Tag: York Theatre Royal

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More Things To Do in York & beyond when you need to know your arts from your Elbow. Hutch’s List No. 28, from The Press

Olly Murs: Returning to familiar turf at York Racecourse’s first Summer Music Saturday meeting this afternoon

AS the outdoor concert season awakens, a festival goes to heaven and hell and a koala tries something new in Charles Hutchinson’s list for the upcoming week.

Back on track: Olly Murs, York Racecourse, Summer Music Saturday, today, first race at 1.55pm; last race, 5.25pm, followed by concert

ESSEX singer, songwriter, actor and television personality from Olly Murs completes his hat-trick of appearances at York Racecourse this weekend, having played the Knavesmire track in 2010 and 2017.

Performing after today’s race card, his set list will draw on his seven albums and 25 singles, including the number ones Please Don’t Let Me Go, Heart Skips A Beat, Dance With Me Tonight and Troublemaker. Race day tickets: yorkracecourse.co.uk.

Marcelo Nisinman: Argentinean bandoneon player, performing Martin Palmeri’s Misatango at York Guildhall today

Reverence and rhythm of the week: Prima Choral Artists presents Scared Rhythms: From Chant To Tango, York Guildhall, The Courtyard, Coney Street, York, tonight, 7.30pm

ARGENTINEAN bandoneon maestro and composer Marcelo Nisinman performs Martin Palmeri’s Misatango as the finale to director Eve Lorian’s Sacred Rhythms – From Chant To Tango concert.

He joins the 60-strong Prima Choral Artists choir, pianist Greg Birch, Yorkshire mezzo-soprano soloist Lucy Jubb and the New World String Quintet for tonight’s journey through sacred and spiritual choral music. Box office: primachoral.com.

Justin Moorhouse: Giving two of the greatest performances of his life at Pocklington Arts Centre this weekend

Comedy gigs of the week: Justin Moorhouse, The Greatest Performance Of My Life, Pocklington Arts Centre, today, 3pm and 8pm

ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE comedian, radio presenter and actor Justin Moorhouse covers subjects ranging from pantomimes to dreams, how to behave in hospitals, small talk, realising his mum is a northern version of Columbo, and how being a smart-mouthed child saved him from a life of continually being beaten up. Funny, interesting, perhaps it will warm the soul too. Box office:  01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.

Bluebird Bakery: Makers’ Summer Fair on Sunday in Acomb

Arts and crafts of the week:  Makers’ Summer Fair, Bluebird Bakery, Acomb Road, Acomb, Sunday, 10am to 3pm; The Fox Summer Craft Market, The Fox Inn, Holgate Road, York, Sunday, 1pm to 5pm

ARTISAN baker and cafe Bluebird Bakery plays host to York artists and makers’ craft, jewellery, print, ceramic, plant, candle and woodwork stalls under one roof.  Meanwhile, The Fox Inn holds its second annual Summer Craft Market, featuring live music, handmade gifts, craft stalls and street food vendors.  

Swift service: Xenna pays homage to Taylor in Miss Americana at York Barbican

Tribute gig of the week: Miss Americana: The Eras Experience, A Tribute To Taylor Swift, York Barbican, Sunday, 7.30pm

STEP into Step into world ofTaylor Swift and her Eras experience in Xenna’s homage to the Pennsylvania  pop sensation’s music, style and stage presence, from her country roots to such hits as Love Story, Blank Space and Shake It Off. Cue replica costume changes, storytelling and dancers too. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Dawn Landes: Amplifying the voices of women who fought for equality at Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb

Country gig of the week: Dawn Landes, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York, July 2, 8pm

AMERICAN country roots singer-songwriter Dawn Landes showcases The Liberated Woman’s Songbook, her March 2024 album that re-imagines music from the women’s liberation movement.

Inspired by a 1971 songbook of the same name, Landes breathes new life into powerful songs spanning 1830 to 1970, amplifying the voices of women who fought for equality throughout history. Box office: seetickets.com/event/dawn-landes/rise-bluebird/.

James Sheldon’s Mr Darcy and Rosa Hesmondhalgh’s Lizzy Bennet in Pride And Prejudice at the SJT, Scarborough

Introducing America’s most performed living playwright to North Yorkshire: Pride And Prejudice, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, July 3 to 26, 7.30pm plus 1.30pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees

LOTTE Wakeham directs American writer Kate Hamill’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s story of love, misunderstandings and second chances, staged with music, dancing,  humour aplenty and a cast led by Rosa Hesmondhalgh’s Lizzy Bennet (CORRECT) and James Sheldon’s Mr Darcy in a whirl of Regency parties and courtship as hearts race, tongues wag and passions swirl around the English countryside. Box office: 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.

The Koala Who Could: Up a tree at York Theatre Royal for three days next week. Picture: Pamela Raith

Children’s show of the week: The Koala Who Could, York Theatre Royal, July 3, 1.30pm; July 4, 10.30am and 4.30pm; July 5, 11am and 2pm 

JOIN Kevin the koala, Kangaroo and Wombat as they learn that “life can be great when you try something new” in this adaptation of Rachel Bright and Jim Field’s picture book, directed by Emma Earle, with music and lyrics by Eamonn O’Dwyer.

Danny Hendrix (Wombat/Storyteller 1), Sarah Palmer (Cossowary/Storyteller 2) and Christopher Finn (Kevin/Storyteller 3) perform this empowering story of embracing change – whether we like it or not. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Richard Hawley: Playing Coles Corner with strings attached at Live At York Museum Gardens on July 5. Picture: Dean Chalkley

Open-air concerts of the week: Futuresounds presents Live At York Museum Gardens, Elbow, July 3; Nile Rodgers & CHIC, July4; Richard Hawley, July 5; gates open at 5pm

LEEDS promoters Futuresound Group’s second summer of outdoor concerts in York begins with Bury band Elbow’s sold-out show next Thursday, when Ripon singer-songwriter Billie Marten and Robin Hood’s Bay folk luminary Eliza Carthy & The  Restitution support.

New York guitarist, songwriter and producer Nile Rodgers and CHIC revel in Good Times, Le Freak, Everybody Dance and I Want Your Love next Friday, supported by Maryland soul singer Jalen Ngonda. Sheffield guitarist and crooner Richard Hawley revisits his 1995 album Coles Corner with a string section on its 20th anniversary next Saturday, preceded by Leeds band English Teacher and Manchester-based American songwriter BC Camplight. Box office: seetickets.com.

Le Consort: French orchestral ensemble, making York debut with Vivaldi concert at National Centre for Early Music on July 6

Festival of the week:  York Early Music Festival, Heaven & Hell, July 4 to 11

EIGHT days of classical music adds up to 19 concerts featuring international artists such as The Sixteen, The Tallis Scholars, Academy of Ancient Music, viol consort Fretwork & Helen Charlston and the York debut of Le Consort, performing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons “but not quite as you know it”.

Directed by Delma Tomlin, the festival weaves together three main strands: the 400th anniversary of Renaissance composer Orlando Gibbons, the Baroque music of Vivaldi and Bach and reflections on Man’s fall from grace, from Heaven to Hell. Full programme and tickets at ncem.co.uk/whats-on/yemf/. Box office: 01904 658338.

In Focus: Harry Baker, Wonderful 2.0, The Crescent, York, Sunday (29/6/2025)

Poet, mathematician and world slam champ Harry Baker

YOUNGEST ever World Poetry Slam champion Harry Baker’s two Wonderful 2.0 shows at The Crescent , York, tomorrow have sold out. Wonderful news for Harry; not so wonderful if you were yet to book for either bite of the poetic cherry, the 3.30pm all-ages matinee or 7pm evening event.

