Tag: Theatre@41 Monkgate

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 46, from Gazette & Herald

Laura Main as The Dresser and Jane Asher as The Queen in Daisy Goodwin’s By Royal Appointment, on tour at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Robert Day

FROM Jane Asher as The Queen to Neon Crypt’s ghost story, Brian Bilston’s egg-laying poetry to Lady Nade’s songs of identity, Charles Hutchinson highlights more November gems.

Regal drama of the week: By Royal Appointment, York Theatre Royal, until Saturday 7.30pm plus 2pm Wednesday & Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees

THE late Queen Elizabeth II had one way of expressing what she really thought –through her wardrobe. Daisy Goodwin’s funny, poignant and celebratory By Royal Appointment takes a behind-the-scenes peek into the world of our most popular monarch and the image she presented to the world.

Here, The Queen (played by Jane Asher) is uninterested in fashion. Instead, her look is managed by her Designer (David Robb), her Milliner (Matthew Cottle) and most powerful of all, her Dresser (Laura Main), a working-class girl who goes from advising Her Majesty on the colour of her lipsticks to the real power behind the throne. Like all royal favourites, however, the Dresser is living on borrowed time. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Laura McKeller’s Jenny, left, Laura Castle’s Lauren, Jamie McKeller’s Sam and Michael Cornell’s Ben in Neon Crypt’s 2:22 A Ghost Story

Supernatural thriller of the week: Neon Crypt in 2:22 A Ghost Story, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

AFTER two visits to the Grand Opera House, Uncanny and The Battersea Poltergeist ghost storyteller Danny Robins’s West End smash 2:22 A Ghost Story falls into the welcoming hands of York spook specialists Neon Crypt, who are staging the modern-day horror show in traverse – with seating to either side of the stage – for the first time. “The audience are a part of the story. There is nowhere to escape,” forewarns director Jamie McKeller.

Jenny (Laura McKeller) believes her new home is haunted, but husband Sam (Jamie McKeller) is having none of it. They argue with their first dinner guests, old friend Lauren (Laura Castle) and new partner Ben (Michael Cornell). Can the dead really walk again? Belief and scepticism clash, but something feels strange and frightening, and ever closer, so they vow to stay up until 2:22am…and only then will they know. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

The poster for David Ford’s Songbook gig at The Dolphin in Robin Hood’s Bay

If you go to one coastal gig this week, make it: Higgledy Gigs presents David Ford, Songbook, The Dolphin, King Street, Robin Hood’s Bay, near Whitby, tonight, 8pm

EASTBOURNE, singer, songwriter, sage and scribe David Ford’s Songbook tour combines highlights and stories from 25 years of songwriting in a  a stripped-back, intimate evening. Part live set, part storytelling, he revisits the songs that have shaped his career, sharing the moments and influences behind them along the way as he moves between raw, powerful performances and quieter, more reflective moments with warmth and humour throughout.

The tour accompanies the release of a special career-spanning retrospective double album on vinyl, bringing together standout songs from his catalogue. Comprising updated recordings and re-mastered originals, Ford’s selection of his most important work is compiled in one place for the first time. Tonight’s show offers the chance to hear those songs as they were meant to be experienced, up close and in the moment. Tickets: trybooking.com/uk/event/110427 or at the bar.

Chris Ramsey: Here, Man!, tomorrow at York Barbican

Comedy gig of the week: Chris Ramsey, Here, Man!, York Barbican, tomorrow, 7.30pm

IN response to overwhelming demand (mainly from wife Rosie, who is desperate to get him out of the house), South Shields comedian and podcaster Chris Ramsey is on the road this month after selling out his March travels.  

You may have seen him on TV on The Chris & Rosie Ramsey Show, Strictly Come Dancing and Taskmaster or presenting Children In Need or heard him co-hosting his weekly marital podcast, Shagged. Married. Annoyed, with the long-suffering Rosie. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

York Latinos: Cuban and Latin music at Milton Rooms, Malton

Havana spirit of the week: York Latinos, Milton Rooms, Malton, Friday, 8pm

YORK Latinos return to the Milton Rooms for a night of Cuban and Latin music, bringing the spirit of Havana back to Malton. Inspired by the sounds of traditional Cuba and the golden era of Buena Vista Social Club, the five-piece blends authentic Caribbean rhythms and high-energy performance into a vibrant experience full of salsa, son and Latin classics. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.

Brian Bilston: Hatching his new poetry collection in Hemsley and Pocklington

Poet of the week: Brian Bilston: How To Lay An Egg With A Horse Inside, Helmsley Arts Centre, Friday, 7.30pm, sold out; Pocklington Arts Centre, Saturday, 7.30pm

THIS autumn, Brian Bilston, a poet with 500,000 followers on social media,  returns to the stage with his latest book, How To Lay An Egg With A Horse Inside. Prepare for an evening of comic verse as he takes a journey through the hows, whys and whats of reading, writing and enjoying poetry every day. Box office,  Helmsley, for returns only, 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk; Pocklington, 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.

Alligator Gumbo: Bringing the New Orleans jazz sound to Kirk Theatre, Pickering

Jazz gig of the week: Alligator Gumbo, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, Saturday, 7.30pm

ALLIGATOR Gumbo’s seven-piece line-up plays jazz from the New Orleans swing/jazz era, in particular the “Roaring Twenties”, when music was raw and largely improvised with melodies and solos happening simultaneously. 

Performing extensively for more than ten years, James Paylor, double bass/vocals, Mike Rudland Simpson, guitar/vocals, Chris Lloyd, piano, Greg Surmacz, clarinet/saxophone, Chris Williamson, trumpet, Tim Hurst, trombone, and Jose Williamson, drums/washboard, have performed at international jazz festivals and clubs throughout the country. Expect raucous singalongs. Box office: 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk. 

Lady Nade: Songs of self-expression and self-love in her Identity show at Helmsley Arts Centre

Connection and compassion in tandem: Lade Nade, Identity – Live, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 7.30pm

BRISTOL songstress Lady Nade showcases her fourth album, Identity, self-released on October 2. Blending roots, folk, soul, Americana, jazz, blues and pop, her songs of honesty and vulnerability offer sanctuary, encouragement and a powerful celebration of self-love and self-expression.

Featuring the anthemic BBC Introducing Song of the Week One Of Us, the soul-soothing Rainbow and the retro-infused pop of Sober, championed by Cerys Matthews on BBC Radio 6 Music, Identity advocates being seen, being heard and discovering the freedom of fully inhabiting who you are. Special guest Holly Carter is a folk/Americana singer, songwriter, fingerstyle guitarist and pedal steel player. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk. 

Martin Roscoe: Piano soloist for York Guildhall Orchestra’s concert at Helmsley Arts Centre

Classical concert of the week: York Guildhall Orchestra, Helmsley Arts Centre, Sunday, 3pm

CONDUCTED by music director Simon Wright, York Guildhall Orchestra presents an intimate chamber concert, using a small group of players from the full orchestra. Martin Roscoe will be the soloist for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no.2 in Bb in an afternoon programme also featuring Richard Strauss’s Serenade for Wind in Eb op.7, Mendelssohn’s Intermezzo and Nocturne from Midsummer Night’s Dream and Mozart’s Symphony 25 in G minor. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk. 

Edwina Hayes: Playing Milton Rooms, Malton, on Sunday

Singer-songwriter of the week: Edwina Hayes, Milton Rooms, Malton, Sunday, 7.30pm

EAST Riding folk singer/songwriter Edwina Hayes brings together English folk, Americana and the rich northern singer/songwriter tradition to create her own sound. She has toured with Jools Holland, Van Morrison, Loudon Wainwright III and the late Nanci Griffith, who called her “the sweetest voice in England” and covered the title track from her album Pour Me A Drink.

Hayes’s cover of Randy Newman’s Feels Like Home was featured in the Cameron Diaz film My Sister’s Keeper and has since had 20 million plays on Spotify and 50 million plays on YouTube. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.

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Supernatural thriller of the week: Neon Crypt in 2:22 A Ghost Story, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, tonight to Saturday

Red light spells danger: Neon Crypt’s Michael Cornell, left, Laura Castle, Laura McKeller and Jamie McKeller in Danny Robins’s 2:22 A Ghost Story

AFTER two visits to the Grand Opera House, Uncanny and The Battersea Poltergeist ghost storyteller Danny Robins’s West End smash 2:22 A Ghost Story falls into the welcoming hands of York spook specialists Neon Crypt, who will stage the modern-day horror show in traverse – with audiences to either side of the stage – for the first time. “The audience are a part of the story. There is nowhere to escape,” forewarns director Jamie McKeller.

Jenny (Laura McKeller) believes her new home is haunted, but husband Sam (Jamie McKeller) is having none of it. They argue with their first dinner guests, old friend Lauren (Laura Castle) and new partner Ben (Michael Cornell). Can the dead really walk again? Belief and scepticism clash, but something feels strange and frightening, and ever closer, so they vow to stay up until 2:22am…and only then will they know.

“Ready to scare the absolute beans out of you”, here Jamie McKeller discusses Neon Crypt’s latest spooky production with CharlesHutchPress.

What attracted you to presenting 2:22 A Ghost Story, Jamie?

“Nick Hern Books, who we’ve previously worked with on Dracula – The Bloody Truth and The Hound Of The Baskervilles, let us know that the rights were available, so we had a very quick read-through with the four of us to decide if it was the right fit.

“Neon Crypt have a reputation for very silly, very chaotic theatre, so 2:22 is quite a diversion for us. We all agreed that if any of us felt that it wasn’t working, we would abandon the idea.

