Party six pack: David Barrott’s Toby Hancock, left, Adam Marsdin’s David Hinson, Heather Patterson’s Jennifer Hinson, Catherine Edge’s on-edge party hostess Rosa Smethurst, Xandra Logan’s Sandy Lloyd-Meredeth and Helen Wilson’s party pooper Mrs Hinson in Settlement Players’ Party Piece. All pictures: John Saunders
RICHARD Harris’s fractious farces have been the staple of amateur productions country-wide, from stalwart city companies to village hall societies.
The chances are you may well have encountered Outside Edge or Stepping Out, but maybe not Party Piece, the choice of American director, writer, producer, historian, author and stuntman Martin T Brooks for his York Settlement Community Players debut.
This is the 1992 one where control-freak doctor Michael Smethurst (James Wood) and his eager-to-please wife Roma (Catherine Edge) are preparing for their fancy-dress housewarming party, an event of military precision.
On the open-plan, somewhat rudimentary set design of two houses, their back doors and gardens, dischuffed, ornery Mrs Hinson (Helen Wilson) is looking through the peep hole in the (imaginary) wall, less than enthusiastic about her posh neighbours and their gentrification of her working-class street.
Old-fashioned washing on the line, Zimmer frame always at hand, and her late husband’s shed out of bounds, she is resolutely determined to stay put and hasn’t a good word for anyone – except her son David’s ex-wife, Rosemary.
David Barrott’s Toby Hancock, dressed in the guise of Alec Guinness in The Man In The White Suit, plus a fez for no particular reason, introduces his party outfit to fancy-dress party hosts Michael Smethurst (James Wood) and his wife Rosa (Catherine Edge), attired in role reversal as Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire
Mrs Hinson is the bane of North Yorkshire fruit- and-veg mini-empire boss David’s life, and even more so of sourpuss second wife Jennifer (Heather Patterson), who will never be good enough to replace Rosemary.
The party to end all parties turns out to be anything but as a series of disasters befalls the increasingly vexed Michael and Rosa, when the phonecall excuses for non-attendance pile up; the barbecue misbehaves in comedy tradition, and the Zimmer frame is lobbed over the wall.
The two guests who do turn up only add to the headache: step forward David Barrott’s Toby Hancock, an anaesthetist so dull he could send himself to sleep, and Xandra Logan’s coquettish Sandy Lloyd-Meredeth, who does something in property and has just split earlier that day from Gareth (who may or may not arrive). She is in need of a drink and company, any company, even dullard Toby.
One by one, David (Adam Marsdin), Mrs Hinson and Jennifer all pop round to the party, while Michael and Rosa make their exasperated way to the end of their tether.
All the ingredients are in place for the kind of English farce that Mischief’s mischief-makers have sent up so gloriously in The Comedy That Goes Wrong. What cannot be predicted is that Settlement’s play starts mirroring that show, misbehaving door panel et al (putting it out of use late on).
Mother and son vie for family top dog in Party Piece: Helen Wilson’s wily widow, Mrs Hinson and Adam Marsdin’s “big-in-fruit-and-veg” David Hinson
The normally reliable Helen Wilson has moments of struggling with Mrs Hinson’s lines, prompting Marsdin to whisper her cues loudly to her on a couple of occasions.
This has the effect of destabilising Settlement’s comedic rhythm, so important to farce, where confidence and timing are all. What a great shame as Helen’s grouchy dragon characterisation is spot on.
In keeping with David’s character, Marsdin takes charge, while also having fun with the practical joker in David, who tells his mother that the neighbours are called Jerry and Margo Leadbetter (Paul Eddington and Penelope Keith’s snobbish, conventional couple In The Good Life). He puts the cat further among the pigeons by informing Michael about the buried treasure in his garden.
Marsdin’s partnership with Patterson carries rather more conviction than the somewhat awkward physicality of Wood and Edge, but Harris’s wit and way with a funny line still break through the unease that took over Wednesday’s performance. Barrott and Logan gamely plough their own furrows, Logan in particular continuing her scene-stealing streak on the York stage.
York Settlement Community Players in Party Piece, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until November 1, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Martin T Brooks: Directing York Settlement Community Players for the first time
More theatre, vicar? Nicki Clay playing Geraldine Granger in The Vicar Of Dibley for the second time in 2025. Picture: Matt Pattison
NICKI Clay is going doubly Dibley for MARMiTE Theatre in the new York company’s debut production of The Vicar Of Dibley at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, from November 11 to 15.
“I’ve just played the role of Geraldine Granger for the Escrick Monday Players in May,” she says. “I’ve been in well over 50 plays but I’ve never done the same part twice – until now!
“I was very laissez-faire when Martyn [Hunter, the director] contacted me because I’d ended on a high note. So I was kind of not anxious over the audition because I felt I had nothing to lose. A week later I got a call from Martyn, and that’s when there was a flip in my tummy, and I thought ‘, ‘yup, I’ve got to do this again’ – and it’s been brilliant.
“It’s a different experience, and I’m loving it just as much because I don’t have the extra responsibility as I do with chairing the Monday Players. I can focus entirely on doing the role and I’m enjoying being around different people as well. It’s been hilarious in rehearsals
“We did it with the same script in Escrick, when Martyn’s wife, Jeanette, and assistant director Chris Higgins came to see it and were pretty blown away by the show. It’s the mix of the script and the characters that make it work.”
The poster for The Monday Players’ production of The Vicar Of Dibley, starring Nicki Clay’s Geraldine Granger, in Escrick, near York, in May 2025
Adapted by Ian Gower and Paul Carpenter from Richard Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer’s beloved television series, The Vicar Of Dibley brings together all the favourite characters, the eccentric residents of Dibley, as the arrival of the new vicar shakes up the parish council of the sleepy English village.
Re-meet Jim “No, No, No” Trott, Letitia Cropley, the not-so-gifted Bake Off queen, Owen Newitt, with his infamous ailments, Frank Pickle, the minute-taking bore, Hugo Horton and his cantankerous father David and the delightfully dim Alice Tinker, but is Dibley and its inhabitants ready for the wind of change that is Geraldine Grainger?
“It’s just wonderful to get another chance to play Geraldine,” says Nicki. “I love the play. I love the role, and I’m loving playing opposite new people’s different interpretations of such iconic roles, so it doesn’t feel like going through motions – and I’m doing new things and not just doing the same things I did before.
“Geraldine is enthusiastic, she’s energetic and she’s extremely empathetic, which you have to mix into your performance, and I think you have to be a Dawn French fan as well. I saw her doing her Dear Fatty show [Dawn French In 30 Million Minutes] at York Barbican [in July 2014), and she was wonderful. Dawn has even ‘liked’ one of her Instagram posts for this show.”
How has she approached following in Dawn French’s shoes as Geraldine. “Usually, when you play a role, either you’ve seen the film or the show before, and you then interpret it yourself, but with Geraldine you have to be very faithful to Dawn’s character,” says Vicki. “She definitely has a rhythm how she says things.
Mark Simmonds’s Owen Newitt, left, Vicki Clay’s Geraldine Granger, Neil Foster’s Hugo Horton, and Glynn Mills’s David Horton in rehearsal at St Nicholas Church Hall, Back Lane, Wigginton. Picture: Matt Pattison
“The first time, I studied the sitcoms, as it’s good to have something to work with, but now, because I’ve done it before, I’ve not revisited the TV shows as you don’t want to overdo it or you start second guessing yourself.”
After he directed the Rowntree Players in Glorious! at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre in March, The Vicar Of Dibley marks the birth of MARMiTE Theatre under the direction of York amateur stage stalwart Martyn Hunter.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to play many diverse roles over the years and to work with so many talented directors, who have taught me everything I know about amateur theatre. Now feels like the right time to put that experience into practice.
“With The Vicar Of Dibley, we’re setting the tone for MARMiTE Theatre: easy-going, feel-good comedy that lets audiences relax, laugh and leave their worries at the door. We want you to love us or… LOVE US!”
Ah yes, that MARMiTE company title. “I thought it was because of ‘Mar’ in Martyn’s name,” says Nicki. “I don’t think I’ll be able to get away with it forever,” says Martyn. “It came about because, with everything that you want to do, you have to have a company name to apply for the performance rights for a play. I thought about various names and then thought MARMiTE might work by changing it to a lower case ‘i’!”
Love it or hate it, like it or lump it, this is MARMiTE Theatre’s logo!
What if the makers of Marmite hate it, rather than love it, Martyn? “Worse case scenario, we can say ‘marmite’ is a French casserole dish,” he says.
Two years ago, Martyn was asked to audition for 1812 Theatre Company’s production of The Vicar of Dibley in Helmsley. “But I read the script and was a little disappointed that I didn’t think it was as good as I was expecting, but it piqued my interest and then I discovered there were various different versions of a play script,” he recalls.
“So I contacted Tiger Aspect, who said that was the case and I could do one of those or I could adapt my own version. There’s no licence fee to do it, just the set donation you are obliged to make to Comic Relief.
