Jennie Dale: CBeebies’ star in her York Theatre Royal pantomime role as Fairy Moonbeam in Sleeping Beauty
JENNIE Dale, star of CBeebies’ Swashbuckle, will play Fairy Moonbeam in York Theatre Royal’s pantomime, Sleeping Beauty, from December 2 to January 4 2025.
She follows in the CBeebies’ footsteps of Andy Day’s Dandini in 2021, Mandy Moate’s Tinkerbell in 2022, James “Raven” McKenzie’s villainous Luke Backinanger in 2023 and Evie Pickerill’s Spirit of the Ring and Genie of the Lamp in 2024 in appearing in the Theatre Royal co-production with award-winning pantomime producers Evolution Productions.
Jennie is best known for playing Captain Captain in the CBeebies television series Swashbuckle and for presenting Jennie’s Fitness In 5 for CBeebies and CBBC.
Her theatre credits include Elf(Dominion Theatre), The Pajama Game (Shaftesbury Theatre), Sister Act (London Palladium), The Lord Of The Rings (Theatre Royal Drury Lane) and Mary Poppins (Prince Edward Theatre).
Jennie has appeared in CBeebies’ pantomimes aplenty, playing Growl in Beauty And The Beast, Sheriff in Robin Hood, Mrs Fitzwarren in Dick Whittington And His Cat and Jiffy in Christmas In Storyland.
Jennie Dale: Presenter of CBeebies’ show Swashbuckle
Evolution writer and producer Paul Hendy and Theatre Royal creative director Juliet Forster, the team behind Cinderella, All New Adventures Of Peter Pan, Jack And The Beanstalk and last winter’s Aladdin, will reunite for Sleeping Beauty.
Juliet previously directed Jennie as the Nurse in CBeebies’ production of Romeo & Juliet. “Fairy Moonbeam is such a fun role and I can’t wait to welcome Jennie to York Theatre Royal’s stage this Christmas,” she says. “Jennie is fabulously talented and York audiences can expect a real treat with this year’s pantomime. Don’t miss it!”
Paul says: “We’re delighted Jennie Dale will be joining the cast of Sleeping Beauty as Fairy Moonbeam. She’s an absolutely fantastic West End performer and CBeebies’ star, who we know will amaze the pantomime audiences at York Theatre Royal. Sleeping Beauty is going to be a truly spectacular show. Book now!”
Jennie joins the already confirmed Robin Simpson, who will play the dame for a sixth successive Theatre Royal pantomime. Expect “stunning costumes, gorgeous sets, dazzling special effects and lots of hilarious jokes in a festive treat for the whole family”.
Early birds who book before the end of March can benefit from a price freeze on ticket prices, with options ranging from £15 to £43.50. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
And now there are two: Jennie Dale is the second cast member to be announced for York Theatre Royal and Evolution Productions’ co-production of Sleeping Beauty, joining regular dame Robin Simpson
Freya Horlsey: Among the 163 artists and makers taking part in York Open Studios
SPRING has sprung, the cue for the arts world to have an extra spring in its step, much to Charles Hutchinson’s joy.
Art event of the weekend: York Open Studios Taster Exhibition, The Hospitium, York Museum Gardens, today and tomorrow, 10am to 4pm
YORK Open Studios will showcase 163 artists and makers at 116 locations on April 5, 6, 11 and 12 in its largest configuration yet in its 24 years. To whet the appetite, this weekend’s Taster Exhibition showcases works by participating artists to “help you choose which studios you would like to visit”. Full details of the April event can be found at yorkopenstudios.co.uk. Admission is free.
Stevie Hook: Spinning The Wheel Of Nouns
Queercabaret night of the week: York Literature Festival presents Stevie Hook in The Wheel Of Nouns, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, tonight, 7.30pm
REJOICE…or beware! The Gender Fairy is loose and has found their way to York.What is gender anyway and why should you care? Discover why it may be easier than you think in Hook’s new cabaret comedy: an evening of spinning game show wheels, jokes, bribes, and voluntary audience participation.
Audience interaction and cabaret-style games create a light-hearted, accepting environment to explore key issues around queerness and gender identity in 70 minutes of thought-provoking, mischievous queer cabaret.
The Wheel Of Nouns is presented by York trans, non-binary, neurodivergent mythical creature, writer and cabaret artist Stevie Hook. They are an associate artist with Roots Theatre and uses the pronouns they/them and hehe/hym.
At the heart of everything they create is a passion for subverting expectations, using games and audience interaction mechanics to invite audiences into silly, unapologetically trans worlds. They believe empowering audiences to participate and play in these silly worlds with them can open doors for meaningful change. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Printmaker Pamela Knight: Exhibiting at Bluebird Bakery in Acomb
Exhibition of the week: Three Printmakers, Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York, until May 7
YORK Printmakers members Pamela Knight, Vanessa Oo and Sandra Storey are taking part in the Three Printmakers: Energy, Atmosphere & Light exhibition. York artist and former theatre set and costume designer Knight specialises in collagraphy, enjoying the textures and effects she creates using this process, often enriched with monoprint and chine colle.
Oo, from York, is displaying monotypes for the first time. “My work is about capturing the magic of the moment; an unseen energy and rhythm,” she says. Harrogate artist Sandra Storey’s work evokes the “talisman-like quality” of plants, birds and natural objects found within the North York Moors landscape. Admission is free.
Close up for Kim Wilde: Songs from Close and Closer at York Barbican
Pop gig of the week: Kim Wilde: Closer Tour, York Barbican, Sunday, 7.45pm
EIGHTIES’ pop star Kim Wilde performs songs from her sixth album, 1988’s Close, complemented by new numbers from Closer, her 15th studio set, released on January 25. Expect the familiar hits too: Kids In America, You Came, You Keep Me Hangin’ On, Never Trust A Stranger, Four Letter Word et al. Cutting Crew support. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Fiery Angel head to the Grand Opera House from Tuesday with Lucy Bailey’s production of Agatha Christie’s Murder On The Orient Express
Thriller of the week: Fiery Angel in Agatha Christie’s Murder On The Orient Express, Grand Opera House, York, March 25 to 29, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday and Saturday matinees
FIERY Angel follow up November 2023’s visit of And Then There Were None with another Agatha Christie murder mystery directed by Lucy Bailey, this time with Michael Maloney on board for a “deliciously thrilling ride” as Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot.
In Winter 1934, an avalanche stops The Orient Express dead in its tracks. Cue a murder. A train full of suspects. An impossible case. Trapped in the snow with a killer still on-board, can the world’s most famous detective crack the case before the train reaches its final destination?
Meanwhile, Wise Children’s world premiere of Emma Rice’s theatrical take on Alfred Hitchcock’s North By North West continues at York Theatre Royal until April 5. Box office: GOH, atgtickets.com/york; YTR, 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Mark Simmonds in rehearsal for his role as Prospero in Black Sheep Theatre’s The Tempest at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York
Shakespeare debut of the week: Black Sheep Theatre in The Tempest, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, March 26 to 29, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
AFTER making their mark with musical theatre productions, York company Black Sheep Productions branch out into Shakespeare territory under Matthew Peter Clare’s direction. “Prepare for The Tempest like you’ve never seen it before,” he says, promising magic, music and mayhem in a dark re-telling of the one with “a storm, a shipwreck and the torment of it all”, featuring Mark Simmonds as Prospero, Freya McIntosh as Miranda, Mikhail Lim as Gonzalo, Deathly Dark Tours guide, Kisskisskill singer Gemma-Louise Keane as Ariel, Meg Conway as Antonia and Josh Woodgate as Caliban.
