Tag: York Barbican

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More Things To Do in York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 31, from The York Press

The poster for York River Art Market’s 11th summer season. Illustration: Elliot Harrison (@York360)

YORK River Art Market’s return, Shakespeare sonnets on the tennis court, party bands at the double and a very happy comedian catch Charles Hutchinson’s eye as August arrives.

Open-air art event of the month: York River Art Market, Dame Judi Dench Walk, York, August 1 & 2, August 8 & 9 and August 15 & 16, 10am to 5.30pm

YORK River Art Market returns for its 11th year from today, bringing more than 30 artists from multiple disciplines each day to the Ouse riverside over three August weekends of free art and design market stalls.

Described as York’s answer to the Left Bank in Paris, the event is now run by Caroline Turner, a professional potter and ceramics teacher at Clay Space York, in Walmgate, after founder and director Charlotte Dawson stepped down to focus on her teaching role as award leader for York College’s BA (Hons) 3D creative practice course.

Liz Garland, left, and Meriel Scholfield in rehearsal for the Stephen Joseph Theatre production of Handbagged. Picture: Tony Bartholomew

Political drama of the week: Handbagged, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, until August 29

MOIRA Buffini’s 2014 Olivier Award-winning play imagines what happened behind closed palace doors when two of the 20th century’s most powerful women, Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, locked handbags. Meeting once a week for 11 years, one believed there was no such thing as society; the other committed her life to serving it.

Spanning 1979 to 1990, Handbagged asks if The Queen and the Iron Lady ever found common ground or did their stiff upper lips reign supreme? Hannah Tyrrell-Pinder directs the SJT cast of Pandora Clifford, Liz Garland, Alexandra Mathie, Deven Modha, Simon Darwen and Meriel Scholfield. Box office: 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.

Mike Skinner of The Streets: Performing A Grand Don’t Come For Free in full at Scarborough Open Air Theatre tonight

Coastal gigs of the week: Scarborough Open Air Theatre presents The Streets, A Grand Don’t Come For Free, today; Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter, Sunday, gates 6pm

FOR the first time, The Streets’ Mike Skinner is performing his landmark 2004 album A Grand Don’t Come For Free in full on tour. One of the most influential British records of the 21st century, the multi-platinum-selling chart topper delivered era-defining singles Dry Your Eyes, Fit But You Know It and Blinded By The Lights while taking a cinematic journey through the love, loss, chaos, heartbreak, hope and raw emotion of everyday life with poetic wit and honesty.

Original Sex Pistols members Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Glen Matlock are joined by vocalist Frank Turner on Sunday to mark “50 years of chaos and celebration” since the punk iconoclasts’ brace of Summer 1976 gigs at Manchester’s Lesser Free Trade Hall. The Stranglers and The Undertones are special guests. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.

Maggie Wakeling: Singing ABBA hits aplenty at York Minster tonight

Candlelit concert of the week: Ignite Concerts presents The Music of ABBA, York Minster, tonight, 7.30pm

VOCALIST Maggie Wakeling, from Channel 4’s Your Song and last summer’s Greatest Shows at York Minster, unites with a band and The Ebor Quartet string ensemble to perform the Seventies and Eighties’ hits of  ABBA.

Host Alistair Griffin will be inviting the audience to sing along to Dancing Queen, Waterloo, Mamma Mia, The Winner Takes It All et al at this concert by candlelight. Box office: 07966 959427 or https://igniteconcertsyork.com/events/the-music-of-abba-at-york-minster/.

Paul Smith: Radiating comic warmth twice in a week at York Barbican

York comedy gigs of the week: Hot Water Comedy Club presents Paul Smith, Happy, York Barbican, today and August 5, 7.30pm

PAUL Smith, resident MC and compere of Liverpool’s Hot Water Comedy Club, is heading to York for two nights in his biggest, boldest tour show, Happy: fearless stand-up at full throttle, brimful of observations, true stories and audience interaction. Pulling tales from  real life, Smith finds joy in the chaos, laughter in the everyday and comedy in absolutely everything. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Oscar Langford, left, and James Robert Ball in rehearsal for York Shakespeare Project’s Summer Sonnets: What The Deuce? at Holy Trinity Churchyard. Picture: John Saunders

New balls please: York Shakespeare Project presents 2026 Summer Sonnets: What The Deuce?, Holy Trinity Churchyard, Goodramgate, York, August 7 to 15, except August 11, 6pm & 7.30pm, plus 4.30pm Saturday shows

SUMMER at the Goodramgate Lawn Tennis Club finds four doubles teams competing for the chance to play in a Wimbledon amateur tournament, whereupon partnerships and rivalries lead to sabotage and break point. Who has the advantage? Who is at fault? Will the score be love?

Expect further tennis puns aplenty as Rosy Rowley directs Stuart Green’s script that asks a new collection of ten characters to play out this new sporting and unsporting situation where each finds a way to share a Shakespeare sonnet. Taking part will be James Robert Ball, Oscar Langford, Helen Clarke, Sarah McKeagney, Stuart Lindsay, Alexa Williams, Jamie McKeller, Alan Sharp, Christine Bramwell and Effie Warboys. Box office: https://tickets.41monkgate.co.uk/

New York Brass Band’s James Lancaster: Knees-up with Hyde Family Jam at York Barbican

Mash-up of the week: The Crescent presents New York Brass Band & Hyde Family Jam, York Barbican, August 7, 8pm

TWO of York’s biggest, bounciest musical party troupes collide at York Barbican for a co-headline show with a difference. Promoter Joe Coates has decided the four-piece Hyde Family Jam will be on stage first, followed by an eight-piece line up of New York Brass Band, each playing a 40-minute set before rampant folk-rock meets New Orleans brass head on in a collaborative finale of these street urchins’ biggest hits. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

A wedding dress on display at St Helen’s Church

Wonderful wedding dress exhibition of the week: St Helen’s Church, Sheriff Hutton, near York, August 8 and 9, 11am to 3pm

STEP back in time for a spectacular display of wedding dresses from every decade since the 1920s at St Helen’s Church. Stroll through a century of wedding style with elegant “going away” outfits,mother-of-the-bride ensembles and men’s morning suits, as well as shoes, hats, bouquets and treasured keepsakes.

“Last year’s exhibition was atremendous success,” says Jill Donaldson Hodges. “Visitors were captivated by the changing styles, the intricate design and the delicate fabrics that have shaped wedding fashion for over a century. So why not come along and take a trip down memory lane, or get some ideas for an upcoming event?” Admission is free. The Bluebell Cafe will be open on both days, serving homemade cakes and refreshments.

York Stage’s poster for Raise Your Voice: MTI Broadway Junior Revue at the JoRo

Musical theatre celebration of the week: York Stage presents brings Raise Your Voice: MTI Broadway Junior Revue, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, August 7, 7.30pm, and August 8, 2pm and 4pm

THIS uplifting showcase by the next generation of performers features iconic songs from Broadway Junior favourites, showcased by a talented young York Stage cast ready to sing out and shine as they take centre stage with confidence, courage and nascent star quality. Cue big numbers, heartfelt moments and personality aplenty. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 31, from Gazette & Herald, from July 29 onwards

Christina Bianco’s June Carter Cash and Christopher Ryan Grant’s Johnny Cash in The Ballad Of Johnny & June. Picture: Pamela Raith Photography

JOHNNY and June’s country musical, The Queen and Margaret Thatcher’s handbag clashes, a rare Blueflies gig and The Streets’ masterpiece in full perk up Charles Hutchinson for the week ahead.

Musical of the week: The Ballad Of Johnny & June, The Johnny Cash Musical, Grand Opera House, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm matinees on July 29 & 30 and August 1

THIS thrilling musical from Jersey Boys director Des McAnuff celebrates the love, music and mayhem of country music couple Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. Electrifying chemistry marks the performances of  Christopher Ryan Grant’s Johnny and Christina Bianco’s June in a story observed through the eyes of Ryan O’Donnell’s John Carter Cash, their son. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Blues gig of the week: Ryedale Blues Club presents The Blueflies, Milton Rooms, Malton, July 30, 8pm

ENDURING and beloved York blues and funk band The Blueflies – Miles Gilderdale, guitar and vocals, Gavin Ewing, bass and co-songwriter, and Paul Stipetic , drums – perform only rarely these days. Expect a night packed with outstanding musicianship, ace songs and the kind of atmosphere that only a combo with 40 years of musical muscle memory can create. Booking in advance is recommended on 01653 696240 or at themiltonrooms.com.

