Theatre - What`s On Live

Transcription

Worcestershire Cover Online.qxp_Worcestershire 05/01/2016 11:36 Page 1
Your FREE essential entertainment guide for the Midlands
Worcestershire
’
What sOn
www.whatsonlive.co.uk
ISSUE 361
JANUARY 2016
STEPHE
N
K AMOS
OUT ON T
OUR
thelist
inside:
Your 16-page week
by week listings guide
LEONA LEWIS
EMPOWERED IN THE MIDLANDS interview inside...
Belgrade (FP) DEC 2015.qxp_Layout 1 17/12/2015 20:22 Page 1
Contents December Region 1 (REVAMP).qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 21:22 Page 1
January 2016
Contents
The Rocky Horror Show - Frank N Furter back in Brum with a brand new version page 28
the list
Nicola Benedetti
Kevin Hart
Anna Maxwell Martin
Acclaimed violinist joins the
CBSO at Symphony Hall
Little Fockers star live in Brum
BAFTA winner brings Lady
Macbeth to The REP
Your 16-page
week-by-week listings guide
page 22
page 51
page 24
page 16
inside:
4. First Word
11. Food
14. Music
24. Comedy
28. Theatre
38. Film
42. Visual Arts
44. Events
@whatsonbrum
@whatsonwarwicks
@whatsonworcs
Birmingham What’s On Magazine
Warwickshire What’s On Magazine
Worcestershire What’s On Magazine
What’sOn
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First Word Region 1.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 21:49 Page 1
First Word
Grammy Award
nomination for
Birmingham music group
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (BCMG) has been
nominated for its first ever Grammy Award.
The nomination was received for the ensemble’s recording
of Gerald Barry’s zany operatic setting of The Importance
Of Being Earnest.
Commenting on the accolade, BCMG Artistic Director
Stephen Newbould said: “What an end to 2015 we had!
We’re over the moon at this Grammy nomination. Our congratulations extend, of course, to Gerald Barry for his
extraordinary score, to Thomas Adés for his masterful conducting, and to NMC Recordings for having the foresight to
record and release the work for us all to enjoy. For
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group to be listed
amongst prestigious artists gives genuine recognition to
the quality of our work on an international stage.” The
Grammy Awards take place on 15 February.
Grammy Award nominated Birmingham Contemporary Music Group
Literacy initiative invites the
community to join in
A new literacy-focused arts project has been launched in
the West Midlands. The Big Read aims to encourage literacy development through creativity. The initiative invites
schools and community groups to decorate BookBench
sculptures, which are benches shaped as open books.
The project is being presented by Wild In Art with the
Schools of King Edward VI and in association with the
National Literacy Trust and Birmingham Children’s
Hospital Charity. The painted BookBenches will furnish
the region’s museums, libraries and cultural hubs, turning
the city and surrounding regions into a virtual library.
The Big Read will be complemented by a programme of
activities based around the displays. These will include
poetry slams, storytelling sessions, creative writing and
comic book illustration workshops. If you’d like to register
your school or community group for The Big Read, or if
your venue is interested in exhibiting BookBenches and
supporting The Big Read with literacy-focused activities,
visit thebigread.org.uk or email [email protected].
4 whatsonlive.co.uk
Young Voices
ready to sing
their hearts
out...
The world’s largest children’s choir is this month
celebrating its twentieth
anniversary with five performances in
Birmingham.
In total, Young Voices
will be completing twenty
arena dates up and down
the country. The choir
performs all styles of
music and is designed to
unify children from
across the region.
Over the years, Young
Voices have performed
with artists such as
Alexandra Burke, Joss
Stone and Gary Barlow,
as well as raising over
£1million for various children’s charities.
The choir performs at the
NEC, Birmingham, from
11 to 15 January.
Arnie set to entertain
diners at black-tie event
Legendary movie star and one-time Governor
of California Arnold Schwarzenegger is heading to Birmingham this month, to host an
exclusive black-tie dinner event.
An Experience With Arnold Schwarzenegger
takes place at the city’s International
Convention Centre on 21 January and features a live interview with the Hollywood
actor.
Other attractions on the night include
Terminator-themed events, a lifesize
Schwarzenegger model display, a
Schwarzenegger and Terminator impersonator, a twenty-two-piece orchestra and Rat
Pack singer, and a charity auction with
signed, bespoke Schwarzenegger
memorabilia.
Entertainment news from around the region
Science festival
line-up announced
Author, broadcaster and anatomist
Professor Alice Roberts will discuss
her latest BBC series, The Celts, at
the fourth University of Birmingham
Arts & Science Festival, which takes
place in March.
The festival brings together leading
scientists, thinkers and artists from
the university and wider city for a
week of free talks, events, exhibitions and performance. It also
includes presentations by leading
arts organisations around the city.
These include Ikon Gallery, Vivid
Projects, Grand Union, Birmingham
Open Media and mac Birmingham.
This year taking the theme of
Memory And Forgetting, the festival
will explore the idea of memory in
our culture and of the social significance of remembrance and memorialisation.
Commenting on the event, Laura
Milner, Cultural Partnerships
Manager at the University of
Birmingham, said: “The festival is a
chance for curious minds to delve
into new thinking from leading academics and artists. It overlooks the
traditional division between arts
and science: each discipline can
inform the other, sparking debate
and new understanding about the
rich world in which we live.”
The University of Birmingham Arts
& Science Festival takes place at the
university and across the city from
14 to 20 March.
Round The World
for comedian
Critically acclaimed comedian
Russell Howard has announced that
he’ll be performing in Birmingham but fans will have to wait a while to
see him, as he won’t be bringing his
new show to the city until March
2017.
Round The World will be Russell’s
biggest global tour to date, and will
see the Bristol-born funnyman making a return to the live stage for the
first time in three years.
Russell Howard: Round The World
shows at the Genting Arena,
Birmingham, on 17 March 2017.
Dance that
subverts the
senses
The history of homosexuality in twentieth century
Spain is the subject of a
brand new show from
choreographer Carlos
Pons Guerra and his
DeNada Dance Theatre
company.
Showing in Birmingham
next month, dance triple
bill Ham And Passion is
being promoted as an
evening of ‘seductive,
provocative and emphatically Spanish contemporary dance theatre that
will subvert the senses’.
The production visits the
city’s mac venue on
Thursday 25 February.
Matt Slack
returns for
2016 panto
Dick Whittington will
be hoping the streets of
the Midlands are paved
with gold next
Christmas, with the legendary lad having been
selected by Birmingham
Hippodrome for its
2016/17 pantomime.
Presented, as usual, by
Qdos Entertainment,
the world's biggest pantomime producer, the
show will run at the
Hurst Street venue from
Monday 19 December
2016 to Sunday 29
January 2017.
Matt Slack returns for
his 4th Panto season at
the Hippodrome!
Celebrating 400 years of the Bard
With this year marking the four hundredth anniversary of
Shakespeare’s death, the playwright’s home of Stratford-upon-Avon is
currently gearing up to commemorate the occasion.
The popular town, and venues in the surrounding area, will be celebrating his legacy with a range of new exhibitions and events. These
include a new, immersive theatrical experience at the Royal
Shakespeare Company, a reimagining of Shakespeare’s final home,
and the opening - for the first time to the general public - of
Shakespeare’s Schoolroom at King Edward VI School.
For more information, visit shakespeares-england.co.uk
The Play’s The Thing at the RSC
A new exhibition is set to reveal the
secrets behind the world’s most
famous theatre company.
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s
(RSC) The Play’s The Thing opens in
Stratford-upon-Avon in June.
The new family-friendly visitor attraction offers members of the general
public the chance to discover the
secrets and stories behind the making of the Company’s world famous productions.
There’s also the chance to see some of the RSC’s beautifully crafted
costumes and props, and learn how magical and gory stage and sound
effects are made.
Commenting on The Play’s The Thing, Geraldine Collinge, RSC
Director of Events & Exhibitions, said: “The exhibition will let people
discover how our productions have been made over the years and how
we create them now. The public space will also include a stunning
new artwork by Steven Follen.”
The Play’s The Thing opens on 21 June to coincide with the RSC’s
Midsummer celebrations.
whatsonlive.co.uk 5
Great Theatre at the Grand!
TUE 2 - SAT 6 FEB
TUE 9 - SAT 20 FEB
SUN 21 FEB
TUE 8 - SAT 12 MAR
TUE 15 - SAT 19 MAR
The National Theatre Production
J.B. Priestly’s
Classic Thriller
Directed by
Stephen Daldry
THU 25 - SAT 27 FEB
Music by STEVEN MARGOSHES
Lyrics by JAQUES LEVY Book by JOSE FERNADEZ
Based on a concept by David DeSilva
(Title song “Fame” written by Dean Pitchford and Michael Gore)
This amateur production is presented by arrangement with
JOSEF WEINBERGER LTD. ON BEHALF OF MUSIC THEATRE
INTERNATIONAL OF NEW YORK
SUN 20 - TUE 22 MAR
SAT 26 MAR
THU 31 MAR
THE RUSSIAN
STATE BALLET
OF SIBERIA
THE SNOW
MAIDEN
Sleeping
Beauty
Swan
Lake
Follow us on
@WolvesGrand
Like us on Facebook: Wolverhampton Grand
Box Office 01902
42 92 12
BOOK ONLINE AT www.grandtheatre.co.uk
First Word
Birmingham’s Citizen Khan tour
Much-loved TV comedy character Mr Khan is heading out on
tour. Birmingham-born funnyman Adil Ray is bringing his
larger-than-life creation to the Genting Arena in the Spring.
Ray’s series, Citizen Khan, is currently the most watched
comedy show on British television.
Commenting on the announcement of the live tour, Mr Khan
himself said: “This is a family show, so bring everybodies - but
please, if you are Indian (or ginger) you must sit at the back and
don't drink too much! I look forward to answering any questions
on the night. And if you're lucky, I’ll have a photo taken with you
- unless you're from the tax office or immigration, then you can
stay at home.”
Citizen Khan: They All Know Me! visits Birmingham’s Genting
Arena on 6 May.
NEW SHOWS
AND GIGS
ANNOUNCED!
THE GAME
Mon 8 Feb - O2 Academy
LOYLE CARTER
Tues 9 Feb - Hare & Hounds
FATHERSON
Mon 15 Feb - The Rainbow
Venues
MYSTERY JETS
Thurs 18 Feb - O2 Institute
THE FAT WHITE FAMILY
Sat 20 Feb - O2 Institute
DAMIEN DEMPSEY
Thurs 25 Feb - O2 Academy
THE CULT
Tues 1 March - O2 Institute
Anniversary
show for
Viennese
academy
The Spanish Riding School
of Vienna is this year celebrating its four hundredand-fiftieth anniversary
with a series of exclusive
shows in Birmingham and
London.
The shows will be hosted by
TV presenter and British
Dressage Ambassador Nicki
Chapman.
Commenting on her
involvement, Nicki said:
“The Spanish Riding School
of Vienna tours are rare and
exceptional. I’ve witnessed
first hand these graceful
horses thrilling crowds with
their astonishing combination of elegance and power.
This is an extraordinary,
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness these worldrenowned horses performing in the UK during the
academy’s momentous four
hundred-and-fiftieth
anniversary year.”
The Spanish Riding School
of Vienna perform at the
Barclaycard Arena,
Birmingham, from 18 to 20
November.
End Of The Rainbow for Loose Woman
Loose Women favourite Lisa Maxwell is set to star
as Judy Garland in a new version of End Of The
Rainbow, which visits the Midlands in the Spring.
Lisa, who starred as Samantha Nixon in ITV’s
long-running police series The Bill, will be joined
in the show by Gary Wilmot and Sam Attwater.
Written by Peter Quilter, End Of The Rainbow
catches up with Judy Garland in London during
December 1968, with the Wizard Of Oz star desperate to get her faltering career back on track
via a hugely demanding series of concerts.
Featured songs include The Man That Got Away, Come Rain Or Come
Shine, The Trolley Song and, of course, Somewhere Over The
Rainbow.
The show runs at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre from 18 to 20
April and New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham, from 21 to 25 June.
Home town gig for British female rapper
Birmingham-born MC Lady Leshurr will be playing her home city in early March, as part of a UK
tour. Hailed by Vogue as ‘Britain’s hottest female
rapper’, the MOBO Award nominee - real name
Melesha O'Garro - is best known for her Queen's
Speech series of freestyles, the fourth of which
went viral last year, and has collaborated with
the likes of Tinie Tempah, Etta Bond, Gyptian
and Fatman Scoop. She appears at the 02
Academy 2 on Sunday 6 March.
Magic direct from the West End
A West End show hailed as ‘the UK’s biggest magic spectacular’ visits
the Midlands next month. Fusing ‘death-defying’ stunts, technological trickery and close-up magic, Impossible reinvents some of the
biggest illusions in history.
The touring version of the show features three original West End cast
members - daredevil escapologist Jonathan Goodwin, mind-reading
specialist Chris Cox and illusionist Ben Hart.
The trio are joined by Britain’s Got Talent star James More, Cirque du
Soleil and Hollywood trickster Lee Thompson and hip-hop and breakdancing magician Magical Bones. Impossible visits the New
Alexandra Theatre from Tuesday 16 to Saturday 20 February.
FEARLESS VAMPIRE
KILLERS
Thurs 3 March - O2 Academy
ADY SULEIMAN
Sun 6 March - Hare & Hounds
LADY LESHURR
Sun 6 March - O2 Academy
TOSELAND
Tues 15 March - O2 Academy
EMMY THE GREAT
Sat 19 March - O2 Institute
TONY IOMMI
Sat 19 March - Symphony Hall
MARIAH CAREY Sun 20 March
- Barclaycard Arena
DISCIPLES Thurs 24 March The Rainbow Venues
ADELE - Tues 29 March - Wed
30 March and Fri 1 - Sat 2 April
- Genting Arena - SOLD OUT
KREPT AND KONAN
Wed 6 April - O2 Institute
SHONEN KNIFE
Sat 16 April - The Oobleck
HOLY ESQUE Sat 16 April The Sunflower Lounge
JEFF LYNNES ELO Thurs 16 Fri 17 April - Genting Arena &
Fri 24 June - Barclaycard Arena
DISNEY FROZEN WITH CBSO
Sat 16 April - Symphony Hall
NAO Wed 20 April - O2 Institute
TROYE SIVAN
Sat 23 April - O2 Institute
MAC MILLER
Thurs 28 April - O2 Institute
MANIC STREET PREACHERS
+ THE EDITORS
Sat 14 May - Genting Arena
SPACE
Sat 21 May - O2 Academy
HEART
Sun 3 July - Symphony Hall
LIONEL RICHIE Thurs 7 July Barclaycard Arena
THE KING IS BACK Sat 3
September - Barclaycard Arena
JUSTIN BIEBER
Mon 17 - Tues 18 Oct Barclaycard Arena
THE FOUR TOPS AND THE
TEMPTATIONS Wed 26 Oct Genting Arena
whatsonlive.co.uk 7
Boomtime in Brum DPS - MM.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 21:00 Page 1
FEATURE
BOOMTIME
brum
#MidlandsEngine
#CultureMatters
#HelloBirmingham
Birmingham’s nec
celebrate their 40th
anniversary in 2016
8 whatsonlive.co.uk
There were
There were some
We loved...
celebrations...
new additions...
10 years of Moseley Folk
Festival
Grand Central and
New Street Station
The Big Hoot
25 years of Birmingham
Royal Ballet and Cadbury
World at Bournville
Midland Metro in the
City centre
Jewellery Quarter Festival
Resorts World
50 years of Ikon Gallery
Everyman Theatre
at The Mailbox
Foodies Festival
at Cannon Hill Park
Birmingham Weekender
BBC Music Awards
Boomtime in Brum DPS - MM.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 21:00 Page 2
A new year inevitably brings with it new ambitions.
And for the city of Birmingham, one ambition surely
stands head and shoulders above most others - to try
and better 2015’s record-breaking visitor numbers.
It’s currently boomtime in Brum, with
the city’s visitor economy hitting an
all-time high during the past twelve
months. According to recently released
figures, a staggering thirty-eight million people visited the second city last
year, generating tourism revenue in excess of £6billion.
And those thirty-eight million visitors
will certainly have been well rewarded
for investing their time and energy in
the city. Birmingham is absolutely
thriving at the moment, a fact ably illustrated by the recent openings of
New Street Station, John Lewis, the
Grand Central shopping destination,
Resorts World leisure complex and the
Midland Metro tram line from Snow
Hill to New Street.
Last year also saw a record footfall at
Birmingham airport, a sure sign of the
city’s increasingly impressive international status. And the Government’s recent launch of the Midlands Engine an ambitious plan to put Brum at the
heartland of innovation and manufac-
turing - offers irrefutable evidence
of the city’s growing importance in
terms of the UK’s economic recovery.
In the field of arts and entertainment
too, Birmingham is positively flying.
Last year saw the city host its biggest
ever arts festival, The Birmingham
Weekender, and its biggest ever charity
art exhibition, The Big Hoot. The BBC
Music Awards came to Brum too, and
will return again later this year.
And there were plenty of memorable
anniversaries to celebrate as well, with
Birmingham Royal Ballet, Cadbury
World, Ikon Gallery and Moseley Folk
Festival all reaching special milestones...
‘‘
LOOKING
AHEAD...
So 2016 has dawned and a bright new
era for England’s second city looks set
to continue. Expect plenty of highlights in the forthcoming months, from
the return of the International Dance
Festival Birmingham to 40th anniversary celebrations for the NEC and
400th anniversary commemorations
for William Shakespeare from CBSO
and the Library of Birmingham.
With so much going on in the city, you
can also expect last year’s impressive
figure of thirty-eight million visitors to
be well and truly surpassed...
2015 saw the city host its biggest ever arts
festival, The Birmingham Weekender attracting around 69,000 people.
”
whatsonlive.co.uk 9
Diana Vickers Interview.qxp_Layout 1 05/01/2016 10:49 Page 1
Doing the time warp with
Diana Vickers
Diana Vickers Interview.qxp_Layout 1 05/01/2016 10:49 Page 2
INTERVIEW
Diana Vickers became a household name back in 2008 when she appeared in hit ITV1 talent show The X Factor. After
making the semi-finals, Vickers released a number one debut single and album before taking to the West End stage in The
Rise And Fall Of Little Voice. Since then, she’s been expanding her career in acting, both on stage and on screen. Now
she’s heading to the Midlands to play the role of Janet in Richard O’Brien’s ever-popular rock’n’roll musical, The Rocky
Horror Show. Here, she tells Midlands Zone all about it...
Is singing and acting something you’ve
wanted to do since you were very young,
Diana?
Oh yeah, it's been something I've wanted to do
for as long as I can remember. I went to ballet,
tap and singing lessons, as well as acting
school at the weekends. So yeah, it's
something I've always wanted to do.
Obviously you're best known from The X
Factor. At the time, you were only 17.
Reflecting on that experience eight years
later, would you have done anything
differently?
No, I don't think I'd have done anything
differently when it comes to what happened on
the show. I perhaps wish I'd done it when I was
a little bit older, maybe. It's such a big thing to
do; it's quite stressful. I don't have any regrets
at all. It was a great experience and was very
much ‘of the moment’. I'm very happy with
what's happened since then, so I can't really
moan about the whole experience.
Did you ever expect to grab the top spot in
the charts with your debut single, Once, and
your debut album, Songs From The Tainted
Cherry Tree?
No, I was so overwhelmed! When I got the
number one single, it was wonderful - but when
the album went to number one as well, that
was so overwhelming. It was such a big body
of work, and I'd poured so much time, blood,
sweat and tears into it. It was totally
unexpected and something that I'll always be
very grateful for.
You moved into musical theatre in 2009,
taking the title role in the West End
production of The Rise And Fall Of Little
Voice. What made you decide to take up a
new career in theatre so soon after your
time on The X Factor?
I did theatre when I was younger and I loved it.
It was something that I wanted to do eventually
anyway. Nica Burns, the producer of Little
Voice, and Jim Cartwright, the author,
approached me. I was actually in the middle of
writing my album and was keen to get on with
recording it. But Little Voice was such a great
opportunity that I decided my album could wait
for a while. Taking the part is one of the best
things I ever did. It opened so many doors and
taught me so much. It trained me so well in
terms of my acting and my voice. It was a real
Godsend for me, getting that part.
You then moved into acting roles in film and
TV. Is this something you'd like to do more
of in the future?
Yeah, definitely. I love it. I especially love doing
comedy. I did Give Out Girls and, more
recently, Top Coppers. I've also done a couple
of pilots for other comedies. I just love it. Doing
TV is really time-consuming but such great fun.
When it all comes together and you see the
final edit, it's really quite magical. I'd certainly
love to do more screen work. It's the plan to do
more after I finish my current projects.
Who inspires your work?
Acting-wise, Meryl Streep is a genius! I think
she inspires a lot of people. Music-wise, I don't
really know. I grew up listening to all sorts of
artists, from Celine Dion to The Beatles. There
were a lot of people who inspired me.
“She's very
virginal, she's a
young woman
who's very
sweet and
innocent. Then
halfway through
she becomes
this sexy vixen”
You're heading to the Midlands to star in the
legendary Rocky Horror Show. Are you
excited?
Yeah! I really can't wait! I'm really nervous and
excited about the audiences because I've
never played such a big part before. And, of
course, Rocky Horror has such a huge, cult
following. When we're in rehearsals, everyone's
thinking about the audience and what they
want. I'm excited to see their reactions, but I'm
equally worried about shout-outs or heckles!
But yes, I certainly can't wait to visit the
Midlands and get on stage!
You're playing the role of Janet alongside a
great cast. What excites you most about
your character?
I love how, at the beginning, she's very virginal;
she's a young woman who's very sweet and
innocent. Then, halfway through, this sexy
vixen is released in her. I love singing Touch
Me and I love doing the bedroom scenes they're such fun! It's a real buzz when I do that
- and to see the transformation she goes
through is really exciting.
The Rocky Horror Show was first produced
in 1973 and has since become a global
phenomenon. Do you feel any pressure to
live up to past performers in the same role?
Yeah, I do. Like I said, the fans are so involved
and absolutely love the show. I really want
them to like me and think that I'm doing a good
job. It's such an important part of the show that
they like my portrayal of the character. I'm just
trying to put my own stamp on things. I
auditioned for the part and worked really hard,
so I'm just going to go in there and do my best
and do it my way. I hope the audiences will
enjoy Janet as much as I enjoy playing her.
Were you a Rocky Horror fan before you
agreed to take part in the show?
Yeah, I knew the film, as I'd seen it when I was
younger. I've got a lot of friends who go and
see the show when it tours; they're huge
superfans. I loved the film and was very aware
of it, but now I've got the fever! It's safe to say
that I'm now a big Rocky Horror fan!
How would you describe Rocky Horror?
It's such a fun show! It's a rollercoaster of a
show. It's filled with great songs and amazing
dancing. It's raunchy, it's sexy, it has sass and
it's really funny. All of that and yet quite
emotional at the same time. It's very characterdriven too. If you want a good night out, where
you can get up and dance at the theatre, it's
definitely the show to see!
What's it like working with the rest of the
cast? Is there a chemistry?
Yeah, we all get along like a house on fire! It's
such a great company; they're all really lovely.
Everybody works really hard and there's no
bad energy. I'm excited to get on the road with
them all. Liam Tamne, who's playing Frank N
Furter, is absolutely fantastic. Every time I
watch him, I'm in complete awe of him! The
whole company hold it all together and help
each other out. I couldn't hope for a better
team, to be honest!
What would be your ideal role in theatre?
There are so many great characters out there.
I'd love to play Roxie Hart in Chicago. That
would be a bit of a dream!
Would you like to produce more music in
the future?
Yeah, never say never! I love writing and I love
singing, but right now, I'm concentrating on my
acting. In the past, I've spent so much time in
the studio on my music that I'm taking some
time out to do something different.
Diana Vickers stars in The Rocky
Horror Show at Birmingham’s New
Alexandra Theatre from Monday 25
until Saturday 30 January,
Nottingham’s Theatre Royal from
Monday 25 until Saturday 30 April
and at Stoke’s Regent Theatre from
Monday 23 until Saturday 28 May.
FOOD Jan - Region 1 NEW STYLE MM.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 19:30 Page 1
10 whatsonlive.co.uk
FOOD Jan - Region 1 NEW STYLE MM.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 19:31 Page 2
Food
Sabai Sabai
scoops award
Top eateries in prestigious guide...
An impressive eighteen
Birmingham restaurants have
been featured in the prestigious
Hardens Guide 2016.
Listed Brum eateries include
Purnell’s, Adam’s, Turners of
Harborne, Carters of Moseley
and Edmunds. Hardens base
their list on a survey of over six
thousand restaurant visitors and
claim to be the UK’s most
authoritative restaurant guide.
Gin bar opens in Jewellery Quarter
Two of Birmingham’s best bartenders have gone it alone.
After making a name for himself
as bar manager of Great
Hampton Street venue The
Church, cocktail guru Amanjot
Singh Johal has joined forces
with Rob Wood (formerly of The
Edgbaston and The Kenilworth)
to open a specialist gin & tonic
bar.
The award-winning duo will
deliver table service in a former
corner shop at 40 Cox Street,
overlooking St Paul’s Square.
With just twenty-four seats, the
venue is set to become one of
the city’s smallest and most
exclusive bars.
REVIEW: Andy Waters at Resort World
Affordable luxury at it’s best...
The latest jewel in Birmingham’s
culinary crown, Waters
Restaurant prides itself on providing affordable no-frills fine
dining in relaxed and friendly
surroundings.
Located at the heart of the newly
opened Resorts World - a
£150million complex boasting
over fifty retail and restaurant
outlets, an international hotel,
casino and eleven-screen multiplex cinema - it’s hard to imagine Michelin-starred chef Andy
Waters finding a more perfect
setting in which to launch his
latest venture.
