Curtains Up Leeds: February 2026 Theatre Preview

February might be short on days, but it is certainly long on variety.

Opera, classics and crowd pleasers at the Grand

Where better to start than Leeds Grand Theatre, where Opera North continue their brand new production of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. Opening on 30 January and running until 20 February, it is a comedy full of recognisable music, but brought up to date and set in a country manor. Manners, however, are in short supply, particularly from the Count. A great way to start your opera experience, if not a marriage.

The second in Opera North’s Winter Spring season, Peter Grimes by Benjamin Britten, is a lot darker. Set in a close-knit, isolated coastal community, it deals with paranoia and mob mentality. Not a laugh a minute then. You can catch it from 13 to 21 February.

Spirits are lifted with Sunny Afternoon, which runs from 24 to 28 February. I cannot wait for this one as it is based on the music and story of one of my favourite groups, The Kinks. If you thought the Gallagher brothers were less than cosy with each other, the Davies siblings were even worse. They argued All Day and All of the Night.

The National Theatre Live screening at City Varieties Music Hall this month is The Fifth Step, starring Jack Lowden and Martin Freeman. It is a comedy about a couple of recovering alcoholics and airs on 8 February. There is no note to say whether the bar will be open.

Full listings for Leeds Heritage Theatres can be found on their website.

Bold stories and reinventions at Leeds Playhouse

The eclectic mix of productions at Leeds Playhouse begins with A Grain of Sand on 6 and 7 February, which examines the situation in Gaza through a child’s eyes.

If adaptations are your thing, you are in for a treat as 10 to 12 February brings Sherlock Holmes: The Hunt for Moriarty. You do not need to be the world’s greatest ever detective to realise this is a thrilling adventure based on the work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. You probably have not deduced, however, that it is a world premiere. Elementary.

There follows another new work by a great author from 14 to 28 February, this time Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, reinterpreted by Leeds Playhouse with Shakespeare’s Globe and Headlong, alongside Bristol Old Vic.

Not to be left out, Hans Christian Andersen has his story The Little Mermaid brought up to date on 17 February with Little M, combining puppetry, dance and magic to create an epic adventure.

The 20 and 21 February see performances of Snow White from balletLORENT. Yes, another adaptation of a classic.

To end the month, on 27 and 28 February, there is a ghost story, original this time. It Walks Around the House at Night tells the tale of a struggling actor who takes a job in a country manor. Obviously, nothing can go wrong.

The full Leeds Playhouse programme is available online.

Family favourites and dance across the city

Carriageworks Theatre has a couple of shows aimed at the younger end of the audience. The Dinosaur That Pooped! A Rock Show appears on 15 February. I will not put my writing gig in peril by elaborating on this one. The Bubble Show 2 – More Bubbles! follows on 17 February. If you saw the first Bubble Show you will know what to expect, and if you did not, you probably still have a pretty good idea.

On 14 February at Riley Theatre based at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, there is a new show entitled Mika and the Polar Bear from Coalescence Dance. The two eponymous characters share a journey through a changing landscape in order to find a new beginning together. 

Enjoy whatever it is you choose to see and who knows, we might just bump into each other at one of the shows, if I can clear the pile of Valentine cards from behind the door.

Stan
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