Ciara Hudson, left, Jordan Eskeisa and Chelsea Da Silva in Roald Dahl’s The Enormous Crocodile The Musical, on tour at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Danny Kaan
HE’s greedy, he’s grumptious, he’s horrid! Welcome to the lovable anti-hero world of The Enormous Crocodile, a mischievous musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s snappy book, on tour at York Theatre Royal from June 25 to 28.
Equipped with Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab’s tunes, Suhayla El-Bushra’s rib-tickling book and lyrics and Tom Brady’s additional music and lyrics, the dastardly family adventure has been developed and directed by Emily Lim, working in tandem with co-director and puppetry designer Toby Olié, with set and costume design by Fly Davis.
Originally co-produced by the Roald Dahl Story Company, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and Leeds Playhouse, The Enormous Crocodile will be performed in York by the tour cast of professional theatre debutant Chelsea Da Silva, Precious Abimbola, Jordan Eskeisa, Ciara Hudson, Marienella Phillips and actor-musician René Francalanza.
“The tour has been going really, really well,” says puppetry designer Toby Olié. “The book was written for age three upwards, but we wanted to make a show that parents and carers could enjoy as much as children. I genuinely think that anyone can see this show.
Toby Olié: Puppetry designer and co-director of The Enormous Crocodile The Musical. Picture: Steve Tanner
“Because I work in puppetry, I try to make work that hits the sweet spot, like Pixar’s work. It’s an inclusive, family-friendly piece that our director [Emily Lim] describes as ‘an explosion of radical joy’. It’s bombastic, it’s gregarious but it’s still emotional.”
Toby was first approached to be involved in the musical production in early 2020, but then the Covid-19 pandemic intervened. “We had lots of Zoom meetings that year, but the show didn’t open until December 2023 at Leeds Playhouse, where it was their Christmas show for children,” he says.
“It’s then gone to Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, in London, and last autumn it went to Minneapolis and Los Angeles over Christmas. So there’s a hunger for it as a beloved book and a stage adaptation that feels entertaining and something for everyone in the family.”
Toby’s brief was to make “playful and inventive puppets, where we don’t hide the actors”. “Everyone is on show as you watch five adults telling the story with puppets attached to them in many different forms,” he says.
Jordan Eskeisa, Chelsea Da Silva (The Enormous Crocodile), Marienella Phillips and Precious Abimbol in the jungle in The Enormous Crocodile. Picture: Danny Kaan
The “crocodile” of the title appears in three guises. “The first time you see him, he’s in the swamp, so you only see the parts that appear above the surface, like the Loch Ness Monster, so you see him first in mystery form,” says Toby.
“Then you see what we call the ‘crocmobile’, which is a huge body, with the head mounted on the steering wheel, in front of the actor, and a tail behind that misbehaves as the ‘crocmobile’ moves around.
“Then, because the crocodile has ‘secret plans and clever tricks’ to disguise him, he rebuilds himself in various devious forms, where he takes more risks and you won’t see him coming!”
Dahl’s 12-page picture book has been turned into a 55-minute play. “Nothing in the original book has been changed, and certainly in the adaptation, we were encouraged to make a story for everyone with characterisation that wasn’t pandering to early-age audiences,” says Toby.
“We knew we could embellish it for the stage show in an expanded opportunity to turn it into a full stage show, where the big part was deciding where the songs would fit in. The songwriters and musical director were rigorous in doing that, and for the directorial and design team it was about fleshing out the characters.
Jordan Eskeisa and Ciara Hudson with the Giant African Land Snails in The Enormous Crocodile The Musical. Picture: Danny Kaan
“We also realised you can’t just get children being ‘in the jungle’; we have to explain why they would be there, so we’ve enjoyed finding ways for the audience to meet the children before the crocodile does.”
The show has invented a scout group, the Jungle Juniors, led by an enthusiastic but haphazard teacher. “The children in the group are represented by ‘humanettes’: puppets that have their roots in vaudeville,” says Toby. “They have puppet arms, puppet legs, puppet torsos, but the actors’ heads, which gives them much more of a children’s scale that makes it look like the crocodile could eat them.”
In Dahl’s story, should you need a refresher course, the Enormous Crocodile is weaving his way through the jungle in search of delicious little fingers and squidgy podgy knees. Only the other jungle creatures can foil his “secret plans and clever tricks”, but they need courage aplenty to stop this greedy brute.
“Tonally, in finding the balance in the story, the songs, even the characterisation, you have to find the meeting point where the gleeful, evil buffoon meets the hungry, scary croc,” says Toby.
Jordan Eskeisa, Marienella Phillips, Chelsea Da Silva (The Enormous Crocodile), Precious Abimbola and Ciara Hudson in a scene from The Enormous Crocodile. Picture: Danny Kaan
“The audience are in that place where they think, ‘I sort of love the croc, but I’m scared of him too’, like Cruella de Vil or Captain Hook. The crocodile is the anti-hero figure, where the audience cheer when he’s defeated, but they think ‘where’s he gone?’, because they want to see him again.”
The show has changed with each iteration, including making changes to the storytelling. “This is an entirely new cast for the tour that joined at the start of the year. They’re funny, they can sing and they’re really good puppeteers, some with experience, some new to it, and it’s a show where the group dynamic really defines it, bringing their own slant to it,” says Toby.
New animal species have been added to the jungle puppets throughout the story. “I’m calling them ‘narrator characters’ who step out to engage with the audience,” says Toby. “We have frogs in the swamp; Plover birds, who pick the crocodile’s teeth – they’re the ‘dentist bird’! – who act like a Greek chorus and are on the audience’s side, which I felt we needed.
“There are Giant African Land Snails, with slimy sound effects to go with them, and two ‘Bush Babies’ [Galago] too. They’re like the gatekeepers of the story because, when you have an anti-hero antagonist, it feels important to have characters that ‘check in’ with you.”
The Enormous Crocodile The Musical, York Theatre Royal, June 25 to 28, 10.30am and 1.30pm. Age guidance: Three plus. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Al Dunn, Matt Freeman and Nick Bunt in Le Navet Bete’s Oh Zeus. Picture: Mark Senior
CHAOTIC comedy specialists Le Navet Bete return to York Theatre Royal from tomorrow, this time with their riotous ride through the world of Greek mythology, Oh Zeus!.
The Exeter company previously toured their hit family shows Dracula: The Bloody Truth, King Arthur and Treasure Island to the St Leonard’s Place theatre.
Written by John Nicholson and Le Navet Bete and directed by Nicholson, Oh Zeus! finds the stability of Olympus being threatened by the marriage of Zeus’s daughter, Hebe, to a mere mortal, whereupon the King of the Gods hatches a plan to derail the wedding.
Cue three actors – company founders Al Dunn, Nick Bunt and Matt Freeman – playing 40 characters between them in a mythical farce that journeys through Ancient Greece, the Underworld and back.
Expect physical comedy, outrageous jokes, fast-paced pandemonium and togas aplenty in a show ideal for devotees of Fawlty Towers, Bottom and The Play That Goes Wrong.
Formed in 2008 in Exeter, Devon, Le Navet Bete travel around the UK and internationally, with support from Arts Council England, the Exeter Northcott Theatre and the Exeter Phoenix, on a mission to create and tour humorous, physical and accessible comedy theatre, replete with storytelling for “absolutely everyone (ages four to 104)” – although Oh Zeus! carries an age guidance of 12 plus. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Nick Bunt in Le Navet Bete’s Oh Zeus!. Picture: Mark Senior
Hal Cruttenden: Dishing out the comical blows at Pocklington Arts Centre tonight. Picture: Matt Crockett
OPEN studios across York and beyond, Strictly dancers in tandem, Les Miserables in its school edition and Elvis Costello’s early years are among Charles Hutchinson’s joyful June recommendations.
Comedy gig of the week: Hal Cruttenden: Can Dish It Out But Can’t Take It, Pocklington Arts Centre, tonight, 7.30pm
EALING comedian Hal Cruttenden’s new tour show promises to stick it to ‘The Man’, as long as ‘The Man’ doesn’t stick it back to him. Utilising his trademark hard-hitting comedy style, he pontificates on subjects such as middle-aged dating, social media, the insanity of modern politics and how his daughters love him but do not respect him. He believes that, after experiencing this gig, you will feel exactly the same way. Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.
Es Devlin stands by her installation Library Of The Four Winds in the Temple of the Four Winds at Castle Howard. Picture: James Drury
Drawing workshop of the day: Es Devlin, Library Of The Four Winds, Temple of the Four Winds, Castle Howard, near York, today at 12 noon
TO mark today’s opening of her Library Of The Four Winds installation at the Temple of the Four Winds, Castle Howard, artist and designer Es Devlin will hold a 45-minute outdoor drawing workshop, with materials provided. Further workshops will follow at the installation every Saturday until September 26.
Devlin will be in conversation today with Nicholas Howard and Francis Terry in a 5.30pm event supported by the Georgian Society and National Lottery Heritage Fund. Library Of The Four Winds will be on show until September 27. For full details of the workshops, conversation and installation, go to: castlehoward.co.uk.
The Jazzville Quartet: Performing with Kirsty Hughes at The Old Paint Shop
Cabaret gig of the week: The Old Paint Shop presents The Jazzville Quartet, with Kirsty Hughes, York Theatre Royal Studio, tonight, 8pm
YORK jazz combo The Jazzville Quartet are joined by University of York alumna and Royal Academy of Music graduate Kirsty Hughes, showcasing her love of Judy Garland and the great jazz singers in an intimate cabaret performance.
Piano maestro and arranger Alec Robinson, saxophonist Alex Fisher, double bassist Tim Murgatroyd and drummer Steve Hanley will be exploring the Great American Songbook too in a celebration of swing, Latin classics and haunting jazz ballads. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Shechter II in Hofesh Shechter’s In The Brain at York Theatre Royal.Picture: Todd MacDonald
New dance work of the week: Shechter II in In The Brain, York Theatre Royal, tonight, 7.30pm
HOFESH Shechter’s exhilarating new full-length work for Shechter II, In The Brain, is a raw, electrifying dive into movement, rhythm, and collective energy, taking a pulsing, urgent journey into the depths of our consciousness, where stories dissolve, identity fades and only the beat remains.
