What's On March 2015

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WOLVERHAMPTON & BLACK COUNTRY WHAT’S ON ISSUE 351 MARCH 2015

THE MIDLANDS ULTIMATE ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE WOLVERHAMPTON & BLACK COUNTRY

’ What sOn www.whatsonlive.co.uk

ISSUE 351

MARCH 2015

GINA YA SHERE SHOWING HER

BEST BITS IN WOLVE RHAMPTO N

CLAIRE SWEENEY talks Sex In Suburbia interview inside...

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Contents March Region 2.qxp_Layout 1 23/02/2015 22:03 Page 1

March 2015 INSIDE:

Editor: Davina Evans davina@whatsonlive.co.uk 01743 281708

Shaun Williamson

Editorial Assistants: Brian O’Faolain

stars in One Man, Two Guvnors at The Grand p25

brian@whatsonlive.co.uk 01743 281701

Lauren Foster lauren@whatsonlive.co.uk 01743 281707

Adrian Parker adrian.parker@whatsonlive.co.uk 01743 281714

Sales & Marketing: Lei Woodhouse lei@whatsonlive.co.uk 01743 281703

Chris Horton chris@whatsonlive.co.uk 01743 281704

Subscriptions: Adrian Parker adrian.parker@whatsonlive.co.uk 01743 281714

Claire Sweeney

Managing Director: Paul Oliver

talks Sex In Suburbia interview p6

paul@whatsonlive.co.uk 01743 281711

Publisher and CEO: Martin Monahan martin@whatsonlive.co.uk 01743 281710

Graphic Designers: Lisa Wassell Chris Atherton Accounts Administrator Julia Perry julia@whatsonlive.co.uk 01743 281717

Website Development: Eddie Payne Contributors: Graham Bostock: Theatre James Cameron-Wilson: Film; Alev Dervish: Music Eva Easthope, Jessica Aston, Patsy Moss, Jack Rolfe, Jan Watts, Reggie White, Simon Carter Head Office: 13-14 Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, SY2 6AE

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One Man Breaking Bad - Miles Allen talks about his love of the cult drama.

Interview page 8

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News March Region two.qxp_Layout 1 23/02/2015 21:36 Page 1

News

A ROUND-UP OF LOCAL AND NATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

Wolverhampton Theatre appoints new Chief Exec Wolverhampton Grand Theatre has appointed the current Chief Executive and Artistic Director of the Lichfield Garrick as its new Chief Executive. Adrian Jackson has been leading the Garrick since 2006. He will join the Grand on a full-time basis when he leaves his current post in the summer.

Commenting on the appointment, Jeremy Brown, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, said: “On behalf of the board I would like to say how thrilled we are on the appointment of Adrian Jackson. It’s an exciting time for the theatre, and we look forward to working with Adrian and the whole Grand Theatre team in the years to come.”

Artist’s impression of the expansion

More adventures in Thomas Land

Adrian Jackson

Festival celebrates ten years of walking in Ironbridge Organisers behind the annual Ironbridge Gorge Walking Festival have announced its to celebrate it tenth anniversary with ten days of free, varied and rewarding walks in and around Telford’s Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage site in May. Promising walks for all ages and abilities, the festival offers a programme of fifty graded outings split into two parts. Most walks are under five miles but there are also long hikes for regular and experienced walkers. New additions to the 2015 programme include a linear nine mile walk from the Ironbridge Tollhouse to Bridgnorth. The Ironbridge Gorge Walking Festival takes place from Fri 1 to Sun 10 May. For full details, visit, www.visitironbridge.co.uk/walkingfestival

Tom Odell added to Forestry Live’s summer line-up Singer/songwriter Tom Odell is the latest big name to be added to this year’s Forest Live programme of concerts across the country.

Tom will perform in the Midlands at Delamere Forest, Cheshire (4 July), and Cannock Chase Forest, Staffs (12 July).

Odell, whose debut album Long Way Down shot to number one in the charts, will be joined by the supremely talented Rae Morris.

Forest Live is an independent programme organised by the Forestry Commission.

4 www.whatsonlive.co.uk

A massive £2.5million expansion is set to transform Drayton Manor Theme Park’s famous Thomas Land, increasing its size by a whopping forty percent. The only one of its kind in Europe, the Staffordshire theme park’s Thomas Land is a celebration of the adventures of Thomas The Tank Engine and friends. The expansion will include three brand new rides Flynn’s Fire Rescue, Captain’s Sea Adventure and Toby’s Tram Express - and a ‘stunning’ new two-storey Sodor Airport terminal. Commenting on the expansion, Colin Bryan, CEO of Drayton Manor Theme Park, said: “This year marks the sixty-fifth anniversary of Drayton Manor, and throughout our long history we’ve always prided ourselves on offering a fun day out for the whole family. That was the reasoning behind the launch of Thomas Land in 2008.

Since then the area has gone from strength to strength and has provided an immersive experience for fans both young and old. We are delighted to be extending it this year with all these fantastic new rides and facilities for our visitors to enjoy.” The expanded Thomas Land will open over Easter.

Income from sales is spent protecting, improving and expanding England’s forests and woodlands, increasing their value both to people and wildlife.

Other big names to appear at this year’s concerts include Paloma Faith (10 July) and Robert Plant & The Sensational Space Shifters (11 July). For further information and to book tickets, visit, Tom Odell www.forestry.gov.uk

Tamworth’s creative quarter gets the green light Tamworth town centre looks set to be rejuvenated after the green light was given to plans for a new ‘creative quarter'. The ambitious project is being part-funded to the tune of £2.95million by the Government's Single Local Growth Fund. It will begin next year, create one hundred-plus jobs and cost a total of £5.5million.

The project includes the conservation, redevelopment and improvement of Tamworth Assembly Rooms. The venue will benefit from the creation of a café bar and exhibition space, a new box office, studios, a multi-use area and glazed double doors to help open

up the building’s front façade. Speaking to the Tamworth Herald, Tamworth Borough Councillor Steve Claymore revealed that the Creative Quarter project could provide the wider town centre with an additional economic value of between £10million and £13million.

“I can't speak highly enough of what the project will mean to the town as a whole,” said Councillor Claymore.

Debut children’s novel from Shropshire author Shropshire author Ed Patterson has launched his first novel for children. Derek Fish And The Surprise sees a small boy travelling back in time to search for his family’s stolen treasure. Full of swashbuckling action, cruel pirates, a monstrous squid and magic that sets the heart pounding, it’s the perfect read for children aged nine and upwards. A fun read for adults, too.

The novel is available only on Amazon Kindle and costs just 99p. Visit www.derekfish.com for more information and the first four captivating chapters.

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A Black Country welcome...

One of the Midlands’ longest-running shows has been given a facelift for 2015.

A Black Country Night Out has been delighting audiences across the region for years, and has featured performances from local comedians Aynuk & Ayli, Tommy Mundon, Dolly Allen & Giggetty. Bringing a fresh look to proceedings, this year’s shows welcome the addition of the latest ‘brilliantly talented’ Black Country acts - including Jonny Cole, who’s earning himself quite a reputation for his musical parodies of modern local life. Joining Jonny will be Kaylee Cropper, a ‘Black Country wench’ who regales audiences with stories of her life.

Meanwhile, music from The Ronaldos, featuring Ron Rogers from T’Pau, promises to get the aisles well and truly rocking.

Jonny Cole

EYB seeking young talent One of the country’s most prestigious youth ballet companies is this month inviting budding dancers to audition for a full-length production of Swan Lake, taking place at Shrewsbury’s Theatre Severn in July. The award-winning English Youth Ballet is on the lookout for one hundred young male and female dancers, aged eight to eighteen, who will perform in Swan Lake alongside professional principal dancers. Theatre Severn will host three performances of the ballet, on 10 and 11 July. Auditions take place at the theatre on Mon 9 March, with a 4.30pm to 6.30pm slot for dancers aged eight to eleven, and a 6.45pm to 8.30pm slot for youngsters aged between twelve and eighteen. A performance course fee applies. For further information and to register, call 01689 856747 or email misslewis@englishyouthballet.co.uk

Legally Blonde in Wolves Wolverhampton Musical Comedy Company is set to stage the city’s first ever amateur production of Legally Blonde The Musical.

The hit show, a 2011 Olivier Award-winner, is being presented by the company at the Grand Theatre from Tuesday 10 to Saturday 14 March. Legally Blonde is the latest in a long line of popular musicals to be staged by the talented ensemble, with previous shows including Grease, Footloose, Copacabana, West Side Story and Half A Sixpence. Tickets for the show cost from £8 to £18.50 and can be purchased at www.grandtheatre.co.uk

Nasty Nick hooked on The Grand EastEnders bad boy ‘Nasty’ Nick Cotton is set to get even nastier - by taking on the role of Captain Hook in Wolverhampton Grand Theatre’s 2015 pantomime. Actor John Altman, who’s been playing Nasty Nick in the hit BBC soap over the last thirty years, will take top billing in Peter Pan this Christmas.

John will be joined in Wolverhampton

by The Chuckle Brothers, who’ll play comedy duo Paul & Barry Smee in the swashbuckling adventure. Commenting on the announcement, Michael Harrison, Managing Director of Qdos Entertainment’s pantomimes division, said; “I’m delighted that John has agreed to join us in pantomime this Christmas. John is a first-rate actor, and to have him cast alongside the hilarious comedy talent of The Chuckle Brothers guarantees us another sensational season at the Grand Theatre.” Peter Pan runs at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre from Saturday 12 December 2015 to Sunday 24 January 2016. Tickets are on sale now and are available from www.grandtheatre.co.uk or by calling the ticket office on 01902 42 92 12.

IN BRIEF Lichfield festival back in town...

Organisers of the popular Lichfield Blues & Jazz Festival have announced the line-up for this summer’s event. Taking place at various city centre locations, including the Cathedral, Guildhall and George Hotel, the four-day festival (25 to 28 June) will feature performances from Tommaso Starace Quartet, John Etheridge, Steve Ajao and the Climax Blues Band.

Commenting on the 2015 programme, festival organiser Brian Pretty said: “This will be a great week-end of music for locals and visitors alike and will boost the local economy.” Venues and interested sponsors can contact Brian via adminmanager@lichfieldarts.org.uk John Etheridge

24 Hour Culture Survey: The results..

A major region-wide survey has found that arts and culture are very important to people in the West Midlands.

The 24 Hour Culture Survey sought to discover how people experience arts and culture in their everyday lives.

The survey took place during one twenty-four hour period - from noon on Friday the 24th to noon on Saturday the 25th of October 2014.

The findings show that arts and culture are integral to the lives of many people. Ninety-eight percent of respondents said they felt that arts, culture and heritage are important to them.

The main reasons for appreciating arts and culture were that they keep the mind stimulated and give meaning to people’s lives.

Other major reasons include increased health and wellbeing, keeping communities together, improving the lives of children and young people, and the positive effect of arts and culture on jobs and economics.

Libraries were the most popular cultural venue over the twenty-four hours, with 14% of respondents visiting a branch. Twelve percent saw a play or drama during the twentyfour hour period, and 11% visited an art exhibition. Twenty-four percent of respondents sang for their own pleasure and 15% took part in textile crafts such as knitting or sewing...Check out the findings at www.24hourculture.co.uk

You Me At Six to headline Slam Dunk You Me And Six, Taking Back Sunday and Lower Than Atlantis have been announced as part of this year’s Slam Dunk Festival line-up. Now in its tenth year, Slam Dunk is described as the ‘loudest punk rock festival’ in the UK, taking place at three strategically selected sites across the country - Leeds in the north, Hertfordshire in the south and Wolverhampton here in the Midlands (25 May). The festival will see the city’s Wulfrun Hall, Civic Hall, Civic Bar and outdoor stages playing host to some of the industry’s best pop punk, ska, punk and hardcore bands. For further information, visit www.slamdunkmusic.com You Me At Six www.whatsonlive.co.uk 5

Claire Sweeney interview (CA).qxp_Layout 1 23/02/2015 17:54 Page 1

interview

“

An older lady had been married for fifty years and never looked left or right, so we had to explain to her what the bag contained, bless her. It was all done with good humour.

”

Claire Sweeney talks about Sex In Suburbia...

Coming to public attention as Lindsey Corkhill in Channel Four soap opera Brookside, Claire Sweeney has since made a name for herself as a song-and-dance girl. As well as starring in numerous West End productions, including Guys And Dolls, Chicago and Educating Rita, she’s also toured the UK in hit musical Legally Blonde and one-woman show Tell Me On A Sunday.

This month Claire hits the road in Sex In Suburbia, a show she’s co-written with Mandy Muden. What’s On recently caught up with her to find out more...

6 www.whatsonlive.co.uk

Claire Sweeney interview (CA).qxp_Layout 1 23/02/2015 17:54 Page 2

Where did the idea for Sex In Suburbia come from?

All the appallingly bad dates my friends and I have ever experienced. We’d tell each other what had happened and get over the horror of the experiences by laughing about them.

Then, about two years ago, my close friend Mandy Muden and I started writing them all down in my front room with the notion of turning them into a comedy. At first we weren’t even sure if we were funny! But the play went down a storm with the audiences last year when it first opened in Liverpool. We take them through every emotion. They enjoy themselves so much that they get up to dance in the aisles and sing along to the big musical anthems we’ve included, such as I’m Every Woman, I Want To Break Free and, of course, I Will Survive.

What happens in the show?

It’s all about the eternal subject of love and romance, and the quest to find Mr Right through a series of mainly unsatisfactory dating experiences. But we’ve tried to take the bad out of the date and make the audience laugh by helping them to see the funny side. In our comedy, the host of a latenight radio show is Britain’s leading agony aunt. She takes calls from listeners about their dates from hell - and the occasional one from heaven - and dishes out her advice. In the original show I played a relationship expert, but this time I play myself - a working mum with a baby. I decided to update it because my baby boy, Jaxon, who was born in September, has changed my outlook on life. As a result, I’ve injected my own personal experiences of motherhood into the show.

Have you changed anything else?

Yes, I’ve de-Scoused it so that it will appeal more to a national audience. It was very localised before, about famous names and places in Liverpool, so I’ve taken out those references and made it more generic.

However, all the dating stories remain the same. Everyone can relate to them, wherever they’re from.

Have you included your own experiences of dating?

Yes, all the material comes from me and my friends. I’m the woman who goes on all these dodgy dates looking for love, then reaches a stage in her life when she would like to settle down and become a mum.

Well, you certainly achieved that, Claire!

Yes, I was due to go on tour with the show when I found out I was pregnant. Being a mum is the best thing ever, and Jaxon is the love of my life.

What kind of baby-related stories are in the show?

Funny anecdotes about pregnancy and breastfeeding. I had the most gorgeous pregnancy. I loved my growing bump and being able to eat what I wanted. A few weeks after I had Jaxon, people came up to congratulate me on being pregnant. I hadn’t lost baby weight and they thought I was still expecting! I was a bit embarrassed and replied indignantly, ‘Actually my baby’s six weeks old’. You can’t ping back into shape immediately.

Did you think twice about putting your own material in?

No, I found it liberating. I’ve changed the names and places but a few of the dates are based on my real dating experiences. I thought they were funny and I’m glad all the women who saw them in the show thought so too. You have to laugh in the face of adversity, don’t you? At first you go, ‘Woe is me!’ but then you turn it into a funny story and laugh.

What are some of the more outlandish dates experienced by friends?

Well, one of them found the macho man she was dating wearing a frilly ra-ra dress!

There’s another extraordinary tale about a cross-dresser. It’s the true story of a woman married to an uncommunicative, unpleasant man who suddenly discovers that he likes to wear women’s clothes. After the initial shock, she becomes the best of friends with his alter-ego - who’s softer, warm and kind - and it saves their marriage. There’s another cautionary tale that carries the warning, ‘be careful what you wish for’. A man wants to take his wife to a ‘swingers’ club, but she’s reluctant. When he finally persuades her to experiment, she ends up loving it. He becomes jealous and they end up getting divorced. But there’s nothing vulgar about our show; we’ve made it sympathetic and, most of all, amusing.

Do women in the audience volunteer their own stories?

Oh gosh yes! We have a slot in the show where they can share their dating nightmares. Instead of Blind Date we call it Bad Date. We’d been hearing all these disastrous stories and decided to ask the audience if any of them knew the secret to a happy marriage. A woman who’d been married for years replied that her tip for marital harmony with a husband was that you should, ‘Just ignore him’. Every woman brave enough to stand on stage receives a free goodie bag from Ann Summers, who’re supporting the show. An older lady had been married for fifty years and never looked left or right, so we had to explain to her what the bag contained, bless her. It was all done with good humour.

Will the show appeal only to women?

At first we assumed it would be a comedy for women, but we’ve seen men coming, too.

During a matinee performance, I saw a whole group of fellas fill a row, and at the bar in the interval I asked them why they’d come. They replied that one of their mates had seen it, loved it and recommended it, so they’d come along as part of a lads’ day out. There are elements of the show that men can definitely relate to.

So have you written a scenario from a man’s point of view?

Yes, one of them involves a bloke whose wife is pulling out all the stops - the lingerie and what have you - to seduce him when all he wants to do is watch the footie. Another bloke told us how he went on a date with this gorgeous girl, but when she took him to her house for a cup of tea, he was horrified to realise that he’d taken her mother out the week before!

Do you think the dodgy dating experience is a modern phenomenon?

No, it’s always been like that. We know this because our audiences include women from all generations. We’ve had grandmothers, mothers and daughters coming to the show on a family outing, and they can all relate to many of the stories we tell.

Who would your ideal date be and where would you go?

My guilty pleasure is Ray Winstone. I’ve never met him but he seems to get more and more fabulous as he gets older. He’s such a geezer, the type of bloke who’d look after you. A night out at the theatre followed by a slap-up meal would be perfect. Food and the theatre are my two favourite things.

You starred in panto in Liverpool just seven weeks after Jaxon was born. Has it been difficult getting the baby/work balance right?

It was hard at first, and Jaxon probably wants to know why he’s no longer being breastfed by a genie! I was playing the genie in Aladdin, wearing a fabulous sparkly purple costume, and used to feed Jaxon in the interval. He seemed to love the music, the magical surroundings and all my theatre friends who’d help me look after him. Some people said, ‘You should take time out and stay at home with your baby,’ but I’m a working mum who has bills to pay. Going back to work so early wasn’t a case of getting my life back and getting back on stage; it’s what I do, and I believe it’s possible to combine both successfully. So far so good!

You’re presenting a new radio show…

Yes, this month and next I’ll be presenting a show on Sunday afternoons at 3pm on Magic, the new national DAB radio station.

The show will feature reviews and recommendations, with a focus on the Olivier Awards 2015 and interviews with stars and cast members of musical theatre. I’ll also be playing a mix of Magic tracks and musical hits. It’s my dream come true, so with this and the tour of Sex In Suburbia, 2015 is already shaping up to be a brilliant year for me.

Will there be wedding bells for you and Jaxon’s dad, Daniel Riley, this year?

We’ve no plans for that at all. We’re taking every day as it comes with Jaxon, and I’m full-on being a mum and preparing for my UK tour. I’ve relocated with Jaxon to my house in London. It suddenly dawned on me that the house isn’t baby-friendly at all, so I’m having all the sharp corners on tables and worktops softened and warm carpets laid on all the floors.

Will you be taking Jaxon on tour with you?

Yes, a close friend is coming with me who’ll look after him while I’m on stage. He’ll be with me the rest of the time. I love him so much that I don’t want to be away from him.

How lucky am I!

Sex In Suburbia shows at New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham on Tues 3 March, and Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent on Sun 29 March

www.whatsonlive.co.uk 7

One Man Breaking Bad Interview (CA).qxp_Layout 1 23/02/2015 17:55 Page 1

interview

One Man Breaking Bad Squeezing sixty episodes of the cult drama into sixty minutes...

With a penchant for impersonations, LA actor Miles Allen continues to garner acclaim for his oneman parody of American drama Breaking Bad. With over one million YouTube hits and rave reviews at last year’s Edinburgh Festival, Allen is this month bringing the show to the Midlands. What’s On finds out what audiences can expect...

How would you describe One Man Breaking Bad? It’s a farcical love letter to all the people who went through the bloodbath and tears of Breaking Bad, and who’re now wanting to go on a nostalgia trip and laugh at all the different things that made it so special to them. It follows roughly the same timeline and the same plot points, condensed into a much shorter time frame. There are jokes I play on different scenes, including the more serious moments. We have an interesting take on them that leaves the audience in stitches. Along the way there are other popculture references. It’s like a fusion of solo theatre and stand-up. Sometimes I’ll make comments about the series and my own experience with it, plus there’s a bunch of other different impressions in the show, like Family Guy, Back To The Future and Lord Of The Rings.

8 www.whatsonlive.co.uk

Why did you feel Breaking Bad was ripe for parody?

When the show ended, I felt there was this huge hole in my heart - as I’m sure was the case for many other people. It was like ‘What am I gonna watch now that Breaking Bad, the greatest television show on earth, just ended?’. I realised there was this huge love and desire to see the characters re-enacted through that YouTube video of mine, which went viral in September 2013. It sort of developed from there, leading to this oneman show that’s like a nostalgia trip for all the fanboys and girls to enjoy.

Which character was the hardest to nail?

The most challenging was Walt Jr. He’s a character with cerebral palsy, so it could be perceived that I’m making fun of, or being insensitive towards, someone with cerebral palsy. My argument is that to not impersonate Walt Jr just because he’s a character with cerebral palsy, and to not treat him like any other character, would be a greater act of discrimination.

Which characters from the show are featured in your parody?

All the main characters. There are a few secondary characters but mostly it’s the main ones: Walt, Jesse, Skyler, Walt Jr, Hank, Mike, Gustavo Fring, Marie, Todd, Uncle Jack, the Salamanca twins, and Saul, of course.

How would you sum up the essence of, say, Walter and Jesse?

Walt is very determined. He feels underappreciated so is constantly trying to prove himself - but always for his family, he says.

Since he’s so smart, he really believes he’s the best - and that comes out in his alter-ego, Heisenberg. He’s this over-qualified high

And the easiest?

Jesse Pinkman, bitch! It started with Jesse and spiralled from there.

One Man Breaking Bad Interview (CA).qxp_Layout 1 23/02/2015 17:55 Page 2

school chemistry teacher who could’ve been making millions or billions of dollars with Grey Matter, the company he left and which then became very successful. So he’s got this huge inferiority complex he’s trying to get over.

With Jesse, it’s so funny how he starts out like this character who we all perceive as a lowlife, with not much going for him.

Originally the show’s creator, Vince Gilligan, and the writers were going to kill him off at the end of the first season, but his character become so much more complex in terms of why he chose to go into the drug business and how he’s actually this really talented craftsman. Towards the end of the show, he actually becomes more of a protagonist for us than Walt is. We sympathise with him more because he’s still trying to do good, and experiences a lot of pain. By contrast, Walt’s character’s weird because he’s our protagonist yet becomes more distant from us. We start to disassociate ourselves from him. I don’t know many shows which have done that, and it’s what I find so riveting about the series.

It’s not the most humorous show in TV history, so in what ways have you made it funny?

That’s what’s so interesting. If I were to do a comedy about a comedy show, I’m not sure it would be that funny. Because Breaking Bad was so serious in its nature, they had some comic relief on the show. They had to, because the audience had to breathe at some point. And it’s because of that seriousness that the audience was more willing and ready to laugh, to release the tension the show constantly built up. So I found it easy to make a comedy out of a show that’s so serious, because people are ready to laugh about it.

Was there anything that surprised you about the audience reaction when you did One Man Breaking Bad in Melbourne and Edinburgh?

I was entirely shocked because it’s the first one-man show I’ve ever done. I’ve been an actor and a comedian, but it was my first attempt at doing an hour-long format. Doing voices and impressions is something I did in middle school. I didn’t have any friends so had to make up my own. So to go on stage and basically do what I’ve done since then namely, entertain myself - and have people enjoy it is amazing. It’s an amazing feeling to have your talents resonate with other people, and to create laughter and joy. I love making people laugh. I think it’s a very noble cause, because when you laugh you can’t feel any negative emotion. It’s cool that I can bring people to a heavenly state for even a brief moment. I’m humbled by it.

Are you looking forward to taking the show around the UK? I’m really excited about that. I did it in Scotland but I’ve not been to other parts of the UK. I think it’s an amazing opportunity and I can’t wait to go around all the various regions of the UK and perform. Hopefully they’ll enjoy it as much as everyone else has.

Did you expect the original YouTube clip to cause such a sensation?

No, not at all. Everyone says ‘Oh, what if this goes viral?’ but no-one expects it to happen.

That video clip was made at my friends’

beckoning when they heard me doing impressions. I’d been growing my beard out for a time and they said I looked homeless.

They said they should shoot a video of me pretending to do impressions for food and upload it. It was like ‘Friends might find it amusing’ - but many more people found it amusing apparently! It was a big surprise. We had twenty views when I uploaded it, then, the next morning, I’m getting calls from The Huffington Post and The Daily Beast and I’m like ‘Oh! Okay! I just went viral. That’s cool’.

People genuinely thought you were some homeless guy, didn’t they?

Yes, but I was immediately going ‘This is just a sketch’. I guess the real irony is that now I’m going on tour, I’m actually going to be sort of homeless. I’m moving out and putting everything in storage for this tour, so I guess it comes full circle.

When did you first get hooked on Breaking Bad? I had a couple of friends recommend the show to me. I think it was when Series Four was on that I got hooked on it. I’d just graduated college, I didn’t have to do homework anymore, so I was thinking ‘What am I going to fill my time with?’. So I started in on Breaking Bad, and the pilot episode hooked me. I thought it was one of the greatest openings to a show I’d ever seen.

That would’ve been in the May or June. By August, when Series Five rolled around, I was all caught up. There was a lot of time spent sitting on the couch enjoying Breaking Bad. You’ve hailed it as ‘the greatest TV show ever made’. Why do you feel it’s so good?

Because with every aspect of it, everything is at one hundred-and-ten percent. The writing, the acting - not just a particular actor but the ensemble of actors - the music, the editing.

Everybody seemed to be on their game. And I think it looks at the concept of the slippery slope better than any other story I’ve ever seen put on screen. It’s a very philosophical piece. In the first episode, the question posed is ‘Can a morally compromising decision that’s based on good intentions be justified?’.

I believe the rest of the series is an answer to that question. I think the answer is complex, but there’s also a clear end result that comes from it.

Have you met any of the cast?

I haven’t, but there was a guy with a fedora and sunglasses in one of my audiences once. After the show he just looked at me and gave me a nod. I’m not saying it was Heisenberg - but who can know for sure?

My goal is one day to be able to perform the show for the cast and crew, as a thank you for everything they gave to it. I couldn’t appreciate everything they’ve done more.

They gave America and the rest of the world a fantastic series that’ll be watched by generations to come.

How do you prepare for a performance that’s so full on?

I do over forty different impressions throughout the show, which is an hour long.

It looks like we’re going to be extending it for the UK run to possibly eighty minutes. It takes its toll on the voice, so there are a lot of vocal warm-ups and cups of hot tea with honey and lemon before a show. I have to make sure my instrument, my voice, is ready.

If that goes, it’s not good. The show is reliant on my voice, so I take a lot of care with it when I’m on the road.

What originally led you into acting and performing?

I studied acting in college. Once I graduated, I moved to Los Angeles to live the dream. I started out like any other person, a struggling actor trying to pick up auditions for as many gigs as possible. I had this idea that any career opportunity that happened would happen in LA, because that’s where I was.

Then, to my surprise, my first big break came from Australia, where I performed this show. I never saw it coming but I’m not gonna complain about it. It’s been awesome. It’s been a really cool ride.

When did you discover you had a flair for impersonations?

I kind of say it jokingly but I was bullied a lot growing up and didn’t have any friends. I didn’t really have any skills that set me apart either, so I kind of felt lost in the shuffle.

Some might say I was slipping through the cracks. My parents were concerned, too.

Then, one day, I just impersonated Patrick from Spongebob Squarepants on the school bus and everyone was like ‘Wow, Miles, that was really good’. For me it was, like, affirmation! So I bought a Spongebob DVD and watched the behind-the-scenes feature about all the various voice actors. I was hooked. I was like ‘This is so cool that they do this for a living’. I started to copy them and what they did. I did more and more impressions. I lost count of how many I could do, but in high school I think it was around two hundred.

What are the keys to a great parody? And the common pitfalls?

You have to walk the line of respecting the integrity of the show whilst picking out the nuances that the audience members really enjoyed about the characters - like how Skyler is always over-reacting and seems like a bitch in every single scene. And how Walt Jr is always eating breakfast. You have Saul’s kind of sleazy nature and how he’s always checking his hair. It’s picking up on those nuances whilst always being ready to be adaptable. I remember in Scotland, this guy who was interviewing me asked ‘Do you have anything in there about Irn-Bru?’. I didn’t know what it was. He told me and I ended up putting it in the show. When you have a show that’s a parody and also has cultural references in it, you need to be ready to change those references as the show goes on.

With Better Call Saul now on TV, are you keeping an eye on it to see if it could be your next parody project?

Oh yes! I don’t want to give anything away about my show but I’m definitely keeping an eye on Better Call Saul. Who knows? A One Man Better Call Saul might be in the works...

One Man Breaking Bad shows at Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury on Monday 2 March, and Birmingham Town Hall on Wednesday 11 March

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Michael Brandon interview (CA).qxp_Layout 1 24/02/2015 12:11 Page 1

interview

“

I’m making love to Jacqueline Bisset for two days and they’re paying me’.

There’s so much stuff that, as an actor, you suffer...

”

Michael Brandon

stars in Arthur Miller classic...

Best known as one half of Dempsey and Makepeace, Michael Brandon’s wide-ranging repertoire spans TV, film and stage. Citing starring in George Cukor’s Rich And Famous as one of his all-time highs, Michael this month takes to the road to play Alfieri in Arthur Miller’s A View From The Bridge. What’s On recently caught up with him to find out more...

10 www.whatsonlive.co.uk

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What makes Arthur Miller such an accomplished playwright?

He’s a genius. His writing, when you speak it, is like Shakespeare. Alfieri is the voice of Arthur Miller, and he is ‘a view from the bridge’ - so I get to say these things to the audience, then go into the scenes with the other actors and the characters. Miller’s work is like poetry. To sip it and to sink those words within yourself, and then to be able to feel and express them is a joy.

Is A View From The Bridge your favourite Miller work?

Actually, it was an underrated work. I think I was much more into the parts that I used to work on in New York and in the studio - All My Sons and Death Of A Salesman. They were classics. A View From The Bridge, when it came to me, intrigued me because it’s a piece of heaven that’s not been exploited.

It’s quite a dark, heavy work...

Not for me. For me, there’s humour and a lot of feeling. It goes deeper, and he starts telling this story and remembering. Alfieri comes from the neighbourhood, but he’s one of those people who got lucky. He was lucky to get an education and bettered himself, which is why all of those immigrants came to Ellis Island. They came to make a better life - not get one but make one. He got an education and became a lawyer, but he didn’t move off.

He came and brought it back to his neighbourhood, so that people could benefit from his advantage, from his learning.

What are the major challenges for an actor in playing the role of Alfieri?

To make the poetry my own words, and to put the feeling and the honesty behind them.

To be able to talk these words and to share my experience with the audience, to interact with the other actors on stage and as my own self, as Alfieri, is a joy.

You’ve worked in the UK throughout your career. Was that a conscious decision in the beginning?

I came over to do Dempsey And Makepeace, which was supposed to be a six-month gig.

Then I learned that there’s more to life than the weather. I gave up weather for the life. I’ve done a lot of theatre over here, and it’s all very varied and all very exciting. I did a new play in August called The Long Road South.

To do Singing In The Rain at Chichester and in the West End, and to do one of the best pieces ever written - Oliver Cotton’s Wet Weather Cover - has been brilliant.

Very few American actors can point to that kind of long-term success in the UK. How have you managed to remain so highprofile here for so many years?

I think it was because Dempsey And Makepeace was so popular. It had twenty million viewers in the beginning. You don’t get that anymore - I don’t even know whether X Factor gets that many - because there are far more channels now. It was because I hit the mainstream. The popularity then gave me the opportunity to play everything. Another thing that’s very special here is that, as an American, the British give me every opportunity to play an American.

In America, I don’t get that opportunity

Despite Dempsey And Makepeace’s success, you don’t seem to have been typecast by the show. What’s the secret of remaining viable for a wide range of roles rather than becoming pigeonholed?

I guess I was typecast a little bit in the beginning, but then things began to change.

I got Jerry Springer The Opera, and then a brilliant piece for the BBC alongside Benedict Cumberbatch called Hawking. I played Arno Penzias, who discovered the Three Degrees of Radiation that backed his Big Bang Theory.

You’ve been married to your Dempsey And Makepeace co-star Glynis Barber for a quarter-century. What’s the secret of a successful showbiz marriage?

I really don’t know what it is. This is our twenty-fifth year of marriage. I think we allow each other space, and we’re a team as parents - but it goes beyond just us. We also have great friends. It’s all about bouncing off the wall of love, and feedback, and truth.

You mentioned Jerry Springer The Opera.

What made that show so groundbreaking and successful?

It was better than The Book Of Mormon. It was amazing because it was a rude opera.

Richard Thomas, who wrote it, was drunk at three in the morning when he watched Jerry Springer and realised it was opera. Stuart Lee never thought it would ever be anywhere other than above a pub. It happened, people responded. They saw the genius in it. It was a great piece. When I first read it, I couldn’t understand what it was. I really didn’t know. I asked them to cut out the libretto and just give me the part. It was amazing and it should’ve gone on to Broadway. I’d still love to do it again.

So you’d be up for it should it be resurrected?

There’s been talk about it coming back.

Jerry’s got a new show going on in America, so why not? I think there was talk that, if they found a slot - maybe 2017 - Jerry would be back.

You’ve made your way into the Marvel Comics movie franchise, playing Senator Brandt in Captain America...

Yeah, how about that? The first move was getting Dr Who when David Tennant was the Doctor. I was General Sanchez and was shot by a Dalek. I had that under my belt and it was great to move on to Captain America. So yeah, good things.

You’ve revealed elsewhere that superheroes were important to you as a child. Why did you need them when you were growing up?

It was a pay off. I had stacks and stacks of comic books. I loved Batman. They were better than the life there on the streets - the fighting and the survival. The hard reality of Brooklyn. That’s where comic books were born. It was a fantasy life being a hero, having a secret identity, an alter-ego. So to be in them as a grown up, especially when they’re made so well, is kind of a pay off.

Back to the beginning... Why did you decide to become an actor?

Because I wasn’t happy with anything else.

I couldn’t really do a day job. I didn’t know what to do. I was studying law, and here I am now playing a lawyer, playing Alfieri, but it was so boring. It’s not like ‘I object!’, like we see on TV and in the movies. It was a lot of case history and a lot of learning. After high school, I’d had enough. Then I had a blind date, and I was telling her that I wasn’t happy, that my job sucked, and she was hysterical.

She said, ‘You should become a comic or an actor’. It was like the green scent of the sea washing in and blowing away the dust. All of a sudden, I knew what I wanted to do. So I gave myself two years to become a movie star. Not unrealistic at all! That’s what I said to myself - and I did it. After acting school, banging on doors, doing auditions, a student film here and there and a Broadway show with Al Pacino called Does A Tiger Wear A Necktie?, I got the movie Lovers And Other Strangers. I’d seen the play, I’d snuck in to see it time and time again, and now I was in its movie version. There are times when the reality exceeds your fantasies - I’ve had a lot of them and I’m grateful for them. That’s why this life has been such a blessing.

You’ve played a wide range of roles - on stage, on TV, in film. If you had to select one of your performances to keep for posterity, which would it be and why?

There are different ones for different things. I think playing Brad in Oliver Cotton’s Wet Weather Cover was probably one of the best acting roles.

In the movies, it has to be George Cukor’s last film, Rich And Famous, with Jacqueline Bisset. I made love to Jacqueline in the bathroom of an aeroplane - Barbra Streisand tried to buy that scene out of the film to make a movie about the Mile High Club. Anyway, I did that, and all I kept thinking the whole time is ‘I’m making love to Jacqueline Bisset for two days and they’re paying me’. There’s so much stuff that, as an actor, you suffer...

Do you have any specific professional ambitions you’d like to fulfill - a character you’d love to play, for example - or do you simply sit back and see who makes contact?

I don’t know what it is yet, but yes. It’s the one that’s coming, it’s that surprise. That’s what it’s like because you’re living existentially. Alfieri just came at the right time and in the right place. There’s a reality in that moment, and I find that juicy. When you start out and nobody knows you or wants to know you, and you bang on doors and get turned away, and you can’t get an agent, you never give up and you never take it personally.

Good things come. My dream is that there’s still an Oscar waiting...

Michael Brandon stars in A View From The Bridge at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, from Tues 24 to Sat 28 March

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Jason Manford (CA) online.qxp_Layout 1 27/02/2015 11:18 Page 1

interview

Jason Manford happy to be playing Leo Bloom in The Producers As a stand-up comedian and panel show host, Jason Manford needs no introduction. His chirpychappy routines regularly sell out arenas across the country, while his TV appearances guarantee plenty of appreciative armchair fans. Back in 2012, Manford surprised West End critics with his portrayal of Italian barber Pirelli in a revival of Sweeney Todd. Preparing to take to the stage once again, this time playing Leo Bloom in the UK tour of Mel Brooks’ The Producers, Jason recently took time out from rehearsals to talk to What’s On...

What makes The Producers your 'favourite musical of all time'?

I guess it’s because it’s written by a comedian, so it naturally lends itself to a comic sensibility.

There are so many obvious ‘big gags’, but there are also loads of subtle jokes. Every day you’re finding another gag somewhere, and that’s mainly why it really suits me. It’s really funny and, in a way, a little offensive - but I guess in 2015 we’re a bit more blasé about what we find offensive. I imagine at the time of its original release, it would’ve been seen as a lot more offensive.

What does your experience as a stand-up comedian enable you to contribute to the role of Leo Bloom?

I guess you see the world through different eyes. Mel Brooks came up with the original idea back in the 1960s and it was based on two stories. He’d heard about this sloth of a producer, and he’d also heard about these criminals who were laundering money. So he

basically put the two ideas together. As a comic, that’s what you do all the time - you hear two or three funny stories and you amalgamate them to create a routine. So I guess in that respect, for me as a comic who’s always writing, it’s great just to be given a really funny script and not have to do anything. It’s not like when you’re given a sitcom script and you’re going through it, trying to make it funnier.

Do you have a favourite one-liner that you deliver?

I love the blue blanket scene at the beginning.

It’s fun, neurotic, hyperactive and really crazy.

I’m basically Judy Garland - that’s who Leo Bloom is. He’s brand new to showbusiness and is having his eyes opened very quickly to a lot of things he’s never experienced before.

My favourite line of his is “Stop the world, I want to get on”. It’s a really big moment for him, and you could just imagine a young Judy Garland saying it off camera.

Will it be a bit of a jolly, working alongside fellow comedians Ross Noble and Phill Jupitus?

We’re having so much fun at the moment.

Both of them are playing the same part at different times in the tour, and already they’re bringing things to it that aren’t in the script different ideas and different moments that are just really funny. But the whole cast are great fun. It’s really weird coming into a different world, where people sort of know each other a bit and you’re the outsider. Everyone is just really excited to be involved in such a brilliant musical.

