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THE MIDLANDS ESSENTIAL ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE<br />
BIRMINGHAM<br />
DOLLY<br />
PARTON<br />
What’sOnLIVING LEGEND IN BRUM<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
ISSUE 342 JUNE 2014<br />
DAWN FRENCH<br />
out on the road with<br />
first ever solo tour<br />
FLASH MOB<br />
celebrity-driven dance<br />
show arrives in the city<br />
AEGON CLASSIC<br />
prestigious sporting<br />
event back at Edgbaston
June 2014<br />
Editor:<br />
Davina Evans<br />
davina@whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
01743 281708<br />
Editorial Assistants:<br />
Brian O’Faolain<br />
brian@whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
01743 281701<br />
Lauren Foster<br />
lauren@whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
01743 281707<br />
Adrian Parker<br />
adrian.parker@whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
01743 281714<br />
Sales & Marketing:<br />
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j.cartwright@whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
01743 281703<br />
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chris@whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
01743 281704<br />
Subscriptions:<br />
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adrian.parker@whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
01743 281714<br />
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paul@whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
01743 281711<br />
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01743 281710<br />
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Accounts Administrator<br />
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Website Development:<br />
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Contributors:<br />
Graham Bostock: Theatre<br />
James Cameron-Wilson:<br />
Film; Anita Champaneri:<br />
Eating Out;<br />
Alev Dervish: Music<br />
Eva Easthope, Kate<br />
Evans, Jessica Aston,<br />
Patsy Moss, Jack Rolfe,<br />
Jan Watts, Reggie White<br />
Head Office:<br />
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What’sOn<br />
MAGAZINE GROUP<br />
Dawn French - brings new solo show to the region, page 24<br />
TO GET THE VERY<br />
LATEST LISTING<br />
INFORMATION,<br />
VISIT:<br />
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INCLUDING<br />
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News p4<br />
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Theatre p27<br />
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INSIDE:<br />
Annie Get Your Gun<br />
all-star cast in<br />
West End musical p29<br />
Flash Mob<br />
promising a Flawless<br />
performance p38<br />
Bass Festival<br />
celebrating Black arts<br />
in the Midlands p49<br />
June 2014<br />
M T W T F S S<br />
1<br />
2 3 4 5 6 7 8<br />
9 10 11 12 13 14 15<br />
16 17 18 19 20 21 22<br />
23 24 25 26 27 28 29<br />
30
News A ROUND-UP OF LOCAL AND NATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT NEWS<br />
Arts Council grant secures<br />
future of Midlands orchestra<br />
An orchestra which faced an uncertain future<br />
following the closure of West Bromwich arts<br />
venue The Public last November has<br />
received a £100,000 grant from Arts Council<br />
England. The People’s Orchestra, which<br />
formed two years ago, was both located and<br />
regularly performed at The Public. The funding<br />
will allow the orchestra to employ two<br />
essential members of staff - a Volunteer<br />
Manager and a Concert Manager.<br />
Co-founder Sarah Marshall said of the grant:<br />
“This is fantastic news for the orchestra, and<br />
we can push on with an exciting artistic programme.<br />
As an amateur orchestra, run solely<br />
by volunteers, the move from The Public was<br />
very disruptive, and our existence has been<br />
very hand-to-mouth ever since.”<br />
The People’s Orchestra perform an evening<br />
of Film Greats at Birmingham’s Adrian Boult<br />
Hall on Sunday 22 June.<br />
Photography competition<br />
winner announced<br />
Thirty-one-year-old Sarah Harding from<br />
Cradley Heath in Birmingham has won a<br />
unique photography competition celebrating<br />
the traditional Japanese cherry blossom festival,<br />
Hanami.<br />
Sarah was up against an impressive number<br />
of entrants, but triumphed in the competition<br />
because the judges felt that her image had<br />
‘rather uniquely captured the cherry blossom<br />
on a rainy day’. The competition was organised<br />
in partnership with Ikon and Cafe Opus at<br />
Ikon. Sarah’s winning photograph will now be<br />
on public display at Cafe Opus.<br />
Belgrade Theatre Unplugs its new season<br />
A festival which offers audiences the opportunity to enjoy rehearsed readings from the<br />
Coventry Belgrade Theatre’s forthcoming autumn season of home-produced drama is making<br />
a welcome return after enjoying great success last year. Entitled Unplugged, the week-long<br />
performance programme takes place at venues throughout Coventry and Warwickshire.<br />
Highlights of the 2014 programme include readings from Peter Arnott’s Propaganda Swing,<br />
2Tone musical Three Minute Heroes and the popular B2 Christmas show Oh No It Isn’t.<br />
Commenting on the return of Unplugged, the Belgrade’s Artistic Director, Hamish Glen, said,<br />
“These events have been devised to offer people the chance to come and hear excerpts from<br />
our forthcoming autumn season in the form of rehearsed readings in interesting and inspiring<br />
settings. They aren’t fully realised productions with big sets and lighting; they are stripped<br />
back, ‘unplugged’ readings that I’m putting together with a group of talented actors, to give<br />
you a unique taste of what’s in store at the Belgrade throughout the rest of the year. Whether<br />
you’re a theatre aficionado or just looking for a fun and entertaining cultural experience,<br />
Unplugged promises to be a great showcase of some of the exciting theatre we’ve got coming<br />
up this autumn.” For more information, visit belgrade.co.uk/unplugged.<br />
Parking Around in Brum<br />
A unique theatrical event is to be showcased<br />
at three outdoor venues in Birmingham this<br />
month. RoguePlay Theatre’s project - supported<br />
by Birmingham Rep, Active Parks and<br />
Birmingham City Council - will feature twelve<br />
local people who’ve undertaken an intense<br />
training programme in various circus disciplines.<br />
The result - a highly physical piece of<br />
theatre with a strong but simple narrative<br />
played out through circus acts, dance and<br />
physical theatre sequences - will show at the<br />
city’s Small Heath Park (8 June), Eastside<br />
Park (15 June) and Walkers Heath Park (15<br />
June). All events are free, and will be supported<br />
by participatory workshops for both<br />
adults and children.<br />
Gala Opera event for<br />
Compton Verney<br />
Warwickshire’s Compton Verney Estate has<br />
announced plans to host a Gala Opera in<br />
July. It’s hoped that the evening event will<br />
raise £15,000 for the restoration of the<br />
venue’s landscape and Grade I-listed<br />
chapel. The Gala will see one of Britain’s<br />
foremost chamber opera companies, Diva<br />
Opera, perform Mozart’s Don Giovanni in a<br />
marquee in the art gallery’s park. A range of<br />
tickets options is available for the black tie<br />
event. For more information, contact<br />
Alexandra Grimes on 01926 645 547, or via<br />
alexandra.grimes@comptonverney.org.uk<br />
Lizard Lick Crew in Malvern<br />
North Carolina’s famous trucking duo, Ron<br />
and Amy Shirley, are to appear at this year’s<br />
Truckfest, at Malvern’s Three Counties<br />
Showground on 5 and 6 July. The couple,<br />
who host the hit show Lizard Lick Towing,<br />
will appear alongside celebrity truck driver<br />
Mark Dixon, The Only Way Is Essex star<br />
Joey Essex and Coronation Street actress<br />
Michelle Keegan.<br />
4 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
Glee Club in search of weird<br />
and wonderful performers<br />
Birmingham comedy venue The Glee Club<br />
is on the lookout for unusual talent to take<br />
part in the venue’s latest venture, Andy<br />
Robinson’s Comedy Carousel. The brainchild<br />
of local comedian Andy, the Thursday<br />
evening slot will feature ‘people with weird<br />
and wonderful talents’ performing alongside<br />
top comedians from across the UK.<br />
Described as ‘the biggest change in live<br />
comedy in the past twenty years’, the new<br />
initiative will feature a high level of audience<br />
interaction, live use of the internet and a<br />
competitive element. Performers interested<br />
in taking part in the Comedy Carousel can<br />
apply via: comedycarousel@glee.co.uk<br />
Gala boosts funds for<br />
Hippodrome Plus<br />
A recent fundraising event at Birmingham<br />
Hippodrome theatre has been hailed an<br />
unqualified success by its organisers. More<br />
than three hundred people from the region’s<br />
business community attended the fundraiser<br />
on 10 May. The event - sponsored by<br />
Hotel La Tour Birmingham in association<br />
with Shakespeare’s and supported by pantomime<br />
producer Qdos - raised nearly<br />
£50,000 via an auction and donations.<br />
Money raised will help the theatre’s<br />
Hippodrome Plus programme, which funds<br />
education projects, access services and<br />
outdoor performances that increase<br />
engagement with young people across the<br />
city.<br />
New Patrons for The Drum<br />
A Birmingham venue renowned for its programme<br />
of intercultural arts has welcomed<br />
two ‘phenomenal artists’ as its official<br />
Patrons. Pioneering jazz player Courtney<br />
Pine and Birmingham-born poet Dr<br />
Benjamin Zephaniah have chosen to lend<br />
their support to The Drum arts centre in the<br />
city’s Aston district, and will be instrumental<br />
in the venue’s Raising The Roof campaign.<br />
The £4.8million fundraising project plans to<br />
redesign, refurbish and upgrade The Drum<br />
with new features, facilities and equipment.<br />
The upgrade will increase the venue’s auditorium<br />
capacity and upgrade facilities for<br />
young people working in digital, arts, dance<br />
and drama.<br />
Of his appointment, Courtney Pine said:<br />
“It’s a great honour to become a Patron of<br />
The Drum, particularly during the organisation’s<br />
twentieth anniversary. The Drum has<br />
evolved into an essential part of<br />
Birmingham’s cultural ecology, providing a<br />
creative intercultural platform in the UK’s<br />
most diverse city, which is home to<br />
Europe’s largest under-sixteen population.”<br />
Courtney added that he hoped people<br />
would join him in “helping to make this<br />
visionary scheme a reality for young people<br />
in Birmingham.”<br />
Lenny Henry kicks off new season at The REP<br />
Dudley-born laughter merchant Lenny Henry is returning to the Midlands later this year to<br />
headline Birmingham Repertory Theatre’s Autumn and Winter season. The former Tiswas and<br />
New Faces star will appear at The REP in the stage premiere of Rudy’s Rare Records, which<br />
runs from 4 to 20 September.<br />
Based on the successful BBC Radio Four series, which Henry co-created and in which he<br />
also starred, Rudy’s Rare Records is a touching comedy set in an old Birmingham reggae<br />
record shop at risk of redevelopment.<br />
Commenting on his forthcoming engagement at The REP, Lenny said: “I’ve performed comedy<br />
gigs many times in Birmingham over the years, but this is my first straight acting role in the<br />
city and the first time I’ve been on stage at The REP, which is something I’m really looking forward<br />
to. Growing up in Dudley, I would come into Birmingham every Saturday to hang out in<br />
a record shop not too dissimilar to Rudy’s, so it’s a play that’s very close to my heart."<br />
Rudy’s Rare Records kicks off a season at The REP which also includes a brand new staging<br />
of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice And Men, a new production of JB Priestley’s Dangerous Corner,<br />
Frantic Assembly’s award-winning production of Othello, a critically acclaimed stage adaptation<br />
of The Kite Runner, and Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell To Arms. The venue’s Christmas<br />
show is Roald Dahl’s The BFG.<br />
IN BRIEF<br />
Classical feast<br />
in Coventry<br />
Coventry’s Warwick<br />
Arts Centre has<br />
announced an exciting<br />
season of classical<br />
music for its 2014/15<br />
season, launching with<br />
the Russian State<br />
Philharmonic<br />
Orchestra in October.<br />
Armonico Consort get<br />
festive with Handel’s<br />
Messiah in December,<br />
with the St Petersburg<br />
Symphony Orchestra -<br />
joined by acclaimed<br />
Anglo-Russian violinist<br />
Alexander Sitkovetsky<br />
- visiting in February.<br />
Celebrating the<br />
University of Warwick’s<br />
fiftieth anniversary next<br />
year, the Royal<br />
Philharmonic<br />
Orchestra will perform<br />
a programme of<br />
American music from<br />
Gershwin, Copland<br />
and Bernstein. The<br />
Royal Phil will be<br />
joined for the concert<br />
by the University of<br />
Warwick Symphony<br />
Orchestra.<br />
Arts Council Collection’s committee<br />
acquires work from local artists<br />
Four West Midlands-based artists have had their artwork bought<br />
by the biggest loan collection of contemporary British art in the<br />
UK. Barbara Walker, Stuart Whipps, Chris Clinton and Lucy<br />
Hutchinson are among twenty-one artists whose work has been<br />
purchased by the Arts Council Collection's Acquisitions<br />
Committee. The Collection, which was founded in 1946, supports<br />
artists via the purchase and display of their work.<br />
Commenting on the purchases, Peter Heslip, National Director<br />
Visual Arts, Arts Council England, said: “The Arts Council<br />
Collection’s Acquisition Committee is fortunate to have representation<br />
from curators and directors who work outside of London<br />
and bring their knowledge of regional artists. This means it’s one<br />
of few national art collections which is truly active supporting<br />
artists in the regions and helping them reach a wider public.”<br />
The Collection’s acquisitions policy is<br />
characterised by a spirit of risk-taking<br />
combined with an informed appraisal<br />
of current practice. Across the years,<br />
the Collection has purchased works<br />
by numerous up-and-coming artists<br />
who’ve gone on to achieve international<br />
recognition, including Francis<br />
Bacon, Grayson Perry, Damien Hirst<br />
and Tracey Emin.<br />
Coventry theatre company out on tour...<br />
A theatre company which set up home in a former fish and chip<br />
shop five years ago is to head out on tour for the first time with a<br />
triptych of plays by Steve Waters. Shop Front Theatre will perform<br />
Waters’ Far From The Sea - a drama which dissects the fate of a<br />
city in a world of conflict - at Theatre Absolute along Coventry’s<br />
City Arcade from 17 to 21 June. The company then tours to Hull,<br />
Leicester and Exeter before returning to the region to perform at<br />
Birmingham’s Old Joint Stock Theatre on 11 and 12 July.<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk 5
“<br />
they’re<br />
What we’ve got is four plays which are<br />
completely different from one another. They’re<br />
all really fun; really sunny and sparky. And<br />
very badly behaved, too...<br />
”<br />
Erica Whyman<br />
talks about Midsummer Mischief at the RSC...<br />
6 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
interview...<br />
A woman of numerous firsts, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Deputy Artistic Director, Erica<br />
Whyman, has many years’ experience in theatres across the UK, and has a particular interest in<br />
championing new work. In 2013, Erica’s services to theatre were acknowledged with an OBE in<br />
the New Year’s Honours List. In her role at the RSC, Erica has been hugely instrumental in the<br />
planned re-opening of The Other Place, the Stratford venue in which the Company will this<br />
month present four new plays as part of its Midsummer Mischief festival. What’s On recently<br />
caught up with Erica to talk about her role at the RSC, gender politics in theatre, and why ‘wellbehaved<br />
women seldom make history’.<br />
First and foremost, Erica, what’s your<br />
remit at the RSC?<br />
I’m Deputy Artistic Director, so basically I do<br />
what it says on the tin. I deputise for Greg<br />
Doran, the Artistic Director, which I suppose<br />
means not just being in the places that he<br />
can’t be, but working with him on the<br />
programming. I have a special responsibility<br />
for our new work, so Greg and I will talk in a<br />
lot of detail about, for instance, what we’re<br />
going to do in the Swan, which is a<br />
combination of Jacobean and Elizabethan<br />
work and plays that we might be unearthing,<br />
or plays that people love that they can only<br />
see with us, and new plays that we’ve<br />
commissioned. I have to look at how it all fits<br />
in with everything else in the programme. I<br />
also have a particular interest in making<br />
connections, inviting different kinds of<br />
theatre-makers to Stratford and to the West<br />
Midlands, either to spend some time working<br />
at the RSC or with other West Midlands<br />
artists.<br />
You’ve been with the company now for<br />
just over twelve months. Coming from<br />
Northern Stage to such a major institution,<br />
was the transition a bit of a culture shock?<br />
It was a bit strange at first because the<br />
theatre I was running in Newcastle had a<br />
staff of about forty-five. But there are big<br />
similarities between my previous and current<br />
roles, which I guess is why Greg asked me<br />
to come. At Northern Stage, we were<br />
interested in new work and were engaging<br />
with writers and other kinds of theatremakers<br />
- people who were devising new<br />
theatre. The year before I left, we’d joined a<br />
programme in Edinburgh which had quite a<br />
lot in common with my plans for The Other<br />
Place. So in terms of content it’s quite<br />
similar, but the scale and size of the RSC is<br />
quite different. There are some things about<br />
it that are completely wonderful and other<br />
things which are utterly bewildering, but I’m<br />
getting my head around them slowly.<br />
So what was your brief when<br />
programming for the Midsummer Mischief<br />
Festival?<br />
I sort of gave myself the brief. I’m charged<br />
with working out how we might open The<br />
Other Place, and I’m very excited about that.<br />
We want to take hold of the steel box that<br />
houses The Courtyard auditorium and turn it<br />
into, amongst other things, a Studio Theatre.<br />
That’s going to take us a couple of<br />
years, because although it’s not a huge<br />
project, we need to raise some funding for it,<br />
half of which we’ve already got in place. I<br />
was very aware that I’d talked quite a lot<br />
about radical mischief, the idea that<br />
Shakespeare’s spirit would encourage us to<br />
be quite daring in our theatre, both in our<br />
content and the way that we make theatre.<br />
Also, 2014 is the fortieth anniversary of when<br />
Buzz Goodbody set up the The Other Place<br />
in a tin hut on Waterside, essentially the<br />
same place where The Courtyard is now.<br />
And so we didn’t want to miss this year. We<br />
wanted to celebrate her legacy, the legacy of<br />
The Other Place and, I suppose, herald what<br />
we’re going to do in the future. And also give<br />
people a little bit of faith that we mean what<br />
we say and that we’re going to do a different<br />
kind of smaller theatre in Stratford, in<br />
dialogue which complements the main<br />
programme. That’s where it came from. Then<br />
I started thinking about the Roaring Girls<br />
season. Obviously, Greg and I had<br />
programmed the Roaring Girls together, and<br />
I’ve been very close to the directors and the<br />
way that they’ve thought about those plays.<br />
The plays really are magnificent, and are<br />
about quite remarkable women - but usually<br />
in a man’s world. So it seemed important to<br />
me that one of the roles of a national<br />
company, and a national theatre company<br />
with Shakespeare in our title, should be to<br />
make sure we’re listening to contemporary<br />
voices. We’re sort of asking ourselves, ‘what<br />
would Shakespeare be writing about now?’.<br />
He was very interested in gender, as we<br />
know, and was quite bold about it. Four<br />
hundred-odd years ago, there was a lot of<br />
planned thinking about gender but also the<br />
asking of serious questions about equality.<br />
So to me, it seemed completely appropriate<br />
to devise a very simple brief for our writers<br />
and say to them, ‘Actually, what if you wrote<br />
about well-behaved women’.<br />
Why ‘Well-behaved women seldom make<br />
history’?<br />
I came across a book titled the same about a<br />
year ago in New York. It was by the woman<br />
who’d originally said it, quite inadvertently, in<br />
a history article. She was a fascinating<br />
academic researcher and she’d been writing<br />
about a religious community in North<br />
America. At the bottom of a paragraph,<br />
almost as a throwaway line, she wrote: ‘Wellbehaved<br />
women seldom make history’. Years<br />
later, the slogan had been sent to her on a<br />
mug and she’d gone: ‘Oh crikey, it’s become<br />
this thing that everybody quotes!’. I came<br />
across her book and it started me thinking<br />
about good behaviour and bad behaviour,<br />
and how that feels like something which is<br />
applied to women in a different way to how it<br />
is men. So we started a process with the<br />
writers of thinking about that and, I suppose,<br />
gave them permission to be quite radical and<br />
quite daring about the issues.<br />
And what about the plays you’ve chosen?<br />
What we’ve got is four plays which are<br />
completely different from one another.<br />
They’re all really fun; really sunny and<br />
sparky. And they’re very badly behaved, too,<br />
in the sense that there’s one which I’m<br />
directing that doesn’t really behave like a<br />
play at all. It’s a series of little vignettes that<br />
kind of amount to a revolution and ask the<br />
question, ‘what would a revolution look like<br />
in 2014 if we were to have one?’. A sexual<br />
revolution, I suppose, or a revolution more<br />
broadly. These are not plays about women,<br />
but they take women seriously. I have a play<br />
in my double-bill that Timberlake<br />
Wertenbaker has written. It’s a new play<br />
about economics, about Europe and about<br />
how our language is limiting us. With the<br />
other two plays, which Jo McInnes is<br />
directing, one is more domestic in feel and is<br />
by EV Crow. It asks deep questions about<br />
how we treat mothers and what it is to be a<br />
mother. The fourth play, by Abi Zakarian,<br />
really thinks about how the debate around<br />
feminism has got so stuck, again using quite<br />
theatrical techniques to suggest we’ve got<br />
ourselves in a place we can’t get out of in<br />
terms of men, women and gender politics.<br />
The result of it all is quite thrilling, as they’re<br />
quite bold and unusual. They’re all short and<br />
sharp - each play is only an hour long - and<br />
it feels very nice to be doing something like<br />
this in Stratford, by contrast to the work that<br />
we make on The Swan stage or the RST<br />
stage.<br />
Are there any plans to tour the plays post-<br />
Stratford?<br />
I suspect they won’t have a long life, but<br />
never say never. The really lovely thing is that<br />
we have a collaboration with the Royal Court<br />
in London. The productions play Stratford for<br />
a whole month and then go to the Royal<br />
Court for a week to take part in their summer<br />
programme. One of the other plays, by Alice<br />
Birch, then goes on to be performed at<br />
Latitude Festival. It’s great they’ve got that<br />
London connection, but I was keen for it to<br />
be this way round and for more people to<br />
see the plays in Stratford.<br />
Gender imbalance in theatre remains an<br />
issue. How do you personally think this<br />
can be addressed?<br />
It is an issue, of course, but part of my<br />
answer is that we should celebrate our<br />
successes. I’ve been either running theatres<br />
- or, more recently, deputy of a major theatre<br />
- for seventeen years. I was the first woman<br />
to do any of the jobs that I’ve done, but I’m<br />
really not alone now. So I suppose I think it’s<br />
important that we notice when people do<br />
break through, when they’re in positions of<br />
influence, because I think we’re a bit hooked<br />
on the story that it’s all a disaster. I think<br />
there are other fields - I’m thinking about<br />
parts of the world where women and girls<br />
aren’t even allowed to go to school - which<br />
feel higher up the agenda. On the other<br />
hand, what I think is really shocking is how<br />
few terrific roles for women we have, both in<br />
terms of the images and stories we tell about<br />
women and the balance of our actresses,<br />
who don’t get as much of a look-in as our<br />
actors. We’ve obviously been talking about<br />
this a lot recently, and we were saying that<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk 7
the thing which is shocking is that you very<br />
rarely see a play in which a woman is<br />
responsible for a significant piece of the<br />
world - whether that’s in the private sector,<br />
public sector, in government, in school, or<br />
whatever it might be - without it being<br />
thoroughly and utterly about her private life.<br />
There’s a very strong sense that the women<br />
in our plays - and, indeed, on our television<br />
screens - are there to remind us that there’s<br />
a domestic sphere. This, to me, seems<br />
extraordinarily old-fashioned, because there<br />
are lots of women in very senior positions<br />
making a difference in the world. Women are<br />
doing very complicated jobs all over the<br />
place, but we don’t tell those stories. If we<br />
cover them, it’s about their love life and their<br />
marriages falling apart, or them not being<br />
able to cope with their washing machine.<br />
These are all things which are part of life, but<br />
I do think there’s a gender bias in the way<br />
we select our stories. ‘State of the nation’<br />
plays tend to be plays around men. That’s<br />
the thing which interests me most because I<br />
think there’s something we can do about it.<br />
We can encourage writers - female writers -<br />
to write us big plays, and male writers to<br />
remember that women play all sorts of roles<br />
in life and not just domestic ones. Of course,<br />
the more women in senior or influential<br />
positions in theatre, the better, because more<br />
of us are likely to be thinking about these<br />
issues. But we also have to expect our male<br />
colleagues - and Greg is very much on<br />
board with this - to take it seriously too.<br />
Again to quote ‘Well-behaved women<br />
seldom make history’, which female<br />
character in history has inspired you most<br />
on a personal level?<br />
One of the plays, Timberlake’s play, deals<br />
with a woman who I knew nothing about. A<br />
woman called Bouboulina, who was an<br />
eighteenth century Greek naval commander<br />
who set up a fleet of ships to take on the<br />
Ottoman Empire and get Greece its freedom.<br />
She sounds fabulous, and recently I’ve been<br />
very inspired by her. Also, I suppose some of<br />
the groundbreaking politicians that we forget<br />
about. People like Barbara Castle and Shirley<br />
Williams, who’s still going strong, really did<br />
change the way we think about politics and<br />
women. I worry that we forget they made so<br />
much change. We have these great role<br />
models and all we need to do is follow them.<br />
Tell me about the long-term plans for The<br />
Other Place?<br />
If we get all the funding in place this year,<br />
which I hope we will, then next year we’ll go<br />
on site. We won’t be changing the structure<br />
at all, but what we will do is build two new<br />
rehearsal spaces so that we can have the<br />
performing company for the main stages in<br />
that building as well. Our current costume<br />
store is a bit cramped and not in a great<br />
place, so much so that it’s difficult to have<br />
them on show to the public. So we’ll be<br />
rehousing that department so that the<br />
costumes will be on constant public display.<br />
This will then create opportunities to tour the<br />
store and see the nitty gritty of many, many<br />
years of making costumes. There’ll also be<br />
the studio theatre, with about three hundred<br />
seats.<br />
You’ve been in the business for a long<br />
time. How do you think people’s tastes<br />
have changed since you started out?<br />
I suppose there’s more of a sense of<br />
adventure. There’s a generation of theatregoers<br />
who’ve now grown up with cinema<br />
and television screens being completely<br />
pervasive, including on their computers. I<br />
think this is a generation who want<br />
something from the live experience that’s a<br />
little bit more self-conscious, and I think<br />
that’s an exciting development. I also think<br />
that right now there’s a renewed seriousness<br />
about theatre and other art forms. The<br />
world’s been through quite a lot of change<br />
and continues to do so, with very difficult<br />
wars around the world, and we’re in a<br />
moment of trying to understand ourselves.<br />
Maybe fifteen years ago we were a bit more<br />
preoccupied with entertaining ourselves.<br />
There’s nothing wrong with that, but I think<br />
there’s a renewed interest in looking to<br />
theatre to present complex questions and<br />
maybe get some answers.<br />
Your first Main House production opens<br />
later this year. How would you describe<br />
The Christmas Truce?<br />
I’m absolutely loving working on it. It’s such<br />
a moving and inspiring story which is, I think,<br />
quite an important antidote to - quite rightly -<br />
remembering the tragedies of World War<br />
One. Although it won’t shy away from how<br />
tough it was, it’s a story not only of courage<br />
but also of peace. It’s about people who<br />
couldn’t resist peace, even if it were only for<br />
a night or two. That, to me, seems like a very<br />
Christmassy thing to do. We did some work<br />
on the script about six weeks ago and we<br />
were all in tears at the end - for the right<br />
reasons! It’s a beautiful story that’s set<br />
locally, so we’re really doing our research<br />
about the Royal Warwickshires.<br />
You sent out a plea to local people to<br />
come forward and share information. Has<br />
that benefitted the play?<br />
Yes! I can’t tell you how many stories we’ve<br />
received! Hundreds! Too many to use, but<br />
even the stories that won’t make it into the<br />
play, or into the research, have been very<br />
useful background in helping us try and<br />
understand how people feel about that war<br />
and what they remember. We’ve learned<br />
some things that we really didn’t know about<br />
Stratford. There were a couple of field<br />
hospitals - one of them in one of the theatre<br />
buildings and one of them in the Town Hall -<br />
which were quickly overrun, so they had to<br />
move out to a big hall nearby. Also, we didn’t<br />
know that soldiers were shipped from<br />
Australia to the front line, and that when they<br />
were injured they were sent to Stratfordupon-Avon.<br />
So yeah, we’ve learned all sorts<br />
of things.<br />
The RSC has a reputation for producing<br />
very successful Christmas shows. Is there<br />
a commercial pressure for this to be an<br />
all-singing, all-dancing production?<br />
There’s always a pressure, but the pressure I<br />
feel is to make sure families have a really<br />
fantastic, Christmassy evening while telling<br />
them this true story. I don’t feel it has to be<br />
an all-singing version. There’s going to be<br />
live music, but it’s not a musical in the<br />
conventional sense. We’re aware that it’s a<br />
very different kind of show to make at<br />
Christmas, but I still think it’ll be uplifting and<br />
a lot of fun.<br />
What are your future plans in your current<br />
role at the RSC. Do you have a personal<br />
plan?<br />
Oh my God, no! As an organisation, we’ve<br />
got a five-to-six-year plan to think through all<br />
the Shakespeare that we want to do and<br />
which order we want to do them in. We’re<br />
giving a lot of energy to 2016 because it’ll be<br />
the four hundredth anniversary of<br />
Shakespeare’s death. His death has very<br />
rarely been commemorated, if ever. That’s a<br />
very important fixture, and I’m going to play<br />
my part in that by directing my first<br />
Shakespeare. I’ll be directing A Midsummer<br />
Night’s Dream in a rather unusual way, in<br />
that I’m going to have a different group of<br />
amateur actors in different touring venues<br />
across the country. So there’ll be twelve<br />
touring venues, as well as Stratford and<br />
London, and we’ll work over the next two<br />
years to find amateur actors to play Bottom<br />
and the Mechanicals. We’ll find children to<br />
play Titania’s fairy train. It’ll be an<br />
extraordinary thing, and then each of those<br />
groups will come to Stratford in the summer<br />
of 2016 and do a couple of nights on the<br />
main stage here. That’s a fairly big plan and<br />
takes up any remaining room in our heads!<br />
Midsummer Mischief shows at The Other<br />
Place at The Courtyard Theatre<br />
from Sat 14 June to Sat 12 July<br />
Midsummer Mischief playwrights, from left to right: E.V. Crowe, Timberlake Wertenbaker,<br />
Abi Zakarian, Alice Birch. For further information on all four plays, visit www.rsc.org.uk<br />
8 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
Jason Manford<br />
Despite winning ITV1 charity-based talent competition Born To Shine, putting his new-found talent<br />
into practice by joining Alfie Boe on tour, and then starring in the critically acclaimed West End<br />
production of Sweeney Todd alongside Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton, Jason Manford hasn’t<br />
forgotten his stand-up roots. Currently on the road with his First World Problems tour, Jason here<br />
talks about the attraction of stand-up - and why he sometimes wishes he was as miserable as<br />
Jack Dee...<br />
“I’ve been really enjoying this show,” says<br />
Jason. “I have fun with the audience; it’s very<br />
friendly and relaxed and I never get bored of<br />
it. It’s an absolute joy. I love being on stage,<br />
and I want to say a huge thank you to the<br />
brilliant crowds for their loyal support!”<br />
Jason’s charismatic style generates a real<br />
rapport with his audience, and his winning<br />
friendliness is no act. With this particular<br />
comic, what you see is what you get. “I’m the<br />
same on stage as I am in real life, which can<br />
be incredibly annoying at home! Jimmy Carr<br />
says that because he’s quite rude on stage, if<br />
he says 'hello' to a fan in the street, that will<br />
make their day. By contrast, because I’m nice<br />
on stage, unless I ask a fan if they fancy a<br />
brew, they’ll say, ‘He’s a bit rude’. I’m a victim<br />
of my own niceness. Sometimes I wish I’d<br />
gone down the Jack Dee misery route!”<br />
Jason, who’s performed stand-up on BBC1’s<br />
Live At The Apollo, Michael McIntyre’s<br />
Comedy Roadshow and multiple Royal<br />
Variety Shows, has been struggling to contain<br />
his excitement about returning to live<br />
comedy.<br />
“My show is essentially moaning about<br />
everyday life, but with punchlines,” says<br />
Jason. “People who haven't done stand-up<br />
focus on the negatives. They ask, ‘what’s it<br />
like to die on stage?’, and I always say, ‘It’s<br />
horrendous, the worst feeling in the world’.<br />
But the lows are so low because the highs<br />
are so high.<br />
“Stand-up is a huge risk, but when it goes<br />
right, there’s nothing better. It creates a<br />
communal feeling that you just can’t beat.<br />
You get all these people laughing and you<br />
think, ‘I did that!’. If you make one person<br />
laugh in a day, that’s great. Imagine<br />
multiplying that by ten thousand!”<br />
Despite his sojourns into television with<br />
shows like 8 Out Of 10 Cats, QI, Big Fat Quiz<br />
Of The Year, League Of Their Own, Would I<br />
Lie To You, Show Me The Funny and<br />
Comedy Rocks, Jason admits that stand-up<br />
remains his overwhelming passion. “TV is<br />
simpler. You can do re-takes. But you're not<br />
getting an immediate response. You don't<br />
know if something is funny till weeks later. A<br />
lot of the time, it’s just professional reading.<br />
It's reading while trying to make it look like<br />
you're not reading. Stand-up, on the other<br />
hand, is much more demanding. On stage,<br />
you're everything. You're the boss. You're the<br />
performer, writer, editor, director. You’re even<br />
Ofcom. You decide what to say. It's brilliant.”<br />
Jason now has a very wide fanbase. “By<br />
now, people know that we share a sense of<br />
humour. They’re aware of what they're<br />
getting, and I’m aware of what makes them<br />
laugh. The weirdest thing is fans who<br />
remember jokes that I’ve forgotten.<br />
Sometimes I say to them, ‘I don’t remember<br />
that one. I must put it back in the act, it’s a<br />
good gag!’.<br />
“It’s also really interesting to see the<br />
demographic of my audience. I get grannies,<br />
their kids and their kids. It’s great to see.”<br />
Jason’s material is constantly evolving. “I only<br />
tour every couple of years. Over that period<br />
of time, your life and the people who<br />
surround you have changed. Also, as you get<br />
older, you get more opinionated.”<br />
So why is his latest stand-up show entitled<br />
First World Problems?<br />
“I’d seen the phrase online and liked it. It just<br />
sums up so much. I think the phrase<br />
emphasises those times when we moan<br />
about the most trivial things. It's as if we<br />
invent problems so we have something to<br />
moan about. I imagine someone in the third<br />
world just thinking that we’re all complete<br />
idiots!”<br />
Jason Manford appears at Civic Hall,<br />
Wolverhampton, Fri 13 June; Palace<br />
Theatre, Redditch, Wed 9 July; The Place,<br />
Oakengates Theatre, Tues 15 July; Royal<br />
Spa Centre, Leamington Spa, Wed 16 July<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk 9
Rhys Chatham<br />
on bringing A Secret Rose For 100 Guitars to Brum<br />
Rhys Chatham is a composer, guitarist and trumpet player from Manhattan who’s credited with<br />
‘altering the DNA of rock music’. For over thirty years, Chatham has composed music for<br />
orchestras of electric guitars, combining classical compositions with the drive and rhythms of<br />
hard rock. His latest composition, A Secret Rose For 100 Guitars, receives its UK première as<br />
part of Frontiers Festival. What’s On recently caught up with Rhys to find out more...<br />
Tell us more about A Secret Rose. What<br />
should audiences expect?<br />
A Secret Rose is an orchestral piece written<br />
for one hundred electric guitars, bass guitars<br />
and drums. I’m a classically trained musician<br />
and didn’t really discover rock music until I<br />
saw a gig by The Ramones in 1976 at the<br />
New York club CBGB. From then on I went<br />
about merging the minimalist style of<br />
composing I was used to with the rock’n’roll<br />
music I loved. I started out composing for<br />
three guitars. By the 1980s, I’d worked my<br />
way up to one hundred. That many guitars<br />
playing together produces an amazing<br />
sound. Anyone who likes rock will enjoy this<br />
music.<br />
The piece is performed by one hundred<br />
guitarists, many of whom have been<br />
recruited especially for this event. How<br />
did you find that number of performers?<br />
I’ve created guitar orchestras all over the<br />
world. I put together a small team of<br />
musicians and technicians and we then work<br />
with a local promoter, who puts out a call for<br />
guitarists. Anyone can apply, as long as they<br />
can play; it doesn’t matter if they’re amateur<br />
or professional. My team then reads through<br />
the applications and checks what kind of<br />
guitars people have, as some kinds work<br />
better with our amps than others. We’re<br />
usually over-subscribed. In Birmingham,<br />
we’ve had one hundred-and-sixteen<br />
applications, I think.<br />
How do you go about teaching one<br />
hundred guitarists a piece of music in<br />
three days?<br />
Well, you have to remember that I’m a<br />
minimalist composer, so the actual piece<br />
isn’t that difficult to learn. The complicated<br />
bit is putting all the separate parts together! I<br />
split the guitarists up into three groups, each<br />
of which learns the piece with a guitarist from<br />
my team. After two days of playing<br />
separately, we bring everyone together for a<br />
final day of rehearsals. It’s intense; three<br />
days is not a long time to learn seventy<br />
minutes of music.<br />
I expect the guitarists have a great time,<br />
though?<br />
I hope so - and, of course, they’re the stars<br />
of the show. It’s uncommon for guitarists to<br />
have the chance to play in an orchestra, but<br />
it really is such a powerful way of learning<br />
and enjoying music. I’ve seen many new<br />
groups form as a result of people meeting in<br />
our orchestras. One Portuguese man met his<br />
wife in our orchestra, and they’ve now been<br />
together for over seventeen years!<br />
Over your long career, you’ve worked and<br />
hung out with some unusual and<br />
incredible people. Do you have any<br />
particular stand-out memories?<br />
I remember when Brian Eno came onto the<br />
scene I was in, in New York in the 1970s. He<br />
had his own label and he asked me to be<br />
part of a recording he was doing. Alas, I<br />
stayed out too late the night before and<br />
clean forgot all about it. I’ve regretted it ever<br />
since. New York then was such an exciting<br />
place. You could earn your keep from a few<br />
nights working in a bar or waitressing, and<br />
devote the rest of your time to music and art.<br />
Things are so different for young artists these<br />
days.<br />
Rhys Chatham presents A Secret Rose at<br />
Birmingham Town Hall on Sat 7 June.<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk 11
Music<br />
George Ezra<br />
The Glee Club, Birmingham, Mon 16 June<br />
Bristol-based Ezra is often described as having a<br />
voice beyond his nineteen years, and plays bluesy<br />
music that’s earned him extensive BBC attention.<br />
With ‘new music’ champion Zane Lowe calling him<br />
‘one of the most powerful and compelling new vocalists<br />
around’, Ezra featured on the Sound Of<br />
