'Towards York shall bend you with your dearest speed...'

Those words of Henry IV were never truer than last Friday afternoon as we set out to catch the train from Durham station.  Thankfully, everything went according to plan and three hours after I'd left work we were sitting in the foyer of the Theatre Royal York, enjoying a pre-show glass of wine...

Now normally, I wouldn't post the account of a ballet-going weekend on this blog, but in this case, the details of our trip have some bearing on the whole Benson project and so I crave your indulgence for this longer than usual bulletin!

York's Theatre Royal, one of my very favourite theatres, has just reopened after extensive refurbishment. Originally built in 1744, it is one of the oldest theatres to have been in continual use and the list of performers who have graced its stage is a veritable 'Who's who' of theatrical royalty - Phelps. Kean, Siddons, Kemble, Irving, Bernhardt...and, of course, Benson.

Because there has been a theatre on this site for 270 years, this closure provided the first opportunity to excavate under the stage where the medieval remains of the old St Leonard's hospital have been found.(Further information about the fascinating work done by the York Archaeological Trust can be found here and here) The renovations also allowed the archaeologists to see how the theatre had been changed and developed during its long history before allowing the next raft of changes to progress.

The foyer now boasts an enlarged box office and cafe. The auditorium has a second staircase entrance.The stage has been completely rebuilt to remove the rake and add an orchestra pit and the stage configuration can now be changed to make it into a very adaptable venue. Finally, the stalls seating has been radically changed so that it now rises to meet the curve of the dress circle improving sightlines enormously.  The auditorium is has been repainted a very restful light grey, perhaps in homage to the resident ghost, known as the Grey Lady...

Thankfully, they have not removed or 'modernised' the 1967 concrete and slate foyer and staircase, added to the side of the theatre, which is actually my very favourite part - the original external wall of the theatre becomes an internal wall concrete arches echo medieval vaulted roofs and the slender pillars always remind me of trees. ( I have to admit to actually hugging one on Friday evening...a possible side effect of the house red!)

Birmingham Royal Ballet are celebrating this special Shakespeare year by giving over almost all of their entire 2016 season to bard-related ballets. They visit York annually as part of their 'mid-scale' tour, taking the company to several smaller venues for  2 day stays and their programme this year included a world premiere of a ballet based on some of the Sonnets, pas de deux from Ashton'sThe Dream, Macmillan's Romeo and Juliet and Cranko's Taming of the Shrew and finally a performance of Jose Limon's wonderful Moor's Pavane, based on Othello.

Theatres Trust :uncredited

All of these plays were performed at the Theatre by the Bensons during their visits:  they came to the Theatre Royal around fifteen times between 1886 and 1926.

When the theatre was 250 years old in 1994, the local newspaper produced a book about its history which is rather frustrating in its patchwork approach to the subject.  In it, it asserts that Lady Benson had once 'spent a night in one of the dressing rooms, praying for the repose of the soul of the beautiful nun' supposed to be the Grey Lady, but I've been unable to find the original source for this.  It is a nice thought, though!

Any Bensonian ghosts would have been well pleased with both the performances and the theatre this weekend.  And so lovely to see a regional theatre thriving.