Conveniently situated for commuter traffic, day and evening
visitors and the ever-expanding
tourist market, this eagerly
awaited addition to
Birmingham’s already enviable
dining culture successfully
bridges the gap between high
end and high street, boasting an
extensive menu of freshly prepared dishes which marry
Waters’ signature panache with
a healthy respect for age-old
classics.
Entering the immaculately finished interior - tastefully decorated in a palette of yellow,
beige and cream and accented
with silver leaf, natural pine and
chrome lighting fixtures - I was
immediately struck by the quality of both my surroundings and
the waiting staff, who achieved
just the right combination of
attentiveness and discretion.
For starters (ranging from a very
reasonable £6.95 to £9.25), I
opted for the duck liver parfait
with roasted almonds, Asian
pears and toasted brioche
(£8.50) - delicately flavoured,
beautifully textured and made
all the more enjoyable by the
chef’s recommendation of a
glass of Chateau Thenac at
£5.95. Its intense sweetness
counteracted the smoky depth of
the parfait perfectly.
My partner’s choice of cured
salmon with puff pastry sandwich, filled with smoked
salmon, horseradish, lemon zest
and cracked pepper, was just as
Best Indian
restaurant at
Curry
Awards
Birmingham eatery
Pushkar has been
named the Midlands’
best restaurant at the
2015 British Curry
Awards.
The popular fine-dining Indian restaurant,
based in the city’s
Broad Street, beat off
the challenge of eleven
other eateries to win
the coveted title.
Popular Thai eatery Sabai Sabai has
been named Best Restaurant at the
first ever Birmingham Awards, which
were recently held at the prestigious
Edgbaston Cricket Ground.
Winning the coveted title topped off
a great 2015 for Sabai Sabai, which
has restaurants in Harborne and
Moseley; earlier in the year, its
founder and owner, Juree Chidwick,
was named Entrepreneur of the Year
at the West Midlands Woman of
Achievement awards.
impressive, if not more so.
Cooked to absolute perfection,
the crispness of the puff pastry
provided the perfect counterpoint to the earthiness of the
salmon, which was melt-in-themouth delicious and easily
ranked among some of the best
I’ve tasted.
Opting for ‘duo of lamb - braised
breast and seared cutlet with
cauliflower, capers, baby turnips
and sugared carrots’ at £18, my
main course, if a little on the
small size for the price, was
nonetheless delicious - as was
my partner’s choice of ‘slowcooked blade of beef, baby
onions, lardons of smoked
bacon and button mushrooms’.
The only weakness was the side
order of seasonal vegetables,
consisting of new boiled potatoes, seasonal greens and baby
carrots. These seemed a little
rushed in execution, given the
quality of the experience overall.
Having rounded off my meal
with Waters’ signature dessert of
delice of chocolate, marmalade
ice cream and shortbread crumble (£9.50) - a richly indulgent
mix of bitter and fruit flavours
punctuated with hits of sweet,
white chocolate - stepping out
into the bustling retail and
leisure complex was something
of a shock to the system. This
was a testament, no doubt, to
the venue’s unique sense of intimacy.
Whether it’s a leisurely lunch
with family, fine dining with
friends or a bite to eat with business colleagues that you’re after,
this is affordable luxury at its
best. Kathryn Ewing
Food:
Service:
Ambience:
Overall value
OVERALL
nnnnn
nnnnn
nnnnn
nnnnn
nnnnn
Andy Waters,
Resorts World Birmingham,
Pendigo Way,
B40 1PU
Tel: 0121 273 1238
whatsonlive.co.uk 11
Leona Lewis DPS.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 21:27 Page 1
INTERVIEW
leona lewis
London-born Leona Lewis rose to fame back in 2006 when she won the
third series of The X Factor. Best known for her 2008 award-winning single, Bleeding Love - which hit number one in over thirty countries - she’s
back on the road after a three-year break from touring, to promote the release of fifth album I Am. With Leona next month bringing her new show
to Birmingham’s Symphony Hall, Lauren Foster chatted to her about the
new album, her departure from Simon Cowell’s Syco Records and her I Am
Empowered campaign…
What was the inspiration
behind new album I Am?
I started writing I Am independently, so really out of a record
deal. I wanted to write an album
that was very empowering and
uplifting - and a lot of its tone has
that feel to it. There are songs on
there like Thunder And Fire
Under My Feet, which is about
getting up and doing something;
about really giving you that energy to get out there and overcome any obstacles that may be
in your way. It’s very uplifting.
What makes it different to your
previous four albums?
Well, I feel like this album, although it’s me and I’m all about
really heartfelt songs, is coming
from a bit of a stronger place than
before. Maybe my other albums
were from a more vulnerable
place.
After seven years on Simon
Cowell’s label, Syco Records,
you signed to Island Records to
release and promote your new
album. Why the move?
I decided that I needed a change.
I find sometimes that when you’re
in a situation for a long time, you
can get a bit comfortable. I really
felt like it was time to change and
do something a bit different.
8 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
12
whatsonlive.co.uk
I didn’t automatically leave the
label and jump into a new deal. I
actually had time where I was out
of a label and just me, on my own
and making the album, which
definitely had its ups and downs.
After I started recording the
album, that was when I decided
to find a label to promote it.
You won The X Factor back in
2006. Does it feel like almost a
decade since you shot to stardom?
No, it’s flown by so quickly. Every
time I say that to someone,
they’re like, ‘No, it hasn’t been
that long, it’s been maybe four or
five years’. It really has flown by
for me.
More often than not, winners of
talent shows disappear off the
radar. You’re one of the very
few who’re still in the limelight. That must be a great
feeling...
Yeah, it’s great that people are
still buying my music and feeling
the things that I’m saying. Obviously, everything has its high and
low moments. I’ve always stayed
true to what I love to do, to myself, and to my hardcore fans,
who’ve really supported me. It’s
been amazing for me. I feel very
lucky.
You recently sang in Italy with
Andrea Bocelli. How did that
come about?
I studied opera from a young age,
so for me to be asked by Andrea
was just a dream come true.
When I first got asked, I was like,
‘No, I can’t do it’ because I was
too scared. But then I got a bit
more confident, and I’m now so
happy that I did it. It’s literally a
memory I will never forget.
Do you still get nervous
before going on stage?
Yeah, I still do - and I allow myself to have that little bit of nervousness. If it gets too much, I
have to have a talk with myself
and calm myself down. Usually
I’m quite good, though, and have
just enough nervousness to give
me that adrenaline rush.
What’s the most memorable
performance of your career?
There are quite a few. I got to play
the Beijing Olympics closing ceremony, which was really cool. I did
a really lovely gig in St Tropez,
looking out on to the water - I’ve
been lucky to play a few gigs looking out over beautiful scenery,
which is fantastic. I played with
Stevie Wonder too, and with Andrea. So yeah, I’ve had a few really memorable experiences.
Leona Lewis DPS.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 21:27 Page 2
Interview by Lauren Foster
If you could collaborate with
anyone in the industry, who
would it be and why?
Right now, I’d probably say Sia,
because I’m inspired by her. Bruno
Mars too; I’ve always loved him. I
just heard a song by Beyonce and
Coldplay. I’ve always liked the idea
of doing something with Coldplay.
I’ve always love that band.
You’ve got a house over in LA.
How does life over there compare to life in London?
It’s very different. I’m based in
both places. I’ve got a place in LA
because I do a lot of songwriting
and recording there. It’s just such
a different feel. In LA, you get a lot
of space.
I’ve got horses, so there’s a lot of
land for them. London is a little bit
more hustle and bustle; everyone’s very close and there’s more
of a community feeling. The style
and the vibe of London is very
cool.
‘‘
I really felt
like it was
time to
change
and do
something
a bit
different
‘‘
Who are your musical
influences?
Singer-songwriter Eva Cassidy she’s one of my favourites - and
Alicia Adams. Vocalists I love are
Whitney Houston and Sia. I really
like her voice; she’s amazing right
now.
Tell us about your I Am
Empowered campaign...
I Am Empowered started out
being an empowerment month.
Every day, I’d share something on
my social media that was either a
speech by someone that was empowering, some words or a quote
that I loved, some pictures or a
story. Fans started writing to me
sharing their stories, and I would
share them as well. I started the
campaign to get people involved
in sharing stories about the different obstacles that people have
to overcome.
There was a girl who sent me a
story about how members of her
family had been killed by someone that was close to them. She’d
turned her life around - she’d
been in a very dark place - and
trained to become a nurse so that
she could help and save people.
She’d managed to turn some-
thing devastating into something
that was actually positive in her
life. I started getting lots of stories like that one sent to me, and
I wanted to share them by putting them on my social media. It
was really about having a bit of a
social shift - especially now, with
so much negative and crazy news
happening. I just felt it was important to share something on
the flip side that was uplifting.
You start your UK tour in
February. Is there anything
else in the pipeline for 2016?
I want to get back in the studio
again after the tour. The tour was
initially going to be a bit longer,
but I made it this length so that I
had time to get back in the studio
and start writing again. I want to
spend time with the family and
chill out too, so I’m looking forward to that.
Leona Lewis plays Symphony
Hall, Birmingham on Sunday
28 February
whatsonlive.co.uk 13 9
Music - Region 1.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 19:46 Page 1
Gigs
The Libertines
Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham,
Wed 27 January
To say rock four-piece The Libertines have
had a bumpy ride would be an understatement.
The band rose to fame in 2002 following the
release of debut album Up The Bracket. The
same year saw them win Best New Band at
the NME Awards and bag support slots with
Morrissey and the Sex Pistols.
The positive vibe was painfully short-lived,
however. Within twelve months, Pete
Doherty’s drug use had precipitated some
major tensions, and relationships within the
group took a decided turn for the worse.
Doherty even burgled band mate Carl Bârat’s
flat, for which he was sentenced to six
months in prison.
In 2004, the band released second album
The Libertines - which topped the UK album
chart - but Barât’s refusal to continue alongside former best buddy Doherty brought the
curtain down on the controversial four-piece.
Miraculously, the boys have since managed
Daughter
O2 Institute, Birmingham, Wed 20 January
to put all that bad feeling to one side - 2010
saw a reunion show at the Reading and
Leeds Festivals, and their live performances
and stage chemistry successfully recall the
glory days of the past.
Expect to hear favourites such as What A
Waster, Can’t Stand Me Now and Don’t Look
Back Into The Sun, as well as songs from
new album Anthems For Doomed Youth.
Nahko And Medicine
For The People
The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton,
Sat 23 January
Although commonly labelled a folk band,
Daughter only just manage to fit the mould.
Playing the kind of music that’s both
touching and heart-wrenchingly poetic, the
three-piece regularly sell out shows and have
been playlisted by Radio One, 6 Music and
XFM. Spearhead Elena Tonra’s lyrics are
impressively deep, covering thoughtprovoking subjects such as doubt and
loneliness. By contrast, her fractured vocals
are as light as a wisp of smoke.
Their second album - Not To Disappear - is
released on the fifteenth of this month.
This five-member American world music
collective deliver a fusion of cultural
musical influences.
“The oral tradition of storytelling is so
important for our generation to bring
with us,” says Nahko. “Part of what we
try to convey is accountability and
empowerment. These songs direct us to
look at ourselves, whether it’s about a
social issue, environmental or a personal
issue. They embrace Bob Marley’s idea of
world-bridging, bringing people together
to resolve differences. For us, music is a
tool to create healing and activate people
to change things... I think our music promotes the bridging of all tribes.”
Paul Carrack
Malvern Theatres, Worcestershire, Fri 22 Jan
Sheffield-born singer and musician Paul
Carrack has enjoyed a long and distinguished career. He’s performed in numerous
bands down the years, including such heavyweight ensembles as Ace, Squeeze, Mike And
The Mechanics and Roxy Music. He’s also
paid his dues as a session and touring musician, and can point to his fair share of solo
success too.
Oh, and he’s no slouch when it comes to
songwriting either, with Tom Jones, The
Eagles and Jools Holland all having benefitted from his remarkable talent.
Music - Region 1.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 19:46 Page 2
Gig previews from around the region
Minus The Bear
The Sugarmill, Stoke-on-Trent,
Fri 22 January; O2 Academy,
Birmingham, Fri 29 January
Founded in 2001, indie rock
four-piece Minus The Bear feature both current and former
members of Botch, Kill Sadie
and Sharks Keep Moving.
They’ve released an impressive
five albums and four EPs.
Last year marked the tenth
anniversary of the band’s second album - Meno El Oso - a
record which marked them out
as fearless experimentalists.
These Midlands gigs are part of
a string of anniversary dates.
Support comes from Aero Flynn.
Blair Dunlop
Stafford Gatehouse,
Mon 11 January
Twenty-three-year-old Blair has
showcased his skills as a singer,
guitarist and songwriter with
debut album Blight And
Blossom and its follow up,
House Of Jacks.
Presenting a sound that’s tinged
with an American country and
bluegrass feel, Blair is part of a
famous musical dynasty; his
father is Ashley Hutchings, the
famed co-founder of Fairport
Convention.
Ashley joined his son on Blight
And Blossom, which was hailed
as one of the most well-crafted
folk albums of 2013.
Massive Attack
O2 Academy, Birmingham, Sat 30 January
Alongside Portishead and Tricky, Massive
Attack are one of the most respected acts
from the famed 'trip hop' scene.
Comprising Robert Del Naja and Grant
Marshall - alongside an array of guest vocalists and musical collaborators - the band reg-
istered a huge success with debut album Blue
Lines, scoring a further hit with second
album Protection.
Their third release, Mezzanine, sold over four
million copies, making it their biggest-selling
release to date.
The pair appear in Birmingham this month
as part of their first tour in five years.
Patty Griffin
Dub Smugglers
The Glee Club, Birmingham, Sun 24 January
Hare & Hounds, Birmingham, Fri 8 January
Patty Griffin is a Grammy Award-winning
artist who’s achieved great acclaim both for
her songwriting and her powerful voice.
Her albums Living With Ghosts (1996) and
Flaming Red (1998) are considered seminal
works in the singer-songwriter genre, while
her songs have been covered by artists
including Emmylou Harris and The Dixie
Chicks.
New album As Servant Of Love travels
through different musical terrains, bringing
together folk and blues, rock and jazz and
ancient and modern sounds - providing Patty
with the perfect opportunity to show that her
1990s magic remains very much intact.
Since appearing at Outlook Festival 2011,
Dub Smugglers and their sound system have
become one of the most popular reggae and
dub acts on the scene.
The sound system was first constructed in
2008 and has been touring the UK and
Europe ever since, performing alongside the
likes of Channel One, Mungos Hifi, Iration
Steppas and Tippa Irie.
Dub Smugglers
Matthew E White
Matthew E White
Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry,
Wed 27 January
American songwriter and producer Matthew
E White created the label Spacebomb
Records in 2011, through which he then
released debut album Big Inner and followup offering Fresh Blood.
In addition to his solo work, White is also the
leader of the avant-garde jazz big band Fight
The Big Bull, for which he composes and
arranges all music.
For the complete gig guide visit whatsonlive.co.uk 15
Classical Jan - Region 1.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 19:14 Page 1
Classical
Music
Mitsuko Uchida Recital
Nicola Benedetti:
Syzmanowski
Tues 19 January
Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Wed 27 January
Mesmerising audiences and critics alike with
her musicality and poise, Scottish-born violinist Nicola Benedetti is one of classical music’s
most sought-after performers.
Her road to fame began when she won Young
Musician of the Year in 2004. Awarded an
MBE in the 2013 New Year’s Honours list,
Benedetti went on to make chart history by
becoming the first Scottish classical artist to
break into the UK top twenty. She also played
a patriotic role at the opening ceremony of the
Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
This Midlands concert sees her beginning the
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra’s
mini-cycle of Szymanowski violin concertos
with the ‘ravishing, fantastical’ Second.
Lahav Shani conducts.
Tippett Quartet
Artrix, Bromsgrove, Fri 15 January
Chinese New Year
Concert
Acclaimed pianist Mitsuko Uchida has
tireless fingers when it comes to playing
the piano, admitting it’s always her back,
shoulders and brain that need to take a
break.
Mitsuko owns four Steinways, the oldest
of which dates back to the early 1960s.
And she has an interesting way of
viewing her pianos. “They're like human
beings - all men,” she told the Guardian.
“Number Two is good for practising on.
The third I call the Boy from Munich the kind that would drive a sports car.
The fourth is the youngster, just getting
nappy trained.”
Hailed for the probing and imaginative
quality of her playing, Mitsuko here performs the following programme: Berg’s
Piano Sonato Op1; Schubert’s Four
Impromptus D899; Mozart’s Rondo in
A minor K511; and Schumann’s Piano
Sonata No.1 in sharp minor Op11.
Bramall Music Building, Birmingham
University, Thurs 28 January
Boasting a broad and diverse repertoire, the
Tippett Quartet have been delighting critics
and audiences alike with their animated,
virtuosic performances for well over a
decade. Equally comfortable playing the
music of both classical and Hollywood
composers, the quartet consists of violinists
John Mills and Jeremy Isaac, Lydia LowndesNorthcott (viola) and cellist Bozidar Vukotic.
This concert sees them performing Haydn’s
String Quartet in C Op 20 No 2, Robert
Simpson’s String Quartet No 14 (1990), and
Mendelssohn’s String Quartet in F minor Op
80, written in grief for the loss of his beloved
sister Fanny.
“Chinese New Year offers the perfect
opportunity for the University of
Birmingham to celebrate our proud
and longstanding relationship with
China,” says the university’s Director
of International Relations, Peter
Clack. “Our engagement with China
spans one hundred years, and with
many more exciting initiatives underway, we believe this intercultural
friendship will go from strength to
strength.”
World-class musicians Di Xiao
(pianist), Julian Lloyd Webber (cellist)
and Xiefei Yang (guitarist) here celebrate the arrival of the Year of the
Sheep, playing traditional Chinese
music ‘that’s set to transport the audience to the land of dragons and
emperors’.
Symphony Hall, Birmingham,
Thurs 14 & Sat 16 January
Di Xiao
CBSO Scheherazade
Andrew Gourlay is the man with the
baton as the CBSO open Nikolai RimskyKorsakov’s ‘book’ of musical stories.
Scheherazade was an Arabic queen and
the storyteller of The Arabian Nights. The
legendary Russian composer’s 1888 symphonic poem brilliantly retells her story.
Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite, 16 and
Rachmaninov’s jazzy Piano Concerto
No 4 also feature on the programme.
Classical Jan - Region 1.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 19:14 Page 2
Festivals - Region 1 MM.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 21:37 Page 1
Festivals
Photo credit:
Shrewsbury
Folk Festival
When it comes to music regardless of your preference, be it
jazz, indie, folk, classical, world or
pop - you’re almost certain to find a
festival in the Midlands to suit your
todotfestival.co.uk
APRIL
CHELTENHAM JAZZ FESTIVAL Line up includes
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Frankfurt Radio Big
Band and Giovanni Guidi Trio, Wed 27 Apr - Mon 2
May, various venues in Cheltenham. More informat
ion and tickets at cheltenhamfestivals.com/jazz
taste. And 2016 looks set to be
another bumper year for the
MAY
region’s festival goers...
Panic! At The Disco, Of Mice And Men and
New Found Glory are confirmed to play
Slamdunk in Birmingham, Rosanne Cash daughter of Johnny - makes her much-anticipated debut at Shrewsbury Folk. American
jazz trumpeter, composer and producer
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah plays
Cheltenham Jazz, and The Neville Staple
Band and the Brand New Heavies form part
of the line-up at Leicester’s Big Day Out.
And with increasing numbers of people
choosing to trade the traditional summer
break for a weekend (or two, or three...) at a
festival, it makes sense to plan ahead and
save money by taking advantage of the many
early-bird packages available.
We’ve taken a look at what’s currently on
offer and will keep you informed as more
programming is announced. Keep up to date
by checking our festivals section online at
whatsonlive.co.uk
FEBRUARY
THE INTER VARSITY FOLK DANCE FESTIVAL The 65th
IVFDF will see performances from Les Zéoles,
Steamchicken, Peeping Tom and Folkus Pocus, Fri
26 - Sun 28 Feb, various venues in Coventry
MARCH
NANTWICH JAZZ, BLUES & MUSIC FESTIVAL
Celebrating its 20th year, the line up includes Big
Country, FM, Bad Manners and Kyla Box, Thurs 24 Mon 28 Mar, various venues in Nantwich. More information and tickets available at nantwichjazz.com
SWINGAMAJIG Line up to be announced, Sun 1 May,
venue to be announced, Birmingham. More information and tickets at swingamajig.co.uk
HANDMADE Headliners announced so far include We
Are Scientists and 65daysofstatic, Fri 29 Apr - Sun 1
May, O2 Academy, Leicester. More information at
handmadefestival.co.uk
UPTON UPON SEVERN FOLK FESTIVAL Line up to be
announced, Fri 29 Apr - Mon 2 May, various venues,
Upton upon Severn, Worcestershire. More information and tickets at uptonfolk.org
LEAMINGTON MUSIC FESTIVAL Celebrating the 30th
anniversary of the Guarneri Piano Trio and the 40th
anniversary of the Martinu String Quartet, Fri 29 Apr
- Tues 3 May, Royal Pump Rooms. More information
at leamingtonmusic.org
ONE BIG DAY OUT Line up includes The Brand New
Heavies, The Neville Staple Band, Stone Foundation
and New Street Adventure, Sat 30 Apr, De Montfort
Hall, Leicester. Information and tickets here demontforthall.co.uk
FUDGESTOCK Line up includes Dead Sea Skulls, The
Father Teds and Six Appeal, Sun 1 May, The Robin,
Bilston. Tickets can be purchased at therobin.co.uk
BEARDED THEORY Line up includes From the Jam,
Wilko Johnson and Turin Brakes, Thurs 26 - Sun 29
May, Catton Hall, South Derbyshire. More information and tickets at beardedtheory.co.uk
BREAKING BANDS Line up includes Reign of Fury, Evil
Masquerade and Blaze Bayle, Fri 27 - Sun 29 May,
Stoke Prior Sports & Country Club, Bromsgove. More
information and tickets at
breakingbandsfestival.com
CHESTER FOLK FESTIVAL Line up includes Melrose
Quartet, Blackbeard’s Tea Party and Nancy Kerr &
James Fagan, Fri 27 - Mon 30 May, Kelsall Village.
More information and tickets at chesterfolk.org.uk
SLAMDUNK FESTIVAL Celebrating its 10th anniversary, line up includes Panic! At the Disco, Of Mice &
Men, New Found Glory and Four Years Strong, Sun
29 May, Genting Arena, Birmingham. Tickets can be
purchased from slamdunkmusic.com
DOT TO DOT FESTIVAL The UK’s premier festival for
unearthing the hottest new talent around, alongside
established acts from all over the globe. Line up to
be announced, Sun 29 May, various venues,
Nottingham. More information and tickets at dot-
BIRMINGHAM PRIDE Line up to be announced, Sat 28
- Sun 29 May, Birmingham Gay Village. Information
and tickets at birminghampride.com
JUNE
WIRRAL FOLK FESTIVAL Line up includes Ralph
McTell, Eddi Reader and Oysterband Thurs 2 - Sun 5
Jun, The Whitby Club, Cheshire. More information
and tickets at wirralfolkonthecoast.com
WYCHWOOD FESTIVAL Line up includes Peter Hook &
The Light, Kate Rusby and From The Jam, Fri 3 - Sun
5 Jun, Cheltenham Racecourse. More information
and tickets at wychwoodfestival.com
LUNAR FESTIVAL A family friendly festival set in the
spiritual home of Nick Drake. Line up to be
announced, Fri 3 - Sun 5 Jun, Tanworth in Arden,
Warwickshire. More information and tickets at lunarfestival.co.uk
THE ACOUSTIC FESTIVAL OF BRITAIN Line up includes
The Blockheads, Nell Bryden and King King, Fri 3 Sun 5 Jun, Uttoxeter Racecourse. More information
and tickets at acousticfestival.co.uk
ASPARAFEST Line up to be announced, Sat 4 - Sun 5
Jun, Ashdown Farm, Evesham, Worcestershire. More
information and tickets at asparafest.co.uk
ENGLISH HAYDN FESTIVAL Line up to be announced,
Thurs 8 - Sun 12 Jun, Bridgnorth. Information at englishhaydn.com
GATE TO SOUTHWELL FOLK FESTIVAL Line up includes
Hayseed Dixie, Show of Hands and Eddi Reader,
Thurs 9 - Sun 12 Jun, Southwell, Nottingham. More
information and tickets at
southwellfolkfestival.org.uk
DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL Headlining are Iron Maiden,
Black Sabbath and Rammstein, Fri 10 - Sun 12 Jun,
Donington Park, Derby. Information and tickets at
downloadfestival.co.uk
LET’S ROCK BIRMINGHAM Line up to be announced,
Sat 11 Jun, Sandwell Valley Country Park, West
Bromwich. More information and tickets at letsrockbirmingham.com/
LEAMINGTON PEACE FESTIVAL Line up to be
announced, Sat 11 - Sun 12 Jun, Pump Rooms
Gardens, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. More information at peacefestival.org.uk
110 ABOVE FESTIVAL Line up to be announced, Fri 17
- Sun 19 Jun, Gospall Hall Farm, Leicestershire. More
information at tickets visit 110above.com/
ALCESTER FOLK FESTIVAL Line up to be announced,
Fri 17 - Sun 19 Jun, Holly Bush, Alcester,
Warwickshire. More information and tickets at alcesterfolkfestival.org.uk
FOXTON LOCKS FESTIVAL Line up to be announced,
Sat 18 - Sun 19 Jun, Foxton Locks, Leicestershire.