“With a phenomenal cast, a live six-piece band, our production re-imagines Shakespeare’s tale of power, revenge, and redemption in a truly immersive and unforgettable way.” Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Public Service Broadcasting: York Barbican debut on March 27
Past meets future in the present: Public Service Broadcasting, York Barbican, March 27, doors 7pm
PUBLIC Service Broadcasting make their York Barbican debut with J. Willgoose, Esq on guitar, banjo, other stringed instruments, samples and electronic musical instruments; Wrigglesworth on drums, piano and electronic instruments; J F Abraham on flugelhorn, bass guitar, drums and vibraslap and Mr B on visuals and set design.
“Teaching the lessons of the past through the music of the future” for more than a decade, the corduroy-wearing Londoners will select material from their five themed albums, 2013’s Inform – Educate – Entertain, 2015’s The Race For Space, 2017’s Every Valley, 2021’s Bright Magic and 2024’s The Last Flight. She Drew The Gun support. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Laura Veirs: Art meets science via geology in her songs at The Crescent, York, on March 27
Folk gig of the week: Please Please You and Brudenell Presents (CORRECT)present Laura Veirs, supported by Lucca Mae, The Crescent, York, March 27, doors 7pm
PORTLAND, Oregon, folk singer, songwriter, children’s author, artist, Midnight Lightning podcaster, Stanford University songwriting teacher and mother Laura Veirs draws on her 14 albums in her Crescent set. Growing up in Colorado Springs, Colorado, she spent summers camping with her family, inspiring her songwriting as much as her fascination with the intersection of art and science from days of studying geology (and Mandarin Chinese) at Carleton College in rural Minnesota.
Her 25-year career has taken in collaborations with Neko Case and kd lang in case/lang/veirs, Sufjan Stevens, Jim James of My Morning Jacket and The Decemberists. Now she is working on new paintings, an instrumental guitar album and a book about creativity. Box office: thecrescentyork.com.
Will Smith: Off to the seaside to perform at Scarborough Open Air Theatre in August
Gig announcement of the week: Will Smith, Based On A True Story Tour, TK Maxx Presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, August 24
WILL Smith, the Grammy Award-winning American screen actor, entertainer and recording artist, will promote his first full-length album in 20 years, Based On A True Story, on his debut UK headline travels that will open on the Yorkshire coast.
Songs from his March 28 release will be complemented by such hits as Jiggy Wit It, Miami, and Summertime. “Yo UK, my first ever tour. You got to go get it. I’m on my way,” says Smith, 56. “That’s my airplane. Scarborough, Cardiff, Manchester, London, it’s going to be hot! I’m about to go to the airport. I’m leaving now!” Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.
THE world premiere of Emma Rice’s theatrical take on Alfred Hitchcock’s North By North West is up and running at York Theatre Royal with a full week of previews before next Wednesday’s press night: a lead-up more associated with West End premieres.
Such is the scale and anticipation that surrounds Frome company Wise Children’s co-production with the Theatre Royal, HOME Manchester and Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse.
“The show’s ready for an audience,” said writer-director Emma last Friday morning, in a brief break from tech-week preparations for Tuesday’s first preview.
Five weeks of rehearsals at The Lucky Chance, Wise Children’s creative space in a converted Methodist church in Somerset, had preceded moving up to York on March 16.
“There’s a certain percentage of work you can’t do in the rehearsal room, especially when we have a very ambitious set with four revolving doors that are over four metres high and slide over the stage, and the cast has to learn how to move across the stage,” says Emma. “It’s quite mathematical as it’s such a mind-bending plot – and Maths is not my strong point!”
Quick refresher course: Hitchcock’s 1959 American spy thriller, the one starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason from cinema’s Golden Age, finds hapless advertising man Roger Thornhill (now played by Ewan Wardrop) being mistaken for George Kaplan when a mistimed phone call to his mother lands him smack bang in the middle of a Cold War conspiracy. Now he is on the run across America, dodging foreign spies, airplanes and a femme fatale, Eve Kendall, who might not be all she seems.
Rice duly turns Hitchcock’s smart thriller on its head in her riotously humorous reworking, replete with six shape-shifting performers, a fabulous 1950s’ soundtrack and a heap of hats, clothes, suitcases and newspapers in a topsy-turvy drama full of glamour, glitz, romance, jeopardy and a liberal sprinkling of tender truths.
Where Rice’s vision of North By Northwest meets Hitchcock’s version is “sort of a surprising marriage, but I’ve loved it” she says of the creative process. “I love that it’s an impossible test. North By Northwest has a vast series of impossible problems to solve on stage, from Mount Rushmore to the plane, the crop duster, and you have to work your magic.
“We’ve come up with lots of fun ways to meet those challenges, those setpieces, while also matching Hitchcock’s vision, so it’s very stylish.”
Etta Murfitt’s contribution as movement director has been important. “It’s been fascinating because it’s an odyssey story and the thing you can’t do with the four-door set is travel much, so you have to find the energy to give that sense of travel,” says Emma.
Emma Rice at Wise Children’s creative space, The Lucky Chance, a converted Methodist church in Frome, Somerset
“We do that with fantastic choreography that, like Bob Fosse’s work, gives it humour as well as movement, and you think, ‘is it dance, is it theatre’? We have six actors who are incredibly virtuosic in their acting. Five of them have worked with me before, and the newcomer to the company is Simon Oskarsson, who’s Swedish but has been working in England for a long time.”
North By Northwest may be outwardly familiar, “but I would place a wager now that a lot people will have seen the film but if you ask them to tell the story they probably couldn’t,” says Emma. “I’ve taken months to complete all the beats of the story. I’ve not needed to have too many surprises but I’ve made it easier to understand.
“My experience of the film was that it was baffling, and we’ve been able to tell the story more clearly without losing the tension.”
To help her do so, she methodically made note cards of each plot point, placed on the floor to work through the machinations in her fourth conversion from screen to stage after The Red Shoes, A Matter Of Life And Death and Brief Encounter in her Kneehigh Theatre days.
“Nothing happens in Brief Encounter. Everything happens in North By North West, and it takes every iota of my theatre craft to present it. I have to be on the front of my toes. Like we now have over 70 suitcases in this show, each one with a different label and different things in it, after I swapped having lots of hats for more suitcases, though there are still many hats, but many more suitcases now!”
Emma has homed in on the 1950s’ post-war setting too, not least to bring more depth to Hitchcock’s characters. “I’ve always been really fascinated by the Fifties,” she says. “My parents were small children in the war; my grandparents fought in the war. My parents were my family’s first generation to go university.
“Every character in the film would have just come out of the war; everyone making the film would have experienced it, so it’s been interesting to add that depth to it.”
