AS part of Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2025, ten breakthrough music acts will be competing live at York Theatre Royal on Saturday as the city becomes the epicentre of British music discovery.
This inaugural line-up will be a showcase of breadth and originality, featuring artists who have performed at SXSW, Glastonbury and Kendal Calling, appeared on The Voice and received plays from BBC Introducing, BBC Radio 1 and Radio X.
The Aesthetica New Music Stage is a bold, innovative platform like nothing else in the country, billed as the UK’s version of SXSW (South By Southwest, in Austin, Texas) and a first-of-its-kind national music competition embedded within a film festival.
DaisyGill
What’s more, New Music Stage involves collaborations with Universal Music A&R and Imagesound and opportunities for national airplay across Caffè Nero, as the festival creates a pipeline to connect grassroots talent with national and international audiences.
As Pablo Ettinger, founder of Caffe Nero and owner of Talentbanq, says: “There is nothing like this anywhere else in the UK. By working with Aesthetica, we are creating a national stage for discovery and giving artists the support they need to take their careers forward.
“It’s about creating pathways, reaching audiences in new ways and shining a spotlight on talent that deserves to be heard, Aesthetica is the perfect home for this kind of innovation.”
Isabel Maria
Spotlighting fresh music across genres, the event will give audiences the opportunity to hear new voices, discover tomorrow’s stars and be part of shaping the future of UK music.
“Aesthetica has always been about discovery – about bringing new voices, stories and ideas to audiences,” says festival director Cherie Federico. “This is the only event of its kind in the UK: a film festival that also platforms the future of music. The New music Stage gives audiences the opportunity to discover tomorrow’s stars right here in York.
“It’s about creating a cultural hub where film and music collide, ensuring that artists have the chance to be heard on both a national and international scale.”
Jemma Johnson
BLANID
The line-up comprises:
BLÁNID: With a rich, storytelling voice that has graced BBC Radio 1 and RTÉ, BLÁNID has earned more than one million streams and toured the UK with folk legend Judy Collins. Her music blends grief, ecstasy and everything in between, marking her as a star in the making.
Jemma Johnson: This self-taught multi-instrumentalist is taking alternative pop to new heights, buoyed by BBC Radio 1 airplay, festival slots from Tramlines to MiCannes, and collaborations with major UK artists. Her live presence is nothing short of magnetic.
Crazy James: A rapper forging his own path through craft and consistency. Known for blistering flows and commanding live sets, he has turned grassroots energy into headline moments across London and beyond.
Kengo
Ewan Sim: Blending indie, pop, rock, and soul into songs of intimacy and power, Ewan Sim has sold out shows in Manchester and impressed audiences at SXSW London.
Daisy Gill: Liverpool’s retro-pop sensation brings powerhouse vocals and modern production. Her rare four-chair turn on The Voice UK and 10 million TikTok views testify that she is a rising star.
Dilettante: Francesca Pidgeon’s art-pop project delivers dazzling, groove-laden sets that have taken her from Manchester basements to SXSW and NXNE. Signed to EMI North and praised by Mojo and Uncut magazines, her sound is as inventive as it is infectious.
Tarian
Ewan Sim
Kengo: Songwriter and vocalist who channels honesty and lived experience into songs that bridge emotion and spirit, marked by lyrical depth and melodic sensitivity and addressing connection, healing and resilience.
Tarian: Welsh artist blending hip-hop with emotive pop and classical roots. Notching two million streams and a loyal TikTok following, Tarian is a genre-defying talent to watch.
Isabel Maria: At 19, Isabel Maria already has won major cultural awards and been celebrated by Rolling Stone magazine for her raw, alternative pop songwriting.
Pleasure Centre, from Scarborough
Pleasure Centre: Alt/art rock quintet from North Yorkshire coast conjures delicate melodies and euphoric walls of sound, inspired by shoegaze and Radiohead.
The New Music Pass (£21) gives audiences full access to all ten acts in one day. Enjoy free flow in and out of the York Theatre Royal: drop in for a set or immerse yourself from start to finish.
Audience members will have the chance to vote for their favourite act, playing a direct role in launching the UK’s next big star.
Dilettante
“This is more than a music stage,” says Cherie. “It’s an innovation in live music and festival programming, giving artists a national platform and audiences a front-row seat to the future of UK music. Don’t miss this chance to experience a festival within a festival, where creativity, performance and discovery collide.”
Universal Music A&R will be in attendance and Anglo-Italian singer songwriter Jack Savoretti will be on the jury.
Tickets and New Music Passes are available from York Theatre Royal on 01904 623568 or at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk. Hear more from the acts at https://www.asff.co.uk/music/
Jack Savoretti: On the New Music Stage judging panel. Picture: Paul Rhodes, Futuresound’s Live At York Museum Gardens , 2024
York actress Constance Peel in Service Please at Micklegate Social on November 9
IN its 15th year, York’s Aesthetica Short Film Festival introduces its debut Aesthetica Fringe in a celebration of emerging talent across music, comedy, exhibitions, installations, and performance.
These artist-led events are part of a citywide cultural programme, transforming York into a creative playground throughout November.
“York is a UNESCO City of Media Arts, and our Fringe embodies this status by activating galleries, venues and public spaces with diverse work,” says festival director Cherie Federico. “Together, we bring art, performance and audiences into a shared, inspiring moment.”
Pilot Theatre presents A Guide To Now For Those In The Future, York Explore, Library Square, York, November 5 to 9
YORK company Pilot Theatre’s unique installation, A Guide To Now For Those In The Future, is a bold and immersive experience remixing interviews and footage into a vibrant explosion of sight and sound. Capturing the emotions, dreams and perspectives of young people, it acts as a digital time capsule, reflecting life, culture, and concerns in 2025. Supported by Portakabin Community Support Fund and York Common Good Trust.Age rating: PG.
Wonkystuff and The Sounen Project’s Change Of Phase
Change Of Phase, National Centre for Early Music, Walmgate, York, November 5 to 9, 6-8pm
ICE into water, liquid into solid, sound into light, noise into music, soundscapes into stories, digital into analogue: Change Of Phase is a series of sound and light installations with performances, all set around a single, illuminated table. Wonkystuff and The Sounen Project provide the experimental audio landscape guiding the audience through moods. Age rating: PG.
Celebrating Creativity in Creative Ways, York Explore, November 5 to 9
CREATIVE Ways showcases powerful artworks inspired by York’s rich stained-glass heritage. Created by participants exploring creativity for both wellbeing and belonging, the exhibition celebrates connection, confidence and community and reflects the impact of art in a testament to how art can illuminate lives, provide hope and foster inclusion. Age rating: PG.
Bard At The Bar, Cat In The Wall, The Stonebow, York, November 5, 7.30pm
HAVE you always fancied yourself taking to the stage to try out one of Shakespeare’s great soliloquies? Bard At The Bar is a raucous, no-holds-barred night of “karaoke” Shakespeare. This is your opportunity to grab a drink, take a script and climb onto the stage to perform your favourite scenes. No experience necessary, just bring passion. Age rating: 18+.
Erler and Pilot in Crossroads, York Explore, Library Lawn, York, November 5, 5pm and 6pm; November 6, 6pm and 7pm; November 7,12 noon, 1pm, 4pm and 5pm
STEP inside and take the journey to the crossroads in a spooky immersive experience for teenagers and the young-at-heart by Erler and Pilot on Library Lawn, where you will meet your guide beside her trailer of truth. There she will drive you to the place where dreams come true. Age rating: 12+.
Griffonage Theatre’s poster for Kafka By Candlelight at The House of Trembling Madness
Griffonage Theatre presents Kafka By Candlelight, The House Of Trembling Madness, Lendal, York, November 5 to 7, 6.30pm & 8.30pm
DEEP in the cavernous belly of The House Of Trembling Madness, Griffonage Theatre, York purveyors of the madcap and the macabre, present Kafka By Candlelight, an unsettling adaptation of five of Franz Kafka’s strangest short stories, told in the dark, where each piece invites you to confront the bizarre with no guarantee of resolution or escape. Will you be able to stomach it? Audiences will be invited to wear theatrical masks (optional). Age rating: 18+.
