‘There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in’ Cohen’s most memorable and visionary line from his song ANTHEM.

If ever there was a sentence in modern poetry to reflect on and give hope and understanding to us all, it is this line. This Concert begins with ANTHEM.

Enigmatic, mysterious and sub textural, songwriter Leonard Cohen was an unflinching character, with an exact sense of prose, wry humour and the courage to wrestle with the unspoken, forgiving human frailty with the stroke of each word.

The chilling announcement of Leonard's death marked the end of an era. His music befriended an entire generation. Within every line of his writing, he has been challenging us to listen more carefully, speak more thoughtfully, think more deeply and recognize our own fragility. Our World misses him very much.

With a lifetime reputation of performing in this exact way and an undying love of the ‘pure song’ Keith James gives you a concert of Cohen’s amazing material in the most intimate and sensitive way imaginable, exposing the solitary inner strength of his greatest songs in their original perfect form. Keith has performed an extensive tour of this concert in Theatres and Arts Centres across the UK, giving almost 500 concerts – close to 150,000 people. This has proved to be one of the greatest honours in Keith James’ 40 year career. Keith lives in Powys, Wales and sometimes in Andalusia, Spain.

Included in the concert are Cohen’s well-known songs: Famous Blue Raincoat, Sisters of Mercy, Suzanne, and Hallelujah alongside his rarer and profound writing such as Who by Fire, Joan of Arc and Secret Life. Also included are songs from his posthumous album Thanks for the Dance such as What happens to the Heart and Keith’s dramatic performances based on the work of Federico Garcia Lorca – Cohen’s greatest influence. Keith has also transcribed into song one of Leonard’s poems from his collection ‘Book of longing’ written whilst on retreat during the 1990s.

‘Some of the most atmospheric and emotive music you will ever hear’ The Independent

‘Good work! Glad you are keeping Leonard’s songs alive’ Sylvie Simmons, Biographer – The Life of Leonard Cohen

‘Keith James has become a pillar of trust. A sublimely intimate and engaging voice’ Sunday Times

‘An elegant and beautifully crafted reinterpretation of a great Artist’s words’ BBC Radio Scotland

‘Certainly the UK’s most celebrated and evocative interpreter of golden music’ The Guardian

‘All the tears of time are shed in a few brief lines’ Times Literary Supplement

‘A sensitive and pleasingly understated delivery, all the better that the songs might speak for themselves’ Acoustic Magazine

Studio
£18

•  29 Jan from £18

The Britain’s Got Talent finalist takes to the stage with his much-anticipated debut UK tour following a sold out and critically acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Festival.

Join Bones as he effortlessly combines intricate sleight of hand with mesmerizing illusions and jaw dropping break-dance moves in one of the most awe-inspiring shows, you’ll see this year. Direct from appearances on America’s Penn & Teller Fool Us, BBC1’s BAFTA Awards, ITV1’s This Morning and Sky’s Around The World In 80 Tricks.

‘A dazzling evening… full of imagination and flair’ ★★★★ The Guardian

‘What is happening on stage really is magic’ The Telegraph

‘Magical Bones performance is stunning’ Evening Standard

'Magical Bones boggled our minds' Official London Theatre

Courtyard Theatre
£16

•  10 Feb from £16

Join BBC Radio 4’s cop-turned-comedian Alfie Moore for his latest stand-up tour show.

Fair Cop Unleashed is based on a dramatic real-life incident from Alfie's police casebook. Relive with him the thrilling ups and downs of the night a mysterious clown came to town and more than one life ended up in the balance. It was no laughing matter – but this show certainly is! Enjoy Alfie’s unique brand of humour hilariously woven together with his personal insights into his life on the front-line of the police force.

It’d be a crime to miss it!

'Offbeat, revealing and very funny' ★★★★ Daily Mail

'Lots of well-crafted jokes and a large dash of police gallows humour' ★★★★ Telegraph

'Brilliantly funny…. genuinely hilarious' David Mitchell

Courtyard Theatre
£17 | £15 conc

•  25 Feb from £15

The host of Channel 4’s Whose Line Is It Anyway, BBC Radio 4’s Loose Ends and Clive Anderson Talks Back takes to the road.

