First Word

News from around the region

Smash-hit musical back in Birmingham

The Tony Award-winning production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The King And I is heading for Birmingham early next year. The hit show will stop off at The Alexandra in the week commencing the 27th of February. Set in 1860s Bangkok, the story revolves around the unconventional and tempestuous relationship that develops between the King of Siam and Anna Leonowens, a British schoolteacher whom the modernist king brings to Siam to teach his many wives and children. Stand-out numbers from a muchloved and hugely familiar score include Whistle A Happy Tune, Getting To Know You and Shall We Dance. For more information and to book tickets, visit atgtickets.com/birmingham

All’s Well in Shrewsbury

A one-day event focusing on how to look after your mental and physical health is making its debut in Shropshire next month. Visiting Shrewsbury Quarry on 3 September, The Wellbeing Festival will provide information on a wide variety of subjects, including fitness, nutrition and mindfulness. To find out more, visit wellbeingfestival.co.uk

Noel Coward classic at the New Vic Theatre

Staffordshire’s New Vic Theatre next month gets its autumn season under way with a brand-new stage version of Noel Coward’s 1945 film, Brief Encounter. Adapted by Emma Rice, the show is described as a playful production which adds ‘joyous musical numbers and physical comedy, while still maintaining the truly classic romance of the original’. Brief Encounter shows at the New Vic from Wednesday 7 to Saturday 10 September. To purchase tickets, visit newvictheatre.org.uk

Shaken, not stirred at Lichfield Cathedral

Lichfield Cathedral is certainly pulling out all the stops when it comes to offering summertime entertainment. Not only does the venue currently have a beach installed on its West Front, it’s also playing host to a candlelit evening of James Bond movie themes, taking place on Saturday 20 August. To find out more and book tickets, visit kindadusty.co.uk

‘Spectacular’ light trail coming to Shugborough

A ‘spectacular’ after-dark light trail will this winter weave a 1.5km route around the historic grounds of Staffordshire visitor attraction Shugborough. The trail will be available to walk each night during the four-week run-up to Christmas (from 25 November) and then through until New Year’s Day. Visitors will also be able to enjoy mulled wine and festive street food in the venue’s courtyard.

Dudley Town Hall receives summer refurbishment

Dudley Town Hall is receiving a stylish refurbishment over the summer. The upgrade includes redecoration of the main auditorium, the existing bar and the banqueting suite, replacement of the stalls chairs and refurbishment of the balcony seats. The work is in addition to the creation of the soon-to-open Brooke’s Bar & Bistro. The venue is currently closed for the refurbishment but will reopen early next month.

Twelve days of Tilt in Digbeth

Birmingham’s popular aerial & physical theatre festival, Tilt, returns for 12 days this month at the West Midlands Circus & Creation Centre in Digbeth (Monday 1 to Friday 12 August). The event’s organisers are promising jawdropping athletic performances, national and international circus artists and industry masterclasses from world-class teachers. For more information, visit tiltfestival.com

Immersive experience explores Islamic prayer

An immersive theatrical experience exploring the subject of Islamic prayer is this month being presented at Birmingham Hippodrome (25 August - 3 September). Waswasa - Whispers In Prayer is a Birmingham 2022 Festival commission by award-winning local artist Mohammed Ali. Commenting on the show, he said: “We hope this multi-disciplinary performance will give the audience a window into the Islamic world and in some small way bring communities together.”

Something to Shout about...

Scottish superstar singer Lulu will visit Lichfield Garrick Theatre next spring and The Place in Oakengates next autumn as part of a UK-wide tour. The one-time Eurovision entrant, whose hits include Shout, To Sir With Love and the title track to the James Bond film, The Man With The Golden Gun, will stop off at the Garrick on Wednesday 24 May and at The Place on Thursday 9 November 2023.