Letterpress and Film, Thin Ice Press, York Centre for Print, A Celebration of Silence, Peasholme Green, York, November 5, 2pm to 5pm
EXPLORE the intersection of film and print in hands-on workshops that invite you to experiment with letterpress printing and create title cards inspired by the artistry of silent film. Bring your phone or camera to capture the process and discover the tactile beauty of print while celebrating the visual language of cinema. Age Rating: 12+.
Letterpress Film Night: Helvetica Screening, Thin Ice Press, York Centre for Print, Peasholme Green, York November 5, 7pm to 9pm
ENJOY a screening of Helvetica, a celebration of silent film, and the chance to try letterpress printing. Design and print title cards with the team, capture the process and explore the endangered craft of letterpress printing while embracing the timeless aesthetics of ink. This experience is a chance to explore how film and print intersect. Age rating: 13+.
Black Sheep Theatre Productions in The Inner Selves, The White Horse, Bootham, York, November 5 to 8, 10:30am, 1pm, 3pm
A VIEW into a dying marriage, wherein Henry and Nora represent the end of a marriage torn apart by the loss of their child, alcoholism and depression. They are joined by their Inner Selves (Henry’s Self and Nora’s Self) who torment them about what their lives could have been. Every interaction is heavy with the things left unsaid. Age Rating: 16+.
Dan Poppitt in Black Sheep Theatre Productions’ Inner Selves
The Bluffs present Unwritten, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb Road, Acomb, York, November 5, 8pm
IMPROV based on your literary suggestion, wherein York group The Bluffs take classic short-form improv games and infuse them with storytelling flair. Every show is unique, shaped by audience suggestions and spontaneous creativity. “Who knows where this evening will take us but it will be entertaining, inventive, and entirely in the moment,” they promise. Age rating: 12+.
York Fire Walk, York Minster, November 5, 2pm to 3pm; November 9, 12.30pm to 1.30pm
JOIN York Fire Walk to embark on a journey through the city’s fiery history, meeting by the Roman Column in Minster Yard, and finishing at City Screen Picturehouse. In the company of expert guides, discover how York Minster popped up in the Land of Fire – and then there’s some guy called Fawkes. There’s bound to be fireworks! Age rating: 8+.
Compulsive Light Art Show, Fabrication Store, Stonegate, York, November 6 to 8, 6pm to 8pm
THE inside of the Fabrication shop front is transformed into a living light installation in an exploration of the coexistence between art and inspiration. The window becomes a canvas where the very act of making becomes a performance of dancing light. Passers-by are invited to pause, watch and reflect on the journey from idea to creation. Age rating: PG.
Alice May in Sweet Pea & The Beech Tree, Patch@Bonding Warehouse, Terry Avenue, York, November 6, 7pm to 9pm
JOIN York actress Alice May for a script-in-hand performance of a new one-woman play, then offer feedback to help develop it for stage and screen. Sweet Pea & The Beech Tree is a comic tale of a granddaughter caring for her terminally ill grandmother that asks what caring for someone facing death can teach us. This opportunity invites you to engage with the work in progress. Age rating: 14+.
The Compulsive Light Art Show asks “Why Make Art?”
City Folk & York Creatives, Patch@Bonding Warehouse, Terry Avenue, York, November 7, 6.30pm
DROP into Patch for an all-vinyl DJ set by Mat Lazenby and Jono spinning a curated mix. Meet York creatives. Grab a drink, discuss ideas, find out how to be involved with City Folk magazine, a new publication made in the heart of the city, and be in with a chance to win a print by illustrator Tony Allen. This event is the perfect way to connect. Age rating: 14+.
Kids Just Wanna Fly, Ben Porter photobook launch, Patch@Bonding Warehouse, Terry Avenue, York, November 7, 6pm to 7pm |
LEAP into the unknown, through disposable cameras, polaroids and early iPhones. This is a tale of youthful ambition and the quest to craft an identity through the tumultuous years of young adulthood, comprising an exhibition, a photobook launch and short performances. Audiences are invited to reflect on who they are amidst their youth. Age rating: 16+.
Lara McClure in Oral Tradition, Amnesty Bookshop, Micklegate, York, November 7, 7pm
IN Iron Age Ulster, stories travelled from the mouths of bards into the ears of everyone else, with nothing written down. Storyteller, hypnotherapist and medieval historian Dr Lara McClure’s Edinburgh Fringe show offers a gnarly earful of ancient Ulsterwomen who used sex as a weapon – or, at least, so said the bards. The performance unpacks these bold yet provocative tales. Age rating: 16+.
Transmute- Live, Micklegate Social, Micklegate York, November 7, 8pm to 9.30pm
A SEMI-GENERATIVE particle system moves to an evocative mix of electronica, ambient, orchestral and techno sound. Immersive visuals and rich soundscapes merge, creating a mesmerising, cinematic experience that seamlessly blurs the boundaries between sight, sound and emotion in this exploration of movement, transformation, and connectivity. Agerating: PG.
Dr Lara McClure: Presenting Oral Tradition at Amnesty Bookshop
Rock Soil Scrape, West Park Bowling Club, November 8, 1.30pm to 4pm
AN installation inspired by the earth’s sediments, bringing together interviews with York workers and video projections, as well as food and drink to connect us to our physical environment, cultural histories and deep time. Presented in what was once a bakery, then a bottle shop and bar, the installation highlights the change of the site. Age rating: 12+.
In Limbo, De Grey Rooms, York, November 8, 4pm to 6.30pm
SOPHIE is dead. Probably. She thinks. Maybe. How could the happiest time of her life turn to this? Welcome to a rehearsed reading of In Limbo, Judi Amato’s new play about the realities of early parenthood and postpartum depression. A feedback session will follow the performance to help shape and deepen the development of the show. Age rating: 12+.
Constance Peel in Service Please, Micklegate Social, Micklegate, York, November 9, 2pm & 8pm
ALL Lara wanted was an easy job as she started to write her novel, but she is confronted with the sexist, stressful and chaotic reality of the service industry. This one-woman show by York-born, University of York-educated actress, writer, director (and waitress) Constance Peel plays the Aesthetica Fringe after a four-star debut run at this summer’s Edinburgh Fringe, and is marked by bright humour, artistic ambition and raw honesty. Age rating: 16+.
More, Spark:York, Piccadilly,York, November 9, 6.30pm to 7.30pm
MORE is a raw performance blending dance, visuals and music to explore the restless pulse of addiction – the craving for sensation, escape and wholeness. Through movement and image, it unravels cycles of desire and release in an intimate, sensory journey through the body’s aching longing to feel more and be enough.
The Storytelling Ensemble, Patch@Bonding Warehouse, Terry Avenue, York, November 9, 7.30pm
JOIN The Storytelling Ensemble for tales brought vividly to life with improvised music and original composition. Led by storyteller and composer Joe Allen, the ensemble breathes new life into fascinating fables and yearnful yarns, contributing to the magic of stories told aloud, inviting listeners to lose themselves in worlds ancient and new. Age rating: 12+.
For tickets, go to: asff.co.uk/fringe.
Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2025: Filmmaking In Schools
AESTHETICA Short Film Festival is putting young people at the heart of the festival run from November 5 to 9.
More than 150 students from seven York high schools – Huntington, Joseph Rowntree, Milthorpe, York High, All Saints, Fulford and Archbishop Holgate – will take part in the Filmmaking in Schools initiative, now in its second year.
The programme gives students the chance to develop practical filmmaking skills across storytelling, directing, writing, cinematography, editing and technical production, while also nurturing teamwork, creative collaboration and problem- solving. These skills are highly transferable, helping young people build confidence and abilities that extend far beyond the classroom.
York’s status as a UNESCO City of Media Arts provides a unique backdrop for creativity and innovation. In a city celebrated for its thriving digital media and creative industries, it is vital that students are offered hands-on, practical opportunities to bring their ideas to life.
Councillor Pete Kilbane, deputy leader of City of York Council and executive member for Economy and Culture, says: “It’s fantastic to see so many York youngsters getting hands-on experience in filmmaking. Through initiatives like this, students discover their creativity, learn new skills and get to see the wide range of exciting job opportunities that the film industry has to offer.
The Filmmaking in Schools programme puts this philosophy into practice, enabling students to write, direct and produce their own short films, while applying problem-solving and technical skills in a real-world environment.
