Stan Graham's Leisure Guide for North and West Yorkshire
We are being spoilt by Northern Ballet, this is the second incarnation of Three Short Ballets this year. The first, in May, featured works by two of the choreographers who were again represented this evening; Tiler Peck and Hans van Manen (I won’t repeat my White Van Manen joke from last time – oops!) the…
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This is not a play about a handler of stolen goods, although it is set in Pittsburgh, whose NFL team is called the Steelers – stealers – never mind. No, this is a very powerful work highlighting the plight of an African American family in 1957 who are at the crossroads between old school upbringing…
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The subtitle of this piece is The Johnny Cash Musical, and, as such would have been great, covering the life and times of one of America’s most iconic and colourful – even though he always wore black – country music characters. As the main title suggests, however, the show concentrated on his relationship with his…
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After my trip in the Tardis to 1943 on Tuesday, tonight I went back to the 1950s – I think. Dial M For Murder is a good old-school murder mystery – you don’t need to be Miss Marple to work that out – meaning there is nothing in the programme regarding the synopsis so as…
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After the plethora of American musicals which have recently graced the stage of the wonderful Grand Theatre, it was a refreshing change to witness a home-grown production. Not only was the show quintessentially British, but the story was of the nation’s ingenuity in a time of crisis i.e. the Second World War. That being the…
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The 2026 Harrogate Theatre Drama Season kicks off with a belter. It is a new work by Leeds playwright, Philip Stokes, and is set in Room 102 of the Grand Hotel, Brighton on 12th October, 1984 during the Conservative Party conference which was being held there. For those of you too young to remember, just…
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I saw this musical about five years ago and remember being very impressed, although, for the life of me, I couldn’t recall why, so put it down to age. I seem to be putting a lot of things down to age nowadays, including wine, so it could possibly have been that. As soon as it…
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As well as writing the stuff on here I do a monthly preview for Welcome to Leeds. In my August article I mused on this musical and wondered why some of the songs in the press release didn’t tally with the ones in the film. They were all written by Cole Porter but some of…
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It was great to cover an event within walking distance of home, especially on a summer evening. It did seem a bit incongruous, slapping on the factor 50 to go see a presentation which would obviously culminate in the details of this year’s pantomime, still, I thought to myself, enjoy it while you can –…
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What a great way to bring the inaugural Yorkshire Fringe to a close. I have always thought of Slung Low Shorts as a sort of mini fringe in itself, being a showcase for independent playwrights, actors and other creatives, to show their work to a live audience. The format is that there are six presentations,…
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