2014 list, and has already<br />
supported stars<br />
including Willy Mason<br />
and Tom Odell. Debut<br />
album Wanted On<br />
Voyage, featuring Did<br />
You Hear The Rain?<br />
and breakthrough single<br />
Budapest, is released<br />
at the end of<br />
the month. Support at<br />
the Glee comes from<br />
Port Isla and Dancing<br />
Years.<br />
Scott Bradlee/Postmodern Jukebox<br />
The Institute, Birmingham, Mon 16 June<br />
The original mashup artist, Scott Bradlee began<br />
rewriting pop music back in the noughties, later<br />
gaining recognition for his Motown interpretation of<br />
Nickelback (in 2012). The musician, pianist and<br />
composer has reworked numerous hits - including<br />
Careless Whisper (a must-listen) and the Game Of<br />
Thrones theme - into 1920s-style smooth jazz<br />
tunes. Setting out to create “an alternate universe<br />
of popular music”, Scott wants audiences to see<br />
how “songs can be twisted, shaped and altered<br />
without losing their identities”. Don’t miss this rare<br />
opportunity to hear your favourite songs in a different<br />
light.<br />
Public Enemy<br />
The Assembly, Leamington Spa, Wed 4 June<br />
Named after a term that was used to describe individuals<br />
whose actions were deemed criminal or<br />
dangerous to society, Public Enemy have been<br />
around for twenty-five years, winning fans with their<br />
politically charged lyrics and hip-hop beats. Still<br />
courting controversy, rapper Professor Griff recently<br />
insulted Kanye West and his fiancée Kim<br />
Kardashian in the press, downplaying the association<br />
between music and the illuminati and concluding<br />
“Stuff ain’t real, man”. The band were inducted<br />
into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013, joining<br />
fellow hip-hop favourites Grandmaster Flash And<br />
The Furious Five, Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys.<br />
Nick Mulvey<br />
Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, Fri 6 June<br />
Nick is no newcomer to the music scene, having previously performed in the internationally<br />
successful jazz band Portico Quartet. After six years and numerous worldwide shows,<br />
he left the ensemble in 2011 to pursue his career as a singer-songwriter. His African-inspired<br />
guitar riffs, stunning vocals and captivating performances have bagged him a slot<br />
on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury this month. Nick visits Wolverhampton as London<br />
Grammar’s support on their summer headline tour, following the release of his debut<br />
album, First Mind.<br />
Dolly Parton<br />
LG Arena, Birmingham,<br />
Sun 22 June<br />
Now here's a woman<br />
who's always had an ‘upfront’<br />
sense of fun. Dolly<br />
Parton is one of the<br />
biggest and best-known<br />
names in country music -<br />
and with a larger-than-life<br />
personality further recommending<br />
her, it's little wonder<br />
she's a living legend.<br />
Inducted into the Country<br />
Music Hall of Fame, Dolly is<br />
the most honoured female<br />
country performer of all time,<br />
and boasts a back-catalogue<br />
of classic hits that includes 9<br />
To 5, Here You Come Again,<br />
Jolene and I Will Always<br />
Love You. She visits Birmingham<br />
as part of a<br />
world tour in support<br />
of her forty-second<br />
studio album, Blue<br />
Smoke.<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk 13
Music PREVIEWS<br />
Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel<br />
Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Sun 29 June<br />
Proving time and again that he’s much more<br />
than just a front man, Steve Harley’s not<br />
afraid to look at new ways of developing himself<br />
as a musician. Still, from his fans’ point of<br />
view, it’s his back-catalogue of hits that matters<br />
most - and Harley’s sensible enough to<br />
know that however much you may reinvent<br />
yourself, trying to deny a memorable past is<br />
futile in the extreme. With this in mind, he<br />
here performs (in full) the first two Cockney<br />
Rebel albums - 1973’s The Human<br />
Menagerie and 1974’s The Psychomodo -<br />
and is ably assisted by the Orchestra of The<br />
Swan and its choir. A highlight of the show is<br />
sure to be the epic Death Trip. At twelve minutes<br />
in length, the song has never before<br />
been performed live with the full orchestration<br />
of the recorded version.<br />
Thea Gilmore<br />
Artrix, Bromsgrove, Wed 4 June; The Assembly, Leamington Spa, Fri 6 June<br />
A distinctly English take on the angst-rock blueprint of American artists such as Ani DiFranco<br />
and Alanis Morissette has seen Thea Gilmore gain both a cult following and critical acclaim.<br />
Thea has played to sell-out crowds throughout the UK, and has appeared at major events<br />
such as T In The Park, V Festival and Cambridge Folk. She visits the Midlands following the<br />
massive success of her 2013 album Regardless, which featured the hit single Love Came<br />
Looking For Me.<br />
Dexys<br />
Kasbah, Coventry, Wed 25 June<br />
Rebranded from Dexys Midnight Runners in<br />
2003, Dexys is the brainchild of the famously<br />
intense Kevin Rowland. A pop band with real<br />
soul, they’re very much on the comeback<br />
trail, and will here be performing songs from<br />
2012’s One Day I’m Going To Soar - released<br />
a staggering twenty-seven years after their<br />
previous album. The band haven’t played<br />
Coventry in over thirty years, and are stopping<br />
off in the city as part of their warm-up<br />
schedule for Glastonbury. Old favourites such<br />
as Come On Eileen and Geno also feature on<br />
the playlist.<br />
Heaven & Earth<br />
O2 Academy, Birmingham, Thurs 26 June<br />
Starting out as a solo project for guitarist Stuart<br />
Smith, Heaven & Earth came about when<br />
the former Sweet guitarist enlisted friends<br />
Richie Sambora, Joe Lynn Turner, Glenn<br />
Hughes, Camine Appice, Howard Leese and<br />
Kelly Hansen to help him record an album.<br />
Released in 1998 to great critical acclaim,<br />
Stuart Smith’s Heaven & Earth was followed<br />
by Windows To The World in 2001. More recently,<br />
the band have released bluesy hard<br />
rock album Dig. Resurrecting classic rock,<br />
Heaven & Earth are refreshingly accessible,<br />
and very much in the same vein as Deep Purple<br />
and Bad Company.<br />
Remi Harris Trio &<br />
TG Collective<br />
Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Thurs 5 June<br />
The young and contemporary Remi Harris<br />
Trio bring together traditional gypsy jazz and<br />
swing characteristics with influences from<br />
bebop, blues, rock, world music, contemporary<br />
jazz and popular melodies.<br />
They’re joined for this Studio gig at Warwick<br />
Arts Centre by instrumental seven-piece TG<br />
Collective, whose sound features an intriguing<br />
mix of gypsy jazz, flamenco, jazz and<br />
contemporary classical<br />
music. Greatly admired<br />
for the intensity of their<br />
live performances, their<br />
original arrangements<br />
touch on influences as<br />
varied as Paco de Lucia,<br />
Django Reinhardt and JS<br />
Bach.<br />
Parquet Courts<br />
The Institute, Birmingham, Mon 23 June<br />
New York punk-rock four-piece Parquet<br />
Courts have the energy of The Clash, and<br />
perform with surly disdain. Putting out their<br />
first EP, American Specialities, on cassette in<br />
2011, they followed up a year later with Light<br />
Up Gold, which was recorded in three days<br />
after the band pulled sickies from work. Now<br />
on the road with Sunbathing Animal, the boys<br />
have said it was “out of character” for them to<br />
spend so long in the studio recording the follow-up.<br />
They play five UK shows ahead of<br />
their Longitude and Latitude festival appearances<br />
in July.<br />
Hatful Of Rain<br />
Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham,<br />
Tues 10 June; Henry Tudor House, Shrewsbury,<br />
Sun 15 June<br />
Named after a Tom Waits lyric, Hatful Of Rain<br />
are based in East Sussex, influenced by Old<br />
Time and remain true to the British stringband<br />
format whilst playing in a folk and roots<br />
style. Composing material strongly influenced<br />
by tradition, they perform using a single<br />
microphone to present a communal style<br />
of singing that’s both warm and intimate. True<br />
to their roots, they recorded their 2012 debut<br />
album in a converted barn.<br />
Amp Fiddler<br />
Hare & Hounds, Birmingham, Wed 11 June<br />
Singer and producer Joseph ‘Amp’ Fiddler is<br />
a keyboard, organ and piano player who’s<br />
shared stages and studios with Prince, the<br />
Brand New Heavies and Primal Scream.<br />
Performing and creating in a musical style<br />
that encompasses funk, soul, dance and<br />
electronica, he’s a charismatic performer<br />
who’s best known for his work with Enchantment.<br />
Laying low in recent times, he released<br />
Basementality 2 earlier this year, a six-track<br />
EP featuring a duet with Raphael Saadiq.<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk 15
BRING YOUR PARTY TO OUR PARTY<br />
AT THE NAILCOTE HALL HOTEL<br />
SPECIAL OCCASIONS<br />
AND ANNUAL EVENTS<br />
Sat 14th<br />
JUNE<br />
SPRING & SUMMER<br />
EVENTS 2014<br />
THE MOTOWN<br />
‘BLACK TIE’<br />
MIDSUMMER BALL<br />
WITH THE RICHIE SAMPSONS DRIFTERS TRIBUTE REVIEW<br />
PLUS PETE HANLEY AND DISCO<br />
£49.50<br />
Fri 20th<br />
JUNE<br />
Sat 26th<br />
JULY<br />
Sat 21st<br />
JUNE<br />
Sat 5th<br />
JULY<br />
CHARITY ROYAL ASCOT DAY<br />
‘SUPREME’ MOTOWN<br />
& SOUL DIVA PARTY<br />
WITH THE MOTELLAS<br />
‘TAKE THAT<br />
& WEST LIFE<br />
SHOW’ WITH<br />
Enjoy Champagne Reception, buffet<br />
lunch & live coverage of the races on the<br />
big screen TV followed by afternoon tea<br />
and sing-a-long party with<br />
THE BRIEFCASE BLUES<br />
THATS LIFE<br />
5th - 8th AUGUST<br />
‘MAMMA MIA’<br />
SUMMER PARTY<br />
with<br />
ABBA SENSATION<br />
NICOS - THE UNORTHODOX GREEK<br />
AND DISCO<br />
BRITISH PAR 3<br />
CHAMPTIONSHIPS<br />
TICKET PRICES INCLUDE 4 COURSE MEAL<br />
WE WILL CATER FOR ANY SPECIAL DIETARY NEEDS BY PRIOR ARRANGMENT<br />
BOOKING HOTLINE 02476 466174<br />
www.nailcotehall.co.uk<br />
Nailcote Hall Hotel, Nailcote Lane, Berkswell, Warwickshire CV7 7DE<br />
£75.00<br />
£39.50<br />
£32.50<br />
£35.00<br />
for more details visit. www.britishpar3.com<br />
THE EASY WAY TO<br />
BOOK<br />
YOUR TICKETS<br />
ONLINE<br />
whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
The most comprehensive what’s on listings website<br />
for Birmingham and the West Midlands<br />
16 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
Music GIG REVIEWS<br />
For further reviews, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
Prince LG Arena, Birmingham<br />
Given that Prince is one of the most influential recording artists of all<br />
time, it’s hardly surprising that the announcement of his return to Birmingham<br />
after a nineteen-year absence was greeted with a veritable<br />
frenzy of expectation. But could the reality of his long-awaited return<br />
live up to the expectation?<br />
The answer was a resounding yes.<br />
Throwing himself body and soul into a mammoth thirty-four-song set,<br />
the now-fifty-five-year-old ‘godfather of funk’ ably illustrated both his<br />
seemingly endless talent for self-reinvention and his pretty much unrivalled<br />
ability as a multi-instrumentalist and live performer.<br />
A set by no means short of surprises got off to a characteristically<br />
playful start, courtesy of three false-alarm dips of the lights. Entering<br />
the stage to the pounding bass riff of Funk’N’Roll, and decked out in a<br />
fitted white suit and flared trousers, Prince (complete with full-bodied<br />
afro) channelled the spirit of his icon, Jimmi Hendrix. This was a performance<br />
refreshingly free from frills or special effects, the live experience<br />
instead being allowed to speak for itself.<br />
The set combined funked-up reinventions of popular crowd-pleasers -<br />
1999, Controversy, Kiss - with extended renditions of lesser-known<br />
album tracks such as Raspberry Beret, and tantalisingly brief mashups<br />
spanning the entirety of Prince’s eclectic back-catalogue.<br />
What stood out most, though, beyond the artist’s undisputed showmanship,<br />
was his musicianship. Shifting from virtuoso guitar solos<br />
reminiscent of Hendrix in his prime to stripped-back acoustic solos<br />
highlighting his pitch-perfect vocal delivery, Prince presented a set<br />
marked by chameleonic shifts in style, texture and mood, successfully<br />
steering the line between self-indulgence and celebration.<br />
Special mention, too, must go to the all-female backing band, 3rdEye-<br />
Girl. Lead guitarist Donna Grantis’ intricate and unremittingly energetic<br />
solo sequences were a joy to behold.<br />
Highlights of the evening included a full-bodied funk-rock reimagining<br />
of the 1999 album track Something In The Water (Does Not Compute),<br />
a richly soulful performance of How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore?,<br />
and the hotly-anticipated versions of ’80s pop classics 1999,<br />
Kiss and When Doves Cry. But the pinnacle of the evening came in the<br />
form of an epic live rendition of Purple Rain, which combined richly<br />
layered instrumentation with soaring guitar solo sequences reminiscent<br />
of a later-era Pink Floyd.<br />
An awe-inspiring performance! Katherine Ewing ■■■■■<br />
Neil Finn Symphony Hall, Birmingham<br />
With teatowels and tote bags for sale alongside tee shirts on the merchandise<br />
stand, it would be easy to dismiss Neil Finn as a middleaged,<br />
middle-of-the-road act. But while his audience demographic<br />
might suggest otherwise, the brilliant New Zealand singer-songwriter<br />
is anything but MOR. His former (and now on-off) band, Crowded<br />
House, always had far more depth and edge than a perfunctory assessment<br />
would suggest, and Finn’s recent solo album, Dizzy<br />
Heights, adds a variety of contemporary twists and textures to his typically<br />
melodic palate. But if the album is a triumph, this live show totally<br />
eclipsed it. Ably supported (as well as rejuvenated) by a formidable<br />
backing band featuring his wife and a group of musicians young<br />
enough to be his offspring (his two sons are regular cohorts), Finn<br />
showcased material from all areas of his CV in an inspired and inspiring<br />
performance. Bookending the curfew-breaking one hundred-andfifty-minute<br />
set with stunning solo acoustic readings of Crowded<br />
House classics World Where You Live and Better Be Home Soon, he<br />
slipped as effortlessly between piano and electric/acoustic guitar as<br />
he did between the various phases of his career. Indeed, it was surprising<br />
how easily the thirty-plus years of tunes slotted together;<br />
whether it was energetic rock (Locked Out, I Got You), psychedelic<br />
pop (Divebomber, Suffer Never), piano balladry (Message To My Girl)<br />
or simply the Weather (With You). Finn’s genial bonhomie - he performed<br />
the requested Enz song Six Months In A Leaky Boat despite it<br />
being one of his brother Tim’s tunes - further enhanced the experience.<br />
So, too, did the musicians, who seemed to be enjoying the<br />
evening every bit as much as the audience. Guitarist Jesse Sheehan<br />
even got an extended solo slot while Finn retuned his instrument.<br />
In short, there really was some-Finn for everyone to enjoy.<br />
Steve Adams ■■■■■<br />
Music LISTINGS<br />
For full listing information on gigs,<br />
including times and dates,<br />
visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
SUN 1 JUN<br />
MAKUINI AND THE<br />
HOODOO MEN The<br />
Robin, Bilston<br />
SMOKE FAIRIES Hare &<br />
Hounds, Birmingham<br />
TOUMANI & SIDIKI DIA-<br />
BATE Warwick Arts Centre,<br />
Coventry<br />
BLAKE & BRAZIL Irish<br />
Centre, Birmingham<br />
ROO PANES The Yardbird<br />
Jazz Club, Birmingham<br />
BACKYARD MUSIC BOYS<br />
Oozells Square, B’ham<br />
STEVE AJAO’S CLUB<br />
BEBOP Spotted Dog,<br />
Birmingham<br />
THE DAVE FARRANT<br />
BAND, BLANK PARODY &<br />
SECOND TRIP The Actress<br />
& Bishop, B’ham<br />
COWER, HOUNDS!, ONE<br />
LIFE LEFT & KRITICAL<br />
CHARGE The Flapper,<br />
Birmingham<br />
MON 2 JUN<br />
THE DUNNETT/BAXTER<br />
BIG BAND The Yardbird<br />
Jazz Club, Birmingham<br />
HOT POTATO FEATURING<br />
YEDO GIBSON Birmingham<br />
Conservatoire<br />
CARNABY STREET: THE<br />
CONCERT Solihull Arts<br />
Complex<br />
VERSES The Asylum,<br />
Birmingham<br />
TUE 3 JUN<br />
HOLLIS BROWN Hare &<br />
Hounds, Birmingham<br />
ANGELA BROWN The<br />
Robin, Bilston<br />
KROCK - THREE OBJECTS<br />
IN A CONCERT HALL<br />
Birmingham Conservatoire<br />
HOWLING BELLS Hare &<br />
Hounds, Birmingham<br />
JOHN FULLBRIGHT The<br />
Glee Club, Birmingham<br />
THE MARRAKESH EX-<br />
PRESS Kitchen Garden<br />
Cafe, Birmingham<br />
THE WEDDING CRASHERS<br />
The Jam House, B’ham<br />
WED 4 JUN<br />
THE SEARCHERS Tamworth<br />
Assembly Rooms<br />
JONNY COLE'S BLACK<br />
COUNTRY BEACH PARTY<br />
The Robin, Bilston<br />
THEA GILMORE Artrix<br />
Bromsgrove<br />
ALPHA MALE TEA PARTY,<br />
MOUNT FUJI, WAX FEA-<br />
TURES & POCKET APOCA-<br />
LYPSE The Flapper,<br />
Birmingham<br />
SAM BAKER Hare &<br />
Hounds, Birmingham<br />
THE BLUES BAND Solihull<br />
Arts Complex<br />
PUBLIC ENEMY The Assembly,<br />
Leamington<br />
Spa<br />
UPRAWR 4TH BIRTHDAY<br />
The Asylum, B’ham<br />
FRANÇOIS THÉBERGE<br />
Birmingham Conservatoire<br />
ANTA The Tin Music And<br />
Arts, Coventry<br />
ABANDOMAN - MOON<br />
ROCK BOOMBOX TOUR<br />
Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton<br />
WOODEN SHJIPS O2<br />
Academy, Birmingham<br />
ALLUSONDRUGS, MILK<br />
TEETH & FIZZY BLOOD<br />
The Actress & Bishop,<br />
Birmingham<br />
THE SPEAKEASY Kitchen<br />
Garden Cafe, B’ham<br />
LAURENCE JONES BAND<br />
The Assembly, Leamington<br />
Spa<br />
THE FAMILY RAIN Hare &<br />
Hounds, Birmingham<br />
LUCAS D & THE GROOVE<br />
GHETTO The Jam<br />
House, Birmingham<br />
HANSU-TORI Ort Cafe,<br />
Birmingham<br />
THU 5 JUN<br />
THE BEE GEES SATURDAY<br />
NIGHT FEVER PARTY WITH<br />
STAYIN' ALIVE Crewe<br />
Lyceum<br />
THE MOVE The Robin,<br />
Bilston<br />
THE BOHEMIANS - A<br />
NIGHT OF QUEEN Solihull<br />
Arts Complex<br />
BIG WOLF BAND The<br />
Roadhouse, B’ham<br />
ANGEL OLSEN Hare &<br />
Hounds, Birmingham<br />
MONKATHON FINALE The<br />
Yardbird Jazz Club,<br />
Birmingham<br />
WARREN SMITH WITH<br />
SPECIAL GUESTS Hare &<br />
Hounds, Birmingham<br />
REMI HARRIS TRIO & TG<br />
COLLECTIVE Warwick<br />
Arts Centre, Coventry<br />
JILL AND KATE The Actress<br />
& Bishop, B’ham<br />
MR BEN The Jam<br />
House, Birmingham<br />
MJ HIBBETT, GRACE<br />
PETRIE & GAVIN OSBORN<br />
Ort Cafe, Birmingham<br />
FRI 6 JUN<br />
CBSO HEROES AND SU-<br />
PERHEROES Symphony<br />
Hall, Birmingham<br />
THE INTENTIONS The<br />
Jam House, B’ham<br />
MOSTLY AUTUMN The<br />
Robin, Bilston<br />
HENRY PRIESTMAN Huntingdon<br />
Hall, Worcester<br />
LONDON GRAMMAR Civic<br />
Hall, Wolverhampton<br />
NICK MULVEY Civic Hall,<br />
Wolverhampton<br />
VOODOO ROOM Artrix,<br />
Bromsgrove<br />
THEA GILMORE The Assembly,<br />
Leamington<br />
Spa<br />
HOZIER O2 Academy,<br />
Birmingham<br />
PUTTING ON THE RITZ<br />
Upton House & Gardens,<br />
Warwickshire<br />
FOREST Hare & Hounds,<br />
Birmingham<br />
PIAF IN CABARET Theatre<br />
Severn, Shrewsbury<br />
THE RONALDOS Fleet<br />
Street Kitchen, B’ham<br />
MISTY'S BIG ADVENTURE<br />
Hare & Hounds, B’ham<br />
FRAN THE MAN Irish<br />
Centre, Birmingham<br />
JOHNNY 2 BAD Irish Centre,<br />
Birmingham<br />
HOT RED CHILI PEPPERS<br />
The Marr's Bar,<br />
Worcester<br />
THE SUPERSKAS<br />
Newhampton Arts Centre,<br />
Wolverhampton<br />
MELLOW PEACHES, CHRIS<br />
CLEVERLEY & ELLIS TAL-<br />
BOT Ort Cafe, B’ham<br />
THE DESERT MONKEYS<br />
The River Rooms,<br />
Stourbridge<br />
THE QUO The Roadhouse,<br />
Birmingham<br />
THE SHAPES, DOMESTIC<br />
BLESS & HUFFY Route<br />
44, Birmingham<br />
BLUES BOY DAN OWEN<br />
The Tin Music And Arts,<br />
Coventry<br />
THE YAMAHA SCHOLARS<br />
Symphony Hall, B’ham<br />
JACQUI DANKWORTH The<br />
Roses Theatre,<br />
Tewkesbury<br />
THE JAKE LEG JUG BAND<br />
The Water’s Edge<br />
Bandstand, B’ham<br />
MILOS Malvern Theatres<br />
SAT 7 JUN<br />
THE INTENTIONS The<br />
Jam House, B’ham<br />
THE JENTS The Slug and<br />
Lettuce, Birmingham<br />
LIMEHOUSE LIZZY The<br />
Robin, Bilston<br />
THE TREORCHY MALE<br />
VOICE CHOIR Royal Spa<br />
Centre, Leamington<br />
Spa<br />
CARLTON MALE VOICE<br />
CHOIR Huntingdon Hall,<br />
Worcester<br />
RHYS CHATHAM'S A SE-<br />
CRET ROSE Birmingham<br />
Town Hall<br />
ROCK ‘N’ ROLL PARADISE<br />
The Roses Theatre,<br />
Tewkesbury<br />
SYMPHONY SOUNDS<br />
Symphony Hall, B’ham<br />
NICK OLIVERI The Institute,<br />
Birmingham<br />
NICK MALCOLM QUARTET<br />
The Hive, Shrewsbury<br />
DRENGE Kasbah,<br />
Coventry<br />
FABIO, BRYAN G & LENZ-<br />
MAN Hare & Hounds,<br />
Birmingham<br />
WHOLE LOTTA LED Ludlow<br />
Assembly Rooms,<br />
Shropshire<br />
MAETLOAF The River<br />
Rooms, Stourbridge<br />
SWEET BABOO Warwick<br />
Arts Centre, Coventry<br />
FOLLOW YOU HOME O2<br />
Academy, Birmingham<br />
THE ELO EXPERIENCE Artrix,<br />
Bromsgrove<br />
BBC BIG BAND Bedworth<br />
Civic Hall<br />
TASKERS, THE MONICAS<br />
& SIERRA HOTEL The<br />
Flapper, Birmingham<br />
THE FATHER TEDS Irish<br />
Centre, Birmingham<br />
BROOKE SHARKEY, ADAM<br />
BEATTIE & LEANDER<br />
JONES Ort Cafe, B’ham<br />
BLOODSTOCK FESTIVAL'S<br />
METAL TO THE MASSES<br />
SEMI FINAL The Roadhouse,<br />
Birmingham<br />
DAVID COSLETT & JOSH<br />
KEMP Hare & Hounds,<br />
Birmingham<br />
THE CLONED STONES<br />
Route 44, Birmingham<br />
For full music listings in the West Midlands, visit. www.whatsonlive.co.uk 17
*<br />
Booking fee applies<br />
*<br />
18 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
Music LISTINGS<br />
For full listing information on gigs,<br />
including times and dates,<br />
visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
GOD DAMN The Slade<br />
Rooms, Wolverhampton<br />
SUN 8 JUN<br />
TALON - THE BEST OF EA-<br />
GLES Lichfield Garrick<br />
COLIN BLUNSTONE &<br />
BAND The Robin, Bilston<br />
RED DRAGON CARTEL The<br />
Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton<br />
KAST OFF KINKS Hare &<br />
Hounds, Birmingham<br />
DAVID LANG - CROWD<br />
OUT Millennium Point,<br />
Birmingham<br />
ELECTRIC CAKE SALAD,<br />
THE ROZ BRUCE INFU-<br />
SION, TANG & ULYSSES<br />
The Actress & Bishop,<br />
Birmingham<br />
INTERPLAY & SONRISA<br />
Warwick Arts Centre,<br />
Coventry<br />
GENTLE FRIENDLY Hare &<br />
Hounds, Birmingham<br />
MARIAN & ALLY HARRON<br />
Irish Centre, B’ham<br />
MAGIC & LOSS - THE<br />
MUSIC OF LOU REED The<br />
Roadhouse, B’ham<br />
MON 9 JUN<br />
THE ENEMY The Sugarmill,<br />
Stoke-on-Trent<br />
PEACE The Assembly,<br />
Leamington Spa<br />
BELLA HARDY New Vic<br />
Theatre, Newcastleunder-lyme<br />
THE KENNEDYS Henry<br />
Tudor House,<br />
Shrewsbury<br />
GHETTS The Institute,<br />
Birmingham<br />
TUE 10 JUN<br />
HATFUL OF RAIN Kitchen<br />
Garden Cafe, B’ham<br />
RIVAL SONS O2 Academy,<br />
Birmingham<br />
BEN DRUMMOND The<br />
Jam House, Birmingham<br />
WED 11 JUN<br />
GOSPEL CENTRAL The<br />
Jam House, Bi’ham<br />
THE FOUR SEASONS<br />
Number 8 Community<br />
Arts Centre, Pershore<br />
JOHN BRAMWELL The<br />
Robin, Bilston<br />
THREE STEP MANOEUVRE<br />
FUNKY ORGAN TRIO The<br />
Yardbird Jazz Club,<br />
Birmingham<br />
AMP FIDDLER Hare &<br />
Hounds, Birmingham<br />
ASIA Malvern Theatres<br />
DESERT SUN, VINYETTE &<br />
NEVERENDER The Roadhouse,<br />
Birmingham<br />
THU 12 JUN<br />
BELLA HARDY mac,<br />
Birmingham<br />
ABBAMANIA Prince Of<br />
Wales Centre, Cannock<br />
JUDIE TZUKE Huntingdon<br />
Hall, Worcester<br />
BIRMINGHAM CONSERVA-<br />
TOIRE FOLK ENSEMBLE<br />
Foxlowe Arts Centre,<br />
Leek<br />
ANATHEMA The Assembly,<br />
Leamington Spa<br />
CLUB CLASSICS LIVE The<br />
Jam House, B’ham<br />
MERCHANTS OF COOL<br />
The Roadhouse, B’ham<br />
FRI 13 JUN<br />
ROCKET The Jam<br />
House, Birmingham<br />
PANIC ROOM The Robin,<br />
Bilston<br />
LADY BE GOOD Dovehouse<br />
Theatre, Solihull<br />
THE DRIFTERS Dudley<br />
Town Hall<br />
MAGOOL mac, B’ham<br />
THE MUMBLECORES The<br />
Flapper, Birmingham<br />
CASINO The Actress &<br />
Bishop, Birmingham<br />
PET SHOP BOYS LG<br />
Arena, Birmingham<br />
FRED ZEPPELIN The<br />
River Rooms, Stourbridge<br />
THE WEDDING CRASHERS<br />
The Water’s Edge<br />
Bandstand, B’ham<br />
ROBBIE MOORE QUINTET<br />
Symphony Hall, B’ham<br />
BOYS MAKE NOISE Artrix,<br />
Bromsgrove<br />
THE MAGIC OF MOTOWN<br />
Malvern Theatres<br />
1215 Fleet Street<br />
Kitchen, Birmingham<br />
HIGHGRADE - SUMMER<br />
SESSION The Institute,<br />
Birmingham<br />
FOUR ACES Irish Centre,<br />
Birmingham<br />
THE FOO FIGHTERS TRIB-<br />
UTE The Marr's Bar,<br />
Worcester<br />
MIDNIGHT BONFIRES<br />
Hare & Hounds, B’ham<br />
HOT RED CHILI PEPPERS<br />
The Roadhouse, B’ham<br />
BEAR & STEVIE E'S ROCK<br />
DISCO Route 44, B’ham<br />
THE PERSONAS The Sugarmill,<br />
Stoke-on-Trent<br />
SMITHED Moochers,<br />
Stourbridge<br />
QUILL The Assembly,<br />
Leamington Spa<br />
DUKE & DETECTIVE O2<br />
Academy, Birmingham<br />
HOLLYWOOD ENDING<br />
Kasbah, Coventry<br />
SAT 14 JUN<br />
ROCKET The Jam<br />
House, Birmingham<br />
TAKE THAT RELIGHTING<br />
THE FIRE The Robin,<br />
Bilston<br />
THE MOTOWN BLACK TIE<br />
MIDSUMMER BALL WITH<br />
RICHIE SAMPSONS<br />
DRIFTERS Nailcote Hall,<br />
Berkswell, Warwickshire<br />
STRICTLY ABBA Theatre<br />
On The Steps, Bridgnorth,<br />
Shropshire<br />
JOE BROUGHTON'S CON-<br />
SERVATOIRE FOLK EN-<br />
SEMBLE Huntingdon<br />
Hall, Worcester<br />
ROXY MAGIC The Roadhouse,<br />
Birmingham<br />
PHOENIX GOLD Irish Centre,<br />
Birmingham<br />
RHOMBUS The Marr's<br />
Bar, Worcester<br />
The Pet Shop Boys - LG Arena, Birmingham<br />
THE STRANGEST FEELING<br />
Ort Cafe, Birmingham<br />
BLACK COUNTRY COMMU-<br />
NITY Route 44, B’ham<br />
THE BOOTLEG SHADOWS<br />
Tamworth Assembly<br />
Rooms, Staffs<br />
THE MOTIVES The Sugarmill,<br />
Stoke-on-Trent<br />
HALFWAY TO PARADISE<br />
Prince Of Wales Theatre,<br />
Cannock<br />
KILL THE ROMANTIC,<br />
STORMRIDDEN & PRIMER<br />
The Flapper, B’ham<br />
PIERRE BENSUSAN mac,<br />
Birmingham<br />
SUN 15 JUN<br />
THE GRIMETHORPE COL-<br />
LIERY BAND Theatre<br />
Severn, Shrewsbury<br />
ANDY JORDAN O2 Academy,<br />
Birmingham<br />
ADRIAN EDMONDSON &<br />
THE BAD SHEPHERDS The<br />
Robin, Bilston<br />
THE KENNEDYS Kitchen<br />
Garden Cafe, B’ham<br />
HOLLYWOOD ENDING O2<br />
Academy, Birmingham<br />
HATFUL OF RAIN Henry<br />
Tudor House,<br />
Shrewsbury<br />
TOM HEALY Irish Centre,<br />
Birmingham<br />
THE REMI HARRIS GYPSY<br />
JAZZ PROJECT Ludlow<br />
Assembly Rooms,<br />
Shropshire<br />
MARTIN & ELIZA CARTHY<br />
Ludlow Assembly<br />
Rooms, Shropshire<br />
SARA SMITH TRIO Quality<br />
Square, Ludlow<br />
GIOCOSO SAXOPHONE<br />
QUARTET Oozells<br />
Square, Birmingham<br />
MON 16 JUN<br />
WALSALL JAZZ ORCHES-<br />
TRA Forest Arts Centre,<br />
Walsall<br />
ANDY JORDAN The Sugarmill,<br />
Stoke-on-Trent<br />
GEORGE EZRA The Glee<br />
Club, Birmingham<br />
ROD CLEMENTS Kitchen<br />
Garden Cafe, B’ham<br />
SCOTT BRADLEE & POST-<br />
MODERN JUKEBOX The<br />
Institute, Birmingham<br />
TUE 17 JUN<br />
THE ILLEGAL EAGLES Belgrade<br />
Theatre,<br />
Coventry<br />
THE DELINES Hare &<br />
Hounds, Birmingham<br />
THE CYBORGS The<br />
Robin, Bilston<br />
TROYKA & PULCINELLA<br />
The Tin Music And Arts,<br />
Coventry<br />
JEFFREY LEWIS & THE<br />
JRAMS The Actress &<br />
Bishop, Birmingham<br />
WED 18 JUN<br />
MOTOWN'S GREATEST<br />
HITS - HOW SWEET IT IS<br />
Belgrade Theatre,<br />
Coventry<br />
TAKING CARE OF ELVIS<br />
Malvern Theatres,<br />
Worcestershire<br />
HAMILTON LOOMIS The<br />
Jam House, B’ham<br />
BABAJACK The Robin,<br />
Bilston<br />
THU 19 JUN<br />
TAKING CARE OF ELVIS<br />
Belgrade Theatre,<br />
Coventry<br />
QUEEN ALIVE The Robin,<br />
Bilston<br />
THE BLUES BAND Tamworth<br />
Assembly Rooms<br />
MEL DAY & THE SOUL<br />
SURVIVORS The Jam<br />
House, Birmingham<br />
HARP DUO Ludlow Assembly<br />
Rooms, Shropshire<br />
FRI 20 JUN<br />
UP4 THE DOWNSTROKE<br />
The Jam House, B’ham<br />
AND FINALLY - PHIL COL-<br />
INS TRIBUTE SHOW The<br />
Robin, Bilston<br />
LOVE CHANGES EVERY-<br />
THING Solihull Arts<br />
Complex<br />
SHERRY COUNSELLORS<br />
The Sugarmill, Stokeon-Trent<br />
THE STAFFORDSHIRE<br />
BAND - MYTHS AND LE-<br />
GIONS Forest Arts Centre,<br />
Walsall<br />
ABBA MANIA Belgrade<br />
Theatre, Coventry<br />
THE CLASSIC ROCK<br />
TRIPLE HEADER The<br />
Roadhouse, B’ham<br />
THE LOVED & LOST O2<br />
Academy, Birmingham<br />
MISTY IN ROOTS The Assembly,<br />
Leamington<br />
Spa<br />
COLDPLACE The River<br />
Rooms, Stourbridge<br />
PETE CHURCHILL Symphony<br />
Hall, B’ham<br />
THE DETACHED COLLEC-<br />
TIVE The Actress &<br />
Bishop, Birmingham<br />
PLASTIC PANTOMIME<br />
Fleet Street Kitchen,<br />
Birmingham<br />
LIFE & GOD DAMN Hare &<br />
Hounds, Birmingham<br />
HOT CLUB DE SWING -<br />
FESTIVAL TEA PARTY<br />
Hare & Hounds, B’ham<br />
JOHN KIERNAN Irish Centre,<br />
Birmingham<br />
THE BIG WOLF BAND<br />
Route 44, Birmingham<br />
THE DELRAY ROCKETS<br />
Moochers, Stourbridge<br />
DAVID REA Quality<br />
Square, Ludlow<br />
RUDIE AND THE RE-<br />
VOLVERS The Water’s<br />
Edge Bandstand,<br />
Birmingham<br />
MR GEORGE’S FAMOUS<br />
LAST WORDS, KLASSIDE<br />
& ABBERLINE The Flapper,<br />
Birmingham<br />
SAT 21 JUN<br />
UP4 THE DOWNSTROKE<br />
The Jam House, B’ham<br />
THE MOTELLAS Nailcote<br />
Hall, Berkswell<br />
AND FINALLY - PHIL<br />
COLLINS TRIBUTE SHOW<br />
Solihull Arts Complex<br />
THE STONES The Roadhouse,<br />
Birmingham<br />
KASABIAN Victoria Park,<br />
Leicester<br />
WORBEY AND FARRELL<br />
Huntingdon Hall, B’ham<br />
MICHAEL KING PRESENTS<br />
THE BILLY FURY YEARS<br />
Theatre Severn,<br />
Shrewsbury<br />
MOTOWN MAGIC The<br />
Swan Theatre,<br />
Worcester<br />
GREEN DAY UK The<br />
Robin, Bilston<br />
OLLY MURS TRBUTE The<br />
Great Barr Hotel, B’ham<br />
PRELUDE The Edge Arts<br />
Centre, Much Wenlock<br />
ROCK ANTHEMS Number<br />
8 Community Arts Centre,<br />
Pershore<br />
THE WEEKEND ANTHEMS<br />
The River Rooms,<br />
Stourbridge<br />
BIG BAND FINALE CON-<br />
CERT Warwick Arts Centre,<br />
Coventry<br />
TIGER CUB O2 Academy,<br />
Birmingham<br />
THE HOT HEADS The Actress<br />
& Bishop, B’ham<br />
KIRVANA - A TRIBUTE TO<br />
NIRVANA The Flapper,<br />
Birmingham<br />
HOTWIRED Irish Centre,<br />
Birmingham<br />
RIFF RAFF The Marr's<br />
Bar, Worcester<br />
SOUR MASH Route 44,<br />
Birmingham<br />
WHITE NOISE THEORY<br />
The Sugarmill, Stokeon-Trent<br />
SOULSHAKE The Yardbird<br />
Jazz Club, B’ham<br />
KING PLEASURE & THE<br />
BISCUIT BOYS Moochers,<br />
Stourbridge<br />
SOUNDS OF SUMMER<br />
Town Hall, Birmingham<br />
WOODEN HORSE Artrix,<br />
Bromsgrove<br />
SUN 22 JUN<br />
DOLLY PARTON LG<br />
Arena, Birmingham<br />
ALOHA FROM HAWAII<br />
Lichfield Garrick<br />
GEORGE BENSON Symphony<br />
Hall, B’ham<br />
THE SOUTH Crewe<br />
Lyceum<br />
TOUCHSTONE The Robin,<br />
Bilston<br />
CATHERINE FEENY<br />
Kitchen Garden Cafe,<br />
Birmingham<br />
MALONE MALONE The Institute,<br />
Birmingham<br />
SHAWN CUDDY Irish Centre,<br />
Birmingham<br />
THE PEOPLE'S ORCHES-<br />
TRA Adrian Boult Hall,<br />
Birmingham<br />
SAM SAX MAN The<br />
Water’s Edge Bandstand,<br />
Birmingham<br />
MON 23 JUN<br />
DOPETHRONE The Asylum,<br />
Birmingham<br />
PARQUET COURTS The Institute,<br />
Birmingham<br />
DAVID GRAY Symphony<br />
Hall, Birmingham<br />
TUE 24 JUN<br />
MITCH LADDIE The<br />
Robin, Bilston<br />
JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER<br />
ORCHESTRA Symphony<br />
Hall, Birmingham<br />
SUMMER PROM CONCERT<br />
Evesham Arts Centre<br />
For full music listings in the West Midlands, visit. www.whatsonlive.co.uk 19
20 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
Music LISTINGS<br />
For full listing information on gigs,<br />
including times and dates,<br />
visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
HOLLY WILLIAMS TRIO<br />
The Glee Club, B’ham<br />
CHERRY GHOST The Institute,<br />
Birmingham<br />
EDWINA HAYES The<br />
Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury<br />
WED 25 JUN<br />
NURVRAX JAM The Yardbird<br />
Jazz Club, B’ham<br />
GARETH GATES O2 Academy,<br />
Birmingham<br />
MISFITS The Assembly,<br />
Leamington Spa<br />
MORELAND & ARBUCKLE<br />
The Jam House, B’ham<br />
DEXYS Kasbah, Coventry<br />
THU 26 JUN<br />
DEL CAMINO The Jam<br />
House, Birmingham<br />
ROY ORBISON AND<br />
FRIENDS Lichfield Garrick<br />
HEAVEN & EARTH O2<br />
Academy, Birmingham<br />
MONOCLED MAN Hare &<br />
Hounds, Birmingham<br />
PANSPERMIA & LET<br />
VENGEANCE RISE O2<br />
Academy, Birmingham<br />
NILE The Robin, Bilston<br />
BELSHAZZAR’S FEAST Artrix,<br />
Bromsgrove<br />
QUEEN ALIVE The Roadhouse,<br />
Birmingham<br />
FRI 27 JUN<br />
ONCE IN A LIFETIME: The<br />
Final Tour Featuring The<br />
Osmonds, David Essex,<br />
Showaddywaddy & Les<br />
McKeowan's Bay City<br />
Rollers, LG Arena, Birmingham<br />
AND FINALLY - PHIL COL-<br />
INS TRIBUTE SHOW Lichfield<br />
Garrick<br />
SONGS OF STRUGGLE The<br />
Drum, Birmingham<br />
RAGHU DIXIT The Glee<br />
Club, Birmingham<br />
JESSIE J Cannock<br />
Chase Forest<br />
GRAPPELLI SWING Huntingdon<br />
Hall, Worcester<br />
SKABUCKS The Roadhouse,<br />
Birmingham<br />
DANCING QUEEN Theatre<br />
Severn, Shrewsbury<br />
THE RED LEMONS The<br />
Jam House, B’ham<br />
AC/DC UK The Robin, Bilston<br />
ROCK IT! Malvern Theatres<br />
HIGHTOWER O2 Academy,<br />
Birmingham<br />
SIMON SPILLETT QUARTET<br />
Symphony Hall, B’ham<br />
ONLY SHADOWS The Actress<br />
& Bishop, B’ham<br />
DEVIL RED THE REMEDY<br />
The Slade Rooms,<br />
Wolverhampton<br />
MJ TRIBUTE Fleet Street<br />
Kitchen, Birmingham<br />
BOAT TO ROW Hare &<br />
Hounds, Birmingham<br />
PAT BRESLIN Irish Centre,<br />
Birmingham<br />
GREEN HAZE Route 44,<br />
Birmingham<br />
POLICE DOG HOGAN The<br />
Roses Theatre,<br />
Tewkesbury<br />
MALLEN The Flapper,<br />
Birmingham<br />
SAT 28 JUN<br />
THE RED LEMONS The<br />
Jam House, B’ham<br />
AND FINALLY - PHIL<br />
COLLINS TRIBUTE The<br />
Roses Theatre,<br />
Tewkesbury<br />
THE BEATLES WITH TOP<br />
TRIBUTE BAND THE NAKED<br />
BEATLES The Robin, Bilston<br />
PAUL WELLER Cannock<br />
Chase Forest<br />
HAT FITZ & CARA Huntingdon<br />
Hall, Worcester<br />
LOVE CHANGES EVERY-<br />
THING Theatre Severn,<br />
Shrewsbury<br />
THE RAT PACK VEGAS<br />
SPECTACULAR Malvern<br />
Theatres<br />
SWEDE DREAMZ - ABBA<br />
TRIBUTE NIGHT The<br />
Great Barr Hotel, B’ham<br />
THE BON JOVI EXPERI-<br />
ENCE The River Rooms,<br />
Stourbridge<br />
WARLORD UK O2 Academy,<br />
Birmingham<br />
THE MANFREDS Lichfield<br />
Garrick<br />
Jessie J, Cannock Chase Forest<br />
HAWK EYES The Flapper,<br />
Birmingham<br />
UNDER THE COVERS Irish<br />
Centre, Birmingham<br />
BOXCAR ALDOUS HUXLEY<br />
& ANDY OLIVERI Ort<br />
Cafe, Birmingham<br />
IVOR & LYNN'S CLASSIC<br />
ROCK DISCO Route 44,<br />
Birmingham<br />
SUN 29 JUN<br />
STEVE HARLEY & COCK-<br />
NEY REBEL Symphony<br />
Hall, Birmingham<br />
SIMPLY DYLAN Kitchen<br />
Garden Cafe, B’ham<br />
FRANKLEY GUITAR CLUB<br />
SUMMER CONCERT Artrix,<br />
Bromsgrove<br />
KENNY DANCE FEIS Irish<br />
Centre, Birmingham<br />
BLAKE & BRAZIL Irish<br />
Centre, Birmingham<br />
MON 30 JUN<br />
LARKIN POE Hare &<br />
Hounds, Birmingham<br />
NEW AMERICAN TROUBA-<br />
DOURS Henry Tudor<br />
House, Shrewsbury<br />
Music Venues Box Office Across The Midlands<br />
Birmingham<br />
02 ACADEMY<br />
0121 622 8250<br />
THE ACTRESS & BISHOP<br />
0121 236 7426<br />
ADRIAN BOULT HALL<br />
0121 331 5901<br />
THE ASYLUM<br />
0121 233 1109<br />
THE BARBER INSTITUTE<br />
0121 414 7333<br />
BIRMINGHAM TOWN HALL<br />
0121 780 3333<br />
CBSO CENTRE<br />
0121 780 3333<br />
FLAPPER 0121 236 2421<br />
THE GLEE CLUB<br />
0871 472 0400<br />
HARE & HOUNDS<br />
0121 444 2081<br />
THE INSTITUTE<br />
0121 643 0428<br />
IRISH CENTRE<br />
0121 622 2314<br />
THE JAM HOUSE<br />
0121 200 3030<br />
THE KITCHEN GARDEN CAFE<br />
0121 443 4725<br />
LG ARENA<br />
0844 338 8000<br />
NIA<br />
0844 338 8000<br />
THE RAINBOW<br />
0121 772 8174<br />
RED LION FOLK CLUB<br />
0121472 4253<br />
THE ROADHOUSE<br />
0121 246 2273<br />
ROUTE 44<br />
0121 708 0108<br />
SYMPHONY HALL<br />
0121 780 3333<br />
THE VICTORIA<br />
0121 633 9439<br />
THE YARDBIRD<br />
0121 212 2524<br />
Black Country<br />
CIVIC HALL, WOLVERHAMPTON<br />
0870 320 7000<br />
DUDLEY CONCERT HALL<br />
01384 815577<br />
FOREST ARTS CENTRE<br />
0845 111 2898<br />
NEWHAMPTON ARTS CENTRE<br />
01902 572090<br />
ROBIN 2, BILSTON<br />
01902 401211<br />
SLADE ROOMS<br />
WOLVERHAMPTON<br />
0870 320 7000<br />
STOURBRIDGE TOWN HALL<br />
01384 812812<br />
WULFRUN HALL,<br />
WOLVERHAMPTON<br />
0870 320 7000<br />
Shropshire<br />
BIRCHMEADOW, BROSELEY<br />
01952 882210<br />
THE BUTTERMARKET,<br />
SHREWSBURY<br />
01743 355055<br />
THE EDGE ARTS CENTRE,<br />
MUCH WENLOCK<br />
01952 728911<br />
HENRY TUDOR HOUSE<br />
SHREWSBURY<br />
01743 361666<br />
THE HIVE, SHREWSBURY<br />
01743 234970<br />
LUDLOW ASSEMBLY ROOMS<br />
01584 878141<br />
THEATRE SEVERN,<br />
SHREWSBURY 01743 281281<br />
THE PLACE, OAKENGATES,<br />
TELFORD 01952 382382<br />
WEM TOWN HALL<br />
01939 232299<br />
Staffordshire<br />
FOXLOWE ARTS CENTRE, LEEK<br />
01538 386112<br />
LICHFIELD GUILDHALL<br />
01543 262223<br />
THE SUGARMILL, HANLEY<br />
STOKE-ON-TRENT<br />
01159 454 593<br />
TAMWORTH ASSEMBLY ROOMS<br />
01827 709618<br />
VICTORIA HALL, HANLEY<br />
0870 060 6649<br />
STAFFORD GATEHOUSE<br />
01785 254653<br />
Warwickshire<br />
THE ASSEMBLY, LEAMINGTON<br />
01926 311311<br />
THE KASBAH, COVENTRY<br />
024 7655 4473<br />
NAILCOTE HALL,<br />
BERKSWELL<br />
02476 46 6174<br />
STRATFORD CIVIC HALL<br />
01789 207100<br />
THE TIN MUSIC & ARTS,<br />
COVENTRY<br />
0247 655 9958<br />
Worcestershire<br />
ARTRIX, BROMSGROVE<br />
01527 577330<br />
HUNTINGDON HALL / SWAN<br />
THEATRE 01905 611427<br />
MARR’S BAR, WORCESTER<br />
01905 613336<br />
THE RIVER ROOMS,<br />
STOURBRIDGE<br />
01384 397177<br />
For additional information<br />
and to find out What’s On<br />
at these venues.<br />
Visit: www.whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
For full music listings in the West Midlands, visit. www.whatsonlive.co.uk 21
Classical Music PREVIEWS<br />
Barbara Hannigan<br />
Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Wed 18 June<br />
Hot on the heels of her performance as<br />
Marie in Zimmerman’s Die Soldaten,<br />
acclaimed Canadian soprano Barbara<br />
Hannigan this month performs alongside<br />
the CBSO in the UK premiere of Hans<br />
Abrahamsen’s Let Me Tell You.<br />
Hannigan’s much-anticipated performance<br />
features in a programme of works entitled<br />
Strauss And Shakespeare, Abrahamsen’s<br />
orchestral song cycle having been<br />
inspired by the works of the Stratford<br />
bard. Under the baton of Andris Nelsons,<br />
the evening begins with Mendelssohn’s A<br />
Midsummer Night’s Dream and culminates<br />
with Strauss’ Symphonica Domestica 44’ -<br />
a no-holds-barred musical diary of a day<br />
with the Strauss family.<br />
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group: Crowd Out<br />
Millennium Point, Birmingham, Sun 8 June<br />
Here world-premiered in an epic-scale production, David Lang’s new piece for one thousand<br />
untrained voices is one of the largest vocal events ever to be staged in Birmingham. The work<br />
has been commissioned by Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (BCMG) and encompasses<br />
a wide range of public singing and vocalising - including football chanting. CBSO Chorus<br />
Director Simon Halsey - widely regarded as one of the world’s top choral conductors - leads<br />
the performance. The production visits Berlin and London following its Birmingham debut.<br />
Welsh National Opera: Faith<br />
Birmingham Hippodrome, Weds 18 - Fri 20 June<br />
Founded in Cardiff in 1943, Welsh National Opera (WNO) is committed<br />
to producing highly accessible work for its audiences,<br />
whether they be opera-going regulars or people attending for the<br />
very first time. Here presenting three works from its summer season,<br />
the company explores the subject of faith, and the way in<br />
which music and religion are brought together.<br />
Schoenberg’s rarely performed Moses Und Aron opens the Hippodrome<br />
season. Standing as one of the most powerful political<br />
statements of the twentieth century, the three-act opera is a<br />
response to the composer’s reflections, both on the existence of<br />
God and his own musical and religious identity.<br />
A piece from the opposite end of the operatic spectrum follows<br />
when the company presents Nabucco. One of Verdi’s earliest<br />
hits, the work is often referred to as ‘the operatic equivalent of a<br />
1950s biblical Hollywood epic’. It includes a rousing score featuring<br />
The Chorus Of The Hebrew Slaves.<br />
WNO ends its latest Hippodrome season with a double-bill, bringing<br />
together Debussy’s La Chute de la Maison - based on Edgar<br />
Allan Poe’s The Fall Of The House Of Usher - and the world<br />
stage premiere of Gordon Getty’s Usher House.<br />
22 www.whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
Dante Quartet<br />
Avoncroft Museum,<br />
Bromsgrove,<br />
Wed 25 June<br />
Held in high regard for<br />
their imaginative programming,<br />
the Dante Quartet<br />
are resident at King’s College,<br />
Cambridge. They’re<br />
also the team behind the<br />
esteemed Dante Summer<br />
Festival, which takes place<br />
in the Tamar Valley every<br />
July.<br />
Comprising Yuko Inoue<br />
(viola), Richard Jenkinson<br />
(cello), and Krysia Osostowicz<br />
and Oscar Perks<br />
(violins), the quartet this<br />
month return to the Midlands<br />
for the Bromsgrove<br />
Festival, where they’ll perform<br />
Haydn’s Quartet Op<br />
33 No 1 and Schubert’s<br />
Quartettsatz.<br />
Wagner’s Ring:<br />
Götterdämmerung<br />
Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Sat 21 June<br />
Opera North’s four-year traversal of Wagner’s<br />
Ring Cycle here comes to a conclusion<br />
with the composer’s awe-inspiring<br />
final opera. Sung in German with English<br />
surtitles, Götterdämmerung finds Siegfried<br />
falling amongst enemies, Brünnhilde’s love<br />
being betrayed and the gods themselves<br />
confronting the end of a world.<br />
Alwyn Mellor, who garnered great critical<br />
acclaim for her 2012 portrayal of Sieglinde<br />
in Opera North’s Die Walküre, sings the<br />
role of Brünnhilde. She’s joined by Estonian<br />
tenor Mati Turi as Siegfried and<br />
Swedish bass Mats Almgren as Hagen.