Festival director Cherie Federico adds: “Our aim is to give young people a real chance to explore their creativity and find their voice. Filmmaking is a powerful tool for learning, teamwork, and self-expression – and by putting it in the hands of students, we are investing in the next generation of storytellers and innovators.”
Through mentorship, collaboration and the festival environment, students gain practical skills and inspiration that link directly to potential careers in media arts.
Stuart Campbell, head of communications at LNER, highlights the impact of industry partnerships: “The Railway 200 programme is all about supporting and fostering new talent,” he says. “It starts with young people, and here in York, we have the chance to do something truly different, giving students real-world opportunities to explore creativity and storytelling through film.”
The Filmmaking in Schools initiative sits within the context of the BAFTA-Qualifying Aesthetica Short Film Festival, giving students exposure to the professional world of film and insight into the wider creative industries. By combining mentorship, hands-on experience and festival immersion, the programme nurtures the next generation of screen innovators.
While young people are at the centre of this initiative, Aesthetica 2025 also provides opportunities for families to engage with creativity. From specially curated U and PG film screenings to VR and games workshops, interactive art, live music and city-wide Fringe events, the festival offers experiences that encourage children and adults to explore, learn and play together.
By blending professional insight, imaginative activities, and cultural exploration, Aesthetica ensures that creativity is accessible to all ages, inspiring the next generation while bringing the wider York community together.
Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2025: Launching Beyond the Frame programme at York Theatre Royal, November 5 to 8
Comedian Sophie Duker
Sophie Duker & Friends, Wednesday, 7.30m
TASKMASTER champion Sophie Duker, from Mock The Week and Frankie Boyle’s New World Order, tops the bill featuring Eleanor Tiernan and Bella Hull.
Silent Cinema & Live Score with The Dodge Brothers, Thursday, 7.30pm
IN a dazzling collision of classic cinema and live music, The Dodge Brothers bring their live score to Beggars Of Life, the 1928 landmark American silent film starring Louise Brooks.
The Dodge Brothers
Film critic and BBC presenter Mark Kermode, on double bass and harmonica, is joined Neil Brand, celebrated silent film accompanist and star of BBC Four’s Sound Of Cinema, on piano, as this electrifying ensemble transforms a black-and-white masterpiece into a full-blooded cinematic event.
Mark Kermode: In Conversation with Jenny Nelson, Friday, 7pm
HEAR from the co-authors of Mark Kermode’s Surround Sound about the magic of film music. Join film critic Mark Kermode and award-winning radio producer Jenny Nelson for an evening of cinematic insight, sharp wit and passionate debate.
Together, they explore the power of film music, inspired by their new book. From cult classics to blockbuster scores, expect passionate discussion, revealing stories and plenty of chances to ask questions and join the debate. Expect honest, humorous and informed film talk.
Mark Kermode: Discussing his new book, Mark Kermode’s Surround Sound, with co-author Jenny Nelson at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Julie Edwards Visuals
Aesthetica New Music Stage, Saturday, 2pm to 11pm
IN the UK’s first national New Music Stage, BLANID, Jemma Johnson, Crazy Mark, Kengo, Ewan Sim, Daisy Gill, Dilettante, Tarian, Isabel Maria and North Yorkshire band Pleasure Centre will compete in a showcase supported by Universal Music A&R, Imagesound and Caffe Nero. Anglo-Italian singer-songwriter Jack Savoretti will be on the judging panel.
Tickets (and New Stage Passes for the New Music Stage) are available from the York Theatre Royal box office, 01904 623568, or online at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
York Theatre Royal is a venue for the ASFF 2025 line-up of film screenings and masterclasses too. More details on booking festival passes can be found at asff.co.uk/tickets/.
Daisy Gill: Taking part in the Aesthetica New Music Stage event
Film critic Mark Kermode: Book talk and gig with his band Dodge Brothers at York Theatre Royal in the Beyond the Frame strand of Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2025. Picture: Julie Edwards Visuals
THE 15th Aesthetica Short Film Festival tops the bill in a week when Sir Gareth Southgate and David Walliams are keen to talk too, as Charles Hutchinson highlights.
Festival of the week: Aesthetica Short Film Festival, all over York, November 5 to 9
NOT so much a film festival as a “screen and media event”, in its 15th year, York’s Aesthetica Short Film Festival is bigger and broader than ever. Not only more than 300 shorts, features, documentaries, animations and experimental films, but also the VR & Games Lab; masterclasses and panels; workshops and roundtables; networking and pitching; Listening Pitch premieres; the inaugural New Music Stage and Aesthetica Fringe shows; Beyond the Frame events at York Theatre Royal; the UNESCO City of Media Arts EXPO and the Podcasting strand. For the full programme and tickets, go to: asff.co.uk.
Joseph Egan’s club boss Fat Sam from the Team Bugsy cast for Pick Me Up Theatre’s Bugsy Malone
Young swells of the week: Pick Me Up Theatre in Bugsy Malone, Grand Opera House, York, until November 8, 7.30pm, except Sunday and Monday; 2.30pm, both Saturdays and Sunday
LESLEY Hill directs and choreographs York company Pick Me Up Theatre’s cast of more than 40 young performers in Alan Parker and Paul Williams’s Jazz Age musical, replete with the film songs You Give A Little Love, My Name Is Tallulah, So You Wanna Be A Boxer?, Fat Sam’s Grand Slam and Bugsy Malone.
In Prohibition-era New York, rival gangsters Fat Sam and Dandy Dan are at loggerheads. As custard pies fly and Dan’s splurge guns wreak havoc, penniless ex-boxer and all-round nice guy Bugsy Malone falls for aspiring singer Blousey Brown. Can Bugsy resist seductive songstress Tallulah, Fat Sam’s moll and Bugsy’s old flame, and stay out of trouble while helping Fat Sam to defend his business? Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Mark Steel: Addressing the leopard in his house at York Theatre Royal tonight
“Leftie, working-class, BBC Radio 4 favourite” comedy gig of the week: Mark Steel: The Leopard In My House, York Theatre Royal, tonight, 7.30pm
COMEDIAN, nation-travelling radio presenter and writer Mark Steel has not so much an elephant in the room as The Leopard In My House. Under discussion is his battle with throat cancer, one that he is winning (thankfully) and that has spawned his new comedy tour show. Cancer, by the way, has done nothing to dull the edge of Steel’s trademark acute political and cultural observations.
“This show is the story of my year, of wonderful characters and often tricky but bafflingly positive experiences,” says Steel. “Doing the show doesn’t quite make me glad that it happened, but it definitely makes up for it quite a bit”. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
The Magpies: Launching new EP at the NCEM
Folk gig of the week: The Magpies, National Centre for Early Music, York, tonight, 7.30pm
THE Magpies, the folk trio that hosts The Magpies Festival at Sutton House, near York, every summer, combine rich harmonies with fiddle-led fire and lyrical storytelling, wherein Bella Gaffney (banjo, vocals), Holly Brandon (fiddle, vocals) and Ellie Gowers (guitar, vocals) meld Anglo and American traditions.
Tonight’s intimate gig marks the launch of this autumn’s EP, The One Thing That I Know. Lead single Painted Pony is a stirring tribute to the St John and St Lawrence rivers of Canada: a song that flows with memory, movement and the quiet majesty of nature’s imprint. Box office for returns only: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.
George Stagnell in the short film Bomb Happy, part of an Everwitch Theatre double bill
Theatre and film memorial of the week: Everwitch Theatre in Bomb Happy VE Day double bill, Milton Rooms, Malton, Sunday, 3pm
PRESENTED in the lead-up to Remembrance Sunday, whose focus this year falls on 80th anniversary of VE Day, Bomb Happy has been created by writer-performer Helena Fox and actor-vocalist Natasha Jones, of Everwitch Theatre.