“Ian Gower, who lives in the beautiful fishing village of Mousehole in Cornwall, sent me the script, and I laid on the bed on a Sunday reading it and constantly laughing out loud. ‘What are you laughing at?’ said Jeanette [Martyn’s wife}. She read it and started laughing as well!”
And so MARMiTE Theatre’s debut production was born, delayed by changes from the original cast but now ready for the November run after Martyn spread his net wider, retaining the original nucleus, now supplemented by two additions.
Martyn Hunter: Director of MARMiTE Theatre’s debut production, The Vicar Of Dibley
What guidance has Martyn given his cast on playing such familiar characters? “From day one, I told them that everyone had to bring their best impersonation of their character to the auditions,” he says.
“This does bring its own problems, as you don’t have to look for the character when everyone knows the character. That can be difficult to put your own stamp on it, but it has to become the stage version, rather than having a camera in your face.”
Martyn continues: “I’ve no illusions of being some great director. I know that all theatre is subjective, so what I think is good, someone next to me might think is terrible. I’ve purposely stayed away from the TV series, other than having memories of the characters, staying away from everything else, to put my own slant on it.
“We’ve also kept the 1990s’ setting, being as faithful as possible to the characters. Ironically, The Vicar Of Dibley is a bit like Marmite: there are those who say ‘they can’t stand Dawn French’, but the majority of the country are fans!”
Last question, Vicki and Martyn. Marmite. Do you love it or hate it? “Hate it,” says Vicki. “I tried it only once. It’s good for disguising the dog’s medicine in, but that’s about it – but we do love this MARMiTE!.” Martyn? “I think somewhere in the dark and distant past I tried it. I do know I tried tripe once and that was that.”
MARMiTE Theatre in The Vicar Of Dibley, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, November 11 to 15, 7.30pm and 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk. Supporting Comic Relief.
Mark Simmonds’s Owen Newitt, left, Jeanette Hunter’s Letitia Cropley and Adam Sowter’s Jim Trott in MARMiTE Theatre’s The Vicar Of Dibley. Picture: Matt Pattison
Who’s in MARMiTE Theatre’s cast for The Vicar Of Dibley?
Nicki Clay as Geraldine Granger
Florence Poskitt as Alice Tinker
Glynn Mills as David Horton
Neil Foster as Hugo Horton
Adam Sowter as Jim Trott
Mike Hickman as Frank Pickle
Mark Simmonds as Owen Newitt
Jeanette Hunter as Letitia Cropley
Helen “Bells” Spencer as Woman
Did you know?
NICKI Clay will be stage-managing the Escrick Monday Players’ production of Tim Firth’s Neville’s Island at Escrick & Deighton Village Hall from October 30 to November 1.
Did you know too?
WHEN Martyn Hunter operated the giant plant Audrey II in the late Clive Hailstone’s production of The Little Shop Of Horrors, who should be the off-stage voice of Audrey II but Nicki Clay’s father, Adrian Clay.
FOOTNOTE: Looking ahead, MARMiTE Theatre has its sights set on further productions in a similar vein, including additional The Vicar Of Dibley scripts, ’Allo ’Allo!, The Good Life, Ladies’ Day and Last Tango In Whitby.
Nicki Clay’s Geraldine Granger, Neil Foster’s Hugo Horton, centre, and Glynn Mills’s David Horton rehearsing for MARMiTE Theatre’s The Vicar Of Dibley. Picture: Matt Pattison
Luxmuralis’s Echoes Of Yorkshire: Art, light and sound in harmony in York Museum Gardens. Picture: Duncan Savage, Ravage Productions, for York Museums Trust
GARDEN art & light installations, wartime memories and Dracula and Cinderella retellings spark Charles Hutchinson’s interest.
Installation of the week: Echoes Of Yorkshire, York Museum Gardens, until Sunday, 6pm to 8.20pm
LET light, colour and music surround you at Luxmuralis’s light and sound installation as artist Peter Walker, composer David Harper and lighting designer Steve Rainsford bring the story alive of the Yorkshire Museum and York Museum Gardens from 1,000 images.
Immerse yourself in the story of the historic site with contemporary light and music showcasing York Museum Trust’s age-defining artefacts and extraordinary exhibits. Tickets: yorkshiremuseum.org.uk.
David Barrott, Catherine Edge and Adam Marsdin in rehearsal for Settlement Players’ production of Party Piece
Calamitous comedy misadventure of the week: York Settlement Community Players in Party Piece, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm and 2.30pm Saturday matinee
AMERICAN director, writer, producer, historian and stuntman Martin T Brooks directs Settlement Players for the first time in Richard Harris’s calamitous 1992 comedy Party Piece.
Michael and Roma Smethurst are preparing meticulously for their fancy-dress housewarming party as Mrs Hinson, not the biggest fan of her upper-class new neighbours, keeps a criticising eye on the attendees. Then disasters strike: an embarrassing lack of guests, a burning barbeque, a marauding Zimmer frame and a corpse showing up at the front door. Cue chaos. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Cassie Vallance, left, and Jane Bruce in Story Craft Theatre’s Bat, Cackle And Pop! at York Theatre Royal
Children’s Halloween show of the week: Story Craft Theatre in Bat, Cackle And Pop!, York Theatre Royal Studio, today until Friday, 10.30am and 1pm
WINIFRED the Witch thinks everyone has forgotten her birthday. Not so. There will be a big surprise party, but first, a special birthday cake must be made.
“We just need the last three rather spooky ingredients,” say York company Story Craft Theatre’s Cassie Vallance and Jane Bruce. “Our show is bubbling with all sorts of ghosts and ghouls – more silly than scary – and there’s plenty of opportunities to dabble in some spell making, as well as flying with luxury BAT Airways.” Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Jimmy Regal & The Royals: Playing Ryedale Blues Club at Milton Rooms, Malton
Blues gig of the week: Ryedale Blues Club presents Jimmy Regal & The Royals, Milton Rooms, Malton, tomorrow, 8pm
JIMMY Regal & The Royals are a tough and howlin’ harmonica-led three piece from South London, brandishing a sound from Mississippi to New Orleans, Mali to Canvey Island. Signed to Lunaria Records, they are touring to promote latest album Well Boss, a live set recorded at the Temperance in Leamington Spa. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Stage Hammer: Revamping Bram Stoker’s Dracula
High stakes of the week: Stage Hammer in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, tomorrow and Friday, 7.30pm; Kirk Theatre, Pickering, Saturday, 7.30pm
WOLVES howl in the forests of Transylvania. Waves crash violently against the cliffs below Whitby Abbey. The infection is spreading. Count Dracula (Stuart Sellens) walks among us. Yorkshire solicitor Jonathan Harker (Callum Mathers) travels to a castle in the Carpathian Mountains to finalise the sale of property for a reclusive nobleman.
When he seemingly vanishes, fiancée Mina (Jennifer Jones) and her closest friend Lucy (Kathryn Lay) fall into the grip of a sinister force. Their only hope for survival is the mysterious vampire slayer Professor Van Helsing (Christopher C Corbett) in East Yorkshire troupe Stage Hammer’s new account of Bram Stoker’s vampire story, adapted by Corbett and directed by Lydia Baldwin. Box office: York, 01904 658338 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk; Pickering, 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk.
Fizzy with the singers in Pick Me Up Theatre’s Bugsy Malone: Theo Rae, Isla Lightfoot, Olivia Swales and Beau Lettin
Musical of the week: Pick Me Up Theatre in Bugsy Malone, Grand Opera House, York, October 31 to November 8, 7.30pm, except Sunday and Monday; 2.30pm, both Saturdays and Sunday
LESLEY Hill directs and choreographs York company Pick Me Up Theatre’s cast of 40 young performers in Alan Parker and Paul Williams’s musical, replete with the film songs You Give A Little Love, My Name Is Tallulah, So You Wanna Be A Boxer?, Fat Sam’s Grand SlamandBugsy Malone.
In Prohibition-era New York, rival gangsters Fat Sam and Dandy Dan are at loggerheads. As custard pies fly and Dan’s splurge guns wreak havoc, penniless ex-boxer and all-round nice guy Bugsy Malone falls for aspiring singer Blousey Brown. Can Bugsy resist seductive songstress Tallulah, Fat Sam’s moll and Bugsy’s old flame, and stay out of trouble while helping Fat Sam to defend his business? Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Little Seeds Music: Refreshing the fairytale world in Cinderella Ice Cream Seller
Fairytale retelling of the week: Little Seeds Music in Cinderella Ice Cream Seller, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 2.30pm
OVER the past four decades, Cinderella’s has become the kingdom’s most beloved ice cream company, with a parlour on every street corner, but how did this humble maker become a multimillionaire business woman with her own empire?
Prepare your dessert spoons for a tale of perseverance, princes, palace balls, glass slippers and, yes, ice cream in writer-composer David Gibb’s hour-long family musical, wherein loyal Cinderella’s employees Talvi and Caldwell share her rags-to-riches tale and confront their own desires, hopes and the magic that lies within each scoop. Suitable for age five upwards. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Bomb Happy: Film and live performance double bill for VE Day at Milton Rooms, Malton
Theatre memorial of the week: Everwitch Theatre in Bomb Happy VE Day double bill, Milton Rooms, Malton, Sunday, 3pm
PRESENTED in the lead-up to Remembrance Sunday, whose focus this year falls on 80th anniversary of VE Day, Bomb Happy has been created by writer-performer Helena Fox and actor-vocalist Natasha Jones, of Everwitch Theatre.