You cut your teeth on the stage in Sweeney Todd, for which you received plenty of acclaim. Did that set the bar in terms of the pressure you put on yourself?

What’s interesting is that I’m so used to being on top of my game. I put loads of work into it and I make sure that it’s good - but when you come to do something like this, where

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somebody else is directing it, somebody else has written it, someone else is producing it, it’s hard to let go of the power that you normally have. Sweeney Todd is at the top of the Premier League of musicals. It’s a great Sondheim show, and to perform alongside Imelda Staunton and Michael Ball was just fantastic, even for the short run that I did. I guess after a taste of that, I was just waiting for another Premier League musical.

Do you ever foresee acting superceding your career as a stand-up comedian?

I don’t think so. I love stand-up - it’s my favourite way of performing because it’s so direct. Everything you say, the audience is on it. You can’t get better than that.

So what made you decide to become a comedian?

I was sixteen or seventeen when I first started and I didn’t really think about it. I just had some funny ideas and an opportunity to do a few gigs, so I did them. There wasn’t a business plan. I think I started in ’98 or ’99. I think I first got paid for a gig in 2004, so there was a good five or six years of going at it and getting into debt. I had other jobs. I was working in an office, on a building site, in a burger restaurant or a toy shop. I had hundreds of jobs and would do them for as long as possible - basically until they sacked me because I kept heading off to do a gig somewhere!

Were you funny at school?

I thought I was hilarious, but since school I’ve occasionally bumped into someone in a supermarket and they’ve said, ‘I can’t believe you’re a comedian’. I was a naughty boy at primary school level, although I never brought the police to the door, as my mum always points out with pride. One of the punishments my dad used was to send me to stand in the corner and face the wall. The wall he chose had a bookshelf, and invariably I would pick up a book. I remember going into school and everyone else was reading TIm And Tina Go To The Beach. I was bored out of my brain, as I’d just finished reading Lord Of The Rings. I was quite an advanced reader from an early age, so I was really bored at school. So I became naughty and thought of daft things to do. By the time I reached secondary school, I was always telling daft stories. Mrs Cooper, my English teacher, wasn’t very happy when I used to interrupt her lessons. On one occasion she asked me to share my story with everybody. So I did, and it got a laugh.

Mrs Cooper said it was a fun story and set me extra homework for that night to write it out as a story, which I did. That was the first piece of material that I wrote. I guess I was about twelve or thirteen. I took it into her and she said, ‘Well, that’s what really happened, so why don’t you go away and see if you can add to it and make things up around the story, rather than it being purely fact’. She advised me to lose a couple of elements of the story which weren’t as important and to add some things that would be really funny. I probably remember her advice better than she does, but it was a key moment for me.

What’s your process when writing material, and where do you find your inspiration?

I suppose it’s a bit clichéd but ‘life’, really. I’m surrounded by funny people. The kids are funny, and I’m always hanging around with

funny people - even this cast. We’ve been out to dinner a few times with Cory, who plays Max, and he makes me laugh so much. He tells me stories and I’m like, ‘I’m writing that down, I could use that’. I like to try and be open-minded about things. I do find myself in scrapes sometimes and wonder, ‘Why am I here? Why have I done this?’, but it’s always because there’ll be some fun in it.

What kind of shape do you think the UK comedy scene is in at the moment?

I think there are a lot of brilliant comics at the top level, but there are also loads of brilliant comics coming through from comedy clubs.

Me and my brother have a comedy club business and it’s hard. It doesn’t make any money, but it’s kind of putting something back in. It’s what we both wanted to do, and we’ve discovered loads of great comedians.

Do you both scout for new talent, or do you leave that to your brother?

He’s a comic as well, but he’s also the operations manager for the business.

So what career advice would you give to a raw, hungry, up-and-coming comedian?

I’d say, don’t take any of my work!

I would just say to people, compare yourself to yourself. Don’t think ‘Why has that guy got that’, or ‘Why is Michael McIntyre doing so well?’, or ‘I’m really funny, so why is so-andso doing that gig, not me?’. You know what, just don’t worry about it. If you’re doing better now than you were six months ago, then you’re doing well.

Can you relate to that? Have you ever compared yourself to other people?

No. From early on, my dad instilled in us, ‘Your horizon becomes your middle distance.

Aim far, and one day you’ll get there and you’ll get a new aim’. You’re constantly striving to move forward and make yourself better. There’s actually no point in comparing yourself to anybody else. It’s not healthy.

There will always be a Michael McIntyre.

There will always be a Peter Kay. There will always be a Richard Branson, a Bill Gates and all of those people. There’s always going to be someone better than you, but that should make you strive more.

What's been your worst experience of being heckled?

Oh horrible, horrible experiences. Horrendous gigs. There was a guy once where the gig went so badly he was waiting in the car park to ask for his money back.

And did you give it him?

No, but it was really awkward. It was like a really polite mugging.

What's your favourite joke?

I’ve got a routine that I love doing about the woman in Coventry who put a cat in a bin a few years ago. It’s one of those stories that everyone remembers. There’s also a joke I did on my very first Apollo show: ‘The weather in Manchester is like the Muslims in Iraq, its either sunny or Shiite’. What I love about that is, because of my accent and being a northerner, people think, ‘Oh, he’s probably a racist, he’s got that accent’. When you say the words ‘Muslims in Iraq’, you do see half the audience thinking, ‘Hey up, where’s this going?’. In the end, though, it’s just simple

international word play, a bit of a silly pun. You hear the audience laughing, but you’re also aware of them breathing a sigh of relief. I like playing that card a little bit.

You mentioned about your business with your brother. Will you be popping into that very well-known comedy club during your time in Brum?

I think so, yes. We’re there on Broad Street on Saturday nights. I‘ve played it a couple of times and I’ve got some other big-name comics coming to play over the next few months. I like to keep those as a bit of a surprise - I guess to reward loyalty. Rather than put them on general sale and get a load of people who’ve never been and will probably never come again, I try to only let people know who’ve already booked tickets.

It kind of works.

Tell us about the new BBC drama you’ll be appearing in later this year...

It’s called Ordinary Lives and is written by Danny Brocklehurst, who’s a brilliant writer.

He did The Driver for the BBC. He also did Shameless and Clocking Off. It’s very funny but also quite sad. My character is a guy who’s about to get sacked and panics. He lies and says his wife has died, even though she’s at home and fine. I guess he slightly enjoys the lie because he gets a lot of sympathy and attention, which he’s never experienced before. There’s some comedy and some obvious drama in the unravelling of the lie, but it’s just a guy having a midlife crisis and making it worse for himself. It’s a great cast Michelle Keegan, Mackenzie Crook, Sally Lindsay, Max Beesley and Jo Joyner - a really solid cast and it’s really well written. The producers are either side of making Happy Valley for the BBC, so they know what they’re doing too.

Do you consider working on TV a bit of a breeze in comparison to touring?

It’s certainly easier. Obviously there’s not as much travelling, there’s nobody staring at you and nobody’s paid twenty-five-pounds or whatever on the understanding that you make them laugh! That said, the immediacy of stand-up is very attractive. Once you’ve told a joke, you get a laugh, you know it’s gone well.

With TV, you film the scene and then wait four months until it’s on the telly to get a reaction.

But it’s always good to have that variety...

I think so. I’d get bored otherwise. With standup you only tour once every couple of years, so you need something to do for the rest of the time..

You’ve got Sweeney Todd and The Producers under your belt. Is there another big stage role that you’d love to take on?

I’d love to play Javert in Les Miserables. I don’t know if they’d ever employ a comedian in that role - but like my dad always points out, ‘Frank Spencer did Phantom Of The Opera, so if that can happen, anything can happen’.

The Producers shows at New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham, from Mon 2 to Sat 25 April; Manford’s Comedy Club takes place at Players Bar, Broad Street, Birmingham every Saturday evening.

Harriet Walter Interview (CA).qxp_Layout 1 27/02/2015 11:17 Page 1

interview

Harriet Walter talks about playing Linda Loman in Arthur Miller classic With a career embracing stage, TV and film, Dame Harriet Walter is rightly regarded as one of Britain’s most versatile and talented actors. What’s On recently caught up with Harriet to talk about her role in the RSC's production of Death Of A Salesman, which opens this month in Stratford...

It’s nine years since you last performed for the RSC. What does it feel like to return to the company which has played a huge part in your career?

I’ve had a loose connection with the RSC since I was thirty, sometimes spending time away doing other things, but I just think of it as another project. I don’t really think of the RSC, I think of working with Greg Doran and Tony Sher on an Arthur Miller play. It will be interesting working on the main stage there.

This will be my first time since the refurbishment, so that will be exciting.

You’re currently in rehearsal. What do you think Greg’s direction will bring to this Arthur Miller classic?

It’s early days and we’re currently going through Greg’s usual precision of examining every single layer of the text. You do the first read-through and you think, ‘This is a great play’. Then you break it down into little bits and it’s so much more complex. It’s like Chekov or Ibsen - there are so many layers underneath. As actors, we need to know what they are. Greg gets everybody round the table so that we all hear the play and get to understand the whole play and everybody else’s part, which means that everybody owns the production - even if you’re only saying a few lines. That’s a method used with Shakespeare plays and it really pays off.

There’s no such thing as a ‘bit part player’.

Everybody contributes.

How would you analyse the character of Linda Loman?

Linda is probably like millions of women of her time, living through her family and her husband. She seems to have no ego of her 8 www.whatsonlive.co.uk

own that’s not attached to being a successful wife and mother. You would call her selfless, but she’s not a doormat. She’s strong, controls her feelings and puts her husband first, even above her children. She doesn’t like the fact they fight, but she’ll always put her husband before her boys.

If you were to meet Linda, woman to woman, what would you tell her?

She’s basically the full-stop of an era of women’s behaviour which feminism later questioned. If she’d have been born even ten years later, she’d probably not behave in the same way. The whole notion of women having a destiny of their own, separate from their families, was not at all widespread then.

Obviously there were lots of exceptions, individual women who made their mark or did something special, but Linda’s just like the majority of women at that time, where her pride and ego is wrapped up with making a good home.

What would I tell Linda? I’d have to tell her about all the discoveries of modern-day feminism. I’d have to tell her about all the things I’ve discovered in my lifetime - about women’s autonomy and women’s rights - but she’d probably not want to listen. I think if I sat next to her at a dinner party, she’d regard me as an alien.

How do the challenges of performing a modern classic differ from the disciplines you have to adopt in a Shakespeare play?

They don’t differ that much. When you’re dealing with a great classic, they have a universality about them that means you study the text. Picking the words through, one by one, and looking for every nuance is what you

do with Shakespeare, and also what you do with a great classic like this. You’re dealing with great writers. Great writers who didn’t put one word in accidentally; writers who thought through every single phrase. If it doesn’t come easily to you, then you have to do the same thing that you would do with a Shakespeare piece, which is to find a path to what the playwright originally meant. With a modern thing that’s a bit more loosely written, or with a TV or film script, you can sort of say, ‘I don’t think I’ll say that, I think I’ll say this’, because it might add a bit more. You can’t do that with the classics because they meant what they said. They’re very rock solid, and if they’d intended something to be clearer, then they’d have said it. If it remains unclear to us, then it has to remain unclear to the audience. The ambiguity has to be preserved.

It’s well documented that you wanted to act from the age of nine, so what or who inspired you to become a performer?

It comes up in this play: ‘I’m a younger sibling and I wanted attention’. The younger brother seeks attention because it’s the older brother that matters to the family. I think that’s something I grew up with, and I recognise the need to be noticed and listened to. I wasn’t not listened to or not noticed, but that was my perception. I hero-worshipped my sister - just like Happy Loman, the younger brother, heroworships Biff. You have this perception that you’re playing second fiddle.

Now, as an older actor, what are your views on the availability of roles for ‘women of a certain age’?

It’s well documented. We’re all saying it. There aren’t enough of them. I liken it to musical

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chairs; there are fewer and fewer chairs but the same amount of people trying to chase them. A lot of people decide to pre-empt that and stop being an actor, which I think is very sad. If that’s what you like doing, then you should be able to do it. It’s not so much the amount, it’s the quality of the parts. There are too many cliches about older women. We’re just as interesting and complex as we were when we were younger, it’s just that we don’t tend to be the centre of the play, for lots of hysterical reasons.

You’re currently performing alongside your husband, Guy Paul, in Clara Brennan’s two-hander, Boa, at the Trafalgar Studios.

Why is this such a great role for an older female actor?

Because she’s not defined by her age but as a person, and I get to do flashbacks where I play her when she was younger. She’s an allround human being. She’s not a heroine, she’s not a manipulater or a cuddly granny any of those cliches you get with female roles.

She’s lots of different things, and the writer has acknowledged that we’re all kind of complicated and don’t get less complicated as we get older. She’s also, dare I say it, still very much portrayed as sexual, something you’re not normally allowed to be when playing older people.

Do you see the recent shift towards actors like yourself and Maxine Peake performing some of Shakespeare’s more famous male characters as a sign that the glass ceiling is finally beginning to crack?

I think it really is. The classics are infinitely flexible. You can do them in so many ways.

Death Of A Salesman was done in Beijing, and it means a lot to them. We transpose these classic plays to different situations, different times and bring in different ethnic characteristics - so why can’t women play men? I don’t think I’m in favour of changing the gender of the part. I don’t think we should be playing Hamletta. I think it should be women playing men. The main thing is making Shakespeare work in front of an audience. A lot of women I know would become better and better at it as they became more experienced. In female roles we don’t have a King Lear that we can climb towards.

With our productions at the Donmar, the feedback so frequently was ‘I forgot you were women, I just saw the play’. It should always be just about the performance. If I can pretend to be the Empress of Egypt, I can also pretend to be a Roman soldier. That’s what acting is.

How do opportunities for a young female actor starting out today differ from those available to you, say, forty years ago?

There wasn’t the Hollywood possibility when I was young. You couldn’t turn into Keira Knightly. That just didn’t happen. There wasn’t so much access to an American career and such a film industry. Now, in one department, the emphasis is very much on looks - both young men and young women - and if you’re not in the particular mould of the Hollywood star, there isn’t so much opportunity. There’s a lot going on in TV, and there are lots of parts for girls there. I think on stage, to really cut your teeth as a theatre actor, most of the young women I know - even if they’re the beautiful, glamourous ones who go to Hollywood - would give their eye teeth to be me and to be doing Shakespeare. A lot of them would love to be doing the classics on

stage, but you can’t practise. We used to have the whole regional repertory system, which would extend your training and give a lot of jobs to people - but as we all know, that system has shrunk.

Making a career on the back of physical beauty can be very shortlived, whereas real talent can stand the test of time...

Of course, there are a lot of lucky people who are both - very physically beautiful and very good actors. I think the point is, you soon discover the ones who really want to go on and have a lifetime career, and the ones who see it as a great way to spend the early part of their lives. Perhaps if they had more examples like mine, of people who carry on acting throughout their life, or role models of older women who carry on doing interesting parts, then they’d see their future in a different way and have different aspirations. There’s a lot more commercial pressure, a lot more agent pressure than when I was young. It’s very hard if you’re very beautiful and you want to be a serious actor. There are lots of agents although there are notable exceptions - who say ‘Come on, make hay while the sun shines. Go out there and make a blockbuster because you’ll make some money, and then you’ll be able to do anything’. There’s a certain amount of truth in that. You can come back to theatre, but if you’re very young and inexperienced, you do need to practise being on stage. You can’t just come off the big screen having never done it. There are very few exceptions who can do both, but you do need to have that training and testing ground that repertory theatre used to provide. It’s a very different picture to mine. I never stopped working through my early days. I was always in fringe companies or regional theatre. I built up a lot of experience in front of an audience, which meant that when I was exposed to a large part on the RSC stage I was kind of ready.

Looking back, what would you tell your eighteen-year-old self if you had the opportunity. What would you have done differently?

I don’t really know. I’ve never been very career-minded. I don’t think it’s done me any harm, but there are some career moves that I could’ve made which would have made me more successful.

Your repertoire is vast. Did your career naturally evolve or did you have a plan?

I work extremely hard. It certainly doesn’t drop into my lap. I’ve gone to the ‘bird in the hand’ a lot of the time and not really made a plan, but I believe that if you do the last job well... I do try to be as varied as possible. I think that helps because different jobs will come from different corners. If you make a little bit of a start in all of the categories, then those branches will grow and you have more choices. I don’t want to grow stale. I continually want to try new things.

You’ve played some of history’s feistiest women during your extensive career.

Which role has been the hardest to master?

Probably Hedda Gabbler because she’s quite difficult to reach. She’s quite unsympathetic.

Her energy is very internal and she’s quite eaten up. I found that hard.

How far do you think you’ll have to dig into your own character to find Linda Loman?

She’s very different to me, but she’s the person that I might have been had I been born at that time. She’s not a million miles away from my mother and mother-in-law, so I have to think of them. I’m certainly a very loyal person, but I would step into the breach more. She keeps quiet and suffers in silence.

Looking back over your career, what do you class as your greatest achievements?

The things that I’ve found difficult feature amongst my most memorable achievements.

Cleopatra was a high point, as I never thought I’d be able to achieve that. And I loved the allfemale stuff at the Donmar. And I love working on film. I just tend to love the thing I’m doing next, really.

Some actors speak of the need to genrehop between TV, stage and film in order not to get bored. Do you relate to that?

I don’t very easily get bored, but I think it’s more to do with the challenge. I’ve written a few books because I’ve wondered where I was going to get more of a challenge from acting. As I said before, the parts tend to get less complex, less long, and you’re doing more back-up parts as you get older.

It actually gets easier in some respects, so you want to conquer something new. It’s then that I tend to trip up into writing or something else to meet my challenges.

You’ve tried your hand at curating with the Infinite Variety exhibition, which recently showed at the RST. How was that experience?

I don’t think I’d do that again. It was a lot of organising and admin-based work, which isn’t my strong point, but it was a learning curve.

If you could change one rule in theatreland, what would it be?

The most important thing for me is to win new audiences and make it more relevant - and that’s partly about making seats cheaper and making it less elitist. I think a lot of companies are already doing that - well, trying to - but the economics make it tricky. If it were to be more widespread, then we’d have much more interesting programmes because the audiences would be wider.

Finally, what was your first reaction when you were offered an DBE? My first reaction was ‘I’d better turn it down’.

I’m one of those people who questions the whole honour system, but at the same time I obviously felt very honoured. I was a bit torn initially and then took a slightly feminist view of it. There are so many theatrical knights, I wanted to bump up the number of dames.

Part of the reason there aren’t more theatrical dames is that there aren’t the parts for us, and so it became a slightly feminist thing.

That justified it for me - but in another way, I felt very honoured that someone had remembered me. In this profession you can often feel that you’ve come and gone without having anything to show for it. So having that on my list is very nice. I still question the fairness of the honours system, but I’m glad to be one of the lucky ones.

Death Of A Salesman shows at Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-uponAvon, from Thurs 26 March to Sat 2 May

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interview

“

Talent isn’t to do with money. All of the money in the world won’t make you a good actor.

”

Ray Coulthard talks about playing George VI on stage...

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Following a two-year hiatus from the theatre, during which time he starred as Lord Egerton in TV’s Mr Selfridge, Ray Coulthard this month returns to the stage to perform opposite Jason Donovan in Roxana Silbert’s staging of The King’s Speech. What’s On recently caught up with Ray to discuss the challenges of playing King George VI....

The King’s Speech sees you return to the stage for the first time in two years. What drew you to this particular role?

The challenge. I’ve been at home quite a bit, looking after my five-year-old daughter. My other half is an actress and she’s been doing lots of theatre while I’ve been doing lots of television, so I really wanted to find something that makes me feel like an actor again - and this is it. Touring, being on the road and tackling a part that’s so challenging - it ticks all of the boxes, really.

What research and preparation goes into playing someone with a stammer?

You can see quite a lot of George VI on YouTube, on the Pathe news stuff, so I just watched lots of that to try and work out when he stuttered, on which sounds he stuttered and how he stuttered. Looking at the footage, together with other research I did, I realised people tend to stutter on certain sounds which are formed in certain parts of the mouth. But George VI, bless him, seemed to stutter on all of them. To be honest, the difficulty I found with this part is not how to stutter but when to stutter. Obviously if I stuttered too much, we’d have a six-hour play.

It’s finding the moments when he’s completely debilitated by his stutter, which tend to be with his public speaking - but there are lots of clues in the writing. For example, my character says: ‘I never stutter in the presence of my wife’ - so there’s one person you don’t have to stutter with at all. In his relationship with Lionel Logue he obviously starts off stuttering, but as the relationship progresses he stutters less and less. It’s a very technical exercise.

Is your George distinguishable from Colin Firth’s?

I know Colin. Interestingly I worked with him many years ago on The English Patient, where I played his clerk. I hadn’t seen him for quite a few years and then, bizarrely, a couple of days after I was offered this part, I bumped into him in London and had a good chat with him about it. They changed quite a lot in the film.

They changed a lot of the script and made it a much simpler story. It was a lot more domestic and excluded a lot of the political angle.

There’s a big part of this play that’s basically a political thriller: the abdication of my brother, me taking the throne and how that’s going to work; Wallis Simpson; Hitler and the Nazi party; the impending war. These are all things that aren’t concentrated on in the film.

In terms of my own performance, I stutter very differently to Colin. I guess because it was a film, they cut a lot of the dialogue and allowed a lot more stuttering.

I hadn’t seen the film until about a week before we started rehearsals, and I was very encouraged by the fact that it was very different. People who come to see a play, and who’ve seen the film, will notice a big difference. Hopefully for the better. What’s great about the play is that it’s inherently theatrical, and I think a lot of these elements had been eliminated for the film. It’s brilliantly structured, incredibly moving and very emotionally manipulative but without being sentimental.

How have you found the experience of working with Jason?

It’s been really lovely. He’s an incredibly open and generous man, with very little ego. He’s done a lot of theatre work in the past but hasn’t done much in the way of plays, which is a very different process. He’s stepped up to that challenge incredibly well.

We met for a drink and a chat a few times before we started rehearsals and had a look at the script together. He’s incredibly easy to work with, and I’m hoping this whole thing is going to be an equally enjoyable journey for both of us.

From an actor’s perspective, what’s are Roxana’s strengths as a director?

We’ve worked together before, and what’s great with Roxana is her attention to psychological detail. We’re very different in the way we work. Whereas she works very internally, from what’s going on in the head, I work quite technically and quite physically, and only then do I find the psychological stuff.

So we sort of challenge each other in our approaches, which I think works.

Of course, her bag has always been new plays, and although this isn’t a new play, it hasn’t been done that much - not like Shakespeare plays, where you’re constantly looking for a new approach. With something like this you have to look at what the intrinsic story is, what the relationships are and what you’re feeling in every second, which is what Roxana is brilliant at.

Where did your journey as an actor begin?

As a kid I was always doing a lot of amateur stuff and really got the bug for it. I grew up in Ellesmere Port, up on the Wirral. There were lots of drama groups around. We did a lot of drama at school too. I was involved in the Cheshire Youth Theatre and then went off to do my A Levels. By the time I was seventeen, I was directing stuff and touring it around the county. Then I went off to drama school - I went to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and had a fantastic time with some great people. My best friends now are my drama school buddies. We were very lucky; we had a great year. Then I went off into theatre and travelled all around the country. Those were the days when you could still start off in the repertory companies and do a lot of theatre, playing some great roles. I meet people now who’ve been acting for five years and have never done a play. I like doing television, but it’s not a patch on theatre. Theatre’s in my bones, and I agree with the old adage that film is a director’s medium, television is a producer’s medium and theatre is an actor’s medium. You’ve got to do the groundwork and, as an actor, the stage is where you cut your teeth and learn your skills.

Has your career taken any surprising turns, or has it very much taken the path you mapped out?

You can’t map it out. If you try to map it out you’ll go mad - invariably the road doesn’t go where you want it to go.

I suppose one of the most interesting turns for me has been that I always play the poshest of the posh. I’m actually a working class lad

from Ellesmere Port! I grew up in a one-parent family. My dad died when I was four. I grew up on the social, lived in a council house and went to the local comp, which wasn’t the best comp in the world. Therefore the big thing for me, I guess, was when Trevor Nunn invited me to join the ensemble company at the National back in 1998/9. I think I still had that slight working-class chip on my shoulder. I played Vlass in Summerfolk, and I remember one night, after one of the first performances, standing and taking a bow in front of a full house in the Olivier Theatre and thinking, ‘Wow, I never thought they’d let me on here.

How did this happen?’. I guess that gave me a great sense of achievement. I’d been off doing massive parts around the country but to be at the National Theatre, surrounded by the creme de la creme of British acting, was a very big thing for me. I let myself belong, so to speak, and it was a big turning point for my confidence.

So what’s the biggest misconception about actors?

I think most people have this image of actors as being gregarious people, the life and soul of the party. Actually, in my experience, it’s the exact opposite. Actors are usually the ones at the back, having a quiet chat and not getting involved. For an awful lot of people, acting, when they find it, is their salvation. It rescues them. It’s something that they find to take them out of whatever situation they’re in. I was from a working-class family in Ellesmere Port and there weren’t a lot of opportunities.

Acting saved me. It took me away from that. It gave me opportunities. It took me into a completely different world, and so I think there’s a part of an actor which stops them giving up. I think they feel they owe the profession a debt, and it’s somehow hard to walk away from it.

Would you like to use your back story as inspiration for young people from similar backgrounds to seek out a career in acting?

I’d like to, but I realise I was incredibly lucky. I got into a very good drama school and it was paid for. I don’t know how people cope with it these days. We didn’t have any money. We had nothing. To go to drama school, I had a subsidence allowance and my fees paid. I feel really sorry for working-class kids these days, and I think that’s why acting’s becoming more and more elitist. The thought of taking on this massive debt is so daunting. The bottom line is that it shouldn’t be so expensive. Talent isn’t to do with money. All of the money in the world won’t make you a good actor.

What would you like to have in the diary after The King’s Speech?

I love doing theatre, so hope it continues along that route. So more of the same, I think.

The King’s Speech shows at The REP, Birmingham, until Saturday 7 March, and Malvern Theatre, Worcestershire, from Monday 27 April to Saturday 2 May

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interview

“

We’ve got to make them laugh, we’ve got to make them cry, and we’ve got to make them feel something. I think Rachel’s production will do just that.

”

Gary Wilmot explains why comedy is a serious business ...

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Having starred in almost as many hit musicals as there are hit musicals, Gary Wilmot continues to be a firm favourite with Midlands audiences, his recent portrayal of Dame Trott in Jack And The Beanstalk at Birmingham Hippodrome earning him further critical acclaim.

This month sees Gary return to the region to play Ali Hakim in a new production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!. What’s On recently caught up with him to find out more...

As an actor, rather than a song-and-dance man, what do you find appealing about playing Aki Hakim in Oklahoma!?

There’s not much song and dance for me with this one. There’s only one song I sing, which is more of a song-speak song called It’s A Scandal. I’m mainly just acting. But it’s a fantastic character and different from everyone else on stage. Hakim stands out he’s supposed to be Persian, although we’ve yet to decide on that. He’s a salesman - a peddler - who comes into town and peddles his wares, woos the women and leaves.

Why do you think musicals like Oklahoma! retain their popularity in the twenty-first century?

Because they’re complete escapism from everyday life - when they’re done properly, which this one is. My main reason for taking this role was because of the director, Rachel Kavanaugh, who is extremely brilliant. I know she’ll get something extra special out of it as a piece, and out of me as a performer. And I, in turn, will learn an awful lot. She’s very good at telling the story. She goes through it with a fine tooth comb and finds a nuance in every interaction. It’s real escapism. In this business, we’re here to massage people’s emotions. We’ve got to make them laugh, we’ve got to make them cry, and we’ve got to make them feel something. I think Rachel’s production will do just that.

How do you feel a role in a musical differs as an acting experience from a more serious, classical role?

Funnily enough, for me it doesn’t differ at all.

A role is a role, and if you feel you can play the character, it’s immaterial whether he sings or not. If you can play the character, then you can sing as that character. Back in the day, singers would sing and that was the voice they had. When I’m in character, I tend to find the voice that the character would have. For instance, in Me And My Girl, the singing voice I used was very different to the one I used when I was playing Carmen Jones, or when I was in Copacabana. In comparison, the voice that I used as Fagan was very different from all three of those. I try to immerse myself in the character and then find the voice that they would use. It’s hard on the vocals for the first few weeks, but once it settles down, it’s much better and much more interesting to do it that way.

A lot of the roles that you play are quite lighthearted. Is there a ‘serious’ actor within you, straining to get out?

There’s an expression that ‘comedy is a serious business’ - and it is. You have to take it all very seriously. I really don’t see there’s anything different between playing a comedy or a tragedy. It all has to be believable, and that’s what you try to achieve. Even tragic characters aren’t tragic all the time. It’s different in the result, of course, but you can only take your own bag of tools into a rehearsal room. You have to use your own emotions to interpret what you’re reading on

a page. A character can only be an extension of yourself.

You’ve been a household name for many years. What’s the hardest challenge that a performer has to meet, or the biggest sacrifice that he has to make, to stay at the top of the profession?

I don’t know if I’d call it a sacrifice, really. I suppose there are things that happen that make it terribly difficult. I’ve been married three times, and travelling all over the country isn’t good for family life. It’s tough. Some people manage, but over the years, I haven’t.

I’m managing it now, though, and it’s fantastic. I feel sorry for people who’re married to explorers; somebody who wants to go to the North Pole, who they don’t see for six months. My wife’s incredibly supportive when new projects come up which may take me away from home. I’d say that if there’s any fall-out from being in this business, then that’s it - but I don’t think sacrifice is the right word to describe it.

Has it become harder to bag the big roles as you’ve got older?

I’ve never been worried about bagging roles.

I take each role as it comes. If it’s an interesting role - it doesn’t have to be the starring role - then I’ll do it. If it’s with a bunch of really nice people as well, then that can be more interesting than having a really big role.

It’s a collaborative art and everybody relies on everybody else, so it’s important to have that good working relationship with people.

I’ve been in great shows with horrible people, and I’ve been in horrible shows with great people. I’d much prefer the latter.

Oklahoma! follows hot on the heels of your panto role as a Dame at Birmingham Hippodrome. Has playing a Dame been everything you expected it to be?

There were a few surprises - but yes, it’s a lot of what I expected it to be. I don’t know whether I’ve fallen in love with playing a Dame, though. Again, I just see it as another role; a fun role where I can have a laugh, be creative and be expressive - but then I expect to do that with every role. I saw a film of Arthur Askey, who said that when you’re playing a Dame, the audience “have to know it’s a man” - and that’s exactly the kind of Dame I’ve tried to create.

You also spoke about your ‘Christmas musical’ project. Has that moved forward?

I’m always looking for someone to do it. I knew when I started writing that to get a Christmas show into a theatre at Christmas is a tough thing, because so many venues rely on the revenue and the popularity of pantomime. You get a theatre that has a soldout pantomime and it means they can put on other stuff throughout the year that might be a little bit more expensive to do - or shows that don’t make much money. I’m still pushing and trying to find the right venue.

I’ve been helped a little bit this year by White Christmas and Elf, who’ve done pre-

pantomime runs and been very successful, so maybe that’s the way forward. But yes, it’s all finished and ready to go.

You’re still pretty relaxed about it, though?

There’s no urgency?

No, not really. I’m a writer, but because I don’t make my living out of it, I’m not quite so desperate. If I needed to do it to keep the wolf from the door, then that would be a different matter. I’ve had a fantastic year, where my work has just dovetailed - I’ve hardly finished off doing one show before I’ve found myself rehearsing another. I’ve been very lucky. I’m extremely tired and don’t really have the motivation to give it my full attention anyway. But who knows, come August, when Oklahoma finishes, there might be a venue for it.

If you had to choose one song-and-dance number as a favourite from your career, which would you choose?

Mr Bojangles. It’s not from a musical but it’s a wonderful song and a terrific story. I find it quite emotional when I sing it. I’ve had good responses from audiences, too. If I had to get up tomorrow and sing one song, it would be that one.

Looking back over your professional career, what would you say has been the highlight?

It’s yet to come. I’m always looking for new stuff. I come in under the radar sometimes and I’m very, very happy with that. Unlike so many actors, I’m not sitting at home or having to work in a bar or ticketing agency.

I’ve been extremely fortunate and I’m happy to just keep going. When people ask me to do things, if I feel they’re right for me, then I’ll do them. Highlight? That’s difficult, because there are so many good things that I’ve been involved in.

Without being too modest, are you surprised that you’re still very much in demand?

Yeah, I suppose I am. I’ve been doing this for nearly forty years now, so I guess I must be doing something right. I try to be as pleasant as I can but also to get the job done. It’s tough under certain circumstances to get the job done properly. I like things to be perfect, but I don’t think I’d call myself a perfectionist - I’m not that ruthless. I’m quick to recognise that there’s more than one way to skin a cat, and just because I think it’s the right way doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the only way.

I’ve learned a lot from not being belligerent.

The bottom line is, it’s only showbusiness.

You’re not saving lives.

Oklahoma! shows at Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton, from Tues 3 to Sat 7 March, and Birmingham Hippodrome, from Tues 30 June to Sat 4 July.

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Cirque Eloize bringing contemporary circus to the Midlands...

WIN TI

CKETS

whatso nlive.c to enter o.uk

The internationally acclaimed Cirque Éloize visits the Midlands this month. Expressing its innovative nature ‘through theatricality and humanity’, it combines circus arts with music, dance and theatre in a groundbreaking and original manner.

Simon Harper recently visited France, where Cirque Éloize has been performing, to find out more about the company and the show...

With its constant focus on artistic research, Cirque Éloize ranks amongst the leading contemporary circuses. With ten original productions to its credit, it’s presented over four thousand performances in four hundredand-forty cities in forty different countries.

Now, the Canadian-based company, founded in 1993, is preparing to perform in the UK. It brings its show Cirkopolis to Birmingham Hippodrome from 25 to 28 March.

“Cirkopolis is inspired by Fritz Lang’s legendary film, Metropolis,” explains Samuel Charlton, one of twelve Cirkopolis artists who bring the show to life through skills such as hand to hand, juggling, the German wheel, banquine and the teeterboard. “It also nods in the direction of the old industrial world of Kafka and German Expressionism. It’s an extremely visual circus show. Yes, the basis of the show is circus, but a heavy contemporary dance influence has been brought in by codirector and choreographer Dave St-Pierre.

He’s from a contemporary dance background, and his influences are very visible in the show. St-Pierre is known for his raw style of dance - not necessarily placed and clean acrobatics, but raw, powerful, breathtaking work that has the audiences on the edge of their seats.”

Before becoming a professional circus artist, Samuel was extremely successful in judo. He won international competitions and two consecutive UK national championships.

“I’m an acrobatic base in the show, meaning my speciality is hand to hand. I work with another English guy, Reuben Hosler. We’ve been working together for ten-and-a-half years. Basically, Reuben does handstands on my hands, and I’m the base artist that supports him. He does flips and I catch him.

There are definitely some scary moments for the performers. There are always risks.”

(insert hand to hand pic) So how do Samuel and his fellow performers rehearse and prepare for a show as physical as Cirkopolis in a way that avoids those risks?

“We start by rehearsing small sections and piecing them together one by one. We can work all day and sometimes into the evening and weekends. With performance shows like this, getting to know each other is really important. Seeing how we work together and learning how we interact is really important. It helps us build up trust with each other and improves the professional relationship on and off stage. That’s important when you’re on the road with a show. We’re like family to each other.”

Samuel is one of three talented British artists in the show. He’s worked on other productions similar to Cirkopolis, but he acknowledges that this production is different to previous ones in which he’s performed.

“As well as the performances, the large projections fill the back-drop and bring something different to the show,” he says.

“They allow the production to move from one sort of universe to another very quickly.

There’s so much variety in Cirkopolis too lots of different types of performance and lots of circus skills, such as the Chinese pole, trapeze and cyr wheel, as well as the disciplines I’m involved in. Ashley Carr, another British artist in the show (insert pic), is more of an actor than a dancer. He brings a lot of comedy to the performance. His scene is funny but very thoughtful and moving too.

And, of course, there’s a very high standard of acrobatics throughout. The mixture of all these things is quite rare.”

One of the most exciting aspects about being back in the UK for Samuel - and especially back in the Midlands - is being able to perform in front of his family. He hails from

Newton Harcourt in Leicestershire, and this will be the first time that some of his family have seen him perform professionally since he left the UK to train overseas. “I’m really looking forward to family and friends seeing the show - people who haven't seen me perform for over ten years. I moved to Paris to train at the National Circus School before heading to the National Circus School in Montreal. For my grandparents, it’ll be the first time they’ve seen me perform.”

Although Samuel is away from the UK whilst touring and now resides in Canada, he does have the added comfort of being able to work with his wife, Myriam Deraiche (insert pic), who features as the contortionist in the show.

“Her performance is one of the most beautiful moments in Cirkopolis. You can hear a pin drop. The audience sit in silent appreciation, I guess. There are five male artists on stage with Myriam, and she doesn’t touch the floor for the whole duration of the piece. I think UK audiences will really enjoy this moment in the production - it seems to be really popular wherever we perform the show.”

So how does Samuel sum up Cirkopolis in five words? “Acrobatic, fast, sensitive, funny and energetic,” he replies without hesitation.

“Very, very energetic!”

Indeed it is. The souvenir brochure asks the question, “Is Cirkopolis circus? Is it dance? Is it theatre?”. The truth is, it’s all three - and so very much more besides. A brilliant night at the theatre that will leave you wanting to see more.

Cirque Eloize perform Cirkopolis at Birmingham Hippodrome from Wed 25 to Sat 28 March.

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Music Ameriie The Drum, Birmingham, Sat 28 March

Grammy-nominated soulstress Ameriie makes a long-awaited return to The Drum with a full live band and a big back-catalogue.

Her show blends hits from her thirteen-year career (including One Thing, Why Don't We Fall In Love and All I Have) with brand new material from her forthcoming album, Bili - a project in which she’s completely immersed herself.

Steeleye Span Stafford Gatehouse, Sat 14 March

Since the late 1960s, via incarnations too numerous to mention, Steeleye Span have been preserving and celebrating traditional folk songs in their own innovative way. They've enjoyed commercial success along the way, too - their single, All Around My Hat, reached number three in the charts in the 1970s, the album going gold.

Traditional musicians who’re honest in their love and appreciation of the songs and tunes they play, they return to the Midlands with a show blending new gems with familiar classics.

Morrissey Barclaycard Arena (formerly NIA), Birmingham, Fri 27 March

Revered by many, reviled by others, Morrissey has been performing and recording as a solo artist since The Smiths broke up in 1987. His sensitive, melancholic persona and poetic, literate lyrics spoke directly to a generation of disaffected young people in the 1980s, elevating him to the status of icon and guaranteeing a solid fan base in the decades which have followed.

It hasn’t all been plain sailing, though. In 1992, for example, he was erroneously reported to be aligning himself with the BNP - and there have been some pretty acrimonious feuds with his managers, associates and former colleagues along the way too.

It’s a measure of his charisma and singular identity that, despite such controversies, he continues to attract big audiences to his concerts.