Neil Delamere: If it ain’t broke it, should he fix it at Pocklington Arts Centre? Not the seat, presumably

Tall tales of the week: Neil Delamere, Reinventing The Neil, Pocklington Arts Centre, July 30, 7.30pm

COMEDIC adventurer Neil Delamere returns with a new stand-up show, packed with tall tales and humorous stories. Join The Blame Game panellist and Celebrity Chase contestant as he ponders the eternal question: if it ain’t broke, should he fix it? Box office: 01759 or 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk. 

Stanley Chow’s poster illustration for The Songs of Joni Mitchell at The Citadel, York

Interpreters of the week: The Songs of Joni Mitchell, with Jesca Hoop & Lail Arad, The Citadel, York, Friday, doors 7pm, show 7.45pm

JESCA Hoop & Lail Arad, acclaimed singer-songwriters in their own right, perform intimate interpretations of their favourite Joni Mitchell songs, accompanied by Richard Sears on piano and special guest Naima Bock. Hoop presented Legend: The Joni Mitchell Story, the award-winning six-part BBC radio documentary and podcast on the Canadian singer-songwriter. Box office: thecrescentyork.com.

 Liz Garland, left, and Meriel Scholfield in rehearsal for the Stephen Joseph Theatre production of Handbagged. Picture: Tony Bartholomew 

Political drama of the week: Handbagged, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, Friday to August 29

MOIRA Buffini’s 2014 Olivier Award-winning play imagines what happened behind closed palace doors when two of the 20th century’s most powerful women, Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, locked handbags. Meeting once a week for 11 years, one believed there was no such thing as society; the other committed her life to serving it.

Spanning 1979 to 1990, Handbagged asks if The Queen and the Iron Lady ever found common ground or did their stiff upper lips reign supreme? Hannah Tyrrell-Pinder directs the SJT cast of Pandora Clifford, Liz Garland, Alexandra Mathie, Deven Modha, Simon Darwen and Meriel Scholfield. Box office: 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.

Four Forty Theatre: Breakneck character changes and mischief-making in A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Shakespeare show of the week: Four Forty Theatre in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, Friday, 7.30pm

FOUR Forty Theatre (or 440 Theatre, as their website uses both names) tackle Shakespeare’s romantic romp of a chaotic comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, with their trademark irreverence, wit and theatrical ingenuity, directed by Dominic Gee-Burch, formerly of fellow high-speed Shakespeare humorists Oddsocks Productions.

Lovers are enchanted, fairies feud and a troupe of hapless players rehearse their way into disaster, all in a single moonlit night. Inventive staging, breakneck character changes and playful dismantling of tradition mark out Four Forty Theatre’s mischief-making take on Shakespeare’s best-loved comedy: part affectionate homage, part riotous reinvention. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

Saxophonist Snake Davis and guitarist Gareth Moulton: Best buddies’ bonding session at Helmsley Arts Centre

Duo of the week: Snake Davis with Gareth Moulton, Helmsley Arts Centre, Friday, 7.30pm

THE Snake Davis and Gareth Moulton duo is back on the road, featuring saxophonist-to-the-stars Davis and Manchester-born, Macclesfield-based  singer-songwriter and guitarist Moulton, his best buddy, with the promise of new material and a new album.

Davis has performed with Paul McCartney, James Brown, Tina Turner, The Eurythmics and Amy Winehouse and has featured on more than 400 recordings by 60 artists, including Lisa Stansfield’s Change, M-People’s Search For A Hero and Take That’s Million Love Songs. Moulton is lead guitarist with Cutting Crew and “moonlighting” singer and guitarist with Wang Chung and has recorded and toured with Heather Small, Jim Diamond, Paul Young and Go West. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Mike Skinner of The Streets: Playing A Grand Don’t Come For Free in full at Scarborough Open Air Theatre

Coastal gigs of the week: Scarborough Open Air Theatre presents The Streets, A Grand Don’t Come For Free, Saturday; Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter, Sunday, gates 6pm

FOR the first time, The Streets’ Mike Skinner is performing his landmark 2004 album A Grand Don’t Come For Free in full on tour. One of the most influential British records of the 21st century, the multi-platinum-selling chart topper delivered era-defining singles Dry Your Eyes, Fit But You Know It and Blinded By The Lights while taking a cinematic journey through the love, loss, chaos, heartbreak, hope and raw emotion of everyday life with poetic wit and honesty.

Original Sex Pistols members Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Glen Matlock are joined by vocalist Frank Turner on Sunday to mark “50 years of chaos and celebration” since the punk iconoclasts’ brace of Summer 1976 gigs at Manchester’s Lesser Free Trade Hall. The Stranglers and The Undertones are special guests. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.

Paul Smith: Radiating comic warmth twice in a week at York Barbican

York comedy gigs of the week: Hot Water Comedy Club presents Paul Smith, Happy, York Barbican, Saturday and August 5, 7.30pm

PAUL Smith, resident MC and compere of Liverpool’s Hot Water Comedy Club, is heading to York for two nights in his biggest, boldest tour show, Happy: fearless stand-up at full throttle, brimful of observations, true stories and audience interaction. Pulling tales from  real life, Smith finds joy in the chaos, laughter in the everyday and comedy in absolutely everything. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

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His ‘teenage kids no longer find him funny’, but comedian Simon Brodkin has Unleashed his biggest tour yet. York Barbican awaits on March 14 2027

Simon Brodkin: Unleashed tour

COMEDIAN and world-famous prankster Simon Brodkin once showered FIFA president Sepp Blatter with cash, handed Prime Minister Theresa May her P45 and created the BBC comedy series Lee Nelson’s Well Good Show. Now he is to play York Barbican on March 14 2027 on his 56-date Unleashed tour.

Hampstead-born Brodkin, who pivoted to stand-up comedy in 2019, is launching his 2026-2027 travels with ten international shows between May and July, taking in Australia, Sweden, Greece and Cyprus.

Unleashed will hit the UK and Ireland for 46 shows from September 11 2026 to March 20 2027. Combining outrageous punchlines with electric crowd work, Brodkin, 48, will rip into broken Britain, the American Dream, religion, marriage, Genghis Khan, vape shops and wild swimmers.

 “I can’t wait for my biggest ever tour!” he says. “The timing feels perfect. I’ve not toured for two years, so I’ve got a lot to say, and my teenage kids no longer find me funny.”

Tickets for York are on sale from https://www.yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/simon-brodkin/.

Brodkin’s last tour, Screwed Up, was extended four times, running to 170 shows around the world, culminating in three sold-out nights at London’s Hammersmith Apollo, as well as a headline-grabbing appearance at the Royal Variety Performance.

He is breaking records on social media with his stand-up clips, averaging more than 50 million views across his platforms every month. He has more than one million followers on Facebook and four million across all platforms.

Screwed Up became the most viewed UK special to premiere on YouTube. Filmed at Theatre Royal, East London, Brodkin tore into social media, celebrities, the police, Prince Andrew, Putin and God. Nothing was off limits, including his own mental health, his family, his five arrests and how he once found himself at an underground sex party.

Brodkin first rose to fame with his outrageous characters that became household names in the UK, such as Lee Nelson and superstar footballer Jason Bent. He wrote and starred in three BBC series of Lee Nelson’s Well Good Show and Well Funny People.

Brodkin has made global headlines frequently with his audacious stunts on the world’s most powerful people, from Sepp Blatterand Theresa Mayto joining Kanye Weston stage at Glastonbury Festival and ambushing President Donald Trumpon his golf course by surrounding him with “creatively decorated” golf balls.

Brodkin last played York on November 10 2024 at the Grand Opera House on his Screwed Up tour.

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More Things To Do in York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 29, from The York Press

Danger, danger for a ranger at close quarters with a dinosaur’s teeth in Dinosaur Adventure Live: Danger On T-Rex Mountain at York Theatre Royal

DINOSAUR adventures and Knavesmire’s music showcase weekend, a not-so-sweet Transylvanian transvestite and a French farce promise variety aplenty in Charles Hutchinson’s week ahead.

Children’s show of the week: Dinosaur Adventure Live, Danger On T-Rex Mountain, York Theatre Royal, today, 2.30pm

SIXTY-FIVE million years in the making, Dinosaur Adventure Live brings a fusion of family-friendly storytelling, puppetry and roarsome science to the stage as the ancient world of dinosaurs crashes back to life for gasps, giggles and occasional jump-scares.

From a shadowy raptor on the loose to baby dinosaurs that you can feed (carefully!), Mike Newman’s show blends humour, thrills and hands-on learning into an interactive stage experience. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Liz Foster: Exhibiting her abstract artworks in Arnup Studios’ first collective show at Pyramid Gallery

Exhibition launch of the week: Arnup Studios at Pyramid Gallery, Stonegate, York, today, 11am to 2pm, then running until September 27

CERAMICIST Hannah Arnup, landscape and natural world artist Michelle Galloway, abstract artist Liz Foster, plein-air and studio artist Kate Pettitt, British wildlife ceramicist Penny Phillips and handmade jewellery designer Emma Welsh will be on hand at today’s opening of Holtby-based Arnup Studios’ first collective exhibition at Pyramid Gallery. Gallery opening hours are 10am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday.

