Friday, November 22

West Midlands

9 to 5 The Musical – The Alexandra, Birmingham
15Jun By Robert BartleyNo Comments
West Midlands

9 to 5 The Musical – The Alexandra, Birmingham

Dolly Parton’s instantly recognisable hit “9 To 5” became the signature anthem behind the film of the same name, which kicked off the 1980s with a huge dose of female empowerment.  The film’s legendary cast (Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Parton herself) made the film an instant classic still beloved today, and as is often the way these days, went on to inspire a stage musical.  Though it was short-lived on Broadway, running just a few months in 2009, it has found a larger audience here in the UK, with a year-long West End run (curtailed by Covid) and two successful national tours.  The uplifting and empowering musical is the latest choice for the long-running BMOS group based in Birmingham.  Incredibly this is their 166th production in a history spanning nearly 140 years...
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Sadlers Wells Breakin’ Convention 2023 – Birmingham Hippodrome
15Jun By Peter KinnockNo Comments
West Midlands

Sadlers Wells Breakin’ Convention 2023 – Birmingham Hippodrome

A smorgasbord of hip-hoppery whooped and hooted and hollered and exploded on the stage of the Birmingham Hippodrome last night as “Breakin’ Convention 2023” delivered a gobsmacking, head spinning array of some of the finest hip-hop dancers from “around the corner and around the world” and the audience lapped it up. This was a whole new world to me. Our host, Jonzi D (MC, spoken word artist, dancer and director) entreated us to “give it up” and “big it up” and “make some noise” which we were only too eager to do. The cast included Gloucestershire’s victorious street dance company, CoadyCrew, Company Apidea and Gfunk Collective. Apart from the first the programme tells us nothing of these people or where they are from, but wherever it is they must be very proud. But my guess is they are y...
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Tony: The Tony Blair Rock Opera – Birmingham Rep
8Jun By Peter KinnockNo Comments
West Midlands

Tony: The Tony Blair Rock Opera – Birmingham Rep

It’s not that long ago “Spitting Image” spat their saucy and sinister satire across the stage of the Birmingham Rep and seeing “Tony! The Tony Blair Rock Opera” has a slight whiff of deja vu - all over again. Where once well-crafted and designed puppets grotesquely caricatured well-known faces now we have real humans in a plethora of wigs (I believe that’s the correct collective noun for wigs) and a gamut of ‘tashes (same note) enacting a biog of the most polarising premier we’ve had for many a day. But unlike “Spitting Image”, which spoofed the news right up the opening night and revised the show thereafter, “Tony” seems to dwell on yesterday’s headlines and, despite occasional nudges towards the contemporary impact of his decisions, all seems a few years too late. Nonetheless it’s a v...
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The Ocean at the End of the Lane – The Alexandra, Birmingham
24May By Annette NuttallNo Comments
West Midlands

The Ocean at the End of the Lane – The Alexandra, Birmingham

Based on the novel by Neil Gaiman, this stunning National Theatre production of The Ocean at the End of the Lane arrives in Birmingham this week. Returning to visit a place from his childhood, the unnamed man finds a familiar face. As he talks to Old Mrs Hempstock, he starts to remember long forgotten and buried memories. Along with him, you are transported into his world as a 12-year-old, a world that is as familiar as it is fantastical. There are strong performances throughout from the main characters and the ensemble. The ensemble is a large part of this production, they take the incidental roles, bring creatures to life, create the atmosphere with their movement and interaction with the lead characters and even move the pieces of set. Keith Ogikvy portrayed the confusion and d...
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Peaky Blinders – Birmingham Hippodrome
24May By Peter KinnockNo Comments
West Midlands

Peaky Blinders – Birmingham Hippodrome

Ballet Rambert play a Peaky Blinder Full Disclosure: I’ve never seen the TV show “Peaky Blinders” Fuller Disclosure: After this stunning, definitive version I don’t want to. With all the visceral violence of its leading characters, this ballet stomps into town, kicks open the door and makes itself at home before you can even say, “Come in.” It throws us against the wall, blows smoke in our face and threatens to rob us blind - and we love. As any Brummie worth their pork scratchings will tell you, Stephen Knight’s TV show was wrought in the Midlands and forged in the land which once produced half the world’s consumption of iron products. The ballet starts with anvils and chains and literal sparks flying as our anti-heroes emerge battered, bruised and bewildered from the fetid tr...
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Heathers The Musical – The Alexandra, Birmingham
18May By Robert BartleyNo Comments
West Midlands