Classical LISTINGS<br />
For full listing information on classical<br />
concerts, including times and dates,<br />
visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
THE SACCONI QUARTET<br />
With Freddy Kempf<br />
(piano). Programme<br />
includes Elgar's Piano<br />
Quintet & Schubert's<br />
Piano Quintet in A<br />
Major 'The Trout', Sun 1<br />
June, Malvern Theatres<br />
EDWARD DUSINBERRE &<br />
CHARLES OWEN Programme<br />
to include<br />
works by Brahms,<br />
Bach, Mendelssohn<br />
and Beethoven, Sun 1<br />
June, Royal Pump<br />
Rooms, Leamington<br />
Spa<br />
LUNCHTIME ORGAN CON-<br />
CERT WITH ROGER<br />
OWENS The programme<br />
will include works by<br />
Gershwin, Mozart and<br />
Addinsell, Mon 2 June,<br />
Symphony Hall, Birmingham<br />
SINFONIETTA CONCERT<br />
Featuring music from<br />
James Oldham, Fang<br />
Fang, Richard Stenton,<br />
Luke Deane, Andy<br />
Ingamells and Ryan<br />
Probert, Mon 2 June,<br />
Birmingham Conservatoire<br />
LUNCHTIME ORGAN CON-<br />
CERT WITH NIGEL ALL-<br />
COAT Mon 2 June,<br />
Coventry Cathedral Of<br />
Ruins<br />
BRAHMSIAD Tues 3<br />
June, Adrian Boult Hall,<br />
Birmingham<br />
CBSO SUMMER SERE-<br />
NADE Featuring Laurence<br />
Jackson<br />
(violin/director) &<br />
Christopher Yates<br />
(viola). Programme<br />
includes works by<br />
Grieg, Mozart, Dvorak<br />
& Tchaikovsky, Thurs 5<br />
June, Symphony Hall,<br />
Birmingham<br />
BIRMINGHAM CONSERVA-<br />
TOIRE PERCUSSION<br />
ENSEMBLE Thurs 5<br />
June, Birmingham Conservatoire<br />
BIRMINGHAM CONSERVA-<br />
TOIRE ORGAN DEPART-<br />
MENT IN CONCERT Fri 6<br />
June, St Swithun’s<br />
Church, Worcester<br />
CBSO HEROES AND<br />
SUPERHEROES Featuring<br />
Richard Kaufman (conductor)<br />
and music from<br />
Superman, Dance with<br />
Wolves, 633 Squadron,<br />
Saving Private Ryan,<br />
The Sea Hawk, Spider-<br />
Man, Silverado and<br />
many more, Fri 6 June,<br />
Symphony Hal, Birmingham<br />
THE TREORCHY MALE<br />
VOICE CHOIR Sat 7 June,<br />
Royal Spa Centre,<br />
Leamington Spa<br />
CARLTON MALE VOICE<br />
CHOIR Sat 7 June, Huntingdon<br />
Hall, Worcester<br />
SYMPHONY SOUNDS Presented<br />
by The Salvation<br />
Army and featuring<br />
The International Staff<br />
Band and International<br />
Staff Songsters, Sat 7<br />
June, Symphony Hall,<br />
Birmingham<br />
BACH ORGAN RECITAL<br />
Sun 8 June, St Chad’s<br />
Church, Shrewsbury<br />
CHORAL EVENSONG TO<br />
COMMEMORATE 70TH<br />
ANNIVERSARY OF D-DAY<br />
Sun 8 June, St Chad’s<br />
Church, Shrewsbury<br />
LUNCHTIME ORGAN CON-<br />
CERT WITH JONATHAN<br />
ALLSOPP Mon 9 June,<br />
Coventry Cathedral Of<br />
Ruins<br />
LUCY CHANG Tues 10<br />
June, Adrian Boult Hall,<br />
Birmingham<br />
COMPOSERS’ PLATFORM<br />
Tues 10 June, Recital<br />
Hall, Birmingham Conservatoire<br />
BACH ORGAN RECITAL<br />
Tues 10 June, St<br />
Chad’s Church,<br />
Shrewsbury<br />
CBSO THOMAS ADES:<br />
NEW HORIZONS Featuring<br />
Thomas Ades (conductor)<br />
and Nicolas<br />
Hodges (piano). Programme<br />
includes works<br />
by Ravel, Barry, Coll<br />
and Ades, Wed 11<br />
June, Symphony Hall<br />
CBSO SCHOOL’S CON-<br />
CERTS: CARNIVAL OF THE<br />
ANIMALS Devised specially<br />
for students at<br />
Key Stage 2. Featuring<br />
Michael Seal (conductor)<br />
and Nikky Smedley<br />
(presenter), Thurs12<br />
June, Symphony Hall,<br />
Birmingham<br />
THE NAVARRO STRING<br />
QUARTET Programme<br />
featuring works by<br />
Mozart & Beethoven,<br />
Thurs 12 June, Recital<br />
Hall, Birmingham Conservatoire<br />
THE PRIMROSE PIANO<br />
QUINTET Programme<br />
includes works by; JS<br />
Bach, Bridge, Francaix<br />
& Schumann, Fri 13<br />
June, Recital Hall, Birmingham<br />
Conservatoire<br />
THE HEPPLEWHITE TRIO<br />
Programme includes<br />
works by Bridge & Dvorak,<br />
Fri 13 June, Recital<br />
Hall, Birmingham Conservatoire<br />
RUISI STRING QUARTET<br />
Programme includes<br />
works by Mozart,<br />
Haydn & Debussy, Fri<br />
13 June, Recital Hall,<br />
Birmingham Conservatoire<br />
THE MARRIAGE OF<br />
FIGARO Fri 13 - Sun 15<br />
June, Barber Institute,<br />
Birmingham<br />
THE SCHUBERT ENSEM-<br />
BLE OF LONDON Sat 14<br />
June, Adrian Boult,<br />
Birmingham<br />
THE CBSO PLAY THE<br />
ADRIAN BOULT HALL Programme<br />
includes works<br />
by Grieg, Pehkonen,<br />
Elgar & Strauss, Sun 15<br />
June, Adrian Boult Hall,<br />
Birmingham<br />
BPO CONCERT Featuring<br />
Elgar’s cello concerto<br />
and King Arthur Suite,<br />
Vaughan Williams’ overture<br />
The Wasps and<br />
Five Variants on Dives<br />
and Lazarus, Sun 15<br />
June, Adrian Boult Hall,<br />
Birmingham<br />
BACH ORGAN RECITAL<br />
Sun 15 June, St Chad’s<br />
Church, Shrewsbury<br />
D-DAY AFTERNOON CON-<br />
CERT Featuring the<br />
Glebe Symphonic<br />
Winds, Sun 15 June,<br />
RAF Museum, Cosford,<br />
Nr Wolverhampton<br />
LUNCHTIME ORGAN CON-<br />
CERT: THOMAS TROTTER<br />
Mon 16 June, Birmingham<br />
Town Hall<br />
LUNCHTIME ORGAN CON-<br />
CERT WITH FLORIAN<br />
ZSCHUKE Mon 16 June,<br />
Coventry Cathedral Of<br />
Ruins<br />
CBSO STRAUSS AND<br />
SHAKESPEARE Featuring<br />
Andris Nelsons (conductor)<br />
and Barbara<br />
Hannigan (soprano).<br />
Programme includes<br />
works by Mendelssohn,<br />
Abrahamsen and<br />
Strauss, Wed 18 June,<br />
Symphony Hall, Birmingham<br />
MOSES AND ARON Welsh<br />
National Opera present<br />
Sergio Morabito and<br />
Jossi Wiesler's highly<br />
charged production,<br />
Wed 18 June, Birmingham<br />
Hippodrome<br />
ORGAN RECITAL: VINCENT<br />
GRAPPY Wed 18 June,<br />
St Chad’s Cathedral,<br />
Shrewsbury<br />
BEORMA VOCAL QUARTET<br />
Programme of English<br />
music spanning four<br />
centuries, Wed 18<br />
June, Avoncroft Museum,<br />
Bromsgrove<br />
CBSO BEETHOVEN’S<br />
EMPEROR CONCERTO<br />
Featuring Andris Nelsons<br />
(conductor) and<br />
Paul Lewis (piano). Programme<br />
includes works<br />
by Beethoven and<br />
Strauss, Thurs 19 June,<br />
Symphony Hall, Birmingham<br />
ASTARIA STRING QUAR-<br />
TET Programme features<br />
works by Haydn,<br />
Schumann, Janacek &<br />
Smetana, Thurs 19<br />
June, Grafton Manor<br />
Chapel, Bromsgrove<br />
THE FALL OF THE HOUSE<br />
OF USHER Welsh National<br />
Opera bring Edgar<br />
Allan Poe’s macabre<br />
tale to the operatic<br />
stage, Fri 20 June,<br />
Birmingham Hippodrome<br />
BIRMINGHAM UNIVERSITY<br />
SINGERS AND UNIVERSI-<br />
TY WOMEN’S CHOIR Fri<br />
20 June, Barber Institute,<br />
Birmingham<br />
BIRMINGHAM CONSERVA-<br />
TOIRE SYMPHONY<br />
ORCHESTRA: SYMPHONY<br />
OF DREAMS Fri 20 June,<br />
Town Hall, Birmingham<br />
WAGNER’S RING: GOT-<br />
TERDAMMERUNG Performed<br />
by the Orchestra<br />
and Chorus Of<br />
Opera North and Huddersfield<br />
Choral Society.<br />
Performance sung in<br />
German with English<br />
surtitles, Sat 21 June,<br />
Symphony Hall, Birmingham<br />
THE RAF COSFORD MILI-<br />
TARY WIVES CHOIR Sat<br />
21 June, The Abbey,<br />
Shrewsbury<br />
SHREWSBURY CANTATA<br />
CHOIR Featuring vocalists<br />
Victoria Adams,<br />
Rosie Walker, luno Connolly,<br />
Robert Tilson &<br />
Daniel Wyman with<br />
accompaniment by<br />
musicians from the<br />
Birmingham Conservatoire.<br />
Programme features<br />
works by Handel,<br />
Brahms, Gabrieli,<br />
Bruckner & Stravinsky,<br />
Sun 22 June, Holy Trinity<br />
Church, Meole<br />
Brace, Shrewsbury<br />
THE PEOPLE’S ORCHES-<br />
TRA Featuring a selection<br />
of film greats,<br />
including Schindler's<br />
List, The Lord of the<br />
Rings, Harry Potter,<br />
plus many more... Sun<br />
22 June, Adrian Boult<br />
Hall, Birmingham<br />
CHARLES BURNEY BI-<br />
CENTENNIAL MEMORIAL<br />
CONCERT Sun 22 June,<br />
Maidment Hall, Shrewsbury<br />
School<br />
LUNCHTIME ORGAN CON-<br />
CERT WITH MARTYN<br />
RAWLES Mon 23 June,<br />
Coventry Cathedral of<br />
Ruins<br />
SUMMER PROM CONCERT<br />
Presented by Prince<br />
Henry's High School,<br />
Tues 24 June, Evesham<br />
Arts Centre, Worcester<br />
THE GILBERT AND SULLI-<br />
VAN OPERA COMPANY<br />
Tues 24 - Sat 28 June,<br />
Wolverhampton Grand<br />
Theatre<br />
DANTE QUARTET Programme<br />
includes works<br />
by Haydn & Schubert,<br />
Wed 25 June, Artrix,<br />
Bromsgrove<br />
CBSO MOZART’S C MINOR<br />
MASS Featuring Andris<br />
Nelsons (conductor),<br />
Sarah-Jane Brandon<br />
(soprano), Lisa Milne<br />
(soprano), Ben Johnson<br />
(tenor), Vuyani<br />
Mlinde (bass) and John<br />
Tattersdill (double<br />
bass), Thurs 26 & Sat<br />
28 June, Symphony<br />
Hall, Birmingham<br />
WESTCOMBE BRASS Programme<br />
includes works<br />
by Bach, Handel, Bar<br />
Classical Box Office<br />
ADRIAN BOULT HALL,<br />
BIRMINGHAM<br />
0121 331 5901<br />
BARBER INSTITUTE,<br />
BIRMINGHAM<br />
0121 414 7333<br />
BIRMINGHAM<br />
CONSERVATOIRE<br />
0121 331 5901/2<br />
BIRMINGHAM & MIDLAND<br />
INSTITUTE<br />
0121 236 3591<br />
BIRMINGHAM TOWN HALL<br />
0121 780 3333<br />
BRAMALL CONCERT HALL,<br />
BIRMINGHAM<br />
0121 414 3344<br />
CBSO CENTRE,<br />
BIRMINGHAM<br />
0121 780 333<br />
tok, Berlin & Sherwin,<br />
Fri 27 June, St Mary the<br />
Virgin Church, Ullenhall,<br />
Nr Henley in<br />
Arden, Warwickshire<br />
JUNIOR CONSERVATOIRE:<br />
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA<br />
Sat 28 June, Adrian<br />
Boult Hall, Birmingham<br />
ACADEMIA MUSICA CHOIR<br />
Sat 28 June, Great<br />
Malvern Priory,<br />
Worcester<br />
THOMAS TROTTER: SUM-<br />
MER REQUESTS Mon 30<br />
June, Birmingham<br />
Town Hall<br />
NIGEL KENNEDY Mon 30<br />
June - Weds 2 July,<br />
Malvern Theatres<br />
HOLY TRINITY CHURCH,<br />
OSWESTRY<br />
01691 654832 / 652810<br />
MAIDMENT HALL,<br />
SHREWSBURY SCHOOL<br />
01743 280810<br />
MALVERN THEATRE<br />
01684 892277<br />
ST CHAD’S CHURCH,<br />
SHREWSBURY<br />
01743 365478<br />
ST LAURENCE’S CHURCH,<br />
LUDLOW<br />
01584 872073<br />
SYMPHONY HALL,<br />
BIRMINGHAM<br />
0121 780 3333<br />
VICTORIA HALL,<br />
STOKE-ON-TRENT<br />
0870 060 6649<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk 23
Comedy<br />
The Improlympians<br />
mac, Birmingham, Fri 13 June & Fri 11 July<br />
If you like your comedy seriously ‘off the cuff’,<br />
The Improlympians are the act for you.<br />
Regulars at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the<br />
talented troupe of lighthearted, family-friendly<br />
performers never present the same show twice,<br />
with their act on any given night depending<br />
entirely on suggestions made by the audience.<br />
As you’d expect, their comedy is bold and<br />
adventurous, their wit razor-sharp. How else<br />
would they manage to present a show based<br />
on, for example, the tale of a mother bear who<br />
travels to India on a bus in order to seek<br />
vengeance on a talking zimmer frame?...<br />
Made In Britain Special<br />
The Drum, Birmingham, Fri 6 June<br />
Made In Britain Special shows at The Drum as<br />
part of the Bass Festival 2014. Suitable for audience<br />
members aged eighteen and above, the<br />
evening sees funnyman Don Curtis Walker<br />
headline a programme that also features gags<br />
aplenty from fellow rib-tickler Lateef Lovejoy.<br />
Soul music comes from promising RCA<br />
Records talent Jamie Joseph and the honeyvoiced<br />
Kezia.<br />
Pete Firman<br />
The Glee Club, Birmingham,<br />
Thurs 12 - Sat 14 June<br />
Pete Firman's been described as 'funnier than<br />
most comedians and more magical than<br />
Dumbledore on a good day' - which, as reviews<br />
go, isn't a bad one. Combining comedy and<br />
magic to excellent effect, this Middlesboroughborn<br />
funnyman wears ill-fitting suits like they’re<br />
going out of fashion<br />
and is perfectly<br />
happy hammering a<br />
nail into his face in<br />
the name of comedy.<br />
His gags are delivered<br />
at breakneck<br />
speed and he’s got a<br />
bagful of tricks<br />
designed to leave his<br />
audiences openmouthed<br />
in disbelief.<br />
This Birmingham<br />
date is followed later<br />
in the year by a<br />
national tour.<br />
24 www.whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
Dawn French<br />
Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent, Fri 13 June; New Alexandra Theatre,<br />
Birmingham Weds 18 - Fri 20 June<br />
One of the UK’s foremost and best-loved comedians, Dawn French is<br />
this month visiting the Midlands as part of her first ever solo tour.<br />
The Vicar Of Dibley star stops off in the region with a show entitled<br />
30 Million Minutes - roughly the amount of time, according to Dawn’s<br />
calculations, that she’s been alive.<br />
"I'm sick with excitement about this solo tour,” says Dawn. “I’m enjoying<br />
the fact that I can't categorise exactly what it is, but it's somewhere<br />
between a monologue, a play, and an autobiographical<br />
slideshow with a few funnies thrown in.”<br />
Dawn’s previously toured with her longtime comedy partner Jennifer<br />
Saunders, and has also trodden the boards as Bottom in A<br />
Midsummer Night's Dream. In 2003, she starred at the Apollo<br />
Shaftsbury in Geraldine Aron’s one-woman play, My Brilliant Divorce.<br />
Marlon Davis<br />
Players Bar, Birmingham,<br />
Sat 14 June<br />
Described by Chortle as a<br />
fella with 'an impish grin, boyish<br />
enthusiasm and an effortlessly<br />
open, confident style',<br />
Marlon Davis uses his<br />
upbringing in urban Britain as<br />
the inspiration for his act,<br />
tackling social issues with<br />
skillful characterisations.<br />
Winner of FHM’s Search For<br />
A Stand-Up competition,<br />
Marlon has also been finalist<br />
in both the Laughing Horse<br />
and So You Think You're<br />
Funny? new act competitions.<br />
Comedy<br />
Box Office<br />
ARTRIX, BROMSGROVE<br />
01527 577330<br />
BEDWORTH CIVIC HALL<br />
02476 376707<br />
BIRMINGHAM TOWN HALL<br />
0121 780 3333<br />
THE DRUM, BIRMINGHAM<br />
0121 333 2444<br />
DUDLEY CONCERT HALL<br />
01384 815 577<br />
GLEE CLUB, BIRMINGHAM<br />
0871 4720400<br />
HIGHLIGHT, BIRMINGHAM,<br />
0844 844 0044<br />
HUNTINGDON HALL,<br />
WORCESTER,<br />
01905 611427<br />
FOXLOWE ARTS CENTRE,<br />
LEEK, STAFFS<br />
01538 386112<br />
KITCHEN GARDEN CAFE,<br />
BIRMINGHAM<br />
0121 443 4725<br />
LG ARENA, BIRMINGHAM<br />
0844 338 8000<br />
LUDLOW ASSEMBLY<br />
ROOMS<br />
01584 878141<br />
MAC, BIRMINGHAM<br />
0121 446 3232<br />
NEW ALEXANDRA<br />
THEATRE, BIRMINGHAM<br />
0844 871 3011<br />
PALACE THEATRE,<br />
REDDITCH<br />
01527 65203<br />
THE PUBLIC, WEST<br />
BROMWICH<br />
0121 533 7161<br />
DRUMMONDS BAR,<br />
WORCESTER<br />
01905 28190<br />
RICOH ARENA, COVENTRY<br />
0844 873 6565<br />
THE ROSES THEATRE<br />
TEWKESBURY<br />
01684 295074<br />
ROYAL SPA CENTRE,<br />
LEAMINGTON SPA<br />
01926 334418<br />
STAFFORD GATEHOUSE<br />
THEATRE<br />
01785 254653<br />
SOLIHULL ARTS COMPLEX<br />
0121 704 6962<br />
THE SLADE ROOMS,<br />
WOLVERHAMPTON<br />
0870 320 7000<br />
THE GEORGE HOTEL,<br />
BURSLEM, STAFFS<br />
07763301081<br />
TAMWORTH ASSEMBLY<br />
ROOMS<br />
01827 709618<br />
THEATRE SEVERN,<br />
SHREWSBURY<br />
01743 281281<br />
VICTORIA HALL, HANLEY,<br />
STOKE-ON-TRENT<br />
0844 871 7649<br />
WARWICK ARTS CENTRE<br />
02476 524524<br />
WEST BROMWICH TOWN<br />
HALL<br />
0121 596 4429<br />
WULFRUN HALL,<br />
WOLVERHAMPTON<br />
0870 320 7000
Comedy LISTINGS<br />
For full listing information on comedy<br />
gigs including times and dates visit<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
SHOULD I STAY OR<br />
SHOULD I GO Sun 1<br />
June, Drummonds Bar,<br />
Worcester<br />
LEE EVANS - WORK IN<br />
PROGRESS Sun 1 June,<br />
Oakengates Theatre,<br />
Telford<br />
MILES JUPP Tues 3<br />
June, Birmingham<br />
Town Hall<br />
ABANDOMAN Weds 4<br />
June, Wulfrun Hall,<br />
Wolverhampton<br />
THE NOISE NEXT DOOR<br />
Thurs 5 June, Artrix,<br />
Bromsgrove<br />
RETURN OF THE GRUMPY<br />
OLD WOMEN Thurs 5<br />
June, Royal Spa<br />
Centre, Leamington<br />
Spa<br />
MATT RICHARDSON Thurs<br />
5 June, Solihull Arts<br />
Complex<br />
KUM-N-AVALOFF COMEDY<br />
NIGHT Thurs 5 June,<br />
Stourbridge Town Hall<br />
IAN COPPINGER, JOJO<br />
SMITH & CHRIS TURNER<br />
Thurs 5 June, The Glee<br />
Club, Birmingham<br />
VIKKI STONE, DAVID<br />
TRENT Thurs 5 June,<br />
mac, Birmingham<br />
CUT THE CHAT Thurs 5<br />
June, The Glee Club,<br />
Birmingham<br />
IAN COPPINGER, JOJO<br />
SMITH, CHRIS TURNER &<br />
ROB HUGHES Fri 6 June,<br />
The Glee Club, B’ham<br />
CARL DONNELLY Fri 6<br />
June, The Glee Club,<br />
Birmingham<br />
CURTIS WALKER, LATEEF<br />
LOVEJOY & JOHN SIMMIT<br />
Fri 6 June, The Drum,<br />
Birmingham<br />
TOPPING AND BUTCH,<br />
MAFF BROWN, CAREY<br />
MARX & MATT RUDGE Fri<br />
6 - Sat 7 June,<br />
Highlight Comedy<br />
Club, Birmingham<br />
JAMES ACASTER, JOJO<br />
SMITH, IAN COPPINGER &<br />
CHRIS TURNER Sat 7<br />
June, The Glee Club,<br />
Birmingham<br />
DOUGIE DUNLOP, PHILL<br />
ELLIS DAN EVANS & TONY<br />
COWARDS Sat 7 June,<br />
Coventry Showcase<br />
BOBBY MAIR, NICK<br />
DODDY, SIMON BLIGH &<br />
KAREN BAYLEY Sat 7<br />
June, Players Bar,<br />
Birmingham<br />
ROUGH WORKS New<br />
material from the<br />
Midlands' finest comics,<br />
Sun 8 June, The Glee<br />
Club, Birmingham<br />
OPEN MIC COMEDY<br />
HOSTED BY LOUDEEMY<br />
SOUP Mon 9 June, The<br />
Blue Orange Theatre,<br />
Birmingham<br />
ANDREW O'NEIL, ALAN<br />
MOORE Tues 10 June,<br />
Rose Villa Tavern,<br />
Birmingham<br />
MERCEDES BENSON,<br />
JULIE JEPSON, JEN<br />
BRISTER & MAUREEN<br />
YOUNGER Weds 11<br />
June, Kitchen Garden<br />
Cafe, Birmingham<br />
JETHRO Thurs 12 June,<br />
Evesham Arts Centre<br />
PETE FIRMAN, ANDY<br />
ROBINSON & DAVE<br />
FULTON Thurs 12 June,<br />
The Glee Club,<br />
Birmingham<br />
JAMES ACASTER & ROB<br />
DEERING Thurs 12 June<br />
mac, Birmingham<br />
JASON MANFORD Fri 13<br />
June, Civic Hall,<br />
Wolverhampton<br />
DAWN FRENCH Fri 13<br />
June, Victoria Hall,<br />
Stoke-on-Trent<br />
BRENDON BURNS & JOHN<br />
HASTINGS Fri 13 June<br />
Station Pub, Sutton<br />
Coldfield<br />
JEFF INNOCENT, JEREMY<br />
O'DONNELL, DAN<br />
NIGHTINGALE & NATHAN<br />
CATON Fri 13 June,<br />
Highlight Comedy<br />
Club, Birmingham<br />
THE IMPROLYMPIANS Fri<br />
13 June, mac, B’ham<br />
PETE FIRMAN, DAVE<br />
JOHNS, DAVE FULTON &<br />
JEN BRISTER Fri 13 - Sat<br />
14 June, The Glee<br />
Club, Birmingham<br />
JEFF INNOCENT, JEREMY<br />
O'DONNELL, DAN<br />
NIGHTINGALE & ROMESH<br />
RANGANATHAN Sat 14<br />
June, Highlight<br />
Comedy Club,<br />
Birmingham<br />
WES ZAHARUK,<br />
JONATHAN ELSTON,<br />
MICHAEL FABBRI &<br />
DANNY DEEGAN Sat 14<br />
June, Coventry<br />
Showcase<br />
MARLON DAVIS, STEVE<br />
SHANYASKI, JOHN<br />
MOLONEY & JOJO SMITH<br />
Sat 14 June, Players<br />
Bar, Birmingham<br />
ARIES SPEARS Sun 15<br />
June, The Glee Club,<br />
Birmingham<br />
BEN NORRIS Sun 15<br />
June, Theatre Severn,<br />
Shrewsbury<br />
NATON CATON WITH FOIL,<br />
ARMS AND HOG, DAMIAN<br />
CLARK Sun 15 June,<br />
Warwick Arts Centre,<br />
Coventry<br />
TOADALLY FREE COMEDY!<br />
Mon 16 June, The Blue<br />
Orange Theatre,<br />
Birmingham<br />
BARNSTORMERS COMEDY<br />
NIGHT Tues 17 June,<br />
Royal Spa Centre,<br />
Leamington Spa<br />
DAWN FRENCH Weds 18<br />
- Fri 20 June, New<br />
Alexandra Theatre,<br />
Birmingham<br />
NORMAN LOVETT Thurs<br />
19 June, Huntingdon<br />
Hall, Worcester<br />
JOHN FOTHERGILL, ANDY<br />
ROBINSON, TIFFANY<br />
STEVENSON & COMEDY<br />
CAROUSEL Thurs 19<br />
June, The Glee Club,<br />
Birmingham<br />
LORETTA MAINE, GAVIN<br />
WEBSTER Thurs 19<br />
June, mac, Birmingham<br />
IAN MOORE, BARRY<br />
CASTAGNOLA, DAVID<br />
WARD & STUART<br />
MITCHELL Fri 20 - Sat 21<br />
June, Highlight<br />
Comedy Club, B’ham<br />
JOHN FOTHERGILL, PETE<br />
JOHANSSON, BRENDAN<br />
DEMPSEY & TIFFANY<br />
STEVENSON Fri 20 - Sat<br />
21 June, The Glee<br />
Club, Birmingham<br />
ANDY WHITE Sat 21<br />
June, mac, Birmingham<br />
DANA ALEXANDER, RYAN<br />
MCDONNELL, LUKE<br />
BENSON & ADAM ROWE<br />
Sat 21 June, Coventry<br />
Showcase<br />
BENNY BOOT, SOFIE<br />
HAGEN, ANDY ASKINS &<br />
ANDRE VINCENT Sat 21<br />
June, Players Bar,<br />
Birmingham<br />
JOHN BISHOP Weds 25<br />
June, Warwick Arts<br />
Centre, Coventry<br />
JASON MANFORD Weds<br />
25 June, Crewe<br />
Lyceum<br />
GAVIN WEBSTER, ANGELA<br />
BARNES & JOHN<br />
HASTINGS Thurs 26<br />
June, The Glee Club,<br />
Birmingham<br />
MILES JUPP Thurs 26<br />
June, Warwick Arts<br />
Centre, Coventry<br />
DANNY BUCKLER, MARTIN<br />
MOR Thurs 26 June,<br />
mac, Birmingham<br />
JOHN BISHOP - WORK IN<br />
PROGRESS Thurs 26<br />
June, Huntingdon Hall,<br />
Worcester<br />
GAVIN WEBSTER, ANGELA<br />
BARNES, JOHN HASTINGS<br />
& MATHEW HEARD Fri 28<br />
June, The Glee Club,<br />
Birmingham<br />
DANNY BUCKLER, MATT<br />
HOBS, NEIL MCFARLANE,<br />
PAUL DUNCAN<br />
MCGARRITY & PHILIP<br />
SIMON Fri 27 June,<br />
National Brewery<br />
Centre, Burton Upon<br />
Trent<br />
PAUL & ANDREW<br />
NIGHTINGALE, RICHARD<br />
PULSFORD, BISHA K ALI,<br />
JON PEARSON, ALEX<br />
HYLTON & MATTHEW<br />
BAYLIS Fri 27 June,<br />
Evesham Arts Centre<br />
GAVIN WEBSTER, ANGELA<br />
BARNES & JOHN<br />
HASTINGS Sat 28 June<br />
The Glee Club, B’ham<br />
JIM SMALLMAN, SCOTT<br />
BENNETT, GARETH<br />
BERLINER & SOFIE HAGEN<br />
Sat 28 June, Coventry<br />
Showcase<br />
PRINCE ABDI, VIKKI<br />
STONE, STEVE HARRIS &<br />
JOHNNY CANDON Sat 28<br />
June, Players Bar,<br />
Birmingham<br />
THE LAUGHING SOLE -<br />
COMEDY CLUB FOR KIDS<br />
Sun 29 June, mac,<br />
Birmingham<br />
For more comedy listings, visit, www.whatsonlive.co.uk 25
Theatre<br />
Woman In Mind<br />
The REP, Birmingham, Fri 13 - Sat 28 June<br />
Mention Alan Ayckbourn and a list of brilliant observational comedies<br />
springs readily to mind, including classics such as Season’s Greetings,<br />
The Norman Conquests and Absurd Person Singular.<br />
Although not as famous as the aforementioned offerings, Woman In<br />
Mind certainly deserves to keep company with them in terms of its<br />
quality, and is widely regarded as one of the playwright’s most affecting<br />
works. Premiered in 1985 and marking Ayckbourn’s first use of<br />
first-person narrative and a subjective viewpoint, it tells the story of<br />
vicar’s wife Susan, whose best way of escaping the challenges of her<br />
real-life family is to create a fantasy one. But when her two worlds<br />
begin to overlap, it soon becomes evident that Susan is beginning to<br />
unravel...<br />
The Rape Of Lucrece<br />
The Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon,<br />
Mon 23 June - Fri 4 July<br />
The Rape of Lucrece is a brilliant, brutal narrative<br />
poem giving an account of the terrible crime of rape<br />
and its dreadful consequences for victim and perpetrator.<br />
As ever, Shakespeare goes beyond the obvious,<br />
following the ramifications of the crime wherever<br />
they take him, and in so doing shining a light on a<br />
level of human behaviour that encompasses both<br />
the bestial and the beautiful. This particular version<br />
of Shakespeare’s famous work is described as ‘an<br />
hypnotic evening of song and storytelling’, and stars<br />
internationally acclaimed singer Camille O'Sullivan.<br />
Propeller Theatre<br />
New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham, Tues 3 - Sat 7 June<br />
Mask work, animation, and both classic and modern film and music have all influenced<br />
the work of the Worcestershire-based Propeller Theatre, a talented all-male<br />
ensemble who seek to find ‘a more engaging way of expressing Shakespeare’. Having<br />
toured extensively across the globe and bagged numerous awards for their highenergy<br />
endeavours, the company is this month visiting Birmingham with a double-bill<br />
of Shakespeare comedies - A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Comedy Of Errors.<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk 27
Theatre PREVIEWS<br />
Fame The Musical<br />
Belgrade Theatre, Coventry,<br />
Mon 2 - Sat 7 June<br />
The original mega-hit film and its spin-off TV<br />
series are now both so old that their oncenimble<br />
dancers might soon be reaching for<br />
zimmer frames! By contrast, Fame The Musical<br />
continues to get up a sweat on a regular<br />
basis. And as high-octane, choreographedto-the-rafters<br />
stage musicals go, it hits the<br />
Midlands this month with a reputation second<br />
to none. Set in New York’s legendary High<br />
School For The Performing Arts, the show<br />
focuses on the highs and lows of the students<br />
who’re desperately seeking success,<br />
and offers a dazzling evening of foot-tapping<br />
music and breathtaking dance.<br />
Re-envisioned songs include Let’s Play A<br />
Love Scene and the title track itself.<br />
Annie Get Your Gun<br />
Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, Tues 10 - Sat 14 June; New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham,<br />
Tues 1 - Sat 5 July; Malvern Theatre, Mon 28 July - Sat 2 August<br />
Jason Donovan returns to the Midlands this month to star in this major new version of the<br />
Tony Award-winning musical. Donovan, who’s previously appeared in the region in stage productions<br />
of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert, The Rocky Horror Show and Sweeney Todd, plays<br />
the sharpshooting Frank Butler, appearing alongside Emma Williams as Annie Oakley and<br />
Norman Pace as Buffalo Bill. The show was written by Irving Berlin in 1946 and includes such<br />
famous numbers as There’s No Business Like Show Business and Anything You Can Do, I<br />
Can Do Better.<br />
“I've been very lucky in having some great roles to get my teeth into in the past,” says Jason,<br />
“but now having the chance to star in the UK premiere production of this award-winning version<br />
of such a classic musical is very exciting. I'm very much looking forward to performing<br />
such brilliant songs and appearing alongside a truly great cast, as we bring the Wild West to<br />
theatres across the country.”<br />
20th Century Boy:<br />
The Musical<br />
Wolverhampton Grand Theatre,<br />
Mon 30 June - Sat 5 July<br />
Marc Bolan was one of glam rock's most<br />
iconic superstars until his life was tragically<br />
ended in a car crash in the autumn of 1977.<br />
This high-energy musical, exploding onto the<br />
stage to coincide with the thirty-seventh<br />
anniversary of the T-Rex singer's demise, is<br />
impressively packed with the band’s classic<br />
1970s hits, including Ride A White Swan,<br />
Metal Guru, Get It On, I Love To Boogie, Children<br />
Of The Revolution and, of course, 20th<br />
Century Boy.<br />
Fragile<br />
Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham,<br />
Thurs 5 - Sat 7 June<br />
“Fragile is about a man who has an abuse<br />
outed upon him when he’s twelve,” explains<br />
the play’s BAFTA award-winning writer Geoff<br />
Thompson, “and that abuse sends his life at<br />
a right-angle.”<br />
Coventry-born playwright Geoff premiered<br />
Fragile to rave reviews at the city’s Belgrade<br />
Theatre in 2012, and admits that the play is<br />
semi-autobiographical. “Instead of following<br />
the life he thinks he needs to follow,” Geoff<br />
continues, “the man ends up becoming cripplingly<br />
insecure. He would like to talk to the<br />
person who abused him, but he’s too<br />
scared. He’d like to talk to the people who<br />
love him, but he’s too fragile. He’d like to talk<br />
to God, but he’s too<br />
angry. So he talks to a<br />
tape recorder instead, and<br />
professes his shame, his<br />
guilt, his anger and his<br />
rage.”<br />
A one-man performance<br />
starring Nigel Francis,<br />
Fragile has been co-directed<br />
by<br />
Geoff Thompson<br />
Thompson.<br />
Paiseyan Di Hera Pheri<br />
The Drum, Birmingham, Sat 28 June<br />
When the spirit of a dead father takes a trip<br />
around the home in which he’d once lived,<br />
he doesn’t much like what he finds.<br />
Rather than mourning him, his children have<br />
descended into greed and bitterness, and<br />
think only of the money which will soon be<br />
coming their way. Faced with such an upsetting<br />
reality, what’s a ghost to do but take<br />
action to change the content of his Will -<br />
from beyond the grave...<br />
This comic portrayal of the darker side of<br />
humanity is performed in Punjabi.<br />
Blackadder<br />
Artrix, Bromsgrove, Tues 24 - Sat 28 June<br />
South Birmingham-based semi-professional<br />
theatrical group All & Sundry is the company<br />
behind this stage version of the hit Rowan<br />
Atkinson television comedy. The production<br />
reworks three popular episodes from the<br />
Richard Curtis and Ben Elton-penned 1989<br />
series, which was set in the trenches during<br />
the First World War... All & Sundry is this year<br />
also presenting a theatrical version of another<br />
Richard Curtis television hit, The Vicar Of<br />
Dibley, as well as a new production of John<br />
Steinbeck’s Of Mice And Men.<br />
Morecambe<br />
The Roses, Tewkesbury, Fri 13 June<br />
Hailed for lovingly and thoughtfully bringing a<br />
little of Eric and Ernie’s sunshine to the London<br />
West End stage, this is a one-man show<br />
exploring the life and times of John Eric<br />
Bartholomew - better known, of course, as<br />
the comedian Eric Morecambe.<br />
Bob Golding’s the man charged<br />
with the sizable task of portraying<br />
one of Britain’s best-known<br />
and most-loved funnymen,<br />
and it’s a challenge which<br />
he meets head on. Indeed,<br />
there are moments when<br />
he so effectively captures<br />
the spirit of Eric that<br />
audience members of a<br />
certain age may feel like<br />
they’ve actually been<br />
transported back to the<br />
1970s, the decade<br />
most closely associated<br />
with the<br />
legend that is<br />
Morecambe and<br />
Wise.<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk 29
A MIDSUMMER<br />
NIGHTS DREAM<br />
8th June<br />
OAKENGATES THEATRE<br />
Telford, Shropshire, TF2 6EP<br />
01952 382382<br />
13th July<br />
AVONCROFT MUSEUM<br />
Bromsgrove, Worcs, B60 4JR<br />
01332 258328<br />
31st July<br />
WHITBOURNE HALL<br />
Worcestershire, WR6 5SE<br />
0774 703 1701<br />
1st August<br />
MARY ARDEN’S FARM<br />
Wilmcote, Nr Stafford CV37 9UN<br />
01332 258328<br />
TWELFTH NIGHT<br />
9th July<br />
BLUE COAT SCHOOL<br />
Tupsley,<br />
Hereford HR1 1UU<br />
01432 347506<br />
12th July<br />
MAC (ARENA)<br />
Cannon Hill Park,<br />
Birmingham<br />
B12 9QH<br />
0121 446 3232<br />
1st August<br />
MARY ARDEN’S FARM<br />
Wilmcote,<br />
Nr Stafford CV37 9UN<br />
01332 258328<br />
www.oddsocks.co.uk<br />
info@oddsocks.co.uk<br />
01332 258328<br />
30 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
Theatre PREVIEWS<br />
Under Milk Wood<br />
The REP, Birmingham, Mon 2 - Sat 7 June<br />
Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood started out<br />
as a 1954 radio drama, later being adapted<br />
for both stage and film. Widely considered to<br />
be a work of real genius, it provides its audience<br />
with the opportunity to share in the lives<br />
of a host of eccentric characters, all of whom<br />
reside in the small Welsh fishing village of<br />
Llareggub (the village name is ‘bugger all’<br />
written backwards). This new production,<br />
directed by Terry Hands, has been well<br />
received by theatre critics, and is touring to<br />
mark the centenary of Thomas’ birth in 1914<br />
and the sixtieth anniversary of the play’s<br />
British premiere.<br />
Horrible Histories:<br />
Barmy Britain<br />
Birmingham Town Hall,<br />
Weds 11 - Sun 15 June<br />
If you love the Horrible Histories series - and<br />
why the heck wouldn’t you?! - then Barmy<br />
Britain is a show well worth catching.<br />
Alongside providing answers to such searching<br />
questions as ‘what would happen if a<br />
Viking moved in next door?’ and ‘would you<br />
stand and deliver to dastardly Dick Turpin?’,<br />
the show also invites its audience to escape<br />
the clutches of Burke and Hare, move to the<br />
groove with the partying Queen Victoria and<br />
prepare to do battle in the First World War.<br />
In short, and as its publicity says, it’s ‘a truly<br />
horrible history of Britain - with all the nasty<br />
bits left in!’.<br />
The Duchess Of Malfi<br />
Old Rep Theatre, Birmingham,<br />
Thurs 26 - Sat 28 June<br />
This is a Birmingham School of Acting version<br />
of John Webster’s Jacobean masterpiece.<br />
An example of English renaissance<br />
drama at its finest, The Duchess Of Malfi<br />
starts as a romance but ends as a tragedy,<br />
along the way touching upon a wide range<br />
of themes, including the status of women<br />
and the misuse of power. When a recently<br />
Happy Days<br />
Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Tues 10 - Sat 14 June<br />
Television viewers of a certain age will well remember Happy Days, the legendary US sitcom<br />
about Milwaukee-based family the Cunninghams, set in the rock’n’roll days of the 1950s. The<br />
show scored a massive hit with 1970s and ’80s telly-watchers, in the process making a star of<br />
Henry Winkler, the actor who immortalised the character of the self-styled King of Cool, Arthur<br />
‘The Fonz’ Fonzarelli. This brand new musical promises to reacquaint fans of the TV series<br />
with all their favourite characters, including Potsie, Ralph Malph, Joanie, Chachi and Pinky<br />
Tuscadero, the latter being played on this occasion by former Sugababes and Atomic Kitten<br />
star Heidi Range.<br />
widowed duchess marries a lowly steward<br />
and bears him three children, her two corrupt<br />
brothers decide to exact a terrible revenge...<br />
A Taste Of Honey<br />
Malvern Theatre, Tues 17 - Sat 21 June<br />
Shelagh Delaney was only eighteen when<br />
she wrote A Taste Of Honey. In so doing, she<br />
not only gave notice that a bright new talent<br />
had arrived on the scene but also established<br />
herself as a major player in the cultural<br />
movement that became known as ‘kitchen<br />
sink realism’. The movement was at its<br />
height during the late-1950s and early-1960s,<br />
and saw playwrights such as Delaney and,<br />
equally famously, John Osborne, exploring<br />
social and political issues by focusing on the<br />
domestic situations of the working-classes.<br />
At the centre of Delaney’s play is the character<br />
of seventeen-year-old Jo, whose attempts<br />
to break free from the shackles of her manhunting<br />
mother lead her into the arms of a<br />
black sailor, by whom she becomes pregnant.<br />
A touching tale of a young girl’s journey<br />
into adulthood in 1950s Salford, A Taste<br />
Of Honey here stars Shameless and Waterloo<br />
Road favourite Rebecca Ryan, and is<br />
helmed by Hull Truck Theatre’s new Artistic<br />
Director Mark Babych.<br />
Sizwe Banzi Is Dead<br />
mac - Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham,<br />
Thurs 5 - Sat 7 June<br />
This thought-provoking revival has enjoyed<br />
plenty of critical acclaim since opening last<br />
summer, with actors Sibusiso Mamba and<br />
Tonderai Munyevu garnering great praise for<br />
their terrific performances. Helmed by Genesis<br />
Future Directors Award-winner Matthew<br />
Xia, the play is set in apartheid-era South<br />
Africa, and was written in 1972 by white<br />
South African playwright Athol Fugard and<br />
black actors John Kani and Winston Ntshon.<br />
Sizwe Banzi’s looking for work, but his passbook<br />
has expired and deportation seems<br />
inevitable. So when he stumbles across a<br />
dead body with a passbook, Sizwe has a<br />
choice to make - either to accept the fact<br />
that he can’t get work to support his family,<br />
or to pretend that he’s met with a tragic end<br />
and instead adopt the identity of the dead<br />
man... Eclipse Theatre and the Young Vic are<br />
the organisations behind this Tony-nominated<br />
exploration of life under a brutal regime.<br />
3 Summers<br />
Library of Birmingham, Tues 17 - Sat 21 June<br />
A national tour follows for this production -<br />
after it’s become the first full-scale musical to<br />
be staged in the Library of Birmingham’s Studio<br />
Theatre, that is. Set in the psychedelic<br />
’60s, the show follows the efforts of four<br />
young girls seeking fame and fortune. When<br />
Pen, Maz, Heff and Princess rent rooms from<br />
the reclusive Freddie Savage, they soon<br />
realise they’ve found themselves a ‘mother<br />
hen’... Boasting a live band and backing<br />
singers, 3 Summers features sixteen Swinging<br />
’60s-inspired original numbers.<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk 31
BROMSGROVE’S THEATRE, CINEMA,<br />
LIVE MUSIC AND COMEDY VENUE<br />
JUNE 2014<br />
HIGHLIGHTS<br />
Wednesday 4th June<br />
THEA GILMORE<br />
IN SUPPORT OF HER NEW<br />
ALBUM REGARDLESS<br />
Thursday 5th June<br />
THE NOISE<br />
NEXT DOOR<br />
MIND-BLOWING IMPROV<br />
ANARCHY<br />
Friday 6th June<br />
VOODOO ROOM<br />
FANTASTIC TRIBUTE TO<br />
JIMI HENDRIX & CREAM<br />
Tues 17th –<br />
Sat 21st June<br />
CRAZY FOR YOU<br />
POPULAR GERSHWIN<br />
MUSICAL FROM<br />
BROMSGROVE OPERATIC<br />
Saturday 21st June<br />
WOODEN HORSE<br />
FANTASTIC MIX OF COUNTRY<br />
BLUES & AMERICANA<br />
Tues 24th –<br />
Sat 28th June<br />
BLACK ADDER<br />
GOES FORTH<br />
ALL & SUNDRY RE-WORKING<br />
OF THE COMEDY CLASSIC<br />
FORTHCOMING CINEMA: Calvary (15) // Tracks (12A)<br />
// We Are The Best (15) // The Love Punch (12A)<br />
The new Artrix brochure is available to download on www.artrix.co.uk<br />
For bookings & full details log onto<br />
www.artrix.co.uk or phone 01527 577330<br />
Artrix, Slideslow Drive, Bromsgrove B60 1PQ Free parking on-site<br />
32 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
Theatre LISTINGS<br />
For full listing information on theatre<br />
productions, including times and dates,<br />
visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
From<br />
SUN 1 JUNE<br />
SEPTEMBER IN THE RAIN<br />
Lichfield Garrick Rep<br />
Company present John<br />
Godber's semi-autobiographical<br />
play which is<br />
loosely based on the<br />
lives of his own parents,<br />
until Thurs 5<br />
June, Lichfield Garrick<br />
KHANDAN (FAMILY) Birmingham<br />
Repertory Theatre<br />
in association with<br />
The Royal Court presents<br />
Gurpreet Kaur<br />
Bhatti's tale of extended<br />
family life, until Sat 7<br />
June, The REP, B’ham<br />
CRAZY FOR YOU The<br />
Crescent Theatre present<br />
the story of Bobby<br />
Childs, a well-to-do<br />
1930s playboy whose<br />
dream in life is to<br />
dance, until Sat 7 June,<br />
Crescent Theatre, Birmingham<br />
INHERIT THE WIND<br />
Jerome Lawrence &<br />
Robert E Lee's American<br />
drama, inspired by<br />
real-life events, until Sat<br />
14 June, New Vic Theatre,<br />
Newcastle-under-<br />
Lyme<br />
HENRY IV PART’S I & II<br />
RSC Associate Artist<br />
Antony Sher returns to<br />
the Company to play<br />
the infamous comic<br />
knight Falstaff, until Sat<br />
6 Sept, Royal Shakespeare<br />
Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon<br />
THE ROARING GIRL Jo<br />
Davies directs Lisa Dillon<br />
as the dynamic,<br />
cross-dressing heroine<br />
in a new version of<br />
Thomas Middleton &<br />
Thomas Dekker's<br />
Jacobean comedy, until<br />
Tues 30 Sept, The<br />
Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon<br />
ARDEN OF FAVERSHAM<br />
Polly Findlay makes her<br />
RSC debut, directing<br />
this darkly comic thriller<br />
which focuses on a<br />
husband, wife and lover<br />
who find themselves<br />
locked within a deadly<br />
game, until Thurs 2<br />
Oct, The Swan Theatre,<br />
Stratford-upon-Avon<br />
PEPPA PIG'S BIG SPLASH<br />
All-singing, all-dancing<br />
adventure for children,<br />
Sun 1 June, Wolverhampton<br />
Grand Theatre<br />
JUNGLE BOOK Indigo<br />
Moon Theatre bring<br />
Rudyard Kipling's story<br />
to life, Sun 1 June, Theatre<br />
Severn, Shrewsbury<br />
