Tag: Kirk Theatre Pickering

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 23, from Gazette & Herald

The artwork for the 2025 York Festival of Ideas, making waves until June 13

A FESTIVAL full of bright ideas leads off Charles Hutchinson’s recommendations for cultural sustenance and enlightening entertainment.

Festival of the week: York Festival of Ideas, running until June 13

YORK Festival of Ideas 2025 explores the theme of Making Waves in more than 200 mostly free in-person and online events designed to educate, entertain and inspire. 

Led by the University of York, the festival features world-class speakers, performances, exhibitions, tours, family-friendly activities and much more. Topics range from archaeology to art, history to health and politics to psychology. Browse the programme at yorkfestivalofideas.com.

New Adventures in Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell, on tour at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Johan Persson

Dance return of the week: New Adventures in Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell, York Theatre Royal, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees

IN 1930s’ London, ordinary people emerge from cheap boarding houses nightly to pour out their passions, hopes and dreams in the pubs and fog-bound streets of Soho and Fitzrovia. Step inside The Midnight Bell, a tavern where one particular lonely-hearts club gather to play out their lovelorn affairs of the heart: bitter comedies of longing, frustration, betrayal and redemption. 

Inspired by the work of English novelist Patrick Hamilton, Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell returns to York Theatre Royal, where it first played in October 2021, with a 14-strong cast of New Adventures’ actor-dancers, music by Terry Davies and set and costume design by Lez Brotherston. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

The poster artwork for NE Theatre York’s fully staged concert performances of Carousel

Musical of the week: NE Theatre York in Carousel, Tempest Anderson Hall, Museum Gardens, York, tomorrow to Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

STEVE Tearle directs NE Theatre York in fully staged concert performances of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel with an 18-piece orchestra conducted by Joe Allen. The cast for this tale of hope, redemption and the power of love will be led by Kit Stroud as Billy Bigelow; Rebecca Jackson as Julie Jordan; Maia Beatrice as Carrie Pepperidge; Finlay Butler as Mr Snow and Perri Ann Barley as Aunt Netty. 

Cue such R&H classics as June Is Burstin’ Out All Over, If I Loved You, When I Marry Mister Snow, Blow High, Blow Low and the iconic Liverpool and Celtic terrace anthem You’ll Never Walk Alone. Box office: ticketsource.co.uk/netheatre-york.

King Creosote’s Kenny Anderson: Serving up a Storm In A Teacup at The Crescent, York

Scottish visitor of the week: Please Please You and Brudenell Presents host King Creosote, The Crescent, York, tomorrow, 7.30pm

KING Creosote follows up 2024’s springtime tour Any Port In A Storm with his Any Storm In A Teacup travels from April to June this year, again with a mix of modular synths, his back catalogue from 50 studio albums and his November 2023 album I Des, the first King Creosote recording in seven years.

As ever, Scotsman Kenny Anderson’s performance will be marked by his singular voice, allied to roguish, roving, ever-evolving, gorgeous songs in the key of Fife. Box office, for returns only: thecrescentyork.com.

Lady Nade: Paying tribute to Nina Simone. Picture: Joseph Branston

Celebration of a legacy: Lady Nade Sings Nina Simone, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 7.30pm,

KNOWN for paying homage to those who have influenced her journey  profoundly, Lady Nade holds Nina Simone in high regard  for leaving behind a legacy of liberation, empowerment, passion and love through her extraordinary body of work.

As a black woman, Lady Nade acknowledges Simone’s trailblazing role in paving the way for artists of her generation. Her high-energy performance is a heartfelt dedication to recreating the transformative sound that blended popular tunes of the era into a distinctive fusion of jazz, blues, gospel, and folk music. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Pink Floydian: Showcasing the golden era of progressive rock at Milton Rooms, Malton

Tribute gig of the week: Pink Floydian, Milton Rooms, Malton, Saturday, 7.30pm

PINK Floydian’s immersive experience transports fans back to the golden era of progressive rock in a two-and-a-half hour show that takes in the Syd Barrett, Roger Waters and David Gilmour eras.

From the lush landscapes of Shine On You Crazy Diamond to the haunting refrain of Great Gig In The Sky to the anthemic Comfortably Numb and Wish You Were Here, Pink Floydian undertake a magical journey through Pink Floyd’s illustrious recording career. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.

Rachel Anderson’s Dolly Gallagher Levi, centre, and the ensemble in Pickering Musical Society’s Hello, Dolly! Picture: Robert David Photography

Goodbye to musicals: Pickering Musical Society in Hello, Dolly!, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, June 10 to 14, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

PICKERING Musical Society is preparing to raise the curtain on its final full-scale musical production, after more than a century, citing rising production costs and falling membership.

Set in the energetic bustle of 1890s’ New York, Jerry Herman’s Hello, Dolly! follows the irrepressible Dolly Gallagher Levi (society favourite Rachel Anderson) – a witty matchmaker, meddler and “arranger of things” – as she decides to find a match for herself. Box office:  01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk or in person from the box office on Tuesdays, 11am to 1pm.

Christopher Simon Sykes’s photograph of Mick Jagger in concert on the Rolling Stones’ Tour of the Americas in 1975, on show at Sledmere House from June 13

Exhibition launch of the week:  On Tour With The Rolling Stones 1975, A 50th Anniversary Exhibition of Photographs by Christopher Simon Sykes, Sledmere House, Sledmere, near Driffield,  June 13 to July 6, except Mondays and Tuesdays, 10am to 5pm

IN June 1975, Christopher Sykes, of Sledmere House, joined the Rolling Stones Tour of the Americas, known as T.O.T.A ’75: his first rock’n’roll itinerary as a snapper after specialising in photographing stately home interiors.

“You know going on tour is not like country life, Chrissie,” advised Mick Jagger on his first day of accompanying the Stones on their three-month tour of North America and Canada, playing 40 shows in 27 cities. The photos were used in a tour diary published the following year, and this exhibition showcases a selection of the best of the behind-the-scenes and stage pictures in the Courtyard Room. Tickets: sledmerehouse.com.