Enough negativity. Let this preview be suffused with positivity. “One thing that I know that I will always find amazing is what a thing it is to live a life,” posits Maths graduate Harry, who always looks for plus signs. “P.S. Let’s also do this loads before we die.”  Good, because that means Baker will be back and next time you can be quicker off the mark.

Baker, the 34-year-old poet, mathematician, writer and comedy turn from Ealing, London, first spread his Wonderful wings from April to August 2024, visiting The Crescent on May 20 with poems about wellies, postcodes and his favourite German wheat beer Schöfferhofer on  his sold-out 40-date itinerary.

At the time the “Maths-loving, TED-talking, German-speaking, battle-rapping, happy-crying, self-bio-writing unashamed human” said:  “After the mental health struggles I shared in my last show, this time around the plan was to have a fun time touring a fun show full of fun poems to celebrate coming out of the other side. But it hasn’t quite worked out like that.

“For the first time ever I have been to more funerals than weddings in the last year. I have hit the age where everyone around me is either having babies or talking about having babies or definitely not having babies, and found out first-hand how complicated and painful that can be. And yet I am more fascinated and amazed by the world around me than ever before.”

Harry added: “From the transformational power of documenting moments of everyday joy to the undeniable raw energy of performing a garage song about Greta Thunberg, I am learning more than ever that life can indeed be incredibly hard sometimes, but that doesn’t make it any less incredible.

“If anything, it is the darkness that helps us to appreciate the light, just as it is the puddles that help us to appreciate the wellies. And what could be more wonderful than sharing all of this with the glorious folk who come along after reading about it here.”

Now he returns with a new message to accompany his poems about “all the important stuff like hope, dinosaurs and German falafel-spoons”. “May one thing match the gravity of all you’ve ever done. This wonderful reality: The best is yet to come,” Harry pronounces.

“More full of wonder than ever”, he will celebrate wellies and postcodes once more, funerals and fertility journeys too, in his trademark amalgam of the playful, the vulnerable and the hopeful.

“Wonderful 2.0 hopes to make you cry with laughter, laugh through tears, or dream scenario: both. The show will contain old faves as well as brand new work, celebrating what a thing it is to live a life.”

For all his popularity on TikTok and Instagram, Baker’s favourite place to be is still on stage in front of an audience, sharing his words in person. “By its very nature, I don’t think it makes sense for poetry to go viral,” he says.

“It is all about taking the time out of your day-to-day to stop and pay attention to the world and the wonder it contains, which it feels like so many of us are too busy to be able to carve out time to do. And yet I think it is precisely this reason why people have been able to connect with my work so much.

“From the vulnerability of sharing my own personal struggles with trying to conceive a baby, to the power of making list of requests in advance of what I would like to happen when I die (an obnoxious amount of sunflowers and negronis all round, please), or even just a stupid (yet subversive?) poem about how great my knees are, there is a playfulness and poignancy that has changed the way others look at the world too.”

Harry continues: “I have been performing for 15 years now and last year’s tour was my
favourite by far, because of the openness audiences were willing to bring and share in, so that we could all have a cry and a laugh and go away feeling slightly more connected to one another and the world, and I am so excited for a chance to do this all over again.”

Assessing where he fits in as a performer, Harry decides: “I think I fall somewhere in between a band (where you hope they will do your favourite songs) and a stand-up (where you expect new material!). So, as well as keeping in the classics, I have updated the show with new poems about everything that has happened in the meantime, including (finally
and joyfully) having a baby.”

Did you know?

HARRY Baker’s honest, heartfelt and hopeful poems have reached more than ten million people on TikTok  and Instagram.

Raised in a Christian community, Baker is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 2’s Pause For Thought.

Tours UK in comedy-rap-jazz duo Harry and Chris Baker, also appearing on The Russell Howard Hour.

Released third poetry collection, Wonderful, in May 2024, featuring fan favourites Wellies, Sunflowers and Sticky Toffee Pudding. Published by Burning Eye, copies are available at gigs, all good bookshops and www.harrybaker.co.

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REVIEW: Martin Dreyer’s verdict on York Opera in The Tales of Hoffmann, York Theatre Royal, until tomorrow

Katie Cole’s fawning courtesan Giuletta in York Opera’s The Tales Of Hoffmann. Picture: David Kessel

YORK Opera is alive and kicking. Not content to fall back on one of its favourites, it is breaking new ground with Offenbach’s opéra fantastique. But in another sense it is building on the legacy of one man who gave well over half a century to this company as singer, set designer and director: Clive Marshall, who died in March at the age of 88.

A protegée of Clive’s, Liz Watson now takes the reins in this lively production, assisted by John Soper. Clive would have been equally pleased that the chorus includes a dozen new members, a sure sign that he left the company in good health.

In largely modern dress, it uses an older edition than is nowadays usual, in an English translation by Edward Agate, omitting most of the spoken dialogue and almost all of the recitatives inserted after the composer’s death.

Ian Thomson-Smith’s evil genius in York Opera’s The Tales Of Hoffmann: “His first-class diction and forthright baritone carried continuing menace”. Picture: David Kessel

This sensibly cuts the show down to a reasonable two and a half hours. Alasdair Jamieson’s orchestra is reduced to two dozen, in Tony Burke’s version, which is more than adequate for this theatre, given the expertise of the players involved, led by Claire Jowett.

Hamish Brown fashioned a steady Hoffmann, sympathetically unveiling the character’s ups and downs with the opposite sex if without much change in vocal tone. He was at his best in the Legend of Kleinzach. He certainly curried sympathy for his unfortunate predicaments along the way. His alternate (for June 26 and 28) is the equally experienced Karl Reiff.

Watson reminded us of Nicklausse’s origins as Hoffmann’s muse with a subtle change from dress to suit in the prologue. Alexandra Mather’s stage presence offered ample reassurance of Nicklausse’s value as friend to Hoffmann, with an admirable mezzo to boot.

Stephanie Wong: “Brought delightful coloratura to the mechanical Olympia, carrying off her aria with wit and charm” in York Opera’s The Tales Of Hoffmann

Understandably, three different sopranos covered Hoffmann’s would-be conquests. Stephanie Wong brought delightful coloratura to the mechanical Olympia, carrying off her aria with wit and charm, not least when she had to be rewound.

Ione Cumming’s strong tone as Antonia ensured this was the most dramatic of Hoffmann’s affairs, singing herself to death persuasively. As the fawning courtesan Giuletta, Katie Cole made the most of the famous Barcarole, duping Hoffmann in their duet before sugaring off with a gondolier.

Hamish Brown’s Hoffmann in York Opera’s The Tales Of Hoffmann: “Curried sympathy for his unfortunate predicaments along the way”

The evil genius behind all three of these deceptions – variously Coppélius, Dr Miracle and Captain Dapertutto – was excellently embodied by Ian Thomson-Smith, in a variety of pseudo-mystical costumes. His first-class diction and forthright baritone carried continuing menace.

Several smaller roles were well characterised. Mark Simmonds as Hoffmann’s perpetual opposition Lindorf, Leon Waksberg as the inventor Spalazani, Molly Raine as his assistant, and Rebecca Smith as the ghost of Antonia’s mother, all caught the eye.

Alexandra Mather: “Her stage presence offered ample reassurance of Nicklausse’s value as friend to Hoffmann, with an admirable mezzo to boot”. Picture: David Kessel

With John Soper’s perpetual set covering the full width of the stage, it was a smart idea to limit the chorus choreography to only ten singers, whose movements largely echoed the trials of the three principal ladies. The chorus, clearly well drilled, threw itself wholeheartedly into the fray when required without too much action off the ball.

It almost goes without saying that Alasdair Jamieson sustained a firm grip on all his forces. The orchestra responded with particular enthusiasm, to the point of occasionally overpowering a couple of soloists. But these were brief misdemeanours and the overall spirit of the evening was unaffected. A tricky opera smoothly negotiated and another feather in York Opera’s cap.

