Stewart Lee confronting his inner beast in the poster for Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf
EIGHTEEN months ago, contrarian comedian Stewart Lee played five nights at York Theatre Royal as he cut his lupine teeth on Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf.
How has the show moved on as he returns for three more nights in York, switching to the Grand Opera House? After a re-write in January, the basic structure remains the same, Lee ambling on stage in billowing shirt to say he still doesn’t know quite what the show is about, whether it’s even worth him doing it, but those fangs are even sharper. “I’m not a stand-up,” he asserts. “I’m more of a literary artist.”
He turns convention on its head once more by being both acerbic, acid-witted entertainer and heckler. Last time, he chided the audience for York giving him his flattest night on his previous tour, when he had picked the Theatre Royal to record his TV and DVD release. “You ruined it,” he grouched.
This time, he may have sold out everywhere else on tour, he says, but the Grand Opera House was, in his words, “only half full”, and those who had turned up would be berated on behalf of those who had failed to do so. Tonight and Saturday’s shows have plenty of ticket availability too, especially in the Grand Circle, so the digs will no doubt continue.
Please note, Lee’s curmudgeonly schtick is delivered with good cheer in becoming a running joke. It will be the absent York’s fault that we miss out on two “toppers” as we fail to laugh in sufficient number to merit them; even the dry-ice smoke to signify his transition into the Man-Wulf will emerge from only one side, to match the “half-empty” auditorium. It had behaved erratically at the Theatre Royal too, but this time the pay-off gibe is better.
By now in his tuxedo jacket, Lee knocks out his topical five gags, set in place 18 months ago, but in need of constant updates and revisions. He takes pot-shots at Ricky Gervais, Jimmy Carr, Russell Brand, the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg and Gregg Wallace (later to rise above the stage as the face of the Moon). Musk and Trump too. Always deadpan, but always deadly accurate.
Amid the constant cajoling of his audience, he can be self-deprecating too, returning every so often to the ever-lengthening list of unflattering Lee lookalikes. He keeps you on your toes throughout, even spotting the gum-chewing of an occupant of a dress circle box, and he likes to ask questions to which he will then deliver a smarter response than the audience member proffered
That said, York was in blunt mood on a hot night. “Please leave me alone,” requested one voice from the stalls, when asked a second question. “I wasn’t listening,” said another, after Lee sought a comment of his transition into the Man-Wulf of the title.
“We’d all love not to care and be off the hook,” he speculates once more, as he did at the Theatre Royal. “To not be accountable.” Like how a werewolf or vampire thinks. Except that Lee holds everything to be accountable: politicians, fellow comedians, York audiences.
When he asks a woman if she would prefer to be a vampire or a werewolf, she picks the vampire on account of the werewolf ‘s thick fur, a choice perhaps influenced by the June heat wave: conditions that Lee would soon be experiencing in the opening to Act Two, dressed in his £6,000 werewolf costume.
First up, he was telling liberal jokes in a liberal way. Now, after I’m The Man-Wulf, the song commissioned by Lee from Scottish garage-punk band The Primevals, had played throughout the interval, he was in his lupine attire for his pastiche of the comedy of offence perpetrated by Netflix-marketed, 60-million dollar, right-leaning stand-up comedians.
Cue reactionary jokes told in a reactionary way in a gruff American accent, in front of a New York skyline: grotesque, awkward, yet devilishly witty in its deconstruction.
To complete the experiment, he tries out reactionary jokes told in a liberal, left-leaning way, by now stripped down to tour T-shirt, boxers and the wolf’s head.
Above all, you will revel in his turn of phrase; how he picks up on American comic Dave Chappelle’s misuse of grammar; his request for Dave Allen storytelling lighting; his restless curiosity; his knowledge of experimental jazz and stone monuments, his way of being shambling but never rambling; his mimicry of Bob Dylan’s ever-worsening singing in concert; his boundless despair at humanity.
Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf, Grand Opera House, York, tonight and tomorrow, 7.30pm. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Dan Wood, left, Stephen Wright, Lotty Farmer, Rosa Burns, Hannah Shaw and James Dickinson in York Light Opera Company’s production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
A SNAPPY crocodile and a Man-Wulf, a spelling bee musical and the York Mystery Plays on wagon wheels keep Charles Hutchinson’s arty eye on the ball and off the football.
Musical of the week: York Light Opera Company in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, today to Saturday & June 30 to July 4, 7.30pm, plus 2.30pm Saturday matinees and 2pm Sunday matinee (28/6/2026)
NEIL Wood directs York Light in Rebecca Feldman, William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin’s musical account of six ‘mid-pubescents’ battling for the spelling championship of a lifetime. While candidly disclosing stories from their home life, the tweens spell their way through a series of words hoping to never hear the bell that signals a mistake.
Cue a heart-warming message that highlights themes of friendship, identity and perseverance, all while celebrating the awkwardness and excitement of growing up. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Jordan Eskeisa, left, Marienella Phillips, Chelsea Da Silva (The Enormous Crocodile, front), Precious Abimbola and Ciara Hudson in Roald Dahl’s The Enormous Crocodile The Musical. Picture: Danny Kaan
Mischievous adaptationof the week:Roald Dahl Story Company in Roald Dahl’s The Enormous Crocodile The Musical, York Theatre Royal, tomorrow to Sunday, 10.30am and 1.30pm
ROALD Dahl’s Enormous Crocodile is weaving his way through the jungle in search of delicious little fingers and squidgy podgy knees. Only fellow jungle creatures can foil his “secret plans and clever tricks”, but they need courage aplenty to stop this greedy, grumptious, horrid brute.
Equipped with Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab’s tunes, Suhayla El-Bushra’s rib-tickling book and lyrics and Tom Brady’s additional music and lyrics, the dastardly family adventure has been developed and directed by Emily Lim, working in tandem with co-director and puppetry designer Toby Olié. Chelsea Da Silva, Precious Abimbola, Jordan Eskeisa, Ciara Hudson, Marienella Phillips and actor-musician René Francalanza star.Age guidance: Three plus. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Stewart Lee’s illustration for Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf, on tour for three nights at Grand Opera House, York
Comedy gigs of the week: Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf, Grand Opera House, York, tomorrow to Saturday, 7.30pm
AFTER a five-night Theatre Royal run in the fledgling days of Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf in January 2025, the contrarian comedian returns to York for three more nights of testing whether the beast inside us all can be silenced with the silver bullet of Lee’s scalpel-sharp stand-up?
Lee will play the same material three ways: first up, telling liberal jokes in a liberal way, then, after a screaming transformation into the Man-Wulf, reactionary jokes in a reactionary way post-interval and, finally, wolf’s head removed, reactionary jokes in a liberal, left-leaning way. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
The Moorlands Blues Band: Playing at Milton Rooms, Malton
Blues gig of the week: Ryedale Blues Club presents The Moorlands Blues Band, Milton Rooms, Malton, tomorrow, 8pm
IN The Moorlands Blues Band, the powerhouse blues ensemble founded by seasoned musicians Giuseppe Vitale and Rod Mackay is joined by Owen Houlston on voice and guitar. In high-energy performances of soulful depth, they play everything from the rawness of Old Delta Blues to the swing of Jump Blues and the gritty soul of Chicago Blues. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Karl Mullen: Everything from Chopin to Oasis, via Led Zeppelin and Les Dawson, at The Old Paint Shop
Cabaret gig of the week: The Old Paint Shop presents Karl Mullen, York Theatre Royal Studio, Friday, 8pm
AFTER two Old Paint Shop gigs last year, Karl Mullen, upright-piano busker, Phoenix Inn fixture and Leeds Piano Competition Pub Piano Champion, completes his hat-trick, serving up his energetic take on everything from Chopin to Oasis, via Led Zeppelin and Les Dawson, packed with outrageous and heartfelt stories from decades of gigging. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Coastal gig of the week: Pete Tong, Ibiza Classics, TK Maxx presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Friday, gates open at 6pm
FROM the sun-soaked shores of Ibiza to the world’s biggest stages, Pete Tong has redefined live dance music over more than 30 years of pushing boundaries and supporting new talent.
After celebrating the tenth anniversary of Ibiza Classics with four sold-out nights at the Royal Albert Hall, he heads to the Yorkshire coast with The Essential Orchestra, having first visited Scarborough Open Air Theatre in 2023. Box office: scarbroughopenairtheatre.com.
Becky Hill: Performing after Saturday’s race meeting on Knavesmire
Under starter’s orders: Becky Hill, Summer Music Saturday, York Racecourse, Saturday, first race at 1.20pm
BECKY Hill, two-time BRIT Award winner for Best Dance Act, opens the summer of post-racing concerts at York Racecourse, promising a high-energy performance on the “Glastonbury-style stage” after seven races. For her set list, she can pick from such hits as Gecko; Back & Forth; Wish You Well; Lose Control; Better Off Without You; Heaven On My Mind; Remember; My Heart Goes; Run; Crazy What Love Can Do; History and Disconnect. For race-day tickets, go to: yorkracecourse.co.uk.
York Mystery Plays: Returning to streets of York on June 28 and July 5
Theatrical event of the week: The York Mystery Plays, streets of York, June 28 and July 5, 10.30am to 4.50pm; Sunset In The Shambles Market, June 30 and July 1, 7.45pm
THE four-yearly staging on the York Mystery Plays on pageant waggons take place at four locations across the city: free viewing at the Minster Refectory Gardens, Deansgate, (from 10.30am) King’s Square (from 11.10am), St Sampson’s Square (from 11.50am) and ticketed seats at Dean’s Park (from 12.30pm). Ten core plays will be complemented by further extracts to tell the story from The War In Heaven to Doomsday. For full details, go to: yorkmysteryplays.co.uk.