Royal Blood Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, Wed 11 March

Forming in 2013, rock duo Royal Blood almost instantly took the music industry by storm.

Not only did they support Arctic Monkeys for two Finsbury Park shows in 2014, their eponymous debut album was verified by the Official Charts Company as the UK’s fastestselling British rock debut album for three years. Oh, and they’ve impressed Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, too. “Their album has taken the genre up a serious few notches,” says Jimmy. “It's so refreshing to hear, because they play with the spirit of the things that have preceded them, but you can hear they're going to take rock into a new realm - if they're not already doing that. It's music of tremendous quality.”

Foo Fighters, meanwhile, are so impressed that they’ve given the pair supporting slots alongside Iggy Pop - on selected dates during their 2015 UK and US tours.

Duke Special Henry Tudor House, Shrewsbury, Wed 11 March

Although sounding like a band, Duke Special is, in fact, just Peter Wilson - singing and playing his piano. Resembling Tim Minchin, with his long dreadlocks, eyeliner and hobo chic outfits, Peter presents shows that are well known for incorporating theatrical elements of vaudeville.

This twenty-one date tour is in support of his new album - Look Out Machines! - which will be released next month in conjunction with PledgeMusic.

Duke’s Shropshire gig is taking place in one of Shrewsbury’s oldest and most historic buildings. As well as hosting live music and comedy shows, Henry Tudor House is also a highly rated restaurant. www.whatsonlive.co.uk 133

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MARCH LICHFIELD GUILDHALL

Fri 6th March 8.00pm

THE MATT SCHOFIELD £15.00 BAND T

Sat 14th March 8.00pm

BEN WATERS

£15.00

T

Sat 28th March 8.00pm

CHRIS HELME

T

£14.00

APRIL LICHFIELD GUILDHALL

Fri 10th April 8.00pm £16.00 Gordon, Ray, Clive and John

4 PARTS GUITAR

Sun 19th April 8.00pm

MÁIRE NÍ CHATHASAIGH AND CHRIS NEWMAN £14.00 Sat 25th April 8.00pm

THE JAR FAMILY

£13.00

MAY LICHFIELD GUILDHALL

Fri 1st & Sat 2nd May

SPRING BEER FESTIVAL Sat 9th May 8.00pm £15.00 PAUL LAMB & THE KING SNAKES JUNE LICHFIELD GUILDHALL

25th - 28th June

LICHFIELD BLUES AND JAZZ FESTIVAL Four days of great Blues and Jazz with.. n

The Blues Band n Sleaze Bros n Jay Phelps Quartet n Tommaso Starace Quartet n John Etheridge Organ Trio n Steve Ajao n Climax Blues Band n Nick Dewhurst Band n Walsall Jazz Orchestra n Blast Off For a programme or further information contact: Donegal House, Bore Street, Lichfield. WS13 6LU

BOX OFFICE 01543 262223

www.lichfieldarts.org.uk registered charity no 1156217 14 www.whatsonlive.co.uk

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Music PREVIEWS Spandau Ballet Genting Arena (formerly LG Arena), Birmingham, Thurs 19 March

“It just keeps getting better and better,” says Tony Hadley, in talking about the public's reaction to Spandau Ballet's decision to reform. “We’d hoped that we'd be welcomed back, but what's happened has been completely beyond our expectations.”

Tony really shouldn't be all that surprised that the boys have been so enthusiastically reembraced. After all, in their time, Spandau Ballet sold twenty-five million records, had six multi-platinum albums and twenty-three hit singles - so it's fair to say the band's got a sizable, if nowadays somewhat older, fanbase.

They visit Birmingham as part of their Soulboys Of The Western World tour.

Lionel Richie Barclaycard Arena (formerly NIA), Birmingham, Sat 14 March

Boasting in excess of one hundred million album sales, a Golden Globe, numerous Grammy Awards and the Crystal Award for Humanitarianism, Lionel Richie is a twenty-four carat superstar. This latest concert - All The Hits All Night Long - blends new material with old. Undoubtedly on the playlist will be classics such as Hello, Dancing On The Ceiling and Endless Love, as well as mega-hits from his Commodore days, like Easy, Brickhouse and Three Times A Lady.

Richie was recently confirmed for Glastonbury 2015’s ‘legends’ slot, which has previously been filled by the likes of Dolly Parton, Tony Christie and James Brown

Gypsy Fire Lichfield Garrick, Staffs, Thurs 19 March

Combining breathtaking musical virtuosity and sheer dynamics, this highly rated jazz quartet have pushed the boundaries by showing what can be achieved on purely acoustic instruments. Comprising two acoustic guitarists, a jazz violinist and a double bassist, Gypsy Fire perform with real passion and skill. Although the quartet formed a relatively short time ago, in 2010, their CV already features a performance at the Royal Albert Hall (as part of Late Night Jazz).

Tam de Villers Quartet

Marika Hackman

The Hive, Shrewsbury, Sat 14 March

The Sugarmill, Stoke-on-Trent, Wed 25 March; The Rainbow Venues, Birmingham, Thurs 26 March

If you want to know what you’re signing up to when you attend a concert by this talented quartet, the following explanation from the ensemble’s official website may be of help: ‘What starts out as a jazz piece leads us into a contrapuntal baroque fantasie, then veers off into abrasive progressive rock, skimming past rockabilly twangs before plunging into a trance-inducing minimalist motif’.

Got it?...

If not, you should just take the plunge and buy yourself a ticket anyway. Tam and his fellow musicians have been garnering praise and picking up plaudits like they’re going out of fashion, so are well worth a look.

They’re here promoting eagerly awaited new album Panacea, which is being released this very month.

GoGo Penguin Hare & Hounds, Birmingham, Fri 13 March

The Matt Schofield Band Lichfield Guildhall, Staffs, Fri 6 March

“I had some very distinct goals in mind with this latest collection,” says Matt Schofield of new album Far As I Can See - in support of which he’s making this welcome return to Lichfield. “The goals came from many places; things I felt I hadn’t fully realised on previous studio records, my influences old and new - including musicians I’ve wanted to work with for years - and a need to keep growing, pushing myself and represent where I’m heading now.”

Matt’s latest set of gigs follows his return from a tour of the US, where his alreadyglowing reputation was further enhanced.

“In Schofield,” stated the LA Times, “the UK has produced the best blues guitarist from any country in decades. Head and shoulders above the herd”.

‘Jazz, techno, hip-hop and dubstep are glimpsed here, but for all the looping motifs and dancefloor vibes, this is the work of three sure-footed improvisers with deep jazz roots.’

So read The Guardian’s recent review of Manchester-based three-piece GoGo Penguin. The band have received plenty of critical acclaim since they released debut album Fanfares in 2012. Their 2014 follow-up, v2.0, was named one of the Barclaycard Mercury Prize Albums of the Year.

“I was a fan of the nu-folk scene when I was younger,” says twenty-three-year-old multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Marika Hackman, “but I'm trying to take it somewhere different - I'm drawn to the darker, melancholic side of things.”

Hackman attended school with famous model Cara Delevingne - with whom she used to have a band - and English folk singer Johnny Flynn, who produced her debut single, You Come Down, and helped her get her first record deal, with Transgressive.

She released her debut album, We Slept At Last, in September last year, in support of which comes this current tour.

The Beat The Robin, Bilston, Fri 20 March

Playing songs which fuse ska, pop, soul, reggae and punk rock, and which typically feature lyrics dealing with themes of love, unity and sociopolitical topics, The Beat first came to prominence in the late 1970s.

The 2 Tone ska revival band enjoyed their greatest successes at the beginning of the following decade, during which period they released three studio albums before going their separate ways in 1983.

They briefly reformed twenty years later, and then again in 2005, since which time they’ve been busily winning themselves a whole new generation of fans. www.whatsonlive.co.uk 15

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Music LISTINGS For full listing information on gigs, including times and dates, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk

SUN 1 MAR PAUL CARRACK Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury THE MAVERICKS Symphony Hall, B’ham STRAY FEATURING DEL BROMHAM The Robin, Bilston THE COAL PORTERS Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham NOTHING BUT THIEVES The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham SHRAPNEL & BLUDVERA The Oobleck, B’ham MCGOLDRICK, MCCUSKER & DOYLE Mac - Midlands Art Centre, B’ham INPUT HAVANA, THE FIX, THE NATURAL EMOTIONS, ELLIE POOLE & AMY ELLIS The Roadhouse, Birmingham

MON 2 MAR MEGSON Stafford Gatehouse Theatre TIGERCLUB, BAD GRAMMAR & ENQUIRY The Flapper, Birmingham

TUE 3 MAR TINASHE The Institute, Birmingham BUDDY WHITTINGTON & HIS BAND The Robin, Bilston GLAMOUR OF THE KILL The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton BRYAN CORBETT QUARTET The Jam House, Birmingham

WED 4 MAR BARBARA DICKSON Birmingham Town Hall SONGBIRD – THE EVA CASSIDY STORY New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham RAY QUINN The Robin, Bilston GLAMOUR OF THE KILL The Sugarmill, Stokeon-Trent IN THIS MOMENT Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton JOHN RENBOURN & WIZZ JONES Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham THE VERONICAS The Institute, Birmingham EDDY MORTON & THE BUSHBURYS AND SUNJAY BRAYNE The Red Lion Folk Club, Birmingham SOULMANIA The Jam House, Birmingham THE CADILLAC THREE The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton STEADY HANDS, BIG TENT AND THE GYPSY LANTERN & MELLOW PEACHES Hare & Hounds, B’ham

Birmingham JUDITH OWEN The Glee Club, Birmingham YELLOWCARD & LESS THAN JAKE O2 Academy, Birmingham THE STEVE GIBBONS BAND The Robin, Bilston COVES The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham JIM CAUSLEY & LUKAS DRINKWATER Hare & Hounds, Birmingham THE COUNTERFEIT SIXTIES TRIBUTE SHOW The Edge Arts Centre, Much Wenlock, South Shropshire SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED The Jam House, Birmingham HOTTER THAN HELL TRIBUTE TO KISS The Roadhouse, B’ham PETER KNIGHT'S GIGSPANNER mac - Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham

FRI 6 MAR THE SENSATIONAL SIXTIES EXPERIENCE New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham LOS PACAMINOS FEAT PAUL YOUNG The Robin, Bilston HAWKWIND Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton LIVE & DANGEROUS Tamworth Assembly Rooms, Staffordshire JON GOMM The Glee Club, Birmingham FIRES THAT DIVIDE O2 Academy, Birmingham COVENANT The Institute, Birmingham MATT SCHOFIELD Lichfield Guildhall, Staffs MR BEN The Jam House, Birmingham THE BON JOVI EXPERIENCE The River Rooms, Stourbridge THE BORN AGAIN BEATLES The Roadhouse, Birmingham BRYAN CORBETT QUARTET Symphony Hall, Birmingham THE ALBION The Sugarmill, Stoke-on-Trent LISA KNAPP Ludlow Assembly Rooms, South Shropshire ROBIN NOLAN TRIO Theatre On The Steps, Bridgnorth, Shropshire THUNDEROUS JONES, SISTER SHOTGUN & CRAWLIN HANDS The Flapper, Birmingham ED SOLO & DEEKLINE Hare & Hounds, B’ham THE DARKMESS & VON KRYSTAL ROKZ Route 44, Birmingham GA GA Brew House, Burton-upon-Trent

CLEAN BANDIT O2 Academy, Birmingham HALESTORM, NOTHING MORE & WILSON Civic Hall, Wolverhampton BC CAMPLIGHT Hare & Hounds, Birmingham GOOD LUCK MOUNTAIN Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham THE QUIREBOYS The Robin, Bilston

SAT 7 MAR

TUE 10 MAR

THU 5 MAR THE MEAT LOAF STORY New Alexandra Theatre,

WOOD MAC Birmingham Town Hall STOMP & HOLLER Theatre On The Steps, Bridgnorth, Shropshire THE ILLEGAL EAGLES New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham KING KING The Robin, Bilston GRANT NICHOLAS The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton COLLIE BUDDZ O2 Academy, Birmingham LITTLE COMETS The Institute, Birmingham JAWS The Institute, Birmingham SOUL & MOTOWN DISCO Birchmeadow, Broseley, Shropshire STARS OF AFRO BEAT The Drum, Birmingham AN IRISH NIGHT IN TRIBUTE TO MIKE STANLEY Lichfield Garrick, Staffs THE STARS FROM THE COMMITMENTS Prince Of Wales Centre, Cannock ICONIC 80'S The River Rooms, Stourbridge TOMMY SCOTT Alfie Bird’s, Birmingham THE HANDSOME FAMILY The Institute, B’ham MISS HALLIWELL The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham MOTOWN NIGHT WITH SHARN ADELA The Place, Oakengates Theatre, Shropshire CRACKED ACTORS Boar's Head, Kidderminster INCARCERATE The Sugarmill, Stoke-on-Trent HOLLY THOMAS Symphony Hall, B’ham HOLLOW PEOPLE, HOPE FOR RETURN, BIGGER THAN SEATTLE The Flapper, Birmingham

MR BEN The Jam House, Birmingham RUMOURS OF FLEET-

16 www.whatsonlive.co.uk

SUN 8 MAR KARNATAKA The Robin, Bilston JOHN SHUTTLEWORTH Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury FOZZY The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton ROBIN NOLAN TRIO Henry Tudor House, Shrewsbury FLOWERS Hare & Hounds, Birmingham RICH MCMAHON Kitchen Garden Cafe, B’ham TREVOR BURTON The Roadhouse, B’ham 40 WATT SUN, RUMOUR CUBES & SUNWOLF The Flapper, Birmingham SOUL ACOUSTIC The Glee Club, Birmingham

MON 9 MAR

LENE LOVICH BAND The Roadhouse, B’ham IDLEWILD The Institute,

Birmingham WEDNESDAY 13 The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton ELEANOR MCEVOY Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham BEN DRUMMOND The Jam House, B’hamSLAB, BARON GREENBACK, HIBAGON & WOMEN Scruffy Murphys, Birmingham

WED 11 MAR ROYAL BLOOD Civic Hall, Wolverhampton THE GLORIOUS FOOLS The Robin, Bilston THE ELO EXPERIENCE New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham DUKE SPECIAL Henry Tudor House, Shrewsbury LOSTATHOME O2 Academy, Birmingham GOSPEL CENTRAL The Jam House, B’ham NANCY KERR & THE SWEET VISITOR BAND The Red Lion Folk Club, Birmingham KIM CHURCHILL The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham CHRIS WOOD New Vic Theatre, Newcastleunder-Lyme NATHAN CARTER Prince Of Wales Centre, Cannock

THU 12 MAR THE FUREYS New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham STEEL PANTHER Civic Hall, Wolverhampton ROOM 94 O2 Academy, Birmingham ARCHITECTS & EVERY TIME I DIE The Institute, Birmingham PAUL WELLER Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent BENJAMIN YELLOWITZ Hare & Hounds, B’ham THE QUIK BEATS The Jam House, B’ham PHAROAHE MONCH The Oobleck, Birmingham THUNDER & LIGHTNING, WINTER'S EDGE, CHEMIKILL & CELESTIAL WISH The Roadhouse, Birmingham SHIVER Hare & Hounds, Birmingham

FRI 13 MAR THE ILLEGAL EAGLES Stafford Gatehouse Theatre THE ZOE GREEN BAND Route 44, Birmingham THUNDER The Barclaycard Arena, B’ham MOON SUGAR, SHOOT THE TOWN, SEMANTICS & BROTHERS OF CAEDMON The Actress & Bishop, Birmingham ONE NIGHT OF TOM JONES Crewe Lyceum GOGO PENGUIN Hare & Hounds, Birmingham DREAMING OF KATE The Robin, Bilston THE CHARLATANS Civic Hall, Wolverhampton BOB FOX mac - Midlands Arts Centre, B’ham THE QEMISTS O2 Academy, Birmingham

DETROIT SOUL The Jam House, Birmingham MUSED The River Rooms, Stourbridge MEDLAR Hare & Hounds, Birmingham MODESTEP O2 Academy, Birmingham CYMBALS, BATSCH & FIELD HARMONICS Hare & Hounds, Birmingham U2UK The Roadhouse, Birmingham TOM GREEN SEPTET Symphony Hall, B’ham PUPPET REBELLION, LONGFALLBOOTS, ONE TON BULLET, BEFORE THE STORY END The Flapper, Birmingham

SAT 14 MAR DETROIT SOUL The Jam House, Birmingham BLACK STAR RIDERS Civic Hall, Wolverhampton JAMES HYPE & ILL PHIL Alfie Bird’s, B’ham LIONEL RICHIE The Barclaycard Arena, B’ham THE STRANGLERS O2 Academy, Birmingham LEGENDS OF LEGENDS The Drum, Birmingham STEELEYE SPAN Stafford Gatehouse Theatre MARTYR DE MONA O2 Academy, Birmingham THE BLOCKHEADS The Robin, Bilston WINGS OVER ABBEY ROAD Theatre On The Steps, Bridgnorth EUROPE Civic Hall, Wolverhampton X FACTOR LIVE TOUR 2015 Genting Arena, Birmingham BEN WATERS Lichfield Guildhall, Staffs ZUN ZUN EGUI The Sunflower Lounge, B’ham WARD THOMAS The Institute, Birmingham SUNSET SONS The Institute, Birmingham KODALINE The Institute, Birmingham MAETLOAF The River Rooms, Stourbridge HOT RED CHILI PEPPERS The Roadhouse, B’ham NFWI - SINGING FOR JOY FINAL Birmingham Town Hall HUEY MORGAN Hare & Hounds, Birmingham CHARLIE SLOTH, BOY BETTER KNOW, FRISCO, ARTFUL DODGER AND MORE...

The Institute, B’ham HANNAH WANTS The Rainbow Venues, Birmingham THE BLUES BROTHERS EXPERIENCE The Place, Oakengates Theatre, Shropshire MAXXI SOUNDSYSTEM Alfie Bird's, Birmingham BITTERSWEET REVENGE, VOODOO SIOUX & VICIOUS NATURE The Asylum, Birmingham TAM DE VILLIERS The Hive, Shrewsbury GUTS FOR GLORY, HIDDEN, LIQUID METAL, NOVACROW Scruffy Murphys, Birmingham ANDREAS MOUTSIOULIS Birmingham Conservatoire HEADS SOUTH LATIN JAZZ QUINTET St Mary’s School, Craven Arms, Shropshire

RITUALS, NATIVE WRECK & MARLOES The Flapper, Birmingham O’HOOLEY AND TIDOW Birchmeadow, Broseley, Shropshire

SUN 15 MAR NATHAN CARTER Birmingham Town Hall CARL PALMER, MARTIN TURNER AND THE STRAWBS Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton DUKE SPECIAL The Glee Club, Birmingham LAST NIGHT OF THE SPRING PROMS Symphony Hall, B’ham CHRIS WOOD Kitchen Garden Cafe, B’ham THE CARPET CRAWLERS The Robin, Bilston DECIMATE, NO WARNING SHOT & DAYS OF END The Flapper, Birmingham LADIES SING THE BLUES The Roadhouse, B’ham MUSIC AND DANCE FROM AROUND THE WORLD Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury AARON KEYLOCK The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton

MON 16 MAR THE AUSTRALIAN PINK FLOYD SHOW Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent ANDY JORDAN The Institute, Birmingham CLOUD CASTLE LAKE Hare & Hounds, B’ham

TUE 17 MAR DAN WALSH Stafford Gatehouse Theatre PAPA ROACH O2 Academy, Birmingham LONELY THE BRAVE The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton JAMES HOUSE The Robin, Bilston EBAN BROWN The Glee Club, Birmingham PALMER HILL BAND The Jam House, B’ham

WED 18 MAR PLACEBO O2 Academy, Birmingham STEVEN WILSON Civic Hall, Wolverhampton REG MEUROSS & JESS VINCENT Red Lion Folk Club, Birmingham ALABAMA 3 The Robin, Bilston DORJE Alfie Bird's, Birmingham BIG WOLF BAND The Jam House, Birmingham HARDCORE SUPERSTAR The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton NERVANA The Institute, Birmingham ONLY SHADOWS & LITTLE DYNAMITE Hare & Hounds, Birmingham

THU 19 MAR PALOMA FAITH The Barclaycard Arena, B’ham SPANDAU BALLET Genting Arena, B’ham GYPSY FIRE Lichfield Garrick, Staffs THE REALLY HOT CHILI PEPPERS The Robin, Bilston

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FLATBUSH ZOMBIES & THE UNDERACHIEVERS The Institute, B’ham MAD DOG MCREA Hare & Hounds, Birmingham TRAGEDY The Oobleck, Birmingham DR HOOK FEATURING RAY SAWYER Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent KINGSLAND ROAD The Institute, Birmingham CRAOBH RUA Kitchen Garden Cafe, B’ham KILLING WITH A VENGEANCE & SWAMP DONKEY O2 Academy, Birmingham NORTH ATLANTIC OSCILLATION Alfie Bird’s, Birmingham COLD OCEAN LIES The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton ECHO LAKE Hare & Hounds, Birmingham CHRIS POOLE & THE SHADES The Jam House, Birmingham THE ED SHEERAN EXPERIENCE The River Rooms, Stourbridge ANCHOR DOWN, THE VECTORS, VICTORY LANE & FEET FIRST UK The Roadhouse, B’ham

FRI 20 MAR THE AUSTRALIAN PINK FLOYD SHOW The Barclaycard Arena, B’ham LAST ORDER Route 44, Birmingham SACK SABBATH & MEGADETH UK The Roadhouse, B’ham STIFF LITTLE FINGERS Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton WARPAINT The Institute, Birmingham THE ANSWER The Institute, Birmingham FANFARE CIOCARLIA Town Hall, Birmingham UP4 THE DOWNSTROKE The Jam House, B’ham VOULEZ VOUS Lichfield Garrick, Staffs P!NK MISS UNDERSTOOD The River Rooms, Stourbridge THE BEAT The Robin, Bilston HOBSONS INLAND SEA SHANTY SINGERS Ludlow Assembly Rooms, South Shropshire REFLECTION OF SILENCE The Drum, Birmingham SING FOR A CAUSE Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury HANG THE BASTARD The Oobleck, Birmingham THE SLOW REVOLT Alfie Bird’s, Birmingham NATHAN GRISDALE The Institute, Birmingham BLACK TONGUE MESSIAH The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton

SAT 21 MAR UP4 THE DOWNSTROKE The Jam House, B’ham KICK UP THE 80'S The Robin, Bilston GRETCHEN PETERS Birmingham Town Hall MIKE PETERS O2 Academy, Birmingham ANDY BENNETT Hare & Hounds, Birmingham JIMMY BUCKLEY Festival

Drayton Centre, North Shropshire CLARE TEAL Lichfield Garrick, Staffs DROP OF LIFE Symphony Hall, Birmingham KIRVANA - A TRIBUTE TO NIRVANA The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton THE WEEKEND ANTHEMS The River Rooms, Stourbridge REAL FRIENDS The Asylum, Birmingham HABITATS The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham ARRIVAL UK - THE NO.1 INTERNATIONAL ABBA TRIBUTE The Place, Oakengates Theatre, Shropshire DAFT AS PUNK O2 Academy, Birmingham ZO, SY SMITH & CARMEN RODGERS The Institute, Birmingham THE LITTLE UNSAID Ort Cafe, Birmingham THE SEX PISTOLS EXPERIENCE The Roadhouse, Birmingham HIGHER ON MAIDEN Route 44, Birmingham TROY REDFERN WITH JACK BRETT AND FRIENDS TREV ROWLEY & PAUL HARRISON Ludlow Brewing Company, Shropshire ALLUSONDRUGS & KALEIDOSCOPE The Flapper, Birmingham

SUN 22 MAR SAM SMITH Civic Hall, Wolverhampton TRUST FUND, SQUEAKEASY & OKINAWA PICTURE SHOW Hare & Hounds, Birmingham THE FUREYS Stafford Gatehouse Theatre DROPKICK MURPHYS O2 Academy, Birmingham SETH LAKEMAN The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton PURLING HISS The Oobleck, Birmingham JIM MORAY The Hive, Shrewsbury LUCY WARD Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham

MON 23 MAR SAM SMITH Civic Hall, Wolverhampton THE SUBWAYS The Institute, Birmingham KIESZA The Institute, Birmingham THE BLACKOUT The Asylum, Birmingham LOGIC O2 Academy, Birmingham

TUE 24 MAR JOAN ARMATRADING Victoria Hall, Stoke-onTrent CHUCK RAGAN AND THE CAMARADERIE The Institute, Birmingham OYSTERBAND The Robin, Bilston USHER The Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham THE GLAMOPHONES The Jam House, B’ham SHE MAKES WAR Ort Cafe, Birmingham

WED 25 MAR THAT'LL BE THE DAY Theatre Severn, Shrews-

bury JOAN ARMATRADING Birmingham Town Hall TRAIN The Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham LOTTE MULLAN & JAZZ MORLEY Hare & Hounds, B’ham GUN The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton THE CORONAS O2 Academy, Birmingham ALEXANDER O'NEAL The Jam House, B’ham PETE COE The Red Lion Folk Club, Birmingham LUCY ROSE The Institute, Birmingham THE MARRAKESH EXPRESS Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham BRIDIE JACKSON AND THE ARBOUR The Robin, Bilston MARIKA HACKMAN The Sugarmill, Stoke-onTrent THE BONFIRE RADICALS Ort Cafe, Birmingham ALLUSONDRUGS The Underground, Stoke-onTrent CHIC FEATURING NILE RODGERS O2 Academy, Birmingham

THU 26 MAR THE RAMONAS The Institute, Birmingham PINK FAIRIES The Robin, Bilston DENNIS GREAVES & MARK FELTHAM Hare & Hounds, Birmingham FUSE ODG The Institute, Birmingham BLUE Civic Hall, Wolverhampton DEL CAMINO The Jam House, Birmingham DR HOOK FEATURING RAY SAWYER Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton DUTCH UNCLES The Sugarmill, Stoke-on-Trent WALKING ON CARS & PORTA ISLA O2 Academy, B’ham THE VERY WORST OF THE TIGER LILLIES Lichfield Garrick, Staffs NEW STREET ADVENTURE Hare & Hounds, B’ham MARIKA HACKMAN The Rainbow Venues, Birmingham ANDREW MONTGOMERY Alfie Bird’s, Birmingham BIG BOY BLOATER The Roadhouse, Birmingham

FRI 27 MAR FRED ZEPPELIN The Robin, Bilston CARA DILLON Birmingham Town Hall THE BLUES BROTHERS EXPERIENCE Lichfield Garrick, Staffs THE SUBTERRANEANS The Jam House, Birmingham FOUR YEAR STRONG O2 Academy, Birmingham GUNS VS ROSES The Roadhouse, Birmingham RICK WAKEMAN Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury HOODIE ALLEN The Institute, Birmingham MORRISSEY The Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham

REN HARVIEU The Glee Club, Birmingham SCROOBIUS PIP Hare & Hounds, Birmingham MIC LOWRY The Institute, Birmingham KILL IT KID The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton ERRORS & UBRE BLANCA The Rainbow Venues, B’ham THE MODFATHERS - TRIBUTE TO PAUL WELLER The River Rooms, Stourbridge STOMP AND HOLLER Brewhouse, Burtonupon-Trent PROJECT JAM SANDWICH SpArc Theatre, Bishops Castle, Shropshire MEME DETROIT, TRUEHEIGHTS, BURN DOWN RYDELL, GEM & CHASING DEER O2 Academy, Birmingham ROMARE Hare & Hounds, Birmingham KARAKORUM The Actress & Bishop, Birmingham SOUL DUO VELVET Bar Opus, Birmingham STOP STOP & VOODOO SIOUX Route 44, Birmingham NOBLE/SANDERS/BANNER Fri 27 Mar, Symphony Hall, Birmingham p

SAT 28 MAR

THE SUBTERRANEANS The Jam House, Birmingham MAZ MIZTRENKO Hare & Hounds, Birmingham ROBIN TROWER & JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR

Birmingham Town Hall SOLEY MOURNING & HIGHTALE The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN The Institute, Birmingham FLEETWOOD BAC The Robin, Bilston THE COUNTERFEIT STONES Lichfield Garrick, Staffs CHRIS HELME (THE SEAHORSES) Lichfield Guildhall, Staffs MCBUSTED The Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham GERRY CROSS THE MERSEY Tamworth Assembly Rooms, Staffs FYFE The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham ULTRA 90S The River Rooms, Stourbridge GUNS 2 ROSES The Sugarmill, Stoke-on-Trent THE WORLD OF PANDORA O2 Academy, B’ham AMERIIE The Drum, Birmingham GA GA Ludlow Assembly Rooms, Shropshire SOULED OUT 2 FUNK The Roadhouse, Birmingham DJ PIERRE Hare & Hounds, Birmingham THE BAD FLOWERS The Institute, Birmingham HOT WAX The Institute, Birmingham IVOR & LYN'S CLASSIC ROCK DISCO Route 44, Birmingham THE FURROW COLLECTIVE Mac - Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham

SUN 29 MAR MCBUSTED The Barclaycard Arena, B’ham GORDON CAMPBELL BIG BAND Birmingham Town Hall HIDDEN IN PLAIN VIEW The Oobleck, B’ham HUE AND CRY The Robin, Bilston POP FACTOR Lichfield Garrick, Staffs RAYMOND FROGGATT The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton DENNIS GREAVES & MARK FELTHAM Henry Tudor House, Shrewsbury BARS AND MELODY O2 Academy, Birmingham RANG BARSE - A RAIN OF COLOUR The Drum, Birmingham PAT MCMANUS BAND Route 44, Birmingham

MON 30 MAR SIMPLE MINDS Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent AXIS OF The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton

TUE 31 MAR GLEE CHOIRS CONCERT I'M STILL STANDING Wolverhampton Grand Theatre SIMPLE MINDS De Montfort Hall, Leicester WOLF ALICE The Institute, Birmingham DR HOOK FEATURING RAY SAWYER Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury

Music Venues Box Office Across The Midlands Birmingham 02 ACADEMY 0121 622 8250 THE ACTRESS & BISHOP 0121 236 7426 ADRIAN BOULT HALL 0121 331 5901 THE ASYLUM 0121 233 1109 THE BARBER INSTITUTE 0121 414 7333 BIRMINGHAM TOWN HALL 0121 780 3333 CBSO CENTRE 0121 780 3333 FLAPPER 0121 236 2421 THE GLEE CLUB 0871 472 0400 HARE & HOUNDS 0121 444 2081 THE INSTITUTE 0121 643 0428 IRISH CENTRE 0121 622 2314 THE JAM HOUSE 0121 200 3030 THE KITCHEN GARDEN CAFE 0121 443 4725 GENTING ARENA 0844 338 8000 BARCLAYCARD ARENA 0844 338 8000 THE RAINBOW 0121 772 8174 RED LION FOLK CLUB 0121472 4253 THE ROADHOUSE 0121 246 2273 ROUTE 44 0121 708 0108 SYMPHONY HALL 0121 780 3333 THE VICTORIA 0121 633 9439

Staffordshire

THE YARDBIRD 0121 212 2524

FOXLOWE ARTS CENTRE, LEEK 01538 386112

Black Country CIVIC HALL, WOLVERHAMPTON 0870 320 7000 DUDLEY CONCERT HALL 01384 815577 FOREST ARTS CENTRE 0845 111 2898 NEWHAMPTON ARTS CENTRE 01902 572090 ROBIN 2, BILSTON 01902 401211 SLADE ROOMS WOLVERHAMPTON

LICHFIELD GUILDHALL 01543 262223 THE SUGARMILL, HANLEY STOKE-ON-TRENT 01159 454 593 TAMWORTH ASSEMBLY ROOMS 01827 709618 VICTORIA HALL, HANLEY 0870 060 6649 STAFFORD GATEHOUSE

01785 254653

0870 320 7000

Warwickshire

STOURBRIDGE TOWN HALL 01384 812812 WULFRUN HALL, WOLVERHAMPTON

THE ASSEMBLY, LEAMINGTON 01926 311311

0870 320 7000

THE KASBAH, COVENTRY 024 7655 4473 NAILCOTE HALL, BERKSWELL 02476 46 6174

Shropshire BIRCHMEADOW, BROSELEY 01952 882210 THE BUTTERMARKET, SHREWSBURY 01743 355055 THE EDGE ARTS CENTRE, MUCH WENLOCK 01952 728911 HENRY TUDOR HOUSE SHREWSBURY 01743 361666 THE HIVE, SHREWSBURY 01743 234970 LUDLOW ASSEMBLY ROOMS 01584 878141 THEATRE SEVERN, SHREWSBURY 01743 281281 THE PLACE, OAKENGATES, TELFORD 01952 382382 WEM TOWN HALL 01939 232299

STRATFORD CIVIC HALL 01789 207100 THE TIN MUSIC & ARTS, COVENTRY 0247 655 9958

Worcestershire ARTRIX, BROMSGROVE 01527 577330 HUNTINGDON HALL / SWAN THEATRE 01905 611427 MARR’S BAR, WORCESTER 01905 613336 THE RIVER ROOMS, STOURBRIDGE 01384 397177

For additional information and to find out What’s On at these venues.

Visit: www.whatsonlive.co.uk

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Classical Music PREVIEWS

Tesla String Quartet The Barber Institute, Birmingham, Fri 20 March

Comprising Ross Snyder and Michelle Lie on violins, Edwin Kaplan on viola and Serafim Smigelskiy on cello, the Tesla String Quartet formed at New York’s Juilliard School in 2008 and quickly established themselves as one of the most promising young ensembles in the city. Winners of numerous awards - including the Gold Medal at the 2012 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition - and prizewinners in both the London and Bordeaux International String Quartet Competitions, Tesla this month visit the Midlands to perform the following: Schubert’s String Quartet in C minor, D 703, Quartettsatz; Linus Köhring’s 7 Aphorismen; Mendelssohn String Quartet in E minor, Op. 44, No. 2.

Welsh National Opera featuring Lesley Garrett Birmingham Hippodrome, Wed 4 - Sat 7 March

Founded in Cardiff in 1943, Welsh National Opera (WNO) is a regular visitor to the Midlands, presenting seasons of work at the Birmingham Hippodrome. The company is committed to producing operas which are extremely accessible for its audiences, whether they be opera-going regulars or people attending a performance for the very first time.

WNO’s latest Birmingham visit sees the company presenting three works...

Legendary soprano Lesley Garrett stars in Chorus! (Wed 4 March), a fully staged extravaganza featuring some of opera's greatest moments. Scenes from Il trovatore, Madam Butterfly, The Pirates Of Penzance and Peter Grimes are all included.

Dominic Cooke’s version of Mozart’s The Magic Flute (Thurs 5 to Fri 6 March), meanwhile, benefits from some truly surreal staging, and features an angry lobster, a newspaper-reading lion and a fish that’s also a bicycle.

Last but certainly not least in this imaginative spring season is a hugely inventive version of Humperdinck’s Hansel And Gretel (Sat 7 March) that revels in the story’s most deliciously sinister moments. The production is directed by Richard Jones.

Rigoletto Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Fri 6 March

Verdi’s tragic tale of misunderstanding, revenge and sacrifice is here performed by the Russian State Ballet and Opera House, accompanied by a thirty-piece live orchestra.

Widely regarded as one of the Italian composer’s finest works, this opera in three acts centres on a hunchbacked court jester (Rigoletto), his beautiful daughter Gilda and the Duke of Mantua, whom he serves.

Rigoletto will be sung in Italian with English surtitles.

Birmingham Festival Choral Society Elgar Concert Hall, University of Birmingham, Sat 21 March

Thallein at Frontiers

Frontiers Festival Various locations, Birmingham, Mon 16 - Fri 27 March

A two-week celebration of bold new music, this Birmingham Conservatoire-led initiative features a packed programme of cutting-edge performances and exhibitions.

Taking place at various venues across the city - including the Library of Birmingham and Cafe Ort - the festival also provides a platform for some of the most exciting young talent in contemporary music.

Highlights of the 2015 festival include a rare UK outing by French ensemble Court-Circuit.

Founded more than twenty years ago by Phillippe Hurel and Pierre Andre Valade, the ensemble is held in high regard for its risk-taking approach to classical music.

Jonathan Harvey’s seminal From Silence also features, as does Gerard Grisey’s Le temps et l’ecume and the world premiere of Ed Bennett’s new work for piano and live electronics. There are also performances by contemporary pianist Xenia Pestova, the experimental and energetic Decibel Ensemble, and Birmingham Conservatoire’s own Thallein Ensemble.

Bob Chilcott’s epic Circlesong is the highlight of this special concert reflecting the circle of life. Written for two choirs, a wide variety of percussion instruments and two pianos, Circlesong received its premiere at the city’s Adrian Boult Hall in 2004.

Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, Ben van Tienan’s Find My Way and works by Maxwell Davies and Gerald Finzi also feature in this mouthwatering programme. The concert sees the Birmingham Festival Choral Society performing alongside CBSO Young Voices and Atherstone Choral Society.

Bob Chilcott

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Classical Music PREVIEWS

Carducci String Quartet The Lion Hotel, Shrewsbury, Sun 8 March

Performing more than ninety international concerts each year, Carducci is regarded as one of the most successful string quartets in the business. The Washington Post described their playing in a recent concert as displaying 'a deep and almost familial sense of unity... full of life and vitality... extravagantly beautiful...'

Featuring Matthew Denton and Michael Fleming on violins, Eoin Schmidt-Martin on viola and Emma Denton on cello, the quartet this month visit the region to perform Journeys To Enlightenment as part of the Shropshire Music Trust 2015 season. A musical journey comprising Elgar’s Quartet, Shostakovich’s Quartet No1 and Beethoven’s Quartet Op18 No6, this Lion Hotel concert is the first of three Carducci visits to the county this spring. The quartet will return to play Maidment Hall at Shrewsbury School on 12 April and Concord College on 10 May.

European Union Chamber Orchestra Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent, Fri 6 March

Boasting, as it does, some of Europe’s finest young professional players, the European Union Chamber Orchestra (EUCO) is seen as the musical ambassador for the European Union.

Since its formation in 1981, the orchestra has toured extensively, both across Europe and further afield, along the way performing with a wealth of distinguished classical artists, including Nicola Benedetti, Julian Lloyd Webber, Alina Ibragimova and Emma Johnson.

This Staffordshire concert sees the EUCO joined by acclaimed Russian pianist Nikolai Demidenko, with Hans-Peter Hofmann conducting. Audiences can expect first-class renditions of Handel’s Arrival Of The Queen Of Sheba, Holst’s St Paul’s Suite, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.12, Bach’s Piano Concerto in F minor and Haydn’s Symphony No.59 (Fire).