In The Brain is a space to break free, to lose yourself, to surrender to the rush of movement, the weight of bass and the euphoria of bodies locked in Shechter’s signature groove. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Abstract artist Mark Ibson
Exhibition of the week: Mark Ibson, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York, until July 30
SELF-TAUGHT Bishop Wilton artist Mark Ibson’s abstract works are back on the bakery walls at Bluebird Bakery, where he is exhibiting new artworks in the form of experiments in surface texture and instinctive marking.
Initially a furniture and interior restorer, Ibsen began painting in 2012, holding his debut solo exhibition at Partisan, Micklegate, in May 2027 at the age of 47 after years of quietly painting and honing his skills at his studio in the former Herris Fisher blacksmith’s forge. “It seemed to be a natural progression,” he said at the time.
Ric Liptrot: Taking part in North Yorkshire Open Studios in York this weekend
Open invitation of the weekend: North Yorkshire Open Studios 2026, Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 5pm
MORE than 200 artists and makers are taking part in the second weekend of the summer edition of North Yorkshire Open Studios. Among those involved in and around York are Lucie Wake; Alex Ash; Lincoln Lightfoot; Jon Haste; Ali Hunter; Veronica Ongaro; Di Gomery; Jill Tattersall; Evie Leach; Katrina Mansfield and Lesley Shaw.
So too are Lisa Power; Lu Mason; Ric Liptrot; Jo Walton; Kai West; Emily Littler; Hannah Arnup; Michelle Galloway; Janie Stevens; Toby Staunton; Gonzalo Blanco; Andrew Bloodworth; Justine Warner; Graham Jones; Nora Gaston and Freya Horsley. The full list of artists and makers can be found at nyos.org.uk.
Amy Dowden and Carlos Gu: Reborn at Grand Opera House, York
Strictly stars of the week combination number one: Amy & Carlos: Reborn, Amy Dowden and Carlos Gu, Grand Opera House, York, June 16, 7.30pm
AFTER making her stunning return to the Strictly Come Dancing dancefloor, Amy Dowden MBE truly feels Reborn in her tour show, accompanied by fellow Strictly professional Carlos Gu.
Back on stage after a triumphant debut season, Amy and Carlos will be sharing an intimate portrait of their lives and journeys, wherein the inspirational and transformative power of dance shines through. Reborn features world-class dancers, live vocalists and a soundtrack of iconic anthems from across the decades. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Nikita Kuzmin: Shining brightly in Supernova with Karen Hauer, on tour at York Barbican
Strictly stars of the week combination number two: Burn The Floor presents Nikita Kuzmin in Supernova, with special guest Karen Hauer, York Barbican, June 16, 7.30pm
STRICTLY Come Dancing fan favourite Nikita Kuzmin takes centre stage in the explosive dance spectacular Supernova, joined by very special guest star Karen Hauer, Strictly’s longest-serving female professional.
Created in collaboration with choreographer and BAFTA award recipient Jason Gilkison and presented by international dance sensations Burn The Floor, Supernova is fuelled by the firepower of world-class performers and global creatives in an evening where artistry meets innovation and Kuzmin’s trademark charm, power and charisma shine brighter than ever. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
NE Theatre York’s poster for next week’s School Edition production of Les Miserables
Youth theatre show of the week: NE Theatre York in Les Miserables School Edition, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, June 16 to 20, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
ALAIN Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel of redemption will be performed by under-18s from NE Theatre York, directed by Steve Tearle, with a 15-piece orchestra under Joe Allen’s musical direction, projections by Tom Turner and the obligatory barricade in the set design.
The musical tells the story of former prisoner Jean Valjean, who is pursued for 17 years by police inspector Javert against the backdrop of a brewing revolution in 19th-century Paris. The principal cast features Sam Brophy’s Jean Valjean, Will Roberts’s Javert, Emil Marczuk’s Marius, Juliette Sellamuttu’s Fantine, Oscar Smith’s Enjolras, Callum Richardson’s Thenardier and Bella Gledhill’s Madame Thenardier. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Elvis Costello: Revisiting his 1977-1986 back catalogue in Radio Soul! at York Barbican
York gig of the week: Elvis Costello & The Imposters with Charlie Sexton, Radio Soul!: The Early Songs of Elvis Costello, York Barbican, June 17, 7.45pm
ELVIS Costello plays York Barbican for the first time since May 2013, joined by The Imposters’ Steve Nieve, Pete Thomas and Davey Faragher and Texan guitarist Charlie Sexton for a set list drawn from 1977’s My Aim Is True to 1896 Blood & Chocolate albums, complemented by “other surprises”.
“For any songwriter, it has to be a compliment if people want to hear songs written up to 50years ago,” says Costello, 71. “You can expect the unexpected and the faithful in equal measure.” His special guest will be Emily Moment. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Dominic Goodwin in myriad roles in Twice Nightly at Helmsley Arts Centre
Recalling variety’s golden days: Pyramus and Thisbe Productions present Dominic Goodwin in Twice Nightly, Helmsley Arts Centre, June 26 and 27, 7.30pm
WRITER and performer Dominic Goodwin, one-time manager of Helmsley Arts Centre, returns to his old stamping ground with his first one-man comedy show, directed by York director Thomas Frere.
Twice Nightly follows the story of struggling comedian Freddie Francis in 1956 as the final curtain hovers over variety. Many acts of the time are highlighted, including Norman “Over The Garden Wall” Evans (said to be an influence on Les Dawson) Stockton comic Jimmy James, wartime star Robb Wilton and the iconic Max Miller. “It’s been an honour to perform these stars’ material, and even more so to have the backing of the families,” says Goodwin. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Al Dunn, Matt Freeman and Nick Bunt in Le Navet Bete’s Oh Zeus!. Picture: Mark Senior
In Focus: Le Navet Bete in Oh Zeus!, York Theatre Royal, June 18 to 20, 7.30pm plus 2pm Saturday matinee
CHAOTIC comedy specialists Le Navet Bete return to York Theatre Royal from tomorrow, this time with their riotous ride through the world of Greek mythology, Oh Zeus!.
The Exeter company previously toured their hit family shows Dracula: The Bloody Truth, King Arthur and Treasure Island to the St Leonard’s Place theatre.
Written by John Nicholson and Le Navet Bete and directed by Nicholson, Oh Zeus! finds the stability of Olympus being threatened by the marriage of Zeus’s daughter, Hebe, to a mere mortal, whereupon the King of the Gods hatches a plan to derail the wedding.
Cue three actors – company founders Al Dunn, Nick Bunt and Matt Freeman – playing 40 characters between them in a mythical farce that journeys through Ancient Greece, the Underworld and back.
Expect physical comedy, outrageous jokes, fast-paced pandemonium and togas aplenty in a show ideal for devotees of Fawlty Towers, Bottom and The Play That Goes Wrong.
Formed in 2008 in Exeter, Devon, Le Navet Bete travel around the UK and internationally, with support from Arts Council England, the Exeter Northcott Theatre and the Exeter Phoenix, on a mission to create and tour humorous, physical and accessible comedy theatre, replete with storytelling for “absolutely everyone (ages four to 104)” – although Oh Zeus! carries an age guidance of 12 plus. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Olivia Turner’s Rosalinda and Ian Thomson-Smith’s Falke in York Opera’s Die Fledermaus. Picture: David Kessel
BREAK out the champagne! York Opera celebrates its 60th anniversary, no less, with this sizzling production of Johann Strauss II’s comic operetta.
Co-directed by two stalwarts of the company, John Soper and Liz Watson, this Die Fledermaus lives up to the work’s reputation as the Viennese operetta par excellence.
Inevitably that starts with the orchestra, who set the style and tone in the overture, here mercifully done without gimmicky mime. So we can concentrate fully on Edward Venn’s excellent control of the orchestra.
Not only are the many tempo changes smoothly negotiated, so are the little hesitations on the upbeats, so characteristic of Viennese style. Throughout the evening, the orchestral underlay is impeccably geared to the singing.
Two soprano principal roles are double-cast, reflecting their difficulty and intensity. Both are carried with confidence. LaLa Marais brings panache and brilliance to her coloratura as Adele, notably in her ‘laughter’ aria, and matches it ideally with a high-spirited personality.
With equally sparkling charm, Olivia Turner, also making her company debut, gives a fiery bite to her Rosalinda, triumphing in her csárdás as the masked Hungarian countess. Their alternates, tonight and on Saturday afternoon, are Stephanie Wong and Alexandra Mather respectively.
Hamish Brown brings a happy-go-lucky charisma to his Eisenstein, while succumbing with pseudo-protestation to the wiles of his friend Doctor Falke (the original ‘bat’ of the title). His franglais routines with prison governor Frank, as both pretend to be French, are comic highlights.
Mark Simmonds makes an amiable Frank, alias Chevalier Chagrin. Ian Thomson-Smith’s light baritone is well geared to Falke, as he becomes the amiable puppeteer of the proceedings.
Molly Raine glides through the trouser role of Prince Orlofsky, cigarette holder poised, and gets the champagne flowing effortlessly at his party. Alex Holland conjures a nicely bumbling buffo as Eisenstein’s lawyer, Blind. Karl Reiff’s tenor is underused in the role of Alfredo, but he does much with little in the opening scene.
Act 3 can easily pall, but John Soper’s antics as sozzled jailer Frosch keep the laughter rolling. Cameo roles consistently make their mark.
The chorus is everywhere disciplined and confident, developing a healthy blend, even if it is required to do rather less dancing than we might have expected; indeed, no choreographer is mentioned.
