Tag: John Doyle

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All is rosy in The Secret Garden as actor-musician innovator John Doyle returns to York Theatre Royal after 29 years

Director-designer John Doyle in rehearsal for The Secret Garden The Musical at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Marc Brenner

DIRECTOR and designer John Doyle returns to York Theatre Royal for the first time in 29 years with his actor-musician revival of Broadway hit The Secret Garden The Musical from March 17 to April 4.

Artistic director at the St Leonard’s Place theatre from 1993 to 1997, the Scotsman became synonymous with this performance style, going on to win Tony Awards in New York, where he directed Cynthia Erivo and Jennifer Hudson in The Color Purple.

“It is wonderful to have John Doyle return to York Theatre Royal and direct this beautiful Yorkshire story,” says chief executive officer Paul Crewes. “We are excited that this will be a fresh take on this critically acclaimed musical, and that our audiences will be the first to experience it.”

In his days of working in the United States, Paul had hoped to link up with John for a project. “I couldn’t do it at that time, but I was delighted to be asked back to York, as I’d been very happy here, so to do The Secret Garden in York felt right,” says John, now 73, of his thrill at the invitation to direct this “beautiful, hopeful musical”.

Poppy Jason rehearsing her role as Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden The Musical. Picture: Marc Brenner

“Though initially I wasn’t thinking of doing it with actor musicians, I then thought it would be good for the family elements of the story because, if you were to do it with an orchestra in the pit, so much time would be spent with only two people on stage, whereas having  the cast on the stage all the time gives it a sense of community.”

The 1991 Broadway musical combines music by Lucy Simon (Carly‘s sister) with book and lyrics by Pulitzer Prize winner Marsha Norman in its account of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s beloved story of love, loss, healing and hope, set in the North Riding of Yorkshire in 1906.

When newly orphaned Mary Lennox is sent to the moors to live with her widower uncle, she finds the secluded Misselthwaite Manor to be inhabited by memories and spirits from the past.

Whereupon she discovers her Aunt Lily’s mysterious, neglected garden and determines to breathe new life into it, with the help of her new friends, as she learns the power of connection and the restorative magic of nature.

Double bass-playing Steve Simmonds in rehearsal for his role as Ben. Picture: Marc Brenner

“To me there is something holy in this story,” says regular church attendee John. “To see the world through a child’s eyes – a spunky, difficult child that she is – Mary makes a miracle happen; she makes the boy walk, which is incredible.”

In a nutshell, the appeal of actor-musician productions that stretches back to such Doyle productions as Into The Woods, Pal Joey, Cabaret and the TMA award-winning Moll Flanders lies in “putting the emotions of the music in the hands of the performers on stage, so it doesn’t come from under them but from within them instead,” says John.

“Because there’s no conductor, with no-one leading them, it has a risky potential to go wrong, but there is something joyous about that because it’s alive. It’s not a concept; it’s a means to an end to tell a story.”

John continues: “I come from the Highlands, where everybody in my family played an instrument. I played the cello, the piano and the bagpipes – not very well in the case of the bagpipes! – and this was in the days before TV when we would entertain ourselves by playing music together.”

Estella Evans, centre, will be sharing the role of Mary Lennox with Poppy Jason

That love of music, and its communal powers, has driven John’s actor-musician work all the way to winning a Tony Award for his production of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street.

“That legitimised it further because it was the first time that a major composer – Sondheim – had given his approval to work in this way,” says John.

“Now there are degree courses in actor-musician theatre, at places such as Rose Bruford, where I’m a Fellow, Mountview and the Royal Conservatoire [in Glasgow].”

He taught theatre as a professor at Princeton University Lewis Centre for the Arts for ten years too, but moved back to Britain after 20 years in America, disaffected by President Trump’s intolerant attitudes in his first term in office.

Cristian Buttaci: Rehearsing for the role of Colin. Picture: Marc Brenner

Whereupon John settled in Wells – all’s wells that ends in Wells, you could say – with time spent in his native Scottish Highlands too.