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Pickering Musical Society to say goodbye to musicals after 100 years by pouring everything into Hello, Dolly! next week

Making a stand: Pickering Musical Society in Hello, Dolly! All pictures: Robert David Photography

ANTICIPATION is building with only one week to go as Pickering Musical Society prepares to raise the curtain on its final full-scale musical production, Hello, Dolly! 

Luke Arnold’s show will run from June 10 to 14t at the Kirk Theatre, Pickering, with evening performances at 7.30pm and a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm.

After more than a century of staging book musicals in the Yorkshire town, the society has decided to step away from staging spring musicals in future seasons, citing rising production costs and a shrinking membership base.

Before that curtain falls, however, the society is determined to deliver one of its most dazzling and memorable shows to date.

Tim Tubbs’s Horace Vandergelder and Rachel Anderson’s Dolly Gallagher Levi in Pickering Musical Society’s Hello, Dolly!

Theatre manager and director Arnold says: “It has been a difficult decision to make, but the soaring costs associated with performance rights, casting demands and mounting a full musical such as Hello, Dolly! have made it increasingly challenging to continue.

“That said, we do not aim to go quietly! We’ve poured everything we have into this production — from the dazzling costumes to the towering set pieces — and I believe it will be a truly show-stopping finale.”

Set in the energetic bustle of 1890s’ New York, Jerry Herman’s Hello, Dolly! follows the irrepressible Dolly Gallagher Levi — a witty matchmaker, meddler, and “arranger of things” — as she decides this is the time to find a match for herself.

The musical is filled with Broadway classics, including Put On Your Sunday Clothes, Before The Parade Passes By, It Only Takes A Moment and the title number, Hello, Dolly!

Jack Dobson’s Barnaby Tucker in Pickering Musical Society’s Hello, Dolly!

Arnold’s cast is led by society favourite Rachel Anderson as the effervescent Dolly, while Tim Tubbs returns to the Kirk Theatre after his performance as Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady to play the curmudgeonly half-a-millionaire Horace Vandergelder.

Stephen Temple and Jack Dobson bring comic warmth as Cornelius Hackl and Barnaby Tucker, joined by a strong principal cast that features Paula Paylor, Danielle Long, Courtney Brown and Will Smithson as the artistic and earnest Ambrose Kemper.

Adding to the production’s scale and sparkle, a ten-piece professional orchestra will provide live musical accompaniment throughout the show, bringing Herman’s beloved score to life.

Also joining the ensemble will be talented students from the Sarah Louise Ashworth School of Dance, contributing energetic and stylish choreography to the show’s biggest numbers.

Pickering Musical Society musical director Clive Wass and members of his ten-piece orchestra

Behind the scenes, Hello, Dolly! marks one of the most ambitious technical undertakings in the society’s long history. The production team has installed a complex array of lighting and sound equipment, with more arriving daily as the full vision comes together.

The centrepiece of the elaborate set is the Harmonia Gardens staircase, a grand and glamorous showstopper in its own right. Meanwhile, the wardrobe department, led by the tireless Maureen Symonds, has been hard at work for months crafting a rich collection of period costumes designed to dazzle.

Early ticket demand has been strong: two performances are nearing sell-outs and bookings have been brisk for the rest of the week. Audiences are urged to book soon to avoid disappointment.

Sue Smithson and cast members in Pickering Musical Society’s Hello, Dolly!

Although Hello, Dolly! will be the final musical to be staged by Pickering Musical Society, the society’s commitment to live performance will continue.

The annual pantomime, a firm fixture in the Kirk Theatre calendar, continues to go from strength to strength, drawing large audiences each winter.

The society’s popular concert, previously held in October, will shift to June from 2026 onwards to ensure Pickering audiences can still enjoy high-quality musical entertainment each year.

The society emphasises that Hello, Dolly! is not a goodbye, but a celebration: a tribute to the talent, community spirit and dedication that has defined the society’s musical legacy for generations.

Pickering Musical Society in Hello, Dolly!, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, June 1o to 14, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: 01751 474833; kirktheatre.co.uk or in person from the box office, open Tuesdays, 11am to 1pm.

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Rising costs force Pickering Musical Society to say ‘goodbye, musicals’ after 106 years with Hello, Dolly! farewell in June

Say Hello, wave goodbye: Pickering Musical Society’s poster for its final musical in June. Pantomimes and music from the shows productions will continue

PICKERING  Musical Society will stage its final musical after 106 years in a spectacular farewell production of Hello, Dolly!, at the Kirk Theatre, Pickering, from June 10 to 14.

However, the society’s annual pantomime will continue to thrive, after a growth in popularity in recent years, and the October concert of music from the shows – a staple of the Ryedale theatre calendar – will move into the June slot from next year.

The society has made the difficult decision to terminate its musical productions in response to rising production costs and a decline in membership.

Theatre manager and director Luke Arnold says: “It is with a heavy heart that we’ve made this choice, but production costs have now exceeded those of the pantomime, despite only running for six performances compared to the panto’s 15.

“This, combined with a dwindling membership, has made it harder to cast these productions in recent years. However, we must look to the future. We have a fantastic venue in the Kirk Theatre, which is going from strength to strength, as we continue to introduce new genres of musical entertainment, as well as a full programme of speakers and a vibrant pantomime tradition that will continue to flourish.

“We have much to look forward to, and I’m particularly excited about the development and build phase of our Sylvia Allanson Studio project.”

Joined in the production team by musical director Clive Wass, Arnold is at the directorial helm for Jeremy Harman’s Broadway musical Hello, Dolly!, set in New York City at the turn of the 20th century, when irrepressible Dolly Gallagher Levi, widow, matchmaker and professional meddler, decides to find a match for herself.

Packed with charm, humour and show-stopping numbers such as Before The Parade Passes By, It Only Takes A Moment, Put On Your Sunday Clothes and Hello, Dolly!, Arnold’s production will feature Rachel Anderson as the charismatic Dolly Levi; Michael O’Brien as Horace Vandergelder; Pickering stage favourites Marcus Burnside and Stephen Temple as comedic duo Cornelius Hackl and Barnaby Tucker;  Paula Cook as Irene Molloy; Danielle Long as Minnie Fay; Courtney Brown as Ermengarde and John Brooks as Rudolph Reisenweber.

