Throughout July we have some ‘blasts from the past’ in the way of musical entertainment for you to enjoy.

This Friday, July 5, prepare to be transported on a remarkable musical journey as Fleetwood Shack makes its debut performance at Ilkley Playhouse. Featuring an impressive repertoire of the biggest and most beloved Fleetwood Mac hits, such as ‘Don’t Stop’, ‘Go Your Own Way’, ‘Little Lies’, ‘Everywhere’, ‘Landslide’ and many more, this show guarantees to immerse you in a captivating, nostalgic and unforgettable experience.

The following evening, Saturday, July 6, Lee Newsome performs Elvis ‘Up Close and Personal’. Lee has been performing his tribute to the King for four years and currently tours the UK in various theatres and clubs. Lee’s stunning powerhouse vocals and attention to detail, with suits made by the person who made Elvis’ suits, are simply second to none. The show is an unforgettable, jaw-dropping experience from start to finish, with customised projection visuals and indoor special effects.

On Friday, July 19, Voodoo Room returns to Ilkley Playhouse. Paying tribute to some of the greatest names in rock history, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Cream, Voodoo Room is a stunning power-trio featuring some of the UK’s finest musicians. A world-class show, put together in total appreciation of the massive pioneers of classic blues and rock. Hear all the classics including Strange Brew, Hey Joe, Sunshine of Your Love, Fire, Watchtower, Layla, Purple Haze, Foxy Lady and many more.

On Saturday, July 20 Spandesque Ballet will take you straight back to the 1980s as they recreate that distinctive sound of the New Romantics era with their amazing performance of Spandau Ballet hits. Playing live, this fantastic six-piece band will take you back in time on a nostalgic musical journey. With hits such as the electro-pop debut single To Cut a Long Story Short, the sing-a-long ballad True, the powerful anthem Through the Barricades, the dance floor fillers Communication and Chant No.1, as well as the biggest Spandau Ballet hit Gold, there's plenty of great music in this show to remind you just how great the 1980s were for producing timeless classics!

Honour opens on Monday, July 8.  Photo by Charlie Swinbourne

The final play of the season, Honour, opens on Monday, July 8 in the Wildman Studio. Joanna Murray-Smith’s unsettling play is about infidelity seen from the perspective of the three women involved: the wife, the lover and the daughter. George and Honor have been happily married for thirty-two years. She is a contented housewife whose early literary promise has been sidelined by marriage and family life; he is a well-respected journalist. They are a middle-aged, middle-class couple with a perfect understanding of each other. Their daughter is graduating from university and they’re ready to move on to the next stage of married life. Then an ambitious, young female journalist – on an assignment to ‘profile’ George – quite deliberately seeks to undermine their relationship and their understanding of each other. As her husband succumbs to Claudia’s charms, Honor is caught up in the destructive whirlwind that tears apart her domestic idyll. The fallout is dreadful – but beautifully and convincingly portrayed in all its painful consequences. The play was first performed at the Playbox Theatre in Melbourne Australia. It received its UK premiere at the National Theatre in February 2003. Murray-Smith is one of Australia’s best known contemporary playwrights. She won the Victorian Premier’s literary prize for drama twice and was awarded a Commonwealth Medal for Services to Playwriting in 2000. She says of the play “I wanted to put centre stage a middle-aged woman who has willingly sacrificed her life for marriage and is abandoned at the very point where she should be reaping the rewards of that devotion. It’s a poignant place to be”. The play runs until Saturday, July 13.

Honour opens on Monday, July 8. Photo by Charlie Swinbourne

In August, returning for the fifth year, is our popular fringe production Bard in the Yard. This year you can look forward to half-hour adaptations of Richard III and The Tempest. Performances will take place at 7.30pm on Saturday, August 24 in the Wildman Studio and at 2pm in the Manor House Yard on Sunday 25th and Monday 26th August (Bank Holiday). Please note that to book for the Manor House performances, please book via their website www.ilkleymanorhouse.org If the weather is inclement on the Sunday or Monday, we have the option of transferring back to Ilkley Playhouse which is less than five minutes’ walk away. Tickets are just £8!

To book tickets for all our plays and events visit www.ilkleyplayhouse.co.uk or contact Ilkley Playhouse box office on 01943 609539.