Classical LISTINGS For full listing information on classical concerts, including times and dates, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk HANDEL'S HERCULES Sun 1 Mar, Birmingham Town Hall BEETHOVEN: A MARATHON Sun 1 Mar, Birmingham Conservatoire LUNCHTIME ORGAN CONCERT - THOMAS TROTTER Mon 2 Mar, Birmingham Town Hall HONG KONG PHILHARMONIC PLAY BEETHOVEN AND DVORAK Tue 3 Mar, Symphony Hall, Birmingham RACHEL BARTON PINE Programme includes works by JS Bach, Mohammed Fairouz, Earl Maneein & Paganini, Tue 3 Mar, Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham CHORUS! Soprano Lesley Garrett leads the Welsh National Opera in an extravaganza of some of the greatest moments in opera, Wed 4 Mar, Birmingham Hippodrome COLLABRO English musical theatre boy band who wowed the Britain's Got Talent judges & viewers with their renditions of classic tracks, Thurs 5 Mar,

Victoria Hall, Stoke-onTrent CBSO: JANACEK'S GLAGOLITIC MASS Featuring Luba Orgonášová, soprano; Sarah Connolly, mezzoSoprano; John Daszak tenor; Clive Bayley. bass & Thomas Trotter, organ. Programme includes works by Berlioz & Janacek, Thurs 5 Mar, Symphony Hall, Birmingham PETER EDWARDS TRIO Thurs 5 Mar, Bramall Music Building, B’ham THE MAGIC FLUTE Welsh National Opera present a warm & witty production fusing Mozart's sublime music with Dominic Cooke's surreal staging, Thurs 5 - Fri 6 Mar, Birmingham Hippodrome CBSO FRIDAY NIGHT CLASSICS: 21ST CENTURY BLOCKBUSTERS Featuring music from such films as Gladiator, Sherlock, War Horse, The Hobbit and many more, Fri 6 Mar, Symphony Hall, Birmingham RICHARD & ADAM Fri 6 Mar, Birmingham Town

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Hall EUROPEAN UNION CHAMBER ORCHESTRA Featuring conductor HansPeter Hoffman. Programme comprises Holst's St Paul's Suite; Haydn's Symphony No.59; Grieg's Two Elegiac Melodies & Beethoven's Piano Concerto No.2 in B flat, Fri 6 Mar, Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent THE STRING SOUND Unique and exciting recital showcasing the development of the string family sound, from early Renaissance to modern day, Fri 6 Mar, Birmingham Conservatoire BIRMINGHAM CONSERVATOIRE CHORUS WITH DAVID SAINT Programme includes works

by Durufle, Aston & Fielden, Fri 6 Mar, St Chad’s Cathedral, Birmingham RIGOLETTO The Russian State Ballet & Opera House present Verdi's tragic tale of misunderstanding, revenge & sacrifice. Sung in Italian with English surtitles and accompanied by a large live orchestra featuring over thirty musicians, Fri 6 Mar, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury HANSEL AND GRETEL Welsh National Opera present Richard Jones'

endlessly inventive production of Humperdinck's gorgeous opera which revels in the story's more sinister moments... Sat 7 Mar, Birmingham Hippodrome SHREWSBURY CANTATA CHOIR SING ALONG DAY Sat 7 Mar, St Chad’s Church, Shrewsbury LAST NIGHT OF THE PROMS Featuring The Shrewsbury Light Orchestra, Peter RoadNight (conductor) & Sheila Thompson (leader). Medley of prom music presented

by The West Shrewsbury Hospice Support Group, Sat 7 Mar, The-

atre Severn, Shrewsbury KATHERINE JENKINS IN CONCERT Eagerly anticipated concert from the record-breaking, multiplatinum-selling mezzosoprano, Sat 7 - Sun 8 Mar, Symphony Hall, Birmingham CARDUCCI STRING QUARTET: JOURNEYS TO ENLIGHTENMENT Programme includes works

by Elgar, Shostakovich & Beethoven, Sun 8 Mar, Lion Hotel, Shrewsbury BIRMINGHAM PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA Sun 8 Mar, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury IRVING BERLIN - RAGS TO

Katherine Jenkins - Symphony Hall, Birmingham

RITZES Mon 9 Mar, Birmingham Town Hall MONDAY SHOWCASE Programme features works

by Prokofiev, Mendelssohn, Schubert, Poulenc & Mozart, Mon 9 Mar, Birmingham Conservatoire EMERGING DIRECTORS: SAN GIOVANNI BATISTA Performed by Alessandro Stradella, Mon 9 Mar, Birmingham Conservatoire THE SCHUBERT ENSEMBLE Programme comprises Chausson’s Piano Quartet, Op. 30, Tue 10 Mar, Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham FRONTIERS: WOLFF AT 80, FINNISSY'S BEATS

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AND HOWARD SKEMPTON Tue 10 Mar, Birmingham Conservatoire SHOSTAKOVICH WITH PETER DONOHOE Featuring Orchestra Of The Swan. Programme includes works by Haydn, Shostakovich & Mendelssohn, Wed 11 Mar, Birmingham Town Hall CBSO BACH AND BRUCKNER Programme comprises Bach’s Violin Concerto No 1 in A minor & Symphony No 5, Wed 11 Mar, Symphony Hall, B’ham LA TRAVIATA LIVE Live screening of English National Opera's performance of Verdi's operatic masterpiece, Wed 11 Mar, mac - Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham CAMERATA SALZBURG AND NICOLA BENEDETTI PLAY MOZART Programme includes works

by Schonberg, Mozart & Bruckner, Thurs 12 Mar, Symphony Hall, Birmingham CBSO CENTRE STAGE: BRAHMS' PIANO QUARTET NO 3 Thurs 12 Mar, CBSO Centre, B’ham EMERGING DIRECTORS: QUARTET FOR THE END OF TIME Featuring Zhivko Georgiev, Jack McNeill, Lucy French & Mark Pringle, Fri 13 Mar, Birmingham Conservatoire SOL3 MIO Featuring tenor brothers, Pene & Amitai Pati and their baritone cousin Moses Mackey, Fri 13 Mar, Birmingham Town Hall ELLEN KENT'S LA TRAVIATA OperaUpClose present the story of a nineteenth century Parisian courtesan who, dreaming of a better life, becomes involved with a man who may finally make her dreams come true, Sat 14 Mar, New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham CBSO BACH AND BRUCKNER Programme comprises Bach’s Violin Concerto No 1 in A minor & Symphony No 5, Sat 14 Mar, Symphony Hall, Birmingham BIRMINGHAM PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA -

HOLST'S PLANETS Sun 15 Mar, Bramall Music Building, Birmingham FRONTIERS: THE YOUNG COMPOSERS' PROJECT CONCERT Sun 15 Mar, Birmingham Conservatoire LUNCHTIME ORGAN CONCERT - THOMAS TROTTER Programme includes works by JS Bach, Ireland, James MacMillan, Hollins, Torch & Litaize, Mon 16 Mar, Symphony Hall, Birmingham MONDAY SHOWCASE Programme includes works

by Shocker, Bozza, Britten, Debussy & Beethoven, Mon 16 Mar, Birmingham Conservatoire THE ROSAMUNDE TRIO Programme includes Boulanger’s D'un matin de printemps; Mozart’s Piano Trio in G major K564 & Lalo’s Piano Trio No.3 in A minor Op.26, Tue 17 Mar, Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham CBSO CENTRE STAGE: BEETHOVEN AND PENDERECKI STRING TRIOS Featuring Moritz Pfister, Catherine Bower and Eduardo Vassallo. Programme includes Penderecki’s String Trio & Beethoven’s String Trio in D, Op 9 No 2, Wed 18 Mar, CBSO Centre, Birmingham BEYOND CLASSICAL Wed 18 Mar, Symphony Hall, Birmingham CBSO RACHMANINOV'S SECOND SYMPHONY Wed 18 - Thurs 19 Mar, Symphony Hall, B’ham FORTEPIANO GALA CONCERT Thurs 19 Mar, Birmingham Conservatoire THE EBLANA STRING TRIO Programme comprises Eugene Ysaye’s Le Chimay & Mozart’s Divertimento in E flat major K.563, Fri 20 Mar, Birmingham Museum And Art Gallery BIRMINGHAM CONSERVATOIRE HANDPICKED ORCHESTRA Programme includes works by Vaughan Williams, Addison & Poulenc, Fri 20 Mar, Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham THE FLUTE & HARP Programme includes works

Sol3 Mio - Birmingham Town Hall

by Mozart, Debussy & Liszt, Sat 21 Mar, Cornbow Hall, Halesowen CIRCLESONG See opposite page, Sat 21 Mar, Bramall Music Building, Birmingham ENSEMBLE 360 Featuring works by Schubert & Arensky, Mon 23 Mar, New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme LAURA WRIGHT Tue 24 Mar, Bramall Music Building, Birmingham PERFORMANCE PLATFORM: SOFIA SARMENTO - IMAGINARY BORDERS: ENGLAND AND PORTUGAL Programme includes works by John Ireland, Joao Pedro Oliveira & new work from Ignatius Sokol, Benjamin O'Sullivan & Tiago Morais Morgado, Tue 24 Mar, Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham THE MIKADO Birmingham Savoyards' production of one of Gilbert & Sullivan's most popular operettas, Tue 24 - Sat 28 Mar, The Old Rep Theatre, Birmingham CBSO: BRAHMS AND BEETHOVEN Programme includes works by Vaughan Williams & Beethoven, Wed 25 Mar, Symphony Hall, Birmingham CBSO: FRIDAY NIGHT

CLASSICS - QUEEN, ROCK AND SYMPHONIC SPECTACULAR Fri 27 Mar, Symphony Hall, B’ham BBC PHILHARMONIC Fri 27 Mar, Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent CBSO: HOLST, HAYDN & BACH Fri 27 Mar, CBSO Centre, Birmingham THALLEIN AND INTEGRA Fri 27 Mar, Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham CANTIONES CHOIR AND THE BORDERS ORCHESTRA Sat 28 Mar, Holy Trinity Church, Oswestry

CBSO BRAHMS AND BEETHOVEN Programme includes works by Vaughan Williams & Beethoven, Symphony No 2, Sat 28 Mar, Symphony Hall, B’ham BIRMINGHAM CHORAL UNION PERFORM DANKWORTH AND HOROVITZ Programme includes works by John Dankworth’s The Diamond and the Goose, Joseph Horovitz’s Horrotorio and Malcolm Arnoid’s Grand, Grand Overture, Sat 28 Mar,

The Elgar Concert Hall, Birmingham BIRMINGHAM BACH CHOIR: MAGNIFICAT! Sat 28 Mar, St Philip’s Cathedral, Birmingham ENGLISH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA - MOZART TO MENDELSSOHN Sun 29 Mar, Bramall Music Building, Birmingham LUNCHTIME ORGAN CONCERT: THOMAS TROTTER Programme includes works by Dupre, J S Bach, Anderson & Flagler, Mon 30 Mar, Birmingham Town Hall

Classical Box Office ADRIAN BOULT HALL, BIRMINGHAM 0121 331 5901

CBSO CENTRE, BIRMINGHAM 0121 780 3333

SYMPHONY HALL, BIRMINGHAM 0121 780 3333

BARBER INSTITUTE, BIRMINGHAM 0121 414 7333

CORNBOW HALL, HALESOWEN 01384 812814

ST CHAD’S CHURCH, SHREWSBURY 0121 236 2251

BIRMINGHAM CONSERVATOIRE 0121 331 5901/2

LION HOTEL, SHREWSBURY 01743 353107 NEW ALEXANDRA THEATRE, BIRMINGHAM 0844 871 3011 NEW VIC THEATRE, NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYME 01782 717962

ST PHILLIP’S CATHEDRAL, BIRMINGHAM 0121 262 1840

BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME 0844 338 5000 BIRMINGHAM TOWN HALL 0121 780 3333 BRAMALL CONCERT HALL, BIRMINGHAM 0121 414 3344

OLD REP THEATRE, BIRMINGHAM 0121 359 9445

THEATRE SEVERN, SHREWSBURY 01743 281281 VICTORIA HALL, STOKE-ON-TRENT 0844 871 7649

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Comedy Lloyd Langford

Comedy Box Office

The Place, Oakengates Theatre, Telford, Fri 13 March; The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton, Sat 14 March

Delivering his comedy in a laid-back style, Welsh laughter merchant Lloyd Langford blends personal anecdotes, memorable one-liners and topical material to excellent effect, and has been described as ‘one of the sharpest comedic minds on the circuit’ and ‘a born banterer’. Television gigs include The Comedy Store, Grouchy Young Men, and Russell Howard’s Good News.

John Shuttleworth Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Sun 8 March

Perhaps the most talented man ever to emerge from the fair steel city of Sheffield, John Shuttleworth is a raconteur par excellence, an accomplished musician, and a man who long ago ascended like one of his own beloved pigeons into the upper echelons of the showbusiness world. This gig offers the perfect opportunity for Midlands-based lovers of light comedy and understated but up-to-the-minute fashions to enjoy an evening in the company of Mr Shuttleworth, care of his creator Graham Fellows, a one-time chart buster with the unforgettable hit Jilted John.

Dave Spikey Festival Drayton Centre, Market Drayton, Wed 4 March; Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent, Sat 14 March

Dave Spikey is a very funny man, and he’s got the silverware to prove it! A British Comedy Award-winner and a Royal Television Society Award-winner, he was the co-writer of Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights on Channel Four, and played the role of Jerry in the series.

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Rich Hall Stafford Gatehouse Theatre, Sat 21 March

His official biography somewhat less than modestly describes American funnyman Rich Hall as ‘a grouchy, deadpan, comic genius’. It also explains that he ‘quit his job as a hurricane-namer for the United States meteorological service’ more than two decades ago - since which time, it’s fair to say, the sun has been smiling rather warmly on the hugely talented Virginian. With much of his comedy centring on making fun of life across the pond in his homeland, Rich is perhaps best known for his creation of Otis Lee Crenshaw, a bourbon-swilling redneck jailbird from Tennessee whose many wives have all been named Brenda.

Gina Yashere Light House Media Centre, Wolverhampton, Fri 6 March; mac, Birmingham, Sat 21 Mar

Gina's latest show comprises what she terms 'all her best bits' - and there are certainly a fair few of those to appreciate! She's best known from shows like Mock The Week, and has worked with Lenny Henry, but a well-received performance on US TV's Last Comic Standing has taken her career in another direction of late, with plenty of work now coming her way from across the pond.

ARTRIX, BROMSGROVE 01527 577330 BIRMINGHAM TOWN HALL 0121 780 3333 CIVIC HALL, WOLVERHAMPTON 0870 320 7000 COURTYARD THEATRE, HEREFORD 01432 340555 THE DRUM, BIRMINGHAM 0121 333 2444 DRUMMONDS BAR, WORCESTER 01905 28190 THE EDGE ARTS CENTRE, MUCH WENLOCK 01952 728911 EVESHAM ARTS CENTRE, WORCESTERSHIRE 01386 446944 FOXLOWE ARTS CENTRE, LEEK, STAFFS 01538 386112 THE GEORGE HOTEL, BURSLEM, STAFFS 07763301081 THE GLEE CLUB, BIRMINGHAM 0871 4720400 HIGHLIGHT, BIRMINGHAM 0844 844 0044 HUNTINGDON HALL, WORCESTER, 01905 611427 KITCHEN GARDEN CAFE, BIRMINGHAM 0121 443 4725 LUDLOW ASSEMBLY ROOMS 01584 878141 MAC, BIRMINGHAM 0121 446 3232 OAKENGATES THEATRE, TELFORD 01952 382382 PALACE THEATRE, REDDITCH 01527 65203 PLAYERS BAR, BIRMINGHAM 0121 643 6871 THE ROSES THEATRE TEWKESBURY 01684 295074 ROYAL SPA CENTRE, LEAMINGTON SPA 01926 334418 SHOWCASE, COVENTRY 0871 220 1000 THE SLADE ROOMS, WOLVERHAMPTON 0870 320 7000 SOLIHULL ARTS COMPLEX 0121 704 6962 STAFFORD GATEHOUSE THEATRE 01785 619080 THEATRE SEVERN, SHREWSBURY 01743 281281 WARWICK ARTS CENTRE 02476 524524 WULFRUN HALL, WOLVERHAMPTON 0870 320 7000

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Comedy LISTINGS For full listing information on comedy gigs including times and dates visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk ALUN COCHRANE Sun 1 Mar, The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton ONE MAN BREAKING BAD Mon 2 Mar, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury DARA O'BRIAIN Wed 4 Mar, Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent COUNT ARTHUR STRONG Wed 4 Mar, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury DAVE SPIKEY Wed 4 Mar, Festival Drayton Centre, Market Drayton, North Shropshire STAND UP FOR THE HEROES Featuring Patrick Monahan, Andy Askins, Geoff Norcott, Andrew McBurney, Jay Foreman, Adam Rushton, Leo Kearse & Hal Cruttenden, Wed 4 Mar, The Glee Club, Birmingham IVAN BRACKENBURY, IAN D. MONTFORT & LAURA LEX Thurs 5 Mar, Bramall Music Building, Birmingham JONNY AWSUM, TIM CLARK, MARVYN DICKENSON, JACK SHANIK & LOU CONRAN Thurs 5 Mar, Foxlowe Arts Centre, Leek, Staffs KUM-N-AVALOFF Thurs 5 Mar, Stourbridge Town Hall HENRY PARKER, NATHAN CATON, MASAI GRAHAM & SIMON GIBSON Thurs 5 Mar, The George Hotel, Lichfield, Staffs ROMESH RANGANATHAN & SUZI RUFFELL Fri 6 Mar, The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton GINA YASHERE Fri 6 Mar, Light House Media Centre, Wolverhampton KOJO, NINIA BENJAMIN, AURIE STYLA & JOHN SIMMIT Fri 6 Mar, The Drum, Birmingham IAIN STIRLING, JOJO SMITH, IAN MOORE & JOHN LYNN Fri 6 - Sat 7

Mar, The Glee Club, Birmingham BRENDAN RILEY, DANE BAPTISTE, MARIA SHEHATA & ALISTAIR BARRIE Fri 6 - Sat 7 Mar, Jongleurs Comedy Club, Birmingham ADAM STAUNTON, JONNY AWESOME & EDDY BRIMSON Sat 7 Mar, Players Bar, B’ham ALISTAIR BARRIE, DOUGIE JOHN SHUTTLEWORTH Sun 8 Mar, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury OMID DJALILI Mon 9 Mar, Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent LOUDEEMY SOUP COMEDY NIGHT Mon 9 Mar, The Blue Orange Theatre, Birmingham BARBARA NICE, WILL DUGGAN, FREDDIE FARRELL, DEAN MAVROS & HARRIET DYER Tues 10 Mar, Rose Villa Tavern, Birmingham STEWART LEE Wed 11 Mar, Stafford Gatehouse Theatre ONE MAN BREAKING BAD Wed 11 Mar, Birmingham Town Hall TIFF STEVENSON Wed 11 Mar, The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton SALLY-ANNE HAYWARD, LARA A KING, V G LEE & MAUREEN YOUNGER Wed 11 Mar, Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham GARY LITTLE, DAVE FULTON AND COMEDY CAROUSEL WITH ANDY ROBINSON Thurs 12 Mar, The Glee Club, B’ham LLOYD LANGFORD Fri 13 Mar, The Place, Oakengates Theatre, Telford, Shropshire ANGIE MCEVOY, MATT RUDGE WITH THE NOISE NEXT DOOR & DAN NIGHTINGALE Fri 13 Mar, Jongleurs Comedy Club, Birmingham GARY LITTLE, DAVE

Omid Djalili - Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent

FULTON, GEORGE ZACH & COMIC TBC Fri 13 - Sat 14 Mar, The Glee Club, Birmingham LLOYD LANGFORD Sat 14 Mar, The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton DAVE SPIKEY Sat 14 Mar, Victoria Hall, Stoke-onTrent HELEN LEDERER Sat 14 Mar, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury ANGIE MCEVOY, MATT RUDGE, THE NOISE NEXT DOOR & MATT RUDGE Sat 14 Mar, Jongleurs Comedy Club, B’ham STAND UP COMEDY SHOWCASE Wed 18 Mar, mac, Birmingham PAUL THORNE, CARL DONNELLY AND COMEDY CAROUSEL WITH ANDY ROBINSON Thurs 19 Mar, The Glee Club, B’ham ALAN CARR Thurs 19 Fri 20 Mar, The Place, Oakengates Theatre, Telford, Shropshire PAUL THORNE, CARL DONNELLY, JOE HEENAN & STEPHEN GRANT Fri 20 Mar, The Glee Club, Birmingham JEREMY HARDY Fri 20 Mar, The Edge Arts Centre, Much Wenlock, South Shropshire JONNY AWSUM, SULLY SULLIVAN & PAUL PIRIE Fri 20 Mar, Lichfield Garrick TONY HAWKS Fri 20 Mar, The Glee Club, B’ham STAND UP COMEDY SHOWCASE Fri 20 Mar, mac, Birmingham BILLY PEARCE Fri 20 Mar, Stafford Gatehouse Theatre JONNY CANDON, ALEX BOARDMAN, TOM DEACON & ROBERT WHITE Fri 20 Sat 21 Mar, Jongleurs Comedy Club, B’ham RICH HALL Sat 21 Mar, Stafford Gatehouse Theatre GINA YASHERE Sat 21 Mar, mac, Birmingham JOSH HOWIE, BRYAN LACEY, NICK DIXON & RAY PEACOCK Sat 21 Mar, Players Bar, B’ham LOL COMEDY CLUB THREE COMICS & MC DAMION LARKIN Sat 21 Mar, Regent Theatre, Stokeon-Trent PAUL THORNE, CARL DONNELLY, FREDDIE FARRELL AND STEPHEN GRANT Sat 21 Mar, The Glee Club, Birmingham FIZZOG 50% FUNNIER COMEDY SHOW Sat 21 Mar, Stafford Gatehouse Theatre RICHARD HERRING Sun 22 Mar, The Glee Club, Birmingham ONE MAN BREAKING BAD Sun 22 Mar, The Courtyard, Hereford CAVE COMEDY RADIO Tues 24 Mar, The Glee Club, Birmingham TIFF STEVENSON, MATT REED & SPECIAL GUEST TBC Wed 25 Mar, Henry Tudor House, Shrewsbury ROY CHUBBY BROWN Thurs 26 Mar, The Place, Oakengates Theatre, Telford, Shropshire

Tom Stade - Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury

TOM STADE Thurs 26 Mar, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury PHIL NICHOL PLUS COMEDY CAROUSEL WITH ANDY ROBINSON & COMIC TBC Thurs 26 Mar, The Glee Club, Birmingham PHIL NICHOL, JONNY PELHAM, TIM CLARK & COMIC TBC Fri 27 Mar The Glee Club, B’ham TONY VINO, DYLAN RHYMER, JONNY EMMET, JO COFFEY & DANNY HURST Sat 28 Mar, The

National Brewery Centre, Burton-onTrent, Staffs TOMMY RAWSON, ALEX SMITH & STEVE BUGEJA Fri 27 Mar, The Courtyard, Hereford MATT RICHARDSON, ADAM BLOOM & MICKEY D Fri 27 - Sat 28 Mar, Jongleurs Comedy Club, Birmingham ELLIE TAYLOR Sat 28 Mar, Artrix, Bromsgrove COMEDY IN THE MET Sat 28 Mar, Stafford

Gatehouse Theatre PHIL NICHOL, JONNY PELHAM, TIM CLARK & ANGELA BARNES Sat 28 Mar, The Glee Club, Birmingham PAUL MCCAFFERY, JESSICA FOESTEKEW, DAN NIGHTINGALE & JASON COOK Sat 28 Mar, Players Bar, B’ham CHRIS TURNER, ADAM STAUNTON, MICK FERRY & DAN NIGHTINGALE Sun 29 Mar, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury

For more comedy listings, visit, www.whatsonlive.co.uk 23

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Theatre

WIN TIC

KETS

One Man, Two Guvnors

whatso nlive to ente .co.uk r Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Tues 17 - Sat 21 March

Based on The Servant Of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni, this National Theatre production is directed by Nicholas Hytner and stops off in the Midlands as part of its biggest-ever UK and Ireland tour.

Fired from his skiffle band, Francis Henshall becomes minder to Roscoe Crabbe, a small-time East End hood who’s now in Brighton

to collect £6,000 from his fiancée’s dad. But Roscoe is really his sister Rachel, posing as her own dead brother, who’s been killed by her boyfriend, Stanley Stubbers.

You keeping up?...

Ex-EastEnders and Extras favourite Shaun Williamson stars.

Top Hat Birmingham Hippodrome, Tues 10 - Sat 21 March

When famous American headliner Jerry Travers arrives in London to appear in his first West End show, it isn't long before he meets the irresistible Dale Tremont. Quickly realising that she's the girl of his dreams, Travers determines to follow her across Europe in a desperate attempt to win her heart with his wonderful song and dance routines... Irving Berlin’s celebrated score features such classics numbers as Cheek To Cheek, Let’s Face The Music And Dance, Isn’t It A Lovely Day To Be Caught In The Rain and Top Hat, White Tie & Tails.

Calamity Jane Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, Tues 10 - Sat 14 March

WIN

TICK whatso ETS nlive.c o.u to ente r

k

Boasting songs such as The Deadwood Stage, Black Hills Of Dakota, Windy City and Secret Love, Calamity Jane tells the story of the Wild West’s most notorious female outlaw, along the way offering an all-in combination of music, comedy, drama and dance.

The famous 1950s film version, starring Doris Day and Howard Keel, remains one of the best-regarded Hollywood musicals of its era.

This brand new stage show is presented by The Watermill Theatre, an ensemble who already have productions of Sweeney Todd and Sunset Boulevard under their belt. West End star Jodie Prenger takes the lead role.

Read our interview with Jodie at whatsonlive.co.uk www.whatsonlive.co.uk 25

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NT LIVE: BEHIND THE BEAUTIFUL FOREVERS GATEHOUSE THEATRE

Thurs 12 March

15

MARCH Thurs 5 March, 7.30pm An Evening With

Gervase Phinn Tickets: £16.50

7pm, £12.50/£10 concs A film screening from The National Theatre. Starring Meera Syal and Directed by Rufus Norris. India is surging with global ambition.

But beyond the luxury hotels surrounding Mumbai airport lies a makeshift slum, full of people with plans of their own…

Fri 6 March, 7.30pm

GAGA

20th Anniversary Tour Tickets: £12.00

CIRCUS OF HORRORS GATEHOUSE THEATRE

Wed 18 March

Sat 7 March, 2pm Winter Walkers:

The show that stormed into the finals of Britain's Got Talent and is now a West End smash is back to mark its 20th Anniversary. The latest incarnation ‘The Night of the Zombie’ is set in a city ruled 8pm, £21/£19 concs by the undead in 2020, performed by an almighty cast with a forked tongue firmly in each cheek and the devil driver rock n’ roll of Dr Haze and The Interceptors from Hell.

Three Keepers Tickets: £6.00

Tue 10 - Sat 14 March, 7.30pm, Sat Mat 2.30pm Little Theatre Company

TEECHERS

The Lady Killers

THE MET STUDIO

Tickets: £9.00

Thurs 19 Feb & Fri 20 March

Fri 27 March, 7.30pm

Stomp and Holler Tickets: £10.00 Thurs 19, 7.30pm, Fri 20th 2.30pm & 7.30pm, £12.50/£11 concs John Godber’s classic play about three year 11 students at a struggling comprehensive school is a fast-moving and hilarious classroom classic! Creating over twenty colourful characters between them, including disgruntled teachers, unruly students and obstructive caretakers, they paint a very funny - and touching - picture of school life.

APRIL Wed 15 April, 7.30pm Vamos Theatre

Nursing Lives Tickets: £10.00

BILLY PEARCE GATEHOUSE THEATRE

Fri 20 March

Thurs 23 April, 8.00pm

National treasure and without doubt one of Britain's most talented and best loved comedians and performers. Multi-award winner Billy has won just about 7.30pm, £18.50 every comedy award going, including a British comedy award, solo comedian of the year, and best television newcomer at the London Palladium.

Jive Aces

THE FUREYS

Tickets: £15.00

Fri 24 April, 8.00pm Bucket Club:

Lorraine & Alan

GATEHOUSE THEATRE

Tickets: £10.00

Sun 22 March The Fureys have been entertaining audiences worldwide for 37 years and are responsible for some of the most stirring music ever to capture the public imagi7.30pm, £19/£17.50 concs nation. Their emotive songs stir many emotions….tears and laughter, sadness and joy. A Fureys concert is always a night to remember.

MAXINE PEAKE AS HAMLET GATEHOUSE THEATRE

Mon 23 March

12A

A screening of the Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre Production. From its sell-out run at Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre comes this unique and critically acclaimed production of Shakespeare's tragic Hamlet. In this stripped-back, fresh and fast-paced version, BAFTA nominee Maxine Peake creates a Hamlet for now, giving a performance hailed as "delicately ferocious" by The Guardian 7.30pm, £12.50/£10 concs and "a milestone Hamlet" by the Manchester Evening News.

BOOKONLINE Box Office 01785 619080 www.staffordgatehousetheatre.co.uk

26 www.whatsonlive.co.uk

Brewhouse Arts Centre, Union Street, Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire DE14 1AA

Box office: 01283 508100. www.brewhouse.co.uk

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Theatre PREVIEWS Milked Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Tues 17 - Wed 18 March

Producing quality new theatre about the contemporary rural world is the stated mission of Shropshire-based company Pentabus, who here present the debut offering from Channel Four bursary award-winning playwright Simon Longman.

Featuring the jobless Paul, the directionless Snowy and a cow called Sandy, Milked explores the experience of being out of work in the countryside, reflecting on the way in which ‘the emptiness can be a safe haven as well as a dark terror’.

Shrek Beautiful Thing The Patrick Centre, Birmingham Hippodrome, Mon 30 March - Sat 11 April

Jonathan Harvey’s award-winning play tells the story of teenager Jamie’s relationship with his classmate and neighbour, Ste...

Numerous well-known actors have appeared in Beautiful Thing during its twenty-year history - among them Jonny Lee Miller, Suranne Jones, Hugh Bonneville, Philip Glennister, Andrew Garfield and Rhys Ifans - while productions have been mounted in countries including China, France, Canada, Australia and Holland.

EastEnders actors Charlie Brooks and Thomas Law star in this latest version of the play, and are joined by Sam Thomas from Channel Four’s hit teen drama, Skins.

Birmingham Hippodrome, Tues 31 March - Sun 26 April

The popularity of this family-friendly West End winner of a show hardly comes as a surprise.

After all, Dreamworks’ animated Shrek movies, inspired by cartoonist William Steig's 1990 book, were absolutely huge. It was only ever going to be a matter of time before everybody’s favourite swamp-residing ogre made a big splash away from the silver screen. After a tentative Broadway start, the production was revised for its subsequent US tour and West End residency - and is all the better for it. Pretty much retelling the story of the first movie, it peddles a line in humour that calls to mind both the surrealist Pythons and an evening of festive-season pantomime fare.

There are plenty of new songs to enjoy, too, presented alongside the cult Shrek anthem I’m A Believer. All in all, then, a feelgood show that pretty much touches all the bases for its young target audience, while at the same time offering plenty to keep the adults amused.

Half Baked Prince Of Wales Centre, Cannock, Fri 6 March; Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton, Sat 7 March; The Place, Oakengates, Telford, Shropshire, Tues 10 March

This is a new offering from the Birmingham Repertory Theatre’s collaboration with the New Wolsey Theatre, Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse. The collaboration sees the theatres working together to create new productions using young theatre makers.

This particular show - described by its producers as a play about ‘unemployment, uncertain futures and unreliable ovens’ focuses on six teenagers as they prepare for life beyond the local bakery in which they work.

Dracula New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Fri 6 - Sat 28 March

Although Bram Stoker's gothic horror story is best known via innumerable film versions, an imaginative theatre staging can be just as spinetingling as anything presented on the big screen.

And that should certainly be the case with this particular adaptation of the story, helmed, as it is, by Theresa Heskins, a director renowned for her theatrical invention.

Spectacular flying sequences and specially commissioned music further add to the mix.

government minister’s dead body at the foot of a North Lakes mountain all play their part in this new adaptation of Michael Wood’s debut novel.

Big Pants And Botox The Place, Oakengates Theatre, Telford, Shropshire, Fri 6 March

Louise Roche was enjoying a Shane Richie musical in a Milton Keynes theatre when it occurred to her that maybe she could write the kind of show she was watching.

“All of my kids were under the age of four at the time,” recalls Louise, “so I think I saw writing a play as a way of escaping them!”

Seated evening after evening at her kitchen table, Louise penned Girls Night, a musical comedy about five friends enjoying a wild get-together in a karaoke club. The rest, as they say, is history.

Roche here brings her penchant for clever writing to Big Pants And Botox, a onewoman show taking a comic look at what it means to be female at fifty. Cutting it favourite Mary Jo Randle is the one woman.

The Fell Walker Lichfield Garrick, Sat 14 March

Fired Up Theatre are the ensemble behind this ‘dramatic, fast-paced chiller thriller‘.

Boasting physical theatre, an original music score and film projection, The Fell Walker is set in the evocative landscapes of the English Lake District and Scottish Highlands, as well as the steamy mean streets of Manila.

A local journalist, the nuclear power industry, top secret information and the discovery of a www.whatsonlive.co.uk 27

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15+

Fri 13th March

LLOYD LANGFORD Time: 8.00pm

Sat 14th March

THE BLUES BROTHERS EXPERIENCE Time: 7.30pm

Sat 21st March

ABBA BY ARRIVAL UK Time: 7.30pm

18+

Thurs 26th March

ROY CHUBBY BROWN Time: 7.30pm

Fri 10th April

16+

SHAPPI KHORSANDI Time: 8.00pm

Sat 11th April

SHOWADDYWADDY Time: 7.30pm

Sat 18th April

NATHAN CARTER Time: 7.30pm

Fri 24th April

DIRTY DUSTING Time: 7.30pm

Fri 1st & Sat 2nd May

JASPER CARROTT’S STAND UP AND ROCK Time: 7.30pm

TWC GP 00943

28 www.whatsonlive.co.uk

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Theatre PREVIEWS Secret Diaries Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton, Fri 20 March

“We work with a range of ages, from four to one hundred-and-four, and are passionate about diversity,” says Sarah Evans, Creative Director of Art With Heart, the company behind this show. “We love meeting new people and taking on challenges, especially when there’s a brew and maybe even some cake involved.”

The Manchester-based company have certainly been making a name for themselves since forming in 2010. And they look set to garner even more plaudits with this touching tale of teenage angst, set against a sure-tobe-pumping 1980s and ’90s soundtrack.

A View From The Bridge in rehearal

A View From The Bridge Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton, Tues 24 - Sun 28 March

Casting The Runes

Arthur Miller’s 1955 study of love, jealousy and betrayal is widely considered to be a modern classic. New York during the 1950s is the setting in which the action unfolds, with longshoreman Eddie Carbone becoming increasingly obsessed with his orphaned niece, Catherine.

When Eddie and his wife welcome two cousins - Marco and Rodolpho, illegal immigrants from Italy - into their home, Catherine falls for the somewhat effeminate Rodolpho.

The scene is then set for an act of betrayal on Eddie’s part that leads to tragic consequences - not only for himself but also for his family and the whole community... Michael Brandon stars. Read our interview with Michael on page 6.

Stafford Gatehouse Theatre, Sat 7 March

The ghost stories of MR James here make a welcome return courtesy of Nunkie Theatre Company’s one-man show.

Robert Lloyd Parry is the fella charged with the task of making spines tingle as he presents two more chilling tales from James’s highly regarded canon of knee-trembling chillers.

Casting The Runes is perhaps best known for inspiring the classic 1950s horror movie Night Of The Demon.

The Residence At Whitminster, meanwhile, sees a dark shadow being cast over the precinct of a peaceful English church, and is widely considered to be one of the author’s most neglected masterpieces.

Stayin’ Alive, Jive Talkin’, Night Fever, If I Can’t Have You and Tragedy guarantee an evening of flares-flapping fun for anyone who’s ever enjoyed the pumping sounds of the disco dancefloor.

In short, you can expect to find yourself well and truly, er, Lost In Music...

Oklahoma!

Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton, Tues 3 - Sat 7 March

Set against the backdrop of America’s Western Frontier, Oklahoma! tells the story of farm girl Laurey and the two rivals for her affections, happy go-lucky cowboy Curly and sinister farmhand Jud. A classic Rodgers & Hammerstein offering, the show features some of the twentieth century’s most famous musical theatre numbers, including Oh What A Beautiful Morning, The Surrey With The Fringe On Top, People Will Say We're In Love, I Can’t Say No and, of course, the title song itself. Gary Wilmot stars. Read our interview with Gary online at whatsonlive.co.uk

Back Down Newhampton Arts Centre, Wolverhampton, Tues 31 March - Wed 1 April

Saturday Night Fever New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham, Tues 17 - Sat 21 March

Tony Manero knows there has to be more to life than he’s got - an unremarkable existence in New York City with family and friends who’ve accepted their lot and expect him to do the same.

But there’s fat chance of Tony doing that; he’s way too busy living his very own American dream, hitting Manhattan’s nightspots with dancing partner Stephanie Mangano and strutting his funky stuff...

The mother of all disco shows, Saturday Night Fever pulsates to the music of the Bee Gees’ famous soundtrack. Classic hits like

The author of this brand new, coming-of-age play is Steven Camden, otherwise known as award-winning performance poet Polarbear.

It tells the story of three pals who decide to enjoy one final adventure together before one of them heads off to university.

The adventure in question involves conquering Snowdon, an endeavour that sees them having to confront not only the challenges posed by the mountain but also the real reason they needed to make the trip...

A Birmingham Repertory Theatre production presented in association with Roundhouse.

Gary Wilmot in rehearsals

Robin Hood And His Merry Men Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Sun 29 March

Now here’s a pantomime with a difference, taking place, as it is, at Easter! CITV's Chris Edgerley is the Sherwood Forest-dwelling handsome hero in this high-energy romp robbing from the rich, giving to the poor and making life generally unpleasant for the everso-wicked Sheriff of Nottingham.