June 10 to 14’s 7.30pm performances will be complemented by a 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Ticket demand is expected to be high for this grand and emotional send-off for Pickering Musical Society’s rich tradition of musical theatre. Box office:  01751 474833, at kirktheatre.co.uk or in person from the Kirk Theatre on Tuesdays from 11am to 1pm.

Pickering Musical Society: the back story

Courtney Brown in Pickering Musical Society’s production of Oklahoma!

PICKERING Musical Society can trace its origins back to the beginning of the First World War.

During the early Edwardian period, Pickering’s inaugural amateur musical groups were formed by like-minded individuals who fuelled their interest in music by meeting at each other’s homes and performing in drawing rooms.

In response to the outbreak of the Great War, groups and charities nationwide raised funds for the war effort at home and abroad. Many of the smaller groups in Pickering gathered together to put on larger “glee” performances in church halls.

In 1919, members of this larger group decided to create a musical society in the town for all ages that had an interest in music and performance.

Pickering Musical Society continued throughout the first half of the 20th century. By the early 1970s, the society had grown, prompting a need to seek a move from the War Memorial Hall to a permanent home.

In the late 1970s, the society purchased the old Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, on Hungate, and set about converting the derelict building into a fully operational theatre. By 1982, the conversion from chapel to theatre was complete and the inaugural performance was staged there that  year.

Until now, the society has presented three productions each year: a pantomime in January, a musical in May and a Music From The Shows production in October.

Membership is drawn Whitby, Scarborough, Malton and beyond, as well as Pickering.

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond when Christmas shows abound. Here’s Hutch’s List No. 45, from Gazette & Herald

Jools Holland: Boogie woogie pianist returns to York Barbican tonight

SEAGULLS, a rabbit, a winter sprite and The Animals, plus another solo version of A Christmas Carol, are among the highlights of the festive week ahead, recommends Charles Hutchinson.

No year would be complete without…Jools Holland and His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, York Barbican, tonight, 7.30pm

BOOGIE woogie pianist supreme Jools Holland makes his obligatory winter outing to York in the company of his top-notch rhythm & blues players and vocalists Ruby Turner, Louise Marshall and Sumudu Jayatilaka.

His special guests will be Soft Cell singer Marc Almond, who previously toured with Holland in 2018, and blues guitar prodigy Toby Lee, his guest on last year’s tour too. Holland will be performing songs from the former Squeeze keyboardist and television presenter’s long-running solo career. Box office for returns only: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

The Animals: 60 years of rhythm & blues celebrated at Selby Town Hall

60th anniversary concert of the week: The Animals & Friends, Selby Town Hall, tomorrow, 7.30pm

THIS year marks the 60th anniversary of Newcastle rhythm & blues icons The Animals’ self-titled debut album and their seminal crossover hit The House Of The Rising Sun. Still in the line-up is drummer, founding member and Rock And Roll Hall of Fame inductee John Steel, who will be joined by Danny Handley on guitar and lead vocals, Milltown Brothers’ Barney Williams on keys and Norman Helm on bass.

The set list can draw on such favourites as We Gotta Get Out of This Place, Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, Baby Let Me Take You Home, Boom Boom, Around And Around and The Right Time. Box office: 01757 708449 or selbytownhall.co.uk.

Pocklington Arts Centre cast members Levi Payne, left, Caitlin Townend and Dylan Allcock in Jack Frost’s Christmas Wish

Ryedale Christmas play of the week: Jack Frost’s Christmas Wish, Pocklington Arts Centre, tomorrow to December 24

ELIZABETH Godber’s second Christmas show for Pocklington Arts Centre invites everyone aged three to 103 to join Jack Frost (Levi Payne) and his friends Oslo the Rabbit (Dylan Allcock) and Blue the Winter Sprite (Caitlin Townend) as they race across the world to make his one wish come true: to be home for Christmas. Could that home be in East Yorkshire?

Wrap up warm for a frosty adventure from the team who delivered The Elves And The Shoemaker: Save Christmas last winter, steered by director Jane Thornton. Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.

Stephen Brailsford: Playing Captain Cliff in the CU Scarborough cast for Captain Cliff & The Seagull Squad at Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough

Coastal children’s play of the week: Captain Cliff & The Seagull Squad, The McCarthy, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, tomorrow to December 21

ON a busy day at Scarborough’s South Bay, judges from Britain’s Best Beach are soon to arrive, but after a big rush of tourists, the bins are overflowing with rubbish in a play for children aged up to six, written and directed by Rob Salmon for the SJT and CU (Coventry University), Scarborough.

Faced by litter everywhere and a pile of something sticky by the rock shop, who can save Scarborough? Step forward Captain Cliff and the Seagull Squad, but can they clear up all the mess in time as they seek to complete four missions, one for each season? Cue a rescue adventure full of songs, silliness and festive fun. Box office: 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.

Ryedale School musicians: Performing at Kirk Theatre, Pickering, on Friday

School performance of the week: Ryedale School Music Concert, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, Friday, 7pm

THIS night of music performed by Ryedale School musicians features Ryedale Concert Band Shining Brass and Ryedale Stray Notes. Proceeds will go to Ryedale School Performing Arts and Rotary funds. Tickets are on sale on 01751 474833 or at kirktheatre.co.uk.

Mat Jones: Solo rendition of A Christmas Carol for two nights at Friargate Theatre, York. Picture: Vintage Verse

Solo show of the week: Mat Jones in A Christmas Carol, Friargate Theatre, York, Friday and Saturday, 7.30pm

RING in the Christmas season with Mat Jones’s spellbinding rendition of Charles Dickens’s Victorian festive classic, brought to life in vivid detail from Dickens’s original performance text as Scrooge encounters the Spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet To Come en route to the redemption of London’s most miserable miser. 

“A Christmas Carol is not just a story; it’s a celebration of the human spirit and the power of kindness,” says Jones. Box office: 01904 613000 or friargatetheatre.co.uk.