From D-Day to VE Day, this powerful one-hour double bill of live performance (30 minutes) and short film (30 minutes) brings to life the verbatim accounts of two working-class Yorkshire Normandy veterans, highlighting the lifelong impact of post-traumatic stress disorder and sleep trauma, not only on war veterans but on their families too. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Chris Smither: Playing All Saints Church, Pocklington tonight
In Focus: Chris Smither, All Saints Church, Pocklington, tonight, 7.30pm
CHRIS Smither, truly an American original, returns to the UK to perform songs from his vast catalogue on his 2025 UK and Irish tour as he approaches his 81st birthday on November 11.
Honing his synthesis of folk and blues for more than 50 years, this profound songwriter and captivating performer, from Miamai, Florida, melds the styles of his two major influences, Lightnin’ Hopkins and Mississippi John Hurt, into his own signature guitar sound.
His music draws deeply from the blues, American folk music, modern poets and humanist philosophers. His songs have featured in films and TV shows and been covered by John Mayall, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt and Diana Krall, among others.
Smither continues to tour festivals, music clubs and concerts halls all over the world. Now he showcases his 20th studio album, 2024’s All About The Bones, produced by long-time friend and producer David Goodrich, which complements eight new compositions with Smither’s renditions of Eliza Gilkyson’s Calm Before The Storm and Tom Petty’s Time To Move On.
The recording sessions took place at Sonelab Studios in Easthampton, Massachusetts, where Smither was joined by Goodrich, Zak Trojano, BettySoo and Chris Cheek.
The New York Times said of All About The Bones: “With a weary, well-travelled voice and a serenely intricate finger-picking style, Mr Smither turns the blues into songs that accept hard-won lessons and try to make peace with fate.”
Singer-songwriter BettySoo is Smither’s guest on the tour. Tickets for tonight cost £21.50 at www.smither.com.
York Stage’s poster to announce next October’s production of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie at the Grand Opera House, York
YORK Stage will present a “bold and gritty” new production of Sheffield-forged musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie at the Grand Opera House, York, from October 16 to 24 2026.
Hold on. Didn’t York Stage perform Dan Gillespie Sells and Tom MacRae’s award-winning show at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, in June 2023? Yes indeed, but that was the York premiere of the Teen Version, starring Ryan Addyman, from Knaresborough, in the title role in his York Stage debut.
Now, director Nik Briggs has decided to re-imagine the award-winning musical with a “raw, authentic edge, capturing the electricity, humour and heart that has made Jamie a modern British classic”. How? By diving deeper into Jamie’s world.
Ryan Addyman as Jamie New in York Stage’s June 2023 York premiere of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Teen Edition. Picture: Matthew Kitchen
Inspired by the Firecracker documentary Jamie: Drag Queen At 16, composer Dan Gillespie Sells (from Horsham’s finest pop practitioners The Feeling) and writer/lyricist Tom MacRae worked their magic from an original idea by director and co-writer Jonathan Butterell for the 2017 Sheffield Crucible Theatre premiere.
Inspired by a true story, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie follows 16-year-old Jamie New, who doesn’t quite fit in. Supported by his loving mum and his friends, Jamie overcomes prejudice, beats the bullies and steps into the spotlight to become the star he was born to be.
York Stage’s 2026 production promises a fresh take on the hit West End show, blending Gillespie Sells’s infectious pop score and MacRae’s fearless, humorous book with York Stage’s trademark theatrical grit and emotional honesty.
Nik Briggs: Directing York Stage’s 2026 production of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
“This is a story about identity, courage and the power of self-expression,” says Nik. “Our new production will dive deeper into Jamie’s world – its highs, its heartache and its hope – and celebrate the beautiful mess of growing up different in a northern city. We can’t wait to share this version with York audiences.”
Next October’s full-scale production will feature a vibrant cast and professional creative team, marking another landmark moment for York Stage at the Grand Opera House. Tickets will go on sale soon at atgtickets.com/york.
Did you know?
EVERYBODY’S Talking About Jamie was last staged in York by Pick Me Up Theatre at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre in July 2025, when 15-year-old York schoolboy Harvey Stevens took the lead role of Jamie New.
Principal dancers, dance captains and siblings Anna Mai Fitzpatrick and Fergus Fitzpatrick in Riverdance’s 30th anniversary show, The New Generation
LEFT-FIELD Halloween entertainment, garden art and light installations, Normal comedy and a splurge gun musical spark Charles Hutchinson’s interest.
Dance show of the week: Riverdance, 30th Anniversary Tour, York Barbican, today and tomorrow, 2.30pm and 7.30pm
VISITING 30 UK venues – one for each year of its history – from August to December 2025, the Irish dance extravaganza Riverdance rejuvenates the much-loved original show with new innovative choreography and costumes, plus state-of-the-art lighting, projection and motion graphics, in this 30th anniversary celebration.
For the first time, John McColgan directs “the New Generation” of Riverdance performers, none of them born when the show began. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Blair Bitch Project: Playing on Navigators Art’s bill at YO Underworld 6 at The Basement
Live, left-field, local new music, comedy and words for Halloween: Navigators Art presents YO Underworld 6, The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse, York, tonight, 7.30pm
IN this special Halloween edition, York arts collective Navigators Art plays host to riot grrrl punk and grunge-inspired York quartet Blair Bitch Project and improvising cellist and sound artist Gaia Blandina, performing collaborative, open-form pieces with Ish, featuring Iris Casling, double bass, Des Clarke, oboe, and Nika Ticciati, voice.
Joshua Arnold & Therine: Welcoming the coming of Samhainat YO Underworld 6
Taking part too are dark hurdy-gurdy and vocal-led trad and experimental drone folk combo Joshua Arnold & Therine, welcoming the coming of Samhain; Kane Bruce, delivering his outrageously dark yet cheeky take on “taboo” topics, and Hull poet Melissa Shode, who explores identity in the socio-political climate and writes for release, justice and the voiceless. Box office: ticketsource.co.uk/navigators-art-performance or on the door.
Steve Gunn: Showcasing his two 2025 albums at The Band Room, Low Mill, tonight. Picture: Paul Rhodes
Moorland gig of the week: Steve Gunn, The Band Room, Low Mill, Farndale, North York Moors, tonight, 7.30pm
STEVE Gunn, the ambient psychedelic American singer-songwriter based in Brooklyn, New York, made his name as a guitarist in Kurt Vile’s backing band, The Violators. His myriad magical influences include Michael Chapman, Michael Hurley and John Fahey.
This weekend he will be showcasing his second album of 2025, Daylight Daylight, out on November 7 on No Quarter, as well as his first fully instrumental album, August’s Music For Writers. Box office: 01751 432900 or thebandroom.co.uk.
Hands and Voices: York choir singing at Laughs, Lyrics & You! at the Gateway Centre on Sunday
Inclusive open mic event of the week: Accessible Arts & Media presents Laughs, Lyrics & You!, Gateway Centre, York, Sunday, 2.30pm to 5pm
WHAT is Laughs, Lyrics & You!? “The idea is to have an open mic-type event, in a relaxed and friendly environment that’s accessible and fun, with tea and cake too,” says Accessible Arts & Media (AAM) chief executive officer Chris Farrell. “Our projects, IMPs, Movers and Shakers and Hands and Voices, will start the show with their wonderful music, dances and stories.
“Then it’s over to whoever would like to perform. Any talent is welcome, a duet, a solo instrument, a poetry reading, a recording of some original music, jokes…whatever you can think of would be great!” To take part, performers must contact projects@aamedia.org.uk or ring Hannah on 07762 428818. Admission is free; donations welcome.
Artist Ric Liptrot: Taking part in That Acomb Arty Thing
Art event of the week: That Acomb Arty Thing, Art Trail, until November 2; Open Studios, November 1 and 2
DISCOVER York artists’ work in venues around Acomb on the autumn Art Trail featuring Carla Ballantine, Linda Braham, Ric Liptrot, Jelena Lunge, Rae Merriman, Isaac Savage, Ginette Speed, Donna Taylor and Dianne Turner.
North Yorkshire Open Studios participants are hosting open studios next Saturday and Sunday: Paul Mathieson & Peter Mathieson, 49 Jute Road, 10am to 4pm; Peijun Cao, 60 Jute Road, 10.30am to 5pm; Fran Brammer, 81 Jute Road, 10am to 4pm; Charlotte Lister & Charley Hellier, 7 Chestnut Grove, 10am to 2pm; Robin Grover-Jacques, 35 Chestnut Grove, 11am to 4pm, and Mo Nisbet, 116 Acomb Road, 11am to 4pm.
