J’AIME JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

WHAT: VAMOS THEATRE: DEAD GOOD
WHERE: MAC BIRMINGHAM
WHEN: FEBRUARY 8 AND 9
Worcester-based full mask theatre company Vamos Theatre are heading on tour
with their latest show, Dead Good, with two Birmingham dates this month.
Bob and Bernard don’t have that much in common. But after a chance meeting
at their weekly hospice group, they realise they share one ambition – to do some
serious living before they die. So, with a bottle of Bollinger and the keys to
Bernard’s Bentley in hand, they hit the road, and take on one final, death-defying
adventure.
Originally commissioned by London International Mime Festival, Dead Good is
a funny and poignant theatre show celebrating friendship - and the importance of
living every precious day to the full. Bubbling with humour and awash with pathos,
this beautifully crafted production is performed entirely without words.
Tickets are priced from £8. For more details visit www.macbirmingham.co.uk
WHAT: MATTHEW BOURNE’S NUTCRACKER!
WHERE: BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME
WHEN: FEBRUARY 8-12
This is a Nutcracker! for all seasons, adored by audiences and critics alike. With
generous family-sized helpings of Bourne’s trademark wit and magical fantasy,
Nutcracker! follows Clara’s journey through a shimmering, ice-skating wonderland
to the scrumptious candy kingdom of Sweetieland, on a set influenced by the
lavish Hollywood musicals of the 1930s.
Tchaikovsky’s glorious score and Anthony Ward’s fabulous sets and costumes
combine with Matthew Bourne’s dazzling choreography to create a fresh and
charmingly irreverent interpretation of the classic. Expect a sprinkling of
delicious new surprises in this re-imagined production, for ages five-plus. The
running time is approximately two hours - with an interval - and tickets are priced
from £22.50. For more details visit www.birminghamhippodrome.com
WHAT: KYLA BROX
WHERE: LICHFIELD GUILDHALL
WHEN: FEBRUARY 12
Widely regarded as one of the best soul-blues singers the British Isles has ever
produced, Kyla Brox has been described as “the finest female blues singer of
her generation”. The award-winning Mancunian singer-songwriter was named
winner of the 2019 European Blues Challenge, Best Female Vocalist in the 2019
European Blues Awards, and took home Best Vocalist at 2019 UK Blues Awards
as well as being nominated in 2020 and 2021.
With many albums under her belt and many miles covered touring all over the
world, her voice is tender, urgent and gritty, blurring the distinction between
pleasure and pain. Combined with the enchantingly fluent guitar work of Paul
Farr, inspired bass playing of Danny Blomeley and in-the-pocket drumming
of Mark Warburton, it makes for a unique and powerful, often joyous, always
emotional experience.
Tickets are priced between £8.50 and £17. For more details, visit
www.lichfieldarts.org.uk
WHAT: ROMEO & JULIET - THE ROYAL BALLET
WHERE: LICHFIELD GARRICK
WHEN: FEBRUARY 20
Romeo and Juliet has become a modern ballet classic since its creation by
Royal Ballet Director Kenneth MacMillan and premiere in 1965. In this special
screening of a performance recorded live at the Royal Opera House, the doomed
lovers attempt to find their way through the colour and action of Renaissance
Verona, where a busy market all too quickly bursts into sword fighting and a
family feud leads to tragedy for both the Montagues and the Capulets. Prokofiev’s
ravishing score sweeps this dramatic ballet towards its inevitable, emotional
end. The performance features Marcelino Sambé as Romeo and Anna-Rose
O’Sullivan as Juliet, accompanied by the orchestra of the Royal Opera House.
Tickets are priced at £16.50. For more details visit www.lichfieldgarrick.com
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