Moustaches en masse: Laura McKeller, left, Michael Cornell and Laura Castle in Neon Crypt’s The Hound Of The Baskervilles
AFTER Dracula: The Bloody Truth and The Wetwang Hauntings in 2025, mischief-making York company Neon Crypt put the gothic humour into horror once more for a fright in every comic bite in John Nicholson’s particularly silly take on The Hound Of The Baskervilles.
In the spirit of Patrick Barlow’s The 39 Steps, the late Maggie Fox and Sue Ryding’s Lip Service and indeed Nicholson’s work with Peepolykus and Le Navet Bete, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “consulting detective” Sherlock Holmes is stretched to caricature, if still recognisable in deer stalker and pipe, but now taking on multiple disguises, from hirsute hermit to a hot dog costume. No violin, no recreational narcotics, but plenty of schtick, Sherlock.
What’s more, under Jamie McKeller’s direction, Neon Crypt’s Holmes is played by a woman, Laura McKeller, in ponytails, waistcoat and waxed moustache, but with no change of gender in the aloof brain-box characterisation.
Quick on the draw: Laura Castle’s pistol-packing Dr Watson in Neon Crypt’s The Hound Of The Baskervilles
Likewise, Laura Castle follows up her Dracula with Dr John Watson, wearing the same Victorian two-piece that Elexi Walker’s penny farthing-cycling Watson sported in Damian Cruden’s ‘Baskerville’ production at York Theatre Royal in 2016.
Like the other Laura, Castle’s Watson is moustachioed, again with no change of pronouns. The voice is West Riding, the manner no-nonsense amid all the comic nonsense, conducting investigations with earnest rigour, yet all the more humorous for that. Her Watson is quick on the draw too, whether reaching for sketch pad or pistol.
Aside from a West Country rustic, Laura C will put all her eggs in the sterling Watson basket. By comparison, Laura M must navigate more costume changes than Cher in concert, not only Sherlock’s multiple disguises on the moor, but also whizzing between Mr and Mrs Barrymore; the train guard; Cecile Stapleton; Jack Stapleton and Slasher Seldon, “the Notting Hill murderer”.
Laura McKeller’s Sherlock Holmes in hot dog disguise in Neon Crypt’s The Hound Of The Baskervilles as Laura Castle’s Dr Watson looks on, strangely reminiscent of Charlie Chaplin in City Lights!
Michael Cornell, now a cross-dressing fixture as the dame in the Rowntree Players pantomime, is almost as busy as Laura M on the multi-rolling front, switching with alacrity and elasticity from Sir Henry Baskerville to Sir Charles Baskerville, Dr Mortimer to a cabbie, one meat-wielding Yokel to another (in denial of being the same character, distinguished only by the cut of meat in the bag).
All the while, York author and poet Rebecca Payne is lurking in the Theatre@41 shadows for the third time as Neon Crypt’s stage manager, except that this time she steps out of those shadows to appear on stage frequently, silent, but over-worked, handling all the scenery changes and prop exchanges, when not overseeing quick-fire costume changes from the wings.
In a running joke – and she really is on the move all the time – Rebecca accumulates a tidy sum in tips for each prop or scene change, albeit handed over increasingly begrudgingly by Cornell in particular.
Crucial too is the work of sound tech Jess Whitehead, who is called on to engineer all manner of noises, sometimes frightening, more often funny, in the tradition of Foley artists on 1950s’ radio. Listen out for the sax solo from Gerry Rafferty’s hit at every mention of Baker Street, accompanied hastily by Cornell on a blow-up pink saxophone.
Michael Cornwell multi-rolling in Neon Crypt’s The Hound Of The Baskervilles
Jamie McKeller conducts the still familiar Conan Doyle thriller with brisk purpose, physical flair and set-piece swagger, giving free rein to his cast to express ridiculous characterisation, comedic camaraderie and comic timing, with room for ad-libbing and smashing down theatre’s fourth wall to revert to being Laura C, Laura M and Michael.
Neon Crypt stay true to the verbal and visual ingenuity of Nicholson and Steven Canny’s script and stage instructions, first staged by Peepolykus at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds in 2007, while applying their own free-spirited comedic style, daft yet deft.
You would be howling mad to miss this Hound Of The Baskervilles.
Neon Crypt Productions in The Hound Of The Baskervilles, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, 7.30pm tonight and tomorrow; 2.30pm and 7.30pm, Saturday. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Stage manager Rebecca Payne, right, joining in the Sherlock shenanigans at the finale to The Hound Of The Baskervilles
Eileen Walsh in rehearsal for her lead role as Sheila Gold in the world premiere of The Psychic at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Manuel Harlan
DYSON and Nyman’s world premiere dark thriller and women sporting Holmes & Watson waxed moustaches tickle Charles Hutchinson’s fancy in his recommendations for the week ahead.
World premiere of the week: The Psychic, York Theatre Royal, until May 23
“IS any of it real,” ask Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman in The Psychic, the latest spook-fest from the writer-director duo behind Ghost Stories. In their twisted new thriller, popular TV psychic Sheila Gold loses a high-profile court case that brands her a charlatan, costing her not only her reputation but also a fortune in legal fees.
When a wealthy couple ask Sheila to conduct a séance to attempt to make contact with their late child, she senses an opportunity to bleed them for money. What follows makes her question everything she has ever believed, leading her on a journey into the darkest corners of her life. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Writer-directors Andy Nyman, left, and Jeremy Dyson in the rehearsal room for The Psychic. Picture: Manuel Harlan
Cutting-edge music and art collaboration of the week: York Late Music presents Late Music Ensemble: Picture This!, Unitarian Chapel, St Saviourgate York, tonight, 7.30pm
INSPIRED by the relationship between visual art and music, Picture This! explores how composers have responded to artworks across time, from Modest Mussorgsky to the present day.
Today’s audience is invited on a promenade through an imagined exhibition, where works by Vincent van Gogh, Wassily Kandinsky, Bridget Riley and John Martin, alongside sculpture by Alexander Calder, are reflected in a musical programme featuring a new arrangement of Pictures At An Exhibition, Igor Stravinsky’s miniature tribute to Pablo Picasso, songs by Don van Vliet (Captain Beefheart) and David Byrne, plus new works. Nick Williams gives a pre-concert talk at 6.45pm. Tickets: latemusic.org or on the door.
Feeling his collar: Tom Davis in Spudgun, full of freshly cooked observations on life’s hot topics
Comedy gig of the week: Tom Davis in Spudgun, Grand Opera House, York, tonight, 7.30pm
CROYDON comedy turn, actor and podcaster Tom Davis is back on the road, firing out his freshly cooked observations on life’s hot topics. Co-host of the Wolf And Owl podcast with Romesh Ranganathan, star of BAFTA and Royal Television Society award-winning comedy series Murder In Successville and BBC One comedy King Gary, he also has his own Sky and NOW TV special, Underdog. “Get ready,” he says. “This one is fully loaded.” Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Hank, Pattie & The Current: Innovative twist on traditional bluegrass at Selby Town Hall
Bluegrass gig of the week: Hank, Pattie & The Current, Selby Town Hall, tonight, 7.30pm
HARD-HITTING bluegrass pickers who moonlight as symphonic classical musicians, Hank, Pattie & The Current approach their string band much as they would a string quartet. The Raleigh, North Carolina four-piece are led by Hank Smith’s banjo and Pattie Hopkins Kinlaw’s fiddle in an innovative twist on traditional bluegrass flavoured with classical, Motown, jazz and pop. Box office: 01757 708449 or selbytownhall.co.uk.