It is much to the company’s credit that it has made almost all its own costumes and sets over the years, doubtless one reason for its financial stability. John Soper’s sets are evocative without showiness – the prison windows are impressive – and Maggie Soper’s colourful costumes enhance the party atmosphere.
We are fortunate to have a company of this calibre in our midst: it deserves our warmest support.
Here’s to its next 60 years. Break out the champagne indeed!
Writer Alexander McCall Smith: Taking part in York Festival of Ideas 2026. Picture: Alexander McCall Smith Portraits
NOT only a festival, held on university soil, is full of ideas. So too is Charles Hutchinson in his list of fruitful artistic pursuits as June blooms.
Festival of the fortnight: York Festival of Ideas, Place & Space, until June 12
YORK Festival of Ideas 2026 explores Place and Space in more than 200 mostly free in-person and online events designed to educate, entertain and inspire.
Led by the University of York, the event features world-class speakers, such as Nicola Sturgeon, Dame Kelly Holmes, Alexander McCall Smith and Stuart Rose, performances, exhibitions, tours, family-friendly activities, a Michael Morpurgo celebration day and much more, with topics ranging from archaeology to art, history to health, politics to psychology, football to Manchester’s Music Soul. For the full programme, go to: yorkfestivalofideas.com.
Holly Sumpton’s Ewen Montagu in SplitLip’s Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical, on tour at Grand Opera House, York. Picture: Matt Crockett
Musical of the week: SplitLip in Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical, Grand Opera House, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday matinees
THE year is 1943 and we are losing the war but, luckily, we can gamble all our futures on a stolen corpse. Singin’ In The Rain meets Strangers On A Train in SplitLip’s Operation Mincemeat, the Olivier and Tony award-winning musical take on the unbelievable true story of the twisted secret mission that won us the Second World War.
Bursting at the seams with chaos beyond invention, the question is: how did a dead body, a fake love letter and MI5 operative Ian Fleming come together to wrong-foot Hitler? Let Christian Andrews, Holly Sumpton, Seán Carey, Charlotte Hanna-Williams and latest recruit Jamie-Rose Monk tell the tale. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Rosalinda at the double: Alexandra Mather, left, and Olivia Turner sharing the principal role -two performances each – in York Opera’s Die Fledermaus. Picture: David Kessel
Opera of the week: York Opera in Die Fledermaus, York Theatre Royal, Wednesday to Friday, 7.30pm; Saturday, 4pm
YORK Opera is marking two milestones with John Soper and Elizabeth Watson’s production of Johann Strauss II’s party opera Die Fledermaus: the company’s 60th anniversary and its 40th year of performances at York Theatre Royal.
When lavish host Prince Orlofsky seeks fresh amusement at his New Year’s Eve party, what better place for disguises, deception and revenge served with chilled champagne? Alexandra Mather and Olivia Turner share the role of Rosalinda; likewise, Stephanie Wong and LaLa Marais both play Adele, alongside Molly Raine’s Orlofsky and Ian Thomson-Smith’s Falke. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
The book cover artwork for Fiona Mozley’s Awake Awake
Book event of the week: An Evening with Fiona Mozley, Awake, Awake, Waterstones, Coney Street, York, June 4, 7pm
“WHAT if you can no longer trust your memories,” asks York author Fiona Mozley in her third novel, Awake Awake, published on June 4 by John Murray.
Booker-Shortlisted for her debut Elmet, and now resident in Edinburgh, Fiona returns to her home roots to discuss her new meditation on memory, loss and moral courage in a York-located story that revolves around a woman haunted by vivid memories of things she suspects never could have happened.
Her hour-long talk will be followed by a Q&A between Fiona and the audience and a book-signing session will be held afterwards. Tickets: £6, Waterstones Plus Card members £5, at https://www.waterstones.com/events/an-evening-with-fiona-mozley-at-waterstones-york/york.
Writer-performers Molly Whitehouse and Dan Poppitt in rehearsal for Black Sheep Theatre Productions’ premiere of Love At First Bite
Premiere of the week: Black Sheep Theatre Productions in Love At First Bite, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, June 4 to 6, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
JOSH Woodgate directs Dan Poppitt and Molly Whitehouse’s seductive new work Love At First Bite, wherein dating can be hell, but what if one of them were a creature of the night? What happens when Alan and Minnie meet at a speed-dating night? A spark flickers. Dates follow. Laughter lingers.
“Yet beneath the rhythms of a familiar rom-com, something waits in the dark,” say Poppitt and Whitehouse, who play the lovers in York company Black Sheep’s premiere. “One of them is a vampire – but the secret shifts. Each night, the actors trade fangs and the audience is left to wonder who is hunter, who is prey.” Blending sharp-fanged wit with a brush of gothic shadow, their play toys with romance, rewrites folklore and invites audiences to consider what it means to love…and to hunger! Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Sofia Romano in Silver Stage’s murder mystery Club Mistero at Helmsley Arts Centre. Picture: Freya Chaston
Immersive murder mystery of the week: Silver Stage & Solent University present Club Mistero, Helmsley Arts Centre, Friday, 7.30pm
LOSE yourself inside the dazzling but dangerous Club Mistero in 1920s’ New York City, where a flighty barman, outspoken diva, secretive showgirl, neglected wife and an owner with eyes on every corner all become suspects when someone is, seemingly, nowhere to be found. Clutch your pearls, ol’ sport, murder is afoot.
In the heart of a speakeasy, surrounded by deception and secrets, a web of betrayal, revenge and power is spun, whereupon tensions rise as the line between friend and foe is blurred, but who will survive the night? Silver Stage’s Evelyn Foy, George Mclean, Niamh Boyle, Sofia Romano and Borna Vitlov will keep you guessing to the very end. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Alchemy Live! pay tribute to Dire Straits at Malton’s Milton Rooms on Friday
Tribute gig of the week: Alchemy Live!, Milton Rooms, Malton, Friday, 8pm
FORMED in 2020 by lifelong Dire Straits fans Martin Ledger and Neil Scott, Alchemy Live’s debut in York was delayed until May 13 2022 by the pandemic lockdowns. By January 2023, they were progressing to theatre shows.
Frontman Ledger says: “It has always been the ethos to concentrate on getting the music and sound right, rather than just putting on headbands and shiny jackets. Dire Straits themselves were always about the music first and we are fully committed to upholding that. Mark Knopfler has these little percussive flourishes in his playing, which are really difficult to re-create but without them it’s just not Knopfler.” Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Rick Astley: Opening the summer season at Scarborough Open Air Theatre
Let the seaside season begin: Rick Astley, TK Maxx presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Friday, gates open at 6pm
IN the wake of 2025’s number two album, Are We There Yet?, last November’s paperback edition of his autobiography, Never, and April’s Reflection arena tour, Newton-le-Willows crooner Rick Astley opens the 2026 season at Scarborough Open Air Theatre.
Now 60, Astley has enjoyed two chapters of success, kicking off with Never Gonna Give You Up topping the charts in 1987, leading to BRIT award success and further hits with Together Forever and Whenever You Need Somebody. After stepping away from the limelight, he marked his half-century by returning to the top spot with his comeback album, 50, and has never looked back, playing Glastonbury and the Royal Albert Hall and performing The Smiths’ songs with Blossoms and Frank Sinatra and swing classics at Henley Festival. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.
Director Courtney Brown in Pickering Musical Society’s Let’s Do It!, The Cole Porter Songbook
Musical kicks of the week: Pickering Musical Society in Let’s Do It!r, The Cole Porter Songbook, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, June 9 to 13, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
IN a sparkling showcase of wit, romance, sophisticated melodies and clever lyrics, Pickering Musical Society celebrates the joyous Cole Porter Songbook, performing beloved songs from Anything Goes, Kiss Me, Kate and High Society and such hits as You’re The Top and I Get A Kick Out Of You under the direction of Courtney Brown.
The Sarah Louise Ashworth School of Dance’s vibrant tap, jazz and contemporary routines combine stylish choreography, glamorous costumes and a tribute to the Great American Songbook. Box office: 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk.
Rosalinda at the double: Alexandra Mather, left, and Olivia Turner, in rehearsal for their shared role – two performances each -in York Opera’s Die Fledermaus. Picture: David Kessel
YORK Opera is marking not one but two milestones with John Soper and Elizabeth Watson’s production of Die Fledermaus from tomorrow to Saturday.
This year is the company’s 60th anniversary and the 40th anniversary of its first appearance at York Theatre Royal: hence the summer production choice of Johann Strauss II’s party opera, wherein lavish host Prince Orlofsky seeks fresh amusement at his New Year’s Eve party. What better place for disguises, deception and revenge served with chilled champagne?
On an earlier occasion, Doctor Falke had been humiliated by his old friend Herr Eisenstein, who persuaded him to dress for a party as a bat [Die Fledermaus]. After much amusement and ridicule, eventually he was abandoned to wander the streets of Vienna. Falke plots his revenge with a cocktail of hidden secrets, mistaken identities and a splash or two of champagne that leads to a comedy of errors that soon takes flight. Will the bat be revenged?
Olivia Turner and Alexandra Mather will share the role of Rosalinda; likewise, Stephanie Wong and LaLa Marais both will play Adele, after the decision to double cast the principal roles was made in response to the high calibre of talent displayed at the auditions.
Olivia Turner: Making her York Opera debut as Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus. Picture: David Kessel
Here Olivia and Alexandra a series of questions on being the two faces of Rosalinda in York Opera’s Die Fledermaus.
How would you describe Rosalinda’s character?
Olivia: “She is a glamorous and spirited character who enjoys flirting with her many admirers. She is intelligent and likes to think she can outwit her unfaithful husband.”
Alexandra: “She’s sassy, spirited and more than a little mischievous. She’s intelligent and enjoys staying one step ahead of everyone around her. While she’s quick to challenge her husband’s infidelities, she’s not entirely innocent herself, which gives the character a wonderfully cheeky hypocrisy. She’s fun-loving, free-spirited, flirtatious and full of personality.”
Do you play a different role on the nights when you’re not playing Rosalinda?