York Opera in The Tales Of Hoffmann, York Theatre Royal, tonight, 7.15pm; tomorrow, 4pm. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Ione Cummings’ Antonia and Karl Reiff’s Hoffmann in York Opera’s The Tales Of Hoffmann. Picture: David Kessel
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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 27, from Gazette & Herald

Hats galore: Be Amazing Arts Youth Theatre’s guys in Guys And Dolls at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York

BE Amazing Arts and more amazing arts besides add up to attractions aplenty for Charles Hutchinson’s list of recommendations

Burgeoning talent of the week: Be Amazing Arts Youth Theatre in Guys And Dolls, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, tomorrow to Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

MALTON company Be Amazing Arts Youth Theatre heads to York to present Frank Loesser, Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows’ musical fable of Broadway, Guys And Dolls.

Set in Damon Runyon’s mythical New York City, this oddball romantic comedy finds gambler Nathan Detroit seeking the cash to set up the biggest craps game in town while the authorities breathe down his neck. Into the story venture his girlfriend, nightclub performer Adelaide, fellow gambler Sky Masterson and straight-laced missionary Sarah Brown. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

The Wandering Hearts: Introducing new album Deja Vu (We Have All Been Here Before) at Pocklington Arts Centre

Americana gig of the week: The Wandering Hearts, Pocklington Arts Centre, tomorrow, 8pm

BRITISH Americana and folk band The Wandering Hearts combine enchanting harmonies and heartfelt songwriting influenced by Simon & Garfunkel, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and First Aid Kit.

Tomorrow’s set by Tara Wilcox, Francesca “Chess” Whiffin and A J Dean-Revington features songs from 2018’s Wild Silence, 2021’s The Wandering Hearts and 2024’s Mother, complemented by a showcase of new album Deja Vu (We Have All Been Here Before), released on June 20. Norwich singer-songwriter Lucy Grubb supports. Box office:  01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.

Snow Patrol: More chance of sunshine than snow at Scarborough Open Air Theatre on Friday

Coastal gig of the week: Snow Patrol, Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Friday; gates open at 6pm

SNOW Patrol visit Scarborough Open Air Theatre on Friday for the first time since July 2021. The Northern Irish-Scottish indie rock band will be led as ever by Gary Lightbody, accompanied by long-time members Nathan Connolly, lead guitar, and Johnny McDaid, piano. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.

Danny Lee Grew: 24K Magic at Friargate Theatre, York

Magic show of the week: Danny Lee Grew, 24K Magic, Friargate Theatre, York, Friday, 7.30pm

CLACTON-ON-SEA magician Danny Lee Grew presents his new mind-boggling one-man show of magic, illusion, laughs, gasps and sleight of hand sorcery. 24K Magic showcases the kind of magic usually seen on television, but now live, in the flesh and under the most impossible conditions. Box office: ticketsource.co.uk/ridinglights.

Olly Murs: Returning to York Racecourse for Summer Music Saturday

Back on track: Olly Murs, York Racecourse, Summer Music Saturday, June 28, first race at 1.55pm; last race, 5.25pm, followed by concert

ESSEX singer, songwriter, actor and television personality from Olly Murs completes his hat-trick of appearances at York Racecourse this weekend, having played the Knavesmire track in 2010 and 2017.

Performing after Saturday’s race card, his set list will draw on his seven albums and 25 singles, including the number ones Please Don’t Let Me Go, Heart Skips A Beat, Dance With Me Tonight and Troublemaker and Top Five hits Thinking Of Me, Dear Darlin, Wrapped Up and Up. Race day tickets: yorkracecourse.co.uk.

Joanna Purslow, Gemma Aston and MaryAnna Kelly in Hotbuckle Productions’ Little Women, on tour at Helmsley Arts Centre

Ryedale play of the week: Hotbuckle Productions in Little Women, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 7.30pm

SHROPSHIRE company Hotbuckle Productions follow up last year’s tour of Pride And with Adrian Preater’s typically inventive make-over of Louisa May Alcott’s American novel Little Women, performed by a cast of only three, Joanna Purslow, Gemma Aston and MaryAnna Kelly.

Hotbuckle explore girlhood, family and female ambition in Alcott’s tale of love, loss and the challenges of growing up in 19th century Massachusetts in a fast-paced, humorous, multi-role-playing adaptation that crosses age and gender traditions as the four March sisters journey from adolescence to adulthood. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Justin Moorhouse: Giving two of the greatest performances of his life at Pocklington Arts Centre this weekend

Comedy gig of the week: Justin Moorhouse, The Greatest Performance Of My Life, Pocklington Arts Centre, Saturday, 3pm and 8pm

ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE comedian, radio presenter and actor Justin Moorhouse covers subjects ranging from pantomimes to dreams, how to behave in hospitals, small talk, realising his mum is a northern version of Columbo, and how being a smart-mouthed child saved him from a life of continually being beaten up. Funny, interesting, perhaps it will warm the soul too. Box office:  01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.

Dawn Landes: Performing at Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York

Country gig of the week: Dawn Landes, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York, July 2, 8pm

AMERICAN country roots singer-songwriter Dawn Landes showcases The Liberated Woman’s Songbook, her March 2024 album that re-imagines music from the women’s liberation movement.

Inspired by a 1971 songbook of the same name, Landes breathes new life into powerful songs spanning 1830 to 1970, amplifying the voices of women who fought for equality throughout history. Box office: seetickets.com/event/dawn-landes/rise-bluebird/.

James Sheldon’s Mr Darcy and Rosa Hesmondhalgh’s Lizzy Bennet in Pride And Prejudice at the SJT, Scarborough

Introducing America’s most performed living playwright to North Yorkshire: Pride And Prejudice, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, July 3 to 26, 7.30pm plus 1.30pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees

BOLTON Octagon Theatre artistic director Lotte Wakeham directs American writer Kate Hamill’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride And Prejudice in a co-production with the SJT, Hull Truck Theatre and Theatre by the Lake, Keswick.

Austen’s story of love, misunderstandings and second chances is staged with music, dancing and humour aplenty in a whirl of Regency parties and courtship as hearts race, tongues wag and passions swirl around the English countryside, with a cast led by Rosa Hesmondhalgh’s Lizzy Bennet and James Sheldon’s  Mr Darcy. Box office: 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.

Danny Hendrix, Christopher Finn and Sarah Palmer in The Koala Who Could. Picture: Pamela Raith

Children’s show of the week: The Koala Who Could, York Theatre Royal, July 3, 1.30pm; July 4, 10.30am and 4.30pm; July 5, 11am and 2pm 

JOIN Kevin the koala, Kangaroo and Wombat as they learn that “life can be great when you try something new” in this adaptation of Rachel Bright and Jim Field’s picture book, directed by Emma Earle (Oi Frog & Friends!), with music and lyrics by Eamonn O’Dwyer (The Lion Inside). 

Danny Hendrix (Wombat/Storyteller 1), Sarah Palmer (Cossowary/Storyteller 2) and Christopher Finn (Kevin/Storyteller 3) perform this empowering story of embracing change – whether we like it or not. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

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More Things To Do in York and beyond as the heat is on for summer entertainment. Hutch’s List No. 27, from The York Press

Out of the woods and into The Basement for Navigators Art’s Making Waves Live!, Sounds Of The Solstice today

BEST Musical multiple award winner Dear Evan Hansen and a Eurovision spoof light Charles Hutchinson’s fire as the June heat rises.

Midsummer festival of the weekend: Navigators Art presents Making Waves Live! Sounds Of The Solstice, The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse, York, today, 4pm to 10pm 

FAVOURITE Navigators Art poets, comedians, singers and bands from the past two years will be complemented new friends in sessions from 4pm to 6.30pm, then 7.30pm to 10pm.