Summer fun at the cathedral

Lichfield Cathedral is providing a week of free children’s activities from 13 August and running a summer school from the 22nd to the 26th of the month. The activities form part of a summer of entertainment based around the cathedral’s installing of a beach on its West Front, complete with sand, deckchairs and an 8metre-high climbing wall (on specific dates). To find out more, visit lichfield-cathedral.org/beach

First Word

Corrie favourite to star in UK tour of The Commitments

Long-time Coronation Street favourite Nigel Pivaro is to star in the all-new production of The Commitments when it visits the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre this autumn (10 - 15 October) and Birmingham Hippodrome next spring (24 - 29 April). Nigel, who for years played the part of Terry Duckworth in the long-running soap, will take on the role of ‘Da’. Commenting on the news, Nigel said: “The Commitments is an iconic story that resonates across the years, about people who, though distant from the music's origins, find communion and expression in the Motown style.”

Space icon in the Midlands

British astronaut Tim Peake will be keeping his feet firmly on the ground when he brings his one-man show, My Journey To Space, to Birmingham’s Symphony Hall on Wednesday 7 September and Victoria Hall, Hanley, on Thursday the 29th. The first British astronaut to visit the International Space Station, Tim will be providing his audience with ‘a fascinating insight into life as an astronaut, complete with breathtaking photographs and neverbefore-seen footage’. Tickets for the show are now on sale at fane.co.uk/timpeake

Annie tour coming to the region

Ever-popular musical Annie returns to the Midlands next spring when it stops off at Birmingham theatre The Alexandra from Monday 3 to Saturday 15 April and Regent Theatre, Stoke-onTrent from Monday 8 to Saturday 13 May. Telling the tale of a young orphan girl’s life-changing experiences in 1930s New York during the Great Depression, the show features hit numbers including It’s The Hard Knock Life, Easy Street, I Don’t Need Anything But You and Tomorrow.

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More festive fun as Kai joins Jonny and Christian in Regent Theatre panto

Kai Owen, best known for playing the part of Rhys in the Dr Who spin-off TV series, Torchwood, is to join Regent Theatre panto stalwarts Jonathan Wilkes and Christian Patterson in the venue’s Christmas 2022 show, The Pantomime Adventures Of Peter Pan. Like Jonathan and Christian, Kai is a familiar face to Stoke-on-Trent audiences, having appeared in a number of Regent pantomimes down the years. The Pantomime Adventures Of Peter Pan shows at the theatre from Friday 9 to Saturday 31 December. For more information and to book tickets, visit atgtickets.com/stoke

Spitting Image... Live!

Birmingham Repertory Theatre’s 2023 programme of shows will kickstart with a new comedy. Spitting Image Live: Featuring The Liar King (1 Feb - 11 March) has been written by Al Murray, Matt Forde and The Rep’s artistic director, Sean Foley, who also helms the show. Commenting on the production, Sean said: “It’s not often you get to direct Tom Cruise, Stormzy, Boris Johnson, Beyonce, and Her Majesty The Queen all on the same bill... From the scathing to the silly, from brutal political satire to sending up celebrity, Spitting Image has always fearlessly pointed at the emperors of our society and gleefully stripped them naked. This live show will be no different…” To find out more about the Rep’s autumn/winter programme, visit birmingham-rep.co.uk

News from around the region

Saturday Night Fever boogies into the Midlands

Hit musical Saturday Night Fever will be strutting its funky stuff in the Midlands this autumn. Based on the cult John Travolta movie of the same name, the show features classic 1970s disco hits including the Bee Gees’ Stayin’ Alive, How Deep Is Your Love, Night Fever, Tragedy and More Than A Woman. Saturday Night Fever runs at Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury from Tuesday 4 to Saturday 8 October; Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, from Tuesday 25 to Saturday 29 October, and The Alexandra, Birmingham, from Tuesday 22 - Saturday 26 November.