KING LEAR: NATIONAL<br />
THEATRE LIVE Acclaimed<br />
actor Simon Beale<br />
takes the lead role in<br />
this National Theatre<br />
production of Shakespeare's<br />
bloody tale,<br />
Mon 2 June, Warwick<br />
Arts Centre, Coventry<br />
THE MOUSETRAP Touring<br />
production of Agatha<br />
Christie's famous<br />
thriller, Mon 2 - Sat 7<br />
June, Theatre Severn,<br />
Shrewsbury<br />
UNDER MILK WOOD A<br />
new production of<br />
Dylan Thomas' work of<br />
genius, Mon 2 - Sat 7<br />
June, The REP, B’ham<br />
FAME - THE MUSICAL<br />
Presented by Bill Kenwright,<br />
Mon 2 - Sat 7<br />
June, Belgrade Theatre,<br />
Coventry<br />
FOXFINDER Dawn King's<br />
tense play, set in a<br />
future where the state<br />
controls the land, Mon<br />
2 - Sat 7 June, Highbury<br />
Theatre Centre,<br />
Sutton Coldfield<br />
THE COMEDY OF ERRORS<br />
Propeller Theatre present<br />
Shakespeare’s<br />
most farcical play, Tues<br />
3 June, New Alexandra<br />
Theatre, Birmingham<br />
THE ENERGY SHOW Science<br />
Museum Live take<br />
to the road with an<br />
explosive family theatre<br />
show for curious minds,<br />
Tues 3 June, Warwick<br />
Arts Centre, Coventry<br />
LADIES IN RETIREMENT<br />
Set in the 1880s and<br />
based on a famous<br />
murder that took place<br />
in a remote country<br />
house, Tues 3 - Fri 6<br />
June, Wolverhampton<br />
Grand Theatre<br />
THE WITCHES OF EAST-<br />
WICK Presented by Sutton<br />
Coldfield Musical<br />
Theatre Company, Tues<br />
3 - Sat 7 June, Lichfield<br />
Garrick<br />
MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG<br />
Presented by Artz Productions,<br />
Tues 3 - Sat 7<br />
June, Stoke Repertory<br />
Theatre<br />
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S<br />
DREAM Propeller Theatre<br />
present Shakespeare’s<br />
magical play,<br />
where love and illusion<br />
collide, Weds 4 - Thurs<br />
5 June, New Alexandra<br />
Theatre, Birmingham<br />
ALICE BY HEART A new<br />
rock-musical take on<br />
Alice In Wonderland,<br />
from the writers who<br />
took Spring Awakening:<br />
The Musical to the London<br />
stage in 2009,<br />
Weds 4 - Sat 7 June,<br />
Stafford Gatehouse<br />
Theatre<br />
TONIGHT AT 8.30 Noel<br />
Coward's collection of<br />
nine one-act plays, performed<br />
together - three<br />
per night - for the first<br />
time in the UK since<br />
Coward starred in them<br />
in 1936, Weds 4 - Sat 7<br />
June, Malvern Theatres<br />
THE DREAMBOYS ‘The<br />
UK’s top male glamour<br />
show’, Thurs 5 June,<br />
Regent Theatre, Stokeon-Trent<br />
ARTHUR SMITH Thurs 5<br />
June, Theatre Severn,<br />
Shrewsbury<br />
RETURN OF THE GRUMPY<br />
OLD WOMEN: FIFTY<br />
SHADES OF BEIGE Thurs<br />
5 June, Royal Spa Centre,<br />
Leamington Spa<br />
SIZWE BANZI IS DEAD<br />
Eclipse Theatre &<br />
Young Vic present Athol<br />
Fugard’s award-winning<br />
play, Thurs 5 - Sat 7<br />
June, mac - Midlands<br />
Arts Centre, B’ham<br />
THE TAMING OF THE<br />
SHREW RumDoxy Theatre<br />
presents its innovative<br />
interpretation of<br />
Shakespeare’s tale of<br />
mistaken identity and<br />
unrequited love, Thurs<br />
5 - Sat 7 June, Crescent<br />
Theatre, B’ham<br />
FRAGILE Geoff Thompson’s<br />
semi-autobiographical<br />
drama which<br />
charts a broken man’s<br />
journey through abuse<br />
to reconciliation and<br />
redemption, Thurs 5 -<br />
Sat 7 June, Old Joint<br />
Stock Theatre, B’ham<br />
THE MIKADO Presented<br />
by Blue Orange Arts,<br />
Thurs 5 - Sat 14 June,<br />
The Blue Orange Theatre,<br />
Birmingham<br />
THE DREAMBOYS ’The<br />
UK’s top male glamour<br />
show’, Fri 6 June,<br />
Crewe Lyceum<br />
THE RODGERS AND HAM-<br />
MERSTEIN SONGBOOK<br />
Fri 6 June, Prince Of<br />
Wales Centre, Cannock<br />
SING-A-LONG-A GREASE A<br />
brand new sing-along<br />
version of the classic<br />
film starring Olivia Newton-John<br />
and John Travolta,<br />
Fri 6 June, Royal<br />
Spa Centre, Leamington<br />
Spa<br />
LEVEL UP WITH ANTHONY<br />
ANAXAGOROU AND KARIM<br />
KAMAR Evening of spoken<br />
word in performance,<br />
Fri 6 June, The<br />
REP, Birmingham<br />
TANGIBLE THINGS A new<br />
play by Matt Beames<br />
which explores a man's<br />
desire for a physical<br />
achievement in an<br />
increasingly electronic<br />
age, Fri 6 - Sat 7 June,<br />
Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton<br />
THE COMEDY OF ERRORS<br />
Propeller Theatre present<br />
Shakespeare’s<br />
most farcical play, Fri 6<br />
- Sat 7 June, New<br />
Alexandra Theatre,<br />
Birmingham<br />
STAR QUALITY The<br />
Billesley Players present<br />
Noel Coward’s<br />
behind-the-scenes look<br />
at a theatre company<br />
putting on a new West<br />
End production, Fri 6 -<br />
Sat 7 June, Old Rep,<br />
Birmingham<br />
THE CHUCKLE BROTHERS<br />
IN A 2014 SPACE ODDITY<br />
A new show promising<br />
fun for all the family, Sat<br />
7 June, Regent Theatre,<br />
Stoke-on-Trent<br />
TWELFTH NIGHT York<br />
Shakespeare Project<br />
present a fast, fun &<br />
folky approach to the<br />
bard’s comic masterpiece,<br />
Sat 7 June, The<br />
Dell, Stratford-upon-<br />
Avon<br />
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF<br />
THE TAT MAN David Calcutt’s<br />
one-man show<br />
features tales of travelling<br />
folk, blacksmiths,<br />
devils and talking horses,<br />
Sat 7 June, Walsall<br />
Museum<br />
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S<br />
DREAM Propeller Theatre<br />
present Shakespeare’s<br />
magical play,<br />
where love and illusion<br />
collide, Sat 7 June,<br />
New Alexandra Theatre,<br />
Birmingham<br />
THE MERCHANT OF<br />
VENICE Rain Or Shine<br />
Theatre present Shakespeare's<br />
famous work,<br />
Sun 8 June, Witley<br />
Court, Worcestershire<br />
IMMORTAL CHI Fusion of<br />
jaw-dropping Chinese<br />
Martial Arts, multimedia<br />
images and an<br />
original musical score<br />
incorporating the Chinese<br />
Girl Drummers,<br />
Sun 8 June, Regent<br />
Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent<br />
PARKING AROUND<br />
Rogueplay present<br />
highly physical theatre<br />
with a strong but simple<br />
narrative, Sun 8<br />
June, Small Heath<br />
Park, Birmingham<br />
THE WINTER’S TALE<br />
Staffordshire University’s<br />
Drama & Theatre<br />
Arts graduates present<br />
an outdoor production<br />
of Shakespeare’s tragicomedy,<br />
Sun 8 June,<br />
The Dell, Stratfordupon-Avon<br />
From<br />
MON 9 JUN<br />
STAY Geese Theatre<br />
Company present a<br />
challenging insight into<br />
one man's cycle of<br />
abuse, Mon 9 June,<br />
The REP, Birmingham<br />
O WHAT A LOVELY WAR<br />
Presented by Nonentitties,<br />
Mon 9 - Sat 14<br />
June, The Rose Theatre,<br />
Kidderminster<br />
THE MOUSETRAP Touring<br />
production of Agatha<br />
Christie's famous<br />
thriller, Mon 9 - Sat 14<br />
June, Crewe Lyceum<br />
ALL SHOOK UP South<br />
Staffordshire College<br />
Performing Arts Department<br />
present a performance<br />
inspired by<br />
and featuring the songs<br />
of Elvis Presley against<br />
a new twist on Shakespeare's<br />
Twelfth Night,<br />
Tues 10 - Weds 11<br />
June, Lichfield Garrick<br />
HAPPY DAYS Tues 10 -<br />
Sat 14 June, Wolverhampton<br />
Grand Theatre<br />
SOUTH PACIFIC Adaptation<br />
of the Rodgers &<br />
Hammerstein musical,<br />
Tues 10 - Sat 14 June,<br />
New Alexandra Theatre,<br />
Birmingham<br />
LITTLE SHOP OF HOR-<br />
RORS Presented by<br />
Queensbridge Musical<br />
Theatre Society, Tues<br />
10 - Sat 14 June, Solihull<br />
Arts Complex<br />
SHE STOOPS TO CON-<br />
QUER Creative Cow<br />
present Oliver Goldsmith's<br />
comedy, Tues<br />
10 - Sat 14 June,<br />
Malvern Theatres<br />
ANYTHING GOES Amateur<br />
production presented<br />
by Bourneville Musical<br />
Theatre Company, Tues<br />
10 - Sat 14 June, Crescent<br />
Theatre, B’ham<br />
ANNIE GET YOUR GUN<br />
Major new production<br />
of the Tony Award-winning<br />
version of Irving<br />
Berlin's classic musical,<br />
Tues 10 - Sat 14 June,<br />
Regent Theatre, Stokeon-Trent<br />
THE TEMPEST A Birmingham<br />
Ormiston Academy<br />
Acting Pathway production,<br />
Weds 11 June,<br />
The Old Rep, Birmingham<br />
RUNAWAY BOY Thirty<br />
young people, many<br />
from disadvantaged<br />
backgrounds, retell the<br />
classic story of Carlo<br />
Collodi’s Pinocchio,<br />
Weds 11 June, Royal<br />
Spa Centre, Leamington<br />
Spa<br />
FINDING JOY A comic,<br />
anarchic, touching and<br />
heroic full mask adventure<br />
from Worcesterbased<br />
theatre company<br />
Vamos, Weds 11 -<br />
Thurs 12 June, The<br />
Swan Theatre, Worcester<br />
PETER PAN AND THE LOST<br />
BOYS Heartbreak Productions<br />
present an<br />
innovative adaptation of<br />
JM Barrie’s classic children’s<br />
tale, Weds 11 -<br />
Thurs 12 June, Jephson<br />
Gardens, Leamington<br />
Spa<br />
LITTLE SHOP OF HOR-<br />
RORS Amateur production<br />
presented by<br />
Shrewsbury College<br />
Performing Arts, Weds<br />
11 - Thurs 12 June,<br />
Theatre Severn,<br />
Shrewsbury<br />
GREASE Amateur production<br />
grom Get Your<br />
Wigle On, Weds 11 -<br />
Sat 14 June, Theatre<br />
Severn, Shrewsbury<br />
PESTS Clean Break,<br />
Royal Court Theatre<br />
and Royal Exchange<br />
Theatre present a searing<br />
new play from Vivienne<br />
Franzmann, Weds<br />
11 - Sat 14 June, The<br />
REP, Birmingham<br />
THE VALLEY OF ASTON-<br />
ISHMENT Théâtre des<br />
Bouffes du Nord present<br />
the UK premiere of<br />
Peter Brook and Marie-<br />
Hélène Estienne's kaleidoscopic<br />
journey into<br />
the wonders of the<br />
human brain, Weds 11 -<br />
Sat 14 June, Warwick<br />
Arts Centre, Coventry<br />
HORRIBLE HISTORIES:<br />
BARMY BRITAIN Presented<br />
by Birmingham<br />
Stage Company, Weds<br />
11 - Sun 15 June, Birmingham<br />
Town Hall<br />
THE WORLD'S WORST<br />
SERIAL KILLER SHOW<br />
Note that this show<br />
contains original crime<br />
scene and victim's photographs,<br />
many of a<br />
graphic and explicit<br />
nature, which some<br />
people may find disturbing,<br />
Thurs 12 June,<br />
The Place, Oakengates<br />
Theatre, Telford<br />
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S<br />
DREAM Presented by<br />
Ormiston Academy Acting<br />
Pathway, Thurs 12<br />
June, Old Rep, B’ham<br />
ANYTHING GOES Amateur<br />
production of Cole<br />
Porter's comedy musical<br />
presented by<br />
Nuneaton Pantomime<br />
and Revue Society,<br />
Thurs 12 - Sat 14 June,<br />
Bedworth Civic Hall<br />
AVENUE Q Amateur production<br />
presented by<br />
the Old Joint Stock<br />
Musical Theatre Company,<br />
Thurs 12 - Sun 22<br />
June, Old Joint Stock<br />
Theatre, Birmingham<br />
MACBETH The Festival<br />
Players Theatre Company<br />
present Shakespeare’s<br />
bloodiest play,<br />
Fri 13 June, St John’s<br />
Church, Bromsgrove<br />
ROMEO & JULIET Presented<br />
by Ormiston<br />
Academy Acting Pathway,<br />
Fri 13 June, Old<br />
Rep, Birmingham<br />
THE MERCHANT OF<br />
VENICE Rain Or Shine<br />
Productions present an<br />
outdoor production of<br />
Shakespeare famous<br />
work, Fri 13 June,<br />
Wightwick Hall, Wolverhampton<br />
WOMAN IN MIND Alan<br />
Ayckbourn's poignant<br />
play about a woman<br />
slowly unravelling, Fri<br />
13 - Sat 28 June, The<br />
REP, Birmingham<br />
THE SOOTY SHOW A<br />
brand new family show<br />
featuring Sooty and his<br />
friends... Sat 14 June,<br />
Stafford Gatehouse<br />
Theatre<br />
SING-A-LONG-A DIRTY<br />
DANCING Brand new singalong<br />
screening of the<br />
classic film starring<br />
Patrick Swayze and<br />
Jennifer Grey, Sat 14<br />
June, Roses Theatre,<br />
Tewkesbury<br />
MACBETH The Handlebards<br />
bring their innovative<br />
style to Shakespeare’s<br />
tale of ambition,<br />
magic and murder,<br />
Sat 14 June, The Dell,<br />
Stratford-upon-Avon<br />
PARKING AROUND<br />
Rogueplay present<br />
highly physical theatre<br />
with a strong but simple<br />
narrative, played<br />
out through circus acts,<br />
dance and physical theatre<br />
sequences, Sat 14<br />
June, Eastside Park,<br />
Birmingham<br />
PETER PAN AND THE LOST<br />
BOYS Heartbreak Productions<br />
present an<br />
innovative adaptation of<br />
JM Barrie’s classic children’s<br />
tale, Sat 14<br />
June, Birmingham Lord<br />
Mayor’s Show, Chamberlain<br />
Square, Birmingham<br />
MONDAY’S CHILD Tutti<br />
Frutti & York Theatre<br />
Royal tell a simple<br />
poetic story of the<br />
unique bond between a<br />
grandmother and child,<br />
Sat 14 June, Warwick<br />
Arts Centre, Coventry<br />
For full theatre listings in the West Midlands, visit, www.whatsonlive.co.uk 33
VISIT OUR<br />
WEBSITE TO<br />
VIEW MORE<br />
SHOWS!<br />
Box Office 01743 281 281<br />
Book Online www.theatresevern.co.uk<br />
Frankwell Quay,<br />
Shrewsbury, Shropshire,<br />
SY3 8FT<br />
MONDAY 2 - SATURDAY 7 JUNE<br />
SUNDAY 15 JUNE<br />
BEN NORRIS<br />
MR AMBIGUOUSNESS<br />
After a fantastic time supporting Ed<br />
Byrne on his national tour Ben Norris is<br />
hitting the road on his own<br />
"A wonderful disgrace of a<br />
human being" Daniel Kitson<br />
MONDAY 16 - FRIDAY 20 JUNE<br />
Comedy Theatre Company present<br />
CLASSIC ITV COMEDY<br />
From the producers of the stage<br />
versions of Victoria Wood's<br />
dinnerladies and Birds<br />
of a Feather.<br />
SATURDAY 21 JUNE<br />
THE BILLY<br />
FURY YEARS<br />
2014 commemorates over 30 years since<br />
the untimely passing of Billy Fury. However<br />
it is reassuring to know that his name and<br />
music is far from forgotten. THE BILLY FURY<br />
YEARS is quite simply 'The Ultimate Billy<br />
Fury show to ever hit the stage'.<br />
SATURDAY 28 JUNE<br />
A TRIBUTE TO THE MUSIC OF<br />
Michael Ball<br />
love changes<br />
everything<br />
Join Michael Courtney and his live band in this spectacular<br />
salute to the music of Michael Ball, brought to you<br />
by one of the UK’s finest singers.<br />
34 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
Theatre LISTINGS<br />
For full listing information on theatre<br />
productions, including times and<br />
dates, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
HALFWAY TO PARADISE -<br />
THE BILLY FURY STORY<br />
Sat 14 June, Prince Of<br />
Wales Centre, Cannock<br />
THE TRIALS OF OSCAR<br />
WILDE European Arts<br />
present a dramatisation<br />
of the libel and criminal<br />
trials of Oscar Wilde,<br />
Sat 14 June, Theatre<br />
Severn, Shrewsbury<br />
MACBETH The Festival<br />
Players Theatre Company<br />
present Shakespeare’s<br />
bloodiest play,<br />
Sat 14 June, mac-Midlands<br />
Arts Centre, Birmingham<br />
TREASURE ISLAND Rain<br />
Or Shine Productions<br />
present an outdoor version<br />
of Robert Louis<br />
Stevenson’s buccaneering<br />
adventure, Sat<br />
14 June, Kinlet Hall,<br />
Bewdley, Worcester<br />
RAINBOW OF DREAMS<br />
Charity event showcasing<br />
the wealth of talent<br />
on offer from Worcestershire's<br />
youth, Sat 14<br />
- Sun 15 June, The<br />
Swan Theatre, Worcester<br />
THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA<br />
ALBA Federico Garcia<br />
Lorca's Spanish drama,<br />
Sat 14 - Sat 21 June,<br />
Crescent Theatre, Birmingham<br />
AS YOU LIKE IT Shakespeare's<br />
popular comedy<br />
starring John Challis<br />
stars as Jaques while<br />
Eric Potts features as<br />
Touchstone, Sat 14 -<br />
Sun 22 June, Ludlow,<br />
South Shropshire<br />
MIDSUMMER MISCHIEF A<br />
festival of exciting new<br />
plays, performed in a<br />
purpose-built temporary<br />
studio on the current<br />
Courtyard Theatre<br />
stage, Sat 14 June - Sat<br />
12 July, The Courtyard,<br />
Stratford-upon-Avon<br />
THE SOOTY SHOW Sun<br />
15 June, Regent Theatre,<br />
Stoke-on-Trent<br />
JACK AND THE<br />
BEANSTALK Lyngo Theatre<br />
present a giant of a<br />
show, adapted & performed<br />
by Patrick<br />
Lynch, Sun 15 June,<br />
Stafford Gatehouse<br />
Theatre<br />
OLD MACDONALD HAD A<br />
FARM Presented by<br />
People's Theatre Company,<br />
Sun 15 June,<br />
Wolverhampton Grand<br />
Theatre<br />
A SMALL FAMILY BUSI-<br />
NESS A National Theatre<br />
Live screening of<br />
Alan Ayckbourn’s<br />
riotous exposure of<br />
entrepreneurial greed,<br />
Sun 15 June, Roses<br />
Theatre, Tewkesbury<br />
PARKING AROUND<br />
Rogueplay present<br />
highly physical theatre<br />
with a strong but simple<br />
narrative, played<br />
out through circus acts,<br />
dance and physical theatre<br />
sequences, Sun 15<br />
June, Walkers Heath<br />
Park, Birmingham<br />
THE COMEDY OF ERRORS<br />
The Handelbards present<br />
an innovative take<br />
on Shakespeare’s classic,<br />
Sun 15 June, The<br />
Dell, Stratford-upon-<br />
Avon<br />
JESUS CHRIST SUPER-<br />
STAR Amateur production<br />
by The Musical<br />
Theatre Production<br />
Company, Sun 15<br />
June, The Place, Oakengates<br />
Theatre,<br />
Telford<br />
PENN & TELLER An<br />
evening of classic<br />
magic tricks and niche<br />
comedy from the American<br />
duo, Sun 15 - Mon<br />
16 June, New Alexandra<br />
Theatre, B’ham<br />
Week Commencing<br />
MON 16 JUN<br />
IMMORTAL CHI Fusion of<br />
jaw-dropping Chinese<br />
Martial Arts, multimedia<br />
images and an<br />
original musical score<br />
incorporating the Chinese<br />
Girl Drummers,<br />
Mon 16 June, Wolverhampton<br />
Grand Theatre<br />
RISING DAMP The Comedy<br />
Theatre Company<br />
present a stage adaptation<br />
of Eric Chappell's<br />
acclaimed ’70s sitcom,<br />
Mon 16 - Fri 20 June,<br />
Theatre Severn,<br />
Shrewsbury<br />
ARTHUR & GEORGE<br />
Adapted by David<br />
Edgar from the novel<br />
by Julian Barnes, Mon<br />
16 - Sat 21 June, Hall<br />
Green Little Theatre,<br />
Birmingham<br />
THE TAMING OF THE<br />
SHREW Shropshire<br />
Drama Company present<br />
Shakespeare’s<br />
timeless story of love,<br />
surprise and betrayal,<br />
Mon 16 - Sat 21 June,<br />
Church Green, Much<br />
Wenlock, South Shropshire<br />
THE LADYBOYS OF<br />
BANGKOK Tues 17 June,<br />
Lichfield Garrick<br />
ACCRINGTON PALS Stoke<br />
Repertory Players present<br />
an amateur production<br />
of Peter Whelan's<br />
1982 play, Tues 17 - Sat<br />
21 June, Stoke Repertory<br />
Theatre<br />
3 SUMMERS The world<br />
premiere of Euan<br />
Rose’s musical, set in<br />
the psychedelic ’60s,<br />
Tues 17 - Sat 21 June,<br />
Studio Theatre, Library<br />
of Birmingham<br />
SHE STOOPS TO CON-<br />
QUER An amateur production<br />
of Oliver Goldsmith's<br />
popular comedy,<br />
Tues 17 - Sat 21<br />
June, Highbury Theatre<br />
Centre, Sutton Coldfield<br />
DESIGN FOR MURDER<br />
Psychological drama<br />
culminating in a tense,<br />
chilling climax with a<br />
bitter twist, Tues 17 -<br />
Sat 21 June, Wolverhampton<br />
Grand Theatre<br />
CRAZY FOR YOU Amateur<br />
production presented<br />
by Bromsgrove Operatic<br />
Society, Tues 17 - Sat<br />
21 June, Artrix, Bromsgrove<br />
A TASTE OF HONEY Hull<br />
Truck Theatre present<br />
Shelagh Delaney's<br />
touching tale of a<br />
young girl's journey into<br />
adulthood. Rebecca<br />
Ryan (Shameless &<br />
Waterloo Road) star,<br />
Tues 17 - Sat 21 June,<br />
Malvern Theatres<br />
MOSES AND ARON Welsh<br />
National Opera present<br />
Sergio Morabito and<br />
Jossi Wiesler's highly<br />
charged production,<br />
Weds 18 June, Birmingham<br />
Hippodrome<br />
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S<br />
DREAM Presented by<br />
Oddsocks, Weds 18<br />
June, The Place, Oakengates<br />
Theatre,<br />
Telford<br />
THE EPIC ADVENTURE OF<br />
NHAMO Tiata Fahodzi in<br />
association with Watford<br />
Palace Theatre<br />
present Denton Chikura's<br />
madcap farce<br />
which turns storytelling<br />
on its head, Weds 18 -<br />
Sat 21 June, The REP,<br />
Birmingham<br />
THE BRIGHT AND BOLD<br />
DESIGN A production<br />
about art versus politics,<br />
presented in association<br />
with The<br />
Agency, Weds 18 - Sat<br />
21 June, Old Rep,<br />
Birmingham<br />
CARRIE'S WAR Apollo<br />
Theatre Company present<br />
a brand new staging<br />
of Nina Bawden's<br />
classic novel, Thurs 19<br />
- Fri 20 June, Lichfield<br />
Garrick<br />
THE FALL OF THE HOUSE<br />
OF USHER Welsh National<br />
Opera bring Edgar<br />
Allan Poe’s macabre<br />
tale to the operatic<br />
stage, Fri 20 June,<br />
Birmingham Hippodrome<br />
WILDE WITHOUT THE BOY<br />
A dramatisation of De<br />
Profundis, Oscar<br />
Wilde’s letter to his<br />
lover, Lord Alfred Douglas,<br />
written from his<br />
prison cell in Reading<br />
jail, Fri 20 June,<br />
Stafford Gatehouse<br />
Theatre<br />
BRY0NY KIMMINGS:<br />
CREDIBLE LIKEABLE<br />
SUPERSTAR ROLE MODEL<br />
A tale of hopeless protection,<br />
blind fury, nineyear-old<br />
brains and taking<br />
on the world with<br />
your family, Fri 20 June,<br />
mac - Midlands Arts<br />
Centre, Birmingham<br />
AROUND THE WORLD IN<br />
EIGHTY DAYS Fri 20 June<br />
- Sat 5 July, New Vic<br />
Theatre, Newcastleunder-Lyme<br />
THE SOOTY SHOW Sat 21<br />
June, New Alexandra<br />
Theatre, Birmingham<br />
AN AUDIENCE WITH DES<br />
O'CONNOR Sat 21 June,<br />
Lichfield Garrick<br />
THE MERRY WIVES OF<br />
WINDSOR Greater Fool<br />
present an outdoor production<br />
of Shakespeare’s<br />
farcical comedy,<br />
Sat 21 June, The<br />
Dell, Stratford-upon-<br />
Avon<br />
FROM RAGS TO RICHES<br />
The RJ Academy of<br />
Singing & Dramatic Arts<br />
presents an evening of<br />
entertainment based<br />
around the theme of<br />
rich and poor, Sat 21<br />
June, Bedworth Civic<br />
Hall<br />
GANDINI JUGGLING:<br />
SMASHED Fusion of circus<br />
and theatre<br />
inspired by the work of<br />
Pina Bausch, Sat 21<br />
June, mac - Midlands<br />
Arts Centre, B’ham<br />
Week Commencing<br />
MON 23 JUN<br />
SALLY MORGAN Mon 23 -<br />
Tues 24 June, Lichfield<br />
Garrick<br />
BUDDY - THE BUDDY<br />
HOLLY STORY Awardwinning<br />
musical, Mon<br />
23 - Sat 28 June, Birmingham<br />
Hippodrome<br />
THE RAPE OF LUCRECE<br />
Mon 23 June - Fri 4<br />
July, The Swan Theatre,<br />
Stratford-upon-Avon<br />
PETER PAN AND THE LOST<br />
BOYS Heartbreak Productions<br />
present an<br />
innovative adaptation of<br />
JM Barrie’s classic children’s<br />
tale, Tues 24<br />
June, Castle Bromwich<br />
Hotel, Solihull<br />
THE PIRATES OF PEN-<br />
ZANCE Presented by<br />
The Gilbert & Sullivan<br />
Opera Company, Tues<br />
24 - Weds 25 June,<br />
Wolverhampton Grand<br />
Theatre<br />
MACBETH Heartbreak<br />
Productions present an<br />
outdoor version of<br />
Shakespeare's bloodiest<br />
play, Tues 24 -<br />
Weds 25 June, Jephson<br />
Gardens, Leamington<br />
Spa<br />
SHE STOOPS TO CON-<br />
QUER An amateur production<br />
of Oliver Goldsmith's<br />
popular comedy,<br />
Tues 24 - Sat 28<br />
June, Highbury Theatre<br />
Centre, Sutton Coldfield<br />
BLACKADDER All &<br />
Sundry present a stage<br />
version of the popular<br />
British sitcom, set during<br />
the Great War of<br />
1914 - 1918, Tues 24 -<br />
Sat 28 June, Artrix,<br />
Bromsgrove<br />
BLOFELD AND BAXTER:<br />
MEMORIES OF TEST<br />
MATCH SPECIAL Weds<br />
25 June, mac - Midlands<br />
Arts Centre, Birmingham<br />
AN IMPROVISED MURDER<br />
Presented by Foghorn<br />
Improv, Thurs 26 June,<br />
Old Joint Stock Theatre,<br />
Birmingham<br />
MACBETH Shakespeare's<br />
Globe screening<br />
of Shakespeare's<br />
bloodiest play, Thurs 26<br />
June, Malvern Theatres<br />
THE ONLY WAY IS DOWN-<br />
TON Luke Kempner's<br />
parody of the muchloved<br />
period drama,<br />
Thurs 26 June, Roses<br />
Theatre, Tewkesbury<br />
IOLANTHE Presented by<br />
the Gilbert & Sullivan<br />
Opera Company, Thurs<br />
26 - Fri 27 June,<br />
Wolverhampton Grand<br />
Theatre<br />
CRAZY FOR YOU Amateur<br />
production presented<br />
by the Coventry Musical<br />
Theatre Society,<br />
Thurs 26 - Sat 28 June,<br />
Belgrade Theatre,<br />
Coventry<br />
THE DUCHESS OF MALFI<br />
Thurs 26 - Sat 28 June,<br />
Old Rep, Birmingham<br />
MACBETH Heartbreak<br />
Productions present an<br />
outdoor version of<br />
Shakespeare's bloodiest<br />
play, Fri 27 June,<br />
Hartelbury Castle, Kidderminster<br />
PETER PAN AND THE LOST<br />
BOYS Heartbreak Productions<br />
present an<br />
innovative adaptation of<br />
JM Barrie’s classic children’s<br />
tale, Fri 27 June,<br />
Merrie Lion, Fenny<br />
Compton, Warwickshire<br />
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST<br />
Amateur production<br />
presented by Reach<br />
Musical Theatre<br />
School, Fri 27 - Sat 28<br />
June, Arena Theatre,<br />
Wolverhampton<br />
THE SUPERHEROES A<br />
new piece of playful<br />
work fusing storytelling,<br />
song, music, dance,<br />
physical theatre and<br />
animation, Fri 27 - Sat<br />
28 June, mac - Midlands<br />
Arts Centre, Birmingham<br />
THE MERCHANT OF<br />
VENICE Open-air performance<br />
presented by<br />
Billie Shakespeare Travelling<br />
Co, Fri 27 - Sat<br />
28 June, St Andrews<br />
Church Gardens,<br />
Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire<br />
THE MIKADO Presented<br />
by the Gilbert & Sullivan<br />
Opera Company,<br />
Sat 28 June, Wolverhampton<br />
Grand Theatre<br />
PEEP! Language Alive<br />
present theatre for children<br />
that revolves<br />
around Uncle's Story<br />
Shop, a place full of<br />
exciting objects which<br />
he uses to make storybags<br />
for his customers,<br />
Sat 28 June, The REP,<br />
Birmingham<br />
DETENTION! Stage 2 Performing<br />
Arts Academy<br />
present a classroom<br />
drama featuring classic<br />
songs, Sat 28 June,<br />
Theatre Severn,<br />
Shrewsbury<br />
BEHIND THE BLINDS Serrated<br />
Edge present a<br />
new show for persons<br />
aged fourteen-plus<br />
which weaves together<br />
lyrically witty and<br />
sophisticated songs to<br />
reveal what goes on<br />
behind the blinds on an<br />
ordinary-looking suburban<br />
street, Sat 28 June,<br />
Artrix, Bromsgrove<br />
PAISEYAN DI HERA PHERI<br />
Sat 28 June, The Drum,<br />
Birmingham<br />
JAMES AND THE GIANT<br />
PEACH Company Theatre<br />
School present<br />
Roald Dahl’s fruity tale,<br />
Sat 28 June, The Crescent<br />
Theatre, B‘ham<br />
INTO THE WOODS Musical<br />
weaving together<br />
the plots from several<br />
fairytales, Sat 28 - Sun<br />
29 June, The Place,<br />
Oakengates Theatre,<br />
Telford<br />
ROMEO AND JULIET<br />
Birdiedoes present an<br />
outdoor production of<br />
‘the greatest love story<br />
ever told’, Sat 28 - Sun<br />
29 June, The Dell,<br />
Stratford-upon-Avon<br />
PETER PAN AND THE LOST<br />
BOYS Heartbreak Productions<br />
present an<br />
innovative adaptation of<br />
JM Barrie’s classic children’s<br />
tale, Sat 28 -<br />
Sun 29 June, Norman<br />
Chamberlain Playing<br />
Fields, Shard End,<br />
Birmingham<br />
AT WAR WITH LOVE<br />
Oxford Actors Company<br />
present a selection<br />
of Shakespeare’s Sonnets,<br />
set against a<br />
backdrop of World War<br />
One, Sat 28 - Sun 29<br />
June, The Dell, Stratford-upon-Avon<br />
MACBETH Heartbreak<br />
Productions present an<br />
outdoor version of<br />
Shakespeare's bloodiest<br />
play, Sun 29 June,<br />
Shugborough Historic<br />
Working Estate,<br />
Stafford<br />
WE SALUTE YOU Music<br />
and laughter to celebrate<br />
Armed Forces<br />
Day, Sun 29 June,<br />
Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury<br />
CIRCLES Rachel Delahay's<br />
vivid and powerful<br />
new play explores violent<br />
relationships, love,<br />
trust and friendship,<br />
Sun 29 June, Artrix,<br />
Bromsgrove<br />
AS YOU LIKE IT Stafford<br />
Festival Shakespeare<br />
presents an outdoor<br />
production of one of<br />
Shakespeare's most<br />
popular musical comedies,<br />
Sun 29 June - Sat<br />
12 July, Stafford Castle<br />
Week Commencing<br />
MON 30 JUN<br />
20TH CENTURY BOY - THE<br />
MUSICAL Musical based<br />
on the life of Marc<br />
Bolan, with Warren Sollars<br />
leading the cast,<br />
Mon 30 June - Sat 5<br />
July, Wolverhampton<br />
Grand Theatre<br />
BLACK COFFEE Mon 30<br />
June - Sat 5 July, Theatre<br />
Severn, Shrewsbury<br />
ANOTHER COUNTRY A<br />
Chichester Festival production<br />
of Julian<br />
Mitchell's thought-provoking<br />
drama, which<br />
follows a company of<br />
public schoolboys<br />
through a summer term<br />
in the early-1930s, Mon<br />
30 June - Sat 5 July,<br />
Malvern Theatres<br />
For full theatre listings in the West Midlands, visit, www.whatsonlive.co.uk 35
Theatre REVIEWS<br />
Below are reviews of theatre<br />
productions we checked out last<br />
month. For further theatre reviews, visit<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
Lord Of The Flies<br />
Birmingham Hippodrome<br />
There comes with the work of Matthew Bourne a<br />
great expectation of extravagance and challenge -<br />
and a belief that any sign of classical ballet will be<br />
replaced with something completely unexpected.<br />
Bourne’s latest work, an adaptation of William<br />
Golding’s Lord Of The Flies, is partnered with the<br />
choreographer’s sister company, Re:Bourne, and<br />
is touring as part of a community-led project that<br />
aims to increase the popularity of dance among<br />
boys. And the show certainly does that, inspiring<br />
youngsters not only to dance but to do so in a professional<br />
dancing environment.<br />
There’s no doubt that the community boys featured<br />
in Lord Of The Flies play equally as large a part as<br />
the professionals - the show is a once-in-a-lifetime<br />
opportunity for the chosen twenty-two.<br />
The production itself is exactly what you’d expect<br />
from Bourne. The boys are not lost on an island<br />
but in an abandoned theatre; in this case, the<br />
Birmingham Hippodrome. The set is striking, offering<br />
the boys plenty of opportunity to climb, swing<br />
and run. Multiple entrances and exits are revealed<br />
throughout the course of the production.<br />
The piece starts on a high, utilising choreographed<br />
movement rather than dance to introduce the<br />
youngsters; the leaders, the bullies and the less<br />
confrontational. As the interval approaches, large<br />
choreographed sequences involving drumming<br />
and chanting convey the fact that things are starting<br />
to get out of hand.<br />
The second act steps up the violence and mob-like<br />
behaviour, both of which are evident in Golding’s<br />
story. The boys turn on each other and blood is<br />
shed. Finally, the large metal shutter opens and<br />
they leave one by one.<br />
Ballet technique shines through Bourne’s choreography<br />
- although by comparison with what one<br />
might expect, there’s a lack of dancing in the production.<br />
That said, Bourne’s attempt to foster a<br />
connection between boys and dance should be<br />
applauded. In so doing, the experience he has<br />
given the young men appearing in this show is<br />
priceless. Jamie Ryan ■ ■ ■<br />
Protein Dance: Border Tales<br />
DanceXchange, The Patrick Centre, Birmingham<br />
Lucu Silvestrini’s Protein Dance Company here<br />
presented a glimpse of twenty-first century multicultural<br />
Britain, in the process addressing issues<br />
such as immigration and racism. The story was<br />
mainly told through the eyes of Stuart, a man<br />
caught up in stereotypes and hampered by a lack<br />
of knowledge about the world around him.<br />
Significantly, the show was performed in the<br />
round. This meant that audience members were<br />
facing one another, so could observe each other’s<br />
reactions to what was being said on stage, plenty<br />
of which made for uncomfortable listening given<br />
the contentious nature of the subject matter. If a<br />
performer said something that was racist yet<br />
funny, should you laugh? Should you smile? And<br />
what would the audience members sitting opposite<br />
conclude about you if you did? Talk about<br />
feeling self-concious with regard to one’s reactions!<br />
Comprising mainly spoken text, the narrative was<br />
supported by Silvestrini’s wonderful choreography,<br />
featuring beautiful solos, complex duets and<br />
plenty of group work. Jamie Ryan ■ ■ ■ ■ ■<br />
Rock Of Ages<br />
New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham<br />
After a very successful two-year run in the West End, Rock Of Ages is now out on its<br />
first UK tour, and last month stopped off in Birmingham.<br />
Set in a run-down bar called the Bourbon Room in a mid-to-late-1990s Los Angeles,<br />
the boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl story unfolds against a rocking soundtrack that<br />
includes REO Speedwagon, Bon Jovi and Slade.<br />
Drew, played by Noel Sullivan (formerly of pop group Hear’Say), works at the Bourbon<br />
Room. He writes rock songs, dreams of fame and fortune - but mostly spends his time<br />
putting out the rubbish. Farm girl Sherrie, played by Cordelia Farnworth, arrives in the<br />
city and, with Drew’s assistance, gets a job at the bar. But the course of true love<br />
never runs smooth, and life becomes really complicated for Drew and Sherrie when<br />
drug-fuelled rock god Stacee Jaxx, played by Ben Richards, returns to play at the bar<br />
when it’s threatened with closure...<br />
The music throughout the show is extremely loud, as befits a rocking world. Cordelia’s<br />
voice is lost on the big tracks but beautiful when singing More Than Words, and there<br />
are some great vocals from both Noel and Ben. The production is very tongue-incheek,<br />
with some of the performances self-conscious to the point of bordering on<br />
hammy. It’s a show that craves audience participation, but which sometimes seems<br />
more of a rock concert than a musical.<br />
Genuinely funny moments are provided by Stephen Rahman-Hughes, who plays show<br />
narrator Lonny, and Daniel Fletcher as Dennis Dupree, the rock-hippie proprietor of the<br />
Theatre Box Office<br />
Birmingham<br />
ALEXANDRA THEATRE<br />
0844 871 3011<br />
BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME<br />
0844 338 5000<br />
BIRMINGHAM REP<br />
0121 236 4455<br />
THE BLUE ORANGE THEATRE<br />
0121 212 2643<br />
CRESCENT THEATRE<br />
0121 643 5858<br />
DOVEHOUSE THEATRE<br />
0121 706 7139<br />
THE DRUM 0121 333 2444<br />
HALL GREEN LITTLE THEATRE<br />
0121 707 1874<br />
MAC 0121 446 3232<br />
MIXING BOWL THEATRE<br />
0121 224 7545<br />
OLD JOINT STOCK THEATRE<br />
0121 200 0946<br />
OLD REP 0121 245 4455<br />
SOLIHULL ARTS COMPLEX<br />
0121 704 6962<br />
Black Country<br />
ARENA THEATRE<br />
WOLVERHAMPTON<br />
01902 321321<br />
BLOXWICH THEATRE<br />
01922 653183<br />
DUDLEY CONCERT HALL<br />
01384 812812<br />
FOREST ARTS CENTRE, WALSALL<br />
01922 654555<br />
GRAND THEATRE,<br />
01902 429212<br />
NEWHAMPTON ARTS CENTRE<br />
01902 572090<br />
OLDBURY REP, OLDBURY<br />
0121 552 2761<br />
Shropshire<br />
THE BELFREY, WELLINGTON<br />
01952 222277<br />
THE EDGE, MUCH WENLOCK<br />
01952 728911<br />
THE HIVE, SHREWSBURY<br />
01743 234970<br />
LUDLOW ASSEMBLY<br />
ROOMS 01584 878141<br />
THE PLACE, OAKENGATES, TELFORD<br />
01952 382382<br />
THEATRE SEVERN, SHREWSBURY<br />
01743 281281<br />
WEM TOWN HALL<br />
01939 232299<br />
Staffordshire<br />
LICHFIELD GARRICK<br />
01543 412121<br />
NEW VIC 01782 717962<br />
PRINCE OF WALES<br />
CENTRE, CANNOCK<br />
01543 578762<br />
REGENT THEATRE, STOKE<br />
0870 060 6649<br />
RUGELEY ROSE THEATRE<br />
01889 584036<br />
STAFFORD GATEHOUSE<br />
01785 254653<br />
STOKE REPERTORY THEATRE<br />
01782 209784<br />
Warwickshire<br />
BEDWORTH CIVIC HALL<br />
024 7637 6707<br />
BELGRADE THEATRE, COVENTRY<br />
024 7655 3055<br />
BRIDGE HOUSE THEATRE, WARWICK<br />
01926 776438<br />
THE DREAM FACTORY<br />
01926 419555<br />
ROYAL SHAKESPEARE<br />
THEATRE, STRATFORD-UPON-AVON<br />
0844 800 1110<br />
ROYAL SPA CENTRE<br />
LEAMINGTON 01926 334418<br />
WARWICK ARTS CENTRE, COVENTRY<br />
02476 524524<br />
Worcestershire<br />
ARTRIX ARTS CENTRE,<br />
BROMSGROVE 01527 577330<br />
THE HIVE<br />
01905 822866<br />
HUNTINGDON HALL, WORCESTER<br />
01905 611427<br />
MALVERN THEATRE<br />
01684 892277<br />
NORBURY THEATRE, DROITWICH<br />
01905 770154<br />
PALACE THEATRE<br />
REDDITCH 01527 65203<br />
ROSE THEATRE,<br />
01562 743745<br />
SWAN THEATRE,<br />
WORCESTER 01905 611427<br />
36 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
Theatre WEST END<br />
Jeeves role for John Gordon Sinclair<br />
Olivier Award-winning actor John Gordon Sinclair, best known<br />
from the 1981 film Gregory’s Girl, is to take over the role of dutiful<br />
valet Jeeves in Sean Foley’s Perfect Nonsense. Sinclair will join<br />
the cast at the end of June, along with James Lance (Smack The<br />
Pony, Teachers, I’m Alan Partridge), who’ll play the bumbling<br />
Bertie Wooster. Previous actors to have enjoyed great acclaim in<br />
the award-winning comedy include Stephen Mangan, Matthew<br />
Macfadyn and, more recently, Robert Webb and Mark Heap.<br />
Perfect Nonsense is currently booking at Duke of York’s Theatre<br />
until 20 September, after which it embarks on a UK tour.<br />
Gina McKee in Shakespeare’s history play<br />
Gina McKee is to join Martin Freeman in the much-anticipated production<br />
of Richard III when it opens at Trafalgar Studios next<br />
month. Best known for her roles in Notting Hill and Our Friends In<br />
The North, McKee will play Queen Elizabeth<br />
opposite Freeman’s Duke of Gloucester<br />
in Shakespeare’s bloodthirsty history<br />
play. The production’s director, Jamie<br />
Lloyd, is widely regarded as one of the<br />
UK’s hottest talents. Lighting design for the<br />
show is by Charles Balfour, set design by<br />
the award-winning Soutra Gilmour.<br />
Richard III shows at Trafalgar Studios Theatre<br />
from 1 July to 27 September.<br />
WEST END LISTINGS:<br />
MUSICALS<br />
BILLY ELLIOT –<br />
THE MUSICAL<br />
Victoria Palace Theatre,<br />
booking until 16 May<br />
2015<br />
BODYGUARD Adelphi<br />
Theatre, booking until<br />
30 Aug 2014<br />
BOOK OF MORMON<br />
Prince Of Wales Theatre,<br />
booking until 30<br />
Aug 2014<br />
CHARLIE AND THE<br />
CHOCOLATE FACTORY -<br />
THE MUSICAL<br />
Drury Lane Royal,<br />
booking until 30 May<br />
2015<br />
COMMITMENTS<br />
Victoria Palace Theatre,<br />
booking until 19 Apr<br />
2015<br />
DIRTY ROTTEN<br />
SCOUNDRELS<br />
Savoy Theatre, booking<br />
until 29 Nov 2014<br />
JERSEY BOYS<br />
Piccadilly Theatre,<br />
booking until 15 Feb<br />
2015<br />
LES MISÉRABLES<br />
Queen's Theatre, booking<br />
until 25 Apr 2015<br />
LION KING<br />
Lyceum Theatre, booking<br />
until 28 Sept 2014<br />
MADE IN DAGENHAM -THE<br />
MUSICAL Adelphi Theatre,<br />
9 Oct 2014 - 28<br />
Mar 2015<br />
MAMMA MIA! Novello<br />
Theatre, booking until<br />
25 Apr 2015<br />
MATILDA THE MUSICAL<br />
Cambridge Theatre,<br />
booking until 24 May<br />
2015<br />
MEMPHIS THE MUSICAL<br />
Shaftesbury Theatre, 9<br />
Oct 2014 - 28 Mar 2015<br />
MISS SAIGON Prince<br />
Edward Theatre,now<br />
booking until 25 Oct<br />
2014<br />
ONCE Phoenix Theatre,<br />
booking until 4 July<br />
2015<br />
PAJAMA GAME<br />
Shaftesbury Theatre,<br />
now booking until 13<br />
Sep 2014<br />
PHANTOM OF THE OPERA<br />
Her Majesty's Theatre,<br />
booking until 25 Apr<br />
2015<br />
PORGY AND BESS<br />
Open Air Theatre,<br />
Regents Park, 17 Jul -<br />
23 Aug 2014<br />
STOMP<br />
Ambassadors Theatre,<br />
booking until 21 Dec<br />
2014<br />
THRILLER LIVE<br />
Lyric Theatre, booking<br />
until 19 Apr 2015<br />
WICKED<br />
Apollo Victoria Theatre,<br />
booking until 25 Apr<br />
2015<br />
DRAMA<br />
1984 Playhouse Theatre,<br />
booking until 19<br />
Jul 2014<br />
ANTONY & CLEOPATRA<br />
Shakespeare’s Globe<br />
Theatre, booking until<br />
24 Aug 2014<br />
BAKERSFIELD MIST-<br />
Duchess Theatre, booking<br />
until 30 Aug 2014<br />
BRING UP THE BODIES<br />
Aldwych Theatre, booking<br />
until 6 Sept 2014<br />
DOCTOR SCROGGY’S WAR<br />
Shakespeare’s Globe<br />
Theatre, 12 Sept - 10<br />
Oct 2014<br />
FATAL ATTRACTION<br />
Haymarket Theatre<br />