Olivia: “No, I will only be performing the role of Rosalinda tonight and on Friday.”
Alexandra: “No. Rosalinda is quite a substantial role, so we’re making the most of our nights off when we’re not performing! That said, I’ll certainly be there watching and cheering Liv on. I’ll be performing the role of Rosalinda tomorrow and on Saturday.”
Alexandra Mather rehearsing a scene from Die Fledermaus with Karl Reiff. Picture: David Kessel
Have you performed in Die Fledermaus previously?
Olivia: “No, this is my first time performing in Die Fledermaus, but I watched a production at the Royal College of Music, which I really enjoyed.”
Alexandra: “No, this is my first time, although it’s a piece I’ve wanted to do for a very long time. I’ve been familiar with and loved the music for years, so it’s a real pleasure finally to be performing it.”
What’s your big number in the show?
Olivia: “Csárdás, where I am disguised as a Hungarian Countess and am trying to convince the party I am Hungarian through the music of my homeland.”
Alexandra: “Like Liv, my showcase number is the Csárdás. However, my personal favourite piece to perform is probably the Watch Duet. I remember seeing a performance featuring Joan Sutherland when I was about 14 and becoming completely obsessed with it. It’s one of the pieces that first sparked my interest in opera, so performing it now feels particularly special.”
Have you worked separately or together in rehearsal?
Olivia: “During rehearsals we would generally run the scenes separately to allow each of us to explore our own ideas and styles, but we have been supporting each other throughout the process, which has been helpful.”
“Rosalinda is a glamorous and spirited character who enjoys flirting with her many admirers,” says Olivia Turner. Picture: John Saunders
Alexandra: “A bit of both. We’ve rehearsed scenes separately so that we could each develop our own interpretation of Rosalinda, but we’ve also spent a lot of time watching and learning from each other. It’s been a very supportive process, and it’s always useful to have someone nearby who knows your lines when you suddenly forget them!”
What is your history of performing with York Opera?
Olivia: “This is my first time. Everyone has been so welcoming and it has been a pleasure to be involved in this 60th anniversary production.”
Alexandra: “I’ve been performing with York Opera for nearly ten years, and I feel incredibly privileged to be part of the company. They are one of the most welcoming and supportive groups I’ve ever worked with. It may sound clichéd, but they really do feel like a family. York Opera provides opportunities for performers to sing and act at a very high level alongside a full orchestra and exceptional musicians, and I’ve always felt both challenged and supported here.”
What is the principal joy of singing on the York Theatre Royal stage?
Olivia: “I am very excited as this will be my first time singing on the Theatre Royal stage.”
Alexandra: “York Theatre Royal is a fantastic venue. It’s large enough to feel exciting and impressive, but intimate enough that you never lose the connection with the audience. Smaller comic moments still land beautifully, and you can really feel the audience responding to what’s happening on stage. It’s also wonderful to bring local audiences into a thriving local theatre and support a venue that plays such an important role in York’s cultural life.”
York Opera in Die Fledermaus, York Theatre Royal, tomorrow (3/6/2026), Thursday and Friday, 7.30pm, Saturday, 4pm. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Alexandra Matherin the role of Rosalindain York Opera’s photoshoot at Little Wold Vinery, South Cave, Brough. Picture: David Kessel
Four more questions for Alexandra:
What does sharing the role with Olivia bring to the production?
“It’s a really interesting opportunity to see another person’s interpretation of the role and to learn from their approach. Every performer brings something different to a character, so it’s fascinating to watch how Liv has developed her Rosalinda. It’s also been lovely getting to know her throughout the rehearsal process, and we’ve been able to support each other along the way.”
What are the primary delights of Die Fledermaus as a “party opera”?
“The joy of Die Fledermaus is that it’s light, frothy and enormous fun. It’s wonderfully easy to watch and enjoy. The waltzes and Strauss melodies sweep you along and create an atmosphere of pure celebration.
“At the same time, it has moments of genuine beauty, such as the Act II ensemble Brother Mine, where the pace briefly slows and you’re treated to some glorious, warm-hearted music. It’s a show that balances comedy, elegance and charm perfectly.”
Alexandra Mather in discussion with Die Fledermaus co-director Elizabeth Watson. Picture: David Kessel
How does the directing partnership of John Soper and Elizabeth Watson work?
“They work together extremely well because they bring different strengths to the production. John is a fantastic designer who creates and builds all of our sets himself, so he approaches the show with a very strong visual perspective. Liz is particularly skilled at character work, relationships and emotional storytelling.
“John also has an excellent comic instinct and a brilliant sense of timing, while Liz excels at shaping the more romantic and emotional moments. Together they create a really effective balance.”
What is coming up next for you in 2026?
“Next, I’ll be appearing in Michael Frayn’s classic farce Noises Off with Pick Me Up Theatre at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre in October. I’m very much looking forward to swapping one kind of comic chaos for another and trading operatic farce for one of the greatest stage comedies ever!”
Alexandra Mather‘s Rosalinda, left, and Stephanie Wong’s Adele, enjoying York Opera’s photoshoot at Little Wold Vinery ahead of this week’s production of Die Fledermaus. Picture: David Kessel
Who’s who and what’s what at York Pride 2026 at Knavesmire
FESTIVALS full of Pride, ideas and comedy are the headline acts in Charles Hutchinson’s selection of culture in colourful bloom as May turns to June.
Putting the unity into community, love and equality: York Pride 2026, Knavesmire York, today, 11am to 7.30pm
THE 90-munite York Pride parade sets off from Parliament Street to Knavesmire at 12 noon for a full day of Pride, protest, visibility, music, cabaret, family entertainment and community celebration.
The main stage line-up features Nadine Coyle, Joe McElderry, Urban Cookie Collective, Nicki French, Michael Marouli, Roxanne Cooper, Sweet Like Sabrina, Heavenly Bodies, Jordan Smart, DJ Rory Hoy and York Stage’s cast of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. For full festival details, go to: yorkpride.org.uk. Entry is free.
Alexander McCall Smith: Discussing his books at York Festival of Ideas on June 7 at 6.30pm in Room PZA/103 in the Piazza Building, Campus East, University of York. Picture: Alexander McCall Smith Portraits
Festival of the fortnight: York Festival of Ideas, Place & Space, today until June 12
YORK Festival of Ideas 2026 explores Place and Space in more than 200 mostly free in-person and online events designed to educate, entertain and inspire.
Led by the University of York, the event features world-class speakers (such as Nicola Sturgeon, Clive Myrie, Dame Kelly Holmes, Alexander McCall Smith, Sally Wainwright and Sian Williams), performances, exhibitions, tours, family-friendly activities, a Michael Morpurgo celebration day and much more, with topics ranging from archaeology to art, history to health, politics to psychology, football to Manchester’s Music Soul. For the full programme, go to: yorkfestivalofideas.com.
Kiri Pritchard-McLean: Hosting the finale to Pocklington Arts Centre one-day Comedy Festival today
Comedy event of the week: Pocklington Comedy Festival, today, from 1pm
POCKLINGTON Arts Centre’s Comedy Festival opens with Seeta Wrightson’s work-in-progress (WIP) Fringe Preview of Middling at 1pm, followed by Out Of The Box at 2pm and Brennan Reece’s WIP Fringe Preview of New Jokes at 2.45pm.
Marcel Lucont presents Les Enfants Terribles – A Game Show For Awful Children at 4pm. Then come Tom Neenan’s WIP Fringe Preview at 4.30pm; Sarah Roberts’ WIP Fringe Preview at 6.15pm and the Mixed Bill finale at 8pm, bringing together Lou Wall, Marcel Lucont, Tal Davies, Pravanya Pillay and Raj Poojara, hosted by Kiri Pritchard-McLean. Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.
“You sit here,” says Pierre Novellie, who will be standing over there at Theatre@41, Monkgate
Novellie idea of the week: Pierre Novellie, You Sit Here, I’ll Stand There, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, today, 5pm, tickets available, and 8pm, sold out
IT’S time for Pierre Novellie to do stand-up! It’s time for you to watch! “Why not just embrace that, for God’s sake?” he ask on his return to Theatre@41, Monkgate. “All earthly glories fade!
Novellie is co-host of the Frank Skinner, Budpod and Button Boys podcasts and has been seen and heard on World’s Most Dangerous Roads (Dave), The Mash Report (BBC2), Stand Up Central (Comedy Central), The Now Show and The News Quiz (BBC Radio 4). Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
The ELO Experience: Celebrating 50 years of Jeff Lynne songs at York Barbican
Tribute gig of the week: The ELO Experience, York Barbican, tonight, 7.30pm
IN 2025 Jeff Lynne’s ELO performed their last live shows on the Over & Out Tour. Now tribute act The ELO Experience are mounting their own 20th anniversary tour with a set of greatest hits and album gems spanning more than 50 years of Lynne’s music.
Between 1972 and 1986, ELO achieved more combined UK and US Top 40 hits than any other band, including 10538 Overture, Evil Woman, Living Thing, The Diary Of Horace Wimp, Don’t Bring Me Down and Mr Blue Sky. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
The book cover artwork for Fiona Mozley’s new novel, Awake Awake
Book event of the week: An Evening with Fiona Mozley, Awake, Awake, Waterstones, Coney Street, York, June 4, 7pm
“WHAT if you can no longer trust your memories,” asks York author Fiona Mozley in her third novel, Awake Awake, published on June 4 by John Murray.
Booker-Shortlisted for her debut Elmet, and now resident in Edinburgh, Fiona returns to her home roots to discuss her new meditation on memory, loss and moral courage in a York-located story that revolves around a woman haunted by vivid memories of things she suspects never could have happened.
Her hour-long talk will be followed by a Q&A between Fiona and the audience and a book-signing session will be held afterwards. Tickets: £6, Waterstones Plus Card members £5, at https://www.waterstones.com/events/an-evening-with-fiona-mozley-at-waterstones-york/york.
