Eileen Walsh‘s TV psychic Sheila Gold in York Theatre Royal’s premiere of The Psychic. Picture: Manuel Harlan
DYSON and Nyman’s dark thriller world premiere and women sporting Holmes & Watson waxed moustaches tickle Charles Hutchinson’s fancy in his recommendations for the week ahead.
World premiere of the week: 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 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.
Laura Castle’s Dr John Watson in Neon Crypt’s The Hound Of The Baskervilles. Picture
Mystery thriller of the week: Neon Crypt in The Hound Of The Baskervilles, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
JOIN York company Neon Crypt for side-splitting stupidity, hot dog disguises and absolute terror in Jamie McKeller’s staging of Peepolykus co-artistic director John Nicholson’s incredibly high-brow adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s mystery The Hound Of The Baskervilles.
Sherlock Holmes (Laura McKeller) and Dr Watson (Laura Castle) must unravel the mysterious death of Sir Charles Baskerville, found dead on his estate with a look of terror still etched on his face and the paw prints of a gigantic hound beside his body. Look out for Michael Cornell popping up as Sir Henry and Sir Charles Baskerville and assorted meat-wielding Yokels. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Pop gig of the week: K-Pop All Stars, Grand Opera House, York, tonight, 7pm
RIDE the global K-pop wave with K-Pop All Stars’ explosive live celebration of the music, artists and Korean culture that is taking over the pop world. Feel the power of stadium-sized anthems, razor-sharp choreography and a cast that delivers every beat with precision and passion, performing hits by Blackpink, NewJeans, Katseye, BTS, Itzy, Stray Kids, Twice, Jung Kook and more. Cue light sticks glowing in the crowd. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Folk gig of the week: Dervish, National Centre for Early Music, Walmgate, York, tonight, 7.30pm
LEGENDARY Irish traditional folk music band Dervish, recipients of a BBC lifetime achievement award in 2019, have recorded and performed all over the world, playing at festivals from Rio to Glastonbury. Fronted by singer Cathy Jordan. the line-up of fiery fiddle, flute, bouzouki, mandola, bodhran and accordion delivers vibrant sets of tunes and compelling songs. Box office for returns only: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.
Tribute show of the week: The Steelers, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 8pm
THE Steelers, a nine-piece band of musicians drawn from around Great Britain, perform songs from iconic Steely Dan Steel albums Pretzel Logic, The Royal Scam, AJA and Goucho, crafted by Walter Becker and Donald Fagan since 1972.
Once described as “the American Beatles”, Becker and Fagan’s songs are noted for their clever lyrics and sophisticated arrangements. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Exhibition of the week: Ceri Jenkins, Through Darkness We Can Find A Light, Helmsley Arts Centre, until July 5
NORTH Yorkshire portrait and art photographer Ceri Jenkins’ exhibition is the culmination of her personal healing journey; showcasing powerful and evocative images that use light, reflections and mirror images to inform the narratives of mental health, overcoming trauma, abuse and addiction and to convey a profound message of hope.
Through Darkness We Can Find A Light explores how, when she felt surrounded and suffocated by falseness, subtle signs from the universe pointed Ceri in the direction of using her art and creativity to look within and find her own light in the darkness. This exhibition is a testament to her long-term mission to utilise art and creativity to promote and support natural healing in herself and others while inspiring us to seek inner peace. Opening hours: 10am to 2pm, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; Thursday, 11am to 2pm; Sunday, 11am to 3pm, plus during public events. Admission is free.
Solo show of the week: Ali Williams in Careless Talk, Helmsley Arts Centre, Friday 7.30pm
IN a true story of high treason, espionage, spam fritters, the only British person to be tried for treason in the Second World War takes to the stage for the first time in Ali Williams’s show. Was Mabel a collaborator? A visionary? Or just an outsider? Was she the victim of a witch hunt? Or the victim of her own uncompromising nature? Join Mabel on Sandown Beach with her secateurs, sequinned tassels and heartfelt, if misguided, self-belief.
This stage adaptation of James Friel’s novel Careless Talk.tale opens a dialogue on the justice system in this country: who does it protect, how and why? And what of those who fall through the net, the unpopular, the uncompromising? Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Children’s show of the week: English National Ballet & English National Ballet School, My First Ballet: Cinderella, Grand Opera House, York, Saturday, 10.30am and 2pm; Sunday, 1am 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.
But 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 by George Williamson and performed by English National Ballet School Graduate Artists Programme students. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.