Jo Walton setting up her exhibition at Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York

Exhibition of the week: Jo Walton, Steel, Copper, Rust, Gold, Verdigris, Wax, Bluebird Bakery, Acomb Road, Acomb, York, until January 23 2025

WHEN Rogues Atelier artist, interior designer, upholsterer and Bluebird Bakery curator of exhibitions Jo Walton asked poet Nicky Kippax to put words to images she had sent her, she responded with “The heft of a cliff and a gathering of sea fret”. Spot on, Nicky.

Into the eighth month of recovery from breaking her right leg, Jo is exhibiting predominantly large works that utilise steel, copper, rust, gold, verdigris and wax in the bakery, cafe and community centre, whose interior she designed in 2021.

Kate Rusby: Winter Light tour arrives at York Barbican on December 17

Christmas concert of the week: Kate Rusby, Winter Light Tour, York Barbican, December 17, 7pm

BARNSLEY folk songstress Kate Rusby draws on her seven Christmas albums – she released her latest, Light Years, in 2023 – for her annual celebration of South Yorkshire carols sung in pubs through the winter months.

Spreading Yuletide joy, Kate will be joined by her regular band, featuring her husband, producer, guitarist and banjo player Damien O’Kane, and the Brass Boys quintet. Look out for the fancy-dress finale. Tickets update: Closing in on a sell-out; hurry, hurry to yorkbarbican.co.uk.

The Corrs: Heading to the Scarborough coast next summer

Gig announcement of the week: The Corrs and Natalie Imbruglia, TK Maxx presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, June 11 2025

THE Corrs, Irish sibling purveyors of sleek pop rock, lush harmonies and Celtic folk trimmings, will line up as ever with Andrea on lead vocals, piano and  tin whistle, Sharon on violin, piano and vocals, Caroline, on drums, piano and vocals, and Jim on guitar, keyboards and vocals.

Former Neighbours soap actress, Torn hit-maker and The Masked Singer 2022 winner Natalie Imbruglia will support. The Corrs join Shed Seven, Gary Barlow, Basement Jaxx, Pendulum, Rag’n’Bone Man, Blossoms, Texas, UB40 featuring Ali Campbell and The Script among next summer’s Scarborough OAT headliners. Tickets go on general sale at 9am on Friday at ticketmaster.co.uk.

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond when Ebenezer’s good for a street return. Hutch’s List No 44, from Gazette & Herald

Quinn Richards in Be Amazing Arts’ promenade production of A Christmas Carol in Malton

’TIS the season for pantomime, festive exhibitions, ghost stories, a snow bear and an elf as Charles Hutchinson welcomes winter.

Promenade  festive experience of the week: Be Amazing Arts in A Christmas Carol, Malton’s  streets and buildings, starting at Kemps Books, until December 23

MALTON theatre-makers Be Amazing Arts return for a fourth season of immersive A Christmas Carol performances “truly made for all the senses”, where Charles Dickens invites you to a reading of his latest work, transforming into Ebenezer Scrooge (Quinn Richards) for a promenade production, written by Roxanna Klimaszewska, with a cast featuring Katy Rattigan, Kirsty Woolf and David Lomond.

The ticket price includes a food platter from The Cook’s Place as revellers celebrate with the ghost of Christmas Present and a warm winter drink to toast to the goodwill of Christmas. Ticket advice: book promptly as past years’ shows sold out. Box office: tickettailor.com/events/beamazingarts/1275175.

Isobel Staton’s Mary in York Mystery Plays Supporters Trust’s A Nativity for York. Picture: John Saunders

Christmas message of hope of the week: York Mystery Plays Supporters Trust presents A Nativity for York, St James the Deacon Church Hall, Acomb, tomorrow and Friday, 7.30pm; St Oswald’s Church Hall, Fulford, Saturday, 2.30pm and 7.30pm 

PAUL Toy’s community production recalls when the Mystery Plays were banned in the 17th century for being too Roman Catholic. Performers were forced to perform illegally in the houses of sympathisers, always looking out for establishment forces.

“Although A Nativity for York reflects the experience of those dedicated but frightened performers, the story itself mirrors the trouble many people are experiencing today: a homeless couple, seeking shelter, with their new-born child being forced to flee to another country, but there is news of great hope and joy,” says Toy. Box office: 0333 666 3366, ympst.co.uk/nativitytickets or on the door.

Wicked return: Paul Hawkyard takes to the dark side again as Abanazar in Aladdin at York Theatre Royal

Look who’s back: Aladdin, York Theatre Royal, until January 5 2025

PAUL Hawkyard’s villain returns to York after a winter away doing panto in Dubai to renew his Theatre Royal double act with Robin Simpson’s dame, playing bad-lad Abanazar to Simpson’s Dolly (not Widow Twankey, note) in the fifth collaboration between Theatre Royal creative director Juliet Forster and Evolution Productions script writer Paul Hendy. Look out for CBeebies’ Evie Pickerill as the Spirit of the Ring. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Dani Harmer’s Fairy Bon Bon in Beauty And The Beast at the Grand Opera House, York. Picture: Charlie Kirkpatrick

Changing of the old guard to the new: Beauty And The Beast, Grand Opera House, York, Saturday to January 5 2025

EXIT the Dame Berwick Kaler, Martin Barrass, David Leonard, Suzy Cooper and AJ Powell era. Enter Tracy Beaker star Dani Harmer as Fairy Bon Bon; Jennifer Caldwell, from SIX The Musical, as Belle; Samuel Wyn-Morris, from  Les Miserable, as The Prince; comedian  Phil Reid as Louis La Plonk; dame Leon Craig, from Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, as his larger-than-life mum, Polly La Plonk;  Phil Atkinson, from The Bodyguard, as dastardly Hugo Pompidou and David Alcock, from SAS Rogue Heroes, as Clement. George Ure directs 2019 Great British Pantomimes Award winner Jon Monie’s script. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

The principal players in Rowntree Players’ pantomime Mother Goose at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre

Let the egg puns get cracking: Rowntree Players in Mother Goose, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, Saturday, 2pm and 7.30pm, Sunday, 2pm and 6pm; December 10 to 13, 7.30pm; December 14, 2pm and 7.30pm

MEET Jack (Gemma McDonald), head of hens at Chucklepatch Farm, with its newest addition to the coop, Priscilla the goose (Abbey Follansbee). Joined by mum Gertrude Gander (alias Mother Goose, Michael Cornell) and his sister Jill (Laura Castle), they head out on their panto adventure. 

