Stan Graham's Leisure Guide for North and West Yorkshire
Leeds is staging its inaugural Jazz Festival this year at various venues throughout the city. I got into the swing – literally – at the Free Stage on Cookridge Street on a sunny Friday afternoon. The whole shebang started on 1st June, so I had arrived fashionably late, but there are still a lot of…
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Should you ever meet Richard Wagner in another life I suggest that you greet him by just saying ‘Hello’. I get the feeling that if you ask ‘How are you?’ you will spend a couple of days listening to his answer. He is the Cecil B DeMille of opera, taking as much time as he…
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Last Saturday we were treated to a programme of classical music performed by violinist Tai Murray and pianist Martin Roscoe. Tai Murray is an American violinist who made her professional concert debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the tender age of nine! She went on to study at Indiana University and the Juilliard School…
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Come on now, who doesn’t just love an afternoon tea. This is not just any afternoon tea, but a special one to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. How many people do you know who have been in the same 24/7 job for 70 years, just the one I suspect, so why not celebrate…
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I normally try to post my reviews the day after I have seen the event but The White Card requires so much research and re-editing that it has taken me far longer than normal to put finger to keyboard and press ‘Publish’. As you will deduce from the opening paragraph, this is not a play…
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When I got notice of this event, I thought all of my birthdays had come at once. Actually, it wasn’t my birthday, but Mikron Theatre Company’s 50th, which was being celebrated with a performance of a new play by Lindsay Rodden called Red Sky At Night. Not only did we get the play but also…
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On Saturday 14th May I went along to what must have been Leeds’ best kept secret. I had stumbled across mention of this event when looking on-line for something else, but when I tried to find out more there was scant information. I couldn’t even find the original source. I had recalled that the do…
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Rarely have I left a theatre as moved as I was last night after the performance of Maggie May. I am not saying that everyone will feel the same but the subject matter and the way it was handled certainly hit a nerve. The play was originally scheduled to be performed before the pandemic but…
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This is the second time I have seen Chicago, the first being in the West End in 2002. I mention this because it somewhat affects my judgement of the show. From the opening number, All That Jazz, I became a bit misty eyed as my companion in London was my late mother, so the memories…
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It is amazing how one small act of kindness can lift your mood in a spectacular way. Last Saturday night I was booked to see the above concert in Leeds and so, as I have had some disastrous experiences with Harrogate Bus Company’s 36 recently, I set off ridiculously early to get there in time.…
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Tyke It To The Limit 