From D-Day to VE Day, this powerful one-hour double bill of live performance (30 minutes) and short film (30 minutes) brings to life the verbatim accounts of two working-class Yorkshire Normandy veterans, highlighting the lifelong impact of post-traumatic stress disorder and sleep trauma, not only on war veterans but on their families too. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Leading light Mad Alice: Welcoming passengers to her Ghost Train on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway
Train ride of the week: Mad Alice’s Ghost Train, North Yorkshire Moors Railway, Pickering Station, Sunday, 6.15pm and 8pm
JOIN York ghost walk hostess Mad Alice as she takes a spine-tingling ghost-train ride through the haunted heart of the North York Moors from Pickering to Levisham and back again in an hour-long eerie adventure. “I’ll be joined by Jonny Holbek, from York Light Opera Company, and professional actor Joe Standerline to help me tell stories in the carriage,” says Mad Alice. “Plus a few extra ‘ghosts’, who are actually either NYMR volunteers or York Light members – and even my own niece!”
All on board to learn of the mysterious ghosts that still haunt the carriages and stations; hear of supernatural tales and folklore of the land, and enjoy a special retelling of Charles Dickens’s ghost story, The Signal Man, all while sipping Mini Mad Alice’s Bloody Orange Gin & Tonic from York Gin (age 18 upwards). Box office for waiting list only: nymr.co.uk/Event/ghosttrain.
Sir Gareth Southgate: Discussing his new book Dear England at York Barbican…and the subject of James Graham’s play of that title at Leeds Grand Theatre
Ex-England manager at the double: In Conversation with Gareth Southgate, Lessons In Leadership, York Barbican, November 3, 7.30pm; National Theatre in Dear England, Leeds Grand Theatre, November 4 to 8, kick-off at 7.30pm plus 2pm Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday matinees
SIR Gareth Southgate, of Swinsty Hall, Fewston, Harrogate, makes the comparatively short trip to York Barbican to discuss his eight years of leading England’s footballers on the world stage with a revolutionary management style that combined calm empathy with mental resilience, courageous integrity with strong accountability.
David Sturzaker’s Gareth Southgate, in trademark waistcoat, in James Graham’s play Dear England, on tour at Leeds Grand Theatre. Picture: Mark Brenner
He will discuss his new book Dear England: Lessons In Leadership, a title shared with James Graham’s Olivier Award-winning play (and forthcoming television drama) that takes its name from Southgate’s open letter during the Covid-19 pandemic.
David Sturzaker plays Southgate, Samantha Womack, team psychologist Pippa Grange, in this “inspiring, at times heart-breaking and ultimately uplifting story” of England, penalties, lost finals and a new-found national identity. Box office: York, yorkbarbican.co.uk; Leeds, 0113 243 0808 or leedsheritagetheatres.com.
David Walliams: An evening of frank chat and outrageous anecdotes at York Barbican. Picture: Charlie Clift
Candid comedic conversation of the week: An Evening With David Walliams, York Barbican, November 4, 7.30pm
SKETCH comedian, prolific author, talent show judge and English Channel swimmer David Walliams presents an evening of laughter, storytelling and surprises, discussing his Little Britain breakthrough, Come Fly With Me and his days on Britain’s Got Talent.
Expect the stories behind legendary TV sketches and reflections on his myriad books and the highs and lows of a career. Prepare for candid conversation and outrageous anecdotes, topped off with the chance to put questions to Walliams in the Q&A. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Ben Rosenfield and Laura McKeller in The Wetwang Hauntings – Live. Picture: Emma Warley
Halloween horrors and jump scares of the week: Neon Crypt & The Deathly Dark Tours present The Wetwang Hauntings – Live!, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, November 4 to 8, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
BETWEEN 1986 and 1993, a series of often violent hauntings rocked the small Yorkshire town of Wetwang. The cases went cold and all the records were lost…until now! Join York ghost walk guide Dr Dorian Deathly as the Neon Crypt and The Deathly Dark Tours team digs into the history and horrors of these cases. “This show is not for the faint of heart,” he forewarns. Suitable for age 13 upwards. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Nik Briggs: York Stage director back on stage to play a contestant in The Great British Bake Off Musical
York musical premiere of the week: York Stage in The Great British Bake Off Musical, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, November 5 to 8, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
BAKING battles, singing sponges and a sprinkling of hilarity is the recipe for York Stage’s York premiere of The Great British Bake Off Musical, rising to the occasion under the direction of Nik Briggs, who also makes a rare stage appearance as one of the Bake Off contestants.
Expect a sweet and savoury symphony of British wit and oven mitts, propelled by a menu of jazz hands and jubilant original songs that capture the essence of the Bake Off tent, from nerve-wracking technical challenges to triumphant showstoppers. Be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster ride, where cakes crumble, friendships form and dreams become fruitful reality. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Katie Leckey: Directing Griffonage Theatre’s three nights of Kafka’ strangest short stories in the House of Trembling Madness cellar in Lendal
Deliciously disturbing stories of the week: Griffonage Theatre, Kafka By Candlelight, The House Of Trembling Madness, Lendal, York, November 5 to 7. 6.30pm and 8.30pm
“NO rest for the week,” say Griffonage Theatre, York’s purveyors of the madcap and the macabre, who are performing Kafka By Candlelight in the cavernous belly of the House Of Trembling Madness cellar as part of Aesthetica Short Film Festival’s debut Aesthetica Fringe, featuring 25 shows across the city.
This one showcases five of Franz Kafka’s strangest short stories, told disturbingly in the darkness with the audience in masks (optional). “Dare to join us?” they tease. Box office: eventbrite.com/e/kafka-by-candlelight-tickets-1815618316259.
York actor, writer and director Constance Peel: Presenting Service Please at Aesthetica Fringe 2025
In Focus: Introducing Constance Peel, Service Please, Aesthetica Fringe, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb Road, Acomb, York, November 4 and 7, 8.30pm; Micklegate Social, Micklegate, York, November 9, 2pm and 8pm
CONSTANCE (Connie) Peel, York-born director, producer, writer and performer, will present her debut one-woman show Service Please as part of the inaugural Aesthetica Fringe.
“I’ve been working as an assistant director and performer in theatre professionally for the past two years, since graduating from the University of York,” says Connie, 24. “This show explores the reality of working in hospitality, including the harassment and sexism you can face as a young woman.”
Service Please is billed as “a relatable and comedic monologue that follows Lara, a creative writing graduate, who hopes to write the next best-selling fantasy romance novel. There’s only one thing standing in her way, her casual waitressing job that keeps the money coming in.”
“We’ve all been there, but Lara wasn’t ready for the stressful and chaotic reality of working in the service industry,” says Connie, introducing her monodrama. “Can Lara keep her sanity and get her big writing break or will she crumble under the pressure of understaffed shifts, creepy comments and customers who say their only food allergies are ‘women’?”
Hospitality is the fastest-growing economic sector, worth £93 billion to the UK economy. “But it’s under severe pressure with more than 100,000 job losses predicted by the time of this month’s Budget, due to National Insurance rises (according to UK Hospitality),” says Connie.
“It’s evident working in the sector that to continue profits and keep up with the cost of living, food prices and discounts both need to increase while labour hours decrease. Being a server has never been more stressful and unpredictable and this experience (as other working-class experiences) is so often overlooked by theatre.”
Sexual harassment is an epidemic in the hospitality industry too, says Connie. “As many as 47 per cent of workers having experienced it – and 69 per cent witnessed it in 2021 (Culture Shift).
“These statistics, though informative, mask the personal cost to the individuals harassed and abused. My play presents interpretations of my own personal experiences, including those with harassment, and they’re an unfortunate part of the job when working as a waitress.
“They shouldn’t be, and awareness of this experience even in Fringe-scale theatre is always beneficial to the cause.”
Lastly, says Connie, Service Please tells the story of an artist with no clear way into her industry. “This is the most personally accurate part of my script. I wrote and performed the 50-minute monologue while producing and marketing it alone for its six-day debut run at the world-famous Edinburgh Fringe, where it won plaudits from critics and top reviews.
“Though this is hopeful for creatives, both in the execution of the play and my own story behind it, I wanted to show the emotional toll of struggling as an artist, especially as in the past five years there has been one third fewer art jobs (directly impacting my career).
“It was important that I brought this show back to where my career started, in York where I graduated from the University of York and where I’ve been working for the past three years between York and Leeds. I hope this production and my story makes people see the importance of a small-scale play like this in today’s society.”