Molly Whitehouse and Dan Poppitt in rehearsal for Black Sheep Theatre Productions’ premiere of Love At First Bite
Premiere of the week: Black Sheep Theatre Productions in Love At First Bite, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, June 4 to 6, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
JOSH Woodgate directs Dan Poppitt and Molly Whitehouse’s seductive new work Love At First Bite, wherein dating can be hell, but what if one of them were a creature of the night?” What happens when Alan and Minnie meet at a speed-dating night? A spark flickers. Dates follow. Laughter lingers.
“Yet beneath the rhythms of a familiar rom-com, something waits in the dark,” say Poppitt and Whitehouse, who play the lovers in York company Black Sheep’s premiere. “One of them is a vampire – but the secret shifts. Each night, the actors trade fangs and the audience is left to wonder who is hunter, who is prey.” Blending sharp-fanged wit with a brush of gothic shadow, their play toys with romance, rewrites folklore and invites audiences to consider what it means to love…and to hunger! Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Charlotte Hanna-Williams, left, Jamie-Rose Monk, Seán Carey, Holly Sumpton and Christian Andrews in SplitLip’s Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical. Picture: Matt Crockett
Musical of the week: SplitLip in Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical, Grand Opera House, York, June 2 to 6, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday matinees
THE year is 1943 and we are losing the war but, luckily, we can gamble all our futures on a stolen corpse. Singin’ In The Rain meets Strangers On A Train in SplitLip’s Operation Mincemeat, the Olivier and Tony award-winning musical take on the unbelievable true story of the twisted secret mission that won us the Second World War.
Bursting at the seams with chaos beyond invention, the question is: how did a dead body, a fake love letter and MI5 operative Ian Fleming come together to wrong-foot Hitler? Let Christian Andrews, Holly Sumpton, Seán Carey, Charlotte Hanna-Williams and latest recruit Jamie-Rose Monk tell the tale. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Sofia Romano in Silver Stage’s murder mystery Club Mistero, on tour at Helmsley Arts Centre
Immersive murder mystery of the week: Silver Stage & Solent University presents Club Mistero, Helmsley Arts Centre, June 5, 7.30pm
LOSE yourself inside the dazzling but dangerous Club Mistero in 1920s’ New York City, where a flighty barman, outspoken diva, secretive showgirl, neglected wife and an owner with eyes on every corner all become suspects when someone is, seemingly, nowhere to be found. Clutch your pearls, ol’ sport, murder is afoot.
In the heart of a speakeasy, surrounded by deception and secrets, a web of betrayal, revenge and power is spun, whereupon tensions rise as the line between friend and foe is blurred, but who will survive the night? Silver Stage’s Evelyn Foy, George Mclean, Niamh Boyle, Sofia Romano and Borna Vitlov will keep you guessing to the very end. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Navigators Art’s poster for On Location, on show at City Screen Picturehouse from June 7
Exhibition launch of the week: Navigators Art presents On Location, York Festival of Ideas, City Screen Picturehouse, York, June 7 to July 3, from 10.30am each day
ON Location, a free art exhibition of some of York’s finest visual artists, explores ideas of place and space, venturing widely beyond conventional landscapes. Open every day in the cafe and upstairs gallery from 10.30am, the show will be launched officially on June 8 from 6pm to 8.30pm in the gallery (free admission, no booking required, all welcome).
The Gold brick road leads to York Barbican for Shalamar on their 50th anniversary tour
Gig announcement of the week: Shalamar, The Gold Tour, Celebrating 50 Years, York Barbican, July 2, 7.30pm
FORMED in Los Angeles in 1976, Shalamar became a defining force in late-1970s and 1980s’ R&B, funk and dance music with 18 UK Top 75 hits, 11 Top 40 singles, four Top Ten hits and more than 25 million records sold worldwide.
Body-popping Jeffrey Daniel and Howard Hewett, from the classic 1982 line-up, are joined by Carolyn Griffey, the female lead vocalist since 2001, to perform A Night To Remember, Take That To The Bank, The Second Time Around, Make That Move, Dead Giveaway, There It Is, Friends and Dancin’ In The Sheets et al. Special guest will be Gwen Dickey, The Voice of Rose Royce. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
York Opera cast members for Die Fledermaus: back row, David Hartley, Olivia Turner and Stephanie Wong; front row, John Soper and Alexandra Mather. Picture: John Saunders
Birds of the week: Matt Sewell exhibition for RARE Collective at WET, Micklegate, York, from June 4 for six week
SHROPSHIRE artist, illustrator and author Matt Sewelll is the latest street art luminary to be showcased in RARE Collective’s collaboration with WET wine bar, in Micklegate, York, in aid of SASH (Safe and Sound Homes), the York youth homelessness charity.
“We’re really chuffed to have Matt return to York,” says RARE Collective exhibition organiser Sharon McDonagh. “If you came to the Vandalfest charity street art show last year, you would have seen his cracking bird mural on Floor 3 of the big disused office block in Low Ousegate.
“The exhibition opens on Thursday, June 4 at 5pm, but please note there is no preview party. Matt’s fabulous Riso prints will be on show and you can buy directly from the RARE online shop from Friday, June 5. A percentage of all sales will go to @sashyorks.”
Artist Matt Sewell
Sewell is an avid ornithologist, contributing regularly to the Caught By The River website and publishing the books Our Garden Birds, Our Songbirds, Our Woodland Birds, Owls, Penguins and A Charm Of Goldfinches And Other Collective Nouns.
He has illustrated for the Guardian, Barbour, V&A Museums, BBC, National Trust, Greenpeace, Big Issue and Levi’s and painted walls for Helly Hansen, Puma and the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds). He has exhibited in Great Britain, New York, old York, Tokyo and Paris.
Under RARE Collective’s partnership with WET, artists and photographers exhibit their work in a six-week solo show. As well as at WET, work can be bought online both during and after the exhibition run at rarecollective.co.uk.
Sewell is also a musician, performing as Sewell &The Gong with Chris Tate and as the deep-cut compiler of the compilation series A Crushing Glow.
In Focus: York Opera in Die Fledermaus, York Theatre Royal, June 3 to 6, 7.30pm Wednesday to Friday; 4pm, Saturday
YORK Opera is marking not one but two milestones with John Soper and Elizabeth Watson’s production of Die Fledermaus next week.
This year is the company’s 60th anniversary and the 40th anniversary of its first appearance at York Theatre Royal: hence the summer production choice of Johann Strauss II’s party opera, wherein lavish host Prince Orlofsky seeks fresh amusement at his New Year’s Eve party. What better place for disguises, deception and revenge served with chilled champagne?
On an earlier occasion, Doctor Falke had been humiliated by his old friend Herr Eisenstein, who persuaded him to dress for a party as a bat [Die Fledermaus]. After much amusement and ridicule, eventually he was abandoned to wander the streets of Vienna.
Falke plots his revenge with a cocktail of hidden secrets, mistaken identities and a splash or two of champagne that leads to a comedy of errors that soon takes flight. Will the bat be revenged?
For an opera deemed the ideal introduction for those new to the genre, the cast includes an exciting mix of singers new to the group and familiar faces, singing an opera full of memorable tunes and comic moments in English.
Alexandra Mather and Olivia Turner will share the role of Rosalinda; likewise, Stephanie Wong and LaLa Marais both will play Adele, after the decision to double cast the lead roles was made in response to the high calibre of talent displayed at the auditions.
The cast also features Molly Raine (Orlofsky); India Ashberry (Ida); Hamish Brown (Eisenstein); Karl Reiff (Alfredo); Ian Thomson-Smith (Falke); Mark Simmonds (Frank); Alex Holland (Dr Blind);Helen Tomlinson (Melanie); Katie Cole (Faustine) and Lilah Payton (Felicity).
Directors Soper and Watson say: “Prince Orlofsky states ‘when you have seen one opera, you have seen them all’. This is definitely not the case with a York Opera production. Our Die Fledermaus bubbles with lively choruses, memorable music and revenge – served chilled – just like flowing champagne.”
They are joined in the production team by conductor Edward Venn. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
In Focus too: National Centre for Early Music presents Olivia Chaney, Sons Of Art: Purcell Revisited, York Festival of Ideas, NCEM, York, June 5, 7.30pm
Olivia Chaney
OLIVIA Chaney, York musician, Grammy nominee and haunting voice of Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights”, plays a sold-out concert for York Festival of Ideas tonight.
Olivia’s deep connection to the music of Henry Purcell runs throughout her life. Now comes Sons Of Art,her latest performance and album project highlighting the deep affinities between the Baroque composer and the modern singer-songwriter: a shared immediacy, a delight in word-setting and a fearless mix of high art and street culture.
For Olivia, this is not classical crossover but a radical reclamation – a conversation across centuries that feels startlingly fresh. Tonight’s show is part of a tour heralding the upcoming Purcell album, as this modern English songwriter, now 44, reimagines Purcell’s works in a refreshingly natural and contemporary way, alongside original compositions and a chamber ensemble.
“It’s kind of a home show, as I’ve lived in York for seven years,” says Olivia. “My now husband [George Younge] was a lecturer in medieval history at the university, but he’s quit to be a furniture designer and maker, with his workshop in Escrick, though we may be moving from York.
“For this concert, I’ve been corresponding with Delma (NCEM director Delma Tomlin] and thought how nice it would be to combine with the York Festival of Ideas.
“I’ve played a few shows in York before, but usually at the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall [at the University of York].”
Olivia, however, also took part in a poignant concert on February 28 at the NCEM, where Eliza Carthy and Special Guests performed The Songs of Martin Carthy in celebration of the Robin Hood’s Bay folk titan’s 60-year legacy.
“It was a really emotional night, and I did something – I wept,” she recalls. “We’d just done The Life & Songs of Martin Carthy, a huge event at EartH Theatre, in Hackney, in September put on with Jon Wilks, with all the great and good of the folk world, Maddy Prior, Billy Bragg, Peggy Seeger, Martin Simpson, Eliza, Martin, and video contributions by Paul Weller, Van Dyke Parks and Bob Dylan. That one was particularly moving, Dylan saying Martin was a huge influence on him.”