More information and tickets at
Festivals - Region 1 MM.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 21:37 Page 2
Music festivals 2016
foxtonlocksfestival.co.uk
UPTON-UPON-SEVERN JAZZ FESTIVAL Line up includes
Stephanie Trick, The London Swing Orchestra and
MellowTone, Thurs 23 - Sun 26 Jun, venues across
Upton-upon-Severn, Worcestershire. More information and tickets at uptonjazz.co.uk
LICHFIELD BLUES & JAZZ FESTIVAL Line up to be
announced, Fri 24 - Sun 26 Jun, various venues,
Lichfield, Staffordshire. More information and tickets at lichfieldarts.org.uk
THE FESTIVAL AT THE EDGE Line up to be announced,
Fri 15 - Sun 17 Jul, Stokes Barn, Much Wenlock,
Shropshire. More information at
festivalattheedge.org
L FEST Line up to be announced, Fri 15 - Mon 18 Jul,
Uttoxeter Racecourse, Staffordshire. More information and tickets at lfest.co.uk
BIRMINGHAM FEST Line up to be announced, Fri 15 Sun 31 Jul, various theatres across Birmingham. More
information and tickets at birminghamfest.co.uk
LINTON FESTIVAL Line up to be announced, Fri 24 Sun 26 Jun, The Alma Inn, Linton, Herefordshire.
More information and tickets at lintonfestival.org
BUG JAM Line up to be announced, Fri 17 - Sun 19
Jul, Santa Pod Raceway, Northamptonshire. More
information and tickets at bugjam.co.uk
KINETON MUSIC FESTIVAL Line up to be announced,
Sat 25 Jun, Kineton Sports and Social Club, Little
Kineton. More information and tickets at
kinetonmusicfestival.co.uk
WARWICK FOLK FESTIVAL Line up includes Show of
Hands, The Unthanks and Korrontzi, Thurs 21 - Sun
24 Jul, Warwick School, Warwick. More information
and tickets at warwickfolkfestival.co.uk
JULY
CAMPERJAM Line up to be announced, Fri 1 - Sun 3
Jul, Weston Park, Shropshire. Information and tickets at camperjam.com
NATIONAL FOREST FOLK FESTIVAL Line up includes
Lucy Ward, The Shee, Monster Ceilidh Band and
Hannah James’ Jigdoll, Fri 1 - Sun 3 Jul, Moira
Miners’ Welfare Hall, Leicestershire. Information and
tickets at nationalforestfolk.com
LICHFIELD FESTIVAL Celebrating its 35th year. Line up
to be announced, Fri 1 - Sun 10 Jul, Lichfield
Cathedral and Lichfield Garrick Theatre,
Staffordshire. More information at
lichfieldfestival.org
LLANGOLLEN INTERNATIONAL MUSICAL EISTEDDFOD
Line up to be announced, Tues 5 - Sun 10 Jul, Royal
International Pavilion, Llangollen. More information
and tickets at international-eisteddfod.co.uk
NOISILY FESTIVAL Line up includes Patrice Baumel,
Tristan and Koan Sound, Thurs 7 - Sun 10 Jul, Coney
Woods at Noseley Hall, Leicestershire. More information and tickets at noisilyfestival.com
NAPTON MUSIC FESTIVAL Line up to be announced,
Fri 8 - Sat 9 Jul, Village Centre, Napton on the Hill,
Warwickshire. More information at
naptonfestival.co.uk
LICHFIELD FUSE FESTIVAL A free family community
arts event. Line up to be announced, Fri 8 - Sat 9 Jul,
Beacon Park, Staffordshire. More information at lichfieldarts.org.uk
MOSTLY JAZZ, FUNK AND SOUL FESTIVAL De La Soul
announced as Friday’s headline act, Fri 8 - Sun 10
Jul, Moseley Park, Birmingham. More information
and tickets at mostlyjazz.co.uk
SHREWSBURY FIELDS FOREVER Line up to be
announced, The Quarry, Shrewsbury, Fri 15 - Sun 17
Jul, Shrewsbury, Shropshire. More information at
shrewsburyfieldsforever.com
NOZSTOCK Line up to be announced, Fri 22 - Sun 24
Jul, Rowden Paddocks, Bromyard, Herefordshire.
More information and tickets at nozstock.com
SPLENDOUR Line up to be announced, Sat 23 Jul,
Wollaton Park, Nottingham. More information and
tickets at splendourfestival.com
BAREFOOT FESTIVAL First acts confirmed are Brad
Shaw, The Mojo Slide, The Fruitful Earth and Fern
Teather, Fri 29 - Sun 31 Jul, Prestwold Hall,
Leicestershire. More information and tickets at barefootfestival.com
CARFEST NORTH Line up includes The Corrs, ABC,
Billy Ocean and Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott, Fri 29 Sun 31 Jul, Bolesworth Castle, Cheshire. More infomation and tickets at www.carfest.org
AUGUST
BULLDOG BASH Line up to be announced, Thurs 11 Sun 14 Aug, Long Marston Airfield, Stratford Upon
Avon. More information and tickets at
bulldogbash.co.uk
BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR Twisted Sister, Mastodon and
Slayer headline, Thurs 11 - Sun 14 Aug, Catton Hall,
Derbyshire. More information and tickets at bloodstock.uk.com
LAKEFEST Starsailor are the first headline act
announced, Thurs 11 - Sun 14 Aug, Eastnor Castle,
Herefordshire. More information and tickets at lakefest.co.uk/
FARMER PHIL’S FESTIVAL Line up to be announced,
Fri 12 - Sun 14 Aug, near Gatten Farm, Shropshire.
More informaiton and tickets at
farmerphilsfestival.com
BETLEY CONCERTS Will Young and Simply Red have
been announced to headline, Fri 12 - Sun 14 Aug,
Betley Court Farm, Cheshire. More information and
tickets at betleyconcerts.com
THE JUST SO FESTIVAL Line up to be announced, Fri
19 - Sun 21 Aug, Rode Hall Parkland, Cheshire. More
information and tickets at justsofestival.org.uk
PERSHORE JAZZ FESTIVAL Fri 19 - Sun 21 Aug,
Pershore College, Worcestershire. More information
and tickets at pershorejazz.org.uk
V FESTIVAL Line up to be announced, Sat 20 - Sun 21
Aug, Weston Park, Shropshire. More information and
tickets at vfestival.com
FAKE FESTIVALS The UK’s only touring tribute bands
festival. Line up to be announced, Sat 20 Aug, Selly
Oak, Birmingham and Sat 27 Aug, The Quarry,
Shrewsbury. More information and tickets at fakefestivals.co.uk
SHAMBALA Line up to be announced, Thurs 25 - Sun
28 Aug, a secret location near Market Harborough,
Northamptonshire. More information at shambalafestival.org
PRESTEIGNE FESTIVAL Line up to be announced,
Thurs 25 - Tues 30 Aug, Powys, Wales. More information and tickets at presteignefestival.com
CREAMFIELDS Line up to be announced, Fri 26 - Sun
28 Aug, Cheshire. More information at
creamfields.com
BEERMAGEDDON Line up to be announced, Fri 26 Sun 28 Aug, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove. More information and tickets at beermageddon.co.uk
GREENBELT FESTIVAL Line up to be announced, Fri 26
- Mon 29 Aug, Boughton House, Northamptonshire.
More information and tickets at greenbelt.org.uk
SHREWSBURY FOLK FESTIVAL Line up includes
Levellers, Rosanne Cash, Raghu Dixit and Show Of
Hands, Fri 26 - Mon 29 Aug, Greenhous West Mid
Showground, Shrewsbury. More information and
tickets at shrewsburyfolkfestival.co.uk
SEPTEMBER
MOSELEY FOLK FESTIVAL Line up to be announced,
Fri 2 - Sun 4 Sep, Moseley Park, Birmingham. More
information and tickets at moseleyfolk.co.uk
ONBOARD THE CRAFT FESTIVAL Line up to be
announced, Fri 9 - Sun 10 Sep, Stoke Prior,
Bromsgrove. More information and tickets at sonicrocksolstice.com
BROMYARD FOLK FESTIVAL Line up to be announced,
Fri 9 - Sun 11 Sep, Bromyard, Herefordshire. More
information and tickets at bromyardfolkfestival.co.uk
WORCESTER MUSIC FESTIVAL Line up to be
announced, Fri 16 - Sun 18 Sep, venues across
Worcester. More information and tickets at worcestermusicfestival.co.uk
OCTOBER
LICHFIELD FESTIVAL OF FOLK Line up to be
announced, Fri 14 - Sun 16 Oct, venues around
Lichfield, Staffordshire. More information at lichfieldarts.org.uk
Julian Lloyd Webber DPS .qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 19:38 Page 1
FEATURE
JULIAN LLOYD
WEBBER
Reflects on access to the arts, community
engagement and life in the second city...
Following the difficult decision
to retire from public performance
last year, celebrated cellist and
conductor Julian Lloyd Webber
began his tenure as Principal of
the Birmingham Conservatoire in
September. A long-term, passionate advocate for the improvement
of music education, Lloyd Webber
is a natural fit for the role, as part
of which he will oversee a relocation to a brand new, £40million
building.
“This building works well
enough, but we'll be going somewhere so much better,” says Julian, sitting in a large office at the
conservatoire's current home in
the Adrian Boult Hall. “The new
place is going to be state of the
art, totally focused around music.
There won't be many rooms like
this around - most of the admin
will be next door. It's a very exciting time for me to join.”
Set for completion in 2017, the
new conservatoire will be the
UK's first in around thirty years.
Located on Jennens Road, between Millennium Point and
Birmingham Ormiston Academy,
it will include over seventy music
practice rooms and five performance venues: a four hundred-seat
concert hall, a one hundred-andfifty-seat recital hall and smaller
rooms dedicated to jazz, organ
music and experimental work.
Naturally, of course, the transition will bring difficulties, but the
new principal wonders whether
these might not prove a blessing
20
whatsonlive.co.uk
in disguise. “When we lose the
Adrian Boult Hall at the end of
June, it won't be easy, but we're
taking it as an opportunity to go
out and play concerts all over the
city. We've got a new outreach
manager here, Richard Shrewsbury, and we have lots of plans to
get out and engage with the community, particularly with young
children. I want the conservatoire
to be right at the centre of what's
going on in Birmingham, not
something that's hidden away.”
As founder and chairman of
music development charity Sistema England, Lloyd Webber has
long been involved in outreach
and community projects, providing him with experience which he
hopes to use in his new role at the
conservatoire. Dismayed by limited access to music tuition for
children, he recently hit out
against plans to spend £500million on a new London concert
hall, calling it a “wrong priority”.
“It upsets me so much to see that
the majority of children aren't getting access to classical music.
Music lessons and instruments
are increasingly paid for by parents. In my view, children have a
right to experience music, and
they should get that in school. It's
all very well having gleaming new
concert halls - but to splash out
£500million when most children
aren't learning music at all, because of the cutbacks, seems
wrong. Where are the audience
going to come from? People don't
just walk in to things - it's very
rare that they'll pay a lot of
money for a ticket to something
they don't know whether or not
they'll enjoy.”
But it's not all about facilitating
access to music for children and
young people: Lloyd Webber
hopes to make audiences of all
ages more aware of the conservatoire's diverse, exciting and very
affordably priced public events.
The programme for the new term
includes concerts and masterclasses from acclaimed performers like pianist Peter Donohoe
and baritone singer Roderick
Williams, the continuation of the
ongoing Completely Brahms season - with two concerts each in
January and March - and an ambitious, five-day Schubert Festival
in February which will see staff
and students explore the composer's work via up to five concerts per day. It's not only
classical music on offer, either:
March's Frontiers Festival will celebrate experimental, boundarypushing work from contemporary
composers, as well as showcasing
original music by the conservatoire's composition students.
With most events priced at under
£10, a glance across the programme should leave you feeling
spoilt for choice.
“People need to realise how many
public concerts there are going on
here, many of them free. The
value is unbelievable: if you were
listening to an equivalent concert
Julian Lloyd Webber DPS .qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 19:38 Page 2
Feature by Heather Kincaid
Greater expense is just one of the
many things Lloyd Webber doesn't
miss about London, where he lived
his whole life before his recent
move to Birmingham.
“There's nothing you can get in
London that you can't get in Birmingham. Symphony Hall and Town
Hall are amazing concert venues,
with things of a very high standard
going on all year, and the CBSO is
a world-class orchestra. I don't
think people elsewhere realise
how much is going on here: you
could be out every night if you
wanted to. Another thing I like
about it here is that everything is
within walking distance. That's so
different to London.”
The ‘tight-knit’ nature of Birmingham's city centre allows connections to be fostered easily between
related organisations, and Lloyd
Webber hopes to bring arts institutions together so that the city
can begin to act “as a single entity”.
‘‘
There’s
nothing you
can get in
London
that you
can’t get in
Birmingham
‘‘
in London, you'd be paying about
four times the price. We had a concert by a famous pianist called
Robert Levin at the beginning of
this term, and he was playing the
same concert at the Wigmore Hall
near Marylebone Station. I worked
out that it was cheaper to get the
train from Marylebone to Moor
Street and listen to him here than
it was to hear him play in London.”
Another of his aims is to equip
students with practical skills to
help them forge careers in the
music industry - something he
feels was lacking in his own education.
“There's often a very regimented
approach to learning instruments, where you shut yourself
away for six hours a day and
practise playing the same music
everybody else plays. We've got
to think outside the box more.
There are many different things
you can do in music besides
being a concert musician, and I
want the students to find different ways to use their individual
talents. Some of the most successful people I've met in music
didn't think they would end up
where they are now when they
went to college, like being a
record producer, for example.
We've got great people coming in
from all sides of the industry to
talk to the students.”
Nevertheless, Lloyd Webber himself remains best known as a
concert musician, and adjusting
to a new life without his cello has
taken time. In 2014, he announced he was retiring from
public performance due to a herniated neck disc which was affecting his ability to play.
“I will always miss performing. If
you're lucky enough to be a solo
player and have that contact with
an audience, it's an incredible
thing. It's unfortunate that the injury was so specific in causing a
loss of power in my bowing arm I might not have even noticed
anything was wrong if I wasn't a
cellist. But it's a really full-on job
here, so I don't have much time
to think about it at the moment,
which is good. I’ve always been
passionate about education, and
I have a huge amount of knowledge about working in music to
share, so I'm doing something
which I think is very valuable
now. I wouldn't be here if it hadn't happened, so there are positives.”
To find out more about
programming at Birmingham
Conservatoire visit,
bcu.ac.uk/conservatoire
Anna Maxwell single page MM.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 19:17 Page 1
Anna
Maxwell
Martin
FEATURE
BAFTA winner talks about
her interpretation of the
iconic character of
Lady Macbeth.
Shakespearean verse meets carefully choreographed physical performance in a visceral
new production of Macbeth from
theatre/dance directing duo Carrie Cracknell
and Lucy Guerin, arriving at the
Birmingham REP this month following its
initial run at the Young Vic. John Heffernan
stars as the ill-fated protagonist, alongside
two-time BAFTA winner Anna Maxwell Martin. What's On spoke to Maxwell Martin to
talk about her interpretation of the iconic
character of Lady Macbeth.
“The production is set in a modern world,
with a set that looks a bit like a bunker,”
says Maxwell Martin, “but I think the most
important thing about it is the way it combines the text of the play with dance and
movement - a kind of physical manifestation
of what's happening in the story.”
The acting cast is supported by a small team
of dancers offering a disturbing portrayal of
the three witches, whose enigmatic
prophecy inspires Macbeth to kill the King
and take his crown.
“The play makes it hard to know whether
the witches are a symptom of Macbeth's failing mind, or a supernatural force compelling him to act the way he does,”
continues Anna. “They feature a lot in our
production - however you read them, they're
a constant presence in his mind, and they're
represented in quite a scary, heightened way
in these fleshy-coloured outfits. If you take
them as something hallucinatory, then
that's something that will fit in to any time
or place: certainly mental health is as much
a part of our world as it was a part of Shakespeare's.”
Physical training has not been exclusive to
the professional dancers, with everyone
coming together to practise as “one big
group”. Of course, getting to grips with the
choreography has been a challenge for the
actors, but it's one that, for the most part,
they've embraced.
“It's really new to me, and it was a bit scary
at first, but I've loved it - I think the whole
company has. Funnily enough, although I’ve
been taking part in the dancing for weeks, I
don't actually have to do any in the final
production - it was probably all cut out because I was so bad!”
Fortunately, there's been one less thing to
worry about than in some Macbeth productions: the superstitious tradition of avoiding
the play's name around the theatre has been
happily avoided.
“I'd forgotten all about that!” Anna exclaims. “None of us have been worrying
about the superstitions, which is probably
for the best!” Cracknell and Guerin's only
previous collaboration was on the National
Theatre's recent production of Medea, which
met with huge critical acclaim. By transporting Euripides' tragic tale to a contemporary
domestic setting, the duo created a claustrophobically intimate horror exploring the
desperation that might drive a loving
mother (played by a chillingly believable
Helen McCrory) to kill her own children.
There are obvious parallels with Macbeth,
which also features at its heart a frustrated
woman, driven to murderous extremes.
“There's always a difficulty in making those
murderous figures believable in a domestic
setting, and that’s something I struggled
with. I try not to play her as a monstrous figure. There are a lot of different interpretations about what Lady Macbeth is driven by,
so I've tried to find the humanity in her.”
Unlike Medea, driven to butcher her own
offspring, this version of Lady Macbeth presents us with a woman who may have been
left traumatised by a loss beyond her control.
“There's a long-running debate about references to a dead child in the play. Some productions have embraced that, but others
feel that there isn't enough textual evidence
to support that being a significant driving
force. I think there probably is. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth talk about a child,
and she talks about breast milk, which gives
the impression that she understands the
feeling of being a mother. That's something
I’ve used, though not too heavily. There's a
sort of hint towards the end, when she's
sleepwalking, that perhaps there was a
child at some point in their lives.”
Maxwell Martin initially rose to prominence
for her performance as Philip Pullman's
much-loved heroine Lyra in a six-hour stage
adaptation of His Dark Materials. Yet despite
this early evidence of her commanding stage
presence and tremendous on-stage stamina,
she says she feels more comfortable in front
of a camera than treading the boards.
“I do find it difficult and I'm not sure theatre
is my natural home, but I still always
have a good time. I love being part of a company of actors, and I love exploring a play
for four or six weeks or however long the rehearsal time is. But it's the parts that draw
me back really. Whenever something by
Chekhov or Shakespeare comes along,
there’s an urge to take it. It's endlessly fascinating doing Shakespeare because if you
analyse the text, it reveals lots of little jewels
to you, sometimes even as you're speaking
it during the run of a play. I never get bored
doing Shakespeare.”
On screen, Maxwell Martin's two BAFTAs
were received for her roles as Esther Summerton in the BBC's 2005 dramatisation of
Bleak House, and as ‘N’ in Channel Four's
Poppy Shakespeare. Fast building a reputation for her period performances, she’s also
appeared in South Riding, The Night Watch,
The Bletchley Circle and Death Comes To
Pemberley. More recently, you might have
seen her playing Mary Shelley in ITV's The
Frankenstein Chronicles or Ethel Rogers in
the Boxing Day broadcast of And Then
There Were None.
Anna Maxwell Martin stars in Hamlet at
The REP, Birmingham
from Tues 26 to Sat 30 January
Anna Maxwell single page MM.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 19:17 Page 2
Comedy Jan - Region 1.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 19:10 Page 1
Comedy
Little Fockers star live
in Birmingham
Kevin Hart
Fri 15 January
Philadelphia-born actor and comedian Kevin
Hart is a big star on the far side of the pond,
appearing in movies including Little Fockers,
The 40 Year Old Virgin and Scary Movie 4.
An example of his line in humour is: “Ever
argue with a female and, in the middle of the
argument, you no longer feel safe because of
her actions? She may start pacing back and
forth, breathing out her nose. You know what
my girl do? When she get mad, she start talking in the third person. That’s scary as hell
because that’s her way of telling me that, from
this point on, she is not responsible for none
of her actions.”
Six of the best...
Stephen K Amos
Isy Suttie
Mike Gunn
Huntingdon Hall, Worcester, Fri 15 January;
The Old Rep Theatre, Birmingham,
Sat 16 January
The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton,
Tues 26 January; Royal Spa Centre,
Leamington Spa, Wed 27 January
Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Sun 31 January
"I used to do a joke where I said I'd have to
wait for Lenny Henry to die before I could get
on television," says Stephen K Amos, referring to his
belief that big
breaks for
black comedians are few
and far
between.
Whatever the
truth, there's
little question
that Stephen's
very much basking in the televisual limelight
these days.
His success is no surprise, mind, given the
quality of his material and his effortless ability to strike all the right chords with his everappreciative audience.
Recognise the face but not the name? If so,
chances are you're a fan of cult TV comedy
series Peep Show, in which Isy played the
character of
Dobbie.
A writer and
musician as
well as an actor
and comedian,
Isy's touring in
support of her
first book, The
Actual One.
She describes it
as ‘a memoir about the moment in your late
twenties when you suddenly realise that all
your mates are growing up without you”.
Her gags include: “My mate's a really bad
actor. He got mugged and then had to audition to play himself in the Crimewatch reconstruction. He got Passerby Number Two.”
Although a self-confessed pessimist who, on
his own admission, “is not a natural choice
for a career making people laugh”, Mike
Gunn is nonetheless very good at generating
moments of
mirth for his
fast-growing
and everappreciative
audience.
Mike’s road to
the stand-up
microphone
has been a
thorny one,
taking in all
manner of
truly grim jobs
and an addiction to heroin.
He’s been clean for a good few years now,
which is more than can be said for some of
his jokes, one of which is: “My wife wants to
be buried in her wedding dress. In which
case she’d better hope she dies of some kind
of wasting disease.”
Comedy Jan - Region 1.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 19:10 Page 2
Stewart Lee
Wolverhampton Grand
Theatre, Sunday 31
January
When you've been voted
the forty-first Best Ever
Stand-up Comedian, you
know you've arrived well, kind of!
Stewart Lee shot to fame
courtesy of his partnership with Richard
Herring. He’s continued to
press all the right buttons
as a solo entity too, scoring a hit with Jerry
Springer The Opera.
His style of comedy won't
make for the most comfortable of rides, but he's
thought-provoking, funny
and memorable, so suffering the odd moment that
makes you awkward is a
small price to pay for an
otherwise great night out.
Rob Rouse
Joel Dommett
Ellie Taylor
The Glee Club, Birmingham,
Thurs 28 - Sat 30 January
The Glee Club, Birmingham,
Fri 8 - Saturday 9 January;
Lichfield Garrick, Fri 22 January
Bramall Music Building, Birmingham,
Thurs 14 January
Boasting a plethora of TV credits, including
Channel Four's 8 Out Of 10 Cats, ITV's
Celebrity Juice and Dave's One Night Stand,
Rob Rouse peddles a hyperactive brand of
humour that’s
much in
demand.
“I’m hugely
lucky not to
have a real
job,” says Rob, who’s recently launched his
very own podcast. “Something that essentially used to get me told off at school now
earns me a living. Genuinely, that’s how it
feels - to a certain degree anyway. There’s
stuff that I wasn’t meant to say at school, or
things that I wasn’t meant to say at work,
that I can now say on stage. I can arse about,
I can say exactly what I want, regardless of
how offensive people may or may not think it
is. As long as I’m accountable for what I say,
then I can do it. Without being churlish
about it, it feels like a very healthy way for
me to live my life.”
“I absolutely love performing in small, intimate spaces,” says Joel Dommett, once the
face of MTV until he was
sacked at the
age of twentyseven for being
‘too old’. “I’d
far rather do a
small gig in
front of fifty
people, but be
doing new
stuff, than do old stuff in front of five thousand people.”
Joel’s extremely committed to the business of
keeping his act fresh. “I’m working on material pretty much all the time,” explains the
one-time warm-up act for Justin Bieber
whose television work includes Skins, Live
In Chelsea and Impractical Jokers UK. “In
fact, I try to put in something new every time
I go on stage. If there’s something new in
there, it brightens up the whole set and gives
it more energy and excitement.”
Ellie Taylor kickstarted her comedy career in
her late twenties, performing in stand-up
reality TV series Show Me The Funny.
“I got some other television work out of that
and a few bookings,” recalls Ellie, “but people’s expectations outweighed what I was
able to provide. I wasn’t really good enough
at that stage.”
Now in her early thirties,
Ellie’s comedy has come a
long way in a short time.
“It was tricky back then,”
she admits, “getting
offers that I wasn’t ready
for, but I really do feel
like I’m there now.”
For more comedy listings visit whatsonlive.co.uk 25
Steve Punt DPS.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 19:39 Page 1
FEATURE
steve punt
talks about joining the cast of Rocky Horror
With the latest tour of The Rocky Horror
Show set to land in Birmingham's New
Alexandra Theatre this month, comedian
Steve Punt joins the cast of the surreal sci-fi
classic in the role of the Narrator.
A well-established presence on the UK comedy circuit, Punt is best known for his work
as one half of long-running double-act Punt
and Dennis. Independently, he also writes
for, among other shows, CBBC's Horrible
Histories.
But despite a successful showbiz career with
ample experience in musical comedy, The
Rocky Horror Show tour marks Steve's first
appearance in a live stage musical.
What's On caught up with him to find out
more.
You'll be opening the new Rocky Horror
Show tour in Brighton, Steve, which is
something of a natural home for the
show. Are you feeling the pressure of audience expectation?
Lots of the actors have done it before, so
you've got around you a kind of cushion of
people who know the show backwards, and
there'll be a weekend of previews to help
those of us who’re new to it. But to be honest, having the chance to rehearse something properly for three weeks is a relative
luxury for me! Comedians don't really rehearse much anyway, and a lot of what I do
is topical, so it's only written a few days before. Also, with radio, you have a script in
front of you, so you don't have to learn anything. I'm really enjoying the process of
working it all through properly with the cast
and getting everything fixed in my head.
Were you much of a Rocky Horror fan before you were offered the part?
I'd seen it a few times so I knew it fairly well.