Justine Warner with exhibits from today’s showcase of experimental textiles and mixed media at Laburnum Cottage, Sheriff Hutton 

Art showcase of the week: Experimental Textiles and Mixed Media, Laburnum Cottage Art Studio, West End, Sheriff Hutton, near York, today, 10am to 5pm

NORTH Yorkshire Open Studios textile and mixed-media artist, Landscape Artist Of The Year 2022 contestant, teacher and workshop tutor Justine Warner plays host to an exhibition of one year of student work, showcasing skills, workbooks and final pieces based on a wide range of experimental textile techniques that employ exciting and unusual materials in creative ways.

Look at how Bondaweb, Lutradur, soluble fabrics, metal, foils, gel printing, transfer printing, batik, tetra pack printing, block printing and heat-shrink can be used and  speak with some of the students who experimented with them.

Rowan Armitt-Brewster’s introverted office worker Thomas struggling with his bothersome briefcase in Skedaddle Theatre’s A Brief Case Of Crazy

Silent love story of the week: Skedaddle Theatre & Shoddy Theatre present A Brief Case Of Crazy, York Theatre Royal Studio, today, 2pm & 7pm

INSPIRED by the timeless genius of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Mr Bean,Rowan Armitt-Brewster, Samuel Cunningham and Lennie Longworth’s physical comedy A Brief Case Of Crazy is a silent love story with a very loud heart, told through slick choreography, mime, clowning and puppetry.

Meet Thomas, an awkward, introverted office worker with a quiet crush on his equally shy colleague, Daisy. His quest for love must contend with a boisterous boss named Simon and a rather bothersome briefcase that drags an awkward introvert into extraordinary events. Will his quest for love fail? Or will he discover that what’s on the inside counts most? Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk. Age guidance: Five upwards.

Dominic Goodwin in a triptych of his myriad roles in Twice Nightly

Recalling variety’s golden days: Pyramus and Thisbe Productions present Dominic Goodwin in Twice Nightly, Friargate Theatre, York, tonight, 7.30pm

RYEDALE writer, performer and pantomime dame Dominic Goodwin is touring his first one-man comedy show, directed by York director and actor Thomas Frere.

Twice Nightly follows the story of struggling comedian Freddie Francis in 1956 as the final curtain hovers over variety. Many acts of the time are highlighted, including Norman “Over The Garden Wall” Evans (said to be an influence on Les Dawson) Stockton comic Jimmy James, wartime star Robb Wilton and the iconic Max Miller. Box office: York, 01904 655317 or ridinglights.org/friargatetheatre.

CMAT: Songs of identity, grief and beauty standards at Scarborough Open Air Theatre tonight 

Coastal gig of the week: CMAT, Scarborough Open Air Theatre, today, gates 6pm

CMAT, alias Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, burst on to the music scene six years ago with her debut single Another Day (KFC). The Dublin-born, County Meath-raised singer and songwriter has since released three bitingly humorous, emotionally honest albums, 2022’s If My Wife New I’d Be Dead, 2023’s Crazymad, For Me and 2025’s  Mercury Prize-nominated Euro-Country, her exploration of identity, grief and beauty standards, exemplified by Take A Sexy Picture Of Me. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.co.uk.

Stephen Webb’s Dr Frank N Furter in The Rocky Horror Show, doing the Time Warp again at the Grand Opera House next week. Picture: David Freeman 

Musical of the week: The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Grand Opera House, York, July 20 to 25, Monday to Thursday, 8pm; Friday & Saturday, 5pm and 8.30pm

STEPHEN Webb leads the cast as Dr Frank N Furter on The Rocky Horror Show’s latest return to the Grand Opera House, joined by comedian Jackie Clune as the Narrator. Directed by Christopher Luscombe, Richard O’Brien’s outré musical tells the story of squeaky-clean American college sweethearts Brad and his fiancée Janet’s very frank encounters at the freaky doctor’s Transylvanian castle after their car breaks down.

Cue an adventure full of fun, frolics, frocks and frivolity, bursting with timeless songs and outrageous outfits as O’Brien combines science-fiction, horror, comedy and music while encouraging audience participation. Those audiences are sure to dress up in the most outrageous fancy dress. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Lenny Pearce: Techno for toddlers at York Barbican 

Techno dance moves for children: Lenny Pearce, Toddler Rave World Tour Part 2, York Barbican, July22, 3.30pm

LENNY Pearce is a force in family entertainment, captivating a global audience as the pioneer of Toddler Techno. Driven from his passion as a father, and his strong commitment to his home life, Lenny makes songs and videos and performs live shows where he spins children’s favourites, remixed into modern hits that keep young ones and parents alike dazzled. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Andrew O’Neill: Looking to Escape at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York. Picture: Andrew O’Neill 

Fringe shows of the week: Halfway To Edinburgh at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, presents Joe Sellman-Leava in Copycat (Work In Progress), July 23, 7.30pm; Andrew O’Neill: Escape, July 24, 8pm

DOES AI spell the end of humanity, or the dawn of a new utopia, ponders Fringe First winner Joe Sellman-Leava. He might be a technophobe, but he is determined to find out by using innovative design and a whirlwind of uncanny impressions to tell the story of a teacher, a student, and a copycat dictator to examine the links between art, fascism and rapid technological change. 

HOW do we get out of this mess, asks cult comedian Andrew O’Neill in his surreal, political show, Escape, about the ways in which we disagree with each other, while suggesting some ways we can find our way out. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Airline hostesses at the treble: Bethan Olliver as Gloria, left, Val Debenedetti as Gabriella Jorja Cartwright as Gretchen in Rowntree Players’ Boeing Boeing 

Farce of the week: Rowntree Players in Boeing Boeing, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, July 23 to 25, 7.30pm

MARC Camoletti’s high-flying 1960s’ French farce Boeing Boeing is cleared for take-off in Hannah Shaw’s English-language production for Rowntree Players. Meet self-styled Parisian lothario Bernard, who has Italian, German and American fiancées, each one a beautiful airline hostess with frequent “layovers.”

He keeps “one up, one down, and one pending” until unexpected schedule changes bring all three to Paris, and to Bernard’s apartment, at the same time. Shaw’s cast features Max Palmer as Bernard, Lizzie Lawton as Robert, Rebecca Thomson as Berthe, Jorja Cartwright as Gretchen, Bethan Olliver as Gloria and Val Debenedetti as Gabriella. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

Craig David: TS5 DJ set at York Racecourse Music Showcase Weekend next Friday

Outdoor concerts of the week: York Racecourse Music Showcase Weekend, Knavesmire, York, Craig David presents TS5, July 24, and Tom Grennan, July 25

SOUTHAMPTON singer-songwriter and DJ Craig David presents his TS5 DJ set on Music Showcase Friday’s double bill of racing and old-skool anthems, from R&B to Swing Beat, Garage to Bashment, plus current House hits, when he combines his song and MC skills.

Bedford singer-songwriter Tom Grennan is Saturday’s post-racing performer, drawing on such hits as Little Bit Of Love, Let’s Go Home Together, Remind Me, Here and How Does It Feel, plus songs from his number one albums Evering Road, What Ifs & Maybes and Everywhere I Went Led Me To Where I Didn’t Want To Be and top-five debut Lighting Matches. Tickets: yorkracecourse.co.uk; no booking fees; free parking on race day.

Tom Grennan: Performing next Saturday’s Music Showcase Weekend at York Racecourse

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 28, from Gazette & Herald

Becca Magson’s Rita and Joe Gregory’s Frank in 1812 Theatre Company’s Educating Rita. Picture: Lauren Wyeth

RYEDALE Festival and 1812 Theatre’s Educating Rita, compact Shakespeare and Live At York Museum Gardens are uppermost in Charles Hutchinson’s recommendations amid the July heatwave.

Ryedale play of the week: 1812 Theatre Company in Educating Rita, Helmsley Arts Centre, tonight to Saturday, 7.30pm

SAMANTHA Hughes directs Helmsley Arts Centre resident troupe 1812 Theatre Company in Willy Russell’s comedy Educating Rita, wherein Frank (Joe Gregory) is a tutor of English Literature in his 50s whose disillusioned outlook on life drives him to drink and bury himself in his books.  

Enter Rita (Becca Magson), a forthright 26-year-old hairdresser who is eager to learn. After weeks of cajoling, she slowly wins over the hesitant Frank with her highly original insights and refusal to accept “No” for an answer. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk. Picture: Lauren Wyeth.