Cassa Pancho’s Ballet Black in A Shadow Work, choreographed by Chanel DaSilva. Dancers: Acaoã de Castro & Taraja Hudson. Picture by ASH
NOW in its 24th year, Cassa Pancho’s Ballet Black returns to York Theatre Royal with a thrilling new double bill, featuring Pancho’s darkly comic adaptation of Oyinkan Braithwaite’s international bestselling novel, My Sister, The Serial Killer.
When Korede receives a distress call from her sister Ayoola, she knows what to do: bleach, rubber gloves, nerves of steel and a strong stomach. This is the third boyfriend Ayoola has killed in “self-defence,” and the third mess Korede has to clean up.
She should probably go to the police, but family comes first. Things take a turn, however, when Ayoola begins dating the doctor Korede secretly loves, forcing Korede to choose between saving him and betraying her sister.
The double bill is completed by Brooklyn-born, award-winning choreographer Chanel DaSilva, making her British choreographic debut with A Shadow Work.
Renowned for using the arts to inspire meaningful change, DaSilva has been commissioned by prestigious companies such as The Washington Ballet, Parsons Dance Company and Dallas Black Dance Theatre, and made history as the first Black woman to choreograph for The Joffrey Ballet.
In her debut for Ballet Black, DaSilva delves into the profound practice of shadow work, exploring its power to reveal our true selves. Her work is celebrated for its deep exploration of humanity and its potential to inspire transformation both within the dance world and beyond.
Ballet Black has transformed the landscape of British ballet, creating a prominent platform for dancers and artists of Black and Asian descent, as well as establishing a new canon of ballet repertoire that resonates with audiences around the world.
Discover more tonight. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Luxmuralis’s Echoes Of Yorkshire: Art, light and sound in harmony in York Museum Gardens. Picture: Duncan Savage, Ravage Productions, for York Museums Trust
GARDEN art & light installations, wartime memories and Dracula and Cinderella retellings spark Charles Hutchinson’s interest.
Installation of the week: Echoes Of Yorkshire, York Museum Gardens, until Sunday, 6pm to 8.20pm
LET light, colour and music surround you at Luxmuralis’s light and sound installation as artist Peter Walker, composer David Harper and lighting designer Steve Rainsford bring the story alive of the Yorkshire Museum and York Museum Gardens from 1,000 images.
Immerse yourself in the story of the historic site with contemporary light and music showcasing York Museum Trust’s age-defining artefacts and extraordinary exhibits. Tickets: yorkshiremuseum.org.uk.
David Barrott, Catherine Edge and Adam Marsdin in rehearsal for Settlement Players’ production of Party Piece
Calamitous comedy misadventure of the week: York Settlement Community Players in Party Piece, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm and 2.30pm Saturday matinee
AMERICAN director, writer, producer, historian and stuntman Martin T Brooks directs Settlement Players for the first time in Richard Harris’s calamitous 1992 comedy Party Piece.
Michael and Roma Smethurst are preparing meticulously for their fancy-dress housewarming party as Mrs Hinson, not the biggest fan of her upper-class new neighbours, keeps a criticising eye on the attendees. Then disasters strike: an embarrassing lack of guests, a burning barbeque, a marauding Zimmer frame and a corpse showing up at the front door. Cue chaos. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Cassie Vallance, left, and Jane Bruce in Story Craft Theatre’s Bat, Cackle And Pop! at York Theatre Royal
Children’s Halloween show of the week: Story Craft Theatre in Bat, Cackle And Pop!, York Theatre Royal Studio, today until Friday, 10.30am and 1pm
WINIFRED the Witch thinks everyone has forgotten her birthday. Not so. There will be a big surprise party, but first, a special birthday cake must be made.
“We just need the last three rather spooky ingredients,” say York company Story Craft Theatre’s Cassie Vallance and Jane Bruce. “Our show is bubbling with all sorts of ghosts and ghouls – more silly than scary – and there’s plenty of opportunities to dabble in some spell making, as well as flying with luxury BAT Airways.” Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Jimmy Regal & The Royals: Playing Ryedale Blues Club at Milton Rooms, Malton
Blues gig of the week: Ryedale Blues Club presents Jimmy Regal & The Royals, Milton Rooms, Malton, tomorrow, 8pm
JIMMY Regal & The Royals are a tough and howlin’ harmonica-led three piece from South London, brandishing a sound from Mississippi to New Orleans, Mali to Canvey Island. Signed to Lunaria Records, they are touring to promote latest album Well Boss, a live set recorded at the Temperance in Leamington Spa. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Stage Hammer: Revamping Bram Stoker’s Dracula
High stakes of the week: Stage Hammer in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, tomorrow and Friday, 7.30pm; Kirk Theatre, Pickering, Saturday, 7.30pm
WOLVES howl in the forests of Transylvania. Waves crash violently against the cliffs below Whitby Abbey. The infection is spreading. Count Dracula (Stuart Sellens) walks among us. Yorkshire solicitor Jonathan Harker (Callum Mathers) travels to a castle in the Carpathian Mountains to finalise the sale of property for a reclusive nobleman.
When he seemingly vanishes, fiancée Mina (Jennifer Jones) and her closest friend Lucy (Kathryn Lay) fall into the grip of a sinister force. Their only hope for survival is the mysterious vampire slayer Professor Van Helsing (Christopher C Corbett) in East Yorkshire troupe Stage Hammer’s new account of Bram Stoker’s vampire story, adapted by Corbett and directed by Lydia Baldwin. Box office: York, 01904 658338 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk; Pickering, 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk.
Fizzy with the singers in Pick Me Up Theatre’s Bugsy Malone: Theo Rae, Isla Lightfoot, Olivia Swales and Beau Lettin
Musical of the week: Pick Me Up Theatre in Bugsy Malone, Grand Opera House, York, October 31 to November 8, 7.30pm, except Sunday and Monday; 2.30pm, both Saturdays and Sunday
LESLEY Hill directs and choreographs York company Pick Me Up Theatre’s cast of 40 young performers in Alan Parker and Paul Williams’s musical, replete with the film songs You Give A Little Love, My Name Is Tallulah, So You Wanna Be A Boxer?, Fat Sam’s Grand SlamandBugsy Malone.
In Prohibition-era New York, rival gangsters Fat Sam and Dandy Dan are at loggerheads. As custard pies fly and Dan’s splurge guns wreak havoc, penniless ex-boxer and all-round nice guy Bugsy Malone falls for aspiring singer Blousey Brown. Can Bugsy resist seductive songstress Tallulah, Fat Sam’s moll and Bugsy’s old flame, and stay out of trouble while helping Fat Sam to defend his business? Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Little Seeds Music: Refreshing the fairytale world in Cinderella Ice Cream Seller
Fairytale retelling of the week: Little Seeds Music in Cinderella Ice Cream Seller, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 2.30pm
OVER the past four decades, Cinderella’s has become the kingdom’s most beloved ice cream company, with a parlour on every street corner, but how did this humble maker become a multimillionaire business woman with her own empire?
Prepare your dessert spoons for a tale of perseverance, princes, palace balls, glass slippers and, yes, ice cream in writer-composer David Gibb’s hour-long family musical, wherein loyal Cinderella’s employees Talvi and Caldwell share her rags-to-riches tale and confront their own desires, hopes and the magic that lies within each scoop. Suitable for age five upwards. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Bomb Happy: Film and live performance double bill for VE Day at Milton Rooms, Malton
Theatre memorial of the week: Everwitch Theatre in Bomb Happy VE Day double bill, Milton Rooms, Malton, Sunday, 3pm
PRESENTED in the lead-up to Remembrance Sunday, whose focus this year falls on 80th anniversary of VE Day, Bomb Happy has been created by writer-performer Helena Fox and actor-vocalist Natasha Jones, of Everwitch Theatre.
From D-Day to VE Day, this powerful one-hour double bill of live performance (30 minutes) and short film (30 minutes) brings to life the verbatim accounts of two working-class Yorkshire Normandy veterans, highlighting the lifelong impact of post-traumatic stress disorder and sleep trauma, not only on war veterans but on their families too. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Chris Smither: Playing All Saints Church, Pocklington tonight
In Focus: Chris Smither, All Saints Church, Pocklington, tonight, 7.30pm
CHRIS Smither, truly an American original, returns to the UK to perform songs from his vast catalogue on his 2025 UK and Irish tour as he approaches his 81st birthday on November 11.