“We read Act One and it wasn’t great. We had a chat about the tone, the delivery and character. When we read Act Two, it fired into life and we knew it was one we had to do.” 

Laura McKeller’s Jenny, left, Laura Castle’s Lauren, Jamie McKeller’s Sam and Michael Cornell’s Ben gather around the dinner table in Neon Crypt’s 2:22 A Ghost Story

What makes 2:22 such a good modern ghost story…and what makes it distinctive in an already well-stocked market?

“In a time of modern horror, audiences can be somewhat desensitised to shocks and jumps. Theatre cannot do what a 70ft projection screen can, so there’s a magic to figuring out how to deliver those shocks and jumps in the moment.

“2:22 is a ghost story, but it’s also a story about grief, loss and family. The temporary nature of a human life, and how the spaces we inhabit are more fixed and forced to change around the living. Threaded through it all is a great big question: ‘Do ghosts really exist?’”


What are the attractions of staging 2:22 in traverse?

“Theatre@41 is such a diverse space, and we love taking advantage of that. We’ve performed here in end-on, cabaret, thrust and now traverse. Landscape in July next year.

Jamie McKeller as arch sceptic Sam in Neon Crypt’s 2:22 A Ghost Story

“Having the flexibility as a company is wonderful. In terms of 2:22, the rights state that we could not emulate the touring productions, urging people staging it to find their own design.

“By building the show in traverse, we’ve moved it as far away from the end-on staging as possible, and for an audience it provides a really immersive experience. They are IN the room with us, and there is nowhere to run.”


What will be the stage design within that traverse staging?

“The whole show is set in one large room in a modernised Victorian house, a space which features a living room and kitchen and great big patio doors. That last element is going to be a headache for smaller companies: actual working patio doors are very expensive, and very, very heavy!

“But we have them (thanks eBay and a miscalculation in measurements by someone) and they look incredible. There’s a real ‘WOW’ moment when people walk in, and then a sense of ‘oh no’ when they realise just how immersed into the horror they will be. What a splendid night out.”

Neon Crypt in 2:22 A Ghost Story, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, November 10 to 14, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: https://tickets.41monkgate.co.uk/.

Hands-on-the-table time as tension mounts in Neon Crypt’s 2:22 A Ghost Story

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More Things To Do in York and beyond when honey infuses artworks. Here’s Hutch’s List No. 45, from The York Press

Nick Walters’ Honey Dipper, on show in The Wisdom Of The Desert at the Red Tower, York

FROM Jane Asher as The Queen to honey artworks at the Red Tower, the Aesthetica Film Festival to Neon Crypt’s ghost story, Charles Hutchinson highlights more November gems.

Pop-up art show of the week: Navigators Art presents No Spinoza & Nick Walters, The Wisdom Of The Desert, The Red Tower, Foss Islands Road, York, today, 6pm to 9pm; tomorrow, 1pm to 4pm

GROUNDBREAKING multi-media York artists No Spinoza (Thomas Pearson) and Nick Walters share an interest in the immersive, provocative, multi-sensory experience of film, sound and sculpture, as represented in their joint show in York’s historic Red Tower.

No Spinoza presents Jupiter’s Great Hurricane (2026), a cycle of experimental music and film that broadly explores themes of temptation, progress and inheritance with references to desert spirituality. Walters’ Honey Dipper (2026) passes electrical current through honey to create mysterious and ever-changing textures of sound, while Ex-voto (2026) is a series of small sculptures set in niches in the tower walls that alludes to beeswax votive statues placed in shrines as a gesture of gratitude and devotion.

Victorian Penny Farthing Rider lit up at Ghosts After Dark at York Museum Gardens. Picture: Celestine Dubruel

Sculpture trail of the week: York BID and York Museums Trust present Ghosts After Dark, York Museum Gardens, today and tomorrow, 5.30pm to 9.30pm; timed entry slots until 8pm

IN the wake of Ghosts In The Gardens’ free public art trail of 70 wire-mesh sculptures across 32 city-centre locations, Ghosts After Dark brings storytelling, light, smoke and sound to York Museum Gardens, plus King’s Manor courtyard and Library Lawn, the Anglian Tower, Edible Wood, Artists’ Garden, St Olave’s churchyard and the area beside York Art Gallery.

Representing a fascinating person, creature or story connected to York’s history, each sculpture was made by York creative agency Unconventional Design. A new immersive experience (the Witch Encounter) and the inaugural night market are further highlights of the 90-minute trail. Bookings: www.theyorkbid.com/ghosts-after-dark/.

The VR Lab at the National Centre for Early Music, in Walmgate, at the Aesthetica Film Festival

Festival of the week: Aesthetica Film Festival, York, until tomorrow

IN its 16th year under the artistic directorship of Cherie Federico, Aesthetica Film Festival welcomes filmmakers, games developers and virtual reality experts from around the world. The five-day programme comprises  screenings, VR & games labs, a podcasting lounge, industry masterclasses and workshops, networking sessions, live performances, pitching opportunities, the New Music Stage and much more. For the full programme and tickets, go to asff.co.uk.

Gareth Malone: Inviting you to Sing-A-Long-A-Gareth’s afternoon of movie songs

Instant choir of the week: Sing-A-Long-A-Gareth At The Movies, Grand Opera House, York, today, 4pm

LIGHTS, camera, sing! Choirmaster supreme Gareth Malone returns with a new tour show in an immersive celebration of the greatest songs from the movies and the joy of singing together. Please note, there is a maximum of ten tickets per household and seats in higher levels or with restricted views may not have full visibility of the on-stage screen. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

The Gipsy Kings by Andre Reyes: Championing flamenco music at the Grand Opera House, York

Flamenco gig of the week: The Gipsy Kings by Andre Reyes present Viva El Arie, Grand Opera House, York, tomorrow, 7.30pm

THE Gipsy Kings  by André Reyes transcend musical borders with their flamenco music and rumba. Led by Gipsy Kings co-founder Andre Reyes, the family project combines the band’s original essence with a renewed energy.

Together with his son and nephews, Reyes still conquers the world’s most prestigious stages after three decades. His dedication celebrates the rich cultural heritage of the gypsy community while ensuring this music continues to resonate with new generations. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Ellie Mackenzie in a montage for Oddsocks Productions’ Motherhood

Maternal matters of the week: Oddsocks Productions in Motherhood, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, tomorrow, 7.30pm

REGULAR visitors to the JoRo, Matlock company Oddsocks Productions present an amusing and moving look at the bizarre and downright unbelievable aspects of raising children while running a family business in Motherhood. Actress and writer Elli Mackenzie explores the highs and lows, the frustrations and joys of being a working parent alongside her husband Andy, an orangutan and a giant woodlouse. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

Laura Main as The Dresser and Jane Asher as The Queen in Daisy Goodwin’s play By Royal Appointment, on tour at York Theatre Royal

Regal drama of the week: By Royal Appointment, York Theatre Royal, November 10 to 14, 7.30pm plus 2pm Wednesday & Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees

THE late Queen Elizabeth II had one way of expressing what she really thought –through her wardrobe. Daisy Goodwin’s funny, poignant and celebratory By Royal Appointment takes a behind-the-scenes peek into the world of our most popular monarch and the image she presented to the world.

Here, The Queen (played by Jane Asher) is uninterested in fashion. Instead, her look is managed by her Designer (David Robb), her Milliner (Matthew Cottle) and most powerful of all, her Dresser (Laura Main), a working-class girl who goes from advising Her Majesty on the colour of her lipsticks to the real power behind the throne. Like all royal favourites, however, the Dresser is living on borrowed time. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Author Miles Salter holding a copy of his new book, A Dangerous Band: The Pretenders 1978-83

Book launch of the week: Miles Salter, A Dangerous Band: The Pretenders 1978-83, Topping & Company bookshop, Museum Street, York, November 10, 7pm (doors 6.30pm)

YORK author, journalist, songwriter, band leader, podcaster, storyteller, festival organiser and poet Miles Salter launches A Dangerous Band: The Pretenders 1978-83 in conversation with poet and author John Goodby at Topping & Co.

“Their remarkable, strange, dark, sad tale was a gift to a writer,” says Salter. “Every time I thought ‘this can’t get any stranger’, something else came up. The more I talked to people, the stranger it became, the darker and darker it became.  A story of totally living that rock’n’roll life but to the detriment of band members James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon as it cost them their lives.” Tickets cost £17.95, including hardback book or £5 “if you just want to come and listen”.  To book, go to: https://www.toppingbooks.co.uk/events/york/miles-salter-the-pretenders/

Michael Cornell, left, Laura Castle, Laura McKeller and Jamie McKeller in Neon Crypt’s production of 2:22 A Ghost Story at Theatre@41, Monkgate

Supernatural thriller of the week: Neon Crypt in 2:22 A Ghost Story, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, November 10 to 14, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

AFTER two visits to the Grand Opera House, Uncanny and The Battersea Poltergeist ghost storyteller Danny Robins’s West End smash 2:22 A Ghost Story falls into the welcoming hands of York spook specialists Neon Crypt, who will stage the modern-day horror show in traverse – with seating to either side of the stage – for the first time. “The audience are a part of the story. There is nowhere to escape,” forewarns director Jamie McKeller.

Jenny (Laura McKeller) believes her new home is haunted, but husband Sam (Jamie McKeller) is having none of it. They argue with their first dinner guests, old friend Lauren (Laura Castle) and new partner Ben (Michael Cornell). Can the dead really walk again? Belief and scepticism clash, but something feels strange and frightening, and ever closer, so they vow to stay up until 2:22am…and only then will they know. Box office: https://tickets.41monkgate.co.uk/.