Taking part will be folk song duo Adderstone, poet Becca Drake, comedian Cooper Robson, storyteller Lara McClure, punk/jazz trio Borgia, psychedelic band Soma Crew; Will Martin; Jessica Van Smith; Cai Moriarty & Mason Chetnik, Mike Amber and more. Box office:  bit.ly/nav-events.

The Wild Murphys: Performing One Night In Dublin for one night in York

Irish craic of the week: One Night In Dublin, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, tomorrow, 7.30pm

THE Wild Murphys revel in sing-along Irish classics Galway Girl, I’ll Tell Me Ma, The Irish Rover, Dirty Old Town, Whiskey In The Jar, The Wild Rover, Black Velvet Band and many more in two hours of song and humour.

Songs by The Pogues, The Saw Doctors, The Dubliners, The Fureys, Flogging Molly and The Dropkick Murphys receive the fiddle and accordion treatment. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

Flowers And Friendship Bracelets: Celebrating Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Miley Cyrus, Chappell Roan and Olivia Rodrigo’s pop power at Grand Opera House

Pop party of the week: Flowers And Friendship Bracelets, Grand Opera House, York, Sunday

FLOWERS And Friendship Bracelets combines music, dance and excitement in “the ultimate pop concert in celebration of the biggest hits from the hottest artistes of the moment”. The songs of Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Miley Cyrus, Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter will climax with a huge pop party finale. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Kamaljeet Ahluwalia and Jas Ahluwalia: Absolute Focus programme on santoor and tabla at the NCEM on Sunday evening

Indian classical concert of the week: Kamaljeet Ahluwalia and Jas Ahluwalia, Absolute Focus, National Centre for Early Music, York, Sunday, 6.30pm 

HUSBAND and wife duo Kamaljeet Ahluwalia, on santoor, and Jax Ahluwalia, on tabla, perform their Absolute Focus programme at the NCEM. These former students of  the late Pandit Shivkumar Sharma and Ustaad Tari work on diverse projects, from Netflix, Apple TV+, Amazon and Disney series to live theatre, while introducing Indian classical music to audiences around the world in concerts of meditative introspection and energy-filled heights. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.

Looking to fit in: Ryan Kopel’s Evan Hansen in Dear Evan Hansen, on tour at Grand Opera House, York

Last chance to see: Dear Evan Hansen, Grand Opera House, York, June 24 to 28, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday, Friday and Saturday matinees

THE Grand Opera House will be the last English port of call on the UK tour of Benj Pasek, Justin Paul and Steven Levinson’s Olivier, Tony and Grammy Best Musical award winner.

Dear Evan Hansen tells the story of a teenager with a social anxiety disorder that inhibits his ability to connect with his peers. After the death of fellow student Connor Murphy, Evan (played by Ryan Kopel) entangles himself in an unwieldy fib, claiming he was Connor’s secret best friend. Thrust ever deeper into a web of lies, he gains everything he has ever wanted: a chance to belong. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Ione Cummings’ Antonia in York Opera’s The Tales Of Hoffmann. Picture: John Saunders

Opera of the week: York Opera in The Tales Of Hoffmann, York Theatre Royal, June 25 to 28, 7.15pm plus 4pm Saturday matinee

ELIZABETH Watson and John Soper direct York Opera in Jacques Offenbach’s The Tales Of Hoffmann, based on three short stories by German romantic writer E.T.A. Hoffmann.

Tenors Karl Reiff and Hamish Brown perform the title role on alternate nights; Hoffmann’s evil enemies will be played by Ian Thomson- Smith and Mark Simmonds and his love interests will be sung by Stephanie Wong (Olympia), Ione Cummings (Antonia) and Katie Cole (Giulietta). Alexandra Mather takes the role of Hoffmann’s loyal friend, Nicklaus. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

York Light Opera Company cast members in rehearsal for Neil Wood’s production of Eurobeat: Pride Of Europe

Eurovision celebration of the week: York Light Opera Company in Eurobeat – Pride Of Europe, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, 7.30pm, June 25 to 27 and July 1 to 4; 3pm, June 28 and 29 and July 5

AUSTRALIAN composer, writer and lyricist Craig Christie’s high-octane, electrifying musical Eurobeat: The Pride Of Europe celebrates the vibrant energy and spirit of the continent. Expect non-stop, infectious Eurobeat rhythms, dazzling visuals and a show to leave audiences breathless. 

Prepare to dance and soak up the fun of an annual European song contest where audience participation decides the winner. Neil Wood directs a cast led by Annabel van Griethuysen as hostess Marlene Cabana and Zander Fick as master of protocols Bjorn Bjornson. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Just like hat: Be Amazing Arts Youth Theatre’s guys rehearsing Guys And Dolls for next week’s Joseph Rowntree Theatre run

Burgeoning talent of the week: Be Amazing Arts Youth Theatre in Guys And Dolls, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, June 26 to 28, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

MALTON company Be Amazing Arts Youth Theatre heads to York to present Frank Loesser, Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows’ musical fable of Broadway, Guys And Dolls.

Set in Damon Runyon’s mythical New York City, this oddball romantic comedy finds gambler Nathan Detroit seeking the cash to set up the biggest craps game in town while the authorities breathe down his neck. Into the story venture his girlfriend, nightclub performer Adelaide, fellow gambler Sky Masterson and straight-laced missionary Sarah Brown. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

Snow Patrol: More likely sun than snow on return to Yorkshire coastline on Friday

Coastal gig of the week: Snow Patrol, Scarborough Open Air Theatre, June 27; gates open at 6pm

SNOW Patrol visit Scarborough Open Air Theatre on Friday for the first time since July 2021. The Northern Irish-Scottish indie rock band will be led as ever by Gary Lightbody, accompanied by long-time members Nathan Connolly, lead guitar, and Johnny McDaid, piano. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.

Danny Lee Grew: Mind-boggling magic at Friargate Theatre, York

Magic show of the week: Danny Lee Grew, 24K Magic, Friargate Theatre, York, June 27, 7.30pm

CLACTON-ON-SEA magician Danny Lee Grew presents his new mind-boggling one-man show of magic, illusion, laughs, gasps and sleight of hand sorcery. 24K Magic showcases the kind of magic usually seen on television, but now live, in the flesh and under the most impossible conditions. Box office: ticketsource.co.uk/ridinglights.

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 26, from Gazette & Herald

Hannah Davies and Jack Woods: Performing The Ballad Of Blea Wyke at Shakespeare Gallery, Scarborough, on Friday and Saturday. Picture: Matt Jopling

ELECTRONIC music by the sea,  best musical award winner Dear Evan Hansen and a Eurovision spoof light Charles Hutchinson’s fire.

Scarborough Fringe show of the week: Next Door But One and Say Owt present The Ballad Of Blea Wyke, Shakespeare Gallery, St Helen’s Square, Scarborough, Friday and Saturday, 7.30pm

STORYTELLING, poetry and music show The Ballad Of Blea Wyke re-tells the traditional Selkie myth, re-imagined for a not-far-into-the-future dystopian Yorkshire coast by North Yorkshire theatre-maker Hannah Davies and Pascallion musician Jack Woods.

Micro-commissioned by York Theatre Royal as part of the Green Shoots project in May 2022, the show has grown into a 60-minute performance by writer, performer, director and Say Owt associate artist Davies and guitar, mandolin and violin player Woods. Box office: scarboroughfair.uk/events/the-ballad-of-blea-wyke/

Pendulum: Electronic rock at Scarborough Open Air Theatre

Coastal gigs of the week: Pendulum, supported by Normandie, Friday; Basement Jaxx, Saturday, Scarborough Open Air Theatre, gates open at 6pm

FORMED in Perth, Western Australia, in 2002, electronic rock act Pendulum have returned from a self-imposed hiatus with the EPs Elemental and Anima, festival headline shows and now Scarborough. Rob Swire, Gareth McGrillen and Paul Harding’s  drum & bass group released such albums as 2005’s Hold Your Colour, 2008’s In Silico and 2010’s UK chart topper, Immersion, before shifting their focus to their Knife Party project in 2012.