Royal, booking until 21<br />
Jun 2014<br />
GHOST STORIES<br />
Arts Theatre, booking<br />
until 17 Aug 2014<br />
GOLEM Young Vic<br />
Theatre, booking until<br />
17 Jan 2015<br />
HANDBAGGED<br />
Vaudeville Theatre, 3<br />
Apr - 2 Aug 2014<br />
KING LEAR Olivier<br />
National Theatre, booking<br />
until 28 May 2014<br />
OTHER DESERT CITIES<br />
Old Vic Theatre, booking<br />
until 24 May 2014<br />
COMEDY<br />
39 STEPS Criterion Theatre,<br />
booking until 18<br />
Oct 2014<br />
CONFESSIONS OF<br />
GORDON BROWN Ambassadors<br />
Theatre, booking<br />
until 30 July 2014<br />
RELATIVE VALUES Harold<br />
Pinter Theatre, booking<br />
until 21 jun 2014<br />
TWELFTH KNIGHT<br />
RE-IMAGINED Open Air<br />
Theatre, Regent’s Park,<br />
21 Jun - 12 July 2014<br />
Extended booking for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels<br />
Jerry Mitchell’s musical adaptation of the movie Dirty Rotten<br />
Scoundrels has extended its booking period until March 2015.<br />
The all-star production features Robert Lindsay in the lead, as<br />
sophisticated conman Lawrence Jameson, and comedian/actor<br />
Rufus Hound as the larger-than-life Freddy Benson. Based on the<br />
book by Jeffrey Lane, the story follows the escapades of Jameson<br />
and Benson as they pursue the affections of millionaire soap<br />
heiress Christine Colgate, played by Katherine Kingsley.<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk 37
Dance<br />
Flash Mob<br />
Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, Thurs 19 June; New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham, Fri 27 June<br />
Flash Mob is the latest celebrity-driven dance show to grace venues across the UK. Described as celebrating ‘the various emotions that dance<br />
can bring to an audience’, the show promises to provide an exhilarating night out for all ages, with performances in Latin, locking, Celtic, contemporary,<br />
jazz and jump-jive all taking their place on the evening’s agenda. Headlined by Kevin Clifton (Strictly Come Dancing), the production<br />
features performances from World Street Dance champions Flawless (pictured), the Olivier-nominated Tommy Franzen (from BBC’s So<br />
You Think You Can Dance), contemporary duo Alleviate, and Irish fusion duo Brosena (from Sky One’s Got To Dance).<br />
Birmingham Royal Ballet<br />
Birmingham Hippodrome,<br />
Wed 11 - Sun 15 June<br />
Frederick Ashton’s ever-popular La<br />
Fille mal gardée, a choreographed<br />
exploration of rural life, forms one half<br />
of Birmingham Royal Ballet’s<br />
Hippodrome offering this month. A firm<br />
family favourite, the simple and engaging<br />
story tells of Lise and her mother’s<br />
attempts to find her a wealthy suitor.<br />
Described by the Daily Telegraph as<br />
being ‘as finely wrought an English<br />
comedy as My Fair Lady or The<br />
Importance Of Being Earnest’,<br />
Ashton’s 1960s creation is here programmed<br />
alongside a triple-bill of his<br />
earlier works. Darkness And Light (4 to<br />
7 June) comprises: Les Rendezvous -<br />
Ashton’s first major ballet for the then-<br />
Vic-Wells Ballet; Dante Sonata - a simple<br />
and poignant piece created at the<br />
height of World War One; and Facade -<br />
a work of wit based on Edith Sitwell’s<br />
nonsensical poetry.<br />
Sonia Sabri Company: Labyrinth<br />
Glasshouse Arts Centre, Stourbridge, Fri 6 June<br />
A work of opposites, Labyrinth is a collaboration<br />
between dance artists Sonia Sabri and Ash<br />
Mukherjee. Originally inspired by Woody Allen’s<br />
Death Knocks - a one-act play which formed part of<br />
Woody’s famous stand-up routine - Labyrinth fuses<br />
Kathak and Bharatanatyam dance styles through<br />
solos and duets which take the audience on a journey<br />
between the classical and contemporary worlds.<br />
Live music, performed by Sarvar Sabri (SSC Musical<br />
Director), Shoma Dey and Dan Nicholls, accompanies<br />
the performance.<br />
38 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
Dance LISTINGS<br />
For full listing information on dance,<br />
including times and dates, visit<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
DARKNESS AND LIGHT<br />
Birmingham Royal<br />
Ballet presents three<br />
early works from the<br />
founder choreographer<br />
of the Royal Ballet<br />
Companies - master of<br />
the art form, Frederick<br />
Ashton, Wed 4 - Sat 7<br />
June, Birmingham<br />
Hippodrome<br />
KARLA SHACKLOCK<br />
DANCE COMPANY<br />
Double-bill of works<br />
including The<br />
Buttercup - a powerful<br />
story about hope - and<br />
The Crutch, an intense<br />
Beauty And The Beast - Ballet Cymru,<br />
Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury<br />
piece exploring the<br />
relationship between<br />
two beings, Wed 4<br />
June, Theatre Severn,<br />
Shrewsbury<br />
A MAGICAL EVENING OF<br />
DANCE From<br />
Tewkesbury School &<br />
Amy Bastin Dance,<br />
Thurs 5 June, The<br />
Roses Theatre,<br />
Tewkesbury<br />
SONIA SABRI COMPANY:<br />
LABYRINTH Renowned<br />
Indian classical dancer<br />
& choreographer Ash<br />
Mukherjee performs<br />
with the Sonia Sabri<br />
Company in a work<br />
which fuses elements<br />
of Indian & British culture,<br />
music, words &<br />
movement vocabulary,<br />
Fri 6 June, The<br />
Glasshouse Arts<br />
Centre, Stourbridge<br />
DANCE TO THE MOON<br />
Showcase of work from<br />
Happy Steps Dancers,<br />
raising funds for Acorns<br />
Children's Hospice, Fri<br />
6 - Sun 8 June, The<br />
Swan Theatre<br />
Worcester<br />
STREET DANCE TELFORD<br />
Sun 8 June, The Place,<br />
Oakengates Theatre,<br />
Telford<br />
LA FILLE MAL GARDEE<br />
Birmingham Royal<br />
Ballet presents<br />
Frederick Ashton's choreographed<br />
exploration<br />
of rural bliss, Wed 11 -<br />
Sun 15 June,<br />
Birmingham<br />
Hippodrome<br />
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST<br />
Ballet Cymru present a<br />
sparkling and refreshing<br />
ballet based on the<br />
eternal fairytale, Thurs<br />
12 June, The Roses<br />
Theatre, Tewkesbury<br />
AN EVENING WITH STARS<br />
FROM STRICTLY COME<br />
DANCING Starring Pasha<br />
Kovalev & Katya<br />
Virshilas, Sat 14 June,<br />
Belgrade Theatre,<br />
Coventry<br />
RED CROSS DANCE: MAKE<br />
YOUR MOVE<br />
COMPETITION The UK’s<br />
largest charity dance<br />
competition, Sun 15<br />
June, mac - Midlands<br />
Arts Centre,<br />
Birmingham<br />
CONSTELLATIONS Dance,<br />
puppetry and digital<br />
visuals are brought<br />
together in this choreographed<br />
performance<br />
suitable for children<br />
and their families, Tues<br />
17 June, The Roses<br />
Theatre, Tewkesbury<br />
JALEO FLAMENCO<br />
Andalusian dance,<br />
song and guitar, Wed<br />
18 June, Lichfield<br />
Garrick<br />
FLASH MOB Dance<br />
worlds collide in this<br />
new show, presenting a<br />
fusion of different<br />
dance genres, Thurs 19<br />
June, Regent Theatre,<br />
Stoke-on-Trent<br />
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST<br />
Ballet Cymru present a<br />
sparkling and refreshing<br />
ballet based on the<br />
eternal fairytale, Wed<br />
25 June, New Vic<br />
Theatre, Newcastleunder-Lyme<br />
AN EVENING WITH STARS<br />
FROM STRICTLY COME<br />
DANCING Starring Pasha<br />
Kovalev & Katya<br />
Virshilas, Fri 27 June,<br />
Prince Of Wales Centre,<br />
Cannock<br />
FLASH MOB Dance<br />
worlds collide in this<br />
new show, featuring a<br />
fusion of different<br />
dance genres, Fri 27<br />
June, New Alexandra<br />
Theatre, Birmingham<br />
Jaleo Flamenco, Lichfield Garrick<br />
Dance Box Office<br />
ARENA THEATRE,<br />
WOLVERHAMPTON<br />
01902 321321<br />
ARTRIX, BROMSGROVE<br />
01527 577330<br />
BIRMINGHAM<br />
HIPPODROME<br />
0844 338 5000<br />
DOVEHOUSE THEATRE<br />
0121 706 7139<br />
LICHFIELD GARRICK<br />
01543 412121<br />
LUDLOW ASSEMBLY<br />
ROOMS, SHROPSHIRE<br />
01584 873229<br />
MAC, BIRMINGHAM<br />
0121 446 3232<br />
NEW ALEXANDRA THEATRE,<br />
BIRMINGHAM<br />
0121 230 9082<br />
ROYAL SPA CENTRE,<br />
LEAMINGTON SPA<br />
01926 334418<br />
SOLIHULL ARTS COMPLEX<br />
0121 704 6962<br />
STAFFORD GATEHOUSE<br />
THEATRE<br />
01785 254653<br />
THEATRE SEVERN,<br />
SHREWSBURY<br />
01743 281281<br />
WARWICK ARTS CENTRE,<br />
COVENTRY<br />
02476 524524<br />
For full dance listings, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk 39
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Film<br />
TO<br />
WATCH THE LATEST MOVIE TRAILERS, VISIT: www.whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
From<br />
FRI 20<br />
JUNE<br />
Jersey Boys CERT 15 (134mins)<br />
Starring John Lloyd Young, Erich Bergen, Michael Lamenda, Vincent Piazza, Christopher Walken<br />
Directed by Clint Eastwood (USA)<br />
Before The Beatles, the most popular rock band of all time was The Four Seasons. With number one hits<br />
like Sherry, Big Boys Don’t Cry, Walk Like a Man and Rag Doll, the group racked up sales of an estimated<br />
one hundred million records worldwide. The Broadway musical that chronicled their amazing career went on<br />
to win four Tony awards and, in London, ensnared the Olivier for best new musical. Now Clint Eastwood, at<br />
a sprightly eighty-four years of age, has brought the musical to the big screen. Eastwood, while best known<br />
for Westerns and .44 Magnums, is a musical aficionado, having composed the scores for eight of his own<br />
films and originally intended to be a musician and not an actor (he still loves playing the piano). So, this<br />
could be a match made in Heaven.<br />
1<br />
2<br />
3<br />
4<br />
5<br />
TOP 5<br />
FILM BOX OFFICE<br />
Godzilla (12a)<br />
Bad Neighbors (15)<br />
The Amazing<br />
Spider-Man 2 (12a)<br />
The Two Faces<br />
Of January (12a)<br />
The Other Woman (12a)<br />
From<br />
THU 19<br />
JUNE<br />
The Fault In Our Stars CERT 12a (126mins)<br />
Starring Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff, Laura Dern, Willem Dafoe Directed by Josh Boone (USA)<br />
Josh Boone made his directorial debut with last year’s sassy and touching Stuck In Love, so let’s hope this<br />
is as good. Based on John Green’s critically acclaimed novel of 2012, it tells the story of a witty, unconventional<br />
young man and woman who fall in love at a cancer support group. The buzz is building, helped by the<br />
film’s audience-friendly soundtrack, with acts like Ed Sheeran, Birdy and Jake Bugg on board. Filmed in<br />
Pittsburgh and Amsterdam.<br />
Godzilla<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk 41
FilmNEW RELEASES<br />
Released from Fri 6 June<br />
Grace Of Monaco CERT PG (103mins)<br />
Starring Nicole Kidman, Tim Roth, Frank<br />
Langella, Parker Posey, Milo Ventimiglia,<br />
Derek Jacobi, Paz Vega, Robert Lindsay<br />
Directed by Olivier Dahan<br />
(USA/Monaco/France/Belgium/Italy)<br />
Olivier Dahan’s biopic (slated at Cannes) deals<br />
with the marital crisis of the former Grace Kelly,<br />
who went from Hollywood royalty to bona fide<br />
European sovereignty. Tim Roth, a fine actor,<br />
seems an odd choice to play Prince Rainier III,<br />
but then Dahan did help to earn Marion<br />
Cotillard an Oscar for playing Edith Piaf (in La<br />
Vie En Rose).<br />
From<br />
FRI 13<br />
JUNE<br />
22 Jump Street CERT tbc<br />
Starring Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice<br />
Cube, Dave Franco, Nick Offerman<br />
Directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller (USA)<br />
21 Jump Street, the film of the 1987-1991 TV<br />
series, was crass, crude and hugely successful.<br />
To be fair, Hill and Tatum worked up an engaging<br />
chemistry and this time they pair up as coproducers.<br />
The twist<br />
now is that the overgrown<br />
kids-cum-cops<br />
are put on a mission<br />
to infiltrate college.<br />
Expect a cameo from<br />
Brad Pitt.<br />
Belle CERT 12a (104mins)<br />
Starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Wilkinson,<br />
Miranda Richardson, Penelope Wilton,<br />
Matthew Goode, Emily Watson<br />
Directed by Amma Asante (UK)<br />
Based on true events, this is the story of<br />
Dido Elizabeth Belle (Mbatha-Raw), a former<br />
slave who is brought up by her great<br />
uncle. What is surprising is that Dido is<br />
mixed race and her uncle was the 1st Earl<br />
of Mansfield, William Murray (Wilkinson).<br />
Consequently, Dido is raised as an aristocrat.<br />
Mbatha-Raw herself was born in<br />
Oxford and made her film debut opposite<br />
Tom Hanks in Larry Crowne (2011).<br />
For full film listings,<br />
showings<br />
and booking links<br />
visit: whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
View the latest trailers on line<br />
42 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
Fruitvale Station CERT 15 (85mins)<br />
Starring Michael B. Jordan, Melonie Diaz,<br />
Octavia Spencer, Kevin Durand, Chad<br />
Michael Murray<br />
Directed by Ryan Coogler (USA)<br />
Oscar Julius Grant III is not presented as an<br />
honest man. In fact, he’s a fairly typical product<br />
of his environment: an ex-con, petty drug dealer,<br />
doting father and loving son, a streetwise<br />
African-American brother from Oakland,<br />
California, who is finding it hard to hold down a<br />
job. As played by Michael B Jordan, he’s also<br />
quite a charismatic character with an engaging<br />
smile - if an occasionally incendiary temper.<br />
You just don’t dis his mother or his girlfriend…<br />
Although based on a true incident that<br />
occurred in the early hours of New Year’s Day<br />
in 2009, Fruitvale Station is actually a fairly<br />
leisurely docudrama, a slice-of-life piece focusing<br />
on a certain corner of America today. What<br />
makes the film so compelling, though, is<br />
Jordan’s performance and the authentic voice<br />
of its debutant director, Ryan Coogler. Coogler<br />
has managed to pinpoint the dynamic of his<br />
subject matter with an honesty and integrity<br />
that draws the viewer into his world, making its<br />
outcome all the more affecting.<br />
From<br />
FRI<br />
13JUNE<br />
Released from Fri 13 June<br />
A Perfect Plan CERT tbc<br />
Starring Diane Kruger, Dany Boon, Alice Pol,<br />
Robert Plagnol<br />
Directed by Pascal Chaumeil (France)<br />
Isabelle’s family has a very unusual curse: the<br />
first marriage of every female ends in divorce.<br />
So, although Isabelle (Kruger) adores her<br />
boyfriend, Pierre, she<br />
decides to sidestep<br />
the jinx by marrying a<br />
complete stranger<br />
first… This is the sort<br />
of French romcom<br />
that looks as if it were<br />
made to produce a<br />
Hollywood remake.<br />
Watch this space.<br />
Devil’s Knot CERT 15 (114 mins)<br />
Starring Colin Firth, Reese Witherspoon,<br />
Dane DeHaan, Mireille Enos, Bruce<br />
Greenwood, Elias Koteas, Alessandro Nivola<br />
Directed by Atom Egoyan (USA)<br />
Based on the book by Mara Leveritt, this is the<br />
true story of three eight-year-old boys who went<br />
missing in 1993 in<br />
West Memphis. In the<br />
event, the boys’<br />
naked bodies were<br />
found horrifically<br />
beaten and sexually<br />
mutilated. Colin Firth<br />
plays the private<br />
investigator on the<br />
case.<br />
Oculus CERT 15 (103mins)<br />
Starring Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Rory<br />
Cochrane, Katee Sackhoff<br />
Directed by Mike Flanagan (USA)<br />
Karen Gillan - Amy Pond in Doctor Who -<br />
makes her American film debut in this slice of<br />
supernatural horror. She plays Kaylie Russell,<br />
whose brother is convicted of murdering their<br />
own father. But Kaylie suspects the killer was<br />
something entirely less human… These things<br />
happen.<br />
The Food Guide To Love CERT tbc<br />
Starring Richard Coyle, Leonor Watling,<br />
Lorcan Cranitch, Bronagh Gallagher<br />
Directed by Dominic Harari and Teresa de<br />
Pelegri (Spain/Ireland/France)<br />
The cinema is littered with great films about<br />
food, not least Babette's Feast, Ratatouille and<br />
Ang Lee's Eat Drink Man Woman. This romantic<br />
comedy about a food critic (Coyle) who uses<br />
his recipes to win the hearts (and bodies) of<br />
women, looks like a cordon bleu addition to the<br />
genre. Filmed in Dublin.<br />
The Young And Prodigious<br />
T.S. Spivet CERT tbc<br />
Starring Kyle Catlett, Helena Bonham<br />
Carter, Judy Davis, Callum Keith Rennie,<br />
Niamh Wilson Directed by Jean-Pierre<br />
Jeunet (France/Canada)<br />
With the films Delicatessen, The City of Lost<br />
Children, Amélie and Micmacs, Jean-Pierre<br />
Jeunet has proved to be one of the most<br />
inventive of modern filmmakers. Here, he<br />
journeys to Montana to tell the story of a tenyear-old<br />
cartographer who sets across country<br />
to receive a prize at the Smithsonian<br />
Institute for his discovery of a perpetual<br />
motion machine. Expect vivid characters and<br />
lashings of charm. In 3D.<br />
Released from Fri 20 June<br />
Chinese Puzzle CERT 15 (117mins)<br />
Starring Romain Duris, Audrey Tautou, Cécile<br />
De France, Kelly Reilly, Sandrine Holt<br />
Directed by Cédric Klapisch (France)<br />
When the mother of his two children moves<br />
from Paris to New York, Xavier Rousseau<br />
(Duris) can’t bear to be away from them. So he<br />
moves to New York, too. What’s not to like?<br />
Duris is arguably the most charismatic actor<br />
working in France today, and<br />
Mlles Tautou, De France and<br />
Reilly are not to be sniffed at<br />
either. This completes the<br />
romantic trilogy that started<br />
with Pot Luck (2002) and<br />
Russian Dolls (2005).<br />
The Art Of The Steal CERT 15 (86mins)<br />
Starring Kurt Russell, Jay Baruchel, Katheryn<br />
Winnick, Chris Diamantopoulos, Terence<br />
Stamp, Matt Dillon<br />
Directed by Jonathan Sobol (Canada)<br />
We’re back in the world of art heists, and Kurt<br />
Russell plays an art thief called Crunch<br />
Calhoun (no, seriously). After seven years in<br />
prison he rounds up his old gang for one last<br />
heist. Is it just us, or does this sound wildly<br />
familiar?<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk 43
3 Days To Kill CERT 12a (117mins)<br />
Starring Kevin Costner, Amber Heard, Hailee<br />
Steinfeld, Connie Nielsen, Richard Sammel<br />
Directed by McG (USA/France)<br />
As CIA agent Ethan Renner, Kevin Costner is<br />
running out of time. But before he dies, he<br />
wants to re-connect with his daughter<br />
(Steinfeld) from whom he is estranged. Then<br />
Renner is offered an experimental drug by a<br />
CIA assassin (Heard), which would help to<br />
extend his life - albeit at a cost… Amber Heard,<br />
incidentally, is engaged to Johnny Depp in real<br />
life.<br />
Released from Fri 27 June<br />
Chef CERT 15 (114mins)<br />
Starring Jon Favreau, Sofía Vergara, John<br />
Leguizamo, Scarlett Johansson, Oliver Platt,<br />
Bobby Cannavale, Dustin Hoffman, Robert<br />
Downey Jr Directed by Jon Favreau (USA)<br />
More humour and food this month (see the 13<br />
June release The Food Guide To Love), this<br />
time from Jon Favreau. Before Favreau went on<br />
to direct Elf, Iron Man and Cowboys & Aliens,<br />
he made the small, wryly amusing and character-driven<br />
Made (2001). He now returns to this<br />
more intimate scenario with this story of a disgraced<br />
chef (Favreau himself) who starts up his<br />
own business running an eatery on wheels.<br />
Camille Claudel 1915 CERT tbc<br />
Starring Juliette Binoche, Jean-Luc Vincent,<br />
Robert Leroy, Marion Keller<br />
Directed by Bruno Dumont (France)<br />
To this day, there is considerable ambiguity surrounding<br />
the mental health of the celebrated<br />
sculptor Camille Claudel. Still best known for<br />
being the student and lover of Rodin, Camille<br />
was sectioned by her brother, the poet Paul<br />
Claudel, in 1913. A year later she was transferred<br />
to the Montdevergues Asylum in the<br />
South of France. The French filmmaker Bruno<br />
Dumont specialises in ambiguity, allowing his<br />
landscapes and the faces of his actors to provide<br />
any narrative insight. His coup here is to<br />
cast Juliette Binoche, an actress who not only<br />
has a wonderful face but a ferocious intelligence.<br />
In contrast to the other inmates, her<br />
Camille is a model of composure, a cultured<br />
woman naturally disturbed by her incarceration<br />
- and by the outbursts of her fellow inmates. As<br />
such, Dumont’s film is an uncomfortable<br />
tragedy that allows the audience to make up its<br />
own mind as to the rationale of Camille’s internment.<br />
An austere and minimalist piece, it is likely<br />
to alienate the casual viewer, but its currents<br />
run deep.<br />
Third Person CERT tbc<br />
Starring Liam Neeson, Mila Kunis, Adrien<br />
Brody, Olivia Wilde, James Franco, Maria<br />
Bello, Kim Basinger Directed by Paul Haggis<br />
(UK/USA/Germany/Belgium)<br />
Paul Haggis, who wrote and directed the<br />
Oscar-winning Crash (2004), is good at the<br />
multi-narrative. Here, he interweaves three<br />
love stories set in Paris, New York and Rome.<br />
From<br />
FRI 27<br />
JUNE<br />
Mrs Brown’s Boys D’Movie<br />
CERT tbc<br />
Starring Brendan O'Carroll, Eilish O'Carroll,<br />
Nick Nevern, Paddy Houlihan<br />
Directed by Ben Kellett (Ireland/UK)<br />
Since the phenomenal success of The<br />
Inbetweeners Movie, there’s nothing to stop<br />
the flood of smutty TV series to the big<br />
screen. This one is a spin-off of Mrs Brown’s<br />
Boys, in which the Irish writer and comedian<br />
Brendan O'Carroll played Agnes Brown,<br />
based on his own books and radio show.<br />
Here, Mrs Brown’s fruit & veg stall is threatened<br />
by developers, so she enlists the help<br />
of a troupe of blind Ninja assassins and a<br />
barrister with Tourette’s Syndrome.<br />
Incidentally, O’Carroll’s Agnes Brown [sic]<br />
was previously played on screen by Anjelica<br />
Huston. You couldn’t make it up.<br />
Cold In July CERT tbc<br />
Starring Michael C. Hall, Sam Shepard, Don<br />
Johnson, Vinessa Shaw, Nick Damici<br />
Directed by Jim Mickle (USA)<br />
With actors like Sam Shepard and Don<br />
Johnson on board, you sort of know what to<br />
expect. Set in East Texas in the 1980s, Jim<br />
Mickle’s crime drama - based on the novel by<br />
Joe R Lansdale - is<br />
the story of a man<br />
blighted by an accidental<br />
killing.<br />
Michael C Hall plays<br />
the latter, an actor<br />
forever associated<br />
with the role of the<br />
serial killer Dexter<br />
Morgan on TV. But<br />
now he may not be<br />
quite so cold-blooded…<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk 45
FilmA-Z LISTINGS<br />
All films are currently on general release<br />
unless otherwise stated. For full listing<br />
information, including times and dates,<br />
visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
12 Years A Slave 15<br />
Based on the autobiography<br />
of Soloman Northup,<br />
who was kidnapped and<br />
sold into slavery in 1841.<br />
Chiwetel Ejiofor and<br />
Michael Fassbender star.<br />
Showing at Foxlowe Arts<br />
Centre, Leek, Staffs, Tues<br />
10 June, Hereford<br />
Courtyard Theatre, Sun 15<br />
June<br />
Beyond The Edge PG<br />
Docudrama charting<br />
Edmund Hilary's historical<br />
ascent of Mount Everest<br />
in 1953. Combining<br />
reconstructions, found<br />
footage, photographs and<br />
interviews. Stars Chad<br />
Moffitt, Sonam Sherpa,<br />
John Wraight, John Hurt.<br />
Showing at The Light<br />
House Media Centre,<br />
Wolverhampton, Mon 2 -<br />
Weds 4 June<br />
Blue Is The Warmest<br />
Colour 18<br />
At fifteen years old, Adele<br />
doesn't question it: girls<br />
go out with boys. Her<br />
life is changed forever<br />
when she meets<br />
Emma, a young<br />
woman with blue<br />
hair who will allow<br />
her to discover<br />
desire; to assert<br />
herself as a woman<br />
and as an adult.<br />
Stars Léa Seydoux,<br />
Adèle Exarchopoulos.<br />
Showing at The Edge Arts<br />
Centre, Much Wenlock,<br />
Mon 2 June<br />
The Book Thief 12a<br />
A young girl sent to live<br />
with a foster family in<br />
World War Two Germany<br />
learns to read, with<br />
encouragement from<br />
Max, a Jewish refugee<br />
who they’re hiding under<br />
the stairs. Showing at<br />
Warwick Arts Centre, Sun<br />
1 & Weds 11 June<br />
The Butler 12a<br />
Loosely based on real<br />
events, The Butler in<br />
question works at the<br />
White House, and it’s<br />
through his eyes that we<br />
see many of the major<br />
historical episodes of the<br />
twentieth century.<br />
Showing at The Edge Arts<br />
Centre, Much Wenlock,<br />
Mon 9 June<br />
Calvary 15<br />
Brendan Gleeson plays a<br />
priest - a good one, to<br />
boot - who is constantly<br />
disappointed by the<br />
small-mindedness of his<br />
flock. He’s then threatened<br />
during a routine<br />
confession and finds that<br />
he must combat a very<br />
real evil head-on. Also<br />
stars Chris O’Dowd.<br />
Showing at Artrix,<br />
Bromsgrove, until Sun 1<br />
June; Old Market Hall,<br />
Shrewsbury, Mon 2 -<br />
Thurs 5 June; Ludlow<br />
Assembly Rooms, South<br />
Shropshire, Fri 6 & Mon 9<br />
June; Warwick Arts<br />
Centre, Coventry, Fri 6 -<br />
Mon 9 June; Hereford<br />
Courtyard Theatre, Tues<br />
10 - Weds 11 June; Roses<br />
Theatre, Tewkesbury, Sun<br />
22 June<br />
WATCH<br />
THE FILM<br />
TRAILERS AT<br />
whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
Divergent 12a<br />
A futuristic Chicago in<br />
which the populace are<br />
divided into five distinct<br />
classes of personality, or<br />
‘virtues’. But Beatrice 'Tris'<br />
Prior is a ‘divergent’,<br />
which means she’s without<br />
an official virtue -<br />
which makes her very<br />
dangerous. But why, she<br />
wonders? Stars Shailene<br />
Woodley. Showing at<br />
Roses Theatre,<br />
Tewkesbury, until Thurs 1<br />
June<br />
The Double 15<br />
Based on the novella by<br />
Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The<br />
Double stars Jesse<br />
Eisenberg as a man gradually<br />
driven nuts when he<br />
realises that his life has<br />
been taken over by his<br />
double. Showing at<br />
Hereford Courtyard<br />
Theatre, Fri 13 - Tues 17<br />
June; Old Market Hall,<br />
Shrewsbury, Fri 13 - Tues<br />
19 June<br />
East Of Eden PG<br />
Cal is continuously at war<br />
with his brother Aron, with<br />
whom he competes for<br />
his father’s affection.<br />
Things come to a head<br />
when Cal not only falls for<br />
his brother’s girlfriend but<br />
also finds out the truth<br />
about his and Aron’s<br />
estranged mother. Stars<br />
James Dean, Raymond<br />
Massey. Showing at<br />
Warwick Arts Centre,<br />
Weds 18 - Thurs 19 June<br />
Eat Drink Man Woman<br />
PG<br />
Mr Chu is a widower and<br />
a master Chinese chef.<br />
Each Sunday he makes a<br />
glorious banquet for his<br />
three daughters, to which<br />
each daughter brings<br />
‘announcements’ as they<br />
negotiate the transition<br />
from the ‘father knows<br />
best’ tradition to a new tradition<br />
which encompasses<br />
old values in new<br />
forms. Directed by Ang<br />
Lee. Showing at The Hive,<br />
Shrewsbury, Fri 27 June<br />
Fading Gigolo 15<br />
A comedy drama about<br />
a couple of friends who<br />
set up a gigolo business<br />
to help the lonely<br />
women of New York.<br />
Stars Woody Allen,<br />
John Turturro. Showing<br />
at The Light House Media<br />
Centre, Wolverhampton,<br />
until Thurs 5 June;<br />
Warwick Arts Centre,<br />
Coventry, Fri 20 - Sun 22 &<br />
Weds 25 June<br />
A Farewell To Arms PG<br />
A tale of the love between<br />
ambulance driver Lt<br />
Henry and Nurse<br />
Catherine Barkley during<br />
World War One. The<br />
action takes place in Italy,<br />
the two falling in love during<br />
the war and stopping<br />
at nothing to be together.<br />
Stars Gary Cooper, Helen<br />
Hayes. Showing at<br />
Malvern Theatres, Thurs 5<br />
June; Warwick Arts<br />
Centre, Fri 6 & Sun 8 June<br />
Frank 15<br />
Frank is the lead singer of<br />
a band called Soronprfbs<br />
[sic], who wears a large<br />
papier-mâché mask, not<br />
only when he performs,<br />
but when he sleeps and<br />
showers, too. Jon<br />
Burroughs is the wannabe<br />
musician who joins the<br />
band when they move to<br />
Ireland to cut an album.<br />
Stars Michael Fassbender,<br />
Domhnall Gleeson.<br />
Showing at Warwick Arts<br />
Centre, Coventry, Mon 9 -<br />
Thurs 12 June<br />
Frozen PG<br />
Loosely based on Hans<br />
Christian Andersen’s The<br />
Snow Queen, in which the<br />
kingdom of Arendelle is<br />
turned into an eternal winter<br />
by the Princess Elsa.<br />
Showing at Hereford<br />
Courtyard Theatre, until<br />
Sun 1 June<br />
Gentlemen Prefer<br />
Blondes U<br />
Two singers, best friends<br />
Lorelei Lee and Dorothy<br />
Shaw, travel to Paris, pursued<br />
by a private detective<br />
hired by Lorelei’s<br />
fiancé’s disapproving<br />
father to keep an eye on<br />
her, a rich, enamoured old<br />
man and many other doting<br />
admirers. Stars Jane<br />
Russell, Marilyn Monroe.<br />
Showing at The Light<br />
House Media Centre,<br />
Wolverhampton, Sun 8<br />
June<br />
Half A Yellow Sun 15<br />
The film adaptation of<br />
Chimamanda Ngozi<br />
Adichie's Orange Prizewinning<br />
novel, set during<br />
the Nigerian-Biafran War<br />
of 1967-1970. Stars<br />
Thandie Newton, Chiwetel<br />
Ejiofor. Showing at Ludlow<br />
Assembly Rooms, South<br />
Shropshire, Tues 3 - Weds<br />
4 June; Roses Theatre,<br />
Tewkesbury, Weds 4 - Sun<br />
8 June<br />
Ilo Ilo 12a<br />
A Philippino nanny arrives<br />
in Singapore from Ilo Ilo to<br />
look after Jiale, a spoilt<br />
and difficult ten-year-old<br />
boy. The boy tries his best<br />
to get rid of her, but she<br />
patiently perseveres, and<br />
a touching bond develops<br />
between them. But how<br />
will his mother react? And<br />
meanwhile, what exactly is<br />
his father up to? Showing<br />
at Warwick Arts Centre,<br />
Coventry, Mon 2 - Thurs 5<br />
June; Roses Theatre,<br />
Tewkesbury, Mon 23 June;<br />
Ludlow Assembly Rooms,<br />
South Shropshire, Mon 23<br />
& Weds 25 June<br />
Inside Llewyn Davis 15<br />
Set in Greenwich Village,<br />
New York, in 1961, and<br />
loosely based on the<br />
memoir of folk singer<br />
Dave Van Ronk. Oscar<br />
Isaac stars. Directed by<br />
the Coen brothers.<br />
Showing at Foxlowe Arts<br />
Centre, Leek, Staffs, Tues<br />
24 June<br />
The Invisible Woman<br />
12a<br />
The<br />
film focuses on Dickens’<br />
extra-marital relationship<br />
with Ellen ‘Nelly’ Ternan.<br />
Ralph Fiennes & Felicity<br />
Jones star. Showing at<br />
Foxlowe Arts Centre, Leek,<br />
Staffs, Tues 10 June<br />
Jimmy’s Hall 12a<br />
Barry Ward plays the reallife<br />
political activist Jimmy<br />
Gralton, who becomes the<br />
only Irishman ever to be<br />
deported from Ireland.<br />
This is the story of the<br />
dance hall he built. Also<br />
stars Simone Kirby.<br />
Showing at Old Market<br />
Hall, Shrewsbury, Mon 6 -<br />
Sun 12 June; Warwick Arts<br />
Centre, Coventry, Mon 13 -<br />
Sun 19 June<br />
Julie And Julia 12<br />
A culinary legend provides<br />
a frustrated office worker<br />
with a new recipe for life.<br />
This is the true story of<br />
how Julia Child's adventures<br />
and cookbook<br />
inspired fledgling writer<br />
Julie Powell to whip up<br />
five hundred-and-twentyfour<br />
recipes in three hundred-and<br />
sixty-five days,<br />
introducing a new generation<br />
to the magic of<br />
French cooking. Stars<br />
Amy Adams, Meryl<br />
Streep. Showing at The<br />
Hive, Shrewsbury, Sat 28<br />
June<br />
The Love Punch 15<br />
The Love Punch is the<br />
story of two divorcees.<br />
Reunited at a wedding,<br />
the ex-couple decide to<br />
team up to retrieve the<br />
retirement money stolen<br />
from them. Stars Pierce<br />
Brosnan, Emma<br />
Thompson. Showing at<br />
Hereford Courtyard<br />
Theatre, until Fri 6 June;<br />
Roses Theatre,<br />
Tewkesbury, Mon 9 - Weds<br />
11 June; Ludlow<br />
Assembly Rooms, South<br />
Shropshire, Thurs 12 - Fri<br />
13 June; Old Market Hall,<br />
Shrewsbury, Fri 13 - Thurs<br />
19 June<br />
The Lunchbox PG<br />
Middle-class housewife Ila<br />
is trying once again to add<br />
some spice to her marriage,<br />
this time through<br />
her cooking. She hopes<br />
that this new recipe will<br />
arouse some kind of reaction<br />
from her neglectful<br />
husband. She prepares a<br />
special lunchbox to be<br />
delivered to him at work.<br />
But, unbeknownst to her,<br />
it’s mistakenly delivered to<br />
another office worker.<br />
Stars Irrfan Khan, Nimrat<br />
Kaur. Showing at Roses<br />
Theatre, Tewkesbury, Mon<br />
2 June; Stoke Film<br />
Theatre, Tues 3 June;<br />
Wem Town Hall, North<br />
Shropshire, Weds 4 -<br />
Thurs 5 June; Hereford<br />
Courtyard Theatre, Weds<br />
25 - Fri 27 June<br />
Mon Oncle U<br />
Monsieur Hulot visits his<br />
sister and her family.<br />
Confused by their futuristic<br />
and automated world, M<br />
Hulot finds a kindred spirit<br />
in his ten-year-old nephew,<br />
Gerard. Showing at<br />
Warwick Arts Centre,<br />
Coventry, Sat 7 June<br />
Muppets Most Wanted<br />
U<br />
This<br />
time the gang are on tour<br />
in Europe (London, Berlin,<br />
Madrid) and find themselves<br />
involved in an international<br />
crime racket<br />
headed by Kermit’s double.<br />
Stars Ricky Gervais,<br />
Ty Burrell. Showing at<br />
Malvern Theatres, until Sun<br />
1 June<br />
Noah 12a<br />
Russell Crowe stars as<br />
Noah, rounding up a formidable<br />
menagerie of<br />
species to rescue them<br />
from the flood. Showing at<br />
Hereford Courtyard<br />
Theatre, Sat 17 - Weds 21<br />
May; Ludlow Assembly<br />
Rooms, South Shropshire,<br />
Sat 24 - Mon 26 May;<br />
Roses Theatre,<br />
Tewkesbury, until Tues 3<br />
June<br />
The Other Woman 12a<br />
It’s hard to imagine any<br />
man double-dealing<br />
Cameron Diaz, but this is<br />
the case in this revenge<br />
comedy. Once Amber<br />
(Diaz) realises that her<br />
boyfriend is actually married,<br />
she teams up with his<br />
wife to plot suitable retribution.<br />
Also stars Leslie<br />
Mann. Showing at<br />
Hereford Courtyard<br />
Theatre, Tues 21 - Fri 27<br />
Jun<br />
Philomena 12a<br />
Dame Judi Dench plays<br />
Philomena Lee, an elderly<br />
woman who decides to<br />
CINEMA Box Office<br />
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CINEWORLD Broad St, B’ham<br />
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CINEWORLD Solihull<br />
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0121 643 7879<br />
EMPIRE 0871 471 4714<br />
MILLENNIUM POINT<br />
0121 202 2222<br />
MAC 0121 446 3232<br />
ODEON 0871 224 4007<br />
REEL Quinton 0121 421 5316<br />
SHOWCASE 0871 220 1000<br />
VUE CINEMA Star City 08712<br />
240 240<br />
Black Country<br />
CINEWORLD W’HAMPTON<br />
0871 200 2000<br />
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TRE, W’HAMPTON 01902<br />
716055<br />
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WALSALL 01922 645 555<br />
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0871 200 2000<br />
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01952 728 911<br />
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01630 654 444<br />
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01743 234 970<br />
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01584 878 141<br />
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01746 761815<br />
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TRENT 0871 200 2000<br />
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0207 438 9580<br />
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411188<br />
ODEON TAMWORTH<br />
0871 224 4007<br />
Warwickshire<br />
ODEON COVENTRY<br />
0871 224 4007<br />
ODEON NUNEATON<br />
0871 224 4007<br />
SHOWCASE, COVENTRY<br />
0871 220 1000<br />
VUE, LEAMINGTON SPA<br />
08712 240 240<br />
PICTURE HOUSE,<br />
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0871 902 5741<br />
WARWICK ARTS CENTRE<br />
COVENTRY 02476 524524<br />
Worcestershire<br />
ARTRIX, BROMSGROVE<br />
01527 577330<br />
MALVERN THEATRE<br />
0845 287 2146<br />
THE NORBURY THEATRE,<br />
DROITWICH SPA<br />
08444 777 1000<br />
WAREHOUSE,<br />
KIDDERMINSTER<br />
01562 747773<br />
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01684 295 074<br />
46 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
search for the son taken<br />
from her when she was<br />
just a teenager. Also stars<br />
Steve Coogan. Showing at<br />
Forest Arts Centre, Walsall,<br />
Thurs 19 June<br />
Pioneer 15<br />
A conspiracy thriller set in<br />
the world of deep sea diving<br />
at the beginning of the<br />
Norwegian oil boom.<br />
Petter is a veteran deep<br />
sea diver; it’s dangerous<br />
work, but following a tragic<br />
accident, Petter finds himself<br />
in far more dangerous<br />
territory - as a whistleblower<br />
in a situation where<br />
the stakes are very high…<br />
Stars Aksel Hennie.<br />
Showing at mac,<br />
Birmingham, Mon 9 -<br />
Thurs 12 June; Ludlow<br />
Arts Centre, Thurs 19 - Fri<br />
20 June; Roses Theatre,<br />
Tewkesbury, Mon 30 June<br />
Pulp tbc<br />
A documentary following<br />
the Sheffield rock group<br />
Pulp on the day of their<br />
homecoming gig at the<br />
MotorPoint Arena on<br />
December 8, 2012.<br />
Showing at Warwick Arts<br />
Centre, Coventry, Sat 7<br />
June<br />
The Railway Man 15<br />
Based on the autobiography<br />
of Eric Lomax who, as<br />
a POW for the Japanese,<br />
helped build the Thai-<br />
Burma Railway. Colin Firth<br />
and Nicole Kidman star.<br />
Showing at The Edge Arts<br />
Centre, Much Wenlock,<br />
Mon 16 June<br />
The Sea 12a<br />
The story of Max, recently<br />
widowed and struggling<br />
with grief. He revisits the<br />
remote Irish seaside village<br />
where he spent his<br />
childhood summers, and<br />
finds himself engulfed in<br />
memories, both of his<br />
recent loss, and of the<br />
long-ago summer of 1955<br />
when he was twelve years<br />
old. Stars Bonnie Wright,<br />
Ciarán Hinds. Showing at<br />
Ludlow Assembly Rooms,<br />
South Shropshire, Tues 17<br />
- Weds 18 June; Roses<br />
Theatre, Tewkesbury,<br />
Thurs 19 June<br />
The Shawshank<br />
Redemption 15<br />
Andy Dufresne is convicted<br />
of the murder of his<br />
wife and her lover, and<br />
sent to Shawshank Prison<br />
to serve two consecutive<br />
life sentences. While<br />
inside, he befriends fellow<br />
lifer Red, and together<br />
they battle to survive the<br />
evils of prison life, under<br />
the watchful eyes of corrupt<br />
prison warden<br />
Norton. Stars Tim<br />
Robbins, Morgan<br />
Freeman. Showing at<br />
Warwick Arts Centre,<br />
Coventry, Weds 25 - Thurs<br />
26 June<br />
Sunshine On Leith PG<br />
Inspired by the album of<br />
the same name by The<br />
Proclaimers, Sunshine On<br />
Leith went from vinyl to<br />
CD to stage musical. The<br />
film version follows the<br />
story of two soldiers<br />
returning from<br />
Afghanistan who have to<br />
adjust to civilian life in<br />
Edinburgh. Showing at<br />
Forest Arts Centre, Walsall,<br />
Fri 6 June<br />
Tracks 12a<br />
Director John Curran<br />
brings to the screen the<br />
1980 memoir by Robyn<br />
Davidson, which chronicles<br />
her 1,700-mile trek<br />
across the Australian<br />
Outback with just a dog,<br />
four camels and the<br />
National Geographic photographer<br />
Rick Smolan.<br />
Stars Mia Wasikowska.<br />
Showing at Stoke Film<br />
Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, Fri<br />
6 - Sat 7 June; Ludlow<br />
Assembly Rooms, South<br />
Shropshire, Sat 14 & Mon<br />
16 June; Roses Theatre,<br />
Tewkesbury, Fri 20 - Tues<br />
24 June<br />
Transcendence 12a<br />
Not content to be a brilliant<br />
scientist, Dr Will<br />
Caster downloads his<br />
mind onto a computer. It’s<br />
not ethical and there are<br />