The poster for David Ford’s Songbook gig at The Dolphin in Robin Hood’s Bay

If you go to one coastal gig next week, make it: Higgledy Gigs presents David Ford, Songbook, The Dolphin, King Street, Robin Hood’s Bay, near Whitby, November 11, 8pm

EASTBOURNE, singer, songwriter, sage and scribe David Ford’s Songbook tour combines highlights and stories from 25 years of songwriting in a  a stripped-back, intimate evening. Part live set, part storytelling, he revisits the songs that have shaped his career, sharing the moments and influences behind them along the way as he moves between raw, powerful performances and quieter, more reflective moments with warmth and humour throughout.

The tour accompanies the release of a special career-spanning retrospective double album on vinyl, bringing together standout songs from his catalogue. Comprising updated recordings and re-mastered originals, Ford’s selection of his most important work is compiled in one place for the first time. Tonight’s show offers the chance to hear those songs as they were meant to be experienced, up close and in the moment. Tickets: trybooking.com/uk/event/110427 or at the bar.

Chris Ramsey: Here, Man, in York on November 12 with the last few tickets still available

Comedy gig of the week: Chris Ramsey, Here, Man!, York Barbican, November 12, 7.30pm

IN response to overwhelming demand (mainly from wife Rosie who is desperate to get him out of the house), South Shields comedian and podcaster Chris Ramsey is on the road this month after selling out his March travels.  

You may have seen him on TV on The Chris & Rosie Ramsey Show, Strictly Come Dancing and Taskmaster or presenting Children In Need or heard him co-hosting his weekly marital podcast, Shagged. Married. Annoyed, with the long-suffering Rosie. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

In Focus: Teenage Fanclub, Project House, Leeds, November 9, 7pm. Raymond McGinley in discussion with CharlesHutchPress

Teenage Fanclub on the remote Scottish island of Great Bernera when recording Do Not Dare To Dream. Picture Donald Milne

TEENAGE Fanclub head to Project House, Leeds, on Monday (9/11/2026) on their 15-date November tour to promote Do Not Dare To Dream. 

“Last time in Leeds we played the Brudenell Social Club, and it’s good when you’ve been doing it for so long, and you’re going a back to cities you’ve been before, to play somewhere new there,” says co-founder and lead guitarist Raymond McGinlay.

Released on October 9 on Merge Records as the follow-up to 2023’s Nothing Lasts Forever, their 13th studio album was recorded at Black Bay Studio on the remote Scottish island of Great Bernera, the Glasgow band’s most remote recording location since their formation in 1989.

This setting helped the five-piece to focus on the work, while putting them in a place of awe, surrounded by the sound of crashing waves and the haunting presence of ancient ruins.

“It was a new studio to us,” says Raymond, who is still at the heart of Teenage Fanclub’s signature blend of melodic guitars, warm harmonies, and reflective songwriting, along with fellow songwriter Norman Blake, after 37 years. “We’re always on the lookout, when we’re making a new record, to find a new place that we’ve never been to before.

“We usually start with fragments of songs, allowing things to happen in the moment, reacting to the surroundings, and when we were looking for a studio, there was this one on an island off the far end of the Isle of Lewis. We looked at pictures and it looked interesting.

“It worked out for us, doing the album in late January and early February, when  we thought it would be bleak, but actually it was really beautiful: lovely to walk around, with not many people there and the main inhabitants being sheep. Not many hours of daylight, but at least there was light in the studio.”

Production duties were shared between band members, the band’s studio engineer and the studio owner. “There was no producer as such; it was a collective endeavour,” says Raymond, who “feels lucky that you find people that you connect with”.

Teenage Fanclub in Black Bay Studio when recording 13th studio album Do Not Dare To Dream. Picture: Donald Milne

“From that point of view, experience tells you to let things happen without having too much ego or someone trying to impose an idea. We’re pretty good at working together, with me and Norman presenting ideas, and then it’s all quite instinctive with the band.”

McGinlay and Blake are “the ones sitting up at night, maybe three in the morning, trying to figure out lyrics”. Alongside them for the recording sessions are long-time members Euros Childs (keyboards), David McGowan (bass) and Francis Macdonald (drums).

“Euros starts contributing or David does what he feels like doing, Francis joins in on drums, and it just kind of evolves into songs,” says Raymond. “The input of everyone is important.” So, on this occasion, were synthesisers and a Domus church organ found by the band at Black Bay, the organ now heard prominently on many songs, most notably on Over And Over.

“We approach everything kind of the same way each time we make a record,” says Raymond. “Whether you intend things to be different, you just have to be conscious of trusting your instincts in doing our thing. We are the people we are now that we were then, but the subtlety of things changes year to year All you can do is offer something that comes from within yourself.”

Raymond continues: “Sometimes, if you’re going to show something of yourself, you show vulnerability, which exists in everyday life, and I find it’s best to reveal something of yourself, rather than constructing a persona.”

How was the album title chosen? “It’s difficult when it comes to…coming up with a name for an album,” says co-founder Norman. “Especially after you’ve made 12 of them.” In the end, his song I Do Not Dare To Dream was adapted to represent the overriding theme of pushing back on hollow optimism while still embracing a quietly hopeful outlook. “Those ‘dare to dream’ sentiments are kind of ridiculous,” reckons Norman. “I don’t think the world works that way.”

Raymond adds: “Norman came up with the title as a riposte to that soundbite optimism, those completely meaningless expressions.” Instead Teenage Fanclub advocate resilience when facing an increasingly uncertain world, where the need is to find clarity and comfort in the everyday, rather than giving in to despair.

 “Now it’s the unknowingness of it that makes it more scary,” he says. “We’re no different to anyone else in presenting introspective reflections on creativity.

“In the place where we made the record, people would have been singing thousands of years ago,” says Teenage Fanclub’s Raymond McGinlay. Picture: Donald Milne

“We’re not that different to people before technology, people dealing with difficult circumstances, though most of us had been far less pessimistic before.” That said, Raymond declares: “We can still be cheerful and optimistic in the face of things not being great”.

Picking a favourite from  Do Not Dare To Dream, Raymond says: “I really like Norman’s song Somewhere To Land, the last one of his we recorded, where he added mellotron when we got back to Glasgow.”

Reflecting on Teenage Fanclub’s longevity, Raymond says: “Yeah, it’s been a while since we started doing this thing we do, but to us it feels like no time at all. In the place [Great Bernera] where we made the record, people would have been singing thousands of years ago. Life is short, but music is eternal.

“What you do with your life, doing this mad thing for 37 years, it‘s a privilege, because most people who want to do this, be in a band, make records, play concerts, most people don’t manage to do that. I don’t think we’re better than others, but somehow we connect with our audience and that has allowed us to continue.

“We started the band in 1989, going into the studio wanting to make a record in our little bubble. Me and Norman had played in the band The Boy Hairdressers, which then fizzled out and we thought, let’s do something, as opposed to just talking about it. Let’s make an album and ask if others are interested in these songs, going from just doing something for yourself, to then having an audience. That’s something you can’t take for granted.”

Four decades have taught McGinlay and Blake that “when you make a record you never presume anyone will be interested”, but that interest has sustained. For proof,  Do Not Dare To Dream has just been placed at number 48 in Uncut magazine’s Top 80 albums of 2026.

Futuresound presents Teenage Fanclub at Project House, Armley Road, Leeds, on November 9, doors 7pm. Box office: https://www.seetickets.com/event/teenage-fanclub/project-house/3481726.

Track listing for Do Not Dare To Dream:

There Was You; Tomorrow People; Over And Over; Be With You Tonight; The Same Air; I Do Not Dare To Dream; Take Time; Day In The Sun; Somewhere To Land and Young And Wise.

The cover artwork for Teenage Fanclub’s Do Not Dare To Dream, released on Merge Records last month

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REVIEW: Black Treacle Theatre in Poor Clare, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York ****

Isabel Azar’s Clare, centre, with her family servants, Clare Meadley’s Peppa and Emily Hansen’s Alma, in Black Treacle Theatre’s Poor Clare. The bowl containing her hairpins will reappear later in Jim Paterson’s production as a begging bowl. Picture: John Saunders

FIRST, the history bit. The Franciscan order of the Poor Clare Colettines was based at St Joseph’s Convent, in Lawrence Street, York, founded in 1865 by nuns from Bruges. Where once it housed 40 nuns, now the site provides student accommodation. How very York in 2026.

The original Poor Clare is the subject of American playwright Chiara Atik’s 2021 play, premiered in Los Angeles and given its European debut at the Orange Tree Theatre, London, in 2025.

Black Treacle Theatre founder and director Jim Paterson read a review and then the script ,“intrigued by the description of the play’s deliberately anachronistic use of modern, ‘Gen Z’ dialogue and attitudes in the telling of the lives of these religious figures in 13th century Italy.”

Hot on the heels of York Settlement Community Players’ staging of Sarah Gordon’s irreverent re-telling of the Brontë Sisters’ literary lives, Underdog: The Other Other Brontë, with its frank and fruity language and modern sensibilities, Theatre@41 plays host to another conflation of old and modern in its York premiere. This one, however, is as much reverent as irreverent. 

PJ Gregan’s zealous but never pious Francis in Black Treacle Theatre’s Poor Clare. Picture: John Saunders

Paterson’s cast is in medieval costumes, complemented in Richard Hampton’s design by a plain white backdrop. Then, the first time you hear each and every actor speak with an American accent straight out of Hollywood’s rom-coms or Frank Zappa’s satirical song Valley Girl, you will be puzzled.

