Yorkshire & Humber Archives - Page 9 of 47

Jesus Christ Superstar – Hull Musical Theatre Company

10Jul

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Jesus Christ Superstar – Hull Musical Theatre Company

Nobody likes a snitch. And the most famous snitch of all was sensationally brought to life by the talented members of Hull Musical Theatre Company in their production of Jesus Christ Superstar, on the stage of Middleton Hall, Hull University. The snitch in question, of course, is Judas Iscariot, who famously betrayed Jesus Christ for the princely sum of 30 pieces of silver. As we in the audience settled into our very comfortable seats on Wednesday night, our chatter died as the lights dimmed and an amazing guitarist, on a walkway high up at the back of the stage, began to play rock, leading to the other musicians joining in, under the guidance of musical director Rebecca Barques. As the strains of rock died away, woodwind, horn, trumpet, keyboards, percussion, guitars, bass and dr...

1Jul

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Chicago – Hull New Theatre

Ten very talented musicians, led by fun-loving maestro Neil MacDonald, opened Chicago the Musical at Hull New Theatre on Monday evening – or at least, one of the three trumpeters did. But all ten played an enraptured audience out at the show’s end, with the aforementioned maestro encouraging us to wave our arms in the air to the music. Such talents are often hidden away in a theatre’s orchestra pit, so for these musicians to be on stage for the duration was a joy. All the action takes place in 1920s Chicago, Illinois, mostly in the women’s block of the Cook County Jail, after unfaithful housewife and nightclub dancer Roxie Hart (Janette Manrara, of Strictly Come Dancing fame) is held there pre-trial for murdering her lover. The stage designers of this amazing production cleverl...

Through It All Together – Leeds Playhouse

29Jun

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Through It All Together – Leeds Playhouse

In theatrical circles stories from the world of football seem to be very much in vogue at present, already in 2025, I have reviewed “Red or Dead’ at Liverpool Royal Court and the smash UK touring production of ‘Dear England’ in Salford. Completing my personal hat trick is ‘Through It All Together’ a poignant and funny new play from local Leeds writer Chris O’Connor, which explores the subject of dementia through the lens of a family's passion for Leeds United and their manager Marcelo Bielsa. We join the action in the Summer of 2018 with Howard (Reece Dinsdale), Sue (Shobna Gulati) and their daughter Hazel (Natalie Davies) struggling to cope following Howard’s recent diagnosis with Dementia. Howard forgets little things, like where the milk is in the kitchen; he also constantly repeats ...

26Jun

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Kinky Boots – Sheffield Lyceum

The Sheffield Lyceum gets Kinky this week with the iconic Red Boots, and sass galore graces its stage. Inspired by true events, Kinky Boots takes you from the anything but glamorous 'Price and Son' shoe factory in Northampton to the dazzling catwalks of Milan in this sassy, vivacious and heart warming tale of true British grit with catchy songs by Tony and Grammy Award winning eighties pop princess, Cyndi Lauper and a Book by Harvey Fierstein. With exceptional choreography on this tour by Leah Hill and pacey precise direction by Nikolai Foster adding to strong and full score under the Musical supervision of George Dyer, Kinky Boots both technically and in production is a touring tapestry of tease and tenderness. Set and costume Design by Robert Jones is in situ and avoids unnecessary...

Dear Evan Hansen – Grand Opera House, York

25Jun

By Abigail PendleburyNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Dear Evan Hansen – Grand Opera House, York

An emotional and thought-provoking masterclass. Dear Evan Hansen at the Grand Opera House York, was one of the most emotionally resonant and beautifully staged productions I've ever seen. From the moment the lights dimmed and the opening chords of “Waving Through a Window” echoed through the theatre, it was clear we were in for something special. The cast delivered powerful, nuanced performances that held the audience in rapt attention from start to finish. Ryan Kopel’ portrayal of Evan brought a vulnerability and raw honesty to the role that made his journey incredibly moving as well as hugely relatable to most audiences. His vocal performance was both delicate and commanding, effortlessly navigating the show’s emotionally charged score, and the sensitivity of Evan trying to find hi...

