Category Archives: Theatre

Free Community Tickets at Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff runs a Community Ticketing Scheme. The Scheme supports a range of eligible people to access a FREE performance. You can see some of the performance’s available this week 07-14/10/24 below. If you are interested there is link to the eligibility criteria and a sign up form below.

AmserJazzTime

27 Sept – 13 Dec 5.30pm (every Friday)

Carne Foyer

Admission Free

Don’t miss our ever popular Friday night jazz club, live in the Carne Foyer and online.

More information can be found here

Kathryn Stott: Musical Postcards


Thurs 10 October 7.30pm


Dora Stoutzker Hall

Pricing
£9-£18

About


Over a long and successful career, pianist Kathryn Stott has won the hearts of audiences and colleagues alike. Now she’s decided to step down from public recitals at the end of this year – and what better way to bid farewell than with a whole concert sharing the music she loves most of all? An unforgettable evening with a much-loved artist, as she opens a new chapter in a remarkable career.

Bach Prelude and Fugue No.1 in C BWV 846

Lili Boulanger Thème et Variations

Fauré Barcarolle No.4 in A flat Op.44

Ravel Jeux d’eau

Grieg Wedding Day at Troldhaugen Op.65 No.6

Piazzolla Milonga (arr. Kyoko Yamamoto)

Shostakovich Prelude & Fugue No.24 in D minor Op.87

Graham Fitkin Scent

Rogers&Hammerstein/Hough My Favorite Things

Caroline Shaw Gustave Le Gray

Chopin Mazurka Op.17 No.4 in A minor

Grainger Molly on the Shore

Carl Vine Short Story

Graham Fitkin New commission

To Give you a flavour of her work here is Yo-Yo Ma and Kathryn Stott – Over the Rainbow (Official Video)

Galliard Ensemble

Fri 11 October 1.15pm


Dora Stoutzker Hall


£8

About


A woodwind quintet is like a paintbox full of musical colours – and when Galliard Ensemble plays live, there’s no end to the musical fun. Today they deliver a weather report from Cecilia McDowall and savour the Hungarian spice of Liget’s Bagatelle’s. As for Luciano Berio’s brilliantly silly musical trip to the zoo…well, you’ve just got to hear it, really. Please do not feed the bassoon…

Maurice Ravel, arr. Mason Jones Le Tombeau de Couperin (selection)

Cecilia McDowall Subject to the weather

Gyorgy Ligeti Six Bagatelles

Eugène Bozza Scherzo, op. 48

Luciano Berio Opus Number Zoo

To give you a flavour of the companies work, you can check them out as this You Tube video, from 2022

Information on The Community Ticket Scheme

RWCMD is a performance venue with a range of theatres. We work to support the public to watch the full range of performances, many of which are free and happen regularly, like AmserJazz. 

We specifically focus on supporting people who may face barriers to coming to the College. If you are a member of one of the groups below and are interested in seeing a performance at RWCMD for free, please fill this form or phone our Community Engagement Partner – Guy O’Donnell at 029 2034 2854

People from the areas of Cardiff and The Vale of Glamorgan

Barry,

Ely,

Caerau,

Canton,

Riverside,

Grangetown,

Butetown,

Adamsdown,

Splott,

Rumney,

Llanrumney,

Trowbridge

Llanedeyrn,

St Mellons 

Pentrebane

Asylum seekers and refugees (Referred through membership with partner organisations)

Disabled people (Referred through membership with partner organisations or evidence of status)

Tempo Time Credit network members

Care experienced children and young people.

Groups and individuals supported by Race Council Cymru and Chinese in Wales.

We are keen to learn more about what barriers to study or live performances exist and how we can work to remove them. We seek to learn, share and work with a range of communities.

You can find out more about the Scheme here

If you have any queries or you would like someone to speak to your group about the Scheme, please contact Communities Engagement Partner – Guy O’Donnell, guy.odonnell@rwcmd.ac.uk

Review A Visit by Sian Owen, Papertrail in association with Clean Break, YMa,Pontypridd


Lizzie Caitlin Bennett, Siwan Morris and Bethan McLean in A Visit at YMa, Pontypridd. Photo: Kirsten McTernan

 out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

Papertrail’s tale of crime, justice and childcare has been in R&D since 2021, reflecting exactly how important it has been to the company to portray this important story with empathy, realism and impact. Sian Owen’s text is based on real life stories of women and young people; the tale of what happens when a mother is imprisoned, what happens to the child left behind and the life ‘outside’ for those who are left picking up the pieces. Knowing that the text was, in some cases, verbatim for what the team had been told, really made every single line hit home that little bit harder.

