Tag: National Centre for Early Music

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More Things To Do in York and beyond when the river flows into artworks. Here’s Hutch’s List No. 3, from The York Press

Audience members of all ages enjoying Opera North: Little Listeners. Picture: Tom Arber 

IN his third highlights package of the New Year, Charles Hutchinson picks out a riparian exhibition, murderous deeds in 1590 and 1950s’ Italy, Davina’s wellbeing tips and a tribute on Shaky ground.

Family event of the week: Opera North: Little Listeners, National Centre for Early Music, York, today, 2pm and 3.15pm

OPERA North: Little Listeners is a treasure hunt with a tuneful twist, where the Orchestra of Opera North needs your help to find hidden musical gems. Discover different “Tuneful Treasures” as you go, collecting them all in time for the grand finale in this relaxed, interactive concert.

“Singing and movement is not just encouraged – it’s expected!” says the Leeds company. “Join us to experience the magic of orchestral music up close, whatever your age. We can’t wait to sing and dance with you.” Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.

Death Of Gesualdo: Tableaux Vivants team up with The Gesualdo Six and a puppet at the NCEM on Sunday and Monday

World premiere of the month: Death Of Gesualdo, The Gesualdo Six with Tableaux Vivants, National Centre for Early Music, York, Sunday and Monday, 6.30pm to 7.40pm

THE Gesualdo Six reunite with director Bill Barclay for the world premiere of a daring new successor to international hit Secret Byrd. Featuring six singers, six actors and a puppet, Death Of Gesualdo creates living tableaux that illuminate the life and psyche of madrigalist Carlo Gesualdo, a tortured genius most famous for murdering his wife and her lover in an explosive fit of jealousy, but revered among composers for anticipating chromaticism by 200 years.

This is the boldest look yet at how the life and sometimes chilling music of this enigmatic prodigy must function together for the true Gesualdo to emerge from the shadows. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.

York Printmakers artist Jane Dignum at work in her studio

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. 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. 

Taking part are printmakers Pamela Knight; John Haste; Roger Goldthorpe; Lyn Bailey; Safron Sunley; Sandra Storey; Robin Linklater; Bridget Hunt; Sally Clarke; Yvonne Hogarth; Jen Dring; Michelle Hughes; Madelaine Lockwood; Vanessa Oo; Jane Dignum; Jane Duke; Phill Jenkins; Becky Long-Smith; Rachel Holbrow and Sally Parkin.

Ed McVey as Tom Ripley and Bruce Herbelin-Earle as Dickie Greenleaf in The Talented Mr Ripley, on tour at Grand Opera House, York. Picture: Mark Senior

Game of deception 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 MaisieSmith 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.

Davina McCall: Uplifting conversation and personal stories at York Barbican

Talk show of the week: An Evening With Davina, York Barbican, January 22, 7.30pm

REARRANGED from October 22 2025, television presenter and wellness advocate Davina McCall presents an evening of uplifting conversation and personal stories. From her groundbreaking career on screen to her tireless campaigning for women’s health, Davina opens up about the moments that shaped her with honesty, humour and heart, followed by an audience Q&A. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Mr Wilson’s Second Liners: On the front line for New Orleans brass and 1990s’ club culture at The Crescent

When New Orleans converges with Hacienda: Mr Wilson’s Second Liners, The Crescent, York, January 22, 7.30pm

MARDI Gras brass band meets 1990s’ club classics for a rave funeral without a body as a rabble of mischievous northerners, Mr Wilson’s Second Liners form a traditional New Orleans Second Line at The Crescent.

However, this is no sombre occasion: Mr Wilson’s expend their collective musical talent paying homage to the diehard days of the Hacienda, Nineties’ club culture and its greatest hero, Manchester mover and shaker Mr Tony Wilson. Box office: thecrescentyork.com.

Recommended but sold out already:York indie rock band Skylights’gig at The Crescent on January 23, 7.30pm.

Jeffrey Martin: Blending folk, Americana and literary short stories at Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb

Folk gig of the week: Please Please You and Brudenell Presents present Jeffrey Martin and special guest Tenderness, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York, January 24, 8.15pm (doors 7.30pm)

PORTLAND musician Jeffrey Martin’s narrative-driven songwriting  is a blend of folk, Americana and literary short stories with echoes of Raymond Carver. Before turning to music full time in 2016, he spent several years as a high-school English teacher, a profession he left to “chase his dreams at all cost.”

His lyrics are marked by his insight into the human condition, often focusing on the struggles and quiet dignity of people on the margins of society. Box office: bluebirdbakery.co.uk/rise.

Shakin’ all over: Rebel Dean rolls out the Eighties’ rock’n’roll hits of Shakin’ Stevens at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre

Tribute show of the week: Whole Lotta Shakin’ – The Shakin’ Stevens Story, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, January 25, 7.30pm

ENDORSED by members of Shakin’ Stevens own family, West End star Rebel Dean’s award-winning tribute to Great Britain’s biggest-selling singles artist of the 1980s tell the story of the rockin’ Welsh boy and his rise to chart-topping superstardom.

Whole Lotta Shakin’ combines a live band with rare footage and images in a nostalgic night of Shaky hits, Green Door, Oh Julie, You Drive Me Crazy and This Ole House et al, complemented by Eddie Cochran, Chuck Berry, Ritchie Valens and Elvis Presley numbers that he covered. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

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Adultery, murder and beautiful music add up to Death Of Gesualdo as Tableaux Vivants and The Gesualdo Six play NCEM

Death Of Gesualdo: Bringing together The Gesualdo Six, Tableaux Vivants and a puppet for new drama of jealousy, murder and sublime madrigal music at NCEM

THE Gesualdo Six are reuniting with director Bill Barclay for the world premiere of Death Of Gesualdo, a daring new successor to their international hit Secret Byrd.