Honing his synthesis of folk and blues for more than 50 years, this profound songwriter and captivating performer, from Miamai, Florida, melds the styles of his two major influences, Lightnin’ Hopkins and Mississippi John Hurt, into his own signature guitar sound.
His music draws deeply from the blues, American folk music, modern poets and humanist philosophers. His songs have featured in films and TV shows and been covered by John Mayall, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt and Diana Krall, among others.
Smither continues to tour festivals, music clubs and concerts halls all over the world. Now he showcases his 20th studio album, 2024’s All About The Bones, produced by long-time friend and producer David Goodrich, which complements eight new compositions with Smither’s renditions of Eliza Gilkyson’s Calm Before The Storm and Tom Petty’s Time To Move On.
The recording sessions took place at Sonelab Studios in Easthampton, Massachusetts, where Smither was joined by Goodrich, Zak Trojano, BettySoo and Chris Cheek.
The New York Times said of All About The Bones: “With a weary, well-travelled voice and a serenely intricate finger-picking style, Mr Smither turns the blues into songs that accept hard-won lessons and try to make peace with fate.”
Singer-songwriter BettySoo is Smither’s guest on the tour. Tickets for tonight cost £21.50 at www.smither.com.
Gary Oldman (now Sir Gary Oldman) in Krapp’s Last Tape at York Theatre Royal this spring. Picture: Gisele Schmidt
SIR Gary Oldman is to revive his York Theatre Royal production of Samuel Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape as part of Royal Court Theatre’s 70th anniversary season in London.
Beckett’s melancholic monodrama received its British premiere as the aperitif in a double bill with the Irish playwright’s Endgame at the Royal Court, and today’s announcement falls on the 67th anniversary of the opening night on October 28 1958.
Krapp’s Last Tape will run at the London theatre from May 8 to 30 2026, following its sold-out run in York from April 14 to May 17 this spring, when Academy Award, BAFTA, SAG, BIFA and Golden Globe winner Gary Oldman made his return to the York Theatre Royal stage after a 45-year hiatus.
Knighted by Prince William at Windsor Castle in September 2025 for his services to drama, Sir Gary, 67, made his professional debut in the repertory ranks at York Theatre Royal in 1979 after winning a scholarship to Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama, from where he graduated with a BA in acting that year.
That first season took in She Stoops To Conquer, Thark, Privates On Parade and Romeo And Juliet, topped off by 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.
This spring, at the height of the popularity of his Apple TV+ role as unkempt, flatulent, rude, caustic Jackson Lamb in misfit spy thriller Slow Horses, Sir Gary headed north to show support for regional theatre, directing himself in the 50-minute Krapp’s Last Tape in his first theatre appearance in 38 years, back in York for his “completion of a cycle”.
Gary Oldman (now Sir Gary Oldman) and York Theatre Royal chief executive officer Paul Crewes surveying the Theatre Royal auditorium. Picture: Gisele Schmidt
“After all, it is the where it all began,” he said in his programme note. “York, in a very real sense, for me, is coming home. I met with YTR’s chief executive, Paul Crewes, and the play, the how, and the when , were mapped out.”
Welcoming the transfer to London, York Theatre Royal chief executive Paul Crewe says: “Working with Gary on our production of Krapp’s Last Tape was remarkable and we are delighted that even more people will get the opportunity to see his extraordinary performance in this landmark play. It was first performed at the Royal Court 67 years ago and it’s so wonderfully fitting that it makes a return as part of their 70th anniversary celebrations.”
Krapp’s Last Tape will be performed by Sir Gary in the Royal Court’s Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, preceded every night by Godot’s To-Do List, a new Beckett-inspired short play by Jerwood New Playwright Leo Simpe-Asante, directed by Aneesha Srinivasan.
Winner of the 2025 inaugural Royal Court Young Playwrights Award, this curtain-raising comedy follows seven decades on from Krapp’s Last Tape’s own debut as a curtain-raiser on the Royal Court’s stage.
Quick refresher course, Krapp’s Last Tape is the one where Oldman’s disenchanted Krapp coughs and chomps his way through three bananas on his 69th birthday, as he sits alone in his cluttered attic and listens to the echoes of his younger self, spinning the spools of his reel-to-reel recorder before recording his latest birthday reflection.
“Perhaps my best years are gone,” bemoans Krapp. “When there was a chance of happiness. But I wouldn’t want them back. Not with the fire in me now.”
Meanwhile, Sir Gary can be seen in the on-going fifth series of Slow Horses, being released – frustratingly! – in weekly episodes on Apple TV+ from September 24.
Story Craft Theatre’s Cassie Vallance, left, and Jane Bruce in Bat, Cackle And Pop!
WINIFRED the Witch thinks everyone has forgotten her birthday. Not so. There is, in fact, going to be one big surprise party, but first, a special birthday cake must be made.
“We just need the last three rather spooky ingredients,” say York company Story Craft Theatre’s Cassie Vallance and Jane Bruce. “Our 50-minute show is bubbling with all sorts of ghosts and ghouls – more silly than scary – and there’s plenty of opportunities to dabble in some spell making, as well as flying with luxury BAT Airways.
“This show always puts a smile on our face. We’ve had such amazing responses from both younger audiences, as well as their accompanying adults. It’s fun and engaging and reminds us that Halloween can be silly for everyone.” Suitable for ages three to eight. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Spooky!Cassie Vallance in Bat, Cackle And Pop!
Look at that birthday cake! Jane Bruce in Bat, Cackle And Pop!
Like mother, like son? Susie Blake’s Shirley and Jason Durr’s gangland boss Jonny ‘The Cyclops’ Drinkwater in Torben Betts’s murky comedy thriller Murder At Midnight
TORBEN Betts, once an Alan Ayckbourn protégé at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, is now carving out a niche in savagely dark comic thrillers with “Murder” at play in the title and on stage for touring company Original Theatre.
After the leaden ghost story of Murder In The Dark, set on the Yorkshire Moors, in September 2023, Betts returns to York Theatre Royal – he attended a Q&A on Wednesday – with what director director Philip Franks says is “a difficult play to describe”. “Feydeau, rewritten by Tarantino perhaps,” he settles on in his programme note. Or maybe Joe Orton refracted though Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen?
Describing Murder At Midnight as a companion piece to the first part of what is rumoured to be a trilogy, Franks reckons the new play is many things. Murder mystery. Farce. Gangster thriller in the vein of Jez Butterworth or Philip Ridley. Revenge drama. Darkly funny dissection of family life. All true, but frustratingly it ends up is less than the sum of these promising but clunky parts.
What separates Murder At Midnight more from the Miss Marples and Poirot world of crime dramas is the undertow of family drama tugging away beneath the increasingly absurdist violence. As Franks puts it, Murder At Midnight brings together a group of “lost and desperate people looking for love and willing to risk everything for it, even if the search ends in death” (spoiler alert).
Welcome to the swish, all-mod-cons home of southern drug baron and pig farmer Jonny ‘The Cyclops’ Drinkwater (Jason Durr), where Betts gives designer Colin Falconer the challenge of creating five locations in an open-plan design that facilitates quick scene changes in the tradition of farce (but without the usual profusion of doors).
Murder At Midnight director Philip Franks
At Paradise Farm, we see a sitting room, kitchen area, exterior passageway, master bedroom with a giant flamingo print, and Jonny’s man cave, where the back wall is dominated by an homage to his favourite pop star, Robbie Williams.
Cristina (Ukrainian actress Iryna Poplavska in her UK theatrical debut as a Rumanian home help) is in a flap on her phone with petty crook Mister Fish (Callum Balmforth, later to enter dressed as Coco the Clown, later still to reveal his name is Russell). She is trying to put Jonny’s mum, Shirley (Susie Blake) to bed, but Shirley is seeing things (devils mainly) and she may or may not be suffering from dementia.
Cristina’s phone, unlike everyone else’s mobile, only works in the passageway, one of the ways that Betts employs for engineering entrances and exits. He also applies another farce trope, whereby two sets of people are in the spacious house at the same time but unaware of the other.
Unbeknown to The Only Way Is Essex-style girlfriend Lisa (Katie McGlynn), Jonny has arrived home early from a trip and is in the man cave with his henchman, Trainwreck Spencer (Peter Moreton), a “man of unimpeachable character”, he insists, but beholden to a coke habit.