This is my first visit to the YMa in Pontypridd and the space is utilised to great effect by Designer Lucy Hall. The stage is filled with chairs that are on the same level as each of the levels of the raked seating opposite. The grey chairs are interspersed with numbered, red chairs; the places where the inmates sit whilst their families visit them. The set is confronting, there is nowhere for the characters to hide as they deliver their monologues; there, on display for every audience member to see, especially given the levels are equal to our seating levels. The movement around the set is purposely awkward and difficult, with Carys and Angharad having to look over their shoulders to address Ffi or move closer towards her, around numerous chairs which are stagnant and imposing. This is purposely done to show us the difficulties of breaching topics, the distance between the sisters and the daughter, echoed by the distance between them on the maps projected behind them.

Sound is a fantastic addition, ably designed by Josh Bowles. The music is an aide to the action rather than distracting or detracting. When the sisters argue, there is a tapping noise which rises in volume and frequency until its almost unbearable. At first, I wondered where the noise was coming from, it’s so subtle and barely there, but, as the argument increased in its fury, so did the tapping. It makes you uncomfortable, it makes you feel tense, it makes you feel exactly like Angharad must feel as the two most important women in her life argue around her.

The accessibility of the piece is exceptional, some of the best, most integrated work I’ve seen. The BSL interpreters are performers in their own right; prison officers who perform alongside the actors. A concept by Director, Bridget Keehan, the interpreters Claire Anderson and Cathryn McShane move alongside their respective characters, standing as they stand, moving as they move and not just interpreting, but performing the piece alongside their counterparts. It’s accessibility at its very best, it becomes seamlessly part of the action, meaning that deaf and hard of hearing audience members do not have to split their attention between the action and interpreter who would usually be stood to the side of the stage. Claire and Cathryn are excellent; the actors talk over one another in arguments, and they can do that too, performing in BSL alongside their respective characters.

 Siwan Morris excels as Ffi; the tears and anguish are evident as she lives these real-life accounts of parents who have become a part of the system, ripped from their families and left in turmoil, their lives suspended on the outside. Siwan delivers this turbulent character with ease, turning from pleading to anger, from tears to shouting. Bethan Mclean and Lizzie Caitlin Bennett are excellent, presenting a united front in their desires initially and then fracturing as the story reaches its climax. Bethan perfectly captures the fear that Carys feels that she is not enough and cannot do enough for her niece Angharad, longing for her escape into the skies and across the oceans as Cabin Crew for EasyJet. Lizzie is heart-breaking as Angharad, pleading with these matriarchs in her life to break the inevitable ‘Newton’s Cradle’ of their lives. As a trio of performers, they clearly feed off one another’s energy and are perfectly cast as their respective roles.

‘A Visit’ has clearly been a labour of love and care for all involved, but particularly Sian, the Writer, and Bridget, the Director. Their work alongside Clean Break and the Prison services means that the piece is poignant without being condescending, truthful and respectful of those lived experiences without detracting. It’s a play made up of so many working parts that really come together to create a hard hitting, relevant piece for our time, excellently delivered by a talented cast and production team.

House (UK Premiere) by La Colline – Théâtre National (Paris) at the Barbican by Tanica Psalmist

UK premiere of House, written and directed by award-winning Israeli-French filmmaker Amos Gitaï. One of France’s most prestigious national organisations, La Colline – théâtre national, produces this large-scale multi-disciplinary stage adaptation of Gitaï‘s ground-breaking documentary trilogy.

House was written by Amos Gitaï, a 1980 documentary about a stone house in West Jerusalem that changed hands with changes in government.

Beautifully shot in both colour & black & white, the film focuses on Palestinian stonecutters chopping building blocks at a stone quarry, focusing & working on the building.

House examines the complex relationships between the residents of the former stone quarry – Eastern European immigrants, survivors of the camps and Arabs who have also been expelled from their homes due to the wars in Israel. Amos Gitaï magnifies the valley by turning them into a symbol of a possible coexistence.

The introspective & biographical elements within family origins depicts the interlink to generations, the architectural studies, the making of the House and its effects; and the experience of the Yom Kippur War, which had reflected communities & the unique stories untold.

