A guide to some of the more interesting events around the county this month compiled by Tony Greenway
CONCERTS
August 3rd
Scouting for Girls
Brit Award-winners Scouting for Girls — who are playing live after the racing — are best known for their songs This Ain’t A Love Song, She’s So Lovely and Elvis Ain’t Dead. Even if you’re not a big fan, you might remember their other hit, I Wish I Was James Bond, which includes this lyric: ‘I’ve seen you on the screen/It’s you that I adore/Ever since I was a boy/I wanted to be like Roger Moore.’ That’s worth the price of admission alone, surely? All tickets include racing, followed by the concert.
Doncaster Racecourse 01302 304200 doncaster-racecourse.co.uk
August 13th
Martha Wainwright
This Canadian-American singer-songwriter comes from a musical family: her slightly more famous (and fabulous) brother is Rufus Wainwright; her dad is Loudon Wainwright III and her mother is the late folk singer, Kate McGarrigle. Martha should be better known in the UK than she is (put it this way: she played Glastonbury in June — although the William’s Green and Acoustic Tent, while Rufus had a spot on the Pyramid Stage); but she’s still a massive draw — and so it’s rather wonderful that the small but excellent Pocklington Arts Centre and Picturedrome venues have managed to book her.
Pocklington Arts Centre 01759 301547 pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk & August 17th Picturedrome Holmfirth picturedrome.net
FESTIVALS
August 23rd – 25th
Leeds Festival
If the names Biffy Clyro, Green Day and Eminem mean anything to you, then you’re almost certainly under 35 (I know, I’m stereotyping wildly) and had your tickets and your tent ready ages ago. If those names DON’T mean anything to you (they’re the headliners at this vast three-day rock event), you’ll probably be having an early night anyway.
Bramham Park 0871 231 0821/0844 844 0444/ 0844 888 9991 leedsfestival.com
August 9th - 18th
feva
Knaresborough’s annual festival of entertainment and visual arts (feva — geddit?) returns, and it’s good to have it back. Founded as the Knaresborough Festival by the late Derrick van Zelst and his son Robin in 1996, a new group of volunteers came on board in 2001, renaming it feva. The line-up had yet to be announced at the time of writing, so log-on to the website for full details.
Various venues Knaresborough feva.info
August 18th – 31st
Classic Fest
A festival of musicals and operetta, featuring productions including Evita, Salad Days, Fiddler on the Roof, Guys and Dolls, Phantom of the Opera, Pirates of Penzance, the Merry Widow, Iolanthe and Princess Ida. Meanwhile, on the festival fringe at the Majestic Hotel, there’s a Flanders and Swann event, an afternoon with Ivor Novello and a Just a Musical Minute.
Royal Hall Harrogate & Harrogate Theatre 01422 323252 classicfest.org
August 23rd – 25th
Galtres Parkland Festival
The musical line-up on Galtres’ seven stages includes Maximo Park, The Stranglers, Reef, Johnny Borrell (aka him from Razorlight), Lloyd Cole and favourite local band, Mostly Autumn. There are also 100 Yorkshire beers and ciders to try, plus some local produce to tuck into (from Whitby Scampi to Yorkshire Puds). There’s cabaret, comedy theatre, kids events and workshops, too — and the whole shebang overlooks the North York Moors. Lovely.
Duncombe Park Helmsley 07803 570399 galtresfestival.org.uk
August 16th-18th
Beacons Festival
You know you’re getting on a bit when you look at the Leeds Festival line-up and think: ‘Eminem? I don’t think I’ll bother, thanks.’ But when you look blankly at the Beacons Festival line-up — whose headliners include Django Django, Local Natives, Gold Panda, Bonobo and Ghostpoet (no, me neither) — you realise you’re over the hill and down the other side. Lots of workshops, talks, films and art, though.
Funkirk Estate Skipton greetingsfrombeacons.com
COMEDY
August 6th
Russell Kane: Edinburgh Festival Preview Show
Not to be confused with Brand or Crowe, the lanky chap with the sticky up quiff and quick-fire thoughts flies through a pre-Edinburgh warm-up gig.
Pocklington Arts Centre 01759 301547 pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk
August 31st
Jimmy Carr: Gagging Order
For a moment, it looked as though Jimmy’s career was nose-diving when he made headlines last year because of a controversial tax avoidance scheme. He bounced back, of course, largely because every time he popped up on the Ten O’clock Show, he was the first to joke about his discomfort. So give the guy a break (not a tax one, obviously), buy a ticket (if you can get hold of one) and expect the usual edgy humour and dark one-liners.