Special midsummer performances of five plays will be held in Shambles Market on June 30 and July 1, introduced by the York Waits musicians before Pageant Master Dr Alan Heaven guides the audience through each play, from the Creation sequence to the End of Days in the interactive show Doomsday. These shows begin at 7.45pm and end as the dusk is deepening before 10pm. Tickets: ticketsource.com/york-festival-trust.
The Choir Of Man: Harmony singing to the max at Grand Opera House, York. Picture: The Other Richard
Foot-stomping musical celebration of the week: The Choir Of Man, Grand Opera House, York, June 30 to July 2, 7.30pm; July 3, 4pm and 8pm; July 4, 2.30pm and 7.30pm
SET in the on-stage pub The Jungle, The Choir Of Man is billed as “the best trip to your local you’ll ever have” as a cast of nine (extra)ordinary guys combine beautiful harmonies and foot-stomping singalongs with tap dance and soulful storytelling in an uplifting celebration of community and friendship.
The debut UK & Ireland tour cast features Gustav Melbardis as Maestro; Oluwalonimi (Nimi) Owoyemi as Poet; Levi Tyrell Johnson as Hard Man; Ben Mabberley as Joker; Rob Godfrey as Beast; Jack Skelton as Handyman; Joshua Lloyd as Barman; Sam Walter as Romantic and Aaron Pottenger as Bore performing Queen, Luther Vandross, Sia, Paul Simon, Adele, Guns N’ Roses, Avicii and Katy Perry hits. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Al Dunn, Matt Freeman and Nick Bunt in Oh Zeus! on Le Navet Bete’s fifth visit to York Theatre Royal. Picture: Mark Senior
A MYTHOLOGICAL farce and Lenny Henry at large, a snappy crocodile and a Man-Wulf, a spelling bee musical and a mirrored installation keep Charles Hutchinson’s arty eye on the ball and off the football.
Greek comedy of the week: Le Navet Bete in Oh Zeus!, York Theatre Royal, today, 2pm and 7.30pm
EXETER’S chaotic comedy specialists, Le Navet Bete, conduct a riotous ride through Ancient Greece, the Underworld and back in Oh Zeus! Written by director John Nicholson and company founders Al Dunn, Nick Bunt and Matt Freeman, this mythological farce finds the stability of Olympus being threatened by the marriage of Zeus’s daughter, Hebe, to a mere mortal, whereupon the King of the Gods hatches a plan to derail the wedding.
Expect physical comedy, outrageous jokes and fast-paced pandemonium as Dunn, Bunt and Freeman play 40 characters between them. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Beverley Knight: Born to perform at York Barbican. Picture: Lewis Shaw
Recommended but sold out: Beverley Knight, Born To Perform, York Barbican, tonight, 7.30pm
QUEEN of British soul Beverley Knight shares stories from her life on stage, as well as performing her biggest hits, musical theatre favourites and cherished songs that have inspired her on her 20-date UK tour.
“Born To Perform is me taking you on a journey through my life on both music and theatre stages, using my memories and of course my songs. I’m stripping back my sound so the audience can lean in a little closer and really hear my soul,” says Knight, whose hits include Made It Black, Greatest Day, Get Up, Shoulda Woulda Coulda, Gold, Come As You Are, Keep This Fire Burning and Piece Of My Heart. Her special guest is Gabriella Cilmi. Box office for returns only: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Anastacia: Playing Scarborough Open Air Theatre on Not That Kind tour
Coastal gigs of the week: TK Maxx presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Skunk Anansie & Garbage, tonight; Anastacia and Heather Small tomorrow, gates 6pm
SKUNK Anansie and Garbage play Scarborough on a six-date tour. Formed in London in 1994, fronted by Skin, Skunk Anansie blend hard rock with political and social themes; American alternative rock band Garbage, fronted by Scottish singer Shirley Manson, combine rock, electronica and pop influences.
Chicago singer Anastacia heads to the Yorkshire coast to perform I’m Outta Love, Paid My Dues and Left Outside Alone et al on her Not That Kind tour. London soul singer Heather Small, of M People fame, is her special guest. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.
York artist Ric Liptrot’s illustration for tomorrow’s 2026 Bishy Road Street Party
Community event of the week: Bishy Road Street Party, Bishopthorpe Road, York, tomorrow, 11am to 4pm
CELEBRATING community spirit and independent shops, Bishopthorpe Road Traders Association’s 2026 Bishy Road Street Party combines live music, family activities and food and drink, plus street vendors and community stalls. The main stage plays host to performances by Yorkshire Voices (11am), Third Parallel (11.45am), Gaia On Fire (Juno, 12.30pm) and Bargestra (1.30pm), climaxing with headline sets by the Yorky Pud Street Band (14.15pm) and The Unnamed Band (3.15pm).
Look out for five children’s performances and interactive sessions, with appearances from Evergreen Explorers (11am), Professor Dan (12 noon), Baby Band (1pm), Elevate Dance Sessions (2pm) and Josh Benson (3pm). A children’s zone, featuring face painting, mud kitchen, crafts, hair braiding and balloons, will be set up on Ebor Street and entertainment will be spread across the event space. Charities, artists, makers and community groups offer games, activities and information. Free to attend; no booking required.
Artist and designer Es Devlinin the Temple of the Fours Winds at Castle Howard. Picture: Rick Walker, PA Media
Installation of the week: Es Devlin, Library Of The Four Winds, Temple of the Four Winds, Castle Howard, near Malton, until September 27
AS part of the Vanbrugh 300 celebrations at Castle Howard, artist and designer Es Devlin responds to Sir John Vanbrugh’s visionary architecture with her luminous installation Library Of The Four Winds, a new mirrored sculpture that takes over the Temple of the Four Winds in honour of the National Year of Reading.
The temple’s original use as a place for refreshment and reading was Devlin’s starting point for a central sculpture made up of hundreds of books, curated from the personal libraries of Vanbrugh and Devlin. The temple is encompassed by four concentric tables where the public can read, draw, talk, eat and listen. The space will host events throughout the summer. Tickets: castlehoward.co.uk.
The many faces of Lenny Henry: Actor, comedian, fundraiser and stand-up anedoctalist
Talk of the week: Lenny Henry, Still At Large, Grand Opera House, York, June 23, 7.30pm
PART stand-up, part storytelling and part conversation with himself and with you, Still At Large finds Lenny Henry returning to the experiences that shaped him while also exploring the ideas, challenges and creative sparks driving him today.
From The Lenny Henry Show and Chef! to dramatic performances in Othello and The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power, he traces the roles, characters and moments that have defined his six-decade career and shares what continues to inspire him as he reflects on a life lived out loud. On show will be the many versions of Lenny: actor, impressionist, comedian, fundraiser and stand-up anecdotalist. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Dan Wood, left, Stephen Wright, Lotty Farmer, Rosa Burns, Hannah Shaw and James Dickinson in York Light Opera Company’s The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Musical of the week: York Light Opera Company in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, June 24 to 27 & June 30 to July 4, 7.30pm, plus 2.30pm Saturday matinees and 2pm Sunday matinee (28/6/2026)
NEIL Wood directs York Light in Rebecca Feldman, William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin’s musical account of six ‘mid-pubescents’ battling for the spelling championship of a lifetime. While candidly disclosing stories from their home life, the tweens spell their way through a series of words hoping to never hear the bell that signals a mistake.
Cue a heart-warming message that highlights themes of friendship, identity and perseverance, all while celebrating the awkwardness and excitement of growing up. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Jordan Eskeisa, left, Marienella Phillips, Chelsea Da Silva (The Enormous Crocodile, front), Precious Abimbola and Ciara Hudson in The Enormous Crocodile. Picture: Danny Kaan
Mischievous adaptationof the week:Roald Dahl Story Company in Roald Dahl’s The Enormous Crocodile The Musical, York Theatre Royal, June 25 to 28, 10.30am and 1.30pm.
ROALD Dahl’s Enormous Crocodile is weaving his way through the jungle in search of delicious little fingers and squidgy podgy knees. Only fellow jungle creatures can foil his “secret plans and clever tricks”, but they need courage aplenty to stop this greedy, grumptious, horrid brute.
Equipped with Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab’s tunes, Suhayla El-Bushra’s rib-tickling book and lyrics and Tom Brady’s additional music and lyrics, the dastardly family adventure has been developed and directed by Emily Lim, working in tandem with co-director and puppetry designer Toby Olié. Chelsea Da Silva, Precious Abimbola, Jordan Eskeisa, Ciara Hudson, Marienella Phillips and actor-musician René Francalanza star.Age guidance: Three plus. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Stewart Lee’s poster illustration for Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf, on tour for three nights at Grand Opera House, York
Comedy gigs of the week: Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf, Grand Opera House, York, June 25 to 27, 7.30pm
AFTER a five-night Theatre Royal run in the fledgling days of Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf in January 2025, the contrarian comedian returns to York for three more nights of testing whether the beast inside us all can be silenced with the silver bullet of Lee’s scalpel-sharp stand-up?
Lee will play the same material three ways: first up, telling liberal jokes in a liberal way, then, after a screaming transformation into the Man-Wulf, reactionary jokes in a reactionary way post-interval and, finally, wolf’s head removed, reactionary jokes in a liberal, left-leaning way. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Karl Mullen: Playing everything from Chopin to Oasis, via Led Zeppelin and Les Dawson, at The Old Paint Shop
Cabaret gig of the week: The Old Paint Shop presents Karl Mullen, York Theatre Royal Studio, June 26, 8pm
AFTER two Old Paint Shop gigs last year, Karl Mullen, upright-piano busker, Phoenix Inn fixture and Leeds Piano Competition Pub Piano Champion, completes his hat-trick, serving up his high-energy take on everything from Chopin to Oasis, via Led Zeppelin and Les Dawson, packed with outrageous and heartfelt stories from decades of gigging. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
In Focus: Prima Choral Artists, Under One Sky, National Centre for Early Music, York, Sunday, 21/6/2026, 5pm & 7.30pm
Prima Choral Artists; poster for Sunday’s concerts at the double on Father’s Day
PRODUCER and artistic director Eve Lorian leads Prima Choral Artists in a compelling journey through global vocal traditions in two concerts on Sunday at the National Centre For Early Music, St Margaret’s Church, Walmgate, York.