In particular, she focuses on building up the back story of Eve Kendall, the femme fatale who helps Thornhill to avoid detection after they meet on a train. “I think Hitchcock made a great job of Eve; she’s the heroine of the piece, putting herself on the line with her bravery and her moral judgement when facing the most jeopardy.”
Emma has given the narrator’s role to Katy Owen’s Professor. “I’ve used a lot of Hitchcock’s dialogue in the play, but the Professor’s narration is very much in my language though I’ve also used stage directions from Ernest Lehman’s film script, which was a masterpiece. They’re beautifully written; the language is virtuosic and humorous and elegant too.”
Wise Children in Alfred Hitchcock’s North By North West, York Theatre Royal, until April 5, 7.30pm plus2pm, March 26 and April 3; 2.30pm, March 29 and April 5Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
The poster for Wise Children’s world premiere of Alfred Hitchcock’s North By Northwest, on stage at York Theatre Royal from this week
York Pop artist Harland Miller with his new work York from his XXX exhibition at York Art Gallery. Picture: Olivia Hemingway
FROM Harland Miller’s Pop Art to Emma Rice’s theatrical world premiere of Alfred Hitchcock’s North By Northwest, these are exciting times for artistic expression, Charles Hutchinson reports.
XXXhibition of the week: Harland Miller: XXX, York Art Gallery, until August 31, open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm
YORK-RAISED artist and writer Harland Miller has returned to York Art Gallery to launch XXX, showcasing paintings and works on paper from his Letter Paintings series, including the unveiling of several new paintings, not least ‘York’, a floral nod to Yorkshire’s white rose and York’s daffodils.
Inspired by his upbringing in 1970s’ Yorkshire and an itinerant lifestyle in New York, New Orleans, Berlin and Paris during the 1980s and 1990s, Miller creates colourful and graphically vernacular works that convey his love of popular language and attest to his enduring engagement with its narrative, aural and typographical possibilities. Tickets: yorkartgallery.org.uk.
Simon Oskarsson’s Valerian, left, Ewan Wardrop’s Roger Thornhill, Katy Owen’s Professor and Mirabelle Gremaud’s Anna rehearsing a scene for Emma Rice’s production of Alfred Hitchcock’s North By North West. Picture: Steve Tanner
World premiere of the week in York: Wise Children in Alfred Hitchcock’s North By Northwest, York Theatre Royal, until April 5, 7.30pm plus 2pm, March 26 and April 3; 2.30pm, March 29 and April 5
IT would be strange if, in a city of seven million people, one man were never mistaken for another…and that is exactly what happens to Roger Thornhill, reluctant hero of North By Northwest, when a mistimed phone call to his mother lands him smack bang in the middle of a Cold War conspiracy. Now he is on the run, dodging spies, airplanes and a femme fatale who might not be all she seems.
Wise Children writer-director Emma Rice turns film legend Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller on its head in her riotously humorous reworking. Replete with six shape-shifting performers, a fabulous 1950s’ soundtrack and a heap of hats, this dazzling co-production with York Theatre Royal, HOME Manchester and Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse plays with heart, mind and soul in a topsy-turvy drama full of glamour, romance, jeopardy and a liberal sprinkling of tender truths. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Nina Wadia’s Gemma and Sam Bailey’s April in NOW That’s What I Call A Musical, on tour at Grand Opera House, York. Picture: Pamela Raith
Musical of the week: NOW That’s What I Call A Musical, Grand Opera House, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm matinees, today and Saturday
DIRECTED by Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood, comedian Pippa Evans’s hit-laden musical is set in Birmingham in 1989 and 2009. Back in the day, school friends Gemma Warner and April Devonshire are planning their lives based on Number One magazine quizzes and dreaming of snogging Rick Astley. Twenty years later, Gemma (Nina Wadia) and April (The X Factor winner Sam Bailey) face the most dreaded event of their adult lives: the school reunion.
Drama, old flames and receding hairlines come together as friends reunite and everything from the past starts to slot into place. Sinitta, Eighties’s pop star of So Macho and Toy Boy fame, will be the guest star all week in a show featuring Gold, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Tainted Love, Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves et al. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Nearly here: Nearly here: Paddy McGuinness brings his Nearly There tour to York Barbican tomorrow
Comedy gig of the week: Paddy McGuinness, Nearly There, York Barbican, tomorrow, 7.45pm
FARNWORTH comedian, television and radio presenter and game show host Paddy McGuinness plays York on his first stand-up itinerary since 2016. Launching the 40 dates last year, he said: “It’s been eight years since my last tour and there’s lots of things to laugh about! I’m looking forward to getting back in front of a live audience, along with running the gauntlet of cancel culture, click bait and fake news.” Tickets update: only a handful of single seats still available at yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Contemporary jazz gig of the week: Jamie Taylor & Jamil Sheriff, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York, tomorrow, doors 7.30pm
THE musical association and friendship between guitarist Jamie Taylor, principal lecturer in jazz guitar at Leeds Conservatoire, and Leeds jazz pianist, composer and educator Jamil Sheriff goes back over 20 years of performing together in settings ranging from intimate small groups to large ensembles, such as Sheriff’s own big band.
Playing as a duo at Rise, they will channel this shared history and musical empathy, taking inspiration from jazz piano and guitar collaborations such as Bill Evans with Jim Hall and Fred Hersch with Bill Frisell. Box office: bluebirdbakery.co.uk/rise.
Dr Rangan Chatterjee: Health and happiness hacks at York Barbican
Meet “the architect of health and happiness”: Dr Rangan Chatterjee, The Thrive Tour 2025, York Barbican, Friday, 7.30pm
JOIN Dr Rangan Chatterjee, inspirational host of Europe’s biggest health podcast, Feel Better, Live More, author and star of BBC One’s Doctor In The House, for two transformative hours of learning the skill of happiness, discovering the secrets to optimal health, breaking free from habits that hold you back and discovering how to make changes that last. “Be empowered, be inspired and learn how to thrive,” he says. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
James Jay Lewis: Raw garage blues at Milton Rooms, Malton
Ryedale blues gig of the week: James Jay Lewis, Milton Rooms, Malton, Friday, 8pm
SELFT-TAUGHT multi-instrumentalist James Jay Lewis has performed with The La’s and played bass for fellow Liverpool band Cast and now lead guitar in The Zutons, having earlier formed the band Cractilla.
He has written, recorded and produced two solo albums, the acoustic odyssey Back To The Fountain and the lo-fi, rough and ready garage blues of Waiting For The World, on which he plays all the instruments. He has worked with Nile Rodgers at Abbey Road Studios, is involved in the new Zutons album and is venturing into recording, producing and composing for television and film. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Alligator Gumbo: Re-creating New Orleans 1920s’ jazz in 2025 Helmsley on Saturday
New Orleans jazz jive of the week: Alligator Gumbo 2025, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 7.30pm
LEEDS seven-piece band Alligator Gumbo evoke the Roaring Twenties’ heyday of the New Orleans swing/jazz era, when music was raw, fast paced and largely improvised with melodies and solos happening simultaneously over foot-stomping rhythms. Their repertoire is built around songs made famous by Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Jelly Roll Morton, and Billie Holiday, played in the traditional style. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
York Pop artist Harland Miller with his new work York from his XXX exhibition at York Art Gallery. Picture: Olivia Hemingway
FROM Harland Miller’s Pop Art to Emma Rice’s theatrical world premiere of Alfred Hitchcock’s North By Northwest, these are exciting times for arts exploits, Charles Hutchinson reports.
