Stan Graham's Leisure Guide for North and West Yorkshire
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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2025 seems to be the year of Lewis Carroll’s Alice books insofar as Leeds is concerned. After the spectacular Wonderland Awaits installations throughout the City during the school holidays, we now have the Joss Arnott Dance presentation of Meet The Hatter, the headgear wearing character from the pen of Charles Dodgson. On looking at his…
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This past six weeks or so have been a case of feast or famine insofar as the world of theatre is concerned. August was definitely a famine – and drought – with only one engagement in the whole month; September, however, brings the feast – and the rain! When it comes to feasts there can…
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I have immense admiration for people who have a vision and the commitment to follow it through to fruition. Such is the case of Andrew McNicol, who wanted to shake up the UK ballet scene by ‘incorporating diverse artistic perspectives and global innovations, promoting Ballet’s enduring vitality, power and relevance.’ I have no doubt that…
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Jane Eyre was not a novel on the reading list of a slum kid from East Leeds in the 1950s even though it was written by a Yorkshirewoman about an orphan girl who grew up in hardship. My first encounter with Ms Eyre was a television adaptation in 1963 on a small black and white…
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What the Dickens would Christmas be without A Christmas Carol in some form or another. This year we were treated to a wonderful performance of the classic by Northern Ballet, Directed and Devised by Christopher Gable CBE and Choreographed by Massimo Moricone to Music by Carl Davis. A formidable trio indeed. For those of you…
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Had someone told me, even three years ago, that I would get hooked on ballet I would have been a bit sceptical as, although the music is usually really good, I don’t speak the language of dance. If they had laboured their point and included modern ballet I would have been even more doubtful. Now,…
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This is the shortest preview I will be doing as the productions have fairly long runs rather than being one night stands – on points obviously – and then go on tour. The prime example is Romeo and Juliet, which I had the pleasure of attending in March but is still going strong now, and…
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It is not as if we needed an excuse to go to the magnificent Leeds Grand Theatre, apart from the programme of events, but this September sees its reopening following a makeover, and I can’t wait to see how the place has changed. The re-opening date is 5th September with a series of one night…
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After my first visit to see a full ballet, Romeo And Juliet, I was wondering whether they were all as good as that. Beauty And The Beast has convinced me that they probably are! Once again I was in awe of the performers, the orchestra and the creatives. Not being a regular ballet buff, I…
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Tyke It To The Limit 