Premiered at St Martin-in-the-Fields, London, tomorrow and on Saturday, the haunting theatrical concerto, exploring the tormented life and music of Renaissance composer Carlo Gesualdo, will then head north to the National Centre of Early Music, Walmgate, York, for 6.30pm performances on Sunday and Monday.

Commissioned by St Martin’s as part of its 300th anniversary and produced by Concert Theatre Works,  this collaboration with the NCEM and Music Before 1800 in New York City utilises the sextet of Gesualdo singers, six Tableaux Vivants actors and a puppet in “living tableaux to illuminate the forces that shaped the violent life, psyche and visionary work of innovative madrigalist Carlo Gesualdo (1566–1613), Prince of Venosa.

He may be infamous for murdering his unfaithful wife and her lover in an explosive fit of jealousy, but among composers he is revered for anticipating chromaticism – the musical technique of using notes outside the main diatonic scale to add colour, tension, and expression – by 200 years.

Choreographed by Will Tuckett, the dancers enact tableaux vivant – vivid images, like paintings brought to life –filled with iconography to superimpose Gesualdo’s psyche on to his most chilling music. The result will be “the boldest look yet at how the life and music of this enigmatic prodigy must function together for the true Gesualdo to emerge from the shadows”.

Director Bill Barclay says: “Gesualdo’s tortured mind led him into a life of violence and suffering, concluding in astonishing tales of witchcraft and malfeasance and appalling tales of sorcery and flagellation. However shockingly macabre his biography is, the Prince of Venosa’s malignant narcissism can be traced to key incidents from his upbringing in the zero-sum game of Catholic politics.”

Opening on the composer’s deathbed, Death Of Gesualdo promises to be a visceral “Stations of the Cross” for the composer’s tortured conscience as much as a bold study of his inseparable life, psyche and music.

Bill says: “I want people to hear the brilliance of Gesualdo’s music, but also to feel the immense human suffering that shaped it. This staging seeks to reveal the guilt and retribution woven through his extraordinary music, brought to life by The Gesualdo Six – some of the finest polyphonic singers in the world.”

The creative team brings together Barclay, Gesualdo Six director Owain Park, Olivier Award-winning choreographer Will Tuckett, best known for his work with The Royal Ballet and his visionary cross-disciplinary approach; former Handspring Puppet Company director Janni Younge and American costume designer Arthur Oliver.

“We so enjoyed doing Secret Byrd with Bill, and when we see Bill, we like to throw around a few ideas, and this is what’s emerged next – as we’re really well positioned to sing Gesualdo’s music,” says Owain.

He suggests Death Of Gesualdo has three layers: musical, dramatic and another layer that “provokes discussion and thoughts without necessarily coming up with the answer to the questions asked”.

“Bill is more interested in providing more questions than answers,” he says, highlighting the need for a balance between what is said and left unsaid. “When we debut the project in London and York, we will know more about that, but for now I can say it’s something we’ve never done before.

“It will be interesting to see how we present music differently, where it will heighten things in a way that you wouldn’t in concert. It becomes more sensory, like smell and touch, as we create pictures to be discovered. I think there’s going to be space for more development – which is interesting – and maybe audiences will need to come again.

“There’s more chance for spontaneity, and that’s exciting, like in sport, where you never know what the result will be, if the formula is right, whereas in music you do, but you can take different routes to the same result, but Death Of Gesualdo is more of a change from that, with the chance to be different each time.”

Secret Byrd visited more than 25 cities, with plans afoot to revisit it in the UK, Ireland and USA. “Last time, the NCEM was at the end of the first tour, so how lovely this time that Delma [NCEM director Delma Tomlin] and the NCEM are at the forefront of this new project, as we’ve built up such a wonderful relationship with them,” says Owain.

For creator-director Barclay, when St Martin’s wanted a “splashy” production to mark its 300th anniversary and suggested Gesualdo, his instinct was to resist at first. “I wasn’t drawn to the murder of his wife and her lover, the central event of his life,” he recalls, “I cherish the music, like anyone else, but I wasn’t just going to do a concert because I knew I had to reckon with the man.”

 He enjoys counterpointing singers  with other artists, and once he found a video of Tableaux Vivants, he saw the possibilities in Death Of Gesualdo. “I found their work whimsical and beautiful and was struck by how this artform could re-create horrible things in beautiful ways,” he says.

“They can create quite grotesque images  but because they’re created right in front of you, there’s a sense they can be done both playfully and beautifully. It struck me as a way I could thread the story of the murder into the performance without all the violence,  taking Gesualdo’s music as a framing device, not for the murder, but to explore what’s going through his mind  and then opening up the topical subject of odious men.

“It made me think about cancel culture today…and what lessons have we learnt from the social media accelerant that can force someone to be treated as guilty until proven innocent?”

Citing composer Richard Wagner and jazz musician Miles Davis as further examples of “odious” creative talents, Bill says: “What I’m trying to get at is, can you separate the art from the man?

“With Death Of Gesualdo, I’m suggesting that if you consider his life over the music he created, a different picture emerges of this tortured soul, who was probably bisexual. I’m not trying to inspire pity in my audience as to whether he was forced to commit an honour killing or not, but with a sensitive artist such as Gesualdo, he was tortured by various ailments, from bulimic narcissism to bipolarity.”

Bill is thrilled to be teaming up with Owain Park and The Gesualdo Six again. “Owain is a genius, he’s a treasure, and his star burns very brightly. He’s young and he’s just at the beginning of what we expect to be a wonderful career,” he says.

“Working with these wonderful singers at this point benefits everybody, most of all the audience, and we now have two pieces that we can tour around the world as the arts become more interdisciplinary. It’s fun!