“I walk to work every day and I think, ‘how much longer can I do this? How long have I got left?’. You get to the point where you think, ‘I’m not going to live forever, what is the best way I can use that time?’, and theatre is still part of that.”

York Theatre Royal is very grateful for that philosophy and long may it continue.

York Theatre Royal presents The Secret Garden The Musical, March 17 to April 4, 7.30pm (except Sundays, Mondays and March 19); plus 2pm, March 19, March 26 and April 2; 2.30pm, March 21, 28 and April 4; 6.30pm, March 23 and 30; 7pm, March 19. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Interview copyright of The York Press.

Elizabeth Marsh: Returning to York Theatre Royal to play Mrs Medlock in The Secret Garden The Musical after earlier appearances in Into the Woods and Twelfth Night. Picture: Marc Brenner

Who’s in The Secret Garden cast and production team?

JOHN Doyle’s principal actor-musician cast for The Secret Garden The Musical will comprise Catrin Mai Edwardsas Martha;Joanna Hickman, Lily; Henry Jenkinson, Archibald; Elliot Mackenzie, Dickon; Ann Marcuson, Mrs Winthrop; Elizabeth Marsh, Mrs Medlock; André Refig, Neville, and Steve Simmonds, Ben.

In the company too will be Estella Evans and Poppy Jason, sharing the role of Mary Lennox, and Cristian Buttaci and Dexter Pulling splitting performances as Colin. The ensemble will be completed by Stephanie Cremona, Matthew James Hinchliffe, Lara Lewis and Melinda Orengo.

Completing the creative team alongside director-designer John Doyle are musical supervisor and orchestrator Catherine Jayes, co-designer David L Arsenault, costume designer Gabrielle Dalton, lighting designer Johanna Town, sound designer Tom Marshall and casting director Ginny Schiller.

John Doyle: director and designer of The Secret Garden The Musical at York Theatre Royal

John Doyle: back story

AWARD-WINNING Scottish director of theatre, film and opera. Served as artistic director of five major British and American theatre companies, including York Theatre Royal from 1993 to 1997.

Extensive stage credits include the world premiere of Alfred Hitchcock Presents at Theatre Royal Bath; Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical); Company (Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical); The Visit (Tony Award nomination for Best Musical, Drama Desk nomination for Best Director) and The Color Purple (Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director, Grammy Award).

Pacific Overtures (Drama Desk nomination for Best Musical Revival); Carmen Jones (Audelco Award for Best Musical Revival, Lucille Lortel nomination for Best Director); Mahagonny (Los Angeles Opera, two Grammy Awards); Passion (Drama Desk nomination for Best Director); Road Show, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Kiss Me Kate and Assassins (Lucille Lortel nomination for Best Musical Revival, Best Director).

In addition to numerous credits in London’s West End, John has directed at Grange Park Opera, Sydney Opera House, the Metropolitan Opera, Houston Grand Opera, La Fenice in Venice, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Second Stage Theatre, Princeton McCarter Theatre and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.

Taught at Princeton University’s Lewis Centre for the Arts for ten years, specialising in acting and musical theatre courses. Known for his pioneering actor-musician style, he taught courses such as Development of the Multi-skilled Performer and The Nature of Theatrical Reinvention.

                                                                             

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 10, from Gazette & Herald

Elliot Mackenzie and Henry Jenkinson in rehearsal for John Doyle’s actor-musician production of The Secret Garden The Musical at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Mark Brenner

A MAGICAL Yorkshire garden, two cases for Sherlock Holmes, daft Funny Bones and chocolate cookery tips hit the sweet pot for Charles Hutchinson.   

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.

Josh Jones: Striving to earn his cat’s respect at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York

Wrestling with humour: Josh Jones, I Haven’t Won The Lottery So Here’s Another Tour Show, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, tonight, 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.

