A LEGO exhibition is coming to Leeds city centre this summer, with dozens of art pieces and sculptures made from these iconic building bricks.
The Art of the Brick will feature life-size and even larger scale models of recognisable animals, famous paintings and more.
We always knew Leeds was blessed but now this confirms it, as this will be the only UK city on the tour of the LEGO artworks.
This art exhibition contains more than 70 pieces and sculptures made entirely out of these building bricks, one million pieces to be exact.
One of the various collections you’ll be able to admire and be in awe of as you walk round is titled ‘Perniciem’, and is a celebration of nature, highlighting the world’s many endangered animals.
This exclusive installation is spreading the love to plenty of animals including giraffes, sharks, gorillas and even flamingos, this day-out is going to be a wild one.
The Art of the Brick LEGO exhibition is coming to Leeds. Credit: Fever UpThe Art of the Brick LEGO exhibition is coming to Leeds. Credit: Fever Up
And if you’re after immersing yourself in some culture, The Art of the Brick has got you covered with a handful of the world’s most famous paintings, recreated in LEGO form.
Expect to see works such as Starry Night, The Scream, Girl with a Pearl Earring and The Mona Lisa, as well as many more famous canvases.
This LEGO exhibition has already been viewed by more than 10 million people worldwide.
Of course when visiting this impressive exhibition, it would be rude not to get stuck in, and that’s why there’s a dedicated area for kids and grown ups alike to build their own LEGO creations.
The Art of the Brick is coming to Leeds with dates starting in August, and you can find tickets ranging from £10.90 for kids and £13.90 for adults HERE.
An unflinching and empowering portrait of Tina Turner’s life.
Bringing the life of the Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll to the stage, TINA: The Tina Turner Musical arrives at the Leeds Grand Theatre with an energy that is both electrifying and deeply affecting. More than just a celebration of Tina Turner’s iconic career, this production offers a powerful portrayal of the hardship she endured and the extraordinary strength it took to overcome it.
While the musical is packed with well-known hits, it is the story behind them that leaves the greatest impact. From her early years to her rise to global stardom, the production lays bare the reality of Tina’s life, particularly the abuse and control she experienced at the hands of Ike.
These moments are handled with care but never softened, forcing the audience to confront the emotional and physical toll of her journey. It is this honesty that gives the show its real power this is not just a story of success, but one of survival.
Image: Supplied
A standout element of the production is the use of a younger Tina to show the early stages of her life and career. These scenes reveal her vulnerability, ambition, and the experiences that shaped her resilience, giving crucial context to her struggles with Ike and making her eventual empowerment all the more powerful. From hopeful, constrained performer to fiercely independent icon, her journey feels earned and deeply moving.
At the heart of the show is Elle Ma-Kinga N’Zuzi, whose portrayal of Tina is nothing short of extraordinary. She captures every facet of the performer from vulnerability to fierce determination allowing the audience to fully experience Tina’s lowest moments as well as her eventual rise.
Image: Supplied
Opposite her, David King-Yombo delivers a chilling performance as Ike, embodying the manipulation and control that defined their relationship. Their dynamic is deeply uncomfortable at times, but essential in highlighting the magnitude of Tina’s resilience.
Equally striking is the musical’s staging and visual storytelling, which mirrors Tina’s emotional journey. Intimate early-life moments and larger-than-life concert sequences are enhanced with lighting, set design, and choreography.
Iconic numbers such as “Disco Inferno,” “Proud Mary,” “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” and “Private Dancer” are brought to life with golden disco balls and soaring spotlights, celebrating her rise while reflecting her transformation from oppression to empowerment. These moments are met with overwhelming audience enthusiasm, making Tina’s struggles and triumphs feel immediate, immersive, and unforgettable.
Image: Supplied
The only area that felt slightly less polished was the stage combat. While the physical tension between Tina and Ike was effective in conveying conflict and control, some of the choreography occasionally felt a little uneven, which momentarily pulled focus from the emotional intensity of those scenes. Even so, these moments were brief and did little to diminish the overall impact of the production.
