In keeping with its original roots, the City Varieties has a host of one-night stands lined up over the coming months. There are so many of them that I would be sitting here typing until it was time to do my Autumn/Winter Previews.
I have decided to take the easy way out and highlight a few of the – well, highlights – and put a link at the end where you can get the full list of runners and riders.
When it comes to comedy there are some of the biggest names in the business appearing; Paul Merton’s Improv Chums are there on 1st April – honest, they really are. Gill Sims, the author and Sunday Times columnist, will be releasing her maternal angst in her soiree entitled Tits, Gits and Little Shits. She seems to have this mothering lark off to a tee. John Shuttleworth’s Back Again on 18th May followed by Dom Joly on 26th and Gyles Brandereth on 29th.
June begins with Count Arthur Strong on 4th, Mark Watson on 5th and Joanne McNally on the 10th. Patrick Kielty brings his show Borderline on 18th and there is An Evening OUT with Andy Hamilton on 19th. Shaparak Khorsandi: IT WAS THE 90’s – these summer comedians do like upper case in their show titles – is on 3rd July and summer is wrapped up by Siobhan Phillips: Live and Unhinged on 27th August.
As far as music is concerned, there is a stellar line up. It begins with The Fureys: Legends of Irish Music and Song on 24th March, Crooners on 31st and A Feast of Fiddles on 7th April, so that’s what accountants get up to in the evening! The legend that is Gilbert O’Sullivan brings his Just Gilbert show to the stage on 8th April, closely pursued on 9th by the 80s band China Crisis on their 40th Anniversary Tour. Nick Lowe is appears on 12th April, is there no end to the parade of chart toppers – not ‘arf pop pickers.
May sees us get all folky on 10th with Steeleye Span on their 50th Anniversary Tour, and Fairport Convention on 24th, who are not celebrating anything really. 14th May has Steve Harley Acoustic Band: Uncovered. 28th May is one for your diary when the brilliant Emily Sandé: Brighter Days Tour (plus special guests) arrives. We could certainly do with some of those just now.
Legend is a word which is overused nowadays, especially by people promoting tours, and we who write about them, but it certainly applies to the chap who appears on 31st May when there is An Evening With Jimmy Webb, who has written some of the best, and most famous songs of all time. By The Time I Get To Phoenix, MacArthur Park and Wichita Lineman being just a very small selection.
If you are thinking of attending on 11th June then I suggest putting a flameproof suit on as we have The Crazy World of Arthur Brown: A Human Perspective. Could the God of Hell Fire actually be human?
The summer sun sinks slowly into the west, literally and figuratively, in August when the country artists Marty Stewart visits on 25th August and Gretchen Peters with special guest Kim Richey performs on 29th.
Other visitors include Andrew Newton – the Hypnotist LIVE! Not just the comedians with upper case then, on 17th March. On 5th April we have Dracula – A New Adaptation by James Gaddas. An appropriate time to be talking about bloodsuckers as it is the last day of the tax year. ANCESTORS: An Evening with Alice Roberts is on 27th April and Dr Rangan Chatterjee in conversation: Happy Mind, Happy Life is on 5th May. Craig Revel Horwood presents his All Balls & Glitter Tour on 7th May and, in total contrast, there is a live screening from the National Theatre of Henry V on 11th. I have tried googling but can’t find out what the V stands for.
Anyway, that is a tase of the Spring and Summer at Leeds City Varieties Music Hall. Enjoy – sorry ENJOY.
As promised, full details of the Spring/Summer Season and beyond are available at https://leedsheritagetheatres.com/whats-on/?theatre=city-varieties-music-hall
Tyke It To The Limit 