Living a more sedate life is not without its challenges, however, as he is yet 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, felines and his love of wrestling. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Cookery book talk of the week: Kemps Books presents Edd Kimber In Conversation, Milton Rooms, Malton, tomorrow, 7.30pm

EDD Kimber, 2010 winner of the inaugural Great British Bake Off, discusses his new book, Chocolate Baking, The Ultimate Guide To Cakes, Cookies, Desserts & Pastries (Quadrille Publishing, March 5), a celebration of the world’s most-loved ingredient in 100 recipes that showcase chocolate in all its forms, sometimes rich and bold, sometimes subtle and surprising.

Expect delicious insights, behind-the-scenes baking stories and possibly a little tasting and demonstration too from Bradford-raised, London-based Kimber. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.

Jazz singer Claire Martin: Teaming up with IG4 at NCEM, York

Jazz gig of the week: IG4 with Claire Martin, National Centre for Early Music, York, tomorrow, 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.

Super-scooper: Rob Rouse going walkies with his skeletal dog in Funny Bones at Pocklington, Helmsley and Scarborough

Comedy gig of the week: Rob Rouse, Funny Bones, Pocklington Arts Centre, tomorrow, 7.30pm; 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: Pocklington, 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk; Helmsley, 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk; Scarborough, 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.

The poster for Ready Steady 60’s Show at Helmsley Arts Centre

Tribute gig of the week: Ready Steady 60’s Show, Helmsley Arts Centre, Friday, 7.30pm

READY Steady 60’s Show celebrates the best of the Mod 1960s and British Beat boom in the four-piece tribute band’s two-hour show, paying homage to The Kinks, The Who, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Small Faces, The Move, The Hollies, and The Animals. Box office:  01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.       

Baron Productions’ cast members at St Mary’s Church, Bishophill Junior, York, where they will perform Friday and Saturday’s Sherlock Holmes double bill

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, Friday and Saturday, 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.

The 309s: Bringing together Hank Williams, Bob Wills and Louis Jordan at Milton Rooms, Malton

Swing jive gig of the week: The 309s, Milton Rooms, Malton, Saturday, 8pm

WEST Yorkshire five-piece The 309s have spent 14 years purveying their swing jive repertoire all over the country. Think Hank Williams, Bob Wills and Louis Jordan joining forces to make a classic 20th century sound at the roots of rock’n’roll.

The 309s pick songs mostly from the southern States of America from 1925 and 1955, from Western Swing, created by Wills in Texas, through to rock’n’roll’s early days in Memphis, Tennessee, while taking in country boogie and jump blues too. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.

Scouting For Girls: Marking 15th anniversary of platinum-selling Everybody Wants To Be On TV album at York Barbican

Anniversary gig  of the week: Scouting For Girls, Everybody (Still) Wants To Be On TV Tour 2026, York Barbican, March 17, doors 7pm

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. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 3, from Gazette & Herald

York Printmakers: Tenth anniversary exhibition…with cake on Saturday

IN his third highlights package of the New Year, Charles Hutchinson picks out a riparian exhibition, a brace of pantos, murderous deeds in 1950s’ Italy and a transatlantic folk talent.

Exhibition of the week: York Printmakers, Rivers of York, City Screen Picturehouse, York, until February 7

CELEBRATING York Printmakers’ tenth anniversary, Rivers of York presents original hand-made prints inspired by the River Foss and River Ouse. Head to City Screen’s upstairs lounge today from 2pm and 4pm for Prints and Cake, a chance to share cake, find out more about the prints and meet the artists who created them.

On show are a variety of printmaking techniques, including etching, linocut, collagraph, monotype, screen print, solar plate, Japanese woodblock, lithography and stencilling, in works that explore the rivers’ place in the history, ecology and culture of York from Roman times to the present. 

Paula Cook’s villainous Queen Lucrecia and John Brooks’s scheming Chamberlain in Pickering Musical Society’s Snow White

Panto time: Pickering Musical Society in Snow White, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, until January 25, 7.15pm, except January 19; 2.15pm, January 17, 18, 24 and 25  

DIRECTED for the tenth year by resident director Luke Arnold and scripted by Ron Hall, Pickering Musical Society’s 2026 pantomime blends familiar faces with new turns, led by Alice Rose as Snow White in her first appearance since Goldilocks in 2018.