Think Legally Blonde. Every second word, like, is ‘like’. Hey you guys, give us a break. But wait, Atik’s script is so smart and sharp and wise that you are soon wholly on board.

As it happens, Clare is played by an American actress, Isabel  Azar, from Memphis but now extending her studies in York to opera singing with a view to a career embracing acting, writing and opera. She is Catholic too, drawing her even closer to St Clare, founder of the Poor Clare order of nuns.

In Atik’s faithful re-telling, Clare is a young noblewoman in 13th century Assisi, where she is preparing for marriage to an aristocrat and a life of even more wealth and privilege than she has already as part of the second most wealthy family in the central Italian town – even if younger sister Beatrice (Eleanor Stephenson) and their mother Ortolana (Victoria  Delaney) will argue over whether they are rich or not.

Isabel Azar’s Clare in her putative wedding dress with her high-society mother, Victoria Delaney’s Ortolana. Picture: John Saunders

Yes, of course they are: at the start, Azar’s Clare is idling the day away with her droll servants, Emily Hansen’s Alma and Clare Meadley’s Peppa, endlessly titivating her hair. Stephenson’s Beatrice cares only about clothes. Such superficiality is rife in this high society.

Yet the presence of Ben Reeves-Rowley’s Beggar, bowl in hand, is a haunting reminder that poverty besets Assisi too. Into the town strides Francis (yes, that Saint Francis of Assisi, played by PJ Gregan), who has turned his back on his privileged upbringing to campaign tirelessly for the poor and the redistribution of wealth. A man of bare feet and facts laid bare. Zealous, yes, pious, no.

Azar’s Clare finds herself drawn to rather more than the beautiful robe and golden locks of Gregan’s Francis, as he sets her on her way to a life of devotion to the cause of caring for the needy. Yet she has a long way to go when she initially assures him she will still give to charity after her marriage.

Eleanor Stephenson’s Beatrice, left, Victoria Delaney’s Ortolana and Isabel Azar’s Clare looking delightedly at one of her wedding presents, a book, in Black Treacle Theatre’s Poor Clare. Picture: John Saunders

Atik’s play moves with such pace and vigour that past productions have eschewed an interval, but here the break was a perfect chance at Wednesday’s performance to ask each other questions. “It’s not what I expected,” was the most common reaction, but uttered with approval and excitement at what was to follow.

Reeves-Rowley will reappear in modern clothing, linking with the modern world, as he begs for money from the front row while spinning his life story.

Azar’s Clare will find herself in discussions with bewildered sister and bemused mother and Gregan’s Francis alike. The more the two converse, and indeed clash in the high point of Paterson’s production, the more she feels compelled to reject aristocratic airs for service to the poor. By now, she is wearing a scratchy hair shirt to remind her constantly of the suffering, while his robe is no longer ostentatious blue but dull brown.

Come the finale, Azar’s Clare is in nun’s habit, addressing the ills of the modern world directly. The play was doing that already, albeit indirectly, but this monologue seeks to trigger more to follow Clare’s lead.

Eleanor Stephenson’s Beatrice, Victoria Delaney’s Ortolana and Isabel Azar’s Clare bathe their feet in the company of servants Alma (Emily Hansen) and Peppa (Clare Meadley). Picture: John Saunders

Paterson’s cast all enjoy the wit and fizz of Atik’s dialogue. Stephenson’s Beatrice is a riot, spoilt, blinkered but amusing; Gregan’s Francis has weight and authority but boyish charm too. Azar’s Clare combines impish humour and quiet intelligence with rising defiant steel as radiance settles on her. 

Azar’s mother was in Wednesday’s audience, all the way from Memphis. She was not the only one whose face was wreathed in smiles after encountering such a bravura play.

Black Treacle Theatre in Poor Clare, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until November 7, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: https://tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

P.S. Should you be wondering, if you attended Poor Clare, in keeping with the play’s meeting ground of modern and medieval, director Jim Paterson chose “medieval bardcore” renditions of songs by the likes of Lady Gaga, performed by such artists as Hildegard von Blingin’ and Beedle The Bardcore, each as magical as a madrigal, for the scene changes.

PJ Gregan’s Francis and Isabel Azar’s Clare finding common ground – and clothing – on Richard Hampton’s set, with its wheel-on chapel, in Black Treacle Theatre’s Poor Clare. Picture: John Saunders

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 45, from Gazette & Herald

Isabel Azar’s Clare in rehearsal for Black Treacle Theatre’s Poor Clare at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York. Picture: Jim Paterson

FROM the 16th Aesthetica Film Festival to a nocturnal ghost sculpture trail, Strictly stars after hours in Vegas to punk poet Dr John Cooper Clarke, Charles Hutchinson says yes to November events.

Life-changing story of the week: Black Treacle Theatre in Poor Clare, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

THE lives of the young St Clare and St Francis of Assisi are the subject of American playwright Chiara Atik’s comedy Poor Clare, presented in York for the first time by Black Treacle Theatre, directed by Jim Paterson.

Noblewoman Clare (Isabel Azar) is set for marriage to a rich aristocrat and a life of wealth and privilege in 13th century Assisi, but then she meets Francis (PJ Gregan), whose strong faith and commitment to rejecting the established order and serving the poor makes her look at her life in a new way. Box office: https://tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Ghosts After Dark: Taking over York Museum Gardens for five nights from November 4

Sculpture trail of the week: York BID and York Museums Trust present Ghosts After Dark, York Museum Gardens, today to Sunday, 5.30pm to 9.30pm; timed entry slots until 8pm

AFTER the Ghosts In The Gardens free public art trail of 70 wire-mesh sculptures – including ten new ones – across 32 city-centre locations concluded last Sunday, Ghosts After Dark takes over for five atmospheric nights of nights of live storytelling, light, smoke and sound next week in the Museum Gardens, plus King’s Manor courtyard and Library Lawn, the Anglian Tower, Edible Wood, Artists’ Garden, St Olave’s churchyard and the area beside York Art Gallery.

Representing a fascinating person, creature or story connected to York’s history, each sculpture was made by York creative agency Unconventional Design. A new interactive experience and the inaugural night market will be further highlights of the 90-minute trail. Bookings: www.theyorkbid.com/ghosts-after-dark/.

Heading for the Aesthetica Film Festival in York

Festival of the week: Aesthetica Film Festival, York, today to Sunday

IN its 16th year under the artistic directorship of Cherie Federico, Aesthetica Film Festival welcomes filmmakers, games developers and virtual reality experts from around the world. The five-day programme comprises  screenings, VR & games labs, a podcasting lounge, industry masterclasses and workshops, networking sessions, live performances, pitching opportunities, the New Music Stage and much more. For the full programme and tickets, go to asff.co.uk.

Strictly Come Dancing stars Pasha Kovalev, Brendan Cole, Vincent Simone, Ian Waite and James Jordan head to York Barbican in Legends in Vegas: After Hours. Picture: Ryan Howard

From Strictly to Sin City dance show of the week: The Legends in Vegas: After Hours, York Barbican, tonight, 7.30pm

THE Legends, alias Strictly alumnae Brendan Cole, James Jordan, Pasha Kovalev, Vincent Simone and Ian Waite, reunite for a third tour, Vegas: After Hours, where the dance floor never sleeps as they bring the spirit of Sin City to life through breathtaking routines and nonstop entertainment, set to a soundtrack inspired by the greatest Las Vegas performers of all time. 

Think neon lights and electric nights, roulette tables spinning, glamorous showgirls, dazzling casinos, desert sunsets, lavish pool parties, whirlwind weddings, iconic hotels and world-class entertainment, captured in dance. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Julie Russell Wilson’s Miss Marple, centre, leading the Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company cast in Agatha Christie’s A Murder Is Announced

Murder mystery of the week: Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company in Agatha Christie’s A Murder Is Announced, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

WHEN a mysterious announcement appears in the local newspaper, stating the date and time a murder will take place in a quiet village home, curiosity and disbelief turn quickly to alarm: it is chillingly clear that the threat is all too real. 

What follows is a classic Agatha Christie puzzle of mixed motives, concealed identities and long-held secrets for the sharp-witted Miss Marple (Julie Russell Wilson) to unravel in Alex Schofield’s fundraising production in aid of the JoRo.

“Christie was a master of surprise who understood that audiences love being challenged,” says Schofield. “Then there’s the incredible premise. Someone reveals that a murder is going to take place, but not who the victim will be. From that moment on, anyone could be the victim and anyone could be the killer.

“There’s also something wonderful about hearing a collective gasp from the audience when their expectations have been turned upside down.”Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

An artwork from Kate Brown’s Among exhibition at Helmsley Arts Centre

Exhibition of the week: Kate Brown, Among, Helmsley Arts Centre, until February 26 2027

NORTH Yorkshire artist Kate Brown gathers new and existing works on paper that reflect on her engagement with place through lived experience, observation and making, “inviting a slower way of looking, encouraging reflection on our place within the environments we inhabit and the relationships that shape them”.

Using ink, pigment, copper leaf and natural materials, she creates layered compositions that evolve through an intuitive process of accumulation, erasure and response. Rather than depicting specific landscapes, the works emerge from direct encounters with the natural world and from the ongoing use of mind maps and rhizomatic diagrams as tools for thinking, connecting and understanding. Organic forms, shifting marks and delicate surfaces suggest patterns of growth, movement and relationship, alluding to seasonal change and the transient nature of experience.

Special guest Heather Findlay performing with the John Hackett Band

Ryedale gig of the week: John Hackett Band with special guest Heather Findlay, Helmsley Arts Centre, Friday, 7.30pm

YORK singer-songwriter Heather Findlay will be the special guest of John Hackett Band, the prog-rock band led by Steve Hackett’s brother, whose second album, Red Institution, was released last year.

