Birmingham What's On March 2023

Your FREE essential entertainment guide for the Midlands

What’sOn

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inside:

A TITANIC RETURN to Birmingham Hippodrome Feature inside...

FIREDANCE

Strictly stars Gorka & Karen turn up the heat at the Town Hall

AQUARIUM MAGIC Peppa Pig dives into a new adventure at SEA LIFE Centre

FILM I COMEDY I THEATRE I GIGS I VISUAL ARTS I EVENTS I FOOD

News from around the region

Jesus Christ Superstar to tour to the Midlands

Phenomenal rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar is touring to the Midlands later in the year.

The show was Tim Rice & Andrew Lloyd Webber’s second collaboration, originally opening on Broadway in the early 1970s. With hits like I Don’t Know How To Love Him, Hosanna and the famous title track itself to recommend it, the show visits the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre from 14 to 18 November. It’s then back in the Midlands early next year at the Regent Theatre, Stokeon-Trent (19 - 24 January) and makes a third stop-off in the region when it shows at Birmingham Hippodrome from 22 to 27 April.

Professor Carl Chinn talks ‘the real Peaky Blinders’

Birmingham social historian Professor Carl Chinn is this month giving two illustrated talks about the history of the city.

On Wednesday 8 March, he will be at The Old Crown to present The Real Peaky Blinders.

One week later, on Wednesday the 15th, he visits the Old Library to explore The Irish Of Victorian Birmingham. To find out more, visit designmynight.com

Exploring the council’s finances with Stan’s Cafe

Local theatre company Stan’s Cafe is back with a brand-new comedy exploring an unlikely topicBirmingham City Council’s £3billion budget.

Stopping off at arts centres, micro-breweries, nightspots and community & leisure centres until Thursday 16 March, All Our Money asks such questions as: Where exactly does the money come from? Who decides where it’s spent? And is it something that even a bear could figure out?

To find out where the show is visiting and book tickets, check out stans.cafe

Star cast revealed for SpongeBob musical

Pop Idol runner-up Gareth Gates and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Divina de Campo (pictured) will head the cast when The SpongeBob Musical visits Birmingham Hippodrome next month.

The family-friendly touring show is based on

Rory Bremner to star as Chris Tarrant at the Alex

Rory Bremner will star as Chris Tarrant when a touring production of the Oliviernominated drama, Quiz, visits Birmingham in late autumn.

The smash-hit play explores the real-life story of Charles Ingram - aka the Coughing Majorwho conned the Tarrant-hosted television quiz show, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, out of £1million.

Commenting on appearing in the play, Rory said: “I’m very excited about this; not just the challenge of playing Chris Tarrant in long form but bringing the scandal that really caught the public’s imagination to a live audience every night. What really happened? The jury’s out - and this time, it’s you!”

Quiz runs at Birmingham theatre The Alexandra from Tuesday 28 November to Saturday 2 December. To book a seat, visit atgtickets.com/birmingham

Nickelodeon’s longrunning animated series, SpongeBob SquarePants, and stops off in the city from Tuesday 11 to Saturday 15 April.

For more information and to book tickets, visit birminghamhippodrome.com

Hit thriller set to spook Midlands theatre-goers

Smash-hit supernatural thriller 2:22 - A Ghost Story will stop off in the Midlands next year as part of a UK tour.

Written by Danny Robins, the creator of popular BBC podcast The Battersea Poltergeistm, 2:22 - A Ghost Story visits The Alexandra, Birmingham from 16 to 24 January and Wolverhampton Grand Theatre from 20 t0 24 February.

Commenting on the tour, Danny said: “We are beyond excited to be taking the show around the UK. It’s a play that will make you laugh, scream, cry, think and jump out of your seat - a proper spooky night out!”

For more information and to book tickets, visit: 222aghoststory.com/uk-tour-tickets

Image from West End production.

Birmingham Walkathon back in early April

Birmingham-based charity Help Harry Help Others has joined forces with former BRMB Director David Bagley to bring back the famous Birmingham Walkathon. Taking place on Sunday 2 April, the Walkathon will see Brummies pounding the pavements of the city to raise much-needed funds for local charities.

To find out more, including how to enter, visit brumwalkathon.co.uk

BCMG ‘in bloom’ in Brindleyplace

Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (BCMG) will next month present a concert inspired by the cherry blossom festivals of Japan. Forming part of the group’s BCMG In Bloom season and taking place on Sunday 2 April, the free-to-attend hourlong concert is being held in the open air under a canopy of pink cherry blossom outside Ikon Gallery in Brindleyplace. To check out the whole of BCMG’s spring season line-up and purchase tickets for their concerts, visit bcmg.org.uk

A choral concert fit for a king...

Sutton Coldfield Choral Society will crown the coronation week with ‘an evening of uplifting music’ on Saturday 13 May (at Emmanuel Church in Wylde Green).

The society will perform John Rutter’s Magnificat - together with some celebratory settings from his Psalmfest collectionand the Benjamin Britten cantata, Rejoice In The Lamb. To find out more about the concert and book tickets, visit suttonchoral.com

Birmingham Royal Ballet set to get its metal on...

Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) will present the world premiere of Black Sabbath: The Ballet at Birmingham Hippodrome in the autumn.

Running at the venue from 23 to 30 September, the full-length, three-act show will feature eight Black Sabbath tracks re-orchestrated for the Royal Ballet Sinfonia.

Commenting on the news, BRB Director Carlos Acosta said: “Black Sabbath is probably Birmingham’s biggest export... so I was naturally

drawn to the idea of a collaboration between what most people might think are the most unlikely of partners.

“The band’s enthusiasm for the project is a huge endorsement. They are putting their trust in us to deliver something completely new and original. That’s quite a responsibility, but one that we are beyond excited to take on.”

For more information and to book tickets, visit birminghamhippodrome.com

A Christmas visit to Narnia

Birmingham Rep is inviting audiences to pay a visit to Narnia this Christmas.

The Centenary Square theatre has announced that the smash-hit West End production of CS Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe will roar into Birmingham for the festive season, showing at the venue from Tuesday 14 November to Sunday 28 January.

Commenting on the news, Rep Artistic Director Sean Foley said: “This spectacular show brings the snowy world of Narnia to magical life with amazing stagecraft, astounding large-scale puppets, and live-on-stage music and song. The production is a thrilling theatrical experience for all ages.”

To find out more about the show and book tickets, visit birmingham-rep.co.uk

News from around the region

MADE Festival is back!

MADE Festival is heading back to Birmingham this summer.

After taking place at Sandwell Valley Country Park in 2021 and Wolverhampton Racecourse last year, the annual music event will return to The Digbeth Triangle - its original inner-city siteon Saturday 29 July.

The event was forced to relocate from Birmingham in 2020 when the city’s bid for the Commonwealth Games was successful. To find out more and book tickets, visit made-festival.co.uk

Paul McKenna planning to hypnotise Brummies

Celebrity hypnotherapist Paul McKenna is bringing his new Instant Confidence touring show to Birmingham Conference & Events Centre this month (Saturday 18 March). The coaching event will see Paul demonstrating transformational techniques to help people become ‘more motivated, determined and confident - changing their life for the better’. Tickets are on sale now at MindBodySpirit.co.uk

More acts announced for Moseley festivals

US funk/disco legends KC And The Sunshine Band (pictured) are the latest big-name act to be announced for this year’s Mostly Jazz Funk & Soul Festival in Birmingham’s Moseley Park.

Taking place from Friday 7 to Sunday 9 July, the 2023 edition of the popular event also features, among many others, Afrobeatinfused Kokoroko, BBC 6Music’s Huey Morgan and Newcastle favourites Smoove & Turrell.

The news coincides with the announcement that Irish legends The Saw Doctors will later in the year be headlining another popular Moseley Park music event - the Moseley Folk & Arts Festival. The early-autumn gettogether takes place at the outdoor venue from Friday 1 to Sunday 3 September.

Pretty Woman The Musical heading for Birmingham

The stage musical version of hit Richard Gere/Julia Roberts film Pretty Woman will begin a UK & Ireland tour at Birmingham theatre The Alexandra later in the year. The critically acclaimed show, which is

Are you ready for some more Noise Next Door?

Quick-witted laughter merchants The Noise Next Door are visiting Birmingham’s Midlands Arts Centre (MAC) later this spring. The 13-time sell-out veterans of the Edinburgh Fringe stop off at the venue on Saturday 13 May with their touring show, Hometown Heroes. To find out more and book tickets, visit macbirmingham.co.uk

playing at London’s Savoy Theatre until June, hits the road in the autumn, showing at the Alex from Tuesday 17 to Saturday 28 October. For more information about the production and to purchase tickets, visit atgtickets.com

Elmhurst appointment for choreographer Wayne

Award-winning choreographer Wayne McGregor has been appointed President of Birmingham’s prestigious Elmhurst Ballet School.

Wayne, who succeeds Sir David Eastwood in the post and is also Resident Choreographer of The Royal Ballet, Covent Garden, is looking forward to getting his teeth into his new role: “The creative training of young dancers has been a career-long passion. As dance companies worldwide extend their repertoire, dancers need to be equipped with new skills that offer them the best chance to succeed.”

Michael McIntyre set to be Macnificent! in Brum

Michael McIntyre is bringing a brand-new stand-up offering to Birmingham next year. The much-loved comedian will visit the city’s Utilita Arena with touring show Macnificent! on Friday 24 & Saturday 25 May 2024.

For more information and to check ticket availability, visit michaelmcintyre.co.uk

The Cunning Little Vixen at The Secret Space

Royal Birmingham Conservatoire is this month presenting a modern adaptation of the Leoš Janácek opera, The Cunning Little Vixen.

A collaboration between student singers, instrumentalists and set and fashion designers, the production is being presented at Digbeth’s The Secret Space from Thursday 2 to Saturday 4 March. For more information and to book tickets, visit bcu.ac.uk

Love, family and friendship

as Steel Magnolias comes to the stage

Laura Main is instantly recognisable to fans of popular BBC TV series Call The Midwife. Her character in the show, Sister Bernadette, decided to kick the habit, marry the local doctor and become Mrs Shelagh Turner. With season 12 of the series having come to a close, fans of Laura can now catch her on stage in a new touring production of Steel Magnolias. What’s On recently caught up with her to find out more...

For millions of television viewers, Laura Main is best known as former nun Sister Bernadette/Shelagh Turner in the hugely popular BBC series Call The Midwife. But this spring Laura is taking on a new role in the touring stage production of Steel Magnolias. Coming to Birmingham this month, the drama tells the story of six women who meet every week in a local beauty salon, where they share their lives, their joys, their hopes and their sorrows.

Written by Robert Harling, Steel Magnolias was premiered off-Broadway in 1987. It then toured the United States before becoming a Hollywood film with a stellar cast, including Dolly Parton, Sally Field and Julia Roberts. Now touring the UK, the show sees Laura playing M’Lynn Eatenton, who experiences both happiness and tragedy in the show. Harriet Thorpe, Lucy Speed, Diana Vickers, Elizabeth Ayodele and Caroline Harker also star.

Laura believes the intertwined stories of the six women will resonate with different members of the audience: “It’s truly timeless because it’s about friendship, it’s about love, and it’s about great loss as well, which we will all experience at some point in our lives. It’s very universal in that respect.

“It’s also a very funny show. Robert Harling has a wonderful way with words, so all of the characters are funny. You know when you get a group of women together they can have fun and have a laugh. It covers a period of two years in which such a lot happens. So there’s the laughter, but it’s possibly cathartic as well - it’s got it all.”

Laura doesn’t want to give too much of the story away but says she was keen to take on the role of M’Lynn because of the character’s wide range of experiences in the show.

“It’s certainly the journey she goes on which makes the part quite appealing. It was daunting but a challenge that I wanted. I could see the fun to be had in the role, but I

could see it could be quite cathartic as well. It was something I was equally challenged and excited by - and that seemed a good reason to do it.

“Also, it’s lovely to be back on stage. I was in Shrek The Musical, which came to the Alex, but it’s a while since I’ve done a play. I love theatre, and the Alex is a lovely venue.” In the stage show, all the action takes place in the salon - an ideal place for women to swap their stories.

“Hairdressers do get told everything! A salon is a place where people talk, they share their fears and have fun. I suppose we all know that idea of talking to your hairdresser, but what’s so special about this group of women is that every Saturday they turn up at the salon. They’re neighbours, and they have this regular time - a bit like a coffee morningthat they will spend together. It’s partly about getting their hair done but also about sharing time together. So you’ve got that camaraderie between them.”

Laura thinks the show will appeal both to people who know the Hollywood blockbuster and to audience members new to the story.

“I think there are people who have seen the movie but can’t quite remember the ending, so they are all devastated but still surprised by the laughs they will get by the end. It’s very uplifting - that’s what people are telling me after they’ve seen the show.

“And there are people who really know the movie. I would tell friends before rehearsals I was going to be in Steel Magnolias and they would start quoting from the movie. They’ve since been to see the play and loved it - so diehard fans of the movie can also enjoy the play!”

Laura tours with Steel Magnolias until April, when she returns to filming the next series of Call The Midwife. Her family are travelling from Scotland to see the show at the Alex. “I’m not doing the Scottish dates on the tour, as I go on to do Call The Midwife, so

Birmingham is the easiest place for them to come and see the show - there are direct flights to Aberdeen. I’m really looking forward to that.”

And Laura is also looking forward to filming the next series of Call The Midwife.

“It feels exciting to be part of it still. I think ultimately the success of the series comes down to the writing. There’s huge enthusiasm for the stories, and people get to know the characters as well. But it’s not just about those characters but also the guest characters, who shine a light on an issue that deserves to be talked about on prime-time television.

“Ultimately it’s about love and family and friendship, so I keep seeing parallels with Steel Magnolias. I think we like to see people caring for each other, helping one another, being a community, and Call The Midwife is also a celebration of the nursing profession and the NHS.

“And I think with Steel Magnolias, it’s similar because it’s also about friendship through all kinds of experiences. The audience will have a really good night out in the theatre at this show. There are moments when we hear the audience roar with laughter, and I think there’s nothing to match that for the performer. And it’s so nice to sit in the theatre and have a really good laugh.

“Then, towards the end, you can hear a pin drop. The show says something quite important as well. I think some people will recognise the story that we’re telling, and it may be comforting for them to know that they are not alone in their experiences of life. When we talk about difficult experiences and experience them collectively, it brings us together.”

Steel Magnolias shows at The Alexandra, Birmingham, from Tues 21 to Sat 25 March

Food news from across the region...

Glynn Purnell opens city centre tapas bar

Birmingham’s Michelin-starred chef, Glynn Purnell, has opened a 'small and cosy restaurant' in the city centre. Located at 121 Edmund Street, Plates By Purnell's offers a menu which features sharing plates inspired by classic Spanish tapas. Dishes include aubergine chips with truffle, chorizo in red wine, grilled octopus and churros. The new eatery is open Monday to Saturday from midday to 3pm and 6pm to 9pm.

Cheal’s on the move

Celebrated restaurant Cheal’s of Henley has relocated to a new premises in Knowle.

Owner Matt Cheal, who started his career as a young chef at Birmingham’s Michelin-starred Simpsons in the year 2000 (and where he then worked for 16 years), is known for his love of classic British cuisine. Customers can choose from a tasting menu, a la carte, a bar menu and Friday afternoon tea.

New pizzeria opens in Brum’s Brindleyplace

Rudy’s Pizza Napoletana has officially opened its doors in Birmingham’s Brindleyplace.

Located in the premises previously inhabited by Cielo, Rudy’s will serve classic Neapolitan pizza with fresh dough - made daily using Caputo ‘00’ flour - and ‘best-quality ingredients’ imported from Naples (expect San Marzano tomatoes, grown on fields next to Mount Vesuvius, and Fior di Latte mozzarella).

Food & music festival Pub In The Park With Tom Kerridge & Friends is coming to Leamington Spa for the very first time this summer.

Taking place from Friday 30 June to Sunday 2 July, the event will feature some of the hottest new talent in the food world, familiar television faces and highly acclaimed Michelin-starred chefs. Award-winning pubs & restaurants (announced so far are The Hand & Flowers, Purnell's and Mr Todiwala's) will be serving tasting dishes which showcase their signature

Digbeth Dining Club returns to party venue Luna Springs

Digbeth-based party venue Luna Springs is hosting Digbeth Dining Club every Saturday until 1 April.

Resident traders Only Jerkin’ will be serving every weekend alongside numerous street-food vendors, including Patty Freaks, Beef On The Block and Greidy’s.

Live music comes courtesy of local talent, and visitors can get their mitts on two for £14 cocktails and £4.50 pints of Grolsch.

Fancy going Bottomless? Sixty-minute and 90minute brunch tickets are available to book and include a dish from your choice of trader and bottomless drinks.

Opening times are midday to 12am. Tickets are available to book via skiddle.com

style, giving visitors the opportunity to savour food which they might not otherwise get the chance to sample.

The event will also include plenty of festival fun, with chef demonstrations, top-quality shopping options and a children’s area also featuring.

Simon Rimmer, Si King from The Hairy Bikers and Lisa Goodwin-Allen will host the festival, with music coming from, among others, Ronan Keating, Toploader, Bananarama and Soul II Soul.

REVIEW:

Wow factor. Tick. 360-degree views across Birmingham. Tick. Exceptional service. Tick. So the question on everyone’s lips is: how’s the food?

Answer: it’s generally very good. Featuring floor-to-ceiling windows and located on the 24th floor of the monstrous 103 Colmore Row - a 108-metre-tall office skyscraper slap-bang in the middle of Birmingham city centre - Orelle (part of restaurant group D&D London’s collection) was one of 2022’s most anticipated openings.

To say it’s been popular since its launch in October would be an understatement. And to say it will remain popular indefinitely is a reasonable assumption.

Orelle is impressive, and people like that. Especially the Instagram generation. And perhaps TikTok, too? I’m too old for that one.

Firstly, let’s talk about ‘the views’. I will continue to champion Birmingham until the cows come home, but it’s no secret that it isn’t the prettiest of cities. There are some particularly gorgeous areas nowChamberlain Square being a highlight - but if one of the main pulls for you is an appealing view, then make an evening reservation. The darkness hides the not-so-nice aspects of the

cityscape, and you’re basically looking out into a sea of lights and colours. That, combined with the restaurant backdrop of bold blues and oranges, makes for a pretty magnificent dining setting.

Now, on to the food. I’ll start by saying it wasn’t the nicest meal I’ve ever had but it was enjoyable. Very enjoyable, mostly.

Orelle states that its menu serves both classic and modern French dishes. You’ve got your terrine and tartare, but more of an emphasis on French cuisine would be welcomed. That aside, the menu reads very nicely.