Michael Flatley’s Irish dancers in the 30th anniversary tour of Lord Of The Dance, in action at York Barbican tonight. Picture: Brian Doherty

Dance show of the week: Michael Flatley’s Lord Of The Dance30th Anniversary Tour, York Barbican, tonight, 7.45pm

THE 30th anniversary tour of Michael Flatley’s Lord Of The Dance promises a grand celebration of the revolutionary Irish dance production’s legacy, after captivating more than 60 million fans in 60 countries since its 1996 debut.

The 30 Years of Standing Ovations tour features “brand-new choreography, stunning costumes, state-of-the-art special effects and cutting-edge lighting, ensuring that the production continues to push boundaries and deliver an unforgettable experience”.  Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/lord-of-the-dance-30th-anniversary/.

Clive Francis’s Sir Humphrey Appleby in I’m Sorry, Prime Minister. Picture: Johan Persson

Political drama of the week: I’m Sorry, Prime Minister, Grand Opera House, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday matinees

JIM Hacker is back, older, but perhaps not wiser, and still utterly baffled by the real world. Hoping for a quiet retirement from government as the master of Hacker College, Oxford, Jim (Robert Kitson, replacing the indisposed Simon Rouse) instead finds himself facing the ultimate modern crisis: cancelled by the college committee. Enter Sir Humphrey Appleby (Clive Francis), who has lost none of his love for bureaucracy, Latin phrases and well-timed obstruction.

Can Humphrey and Jim outmanoeuvre the hostile students, the Fellows and reality itself? Or is it finally time to say “I’m Sorry, Prime Minister”? Brimming with wit, nostalgia and more double-speak than a press briefing, the final chapter in the evergreen comedy series is written and directed by Jonathan Lynn,co-directed byMichael Gyngell and presented by The Barn Theatre, Cirencester. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Reduced Shakespeare Company’s 2026 tour cast for The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), squeezing into York Theatre Royal this week

Shakespeare shake-up of the week: Reduced Shakespeare Company in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), York Theatre Royal, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees

MARKING 30 years of performances in the UK, the Reduced Shakespeare Company’s 2026 tour company of Efé Agwele, Woogie Jung, Tom Pavey and Kiran Raywilliams presents Hamlet told backwards, a micro-condensed Othello scored to a ukulele, a carnage-filled Titus Andronicus presented as a YouTube cookery tutorial and the History Plays as a manic football game, passing the crown from king to king.

Californian co-founders Adam Long,  Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield have re-booted, re-imagined, reinvented and updated the restless comedy for a new generation to undertake a rollercoaster ride through all 37 of the Bard’s First Folio of plays. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Stephen Smith’s Claude Monet in A Montage Of Monet at York Medical Society. Picture: Amie Barton-Young

Storytelling actor of the week: Threedumb Theatre presents Stephen Smith in A Montage Of Monet, York Medical Society, Stonegate, York, tonight, 7.30pm and July 11, 3pm; One  Man Poe world premiere, July 11, 7.30pm

THREEDUMB Theatre artistic director and actor Stephen Smith performs Joan Greening’s new play exploring French Impressionist artist Claude Monet’s life and loves: his two marriages, his first wife’s devastating death, his lover’s erratic behaviour, his suicide attempt, his thoughts on fellow Impressionists and the torment of his failing eyesight. The 55-minute Monet montage combines projection design and Joe Furey’s music with Smith’s storytelling in  two York performances.

Smith also presents the world premiere of his latest Poe double bill (The Business Man and The Case of M. Valdemar) ahead of his Edinburgh Fringe residency. Box office: York, 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark’s Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys: Summer of Hits concert at Live At York Museum Gardens

Rock and pop festival of the week: Futuresound presents Live At York Museum Gardens, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, tomorrow, gates 5pm; Self Esteem, Friday, gates 5pm, and Super Furry Animals, Saturday, gates 4pm

WIRRAL synth-pop pioneers Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark open Futuresound’s third season of Live At York Museum Gardens concerts tomorrow with a Summer of Hits bill featuring Heaven 17, China Crisis and rising Newcastle singer-songwriter Andrew Cushin.

Mercury Prize nominee Self Esteem, aka Rotherham singer, songwriter and actress Rebecca Lucy Taylor, tops Friday’s line-up, featuring London indie group The Big Moon, South African ghetto funk musician Moonchild Sanelly and Nigerian-born musician and spoken-word artist Joshia Idehen.

Welsh psychedelic rock band Super Furry Animals are Saturday’s headliners, joined by singer-songwriter Baxter Dury, indie-pop septet Los Campesinos!, Nottingham alt-country band Divorce and North Wales psychedelic act Pys Melyn.  Box office for July 10 and 11: futuresoundgroup.com/york-museum-gardens-events.

Ross Noble: Playing York Comedy Festival at Live At York Museum Gardens on Sunday

Comedy event of the week: Futuresound presents York Comedy Festival, Live at York Museum Gardens, York, Sunday, gates 3pm

TOPICAL comedian Russell Howard (9.30pm), from Russell Howard’s Good News, and Geordie surrealist Ross Noble (8.35pm) take top billing at the second open-air York Comedy Festival, promoted by Futuresound.

In Sunday’s line-up too will be Irish stand-up and podcast sensation Joanne McNally (7.40pm); stand-up and presenter Russell Kane (7.10pm); Big Kick Energy podcaster and comedian Suzi Ruffell (6.15pm); Barry From Watford (5.45pm), the 82-year-old comic creation of Alex Lowe; cult stand-up hero and viral sensation Jeff Innocent (4.50pm)  and Britain’s Got Talent finalist Nabil Abdulrashid (4.20pm), all hosted by Jared Christmas. Box office: yorkcomedyfestival.com.

The Gesualdo Six: Performing Wishing Tree: A Choral Journey at St Lawrence’s Church, York, on July 14 at 3pm as part of Ryedale Festival. Picture: Ash Mills

Festival of the week: Ryedale Festival, July 10 to 26

RYEDALE Festival presents 60 events this month in 40 different venues, including Tenebrae, pianist Junyan Chen, The Gesualdo Six, Dunedin Consort, John Wilson & Sinfonia of London’s An English Summer, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia and Opera North.

Taking part too are tenor Mark Padmore and pianist Christopher Glynn, Sheku & Isata Kanneh-Mason, pianist Benjamin Grosvenor, Eliza Carthy and The Restitution, soprano Erika Baikoff, cellist Laura van der Heijden, BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists and Kirkbymoorside Town Brass Band. For the full festival programme and tickets, go to: ryedalefestival.com.

Hannah Davies and Jack Woods: Re-imagining of the selkie myth in a not-too-distant future in The Ballad Of Blea Wyke. Picture: Matt Jopling

Dystopian vision of the week: Hannah Davies & Jack Woods in The Ballad of Blea Wyke, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, York, July 10, 8.30pm; Helmsley Arts Centre, July 17, 7.30pm

IN North Yorkshire writer and storyteller Hannah Davies and musician Jack Woods’ dystopian re-imagining of the selkie myth in a not-too-distant future, a young woman wants to see the sea. A stranger stands on a cliff. The last grey seal swims towards the shore. 

On her 18th birthday, tough care-leaver Cerys breaks the city’s lockdown and travels to the coastal cliffs that birthed her, the crumbling landscape drawing her back to her mythic past. Cue a haunting interweaving of story, music, poetry and song. Box office: York, https://bluebirdbakery.co.uk/rise; Helmsley, 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

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More Things To Do in York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 27, from The York Press

SledOne’s mural, What Walks Amongst Us, taking shape at AcombFest. Picture: Art of Protest

MURALS in Acomb, early music beyond borders, Mystery Plays on waggons, a political swansong and compact Shakespeare keep Charles Hutchinson’s thoughts off the July heatwave.

Art event of the week: AcombFest, Acomb, York, today and tomorrow

CURATED by Art of Protest, York’s first international street art festival continues today and tomorrow with its theme of A Return To Nature, featuring 20 art installations, live murals, RARE Collective’s Paint Jam, spray battles and more than 30 bands, DJs and performers, across 22 venues.

Look out too for interactive family-friendly workshops, an art market, history walks and talks, special events and tastings and a community cinema. Muralists taking part include SMUG, from Australia, Sheffield muralist Peachzz, wildlife artist Curtis Hylton and Acomb’s very own SledOne. For full details, go to: https://acombfest.co.uk/.