Under One Sky is a signature programme by this Polish-born, York-based choral director, who has consistently introduced unique concerts and explored new territory for York choirs for nearly two decades.
Eve’s latest artistic compilation is designed to celebrate the relationship between musical language, cultural identity and vocal technique, while recognising the unifying nature of the choral canon. Spanning a wide geographical and cultural spectrum, the repertoire highlights distinctive approaches to tone production, ornamentation, rhythm and ensemble cohesion.
Sunday’s programme opens with Sakura, a Japanese folk melody characterised by its pentatonic modality and lyrical phrasing. The Bulgarian works Kaval Sviri and Dilmano Dilbero exemplify the highly resonant, open-throated “white voice” technique, and this vocal aesthetic continues in Serbian folk music, where dance-derived rhythms and communal expression are central.
Folk traditions of the North Atlantic are represented through the French-Canadian J’entends le Moulin, with its rhythmic drive, alongside Wild Mountain Thyme and Gaelic Song Of The Boatman, which reflect the modal inflections of Scottish and Gaelic song traditions.
Prima Choral Artists’ founder, producer and artistic director Eve Lorian
The programme broadens even further afield through Yeish Kochavim (Hebrew), Evohé (Venezuela) and Dao Mai Fan Ye’ (Mandarin), each illustrating the interaction between text, rhythm and collective energy within their respective traditions. These works foreground the role of music in both ritual and communal celebration.
The final section centres on vocal traditions from the Torres Strait Islands and Southern Africa. Sesere Eeye reflects oral transmission practices and community-based performance, while Ngothando, Ndikhokhele Bawo and Papaoutai demonstrate the harmonies and call-and-response structures that are foundational to many African musical forms.
Eve’s diligent research has brought together this sparkling burst of music with the support of a choir who are no strangers to world music and singing in multiple languages.
“We have always been proud of our multi-cultural, international identity,” says Eve. “Music has always been a unifying force for good. These concerts, celebrating unity through diversity, represent a truth that sometimes only music can express.”
Giving a brief glimpse into the creative process behind these events, she adds: “Selecting the music takes weeks upon weeks of research and listening. I thrive on fresh choices, on presenting the unexpected – and these pieces are far from the standard choral repertoire.
Prima Choral Artists in concert under Eve Lorian’s direction
“But the title came so naturally: Under One Sky says everything that we mean to convey in these two performances!”
International connections for Eve and Prima Choral Artists are not merely constrained to concert programming. For more than a decade, Eve has led the way in introducing outstanding overseas opportunities for York choirs.
This commitment continues this summer with a concert tour to Prague from July 8 to 13 to take part in the International Choir and Orchestra Festival (Prague Festival 2026, July 9 to 13).
On September 6, Eve will welcome the Norwegian choir Fanakoret, from Bergen, for a Friendship performance with Prima Choral Artists at St Olave’s Church, Marygate, York, at 5pm.
“Before these opportunities comes the unmissable chance to join Prima on Father’s Day on Sunday at the National Centre For Early Music with the two time slots designed to complement everyone’s plans and make for a truly special weekend celebration,” she says.
Tickets are available from www.primachoral.com; with limited seating available, booking is recommended.
Artist and designer Es Devlin with her Library of the Four Winds installation in the Temple of the Four Winds, Castle Howard. Picture: James Drury
ES Devlin’s mirrored installation at Castle Howard and Lenny Henry’s career reflections stand out among Charles Hutchinson’s joyful June recommendations.
Installation of the week: Es Devlin, Library Of The Four Winds, Temple of the Four Winds, Castle Howard, near Malton, until September 27
AS part of the Vanbrugh 300 celebrations at Castle Howard, artist and designer Es Devlin responds to the visionary architecture of Sir John Vanbrugh with her luminous installation Library Of The Four Winds, a new mirrored sculpture that takes over the Temple of the Four Winds in honour of the National Year of Reading too.
The temple originally was used as a place for refreshment and reading: Devlin’s starting point for a central sculpture made up of hundreds of books, curated from the personal libraries of Vanbrugh and Devlin. The temple is encompassed by four concentric tables where the public can read, draw, talk, eat and listen. The space will host events throughout the summer. Tickets: castlehoward.co.uk.
NE Theatre York’s poster for Les Miserables School Edition at Joseph Rowntree Theatre
Youth theatre show of the week: NE Theatre York in Les Miserables School Edition, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
ALAIN Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel of redemption will be performed by under-18s from NE Theatre York, directed by Steve Tearle, with a 15-piece orchestra under Joe Allen’s musical direction, projections by Tom Turner and the obligatory barricade in the set design.
The musical tells the story of former prisoner Jean Valjean, who is pursued for 17 years by police inspector Javert against the backdrop of a revolution brewing in 19th-century Paris. The principal cast features Sam Brophy’s Jean Valjean, Will Roberts’s Javert, Emil Marczuk’s Marius, Juliette Sellamuttu’s Fantine, Oscar Smith’s Enjolras, Callum Richardson’s Thenardier and Bella Gledhill’s Madame Thenardier. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Indie rock gig of the week: The Kooks, TK Maxx presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, tomorrow, gates 6pm
BRIGHTON indie rock favourites The Kooks are marking 20 years since the release of debut album Inside In/Inside Out in a set list likely to feature You Don’t Love Me, Naïve, She Moves In Her Own Way, Ooh La, Always Where I Need To Be, Shine On, Junk Of The Heart (Happy) and Around Town.
In the line-up will be Luke Pritchard, vocals and guitar, Hugh Harris, bass, guitar and synthesiser, and Alexis Nuñez, drums and percussion. Standing tickets for the show have sold out. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.
Rock Paper Goose: Showcasing Okay! album and new songs at The Old Paint Shop
Indie pop gig of the week: The Old Paint Shop presents Rock Paper Goose, York Theatre Royal Studio, tomorrow, 8pm
YORK multi-instrumentalists Nathan Greaves (vocals, guitar, synth) and Olly Whitehouse (vocals, synth, bass) write catchy melodies, taking inspiration in equal measure from rock, pop and EDM, as heard on their September 2025 debut album, Okay!.
Expect a life-affirming live show full of playful energy and joy and the promise of new songs. Dawid Ziemba supports. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
The Overtones: Teaming up with Nadiya Bychkova and Louis Smith for Jukebox Idols Of The 50s and 60s at York Barbican
Song and dance show of the week: Jukebox Idols Of The 50s & 60s, with The Overtones, Nadiya Bychkova and Louis Smith, York Barbican, Friday, 7.30pm
VOCAL harmony group The Overtones, Strictly Come Dancing professional Nadiya Bychkova and former Olympic gymnast and Strictly champion Louis Smith star together in Jukebox Idols, presented by the producers of West End hit Rip It Up 60s.
This non-stop whirlwind of 1950s and 1960s’ music icons such as Nat King Cole, Elvis Presley, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, The Beatles, The Beach Boys and the Motown roster features a stellar supporting cast of dancers as they swing, bop, jive and rock’n’roll their way through the ultimate jukebox show. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Luka Watabe: York-based Japanese jazz singer, performing in sophisticated cabaret show at The Old Paint Shop
Cabaret night of the week: The Old Paint Shop presents Velvet Jazz Night with Luka Watabe, York Theatre Royal Studio, Friday, 8pm
LUKA Watabe and her professional jazz musicians combine old-school Hollywood glamour with her rich, smooth vocal styling in a sophisticated repertoire of classic jazz standards and modern songs delivered with a sleek jazz twist. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Beverley Knight: Born To Perform show at York Barbican. Picture: Lewis Shaw
Recommended but sold out: Beverley Knight, Born To Perform, York Barbican, Saturday, 7.30pm
QUEEN of British soul Beverley Knight shares stories from her life on stage, as well as performing her biggest hits, musical theatre favourites and cherished songs that have inspired her on her 20-date UK tour.
“Born To Perform is me taking you on a journey through my life on both music and theatre stages, using my memories and of course my songs. I’m stripping back my sound so the audience can lean in a little closer and really hear my soul,” says Knight, whose hits include Made It Black, Greatest Day, Get Up, Shoulda Woulda Coulda, Gold, Come As You Are, Keep This Fire Burning and Piece Of My Heart. Her special guest is Gabriella Cilmi. Box office for returns only: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Co-headliners of the week: Skunk Anansie & Garbage, TK Maxx presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Saturday, gates 6pm
SKUNK Anansie and Garbage play Scarborough as part of a six-date tour. Formed in London in 1994, fronted by Skin, Skunk Anansie blend hard rock with political and social themes on such hits as Weak and Hedonism (Just Because You Feel Good).
American alternative rock band Garbage, fronted by Scottish singer Shirley Manson, combine rock, electronica and pop influences, exemplified by Stupid Girl and Only Happy When It Rains. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.
The many faces of Lenny Henry: Actor, impressionist, fundraiser and stand-up anecdotalist
Talk of the week: Lenny Henry, Still At Large, Grand Opera House, York, June 23, 7.30pm
PART stand-up, part storytelling and part conversation with himself and with you, Still At Large finds Lenny Henry returning to the experiences that shaped him while also exploring the ideas, challenges and creative sparks driving him today.
From The Lenny Henry Show and Chef! to dramatic performances in Othello and The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power, he traces the roles, characters and moments that have defined his six-decade career and shares what continues to inspire him as he reflects on a life lived out loud. On show will be the many versions of Lenny: actor, impressionist, comedian, fundraiser and stand-up anecdotalist. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Al Dunn, Matt Freeman and Nick Bunt in Le Navet Bete’s Oh Zeus!, on tour at York Theatre Royal
In Focus: Le Navet Bete in Oh Zeus!, York Theatre Royal, June 18 to 20, 7.30pm plus 2pm Saturday matinee
CHAOTIC comedy specialists Le Navet Bete return to York Theatre Royal from tomorrow, this time with their riotous ride through the world of Greek mythology, Oh Zeus!.