Some of the songs I've known since I was a
teenager, and some bits stick in my memory
more than others, so it's really interesting to
see how it all fits together. It's such a wellworked show - it's been on for forty years, so
every single second of it has been meticulously worked out.
What do you think it is about the show
that's made it such an enduring success?
I think there's a whole mix of stuff that
makes it slightly addictive. It's just so weird
and so different from everything else that if
you've ever seen it at all, you're not likely to
26
whatsonlive.co.uk
Steve Punt DPS.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 19:39 Page 2
‘‘
forget it. There are lots of moments in the
show that are very memorable visually and
musically. I guess that's why it's become a
show where the audience joins in a lot. Music
I think is almost uniquely powerful in the
way it wraps up memories for people, and it's
probably been around long enough now that
people who saw the original production will
be bringing their families along. It's almost
like the more familiar it becomes, the more
people want to stay with it.
Now, with so many jukebox musicals around,
it probably stands out in a slightly different
way to how it originally did. In a sense this is
quite an old-fashioned, proper stage musical,
with songs that tell a story and belong at
their own point in the action. It also has a bit
more depth to it than you might expect. It's
gained this reputation for just being a romp
with lots of audience participation, but the
last twenty minutes make you feel like you're
seeing a proper piece of theatre.
As a comedian, I'm sure you've dealt with
hecklers, but The Rocky Horror Show
takes audience participation to a new
level. Is that something you're looking forward to?
We were talking about this in rehearsal the
other day. You can't really think of it as heckling, which is often malicious and designed
to trip you up. In this case, it's more that the
audience are part of the show - the obvious
comparison is with pantomime. It is slightly
daunting because even when you know
something, if you get interrupted halfway
through, it can throw you, so there is a feeling of trepidation among those joining for the
first time. But it comes with the territory, and
not only have I been fully warned about it,
I've actually been given a script with all the
usual heckles in it so I can get used to the
timing and where you need to leave pauses.
The Narrator role is being shared between
you and two other people (Charlie Condou
and Philip Franks) on this tour - has there
been any sense of competition between
you?
We haven't seen each other rehearsing, and I
get the feeling we're all trying to come at it
from different angles. There are many ways
you can play it, and I think that's precisely
why they bring different people in. I suppose
it's like any part that people already know when you do Shakespeare, you can't think
I’m sure anyone who's ever had anything
to do with the show before would
secretly like to try out the full Frank-NFurter get up - particularly the cloak.
”
too much about everyone who's played the
part before. It has to be between you and the
text.
What's your costume like? Do you get
a fancy smoking jacket?
I've got a marvellous smoking jacket that's
actually being made from scratch! I'm not
generally the sort of person who gets jackets
made, so on the rare occasions when it happens it's quite exciting. You can feel the bespoke way that it fits, and in a largely
ready-made world there's a very old-school
thrill to being fitted.
Have you ever been tempted to try out the
full Frank-N-Furter get up?
I'm sure anyone who's ever had anything to
do with the show before would secretly like
to try out the full Frank-N-Furter get up - particularly the cloak. It's amazing! It's very
much of its time, from that mid-’70s era when
pop acts like David Bowie and Peter Gabriel
had all their elaborate stage costumes. The
costumes do make this show feel like it's in
its own world, which is a powerful thing in
any production, but there's also a kind of period charm to it now.
You do a lot of behind-the-scenes writing
and editing as well as performing. Do you
have a preference for either?
There's an element of the grass always being
greener, where part of you always wants to be
doing whatever you're not doing at that moment. When I'm writing something, I always
think it would be nice to be performing it,
and then when I'm performing, I feel like I'd
rather be tucked away in a nice café somewhere with a coffee and a laptop. The truth is
I enjoy both, but they give you very different
things. Writing is about being able to polish
something to perfection, and it's a very quiet,
concentrated pursuit, whereas during a performance you're completely in the moment
and if anything goes wrong there's nothing
you can do about it, so there's an adrenaline
rush you don't really get from writing.
More recently you've been involved in creating work for kids, like Horrible Histories. Is it different writing for children?
Partly it depends on the age, but certainly I
think once they're about eight or so, you
should never talk down to children. They
sense it immediately. As a kid, I always liked
stuff that was slightly too old for me - there
was something aspirational about wanting to
watch or read something more grown-up. In
the very first meeting for Horrible Histories,
we were told not to consciously write it for
children, but to just treat it like a sketch show
about history, and I think that's key to its success. All of the writers and the producer came
from comedy rather than children's backgrounds, and it's gone on to win comedy
awards. It's immensely enjoyable to work on.
Of course, that involved big, silly costumes
too.
You see - cloaks are always funny!
The Rocky Horror Show plays New
Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham, Monday
25 to Saturday 30 January, Malvern Theatre, Worcestershire, Monday 9 to Saturday
14 May and Regent Theatre, Stoke-onTrent, Monday 23 to Saturday 28 May.
9
Theatre - Region 1.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 19:41 Page 1
Theatre
The Rocky Horror Show
New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham,
Mon 25 - Sat 30 January;
Malvern Theatre, Mon 9 - Sat 14 May;
Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent,
Mon 23 - Sat 28 May
Ben Freeman stars opposite X Factor finalist
Diana Vickers in this new touring version of
Richard O’Brien’s cult classic.
It tells the tale of straight-laced Brad
(Freeman) and the deliciously corruptible
Janet (Vickers), who arrive at the castle of the
alien transvestite Frank N Furter and witness
the birth of the monster, Rocky.
Great fun’s a guarantee - particularly if you
get into the spirit of things and attend the
show dressed in your very best stockings and
suspenders (as many patrons do)!
Other casting includes Paul Cattermole as
Eddie/Dr Scott, Kristian Lavercombe as Riff
Raff, and comedian Steve Punt (of Punt &
Dennis fame) as the narrator.
The Snowman
The Sisterhood
Crazy Glue
The REP, Birmingham,
Wed 20 - Sun 24 January
Belgrade Theatre, Coventry,
Sat 30 January - Sat 20 February
mac, Birmingham, Thurs 21 January
Henriette may want to marry the man she
loves, but her mother, aunt and sister have
other plans for her...
Highly acclaimed playwright and translator
Ranjit Bolt has here adapted the classic
Molière satire Les Femmes Savantes, updating it from its original seventeenth century
setting to France during the 1980s.
A fast-paced comedy, it sees the Belgrade’s
Artistic Director, Hamish Glen, making a welcome return to the subject of marriage following a string of successful classic comedies.
Yizcor
Making a welcome return to The REP in its
traditional New Year slot, Raymond Briggs's
The Snowman is best known, of course, for
Howard Blake's classic song, Walking In The
Air.
When a young boy’s snowman comes to life
on Christmas Eve, the pair set off on a nighttime quest for excitement.
On their travels they meet reindeer, dancing
penguins and some of the Snowman’s many
and varied friends.
The adventure's not without its anxieties,
though, with the evil Jack Frost eager to get
his icy mits on the pair of unlikely chums...
New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme,
Mon 25 January
Writer and director Sue Moffat’s powerful
drama-documentary is here presented to
mark United Nations Holocaust Memorial
Day. Using actual words - from diaries, letters and poems - of young people who experienced the events leading up to the
Holocaust, it tells the story of teenagers
Ariella and Moshe, along the way providing
‘powerful testimony’ to the devastating
effects of prejudice and discrimination.
The play has been developed with support
from the Imperial War Museum and Val and
Ibi Ginsburg, survivors of the Auschwitz and
Dachau concentration camps.
Single Shoe Productions, the company
behind this ‘tragicomedy about loss’, cite as
their inspiration the physical comedy of
Buster Keaton and the madcap absurdity of
Looney Tunes.
A cast of two here bring together clowning,
dance, mime, quirky humour and an evocative 1930s soundtrack to reveal ‘the crazy,
sticky, messy side of marriage’.
Theatre previews from around the region
WIN! TICKETS To enter visit whatsonlive.co.uk
We’re Going On
A Bear Hunt
Birmingham Town Hall,
until Wed 13 January
This delightful adaptation of
Michael Rosen and Helen
Oxenbury’s popular picture
book follows a family as they
head out on an intrepid quest to
find a bear.
Catchy songs, interactive scenes
and plenty of hands-on adventure are combined with swishy
swashy grass and oozy, squelchy
mud in a show that seems certain to keep youngsters well and
truly entertained.
The Legend Of
King Arthur
Artrix, Bromsgrove,
Sun 10 January;
The Place, Oakengates,
Shropshire, Sun 24 January
Although zany funsters
Oddsocks are probably best
known for their humorous takes
on the works of William
Shakespeare, they occasionally
like to shake things up a bit by
looking for their inspiration
elsewhere.
This is one such occasion.
Magic, music, mirth, jousting
knights - and an impressively
gutsy Guinevere - are all present
and correct in this high-energy
production.
The company are promoting the
show as ‘an exciting, interactive
and action-packed winter treat
for all the family’.
The Moscow State Circus is very possibly the
best-known circus in the world, based on
over two hundred years of tradition.
When animals became an unpopular aspect
of circuses, this flexible family favourite
adapted to survive by moving the emphasis
to astonishing displays of human skill and
endurance - many of which are evident in its
latest production, Zhelaniy.
Based on a popular Russian folklore story,
the show transports its audience to ‘a wondrous and mysterious enchanted garden’. It’s
there that wishes are granted to the beautiful
Zhenya, who finds herself surrounded by ‘a
multitude of flying, back-flipping, juggling,
wire-walking and roller-skating performers’.
Locus Amoenus
Death of a Salesman
Sat 30 January
Crescent Theatre, Birmingham,
Sat 16 - Sat 30 January
Moscow State Circus
Symphony Hall, Birmingham,
Thurs 28 January
Atresbandes is a Catalan company with a
growing reputation for producing thoughtprovoking works of theatre that can sometimes be a little bit perturbing.
This latest offering - their fourth - takes a
look at the final thoughts of three people who
catch a train and tragically die following a
derailment.
A sharp and perceptive piece, it offers
Atresbandes’ trio of performers plenty of
opportunity to show exactly why they’re considered to be one of Europe’s most promising
theatrical ensembles.
As the world changes around him, Willy
Loman struggles to keep up. An on-the-road
salesman for longer than he cares to remember, Willy’s notched up countless miles in his
efforts to earn an honest crust for himself
and his family. But as the corporate world
moves on, sixty-year-old Willy finds himself
questioning the decisions he’s made - and
wonders how the world can care so little for a
man who’s given so much...
Arthur Miller’s poignant and harrowing play
is regarded as one of the twentieth century’s
most influential works, its study of loneliness
and failure having touched a chord with postwar America.
At a time when society is changing at an everfaster pace, the play continues to have resonance today, particularly for anybody who’s
ever had the feeling that the world is passing
them by.
For more theatre previews visit whatsonlive.co.uk 29
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Wed 24 - Sat 27 Feb
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Theatre previews from around the region
Private Lives
Mon 25 - Sat 30 January; New Alexandra
Theatre, Birmingham, Mon 8 - Sat 13
February
Tom Chambers and Charlotte Ritchie star in
this major revival of Noël Coward's everpopular masterpiece.
Written in 1930 with all of his trademark
élan, Private Lives is one of Coward’s
sharpest comedies. It tells of a divorced couple - Amanda and Elyot - who meet each
other again on their second honeymoons in
Deauville, and begin to consider dumping
their new loves to try and rekindle their
relationship.
Typically replete with devastating one-liners, Private Lives is a cynical portrayal of
married life, infidelity, selfishness and insecurity.
Abuelo
The REP, Birmingham, Thurs 14 - Sat 16 January
The Great
Gatsby
Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury,
Thurs 28 - Sat 30 January
The Circus Of Horrors:
Carnevil
Lichfield Garrick, Tues 12 January;
Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, Fri 15 January;
New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham, Sat 6
March; Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Sat 26
March
In a story which ponders the question of what
can be learned from different generations, a
young black Birmingham woman is struggling
with an identity crisis.
In an effort to better understand who she is, she
explores her heritage through the legacy of her
‘jolly, gambling, allotment-obsessed, storytelling grandfather’.
Created in the REP Foundry, Abuelo is the first
full-length show from Amahra Spence.
The Lover
Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham,
Tues 12 - Thurs 14 January
Award-winning production company Misnomer
Theatre here present Harold Pinter's surreal
one-act work about a couple who resort to roleplay to spice up their relationship - and in so
doing take their audience on a rollercoaster ride
of confusion and deceit...
Tamworth-based actors Olivia Shepherd and
Neil Lucas star.
An off-kilter affair that bears more resemblance
to a freak show than any modern definition of a
circus, the one-time Britain’s Got Talent finalists
here present a world beyond political correctness and taste. With the performers dressed in a
manner reminiscent of The Rocky Horror Show,
there’s no denying the skill of those participating - or indeed the ensemble’s sheer ‘wow’ factor. This latest offering is set in Victorian
London and follows three adolescents who run
away to the circus. Trouble is, this particular circus is no stroll in the big top, plagued, as it is,
by ‘a swarm of killer klowns, demon dwarfs,
death-defying aerialists and fire-limboing acrobats’. The show climaxes in what’s being
described by the company as ‘an awesome,
flaming apocalypse’.
The Elves And
The Shoemakers
Brewhouse Arts Centre, Burton-upon-Trent,
Staffs, Sat 23 January
Things aren’t going well in the shoemakers’
shop. The old shoemakers are hungry and cold
and down to the final piece of leather to make
one last pair of shoes.
But help comes in a very unexpected way...
Live music, puppetry, physical storytelling and
‘plenty of elf magic’ are here brought together
by Derby Theatre & Big Window.
The show has been developed for children aged
between three and seven.
For full theatre listings visit whatsonlive.co.uk
The hugely innovative
Blackeyed Theatre is the company behind this new stage
adaptation of F Scott
Fitzgerald's literary masterpiece.
Set in the American Jazz Age of
the Roaring Twenties, the story
focuses on the quixotic passion
of mysterious millionaire Jay
Gatsby for the beautiful former
debutante, Daisy Buchanan.
In the process of recounting the
tale - told though the eyes of
Gatsby's Long Island neighbour, Nick Carraway Fitzgerald presents not only the
story of a delightfully decadent
decade but also a cautionary
tale about the American
Dream...
Chinese New
Year
Wolverhampton Grand
Theatre, Sun 31 January
If New Year left you with a
yearning for further such festivities, then this is the show for
you.
One month after we all welcomed in 2016, you’re here
invited to sit back and sample
an evening of New Year celebrations Chinese style.
Attractions include the ‘auspicious’ Lion Dance, the ancient
magic of face changing and no
little amount of juggling, acrobatics and kung fu fighting.
Heck, there’s even some ‘nimble staff-spinning’ to enjoy, not
to mention the sure-to-be-captivating antics of numerous, er,
'monkeys'.
Austentatious
Lichfield Garrick,
Wed 20 - Thurs 21 January
Austentatious visits the
Midlands having garnered
plenty of praise when it
debuted at the Edinburgh
Fringe. Lighthearted and
delightfully throwaway, it finds
the performers utilising audience suggestions to develop a
play that not only pays homage
to Jane Austen but also generates plenty of laughter along
the way.
Pantomimes and festive
shows in January
Aladdin
Cinderella: A Fairytale
Birmingham Hippodrome,
until Sun 31 January
mac, Birmingham, until Sat 9 January
Marti Pellow here makes his pantomime
debut - and is being helped to settle right in
by the guiding hand of panto veteran Julian
Clary.
Former Joseph star Lee Mead, meanwhile,
takes on the role of Aladdin, while Matt
Slack and Andrew Ryan play Wishee Washee
and Widow Twankey respectively.
Stunning 3D effects and a Santa’s sackworth
of quality comedy - both mainstay ingredients in the Hippodrome’s winning recipe for
pantomime fun - are also present and correct
in 2015’s blockbuster offering.
Wet Wet Wet frontman Marti is certainly
enjoying his first experience of starring in
pantomime: “Panto is a rite of passage. I
think the British embrace it because we see it
for what it is and understand it for what it is.
We get it. Everything’s amped up, everything’s larger than life, there’s nothing subtle
about it. It’s very family-orientated but it also
spans generations.”
And as previously mentioned, on this particular occasion it also comes complete with
Julian Clary. “Now there’s a man who’ll put a
smile on your face!” says Marti, who’s also
responsible for the show’s score.
Read the full interview with Marti online at
whatsonlive.co.uk
Dick Whittington
Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury,
until Sun 10 January
Shrewsbury panto favourite Brad Fitt here
dons a frock or several to star as Dolly the
Cook in the ever-popular story of a young
man who heads for London in search of fame
and fortune.
With the happy-go-lucky Dick finding himself involved in all sorts of adventures, and
the dastardly King Rat up to no good, an
evening of action, comedy and festive fun
seems pretty much guaranteed.
Tobacco Factory Theatres and Travelling
Light Theatre Company’s brilliantly quirky
take on this best-loved of fairytales visits the
Midlands on the back of hugely successful
runs at two London venues.
A 2013 Olivier Award nominee and a 2014 Off
West End Award winner, the show is suitable
for children aged six and older.
Beauty And The Beast
Belgrade Theatre, Coventry,
until Sat 9 January
AIan Lauchlan makes a welcome return to
the Belgrade pantomime, this time to take
on the role of Dame Clarabelle Crumble.
This year’s offering is being described by the
theatre as ‘an enchanting tale of heroic
adventure, true love, messy mayhem and festive frivolity which promises to be the most
beautiful and beastly yet’.
Sounds like the sort of experience it’s well
worth sending yourself to Coventry for - if
you don’t already live there, of course...
Wendy And Peter Pan
Royal Shakespeare Theatre,
Stratford-upon-Avon, until Sun 31 January
JM Barrie’s timeless tale of daring heroics,
everlasting childhood, dastardly pirates and
lost children is here reimagined by director
Ella Hickson, who takes her characters on a
transformative journey beyond the sheltered
landscapes of the Edwardian nursery.
In a swashbuckling family adventure, she
hurls them headlong into a Neverland of
their own imagining, where shadows lurk
around every corner, battles are fought and
won, happy thoughts are rediscovered, and
heroines (as well as heroes) are made.
Dick Whittington
And His Cat
Blue Orange Theatre, Birmingham,
Wed 20 - Sat 23 January
The story of a young man who heads for
London in search of fame and fortune is one
of the most popular of all Christmas-season
shows (okay, this one’s arriving a tad late).
With the dastardly King Rat putting in an
appearance, and heady romance with the
delightful Alice very much on the cards for
our eponymous hero, this is a show that
looks set to be packed to its post-festive
rafters with action, comedy and fun.
Presented by Jars Of Clay.
Peter Pan
until Sun 3 January; Wolverhampton Grand
Theatre, until Sun 24 January
JM Barrie's timeless tale of the boy who
never grew up has long been a popular
choice with theatres looking to provide a festive-season family production.
And there’s certainly no bucking of that particular trend this Christmas, with two of the
Midlands’ biggest venues offering audiences
young and old the chance to enjoy an actionpacked adventure in Neverland.
At Wolverhampton Grand, long-in-the-tooth
pantomime favourites John ‘Nasty Nick’
Altman and the Chuckle Brothers ensure
there’s plenty of comedy to enjoy alongside
all that splicing of mainbraces and shivering
of timbers.
Meanwhile, at the Regent Theatre, Jonathan
Wilkes and Christian Patterson look set to
further cement their status as Stoke-onTrent’s favourite panto duo. While Christian
plays Captain Hook, Jonathan marks his
tenth year in festive entertainment by playing the conniving pirate’s comedy side-kick,
Smee.
For full theatre listings visit whatsonlive.co.uk
Miss Nightingale DPS.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 19:43 Page 1
FEATURE
M at t h e w B u g g
talks about his scandalous story
of burlesque, blackmail
and bombshells...
A writer, composer, producer, director, musician, actor and dancer, the multi-talented
Matthew Bugg is the mastermind behind
the modern hit musical Miss Nightingale,
which flies into Coventry's Belgrade Theatre
on its fifth and final UK tour in February.
Set in the dark days of the Second World
War, the show tells the tale of an unlikely
collaboration between a cabaret singing
sensation and a Polish refugee songwriter,
delving into the latter's illicit same-sex love
affair with an upper-class impresario.
“Before Miss Nightingale, I hadn't done
much musical theatre,” admits Matthew. “I
find that a lot of it doesn't really excite me it can be very predictable and often doesn't
engage your brain enough. I wanted to challenge people's expectations of what musicals could be by combining the best bits of
musical theatre - the fantastic show tunes,
the wit and the humour - with a really
strong, surprising story, and I think with
Miss Nightingale we've achieved that. This
is a show which makes people cry with
laughter one moment and moves them to
tears the next.”
Creating a challenging, thought-provoking
story with sufficient depth involved extensive research into the war period and the
real-life situations people faced. As the horror of war and totalitarian regimes created a
climate of fear, homosexuality was considered dangerous and unpatriotic, and
women's social roles changed dramatically
while sons and husbands were away from
home fighting.
For those interested in finding out more
about the history behind the musical, Bugg
and his Marketing Director partner, Toby
Oliver, have compiled a range of brilliant
resources. These are accessible via the Miss
Nightingale website and include images,
videos, articles and lists of recommended
books and films.
“My husband Toby and I run the company
together, and his approach to theatre is very
Miss Nightingale DPS.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 19:43 Page 2
much a research-based one, with an academic validation for everything we do. His
first degree was in English and Drama, and
then he went on to do an MA at RADA. It
was great having him on board because
he'd always be questioning me and making really insightful points about historical
accuracy. Providing that information for
those who want it is a really important part
of what we're trying to do in terms of
demonstrating that there can be much
more to musical theatre than people often
think.”
Toby's family were also an invaluable resource, having fled to Britain just before
the outbreak of war.
“George's story is similar to what happened to members of Toby's family. They
were all either German or Czechoslovakian
Jews who were fortunate enough to get out
before people started being sent to concentration camps. They've been to see the
show and they absolutely love it.”
Since making its first outing as a small,
studio-theatre production in 2011, Miss
Nightingale has evolved considerably, with
changes not only to cast and crew but also
to the shape of the show itself.
“Originally there were only three actors
and a separate band, so the biggest change
is that we've now got a company of six performers who are all actor-musicians.
There's also been a lot of restructuring. In
total there have been about thirty-five
songs written, and only about twenty-two
of them are in the current version, four of
which are new. I think this illustrates the
level of rigour we're approaching it with,
and that's probably partly why it's doing so
well.”
That rigour and drive for perfection sees
Bugg take on multiple roles within the
company: in addition to composing the
music, writing the libretto, producing and
serving as musical director, he also plays
multiple instruments and has a small
acting part.
“I play Harry, who’s the brother of the lead
character. He's a northern, working class
lad who’s come home on leave and is looking for a good time. He's got some really
mucky one-liners, and it's great fun to play
a part where almost every single line gets a
laugh from the audience. But it's a very
small part - he's only in one scene - which
is good, because I think I would’ve struggled to juggle a bigger one with everything
else!”
leaving college, but he's just astonishing,
whereas Clara Darcy (Maggie/Miss
Nightingale) is a very experienced actormusician who’s had a lot of lead roles - she
was previously in Propaganda Swing at the
Belgrade.”
Interestingly, for Bugg, juggling these responsibilities isn't about trying to retain
full control of the project. If anything, he
says, it allows for a greater level of input
from the rest of the team.
“It's a huge workload, but we have a great
support network behind us, and I think it
brings a real clarity of focus to the project.
Because the pool of people working on the
show is very small, we're able to be very
collaborative. Listening to each other becomes quite easy when you've only got a
small number of people to listen to, so
everyone can have a say on everything,
and we're still able to drive things forward
quickly and efficiently.”
“We want this to be a show that appeals to
people who already go to musicals, but
equally, if you're the sort of person who
doesn't normally like them, we hope that
this might be the one to change your mind.
We do have audience members saying that
all the time - often people who've been
dragged along to see it by their partners
have ended up really enjoying it.
“We're now the most successful original
British musical for the last decade. If you
look at other popular musicals, they're all
based on pre-existing works. I like to think
we're the vanguard of a new movement
of people who’re trying to rediscover what
the British musical can be.”
If Bugg makes big demands of himself, his
expectations of the cast are equally high.
Every performer in the show must be able
to dance, play instruments and sing as
well as act. Perhaps surprisingly, for this
tour at least, they've had few problems filling every role.
‘‘
“We had very long shortlists. It was hard
when we first started and no one really
knew what we were doing, but since 2013,
we've been inundated with people wanting to work with us - partly because they
liked what we were doing but also because
word got round the industry that we had
this very collaborative way of working.
From then on, we've had the absolute pick
of the crop, and this year we've got a really
impressive cast, all with very different levels of experience. For Connor O'Kane
(George), this is his first big job after
Bugg hopes that his radical approach will
encourage both audiences and new creators to think about the musical genre differently.
My husband Toby and I run
the company together, and his
approach to theatre is very much
a research-based one, with an
academic validation for
everything we do.
”
Miss Nightingale shows at the Belgrade
Theatre, Coventry from Tues 9 to Sat 13
February. More information about the
show and its history can be found at
missnightingale.co.uk.
Dance Jan - Region 1.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 19:16 Page 1
Dance Jan - Region 1.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 21:59 Page 2
Dance
Akram Khan Company:
Chotto Desh
The Patrick Centre, Birmingham
Hippodrome, Fri 29 - Sat 30 January
Cross-cultural storytelling lies at the heart
of this Akram Khan Company celebration
of the human spirit and its admirable
resilience in times of trouble.
Adapted from Khan’s DESH, a 2011 production for children and their families, it
runs for fifty minutes and tells ‘the compelling tale of a young man’s dreams and
memories from Britain to Bangladesh’.
Theatre-Rites director Sue Buckmaster has
helmed the show, which, it’s promised,
will be ‘a magical, thrilling and poignant
dance theatre experience for families to
enjoy together’.