XXXhibition launch of the week: Harland Miller: XXX, York Art Gallery, until August 31, open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm
YORK-RAISED artist and writer Harland Miller has returned to York Art Gallery to launch XXX, showcasing paintings and works on paper from his Letter Paintings series, including the unveiling of several new paintings, not least ‘York’, a floral nod to Yorkshire’s white rose and York’s daffodils.
Inspired by his upbringing in 1970s’ Yorkshire and an itinerant lifestyle in New York, New Orleans, Berlin and Paris during the 1980s and 1990s, Miller creates colourful and graphically vernacular works that convey his love of popular language and attest to his enduring engagement with its narrative, aural and typographical possibilities. Tickets: yorkartgallery.org.uk.
David John Pike: Baritone soloist at York Musical Society’s concert
Classical concert of the week: York Musical Society, Bach Mass in B minor, York Minster, tonight, 7.30pm
DAVID Pipe conducts York Musical Society’s singers and orchestra in Bach’s epic choral work, replete with magnificent choruses, resplendent fugues, moving arias and soloists Zoe Brookshaw and Philippa Boyle (both soprano), Tom Lilburn (countertenor), Nicholas Watts (tenor) and Canadian/British/Luxembourger David John Pike (baritone), who returned to music after initially training and working as a chartered accountant. Tickets: available from York Minster or on the door.
Tayla Kenyon: Exploring memories and the choices we make in Fluff at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York
Fringe play of the week: Teepee Productions and Joe Brown present Fluff, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, Sunday, 7.30pm
NOW is the time for Fluff to do the ultimate puzzle: her life. As she navigates her way through her most treasured and darkest memories, she desperately needs to piece together her life, story by story, person by person.
Tayla Kenyon performs solo in her darkly comedic 75-minutre play, co written with James Piercy, as she explores memories and the choices we make, using a non-linear plot line to enable the audience to feel, first hand, the devastating effects of dementia. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Ewan Wardrop in rehearsal for his role as reluctant hero Roger Thornhill in Wise Children’s production of Alfred Hitchcock’s North By Northwest, premiering at York Theatre Royal from March 18
World premiere of the week in York: Wise Children in Alfred Hitchcock’s North By Northwest, York Theatre Royal, March 18 to April 5, 7.30pm plus 2pm, March 26 and April 3; 2.30pm, March 29 and April 5
IT would be strange if, in a city of seven million people, one man were never mistaken for another…and that is exactly what happens to Roger Thornhill, reluctant hero of North By Northwest, when a mistimed phone call to his mother lands him smack bang in the middle of a Cold War conspiracy. Now he is on the run, dodging spies, airplanes and a femme fatale who might not be all she seems.
Wise Children writer-director Emma Rice turns film legend Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller on its head in her riotously humorous reworking. Replete with six shape-shifting performers, a fabulous 1950s’ soundtrack and a heap of hats, this dazzling co-production with York Theatre Royal, HOME Manchester and Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse plays with heart, mind and soul in a topsy-turvy drama full of glamour, romance, jeopardy and a liberal sprinkling of tender truths. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Nina Wadia’s Gemma and Sam Bailey’s April in NOW That’s What I Call A Musical, on tour at Grand Opera House, York. Picture: Pamela Raith
Musical of the week: NOW That’s What I Call A Musical, Grand Opera House, York, March 18 to 22, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm matinees, Wednesday and Saturday
DIRECTED by Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood, comedian Pippa Evans’s hit-laden musical is set in Birmingham in 1989 and 2009. Back in the day, school friends Gemma Warner and April Devonshire are planning their lives based on Number One magazine quizzes and dreaming of snogging Rick Astley. Twenty years later, Gemma (Nina Wadia) and April (The X Factor winner Sam Bailey) face the most dreaded event of their adult lives: the school reunion.
Drama, old flames and receding hairlines come together as friends reunite and everything from the past starts to slot into place. Sinitta, Eighties’s pop star of So Macho and Toy Boy fame, will be the guest star all week in a show featuring Gold, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Tainted Love, Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves et al. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
In the Strummer time: Stiff Little Fingers’ Ali McMordie, left, Steve Grantley, Jake Burns and Ian McCallum pay tribute to The Clash punk hero at York Barbican. Picture: Will Byington
Punk gig of the week: Stiff Little Fingers, Flame In Our Hearts Tour, York Barbican, March 18, doors 7pm
NORTHERN Irish punk legends Stiff Little Fingers’ tour title is a nod their 2003 track Summerville, recorded to mark the untimely passing of Joe Strummer of The Clash.
Frontman Jake Burns says: “The opening line to the song is ‘You lit a flame in my heart’ and still stands strong today as it did when I wrote it. Joe was a legend and a huge influence on myself and the band. Calling the tour Flame In The Heart keeps Joe in everyone’s memory.” Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk. Meanwhile, Monday’s double bill of The Darkness and special guests Ash has sold out.
Nearly here: Paddy McGuinness brings his Nearly There tour to York Barbican next Thursday
Comedy gig of the week: Paddy McGuinness, Nearly There, York Barbican, March 20, 7.45pm
FARNWORTH comedian, television and radio presenter and game show host Paddy McGuinness plays York on his first stand-up itinerary since 2016. Launching the 40 dates last year, he said: “It’s been eight years since my last tour and there’s lots of things to laugh about! I’m looking forward to getting back in front of a live audience, along with running the gauntlet of cancel culture, click bait and fake news.” Tickets update: only a handful of single seats still available at yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Dr Rangan Chatterjee: Health and happiness tips at York Barbican
Meet “the architect of health and happiness”: Dr Rangan Chatterjee, The Thrive Tour 2025, York Barbican, March 21, 7.30pm
JOIN Dr Rangan Chatterjee, inspirational host of Europe’s biggest health podcast, Feel Better, Live More, author and star of BBC One’s Doctor In The House, for two transformative hours of learning the skill of happiness, discovering the secrets to optimal health, breaking free from habits that hold you back and discovering how to make changes that last. “Be empowered, be inspired and learn how to thrive,” he says. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Nina Wadia’s Gemma Warner, left, and Sam Bailey’s April Devonshire in NOW That’s What I Call A Musical, on tour at Grand Opera House, York, next week. Picture: Pamela Raith
NINA Wadia grew up listening to the NOW tapes. “For me, being part of this musical is like going home,” she says, as NOW That’s What I Call A Musical heads to the Grand Opera House, York, next week.
On tour since last September, comedian-writer Pippa Evans’s fun-filled show, bursting with Whitney Houston, Wham!, Blondie, Tears For Fears, Spandau Ballet hits and many more besides, offers the chance to relive the playlist of your lives in celebration of 40 years of the NOW That’s What I Call Music compilation brand.
“When I read the script, I immediately fell in love with the characters and Pippa’s story,” says Nina who “couldn’t wait to get started on my first ever musical”.