The Exeter company previously toured their hit family shows Dracula: The Bloody Truth, King Arthur and Treasure Island to the St Leonard’s Place theatre.
Written by John Nicholson and Le Navet Bete and directed by Nicholson, Oh Zeus! finds the stability of Olympus being threatened by the marriage of Zeus’s daughter, Hebe, to a mere mortal, whereupon the King of the Gods hatches a plan to derail the wedding.
Cue three actors – company founders Al Dunn, Nick Bunt and Matt Freeman – playing 40 characters between them in a mythical farce that journeys through Ancient Greece, the Underworld and back.
Expect physical comedy, outrageous jokes, fast-paced pandemonium and togas aplenty in a show ideal for devotees of Fawlty Towers, Bottom and The Play That Goes Wrong.
Formed in 2008 in Exeter, Devon, Le Navet Bete travel around the UK and internationally, with support from Arts Council England, the Exeter Northcott Theatre and the Exeter Phoenix, on a mission to create and tour humorous, physical and accessible comedy theatre, replete with storytelling for “absolutely everyone (ages four to 104)” – although Oh Zeus! carries an age guidance of 12 plus. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Hal Cruttenden: Dishing out the comical blows at Pocklington Arts Centre tonight. Picture: Matt Crockett
OPEN studios across York and beyond, Strictly dancers in tandem, Les Miserables in its school edition and Elvis Costello’s early years are among Charles Hutchinson’s joyful June recommendations.
Comedy gig of the week: Hal Cruttenden: Can Dish It Out But Can’t Take It, Pocklington Arts Centre, tonight, 7.30pm
EALING comedian Hal Cruttenden’s new tour show promises to stick it to ‘The Man’, as long as ‘The Man’ doesn’t stick it back to him. Utilising his trademark hard-hitting comedy style, he pontificates on subjects such as middle-aged dating, social media, the insanity of modern politics and how his daughters love him but do not respect him. He believes that, after experiencing this gig, you will feel exactly the same way. Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.
Es Devlin stands by her installation Library Of The Four Winds in the Temple of the Four Winds at Castle Howard. Picture: James Drury
Drawing workshop of the day: Es Devlin, Library Of The Four Winds, Temple of the Four Winds, Castle Howard, near York, today at 12 noon
TO mark today’s opening of her Library Of The Four Winds installation at the Temple of the Four Winds, Castle Howard, artist and designer Es Devlin will hold a 45-minute outdoor drawing workshop, with materials provided. Further workshops will follow at the installation every Saturday until September 26.
Devlin will be in conversation today with Nicholas Howard and Francis Terry in a 5.30pm event supported by the Georgian Society and National Lottery Heritage Fund. Library Of The Four Winds will be on show until September 27. For full details of the workshops, conversation and installation, go to: castlehoward.co.uk.
The Jazzville Quartet: Performing with Kirsty Hughes at The Old Paint Shop
Cabaret gig of the week: The Old Paint Shop presents The Jazzville Quartet, with Kirsty Hughes, York Theatre Royal Studio, tonight, 8pm
YORK jazz combo The Jazzville Quartet are joined by University of York alumna and Royal Academy of Music graduate Kirsty Hughes, showcasing her love of Judy Garland and the great jazz singers in an intimate cabaret performance.
Piano maestro and arranger Alec Robinson, saxophonist Alex Fisher, double bassist Tim Murgatroyd and drummer Steve Hanley will be exploring the Great American Songbook too in a celebration of swing, Latin classics and haunting jazz ballads. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Shechter II in Hofesh Shechter’s In The Brain at York Theatre Royal.Picture: Todd MacDonald
New dance work of the week: Shechter II in In The Brain, York Theatre Royal, tonight, 7.30pm
HOFESH Shechter’s exhilarating new full-length work for Shechter II, In The Brain, is a raw, electrifying dive into movement, rhythm, and collective energy, taking a pulsing, urgent journey into the depths of our consciousness, where stories dissolve, identity fades and only the beat remains.
In The Brain is a space to break free, to lose yourself, to surrender to the rush of movement, the weight of bass and the euphoria of bodies locked in Shechter’s signature groove. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Abstract artist Mark Ibson
Exhibition of the week: Mark Ibson, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York, until July 30
SELF-TAUGHT Bishop Wilton artist Mark Ibson’s abstract works are back on the bakery walls at Bluebird Bakery, where he is exhibiting new artworks in the form of experiments in surface texture and instinctive marking.
Initially a furniture and interior restorer, Ibsen began painting in 2012, holding his debut solo exhibition at Partisan, Micklegate, in May 2027 at the age of 47 after years of quietly painting and honing his skills at his studio in the former Herris Fisher blacksmith’s forge. “It seemed to be a natural progression,” he said at the time.
Ric Liptrot: Taking part in North Yorkshire Open Studios in York this weekend
Open invitation of the weekend: North Yorkshire Open Studios 2026, Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 5pm
MORE than 200 artists and makers are taking part in the second weekend of the summer edition of North Yorkshire Open Studios. Among those involved in and around York are Lucie Wake; Alex Ash; Lincoln Lightfoot; Jon Haste; Ali Hunter; Veronica Ongaro; Di Gomery; Jill Tattersall; Evie Leach; Katrina Mansfield and Lesley Shaw.
So too are Lisa Power; Lu Mason; Ric Liptrot; Jo Walton; Kai West; Emily Littler; Hannah Arnup; Michelle Galloway; Janie Stevens; Toby Staunton; Gonzalo Blanco; Andrew Bloodworth; Justine Warner; Graham Jones; Nora Gaston and Freya Horsley. The full list of artists and makers can be found at nyos.org.uk.
Amy Dowden and Carlos Gu: Reborn at Grand Opera House, York
Strictly stars of the week combination number one: Amy & Carlos: Reborn, Amy Dowden and Carlos Gu, Grand Opera House, York, June 16, 7.30pm
AFTER making her stunning return to the Strictly Come Dancing dancefloor, Amy Dowden MBE truly feels Reborn in her tour show, accompanied by fellow Strictly professional Carlos Gu.
Back on stage after a triumphant debut season, Amy and Carlos will be sharing an intimate portrait of their lives and journeys, wherein the inspirational and transformative power of dance shines through. Reborn features world-class dancers, live vocalists and a soundtrack of iconic anthems from across the decades. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Nikita Kuzmin: Shining brightly in Supernova with Karen Hauer, on tour at York Barbican
Strictly stars of the week combination number two: Burn The Floor presents Nikita Kuzmin in Supernova, with special guest Karen Hauer, York Barbican, June 16, 7.30pm
STRICTLY Come Dancing fan favourite Nikita Kuzmin takes centre stage in the explosive dance spectacular Supernova, joined by very special guest star Karen Hauer, Strictly’s longest-serving female professional.
Created in collaboration with choreographer and BAFTA award recipient Jason Gilkison and presented by international dance sensations Burn The Floor, Supernova is fuelled by the firepower of world-class performers and global creatives in an evening where artistry meets innovation and Kuzmin’s trademark charm, power and charisma shine brighter than ever. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
NE Theatre York’s poster for next week’s School Edition production of Les Miserables
Youth theatre show of the week: NE Theatre York in Les Miserables School Edition, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, June 16 to 20, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
ALAIN Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel of redemption will be performed by under-18s from NE Theatre York, directed by Steve Tearle, with a 15-piece orchestra under Joe Allen’s musical direction, projections by Tom Turner and the obligatory barricade in the set design.
The musical tells the story of former prisoner Jean Valjean, who is pursued for 17 years by police inspector Javert against the backdrop of a brewing revolution in 19th-century Paris. The principal cast features Sam Brophy’s Jean Valjean, Will Roberts’s Javert, Emil Marczuk’s Marius, Juliette Sellamuttu’s Fantine, Oscar Smith’s Enjolras, Callum Richardson’s Thenardier and Bella Gledhill’s Madame Thenardier. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Elvis Costello: Revisiting his 1977-1986 back catalogue in Radio Soul! at York Barbican
York gig of the week: Elvis Costello & The Imposters with Charlie Sexton, Radio Soul!: The Early Songs of Elvis Costello, York Barbican, June 17, 7.45pm
ELVIS Costello plays York Barbican for the first time since May 2013, joined by The Imposters’ Steve Nieve, Pete Thomas and Davey Faragher and Texan guitarist Charlie Sexton for a set list drawn from 1977’s My Aim Is True to 1896 Blood & Chocolate albums, complemented by “other surprises”.
“For any songwriter, it has to be a compliment if people want to hear songs written up to 50years ago,” says Costello, 71. “You can expect the unexpected and the faithful in equal measure.” His special guest will be Emily Moment. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Dominic Goodwin in myriad roles in Twice Nightly at Helmsley Arts Centre
Recalling variety’s golden days: Pyramus and Thisbe Productions present Dominic Goodwin in Twice Nightly, Helmsley Arts Centre, June 26 and 27, 7.30pm
WRITER and performer Dominic Goodwin, one-time manager of Helmsley Arts Centre, returns to his old stamping ground with his first one-man comedy show, directed by York director Thomas Frere.
Twice Nightly follows the story of struggling comedian Freddie Francis in 1956 as the final curtain hovers over variety. Many acts of the time are highlighted, including Norman “Over The Garden Wall” Evans (said to be an influence on Les Dawson) Stockton comic Jimmy James, wartime star Robb Wilton and the iconic Max Miller. “It’s been an honour to perform these stars’ material, and even more so to have the backing of the families,” says Goodwin. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Al Dunn, Matt Freeman and Nick Bunt in Le Navet Bete’s Oh Zeus!. Picture: Mark Senior
In Focus: Le Navet Bete in Oh Zeus!, York Theatre Royal, June 18 to 20, 7.30pm plus 2pm Saturday matinee
CHAOTIC comedy specialists Le Navet Bete return to York Theatre Royal from tomorrow, this time with their riotous ride through the world of Greek mythology, Oh Zeus!.