Grand Opera House, York 0844 871 3024 atgtickets.com
CHILDREN
August 2nd & 3rd
Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom
If you are forced to watch a lot of children’s TV because your own kids do, then Peppa Pig will no doubt be a firm favourite of yours — and, frankly, it’s much funnier than most of the stuff on grown-up telly anyway. But, actually, there is something that’s even better than Peppa Pig and it’s this — Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom (which is made by the same people. Spot the theme?). This show is billed as ‘an exciting, enchanting and magical musical adventure packed full of games, songs and laughter’. Let’s just hope it begins as the TV show does: ‘Somewhere, hidden amongst thorny brambles…’
Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield 0114 249 6000 sheffieldtheatres.co.uk
Until August 29th
Summer in the City
If the kids are bored by the holidays already, there are activities galore for them this summer at the WYP, from drop-in art and craft sessions to drama projects. Most activities will take place at First Floor, and some will be in the main theatre building. Week one starts with a Play in a Week for 7-10 year olds.
West Yorkshire Playhouse 0113 213 7700 wyp.org.uk
RACING
August 21st-24th
Ebor Festival
It’s that time again for champagne, seafood, sharp suits, big hats and short skirts. And they’re off! (the horses, I mean, not the skirts). Races include the Juddmonte International, Darley Yorkshire Oaks and Ladies Day, the Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes and, of course, the Betfred Ebor Day. This is York Racecourse’s biggest event of the year.
York Racecourse 01904 620911 yorkracecourse.co.uk
EVENTS
August 9th, 16th, 23rd
Murder Mystery Evenings
A murder mystery event held in the Alhambra’s 1914 restaurant, with tickets including a three course meal. Also in the 1914 (on the 14th, 21st and 22nd, August) there’s a Fawlty Towers dinner show, where you are advised — naturally — not to mention the war.
Restaurant 1914 Upper Circle Bradford Alhambra 01274 432000 bradford-theatres.co.uk
August 24th
Wensleydale Agricultural Show
Sheepdog trainers Carol and Philip Mellin (from TV’s The Dales) and Emma Chapman’s Western Riding Display feature this year, plus vintage tractors, cars, steam machines, cattle, sheep, ponies, poultry, handicrafts and loads more besides.
The Showfield Leyburn wensleydaleshow.org.uk
THEATRE
August 1st – October 5th
Arrivals and Departures
Did we say in the last edition that Alan Ayckbourn’s new play was called Farcicals? Um. We did. To be accurate, Sir Alan’s new play (presented in the SJT’s Round Theatre) is this one — Arrivals and Departures — and, incredibly, it’s his 77th. Farcicals, while a world premiere, is actually a pair of interconnected comedies, showing individually at the SJT in The Restaurant and as a double bill in The McCarthy.
Back to Arrivals and Departures. At a London mainline rail terminus an elaborate trap is deployed in an attempt to capture a dangerous and elusive terrorist. What could possibly go wrong? Well a garrulous traffic warden for a start…
Stephen Joseph Theatre Scarborough 01723 370541 sjt.uk.com
August 30th – October 4th
Farcicals
Sir Alan A again with World Premieres of two interconnected, one-act plays, showing individually in The Restaurant and as a double bill in The McCarthy. The Kidderminster Affair is about sexual intrigue at a garden barbecue, while Chloë With Love is ‘an inconsequential comedy of love, lust and loss of trousers’.
Stephen Joseph Theatre Scarborough 01723 370541, sjt.uk.com
August 13th – 17th
Carrie’s War
Denys Edwards Players return with another family classic, based on the best-selling children’s novel by Nina Bawden.
Studio, Sheffield Theatres 0114 249 6000 sheffieldtheatres.co.uk
August 15th – 17th
Totally Over You
Mark Ravenhill — writer of the acclaimed play Shopping and… er… youknowhatting and the less-than-acclaimed TV sitcom Vicious — also wrote this story about our obsession with the superficial world of celebrity. This production is from the young people of the LBT Youth Theatre and community projects.
Lawrence Batley Theatre 01484 430528 thelbt.org
MUSICALS
August 1st – 3rd
Footloose
You can almost here that cheesy Kenny Loggins theme tune (‘dang-da-dang-da-dang-da-dang’) kick in, can’t you? If you’re a fan of the movie — which was all about the flying feet of spike-haired Kevin Bacon bringing rock ‘n’ roll to puritan small-town America — you’ll love this show. Roll up the sleeves on your jacket, put on your skinny jeans and, altogether now, let’s hear it for the boy.
Grand Opera House, York 0844 871 3024 atgtickets.com
