Stan Graham's Leisure Guide for North and West Yorkshire
Sunday, 23rd November saw the final concert from Leeds Baroque Chorus & Orchestra in their 25th Anniversary Season, and what a way to finish it off. As with the first presentation of the year, we were at Clothworkers Centenary Concert Hall in Leeds University and the whole ensemble was present. St Cecilia, whose Feast Day…
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In the review of A Christmas Carol I expressed my, not exactly positive, view regarding classic works being gratuitously altered. I don’t wish to appear hypocritical by saying that I loved this musical, based on an opera by Puccini, Madama Butterfly, written as a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alan Boubill, but, at least they…
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The Christmas show at Leeds Playhouse has always been one of the highlights of my theatregoing year, there have been any number of corkers, each treated with respect and presented in spectacular fashion. Sadly, this year’s effort is a let down, the annoying thing is that it needn’t have been. In my book, if you…
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Don’t look now, but it seems as though it’s nearly Christmas, and we all know what that means, yes, Pantotime! The first of this year’s offerings is Sleeping Beauty at Carriageworks, and gets things off to a great start. As you will have gathered, this show is based on the legend of Sleeping Beauty, which…
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On Wednesday I went to see The Book of Mormon – I find it helps to have seen something you are reviewing – and I must say that I was deeply offended. The show includes what are now regarded as taboo subjects, racism, FGM, bad language, blasphemy, sex and all manner of suggestive dancing. I…
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This is the second play about a football manager’s tenure I have seen this year. Both dealt with coaches who have approached the position with a totally fresh perspective leading to a marked improvement in the fortunes of their respective teams. I suppose if they had failed miserably then neither of the works would have…
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After the success of last year’s The Big Opera Adventure, comes The Big Opera Mystery. Once again all the stops had been pulled out and we (me and the other kids) were treated to an hour of crime busting, to detect who the villain was in a spate of thefts. It was obvious from the…
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On Monday, 20th March, 1967 I went to the Free Trade Hall in Manchester to see a folk duo who had just had their first taste of fame. The venue was almost empty with only about a quarter of the seats filled. On Friday, 17th October, 2025 I went to Howard Assembly Room in Leeds…
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Now, here’s another first – and second. This is the first time I have ever been to an event and my notebook remained unused, the main reason was because it was the second time I have seen this production of La bohème and I thought that I would sit and watch it in the same…
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My second helping of LIFI25 was a panel discussion concerning the plight of the hospitality industry in a swiftly changing world. Obviously the word ‘hospitality’ includes a multitude of sectors and there were top representatives from a selection of them on the stage this lunchtime. The travel industry was represented by Joanna Reeve, the UK…
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Tyke It To The Limit 