I started with the tartare. A twist on the classic, the beef is topped with thinly sliced chestnut mushrooms and mushroom ketchup. The confit egg yolk was missing (although it didn’t dawn on me until half way through because I’d enjoyed a few beers by this point, having just visited the launch of Roxy Ballroom, a competitive gaming playground in Victoria Square). The beef was fresh, although a touch of salt would have elevated it further, and I was expecting more from the mushroom ketchup - the flavours weren’t all there. A feast for the eyes, certainly (all the dishes here are beautifully presented), but that richness

from a creamy egg yolk would really have stepped it up a notch. My partner chose the dressed crab with rainbow radish and tart green apple. The crab bisque really packed a punch - a taste of the sea at its best - yet still allowed the sweet, delicate crab meat to do the talking. Fresh and well balanced, it was the nicer of the two starters by some margin. For mains there are seven dishes and two sharers from which to choose. The sharers are: venison and chicken ‘Wellington’ with beetroot, potato purée and a cocoa nib jus; and Côte de Boeuf with beef fat carrots, mac & cheese and a bone marrow crumb. As tempting as both sounded, I opted for the rack of Lake District lamb; my partner, the 65-day aged pork loin. The lamb was exceptional. Cooked to absolute perfection and served with a silky smooth celeriac purée, savoy cabbage, buttery Pommes Anna and a lamb jus, it was the highlight of the evening up to that point (wait, there’s more...).

The pork was served with a high quality and extremely tasty black pudding, smoked almonds, grelot onion, plum and a moreish jus. Lots of sweetness there. I liked that. The meat was very slightly over, a fact we chose to ignore as the flavours were otherwise very good.

Orelle isn’t a cheap dining destination. Starters range from £15.50 to £19, mains from £21.50 to £48 and desserts cost a tenner. It’s more of a ‘special occasion’ destination for the majority. The manager told us that they’re starting to build a core group of regular customers. If you’re in business and looking to secure that big contract, then it’s certainly more impressive than arranging a high-powered meeting in your local Starbucks. The desserts stole the show. My partner agreed, declaring the ‘brioche’ dish one of the nicest he’d ever eaten. It was certainly the nicest dish we ate that evening. That and the lamb.

Order them both. There was no bread, just a deliciously creamy vanilla & white chocolate mousse spiked with a sweet brioche flavour, a biscuit crumb for additional texture, and a fantastic golden raisin puree. It was everything I want from a dessert. There’s some serious skill in that particular section of the kitchen.

The second dessert comprised a rich, dense, chocolate mousse, sweet caramelised banana crémeux, chocolate sponge and a salty-sweet caramel miso icecream. It tastes exactly how you’re imagining it does: wonderful!

You don’t have to dine at Orelle to experience the views. There’s live music in the bar every Thursday to Saturday evening, so why not book yourself a table, enjoy a cocktail or three, and take in those panoramic views of the UK’s second city? I regret not sampling any of the cocktails.

A Sunday lunch menu is available, as is a new cafe menu on the ground floor (which, decor wise, is equally as stunning). Enjoy the likes of steak & mushroom pie with mash or a croque monsieur. A more affordable option at two courses for £15 or three courses for £18, it’s available Monday to Saturday from midday to 3pm. Will I go back? One day, for sure... I’ve got cocktails to sample. We had a great evening and left feeling both happy and content. My ‘Birmingham restaurant list’, however, is forever growing, and my main focus is to make a good dent in that before returning to Orelle.

Lauren Foster

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Orelle

103 Colmore Row

Birmingham

B3 3AG

Tel: 0121 716 8186

Orelle

Impressive views - and food to matchat new Birmingham restaurant

Classical music from across the region...

CBSO: Elgar & Schumann

Mirga Gražinyt-Tyla picks up the baton to conduct a concert that brings together two highly acclaimed works of classical music. Elgar’s Violin Concerto has been described as tender yet tempestuous, a work driven by a passion beyond reason that rewrites the rules, and which, performed here by the

Trio Sonorité: Illuminate Women’s Music

Elgar Concert Hall, The Bramall, University of Birmingham, Fri 17 March

A project funded by, among other partners, the Vaughan Williams Foundation, Illuminate aims to shine a light on the work of women composers past and present. This latest concert, one of five being performed this season, brings together the project’s performers-in-residence: pianist Jelena Makarova, cellist Daryl Giuliano and clarinettist Neyire Ashworth.

As well as featuring works by Louise Farrenc, Errollyn Wallen and Stephanie Ann Boyd, the concert programme also includes commissions from Sylvia Lim, Kristina Arakelyan, Vinthya Perinpanathan and composer-in-residence Angela Elizabeth Slater.

Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Wed 8 March

hugely talented Vilde Frang (pictured), promises 50 minutes of truly magnificent musicmaking. Accompanying it is Schumann’s First Symphony, a playful and poetic piece that welcomes in the season of spring with a blaze of trumpets.

Classical

Haydn: The Creation

St George’s Church, Edgbaston, Sat 18 March

Birmingham Festival Choral Society, performing under the baton of David Wynne, is here joined by the Central England Camerata and soloists for a performance of Haydn’s life-affirming oratorio - a work depicting and celebrating the beginning of the world as described in the Book of Genesis. Widely considered to be the defining composition of Haydn’s career, the oratorio is routinely praised for its musical colour, adventurous harmonies, rhythmic inventiveness and fantastic tunes.

Orchestra and Choral Concert

Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Mon 20 March

The forthcoming coronation of Charles III is here celebrated by choirs and orchestras from Magdalen College School, Oxford.

The concert is kickstarted with orchestral items by the symphony orchestra, including Dvorak’s Carnival Overture and a massed orchestral performance of Walton’s Crown Imperial.

Then it’s the highly regarded Magdalen College Choir’s turn to shine, presenting a performance of Walton’s Coronation Te Deum (under Informator Choristarum Mark Williams).

The concert also includes performancesby more than 900 singers - of Handel’s Zadok The Priest and Parry’s I Was Glad.

Mini Messiah

Paul Lewis: Schubert Piano Sonatas No2

Birmingham Town Hall, Tues 7 March

This second recital of a two-year cycle offers classical music lovers the opportunity to hear Franz Schubert’s music performed by one of its finest interpreters.

All three featured sonatas (nos 13, 15 & 16) were written during periods when the composer was in good health and good spirits - a state of being which Schubert could by no means take for granted during what proved to be a short life characterised by illness (he was only 31 when he died). Schubert’s 16th piano sonata - with which Paul Lewis rounds off this concert - was the first of only three to be published during his lifetime.

The Bradshaw Hall, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Mon 20 March

With Easter on the horizon, Royal Conservatoire final-year undergraduate Abigail Baylis has devised this concert of historically informed selections from Handel’s timeless masterpiece, Messiah. Soprano Abigail will herself feature in the production, performing alongside a Baroque orchestra and a talented vocal consort of 12 singers.

Composed in 1741, Handel’s English language oratorio is one of the most acclaimed choral works in the world. The concert will feature some of its bestknown choruses, including And The Glory Of The Lord, Hallelujah and Worthy Is The Lamb.

Photo credit: Marco Borggreve

Live music from across the region...

Lizzo

Utilita Arena Birmingham, Thurs 9 March

American singer, rapper & flutist Lizzo may have gone home empty-handed from last month’s Brit Awards but there was no doubting the impact she made at the starstudded event, taking to the stage in a striking pink outfit to perform a medley of hits from her most recent album, Special. The three-time Grammy Award winner has been making a splash for a handful of years now, but really hit the big-time back in 2019 with the release of third studio album Cuz I Love You.

Darren Hayes

Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Sun 26 March

“You never know how much you love something until it’s taken away from you,” says Savage Garden lead singer & songwriter Darren Hayes. “After almost a decade out of the spotlight and all that time in lockdown, I

Deaf Havana

found myself really missing the electric feeling that only a live audience can bring. “After 25 years in the music industry, I feel like we’ve grown up together. To sing these songs again, after all we’ve been through, is going to feel like a family reunion. I’m beyond excited to return.”

Elton John

Nix Northwest

The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham, Sun 19 March

“I’m pulling deep, from way back in my childhood and teenage years,” Nix Northwest tells thelineofbestfit.com. “And with this album, I’ve gotten to a point where I’ve realised you’ve gotta not push too hard and force things - what naturally comes out is what should come out.”

The London-born instrumentalist, producer & rapper - whose music blends jazz, hip-hop and broken beats topped with catchy hooks and introspective lyricism - is talking about his conceptual debut album, Xin’s Disappearance, released last year to significant critical acclaim.

The record came three years after Nix first made the music industry sit up and take notice with his self-produced EP, Life’s A Bitch, I Just Need An Early Night.

The Mill, Birmingham, Tues 28 March Formed in 2005, Norfolk alternative rockers Deaf Havana self-released several albums before signing a major label deal. Citing as influences Jimmy Eat World, Nirvana and Glassjaw, the band changed their sound from post-hardcore blended with pop-punk, to hard rock. Recent times have proved challenging in the extreme, so much so that the band has now become a duo, comprising the Veck-Gilodi brothers, James and Matthew. The pair released Deaf Havana’s sixth album, The Present Is A Foreign Land, last summer and earned plenty of plaudits from the music press.

The Slow Readers Club

O2 Academy, Birmingham, Fri 10 March

With a sound described by their publicity as anthemic electro-rock ‘boasting the noir lustre of Interpol, alt-J, The Maccabees and Depeche Mode’, critically acclaimed Manchester band The Slow Readers Club visit Birmingham in support of recently released album Knowledge Freedom Power. “The world had got so bleak,” says frontman Aaron Starkie in talking about the new record. “It felt indulgent to paint apocalyptic pictures when they were out in the real world. I thought people would probably want to hear more uplifting things.”

Resorts World Arena, Birmingham, Sun 26 March

A much-cherished national treasure, Sir Elton John is a man who wears his heart on his sleeve and doesn’t take himself too seriously. The top chum of superstar celebrities the world over, he’s earned his stripes as a much-respected musician by reason of spending over half a century in the upper echelons of a notoriously unforgiving business. He visits Birmingham this month with the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour.

THE LAUNCHPAD

Shrewsbury Folk Festival is inviting applications for its emerging-artists initiative

Shrewsbury Folk Festival has kicked off its annual search for folk stars of the futuremusicians looking to showcase their talent and reach new audiences at this year’s fourday event in late August.

Organisers are looking for bands, duos or solo artists to pitch for one of the three places available on The Launchpad, the festival’s platform for emerging artists.

Successful candidates will get to perform two 30-minute sets on the Village Stage over the weekend. Hopefully they will then follow in the footsteps of numerous previous Launchpad performers who’ve gone on to enjoy great success.

“Every year we are astounded at the wealth of talent that we uncover for The Launchpad,” says Festival Artistic Director Sandra Surtees. “One of our first-ever Launchpad artists was The Trials Of Cato, who won Best Album at the BBC Folk Awards in 2019 and played on our main stage last year.

“For many young musicians, appearing on The Launchpad will be the first time they’ve had the opportunity to take part in a major festival like ours. It’s good experience and the chance to reach a new audience. We’re

inviting applications from bands, duos or solo artists in the folk, roots or acoustic genre who’d like this opportunity.”

Bonnie Schwarz, from duo Good Habits, who played on The Launchpad last year, said: “Performing at Shrewsbury Folk Festival was such a joyful experience, and we were thrilled to have such an attentive crowd at the Village Stage. A lovely opportunity that we’re very grateful for!”

Shropshire musician Jessie Reid is another artist who made her mark on The Launchpad (in 2019). The singer-songwriter went on to release her first single in 2022 and now regularly performs at music venues and festivals across the UK.

What’s On Media Group has been the official sponsor of The Launchpad for a number of years and is thrilled to continue the partnership in 2023: “Shrewsbury Folk Festival is one of the top events of its kind, and the opportunity to play there is a great step for young musicians who are looking to make a name for themselves and get some festival experience.

“There is a wealth of talent across the region, and we’re delighted once again to be supporting this fantastic initiative.”

How to apply:

Artists must be available to attend the festival between Friday 25 and Monday 28 August. They must be aged over 16. All 16 to 18-yearolds require parental permission. There is no upper age limit.

Launchpad musicians will receive a free artist and guest ticket, on-site camping and artist hospitality.

Applicants must include a short biography (including location and ages) and links to performances (Soundcloud, YouTube etc).

Applications must be sent, before 26 May, to: jo@shrewsburyfolkfestival.co.uk

Only elected performers will be contacted.

Shrewsbury Folk Festival is an awardwinning family-friendly event taking place at West Midland Showground, Shrewsbury, from Friday 25 to Monday 28 August.

Highlights for the 2023 festival so far include Billy Bragg, Leveret, Jiggy & The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican.

To find out more and book tickets, visit: shrewsburyfolkfestival.co.uk

Comedy previews from across the region...

Gary Meikle

Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Fri 31 March; Old Rep Theatre, Birmingham, Sun 2 April; Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, Sat 22 April “This show will be a continued celebration of me being me,” explains Gary Meikle, “which in the current climate of cancel culture could be seen as risky!

Rosie Holt

The Old Rep, Birmingham, Fri 17 March

Rosie Holt’s online videos became so popular that her podcast, NonCensored, hit number two in the charts before it had even been released! A jobbing actor before the pandemic, lockdown saw her holed up with her parents and itching for something to do with the acres of spare time at her disposal. So she put her acting talents to good use by tweeting clips of herself ‘skewering the political landscape’, as she puts it. Much to Rosie’s surprise and delight, she

Alfie Moore

Lichfield Garrick, Fri 17 & Sat 18 March; Stourbridge Town Hall, Fri 31 March; The Core Theatre, Solihull, Fri 19 May; The Roses, Tewkesbury, Sat 17 June

Staunch Sheffield socialist Alfie Moore is a very funny man and a former police officer. Indeed, back in the day, his website referenced his two careers, advising that if you wanted to see him live, your best options were either to ‘catch him at one of his gigs’ or ‘drive to Scunthorpe and park on a double yellow line’.

He visits the Midlands with Fair Cop Unleashed, a show based on a dramatic reallife incident - taken from Alfie’s police casebook - that recounts ‘the thrilling ups and downs of the night a mysterious clown came to town and more than one life ended up in the balance’.

became an online sensation, her up-to-theminute satirising of Westminster life seeing her Twitter following rising from 3,000 to more than 250,000 in the proverbial blink of an eye.

With evidence of her comedic talent accumulating at a spectacular rate of knots, it’s little wonder the Chortle Award winner has decided to hit the road with her first-ever tour...

The show, titled The Woman’s Hour, did great business in Edinburgh last summer and promises 60 minutes of topical humour to savour.

Sara Pascoe

The Alexandra, Birmingham, Sun 19 March Covid. Conflict. Cost of living. Climate. The 2020s are certainly providing standups with plenty of material from which to chisel out and polish up all manner of comedy gems. And against so dramatic and often heartstrings-pulling a backdrop, there’s one thing about which Sara Pascoe is clear: There are no off-limit subjects when it comes to comedy...

“People forgive the subject matter when they find something funny,” she says, “but that doesn’t mean the comedian has no responsibility to question their own material. If they’re going to tell a joke about rape, they should first consider how you might feel if you’ve been a victim of it. If, after that, they still feel it’s a joke worth telling, then they’ll be doing so with complete faith in their own material, which is great.”

Sara visits the Midlands this month with her touring show, Success Story.

“My targets, as always, will be my girls and me, as well as life observations on things like how equality between the sexes has a clear, definitive line, all medication side-effects, my loathing of stupid questions, how our ancestors were idiots and much, much more. I’m going to remain playfully dark and as always do what I do best, which is to be relatable, honest, and give you an insight into what it’s like to be me - a young, single grandad who’s passionate about making his audience laugh!”

Patrick Monahan

Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham, Sat 11 March

Half Iranian, half Irish stand-up comic Patrick Monahan is no slouch when it comes to bringing up the subject of his own ethnicity on stage.

“I guess I like to think that maybe I’m breaking down stereotypes,” explains Patrick, who’s eager to make it clear that his comedy isn’t just political. “I think it’s important to look for positive stuff in life. Focusing on the bad stuff all the time would mean that the only people who’d come to my shows would be the ones who thought the end of the world was nigh!”

Josh Pugh

Birmingham Town Hall, Fri 17 March Hailing from Atherstone in Warwickshire, Josh Pugh made his stand-up debut in the spring of 2014 and within 18 months had won the Birmingham Comedy Festival Breaking Talent Award.

Then, in 2016, he picked up the English Comedian of the Year title - the prize for which included a string of Australian gigs. “The weirdest thing about that,” recalls Josh, “was the ex-pats who came to the show because I was billed as English Comedian of the Year. I’d have people coming up to me saying, ‘I used to live in Coventry,’ or ‘I’ve been to The Roadhouse’ (a now-closed venue in Birmingham). I found that dead odd - being so far away, on the other side of the world, and having people coming up to me who knew where I lived!”

Simon Brodkin

The Old Rep, Birmingham, Sun 5 March; Crewe Lyceum Theatre, Fri 24 March; Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa, Sat 8 April; Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Sun 16 April; Stafford Gatehouse Theatre, Wed 13 September; Birmingham Town Hall, Thurs 14 September; Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Sat 11 November

Former medical doctor Simon Brodkin is perhaps best known as the creator of comedy character Lee Nelson, a blingwearing Stella-swigging South London geezer.

Simon has also hit the headlines for his unwavering commitment to the business of being a top-quality prankster: In 2017 he famously handed Prime Minister Theresa May her P45 at the Tory Party Conference... This latest tour, entitled Screwed Up, sees him ripping into celebrity culture, social media, the police, Putin, Prince Andrew and Jesus.

Colin Hoult: The Death Of Anna Mann

Colin Hoult here puts his fabulous comedy creation, Anna Mann, to the sword. For those not in the know, Colin’s character of Anna is an actress & singer whose back-up profession is welder, whose past is littered with failed marriages, and whose quest for stardom has taken her from a Midlands egg-sandwich

Jimmy Carr

Dudley Town Hall, Sat 25 March; The Alexandra, Birmingham, Fri 12 May; Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Sun 11 June; Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Wed 1 November & Fri 1 December

Jimmy Carr’s comedy is all about quickfire, deadpan one-liners - so many of them, in fact, that he’s not sure whether their content actually matters all that much: “People don’t really remember the individual jokes I tell because I tell such a lot of them. What they do remember is how those jokes make them feel.”

Jimmy is a comedian for whom no subject is off limits: “I’ll talk about anything as long as I feel the joke justifies it. Sure, it may cause controversy - but then controversy is an easy story on a slow-news day. And I never apologise for jokes. After all, I’m not making a serious political statement, I’m just trying to make somebody laugh.”

Jimmy visits the region with Terribly Funny 2.0, a show which he warns contains ‘jokes about all kinds of terrible things’.

shop to the dizzying career heights of Predator The Musical and video nasty Cannibal Bagpipers... A smash-hit meditation ‘on life, death and literally everything in between’, The Death Of Anna Mann was a nominee for best show at Dave’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards last year.

John Kearns

Stafford Gatehouse Theatre, Sat 4 March; Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa, Sat 25 March; Glee Club, Birmingham, Sun 26 March; Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Sat 1

November

“When I visit your town, dogs will start barking, as will clergy,” warns John Kearns, who’s stopping off in the Midlands this month with his ‘heart-stopping, glassesdropping, hard-rocking, wig-shaking’ new show, The Varnishing Days. “Your microwave will go haywire. The lights in your vestibule will flicker, and the Bank of England will nervously look at interest rates...

“On the day I write this, the pound has hit an all-time low against the dollar. Mark my words: This show will break that record again and again and again...”

Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Sat 11 March

A TITANIC RETURN

Director Thom Sutherland talks about bringing his award-winning musical back to Birmingham...