The Exeter company previously toured their hit family shows Dracula: The Bloody Truth, King Arthur and Treasure Island to the St Leonard’s Place theatre.
Written by John Nicholson and Le Navet Bete and directed by Nicholson, Oh Zeus! finds the stability of Olympus being threatened by the marriage of Zeus’s daughter, Hebe, to a mere mortal, whereupon the King of the Gods hatches a plan to derail the wedding.
Cue three actors – company founders Al Dunn, Nick Bunt and Matt Freeman – playing 40 characters between them in a mythical farce that journeys through Ancient Greece, the Underworld and back.
Expect physical comedy, outrageous jokes, fast-paced pandemonium and togas aplenty in a show ideal for devotees of Fawlty Towers, Bottom and The Play That Goes Wrong.
Formed in 2008 in Exeter, Devon, Le Navet Bete travel around the UK and internationally, with support from Arts Council England, the Exeter Northcott Theatre and the Exeter Phoenix, on a mission to create and tour humorous, physical and accessible comedy theatre, replete with storytelling for “absolutely everyone (ages four to 104)” – although Oh Zeus! carries an age guidance of 12 plus. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Grainne Dromgoole’s Liz Gold and Ralf Little’s Alec Leamas in The Spy Who Came In From The Cold. Picture: Johan Persson
NO John le Carré novel had been adapted for the stage until Chichester Festival Theatre took on the challenge of 1963’s The Spy Who Came In From The Cold in August 2024.
Film, yes, television series, yes, but the stage: the question is why not? Especially when psychological thrillers work just as well in a theatrical setting. Thankfully adaptor David Eldridge and director Jeremy Herrin, in tandem with production designer Max Jones, grabbed the elusive bull by the horns, their smart, slick and stylish Chichester premiere being followed by a West End bow at @sohoplace and now a nationwide tour.
A bicycle rests on its side centre stage, the front wheel still spinning, never stopping, defying Newton’s Laws of Motion, as Wednesday’s matinee audience gathers.
This symbol of wheels constantly turning, nothing ever settling, encapsulates the clandestine, claustrophobic world of Cold War espionage, deception and moral compromise, machination and manipulation. How can you trust anyone when you can’t even trust your eyes?!
Enter Ralf Little, late of The Royal Family and Death In Paradise, charged with the large task of following in the footsteps of Richard Burton in Martin Ritt’s 1965 film as burnt-out, disillusioned British intelligence agent Alec Leamas.
Drinking too heavily, smoking prodigiously, never seeing his children, Leamas is ready to “come in from the cold” in October 1961, a hollow shell of an outcast at 45. However, a combination of the Control (the immaculate, inscrutable Nicholas Murchie) and supposedly retired veteran spymaster George Smiley (Tony Turner), hovering ominously in the shadows of the stage and Leamas’s mind alike, persuades him to take on one final mission.
He must infiltrate East German intelligence in Berlin, giving him the chance to avenge his nemesis, the taciturn, cynical Nazi-turned-Communist agent Hans-Dieter Mundt (Peter Losasso), after his East German contact, Riemeck (Jonny Burman), is taken out.
Berlin is now divided by the Berlin Wall that looms large over Max Jones’s black-box design, with its steps to a mezzanine level, where Turner’s Smiley makes his entrances, like King Hamlet’s ghost, until taking centre stage late on, when taking over the narrator’s role from Little’s Leamas.
The floor is covered by a huge red map of Cold War Europe, Berlin West and East at its epicentre. Tables and chairs are forever being moved on and off the otherwise bare expanse of stage, where Azusa Ono’s lighting designs – often red and green, rather than the usual cold, disorientating blue – take on greater emotional significance and impact.
Into the plot are woven The Circus, Fiedler (Eddie Toll), the ideological, Jewish, Stalinist deputy director of the East German intelligence service, and librarian Liz Gold (Grainne Dromgoole), the naive young Communist Party activist, Leamas’s unforeseen love interest – the one element Smiley and the British Intelligence overlords had not calculated would influence Leamas’s actions.
Come the interval, Little’s exasperated, exhausted Leamas is calling both the ever-concealing Control and Smiley “liars”. No-one can indeed be trusted in this oppressive, suppressive quagmire of double crossing, deceit and dubious morals, where the end result is all that matters and Leamas is nothing more than a paranoid pawn in the chess set of espionage.
After first reading le Carré’s novel at 16, its chilling Cold War story and lead character had stayed with Little ever since. Now, 30 years on, he invests an assiduous sense of duty into Leamas, who is increasingly rueful and a loose cannon too, prone to sporadic outbursts of humorous theatricality and rising risk-taking to stay alive. Above all, the combination of Eldridge’s writing and Little’s intense performance conveys Leamas’s inner thoughts through haunted monologues in the tradition of Hamlet and Macbeth.
The murky miasma of spying in John le Carré’s books makes Alec Leamas poles apart from Ian Fleming’s secret agent James Bond. His world is no less dangerous and lonely, but drudgery and skulduggery prevail without the glamour and desirable locations.
Outwardly, Eldridge and Herrin’s noir thriller is a period piece, but as the ice forms on a new, 21st century Cold War, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold may well have to be sent out into the cold again.
Second Half Productions and The Ink Factory present Chichester Festival Theatre in John le Carré’s The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, Grand Opera House, York, until June 13, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Ralf Little’s disillusioned British intelligence officer Alec Leamas in The Spy Who Came In From The Cold. Picture: Johan Persson
COLD War espionage, artist open studios on moor and coast, Wright & Grainger in short form and Elvis Costello’s early years revisited make their mark on culture guide Charles Hutchinson.
Thriller of the week: The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, Grand Opera House, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm matinees today, tomorrow and Saturday
FOR the first time, a John le Carré novel is being brought to life on stage by Chichester Festival Theatre in David Eldridge’s adaptation of The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, a typically taut tale that journeys through the fog-shrouded terrain of Cold War espionage, deception and moral compromise.
Death In Paradise star Ralf Little’s disillusioned British intelligence officer, Alec Leamas, is ready to come in from the cold, until veteran agent George Smiley persuades him to take one final mission against the East German Secret Service. Deep undercover, Leamas finds his convictions tested and his defences breached by Liz Gold, a quietly defiant librarian, whose compassion threatens to thaw his frostbitten heart. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Rich Hall: Delivering comedy’s version of Chin Music at Pocklington Arts Centre
American comedian of the week: Rich Hall: Chin Music, Pocklington Arts Centre, tonight, 8pm
THE expression “chin music” has two meanings. One is idle talk; the other is a ‘brushback’ throw in baseball or cricket to intimidate the batter. Both describe North Carolina-born Rich Hall’s comedy: idle but intimidating, sharp, quick, splenetic and improvisational. Don’t duck out of seeing him in action in Pocklington tonight. Box office: 017589 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.
Florence Poskitt’s Rita and Jamie McKeller’s Frank in Black Treacle Theatre’s Educating Rita at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York
Literature lessons of the week: Black Treacle Theatre in Educating Rita, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm
YORK actors Florence Poskitt and Jamie McKeller team up for the first time under Jim Paterson’s direction in Willy Russell’s warm, witty and moving double-hander about the power of education to change lives. When Rita, a working-class hairdresser hungry for something more, signs up for an Open University literature course, she meets disillusioned academic Frank, whose passion for teaching has long faded.
Their weekly tutorials become a battle of ideas, humour and honesty as Rita’s confidence blossoms and Frank reckons with his own choices and the possibility of a second chance. Change comes with difficult choices for both student and tutor, who must reconsider who they are and who they want to be. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
The Bluffs’ poster for Unwritten: The Literary Improv Show at Rise@Bluebird Bakery
Unscripted silliness of the week: Unwritten: The Literary Improv Show, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York, tomorrow, 8.30pm, doors 7.30pm
YORK troupe The Bluffs take classic short-form improv games and infuse them with storytelling flair in an evening of laughter, silliness and plot twists. Each fast-paced show is shaped by audience suggestions and spontaneous creativity. Expect scenes inspired by classic literature, unexpected character mash-ups and even a fanfiction-inspired musical number.
The Bluffs are drawn from a melange of theatrical, comedy and musical backgrounds, from festival stages to pantomime and competitive Theatresports. Box office: eventbrite.com/e/unwritten-the-literary-improv-show-tickets-1984763723726.
Easingwold creative duo Wright & Grainger: Presenting Say It & Play It at The Old Paint Shop
The Old Paint Shop presents: Wright & Grainger Say It & Play it, York Theatre Royal Studio, tomorrow, 8pm
FRIENDS and working partners since Easingwold schooldays, Wright & Grainger serve a carefully curated evening of stories, poems, songs and gentle chaos. Known for their internationally acclaimed adaptations of Ancient Greek myths, sometimes they do something a tad different.
Hence Say It & Play It will be a set full of Alexander Flanagan Wright & Phil Grainger’s shorter collaborative works, the poems that stand on their own, the beautiful tracks they have been writing. “It’s a gorgeous weave of our home-grown stuff, grown and told on home turf,” they say. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Paul Weller: Heading back to the East Coast to play Scarborough Open Air Theatre
Seaside excursion of the week: Paul Weller, TK Maxx presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Friday, gates 6pm
PAUL Weller follows up April’s release of Weller At The BBC Vol 2 with his return to Scarborough Open Air Theatre for the first time since July 7 2024. The Modfather, 68, will be expected to draw on material from his days in The Jam and Style Council, as well as his solo years, from 1992’s self-titled debut to July 2025’s Find El Dorado. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.