Blue sigh thinking? Henry Normal reflects on himself, his mistakes, his Z celebrity status, in The Slideshow
Normal service resumed: Henry Normal, The Slideshow, Helmsley Arts Centre, Sunday, 8pm
THE Slideshow, as poet, film and TV producer/writer Henry Normal explains, is a multi-MEdia spectacular with the emphasis on the “me” in his celebration of his “meteoric rise to Z celebrity status”, followed by his joyous and inevitable slide into physical and mental decline.
Expect poetry, photos, jokes, music, dance, song, circus skills, costume changes, props and stories, exploring where Normal went wrong in life, plus lessons you can learn from his mistakes, in this memoir with cautionary verse. Box office: helmsleyarts.co.uk.
David Barrott, left, Catherine Edge and Adam Marsdin in rehearsal for Settlement Players’ production of Party Piece
Calamitous comedy misadventure of the week: York Settlement Community Players in Party Piece, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, October 28 to November 1, 7.30pm and 2.30pm Saturday matinee
AMERICAN director, writer, producer, historian and stuntman Martin T Brooks directs Settlement Players for the first time in Richard Harris’s calamitous 1992 comedy Party Piece.
Michael and Roma Smethurst are preparing meticulously for their fancy-dress housewarming party. Mrs Hinson, not the biggest fan of her upper-class new neighbours, is keeping a criticising eye on the attendees. Then disasters strike: an embarrassing lack of guests, a burning barbeque, a marauding Zimmer frame and a corpse showing up at the front door. Cue chaos. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Cassie Vallance, left, and Jane Bruce in Story Craft Theatre’s Bat, Cackle And Pop! at York Theatre Royal
Children’s Halloween show of the week: Story Craft Theatre in Bat, Cackle And Pop!, York Theatre Royal Studio, October 29 to 31, 10.30am and 1pm
WINIFRED the Witch thinks everyone has forgotten her birthday. Not so. There will be a big surprise party, but first, a special birthday cake must be made.
“We just need the last three rather spooky ingredients,” say York company Story Craft Theatre’s Cassie Vallance and Jane Bruce. “Our show is bubbling with all sorts of ghosts and ghouls – more silly than scary – and there’s plenty of opportunities to dabble in some spell making, as well as flying with luxury BAT Airways.” Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Rory Stewart: Discussing his new book, Middleland, at York Barbican
Book event of the week: Toppings presents Rory Stewart, Middleland, York Barbican, October 30, 7pm
NOW Professor of the Practice of Grand Strategy at Yale University’s Jackson School of Global Affairs and Alastair Campbell’s co-podcaster on The Rest Is Politics, Rory Stewart spent nearly a decade as Conservative MP of Britain’s most rural constituency, Penrith and the Border.
Living in the Eden Valley, he found inspiration in the beauty of Cumbrian landscape, its rugged history as a frontierland, and the spirit of its people, prompting him to write Middleland: Dispatches From The Borders, a portrait of rural Britain today: a place caught in tensions between farming and the natural world, between the need to preserve and to grow, between local and national politics. Over to you, Rory. Tickets: toppingbooks.co.uk/events/york/rory-stewart-middleland/.
Fizzy with the singers in Pick Me Up Theatre’s Bugsy Malone: Theo Rae, Isla Lightfoot, Olivia Swales and Beau Lettin
Musical of the week: Pick Me Up Theatre in Bugsy Malone, Grand Opera House, York, October 31 to November 8, 7.30pm, except Sunday and Monday ; 2.30pm, both Saturdays and Sunday
LESLEY Hill directs and choreographs York company Pick Me Up Theatre’s cast of 40 young performers in Alan Parker and Paul Williams’s musical, replete with the movie songs You Give A Little Love, My Name Is Tallulah, So You Wanna Be A Boxer?, Fat Sam’s Grand SlamandBugsy Malone.
In Prohibition-era New York, rival gangsters Fat Sam and Dandy Dan are at loggerheads. As custard pies fly and Dan’s splurge guns wreak havoc, penniless ex-boxer and all-round nice guy Bugsy Malone falls for aspiring singer Blousey Brown. Can Bugsy resist seductive songstress Tallulah, Fat Sam’s moll and Bugsy’s old flame, and stay out of trouble while helping Fat Sam to defend his business? Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
In Focus: Tom Grennan, York Racecourse Music Showcase Weekend, July 25 2026
BEDFORD singer-songwriter Tom Grennan is the first act to be confirmed for the Music Showcase Weekend at the 2026 York Racecourse flat racing season.
Grennan, 30, has achieved three UK number one albums, 2021’s Evering Road, 2023’s What Ifs & Maybes and 2025’s Everywhere I Went Led Me To Where I Didn’t Want To Be, preceded by his top five-charting 2018 debut Lighting Matches.
He has chalked up hit singles too with Little Bit Of Love, Let’s Go Home Together (with Ella Henderson), Remind Me, Lionheart (Fearless, with Joel Corry), Here, How Does It Feel, It Can’t Be Christmas, By Your Side (Calvin Harris, featuring Tom Grennan) and Not Over Yet (KSI, featuring Tom Grennan).
Next summer’s Knavesmire gig will form part of a busy touring schedule for Grennan, who also co-hosts the You About? podcast with TV and radio presenter Roman Kemp.
Racing and music fans can take advantage of a price freeze on adult general admission on the track’s website, meaning entrance to the main Grandstand and Paddock enclosure, starts at just £40 per person for a group of six. As well as free car parking, no booking fees apply on this route to purchase. To book, visit www.yorkracecourse.co.uk.
On the racecourse, the racing action will see seven thoroughbred contests with combined prize money of £380,000. The Group Two feature race will be the Sky Bet York Stakes.
The Summer Music Saturday meeting will be held on June 27; the Friday evening Music Showcase Weekend meeting on July 24. Music acts for both those days are yet to be confirmed; keep checking www.yorkracecourse.co.uk for further announcements, expected soon.
James Brennan, head of marketing and sponsorship says: “It is great news that Tom Grennan is joining the artists to have performed on the Knavesmire; a performer who has gone from strength to strength. It will herald a month for music and racing fans to remember.”
In Focus too: Luxmuralis presents Echoes Of Yorkshire, York Museum Gardens, until November 2, 6pm to 8.20pm
Luxmuralis’s Echoes Of Yorkshire transforming the St Mary’s Abbey ruins in York Museum Gardens. Picture: Duncan Savage, Ravage Productions, for York Museums Trust
LET light, colour and music surround you at the Echoes Of Yorkshire light and sound installation conjured by the internationally acclaimed Luxmuralis, who bring alive the culturally rich story of the Yorkshire Museum and York Museum Gardens.
Visitors are invited to “immerse yourself in the story of the historic site with contemporary light and music showcasing its age-defining artefacts and extraordinary exhibits. Join us to celebrate all that the museum and its gardens bring to our city and the wider north of England.”
In the 30-year collaboration of sculptor and artist Peter Walker and composer David Harper, Luxmuralis travels the world to create stories in light and sound for audiences at locations ranging from the Tower of London and St Paul’s Cathedral, London, to city-wide open-air projections in places such as Oxford and Limburg in the Netherlands.
Through combining fine art, light and sound, Luxmuralis reflects closely on the history and heritage of places by weaves together the contemporary and the ancient.
Now, for the first time, Luxmuralis is transforming the walls of York in Echoes Of Yorkshire in York Museum Gardens for ten evenings filled with six looping art installations and landscape lighting by Steve Rainsford.
Ticketed entry time slots are given every 20 minutes, but once in the gardens visitors can journey through the experience at their own pace with a recommended walking time of one hour. Refreshments will be available to buy on the night, including from Thor’s tipi.
Echoes Of Yorkshire is suitable for all ages. Audiences will experience the gardens’ history from the Roman period to its time as an abbey (St Mary’s Abbey) in tandem with Luxmuralis’s showcase of the Yorkshire Museum’s collections that span 60 million years from the Jurassic and the Mesolithic, through to the Romans, Viking, Anglo Saxon and Medieval.
Welcoming Luxmuralis to York Museum Gardens, Siona Mackelworth, head of audience and programme for York Museums Trust, says: “We are delighted that Luxmuralis agreed to produce a very special and bespoke show for us here in York.
“This is a celebration of all that the Yorkshire Museum brings to the city, its history and the location as the repository of great discoveries and stories. With this amount of content, the Luxmuralis light and sound show looks amazing.”
Luxmuralis artistic director Peter Walker says: “We’re thrilled to be collaborating with the team at Yorkshire Museum to deliver a truly distinctive experience set within the stunning and historically rich Museum Gardens.
“By drawing inspiration from the museum’s collections, this light installation re-imagines the architecture and landscape in an entirely new and transformative way.”
Tickets cost £13.50 per adult; £9.50 for children aged five to 16; free admission for under-fives. Box office: yorkshiremuseum.org.uk. Echoes Of Yorkshire is on a constant loop from 6pm to 8.20pm each night. Please note, only assistance dogs will be allowed into the gardens during the event.
York Settlement Community Players cast members Heather Patterson, Adam Marsdin and Helen Wilson in rehearsal for Richard Harris’s Party Piece
AMERICAN stuntman, director, writer and producer Martin T Brooks is directing York Settlement Community Players for the first time in Richard Harris’s calamitous comedy Party Piece at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, from October 28 to November 1.