His much anticipated first ever solo tour, in a one-man show is guaranteed to be funnier than Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy.

WHY? ‘An assured and entertaining show’ ★★★★ The Times

Courtyard Theatre
£18

•   4 Mar from £18

Andy Zaltzman, chair of The News Quiz (Radio 4), host of the global hit satirical podcast The Bugle, and Test Match Special statistician, returns with his unparalleled interactive stand-up show.

Andy invites audience members to submit topics, issues and miscellaneous gripes for him to satirise to order, meaning every show is unique and can encompass everything from the biggest political stories of the day to pedantic personal peeves, all delivered by one of Britain’s leading political comedians.

Please submit an advance satirical commission on any topic in our increasingly ridiculous universe, to satirisethis@satiristforhire.com. Please include the date of the show you will be attending, plus details of the issue/person/concept/thing you would like Andy to satirise, and any relevant supporting material if you feel so inclined.

Andy Zaltzman is a stand-up comedian, broadcaster and writer, who has firmly established himself in the vanguard of British comedy with his unique brand of inventive, incisive political satire. A regular at the Edinburgh Fringe throughout the millennium, Andy has performed stand-up across the world including tours of North America, Australia and India.

Since 2007, he has hosted The Bugle, one of the longest-running and most successful comedy podcasts in the world and has been a regular presence on Radio 4 over the last two decades, becoming host of The News Quiz in 2020. Andy has also brought his wit and cricketostatistical expertise to the Test Match Special team since 2016.

'Political satire at its most enjoyable' ★★★★ The Times

'Probably the best satirical comic we’ve produced in the last two decades. Intelligent, biting and silly' Time Out London

'Political comedy at its best' Sunday Times

Courtyard Theatre
£15

•  18 Mar from £15

The UK’s number one tribute to the legendary Drifters and award winners at the National Tribute awards.

They breathe new life into songs such as Saturday Night at the Movies, Under the Boardwalk and Stand by Me. Expect three separate shows in one as the set includes Motown from The Four Tops and Temptations plus 70s disco classics such as Disco Inferno and Love Train.

WHY? Led by Richie Sampson – a former member of the hit recording group The Drifters

Courtyard Theatre
£20

•   2 Apr from £20

Multi-award winning musical comedy duo (and sisters) Flo & Joan are climbing out of their pits, armed with a piano and percussion section to bring you a brand new show of their critically acclaimed songs and comedy.

Their unique, sharp-tongued style has taken them around the world with multiple sell-out tours and appearances at the Just For Laughs Festival Montreal and Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Now they are back with their biggest ever UK national tour, poking around all the classic topics of the day: over-thinking, alien lovers and fringes.

As seen on Live at the Apollo (BBC2), The Royal Variety Performance (ITV), The Russell Howard Hour (Sky), Jonathan Ross’ Comedy Club (ITV), online with over 50 million views of their viral songs, in your personal nightmares, and in ‘Alive on Stage’, their own special available worldwide on Amazon Prime.

'Musical comedy hasn’t been in such safe hands for years' The List

'It’s the harmonies of Frankie Valli with the sensibilities of Frankie Boyle' Chortle

★★★★ The Telegraph | ★★★★ The Guardian | ★★★★ Sunday Times

Courtyard Theatre
£16

•   9 Jun from £16
•  10 Jun from £16

Led by Richard Lee.

Always wanted to learn guitar but never got around to it? Want to trade your air guitar skills for real guitar skills? These are fun and informative lessons from a guitarist with over 20 years’ experience.

Thur 2 Sept - 30 Sept, Thur 7 Oct - 11 Nov (exc 28 Oct), Thur 18 Nov - 16 Dec
7pm – 8pm
£40 per 5 week course
Booking cut off time: 6pm on the first day of each course

Thur 13 Jan - 10 Feb, Thur 17 Feb - 24 Mar (ex 24 Feb), Thur 31 Mar - 28 Apr
7pm – 8pm
£40 per 5 week course
Booking cut off time: 6pm on the first day of each course

This class will take place both in person and online via Zoom.

Suitable for ages 18+ years.

•   9 Dec
•  16 Dec
• 15 more dates...