Sunny Afternoon: at Leeds Grand Theatre 24 to 28 February

When a grumpy reviewer who, if asked about musicals, would usually say “I don’t really like them generally,” comes away from tonight with a big smile on his face, then you know the cast and production team behind Sunny Afternoon have definitely hit the mark. It’s not a huge surprise that Ray Davies, the legendary […]
Snow White – balletLORENT at Leeds Playhouse on 20 and 21 February

An enchanting reimagining that proves ballet can captivate every generation. This was my children’s first experience of ballet, and what a way to begin! They were utterly captivated by this masterpiece, and honestly, so was I. balletLORENT’s Snow White, choreographed and directed by the immensely talented Liv Lorent, is an engrossing, visually arresting piece of dance […]
Mika and the Polar Bear: at The Riley Theatre on the 14th February

A child’s story, rendered in shades of black, white, and the red of young girl Mika’s (Janice Ho) coat, took place at Riley Theatre in Chapeltown on Valentine’s Day….. …..something that both I and the children who had gathered to watch couldn’t keep our eyes away from. ‘Mika and the Polar Bear’ is a dance […]
Opera North – Britten: Peter Grimes, at Leeds Grand Theatre 19 and 21 February

The celebrated musicologist, Hans Keller, first encountered the music of Benjamin Britten in the initial run of the composer’s first proper opera, Peter Grimes, at Sadler’s Wells in the summer of 1945. A musician by upbringing and psychoanalyst by education, Keller was astounded – apart from thinking it was to be a performance of Mozart’s Così Fan Tutte that night – at the dramatic depiction of a man, “a living conflict”, unwinding before […]
Community Panto Creating Community Joy

St Andrew’s Pantomime Group’s Pinocchio: at St Andrew’s Community Centre, Beeston Until 21 February. It’s panto time! Oh no! it isn’t… oh yes! it very much is. And while January might feel like an unusual moment for fairy dust and call-and-response, it turns out there’s no better cure for winter blues than a generous helping […]