Birmingham What's On November 2016

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Your FREE essential entertainment guide for the Midlands

ISSUE 371 NOVEMBER 2016

Birmingham

’ What sOn FILM I COMEDY I THEATRE I GIGS I VISUAL ARTS I EVENTS I FOOD

birminghamwhatson.co.uk

BILLY CONNOLLY - THE BIG YIN OUT ON TOUR

thelist

inside:

Your 16-page week by week listings guide

Contents November Birmingham.qxp_Layout 1 24/10/2016 18:38 Page 1

Contents November Birmingham.qxp_Layout 1 24/10/2016 15:44 Page 1

November 2016

Contents

Vamos Cuba! - Nilda Guerra’s new show set to get audiences on their feet... page 19

the list

Pride And Prejudice

Anoushka Shankar

Craft & Hobby Fair

Matthew Kelly stars in Jane Austen classic at The REP

themes of movement, asylum and refugees at Symphony Hall

four distinct shows for the price of one at the NEC

Your 16-page week-by-week listings guide

Interview page 8

page 14

page 47

page 51

inside: 4. First Word

11. Food

14. Music

20. Comedy

24. Theatre

39. Film

43. Visual Arts

47. Events

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Birmingham What’s On Magazine

Birmingham What’s On Magazine

Birmingham What’s On Magazine

What’sOn MAGAZINE GROUP

Managing Director: Davina Evans davina@whatsonlive.co.uk 01743 281708 Sales & Marketing: Lei Woodhouse lei@whatsonlive.co.uk 01743 281703 Chris Horton chris@whatsonlive.co.uk 01743 281704 Matt Rothwell matt@whatsonlive.co.uk 01743 281719 Editorial: Lauren Foster lauren@whatsonlive.co.uk 01743 281707 Sue Jones sue@whatsonlive.co.uk 01743 281705 Brian O’Faolain brian@whatsonlive.co.uk 01743 281701 Abi Whitehouse abi@whatsonlive.co.uk 01743 281716 Ryan Humphreys ryan@whatsonlive.co.uk 01743 281722 Adrian Parker adrian.parker@whatsonlive.co.uk 01743 281714 Rhian Atherton rhian@whatsonlive.co.uk 01743 281726 Contributors: Graham Bostock, James Cameron-Wilson, Heather Kincaid, David Vincent, Katherine Ewing, Lauren Cox Publisher and CEO: Martin Monahan Accounts Administrator: Julia Perry julia@whatsonlive.co.uk 01743 281717 This publication is printed on paper from a sustainable source and is produced without the use of elemental chlorine.

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First Word Jodie Prenger to star in Willy Russell classic One of the country’s favourite stage actresses is set to star in a 30th anniversary stage revival of Willy Russell’s Shirley Valentine when it visits Birmingham early next year.

Jodie Prenger shot to fame in I’d Do Anything, a TV series which searched for an unknown actress to star as Nancy in a West End revival of Lionel Bart’s musical, Oliver!

The touring production of Shirley Valentine will show at the New Alexandra Theatre from Monday 6 to Saturday 11 February.

Commenting on the revival, Willy Russell said; “It’s now 30 years since Shirley Valentine first walked onto the page, into my life and the lives of so many others.

“When producer Adam Spiegel introduced me to Jodie, I knew in an instant that here was a formidable actress; one who possessed the grit and the warmth, the drive and the vulnerability, the energy and the heart to make Shirley Valentine really live again. How could any playwright resist that, or deny the whole of the UK the chance to see Jodie bring Shirley to life?”

Tickets for the New Alexandra Theatre performances of the show are available via atgtickets.com/Birmingham or by ringing 0844 871 3011.

Something to SHOUT about in Birmingham Birmingham’s annual celebration of queer arts & culture makes a welcome return this month.

SHOUT Festival is taking place at venues across the city for an eighth year, showcasing ‘the best of queer performance, theatre, visual arts and film from around the UK and beyond’.

