Stan Graham's Leisure Guide for North and West Yorkshire
In 1974 I was at the flicks when there was a gasp from the audience as the whole place began to shake. The reason was that it was an old cinema which had been converted into a double screen place and the movie showing in the other auditorium was called Earthquake. It used a new…
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The Opera North Winter/Spring Season has kicked off with a classic. La traviata by Verdi has all the the core ingredients of an opera; forbidden love, death, redemption, family fall-outs, big scenes, quiet moments and bangin’ tunes! The story is that of a glamorous Parisienne courtesan, Violetta, who, let’s just say, enjoys a good night…
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Thursday, 29th September sees the start of the 2022-23 Opera North Season with a staging of La traviata at Leeds Grand Theatre. I have taken my posh frock to the cleaners in anticipation. This is the first of six operas being staged between now and next March with a mixture of classic and less well…
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When I walked into Howard Assembly Room on Sunday afternoon I thought that I had accidentally stumbled into a yoga class, with mats laid on the floor. It then dawned on me that this concert was part of their Wellbeing Weekend, so any thoughts of being made to squeeze this rather ample body into lycra…
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I must admit to being a bit wary of going to see this production as the press release made it sound über-woke and I am getting a bit tired of classics being manipulated to reflect the attitudes of today, rather than the time in which they were written. As it turned out, this adaptation worked…
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I doubt that there is any such thing as the perfect musical but in my book this is about as close as it gets. I saw it a few years ago before I set up this website and I was impressed then but I was blown away by last night’s performance. Speaking to other reviewers…
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There is a school of thought which propounds the theory that if you do something, you should follow it through without compromise in order for it to be a success. Bugsy Malone The Musical proves this to be true by making a huge compromise thus ruining a great idea. This stage musical, as you would…
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I must admit that Joan as Police Woman is not someone I had come across before. I put that down to getting most of my new music from the TV, my ablution-accompanying radio in the bathroom being tuned to Radio 3 nowadays, and I don’t recall her being on Jools Holland’s Later. When I delved…
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We are coming to the time of year when Opera North gets into full swing with its major productions. Once again they will be at Leeds Grand Theatre so ambiance will not be found wanting. There is a theme this year with, not only a ‘reimagined’ version of Monteverdi’s Orpheus, but also a performance of…
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During the 1940s when times were more innocent, there was a phenomenon known as Sweater Girls. They were female film stars who wore tight-fitting jumpers in order to accentuate their figures for publicity photographs. When I was invited to see Jersey Boys I thought that the days of gender inclusivity had caught up and there…
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Tyke It To The Limit 