MAN IN THE MOON

Peter Gabriel stops off in Birmingham as part of i/o European tour

by Steve Adams

Peter Gabriel brings his first European tour in a decade to Birmingham this month, and is set to play songs from his first new album in twice that time. As usual it looks like he’s doing things his own way and to his own schedule - but it turns out that a certain celestial body is influencing proceedings too, as What’s On discovers...

Peter Gabriel has never been an artist to do things by halves, or follow anything resembling a predictable career path. He wore bizarre costumes on stage with Genesis, quit as they were starting to gain some success, and called his first four solo albums by the same name (his own). He also made an album containing no cymbals (Peter Gabriel 3), was an early champion of World Music, hired a theatre stage director (Robert Lepage) to work on his rock shows and much more.

He’s also not one to be rushed. The gaps between new music have grown exponentially, and forthcoming album i/o is his first in over 20 years - if you don’t count LPs of cover versions, live recordings, orchestral recordings, live recordings of orchestral recordings, or a compilation of songs used in movies. And so far, i/o isn’t even an album. The title might have been revealed - Gabriel originally announced it in 2002 for what was intended to be a prompt follow-up to his last studio album, Up - but there’s still no official release date. Which is even more surprising given that the accompanying tour, which visits Birmingham this month, is already under way. It’s somewhat typical of the contrary musician (he recently described himself as an “old awkward sod”), who has opted to drip-feed new material to eager fans (who he calls his ‘Lunatics’) based on lunar phases, with a new song revealed on each full moon.

Gabriel says there’s a method to the luna-cy in terms of the album’s concept.

“Some of what I’m writing about this time is the idea that we seem incredibly capable of destroying the planet that gave us birth, and that unless we find ways to reconnect ourselves to nature and the natural world, we are going to lose a lot. A simple way of thinking about where we fit in to all of this is looking up at the sky… and the moon has always drawn me to it.”

There have been five full moons so far this year, and as a result there have been five new songs - Panopticom, The Court, Playing For Time, i/o and, most recently, Four Kinds Of Horses. In yet another novel approach, at least two mixes of each track have been issued, a tactic Gabriel hopes will give listeners a window into the way the music was created.

“I quite like this idea of the multiple mix approach because for most artists it’s the process, not the product, that is most important. In some ways I’m trying to open up the process a little more for those that are interested.”

The key word above is artist, because although the 73-year-old is arguably one of our greatest rock singers, courtesy of a uniquely soulful voice, he is very much a creative individual, with interests that extend way beyond singing and songwriting. There are way too many to list here, but a fundamental one is an ongoing fascination with technology that has kept him at the cutting-edge when it comes to its musical applications. Gabriel was one of the first musicians to use a Fairlight CMI synthesizer in the late 1970s and recently launched a competition encouraging fans to create an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-generated video inspired by, and set to, his music.

“These powerful, transformative AI tools are for the first time within reach of all of us - we have the chance to weave new realities together from the threads of our own imagination and creativity. I’ve built my world out of sound, and I’m now asking the visual artist community to create its own uncharted audio-visual dreamscapes with a carpet of my music.”

The competition has drawn criticism from some quarters - largely due to fears over copyright infringement - but Gabriel’s response is that the world is about to be fundamentally transformed by AI, and there’s no stopping it.

“Many people see AI as the enemy, but along with extraordinary scientific, functional and creative tools, it can provide great education and better healthcare to billions.

“It also has many inherent potential dangers that we urgently need to address. Like the wheel, or the Industrial Revolution, I believe the changes coming with AI are unstoppable, but we can clearly influence them.”

Panopticom, the first track released from the new album, is also based on a potential positive use for technology, and sounds like a rival for Wikipedia into the bargain.

“The first song is based on an idea I’ve been working on to initiate the creation of an infinitely expandable accessible data globeThe Panopticom. We are beginning to connect a like-minded group of people who might be able to bring this to life, to allow the world to see itself better and understand more of what’s really going on.”

The project is typically ambitious of the onceshy private boarding school pupil, who says the desire to recognise, as well as forge, connections also inspired the album’s title track - which contains yet another technological, or at least technical, reference. “i/o means input/output - you see it on the back of a lot of electrical equipment, and it just triggered some ideas about the stuff we put in and pull out of ourselves, in physical and non-physical ways.

