on on a daily basis – in case we go to Belgium!”
Fiery Angel presents Death On The Nile, Grand Opera House, York, March 3 to 7, 7.30pm plus Wednesday and Saturday matinees. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Showmanship: Lee Mead’s P. T. Barnum in Barnum The Circus Musical. Picture: Pamela Raith
PHINEAS Taylor Barnum may have been “America’s greatest showman” – his biography sold second only to the Bible in his lifetime – but Barnum is not America’s greatest ever musical.
Bill Kenwright Ltd and Watermill Theatre throw razzle-dazzle and razzmatazz aplenty at composer Cy Coleman, lyricist Michael Stewart and book writer Mark Bramble’s show, from Lee Newby’s circus set and costume designs to Strictly Come Dancing alumna Oti Mabuse’s choreography, from circus director Amy Panter’s array of acrobatic talents to the company of actor-musicians playing 150 instruments between them.
All topped off by a star lead turn from Lee Mead, who combines verbal and visual twinkle and tightrope walking with resolute singing, from his opening There Is A Sucker Born Every Minute to Out There, in his personable portrayal of Barnum.
However, in keeping with the essence of Barnum’s infamous spinning of humbug – deceit and lies by another name – director Jonathan O’Boyle’s production is rather more style than substance, especially in Act Two.
This is not to suggest that Barnum is a big flop under the big top, merely that its high qualities in performance cannot compensate for an underwhelming score that pales by comparison with the Oscar, Grammy and Tony-winning songwriting of Ben Pasek and Justin Paul for 2017’s The Greatest Showman.
“Barnum’s the name, P T Barnum, and I want to tell you that tonight, on this stage, you are going to see – bar none – every sight, wonder and miracle that name stands for,” proclaims Mead’s inspirational Barnum, showman, businessman, politician and visionary, whose gift for humbug carries far more eloquence, chutzpah and wit than today’s quotidian, rather than quotable, politicians, even trumping Trump for braggadocio.
His humbug is not of the “Bah, Humbug” variety of Charles Dickens’s misanthropic cynic Ebenezer Scrooge, with his distaste for deception, but more a brand of playful bluster, full of exaggeration and theatrical hoaxing delivered with a showman’s flourish that may be on foreign terms with the truth but is all in the cause of entertainment.
Alas he needs a little of that humbug to cover this biographical 19th century tale’s musical failings: the lack of knock-out songs in the weaker second half, with nothing to match its opening Come Follow The Band, where Mead’s Barnum is dressed as a clown.
That said, the transition from the black-and-white stars and stripes and costumes – reminiscent of Humbug mints – for Dominique Planter’s Blues Singer belting out Black And White to the riot of colours in the reprise of the Act One stand-out The Colours Of My Life is the high point of O’Boyle’s direction.
Acrobatic and circus skills play their part but would benefit from more highlights to match the wow-factor dexterity of the bow-and-arrow routine, and overall they are outshone by the actor-musicians’ prowess on multiple instruments, with the brass playing being a particular delight.
The visual scale ranges from the big to the small, from the life-sized model of an elephant to Fergus Rattigan as General Tom Thumb, singing Bigger Isn’t Better on his return to a York stage for the first time since playing Tudor sleuth Matthew Shardlake in York Theatre Royal’s 2023 community play Sovereign.
Amid the surface-level showmanship, Barnum finds its heart in P. T. Barnum’s relationship with his steely wife Charity (Monique Young), full of her own bright ideas and suggestions, and his six-month fling with opera singer Jenny Lind, the Swedish Nightingale (Penny Ashmore).
Mead shines brightest but Young pulls heartstrings too and Ashmore is the very definition of a polymath with her spectacular singing of Jenny Lind’s Obbligato and Love Makes Such Fools Of Us All, her heavenly harp and piano playing, and even her dancing on point, once serving in the ensemble, for the Finale.
Overall, this Barnum is a better performance than its source material, good in individual parts but not great.
Barnum The Circus Musical, Grand Opera House, York, tonight and tomorrow, 7.30pm; Saturday, 2.30pm and 7.30pm Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