Frustrated with life on the farm and desperate for showbiz, Gertrude gives up the Wolds for the bright lights of Doncaster. However, ever-nasty landlord Demon Darkheart (Jamie McKeller, alias Dr Dorian Deathly from the Deathly Dark Tours ghost walk) and his assistant Bob (Laura McKeller) will stop at nothing to collect rent, but dishy farmer Kev, the King of Kale (Sarah Howlett) and Fairy Frittata (Holly Smith) will not let the dark side rule in a rollicking romp directed by co-writer Howard Ella. Tickets update: Down to last few tickets or limited availability for most performances on 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

Tom Mordell’s Polaris the Snow Bear and Danny Mellor’s Sammy the Seal in Badapple Theatre Company’s Polaris The Snow Bear. Picture: Karl Andre

Children’s play of the week: Badapple Theatre Company in Polaris The Snow Bear, The Mount School, York, Saturday, 3pm and on tour in Yorkshire and beyond until January 5 2025

MEET Polaris, the travelling snow bear and star of Kate Bramley’s new family Christmas show for Green Hammerton’s Badapple Theatre Company. On his journey to find renowned naturalist Mr  Hat-In-Burrow, many complicated and comedic adventures ensue as Polaris (Tom Mordell) tries to put everything right, saving the Polar world  in time for Christmas with the help of reluctant sidekick Sammy the Seal (Danny Mellor). For Yorkshire dates and tickets, go to: badappletheatre.co.uk or 01423 331304.

Time to deliver: E(s)mereld(a) The Elf And Father Christmas at Milton Rooms, Malton

Festive family show of the week: Epic Adventure Parties present E(s)mereld(a) The Elf And Father Christmas, Milton Rooms, Malton, Saturday, 12 noon, 2pm and 3.30pm; Sunday, 10.30am, 12 noon, 2pm and 3.30pm

IN Malton company Epic Adventure Parties’ interactive show, E(s)mereld(a) The Elf And Father Christmas, the friendly Elf must sort out all the Christmas letters in time. She means well but alas she can become very muddled. Can your family help her?

Each show lasts around 20 minutes, to be followed by family visits to Father Christmas and a gift for every child. Box office: ticketsource.co.uk/epicadventureparties.

Guy Masterson in his solo performance of A Christmas Carol, on tour at Kirk Theatre, Pickering

Solo ghost storyteller of the week: Guy Masterson in A Christmas Carol, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, December 11, 7.30pm

OLIVIER Award winner Guy Masterson, veteran of such solo works such as Under Milk Wood, Animal Farm and Shylock, presents his spellbinding take on Charles Dickens’s festive fable, adapted and directed by Nick Hennegan with original music by Robb Williams.

Noted for bringing multiple characters to life, Masterson conjures Scrooge, Marley, the Fezziwigs, the Cratchits, Tiny Tim et al in his dazzling, enchanting performance. Box office: 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk.

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What’s On in Ryedale as the Christmas season beckons, all merry and bright. Here’s Hutch’s List No. 43 from Gazette & Herald

No word of a lie: 1812 Theatre Company will be staging Pinocchio from December 7

CHRISTMAS is in the air, promising brass concerts, pantomime, ukuleles and a festive singalong, as Charles Hutchinson highlights.   

1812 pantomime for 2024: 1812 Theatre Company in Pinocchio, Helmsley Arts Centre, 2.30pm matinees, December 7, 8, 14 and 15; evenings, December 7, 10 to 14

HELMSLEY Arts Centre artistic director Natasha Jones directs resident  troupe 1812 Theatre Company in Tom Whalley’s version of Pinocchio, “a pantomime with no strings attached”. Geppetto (Oliver Clive), an old toy maker, always longed for a son of his own. One starry night, helped by the Blue Fairy (Nicky Hollins) and a cheeky little Jiminy Cricket (Millie Neighbour), his wish comes true and his latest puppet, Pinocchio (Esme Schofield), comes to life.

However, the magical puppet catches the eye of evil showman Stromboli (Ben Coughlan), who will stop at nothing to grab the enchanted toy. Aided by Dame Mamma Mia (Martin Vander Weyer) and her hapless son Lampwick (Joe Gregory) from the pizzeria, will Pinocchio learn in time what it takes to be a “real boy”? Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Blues gig of the week: Ryedale Blues Club presents Mitch Laddie Band, Milton Rooms, Malton, tonight, 8pm

PREPARE to be blown away by a superstar in the making when award-winning blues guitar virtuoso Mitch Laddie leads his band (bass and drums) in Malton. Walter Trout, no less, says: “Mitch is one of the best guitarists in the world.”

Born in Shotley Bridge, County Durham, Laddie, 34, is a guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, producer and tutor, now living in Consett. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.

Sally Parkin and Lyn Bailey: Living Landscapes on show at Helmsley Arts Centre

Exhibition of the week: Sally Parkin and Lyn Bailey, Living Landscapes, Helmsley Arts Centre, until February 28 2025

SALLY Parkin and Lyn Bailey work from their studios on the North York Moors, finding inspiration every day from the vast landscapes and varied wildlife on their doorstep, then transforming them into paintings and lino prints.

Sally trained at Leeds College of Art and the Royal College of Art in London in Fine Art and Printmaking, moved back to Yorkshire and worked as a designer for Liberty of London while teaching in colleges and schools Since retiring, she spends more time producing paintings and prints, drawn from music and literature and woven together with images from the landscape.

Lyn’s training as a graphic designer has allowed her to transfer the skills of using simple block colour and shapes to the more tactile process of printmaking. Fundamentally each print begins with a simple walk, observing and connecting with her surroundings from the heart of the landscape. 

Steve Day: Headlining the Hilarity Bites bill at Milton Rooms, Malton

Comedy gig of the week: Hilarity Bites presents Steve Day, Becky Umbers and Aaron Twitchen, Milton Rooms, Malton, Friday, 8pm

STEVE Day describes himself as Britain’s only deaf comedian – and if there are any others then he hasn’t heard of them  Actually, a couple of others have started since he wrote that joke, he says.

