Stan Graham's Leisure Guide for North and West Yorkshire
In 1975, Fawlty Towers was required television for those of us in our mid-twenties, as it provided what would now be called water cooler conversations at the office, the day after broadcast. There were only three channels so the odds were that the vast majority of colleagues would have seen it. Although not a great…
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At last, I get to see The Nutcracker from Northern Ballet, in fact it is the first time I have seen it performed by anyone. My appetite was whetted three years ago when I was fortunate enough to visit the home of the dance company to watch them rehearse for the 2022 version and write…
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I have said it before and I’ll say it again, a lot of opera is bonkers. Pass The Spoon is an exception, in that it is not sensible enough to be bonkers. I can’t remember having seen any performance as childishly unfunny as this in my life, in fact I have been to two Christmas…
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I saw this play when it last came to Leeds and so enjoyed it that I thought I would see if it had changed over the past three years and, if so, how. It was obvious that the cast had changed, but what about the show? Having just read my original article I realised that…
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This is the day that Christmas truly arrives for me and quite a few other reviewers, as it is our version of the office party; an event when we can get together and, for those so blessed, let our hair down. It is a pantomime like no other, as it is aimed at the more…
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It is years since I spent a Saturday afternoon in a library, in fact I was probably still at primary school having just enjoyed a swim in York Road Baths before nipping next door to take out a couple of books to see me through until the following week. Ah, the memories. Today I was…
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Sunday, 23rd November saw the final concert from Leeds Baroque Chorus & Orchestra in their 25th Anniversary Season, and what a way to finish it off. As with the first presentation of the year, we were at Clothworkers Centenary Concert Hall in Leeds University and the whole ensemble was present. St Cecilia, whose Feast Day…
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In the review of A Christmas Carol I expressed my, not exactly positive, view regarding classic works being gratuitously altered. I don’t wish to appear hypocritical by saying that I loved this musical, based on an opera by Puccini, Madama Butterfly, written as a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alan Boubill, but, at least they…
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Here we go with pantomime number two of the season, and this one is in Harrogate which means that like all good children, I should be home for bedtime. Are you listening, Santa! Like most pantos it is based on a fairy tale, a term coined in France by Madame d’Aulnoy in the late 17th…
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The Christmas show at Leeds Playhouse has always been one of the highlights of my theatregoing year, there have been any number of corkers, each treated with respect and presented in spectacular fashion. Sadly, this year’s effort is a let down, the annoying thing is that it needn’t have been. In my book, if you…
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Tyke It To The Limit 