Steve Cassidy: Leading his band through rock and country numbers at the JoRo
Vintage performance of the week: Steve Cassidy Band, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, Sunday, 7.30pm
THE Steve Cassidy Band return to their favourite home-city venue with guests in tow for a night of rock and country music chosen to appeal to all age groups. Steve, a three-time winner on New Faces, recorded with John Barry as a teenager and performed on shows with legends of the music industry. His line-up features John Lewis, guitar, George Hall, keyboards, Mick Hull, bass, guitar and ukulele, and Brian Thomson, percussion. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Katherine Priddy: Showcasing new album These Frightening Machines at Pocklington Arts Centre
Folk gig of the week: Katherine Priddy, Pocklington Arts Centre, Sunday, 8pm
AFTER writing and recording two songs with Poet Laureate Simon Armitage and appearing on Later…With Jools Holland, Birmingham folk singer-songwriter Katherine Priddy released her third album, These Frightening Machines, in March on Cooking Vinyl.
Priddy’s new compositions explore what it means to keep going when things fall apart, to hold on to connections in a world that sometimes divides and to figure out where we fit into the machines and systems we find ourselves confronting. Northallerton singer-songwriter George Boomsma supports. Box office: pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.
Farewell tour for opera impresario and director Ellen Kent
Exit stage left: Ellen Kent, The Farewell Tour, Madama Butterfly, May 3, 7.30pm, and Carmen, May 4, 7.30pm, both at Grand Opera House, York
OPERA impresario and director Ellen Kent is on the road with her farewell tour, presented by Senbla, featuring Opera International Kyiv, from Ukraine, in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly and Bizet’s Carmen.
Sung in Italian with English surtitles, Madama Butterfly’s heart-breaking story of the beautiful young Japanese girl who falls in love with an American naval lieutenant will be led by sopranos Elena Dee and Viktoria Melnyk, mezzo-soprano Yelyzaveta Bielous and tenors Oleksii Srebnytskyi and Hovhannes Andreasyan. Sung in French with English surtitles, Carmen promises passion, sexual jealousy, death and unforgettable arias, performed by Dee, Melynk and Mariia Davydova. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Laura Castle’s Dr John Watson, left, and Laura McKeller’s Sherlock Holmes in Neon Crypt’s The Hound Of The Baskerville
Mystery thriller of the week: Neon Crypt in The Hound Of The Baskervilles, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, May 5 to 9, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
JOIN York company Neon Crypt for side-splitting stupidity, hot dog disguises and absolute terror in Jamie McKeller’s staging of Peepolykus co-artistic director John Nicholson’s incredibly high-brow adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s mystery The Hound Of The Baskervilles.
Sherlock Holmes (Laura McKeller) and Dr Watson (Laura Castle) must unravel the mysterious death of Sir Charles Baskerville, found dead on his estate with a look of terror still etched on his face and the paw prints of a gigantic hound beside his body. Look out for Michael Cornell popping up as Sir Henry and Sir Charles Baskerville and Yokel 2. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
The poster artwork for K-Pop All Stars, bound for Grand Opera House, York
Tribute gig of the week: K-Pop All Stars, Grand Opera House, York, May 6, 7pm
RIDE the global K-pop wave with K-Pop All Stars’ explosive live celebration of the music, artists and Korean culture that is taking over the pop world. Feel the power of stadium-sized anthems, razor-sharp choreography and a cast that delivers every beat with precision and passion, performing hits by Blackpink, NewJeans, Katseye, BTS, Itzy, Stray Kids, Twice, Jung Kook and more. Cue light sticks glowing in the crowd. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Dervish: Traditional Irish folk music at National Centre for Early Music. Picture: Tim Jarvis
Recommended but sold out already: Dervish, National Centre for Early Music, Walmgate, York, May 6, 7.30pm
LEGENDARY Irish traditional folk music band Dervish, recipients of a BBC lifetime achievement award in 2019, have recorded and performed all over the world, playing at festivals from Rio to Glastonbury. Fronted by singer Cathy Jordan. the line-up of fiery fiddle, flute, bouzouki, mandola, bodhran and accordion delivers vibrant sets of tunes and compelling songs. Box office for returns only: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.
Michael Cornell’s Sir Henry Baskerville, Laura McKeller’s Sherlock Holmes, centre, and Laura Castle’s Dr John Watson in Neon Crypt’s The Hound Of The Baskervilles
YORK Gothic humorists Neon Crypt will serve up The Hound Of The Baskervilles with side-splitting stupidity, hot dog disguises and absolute terror at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, from May 5 to 9.
Expect a relentlessly silly, very funny and very fast-paced show suitable for all ages, albeit with some mild peril, as Laura McKeller, Laura Castle and Michael Cornell tackle a typically high-brow, 120-minute adaptation by Peepolykus co-founder John Nicholson, in the wake of staging Nicholson and Le Navet Bete’s Dracula: The Bloody Truth last May.
Directed by Jamie McKeller, alias York ghost walk supremo Dr Dorian Deathly of Deathly Dark Tours, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most celebrated Sherlock Holmes story is given a madcap makeover as Holmes and Dr Watson are summoned to investigate the ancient curse of the Hound of the Baskervilles.
To do so, they must unravel the mysterious death of Sir Charles Baskerville, who is found dead on his estate, with a look of terror still etched on his face and the paw prints of a gigantic hound beside his body.
The Hound Of The Baskervilles director Jamie McKeller in Dr Dorian Deathly ghost walk guide mode
“Our memories of The Hound Of The Baskervilles in York go way back to York Theatre Royal doing it with panto villain David Leonard as Holmes [in 2016],” says Jamie. “Within Neon Crypt, there are four of us, and we get together to throw it around the room, saying ‘you read this part’, ‘you read that part’, and it ended up landing the way it has with the two Lauras as Holmes and Watson and Michael playing Sir Henry Baskerville, Sir Charles Baskerville, Dr Mortimer, a cabbie and multiple meat-wielding Yokels.
“We knew one of us would direct the show, and the general feeling was that it would go a certain way, but it didn’t go the way we thought it would! I thought I’d end up as Holmes because he’s so stoic, but then Laura [McKeller] read the part and nailed the arrogance and Basil Rathbone air of ‘Britishness’.
“Laura [Castle] has such an everyman quality to her acting, and she started to read Dr John Watson in an Received Pronunciation English accent, but I said, ‘no, give me Bradford, give me the moors, give me West Yorkshire’, and that’s how she’s now playing him.”