Mark Butler: Taking part in North Yorkshire Open Studios 2026
North Yorkshire Open Studios 2026, Moors and Coast, Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 5pm
MORE than 200 artists and makers are taking part in the second weekend of the summer edition of North Yorkshire Open Studios, including 73 representing the Moors and Coast. Among them will be Boo Barwick-Ward; Iona May Stock; Jo Naden; Sarah Sharpe, Alison Spaven; Anna Matyus; Pam Edwards; Deborah Wilkinson; Iona Harrison; Jonathan Pomroy and Stephen Bird.
So too will Rory Menage; Sue Slack; Mike Nowill; Studio Milena; Clare Belbin; Elizabeth Bailey; Lyn Bailey; Pauline Brown; Sally Parkin; Nettle Cottage Prints; Slab and Slip; Rebecca Callis; Kate Brown; Jess Shaw; Martin Gittins; Alice O’Neil and Gillies Jones. Full details can be found at nyos.org.uk.
Elvis Costello: Revisiting his early years in his Radio Soul! show at York Barbican. Picture: Ray Di Pietro
York gig of the week: Elvis Costello & The Imposters with Charlie Sexton, Radio Soul!: The Early Songs of Elvis Costello, York Barbican, June 17,7.45pm
ELVIS Costello plays York Barbican for the first time since May 2013, joined by The Imposters’ Steve Nieve, Pete Thomas and Davey Faragher and Texan guitarist Charlie Sexton for a set list drawn from 1977’s My Aim Is True to 1896 Blood & Chocolate albums, complemented by “other surprises”.
“For any songwriter, it has to be a compliment if people want to hear songs written up to 50years ago,” says Costello, 71. “You can expect the unexpected and the faithful in equal measure.” His special guest will be Emily Moment. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Dominic Goodwin: Performing Twice Nightly over two nights at Helmsley Arts Centre
Recalling variety’s golden days: Pyramus and Thisbe Productions present Dominic Goodwin in Twice Nightly, Helmsley Arts Centre, June 26 and 27, 7.30pm
DOMINIC Goodwin, one-time manager of Helmsley Arts Centre, returns to his old stamping ground with his first one-man comedy show, written and performed by Goodwin and directed by York director Thomas Frere.
Twice Nightly follows the story of struggling comedian Freddie Francis in 1956 as the final curtain hovers over variety. Many acts of the time are highlighted, including Norman “Over The Garden Wall” Evans (said to be an influence on Les Dawson) Stockton comic Jimmy James, wartime star Robb Wilton and the iconic Max Miller. “It’s been an honour to perform these stars’ material, and even more so to have the backing of the families,” says Goodwin. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
York printmaker Michelle Hughes holding a copy of her debut book, Printing Birds and Wildlife in Linocut
In Focus
Book event of the week: An Evening with Michelle Hughes, Printing Birds and Wildlife in Linocut, Kemps Books, Malton, tonight, 7.30pm
YORK linocut printmaker discusses her debut book, Printing Birds and Wildlife in Linocut, her creative story and upcoming tenth anniversary in business at Kemps Books. “Liz Kemp has been a huge supporter of my printmaking journey, selling my original prints in the early days, greeting cards over the years, and now stocking my book,” says Michelle. “Do come along and support a fabulous indie gift shop and bookshop.”
Published in February 2026, Michelle’s beautifully illustrated book shares how to design, carve and print birds and wildlife using traditional linocut techniques, guiding readers from simple one-colour prints through to more advanced multi-colour methods, including jigsaw, reduction and multi-block printing.
“Whether you are completely new to linocut or already exploring printmaking, the book offers clear step-by-step guidance, practical tips and creative inspiration for capturing birds and wildlife in this rewarding craft,” says Michelle.
“During the evening you’ll enjoy my short talk about my journey to becoming a professional printmaker; behind-the-scenes insights into how the book was created, with a chance to see original prints and lino blocks featured in the book and a Q&A session about linocut printmaking, followed by a book signing.
Come and celebrate wildlife, printmaking and the joy of carving and printing by hand.” Tickets must be booked in advance in person in store or at kempsgeneralstore.co.uk/pages/events.
Holly Taymar: Playing City of York Roland Walls Folk Weekend
A FEAST of folk music and Shed Seven’s anniversary celebration, a le Carré thriller and a Willy Russell classic send Charles Hutchinson out and about.
Festival of the week: City of York Roland Walls Folk Weekend 2026, Black Swan Folk Club, Black Swan Inn, Peasholme Green York, today and tomorrow
CITY of York Roland Walls Folk Weekend’s three-day programme of 50 acts continues today and tomorrow with bands, soloists and sessions throughout the pub and in the car park from 1pm each day after last night’s Irish-themed bill in the club room.
Among the performers will be King Courgette, in the return of the original line-up, Leather’O, White Sail, Janglebuddies, Graham Hodge, Monkey’s Fist, Chechelele, Caramba, Holly Taymar, Duncan McFarlane Band, Mary Molloy, Susie Coyle, Soundsphere and Jon Palmer Band. Admission is free, with collections for the Motor Neurone Disease Association.
Stuart O’Hara: York Late Music concert this afternoon
Lunchtime concert of the week: York Late Music, Stuart O’Hara (bass) and Rob Hao piano), Unitarian Chapel, St Saviourgate, York, today, 1pm
MARRYING words and music, bass Stuart O’Hara and pianist Rob Hao’s performance is based around new settings of Yorkshire poets by local composers: James Else &Alan Gillott, Retratos (world premiere, complete song cycle); Tim Brooks & Lizzi Linklater, New Student In The University Cafe (world premiere); Jenny Jackson & Richard Kitchen, Vessels (world premiere) and Nick Carter & Hugh Bernays: The Water Will Not Remember from Requiem for the Arctic (world premiere)
This afternoon’s recital also includes David Power’s Six Songs, based on the poetry of E.H. Visiak, and two new settings by York St John University student composers Robyn Hughes-Maclean and Matthew Jarvis. Tickets: latemusic.org or on the door.
The Elysian Singers: Musical settings of poetry at Unitarian Chapel, St Saviourgate, York. Picture: Linda Dawson
Poetry and music in motion: The Elysian Singers, York Late Music, Unitarian Chapel, St Saviourgate, York, tonight, 7.30pm
DIRECTED by Sam Laughton, The Elysian Singers’ insightful programme celebrates the musical settings of the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins. Benjamin Britten’s A.M.D.G. will be complemented by works by Samuel Barber (Heaven-Haven), Alan Bullard (The Windhover and Spring Morning), Bob Chilcott (The Bethlehem Star) and Ian Stephens (Pied Beauty).
The première of David Lancaster’s new work, Henry Purcell, featuring Hopkins’ tribute to his own favourite composer, provides an opportunity to revisit Purcell’s Remember Not, Lord, Our Offences and O Lord God Of Hosts. David Power’s quirky and imaginative settings of four E.H. Visiak poems completes the line-up, preceded by Lancaster and Power’s 6.45pm pre-concert talk. Tickets: latemusic.org or on the door.
Shed Seven: Marking 30th anniversary of A Maximum High with one-off concert at The Piece Hall, Halifax, tonight
Recommended but sold out already: Shed Seven, A Maximum High 30th Anniversary Show, The Piece Hall, Halifax, today, 6.30pm
YORK band Shed Seven are marking the 30th anniversary of their hit-laden second album, April 1996’s A Maximum High, with a one-off concert at The Piece Hall, featuring the magnum opus in full plus further Sheds’ hits and fan favourites. Expect a few surprises too. The Guest List (6.30pm) and Seb Lowe (7.20pm) support.
Utter Madness: The Nutty Boys stride out at Scarborough Open Air Theatre for the fourth time tonight
Seaside trip of the week: Madness, Scarborough Open Air Theatre, tonight, doors 6pm
IN their 50th year since forming in Camden, Nutty Boys Madness make their fourth appearance at Scarborough Open Air Theatre after previous seaside visits in 2017, 2019 and 2024.
Drawing on 31 Top 40 hits and 11 Top Ten albums, their timeless blend of ska, pop, punk and music hall will be on show as ever in Our House, It Must be Love, Baggy Trousers, House Of Fun et al. The Beat featuring Ranking Jnr and reggae vocalist Hollie Cook support. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.
Ralf Little’s disillusioned British intelligence officer Alec Leamas in The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, on tour at Grand Opera House, York. Picture: Johan Persson
Thriller of the week: The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, Grand Opera House, York, June 9 to 13, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday matinees
FOR the first time, a John le Carré novel is being brought to life on stage by Chichester Festival Theatre in David Eldridge’s adaptation of The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, a tale that journeys through the fog-shrouded terrain of Cold War espionage, deception and moral compromise.
Death In Paradise star Ralf Little’s disillusioned British intelligence officer, Alec Leamas, is ready to come in from the cold, until veteran agent George Smiley persuades him to take one final mission against the East German Secret Service. Deep undercover, Leamas finds his convictions tested and his defences breached by Liz Gold, a quietly defiant librarian, whose compassion threatens to thaw his frostbitten heart. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
An open book or something more complex than that?Florence Poskitt’s Rita and Jamie McKeller’s Frank in Black Treacle Theatre’s Educating Rita
Literature lessons of the week: Black Treacle Theatre in Educating Rita, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, June 9 to 13, 7.30pm
YORK actors Florence Poskitt and Jamie McKeller team up for the first time under Jim Paterson’s direction in Willy Russell’s warm, witty and moving double-hander about the power of education to change lives. When Rita, a working-class hairdresser hungry for something more, signs up for an Open University literature course, she meets disillusioned academic Frank, whose passion for teaching has long faded.
