Stan Graham's Leisure Guide for North and West Yorkshire
At lunchtime on 26th May, 1967 a group of us sent our friend David to Valances Record and Electrical Shop in what is now Dortmund Square. We were at Park Lane College, which had just changed its name from Leeds College of Commerce, and we had entrusted him with our spending money as he had…
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My life seems to have been a series of happy, and sometimes, unhappy accidents, but I have always been able to put a spin on the latter to obtain a positive outcome. What happened on Wednesday evening was most certainly in the former category. I was sitting in the cafe at Leeds Playhouse grabbing a…
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After a fallow period of events, the old favourites have returned from their summer break and are coming thick and fast. The latest reappearance is Kirklees Concert Season from Opera North, but more specifically, the Lunchtime Concerts at Dewsbury Town Hall. I discovered these earlier this year, just in time for the end of the…
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I am afraid that this is going to be one of my shorter reviews. That may come as music to your ears but I like to give value for money to the various establishments who allow me in to pass judgement on their productions, whatever they are. The reason for my brevity is that I…
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I was so pleased to be back at Howard Assembly Room I even changed my plans for a weekend away at an old friend’s in Lincolnshire so that I could see this event on Friday and travel on Saturday morning. It was a win/win as I got to see four amazing acts and he and…
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Well, that’s the last time I complain about the punctuality of the 36 from Harrogate to Leeds. Last night I got on board a shuttle from Leeds Bus Station and didn’t arrive at Allerton Bywater until 27 years later in 2050. I must be in line for a heck of a payout in compensation, although,…
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At last, after all of these years visiting, and latterly writing about, the theatre, I get to see the longest running production in history. The play opened in the West End of London on 25th November, 1952 at the Ambassadors Theatre, where it stayed until 1974 when it moved next door to the St Martin’s…
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After a break in proceedings during the summer, the amazing Howard Assembly Room, or, as I like to call it, home, is back with its usual mix of all kinds of music and special events. The season kicks off on Friday, 8th September with Resonance Showcase which will give an opportunity for performers supported through…
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Northern Ballet are providing us with a small, but beautifully formed, selection of performances between now and the end of the year. From 8th – 16th September they present Generations: Three Short Ballets, on their home ground in Leeds, at the Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre. This event breaks new ground in several senses as…
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I believe that, in life, timing is very important. Whether it is of the good variety or the bad. Unfortunately my visit to the Projecting Grief exhibition fell into the latter category. I have been in bitter dispute with my housing association since well before the pandemic and the strain had taken its toll on…
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Tyke It To The Limit 