By the final moments of the production, Tina prepares once more to take the stage, the narrative comes full circle the show ends the same way it began, with Tina getting ready for her gig. This framing is both thoughtful and powerful, giving the audience a moment to reflect on and celebrate the journey they have just witnessed.
Having experienced her struggles, triumphs, and transformation, the audience is invited to share in the exhilaration of her performance, turning the theatre into a concert-like celebration of resilience, empowerment, and music. As Tina herself, who worked on the production before her passing in 2023, described on opening night, the show is “poison turned into medicine.”
Ultimately, TINA: The Tina Turner Musical is a story of empowerment forged through adversity. For audiences at the Leeds Grand Theatre, this is more than a night at the theatre; it is an emotional, inspiring, and unforgettable tribute to a woman who refused to be defined by her past.
Running until 4 April. Tickets available now here.
Featured image - Supplied
Things To Do
From Hope to Hardship: Small Island Brings Windrush Stories to Leeds Playhouse
Declan Kelly
An emotional journey of dreams and displacement.
Leeds Playhouse’s latest production brings a vital and often underrepresented chapter of British history powerfully to the stage.
Small Island, directed by Olivier Award-winner Matthew Xia, serves as a compelling microcosm of the migrant experience during the Windrush generation, placing memory, dreams, empire, and entitlement firmly at its core.
This bold and deeply affecting staging expands Andrea Levy’s celebrated novel into a rich, immersive theatrical experience that feels both epic in scope and strikingly intimate. Moving fluidly between Jamaica and postwar London, the production captures the dislocation, resilience, and quiet courage of those who arrived with hope, only to be met with hostility and exclusion.
Image: Supplied
Hortense and Gilbert’s pursuit of dignity and opportunity is portrayed with warmth and nuance, while Queenie’s compassion and Bernard’s unease reflect a nation grappling with profound social change. The play weaves together multiple narratives shaped by the Windrush era, each driven by a desire for a better life, and each revealing the emotional and physical toll of that journey.
What sets this production apart is its remarkable balance between sweeping historical scope and emotional intimacy. The lilting rhythms of calypso infuse the piece with moments of joy and nostalgia, while stark staging and visual contrasts underscore the bleak realities of 1940s Britain. The parallel lives of the characters highlight the shared struggles faced by many Caribbean migrants of the time.
Image: Supplied
One of the most striking elements is the rotating house in Act Two, which becomes a powerful visual metaphor for division and displacement, physically embodying the discomfort and fractured realities of the characters’ lives. Meanwhile, the use of projection reminiscent of archival broadcast footage transports the audience across continents, deepening the sense of time, place, and lived experience.
At times, the play is harrowing, bringing the struggles of the Windrush generation into sharp focus and leaving the audience in disbelief at the treatment endured. There are moments so charged that you feel compelled to respond to challenge, to question, to intervene. Yet amid the hardship, there remains a strong sense of warmth and the enduring promise of hope. Bronte Barbe delivers a compelling performance as Queenie, portraying her compassion with sincerity and strength.
Image: Supplied
However, the standout performance comes from Anna Crichlow as Hortense, offering a powerhouse portrayal that beautifully captures a character driven by ambition, resilience, and deep self-respect.
For those who may have only briefly encountered the Windrush generation in education, this production feels especially vital. It not only illuminates the trials and tribulations faced by a generation but also resonates with ongoing conversations about migration and belonging today.
There is a force in its vision that allows the audience to feel both the physical and emotional realities of the story. Though it does not shy away from bleakness, it ultimately offers connection, reflection, and a reminder of the enduring human capacity for hope.
Image: Supplied
Overall, Small Island is a captivating and emotionally rich production from start to finish. The cast skillfully balances moments of humour with deeply moving scenes, creating a theatrical experience that lingers long after the final curtain. The stories it tells of resilience, injustice, and aspiration feel more relevant than ever.
Theatre continues to act as a powerful lens through which we can better understand both our history and our present, and this production stands as a compelling reminder of why these stories must continue to be told.
Running at Leeds Playhouse, Quarry Theatre until 28 March and you can get your tickets here.
Clementine Hall -
21st July 2025 