“I’m delighted that they [The Gesualdo Six] have trusted me to work with them, rehearsing for longer than they normally would for concerts – and putting on make-up for the performances!”

The Gesualdo Six and Tableaux Vivants, Death Of Gesualdo, National Centre for Early Music, St Margaret’s Church, Walmgate, York, January 18 and 19, 6.30pm to 7.40pm. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 2, from Gazette & Herald

Lawyer Arthur Kipps (John Mackay) and The Actor (Daniel Burke) in The Woman In Black, on tour at the Grand Opera House, York, from January 13

IN his second guide to the New Year, Charles Hutchinson picks out upcoming highlights on January’s calendar and beyond.

Ghostly return of the week: The Woman In Black, Grand Opera House, York, January 13 to 17, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Thursday and Saturday matinees

FIRST staged in 1987 in a pub setting by the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, Stephen Mallatratt’s adaptation of Susan Hill’s ghost story The Woman In Black returns to the Grand Opera House two years to the month since its last visit.

Elderly lawyer Arthur Kipps (played by John Mackay) is obsessed with his belief that a curse has been cast over his family by the spectre of a “Woman in Black” for 50 years. Whereupon he engages a sceptical young actor (Daniel Burke’s The Actor) to help him tell his terrifying story and exorcise the fear that grips his soul, but the boundaries between fiction and reality begin to blur. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Paula Cook’s Queen Lucrecia and John Brooks’s scheming Chamberlain in Pickering Musical Society’s Snow White at Kirk Theatre, Pickering. Picture: Robert David Photographer

First Ryedale panto of the New Year: Pickering Musical Society in Snow White, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, January 14 to 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.

Cellist Eloise Ramchamdani

Dementia Friendly Tea Concert of the week: Eloise Ramchandani and Robert Gammon, St Chad’s Church, Campleshon Road, York, January 15, 2.30pm

ELOISE Ramchandani gives an all Saint-Saëns cello recital, accompanied by pianist Robert Gammon. The 45-minute programme includes the well-loved The Swan, lively Allegro Appassionato and beautiful Cello Concerto No. 1.

Ideal for those who may not feel comfortable at a formal classical concert, the relaxed recital will be followed by tea, coffee and homemade cakes in the church hall. Seating is unreserved; no charge applies but donations are welcome.

Malton and Norton Theatre’s principal cast for Aladdin – The Pantomime: left to right, Amelia Little (So-Shy); Tom Gleave (Wishee Washee); Annabelle Free (Spirit of the Ring); Alexander Summers (Executioner); Isobel Davis (Princess Jasmine); Mark Summers (Genie of the Lamp); Harriet White (Aladdin); Harry Summers (Abanazar); Thomas Jennings (The Emperor); Evie-Mae Dale (Sergeant Pong); Malcolm Tonkiss (Mangle Malcolm) and Jack Robinson (PC World)

Second Ryedale pantomime of the New Year: Malton and Norton Musical Theatre in Aladdin – The Pantomime, Milton Rooms, Malton, January 17, 1.30pm, 5.15pm; January 18, 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, dramatic and deliciously boo-worthy 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, insisting he is “one of the good guys”, even if his idea of good includes execution and arranged marriages. Further principal players in the mystical land of Shangri-La include Harriet White’s Aladdin, Isobel 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.

Death Of Gesualdo: The Gesualdo Six and Tableaux Vivants in tandem at NCEM, York

World premiere of the month: Death Of Gesualdo, The Gesualdo Six with Tableaux Vivants, National Centre for Early Music, York, January 18 and 19, 6.30pm

THE Gesualdo Six reunite with director Bill Barclay for this daring successor to international hit Secret Byrd. Featuring six singers, six actors and a puppet, Death Of Gesualdo creates living tableaux that illuminate the life and psyche of madrigalist Carlo Gesualdo, a tortured genius most famous for murdering his wife and her lover in an explosive fit of jealousy, but revered among composers for anticipating chromaticism by 200 years.

This is the boldest look yet at how the life and sometimes chilling music of this enigmatic prodigy must function together for the true Gesualdo to emerge from the shadows. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.

Grace Petrie: No time for panicking at The Crescent, York. Picture: Fraser West

Comedy-folk combination of the month: Little Wander and Say Owt present Grace Petrie, This Is No Time To Panic!, January 18, The Crescent, York, 7.30pm

DO you like protest songs? Neither does Grace Petrie – and she has been singing them for 15 “politically disastrous” years. No longer able to meet the desperate hopes of left-wing audiences, the “British folk scene’s funniest lesbian” reckons there is no better time for a feel-good show.

After making her stand-up debut in 2022 with Butch Ado About Nothing, she combines music and comedy for the first time in This Is No Time To Panic! “I know folk songs can’t save the world, and neither can stand-up, but both at the same time?” ponders Petrie. “Read it and weep, Putin!” Box office for returns only: thecrescentyork.com.  

York Residents’ Festival: Weekend of experiences, attractions and offers

Festival launch of the month: York Residents’ Festival, January 31 and February 1

ORGANISED by Make It York, York Residents’ Festival offers residents free entry to York’s top attractions and exclusive offers on food, retail and unique experiences across the city in support of businesses and independent makers.  

Thefull list of offers and pre-booking will go live from 12 noon on January 9 at visityork.org/resfest. Among them will be York Museums Trust providingfree entry to York Castle Museum, York Art Gallery and the Yorkshire Museum and the National Trust doing likewise to Treasurer’s House.

