First Word

News from around the region

Brand-new production of Of Mice And Men in The REP’s new season

Birmingham Repertory Theatre’s spring/summer season will include a brandnew production of the stage adaptation of John Steinbeck’s classic novel, Of Mice And Men. The show is one of numerous highlights in a programme that also features the return of Rush: A Joyous Jamaican Journey, a new adaptation of Christy Lefteri’s bestselling novel, The Beekeeper Of Aleppo, and the Olivier Award-winning Pride And Prejudice* (*sort of). To find out more about The Rep’s 2023 lineup of shows, visit birmingham-rep.co.uk

The best of Disney at 100 at Resorts World Arena

A concert celebrating a centenary of Disney is making a pit-stop in Birmingham next summer as part of a nationwide tour. Disney 100 - The Concert will feature ‘legendary film scenes on giant screens’ and ‘magical musical moments’ brought to life by the Hollywood Sound Orchestra and yet-tobe-announced ‘star soloists’. Tickets for the Resorts World Arena show on Tuesday 6 June can be purchased at theticketfactory.com

Local festival looking for independent filmmakers

An annual film event in Stratford-upon-Avon is looking for short films from local filmmakers across the West Midlands. Run by not-for-profit arts organisation Live & Local, Big Picture Festival will next year (25 28 May) take the theme of ‘one world, many stories’, showcasing ‘the best of humanity, the beauty of our world and the keys to wellbeing’. The event is particularly looking for submissions from diverse and disabled filmmakers... To find out more about the festival, visit liveandlocal.org.uk

Date announced for Help Harry Help Others Birmingham Walkathon

The Help Harry Help Others cancer support charity, which honours the life of Birmingham boy Harry Moseley, has announced a new 2023 date for the return of its popular (and free to enter) Birmingham Walkathon. The sponsored walk, which follows the city’s famous number 11 bus route, will take place on 2 April. Walkers can sign up now for either the whole route, half the route or a specially created loop around Kings Heath Park. Harry, who passed away aged 11 in October 2011, sold homemade bracelets and raised more than £500,000 for his Help Harry Help Others campaign. The charity has since raised and distributed a further £1.4million. For further information, visit brumwalkathon.co.uk

Festive football at the Villa

Although Aston Villa men’s football season is on pause until Boxing Day while the World Cup takes place in Qatar, the club’s women’s team are in competitive action against Arsenal this month (Sunday 11 December) - and Villa are making the occasion a real family day out. As well as enjoying the match, ticket-holders can also meet’n’greet Santa Claus and his elves & reindeer, enjoy a range of activities in the family fun zone, and keep their energy levels up courtesy of a selection of local street food. To find out more, visit avfc.co.uk

World famous basketball giants trot into Brum

The Harlem Globetrotters are coming to the Midlands. The world-famous basketball team - who have been showcasing their talents for 96 years - will stop off at Utilita Arena Birmingham on 29 April as part of a world tour. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit theticketfactory.com

Lesley Garrett to star in tour of My Fair Lady

Britain’s bestknown soprano, Lesley Garrett, will appear in a new touring version of My Fair Lady when it stops off at Birmingham Hippodrome next spring (Wednesday 8 - Sunday 19 March). Lesley joins a cast which also includes Michael D Xavier as Henry Higgins, Charlotte Kennedy as Eliza Doolittle and former EastEnder Adam Woodyatt as Alfred P Doolittle. For more information and to book tickets, visit birminghamhippodrome.com

Queen of Country brings Queen Of Me tour to Brum

Five-time Grammy Awardwinning Shania Twain will visit Birmingham’s Utilita Arena next autumn (26 September) as part of a UK & Ireland tour. The countrymusic legend will make a stop-off at the venue to perform a concert in support of her soon-to-be-released album, Queen Of Me. For more information, visit theticketfactory.com

Gorka & Karen bring Firedance to Symphony Hall

Strictly stars Karen Hauer and Gorka Marquez will make a welcome return to Birmingham next spring with a show that promises ‘sizzling dancers, mesmerising fire specialists, a sensational live band and super-charged choreography’. Titled Firedance, the production is a ‘captivating dance-off’ inspired by Romeo & Juliet, Moulin Rouge, Carmen and West Side Story. The show visits the city’s Symphony Hall on 31 March. For more information and to book tickets, check out the venue’s website: bmusic.co.uk