Profiling herself on social media as “Mother, Actress, Producer and Presenter”, Nina has embraced everything, from radio drama company regular to soap opera, in a career that has taken in the BBC Asian sketch comedy in Goodness Gracious; TV roles as Aunty Noor in Citizen Khan, Mrs Hussein in Still Open All Hours and Zainab Masood in EastEnders; being a video game voiceover artist and narrator for the animated series Tweedy And Fluff on Channel 5’s Milkshake and taking her terpsichorean turn as a Strictly Come Dancing contestant in 2021. She is a charity campaigner too, honoured with an OBE.
NOW That’s What I Call A Musical director-choreographer Craig Revel Horwood and writer Pippa Evans
Now she is starring alongside Sam Bailey, 2013 winner of The X Factor, and Eighties’ pop star Sinitta, of So Macho and Toy Boy fame, in Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood’s touring production of NOW That’s What I Call A Musical.
“I did a workshop for it in October 2023 and thought nothing of it at first because we do a lot of workshops; sometimes things happen; sometimes they don’t, but this one has worked out,” says Nina. “It’s a really fun piece, right up my street, comedy and drama mixed together, but I was a bit confused because music was not my thing.
“But I did sing in the York Theatre Royal panto that winter [playing the kooky Fairy Sugarsnap in Jack And The Beanstalk], and the next thing I knew, they offered me the show, and I thought ‘I’ll take the chance’. It’s been such fun, getting my singing voice up to speed and working with this incredible cast: 21 of us, a huge cast!”
Pippa Evans’s show heads back to 1989 in Birmingham, where school friends Gemma Warner and April Devonshire are busy with planning their lives based on Number One Magazine quizzes and dreaming of snogging Rick Astley.
Nina Wadia with NOW That’s What I Call A Musical co-star Sinitta. Picture: Oliver Rosser
Cut to Birmingham 2009, for the most dreaded event of their adult lives: the school reunion. Drama, old flames and receding hairlines come together as friends reunite and everything from the past starts to slot into place for Nina Wadia’s Gemma and Sam Bailey’s April.
“It’s like a play within a musical and people come away very, very surprised, not expecting what they see,” says Nina. “Then everyone is up on their feet at the end for the medley.”
Nina and Sam are joined by a rotating roster of star turns on the tour run, whether Sinitta, Sonia, T’Pau’s Carol Decker, Jay Osmond or, for one week only in Edinburgh, Toyah Willcox.
“They each do a special fantasy sequence, coming on to do a big number and the megamix at the end,” says Nina. “It’ll be Sinitta doing it in York and she’s so much fun. All our guest stars bring their own style to it, and Sinitta has a real diva style, sending herself up.”
Nina Wadia: Mother, actress, producer, presenter, voiceover artist and charity campaigner
The magic roundabout of guests brings it challenges. “It’s on a wing and a prayer and that’s genuinely half the fun of it, because audiences find it hilarious,” says Nina. “We’ve had maybe two four-hour sessions before they each perform with us.”
She is full of praise for Pippa Evans’s script. “Pippa said she really wanted me to be in the show and wrote the part of Gemma for me, which is a real compliment. She has a wonderful ability to come up with a line where I can make people laugh and also feel empathy and she really understands friendships and how they work,” says Nina.
“My best friends are from when I was 18/19, when you have big dreams, and in this story they’re two friends who’ve not seen each other for 20 years. You see their younger selves with all their dreams and then the second half really flies as you see what’s happened to them.
“It’s funny for 80 per cent of it but you also get invested in it really quickly, going from belly laughing to not being sure what to think, from laughter to crying to dancing at the end.”
Nina Wadia’s Fairy Sugarsnap in Jack And The Beanstalk, York Theatre Royal and Evolution Productions’ pantomime in 2023-2024
Nina is looking forward to her return to York. “I was really quite ill at the start of the panto, which was so upsetting as it was my first time in York, and what’s lovely is that I now get to do what I wanted t do while I was in the panto, which is to train my voice and use it properly,” she says.
“I’m not a musical theatre actor, so the best advice I was given was that if you sing in character, as Gemma, the voice just comes. That advice came from Georgia, our musical director, who said ‘don’t be nervous’and gave me so many different vocal exercises to do. If I felt nervous in September, by October I felt really invested in it and now I love it.”
ROYO, Universal Music UK, Sony Music Entertainment and Mighty Village presentNOW That’s What I Call A Musical, Grand Opera House, York, March 18 to 22, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday and Saturday matinees. Box office: atgtickets.com/york
Ewan Wardrop in rehearsal at The Lucky Chance, Frome, for his role as Roger Thornhill in Wise Children’s production of Alfred Hitchcock’s North By Northwest, premiering at York Theatre Royal from March 18 to April 5. Picture: Steve Tanner
EWAN Wardrop returns to the Wise Children ranks for the world premiere of Emma Rice’s adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock’s North By Northwest at York Theatre Royal from March 18.
After appearing in artistic director Rice’s productions of Bagdad Café (Old Vic Theatre, London) and The Buddha Of Suburbia (Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon and Barbican Theatre, London), he will take the lead role of Roger Thornhill in the Somerset company’s co-production with York Theatre Royal, HOME Manchester and Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse.
Mistaken for another man, Thornhill finds himself smack bang in the middle of a Cold War conspiracy after a mistimed phone call to his mother. Now the reluctant hero is on the run, dodging spies, airplanes and a femme fatale who might not be all she seems.
“Emma told me about her production plans getting on for two years ago,” says Ewan. “We did two sets of workshop at The Lucky Chance [Rice’s creation space and venue in the refurbished and repurposed Portway Methodist Church in Frome], where we just threw ideas around because it’s such a filmic Hitchcock film with the setpieces and the plane scene and you’re thinking ‘how do you do that on stage?’.
Simon Oskarsson’s Valerian, left, Ewan Wardrop’s Roger Thornhill, Katy Owen’s Professor and Mirabelle Gremaud’s Anna rehearsing a scene for Emma Rice’s production of Alfred Hitchcock’s North By North West. Picture: Steve Tanner
“The producers had sought Emma to do this production as she’s the best at doing this kind of adaptation.”
For the rehearsal process, “Emma writes the script with her ideas for stage directions, but it’s moveable, thinking ‘oh, this will work better visually’, where she’ll come in with a better idea overnight,” says Ewan. “Or Etta [choreographer and movement director Etta Murfitt] might come up with a new movement sequence.
“You learn your lines, you do the lines, cuts are made, and Emma is very good at thinking on her feet, making changes right up to the eve of the show, always looking for the best way to portray something.”
The resulting production will become as much Emma Rice’s 2025 North By Northwest as Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 North By Northwest in this fifth collaboration between Wise Children and York Theatre Royal after productions of Angela Carter’s Wise Children, Malory Towers, Wuthering Heights and Blue Beard.
Wise Children writer-director Emma Rice
As the Theatre Royal brochure promises: “Emma Rice takes on film legend Alfred Hitchcock in this riotously funny reworking that turns the original thriller on its head. With just six shape-shifting performers, a fabulous ’50s soundtrack and a lot of hats, this dazzling production plays with the heart, mind and soul. Join us for a night of glamour, romance, jeopardy and a liberal sprinkling of tender truths.”
“With this sort of show, it’s about striking the right balance,” says Ewan. “Audiences want to see scenes from the film they recognise, and it would be difficult not to have a nod to those, like the plane swooping down. We’re not re-creating the film but people will be happy to see scenes they love.
