North East & Yorkshire

Writer: Willy Russell Director: Glen Walford Reviewer: Janet Jepson It is a tribute to the writer Willy Russell that the phrase “doing a Shirley Valentine” has captivated the imagination of almost every middle-aged woman on the planet. Who doesn’t dream of escaping the drudgery of everyday life with a long-term husband who barely notices you’re there, and grown-up kids who ...

Book: Richard Morris & Dick Scanlan New Music: Jeanine Tesori New Lyrics: Dick Scanlan Director: Racky Plews Musical Director: Rob Wicks Reviewer: Rob Atkinson On the face of it, the traditional “boy meets girl, they have issues, but end up happy ever after” musical theatre story is unlikely to be aided by the addition of a subplot around what they ...

Writer: Charlotte Brontë Director: Sally Cookson Music: Benji Bower Reviewer: Beverley Haigh 2017 marks the 170th anniversary of the first publication of Charlotte Brontë’s most famous work. Fittingly, Bristol Old Vic in collaboration with The National Theatre has brought Sally Cookson’s devised adaptation to the stage in a ground-breaking reimagining for modern audiences. As an enduring and landmark piece of ...

Writer: John Godber Director: Sheila Carter Designer: Graham Kirk Reviewer: Ron Simpson For 12 years Esk Valley Theatre, in the persons of co-founders Mark Stratton and Sheila Carter, has brought high-quality small-cast theatre to the North York Moors by taking over Glaisdale’s Robinson Institute for the month of August for its annual production. Now EVT has expanded its scale, in ...

Writer: Michael Morpurgo Adapter: Samuel Adamson Directors: Timothy Sheader and Dale Rooks Reviewer: Ron Simpson The Children’s Touring Partnership is halfway through a four-month tour of the Chichester Festival Theatre/Regent’s Park Theatre production of Running Wild, a wonderfully elaborate production to take on the road. It is advertised as being for six-year-olds upwards, and Michael Morpurgo, Samuel Adamson and the ...

Writer: Willy Russell Producer: Adam Spiegel Director: Glen Walford Reviewer: Rob Atkinson There can be few theatrical challenges more daunting than a one-person show, the spectacle of a lone actor taking on the responsibility for the entertainment of a whole audience over the span of a couple of hours. When that show consists of what is essentially an extended monologue, ...

Directed by: Jack Ryder Written by: Simon Beaufoy Reviewer: Ruth Jepson If you have passed the back of the Lyceum in Sheffield in the past fortnight, you will have been treated to the sight of Gary Lucy’s pert, five-foot-tall bottom. Which can only mean one thing: The Full Monty has made its triumphant return to Sheffield following a hugely successful ...

Conductor: Adrian Leaper Soloist: Jack Liebeck (violin) Reviewer: Ron Simpson The final concert of the Orchestra of Opera North’s Kirklees season was repeated at Leeds Town Hall as part of the Leeds International Orchestral Season. Three major pieces, all composed in the half century from 1880, explored in different ways the life and landscapes of the remoter and more rugged ...