“Last November, a friend of mine suggested I apply to direct a show for the York Settlement Community Players, but not having much notable experience directing theatre, I didn’t think I had much of a chance,” he says.
“Luckily for me, and many others, YSCP’s mission is to give aspiring directors the chance to direct. So, I did my research, got my ducks all in a row and made my pitch to the committee. Must have done something right because here I am. Directing Party Piece.”
Here Martin discusses his YSCP debut with CharlesHutchPress.
What happens in Party Piece?
“Michael and Roma are meticulously preparing for their fancy-dress housewarming party. Roma is treating the event like the coronation of the newest monarch, with Michael thinking he is planning the Normandy landing, as well as manning the barbeque with five-star determination and the personality of Gordon Ramsay.
“Mrs Hinson – who is not the biggest fan of her upper-class new neighbours – keeps a watchful and criticising eye on the attendees with the evening looking to be the social event of the neighbourhood.
“That is until a series of disasters strike, including an embarrassing lack of guests, a burning barbeque, a marauding Zimmer frame and a corpse showing up at the front door, turning the party into a hilarious misadventure.”
What attracted you to directing Party Piece? What are the play’s strengths, and why put it on in 2025?
“I selected Party Piece for several reasons. One being that with everything going on these days, I think we could all use a good laugh – and this show as them in abundance. I can remember, back in the day, my dad was playing a recording of an old radio broadcast of Steptoe And Son.
James Wood’s Michael Smethurst, left, Darron Barrott’s Toby Hancock and Catherine Edge’s Roma Smethurst rehearsing a scene from Party Piece
“Being only six or so, I didn’t really understand the jokes, but my dad sure thought they were funny. And dad didn’t laugh much. I guess this is when I first realised there was something special about old-time British comedies.
“Party Piece reminded me a lot of the classic British sitcoms I used to watch when I lived in the States, such as Fawlty Towers, Are You Being Served, Chief (remember that one?) and my favourite, The Good Life – which Party Piece has a lot in common with.
“The show also includes special effects, such as a smoking barbecue and wig, exploding fairy lights and a collapsing chair. As a former professional stuntman, I always like to create such effects, especially for the theatre.”
What is the history of Party Piece? When and where was it first performed?
“According to Theatricalia.com, the play, written by award-winning British playwright Richard Harris, was first performed at the Thorndike Theatre on September 15 1987. Although its official publication date is 1992.”
Have you seen a previous production of Party Piece?
“I have not seen the production live and could only find a few photos of previous production by Am Dram groups.”
Have you brought new faces to the Settlement ranks or gone with settled Settlement faces?
“The auditions were open to anyone and brought in the usual suspects of veteran actors from the North Yorkshire area. We do have one newcomer in Heather Patterson, who will be making her stage debut with YSCP. I consider myself very lucky that I was able to find experienced actors who fit the characters they are portraying so perfectly.”
Darren Barrott, left, Catherine Edge and Adam Marsdin in rehearsal for Martin T Brooks’s production
What will be the set design for the show?
“I created the overall design and based it on the description in the script and what a typical English back garden would look like in the early 2000s. The set is being constructed by Richard Hampton.”
Will there be music for the party?
“One of the funniest running gags in the play is Michael’s many failed attempts to get the music planned for the party to play properly. I’ve selected a few appropriate party pieces of music like Whitney Huston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody and Wham’s Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, which play well alongside the comic action taking place on stage.”
What makes a good party?
“The people, the food and the music.”
What makes a bad party?
“Music that is way too loud.”
Do you have your own party piece that you can reel out at a gathering?
“Like most blokes, after a few pints, I think I’m a pretty good stand-up comedian and can tell a few good ex-wife jokes and what it’s like being an American living in the UK.”
York Settlement Community Players in Party Piece, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, October 28 to November 1, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk
Martin T Brooks: back story
American director, writer, producer, historian and author Martin T Brooks
1974: Auditioned for his first community theatre production, Oliver!. “I was severely bitten by the theatre bug,” says Martin. “I’ve been involved in the theatre, TV and film industries since that time, and I can’t imagine a world without myself being involved in these creative art forms.”
1985 to 1987: Writer/producer/director for local TV station (KABL-52 in Minnesota, USA), responsible for directing and broadcasting a variety of live and in studio productions. “During this time, I was recognised for my contributions to the local community and was awarded the Community Access Merit award,” says Martin.
1985 to 1995: In his ten years as a stuntman, Martin appeared (uncredited) in the film Drop Dead Fred, as well as a few pilot TV shows filmed in Phoenix, Arizona. “Most of my work was on live stunt shows like Thrill Show 2000, which you can find on my YouTube channel,” he says.
2007 to 2011: Deputy Manager and lighting technician for Watersmeet Theatre in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire. “This provided me with many opportunities to be part of the technical/production staff, as well as stage manage numerous professional and amateur productions,” says Martin.
2011: “While working for St Michael’s Catholic High School in Garston, Hertfordshire, I was asked to direct the Year 9 & 10 production of Romeo And Juliet, as well as other shows put on by the senior performing arts students.
2017: Wrote and directed a series of “living history” plays based on real-life characters researched by Martin while writing the book Acts Of Caring And Other Heroics, Stories from the Leavesden Asylum/Hospital (1870 to1995).
“These plays were performed on an open-air stage during various history/Heritage Day events sponsored by the local district council, or in many primary schools as part of their local history/heritage studies,” he says.
2022 to 2024: Appeared in leading roles in 11 student/independent films and received Best Actor award from 2023 Alternative Film Festival, Toronto, Canada for portrayal of Charles in the short film The Beggers Story, produced by students at University of York’s TV/film programme.
2024: Wrote, produced and directed a short film, again based on real-life characters researched while writing Acts Of Caring And Other Stories. His film Going Home can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/986560818.
2025: Directing York Settlement Community Players for the first time in Richard Harris’s Party Piece.
Who’s in the Settlement Players’ cast for Party Piece?
JAMES Wood as Michael Smethurst; Catherine Edge as Roma Smethurst; Helen Wilson as Mrs Hinson; Adam Marsdin as David Hinson; Heather Patterson as Jennifer Hinson; Xandra Logan as Sandy Lloyd-Meredeth, and Darren Barrott as Toby Hancock.
Harry Summers’ Hieronimo: “The Hamlet of the piece” in Thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy. All pictures: John Saunders
BACK in the Elizabethan day, Thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy outsold Hamlet.
Truth be told, he was pretty much a one-hit wonder, (even “the one and only” Chesney Hawkes had a minor second hit, I’m A Man Not A Boy in 1991), and Kyd has been long dead and buried, like most of his players in what is now viewed as the groundbreaking template for revenge tragedies.
York Shakespeare Project’s decision to expand the focus beyond the Bard in its 25-year second cycle of the First Folio facilitates the revival of rival works of Ben Jonson, the ill-fated Christopher “Kit” Marlowe and, yes, one Thomas Kyd (1558-1594), the tragic trailblazer.
After the Pop Art explosion and drag and cancel culture of director-designer Tom Straszewski’s take on Marlowe’s Edward II in October 2023, Paul Toy returns to the YSP director’s chair after a 14-year hiatus to steer his fourth YSP production.
Toy had first read The Spanish Tragedy as part of his university Renaissance Theatre course, playing the insouciant wrong’un Pedringano to boot. He was struck by how so many of its ideas – “a ghost seeking revenge, feigned or real madness, a play within a play” – would be echoed in Hamlet by Shakespeare, the alchemist of playwrights. Better lines, better characters, better gags.
The Spanish Tragedy, however, turns out to have been well worth digging up out of its neglected grave. Yes, it is no match for Hamlet, but this is a meaty work, full of myriad theatre styles, as Toy notes, from dumb shows to execution as street theatre, tragedy as classical as Greek dramas, and not least a Last Judgement scene redolent of the York Mystery Plays. And, boy, does Kyd enjoy piling up the bodies till the last man standing.
The price of love: Emma Scott’s Bel-imperia and Yousef Ismail’s Horatioin York Shakespeare Project’s The Spanish Tragedy
Working in tandem with set designer and choreographer Viv Wilson and mask maker Tempest Wisdom, plus a rotating team of trainee make-up artists from York College (Grace Gilboy, Beth Shearstone, Keira Hosker, Abigail Horton and Ethan Thorpe), Toy gives The Spanish Tragedy the look of the Day of the Dead, with a nod in Wednesday’s make-up to Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight.
Relocated to York from Seattle, Wilson is a sound engineer at Theatre@41, has contributed YSP sets for The Taming Of The Shrew and Two Gentlemen Of Verona, and once toured the world in a dance group and performed burlesque acts on three continents.
From that portfolio, you see how all life is here in YSP, as it should be in a long-running project, and now Wilson makes her debut in “legitimate theatre” as Revenge, resplendent in red and black, her face skeletal and ghostly white, her voice like a 60-fags-a-day midnight hag. Her mood is intemperate, her mission on a par with the Grim Reaper, but with better putdowns.
