BOOKSTOREPrimary Times BirminghamBoxOffice26 Nov – 30 NovA Christmas CarolVarious times. Ebenezer Scroogeis a prosperous curmudgeonwho believes personal wealthis far more valuable than thehappiness and comfort of others.With an infuriated “Bah! Humbug!”Scrooge summates his feelings ofChristmas tidings and charitablegiving, but he’s forced to face hisselfish ways when three ghosts onChristmas Eve lead him throughhis Past, Present, and Future.T: 0844 871 7615.The Core TheatreSolihullB91 3RGwww.coretheatresolihull.co.uk28 NovThe Lock in Christmas Carol7.30pm. Half gig, half dance showand half panto. Join the BBCAward-winning team of musiciansand dancers for 150% of the verybest festive live music, song anddance. It’s Christmas Eve andthe regulars of The Olde FightingCocks are excited about thenight ahead, it’s going to be theFolk and Hip Hop dance partyof the year. To their dismay thelandlady, Jasmineezer Scrooge,has more profitable ambitions andis preparing to launch her newbusiness, the “Oompah TechnoBar!! Cheap alco-pops, luminouslighting and mind-numbingbass beats are all in danger ofalienating the local communityand ruining Christmas.T: 0121 704 6962.13 Dec – 5 JanRobin Hood - The PantomimeAdventureVarious times. From the teambehind last year’s Sleeping Beautycomes a brand new pantomimeadventure that targets your funnybone. This year, travel deep intothe heart of magical SherwoodForest, where the men wear thetights and the women wear thetrousers. This show is jam packedwith daring duels, stunning sets,outrageous costumes and a verymerry man in a dress that will setyour heart a quiver.T: 0121 704 6962.1 FebSing-a-long-a The GreatestShowman2pm. Cheer on Hugh Jackman,and hiss Rebecca Ferguson (…or maybe not) as you experienceThe Greatest Showman in thegreatest way possible – with lyricson the screen so you can join inas loud as you want. It couldn’t beeasier… or more fun! The first ruleof Sing-a-long-a is THERE ARENO RULES. Fancy dress is stronglyencouraged and full audienceparticipation essential.T: 0121 704 6962.The Crescent TheatreB16 8AEwww.crescent-theatre.co.uk29 Nov– 30 NovTreasure Island ThePanto7.30pm. Join Jim Hawkins as hesets out on his quest to find theburied treasure - but can heoutwit the wily old pirate LongJohn Silver? There’ll be peglegs,there’ll be sword fights, andthere’ll be boys in little sailor suits.What more could you want?T: 0121 643 5858.3 Dec – 14 DecA Christmas CarolVarious times. Can four spiritssucceed in their mission to makeEbenezer Scrooge see the errorof his miserly ways? Will he makepeace with his nephew, Fred?Will Tiny Tim live? Come alongand join in this Christmas as theold miser makes his journey frombitter distrust to joyful hope for abetter, more caring future.T: 0121 643 5858.The Old Rep TheatreB5 4DYwww.oldreptheatre.org.uk16 Nov– 30 DecThe Snow QueenVarious times. This adaptation ofthe magical adventure followsinseparable friends Kai and Gerda.When the heartless Snow Queensteals Kai to help rebuild herbroken treasure, can Gerda rescuehim in time before she plungesthe world into an eternal winter?With the help of an unlikely bandof companions, Gerda travels tothe Kingdom of Ice to confrontthe Snow Queen and rescue herfriend. T: 0121 359 9444.9 Jan – 10 JanBirmingham Youth Theatre:Alice in Pantoland7.30pm. This promises to be afabulous and a bit bonkers taleof Alice’s adventure in Pantoland.Alice is bored, her mother insiststhat imagination is a waste oftime and that Alice must live adreary existence. Until one dayshe stumbles down a rabbit hole.Through a tiny door and sheis catapulted into a weird andwonderful world where all thepanto baddies live in the town ofHappily Never After and all theGoodies in the town of HappilyEver After. The baddies includingthe Queen of Hearts, CaptainHook, Abanazer and Carabooseset about bringing misery oneveryone in Happily Ever After.Can Alice save the day?T: 0121 359 9444.Text © D J Williams 2019BookstoreChristmasThere are some really uplifting stories here showing a varietyof ways people can overcome obstacles to find happiness anddiscover the importance of friendship. Hope youenjoy them as much as I have.StarReadAlien Superstar - Henry Winkler/Lin Oliver (Amulet Hb, £10.99)SEscaping his planet before all creativityis removed from him, Buddy’s spaceshiplands on the one place on earth wherea green six eyed alien can walk aboutwithout being noticed: the Universalbacklot in