Expect ‘laugh-a-minute jokes, animated projections and a collection of toe-tapping, original singalong songs for the whole family’. www.whatsonlive.co.uk 29

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Theatre LISTINGS For full listing information on theatre productions, including times and dates, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk From

SUN 1 MAR LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST Christopher Luscombe directs a new production of Shakespeare's sparkling comedy, until Sat 14 Mar, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon LOVE'S LABOUR'S WON Christopher Luscombe directs the second of Shakespeare's matching pair of comedies that rejoice in man's capacity to find love in the most unlikely of places, until Sat 14 Mar, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-uponAvon THE SHOEMAKER'S HOLIDAY Following his acclaimed RSC debut in The Merry Wives of Windsor (2012), Phillip Breen returns to direct Dekker's glorious city comedy of class, conflict and cobblers in love, Sun 1 - Sat 7 Mar, The Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon OPPENHEIMER Angus Jackson directs Tom Moreton's new play, which explores the personal cost of making history, until Sat 7 Mar, The Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon Read the review online at www.whatsonlive.co.uk THE KING'S SPEECH Jason Donovan & Raymond Coulthard star in a new staging of the story of one man's struggle to overcome his personal affliction and, in his country's darkest hour, deliver a radio broadcast designed to inspire his people across the globe, until Sat 7 Mar, The REP, Birmingham JANE EYRE Blue Orange Arts presents Charlotte Bronte's classic tale of a young woman's courageous fight through injustice and hardship, until Sat 7 Mar, The Blue Orange Theatre, Birmingham BACK DOWN Highlyanticipated first play by Birmingham-born Steven Camden, more commonly known as award-winning performance poet Polarbear, until Sat 7 Mar, The REP, Birmingham THE TEMPEST Crescent Theatre present Shakespeare's magical tale, until Sat 14 Mar, Crescent Theatre, B’ham HALFWAY TO PARADISE THE BILLY FURY STORY Musical which charts the rise to fame of a

shy young boy from Liverpool who became one of Britain's bestloved rock stars. Timeless hits featured in the show include I Will, Jealousy, It's Only Make Believe and, of course, Halfway To Paradise, Sun 1 Mar, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre NICOBOBINUS Red Ladder & DumbWise present Terry Jones' adventurous family musical a much-loved children's tale about the boy 'who could do anything', Sun 1 Mar, mac - Midlands Arts Centre, B’ham CHUCKLES OF OZ New version of the familiar Wizard Of Oz story from popular children's entertainment duo, The Chuckle Brothers, Sun 1 Mar, New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham ... AND THIS IS MY FRIEND MR LAUREL Finishing Touch Company present a one-man play about the life of comedian Stan Laurel. This is a humorous and touching look at one of the great cinematic partnerships of the last century, Sun 1 Mar, Crescent Theatre, Birmingham THE SNAIL AND THE WHALE Tall Stories present their latest collaboration with Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler, Sun 1 - Mon 2 Mar, The Place, Oakengates Theatre, Telford DIRTY WHITE BOYS VS PLANET EARTH Sketch duo Dirty White Boys take to the stage to present a preview performance of their debut comedy show in which they take on Planet Earth, Mon 2 Mar, Crescent Theatre, B’ham OKLAHOMA New touring production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, starring Gary Wilmot as Ali Hakim, Belinda Lang as Aunt Eller, Ashley Day as Curly & Nic Greenshields as Jud Fry, Tue 3 - Sat 7 Mar, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre Read the interview with Gary Wilmot online at whatsonlive.co.uk SEX IN SUBURBIA Clare Sweeney stars in a new comedy about dating, men and finding Mr Right, Tue 3 Mar, New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham NURSING LIVES A fullmask theatre production alive with visual inventiveness, evocative music and song, physical theatre and 1940s dance sequences, Tue 3 -

Wed 4 Mar, Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton AN AUDIENCE WITH DES O'CONNOR Tue 3 Mar, Solihull Arts Complex BEDLAM Birmingham Ormiston Academy's Year Twelve Actors present four classic texts: Marat/Beth and Oedipus (Wed & Fri at 2.30pm), King Lear and Coriolanus (Thurs & Fri at 7.30pm), Wed 4 - Fri 6 Mar, The Old Rep Theatre, Birmingham WOMEN ON TOP World premiere. From the creators of Doreen comes a brand new satire...

Thurs 5 Mar, Lichfield Garrick DONNA DISCO Chicken Pox Fox Productions present a show for anyone who ever thought that being fourteen was easy, Thurs 5 Mar, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury TRICITY VOGUE’S UKULELE CABARET Charming, cheeky and surprising entertainment from three of the UK’s finest cabaret & musical comedy stars, Thurs 5 Mar, Leintwardine Community Centre, North Shropshire AN EVENING WITH GERVASE PHINN Thurs 5 Mar, Brewhouse Arts Centre, Burton-uponTrent, Staffs MAKE IT HAPPEN Comedian Barbara Nice present an all-female variety show for International Women’s Week, Thurs 5 Mar, Newhampton Arts Centre, Wolverhampton THE MAGIC FLUTE Welsh National Opera present a warm and witty production which fuses Mozart's sublime music with Dominic Cooke's surreal staging, Thurs 5 - Fri 6 March, Birmingham Hippodrome BILLY YOUNG: A LIFE ON DEATH ROW Set in Alabama, Texas, A Life On Death Row tells the story of a man who made a mistake in order to protect the son he loves. Presented by Lying Lips Theatre Company, Thurs 5 - Sat 7 Mar, Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham CIRQUE BERSERK Fusion of circus skills and stunt action in a danger-filled spectacle that promises to amaze audiences of all ages, Thurs 5 - Sat 7 Mar, Regent Theatre, Stokeon-Trent ME AND MY GIRL Amateur production of Noel Gay’s much-loved musical, performed by Kidderminster Operatic & Dramatic Society, Thurs 5 - Sat 14 Mar, Roses Theatre, Kidderminster TRICITY VOGUE’S UKULELE CABARET Charming, cheeky and surprising entertainment from three of the UK’s finest cabaret &

Nursing Lives - Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton

musical comedy stars, Fri 6 Mar, Little Wenlock Village Hall, Nr Telford, Shropshire BIG PANTS AND BOTOX Mary Jo Randle - star of TV’s The Bill and Cutting It - takes audiences on a hilarious, intriguing, touching but ultimately uplifting journey with the loveable Barbara, who’s weighing up the benefits of big pants & botox, Fri 6 Mar, The Place, Oakengates Theatre, Telford FOGHORN FUNNIES Described as ‘an evening of non-stop laughter served up with a generous helping of improvised games & jokes’, Fri 6 Mar, Lichfield Garrick ELEPHANT MAN Presented by Fourth Monkey Theatre, Fri 6 Mar, Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton HALF BAKED Alex Joynes’ funny, moving and bittersweet new play about unemployment, uncertain futures & unreliable ovens, Fri 6 Mar, Prince Of Wales Centre, Cannock RIGOLETTO The Russian State Ballet & Opera House present Verdi's tragic tale of misunderstanding, revenge & sacrifice. Sung in Italian with English surtitles and accompanied by a large live orchestra. Fri 6 Mar, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury FIFTY SHADES OF FIZZOG New comedy sketch show featuring some of Fizzog's best loved characters, including internet sensations, The Dancing Grannies. Fri 6 - Sat 7 Mar, Netherton Arts Centre, Dudley THE CRUCIBLE Holdsworth Law Society present an amateur production of Arthur Miller's tale of hysteria, superstition and malice, Fri 6 - Sat 7 Mar, Crescent Theatre, B’ham DRACULA Theresa Heskins’ new adaptation of Bram Stoker’s enduring classic, Fri 6 - Sat 28 Mar, New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme ANDREW DEE Evening of

spirit mediumship, Sat 7 Mar, Palace Theatre, Redditch HANSEL AND GRETEL Welsh National Opera present Richard Jones' endlessly inventive production of Humperdinck's gorgeous opera, revelling in the story's more sinister moments..., Sat 7 Mar, Birmingham Hippodrome TRICITY VOGUE’S UKULELE CABARET Charming, cheeky and surprising entertainment from three of the UK’s finest cabaret & musical comedy stars, Sat 7 Mar, Pontesbury Village Hall, Shropshire HALF BAKED Alex Joynes' funny, moving and bittersweet new play about unemployment, uncertain futures & unreliable ovens, Sat 7 Mar, Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton MY DOG’S GOT NO NOSE Bittersweet comedy offering an insight into the world of a stand-up comedian, Sat 7 Mar, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury AN IMPROVISED MURDER A night of laughter, stories, games... and death, Sat 7 Mar, Lichfield Garrick CASTING THE RUNES Two stories by MR James, performed by Robert Lloyd Parry, Sat 7 Mar, Stafford Gatehouse Theatre THREE KEEPERS Winter Walker fuse physical theatre, dance and comedy to tell the tale of life on a rock lighthouse. A play without words for everyone aged eight and over, Sat 7 Mar, Brewhouse Arts Centre, Burtonupon-Trent, Staffs TRICITY VOGUE’S UKULELE CABARET Charming, cheeky and surprising entertainment from three of the UK’s finest cabaret & musical comedy stars, Sun 8 Mar, Chelmarsh Village Hall, Nr Bridgnorth, Shropshire

Week Commencing

MON 9 MAR PSYCHIC SALLY ON THE ROAD Mon 9 Mar, New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham JEEVES AND WOOSTER IN PERFECT NONSENSE Hit West End comedy adapted from the works of PG Wodehouse, directed by Sean Foley, Mon 9 - Sat 14 Mar, The REP, Birmingham HALF-BAKED Alex Joynes' 'funny, moving and bittersweet new play about unemployment, uncertain futures & alternative ovens'.

Mon 9 Mar, The REP, Birmingham ANDREW DEE Evening of spirit mediumship, Tues 10 Mar, Lichfield Garrick THE LADYKILLERS The Little Theatre Company presents an amateur production of Graham Linehan's muchacclaimed staging of the classic Ealing comedy of the same name, Tues 10 Mar, Brewhouse Arts Centre, Burton-upon-Trent, Staffs HALF BAKED Alex Joynes’ funny, moving and bittersweet new play about unemployment, uncertain futures & unreliable ovens, Tues 10 Mar, The Place, Oakengates, Telford, Shropshire WHO ON EARTH IS GOD? Join author Neil Richardson for a presentation about the differing portrayals of God in the Bible, as explored in his new book, Who On Earth Is God?, Tues 10 Mar, Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton KISS ME KATE Walsall Operatic Society present an amateur production of Noel Coward’s witty comedy, Tues 10 Sat 14 Mar, Lichfield Garrick CALAMITY JANE The Watermill Theatre present a new production of the classic musical.

Jodie Prenger stars, Tue 10 - Sat 14 Mar, Regent Theatre, Stoke-

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Fri 6 March, 7.30pm Full Monkey Theatre

Elephant Man Inspired by the iconic David Lynch film and following a critically acclaimed launch at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the tale of the elephant man returns in a stunning new s tage adaption.

Tue 17 February, 8pm

Fri 20 March, 1pm & 7.30pm

Rabbit Theatre

Dracula Blood and bats. Garlic and gore.

Lunatics and flies. Sexy lady vampires.

Coffins, crypts and the Count himself.

They're all here in this brand-new adaptation of Bram Stoker's gothic pot-boiler...

Art With Heart

Secret Diaries Inspired by a true story, Secret Diaries charts the big stuff in life from teenage years to present day.

Tickets: £10/£8 concs

32 www.whatsonlive.co.uk

Tickets: £10/£8 concs

Tickets: £10/£8 concs/£5 Mat

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Theatre LISTINGS For full listing information on theatre productions, including times and dates, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk on-Trent Read the interview with Jodie Prenger online at whatsonlive.co.uk LEGALLY BLONDE Wolverhampton Musical Comedy Company present an all singing, all dancing romantic comedy.

Tue 10 - Sat 14 Mar, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre TOP HAT Olivier Awardwinning musical direct from its West End run, Tue 10 - Sat 21 Mar, Birmingham Hippodrome THREE MEN IN A BOAT The Original Theatre Company present a staging of Jerome K Jerome's classic tale of boating misadventure, Tue 10 - Sat 14 Mar, The Old Rep Theatre, Birmingham THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS The Children’s Touring Partnership present a staging of John Boyne’s heartwrenching tale of an unlikely Second World War friendship between two innocent boys, Tues 10 - Sat 14 Mar, Malvern Theatre Read the interview with John Boynes online at whatsonlive.co.uk LA TRAVIATA LIVE Live screening of English National Opera's performance of Verdi's operatic masterpiece, Wed 11 Mar, mac - Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham FOOTLOOSE Shrewsburybased Get Your Wigle On present their version of the foot-tapping musical, based on the 1984 film, Wed 11 - Sat 14 Mar, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury MY COUSIN RACHEL Dudley Little Theatre present an amateur staging of Daphne Du Maurier’s classic tale of mystery and romance, Wed 11 Sat 14 Mar, Netherton Arts Centre, Wolverhampton DRACULA One-man performance of Bram Stoker’s classic gothic tale, Thurs 12 Mar, Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton BRING IT ON: THE MUSICAL Young Performers Theatre Group tell the story of the challenges and unexpected bonds formed through the thrill of extreme competition, Wed 11 - Thurs 12 Mar, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury BEHIND THE BEAUTIFUL FOREVERS National Theatre Live screening of David Hare's new play, based on Katherine Boo's book, Thurs 12 Mar, Stafford Gate-

house Theatre SING-A-LONG-A SOUND OF MUSIC A screening of the classic Julie Andrews film musical, complete with lyric subtitles to help the audience sing along... Fri 13 Mar, New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham DINOSAUR ZOO A unique experience which ‘enables audiences to interact with lifelike dinosaurs in an engaging live show’, Fri 13 Sun 15 Mar, Birmingham Hippodrome LA TRAVIATA Ellen Kent’s production of Verdi's story of a nineteenth century Parisian courtesan who, hoping for a better life, becomes involved with a man who may finally make her dreams come true, Sat 14 Mar, New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham THE FELL WALKER Dramatic, fast-paced thriller set in the evocative landscapes of the English Lake District, the Scottish Highlands and the steamy streets of Manila, Sat 14 Mar, Lichfield Garrick THE SOOTY SHOW WITH RICHARD CADELL Join ‘the nation’s favourite bear’ as he celebrates his birthday in true Sooty style with the help of friends Sweep & Soo, Sat 14 Mar, Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST The Crescent Theatre presents Dale Wasserman's critically acclaimed work, Sat 14 - Sat 21 Mar, Crescent Theatre, Birmingham NEAR GONE A two-hander about survival.

Delivered in English & Bulgarian, the piece also features gypsyinspired music, Sat 14 Mar, mac - Midlands Arts Centre, B’ham THE GLENN MILLER STORY Sun 15 Mar, New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham SING-A-LONG-A FROZEN A full screening of the Disney sensation, complete with on-screen lyrics to help you sing along with Anna and Elsa during the film, Sun 15 Mar, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

Week Commencing

MON 16 MAR THE RETURN OF THE FORBIDDEN PLANET Twentyfifth anniversary tour of the critically acclaimed Olivier Award-winning

rock spectacular, Mon 16 - Sat 21 Mar, Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent AN EVENING WITH GERVASE PHINN Tues 17 Mar, Prince Of Wales Centre, Cannock OCTONAUTS AND THE DEEP SEA VOLCANO ADVENTURE A brand new stage show based on the popular CBeebies TV series, Tue 17 Wed 18 Mar, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury HAMLETS Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Library of Birmingham & Hôtel Teatro Theatre Company present a Young REP 18-25 Company production which sees Shakespeare’s most famous play cut up, rearranged and spread all over the Library of Birmingham, Tues 17 - Sat 21 Mar, Library of Birmingham ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS Based on The Servant Of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni, this National Theatre production is directed by Nicholas Hytner and stops off in the Midlands as part of its biggest-ever UK and Ireland tour, Sean Williams stars, Tues 17 - Sat 21 Mar, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre TEECHERS Blackeyed Theatre Company present John Godber's classic classroom comedy, Tue 17 - Wed 18 Mar, Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton MILKED Pentabus Theatre present a black comedy about friendship, unemployment and a cow called Sandy, Tues 17 - Wed 18 Mar, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury THE MANIFESTO The Young Rep Festival 2015 - a two-and-a-half week festival packed with punchy political ideas, Tue 17 Mar Wed 1 Apr, The REP, Birmingham SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER Brand new production of one of the best-loved dance stories of all time, Tue 17 - Sat 21 Mar, New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham TICK, TICK, BOOM! Rock musical by Jonathan Larson, the creator of Rent, Wed 18 Mar, Lichfield Garrick THE CIRCUS OF HORRORS The show that stormed into the finals of Britain's Got Talent and became a West End smash is back to mark its twentieth anniversary in spectacular style, Wed 18 Mar, Stafford Gatehouse Theatre THE JEW OF MALTA Justin Audibert makes his RSC debut, directing Christopher Marlowe's subversive play, Wed 18 Mar - Tue 8 Sept, The Swan Theatre, Stratford-uponAvon

SEE HOW THEY RUN Philip King’s comedy in three acts is here performed by South Staffordshire College Students, Thurs 19 Mar, Lichfield Garrick TEECHERS Blackeyed Theatre Company present John Godber's classic classroom comedy, Thurs 19 - Fri 20 Mar, Stafford Gatehouse Theatre ALAN AYCKBOURN'S BEDROOM FARCE Thurs 19 Sat 28 Mar, Sutton Arts Theatre, Sutton Coldfield CIRQUE BERSERK Fusion of circus skills and thrilling stunt action in a danger-filled spectacle that promises to amaze audiences of all ages, Thurs 19 - Sun 22 Mar, The REP, Birmingham 20 STORIES HIGH: BLACK A provocative and engaging new show from the award-winning 20 Stories High which digs deep into the heart of racial divisions through the voice of a teenage girl struggling to do what's best. Contains strong language and racist insults that are addressed in the play, Thurs 19 - Fri 20 Mar, mac - Midlands Arts Centre, B’ham BETTY BLUE EYES BOA Musical Theatre Pathway present Stile & Drewe's musical, which centres around a humble chiropodist struggling to bring home the bacon, Thurs 19 - Sat 21 Mar, The Old Rep Theatre, Birmingham FISHING FOR CLUES Geoff Bamber’s wryly comic whodunnit, Thurs 19 - Sat 21 Mar, Roses Theatre, Kidderminster SECRET DIARIES Art With Heart present an honest look at the world through teenage eyes, Fri 20 Mar, Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton NOMAD VARIETY Evening of live entertainment, including folk, jazz & blues, comedy & spoken word, Fri 20 Mar, Martineau Gardens, Birmingham ABOVE BORED Owdyado Theatre present a black comedy which uncovers the despair at the heart of the hamsterwheel and imagines how far people will go to escape it, Fri 20 Mar, Snailbeach Village Hall, Shropshire THE PAPER CINEMA'S ODYSSEY Cut-out illustrations and live music are brought together in a new retelling of Homer's island-hopping adventures, Fri 20 - Sat 21 Mar, The REP, B’ham VIRTUALLY HARMLESS Riverside Performing Arts fuse story, humour, news, music & sketches to explore the lighter and darker side of social media, Fri 20 Sat 21 Mar, mac - Mid-

Teechers - Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton & Stafford Gatehouse Theatre

lands Arts Centre, Birmingham JANE EYRE Blue Orange Arts presents Charlotte Bronte's classic tale of a young woman's courageous fight through injustice and hardship, Sat 21 Mar, Lichfield Garrick WOMEN ON TOP World premiere. From the creators of Doreen comes a brand new satire. Sat 21 Mar, mac - Midlands Arts Centre, B’ham ABOVE BORED Owdyado Theatre present a black comedy which uncovers the despair at the heart of the hamsterwheel and imagines how far people will go to escape it, Sat 21 Mar, Cleobury Mortimer, South Shropshire EVERYBODY DANCE NOW! Footlights Dance School showcase a programme of dance & musical theatre routines - including excerpts from Mary Poppins and Peter Pan. Lilli Breese & Megan Davies star...

Sat 21 - Sun 22 Mar, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury CAPTAIN FLINN AND THE PIRATE DINOSAURS Les Petits Theatre Company present a live pirate adventure fusing live music, puppetry, physical performance and dastardly dinosaurs, Sun 22 Mar, mac - Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham

Week Commencing

MON 23 MAR OLIVER! A Lichfield Cathedral School production... Mon 23 Tues 24 Mar, Lichfield Garrick ARCADIA Tom Stoppard's 1993 masterpiece explores two groups of people (two hundred years apart) in the same room of one of England's great country houses, Mon 23 - Sat 28 Mar, New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE Arthur Miller's modern classic, Tue 24

- Sat 28 Mar, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre ALL MY SONS Talawa Theatre Company presents Arthur Miller's searing investigation of honesty, guilt and the corrupting power of greed, Tue 24 - Sat 28 Mar, The REP, Birmingham HOW NOW MRS BROWN COW Following the release of D’Movie, the award-winning Mrs Brown’s Boys return with their new show, Tue 24 - Sat 28 Mar, Genting Arena, B’ham THE ACCRINGTON PALS The Lichfield Players present an amateur production of Peter Whelan’s intimate and moving play, which depicts the powerful effects of war on a close-knit community, Tues 24 - Sat 28 Mar, Lichfield Garrick A PASSION FOR BIRMINGHAM An immersive, promenade production which reimagines one of the world's most important stories, the life and death of Jesus Christ, Tue 24 Mar - Fri 3 Apr, Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham THE MIKADO Birmingham Savoyards' production of one of Gilbert & Sullivan's most popular operettas, Tue 24 - Sat 28 Mar, The Old Rep Theatre, Birmingham THAT'LL BE THE DAY Rock'n'roll spectacular combining music from the ’50s, ’60s & ’70s with wacky comedy routines, Wed 25 Mar, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury ALICE Crescent Youth Theatre present Laura Wade's reinterpretation of Lewis Carroll's classic book, Wed 25 - Sat 28 Mar, Crescent Theatre, Birmingham STAND BY FOR TAPE BACK UP The true story of one man's journey into synchronicity and madness, Wed 25 Mar, mac - Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham DANGEROUS OBSESSION St John’s Players present an amateur production of NJ Crisp’s psy-

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Theatre LISTINGS For full listing information on theatre productions, including times and dates, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk chological thriller, Wed 25 - Sat 28 Mar, Swan Theatre, Worcester ALICE Crescent Youth Theatre present Laura Wade's reinterpretation of Lewis Carroll's classic book, Wed 25 - Sat 28 Mar, Crescent Theatre, Birmingham JANE EYRE Blue Orange Arts presents Charlotte Bronte's classic tale of a young woman's courageous fight through injustice and hardship, Thurs 26 Mar, Solihull Arts Complex MY DEAREST GIRLS: HELEN'S STORY Researched in Shropshire Archives and based on real letters sent between six young Shropshire women between 1917 and 1920, Helen's Story is a thirty-minute piece telling the tale of one of them - a farmer's daughter in Much Wenlock, Thurs 26 Mar, mac - Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham Read the review online at www.whatsonlive.co.uk A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE National Theatre Live screening of Arthur Miller's dark and passionate tale. Mark Strong stars, Thurs 26 Mar, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry; Malvern Theatre; Artrix, Bromsgrove THE VERY WORST OF THE TIGER LILLIES Celebrating twenty-five years of musical mayhem from the Grammy-nominated ‘godfathers of alternative cabaret’, Thurs 26 Mar, Lichfield Garrick THE PEARL Dumbshow present their critically acclaimed new adapta-

tion of John Steinbeck's classic novella, bringing it to life with their trademark visual inventiveness, original music and playful theatricality, Thurs 26 Mar, The Talbot Theatre, Whitchurch, North Shropshire AN EVENING WITH COLIN FRY Thurs 26 Mar, Prince Of Wales Centre, Cannock OUR TOWN A play set at the turn of the 20th century, about the ordinary lives of the people of a small town in New Hampshire. Thurs 26 Fri 27 Mar, The Blue Orange Theatre, B’ham DEATH OF A SALESMAN Sir Antony Sher, Alex Hassell and Harriet Walter star in Arthur Miller's great American tragedy, Thurs 26 Mar - Sat 2 May, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon JANE EYRE Blue Orange Arts presents Charlotte Bronte's classic tale of a young woman's courageous fight through injustice and hardship, Fri 27 Mar, Artrix, Bromsgrove MEMORY LANE Timeless Theatre present a rollercoaster ride of nostalgia, Fri 27 Mar, Palace Theatre, Redditch THE PEARL Dumbshow present their critically acclaimed new adaptation of John Steinbeck's classic novella, bringing it to life with their trademark visual inventiveness, original music & playful theatricality, Fri 27 Mar, mac - Midlands Arts Centre, B’ham WITHERING LOOKS presented by Lipservice

Theatre. Cult Brontë spoof by classic comic duo, Maggie Fox and Sue Ryding, Fri 27 Mar, The Market Theatre, Ledbury WOMEN ON TOP World premiere. From the creators of Doreen comes a brand new satire. Fri 27 - Sat 28 Mar, Roses Theatre, Kidderminster THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD SYT present an amateur production of John Millington’s three-act farce, set in Ireland in 1900, Fri 27 - Sat 28 Mar, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury FIERY FEET: DISNEY VS DREAMWORKS DANCE Fiery Feet Dance Studio presents its eleventh annual show to celebrate some of the wonderful music from favourite Disney and Dreamworks films, including both timeless classics and modern melodies, Fri 27 - Sat 28 Mar, Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD SYT present an amateur production of John Millington’s three-act farce, set in Ireland in 1900, Fri 27 - Sat 28 Mar, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury BLOOD Emteaz Hussain's twenty-first century love story, Fri 27 Mar - Sat 11 April, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry SING-A-LONG-A FROZEN A full screening of the Disney sensation complete with on-screen lyrics to help you sing along with Anna and Elsa during the film, Sat 28 Mar, Solihull Arts Complex BITA Palace Youth Theatre - Adventures In Motion - presents its latest edible theatre production. Set within a mythical world of folklore and witchcraft, the Bíta, a group of strange

Oh What A Lovely War - Belgrade Theatre, Coventry. 30 March - 4 April; The REP, Birmingham, 5 - 9 May

forest-dwelling creatures, are on the hunt for food, Sat 28 Mar, Palace Theatre, Redditch SING-A-LONG-A SOUND OF MUSIC A screening of the classic Julie Andrews film musical, complete with lyric subtitles to help the audience sing along, Sat 28 Mar, Solihull Arts Complex THREE MEN IN A BOW TIE Evening of silly songs & manic monologues, Sat 28 Mar, Belmont Hall, Wellington, Shropshire THE WESTENDERS Gala concert featuring show tunes from some of the world’s most popular musicals, Sat 28 Mar, Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury PENELOPE RETOLD Caroline Horton presents an epic, heartbreaking and fiercely playful tale of love, loneliness and the need to be free, Sat 28 Mar, The Market Theatre, Ledbury, Herefordshire

Sex In Suburbia - New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham; Malvern Theatre & Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent

SEX IN SUBURBIA Claire Sweeney stars in a new comedy about dating, men and finding Mr Right, Sun 29 Mar, Regent Theatre, Stokeon-Trent Read the interview with Claire Sweeney online at whatsonlive.co.uk ROBIN HOOD & HIS MERRY MEN CITV’s HI-5 Chris Edgerley takes the lead in a new ‘laugh-a-minute’ family pantomime for Easter, Sun 29 Mar, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury SEX IN SUBURBIA Claire Sweeney stars in a new comedy about dating, men and finding Mr Right, Sun 29 Mar, Regent Theatre, Stokeon-Trent Read the interview with Claire Sweeney at whatsonlive.co.uk HUGLESS DOUGLAS Blunderbus Theatre fuse music, puppetry and high-energy storytelling in a new show for children, Sun 29 Mar, mac Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham SING-A-LONG-A FROZEN A full screening of the Disney sensation, complete with on-screen lyrics to help you sing along with Anna and Elsa during the film, Sun 29 Mar, The Swan Theatre, Worcester; New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham MILKSHAKE PARTY PARTY LIVE! Brand new musical spectacular for children featuring new songs alongside old favourites, funky dance routines and plenty of laughter, Sun 29 Mar, The Old Rep Theatre, Birmingham ANDREW DEE: THE BLACK OR WHITE TOUR Spirit medium Andrew Dee promises to guide audiences 'through some of life's mysteries with help from loved ones in the spirit world', Sun 29 Mar, Crescent Theatre, Birmingham

SING-A-LONG-A FROZEN A full screening of the Disney sensation, complete with on-screen lyrics to help you sing along with Anna and Elsa during the film, Sun 29 Mar, Huntingdon Hall, Worcester

Week Commencing

MON 30 MAR COLLIDOSCOPE Bittersweet story of how fantasy and reality collide in the effervescent mind of an ordinary girl on an extraordinary journey.

Written & performed by Hannah Graham, Mon 30 Mar, The REP, B’ham UP IN THE ATTIC Half Moon present a story about co-operation, friendship and overcoming fears, Mon 30 Mar, mac - Midlands Arts Centre, B’ham PSYCHIC SALLY ON THE ROAD Mon 30 Mar, Lichfield Garrick HOW THE KOALA LEARNT TO HUG The People’s Theatre Company present a tale for children about the magic of family and the importance of a nice, warm hug.

Based on the bestselling book by Steven Lee, Mon 30 Mar, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury DR SEUSS’S THE CAT IN THE HAT Lively and engaging theatre experience for young children aged three-plus, Mon 30 Mar - Tues 1 Apr, Malvern Theatre OH WHAT A LOVELY WAR Joan Littlewood’s legendary musical, revived to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of World War One, Mon 30 Mar - Sat 4 Apr, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry JEEVES AND WOOSTER IN PERFECT NONSENSE Hit West End comedy adapted from the works of PG Wodehouse,

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Theatre LISTINGS For full listing information on theatre productions, including times and dates, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk directed by Sean Foley, Robert Webb, Jason Thorpe & Christopher Ryan star, Mon 30 Mar Sat 4 Apr, The REP, Birmingham; Malvern Theatres Read the review on page 37 DERREN BROWN The award-winning master of psychological illusion returns to the Midlands with a brand new show (title to be confirmed), Mon 30 Mar - Sat 11 Apr, New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham BEAUTIFUL THING Featuring Charlie Brooks, Thomas Law, Sam Jackson & Gerard McCarthy, Mon 30 Mar - Sat 11 Apr, Birmingham Hippodrome PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS Non-sexual show featuring full-frontal male nudity. Suitable for adults only! Tue 31 Mar, Palace Theatre, Redditch POP UP FLASHBACK Half Moon present a heartwarming adventure about complicated families and growing up, Tue 31 Mar, mac - Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham

SOMETHING ELSE Deafinitely Theatre present a story about a small creature who lives his life always trying to fit in, Tue 31 Mar, The Old Rep Theatre, B’ham POP! Mr Bean meets Charlie Chaplin in Christian Lee’s feast of illusion, comedy and massive balloons, Tues 31 Mar, Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury BACK DOWN Highly anticipated first play by Birmingham-born Steven Camden, more commonly known as award-winning performance poet Polarbear,

Tues 31 Mar - Wed 1 Apr, Newhampton Arts Centre, Wolverhampton THE ADDAMS FAMILY: THE MUSICAL Worcester On Stage provide a rare chance to see a new musical, fresh from Broadway, Tue 31 Mar Sat 4 Apr, Crescent Theatre, Birmingham BOUNCERS John Godber’s award-winning comedy, Tues 31 Mar Sat 4 Apr, New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-underLyme THE BUSINESS OF MURDER Middle Ground Theatre Company present Richard Harris’ acclaimed psychological thriller, Tues 31 Mar - Sat 4 Apr, Lichfield Garrick SHREK THE MUSICAL Direct from the West End, Tue 31 Mar - Sun 26 Apr, Birmingham Hippodrome

Theatre Box Office Birmingham ALEXANDRA THEATRE 0844 871 3011 BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME 0844 338 5000 BIRMINGHAM REP 0121 236 4455 THE BLUE ORANGE THEATRE 0121 212 2643 CRESCENT THEATRE 0121 643 5858 DOVEHOUSE THEATRE 0121 706 7139 THE DRUM 0121 333 2444 HALL GREEN LITTLE THEATRE 0121 707 1874 MAC 0121 446 3232 OLD JOINT STOCK THEATRE 0121 200 0946 OLD REP 0121 359 9444 SOLIHULL ARTS COMPLEX 0121 704 6962 SUTTON ARTS THEATRE, SUTTON COLDFIELD 0121 355 5355

Black Country

Derren Brown - New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham

36 www.whatsonlive.co.uk

ARENA THEATRE WOLVERHAMPTON 01902 321321 BLOXWICH THEATRE 01922 653183 DUDLEY CONCERT HALL 01384 812812 FOREST ARTS CENTRE, WALSALL 01922 654555 GRAND THEATRE, 01902 429212

NEWHAMPTON ARTS CENTRE 01902 572090 OLDBURY REP, OLDBURY 0121 552 2761

Shropshire THE BELFREY, WELLINGTON 01952 222277 THE EDGE, MUCH WENLOCK 01952 728911 THE HIVE, SHREWSBURY 01743 234970 LUDLOW ASSEMBLY ROOMS 01584 878141 THE PLACE, OAKENGATES, TELFORD 01952 382382 THEATRE SEVERN, SHREWSBURY 01743 281281

Staffordshire LICHFIELD GARRICK 01543 412121 NEW VIC, NEWCASTLEUNDER-LYME 01782 717962 PRINCE OF WALES CENTRE, CANNOCK 01543 578762 REGENT THEATRE, STOKE 0870 060 6649 RUGELEY ROSE THEATRE 01889 584036 STAFFORD GATEHOUSE 01785 619080 STOKE REPERTORY THEATRE 01782 209784

Warwickshire ALBANY THEATRE, COVENTRY 024 7601 6222

BEDWORTH CIVIC HALL 024 7637 6707 BELGRADE THEATRE, COVENTRY 024 7655 3055 BRIDGE HOUSE THEATRE, WARWICK 01926 776438 THE DREAM FACTORY 01926 419555 ROYAL SHAKESPEARE THEATRE, STRATFORD-UPON-AVON 0844 800 1110 ROYAL SPA CENTRE LEAMINGTON 01926 334418 WARWICK ARTS CENTRE, COVENTRY 02476 524524

Worcestershire ARTRIX ARTS CENTRE, BROMSGROVE 01527 577330 THE HIVE 01905 822866 HUNTINGDON HALL, WORCESTER 01905 611427 MALVERN THEATRE 01684 892277 NORBURY THEATRE, DROITWICH 01905 770154 PALACE THEATRE REDDITCH 01527 65203 ROSE THEATRE, 01562 743745 SWAN THEATRE, WORCESTER 01905 611427

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Theatre REVIEWS CONT...

Below are reviews of theatre productions we checked out last month.

For further theatre reviews, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk

Edward Scissorhands Birmingham Hippodrome

First adapted from Tim Burton’s 1990 movie back in 2005, Matthew Bourne’s Edward Scissorhands has certainly been through some cutting and slicing of its own. Bourne’s magical tale has been changed and edited through various revivals over the years - but this latest version is without doubt the tightest and slickest of the lot.

As the house lights dim, a ‘storm’ descends over the auditorium and the work takes flight. The ensemble numbers show Bourne’s talent as a choreographer, and we’re soon swept into the life of a suburban town. As Edward settles into Hope Springs and, more particularly, life with the Boggs family, his style of movement develops. At first rigid and robotic, he becomes ever more fluid, even jiving at parties. Act One finishes with a romantic encounter in the topiary garden, a scissorless Edward dancing a duet with Kim, surrounded by magical topiary figures.

Act Two sees Bourne coming into his own. The ‘corps de ballet’ moments are extremely impressive. The intricate yet powerful choreography really shines at the annual Christmas Ball, where once again the stage comes alive with activity. The partner work of the large ensembles is mesmerising throughout. By contrast, creativity does sometimes dip in the solos and duets, where movements are repeated.

The show’s design is truly impressive. Costume, set and lighting are all taken to a new level, creating an authentic and intriguing look.

Bourne’s adaptation is witty, funny, romantic and heartbreaking. In short, an impressive triumph.

Jamie Ryan n n n n

The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton

For those of us who had no previous experience of Mark Haddon’s award-winning novel, this National Theatre production, adapted for the stage by Simon Stephens, was offering an opportunity to enter a truly intriguing world.

And that world became intriguing even before the play had actually started. On entering the auditorium we could see that the stage was set, quite literally. It resembled a Star Trek holodeck with just one object in the centre: a dead dog.

It looked like the crime had already been committed. All that was required was for someone to solve the mystery.

Enter our main protagonist, Christopher, who is fifteen years, three months and two days old at the time we meet him.

What unfolds is a coming-of-age story of sorts, in which Christopher is challenged with understanding the nuances of an adult world while living on the autistic spectrum. There’s so much humour and warmth here too. Joshua Jenkins portrays Christopher with a fantastic energy that he maintains throughout - he’s on stage for almost the entire performance. Great support comes from Geraldine A as Christopher's tutor/mentor, with whom he has a solid, trusting and positive relationship.

Curious Incident is a unique and thoroughly engaging production that’s a real must-see.

Ted Finlay n n n n

Jeeves And Wooster In Perfect Nonsense Bertie Wooster has aspirations. He wants to perform. ‘This acting lark looks easy,’ he says.

And so, with the help of dutiful valet Jeeves and fellow man servant Seppings, he hires a theatre to satisfy his desire - and recounts the elaborate tale of his pursuit of a silver antique cream jug...

While Wooster hogs the limelight and provides the narrative for the evening, it’s Jeeves and Seppings who show what it means to multi-task in the world of showbiz. As well as taking control of set design and props, the duo between them adopt the roles of the show’s remaining ‘colourful’ characters.

Perfectly plummy and wonderfully animated, Peep Show star Robert Webb’s version of the bumbling Bertie Wooster is certainly one to savour. From the moment the curtain rises right through to its final fall, Webb has you grinning from ear to ear like a Cheshire Cat. And in those moments of real Wooster buffoonery - of which there are many - it’s hard to imagine anyone playing Bertie quite so sublimely.

Jason Thorpe’s characterisation of the exceedingly upright Jeeves is of similar quality.

He proves equally adept at playing the larger-than-life characters of Gussie Fink-Nottle, Madeline Bassett and Sir Watkin Bassett.

Christopher Ryan (Mike in cult 1980s TV comedy The Young Ones) is a delight as Seppings - think Julie Walters in Acorn Antiques. He also brings us Wooster’s bowlegged and very orange aunt, Dahlia Travers, the rotund Constable Oates and intimidatingly tall villain Roderick Spode.

Farce at its very best, Jeeves And Wooster is exactly what it says on the tin - Perfect Nonsense. Ideal for lifting the spirits on a cold winter’s evening.

I, for one, look forward to seeing it again when it shows at Birmingham Rep this month.

Patsy Moss n n n n Catch Jeeves And Wooster In Perfect Nonsense when it shows at The Rep, Birmingham, from Mon 9 to Sat 14 March Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury

Harvey The REP, Birmingham If it wasn’t for cinematic evidence to the contrary, you might believe Mary Chase wrote the part of Elwood P Dowd specifically for James Dreyfus. The role of the gently polite, urbane and thoroughly charming chap fits him perfectly. He looks like a portly Stan Laurel as he casually wanders around the stage, handing out his business cards and making complete sense... but for his imaginary six foot, furry friend.

Harvey the large white rabbit has become the stuff of legend since Chase created him as a cheery antidote to the tragedies of World War Two. He’s come to symbolise the unalienable right of the individual to believe in what they wish to believe in - even big bunnies.

Elwood is embarrassing. He takes his invisible friend with him everywhere, introducing him to guests at society parties and buying him drinks in bars.

The other piece of perfect casting in Lindsay Posner’s production is Maureen Lipman, thoroughly engaging as the dippy American ma’am.

Her comic acting is effortless, her timing immaculate. The two combine sublimely when she finally spots that Elwood has swapped a family painting for one of himself and Harvey. She holds the double take perfectly.

The RSC’s Desmond Barrit plays the weighty judge.

Calibre actors in cameos is always a good sign...

Harvey is a show that reels you in slowly and makes for a lovely evening. And what’s more, at final curtain, there’s even a space left in the line-up of performers for our eponymous hero!

Chris Eldon Lee n n n n www.whatsonlive.co.uk 37

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VISIT OU WEBSITE R T VIEW MO O RE SHOWS!