Self Esteem: Headlining Live At York Museum Gardens on July 10

Looking ahead to the summer: Futuresound Group presents Self Esteem at Live At York Museum Gardens, July 10, 5pm

SOUTH Yorkshire’s Self Esteem is the second headliner to be announced for Futuresound Group’s third summer of Live At York Museum Gardens concerts, in the wake of Orchestral Manoeuvres in The Dark, Heaven 17, China Crisis and Andrew Cushin  being booked for July 9.

Rotherham-born Rebecca Lucy Taylor was part of Slow Club for a decade before turning solo as the sardonic Self Esteem, releasing the albums Compliments Please in 2019, Prioritise Pleasure in 2021 and A Complicated Woman last April. She will be supported by South African “future ghetto funk” pioneer Moonchild Sanelly and Sweden-based Nigerian spoken-word artist and musician Joshua Idehen, with more guests to be confirmed. Box office: futuresound.seetickets.com/event/self-esteem/york-museum-gardens/3555239.

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More Things To Do in York and beyond as the festivities spread good cheer. Here’s Hutch’s List No. 55, from The York Press

Fergus Powell’s Moonface Martin, left, and Adam Price’s Billy Crocker in Pick Me Up Theatre’s Anything Goes at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York. Picture: Felix Wahlberg

SEEING out the old year, welcoming in the new, Charles Hutchinson refuses to advocate putting your feet up in the festive season.

All aboard for the last chances to see: Pick Me Up Theatre in Anything Goes, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, today to December 30

CLIMB aboard the S.S. American as it sets sail in Andrew Isherwood’s all-singing, all-dancing staging of Anything Goes, Cole Porter’s swish musical, charting the madcap antics of a motley crew leaving New York for London on a Christmas-themed steamer.

Meet nightclub singer/evangelist Reno Sweeney (Alexandra Mather) and lovelorn Wall Street broker Billy Crocker (Adam Price), who has stowed away on board in pursuit of his beloved Hope Harcourt (Claire Gordon-Brown). Alas, Hope is engaged to fellow passenger Sir Evelyn Oakleigh (Neil Foster). Enter second-rate conman Moonface Martin (Fergus Powell) to join Reno in trying to help Billy win the love of his life. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Frances Marshall of History Riot: Presenting Tales From The Trail at York Castle Museum

Family-friendly performances of the week: History Riot in Tales From The Trail, York Castle Museum, Eye of York, York, today (27/12/2025) to January 3, except January 1, between 10am to 5pm daily

HISTORY Riot return to York Castle Museum with Tales From The Trail, an array of family-friendly performances, with start times being advertised at the admissions desk each day. Join two madcap Victorian characters for an urgent shopping trip on the Victorian street of Kirkgate this festive season.

Cue mystery, silliness and stories of the variety of items that they pick up along the way. Entry is included in general admission at https://beta.yorkmuseumstrust.org.uk/york-castle-museum/admission-tickets.

The billboard poster for The Tubs & Bull’s co-headline show at The Crescent, York

Double bill of the week: The Tubs and Bull, The Crescent, York, tonight, 7.30pm

IN A Please Please You Seasonal Rock’n’Roll Party, The Tubs and Bull team up for a co-headline show, featuring Dan Lucas at the double, complemented by some friends DJing in the bar.

Cardiff indie rock band The Tubs comprises Lucas, Owen Williams, Max Warren and Taylor Stewart; York alt. rock band Bull features songwriting frontman Tom Beer, guitarist Lucas, drummer Tom Gabbatiss, bassist Kai West and keyboard player and vocalist Holly Beer. Box office: thecrescentyork.com/events/the-tubs-bull/.

Aoife Kenny’s Aurora and Christian Mortimer’s Prince Michael of Moravia in Sleeping Beauty at York Theatre Royal. Picture: S R Taylor Photography

Still time for pantomime: Sleeping Beauty, York Theatre Royal, until January 4

YORK Theatre Royal creative director Juliet Forster directs returnee dame Robin Simpson’s Nurse Nellie, Jocasta Almgill’s Carabosse, Tommy Carmichael’s Jangles, CBeebies star Jennie Dale’s Fairy Moonbeam, Aoife Kenny’s Aurora and Harrogate actor Christian Mortimer’s Prince Michael of Moravia in Sleeping Beauty.

Written as ever by Paul Hendy, the Theatre Royal’s festive extravaganza is co-produced once more with award-winning Evolution Productions. Look out too for Kris Madden’s pyrotechnics: he indeed the fire starter, twisting, turning fire starter. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Turning ugly: Luke Attwood’s Melody Hard-Up and Brandon Nicholson’s Harmony Hard-Up in UK Productions’ Cinderella at the Grand Opera House, York. Picture: Charlie Kirkpatrick

Still time for more pantomime: Cinderella, Grand Opera House, York, until January 4

CORONATION Street star Lisa George’s Fairy Godmother leads the Grand Opera House pantomime cast, joined by Tobias Turley (ITV’s Mamma Mia I Have A Dream) as Prince Charming and West End star Rachel Grundy (Rocky Horror Picture Show, Legally Blonde) as Cinderella in UK Productions’ Cinderella, scripted by award-winning Jon Monie. 

Directed by Ellis Kerkhoven, West End drag stars Luke Attwood and Brandon Nicholson double down on the rather saucy mayhem in Ugly Sisters mode, joined in the capering comedy corner by Jimmy Bryant’s Buttons. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

The creative team behind The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz at Castle Howard. Picture: Tom Arber

The Yellow Brick enters the home straight: The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz, Castle Howard, near York, until January 4

CASTLE Howard is transformed for winter into an immersive Christmas experience, dressed in set pieces, decorations, floristry, projections, lighting and sound for The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz.

Created by CLW Event Design, headed up by Charlotte Lloyd Webber and Adrian Lillie, the show-stopping Emerald City High Street in the Long Gallery is the highlight, with life-size fabricated shop fronts inspired by York’s Shambles, while the 28ft Christmas tree sparkles in the Great Hall. Leeds theatre company Imitating The Dog provides the spectacular projections and soundscapes. Tickets: castlehoward.co.uk.