Lisa, meanwhile, has snuck back from a party. A fancy-dress party, which explains why she is dressed as a nun, and heading to the bedroom with her is the “vicar”, Paul (Max Bowden), her bit on the side, who also unbeknown to her, is an undercover cop investigating the murder of Jonny’s first wife, Alex (fed to the pigs apparently). Truly, she was for the chop, you could say.
At your service: Max Bowden’s “vicar” Paul and Katie McGlynne’s “nun” Lisa in Murder At Midnight
Scenes are conducted in parallel, out of sight and hearing of each other, but not for us of course. All the while, Blake’s Shirley has a habit of turning up unannounced and seeing everything. Keep an eye on her; she turns out to be a suffocating mother in the vein of Greek tragedies as Blake gives the most rounded performance.
Betts weaves so many styles and strands into his comedy thriller, even cultural social comment (such as putdowns of Coldplay and class distinction), but without uniting them satisfyingly to find his own voice, and for all seasoned director Philip Franks’ own panache as a comedic actor, the timing is too often off in Act One. Everything has to work just that little bit too hard.
Act Two is slicker, wilder, more violent too, but frankly sillier as it descends into a modern-day Jacobean tragedy with the obligatory pile-up of bodies. There is a nagging feeling throughout that it could and should be so much better. Only Falconer’s set is top notch.
Is Torben Betts getting away with murder, on the evidence of two disappointing plays? Thursday’s matinee was packed, so the answer would appear to be yes. Hopefully, Murder instalment number three will be a killer, however.
Original Theatre in Murder At Midnight, York Theatre Royal, today at 7.30pm, tomorrow, 2.30pm and 7.30pm. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Susie Blake’s Shirley and Jason Durr’s Johnny ‘The Cyclops’ in Torben Betts’s Murder At Midnight at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Pamela Raith
A NEW crime caper and a ghost story, a clash of the blues and a Tommy Cooper tribute make their mark in Charles Hutchinson’s diary.
Deliciously twisted crime caper of the week: Original Theatre in Murder At Midnight, York Theatre Royal, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees
ON New Year’s Eve, in a quiet corner of Kent, a killer is in the house in Torben Betts’s comedy thriller Murder At Midnight, part two of a crime trilogy for Original Theatre that began last year with Murder In The Dark, this time starring Jason Durr, Susie Blake, Max Howden and Katie McGlynn.
Meet Jonny ‘The Cyclops’, his glamorous wife, his trigger-happy sidekick, his mum – who sees things – and her very jittery carer, plus a vicar, apparently hiding something, and a nervous burglar dressed as a clown. Throw in a suitcase full of cash, a stash of deadly weapons and one infamous unsolved murder…what could possibly go wrong? Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Alexandra Mather’s Polly Peachum in York Opera’s The Beggar’s Opera at The Citadel in York. Picture: John Saunders
Opera of the week: York Opera in The Beggar’s Opera, The Citadel, York City Church, Gillygate, York, tomorrow to Saturday, 7.30pm
YORK Opera stage John Gay and Johann Christoph Pepusch’s 1728 satirical ballad opera The Beggar’s Opera in an immersive production under the musical direction of John Atkin and stage direction of Chris Charlton-Matthews, with choreography by Jane Woolgar.
Watch out! You may find yourself next to a cast member, whether Mark Simmonds’ Macheath, Adrian Cook’s Peachum, Anthony Gardner’s Lockit, Alexandra Mather’s Polly Peachum, Sophie Horrocks’ Lucy Lockit, Cathy Atkin’s Mrs Peachum, Ian Thomson-Smith’s Beggar or Jake Mansfield’s Player. Box office: tickets.yorkopera.co.uk/events/yorkopera/1793200.
Natasha Jones, left, and Florrie Stockbridge in Clap Trap Theatre’s Blindfold at Helmsley Arts Centre
Ghost story of the week: Clap Trap Theatre in Blindfold, Helmsley Arts Centre, tomorrow, 7.30pm
RYEDALE company Clap Trap Theatre’s cast of Natasha Jones, Florrie Stockbridge and Cal Stockbridge presents Blindfold, a ghost story by BAFTA-nominated North Yorkshire playwright and scriptwriter Tom Needham.
In 1914, two boyhood friends went to fight for their country but only one came back. After the war, the surviving soldier and his sister encounter an old friend who was being haunted by the ghost of a young man in a blindfold. Now, 100 years later, the discovery of letters re-awakens the ghost. Who is he and what does he want? Piece by piece, the lives of the long dead are brought to life and heartbreaking truths begin to emerge. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Heidi Talbot: Introducing new album Grace Untold at NCEM
Folk gig of the week: Heidi Talbot, Grace Untold UK Tour, National Centre for Early Music, York, tomorrow, 7.30pm
IRISH folk singer Heidi Talbot returns to the NCEM stage to preview her November 21 album Grace Untold, a collection of songs based around Irish goddesses and inspirational women.
This is an album rooted in personal experience and collective lore as Heidi pays tribute to female strength, focusing on legendary figures and the unsung heroines within her own family. Box office: 01904 658338 or necem.co.uk.
Just like him: Daniel Taylor in the guise of Tommy Cooper at Milton Rooms, Malton
Tribute show of the week: Daniel Taylor Productions presents The Very Best Of Tommy Cooper (Just Like That), Milton Rooms, Malton, Friday, 7.30pm
PRODUCED and performed by award-winning West End and Unbreakable star Daniel Taylor, this 90-minute tribute show has the blessing of the Tommy Cooper Estate.
Recapturing the mayhem and misfiring magic of one of Britain’s best-loved entertainers, Taylor gives you a glimpse into the life of the comedy giant, celebrating his best one-liners, dazzling wordplay and celebrated tricks, including Glass/Bottle, Dappy Duck, Spot the Dog and Jar/Spoon. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Riverdance: The New Generation celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Irish dance phenomenon at York Barbican
Dance show of the week: Riverdance, 30th Anniversary Tour, York Barbican, Friday to Sunday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday and Sunday matinees
VISITING 30 UK venues – one for each year of its history – from August to December 2025, the Irish dance extravaganza Riverdance rejuvenates the much-loved original show with new innovative choreography and costumes, plus state-of-the-art lighting, projection and motion graphics, in this 30th anniversary celebration.
For the first time, John McColgan directs “the New Generation” of Riverdance performers, none of them born when the show began. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
The poster for Them Heavy Souls’ blues revue at Kirk Theatre, Pickering
Blues gig of the week: Them Heavy Souls, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, Saturday, 7.30pm
MARK Christian Hawkins, top session guitarist for 30 years, is a gun for hire stepping out of the shadows with his British blues rock revue show, featuring stage and screen actress Lucy Crawford on vocals (last spotted playing Miss Prism in York company’s Pop Your Clogs Theatre’s The Importance Of Being Earnest).
Playing music from the golden era of 1966 to 1975, Them Heavy Souls capture the power and magic of Led Zeppelin/Jimmy Page, Cream/Eric Clapton, Yardbirds/Jeff Beck, Humble Pie/Peter Frampton and Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, delivered with vintage guitars, amplification and a nod to improvisation. Box office: 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk.
Alex Hamilton: Leading his blues trio at Helmsley Arts Centre
The other blues gig of the week, on the very same night: The Alex Hamilton Band, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 8pm
GUITARIST Alex Hamilton is joined in his blues/rock/Americana trio by father Nick Hamilton on bass and Martin Bell on drums. He combines melodic rock vocals, hard-hitting lyrics and a heart-felt guitar technique, as heard on his albums Ghost Train, Shipwrecked and On The Radio, as well as in concert venues around the world. Box office: 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk.
Gunn in for you: Steve Gunn promotes his two 2025 albums at The Band Room this weekend. Picture: Paul Rhodes
Moorland gig of the week: Steve Gunn, The Band Room, Low Mill, Farndale, North York Moors, Saturday, 7.30pm
STEVE Gunn, the ambient psychedelic American singer-songwriter based in Brooklyn, New York, made his name as a guitarist in Kurt Vile’s backing band, The Violators. His myriad magical influences include Michael Chapman, Michael Hurley and John Fahey.