Becky Umbers, a multi-award-winning New Zealander, offers her “unique take on life with a voice to match and a sly grin”, combining quirky storytelling and cheeky observations. Aaron Twitchen describes himself as “a stand-up, actor, improviser, aerialist and living stereotype”, having trained as a circus trapeze act. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.

Merry And Bright: Swinton & Excelsior Band’s poster for Sunday’s concert, A Brass Christmas, at Milton Rooms, Malton

Free Christmas concert of the week: Swinton & District Excelsior Band, Merry And Bright, A Brass Christmas, Milton Rooms, Malton, Sunday, 2pm

SWINTON & District Excelsior Band invites the community to a Christmas concert, also featuring the Swinton Training Band and Swinton Beginners group. Merry and Bright: A Brass Christmas is filled with the joyous sounds of brass in an afternoon of carols, cheerful tunes and heart-warming melodies. Tickets are free but must be booked through ticketsource.co.uk.

Malton White Star Band: Celebrating Christmas with a brass flourish at Milton Rooms, Malton

Brass concert number two of the week: Malton White Star Band, Brass At Christmas, Milton Rooms, Malton, December 5, 7pm

NOW under the direction of Iain Fell, Malton White Star Band has been serving the community for more than 100 years, these days playing Malton Food Markets, charity events and summer seasons on bandstands at Filey and Peasholm Park, Scarborough.

Joined by the Community Training Band and guests, this will be band’s fourth Christmas concert in the Milton Rooms. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.

The poster for Brit Rock Films 2024 at Kirk Theatre, Pickering

Film event of the week: Brit Rock Films 2024, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, Saturday, 7.30pm, doors 6.30pm

BRIT Rock Films 2024 promises a night of adrenaline and inspiration featuring the United Kingdom’s best climbing and adventure films. Three exhilarating films, Alex Waterhouse and Billy Ridal’s Nose Job, Jesse Dufton’s Climbing Blind II and Freja Shannon’s Freja’s Back  “capture an array of hardcore action, pioneering spirit and proper, adrenaline-fuelled madness”.

Profits go to event hosts Scarborough and Ryedale Mountain Rescue Team, who will give attendees the chance to learn more about the team’s vital work and how they support people in need across the North York Moors. Box office: 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk.

Thornton Le Dale Ukuleles: Strumming for Christmas at Kirk Theatre, Pickering

Festive singalong of the week: Thornton Le Dale Ukuleles’ Christmas Singalong, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, December 5, 7.30pm

THIS Christmas Singalong will be in two parts: Scoble, Swann and Friends, a small group of talented singers and musicians, followed by Thornton Dale Ukuleles, filling the stage with 40 players. Audience participation is their speciality.

The group is the brainchild of leader John Scoble, who provides tuition free of charge, and is indebted to singer-songwriter David Swann, who gives tuition too. Expect all genres of music, but virtually no George Formby. Box office: 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk.

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What’s On in Ryedale, York & beyond when two plays go to sea & AI comes to dance. Hutch’s List No. 39, from Gazette & Herald

The Whitby Rebels cast on a boat trip in Scarborough’s South Bay: from left, Keith Bartlett, Duncan MacInnes, Jacky Naylor, Jacqueline King, Louise Mai Newberry and Kieran Foster

A NAUTICAL Yorkshire drama, a scene-stealing Shakespearean dog, a long-lasting folk duo and a “bit of rough” comedian spark Charles Hutchinson’s interest for the week ahead.

World premiere of the week: The Whitby Rebels, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, until November 2, 7.30pm plus 1.30pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees

IN Whitby Harbour, in the summer of 1991, something extraordinary happened. A humble pleasure boat set sail for the Arctic crewed by misfits, pensioners and the vicar for Egton and Grosmont, North Yorkshire.

This motley crew was assembled by Captain Jack Lammiman to complete a daring mission: to erect a plaque honouring Whitby whaling Captain William Scoresby senior on a volcanic island hundreds of miles north of Iceland. Bea Roberts’s new play tells their true story, boat on stage et al. Box office: 01723 370541 or at sjt.uk.com.

Nick Patrick Jones’s Proteus, left, and Mark Payton’s Duke of Milan in rehearsal for York Shakespeare Project’s The Two Gentlemen Of Verona. Picture: John Saunders

Comedy play of the week: York Shakespeare Project in The Two Gentlemen Of Verona, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

 ‘TWO Gents’: possibly Shakespeare’s first play and definitely the only one with a part for a dog. But can the newly employed performers at Monkgate Music Hall pull off their production?

Under-rehearsed knife throwers, strongmen, musicians and comedians must pool their skills in Tempest Wisdom’s dazzling take on this rarely performed comedy, delivered by York Shakespeare Project. “Book now for the event of the 19th century!” says Tempest. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

York musical actress Rachel Higgs in the poster for Black Sheep Theatre Productions’ Songs For A New World

Unconventional musical of the week: Black Sheep Theatre Productions presents: Songs For A New World, National Centre for Early Music, Walmgate, York, tomorrow to Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

ON the heels of last week’s debut NCEM collaboration with fellow York company Wharfemede Productions, The Last Five Years, Black Sheep Theatre perform another Jason Robert Brown work, 1995’s Songs For A New World.

Defying conventional musical theatre formats, Brown and original director Daisy Prince say the non-linear show is “neither musical play nor revue”, but exists as a “very theatrical song cycle” that explores such universal themes as hope, faith, love and loss in its emotionally charged songs. Box office: ticketsource.co.uk/blacksheeptheatreproductions/.

Our Star Theatre Company cast members outside York Minster on October 15, when the Ledbury company staged Death(s) At Sea at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre. On Friday they will be in Pickering

Sea, sailors and seriously bad acting: Our Star Theatre Company in Death(s) At Sea, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, Friday, 7.30pm

A SMALL theatre company is performing its new murder mystery Death At Sea, but despite the cast’s best efforts, everything goes wrong in the telling of a thriller set on a small ship carrying only five passengers and its captain.

