Stan Graham's Leisure Guide for North and West Yorkshire
The Queens Hotel in City Square has occupied part of City Station since 1937, replacing one built by the Midland Railway in 1863. In those days most large termini had hotels constructed by the railway companies which served the respective town or city. The decision to erect this beautiful art deco structure was made when…
Read More
Of all the types of events I write about, I find art exhibitions to be the most challenging. When I look at a painting, sculpture or any other item in a gallery I resist the temptation to read the explanatory notice next to it until I have made my own interpretation. Invariably my take on…
Read More
When I got an invitation to a Scratch Night in Harrogate I thought, great, it is years since I went to a club with a cool DJ using a couple of decks to create a unique sound – it still is! Apparently, a scratch night in a theatrical context, is an event where writers and…
Read More
I feel as though I can now regard myself as a seasoned theatre writer after my visit to this show. It is the first one where I have been to both the world premier and the second version, which is described in the programme as, ‘featuring a re-imagined book and new music.’ The difference between…
Read More
I saw Penguin Cafe for the first time last September when I was so impressed that I made a mental note to watch out for their return. Just over a year later and here they are again, this time with an extra member of the band who began by playing balafon, an African version of…
Read More
I approached this evening with mixed feelings. I saw the film with my mum and dad as a seven-year-old when it was first released and I was bored stiff for most of the two and a quarter hours. The songs were good but the plot, what there is of it, left me cold. When I…
Read More
30th October and here I am writing about my first Christmas show of the season and all I can say is that the bar is now pretty high for the rest of them. Although it is aimed at the younger audience – 4 years and up – it is probably the most grown up thing…
Read More
Obviously there are not a lot of lilacs to be gathered in the middle of Dewsbury, this was the title of the latest in the Kirklees Concert Season from Opera North. It was a collection of English songs, although that was stretching things just a touch in a couple of cases. Traditional, and not so…
Read More
No, the small case ‘r’ in the title is not a mistake, Italian operas, I have recently found out, do not use upper case in titles except for the first letter in the sentence. You’re welcome. Regardless of the grammar, this is the third and final work in Opera North’s Green Season devoted to making…
Read More
This performance by Manchester Collective was not so much a concert as an event. Have seen them several times before at this great venue, the one thing I have learned to expect is the unexpected. It is not only the music which varies each time, but so does the line-up. Tonight it was Rakhi Singh,…
Read More
Tyke It To The Limit 