Laura C will focus on Watson and a Yokel, while Laura M will be even busier in her multi-role-playing duties than Cornell. “She’s doing at least ten roles because Holmes is not always present. She’ll be Mr and Mrs Barrymore; the train guard; Cecile Stapleton; Jack Stapleton and Slasher Selden, ‘the Notting Hill murderer’, among others,” says Jamie.
Laura McKeller’s Sherlock Holmes in hot dog disguise in Neon Crypt’s The Hound Of he Baskervilles
“She has to go off, change character and be back on in a heartbeat – and our stage manager, Rebecca Payne, will be multi-rolling too with all the scenes changes, costume changes and props, so she’s as much a character in the show as the other three. Though she doesn’t say anything, she has to do a lot on stage, with the running joke of the cast tipping her every time she comes on but becoming more and more begrudging about doing that.”
Analysing The Hound Of The Baskervilles’ abiding popularity, Jamie says “It’s a good sleuth story where the audience feels ‘Let’s go sleuthing’. If anything, in this version, the story is on the backburner, so there are moments when the sleuthing is going on, where we have to find the chance to hit the brakes to say to the audience, ‘Are you keeping up?’.
“We’re staging it on a thrust set design, so the audience are invited into the action straightaway. Within 30 seconds, the house lights are up and the audience are involved.
“The show is right up our street in terms of silliness, and though we place it in the late-1800s, with Watson in a Victorian two-piece and Holmes in a deer stalker and cape, the cast can break out of the period setting, like the moment when they pull out a mobile phone.”
No smoke without (gun) fire: Laura Castle’s Dr John Watson in Neon Crypt’s The Hound Of The Baskervilles
The two Lauras wore Holmes and Watson’s waxed moustaches in rehearsal for the first time last night (30/4/2026). “But Laura M is no stranger to having moustaches and mono-brows on stage,” says Jamie. “Laura C likes to do her nails with themed symbols on: bats for her Dracula last time; now moustaches on blue nails for Doctor John Watson!”
From Star Wars music in one scene to the bubbling bromance of Holmes and Watson, anything could happen in Neon Crypt’s show. “I think there’s permission that if anyone ‘cracks’ on stage in a preposterous comedy, it’s not the end of the world,” posits Jamie. “It makes it feel more grounded, and you’re at such close quarters with the audience at Theatre@41 that it’s a really transformative venue, where you can have it anyway you want.”
Jamie has plenty on his thespian plate, by the way. “I’ll be playing Frank in Jim Paterson’s production of Educating Rita for Black Treacle Theatre in June, and with the volume of lines in each show, I couldn’t have done both Sherlock and Frank,” he says.
Neon Crypt in The Hound Of The Baskervilles, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, May 5 to 9, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Florence Poskitt: Playing hairdresser and Open University Eng Lit student Rita in Black Treacle Theatre’s June production of Educating Rita
YORK company Black Treacle Theatre will present Educating Rita, Willy Russell’s warm, witty and moving two-hander about the power of education to change lives, at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, from June 9 to 13.
Company founder and director Jim Paterson will direct Jamie McKeller and Florence Poskitt in Russell’s tale of Rita, a working-class hairdresser hungry for something more, signing up for an Open University literature course.
There she meets Frank, a disillusioned academic whose passion for teaching has long faded. Their weekly tutorials become a battle of ideas, humour and honesty as Rita’s confidence blossoms and heavy-drinking Frank wrestles with his demons and the possibility of a second chance.
As Rita discovers the worlds of art, culture and self-expression, she begins to question the life others expect her to live. Change, however, comes with difficult choices, whereupon both teacher and student must reconsider who they are and who they want to be. Tickets for the 7.30pm performances are on sale attickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Coming next from Neon Crypt
NEON Crypt will stage The Battersea Poltergeist and Uncanny podcaster, broadcaster and journalist Danny Robbins’s smart, modern-day London supernatural thriller 2:22 A Ghost Story at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, in Halloween week.
“Nick Hern Books contacted us to say the rights were becoming available from midday that day and would we be interested?” says Neon Crypt artistic director Jamie McKeller, who will feature in the cast alongside Laura McKeller, Laura Castle and Michael Cornell, directed by Alex King.
More details will follow.
Dr Dorian Deathly: Making the Grand Opera House his latest haunt for ghost stories
Deathly Dark Tours to go behind scenes at Grand Opera House on May 25
DR Dorian Deathly, alias Jamie McKeller, is teaming up with the Grand Opera House, York, for a “unique experience on stage and behind the scenes after dark” as visitors investigate the Cumberland Street theatre’s 120-year history with the York ghost walk host on May 25.
Deathly Dark Tourssupremo Dorian will lead ghost-walkers on a backstage tour replete with stories of people connected with the theatre’s past. Tours will start at 6pm, 7pm and 8pm. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Kristian Barley’s Adam, left, Steve Tearle’s Bernadette and Matthew Clarke’s Tick in NE Theatre York’s Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert
FROM Priscilla in the outback to dark thriller The Psychic, the Romanian Richard III to Neon Crypt’s Holmes and Watson, Charles Hutchinson picks the week ahead’s best shows and gigs.
Musical of the week: NE Theatre York in Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert The Musical, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
STEVE Tearle, creative director of NE Theatre York, plays Bernadette, joined by Matthew Clarke as Tick and Kristian Barley as Adam, in the adventure of two drag artists and a trans woman embarking on a life‑changing road trip across the Aussie outback in their battered tour bus, discovering the power of love, identity, acceptance and true friendship.
“As they head west through the Australian desert to chase a dream aboard their lavender bus, our three terrific travellers come to the forefront of a comedy of errors,” says Tearle, whose high-energy production also features Helen Greenley as Shirley, Ben Rich as Jimmy, Steve Perry as Bob, the mechanic, Ali Butler-Hind as his wife Cynthia, plus disco divas Perri Ann Barley, Melissa Boyd and Aileen Hall. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Andy Nyman, left, and Jeremy Dyson in rehearsal for their world premiere of The Psychic at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Manuel Harlan
World premiere of the week: The Psychic, York Theatre Royal, today to May 23
“IS any of it real,” ask Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman in The Psychic, the latest spook-fest from the writer-director duo behind Ghost Stories. In their twisted new thriller, popular TV psychic Sheila Gold loses a high-profile court case that brands her a charlatan, costing her not only her reputation but also a fortune in legal fees.
When a wealthy couple ask Sheila to conduct a séance to attempt to make contact with their late child, she senses an opportunity to bleed them for money. What follows makes her question everything she has ever believed and leads her on a journey into the darkest corners of her life. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Gemma Curry in Hoglets Theatre’s Spooky Shakespeare Suitcase Theatre
Children’s show of the week: Hoglets Theatre presents Spooky Shakespeare Suitcase Theatre, York International Shakespeare Festival, York St John University Creative Centre Auditorium, today, 6.30pm
HAGS, hauntings, hobgoblins and more emerge from the spooky suitcase owned by Lady Macbeth (Dotty to her friends). These spectres from performances past must retell their stories before they can find peace in the literary afterlife, but are they friends or will we need to be vanquished back into the supernatural suitcase?