“It’s a question of scale how you transfer it to the stage, so for some things you have to rely on the audience’s imagination, which is the most powerful tool theatre has – and I prefer to use the imagination rather than see something where I don’t quite buy it.
“The film is a box of tricks but its emotional heart is maybe quite slight, so Emma has looked into how we present the ‘baddies’, looking deeper into that to make them more three-dimensional.
“Emma is bringing more depth to Roger’s relationship with Eve Kendall,” says Ewan Wardrop, pictured in rehearsal with Patrycja Kujawska. Picture: Steve Tanner
“She’s also bringing more depth to Roger’s relationship with Eve Kendall. In essence, he’s quite a shallow character, but he’s been through the war – like the actors in the film had – so Emma has written new sections to explore that.
“She’s been pretty faithful to the film, to the characters and the dialogue, but she’s added to the dialogue without changing the storyline.”
Ewan is an Alfred Hitchcock devotee. “I’ve always loved his films. They’re visually compelling, and I was a dancer before I was an actor, so I’ve always responded to his visual flair. With Hitchcock, there are so many memorable scenes that go by without dialogue that are beautifully framed,” he says.
Ewan worked previously with choreographer Etta Murfitt in Matthew Bourne’s company and loves the movement element to Wise Children’s shows. “Emma (CORRECT) uses more and more dance in her productions, so she casts actors who aren’t necessarily great dancers but who move well, which can be more interesting than actual dancers.
Leaping into action: Ewan Wardrop, left, and Simon Oskarssonin the Wise Children rehearsal room. Picture: Steve Tanner
“Emma casts really well as she knows people so well and she’s very instinctive to make you do things that I wouldn’t come up with or go as far as that, and you think, ‘how does she know that?’.
“She will use your great strengths and that’s one of her great assets: her emotional intelligence and empathy, as well as her theatricality.”
North By Northwest marks Ewan’s return to York. “I’ve been coming here for years,” he says. “I did my one-man George Formby show, Formby, in the Theatre Royal Studio and I play the baritone ukulele with the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, performing at the Theatre Royal,” he recalls.
Wise Children in Alfred Hitchcock’s North By Northwest, York Theatre Royal, March 18 to April 5, then on tour. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk
The poster for Brain Play, to be staged by 1812 Youth Theatre as part of National Theatre Connections at Helmsley Arts Centre and York Theatre Royal
LIKE Tom Stade’s comedy show, tipping winners is a Risky Business, but Charles Hutchinson is confident his recommendations will be triumphant.
Ryedale play of the week: 1812 Youth Theatre & National Theatre Connections, Brain Play, Helmsley Arts Centre, today to Friday, 7.30pm
UNDER the National Theatre Connections banner, Helmsley company 1812 Youth Theatre presents Chloe Lawrence-Taylor and Paul Sirett’s Brain Play, first in Helmsley and later at York Theatre Royal on March 21 at 7.30pm.
When Mia’s dad suffers a traumatic brain injury and struggles to leave the house, she makes it her mission to find the cure for his symptoms. Delving deeper and deeper into the world of neuroscience, Mia is desperate to make him better, but first she must contend with her own brain. Box office: Helmsley, 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk; York, 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
John Shuttleworth: 40 years of bonhomie, bon mots and persistently, perkily mundane yet profound songs at Leeds City Varieties Music Hall and Hull Truck Theatre. Picture: Tony Briggs
Comedy positivity of the week: John Shuttleworth, Raise The Oof, Leeds City Varieties Music Hall, tonight and tomorrow, 7.30pm; Hull Truck Theatre, April 2,7.30pm
JOHN Shuttleworth, the good-natured Sheffield sage and perky Yamaha organ purveyor of charmingly mundane songs fashioned by actor Graham Fellows, celebrates his 40th anniversary on his Raise The Oof tour, full of nostalgia and new stories.
Here come tales of his early days with neighbour Ken Worthington, the humorous realities of married life with miserable wife Mary, and John’s hopes for a late-career breakthrough. Box office: Leeds, 0113 243 0808 or leedsheritagetheatres.com; Hull, 01482 323638 or hulltruck.co.uk.
Becca Drake: Guest poet at York Literature Festival’s Howl Owt night at The Blue Boar
York Literature Festival gig of the week: Howl Owt, The Blue Boar, Castlegate, York, tomorrow, 7.30pm
JOIN Chloe Hanks and Stephanie Roberts from Howlers Open Mic and Henry Raby from Say Owt for an evening of performances by York poets and writers, bolstered by a special guest.
This time, their roles will be reversed with the Say Owt crew taking over the open mic and the Howlers welcoming the guest, Becca Drake, York poet, Little Hirundine printmaker and researcher. Performers can sign up for three-minute open-mic spots on arrival. Admission is free.
Neil Foster’s Cosme McMoon, left, Jackie Cox’s Florence Foster Jenkins and Mike Hickman’s St Clair in Rowntree Players’ Glorious!
York play of the week: Rowntree Players in Glorious!, The True Story Of Florence Foster Jenkins, The Worst Singer In The World, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, tomorrow to Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
COVER your ears! Here comes Glorious! The True Story Of Florence Foster Jenkins, The Worst Singer In The World, as told by Peter Quilter in his joyous and heart-warming comedy with music, based on the life of an eccentric 1940s’ New York socialite with a passion for singing but a voice for disaster.
Enthusiastic but tonally erratic soprano Florence (played by Jackie Cox) gave private recitals, sang at extravagant balls, made bizarre recordings and revelled in a triumphant sold-out final performance at New York’s Carnegie Hall at 76. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Mike + The Mechanics: Mike Rutherford, centre, re-living 40 years at York Barbicanwith Andrew Roachford, left, and Tim Howar
40th anniversary celebration of the week: Mike + The Mechanics, Looking Back – The Living Years, York Barbican, Friday, 7.30pm
AFTER opening their Refueled! tour at York Barbican in April 2023, Mike + The Mechanics return next Friday on their Looking Back – Living The Years 40th anniversary travels. Expect the set list to combine Over My Shoulder, The Living Years and All I Need Is A Miracle with selections from their nine albums and a “drift into some of Genesis’s much loved classic tracks”. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
David John Pike: Baritone soloist for York Musical Society’s concert at York Minster
Classical concert of the week: York Musical Society, Bach Mass in B minor, York Minster, Saturday, 7.30pm
DAVID Pipe conducts York Musical Society’s singers and orchestra in Bach’s epic choral work, replete with magnificent choruses, resplendent fugues, moving arias and soloists Zoe Brookshaw and Philippa Boyle (both soprano), Tom Lilburn (countertenor), Nicholas Watts (tenor) and Canadian/British/Luxembourger David John Pike (baritone), who returned to music after initially training and working as a chartered accountant. Tickets: available from York Minster or on the door.