Box Office 01743 281 281 Book Online www.theatresevern.co.uk

Frankwell Quay, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY3 8FT

THURSDAY 5 MARCH

The Manfreds, will be performing many of their biggest hits including 5-4-3-2-1, Pretty Flamingo and Do Wah Diddy Diddy, along with a mix of solo hits and jazz and rhythm 'n' blues renditions.

SATURDAY 7 MARCH

this bittersweet comedy is a thought-provoking insight into the world of a stand-up comedian, brilliantly portrayed by Damian Williams.

TUEDAY 17 & WEDNESDAY 18 MARCH

Get ready to embark on an exciting new mission

FRIDAY 27 MARCH YET ANOTHER EVENING WITH

RICK WAKEMAN THE MUSIC AND ANECDOTAL WIT OF AN OLD AGE PENSIONER

SUNDAY 29 MARCH

38 www.whatsonlive.co.uk

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Theatre WEST END Casting announced for Elf The Musical Ben Forster is to reprise the role of Buddy in Michael Rose’s Elf The Musical when it transfers to the West End later this year.

Girls Aloud star Kimberley Walsh, Joe McGann and Jessica Martin will also appear in the festive production, which is based on the hit 2003 film starring Will Ferrell.

Forster, who starred as Jesus in the 2012 arena tour of Jesus Christ Superstar, previously played Buddy alongside Walsh, McGann and Martin when Elf The Musical showed in Plymouth and Dublin in 2014.

More recently he trod the West End boards as Magaldi in the revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita.

Elf The Musical is the story of a young, orphaned child named Buddy who’s accidentally transported to the North Pole and raised among Santa’s elves.

Feeling he doesn’t belong, Buddy decides to seek out his birth father in New York City, where all sorts of shenanigans take place.

Further casting is yet to be announced for the production, which shows at the Dominion Theatre from 5 November to 2 January 2016.

Kinky Boots in the West End Tickets are now on sale for the West End premiere of Harvey Fierstein’s Tony Award-winning comedy, Kinky Boots.

Previewing at the Adelphi Theatre from 21 August, Kinky Boots features music and lyrics by Grammy Award-winner Cyndi Lauper. It’s produced by Daryl Roth and Hal Luftig and features choreography and direction by Jerry Mitchell.

Inspired by a true story and based on the Miramax film of the same name, Kinky Boots tells the tale of Charlie Price, who reluctantly inherits his father’s Northampton shoe factory. Trying to live up to his dad’s legacy and save the family business from bankruptcy, Charlie finds inspiration in the form of Lola, an entertainer in need of some sturdy stilettos...

The Broadway production of the show, which opened in 2013, was the recipient of no fewer than six Tonys, including Best Musical and Best Performance By An Actor In A Leading Role In A Musical (Billy Porter).

Beverley Knight holds on to Memphis...

Soul queen Beverley Knight has extended her run in Memphis The Musical until July. The Wolverhampton-born singer/actress, who plays the part of Felicia Farrell, opened with the production in October last year, since which time she’s received huge critical acclaim for her performance.

Inspired by the underground dance clubs of 1950s Memphis and telling a story of forbidden love, the musical follows the fortunes of a radio DJ who wants to change the world and a club singer ready for her big break.

Having just celebrated its one hundredth performance, Memphis The Musical continues to show at Shaftesbury Avenue until October 2015.

Kate Fleetwood Lording it up in the West End Harry Potter actress Kate Fleetwood is to star as socialite Tracy Lord in the upcoming revival of Cole Porter’s musical comedy High Society, which opens at the Old Vic in April.

Will Young’s twin brother, Rupert, will star opposite Fleetwood as Dexter Haven.

Jamie Parker stars as Mike Connor, Barbara Flynn as Margaret Lord, Anabel Scholey as Liz Imbrie and Ellie Bamber as Dinah Lord.

High Society opens on 30 April and is currently taking bookings until 20 August. www.whatsonlive.co.uk 39

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Dance

Vincent Dance Theatre: 21 Years / 21 Works Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Tues 10 - Fri 13 March; DanceXchange, The Patrick Centre, Birmingham Hippodrome, Wed 18 March

Choreographer and director Charlotte Vincent’s dance ensemble is this month presenting four shows across two Midlands venues to reflect the journey they’ve taken as a company during their first twenty-one years.

Underworld (performed at DanceXchange) is loosely based on the myth of Orpheus & Eurydice and takes inspiration from The Brothers Quay. The company invites audience members to ‘come and go as they please’ throughout the show’s two-hour duration...

Glasshouse (DanceXchange and Warwick Arts Centre) is a short film starring Vincent herself. A strong and powerful duet between the choreographer and Richard Lowdon, the work is set in a small glass house and explores how actions speak louder than words...

Shobana Jeyasingh Dance mac - Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham, Wed 18 March

Described by The Independent On Sunday as ‘one of the country’s most brilliant creators’, Shobana Jeyasingh this month returns to the Midlands with her dance company to present its latest work La Bayadère - The Ninth Life.

Taking its inspiration from Marius Petipa’s original choreography and its relation to the present day, La Bayadère fuses modern fantasies of the east and west. The work draws on the stories of the first real ‘temple dancers’ to visit Europe, in so doing highlighting the West’s fascination with the myth of the Orient.

La Bayadère has been commissioned by the Royal Ballet School Studio Programme.

40 www.whatsonlive.co.uk

Look At Me Now, Mummy (Warwick Arts Centre) is a one-woman show about trial, error and a mother’s desire to ‘look the part’. The piece was created with Aurora Lubos...

Archive And Engagement Space (DanceXchange and Warwick Arts Centre) completes Vincent Dance Theatre’s Midlands line-up.

This final piece invites participants to enter a room featuring a dressed table with twenty-one place settings. At each setting, visitors can explore images, watch video footage of VDT and learn the story of the company’s first twenty-one years. Participants are then invited by company members to perform digital and physical tasks. In engaging with the tasks, they become part of the show and make their own contribution to the ensemble’s ongoing story.

Vienna Festival Ballet Bedworth Civic Hall, Thus 26 March; Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Sat 28 March; Artrix, Bromsgrove, Sun 29 March

Vienna Festival Ballet (VFB) here celebrates a hugely successful thirty-five years with a gala evening featuring excerpts from three world-famous ballets. Under the direction of Artistic Director Peter Mallek, the company performs a series of ‘magical moments’, including the scene in which Odette falls in love with her prince from Swan Lake, the journey to the land of snow from The Nutcracker, and the Rose Adagio from Sleeping Beauty.

Training under Russian ballet teacher Harry Pluciss - a pupil of the famous Alexander Pushkin - Mallek began his ballet career touring the world with various national companies. He formed the VFB in 1980 with the intention of sharing his passion and love for classical ballet.

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Dance LISTINGS For full listing information on dance, including times and dates, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk CIRCUS VOGUE Join Circus Vogue's aerial dancers on a journey of reflection, Tues 3 Mar, Royal Spa Centre, Leamington WHAT THE BODY DOES NOT REMEMBER Dance Touring Partnership present Wim Vandekeybus & Ultima Vez's acclaimed production, where moments of humour thread through explosions of aggression, fear and danger in an adrenaline-fuelled and distinctly physical performance, Tue 3 - Wed 4 Mar, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry TRANSITIONS DANCE COMPANY A triple bill presented by the postgraduate company of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance, bringing together the most exciting choreographers and dancers of the future, Wed 4 Mar, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury DREAMING IN CODE 2Faced Dance present a double-bill of all-male

dance, featuring work from Artistic Director Tamsin Fitzgerald and Eddie Kay of Frantic Assembly, Wed 4 - Sat 7 Mar, DanceXchange, Patrick Centre, Birmingham Hippodrome RIGOLETTO The Russian State Ballet & Opera House present Verdi's tragic tale of misunderstanding, revenge and sacrifice. Sung in Italian with English surtitles and accompanied by a live orchestra with over thirty musicians, Fri 6 Mar, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury ESSENCE OF IRELAND Exploration of Irish myths through narration, Irish music and Irish dancing, Sun 8 Mar, The Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury ESSENCE OF IRELAND Tue 10 Mar, New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham; Belgrade Theatre, Coventry BROKEN Weaving athletic dance with digital imagery and original music, Broken examines man’s precarious

relationship with the earth. Kevin Finnan’s production takes audiences on a journey which questions man’s ambivalence to the planet, Tue 10 - Wed 11 Mar, mac - Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham GLASSHOUSE A short dance theatre film conceived and performed

by Charlotte Vincent and Forced Entertainment's Richard Lowdon, Tue 10 - Fri 13 Mar, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry LOOK AT ME NOW, MUMMY Vincent Dance Theatre present a comitragic one-woman show which offers a moving portrait of a mother's desire to look the part, Wed 11 Thurs 12 Mar, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry BALLET THEATRE UK PRESENTS - ALADDIN Ballet Theatre UK re-tell the exotic and classic tale of the lonely orphan whose life is destined for greater things, Fri 13 Mar, Albany Theatre, Coventry; Swan Theatre, Worcester SALAAM This latest work from Sonia Sabri Company crafts a beautiful dialogue of live music and Kathak dance, Sat 14 Mar, mac -Midlands Art Centre,

Birmingham MARGAM: AN AFTERNOON OF KATHAK Three highlytalented Kathak performers come together to present a form of dance which traces its origins to the nomadic bards of ancient northern India, Sun 15 Mar, mac - Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham 21 YEARS/21 WORKS Celebrating twenty-one years of making and touring, Vincent Dance Theatre take a live and digital journey through Artistic Director Charlotte Vincent’s work from 1994 to 2015, Wed 18 Mar, DanceXchange. Patrick Centre, Birmingham Hippodrome SHOBANA JEYASINGH DANCE: BAYADERE - THE NINTH LIFE A radical reimagining of the celebrated ballet for the twenty-first-century.

Moving between fact and fantasy, the original story is interwoven with the first ever visit of Indian dancers to Europe in 1838, Wed 18 Mar, mac - Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham SLEEPING BEAUTY Moscow Ballet La Classique bring Tchaikovsky’s delightful score and magical characters to life in this magnificent ballet, Fri

Cirque Eloize - Birmingham Hippodrome

20 - Sat 21 Mar, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry AN EVENING OF DIRTY DANCING This fifth anniversary show is a fully choreographed, highly interactive celebration of music from the iconic movie, Fri 20 Mar, Bedworth Civic Hall DREAMING IN CODE 2Faced Dance present a double-bill of all-male dance, featuring work from Artistic Director Tamsin Fitzgerald and Eddie Kay of Frantic Assembly Tues 24 Mar, Malvern Theatres, Worcestershire CIRQUE ELOIZE PRESENTS CIRKOPOLIS A show combining the worlds of circus, dance and theatre, Wed 25 - Sat 28 Mar, Birmingham Hippodrome IDIOT-SYNCRASY Igor and Moreno explore male identity and relationships in a very energetic duet, Thurs 26 -

Fri 27 Mar, DanceXchange, Patrick Centre, Birmingham Hippodrome VIENNA FESTIVAL BALLET 35TH ANNIVERSARY GALA Thurs 26 Mar, Bedworth Civic Hall VIENNA FESTIVAL BALLET 35TH ANNIVERSARY GALA Sat 28 Mar, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury HOLI - A CELEBRATION OF COLOUR Presented by Jai Jashn Dance, Sat 28 - Sun 29 Mar, Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton BRENDAN COLE - A NIGHT TO REMEMBER A brand new production from the Strictly star which brings together ballroom magic and Latin excitement in what's described as a 'must see' show!', Sun 29 Mar, Symphony Hall, Birmingham VIENNA FESTIVAL BALLET 35TH ANNIVERSARY GALA Sun 29 Mar, Artrix, Bromsgrove

Tue 17 March, 7.30pm Lyceum Theatre, Crewe  01270 368242 Thurs 26 March, 7.30pm Civic Hall, Bedworth  02476 376707 Sat 28 March, 2.30pm & 7.30pm Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury  01743 281 281 Sun 29 March, 2pm & 5pm Artrix, Bromsgrove  01527 577330 Wed 1 April, 7.30pm Roses Theatre, Tewksbury  01684 295074 Mon 6 April, 7.30pm Arts Centre, Evesham  01386 446944 Sun 2 May, 2.30pm & 7.30pm The Little Theatre, Leicester  01527 577330 Thurs 21 - Sat 23 May, 7.30pm Garrick Theatre, Lichfield  01543 412121 Sat 30 May, 7.30pm Old Rep, Birmingham  0121 359 9444

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

DanceXchange Birmingham Hippodrome Hurst Street // Birmingham // B5 4TB dx registered charity no. 1045364

www.whatsonlive.co.uk 41

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Flatpack Film Festival taking place at various locations around Birmingham, Thurs 19 - Sun 29 March Now in its ninth year, Flatpack Film Festival once again runs across two weekends and offers a plethora of events at various locations across Birmingham. Audiences can take their pick from live silents, industry events, Paper Cinema and VHS seance. Highlights of this year’s event include a tribute to 1960s and ’70s documentary maker Philip Donnellan, an exploration of the ever-growing parameters of animation, and a chance for foreign film fans to enjoy a selection of early-career movies from Swedish director Roy Andersson.

Also featured in the festival programme are prize-winning documentaries, experimental films, interactive installations, short film competition programmes, and a special family strand entitled Colour Box. We’ve selected our favourite events below, but don’t just take our word for it, check out full festival listings at www.flatpackfestival.org.uk

Here’s just a few of our favourite things...

THE AMUSEMENT PARK A new exhibition which explores the relationship between animation and interactivity, From Mon16 Mar, BCU Parkside, Birmingham THE PAPER CINEMA’S ODYSSEY Tales of gods and monsters recreated as you’ve never seen them before, using paper cut outs, live music and onstage cameras, the films are created before your eyes, Fri 20 Mar, Birmingham Rep BETWEEN US: BIRMINGHAM PORTRAITS A 25minute film shot in slow-motion exploring what can be seen in the faces of Birmingham’s people as they move through public spaces, Fri 20 - Sat 21 Mar, Great Western Arcade, Birmingham CARTOON ROCK Classic cartoons shown on a 16mm projector with breakfast cereal included, family-friendly event with drop-in car-

toon illustration workshop afterwards, Sat 21 Mar, Birmingham & West Midlands Institute SHIZZLES & GIGGLES Funny shorts featuring a number of British comedy luminaries, Sat 21 March, Old Joint Stock Theatre LANDMARKS 1-3 Recently commissioned for BBC 2, this six-part series mirrors the seven ages of man, from birth to death, Sat 21 Mar, mac, Birmingham CELLULOID CITY Embark on a journey exploring the unique history of cinema in Birmingham, an afternoon of free screenings and activities, Sun 22 Mar, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? A documentary

by Philip Donnelllan following the travelling families across Kent and Shropshire up to a Yorkshire horse fair, Sun 22 Mar, mac, Birmingham

42 www.whatsonlive.co.uk

INK & PIXELS A taster of Made You Look, a soon-to-be-released documentary about the UK’s graphic art scene, joined by cast and crew for a screening and discussion, Mon 23 Mar, BCU Parkside, Birmingham BEETHOVEN’S 5TH Emily Wright’s single-screen exhibition sees her playing all the parts of the German composers masterwork, Mon 23 Fri 27 Mar, Birmingham Conservatoire THE CLOUD IS MORE THAN AIR AND WATER A video installation investigating the mechanical nature of Data Centres and internet storage systems, Mon 23 - Fri 27 Mar, Birmingham Conservatoire THE FINNISH LINE A selection of short animated films made by artists featured in The Amusement Park exhibition, Tues 24 Mar, BCU Parkside, Birmingham

ISHORTS Short films created from entry-level filmmakers outside of London with a budget of £5000, Weds 25 Mar, BCU Parkside, B’ham TIME + MOTION An evening of live animation and performance, featuring three attraction from worldwide artists plus activities, workshops and demonstrations, Weds 25 Mar, Millenium Point, Birmingham ANIMATION AND BEYOND Featuring screenings, demonstrations and panel discussions all exploring the evergrowing world of animation, Thurs 26 Mar, BCU Parkside, Birmingham THE DOGHOUSE Seated at a dinner table with four other guests, wearing goggles, experience a fraught family situation, the food is virtual but the tension is all too real, Thurs 26 - Sun 29 Mar, Stryx @ MW, Birmingham I’M A FILMMAKER, BUT I WANT TO EAT A lighthearted but informative look at the diverse

means filmmakers use to sustain themselves, Fri 27 Mar, The Mockingbird, Birmingham CROSS CITY WALKS Attempting to walk across Birmingham in a straight line, taking photos every 5 seconds, this interactive installation lets you literally retrace the steps of artists

Andy Howlett & Pete Ashton, Fri 27 - Sun 29 Mar, Centrala @ MW, Birmingham TOMORROW IS ALWAYS TOO LONG Artist Phil Collins explores the voices of the citizens of Glasgow amplified by the songs of Cate Le Bon, Sun 29 Mar, The Electric, Birmingham

The Doghouse - Stryx @ MW, Birmingham

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Film

TO WATCH THE LATEST MOVIE TRAILERS, VISIT: www.whatsonlive.co.uk

FROM

FRI 6 MAR

Still Alice CERT 12a (101 mins) Starring Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart, Kate Bosworth, Hunter Parrish Directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland (USA)

Julianne Moore is Alice Howland, a linguistics professor who is defined by her intellect, her language and her articulation. Then, during a routine lecture at Columbia University, she forgets the word “lexicon.” For Alice, it is the beginning of the end… By the time you read this, Julianne Moore will have won the Oscar for best actress, following the gongs she picked up at Bafta, the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors’ Guild and the London Film Critics’ Circle Awards. It is her year, Alice is a peach of a part and she gives it the intelligence and the emotion that is the raison d’être of the film. Alice Howland is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, and Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland's drama - adapted from Lisa Genova’s insightful and heart-rending novel - artfully supplies Ms Moore with a platform on which to delineate her character’s mental deterioration. However, Ilan Eshkeri's’s treacly piano-driven score, the impeccable production design and starry supporting cast all abet in removing the viewer from any raw connection with Alice’s dilemma. These are privileged people going through the motions in a competent, bythe-numbers TV disease-of-the-month movie. It’s poignant and affecting in places - but how could it not be? Julianne Moore is terrific.

TOP 5 FILM BOX OFFICE

From

FRI 27 MAR

Cinderella CERT tbc Starring Cate Blanchett, Lily James, Richard Madden, Stellan Skarsgård, Holliday Grainger, Derek Jacobi, Helena Bonham Carter, Hayley Atwell, Ben Chaplin Directed by Kenneth Branagh (USA)

Once upon a time... Oh, don’t let us spoil the plot for you. Let’s just say there are long work hours, really horrible step-sisters and a rather dashing prince. ’Nough said. This version actually adheres more to Disney’s classic cartoon version of 1950 than Charles Perrault’s original folk story, as part of an on-going initiative to turn the old ’toons into live-action adaptations. Last year Disney brought us a re-working of their animated Sleeping Beauty and called it Maleficent. In October we’ll be treated to a live-action edition of The Jungle Book (with Bill Murray as Baloo the Bear), while Beauty And The Beast - with Emma Watson as Belle - is in pre-production. Here, under the directorial eye of Kenneth Branagh, Cinders is played by Lily James, probably best known for her role as Lady Rose McClare in Downton Abbey. P.S. Nice to see Branagh directing his former girlfriend Ms Bonham Carter again (she plays the Fairy Godmother).

1 Big Hero 6 (PG) The Secret 2 Kingsman: Service (15) The Sheep 3 Shaun Movie (U) 4 Jupiter Ascending (12a) 5 American Sniper (15)

Big Hero 6

www.whatsonlive.co.uk 43

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Film NEW RELEASES Released from Fri 6 March

White Bird In A Blizzard CERT 15 (91 mins)

Starring Shailene Woodley, Eva Green, Christopher Meloni, Shiloh Fernandez, Gabourey Sidibe, Thomas Jane, Angela Bassett Directed by Gregg Araki (USA/France)

Following her Golden Globe nomination for The Descendants, the lead in The Fault In Our Stars and her role as Tris Prior in the Divergent franchise, Shailene Woodley has gone from strength to strength. Here she plays Katrina ‘Kat’ Connors, whose life is thrown into disarray when her mother (Eva Green) disappears. From the 1999 novel by Laura Kasischke.

Unfinished Business

Chappie CERT 15 (120 mins)

CERT 15 (91 mins)

Starring Sharlto Copley, Hugh Jackman, Dev Patel, Sigourney Weaver Directed by Neill Blomkamp (USA/Mexico)

Starring Vince Vaughn, Tom Wilkinson, Dave Franco, Sienna Miller, Nick Frost, James Marsden Directed by Ken Scott (USA)

Three business associates from Boston travel to Berlin to close the biggest deal of their careers.

However, things get a little out of hand… Think The Hangover meets Eurotrip.

It’s been quite a year for robots - think Ex Machina, Big Hero 6 - and this one feels as recycled as an old Henry Hoover. In the future our streets will be patrolled by a mechanised police force (think RoboCop, et al), but then Chappie - a police droid - is stolen and re-programmed. He then starts to get all emotional... The director previously brought us District 9 and Elysium, so it might not be all bad.

For full film listings, showings and booking links

visit: whatsonlive.co.uk

View the latest trailers on line 44 www.whatsonlive.co.uk

Film March Davina.qxp_Layout 1 23/02/2015 21:49 Page 4

Kill The Messenger CERT 15 (112 mins)

Starring Jeremy Renner, Rosemarie DeWitt, Ray Liotta, Barry Pepper, Oliver Platt, Michael Sheen, Andy García Directed by Michael Cuesta (USA)

A true story: when, in the mid-1990s, a reporter exposes the CIA plot to arm the Contra rebels in Nicaragua, he becomes the victim of a vicious smear campaign. And we thought the CIA could do no wrong.

From

Released from Fri 13 March

Elle L’Adore CERT 15 (102 mins) Starring Sandrine Kiberlain, Laurent Lafitte, Pascal Demolon Directed by Jeanne Herry (France)

There are shades of Notting Hill here. Muriel Bayen (Kiberlain) is a massive fan of the singer Vincent Lacroix (Lafitte). Then, one day, he knocks on her door asking for help… Mlle Kiberlain has been nominated for a French Oscar (the César) as best actress.

FRI 20 MAR

Suite Francaise CERT 15 (107 mins)

Home CERT U (94 mins)

Starring Michelle Williams, Kristin Scott Thomas, Matthias Schoenaerts, Sam Riley, Ruth Wilson, Margot Robbie, Harriet Walter Directed by Saul Dibb (UK/France/Canada)

Featuring the voices of Rihanna, Jim Parsons, Jennifer Lopez, Steve Martin, Matt Jones Directed by Tim Johnson (USA)

Although Irène Némirovsky's story of wartime romance was written in 1942, it wasn’t published until 2004, sixty-two years after her death.

For Némirovsky was a Ukrainian Jew and perished in Auschwitz and never got to complete her planned quintet of stories. This tale focuses on Lucille Angellier (Williams), a young wife in Nazi-occupied France who comes under the watchful gaze of a German commander (Schoenaerts) posted at the home she shares with her domineering mother-in-law (Scott Thomas). The director Saul Dibb previously brought us Bullet Boy and The Duchess.

There’s no place li... Actually, the loveable extraterrestrial Oh is very far from home when he escapes to Earth to evade a nefarious alien race. He then teams up with a teenage girl, Tip (voiced by Rihanna), and they both find themselves on the run. The latest computer-animated feature from DreamWorks Animation (Shrek, Madagascar, How To Train Your Dragon), Home is based on the 2007 children’s book The True Meaning Of Smekday. In 3D.

Released from Fri 20 March

The Gunman CERT 15 (115 mins) Starring Sean Penn, Idris Elba, Ray Winstone, Mark Rylance, Javier Bardem, Peter Franzén Directed by Pierre Morel (USA/France/Spain)

Martin Terrier (Sean Penn) is a former Special Forces soldier suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and decides to throw in the towel. However, his employers have different plans - and so Terrier is forced to go on the run.

Based on the 1981 novel The Prone Gunman

by Jean-Patrick Manchette.

Run All Night CERT tbc Starring Liam Neeson, Joel Kinnaman, Common, Ed Harris, Génesis Rodríguez, Vincent D'Onofrio, Boyd Holbrook Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (USA)

Liam Neeson plays Jimmy Conlon, an ageing hitman who finds that his family is in danger when his old boss turns nasty. Audiences taken with Mr Neeson’s last few films may lap this up with a ladle, but we feel the actor isn’t stretching himself. It’s been twenty-two years since he was nominated for an Oscar.

X + Y CERT tbc Starring Asa Butterfield, Rafe Spall, Sally Hawkins, Eddie Marsan, Jo Yang Directed by Morgan Matthews (UK)

First Werner Herzog transformed his documentary Little Dieter Needs To Fly into Rescue Dawn, now Morgan Matthews has dramatised his own documentary Beautiful Young Minds into the fictionalised X+Y. Asa Butterfield (The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, Hugo) plays Nathan Ellis, a teenage maths prodigy who is chosen to represent Britain at the International Mathematical Olympiad.

But because Nathan is autistic, he has more than numerical equations to deal with.

The Voices

CERT 15 (104 mins)

Starring Ryan Reynolds, Gemma Arterton, Anna Kendrick, Jacki Weaver, Sam Spruell Directed by Marjane Satrapi (USA/Germany)

Jerry (Reynolds) is a happy-go-lucky guy with a serious problem. He can hear his cat and dog speak. And his cat is urging him to be a serial killer... It’s actually a comedy - but with very sharp canine teeth. www.whatsonlive.co.uk 45

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46 www.whatsonlive.co.uk

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Wild Card

CERT 15 (92 mins)

Starring Jason Statham, Milo Ventimiglia, Sofía Vergara, Stanley Tucci, Anne Heche Directed by Simon West (USA)

Jason Statham is Nick Wild and he has a gambling problem. But when he gets on the wrong side of the mob they wish they’d never gambled on eliminating him... A remake of the 1986 Burt Reynolds thriller Heat, this has turned out to be Jason Statham’s biggest flop to date (amazingly, it only grossed $3,200 in the US).

The Divergent Series: Insurgent CERT tbc

Starring Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Octavia Spencer, Jai Courtney, Miles Teller, Naomi Watts, Kate Winslet Directed by Robert Schwentke (USA)

Divergent, the first in Veronica Roth’s literary trilogy, was released in April of last year - and grossed over $288million worldwide. Now the second instalment is upon us and maverick Tris Prior (Woodley) continues her fight against the totalitarian state that governs a dystopian Chicago of the future. Hunger Games fans can lap this up while they wait patiently for Mockingjay - Part 2. In 3D.

Seventh Son CERT 12a (102 mins) Starring Jeff Bridges, Ben Barnes, Julianne Moore, Alicia Vikander, Kit Harington, Olivia Williams, Djimon Hounsou Directed by Sergei Bodrov

Another month, another franchise. This actionfantasy is based on the novel The Spook's Apprentice by Joseph Delaney, the first chapter in his Wardstone Chronicles. The London-born Ben Barnes plays Thomas Ward, a seventh son of a seventh son, a happenstance that enables him to see supernatural stuff. It’s a useful gift and so he’s called on to help the legendary knight Master Gregory (Jeff Bridges) to track down a powerful witch (Julianne Moore) with malevolent intent. In 3D.

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water CERT U (92 mins) Directed by Paul Tibbitt and Mike Mitchell (USA)

You just can’t keep a good sponge down.

Here, the jolly yellow sea sponge joins forces with his adversary Plankton to help retrieve his precious ‘Krabby Patty’ formula. The villain of the piece - a pirate named Burger-Beard is played by Antonio Banderas. As the film made almost $100million in its first ten days of release in the US, we can expect more of the same in the not too-distant future.

Face Of An Angel CERT 15 (101 mins) Starring Kate Beckinsale, Daniel Brühl, Cara Delevingne, Genevieve Gaunt, Ava Acres Directed by Michael Winterbottom (UK/Italy/Spain)

Mommy CERT 15 (138 mins) Starring Anne Dorval, Antoine-Olivier Pilon, Suzanne Clément Directed by Xavier Dolan (Canada)

When Diane Després (Dorval) is widowed, she finds the prospect of bringing up her troublesome son more than she can cope with. Then a mysterious neighbour (Clément) supplies some unexpected assistance… Winner of the Jury Prize at last year’s Cannes film festival.

Released from Fri 27 March

Get Hard CERT tbc Starring Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart, Alison Brie, Edwina Findley, Craig T. Nelson Directed by Etan Cohen (USA)

When millionaire businessman James King (Will Ferrell) is sent down for ten years for tax evasion, he’s not sure he’s ready for prison. So he hires Darnell Lewis (Kevin Hart) to help prepare him for a life behind bars. If he’s gonna survive, he’s gotta get hard…

The Signal CERT 15 (97 mins)

Michael Winterbottom is not a director to shy away from controversy - or to give a fresh perspective on things. Here, he’s taken a real-life murder case - the sexually motivated killing of the British student Meredith Kercher - and turned it into a fictionalised psychological thriller. Genevieve Gaunt plays a thinly disguised version of the prime suspect, Amanda Knox, renamed here Jessica Fuller.

Starring Brenton Thwaites, Olivia Cooke, Beau Knapp, Lin Shaye, Laurence Fishburne Directed by William Eubank (USA)

On a road trip to California, three MIT students find themselves taunted by a hacker going by the moniker of NOMAD. When they decide to confront NOMAD - and locate ‘his’ lair - they are transported into an entirely surreal situation...

The scriptwriters (and brothers) William and Carlyle Eubank have said that they were drawn to the material by a fascination with "the conflict between logic and emotion." Be afraid. We think.

Wild Tales CERT 15 (122 mins) Starring Ricardo Darín, Óscar Martínez, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Érica Rivas Directed by Damián Szifrón (Argentina/Spain)

Nominated for an Oscar for best foreign language film, Wild Tales is an anthology of six tales, all united by themes of violence, vengeance, love and deception. Incidentally, Ricardo Darín - who plays a luckless demolitions expert - is the biggest star in Argentina, having appeared in such films as Nine Queens and The Secret In Their Eyes. www.whatsonlive.co.uk 47

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Film A-Z LISTINGS

The Duke Of Burgundy

All films are currently on general release unless otherwise stated. For full listing information, including times and dates, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk 12 Years A Slave 15 The true story of Solomon Northup, a cultured and educated family man who’s kidnapped while visiting Washington DC and sold into slavery.

Stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender.

Showing at Forest Arts Centre, Walsall, Thurs 26 Mar

The Colony

American Sniper 15 The Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle was not nicknamed ‘Legend’ for nothing. He was the most deadly sniper in US military history. This is his story. Stars Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller.

Showing at The Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury, Fri 13 Mar; Ludlow Assembly Rooms, South Shropshire, Wed 18 - Thurs 19 Mar

Dancing In Jaffa PG

Bad Hair 15 Junior is a nine-year-old boy who has stubbornly curly hair, or "bad hair". He wants to have it straightened for his yearbook picture, like a fashionable pop singer with long, ironed hair. This puts him at odds with his mother, Marta, a young, unemployed widow who finds it increasingly difficult to tolerate Junior's fixation with his looks. Showing at mac, Birmingham, Sun 1, Wed 4 - Thurs 5 Mar Big Hero 6 U The fourteen-year-old robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada forms a team of crime-fighting robots, along with the eminently outsize, huggable Baymax. With the voices of Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit.

Showing at Festival Drayton Centre, Market Drayton, Mon 30 - Tues 31 Mar; The Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury, Mon 30 Tues 31 Mar

Casablanca Calling A documentary regarding the four hundred women who’ve started to work as Muslim leaders or Morchidats for the first time in Morocco. Their mission is simple: to liberate women

by sharing the true teaching of Islam, freed from misogynist interpretations.

Showing The Drum, Birmingham, Sun 8 Mar Filmed at a variety of locations in Birmingham in 1963, The Colony is remarkable for its time in giving a voice to working-class settlers from the Caribbean. This unique screening boasts a live score performed by Birmingham Jazz. Showing The Drum, Birmingham, Tues 24 Mar Four-time ballroom dancing world champion Pierre Dulaine returns to the place of his birth, Jaffa - a city in which two communities continue to grow apart. Via his Dancing Classrooms programme, Pierre seeks to find some common ground between the Jewish and Palestinian Israeli children. Showing at Ludlow Assembly Rooms, South Shropshire, Mon 9 - Tues 10 Mar

WATCH THE FILM T TRAILERS A k .co.u

whatsonlive

Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes 12a Here, Caesar and his army of genetically modified simian soldiers face a band of humans that survived the virus that all but wiped out mankind. It’s ten years on from the events of the last film (Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes), but can the apes and their subordinate humans reach a truce? Stars Jason Clarke and Gary Oldman. Showing at Forest Arts Centre, Walsall, Fri 6 Mar

CINEMA Box Office Birmingham CINEWORLD Broad St, B’ham 0871 200 2000 CINEWORLD Solihull 0871 200 2000 ELECTRIC, B’ham 0121 643 7879 EMPIRE 0871 471 4714 MILLENNIUM POINT 0121 202 2222 MAC 0121 446 3232 ODEON 0871 224 4007 REEL Quinton 0121 421 5316

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48 www.whatsonlive.co.uk

18 Exploration of the deep love of two women who inhabit an almost exclusively female world, and who’re united by their interest in sado-masochism and moths and butterflies.

Expect a degree of sexual fetishism. Stars Sidse Babett Knudsen and Chiara D'Anna. Showing at Electric Cinema, Birmingham, Sat 14 - Mon 16 Mar

Effie Gray 15 Back in the 1850s, ‘Effie,’ the wife of the eminent art critic John Ruskin, met the Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais. The resultant affaire de cœur has been the subject of much speculation. Stars Dakota Fanning & Emma Thompson. Showing at Edge Arts Centre, Much Wenlock, Mon 23 Mar; Foxlowe Arts Centre, Leek, Staffs, Tues 24 Mar Fantastic Mr Fox PG For twelve years, Mr and Mrs Fox (voices of George Clooney and Meryl Streep) have lived a peaceful life in the wilderness with their son, Ash. Shortly after their young nephew, Kristofferson, arrives for a visit, Mr. Fox's long-suppressed animal instincts begin to take over and the faithful family man resorts back to his old ways as a cunning chicken thief, endangering not only his family but the entire animal community as well. Showing at The Courtyard, Hereford, Tues 31 Mar

Fifty Shades Of Grey 18 The first volume of EL James’ ‘literary’ trilogy was initially deemed smutty, even pornographic. In August of 2012, Amazon announced that it had sold more copies of the novel than the entire Harry Potter series put together. So a film version was inevitable, and here we have it. Stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan. Showing at Light House Media Centre, until Thurs 5 Mar; Electric Cinema, Birmingham, until Thurs 5 Mar

Foxcatcher 15

one (a true story) Channing Tatum dons the tights as Mark Schultz, as does Mark Ruffalo as his brother, Dave. But it’s Steve Carell’s performance as Channing’s sponsor and coach that people are talking about. Showing at Ludlow Assembly Rooms, Sun 1 - Tues 3 Mar; Stoke Film Theatre, Thurs 5 - Fri 6 Mar; The Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury, Fri 6 Mar; Old Market Hall, Shrewsbury, Tues 24 - Thurs 26 Mar

Gone Girl 18 Nick Dunne, on his fifth wedding anniversary, reports the disappearance of his wife. Then, as a media frenzy builds around the gone girl, suspicion starts to fall on Nick himself…

Stars Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike. Showing at Stourbridge Townhall, Mon 16 Mar

The Hundred-Foot Journey PG When Hassan Kadam and his family are displaced from their native India, they set up a new restaurant in the South of France. However, Madame Mallory, the proprietress of a traditional French restaurant down the street, is determined to give the new upstarts hell.

Stars Helen Mirren and Om Puri. Showing at Stourbridge Town Hall, Mon 2 Mar

A documentary telling the story of Ras Seymour Maclean, who was convicted and imprisoned for reclaiming over two thousand books on Ethiopian and African history from British institutions. Showing at The Drum, Birmingham, Thurs 19 Mar

The Judge 15 Estranged from his family, top city lawyer Hank Palmer (Robert Downey Jr) returns to the small town of Carlinville, in Indiana, for his mother's funeral. He then discovers that his father, the local judge, has been accused of murder. Also stars Robert Duvall. Showing at Edge Arts Centre, Mon 16 Mar Kingsman: The Secret Service 15

Poland 1962; orphaned novice nun Sister Anna is about to take her vows when she finds out that she was originally named Ida and is Jewish. So she goes on a search for the truth about her parents.

Stars Agata Kulesza.

Showing at The Hive, Shrewsbury, Mon 2 Mar

The Imitation Game 12a

Kon Tiki 15

Based on the biography, Alan Turing: The Enigma,

by Andrew Hodges, the film chronicles Turing’s part in winning the Second World War (by helping to crack the Nazi’s Enigma code) and then his criminal prosecution for being homosexual.

Stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley.

Showing at mac, Birmingham, Mon 2- wed 4 Mar

In 1947, Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl crossed the Pacific Ocean in a balsa wood raft to prove that South Americans could have settled on the Polynesian islands.

This is an old-fashioned man-against-the-elements adventure epic, propelled by human-scaled heroics.

Part classic adventure tale, part history lesson. Stars Pal Sverre Hagen, Anders Christiansen. Showing at Old Market Hall, Shrews-

Ida 12a

Into The Woods PG A complex weave of the

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The Jamaican Book Liberator

This spy adventure unites director Matthew Vaughn with the scenarist Jane Goldman for the fourth time (cf. Stardust, Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class). Colin Firth plays a veteran secret agent who takes on a young protégé. Showing at The Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury, Sun 22 - Wed 25 Mar; Festival Drayton Centre, Market Drayton, Fri 20 & Mon 23 Mar

There aren’t enough films about wrestlers. In this

Shropshire

fairytales Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack And The Beanstalk and Rapunzel, dexterously shuffling our notions of these legends and coming up with something altogether more elaborate and darker. Stars Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt. Showing at Old Market Hall, Shrewsbury, Fri 27 - Sun 29 Mar; Ludlow Assembly Rooms, South Shropshire, Tues 31 Mar; Wem Town Hall, North Shropshire, Tues 31 Mar

Staffordshire CINEWORLD, BURTON-UPONTRENT 0871 200 2000 THE STAFFORD CINEMA, STAFFORD 0207 438 9580 FOXLOWE ARTS CENTRE, LEEK 01538 386 112 STOKE FILM THEATRE, 01782 411188

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bury, Fri 20 - Sat 21 Mar

Laura Mvula & The Metropole Orkest 12a Laura Mvula Live At The Paradiso With The Metropole Orkest in Amsterdam was sold out months in advance, but can now be seen exclusively in cinemas for one night only.

With a Q&A introduction

by Laura Mvula - live from London - plus a live finale acoustic set especially for cinema audiences. Showing at mac, Birmingham, Thurs 5 Mar

Locke 15 While driving from Birmingham to London, a construction manager receives a phone call. The remainder of the film sees Ivan Locke attempting to salvage his life via mobile phone as he continues to race home. Stars Tom Hardy, with the voices of Tom Holland, Olivia Colman. Showing at The Hive, Shrewsbury, Fri 20 Mar

Love, Honour And Disobey A documentary investigating domestic violence in Britain's black and ethnic minority communities through the eyes of Southall Black Sisters.