Baroque collective Solomon’s Knot: Performing Friedrich Nicolaus Bruhns’ St Mark Passion, directed by Jonathan Sells, at The Quire, York Minster, on July 10

50th anniversary event of the summer: 2026 York Early Music Festival, Beyond Borders, until July 11

THE premier British early music festival marks its 50th anniversary with a celebration of “just how far early music has travelled – beyond the borders of the myriad historic venues of our city to a worldwide audience,” says director Delma Tomlin.

The festival welcomes The Sixteen, B’Rock Orchestra & Vocal Consort, Imago Mundi, mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston, Solomon’s Knot and NCEM Platform Artists Anacronia and Contre le temps, among others. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk/yemf.

Bodhan Pitel’s Herod in DSpace Ukrainian Theatre’s The Massacre of the Innocents in the York Mystery Plays 2026. Picture: John Saunders

Theatrical outdoor event of the week: 2026 York Mystery Plays, streets of York, tomorrow, 10.30am to 4.50pm

THE four-yearly staging on the York Mystery Plays on pageant waggons takes place at four locations across the city: free viewing at the Minster Refectory Gardens, Deansgate, (from 10.30am) King’s Square (from 11.10am), St Sampson’s Square (from 11.50am) and ticketed seats at Dean’s Park (from 12.30pm). Ten core plays will be complemented by further extracts to tell the story from The War In Heaven to Doomsday. For full details, go to yorkmysteryplays.co.uk; tickets, ticketsource.com/york-festival-trust.

Clive Francis as Sir Humphrey Appleby in I’m Sorry, Prime Minister. Picture: Johan Persson

Political drama of the week: I’m Sorry, Prime Minister, Grand Opera House, York, July 7 to 11, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday matinees

JIM Hacker is back, older, but perhaps not wiser, and still utterly baffled by the real world. Hoping for a quiet retirement from government as the master of Hacker College, Oxford, Jim (Robert Kitson, replacing Simon Rouse) instead finds himself facing the ultimate modern crisis: cancelled by the college committee. Enter Sir Humphrey Appleby (Clive Francis), who has lost none of his love for bureaucracy, Latin phrases and well-timed obstruction.

Can Humphrey and Jim outmanoeuvre the hostile students, the Fellows and reality itself? Or is it finally time to say “I’m Sorry, Prime Minister”? Brimming with wit, nostalgia and more double-speak than a press briefing, the final chapter in the evergreen comedy series is written and directed by Jonathan Lynn,co-directed byMichael Gyngell and presented by The Barn Theatre, Cirencester. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Reduced Shakespeare Company’s 2026 tour cast for The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)

Shakespeare shake-up of the week: Reduced Shakespeare Company in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), York Theatre Royal, July 7 to 11, 7.30pm plus 2pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees

MARKING 30 years of performances in the UK, the Reduced Shakespeare Company’s 2026 tour company of Efé Agwele, Woogie Jung, Tom Pavey and Kiran Raywilliams presents Hamlet told backwards, a micro-condensed Othello scored to a ukulele, a carnage-filled Titus Andronicus presented as a YouTube cookery tutorial and the History Plays as a manic football game, passing the crown from king to king.

Californian co-founders Adam Long,  Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield have re-booted, re-imagined, reinvented and updated the restless comedy for a new generation to undertake a rollercoaster ride through all 37 of the Bard’s First Folio of plays. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Stephen Smith’s Claude Monet in A Montage Of Monet

Busiest actor of the week: Threedumb Theatre presents Stephen Smith in A Montage Of Monet, York Medical Society, Stonegate, York, July 8, 7.30pm and July 11, 3pm; One Man Poe, Ripon Theatre Festival, Ripon Arts Hub, July 10, 8pm; One  Man Poe world premiere, York Medical Society, July 11, 7.30pm

THREEDUMB Theatre artistic director and actor Stephen Smith performs Joan Greening’s new play exploring French Impressionist artist Claude Monet’s life and loves: his two marriages, his first wife’s devastating death, his lover’s erratic behaviour, his suicide attempt, his thoughts on fellow Impressionists and the torment of his failing eyesight. The 55-minute Monet montage combines projection design and Joe Furey’s music with Smith’s storytelling in  two York performances.

Smith also presents four of Edgar Allan Poe’s Gothic horror  works (The Tell-Tale Heart, The Pit and The Pendulum, The Black Cat and The Raven) in Ripon, followed by the world premiere of his latest Poe double bill (The Business Man and The Case of M. Valdemar) in York. All six, amounting to 18,000 Poe words, will be performed at the Edinburgh Fringe. Box office: York, 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk; Ripon, ripontheatrefestival.org.

Musical of the week: Top Hat and Tails Theatre in Little Shop Of Horrors!, Friargate Theatre, York, July 9 to 11, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

MEEK floral assistant Seymour Krelborn stumbles across a new breed of plant he calls Audrey II, a foul-mouthed carnivore that promises him fame and fortune if he keeps feeding it with blood. Over time, however, Seymour discovers Audrey II’s plans for global domination in Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s sci-fi B-movie monster spoof, presented here with a live band and professionally hand-crafted puppets.  Box office: ridinglights.org.

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark’s Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys: Summer of Hits show at York Museum Gardens on Thursday

Music festival of the week: Futuresound presents Live At York Museum Gardens, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, July 9, gates 5pm; Self Esteem, July 10, gates 5pm, and Super Furry Animals, July 11, gates 4pm

WIRRAL synth-pop pioneers Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark open Futuresound’s third season of Live At York Museum Gardens concerts on Thursday with a Summer of Hits bill featuring Heaven 17, China Crisis and rising Newcastle singer-songwriter Andrew Cushin.

Mercury Prize nominee Self Esteem, aka Rotherham singer, songwriter and actress Rebecca Lucy Taylor, tops Friday’s line-up, featuring London indie group The Big Moon, South African ghetto funk musician Moonchild Sanelly and Nigerian-born musician and spoken-word artist Joshia Idehen.

Welsh psychedelic rock band Super Furry Animals are next Saturday’s headliners, joined by singer-songwriter Baxter Dury, indie-pop septet Los Campesinos!, Nottingham alt-country band Divorce and North Wales psychedelic act Pys Melyn.  Box office for July 10 and 11: futuresoundgroup.com/york-museum-gardens-events.

If I Knew The Way, I Would Take You Home, by Matt Sewell

In Focus: Birds of the week: Matt Sewell exhibition for RARE Collective at WET, Micklegate, York, until mid-July

SHROPSHIRE artist, illustrator and author Matt Sewelll is the latest street art luminary to be showcased in RARE Collective’s collaboration with WET wine bar, in Micklegate, York, in aid of SASH (Safe and Sound Homes), the York youth homelessness charity.

“We’re really chuffed to have Matt return to York with his fabulous Riso prints,” says RARE Collective exhibition organiser Sharon McDonagh. “If you came to the Vandalfest charity street art show last year, you would have seen his cracking bird mural on Floor 3 of the big disused office block in Low Ousegate.

Artist Matt Sewell at work

Sewell is an avid ornithologist, contributing regularly to the Caught By The River website and publishing the books Our Garden Birds, Our Songbirds, Our Woodland Birds, Owls, Penguins and A Charm Of Goldfinches And Other Collective Nouns.

He has illustrated for the Guardian, Barbour, V&A Museums, BBC, National Trust, Greenpeace, Big Issue and Levi’s and painted walls for Helly Hansen, Puma and the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds). He has exhibited in Great Britain, New York, old York, Tokyo and Paris.  

Cuckoo Cuckoo Cuckoo, by Matt Sewell

Under RARE Collective’s partnership with WET, artists and photographers exhibit their work in a six-week solo show.  As well as at WET, work can be bought online both during and after the exhibition run at rarecollective.co.uk.

In addition, a selection of Sewell’s prints is featuring in RARE Collective’s exhibition for AcombFest at The Crooked Tap, on show until August 15 in support of SASH.

Matt Sewell’s wall of bird prints for sale at WET

Exhibiting too are: spAm (Sharon McDonagh), Sola, Alison Jagger, Al Murphy, Anthony Appleyard, Boxxhead, HazardOne, Lady Mkei, Lincoln Lightfoot, Liskbot, Michael Dawson, Nicolas Dixon, Slice Of Lino, STATIC and Stephen Bottrill.

“RARE are working in collaboration with the Art of Protest Project, after being invited by AcombFest curator Jeff Clark and the AOP team to curate the live PaintJam at the Carlton Tavern, in Acomb Road, Holgate, today and tomorrow,” says RARE Collective curator Sharon McDonagh.

“This will involve nine artists painting live from 10am to 4pm each day (Boxxhead, HazardOne, Lady Mkei, Lincoln Lightfoot, Liskbot, Nicolas Dixon, Sola, spAm and VYZ); live DJ sets by Alilou, Bob Yenz, Conor Rogan, Free Da Karlos and Sola plus guests, audiovisual artists Fred DWolf, Sonas and JohnManBand on a huge screen, cocktails and mixology by Tulum Spirits Collective and street food by El Chappo, all in support of SASH.”