Wilson’s Revenge takes her seat to one side of the mezzanine level, reached by a staircase with a platform above for executions and such like. To the other is the “ghost seeking revenge”, YSP debutant David Lee’s Ghost of Andrea, drained of all colour by way of contrast with Wilson’s crimson Revenge. They will watch on, like the Chorus in Greek dramas, but with an impact more akin to Macbeth’s witches.
At the heart of The Spanish Tragedy is Harry Summers’ Hieronimo, Marshal of Spain, the vengeful Hamlet of the piece, with almost as many lines, but older, enervated. Summers already had his winter of discontent as Richard III and more woe as Coriolanus, and his ninth YSP role is best yet, delivering on “the power of rhetoric” that struck Toy above all else.
The theme of the failure of justice resonates with the rotting modern world, as Toy turns his audience into judge and jury, for Summers’ Hieronimo and Emma Scott’s equally impressive Bel-imperia in particular to make their case. Not for the first time in YSP colours, Scott’s diction is a delight; likewise her emotional range.
Plotters and rotters: PJ Gregan’s Balthazar, left, and Thomas Jennings’s Lorenzoin The Spanish Tragedy
Courtly roles go to YSP stalwarts, Tony Froud’s King of Spain, Emily Hansen’s Duchess of Castile and Nick Jones’s Viceroy of Portugal , while Tim Holman’s makes his first YSP appearance since 2004’s Titus Andronicus in a brace of roles.
On the dark side are Yousef Ismail’s Horatio, YSP newcomer P J Gregan’s Balthazar and Thomas Jennings’ malevolent Lorenzo, breaking the fourth wall with scene-pinching elan, on trademark crop-haired hitman duty again.
Isabel Azar, Cassi Roberts, Martina Meyer and Ben Reeves Rowley fit the the plot-thickening brief to good effect and Sally Mitcham is the play’s moral conscience as Hieronimo’s troubled wife.
Toy directs as playfully as his name would suggest, even using exquisite choral music by the wife-and-her-lover-murdering Gesualdo pre-show and in the interval. When a hanging takes place, darkness descends on the moment of Alan Sharp’s deadpan Hangman administers the drop, whereupon a scroll of The Hanged Man falls into place. Intricate sword-dancing adds to the spectacle, as do all manner of masks.
By the live nature of theatre, anything can happen. What were the odds of a letter dropped from above by Scott’s Bel-imperia landing in the curtain, out of Summers’ Hieronimo’s sight, no matter where he looked. To the rescue rode the director, in the back row. “Top of the curtain,” he bellowed, bringing the house down. Just one of many good decisions he made in this fruitful resurrection of Kyd’s play of men – and women – behaving very badly.
York Shakespeare Project in The Spanish Tragedy, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm and 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
The cold touch: PJ Gregan’s Balthazar and Emma Scott’s Bel-imperia in York Shakespeare Project’s The Spanish Tragedy
Martha Tilston: Playing The Basement tonight at City Screen Picturehouse
CRIMINAL investigations and a brace of plays with murder at the core, Charles Hutchinson detects a theme to his latest recommendations.
Singer-songwriter of the week: Martha Tilston, The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse, York, tonight, 7.30pm
BORN in Bristol and now living in Cornwall, singer, songwriter and filmmaker Martha Tilston writes songs from the heart as a balm for the modern age.
Tilston, who has worked Zero 7, Damien Rice, Nick Harper, Kae Tempest and Aztec Camera’s Roddy Frame, combines raw vocals and sparkling melodies with thought-provoking lyrics and filmic movements, inviting her audience to “connect with longed-for parts of ourselves”. Box office: marthatilston.co.uk.
Jennifer Rees: Exploring stories of serial killers in forensic detail at the Grand Opera House, York
Criminal investigations of the week: Strange But True Crimes with Jennifer Rees, Grand Opera House, York, October 21, 7.30pm
FORMER forensics lecturer and Psychology Of Serial Killers presenter Jennifer Rees explores stories such as the serial killer who gained work in law enforcement while on the run – and ended up hunting himself.
Watch out too for the female, balloon-carrying killer clown, serial killers on game shows – how their appearances led to their identification – and many more stories. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Jason Durr’s Jonny ‘The Cyclops’, right, accosting the nervous burglar in Torben Betts’s comedy thriller Murder At Midnight. Picture: Pamela Raith
Deliciously twisted crime caper of the week: Original Theatre in Murder At Midnight, York Theatre Royal, October 21 to 25, 7.30pm plus 2pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees
ON New Year’s Eve, in a quiet corner of Kent, a killer is in the house in Torben Betts’s comedy thriller Murder At Midnight, part two of a crime trilogy for Original Theatre that began last year with Murder In The Dark, this time starring Jason Durr, Susie Blake, Max Howden and Katie McGlynn.
Meet Jonny ‘The Cyclops’, his glamorous wife, his trigger-happy sidekick, his mum – who sees things – and her very jittery carer, plus a vicar, apparently hiding something, and a nervous burglar dressed as a clown. Throw in a suitcase full of cash, a stash of deadly weapons and one infamous unsolved murder…what could possibly go wrong? Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
The Divine Comedy’s Neil Hannon: Showcasing new album Rainy Sunday Afternoon at York Barbican. Picture: Kevin Westerberg
Recommended but sold out already: The Divine Comedy, York Barbican, October 21, doors 7pm
IN the wake of composing all the original songs for the 2023 global blockbuster Wonka, North Irishman Neil Hannon has returned to his Divine Comedy guise for September 19’s Rainy Sunday Afternoon: album number 13 and his first studio set since 2019’s Office Politics.
Recorded at Abbey Road, London, the album was written, arranged and produced by Hannon, who covers his usual range of emotions: sad, funny, angry and everything in between. Hear Hannon songs new and old next Tuesday, when Studio Electrophonique will be the special guest. Box office, for returns only: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Katie Melia’s Show White in Steve Coates Music Productions’ Disenchanted, turning fairy tales on their head at the JoRo
Cheeky twist on fairy tales of the week: Steve Coates Music Productions in Disenchanted, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, October 22 to 25, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
KATIE Melia directs and leads the cast as Snow White in Steve Coates Music Productions’ production of Disenchanted, the musical with the feminist twist that turns fairy tales upside down, from the Little Mermaid hitting the bottle to Belle ending up in a straitjacket for chatting with the cutlery.
Forget the damsels in distress, Snow White, Cinderella and their royal crew want to set the record straight. Equipped with sass, wit, and powerhouse vocals, these not-so-princessy princesses flip the script, spill the tea and reclaim their stories as they challenge outdated happily-ever-afters. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Making an impression: Dead Ringers on 25th anniversary tour
Comedy nights of the week: Dead Ringers, October 22, 3pm and 7.30pm, and Nick Mohammed Is Mr Swallow: Show Pony, October 26, 8pm, both at Grand Opera, House, York
TO mark its 25th anniversary, BBC Radio 4’s topical satire show Dead Ringers takes to the road with a full UK tour for the first time as long-standing cast members Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Lewis MacLeod and Duncan Wisbey take a trip through classic sketches and unrivalled impressions, peppered with topical humour.
Celebrity Traitors competitor, Taskmaster contestant and Ted Lasso actor Nick Mohammed returns to York as his alter-ego Mr Swallow. Expect magic, music and new mistakes. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Harry Summers, left, and Emma Scott in rehearsal for York Shakespeare Project’s The Spanish Tragedy. Picture: John Saunders
Revenge drama of the week: York Shakespeare Project in The Spanish Tragedy, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, October 22 to 25, 7.30pm
PAUL Toy directs York Shakespeare Project for the fourth time – and the first since Troilus And Cressida in 2011– in “the most popular play of the Elizabethan era, outselling Shakespeare”: Thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy, the circa 1592 blueprint for the Revenge Tragedy genre.
No Kyd, maybe no Hamlet or The Duchess Of Malfi, as treachery, deceit and disguise are wrapped inside a torrid tale of vengeance-seeking ghosts, madness, a play-within-a-play and a Machiavellian villain, delivered by Toy with masks, music and dance. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Alexandra Mather’s Polly Peachum in York Opera’s The Beggar’s Opera. Picture: John Saunders
Opera of the week: York Opera in The Beggar’s Opera, The Citadel, York City Church, Gillygate, York, October 23 to 25, 7.30pm
YORK Opera stage John Gay and Johann Christoph Pepusch’s 1728 satirical ballad opera The Beggar’s Opera in an immersive production under the musical direction of John Atkin and stage direction of Chris Charlton-Matthews, with choreography by Jane Woolgar.
Watch out! You may find yourself next to a cast member, whether Mark Simmonds’ Macheath, Adrian Cook’s Peachum, Anthony Gardner’s Lockit, Alexandra Mather’s Polly Peachum, Sophie Horrocks’ Lucy Lockit, Cathy Atkin’s Mrs Peachum, Ian Thomson-Smith’s Beggar or Jake Mansfield’s Player. Box office: tickets.yorkopera.co.uk/events/yorkopera/1793200.
