Stan Graham's Leisure Guide for North and West Yorkshire
It’s that time of year again when the Opera North Winter Season begins. The various environmental groups will be pleased to read that it has been renamed The Green Season as all of the productions conform to the Theatre Green Book standards which sets out new benchmarks for sustainability. What might upset them though is…
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As usual, Leeds Playhouse brings us shows and events which are a little out of the ordinary. The range is enhanced even more this year with their hosting of one of the most significant festivals in the country. We begin, however, on 13th – 16th September with a play in the Courtyard called The House…
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The back end of the year is a busy time for this iconic Leeds institution. There are no less than 53 visitors to its (steeply forward sloping) stage between now and the New Year. I must apologise to artists I don’t mention for only being able to pick what I consider to be highlights. You…
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Back in the 1990s it was not uncommon for a group of colleagues to pop into Jacob’s Well – yes, I did work in Bradford – for a relaxing pint or two of proper beer after a hard day drinking tea. One evening there were some people in a corner who were obviously in the…
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I don’t think that I have ever had such a difficult time watching a play, especially one with a comic element. I had to take a moment or two to gather myself before I could leave my seat at the interval. Causing me to be late for a free glass of red wine at half…
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I can’t believe that it is over three years since I saw this show at Leeds Playhouse, how time flies when you are in a pandemic. In the interim it has undergone a total cast change and, after touring the country’s theatres, it has enjoyed a successful run in the West End. This production has…
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Now here’s a novelty, Mikron Theatre Company performing in a real theatre! They normally put on their shows in the most unlikely places such as allotments, museums (should that be musea?), pubs, village halls, allotments and even a lifeboat station. I have seen two of their productions before, one in a working men’s club (the…
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After a break in proceedings I returned to the fold to see the touring production of Sister Act. As it happens, the musical has also had an enforced hiatus so we both resumed normal service together. Actually, it wasn’t quite normal service for either of us as the show began, and ended, 20 minutes late…
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Some months ago a good friend of mine asked if I had seen the film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. I replied in the negative and he said that he highly recommended it so, as we seem to share the same taste in quite a few things, especially red wine, I caught it the next…
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Three Prime Ministers, two Monarchs, strikes and a pending nuclear war. What do we want to end the year – PANTO! Oh yes we really do! If ever we needed to forget everything and revert to childhood for a couple of hours then the time is now. Simon Nock and his cohorts were back to…
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Tyke It To The Limit 