The tragic story of RMS Titanic’s fateful maiden voyage in 1912 was made into an awardwinning Broadway musical over a quarter of a century ago. Then, in 2013, the production was massively reworked by director Thom Sutherland, who grew up in Walsall. Thom talks to What’s On about his show’s 10th anniversary tour, which sails into Birmingham next month...

Director Thom Southerland would be the first to admit that a musical about RMS Titanic could have gone horribly wrong. Faced with one of history’s most infamous tragedies - in which more than 1,500 people died after the luxury liner hit an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage - the question was how to tell the story in a way which was respectful to the memory of those who perished.

For Thom, the answer was about celebrating the lives of the people on board the shippaying tribute to their hopes and dreamsrather than focusing on the catastrophe. Titanic The Musical had first been produced on Broadway in 1997, but Thom massively reworked the show when he directed it at Southwark Playhouse in 2013. His version, with music & lyrics by Maury Yeston, not only received critical and audience acclaim but this year celebrates its 10th anniversary, next month visiting Birmingham Hippodrome for a second time.

“I think the Titanic story will always be with us,” says Thom. “There’s a fascination with it, the majesty of the legend of Titanic. The success of the musical is that it takes that story and legend of history and makes it a very human story. It makes it a story that we can all associate with, as we all set sail on the journey with the passengers who were brave enough to sail on that maiden voyage more than 100 years ago.

“We honour and remember them, and we celebrate the positive aspects of their lives, how brave and courageous they were, and what we can learn from that fateful night that they encountered. I think by telling a story from as much as we know to be the truth, or to be from factual events - and not to replicate or over-dramatise or simplify itwas the solution.

“In the musical, unlike any other dramatisation of the story, all the people represented on stage are real people. Peter Stone, who wrote the script, chose very different sorts of people, who could all be connected together and had aspects of their lives which I think we can all associate with. Whether it’s the Irish immigrants, who are desperate to be free and have a new life across the world in America, or the middleclass aspirational people running away for

love, or whether it’s the aristocracy, there’s something for everyone.

“The ship and its people are the stars of our show. We made a very intentional decision when we created this version that we would not turn it into a disaster movie, as that could be in bad taste. And I wanted to bring in the memorial boards and have the names of everybody who lost their lives that night shown on stage. I want us to remember and to celebrate their lives, and at the end of the night that board returns. It’s wonderful to see people go down to the stage at the end and look at that board and the names and take in the human scale of it.”

This connection with the characters means the story remains relevant more than a century after the event.

“We have to tell human stories to reflect on our own stories today. It’s an absorbing piece, but we have to do it carefully. The key thing is to show how unhistorical these stories are, how contemporary they are, and therefore to celebrate and not be overly maudlin about it. We have to celebrate what was so wonderful about their lives and go forward.”

Thom believes the music also helps ensure the show captures the emotion of the stories.

“When you are dealing with such a tragedy, I have learnt that to musicalise it helps to tell those moments of either horror or, actually, optimism, quickly and without words. Maury’s music does it. I remember at the very beginning, when we said we were going to do a musical of the Titanic story, people laughed. It sounded like the worst idea possible, but actually, with music, you’re able to portray such a wide range of emotion.

I think Maury’s Titanic music is universal, and I learn, as we continue to tour this production, how really affecting the show is in any language and any culture.

“And there’s also something wildly joyful about Titanic. She was the largest moving object in the world, and the wealth and the glamour and the excitement of the idea of getting to the other side of the world was immense. Actually the disappointment and the upset and the tragedy is only the last bit. The excitement of being on the most luxurious ship in the world is the story.”

The show has toured the UK and played dates in China, Japan, Canada and Germany, but for Thom, who grew up in Walsall, Birmingham Hippodrome remains a special venue. As a child, the shows he would see there with his grandparents provided him with an introduction to the world of theatre.

“My heart is in Birmingham! On the last tour, I was there at the Hippodrome on the first night and the last night, and all the family came as well. It was a special day when we were there because I sat in the front row of the dress circle, where I used to sit with my grandparents when they used to bring me to the pantomime. It was a day that I won’t forget. And again, this time when Titanic comes to the Hippodrome, we’re all coming. Just to sit in that auditorium is special.”

Last autumn Thom took on the position of associate artistic director of MAST and Mayflower Theatre in Southampton. And he’s keen to continue to promote large-scale shows like Titanic visiting different venues. “I think it’s wonderful that Titanic tours and visits places like the Hippodrome. Titanic is one of those pieces that I think should be seen by as many people as possible locally. It’s on a huge scale with the music and the stage, and I love getting that scale of show touring and visiting venues.”

Titanic The Musical drops anchor at Birmingham Hippodrome from Tues 18Sat 22 April & Regent Theatre, Stoke-onTrent from Mon 24 - Sat 29 April

Birmingham Hippodrome, Wed 8 March - Sun 19 March

Based on George Bernard Shaw's play, Pygmalion, My Fair Lady tells the story of Professor Henry Higgins, an arrogant expert in phonetics who reckons he could teach any woman to speak properly. Enter, Eliza Dolittle - a young flower seller who’s no great lover of pronouncing her aitches. But will Eliza prove a challenge too far for the proper-speakin’ professor?

Of Mice And Men

The Rep, Birmingham, Sat 18 March - Sat 8 April

George and Lennie are drifters who only have each other and their shared search for the American Dream. George is the sharp little guy who looks out for Lennie. Lennie, meanwhile, is a big-hearted fella who, unaware of his own strength, seems unable to keep out of trouble.

Finding work on a ranch in California, they plan to stay long enough to buy a little place of their own. But their arrival triggers a tragic chain of events that threatens to destroy the very dream that unites them...

This brand-new version of the John Steinbeck classic is helmed by Rep Associate Director and Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony Director Iqbal Khan.

Lesley Garrett and Adam Woodyatt star in this touring version of the critically acclaimed West Ender, which comes complete with Lerner & Loewe’s famous score.

Memorable songs include Wouldn't It Be Loverly?, With A Little Bit Of Luck, The Rain In Spain, I Could Have Danced All Night and Get Me To The Church On Time.

Death Drop: Back In The Habit

The Alexandra, Birmingham, Mon 13 - Sat 18 March

Jersey Boys

Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Tues 7 - Sat 18 March

Rockin’ and rollin’ New Jersey boys Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons scored some truly massive hits during the mid-1960s. This award-winning jukebox musical tells their story.

If you like your spinetingling murdermysteries liberally festooned with raucous ridiculousness and outrageous drag stars, then this is the show for you. When a convent’s peace and tranquillity is shattered by a serial slayer slashing their way through the sisters, the Mother Superior and the rag-tag nuns of St Babs must gird their loins and save their souls...

Expect witty one-liners, breathtaking costumes, grisly murders and madcap mayhem aplenty in this camp-as-Christmas comedy starring Jujubee, Cheryl Hole, Victoria Scone and LoUis CYfer.

Taking a documentary-style format, the show is structured as four ‘seasons’, each being narrated by a different member of the band. Featured hits include Walk Like A Man, Bye Bye Baby, Big Girls Don't Cry, Sherry, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, Working My Way Back To You and December 1963 (Oh, What A Night).

Theatre previews from around the region

My Fair Lady

Theatre previews from around the region

The Rocky Horror Show

Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Mon 6 - Sat 11 March; The Alexandra, Birmingham, Mon 27 March - Sat 1 April

Hook up your fishnets, tighten your corsets and prepare to ‘do The Time Warp again’The Rocky Horror Show is returning to the Midlands!

Richard O Brien’s cult production tells the tale of the straight-laced Brad and the deliciously corruptible Janet, who arrive at the castle of the alien transvestite Frank N Furter and witness the birth of the monster, Rocky.

Along the way, the show takes the audience through a selection of love-’em-or-loathe-’em musical numbers, including Sweet Transvestite, Damn It Janet and The Time Warp. Great fun’s a guarantee - particularly if you get into the spirit of things and attend the show dressed in your very best stockings & suspenders (as many patrons do)!

How Not To Drown

Patrick Studio, Birmingham Hippodrome, Tues 7 & Wed 8 March

“I’m really excited to bring How Not To Drown to Birmingham,” says director Neil Bettles, in talking about a show that tells the real-life story of a Kosovan boy sent on a perilous journey to Europe with a gang of people smugglers. “It’s a story that resonated with audiences when we made it in 2019 at the Edinburgh Festival, and I think it’s even more relevant today, with immigration so prominent in the media and our political discussions. It’s a play about how we care for people, what it’s like to be lost in a system at breaking point, where you belong, and ultimately what it takes to call a place home. Above all it’s a story of hope about a cheeky young lad who used his wit and charm to get through it.”

Run Rebel

Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, Tues 21 - Sat 25 March

Fresh from presenting their acclaimed production of Noughts And Crosses, Pilot Theatre make a welcome return with another adaptation of a celebrated work of youngadult fiction: Manjeet Mann’s 2020 novel, Run Rebel.

Trapped by her family’s rules, their expectations and her own fears, Amber finds freedom on the running track. As her body speeds up, the world slows down, and she soon feels compelled to start a revolutionfor her mother, her sister, and herself... Run Rebel has been written especially for audiences aged 11-plus.

The Moth

Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham, Thurs 9 - Sat 11 March

“This innovative, contemporary version of an American classic has now been relocated to working-class Britain and set in the 1990s,” explains Lying Lips Theatre Company in describing latest production The Moth - an adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire. “Join us as we explore and unpack the toxicity of relationships and dissect the presentation of masculinity and femininity. Witness the struggles of societal expectations and the repercussions that can occur when these are challenged. When hierarchy becomes contested, what extremities will one go to, to attempt to bring it back to order?”

The production contains ‘scenes of domestic abuse, sexual violence and partial nudity’.

The Time Machine: A Comedy

Malvern Theatres, Tues 28 March - Sat 1 April With their tour of Agatha Christie’s The Mirror Crack’d ending early this month, Original Theatre turn their attention to HG Wells’ famous time-travelling adventure, cleverly augmenting their telling of the terrific tale with a healthy dose of fast-paced, wise-cracking humour.

“Expect the most surprising and unforeseen consequences as we go on a journey through time,” explain Original Theatre. “This is a comedy that travels to the end of the earth's life in order to reflect on our own.”

The cast includes Dave Hearn, a founding member of the Olivier Award-winning Mischief Theatre.

Theatre

Theatre previews from around the region

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Tues 14 - Sat 18 March; Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Tues 28 March - Sat 1 April; Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, Tues 13 - Sat 17 June

“I’m so thrilled that my characters are stepping into a new life on the stage,” says Deborah Moggach in talking about the theatrical version of her bestselling novel of the same name. “They’ve been waiting impatiently for the curtain to rise, and none of them are getting any younger. So welcome again to the Marigold Hotel! We've assembled an amazing cast, so I hope they bring you plenty of laughs and some warm sparks of recognition.”

Best known from its 2011 film version starring Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel tells the story of an eclectic group of British retirees as they embark on a new life in India and, more precisely, as residents of the hotel of the title... Belinda Lang (2 Point 4 Children), Paul Nicholas (Just Good Friends), Tessa PeakeJones (Only Fools And Horses) and Graham Seed (The Archers) star.

Too Much World At Once

Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Mon 13 - Wed 15 March

Award-winning Manchester theatre company Box Of Tricks here does what it does bestchampions a playwright by presenting a new work reflecting ‘the world in which we live today’.

Billie Collins’ Too Much World At Oncedescribed by the company as ‘a lyrical, theatrical journey that spans continents and lives’ - finds teenager Noble transforming into a bird on the occasion of his 15th birthday.

Thousands of miles away, his sister, Cleo, is stationed on a remote island with the British Antarctic Survey. The birds have disappeared and Noble needs to reach Cleo. Lying low until it’s time to take flight, he finds solace in misfit Ellis, while his mother, Fiona, desperately tries to stop their home from falling apart...

Menopause The Musical 2

Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent; Sat 18 March; Telford Theatre, Tues 21 March; Crewe Lyceum Theatre, Thurs 30 March; Prince of Wales Theatre, Cannock, Sat 1 April; Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Thurs 13 April; Palace Theatre, Redditch, Fri 14 April; Malvern Theatres, Thurs 20 April; The Alexandra, Birmingham, Fri 21 April; Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Sat 17 June

Mary Byrne, Annabel Giles, Rebecca Wheatley and Susie Fenwick star in this highly anticipated sequel.

In the first show, four women met in a department store, with conversation quickly turning to the one thing they all had in common - the menopause. Cue innumerable one-liners on subjects including mood

Blood Brothers

Crewe Lyceum Theatre, Tues 14 - Sat 18 March; Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, Tues 28 March - Sat 1 April

Although it’s effectively a class-driven ‘scouse melodrama’, to describe Blood Brothers as such is to greatly underestimate the emotional response it produces within its audience.

The show features adult actors playing children, a narrator who wanders through the scenes with warnings of impending doom, a good helping of sharp social awareness to counteract the sticky sentimentality, and a raft of much-loved musical numbers, including Bright New Day, Marilyn Monroe and the emotionally charged Tell Me It’s Not True.

swings, forgetfulness, wrinkles, night sweats and uncontrollable chocolate binges... This follow-up offering - subtitled Cruising The Menopause - catches up with the ladies five years later, this time as they set off on the high seas.

Quality Street

New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Fri 3 - Sat 25 March

JM Barrie is best known as the creator of Peter Pan, but years before he ventured to Neverland, he penned a farce so popular that it gave its name to one of the UK’s most famous brands of chocolate.

When Captain Valentine returns from fighting Napoleon, he’s disappointed to find Phoebe Throssel somewhat less glamorous than he remembers her. But Phoebe has a plan to rekindle his interest, courtesy of her younger alter-ego, the wild and sparkling Miss Livvy...

Presented by the ever-impressive Northern Broadsides.

Niki Colwell Evans stars as Mrs Johnstone.

Theatre previews from around the region

Abigail’s Party

Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Tues 14 - Sat 18 March

Making its television debut as a BBC Play For Today in November 1977, Mike Leigh’s Abigail’s Party became an instant hit and catapulted Alison Steadman to stardom. A fascinating study of the pretensions of 1970s suburbia, the play focuses on the interaction between five ill-matched people during an evening characterised by alcohol, cigarettes, Demis Roussos records and cheesy nibbles. Steadman’s portrayal of the monstrous Beverly was so definitive that it’s since been hugely challenging for any actress to play the character in any other way. This London Classic Theatre version is out on tour following a successful run in the West End.

Family Tree

Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, Fri 10 - Sat 18 March

Henrietta Lacks is considered by many to be one of the most widely influential Black women of modern times. The reason? Her cells form the basis of the most important medical research and breakthroughs happening in the world today, from cancer to HIV to Covid-19.

But Henrietta, who died of cancer in 1951, aged 31, never knew any of this, because her cells were taken without either her or her family’s knowledge or permission...

Hailed as both a remembrance and a celebration, Mojisola Adebayo’s awardwinning play has been described as fearlessly honest and ultimately transformative.

Michelle Asante stars as Henrietta.

Julius Caesar

Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-uponAvon, Sat 18 March - Sat 8 April

When Roman emperor Caesar is assassinated by a group of prominent senators, one of his staunchest supporters, Mark Antony,

manages not only to turn the crowd against the conspirators but also to defeat them in battle...

This bloody story of conspiracy and murder, noble intentions and ignoble actions is directed by the critically acclaimed Atri Banerjee, here making his RSC debut.

“Julius Caesar is the perfect play for our age of emergency, asking uncomfortable questions about today,” says Atri. “When asked to imagine a better future for us all, what resources do we have left? What are the limits of peaceful activism? How far would you, personally, go, to make the world a better place?...”

Little Women

The Albany Theatre, Coventry, Wed 15 March

The highly rated Jenny Wren Productions visit Coventry with their adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s famous story. Written in the 19th century, it tells the tale of four sisters - Jo, Beth, Meg and Amy - as they experience passion, romance, heartache and hardship during the brutal and challenging years of the American Civil War.

Nothing Happens (Twice)

Midlands Arts Centre (MAC), Birmingham, Fri 17 March

An exploration of companionship, codependency and what motivates people to keep going, Nothing Happens (Twice) follows the failing fortunes of theatre performers Mercè and Patricia. After successful years spent making and touring shows across the world, the duo have lost their momentum - so much so, in fact, that they now find themselves dressing up as flamingos in a shopping centre to make ends meet.

But all may not be lost; they have a shared dream of getting back on track by staging Waiting For Godot - always assuming they can negotiate the red tape that threatens to strangle the life out of their career-saving project...

Slapstick humour meets Samuel Beckett head-on in this quest for life’s meaning, presented by Patrícia Rodríguez and Mercè Ribot, aka Little Soldier.

A Room Of One’s Own

Lichfield Garrick, Wed 15 March; Ludlow Assembly Rooms, South Shropshire, Fri 21 April

From Tudor queen to shell-shocked soldier, and from Regency heroine to Hollywood icon, Dyad Productions’ Rebecca Vaughan has portrayed a dazzlingly diverse array of characters in her touring solo shows. With previous theatrical offerings including Jane Eyre: An Autobiography, Austen’s Women and Dalloway, Rebecca here returns to provide a 21st-century take on Virginia Woolf’s late-1920s extended essay - an exploration of the impact of poverty and sexual inequality on intellectual freedom and creativity.

Theatre for younger audiences...

Demon Dentist

Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, Thurs 30 March - Sun 2 April; The Alexandra, Birmingham, Wed 28 June - Sat 1 July

Telling a toothy tale of dental disaster, David Walliams’ Demon Dentist finds Alfie and his pal Gabz doing their level best to solve a disturbing mystery: Why is it that children who leave their teeth for the tooth fairy are then waking up to find horrible things under their pillow?...

Could it have anything to do with the town’s new dentist - the aptly named Miss Root?

The Tiger Who Came To Tea

The Albany Theatre, Coventry, Fri 24 - Sun 26 March; Crewe Lyceum Theatre, Tues 18 - Wed 19 July; Birmingham Town Hall, Tues 22 - Sat 26 August

The tea-guzzling tiger once again stops off in the Midlands to drop in on Sophie and her mum, just as they’re settling down for an afternoon cuppa...

Adapted by David Wood from the late Judith Kerr’s 1968 book, this 55-minute show comes without an interval, features singalong songs and boasts plenty of magic - not to mention a big stripy tiger, of course!

Tales From Acorn Wood

Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Tues 7 - Thurs 9 March; Worcester Swan Theatre, Tues 14Wed 15 March

Stage adaptations of books by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler invariably offer theatrical magic aplenty, so this is definitely a show that’s well worth catching.

Presented by the team behind two other hit kids’ productions, Dear Zoo Live and Dear Santa, the show features clever puppetry, toetapping songs, and the chance to join in with Pig and Hen’s game of hide & seek.

Light entertainment from around the region

Circus Of Horrors: Haunted Fairground

Brierley Hill Civic Hall, Sun 5 March; Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent, Sat 25 March

An off-kilter affair that bears more resemblance to a freak show than any modern definition of a circus, one-time Britain’s Got Talent finalists Circus Of Horrors 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. Set in a decrepit fairground ‘on the edge of nowhere’, this latest offering features ‘beautifully bizarre circus acts, a sinister storyline and the darkest of magic - all performed to an original rock score’...

Daniel Nicholas: Eugene

Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham, Fri 10 March

“I like to confuse and engage an audience at the same time,” says Daniel Nicholas, “whether that’s through comedy or storytelling, whilst playing lasertag, or with a dancer reacting to the set.”