From Hackett’s pastoral flute textures, through the funky interplay between drummer Duncan Parsons and bassist Jeremy Richardson, to the intricacies of Nick Fletcher’s lead guitar, the group embraces pop, rock, jazz, classical, funk and all stops in-between, from tender ballads to hair-raising instrumental workouts. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Dr John Cooper Clarke: Showcasing new poetry collection Have It at the Grand Opera House, York

Punk poet of the week: Dr John Cooper Clarke, Grand Opera House, York, Friday, doors 7pm

SALFORD sage Dr John Cooper Clarke’s anarchic punk poetry and no-nonsense approach to his work has led to a career spanning cultures, art forms and continents, drawing audiences from clubs to arenas. On his 20-date tour, Cooper Clarke, 77, promotes his new collection, Have It, the follow-up to 2024’s What, as well as performing fan favourites with his trademark machine-gun delivery. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

The Shires’ Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes: Playing songs from Bonfire the night after Bonfire Night at York Barbican

Country gig of the week: The Shires, York Barbican, Friday, 7.30pm

BRITISH country duo The Shires – Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes – promote their sixth studio album, July 3’s Bonfire, on their 12-date UK tour, their first with a full band in four years. Expect new songs celebrating togetherness, escapism and positivity, complemented by fan favourites. Kaylee Bell supports. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Seann Walsh: Find out why “This Is Torture” at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Jiksaw

York comedy gig of the week: Seann Walsh, This Is Torture, York Theatre Royal, Friday, 8pm

I’M A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! 2022 series survivor Seann Walsh has decided to name his latest stand-up tour show after the phrase he says the most: “This Is Torture”.  The dishevelled Camden comedian brings his signature blend of chaos and charm to York to put himself through an anxiety filled-hour. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Karl Bushby: The Man Who Walked The World

In Focus: Norwell Lapley Productions present Karl Busby: The Man Who Walked The World, York Theatre Royal, November 22, 6.30pm

KARL Bushby, the Yorkshireman who walked the world, will set out to York Theatre Royal from his Hull home on November 22 to tell his extraordinary story.

Adventurer Karl, now 57, set off from Punta Arenas, Chile, in 1998 with the almost unimaginable ambition of walking all the way home to East Yorkshire.

He made himself two promises:  he would use no transport to advance his journey and he would not return home until he had completed the entire expedition on foot. After 28 years, he was welcomed home to Hull on November 2.

Along the way, Karl has crossed some of the world’s most hostile landscapes, faced life-threatening dangers and endured immense physical and psychological challenges, pushing himself to limits few could comprehend.

From navigating the perilous Darién Gap between Panama and Colombia, to tackling the frozen expanse of the Bering Strait, between Russian and Alaska, his journey is a remarkable testament to courage, resilience and the indomitable human spirit.

Now, York audiences are invited to step inside an adventure spanning continents, cultures and generations. Through first-hand storytelling, Karl will reveal the experiences behind the headlines:  the moments when survival hung in the balance, the obstacles that threatened to derail his mission, the sacrifices demanded by a life on the move and the extraordinary determination that kept him heading towards home. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

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More Things To Do in York and beyond as Aesthetica Film Festival expands again. Hutch’s List No. 44, from The York Press

Fladam Theatre’s Florence Poskitt and Adam Sowter cooking up the York musical comedy duo’s Halloween show in Hallowbean

FROM the 16th Aesthetica Film Festival to a nocturnal ghost sculpture trail, Strictly stars after hours in Vegas to punk poet Dr John Cooper Clarke, Charles Hutchinson says yes to November events.

Children’s Halloween show of the week: Fladam Theatre in Hallowbean, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 2.30pm

FLADAM Theatre, the madcap York musical comedy duo of Florence Poskitt and Adam Sowter, head to Helmsley this afternoon with their spooktastic musical comedy Hallowbean. In the town of Ghooul, Dr Frankenheinz is rustling up his Hallowbean for the annual Halloween cooking competition, hoping his tomatoey terror will dazzle Scary Berry, the most frightful food critic of them all.

Rather than scary, however, Hallowbean is downright lovable. Problem! “Will Halloween have to be cancelled? Or can the Hallowbean find her scare in time?” ask Fladam. Find out in this hour-long, pun and puppet-packed Halloween treat for three to ten years olds. Box office: Helmsley, 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Seann Walsh: Putting himself through an anxiety filled-hour at York Theatre Royal on November 6

Comedy gigs of the week: Russell Howard, Don’t Tell The Algorithm, York Barbican, today, 3.30pm & 7.30pm, and Sunday, 7.30pm;  Seann Walsh, This Is Torture, York Theatre Royal, November 6, 8pm

POLITICAL comedian and Five Brilliant Things podcaster Russell Howard returns with a new stand-up show for 2026, where he invites you back into the room: no phones, no distractions, only humans and jokes, but don’t tell the algorithm. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk; best availability on Sunday night.

I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! 2022 series survivor Seann Walsh has decided to name his latest stand-up tour show after the phrase he says the most: “This Is Torture”.  The dishevelled Camden comedian brings his signature blend of chaos and charm to York to put himself through an anxiety filled-hour. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

James Swanton: Back on track with The Signal-Man’s return to York Medical Society

Recommended but sold out already: James Swanton presents The Signal-Man, York Medical Society, Stonegate, York, November 2 to 8, 7pm, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday; 5.30pm & 7.30pm, Saturday

A RED light. A black tunnel. A waving figure. A warning beyond understanding. And the fear that someone – that something – is drawing closer in The Signal-Man, Charles Dickens’s most frightening ghost story, here paired with the supernatural terrors of The Trial For Murder in York storyteller and actor James Swanton’s delightfully macabre double bill. Box office for returns only: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Isabel Azar’s Clare in rehearsal for Black Treacle Theatre’s Poor Clare at Theatre@41, Monkgate

Life-changing story of the week: Black Treacle Theatre in Poor Clare, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, November 3 to 7, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

THE lives of the young St Clare and St Francis of Assisi are the subject of American playwright Chiara Atik’s comedy Poor Clare, presented in York for the first time by Black Treacle Theatre, directed by Jim Paterson.

Noblewoman Clare (Isabel Azar) is set for marriage to a rich aristocrat and a life of wealth and privilege in 13th century Assisi, but then she meets Francis (PJ Gregan), whose strong faith and commitment to rejecting the established order and serving the poor makes her look at her life in a new way. Box office: https://tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Ghosts After Dark: Taking over York Museum Gardens for five nights from November 4

Sculpture trail of the week: York BID and York Museums Trust present Ghosts After Dark, York Museum Gardens, November 4 to 8, 5.30pm to 9.30pm; timed entry slots until 8pm

AFTER the Ghosts In The Gardens free public art trail of 70 wire-mesh sculptures – including ten new ones – across 32 city-centre locations concludes on Sunday, Ghosts After Dark takes over for five atmospheric nights of nights of live storytelling, light, smoke and sound next week in the Museum Gardens, plus King’s Manor courtyard and Library Lawn, the Anglian Tower, Edible Wood, Artists’ Garden, St Olave’s churchyard and the area beside York Art Gallery.

Representing a fascinating person, creature or story connected to York’s history, each sculpture was made by York creative agency Unconventional Design. A new interactive experience and the inaugural night market will be further highlights of the 90-minute trail. Bookings: www.theyorkbid.com/ghosts-after-dark/.

All heading to the Aesthetica Film Festival 2026 as York awaits five days of film and much more

Festival of the week: Aesthetica Film Festival 2026, York, November 4 to 8

IN its 16th year under the artistic directorship of Cherie Federico, Aesthetica Film Festival welcomes filmmakers, games developers and virtual reality experts from around the world. The five-day programme comprises  screenings, VR & games labs, a podcasting lounge, industry masterclasses and workshops, networking sessions, live performances, pitching opportunities, the New Music Stage and much more. For the full programme and tickets, go to asff.co.uk.

Strictly Come Dancing stars Pasha Kovalev, Brendan Cole, Vincent Simone, Ian Waite and James Jordan head to York Barbican in Legends in Vegas: After Hours. Picture: Ryan Howard

From Strictly to Sin City dance show of the week: The Legends in Vegas: After Hours, York Barbican, November 4, 7.30pm

THE Legends, alias Strictly alumnae Brendan Cole, James Jordan, Pasha Kovalev, Vincent Simone and Ian Waite, reunite for a third tour, Vegas: After Hours, where the dance floor never sleeps as they bring the spirit of Sin City to life through breathtaking routines and nonstop entertainment, set to a soundtrack inspired by the greatest Las Vegas performers of all time. 

Think neon lights and electric nights, roulette tables spinning, glamorous showgirls, dazzling casinos, desert sunsets, lavish pool parties, whirlwind weddings, iconic hotels and world-class entertainment, captured in dance. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Julie Russell Wilson’s Miss Marple, front, leading the Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company cast in Agatha Christie’s A Murder Is Announced

Murder mystery of the week: Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company in Agatha Christie’s A Murder Is Announced, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, November 4 to 7, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

WHEN a mysterious announcement appears in the local newspaper, stating the date and time a murder will take place in a quiet village home, curiosity and disbelief turn quickly to alarm: it is chillingly clear that the threat is all too real. 

What follows is a classic Agatha Christie puzzle of mixed motives, concealed identities and long-held secrets for the sharp-witted Miss Marple (Julie Russell Wilson) to unravel in Alex Schofield’s fundraising production in aid of the JoRo.

