Stan Graham's Leisure Guide for North and West Yorkshire
Only a week to go until this year’s edition of LIFI and the tickets, what is left of them, are selling like, well – hot tickets! It is hardly any wonder given the wide variety of subjects to be covered and the stellar names discussing them. The format has evolved over the years and settled…
Read More
Another Harrogate Theatre Drama Season draws to a close with this piece by Michael Morpurgo, best known for writing War Horse, which I have enjoyed both on stage and as a film. This one-man play is also set at the beginning of the last century and covers action in England and on the First World…
Read More
Leeds Playhouse are definitely hitting the ground running after the summer break. Following last week’s offering, Fences, I was back to see A Tale of Two Cities, the classic from Charles Dickens. It had been adapted for the stage by Terrance Rattigan and John Gielgud, so had good credentials. I have never read the book,…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