Daniel’s currently touring show is certainly an attention-grabber: “Think The Terminator does a Ted Talk with Steve Jobs and you’d be on the right track!”

The storyline sees a millionaire & inventor in a not-too-distant future - “Think Elon Musk with a further attitude problem!” - launching the first superhuman artificial intelligence at a press conference to which the audience is invited... With the show having made a

splash in Edinburgh a couple of years back, this UK tour looks set to further establish Daniel as one of the country’s most interesting, imaginative and interactive comedians.

I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue

Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Thurs 2 March; Birmingham Hippodrome, Sat 25 March

One-time Young Ones star Adrian Edmondson has called it “The most ridiculous, most surreal, most incomprehensibly funny show on any medium,” while The Radio Times confidently describes it as: “Indisputably the greatest radio comedy of all time.” Having garnered plenty more similarly effusive praise across its 51 years and 70-plus series, I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue continues to strike chords with BBC Radio Four listeners throughout the country. The comedy panel game has been touring to theatres since 2007 and here makes a welcome return to the Midlands. This particular evening of inspired nonsense sees host Jack Dee being joined by Rory Bremner (Tony Hawks at Warwick Arts Centre), Pippa Evans, Milton Jones and Marcus Brigstocke.

Send In The Clowns: Hey Big Bender

Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham, Thurs 23 - Sat 25 March

A drag celebration of ‘sexy, sultry and downright lustful’ musical theatre favourites, Send In The Clowns is hosted by cabaret performer and Drag Idol UK winner Fatt Butcher. The show features some of the

Theatre

An Evening Without Kate Bush

Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Sun 19 March With Kate Bush no fan of performing live (to put it mildly), cabaret stalwart Sarah-Louise Young has stepped into the breach to present this lively stand-in offering - a show that’s surely going to be in the ‘must see’ category for Kate’s legion of West Midlands-based fans.

It’s not a tribute show in the conventional sense of the word - Sarah-Louise doesn’t spend the hour impersonating Kate - but it certainly has more than enough for Bush lovers to delight in and thoroughly enjoy, including impressive renditions of their idol’s greatest hits.

The show visits Coventry on the back of successful runs in both Edinburgh and Soho.

Midlands’ best-known drag & cabaret entertainers performing favourite numbers from, among other theatrical hits, Chicago, Cabaret and La Cage Aux Folles.

Queenz: The Show With Balls

Crewe Lyceum Theatre, Wed 29 March; Lichfield Garrick, Sun 30 April; Telford Theatre, Wed 11 October; Stafford Gatehouse Theatre, Thurs 26 October; The Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury, Sat 18 November

Loved and adored by celebrities including Gary Barlow and Dawn French, Queenz is described as ‘a trailblazing, life-affirming drag extravaganza that’s currently taking the UK by storm’. The show sees death-dropping divas slaying the biggest hits of all time - and there won’t be a lip-sync in sight! Get ready to sing along to reimagined classics from The Spice Girls, Lady Gaga, Little Mix, Britney, Whitney and everything in between...

Ceri Dupree

Stafford Gatehouse Theatre, Thurs 30 March Female impersonator Ceri Dupree was once described as a cross between Joe Longthorne and Lily Savage - only with better legs! Well known to Midlands theatre-goers following past pantomime stints in both Birmingham and Wolverhampton, the hugely popular Ceri here returns to the region with her hit show, Back To The Rhinestone. Expect an evening of visual comedy, impressions, music and ‘thousands of pounds-worth of jaw-dropping costumes’.

Going solo

Actor & playwright Mark Farrelly talks about bringing a popular one-man show back to the region...

Mark Farrelly writes and performs in shows which aim to lift the lid on the lives of well-known figures from British public life. Comedian Frankie Howerd, playwright & novelist Patrick Hamilton and film director Derek Jarman have all come under Mark’s spotlight in recent years. So, too, has gay icon & raconteur Quentin Crisp, who the Sheffield-born actor will next month play when his critically acclaimed solo production, Naked Hope, returns to the Midlands. What’s On recently interviewed Mark to find out more about his shows and career...

You’re bringing Quentin Crisp: Naked Hope back to the Midlands this spring, Mark. Tell us a little bit about the play...

It’s an up-close encounter with one of the most remarkable, brave and witty figures of the 20th century. Quentin was openly gay from the 1930s onwards, and was routinely beaten because of this. But he refused to hide his true nature, which is something we all should learn to do. After John Hurt played Quentin in the TV film, The Naked Civil Servant [1975], Quentin became famous and travelled the world doing one-man performances in which he elucidated his advice on how to live a truthful life. He did so with tremendous wit, and I recreate part of that performance in my show, as well as exploring his earlier years.

You’re also performing another of your plays, Jarman, in Warwickshire. Again, can you provide an idea of what audiences can expect...

You can expect dynamism, inspiration and spontaneity. Derek Jarman was a wondrous polymath, a writer, painter, gardener, filmmaker and activist. He lived a life without boundaries or convention and is a beacon for anyone who wants to express themselves without restriction. He also showed tremendous, heart-breaking courage in dealing with and dying from AIDS. So you get a thrilling, funny and authentic encounter with this man, who still has so much to teach us.

Your plays have proved hugely popular. What are the secrets of their success? Honesty. I’m playing characters who were utterly sincere and spoke pure truth. That’s a surprisingly rare commodity in this world. I also choose people who are funny, because we all need a laugh, no? Perhaps above all is that I speak directly to the audience all the way through, in all my work. There’s no fourth wall. I allow the audience to feel seen and valued.

As the actor appearing in the shows, which play has given you the most pleasure to perform?

I don’t have a favourite because they all

provide particular pleasures, otherwise I wouldn’t have performed them almost 400 times collectively. Also the audience is, of course, different for every show, so each performance feels fresh. You never know what you’re going to get!

How did your career as a playwright come about?

Despair. I went through some great losses and setbacks about 10 years ago, and felt so broken that I tried writing to help myself out of my misery. I chose figures like Quentin Crisp, who I felt had something to say, not only to me but to an audience. Then I found that I rather liked writing. And also, words and wit are more powerful when born of suffering, which is something known by all the characters I play.

Did you make a conscious decision to forge your writing career around biographical plays about interesting people in the public eye, or did you have the initial idea for your first such play and then, once it had been successful, decide it was a genre to return to?

I wanted to write about Quentin, and also the novelist Patrick Hamilton. After that, the ideas to write about Frankie Howerd and Derek Jarman very much came along organically. It’s not been a very conscious or chosen path; I’ve just written when I’ve felt the urge. I certainly never write something because I anticipate that it will be a success or ‘sell well’, which would be a big mistake.

How do you decide which real-life people to write about?

I have to be struck by some aspect of the person’s life, and maybe that’s also a part of myself that I need to develop or enhance. For instance, I much admire Quentin Crisp’s stoic endurance and Derek Jarman’s artistic iconoclasm. I’ve often said that although the plays explore the lives of well-known figures, they are also a veiled form of autobiography, in that I’m simultaneously exploring my own life as well as that of the characters. As the saying goes, the unexamined life is not worth living.

Which of the plays proved to be the most challenging for you as a writer, and which, relatively speaking, was the easiest?

Perhaps The Silence Of Snow: The Life Of Patrick Hamilton was the toughest, because it was my first. Possibly Quentin was the easiest because Mr Crisp left behind such immaculately crafted language in his books, and I wanted to get as much of that into the script as possible.

For many writers, breaking the fourth wall is not an option, but as you’ve already mentioned, the characters in your plays speak directly to the audience. What’s your motivation as a writer/creator for breaking with that particular convention?

I detest the fourth wall. I think it traps performers and represents a blind alley in which theatre has become stuck. Shakespeare constantly broke the fourth wall. We seem to have lost the art. Live comedy does it. Live music does it. Panto does it. And that’s why they are all more popular than most fourth-wall theatre. I need to connect. I hunger and I burn to do it. And I think audiences do too.

You’re certainly on a roll, Mark. Are there any other public figures about whom you’d like to write a biographical play in the future?

The answer is currently no. As I said, it has to be organic, and nobody leaps out at me presently. Who knows? Maybe I’ve already written my last play. And if that were the case, I’d genuinely be grateful for what I’ve had. Then again, a new idea might whisper to me tomorrow afternoon. I’m content to let things take their natural course.

Mark Farrelly brings Quentin Crisp: Naked Hope to The Hive, Shrewsbury, on Saturday 26 March and the Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham, from Thursday 25 to Sunday 28 May.

He performs Jarman at the Guild Hall, Henley-in-Arden, on Thursday 20 April

Dance previews from across the region

James Wilton Dance: The Four Seasons

Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Tues 7 & Wed 8 March

Award-winning Cornwall-based company James Wilton Dance here get to grips with Max Richter’s recomposed version of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons.

Richter wrote the critically acclaimed piece in an attempt to re-enthuse himself about the original. “Hearing it principally in shopping centres, advertising jingles, on telephone-hold systems and similar places, I stopped being able to hear it as music,” Max told ClassicFM. “It had become an irritant - much to my dismay! So I set out to try to find a new way to engage with this wonderful material, by writing through it anew... and thus rediscovering it for myself.

“I deliberately didn’t want to give it a modernist imprint but to remain in sympathy and in keeping with Vivaldi’s own musical language.”

Internationally renowned and award-winning South African dancer & choreographer Dada Masilo here makes a welcome return to the Hippodrome, four years after she and her company presented a stunning version of Giselle at the venue. Inspired by Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite Of Spring and featuring live-on-

Firedance: Gorka Marquez & Karen Hauer

Symphony Hall, Birmingham Fri 31 March

It’s time to turn up the heat and join Strictly stars Gorka Marquez and Karen Hauer for a show that’s been widely praised for its fresh flavours and super-charged choreography. Taking the form of a dance-off, the production finds its inspiration in Romeo & Juliet, Moulin Rouge, Carmen and West Side Story. In the process it showcases not only an eclectic mix of Latin, rock and pop music but also a ‘sensational’ live band and a lineup of ‘sizzling’ dancers and ‘mesmerising’ fire specialists.

stage music, The Sacrifice tells the story of how a celebration of the advent of Spring sees a young girl being chosen as a sacrifice and dancing herself to death as part of an ancient ritual. The piece features the uniquely rhythmic and expressive movements of Tswana, the traditional dance of Botswana.

Ballet Theatre UK: Romeo & Juliet

The Albany Theatre, Coventry, Wed 22 March; Swan Theatre, Worcester, Sun 26 March; The Core Theatre, Solihull, Sat 15 April

Ace Dance & Music: Unknown Realms

Malvern Theatres, Wed 1 March; The Albany Theatre, Coventry, Fri 31 March Committed to the presentation of contemporary dance inspired by the African Diaspora, ACE Dance & Music here collaborate with two internationally acclaimed Black male choreographersSerge Aime Coulibaly (Burkina Faso) and Vincent Mantsoe (South Africa) - to present a double bill of work which they describe as ‘transcending the past and present’. The Night Before Tomorrow sees people engaging in their last dance ahead of an uncertain future. Mana, The Power Within, meanwhile, aims to ‘trace the journey of past lives by unifying beliefs & cultures’.

Hailed as the greatest love story ever told, Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet is here presented by the always excellent Ballet Theatre UK, an ensemble with an impressive history of producing bright and colourful shows designed to promote classical dance as an accessible art form.

Expect ‘stunning costumes, innovative stage sets and heartbreaking intimacy’ in a show which the company reveal is making a comeback ‘by popular demand’.

Dada Masilo: The Sacrifice Birmingham Hippodrome, Tues 28 & Wed 29 March

PRUE STORIES

Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith takes to the road to talk about a life in which she does Nothing In Moderation...

by Simon Gage

Having lived a life every bit as colourful as the clothes she wears in Channel Four’s The Great British Bake Off, Prue Leith is taking to the stage to share her stories - from a childhood spent in Africa, to messing up a cup of tea for the late Queen and being the butt of Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas’ jokes...

If there’s one thing Dame Prue Leith likes at the age of 82 - apart from a drink! - it’s a challenge. It’s the reason the TV presenter, chef, writer of bestsellers and director of a brand-new TV production company has chosen this moment to embark on an international tour of one-woman shows to tell some of her stories.

And there are plenty of stories to tell: her childhood in Africa, her years in Paris, her glittering career in cooking and as a pioneering businesswoman… and, of course, her judging role on The Great British Bake Off.

“At the end of the first shows, I thought, I must be mad,” says Prue with a chuckle from behind some outsize multi-coloured spectacles. She’s talking about her early tryouts of Nothing In Moderation, the show that starts with highlights from her glittering life against a backdrop of personal photographs“mostly funny” - and “clips of past disasters’, before moving into an audience questionand-answer session after the interval. “I was so frightened, but by the time I did New York, I absolutely loved it and realised why people become addicted to doing one-man - or onewoman - shows. The audience was on my side, the atmosphere was terrific, and I just had a ball.”

The UK leg of Prue’s tour kicked off in February and goes “all over the place”, ending up at the Palladium. “Imagine!” she laughs. “What the hell am I doing?”

The whole show is done pretty much chronologically - though Prue admits she sometimes gets over-excited and jumps around a little, starting with her saying to the audience that “probably the one thing you know about me is that I eat cake for a living on telly”.

“Basically because I’ve lived such a long life, there’s quite a lot that’s interesting. How I failed at university in Cape Town, how I went off to Paris and fell in love with food, how I started as a chef-for-hire in a bedsit in Earl’s Court, going around in a little bubble car delivering food. And I tell lots of disaster stories. People love to hear what goes wrong. And you only have to have a member of the royal family come into a situation and everything automatically goes wrong.”

Prue illustrates that belief with a story about

how she had to present the late Queen with a simple cup of tea and managed to mess it up completely, adding lemon, taking out lemon, making it too weak, ruining the tea-tray… “It should be easy enough, shouldn’t it? I still feel ashamed that I couldn’t present our beloved Queen with a simple cup of tea. But I actually have quite a few royal disaster stories, which the audiences love!”

And yet she still got the Damehood! “It did take me 50 years,” she laughs. “I blame that cup of tea!”

In the 1980s, after she had sold her businesses - a cooking school, a catering business and a restaurant - Prue found herself sitting, usually as the only woman, on a lot of high-powered company boards, representing the customer and women in general to groups of men in grey suits, who treated her as something of a novelty. “There weren’t many women very high up in business back in the ’80s, especially not running their own businesses, and so I got a lot of these jobs: Halifax, Sainsbury’s, Whitbread, British Rail…”

She tells the story of the time she started on one particular board with 16 older men, mostly Scottish engineers. When she got up “because I was dying for a wee but was too shy”, all 16 men stood respectfully “to bow me out of the room!” They then stood up again when she came back in. “The first time I opened my mouth was to say ‘Now look, guys, you’ve got to treat me like a chap! You can’t keep jumping up and down!’”

The reason these stories are so inspirational is not that Prue is fearless but rather that she feels the fear… and does it anyway. “I’m always a bit nervous,” she admits - and not least when she first went on stage, which she says terrified her so much that she could feel her heart hammering. “But John does turn up in the interval with a whisky…” John, her second husband, lives in a virtually ‘cakefree house’ and jokes that he should have married Mary Berry instead of Prue.

It’s not the whisky that makes the second half of the show go easier but the fact that Prue takes questions from the audience, some of which she’s not permittedcontractually - to answer. “People want to know about things that happen off-screen in Bake Off, and I’m not allowed to tell them

about that,” she explains, adding that she also won’t talk about who she beat to the Bake Off job when Mary Berry left.

“I can say I lie in a hammock between shots, but I think they’re longing to know whether Paul Hollywood’s eyes are really that blue. Paul and I get on really well because we both care a lot about food and we know the same people.” Prue actually phoned Mary Berry to ask about Paul before she took the job. The main advice from Mary was “You have to hold your own.”

As for Bake Off presenters Noel and Matt... “They are like 15-year-old children,” says Prue. “I just don’t understand their sense of humour, I mostly don’t get their jokes, and I’m the butt of most of them because I don’t get any of the innuendos. They think a sausage is something to laugh about. I don’t get it, but I love them dearly.’

Embarking on a major international tour at the age of 82, in a tour bus - “I’d love groupies,” she jokes, “I’m all for attention!”isn’t what most people are thinking about doing at that stage in their lives. For most people of 80-plus, surely it’s more about sitting at home with a slice of cake and a cup of tea, watching Pointless? “That’s the last thing I want to do!” laughs Prue. “Not that I don’t love Pointless. I just have a lot of energy and want to do stuff. I’m not sure you shouldn’t have a revolution in your life every few years. I did food for the first 25 years, then I sold all the companies because I wanted to write novels, so for the next 20 years I wrote novels and the autobiography. Then it was television…”

Given that she has a tour bus and an entourage, you can’t help but wonder if she also has a rock’n’roll rider - the list that rock stars send ahead to the venue, outlining how many bottles of Jack Daniels are required for backstage. Prue wasn’t aware that such a thing existed. When she finds out, she smiles that smile of hers, turns to someone and shouts “I think we need a rider!”

Prue Leith takes to the stage at The Alexandra, Birmingham, on Sunday 12 March

Film highlights in March...

Shazam! Fury Of The Gods

CERT 12a (130 mins)

Starring Zachary Levi, Helen Mirren, Meagan Good, Grace Caroline Currey, Lucy Liu, Adam Brody, Rachel Zegler Directed by David F. Sandberg

It’s fair to say that in the US comic-book giants’ ongoing battle for cinematic supremacy, Marvel has pretty much had DC in a long-term headlock. But it’s not been all bad news for the latter. Among a handful of superhero success stories was 2019’s Shazam!, telling the story of how young Billy Batson became ‘the world’s mightiest mortal’. It’s not surprising, therefore, that four years later there is a much-anticipated sequel offering, with fans of the character crossing fingers that Fury Of The Gods is every bit as funny, inventive and engaging as the first film. Zachary Levi again dons the spandex, this time finding himself pitted against the Daughters of Atlas, one of whom is played by Helen Mirren, making her DC Extended Universe debut.

Released Fri 17 March

Creed III CERT tbc (116 mins)

Starring Jonathan Majors, Michael B Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Wood Harris, Florian Munteanu, Phylicia Rashad

Directed by Michael B Jordan

After dominating the boxing world, Adonis Creed (Michael B Jordan) has been thriving in both his career and family life. When a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy, Damian (Jonathan Majors), resurfaces after doing time in jail, he is eager to prove that he deserves his shot in the ring. But the face-off that follows between the two former friends is more than just a fight. To settle the score, Adonis must put his future on the line, and in Damian face up to a fighter who has nothing to lose...

This latest installment in the successful sports drama franchise sees Jordan making his directorial debut.

Released Fri 3 March

Scream VI CERT 15 (123 mins)

Starring Melissa Barrera, Courteney Cox, Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Hayden Panettiere Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett

65 CERT tbc

Starring Adam Driver, Ariana Greenblatt, Chloe Coleman, Nika King

Directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods

“It doesn’t feel like ‘part six’; it feels like you’re watching this big, huge, fresh reinvention. I love, love, love, love it!...” So says Kevin Williamson, the writer of the original Scream movie, who is executive producing this latest installment of the hugely successful horror franchise. “I’ve watched the movie with a big smile on my face,” Kevin told SyFy Wire. “I think it’s everything and more... The movie feels new, it feels fresh, it feels like a new movie.”