Fellow electronic combo Basement Jaxx play Scarborough this weekend as part of their resumption of live shows after ten years of “DJing around the globe”. “It’ll be great to return to the live stage: to connect to people with life-affirming energy and give people a great time,” says Felix Buxton. Cue house and garage with a punk attitude. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.

Raul Kohli: Exploring what it means to be British at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York

York comedy gig of the week: Raul Kohli: Raul Britannia, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, Saturday, 8pm

COMEDIAN and proud Brit Raul Kohli is the son of a Hindu Indian and Sikh Singaporean, raised in Newcastle upon Tyne, where his best friend was a Pakistani Muslim.

Kohli has lived in every corner of this glorious nation and is fascinated by the diversity of these small isles.  Imagine his surprise to hear from politicians and the media that “multiculturalism has failed”: the spark that lit the flame for his exploration of what it means to be British. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Qween UK: They will rock you at Helmsley Arts Centre

Tribute show of the week: Qween UK, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 7.30pm

QWEEN UK celebrate the works of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor in a tribute show that encompasses all the “classic” Queen songs, complemented by subtle acoustic arrangements. Box office:  01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.    

Ryan Kopel’s Evan Hansen in Dear Evan Hansen: Thrust ever deeper into a web of lies at Grand Opera House, York

Last chance to see: Dear Evan Hansen, Grand Opera House, York, June 24 to 28, 7.30pm and 2.30pm Wednesday, Friday and Saturday matinees

THE Grand Opera House will be the last English port of call on the UK tour of Benj Pasek, Justin Paul and Steven Levinson’s Olivier, Tony and Grammy Best Musical award winner.

Dear Evan Hansen tells the story of a teenager with a social anxiety disorder that inhibits his ability to connect with his peers. After the death of fellow student Connor Murphy, Evan (played by Ryan Kopel) entangles himself in an unwieldy fib, claiming he was Connor’s secret best friend. Thrust ever deeper into a web of lies, he gains everything he has ever wanted: a chance to belong. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Alexandra Mather’s Nicklaus in York Opera’s The Tales Of Hoffmann. Picture: John Saunders

Opera of the week: York Opera in The Tales Of Hoffmann, York Theatre Royal, June 25 to 28, 7.15pm plus 4pm Saturday matinee

ELIZABETH Watson and John Soper direct York Opera in Jacques Offenbach’s The Tales Of Hoffmann, based on three short stories by German romantic writer E.T.A Hoffmann.

Tenors Karl Reiff and Hamish Brown perform the title role on alternate nights; Hoffmann’s evil enemies will be played by Ian Thomson- Smith and Mark Simmonds and his love interests will be sung by Stephanie Wong (Olympia), Ione Cummings (Antonia) and Katie Cole (Giulietta). Hoffmann’s loyal friend, Nicklaus, will be performed by Alexandra Mather. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

York Light Opera Company in rehearsal for Neil Wood’s production of Eurobeat – Pride Of Europe

Eurovision celebration of the week: York Light Opera Company in Eurobeat – Pride Of Europe, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, 7.30pm, June 25 to 27 and July 1 to 4; 3pm, June 28 and 29 and July 5

COMPOSER, writer and lyricist Craig Christie’s high-octane, electrifying musical Eurobeat: The Pride Of Europe celebrates the vibrant energy and spirit of the continent.

Expect non-stop, infectious Eurobeat rhythms, dazzling visuals and a show to leave audiences breathless. Prepare to dance and revel in  the fun of an annual European song contest where audience participation decides the winner. Neil Wood directs a cast led by Annabel van Griethuysen as hostess Marlene Cabana and Zander Fick as master of protocols Bjorn Bjornson. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Guitarist James Oliver: Playing Ryedale Blues Club gig on June 26

Blues gig of the week: Ryedale Blues Club, The James Oliver Band, Milton Rooms, Malton, June 26, 8pm

THE ever busy James Oliver Band play upwards of 300 gigs a year all over Great Britain, Europe and the USA, chalking up 3,000 so far.

Guitarist Oliver, UK Blues Awards Emerging Artist of the Year winner in 2020, has released two studio and three live albums and is working on a new record with legendary producer John Leckie. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com

Aaron Simmonds: Headlining the Hilarity Bites Comedy Club bill on June 27

Ryedale comedy gig of the week: Hilarity Bites Comedy Club presents Aaron Simmonds, Alex Mitchell and Chris Lumb, Milton Rooms, Malton, June 27, 8pm

AARON Simmonds has been failing to stand up for 32 years. Luckily he is far better at comedy than standing up, offering sharp observations grounded in his disability, but by no means limited by it.  

2024 Britain’s Got Talent finalist Alex Mitchell is an autistic comic with functional neurological disorder (FND), In his Tics Towards Puffection show, he laughs at himself, his neurodivergence, disability and sexuality to reflect on difficult subjects within his own life and wider society. Host Chris Lumb manages and performs in The Discount Comedy Checkout improv group. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.

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York Opera to perform Offenbach’s The Tales Of Hoffmann at York Theatre Royal

Ione Cummings’ Antonia at the piano in The Tales Of Offenbach

ELIZABETH Watson and John Soper direct York Opera in Jacques Offenbach’s The Tales Of Hoffmann at York Theatre Royal from June 25 to 28.

Based on three short stories by German romantic writer E T A Hoffmann, the opera comprises a prologue, three scenes and an epilogue and features the outstanding aria The Doll Song.  

“This production has fantastical tales combined with glorious music to create an unforgettable evening,” say the directors. 

Alexandra Mather’s Nicklaus with Karl Reiff, left, and Hamish Brown’s Hoffmann in York Opera’s The Tales Of Hoffmann. Picture: John Saunders

Tenors Karl Reiff and Hamish Brown will perform the lead role of Hoffmann on alternate nights. His evil enemies will be played by Ian Thomson-Smith and Mark Simmonds; his love interests will be sung by Stephanie Wong (Olympia), Ione Cummings (Antonia) and Katie Cole (Giulietta), and the role of his loyal friend, Nicklaus, goes to Alexandra Mather.

Musical direction is by Alasdair Jamieson, who will conduct the full cast and orchestra.  

York Opera in The Tales Of Hoffmann, York Theatre Royal, June 25 to 28, 7.15pm, plus 4pm Saturday matinee. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

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Arise Sir Gary Oldman

Sir Gary Oldman. Picture: Gisele Schmidt

CONGRATULATIONS to Sir Gary Oldman, knighted in the King’s Honours List for services to drama.

Services that began in the repertory ranks of York Theatre Royal in 1979-1980 in a season of nine shows that took in She Stoops To Conquer, Thark, Privates On Parade and Romeo And Juliet, topped off by Oldman playing the Cat in furry suit, mittens and nylon whiskers in Berwick Kaler’s third York pantomime, Dick Whittington And His Wonderful Cat, that Christmas.

Announced on June 13, Sir Gary’s knighthood comes less than a month after he completed his banana-munching April 14 to May 17 residency in Samuel Beckett’s melancholic monodrama Krapp’s Last Tape on his return to York Theatre Royal after more than 45 years.