Heidi Talbot: Introducing November 21 album Grace Untold at NCEM on October 23
Folk gig of the week: Heidi Talbot, Grace Untold UK Tour, National Centre for Early Music, York, October 23, 7.30pm
IRISH folk singer Heidi Talbot returns to the NCEM stage to preview her November 21 album Grace Untold, a collection of songs based around Irish goddesses and inspirational women.
This is an album rooted in personal experience and collective lore as Heidi pays tribute to female strength, focusing on legendary figures and the unsung heroines within her own family. Box office: 01904 658338 or necem.co.uk.
Riverdance: The New Generation performs the Irish dancers’ 30th anniversary show at York Barbican
Dance show of the week: Riverdance, 30th Anniversary Tour, York Barbican, October 24 to 26, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday and Sunday matinees
VISITING 30 UK venues – one for each year of its history – from August to December 2025, the Irish dance extravaganza Riverdance rejuvenates the much-loved original show with new innovative choreography and costumes, plus state-of-the-art lighting, projection and motion graphics, in this 30th anniversary celebration.
For the first time, John McColgan directs “the New Generation” of Riverdance performers, none of them born when the show began. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Griffonage Theatre: Theatre at the intersection of the madcap and the macabre
IRISH village tales, love’s vicissitudes, folk and ceilidh nights and ghost & goblin storytelling bring autumn cheer to Charles Hutchinson.
Time to discover: Griffonage Theatre in FourTold, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
YORK devotees of the madcap, the macabre and making the familiar strange and the strange familiar, Griffonage Theatre transport audiences to the quirky rural town of Baile Aighneas – The Town of Dispute – for FourTold, a quartet of comedies by early 20th century Irish playwright Lady Augusta Gregory, never presented together in the UK until now under Northern Irish director Katie Leckey.
Encounter the bustling market and all its gossip in Spreading The News; the restaurant where newspaper editors wine, dine and mix up their Coats; the post office, where the splendid Hyacinth Halvey has sent word he is coming to town, and the bus stop where strangers such as The Bogie Men can quickly become friends! Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Joe Layton and Hannah Sinclair Robinson in Frantic Assembly’s Lost Atoms at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Scott Graham
Relationship drama of the week: Frantic Assembly in Lost Atoms, York Theatre Royal, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees
FRANTIC Assembly follow up York Theatre Royal visits of Othello and Metamorphosis with their 30th anniversary production, a two-hander memory play by Anna Jordan, directed by physical theatre specialist Scott Graham.
Joe Layton and Hannah Sinclair Robinson play Robbie and Jess, whose chance meeting, disastrous dates and extraordinary transformative love is the stuff of fairy tales. Or is it? Lost Atoms is a wild ride through a life-changing relationship, or Robbie and Jess’s clashing recollections as they relive the beats of connection, the moments of loss, but are their stories the same and can their memories be trusted? Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Lightning Seeds’ Ian Broudie: Pure entertainment at York Barbican
Oh, lucky you gig of the week: Lightning Seeds, Tomorrow’s Here Today, 35 Years Greatest Hits Tour, York Barbican, tomorrow, 8pm
NOW in his 36th year of leading Liverpool’s Lightning Seeds, Ian Broudie heads to York on his extended Tomorrow’s Here Today tour. Cue Pure, The Life Of Riley, Change, Lucky You, Sense, All I Want, Sugar Coated Iceberg, You Showed Me, Emily Smiles, Three Lions et al. Casino support. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Jack Fry’s Quasimodo and Ayana Beatrice Poblete’s Esmerelda in Black Sheep Theatre Productions’ The Hunchback Of Notre Dame
Musical of the week: Black Sheep Theatre Productions in The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, October 10, 11 and 14 to 18, 7.30pm and 2.30pm Saturday matinees
BLACK Sheep Theatre Productions bring a cast of five leads, seven ensemble actors and a 23-strong choir to the York company’s larger-than-life staging of Alan Menken & Stephen Schwartz’s musical rooted in Disney’s 1996 musical film and Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel.
Combining powerful themes of love, acceptance and the nature of good and evil with a sweeping score, Matthew Peter Clare’s show will be “like nothing you’ve seen before”. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Alex Mitchell: Headlining the Funny Fridays comedy bill at Patch at Bonding Warehouse, York
Comedy gig of the week: Funny Fridays, Patch at Bonding Warehouse, Terry Avenue, York, Friday, 7.30pm
BRITAIN’S Got Talent star Alex Mitchell headlines October’s Funny Fridays bill at Patch, hosted by promoter and comedy turn Katie Lingo. On the bill too will be Pheebs Stephenson, Jacob Kohn, Lorna Green and Jimmy Johnson.
“As this year’s event falls on World Mental Health Day, we’re raising money for Samaritans with bucket collections, ticket proceeds and a raffle. I’m a volunteer at the York branch and see first-hand the incredible work they do.” Tickets: eventbrite.co.uk or on the door.
Suthering’s Julu Irvine and and Heg Brignall: Playing Helmsley Arts Centre
Folk gig of the week: Suthering, Helmsley Arts Centre, Friday, 7.30pm
ADVOCATES for the LGBTQ+ community and for the rights of women and other marginalised people, Tavistock folk duo Suthering’s Julu Irvine and and Heg Brignall weave harmonies through their original songs, paired with gentle guitar and emotive piano arrangements.
Known for their chemistry, storytelling and humour on stage, they intertwine their messages about the state of our climate, social conscience, the importance of community and connecting with nature, while championing female characters, creating new narratives for women and unearthing the female heroines of the folk tradition, as heard on their second album, 2024’s Leave A Light On. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Ceilidh of the week: Jackhare Ceilidh Band, Milton Rooms, Malton, Saturday, 7.30pm
RYEDALE Dog Rescue presents the Jackhare Ceilidh Band in an evening of traditional English dance music this weekend. Doors open at 7pm and the Studio Bar will be open. Tickets must be pre-booked by emailing fundraising@ryedaledogrescue.org.uk, phoning 01653 697548, texting 07843 971973 or messaging on the Ryedale Dog Rescue Facebook page.
Robin Simpson: Storyteller and York Theatre Royal pantomime dame
Spooky entertainment of the week: Robin Simpson’s Magic, Monsters And Mayhem!, Rise at Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York, October 12, doors 4pm
YORK Theatre Royal pantomime dame Robin Simpson – soon to give his Nurse Nellie in Sleeping Beauty this winter – celebrates witches, wizards, ghosts and goblins in his storytelling show.
“The audience is in charge in this interactive performance, ideal for fans of spooky stories and silly songs,” says Robin. “The show is perfect for Years 5 and upwards, but smaller siblings and their grown-ups are very welcome too.” Tickets: bluebirdbakery.co.uk/rise.
Beverley Knight: Stories and songs at York Barbican. Picture: Lewis Shaw
Concert announcement of the week: Beverly Knight, Born To Perform, York Barbican, June 20 2026
QUEEN of British soul Beverley Knight will share stories from her life on stage, as well as performing her biggest hits, musical theatre favourites and cherished songs that have inspired her.
“I’m excited to get back on the road but with a different kind of show that folk are used to with me,” says Wolverhampton-born Beverley, 52. “Born To Perform is me taking you on a journey through my life on both music and theatre stages, using my memories and of course my songs. I’m stripping back my sound so the audience can lean in a little closer and really hear my soul.” Tickets go on sale on Friday at 10am at https://www.yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/beverley-knight-2026.
Roy Chubby Brown: No offence, but it’s simply comedy, reckons Britain’s stalwart potty-mouthed joker at York Barbican
FROM sacre bleu comedy to a French silent film, Graham Nash and Al Stewart on vintage form to Grayson Perry on good and evil, love’s vicissitudes to the Hunchback musical, October is brewing up a storm of culture, reports Charles Hutchinson.
Blue humour of the week: Roy Chubby Brown, It’s Simply Comedy, York Barbican, tonight, 7.30pm
GRANGETOWN gag veteran Roy Chubby Brown, now 80, forewarns: “Not meant to offend, it’s simply a comedy tour”. After more than 50 years of spicy one-liners and putdowns, he continues to tackle the subjects of sex, celebrities, politics and British culture with a high profanity count and contempt for political correctness. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Gemma Curry in Hoglets Theatre’s The Tale Of The Loneliest Whale at York Theatre Royal Studio
Children’s show of the week: Hoglets Theatre in The Tale Of The Loneliest Whale, York Theatre Royal Studio, today, 11am and 2pm
FRESH from an award-winning Edinburgh Fringe run, York company Hoglets Theatre invite primary-age children and families to an exciting adventure packed with beautiful handmade puppets, sea creatures, original songs and audience interaction aplenty.