Hollywood! Passers by thinkhe is just another character in costume. Having watched aIn the Key of Code - Aimee Lucido (Walker, £6.99)Emmy loves music. With a pianist for a father and opera singingmother she expects to be a good musician, but despite herbest efforts, can’t play any instruments. Going to a new schoolfurther frustrates her as no one seems to notice her, until sheenrols in a new computer science class. The enthusiastic andinspiring teacher, Miss Delany, shows how her love of musiccan help her develop a love of coding and programming. Shesees a new way to make music and makes a friend. Slowlyher circle of friends who share her interest develops and sheis really happy at last. A piece of really bad news could spoil this, instead itfurther unites the new group. This inspirational story, unusually written in blank verse,flows so well it is hard to put it down. You don’t have to understand all the coding toenjoy it (It didn’t affect my enjoyment) It shows that sometimes if the path you arefollowing doesn’t lead to where you want to go, you shouldn’t despair. An alternativepath could surprise you by helping you reach your goal.The Impossible BoyBen Brooks (Quercus Hb, £9.99)When their friend moves away Oleg and Emma miss herso much they invent a friend called Sebastian to take herplace. Imagine their amazement when he actually showsup at school — a real person. He is a bit odd, there are a lotof things he doesn’t understand and he has a satchel fullof surprises including hot ice cream. Other strange thingsS Indicates a book is part of a seriesDebbielot of earth TV on his planet, Buddy jumps at the chance to be in a TVshow playing an alien. Using the special amulet his grandmother has given himwhich transmits electrical energy, Buddy is able to transform himself to looklike an old Hollywood movie star. To his delight his performance on the showis so successful he is cast as a permanent character. He becomes an overnightsuccess, but it isn’t all plain sailing. Without knowing what earth food cansustain him he becomes weak and unable to maintain his human form. Willanyone who sees his true appearance be able to recognise the kind characterbeneath the odd exterior? It becomes a rush against time to keep his secret.This is a lovely story full of warmth and humour, revealing a lot of what goeson behind scenes. There are some very likeable characters, especially the titleone, and others not so. I couldn’t put it down. Fair size print with some pictures,medium length novel — first in a new series.happen: a goat they had also invented turns up at schooland lots of snowmen are roaming the streets. Coming to terms withall this, the friends realise impossible things can make life happier. But then somemysteriously masked beings start following them and it is clear they want to takeSebastian away. Despite a valiant attempt to protect him, involving surprising allies,Sebastian is captured. Desperate to keep the magic of impossible alive, the friendsstage a very brave rescue attempt fraught with danger. This is an unusual, grippingstory full of ‘edge of the seat’ moments. It shows the lengths real friends will go toto help each other and the sacrifices they are willing to make. Full length novel.Perfectly Polite Penguins - GeorgianaDeutsch/ Ekaterina Trukhan (Little Tiger, £6.99)Penguins are always perfectly polite, waiting their turn,sharing toys and never forgetting their please and thankyous — except Polly. She thinks being polite is boring andcan be very naughty and rude. The other penguins hope toshow her the error of her ways, but one by one they startto realise the fun she is having. This leads to argumentsand lots of noise that frightens baby Peter and makeseven Polly realise being polite is best .....most of the time! A very funnypicture book aided by gorgeously expressive illustrations. With just a couple ofsentences on each page it is perfect for beginner readers.18WINTER 2019 | www.primarytimes.co.uk/birmingham
Primary Times Birmingham27 Nov – 11 Janwww.belgrade.co.ukMidlands Arts Centre, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham, B12 9QHKipper’s Snowy Day was originally produced by Norden Farm Centre for the Arts, MaidenheadSee website for Relaxed and BSL performances. Midlands Arts Centre / Reg company no: 718349 / Reg charity no: 528979www.primarytimes.co.uk/birmingham | WINTER 2019 19
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