Gary Oldman, third from the left, in hat and glasses, in Privates On Parade at York Theatre Royal in 1979, one of his first professional performances after graduating that year with a BA in Acting from Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama, in Sidcup, Kent. Picture: York Theatre Royal

“To be included in the long lineage of extraordinary actors, artists and others who hold this title fills me with indescribable humility and pride,” pronounced Sir Gary in his official statement. “It is emotional, humbling and flattering all at the same time to be recognised amongst them.”

Theatre Royal chief executive Paul Crewes, who oversaw Sir Gary’s York return, says: “Congratulations to Sir Gary on this very well-deserved knighthood. We were so honoured to welcome him back to the York Theatre Royal stage this year and the whole team are delighted by this news.”

Sir Gary, 67, can be seen next in the fifth series of Slow Horses, in the lead role of grouchy Slough House spy Jackson Lamb, on Apple TV+ from September 24.

Gary Oldman in his York Theatre Royal residency in Krapp’s Last Tape from April 14 to May 17 2025. Picture: Gisele Schmidt

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REVIEW: John Godber Company in Do I Love You?, York Theatre Royal ****

Blackpool Tower Ballroom here they come: Chloe McDonald’s Nat, left, Martha Godber’s Sally and Emilio Encinoso-Gil’s Kyle keep the faith in John Godber’s hymn to Northern Soul, Do I Love You?

JOHN Godber has a new play on its way this autumn: Black Tie Ball, a tale of hotel upstairs and downstairs, bow ties and fake tans, jealousies and avarice, divorces and affairs, told by staff at breakneck speed from arrival at seven to carriages at midnight. Harrogate Theatre, from September 10 to 13, and Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, from November 12 to 15, await.

There is a Godber house style, billed as his “signature visceral style”, one that applies as much to his hymn to Northern  Soul, Do I Love You?, as it will to Black Tie Ball. Ever since Bouncers and Teechers, less has been more in Godber plays: compact casts, concise scenes, minimal props and space aplenty for combative or compatible movement.

No-nonsense Yorkshireman Godber has been writing plays since 1977, the year of punk at its scratchy apex, and likewise he tore up the rule book to write working-class dramas, economical but full of home truths, albeit with a nod to Bertolt Brecht in breaking down theatre’s fourth wall to favour direct address.

Do I Love You? is up there with his best works, visiting York Theatre Royal in the concluding week of its third tour since its 2023 debut, still with the same fresh-faced cast of Martha Godber, Chloe McDonald and Emilio Encinoso-Gil, who are in the groove not only of the sublime underground Sixties and Seventies music, but also of working together regularly, like the comic interplay of a well-oiled TV comedy series.

Frank exchange: Martha Godber’s Sally makes her point to Chloe McDonald’s Nat as Emilio Encinoso-Gil’s Kyle seeks to intervene in Do I Love You?

Godber is always at his best when his fractious comedies are fired by both love and anger, ideally backed by a pulsating soundtrack too. The love here is for Northern Soul from his own days of going to all-nighters and weekenders across the north, and he writes with passion, Record Collector levels of knowledge, not so much nostalgia, but more a lament for what we have lost.

Qualities of authenticity, truth, pride: all values he attributes to Northern Soul, music of pain and sorrow and ecstatic release; music of and for the working  classes.  

He places his drama in the hands of what he calls the lost generation, the twenty-something post-Covid generation stuck in the sludge of working at drive-through fried chicken counters.

Meet Martha Godber’s Sally, who looks after her ailing Irish-born grandma (played with a scarf, a fag and a hacking cough by McDonald), neglected by her drunkard mother. Meet Encinoso-Gil’s Kyle, her best mate, from Spanish stock, but the timing has never been right for it to be anything more than that. Meet McDonald’s Nat (or ‘Natalie’, she insists), their friend since schooldays, who has a crush on Kyle too and likes a spliff or two.

The anger lies in Godber surveying how little has changed between Britain in 1973 and 2023, the year in which the play is still set with Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister, “looking 11 years old” as he puts it.

Do I Love You? writer-director John Godber: Keeping the faith in Northern Soul when losing the faith in everything else

Godber writes of rising costs and prices, unemployment and small-town blues; of pubs closing, hospitality venues going; strikes on-going.  Plus ca change.

He writes too of the everyday difficulties of young lives, as they fall out with each other, while facing mounting problems at home. What is left but to find a love, something to believe in, to keep the faith?

Godber interweaves the trio’s trials and tribulations with their initiation into Northern Soul, brilliantly described in Sally’s account of their first visit to a Cleethorpes all-nighter: £3 for eight hours. Soul devotees on the dancefloor, sliding, gliding, kicking, making her cry, although she doesn’t know why, but the way Godber writes, we do.

He takes us there with a sense of poetic wonder, just as he captures the tedium of taking fried chicken orders by reducing the experience to the fewest words possible for the maximum comical impact.

Emilio Encinoso-Gil’s Kyle tentatively shows off his dancefloor moves in Do I Love You?, to the scornful amusement of Chloe McDonald’s Nat and Martha Godber’s Sally

The songs can be played only in snippets that have to stop all too quickly, but Godber evokes Northern Soul by mentioning all the landmark songs and locations and by the power of his pen.

Best of all is the fulminating speech by Encinoso-Gil’s hunched-up Keith, a soul veteran with a criminal past and fingers in every pie, who is Do I Love You’s version of Lucky Eric in Bouncers, except that he squeezes all he has to say into one impassioned yet beautiful rant-cum-lament, whereas Eric has four bites at the sour cherry.

All three performances are terrific, Martha Godber especially so, and if no moment that follows Keith’s speech quite matches it, Do I Love You? packs an emotional punch, full of northern wit, grit and soul power hits.

John Godber Company in Do I Love You?, York Theatre Royal, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2pm matinee  tomorrow (12/6/2025) and 2.30pm, Saturday. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 25, from Gazette & Herald

Making her point: Martha Godber’s Sally, left, in a contretemps with Chloe McDonald’s Nat as Emilio Encinoso-Gil’s Kyle seeks to intervene in John Godber’s Do I Love You?

CELEBRATIONS of Northern Soul and British comedy greats are right up Charles Hutchinson’s street for the week ahead.  

Weekender of the week: John Godber Company in Do I Love You?, York Theatre Royal, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees; post-show discussion on June 13

THE John Godber Company is on its third tour of John Godber’s hymn to keeping the faith in Northern Soul, with the same cast of Martha Godber, Chloe McDonald and Emilio Encinoso-Gil.

Inspired by Godber’s devotion to Northern Soul, Do I Love You? follows three twentysomethings, slumped in the drudgery of drive-through counter jobs, who find excitement, purpose and their tribe as they head to weekenders all over, from Bridlington Spa to the Blackpool Tower Ballroom, Chesterfield to Stoke. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

The fez, the spectacles and the bow tie: Damian Williams’s Tommy Cooper, Bob Golding’s Eric Morecambe and Simon Cartwright’s Bob Monkhouse in The Last Laugh, on tour at the Grand Opera House, York

Comedy legends of the week: The Last Laugh, Grand Opera House, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm matinees today, tomorrow and Saturday

WHO will have The Last Laugh at the Grand Opera House when British comedy triumvirate Eric Morecambe, Tommy Cooper and Bob Monkhouse reconvene in a dressing room in Paul Hendy’s play?

Find out in the Edinburgh Fringe, West End and New York hit’s first tour stop as Bob Golding, Damian Williams and Simon Cartwright take on the iconic roles in this new work by the Evolutions Productions director, who just happens to write York Theatre Royal’s pantomimes too. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

One of the Famous Faces on show in the Artistic Spectrum exhibition at Pocklington Arts Centre

Exhibition of the week: Artistic Spectrum: Famous Faces, Pocklington Arts Centre, on show until June 27

BOLD artworks feature in Famous Faces, a powerful, large-scale portrait project from Artistic Spectrum, co-created with more than 100 neuro-divergent and Special Educational Needs children and adults across East and South Yorkshire to challenge perceptions, champion inclusivity and put the power of representation into the hands of those too often left out of the frame.