Snow show in A Winter Adventure at JORVIK Viking Centre

Deep freeze: A Winter Adventure at JORVIK Viking Centre, York, until February 22 2026

A WINTER Adventure brings a new wintery experience to the underground York visitor attraction, where the 10th century Vikings are celebrating Yule with natural decorations hung on their houses. For the first time, visitors can peer through Bright White’s time portal into the blacksmith’s house excavated on this site in the 1970s, seeing what it would have been like to live there.

They will then board a time sleigh to travel back in time around the backstreets, transformed by Wetherby set dressers EPH Creative, who have covered streets and houses in a thick blanket of snow, bathed in cold blue lighting. Pre-booking is essential for all visits to JORVIK at jorvikvikingcentre.co.uk.

Fever presents: Candlelight: Best Of Bridgerton On Strings, National Centre for Early Music, Walmgate, York, January 3, 6.30pm; Candlelight: Tribute To Queen & More, 8.30pm

DEAREST  Reader, Lady Whistledown has given her verdict: the event of the season is here! Bathed in the soft glow of candlelight, favourite melodies from Shondaland’s Bridgerton series on Netflix are re-imagined by the New World String Quartet in a magical 60-minute performance of Candlelight: Best Of Bridgerton On Strings.

Later that same night, Candlelight presents the music of Queen and More in a live, hour-long multi-sensory musical experience featuring We Will Rock You, Somebody To Love, Radio Ga Ga, Killer Queen, We Are The Champions, Another One Bites the Dust, Bohemian Rhapsody and many more. Box office: support.feverup.com.

Ancient Hostility: Passionate political and personal song in harmony at Navigators Art’s A Feast Of Fools III

Navigators Art presents A Feast Of Fools III, The Black Swan Inn, Peasholme Green, York, January 4, 7.30pm, doors 7pm

WELCOME to A Feast Of Fools III, York arts collective Navigators Art’s sign-off to “Holiday’s end – the last gasp of Mischief” in a celebration of Twelfth Night and Old Christmas packed with live folk music and a nod to the pagan and the impish.

On the bill will be: Ancient Hostility, performing passionate political and personal song in harmony;  North West folk duo Joshua Arnold and Therine, presenting vocal-led trad and experimental versions of British folk songs;  Pefkin, whose ritualistic hymnals draw heavily on the landscape and the natural world, and White Sail, York’s multi-instrumental alt-folk legends. Box office: www.ticketsource.co.uk/navigators-art-performance.

Pickering Musical Society’s principal panto players for Snow White at Kirk Theatre, Pickering

First panto of the New Year: Pickering Musical Society in Snow White, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, January 14 to 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 writer by Ron Hall, Pickering Musical Society’s 2026 pantomime combines comedy, spectacle, festive magic, dazzling scenery and colourful costumes.

The show features such principals as Marcus Burnside’s Dame Dumpling, Danielle Long’s Prince Valentine, Alice Rose’s Snow White, Paula Cook’s Queen Lucrecia and Sue Smithson’s Fairy Dewdrop. Audiences are encouraged to book early to avoid disappointment. Box office: 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.littleboxoffice.com.

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REVIEW: Martin Dreyer’s verdict on York Early Music Christmas Festival, Lowe Ensemble, National Centre for Early Music, York, December 12

Lowe Ensemble: Echoes of the Spanish Baroque programme at York Early Music Christmas Festival

THERE cannot be many early music groups in which no less than five siblings are involved. The Lowes grew up in Madrid, although now based in London, so their Echoes of the Spanish Baroque programme may be said to have come naturally to them.

The ensemble – soprano, two violins and two cellos – was completed here by Daniel Murphy, doubling on theorbo and Baroque guitar: he fitted smoothly into the family setting.

In a sense, this programme was back to front, first revealing Spanish influence on other countries, before returning to Spanish originals. Lully’s comédie-ballet Le bourgeois Gentilhomme offered the perfect opening. It guys a rich man’s efforts to become cultured which, tellingly, includes acquaintance with Spanish music and dance.

The instruments were pleasingly jaunty in the Air des Espagnols before soprano Myriam Lowe joined with a more measured account of love’s delightful pains.

A Spanish sarabande for gamba and theorbo by Marais was a touch leaden even for this stately dance; it might have been amusingly compared to the 16th century zarabanda, quite a different animal.

But the melancholy rocking of Henri de Bailly’s Yo Soy La Locura (I Am Madness), with pizzicato accompaniment, revealed a Frenchman truly intoxicated by Spain. Similarly an Italian, Andrea Falconieri, used rapid tremolos in lower strings to demonstrate his excitement over a señora.

Before that we had the surprise of hearing Handel setting a Spanish love-song during his sojourn in Italy. Thereafter we were in Spain itself. After the sadness of delivering a José Marín tono, Myriam took to the harpsichord, joining the others in the refined variations of Santiago de Murcia’s Grabe.

More typical – to the outsider – Spanish repertoire came with Mateo Flecha’s lovelorn Florida Estava la Rosa (The Rose Was In Full bloom), slow at first but eventually rhythmically vivid, with guitar introduced.

Finally, the players let their hair down with a couple of fandangos. Alessandro Scarlatti’s wasvigorous enough, but Soler’s was idiomatic to the core, a joyful conclusion. The Basque carol The Angel Gabriel, beautifully slow, made a touching seasonal encore.

This is a fine group, with a bright future. They took their time to achieve full alegría de vivir (joie de vivre), but when the early tension had dissipated they arrived there in the end. I hope they will return soon.