“The event launches with the outrageous Miss Behave’s Gameshow,” says SHOUT Steering Group Chair Neil Anderson, “a renegade gameshow for the austerity generation. The festival then offers the best in live performance, theatre, music, comedy, cabaret, visual arts, talks, film, workshops and events at some of the city’s most prominent arts venues.

“We close on 20 November, Trans Day of Remembrance, with the return of our free and ever-popular community event, SHOUT Out, at mac Birmingham, which will include performances and activities throughout the day.

“The closing performance of the festival will be the award-winning Big Girl’s Blouse, a show that explores what being transgender was like in the 1970s.”

SHOUT Festival takes place at venues across the city from Thursday 10 to Sunday 20 November.

For more information, visit shoutfestival.co.uk 4 whatsonlive.co.uk

Assay Office silver on show at antiques fair The Birmingham Assay Office, where hallmarks are applied, is making a significant contribution to next month’s Antiques For Everyone Winter Fair at the city’s NEC (1-4 December).

A number of items from a beautiful range of silver, inspired by the Arts & Crafts Movement and manufactured in Birmingham in the late 19th and early 20th century, will go on show at the fair in a feature exhibition.

The items form part of the Assay Office’s private collection.

Commenting on the exhibition, Mary Claire Boyd, Antiques For Everyone’s Winter Fair Director, said: “We’re delighted to have this opportunity to see one of the Assay Office’s private collections. This exhibit will allow us all to celebrate the Arts & Crafts Movement, and to delve into the historic connections it has with Birmingham.”

Theatre production offers platform to Brum’s young showbusiness hopefuls Young people from Birmingham are set to take centre stage this month when they star in a brand new theatre production.

Mirrors & Makeup - The Musical will provide second-city youths with the chance to showcase their talents and develop skills which will prove useful to them in adult life.

The project has been organised by local record label GT's Records.

Commenting on the initiative, the label’s director and founder, Grantley Haynes, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for the talented young individuals who’ve approached us in the past to enter the entertainment industry, which is a tough and extremely competitive business. It’s given the young people that I, and many of my colleagues, have previously mentored a way to prove to themselves that they’re made of tough stuff.

It gives them something they can say is their own. That in itself is really exciting to see.”

Mirrors & Makeup - The Musical examines some of the key social issues that can compromise the development of a young person, such as unemployment, youth crime, substance misuse, bullying and prejudice.

The show takes place at South & City College in Digbeth on 12 November.

Tickets cost £8 and can be purchased at gtsrecords.co.uk.

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Entertainment news from around the region

World-renowned toy store comes to the Midlands Famous toy shop Hamleys has opened its first store in the West Midlands.

The shop opened late last month at Resorts World Birmingham, to coincide with the latter’s first birthday.

Hamleys joins Resorts’ numerous other attractions, including 50 outlet stores, 18 bars and restaurants, an 11-screen cinema with IMAX, a luxury spa, a state-of-the-art casino and a boutique hotel.

A festive gift of a fair celebrates its 21st birthday The annual Festive Gift Fair at Birmingham’s NEC is this year celebrating its 21st anniversary.

Described by its organisers as ‘a colourful Aladdin’s cave’, the fair features thousands upon thousands of Christmas presents, providing visitors with the chance to sew up all their festive gift buying in a single day.

As well as all the presents, attractions at this year’s show include a giant inflatable snowglobe, a talking letterbox, three giant-sized stockings full of goodies to be won, a new line-up of live music and the everpopular Santa & The Dame.

The Festive Gift Fair takes place at the NEC from Thursday 10 to Sunday 13 November.

For more information, visit festivegiftfair.co.uk

New Birmingham REP season to explore ‘shared experiences’ Universal stories and shared experiences will be explored across Birmingham Repertory Theatre’s three stages in the venue’s spring-summer season of shows.

The Centenary Square-located theatre’s recently announced programme features a number of not-to-bemissed highlights, including the UK premiere of What’s In A Name?, a razor-sharp comedy starring Nigel Harman and Sarah Hadland.