The production ‘HOUSE’ presents an evocation of an ongoing intimate and common experiences served with sensitive base of individuals sharing Israeli-Palestinian background history.

Overall, the house (which functions as both a character and a metaphor) holds different meanings for both the people who worked on it and those who lived there, including: the Palestinian Dajani family who owned it until 1948; the Algerian Jewish couple who acquired it in 1956; the Ashkenazi professor who is the current owner; the Iraqi Jewish contractor; and the stonecutter from near Beit Jalah. This play soulfully responds to thoughtful connections with undemanding honesty.

Review, From Holyrood to Hollywood, Lawrence Chaney, Ed Fringe, By Hannah Goslin

 out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

Ru Paul’s Drag Race has skyrocketed through society in the last couple of years, bringing out new Queens every year and from, almost, every country. As one of the OG fans, its been a wild ride to see this trajectory, but also wonderful to see the UK represented. And well represented it is, with artists such as Lawrence Chaney.

A young, scottish Queen, Chaney jumped onto our screens and stole our hearts. In their early 20’s at the time, it was astonishing for us to see someone so well curated and with their drag act essentially down. No wonder they became the Queen of the season.

I have only seen Chaney once, on the UK Huns Tour, and in an old nightclub from my youth. The focus was very much on the UK Huns song, and lipsyncing from all the girl group. There were elements of stand up from Chaney, but not enough to really see the charm they showed on the show.

From Holyrood to Hollywood takes us, post Drag Race, across Chaney’s life since, from fame to their personal life, to the show the night before with questionable audience members. It’s a laugh a minute, despite Chaney’s failing voice, peppered with lip syncs, specially sliced together with verbal snippets, adding so many levels of comedy to the performance.

Chaney is a true comedian, taking on the audience when they go rogue, quick witted and fast with the jokes and come backs. They are very comfortable on stage, and treats us as if we have known one another for a long time. A big space feels intimate, and as if this show is only for us. They are also crude, rude, with no barriers and not a moment of holding back. They are for sure a comedian who isn’t afraid to offend, but somehow does it in a lovely, personable way. And not to mention, they are fabulous, in thier chic purple air stewardess get up.

Drag Race fans will eventually be absolutely delighted, when they bring out their winning sceptre to finish off the show. We get to re-live the crowning moment and, after some time feeling as if we have had a lovely chin-wag, we feel personally very proud of our purple Queen.

Lawrence Chaney, From Holyrood to Hollywood is every Drag Queen Comedian lovers dream, with a sense of intimacy in amongst the rude jokes and quality lip syncing.

Review, The Ghost Tours Bus Edinburgh, Ed Fringe, By Hannah Goslin

 out of 5 stars (2 / 5)

Noted as one of the most haunted cities in the UK, and a stone throw from the notorious Greyfriars Kirkyard Cemetary, Ed Fringe regulars would have seen the Ghost Tours Bus parked up and taking visitors on a spooky ride through the city.

I’ve always wanted to go on the bus tour, but never found the time to squeeze it in. But, with it being fringe, press tickets were available and, as it is conducted by trained actors, it felt apt to take part.

Joining, coincidentally, at just outside the Frankenstein pub, we are admitted to an old bus that has been kitted out inside with tables and seats, velvet curtains, old lamps, reflecting gothic culture and old horror films. It is plush and feels like taking part in a seance. However, the initial induction was in want: we are greeted by our tour guide, dressed ghostly but who did not seem to want to engage with us. Taking our tickets however, was an man dressed in an ordinary manner, breaking the illusion quite instantly. It was a real shame to have this initial introduction and likely impacted how the rest of the tour felt.

Throughout the journey, there are snippets pointed out to us, of mass grave sites and places where reported ghost sightings have been. These are sometimes elaborated upon, others not. The ones that are are very interesting, but others that would seem likely stories visitors would be more interested in e.g. the ghosts of the castle, are merely commented on existing and swept over, leaving us wanting a lot more.

We have the opportunity to jump off at the oldest graveyard, which did have this spooky feel and started to get your hopes back up of returning to the good ol ghost tour. Sadly, however, our tour guide of the day, while following his script in both spooky facts and the story line, often broke character to bring his own commentary such as a dislike of Ed Fringe, a moment of warning to not venturing a certain way in the graveyard due to thefts resulting in his shouting at the tourist who didn’t listen, and commentary on the traffic. Again, it sadly broke the magic slightly and, perhaps he was just having a bad day, but did not seem relevant information or part of the experience at times.

