Shakespeare, farce and teenage angst… Andy Curry picks out the hot tickets in the weeks ahead
Spring has well and truly sprung on the York Theatre scene as April kicks itself into gear. And there are some truly unique and exciting treats on offer to the good people of York. Without further ado…
Twelfth Night
York Shakespeare Project are a fabulous community group, dedicated to producing all the plays of Shakespeare in the city of York in 20 years.
Well into their mission, they are hitting a fantastic stride at the moment with a string of fabulous productions of late. Twelfth Night has all the hallmarks of keeping this reputation alive.
Director Mark Smith is injecting this fast paced comedy of cross-dressing and love triangles with a folk-vibe perfect for spring. Original live folk music, lightning comedy and imaginative staging make this a great ticket.
Thursday, April 3 to Saturday, April 12, York Theatre Royal Studio
Full details here
Icarus
Class under: fabulous sounding surprise of the month.
Bristol-based Fine Chisel (who seem to be as much a live band as they are a theatre company – and why the hell not?) have been commissioned by York Theatre Royal to produce this unique sounding village-centric production.
Working alongside the local community of each town they’re performing in, Icarus is a story about strapping on wings and taking flight, about what it means to be ambitious and a little bit reckless. A story about how small towns respond to big dreams.
With talk of parading through towns, performing in churches and rounding everything off with a good old knees up in the local pub – this sounds blooming marvellous – an immersive experience with a local twist.
Saturday, April 5 to Sunday, April 27, various venues
Full details here
Mystery and drama
If you’re an Agatha Christie fan, you are spoiled for choice. Robert Powell dons the waxed moustache of Hercule Poirot to investigate murder at the big house in Black Coffee at the Grand Opera House till Saturday (April 5).
More unusually, Theatre Mill is staging another Christie classic, Witness For The Prosecution in the Guildhall council chamber.
It is the first site-specific staging of the play where you, the audience, are the jury and runs until Sunday, April 20.
The latest play from Northern Broadsides, An August Bank Holiday Lark, is at the Theatre Royal till Saturday, April 5, telling the story of a small Lancashire village at the outbreak of the First World War.
Comedy and musicals
It’s not every day that a new farce comes along, so The Play That Goes Wrong should be worth a look (Theatre Royal, April 8-12). When the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society attempts to stage a 1920s murder mystery, everything that can go wrong does. Its West End incarnation scored four and five star reviews.
Although centred around the school life of a pre-teen American, 13 The Musical will apparently appeal to all ages. This production, by Pick Me Up Theatre, is at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre from April 16-19.
Can you help?
The wild and dangerous daughters of the York theatre scene, Six Lips Theatre, are taking their own brand of hand-made, homespun and beautifully realised work out on the road again this year. And they need your help!
In an effort to take their new production – The House Of Tragic She – out to the Brighton Fringe festival, they are running a crowd-funding campaign.
House Of Tragic She is a lovingly crafted performance about loneliness, madness and imagination.
Informed by the voices of mental health service professionals and patients, this is work that, as the Lips say themselves, aims to reach beyond themselves and shine a light on the issues faced by a large number of people.
You can find our more and donate to their fund here.
- Andy Curry is a York based actor, director and a founder member of Hedgepig Theatre
- Click here to email him details of your show