Anton & Erin
Symphony Hall,
Birmingham,
Sat 30 January
The Snow Queen
Prince Of Wales Theatre, Cannock, Thurs 21
January; Crescent Theatre, Birmingham,
Fri 22 January;
The Snow Queen is ruler of all she surveys.
When she kidnaps young Kay, it’s left to his
sister, Gerda, to save him from a bleak future
in the frostbitten wastelands...
The well-reviewed Ballet Theatre UK is the
company here giving this classic Hans
Christian Andersen fairytale an imaginative
new treatment.
Expect ‘beautiful costumes’ ‘glittering stage
sets’ and a ‘glorious and magical score’.
Celebrity dancing
duo Anton du Beke
and Erin Boeg return
to Birmingham’s
Symphony Hall this
month with their
brand new show.
Blending smart choreography, sassy
tunes and sparkly
costumes, Anton
And Erin are joined
by the twenty-fivepiece London Concert
Orchestra,
six ensemble
dancers, guest singer
Lance Ellington and
conductor Richard
Balcombe.
Strictly Come
Dancing Live
Barclaycard Arena,
Fri 22 - Sun 24 January
The ever glitzy and always glamorous Strictly Come Dancing hits
the road again this month.
Hosted by Mel Giedroyc - and
with regular judges Len
Goodman, Craig Revel Horwood
and Bruno Tonioli in tow - the
live version sees the show’s popular dancers putting their celebrity partners through their paces
with a host of new routines.
Performing everything from ballroom and paso doble to the waltz
and tango, the show’s stars are
sure to delight Strictly’s loyal
fans.
Taking to the dancefloor this year
are: Call The Midwife actress
Helen George; The Wanted’s Jay
McGuiness; EastEnders actor Jake
Wood; Frankie Bridge from The
Saturdays; actress Georgia May
Foote from Coronation Street; TV
chef Ainsley Harriott; and television presenter Anita Rani.
Film Jan - Region 1.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 19:29 Page 1
Film
The Hateful Eight
CERT 18 (168 mins)
Starring Samuel L Jackson, Kurt Russell,
Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins,
Demián Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen,
Bruce Dern, James Parks, Channing Tatum
Directed by Quentin Tarantino (USA)
Two high-profile, snow-swept Westerns blow
into England this month from world-class
directors. This one is Tarantino’s long-awaited re-imagining of The Magnificent Seven,
with less clean-cut protagonists. Set in postCivil War Wyoming, the film features eight
disparate bounty hunters who take refuge at
a stagecoach stopover during a blizzard. This
being Tarantino, one can expect some pretty
strong violence and explicit (male) nudity.
The music is composed by the eighty-sevenyear-old Ennio Morricone, his first score for
a Western in forty years. Filmed in the Ultra
Panavision 70 process.
Released Fri 8 January
CRITIC’S CHOICE
Film highlights released in January...
The Danish Girl CERT 15 (120 mins)
Room CERT 15 (115 mins)
Starring Eddie Redmayne, Alicia Vikander,
Ben Whishaw, Sebastian Koch, Amber Heard,
Matthias Schoenaerts
Directed by Tom Hooper (UK/Germany/USA)
Starring Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay
Directed by Lenny Abrahamson
(Ireland/Canada)
Joy CERT 12a (124 mins)
Starring Jennifer Lawrence,
Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper,
Édgar Ramírez, Isabella Rossellini,
Diane Ladd, Virginia Madsen
Directed by David O. Russell (USA)
Tom Hooper previously directed The King’s
Speech and Les Misérables and his latest
film has been generating Oscar buzz since
last summer. Eddie Redmayne plays the
transgender pioneer Lili Elbe, who started
her life as the (male) artist Einar Magnus
Andreas Wegener. Redmayne and Alicia
Vikander - the latter as Lili’s wife, the illustrator Gerda Wegener are virtually guaranteed Oscar nominations. Inspired by real
events in Denmark in the 1920s.
That’s Joy, as in Joy Mangano, the
remarkable woman who founded a
business empire after inventing the
Miracle Mop. And if that sounds a little
Dynasty for you, look at the cast and
remember that David O Russell directed The Fighter, Silver Linings
Playbook and American Hustle.
Jennifer Lawrence is said to be
extraordinary in the role. Again.
In the room, Joy and her five-year-old son
have found a sort of equilibrium. For Jack,
it’s all he’s ever known, but for Joy there is
an alternative. The ‘other’ world - that place
populated by other children, by cats and
dogs and trees and houses - is a magic place
dreamed up by the television in the room.
For Jack, though, the real world stretches all
the way to the end, round and round the
four corners of his small universe…
The claustrophobic domain of Emma
Donoghue's 2010 novel cannot have seemed
an obvious choice for a movie. But
Donoghue wrote the screenplay herself
before any filmmakers came begging. To
sustain the emotional drama of the piece,
one needed two outstanding actors, and the
Irish director Lenny Abrahamson has found
them. The seven-year-old Jacob Tremblay is
simply extraordinary as Jack, a damned fine
reason to see the film in itself. But Brie
Larson is every bit as good as Joy and
together they collude to create 2015’s most
consistently gripping, moving and original
drama. Released Fri 1 January
Film releases in January
CRITIC’S CHOICE
13 Hours: The Secret
Soldiers Of Benghazi
CERT 15 (115 mins)
Starring James Badge Dale,
John Krasinski, Max Martini,
Dominic Fumusa, Toby Stephens
Directed by Michael Bay (USA)
Although Michael ‘Transformers’ Bay is at
the helm, this is actually a true story. In
2012, on September 11, an American
compound in Libya comes under fire by
Islamist militants and the American
Ambassador is shot dead. A group of
CIA security contractors fight back.
The Revenant
CERT 15 (156 mins)
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio,
Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson,
Will Poulter, Paul Anderson, Lukas Haas
Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu
(USA)
Inspired by true events and filmed in the
frozen wilds of Alberta and British
Columbia, The Revenant has Oscar written all over it. DiCaprio plays Hugh
Glass, an 1820s’ frontiersman who was
left for dead after being mauled by a
bear. Incensed by his abandonment,
Glass dreams of revenge - but first must
find the will to survive in unhospitable
terrain. The actor even ate raw meat to
remain in character, which is pretty dedicated considering that DiCaprio is a vegetarian. And because the director insisted on shooting in natural light, the film
ran significantly over schedule, forcing
the production to move to southern
Argentina after all the original snow
had melted.
Creed CERT 12a (133 mins)
The Big Short CERT 15 (130 mins)
Starring Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone,
Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashād
Directed by Ryan Coogler (USA)
Starring Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan
Gosling, Brad Pitt, Marisa Tomei, Margot
Robbie
Directed by Adam McKay (USA)
For Creed, think Apollo Creed, or more accurately Adonis ‘Donnie’ Creed, Apollo’s son.
Apollo was Rocky Balboa’s main pugilistic
rival in the Oscar-winning 1976 film Rocky.
But time has moved on and now the ageing
Rocky takes on the role of trainer for his old
adversary’s boy. Filmed in Philadelphia and
Liverpool.
The recent economic crisis is given a makeover in this comic drama from the director
of the Anchorman films. And it’s based on a
true story. What makes it so compelling are
the characters that people the battlefield,
real eccentrics who rose to the top of the
cesspool in spite of their quirks. Christian
Bale is Michael Burry, a sort-of genius who
turns up to work in sandals and Bermuda
shorts and utters two words that could gain
The Big Short its immortality: “Everybody’s
wrong.” Arrogance was certainly a factor in
the financial crisis, as was greed and barefaced fraud. If you can’t tell your triple Arated package from your bespoke tranche
opportunity, don’t worry. As one exasperated character exclaims: “It’s like two plus
two equals fish.” The result is a stylish,
smart, fast and irreverent Western in which
the lassos and bullets have been replaced
by strategy and big words.
The 5th Wave CERT 12a tbc
Starring Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson,
Ron Livingston, Maggie Siff, Maria Bello,
Liev Schreiber
Directed by J. Blakeson (USA)
The world is under attack from aliens and
after four extraterrestrial assaults, the earth
is all but destroyed. One of our planet’s last
survivors, Cassie (Moretz) teams up with a
young man who may be her last hope - if
she can trust him. Adapted from the young
adult novel by Rick Yancey, this is the first
of a proposed trilogy (here we go again).
Film
Spotlight
A War
CERT 15 (115 mins)
CERT 15 (115 mins)
Starring Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel
McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery,
Stanley Tucci
Directed by Tom McCarthy (USA)
Starring Pilou Asbæk, Tuva Novotny, Søren
Malling, Dar Salim, Charlotte Munck
Directed by Tobias Lindholm (Denmark)
The spotlight is on Catholic priests in
Boston back in 2001. It’s old news now, particularly for those who have seen Alex
Gibney’s stunning 2012 documentary Mea
Maxima Culpa: Silence In The House Of
God, but Tom McCarthy’s finely researched
drama is still a story worth telling.
‘Spotlight’ was the name of a special investigative unit within The Boston Globe, and
the film reveals more about the mechanics
of top-tier American journalism than it does
about the corruption of the Catholic church.
It’s a meticulous and smart, low-key study
of the rigours of investigative reportage,
albeit without the narrative energy of, say,
Alan J Pakula’s seminal All The President’s
Men. Indeed, it is a surprisingly forensic
and unmoving film that is more concerned
with the mechanics of the newspaper world
than the fall-out from child abuse.
Sleeping WIth
Other People
Ride Along 2
CERT 15 (115 mins)
Starring Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika
Sumpter, Benjamin Bratt, Olivia Munn
Directed by Tim Story (USA)
Former security guard Ben Barber
(Hart) is now a full-fledged cop and
rides along with his soon-to-be brother-in-law James Payton (Cube) on a
drug takedown in Miami. But they’re
still not seeing eye-to-eye…
Capture The Flag
CERT PG (94 mins)
Directed by Enrique Gato (Spain)
While this sounds like a rather patriotic (flag-waving) American cartoon,
it’s actually the work of Spain’s
Lightbox Animation Studios. The
’toon focuses on the twelve-year-old
Mike Goldwing, whose grandfather
was supposed to have flown to the
moon with Neil Armstrong, but
dropped out of the mission when his
son - Mike’s father - got chicken-pox.
Mike then stowaways on a new flight
to the lunar surface to thwart the
plans of a Texas billionaire to discredit NASA’s achievements. Cute. In 3D.
CERT 15 (101 mins)
Starring Jason Sudeikis, Alison Brie, Adam
Scott, Jason Mantzoukas, Natasha Lyonne,
Adam Brody, Amanda Peet
Directed by Leslye Headland (USA)
Jake (Sudeikis) is a womaniser. Lainey (Brie)
is a serial cheat. But when they get together,
sex is the last thing on their minds. They
just like each other...
Dirty Grandpa
CERT 15 (115 mins)
Starring Robert De Niro, Zac Efron, Zoey
Deutch, Aubrey Plaza, Dermot
Mulroney, Julianne Hough Directed by
Dan Mazer (USA)
Days before his wedding, Jason
(Efron) is tricked into driving his
debauched grandfather to Florida for
the spring break. Not to be confused
with the Jackass movie Bad Grandpa
(2013).
In war, there are two fronts. For the wife and
three children of company commander
Claus M Pedersen (Asbæk), there is the dayto-day drama of coping without a husband
and father. For Pedersen, there is the more
immediate drama of saving his men from a
raid by the Taliban in Helmand Province,
Afghanistan.
Our Brand is Crisis
CERT 15 (115 mins)
Starring Sandra Bullock, Billy Bob Thornton,
Anthony Mackie, Joaquim de Almeida, Ann
Dowd, Scoot McNairy
Directed by David Gordon Green (USA)
Based on the 2005 documentary of the same
name, this political satire follows a presidential campaign in Bolivia conducted by
rival American electioneering strategists.
Amazing, but some of it is true. Ms Bullock’s
part was originally written for a male actor.
The 33 CERT 12a (127 mins)
Starring Antonio Banderas, Rodrigo Santoro,
Juliette Binoche, James Brolin, Lou Diamond
Phillips, Gabriel Byrne
Directed by Patricia Riggen (Chile/Colombia)
The thirty-three were the Chilean miners
who found themselves trapped when their
gold and copper mine collapsed in 2010. The
event captured the imagination of the world
and a film of the disaster was perhaps
inevitable. It features the very last score of
the late Oscar-winning composer James
Horner.
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Visual Arts Jan - Region 1.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 19:48 Page 1
Visual Arts
Janet Mendelsohn:
Varna Road
Ikon Gallery, Birmingham,
Wed 27 January - Sun 3 April
American academic and documentary filmmaker Janet Mendelsohn was a student at the
University of Birmingham in the late 1960s.
While there, she began to explore ways in
which photography could be used in field
research.
Her resulting project comprised nearly three
thousand photographs, the majority of which
depicted everyday life in the Birmingham
inner-city district of Balsall Heath.
Many of the photos featured a sex worker
referred to as Kathleen, with whom the photographer formed a close relationship.
This new Ikon exhibition presents a significant selection of photos from Mendelsohn’s
project, not only illustrating the unquestionable talent of the woman behind the lens but
also providing a fascinating insight into a
community in an acute state of flux...
Jan Vanriet: The Music Boy
Still, Still Life
The New Art Gallery, Walsall,
Fri 29 January - Sun 8 May
Shire Hall Gallery, Stafford,
Sat 9 January - Sun 6 March
A ‘still life’ work of art features a depiction of inanimate, everyday objects.
These can be either natural or manufactured.
To shed further light on the matter, the
Tate Museum’s glossary defines the subject of a still life as ‘anything that does
not move or is dead’...
This thought-provoking exhibition, comprising paintings, photographs, textiles
and installations, takes a look at selected artists’ approaches to still life, bringing together work which is conventional
with pieces that are experimental.
Belgian artist Jan Vanriet’s work is heavily
influenced by the Second World War stories
and memories conveyed to him by his parents, who met in the Mauthausen concentration camp.
As such, themes of love, loss, identity, destiny and disappearance are greatly in evidence in his paintings. Yet despite such
weighty subject matter, his works invariably
manage to convey a sense of the artist’s playfulness and his lightness of touch.
The exhibition’s title refers to a polyptych of
four paintings depicting Vanriet’s uncle as a
boy, playing the accordion in the presence of
his mother before the war (as seen above).
Richard Woods:
Duck Weave
Eastside Projects, Birmingham,
Sat 30 January - Sat 9 April
Richard Woods is widely known for his largescale transformative
graphic artworks on
architecture, and for
his inventive and playful sculpture, painting
and woodblock printed
furniture. Woods here
researches the redeployment of a thousand-year-old Midlands
construction technique.
Hopes And Dreams:
Statement Of Intent
Explored
Parkside Gallery, Birmingham City University,
Mon 11 January - Fri 12 February
“We invited our members to submit works
based around the theme of manifestos,”
explains Letter Exchange, a small group of
lettering professionals dedicated to preserving, promoting and developing expertise in
the lettering arts. “The words in the exhibition are eclectic and diverse, in turns enigmatic, obscure, uplifting and inspirational.
The exhibits demonstrate an innate understanding of letterforms and are executed
with the technical skill that underpins the
commitment of Letter Exchange members to
the very best in the lettering arts.”
Visual Arts Jan - Region 1.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 19:48 Page 2
A World To Win:
Posters Of Protest
And Revolution
Wolverhampton Art Gallery,
Sat 30 January - Sunday 10 April
Drawing on the Victoria & Albert
Museum’s collection, this fascinating exhibition takes a look at
a century of posters specifically
designed and displayed with the
intention of prompting and promoting political change.
The display features around seventy posters and showcases the
work of diverse artists, graphic
designers and print collectives.
Gerard Byrne:
1/125 Of A Second
Mead Gallery, Warwick Arts Centre,
Coventry, Sat 16 January - Sat 12 March
The means by which the present can
be understood through a revisiting of
the past is explored in the work of
Irish artist Gerard Byrne.
Byrne, who utilises photography,
video and live art, is renowned for his
film installations, which re-enact conversations from specific historic
moments.
This latest exhibition centres on the
world premiere of a new film by the
artist.
During its course, he stages a confrontation between the photographic
image and the forms of representation
that it supplanted.
For more comedy listings visit whatsonlive.co.uk 43
Events Jan - Region 1.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 21:57 Page 1
Events
Monster Energy
Arenacross
Genting Arena, Birmingham,
Sat 23 - Sun 24 January
An absolute must for extreme sports
fans, the Monster Energy Arenacross
Tour brings all the spectacular
elements of motorcross indoors for
a ‘non-stop white-knuckle ride’.
Set to a pumping soundtrack and
laser show, Arenacross sees the
world’s best freestylers taking to
the track to present some truly
awe-inspiring entertainment.
Alongside plenty of top British
talent, the show also features riders
representing America, France,
Spain, Italy, Estonia and Finland not to mention racing gladiators
from as young as seven taking to
the circuit in search of Arenacross
glory...
Tattoo Freeze
The International Centre, Telford,
Camper Mart
The International Centre, Telford,
“The aim of Camper Mart,” explain
the event’s organisers, “is to cater for
every conceivable need for people who
own, are restoring, maintaining, customising or who just simply display an
interest in owning a Volkswagen
Camper.
“Our trade stalls display a plethora of
VW goodies, giving our visitor excellent choice.
“And if you’re having problems with
your bus, want some general advice
on tuning, modifications or anything
bus related, our resident ‘bus doctor’
team is on hand to help out.”
Following on from the success of previous
shows, this specialist one-day event offers
members of the general public the chance to
get themselves tattooed by one (or more!) of
the two hundred talented tattooists who’ll be
in attendance.
Past shows have featured some of the world’s
greatest graffiti artists, BMX and skateboard
champions, shopping stalls, children’s activities, national roller derby tournaments and
ice sculpture demonstrations and workshops.
BBL Cup Final
Sun 17 January
One of the most eagerly anticipated dates on
the British Basketball League (BBL) calendar,
this annual event sees stars of the national
game go head-to-head in pursuit of coveted
silverware.
The get-together also features some of
Europe’s top slam dunkers - giving it their all
in a bid to become the BBL Slam Dunk
Champion - and the Women’s British
Basketball League Trophy Final, taking place
during the show for the second year running.
See thelist for all your
events listings
Events Jan - Region 1.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 19:22 Page 2
What's On Readers Awards.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 21:31 Page 1
#culturematters
#artsmatters
Readers’
Awards
Get VOTING for your favourite
Midlands events and venues in the...
’
What sOn
CATEGORIES INCLUDE BEST:
Touring Musical
Touring Play
Readers’
Awards
Yes, it’s time for you to show just how much you
appreciate Birmingham and the West Midlands’
ever-vibrant arts and entertainment scene!
Home Produced Show
Front of House
Regional Theatre Venue
Regional Music/Arts Venue
Regional Visitor Attraction
Nominate and vote online for your favourites to
help them secure a place in our What’s On
Readers’ Awards Top 5 Shortlist.
Outdoor Event
The shortlist will be announced in our February
Arts Event
issue, when you’ll have another chance to VOTE
Art Gallery/Exhibition Venue
Exhibition
Comedy Venue
Midlands Comedian
Live Midlands Band
Midlands Female Musician
for your favourite in each category. So get voting
now!
Complete our Readership Survey for the chance to
WIN £1000 cash!
Midlands Male Musician
Music Festival
Arts Festival
Family-friendly Festival
Food Festival
Independent Cinema Venue
Midlands Restaurant
Community Achievement Award
VOTE for your NOMINATIONS by 20 January 2016
The Top 5 Shortlist in each category will be announced
at the end of January - and then you’ll get the chance
to VOTE one more time for your favourites. Voting will
close at the end of February.
WINNERS will be announced in the Spring
VOTE today at whatsonlive.co.uk
Competitions January .qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 19:21 Page 2
Win!
To enter all competitions go to whatsonlive.co.uk
Tickets for Autosport
International
Tickets to BBL Cup Final
Tickets to Into the Hoods
(Remixed)
Closes Monday 11 January
Closes Friday 15 January
Closes Thursday 18 February
Tickets to Of Mice and Men
Tickets to Hamlet
Tickets to Avenue Q
Closes Tues 1 March
Closes Thursday 24 March
Closes Tuesday 9 February
Tickets to Dial M For Murder
Tickets to End of the Rainbow
Tickets to Camper Mart
Closes Tuesday 19 January
Closes Tuesday 16 February
Tickets to The Monster Energy
Arenacross Tour
Tickets to see The Great
Gatsby
Tickets to Bring On The
Bollywood
Closes Friday 15 April
Tickets to The Snowman
Tickets to Jackie The Musical
Tickets to Wipers
Closes Wednesday 13 January
Closes Tuesday 8 March
Closes Thursday 5 May
To enter all competitions go to whatsonlive.co.uk
also follow us on Twitter for more great competitions
Whats On 30 years FINAL MM NO PICTURES.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 21:16 Page 1
Celebrating the
30th anniversary
of What’s On...
Noticed anything different about this
month’s magazine?
Well, to celebrate our 30th anniversary year,
we’ve had a bit of a makeover, redesigning
your essential What’s On publication.
We hope you enjoy it!
Let’s pause for a moment to contemplate
how it all started, the trials and tribulations
along the way and, equally importantly,
the exciting year ahead!
The 1980s. The decade of Glasnost, yuppies,
Miami Vice and mullet hair-dos. The Iron
Lady crushed the invading Argentinians and
the striking miners. Bob Geldof inspired
Live Aid. Football hooliganism saw English
clubs kicked out of Europe.
While all of this and plenty more was making
the world go round, here in the Midlands we
welcomed a brand new dawn in the field of regional entertainment publications.
What’s On Magazine was born, quietly and
without any fuss.
Thirty years later, it’s still here and as popular
as ever - long after those mullet hair-dos became a ‘badge of shame’ and the Iron Lady relinquished her steely grip on the nation.
Following the dream
Our founder and CEO, Martin
Monahan, reluctantly posing for
a pic with our very first Apple
mac (it’s an SE model). Purchased back in 1987, it’s still
part of the furniture today, although obviously it’s no longer
functional - a bit like Martin,
some might say!
“I was a man with a dream,” smiles founder
and chief executive Martin Monahan. “Not that
the bank were impressed by that to begin with.
So I used my personal credit card to buy an Amstrad computer - they were all the rage at the
time! - and set about turning that dream into a
reality, without any help from the bank.
“The early years were tough by comparison
with nowadays, when sending the magazine to
Whats On 30 years FINAL MM NO PICTURES.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 21:16 Page 2
feature
Some of the current What’s On team
attempting to pose for a quick snap purely
for this feature! Quick everyone smile and
look at the camera... crikey - oh well this will do!
From left to right:
Front: Martin Monahan, founder and CEO;
Lauren Foster, Davina Evans, Editorial Director;
Lei Woodhouse and Ryan Humphreys.
Middle: Sue Jones and Julia Perry,
Back - Abi Whitehouse, Brian O’Faolain,
Chris Atherton and Adrian Parker - everyone else
was too chicken to pose or washing their hair!
print is a breeze - comparatively! We’d be up all night
preparing the magazine for the
printers. It had to be printed out
into columns of text and then
had to be physically pasted
with cow gum on to printing
sheets. It was a hugely laborious, time-consuming task. By
the time we’d finished, we
needed matchsticks to keep our
eyes open!
“It sounds like a real pain but
looking back, it was a fantastically enjoyable time. And we
even managed a couple of
claims to fame. We were the
first publishing company in the
UK to pioneer the desktop publishing package QuarkXPress,
and one of the first to use an
apple mac - before they were famous!”
Fantastic support
From the word go, the magazine enjoyed the support of
some of the region’s biggest
theatres.
“Both the Birmingham Hippodrome and Wolverhampton
Grand theatres were on board
from day one,” Martin recalls,
“and they’ve advertised every
month since. It goes without
saying how much we’ve appreciated their support. And the
ongoing support, of course, of
each and every one of our other
regular advertisers.”
As the years passed, the stable
of What’s On titles increased.
Where once there was one, now
there are six.
“It’s been an amazing experience growing our brand while
“
we needed
matchsticks to keep
our eyes open
”
at the same time seeing the
Birmingham and Midlands’ entertainment scene develop as a
brand too,” says Martin. “And
plenty has happened these last
thirty years, from the arrival of
Birmingham Royal Ballet and
the opening of Symphony Hall
in the early days through to any
number of major refurbishments and redevelopments of
our local theatres. We’re very
proud to have been there
throughout, supporting and
promoting Birmingham and the
Midlands as a vibrant hub of
top-quality entertainment.”
An exciting future
Thirty years on and still going
strong indeed. And the future’s
looking bright too, as the magazine’s Editorial Director, Davina
Evans, explains. “It’s a really
exciting time for us right now,
and in 2016 we’ve got some exciting new developments - like
our first ever What’s On
Readers’ Awards.
What’s On is now making its
presence felt across various
platforms. As well as the six
magazine titles - Birmingham,
Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire - we
now have one of the best entertainment websites in the Midlands. And our significant
growth on Twitter, with 60k
followers in Birmingham and
over 150k across the whole region, is phenomenal.
We will soon be moving to new
offices in Birmingham’s
Southside district too, in addition to retaining our Shrewsbury base. This is a truly
exciting era for the Midlands’
entertainment scene. It’s expanding and developing all the
time, and we’re very happy to
be playing our part every step
of the way.”
What’sOn
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Your week to week
listings guide
January 2016
ArenaCross hits the nec in Birmingham - 23 and 24 January 2016
Music I Comedy I Theatre I Dance I Film I Events I Visual Arts I
and more!