Throughout, we are introduced to a story line of a supposed ghost lady who slowly breaks down the bus. We are introduced vocally to the driver, an alcoholic ex-prison inmate, and this gave an interesting element to our story. We’re told the bus once carried bodies, we end up in an exorcism, and there are plenty of jump scares through speakers and the screens. Myself as a complete wimp was jumping at all of this, but only proved its sufficiency in this way.

Overall, the Ghost Tours Bus is certainly an experience and a novel way to explore a haunted city such as Edinburgh, after you have done the traditional sightseeing. It adds another element to its past, and the experience is something for all horror lovers. It just happened that this particular tour had many moments of the illusion broken and felt slightly disappointing when so much has clearly been put into the aesthetics and planning.

Review, 5 Mistakes That Changed History, Paul Coulter, Ed Fringe, By Hannah Goslin

 out of 5 stars (3 / 5)

If you’re part of the generation who was informed by Horrible Histories books and later the television show (let’s be honest, it was on CBBC but was purely for us adults) then you grew up with a sense of history not being the stuffy, serious topic and actually one of comedy.

Out of this, podcasts such as You’re Dead to Me and Oh What A Time have developed, and now there is much more appreciation of history and the comical aspects of times gone by. We are also a species who love to know “what if” – what would have happened if that event did or did not happen? Paul Coulter takes us on this journey, spanning decades and lifetimes, to tell us about just 5 Mistakes that Changed History.

We are swung from Alexander The Great, all the way up to Churchill in this lecture meets stand up comedy show. Performed in what actually looks like an old coliseum style lecture hall, Coulter uses multi-media, referencing modern elements such as memes and his own childhood to reflect and relate these ancient tales to us, a modern audience. This has this structured pattern, seen in many solo stand up performances, and is used well to create extra elements of comedy, separate to those from the story alone.

Perhaps it was the choice of venue, but it did in fact feel like a lecture, with a professor who was trying to engage his students. It had its comical moments, but more in an astonished way, mostly at the stupidity of the past. It was of course informative and educational, and as a history lover, I did in fact enjoy it immensely… but as a piece of theatre or stand up? It felt that this could be a loose connection.

5 Mistakes that Changed History is educational, fun and a great modern approach to bringing history to the masses. However, adding this into a comedy or theatrical genre felt slightly tenuous, no matter how entertaining it was.

Review, Crying Shame, Sweet Beef, Pleasance Dome, Ed Fringe, By Hannah Goslin

 out of 5 stars (3 / 5)

As life goes on, it is becoming clearer that society is becoming lonelier, mental health is on the downward track, and its affecting the young and the queer community in a disastrous way.

Sweet Beef, with their show, Crying Shame, aims to bring this epidemic to light, using verbatim interviews mixed in an unreal cabaret, where we are reminded that, while we may be suffering, we are not alone.

While this sounds intense and deep, there are elements of comedy within, in a little bit of a bittersweet way. The characters are all clowns of some sort, with clown-like names, make up and crossed cabaret/circus outfits. They start out engaging us as any cabaret show: we have the compare, the introduction to different acts, they interact with us like friends and welcomed guests… but as time ticks on, it becomes more unhinged, the characters break down, it all goes wrong. There’s this philosophical approach to the production, almost starting with “putting on a smile” to engage us, but pushing us away as soon as things become too much and too real – it resonates, if not ambiguously.

The characters are each fully formed and so when they break, it is very clear that their clown facade has disappeared. However, some moments of chaos were almost too chaotic. Each breakdown seems to draw the other characters out and it becomes a little overwhelming, with competing voices and faces engaging you. The compare continues to keep peace until they themselves break and we get this beautiful moment of their reflection, of a slower and calmer analysis of loneliness. If there were more peppering of this, it would feel more poignant and not at a high energy level that felt a little hard to keep up with.

Crying Shame is visually beautiful, with a socio-political approach that is needed since the pandemic and in an ever downward spiral in our mental health system. It is an important and clever production, but needed a occasional change of pace to allow us to sit in our thoughts on the topic.

Review, Tit Swingers, Le Gasp! Productions, Pleasance Courtyard, Ed Fringe, By Hannah Goslin

 out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

The best thing about the Fringe are the hidden gems. It’s often rare and difficult to find, when the “hidden gems” get critical acclaim and become the talk of the festival. However, this production was certainly one that should have been picked up as a real gem.