Developed in group workshops over several weeks, participants created striking portraits of people who inspired them, from musicians and sports stars to activists and screen icons, using collage, found materials and personal objects to make works rich with texture, colour and personal meaning.

Comedian Scott Bennett and his daughter in the promotional picture for Blood Sugar Baby, on tour in York and Pocklington

Storyteller of the week: Scott Bennett, Blood Sugar Baby, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, tonight, 8pm; Pocklington Arts Centre, August 6, 8pm

ONE family, one condition, one hell of a hairy baby: Scott Bennett, from The News Quiz, relates how his daughter fell ill with a rare genetic condition, congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI).

Never heard of it?  Neither have new parents Scott and Jemma as they fight to achieve  the right diagnosis for their daughter and are plunged into months of bewildering treatment, sleepless nights, celebrity encounters and bizarre side effects, but a happy ending ensues. Box office: York, tickets.41monkgate.co.uk; Pocklington, 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.

Shed Seven: Off to the Yorkshire coast on Saturday to play Scarborough Open Air Theatre

Coastal gigs of the week: The Corrs and Natalie Imbruglia, tonight; Gary Barlow and Beverley Knight, Friday; Shed Seven, Jake Bugg and Cast, Saturday, all at Scarborough Open Air Theatre; gates open at 6pm

THE 2025 season of Cuffe & Taylor concerts in the bracing sea air of Scarborough opens tonight with the Irish band The Corrs and Australian singer  and Neighbours actress Natalie Imbruglia, followed by Take That and solo songwriter and The X Factor and Let It Shine judge Gary Barlow on his Songbook Tour 2025 on Friday, when Beverley Knight supports. Expect hits from both his band and Barlow back catalogues.

After two chart-topping 2024 albums in their 30th anniversary year, York band Shed Seven make their belated Scarborough Open Air Theatre debut on Saturday, supported by Jake Bugg and Cast. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.

Henry Blofeld: Wickets and wit in cricket chat at Helmsley Arts Centre

The sound of reporting on leather on willow: An Audience With Henry Blofeld, Sharing My Love Of Cricket, Helmsley Arts Centre, tomorrow, 7.30pm, rearranged from March 21

LEGENDARY BBC broadcaster and journalist, Henry Blofeld, former stalwart of the BBC’s Test Match Special commentary box, takes a journey through modern cricket, while looking back at the great games of yesteryear.

Blowers reflects on how cricket used to be and where it is headed: the theme of his September 2024 book Sharing My Love Of Cricket: Playing The Game And Spreading The Word, wherein he explores the big shifts, innovations and challenges facing the game. Box office: helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Saul Henry: On the Funny Fridays bill at Patch at the Bonding Warehouse, York

York comedy bill of the week: Funny Fridays at Patch, Bonding Warehouse, Terry Avenue, York, Friday, 7.30pm

THE second Funny Fridays comedy night at Patch features Saul Henry, Gemma Day, Ethan Formstone, Lucy Buckley and headliner Jack Wilson, hosted by founder and comedian Katie Lingo.

Formstone’s profile reveals he is a bricklayer from York, who grew bored and now, “using his natural stage presence and wild imagination, lays surreal stories that will delight you and leave you slightly confused”. Tickets: eventbrite.co.uk/e/funny-fridays-at-patch-tickets-1353208666549?aff=oddtdtcreator.

The poster for the SatchVai Band’s Surfing With The Hydra Tour, visiting York Barbican on Friday

Rock gig of the week: SatchVai Band, Surfing With The Hydra Tour 2025, York Barbican, Friday, doors 7pm

FOR the first time in nigh on 50 years of playing rock, guitarists and friends Joe Satriani and Steve Vai have united to tour as the SatchVai Band, opening their European travels in York before heading to London, Paris, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Istanbul and Athens.

Powerhouse drummer Kenny Aronoff, bassist Marco Mendoza and virtuoso guitarist Pete Thorn complete the stellar quintet. Box office: for returns only, yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Alex telling her story in EGO Arts’ You Know My Mum at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, on Friday

Cheeky comedy of life, loss and love for all the family: EGO Arts in You Know My Mum, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, Friday, 7.30pm.

LEADING EGO Midlands Creative Academy’s disabled and neuro-divergent cast, Alex is a 25-year-old woman with Down’s syndrome struggling with the death of her mum. One day, she discovers Bluey, a baby Blue Tit, in her garden.

While Bluey learns about fried chicken factories and joins a boot camp for birds, Alex battles Harry Potter monsters and dreams about life after death. As her wild imagination comes to life, she learns that the love she thought she lost is all around her. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

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More Things To Do in York & beyond when Pride comes before a full week of delights. Hutch’s List No. 25, from The York Press

Angels Of The North: Headlining the main stage on Knavesmire at York Pride 2025

YORK Pride and celebrations of Northern Soul and British comedy greats are right up Charles Hutchinson’s street for the week ahead.  

Festival of the week: York Pride, Parliament Street to Knavesmire, York, 12 noon to 6pm

NORTH Yorkshire’s largest LGBT+ celebration and York’s biggest free one-day festival, York Pride 2025, takes to the streets for its biggest, boldest and most fabulous event yet today, led off by the Pride Parade that will follow a new path through the streets from Parliament Street at midday.

On Knavesmire, the festival’s main stage will be headlined by Angels Of The North (6pm) and on the bill too will be Ryan Petitjean (1.10pm), tribute act Pet Shop Boys, Actually (1.35pm), Marcus Collins (2pm), Eva Iglesias (2.30pm), York drag superstar Janice D (3.35pm), La Voix (4pm), West End queen Kerry Ellis (5.15pm), The Cheeky Girls (5.35pm) and plenty more. Find the full line-up at yorkpride.org.uk/line-up.

Duncan Honeybourne: Performing the last concert of York Late Music’s 2024-2025 series this afternoon

Season’s finale: York Late Music presents Duncan Honeybourne, piano, Unitarian Chapel, St Saviourgate, York, today, 1pm

PIANIST Duncan Honeybourne performs new commissions commemorating the 100th anniversary of the death of the influential French composer Erik Satie, written especially for this afternoon’s programme by Philip Grange, Fred Viner, Sarah Dacey, Andrew Hugill, Steve Plews, Sarah Thomas, Simon Hopkins, Jenny Jackson and others, some of whom will be heard at Late Music for the first time.

Each composer has been asked to provide a new miniature piano solo influenced or inspired in some way by Satie and their works will be interspersed with a selection of Satie’s own pieces, such as Gnossiennes and Gympnopédies. Box office: latemusic.org/duncan-honeybourne-piano/ or on the door.

Film event of the week: John Barry From York With Love, Everyman York, York, today at 2.30pm and 4pm

JOHN Barry From York With Love, Sean Parkin’s unauthorised documentary of the early career of the York-born film composer, will have two private screenings at Everyman York this afternoon.

Private, yes, but tickets are available, although for copyright reasons, those tickets are for the after-viewing party at The Crescent community venue. The film viewing is free but there will be no entry without an after-show ticket. Doors open at Everyman at 2pm; the after-view party is at 3.45pm. All profits go to the Future Talent charity. A further screening follows at 4pm. Tickets: fienta.com.

Lady Nade: Paying tribute to Nina Simone at Helmsley Arts Centre

Celebration of a legacy: Lady Nade Sings Nina Simone, Helmsley Arts Centre, tonight, 7.30pm,

KNOWN for paying homage to those who have influenced her journey  profoundly, Lady Nade holds Nina Simone in high regard  for leaving behind a legacy of liberation, empowerment, passion and love through her extraordinary body of work.