Review by Martin Dreyer

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REVIEW: Martin Dreyer’s verdict on York Early Music Christmas Festival, Helen Charlston & Sholto Kynoch, National Centre for Early Music, December 6

Mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston

COULD this be a lieder recital? In an early music Christmas festival? Although it contained no mention of Christmas, nor even a fortepiano for authenticity, mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston and her piano-partner Sholto Kynoch delivered a lunchtime recital so memorable that none of the fortunate 70 in the audience would have had the slightest qualms about hearing it in the festival.

It was billed as A Lyrical Interlude, a translation of Heinrich Heine’s Lyrisches Intermezzo of 1827, from which all its poetry was drawn. It culminated in Schumann’s Dichterliebe, after seven related songs, including two each from the Mendelssohn siblings, Fanny and Felix.

It is not necessarily an easy option to include a chestnut like Felix’s On Wings Of Song. But here Charlston’s cleverly suppressed ecstasy, complemented by Kynoch’s gently rippling keyboard, delivered something special. Reiselied (‘Song Of Travel’) was vivid enough to evoke Schubert’s ‘Erlking’.

Fanny Hensel’s two songs, about a lonely pine and a swan giving its last, revealed Charlston’s ability to nail a mood at once. In juxtaposing settings of ‘Die Lotosblume’, she found an appealing line in Schumann’s but surprisingly greater depth of emotion in Loewe’s.

Few Anglophones can boast her command of the German language. This is not merely a question of good pronunciation, although hers is excellent; it is the ability to convey literary nuance. It proved a huge asset in her account of Dichterliebe, a cycle much more often associated with male voices. Both performers went well beyond the poetry’s “mask of irony” referred to by Kynoch in his first-class spoken preface to the work.

Her early naivety and the chattering excitement of ‘Die Rose, Die Lilie’ (even so, finding room for rubato) gradually dissipated as the shine of the romance began to tarnish. Charlston found greater chest tone for ‘Im Rhein’, leading to the start of nostalgic bitterness, although the hammered postlude was out of scale for the venue and left little in reserve for later in the cycle.

‘Ich Grolle Nicht’ (I Bear No Grudge) was positively dripping with sarcasm, slightly muted by her choice of the optional lower notes at the end: her mezzo would comfortably have reached the more telling higher ones. But what really made the song was the brief sotto voce at its centre, as she recalled a dream.

After a deeply elegiac ‘Hör’ich das Liedchen Klingen’, the next song, ‘Ein Jüngling Liebt ein Mädchen’ brought playful relief. She stayed rivetingly in character through the tearful dream, evoking tears in her listeners.

There was yet another new mood for a jaunty start to ‘Aus Aalten Märchen’ (From Old Fairy Tales) but a smoothly regretful transition as these in turn melted away like foam. There was real anger in the final ‘bad old songs’, as both performers wrung every last drop of self-pitying pain from the poet’s ‘Schmerz’.

The postlude was finely drawn, even if its rallentando was a touch over-pointed. But this had been

a genuine duet, the performers drawing from one another. This programme, plus Héloïse Werner’s song- cycle Knight’s Dream, can be heard at Leeds Song on April 15 next year. You dare not miss it.

Review by Martin Dreyer

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REVIEW: Martin Dreyer’s verdict on York Early Music Christmas Festival, Apollo5, National Centre for Early Music, York, December 9

Apollo 5 members, left to right, Penny Appleyard, Thomas Mottershead, Augustus Perkins Ray, Joseph Taylor and Lily Robson

APOLLO5 is a vocal quintet featuring soprano, mezzo, two tenors and a bass. Its early evening programme was entitled The Crimson Sun, reflecting both the close of day and the title of a piece by Alexander Campkin.

Despite the title, all the works on the programme were seasonal and most were festive too. Dobrinka Tabakova’s springy, syncopated Good-will To Men was immediately contrasted with Piers Connor Kennedy’s A Spotless Rose, not the traditional tune, but a reworking of two of the ‘O’ antiphons, moving gracefully from the original plainsong into modern close-harmony versions.

Thereafter we backtracked to the 16th century, where the singers’ straight tone was especially apt. Handl’s Omnes de Saba was brisk but lacked shading, whereas Guerrero’s Virgen Sancta – a rare example for its time of sacred music in the vernacular – had all the tenderness you might expect from the Spanish master.

The calmer centre of Byrd’s Laetentur Caeli contrasted well with its vivid frame. The passing dissonances of Poulenc’s O Magnum Mysterium were also neatly tuned.

It is always risky when modern composers attempt to rework established favourites: the results may inspire or annoy, rarely both. In the first camp were Fraser Wilson’s fresh new harmonies for The Angel Gabriel, whereas a new take on The Coventry Carol lacked clarity.

New creations rather than arrangements included Ola Gjeilo’s Ubi Caritas, respectful of tradition but also exultant, the reverent last-verse adoration of James Bassi’s Quem Pastores, the mediaeval feel of James MacMillan’s O Radiant Dawn, with its repeated cries of “Come! Shine!”, and Adrian Peacock’s Spanish-flavoured Venite, Gaudete!.

As for Campkin’s setting of Rev George Grantham’s Victorian carol, The Crimson Sun, it suffered slightly from being heard in the wake of Walton’s frisky Make We Joy Now, but its repeating downward motif in the soprano helped paint the fading daylight and its ‘Gloria’ refrain stirred the spirit.

Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych’s Carol Of The Bells made an ideal ending. On this evidence, Apollo5 is a versatile, well-balanced ensemble, whose programme was perfectly tailored to the festival.