Local legend Marcus Burnside plays Dame Dumpling alongside mischievous sidekick Jack Dobson as court jester Fritz, his first comedic role. Company regular Courtney Brown switches to comedy too as Helga; Paula Cook turns to the dark side in her villainous debut as Queen Lucrecia; Danielle Long is the heroic Prince Valentine, John Brooks, the scheming Chamberlain and Sue Smithson, Fairy Dewdrop. Box office: 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.littleboxoffice.com.

Jack Robinson’s PC World and Evie-Mae Dale’s Sergeant Pong in Malton and Norton Musical Theatre’s Aladdin – The Pantomime 

Panto time too: Malton and Norton Musical Theatre in Aladdin – The Pantomime, Milton Rooms, Malton, Saturday, 1.30pm, 5.15pm; Sunday, 2pm; January 20 to 23, 7.15pm; January 24, 1pm, 5.15pm

BETWIXT York roles in York Shakespeare Project’s The Spanish Tragedy and Black Treacle Theatre’s Anne Boleyn, Harry Summers continues to corner the market in dark roles as wicked magician Abanazar in Malton and Norton Musical Theatre’s Aladdin.

Fresh from his villainous scene-stealing in The Spanish Tragedy, Thomas Jennings plays the Emperor. Further principal players in the mystical land of Shangri-La include Harriet White’s Aladdin, Isabel Davis’s Princess Jasmine; Rory Queen’s dame, Widow Twankey, Tom Gleave’s Wishee Washee, Mark Summers’ Genie of the Lamp and Annabelle Free’s Spirit of the Ring. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.

The Steelers: Paying tribute to Steely Dan at Helmsley Arts Centre

Tribute show of the week: The Steelers, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday 7.30pm

THE Steelers, a nine-piece band of musicians drawn from around Great Britain, perform songs from iconic Steely Dan Steel albums Pretzel Logic, The Royal Scam, AJA and Goucho, crafted by Walter Becker and Donald Fagan since 1972. 

Once described as “the American Beatles”, Becker and Fagan’s songs are noted for their clever lyrics and sophisticated arrangements. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Bruce Herbelin-Earle as Dickie Greenleaf, left, and Ed McVey as Tom Ripley in The Talented Mr Ripley. Picture: Mark Senior

Game of lies of the week: The Talented Mr Ripley, Grand Opera House, York, January 19 to 24, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday and Saturday matinees

BEFORE its West End run, The Talented Mr Ripley plays the Grand Opera House with a cast led by Ed McVey as Tom Ripley, Bruce Herbelin-Earle as Dickie Greenleaf and 2020 Strictly Come Dancing finalist Maisie Smith as Marge. Tom is a nobody, scraping by in New York, forging signatures, telling little white lies, until a chance encounter changes everything. When a wealthy stranger offers him an all-expenses-paid trip to Italy to bring home his wayward son, Dickie, Tom leaps at the opportunity. 

In the sun-drenched glamour of 1950s’ Italy, surrounded by shimmering waters and whispered secrets, Tom is seduced by Dickie’s freedom, wealth and effortless charm. Fascination turns to obsession in Patricia Highsmith’s story, whereupon an innocent chance turns into a chilling game of lies, identity theft and murder. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Elanor Moss: Songs of the nuances of life lived in relation to others at Pocklington Arts Centre

Folk gig of the month: Elanor Moss, Pocklington Arts Centre, January 29, 8pm

ELANOR Moss, an “emotionally transatlantic” talent with family roots in Lincolnshire and Baltimore, Maryland, draws on influence from homes familiar and felt in songs that turn over the nuances of life lived in relation to others, taking inspiration from the British and American folk canons alike.

In keeping with such heroes as Judee Sill, Joni Mitchell, Sibylle Baier and Vashti Bunyan, her subject is “always people in all their lovely flawed-ness”. Ned Swarbrick supports. Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.

