What's on at Ilkley Playhouse

Come along for some festive cheer and enjoy watching our junior and senior Greenrooms actors perform. Enjoy a mince pie, a warming drink, mingle with friends old and new, browse our Christmas stalls and maybe win a wonderful raffle prize!

Opening in the Wharfeside Theatre on Thursday, December 5th is Mark Evans’ Bleak Expectations. This parody of Victorian society started its life as a popular BBC Radio 4 comedy series, and has since been adapted for the stage, first premiering in 2022. It follows the entertaining premise of imagining an alternate universe in which Charles Dickens wrote a very different style of story after drinking too much gin! Audiences will be transported into a whistle-stop tour of Victorian England, following the central protagonist Pip Bin as he ventures through a series of extraordinary exploits with his loyal family by his side, dealing with love, laughter and the right amount of chaos. Get ready for an unforgettable night of laugh-out loud comedy action and sublime wordplay. Bleak Expectations runs until Saturday, December 14th.

Bleak Expectations opens on December 5 (Image: Ilkley Playhouse)

Our second fringe production of the season is the audience-friendly adaptation of the much-loved story of Aladdin. Junior Greenroom students aged eight to twelve will enter the treasure cave, rub the magic lamp, awake the powerful Genie, mount the flying carpet, battle the evil magician and win the heart of the beautiful Princess. The play will be performed on January 11th and 12th.

We have some exciting musical events that you can look forward to in the New Year. Step inside the fabulous music of the 1960s on Friday, January 31st where we celebrate some of the best icons of the decade. Shout Out to the 60s is a toe-tapping, head-shakin’ celebration of the greatest idols of the 1960s – Dusty Springfield, Lulu, Cilla Black, Petula Clark, Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, The Supremes and everyone in between! Listen to the unforgettable voices and harmonies of former West End singer Sandy Smith, along with the talented vocals of Sophie Mairi.

On Saturday, February 1st Fire and Rain return to Ilkley Playhouse where once again audiences will be entertained by six of the best musicians from the North of England who come together to play music they love. Expect the classic James Taylor songs including Steamroller Blues, Shower the People, Fire and Rain and many more.

The award-winning Jon Palmer Acoustic Band make a welcome return to Ilkley Playhouse on Friday, February 7th following their previous sell-out performances. They are a high energy six-piece folk/rock band based in West Yorkshire, where they have built a strong reputation. The band’s latest album Vacca Wall has top producer David Crickmore at the helm, and contains a musically and lyrically varied mix of twelve great songs. The album has received outstanding reviews from the music press.

Our next Stagefright Comedy Club takes place on Saturday, February 8th. The event is frontlined by comedian Tony Law, acclaimed Canadian surrealist from Have I Got News For You, 8 Out of 10 Cats, Mock The Week and Never Mind The Buzzcocks. Three-time Chortle winner and Edinburgh Festival Award winner, he has been described as ‘taking post-modern stand-up to a dangerously funny new level.’ (The Guardian). Joining him is Howard Walker, who has oodles of warmth, dry wit and a disarming demeanour. He is a Best New Yorkshire Act award winner and Hilarity Bites award runner up. Mel Judson is also performing, described as ‘surprising, funny and just delightful’ (Daliso Chaponda). UK Pun Championship winner 2018 and London Evening Standard’s Critic’s Choice winner Rob Mann will also take to the stage. Jack Wilson, who has been described as ‘just brilliant’ by Micky P Kerr from Britain’s Got Talent, will complete the evening’s entertainment. The event will be brilliantly compered by Anthony J Brown.

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