Their weekly tutorials become a battle of ideas, humour and honesty as Rita’s confidence blossoms and Frank reckons with his own choices and the possibility of a second chance. Change comes with difficult choices for both student and tutor, who must reconsider who they are and who they want to be. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Director Courtney Brown in Pickering Musical Society’s Let’s Do It!, The Cole Porter Songbook
Musical kicks of the week: Pickering Musical Society in Let’s Do It!r, The Cole Porter Songbook, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, June 9 to 13, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
IN a sparkling showcase of wit, romance, sophisticated melodies and clever lyrics, Pickering Musical Society celebrates the joyous Cole Porter Songbook, performing beloved songs from Anything Goes, Kiss Me, Kate and High Society and such hits as You’re The Top and I Get A Kick Out Of You under the direction of Courtney Brown.
The Sarah Louise Ashworth School of Dance’s vibrant tap, jazz and contemporary routines combine stylish choreography, glamorous costumes and a tribute to the Great American Songbook. Box office: 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk.
The Bluffs: Short-form improv games infused with storytelling flair at Rise@Bluebird Bakery
Unscripted silliness of the week: Unwritten: The Literary Improv Show, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York, June 11, 8.30pm, doors 7.30pm
YORK troupe The Bluffs take classic short-form improv games and infuse them with storytelling flair in an evening of laughter, silliness and plot twists. Each fast-paced show is shaped by audience suggestions and spontaneous creativity. Expect scenes inspired by classic literature, unexpected character mash-ups and even a fanfiction-inspired musical number.
The Bluffs are drawn from a melange of theatrical, comedy and musical backgrounds, from festival stages to pantomime and competitive Theatresports. Box office: eventbrite.com/e/unwritten-the-literary-improv-show-tickets-1984763723726.
Wright & Grainger: Say It & Play: “Gorgeous weave of our home-grown stuff” at The Old Paint Shop on Thursday. Picture: Afternoon Film
The Old Paint Shop presents: Wright & Grainger Say It & Play it, York Theatre Royal Studio, June 11, 8pm
FRIENDS and working partners since Easingwold schooldays, Wright & Grainger serve a carefully curated evening of stories, poems, songs and gentle chaos. Known for their internationally acclaimed adaptations of Ancient Greek myths, sometimes they do something a tad different.
Say It & Play It will be a set full of Alexander Flanagan Wright & Phil Grainger’s shorter collaborative works, the poems that stand on their own, the beautiful tracks they have been writing. “It’s a gorgeous weave of our home-grown stuff, grown and told on home turf,” they say. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Lincoln Lightfoot: Participating in North Yorkshire Open Studios
In Focus: North Yorkshire Open Studios, Summer edition, June 6 & 7 and June 13 & 14, 10am to 5pm
MORE than 200 artists and makers are taking part in the summer edition of North Yorkshire Open Studios 2026.
Covering three areas of God’s Own Country, from the remote Upper Dales to the Central locations of Harrogate and York and the Moors & Coast, this annual event enables creative talents to open their studios to promote and sell their work directly to the public.
Taking part in and around York will be jewellery designer Helen Drye (Fountains Close, Riccall); oil painter Pennie Lordan (Moor Lane, Copmanthorpe); artist Emma James (Copmanthorpe Lane, Bishopthorpe); oil painter Lucie Wake (Slingsby Grove); abstract seascape painter Alex Ash (Heslington Lane, Fulford); B-movie poster art pastiche surrealist Lincoln Lighfoot (Brunswick Street) and northern landscape linocut printmaker Jon Haste (South Bank Social Club, Ovington Terrace).
So too are eco jewellery designer Rebecca Mihill (Nunthorpe Grove); mixed-media artist Ali Hunter (Alma Terrace); environment and plant-inspired printmaker Rachel Jones (Richardson Street); stained glass artist, ceramicist and printmaker Veronica Ongaro (Richardson Street); oil painter Di Gomery (Southlands Methodist Church, Bishopthorpe Road) and experimental artist Jill Tattersall (Mount Parade).
Further York artists will be geometric jewellery designer Evie Leach (PICA Studios, Unit 4, Enterprise Complex, Walmgate); animal artist Katrina Mansfield (PICA Studios); figurative artist Lesley Shaw (PICA Studios); Irish landscape artist Lisa Power (PICA Studios); rag rug maker Lu Mason (PICA Studios) and cityscape and architecture artist Ric Liptrot (PICA Studios).
In the line-up too will be abstract rust and gold metal-leaf artist Jo Walton (Rogues Atelier, Franklin’s Yard, Fossgate); illustrator and screen-print gig poster artist Kai West (Rogues Atelier); mixed-media figurative artist Mo Nisbet (Acomb Road); nature and animal acrylic artist Nicola Glover (Beech Grove); stoneware potter Hannah Arnup (Arnup Studios, Panman Lane, Holtby); natural world artist Kate Pettitt (Arnup Studios); fine art photographer Lesley Peatfield and enigmatic, ethereal artist Michelle Galloway (Arnup Studios).
Look out too for pattern-led tropical botanical artist Emily Littler (Sugar Hill Farm Stockton Lane); stone and wood sculptor Janie Stevens (Greenthwaite, Chantry Green, Upper Poppleton); Japanese-inspired British plant, flower and animal artist Toby Staunton (The Cottage, Main Street, Shipton by Benuingbrough); landscape artist Gonzalo Blanco (Rose Dene, Moor Lane, Strensall) and multi-media figurative and abstract artist Andrew Bloodworth (Stonelands Close, Sheriff Hutton).
The names keep coming: mixed-media landscape artist Justine Warner (Laburnum Cottage, West End, Sheriff Hutton); “happy accidents” land, sky and water artist Graham Jones (Harland House, Main Street, Huby); nature artist Nora Gaston (Moat House, Boroughbridge Road, Green Hammerton); experimental landscape artist Freya Horsley (Corner Cottage, The Green, Tollerton) and Bee-spoke Quilts’ hand-made quilt, jackets and waistcoats (Apple Croft, Gale Road, Alne),
Completing the list for York & beyond will be milliner Jane de Carteret’s woodland-type creatures (Apple Croft, Alne); Gina Bean’s semi-abstract North Yorkshire landscapes (The Bentleys, Lower Dunsforth); beach, dale and vale artist Richard Gray (Burnside, Spring Street, Easingwold); landscape artist Jeff Parker (Roedeer House, Raskelf Road, Raskelf) and Anya Manfield’s abstract textile wall hangings, mixed media artworks and layered collage pieces (Amber Cottage, Kilburn).
The full list of artists and makers can be found at nyos.org.uk. The Winter North Yorkshire Open Studios 2026, featuring the same names, is in the diary for November 7 and 8, 11am to 4pm.
Writer Alexander McCall Smith: Taking part in York Festival of Ideas 2026. Picture: Alexander McCall Smith Portraits
NOT only a festival, held on university soil, is full of ideas. So too is Charles Hutchinson in his list of fruitful artistic pursuits as June blooms.
Festival of the fortnight: York Festival of Ideas, Place & Space, until June 12
YORK Festival of Ideas 2026 explores Place and Space in more than 200 mostly free in-person and online events designed to educate, entertain and inspire.
Led by the University of York, the event features world-class speakers, such as Nicola Sturgeon, Dame Kelly Holmes, Alexander McCall Smith and Stuart Rose, performances, exhibitions, tours, family-friendly activities, a Michael Morpurgo celebration day and much more, with topics ranging from archaeology to art, history to health, politics to psychology, football to Manchester’s Music Soul. For the full programme, go to: yorkfestivalofideas.com.
Holly Sumpton’s Ewen Montagu in SplitLip’s Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical, on tour at Grand Opera House, York. Picture: Matt Crockett
Musical of the week: SplitLip in Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical, Grand Opera House, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday matinees
THE year is 1943 and we are losing the war but, luckily, we can gamble all our futures on a stolen corpse. Singin’ In The Rain meets Strangers On A Train in SplitLip’s Operation Mincemeat, the Olivier and Tony award-winning musical take on the unbelievable true story of the twisted secret mission that won us the Second World War.
Bursting at the seams with chaos beyond invention, the question is: how did a dead body, a fake love letter and MI5 operative Ian Fleming come together to wrong-foot Hitler? Let Christian Andrews, Holly Sumpton, Seán Carey, Charlotte Hanna-Williams and latest recruit Jamie-Rose Monk tell the tale. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Rosalinda at the double: Alexandra Mather, left, and Olivia Turner sharing the principal role -two performances each – in York Opera’s Die Fledermaus. Picture: David Kessel
Opera of the week: York Opera in Die Fledermaus, York Theatre Royal, Wednesday to Friday, 7.30pm; Saturday, 4pm
YORK Opera is marking two milestones with John Soper and Elizabeth Watson’s production of Johann Strauss II’s party opera Die Fledermaus: the company’s 60th anniversary and its 40th year of performances at York Theatre Royal.
When lavish host Prince Orlofsky seeks fresh amusement at his New Year’s Eve party, what better place for disguises, deception and revenge served with chilled champagne? Alexandra Mather and Olivia Turner share the role of Rosalinda; likewise, Stephanie Wong and LaLa Marais both play Adele, alongside Molly Raine’s Orlofsky and Ian Thomson-Smith’s Falke. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
The book cover artwork for Fiona Mozley’s Awake Awake
Book event of the week: An Evening with Fiona Mozley, Awake, Awake, Waterstones, Coney Street, York, June 4, 7pm
“WHAT if you can no longer trust your memories,” asks York author Fiona Mozley in her third novel, Awake Awake, published on June 4 by John Murray.
Booker-Shortlisted for her debut Elmet, and now resident in Edinburgh, Fiona returns to her home roots to discuss her new meditation on memory, loss and moral courage in a York-located story that revolves around a woman haunted by vivid memories of things she suspects never could have happened.
Her hour-long talk will be followed by a Q&A between Fiona and the audience and a book-signing session will be held afterwards. Tickets: £6, Waterstones Plus Card members £5, at https://www.waterstones.com/events/an-evening-with-fiona-mozley-at-waterstones-york/york.
