Stan Graham's Leisure Guide for North and West Yorkshire
Tragedy – no, not a documentary about the BeeGees in their disco phase, but one about the less glamorous aspects of an Opera North production. I have to say that I have been a little disappointed by some of the streamed theatre and opera productions during lockdown. A couple of them which I have loved…
Read More
Now here’s an offer you don’t get every day. How would you like to sing in an Opera North choir? From Couch to Chorus is a new initiative set up by Opera North to get people involved in singing in a programme of choruses from three operas; The Bartered Bride by Smetana, The Chorus of…
Read More
I am writing this on a Friday teatime when I should be debating whether or not to get ready for a stroll to a local boozer. This is not the kind of decision to be rushed into so I would take my time before having a spruce up for my trip out. Although I miss…
Read More
This is the nearest you will get to having your lockdown locks tended to for quite some time, unless you are self-isolating with a hairdresser. The National Theatre are screening a never-before-seen archive recording of Inua Ellams’ Barber Shop Chronicles which is a Leeds Playhouse and Fuel co-production and is one of my absolute favourite…
Read More
If you think that you don’t like opera, take a look at this. Opera North are streaming Trouble in Tahiti by Leonard Bernstein on their YouTube channel from 7.00pm on Wednesday, 6th May until Monday, 1st June. This production was first performed at Leeds Grand Theatre in October, 2017 as part of their Little Greats…
Read More
One of the things I was looking forward to before the C word struck was a performance by The Orchestra of Opera North of Also Sprach Zarathustra, which was due to take place in Leeds Town Hall and Huddersfield Town Hall. They always say that you can tell if someone is cultured by how they…
Read More
Let me take you back to September 1956. There was a queue of young children waiting to start their school year, but it was not just the first year’s intake who felt nervous and excited about starting at a new school, it was all of them, as well as the teachers and even the Headmaster,…
Read More
Thursday, 13th February saw the launch of Leeds International Festival 2020, and where better to stage the event than the fabulous Corn Exchange. The event spans 10 days and comprises 29 events with 45 speakers held in 13 venues throughout the city. I am in grave danger of making this article sound like the minutes…
Read More
There is an old saying that a second marriage is the triumph of hope over experience. If that is true I must be an incurable optimist as on Friday I had my second marriage in less than a week. After seeing The Marriage of Figaro by Opera North at the Grand Theatre on 1st February…
Read More
Green Eggs and Ham. No, not the latest environmentally friendly brunch fad but Opera North’s performance for all the family based on the Dr Seuss book of the same name. The performance lasts for 45 minutes and will be staged at Room 700, Leeds Central Library on 15th February at 11.00am and 2.00pm. The piece,…
Read More