Brewhouse out on tour

Following the success of its 2021 summer tour, The Brewhouse Arts Centre has once again hit the road, taking free-to-enjoy live theatre, workshops and activities to parks and open spaces across East Staffordshire. For more details and to find out where and when activities will be taking place, visit brewhouse.co.uk

DSI Grace to return in new stage adaptation

A new stage adaptation of bestselling crimewriter Peter James’ novel, Wish You Were Dead, will stop off at Shrewsbury’s Theatre Severn next spring as part of a UK tour. The production features James’ much-loved character of DSI Roy Grace, who was recently portrayed on television by Life On Mars actor John Simm... The show visits Theatre Severn from 8 to 13 May. For more information and to book tickets, visit theatresevern.co.uk and his grotto inside the adjacent 11thcentury castle this festive season - and the venue is on the look-out for someone to fill his fur-lined boots! Interested applicants should apply with a CV via email to admin@dudleyzoo.org.uk, or by post to Marketing Department, Dudley Zoo & Castle, DY1 4QF. The closing date for applications is Wednesday 31 August.

Safari Park taking Tiger Lodge bookings

West Midland Safari Park is now taking bookings for its new luxury accommodation - four lodges located just a whisker away from the popular visitor attraction's majestic Sumatran tigers! Safari Lodges short breaks include breakfast & dinner, spectacular views of the animals, admission to the venue for two days and theme park wristbands during the summer season. For more information, visit safarilodges.co.uk

News from around the region

Glastonbury sculpture now on show at the British Ironwork Centre

A giant sculpture that appeared at this year’s Glastonbury Music Festival has been relocated to the British Ironwork Centre in Oswestry, Shropshire, as part of a national tour. The sculpture, entitled A Head On With The Future, has been created by Mark Vanaria using scrap metal from the automotive, oil & gas and agriculture industries. Filled with living plants, the artwork reaches a height of 19 feet. In producing the piece, Mark was inspired “by nature and its ability to recover, even in the face of so much worldwide adversity”.

Staffordshire Hoard exhibition reopens

The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery’s Staffordshire Hoard exhibition has reopened. Titled Treasure Of Mercia, the display features a number of the Hoard’s most iconic objects, including the great folded cross and some of the largest pieces of gold and garnet cloisonné. At the heart of the gallery is the improved Mead Hall, where a host of AngloSaxon characters share stories about their life in seventh-century Mercia.

Bruce to play Villa Park

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band are heading back to the UK next year and will be making a midsummer stop-off at Villa Park (Friday 16 June). To find out more and book tickets, visit AXS.com

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Outdoor exhibition shines a light on community sport

Sandwell Valley Country Park is this month playing host to a large-scale outdoor photography exhibition by award-winning artist Jaskirt Boora. A heartfelt celebration of sport within local communities in the West Midlands, the exhibition forms part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival and is being displayed in numerous community spaces across the summer. Previous locations include West Bromwich Leisure Centre and Birmingham Coach station.

Johannes returns with Freedom Unleashed

Strictly Come Dancing star Johannes Radebe is heading to the Midlands as part of a new UK tour. Johannes’ show, Freedom Unleashed, will see him joined by a diverse cast of dancers and singers in a production that’s being described as ‘a melting pot of South African rhythms and huge party anthems - with a touch of ballroom magic thrown in’. Freedom Unleashed stops off at Birmingham’s The Alexandra on Saturday 13 May and then visits the Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, a week later, on the 20th.

Twelve days of Tilt...

Birmingham’s popular aerial & physical theatre festival, Tilt, returns for 12 days this month at the West Midlands Circus & Creation Centre in Digbeth (Monday 1 to Friday 12 August). The event’s organisers are promising jawdropping athletic performances, national and international circus artists and industry masterclasses from world-class teachers. For more information, visit tiltfestival.com

Once The Musical reimagined in new show

A new, intimate theatre space in Lichfield is this month playing host to a brand-new stage production from an also-new Midlands theatre company. Lichfield venue The Hub is the location for Let Me In’s performance of award-winning folk musical Once, a play about two disenfranchised artists who’re drawn together by their shared love of music. The production shows from 26 August to 17 September. For more information and to book tickets, visit thehubstmarys.co.uk Image is of Jade Lauren who plays Eamonn.