Showing at mac, Birmingham, Sun 1 - Tues 3 & Thurs 5 Mar; The Drum, Birmingham, Fri 6 Mar

Love Is Strange 15 After nearly four decades together, Ben (John Lithgow) and George (Alfred Molina) finally tie the knot in an idyllic wedding ceremony in lower Manhattan.

But when George loses his job soon after, the couple must sell their apartment and temporarily live apart until they can find an affordable new home.

Stars John Lithgow and Alfred Molina. Showing at mac, Birmingham, Sun 1 Tues 3 & Thurs 5 Mar; Foxlowe Arts Centre, Leek, Staffs, Tues 10 Mar

Magdala Campaign An account from Ras Seymour regarding the desecration, destruction and theft by British forces in 1868 of thousands of priceless religious icons, books, manuscripts, vestments and vessels with sacred significance, when they stormed the fortress city of Magdala in Ethiopia. Showing at The

Worcestershire ARTRIX, BROMSGROVE 01527 577330 MALVERN THEATRE 0845 287 2146 THE NORBURY THEATRE, DROITWICH SPA 08444 777 1000 WAREHOUSE, KIDDERMINSTER 01562 747773 VUE, WORCESTER 0871 224 0240 THE ROSE’S THEATRE, TEWKESBURY 01684 295 074

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Drum, Birmingham, Thurs 19 Mar

A Most Violent Year 15 In 1981 it was a most dangerous year in New York City, and immigrant businessman Abel Morales struggles to keep his head above water. Stars Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain. Showing at Stoke Film Theatre, Stoke-onTrent, Thurs 12 - Fri 13 Mar; Ludlow Assembly Rooms, South Shropshire, Fri 13, Mon 16 - Tues 17 Mar; The Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury, Wed 18 Mar A Most Wanted Man 15 Set in the world of the war on terror and featuring a half-Chechen, half-Russian Muslim who turns up in Hamburg with a claim to a huge fortune. Stars Philip Seymour Hoffman and Rachel McAdams.

Showing at Foxlowe Arts Centre, Leek, Staffs, Tues 17 Mar My Old Lady 12a This is all a bit of a reunion for Kristin Scott Thomas, as she’s previously starred alongside both Kevin Kline and Maggie Smith. Here, she plays the old lady’s daughter, her mother being the sole occupant of a Parisian apartment inherited by a New Yorker.

Showing at Foxlowe Arts Centre, Leek, Staffs, Tues 31 Mar The National Gallery 12a

The National Gallery in London is one of the great museums of the world. Almost every human experience is represented in one or the other of the paintings. The sequences of the film show the public in various galleries and the scholars, scientists and curators studying, restoring and planning the exhibitions. Showing at Old Market Hall, Shrewsbury, Sun 22 Mar; Ludlow Assembly Rooms, South Shropshire, Fri 27 & Tues 31 Mar; The Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury, Sun 29 Mar

Northern Soul 15 An authentic, uplifting drama about two friends whose horizons are expanded forever by their discovery of black American soul music. With supporting turns from Steve Coogan, Lisa Stansfield and Ricky Tomlinson, amongst others. Showing at Edge Arts Centre, Much Wenlock, Mon 9 Mar The Past 12a A study of modern family life in emotional flux, set in a Paris suburb where Ahmad arrives from Tehran to divorce his tempestuous, estranged wife Marie. Stars Ali Mosaffa and Bérénice Bejo. Showing at The Hive, Shrewsbury, Wed 11 Mar The Riot Club 15 For Riot Club read the Bullingdon Club, the Ox-

ford University establishment known for its rambunctious rituals and elaborate banquets.

Adapted by Laura Wade from her own play, Posh.

Stars Max Irons and Sam Claflin. Showing at Edge Arts Centre, Much Wenlock, Mon 2 Mar

Selma 12a The story of Martin Luther King’s legendary march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965, to secure equal voting rights for black Americans. Stars David Oyelowo and Tom Wilkinson. Showing at Light House Media Centre, Wolverhampton, until Thurs 5 Mar; The Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury, Sun 29 - Tues 31 Mar The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 12a The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012), adapted from Deborah Moggach's novel, These Foolish Things, was a huge and unexpected hit. The good news is that John Madden (Shakespeare In Love, Mrs Brown) returns for the sequel, in which the hapless Sonny Kapoor (Dev Patel) has opened the new Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Showing at Electric Cinema, Birmingham, until Thurs 5 Mar; Malvern Theatres, until Thurs 12 Mar; Old Market Hall, Shrewsbury, Fri 6 -

Thurs 26 Mar; Ludlow Assembly Rooms, South Shropshire, Fri 20 - Mon 30 Mar

Set Fire To the Stars 15 Taking its title from the last line of Dylan Thomas’s Love In The Asylum, this is the story of the Welsh poet’s first visit to America.

Elijah Wood plays the literary critic and aspiring poet John Malcolm Brinnin, who brings Thomas along and has to suffer the consequences. Stars Elijah Wood, Celyn Jones.

Showing at Old Market Hall, Shrewsbury, until Thurs 5 Mar Stations Of The Cross 15 Divided into fourteen chapters to mirror the number of stages of Christ’s judgement up to his burial, this is probably one of the year’s most unusual films. Winner of the best script award at Berlin, it focuses on the fourteen year-old Maria who follows the aforementioned fourteen stages through which to reach her nirvana per the dictates of the fundamentalist Catholic community in which she’s raised. Stars Lea van Acken, Hanns Zischler.

Showing at Ludlow Assembly Rooms, South Shropshire, Wed 4 - Thurs 5 Mar; The Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury, Thurs 26 Mar

Testament Of Youth 12a During World War One, a young English woman named Vera Brittain postpones her studies at Oxford University to serve as a Voluntary Aid Detachment nurse in London and abroad. Stars Alicia Vikander, Kit Harington. Showing at Stoke Film Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, Tues 3 Mar; The Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury, Tues 3 Thurs 12 Mar; Festival Drayton Centre, Market Drayton, Fri 13 - Sat 14 Mar; Wem Town Hall, North Shropshire, Tues 17 - Thurs 19 Mar; mac, Birmingham, Mon 23, Wed 25 & Thurs 26 Mar

The Theory Of Everything 12a The story of Stephen Hawking is one of the most remarkable and stirring of the twentieth century.

That’s why it was turned into a TV movie. This edition is told from the viewpoint of Hawking’s first wife, Jane Wilde. Stars Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones.

Showing at Artrix, Bromsgrove, Sun 1 - Tues 3 Mar; Festival Drayton Centre, Market Drayton, Mon 2 & Mon 16 Mar

drumming, a distinctive, unusual and completely engrossing experience.

Stars Miles Teller and JK Simmons. Showing at Wem Town Hall, North Shropshire, Wed 4 Thurs 5 Mar; Stoke Film Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, Sat 7 Mar; Ludlow Assembly Rooms, South Shropshire, Tues 10 - Thurs 12 Mar; The Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury, Tues 17 Mar; Festival Drayton Centre, Market Drayton Centre, Fri 27 - Sat 28 Mar

Wild 15 Adapted (by Nick Hornby) from her own memoir, this is the story of Cheryl Strayed, who hiked one thousand, one hundred miles of the Pacific Crest Trail. Stars Reese Witherspoon. Showing at Ludlow Assembly Rooms, South Shropshire, Fri 6 Sun 8 Mar; The Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury, Thurs 12 Mar The Woman In Black: Angel Of Death 12a

Whiplash 15 A thoroughly gripping drama about passion, ambition, perfectionism and the obstacles that impede our path to success.

A suspenseful film about

When a group of schoolchildren are evacuated from London during the Blitz, they are moved to the remote Eel Marsh House. But what happens there is far worse than anything the Luftwaffe could mete out.... Stars Helen McCrory, Jeremy Irvine. Showing at The Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury, Mon 16 - Tues 17 Mar

Winter Sleep 15

Interstellar

DVD NEW RELEASES Mr. Turner 12a

The Imitation Game 12a

Mr Turner is arguably Britain’s greatest artist of all time. Here director Mike Leigh captures the feel of the period and people in Turner’s life with a colourful catalogue of caricatures.

Starring Timothy Spall, Dorothy Atkinson and Paul Jesson.

Released 2 March

Based on the biography

by Andrew Hodges, the film chronicles Alan Turing’s part in winning the Second World War and then his criminal prosecution for being homosexual. Stars Benedict Cumberbatch.

Released 9 March

Paddington PG A live-action rendering of the loveable bear, with Paddington himself created via CGI and animatronics. Stars Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins.

Released 23 March

Leviathan 15 In a small coastal town by the Barents Sea, an ordinary family is harassed by a corrupt local mayor, who has his sites on both their land and business. To save themselves, the father calls on an old army friend from Moscow. Stars Vladimir Vdovichenkov.

Released 9 March

Pride 15

The Homesman 15 An unlikely Western, this, in which a man and woman team up to escort three mentally impaired women from Nebraska to Iowa. From the 1988 novel by Glendon Swarthout. Stars Tommy Lee Jones, Hilary Swank and Hailee Steinfeld. Released 23 March

Based on actual events, this is the story of how a group of LGBT activists attempted to raise money to help families affected by the 1984 miners' strike.

Starring Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton and Dominic West.

Released 2 March

Penguins Of Madagascar

U Like the Nickelodeon TV series The Penguins Of Madagascar, this fulllength feature is an off-

shoot from DreamWorks’ Madagascar trilogy. This one features a lot of penguins and is a spy thriller (seriously) - with a lot of laughs. Featuring the voices of Tom McGrath, Chris Miller and John DiMaggio.

Released 23 March

In 2014 Palme d'Or winner Winter Sleep, Aydin, a former actor, runs a small hotel in central Anatolia with his young wife, Nihal - with whom he has a stormy relationship - and his sister, Necla, who’s suffering from her recent divorce. In winter, as the snow begins to fall, the hotel turns into a shelter but also an inescapable place that fuels their animosities… Stars Haluk Bilginer, Melisa Sözen and Demet Akbag.

Released 23 March

12a The tale of the journey undertaken by a group of astronauts through a wormhole. Think Gravity with more star names.

Starring Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway.

Released 30 March

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Visual Arts Ahead Of The Curve: New China From China The Potteries Museum, Stoke-on-Trent, Sat 14 March - Sun 31 May

Contemporary ceramics and glass produced by twenty emerging and established Chinese artists is showcased in this international touring exhibition, which demonstrates current practices from Jingdezhen and Shanghai.

The show also features exquisite objects from the museum’s own collection of historic Chinese ceramics, providing visitors with the opportunity to compare and contrast the ancient and modern.

Shao Changzong, Dreamer, 2011 © the artist

New Art West Midlands Wolverhampton Art Gallery, until Saturday 25 April; Birmingham Museum & Gallery, until Sun 17 May; The Barber Institute, Birmingham, until Sun 17 May; Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry, until Sun 31 May

Thirty of the region’s best emerging artists are this month being given the opportunity to showcase their work, as the third edition of the New Art West Midlands exhibition takes its place at four local art galleries.

A Turning Point West Midlands initiative, New Art West Midlands features an eclectic mix of artistic disciplines, including painting, sculpture, photography, performance, installation and video work.

All the participating artists have graduated from one of the region’s undergraduate or postgraduate fine art degree courses during the past three years.

“It’s exciting to see how New Art West Midlands has grown since 2013,” says Wendy Law, Director of Turning Point West Midlands. “There’s an interesting and diverse range of talent and work coming out of our art schools and universities today.

New Art West Midlands provides an important opportunity at a crucial point in the careers of these artists, enabling them to have their work displayed in highly respected galleries and to be seen and enjoyed by a large public.”

Copyright Andrew Rinkhy/ Kogelnik Foundation Vienna/New York

Pop In Space: We Choose To Go To The Moon Wolverhampton Art Gallery, until Sat 18 July

Artists’ responses to the Cold War-era Space Race are presented and explored in this fascinating exhibition, which highlights the impact of creatives such as Eduardo Paolozzi, Gerald Laing, David Lamelas and Kiki Kogelnik. By employing space imagery to reflect the glamour and power of infinite exploration, these and other artists created striking space-age imagery during the 1950s and ’60s.

The exhibition also explores the tensions which arose from the technological and ideological rivalry between the US and the Soviet Union, both of whom were focused on outmanoeuvring the other in the field of space exploration.

RPS International Print 157 Shire Hall Gallery, Stafford, Sat 14 March - Sun 10 May

In 2014, the Royal Photographic Society’s Annual International Print Exhibition - now in its one hundred-and-fifty-seventh year - received over six thousand entries from professional, student and amateur photographers across the world.

A panel of professionals has selected one hundred images to be exhibited in this year’s show, with documentary, portrait, landscape and fine art photography all being represented.

A fully illustrated catalogue of all the images is available from the gallery during the exhibition. www.whatsonlive.co.uk 51

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VisualArts PREVIEWS VisualArts LISTINGS Further exhibitions

Bilston’s Happy Housing: Otto Neurath’s Vision Bilston Craft Gallery, Sat 7 March - Sat 2 May

‘Most people of Bilston don’t realise the significance of the town’s housing designs,” says Carol Thompson, Bilston Craft Gallery’s Exhibitions Officer, “so this is a fantastic opportunity to tell the story of Stowlawn estate and its curious links to Vienna.”

Bilston’s Happy Housing draws together archival material, recordings and recollections to tell the story of how Austrian sociologist Dr Otto Neurath brought his radical, community-focused approach to living from Vienna to the Black Country.

Invited in 1946 to be Bilston’s Consultant for Happiness, he inspired its town planners to create Stowlawn Otto Neurath c.1940.

Estate, which Österreichisches Gesellschaftswas built und Wirtschaftsmuseum around a number of green fields.

“The post-war period was a remarkable time for bold new approaches to design,” continues Carol, “and this exhibition will capture the optimistic mood of that era.”

Sikander Pervez New Art Gallery, Walsall, until Sun 19 April

Sikander Pervez’s fast-growing reputation is sure to be further enhanced by this new exhibition, the artist’s first solo show since graduating from Staffordshire University in 2013.

Nodding reverentially in the direction of Cubism practitioners Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, Sikander takes mundane objects and materials such as chairs, wood, castors and wheels and transforms them by challenging or exaggerating their original function.

For this new installation, the artist has worked with modern flat-pack furniture - a pine dining table and chairs - in order to contemplate the relationship of the body to the space it occupies.

Sikander was chosen as one of New Art West Midlands’ 2014 artists. The initiative celebrates the work of some of the best graduates from West Midlands universities.

For full listing information on Visual Art exhibitions, including times and dates, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk DOUBLE TAKE: THE KOESTLER EXHIBITION FOR THE WEST MIDLANDS Artwork, audio and creative writing from prisons, secure hospitals and young offenders institutes in the West Midlands, until Sun 1 March, mac, Birmingham MODERN WOMEN A twohanded exhibition by Binita Walia & Emilia Telese, until 7 Mar, AirSpace Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent STEPHEN I COOPER: PORTRAITS IN THE FLESH Portraits painted in a loose yet figurative style, until Sat 7 Mar, Wolverhampton Art Gallery ROBERT HAND ARBSA Solo show featuring a combination of handbuilt raku & pit-fired ceramics, until Sat 7 Mar, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham RED TO RUST Featuring eight paintings of industrial landscapes

by Stourbridge artist Cedric Smith, until Sat 7 Mar, Dudley Museum & Art Gallery ‘SCAPES A broad-ranging look at the outside world through the eyes of selected contemporary artists, including John Thirlwall, David Brammeld, Lisa Henderson, Noel Bennett, Michael Leigh & Angela Maloney, until Sun 8 Mar, Shire Hall Gallery, Stafford PAUL KIDBY: DISCWORLD AND BEYOND EXHIBITION Touring exhibition from St Barbe Museum & Art Gallery, showcasing a collection of drawings, watercolours & oils most famously associated with the book jackets of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels, until Wed 11 Mar, Newcastle Borough Museum & Art Gallery WORLD WAR ONE: IN THE WORDS OF WORCESTERSHIRE PEOPLE Part of a series of events in Worcestershire commemorating the anniversary of the First World War, until Sat 14 Mar, Worcester City Museum & Art Gallery NATURAL BY GRACE MAYNE Featuring works in acrylics, oils, gouache, pencil, oil pastels & charcoal, until Sat 14 Mar, Bilston Craft Gallery RASTAFARI: THE MAJESTY Exhibition which details the history of Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia, and the Black

52 www.whatsonlive.co.uk

liberation 'movement' that takes the Emperor's crown prince title, Ras Tafari, until Mon 23 Mar, The Drum, Birmingham FORWARD 100: BIRMINGHAM AT WAR This exhibition draws on reproductions of material in the Cadbury Research Library collections relating to the history of the First Southern General Hospital (depicted in a 1917 painting by Cecil Price). Curated by postgraduate students from the University of Birmingham, until Fri 27 Mar, Library Foyer, University of Birmingham OPEN ALL MEDIA EXHIBITION Showcasing artists from across the UK working in a variety of media. Work from guest artist, Peter Monaghan, also features, until Sat 28 March, RBSA, Birmingham MAT JENNER: DREAMS TIME FREE until Fri 3 Apr, Grand Union, Birmingham ELIZABETH ROWE Disparate images carefully selected from women’s magazines, National Geographic volumes & old books feature at the heart of Elizabeth Rowe’s work, until Sun 5 Apr, New Art Gallery, Walsall BIRMINGHAM SHOW Large-scale group exhibition, until Sat 11 Apr, Eastside Projects, Birmingham JERWOOD ENCOUNTERS 3-PHASE SHOW 1 First of two exhibitions by emerging artists - in this case, Kelly Best and Georgie Grace, until Sat 11 Apr, Eastside Projects, Birmingham WILL SHANNON: THE CLOSET CRAFTSMAN In this new exhibition for Birmingham, Shannon produces Market Factory. Resonating with Birmingham’s heritage as a place for trade and making things, the new workspace will manufacture limited-edition chairs for sale, until Sun 19 Apr, mac, Birmingham AK DOLVEN Anne Katrine Dolven shows paintings, film, video, photography & sound installation alongside the extraordinary landscapes of fellow Norwegian artist, nineteenth century painter Peder Balke, until Sun 19 April, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham

Found - New Art Gallery, Walsall Julie Cockburn, The Telepath, 2014, Hand embroidery on found photograph. © Julie Cockburn, courtesy Flowers London.

NASTIO MOSQUITO: DAILY LOVEMAKING Exhibition fusing music, photography, film & performance poetry to reflect on the nature of the globalised world, and how lovemaking can act as an antidote to corruption and hypocrisy, until Sun 19 Apr, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham STEVE EVANS ARBSA Display of abstract perspex works & ink drawings, until Sat 25 April, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND WELCOMES An exhibition showcasing collected welcomes from Birmingham & beyond, until Sun 26 Apr, mac, Birmingham SECRET EGYPT EXHIBITION Showcase of over one hundred-and-fifty objects which contest modern misconceptions about Ancient Egypt, until Sun 26 Apr, Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery REVOLUTIONISING FASHION Display of elegant eighteenth & early-nineteenth century British miniatures by the likes of Richard Cosway, George Engleheart & John Smart, until Sun 26 April, The Barber Institute, Birmingham DARREN BANKS: THE RAVEN A body of work inspired by the legacy of Churton Fairman better known by his alias, Mark Raven, until Sun 26 April, New Art Gallery, Walsall THE POETIC IMPOSSIBILITY TO MANAGE THE INFINITE Exhibition which documents our quest to penetrate the astrophysical reality of the universe in order to better understand time, space & matter, until Sat 2 May, Wolverhampton Art Gallery MADE AT MAC: TEXTILES Featuring work from mac’s From Paper To Fabric course, until Sun 3 May, mac, Birmingham FOUND Bringing together seven contemporary

artists who work with found images, until Sun 3 May, New Art Gallery, Walsall ROBERT GROVES: GOLDEN YEARS Constellation of small golden paintings (c.1965) which reflect the artist’s strong interest in Middle Eastern & South Asian culture, until Mon 4 May, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham HIDDEN TREASURES CRAFT EXHIBITION Exhibition featuring new techniques such as 3Dprinting to examine current trends in ceramics & jewellery, until Sat 9 May, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham ON THE RIGHT TRACKS Exhibition exploring Wolverhampton’s involvement in the growth of the railways, until Sun 10 May, Bantock House Museum, Wolverhampton STONES & BONES EXHIBITION Discover more about the early history of the Midlands and how that history was uncovered, recorded and told by prominent local geologists and scientists, until Sun 17 May, Library of Birmingham GODS AND HEROES Seeking to uncover the methods and motives behind the representation of the superhuman and supernatural in art.

Subjects drawn from both ancient mythology and the Judo-Christian tradition feature, until Mon 25 May, The Barber Institute, Birmingham ART FROM ELSEWHERE: INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY ART FROM UK GALLERIES Touring exhibition which considers themes of global change, postcolonial experiences and failed utopias, until Sun 31 May, Waterhall Gallery, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery FAITH & ACTION: QUAKERS & THE FIRST WORLD WAR Exhibition which uses original photographs, film interviews

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& artefacts to tell the compelling stories of Quaker men and women during the 1914-1918 conflict and its aftermath, until Sun 7 June, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery THE JEWELLERY QUARTER DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR Exhibition of artefacts, images and oral histories relating to the recruitment of soldiers from the Jewellery Quarter, until Sat 27 June, The Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham POP IN SPACE: WE CHOOSE TO GO TO THE MOON Exploring artists’ responses to the Space Race during the Cold War, until Sat 18 July, Wolverhampton Art Gallery SOLDIERS’ STORIES: BIRMINGHAM AND THE ROYAL WARWICKSHIRE REGIMENT 1914 - 1918 Exhibition which commemorates the centenary of the First World War and recounts the experiences of Birmingham men who served in the regiment between 1914 and 1918, using personal objects, medals & memorabilia, until Sun 26 July, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery INHERITING ROME Exhibition which uses

money to explore and question our deep-seated familiarity with the Roman Empire’s imagery, until Sun 24 Jan 2016, The Barber Institute, Birmingham LUCIE GREEN EXHIBITION Featuring a range of linocuts, woodcuts, collagraphs & etchings, depicting various subjects from still life to interiors and scenes from other countries, Wed 4 - Sun 29 Mar, The Granary, Weston Park, Staffordshire FACE TO FACE Come face to face with artists, academics, everyday folk - and even a countess - in this portrait exhibition from the Dudley collections, Sat 7 Mar - Sat 27 June, Dudley Museum & Art Gallery SIGN, SYMBOL & SCRIPT David Walton’s large abstract paintings, based on the symbolic marks on ancient stones, Sat 14 Mar Sat 11 Apr, Wolverhampton Art Gallery DISRUPTED Curated by Noemi Lakmaier, this exhibition invites visitors to encounter the ‘other’ - that which is different and unfamiliar, Sat 14 Mar - Sun 3 May, mac, Birmingham CAROLINE DEVINE: POET-

ICS OF (OUTER SPACE) Installation exploring the natural acoustic resonances of stars and the orbits of newly discovered exoplanets here sonified data from the NASA Kepler Mission is presented as an evolving composition, Wed 18 - Sun 22 Mar, Perrott’s Folly, Waterworks Rd, Edgbaston, Birmingham FRACTURES: WWI TO 21ST CENTURY HEALING A new digital installation celebrating the remarkable story of Sir Robert Jones and Dame Agnes Hunt, pioneering partners who revolutionised modern orthopaedics and nursing rehabilitation, Wed 18 Mar - Sun 3 May, Qube Gallery, Oswestry, North Shropshire YOU ARE HERE A series of newly commissioned audio & video portraits

by Chris Paul Daniels of residents and workers from Digbeth and Bordesley Village, Thurs 9 Mar - Fri 3 Apr, A3 Project Space, Digbeth, Birmingham INTERLACE BY RUTH SINGER & BETHANY WALKER New collaboration between textile artists Ruth Singer & Bethany Walker which features a combination

of delicate, manipulated textiles set into concrete, Sat 21 Mar - Sat 18 Apr, Bilston Craft Gallery

multimedia work investigates cognition and habit, Thurs 26 Mar Mon 6 Apr, The Drum, Birmingham

FACING THE SUN Exhibition of new oil paintings by Edward Bell, Mon 23 Mar - Sat 18 Apr, Silk Top Hat Gallery, Ludlow, South Shropshire

OPEN ART AND CRAFT EXHIBITION Open to all artists, makers & photographers who live, work or study in Staffordshire, Sat 28 Mar - Sun 31 May, Newcastle Borough Museum, Staffordshire

SARANJIT BIRDI - COGN, I Using drawing, dance and digital media, this

& PLAY EXHIBITION A show by Colin Wilkinson & John Shakespeare RBSA which celebrates everyday life and objects, Mon 30 Mar - Sat 11 Apr, RBSA, Birmingham BIRMINGHAM WATERCOLOUR SOCIETY EXHIBITION Tues 31 Mar - Wed 29 Apr, The Granary, Weston Park, Staffordshire

EAT, DRINK, WORK, REST

Museums & Art Galleries Birmingham

Black Country

ARTIFEX Sutton Coldfield 0121 323 3776 BARBER INSTITUTE 0121 414 7333 BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM & ART GALLERY 0121 303 2834 CASTLE GALLERIES 0121 248 8484

BANTOCK HOUSE WOLVERHAMPTON 01902 552195 BILSTON CRAFT GALLERY 01902 552507 BROADFIELD HOUSE GLASS MUSEUM, DUDLEY 01384 812745 DUDLEY MUSEUM & ART GALLERY 01384 815575 LIGHT HOUSE MEDIA CENTRE WOLVERHAMPTON 01902 716055 THE NEW ART GALLERY WALSALL 01922 654400 RED HOUSE GLASS CONE 01384 812750 WOLVERHAMPTON ART GALLERY 01902 552055

GRAND UNION 0121 643 9079 IKON GALLERY 0121 248 0708 NUMBER NINE THE GALLERY 0121 643 9099 RBSA GALLERY 0121 2364353 STRYX GALLERY, DIGBETH stryxarts@gmail.com THREE WHITE WALLS GALLERY 0121 200 3328

SHREWSBURY MUSEUM & ART GALLERY 01743 258885 TWENTY TWENTY GALLERY, MUCH WENLOCK 01952 727952 THE WILLOW GALLERY, OSWESTRY 01691 657575 QUBE GALLERY, OSWESTRY 01691 656882

Staffordshire

Shropshire

NEWCASTLE BOROUGH MUSEUM & ART GALLERY 01782 232323 THE POTTERIES MUSEUM & ART GALLERY, STOKE-ONTRENT 01782 232323 SHIRE HALL GALLERY STAFFORD 01785 278345 STAFFORDSHIRE MUSEUM, SHUGBOROUGH 01889 881388

BEAR STEPS GALLERY, SHREWSBURY 01743 344994

Visit whatsonlive.co.uk for venue website details

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Events

Drayton Manor Theme Park Tamworth, Staffordshire, open daily from 9.45am (From Wed 25 March) Drayton Manor Theme Park reopens for the new season this month complete with a newly expanded Thomas Land. The Staffordshire venue’s popular Thomas The Tank Engine attraction has been increased in size by a staggering forty percent and features three brand new rides.

Drayton Manor is celebrating its sixty-fifth birthday this year and will be offering its visitors the chance to enjoy plenty of thrills and spills in the months ahead.

The park boasts some of the biggest, wettest and scariest rides around, including white-knuckle thrillers such as adrenaline-inducing

drop-tower Apocalypse, Europe’s only stand-up coaster, Shockwave, stomach-churning gyro-swing Maelstrom, and the acrobatic aeroplane flight, Air Race. There’s also the Ben 10: Ultimate Mission rollercoaster, a fifteen-acre zoo and a 4D cinema - featuring special simulations - to enjoy.

“We’re proud of our heritage here at Drayton Manor Theme Park,” says the visitor attraction’s CEO, Colin Bryan. “We’re still family owned and understand what our visitors want in order to ensure that they have a fun-filled day out that everyone can enjoy.”

Shen Yun

Hobbycrafts

International Convention Centre, Birmingham, Sat 28 - Sun 29 March

NEC, Birmingham, Thurs 19 - Sun 22 March

Shen Yun Performing Arts’ stated mission is to revive five millennia of civilisation. That’s no small order, but they nonetheless make a decent fist of it with this high-energy show, taking their audience on ‘an extraordinary journey to the lost land of the ancient Middle Kingdom’. ‘Magical legends and heavenly realms’ abound in a production that brings together classical Chinese dance with ethnic and folk dances. ‘Stunning’ animated backdrops, ‘exquisite’ costumes and an orchestra blending East and West also feature.

A dream for craft enthusiasts, this award-winning event is the UK’s largest creative crafts show - providing talks and demonstrations, an unrivalled array of hands-on experiences and plenty of inspiration for the thousands of visitors who pass through its doors.

A ticket to the show also allows entry into Hobbycraft’s companion events...

Sewing For Pleasure features some of the very best in the industry helping visitors brush up on their talents.

Fashion Embroidery & Stitch, meanwhile, is the ultimate showcase for those with a love of stitch and textiles.

The event features costumes from the retail-inspired TV drama Mr Selfridge, daily catwalk shows and live demonstrations.

WIN

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Events PREVIEWS Spring Lambing Day Walford Campus, Walford, North Shropshire, Sun 22 March

A popular event on the Walford Campus calendar, Spring Lambing Day enables visitors to get up close and personal with the latest newborns. The venue is also home to numerous other species of animal, including alpacas, meerkats and chinchillas - ensuring the lambs don’t get all the attention!

Other attractions featured during the day include clay pigeon shooting, dog agility, a vintage machinery display, a hog roast, superzorbs and face painting.

One of Walford’s most recent additions, the Fullwood Merlin milking machine, is on display in the site’s Herringbone milking parlour.

This year’s event also includes a display by the British Horseball Association. A combination of polo, rugby and basketball, horseball is one of ten disciplines officially recognised by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports.

Coalport China Museum Coalport China Museum, Nr Ironbridge, Shropshire, Mon 30 March - Fri 3 April

Ironbridge Gorge Museum’s range of attractions this Easter holiday includes Coalport China Museum’s family workshops, offering youngsters and their guardians the chance to make their very own tea light holder.

Inspired by the beautiful and intricate china cottage models known as the Coalport pastille burners, the holders are made by sculpting a cottage, castle or lighthouse from clay. Once the sculpture’s been fired, a small candle is put inside to transform it into a beautiful tea light holder.

Easter visitors to Coalport can also paint a delicate china flower, join in numerous paper-based activities, or sculpt a clay creation of their own choice and take it home unfired.

Blists Hill Victorian Town Blists Hill Victorian Town, Nr Ironbridge, Shropshire, Sat 28 March - Sun 12 April

Join the residents of Blists Hill Victorian Town this month for a whole host of Easter-themed activities. Kicking off the fun is egg dancing at the Print Shop. Watch the residents, blindfolded, dance across the streets, attempting to avoid the eggs placed along their route.

Everyone can have a go, and there’s even a prize for completing the course! The self-led ‘bunny hunt’, meanwhile, is a great way to explore the town. Follow the trail correctly and find all the bunnies to collect a prize.

And if you’ve still got the energy and enthusiasm to enjoy even more fun, then drop into the ‘goods shed’ and make a unique shadow lamp, lighting it up using a not-so-Victorian battery-operated tea light!

Dudley Canal Trust are offering funny face mask crafts on Sat 14 March with all proceeds donated to Comic Relief.

Sessions run between 11.30am and 1.30pm and are in addition to the site’s regular fortyfive-minute guided boat trips through the tunnels (10.30am to 3pm) which are accompanied by videos, lifelike reconstructions, music and light shows. Bookings for craft activities can be booked in advance by calling 0121 557 6265

Oswestry Litfest 2015

Red Nose Crafts Funny face making craft activites provide an added attraction for visitors to Dudley Canal Tunnel and Limestone Mines this month.

In support of Red Nose Day on 13 March,

The Big Bang Fair NEC, Birmingham, Wed 11 - Sat 14 March

Various locations throughout Oswestry, North Shropshire, Fri 13 - Fri 27 March

Dudley Canal Tunnel, Sat 14 March

Commenting on this year’s event, Festival Director Carrie Morris said: “Once again we’ve created a festival programme that offers light and shade, froth and depth and a range of events designed to have broad appeal to all ages and interests. We’re thrilled to bits to bring genuinely awe-inspiring authors, writers and performers to Oswestry again this month.”

A wealth of illustrious writers, novelists, journalists and broadcasters take part in this month’s sixth Oswestry LitFest. Big names making a contribution include: TVs most popular husband-and-wife team, Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan; former Director of Communications & Strategy for Tony Blair, Alistair Campbell: international bestselling psychological crime writer Sophie Hannah; and Oswestry-educated Dame Stephanie Shirley, who built a multi-million pound business before becoming Britain’s first ambassador for philanthropy. LitFest Patron Frank Cottrell Boyce makes a welcome return too, giving readings from his new children’s book, The Astounding Broccoli Boy.

Recognised as the UK’s largest celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths for young people, The Big Bang Fair brings together leading business and industry experts for four action-packed days of theatre shows, interactive workshops and exhibits. Highlights of the 2015 event include Supertasters, which not only features live eyeball dissection and cutting-edge food chemistry but also TV presenter Stefan Gates firing smell cannons! There’s also #Error404 - which explores the science behind computer coding using pyrotechnics and fireballs - and CSI workshops, offering visitors the chance to try their hand at being real-life forensic scientists. The Big Bang Fair Family Fun Day, meanwhile (Saturday and Sunday only), features plenty of engaging activities to keep children of all ages entertained

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Events PREVIEWS Homebuilding & Renovating And Show NEC, Birmingham, Thurs 26 - Sun 29 March

Whether you’re looking to build a new home from scratch or considering a home renovation project (regardless of size), a visit to the National Homebuilding And Renovating Show is sure to prove a good starting point.

Aimed at the self-builder, the 2015 event features a host of new attractions, such as the Innovation Trail and Ask The Architects.

There are plenty of familiar features in evidence too, including the Advice Centre, Ask The Experts, numerous specialist exhibitors and the chance to peruse hundreds of niche products.

Yonex Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham, Tues 3 - Sun 8 March

Create A Kaleidoscope!

Enginuity, Nr Ironbridge, Shropshire, Sat 28 March - Sun 12 April

Ironbridge Gorge’s Enginuity visitor attraction is inviting families to ‘illuminate their understanding of light’ during the Easter holidays by taking part in special drop-in workshops to celebrate the 2015 Year of Light & Lightbased Technologies. Visitors can also use craft materials in different colours and shapes to make their very own kaleidoscopes, enjoy watching the silhouettes of shadow puppets performing in the theatre, pull a ten ton steam locomotive by hand and learn more about generating electricity using water and dams.

This month sees a host of world-class badminton players visit the Midlands to compete for the Yonex title. The popular event, the one hundred-and-fifth of its kind, is taking place in Birmingham for the twenty-second year. The 2015 contest not only offers fans the chance to see players from the Commonwealth Games medal-winning England team but also the legendary Chinese Olympic Champion Lin Dan, who’ll be attempting to win his sixth Yonex title.

England’s mixed doubles stars Chris and Gabby Adcock are also in attendance. The popular pair will be going all out to land England’s first title since Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms in 2005. Let battle commence...

MCM Comic Con And Memorabilia NEC, Birmingham, Sat 21 - Sun 22 March

Birmingham’s best comic con returns to the NEC with Britain’s biggest collectors’ event, Memorabilia. Featuring Comic Village - for budding creators, artists and writers - the MCM Main Stage, dealer stalls and Robots Live (from the BBC TV series Robot Wars), the show is the ideal place to pick up those much sought-after collectables.

And with a fantastic line-up of TV and movie stars in attendance, it’s a great day out for autograph-hunters too.

exhibitors selling a wide range of popular products.

Other attractions include the Spring’s largest indoor autojumble, a ‘cars for sale’ area, Silverstone auctions, the Practical Classics Live Stage and the UK’s biggest collection of barn find displays.

Festival of the Dragon Moon The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent, Sat 14 March

Spring Steam Gala Severn Valley Railway, Bridgnorth, Shropshire, Fri 20 - Sun 22 March

The Severn Valley Railway’s Steam Gala this month includes the official opening of a brand new exhibition at the Engine House Visitors’ Centre in Highley. The exhibition celebrates the first fifty years of the popular railway. The gala also features a collection of locomotives from around the country, visiting the line for one weekend only.

Practical Classics Restoration Show NEC, Birmingham, Sat 28 - Sun 29 March

Midlands Classic Car enthusiasts can really immerse themselves in their passion at this specialist event.

Showcasing in excess of five hundred magnificent motors, the show also boasts live demos, expert tutorials, workshops, celebrity seminars and three hundred-and-fifty

One of a series of events scheduled to complement the Potteries Museum’s new Ahead Of The Curve exhibition, Festival Of The Dragon Moon is a family-friendly celebration of Chinese arts. Featured attractions include a Chinese puppet show, Peking Opera marionette demonstrations and an interactive musical storytelling of the iconic Willow Pattern tale. www.whatsonlive.co.uk 59

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Events LISTINGS For full listing information on Events, including times and dates, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk from

SUN 1 MAR ELIZABETHAN LIVING HISTORY WEEKEND The Reenactment group fill the hall with costumes and artifacts, bringing the period to life, Sun 1 Mar, Harvington Hall, Kidderminster WINTER TREE INDENTIFICATION WALK Take a stroll around the site’s Mile Walk & learn to identify winter trees from buds & bark, Sun 1 Mar, Attingham Park, Nr Shrewsbury CRAFT FAYRE Browse stalls selling a range of handmade crafts, Sun 1 Mar, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, Cannock Chase, Staffs ANTIQUES & COLLECTIONS FAIR A fun day out and the perfect opportunity to find something to complement your home, collection or wardrobe, Sun 1 Mar, Wolverhampton Racecourse, Wolverhampton MUSIC DAY A day of musical activities, performances and fun, Sun 1 Mar, Library of Birmingham FRIENDS BOOK SALE Including Children’s Book Corner storytelling, Sun 1 Mar, Birmingham Botanical Gardens SEVERN HOSPICE CHARITY DAY Abseil for a good cause, Sun 1 Mar, Hawkstone Park Follies, Weston-underRedcastle, North Shropshire THE NATIONAL WEDDING SHOW Described as ‘the ultimate wedding experience’, the National Wedding Show features over three hundred wedding specialists showcasing their wares and providing endless inspiration for your big day, until Sun 1 Mar, NEC, Birmingham THOMAS LAND WEEKEND Take a ride on Thomas or fly with Jeremy, plus visit the zoo to see animals from around the world, Sun 1 Mar, Drayton Manor Park, Tamworth, Staffs CADBURY CHARACTER WEEKEND Featuring Caramel Bunny, Freddo & more..., until Sun 1 Mar, Cadbury World, Birmingham TILE DECORATING WORKSHOP Use the tube lining technique to produce a 6x6inch tile featuring your own design and choice of colours.