First Word

Heathers The Musical coming to The Alexandra in 2023

Hit West End musical Heathers will be stopping off at Birmingham theatre The Alexandra in the spring. Described by its publicity as a ‘high octane, black comedy, rock musical’ the show is based on the cult teen movie of the same name starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. The production visits the Alex from 16 to 20 May. For more information and tickets, visit atgtickets.com/birmingham

Alfie Boe to visit the city as part of UK tour

Alfie Boe has announced a nationwide UK tour for autumn 2023, including a date at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall. The much-loved tenor will perform at the venue on Saturday 14 October. For further information and to book tickets, visit ticketmaster.co.uk

New comedy & food festival set to launch in Birmingham next month

A new comedy and food festival is launching in Birmingham next month. Originally established in Bristol, Belly Laughs pop-up comedy gigs partner with independent food & drink venues during the traditionally quiet month of January in order to give the local economy a boost. The Birmingham launch will see contributions from local comedians and familiar faces. Taking place at numerous venues during the course of the month, the shows are raising money for SIFA Fireside, a charity tackling homelessness in the city. To find out more, visit yuup.co/belly-laughs-brum

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EastEnders star joins National Theatre cast

EastEnders star Charlie Brooks will join the cast for the National Theatre production of The Ocean At The End Of The Lane when it visits Birmingham theatre The Alexandra next spring (23 - 27 May). Charlie, who plays the character of Janine Butcher in the BBC soap, will take the role of Ursula in the stage adaptation of Neil Gaman’s award-winning novel. For more information and tickets, visit atgtickets.com/birmingham

Luna Cinema returns to the NEC for Christmas

The UK’s leading provider of open-air cinema is this month making a welcome return to Birmingham’s NEC with ‘three weeks of feelgood festive film’. The Luna Drive-In Cinema runs from 1 to 22 December and features screenings of a selection of hit Christmas movies, including Love Actually, The Holiday, It’s A Wonderful Life, Home Alone, Elf and How The Grinch Stole Christmas. For a comprehensive list of films, and to purchase tickets, visit thelunacinema.com

News from around the region

Grayson’s Art Club opens at Midlands Arts Centre

A major exhibition by Turner Prize winner Grayson Perry opens at Birmingham’s Midlands Arts Centre early this month. The exhibition will feature works chosen by the much-loved artist and guest celebrities during season three of popular television series Grayson’s Art Club. To find out more about the new show, visit macbirmingham.co.uk

B:Eats for Christmas

Birmingham Symphony Hall’s daytime cafe & evening eatery, B:Eats, is serving up some free festive entertainment this month. Alongside its usual food & drink offering, B:Eats is hosting a Santa storytelling & singalong session from 19 to 23 December. There will also be festive music performances by Gaby K, Henry Liggins, Paris Adams and the Sing & Sign choir from Halas, a residential home in Halesowen which works with people with learning disabilities. For more information, visit bmusic.co.uk

Midlands venues to share Arts Council funding

Arts Council England has revealed details of its new national portfolio of funded organisations for the period from 2023 to 2026. In total, 97 organisations in the West Midlands will receive a share of £60.73million each year, ensuring that more people in more places can find ‘fantastic, fulfilling art & culture on their doorstep’. Commenting on the news, Peter Knott, Area Director for Arts Council England, said: “The region already boasts a vibrant cultural scene, with an international reputation for excellence, and we’re delighted to unveil our ambitious new portfolio, reaching more people in more places across the West Midlands than ever before.”

Pick up the Penguin trail

Visitors to Birmingham city centre will this Christmas have the chance to check out a free family trail featuring 15 specially designed penguin sculptures. Funded and arranged by Central BID, Brum’s Penguin Parade follows on from the huge success of last year’s Walking With The Snowman trail. The penguins are positioned at locations across the city centre, including at festiveseason attractions Christmas In Cathedral Square, the Frankfurt Market and Ice Skate Birmingham. The parade will be raising money for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, with each penguin having a QR code which can be scanned to make a donation.

