Garth Marenghi’s TerrorTome: Book tour review

It’s a wet evening in York and Vikings are prowling the streets. For some men they might be a threat, but for Garth Marenghi, doom scriber and master of the macabre, they are but bearded weirdos. Why, dear reader is this review written in a manner of which the man himself might approve? Let me explicate. Continue reading

Ten Times Table: a fête worse than death

Directed by Robin Herford, Ten Times Table is the inaugural production of the Classic Comedy theatre company, produced by Bill Kenwright and his team behind other sister compaies: the Agatha Christie, the Classic Thriller, and the Classic Screen to Stage theatre companies – which between them have enjoyed over 15 years of theatrical success across the UK. Somehow, this relic script has long outlived its bedtime and appears to be reaping similar attention. Continue reading

The Nutcracker by Vienna Festival Ballet: dance review

Presented in the traditional style of a gouache Victorian Christmas card, Vienna Festival Ballet’s The Nutcracker fills the stage in York’s Grand Opera House with the height of Caucasian kitsch. Continue reading

Amanda Palmer ‘There Will Be No Intermission’: live music review

“I’m so happy I don’t have to do my show tonight,” breathes Amanda Palmer, the artist who makes no airs or graces about doing “exactly what the fuck you want”. Unflinching in her raw honesty, Palmer opens the evening’s entertainment with an acoustic ukulele serenade from the stage-left box, climbing out like Peter Pan and ambling, grinning, across the stage, taking in the room. She is here to live in the moment, because “the moment is real”. Continue reading

Blood Brothers: musical review

Bill Kenwright’s long-loved production of Blood Brothers returns to the Grand Opera House York with Lyn Paul in the iconic role of Mrs Johnstone for the final time, joined by Joel Benedict as Eddie, Danielle Corlass as Linda, Danny Taylor as Sammy and Chloe Taylor as Mrs Lyons. Alexander Patmore returns as Mickey alongside Robbie Scotcher as the narrator. Continue reading

An Evening with Armistead Maupin: love and other things we’ve been doing since the seventies

In his first ever UK tour, Fane Productions and Kilimanjaro present an evening with the bestselling, much-loved author and LGBTQ+ activist, Armistead Maupin. Continue reading

Great Yorkshire Fringe – The New Comedian of the Year Final: review

On the final Saturday of the Great Yorkshire Fringe, a crowd begins to shuffle into the Grand Opera House. Their clothes might be damp from the torrential rain, but their spirits are decidedly not as they take their seats for the final of The New Comedian of the Year. Continue reading

Austentatious: a folly universally acknowledged

A lithe ensemble cast consisting of comedy stars one can readily summon on YouTube takes the stage at the Grand Opera House York to present the West End smash hit improvised “lost Jane Austen novel” in Austentatious, as part of the Great Yorkshire Fringe. Continue reading