Since then, Olivia had been to America to record her next album. “I came home, jumped in the shower and headed to the NCEM to pay tribute to Martin. I hadn’t expected him to be there [given his health], but then I saw him shuffling out of the green room to watch the concert. It was such a moving night.”
Now, Sons Of Art finds Olivia renewing her creative partnership with New York producer-pianist Thomas Bartlett. “The first album I made with him was called Shelter,” she says. “I’d written it on the North York Moors at Hawnby – before I lived in Yorkshire – when I’d been touring heavily in America and wanted to get away from everything. I had a Bechstein piano that my friends helped me transport there, then I had this surreal experience of writing songs in this bucolic setting and then recording them in mid-Manhattan!”
The release of next album Circus Of Desire, was delayed by Covid’s intervention, being held back until 2024. In the hiatus, her Six French Songs EP emerged in 2023.
“My third album with Thomas [the aforementioned Sons Of Art] will come out next year, and this season’s shows are a signposting of the start of the project: one that I’ve wanted to do for more than a decade, revisiting Purcell.”
Meanwhile, Olivia’s profile has been heightened by the presence of her stark, haunting rendition of the 19th century traditional folk ballad Dark Eyed Sailor in a pivotal scene in Emerald Fennell’s outre film “Wuthering Heights”.
“In a sense, I can’t answer completely how it came about in that the director ‘stumbled across the song’, like how after I made Six French Songs, French director Andre Techine – who had Catherine DeNeuve in all his films – found my song Auprès de ma Blonde, one of the first things I put on YouTube, which I then re-recorded for him.” she says. “The film was premiered at Cannes but never got taken up, so I’ve never seen it.”
Back to Emerald… “Having seen other movies by both Andre and Emerald, I think they were each looking for music to drive their narrative, so maybe that’s why Emerld settled on Dark Eyed Sailor, which she decided would be in “Wuthering Heights” right from the beginning.”
What’s more, Emerald was insistent on using the version she had first heard, rather than a new recording. Namely, Olivia’s recording to harmonium accompaniment for BBC Radio 2’s The Folk Show, made on May 22 2013. “There’s something about the rawness of radio sessions, and that was my first ever live session for Mark Radcliffe’s show,” she says.
“I remember painting my nails on the way to the studio, and I guess that session was the beginning of me finding my sound, delving back into folk music.
“In a way it’s a surprise that Emerald hasn’t chosen something from my albums, but she ended up using the song twice, once when Cathy realises she has married the wrong man, and then later an instrumental version, orchestrating out my harmonium.”
How did Olivia react when she attended the premiere. “What was a big surprise was that I thought it might be a little bit imperceptible, or be swamped by all the other music [by Charli xcx], but I was struck by how spare it was, so that you could hardly hear my harmonium,” she says.
“Emily Brontë’s novel is in my top ten, and I thought, ‘how can they use this happy song?’, but Emerald uses it so cleverly, where it’s seven years since Heathcliff went away and has now returned, so the theme is fidelity, as so many songs about sailors and soldiers are.”
Olivia reckons Fennel’s previous work, Saltburn, is superior. ““Wuthering Heights” is so ambitious, so hard to pull off, but where it maybe fails is in its humour,” she says. “But then there is no humour in my work. I’m not into humour in my art. I like humour but I want to be moved by art.”
Olivia Chaney, Sons Of Art: Purcell Revisited, National Centre for Early Music, Walmgate, York, June 5, 7.30pm. SOLD OUT.
Olivia Chaney: back story
BORN in Florence to a writer and painter-turned-academic, Olivia grew up listening to everything from Prince to Joni Mitchell to Henry Purcell.
This eclectic mix of influences sparked a passion for song-writing that she nurtured at Chetham’s School of Music and The Royal Academy.
After showcasing at SXSW and a stint as lead singer for electronica outfit Zero 7, she signed with Nonesuch, leading to collaborations with Kronos Quartet and a Grammy nomination for Offa Rex, The Queen Of Hearts, a collection of Fairport Convention-era classics made with Portland, Oregon band The Decemberists in 2017.
Olivia’s first solo album, 2015’s The Longest River, produced by Leo Abrahams, was followed by 2018’s Shelter, recorded in New York City with producer-pianist Thomas Bartlett. Both explored inherited trauma, the clash of tradition and modernity and the paradoxes of love.
In 2023 came Six French Songs, her spontaneous set ofFrench chanson, from medieval ballad to 1960s’ pop, made over two summer evenings at Reservoir Studios with Bartlett and violinist Sam Amidon.
Molly Cheesley’s Alicia Johns, left, Eden Barrie’s Mary-Lou Atkinson, Robyn Sinclair’s Darrell Rivers, Bethany Wooding’s Sally Hope and Rebecca Collingwood’s Gwendoline Lacey in Emma Rice Company’s Malory Towers. Picture: Steve Tanner
ENID Blyton’s Malory Towers, the original post-war “Girl Power” story, was staged for the first time in a co-production by Emma Rice’s Wise Children company and York Theatre Royal in 2019, playing York in all-too-short stay that September.
Roll forward to 2026, when Rice now trades as the Emma Rice Company, for the school half-term visit to Leeds Playhouse of her revival of her “happy Lord Of The Flies”, as she calls her adaptation of the “naughty, nostalgic and perfect for now Malory Towers”, now touring in tandem with London’s Alexandra Palace Theatre, Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre, Manchester HOME and Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse. It is indeed perfect for half-term, judging by Thursday’s matinee, packed with children and their mums.
Writer-director Rice read Blyton stories, Famous Five and Secret Seven capers but not Malory Towers, in her contrasting, inner-city Nottingham comprehensive schooldays in the 1970s, but found herself drawn back to the Cornish cliff tops she knew so well in her groundbreaking Kneehigh theatre days.
This Cornwall is Blyton’s Cornwall of the Blighty 1950s: school days of midnight feasts, pillow fights and an outdoor swimming pool, when “lucky girls have the chance… to be returned back to the world sensible, sound and strong… women that the world can lean on”.
Stephanie Hockley’s Irene Dupont, at the piano, with violinist Emily Panes and Molly Cheesley’s Alicia Jones. Picture: Steve Tanner
To emphasise why the stories are “perfect for now” in their school report on growth and growing up, Rice opens with a modern-day school setting, with doors not only to the headmaster’s office, but also to that symbol of changed times, the welfare officer’s office, beneath those imposing towers.
The children are displaying the same characteristics as they will once they morph into their Malory Towers selves, transformed as if in a dream once Eden Barrie, gawky and gauche in a fairy outfit, has been walloped on the head with a copy of Malory Towers.
Later this will be mirrored by the Malory Towers pupils enacting a fairy world scene from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, again with the girls’ own tropes influencing the choice of roles.
An electric charge of excitement spreads through the audience for an Emma Rice show like no other, and as ever you are smiling, beaming, from the effervescent, jollier-than-hockey sticks start when Benny Goodman’s Sing Sing Sing sets the ball rolling for a series of delightful, dazzling songs, some originals by Ian Ross (music) and Rice (lyrics), others takes on Edith Piaf’s Mon Menage A Moi, Sammy Fain’s I Can Dream Can’t I? and Pat Ballard’s Mr Sandman.
Cut up: Rebecca Collingwood’s spiteful Gwendoline Lacey, craving a switch to a Swiss finishing school in Malory Towers. Picture: Steve Tanner
One by one, Rice lets the new Malory Towers intake introduce themselves as the “deliciously naughty”, corny joke-loving West Country second-year pupil Alicia Johns (Molly Cheesley) welcomes the girls and their suitcase onto the Paddington train bound for the Cornish coast.
We meet Barrie’s bag-of-nerves, constantly apologetic Scottish pupil Mary-Lou Atkinson; returnee Rebecca Collingwood’s even-beastlier-than-in-2019 Gwendoline Lacey; Bethany Wooding’s ever-so-proper, prim and pucker Sally Hope and Robyn Sinclair’s furnace-hot-tempered, fierce-hearted Darrell Rivers, this production’s stand-out.
LIPA-trained Stephanie Hockley’s French student Irene Dupont, so free of spirit and musical to the tips of her piano-playing fingers, has a lead singer’s sense of melody and is humorous too in her head-strong character’s exasperation. To her side is violinist Emily Panes, so key to the beautiful arrangements. Along for the ride too comes Zoe West’s horse-loving Wilhemina “Call me Bill” Robinson, whose late arrival adds an air of mystery.
All is orchestrated by director Rice at a cracking pace, her ingenuity, inventive flair and sense of mischief complemented by Lez Brotherston’s typically witty, playful set and costume designs. The beds are employed so imaginatively in Alistair David’s choreography, while Simon Baker’s sound and video design and Beth Carter and Stuart Mitchell’s dream sequence animation are filled with the visual and verbal humour synonymous with the snap, crackle and pop of Rice’s crisply delivered shows.
Zoe West’s Bill Robinson in Malory Towers. Picture: Steve Tanner
From the rail route graphics from London to Cornwall to the furiously fast stride pattern of Bill’s animated heroic horse; from a swimming pool scene with Busby Berkeley swimsuit panache and puppet divers to a “Cliffhanger” punchline to end the first act; from a chalkboard to the shadow-puppet figure of headmistress Miss Grayling (voiced by Dame Sheila Hancock, no less), Malory Towers keeps delighting and amusing with its imagery.
Amid Blyton’s high jinks, high drama and high spirits, the performances from Rice’s typically diverse cast are ripe with personality and individuality beneath the uniformity of the school dress code.
Rice adds her own touches to the script, be it a Jackson Pollock drip-painting reference or, more gravely, the damaging, life-altering effect of the war on a father, to the cost of his troubled daughter. Part Blyton, wholly Rice, this Malory Towers is fun, feminist, joyful, old-fashioned yet fresh, championing compassion, inclusivity and freedom of expression with flair, fire and faith in the transformative power of education and theatre alike.