Tom Stade: Risk-taking comedy at Helmsley Arts Centre
Comedy minefield of the week: Tom Stade: Risky Business, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 8pm
TOM Stade’s sense of ‘funny’ and today’s ‘funny’ do not always see eye to eye, bur that’s cool; it’s not his way to follow the herd, he says. The Vancouver-born, Scottish-based humorist much prefers to take the path less travelled, a path that brings this independent spirit and irrepressible force of nature to Helmsley to airdrop his unflinching comedy into an ever-changing minefield. Navigating the tightrope of today’s divisive times may be a risky business but Stade reasons that without risk there can be no reward. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Nicola Mills: Songs and stories at Milton Rooms, Malton
Taking the “posh” out of opera: Nicola Mills, Opera For The People, Milton Rooms, Malton, Saturday, 7.30pm
VICTORIA Woods meets Pavarotti in Nicola Mills’s funny and inspiring show, wherein she combines her down-to- earth Northern roots with operatic singing and telling tales of working-class life, from performing in some of Europe’s finest opera houses to taking opera to the streets.
Expect not only opera on a night when the audience will choose songs from Mills’s Song Menu, spanning Mozart to musicals to Elvis Presley. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Tayla Kenyon in her solo play Fluff at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York on Sunday. Picture: Patrick Murray
Fringe play of the week: Teepee Productions and Joe Brown present Fluff, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, Sunday, 7.30pm
NOW is the time for Fluff to do the ultimate puzzle: her life. Fluff hates puzzles, however, especially word searches. She can never find the words, nor understand why there is a half-eaten birthday cake and a woman who keeps visiting her room. As she navigates her way through her most treasured and darkest memories, Fluff desperately needs to piece together her life, story by story, person by person.
Tayla Kenyon performs solo in her darkly comedic 75-minutre play, co written with James Piercy, as she explores memories and the choices we make, using a non-linear plot line to enable the audience to feel, first hand, the devastating effects of dementia. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
A dancer at full stretch in the Everyday Dance Festival. Picture: Bec Hudson Smith
EVERYBODY Dance Festival 2025 will take over the Main House stage at York Theatre Royal for two days from tomorrow.
Run by York Dance Space, the event will feature 26 schools in 75-minute performances split between 7pm tomorrow and on Saturday.
Showcasing and celebrating dance in schools and community settings across Yorkshire, the festival is a chance for young performers to shine and share their creativity with a live audience and immerse themselves in all things dance.
Let’s dance at the Everybody Dance Festival at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Bec Hudson Smith
This week’s event brings together Dance Space Projects, Children’s and Young People’s Dance Network North, York Dance Space, Yorkshire Dance and the Northern School of Contemporary Dance.
Taking part tomorrow will be: Skipton Girls High School; Park Grove Primary Academy; Tang Hall Primary School; All Saints RC School; St Wilfred’s RC Primary School; Horizon Community College; York High School; Phoenix Youth Academy; Richmond School; Scarcroft Primary School; St Aelred’s RC Primary School and St Paul’s C of E Primary School.
Throwing shapes in the Everybody Dance Festival. Picture: Bec Hudson Smith
Saturday’s bill presents: Tang Hall Smart; Dance United Yorkshire; Hempland Primary Academy; York Youth Dance; St Oswald’s Primary School; Knavesmire Primary School; CHARGE Boys; CHARGE Dance; North Tyneside Youth Dance; Reflections; Activate York Dance Space; Tadcaster Youth Dance; Sherburn C of E Primary Academy and Luttons Community Primary Academy, from West Lutton, Malton.
For tickets, ring 01904 623568 or book online at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk/show/everybody-dance-festival-2025/.
Balletic grace in the Everybody Dance Festival. Picture: Bec Hudson Smith
Something to be Smug about: Smug Roberts tops Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club bill today
A CHORUS of song, a clash of operas and an eye for comedy fill Charles Hutchinson’s in-box of entertainment for the week ahead.
Extremely rare chance to see Channel 4 legend: Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club presents Smug Roberts, Russell Arathoon, Oliver Bowler and MC Tony Vino, The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse, York, today, doors 3.30pm for 4pm start
BACK in the day, today’s headline act, Manchester humorist and radio presenter Smug Roberts, released the novelty anthem Meat Pie, Sausage Roll (Come on England, Gi’s A Goal) as Grandad Roberts. Three years earlier, he was discovered by Caroline Aherne when playing his first gig. He has since starred in That Peter Kay Thing, Cold Feet, Phoenix Nights, 24 Hour Party People and Buried.
“Smug is one the great unsung heroes of stand-up comedy and one of comedy’s best-kept secrets,” says promoter Damion Larkin. “His act is a joy to behold. A true superstar, he’s arguably the only non-famous genius among his North West contemporaries, and he’s not very often around in town, so make sure you grab this chance to see him.” Box office: lolcomedyclubs.co.uk.
Opera International in Madama Butterfly, on tour from Ukraine at the Grand Opera House, York
Opera dilemma of the day: Either…Senbla presents Opera International’s tour of Ukrainian Opera & Ballet Theatre Kyivin Madama Butterfly, Grand Opera House, York, tonight, 7.30pm.
BACK by overwhelming public demand, Opera International director Ellen Kent directs Ukrainian Opera & Ballet Theatre Kyiv in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, the heart-breaking story of the beautiful young Japanese girl who falls in love with an American naval lieutenant.
Expect international soloists, full chorus and orchestra and exquisite sets, including a spectacular Japanese garden and fabulous costume, not least antique wedding kimonos from Japan. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
English Touring Opera in rehearsal for The Capulets And The Montagues, playing York Theatre Royal tonight. Picture: Craig Fuller
Or…English Touring Opera in What Dreams May Come, York Theatre Royal Studio, today, 2.30pm; The Capulets And The Montagues, York Theatre Royal, tonight, 7.30pm
ENGLISH Touring Opera return to York Theatre Royal with a brace of Shakespeare-inspired new productions. Mixing puppetry with works by Purcell, Finzi, Amy Beach and Britten, performed by a chamber ensemble, What Dreams May Come draws on hundreds of years of music inspired by and adapted from Shakespeare’s plays and poetry to depict the joys and sorrows of a long life well lived.
The Capulets And The Montagues, Bellini’s gritty re-working of Romeo And Juliet, brings the warring families’ emotional and political struggle to life with devastating power. Soprano Jessica Cale sings the role of Giulietta opposite mezzo-soprano Samantha Price as Romeo. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Stamford Bridge Community Choir: Performing at York Community Choir Festival on March 5. Picture: Murray Swain
Festival of the week: York Community Choir Festival, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, tomorrow until March 8, 7.30pm nightly, except 6pm tomorrow, plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
A FESTIVAL that began in 2016 with only 11 choirs now comprises eight concerts showcasing up to five choirs per night. More than 1,250 singers, including school groups and choirs from Harrogate, Selby and Malton as well as York, will perform diverse music styles from pop to classical.
Among the choirs will be Stamford Bridge Community Choir, who will use Makaton signing in their March 5 performance. Full details of all the choirs and their programmes can be found at josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk/whats-on/all-shows/york-community-choir-festival. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Visible Women company members Caroline Greenwood, left, Linda Fletcher, Helen Wilson and Marie Louise Feeley: Two evenings of monologues for York International Women’s Week
York International Women’s Week (March 3 to 9): Lyrics Of Life by Visible Women, Black Swan Inn, Peasholme Green, York, March 4 and 5, 7.30pm to 9.15pm
VISIBLE Women, a group of “mature female performers” from York, present both well-known and lesser-known monologues over two evenings.