A direct follow-up to last year’s Scream, which took place over two decades after the infamous Woodsboro killings, Part Six sees the four survivors of the Ghostface murders heading for New York City - only to find themselves in a fight for their lives when a new killer embarks on a bloody rampage...

Released Fri 10 March

Adam Driver takes the lead role in a film that really could go either way at the box officemaking Tyrannosaurus Rex-sized profits or quickly establishing itself as an early contender for ‘flop of the year’. After a catastrophic crash on an unknown planet, pilot Mills quickly discovers he’s actually stranded on Earth - 65 million years ago. Now, with only one chance at a rescue, Mills and the only other survivor, Koa, must make their way across an unknown terrain riddled with dangerous prehistoric creatures.

Released Fri 10 March

Allelujah

CERT 12a (99 mins)

Starring Jennifer Saunders, Bally Gill, David Bradley, Russell Tovey, Derek Jacobi, Judi Dench Directed by Richard Eyre

Now here’s a film that will hopefully warm the cockles for cinema-goers who love a good British movie.

With the screenplay by Heidi Thomas, who’s best known for her writing contribution across all 12 series of BBC television’s Call The Midwife, Allelujah is based on Alan Bennett’s play of the same name and boasts an all-star cast.

A warm and humorous story about surviving old age, the film’s action takes place in a small Yorkshire hospital, the geriatric ward of which is threatened with closure. Until, that is, the local community decides to fight back...

Released Fri 17 March

Pearl CERT 15 (102 mins)

Starring Mia Goth, David Corenswet, Tandi Wright, Matthew Sunderland, Emma JenkinsPurro, Alistair Sewell Directed by Ti West Filmmaker Ti West here makes a swift return with a prequel movie to his 2022 slasher pic, X. Set some 60 years before the events of the first film - which saw a group of young filmmakers fall foul of murderous elderly couple Pearl & Howard on a rural Texas property - the film focuses on how Pearl became a killer. The movie premiered last autumn at the Venice International Film Festival, and in common with X, scored a major hit with the critics.

Legendary Goodfellas and Taxi Driver director Martin Scorsese was also impressed. He hailed it “a wild, mesmerising, deeply - and I mean deeplydisturbing 102 minutes”, revealing that it left him “enthralled, then disturbed, then so unsettled that I had trouble getting to sleep”. Praise indeed.

Released Fri 17 March

A Good Person

Allison seemingly has it all: wonderful fiance; blossoming career; supportive family and friends. But then a fatal car accident involving her soon-to-be-sister-in-law shatters her world and catapults her into a downward spiral of addiction and unresolved grief.

Mummies CERT PG (88 mins)

With the voices of Sean Bean, Joe Thomas, Eleanor Tomlinson, Hugh Bonneville, Celia Imrie, Dan Starkey

Directed by Juan Jesús García Galocha

Juan Jesús García Galocha’s feature directorial debut follows the adventures of three mummies - a princess, a former charioteer and his younger brother - who live in a secret underground city, hidden in ancient Egypt.

Through a series of unfortunate events, the mummies end up in present-day London. There, they embark on a ‘wacky and hilarious’ quest for an old ring, belonging to the royal family, which was stolen by the ambitious archaeologist Lord Carnaby.

Released Fri 31 March

The road back is a hard one - but when she forms an unlikely friendship with her wouldbe-father-in-law, Allison begins to see an unexpected light at the end of a very dark tunnel...

Released Fri 24 March

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

CERT tbc (134 mins)

Starring Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Hugh Grant Directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein

A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic - but things go dangerously awry when they fall foul of the wrong people...

The playful spirit of Dungeons & Dragons, the much-loved and long-established roleplaying game from which the film takes its main title, is very much alive and well in this action-packed adventure.

“It’s Game Of Thrones mixed with a little Princess Bride and just a smidge of Holy Grail,” lead actor Chris Pine told Collider.

“It’s a lot of fun. It’s got a lot of thrills. It’s poppy, it’s ’80s heartfelt, there’s a bit of Goonies in there...

“We had a great cast and we had a good time making it. And that’s all you can ask for.”

Released Fri 31 March

CERT 15 (129 mins)

Starring Florence Pugh, Morgan Freeman, Celeste O’Connor, Molly Shannon, Chinaza Uche, Zoe Lister-Jones Directed by Zach Braff

Rhythm & Passion

Strictly stars Karen Hauer and Gorka Marquez return with Firedance, featuring fresh flavours and super-charged choreography...

by Jules Boyle

Tell us about the new show...

Karen: This is our third year doing Firedance. The first year, we only got six shows in before it got stopped by the pandemic, so it still feels very new and exciting! It’s a show that is fresh, it’s sexy and it’s just a celebration! We have all the dances that the audiences love, like our tangos, our sambas and our salsas. It just celebrates all the fun we have together and everything we love to share with people. We just love dancing together so much, so we’re bringing that joy out onto the stage for everyone to have fun with us!

What’s different this time around?

Gorka: It’s still along the lines of what we did before, but we’ve remade some of the show and brought in some more uplifting songs, some more modern songs and a fair few surprises too. The idea is still the same obviously - we’re going to be dancing all night, there’s lots of fire and a lot of energy. Everything people loved about it the last time is still there, just with some new things brought in which we think really add a new spark to the whole thing.

The previous shows have been really wellreceived. How did you go about changing it up while still keeping in everything that people loved the last time around?

Karen: We have a great creative team. For us, it’s always about the volume when you do a show, as you can hear and feel when a number really, really connects with the audience. So it’s always fun to be able to evolve and change things up. You have an idea what people are really going to respond to, and the challenge then is to be able to give them that. It’s like a little puzzle, putting it all together and seeing which parts worked, which parts didn’t so much, and what you can do to constantly be improving the whole show.

Although you’re the stars, Firedance is as much about the other performers and the production itself as it is about the pair of you. Why is that so important for you to ensure?

Gorka: As Karen said, we have an amazing team with us, so the production is always huge and of the highest standard. From day one, though, when we were looking for dancers, singers, musicians and so on, we were determined to get the most amazing ones we could find. That way, when we aren’t on stage, the show is still amazing - with the

level everyone is at, you can’t help getting lost in it for the full 90 minutes. For us, it’s all about the dancing, the music and the performers.

How much does having your own show free you from the constraints of the ballroom?

Karen: We’ve trained in so many different styles, and being able to utilise that is really special. Obviously we can do all the waltzes and tangoes etc, which we do in our own way, and we do enjoy putting things in there that we know people really like to see, but there are still dances we actually don’t like. Every dancer has some, so it’s great to have the freedom to just do the things we love, and I think that comes over in the performances. We like the fire dances; we like the strong, rhythmical dances that have power behind them. At the same time, though, we do have some very simple, beautiful and understated numbers that people love to see. So there’s a good mix in there, but it’s all the things we love. The fact we have a background in different styles is a good thing, so why not put it out there and show ourselves in a different light?

One of the biggest things that people loved at the previous shows was the huge production and in particular the massive amounts of fire you have onstage. Like the rest of the show, is that another element that you will be taking to the next level this time around?

Gorka: I think it’s going to be even more epic than it was before, to be honest. The production, and the fire in particular, was always hugely important to us. Like the music and the dancing, we really wanted to make sure that the other aspects of the show stepped up another gear too. What we have in store this time around is just incredible. I think people would be blown away by it even if there was nothing else happening on the stage! We’re already planning on stepping it up even more for next year’s show, too!

If you had to pick one thing, what would be your favourite part of the show?

Gorka: I love every part of it, but in a funny way, I love the last number which we used to do. It was so fun and upbeat! We’d always end up getting the giggles, as we don’t take ourselves too seriously and just have a laugh with it. I’m sure that will be the same with the new one.

Karen: I agree. The fact that we get to be so creative, and do something that allows us to

be so proud of ourselves and our team, really means so much to us - so that moment at the end of the night is always really special. It doesn’t feel like a job; it’s more like a gig that we just happen to be at. It doesn’t feel choreographed in a way, as there’s so much freedom in it, which is what we want the audience to feel too. It’s just such a liberating feeling to be up there with everyone.

Across all the years you’ve been on Strictly, you’ve inspired so many young people to take up dancing, either for fun or as a career. What advice would you like to give them?

Gorka: I would just say that if it’s something you love, just do it. If you are a dancer and are passionate about it, put all your effort into it 24/7, as nothing is easy in life. If you really want it, don’t let anyone try and take that passion away from you. Work hard and love it every day. Standards are high, so if you don’t love it, you’ll quit, but if you do… just do it.

Karen: I couldn’t agree more with that. It’s all about discipline. You have to be so disciplined with yourself and be very aware of all the ups and downs. The ups are going to feel amazing, though, as the downs are the things that will push you harder to feel the ups when they happen! You have to be always listening and learning, as you’re always a beginner in a way. That’s why I’m always ready to be watching and learning from anyone in front of me, whether they have just started or have been doing it for a long time. Always be learning and get ready to work hard, as it never stops. It’s not to scare anybody, but no matter how far you go or how much success you have, in order to keep that success, you need to keep working hard. But it’s worth it!

What do you think the future holds for you?

Karen: I’m not ready to hang up my shoes yet, put it that way! In fact, I can’t see my drive ever retiring, as once you do, what’s left? It’s lovely for people who do enjoy retirement, but I don’t ever want this to end; I’ll always want to be involved in the arts and in dancing. It’ll always be a part of my life. I’ll go as far as I can and for as long as I can, that’s for sure!

Firedance shows at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, on Friday 31 March

Foka Wolf: Why Are We Stuck In Hospital

Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, Sun 19 March

This latest Ikon exhibition is a response to a project conducted by the School of Social Policy at the University of Birmingham, working in partnership with rights-based organisation Changing Our Lives.

The project aims to raise awareness of the 2,000 autistic people and/or individuals with learning disabilities who live in hospital settings for long periods of time, often for many years and with no planned date to leave.

The Ikon exhibition is the work of Birmingham-based artist & activist Foka Wolf, who has become well known as a result of his ‘subvertisements’, which parody corporate and political posters. Foka’s interventions serve the purpose of posing questions about the city’s infrastructure and whether it meets the needs of its community.

Paying Respects: Money And Mortality

Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham, until spring 2024

Having been struck in tribute to emperors, monarchs and leadersand also used in many of the rituals and routines that mark the passage from life to the afterlife - coins of historical significance are invariably accompanied by some fascinating stories.

That’s certainly true of the examples on show in this ongoing Barber display. The exhibition draws from a superlative collection that features caches of Byzantine, Trapezuntine and Sasanian currency, as well as significant holdings of Roman and medieval coins.

Living Traditions: A Director’s Acquisitions Of Works On Paper

Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham, until Mon 10 July

Nicola Kalinsky acquired 53 works on paper by a whole variety of artists during her nine years as the Barber’s sixth director. Her acquisitions added to an already world-class collection of drawings (the venue owns 343 ) and prints (596). In Living Traditions, Nicola has curated a selection of these works, primarily focusing on examples that feature the human figure.

From The Cornish Coast To The Malvern Hills...

Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum, Sat 4 March - Sat 1 July

Characteristically painting en plein air with free brushstrokes and joyful colours, British Impressionists focused on the interplay between working people, families at leisure and the landscapes in which they lived.

Bringing together works from the Worcester City collection, the Bowerman Trust and Southampton Art Gallery, this fascinating exhibition celebrates the links between Worcestershire and the Newlyn school of artists, who played a significant role in what is widely considered to have been a ‘magical moment’ in British art history.

The exhibition includes paintings by Stanhope Forbes, Dame Laura Knight and Elizabeth Forbes. Artworks by Camille and Lucian Pissarro represent the influence of French Impressionists.

Craftspace: Queer & Metals

Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham, until Sun 2 April

The multiplicity of queerness is here explored via metalwork and metalsmithing, in an exhibition that makes visible the ways in which LGBTQIA+ creatives are shaping, disrupting and contributing to contemporary culture.

Featuring artworks, video interviews and an Instagram campaign, the Craftspace presentation aims to ‘make connections within a diverse, intersectional, complex and fluid community of making’.

SnapperSquad ‘Natural World’ Exhibition

The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-onTrent, until Sun 16 April

SnapperSquad is an independent group of amateur photographers living across North Staffordshire & South Cheshire. Their latest exhibition showcases their natural-history interests and technical abilities, which they hope will encourage other amateur photographers to try different ways of photographing a vast array of subjects.

Image: Forbes (Stanhope Alexander), Chadding on Mounts Bay, 1902

Dippy In Coventry: The Nation’s Favourite Dinosaur

Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry, until Tues 21 February 2026

The Natural History Museum’s iconic Diplodocus cast - life-size, made of plaster-of-paris, and affectionately referred to as Dippy - has taken up residence in Coventry for an initial period of three years.

Diplodocus carnegii, to give it its official name, lived during the Late Jurassic period, somewhere between 155 and 145 million years ago. Huge, plant-eating

The Moon

Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery, until Sun 16 April

More than 50 years

after Neil Armstrong’s ‘giant leap for mankind’, the moon continues to fascinate. This family-friendly exhibition not only invites visitors to relive moments in lunar discovery and exploration but also features ‘real, touchable moon rock’.

The exhibition is accompanied by a series of workshops and events. To find out more about these, visit the venue’s website.

dinosaurs with long, whip-like tails, they grew to about 25 metres in length and are believed to have weighed around 15 tonnes, making them three tonnes heavier than a London double-decker bus. Dippy first arrived in London in 1905 and recently visited Birmingham as part of an eight-city tour that attracted a recordbreaking two million visitors.

Breaking The Mould

New Art Gallery, Walsall, until Sun 16 April Surveying the post-war period and exploring the art of more than 40 female sculptors, Breaking The Mould addresses the many accounts of British sculpture that have marginalised women or airbrushed their work from art history altogether.

The works on show have been selected from the Arts Council Collection, which holds more than 250 sculptures by more than 150 women.

A wide range of digital resources have been developed to accompany the exhibition.

Shemza Digital: Across Generations

Wolverhampton Art Gallery, until Sun 16 April A hybrid exhibition featuring ‘the physical experience of the work at the art gallery’ and an online version on the venue’s website, Shemza Digital displays examples of the output of celebrated British Pakistani Modernist artist Anwar Jalal Shemza, presented alongside artworks by his granddaughter, Aphra. The exhibition features participatory digital projections - inviting viewers to create their own digital paintings - and interactive architectural sculptures that respond to visitors’ movements. A specially commissioned soundscape fuses traditional South Asian instruments with drone & ambient electronic sounds.

Tudor Mystery: A Master Painter Revealed

Compton Verney, Warwickshire, until Sun 7 May If you have an interest in art history and also fancy trying your hand at some Sherlock Holmesstyle detective work, then this is the exhibition for you...

The ‘Tudor mystery’ of the title revolves around the Master of the Countess of Warwick, an important, talented and largely forgotten painter who played a pivotal role in the development of portraiture in Britain. His identity remains unknown.

A Master Painter Revealed not only offers visitors the chance to speculate about who the artist was, but also takes a look at the production of art in Tudor Britain and the ways in which art historians use evidence to determine authorship.

The exhibition features numerous loans from public and private collections across the UK and Ireland, many of which are rarely displayed.

National Outdoor Expo

NEC, Birmingham, Sat 18 & Sun 19 March

For those who love the outdoors, The National Outdoor Expo provides all the inspiration, kit, tech, nutrition information and general advice needed for your next adventure.

The show offers the opportunity to take part in a range of performance workshops and get your adrenaline going via one of the many family-friendly interactive features (think paddle boarding, zip lining and open water swimming, to name but a few).

Contributions from some of the world’s greatest outdoor enthusiasts and familiar faces - including Ben Fogle, Julia Bradbury, Hamza Yassin, Helen Skelton and Ray Mears - further add to the show’s appeal.

YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships

Utilita Arena Birmingham, Tues 14 - Sat 19 March

The world’s oldest and most prestigious badminton tournament (it was first held in 1899), the YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships returns to Utilita Arena this month.

The 2023 edition of the event marks the 30th anniversary of the tournament being held at the popular Birmingham venue. Commenting on this month’s championships,

organisers Badminton England said: “Nothing can prepare you for watching the greatest badminton players in the world play live.

“The speed, agility and skill needed to compete at the highest level is breathtaking, and the passion and noise of some of the most committed fans in the world needs to be experienced to be believed.”

Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show

NEC, Birmingham, Fri 24 - Sun 26 March

Whether you’re looking to reignite your passion for cars, finish a restoration project or simply want to reminisce with family and friends over the classic cars on display, the Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show is the event for you.

The show brings together 1000-plus cars, 150-plus car clubs representing a wide variety of marques and models, and 250-plus exhibitors and autojumblers, including restoration companies, services providers and product suppliers.

Famous petrolheads making a contribution to the show include Richard Hammond, Ant Anstead and Mike Brewer.

Homebuilding & Renovating Show

NEC, Birmingham, Thurs 23 - Sun 26 March

If you’re looking to give your humble abode an upgrade in 2023, The Homebuilding & Renovating Show is well worth checking out. Visitors to the event can access tailored oneto-one advice, browse thousands of new and

innovative products, and discover the ins and outs of everything from planning regulations for extensions and managing renovation budgets, to stylish kitchen design and integrating underfloor heating.

Events previews from around the region Events

The Kids’ Festival

Staffordshire County Showground, Sun 12 March

Aimed at families with children aged between one and 11, The Kids’ Festival features a wide range of interactive activities. Attractions include bouncy castles and fairground rides, electric cars, BMX stunt shows, messy play, baby massage, a climbing wall, face painting, workshops in cookery and sports, and the chance to meet princesses and superheroes. Everything (aside from food & drink and merchandise) is included in the ticket price. Babies-in-arms go free.

Famously described as ‘black by day and red by night’ - a phrase coined at a time when the local furnaces churned out smoke and grime during the daytime and glowed after darkthe Black Country played a pivotal role in the Industrial Revolution.

To celebrate this legacy, Black Country Living Museum is this month opening its doors after hours for its Red By Night event, an evening

of live entertainment, industrial demonstrations, steam action and living history.

The special event is always a welcome addition to the venue’s list of attractions, which also includes a traditional sweet shop, underground mine, a 1950s pub and a hugely popular fish & chip shop.

Peppa Pig’s Aquarium Adventure

National SEA LIFE Centre Birmingham, until Fri 2 June

This brand-new event sees Peppa Pig diving into a Sea Life Centre adventure and making friends with some of the venue’s 2,000 underwater creatures.

Families can take part in a fun interactive

trail around the aquarium, along the way spotting seahorses, counting starfish and finding out how fast sharks can swim. A variety of fun activities also feature, including bracelet and jigsaw-making.

Aston Alive: Big Book Day Takeover

Aston Hall, Birmingham, Sun 19 March

Aston Hall comes alive this month with wellknown storybook characters who’ve escaped from their stories and taken over the famous venue. And families attending the Big Book Day Takeover had better keep their wits about them, because alongside princesses, knights and heroes there’s likely to be foul witches, fierce beasts and evil villains!

