10 things to do in West Yorkshire this week

Kate Rusby will be joined on stage at St Georges Hall by the cream of British folk musicians who form her select band

Your guide to events you must not miss this week!

1 Kate Rusby

St George’s Hall, Bradford, May 23

Forever proud to call herself a folk singer, Kate’s beautiful, expressive vocals never fail to connect the emotional heart of a song to that of her audience. The crossover appeal Kate enjoys is unprecedented for a folk singer and has been achieved without resort to compromise. Rusby’s wondrous singing and hugely engaging Yorkshire wit and the intuitive support of the band ensure that audiences will be treated to a truly remarkable and unforgettable concert experience.

See the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre at Victoria Theatre Halifax

www.bradford-theatres.co.uk

2 Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre: ROLL UP

Victoria Theatre Halifax, May 24

Part of our Spring into Comedy week of comedy events taking place in our Green Room Bar. Roll up! Roll up! They’re Socks and they roll up! Earth’s funniest footwear are back with their brand new show, bringing you all the fun of the fair. The roar of the greasepaint and the smell of some socks.

Tanyalee Davis is the little lady with the big voice!

www.victoriatheatre.co.uk

3 Tanyalee Davis - Actual Size

Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield, May 25

Tanyalee Davis is the little lady with the big voice! At 3’6, Tanyalee is the Ferrari of comedy – low to the ground and kind of racy. Canadian born, Tanyalee currently is making the stage her home by touring all over the world bringing the funny. Actual Size is an hour of Tanyalee’s most hardhitting jokes mixed-in with a healthy dose of sidesplitting tales from the absolutely absurd adventures of a pint-sized punchline-purveyor.

Egg and Spoon for the young ones at Lawrence Batley Theatre

www.thelbt.org

4 Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet

The Alhambra Theatre, Bradford, May 22-25

Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet is a passionate and contemporary re-imagining of Shakespeare’s classic love story. Confined against their will by a society that seeks to divide, our two young lovers must follow their hearts as they risk everything to be together. Bursting with youth, vitality and Matthew Bourne’s trademark storytelling, Yorkshire’s brightest young dance talent join the New Adventures company, with direction and choreography by Matthew Bourne, design by Lez Brotherston, lighting by Paule Constable, sound by Paul Groothuis and new orchestrations of the Prokofiev score by Terry Davies, played live by the New Adventures Orchestra. This new production of Romeo and Juliet joins the popular New Adventures repertoire which includes Swan Lake, Cinderella and The Red Shoes.

John Robertsons The Dark Room at Victoria Theatre Halifax

www.bradford-theatres.co.uk

5 The Drifters

Wakefield Theatre Royal, May 29

The Drifters are back on tour in the UK with a brand-new show performing all their classic hits from the last six decades. The legendary group have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, performed for the President of the United States and listed among the greatest artists of all time by Rolling Stone magazine. Performing all the classic hits such as Saturday Night At The Movies, You’re More Than A Number, Come On Over To My Place, Up On The Roof, Under The Boardwalk, Kissin’ In The Back Row, Save The Last Dance For Me, Down On The Beach, Hello Happiness and many, many

more!

www.theatreroyalwakefield.co.uk

Reginald D Hunter brings his highly anticipated new show to Bradford

6 Egg & Spoon

Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield, May 27-29

The very young won’t sit still to watch a show and we don’t expect them to. Egg and Spoon is an interactive romp through the seasons where you come in and out of our magic circle and get to open all the gifts of nature. Percy and April get you settled on our comfortable cushions and introduce you to Birdy, still hiding in his glowing egg. We have to wait till Spring if we want to see him so it’s time to begin our hands-on journey through the year. We’ll run through the rain and the falling leaves and sleep under the snow till the sun wakes us up for the butterfly party. Egg and Spoon is a perfect gentle introduction to the magic of theatre.

www.thelbt.org

7 John Robertson’s The Dark Room

Victoria Theatre Halifax, May 23

You awake to find yourself in a dark room! The audience is trapped in a retro videogame with a sadistic end-of-level boss. Now either escape and win the game or be brutally murdered by the rest of the crowd. Will you: A) Find the Light Switch? B) Go North? C) Abandon Hope? The Dark Room is the high-octane, text-based adventure game show from improv overlord John Robertson. Filled with stand-up, appalling prizes and more audience chanting than you’d get at a protest — this is a gut-busting rock n’ roll experience.

www.victoriatheatre.co.uk

8 The Tiger Who Came to Tea

Theatre Royal Wakefield, May 24-25

The Tiger Who Came to Tea returns on tour, celebrating over ten years on stage! The doorbell rings just as Sophie and her mummy are sitting down to tea. Who could it possibly be? What they certainly don’t expect to see at the door is a big, stripy tiger! Join the tea-guzzling tiger in this delightful family show. Packed with oodles of magic, sing-a-long songs and clumsy chaos! A stunning stage adaptation of the classic tale of teatime mayhem.

www.theatreroyalwakefield.co.uk

9 Reginald D Hunter: Facing the Beast

St George’s Hall, Bradford, May 25

Celebrating his 20th anniversary as a comedian living and performing in the UK, Reginald D Hunter brings his highly anticipated new show to Bradford. Reginald’s searingly honest material has garnered him a popular fan base that spans the generations. His appearances on television have included Have I Got News For You, 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown and the hugely popular BBC2 series Reginald D Hunter’s Songs Of The South and its equally successful follow up Reginald D Hunter’s Songs Of The Border.

www.bradford-theatres.co.uk

10 Giuseppe Verdi - Aida

Victoria Hall, Leeds, May 28

Two countries are at war. Aida secretly loves an enemy general, Radamès, who returns her love. When Radamès is selected to lead a renewed assault

against the enemy, Aida is forced to choose between betraying her country and betraying her heart. Verdi reserved some of his finest arias for the doomed lovers such as Celeste Aida and O patria mia. This new concert staging of Aida comprises an international cast and reunites the 2017 Turandot creative team

with conductor Sir Richard Armstrong, director Annabel Arden and set and costume designer Joanna Parker.

www.operanorth.co.uk