Writer-performers Molly Whitehouse and Dan Poppitt in rehearsal for Black Sheep Theatre Productions’ premiere of Love At First Bite
Premiere of the week: Black Sheep Theatre Productions in Love At First Bite, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, June 4 to 6, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
JOSH Woodgate directs Dan Poppitt and Molly Whitehouse’s seductive new work Love At First Bite, wherein dating can be hell, but what if one of them were a creature of the night? What happens when Alan and Minnie meet at a speed-dating night? A spark flickers. Dates follow. Laughter lingers.
“Yet beneath the rhythms of a familiar rom-com, something waits in the dark,” say Poppitt and Whitehouse, who play the lovers in York company Black Sheep’s premiere. “One of them is a vampire – but the secret shifts. Each night, the actors trade fangs and the audience is left to wonder who is hunter, who is prey.” Blending sharp-fanged wit with a brush of gothic shadow, their play toys with romance, rewrites folklore and invites audiences to consider what it means to love…and to hunger! Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Sofia Romano in Silver Stage’s murder mystery Club Mistero at Helmsley Arts Centre. Picture: Freya Chaston
Immersive murder mystery of the week: Silver Stage & Solent University present Club Mistero, Helmsley Arts Centre, Friday, 7.30pm
LOSE yourself inside the dazzling but dangerous Club Mistero in 1920s’ New York City, where a flighty barman, outspoken diva, secretive showgirl, neglected wife and an owner with eyes on every corner all become suspects when someone is, seemingly, nowhere to be found. Clutch your pearls, ol’ sport, murder is afoot.
In the heart of a speakeasy, surrounded by deception and secrets, a web of betrayal, revenge and power is spun, whereupon tensions rise as the line between friend and foe is blurred, but who will survive the night? Silver Stage’s Evelyn Foy, George Mclean, Niamh Boyle, Sofia Romano and Borna Vitlov will keep you guessing to the very end. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Alchemy Live! pay tribute to Dire Straits at Malton’s Milton Rooms on Friday
Tribute gig of the week: Alchemy Live!, Milton Rooms, Malton, Friday, 8pm
FORMED in 2020 by lifelong Dire Straits fans Martin Ledger and Neil Scott, Alchemy Live’s debut in York was delayed until May 13 2022 by the pandemic lockdowns. By January 2023, they were progressing to theatre shows.
Frontman Ledger says: “It has always been the ethos to concentrate on getting the music and sound right, rather than just putting on headbands and shiny jackets. Dire Straits themselves were always about the music first and we are fully committed to upholding that. Mark Knopfler has these little percussive flourishes in his playing, which are really difficult to re-create but without them it’s just not Knopfler.” Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Rick Astley: Opening the summer season at Scarborough Open Air Theatre
Let the seaside season begin: Rick Astley, TK Maxx presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Friday, gates open at 6pm
IN the wake of 2025’s number two album, Are We There Yet?, last November’s paperback edition of his autobiography, Never, and April’s Reflection arena tour, Newton-le-Willows crooner Rick Astley opens the 2026 season at Scarborough Open Air Theatre.
Now 60, Astley has enjoyed two chapters of success, kicking off with Never Gonna Give You Up topping the charts in 1987, leading to BRIT award success and further hits with Together Forever and Whenever You Need Somebody. After stepping away from the limelight, he marked his half-century by returning to the top spot with his comeback album, 50, and has never looked back, playing Glastonbury and the Royal Albert Hall and performing The Smiths’ songs with Blossoms and Frank Sinatra and swing classics at Henley Festival. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.
Director Courtney Brown in Pickering Musical Society’s Let’s Do It!, The Cole Porter Songbook
Musical kicks of the week: Pickering Musical Society in Let’s Do It!r, The Cole Porter Songbook, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, June 9 to 13, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
IN a sparkling showcase of wit, romance, sophisticated melodies and clever lyrics, Pickering Musical Society celebrates the joyous Cole Porter Songbook, performing beloved songs from Anything Goes, Kiss Me, Kate and High Society and such hits as You’re The Top and I Get A Kick Out Of You under the direction of Courtney Brown.
The Sarah Louise Ashworth School of Dance’s vibrant tap, jazz and contemporary routines combine stylish choreography, glamorous costumes and a tribute to the Great American Songbook. Box office: 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk.
Charlotte Hanna-Williams’s Jean Leslie, Jamie-Rose Monks’ Johnny Bevan, Sean Carey’s Charles Cholmondeley, Holly Sumpton’s Ewen Montagu and Christian Andrews’ Hester Leggatt in Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical. All pictures: Matt Crockett
LIKE Six The Musical, Operation Mincemeat’s reputation precedes its York arrival.
Six began as a Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society student show at the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe; Operation Mincemeat was a Hail Mary of a change of tack by Edinburgh Fringe purveyors of “weird comedy” SplitLip, premiered at the New Diaroma Theatre, London, in May 2019. Edinburgh that summer, the West End in May 2023 and Broadway in February 2025 ensued, and now comes its first-ever tour.
The technical demands of SplitLip’s bravura show necessitated a two-day “get-in”, leading to the decision six weeks ago to switch the first night from Monday to Tuesday.
Unusually too, that led to the reviewers being posted in Rows D and E in the Stalls, rather than the familiar Row B and C in the Dress Circle, a regular position that affords a more panoramic view and less attrition for the ears. So near the stage, you can see the whites of the eyes, but music can take on the aural impact of white noise, particularly when those songs are often so hyper-energetic and intense.
Charlotte Hanna-Williams’ Jean Leslie in Operation Mincemeat
On the tour poster by the Clifford Street entrance, the wording ‘77 five-star reviews’ had been struck through to say ‘88’, as if a dare to reviewers to keep that count rising for “the best reviewed show in West End history”.
Six The Musical swanned in with much the same anticipation, or hype, if you prefer, and reviewers couldn’t resist giving six out of five verdicts for a novelty girl-power musical that put the herstory into history, turning Henry VIII’s wives into a competitive sextet vying to be lead singer in a girl band, as much a concert as an historical drama.
Operation Mincemeat is rooted in history too: the improbable but true story of perhaps the Second World War’s “most audacious intelligence coup”, the one where MI5 operatives deceived Nazi Germany over the intended invasion target of Sicily in 1943 by floating a dead body with the fake, misleading documents of a Royal Marines officer on to the Spanish coast.
That bizarre plot could make a play, and twice it has been transformed into a film, drawing on Ewen Montagu’s book for 1956’s The Man Who Never Was and 2021’s Operation Mincemeat, the Colin Firth one directed by John Madden.
Christian Andrews’ Hester Leggatt
Jamie-Rose Monk’s Colonel Johnny Bevan
SplitLip’s David Cumming, Natasha Hodgson, Felix Hagan and Zoe Roberts bring a comedy troupe’s sense of satire, experimentation, sketch structure, restless energy and order from chaos, beloved of Monty Python, The Fast Show and Patrick Barlow’s National Theatre of Brent shows and The 39 Steps revamp.
Consequently, the character-driven storytelling is Operation Mincemeat’s strongest suit, the humour delightfully British, knockabout, full of mischief, fizz, sometimes fury, and send-ups of British intelligence stereotypes, with room aplenty for pathos too to complement all the quips and stings so quick off the lips.
However, the songs are so prominent that Operation Mincemeat feels rather too close to a sung-through musical, and too often they go on too long and could do with more melody, rather than the propulsion and force typified by the lurid Nazi rap of Das Ubermensch that opens Act Two. Christian Andrews’ rendition of Hester Leggatt’s paean Dear Bill is a rare sobering intervention.
One review elsewhere in the country had suggested the “big question on our lips was: how on earth do you make a successful comedy musical about a wartime story?” Mel Brooks might wish to point you in the direction of 1967’s film The Producers and subsequent 2001 Broadway musical, featuring Springtime For Hitler et al.
Holly Sumpton’s Ewen Montagu
Brooks had a better balance of dialogue and music, but if Operation Mincemeat’s songs overplay their hand, former Sheffield Theatres artistic director Robert Hastie and tour director Georgie Straight nevertheless deliver a sophisticated, sassy, technically slick, fast-moving comic romp with stylish set and costume design by Ben Stones, full of elegant lines, intelligence-office minutiae, German cabaret club chic and classic English suits, jackets, braces and ties, as crisp as Jenny Arnold’s choreography.
Above all, Operation Mincemeat has superb performances by a cast of five, each kept busy with playing “Others” as well as the five principals, Holly Sumpton’s pin-sharp, pin-striped Ewen Montagu; Sean Carey’s awkward Charles Cholmondeley; Montagu’s co-devisor of Operation Mincemeat; Christian Andrews’ fastidious senior secretary Hester Leggatt; Jamie-Rose Monk’s Colonel Johnny Bevan, the intemperate boss, and Charlotte Hanna-Williams’ eager-to-learn 19-year-old clerk, Jean Leslie.
Part of the comedic impact lies in the multitude of gender swaps in the role-playing, designed to counter the Boys Club strictures that prevailed at the time. Company new recruit Monk has particular fun as ‘Our Man in Huelva’ and MI5 operative Ian Fleming; Carey’s Cholmondeley delivers a series of amusingly baffling one-liners; Andrews maximises his series of outré Others, especially his glitter-spattered coroner; Hanna-Williams has the peachiest singing voice; Sumpton, immaculate in dress code, sometimes inscrutable in manner, is both the ace and the joker in the pack.
A bells-and-whistles finale looks ahead to what the protagonists did next, but crucially too the show pays tribute to Glyndwr Michael, the homeless Welshman, who had died of rat poisoning in London, his body subsequently being given the invented persona of William Martin for Operation Mincemeat’s act of deception.
SplitLip’s Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical runs at Grand Opera House, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Thursday and Saturday matinees. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.Also Hull New Theatre, July 6 to 11,7.30pm plus 2.30pm Thursday and Saturday matinees. Box office: https://www.hulltheatres.co.uk/.