Red By Night Black Country Living Museum, Dudley, Fri 24 & Sat 25 March

Self Esteem - O2 Institute, Birmingham

Bassem Youssef - The Old Rep, Birmingham

Shell Suit Cher: Believe In Bingo - Old Joint Stock Theatre

thelist

VISUAL ARTS IN THE MIDLANDS

The Barber Institute Of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

LIVING TRADITIONS: A DIRECTOR’S ACQUISITIONS OF WORKS ON PAPER An exhibition focusing on examples that feature the human figure, until Mon 10 July

PAYING RESPECTS: MONEY AND MORTALITY A compelling exhibition featuring highlights from the Barber’s superlative coin collection, which includes world-class caches of Byzantine, Trapezuntine and Sasanian currency, as well as significant holdings of Roman and medieval coins, until Sun 25 June, 2024.

Ikon Gallery

HORROR IN THE MODERNIST BLOCK

High-rise towers. Concrete buildings. In an exhibition featuring the work of 20 contemporary artists, these modernist structures are viewed through the lens of the horror genre with which they are often associated in dystopian fiction, until Mon 1 May

performance, until Sun 5 March, New Art Gallery, Walsall

PR1V4TES: SUKI CHUMBER Featuring portrait photography investigating the cultural phenomenon of personalised car registration plates, until Sun 26 March

GEORGIA REDPATH:

NATURE/ARCHITECTURE Featuring new works exploring how ‘pattern and geometry lie at the heart of everything on our planet’, until Sun 26 March, Stourbridge Glass Museum

VANLEY BURKE: A GIFT TO BIRMINGHAM

Exhibition comprising 17 portraits representing the stories of members of Migrant Voice - a migrant-led organisation with a hub in Birmingham, until Fri 31 March, Handsworth Library

BREAKING THE MOULD Major touring exhibition challenging the maledominated narratives of post-war British sculpture by presenting a diverse and significant range of ambitious work by women, until Sun 16 April, New Art Gallery, Walsall

SHEMZA: ACROSS GENERATIONS

Featuring the work of renowned British Pakistani Modernist artist Anwar Jalal Shemza alongside the contemporary practice of Aphra Shemza, the artist’s granddaughter, until Sun 16 April, Wolverhampton Art Gallery

Midlands Arts Centre (MAC)

CRAFTSPACE: {QUEER} + {METALS}

The multiplicity of queerness is here explored via metalwork and metalsmithing, in an exhibition that makes visible the ways in which LGBTQIA+ creatives are shaping, disrupting and contributing to contemporary culture, until Sun 2 April

GRAYSON’S ART CLUB: THE EXHIBITION

III Major exhibition featuring over 100 artworks selected by Grayson Perry, his wife Philippa, and guest celebrities during season three of the popular TV series, Grayson’s Art Club, until Sun 16 April

RBSA Gallery, Birmingham

RBSA PHOTOGRAPHY PRIZE A biennially hosted exhibition featuring 100 works from over 70 artists, Thurs 2 March - Wed 19 April

Elsewhere:

WEST MIDLANDS OPEN RESIDENCY

AWARD: COURTNEY WELCOME

Exploration of race politics, identity and social justice via painting, installation, assemblage and

Gigs

MUSICAL YOUTH + PAT

SHARP Wed 1 March, The Jam House, Jewellery Quarter

MURDOCK SWALES BAND

Wed 1 March, The Dark Horse, Moseley

CALL ME KARIZMA +

LETDOWN Wed 1 March, The Asylum

JEZ LOWE + SMALL

CHANGES Wed 1 March, Red Lion Folk Club

BAD OMENS Wed 1

March, The Mill, Digbeth

SELF ESTEEM Thurs 2

HERE&QUEER Exhibition in which members of the LGBTQ+ community take ownership of the gallery’s collections and re-interpret them from a queer perspective, until Sun 28 May

CRASH - THE PERFECT POP SONG

Exhibition celebrating 35 years of the Primitives’ song, Crash, and the history of the Coventry band. Visitors to the museum will also be able to partake in photo opportunities and Crash karaoke, until December 2023. Coventry Music Museum

PORTRAIT MINIATURES: HIGHLIGHTS

FROM THE GRANTCHESTER COLLECTION Showcasing over 40 miniatures from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, many of which will be shown in public from the first time, until Sun 31 Dec, Compton Verney, Warwickshire

POP PARADE Showcasing the gallery’s most iconic pop artworks by leading British and American artists, until Sun 31 Dec

TUDOR MYSTERY: A MASTER PAINTER

REVEALED The world’s first exhibition devoted to an important, talented and largely forgotten painter known as the Master of the Countess of Warwick, Sat 4 Feb - Sun 7 May, Compton Verney, Warwickshire

March, O2 Institute, Digbeth

Conservatoire

MAZ O’CONNOR Thurs 2

March, The Kitchen

Garden, Kings Heath

BLOCK 33 + SHARP

CLASS Fri 3 March, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath

PARADISE CIRCUS +

MANTARRAY + OPEN

ARMS + ELIZA MAY +

THE MASSES Fri 3

March, The Sunflower Lounge

MIDNIGHT CITY SOUL

BAND Fri 3 March, The

Night Owl

HUNDRED REASONS +

HELL IS FOR HEROES +

MY VITRIOL Fri 3 March, O2 Institute, Digbeth

PUNK ROCK FACTORY Fri

3 March, O2 Academy

HYDE PROJECT Fri 3

March, The Asylum

TURIN BRAKES Fri 3

March, Birmingham

Town Hall

CIGARETTE SOCIAL CLUB + ALICE LILY Fri 3

March, The Rainbow, Digbeth

JOCELYN PETTIT & ELLEN

PALOOKA 5 Sat 4 March, The Night Owl

ELIZA + KEMI ADE Sat 4

March, O2 Institute, Birmingham

ISAIAH RASHAD Sat 4

March, O2 Institute, Digbeth

THE SMITHS LTD Sat 4

March, Castle & Falcon

LEFT TO DIE Sat 4

March, The Asylum

DANIEL MARTINEZ Sat 4

March, Birmingham

Town Hall

LEVELLERS Sat 4 March, Symphony Hall

AC/DC UK Sat 4 March, The Mill, Digbeth

SAY LESS +

SPOTLESSMIND + THE

JACQUERIE + CITRUS Sat 4 March, The Victoria

JACK GOODALL AND THE KICK Sat 4 March, Fairfield Village Hall, Bromsgrove

JUNODEF Sun 5 March, The Sunflower Lounge

CLAIRE ANGEL + LEKKY + NAOMI DAWES +

NATTY OLA + SHAN

HOWLETT + SHENAI

Thurs 2 March, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath

LYNKS + VLURE Thurs 2

March, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath

NOVA TWINS + WITCH

FEVER + UNINVITED

Thurs 2 March, O2

Academy

3 SIXTIES Thurs 2

March, The Jam House, Jewellery Quarter

TONY BIANCO, FAITH

BRACKENBURY AND JOHN

POPE Thurs 2 March, Royal Birmingham

GIRA Fri 3 March, The Kitchen Garden, Kings Heath

FATBOY SLIM Fri 3 - Sat 4

March, O2 Academy

BLACK SPIDERS + BUNKER 9 Sun 5 March, The Asylum

MOMENTS OF PLEASURE: THE MUSIC OF KATE BUSH Sun 5 March, Fletchers Bar

Turin Brakes - Birmingham Town Hall

Junodef - The Sunflower Lounge

Classical Music

CINQUECENTO RENAISSANCE VOKAL

Featuring Terry Wey (countertenor), Achim Schulz & Tore Tom Denys (tenor), Tim Scott Whiteley (baritone) & Ulfried Staber (bass), Wed 1 March, Elgar Concert Hall, The Bramall, University of Birmingham

CBSO: THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS

Featuring Sir Andrew Davis (conductor), Alice Coote (mezzo soprano), Brendon Gunnell (tenor), Ashley Riches (bass baritone) & the CBSO Chorus, Thurs 2 March, Symphony Hall, Birmingham

ARIS QUARTET Programme includes works by Schulhoff, John Woolrich & Schubert, Thurs 2 March, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

ETERNAL LOVE: TINGGUANG LI (TENOR)

Also featuring Jonathan French (piano). Programme includes works by Ireland, Finzo, Tosti, Hughes, Quilter, Gastaldon, Fauré, Vaughan Williams, Hahn, Handel, Lehár & more... Thurs 2 March, Recital Hall, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

RESPIGHI’S ROME Featuring Dexter Drown (conductor), Andy Rowe & Ishan Bhadra (pianos). Programme includes works by Respighi & Rachmaninov, Thurs 2 March, The Bradshaw Hall, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

CBSO: METAMORPHOSEN Featuring Eugene Tzikindelean & Philip Brett (violins), Adam Römer & Jessica Tickle (violas), Eduardo Vassallo & Arthur Boutllier (cellos) & Jeremy Watt (double bass). Programme includes works by Haydn, Brumby & Furtok, Fri 3 March, CBSO Centre, Birmingham

ROYAL SUTTON COLDFIELD ORCHESTRA: YOUNG SOLOISTS’ CONCERT Featuring Bob Vivian (conductor) & Jeremy Blunt (leader). Programme includes works by Mozart, Albinoni, Bruch, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Addinsell & Delibes, Sat 4 March, All Saints Church, Streetly, Sutton Coldfield

Comedy

JACK BARRY Wed 1 March, The Glee Club, Birmingham

GRACE CAMPBELL Thurs 2 March, The Glee Club, Birmingham

SPENCER JONES, JONNY PELHAM & DAVE LONGLEY Thurs 2 March, Hockley Social Club, Birmingham

COMEDY CAROUSEL WITH ANDY

ROBINSON, DARREN HARRIOT & ALLYSON SMITH Thurs 2 March, The Glee Club, Birmingham

LINDSEY SANTORO, JORDAN DUCHARME, DAVE LONGLEY & JON PEARSON Fri 3 March, Rosies Nightclub, B’ham

ROSIE JONES Fri 3 March, The Glee

Club, Birmingham

RAY BRADSHAW Fri 3 March, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry

JAKE LAMBERT, LIAM PICKFORD, DARREN HARRIOT & ALLYSON SMITH Fri

3 - Sat 4 March, The Glee Club, Birmingham

MATT RICHARDSON, PETER BRUSH, FINLAY CHRISTIE & KAREN BAYLEY Sat 4 March, Rosies Nightclub, B’ham

BABATUNDE ALÉSHÉ & AURIE STYLA Sat

4 March, The Glee Club, Birmingham

FERN BRADY & CELYA AB Sun 5 March, The Glee Club, Birmingham

SIMON BRODKIN Sun 5 March, The Old Rep, Birmingham

Theatre

ANOTHER LOVER’S DISCOURSE

Palestinian artist Riham fuses interviews, video, music, performance and film footage to explore the complexity of love and relationships, until Wed 1 March, The Rep, Birmingham

THE TEMPEST Alex Kingston plays Prospero in Shakespeare’s elemental tale of survival and forgiveness, until Sat 4 March, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon

THE WAY OLD FRIENDS DO World premiere of a new comedy about devotion, desire and dancing queens, until Sat 4 March, The Rep, Birmingham

Ayden Callaghan (Emmerdale, Hollyoaks) in this new production based on the smash-hit film, until Sat 4 March, Regent Theatre, Stoke-onTrent

IDIOTS ASSEMBLE: SPITTING IMAGE

SAVES THE WORLD Join the Spitting Image puppets in this world premiere, in which King Charles enlists Tom Cruise to save Great Britain, until Sat 11 March, The Rep, Birmingham

A FAMILY BUSINESS China Plate and Staatstheater Mainz’s show about ‘how not to blow up the planet’, Wed 1 - Thurs 2 March, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry

THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE Performed by Birmingham Savoyards, Wed 1Fri 3 March, Old Rep, Birmingham

I FEEL LOVE An insight into the queer nightlife that sustained a community through the AIDS crisis, Thurs 2 March, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry

MAD(E) Mandala Theatre Company present ‘an epic story of life, death, and everything in between’, Thurs 2Fri 3 March, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry

GOOD GRIEF Multi-award-winning physical comedy company Ugly Bucket process the death of a friend in the only way they know howthrough ‘a kinetic maelstrom of outrageous clowning, personal testimony and a thumping techno soundtrack’, Thurs 2 - Sat 4 March, The Rep, Birmingham

BUGSY MALONE SOSage Factory present an amateur version of Alan Parker’s 1976 film, Thurs 2 - Sat 4 March, The Core Theatre, Solihull

Kids Theatre

SIX From Tudor queens to pop princesses, the six wives of Henry VIII take to the mic to tell their tales, remixing 500 years of historical heartbreak into an 80-minute celebration of 21st-century girl power, until Sat 4 Mar, Birmingham Hippodrome

AN INSPECTOR CALLS Stephen Daldry’s multi-award-winning National Theatre production of JB Priestley’s classic thriller, until Sat 4 March, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry

THE KING AND I Call The Midwife’s Helen George stars as Anna in a new version of Bartlett Sher’s iconic musical, until Sat 4 March, The Alexandra, Birmingham

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN Amateur production based on Paula Hawkins’ international bestseller, until Sat Sat 4 March, Crescent Theatre, Birmingham

THE BODYGUARD Ex-Pussycat Doll

Melody Thornton stars alongside

FEE FI FO FUM An immersive and interactive theatre experience, created for young people with sensory needs, Sat 4 March, Crescent Theatre, Birmingham

THE DARK Peut-Être Theatre presents a show for younger audiences. Follow Lazlo on his journey to meet the dark, and find out why it will never bother him again... Sun 5 March, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry

PYJAMA CONCERT: SNOOZY STORIES & YAWNY YARNS Experience an exciting range of bedtime stories told by University of Warwick students, Sun 5 March, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry

Light Entertainment

THE ROCK ORCHESTRA BY CANDLELIGHT Watch and listen as a chamber

orchestra breathes beautifully dark energy into legendary rock & metal classics, Tues 2 March, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

LORD PISSINGTON’S BOOZY WOOZY

COMEDY GALA Evening of ‘gags, japes and a few cheeky tipples’, Sat 4 March, Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham

URZILA CARLSON: IT’S PERSONAL A show about keeping your cards close to your chest while walking around naked, Sun 5 March, Birmingham

Town Hall

Events

SPECTACLE OF LIGHT Explore the stunning installations and be amazed by the sparkling beams of light across the historic lake, until Sun 5 March, Compton Verney, Warwickshire

PEPPA PIG AT SEA LIFE Meet Peppa as she dives into a new adventure, making new friends with thousands of sea creatures, until Fri 2 June, National SEA LIFE Centre, Birmingham

LEGO CITY Join the Lego City Minifigure team, Ricky Rocket Racer, Mech-Max, Go-To Gary and Fearless Fi, as they set epic missions for you to complete, until Sun 4 June, Legoland Discovery Centre B’ham

THE NATIONAL WEDDING SHOW

Featuring hundreds of wedding specialists, all with exclusive show discounts and unique ideas for your big day, Fri 3 - Sun 5 March, NEC, Birmingham

THE MIDLANDS NEW HOME SHOW

Discover the latest products and services for a new build home, Sat 4 March, NEC, Birmingham

THE NATIONAL EQUINE SHOW Featuring inspiring speakers, interactive elements, skills workshops and some of the best brands in the equine world, Sat 4 - Sun 5 March, NEC, Birmingham

GO DIVING The only UK consumer and trade event dedicated to scuba diving and dive travel, Sat 4 - Sun 5 March, NAEC Stoneleigh, Warwickshire

COLOUR BOX: ELEANOR’S SECRET Hourlong workshop followed by a screening of the enchanting animated adventure, Sun 5 March, Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham

thelist

Monday 6 - Sunday 12 March

Classical Music

PAUL LEWIS PIANO RECITAL

Programme comprises Schubert’s Piano Sonatas No.2, Tues 7 March, Birmingham Town Hall

LOVE, LOSS LUST: ZIHUA ZHANG (TENOR) Also featuring Jonathan French (piano). Programme includes works by Handel, Duparc, Venables, Quilter, Bridge, R.Strauss, Tosti, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov & Arai, Tues 7 March, The Bradshaw Hall, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

Gigs

ETTA MARCUS Mon 6

March, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath

PERSONAL TRAINER

Tues 7 March, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath

SANTU Tues 7 March,

The Jam House, Jewellery Quarter

BULLET FOR MY

VALENTINE + JINJER +

ATREYU Tues 7 March, O2 Academy

JAMIE THYER & THE WORRIED MEN Tues 7

March, Velvet Music Rooms

RAVEN Tues 7 March, The Asylum

COURTNEY MARIE ANDREWS Wed 8

March, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath

THOMAS ATLAS BAND

Wed 8 March, The Jam House, Jewellery Quarter

KOWALSKI’S ACOUSTIC

CLUB Wed 8 March,

The Dark Horse, Moseley

LOYLE CARNER Wed 8

March, O2 Academy

RACK AND RUIN + CHRISTOPHER CRUMPTON Wed 8

March, Red Lion Folk Club

NADIA REID Wed 8

March, The Kitchen

Garden, Kings Heath

BAWO Thurs 9 March, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath

THE COLLECTIVE Thurs 9

March, The Jam House, Jewellery Quarter

THE BACKSEAT LOVERS

Thurs 9 March, O2

Academy

EMERALD SUNDAY Thurs 9 March, Castle & Falcon

BETH HART Thurs 9

March, Symphony Hall

SOLAR EYES + BIG

SPECIAL Fri 10 March, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath

JENNIFER OWENS Fri 10

March, The Sunflower Lounge

FITZROY HOLT +

SANCHO PANZA + THE GHOULES Fri 10 March, The Night Owl

LAMB OF GOD +

KREATOR + MUNICIPAL

WASTE Fri 10 March, O2 Academy

THE SLOW READERS

CLUB Fri 10 March, O2

Academy

YOURS TRULY + SOUTH

ARCADE + LIZZY

FARRALL Fri 10 March, The Asylum

THE GO! TEAM Fri 10

March, The Mill, Digbeth

A CENTURY OF SWING Fri 10 March, Sutton Coldfield Town Hall

THE MAJOR TOMS -

BOWIE TRIBUTE Fri 10 March, The Rhodehouse, Sutton Coldfield

B’SPOKE Fri 10 - Sat 11

March, The Jam House, Jewellery Quarter

HAZLEWOOD Sat 11 March, The Sunflower Lounge

BOB LOG III Sat 11

March, The Night Owl

NAPALM DEATH + SIBERIAN MEAT GRINDER

Sat 11 March, O2

Institute

OLIVIA DEAN Sat 11 March, O2 Institute, Digbeth

THE JETTYS + VIENNA + ROAD CLOSED + THE SKEME + GROW YOUR OWN STUPID Sat 11 March, O2 Institute

STIFF LITTLE FINGERS

Sat 11 March, O2 Academy

THE K’S Sat 11 March, O2 Academy

VISHNU R AND DEEPIKA

SREENIVASAN Sat 11 March, Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space, Symphony Hall, Birmingham

LOST IN MUSIC Sat 11 March, Symphony Hall, Birmingham

WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? - TINA TURNER TRIBUTE Sat 11 March, The Alexandra

JOEL CORRY Sat 11

March, Forum

ARON Sun 12 March, O2 Institute

BEANS ON TOAST Sun 12 March, Castle & Falcon

LITTLE VILLAINS Sun 12 March, The Flapper

DEXTA DAPS Sun 12 March, Forum

NOT SO YOUNG (NEIL YOUNG INTERPRETED)