Written, crafted and performed by Hoglets Theatre founder, director, writer and performer Gemma Sharp, this funny, energetic children’s theatre experience presents a world of hand-made puppets, music and storytelling, all performed from a single suitcase. “No prior knowledge of Shakespeare is required,” she says. Box office: https://yorkshakes.co.uk/programme-2026/spooky-shakespeare-suitcase-theatre/.
Dirty Ruby: Playing the blues at Milton Rooms, Malton
Blues gig of the week: Ryedale Blues Club presents Dirty Ruby, Milton Rooms, Malton, tomorrow, 8pm
SPECIALISING in sharp-edged blues rock, East Midlands five-piece Dirty Ruby have drawn comparison with 1970s’ acts Stone The Crows and Vinegar Joe with their energetic combination of Hammond organ, beautiful bluesy guitar, tight rhythm section and soulful lead vocals. After a five-track EP and debut single, they are working on completing their debut album. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Paulus The Cabaret Geek in the Victoria Wood tribute Looking For Me Friends
Tribute of the week: Looking For Me Friend: The Music Of Victoria Wood, Milton Rooms, Malton, Friday, 7.30pm
PAULUS The Cabaret Geek and pianist Michael Roulston marks the tenth anniversary of Victoria Wood’s death in Looking For Me Friend. Directed by Sarah-Louise Young (from An Evening Without Kate Bush), the show is filled with Wood’s best-loved songs, such as Ballad of Barry & Freda’ (Let’s Do It) and It Would Never Have Worked. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Sarah McQuaid: Playing Helmsley Arts Centre on Friday
Folk gig of the week: Sarah McQuaid, Helmsley Arts Centre, Friday, 7.30pm
SINGER and songwriter Sarah McQuaid draws on her seven albums of velvet-voiced folk songs, performed with wit and warmth in concert on acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards and occasionally drums.
Born in Spain, raised in Chicago, holding dual Irish and American citizenship and now settled in rural England, she brings the eclecticism of her background to her contemplative ballads, playful blues and atmospheric instrumentals, her music inviting reflection, connection and a deep appreciation of the quiet power of a well-crafted song. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Eduardo Martín & Ahmed Dickinson Cárdena
Guitar concert of the week: Eduardo Martín & Ahmed Dickinson Cárdenas, National Centre for Early Music, Walmgate, York, Friday, 7.30pm
GRAMMY nominee composer Eduardo Martín and virtuoso classical guitarist Ahmed Dickinson Cárdenas combine in an intergenerational duo that celebrates the depth and diversity of Cuban guitar music, weaving together classical, Afro-Cuban, jazz, rock and cinematic influences into a vibrant and emotionally rich dialogue.
Together, Martín and Dickinson Cárdenas embody a powerful artistic synergy. More than a concert, their collaboration is a sonic journey where generations meet, traditions evolve and Cuban identity resonates on a global stage. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.
Liviu Cheloiu in Richard III – The Man at York International Shakespeare Festival. Picture: Teatrul Tony Bulandra
Discontented son of York of the week: Tony Bulandra Theatre in Richard III – The Man, York International Shakespeare Festival, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, Friday, 7.30pm
SHAKESPEARE’S “most captivating character” returns to York in Targoviste company Tony Bulandra Theatre’s Richard III – The Man, performed in Romanian with English surtitles by versatile actor and festival director Liviu Cheloiu, celebrated in the Eastern European country for his film roles and theatre work.
Exploring themes of power and its corrupting allure, the nature of evil, the manipulation of language and the thin lines between reality and fiction, the show delves into Richard III’s psyche while attempting to relate the Bard’s description – or character assassination? – with the historical truth about the Yorkist Plantagenet king in a series of scenes inspired by the Bard’s plays, showcasing Richard’s chameleon-like personality to reveal how he utilises those around him to achieve his goals. Box office: yorkshakes.co.uk or tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Laura Castle’s Dr Watson, left, and Laura McKeller’s Sherlock Holmes in Neon Crypt’s The Hound Of The Baskervilles
Mystery thriller of the week: Neon Crypt in The Hound Of The Baskervilles, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, May 5 to 9, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
JOIN York company Neon Crypt for side-splitting stupidity, hot dog disguises and absolute terror in Jamie McKeller’s staging of Peepolykus co-artistic director John Nicholson’s incredibly high-brow adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s mystery The Hound Of The Baskervilles.
Sherlock Holmes (Laura McKeller) and Dr Watson(Laura Castle) are summoned to investigate the ancient curse of the Hound of the Baskervilles and unravel the mysterious death of Sir Charles Baskerville, found dead on his estate with a look of terror still etched on his face and the paw prints of a gigantic hound beside his body. Look out for Michael Cornell popping up as Sir Henry Baskerville and Yokel 2. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
KATIE Leckey and Emily Carhart will co-direct York Shakespeare Project’s autumn production of The Comedy Of Errors from October 21 to 24 at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York.
Katie and Emily worked together previously on York Settlement Community Players’ February 2025 production of Joe Orton’s Loot and Griffonage Theatre’s showcase of Lady Augusta Gregory plays, FourTold,last October.
“We promise an exciting take on Shakespeare’s shortest and possibly funniest play, re-imagining his early farce with a piratical twist, setting sail to the corrupt island of Ephesus, a land rife with crime, debauchery, swashbuckling action and a fair bit of slapstick,” they say.
Now all they need is a cast. Auditions will take place at Southlands Methodist Church, Bishopthorpe Road, York, from 2pm to 5pm on May 16 and 17, then 6.30pm to 9.30pm on May 18 and 19.
YORK actress Andrea Mitchell will be saving the day for American scholar and theatre coach Linda Gates when her play The Thistle And The Rose is staged on Monday (27/4/2026) at the York International Shakespeare Festival.
The 7.30pm performance was under threat after when Professor Gates’s acting partner, Marion Sybil Lines, suffered an accident that left her unable to perform at Theatre@41, Monkgate.
Fortunately, Andrea Mitchell was ready and willing to ensure the show could go on, duly receiving praise from Linda for mastering the script at such speed.
The Thistle And The Rose offers a portrait of the tense relationship between two queens: Elizabeth I of England and her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots, as revealed through their coded letters.
Playwright Linda Gates
United by kinship, these two powerful women were nevertheless divided by religion and ambition, both craving the throne of England.
Told in their own words, Gates’s play sheds light on a 27-year relationship that begins with Mary’s first letter to Elizabeth as she prepares to leave France to claim her Scottish throne and is marked subsequently by political manoeuvring, personal longing and rivalry.
Although they never met, through decades of correspondence – originally written in French and then translated by Elizabeth’s secretaries – the two monarchs reveal their hopes, fears, alliances, betrayals and ultimately the fatal conflict that ended with Mary’s execution.