Tit Swingers is a punk concert meets unapologetic history re-telling of notorious pirates of yonder time. Anne Bonney, Mary Read and Calico Jack (though he is only the pretty male face in the background) tell us the tales of their seven seas and ambiguous sexuality and how they became feared pirate women of history.

The stories are told through a combination of original sea shanties, punk music and stand up/story telling, with electric guitars, bass and a live drum kit. The songs are catchy, they are engaging and every essence of Punk. Instantly, I knew this was my kind of show. It was one of those “musicals” that you want the CD afterwards (and saying CD shows my age, wait until I ask for a cassette…).

The interaction between the three characters is faultless, comical and with a sexual tension that could be cut with a knife. There is a real “girl power” element, with Calico Jack, part of the story, but in the position of arm candy; a serious change to the social norm. They are all fun, powerful and, while there is clearly some script or guidelines to the narrative, it feels much like we are included in a tale spoken on the spot, with the characters bouncing off one another, ad-libbing and engaging us. Sadly, the performance I went to only had a handful of audience members, and those who were not the most confident in engagement and so this led to the occasional awkward pause, changing the atmosphere. Not a fault of the performers or the content, but it sadly created drops at times that were not deserved.

The story is also very educational; while it wouldn’t be advised to bring kids, for the language and sexual references, it did deliver a element of learning that I feel many would enjoy history more if told in this media. It’s modernised, with current language and slang, and the way that the performers deliver it has you listening to every word. Names I had heard of, but not really engaged with, I came away with brand new knowledge and more love of history, and pirates.

Tit Swingers is a golden nugget of the Fringe; music, sex, comedy and pirates … I’m not sure what else you would want from a show. But you definitely come away with something extra special as well.

Free Community Tickets at Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff runs a Community Ticketing Scheme. The Scheme supports a range of eligible people to access a FREE performance. You can see some of the performance’s available this week 23-30/09/24 below. If you are interested there is link to the eligibility criteria and a sign up form below.

Dennis Rollins & Royal Welsh College Jazz: Calypso Cymru

Thurs 26 September 2024 7.30pm

Dora Stoutzker Hall

£7.50-£15

Musical memories from the Windrush Elders Cymru are re-imagined through the musical artistry of jazz giant Dennis Rollins together with Samuel Dubois on steel pan, Cameron Pierre on guitar and Royal Welsh College’s jazz performers. Breathing new life into the calypso-classics of Lord Kitchner, Harry Belafonte, Mighty Sparrow, Monty Alexander and more, the gig will also feature new calypso/jazz arrangements of Jump in The Line, Brown Skin Girl, Angelina and Sly Mongoose. It’ll be sure to have you dancing in your seats!

“It’s going to be a pleasure to return to RWCMD for an expansion of our 2023 collaboration, Calypso Cymru. Here, our connection is the song.” Dennis Rollins

You can book tickets here

AmserJazzTime

27 Sept – 13 Dec 5.30pm (every Friday)

Carne Foyer

Admission Free

Don’t miss our ever popular Friday night jazz club, live in the Carne Foyer and online.

More information can be found here

Levantes Dance Theatre: The Band

Fri 27 September 7.30pm

Richard Burton Theatre

£8-£16

Age
6+

Sandy & Bruno met in the Seventies.

She was fame hungry, he was doomed to follow her. As one hit wonders, this is a story of their big come-back. With Sandy’s determination and Bruno’s blissful devotion to her, they are here; not by popular demand, but by sheer defiance.

With striking aesthetics and a rousing soundtrack, THE BAND is a quirky, humorous display of desperate ambition and blind affection told through awe-inspiring dance, theatre and circus.

Funded by Arts Council England. Developed with the support of Greenwich & Lewisham Young People’s Theatre, as part of Progression (an Arts Council England funded project). Supported by Greenwich Dance and Jacksons Lane.