When one passenger, Mr Inus, is found dead, the others speculate and turn on each other until the real murderer is caught…but that isn’t how this play (within a play) goes! Props fail, the set falls down, actors get drunk and suffer concussion, and conversations in the wings reveal too much. Can they make it to the end before one of them really kills someone? Find out in Eleanor Catherine Smart’s nautical drama on Friday. Box office: 01751474833or kirktheatre.co.uk.

Company Wayne McGregor in Autobiography, on tour at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Andrej Uspenski

Dance show of the week: Company Wayne McGregor, Autobiography, V102 and V103, York Theatre Royal, Friday and Saturday, 7.30pm

GENETIC code, AI and choreography merge in a Wayne McGregor work that reimagines and remakes itself anew for every performance. Layering choreographic imprints over personal memoir and in dialogue with a specially created algorithm that hijacks McGregor’s DNA data,Autobiography “upends the traditional nature of dance-making as artificial intelligence and instinct converge in creative authorship”.

Now, AISOMA, a new AI tool developed with Google Arts and Culture – “utilising machine-learning trained on hundreds of hours of McGregor’s choreographic archive – overwrites initial configurations to present fresh movement options to the performers, injecting unfamiliar and often startling content into the choreographic ecosystem”. “Life, writing itself anew,” explains McGregor. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

While & Matthews: Playing Hunmanby on closing night of 30th anniversary tour

Folk gig of the week: While & Matthews, Hunmanby Village Hall, near Filey, Sunday, 7.30pm

THE 30th anniversary tour of the longest-lasting female folk duo, singer-songwriters Chris While and Julie Matthews, concludes this weekend at Hunmanby Village Hall, where they sold out two years ago. Together they have played more than 2,500 gigs, appeared on 100 albums, written hundreds of original songs and reached millions of people around the world.

Chris (vocals, guitar, banjo, dulcimer and percussion) and Julie (vocals, piano, guitar, mandolin and bouzouki) released their 13th studio album, Days Like These, on Fat Cat Records last month. Once again they cover a wide range of topics and the full spectrum of human emotions on 12 tracks. Box office: ticketsource.co.uk.

Arthur Smith: Grumpy old man of comedy at Helmsley Arts Centre

Comedy turn of the week: An Audience With Arthur Smith, Helmsley Arts Centre, Sunday, 7.30pm

COMPERE, playwright, panellist, performer and Edinburgh Fringe stalwart Arthur Smith worked previously as a road sweeper, dustman, market researcher and teacher. He even advertised chicken burgers in supermarkets dressed as a fox.

A career in stand-up comedy was the only one that could follow a build-up like that, he decided, since when he has appeared on quiz shows and Loose Ends, been a regular Grumpy Old Man and Countdown wordsmith and presented BBC Radio 4’s Excess Baggage and Radio 2’s The Smith Lectures. He describes himself as Radio 4’s “bit of rough”. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Pat Fulgoni Blues Experience: Returning to Milton Rooms, Malton

Blues gig of the week: Ryedale Blues Club, Pat Fulgoni Blues Experience, Milton Rooms, Malton, October 31, 8pm

SINGER Pat Fulgoni returns to Ryedale Blues Club with his band of Jacob Beckwith on guitar, Rory Wells on bass, Sam Bolt on keys and Zebedee Sylvester on drums.

Expect soaring soulful vocals over vibey guitar and piano-orientated blues in a set originals complemented by renditions of Ray Charles, BB King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Sonny Boy Williamson, John Lee Hooker, Jimi Hendrix and Robert Johnson. Box office: 01653 692240 or themiltonrooms.com.

In Focus: The English Civil War comes to Nunnington Hall this half-term

Nunnington Hall: Recalling the English Civil War over the autumn half-term. Picture: Andrew Davies

VISITORS to Nunnington Hall, near Helmsley, can dive back in history to the time of the English Civil War throughout the autumn half-term.

From Saturday, October 26 to Friday, November 1, you can train up to become a soldier, with family games such as archery and hobby-horse races, or become a spy for the Royalist side by cracking the secret message in a code breaker trail.

For one weekend only, on November 2 and 3, the grounds of the National Trust property will be turned into an English Civil War encampment by the United Kingdom’s longest-running re-enactment society, The Sealed Knot.

Families will be invited to try on armour, chat to costumed re-enactors and watch show-stopping musket drills happening throughout the day.

Inside the house, children can enjoy playing with the shadow puppet theatre and the Civil War-themed crafts.

Sarah Nolan, visitor experience officer at Nunnington Hall, says: “We’re delighted to bring the UK’s oldest, and Europe’s biggest, re-enactment society to Nunnington and allow our visitors to experience history at its most immersive.

The Sealed Knot: Taking part in the English Civil War activities at Nunnington Hall. Picture: Levitt Parkes

“There’s a fantastic link between Nunnington Hall and the English Civil War, as it’s where Roundhead soldiers lived during the siege of nearby Helmsley Castle, 380 years ago!

“We’ve put together a host of children’s activities to choose from, offering a fun day out for all the family.”

In addition, Nunnington Hall is decorated for autumn and a range of seasonal treats is available in the tearoom.

Normal admission applies for access to the house, gardens and all activities; entry is free for National Trust members and under fives.

Nunnington Hall is open every day until Sunday, November 3, from 10.30am to 5pm, with last entry at 4.15pm. Normal admission applies with free admission for National Trust members and under fives.

For more information or to plan a visit, go to: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/nunnington-hall,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Martin Stephenson: Back with The Daintees in Malton

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pickering Musical Society’s full company for Wonders Of The West End. Picture: Robert David Photography
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What’s On in Ryedale, York & beyond when going there and back for entertainment. Hutch’s List No. 36, from Gazette & Herald

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stevie Williams & The Most Wanted Band: Heading to Helmsley

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond as poet John Hegley talks potatoes. Here’s Hutch’s List No. 34, from Gazette & Herald

John Hegley: Two poetry peformances at Helmsley Literary Festival. Picture: Jackie di Stefano

HELMSLEY Literary Festival leads off Charles Hutchinson’s recommendations to fill the cultural diary, joined by drag, folk and blues acts and an American coming-of-age classic.

