Ghosts, teachers, large sculptures, folk greats, pigs times two, a 
golden Welsh voice, a warrior queen and all four seasons 
compete for slots on CHARLES HUTCHINSON’S diary list for May 20 to 26

Spooks of the week

Turn Of The Screw, York Theatre Royal, Tuesday to June 1

JANET Dibley plays the Governess in Tim Luscombe’s new adaptation of Henry James’s thriller set in 1840.

When she arrives to look after two orphaned children in Bly, a seemingly idyllic country house, she soon realises they are not alone. Confronted by the ghosts of Bly’s troubled past, she will risk everything to keep the children safe, even if it means giving herself up to The Others.

York Press:

School play: Mahsa Hammat Bahary, Sarah Boulter and Louis Roberts in John Godber’s Teechers

State of state education play of the week

Teechers, York Theatre Royal Studio, Tuesday to June 21

REVIVED by the Gala Theatre, Durham with York Theatre Royal, former teacher John Godber’s fast-moving 1984 comedy charts the impact of an idealistic, inspiring new drama teacher on a comprehensive school where everyone is counting down the days until they can escape. School leavers Salty, Hobby and Gail play all Godber’s characters, from the school bully to the headmistress.

York Press:

What will she say next?: Sandy Nicholson as Mother Dear in York Musical Theatre Company’s Betty Blue Eyes. Picture: Pink Lily Photography

Yorkshire musical of the week UPDATE SHOW CANCELLED

Betty Blue Eyes, York Musical Theatre Company, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, Wednesday to Saturday

BASED on Alan Bennett and Malcolm Mowbray’s film A Private Function, now with music by Stiles and Drewe, Betty Blue Eyes centres on a small Yorkshire town in 1947 blighted by acute rationing, unemployment and the coldest winter for decades.

There, Betty, an adorable pig, is being reared illegally to ensure the town dignitaries can celebrate the imminent Royal Wedding with a lavish banquet while the locals must make do with Spam.

STATEMENT FROM YORK MUSICAL THEATRE COMPANY

"Due to the sudden and unavoidable withdrawal from the show by a leading member of the company, it is with regret and sincere apologies that we have had to make the difficult decision of cancelling the performances of Betty Blue Eyes at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, from May 22 to 25

"We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and want to thank you for your continuing support of York Musical Theatre Company. Any pre-booked tickets will be fully refunded and you will be contacted by the theatre; please bear with us in this process. If you have any queries regarding your tickets, please contact the box office on 01904 501935."

York Press:

The pig story of the day: Comedian Lou Sanders in Shame Pig at The Basement

Another show big on pigs

Lou Sanders: Shame Pig, Burning Duck Comedy Club, The Basement, City Screen, York, Friday

COMEDIAN Lou Sanders discusses “stabby step mothers, alcohol issues and an unusual sexual encounter in LA” in a show all about shame. “I’ve met some pigs – and been a mucky little pig myself – and now I’m rolling around in my own filth for your delight,” she says.

York Press:

Guiding light: Katherine Jenkins’s show of life, hope and spirituality at York Barbican

(Welsh) national treasure of the week

An Evening With Katherine Jenkins, York Barbican, Friday

WELSH mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins returns to the Barbican for the first time since February 2015, promoting Guiding Light, an album that speaks of life, hope, acceptance and a universal spirituality.

She will be accompanied by the London Concert Orchestra, but presumably not by Stormzy, this year’s Glastonbury-headlining London grime act, whose song Blinded By Your Grace was covered by Jenkins on last November’s album.

York Press:

Folk family: Eliza and Martin Carthy at The Band Room

Moorland folk concert of the week

Martin and Eliza Carthy, The Band Room, Low Mill, Farndale, North York Moors, Friday

FATHER and daughter from the “First Family of Folk” make the moorland journey from Robin Hood’s Bay to Low Mill. As promoter Nigel Burnham puts it: “The new superstar of English folk music returns to The Band Room with the ultimate aesthetic precursor. Her very own dad.”

York Press:

In the garden: Michael Lyons's 1993 sculpture Amphitrite, on show behind York Art Gallery for a year 

Exhibition launch of the week

Michael Lyons, The Artists’ Garden at York Art Gallery, from Saturday to May 25 2020

CAWOOD sculptor Michael Lyons died suddenly last month, and so the first large-scale exhibition of his work in his home city now becomes a celebration of his life and internationally regarded talent.

Ancient And Modern will include nine sculptures inspired by nature, myth and ancient cultures, and at the centre of this outdoor show will be Amphitrite, a 1993 painted-steel structure.

York Press:

For Goddess and warrior: Joglaresa’s concert at the NCEM

Queen concert of the week

Joglaresa, The Virgin Queen, National Centre for Early Music, York, Friday

STORYTELLER Sally Pomme Clayton joins Joglaresa director, bagpiper and singer Belinda Sykes and co for a passionate, curious tale of a wild romance. A young man goes on a quest to save his ailing father, but stealing from the Virgin Queen carries a heavy price. She is both Goddess and warrior.

Four Seasons performance of the week

Eboracum Baroque, Mansion House, St Helen’s Square, York, Saturday

FOUNDED as a student ensemble at the University of York, Eboracum Baroque return to the city to perform Antonio Vivaldi’s baroque favourite The Four Seasons in an 18th century arrangement for recorder, harpsichord and cello. At times it features two recorders being played at once, here by Miriam Monaghan.

York Press:

Smokie gets in your eyes: Chris Norman re-visits his Seventies

Seventies nostalgia of the week

Chris Norman, York Barbican, Saturday

CHRIS Norman, “the Original Voice of Smokie”, left the Bradford band as long ago as 1986. After re-visiting his past by recording The Definitive Hits – Smokie And Solo Years, released last month, he is playing a British tour “for the first time in a long time” in May and June.