Review by Martin Dreyer

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More Things To Do in York and beyond as Carol concerts burst into festive song. Hutch’s List No. 53, from The York Press

Next Door But One movement director Bailey Dowler, left, with writer-director Matt Harper-Hardcastle and cast members Ceridwen Smith, centre, Annie Rae Donaghy and Emily Chattle rehearsing for their Explore York library tour of When Robins Appear

CAROL concerts, festive shows and a musical aboard a Christmas steamer fill Charles Hutchinson’s in-box for December delights.

A different kind of Christmas show of the week: Next Door But One in When Robins Appear, York Explore, today and tomorrow, 11am and 2pm; Tang Hall Explore, December 15, 5.30pm; Clifton Explore, December 18, 5.30pm; York Explore, December 20 and 21, 11am and 2pm

WRITTEN and directed by Next Door But One artistic director Matt Harper-Hardcastle, When Robins Appear follows two friends as they face the big changes of moving house, starting new schools and a first Christmas without Grandma, when the festive sparkle seems to be missing.

Equipped with the help of a magical Robin (played by Ceridwen Smith), 12-year-old Ellis (Annie Rae Donaghy) and Lowen (Emily Chattle) are whisked away on a heart-warming journey through their favourite wintery memories to find the magic again. Soon they discover that the real sparkle of Christmas will not be found under the tree, but in the laughter, love and unforgettable moments we share together and that can live forever in our hearts. Tickets update: Sold out. For returns only, go to: www.nextdoorbutone.co.uk.

Adrian Cook’s Captain, top, Alexandra Mather’s Reno Sweeney and Leo Portal’s Ship’s Purser in Pick Me Up Theatre’s Anything Goes

Full steamer ahead of the week: Pick Me Up Theatre in Anything Goes, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until December 21, then December 27 to 30

DITCH York’s December chills and climb aboard the S.S. American as it sets sail in Andrew Isherwood’s all-singing, all-dancing staging of Anything Goes, Cole Porter’s swish musical, charting the madcap antics of a motley crew leaving New York for London on a Christmas-themed steamer.

Meet nightclub singer/evangelist Reno Sweeney (Alexandra Mather) and lovelorn Wall Street broker Billy Crocker (Adam Price), who has stowed away on board in pursuit of his beloved Hope Harcourt (Claire Gordon-Brown). Alas, Hope is engaged to fellow passenger Sir Evelyn Oakleigh (Neil Foster). Enter second-rate conman Moonface Martin (Fergus Powell) to join Reno in trying to help Billy win the love of his life. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Freida Nipples: Hosting tonight’s Baps & Buns Burlesque at Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb

Dr Lara McClure: Weird and wonderful storytelling in Christmas Presence

Cabaret night of the week: Baps & Buns Burlesque, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York, tonight, 7pm

YORK burlesque artiste Freida Nipples hosts her last Baps And Buns Burlesque of 2025 at Bluebird Bakery, joined by drag queens and acrobatic acts for a night of debauched and glamorous cabaret in Acomb. Sorry to raise hopes, but this one is waiting list only at bluebirdbakery.co.uk.

You may have better luck for Christmas Presence, Dr Lara McClure’s weird and wonderful stories for the festive season, on December 17 at 8.30pm. Tickets: bluebirdbakery.co.uk.

Jingle All The Way cast members Emilio Encinoso-Gil and Hannah Christina in rehearsal with musical director Dylan Allcock for Elizabeth Godber’s Christmas play at Pocklington Arts Centre

Deer double act of the week: Jingle All The Way, Pocklington Arts Centre, until December 23; relaxed performance on December 14, 1.30pm

FROM the team behind The Elves And The Shoemaker Save Christmas and Jack Frost’s Christmas Wish comes Elizabeth Godber’s latest Christmas family adventure, co-directed by Jane Thornton with musical direction by Dylan Allcock.

Reindeer siblings Rex (Emilio Encinoso-Gil) and Rosie(Hannah Christina) are reluctant to start at a new school just before Christmas, especially when that school is the East Riding Reindeer Academy, home of supreme athletes. Santa has a position free on his sleigh squad; could this be Rex’s big chance? Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.

Eve Lorian: Conducting Prima Choral Artists in Christmas concerts at St Olave’s Church, Marygate, York tonight and next Saturday

Choral concerts of the week: Prima Choral Artists, Family Christmas Concerts, St Olave’s Church, Marygate, York, today and December 20, 4pm to 5pm; Choirs At Christmas, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, December 16 to 18, 7.30pm

PRODUCED and conducted by Prima Choral Artists director Eve Lorian, these concerts combine her choir with the New World String Quartet, organist James Webb and pianist Greg Birch in reflective and cheerful Christmas celebrations. Here come high-spirited festive classics, modern choral arrangements and string and organ repertoire, including works by Tchaikovsky and Rawsthorne. Box office: primachoral.com and on the door.

The Joseph Rowntree Theatre plays hosts to three magical fundraising evenings of Christmas classics from Tuesday to Thursday. The Shepherd Brass Band’s brace of Gala Christmas Concerts on December 19 and 20 at 7.30pm are fully booked. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

Christmas Carols composer Don Pears, left, York Guildhall Orchestra leader Fiona Love, producer Bob Whitney and conductor Simon Wright

Album launch of the week: A Christmas Selection Box, A Music Night Production with Don Pears and Singphonia Singers, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, tomorrow, 7pm

THE Singphonia Singers, a group of talented performers formed by York composer Don Pears, showcases Don and Jo Pears’ festive album Christmas Carols in A Christmas Selection Box. The album will be on sale at Sunday’s concert or can be downloaded from Spotify, Apple iTunes and Amazon Music. Box office: 01904 501935, josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk or on the door.