John Doyle: Returning to York Theatre Royal to direct The Secret Garden The Musical this spring

Welcome back to nature: The Secret Garden The Musical, York Theatre Royal, March 17 to April 4

TONY Award-winning John Doyle, artistic director of York Theatre Royal from 1993 to 1997, returns to his old patch to stage his trademark actor-musician interpretation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden in a new revival of the Broadway musical with a score by Lucy Simon and book and lyrics by Marsha Norman.

In 1906 North Yorkshire (North Riding, as was), newly orphaned Mary Lennox is sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her widowed uncle in a moorland house of memories and spirits. Determined to breathe new life into her aunt’s mysterious neglected garden, she makes new friends while learning of the power of connection and the restorative magic of nature.  Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Amber Davies in the poster for Legally Blonde The Musical, on tour at the Grand Opera House, York, in April

Casting announced for: Made At Curve presenting Legally Blonde The Musical at Grand Opera House, York, April 21 to 25, 7.30pm plus Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday matinees, 2.30pm

STRICTLY Come Dancing 2025 finalist Amber Davies will play Elle Woods in the 2026 tour of Legally Blonde The Musical, joined by York Theatre Royal pantomime villain Jocasta Almgill as Brooke Wyndham, fresh from playing wicked fairy Carabosse in Sleeping Beauty.

Davies had been set to appear as Hollywood hooker Vivian Ward in Pretty Woman The Musical at the Grand Opera House in February 2024, but Sydnie Hocknell understudied that week. Hannah Lowther, otherwise playing Margot, will step in for Davies at the April 23 matinee. North Yorkshireman  Nikolai Foster directs the uplifting, totally pink tale of Elle’s transformation from ‘It Girl’ fashionista to legal ace at Harvard Law School, all in the name of love. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

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Cast & creative team announced for The Secret Garden The Musical, directed by John Doyle at York Theatre Royal

Catrin Mai Edwards: Cast as Martha in The Secret Garden – The Musical

THE cast and creative team is in place for John Doyle’s revival of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical The Secret Garden – The Musical at York Theatre Royal.

Performed by a company of actor-musicians from March 17 to April 4, the show has music by Lucy Simon and book and lyrics by Marsha Norman.

Doyle, Theatre Royal artistic director from 1993 to 1997 and Tony Award winner, will direct a cast led by Catrin Mai Edwards as Martha; Joanna Hickman, Lily; Henry Jenkinson, Archibald; Elliot Mackenzie, Dickon; Ann Marcuson, Mrs Winthrop; Elizabeth Marsh, Mrs Medlock; André Refig, Neville, and Steve Simmonds, Ben.

Estella Evans: Sharing role of Mary Lennox

Estella Evans and Poppy Jason will share the role of Mary Lennox and Christian Buttaci and Dexter Pulling will do likewise as Colin. The ensemble is completed by Stephanie Cremona, Matthew James Hinchliffe, Lara Lewis, and Melinda Orengo. 

Completing the creative team alongside director-designer Doyle are musical supervisor and orchestrator Catherine Jayes, co-designer David L Arsenault, costume designer Gabrielle Dalton, lighting designer Johanna Town, sound designer Tom Marshall and casting director Ginny Schiller CDG.

Adapted from American-English author Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1911 children’s novel, the moving and timeless story of love, loss, healing and hope is set in North Yorkshire (North Riding, as was) when  newly orphaned Mary Lennox is sent to live with her widower uncle at the secluded Misselthwaite Manor, a moorland house inhabited by memories and spirits from the past. 

Poppy Jason: Sharing role of Mary Lennox

On discovering her Aunt Lily’s mysterious garden, Mary is determined to breathe new life into its neglected greenery with the help of her new friends,as she learns the power of connection and the restorative magic of nature. 

Director John Doyle says: “It’s such a privilege to bring the story of The Secret Garden back to its Yorkshire roots and to bring it to life on the York Theatre Royal stage with the support of this wonderful creative team. We have an immensely talented cast of actor-musicians on board and I can’t wait to start rehearsals next month.” 