News from around the region

Frida Kahlo exhibition on show at Coventry gallery

Coventry gallery The Reel Store is currently hosting an award-winning exhibition celebrating the life and work of iconic Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (until 29 January). Visiting the Midlands fresh from a sell-out run in Madrid, the show invites visitors to explore the artist not only as a painter but also as a woman and an icon. Commenting on the exhibition, its artistic director, Carla Prat, said: “This is the culmination of a long artistic and academic exercise to move away from the usual narrative of pain/victim and towards one of resilience, courage, female empowerment and genius. “The truth is, despite the many biopics and books about Frida Kahlo, there remains much to learn and remember about her and her paintings. This exhibition screams: This is what I felt. This is how I thought. This is how I was. Remember me!”

Brum brewing company launches ‘beer drencher’

Stirchley-based Birmingham Brewing Company is offering customers the chance to raise money for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity by drenching themselves or a friend in beer. The brewery is opening its doors for the brand-new Beer Drencher event on Sunday 4 December, between 11am and 3pm. To register your interest in taking part, visit justgiving.com/campaign/BirminghamBrewi ngCompany-BeerDrencher

Petition raised to save historic Midlands venue

The marketing manager of Wolverhampton's much-loved Light House Cinema has set up a petition in a bid to “resuscitate the creative heartbeat of our city” after financial issues saw the venue close its doors last month. Anybody interested in adding their name to the petition should visit: change.org/p/savelight-house-wolverhampton

St Basils launches its hike for the homeless

West Midlands charity & housing association St Basils is urging people to ‘get fit in 2023’ by hiking for the homeless. The organisation is co-ordinating an event in the Peak District next summer which will see participants being able to hike one of three routes - a short walk (five miles), a medium walk (12 miles) or a 19-mile walk. To find out more about St Basils Hike For Homeless, which takes place on 24 June, visit stbasils.org.uk/events

First Word

Bongo’s Bingo madness returns to The Forum

The ever-popular Bongo’s Bingo will kickstart 2023 with a series of matinee shows at Birmingham venue The Forum. Famed for its winning combination of nostalgia-soaked revelry, rave rounds, danceoffs, audience participation and en masse karaoke (plus, of course, bingo!), the awardwinning ‘social extravaganza’ starts the year with a special ’90s party on Saturday 14 January. To check out all the dates and book tickets, visit bongosbingo.co.uk

Catch it while you can...

If you haven’t yet checked out the Wildlife Photographer Of The Year show at Wolverhampton Art Gallery, you have until Christmas Eve to do so. The hugely prestigious exhibition - visiting the Midlands as part of a UK tour - features a host of awe-inspiring images capturing fascinating animal behaviour and breathtaking landscapes. The photos included in the show have been selected from thousands of submissions, with photographers from no fewer than 93 countries taking part.

Hope Live Love with the Town Hall Gospel Choir

Birmingham’s Town Hall Gospel Choir this month return to Royal Birmingham Conservatoire to perform their Christmas concert (Saturday 17 December). Sharing their message of ‘Hope, Live, Love’, the award-winning ensemble will be joined by Lichfield Gospel Choir and the BBC Gospel Singer of the Year 2021, Monique McKen. The concert is hosted by singer-songwriter Annette B. To find out more about the choir and purchase tickets for the concert, visit townhallgospelchoir.com

Over the past few years, a partnership between Birmingham Ormiston Academy and the Old Rep Theatre has delivered some of the city’s finest festive stage shows. This year, it’s ‘people’s choice’ Beauty And The Beast which is casting its spell on Christmas audiences. What’s On recently caught up with the show’s director, Alex Fellows-Bennett, to find out more...