Festival of the week highlight: Helmsley Literary Festival, Helmsley Arts Centre, John Hegley, New & Selected Potatoes, Saturday, 7pm to 8pm; I Am A Poetato, Sunday, 11am to 12 noon

POET, comic, singer, songwriter and spectacles wearer John Hegley heads to Helmsley with two shows, the first being his seriously funny, cleverly comic “best of golden oldies compilation with some new stuff” about love, family, France, art, the sea, dogs, dads, gods, taxidermy, carrots, glasses and…potatoes.

Second gig I Am A Poetato features An A-Z of Poems about People, Pets and other Creatures! Spelling it out for Helmsley, he promises Hedgehogs. Elephants. Laughing. Mandolin. Singing. Luton. Even a cardboard camel with moving parts. Yo!  For full details of two days of talks, signings, readings, open mic and a quiz, with Hegley, Anne Fine, Joanne Harris, Harriet Constable and The Chase’s Paul Sinha, visit helmsleyarts.co.uk. Box office: 01439 771700.

Bianca Del Rio: Discussing politics, pop culture and political correctness at York Barbican

Drag show of the week: Bianca Del Rio, York Barbican, tonight, doors 7pm

COMEDY drag queen and RuPaul’s Drag Race champion Bianca Del Rio heads to York on her 11-date stand-up tour. Up for irreverent discussion will be politics, pop culture, political correctness, current events, cancel culture and everyday life, as observed through the eyes of a “clown in the gown”, who will be “coming out of my crypt and hitting the road again to remind everyone that I’m still dead inside”. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Ryan Adams: Heading back to York Barbican on Friday

Return of the week: Ryan Adams, Solo 2024, York Barbican, Friday, doors 7pm

NORTH Carolina singer-songwriter Ryan Adams returns to York Barbican next week after playing a very long, career-spanning set there with no stage lighting – only his own side lamps – in April last year. This time he will be marking the 20th anniversary of 2004’s Love Is Hell and tenth anniversary of 2014’s self-titled album, complemented by Adams classics and favourites. Adams, who visited the Grand Opera House in 2007 and 2011, will be performing on acoustic guitar and piano. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Harp & A Monkey: Songs of everyday life, love and remembrance at Kirk Theatre, Pickering

Folk gig of the week: Friday Folk presents Harp & A Monkey, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, Friday, 7.30pm

GREATER Manchester song-and-storytelling trio Harp & A Monkey specialise in poignant, uplifting and melodic short stories, both original and traditional, about everyday life, love and remembrance. In a nutshell, the extraordinary ordinary, from cuckolded molecatchers and a lone English oak tree that grows at Gallipoli to care in the community, medieval pilgrims and Victorian bare-knuckle boxers.

This versatile collective of artists, animators, storytellers and multi-instrumentalists has undertaken bespoke songwriting for soundtrack, film and art projects for the likes of Sky Arts and the Department of Sport, Media and Culture. Fylingdales Folk Choir will perform too. Box office: 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk.

York actress Kate Hampson in the matriarchal role of Marmee in Little Women at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Charlie Kirkpatrick

Play of the week: Little Women, York Theatre Royal, Saturday to October 12

CREATIVE director Juliet Forster directs York Theatre Royal’s new production of Louisa May Alcott’s coming-of-age story of headstrong Jo March and her sisters Meg, Beth and Amy as they grow up in New England during the American Civil War.

Adapted by Anne-Marie Casey, the production features Freya Parks, from BBC1’s This Town, as Jo, Ainy Medina as Meg, Helen Chong as Amy and York actress Laura Soper as Beth. Kate Hampson returns to the Theatre Royal to play Marmee after leading the community cast in The Coppergate Woman. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Seedling, by Sarah Sharpe, on show in Leeds Fine Artists’ 150th anniversary show at Blossom Street Gallery

Exhibition of the week: Leeds Fine Artists Celebrating 150 Years, Blossom Street Gallery, York, until October 31

LEEDS Fine Artists is celebrating its 150th anniversary with an exhibition at its regular York host, Blossom Street Gallery, featuring an inspirational collection of work demonstrating a wide range of styles and different media.

Taking part are: Sharron Astbury-Petit; Dawn Broughton; Jane Burgess; Mark Butler; Pete Donnelly; Alison Flowers; Roger Gardner; Margarita Godgelf; Dan Harnett; Peter Heaton; Nicholas Jagger; Michael Curgenven; Catherine Morris; Martin Pearson; Clare Phelan; Trevor Pittaway; Neil Pittaway; Annie Robinson; Annie Roche; Sarah Sharpe and John Sherwood. Opening hours: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 10am to 4pm; Sundays, 10am to 3pm.

Tim Peake: Exploring the evolution of space travel at York Barbican

Travel show of the week: Tim Peake, Astronauts: The Quest To Explore Space, York Barbican, September 25, 7.30pm

BRITISH astronaut Tim Peake is among only 610 people to have travelled beyond Earth’s orbit. After multiple My Journey To Space tours of his own story, he makes a return voyage with his stellar new show, sharing the collected stories of fellow astronauts as he explores the evolution of space travel.

From the first forays into the vast potential of space in the 1950s and beyond, to the first human missions to Mars, Peake will traverse the final frontier with tales of the experience of spaceflight, living in weightlessness, the dangers and unexpected moments of humour and the years of training and psychological and physical pressures that an astronaut faces. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Lightning Threads: Showcasing their debut album, Off That Lonely Road, at Milton Rooms, Malton

Blues gig of the week: Ryedale Blues Club, Lightning Threads, Milton Rooms, Malton, September 26, 8pm

SHEFFIELD blues-rock trio Lightning Threads are influenced by the great rock musicians of another time, drawing comparisons with The Black Keys, Gary Clark Jr, Cream and The Doors.

Tom Jane, guitar and vocals, Sam Burgum, bass and vocals, and Hugh Butler, drums and keyboards, have been nominated for Best Album in the 2024 Blues Awards for their November 2023 debut, Off That Lonely Road, recorded with Andrew Banfield, of Superfly Studios, and graced by Kelly Michaeli’s gospel vocals. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.