What’s On
Fri 1 to Sun 10 Jan
Mon 11 to Sun 17 Jan
The Legend of King Arthur
at Artrix in Bromsgrove
Stephen K Amos in Worcester
and Birmingham
Wanted band member stars in
Strictly Come Dancing Live
Akram Khan Company presents
Chotto Desh in Birmingham
Sun 10 January
15 & 16 January
22 - 24 January
29 and 30 January
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THROUGHOUT January
Theatre
between friendship and duty. Natalie
Abrahami directs, until Sat 23 Jan,
The Swan Theatre, Stratford-uponAvon
LOVE FOR LOVE Selina Cadell makes
her RSC directorial debut with
Congreve's restoration comedy
where love for love is stronger than
love for money, until Fri 22 Jan, The
Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
PETER PAN Starring the Chuckle
Brothers and John Altman, until Sun
24 Jan, Wolverhampton Grand
Theatre
WENDY AND PETER PAN Join Wendy,
Peter, Tink and Captain Hook in Ella
Hickson's acclaimed re-telling of JM
Barrie's classic children's story, until
Sun 31 Jan, Royal Shakespeare
Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
Visual Arts
CASTING A FORTUNE: FROM CABINETS
TO COFFINS EXHIBITION Exploring the
history of Newman Brothers, from its
Victorian beginnings making cabinet
fittings to its rebirth in the 1960s as a
company connected to the royal
household, until Fri 29 Jan, Newman
Brothers Coffin Works, Birmingham
SOCIETY OF ARTISTS The 68th annual
exhibition of the Worcester Society of
Artists, until Sat 30 Jan, Worcester
City Museum & Art Gallery
ALADDIN Starring Marti Pellow, Julian
Clary, Lee Mead, Matt Slack and
Andrew Ryan, until Sun 31 Jan,
Birmingham Hippodrome
SOUND MATTERS; EXPLORING CRAFT
AND SOUND A Craft Council touring
exhibition - seven contemporary
works from a range of creative disciplines, until Sat 6 Feb,
Wolverhampton Art Gallery
INDELIBLE MARKS: THE DRESDEN
PROJECT BY MONICA PETZAL Marking
the 75th anniversary of the Coventry
Blitz and the 70th anniversary of the
Dresden bombings; Indelible Marks
connects Coventry with its twinned
city and shares their wartime experiences, until Sun 7 Feb, Herbert Art
Gallery & Museum, Coventry
75 YEARS: JOHN PIPER AND GUSTAV
MEZGER John Piper's iconic paintings
of the ruins of Coventry Cathedral on
the morning after the Blitz and a
newly commissioned work from
Gustav Metzger which explores the
bombing of Coventry and the
German city of Munster in the
Second World War, until Sun 7 Feb,
Herbert Art Gallery & Museum,
Coventry
QUEEN ANNE Helen Edmundson's
gripping new play exploring the little
known story of a monarch caught
ANDREW KINMONT ARBSA Andrew's
experiences of working in the landscape are reflected in his body of
work, until Sun 7 Feb, RBSA Gallery,
Birmingham
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OLD WIVES’ TALES: MIGRATION
JOURNEYS OF BANGLADESHI WOMEN TO
THE UK Photographic exhibition which
gives a unique insight into the lives
of young Bangladeshi women who
came to Birmingham between the
1960s and 1980s, until Sun 7 Feb,
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
JOAN SHARMA ARBSA A celebration of
mothers, babies and mothers-to-be.
Sculptures in stone and wood, until
Sat 20 Feb, RBSA Gallery,
Birmingham
ENCHANTED DREAMS The first ever
exhibition to be dedicated to PreRaphaelite artist Edward Robert
Hughes, until Sun 21 Feb,
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
WOLVERHAMPTON SOCIETY OF ARTISTS
Biennial exhibition with a diverse
range of styles, mediums and subject matter, until Sat 27 Feb,
TREASURE! DISCOVERING THE
STAFFORDSHIRE HOARD Interactive
exhibition telling the story of how the
Staffordshire Hoard was found and
saved for the nation, until Sat 12 Mar,
Bilston Craft Gallery
FITTING IN AND GETTING ALONG
Through personal stories, film and a
selection of objects the exhibition
explores the life stories of members
of the Birmingham Polish community,
until Wed 23 Mar, Birmingham
Museum & Art Gallery
PHOENIX - CREATED BY
WOLVERHAMPTON'S SCHOOL CHILDREN
School student in Wolverhampton
has been invited to decorate a feather to become part of a glorious
phoenix which will be on display,
until Thurs 31 Mar, Bilston Craft
Gallery, Wolverhampton
INHERITING ROME Exhibition which
uses money to explore and question
our deep-seated familiarity with the
Roman Empire’s imagery, until Sun
24 Apr, The Barber Institute,
Birmingham
WENDY RAMSHAW’S ROOM OF DREAMS
An installation made up of many
parts, from small jewels in frames to
large, freestanding furniture, until
Sun 22 May, Birmingham Museum &
Art Gallery
MADE AT MAC AT HEART OF ENGLAND
TRUST HOSPITALS Touring exhibition
by various mac students, until Fri 29
July, Heartlands Hospital, Good
Hope and Solihull Hospitals
A BIG BANG: THE ORIGINS OF THE POP
ART COLLECTION, PART 2 Andy
Warhol’s legendary 1968 Campbells
Soup Can and the iconic maquette of
a statue of King Kong - originally
commissioned in 1972 for display in
Birmingham’s Bull Ring - take pride
of place in this sure-to-be-popular
exhibition of Pop Art, until Sat 13
Aug, Wolverhampton Art Gallery
BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM & ART GALLERY
IN 130 YEARS The story of the
Museum & Art Gallery, told via a special anniversary exhibition, until Thurs
1 Sept, Birmingham Museum & Art
Gallery
START EXHIBITION RBSA Members
and Associates work, Wed 30 Dec Sat 6 Feb, RBSA Gallery,
Birmingham
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Enchanted Dreams shows at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery until 21 Feb
Friday 1 - Sunday 10 January
Classical Music Comedy Gigs
JOHANN STRAUSS GALA The Johann
Strauss Dancers and Orchestra
return with a brand new show for
2016 with irrepressible showman
Rainer Hersch at the helm, Fri 1 Jan,
Symphony Hall, B’ham
TOM ALLEN, PHIL NICHOL, MARK OLVER
& VINCE ATTA Sat 2 Jan, The Glee
Club, Birmingham
ORCHESTRA OF THE SWAN: A VIENNESE
TWIST Join soprano April Fredrick for
a Viennese evening with a difference.
Programme includes works by
Strauss, Donizetti, Puccini & Lehar,
Sat 2 Jan, Warwick Arts Centre,
Coventry
ALFIE MOORE, JAMIE SUTHERLAND,
MICKY P. KERR & BRENNAN REECE Thurs
7 Jan, The George Hotel, Lichfield,
Staffordshire
DAVE TWENTYMAN & AARON TWITCHEN
Mon 4 Jan, Old Joint Stock Theatre,
Birmingham
CBSO: THE MAGIC OF VIENNA Featuring
Stephen Bell (conductor) & Gardar
Thor Cortes (tenor). Programme
includes works by Suppe, Strauss &
Lehar, Sat 2 Jan, Malvern Theatres
King Pleasure & The Biscuit Boys play Artrix on 2 Jan
Gigs
THE ULTIMATE ROCK
PARTY: GIN ANNIE BAND
Fri 1 Jan, The Robin,
Bilston
KING PLEASURE & THE
BISCUIT BOYS Sat 2 Jan,
Artrix, Bromsgrove
STOMPING ON SPIDERS,
THE PAUL ROSE TRIO,
MARC MILETITCH, MARK
LEEDHAM & JAMES RANDLE Thurs 7 Jan, Cap
‘n’ Gown, Worcester
REM TRIBUTE STIPE
Thurs 7 Jan, The
Robin, Bilston
THE BEAT BROTHERS Sat
9 Jan, The Jam House,
Birmingham
THE BEACH BOYS BAND
Sat 9 Jan, The
Roadhouse,
Birmingham
NOASIS Sat 9 Jan,
Kasbah, Coventry
THE BOOGIE BAPTISTES
Thurs 7 Jan, The Jam
House, Birmingham
THE STRAIGHT ACES Sat
9 Jan, The Marr's Bar,
Worcester
THE JOHNNY CASH
ROADSHOW Fri 8 Jan,
Artrix, Bromsgrove
VERBAL WARNING, WOB
& ALCOHOL LICKS Sat 9
Jan, Route 44, B’ham
DUB SMUGGLERS Fri 8
Jan, Hare & Hounds,
Birmingham
RESOLUTION
REVOLUTION Sat 2 Jan,
The Roadhouse,
Birmingham
FIRES THAT DIVIDE Sat 9
Jan, The Rainbow
Venues, Birmingham
THE BEAT BROTHERS Fri
8 Jan, The Jam House,
Birmingham
JEAN GENIE Sat 2 Jan,
The Robin, Bilston
THE LONG TALL TEXANS
Fri 8 Jan, The Rainbow
Venues, Birmingham
KINGS OF HONG KONG
Sat 9 Jan, The
Rainbow Venues,
Birmingham
THE GLENN MILLER
ORCHESTRA Sat 2 Jan,
Symphony Hall,
Birmingham
URBAN INTRO Sat 2 Jan,
The Jam House,
Birmingham
HOMEOWNER, CABALLO
BLANCO & HARRY JORDAN Sat 2 Jan, The
Sunflower Lounge,
Birmingham
TOM FORBES Sat 2 Jan,
The Red Man,
Kidderminster
TOM MASON & LEE FISHER Sat 2 Jan, The Night
Owl, Birmingham
MARIE-CLAIRE BERREEN
& HER HUSBANDS Wed 6
Jan, The Red Lion Folk
Club, Birmingham
ALIEN ANT FARM, INME &
THE DIRTY YOUTH Wed 6
Jan, O2 Institute,
Birmingham
THE JEEPS Wed 6 Jan,
The Jam House,
Birmingham
BEN CAPLAN Wed 6 Jan,
Ort Cafe, Birmingham
ALI CLINTON Wed 6 Jan,
The Robin, Bilston
KINGS OV LEON Fri 8
Jan, The River Rooms,
Stourbridge
ROD AND THE FACEZ Fri
8 Jan, The Roadhouse,
Birmingham
NEARLY DAN Fri 8 Jan,
The Robin, Bilston
RISING STRUGGLE,
RUSTLUNG, KONCEPT &
VENGEFUL ATONEMENT
Fri 8 Jan, Scruffy
Murphy’s, Birmingham
BORN IN THE EIGHTIES
Sat 9 Jan, The River
Rooms, Stourbridge
WHO'S WHO Sat 9 Jan,
The Robin, Bilston
CBSO: HENRY V Edward Gardner conducts the CBSO and CBSO Chorus
in the first in a series of concerts to
celebrate Shakespeare's 400th
anniversary. Programme includes
works by Strauss, Vaughan Williams,
Verdi & Walton', Thurs 7 Jan,
Symphony Hall, Birmingham
MARK PADMORE (TENOR) AND PAUL
LEWIS (PIANO) Programme includes
works Lieder by Brahms, Schubert
and Wolf, Thurs 7 Jan, Malvern
Theatres
DALISO CHAPONDA, JOEL DOMMETT,
ALISTAIR BARRIE & COMIC TBC Fri 8 Sat 9 Jan, The Glee Club,
Birmingham
DANA ALEXANDER, RUSSELL HICKS,
JOHN LYNN & JAY HANDLEY Sat 9 Jan,
Jongleurs Comedy Club,
Birmingham
JOSHUA BELL AND THE ACADEMY OF ST
MARTIN IN THE FIELDS Programme
includes works by Dvorak,
Beethoven, Schumann & Brahms,
Sat 9 Jan, Symphony Hall,
Birmingham
CBSO: SCHUMANN’S PIANO CONCERTO
Featuring Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla (conductor) & Beatrice Rana (piano).
Debussy, Schumann & Sibelius, Sun
10 Jan, Symphony Hall, Birmingham
GARY DELANEY Sat 9 Jan, Artrix,
Bromsgrove
NOVACROW, SERTRALINE,
ORPHEUM & RKB Sat 9
Jan, Scruffy Murphy’s,
Birmingham
CAPTAIN JEFFREY Sat 9
Jan, The Woodland
Cottage, Redditch
THE BEN POOLE BAND
Sat 9 Jan, Lichfield
Guildhall, Staffordshire
TOM FORBES Fri 8 Jan,
The Talbot, Pershore
FUTURE Sun 10 Jan, O2
Academy, Birmingham
VIN GARBUTT Fri 8 Jan,
Lichfield Guildhall,
Staffordshire
GARY O’DEA Sun 10
Jan, Kitchen Garden
Cafe, Birmingham
LIL SCOTTIE, RETROSOUND DJS AND
SHAUN PARKER Fri 8
Jan, The Night Owl,
Birmingham
HIGH HOPES & WARS
Sun 10 Jan, The
Rainbow Venues,
Birmingham
OCCOEUR, SWERVE &
SOUR MASH Fri 8 Jan,
Route 44, Birmingham
CBSO: THE MAGIC OF VIENNA
Conducted by Stephen Bell & featuring tenor Noah Stewart, the CBSO’s
annual Viennese evening features
favourites from Strauss, Suppe &
Lehar, Sun 3 Jan, Symphony Hall,
Birmingham
THE PAUL ROSE DICTATORSHIP Sun 10 Jan,
Cap ‘n’ Gown,
Worcester
Noah Stewart plays Symphony Hall on 3 Jan
thelist
Theatre
HAIRSPRAY THE MUSICAL New production of the smash-hit musical comedy, until Sat 2 Jan, New Alexandra
Theatre, Birmingham
WE’RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT Stage
adaptation of Michael Rosen & Helen
Oxenbury’s popular picture book.
Expect catchy songs, interactive
scenes and plenty of hands-on
adventures, until Wed 13 Jan,
Birmingham Town Hall
CINDERELLA Ben Crocker directs the
much-loved rags-to-riches story, until
Sat 2 Jan, Roses Theatre,
Tewkesbury
VAMPOMIME This year’s B2 Xmas
Show - from the pen of acclaimed
writer Nick Walker - promises to be a
fangtastic Yuletide treat with added
bite!, until Sat 2 Jan, Belgrade
Theatre, Coventry
JACK AND THE BEANSTALK Festive family fun with Jack & Dame Trot, until
Sat 2 Jan, Royal Spa Centre,
Leamington Spa
PETER PAN Take a magical trip to
Neverland with the Darling children,
Peter Pan, and not forgetting
Tinkerbell, until Sat 2 Jan, The Blue
Orange Theatre, Birmingham
CINDERELLA Boo, hiss and join
Cinders on a timeless journey in this
family classic, until Sun 3 Jan,
Albany Theatre, Coventry
JACK AND THE BEANSTALK Starring
Vernie Bennett and Lloyd Daniels,
until Sun 3 Jan, Palace Theatre,
Redditch
PETER PAN A magical show for all the
family starring Mark Moraghan, until
Sun 3 Jan, Malvern Theatres,
Worcestershire
DICK WHITTINGTON Presented by
Worcester Repertory Company, until
Sun 3 Jan, Swan Theatre, Worcester
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST An enchanting
tale of heroic adventure, true love,
messy mayhem and festive frivolity
which promises to be the most beautiful and beastly yet!, until Sat 9 Jan,
Belgrade Theatre, Coventry
CINDERELLA: A FAIRYTALE Live storytelling & quirky visual styling come
together in this unique re-telling of
the classic fairytale of reversed fortunes, until Sat 9, mac, Birmingham
JACK AND THE BEANSTALK THE
ROCK'N'ROLL PANTO until Sun 10 Jan,
Stafford Gatehouse Theatre
THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE
WARDROBE CS Lewis' timeless classic
- a perfect festive treat, until Sat 16
Jan, The REP, Birmingham
TREASURE ISLAND Scott Ritchie &
BOA present an original adaptation
of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic
tale, until Sun 3 Jan, The Old Rep
Theatre, Birmingham
RED ARMY (15) A documentary revealing the untold story of the most dominating sporting dynasty in history:
the Soviet Union’s Red Army ice
hockey team. Wed 6 - Thurs 7 Jan,
mac, Birmingham
DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (PG) The classic love
story is re-released on its fortieth
anniversary. Stars Omar Sharif &
Julie Christie. Fri 8 - Tues 12 Jan,
mac, Birmingham
NEW FILMS ON GENERAL RELEASE:
Released Fri 1 Jan, showing at
selected cinemas.
THE DANISH GIRL (15)
JOY (12a)
SLEEPING WITH OTHER PEOPLE (15)
LES MEPRIS (15)
selected cinemas.
THE HATEFUL EIGHT (18)
A WAR (18)
BOLSHOI BABYLON (PG)
PARTISAN (15)
See Film section for previews on p38
JACK AND THE BEANSTALK until Sun 3
Jan, Lichfield Garrick
THE TWITS Malvern Theatre Players
present the Roald Dahl favourite,
until Sun 3 Jan, The Coach House
Theatre, Malvern, Worcestershire
INDEPENDENT LISTINGS:
BEDKNOBS & BROOMSTICKS (U) The
magical children’s classic. Stars
Angela Lansbury. Sat 2 Jan, Artrix,
Bromsgrove
HECTOR (15) Hiding from his past,
Hector makes the motorway rest
stops of Britain his home, but he
can’t hide forever... Stars Peter
Mullan. Sat 2 - Thurs 7 Jan, mac,
Birmingham
ALADDIN Traditional family pantomime, written by and starring
Malcom Stent, until Sun 3 Jan,
Solihull Arts Complex
THE THREE MUSKETEERS Playbox
Theatre present a swashbuckling
seventeenth century adventure fusing romance, treachery, cunning
plots and deceit, until Sun 3 Jan, The
Dream Factory, Warwick
Film
HARD-WORKING FAMILIES Stage 2
present a world premiere production
of Claire Dowie’s response to a politician’s vision of ordinary people,
Thurs 7 - Sat 9 Jan, Crescent
Theatre, Birmingham
ONLY FOOLS AND 3 COURSES Expect an
evening of chaos and mayhem - with
extra large portions of comedy and
extra tasty portions of food cooked
by Lichfield's favourite chef, Simon
Smith, Thurs 7 - Sat 9 Jan, Lichfield
Garrick
WEIGHT OF TIME Backyard Theatre
Ensemble present a new theatre
piece by Joachim Matschoss which
deals with slave labour, conditions in
sweatshops, western obsession with
celebrities, fashion and body image,
Sat 9 Jan, Bridgehouse Theatre,
Warwick
Events
TWISTED BARREL PRESENT: NEW YEARS
EVE CELEBRATION The beers will be
flowing, the music will be loud, the
countdown even louder, and with a
late licence you’ll be able to party the
night away, New Years Eve, Fargo
Village, Coventry
ICE SKATING AT WEBBS GARDEN CENTRE
WYCHBOLD An open-air real ice rink
with a clear roof covering Fri 1 - Sun
3 Jan, Webbs Garden Centre,
Worcestershire
KARMEN'S KREATIONS TEA PARTY The
Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, with tea leaf
reading from the bottom of your vintage cup, Fri 1 - Sun 3 & Fri 8 - Sun
10 Jan, Fargo Village, Coventry
THE GREAT CANADIAN CIRCUS For the
first time ever, The Great Canadian
Circus brings their unique daredevil
show to Birmingham, Until - Sun 3
Jan, Star City, Birmingham
FESTIVE SEASON SERVICE Fri 1 - Sun 3
Jan, Severn Valley Railway,
Kidderminster
LET'S SKATE SOLIHULL Solihull’s first
ever outdoor Christmas ice rink, Fri 1
- Sun 3 Jan, Mell Square Shopping
Centre, Solihull
CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS See Croome
transformed into a Georgian-inspired
Christmas, Fri 1 - Sun 3 Jan, Croome
Park, Worcestershire
VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS Join a
Victorian-themed family Christmas,
celebrating Charles Dickens' love of
Shakespeare, Fri 1 - Wed 6 Jan,
Anne Hathaway's Cottage &
Gardens, Stratford-upon-Avon
WWI, CHRISTMAS AND THE TRUCE A
display showing the contrast
between Christmas spent at home or
on the battlefields of WWI, Fri 1 Wed 6 Jan, Hall's Croft, Stratfordupon-Avon
17TH CENTURY CHRISTMAS Act out
your own mummers' play and create
a ghost story as you follow the
Christmas trail around Harvard
House, Fri 1 - Wed 6 Jan, Harvard
House & The Museum of British
Pewter, Stratford-upon-Avon
ICE SKATE BIRMINGHAM Ice Skate
Birmingham makes a welcome return
to the city centre, Fri 1 - Sun 10 Jan,
Centenary Square, Birmingham
BREWERY & COUNTRY PUB TOUR
Scheduled and chartered day trips to
the Cotswolds from Stratford-uponAvon, Fri 1 - Sat 30 Jan, Alcester,
Warwickshire
FRESH AIR & FAMILY FUN! Enjoy a family day out, Fri 1 - Sun 31 Jan, Hatton
Adventure World, Coventry
75 YEARS Commemorating the
anniversary of the Coventry Blitz,
with artwork from John Piper and
Gustav Metzger, Fri 1 Jan - Sun 7
Feb, Herbert Art Gallery & Museum,
Coventry
SCIENCE OF SOUND See Symphony
Hall transformed into an interactive
sound laboratory, Fri 1 Jan - Fri 17
Jun, Symphony Hall, Birmingham
ANNE HATHAWAY'S YOUNG MAN Learn
about Anne Hathaway and William
Shakespeare's first few years as
newly-weds, Fri 1 Jan - Sat 17 Dec,
Anne Hathaway's Cottage &
Gardens, Stratford-upon-Avon
A CHRISTMAS CAROL Derek Frood
stars as Scrooge in a new production
of Charles Dickens’ festive classic,
Sat 9 - Sat 16 Jan, Malvern Theatre,
Worcestershire
THE GRUFFALO'S CHILD Tall Stories
Theatre Company present Julia
Donaldson & Alex Scheffler's awardwinning sequel, until Sun 3 Jan,
Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry
THE LEGEND OF KING ARTHUR
Oddsocks brings the English legend
to life via an 'exciting, interactive and
action-packed winter treat for all the
family’, Sun 10 Jan, Artrix,
Bromsgrove
thelist
CHRISTMAS IN SPACE Fri 1 Jan - Mon
28 Mar, Thinktank at Millennium
Point, Birmingham
EXCALIBUR COMPUTER FAIR Packed
with computer goods at trade prices,
Sat 2 Jan, National Motorcycle
Museum, Solihull
WINTER HERITAGE TOURS OF
BLAKESLEY HALL Experience one of
Birmingham’s finest timber-framed
buildings and get a unique insight
into the aspirations of the Tudor
classes who lived and worked there.