Emma Rice Company in Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers, Leeds Playhouse, tonight, 7.30pm; tomorrow, 2pm and 7.30pm. Box office: 0113 213 7700 or leedsplayhouse.org.uk.
Emma Rice
Q & A with Emma Rice, director of Malory Towers
What inspired you to adapt Malory Towers for the stage, Emma?
“These books make me joyfully tumble back through history. I tumble through memories of my own scary comprehensive, to stories of my Mum’s Dorset grammar school and then to my Gran, who was an untrained teacher in the war. All of these stories have one thing in common – growing up. And Malory Towers, in my opinion, is the best of all growing-up stories! Funny, sharply well observed and fantastically moreish, these books are a pure delight.
“However, beyond the adventures and cliff-top thrills, I wanted to capture that time, just after the Second World War. A time where people were bruised and damaged but resolute about creating a better future. A future without cruelty, violence and hatred.
“Within these deceptively simple books, all these themes are gently explored. The challenge that Enid Blyton sets for us in these gorgeous books, stands the test of time as she asks us to be ‘women that the world can lean on’. If you haven’t already gathered, I love them.”
You initially took Malory Towers on tour in 2019. How does it feel to be returning to the play and why did you decide to bring it back now?
“Oh, I am thrilled to be returning to Malory Towers! There is something exciting about a new class and a new term. We have done some fantastic new work on the design, so it will feel like a box fresh new uniform. Why now? I think we are all ready for some hope and some fun and this will feel like spring has finally come.
“In these difficult and uncertain political times, this is exactly what we all need. A good time underpinned by kind and inclusive values.”
Did it feel daunting to take on such a beloved piece of work?
“How could I be daunted by something I feel such an affinity to? I feel I know these girls and have relished bringing them to theatrical life. Girls are much the same now as they were in 1945. I don’t think being scared helps anybody do anything, so I try hard in my working life to work instinctively, respectfully and joyfully.”
How will you integrate sound and music into Malory Towers?
“This production has the most virtuosic score and soundtrack. My cast are all exceptional singers and the close harmony songs will knock your socks off! We have gorgeous tunes from the time, mixed with newly composed songs by Ian Ross, my long-term collaborator. The result is soaring, impressive and moving.
“All this as well as specially created animation and soundscape by Simon Baker and artist Beth Carter. I wanted this show to feel astonishing, just like young women are to me – and it really is!”
How do you balance putting your own stamp onto Blyton’s work? Is it tricky to deviate from the source material?
“I haven’t deviated too much from the books. The characters are all very true to Enid Blyton, as is the setting and message. Yes, I wove together the best bits from all the books and swapped the pantomime for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but this is absolutely the Malory Towers you all know and love.”
Is this show one for all the family to enjoy?
“Absolutely. This is a world that all the family can and should enjoy. The themes of friendship, compassion and hope resonate across gender, time, class and culture. It’s a cracking yarn, yes, but this deceptively simple subject matter really does give us all a chance to reflect. It allows us a moment to think about growing up, about war, empathy and about our own part in history.
“In a time when lots of us can feel hopeless and powerless (especially the young), this magic show gives us back a sense of community, agency and shared responsibility.”
What is the importance to you of creating new work outside London?
“For me, I have always made my best work out of London. There seems to be more time and space to focus and the work in turn becomes deeper and more rooted. Things can sometimes get lost in London but opening in Bath, our home venue, we can shine and shout as bright and as loud as we please. Like the wonderful girls at Malory Towers!”
Finally,why should theatre-goers see Malory Towers?
“Because it is pure entertainment and pure joy. It has everything; music, puppetry, film… and a cliff-top rescue! It really is for everybody and gives us all the lift we need in these dark times. Shake off the winter and dive into this cool and sparkling production.”
Eileen Walsh’s TV psychic Sheila Gold in York Theatre Royal’s world premiere of Jeremy Dyson & Andy Nyman’s The Psychic. Picture: Manuel Harlan
JEREMY Dyson and Andy Nyman’s world premiere of The Psychic is into its last week at York Theatre Royal, where lead actress Eileen Walsh and professional theatre newcomer Megan Placito have been enjoying every twist and turn of the writer-director duo’s psychological thriller.
Eileen is playing popular TV medium Sheila Gold, who loses a high-profile court case that brands her a charlatan, costing her not only her reputation but also a fortune in legal fees. When a wealthy couple ask Sheila to conduct a séance to attempt to make contact with their late child, she senses an opportunity to bleed them for money. What follows makes her question everything she has ever believed, leading her on a journey into the darkest corners of her life.
Joining her on that journey is Megan’s Tara, Sheila’s ambitious, resolute niece, who combines vulnerability and underdog defiance with a determination to inherit her family’s fairground wisdom and tricks.
“I did a Zoom meeting with Jeremy and Andy two months before we started rehearsals after they’d seen my work and said, ‘Can we send you the script?’,” says Eileen. “I’d never done a play like this, but the lads were so enthusiastic about their subject, the magic and the jump scares that it was an easy ‘yes’ for me.”
Megan, who trained at ArtsEd, had appeared in the television series Father Brown, Casualty and Doctors and the films Peter Pan’s Neverland, Decode Me and The Salt Path, but not yet on stage when she was contacted by casting director Arthur Carrington.
“Jeremy and Andy had asked him, ‘can you find any girls from a showman background?’, and I was the first one they saw in January, after I was sent the script on my birthday in December – on the same day that my boyfriend bought me a book on witchcraft! It was like all these things were coming together,” says Megan.
“I’d done some indie films and the usual rites-of-passage TV shows, but I was desperate to do theatre, although Arts Ed was more focused on TV and film training, but all the performances that had captivated me had been on stage. Like seeing Eileen’s performance in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible at the National [Theatre], playing John Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth.”
Megan met Jeremy and Andy at the Umbrella Rooms in Shaftsbury Avenue. “I was just wanting to rack their brains as I grew up in a travelling showman community in Chertsey in Surrey, who worked on fairgrounds,” she says.
“My mum is a showman and my father is a ‘joskin’ [a non-traveller], as she wanted to get out of the showman world, where, in a lot of the communities, there are pressures. But I had freedom, I went to a regular GCSE school, and when I said I wanted to be an actor, my mum said, ‘yeah, do it’. Showmanship is in my heart; it’s in my blood to perform.”
Megan Placito’s Tara in The Psychic. Picture: Manuel Harlan
At her first meeting with Jeremy and Andy, Megan was “asking them about the language in the play, and how they’d written about a matriarchal world when it’s called ‘showman’ – though actually the community is run by the women.”
Eileen was drawn to Dyson and Nyman’s fascination with the powers of psychics. “The way the guys spoke about ‘reading people’ intrigued me,” she says.
“I’d just done a show called The Second Woman with an Australian company at Cork Opera House, when it was an opportunity to see how I could hold up for 24 hours, playing the same scene 100 times opposite 100 men, so I felt it was moving in the right direction for me to come out and talk with a live audience straightaway in The Psychic.
“It was not something scary for me to deal with, bringing the audience on a journey into the play through direct address.”
Eileen continues: “It’s really interesting to give people in the audience the chance to talk if they fill out the ‘share card’: they’ll share their stories, share eye contact with you, and it’s amazing how many people will share intimate details about themselves.
“I love the bravery that it takes for them to do that, standing up in front of the audience, who actually become the eighth character in the play.”
York Theatre Royal is running a 35 Live ticket offer for 18 to 35-year-olds, where they can acquire two tickets for £15 each. “People in that age group should see The Psychic because it’s on-trend with TikTok and Tarot card reading, and so many people are interested in spiritualism, ‘the other’ and ‘manifesting’,” says Megan.
“I do think that people will enjoy that side of it: the question of whether any of it is real or unreal. There’s so much interest in ghost stories, and I love how it feels like a Victorian melodrama too.”
The Psychic, York Theatre Royal, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees.Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
The Psychic: York Theatre Royal is offering 35 Live ticket offer for 18 to 35-year-olds
Cone, by Alison Jagger, on show at WET Bar & Plates
FROM street photography to an introduction to ballet, sparring spiritualists to acidic German comedy about the English weather, Charles Hutchinson highlights all manner of cultural delights ahead.
Photographic show of the week: Alison Jagger, After The Crowds, WET Bar & Plates, Micklegate, York, until June 3
AS a lone traveller and self-confessed free spirit, York street photographer Alison Jagger draws inspiration from the urban landscape, whose vitality she loves to capture with her mobile phone camera.
“There is nothing better than waking up in an unfamiliar city and recording its character, colour and vibrancy through my curious lens,” says Jagger. After The Crowds is the second in RARE Collective’s programme of solo exhibition at James Wall and Ella Williams’ indie wine bar and restaurant in aid of SASH (Safe and Sound Homes), the York youth homelessness charity.
English National Ballet School students in My First Ballet: Cinderella, on tour at Grand Opera House, York
Children’s show of the week: English National Ballet & English National Ballet School, My First Ballet: Cinderella, Grand Opera House, York, today, 10.30am and 2pm; tomorrow, 1pm and 3pm
MEET the nature-loving Cinderella, who lives on the edge of an enchanted forest where she once gardened and sang with her mother. After loss and silence settle over her home, she is left with a sharp-tongued stepmother, two noisy stepsisters and a house full of chores and shadows.
However, when a letter arrives, inviting all to a garden ball, Cinderella’s journey to find her true self begins, guided by the spirit of her mother and the magic of the forest. Using a narrator to help the young audience follow the story, and a shortened, recorded version of Prokofiev’s score, this introduction to ballet is choreographed byGeorge Williamson and performed by English National Ballet School Graduate Artists Programme students. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Sparring spiritualists Sheila Gold (Eileen Walsh) and prickly mum Rosa (Frances Barber) in Rosa’s mobile home in York Theatre Royal’s world premiere of The Psychic. Picture: Manuel Harlan
World premiere of the month: The Psychic, York Theatre Royal, until May 23
“IS any of it real,” ask Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman in The Psychic, the latest spook-fest from the writer-director duo behind Ghost Stories. In their twisted new thriller, popular TV psychic Sheila Gold (Eileen Walsh) loses a high-profile court case that brands her a charlatan, costing her not only her reputation but also a fortune in legal fees.