Full details (and tickets) can be found at yorkshakes.co.uk, along with the full programme for a festival that will run until May 3.
Ardour on the dance floor in York Shakespeare Project’s Love’s Labour’s Lost. Picture: John Saunders
YORK has a new nightclub, Navarre, but hurry, because it will be shutting after Saturday night.
Welcome to Anna Gallon’s clubland take on Shakespeare’s early comedy Love’s Labour’s Lost in the Four Wheel Drive artistic director’s debut production for York Shakespeare Project as part of the 2026 York International Shakespeare Festival.
In March 2025, co-writers Nick Lane and Elizabeth Godber packed the lads off to a stag do in Ibiza and the lasses off to a hen do in Menorca in the Stephen Joseph Theatre’s shake-up of Love’s Labour’s Lost (More Or Less). When both groups of revellers end up stuck on the same Mediterranean island, shoddy disguises, mislaid love letters and theatrical chaos ensue, all topped off with 1990s’ pop bangers, sung live on stage.
In April 2026, Gallon re-imagines Ferdinand, the King of Navarre, and his three companions, Nick Patrick Jones’s Berowne, Harry Summers’ Longaville and Nason Crone’s Dumaine, as the DJs who once ruled York’s Nineties’ club scene. Now, however, in 2005, they renounce the wild world of drink, dance and late nights, committing themselves instead to a retreat of abstinence: no women, no drink and definitely no dance floors for three years, in favour of fasting and study.
We first encounter them flat out, hung over, slumped on the Navarre dance floor after one heck of a party hosted by Tempest Wisdom’s Moth, the all-hands-on-decks club DJ with a licence to ad-lib. The audience had arrived to the sight of all the cast cutting the rug amid the ever-changing floor lights, as they took up their seats on the perimeter, seats that will be occupied by cast members on occasion too for moments of direct address, all adding to the highly energetic production’s “immersive tag.
The lads must sign off a long list of rules and regulations but this contract of abstinence looks as fragile as Liam “Glenn Huddle” Rosenior’s five-and-a-half-year deal at Chelsea turned out to be.
All it takes is the arrival of Charlie Barrs’ Princess of France, a not-so-diplomatic diplomat, and her entourage of Grace Scott’s Rosaline, Cassi Roberts’ Maria, Vicky Hatt’s Katherine and Helen Clarke’s Boyet to rip their paper-thin yet “solemn” vows to shreds.
Not that Love’s Labour’s Lost is that simple. Shakespeare stirs the pot, as is his wont in pursuit of comedy, to include multiple meddlesome figures, not only Wisdom’s droll, mischievous Moth, but also Elizabeth Duggan’s clown, Costard, Stephen Huws’ verbose schoolmaster Holofernes, and James Tyler’s not-so-bright constable, Dull. Then add Sarah McKeagney’s curate, Sir Nathaniel, and David Lee’s Forrester, a guide to the princess, who pops up on the mezzanine level every so often.
Bubbling away throughout is the absurdist farce of aged Spanish nobleman Don Adriano de Armado (Ian Giles) fancying his chances with luscious, lustrous country wench Jaquenetta (Pearl Mollison, dress code, Friday night, York city centre), as lack of reality meets fantasy.
Gallon describes Love’s Labour’s Lost as a “dazzling, witty play about language, love and self-discovery”, where wordplay, vows and romantic mischief meet in the heat of York nightlife in a celebration of love, temptation and folly. Certainly her production is vibrant, with outbursts of dance, playful interaction and a balance between physicality and rhythmic verse, but while it re-locates to the modern world, the somewhat laboured humour still dwells in bygone times, tending to be clever and loquacious, rather than uproariously funny.
More often than not, typified by Huws’ Holofernes, a multitude of verbiage must be pushed up the hill to release the laughter, whereas Wisdom’s Moth can spin off in any direction with a quick impromptu quip.
Nevertheless, Gallon achieves her central aim of sending up “ageing players trying to resist temptation, while nightlife culture collides with wellness culture and the irresistible force of love in this comedy of discipline versus desire”.
There is a pleasing frisson to the machinations and deceptions of Ferdinand’s group and the Princess’s posse, especially when the lads don leathers, black string vests and German accents (rather than the original Muscovite disguise), only to be countered by the resourceful women swapping clothes and jewellery to test their loyalty, in the show’s best scene.
Infatuated boy band balladry and assertive Girl Power anthems add amusingly to the friction, while Gallon has fun with club-culture references such as a megaphone, a dance beat replacing a trumpet as a herald of arrival and what appeared to be a little perk-you-up package in a plastic bag.
Reeves Rowley, Jones, Scott and Wisdom are the stand-outs amid all the ardour on the dance floor, before Gallon’s daring direction delivers one final brave choice: turning on all the theatre lights for the mood-changing announcement of the death of the Princess’s father, the play no longer leading a merry dance.
York Shakespeare Project presents Love’s Labour’s Lost, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until Saturday 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
P.S. Happy 462nd birthday to William Shakespeare today (23/4/2026).
Rianna Louise’s Wendla and Dan Crawfurd-Porter’s Melchior in rehearsal for Inspired By Theatre’s Spring Awakening. Picture: JJ Thornton
INSPIRED By Theatre will mark the 20th anniversary of Spring Awakening with a bold new production at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, from May 20 to 23.
Continuing the York company’s reputation for presenting bravura interpretations of well-known works, the Tony Award-winning rock musical will be directed by Mikhail Lim.
Following artistic director Dan Crawfurd-Porter’s ambitious staging of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre in February, Lim picks up the reins for one of the most powerful and emotionally raw musicals of the modern era.
Based on Frank Wedekind’s 1906 play, Spring Awakening follows a group of late-19th century teenagers in a small German village, navigating the confusion, curiosity and turmoil of adolescence in a rigid and repressive society at odds with their awakening sexuality.
Maz Machif’s Martha and JJ Thornton’s Hanschen. Picture: Tiggy-Jade
As these young people search for answers about sex, identity and self-expression, their world collides with an oppressive culture imposed by teachers and parents determined to silence them.
Combining music by Duncan Sheik with book and lyrics by Steven Sater, the show blends alternative rock, folk and punk influences with a deeply human coming-of-age story. Scenes unfold with grounded realism before erupting into powerful musical numbers that reveal the characters’ inner thoughts and emotions.
Opening on Broadway in 2006, starring Jonathan Groff, Lea Michele and John Gallagher Jr., Spring Awakening won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
Next month’s production marks a full-circle moment for director Lim, who appeared in the northern premiere of Spring Awakening, staged by York Stage Musicals under Robert Readman’s direction at the Vaudeville Theatre, Joseph Rowntree School, York, in November 2010.
Spring Awakening director Mikhail Lim working on the guitar with cast member JJ Thornton. Picture: Tiggy-Jade
On returning to the show as director, Mikhail says: “Spring Awakening came out when I was almost exactly the age of the characters. It completely opened my eyes to different forms of musical storytelling and the kind of contemporary theatre I fell in love with.
