April 2025: Best shows to see in Leeds

After Fab Feb and Mad March we are looking at a bit of a lull in proceedings during April. Still, it is quality, not quantity, which counts and there is no problem there.

Leeds Grand Theatre begins the month with a very special production from 3rd to 12th April, being Leeds Amateur Operatic Society’s rendition of Les Misérables: Let The People Sing. To mark the musical’s 40th Anniversary, the Society has combined with LIDOS, Wakefield West Riding Theatre Company and Buttershaw St Paul’s AOS to assemble Yorkshire’s largest ever cast, with two principal teams, an on-stage ensemble, an off-stage choir and a 17-piece orchestra. There is also cutting edge staging featuring a digital wall back. Apparently tickets are in limited supply, possibly because there is no room for the audience with that lot.

The only other run in the month is from 21st to 26th April with Bat Out Of Hell. Expect a night of Jim Steinman and Meatloaf music with Glenn Adamson, Sharon Sexton, Rob Fowler and Katie Tonkinson as Raven. The trigger warnings include one for ‘partial nudity’ so I will brace myself for for somebody taking their hat off.

City Varieties fills the gap with Leeds Conservatoire presenting Let The Right One In from 9th to 11th April. It is an adaptation of the Swedish novel telling the story of a lonely boy, Oskar, who makes friends with Eli, a  mysterious newcomer. Sounds like Scandi-noir at its noirest.

12th April sees the same venue present its monthly National Theatre Live Screening, with Dr Strangelove starring Steve Coogan. I hope it is a success but I’m afraid it might bomb.

For all details and booking head to Leeds Heritage Theatres.

So, it’s a stroll down the Headrow and Eastgate and we find ourselves in Leeds Playhouse with Shirley Valentine. From 8th to 12th April, Mina Anwar performs this one-woman comedy by Willy Russell, about a lady of a certain age who goes on a life-changing trip to the Aegean. Greece is the word.

From 9th to 11th there is also The Story Forge: Make Your Own Myth, for the 6+ age group, answering questions such as ‘Who is the God of dog poo bags?’ And ‘How did the microwave get its ping?’ I can’t remember off hand, but I’m sure that when I’m told it will ring a bell. 

Catering for the same audience, Rude Science plays on 10th April, presented by Stefan Gates. It is packed with outrageous science stunts – check autocorrect! –  enormous bottoms, f*rt machines and other tasteful delights. Snot cocktail anyone? There is also a meet and greet after the show – a bit late for the greet bit.

17th to 19th April sees The Flood: A Musical, recounting the deluge which submerged Hebden Bridge on Boxing Day, 2015. It draws on the musical and artistic traditions of the area which rebounded from adversity with the community strengthened.

NYDC X Boy Blue is a meeting of NYDC, a group of young dancers from Sadler’s Wells, and Guest Artistic Director, Olivier Award winning hip hop theatre company, Boy Blue, to perform a new work. All the participants are aged between 16 and 24 and will be doing their thing on 18th April.

If you think that will be loud, then brace yourself for The Noisy Dinosaur, at various times on 23rd and 24th April. Another for the young ‘uns, this time under 5. There is puppetry, music, lights and projection, but most of all – noise!

Still with prehistoric creatures, we have Dinosaur World Live on 25th and 26th April. This is for the 3+ gang and is a chance to get interactive with a selection of your favourite species. There is another meet and greet after this performance as well, enabling the stars to say hello to the audience.

The month ends, literally, on 29th and 30th, with a rather more genteel production, The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show, featuring 4 Eric Carle stories and 75 Magical Puppets. Jonathan Rockefeller had a hand in creating it. Hand. Puppet. Geddit? All these kid’s shows are taking their toll.

Details and booking head to Leeds Playhouse.

I am hoping to be indulging in my new found pleasure of dance by watching, Here and Now. Well, not here and now, obviously, as they won’t all fit in my flat and this is a preview for April and it’s still only March. That is the name of the new mixed bill of extracts from McNicol Ballet Collective, showcasing its diverse repertoire. It also celebrates the Collective’s Fifth Anniversary. Works, performed to live music, will include Of Silence, Moonbend and Bates Beats, with a world premier choreographed by the eponymous Andrew McNichol. So, if not here and now, where and when? Stanley and Audrey Burton Theatre in Northern Ballet’s building behind Leeds Playhouse, and 12th April. 

Finally, across town to Carriageworks, where shows are again aimed at the younger end. 1st April, no, really, it is not a hoax, to 3rd, we have The Gruffalo, based on the book by Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler for the 3+s. Find out the pitfalls in rummaging for nuts. Songs, laughs and load of fun.

Something for the more mature audience next with The Great Gatsby (15+). If you are expecting lavish costumes and sets, then think again, as the piece has been imaginatively reinvented as a radio broadcast, complete with 1940s commercials. It is performed by the Cosmopolitan Players and runs from 2nd to 5th April. I don’t think it will be available later on BBC Sounds app though.

Saturday 5th April at 3.00pm sees Parampara: Family Variety Show. The title means Tradition and it celebrates South Asian classical music and dance performed by the students of SAA-uk and Song-Geet, who performed at the King’s Coronation. If the promise of an afternoon of brilliant song, dance and music is not enough for you, then how about a plate of popular Indian snacks, which is included in the ticket price of a tenner. Now you’re paying attention!

If you are still in the mood for South Asian entertainment then Sunday 6th April has a Bollywood Bonanza featuring over 100 performers of all ages and abilities. It features students from Chiragi’s BIBA Dance School, so get along to be amazed. 

Monday 7th April has three shows at 10.00am, 12.30pm and 3.00pm concerning – guess what – more dinosaurs. When I was at school we were told they were extinct, now the blighters are everywhere! This is an immersive show for 3+ age group called Teach Rex LIVE, developed by a team of educational experts – surely they know the beasts have died out – who create a learning experience and perform a magic show. Once again there is a post-show meet and greet.

Schlomo’s Beatbox Adventure For Kids returns to the theatre on 9th April and lets the audience become his side-kicks while he makes cool music, brilliant noises and funny sounds. Was that you? 

The duo of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler also provides the work, staged for 3+ theatregoers, from 16th to 19th April. It is The Smartest Giant in Town, sounds like a tall tale to me. George, is the scruffiest giant in town until he discovers a new clothes shop catering for his size. He gets new togs but proves he is the most generous giant in town when he gives them to his friends. 

All Carriageworks events are at on their website.

Remember when I said that April brought a bit of a lull to proceedings, well, I hadn’t reckoned with the dinosaurs! I will definitely be taking up the idea of meet and greet at the end of the evening, that way, if you can’t stand somebody, you’re not stuck with them all night. Hang on, do they think I’m going?