Did you know?

MATT Sewell is also a musician, performing as Sewell &The Gong with Chris Tate and as the deep-cut compiler of the compilation series A Crushing Glow.

Matt Sewell’s work environment

In Focus too: Michael Flatley’s Lord Of The Dance, 30th Anniversary Tour, York Barbican, July 6 to 8, 7.45pm

THE 30th anniversary tour of Michael Flatley’s Lord Of The Dance promises a grand celebration of the revolutionary Irish dance production’s legacy after captivating more than 60 million fans in 60 countries since its 1996 debut.

The 30 Years of Standing Ovations tour will feature “brand-new choreography, stunning costumes, state-of-the-art special effects and cutting-edge lighting, ensuring that the production continues to push boundaries and deliver an unforgettable experience”. 

Creative manager James Keegan says: “Michael Flatley has taught me that there are no boundaries in the creative space. When he burst onto the scene in the mid-90s, he took traditional Irish dancing to a place nobody had ever dreamed of, and that has been the key to the show’s success.

“Michael often says in rehearsals that we need to push the boundaries as much as we can, and if it’s too far or doesn’t work, we can always pull it back. That mindset is what keeps Lord Of The Dance evolving.”

Lord Of The Dance on its 30th anniversary tour. Picture: Brian Doherty

Keegan believes that the core elements of Flatley’s visionary production – choreography, music and storytelling – remain timeless while still evolving. “What made Lord Of The Dance famous 30 years ago is still what makes it work today: 40 of the greatest Irish tap dancers in the world performing in one line in perfect sync. It’s a spectacle that never loses its magic,” he says.

Reflecting on Flatley’s impact, Keegan says: “Professional Irish dancing didn’t really exist until Michael created his shows and added a more entertaining twist to the art form.

“He wasn’t just a dancer; he was a highly tuned athlete who could perform at astonishing levels for a full two-hour show, seven days a week. Today, we see young competitive dancers around the world striving to reach the levels he set.”

But beyond the footwork and the spectacle, Keegan reckons Flatley’s greatest legacy is his ability to inspire. “Michael’s motto has always been, ‘Nothing is impossible.’ He took an already intricate dance form and pushed it even further, breaking records like 38 taps per second and incorporating upper body movements that defied tradition,” he says.

Michael Flatley

“I’ve seen it time and time again: a dancer who never thought they could be a lead receives Michael’s encouragement, and before long, they are fulfilling their dream on stage.”

For Keegan, one moment stands out above the rest. “In 1997, I was a ten-year-old competitive Irish dancer in Manchester, struggling with the name-callers and the challenges of being a young male dancer,” he says.

“Then Lord Of The Dance came to town. Watching Michael and the cast that night at the Apollo Theatre changed everything for me. The masculinity, the precision, the energy, it was like nothing I’d ever seen before.

“I met Michael at the stage door, and suddenly, I knew that being an Irish dancer could mean being a superstar. Nineteen years later, I had the honour of sharing his final show with him at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, in 2016. It was a full-circle moment I will never forget.”

Michael Flatley’s Lord Of The Dance dancers

As Lord Of The Dance embark on its 30th anniversary tour, Flatley reflects on the journey. “The magic of Lord Of The Dance lives on in the hearts of our audience, and I am thrilled to bring this iconic show back to the UK in 2026,” he says.

“30 Years of Standing Ovations celebrates the incredible journey we’ve shared with fans over the years. It’s a tribute to the enduring power of dreams, the joy of dance and the unwavering support of our audience. This tour is our way of saying thank you for three decades of unforgettable memories.”

Although Flatley, now 67, retired from performing during his final tour in 2016, he has remained at the helm of Lord Of The Dance, guiding its evolution while preserving its timeless magic.

Now, as the production prepares for its biggest celebration yet, fans can look forward to a breathtaking spectacle that honours the past, embraces the present, and inspires the future of Irish dance.

The 30th anniversary tour also visits Hull New Theatre, July 22 to 25, and Sheffield City Hall, August 20 to 23. For full tour dates and ticket information, go to lordofthedance.com. York tickets:  https://www.yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/lord-of-the-dance-30th-anniversary/.

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The Killers’ Brandon Flowers to play York Barbican on Thrasher tour on October 21 in first York appearance since 2004

Brandon Flowers: Showcasing new album Thrasher at York Barbican. Picture: Chris Phelps

THE Killers’ frontman, Brandon Flowers, will play York Barbican on October 21 as the only Yorkshire venue on his nine-date UK and Ireland tour.

Flowers will be promoting Thrasher, his highly anticipated third solo album and first since 2015, out on August 21 on Island Records.

Tickets go on general sale on Friday (3/7/2026) at 10am from https://www.yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/brandon-flowers.

Fans can look forward to hearing songs from Thrasher, played live for the first time, alongside highlights from his British chart-topping solo albums, 2010’s Flamingo and 2015’s The Desired Effect, as well as beloved tracks from The Killers’ catalogue.

Nevada-born Flowers, 45, will be touring North America, the UK and Ireland this autumn, including a special show at London’s Royal Albert Hall on October 15, marking his first full performance there since The Killers’ 2009 shows (later released on the Live From The Royal Albert Hall album and DVD).

The Killers have never played York Barbican but did perform at Fibbers on May 30 2004, shortly before the release of debut album Hot Fuss, in their only York gig.

The poster for Brandon Flowers On Tour

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REVIEW: Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Radio Soul!, The Early Songs Of Elvis Costello, York Barbican, June 17 ***

Elvis Costello: Focusing on his early songs at York Barbican. Picture: Ray Di Pietro

ELVIS Costello likes to shuffle his considerable pack. 

In May 2013, at York Barbican, he wheeled out his gigantic vaudevillian contraption for his Spectacular Singing Book show, where The Imposters’ three-hour set list was decided by the spinning of a wheel with myriad song titles displayed on it.

In September 2024, he teamed up with his regular keyboards compadre, Paris-based Steve Nieve, for a two-day residency at Leeds City Varieties, playing two 75-minute concerts each night under the title of 15 Songs From 50 Years, each with a unique set list with no repetition, 60 songs in total.

What’s more, each concert concluded with a Ken Dodd cover version, in a nod to the City Varieties being renamed the Sir Ken Dodd Auditorium in honour of the Knotty Ash comedy legend. Costello had even written the tour announcement himself in the magniloquent style of Good Old Days host Leonard Sachs.

On Wednesday, Elvis was back in the Barbican building in a late addition to his Radio Soul! tour with its focus on revisiting, re-examining and reactivating “the Early Songs of Elvis Costello”. For “early”, it would not be controversial to say the “best songs”, the hit years of 1977’s My Aim Is True to 1986’s Blood & Chocolate.

The songwriting partnerships with Paul McCartney, Burt Bacharach and Allen Toussaint were still to come, and now 71, Costello has graduated to “national treasure” status, but you suspect he would prefer to be considered ‘ornery’ rather than ‘honorary’.

He arrives on stage at 8.45pm in dapper blue jacket, golden winklepickers, waistcoat, trademark glasses (blue-tinted) and a pork pie hat that he immediately discards, restless to crack on with bringing the past into the present with thrills, not frills, restless too to keep moving his players and himself around the stage.

He is playing to a seated audience, but the guitars are loud, Pete Thomas’s drums are punchy, and the sound mix is muddy and thudding, recalling his first Barbican appearance with The Attractions in November 1994, spoiled by the oppressive sound levels that night.  

It is not a problem blighting only his York Barbican shows: national newspaper reports of his June 15 show at the Royal Albert Hall commented on the same scenario with its impact on being able to decipher Costello’s familiar lyrics.

Costello has added Texan guitarist Charlie Sexton to the mix – looking the spitting image of David Bowie in Station To Station guise – but at first it was difficult to hear his electricity crackle with clarity. This Year’s Girl and Mystery Dance were murky, but an extended Watching The Detectives found Costello and band – all in black – hitting their stride.

Without being as extreme as Bob Dylan, Costello now has a habit of playing around with his vocal delivery and rhythm, Shabby Doll taking a while to become recognisable. Motel Matches, from 1980’s Get Happy!, reasserted itself as a country song precursor to 1981’s covers album Almost Blue; Just A Memory, the B-side to the sadly absent New Amsterdam, made a rare appearance, as did No Dancing from My Aim Is True.

Lover’s Walk, from 1981’s Trust, had a strutting bounce to it, but  (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes was too ragged. The sound fared better whenever Costello took to the piano, where his characterful voice brought the blues to a slower, still soulful Everyday I Write The Book.