“Being part of the northern premiere in York 15 years ago was incredibly special. Now, approaching the 20th anniversary of the original off-Broadway production, it feels extraordinary to be returning to this piece as a director. In many ways, it feels like fate.”
Lim leads an outstanding creative team assembled specifically for the project. Choreographer and assistant director Freya McIntosh, known for her work on Green Day’s American Idiot, RENT and Jesus Christ Superstar, reunites with Lim after their acclaimed Black Sheep Theatre Productions collaboration on Songs For A New World at the National Centre For Early Music, York, in October 2024.
Musical director Jessica Viner brings a wealth of musical expertise to Spring Awakening, drawing on her professional experience in touring productions, not least her role as musical director for Singin’ In The Rain, when she travelled across China.
Gemma McDonald, best known for her clowning silly-billy in Rowntree Players pantomimes each winter, takes on the role of Adult Woman in Inspired By Theatre’s Spring Awakening. Picture: Felix Wahlberg
Annie Roux steps into the producer’s role after serving as assistant producer on Jesus Christ Superstar. Costume design will be led by Julie Fisher, of The Costume Crew York, joined by fashion designer Gregory Harper, working together to create a visual world that supports the show’s striking aesthetic.
Dan Crawfurd-Porter swaps directorial duties for playing Melchior in Inspired By Theatre’s cast of 13, joined by Rianna Louise as Wendla; Eryn Grant, Moritz; Skye Pickford, Ilse, Maz Machif, Martha; JJ Thornton, Hanschen; Oskar Nuttall, Ernst; Lewis Jordan, Georg; Kailum Farmery, Otto; Ines Campos, Thea; Greta Piasecka, Anna; Stefan Michaels, Adult Man, and Gemma McDonald, Adult Woman.
Utilising such a small cast requires every performer to play a vital role in bringing the story to life, as Mikhail explains: “This show demands performers who can truly act through song and move with real emotional honesty. We’ve assembled a phenomenal company of performers who bring enormous passion and skill to the stage.”
Eryn Grant’s Moritz at the microphone, with Sky Pickford’s Ilse in the background. Picture: JJ Thornton
Movement and physical storytelling will play a central role in the production. McIntosh’s choreography blends contemporary dance with expressive theatrical movement, creating moments that feel less like traditional choreography and more like living visual art unfolding on stage.
The show’s band will form part of the storytelling, with a mixture of professional musicians and actor-musicians creating a dynamic on-stage musical presence.
Lim’s production will take place in the John Cooper Studio at Theatre@41, creating an intimate and immersive environment where audiences are placed close to the action. “The black-box setting allows the production to feel particularly visceral,” says Mikhail.
“Performing in a smaller space is both a challenge and a gift. It allows every moment, every sound and every visual detail to be felt up close. The result is something incredibly immediate and powerful.”
Inspired By Theatre will draw visual inspiration from German Expressionism and folkloric imagery to create a haunting and symbolic world that sits between realism and surrealism as old-fashioned values are refracted through a 21st century lens in an exploration of sex, puberty, coming of age and a yearning for a more progressive future.
Inspired By Theatre presents Spring Awakening, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, May 20 to 23, 7.30pm and 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Content warning: Spring Awakening features mature themes, including sexual content, sexual assault, suicide, abortion, physical abuse and strong language. Minimum age recommendation: 15 plus.
Inspired By Theatre’s poster artwork for Mikhail Lim’s production of Spring Awakening
Jalen Ngonda: Returning to York for the first time since Futuresound’s Live At York Museum Gardens last July. Picture: Paul Rhodes
SHAKESPEARE is in the spotlight with international guests and a York nightclub rom-com while artists and makers open their studios, as Charles Hutchinson’s diary bulges with inviting opportunities aplenty.
Soul show of the week: Jalen Ngonda, York Barbican, tonight, doors 7pm
AFTER appearing on Nile Rodgers & CHIC’s bill at Futuresound’s Live At York Museum Gardens last July, willowy soul singer and pianist Jalen Ngonda opens his seven-date spring tour at York Barbican. Originally from Maryland and now based in Liverpool, Ngonda’s voice and music recall the best of the great Sixties and Seventies’ soul artists, delivered with a contemporary edge. Deptford Northern Soul Club support. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Pink rocks: Amber Davies’s Elle Woods in Made At Curve’s Legally Blonde The Musical. Picture: Matt Crockett
Musical of the week: Made At Curve presents Legally Blonde The Musical, Grand Opera House, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday matinees, 2.30pm
STRICTLY Come Dancing 2025 finalist Amber Davies plays Elle Woods in the 2026 tour of Legally Blonde The Musical, joined by York Theatre Royal pantomime villain Jocasta Almgill as Brooke Wyndham, after she appeared as wicked fairy Carabosse in Sleeping Beauty last winter.
Davies had been set to appear as Hollywood hooker Vivian Ward in Pretty Woman The Musical at the Grand Opera House in February 2024, but Sydnie Hocknell understudied that week. Hannah Lowther, otherwise playing Margot, will step in for Davies at the April 23 matinee. North Yorkshireman and Curve artistic director Nikolai Foster directs the uplifting, totally pink tale of Elle’s transformation from ‘It Girl’ fashionista to legal ace at Harvard Law School, all in the name of love. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Common Ground Theatre’s Nathan Brocklebank and Lydia Keating in rehearsals for Hamlet, bound for York International Shakespeare Festival. Picture: Magdalini Brouma
Festival of the week: York International Shakespeare Festival, until May 3
YORK plays host to two weeks of world premieres, unmissable performances, enlightening talks and world-class exhibitions, bringing together artists from Romania, Croatia, Ukraine, Poland and United States, along with British creatives and York talent, in celebration of Shakespeare’s impact across the globe.
Highlights include festival artist-in-residence Lisa Wolpe’s show Shakespeare and the Alchemy of Gender, York St John University Creative Centre, tonight, 7.30pm; Common Ground Theatre’s Hamlet, Creative Centre, April 25, 7.30pm, and April 26, 4pm; Petty Men – ShakeSphere Selection 2026, Theatre@41, Monkgate, April 29, 7.30pm, and Olga Annenko’s Codename Othello, performed in English and Ukrainian, Creative Centre, May 2, 6pm, and May 3, 2pm. Full festival programme and box office: yorkshakes.co.uk.
1812 Youth Theatre in Hadestown: Teen Edition
Folk opera of the week: 1812 Youth Theatre in Hadestown: Teen Edition, Helmsley Arts Centre, tonight until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
NATASHA Jones and Freya Popplewell direct 1812 Youth Theatre in Vermont singer-songwriter Anais Mitchell’s intriguing and beautiful folk opera that intertwines two love stories, young dreamers Orpheus (Mani Brown) and Eurydice (Ava Woolford) and immortal King Hades (Koen-Leigh Brown/Jay Stevens) and Persephone (Lena Chorazyk).