On Wednesdays and Thursdays,
Wed 6 Jan - Thurs 11 Feb, Blakesley
Hall, Birmingham
WINTER HERITAGE TOURS OF SAREHOLE
MILL Taking place on a Wednesday
and Thursday, explore the idyllic
childhood haunt of JRR Tolkien, Wed
6 Jan - Thurs 11 Feb, Sarehole Mill,
Birmingham
NATURE TOTS - ONE WINTERS DAY
Nature Tots aims to encourage an
early interest in wildlife, Thurs 7 Jan,
Brandon Marsh Nature Centre,
Coventry
FARGO THURSDAY FLEA & CAR BOOT
Stalls of bric-a-brac, vintage merchandise, antiques, refurbished bikes
and up cycled goods, Thurs 7 Jan,
Fargo Village, Coventry
Visual Arts
LYNNE SAWYER & KATHERINE WATSON:
CONTEMPORARY ART/ NATURAL
LANDSCAPES until 3 Jan, Artrix,
Bromsgrove
FIONA BANNER - SCROLL DOWN AND
KEEP SCROLLING Comprising a wide
variety of text pieces, drawings,
sculptures and films, until Sun 17
Jan, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham
CRAFTED FOR YOU Annual exhibition of
some of the best craftmakers in the
Midlands, until Sat 9 Jan, Worcester
City Museum & Art Gallery
MEDICATE 2015 Contemporary collection exploring the physical, societal
and psychological effects of disease
on people, as well as the values and
practices of medical science, until
Sun 17 Jan, Leamington Spa Art
Gallery & Museum
‘H.N.5 515’ SLAWA HARASYMOWICZ
Using personal biography (and documentary records) to explore one of
the biggest World War Two maritime
disasters, until Sat 9 Jan, Centrala
Gallery & Cafe, Birmingham
TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT Portraits from
the University of Birmingham, including works by Jacob Epstein, Tom
Phillips, Humphrey Ocean and
Jennifer McRae, until Sun 17 Jan,
The Barber Institute, Birmingham
THE AGE OF INNOCENCE Works by
notable artists such as Castiglione,
Adriaen van Ostade, William Hogarth
and John Brett are featured in this
exploration of the evolving imagery
of children and childhood, until Sun
10 Jan, The Barber Institute, B’ham
JACQUES NIMKI: SEEN/UNSEEN A new
permanent installation featuring more
than three hundred barely visible
works referencing plant drawings,
until Sun 17 Jan, Ikon Gallery, B’ham
MADE AT MAC: PHOTOGRAPHY A showcase of work from two Kate Greenled courses, until Sun 10 Jan, mac
Birmingham
WAR GAMES An interactive exhibition
that examines the role of war in childhood play and strategic games from
the 1800s to the present day, until
Sun 17 Jan, Herbert Art Gallery &
Museum, Coventry
A TOUCH OF TEXTURE CRAFT EXHIBITION
Exhibition of jewellery made using
alternative materials, including
leather, felt, cotton, wool, silk and velvet, until Sat 16 Jan, RBSA Gallery,
Birmingham
MATHÉ SHEPHEARD ARBSA A semiabstract approach that explores a
variety of landscapes, including
skies, mountains, water, contours
and textures, until Sat 23 Jan, RBSA
Gallery, Birmingham
ANTONIO ROBERTS First solo exhibition, until Sat 23 Jan, BOM
(Birmingham Open Media)
JANINE FENTON: A NERVY CHRISTMAS
Two sculptural light installations
using electroluminescent wire, until
Sat 23 Jan, BOM (Birmingham Open
Media)
DIANE WILTSHIRE'S SENTIMENT Diane
Wiltshire interviewed fifty participants
with varying experiences and backgrounds and recorded their responses to forty questions. While listening
to the responses, the wearable
device delivers the original participants’ emotional response through
sensation. For over-eighteens only,
until Sat 23 Jan BOM (Birmingham
Open Media)
ALEX DROZD: SMETHWICK GALTON
BRIDGE/PORTRAIT OF A STATION
Photographic exhibition of the landscape surrounding Smethwick
Galton Bridge railway station, until
Sun 24 Jan, mac, Birmingham
FLINCK IN FOCUS Marking the 400th
anniversary of Govert Flinck’s birth,
until Sun 24 Jan, The Barber
Institute, Birmingham
THE LIE OF THE LAND Exhibition of
recent paintings by West Midlandsbased artist Shaun Morris, Wed 6 Sun 31 Jan, Artrix, Bromsgrove
JANUARY 2016
BROMSGROVE’S THEATRE, CINEMA, LIVE MUSIC AND COMEDY VENUE
Sat 9th January
Sun 10th January
Sun 17st January
GARY DELANEY
THE LEGEND OF KING
ARTHUR
THE RAT PACK
THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT
GARY
FANTASTIC FAMILY SHOW
FROM ODDSOCKS
TOP TRIBUTE TO FRANK
SINATRA, DEAN MARTIN &
SAMMY DAVIS JNR
Fri 22nd & Sat 23rd
January
Sun 24th January
Sun 31st January
THE COUNTERFEIT
STONES
LEE HURST
COMEDY SHOW NO 9
WHITNEY HOUSTON
LIVE EXPERIENCE
WITH NYA KING
TWO NIGHTS OF FRAUD
ROCK
FORTHCOMING CINEMA:
Spectre (12A) // Brooklyn (12A) // The Lady In The Van (12A) // Burnt (15) // Bridge Of Spies (12A) // Pride (15)
Carol (15) // By The Sea (12A)
FORTHCOMING SCREENINGS:
Les Liaisons Dangereuses (NT Live) // La Traviata (ROH Live) // As You Like It (NT Live) // The Magic Flute (ENO Live)
The Car Man (Matthew Bourne) // Giselle (Royal Ballet Live)
Download the Artrix brochure on www.artrix.co.uk
www.artrix.co.uk or phone 01527 577330
Artrix, Slideslow Drive, Bromsgrove B60 1PQ
Free parking on-site
@artrixarts
@artrix arts centre
The List 11-17 Jan - REGION 1 FINAL VERSION.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 20:45 Page 1
thelist
Monday 11 - Sunday 17 January
Classical Music Theatre
CONSERVATOIRE RECITAL Featuring
Roderick Williams (baritone) & Iain
Burnside (piano). Programme
includes works by Schubert &
Schwanengesang, Tues 12 Jan,
Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham
THE CIRCUS OF HORRORS: WELCOME TO
THE CARNEVIL The Britain’s Got Talent
finalists are back on the road with a
show ruled by the undead and climaxing in an awesome flaming apocalypse, Tues 12 Jan, Lichfield Garrick
CBSO: SCHEHERAZADE Andrew Gorley
conducts the CBSO as they present
three of Ravel’s musical fairytales,
Thurs 14 & Sat 16 Jan, Symphony
Hall, Birmingham
THE LOVER Harold Pinter’s surreal
one-act play, which follows a few
days in the life of Richard & Sarah,
who use roleplay to spice up their
relationship, Tues 12 - Thurs 14 Jan,
Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham
CBSO CENTRE STAGE: VERDI AND
PUCCINI Featuring Zoë Beyers &
Amanda Lake (violins), Michael
Jenkinson (viola), Kate Setterfield
(cello), Fri 15 Jan, CBSO Centre,
Birmingham
Blair Dunlop plays Stafford Gatehouse on 11 Jan
Gigs
BLAIR DUNLOP Mon 11
Jan, Stafford
Gatehouse Theatre
THE NEON COLLECTIVE
Mon 11 Jan, Crescent
Theatre, Birmingham
BEN DRUMMOND Tues
12 Jan, The Jam
House, Birmingham
KIM LOWINGS AND THE
GREENWOOD Wed 13
Club, Birmingham
GOSPEL CENTRAL Wed
13 Jan, The Jam
House, Birmingham
AVERSIONS CROWN Wed
13 Jan, The Rainbow
Venues, Birmingham
PHOENIX RISING Wed 13
Jan, The Robin,
Bilston
CHRISTINE ROBIN Wed
13 Jan, Lichfield
Garrick, Staffordshire
THE KING IS BACK Thurs
14 Jan, Belgrade
Theatre, Coventry
THE JOHNNY CASH
ROADSHOW Thurs 14
Jan, New Alexandra
Theatre, Birmingham
APOLLO SOUL Thurs 14
Jan, The Jam House,
Birmingham
THE SIMON AND GARFUNKEL STORY - 50TH
ANNIVERSARY TOUR
Thurs 14 Jan, The
Robin, Bilston
TROPE & DISTRICTS
Thurs 14 Jan, Hare &
Hounds, Birmingham
BEYOND THE BARRICADE
Fri 15 Jan, New
Alexandra Theatre,
Birmingham
JAMIE LAWSON Fri 15
Jan, O2 Institute,
Birmingham
THE NEW ROMANCE,
IVORY WAVE, GEORGE
WILSON, OAK STREET &
BEYOND THE BAY Fri 15
Jan, O2 Academy,
Birmingham
MC DEVVO Fri 15 Jan,
The Marr's Bar,
Worcester
VKR VON KRYSTAL ROXZ
Fri 15 Jan, Route 44,
Birmingham
THE SUBTERRANEANS Fri
15 Jan, The Jam
House, Birmingham
BESIDE ALL HOPE Fri 15
Jan, The Rainbow
Venues, Birmingham
THE LEYLINES Sat 16
Jan, The Marr’s Bar,
Worcester
BACK TO THE 80'S PARTY
WITH THE GR80'S Sat 16
Jan, Nailcote Hall,
Berkswell
THE YOUNG Sat 16 Jan,
The Rainbow Venues,
Birmingham
LIME & CRITICS Sat 16
Jan, The Sunflower
Lounge, Birmingham
THE MODFATHERS Sat 16
Jan, The Robin, Bilston
MC NUTCRACKER’S SPECTRE BIRTHDAY BALL Sat
16 Jan, O2 Institute,
Birmingham
ELKIE BROOKS Sat 16
Jan, Stafford
Gatehouse Theatre
THE HOPWOOD JUNCTION
ROAD Fri 15 Jan, The
Roadhouse, B’ham
ONE NIGHT OF ELVIS: LEE
'MEMPHIS' KING Sat 16
Jan, New Alexandra
Theatre, Birmingham
SUPREME QUEEN Sat 16
Jan, Artrix, Bromsgrove
SHOWADDYWADDY Sat
16 Jan, Bedworth Civic
Hall, Warwickshire
THE BRUNO SHOW - A
TRIBUTE TO BRUNO
MARS Sat 16 Jan,
Lichfield Garrick,
Staffordshire
BARBER LUNCHTIME CONCERT WITH
SAVITRI GREER & RICHARD UTTLEY
Bartok, Debussy & Faure, Fri 15 Jan,
NEW ENGLISH ORCHESTRA AND
SINGERS 40TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
CONCERT This last concert of the season features works by Mendelssohn,
Strauss & Charpentier, as well as
Scottish folk & spiritual music, Sat 16
Jan, Birmingham Town Hall
ROYAL WELSH COLLEGE STUDENTS
Programme include works by Haydn
& Mozart, Sat 16 Jan, Huntingdon
Hall, Worcester
Comedy Gigs
ELLIE TAYLOR, JOHN ROBERTSON &
DALISO CHAPONDA Thurs 14 Jan,
Bramall Music Building, Birmingham
THINK FLOYD Fri 15 Jan,
The Robin, Bilston
STEPHEN K. AMOS Fri 15 Jan,
Huntingdon Hall, Worcester
RAT PACK LIVE Sun 17
Jan, Artrix, Bromsgrove
BLACK DYKE BAND Sun
17 Jan, Symphony
Hall, Birmingham
TURNOVER, TEEN BRAINS
& CLAWS Sun 17 Jan,
The Rainbow Venues,
Birmingham
STEVE TILSON Sun 17
Jan, Kitchen Garden
Cafe, Birmingham
BRAVADO - TRIBUTE TO
RUSH Sun 17 Jan, The
Robin, Bilston
THE CIRCUS OF HORRORS: WELCOME TO
THE CARNEVIL The Britain’s Got Talent
finalists are back on the road with a
show ruled by the undead and climaxing in an awesome flaming apocalypse, Fri 15 Jan, Belgrade Theatre,
Coventry
THE TIPPETT QUARTET Programme
includes works by Hadyn, Robert
Simpson & Mendelssohn Fri 15 Jan,
Artrix, Bromsgrove
LOUDEEMY SOUP COMEDY NIGHT Mon
11 Jan, The Blue Orange Theatre,
Birmingham
THE HAUNTED SOULS Fri
15 Jan, Cap ‘n’ Gown,
Worcester
THE SUBTERRANEANS
Sat 16 Jan, The Jam
House, Birmingham
COMPLETELY BRAHMS CONSERVATOIRE
CONCERT Featuring Luke Westcombe
(clarinet), Tingting Yao (piano), Maria
Oguren (violin) & Anna Barsegjiana
(viola) & Lucy French (cello), Fri 15
Jan, Recital Hall, Birmingham
Conservatoire
ABUELO Amahra Spence’s story,
which follows the journey of a young
black woman experiencing change,
Thurs 14 - Sat 16 Jan, The REP,
Birmingham
KEVIN HART Fri 15 Jan, Barclaycard
Arena, Birmingham
SEAN PERCIVAL, LARRY DEAN, JONNY
AWSUM & NEIL MCFARLANE Fri 15 Jan,
The Glee Club, Birmingham
ADAM HESS, KIERAN BOYD & TOMMY
ROWSON Fri 15 Jan, The Courtyard,
Hereford
PAUL MCCAFFREY, JOHN MOLONEY, JOHN
LYNN & GEORGE EGG Fri 15 - Sat 16
Jan, Jongleurs Comedy Club,
Birmingham
SEAN PERCIVAL, LARRY DEAN, JONNY
AWSUM & COMIC TBC Sat 16 Jan, The
Glee Club, Birmingham
STEPHEN K. AMOS Sat 16 Jan, The Old
Rep Theatre, Birmingham
HENRY ROLLINS: CHARMINGLY OBSTINATE EUROPEAN TOUR Henry Rollins
visits, complete with an uncompromising attitude towards spoken-word
performances and journalism, Fri 15
Jan, Birmingham Town Hall
BEYOND THE BARRICADE Recreating
original West End/ Broadway musical
hit songs, Fri 15 Jan, New Alexandra
Theatre, Birmingham
WI-FI WARS Live comedy game show
where audience members are
encouraged to play along, Sat 16
Jan, mac, Birmingham
THE STORY OF GUITAR HEROES A journey through the decades, from
Rock’n’Roll to modern-day guitar
heroes, Sat 16 Jan, Belgrade
Theatre, Coventry
THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKERS A
new production of the popular
Brothers Grimm fairytale, fusing live
music, puppetry, physical storytelling
and plenty of elf magic, Sat 16 Jan,
Lichfield Garrick
DEATH OF A SALESMAN The Crescent
Theatre Company present Arthur
Miller's modern American tragedy,
Sat 16 - Sat 30 Jan, Crescent
Theatre, Birmingham
SNOW CHILD Tutti Frutti & York
Theatre Royal present a magical
story about family, love and the
power of dreams, Sun 17 Jan, mac,
Birmingham
thelist
Sunset Song
Film
novel, telling the tale of a farmer’s
daughter coming of age immediately
prior to World War One. Stars
Agyness Deyn & Peter Mullan. Fri 15
- Thurs 21 Jan, mac, Birmingham
RADIATOR (15) A put-upon teacher
returns to his elderly parents to help
his mother care for his father.
Starring Daniel Cerqueira & Julia
Ford. Mon 11- Thurs 14 Jan, mac,
Birmingham
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (U) Gene Kelly
and Debbie Reynolds hotfoot it
through this 1920s-set MGM musical.
Sat 16 Jan, Electric Cinema,
Birmingham
THE LESSON (15) A high school
English teacher faces a moral
quandary when her home is threatened with repossession. (Subtitled).
Stars Margita Gosheva. Mon 11Thurs 14 Jan, mac, Birmingham
selected cinemas.
SUNSET SONG (15) An adaptation of
Lewis Grassic Gribbon’s classic
IP MAN 3 (15)
CREED (12a)
THE REVENANT (15)
ROOM (15)
Events
FIONA BANNER - SCROLL DOWN AND
KEEP SCROLLING Text pieces, drawings, sculptures and films, until Sun
17 Jan, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham
AN EVENING WITH JOE WICKS The
Body Coach talks about his new
guide to a healthy lifestyle, Lean In
15, Tues 12 Jan, Waterstones,
Birmingham
MEDICATE 2015 Contemporary collection exploring the physical, societal
and psychological effects of disease
on people, as well as the values and
practices of medical science, until
Sun 17 Jan, Leamington Spa Art
Gallery & Museum
DRIFT WHAT YA BRUNG Chance to
practise drifting in safe and legal
conditions on some of the Pod's thirty acres of open tarmac, Wed 13
Jan, Santa Pod Raceway,
Wellingborough
NATURE TOTS - QUACKING DUCKS
Aiming to encourage an early interest
in wildlife, Thurs 14 Jan, Brandon
Marsh Nature Centre, Coventry
PERFORMANCE CAR SHOW With iconic
brands like Lamborghini, Ferrari,
McLaren, Aston Martin and Porsche,
Thurs 14 - Sun 17 Jan, NEC,
Birmingham
KARMEN'S KREATIONS TEA PARTY The
Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, with tea leaf
reading from the bottom of your vintage cup, Fri 15 - Sun 17 Jan, Fargo
Village, Coventry
EXCALIBUR COMPUTER FAIR Computer
goods at trade prices, Sat 16 Jan,
National Motorcycle Museum,
Solihull
BEHIND-THE-SCENES TOUR Unlocking
the secrets of Witley's partying past,
Sat 16 Jan, Witley Court, Great
Witley, Worcestershire
AUTOSPORT INTERNATIONAL Cars, stars
and action, Sat 16 - Sun 17 Jan,
NEC, Birmingham
BBL CUP FINAL Two of the top teams
in UK Basketball go head to head for
this coveted prize, Sun 17 Jan,
Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham
MIDLAND CLOCK AND WATCH FAIR Sun
17 Jan, National Motorcycle
Museum, Solihull
Visual Arts
A TOUCH OF TEXTURE CRAFT EXHIBITION
Exhibition of jewellery made using
alternative materials, including
leather, felt, cotton, wool, silk and
velvet, until Sat 16 Jan, RBSA
Gallery, Birmingham
THIS IS NOT A JOKE Exhibition that
looks at how contemporary artists
use different facets of humour in their
work, until Sat 16 Jan,
TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT Portraits from
the University of Birmingham, including works by Jacob Epstein, Tom
Phillips, Humphrey Ocean and
Jennifer McRae, until Sun 17 Jan,
JACQUES NIMKI: SEEN/UNSEEN A new
permanent installation featuring more
than three hundred barely visible
works referencing plant drawings,
until Sun 17 Jan, Ikon Gallery, B’ham
WAR GAMES An interactive exhibition
that examines the role of war in childhood play and strategic games from
the 1800s to the present day, until
Sun 17 Jan, Herbert Art Gallery &
Museum, Coventry
MATHÉ SHEPHEARD ARBSA A semiabstract approach that explores a
skies, mountains, water, contours
and textures, until Sat 23 Jan, RBSA
Gallery, Birmingham
THE CLIVE BEARDSMORE GIFT The 2015
interventions into the Garman Ryan
Collection is a selection from a substantial gift of artworks donated to
the gallery until Sun 24 Jan, The New
Art Gallery, Walsall
EPSTEIN'S ROCK DRILL I TRANSFORMED
BY WAR Rock Drill was destroyed by
Epstein at the end of 1915 and
reformed into the truncated Torso In
Metal from Rock Drill, until Sun 24
Jan, The New Art Gallery, Walsall
Photographic exhibition of the landscape surrounding Smethwick
Galton Bridge railway station, until
Sun 24 Jan, mac, Birmingham
FLINCK IN FOCUS Marking the four
hundredth anniversary of Govert
Flinck’s birth, until Sun 24 Jan, The
Barber Institute, Birmingham
HOPES + DREAMS: STATEMENTS OF
INTENT EXPLORED An exhibition featuring lettered work, in all types of
media, by members of Letter
Exchange, Mon 11 Jan - Fri 12 Feb,
Parkside Gallery, Birmingham
GERARD BYRNE: 1/125 A SECOND
Gerard works with photography,
video and live art to explore the way
we understand the present, through
revisiting the past, Sat 16 Jan - Sat
12 Mar, Warwick Arts Centre,
Coventry
ING
OOK
B
NOW
David O’Doherty
Friday 12th February, 8:00pm
Gary Delaney
Saturday 12th March, 8:00pm
The Rat Pack & Judy
Thursday 25th February, 7:30pm
The Dreamers
Thursday 24th March, 7:30pm
thelist
Gigs
Classical Music
CARDUCCI QUARTET Programme
includes works by Haydn,
Shostakovich, Beethoven, Sun 24
Jan, Huntingdon Hall, Worcester
SOUNDBOARD Mon 18
Jan, Crescent Theatre,
Birmingham
CARMEN Olivier Award-winning
OperaUpClose present a new English
version of Bizet's wildly popular
opera, Tues 19 Jan, Belgrade
Theatre, Coventry
BIRMINGHAM PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA CONCERT Programme includes
works by Sullivan, Gounod,
Ponchielli, Suppe & Coates, Sun 24
Jan, Bramall Music Building,
Birmingham University
THE CORRS Tues 19
Jan, Genting Arena,
Birmingham
JEREMIH Tues 19 Jan,
O2 Institute,
Birmingham
KEITH JAMES Tues 19
Jan, Kitchen Garden
Cafe, Birmingham
DELANO MILLS AND
STRICTLY NOT JAZZ Tues
19 Jan, The Jam
House, Birmingham
The Corrs play Genting Arena on 19 Jan
WOOD Thurs 21 Jan,
Kitchen Garden Cafe,
Birmingham
FOR THE PEOPLE Sat 23
Jan, The Slade Rooms,
Wolverhampton
AYNSLEY LISTER BAND
Thurs 21 Jan, The
Robin, Bilston
THE SEX PISTOLS
EXPERIENCE Sat 23 Jan,
The Roadhouse,
Birmingham
VIEUX FARKA TOURE
Tues 19 Jan, Warwick
Arts Centre, Coventry
AIDEN Thurs 21 Jan,
The Rainbow Venues,
Birmingham
MICHAEL SCHENKER'S
TEMPLE OF ROCK Wed
20 Jan, The Robin,
Bilston
THE COUNTERFEIT
STONES Fri 22 Jan,
Artrix, Bromsgrove
THE PITMEN POETS Wed
20 Jan, Stafford
Gatehouse Theatre
MALCOLM STENT IN THE
AFTERNOON Wed 20
Jan, Solihull Arts
Complex
JOHN ETHERIDGE'S
SWEET CHORUS Wed 20
BACK TO BACHARACH
Wed 20 Jan, Belgrade
Theatre, Coventry
DAUGHTER Wed 20 Jan,
O2 Institute,
Birmingham
BEACH SLANG Wed 20
Jan, The Rainbow
Venues, Birmingham
BIG WOLF BAND Wed 20
Jan, The Jam House,
Birmingham
FLOSSIE MALAVIALLE
Wed 20 Jan, The Red
Lion Folk Club,
Birmingham
FRONTEERS Wed 20
Jan, The Sunflower
Lounge, Birmingham
FOREVER JACKSON
Thurs 21 Jan, Belgrade
Theatre, Coventry
ONE NIGHT OF ROCK Fri
22 Jan, New Alexandra
Theatre, Birmingham
FODEN'S BAND Sat 23
Jan, Bedworth Civic
Hall, Warwickshire
SOLID SOUL Sat 23 Jan,
The Jam House,
Birmingham
CONCERT CLUB: DANNY DRIVER
Handel, Chopin, Adès & Beethoven,
Thurs 21 Jan, Malvern Theatres,
Worcester
JONATHAN ANTOINE Re-arranged date
for the classically trained tenor, Thurs
21 Jan, Bramall Music Building,
Comedy Gigs
TOADALLY FREE COMEDY! Mon 18 Jan,
The Blue Orange Theatre,
Birmingham
DAVE GORMAN Fri 22 Jan, The
Courtyard, Hereford
GARY DELANEY Fri 22 Jan, Royal Spa
Centre, Leamington Spa
LEE HURST Fri 22 Jan, Solihull Arts
Complex
TONY JAMESON Fri 22 Jan, The
Courtyard, Hereford
JOEL DOMMETT, GARY TRO, BEC HILL &
CHRIS PURCHASE Fri 22 Jan, Lichfield
CANCER BATS Fri 22
Jan, O2 Academy,
Birmingham
VAMPIRES ROCK Fri 22
Jan, Belgrade Theatre,
Coventry
UNCLE LUCIUS Sat 23
Jan, The Oobleck,
Birmingham
QUINCY, ANDREW RYAN, SOFIE HAGAN &
CAREY MARX Fri 22 - Sat 23 Jan,
Jongleurs Comedy Club, Birmingham
IN THIS MOMENT Fri 22
Jan, O2 Institute, B’ham
THE NOTEBENDERS Sat
23 Jan, Symphony
Hall, Birmingham
COMEDY IN THE MET Sat 23 Jan,
Stafford Gatehouse Theatre
PAUL CARRACK Fri 22
Jan, Malvern Theatres,
Worcester
FRED ZEPPELIN Fri 22
Jan, The Marr's Bar,
Worcester
THE BON JOVI
EXPERIENCE Fri 22 Jan,
Palace Theatre,
Redditch
OCEAN COLOUR SCENE
Fri 22 Jan, Irish Centre,
Birmingham
SOLID SOUL Fri 22 Jan,
The Jam House, B’ham
CREEDANCE
CLEARWATER REVIEW &
THE RAINBREAKERS Fri
22 Jan, The
Roadhouse, B’ham
THE SUPERSKAS Fri 22
KEN DODD Sun 24 Jan, Royal Spa
ERADIKATOR Sat 23 Jan,
O2 Academy, B’ham
LEE HURST Sun 24 Jan, Artrix,
Bromsgrove
G2 - DEFINITIVE GENESIS
Sat 23 Jan, The Robin,
Bilston
QUADROPHENIA NIGHT DJ DREW STANSALL (THE
SPECIALS), THE
ATLANTICS & THE COPPERS Sat 23 Jan, O2
Academy, Birmingham
BEFORE THE DAWN Sat
23 Jan, Lichfield
MISTER WOLF Sat 23
Jan, The Swan Inn,
Evesham
THE ELVIS YEARS Thurs
21 Jan, The Roses
Theatre, Tewkesbury
THE HUMDRUM EXPRESS
Fri 22 Jan, Wagon &
Horses, Birmingham
FALLEN & KNIGHTWISH
Sun 24 Jan, The
Roadhouse, B’ham
BACK TO BACHARACH
Thurs 21 Jan, New
Alexandra Theatre,
Birmingham
THIS ELEGANT CHAOS,
MALLEN & NAKED SUNDAY Fri 22 Jan, Route
44, Birmingham
PATTY GRIFFIN Sun 24
Jan, The Glee Club,
Birmingham
VICTORIES AT SEA Thurs
21 Jan, Hare &
Hounds, Birmingham
THE COUNTERFEIT
STONES Sat 23 Jan,
Artrix, Bromsgrove
MOOD INDIGO Thurs 21
Jan, The Jam House,
Birmingham
ABBA MANIA Sat 23 Jan,
New Alexandra
Theatre, Birmingham
CAM PENNER & JON
NAHKO AND MEDICINE
DYSMORTAL LIFE Sun 24
Jan, Kitchen Garden
Cafe, Birmingham
LIFESIGNS Sun 24 Jan,
The Robin, Bilston
BOUNDLESS BROTHERS
Sun 24 Jan, Cap ‘n’
Gown, Worcester
DANA ALEXANDER, GAVIN WEBSTER, IAN
SMITH & COMIC TBC Fri 22 - Sat 23
Jan, The Glee Club, Birmingham
NO SUCH THING AS A FISH Sat 23 Jan,
mac, Birmingham
SEYES Sat 23 Jan,
Prince Of Wales
Centre, Cannock
EUBEN JAMES JAZZ TRIO
Fri 22 Jan, mac, B’ham
CBSO SERENADE TO MUSIC Featuring
Michael Seal & Simon Halsey (conductors), the CBSO Youth Chorus,
CBSO Children’s Chorus & sixteen
soloists from UK conservatoires,
Grainger, Vaughan Williams & Judith
Weir, Thurs 21 Jan, Symphony Hall,
Birmingham
THE STORY OF THE
BEATLES STARRING
BEATLEMANIA Sat 23
Jan, Huntingdon Hall,
Worcester
THE PAUL ROSE DICTATORSHIP Sat 23 Jan,
The Lamb and Flag,
Worcester
RICHARD DIGANCE Thurs
21 Jan, Artrix,
Bromsgrove
MITSUKO UCHIDA PIANO CONCERT
Programme includes works by Berg,
Schubert, Mozart & Schumann, Tues
19 Jan, Warwick Arts Centre,
Coventry
THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO Opera
Warwick transpose Mozart’s controversial story of social revolution to
modern-day Westminster, Thurs 21 Sat 23 Jan, Warwick Arts Centre,
Coventry
MUSICAL PORTRAITS: LECTURE RECITALS
WITH KEN HAMILTON Programme
includes works by Chopin, Liszt,
Ireland & Debussy, Fri 22 Jan, The
Barber Institute, Birmingham
COMPLETELY BRAHMS CONSERVATOIRE
CONCERT Featuring Jung Yoon Cho
(violin), Nafis Umerkulova (piano),
Naoko Senda (violin), Ruri Kuroda
(cello) & Yenting Wang (piano), Fri 22
Jan, Recital Hall, Birmingham
Conservatoire
Dance
THE CHOIR FACTOR Uplifting evening of
song featuring choirs from
Gloucester, Cheltenham &
Tewkesbury, Sat 23 Jan, Roses
Theatre, Tewkesbury
THE SNOW QUEEN Ballet Theatre UK
present Hans Christian Andersen’s
classic tale, Thurs 21 Jan, Prince Of
Wales Centre, Cannock
SINGALONG WITH THE CBSO: HAYDN'S
THE CREATION Featuring Simon Halsey
(conductor) & the CBSO Chorus, Sun
THE SNOW QUEEN Ballet Theatre UK
present Hans Christian Andersen’s
classic tale, Fri 22 Jan, Crescent
Theatre, Birmingham
Theatre
AN EVENING WITH CHRIS HADFIELD The
twenty-first century’s most famous
astronaut reflects on his career, Tues
SWINGING AT THE COTTON CLUB Actionpacked show celebrating the music,
dance and songs of the Cotton Club,
New York City's famous 1920s & ’30s
nightclub, Sat 23 Jan, Belgrade
Theatre, Coventry
THE SOUND OF MUSIC New production
of the timeless family musical, Tues
19 - Sat 23 Jan, Regent Theatre,
Stoke-on-Trent
AUSTENTATIOUS A new musical which
follows a theatre group’s journey as
they unwittingly butcher Jane
Austen’s classic novel, Pride And
Prejudice, Wed 20 - Thurs 21 Jan,
Lichfield Garrick
DICK WHITTINGTON AND HIS CAT Jars of
Clay Theatre Co present a ‘rip-roaring tale of action, romance & adventure’, Wed 20 - Sat 23 Jan, Blue
Orange Theatre, Birmingham
DAISY PULLS IT OFF Award-winning St
Trinian’s-style comedy presented by
the Lichfield Players, Wed 20 - Sat 23
THE SNOWMAN Stage show based on
Raymond Briggs' popular children's
book, Wed 20 - Sun 24 Jan, The REP,
Birmingham
Visual Arts
AN EXPERIENCE WITH... ARNOLD
SCHWARZENEGGER A black-tie dinner
event which sees Arnie interviewed
on stage by a yet-to-be announced
celebrity host, Thurs 21 Jan,
International Convention Centre
(ICC), Birmingham
ECO-CRAFT EXHIBITION An exhibition
showcasing designer makers with an
ethical approach to craft-making,
Mon 18 Jan - Sat 7 May, RBSA
Gallery, Birmingham
NATURE TOTS - MAMMALS Aiming to
encourage an early interest in
wildlife, Thurs 21 Jan, Brandon
MALCOLM STENT IN THE AFTERNOON
Wed 20 Jan, Solihull Arts Complex
EIGHT+8 One-off event showcasing
newly devised work from emerging
companies in Birmingham, Wed 20
Events
SIMON WESTON: MY STORY, MY LIFE
Inspirational show about one man’s
journey from the front line of war, Sat
23 Jan, Royal Spa Centre,
Leamington Spa
FREEZIN’ Black Country panto from
Fizzog Productions, Sat 23 Jan,
Crescent Theatre, Birmingham
TICK, TICK... BOOM! Autobiographical
musical by Jonathan Larson telling
the story of a composer and the sacrifices he makes to achieve his big
break in theatre, Sat 23 - Fri 30 Jan,
Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham
RENT PERFORMED IN CONCERT
Acclaimed musical which follows a
year in the life of a group of impoverished, artistic friends living in
Manhattan’s East Village, Sun 24 Mon 25 Jan, Old Joint Stock Theatre,
Birmingham
GHOST TOURS OF ASTON HALL, Sat 23
Jan, Aston Hall, Birmingham
BLEAK MIDWINTER LIVING HISTORY
WEEKEND Avoncroft’s volunteers welcome visitors into the historic houses
to see how our ancestors survived
winter, Sat 23 - Sun 24 Jan,
Avoncroft Museum, Bromsgrove
THE MONSTER ENERGY ARENACROSS
TOUR Two nights of indoor motocross
racing and freestyle MX action, Sat
23 - Sun 24 Jan, Genting Arena,
Birmingham
MATHÉ SHEPHEARD ARBSA Exploring a
skies, mountains, water and textures,
until Sat 23 Jan, RBSA Gallery,
Birmingham
THE CLIVE BEARDSMORE GIFT The 2015
interventions into the Garman Ryan
Collection is a selection from a substantial gift of artworks donated to
the gallery until Sun 24 Jan, The New
Art Gallery, Walsall
EPSTEIN'S ROCK DRILL I TRANSFORMED
BY WAR Rock Drill was destroyed by
Epstein at the end of 1915 and
reformed into the truncated Torso In
Metal from Rock Drill, until Sun 24
Jan, The New Art Gallery, Walsall
Photographic exhibition, until Sun 24
FLINCK IN FOCUS Marking the 400th
anniversary of Govert Flinck’s birth,
until Sun 24 Jan, The Barber
Institute, Birmingham
Film
GÜEROS (15) A troublesome teenager
is sent to live with his brother in
Mexico City. Together, they set out on
a road trip to find legendary rock
musician Epigmenio Cruz.
