Stan Graham's Leisure Guide for North and West Yorkshire
What would Christmas be without a dose of Dickens? Probably a lot merrier! Although the theme of the novel is one of redemption, it is still a dark work and not the stuff of sleigh rides and jingle bells. This interpretation, however, has jollied it up but I fear that it has dropped down the…
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La Petite Bohème is a sort of stylised pop video but for a piece of opera. I suppose that could make it an op video. I did indeed remind me of those wonderful pre-war animations which used to be shown on The Old Grey Whistle Test to give some obscure album track a bit of…
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I feel as though Santa Claus has delivered my Christmas present a couple of weeks early. I am sure that you will be thoroughly sick of my moaning about how streaming of opera and other theatrical performances comes nowhere near the live versions, well, this one certainly does! The reason for the success of this…
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I know that I am a little late with this but I have purposely waited so as to make sure that the events I am writing about are certain (or as certain as things can be these days) to take place. I am getting quite disheartened at the amount of emails I am receiving from…
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One of the benefits of the various lockdowns and restrictions is that we can still look forward to some of the events which would normally have been over and done with by now. One such treat which will take place between 19th and 28th March, 2021 is Compass Festival. The event was originally scheduled to…
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Oddly enough, Christmas is nearly upon us once more. Easter was cancelled, as were our summer holidays, so it is about time we had something to look forward to, and what could be more uplifting than a tale about an elderly miser. As an old Yorkshireman it certainly works for me! Leeds Playhouse are in…
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‘Twas the night before lockdown, which meant that the elevation of Leeds into Tier 3 of the government’s alert level was suspended and we remained in Tier 2 thus people from the same household or support bubble could go to the theatre one last time before returning to house arrest. There could be no more…
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I went to see this production in sombre mood after having been out for lunch the previous day to what was my local pub when I lived at Candle House in Granary Wharf. It was 1.45pm on a Friday so I had booked a table but when I arrived I entered to the sound of…
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The rapper and playwright Testament gave a performance with members of the Orchestra of Opera North and the result was stunning. Could it be the world’s first Hip Hopera? I have to say that even at the tender age of 71 I am quite the fan of rap now that it has evolved into a…
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Samuel Beckett is one of the quirkiest playwrights of his, or any other, time. Although he was Irish he wrote his early plays in French and one of his works featured the leading actress buried up to her waist throughout the performance. Even he would be surprised at the way this performance panned out. Krapp’s…
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Tyke It To The Limit 