people out to stop him.<br />
Meanwhile, Dr Caster is<br />
gaining unprecedented<br />
power… Stars Johnny<br />
Depp, Morgan Freeman.<br />
Showing at Hereford<br />
Courtyard Theatre, until<br />
Tues 3 June<br />
The Two Faces Of<br />
January 12a<br />
The ubiquitous Oscar<br />
Isaac (Inside Llewyn<br />
Davis) is back in this<br />
thriller based on the novel<br />
by Patricia Highsmith. He<br />
plays Rydal, a tour guide<br />
who shows an American<br />
couple around the<br />
Acropolis of Athens. But<br />
Rydal is not all he seems -<br />
and neither, for that matter,<br />
is his new friend Chester<br />
MacFarland... Also stars<br />
Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten<br />
Dunst. Showing at The<br />
Light House Media<br />
Centre, Wolverhampton,<br />
until Thurs 5 June;<br />
Malvern Theatre, until<br />
Thurs 5 June; Electric<br />
Cinema, Birmingham, until<br />
Thurs 5 June; Warwick<br />
Arts Centre, Coventry, until<br />
Thurs 5th June; Ludlow<br />
Assembly Rooms, South<br />
Shropshire, Thurs 26 -<br />
Mon 30 June<br />
Under The Skin U<br />
This science fiction thriller<br />
stars Scarlett Johansson<br />
as an alien who preys on<br />
hitchhikers in Scotland.<br />
Showing at Ludlow<br />
Assembly Rooms, South<br />
Shropshire, Mon 2 June<br />
Venus In Fur 15<br />
Having adapted Leopold<br />
von Sacher- Masoch’s ode<br />
to sadomasochism, Venus<br />
In Furs, playwright Thomas<br />
is struggling to find an<br />
actress for the role of<br />
Vanda. When a boisterous<br />
fortysomething called<br />
Vanda waltzes into the theatre,<br />
Thomas has no<br />
choice but to audition her.<br />
As they read through the<br />
script, what follows is a battle<br />
of wits which is in turns<br />
seductive and unnerving.<br />
Directed by Roman<br />
Polanski. Showing at<br />
Warwick Arts Centre,<br />
Coventry, Fri 20 - Thurs 26<br />
June<br />
Volver 15<br />
A Pedro Almodovar film<br />
about three generations of<br />
women and how they deal<br />
with death and the rich culture<br />
that surrounds it in the<br />
region of La Mancha. Stars<br />
Penélope Cruz, Carmen<br />
Maura. Showing at The<br />
Hive, Shrewsbury, Fri 6<br />
June<br />
We Are The Best 15<br />
Three thirteen-year-old girls<br />
roam the streets: brave and<br />
tough, strong and weak,<br />
confused and weird. Taking<br />
care of themselves way too<br />
early, they find joy in starting<br />
a punk band without<br />
any instruments, even<br />
though everybody says<br />
that punk is dead. Stars Liv<br />
LeMoyne, Mads Korsgaard,<br />
Mira Grosin. Showing at<br />
Stoke Film Theatre, Stokeon-Trent,<br />
Thurs 5 June;<br />
Ludlow Assembly Rooms,<br />
South Shropshire, Tues 10<br />
- Weds 11 June<br />
The Wind Rises PG<br />
Hayao Miyazaki is one of<br />
the leading talents in animation<br />
today, having won<br />
countless awards and even<br />
an Oscar (for his peerless<br />
2001 fantasy Spirited<br />
Away). Here, he’s adapted<br />
his own manga comic, a<br />
fictionalised biography of<br />
the aircraft designer Jiro<br />
Horikoshi. Showing at<br />
Electric Cinema,<br />
Birmingham, until Thurs 5<br />
June; Warwick Arts<br />
Centre, Coventry, Fri 13 -<br />
Sun 15 June<br />
The Wolf Of Wall Street<br />
18<br />
Over its three-hour running<br />
time, there’s so much bad<br />
behaviour, so much profanity,<br />
so much cocaine, and<br />
so many hookers and parties<br />
that it’s like The<br />
Hangover that swallowed<br />
Wall Street. Leonardo<br />
DiCaprio stars. Showing at<br />
The Edge Arts Centre,<br />
Much Wenlock, Mon 23<br />
June<br />
The Yes Men 15<br />
The story follows Andy and<br />
Mike and their tasteless<br />
parody of the WTO website.<br />
Some site visitors don't<br />
notice it’s a fake and send<br />
speaking invitations. Mike<br />
and Andy play along and<br />
soon find themselves<br />
attending functions as WTO<br />
representatives. Showing<br />
at Foxlowe Arts Centre,<br />
Leek, Staffs, Weds 4 June<br />
For full listings visit:<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
DVD NEW RELEASES<br />
The Rocket 12a<br />
The Rocket explores the<br />
displacement of a rural Lao<br />
community as a new dam<br />
is constructed. The central<br />
character is Ahlo, a tenyear-old<br />
boy believed to<br />
bring bad luck wherever he<br />
goes. Nonetheless, Ahlo is<br />
filled with a sense of adventure<br />
and mischief.<br />
Released 2 June<br />
Cuban Fury 15<br />
Bruce is a loser who’s got<br />
a crush on his beautiful<br />
boss, Julia. Then he discovers<br />
she has a secret<br />
passion: salsa. And many,<br />
many years ago, Bruce<br />
was something of a child<br />
prodigy of the Latin<br />
dance… Stars Nick<br />
Frost, Rashida Jones.<br />
Released 9 June<br />
Last Vegas 12a<br />
Three sixtysomething<br />
friends take a break from<br />
their day-to-day lives to<br />
throw a bachelor party in<br />
Las Vegas for their last<br />
remaining single pal.<br />
Stars Robert De Niro.<br />
Released 12 May<br />
Lone Survivor 15<br />
Adapted from Marcus<br />
Luttrell's book of the same<br />
name, this is the true story<br />
of four SEAL soldiers who,<br />
in 2005, attempt to capture<br />
and/or kill the Taliban leader<br />
Ahmad Shahd. Starring<br />
Mark Wahlberg.<br />
Released 9 June<br />
Robocop 12a<br />
Here, the law-enforcing<br />
cyborg is played by the<br />
Swedish-American actor<br />
Joel Kinnaman, who<br />
starred in the American<br />
remake of the cult Danish<br />
TV series The Killing. Let<br />
the killing commence…<br />
Released 9 June<br />
The Monuments Men<br />
12a<br />
Based on the book by<br />
Robert M Edsel, this is<br />
the true story of a group<br />
of art historians and curators<br />
who’re conscripted<br />
to infiltrate Nazi Germany<br />
in order to track down<br />
invaluable works of art by<br />
Leonardo Da Vinci and<br />
Michelangelo, amongst<br />
others. Stars George<br />
Clooney.<br />
Released 16 June<br />
Exhibition 15<br />
Tom Hiddleston is becoming<br />
this year’s James<br />
Franco (as a constant presence<br />
on our screens).<br />
Here, he plays an estate<br />
agent, but the central characters<br />
are an artistic couple<br />
whose lifestyle is threatened<br />
when their London<br />
home is put up for sale.<br />
Also stars Liam Gillick.<br />
Released 23 June<br />
Her 15<br />
As it happens, ‘Her’<br />
(voiced by Scarlett<br />
Johansson) is invisible<br />
both to us and our protagonist,<br />
Theo Twombly<br />
(Joaquin Phoenix). In the<br />
not-too-distant future,<br />
Theo, who is going<br />
through a divorce, downloads<br />
a voice-activated<br />
operating system.<br />
Choosing a female identity<br />
for his new programme,<br />
Theo finds himself<br />
becoming totally reliant on<br />
‘Her’, both practically and<br />
emotionally.<br />
Released 23 June<br />
Non-Stop 12a<br />
Liam Neeson is back as an<br />
air marshal who’s sent a<br />
text announcing that a passenger<br />
will die every twenty<br />
minutes unless $150million<br />
is transferred to a secret<br />
bank account.<br />
Released 30 June<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk 47
48 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
Festivals<br />
Lunar Festival<br />
Umberslade Estate, Tanworth-in-Arden,<br />
Warwickshire, Fri 6 - Sun 8 June<br />
After a successful debut in 2013, Lunar returns to<br />
Umberslade Estate for the second time. Set in the<br />
spiritual home of Nick Drake and based on sister<br />
festival Moseley Folk, this three-day event prides<br />
itself on creating a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere.<br />
A variety of dance and craft workshops can<br />
be enjoyed throughout each day, as well as a kids’<br />
climbing wall and a separate family camping area.<br />
Musically, the line-up boasts a strong collection of<br />
alternative rock, indie and folk bands - British Sea<br />
Power (headliners), Tim Burgess, Lanterns On The<br />
Lake and Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, to name<br />
but a few. The arrival of evening finds the festival<br />
offering more of a clubbing environment, with the<br />
main bar becoming the centre stage for household<br />
DJs to keep Lunar alive into the early hours.<br />
Holi One Colour Festival<br />
The Rainbow Arena, Digbeth, Birmingham,<br />
Sat 28 June<br />
This over-eighteens event is said to be inspired by<br />
the original Indian Holi fest - but rather than promoting<br />
religious aspects, it’s instead promoting<br />
the ideas of togetherness and the colour of everyday<br />
life. Every hour, on the hour, natural, non-toxic,<br />
coloured powder will be thrown in celebration.<br />
International DJs including Florian Kunicke,<br />
Richard Grey, Eddy Karmona and Mauro Pierotti<br />
present throughout the day, ensuring the arches of<br />
Digbeth are filled not only with brightly coloured<br />
powder but also the sounds of house, electro,<br />
funk, hip-hop, breaks and plenty more.<br />
Food and drink are available to purchase on site.<br />
Attendees are encouraged to wear white clothing.<br />
Ludlow Arts Festival<br />
Ludlow Caste, Ludlow Square, Shropshire<br />
Sat 28 June - Sun 6 July<br />
Having been running now for over fifty years,<br />
Ludlow Arts has arguably earned itself a reputation<br />
as one of Shropshire’s most prestigious events.<br />
This year’s festival, as always, features an impressive<br />
line-up of drama, comedy, music and family<br />
entertainment.<br />
Eleven-piece contemporary folk ensemble<br />
Bellowhead headline on 5 July, with ’70s legends<br />
David Essex, Showaddywaddy and The Bay City<br />
Rollers taking their place in the outdoor concert<br />
line-up on the 6th. Multi-award-winning comedian<br />
Milton Jones and master ventriloquist Paul Zerdin<br />
also appear (2 July), with family favourite The<br />
Sooty Show kicking things off on the festival’s<br />
penultimate day (5 July).<br />
Bellowhead<br />
Call me unique<br />
BASS14 Festival Various Birmingham venues, Sun 1 - Sat 14 June<br />
‘Made In Britain’ provides the theme for BASS14, two weeks of celebrations which<br />
highlight the quality of Black arts, music and entertainment in the Midlands.<br />
Award-winning record producer Curtis Lynch kicks off the festival with his challenge to<br />
produce the BASS14 theme tune in a twelve-hour period and using only local talent.<br />
Curtis’ aim is to go live on air with his Made In Britain theme song by 8pm. Fingers<br />
crossed!<br />
BASS14 programming includes: The Bass Informs sessions, providing a platform for<br />
young artists to learn from some of the biggest names in the industry (2 June); a<br />
screening of ’80s movie Babylon, followed by a Q&A session with Aswad frontman<br />
Brinsley Forde (4 June); an evening of laughter from Drum regulars and two of Britain’s<br />
‘finest’ comedians, Curtis Walker and John Simmitt (6 June); and visual art with a difference,<br />
when Birmingham-based artist Sweaty Eskimo is tasked with creating a largescale<br />
painting in just seven hours at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery (10 June).<br />
Musical contributions to the festival come courtesy of Grime Unplugged.<br />
Demonstrating the versatility and range of the music and artists, BASS14 is also going<br />
acoustic with some of the biggest artists in the genre, including Ghetts, Blizzard and<br />
Eyez... For full details of all festival events, visit, www.bass14.co.uk<br />
Download Festival<br />
Donington Park, Castle Donington, Derby, Fri 13 - Sun 15 June<br />
Aerosmith<br />
Seen as the spiritual home of rock, Donington Park has played host to this major festival<br />
for more than ten years. Organised by Live Nation, Download regularly attracts the<br />
creme de la creme of rock, heavy metal and punk, with more than one hundred-andforty<br />
acts this year scheduled to appear across three days and five stages.<br />
American rock takes top billing, with Avenged Sevenfold headlining the main stage on<br />
the Friday. Linkin Park take centre-stage on the Saturday, while Aerosmith close the festival<br />
on the Sunday. Fall Out Boy, Status Quo, Alter Bridge, Trivium, The Pretty<br />
Reckless, The Offspring and Twisted Sister also feature in an impressive line-up.<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk 49
Festivals Listings<br />
For full listing information on festivals,<br />
including dates and line-up, visit<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
JUNE<br />
BASS FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring Ghetts,<br />
Harleigh Blu, Brinsley<br />
Forde & Call Me<br />
Unique, Sun 1st - Sat<br />
14 June, various venues<br />
around<br />
Birmingham<br />
ENGLISH HAYDN FESTI-<br />
VAL Featuring The<br />
Chiaroscuro String<br />
Quartet, The Salomon<br />
String Quartet, The<br />
Barbican Piano Trio,<br />
The English Hayden<br />
Orchestra, Tues 3 - Sun<br />
8 June, Various locations<br />
around Bridgnorth<br />
SOUTHWELL FOLK FESTI-<br />
VAL Featuring Feast Of<br />
Fiddles, The Kennedys,<br />
The Henry Girls & The<br />
Poozies, Thurs 5 - Sun<br />
8 June, The<br />
Workhouse,<br />
Nottinghamshire<br />
WELFEST ON THE MEAD-<br />
OW Featuring Medicine<br />
Head, SO2F, Jazz<br />
Morley & Wes Finch,<br />
Sat 7 June, Synder<br />
Meadow, Stratford<br />
Upon Avon<br />
DETONATE FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring Bonobo,<br />
David Rodigan, LTJ<br />
Bukem & Bad<br />
Company, Sat 7 June,<br />
Nottingham<br />
Racecourse<br />
NO TOMORROW FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring London<br />
Grammar, Sam Smith,<br />
Clean Bandit, Duke<br />
Dumont, Sat 7 June,<br />
Wollaton Park,<br />
Nottingham<br />
MUCH WENLOCK FESTI-<br />
VAL Featuring Ceilidh &<br />
Male Voice Choir, Sat 7<br />
- Sat 21 June, Various<br />
locations around Much<br />
Wenlock<br />
Roots Manuva- Nozstock, Bromyard<br />
DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring Linkin Park,<br />
Aerosmith, Avenged<br />
Sevenfold & Killswitch<br />
Engaged, Fri 13 - Sun<br />
15 June, Donington<br />
Park, Derby<br />
FOLK ON THE PARK<br />
Featuring Jinski,<br />
Jonathan Day Trio,<br />
Keith Donnelly &<br />
Sunjay Brayne, Fri 13 -<br />
Sun 15 June, Lower<br />
Lacon Caravan Park,<br />
Shropshire<br />
GREGYNOG FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring BBC National<br />
Orchestra Wales, The<br />
Nash Ensemble,<br />
Flemish Radio Choir &<br />
Alamire, Fri 13 - Sun 29<br />
June, Powys<br />
LEAMINGTON PEACE FES-<br />
TIVAL Featuring<br />
Amapola Latin Band,<br />
Babal, Becky Syson &<br />
Ben River, Sat 14 - Sun<br />
15 June, Pump Room<br />
Gardens, Leamington<br />
Spa<br />
LUDLOW FRINGE FESTI-<br />
VAL Packed programme<br />
of genre-crossing<br />
events, including performances<br />
from Remi<br />
Harris & the Gypsy Jazz<br />
Project, Martin & Eliza<br />
Carthy, comedians<br />
Andrew Lawrence &<br />
Carl Donnelly & an<br />
ElectroSwing DJ Music<br />
Night, Sat 14 June -<br />
Sun 6 July, various<br />
locations around<br />
Ludlow, South<br />
Shropshire<br />
LINTON MUSIC FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring Walter Trout,<br />
Vintage Trouble, Geno<br />
Washington, Pat<br />
McManus, Fri 20 - Sun<br />
22 June, The Alma Inn,<br />
Hertfordshire<br />
LAINFEST Featuring<br />
Young Kato, I Am I<br />
Love, The Other Tribe,<br />
Jaws, Fri 20 - Sun 22<br />
June, Gopsall Hall<br />
Farm, Leicestershire<br />
FOXTON LOCKS FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring Stevie Jones<br />
Band, Halfcut Theater,<br />
John Fryer & Daz<br />
Lynch, Sat 21 - Sun 22<br />
June, Foxton Locks,<br />
Leicestershire<br />
KINETON MUSIC FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring Bad Janet,<br />
Battered Soul, Nik<br />
Lowe, Klasside, Sat 21<br />
June, Kineton Sports<br />
and Social Club,<br />
Warwickshire<br />
EXILE MUSIC FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring Blue<br />
Wallpaper Incorporated,<br />
The Cats Charis, Rita<br />
Payne, The Lucky<br />
Stikes, Fri 27 - Sun 29<br />
June, Sabine Hay,<br />
Derbyshire<br />
HOLI ONE FESTIVAL BIRM-<br />
INGHAM Featuring Piloy,<br />
Hard Rock Sofa,<br />
Goodluck, Florian<br />
Kunicke, Sat 28 June,<br />
The Rainbow Venues,<br />
Digbeth, Birmingham<br />
LUDLOW ARTS FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring music from<br />
Bellowhead, David<br />
Essex, The Bay City<br />
Rollers &<br />
Showaddywaddy.<br />
Comedy from<br />
Facinating Aida, Milton<br />
Jones & Paul Zerdin,<br />
Sat 28 June - Sun 6<br />
July, Ludlow Castle,<br />
South Shropshire<br />
JULY<br />
LICHFIELD FESTIVAL<br />
2014 line-up includes;<br />
Brodsky, Catrin Finch &<br />
Seckou Keita, Benjamin<br />
Baker & Aquarelle<br />
String Quartet , Fri 4 -<br />
Sat 13 July, Various<br />
venues around Lichfield<br />
NATIONAL FOREST FOLK<br />
FESTIVAL Featuring<br />
Steeleye Span,<br />
Shoolenifty, The Mighty<br />
Doonans, The Shee, Fri<br />
4 - Sun 6 July, Conkers,<br />
Leicestershire<br />
GODIVA FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring Happy<br />
Mondays, Funeral For A<br />
Friend, We Are<br />
Scientists & Buzzcocks,<br />
Fri 4 - Sun 6 July,<br />
Memorial Park,<br />
Coventry<br />
WIRELESS FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring Kayne West,<br />
Outkast, Bruno Mars,<br />
Drake, Fri 4 - Sun 6<br />
July, Perry Park,<br />
Birmingham<br />
BLUES AT THE FOLD<br />
Featuring Steve<br />
Morrison, Mumbo-<br />
Jumbo, Wily Bo Walker<br />
and the Mescal Canyon<br />
Troubadours & The<br />
Blues Duo featuring<br />
Tommy Allen and<br />
Johnny Hewit, Sat 5<br />
July, The Fold,<br />
Worcester<br />
2000TRESS FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring Frightened<br />
Rabbit, The Bronx, Kids<br />
In Glass Houses, Blood<br />
Red Shoes, Thurs 10 -<br />
Sat 12 July, Upcote<br />
Farm, Cheltenham,<br />
Gloucestershire<br />
NAPTON FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring Grace Solero,<br />
Voodoo Vegas, Nina<br />
Baker & The Fallows,<br />
Fri 11 - Sat 12 July,<br />
Napton Village Hall<br />
Grounds, Warwickshire<br />
MOSTLY JAZZ, FUNK &<br />
SOUL FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring Mavis<br />
Staples, Earth Wind &<br />
Fire Experience featuring<br />
Al McKay, Fun<br />
Lovin’ Criminals &<br />
Omar Souleyman, Fri<br />
11 - Sun 13 July,<br />
Moseley Park, B’ham<br />
BROMSGROVE FOLK FES-<br />
TIVAL Featuring Dougie<br />
Mclean, Richard<br />
Digance, Anthony John<br />
Clarke & Mike Silver, Fri<br />
11 - Sun 13 July, The<br />
Bowling Green,<br />
Bromsgrove,<br />
Worcestershire<br />
WORKHOUSE FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring Ash<br />
Mandrake, Bleedin<br />
Noses, Soul Preachers<br />
& The Misty Blue Trio,<br />
Fri 11 - Mon 14 July,<br />
Llanfyllin, Powys<br />
BIRMINGHAM FEST 2014<br />
line-up to be<br />
announced, Fri 11 -<br />
Sun 27 July, Various<br />
locations throughout<br />
Birmingham<br />
NOISILY FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring Max Cooper,<br />
Slam, Gaudi &<br />
Symphonix, Fri 11 -<br />
Sun 13 May, Coney<br />
Woods, Leicestershire<br />
THE ROCK AND BIKE FEST<br />
Featuring White Coast<br />
Rebels, Chase The Ace,<br />
Snakecharmer & Evil<br />
Scarecrow, Thurs 17 -<br />
Sun 20 July, Carnfield<br />
Hall, Derby<br />
BIRMINGHAM INTERNA-<br />
TIONAL JAZZ AND BLUES<br />
FESTIVAL 2014 line-up<br />
to be announced, Fri 18<br />
- Sun 27 July, Various<br />
locations throughout<br />
Birmingham<br />
L FEST Featuring Erin<br />
McKeown, Never The<br />
Bride, D’lys, Jenny<br />
Lockyer & Sounds Of<br />
Sirens, Fri 18 - Mon 21<br />
June, Uttoxeter<br />
Racecourse,<br />
Staffordshire<br />
HOLE IN THE WALL Blind<br />
Lemon, The Bookends,<br />
Mummy Mia! & The<br />
Quo AKA Four Rossis,<br />
Fri 18 - Sun 20 July,<br />
Hopton Court,<br />
Kidderminster<br />
ALIVE AT DELAPRE PARK<br />
Featuring Simple<br />
Minds, Boyzone,<br />
Bananarama & Rick<br />
Astley, Fri 18 - Sun 20<br />
July, Delapre Park,<br />
Northamptonshire<br />
SPLENDOUR Featuring<br />
Tom Odell, Happy<br />
Mondays, Boomtown<br />
Rats & Reverend And<br />
The Makers, Sat 19<br />
July, Wollaton Park,<br />
Nottingham<br />
FOLK BY THE OAK<br />
Featuring Seth<br />
Lakeman, Kathryn<br />
Tickell & The Side,<br />
Josienne Clarke & Ben<br />
Walker, Sun 20 July,<br />
various venues around<br />
Nottingham<br />
SIMMER DOWN FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring Steel Pulse,<br />
Apache Indian, Reggae<br />
Revolution & Musical<br />
Youth, Sun 20 July,<br />
Handsworth Park,<br />
Birmingham<br />
ROCK AND BLUES OLD<br />
SCHOOL WEEKENDER<br />
Featuring Toseland,<br />
Eddie and the Hot<br />
Rods, Pig Iron &<br />
Slaveout, Thurs 24 - Sat<br />
26 July, Coney Grey<br />
Showground,<br />
Derbyshire<br />
WARWICK FOLK FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring Habadekuk,<br />
John Tams and Barry<br />
Coope, Gordie<br />
MacKeeman and his<br />
Rhythm Boys &<br />
Breabach, Thurs 24 -<br />
Sun 27 July, various<br />
venues around<br />
Warwickshire<br />
GLOBAL GATHERING<br />
Featuring Prodigy,<br />
Chase & Status, David<br />
Guetta & Knife Party, Fri<br />
25 - Sat 26 July, Long<br />
Marston Airfield,<br />
Stratford upon Avon<br />
DEERSTOCK Featuring<br />
This Wicked Tongue,<br />
Cadets, Parasite,<br />
Bongolistic Intent, Fri<br />
25 - Sun 27 July,<br />
Newton, Nottingham<br />
SINGING STICKS FESTI-<br />
VAL Featuring Los<br />
Monkeys Musica, Inta<br />
Africa, Dub Didge &<br />
Super Roo, Fri 25 - Sun<br />
27 July, The Overstone<br />
Scout Camp,<br />
Northamptonshire<br />
INDIETRACKS MUSIC FES-<br />
TIVAL Featuring Gruff<br />
Rhys, Allo Darlin’, Dean<br />
Wareham & Spearmint,<br />
Fri 25 - Sun 27 July,<br />
Butterley Station,<br />
Derbyshire<br />
BAREFOOT FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring SuperEvolver,<br />
DC Fontana & Laurel<br />
Canyons, Fri 25 - Mon<br />
28 July, Prestwold Hall,<br />
Leicestershire<br />
LEICESTER MUSIC FESTI-<br />
VAL Featuring Professor<br />
Green, Tinie Tempah,<br />
Kool & The Gang,<br />
Labrinth, Fri 25 - Sat 26<br />
July, Welford Road<br />
Stadium, Leicestershire<br />
CAMBRIDGE FOLK FESTI-<br />
VAL Featuring Van<br />
Morrison, Sinead<br />
O’Connor, Newton<br />
Faulkner & Ladysmith<br />
Black Mambazo, Thurs<br />
31 - Sun 3 Aug, Cherry<br />
Hinton Hall Ground,<br />
Cambridge<br />
AUGUST<br />
Y-NOT Featuring Dizzee<br />
Rascal, White Lies,<br />
Frank Turner and The<br />
Sleeping Souls & The<br />
Fratellis, Fri 1 Aug - Sun<br />
3 Aug, Mouldrige Lane,<br />
Derbyshire<br />
CARFEST NORTH<br />
Featuring Jools<br />
Holland, Seasick Steve,<br />
Erasure & Eliza<br />
Doolittle, Fri 1 - Sun 3<br />
Aug, Oulton Park Race<br />
Circuit, Cheshire<br />
NOZSTOCK Featuring<br />
Roots Manuva, The<br />
Heavy, The Skints &<br />
Molotov Jukebox, Fri 1<br />
- Sun 3 Aug, The Farm,<br />
Bromyard,<br />
Worcestershire<br />
LOUNGE ON THE FARM<br />
Featuring Fun Lovin’<br />
Criminals, Peter Hook<br />
and the Light, DJ Yoda<br />
& Courtney Pine, Sat 2<br />
May, Merton Farm,<br />
Barkby, Nr Leciester<br />
BULLDOG BASH<br />
Featuring Dirty DC,<br />
Aynt Skynyrd, The<br />
Kommitments, Half<br />
Deaf Clatch, Thurs 7 -<br />
Sun 10 Aug,<br />
Shakespeare County<br />
Raceway, Stratford<br />
Upon Avon<br />
BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR<br />
Featuring Megadeth,<br />
Down, Emperor &<br />
Carcass, Thurs 7 - Sun<br />
10 Aug, Catton Park,<br />
Derbyshire<br />
STRAWBERRY FIELDS<br />
FESTIVAL Featuring<br />
Reverend And The<br />
Makers, Steve Lawler,<br />
The Rifles & Catfish and<br />
the Bottlemen, Fri 8 -<br />
Sun 10 Aug, Cattow<br />
Farm, Leicester<br />
FARMER PHIL’S FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring The Orb, The<br />
Blockheads, Ferocious<br />
Dog & The Delray<br />
Rockets, Fri 8 - Sun 10<br />
Aug, Gatten Farm,<br />
Shrewsbury<br />
JUNCTION 16 Featuring<br />
Katherine Jenkins, Fri 8<br />
- Sun 10 Aug, Betley<br />
Court Farm, Crewe,<br />
Cheshire<br />
LAKEFEST Featuring The<br />
Bad Shepherds,<br />
Buzzcocks, Shed<br />
Seven, Lightning<br />
Seeds, Fri 8 - Sun 10<br />
Aug, Croft Farm<br />
Waterpark, Tewkesbury<br />
RUGBY MUSIC FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring Dead<br />
Frequency, White Men<br />
Can’t Funk, Soul<br />
Rhymaz & Paper Street,<br />
Sat 9 Aug, Whitehall<br />
Recreational Grounds,<br />
Rugby, Warwickshire<br />
THE GREEN MAN FESTI-<br />
VAL Featuring Beirut,<br />
First Aid Kit, Neutral<br />
Milk Hotel & The<br />
Waterboys, Mon 11 -<br />
Sun 17 Aug, Glanusk<br />
Park, Powys<br />
V FESTIVAL Featuring<br />
Justin Timberlake, The<br />
Killers, Ed Sheeran &<br />
Paolo Nutini, Sat 16 -<br />
Sun 17 Aug, Weston<br />
Park, Staffordshire<br />
50 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
Festivals Listings<br />
For full listing information on festivals,<br />
including dates and line-up, visit<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
ALT-FEST Featuring The<br />
Cult, Gary Numan,<br />
Cradle Of Filth & Arch<br />
Enemy, Fri 15 - Sun 17<br />
Aug, Boughton House,<br />
Northamptonshire<br />
THE JUST SO FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring Gabby Young<br />
and Other Animals,<br />
Perhaps Contraption,<br />
Mr Wilson’s Second<br />
Liners & Kidnap Alice,<br />
Fri 15 - Sun 17 Aug,<br />
Rode Hall Parkland,<br />
Cheshire<br />
PERSHORE JAZZ FESTI-<br />
VAL Featuring Adrian<br />
Cox Quartet, Alan<br />
Barnes, Bohem<br />
Ragtime Jazz Band,<br />
Midland Youth Jazz<br />
Orchestra & Craig<br />
Milverton, Fri 15 - Sun<br />
17 Aug, Pershore<br />
College, Worcestershire<br />
THE MOIRA FURNACE<br />
FOLK FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring Blackbeard’s<br />
Tea Party, Other Roads,<br />
Lucy Ward, Something<br />
Nasty In The<br />
Woodshed, Fri 15 - Sun<br />
17 Aug, Moira Furnace<br />
Museum and<br />
Monument Site,<br />
Derbyshire<br />
BAKEWELL MUSIC FESTI-<br />
VAL Featuring Chas<br />
Hodge’s Band, John<br />
Coghlan’s Quo, Lucy<br />
Ward & George<br />
Borowski, Fri 15 - Sun<br />
17 Aug, The<br />
Showground,<br />
Derbyshire<br />
LICHFIELD FAKE FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring Supreme<br />
Queen, Oasish &<br />
Coldplace, Sat 16 Aug,<br />
Beacon Park, Lichfield,<br />
Staffordshire<br />
SHAMBALA FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring Mulatu<br />
Astatke, Collie Buddz,<br />
Public Service<br />
Broadcasting, Cumbria<br />
All Stars, By The Rivers<br />
& Babyhead, Thur 21 -<br />
Sun 24, Secret location<br />
in The Midlands<br />
CREAMFIELDS Featuring<br />
Avicii, Deadmau5,<br />
Fatboy Slim & Above<br />
and Beyond, Fri 22 -<br />
Sun 24 Aug, Daresbury,<br />
Cheshire<br />
THE SUMMER RETREAT<br />
2014 line-up to be<br />
announced, Sat 23 -<br />
Sun 24 Aug, The<br />
Overstone,<br />
Northamptonshire<br />
BEERMAGEDDON<br />
Featuring Lawnmower<br />
Deth, Skreamer, The<br />
Starry Wisdom Cult &<br />
Kambrium, Fri 22 - Sun<br />
24 Aug, Stoke Prior<br />
Country Club,<br />
Bromsgrove<br />
SHREWSURY FOLK FESTI-<br />
VAL Featuring<br />
Bellowhead, Seth<br />
Lakeman, Blackie and<br />
the Rodeo Kings, The<br />
Dhol Foundation & Lau,<br />
Fri 22 - Mon 25 Aug,<br />
West Midland<br />
Showground,<br />
Shrewsbury<br />
MOSELEY FOLK FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring Johnny Marr,<br />
The Waterboys,<br />
Richard Thompson &<br />
Lau, Fri 29 - Sun 31<br />
Aug, Moseley Park,<br />
Birmingham<br />
WORCESTER MUSIC FES-<br />
TIVAL 2014 line-up to be<br />
announced, Fri 29 -<br />
Sun 31, Various locations<br />
around Worcester<br />
OFF THE TRACKS SUM-<br />
MER FESTIVAL Featuring<br />
The Orb, Ozric<br />
Tentacles &<br />
Treacherous Orchestra,<br />
Fri 29 - Sun 31 Aug,<br />
Donington Park<br />
Farmhouse, Derbyshire<br />
REWIND FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring Billy Ocean,<br />
Boomtown Rats, Holly<br />
Johnson & Hall and<br />
Oates, Fri 29 - Sun 31<br />
Aug, Capesthorne Hall,<br />
Cheshire<br />
FUSION FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring Jessie J,<br />
Pitbull, Lawson &<br />
Dizzee Rascal, Sat 30 -<br />
Sun 31 Aug, Cofton<br />
Park, Birmingham<br />
Tinie Tempah - Shrewsbury Fields Forever, Shrewsbury<br />
SEPTEMBER<br />
FESTIVAL NO.6 Featuring<br />
Pet Shop Boys, Beck,<br />
London Grammar,<br />
Bonobo & Martha and<br />
the Vandellas, Fri 5 -<br />
Sun 7 Sept,<br />
Portmeirion, North<br />
Wales<br />
ONBOARD THE CRAFT<br />
FESTIVAL Featuring Pre-<br />
Mad, Moulettes,<br />
Leatheratm Harvey<br />
Bainbridge &<br />
Flutatious, Fri 5 - Sat 6<br />
Sept, Stoke Prior<br />
Country Club,<br />
Bromsgrove<br />
WHITWELL FESTIVAL OF<br />
MUSIC Featuring Doctor<br />
and the Medics, James<br />
Warner Prophecies,<br />
Dirtbox Disco & I Set<br />
The Sea On Fire, Fri 5 -<br />
Sun 7 Sept, Community<br />
Centre, Whitwell,<br />
Derbyshire<br />
STOURBRIDGE FOLK FES-<br />
TIVAL 2014 line-up to be<br />
announced, Fri 5 - Sun<br />
7 Sept, Red House<br />
Glass Cone,<br />
Stourbridge<br />
ZOO PROJECT Featuring<br />
Groove Armada, Mr<br />
Scruff, Ten Walls & Ben<br />
UFO, Fri 12 - Sun 14<br />
Sept, Donington Park,<br />
Derbyshire<br />
SHREWSBURY FIELDS<br />
FOREVER FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring Tinie<br />
Tempah, Shed Seven<br />
and more to be<br />
announced, Fri 12 -<br />
Sun 14 Sept, West<br />
Midland Showground,<br />
Shrewsbury<br />
ROCK AND METAL CIRCUS<br />
FESTIVAL Featuring<br />
Voodoo Six, Exit State,<br />
Gehtika & Triaxis, Fri 12<br />
- Sun 14 Sept, Sywell<br />
Aerodome,<br />
Northamptonshire<br />
BROMYARD FOLK FESTI-<br />
VAL Featuring<br />
Oysterband, Vin<br />
Garbutt, The Old Dance<br />
School & Whapweasel,<br />
Fri 12 - Sun 14 Sept,<br />
Various locations<br />
around Bromyard<br />
SNODFEST 2014 line-up<br />
to be announced, Sat<br />
13 Sept, The Park,<br />
Worcestershire<br />
OCTOBER<br />
DERBY FOLK FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring David Gibb,<br />
Elly Lucas & Cardboard<br />
Fox, Fri 3 - Sun 5 Oct,<br />
Assembly Rooms,<br />
Market Place, Derby<br />
For full festival listings, both UK and international, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk 51
52 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
Visual Arts<br />
Daniel Meadows:<br />
Early Photographic Works<br />
Library of Birmingham, until Sun 17 August<br />
One of the most influential figures to emerge from<br />
the new wave of British independent photography<br />
in the 1970s, Daniel Meadows is best known for<br />
his landmark Free Photographic Omnibus project.<br />
The project saw Meadows convert a double decker<br />
bus into a darkroom and living space and head<br />
out on a ten thousand-mile odyssey across<br />
Britain, during the course of which he photographed<br />
almost one thousand people from<br />
twenty-two towns. The result was an astonishing<br />
record of urban society in the UK, with Meadows<br />
further adding to his project’s relevance by interviewing<br />
and writing about his subjects.<br />
Alongside examples from his Omnibus project,<br />
the exhibition also features Butlins At Filey and<br />
June Street, two other renowned bodies of work<br />
by Meadows.<br />
The Library of Birmingham is currently in the<br />
process of acquiring Meadows’ entire photography<br />
archive.<br />
100 Days: The Rwandan<br />
Genocide Twenty Years Later<br />
Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry,<br />
until Thurs 30 April, 2015<br />
The statistics connected to the atrocities which<br />
took place in Rwanda two decades ago make for<br />
shocking reading. During the one hundred-day<br />
conflict in 1994, precipitated by the shooting<br />
down of a plane carrying the Rwandan and<br />
Burundian president, eight hundred thousand<br />
people were murdered and five hundred thousand<br />
women raped. As a result of the rapes, an estimated<br />
twenty thousand children were born.<br />
This stark and sobering exhibition explores the<br />
origins, duration and aftermath of one of the darkest<br />
periods in Africa’s history, addressing the subject<br />
of sexual violence by examining concepts of<br />
survival, bravery, acceptance and empowerment.<br />
The display makes use of photographic, digital<br />
and installation works from a selection of international<br />
contemporary artists to give voice to the<br />
women who lived through the conflict.<br />
Image credit: Saida in Green, 2000 by Hassan Hajjaj © the artist / Victoria & Albert Museum, London.<br />
Art Fund Collection of Middle Eastern Photography at the V&A and the British Museum.<br />
True To Life? New Photography From The Middle East<br />
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Sat 7 June - Sun 2 November<br />
The question of authenticity lies at the heart of this new exhibition by photographers from<br />
the Middle East, with viewers invited to explore the issue of what’s real, what’s staged<br />
and what’s imaginary in the photos on display. Works on show are by both established<br />
and emerging photographers, and include a selection of loaned photos from the British<br />
and Victoria & Albert museums, as well as from Birmingham’s own collection.<br />
Commenting on the exhibition, Rebecca Bridgman, Curator of Islamic & South Asian Art<br />
at Birmingham Museums, said: “We’re delighted to be displaying this incredible collection<br />
of photography to our visitors. The exhibition showcases one of the most exciting<br />
artistic mediums emerging from the Middle East, providing an insight into the region’s<br />
rapidly-evolving social and political landscapes.”<br />
Lasting Impressions: 20th Century Portrait Prints<br />
The Barber Institute, Birmingham, Fri 6 June - Sun 28 September<br />
Printmaking as an artform has had a chequered past. Although once highly regarded, by<br />
the early twentieth century technological changes had severely compromised its status -<br />
so much so, in fact, that it was viewed merely as a<br />
process of reproduction rather than as art.<br />
In response to this situation, numerous artists revived<br />
the discipline’s traditional techniques, with later-twentieth<br />
century work becoming ever more experimental<br />
and unorthodox, often with dramatic results.<br />
Featuring everything from etchings to a plasticine<br />
print, Lasting Impressions brings together works that<br />
document the renaissance of the portrait print, from<br />
the early twentieth century to the present day. Along<br />
the way, the exhibition takes a look at how artists have<br />
used different print processes to convey the personalities<br />
and circumstances of such colourful sitters as<br />
Quentin Crisp, Lucian Freud, Frank Bruno, Robert<br />
Plant - and even an entire House of Commons!<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk 53
VisualArts PREVIEWS<br />
Further exhibitions<br />
Ikon Icons: Ian Emes<br />
Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, until Sun 22 June<br />
Handsworth-born animator Ian Emes is the<br />
1970s representative of Ikon Gallery’s Ikon<br />
Icons series, which sees the return of five key<br />
British artists from an exhibition programme<br />
starting in 1965. John Salt (1960s), Cornelia<br />
Parker (1980s), Yinka Shonibare (1990s) and<br />
Julian Opie (2000s) are the others.<br />
The venue is displaying Emes’ 1972 masterpiece,<br />
French Windows. A visualisation of the<br />
Pink Floyd track One Of These Days, the<br />
work features animated ballet dancers moving<br />
through three dimensions that stream<br />
with architectural geometry and lattice<br />
arrangements of clocks, window frames and<br />
boxes. After its original stay in Ikon back in<br />
the 1970s, the work was screened on the<br />
BBC television programme The Old Grey<br />
Whistle Test and came to the attention of<br />
Pink Floyd. The band then invited Emes to<br />
make animated back-projections<br />
for use during concert<br />
performances of The Dark<br />
Side Of The Moon. Since<br />
that 1970s breakthrough<br />
undertaking, Emes has also<br />
worked with, amongst others,<br />
Wings, Mike Oldfield<br />
and Duran Duran.<br />
A Viking’s Guide To Deadly<br />
Dragons<br />
Wolverhampton Art Gallery,<br />
Sat 14 June - Sat 30 August<br />
Parents who recall their young children<br />
enjoying Wolverhampton Art Gallery’s The<br />
Tiger Who Came To Tea exhibition a couple<br />
of years back might well be interested in paying<br />
a return visit to the venue to see this latest<br />
exhibition - presented, as it is, by the very<br />
same team. A Viking's Guide To Deadly<br />
Dragons is a lighthearted and engaging<br />
exploration of the ways in which Viking history,<br />
legend and dragonlore inspired Cressida<br />
Cowell's delightful series of How To Train<br />
Your Dragon books. Cressida's hero, Hiccup<br />
Horrendous Haddock the Third, takes<br />
responsibility for guiding visitors though the<br />
exhibition, transporting sure-to-be-enchanted<br />
youngsters to a time when dragons could be<br />
spoken to in Dragonese and going to school<br />
meant learning how to be a Viking pirate.<br />
The exhibition also sheds light on Cowell's<br />
creative process through the inclusion of her<br />
original sketches, story plans, notes and<br />
manuscripts.<br />
Crossing The Bridge<br />
Various venues, Birmingham City Centre,<br />
Mon 23 June - Sat 23 August<br />
Bringing sculpture by a range of RBSA artists<br />
into the public realm, Crossing The Bridge is<br />
a city centre trail that not only aims to raise<br />
the profile of the Royal Birmingham Society<br />
of Artists but also to showcase sculpture as<br />
‘an exciting art medium’. The route for the<br />
trail is from Birmingham Cathedral (St.<br />
Philip’s), down Church Street, across the<br />
footbridge, up Ludgate Hill, through St Paul’s<br />
Square to the RBSA Gallery in Brook Street.<br />
VisualArts LISTINGS<br />
For full listing information on Visual Art<br />
exhibitions, including times and dates,<br />
visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
NADIA KISSELEVA: DOCU-<br />
MENT Featuring a series<br />
of portraits of people<br />
imprisoned during the<br />
Stalinist era in the former<br />
Soviet Union, until<br />
Sun 1 June, mac,<br />
Birmingham<br />
MANDELA27 Exhibition<br />
which looks at the cultural<br />
changes that took<br />
place in Europe and<br />
South Africa during<br />
Nelson Mandela’s<br />
imprisonment on<br />
Robben Island, until<br />
Sun 1 June, The<br />
Herbert Museum & Art<br />
Gallery, Coventry<br />
BARBARIANS: THE AGE OF<br />
IRON Showcasing new<br />
research, artefacts and<br />
prehistoric skeletons<br />
which tell the story of<br />
Worcestershire over two<br />
thousand years ago,<br />
until Sat 7 Jun,<br />
Worcester City Art<br />
Gallery & Museum<br />
CHROMA COLLECTIVE<br />
Exhibition featuring<br />
works from four contemporary<br />
jewellers with a<br />
shared goal of raising<br />
awareness of the craft<br />
within Birmingham’s<br />
Jewellery Quarter, until<br />
Sat 7 June, Museum of<br />
the Jewellery Quarter,<br />
Birmingham<br />
NEXT WAVE EXHIBITION<br />
Works by emerging<br />
artists at the RBSA, until<br />
Sat 7 June, RBSA<br />
Gallery, Birmingham<br />
TIM SHAW: RA BLACK<br />
SMOKE RISING The first<br />
solo exhibition from<br />
Belfast-born sculptor<br />
Tim Shaw, who grapples<br />
with contemporary<br />
and political realities<br />
whilst evoking the mythical<br />
and metaphysical,<br />
until Sun 8 Jun, mac -<br />
Midlands Arts Centre,<br />
Birmingham<br />
MIDLAND PAINTING<br />
GROUP EXHIBITION until<br />
Sun 8 June, Haden Hill<br />
House, Cradley Heath<br />
BUILDING BRIDGES A collection<br />
of work which<br />
focuses on the architectural<br />
transition into the<br />
present of the industrialised<br />
city centre of the<br />
past, until Sun 8 June,<br />
Artrix, Bromsgrove<br />
BILL DRUMMOND: THE 25<br />
PAINTINGS Unique exhibition<br />
marking the<br />