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, the acclaimed one-woman play has enjoyed sellout seasons in Shanghai, New York, Edinburgh and London’s West End since its premiere almost 10 years ago and is currently on tour with its creator back in the lead role. After a spell directing another actor as the protagonist, Apphia Campbell has returned to performing as Nina - or rather Mena Bordeaux, the fictional character inspired by the real-life icon. There’s nothing sinister or judicial for the name change, Apphia tells me, it’s simply because she didn’t want audiences to focus on the fact that she doesn’t really sound like the iconic jazz singer. “I feel like when people go to shows about someone famous, it’s as if ‘I don’t care about the story, I just want to hear how much you sound like her’,” she says. “That’s why I changed the character’s name and decided to use my own voice - so I can interpret it as a singer, as a vocalist, and get to the essence and the heart of the song without having to try and imitate her sound.” And Apphia believes Simone’s story is every bit as important as her celebrated tunes which is what prompted her to write the play in the first place. “I was inspired by Nina Simone as a woman. I loved her music, but 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, and I just felt really moved by it and wanted to know where all that pain and all the feeling she put into her songs came from.” A hugely important element is Simone’s involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, which didn’t just damage her career, but made her a target at an especially dangerous time in America. “The things she would say, I was like ‘Oh my God!’ She didn’t have any fear about what it would do to her career because she had so much conviction in what she believed in. I found that really inspiring because as artists sometimes, even though you don’t want to think about the bottom line and whether people are gonna come see my work, you do have to pay your rent as well. “But that wasn’t even a thought for her - even when people were telling her she was jeopardising her career by singing these protest songs, she didn’t care.” Apphia believes Simone did ultimately question the route she took, as her career suffered but little progress was made in terms of civil rights. “It’s sad because when you’re broke and everybody has left the movement and you don’t really see the impact of what you’ve done, you kind of wonder if you made the right decision. “In terms of racism and the status of black people in America, things weren’t shifting that much, and people who were in the movement with her were either killed or moved on. She was left on her own, trying to hold the torch for it - the last soldier on the battlefield.” Had that last-man-standing scenario lent itself to the one-woman show? “Yeah, I suppose. The first draft was a big show, and then I brought it down to the oneperson format because I really wanted to concentrate on her as a woman and the relationship between her and her father. I wanted to strip it to the basics so people would have no choice but to empathise with her and see her as a woman, not as this ‘high priestess of soul’.” Simone’s journey as an artist and a singer she started out as just a piano player - also struck a chord with Apphia, who discovered her own singing voice out of necessity too. “I grew up in a really religious community and was singing my whole life, but I didn’t really think of myself as a singer until I moved to China in 2009. “In 2010 I got a job singing in a bar, so in a way I was having my own awakening as an artist, as a vocalist, and discovering that ‘I have a sound’. I completely empathise with that in this woman’s journey because she wasn’t a vocalist, she was a pianist, and the only reason she started singing was because she got a job in a bar, and they told her ‘if you wanna keep this job you’re gonna have to sing something’. They were like ‘this isn’t Carnegie Hall, honey’.” Returning to the character after a period directing Florence Odumuso in the role has also given Apphia a new perspective on it, as well as even greater respect for the nature of being a touring artist, performing the same material night after night and finding ways to enjoy it. “Seeing Florence’s interpretation gave me a new insight and a renewed joy with the piece because I was losing a little of that after performing it for so long. “I performed it recently, and even though I’m quite settled into it, I realised my pacing was really different and I was finding new ways of doing parts of it.” When pressed, she picks Plain Gold Ring (“it’s not in the show, but it’s a song I sing in the shower all the time”) as her first-choice Simone tune, with Mississippi Goddam and I Love You Porgy the tunes she enjoys, and connects most with, in the production. “When I step out on stage, something comes over me, and I like to think that’s Nina Simone’s spirit and essence that I’m able to capture. There are parts of the show that are really special to me and really emotional for me to do, especially given my own journey. “I’ve grown a lot [in the 10 years since I wrote it] - I’ve moved countries, I’ve gotten married, I’ve had a child, my career has changed quite dramatically, so a lot of the things that I’ve written have different interpretations for me as a performer just because of my own life shift. “So there are things that I connect with differently and more emotionally, and that’s really fun for me and really beautiful to enjoy as a performer. So yeah, I still enjoy it!”