“Christie was a master of surprise who understood that audiences love being challenged,” says Schofield. “Then there’s the incredible premise. Someone reveals that a murder is going to take place, but not who the victim will be.

“From that moment on, anyone could be the victim and anyone could be the killer. There’s also something wonderful about hearing a collective gasp from the audience when their expectations have been turned upside down.”Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

Dr John Cooper Clarke: Showcasing new poetry collection Have It at the Grand Opera House, York

Punk poet of the week: Dr John Cooper Clarke, Grand Opera House, York, November 6, doors 7pm

SALFORD sage Dr John Cooper Clarke’s anarchic punk poetry and no-nonsense approach to his work has led to a career spanning cultures, art forms and continents, drawing audiences from clubs to arenas. On his 20-date tour, Cooper Clarke, 77, promotes his new collection, Have It, the follow-up to 2024’s What, as well as performing fan favourites with his trademark machine-gun delivery. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

The Shires: Lighting up Bonfire at York Barbican the day after Bonfire Night

Country gig of the week: The Shires, York Barbican, November 6, 7.30pm

BRITISH country duo The Shires – Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes – promote their sixth studio album, July 3’s Bonfire, on their 12-date UK tour, their first with a full band in four years. Expect new songs celebrating togetherness, escapism and positivity, complemented by fan favourites. Kaylee Bell supports. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Karl Bushby: The Man Who Walked The World

In Focus: Norwell Lapley Productions present Karl Busby: The Man Who Walked The World, York Theatre Royal, November 22, 6.30pm

KARL Bushby, the Yorkshireman who walked the world, will set out to York Theatre Royal from his Hull home on November 22 to tell his extraordinary story.

Adventurer Karl, now 57, set off from Punta Arenas, Chile, in 1998 with the almost unimaginable ambition of walking all the way home to East Yorkshire.

He made himself two promises:  he would use no transport to advance his journey and he would not return home until he had completed the entire expedition on foot. After 28 years, he will be welcomed home to Hull on November 2.

Along the way, Karl has crossed some of the world’s most hostile landscapes, faced life-threatening dangers and endured immense physical and psychological challenges, pushing himself to limits few could comprehend.

From navigating the perilous Darién Gap between Panama and Colombia, to tackling the frozen expanse of the Bering Strait, between Russian and Alaska, his journey is a remarkable testament to courage, resilience and the indomitable human spirit.

Now, York audiences are invited to step inside an adventure spanning continents, cultures and generations. Through first-hand storytelling, Karl will reveal the experiences behind the headlines:  the moments when survival hung in the balance, the obstacles that threatened to derail his mission, the sacrifices demanded by a life on the move and the extraordinary determination that kept him heading towards home. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

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REVIEW: Wharfemede Productions in The Addams Family Musical, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until Saturday ****

Meet the Addams Family and their butler in Wharfemede Productions’ The Addams Family Musical: Abbie Law’s Wednesday, left, Matthew Warry’s Pugsley, Henrietta Linnemann’s Morticia, Chris Gibson’s Lurch, Zander Fick’s Gomez, Nick Sephton’s Uncle Fester and Rosy Rowley’s Grandma. Picture: Simon Trow

JOKE shop bats and giant cobwebs and director Helen “Bells” Spencer in a rather fetching wig greet Halloween week theatregoers on the stairway to Wharfemede Productions’  production of The Addams Family Musical.

Enter the black box theatre, where more bats and cobwebs fill the walls, and it is immediately striking how the audience is younger than usual at Theatre@41, now full of families. All this week’s performances are sold out, such is the reach of Netflix’s two seasons of Wednesday,  whose visual style carries the hallmarks of executive producer Tim Burton, full of fashion flair and camply dark humour while making Jenny Ortega “Gen Z’s scream queen”.

Combining properly tuneful music and smart lyrics by Andrew Lippa, worthy of musical theatre’s golden age, with a deeply kooky, devilishly witty book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, The Addams Family Musical spreads the focus more broadly, while giving the headline story to Abbie Law’s sourpuss Wednesday.

She may have a perma-scowl and carry a crossbow, but Wednesday Addams has fallen in love with a “normal” young  man, Dan Crawfurd-Porter’s floppy fringed, chisel-jawed Lucas Beineke, looking every inch the college jock in his varsity bomber jacket.

The masked Ancestors in director Helen Spencer’s nod to commedia dell arte in Wharfemede Productions’ The Addams Family. Picture: Simon Trow

When Wednesday invites Lucas’s ultra-respectable parents (Steven Jobson’s Mal and Connie Howcroft’s Alice) to dinner, two cultures will clash: the uptight Beinekes, from Ohio, with their unfortunate propensity for wearing yellow, and the eccentric, louche, strangely attractive Addams Family, from metropolitan, arty New York, with their penchant for black in both humour and clothing.

From the familiar theme tune opening to the disembodied hand in the picture frame and two cameo appearances by Cousin Itt (Lao Singhateh, face hidden beneath all that hair), everything is in place for a musical comedy that nods to the nostalgic TV past but also finds it own character, not least through the ghostly presence of the Ancestors, at the beck and call of Nick Sephton’s Uncle Fester.

Drawing on her own commedia dell’arte training in Italy, Spencer kits them out in masks – made with a 3D printer by Sephton – to complement their white clothing to add to their contrast to the Addams family members.

Each family member or retainer is established quickly, from Rosy Rowley’s loose-cannon Grandma to Chris Gibson’s taciturn, towering, gloom-and-doom butler Lurch and Matthew Warry’s Pugsley, whose unconventional relationship with sister Wednesday is rooted in stoic acceptance of being the target of her experiments in torture.

Zander Fick, the classically trained South African singer and actor – and software engineering director by day – has excelled on the York stage since his arrival in 2023 and here he gives his best performance yet as Gomez Addams, the father who often has to think on his feet to cover his initial actions.

Hair slicked back and turned jet black, pinstripe suit as immaculate and neat as his pencil moustache, accent a conflation of Hispanic and American, his Gomez leads the show with a showman’s panache, eyebrow-raised comic timing, nimble feet and a wondrous singing voice.

He combines delightfully with the glacial hauteur of Henrietta Linnemann’s Morticia, his elegant, aloof wife with her exacting standards and often contrasting strategy.  She sings superbly too, whether solo in Just Around The Corner or in the stand-out duet, Live Before We Die, with Fick’s Gomez.

Howcroft, always such a thrilling singer, brings the house down at the climax to Act One with her no-holds-barred rendition of Waiting, while Sephton’s love-struck Fester sings to his true love, the Moon at her fullest, in The Moon And Me, the show’s most unexpected yet beautiful moment.

Howcroft’s choreography is another joy, utilising the Ancestors to the max, capitalising on the clash between the itchy feet of Fick’s Gomez and sang-froid of Linnemann’s Morticia and exploring  the differing physicality within the company, not least Gibson’s lumbering Lurch and Rowley’s crumpled Grandma,  to humorous effect.

Musical director James Robert Ball has a ball with Lippa’s wonderful songs, his band at once playful and diligent, sprightly and fun.

Wharfemede Productions bring the “wonderfully weird world” of the distinctly dysfunctional Addams Family to glorious Gothic life, perfectly timed for Halloween. As Spencer puts it, “Beneath all the darkness, eccentricity and wonderfully questionable behaviour lies a story about love, belonging and celebrating things that make us different.” And that, by the way, is the very essence of theatre, whether performing or watching.

Wharfemede Productions present The Addams Family Musical, Theatre@41, Monkgate, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. SOLD OUT. For returns only: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

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Black Treacle Theatre to stage York premiere of Poor Clare, Chiara Atik’s story of St Clare and St Francis Of Assisi. UPDATED with Jim Paterson interview

Isabel Azar’s Clare helps PJ Gregan’s Francis straighten himself out in Poor Clare in rehearsal for Jim Paterson’s production. Picture: Jim Paterson

MODERN meets medieval in the York premiere of American playwright Chiara Atik’s award-winning comedy Poor Clare, presented by Black Treacle Theatre at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, from November 3 to 7.

The lives of the young St Clare and St Francis of Assisi receive a fresh telling in Atik’s story of noblewoman Clare being set for marriage to a rich aristocrat and a life of wealth and privilege in 13th century Assisi.

However, she then meets a young man named Francis, whose strong faith and commitment to rejecting the established order and serving the poor sparks a change in her that makes her look at her life in a new way. Clare will go on to found the Poor Clare order of nuns.

“The play has been hailed as a hilarious and off-beat take on these established religious and historical figures, told with modern, witty dialogue,” says Black Treacle Theatre director Jim Paterson.

Premiered at the Echo Theater Company in Los Angeles in 2020, Poor Clare won the 2022 American Theatre Critics/Journalists Association’s New Play Award and the Los Angeles  Drama Critics Circle Award for Best New Play and was shortlisted for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.

P J Gregan’s Francis in contemplative mode in rehearsal for Black Treacle Theatre’s Poor Clare. Picture: Jim Paterson

“I was hooked from the moment I first read Poor Clare,” says Jim. “Chiara Atik has crafted a funny and unique play that makes Clare’s story come to life, whilst also posing questions for us about our own attitudes and responsibilities when it comes to questions of poverty and inequality.”

After productions of Howard Brenton’s Anne Boleyn and Willy Russell’s Educating Rita, Poor Clare completes York company Black Treacle’s informal trilogy of productions on the theme of women who reflect the quote that “well-behaved women seldom make history”.

“Clare’s growing commitment to a better world, driven by her faith and sense of justice, drive this story in unexpected directions and I’m really proud of the work the cast and creative team have done to bring it to Theatre@41’s stage,” says Jim.