beginning of a ten-year<br />
journey which, starting<br />
off beneath Spaghetti<br />
Junction, will see<br />
Drummond tour twelve<br />
cities across the world,<br />
until Sat 14 June,<br />
Eastside Projects,<br />
Birmingham<br />
CHINESE LIVES IN BIRM-<br />
INGHAM A display which<br />
demonstrates the origins<br />
and rich culture of<br />
Birmingham's diverse<br />
Chinese community,<br />
until Sun 18 June, The<br />
Barber Institute,<br />
Birmingham<br />
A BIG BANG: THE ORIGINS<br />
OF POP ART COLLECTION<br />
The first in a two-part<br />
display exploring some<br />
of the biggest names in<br />
the Pop Art industry,<br />
until Sat 21 June,<br />
Wolverhampton Art<br />
Gallery<br />
MUSIC, ART AND BEER An<br />
exhibition of new visual<br />
works by five local<br />
artists, until Sat 21 June,<br />
Wolverhampton Art<br />
Gallery<br />
ALL THAT IS SOLID MELTS<br />
INTO AIR Hayward<br />
Touring Exhibition curated<br />
by Jeremy Deller,<br />
until Sat 21 June, The<br />
Mead Gallery, Warwick<br />
Arts Centre, Coventry<br />
RICHARD LONG: PRINTS<br />
1970 - 2013 Exhibition<br />
which brings together<br />
all of the artist’s prints,<br />
made over a forty-year<br />
period, until Sun 22<br />
June, The New Art<br />
Gallery, Walsall<br />
MICHAEL FRANCOIS<br />
Sculpture, film, paintings,<br />
prints and photography<br />
are brought<br />
together in this, the<br />
most comprehensive<br />
exhibition to date of<br />
work by Belgium artist<br />
Michel Francois, until<br />
Sun 22 June, Ikon<br />
Gallery, Birmingham<br />
ROMANTIC RUINS<br />
Featuring paintings<br />
from the museum’s collection,<br />
until Sat 28<br />
June, Dudley Museum<br />
& Art Gallery<br />
FOR THE RECORD<br />
Exploring themes of<br />
preservation and<br />
recording in the work of<br />
female artists, until Sun<br />
29 June, Birmingham<br />
Museum & Art Gallery<br />
50 YEARS ON: THE CEN-<br />
TRE OF CONTEMPORARY<br />
CULTURAL STUDIES<br />
Featuring the work of<br />
eminent artists including<br />
Trevor Appleson<br />
and David Batchelor,<br />
until Sun 29 June, mac,<br />
Birmingham<br />
40 YEARS OF WOMEN<br />
ARTISTS The strong<br />
female characters in the<br />
Garman Epstein family<br />
and their circle of<br />
friends are captured in<br />
this exhibition of works<br />
from the gallery's permanent<br />
collection, until<br />
Sun 29 Jun, The New<br />
Art Gallery, Walsall<br />
SKYLIGHT LANDSCAPE BY<br />
PAUL NASH & DAVID<br />
PRENTICE until Sat 5<br />
July, Worcester City Art<br />
Gallery & Museum<br />
STAFFORDSHIRE OPEN<br />
ART Annual showcase<br />
for the region’s artistic<br />
talent, until Sun 6 July,<br />
Shire Hall Gallery,<br />
Stafford<br />
RICHARD LONG: SPRING<br />
CIRCLE, 1992 until Wed 9<br />
July, The New Art<br />
Gallery, Walsall<br />
ARTISTS’ STUDIO: SARAH<br />
TAYLOR SILVERWOOD<br />
Exhibition from<br />
Birmingham-based<br />
artist Sarah Taylor<br />
Silverwood, whose<br />
practice is grounded in<br />
drawing, narrative and<br />
landscape, until Sun 20<br />
July, New Art Gallery,<br />
Walsall<br />
LARISSA SANSOUR<br />
Palestinian artist Larissa<br />
Sansour presents an<br />
iconic take on the political<br />
situation in Israel<br />
and Palestine, until Sat<br />
26 July, Wolverhampton<br />
Art Gallery<br />
VAL PITCHFORD: ADVEN-<br />
TURES IN PAINT Large<br />
collection of paintings<br />
featuring both landscape<br />
& still life subject<br />
matter, until Thurs 31<br />
July, Artifex Gallery,<br />
Sutton Coldfield<br />
WE WORKED AT THE<br />
PORCELAIN Photographic<br />
exhibition focusing on<br />
some of Royal<br />
Worcester’s many<br />
craftsmen and women,<br />
until Fri 1 Aug, The<br />
Museum of Royal<br />
Worcester<br />
A TRIO OF ARTISTS An<br />
exhibition featuring the<br />
work of artists Anne<br />
Hackett, Chris Tarplee<br />
and Claire Sherwin,<br />
until Sun 3 Aug, Red<br />
House Glass Cone,<br />
Stourbridge<br />
HOME AWAY FROM HOME<br />
Photographs, artefacts<br />
and oral history come<br />
together in this exhibition,<br />
which captures the<br />
experiences of women<br />
migrating from Mirpur to<br />
Birmingham in the<br />
1950s, ’60s and ’70s,<br />
until Sun 3 Aug,<br />
Birmingham Museum &<br />
Art Gallery<br />
SUMMER SHOWCASE<br />
Featuring textiles,<br />
ceramics, homewares<br />
and delicate paper jewellery,<br />
until Sat 16 Aug,<br />
Bilston Craft Gallery<br />
A FIRST CLASS WATERING<br />
PLACE: 200 YEARS OF THE<br />
ROYAL PUMP ROOMS<br />
Celebrating the bicentenary<br />
of the Royal Pump<br />
Rooms, until Mon 25<br />
Aug, Royal Pump<br />
Rooms, Leamington<br />
Spa<br />
400 YEARS OF THE SELFIE<br />
Exploring how the modern<br />
portrait developed<br />
in England, from the<br />
Elizabethans to photographs<br />
taken by Martin<br />
Parr in Sandwell in<br />
2010, until Sat 30 Aug,<br />
Wednesbury Museum &<br />
Art Gallery<br />
MOORE RODIN Works<br />
from two major players<br />
in the world of modern<br />
sculpture feature in this<br />
exhibition in celebration<br />
of Compton Verney’s<br />
tenth anniversary, until<br />
Sun 31 Aug, Compton<br />
Verney Gallery,<br />
Warwickshire<br />
YOU - THE 12TH PLINTH<br />
Stand on the empty<br />
12th plinth, strike a<br />
pose and create a living<br />
sculpture by becoming<br />
an artist’s model, inspiring<br />
a composition for a<br />
new sculpture, until<br />
Sun 31 Aug, Compton<br />
Verney, Warwickshire<br />
MADE AT MAC - CERAM-<br />
ICS Led by tutors Sue<br />
Dyer and Wendy<br />
Tournay, the exhibition<br />
puts a spotlight on<br />
ceramics and is set to<br />
inspire audiences and<br />
students alike, until Sun<br />
31 Aug, mac,<br />
Birmingham<br />
ROMAN EMPIRE: POWER<br />
& PEOPLE The largest<br />
ever UK exhibition of<br />
Roman artefacts on<br />
loan from the British<br />
Museum, until Sun 31<br />
Aug, The Herbert<br />
Museum & Art Gallery,<br />
Coventry<br />
IN STITCHES: A CELEBRA-<br />
TION OF RSC COSTUME<br />
until Mon 1 Sep, Royal<br />
Shakespeare Theatre,<br />
Stratford-upon-Avon<br />
COME CREATE Exhibition<br />
to inspire visitors to<br />
explore and demonstrate<br />
their creativity<br />
through displays,<br />
hands-on interactives<br />
and fun activities, until<br />
Sun 7 Sept, Thinktank,<br />
Birmingham<br />
EIGHT CENTURIES OF HIS-<br />
TORY Exhibition looking<br />
at the life and times of<br />
the Earls of Dudley,<br />
who lived at Himley<br />
Hall, until Sun 7 Sept,<br />
Himley Hall & Park,<br />
Dudley<br />
CERAMIC EMPIRE: THE<br />
TRADE IN STAFFORDSHIRE<br />
POTTERY Exhibition<br />
exploring the supply<br />
and representation of<br />
the Empire in<br />
Staffordshire pottery<br />
which coincides with<br />
MP Tristram Hunt’s new<br />
book on the cities of the<br />
Empire, until Sun 7<br />
Sept, The Potteries<br />
Museum & Art Gallery,<br />
Stoke-on-Trent<br />
40 YEARS OF WATCHING<br />
PAINT DRY Featuring the<br />
work of fine artist, cartoonist<br />
and comedy<br />
writer Geoff Tristram,<br />
until Sun 7 Sept, Himley<br />
Park & Hall, Dudley<br />
SECRET GARDEN CRAFT<br />
EXHIBITION Collection of<br />
jewellery, textiles and<br />
ceramics exploring<br />
fairytales and narratives,<br />
until Sat 13 Sep, RBSA<br />
Gallery, Birmingham<br />
MARVELLOUS MACHINES:<br />
THE WONDERFUL WORLD<br />
OF ROWLAND EMETT The<br />
largest ever display of<br />
Emett’s work, telling the<br />
story of the innovator’s<br />
life in Birmingham, until<br />
Sun 21 Sept,<br />
Birmingham Museum &<br />
Art Gallery<br />
IS THIS A DAGGER? AN<br />
54 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
VisualArts LISTINGS<br />
For full listing information on Visual Art<br />
exhibitions, including times and dates,<br />
visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
EXPLORATION OF RSC<br />
PROPS New exhibition<br />
from Bristol-based<br />
Stand & Stare<br />
Collective which<br />
explores the secrets<br />
behind twelve props<br />
from the RSC's fascinating<br />
prop store, until Sun<br />
21 Sep, Royal<br />
Shakespeare Theatre,<br />
Stratford-upon-Avon<br />
TOM, FRANK AND MAY<br />
Original material, uniforms,<br />
handling activities<br />
and a short film<br />
which demonstrates the<br />
role played by the<br />
Merry family during<br />
World War One, until<br />
Sun 2 Nov, Blakesley<br />
Hall, Birmingham<br />
SYMMETRY IN SCULP-<br />
TURE Focusing on the<br />
recent work of one of<br />
the UK’s most exciting<br />
British Asian artists,<br />
Zarah Hussain, until<br />
Sun 2 Nov, Birmingham<br />
Museum & Art Gallery<br />
BACK TO FRONT: 40 PER-<br />
MANENT COLLECTION<br />
GEMS Exhibition which<br />
celebrates the fortieth<br />
anniversary of the<br />
gallery’s Garman Ryan<br />
collection, until Sat 16<br />
Nov, New Art Gallery,<br />
Walsall<br />
FAITH AND FORTUNE<br />
Exhibition exploring the<br />
early histories of two of<br />
the world’s great religions,<br />
until Sun 30 Nov,<br />
The Barber Institute,<br />
Birmingham<br />
THE JEWELLERY QUARTER<br />
DURING THE FIRST<br />
WORLD WAR Exhibition<br />
of artefacts, images and<br />
oral histories relating to<br />
the recruitment of soldiers<br />
from the Jewellery<br />
Quarter, until Sun 14<br />
Dec, Museum of the<br />
Jewellery Quarter,<br />
Birmingham<br />
TRACED Permanent exhibition<br />
tracing the success<br />
of art & design in<br />
Wolverhampton, and<br />
bringing together works<br />
by local artists from the<br />
museum’s collection,<br />
until Wed 31 Dec,<br />
Wolverhampton Art<br />
Gallery<br />
CRAFTSENSE Featuring<br />
over one hundred of the<br />
world-renowned Bilston<br />
enamels, until Wed 31<br />
Dec, Bilston Craft<br />
Gallery<br />
SENSING SCULPTURE<br />
Featuring new sculptures<br />
alongside old<br />
favourites, until Wed 31<br />
Dec, Wolverhampton<br />
Art Gallery<br />
JENNY RYRIE: WHITE<br />
WATER, WHITE LIGHT A<br />
display of abstract paintings<br />
in water-based<br />
media that respond to<br />
the natural and mystical<br />
energies of the sea and<br />
coastline, Mon 2 June -<br />
Sat 26 July, RBSA<br />
Gallery, Birmingham<br />
WALSALL’S GREAT WAR<br />
Exhibition marking the<br />
centenary of WWI and<br />
the impact of the Home<br />
Front on Walsall, Tues 3<br />
June - Sat 29 Nov,<br />
Walsall Local History<br />
Centre<br />
COVENTRY OPEN 2014<br />
Sat 7 - Sun 15 June,<br />
Herbert Museum & Art<br />
Gallery, Coventry<br />
A RIVER RUNS THROUGH<br />
IT Works on paper from<br />
the Barber’s collection,<br />
Fri 13 June - Sun 26<br />
Oct, The Barber<br />
Institute, Birmingham<br />
CONVERSATIONS A display<br />
which spans four<br />
centuries of printmaking<br />
and features works by<br />
Rembrandt, Goya,<br />
Cezanne & Picasso, Fri<br />
13 June - Sun 5 Oct,<br />
The Barber Institute,<br />
Birmingham<br />
THE GREAT WAR COM-<br />
MEMORATIVE EXHIBITION<br />
Exhibition by the<br />
Cheshire Artist Network,<br />
Sun 15 June - Fri 18<br />
July, RAF Museum,<br />
Cosford<br />
SENSATIONAL CLAY ‘Fun<br />
and thought-provoking<br />
exhibition for all the<br />
family’, Mon 16 June -<br />
Sat 1 Nov, Worcester<br />
City Art Gallery &<br />
Museum<br />
RICHARD MCLLWRAITH:<br />
ABSTRACT PAINTINGS<br />
2012-14 Wed 18 June -<br />
Sun 13 July, Artrix,<br />
Bromsgrove<br />
THE BEST IS NOT TOO<br />
GOOD FOR YOU<br />
Showcase of Pop Art<br />
and ceramics, Sat 28<br />
June - Sat 30 Aug,<br />
Museums & Art Galleries<br />
Birmingham<br />
ARTIFEX Sutton Coldfield<br />
0121 323 3776<br />
BARBER INSTITUTE<br />
0121 414 7333<br />
BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM &<br />
ART GALLERY 0121 303<br />
2834<br />
CASTLE GALLERIES<br />
0121 248 8484<br />
GRAND UNION<br />
0121 643 9079<br />
IKON GALLERY<br />
0121 248 0708<br />
NUMBER NINE THE GALLERY<br />
0121 643 9099<br />
RBSA GALLERY<br />
0121 2364353<br />
STRYX GALLERY, DIGBETH<br />
stryxarts@gmail.com<br />
THREE WHITE WALLS<br />
GALLERY<br />
0121 200 3328<br />
Black Country<br />
BANTOCK HOUSE<br />
WOLVERHAMPTON<br />
01902 552195<br />
BILSTON CRAFT GALLERY<br />
01902 552507<br />
BROADFIELD HOUSE GLASS<br />
MUSEUM, DUDLEY<br />
01384 812745<br />
DUDLEY MUSEUM & ART<br />
GALLERY<br />
01384 815575<br />
LIGHT HOUSE MEDIA CENTRE<br />
WOLVERHAMPTON<br />
01902 716055<br />
THE NEW ART GALLERY<br />
WALSALL 01922 654400<br />
RED HOUSE GLASS CONE<br />
01384 812750<br />
WOLVERHAMPTON ART<br />
GALLERY 01902 552055<br />
Shropshire<br />
BEAR STEPS GALLERY,<br />
SHREWSBURY<br />
01743 344994<br />
SHREWSBURY MUSEUM &<br />
ART GALLERY<br />
01743 258885<br />
TWENTY TWENTY GALLERY,<br />
MUCH WENLOCK<br />
01952 727952<br />
THE WILLOW GALLERY,<br />
OSWESTRY<br />
01691 657575<br />
Rugby Museum & Art<br />
Gallery<br />
PHOENIX: THE STORY OF<br />
THE BRITISH HEAT RESIST-<br />
ING GLASS COMPANY<br />
Showcase of works celebrating<br />
Bilston-based<br />
Phoenix company, Sat<br />
28 June - Sat 30 Aug,<br />
Bilston Craft Gallery<br />
Staffordshire<br />
NEWCASTLE BOROUGH<br />
MUSEUM & ART GALLERY<br />
01782 232323<br />
THE POTTERIES MUSEUM &<br />
ART GALLERY, STOKE-ON-<br />
TRENT 01782 232323<br />
SHIRE HALL GALLERY<br />
STAFFORD 01785 278345<br />
STAFFORDSHIRE MUSEUM,<br />
SHUGBOROUGH<br />
01889 881388<br />
Warwickshire<br />
COMPTON VERNEY GALLERY<br />
01926 645500<br />
HERBERT ART GALLERY<br />
COVENTRY 02476 832386<br />
MEAD GALLERY WARWICK<br />
02476 524524<br />
ROYAL PUMP ROOMS<br />
01926 742700<br />
RUGBY MUSEUM & ART<br />
GALLERY 01788 533201<br />
Worcestershire<br />
WORCESTER CITY ART<br />
GALLERY 01905 25371<br />
Visit whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
for venue website details<br />
For more visual arts listings, visit, www.whatsonlive.co.uk 55
Events<br />
Ana Ivanovic<br />
Aegon Classic Edgbaston Priory, Birmingham, Mon 9 - Sun 15 June<br />
One of the top Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) events in the<br />
world, the Aegon Classic brings together some of the best female<br />
players in the game to compete ahead of Wimbledon. A major event<br />
on the Midlands sporting calendar, the Classic features both players<br />
at the top of their game and some of the sport’s rising stars.<br />
Serbia’s former world number one, Jelena Jankovic, is the latest A-lister<br />
confirmed to play, joining a line-up that already includes fellow<br />
Serbian Ana Ivanovic, Germany’s Sabine Lisicki and Slovakia’s<br />
Daniela Hantuchova. Two up-and-coming US players, Sloane<br />
Stephens and Eugenie Bouchard, also feature in what’s being<br />
described by organisers as ‘the most exciting line-up the tournament<br />
has ever seen’.<br />
BBC Good Food Show<br />
NEC, Birmingham, Thurs 12 - Sun 15 June<br />
Brimming with inspiration, tips and advice on<br />
how to create the perfect summer menu, the<br />
BBC Good Food Show returns to the NEC to<br />
provide a food experience 'like no other'.<br />
In addition to the host of celebrities who’re on<br />
hand to share their knowledge - Mary Berry,<br />
Tom Kerridge, James Martin and Paul<br />
Hollywood included - the four-day show offers<br />
an abundance of events, demonstrations, tastings,<br />
book signings and shopping experiences<br />
for visitors to enjoy. As well as live<br />
cookery demonstrations, the Supertheatre<br />
sees Michelin-starred chefs going head to<br />
head in the Michelin Star Challenge, while<br />
new features include the Summer Kitchen -<br />
hosted by Lisa Faulkner - and the BBC Good<br />
Food Kitchen, where signature dishes from<br />
the BBC Good Food collection are matched<br />
with wine options in a fine-dining setting.<br />
Elsewhere, the show’s ultimate shopping<br />
experience features<br />
plenty of well-known<br />
brands, kitchen appliances<br />
and gadgets, a<br />
Producers’ Village and<br />
a Good Food Bakes &<br />
Cakes Village.<br />
Tickets to the show<br />
also provide access to<br />
the BBC Gardeners’<br />
World Live event.<br />
Sainsbury’s British Championships<br />
Birmingham Alexander Stadium, Fri 27 - Sun 29 June<br />
Having received a makeover for 2014, Sainsbury’s British Championships sees the country’s<br />
best athletes battling it out for the hugely prestigious title. As well as providing world-class<br />
athletics, the three-day event also boasts a real festival feel, courtesy of live music, DJs and<br />
a fairground. The championships also feature the Icon Museum - celebrating the achievements<br />
of British athletes from yesteryear; the Athletics Agility Arena, in which visitors can<br />
test their athletic skills; the Game Zone, an interactive gaming area; Glamping - offering<br />
overnight stays in luxury ‘glamping’ tents; and Sainsbury’s Try Trucks - with try trucks on<br />
site and partner MG also having a stall. Street performers, a Picnic al Fresco area, a bar<br />
area and various other types of on-site catering also feature.<br />
To find out more or to purchase tickets, visit www.britishathletics.org.uk<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk 57
Events PREVIEWS<br />
Belgrade Mela<br />
Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, Sat 21 June<br />
South Asian arts, artists and art organisations<br />
are here celebrated with a diverse programme<br />
of events and activities. The oneday,<br />
open-to-all event features yoga, workshops<br />
in Giddah and Bhangra dancing,<br />
Bollywood dancing and an opportunity to<br />
learn how to play the dhol. An abundance of<br />
artisan crafts stalls, food stalls and activities<br />
for children also feature, as does an art exhibition<br />
exploring the journey of South Asian<br />
communities who came to Coventry in the<br />
1940s and ’50s. In<br />
Nafees<br />
the evening, some<br />
of Coventry’s finest<br />
South Asian talent<br />
takes to the stage<br />
in the theatre’s<br />
main arena for a<br />
two-hour showcase<br />
that features special<br />
guest Nafees<br />
and dhol drummers<br />
Masterclass.<br />
Droitwich Spa Festival<br />
Various locations, Droitwich Spa,<br />
Worcestershire, Fri 20 June - Sun 6 July<br />
Building on the success of its 2013 debut,<br />
this year’s Droitwich Spa Festival promises<br />
another ‘fantastic’ programme of gastronomic<br />
offerings, as well as music and arts events.<br />
The ecclectic offer ranges from a food and<br />
drink festival featuring demonstrations, stalls,<br />
entertainment and Great Junior Bake Off in<br />
the town centre (21 June). Historic tour and<br />
afternoon tea at the Chateau Impney Hotel, a<br />
Live Music Showcase and Cheese and Cider<br />
Festival (28 June), and Friar Street Festival of<br />
Culture and Music - a carnival style event<br />
featuring dance, music and much more - at<br />
the Old Cock Inn (29 June). For a full itinerary<br />
of what¹s happening throughout the seventeen-day<br />
event, visit www.droitwichspafestival.co.uk<br />
Upton Food And<br />
Beer Festival<br />
Upton-upon-Severn, Fri 27 - Sun 29 June<br />
Imagine being able to eat and drink your<br />
way around the Three Counties without having<br />
to travel the distance...<br />
Well, that’s pretty much what you can do at<br />
the brand new Upton Food And Beer<br />
Festival (FAB). With plenty to tantalise the<br />
tastebuds, the three-day event features<br />
more than one hundred artisan stalls selling<br />
an abundance of mouthwatering delights.<br />
There’s also a Master Class marquee featuring<br />
tastings and talks, an interactive cookery<br />
workshop in the Eckington School, a FAB<br />
Bake Off organised by the Women’s<br />
Institute, and a chilli-eating competition run<br />
by the Clifton Chilli Club. If the latter is up<br />
your street, then chances are you’ll also be<br />
looking for some liquid refreshment - and<br />
what better way to find it than by sampling<br />
the beer-tasting sessions and tutorials on<br />
offer from international beer judge and<br />
expert Melissa Cole.<br />
A programme of entertainment over two<br />
stages, a tug-of-war competition, crafts, face<br />
painting and a Punch & Judy show for the<br />
kids means this debuting festival has the<br />
makings of a great family day out.<br />
Medieval entertainers the Knights Of Middle<br />
England this year provide one of the highlights<br />
at Warwickshire’s biggest one-day<br />
agricultural event. Comprising professional<br />
horsemen, stunt riders and performers, the<br />
Knights bring the historic sport of jousting<br />
into the twenty-first century with a professionally<br />
compered, action-packed show that<br />
comes complete with a ‘rocking’ soundtrack.<br />
Other attractions at the 2014 event include a<br />
Countryside Area, featuring birds of prey displays,<br />
gun dog scurry and trials, a have-a-go<br />
clay shoot, air rifle shooting and archery sessions.<br />
The Sheep Show, meanwhile, promises<br />
to provide humorous educational entertainment<br />
with a difference, courtesy of dancing<br />
sheep! Other attractions include displays<br />
of farm machinery and classic cars, rural<br />
crafts, a shopping area, information about<br />
bee-keeping, trade stands and an abundance<br />
of children’s amusements.<br />
World Of Park<br />
And Leisure Homes<br />
Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire,<br />
Fri 6 - Sun 8 June<br />
If you’ve ever dreamed of having your very<br />
own little bolthole to which to escape, or the<br />
freedom to travel whenever you want, World<br />
Of Park And Leisure Homes is well worth a<br />
visit. A dedicated show for park homes and<br />
holiday lifestyle, the three-day event features<br />
the latest models and designs from most of<br />
the UK’s major manufacturers, caters for a<br />
variety of budgets and is free to attend. The<br />
show also provides information on hundreds<br />
of parks across the UK and beyond.<br />
Kenilworth Show<br />
Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, Sat 7 June<br />
Jousting Day<br />
Avoncroft Museum, Bromsgrove,<br />
Sat 14 - Sun 15 June<br />
All the thrills and excitement of a traditional<br />
jousting tournament will be present and correct<br />
at Bromsgrove’s award-winning Living<br />
History Museum this month. In addition to<br />
experiencing the site’s static attractions,<br />
which span seven hundred years of history,<br />
visitors can also tour the camps and meet<br />
the knights, the ladies and the soldiers, not<br />
to mention the odd miscreant or two...<br />
The Bus Stop Over<br />
Uttoxeter Racecourse, Staffordshire,<br />
Fri 13 - Sun 15 June<br />
An established event on the VW calendar,<br />
The Bus Stop Over offers three days of highquality<br />
entertainment both on and off the<br />
track. Resident DJs from Retro<br />
Discos/Weluv80s will be playing throughout<br />
the weekend, while live bands catering for all<br />
musical tastes feature in the site’s main hall.<br />
Acoustic sessions in the bar area are a new<br />
addition for 2014 - and to ensure football<br />
fans don’t miss out on World Cup action, the<br />
Premier Bar will be showing the England vs<br />
Italy game on its large screen. On-track<br />
action includes the sure-to-be-fun Wacky<br />
Races, with the event also featuring plenty<br />
for youngsters to enjoy.<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk 59
Events LISTINGS<br />
For full listing information on Events,<br />
including times and dates, visit<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
from<br />
SUN 1 JUNE<br />
MAY HALF-TERM FAMILY<br />
FUN until Sun 1 June,<br />
Heritage Motor Centre,<br />
Gaydon, Warwickshire<br />
WORDS, WORDS, WORDS<br />
Do you know your<br />
Shakespeare from your<br />
Shelley? Test your<br />
knowledge with the<br />
site's quizzical quotes,<br />
until Sun 1 June,<br />
Shakespeare's<br />
Birthplace, Stratfordupon-Avon<br />
MASQUE MAKING Be<br />
inspired and decorate<br />
your very own theatrical<br />
Shakespearian masque<br />
to take home with you,<br />
until Sun 1 June,<br />
Nash's House & New<br />
Place, Stratford-upon-<br />
Avon<br />
SPRING TO LIFE Search<br />
the walled garden and<br />
hunt for the animals<br />
that appear in<br />
Shakespeare's springtime<br />
poems, until Sun 1<br />
June Hall's Croft,<br />
Stratford-upon-Avon<br />
LEMUR WEEK Themed<br />
talks and activities to<br />
highlight the park's<br />
conservation work to<br />
save species such as<br />
the Great Bamboo<br />
Lemur and Sifaka from<br />
extinction, until Sun 1<br />
June Cotswold Wildlife<br />
Park<br />
FAMILY FUN DAYS Get<br />
outside, explore the<br />
gardens and estate at<br />
Baddesley and see<br />
how many of the ‘fifty<br />
things to do before<br />
you're eleven-andthree-quarters’<br />
you can<br />
tick off your list, until<br />
Sun 1 June, Baddesley<br />
Clinton, Warwickshire<br />
SWEET AND TREAT See<br />
the relaunch of the<br />
sweet-shop boiler and<br />
try your hand at traditional<br />
board and street<br />
games, until Sun 1<br />
June, Black Country<br />
Living Museum, Dudley<br />
WILDLIFE TRACKER<br />
CHALLENGE A chance to<br />
tap into your inner naturalist,<br />
until Sun 1<br />
June, Brockhampton<br />
Estate, Worcester<br />
FAMILY DROP-IN<br />
ACTIVITIES Dip your own<br />
colourful candles, play<br />
with Victorian games<br />
and toys, and colour<br />
old-fashioned pictures,<br />
until Sun 1 June, Blists<br />
Hill, Ironbridge,<br />
Shropshire<br />
Half Term Family<br />
TIME LORD FAMILY TRAIL<br />
until Sun 1 June,<br />
Broadfield House Glass<br />
Museum, Kingswinford<br />
WOOLLY WEEK Get<br />
involved with all things<br />
woolly and enjoy the<br />
farm's exciting sheepdog<br />
trials, until Sun 1<br />
June Mary Arden<br />
House, Stratford-upon-<br />
Avon<br />
STRATFORD FOOD<br />
FESTIVAL AT THE RACES<br />
until Sun 1 June<br />
Stratford Racecourse<br />
SPORTS & SALOON CAR<br />
RACES until Sun 1 June<br />
Donington Park<br />
DAIMLER AND<br />
LANCHESTER OWNERS<br />
Sun 1 June, Heritage<br />
Motor Centre, Gaydon,<br />
Warwickshire<br />
MIDLAND BONSAI SOCIE-<br />
TY SHOW Sun 1 June,<br />
Birmingham Botanical<br />
Gardens<br />
CLASSIC FORD SHOW Old<br />
school modding and<br />
classic-style festival<br />
with massive autojumble,<br />
club displays, blue<br />
oval traders and competitions,<br />
Sun 1 June,<br />
Santa Pod Raceway,<br />
Northampton<br />
MG'S IN THE PARK<br />
Featuring a variety of<br />
models and historic MG<br />
motor car marque,<br />
ranging from TAs,<br />
MGAs, Midgets and<br />
MGB/Cs through to a<br />
fabulous turn-out of the<br />
newer MGF/TF convertibles<br />
and the various Z<br />
range saloons, including<br />
the ZT260s, Sun 1<br />
June Cotswold Wildlife<br />
Park<br />
HERITAGE OPEN DAY<br />
Event organised by the<br />
Redditch Local History<br />
Society, Sun 1 June,<br />
Forge Mill Needle<br />
Museum, Redditch<br />
TOLKIEN AND TUDORS -<br />
BIG BRUM OPEN-TOP BUZ<br />
TOUR Visit Sarehole Mill<br />
and Blakesley Hall, Sun<br />
1 June, Victoria Square,<br />
Birmingham<br />
KNIGHTS' SCHOOL &<br />
JUNIOR JOUSTING Learn<br />
how to joust in the<br />
mini-tiltyard, try on real<br />
armour made especially<br />
for children, hear<br />
tales of medieval chivalry<br />
and finally take up<br />
arms as you clash<br />
swords and join in a<br />
fun and frantic<br />
medieval battle, Sun 1<br />
June, Eastnor Castle<br />
Deer Park, Ledbury,<br />
Herefordshire<br />
BROCKHAMPTON<br />
BOWMAN ARCHERY<br />
SESSIONS Join the<br />
Brockhampton<br />
Bowmen and put your<br />
archery skills to the<br />
test. Discover various<br />
bows and find out how<br />
they were used, Sun 1<br />
June, Brockhampton<br />
Estate, Worcester<br />
UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS:<br />
BEHIND THE SCENES<br />
TOUR Find out what<br />
goes on behind the<br />
scenes of a stately<br />
home with a unique<br />
tour which takes in<br />
some of the estate’s<br />
twenty-eight bedrooms,<br />
Sun 1 June, Weston<br />
Park, Staffordshire<br />
AN EVENING WITH TONY<br />
STOCKWELL Tue 3 June,<br />
Wulfrun Hall,<br />
Wolverhampton<br />
RHYS CHATHAM IN CON-<br />
VERSATION WITH ED<br />
MCKEON Ahead of the<br />
UK première of A<br />
Secret Rose For 100<br />
Guitars, Rhys Chatham<br />
is joined by Frontiers<br />
Festival curator Ed<br />
McKeon to discuss a<br />
range of topics, from<br />
Downtown to guitars<br />
and minimalist music to<br />
rock’n’roll, Tue 3 June,<br />
Library Of Birmingham<br />
VALUATION DAY Tue 3<br />
June, The Herbert<br />
Museum & Art Gallery,<br />
Coventry<br />
LUNCHTIME TALK: ALL<br />
THAT GLISTERS Frank<br />
Sharman gives an illustrated<br />
talk about the<br />
history of steel jewellery,<br />
Tues 3 June,<br />
Bantock House<br />
Museum<br />
DISCOVER THE<br />
COLLECTION Meet the<br />
conservation team,<br />
who'll tell you about<br />
interesting items in the<br />
collection and demonstrate<br />
how they're<br />
looked after, Tue 3<br />
June, Moseley Old Hall,<br />
Wolverhampton<br />
WARWICK WORDS<br />
SUMMER Annual festival<br />
of literature and spoken<br />
word, featuring various<br />
events across Warwick.<br />
For full details, visit<br />
www.warwickwords.co.<br />
uk, Wed 4 - Sun 8<br />
June, Various venues<br />
around Warwick<br />
DOWNTOWN NEW YORK<br />
JAZZ: A ONE-DAY<br />
SYMPOSIUM An event<br />
forming part of the second<br />
phase of the<br />
city's Frontiers Festival<br />
and featuring discussions<br />
of beat poetry,<br />
experimental film and<br />
artist-run spaces, Thurs<br />
5 June, Library Of<br />
Birmingham<br />
AN EVENING WITH CAROL<br />
ANN DUFFY Intimate<br />
evening of poetry and<br />
music with the National<br />
Poet Laureate, Thurs 5<br />
June, The Hive,<br />
Worcester<br />
CHURCH STRETTON<br />
WALKING FESTIVAL Four<br />
days of walks around<br />
the beautiful South<br />
Shropshire countryside,<br />
Thurs 5 - Sun 8 June,<br />
Booking essential - visit<br />
www.churchstrettonwalkingfestival.co.uk<br />
CHAMPIONSHIP DOG<br />
SHOW Thurs 5 - Sun 8<br />
June, Three Counties<br />
Showground, Malvern<br />
D-DAY LANDING 70TH<br />
ANNIVERSARY SERVICE<br />
Fri 6 June, National<br />
Memorial Arboretum<br />
UNDERSTANDING ART<br />
TALKS: IN THE<br />
FOOTSTEPS OF<br />
CARAVAGGIO Professor<br />
Lorenzo Pericolo from<br />
the University of<br />
Warwick explores how<br />
Caravaggio’s model<br />
was perpetuated well<br />
into the 1640s, Fri 6<br />
June Compton Verney<br />
Gallery, Warwickshire<br />
PUTTING ON THE RITZ An<br />
evening of jazz with<br />
Edward d’Arcy Hatton<br />
and Tim Motteshead,<br />
Fri 6 June, Upton<br />
House & Gardens,<br />
Warwickshire<br />
THE WOMEN<br />
CHAINMAKERS' FESTIVAL<br />
A two day event celebrating<br />
an historic<br />
strike by women chainmakers,<br />
Fri 6 - Sat 7<br />
June, Bearmore Park,<br />
Cradley Heath<br />
THE WORLD OF PARK &<br />
LEISURE HOMES SHOW<br />
Fri 6 - Sun 8 June,<br />
Stoneleigh Park,<br />
Warwickshire<br />
VMCC TRAINING DAY A<br />
training day to give visitors<br />
a chance to ride<br />
veteran & vintage<br />
motorcycles in a safe<br />
'off road' environment,<br />
with tuition from the<br />
owners, Sat 7 June,<br />
Heritage Motor Centre,<br />
Gaydon, Warwickshire<br />
ASTON MARTIN RACES<br />
Sat 7 June, Donington<br />
Park<br />
ENAMELLING DAY<br />
COURSE An opportunity<br />
for beginners or those<br />
with some experience<br />
to create at least four<br />
pieces of work using a<br />
variety of techniques,<br />
Sat 7 June, Black<br />
Country Living<br />
Museum, Dudley<br />
KENILWORTH SHOW<br />
Organised by the<br />
Kenilworth & District<br />
Agricultural Society.<br />
Featuring classic cars,<br />
children’s amusements,<br />
carriage driving, rural<br />
crafts and much more,<br />
Sat 7 June, Stoneleigh<br />
Park, Warwickshire<br />
EVENING SCENIC<br />
SPECIALS A scenic<br />
evening ride with the<br />
added option of a traditional<br />
fish and chip<br />
supper, Sat 7 June,<br />
Severn Valley Railway,<br />
Kidderminster<br />
RUN WHAT YA BRUNG<br />
The chance to take<br />
your car or motorcycle<br />
out on the famous<br />
quarter-mile dragstrip<br />
and test its performance<br />
limits in a safe<br />
and legal environment,<br />
Sat 7 June, Santa Pod<br />
Raceway, Northampton<br />
BEGINNERS' BOBBIN<br />
LACE-MAKING DAY<br />
COURSE Learn basic<br />
techniques of traditional<br />
bobbin lace-making,<br />
Sat 7 June, Black<br />
Country Living<br />
Museum, Dudley<br />
PAPERWEIGHT DAY Sat 7<br />
June, Broadfield House<br />
Glass Museum,<br />
Stourbridge<br />
BIG BRUM OPEN TOP BUZ<br />
SIGHTSEEING TOUR Sat 7<br />
- Sun 8 June, Victoria<br />
Square, Birmingham<br />
EXCALIBUR COMPUTER<br />
FAIR Sat 7 June,<br />
National Motorcycle<br />
Museum, Solihull<br />
MEET DANIEL MEADOWS<br />
Artist Daniel Meadows<br />
discusses his exhibition,<br />
Daniel Meadows:<br />
Early Photographic<br />
Living Live - Uttoxeter Racecourse<br />
Works, Sat 7 June,<br />
Library Of Birmingham<br />
THE BIG MATCH: CHEESE<br />
AND WINE International<br />
contest to find a champion<br />
cheese and wine<br />
pairing. Visitors can<br />
sample a range of specially<br />
selected wines<br />
and cheeses from<br />
around the world<br />
before voting to decide<br />
the overall winner, Sat 7<br />
June, Library Of<br />
Birmingham<br />
THE INTERNATIONAL<br />
ASTRONOMY SHOW The<br />
UK's largest astro show,<br />
Sat 7 - Sun 8 June,<br />
Warwickshire Exhibition<br />
Centre<br />
BROCKHAMPTON<br />
BOWMAN ARCHERY<br />
SESSIONS Join the<br />
Brockhampton<br />
Bowmen and put your<br />
archery skills to the<br />
test. Discover various<br />
bows and find out how<br />
they were used, Sat 7 -<br />
Sun 8 June,<br />
Brockhampton Estate,<br />
Worcester<br />
NEWCOMEN IN STEAM<br />
The only full-sized<br />
working replica of the<br />
world's first steam<br />
engine can be seen in<br />
action, Sat 7 - Sun 8<br />
June, Black Country<br />
Living Museum, Dudley<br />
MUCH WENLOCK FESTI-<br />
VAL Featuring a broad<br />
ranging programme of<br />
family days, theatre and<br />
open-air music, Sat 7 -<br />
Sat 21 June, Various<br />
locations around Much<br />
Wenlock, South<br />
Shropshire<br />
PERFORMANCE<br />
VAUXHALL SHOW New,<br />
old, modified, road,<br />
rally, and race<br />
Vauxhalls get together<br />
with trade, clubs and<br />
autojumble for the ultimate<br />
Vauxhall show of<br />
the summer, Sun 8<br />
June, Santa Pod<br />
Raceway, Northampton<br />
THE COIN AND BANKNOTE<br />
FAIR Sun 8 June,<br />
National Motorcycle<br />
Museum, Solihull<br />
RECORD FAIR Sun 8<br />
June, National<br />
Motorcycle Museum,<br />
Solihull<br />
BANBURY RUN Featuring<br />
over six hundred veteran<br />
and vintage<br />
machines, Sun 8 June,<br />
Heritage Motor Centre,<br />
Gaydon, Warwickshire<br />
RAF COSFORD AIR SHOW<br />
The Midlands’ premier<br />
air event, with displays<br />
from a variety of aircraft;<br />
plus, exhibits,<br />
stalls, trade stands, military<br />
demonstrations<br />
and children's entertainment,<br />
Sun 8 June, RAF<br />
Cosford, Nr<br />
Wolverhampton<br />
MORGAN SPORTS CAR<br />
RACES Sun 8 June<br />
Donington Park<br />
SUMMER SUNDAY FUN<br />
Whizz over the Valley<br />
Lawn on the castle zip<br />
wire and take part in<br />
garden games, Sun 8<br />
June, Eastnor Castle<br />
Deer Park, Ledbury,<br />
Herefordshire<br />
OPEN FARM SUNDAY Find<br />
out what goes on at<br />
Warren Farm. Learn<br />
about the farm calendar<br />
and how the seasons<br />
blend together. Suitable<br />
for all ages, Sun 8 June<br />
Brockhampton Estate,<br />
Worcester<br />
GLASS CRAFTS - DAD'S<br />
KEY RING Sun 8 June,<br />
Broadfield House Glass<br />
Museum, Stourbridge<br />
JUNE FILM CLUB: THE<br />
ADVENTURES OF PRINCE<br />
ACHMED Monthly film<br />
club presented by<br />
Flatpack Film Festival,<br />
Sun 8 June, Library Of<br />
Birmingham<br />
CHARITY ABSEIL<br />
Supporting Little Hearts<br />
Matter & Edward’s<br />
Trust, Sun 8 June,<br />
Brindleyplace,<br />
Birmingham<br />
SPIRITUAL BIRMINGHAM<br />
HOLISTIC EVENT<br />
Featuring exhibitors<br />
offering a diverse range<br />
of complimentary therapies<br />
& healing, retail<br />
stands, professional<br />
readers & free talks,<br />
Sun 8 June, Quality<br />
Hotel, Birmingham<br />
70S SUNDAY Featuring a<br />
vintage craft fair and a<br />
chance to get down to<br />
the sounds of the ’70s,<br />
Sun 8 June, Avoncroft<br />
Museum, Bromsgrove<br />
Week Commencing<br />
MON 9 JUN<br />
AEGON CLASSIC Mon 9 -<br />
Sun 15 June,<br />
Edgbaston Priory Club,<br />
Birmingham<br />
DISCOVER THE<br />
COLLECTION Meet the<br />
conservation team,<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk 61
MEETING POINT:<br />
corner of Colmore Row &<br />
Waterloo Street, Victoria Square<br />
TOUR TIMES:<br />
10.30am, 12.30pm & 2.30pm<br />
CONTACT:<br />
0121 427 2555 /<br />
07805 115 998<br />
enquiries@birmingham-tours.co.uk<br />
AVAILABLE FOR<br />
PRIVATE HIRE<br />
THROUGHOUT<br />
THE YEAR<br />
62 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
Events LISTINGS<br />
For full listing information on Events,<br />
including times and dates, visit<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
who'll tell you about<br />
interesting items in the<br />
collection and demonstrate<br />
how they're<br />
looked after, Tue 10<br />
June, Moseley Old Hall,<br />
Wolverhampton<br />
RIDE WITH THE RANGER<br />
Enjoy a tour of the<br />
estate in a purposebuilt<br />
trailer, Tue 10<br />
June, Charleston Park,<br />
Warwickshire<br />
TRACTOR TOURS Enjoy a<br />
40-minute ride around<br />
the park, Tue 10 June,<br />
Charlecote Park,<br />
Warwickshire<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY IN 1970S<br />
AND 1980S BRITAIN<br />
Professor Ian<br />
Grosvenor, University of<br />
Birmingham, explores<br />
Daniel Meadows’ work<br />
in the context of the<br />
emergence of community<br />
photography and<br />
the radical political<br />
activism of the 1970s<br />
and ’80s, Tue 10 June,<br />
Library Of Birmingham<br />
INTERMEDIATE DIGITAL<br />
SLR PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
Expand on your current<br />
knowledge of basic<br />
photography principles,<br />
including DSLR camera<br />
settings, composition,<br />
tips and techniques.<br />
Using the Compton<br />
Verney Grounds for<br />
inspiration, local photographer<br />
Sally Crane<br />
will assist and guide<br />
you, Wed 11 June,<br />
Compton Verney<br />
Gallery, Warwickshire<br />
ETHICS IN CONSERVATION<br />
DAY COURSE Wed 11<br />
June, Black Country<br />
Living Museum, Dudley<br />
BARNARDO’S BIG TODDLE<br />
Sponsored walk for<br />
toddlers, Wed 11 -<br />
Thurs 12 June, Dudley<br />
Zoo & Gardens<br />
ENSEMBLE 1685 Join the<br />
singing group for an<br />
exploration of the<br />
Roman Empire exhibition,<br />
Thurs 12 June,<br />
The Herbert Museum &<br />
Art Gallery, Coventry<br />
BBC GOOD FOOD SHOW<br />
SUMMER! Brimming with<br />
inspiration, tips and<br />
advice on how to create<br />
the perfect summer<br />
menu, the BBC Good<br />
Food Show returns to<br />
the NEC to provide a<br />
food experience 'like no<br />
other’, Thurs 12 - Sun<br />
15 June, NEC,<br />
Birmingham<br />
BBC GARDENERS' WORLD<br />
LIVE Gardening experts<br />
Monty Don and<br />
Diarmuid Gavin make a<br />
welcome return to the<br />
Midlands this month to<br />
dish out tips and advice<br />
at the region’s top<br />
event for green fingered<br />
types, Thurs 12 -<br />
Sun 15 June, NEC,<br />
Birmingham<br />
FOOD AND FLORA Watch<br />
the sun set over the<br />
park, followed by a<br />
meal in the restaurant,<br />
Fri 13 June, Charlecote<br />
Park, Warwickshire<br />
BWM RALLY Featuring<br />
live bands and DJs, a<br />
custom show, Run<br />
What Ya Brung, a ride<br />
out, club camping, a jet<br />
car, funfair rides &<br />
amusements, traders,<br />
caterers and much<br />
more, all on one site.<br />
The event for scooterists,<br />
mods, skinheads,<br />
casuals and ska fans,<br />
Fri 13 - Sun 15 June,<br />
Santa Pod Raceway,<br />
Northampton<br />
ROYAL THREE COUNTIES<br />
SHOW Showcasing the<br />
best of the British farming<br />
world & countryside,<br />
Fri 13 - Sun 15<br />