Hadestown: Teen Edition invites audiences on a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back in a deeply resonant and defiantly hopeful theatrical experience. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
York Shakespeare Project’s cast on the dance floor in rehearsal for Anna Gallon’s nightclub version of Love’s Labour’s Lost
York nightlife drama of the week: York Shakespeare Project in Love’s Labours Lost, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, tonight to Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
FOUR Wheel Drive co-founder and artistic director Anna Gallon directs York Shakespeare Project for the first time in Love’s Labour’s Lost as Shakespeare’s comedy of wit, wordplay, vows and romantic mischief meets the 1990s’ club scene in an immersive new take on the Bard’s early comedy, set in the heat and heighted passions of urban nightlife.
Her playful reinvention mixes verse, rhythm, dance and striking visuals to create a fresh and contemporary celebration of love, temptation and folly, wherein the King of Navarre and his three companions are DJs who once ruled York’s club scene but now have renounced the wild world of drink, dance and late nights, committing themselves instead to a retreat of abstinence: no women, no drink and definitely no dance floors. However, when the Princess of France and her entourage arrive, their solemn vows begin to unravel. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Collage and mixed media artist Donna Maria Taylor: Taking part in York Open Studios at South Bank Studios this weekend
Art event of the week: York Open Studios, York and beyond, Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 5pm
AS many as 150 artists and makers within York and a ten-mile radius of the city are welcoming visitors to 107 workplaces and studios this weekend.
This annual event offers the chance to gain a sneak peek into where the artists work, their methods and inspirations, whether a regular contributor or the 27 new participants, spanning traditional and contemporary painting and print, illustration, drawing, ceramics, mixed media, glass, sculpture, jewellery, textiles and photography. For more information, visit yorkopenstudios.co.uk; access the interactive map at yorkopenstudios.co.uk/map.
The Manfreds: Sixties’ hits, jazz and blues at Milton Rooms, Malton
Ryedale gig of the week: The Manfreds, Milton Rooms, Malton, Saturday,7.30pm
ORIGINAL Manfred Mann members Paul Jones and Tom McGuinness are joined by Marcus Cliffe, Simon Currie, Pete Riley and Mike Gorman in The Manfreds’ two-hour performance of Sixties’ hits, dynamic jazz and powerful blues. Get Your Kicks On Tour ’26 features such favourites as 5-4-3-2-1, Pretty Flamingo, Mighty Quinn and Do Wah Diddy Diddy, alongside rhythm & blues-inspired gems and solo successes. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
The poster artwork for Labyrinth: In Concert: On tour at York Barbican
Film and music collaboration of the week: Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: In Concert, York Barbican, April 27, 7.30pm
JIM Henson’s musical fantasy film Labyrinth is on tour in concert in celebration of its 40th anniversary, transporting audiences to Goblin City in a fusion of film on a large HD cinema screen and live music on stage, performed by a band playing David Bowie and Trevor Jones’s soundtrack score and songs in sync with Bowie’s original vocals.
Taking on an ever-growing cult status since its release on June 27 1986, Labyrinth stars Bowie as principal antagonist Jareth the Goblin King, who rules the goblin kingdom, kidnaps protagonist Sarah’s baby brother and presents a charming yet menacing challenge, appearing as a rock star-like figure who lures and influences her journey. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
York International Shakespeare Festival artist-in-residence Lisa Wolpe in Shakespeare and the Alchemy of Gender
THE eighth edition of the York International Shakespeare Festival opens tomorrow (21/4/2026), featuring performances from across Europe and beyond, all grounded in William Shakespeare’s work, until May 3.
More than 40 events will be staged at festival partners York St John University and Theatre@41, Monkgate, the Yorkshire Museum and Merchant Adventurers’ Hall.
First up, at 1.30pm and 3pm tomorrow, is a new collaboration with York Museums Trust for the premiere of Friends, Romans, Yorkshiremen. Taking place on the Roman Mosaic at the Yorkshire Museum, Museum Gardens, it draws on the four plays that Shakespeare set in Rome for an exploration of the history, memory and the seemingly insignificant. This event is free for those with tickets for the museum.
Highlights will include American performer and festival artist-in-residence Lisa Wolpe in Shakespeare and the Alchemy of Gender; With Love’s Light Wings, a theatrical experience inspired by Romeo And Juliet, from Georgia; Codename Othello, a UK/Ukraine collaboration, featuring performers from York and Ivano Frankivsk, Ukraine; Shakespeare-based improv from York company Riding Lights and the world premiere of A Kingdom Jack’d by American playwright Scott Bradley, who is in York for the festival.
Look out too for new work from York-based Ukrainian theatre company D.Space; Romanian productions of The Taming Of The Shrew and Richard III; York composer Morag Galloway’s autobiographical piece Dog Daze; productions of Hamlet from Romania and the UK, complemented by a day exploring David Gothard’s Hamlet archive; Timonopoly, a game-style show based on the rarely-seen play Timon Of Athens by Edinburgh Fringe award winner Emily Carding, and Petty Me, the ShakeSphere Selection 2026.
The full programme can be found at yorkshakes.co.uk, where tickets can be booked.Brochures are available at libraries across the city.
The Roman Mosaic in the Yorkshire Museum
Taking part in the festival too will be the York Shakespeare Project, directed by Anna Gallon for the first time in Love’s Labour’s Lost as Shakespeare meets the 1990s’ club scene in an immersive new take on the Bard’s early comedy.
Set in the heat and heighted passions of modern nightlife, Anna’s reinvention will run at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, from April 22 to 25.
“We are absolutely delighted to welcome Anna as our director,” says YSP chair Tony Froud. “She emerged from an outstanding group of applicants, since when she has brought energy and excitement into the rehearsal room. This promises to translate into a totally memorable and entertaining show.
“York is very fortunate to have so many outstanding young directors. This production will show Anna as a key member of that group.”
Anna is co-founder and artistic director of York theatre company Four Wheel Drive, perhaps best known for its 2023 production of The Trial Of Margaret Clitheroe in the Guildhall. She also appeared as Lucetta in YSP’s The Two Gentlemen Of Verona, directed by Tempest Wisdom in 2024.
“I’m thrilled to be directing Love’s Labour’s Lost for YSP,” she says. “It’s a dazzling, witty play about language, love, and self-discovery – and I can’t wait to bring it to life in a way that feels vibrant and connected to the world we live in today.”
Ben Reeves Rowley in rehearsal for his role as the King of Navarre in York Shakespeare Project’s Love’s Labour’s Lost. Picture: John Saunders
Set firmly in the here and now, Anna’s Love’s Labour’s Lost will re-imagine Shakespeare’s sparkling comedy of wit, wordplay, vows and romantic mischief in clubland. Her playful production promises to mix verse, rhythm, dance and striking visuals to create a fresh and contemporary celebration of love, temptation and folly.
The King of Navarre and his three companions are re-imagined by Anna as the DJs who once ruled York’s club scene but have now renounced the wild world of drink, dance and late nights, committing themselves instead to a retreat of abstinence: no women, no drink and definitely no dance floors.