Performed, crafted and directed by Gemma Curry, The Tale Of The Loneliest Whale celebrates friendship, difference and the beauty of being yourself in Andy Curry’s tale of Whale singing his heart out into the deep blue sea, but nobody singing back until…a mysterious voice echoes through the waves, whereupon Whale embarks on an unforgettable adventure. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Graham Nash: Sixty years of song at York Barbican. Picture: Ralf Louis
Vintage gigs of the week: Graham Nash, An Evening Of Songs And Stories, York Barbican, Sunday, 7.30pm; Al Stewart, The Farewell Tour, York Barbican, October 7, 7.45pm
GRAHAM Nash, 83-year-old two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Grammy award winner, performs songs spanning his 60-year career fromThe Hollies to Crosby, Stills andNash, CSNY (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young) to his solo career, joined by Todd Caldwell (keyboards and vocals), Adam Minkoff(bass, drums, guitars and vocals) and Zach Djanikian (guitars, mandolin, drums and vocals). Long-time friend Peter Asher supports.
The poster for Al Stewart’s farewell tour, visiting York Barbican on Tuesday
Glasgow-born folk-rock singer-songwriter Al Stewart marks his 80th birthday (born 5/9/1945) with his UK farewell tour. After relocating to Chandler Arizona from Los Angeles, his home for the past 45 years, he is winding down his touring schedule with his long-running time band The Empty Pockets. Time for the last Year Of The Cat. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Jonny Best: Leading Frame Ensemble’s improvised score for The Divine Voyager at the NCEM. Picture: Chris Payne
Film event of the week: Northern Silents presents The Divine Voyager with Frame Ensemble, National Centre for Early Music, York, Monday, 7.30pm
FRAME Ensemble’s spontaneous musicians Jonny Best (piano), Susannah Simmons (violin), Liz Hanks (cello) and Trevor Bartlett (percussion) accompany Julien Duvivier’s lushly photographed, beautifully poetic 1929 French silent film The Divine Voyage with an improvised live score.
In a tale of faith and hope, rapacious businessman Claude Ferjac sends his ship, La Cordillere, on a long trading journey, knowing it is likely to sink after poor repairs. An entire village of sailors, desperate to support their families, has no choice but to set sail. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.
James Lee, left, Helen Clarke, front, Wilf Tomlinson, back, and Katie Leckey rehearsing for Griffonage Theatre’s FourTold. Picture: John Stead
Time to discover: Griffonage Theatre in FourTold, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, October 6 to 11, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
YORK devotees of the madcap, the macabre and making the familiar strange and the strange familiar, Griffonage Theatre transport audiences to the quirky rural town of Baile Aighneas – The Town of Dispute – for FourTold, a quartet of comedies by early 20th century Irish playwright Lady Augusta Gregory, never presented together in the UK until now under Northern Irish director Katie Leckey.
Encounter the bustling market and all its gossip in Spreading The News; the restaurant where newspaper editors wine, dine and mix up their Coats; the post office, where the splendid Hyacinth Halvey has sent word he is coming to town, and the bus stop where strangers such as The Bogie Men can quickly become friends! Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Hannah Sinclair Robinson’s Jess and Joe Layton’s Robbie in Frantic Assembly’s Lost Atoms, on tour at York Theatre Royal next week. Picture: Tristram Kenton
Relationship drama of the week: Frantic Assembly in Lost Atoms, York Theatre Royal, October 7 to 11, 7.30pm plus 2pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees
FRANTIC Assembly follow up York Theatre Royal visits of Othello and Metamorphosis with their 30th anniversary production, a two-hander memory play by Anna Jordan, directed by physical theatre specialist Scott Graham.
Joe Layton and Hannah Sinclair Robinson play Robbie and Jess, whose chance meeting, disastrous dates and extraordinary transformative love is the stuff of fairy tales. Or is it? Lost Atoms is a wild ride through a life-changing relationship, or Robbie and Jess’s clashing recollections as they relive the beats of connection, the moments of loss, but are their stories the same and can their memories be trusted? Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Grayson Perry: “Finding out if you really are thoroughly good or maybe quite evil, but in a fun way” at the Grand Opera House
Question of the week: Grayson Perry: Are You Good?, Grand Opera House, October 7, 7.30pm
AFTER A Show For Normal People And A Show All About You, artist, iconoclast, television presenter and Knight Bachelor Grayson Perry asks Are You Good? A question that he thinks is “fundamental to our humanity”.
“In this show I will be helping you, the audience, find out if you really are thoroughly good or maybe quite evil, but in a fun way,” says Sir Grayson. “I always start out with the assumption that people are born good and then life happens. So, let’s pull back the curtain and see where your morals truly lie.” Add audience participation and silly songs, and expect to come out with core values completely in tatters. “Is it more important to be good or to be right? It’s time to update what is a virtue and what is a sin. No biggie.” Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Lightning Seeds’ Ian Broudie: Pure entertainment at York Barbican on Thursday
Oh, lucky you gig of the week: Lightning Seeds, Tomorrow’s Here Today, 35 Years Greatest Hits Tour, York Barbican, October 9, 8pm
NOW in his 36th year of leading Liverpool’s Lightning Seeds, Ian Broudie heads to York on his extended Tomorrow’s Here Today tour. Cue Pure, The Life Of Riley, Change, Lucky You, Sense, All I Want, Sugar Coated Iceberg, You Showed Me, Emily Smiles, Three Lions et al. Casino support. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Jack Fry’s Quasimodo and Ayana Beatrice Poblete at Black Sheep Theatre Productions’s Selby Abbey photoshoot for The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, opening next week at the JoRo
Musical of the week: Black Sheep Theatre Productions in The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, October 10, 11 and 14 to 18, 7.30pm and 2.30pm Saturday matinees
BLACK Sheep Theatre Productions bring a cast of five leads, seven ensemble actors and a 23-strong choir to the York company’s larger-than-life staging of Alan Menken & Stephen Schwartz’s musical rooted in Disney’s 1996 musical film and Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel.
Combining powerful themes of love, acceptance and the nature of good and evil with a sweeping score, Matthew Peter Clare’s show will be “like nothing you’ve seen before”. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
In Focus: Prima Choral Artists in Prima XV, Selby Abbey, October 11, 7.30pm
Eva Lorian, artistic director of Prima Choral Artists
ARTISTIC director and producer Eve Lorian is marking 15 years as the visionary force behind Prima Choral Artists, the forward-thinking mixed voice choir that sets standards for diversity and innovation in the choral scene across York and beyond.
Even during the challenges of the pandemic years, Eve has crafted multiple bespoke programmes annually, both in Yorkshire and internationally.
Each concert reflects her distinctive musician’s insight, anticipating trends, celebrating diversity, honouring renowned choral names and championing the work of contemporary composers.
“It’s little wonder that such a portfolio can scarcely be captured in one individual concert, and so Prima have dedicated the entirety of 2025 to recognise these 15 years of musical creativity,” says Eve.
In this autumn’s pinnacle of those celebrations, Eve and Prima Choral Artists will return to Selby Abbey on October 11, where they will be joined once again by Greg Birch on piano.
The guest performers, the New World String Quartet, have a long history of high-level professional engagements across the region and their collaborations with Eve and Prima stretch back almost ten years.
“It’s impossible to express in words what this choir represents and what it has meant to people over these past 15 years,” Eve explains. “In much the same way, it’s nearly impossible to express our entire musical landscape in one single concert – the varied and diverse styles, the collaborations and the opportunity to embrace the new music of living composers.
“Our celebrations at Selby Abbey will, we hope, offer a glimpse of the multitude of genres and techniques that the choir has mastered over this time.”
Such musical diversity demands expertise. As an accomplished instrumentalist, vocal coach and performance mentor, Eve brings a wealth of experience, with her list of qualifications ensuring a steady and skilled hand to guide the singers through the ambitious programme planned for Selby Abbey.
Curated carefully to appeal to all tastes, Eve’s hand-picked selection will provide a glimpse into the breadth and versatility of her choir. The evening will feature the very best of choral music from across the decades, balancing timeless works by Handel and operatic master Verdi with contemporary highlights from Karl Jenkins, John Rutter and the genre-defying Christopher Tin.
In true Prima style, the choir also will celebrate linguistic diversity through its repertoire, performing in Italian, English, Hebrew and Xhosa, alongside the evocative, phonetic pseudo-language of Karl Jenkins.
This rich tapestry of vocal traditions reflects Eve’s long-standing commitment to global music expression, honouring voices and cultures from around the world and inviting audiences to connect through the shared experience of song.
Bridging the gap between classical masters and mid-century Broadway, Leonard Bernstein provides a natural link in the programme, with Stephen Sondheim bringing this genre firmly into the modern era.
The eclectic nature of the evening is enhanced further with music by female choral composers and arrangements of well-known songs by popular artists. Even a touch of “Girl Power” will be given a unique choral treatment.
Eve is in no doubt that this evening is for everyone: “Selby Abbey is a very special place for me and the choir and I am delighted to share this celebration of the choral world in all its wonderful variety, together with familiar and new faces at this most stunning location,” she says.
Prima’s year of anniversary celebrations will continues with two Family Christmas Concerts in St Olave’s Church, Marygate, York, on December 13 and 20 at 4pm.
Tickets for Prima XV are selling fast at https://www.primachoral.com/ or in person from the Selby Abbey Gift Shop, open daily 10am to 4pm. Alternatively, buy on the door from 7pm. A bar will be available on the night. For more information on concerts and all things Prima, visit www.primachoral.com.