As a black woman, Lady Nade acknowledges Simone’s trailblazing role in paving the way for artists of her generation. Her high-energy performance is a heartfelt dedication to recreating the transformative sound that blended popular tunes of the era into a distinctive fusion of jazz, blues, gospel, and folk music. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

The fez, the spectacles and the bow tie: Damian Williams’s Tommy Cooper, Bob Golding’s Eric Morecambe and Simon Cartwright’s Bob Monkhouse in The Last Laugh. Picture: Pamela Raith

Comedy legends of the week: The Last Laugh, Grand Opera House, York, June 10 to 14, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday matinees

WHO will have The Last Laugh at the Grand Opera House, York, when British comedy triumvirate Eric Morecambe, Tommy Cooper and Bob Monkhouse reconvene in a dressing room in Paul Hendy’s play?

Find out in the Edinburgh Fringe, West End and New York hit’s first tour stop as Bob Golding, Damian Williams and Simon Cartwright take on the iconic roles in this new work by the Evolutions Productions director, who just happens to write York Theatre Royal’s pantomimes too. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Keeping the faith in Northern Soul: Chloe McDonald, left, and Martha Godber in John Godber’s Do I Love You?, on the dancefloor at York Theatre Royal from June 10

Weekender of the week: John Godber Company in Do I Love You?, York Theatre Royal, June 10 to 14, 7.30pm plus 2pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees; post-show discussion on June 13

THE John Godber Company is on its third tour of John Godber’s hymn to keeping the faith in Northern Soul, with the same cast of Martha Godber, Chloe McDonald and Emilio Encinoso-Gil.

Inspired by Godber’s devotion to Northern Soul, Do I Love You? follows three twentysomethings, slumped in the drudgery of drive-through counter jobs, who find excitement, purpose and their tribe as they head to weekenders all over, from Bridlington Spa to the Tower Ballroom, Chesterfield to Stoke. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

Making a last stand: Pickering Musical Society bids farewell to musicals in Hello, Dolly! Picture: Robert David Photography

Goodbye to musicals: Pickering Musical Society in Hello, Dolly!, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, June 10 to 14, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

PICKERING Musical Society is preparing to raise the curtain on its final full-scale musical production, after more than a century, citing rising production costs and falling membership.

Set in the energetic bustle of 1890s’ New York, Jerry Herman’s Hello, Dolly! follows the irrepressible Dolly Gallagher Levi (society favourite Rachel Anderson) – a witty matchmaker, meddler and “arranger of things” – as she decides to find a match for herself. Box office:  01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk or in person from the box office on Tuesdays, 11am to 1pm.

Podcaster Blindboy Boatclub

Podcaster of the week: The Blindboy Podcast Live, York Barbican, June 10, 7.30pm

POLYMATH, author, screenwriter, songwriter, musician, producer and academic Blindboy Boatclub is on the biggest tour yet of his storytelling podcast, wherein he follows the Irish tradition of the Seanchaí, intertwining history, fiction, cultural critique and politics.

Drawing on his knowledge and chronic curiosity to democratise topics such as art, psychology, politics, science and music, Blindboy gives his insight into complex issues. Look out for a surprise special guest too. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

The invitation to Mark Hearld’s book signing on Thursday at Janette Ray Booksellers

Book signing of the week: Mark Hearld at Janette Ray Booksellers, 8, Bootham, York, June 12, from 4.30pm

YORK artist, ceramicist and York Open Studios stalwart Mark Heard will be signing copies of his book, Raucous Invention, The Joy Of Making, published in a beautiful new edition by Thames & Hudson. Mark will be on hand from 4.30pm to 7.30pm.

Released on June 5, the newly expanded edition of Hearld’s monograph bursts with more than 400 colour illustrations and fresh insights in a vivid journey into the heart of his creativity and love of the animal world.

Christopher Simon Sykes’s photograph of Mick Jagger in concert on the Rolling Stones’ Tour of the Americas in 1975, on show at Sledmere House from June 13

Exhibition launch of the week:  On Tour With The Rolling Stones 1975, A 50th Anniversary Exhibition of Photographs by Christopher Simon Sykes, Sledmere House, Sledmere, near Driffield, June 13 to July 6, except Mondays and Tuesdays, 10am to 5pm

IN June 1975, Christopher Sykes, of Sledmere House, joined the Rolling Stones Tour of the Americas, known as T.O.T.A ’75: his first rock’n’roll itinerary as a snapper after specialising in photographing stately home interiors.

“You know going on tour is not like country life, Chrissie,” advised Mick Jagger on his first day of accompanying the Stones on their three-month tour of North America and Canada, playing 40 shows in 27 cities. The photos were used in a tour diary published the following year, and this exhibition showcases a selection of the best of the behind-the-scenes and stage pictures in the Courtyard Room. Tickets: sledmerehouse.com.

In Focus: Chalky The Yorkie at No 84 Sandwich Bar, Micklegate Arts Trail, York

Artist Chalky The Yorkie stands behind his Tiki bar at No 84 Sandwich Bar, created for the Micklegate Arts Trail

ROVING, rock’n’roll-loving York artist Chalky The Yorkie has always had a canny eye for spotting locations for his installation pieces.

Raise a glass to his latest artwork, the outdoor, Polynesian-style Tiki bar at No 84 Sandwich Bar, Julian Smith’s deli and cafe in Micklegate, created for the 2025 Micklegate Arts Trail but destined to remain in place after the festival ends on June 15.

“Last year Julian had a conversation with me about how it would be great to have a bar out here, at the back, which was full of bins at the time,” recalls Chalky. “So the bar was the first idea, but then, when we were thinking about the Arts Trail, two friends had suggested I should  incorporate bikes, and another said it would be great to do something for the environment, repurposing things out of skips and the old bicycles.

Chalky The Yorkie’s Tiki bar installation poem on the plight of cyclists

“So what I’ve come up with is a bar built with scrap wood and salvaged wood  after I was donated some leftovers by a builder to create the Re-Cycle Tiki Bar, to give something back to the planet. David Burton gave me one bike, along with one from his childhood and another was provided by Recycle York, in Walmgate.

“I thought I should create a memorial, taking the term ‘Re-cycle’ to highlight the plight of cyclists who lose their lives in accidents or come off their bikes and get injured in cycle lanes.”

Artist Chalky The Yorkie with No 84 owner Julian Smith at the Tiki bar

Originally Chalky considered designing a 1950s’ bar but then settled on a colourful Tiki bar. “The primary  colours are there to match traffic lights, with red, amber, though it’s more yellow than amber, and green. I went for yellow, because it’s a more definitive colour,” he says. “The blues I use signify the pain of loss in a cycling accident.”

Incorporated in the installation too are Beaumont ceramics of exotic birds and figures, acquired from York Catering Supplies, in Walmgate, butterfly motifs, floral decorations and tinkling bells. “I like the Buddhist convention of chiming bells in remembrance of people as part of their memorial ceremonies,” says Chalky.

Welcoming Chalky’s installation, Julian says. “Chalky is part of the fixtures and fittings here. He even came around for our Christmas dinner!

It Can Happen To You – Take Care: Chalky The Yorkie’s Re-cycle memorial to cyclists

“We’re taking part in the Micklegate Arts Trail because it’s all about traders promoting local artists whose work they like, with Navigators Art giving us a platform to do that. Jasmine Foo has never exhibited  before, and  we picked her crochet work because my wife is a knitter. We’re delighted to be showing Sinead Corkery and Jude Redpath too – and Chalky’s cheeky Tiki bar is the icing on the cake.”

Inside the deli, look out too for Chalky’s day and night paintings of No 84, both featuring the family pet, Sid the dog, in the upstairs window.

Chalky The Yorkie’s painting of No 84 Sandwich Bar, Walmgate, York, at night