Sun 12 March, Fletchers Bar

DANNI NICHOLLS Sun 12 March, The Kitchen Garden, Kings Heath

CBSO: ELGAR & SCHUMANN Featuring Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla (conductor), Vilde Frang (violin) & the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Programme comprises Elgar’s Violin Concerto, 50 & Schumann’s Symphony No 1 (Spring), 30, Wed 8 March, Symphony Hall, Birmingham

A CELEBRATION OF THE BASSOON Thurs 9 March, Justham Family Room & Jane How Room, Symphony Hall, Birmingham

BRITISH VIOLA MUSIC: CHANLIAN CHEN (VIOLA) Also featuring Charles Matthews (piano). Programme includes works by Britten, Clarke & Bowen, Thurs 9 March, Recital Hall, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

ADAM HERON PIANO CONCERT

Programme includes works by Elgar, Brahms & Chopin, Fri 10 March, Elgar Concert Hall, The Bramall, University of Birmingham

DAISY EARL, BRENNAN REECE & JUSTIN

MOORHOUSE Wed 8 March, Herbert’s Yard, Birmingham

ESHAAN AKBAR & RICHARD SPALDING Thurs 9 March, The Glee Club, Birmingham

COMEDY CAROUSEL WITH ANDY

ROBINSON, DAVE JOHNS & DANA

ALEXANDER Thurs 9 March, The Glee Club, Birmingham

MRS BARBARA NICE, ANNETTE FAGON, LINDSEY SANTORO & MAUREEN

YOUNGER Thurs 9 March, The Kitchen Garden, Kings Heath

SCOTT BENNETT, RAUL KOHLI, ROGER

MONKHOUSE & STEVE HARRIS Fri 10 March, Rosies Nightclub, B’ham

FATIHA EL-GHORRI, ADAM HESS, DAVE JOHNS, DANA ALEXANDER & MIKE

CARTER Fri 10 March, The Glee Club, Birmingham

FIN TAYLOR & DAN COOK Fri 10 March, The Glee Club, Birmingham

BASSEM YOUSSEF Fri 10 March, The Old Rep, Birmingham

CBSO FAMILY CONCERT: FILM

FAVOURITES Featuring Delyana Lazarova (conductor), Tom Redmond (presenter), Sarah Butt (BSL Interpreter) & the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Programme includes music from Star Wars, The Jungle Book, The Sound of Music, Harry Potter, Slumdog Millionaire and more... Sun 12 March, Symphony Hall, Birmingham

WARWICK UNIVERSITY SYMPHONY

ORCHESTRA & CHORUS: A SEA CHANGE

Featuring Robert Brookes & Suzzie Vango (conductors) & Lorna James (soprano). Programme includes works Wagner, Arnold Baz & Will Todd, Sun 12 March, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry

Comedy

SARAH KEYWORTH Wed 8 March, The Glee Club, Birmingham

BILAL ZAFAR Fri 10 March, Midlands Arts Centre (MAC), Birmingham

MARCEL LUCONT, STEVE HALL, RICH WILSON & COMIC TBC Sat 11 March, Rosies Nightclub, Birmingham

FATIHA EL-GHORRI, ADAM HESS, DAVE JOHNS & DANA ALEXANDER Sat 11 March, The Glee Club, Birmingham

SHAZIA MIRZA Sat 11 March, The Rep, Birmingham

IGOR KWIATKOWSKI Sat 11 March, The Old Rep, Birmingham

PATRICK MONAHAN Sat 11 March, Midlands Arts Centre (MAC), Birmingham

DAMIAN SKÓRA Sat 11 March, Castle & Falcon, Birmingham

NOREEN KHAN, EMILY LLOYD SAINI, TEJ

DHUTIA & STELLA GRAHAM Sat 11

March, The Core Theatre, Solihull

COLIN HOULT Sat 11 March, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry

Olivia Dean - O2 Institute, Digbeth

thelist

TOMMY SANDHU, TEZ ILYAS, FARHAN

SOLO & MARLON DAVIS Sun 12 March, The Glee Club, Birmingham

Theatre

THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION Joe Absolom and Ben Onwukwe star in the stage adaptation of Stephen King’s 1982 novella, Mon 6 - Sat 11 March, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry

HOW NOT TO DROWN A story of endurance for a little kid who wasn’t safe anywhere in the world, Tues 7Wed 8 March, Patrick Studio, Birmingham Hippodrome

Monday 6 - Sunday 12 March

Birmingham

DANIEL NICHOLAS: EUGENE Comedy theatre show about the power of technology. Think The Terminator does a Ted Talk with Steve Jobs, Fri 10 March, Midlands Arts Centre (MAC), Birmingham

FAMILY TREE A powerful drama about race, health, the environment and the legacy of one of the most influential Black women of modern times, Fri 10 - Sat 18 March, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry

Dance

GREAT BIG DANCE OFF - WEST MIDLANDS HEAT Primary and secondary schools from across the region come together to compete to become the West Midlands champions 2023, Tues 7 March, The Alexandra, Birmingham

JERSEY BOYS Award-winning musical telling of the rise to fame of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, Tues 7Sat 18 March, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

ANNA CLOVER: GOING DEUTSCH A studio comedic theatre show about relationships, inherited trauma and how the past shapes the future, Wed 8 March, Midlands Arts Centre (MAC), Birmingham

THE FOUR SEASONS James Wilton Dance fuse capoeira, acrobatics, martial arts and classical dance in a production set to Max Richter’s recomposed version of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, Tues 7 - Wed 8 March, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry

Light Entertainment

DREAMCOAT STARS Featuring hits from the West End and Broadway, Thurs 9 March, The Core Theatre, Solihull

DICK AND DOM IN DA BUNGALOW The promise of a messy night out filled with chaos and familiar favourites, Sat 11 March, Birmingham Town Hall

ROMEO & JULIET All & Sundry present Shakespeare’s love story, Wed 8Sat 11 March, Crescent Theatre, Birmingham

MY FAIR LADY Multi-award-winning production of Lerner & Loewe’s world-famous musical, starring Michael D Xavier, Charlotte Kennedy, Adam Woodyatt, Lesley Garrett & John Middleton, Wed 8 - Sun 19 March, Birmingham Hippodrome

Talks & Spoken

Word

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SERIAL KILLERS

Join expert forensics lecturer Jennifer Rees to explore one of forensic psychology’s most troubling topics, Wed 8 March, The Alexandra, Birmingham

HIT THE ODE A unique performance poetry night where spoken-word artists perform alongside open micers, Fri 10 March, Patrick Studio, Birmingham Hippodrome

UNISLAM 2023 See the UK & Ireland’s ‘most exciting’ spoken-word poets perform live, Sun 12 March, Birmingham Hippodrome

PRUE LEITH: NOTHING IN MODERATION

THE MOTH A contemporary version of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar

Named Desire, set in working-class Britain in the 1990s, Thurs 9 - Sat 11 March, Old Joint Stock Theatre,

Events

A WOMAN’S LIFE AT ASTON HALL TOUR

From the glamour of the lady of the manor to the work of the scullery maid, this special tour focuses on the women of Aston Hall, Wed 8 March, Aston Hall, Birmingham

CRUFTS Organised by the Kennel Club, the show celebrates every aspect of the role that dogs play in our lives, Thurs 9 - Sun 12 March, NEC, Birmingham

WOMEN IN POLICING - EVENING TOUR

Discover the roles undertaken by pioneering women, from the first lock-up matrons to the first fire-arms officers, Fri 10 March, West Midlands Police Museum, Birmingham

MARCH OF THE DINOSAURS Venture into the park to see the adorable baby dinos, and train to be a pro ranger in the Raptor Live Show, Fri 10 - Sat 11 March, Drayton Manor Theme Park, Staffordshire

TUDOR WOMEN GUIDED TOUR AT BLAKESLEY HALL Learn about Tudor women on a guided tour to mark

International Women’s Day, Sun 12 March, Blakesley Hall, Birmingham

YOUNG DRIVER LESSONS Opportunity for 10 to 17-year-olds to have fun and learn new skills, Sun 12 March, British Motor Museum, Gaydon

AGBO STAGES RALLY See club rallying at its best, with over 75 cars taking on 10 stages and driven by the best club drivers in the country, Sun 12 March, Weston Park, Shropshire

THE KIDS’ FESTIVAL Indoor family festival, with plenty of activities and entertainment all included in the ticket price, Sun 12 March, Staffordshire Showground

CELEBRATING HOLI - FESTIVAL OF COLOUR Take part in splat art, the big community colour weave, bubble art, spin art and crazy paisley patternmaking, Sun 12 March, The Core Theatre, Solihull

ULTIMATE DUBS 2023 The UK’s largest indoor VAG enthusiast’s event, bringing together the Ultimate VW, Audi, Seat & Skoda show cars under one roof, Sun 12 March, Telford International Centre, Shropshire

Join the British Bake Off judge as she shares stories from an eventful career, Sun 12 March, The Alexandra, Birmingham

James Wilton Dance: The Four Seasons - Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry

Daniel Nicholas: Eugene - Midlands Arts Centre (MAC)

whatsonlive.co.uk

thelist

Monday 13 - Sunday 19 March

Classical Music

LUNCHTIME ORGAN CONCERT WITH THOMAS TROTTER: THE PRIDE OF BIRMINGHAM A history of Town Hall told in music, words & images, Mon 13 March, Birmingham Town Hall

COMPOSER AND FRIEND: CHIAN-CHIAN HSU (CELLO) Also featuring Chu-Yu Yang (violin), Hsuan-Hsuan Lee & Petros Troupakis (piano). Programme includes works by Delius & Grieg, Mon 13 March, Recital Hall, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

Gigs

BOY BLEACH Mon 13

March, The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham

MELLOW MOOD Tues 14

March, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath

JAMES TW Tues 14

March, O2 Institute

SLEEPING WITH SIRENS + STATIC DRESS +

CHARMING LIARS Tues

14 March, O2 Institute

MICHAEL JANISCH BAND

Tues 14 March, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

ERRA Tues 14 March, The Mill, Digbeth

RACHEL BAIMAN TRIO +

MISTY RIVER Tues 14

March, The Kitchen Garden, Kings Heath

HONEY HARPER Wed 15

March, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath

LUCAS D & THE GROOVE

GHETTO Wed 15 March, The Jam House, Jewellery Quarter

DR DAN’S OPEN MIC SANTORUM Wed 15

March, The Dark Horse, Moseley

CHRIS RONALD + THE CHERRYSTONES Wed 15

March, Red Lion Folk Club

CIAN DUCROT Wed 15

March, The Mill, Digbeth

BALLAMY SOMOGYI SANDERS AND THE JAMES OWSTON TRIO

Wed 15 March, Midlands Arts Centre

MYRIAD Wed 15 March, The Rainbow, Digbeth

KILLERSTREAM Thurs 16

March, The Jam House, Jewellery Quarter

THE BRACKNALL + LAURIE WRIGHT Fri 17

March, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath

THE FACADES +

MANTARRAY + KITCHEN PARTY CLUB + THE CHERRY APES Fri 17

March, The Sunflower Lounge

THE ANSWER + OLI BROWN & THE DEAD COLLECTIVE Fri 17

March, O2 Institute

THE LATHUMS Fri 17

March, O2 Institute

BERWYN Fri 17 March, O2 Academy

PIXIES Fri 17 March, Forum

BEARTOOTH + MOTIONLESS IN WHITE + STRAY FROM THE PATH Sat 18 March, O2 Academy

JOESEF + ETTA MARCUS

Sat 18 March, O2 Academy

NIX NORTHWEST Sun 19

March, The Sunflower Lounge

I PREVAIL + TRASH BOAT + BLIND CHANNEL Sun

19 March, O2

Academy

TIM HEIDECKER Sun 19

March, The Mill, Digbeth

MARTY & OLIVIA

WILLSON-PIPER Sun 19

March, The Kitchen

Garden, Kings Heath

GUANG FENG PIANO CONCERT Also featuring Huang Jia (baritone), Charlie Woodhouse (cello) & Yuzhe Wang (violin). Programme includes works by Vaughan Williams, Beethoven & Poulenc, Tues 14 March, The Bradshaw Hall, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

CBSO PLAYS ROMEO & JULIET Featuring Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla (conductorpictured)) & Kirill Gerstein (piano). Programme includes works by Weinberg, Schumann & Prokofiev, Wed 15 March, Symphony Hall, Birmingham

Central England Camerata & David Wynne (conductor). Programme comprises Haydn’s Die Schöpfung, The Creation, Sat 18 March, St George’s Church, Birmingham

Comedy

DEEP FRIED COMEDY CLUB - COMICS

TBC Tues 14 March, The Dark Horse, Moseley, Birmingham

MIKE BUBBINS Wed 15 March, The Glee Club, Birmingham

ANDREW RYAN, MICKY BARTLETT & WILL

THOMPSON Wed 15 March, Herbert’s Yard, Birmingham

COMEDY CAROUSEL WITH ANDY ROBINSON, ANDREW RYAN & COMIC TBC Thurs 16 March, The Glee Club, Birmingham

ADAM UNWIN, RACHEL TAYLOR, CARLY

JAYNE WILLIAMS & DOUG CARTER Thurs

16 March, Cherry Reds, Birmingham

JOSH PUGH Fri 17 March, Birmingham Town Hall

JONNY AWSUM, ANDREA HUBERT, KAREN BAYLEY & COMIC TBC Fri 17 March, Rosies Nightclub, Birmingham

JOE SUTHERLAND, RACHEL FAIRBURN, ANDREW RYAN & ISABELLE FARAH Fri 17 March, The Glee Club, B’ham

ROSIE HOLT Fri 17 March, The Old Rep, Birmingham

ALFIE MOORE Fri 17 - Sat 18 March, Lichfield Garrick

ROBERT WHITE, ERIC RUSHTON, JONNY

BELCEA QUARTET Featuring Corina Belcea & Pablo Hernán Benedi (violins), Krzysztof Chorzelski (viola) & Antoine Lederlin (cello). Programme includes works by Schubert, Debussy & Beethoven, Thurs 16 March, Elgar Concert Hall, University of Birmingham

AWSUM & TOM TOAL Sat 18 March, Rosies Nightclub, Birmingham

JOE SUTHERLAND, RACHEL FAIRBURN, ANDREW RYAN & COMIC TBC Sat 18 March, The Glee Club, Birmingham

RICH HALL Sat 18 March, The Old Rep, Birmingham

ROUGH WORKS: NEW MATERIAL NIGHT Sun 19 March, The Glee Club, Birmingham

JAYDE ADAMS Sun 19 March, The Glee Club, Birmingham

SARA PASCOE Sun 19 March, The Alexandra, Birmingham

SWEDISH PHILHARMONIA Featuring Jaime Martin (conductor) & Nemanja Radulović (violin). Programme includes works by Bo Linde, Tchaikovsky & Sibelius, Fri 17 March, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry

TRIO SONORITÉ: ILLUMINATE WOMEN’S

MUSIC Featuring Özlem Çelik (clarinet), Daryl Giuliano (cello) & Jelena Makarova (piano), Fri 17 March, Elgar Concert Hall, The Bramall, University of Birmingham

FESTIVAL CHORAL SOCIETY Featuring Alexandra Eve Wynne (soprano), Dale Harris (tenor), Samuel Oram (bass), Kevin Gill (chamber organ),

Theatre

CRY-BABY THE MUSICAL BOA Year 13 Musical Theatre present a staging based on John Walters’ 1990 cult film, Mon 13 - Thurs 16 March, The Old Rep, Birmingham

ABIGAIL’S PARTY New version of Mike Leigh’s modern classic, Tues 14 - Sat 18 March, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry

DEATH DROP - BACK IN THE HABIT Comedy thriller paying homage to ‘all your favourite horror films’ - from IT to Scream and everything in between, Tues 14 - Sat 18 March, The Alexandra, Birmingham

Mellow Mood - Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath

Pixies - Forum, Birmingham

thelist

HELLO DOLLY Knowle Musical Society present an amateur version of Jerry Herman’s energetic musical, Tues 14 - Sat 18 March, The Core Theatre, Solihull

LATELY James Lewis’ intimate & emotional story about the places we can never escape from, the dreams we never realise and the people that bring us back down to earth again, Thurs 16 March, Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham

LITTLE SOLDIER: NOTHING HAPPENS (TWICE) Exploration of companionship, co-dependency and what motivates us to keep going, even in the face of failure and bureaucratic brick walls, Fri 17 March, Midlands Arts Centre (MAC), Birmingham

influential voices in British music, Sun 19 March, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry

Talks & Spoken Word

NEIGHBOURS: THE CELEBRATION TOUR

Hear never-before-shared stories from the cast of the popular Aussie soap, Thurs 16 March, Symphony Hall, Birmingham

TALES TILL RAMADAN Eleanor Martin goes in search of sincerity through a collection of Muslim heritage stories, Sat 18 March, The Rep, Birmingham FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE WHEN THE RAINBOW WAS ENUF Collection of vivid prose and free-verse narratives about and performed by Black women, Sun 19 March, Crescent Theatre, B’ham

Events

JULIUS CAESAR Atri Banerjee’s staging of Shakespeare’s political thriller, Sat 18 March - Sat 8 April, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratfordupon-Avon

OF MICE & MEN Iqbal Khan puts ‘a 2023 lens’ on John Steinbeck’s classic story of economic migration, racism, prejudice and enduring friendship, Sat 18 March - Sat 8 April, The Rep, Birmingham

Light Entertainment

SHELL SUIT CHER: BELIEVE IN BINGO

Imagine if Cher left showbiz behind, swapped leather for leisure wear and became a shell-suit wearing bingo host... Sat 18 March, Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham

YONEX ALL ENGLAND OPEN BADMINTON CHAMPIONSHIPS 2023 Bringing together the best badminton players from around the world to compete in one of the sport’s oldest and most prestigious tournaments, Tues 14Sun 19 March, Utilita Arena

Birmingham

PLANETARIUM LATES: NAVIGATING

ROUND OUR WORLD Discover how technology helped mariners know exactly where they were on the world’s oceans over 200 years ago, Thurs 16 March, Thinktank

Birmingham Science Museum

FASHION & EMBROIDERY Event for textile artists, with exclusive features and industry experts, Thurs 16 - Sun 19 March, NEC, Birmingham

SEWING FOR PLEASURE The latest stitching supplies and plenty of ideas to inspire, Thurs 16 - Sun 19 March, NEC, Birmingham

THE CREATIVE CRAFT SHOW A haven for enthusiasts of knitting, cross stitch, paper crafting, jewellery & dressmaking, and stitching, Thurs 16 - Sun 19 March, NEC, Birmingham

REEL & MEAL: IN BRUGES Enjoy Irish stew and Belgian waffle, then settle down to watch beleaguered hitmen

Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson cause havoc in the scenic city of Bruges, Fri 17 March, Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham

THEATRE TOUR A tour of the UK’s first purpose-built repertory theatre, Sat 18 March, The Old Rep, Birmingham

THE MURDER OF ELIZABETH EDGAR

Midlands Police Museum, B‘ham

THE NATIONAL OUTDOOR EXPO Be inspired and motivated by some of the world’s greatest outdoor enthusiasts, Sat 18 - Sun 19 March, NEC, Birmingham