Isabel Azar, who plays Clare, says: “Clare is such a deeply relatable role. She’s a young woman figuring out her vocation and she’s so raw and honest. I love her integrity, her fervent faith and her intense hunger and thirst for righteousness.

“The beauty of this play is its message that whatever our life circumstances may be, we are called to help the less fortunate and be instruments of the Lord’s peace. My wholehearted thanks to Jim for this incredible opportunity and to my amazing fellow cast-mates for making this production pure joy.”

Isabel Azar’s Clare seeks to provide clothes for the poor of Assisi in a scene in rehearsal for Black Treacle Theatre’s Poor Clare. Picture: Jim Paterson

PJ Gregan, taking the role of Francis, says: “In the play, Francis is very far from the idyllic holy leader that we know today. He’s brash, stubborn, angry, nervous, petulant and immensely fun to play as an actor.

“It’s been a pleasure working with Jim and Isabel to craft the journey of this rebellious young man taking his first steps toward the saint he will be, even if he stumbles a little along the way. You may laugh or cry – probably both – but one thing is certain: you must see Poor Clare!”

Black Treacle Theatre in Poor Clare, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, November 3 to 7, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: https://tickets.41monkgate.co.uk. Running time: Two hours, including interval.  

Poor Clare director Jim Paterson

Jim Paterson’s Q & A with CharlesHutchPress on directing Poor Clare and matters of faith

How did you discover Chiara Atik’s play and what attracted you to performing it?

“I read a review of last summer’s Orange Tree Theatre production (the play’s European premiere) and was intrigued by the description of the play’s deliberately anachronistic use of modern, ‘Gen Z’ dialogue and attitudes in the telling of the lives of these religious figures in 13th century Italy.

“I ordered it to read and found it funny and smart, but also a play that cleverly drew parallels with our time to discuss materialism and morality. Not in a purely didactic way, but raising questions for both the characters on stage, and the audience watching, to grapple with. It quickly came to life in my head and when the opportunity came up to perform this autumn at Theatre@41, this was the first piece I chose.”

What does the story of Clare and Francis of Assisi say to modern audiences in this age of increasing indifference towards religion?

“One of the reasons I really like this play is that it asks us to consider questions of personal and societal morality that are as true in the modern day as they were in Clare and Francis’s time.

“In other words, what does it mean to be a good person? What sacrifices could we make to live in line with our own moral code? How much moral compromise do we personally ignore to live the life we want?

“For our characters, their choices to devote their lives to easing suffering and inequality is rooted in their religious faith, but the skill in Chiara Atik’s writing is that we can empathise with their personal struggles and their situations regardless of our own beliefs.”

Alma (Emily Hansen, right) shares the latest gossip in Assisi with Clare (Isabel Azar, middle) and Peppa (Clare Meadley). Picture: Jim Paterson

In turn, how important is the religious message, not least being presented in a building with its own faith history?

“I think this play is, in many ways, about the importance of faith, and how it can give us purpose and help us discover more in ourselves than we thought possible. Faith can take many forms – in people, institutions, ideas – and even if you aren’t necessarily a person of religious faith yourself, I think you can recognise how it matters to and drives Francis and Clare. 

“It’s important to note that this play doesn’t mock or belittle the characters’ faith, but recognises it as the guiding light for their moral code.

“The other thing about the characters’ faith is that it is personal to them, as is their relationship with God, and the play deftly explores where these differences create tensions and challenges for our characters – such as how Francis’s disagreements with the Bishop and established church require strength to follow his convictions:  strength drawn from his faith.

“And of course, performing this at Theatre@41 means stepping into a space with over a century of faith in its bones, and where people still come together for shared ritual and communal experience.”

Introduce your two lead actors, Isabel Azar and PJ Gregan…

“Isabel and I first worked together on Anne Boleyn, and it’s been a joy to work with her again here. She’s been a font of ideas about the play and her character from day one, crafting a rich emotional journey for Clare’s arc, from carefree young noblewoman, to the woman who will go on to found the Poor Clare’s order of nuns.

Francis (PJ Gregan, kneeling) listens as Clare (Isabel Azar) asks him how he will help the poor in Assisi in Black Treacle Theatre’s Poor Clare. Picture: Jim Paterson

“This is the first time I’ve worked with PJ, having previously seen him on stage in The Spanish Tragedy last year, and have been hugely impressed with his improvisational energy in rehearsal, changing up his reading and approach from run to run to build ‘his’ Francis’.

“Both actors have also brought in a huge amount of background research to better understand the context and religious beliefs of their characters (Isabel even added a trip to Assisi to a pre-planned family holiday to Italy!), which has helped them find different approaches and subtext in their character development.”

What have been the directing challenges of this play?

“It’s definitely had some different challenges for us to navigate. The individual scenes are quite self-contained and dialogue-led, so ensuring we keep them dynamic for our audience has meant a lot of experimentation in rehearsal with finding movement and opportunities for play in the text that still feels true to the moments and characters.

“And with the dialogue, balancing the sometimes (deliberately) flippant dialogue with the real emotional weight of some scenes has been a careful balancing act. Fun challenges though!”

Why should people see Poor Clare next week?

“It’s very funny! I know I’ve talked a lot about the importance of the themes and meaning, but it’s packed full of great one-liners and character comedy. And this helps what is, in many ways, a modern play of ideas, to engage and enthral an audience.

“Our hope is that audiences have a fun evening at the theatre, but still end up talking about the ideas within it, and how they interpret them, long into the night.”

Beatrice (Eleanor Stephenson), right, argues with her sister Clare (Isabel Azar) in Black Treacle Theatre’s Poor Clare. Picture: Jim Paterson

Black Treacle Theatre’s cast and creative team for Poor Clare

Clare – Isabel Azar

Alma – Emily Hansen

Beatrice – Eleanor Stephenson

Bianchi/Beggar – Ben Reeves-Rowley

Francis – PJ Gregan

Peppa – Clare Meadley

Ortolana – Victoria Delaney

Director – Jim Paterson

Set and prop designer – Richard Hampton

Lighting designer – Kathryn Wright

Sound designer – Sage Dunn-Krahn

Production lead – Dave Robertson

Black Treacle Theatre’s past productions

NICK Payne’s Constellations (March 2022); Gary Owen’s Iphigenia In Splott (March 2023); Nassim Soleimanpor’s White Rabbit, Red Rabbit (November 2023); Dario Fo’s Accidental Death Of An Anarchist (October 2024); Laura Wade’s The Watsons (July 2025, co-production with Joseph Rowntree Theatre); Howard Brenton’s Anne Boleyn (March 2026) and Willy Russell’s Educating Rita (June 2026).

Did you know?

VICTORIA Delaney will be performing in York productions in successive weeks. From tomorrow to Saturday, she will play “power hungry” businesswoman Kat in York Actors Collective’s York premiere of Stephanie Jacob’s three-hander power struggle The Strongbox at York Theatre Royal Studio (box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk). Next week she will appear as Ortolana in Black Treacle Theatre’s York premiere of Chiara Atik’s Poor Clare.

Victoria Delaney in rehearsal for her role as Kat in York Actors Collective’s The Strongbox, opening at York Theatre Royal Studio on October 29

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 44, from Gazette & Herald

Alex Keenan’s Chris and Charlie Brooks’s Judy, her mum, in The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, staged by Melting Pot and Birmingham Rep. Picture: Johan Persson

FROM a new female spin on ‘Curious Incident’ to Ricky Gervais’s “most personal” tour, Halloween shows to Leo Sayer’s last tour, Charles Hutchinson finds ways to brighten up darker nights.  

Reboot of the week: Melting Pot and Birmingham Rep present The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, Grand Opera House, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday and Saturday matinees

MELTING Pot and Birmingham Rep are touring a gender-swap reboot of Simon Stephens’s inventive adaptation of Mark Haddon’s compassionate novel, in which neurodivergent 15-year-old Chris Boone is now a female role, played by Alex Keenan and matinee alternate Imi Price.

Ned Bennett’s cast features Joe McFadden as dad Ed and Charlie Brooks as absentee mum Judy in the story of Chris becoming both detective and suspect when a neighbour’s dog is discovered killed, drawing her into a mystery that grows darker and more complex with every clue uncovered. Box office: atgtickets.co.uk/york.

The Addams family in Wharfemede Productions’ The Addams Family Musical at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York

Halloween family entertainment of the week: Wharfemede Productions in The Addams Family Musical, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

COMPANY co-founder Helen Spencer directs North Yorkshire company Wharfemede Productions in Andrew Lippa, Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice’s devilishly funny, deeply kooky comedy The Addams Family Musical.

When Wednesday Addams falls in love with a “normal” young man and invites his respectable parents to dinner, chaos, secrets and macabre mayhem ensue in this spooky celebration of family, love and embracing the wonderfully weird, replete with sharp comedy, dazzling dance numbers, a witty score and a nine-piece band. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Victoria Delaney’s Kat, left, Beryl Nairn’s Ma and Clare Halliday’s Maudie in York Actors Collective’s The Strongbox

Struggle for survival of the week: York Actors Collective in The Strongbox, York Theatre Royal Studio, tomorrow, 2.30pm & 7.45pm, Friday, 7.45pm, and Saturday, 2pm

YORK Actors Collective presents Stephanie Jacob’s study of freedom and control, The Strongbox,  in which a mother (Beryl Nairn’s Ma) and her daughter (Victoria Delaney’s Kat) keep a homeless woman (Clare Halliday’s Maudie) as a slave in their London home. Power shifts, however, when the daughter becomes distracted by business and the mother falls ill.