“We met last year in York Settlement Community Players’ production of Terence Rattigan’s Separate Tables, which had good parts for older women,” says York theatre group member Helen Wilson. “But as most playwrights are male, plays tend to be male dominated, so here we are doing our own thing!
“There are still not enough plays giving women of our age a platform. As Visible Women, we want to redress the balance. Let’s move this forward. Come along for an evening of entertainment for a good cause.”
Material by Alan Bennett, Joyce Grenfell and York playwright Sara Murphy, winner of the first Script Factor in York, will feature. Box office: email basicbafmaw@gmail.com or pay on the door. Proceeds from ticket sales (£7 each) will be donated to York Women’s Counselling (yorkwomenscounselling.org).
Rob Auton: One in the eye for comedy at The Crescent, York, on March 5
The eyes have it: Rob Auton: The Eyes Open And Shut Show, Burning Duck Comedy Club at The Crescent, York, March 5, 7.30pm; Leeds City Varieties Music Hall, May 3, 7.30pm
“THE Eyes Open And Shut Show is a show about eyes when they are open and eyes when they are shut,” says surrealist York/Barmby Moor comedian, writer, artist, podcaster and actor Rob Auton. “With this show I wanted to explore what I could do to myself and others with language when eyes are open and shut…thinking about what makes me open my eyes and what makes me shut them.” Box office: York, thecrescentyork.com; Leeds, 0113 243 0808 or leedsheritagetheatres.com.
Fíonna Hewitt-Twamley in Myra’s Story, a tragic tale of a middle-aged homeless alcoholic struggling to survive on the streets of Dublin, on tour at the Grand Opera House, York
Charity support of the week: Fíonna Hewitt-Twamley in Myra’s Story, Grand Opera House, York, March 4, 7.30pm
DIRECT from the West End, Irish playwright Brian Foster’s four-time Edinburgh Fringe hit, Myra’s Story, tells the turbulent, tragic tale of a middle-aged homeless alcoholic struggling to survive on the streets of Dublin as she begs from passers-by on Ha’penny Bridge.
Performed by Fíonna Hewitt-Twamley, this show will benefit Restore, the York charity that provides accommodation and support to those who would otherwise be homeless. The charity will be on hand to collect donations. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Queenz: On song in Drag Me To The Disco at the Grand Opera House, York
Drag show of the week: Queenz, Drag Me To The Disco, Grand Opera House, York, March 5, 7.30pm
JOIN the gals for “an electrifying, live vocal, drag-stravaganza, where Dancing Queenz and Disco Dreams collide for the party of a lifetime”, created and produced by David Griego. Flying their rainbow-coloured flag high in the sky, Bella Du-Ball, Dior Montay, Candy Caned, Billie Eyelash and ZeZe Van Cartier serve up sass, singalongs and a message of love, equality and acceptance.
Craig Colley, alias Billie Eyelash, says: “Drag queens really do come in all shapes and sizes, but if you want to see some hilarious, stupidly talented, beautiful and of course humble ones, Queenz really is the show for you.” Age guidance: 14 plus. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Gorka Marquez and Karen Hauer: On Speakeasy terms at York Barbican
Dance spectacular of the week: Karen Hauer and Gorka Marquez, Speakeasy, York Barbican, March 6, 7.30pm
STRICTLY Come Dancing professionals Karen Hauer and Gorka Marquez follow up Firedance with new show Speakeasy on their biggest tour so far. Expect exhilarating live music and breathtaking choreography as they unlock the door to an undercover world of elegance and iconic dance flavours.
From the clandestine New York Speakeasy to the sultry Havana dance floors and from the burlesque cabaret clubs of the mid-1900s to the glittering mirror balls of Studio 54, this “delicious dance experience” serves up Mamba, Salsa, Charleston, Foxtrot and Samba moves. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.Also taking to the Yorkshire dance floor at Hull City Hall, March 5; Sheffield City Hall, March 9, and Bradford St George’s Hall, March 15.
In Focus: York Late Music presents Trifarious: Roger Marsh At 75, today, 1pm; Elysian Singers, Arvo PärtAt 90, today, 7.30pm, both at Unitarian Chapel, St Saviourgate, York
Trifarious: Marking Roger Marsh At 75 with this afternoon’s concert
YORK Late Music celebrates the music of Roger Marsh, a major contributor to the music and academic life during his time as Professor of Music at the University of York (1989 – 2019).
The programme includes works by Luciano Berio and Toru Takemitsu, who both have had a strong influence on his music, alongside pieces by two of his former students, Tom Armstrong and David Power.
Roger is coming over from France to hear this Roger Marsh At 75 concert.
Programme: Roger Marsh: Ferry Music; Tom Armstrong: The Chief Inspector Of Holes; David Power: Six De Chirico Miniatures – first performance; Toru Takemitsu: A Bird Came Down The Walk; Luciano Berio: Wasserklavier; Luciano Berio: Erdenklavier, and Roger Marsh: Easy Steps.
Here are Roger’s programme notes for the two works:
Ferry Music (1988) – for clarinet, piano and cello. This trio is composed around material originally invented for a music theatre piece Love On The Rocks – a piece concerning the mythical Charon, who poled the dead across the river into Hades.
The piece is in five short movements, and the ferry takes approximately eight minutes to complete the crossing. For today’s performance the cello part has been rewritten for viola by Tom Armstrong.
Easy Steps (1987) – for solo piano. The title Easy Steps may be misleading. For the performer there is nothing easy aboutthis piece, some passages requiring a level of virtuosity which the Associated Board mayfind difficult to quantify.
Rather the title has to do with the structure of the piece –alternating sections, horizontally then vertically conceived, increasing in complexity byeasy steps.
Elysian Singers: Celebrating Arvo Pärt At 90 tonight. Picture: Linda Dawson
Elysian Singers: Arvo Pärt At 90
AS the great Estonian composer Arvo Pärt turns 90 this year, the Elysian Singers celebrate his enormous contribution to choral music over the last half century. York Late Music includes two of his most substantial unaccompanied pieces, alongside works by Baltic and American composers who were influenced by him.
Programme: Arvo Pärt: Nunc Dimittis; Ola Gjeilo: Ubi Caritas; Eriks Esenvalds: The Heavens’ Flock; Morten Lauridsen: Madrigali; Eric Whitacre: When David Heard; David Lancaster: Of Trumpets And Angels – first performance, and Arvo Pärt: Seven Magnificat Antiphons
Here is David Lancaster’s programme note for Of Trumpets And Angels:
THIS new is a setting of John Donne’s Holy Sonnett XIII (What if this present were the world’s last night). This text contemplates the possibility of the current moment being the end of the world – something we may have all considered in recent days!
With this in mind, he focuses on the image of Christ crucified, questioning whether or not he should be afraid. He observes Christ’s tears and the blood from his wounds, wondering if such a compassionate figure could ever condemn him to damnation.
In the sestet, Donne seeks to atone for his earlier sins, in particular his love for ‘profane mistresses’, recognising the fallacy of making judgements based on outward appearance alone, and concluding that a beautiful appearance (like that of Christ) is indicative of a compassionate and merciful mindset.