Theatre Royal chief executive officer Paul Crewes adds:“We are thrilled to be welcoming John Doyle, our former artistic director, back to York Theatre Royal for this incredible production of The Secret Garden – The Musical. 

Director-designer John Doyle

“This will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of the spring season here at YTR and we are looking forward to York audiences experiencing this new take on such a beloved musical.”

The Secret Garden – The Musical, York Theatre Royal, March 17  to April 4; previews, March 17 and 18, 7.30pm, March 19, 2pm; press night, March 19, 7pm; March 20, 7.30pm; March 21, 2.30pm, 7.30pm; March 23, 6.30pm; March 24 and 25, 7.30pm; March 26, 2pm, 7.30pm; March 27, 7.30pm; March 28, 2.30pm, 7.30pm; March 30, 6.30pm; March 31, 7.30pm; April 1 and 2, 2pm, 7.30pm; April 4, 2.30pm, 7.30pm. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

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McGoldrick, McCusker and Doyle go virtual for their debut Christmas concert at home

Christmas trio with a Christmas tree: Michael McGoldrick, left, John McCusker and John Doyle looking very much at home in their promotional picture for Christmas At Hiome

MICHAEL McGoldrick, John McCusker and John Doyle’s Christmas At Home concert will be shown online by Selby Town Hall tomorrow night (16/12/2020).

The folk trio have recorded a 45-minute festive set at The Met in Bury to be “streamed into the homes of people the length and breadth of the UK, linking with venues and festivals from the Highlands of Scotland, across the sea to Belfast, and on to the far south of England”.

Best known for their work with Bob Dylan, Mark Knopfler and BBC Transatlantic Sessions, as well as prominent roles with Solas, Capercaillie and Kate Rusby, this is the first time Manchester multi-instrumentalist McGoldrick, Scottish fiddler and tin whistler McCusker and Dublin multi-instrumentalist Doyle have played a Christmas gig.

Bringing together diverse Yuletide melodies, firm favorites and traditional and contemporary songs and tunes, their magical material will range from the medieval song Curoo Curoo to John Shehan’s hauntingly beautiful melody Christchurch and a majestic rendition of O Holy Night.

John McCusker, left, Michael McGoldrick and John Doyle performing their Christmas At Home concert

Each night’s online show will be different: questions submitted from the virtual audiences of each venue and festival will be answered for the individual streaming. Please note, all ticket buyers will be given the opportunity to send in a question for their particular venue.

McGoldrick says: “We felt we wanted to connect with people at this time of year and had been looking for a way to do this. This November, we were supposed to be performing in Switzerland and the Czech Republic, and John Doyle had flown over from his home in the US.

“The tour was cancelled at short notice and so we thought, this is our chance to use the time to record something special.”

Please note, ticket sales will be split between the artists and the individual venues and festivals, “so you can be confident your purchase will not only support McGoldrick, McCusker and Doyle at Christmas, but also your local venues, promoters and festivals”.

Star performers: John McCusker, Michael McGoldrick and John Doyle

What happens now:

Go to https://myplayer.uk/christmasathome and find the Selby Town Hall date to acquire a ticket for £12. Once you have done so, you will receive an email with information on how to watch the 8pm concert in the comfort of your home. Each ticket will allow one more screening within a seven-day period. Tickets are valid for only one device at a time and cannot be shared.

Looking forward to tomorrow’s streaming, Selby Town Council arts officer Chris Jones says: “We’re delighted to ‘virtually host’ three of the biggest and best names in contemporary folk as they undertake their first ever online tour.

“Christmas folk gigs are always such a warm and joyous affair, and while it’s a real shame that we can’t be welcoming the band into the venue in person this year, I’m very happy to be able to offer the next best thing.

“Some fantastic arts centres, theatres and festivals from across the UK have joined this tour, and all of them are a vital part of our vibrant touring circuit. I hope the venues, and the brilliant artists they put on, stay strong through this pandemic crisis and we can look forward to a bright and live 2021.”