However, when the Princess of France and her entourage arrive, their solemn vows begin to unravel, as Anna explores. “I want this comedy of discipline versus desire to play out not in a palace, but in a bar, where vows are as fragile as your morals after one too many tequila shots,” she says.
“My interpretation uses Shakespeare’s original language but finds playful, recognisable parallels for modern audiences: ageing players try to resist temptation, while nightlife culture collides with wellness culture and the irresistible force of love.”
As a key element of Anna’s production, the audience will find Theatre@41’s John Cooper Studio transformed from black box into a nightclub. “The bar setting will place Shakespeare into a familiar social space,” she says. “Instead of watching from a distance, theatregoers will find themselves inside the comedy: vows made across tables, love confessions unfolding on dance floors. It will be a shared night out for all.”
York Shakespeare Project’s poster artwork for Love’s Labour’s Lost
Anna’s cast features many faces familiar to York audiences, such as Ian Giles as Don Adriano de Armado, Tempest Wisdom as page Moth, Harry Summers as Longaville and Nick Patrick Jones as Berowne, complemented by six actors new to YSP, Nason Crone’s Dumaine, Vicky Hatt’s Katherine, Helen Clarke’s Boyet, Elizabeth Duggan’s Costard, Stephen Huws’ Holofernes and Sarah McKeagney’s Sir Nathaniel.
Tony enthuses: “We are very excited that Anna’s production has attracted so many actors who are working with us for the first time. Only three of this cast appeared in our last show, Thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy, at Theatre@41 last October. It’s a very healthy and invigorating mix.
“In a very strong cast, it’s particularly pleasing to YSP to see Grace Scott and Ben Reeves Rowley in the central parts of Rosaline and the King of Navarre. Both first appeared in our annual Summer Sonnets show and it’s great to see them progressing to major parts in a full production.”
Why should you see YSP’s Love’s Labour’s Lost? Let veteran cast member Ian Giles entice you: “Off the scale for daring entertainment, one of Shakespeare’s most verbal comedies is set in King’s Night Spot in 2005 with a soundtrack of Nineties and Noughties’ belters – what could possibly go wrong (or should that be right)? Come and find out.”
York Shakespeare Project presents Love’s Labour’s Lost, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, April 22 to 25, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
With Love’s Light Wings, a Georgian theatrical experience inspired by Romeo And Juliet, plays York International Shakespeare Festival on the opening day at York St John University Creative Centre Auditorium
Festival focus: With Love’s Light Wings, York St John University Creative Centre Auditorium, April 21 at 8.30pm
PROFESSOR Manana Anasashvili, from Georgia, Eastern Europe, participated in York International Film Festival for the first time last year with her documentary film about renowned Georgian theatre director Robert Sturua.
Now the head of the Georgian Shakespeare Association returns with her stage production of With Love’s Light Wings, her spin on Shakespeare’s Romeo And Juliet, in a co-production with the Giorgi Mikeladze State Puppet Theatre that uses minimalistic but highly transformative scenography.
“With Love’s Light Wings is a theatrical experiment inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo And Juliet, presented as a variation on its central theme,” she says. “It draws loosely on the literary original – retaining only its artistic framework, while actively intervening in the text with a bold and playful approach.
“The result is a radically re-imagined interpretation, staged as a two-actor performance – plus two supporting roles – that challenges conventional theatrical norms. It defies genre boundaries, uniting diverse expressive tools and artistic forms to create an eclectic aesthetic.”
Manana continues: “Distinct scenes and characters are represented symbolically – often through objects – shifting focus from narrative to metaphor. This theatrical collage merges elements of dramatic theatre, puppet theatre, finger performance, pantomime, musical and vocal expression, choreographic elements, as well as other theatrical forms.
“Through the creative transformation of various items and scenic details, the performance generates unexpected artistic effects, opening possibilities for future experimentation and the development of new theatrical trends.
“In the context of the post-dramatic era, theatrical eclecticism emerges as both a cultural and aesthetic strategy, one that embraces the fusion of styles, genres, and historical periods. It is often used as a form of innovation, connecting tradition with contemporary expression.”
In this production, eclecticism extends beyond scenographic form to resist stylistic uniformity. “The result is a bold theatrical experiment aimed at redefining performance modes and establishing a new artistic language,” she says.
What does Shakespeare mean to Manana? “Shakespeare has been in my life since childhood. My father was a theatre and Shakespeare lover,” she says. “He knew the To Be or Not To Be soliloquy from Hamlet and recited a monologue very often. Then, being the student of the Medical University of Georgia, I have seen film The Moor Of Venice: Othello (1960), the film-ballet starring Vakhtang Chabukiani. It was unforgettable impression and I began read Shakespeare.
“Later, in 1979 when I was already studying theatre directing at the Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film State University, I had seen Richard III staged by Robert Sturua: completely stunning and amazing impression.
“After this day I dreamed in my heart – maybe someday a miracle will happen and I can somehow make a film about this performance. Many years later I realised my dream. I made film about world- renowned Georgian theatre director Robert Sturua, who staged the most Shakespearean plays in the world.
“Shakespeare means for me, contemporary writer who helps us in our lives, who can show us the world in all its dimensions and make us think about who we are as humans, what we strive for, and what or who we live for.”
How has Shakespeare impacted upon your career, Manana? “After being a student of the University of Wisconsin in 2002/2003, taking there the course Acting Shakespeare, and also after finishing later my film about Robert Sturua, I finally decided that I can and I have to teach Shakespeare,” she says.
“Now I am professor of the American-Georgian joint undergraduate programme Liberal Arts at the Ilia State university, and from 2008 I am teaching Shakespeare for the bachelor programme students. In 2023 I established the Georgian Shakespeare Association and I am the head of this association.”
What is the importance of festivals such as York International Shakespeare Festival, Manana? “This kind of festival helps artists to deepen meaningful cultural dialogues, to see live performances and films and to deepen our knowledge in the contemporary arts of foreign countries, as well as to create connections that help to establish new collaborations.”
Did you know?
WITH Love’s Light Wings was premiered on October 22 2025 in Beijing and Guilin, China, at the WTEA (World Education Theatre Alliance) International Theatre Showcase 2025.
Objectives of With Love’s Light Wings:
• To explore Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as a thematic and emotional source, rather than a fixed narrative.
• To integrate diverse theatrical forms, including dramatic theatre, puppet theatre, finger performance, pantomime, musical and vocal expression and choreographic elements, as well as other theatrical forms.
Professor Manana Anasashvili: back story
THEATRE and film director, professor of joint undergraduate programme Liberal Arts of Michigan State University, Ilia State University and AGILE (American-Georgian Initiative for Liberal Education).
Teaching Shakespeare since 2008.
Her stage production In The Dark Room had a record run, being performed in Georgia for 23 years.
Her film Only Once was awarded at several international film festivals.
Head of International Relations of Georgian Film Academy; founder and head of Georgian Shakespeare Association.