You can find out more information and book here

Ora Singers: Graduate Composers’ Showcase

Sat 28 September 2024 4pm

Dora Stoutzker Hall

£5-£15

Join the award-winning ORA Singers for their inaugural Graduate Composers’ Showcase, the culmination of a brand new scheme designed to celebrate the rising stars in composition. Hear the five exceptional new voices in contemporary music: George Parris, Liberty Richardson, Tomos Owen Jones, Emma Pascoe, and Jorge Ramos, with additional ORA commissions from acclaimed composers, Paul Mealor and Odaline de la Martinez, alongside renaissance masterpieces

Livestream be available for free on the ORA Singers YouTube channel

It will also be embedded on the ORA Singers website: https://www.orasingers.com

You can find out more information and book here

Making Tracks

Sat 28 September 2024 7.30pm

Richard Burton Theatre


£7.50-£15

Exploring the connections between musical traditions and the natural world, Making Tracks brings together exceptional musicians from all corners of the globe. Collaboration has the power to foster a deeper appreciation of both biodiversity and cultural diversity, and this autumn, Making Tracks visits Cardiff for the first time with a fresh line-up of eight musicians performing a captivating programme of solo and ensemble music.

Featuring:

Christian Mohr Levisen (Denmark) – hurdy gurdy, multi-instrumentalist
Helen Anahita Wilson (UK) – vocals, sound artist, electronics
Kasiva Matua (Kenya) – percussion, vocals, guitar
Anna Mcluckie (UK) – harp, singer-songwriter
Shohret Nur – uyghur rawap, dutar
Nina Harries (UK) – double bass, singer-songwriter
Ossi Raippalinna (Finland) – percussion, electronics
Ayman Hlal (Syria/Germany) – violin, vocals

You can find out more information and book ticket here

Information on The Community Ticket Scheme

RWCMD is a performance venue with a range of theatres. We work to support the public to watch the full range of performances, many of which are free and happen regularly, like AmserJazz. 

We specifically focus on supporting people who may face barriers to coming to the College. If you are a member of one of the groups below and are interested in seeing a performance at RWCMD for free, please fill this form or phone our Community Engagement Partner – Guy O’Donnell at 029 2034 2854

People from the areas of Cardiff:

  • Ely,
  • Caerau,
  • Canton,
  • Riverside,
  • Grangetown,
  • Butetown,
  • Adamsdown,
  • Splott,
  • Rumney,
  • Llanrumney,
  • Trowbridge
  • Llanedeyrn,
  • St Mellons 
  • Pentrebane

Asylum seekers and refugees (Referred through membership with partner organisations)

Disabled people (Referred through membership with partner organisations or evidence of status)

Tempo Time Credit network members

Care experienced children and young people.

Groups and individuals supported by Race Council Cymru and Chinese in Wales.

We are keen to learn more about what barriers to study or live performances exist and how we can work to remove them. We seek to learn, share and work with a range of communities.

You can find out more about the Scheme here

If you have any queries or you would like someone to speak to your group about the Scheme, please contact Communities Engagement Partner – Guy O’ Donnell.

Guy works on delivering a wide range of engagement activity, working across every aspect of the College with potential students, community groups, schools, colleges, audience members, partner organisations, decision makers and the wider public. You can email him at this address guy.odonell@rwcmd.ac.uk

Review, An Evening Without Kate Bush, Sarah-Louise Young, Ed Fringe, By Hannah Goslin

 out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

Everyone has a Kate Bush story. Whether you’re a big fan, have only ever heard her from Stranger Things, met her or know someone who knows someone who has met her. She is a staple of the 70’s and 80’s. So what’s the best thing to do with this love in 2024? Go and see a theatrical homage to the great.

This is not Kate Bush, this is without her and to some level, a love story to a childhood. Sarah-Louise Young is our Kate Bush, intimately telling us about growing up, with every element of comedy in her re-telling of wanting to wear spandex and the practice she has undertaken to move just like the great Kate.

The audience is full of those who love Kate, who have been dragged along, who have only heard a few songs, and we all collect together as Young brings us in with comical outfits, movements and “scenes” playing out Kate’s songs. She uses puppetry from a giant eye, to a mop, which weirdly still feels like something Kate Bush would do. But it brings it down from being a tribute act to something more avant garde and stylistic.

Young is very personable; she is in the audience, speaking with different people, bringing them on stage to party with her and we are all welcome in the room like old friends. She shares her love of Kate with us and so this barrier broken down between audience and performer helps us get on her train.

And it would be amiss to forget her phenomenal singing voice – while I’ve not seen anything else from Young, there’s a sense that, while you could close your eyes and swear Kate was in front of you, she effortlessly seems like a performer who is talented in changing her voice and still keeping the range and impact.

An Evening Without Kate Bush balances seamlessly the bridge between a tribute act and a fantastic piece of fringe theatre. With Kate Bush rarely in the public eye, Young’s talent is the closest you will get to a concert by the great moor dancing singer.