When a wealthy couple ask Sheila to conduct a séance to attempt to make contact with their late child, she senses an opportunity to bleed them for money. What follows makes her question everything she has ever believed, leading her on a journey into the darkest corners of her life. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Tenor Christopher O’Gorman
Lunchtime concert of the week: York Late Music presents Christopher Gorman (tenor) & Mark Hutchinson (piano), Unitarian Chapel, St Saviourgate, York, today, 1pm
THE first complete performance of York composer Steve Crowther’s song settings of poems by late York writer Helen Cadbury will be given by tenor Christopher O’Gorman and pianist Mark Hutchinson this afternoon. The concert also features Richard Allain’s Three Shakespeare Sonnetsplus music by Emily Hall and Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Songs Of Travel. Box office: latemusic.org or on the door.
Louise Davies in her Woolwich studio
Exhibition opening of the week: Louise Davies and Glassmakers, Journey In Colour, Pyramid Gallery, Stonegate, York, today, 11am to 2.30pm, until July 4
PAINTINGS and etchings by South East London artist and printmaker Louise Davies will be complemented by glass by Allister Malcolm, Madeleine Hughes, Margaret Burke, Charlie Burke and Amelia Burke.
Pink Moors, oil on canvas, by Louise Davies
Davies, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, combines fluid lines and rich colour in vibrant landscape prints and oil paintings. Gallery owner Terry Brett drove to Stourbridge to pick up glass works by Malcolm and his workshop assistant, Hughes. Margaret Burke, son Charlie and his wife, hot glass specialist Amelia, run the hand-blown glass studio E&M Glass at The Old Bakery, Sarn Bridge, Malpas, Cheshire.
Bradley Creswick: Violin soloist at York Guildhall Orchestra’s concert tomorrow
Classical concert of the week: York Guildhall Orchestra Spring Concert, York Barbican, Sunday, 3pm
YORK Guildhall Orchestra continues its celebration of the works of German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist and critic Carl Maria von Weber, this time recognising his considerable input into the world of opera with the overture to Der Freischütz.
Tomorrow afternoon’s soloist will be Bradley Creswick, leader emeritus of the Royal Northern Sinfonia, playing the Bruch Violin Concerto No 1. The second half features Verdi’s overture to his opera The Force Of Destiny, Britten’s Sea Interludes and Passacaglia from Peter Grimes and Ravel’s orchestral showpiece La Valse. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Martha Godber’s Jesse North in her play Jesse North Is Broken. Picture: Ian Hodgson
Solo show of the week:John Godber Company presents Martha Godber in Jesse North Is Broken, York Theatre Royal Studio, May 11 to 14, 7.45pm plus 2.30pm Thursday matinee
JESSE North, 25, from Hull, is a carer on minimum wage, keeping the elderly alive while trying to live her own messy, chaotic life. Told over one night, writer-performer Martha Godber’s play follows Jesse from care shift to the dance floor, from the late-night kebab to an early-morning call-out as she battles the system that undervalues her and the city that shapes her, all while her ADHD-fuelled thoughts and anxious mind crave order in the chaos.
“Both political and personal, the show shines a light on working-class survival in Britain today – where carers are underpaid, the care system is crumbling and young women are left to piece themselves together in a society that keeps breaking them,” says Martha, whose solo play is directed by Millie Gaston. A post-show discussion follows Wednesday’s performance. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
The poster for James Morrison’s 20 Years Of Undiscovered tour
Anniversary of the week: James Morrison, 20 Years Of Undiscovered, York Barbican, May 13, doors 7pm; Sheffield City Hall, May 23, doors 6.30pm
UNDISCOVERED was the number one debut album that changed everything for Rugby soul singer-songwriter and guitarist James Morrison (or James Morrison Catchpole to give him his full name). Back then, he was fitting carpets by day, playing open mics by night and driving up and down to London at any spare moment, taking meeting after meeting with multiple record companies.
On his 18-date May and June tour, 2007 British Male Solo Artist BRIT award winner Morrison is playing Undiscovered in its entirety in a set taking in big hits such as You Give Me Something and Wonderful World, fan favourites The Pieces Don’t Fit Anymore and This Boy, rarely performed gems One Last Chance and How Come and highlights from his six-album songbook, topped off by 2025’s Top Five success Fight Another Day. Cordelia supports. Tickets update: York, limited availability at yorkbarbican.co.uk; Sheffield, https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/james-morrison-sheffield-23-05-2026/event/35006367D9B1B6C6.
Wehn and where? Henning squeezing every German joke out of the British weather at Grand Opera House, York
Comedy gig of the week: Henning Wehn, Acid Wehn, Grand Opera House, York, May 14, 7.30pm
GERMAN Comedy Ambassador Henning Wehn takes an unbiased look at climate change. “It’s a topic sure to delight audiences and no surprise,” he says. “After all, everyone loves talking about the weather. Rain or shine, all will be fine. Or maybe it won’t. Who knows?! Come along. Or else.” Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Tim Lowe: Launching 2026 York Chamber Music Festival with NCEM recital with Stephen Gutman
Festival launch of the week: Tim Lowe (cello) & Stephen Gutman (piano), Gems Of The Romantic Cello, National Centre for Early Music, York, May 15, 7.30pm
DIRECTOR and cellist Tim Lowe previews the 2026 York Chamber Music Festival (September 11 to 13) in concert with pianist Stephen Gutman in a passionate exploration of expressive and beautiful works from the cello and piano repertoire.
Their programme will be the same as they played at St Mary le Strand, London, on Wednesday: Beethoven’s 12 Variations on See The Conquering Hero Comes from Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus; Saint-Saëns’ Cello Sonata No 1 in C Minor; Richard Strauss’s Cello Sonata in F Major and Schumann’s Adagio and Allegro. Box office: eventbrite.co.uk.
Cowboy Junkies: 40 years and counting
In Focus: Cowboy Junkies, Celebrating 40 Years And Beyond Tour, Howard Assembly Room, Leeds, tonight; doors 7pm for 7.45pm start
Cowboy Junkies: 40 years and counting
TORONTO’S Cowboy Junkies are playing British venues for the first time since 2022 on April and May’s Celebrating 40 Years and Beyond tour, promoted by Hurricane Promotions. Next stop, Howard Assembly Room, Leeds, tonight.
Coinciding with the 11-date itinerary, the Canadians have released a triple LP/ double CD/digital collection of songs from their 21st century releases, Open To Beauty.
Released on May 1 on Cooking Vinyl, this ‘Best Of’ set revisits selected tracks from the albums Open, One Soul Now, Early 21st Century Blues, At The End Of Paths Taken, Renmin Park, Demons, Sing In My Meadow, The Wilderness, All That Reckoning, Songs Of The Recollection and 2023’s Such Ferocious Beauty.
Speaking of the new compilation, Cowboy Junkies’ Michael Timmins says: “We are now 25 years into this century, the beginning of which saw us leave the world of major labels and return to making music as an independent band.
“We figured this was as good a time as any to look back, reassess and reflect on the music that we have recorded over these past two and a half decades and, hence, Open To Beauty – The Best of the 21st Century.”
Tour tickets are on sale at: https://cowboyjunkies.com/tour/. Tonight’s show has sold out: for returns only, https://www.operanorth.co.uk/whats-on/cowboy-junkies/.
Did you know?
COWBOY Junkies’ signature performance of Lou Reed’s Velvet Underground composition Sweet Jane was featured in the final episode of Netflix TV series Stranger Things.
Cowboy Junkies’ Peter Timmins, Margo Timmins, Michael Timmins and Alan Anton
Cowboy Junkies: back story
SOMETIMES revolutions begin quietly. In 1988, Canadian alt. country band Cowboy Junkies proved there was an audience waiting for something quiet, beautiful and reflective. The Trinity Session was like a whisper that cut through the noise – and it was compelling, standing out amid the flash and bombast that defined the late 1980s.
The now classic recording – made live at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Toronto in November 1987 – combined folk, blues and rock in a way that had never been heard before and went on to sell more than a million copies.
Cowboy Junkies’ ability to communicate volumes before the lyrics kick in defines an enduring career. Where most bands chase trends, the Junkies have stayed their course, maintaining a low-impact excavation of melody and evocative language delivered sotto voce in singer Margo Timmins’s feathery alto.
Forming in Toronto in 1985, Margo was joined by siblings Michael Timmins on guitar and Peter Timmins on drums, plus Michael’s life-long friend Alan Anton on bass, to begin a journey that has evolved over 29 albums.
“I’ve known Alan longer than I’ve known Pete,” says Michael. “We were friends before Pete was born.”
Unlike most long-lasting groups, Cowboy Junkies have never had a break-up or taken a sanity-saving hiatus. There’s an appreciation of each other that keeps them constantly working. “It’s that intimacy and understanding of what each one of us brings to the table,” says Michael.
The oldest, Michael is the chief architect; songwriter, and guitarist, who works with Margo on sculpting the emotional planes and vocal performances before bringing in Peter and Alan to create the soundscapes that have made Cowboy Junkies a band that defies categories.
“The expectations and responsibilities of our roles are a big part of the band’s ethos,” says Michael. “We’re still amazed that we’re doing things our way and continuing to grow the band, but the longer we are at it, the more fun it’s become. We don’t take it for granted.”
Margo adds: “We do what we do and it feels right for all of us. After 30-plus years of playing together, the band and its music are more important to us than ever. The music we make brings each of us a great sense of contentment, a knowledge of place, and a sense of doing what we were meant to do.”