June, Three Counties<br />
Showground, Malvern<br />
CHOLMONDELEY<br />
PAGEANT OF POWER The<br />
UK's biggest celebration<br />
of power and<br />
speed, featuring more<br />
than one hundred-andtwenty<br />
valuable cars<br />
and bikes competing<br />
on track. Autocar<br />
Supercar Paddock and<br />
trade village with<br />
lifestyle pavillion, Fri 13<br />
- Sun 15 June,<br />
Cholmondeley Castle,<br />
Cheshire<br />
INTERNATIONAL MODEL<br />
AIR SHOW Bringing<br />
together some of the<br />
country’s top model aircraft<br />
pilots to demonstrate<br />
their skills, Fri 13<br />
- Sun 15 June, Weston<br />
Park, Staffordshire<br />
WEAVER'S HOUSE OPEN<br />
DAY The Weaver’s<br />
House shows visitors<br />
what life as a medieval<br />
weaver would have<br />
been like. Regular talks<br />
will be held inside the<br />
Weaver’s house, as<br />
well as spinning<br />
demonstrations, Sat 14<br />
June, The Weaver's<br />
House, Coventry<br />
PATCHWORK CUSHION<br />
COVERS COURSE Textile<br />
artist Ruth Singer hosts<br />
an afternoon workshop<br />
where participants can<br />
make their very own<br />
cushion cover to take<br />
home, Sat 14 June,<br />
Black Country Living<br />
Museum, Dudley<br />
ST BASILS ANNUAL WALK<br />
Charity walk challenge,<br />
Sat 14 June,<br />
Brindleyplace,<br />
Birmingham<br />
SKETCH & STITCH WORK-<br />
SHOP Sat 14 June,<br />
Ragley Hall, Alcester<br />
LORDS OF DUDLEY AND A<br />
LICENCE TO CRENELLATE<br />
Historical day school<br />
celebrating the 750th<br />
anniversary of the<br />
Battle of Lewes, Sat 14<br />
June, Weoley Castle,<br />
Birmingham<br />
BLACKSMITH EXPERIENCE<br />
DAY A taster session<br />
providing an introduction<br />
to the forge, the<br />
basic tools, and how to<br />
use them, Sat 14 June,<br />
Black Country Living<br />
Museum, Dudley<br />
STICKY SATURDAY: PAPER<br />
CRAFT Free drop-in sessions<br />
for children aged<br />
four-plus, Sat 14 June,<br />
Dudley Museum & Art<br />
Gallery<br />
MEDIEVAL DANCING<br />
Discover how medieval<br />
people entertained<br />
themselves dancing in<br />
Greyfriars’ lovely garden,<br />
Sat 14 June,<br />
Greyfriars, Worcester<br />
VIKINGS & DRAGONS<br />
FAMILY DAY Meet reallife<br />
Vikings in a funfilled<br />
family day to celebrate<br />
the opening of<br />
the museum’s latest<br />
exhibition, Sat 14 June,<br />
Wolverhampton Art<br />
Gallery<br />
ENAMELLING WORKSHOP<br />
Experiment using a<br />
sgraffito technique and<br />
liquid enamel ‘painting’<br />
effects, before creating<br />
a final piece using your<br />
newly developed skills,<br />
Sat 14 June, Bilston<br />
Craft Gallery<br />
GLASS HAND CASTING<br />
WITH ALLISTER<br />
MALCOLM Sat 14 June,<br />
Broadfield House Glass<br />
Museum, Stourbridge<br />
CLASSIC AND VINTAGE<br />
COMMERCIAL SHOW A<br />
colourful two-day show<br />
featuring a diverse<br />
selection of classic and<br />
vintage lorries and vehicles,<br />
pre-1985, Sat 14 -<br />
Sun 15 June, Heritage<br />
Motor Centre, Gaydon,<br />
Warwickshire<br />
JOUST! A traditional<br />
jousting tournament &<br />
chance to tour the<br />
camps around the site<br />
and meet the knights,<br />
ladies and soldiers, Sat<br />
14 - Sun 15 June,<br />
Avoncroft, Bromsgrove<br />
GROUNDS WEEKEND<br />
Explore everything<br />
Compton's fabulous<br />
grounds have got to<br />
offer. Take part in some<br />
of the forest school and<br />
art and craft activities,<br />
Sat 14 - Sun 15 June,<br />
Compton Verney<br />
Gallery, Warwickshire<br />
MEDIEVAL WEEKEND<br />
Experience medieval<br />
life in the knights’<br />
encampment! Witness<br />
the drill and arming of<br />
military men and see<br />
the medieval world<br />
come to life, Sat 14 -<br />
Sun 15 June, Forge Mill<br />
Needle Museum,<br />
Redditch<br />
LUNT ROMAN FESTIVAL<br />
Sat 14 - Sun 15 June,<br />
The Herbert Museum &<br />
Art Gallery, Coventry<br />
BROCKHAMPTON<br />
BOWMAN ARCHERY<br />
SESSIONS Join the<br />
Brockhampton<br />
Bowmen and put your<br />
archery skills to the<br />
test. Discover various<br />
bows and find out how<br />
they were used, Sat 14<br />
- Sun 15 June,<br />
Brockhampton Estate,<br />
Worcester<br />
A KNIGHT’S TALE Living<br />
History event featuring<br />
lots of interactive<br />
medieval fun, Sat 14 -<br />
Sun 15 June, Forge Mill<br />
Needle Museum,<br />
Redditch<br />
BIG BRUM OPEN TOP BUZ<br />
SIGHTSEEING TOUR Sat<br />
14 - Sun 15 June,<br />
Victoria Square,<br />
Birmingham<br />
FATHER'S DAY ACTIVITIES<br />
Free admission for<br />
dads and grandads<br />
when they visit with<br />
their family to enjoy the<br />
numerous activities on<br />
offer, Sun 15 June,<br />
Compton Verney<br />
Gallery, Warwickshire<br />
WARWICK UNIVERSITY<br />
BAND Bring a picnic<br />
and enjoy an afternoon<br />
of swing music, Sun 15<br />
June, Upton House &<br />
Gardens, Warwickshire<br />
PRE 1940 TRIUMPH<br />
MOTOR CLUB View over<br />
30 pre-war motor cars,<br />
Sun 15 June, Upton<br />
House & Gardens,<br />
Warwickshire<br />
ARMS AND MILITARIA<br />
FAIR Sun 15 June,<br />
National Motorcycle<br />
Museum, Solihull<br />
FATHER’S DAY Event with<br />
Elizabethan dancing.<br />
Free tours for fathers<br />
when accompanied by<br />
one or more offspring,<br />
Sun 15 June,<br />
Harvington Hall,<br />
Kidderminster<br />
FATHER’S DAY HELITRIPS<br />
See the Follies from<br />
above in a special helicopter<br />
ride, Sun 15<br />
June, The Follies,<br />
Hawkstone Park<br />
MEET THE HORSES<br />
Special event which<br />
demonstrates the<br />
importance of horses in<br />
everyday life over a<br />
hundred years ago,<br />
Sun 15 June, Blists Hill<br />
Victorian Town,<br />
Ironbridge, Shropshire<br />
DADS GO FREE Walk the<br />
gardens, see the working<br />
brewhouse, enjoy<br />
lunch & homemade<br />
cakes in the tearoom<br />
Every dad accompanied<br />
by another paying<br />
adult gets in for free,<br />
Sun 15 June,<br />
Shugborough Historic<br />
Working Estate,<br />
Stafford<br />
UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS:<br />
BEHIND THE SCENES<br />
TOUR Sun 15 June,<br />
Weston Park,<br />
Staffordshire<br />
FALCONRY DAY Meet<br />
spectacular birds of<br />
prey and see them take<br />
to the air in fabulous<br />
flying displays, Sun 15<br />
June, Blakesley Hall,<br />
Birmingham<br />
CLASSIC CAR AND<br />
TRANSPORT SHOW<br />
Featuring over 1000<br />
vintage & classic vehicles,<br />
commercial,<br />
motorcycles, autojumble/tradestands,<br />
as well<br />
as 50 car clubs and the<br />
'piston rings' motorcycle<br />
display team. Plus<br />
all of Trentham's superb<br />
attractions. Sun 15<br />
June, Trentham<br />
Gardens, Stoke-on-<br />
Trent<br />
BONSAI DEMONSTRATION<br />
Sun 15 June,<br />
Birmingham Botanical<br />
Gardens<br />
TRANSPORT FESTIVAL<br />
Featuring over one<br />
thousand classic, contemporary<br />
and rare<br />
cars on display, Sun 15<br />
June, Trentham Estate,<br />
Stoke-on-Trent<br />
FATHER’S DAY: CAPTAIN<br />
GEOFFREY’S DISCOVERY<br />
DAY Featuring demonstrations<br />
from Feather<br />
Perfect Falconry, havea-go<br />
archery sessions<br />
and classic car & bike<br />
displays, Sun 15 June,<br />
Dudmaston Estate,<br />
Bridgnorth, Shropshire<br />
FATHER’S DAY LUNCH -<br />
MEET THE CASTLE’S RESI-<br />
DENT KNIGHT Sun 15<br />
June, Warwick Castle<br />
Week Commencing<br />
MON 16 JUN<br />
WALK WITH THE<br />
GARDENER Opportunity<br />
to discover more about<br />
the estate and ask<br />
questions, Tue 17 June,<br />
Charlecote Park,<br />
Warwickshire<br />
HERBERT ILLUMINATION:<br />
HOW THE ROMANS CON-<br />
QUERED THE WORLD<br />
WITH DORMICE Dominic<br />
Russell leads a talk on<br />
Roman Imperialism,<br />
Herbert Art Gallery &<br />
Museum, Coventry<br />
BARNARDO’S BIG TODDLE<br />
Sponsored walk for<br />
toddlers, Tues 17 June,<br />
Dudley Zoo & Gardens<br />
WALK WITH THE GARDEN-<br />
ER Enjoy a guided tour<br />
through the grounds,<br />
Tues 17 June,<br />
Charlecote Park,<br />
Warwickshire<br />
DRIFT WHAT YA BRUNG<br />
Chance to practise<br />
drifting in safe and<br />
legal conditions on<br />
some of the Pod's thirty<br />
acres of open tarmac,<br />
where there are beginners,<br />
intermediate and<br />
advanced tracks open<br />
at the same time each<br />
DWYB day, Wed 18<br />
June, Santa Pod<br />
Raceway, Northampton<br />
SIR RANULPH FIENNES:<br />
LIVING DANGEROUSLY<br />
Wed 18 June,<br />
Birmingham Town Hall<br />
DRESSING THE QUEEN<br />
See history brought to<br />
life and meet<br />
Kenilworth's authentically<br />
costumed Queen<br />
Elizabeth I. Every<br />
month, visitors will have<br />
the opportunity to<br />
watch 'Elizabeth' being<br />
dressed, from undergarments<br />
to the finishing<br />
touches, Wed 18<br />
June, Kenilworth<br />
Castle, Warwickshire<br />
NEWCOMEN IN STEAM<br />
The only full-sized<br />
working replica of the<br />
world's first steam<br />
engine can here be<br />
seen in action. Due to<br />
the unpredictable<br />
nature of the<br />
Newcomen, please<br />
check running details<br />
with the museum prior<br />
to travelling to avoid<br />
disappointment, Thurs<br />
19 - Sun 22 June, Black<br />
Country Living<br />
Museum, Dudley<br />
AN EVENING WITH<br />
CHARLIE WAITE One of<br />
the world's leading<br />
landscape photographers,<br />
Charlie Waite,<br />
here provides an<br />
insight into his world<br />
and his method, Fri 20<br />
June, The Swan<br />
Theatre, Worcester<br />
FAWN CHECK Fri 20<br />
June, Charlecote Park,<br />
Warwickshire<br />
SAXONS VS DANES: THE<br />
BATTLE OF WODENSFIELD<br />
Simon Hamilton and<br />
local historian Ray<br />
Fellows talk about the<br />
famous battle between<br />
the Anglo-Saxons and<br />
the Danes on nearby<br />
land, and how it helped<br />
change the course of<br />
British history, Fri 20<br />
June, Wolverhampton<br />
Art Gallery<br />
WORCESTERSHIRE LITER-<br />
ARY FESTIVAL Featuring<br />
spoken-word performances,<br />
seminars, workshops,<br />
poetry slams,<br />
competitions & more,<br />
Fri 20 - Sun 29 June,<br />
various locations<br />
around Worcestershire<br />
ESCORT RS TURBO 30TH<br />
ANNIVERSARY RALLY Sat<br />
21 June, Heritage<br />
Motor Centre, Gaydon,<br />
Warwickshire<br />
NATIVE AMERICAN MYTHS<br />
Storytelling & poetry<br />
workshop with Ruth<br />
Stacey, Sat 21 June,<br />
Worcester City Art<br />
Gallery & Museum<br />
AN EVENING ON THE<br />
HOME FRONT 1940s nostalgia<br />
featuring entertainment<br />
of the day, Sat<br />
21 June, Blists Hill<br />
Victorian Town,<br />
Ironbridge, Shropshire<br />
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S<br />
MUSIC An evening of<br />
show and movie music,<br />
performed by<br />
Avonbank Brass Band,<br />
Sat 21 June,<br />
Charlecote Park,<br />
Warwickshire<br />
CANAL CRAFTS DAY<br />
COURSE Learn about the<br />
culture and craft traditions<br />
of the Black<br />
Country, Sat 21 June,<br />
Black Country Living<br />
Museum, Dudley<br />
IMPROVERS' WILLOW<br />
BASKET WEAVING Learn<br />
about the techniques<br />
and traditions of willow<br />
weaving and create a<br />
unique willow basket,<br />
Sat 21 June, Black<br />
Country Living<br />
Museum, Dudley<br />
BELGRADE MELA A celebration<br />
of South Asian<br />
arts featuring stalls selling<br />
traditional products,<br />
samples of Asian food,<br />
workshops and performances<br />
of classical<br />
Indian dances, all of<br />
which culminate in an<br />
evening performance of<br />
music and dance on<br />
the Belgrade's main<br />
stage Sat 21 June,<br />
Belgrade Theatre,<br />
Coventry<br />
STORYTELLING FESTIVAL<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk 63
Events LISTINGS<br />
For full listing information on Events,<br />
including times and dates, visit<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
Featuring story trails,<br />
live music, dance and<br />
crafts, Sat 21 June,<br />
Martineau Gardens,<br />
Birmingham<br />
ALDRIDGE FAYRE<br />
Featuring arena events,<br />
trade stalls, charity<br />
stalls, a car boot sale<br />
and much more... Sat<br />
21 June, Anchor<br />
Meadow, Walsall<br />
ASTON HERITAGE DAY Sat<br />
21 June, Aston Hall,<br />
Birmingham<br />
DANCE 4 MARGOT &<br />
FRIENDS A charity event<br />
aimed at raising funds<br />
and awareness for<br />
Team Margo and Delete<br />
Blood Cancer UK, Sat<br />
21 June, The Slade<br />
Rooms,<br />
Wolverhampton<br />
RUN WHAT YA BRUNG<br />
The chance to take<br />
your car or motorcycle<br />
out on the famous<br />
quarter-mile dragstrip<br />
and test its performance<br />
limits in a safe<br />
and legal environment,<br />
Sat 21 June, Santa Pod<br />
Raceway, Northampton<br />
EXCALIBUR COMPUTER<br />
FAIR Sat 21 June,<br />
National Motorcycle<br />
Museum, Solihull<br />
NATIONAL MOTORCYCLE<br />
RACES Sat 21 - Sun 22<br />
June, Donington Park<br />
Brockhampton<br />
BIG BRUM OPEN TOP BUZ<br />
SIGHTSEEING TOUR Sat<br />
21 - Sun 22 June,<br />
Victoria Square,<br />
Birmingham<br />
BOWMAN ARCHERY<br />
SESSIONS Join the<br />
Brockhampton<br />
Bowmen and put your<br />
archery skills to the<br />
test. Discover various<br />
bows and find out how<br />
they were used, Sat 21<br />
- Sun 22 June,<br />
Brockhampton Estate,<br />
Worcester<br />
OPEN DAY OF THE EARL<br />
OF DUDLEY’S MEMORIAL<br />
GARDEN Sat 21 - Sun 22<br />
June, St Michael & All<br />
Angels Church, Himley,<br />
Dudley<br />
WEST MIDLANDS GAME<br />
AND COUNTRY FAIR<br />
Promising two actionpacked<br />
days of family<br />
fun & activities, including<br />
arena displays,<br />
demos by TV's Chris<br />
Green, a beagle show,<br />
ferret displays, BASC<br />
Gundog events, fun<br />
dog shows, children's<br />
quad bikes, a funfair &<br />
pony rides, Sat 21 -<br />
Sun 22 June<br />
Shugborough Historic<br />
Working Estate,<br />
Stafford<br />
PLAYING AROUND Big<br />
Frog Productions present<br />
two plays for children<br />
aged four to nine,<br />
Sat 21 - Sun 22 June,<br />
Jinney Ring Craft<br />
Centre, Redditch<br />
LIVING LIVE 2014 The<br />
'largest lifestyle show in<br />
Staffordshire’ Sat 21 -<br />
Sun 22 June,<br />
Uttoxeter Racecourse,<br />
Stafford<br />
IF YOU GO DOWN TO THE<br />
WOODS TODAY... Chance<br />
to make a kite to take<br />
home, Sat 21 - Sun 22<br />
June, Moseley Old Hall,<br />
Wolverhampton<br />
MIDSUMMER MADNESS<br />
Celebrate the longest<br />
day of the year, Sat 21 -<br />
Sun 22, Mary Arden’s<br />
House, Stratford Upon<br />
Avon<br />
HERITAGE RALLY A noncompetitive<br />
social rally<br />
for all classic cars;<br />
starting and finishing at<br />
the Heritage Motor<br />
Centre, with a midway<br />
stop at the Cotswold<br />
Wildlife Park, Sun 22<br />
June, Heritage Motor<br />
Centre, Gaydon,<br />
Warwickshire<br />
RETRO SHOW The multimarque<br />
event for fans<br />
of retro vehicles, both<br />
four and two wheels,<br />
Sun 22 June, Santa<br />
Pod Raceway,<br />
Northampton<br />
PLANT HUNTERS FAIR<br />
Sun 22 June,<br />
Whittington Castle,<br />
Oswestry, North<br />
Shropshire<br />
SOS DAY A day of family<br />
fun and rescue displays<br />
from local emergency<br />
services. Get up close<br />
to the fire engines and<br />
see rescue boats, 4x4<br />
response group vehicles<br />
and more! Sun 22<br />
June, Eastnor Castle<br />
Deer Park, Ledbury,<br />
Herefordshire<br />
SEVERN HOSPICE<br />
DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL<br />
Sun 22 June, Pengwern<br />
Boat Club, Shrewsbury<br />
GUIDED TOUR Sun 22<br />
June, Stokesay Court,<br />
South Shropshire<br />
BETFRED FAMILY FUN DAY<br />
Featuring appearances<br />
from Moshi Monsters<br />
Katsuma & Poppet, Sun<br />
22 June, Worcester<br />
Racecourse<br />
GARDEN PARTY Sun 22<br />
June, Blakesley Hall,<br />
Birmingham<br />
FAWN CHECK Sun 22<br />
June, Charlecote Park,<br />
Warwickshire<br />
THE ORIGINS OF MIDDLE-<br />
EARTH WALK Sun 22<br />
June, Sarehole Mill,<br />
Birmingham<br />
Week Commencing<br />
MON 23 JUN<br />
WATCH WIMBLEDON<br />
Watch the action in<br />
Central Square, Mon 23<br />
June, Brindleyplace,<br />
Birmingham<br />
TRACTOR TOURS Enjoy a<br />
40-minute ride around<br />
the park, Tue 24 June,<br />
Charlecote Park,<br />
Dragonboat Festival - Brindleyplace, Birmingham<br />
Warwickshire<br />
ROSE FESTIVAL TOURS<br />
Join head gardener<br />
Sam Tippens for a<br />
guided tour around the<br />
gardens, Wed 25 June -<br />
Sun 6 July, Coughton<br />
Court, Warwickshire<br />
VALUATION DAY: FINE<br />
ARTS & ANTIQUES<br />
Fieldings Auctioneers<br />
will be on hand to value<br />
ceramics, jewellery, collectables,<br />
clocks,<br />
watches, books etc...<br />
Thurs 26 June, Bantock<br />
House Museum,<br />
Wolverhampton<br />
PEAK PERFORMANCE<br />
TEST & TUNE DAY RWYB<br />
with maximum track<br />
time for serious enthusiasts.<br />
Car clubs, performance<br />
specialists<br />
and individuals all welcome,<br />
Fri 27 June,<br />
Santa Pod Raceway,<br />
Northampton<br />
RILEY REGISTER - 80TH<br />
ANNIVERSARY OF LE<br />
MANS Car Club Display<br />
celebrating the 80th<br />
anniversary of Rileys'<br />
win at Le Mans, Fri 27<br />
June, Coventry<br />
Transport Museum<br />
KIDS UNDER 5’S DAY Five<br />
hours of entertainment,<br />
including a petting zoo,<br />
funfair and storytellers,<br />
Fri 27 June, Himley<br />
Hall, Dudley<br />
COLD ENAMELLING Fri 27<br />
June, Broadfield House<br />
Glass Museum,<br />
Stourbridge<br />
THE SAINSBURY’S<br />
BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIPS<br />
The country's best athletes<br />
battle it out for the<br />
prestigious honour of<br />
being crowned British<br />
champion, Fri 27 - Sun<br />
29 June, Alexander<br />
Stadium, Birmingham<br />
UPTON FOOD AND BEER<br />
FESTIVAL Fri 27 - Sun<br />
29 June, various venues<br />
Upton-upon-<br />
Severn, Worcestershire<br />
MEMORIAL ABORETUM<br />
ARMED FORCES DAY Sat<br />
28 June, RAF Cosford,<br />
Nr Wolverhampton<br />
JAGUAR SUPER<br />
SATURDAY Featuring up<br />
to fifty classic<br />
Swallow/SS/Daimler<br />
and Jaguar cars, on<br />
display on Millennium<br />
Place, Sat 28 June,<br />
Coventry Transport<br />
Museum<br />
BIG WILD NIGHT<br />
Featuring children’s<br />
crafts, wildlife spotting,<br />
pond dipping, nature<br />
trails and much more,<br />
Sat 28 June, Brueton<br />
Park, Warwickshire<br />
ENAMELLING WORKSHOP<br />
Experiment using a<br />
sgraffito technique and<br />
liquid enamel ‘painting’<br />
effects, before creating<br />
a final piece using your<br />
newly developed skills,<br />
Sat 28 June, Bilston<br />
Craft Gallery<br />
THE DESIGN PROCESS OF<br />
MUSEUM OF ROYAL<br />
WORCESTER Meet Harry<br />
Frost, Worcester<br />
Porcelain expert, former<br />
curator and former<br />
designer for Royal<br />
Worcester, Sat 28 June,<br />
Museum of Royal<br />
Worcester<br />
VINTAGE GARDEN PARTY<br />
Featuring live music,<br />
vintage teas, and stalls<br />
selling vintage clothing,<br />
homeware & accessories,<br />
Sat 28 June,<br />
Bantock House<br />
Museum<br />
STONE MASONRY DAY<br />
COURSE Introduction of<br />
the conservation, repair<br />
and restoration of natural<br />
stone buildings, as<br />
well as the construction<br />
of new masonry structures,<br />
and an understanding<br />
of the wide<br />
range of stone types<br />
and how they react to<br />
various conditions, Sat<br />
28 June, Black Country<br />
Living Museum, Dudley<br />
GO COMPOSE!<br />
Composing project for<br />
fourteen-to-eighteenyear-olds,<br />
Sat 28 June,<br />
Coventry PAS - Chase<br />
Studio Centre<br />
MARVELLOUS MAMMALS<br />
Follow the clues to see<br />
if you can identify the<br />
different mammals living<br />
in the Severn Valley,<br />
Sat 28 June, Severn<br />
Valley Country Park,<br />
Alveley, Shropshire<br />
MONOPRINTING WITH<br />
LEICESTER PRINT<br />
WORKSHOP Adult workshop<br />
where participants<br />
can work with artist<br />
Kate Da’Casto, from<br />
Leicester Print<br />
Workshop, to experiment<br />
with monoprinting<br />
and create vibrant, oneoff<br />
prints, Sat 28 June,<br />
Compton Verney<br />
Gallery, Warwickshire<br />
QUEEN VICTORIA CYCLO<br />
CROSS Described as<br />
‘Britain’s craziest bike<br />
race’, Sat 28 June,<br />
Blists Hill Victorian<br />
Town, Ironbridge,<br />
Shropshire<br />
JEWELLERY QUARTER<br />
HERITAGE WALK Sat 28<br />
June, Jewellery<br />
Quarter, Birmingham<br />
DRAGONBOAT FESTIVAL<br />
Annual fundraising<br />
event, Sat 28 June,<br />
Brindleyplace,<br />
Birmingham<br />
CELESTIAL COMMISSATO<br />
An evening of decadence<br />
and deities, Sat<br />
28 June, The Herbert<br />
Museum & Art Gallery,<br />
Coventry<br />
SUMMER NATIONALS<br />
National Drag Racing<br />
Championships, including<br />
MSA 200mph Pro<br />
Mods, drag bikes, a jet<br />
car plus nostalgia<br />
classes, Sat 28 - Sun<br />
29 June, Santa Pod<br />
Raceway, Northampton<br />
BIG BRUM OPEN TOP BUZ<br />
SIGHTSEEING TOUR Sat<br />
28 - Sun 29 June,<br />
Victoria Square,<br />
Birmingham<br />
FOLK & CRAFT WEEKEND<br />
Featuring have-a-go<br />
craft sessions and a<br />
performance from<br />
award-winning folk<br />
group The Roving<br />
Crows, Sat 28 - Sun 29<br />
June, Jinney Ring Craft<br />
Centre, Redditch<br />
#SHROPSHIREUNSIGNED<br />
In conjunction with<br />
Shrewsbury Food<br />
Festival, this two-night<br />
music event features<br />
local acts who’re hoping<br />
to raise their profile.<br />
Line-up yet to be<br />
announced... Sat 28 -<br />
Sun 29 June, The<br />
Buttermarket,<br />
Shrewsbury<br />
MOTORCYCLE<br />
ENDURANCE RACES Sat<br />
28 - Sun 29 June,<br />
Donington Park<br />
MUD RUNNER OBLIVION A<br />
supreme test of fitness!<br />
Participants will complete<br />
a gruelling sixishmile<br />
cross-country<br />
course and ten different<br />
tests of strength,<br />
endurance and co-ordination,<br />
Sat 28 - Sun 29<br />
June, Eastnor Castle<br />
Deer Park, Ledbury,<br />
Herefordshire<br />
BROCKHAMPTON<br />
BOWMAN ARCHERY SES-<br />
SIONS Join the<br />
Brockhampton<br />
Bowmen and put your<br />
archery skills to the<br />
test. Discover various<br />
bows and find out how<br />
they were used, Sat 28<br />
- Sun 29 June,<br />
Brockhampton Estate,<br />
Worcester<br />
STEP BACK TO THE 1940S<br />
Popular event taking a<br />
lighthearted journey<br />
back to wartime Britain.<br />
Attractions include costumed<br />
re-enactments,<br />
1940s Blackout Fair,<br />
displays of historic civilian<br />
& military vehicles,<br />
a wartime operations<br />
room and stands featuring<br />
period memorabilia,<br />
Sat 28 - Sun 29<br />
June, Severn Valley<br />
Railway, Kidderminster<br />
SHREWSBURY FOOD FES-<br />
TIVAL Featuring over<br />
two hundred food,<br />
drink & craft exhibitors,<br />
free talks & demos, live<br />
music & kids’ entertainment,<br />
Sat 28 - Sun 29<br />
June, The Quarry Park,<br />
Shrewsbury<br />
LUDLOW ARTS FESTIVAL<br />
Fusion of theatre,<br />
music, comedy & children’s<br />
entertainment,<br />
Sat 28 June - Sun 6<br />
July, Ludlow Castle,<br />
South Shropshire<br />
SUTTON COLDFIELD CAR-<br />
NIVAL Sun 29 June,<br />
Meadow Platt, Sutton<br />
Coldfield<br />
TOY COLLECTORS FAIR<br />
Sun 29 June, Three<br />
Counties Showground,<br />
Malvern<br />
BRITISH ARMED FORCES<br />
DAY A free, fun-filled<br />
family day to celebrate<br />
the Armed Forces and<br />
commemorate the centenary<br />
of the start of<br />
World War One.<br />
Children's activities, a<br />
military vehicle exhibition<br />
and a youth marching<br />
band competition<br />
all feature, Sun 29<br />
June, Himley Hall &<br />
Park, Dudley<br />
ANTIQUE & COLLECTORS<br />
FAIR Sun 29 June,<br />
Three Counties<br />
Showground, Malvern<br />
AUSTIN DAY Celebrating<br />
local motoring heritage<br />
with vintage and classic<br />
cars from the 1900s to<br />
the 1940s, Sun 29<br />
June, Avoncroft<br />
Museum, Bromsgrove<br />
WORCESTERSHIRE BIKE<br />
RIDE Featuring three<br />
routes, Sun 29 June,<br />
Sixways Stadium,<br />
Worcester<br />
64 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
Eating Out<br />
Marco Pierre’s<br />
flagship not so White...<br />
Marco Pierre White’s flagship Birmingham restaurant<br />
received a zero rating for hygiene in a recent<br />
inspection by local environmental health officers.<br />
The restaurant, which opened in December 2011,<br />
was informed in March that its FSA rating would<br />
plummet to and remain at zero until its next programmed<br />
inspection - which could be anything<br />
up to eighteen months away. The news will come<br />
as a shock to diners, who pay around £50 per<br />
head at the swanky restaurant on the twenty-fifth<br />
floor of The Cube.<br />
Marco Pierre White’s was not the only restaurant<br />
to be caught out, with Chaophraya on Spiceal<br />
Street and Malmaison in The Mailbox also receiving<br />
zero ratings.<br />
Top award for Indian fine dining<br />
Birmingham’s fine dining restaurant Pushkar<br />
Cocktail Bar & Dining has beaten off stiff competition<br />
to be named the Asian Business Awards’<br />
Midlands Restaurant Of The Year. Pushkar’s<br />
Creative Director, Rai Singh, received the award<br />
from Leicester MP Keith Vaz at a recent gala<br />
award ceremony at Edgbaston Stadium.<br />
Rai Singh with his award<br />
Alfresco dining on the menu<br />
A taste of summer is on offer at Birmingham’s<br />
Hotel du Vin, courtesy of a new Al Fresco menu.<br />
Fresh, seasonal ingredients feature in a mouthwatering<br />
selection of dishes, including watermelon,<br />
feta and red onion salad, and chargrilled,<br />
corn-fed chicken with citrus and watercress<br />
salad.<br />
Sweet-toothed diners can indulge themselves<br />
with baked vanilla cheesecake or Scottish strawberries<br />
with crème chantilly.<br />
Summer-inspired drinks on the Hotel du Vin’s<br />
menu include Hendricks summer punch, ginger<br />
brewski and a selection of international craft and<br />
fruit beers.<br />
Caribbean joy at Turtle Bay...<br />
REVIEW<br />
Tucked away behind<br />
Birmingham’s New<br />
Alexandra Theatre on<br />
John Bright Street is Turtle<br />
Bay; not the Hawaiian<br />
resort, but the city’s<br />
newest Caribbean eatery.<br />
Impossible to miss thanks<br />
to its bright exterior, it’s<br />
just as colourful inside,<br />
with the addition of some<br />
of the warmest and friendliest<br />
staff around.<br />
Following our waitress<br />
onto the veranda, we<br />
began our Caribbean culinary<br />
adventure by perusing<br />
an overwhelming<br />
cocktail list. We were definitely<br />
off to a good start! It<br />
would’ve been a crime not<br />
to try the rum punch, so I<br />
went for the Passion Rum<br />
Punch. My companion<br />
chose a non-alcoholic<br />
Watermelon Cooler. The<br />
punch was ridiculously<br />
drinkable; the Cooler, icy<br />
and refreshing.<br />
We then ordered the<br />
pulled jerk pork and jerk<br />
pit prawns from the<br />
Cutters section of the<br />
menu inspired by ‘beach<br />
shacks & street hawkers’.<br />
The hot pork with the<br />
sweet orange and spicy<br />
rocket was perfect. The<br />
prawns were fresh, plentiful<br />
and chargrilled.<br />
Next up was the Trinidad<br />
curry chicken and Mo’ Bay<br />
chicken. The former was<br />
simply delicious; a onepot<br />
wonder of rich-yet-mild<br />
chicken curry, infused with<br />
a promise of the islands -<br />
coconut, sweet potato and<br />
mango.<br />
The Mo’ Bay was a single<br />
piece of chicken smothered<br />
in a creamy sauce -<br />
to offset the jerk - and presented<br />
alongside the<br />
crispiest sweet potato fries<br />
around. Some fabulous<br />
fried plantain topped it off.<br />
With nutty, crunchy Trini<br />
chickpeas on the side, this<br />
was both a street food and<br />
a home-style feast.<br />
And no feast is complete<br />
without dessert! The BBQ<br />
pineapple, with its sweet,<br />
sugary rum sauce, was<br />
just the thing to round off<br />
a spicy meal.<br />
Buzzing with a holiday<br />
atmosphere, Turtle Bay is<br />
perfect for parties or simply<br />
to liven up an otherwise<br />
drab day. With a<br />
huge menu from which to<br />
choose and cocktails<br />
aplenty to enjoy, it offers a<br />
taste of the Caribbean<br />
that’s well worth sampling.<br />
Alev Dervish<br />
Food: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■<br />
Service: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■<br />
Ambience: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■<br />
Overall value ■ ■ ■ ■ ■<br />
OVERALL ■ ■ ■ ■ ■<br />
Turtle Bay<br />
81-91 John Bright Street<br />
Birmingham<br />
B1 1BL<br />
Tel: 0121 643 1303<br />
www.whatsonlive.co.uk 65
Restaurant LISTINGS<br />
For full listing information on restaurants,<br />
including opening times and<br />
type of cuisine, visit: www.whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
Birmingham<br />
AALTO RESTAURANT Hotel<br />
La Tour, Albert Street,<br />
Birmingham B5 5JT<br />
0121 718 8000<br />
AIR RESTAURANT LG<br />
Arena, Bickenhill Rd,<br />
0844 338 0333<br />
BANK 4 Brindleyplace,<br />
B1 2JB 0121 633 4466<br />
BAR ESTILO 10-114<br />
Wharfside St, The<br />
Mailbox, B1 1RF 0121<br />
643 3443<br />
BARAJEE 265 Broad<br />
Street, B1 2DS 0121 643<br />
6699<br />
BELLA ITALIA 102 New<br />
Street, B2 4HQ 0121<br />
643 1548<br />
BERLIOZ Burlington<br />
Arcade, New St, B2 4JQ<br />
0121 633 1737<br />
BLUE MANGO Regency<br />
Wharf, Broad St, B1 2DS<br />
0121 633 4422<br />
BLUE PIANO RESTAURANT<br />
AND BAR 24-26 Harborne<br />
Rd, B15 3AA 0121 454<br />
6877<br />
BUONISSIMO 1 Albany<br />
Rd, Harborne, B17 9JX<br />
0121 426 2444<br />
CAFE OPUS 1 Oozells<br />
Square, Brindleyplace,<br />
B1 2HS 0121 248 3226<br />
CARLUCCIO’S The Water’s<br />
Edge, Brindleyplace<br />
B1 2HP 0121 633 9262<br />
CENTENARY BAR &<br />
BRASSERIE Broad Street,<br />
B1 2EP 0121 245 2080<br />
CHI BAR & GRILL 61<br />
Newhall Street, B3 3RB<br />
0121 233 3150<br />
CHUNG YING<br />
16-18 Wrottersley Street,<br />
B5 4RT 0121 622 5669<br />
CHUNG YING GARDEN 17<br />
Thorpe St, B5 4AT<br />
0121 666 6622<br />
CIELO 6 Oozells Square,<br />
Brindleyplace, B1 2JB<br />
0121 632 6882<br />
COAST TO COAST 9<br />
Brindleyplace, Broad<br />
Street, B1 2HJ<br />
COTE The Mailbox,<br />
B1 1RX 0121 631 1587<br />
CUCINA RUSTICA 24<br />
Ludgate Hill, B3 1DX<br />
0121 233 2277<br />
DEL VILLAGGIO<br />
Unit 528, Middle Mall,<br />
The Bullring. B5 4BE<br />
0121 643 1400<br />
EDMUNDS 6 Brindley<br />
place, B1 2JB 0121 633<br />
4944<br />
FLEET STREET KITCHEN<br />
Fleet Street, Islington<br />
Gates, B3 1JH 0121 236<br />
0100<br />
ITIHAAS 18 Fleet St, B3<br />
1JL 0121 212 3383<br />
JAMIE’S ITALIAN Middle<br />
Mall, Bullring Shopping<br />
Centre, B5 4BE<br />
0121 270 3610<br />
JIMMY SPICES Regency<br />
Wharf, Broad St, B1 2DS<br />
0121 643 2111<br />
LAS IGUANAS Arcadian<br />
Centre, Hurst St, B5 4TD<br />
0121 622 4466<br />
LASAN 3-4 Dakota<br />
Buildings, James St, St<br />
Paul’s Square, B3 1SD<br />
0121 212 3664<br />
THE LOFT LOUNGE<br />
143 Bromsgrove St,<br />
B5 6RG 0121 622 2444<br />
THE LOST & FOUND<br />
8 Bennetts Hill, B2 5RS<br />
0121 643 9293<br />
LOVES The Glasshouse,<br />
Browning St, B16 8FL<br />
0121 454 5151<br />
MECHU 47 - 59 Summer<br />
Row, B3 1JJ 0121 212<br />
1661<br />
METRO BAR & GRILL 73<br />
Cornwall St B3 2DF<br />
0121 200 1911<br />
MINT Yew Tree Retail<br />
Park, Stoney Lane<br />
Yardley, B25 8YP<br />
0121 789 8908<br />
MOUNT FUJI The Bullring,<br />
B5 4BH 0121 633 9853<br />
NUVO BAR 11 Brindley<br />
Place, B1 2LP 0121 631<br />
1600<br />
OPUS 54 Cornwall St,<br />
B3 2DE 0121 200 2323<br />
THE ORIENTAL The<br />
Mailbox, 128-130<br />
Wharfside St, B1 1RQ<br />
0121 633 9988<br />
PEACHYKEENS 1741<br />
Coventry Road, B26<br />
1DS 0121 764 5519<br />
PENNY BLACKS<br />
SINGLE?<br />
The Mailbox, 132-134<br />
Wharfside St, B1 1XL<br />
0121 632 1460<br />
PICCOLINO<br />
9 Brindleyplace B1 2HS<br />
0121 634 3055<br />
PITCHER & PIANO<br />
Brindleyplace, B1 2HP<br />
0121 643 0214<br />
POPPY RED Arcadian<br />
Centre, Birmingham B5<br />
4TD 0121 687 1200<br />
PURNELL’S 55 Cornwall<br />
St, B3 2DH 0121 212<br />
9799<br />
PURNELL’SBISTOR & GIN-<br />
GER’S BAR 11 Newhall<br />
Street, B3 3NY, 0121<br />
2000 1588<br />
THE RECTORY 50-54 St<br />
Paul’s Sq, B3 1QS<br />
0121 605 1001<br />
RED PEPPERS 117<br />
Wharfside St, B1 1RF<br />
0121 643 4202<br />
SAN CARLO 4 Temple St,<br />
B2 5BN 0121 633 0251<br />
SHIMLA PINKS 215 Broad<br />
St, B15 1AY 0121 633<br />
0366<br />
SIMPSONS, 20 Highfield<br />
Rd, Edgbaston B13 3DU<br />
0121 454 3434<br />
THE SLUG AND LETTUCE,<br />
Brindley Place,<br />
Birmingham B1 2HL<br />
0121 633 3049<br />
STRADA 109-111<br />
Wharfside St, The<br />
Mailbox B1 1XL<br />
0121 643 7279<br />
TGI FRIDAYS 180 Hagley<br />
Road, Edgbaston, B16<br />
9NY 0121 454 1930<br />
THAI EDGE 7 Oozells Sq,<br />
B1 2HL 0121 643 3993<br />
THE VAULTS Newhall<br />
Place, Newhall Hill,<br />
B1 3JH 0121 212 9837<br />
WAGAMAMA Brindley<br />
Place, birmingham B1<br />
Warwickshire<br />
7 SQUARE 7 Old Square,<br />
Warwick CV34 4RA<br />
01926 411 755<br />
NO. 9 CHURCH STREET<br />
Stratford upon Avon,<br />
Warwickshire CV37 6HB<br />
01789 415522<br />
AGRA PLACE 12 Abbey<br />
Green, Nuneaton, CV11<br />
5DR 024 7635 0515<br />
THE ALMANAK Abbey End<br />
North, Kenilworth, CV8<br />
1QJ 01926 353 637<br />
AUBERGINE 32 Smith St,<br />
Warwick CV34 4HS<br />
01926 400 086<br />
THE ALMANACK Abbey<br />
UK’s leading social events club are holding their<br />
Summer Ball, Sat 5th July<br />
at Cottons Hotel, Manchester Road, Knutsford, Cheshire<br />
8pm Drinks Reception, 3 Course meal & all drinks<br />
Events weekly include dining out, dinner dances, black tie<br />
balls, theatre, parties, weekends away and holidays abroad.<br />
(01244) 677030 w/days or 548816 eve/weekends<br />
www.thedinnerclubuk.com<br />
£68<br />
accom also<br />
available<br />
End North, Kenilworth<br />
CV8 1QJ 01926 353637<br />
BLUE BISTRO 21 Spon St,<br />
Coventry, CV1 3BA 024<br />
7622 9274<br />
BROWNS Earl St, Coventry<br />
CV1 5RU 0247 622 1100<br />
CARLUCCIOS 13 Waterside,<br />
Stratford-Upon-Avon<br />
CV37 6BA<br />
01789 267424<br />
CASTLES 6 Castle Street,<br />
CV34 4QU 01926 495421<br />
CATALAN 6 Jury St ,<br />
Warwick CV34 4EW<br />
01926 498 930<br />
THE CHURCH STREET<br />
TOWNHOUSE 16 Church<br />
Street, Stratford-upon-<br />
Avon CV37 6HB 01789<br />
262222<br />
COOMBE ABBEY Brinklow<br />
Road, Coventry, CV3 2AB<br />
024 7645 0450<br />
CROSSED KHUKRIS GURKHA<br />
115 Abbey Street,<br />
Nuneaton, CV11 5BX 024<br />
7634 4488<br />
EDWARD MOON 9 Chapel<br />
Street, Stratford-upon-<br />
Avon, CV37 6EP 01789<br />
267069<br />
EGO 29 The Square,<br />
Kenilworth, CV8 1EF<br />
01926 864463<br />
THE ENCORE<br />
Bridge Street Stratford<br />
upon Avon CV37 6AB<br />
01789 269462<br />
FINEST CATCH B’ham Rd,<br />
Henley in Arden. B95<br />
5QR 01564 793783<br />
FIVE RIVERS 20-22 Victoria<br />
Terrace,<br />
Leamington Spa, CV31<br />
3AB 01926 431999<br />
GEORGETOWN 23 Sheep<br />
St, Stratford-Upon-Avon,<br />
CV37 6EF 01789 204445<br />
GRANTS OF SHEEP ST 21-<br />
23 Sheep Street,<br />
Stratford-upon-Avon,<br />
CV37 6EF 01789 290 008<br />
HIGH PAVEMENT BAR & DIN-<br />
ING 3 High Street, CV34<br />
4AP 01926 494725<br />
HELP OUT MILL Heather<br />
Rd, Shakerstone,<br />
Nuneaton. CV13 0BT<br />
01530 260666<br />
INDIA RED 25 Abbey<br />
Street, Nuneaton, CV11<br />
5BX 024 7634 2090<br />
JIMMY SPICES 64-66<br />
Station Rd, Solihull, B91<br />
3RX 0121 709 2111<br />
LE BISTRO PIERRE Swans<br />
Nest, Bridgford, Stratford<br />
upon Avon. CV37 7LT<br />
01789 264804<br />
MALLORY COURT Harbury<br />
Lane, Leamington Spa,<br />
CV33 9QB, 01926 330214<br />
MATRICARDIS 97 High St,<br />
Henley in Arden. B95 5AT<br />
01564 792735<br />
MERCHANTS Swan Street,<br />
Warwick CV34 4BJ 01926<br />
403833<br />
NICOLINIS 14 The Parade,<br />
Leamington Spa, CV32<br />
4DW 01926 421620<br />
ONE ELM 1 Guild St,<br />
Stratford-Upon-Avon,<br />
CV37 6QZ 01789 404919<br />
PREZZO 1-3 High St,<br />
Warwick CV34 4AP<br />
01926 475867<br />
RESTAURANT 23<br />
34 Hamilton Terrace, Holly<br />
Walk Leamington Spa,<br />
CV32 4LY 01926 422422<br />
RISTORANTE DA VINCI 50<br />
Earlsdon Street, Coventry,<br />
CV5 6EJ 024 7671 3554<br />
ROBBIE’S RESTAURANT 74<br />
Smith Street, CV34 4HU<br />
Balcony Brasserie, Selfridges, Birmingham<br />
01926 400470<br />
ROOFTOP RESTAURANT<br />
@ The RST, Waterside,<br />
Stratford-upon-Avon,<br />
CV37 6BB 01789 403449<br />
SAFFRON GOLD Market St,<br />
Westgate House,<br />
Warwick CV34 4DE<br />
01926 402061<br />
THE SAXON MILL<br />
Coventry Rd, Guys Cliffe,<br />
Warwick CV34 5YN<br />
01926 492 255<br />
SIGNATURES @ The<br />
Belgrade Theatre,<br />
Coventry, CV1 1GS<br />
02476 846762<br />
TAILORS 22 Market Place,<br />
Warwick CV34 4SL<br />
01926 410590<br />
THE TREVELYAN Warwick<br />
Rd, Stratford-upon-Avon,<br />
CV37 ONR<br />
01789 295252<br />
THE VINE INN 86 - 88 West<br />
St, Warwick CV34 6AW<br />
07873 219005<br />
WARWICK SPICE 24 Smith<br />
Street, CV34 4HS 01926<br />
491736<br />
ZIZZI 85-87 Regent<br />
Square House, Parade,<br />
Leamington Spa CV 32<br />
4NL 01926 432532<br />
Worcestershire<br />
ANAKARI 47 The Tythings,<br />
Worcester. WR1 1JT<br />
01905 21412<br />
ANGEL CHEF 1 Angel St,<br />
Worcester WR1 3QT<br />
01905 731131<br />
ANUPAM 85 Church<br />
Street, Malvern. WR14<br />
2AE 01684 573814<br />
BACCHUS 44 Worcester<br />
Road, Bromsgrove B61<br />
0TA 01527 877557<br />
BENEDICTOS 34 Sidbury,<br />
Worcester WR1 2HZ<br />
01905 21444<br />
BINDLES BAR & BRASSERIE<br />
55 Sidbury, WR1 2HU<br />
01905 611120<br />
BRAMBLINGS Hither Green<br />
Lane, Redditch, B98 9BE<br />
01527 406600<br />
BRIDGE INN Plough Road,<br />
Droitwich WR9 7NQ<br />
01905 345874<br />
BROWNS 24 Quay St,<br />
Worcester WR1 2JJ<br />
01905 26263<br />
CHADDESLEY RESTAURANT<br />
Brockencote Hall Hotel,<br />
Kidderminster DY10 4PY<br />
01562 777876<br />
THE CHASE INN Chase Rd,<br />
Upper Colwall, Malvern.<br />
WR13 6DQ 01684<br />
540276<br />
CHESTERS 51 New St,<br />
Worcester, WR1 2DL<br />
01905 611638<br />
CROWN & SANDYS<br />
Main Rd, Ombersley,<br />
WR9 0EW 01905 62025<br />
EWE AND LAMB Hanbury<br />
Road, Bromsgrove B60<br />
4DN 01527 871 929<br />
THE FIG TREE 99 Church<br />
Street, Gt Malvern, WR14<br />
2AE 01684 569909<br />
FOUR SEASONS 61<br />
Lowesmoor, Worcester<br />
WR1 2RS 01905 27026<br />
FUSION BRASSERIE<br />
Hawbridge, Stoulton,<br />
Worcester WR7 4RJ<br />
01905 840647<br />
THE INN AT STONEHALL<br />
Stonehall Common,<br />
Worcester, WR5 3QG<br />
01905820462<br />
KING CHARLES II King<br />
Charles House, New St,<br />
Worcester WR1 2D<br />
01905 22449<br />
L’AMUSE BOUCHE 51<br />
Graham Rd, Malvern.<br />
WR14 2HU 01684<br />
572427<br />
LANGTREYS 89a High St,<br />
Bromsgrove. B61 8AQ<br />
01527 878242<br />
LITTLE VENICE 1 - 3 St<br />
Nicholas St, Worcester<br />
WR1 1UW 01905<br />
726126<br />
LOTUS HOUSE 33<br />
Ombersley St East,<br />
Droitwich, WR9 8QX<br />
01905 770079<br />
MAEKONG THAI 12<br />
Worcester Road,<br />
Bromsgrove B61 7AE<br />
01527 578888<br />
MASSALLA LOUNGE 35<br />
Broad St, Worcester<br />
WR1 3NH 01905<br />
729955<br />
MUG HOUSE Claines<br />
Lane, Worcester WR3<br />
7RN 01905 456649<br />
ON THE ROCKS 44<br />
Worcester Road,<br />
Bromsgrove, B61 7AE<br />
01527 882412<br />
PORTOFINO, 6 Worcester<br />
Rd, Droitwich. WR9 8AD<br />
01905 794799<br />
PORTWAY ITALIAN,<br />
Alcester Rd, Redditch.<br />
B48 7HT 01564 824794<br />
PUCCINI'S, 12 Friar St,<br />
Worcester WR12LZ<br />
01905 27770<br />
RAJDOOT Cutnall Green,<br />
Droitwich. WR9 0PW<br />
01299 851000<br />
ROSADOS’S 2 Finstall Rd,<br />
Aston Fields,<br />
Bromsgrove. B60 2DZ<br />
01527 889948<br />
SAFFRON BISTRO 15 New<br />
St, Worcester WR1 2DP<br />
01905 610505<br />
For full Restaurant listings<br />
visit: www.whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
66 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
For full Restaurant listings<br />
visit: whatsonlive.co.uk<br />
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