“Three women learn how to live and survive by making their own rules, but at what cost?” asks director Angie Millard. “As Ma says, ‘ If you do and do and do and do to someone, can it be undone?’ That’s the question the play explores with honesty and some humour.” Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

New York Brass Band: Having a blast at Malton’s Milton Rooms for the fourth time

Ryedale gig of the week: New York Brass Band, Milton Rooms, Malton, Friday, 7pm

NEW York Brass Band return to the Milton Rooms for a fourth party night of big tunes, huge brass sounds and plenty of dancing. York-born, New Orleans-inspired and Glastonbury festival fixtures for eight years, they have performed for Kylie Minogue, Liam Gallagher, Ellie Goulding and Jamie Oliver with their trademark infectious energy. Tickets: 07813 889085 (Ali) or newyorkbrassband.co.uk.

Leo Sayer: Playing York Barbican on “what could well be his final full UK tour”

The show must go on…for one last tour: Leo Sayer, Can’t Stop Loving You, York Barbican, Friday, 7.30pm

AFTER almost 60 years on the road, Leo Sayer, now 78, returns to the UK stage for “what could well be his final full UK tour”. “I love performing for my fans and look forward to doing so for many more years, but this will be the last time I play so many dates across the country. I am not retiring, just slowing the number of live shows down a little,” clarifies Sayer, in a year when he is releasing his autobiography and a career-spanning box set.

Meanwhile, Brighton folk-rockers Levellers have sold out tomorrow’s return to York Barbican. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Fladam Theatre’s Florence Poskitt and Adam Sowter cooking up their Halloween show Hallowbean

Children’s Halloween show of the week: Fladam Theatre in Hallowbean, Acomb Explore, Front Street, Acomb, York today, 3pm, and Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 2.30pm

FLADAM Theatre, the madcap York musical comedy duo of Florence Poskitt and Adam Sowter, head to Acomb and Helmsley with their spooktastic musical comedy Hallowbean. In the town of Ghooul, Dr Frankenheinz is rustling up his Hallowbean for the annual Halloween cooking competition, hoping his tomatoey terror will dazzle Scary Berry, the most frightful food critic of them all.

However, his ‘eeny beany’ lacks scariness. Instead she is downright lovable. Problem! “Will Halloween have to be cancelled? Or can the Hallowbean find her scare in time?” ask Fladam. Find out in this hour-long, pun and puppet-packed Halloween treat for three to ten years olds. Box office: York, https://www.tickettailor.com/events/exploreyorklibrariesandarchives/2432836; Helmsley, 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Clare (Isabel Azar) helps Francis (PJ Gregan) to straighten himself out in rehearsal for Black Treacle Theatre’s Poor Clare. Picture: Jim Paterson

Life-changing story of the week: Black Treacle Theatre in Poor Clare, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, November 3 to 7, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

THE lives of the young St Clare and St Francis of Assisi are the subject of American playwright Chiara Atik’s comedy Poor Clare, presented in York for the first time by Black Treacle Theatre, directed by Jim Paterson.

Noblewoman Clare (Isabel Azar) is set for marriage to a rich aristocrat and a life of wealth and privilege in 13th century Assisi, but then she meets Francis (PJ Gregan), whose strong faith and commitment to rejecting the established order and serving the poor makes her look at her life in a new way. Box office: https://tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Ricky Gervais: Returning to York Barbican next February, this time in his Legend show

Gig announcement of the week: Ricky Gervais, Legend, York Barbican, February 15 2027

COMEDIAN Ricky Gervais will return to York Barbican as one of the newly added 2027 dates on his 2026-2027 tour after all this year’s shows sold out. Already Legend has been acquired for streaming on Netflix.

“This is my most personal show so far and because both cancel culture, and most people I knew growing up, are dead, I can really say what the **** I want now,” promises Gervais, who once again will donate a portion of the ticket-sale proceeds to charity after giving £2.43 million to worldwide animal charities from his Mortality tour in 2025. Tickets go on sale on Friday at 10am at: https://www.yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/ricky-gervais-legend.

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Wharfemede Productions mark Halloween week with deeply kooky The Addams Family Musical at Theatre@41, Monkgate

Henrietta Linnemann‘s Morticia and Zander Fick’s Gomez Addams in Wharfemede Productions’ The Addams Family Musical. Picture: Simon Trow

WHAT better way for North Yorkshire company Wharfemede Productions to mark Halloween week than by staging The Addams Family Musical.

Running at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, from October 27 to 31, artistic director Helen “Bells” Spencer’s production of this deeply kooky, definitely spooky American musical comedy follows award-winning productions of Little Women and A Little Night Music. “We look forward to seeing you at Halloween – if you dare!” she says.

Combining music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa with book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, The Addams Family Musical opens with Wednesday Addams (played by Abbie Law) falling in love with a “normal” young man and inviting his respectable parents to dinner, whereupon chaos, secrets and macabre mayhem ensue in a celebration of family, love and embracing the wonderfully weird.

“We are thrilled to return with a show full of heart, humour and Halloween spirit, performed during Halloween week itself, when audiences can expect the perfect seasonal treat packed with gothic glamour, mischievous fun and spectacular entertainment,” says Bells. 

Director Helen “Bells” Spencer” holding two of Nick Sephton’s 3D-printed masks for the Ancestors in Wharfemede Productions’ The Addams Family Musical. Picture: Simon Trow

“The Addams Family is darkly delightful, gloriously gothic and wickedly entertaining. Whether you’re a life-long fan of the Addams clan or discovering them for the first time, this is one family reunion you won’t want to miss!”

The success of the Netflix series Wednesday has stimulated renewed cultural interest in The Addams Family. “It had got into a nostalgic space, but by making it relevant to modern audiences, it’s led to the musical coming to the fore again,” says Bells.

Zander Fick, who will play Gomez Addams, concurs. “Wednesday has almost ground the family in more reality, whereas the old family was more of a caricature,” he says. “Now they seem to have a feeling of being eccentric but relatable.”

Helen first encountered the musical two years ago when her fiance, Nick Sephton, was cast as  Fester Addams in a production in Wetherby. Her early expectations of a “very panto show – and I hate panto” were confounded. “I thought I’d just be going along as the devoted partner, but I absolutely loved it. It was a really good musical,” she says.

Nick Sephton’s Uncle Fester in Wharfemede Productions’ The Addams Family Musical. Picture: Simon Trow

“Unfortunately, Nick tore the cruciate ligament in his knee when dancing on the graves of the Ancestors on the first night, and for the rest of the run he had to deliver his Uncle Fester from a large armchair at the side of the stage. He was gutted that he didn’t get the chance to do the part properly, but I thought, ‘actually I think we can make this show work.”

Now Nick will reprise his Uncle Fester in Wharfemede’s production. “People will be surprised by his Fester as he usually plays authority figures, like generals, but with Nick you’re genuinely moved by Fester’s ‘oddness’, and with Nick being autistic he’s identified with that, having felt different from other people through his autism.”

Zander comments: “A key message in the show is that it’s OK to be different, so Fester is really loved by his family, The show has more depth than just having kooky characters, so you can really empathise with them. The story presents a conflict with outsiders who are uncomfortable with them, but  the show celebrates that difference, celebrating what makes you you.”

The masked Ancestors in Wharfemede Productions’ The Addams Family Musical. Picture: Simon Trow

Helen rejoins: “The show says we are all unique. We’re all happier as human beings if we embrace our differences. Wharfemede was created by our wish to create a space where people can be themselves to make high-quality work. We have multiple people in the cast who are autistic or neurodivergent, and we always start rehearsal sessions with a check-in, asking if everyone feels comfortable in the space. That seems to work well.”

Zander, who moved to York from South Africa in 2023, is enjoying those rehearsals as he prepares to play Gomez, the father of the family. “I’m loving him so much,” he says. “He’s so comfortable in who he is, so unapologetic about who he is, when quite often male characters in theatre tend to be moulded as reserved, guarded and always holding back, but Gomez is not like that at all. I can relate that to when I feel in a comfortable place, striving to be myself in that place. I always leave rehearsals feeling energised.

“We’ve had discussions about who Gomez is, as this naive, aloof child in a man’s body, but with a very healthy relationship with his wife, Morticia, so that’s been really interesting to explore.”

Helen has handled the design brief for this Gothic tale. “I want it to be as realistic and gritty as it can be within the realms of the Addams Family,” she says. “I didn’t want everything to be Halloween costumes, but instead with every character having an individual sense of themselves. So we discussed it with the actors, like Abbie Law wanting to wear a black velvet dress for Wednesday: a classic Wednesday look, but in velvet, which is something Abbie really wanted.”

The Addams family in Wharfemede Productions’ The Addams Family Musical: Abbie Law’s Wednesday, left, Matthew Warry’s Pugsley, Henrietta Linnemann‘s Morticia, Chris Gibson’s Lurch, Zander Fick’s Gomez, Nick Sephton’s Uncle Fester and Rosy Rowley’s Grandma. Picture: Simon Trow

Bells is particularly excited to be bringing elements of commedia dell’arte into Wharfemede’s interpretation of the show, not least in putting all the Ancestors in masks, created in 3D-printed form by Nick Sephton, to make them imposing in unison. 

“Having had the privilege of working with commedia companies in Trieste and Venice, I have long admired the genre’s physical storytelling, heightened characters and joyful theatricality,” she reasons.

“Those influences feel perfectly suited to the world of The Addams Family, and I look forward to blending them with the musical’s unique humour to create something that is both fresh and deeply entertaining.”

Wharfemede Productions presents The Addams Family Musical, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, October 27 to 31, 7:30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: www.tickets.41monkgate.co.uk

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