There was the unexpected as well as the expected, typified by A Face In The Crowd, the title track from his stage musical, but the absence of his political trilogy, Shipbuilding, Pills And Soap and Peace In Our Time, was both surprising and disappointing.

Charlie Rich’s Who Will The Next Fool Be and Heathen Town followed, the latter finding room for snippet of A Good Year For The Roses, a segue surpassed by Clubland accommodating Ghost Town, its state-of-the-nocturnal-nation marrow by The Specials.  

Costello’s humour was in fine form, from saying he only came up with Early Songs concept because he could not tour as “the late Elvis Costello”, or later introducing his skiffle pastiche Lovable as a tribute to The Beverley Sisters. Correction, “the Everly Brothers,” he quipped.

Alison was rough at the edges, but Less Than Zero set in motion the irresistible pumped-up home run of (I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea, Pump It Up,  (What ‘s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding and Oliver’s Army, riding the old New Wave with breathless exhilaration. No need for encores, Elvis left the building.

Elvis Costello & The Imposters’ set list at York Barbican, 17/6/2026

THIS Year’s Girl; Mystery Dance; Watching The Detectives/Help Me; Shabby Doll; Motel Matches; Just A Memory; No Dancing; Lover’s Walk; (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes; Everyday I Write The Book; A Face In The Crowd; Who Will The Next Fool Be; Heathen Town/Good Year For The Roses; Lovable; Honey, Are You Straight Or Are You Blind?; Clubland/Ghost Town; Alison; High Fidelity; Less Than Zero; (I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea; Pump It Up; (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding and Oliver’s Army.

Sharing a Moment: Elvis Costello and Emily Moment on the cover of Cruel Smile

Did you know?

ELVIS Costello’s support act at York Barbican, singer-songwriter Emily Moment, appeared alongside Elvis on the cover of Cruel Smile, his 2002 compilation album of B-sides and leftover material from his When I was Cruel sessions. “I used to go into the Virgin Megastore in New York and rearrange his albums with Cruel Smile at the front,” she told Wednesday’s audience.

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Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan to play York Barbican on May 6 2027 on debut Talking Gib’rish Tour. When do tickets go on sale?

Ian Gillan: Purple prose at York Barbican next May

DEEP Purple frontman Ian Gillan will play York Barbican on May 6 2027 on his Talking Gib’rish Tour. Tickets go on sale on Friday (26/6/2026) at 10am at https://www.yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/ian-gillan/.

Next spring’s series of live speaking events will allow audiences to hear personal stories from Gillan’s remarkable life and career in rock music.

From his childhood in Hounslow to the global rise of Deep Purple, Gillan will reflect on his experiences, music and outlook on life. 

Now 80, Gillan’s career spans more than six decades. He joined his first band, The Javelins, in 1962, then teamed up with Roger Glover in Episode Six in 1965. Touring with Dusty Springfield and performing across Europe and the Middle East helped shape his musicianship and distinctive vocal style.

In 1969, Gillan joined Deep Purple in what became one of the pivotal moments in rock history. Formed in 1968, Deep Purple are pioneers of hard rock, best known for their 1972 album Machine Head, featuring Smoke On The Water.

In 1970, Gillan took on the role of Jesus Christ in the original London studio recording of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Jesus Christ Superstar for MCA Records, earning acclaim for his powerful and emotive interpretation.

Throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, he broke new ground leading the bands Gillan, Garth Rockett & The Moonshiners and Repo Depo.

The Talking Gib’rish Tour will be a rare opportunity to hear behind-the-scenes stories from Gillan in his own words: candid, humorous and unfiltered.

“I am quivering with anticipation at the prospect of embarking on my first ever public speaking engagements, The Talking Gib’rish Tour, in April/May 2027. I’ll be covering a lot of ground, from my early days in Hounslow to whatever might have happened on the latest world tour with my beloved Deep Purple…and maybe something funky in between.

“After 65 years on the road, there will be stories about some of the fascinating and sometimes magical events and people that I’ve encountered along the trail. It’s going to be a blast!”

The cover artwork for Deep Purple’s new studio album, Splat!, out on July 3

Ian Gillan: back story 

BORN on August 19 1945 in Hounslow. Built career as singer and songwriter, recording 79 studio albums, along with countless live recordings, including Deep Purple’s legendary double album Made in Japan, released in December 1972.

Deep Purple’s latest album, the 13-track recording Splat!, will be released on July 3 on earMUSIC. Produced by Bob Ezrin, it will be available on vinyl and CD formats and can be pre-ordered directly from https://deeppurple.lnk.to/SPLAT.

Gillan says: “Where we are now with this incarnation of Deep Purple feels very much like a very ‘now’ version of Deep Purple as it was in the Seventies. I have to say, now we are very much back in with material that is compatible with Highway Star, Smoke On The Water, Lazy – the dynamics, the balance and the fun of the music we made from ‘69 to ‘73.”

At the heart of Splat! is an idea conceived by Gillan. Rather than treating the end as destruction, the album imagines it as transformation: Splat! explores the end of humanity not in any crude apocalyptic sense but as a metamorphosis beyond physical existence.

To celebrate the release, Deep Purple will continue their extensive 2026 touring schedule with no fewer than 86 shows across 28 countries on three continents.

Gillan’s honours include induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a Grammy Hall of Fame award and the Ivor Novello International Award. His global record sales have exceeded 200 million.

His website can be found at https://gillan.com.

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More Things To Do in York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 25, from The York Press

Al Dunn, Matt Freeman and Nick Bunt in Oh Zeus! on Le Navet Bete’s fifth visit to York Theatre Royal. Picture: Mark Senior

A MYTHOLOGICAL farce and Lenny Henry at large, a snappy crocodile and a Man-Wulf, a spelling bee musical and a mirrored installation keep Charles Hutchinson’s arty eye on the ball and off the football.

Greek comedy of the week: Le Navet Bete in Oh Zeus!, York Theatre Royal, today, 2pm and 7.30pm

EXETER’S chaotic comedy specialists, Le Navet Bete, conduct a riotous ride through Ancient Greece, the Underworld and back in Oh Zeus! Written by director John Nicholson and company founders Al Dunn, Nick Bunt and Matt Freeman, this mythological farce finds the stability of Olympus being threatened by the marriage of Zeus’s daughter, Hebe, to a mere mortal, whereupon the King of the Gods hatches a plan to derail the wedding.

Expect physical comedy, outrageous jokes and fast-paced pandemonium as Dunn, Bunt and Freeman play 40 characters between them. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Beverley Knight: Born to perform at York Barbican. Picture: Lewis Shaw

Recommended but sold out: Beverley Knight, Born To Perform, York Barbican, tonight, 7.30pm

QUEEN of British soul Beverley Knight shares stories from her life on stage, as well as performing her biggest hits, musical theatre favourites and cherished songs that have inspired her on her 20-date UK tour.

“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,” says Knight, whose hits include Made It Black, Greatest Day, Get Up, Shoulda Woulda Coulda, Gold, Come As You Are, Keep This Fire Burning and Piece Of My Heart. Her special guest is Gabriella Cilmi. Box office for returns only: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Anastacia: Playing Scarborough Open Air Theatre on Not That Kind tour

Coastal gigs of the week: TK Maxx presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Skunk Anansie & Garbage, tonight; Anastacia and Heather Small tomorrow, gates 6pm

SKUNK Anansie and Garbage play Scarborough on a six-date tour. Formed in London in 1994, fronted by Skin, Skunk Anansie blend hard rock with political and social themes;  American alternative rock band Garbage, fronted by Scottish singer Shirley Manson, combine rock, electronica and pop influences.

Chicago singer Anastacia heads to the Yorkshire coast to perform I’m Outta Love, Paid My Dues and Left Outside Alone et al on her Not That Kind tour. London soul singer Heather Small, of M People fame, is her special guest. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.

York artist Ric Liptrot’s illustration for tomorrow’s 2026 Bishy Road Street Party

Community event of the week: Bishy Road Street Party, Bishopthorpe Road, York, tomorrow, 11am to 4pm

 CELEBRATING community spirit and independent shops, Bishopthorpe Road Traders Association’s 2026 Bishy Road Street Party combines live music, family activities and food and drink, plus street vendors and community stalls. The main stage  plays host to performances by Yorkshire Voices (11am), Third Parallel (11.45am), Gaia On Fire (Juno, 12.30pm) and Bargestra (1.30pm), climaxing with headline sets by the Yorky Pud Street Band (14.15pm) and The Unnamed Band (3.15pm).