Heathers The Musical – The Alexandra, Birmingham

‘Heathers’ has become widely known as a “teen” show, but anyone expecting the light frothiness of ‘High School Musical’ or ‘Glee’ will be surprised by the show’s much darker tone and razor-sharp bite, with themes of suicide, depression, attempted rape and drug use, not to mention murder.  A scathing black comedy with a rock-infused edgy-pop score, the show brings the 1989 film to the stage and gives an exaggerated look at just how hellish teenaged life can be.  The show became an off-Broadway hit in 2014 before gaining a huge cult following in the UK in 2018 and is currently seeing great word of mouth on its UK tour, playing the Alexandra Birmingham this week. Veronica Sawyer (played by Jenna Innes) can’t wait for college and struggles to fit in to the social hierarchy of West...
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Unexpected Twist – Wolverhampton Grand
18May By Peter KinnockNo Comments
West Midlands

Unexpected Twist – Wolverhampton Grand

“Oliver Twist” has, over the intervening years since Charles Dickens first published it in 1837, been through many twists, turns, adaptations and revamps not least of which was Lionel Bart’s 1963 version picking the pockets of millions of cinema and theatre goers from that day to this. There have been TV series, animations and doubtless slews of associated merchandise for which poor Charlie never saw a penny. Yet another manifestation emerged from the soupy fog of Victorian London at the Grand Theatre in Wolverhampton last night as Roy Williams’ adaptation of Michael Rosen’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “Oliver Twist” was presented to us in the form of “Unexpected Twist.” This version attempts to draw parallels between an urban modern school locale and the novel. We have our school ch...
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Home, I’m Darling – Alexandra Theatre
26Apr By Peter KinnockNo Comments
West Midlands

Home, I’m Darling – Alexandra Theatre

Laura Wade has held her own as both a playwright and screenwriter with numerous successes to her name. “The Riot Club” was adapted from her play “Posh” offered early career chances to Freddie Fox and Tom Hollander and she soon has an adapted of agilely Cooper novel coming our from Disney. “Home, I’m Darling” opened at the National Theatre in 2019 followed by a season at the Duke of York’s and has proved itself a hit which left me wondering what I was missing. A small but keen audience arrived last night at the Alexandra and clearly enjoyed their evening. Tamara Harvey directs with attention to detail but creates scenes of such speed I was left a little bewildered. The tempo of each scene and pitch of so many of the voices is relentlessly similar and makes for a hard watch. Jessica Ranso...
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Titanic the Musical – Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent
25Apr By Angela KellyNo Comments
West Midlands

Titanic the Musical – Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent

Musical theatre based on a disaster of epic proportions would not initially seem to be a match made in heaven. With such a tragic well-known storyline, ‘Titanic the Musical’ is a brave undertaking. However, having won five Tony Awards, Titanic the Musical is currently celebrating its 10th anniversary of the London Premiere. With music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and directed by Thom Southerland the musical focuses on the individual passengers and their own personal stories on board this renowned Ship that set sail on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in April 1912. Not to be confused with the cinema version, this is certainly a musical of two halves. The first and second act are polar opposites in how the story unravels. The first act demonstrates the frenzy and excitement o...
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Titanic the Musical – Birmingham Hippodrome
19Apr By Peter KinnockNo Comments
West Midlands

Titanic the Musical – Birmingham Hippodrome

Thom Southerland’s impeccably directed production dropped its anchor into harbour at the Birmingham Hippodrome tonight and took us on a fascinating voyage though, let’s admit it, well charted and much sailed waters. This story has been told many times before not least of which in the famous 1997 film from James Cameron. This incarnation tells the well-worn story not through the eyes of two lovers or, indeed, any single character, but from the point of view of multi-protagonists. Therein lies the flaw in its structure. Through Jack and Rose in the movie we empathise with them as they epitomise the struggle, the anguish and the loss of all the victims of the disaster. Here we have innumerable characters we meet only for moments before we are introduced to others, and it proves difficult to i...
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