Stan Graham's Leisure Guide for North and West Yorkshire
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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Well, LeedsBID have only gone and done it again! After turning the city centre into a giant MONOPOLY game in 2024 and then Wonderland in 2025, 2026 sees them tackle Trivial Pursuit. The aim is the same, in that people are challenged with visiting various landmarks in order to answer a question and fill in…
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It’s not often I get to review a film so this was quite a nice change. OK, so it wasn’t a multibillion pound IMAX Hollywood action movie featuring every star in the galaxy, but a short whose main characters were every bit as impressive as Tom Cruise riding a motorcycle over the rim of a…
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Kiele Sacco, or Ki as she is known to her friends, and me, is an American harpsichordist based at Morley College, London, specialising in historical performance and early music. The concert began at 1.00pm which I suppose is pretty early really. The programme, being works from Renaissance England to refined French Baroque was perfectly suited…
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This is my second Yorkshire Fringe event and one which I hadn’t planned on seeing, until a friend of mine said that she had been speaking to a mate at New Headingley Club, who thought I might like to go along to review it. The reason I didn’t put it on my ‘must see’ list…
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Tyke It To The Limit 