Stan Graham's Leisure Guide for North and West Yorkshire
Bloody typical, you wait 72 years for a throat singer and then two come along at once! Unlike the Asian version I saw last week, this was of the African variety and only a single register, the deep growl, was sung at one time. Here it was employed in moderation unlike last week where it…
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Hedwig And The Angry Inch is a show which works on so many levels. It is a comedy, a tragedy, a rock show, a drag act and a parable all rolled into one. It is ostensibly a story of a genderqueer musician but is a metaphor for everyone who struggles with their identity for whatever…
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Looking at the credits for School of Rock – The Musical, I could think of no stranger pairing to come up with for this adaptation of the 2003 film than Lord Andrew Lloyd Weber and Julian Fellowes. It just goes to show that appearances are not everything and great talent is transferrable. I must not…
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When I told people that I was going to a concert of Tuvan Throat Singing at Howard Assembly Room on Friday their reactions generally fell into three categories; a roll of the eyes, a ‘What the … is throat singing?’ and ‘You do realise that Friday is April Fool’s Day’. There was a fourth which…
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At last we were able to see the World Premier of the new musical Say Yes To Tess. It was due to happen a couple of years ago but was one of the casualties of lockdown. It is the true story of an accidental female politician and, while no Evita, it was fun and just…
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It is worth a trip to Yeadon just to marvel at the restoration which the Town Hall has gone through. It is not just a nip, tuck and a shot of Botox, but the full Dolly Parton. The effect is stunning both inside and out, the Town Hall that is, I am not sure that…
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This year there is lots going on under the Opera North banner. The big operas staged in the Grand Theatre have mostly moved on to other venues but there is still one to come. Howard Assembly Room, however, is packed with great stuff. The final opera of the current season will be staged at Leeds…
Read MoreIn 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…
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After hosting a programme of opera and ballet in the months since Christmas, the wonderful Grand Theatre now moves on to the mixed bag of entertainment which we all know and love so much. There is plenty of variety, pardon the pun – which was intentional of course, with not only plays and musicals but…
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I seem to be spending a lot of time at Howard Assembly Room lately, for which I am truly grateful, especially when I get to see some of the country’s, nay world’s, best musicians and singers up close and personal. Such was the case last night when I witnessed a supreme performance by baritone Roderick…
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Tyke It To The Limit 