Five Shorts and a One-Act Play – Bilton Theatre

5Jun

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Five Shorts and a One-Act Play – Bilton Theatre

Joining the queue to enter the Bilton Theatre on Wednesday evening, for Bilton Amateur Dramatic Society’s (BADS), production, Five Shorts & A One-Act Play, it was obvious this talented group of performers had, once again, succeeded in drawing in the crowds. No mean feat for a society that is over 70 years old! After showing my ticket, giving my drink order (tea or coffee, plus biscuits, included in the £10 ticket price), I took my seat on Row G and waited for curtain up. First up, The Pub Play or “Did We Win?”, a comedy by Doc Watson, featured befuddled playwright (Patrick Wilkinson) who, while trying to write an award-winning play, ropes in an equally befuddled actress (Ailsa Oliver) to achieve his goal. Pub-goer Nick Northcott-Orr ends up just as befuddled as the other two a...

Sh*t Life Crisis – Polar Bear Music Club

30May

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Sh*t Life Crisis – Polar Bear Music Club

“We won’t ask you to get up and sing into a microphone” - these words printed under the What to Expect section in the programme for Sh*t Life Crisis were music to my “hate audience participation” ears. But what did I do on Thursday evening when invited to sing into a microphone during the show? I instantly ignored my misgivings and sang the words I LOVE IT at the top of my tuneless voice, during a karaoke sequence. But I’m jumping ahead. I was at the Polar Bear Music Club in Hull to watch the performance presented by local theatre company, Silent Uproar. Arriving early at the venue, my first visit there, I and my theatre buddy sister were invited to relax in a back room while sound checks etc took place - a back room that wouldn’t have looked out of place a century ago. We ...

Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) – Leeds Grand Theatre

28May

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) – Leeds Grand Theatre

I have to confess I’ve always found Regency novels like Pride & Prejudice excruciatingly boring but this tongue in cheek romp through Jane Austen’s masterpiece is the exact opposite. The vague premise of the show is that we see the antics of the Bennet family, and assorted posh folk in Meryton, from the perspective of the servants. Isobel McArthur who loosely adapted the novel uses that device to allow five incredibly hardworking and funny women the chance to play all the characters as they hurtle on and off stage. This show is in the best traditions of British farce, which probably has some Austen superfans clutching their pearls in disgust, especially as our Bennet girls are a bit potty mouthed. However, if you’re not a tiresome snob then it’s a chance to enjoy a ribald trip th...

21May

By NewsdeskNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

& Juliet – Sheffield Lyceum

& Juliet storms the Sheffield Lyceum this May, with the west-end blockbuster reframing the classic romantic tragedy to great effect. Ironic gender-bending, scenes of female empowerment married to laddish disruption, there is something for everyone here. Soundtracked to Swedish pop-anthem writer Max Martin, songs from the catalogues of the Backstreet Boys and Bob Jovi to Jessie J and Katy Perry boom from Verona to Shoreditch. It’s a journey worth taking for partygoers and story-lovers alike. The design of this show is particularly astounding. Audiences are treated to perhaps one of the most dynamic and alive sets they’re likely to see on stage. Stellar skylines are transient and embellish the shifting fixtures beautifully. The lighting design is also ambitious, bold and handled effec...

15May

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Boys From the Blackstuff – Leeds Grand

‘Gizza a job. Go on, gizza job. I can do that.’ That desolate plea for help from a broken Yosser Hughes helped make Boys From the Blackstuff one of a series of epochal TV series that marked out the newly created Channel 4 as the nation’s social conscience as our industrial heartlands were decimated by Thatcherism. Scouser Alan Bleasdale used all five episodes of his 1982 BAFTA winning masterpiece to follow a bunch of unemployed former asphalt layers - gentle Chrissie, young buck Loggo, wise George, sensible Dixie and Yosser who is prone to headbutting people – who are desperately trying to keep their heads above water working on building sites while claiming the dole as Liverpool’s industries die around them. Bleasdale used these desperate and often broken men as a metaphor for the m...