MINIATURA SPRING SHOW 2023 One of the longest established and bestloved dolls’ house shows in the world, Sat 18 - Sun 19 March, NAEC Stoneleigh, Warwickshire

ASTON ALIVE: BIG BOOK DAY TAKEOVER Explore the mansion and discover characters who have escaped from their stories and taken over the hall, Sun 19 March, Aston Hall, Birmingham

MOTHER’S DAY AFTERNOON TEA Treat your mum to an afternoon tea with a welcome glass of fizz in the beautiful surroundings of Spring Grove House, Sun 19 March, West Midland Safari, Bewdley, Nr Kidderminster

AN EVENING WITHOUT KATE BUSH

Award-winning show which pays homage to the music, fans and mythology of one of the most

Look at the evidence, follow the clues and interrogate the suspects in their cells as you attempt to get to the bottom of what happened to poor Elizabeth, Sat 18 March, West

Planetarium Lates - Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum

thelist

Classical Music

MAGDALEN COLLEGE ORCHESTRAL & CHORAL CONCERT Programme includes Dvorak’s Carnival Overture, Walton’s Crown Imperial & Coronation Te Deum, Handel’s Zakok the Priest & Parry’s I Was Glad, Mon 20 March, Symphony Hall, B’ham MINI MESSIAH Selections from Handel’s Messiah, Mon 20 March, The Bradshaw Hall, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

CBSO CUPPA CONCERT Tues 21 March, CBSO Centre, Birmingham

Gigs

DOM MARTIN Tues 21

March, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath

LIBRALIBRA Tues 21

March, The Sunflower Lounge

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE +

SLOW PULP Tues 21

March, O2 Institute

SUEDE Tues 21 March, Symphony Hall

BADLY DRAWN BOY Tues

21 March, The Glee Club

RIANNE DOWNEY Wed

22 March, Dead Wax, Digbeth

THE LOST TRADES +

ADAM COONEY Wed 22

March, Red Lion Folk Club

ATTILA THE STOCKBROKER Wed 22

March, The Kitchen Garden, Kings Heath

TOO MANY T’S Thurs 23

March, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath

ALLSTAR REGGAE BAND

Thur 23 March, The Jam House, Jewellery

Quarter

PSYDOLL + DEAD HAPPY

Thur 23 March, The Sunflower Lounge

SUNGAZER Thurs 23

March, O2 Institute

PENGSHUI Thurs 23

March, O2 Academy

A BOOGIE WIT DA HOODIE + LOLA BROOKE + J.I. +

BOUBA SAVAGE Thurs

23 March, O2

Academy

TOM WALKER Thurs 23

March, O2 Academy

THE LUKA STATE Thurs

23 March, The

Rainbow, Digbeth

ANNIE DRESSNER +

LUCY GRUBB + DAN

WILDE + LUKE JAMES

WILLIAMS Thurs 23

March, The Kitchen Garden, Kings Heath

ELKYN Thurs 23 March, The Victoria

SWEET BABOO +

CLEMENTINE MARCH Fri 24 March, The Sunflower Lounge

THE GTS + THE FABULOUS BORDELLOS

Fri 24 March, The Night Owl

MISTA TRICK COLLECTIVE

Fri 24 March, Castle & Falcon

HEARTWORMS +

BAUDELAIRE Fri 24

March, Dead Wax, Digbeth

SUBTERRANEANS Fri 24 - Sat 25 March, The Jam House, Jewellery Quarter

PUNCH THE SKY +

PASSIVE FIX Sat 25

March, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath

THE ULTIMATE BEATLES

Sat 25 March, The Night Owl

JACK GARRATT Sat 25

March, O2 Institute

THE LANCASHIRE HOTPOTS Sat 25 March,

O2 Academy

TIDE LINES & QUIET

HOUSES Sat 25 March,

Castle & Falcon

METALLICISH Sat 25

March, The Flapper

THE SILVER LINES +

GAZELLE + THE MOTIVE + WE TIBETANS + FAT

DADS + HEALS + THE SEMINALS + THE MUCKS + THE HEIGHTS Sat 25

March, The Rainbow, Digbeth

AND FINALLY... PHIL

COLLINS TRIBUTE Sat 25

March, The Core Theatre, Solihull

WOUNDEDSPIRIT Sun 26

March, The Sunflower Lounge

BLACKBERRY SMOKE + READ SOUTHALL BAND Sun 26 March, O2 Academy

BLACK HONEY Sun 26

March, O2 Academy

DARREN HAYES Sun 26

March, Symphony Hall

ELTON JOHN Sun 26

March, Resorts World Arena

THE STORY OF THE DUBLINERS Sun 26

March, The Alexandra

BRIGID MAE Sun 26

March, The Kitchen Garden, Kings Heath

JOURNEY’S END Featuring Helen Charlston (mezzo-soprano) & Keval Shah (piano). Programme includes works by Hensel, Ireland, Schumann, Berlioz, Chaminade, Fauré, Mendelssohn, Bridge, Finzi & ElwynEdwards, Fri 24 March, Elgar Concert Hall, The Bramall, University of Birmingham

BGSO SPRING CONCERT: EUROPEAN CLASSICS Featuring John Brown (conductor). Programme includes works by Wagner, Vaughan Williams & Sibelius, Sat 25 March, St Paul’s Church, Birmingham

BIRMINGHAM PHILHARMONIC

ORCHESTRA CONCERTO PRIZE Featuring Michael Lloyd (conductor) & Paul Bambrough (adjudicator). Also featuring Japheth Law (flute), ChenYu Lin (euphonium) & Yin Yu (piano). Programme includes works by Nielsen, Ellerby, Prokofiev & Tchaikovsky, Sat 25 March, The Bradshaw Hall, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

Comedy

DEEP FRIED COMEDY CLUB - COMICS

TBC Tues 21 March, The Dark Horse, Birmingham

JOE LYCETT & FRIENDS Wed 22 March, The Glee Club, Birmingham

TOM HOUGHTON Wed 22 March, The Glee Club, Birmingham

COMEDY CAROUSEL WITH ANDY ROBINSON, PETER RETHINASAMY & JACOB HAWLEY Thurs 23 March, The Glee Club, Birmingham

PETER KAY Thurs 23 March, Resorts World Arena, Birmingham

ROB ROUSE, LOVDEV BARPAGA, LOUISE LEIGH & DAVE LONGLEY Fri 24 March, Rosies Nightclub, Birmingham

TOM WARD, KYRAH GRAY, JACOB HAWLEY, AARON WOOD & BELLA HULL

Fri 24 March, The Glee Club, Birmingham MICHELLE DE SWARTE Fri 24 March, The Glee Club, Birmingham

JOHN ROBERTSON, STEVE HALL, MATT BRAGG & JON PEARSON Sat 25 March, Rosies Nightclub, Birmingham

TOM WARD, KYRAH GRAY, JACOB HAWLEY & AARON WOOD Sat 25 March, The Glee Club, Birmingham

JOHN KEARNS Sun 26 March, The Glee Club, Birmingham

HARE OF THE DOG COMEDY HOSTED BY BARBARA NICE AND LINDSEY SANTORO Sun 26 March, Hare & Hounds, Birmingham

Theatre

TEECHERS (LEAVERS ’22) John Godber’s comedy about education for the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’, Tues 21 - Wed 22 March, Lichfield Garrick

GREASE THE MUSICAL Amateur version presented by West Bromwich Operatic Society, Tues 21 - Sat 25 March, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

RUN REBEL Pilot Theatre present the world premiere of Manjeet Mann’s celebrated novel, Tues 21 - Sat 25 March, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry

STEEL MAGNOLIAS Heart-warming play following the trials and tribulations of six fierce and sassy women as they set the world to rights. Laura Main, Lucy Speed, Harriet Thorpe, Diana Vickers, Elizabeth Ayodele and Caroline Harker star, Tues 21 - Sat 25 March, The Alexandra, Birmingham

SAP A new play about passion, power, and

Thurs 23 - Fri 24 March, The Rep, Birmingham

Suede - Symphony Hall, Birmingham

1984 Crescent Youth Theatre present an amateur version of George Orwell’s classic tale, Wed 22 - Sat 25 March, Crescent Theatre, B’ham

photosynthesis,

Black Honey - O2 Academy

WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU? A series of scenarios inspired by real-life stories to promote the importance of access and inclusion. Suitable for seven to 12-year-olds, Sat 25 March, The Rep, Birmingham

Kids Shows

DINOSAUR WORLD LIVE A roarsome interactive show for all the family, Fri 24 - Sun 26 March, Birmingham

Hippodrome

Light Entertainment

CHOIR! CHOIR! CHOIR! Epic 1980s singalong hosted by Nobu Adilman & Daveed Goldman, Tues 21 March, Birmingham Town Hall

SEND IN THE CLOWNS: HEY, BIG BENDER! Drag Idol UK winner Fatt Butcher hosts a stellar line-up of Midlands’ drag and cabaret performers, Thurs 23 - Sat 25 March, Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham

I’M SORRY I HAVEN’T A CLUE Join Jack

Monday 20 - Sunday 26 March

Dee, Rory Bremner, Pippa Evans, Milton Jones and Marcus Brigstocke for an evening of inspired nonsense, Sat 25 March, Birmingham

Hippodrome

WALLACE AND GROMIT: THE WRONG TROUSERS WITH LIVE BRASS BAND Watch the iconic Aardman film accompanied by a brass band playing the soundtrack, Sat 25 March, Birmingham Town Hall

Events

LICHFIELD LITERATURE FESTIVAL

Featuring a wide range of events covering all types of literature, from historical fiction to poetry, via memoir, true crime, children’s books and more, Thurs 23 - Sun 26 March, Various venues across Lichfield, Staffordshire

THE NATIONAL HOMEBUILDING & RENOVATING SHOW Be inspired by over 400 exhibitors and masterclasses, Thurs 23 - Sun 26 March, NEC, Birmingham

RED BY NIGHT Atmospheric evening celebrating the region’s rich industrial heritage and featuring live entertainment, demonstrations, food

and living history, Fri 24 - Sat 25 March, Black Country Living Museum, Dudley

PRACTICAL CLASSICS CLASSIC CAR & RESTORATION SHOW Bringing together 1000-plus cars, 150-plus car clubs and 250-plus exhibitors and autojumblers, Fri 24 - Sun 26 March, NEC, Birmingham

RUSTICUS PRESENTS: THE FOREST

FAIRY An ‘enchanting adventure’ into nature with the Forest Fairy as she takes care of all the wild things in the

gardens, Sat 25 March, Aston Hall, Birmingham

BACKSTAGE THEATRE TOUR Go behind the scenes and find out what it’s like to be involved in the theatre, Sat 25 March, Crescent Theatre, B’ham

PUBLIC THEATRE TOUR Check out the stage, backstage areas, dressing rooms and front-of-house, along the way learning about the theatre’s history, Sat 25 March, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

Dinosaur World Live - Birmingham Hippodrome

thelist

Classical Music

LUNCHTIME ORGAN CONCERT WITH DANIEL MOULT Programme includes works by Elgar, Mendelssohn, JS Bach, Mozart, Thalben-Ball, Whitlock & Britton, Mon 27 March, Birmingham Town Hall

Comedy

LUKE KIDGELL Tues 28 March, The Glee Club, Birmingham

DEEP FRIED COMEDY CLUB - COMICS

TBC Tues 28 March, The Dark Horse, Birmingham

JOE LYCETT & FRIENDS Wed 29 March, The Glee Club, Birmingham

Gigs

WUNDERHORSE Mon 27

March, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath

SMALL TALK + SAM

LAMBETH + RYAN

SPARROW Mon 27

March, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath

LOVEJOY Mon 27

March, O2 Institute

CLAVISH Mon 27

March, O2 Academy

CASKETS Mon 27

March, The Asylum

SAM RYDER + TORS + CHARLOTTE JANE Tues

28 March, O2 Academy

SNOOP DOGG Tues 28

March, Resorts World Arena

March, The Sunflower Lounge

THE GHOST INSIDE Wed

29 March, O2 Institute

KRANIUM + BIG JOHN +

DJ NATE Wed 29 March, O2 Academy

JOHN RICHARDS BAND +

JOHN & CAROL HOARE

Wed 29 March, Red

Lion Folk Club

CHRIS WOOD Wed 29

March, The Kitchen Garden, Kings Heath

SURPRISE Thurs 30

March, O2 Institute

QUINN XCII Thurs 30

March, O2 Institute

FEARLESS VAMPIRE

KILLERS Thurs 30

March, O2 Academy

RED SHOES Thurs 30

March, The Kitchen Garden, Kings Heath

ICEAGE Fri 31 March, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath

TRU GROOVE Fri 31

March, The Jam House, Jewellery Quarter

THE STEVE HILLAGE

BAND Fri 31 March, O2 Institute

BLOODYWOOD Fri 31

March, O2 Institute

JIM JEFFERIES Wed 29 March, Utilita Arena Birmingham

anniversary production of Richard O’Brien’s legendary rock’n’roll musical, Mon 27 March - Sat 1 Apr, The Alexandra, Birmingham

BLOOD BROTHERS Willy Russell’s iconic musical tells the tale of twins separated at birth who grow up on opposite sides of the track, only to meet again with tragic consequences, Tues 28 March - Sat 1 April, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry

DEAF HAVANA Tues 28

March, The Mill, Digbeth

CORELLA Wed 29

OTHER HALF + SHORT FICTIONS Thurs 30

March, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath

UNTHANK:SMITH Thurs 30

March, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath

DEL CAMINO Thurs 30

March, The Jam House, Jewellery Quarter

RAINBOW KITTEN

COUCH Fri 31 March, The Sunflower Lounge

COMEDY CAROUSEL WITH ANDY ROBINSON, ELLIOT STEEL & MICK FERRY

Thurs 30 March, The Glee Club, Birmingham

LUISA OMELIAN, SIMON WOZNIAK + STEPHEN BAILEY Thurs 30 March, Hockley Social Club, Birmingham

GLENN MOORE, BELLA HULL & ALEXANDRA HADDOW Thurs 30 March, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry

DARA Ó BRIAIN Thurs 30 - Fri 31 March, Birmingham Hippodrome

THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL

Comedy about taking risks, finding love and embracing second chances. Paul Nicholas, Belinda Lang, Tessa Peake-Jones and Graham Seed star, Tues 28 MarchSat 1 Apr, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

WEST SIDE STORY Amateur version presented by the Peterbrook Players, Tues 28 March - Sat 1 April, The Core Theatre, Solihull

KATIE GUICCIARDI: FOX A brutally honest and amusing exploration of new motherhood in an increasingly isolating society, Wed 29 March, Midlands Arts Centre (MAC), Birmingham

ROMEO & JULIE A love story ‘with complications that exist not only in their hearts but also within their lifestyles and their infamy’, Fri 31 March - Sat 1 Apr, Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham

Dance

ULTIMATE COLDPLAY Fri 31 March, The Mill, Digbeth

DARIUS DAVIES & COMICS TBC Fri 31 March, Rosies Nightclub, Birmingham

ALEXANDRA HADDOW, SLIM, ELLIOT

STEEL & MICK FERRY Fri 31 March, The Glee Club, Birmingham

MICHAEL AKADIRI Fri 31 March, The Glee Club, Birmingham

RACHEL FAIRBURN, PHIL PAGETT & COMICS TBC Fri 31 March, The Station, King’s Heath, Birmingham

Theatre

THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW Special

DADA MASILO: THE SACRIFICE UK premiere in which award-winning choreographer Dada Masilo presents a fusion of contemporary dances, powered by original music performed live on stage, Tues 28 - Wed 29 March, Birmingham Hippodrome

Sam Ryder - O2 Academy

Bloodywood - O2 Institute

THE SLEEPING BEAUTY Presented by Midland Theatre Ballet, Thurs 30 March - Sat 1 Apr, Crescent Theatre, Birmingham

FIREDANCE: GORKA MARQUEZ & KAREN

HAUER Featuring ‘super-charged choreography’ inspired by Moulin Rouge, Carmen, West Side Story and more... Fri 31 March, Symphony Hall, Birmingham

Light Entertainment

AGENDA A storytelling/stand-up comedy show about the shame of being a bloke who wants to wear a dress - presented by a bloke wearing a dress, Tues 28 March, Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham

A NIGHT OF BURLESQUE WITH RUBY & THE DIAMONDS An evening of singing, comedy & drag, accompanied by a live all-female band, Wed 29 - Thurs 30 March, Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham

CERI DUPREE - BACK TO THE RHINESTONE Join the ‘country’s greatest female impersonator since

Monday 27 - Friday 31 March

Danny La Rue’ for an evening of wit and glamour, Thurs 30 March, Stafford Gatehouse Theatre

YIPPEE KI YAY Richard Marsh’s acclaimed retelling of classic action film Die Hard, Fri 31 March, The Rep, Birmingham

Events

A SENSE OF PLACE WORKSHOP

Combined arts project featuring a series of free workshops led by a local artist, until Fri 24 March, Blakesley Hall, Birmingham

PEPPA PIG AT SEA LIFE Meet Peppa as she dives into a new adventure, making new friends with thousands of sea creatures, until Fri 2 June, National SEA LIFE Centre, Birmingham

LEGO CITY Join the Lego City Minifigure team, Ricky Rocket Racer, Mech-Max, Go-To Gary and Fearless Fi, as they set epic missions for you to complete, until Sun 4 June, Legoland Discovery Centre

Birmingham

FILM STORIES: MOVIE GEEK LIVE Film Stories editor Simon Brew ‘chats film,

shows clips, interviews filmmakers and talks nerdy stuff’, Wed 29 March, Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham

GRAYSON’S ART CLUB: THE EXHIBITION III: MEET THE TEAM BEHIND THE TV

The Rocky Horror Show - The Alexandra

SERIES Find out about the making of Channel Four TV series Grayson’s Art Club with the show’s producers and featured artists, Fri 31 March, Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham

Competitions

WIN! with What’s On...

The Halls Wolverhampton reopens in just couple of months and we’ve joined with the venue to offer readers the chance to WIN! a pair of tickets the following events...

Penn & Teller

Emmy award-winning duo Penn and Teller showcase their ‘outrageous and innovative’ style of magic at The Halls Wolverhampton on Thursday 1 June.

Competition closes Friday 26 May

Ranjit Bawa

After a seven year break, Punjabi singer and actor Ranjit Bawa is back in the UK. He stops off at The Halls Wolverhampton with his Old Skool tour on Sunday 11 June.

Competition closes Wednesday 31 May

The Vamps

Amongst the ‘most-watched artists on YouTube’, pop band The Vamps bring their Greatest Hits World Tour to The Halls Wolverhampton on Saturday 10 June.

Competition closes Friday 2 June

McFly

One of the most iconic British bands of the ‘00s, the BRIT award-winning McFly are back on tour and will perform at The Halls Wolverhampton on Friday 16 June.

Competition closes Monday 5 June

Siouxsie

Marking her return to the stage after a decade-long hiatus, music icon Siouxsie plays The Halls Wolverhampton on Wednesday 21 June as part of just a few UK dates.

Competition closes Monday 12 June

Sugababes

The era-defining girl group makes an epic comeback with original line-up Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhan Donaghy. The band plays The Halls Wolverhampton on Thursday 29 June.

Competition closes Monday 19 June