Look out for five children’s performances and interactive sessions, with appearances from Evergreen Explorers (11am), Professor Dan (12 noon), Baby Band (1pm), Elevate Dance Sessions (2pm) and Josh Benson (3pm). A children’s zone, featuring face painting, mud kitchen, crafts, hair braiding and balloons, will be set up on Ebor Street and entertainment will be spread across the event space. Charities, artists, makers and community groups offer games, activities and information. Free to attend; no booking required.

Artist and designer Es Devlin in the Temple of the Fours Winds at Castle Howard. Picture: Rick Walker, PA Media

Installation of the week: Es Devlin, Library Of The Four Winds, Temple of the Four Winds, Castle Howard, near Malton, until September 27

AS part of the Vanbrugh 300 celebrations at Castle Howard, artist and designer Es Devlin responds to  Sir John Vanbrugh’s visionary architecture with her luminous installation Library Of The Four Winds, a new mirrored sculpture that takes over the Temple of the Four Winds in honour of the National Year of Reading.

The temple’s original use as a place for refreshment and reading was Devlin’s starting point for a central sculpture made up of hundreds of books, curated from the personal libraries of Vanbrugh and Devlin.  The temple is encompassed by four concentric tables where the public can read, draw, talk, eat and listen. The space will host events throughout the summer. Tickets: castlehoward.co.uk.

The many faces of Lenny Henry: Actor, comedian, fundraiser and stand-up anedoctalist

Talk of the week: Lenny Henry, Still At Large, Grand Opera House, York, June 23, 7.30pm

PART stand-up, part storytelling and part conversation with himself and with you, Still At Large finds Lenny Henry returning to the experiences that shaped him while also exploring the ideas, challenges and creative sparks driving him today.

From The Lenny Henry Show and Chef! to dramatic performances in Othello and The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power,  he traces the roles, characters and moments that have defined his six-decade career and shares what continues to inspire him as he reflects on a life lived out loud. On show will be the many versions of Lenny: actor, impressionist, comedian, fundraiser and stand-up anecdotalist. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Dan Wood, left, Stephen Wright, Lotty Farmer, Rosa Burns, Hannah Shaw and James Dickinson in York Light Opera Company’s The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Musical of the week: York Light Opera Company in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, June 24 to 27 & June 30 to July 4, 7.30pm, plus 2.30pm Saturday matinees and 2pm Sunday matinee (28/6/2026)

NEIL Wood directs York Light in Rebecca Feldman, William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin’s musical account of six ‘mid-pubescents’ battling for the spelling championship of a lifetime. While candidly disclosing stories from their home life, the tweens spell their way through a series of words hoping to never hear the bell that signals a mistake.

Cue a heart-warming message that highlights themes of friendship, identity and perseverance, all while celebrating the awkwardness and excitement of growing up. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Jordan Eskeisa, left, Marienella Phillips, Chelsea Da Silva (The Enormous Crocodile, front), Precious Abimbola and Ciara Hudson in The Enormous Crocodile. Picture: Danny Kaan

Mischievous adaptation of the week: Roald Dahl Story Company in Roald Dahl’s The Enormous Crocodile The Musical, York Theatre Royal, June 25 to 28, 10.30am and 1.30pm.

ROALD Dahl’s Enormous Crocodile is weaving his way through the jungle in search of delicious little fingers and squidgy podgy knees. Only fellow jungle creatures can foil his “secret plans and clever tricks”, but they need courage aplenty to stop this greedy, grumptious, horrid brute.

Equipped with Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab’s tunes, Suhayla El-Bushra’s rib-tickling book and lyrics and Tom Brady’s additional music and lyrics, the dastardly family adventure has been developed and directed by Emily Lim, working in tandem with co-director and puppetry designer Toby Olié. Chelsea Da Silva, Precious Abimbola, Jordan Eskeisa, Ciara Hudson, Marienella Phillips and actor-musician René Francalanza star.Age guidance: Three plus. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Stewart Lee’s poster illustration for Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf, on tour for three nights at Grand Opera House, York

Comedy gigs of the week: Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf, Grand Opera House, York, June 25 to 27, 7.30pm

AFTER a five-night Theatre Royal run in the fledgling days of Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf in January 2025, the contrarian comedian returns to York for three more nights of testing whether the beast inside us all can be silenced with the silver bullet of Lee’s scalpel-sharp stand-up?

Lee will play the same material three ways: first up, telling liberal jokes in a liberal way, then, after a screaming transformation into the Man-Wulf, reactionary jokes in a reactionary way post-interval and, finally, wolf’s head removed, reactionary jokes in a liberal, left-leaning way. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Karl Mullen: Playing everything from Chopin to Oasis, via Led Zeppelin and Les Dawson, at The Old Paint Shop

Cabaret gig of the week: The Old Paint Shop presents Karl Mullen, York Theatre Royal Studio, June 26, 8pm

AFTER two Old Paint Shop gigs last year, Karl Mullen, upright-piano busker, Phoenix Inn fixture and Leeds Piano Competition Pub Piano Champion, completes his hat-trick, serving up his high-energy take on everything from Chopin to Oasis, via Led Zeppelin and Les Dawson, packed with outrageous and heartfelt stories from decades of gigging. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

In Focus: Prima Choral Artists, Under One Sky, National Centre for Early Music, York, Sunday, 21/6/2026, 5pm & 7.30pm

Prima Choral Artists; poster for Sunday’s concerts at the double on Father’s Day

PRODUCER and artistic director Eve Lorian leads Prima Choral Artists in a compelling journey through global vocal traditions in two concerts on Sunday at the National Centre For Early Music, St Margaret’s Church, Walmgate, York.

Under One Sky is a signature programme by this Polish-born, York-based choral director, who has consistently introduced unique concerts and explored new territory for York choirs for nearly two decades.

Eve’s latest artistic compilation is designed to celebrate the relationship between musical language, cultural identity and vocal technique, while recognising the unifying nature of the choral canon. Spanning a wide geographical and cultural spectrum, the repertoire highlights distinctive approaches to tone production, ornamentation, rhythm and ensemble cohesion.

Sunday’s programme opens with Sakura, a Japanese folk melody characterised by its pentatonic modality and lyrical phrasing. The Bulgarian works Kaval Sviri and Dilmano Dilbero exemplify the highly resonant, open-throated “white voice” technique, and this vocal aesthetic continues in Serbian folk music, where dance-derived rhythms and communal expression are central.

Folk traditions of the North Atlantic are represented through the French-Canadian J’entends le Moulin, with its rhythmic drive, alongside Wild Mountain Thyme and Gaelic Song Of The Boatman, which reflect the modal inflections of Scottish and Gaelic song traditions.

Prima Choral Artists’ founder, producer and artistic director Eve Lorian

The programme broadens even further afield through Yeish Kochavim (Hebrew), Evohé (Venezuela) and Dao Mai Fan Ye’ (Mandarin), each illustrating the interaction between text, rhythm and collective energy within their respective traditions. These works foreground the role of music in both ritual and communal celebration.

The final section centres on vocal traditions from the Torres Strait Islands and Southern Africa. Sesere Eeye reflects oral transmission practices and community-based performance, while Ngothando, Ndikhokhele Bawo and Papaoutai demonstrate the harmonies and call-and-response structures that are foundational to many African musical forms.

Eve’s diligent research has brought together this sparkling burst of music with the support of a choir who are no strangers to world music and singing in multiple languages.

“We have always been proud of our multi-cultural, international identity,” says Eve. “Music has always been a unifying force for good. These concerts, celebrating unity through diversity, represent a truth that sometimes only music can express.”

Giving a brief glimpse into the creative process behind these events, she adds: “Selecting the music takes weeks upon weeks of research and listening. I thrive on fresh choices, on presenting the unexpected – and these pieces are far from the standard choral repertoire.

Prima Choral Artists in concert under Eve Lorian’s direction

“But the title came so naturally: Under One Sky says everything that we mean to convey in these two performances!”

International connections for Eve and Prima Choral Artists are not merely constrained to concert programming. For more than a decade, Eve has led the way in introducing outstanding overseas opportunities for York choirs.

This commitment continues this summer with a concert tour to Prague from July 8 to 13 to take part in the International Choir and Orchestra Festival (Prague Festival 2026, July 9 to 13).

On September 6, Eve will welcome the Norwegian choir Fanakoret, from Bergen, for a Friendship performance with Prima Choral Artists at St Olave’s Church, Marygate, York, at 5pm.

“Before these opportunities comes the unmissable chance to join Prima on Father’s Day on Sunday at the National Centre For Early Music with the two time slots designed to complement everyone’s plans and make for a truly special weekend celebration,” she says.

Tickets are available from www.primachoral.com; with limited seating available, booking is recommended.

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