Steve Cassidy: Performing at York’s Annual Community Carol Concert at York Barbican

Family festive fun of the week: York’s Annual Community Carol Concert, York Barbican, tomorrow, 2pm  

SUNDAY is the time to don Christmas jumpers and Santa hats for York’s Annual Community Carol Concert, where Shepherd Brass Band, St Paul’s CE Primary School Choir, All Saints RC School Choir andAmber Ford join special guest Ken Humphreys for an afternoon of Christmas cheer.

Carol concert regular Steve Cassidy sings with the ensemble, while the community singing will be led by musical director Mike Pratt.  The Reverend Andrew Foster and Adam Tomlinson will be on hosting duty. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

The poster for The Bootleg Beatles’ Monday concert at York Barbican, focusing on the Fab Four’s five biggest-selling studio albums

Tribute show of the week: The Bootle Beatles, 5: The Concert, York Barbican, December 15, 7.30pm

THE Bootleg Beatles follow up their celebration of songs from The Beatles’ quintet of films with another Famous Five. This time, the focus is on the Fab Four’s top five-selling albums, the Bob Dylan-influenced Rubber Soul, the experimental Revolver, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, heralding the Summer of Love and psychedelia, The White Album, with its glorious mish-mash of styles, and their grand finale, Abbey Road. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Recommended but sold out already: Jools Holland and His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra with special guests Imelda May, Ruby Turner, Louise Marshall and Sumudu Jayatilaka, at York Barbican on December 17, 7.30pm.

Jools Holland: Sold-out return to York Barbican on December 17

Festive folk concert of the week: Green Matthews, Midwinter Revels, National Centre for Early Music, York, December 16, 7.30pm

FOLK duo Chris Green and Sophie Matthews complete a hat-trick of festive visits to the NCEM on Tuesday, following up A Christmas Carol: In Concert and A Brief History Of Christmas with Midwinter Revels.

Spanning several centuries, this celebration of Yuletide Past promises to warm the cockles of even Scrooge’s heart with Christmas carols, winter folk songs, tunes and weird and wonderful instruments, all  complemented by Green Matthews’ trademark wit. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.

Chris Green and Sophie Matthews: Returning to NCEM full of Christmas cheer

Recommended but sold out alas: Chapter House Choir, Carols By Candlelight, The Nave, York Minster, December 19, 7.30pm

IN The 60th anniversary of the Chapter House Choir, the candlelit Nave of York Minster will play host to Carols By Candlelight, the York choir’s much-loved seasonal tradition, directed by Ben Morris.

A rich selection of carols both old and new will be complemente by the Chapter House Youth Choir, under Charlie Gower-Smith’s direction, alongside festive favourites from the Handbell Ringers. A new commission by French composer Héloïse Werner, marking the choir’s milestone, receives its world premiere. Doors open at 6.45pm.

Christmas stories of the week: John Osborne presents: There Will Be Tinsel, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York, December 19, 7.30pm

STEP into the magic of the season with theatre-maker and BBC Radio 4 regular John Osborne, who bedecks the Rise stage in tinsel and Christmas lights for a night of festive poems and stories.. Box office: https://bluebirdbakery.co.uk/rise.

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REVIEW: Martin Dreyer’s verdict on York Early Music Christmas Festival, Apollo’s Cabinet, Apollo’s Jukebox Menu, National Centre for Early Music, York, December 5

Apollo’s Cabinet: Opening concert at York Early Music Christmas Festival 2025

YORK Early Music Christmas Festival swung straight into high gear in a seasonal knockabout, with a tenor and five Baroque players reacting to audience whims.

Apollo’s Cabinet specialises in such laid-back shows. This was the Christmas edition of its “jukebox menu”, with several courses offered to us on arrival.

In the event, we began with an instrumental medley, which set a breezy tone. Thereafter, we trod a fairly well-trodden path in a haphazard manner, depending on audience choices: Bach and Handel each featured twice and there were eating and drinking ballads from Purcell and Locke.

Otherwise, apart from an anonymous “battle” between two recorders, the audience was actively involved in a sing-along, or “Slow Set”, of four carols.

Rory Carver used his tenor intelligently in an aria from the New Year’s Day section of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. He also prefaced Lowell Mason’s Antioch (aka Joy To The World, based on Handel) with a smooth account of Comfort Ye from Messiah.

The recorder players, Teresa Wrann and Thomas Pickering, the latter doubling on harpsichord and flute, dazzled in their duel, while also enabling Bach’s sheep to graze safely. It was all good fun, but punters may have wondered whether their £23 was truly well spent on such trifles.

Review by Martin Dreyer

York Early Music Christmas Festival continues until December 14. For full details and tickets, go to: ncem.co.uk. Box office: 01904 658338.

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Art launch of the week: Swarmgate!, Art Of Protest Gallery and National Centre for Early Music, December 11, 5pm to 9pm

What’s the buzz? Tell us what’s a-happening at the Swarmgate! launch tomorrow

THE Swarmgate! artwork launch takes place at the Art Of Protest Gallery and National Centre for Early Music, Walmgate, York, tomorrow.

This free event celebrates the Walmgate Reframed Project and installation of Gemma Wood’s Swarmgate! artwork. “York Creatives has led on this project, and you can come along to find out all about what we’ve done and what might be coming next,” says York Creatives’ Sarah Williams.

Here is tomorrow’s timetable:

5pm to 6pm: Head to the Art of Protest Gallery to view the Swarmgate! exhibition.

6pm to 6.30pm: Follow the Swarmgate Trail: Art Of Protest to Huby Court.

6.30pm: Arrive at NCEM, St Margaret’s Church, Walmgate, to hear about the project.

7pm to 9pm: Stay awhile amid the ancient charms of the NCEM for live storytelling and poetry. Enjoy a chat with the Swarmgate! artist and York Creatives team, while finding out how you can tell the bees your own news.

No ticket or booking is required. Just turn up!