(Subtitled). Stars Tenoch Huerta.
Mon 18 - Thurs 21 Jan, mac,
Birmingham
CRAZY GLUE Single Shoe Productions
present a tragicomedy about loss,
inspired by Etgar Keret's short story,
Thurs 21 Jan, mac, Birmingham
FOREVER JACKSON Ultimate tribute to
the King of Pop, Thurs 21 Jan,
LADY LUST Using pornography and
her own sex life as a starting point,
Sarah Hamilton Baker investigates
what it means to be a woman in the
twenty-first century, Thurs 21 - Sat 23
Jan, The REP, Birmingham
MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL
(12a) Comedic Middle Ages send-up
sees the story of King Arthur framed
by a modern-day murder investigation. Stars Graham Chapman & John
Cleese. Thurs 21 Jan, Royal Spa
STEAMBOAT BILL, JR. (U) Buster
Keaton delivers his most famous
stunt in this 1928 silent-movie
favourite about the accident-prone
captain of a paddle steamer. Sun 24
Jan, Electric Cinema, Birmingham
LITTLE BO PEEP Razzle dazzle dance
routines, magic and conjuring tricks
for young audiences, Thurs 21- Sun
24 Jan, Swan Theatre, Worcester
selected cinemas.
VAMPIRES ROCK Steve Steinman
returns as Barron Von Rockula in the
all-new Ghost Train, Fri 22 Jan,
THE BIG SHORT (15)
THE MIDNIGHT SOUP A story about losing someone you love to themselves,
Sat 23 Jan, mac, Birmingham
THE 5TH WAVE (12a)
OUR BRAND IS CRISIS (15)
RIDE ALONG 2 (12a)
THE LAST DIAMOND (tbc)
LOST IN KARASTAN (15)
The List 25-31 Jan - REGION 1 FINAL VERSION (BACKUP).qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2015 20:49 Page 1
thelist
Gigs
Birmingham
DILLY DALLY Mon 25
Jan, Hare & Hounds,
Birmingham
HEADS SOUTH Thurs 28
Jan, Worcester Arts
Workshop
AWAKE BY DESIGN,
WOUNDED CROSS,
ENGRAVED DISILLUSION,
CELESTIAL WISH &
WITHOUT GRACE Sat 30
Jan, O2 Academy,
Birmingham
THE TEMPERANCE
MOVEMENT Mon 25 Jan,
O2 Institute, B’ham
INTERIOR CASTLE Thurs
28 Jan, Katie
Fitzgerald’s,
Stourbridge
OASIS UK WITH PHIL
SMITH OASIS TOUR DJ
Sat 30 Jan, The
Empire, Coventry
FAIRPORT CONVENTION
Fri 29 Jan, Warwick
Arts Centre, Coventry
PAUL JONES & DAVE
KELLY ACOUSTIC DUO
Sat 30 Jan, Number 8
Community Arts
Centre, Pershore
MUTEMATH Tues 26 Jan,
O2 Academy, B’ham
FORTY FOUR HOURS,
GLASS GIANTS, FUTURE
TALK & IMBIUM Tues 26
Jan, The Flapper,
Birmingham
PENTANGLE Thurs 28
IAN HUNTER Fri 29 Jan,
The Copper Rooms,
Coventry
THE LIBERTINES Wed 27
Jan, Barclaycard
Arena, Birmingham
EVIL SCARECROW Fri 29
Wolverhampton
VOODOO GLOW SKULLS
Wed 27 Jan, The Slade
Rooms,
Wolverhampton
MAYDAY PARADE Fri 29
Jan, O2 Institute,
Birmingham
AARON WATSON Wed 27
Jan, The Glee Club,
Birmingham
THE BIG WOLF BAND &
THE BLUEPRINTS Fri 29
Jan, Route 44,
Birmingham
JEREMY LOOPS Wed 27
Jan, O2 Institute,
Birmingham
MINUS THE BEAR Fri 29
Jan, O2 Academy,
Birmingham
KENNY THOMAS Wed 27
Jan, The Jam House,
Birmingham
MIKE SKINNER DJ SET Fri
29 Jan, Hare &
Hounds, Birmingham
DETROIT SOUL Fri 29
Jan, The Jam House,
Birmingham
THE LENNON AND
MCCARTNEY EXPERIENCE
Fri 29 Jan, Nailcote
Hall, Berkswell
MATTHEW E. WHITE Wed
27 Jan, Warwick Arts
Centre, Coventry
THE SMYTHS Fri 29 Jan,
The River Rooms,
Stourbridge
EASTWOOD Sat 30 Jan,
Katie Fitzgerald’s,
Stourbridge
DURAN (DURAN DURAN)
Sat 30 Jan, The
Roadhouse, B’ham
THE CLASSIC ROCK
SHOW - TOP 20
GREATEST GUITAR RIFFS
OF ALL TIME - LIVE! Sat
30 Jan, Birmingham
Town Hall
BOOTLEG ABBA & BEE
GEES FEVER Sat 30 Jan,
The Robin, Bilston
THE WEEKEND ANTHEMS
Sat 30 Jan, The River
Rooms, Stourbridge
GUTS FOR GLORY,
SOUTHFALL, EVIL EMPIRE
& ARAMANTUS Sat 30
Wolverhampton
BLOBBIE WILLIAMS Sat
30 Jan, Huntingdon
Hall, Worcester
GET STONED - THE
ROLLING STONES TRIBUTE Sat 30 Jan, Route
44, Birmingham
GRIEVED Wed 27 Jan,
The Rainbow Venues,
Birmingham
WHITESNAKE UK, PURE
PURPLE & THE
BLACKMORE LEGACY Fri
29 Jan, The Robin,
Bilston
EDWINA HAYES Wed 27
Club, Birmingham
THE REMI HARRIS PROJECT Fri 29 Jan, Lichfield
Garrick, Staffs
CHICAGO BYTES BLUES
BAND Sat 30 Jan, The
Black Star, Stourport
On Severn,
Worcestershire
BILLY WALTON BAND
Wed 27 Jan, The
Robin, Bilston
STARK Fri 29 Jan, Katie
Fitzgerald’s,
Stourbridge
MISTER WOLF Sat 30
Jan, The Bell,
Worcester
SHE’KOYOKH Wed 27
Jan, St Mary’s Church,
Warwick
LET’S TWIST AGAIN Fri
29 Jan, Solihull Arts
Complex
THE SYD LAWRENCE
ORCHESTRA Wed 27
Jan, Solihull Arts
Complex
DETROIT SOUL Sat 30
Jan, The Jam House,
Birmingham
WHITNEY HOUSTON LIVE
EXPERIENCE FEATURING
NYA Sun 31 Jan, Artrix,
Bromsgrove
BARRON KNIGHTS Thurs
Complex
FAIRPORT CONVENTION
Thurs 28 Jan, The
Roses Theatre,
Tewkesbury
SHE'KOYOKH Thurs 28
Jan, Royal Spa Centre,
Leamington Spa
DEL CAMINO Thurs 28
Jan, The Jam House,
Birmingham
TOM HINGLEY Thurs 28
Jan, The Roadhouse,
THE SENSATIONAL 60'S
EXPERIENCE Sat 30 Jan,
Grand Theatre,
Wolverhampton
JASON DERULO Sat 30
Jan, Barclaycard
Arena, Birmingham
T.REXTASY Sat 30 Jan,
Artrix, Bromsgrove
MASSIVE ATTACK Sat 30
Jan, O2 Academy,
Birmingham
VIVA NEIL DIAMOND Sat
Complex
THE MIGHTY WRAITH,
DISARM GOLIATH,
SWAMP DONKEY, MOLOTOV SOULS, KONCEPT
AND MORE Sun 31 Jan,
The Roadhouse, B’ham
ENNY RITTER Sun 31
Jan, Kitchen Garden
Cafe, Birmingham
JACK BLACKMAN Sun 31
Jan, Cap ‘n’ Gown,
Worcester
THE ZODIAC CLUB Sun
31 Jan, Steps Bar,
Evesham,
Worcestershire
Classical Music Dance
LUNCHTIME ORGAN CONCERT WITH
THOMAS TROTTER Programme comprises music from Bizet’s Carmen,
Mon 25 Jan, Symphony Hall,
Birmingham
BRENDAN COLE - A NIGHT TO
REMEMBER The Strictly star presents
an evening of ballroom magic and
Latin excitement, Fri 29 Jan 2016,
Wolverhampton Grand Theatre
LONDON BAROQUE - VENEZIA, ROMA,
LONDRA Featuring Hannah Medlam
(soprano), Ingrid Seifert & Lukas
Medlam (violins), Charles Medlam
(cello) & Steven Devine (harpsichord). Programme includes works
by Cima, Cavalli, Monteverdi, Grandi,
Uccellini, Vitali, Cazzati, Handel &
Geminia, Tues 26 Jan, St Mary's
Church, Warwick
CHOTTO DESH Akram Khan Company
present an adaptation of their own
2011 work, DESH. For children aged
seven-plus and their families, Fri 29 Sat 30 Jan, DanceXchange,
Birmingham Hippodrome
ANTON AND ERIN Sat 30 Jan,
LONDON HAYDN QUARTET The programme comprises Hummel’s
Quartet No 2 in G Op 30,
Beethoven’s Quartet in C minor Op
18 No 4, Haydn’s Quartet in D minor
Op 42 & Haydn’s Quartet in D Op 64
No 5 The Lark, Tues 26 Jan, Royal
Pump Rooms, Leamington Spa
LONDON BAROQUE - VENEZIA, ROMA,
LONDRA Tues 26 Jan, Royal Spa
NICOLA BENEDETTI: SZYMANOWSKI
Lahav Shani conducts, Wed 27 Jan,
CHINA INSTITUTE CHINESE NEW YEAR
CONCERT Special concert featuring Di
Xiao (piano), Jiaxin Lloyd Webber
(cello) & Jiafeng Chen (violin), Thurs
28 Jan, Bramall Music Building,
CBSO SMOOTH CLASSICS Featuring
Michael Seal (conductor), Oliver
James (clarinet) & Zoe Beyers (violin). Margherita Taylor presents.
Barber, Vaughan Williams, Pachelbel,
Mozart, Albinoni, Elgar, Tchaikovsky
& Dvorak, Fri 29 Jan, Symphony
Hall, Birmingham
LONDON HAYDN QUARTET Programme
includes works by Hummel,
Beethoven & Haydn, Fri 29 Jan,
Royal Pump Rooms, Leamington
Spa
MUSICAL PORTRAITS: LECTURE
RECITALS WITH KEN HAMILTON
Programme includes works by Liszt,
Ravel & Merrick/Stephenson, Fri 29
Jan, The Barber Institute, B’ham
ARMONICO CONSORT Comprising a
programme of music inspired by the
majestic coronation ceremonies of
16th century Venice, Sat 30 Jan,
Collegiate Church of St Mary,
Warwick
NIGEL KENNEDY Presents an acoustic
version of the Verdi’s Four Seasons,
Sun 31 Jan, Symphony Hall, B’ham
Comedy Gigs
ISY SUTTIE Wed 27 Jan, Royal Spa
JAMES ACASTER, ROB ROUSE & COMEDY
CAROUSEL WITH ANDY ROBINSON Thurs
28 Jan, The Glee Club, Birmingham
THE NOISE NEXT DOOR Fri 29 Jan,
Artrix, Bromsgrove
RAW COMEDY Fri 29 Jan, Evesham
Arts Centre, Worcestershire
CARL HUTCHINSON Fri 29 Jan, Stafford
Gatehouse Theatre
SIMON BLIGH, JO ROMERO, HARRY
STACHINI, MATT HOBS & JONNY EMMETT
Fri 29 Jan, National Brewery Centre,
Burton-upon-Trent
ROB ROUSE, JAMES ACASTER, KARL
SPAIN PLUS COMIC TBC Fri 29 - Sat 30
Jan, The Glee Club, B’ham
COLIN CLOUD Fri 29 Jan, Royal Spa
GEOFF BOYZ, ANGIE MCEVOY, STEVE
GRIBBIN Fri 29 Jan, Jongleurs
Comedy Club, B’ham
DAVID O'DOHERTY Sat 30 Jan, Stafford
Gatehouse Theatre
SHOWSTOPPER! THE IMPROVISED
MUSICAL Sat 30 Jan, mac, B’ham
RINKOO BARPAGA Sat 30 Jan, mac,
Birmingham
GEOFF BOYZ, ANGIE MCEVOY & JON
PEARSON Sat 30 Jan, Jongleurs
Comedy Club, B’ham
STEWART LEE Sun 31 Jan,
Wolverhampton Grand Theatre
thelist
Theatre
LITTLE BO PEEP Razzle dazzle dance
routines, magic and conjuring tricks
for young audiences, Tues 26 - Sun
31 Jan, Swan Theatre, Worcester
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW Starring
Diana Vickers as Janet and Ben
Freeman as Brad, Mon 25 - Sat 30
Jan, New Alexandra Theatre, B’ham
NEW WORK NIGHTS: LIGHT Nightmarish
tale of love, betrayal and technological power, inspired by Edward
Snowden’s revelations and the ensuing debate on state surveillance,
Thurs 28 Jan, Old Rep Theatre,
Birmingham
MOSCOW STATE CIRCUS The worldfamous circus presents the Russian
folklore story of Cvetik-Semicvetik,
Thurs 28 Jan, Symphony Hall,
Birmingham
SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARVES
Starlight School of Dance presents
its 30th anniversary production,
Thurs 28 - Sat 30 Jan, Palace
Theatre, Redditch
SLEEPING BEAUTY Presented by
Nuneaton Pantomime Revue Society,
Thurs 28 - Sat 30 Jan, Bedworth
Civic Hall
ENTERTAINING ANGELS Richard
Everett’s sharp-edged bittersweet
comedy, which moves between adultery, divorce and deception, Mon 25 Sat 30 Jan, The Rose Theatre,
Kidderminster
REHEARSAL FOR MURDER Starring
Robert Daws, Amy Robbins, Susan
Penhaligon, Robert Duncan, Ben
Nealon, Steven Pinder & Lucy Dixon
star, Mon 25 - Sat 30 Jan, Malvern
Theatres
PRIVATE LIVES Tom Chambers and
Charlotte Ritchie star in this major
revival of Noël Coward's hilarious
masterpiece, Mon 25 - Sat 30 Jan,
Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent
A BEAUTIFUL ENDING Haunting but
funny account of how Mohamed El
Khatib came to terms with the loss of
his mother, Tues 26 - Wed 27 Jan,
The REP, Birmingham
ROBINSON CRUSOE AND THE PIRATES
Thurs 28 - Sun 31 Jan, Prince of
Wales Theatre, Cannock
LET’S TWIST AGAIN Popular musical
set in an American diner and featuring the music of Elvis, Dusty, Buddy,
Petula and more, Fri 29 Jan, Solihull
Arts Complex
FREE FOR ALL Choice, control and the
death of post-war utopia are
explored in Richard O’Brien’s darkly
comic verse-play, Fri 29 Jan, mac,
Birmingham
LOCUS AMOENUS Acclaimed Catalan
theatre company ATRESBANDES
take audiences on a journey in
search of paradise, Sat 30 Jan,
Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry
SING-A-LONG-A DIRTY DANCING
Singalong screening of the classic
film, Sat 30 Jan, Royal Spa Centre,
Leamington Spa
THE SINGULAR EXPLOITS OF SHERLOCK
HOLMES Don’t Go Into The Cellar
presents a one-man homage to the
world’s greatest detective, Sat 30
THE SISTERHOOD Acclaimed playwright and translator Ranjit Bolt’s
adaptation of Molière’s classic satire,
Les Femmes Savantes, Sat 30 Jan Sat 20 Feb, Belgrade Theatre,
Coventry
Film
Visual Arts
ECO-CRAFT EXHIBITION An exhibition
showcasing designer makers with an
ethical approach to craft-making,
Mon 18 Jan - Sat 7 May, RBSA
Gallery, Birmingham
STAR MEN (PG) Documentary following four exceptional astronomers as
they celebrate fifty years of work and
friendship on a road trip in the southwestern United States. Directed by
Alison E Rose. Mon 25 - Thurs 28
SUNRISE (U) Witness FW Murnau's
silent masterpiece, a film which
earned its star, Janet Gaynor, the first
ever Best Actress Oscar. Sat 30 Jan,
Electric Cinema, Birmingham
selected cinemas.
13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF
BENGHAZI (tbc)
THE 33 (12a)
DIAL M FOR MURDER Frederick Knott’s
classic thriller, starring Oliver Mellor,
Terri Dwyer & Marcus Hutton, Tues
26 - Sat 30 Jan, Belgrade Theatre,
Coventry
JANET MENDELSOHN - VARNA ROAD
This exhibition, in collaboration with
the University of Birmingham, features original prints from
Mendelsohn’s archive of over 3,000
photographs taken predominately in
the Balsall Heath area of
Birmingham, Wed 27 Jan - Sun 3
Apr, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham
DIRTY GRANDPA (12a)
SPOTLIGHT (15)
YOUTH (15)
BACKTRACK (15)
Events
conditions on some of the Pod's thirty acres of open tarmac, Wed 27
Jan, Santa Pod Raceway, Northants
NATURE TOTS - TEDDYBEAR PICNIC
Aiming to encourage an early interest
in wildlife, Thurs 28 Jan, Brandon
VITALITY NETBALL SUPERLEAGUE
Netball heroes get ready to start the
season with a bang, Sat 30 Jan,
Genting Arena, Birmingham
CANDLEMAS Music food and candlelight in the medieval Great Hall, Sat
30 Jan, Hartlebury Castle,
Kidderminster
conditions on some of the Pod's thirty acres of open tarmac, Sun 31 Jan,
Santa Pod Raceway, Northants
RUN WHAT YA BRUNG Take your car or
motorcycle out on the famous quarter-mile dragstrip and test its performance limits in a safe and legal
environment, Sun 31 Jan, Santa Pod
Raceway, Northants
CHINESE NEW YEAR Featuring an array
of Chinese acrobatics and kung fu,
Sun 31 Jan, Wolverhampton Grand
Theatre
DAVID TEDHAM ARBSA Series of
abstract paintings by artist David
Tedham, Mon 25 Jan - Sat 12 Mar,
RBSA Gallery, Birmingham
CAPTURE THE FLAG (PG)
EXCALIBUR COMPUTER FAIR Computer
goods at trade prices, Sat 30 Jan,
National Motorcycle Museum,
Solihull
MACBETH Following their acclaimed
collaboration on Medea at the
National Theatre, Carrie Cracknell
and Lucy Guerin present
Shakespeare’s supernatural tragedy,
Tues 26 - Sat 30 Jan, The REP,
Birmingham
ASSEMBLED DREAMS: A HISTORY OF
BUILDING TOYS Sat 23 Jan - Sat 5
Mar, Wolverhampton Art Gallery
TNA WRESTLING The Maximum Impact
Tour 8, Sun 31 Jan, Barclaycard
Arena, Birmingham
DINH Q LÊ Video installation, organised in collaboration with Artangel,
Wed 27 Jan - Sun 3 Apr, Ikon Gallery,
Birmingham
KELLY MARK: 108 LYTON AVE Opposite
but asymmetrical roles performed by
the artist for a split-screen projection,
Wed 27 Jan - Sun 3 Apr, Ikon Gallery,
Birmingham
JAN VANRIET: THE MUSIC BOY A hugely
influential painter and poet from
Belgium, Jan has exhibited widely
across the world, yet this is his first
exhibition in the UK, Fri 29 Jan - Sun
8 May, The New Art Gallery, Walsall
JINDřICH ŠTREIT Photography exhibition documenting rural Czech life, Fri
29 Jan - Wed 30 Mar, Centrala
Gallery & Cafe, Birmingham
RICHARD WOODS: DUCK WEAVE A
development of a thousand year old
building technology recently rediscovered by the Internationally
renowned artist. Woods is widely
known for his large-scale transformative graphic artworks on architecture
and his inventive and playful sculpture, painting, and woodblock printed furniture, Sat 30 Jan - Sat 9 Apr,
Eastside Projects, Birmingham
THROUGH THE SHOP WINDOW Discover
what shopping was like in Royal
Leamington Spa from the 1880s to
the 1980s, Sat 30 Jan - Sun 17 Apr,
Leamington Spa Art Gallery &
Museum
A WORLD TO WIN: POSTERS OF
PROTEST AND REVOLUTION From the
V&A’s collection, showcasing the
work of diverse artists, graphic
designers and print collectives, Sat
30 Jan - Sun 10 April,
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Theatre - What`s On Live

Transcription

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