This weekend he will be showcasing his second album of 2025, Daylight Daylight, out on November 7 on No Quarter, as well as his first fully instrumental album, August’s Music For Writers. Box office: 01751 432900 or thebandroom.co.uk.
On being Normal: Henry Normal discusses himself at Helmsley Arts Centre
Normal service resumed: Henry Normal, The Slideshow, Helmsley Arts Centre, Sunday, 8pm
THE Slideshow, as poet, film and TV producer/writer Henry Normal explains, is a multi-MEdia spectacular with the emphasis on the “me” in his celebration of his “meteoric rise to z celebrity status”, together with his joyous and inevitable slide into physical and mental decline.
Expect poetry, photos, jokes, music, dance, song, circus skills, costume changes, props and stories, exploring where Normal went wrong in life, plus lessons you can learn from his mistakes, in his live performed memoir with cautionary verse. For tickets for this adventure into understanding the human condition from the inside, go to: helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Martha Tilston: Playing The Basement tonight at City Screen Picturehouse
CRIMINAL investigations and a brace of plays with murder at the core, Charles Hutchinson detects a theme to his latest recommendations.
Singer-songwriter of the week: Martha Tilston, The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse, York, tonight, 7.30pm
BORN in Bristol and now living in Cornwall, singer, songwriter and filmmaker Martha Tilston writes songs from the heart as a balm for the modern age.
Tilston, who has worked Zero 7, Damien Rice, Nick Harper, Kae Tempest and Aztec Camera’s Roddy Frame, combines raw vocals and sparkling melodies with thought-provoking lyrics and filmic movements, inviting her audience to “connect with longed-for parts of ourselves”. Box office: marthatilston.co.uk.
Jennifer Rees: Exploring stories of serial killers in forensic detail at the Grand Opera House, York
Criminal investigations of the week: Strange But True Crimes with Jennifer Rees, Grand Opera House, York, October 21, 7.30pm
FORMER forensics lecturer and Psychology Of Serial Killers presenter Jennifer Rees explores stories such as the serial killer who gained work in law enforcement while on the run – and ended up hunting himself.
Watch out too for the female, balloon-carrying killer clown, serial killers on game shows – how their appearances led to their identification – and many more stories. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Jason Durr’s Jonny ‘The Cyclops’, right, accosting the nervous burglar in Torben Betts’s comedy thriller Murder At Midnight. Picture: Pamela Raith
Deliciously twisted crime caper of the week: Original Theatre in Murder At Midnight, York Theatre Royal, October 21 to 25, 7.30pm plus 2pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees
ON New Year’s Eve, in a quiet corner of Kent, a killer is in the house in Torben Betts’s comedy thriller Murder At Midnight, part two of a crime trilogy for Original Theatre that began last year with Murder In The Dark, this time starring Jason Durr, Susie Blake, Max Howden and Katie McGlynn.
Meet Jonny ‘The Cyclops’, his glamorous wife, his trigger-happy sidekick, his mum – who sees things – and her very jittery carer, plus a vicar, apparently hiding something, and a nervous burglar dressed as a clown. Throw in a suitcase full of cash, a stash of deadly weapons and one infamous unsolved murder…what could possibly go wrong? Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
The Divine Comedy’s Neil Hannon: Showcasing new album Rainy Sunday Afternoon at York Barbican. Picture: Kevin Westerberg
Recommended but sold out already: The Divine Comedy, York Barbican, October 21, doors 7pm
IN the wake of composing all the original songs for the 2023 global blockbuster Wonka, North Irishman Neil Hannon has returned to his Divine Comedy guise for September 19’s Rainy Sunday Afternoon: album number 13 and his first studio set since 2019’s Office Politics.
Recorded at Abbey Road, London, the album was written, arranged and produced by Hannon, who covers his usual range of emotions: sad, funny, angry and everything in between. Hear Hannon songs new and old next Tuesday, when Studio Electrophonique will be the special guest. Box office, for returns only: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Katie Melia’s Show White in Steve Coates Music Productions’ Disenchanted, turning fairy tales on their head at the JoRo
Cheeky twist on fairy tales of the week: Steve Coates Music Productions in Disenchanted, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, October 22 to 25, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
KATIE Melia directs and leads the cast as Snow White in Steve Coates Music Productions’ production of Disenchanted, the musical with the feminist twist that turns fairy tales upside down, from the Little Mermaid hitting the bottle to Belle ending up in a straitjacket for chatting with the cutlery.
Forget the damsels in distress, Snow White, Cinderella and their royal crew want to set the record straight. Equipped with sass, wit, and powerhouse vocals, these not-so-princessy princesses flip the script, spill the tea and reclaim their stories as they challenge outdated happily-ever-afters. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Making an impression: Dead Ringers on 25th anniversary tour
Comedy nights of the week: Dead Ringers, October 22, 3pm and 7.30pm, and Nick Mohammed Is Mr Swallow: Show Pony, October 26, 8pm, both at Grand Opera, House, York
TO mark its 25th anniversary, BBC Radio 4’s topical satire show Dead Ringers takes to the road with a full UK tour for the first time as long-standing cast members Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Lewis MacLeod and Duncan Wisbey take a trip through classic sketches and unrivalled impressions, peppered with topical humour.
Celebrity Traitors competitor, Taskmaster contestant and Ted Lasso actor Nick Mohammed returns to York as his alter-ego Mr Swallow. Expect magic, music and new mistakes. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Harry Summers, left, and Emma Scott in rehearsal for York Shakespeare Project’s The Spanish Tragedy. Picture: John Saunders
Revenge drama of the week: York Shakespeare Project in The Spanish Tragedy, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, October 22 to 25, 7.30pm
PAUL Toy directs York Shakespeare Project for the fourth time – and the first since Troilus And Cressida in 2011– in “the most popular play of the Elizabethan era, outselling Shakespeare”: Thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy, the circa 1592 blueprint for the Revenge Tragedy genre.
No Kyd, maybe no Hamlet or The Duchess Of Malfi, as treachery, deceit and disguise are wrapped inside a torrid tale of vengeance-seeking ghosts, madness, a play-within-a-play and a Machiavellian villain, delivered by Toy with masks, music and dance. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Alexandra Mather’s Polly Peachum in York Opera’s The Beggar’s Opera. Picture: John Saunders
Opera of the week: York Opera in The Beggar’s Opera, The Citadel, York City Church, Gillygate, York, October 23 to 25, 7.30pm
YORK Opera stage John Gay and Johann Christoph Pepusch’s 1728 satirical ballad opera The Beggar’s Opera in an immersive production under the musical direction of John Atkin and stage direction of Chris Charlton-Matthews, with choreography by Jane Woolgar.
Watch out! You may find yourself next to a cast member, whether Mark Simmonds’ Macheath, Adrian Cook’s Peachum, Anthony Gardner’s Lockit, Alexandra Mather’s Polly Peachum, Sophie Horrocks’ Lucy Lockit, Cathy Atkin’s Mrs Peachum, Ian Thomson-Smith’s Beggar or Jake Mansfield’s Player. Box office: tickets.yorkopera.co.uk/events/yorkopera/1793200.
Heidi Talbot: Introducing November 21 album Grace Untold at NCEM on October 23
Folk gig of the week: Heidi Talbot, Grace Untold UK Tour, National Centre for Early Music, York, October 23, 7.30pm
IRISH folk singer Heidi Talbot returns to the NCEM stage to preview her November 21 album Grace Untold, a collection of songs based around Irish goddesses and inspirational women.
This is an album rooted in personal experience and collective lore as Heidi pays tribute to female strength, focusing on legendary figures and the unsung heroines within her own family. Box office: 01904 658338 or necem.co.uk.
Riverdance: The New Generation performs the Irish dancers’ 30th anniversary show at York Barbican
Dance show of the week: Riverdance, 30th Anniversary Tour, York Barbican, October 24 to 26, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday and Sunday matinees
VISITING 30 UK venues – one for each year of its history – from August to December 2025, the Irish dance extravaganza Riverdance rejuvenates the much-loved original show with new innovative choreography and costumes, plus state-of-the-art lighting, projection and motion graphics, in this 30th anniversary celebration.
For the first time, John McColgan directs “the New Generation” of Riverdance performers, none of them born when the show began. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