“That was the starting point of this idea, and then trying to talk about the interconnectedness of everything. The older I get, I probably don’t get any smarter, but I have learned a few things and it makes a lot of sense to me that we are not these independent islands we like to think we are; that we are part of a whole. If we can see ourselves as better connected, still messedup individuals, but as part of a whole, then maybe there’s something to learn.”

Often a solitary creator, being part of a ‘whole’ is clearly one of the main joys of touring, and Gabriel’s current backing band includes long-time cohorts David Rhodes (guitar), Tony Levin (bass) and Manu Katché (drums) - all of whom performed on his breakthrough solo album, So, as well as the Back To Front shows to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2013.

That was last time Gabriel played gigs in Europe, and he’s clearly excited to be back on the road, especially now he has new material to play.

“It’s been a while, and I am now surrounded by a whole lot of new songs and excited to be taking them out on the road for a spin. I look forward to seeing you out there.”

Theatre

Theatre previews from around the region

Sister Act Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Mon 5 - Sat 10 June; Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, Tues 25 - Sat 30 September; Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, Tues 9 - Sat 14 October

After seeing her gangster boyfriend kill an employee, Reno lounge singer Deloris Van Cartier is placed on a witness protection programme and hidden in a convent, where she proceeds to take over the rehearsals of the in-house choir of nuns. Thanks to her musical expertise, the choir becomes a huge success and church attendances go through the roof.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, Tues 13 - Sat 17 June

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... Belinda Lang (2 Point 4 Children), Paul Nicholas (Just Good Friends), Tessa Peake-Jones (Only Fools And Horses) and Graham Seed (The Archers) star.

But in giving the church a new lease of life, Deloris may inadvertently have jeopardised her own safety...

Based on the hit Whoopi Goldberg movie of the same name, this fun-filled spectacular of a show boasts a real feelgood factor and stars Lesley Joseph and Sandra Marvin.

Six The Musical

Birmingham Hippodrome, Tues 20 - Sun 25 June; Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Tues 27 February - Sat 3 March

From Tudor queens to battling boss-women, the 2022 Tony Award-winning Six The Musical sees the wives of Henry VIII take to the stage to tell their own versions of their lives.

Tony! (The Tony Blair Rock Opera)

The Rep, Birmingham, Wed 7 - Sat 10 June; Malvern Theatres, Tues 18 - Sat 22 July Harry Hill’s critically acclaimed offering (cowritten with Steve Brown) has been described as a cross between Yes, Minister and The Rocky Horror Show. Playing fast and loose with the truth, the production follows the journey of Tony Blair from peace-loving hippie and would-be pop star to warmongering multimillionaire. A rock & roll soundtrack adds to the fun of a show which, as you’d expect, offers up plenty of laughs.

A loud and colourful celebration of girl power that sits somewhere between a Girls Aloud gig and a traditional musical, the production sees the cast being ably supported by all-female band The Ladies In Waiting.

Theatre previews from around the region

Mrs Kapoor’s Daughter’s Wedding 2 Mauritius

The Alexandra, Birmingham, Sun 4 June

Mrs Kapoor’s Daughter’s Wedding scored a big hit when it toured to the Midlands, and there’s every chance that this sequelfeaturing the same winning blend of relatable comedy and Bollywood-style glamour - will be accompanied by a similar cascade of well-deserved plaudits. The show’s storyline is wafer-thin, but where the production really scores is with its highenergy feelgood factor, imaginatively blending dancing and singing to create a party atmosphere that’s clearly enjoyed by audiences and performers alike.

The Spongebob Musical

Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Tues 27 June - Sat 1 July

Popular Nickleodeon animated television star SpongeBob SquarePants takes centrestage in a production that’s being described as ‘an all-singing, all-dancing, deep-sea pearl of a show’.

Featuring ‘irresistible characters, magical choreography and dazzling costumes’ - not to mention ‘wave after wave of original songs by the world’s most iconic rock and pop artists’the show made a splash when it played Broadway back in 2017, picking up an impressive 12 Tony Award nominations in the process.

If you’ve not caught the television series, SpongeBob is a yellow sea sponge who lives with a host of other quirky characters in the undersea city of Bikini Bottom. The show has proved enormously popular since debuting in 1999 and was last year renewed for a 14th season. Celebs Go Dating’s Tom Read Wilson and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Divina De Campo take top billing.