Fired tiles can later be sent home for a small

extra charge to cover postage and packing, Tues 3 Mar, Jackfield Tile Museum, Ironbridge, Shropshire BELIEF & SUPERSTITION Delve deeper into the mysterious history of folklore and customs, Tues 3 Mar, Blakesley Hall, Birmingham THE YONEX ALL ENGLAND OPEN BADMINTON CHAMPIONSHIPS One of the oldest and most prestigious open badminton tournaments in the world, bringing together the top ten players from each discipline to compete for the coveted title, Tue 3 Sun 8 Mar, The Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham EASTER TRAIL Find the clues around the site and be in with a chance to win a prize, Tues 3 Mar - Thurs 30 Apr (Tues to Sat), Gladstone Potteries Museum, Stoke-onTrent WINTER GUIDED TOUR A chance to see Aston Hall during the closed season, Wed 4 Mar, Aston Hall, Birmingham WINTER TOURS An informative winter tour to find out more about the incredible story of Soho House and the world-changing meetings that took place there, Thurs 5 Mar, Soho House, Birmingham CANDLELIGHT TOURS Warm yourself by the open fires of the Back To Backs and sample the delights of fresh brown bread toasted on the range, with either jam or dripping, Thurs 5 - Sat 7 Mar, Birmingham Back to Backs LAMBING NIGHTS Join the farmyard for an evening of live lambing (hopefully). Help out with the bottle feeds as well as chick handling, talks, and new mum meet-and-greet, Thurs 5 - Sat 7 Mar, Shugborough Estate, Staffordshire CRUFTS The world's largest dog show returns with activities for the whole family, Thurs 5 - Sun 8 Mar, NEC, Birmingham FABRIC FAFFERS Fri 6 Mar, Broadfield House Glass Museum, Dudley CARIBBEAN BEACH PARTY WEEKEND Sit back and enjoy the Caribbean sounds & splish-splash your way around the resort’s tropical waterpark, Fri 6 - Sat 7 Mar, Alton Towers Resort, Staffs

Character Weekend - Cadbury World, Birmingham

BOWMAN ANTIQUES FAIR Quality three-day giant antique fair featuring up to four hundred stands including antiques, curios, vintage, retro and collectables, Fri 6 Sun 8 Mar, Stafford Bingley Hall LINCOLN TRIAL FAMILY RACE DAY Enjoy an afternoon of competitive family-friendly racing, Sat 7 Mar, Wolverhampton Racecourse, Wolverhampton VINTAGE RETOR & ARTISAN EXTRAVAGANZA A vintage fair with live music, artisan stalls, coconut shy and popup vintage tea room, Sat 7 Mar, Whitchurch Civic Centre, North Shropshire WELLINGTON CHARTER DAY Featuring morris dancing and street theatre, Sat 7 Mar, Market Square, Wellington, Shropshire SCIENCE CLUB - OPTICAL ILLUSIONS Sat 7 Mar, Red House Glass Cone, Dudley AN INTRODUCTION TO WICKER BASKETRY Expert Jonathan Ridgeon teaches how to weave small, medium and multi-purpose baskets, Sat 7 Mar, Selly Manor, Birmingham IRISH MUSIC DAY A day of Irish music with fiddle & mixed instrument workshops all day, and a guitar workshop in the afternoon, Sat 7 Mar, Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre, Craven Arms, South Shropshire STORYTELLING AND THE OUTDOORS Workshop with local storyteller Sal Tongue, exploring the art of storytelling, Sat 7 Mar, SGCT, Coalbrookdale, Telford, Shropshire SPRING CRAFTS FAIR The Spring and gifts fair, just in time for Mother’s Day, Sat 7 Mar, Ruskin Glass Centre, Stourbridge

BIRMINGHAM GREENFEST Sat 7 Mar, Birmingham Botanical Gardens DISCOVER YOUR IRISH FAMILY HISTORY Join Maggie Loughran, an expert in British and Irish genealogy, for a fascinating lecture with advice on how to discover your Irish family history, Sat 7 Mar, Birmingham Back to Backs HERITAGE WEEKEND Take a guided stroll around the beautiful Bournville Village and learn about its history, Sat 7 - Sun 8 Mar, Cadbury World, Birmingham FABULOUS FROGGIES Join in the froggy activities, including activity books and badge making, Sat 7 - Sun 15 Mar, National Sealife Centre, Birmingham HAND-CASTING Cast your hand or foot in glass as a keepsake for yourself or relatives, Sun 8 Mar, Broadfield House Glass Museum, Dudley BIRMINGHAM INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY A panel discussion and collection of monologues, all sharing experiences of women, Sun 8 Mar, mac Midlands Art Centre, Birmingham

Week Commencing

MON 9 MAR INTRODUCTION TO BRITISH FILM An interactive presentation about the British Film Industry today and what makes a film British. Booking required, Mon 9 Mar, The Hive, Shrewsbury, Shropshire TILE DECORATING WORKSHOP Use the tube lining technique to produce a 6x6inch tile featuring your own design and choice of colours.

Fired tiles can later be sent home for a small extra charge to cover postage and packing, Tues 10 Mar, Jackfield

Tile Museum, Ironbridge, Shropshire AN AUDIENCE WITH GORDON BANKS & ASMIR BEGOVIC Hear about life as a goalkeeper from both past and present, Wed 11 Mar, Britannia Stadium, Stoke-onTrent WINTER GUIDED TOUR A chance to see Aston Hall during the closed season, Wed 11 Mar, Aston Hall, Birmingham THE BIG BANG: UK YOUNG SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS FAIR Celebration of science and engineering for young people, aiming to inspire through engaging and interactive activities, workshops and shows, Wed 11 - Sat 14 Mar, NEC, Birmingham MY AMERICAN ODYSSEY: FROM THE WINDRUSH TO THE WHITEHOUSE Book launch of Roger Griffiths' story, which charts the life of a Black British boy growing up in 1980s England. Roger's travels around America, and the influence of Black-British and African-American culture in education, religion, music, sport & politics are also explored, Thurs 12 Mar, The Drum, Birmingham WINTER TOURS Informative winter tour to find out more about the incredible story of Soho House and the world-changing meetings that took place there, Thurs 12 Mar, Soho House, Birmingham ALL HANDS ON DECK A night of vinyl delight and musical surprises.

Take your own music, Fri 13 Mar, Light House Gallery, Wolverhampton PIRATE WEEKEND Featuring pirate activities throughout the weekend, including entertainment from Pirate Bill, Fri 13 - Sat 14 Mar, Alton Towers Resort, Staffs OSWESTRY LIT FEST A

host of top authors, writers and journalists feature in a series of events celebrating words - written, spoken and sung, Fri 13 - Fri 27 Mar, various locations in & around Oswestry, North Shropshire NIGHT RUN Fun family run through the parklands after dark. The short 2km Explorer route is an after-dark adventure with glowing lights guiding the way, Sat 14 Mar, Attingham Park, Nr Shrewsbury FESTIVAL OF THE DRAGON MOON Family-friendly event which ties in with the museum’s contemporary Chinese ceramics exhibition, Sat 14 Mar, Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-onTrent MIDLANDS GRAND NATIONAL The biggest race day in the Midlands, Sat 14 Mar, Uttoxeter Racing & Events, Shropshire LADIES DAY Sat 14 Mar, Red House Glass Cone, Dudley CRADLEY HEATH CREATIVE: LOCKED IN A local arts festival at a local pub, featuring film, photography, crafts, drawings & paintings, Sat 14 Mar, The Holly Bush Pub, Cradley Heath BLACKSMITH EXPERIENCE DAY A ‘hands on’ experience of blacksmithing under the guidance of an experienced locksmith demonstrator, Sat 14 Mar, Black Country Living Museum, Dudley LEATHER TRAVEL CASE A fun leather workshop for adults, with Sarah Benson, Sat 14 Mar, Leather Museum, Walsall WENLOCK OLYMPIAN LIVE ARTS FESTIVAL Featuring competitive classes in dance, music and speech & drama for children & young people aged eighteen & under, Sat 14 - Sun 15 Mar, William Brookes School, Much Wenlock,

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Events LISTINGS For full listing information on Events, including times and dates, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk South Shropshire SOOTY’S FUN HOUSE Sooty and co return with a new show to entertain the whole family, Sat 14 - Sun 15 Mar, Cadbury World, Birmingham MUMS GO FREE Free entry to all mums visiting with a paying adult, Sun 15 Mar, Shugborough Estate, Staffordshire MUMS GO FREE IN THE GARDENS & BONSAI BOOT SALE Sun 15 Mar, Birmingham Botanical Gardens

Week Commencing

MON 16 MAR IMAGINING MUSHROOMS A chance to create your very own mushroominspired cyanotype, Mon 16 Mar, Winterbourne House & Gardens, Birmingham SONNETS IN THE WOODS Part of Shakespeare week. Listen to excerpts around the property, Mon 16 - Wed 18 Mar, Moseley Old Hall, Wolverhampton EQUINOX MIXED MEDIA

FESTIVAL Founded by Beatfreaks, this community-based festival pioneers young talent in film, photography and design, Mon 16 Fri 20 Mar, Various locations across Birmingham TILE DECORATING WORKSHOP Use the tube lining technique to produce a 6x6inch tile featuring your own design and choice of colours.

Fired tiles can later be sent home for a small extra charge to cover postage and packing, Tues 17 Mar, Jackfield Tile Museum, Ironbridge, Shropshire ROMAN COOKERY WORKSHOP Find out more about authentic cooking techniques, ingredients and recipes of the times. Help create your own Roman dishes, Wed 18 Mar, Wroxeter Roman City, Shropshire WINTER GUIDED TOUR A chance to see Aston Hall during the closed season, Wed 18 Mar, Aston Hall, Birmingham MAKE A MOSAIC An exclusive workshop

exploring mosaic techniques, Thurs 19 Mar, Wroxeter Roman City, Shropshire LUDLOW RACES Thurs 19 Mar, Ludlow Racecourse, Bromfield, Ludlow, South Shropshire WINTER TOURS An informative winter tour to find out more about the incredible story of Soho House and the world-changing meetings that took place there, Thurs 19 Mar, Soho House, Birmingham OFFICIAL SQUEAMISHNESS’: THE AIR MINISTRY AND THE BOMBER OFFENSIVE OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR Lecture by Air Commodore (ret'd) Dr Peter Gray. This event forms part of The Trenchard Lectures in Air Power Studies that are held in conjunction with the Royal Aeronautical Society and the University of Wolverhampton, Thurs 19 Mar, University of Wolverhampton SEWING FOR PLEASURE AND FASHION EMBROIDERY & STICH Fans of knitting, sewing, patchwork and cross stich should be sure to visit, Thurs 19 - Sun 22 Mar, NEC, Birmingham HOBBYCRAFTS For all the latest creative craft sup-

Caribbean Beach Party Weekend - Alton Towers Resort, Staffs

plies, Thurs 19 - Sun 22 Mar, NEC, Birmingham FLATPACK FILM FESTIVAL A mixture of films, performances, contraptions and surprises, Thurs 19 - Sun 29 Mar, Across Birmingham THE CRAFTY COCKNEY An exhibition match evening with darts legend Eric Bristow MBE. Fifteen guests will be given the opportunity to take on the champion, Fri 20 Mar, The Raven Hotel, Prees Heath, Nr Whitchurch, North Shropshire ADULT CRAFTS Fri 20 Mar, Broad House

Glass Museum, Dudley SEVERN VALLEY RAILWAY SPRING STEAM GALA: 50TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR! Featuring three days of intensive steam action along the whole length of the line, Fri 20 - Sun 22 Mar, Severn Valley Railway, Bewdley, Nr Kidderminster CHILDREN’S BOOK FESTIVAL Join time-travelling Professor McGinty for a historical tour of Tudor times, Sat 21 Mar, Selly Manor, Birmingham APPLE GRAFTING WORKSHOP Learn how to graft

your own apple tree from other rootstock to create healthy apple trees and new varieties.

Tom the Appleman will also be on hand to teach knife-sharpening skills, Sat 21 Mar, Fordhall Farm, Market Drayton, North Shropshire WENLOCK OLYMPIAN LIVE ARTS FESTIVAL Featuring competitive classes in dance, music and speech & drama for children & young people aged eighteen & under, Sat 21 Mar, William Brookes School, Much Wenlock,

www.whatsonlive.co.uk 63

Events March region 2.qxp_Layout 1 24/02/2015 12:09 Page 11

Events LISTINGS For full listing information on Events, including times and dates, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk South Shropshire EASTER RAG RUG Learn about the craft and techniques which will help you create a wreath for all occasions. All tools, materials and Easter refreshments are provided, Sat 21 Mar, Birmingham Back to Backs SUPERHERO SATURDAY All children dressed as superheroes get free entry to the museum, Sat 21 Mar, Gladstone Pottery Museum, Stokeon-Trent SUPERHERO STORIES Superhero stories with the site’s storyteller, Sat 21 Mar, Gladstone Pottery Museum, Stokeon-Trent HAUNTED BLACK COUNTY Local historian Ian Bott tells spinetingling tales of the Black Country, Sat 21 Mar, The Leather Museum, Walsall MCM COMIC CON & MEMORABILIA Birmingham’s best comic con and Britain’s biggest collectors’ event, Sat 21 - Sun 22 Mar, NEC, Birmingham DISCOVER NATURE WEEKEND Get back to nature and explore the sights, sounds & habitats of the wildlife in Onny Meadows, Sat 21 - Sun 22 Mar, Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre, Craven Arms, South Shropshire IF YOU GO DOWN TO THE WOODS TODAY Venture into the Moseley Woodlands, Sat 21 Sun 22 Mar, Moseley Old Hall, Wolverhampton CADBURY CHARACTER WEEKEND Featuring Caramel Bunny, Freddo & more..., Sat 21 - Sun 22 Mar, Cadbury World, Birmingham LEEK FOOD & DRINK FESTIVAL Sat 21 - Sun 22 Mar, various locations in & around Leek, Staffs STORYTELLING SESSION Listen to tales of knights, dragons & princesses in the sur-

roundings of a medieval castle. Meet Ruby, the Tamworth Castle dragon, dress up or get hands-on with craft activities, Sat 21 Sun 22 Mar, Tamworth Castle THE PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW An event dedicated to the world of photography, Sat 21 - Tue 24 Mar, NEC, Birmingham LAMBING TIME AT HOO FARM Spring has arrived at Hoo Farm Animal Kingdom. With lambs being born every day, you can watch them play and then bottle feed them, Sun 22 Mar, Hoo Farm Animal Kingdom, Telford, Shropshire WOMEN AND THE GREAT WAR History Wardrobe bear witness to the lives of women during the war by showcasing their stories and their clothes. Advance booking essential. Sun 22 Mar, Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-onTrent MAD MATHS & MARBLES Sun 22 Mar, Broad House Glass Museum, Dudley STAFFORD HALF MARATHON Sun 22 Mar, Stafford Town Centre

Week Commencing

MON 23 MAR NATIONAL BADMINTON LEAGUE Birmingham Lions vs Loughborough Sport, Mon 23 Mar, Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham TILE DECORATING WORKSHOP Use the tube lining technique to produce a 6x6inch tile featuring your own design and choice of colours.

Fired tiles can later be sent home for a small extra charge to cover postage and packing, Tues 24 Mar, Jackfield Tile Museum, Ironbridge, Shropshire LITTLE POTTERS A pot-

Birmingham Back to Backs - National Trust

64 www.whatsonlive.co.uk

tery workshop aimed at children under five, Wed 25 Mar, The Hive, Shrewsbury, Shropshire JUNIOR POTTERS A pottery workshop aimed at juniors aged four to seven, Wed 25 Mar, The Hive, Shrewsbury, Shropshire FAMILY LEARNING AFTERNOON Event for families with children under five featuring a range of activities provided by students from Wolverhampton City College - including activities with chocolate-scented playdough!, Wed 25 Mar, RAF Museum Cosford, Nr Wolverhampton BEHIND CLOSED DOORS Join Graeme Clarke for a backstage tour of Erddig, and venture behind the scenes to discover hidden spaces not usually open to the public, Wed 25 - Thurs 26 Mar, Erddig, Nr Wrexham SPRING HIGHLIGHTS GARDEN TOUR Enjoy a guided tour of the gardens, Thurs 26 Mar, Winterbourne House & Gardens, Birmingham VIDEO GAMES LIVE BONUS ROUND Picture the energy and excitement of a rock concert mixed with the power and emotion of a live symphony orchestra, combined together by the technology, interactivity, stunning visuals and fun that only video games can provide, Thurs 26 Mar, Symphony Hall, Birmingham THE HOMEBUILDING & RENOVATING SHOW Find everything you’ll need for your next home improvement project, Thurs 26 - Sun 29 Mar, NEC, Birmingham FRIDAY TWILIGHT: A CHINESE ADVENTURE Travel to the mystical world of the Orient in an interactive film evening to celebrate Chinese New Year, Fri 27 Mar, Potteries Museum, Stoke-on-Trent SPRING INTO THE PARK Brand new free family event celebrating the great outdoors, Sat 28 Mar, Telford Town Park, Shropshire

Equinox Mixed Media Festival - Various Locations Around Birmingham

EASTER-THEMED TILE DECORATING WORKSHOPS Sat 28 Mar, Jackfield Tile Museum, Ironbridge, Shropshire A NIGHT AT THE TRENCH A unique opportunity to view the museum’s trench after dark with some WWI re-enactment soldiers, Sat 28 Mar, The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent SOOTY’S FUN HOUSE Sooty and co return with a new show to entertain the whole family, Sat 28 - Sun 29 Mar, Cadbury World, Birmingham LIGHT WORKSHOPS Celebrate the 2015 Year Of Light And Lightbased Technologies, Sat 28 Mar - Sun 12 April, Enginuity, Ironbridge, Shropshire MINIATURA - THE INTERNATIONAL DOLLS' HOUSE MODELLING SHOW Specialised event dedicated to domestic modelling in 1/12th and related scales, Sat 28 Sun 29 Mar, NEC, Birmingham LIVING HISTORY WEEKEND WITH NAPOLEONIC RIFLEMEN Sat 28 - Sun 29 Mar, Whittington Castle, Nr Oswestry, North Shropshire PRACTICAL CLASSICS RESTORATION SHOW With inspirational advice, live demos, workshops and celebrity seminars, Sat 28 - Sun 29 Mar, NEC, Birmingham EGG-CITING EASTER ACTIVITIES Take part in an Easter egg hunt, bonnet parade, egg painting and quizzes, Sat 28 Mar - Sun 12 Apr, Black Country Living Museum, Dudley DINOSAUR EGG HUNT Test your dinosaur knowledge and follow the trail, Sat 28 Mar Sat 11 April, Library of Birmingham FAMILY TRAIL Sat 28 Mar - Sat 11 Apr, Dudley Museum & Art Gallery FAMILY TRAIL Sat 28 Mar - Sun 12 Apr, Broad House Glass Museum, Dudley FAMILY TRIAL Sat 28 Mar - Sun 12 Apr, Red House Glass Cone, Dudley THE GREAT EASTER

BUNNY HUNT Featuring a new themed trail where visitors can hunt for the Easter Bunnies hiding in the Blists Hill woods, Sat 28 Mar - Sun 12 Apr, Blists Hill Victorian Town, Ironbridge HELP OLAF FIND THE SNOW QUEEN Follow the clues on the trail map and help Olaf find the Snow Queen and her friends. Trail involves a one-mile walk through woodland paths & slopes, Sat 28 Mar Sun 12 Apr, Severn Valley Country Park, Nr Bridgnorth, Shropshire EASTER-THEMED SHADOW LAMP MAKING Design and make your own shadow lamp using card & battery-powered tea light, Sat 28 Mar Sun 12 Apr, Blists Hill Victorian Town, Ironbridge, Shropshire EGG DANCING & EASTER FUN Join the residents of Blists Hill as they celebrate Easter over the school holidays, Sat 28 Mar - Sun 12 Apr, Blists Hill Victorian Town, Ironbridge, Shropshire EXCELLENT EGGS TRAIL Follow the trail to learn about the wonderful types of eggs in the natural world and win a prize, Sat 28 Mar - Sun 12 Apr, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, Cannock Chase, Staffs LIGHT WORKSHOPS Drop-in family workshops to illuminate your understanding of light, Sat 28 Mar - Sun 12 Apr, Blists Hill Victorian Town, Ironbridge EASTER EGGSTRAVAGANZA Join in all the extra activities this Easter, including trails, password solving and chocolate prizes, Sat 28 - Sun 12 Apr, West Midlands Safari Park, Bewdley EASTER CRAFT FAIR Bespoke gifts and treats from talented businesses in the West Midlands, Sat 28 Mar Sun 12 Apr, Becketts Farm, Wythall, Birmingham EASTER TRAIL Follow the Easter-themed trail to solve the clues and win a prize, Sat 28 Mar Wed 15 Apr, Beacon Park, Lichfield, Staffs

EASTER HOLIDAY ACTIVITY DAY Featuring Cadbury Easter Egg trails. Hunt the grounds, find the clues and crack the Easter Bunnies puzzles to win... Mon 30 Mar, Dudmaston Estate, Bridgnorth, Shropshire HOLIDAY SCHOOL Mon 30 Mar, Red House Glass Cone, Dudley EASTER ACTIVITIES Make your own bird glider. All materials supplied, Mon 30 Mar - Thurs 2 Apr, RAF Cosford Museum, Nr Wolverhampton HOME SWEET HOME FAMILY WORKSHOPS Make your own tea light holders, inspired by the intricate china cottage models known as the Coalport pastille burners, Mon 30 Mar - Fri 3 Apr, Coalport China Museum, Ironbridge, Shropshire EASTER AROUND THE WORLD Themed family fun for the Easter holidays, Mon 30 Mar - Fri 3 Apr, Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre, Craven Arms, South Shropshire EASTER-THEMED TILE DECORATING WORKSHOPS Mon 30 Mar Sat 4 Apr, Jackfield Tile Museum, Ironbridge, Shropshire EASTER FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT Easter holiday family entertainment, Mon 30 Mar - 19 April, Cadbury World, Birmingham FAMILY CRAFTS Tues 31 Mar, Dudley Museum & Art Gallery, Dudley ATTINGHAM ADVENTURES: BIG BIRD DAY Half-term activity where younger visitors are invited to get messy, explore the outdoors and tick off lots of their Fifty Things To Do Before You’re 11 3/4, Tues 31 Mar, Attingham Park, Nr Shrewsbury GROSS GAZUNDAS & PUTRID PRIVIES Explore the interesting world of gross gazundas and putrid privies by following the trail while taking a tour of the Back To Backs, Tue 31 Mar Sun 12 April, Birmingham Back to Backs

Eating Out March Region Two.qxp_Layout 1 23/02/2015 20:54 Page 1

Eating Out Restaurant receives a two AA Rosette Award After a recent visit from AA Hotel Services, Old Downton Lodge in Ludlow not only retained its five gold stars for its accommodation but also gained a two AA Rosette Award.

The award recognises ‘high standards, consistency and precision, serving food prepared with care and with evident selection of fresh, seasonal, quality ingredients’.

Commenting on the award, Willem and Pippa Vlok, the owners of Old Downton Lodge, said: “We are so proud of Karl [Karl Martin, Head Chef] and the whole team.”

The restaurant is open to non-residents Tuesday to Saturday between 6pm and 9pm.

Foodie hidden gem in Telford REVIEW

Refuel, revitalised...

Royal Air Force Museum Cosford’s existing Refuel restaurant has been given a fresh lease of life, courtesy of brand new locally sourced and homemade seasonal menus.

The change comes as a result of catering company Kudos being awarded an exclusive £3.3million retail and event contract at the museum.

Along with the improvements to the menu, Kudos is introducing a brand new grab-and-go hot food option, served from its mobile Citroen H Van. The van will be situated in the National Cold War Exhibition but will also provide flexible event catering in the main auditorium, conference centre and aeroplane hangers.

The award-winning museum houses over seventy aircraft of international importance.

Telford always gets a bit of a ribbing when it comes to the choice of restaurants in the area. In terms of fine dining, the general consensus would be, there isn’t any.

Well, the general consensus couldn’t be more inaccurate!

Dorrells at the Park House Hotel in Hadley has quickly become a strong contender for one of my favourite foodie hang-outs.

The old building definitely gives you the impression of a characterful, quality hotel.

We settled down in the Morning Room, next to the fireplace, with a fantastic glass of Chilean Merlot in hand.

The menu was a great read, as it made clear its intention to serve fine foods without the air of pretentiousness you often find in this type of establishment. The pricing was highly competitive, with starters from £4.95 and main courses from £9.95.

The vegetarian options also sounded incredibly appetising, with not a goat’s cheese tart or mushroom risotto in sight.

My favourite aspect of the menu was the availability of ‘classic’ dishes with all

the British favourites, and then a ‘seasonal’ column.

Within each of these is one ‘people’s choice’ selection. I opted for all the ‘people’s choice’ options: Seared scallops and pork belly with pork scratching and apple emulsion, followed by pan-fried sea bream, crushed citrus, new potatoes, caramelised cauliflower and parmesan puree with charred baby leeks.

My husband, meanwhile, had the black pudding, crispy boiled egg, cherry vine tomatoes, crisp pancetta and mushroom ketchup, followed by a 6oz fillet steak, potato and horseradish croquettes, roast parsnips and shallot puree.

The portions were generous and the presentation of the dishes fantastic. I thought the combination of flavours in each dish was absolutely bang on.

The beautiful emulsions and purees negate any need for rich, heavy sauces. We both enjoyed every mouthful.

All the members of staff were very polite and attentive - they’re clearly very well rehearsed and have one eye on customer service at all times.

To finish, we had the ‘people’s choice’ sticky toffee

bread & butter pudding with toffee sauce and vanilla ice cream, and the banana parfait, caramel sorbet and chocolate ganache shortbread.

Again, the presentation was marvellous. The highlight had to be the caramel sorbet. It was absolutely divine.

My one criticism of the restaurant would be the dining area itself. You could tell that it’s a popular wedding venue, as it had a very airy, marquee feel to it. It feels very corporate in the week, with staff telling me that most of their weekend business is wedding-related, which makes it hard to get a table if you’re a couple or a family. But those who fancy a weekday treat would be pleasantly surprised by a visit to Dorrells. It’s certainly a trip that I’ll be repeating sooner rather than later.

Jessica Matthews Food: nnnnn Service: nnnnn Ambience: n n n n n Overall value n n n n n OVERALL n n n n n Hadley Park House Hotel Hadley Park East Telford Shropshire TF1 6QJ Tel: 01952 677269 www.whatsonlive.co.uk 65

Eating Out March Region Two.qxp_Layout 1 23/02/2015 20:54 Page 2

Restaurant LISTINGS For full listing information on restaurants, including opening times and type of cuisine, visit: www.whatsonlive.co.uk

Black Country ARBOUR LIGHTS 127-128 Lichfield Street, Walsall WS1 1SY 01922 613361 BANKS BISTRO Chapel Ash, Wolverhampton WV1 4EP 01902 238433 BELLA 82 Chapel Ash, Wolverhampton. 01902 427555 BENGAL FUSION 174 High St, Lye, Stourbridge DY9 8LN. 01384 891111 BILASH 2 Cheapside, Wolverhampton, WV1 1TU 01902 427762 THE BLUE BRICK Broad Gauge Way, Wolverhampton WV1 1AA 01902 875301 BRAVACCIOUS 4 Upper Green, Wolverhampton WV6 8QQ 01902 756052 CAFE CHAMPAGNE 253255 Bilston Road, Wolverhampton WV2 2JN 01902 458024 CASA CASITA Upper Gornal, Dudley. DY3 1UP 01902 676754 CATELLANI’S 6 School St, Wolverhampton, WV1 4LR 01902 428928 CINNAMON COURT Bentley Mill Way, Walsall WS2 0BP 0121 568 6664 THE COWSHED Clive Farm Clive Rd, Pattingham, WV6 7EN 01902 701888 THE CROOKED HOUSE Coppice Hill, Himley DY3 4DA 01384 238583 THE DITCH 1 Town Hill, Walsall, WS1 2EU 01922 643215 DON SALVO 25 Darlington Street, Wolverhampton WV1 4HW 01902 712819 DUNSLEY HALL Dunsley Rd, Kinver, DY7 6LU 01384 877077 FARADAYS The Waterfront, Brierley Hill, Dudley, DY5 1UR 01384 482 882 FIVE RIVERS Vicarage Place, Walsall WS1 3NA 01922 646164

FOUR STONES Adam’s Hill,Clint, Stourbridge, DY9 9PS 01562 883260 FRANZLS 151 Milcote Rd, Smethwick, B67 5BN 0121 429 7920 FRENCH CONNECTION 3 Coventry St, Stourbridge DY8 1EP 01384 390940 FRENCH HEN Bromsgrove Rd, Clent, Stourbridge DY9 9PY 01562 883040 GOLDEN MOMENTS 2-3 Ablewell St, Walsall WS1 2EQ 01922 640363 THE HUNGRY BISTRO 81 Lichfield Street, Wolverhampton, WV1 1EQ 01902 546336 LE BRASSERIE 5 Lower Mill Street, Kidderminster. DY11 6UU 01562 744976 MADE IN THAI Darlington St, Wolverhampton WV1 4HW 01902 312512 PARADISE BALTI 7 Lower Mill Street, Kidderminster DY11 6UU 01562 60479 THE PIE FACTORY 50 Hurst Lane, Tipton DY4 9AB 0121 557 1402 RED FORT Fold St, Wolverhampton, WV1 4LP 01902 424440 RISTORANTE ROMAGNA 4 Upper Green, Tettenhall, Wolverhampton WV6 8QQ 01902 756052 SAFFRON Wolverhampton Road, Oldbury B69 4RR 0121 552 1752 SIMON’S 520 Chester Rd, Aldridge, Walsall, WS9 0PU 0121 580 9293 SPICES Hollywell Rd, Wednesbury. WS10 7PA 0121 502 0720 THE SPRINGHILL Warstones Rd, Penn, Wolverhampton WV4 4LB 01902 342530 THE SUMMERHOUSE 92 Gospel End Rd, Dudley DY3 4AN 01902 676 102 THORNESCROFT Bridgnorth Rd, Wolverhampton, WV6 7EQ 01902 700 253 THE WOODMAN Claverley, Wolverhampton WV5 7DG 01746 710 553

THE DINNER CLUB

Shropshire AFTAB 25 High St, Ironbridge TF8 7AD 01952 432055 ALBRIGHT HUSSEY Ellesmere Rd, Shrewsbury, SY4 3AF 01939 290 523 BISTRO JACQUES 77/77a Mardol, Shrewsbury SY1 1PZ 01743 272586 BUTLERS Park St, Shifnal, TF11 9BA 01952 460128 CASA NARANJO Barracks Passage, Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury SY1 01743 588165 CASA RUIZ 45 High Street, Bridgnorth, WV16 4DX 01746 218 084 CHEZ MAW Best Western Valley Hotel, Buildwas Rd, Ironbridge, TF8 7DW 01952 432247 THE COTTAGE Tern Hill, Market Drayton TF9 3PX 01630 638984 CROMWELLS 11 Dogpole, Shrewsbury SY1 1EN 01743 361440 DA VINCI’S 26 High St, Ironbridge, TF8 7AD 01952 432250 DORRINGTON OLD HALL PERSIAN CUISINE Main Road, Dorrington, Shropshire SY5 7JD 01743 719100 DRAPERS 10 St Mary’s St Shrewsbury, SY1 1DZ 01743 344679 THE FEATHERS Brockton, Much Wenlock TF13 6JR 01746 785202 FENNELS 8 Market Place, Shifnall TF11 9AZ 01952 463020 THE FOX INN 46 High St, Much Wenlock TF13 6AD 01952 727292 FRANK CAFE BAR 129 Frankwell, Shrewsbury SY3 8JX 01743 354422 THE GOLDEN CROSS 14 Princess St, Shrewsbury, SY1 1LP 01743 362507 GRANARY BAR & GRILL Weston Park, Westonunder-Lizard, Nr Shifnal, TF11 8LE 01952 852107 THE GLUTTON CLUB 165167 Frankwell, Shrewsbury SY3 8LG 01743 361672 HADLEY PARK HOUSE Hadley Park, Telford TF1 6QJ 01952 677269 HAVANA REPUBLIC 18 Abbey Foregate,

(EST 86)

A RECIPE FOR FINE FOOD AND GOOD COMPANY

SINGLE?

For the more discerning unattached person, age 40+ Events weekly include dining out, dinner dances, black tie balls,theatre, parties, weekends away and holidays abroad.

NOT A DATING AGENCY

01244 677030 (Day) / 01244 548816 (Eve/W-end)

www.thedinnerclubuk.com 66 www.whatsonlive.co.uk

The Shrewsbury Arms, Albrighton

Shrewsbury SY2 6AE 01743 281744 THE HAYWARDS at The Lion Hotel, Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury SY1 1UY 01743 353107 HENRY TUDOR HOUSE Barracks Passage Shrewsbury SY1 1XA 01743 361666 HILL VALLEY HOTEL Tarporley Road, Whitchurch SY13 4HA 0844 879 9049 THE INN AT GRINSHILL The High Street, Grinshill, Shrewsbury, SY4 3BL 01939 220410 KING & THAI Avenue Rd, Broseley, Telford TF12 5DL 01952 882004 THE KNIGHTON HOTEL Broad Street, Knighton, Powys LD7 1BL 01547 520530 LA DOLCE VITA 35 Hills Lane, Shrewsbury SY1 1QU 01743 249126 LA LANTERNA The Old Vestry, St Julian's Church, Shrewsbury SY1 1UH 01743 233552 LION & PHEASANT 50 Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury SY1 1XJ 01743 770345 THE LION QUAYS Moreton, Oswestry SY11 3EN 01691 684300 LOCH FYNE Talbot House, Market Street, Shrewsbury SY1 1LG 01743 277140 LUDLOW KITCHEN Bromfield, Ludlow, SY2 2JR 01584 856020 THE MALTHOUSE The Wharfage, Ironbridge TF8 7NH 01902 433712 MOMO·NO·KI T19 Abbey Foregate,Shrewsbury, SY2 6AE 01743 281770 MORGANS 1 Bellstone, Shrewsbury SY1 1HU 01743 231199 MR UNDERHILLS Dinham Weir, Ludlow Shropshire SY8 1EH 01584 874431 THE MYTTON & MERMAID Atcham, Shrewsbury, SY5 6QG 01743 761220 THE OLD ORLETON INN Holyhead Rd, Wellington, TF1 2HA 01952 255011 THE OLD RECTORY HOTEL & RESTAURANT Lowe Hill Road, Wem, Shropshire SY4 5UA 01939 233233 THE PEACH TREE 21 Abbey Foregate,

Shrewsbury, SY2 6AE 01743 355055 THE PLUME OF FEATHERS Harley, Shrewsbury SY5 6LP 01743 727360 PORTER HOUSE 15 St Mary’s St, Shrewsbury, SY1 1EQ 01743 358870 THE POUND AT LEEBOTWOOD Leebotwood, Nr Church Stretton SY6 6ND 01694 751477 RENAISSANCE, 29a Princess St, Shrewsbury, SY11LW 01743 354289 ROMOLO Victoria Avenue, shrewsbury SY1 1HH 01743 233244 SARACENS Shrewsbury Rd, SY4 4AG 01939 210877 SEBASTIANS 45 Willow St, Oswestry SY11 1AQ 01691 655444 SHALIMAR 23 Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury SY2 6AE 01743 366658 SHERAZ 79 Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury SY1 1UT 01743 242321 THE SILVERTON the Old Dairy, 9-10 Frankwell, Shrewsbury SY3 8JY 01743 248000 TIN TINS Wellington Road, Telford TF2 8AJ 01952 608688 THE WALLS Welsh Walls, Oswestry SY11 1AW 01691 670970 ZIZZI RISORANTE 39-40 High Street, Shrewsbury SY1 1SF 01743 353232

Staffordshire NO 5 Gaol Mews, Stafford ST16 3AN 01785 22 9900 95 HIGH GREEN Cannock.

WS11 1BH 01543 573905 1709 THE BASSERIE 3-5 Lombard St, Lichfield.

WS13 6DP 01543 257986 BELLA ITALIA 20 Greengate St, Stafford, ST16 2HS 01785 211968 CHANDLERS Corn Exchange, Conduit St, Lichfield, WS13 6JU 01543 416688 THE CORNER HOUSE Second Avenue, BurtonOn-Trent DE14 2WF 01283 542321 CURRY KUTEER 31 Greengate Street, Stafford

ST16 2HY 01785 253279 ESSENCE OF THE ORIENT 27 Broad Eye, Stafford ST16 2QB 01785 229988 FOUR SEASONS Swinfen Hall Lichfield, WS14 9RE 01543 481494 THE GREEN ROOM Castle Dyke, Lichfield WS13 6HR 01543 412121 INDIAN VILLAGE 8 Lombard St, Lichfield.

WS13 6DR 01543 253415 INDICA Virage Park, Cannock. WS11 0HN 08712 070417 LA DOLCE VITA 19 Stafford St, Stone ST15 8QW 01785 817 985 THE LODGE 24 Birmingham Road, Shenstone. WS14 0LQ 01543 483334 MALABAR 1-2 Water Street, Stafford, ST16 2AG 01785 227 500/600 MARLOES 13 London Road, Newcastle under Lyme, ST4 1LQ 01782 661983 THE MILL 1 Mill St, Stone, ST15 8BA 01785 818456 THE NAVIGATION INN Newport Road, Gnosall, Stafford ST20 0BN 01785 822327 OLD VICARAGE 2 Main St, Branston, Burton, DE14 3EX 01283 533222 PASCAL AT THE OLD VICARAGE 2 Main Street, Branston, Burton-uponTren 01283 533222 PASTICHE BISTRO 1 - 2 Mill Street, Stafford, ST16 2AJ 01782 263 737 THE PEAR TREE Swinfen, Nr. Lichfield, WS14 9QR 01543 481807 PORTOFINO 38-40 Marsh St Stoke-On-Trent, ST1 1JD 01782 209444 THE RED ROOM 7 Newcastle Road, Congleton CW12 4HN 01260 297871 THORNBURY HALL, RASOI Lockwood Rd, Kingsley Holt, Stafford ST10 2DH 01538 750831 WOLSELEY ARMS Wolseley Bridge, Stafford ST17 0XS 01889 883179

p67 (IBC) R2.qxp_Layout 1 23/02/2015 18:17 Page 1

Mother’s Day Sunday 15th March 1 Course £12.95

2 Course £16.95

3 Course £19.95

The Peach Tree

Served from 12noon - throughout the day.

Reservations strongly advised 01743 355055 18-21 Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, SY2 6AE.

grand_whatson FP March:Layout 1 20/02/2015 14:08 Page 1

Great Theatre at the Grand!

TUES 10 - SAT 14 MARCH

TUES 17 - SAT 21 MARCH

TUES 24 - SAT 28 MARCH

SAT 4 APRIL

TUES 7 - SAT 11 APRIL

SUN 12 APRIL

JEFFREY HOLLAND

JUDY BUXTON

MON 13 - TUES 14 APRIL

WED 15 - THURS 16 APRIL

TUES 21 APRIL - SAT 2 MAY

LA BOHÈME (PUCCINI)

THE SIEGE OF CALAIS (DONIZETTI)

SUBSCRIPTIONS AND EARLY BIRD AVAILABLE

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Box Office 01902

42 92 12

BOOK ONLINE AT www.grandtheatre.co.uk