Birmingham Ormiston Academy (BOA) and the Old Rep Theatre can justifiably claim that this year’s Christmas show is the choice of the public - after asking audiences to vote on a shortlist. The team, who are this year producing their seventh Christmas show together, gave their 2019 audiences a choice of five different titles, asking them to state which one should be staged next - and the overwhelming favourite was Beauty And The Beast. The new musical adaptation of the classic fairytale was delayed because of Covid-19 and lockdowns, but it has now finally hit the stage - and director Alec Fellows-Bennett says there was never any doubt that the show would happen. “Beauty And The Beast was an incredibly popular choice. I don’t think any of the other options came anywhere close. I think Beauty is so popular because it’s a story that’s become a fairytale that’s become a parable that’s become a metaphor, and so everyone knows it. It’s a very simple story, or a simple metaphor, which has been told in a lot of different styles, but it’s fundamentally the same story. “I also think the story is inextricably linked with Christmas. That’s partly because of the Disney version, but it’s also a very popular panto. So, for whatever reason, it’s become one of those Christmas stories.” Created by a team of professionals comprising Alec as director, writer Toby Hulse and composer Steve Allan Jones, the show features nearly 100 BOA students on stage in four separate casts across the month-long run, with many others working behind the scenes. Beauty And The Beast follows successful previous BOA and Old Rep team-ups, including Alice In Wonderland, Treasure Island, Pinocchio and The Wind In The Willows. “This year, it’s a bigger spectacle than it has been in the past,” says Alec. “Every single week we have a complete new cast, so with 23 students in each group, that’s 92 in total. It’s a massive undertaking, and they have worked extremely hard. It’s been made so that every show is exactly the same as the previous one, although individuals bring their own flair to certain roles. “The students are all in their graduating year, so they’ve had most of their training now and are looking to go on to professional jobs. Some of them have already done some professional roles or have jobs already lined up to go into.” Launched in the city centre in 2011, BOA specialises in teaching creative, digital and performing arts. An independent state-funded academy sponsored by the Ormiston Trust and Birmingham City University, the group comprises BOA Birmingham Ormiston Academy, BOA Stage & Screen Academy and BOA Digital Academy. The Christmas shows give students from a range of disciplines a chance to gain in-theatre experience. “The number of young people involved is much larger because BOA has now opened its Stage & Screen Academy, which, with a small cohort of actors, is covering filming, recording, radio, lighting, sound, propmaking, set design - all of the elements, including many things most people don’t think about. “So the Stage & Screen Academy has taken responsibility for all the design side, costumes, sets and props. And it’s all studentled. Apart from me, Steve and Toby, who’ve got to deliver something they can all work on, the suggestions and the drives have come from the students.” The team has made a few tweaks to the story and created a host of new songs. “As always there’s a huge musical element, and Steve has come up with some great music. In terms of the characters, they have got very specific musical language, whether it’s ballads or pop or rock. “Steve’s aim has been to write songs that people think they know - so the minute a song kicks in, it sounds like something really familiar and recognisable as a specific language. So, for example, he’s the pop-star ’90s dream boy or they’re the Spice Girls, that’s the romantic balladeer etc. That makes it extremely recognisable, so if you’re an adult, you have an instant flashback to maybe the 1980s or ’90s. “It’s been interesting picking the different styles and the artists to be influenced by for each character. There’s one character, Avenant, who was turned into Gaston for Disney. When we started, we wanted him to be a hip-hop streetwise guy, but he’s very much become a terrible Jason Donovan instead! “It’s been an interesting U-turn but a good one. The characters have developed along with their music. It’s been interesting to watch characters and the storyline change because of what we’ve discovered in the music. “What we hope will happen with the audience - and this has happened with the cast - is that they’ll learn a song immediately, so suddenly you’re singing along. You’ve only heard it once, but there’s a little bit of your brain telling you it’s something you already know.” And it’s this tailor-made approach which Alec believes makes the BOA and Old Rep Christmas productions so special. “It’s not bought in; we’ve not designed this show to have a life anywhere else. It’s been designed, made, composed and directed all for our audience and the audiences we’ve had over the last seven years. We’ve honed our skills to hopefully give them what they want. “The show is made for the people of Birmingham and the wider area; people who love theatre. I’d say that if you’ve not seen our productions before, come and discover Beauty And The Beast and the Old Rep Theatre. It’s the most magical little space, with a really magical show.”

Beauty And The Beast shows at the Old Rep Theatre until Friday 16 December