The Card

New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme, until Sat 10 June

Claybody Theatre here revive their stage adaptation of Potteries-born author Arnold Bennett’s classic comic novel. Set in a fictionalised Stokeon-Trent known as The Five Towns, the story follows the fortunes of loveable rogue Denry Machin, a washerwoman’s son who refuses to allow his humble beginnings to thwart his ambition to live the high life.

As You Like It

Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-uponAvon, Sat 17 June - Sat 5 August Omar Elerian directs this ‘playful and provocative’ new version of Shakespeare’s highly likable comedy. In a move away from a more traditional presentation of the play, the production sees the stage transformed into a rehearsal room, where actors gather to recall a past show and share out between them the roles in As You Like It.

The comedy’s storyline revolves around the character of Rosalind, banished by her usurping uncle to the Forest Of Arden, where her exiled father is already living. Revelling in the naturalness of her surroundings - and accompanied by her cousin, Celia, and Touchstone the fool - the young woman finds a happiness she didn’t know existed... In an example of age-blind casting, 72-year-old Geraldine James - making her RSC debutstars as Rosalind and leads a company of veteran actors.

Black Is The Color Of My Voice

Albany Theatre, Coventry, Fri 16 June

Inspired by the life of jazz icon Nina Simone, Black Is The Color Of My Voice follows a successful singer and civil rights activist seeking redemption after the death of her father. Her grief provides an opportunity to reflect on the journey that took her from a piano prodigy destined for a life in the service of the church, to a renowned jazz vocalist at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement.

Featuring classic tunes such as Feeling Good, I Put A Spell On You, Mississippi Goddamn, I Love You Porgy and See-Line Woman, this acclaimed one-woman show currently stars its creator, Apphia Campbell.

“I was inspired by Nina Simone as a woman,” says Apphia. “I wanted to show the woman behind the music because I felt like there was a lot of mystery around her, and a lot of myth as well. People had all these stories about her and her erratic behaviour. I just felt really moved by it, and I wanted to know where all that pain and all the feeling she put into her songs came from.”

Theatre previews from around the region

The King And I

Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, Tues 30 May - Sat 3 June

In 1862, Anna Leonowens, upon whose reallife experiences The King And I is based, was employed by King Mongkut of Siam to serve as governess to his 67 children. Anna wrote of her experiences in two books, The English Governess At The Siamese Court and The Romance Of The Harem.

Published in the 1870s, the books became significant sources of information about Siam and its culture for Western readers.

The stage musical tells Anna’s story, showing the way in which she wins the trust of the barbaric but inquisitive King as she makes her presence felt in the royal court.

Boasting spectacular sets, breathtaking costumes, all the splendour of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s memorable score and a royal palace’s-worth of awards, the show currently stars Annalene Beechey and Darren Lee.

A Play For The Living In A Time Of Extinction

New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Mon 19 - Sat 24 June

“Come and be part of an exciting experiment in sustainability, as this has never been done before in the UK,” urges Holly Rose Roughan, artistic director of Headlong, the theatre company co-producing this climate-crisis drama by American writer Miranda Rose Hall.

The ‘exciting experiment’ to which Holly is referring involves the show being powered by bicycles. And an innovative touring model means that the only element which actually tours is the script - people and materials do not.

In each city a blueprint of the show will be brought to life by local creative teams as part of a ground-breaking experiment in making theatre more eco-friendly.

“Theatre allows us to collectively imagine an alternative future, “ says Holly, “and I firmly believe that touring companies can be pollinators of that national imagination.”

Happy Days

The Rep, Birmingham, Wed 28 June - Sat 1 July

Siobhán McSweeney here takes the role of Winnie - a woman literally buried up to her waist in a mound of earth - in Samuel Beckett’s critically acclaimed 1961 play. Widely considered to be a reflection on, among other themes, the passing of time and the endless repetition of dying moments, the work has been named by the Independent newspaper as one of the 40 greatest plays of all time.

Much Ado About Nothing

Tamworth Castle, Sun 18 June; Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, Mon 19 - Wed 21 June; Midlands Arts Centre (MAC), Birmingham, Sat 8 - Sun 9 July

Much Ado About Nothing revolves around the stumbling romance between Benedick and Beatrice, a liaison strewn with difficulties - not least among which is an unwillingness on the part of either to admit a liking for the other...

Not that the plot of Much Ado is likely to be overly important in this particular production, given the fact that it’s zany funsters Oddsocks who’re at the helm! Expect plenty of madcap mayhem and laughter from this always-value-for-money ensemble.

5 Years

Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham, Wed 21 & Thurs 22 June

A new comedy-drama by Birmingham-based writer Hayley Davis, 5 Years asks what price people would pay for the perfect body. Hayley was inspired to write the play after being shocked by national research which revealed what people would sacrifice for the ideal physique.

“Some people are trading their lives in a search for perfection,” says Hayley. “They are having surgery, going and doing really dangerous things, taking skin-lightening creams that can cause cancer, having Brazilian butt-lifts which mean you can die on the table, or ‘Turkey teeth’, where people are living in agony because they’ve shaved down perfectly healthy teeth. It’s just torturous.”

Sucker Punch

Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Tues 13 - Fri 16 June

Leading dramatist Roy Williams explores the experience of being young and black in 1980s Thatcherite Britain.

As simmering racial tensions threaten to spill over, best pals and promising boxers Troy and Leon hope that trainer Charlie can help them punch their way to a better life...

Theatre

Around The Region

Hamnet

Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, until Sat 17 June

Author Maggie O’Farrell scored an unlikely hit when her 2020 novel, Hamnet, became an international bestseller.

Set in 1582, the story follows the lives of William Shakespeare (unnamed in the novel) and Anne (in the book, Agnes) Hathaway as they fall in love and start a family.

William moves to London to forge his career in the world of theatre while Agnes stays at home in Warwickshire to raise their three children. But then tragedy strikes, as their only son, 11-year-old Hamnet, succumbs to the bubonic plague.

This stage adaptation of O’Farrell’s novel is the first production to be mounted in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s newly restored Swan Theatre. RSC Acting Artistic Director Erica Whyman helms the show.

Confetti

Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham, Thurs 15 June

Award-winning Birmingham theatre company Quick Duck make ‘ridiculous queer shows with a lot of heart and a killer soundtrack’ - and this latest production can very definitely be described as such. A warm, funny and impressively nuanced celebration of the traditional rom-com movie, Confetti’s story is based around the lead-up to a wedding and pays homage to the often overlooked character of ‘the gay best friend’. The production stars its writer, Will Jackson, and shows in Birmingham - Will’s home town - as part of a UK tour.

Dracula: The Bloody Truth

Lichfield Garrick, Fri 23 & Sat 24 June

Audience members as young as eight could well be saying ‘fangs for the advice’ after watching this cautionary tale about the dangers of vampires.

Presented by highly regarded Devon-based theatre company Le Navet Bete, it follows the desperate - and comic - attempts of Dracula’s nemesis, Professor Abraham Van Helsing, to warn the audience not to tangle with the prince of the undead. Sound advice, we’d say, and delivered with plenty of family-friendly laughs along the way. It’s probably best to pack some garlic, though - just in case...

The Complete Works Of Shakespeare (Abridged)

Albany Theatre, Coventry, Fri 9 June Now, if you feel you really should pay more attention to the works of the world’s greatest-ever playwright, but really don’t fancy hour upon endless hour spent listening to some terribly serious actors theeing and thou-ing in your general direction, then this is the show for you! All of Shakespeare’s 30-plus plays are covered in the blink of an eye, allowing you not only to become very learned very quickly, but also to get down the pub in time for last orders!

God Of Carnage

Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Wed 28 June - Sat 1 July

Although her 1994 play, Art, is probably French playwright Yasmina Reza’s most decorated work, this sharp-edged black comedy has certainly picked up its fair share of coveted silverware.

The winner of the 2009 Oliver Award for best comedy, it focuses on two sets of parents who meet up to deal with the unruly behaviour of their children. It soon becomes apparent, however, that it isn’t only the youngsters who resort to hysteria, name-calling, tantrums and tears before bedtime...

Wish You Were Dead

Malvern Theatres, Mon 12 - Sat 17 June; The Alexandra, Birmingham, Tues 20 - Sat 24 June

Bestselling crime writer Peter James has scored major successes on stage as well as in print, with adaptations of his novels having played to appreciative audiences at venues across the UK. This latest offering sees Detective Superintendent Roy Grace - the Brighton-based policeman who’s headed up murder investigations in a number of James’ most popular works - heading off on holiday with Senior Anatomical Pathology Technician Cleo Morey. It’s their first vacation together, and they’re very much looking forward to a few days away from the dark worlds of murder and the mortuary. But fate, it would seem, has other plans for them... Clive Mantle and George Rainsford star.