Reggae legend Bob Marley’s inspirational music is brought to the stage in One Love: The Bob Marley Musical - another UK premiere - while local football fans put themselves in the spotlight in the premiere of Mohamed El Khatib’s Stadium.

The season also features a new adaptation of ER Brathwaite’s To Sir, With Love, which is being presented at The REP 50 years after the release of the film version starring Sidney Poitier and a young Lulu.

Commenting on the new season, The REP’s artistic director, Roxana Silbert, said: “This season, we focus on stories about bringing people together. From a whole country united through Bob Marley’s music in One Love to individuals united by their love of football in Stadium; from a teacher and his pupils looking for acceptance in To Sir, With Love to a loving family whose unity rapidly unravels in What’s In A Name?”

Other shows featuring in The REP’s new season include Sally Cookson’s visually stunning staging of Fellini’s Oscarwinning masterpiece, La Strada, and award-winning West End comedy, The Play That Goes Wrong

Messiah by the city’s choir The City of Birmingham Choir’s annual performance of Handel’s magnificent choral masterpiece, Messiah, is a well-established element of the Midlands’ festive music scene. It’s next month performed by the choir alongside the CBSO, at Symphony Hall on 2 December.

In a Christmas nutshell and as the choir itself describes it - the work ‘compresses the Old Testament prophesies of Jesus’ life into two-and-ahalf hours and sets it to timeless and sublime music’.

As re-tellings of the Christmas story go, this is one that’s definitely well worth hearing.

Youth project celebrates local music An exhibition highlighting the city’s musical heritage opens in Birmingham this month.

The result of a project entitled Our Musical Roots, coordinated by the Birmingham Music Archive and local urban arts company City Of Colours, the exhibition was created by young people in three underprivileged areas of the city - Highgate, Digbeth and Lozells.

Commenting on the project, which has also included the creation of two murals, unveiled last month, Jez Collins, founder of Birmingham Music Archive, said: “Birmingham’s impact on the global music industry is criminally overlooked in comparison to cities like Manchester and Liverpool, yet Birmingham has a rich, diverse and sustained history of music activity. The roots of reggae dig deep, four blokes from Aston conquered the world and spawned heavy metal in the process, and the city is home to the centre of England’s Asian music industry. It’s so important to keep this history alive and to celebrate, preserve and embrace it. Projects like this are vital in inspiring young people to be proud of their musical roots, to create their own music and to pass it down for generations to come.”

The Our Musical Roots exhibition shows at Muthers Studio in Digbeth on Thursday 17 November. whatsonlive.co.uk 5

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First Word It’s all about the BASS...

The UK’s only Black Arts commissioning festival is once again taking place in Birmingham this month (various venues, Thursday 10 to Monday 28 November).

BASS Festival is now over 10 years old and returns in 2016 with the theme of Hip Hop 360.

A celebration of the full spectrum of hip-hop culture, the event will cover everything ‘from music to graffiti’ and the global impact of the genre.

“BASS started as a result of conversations with young people, particularly from Afro Caribbean communities,” explains the festival’s chief executive officer Ammo Talwar MBE. “What we wanted to do as an arts company was create something that would connect young people to mainstream arts organisations through a commissioning process. We wanted to commission new work, individuals, producers, to create something that connected their art form to the broader arts community. That was the idea in theory. The first couple of years, we were making it up as we went along, but over the years, it really has become a defined part of Birmingham’s cultural offer.”

Pictured opposite is Slick Rick, who makes his Birmingham debut at the O2 Institute on 28 November. For full details, visit bass2016.co.uk

Birmingham theatre commemorates scientific breakthrough Birmingham Hippodrome has commissioned an innovative new digital dance film and sonic soundscape to commemorate the birthday of a scientific breakthrough.

The commission is to mark the 120th anniversary of the first medical X-Ray performed in Birmingham by radiology pioneer Major John Hall-Edwards.

Entitled X-Ray: The Unknown Quantity, the film will show on digital screens in the Hippodrome’s foyers and in partner venues Birmingham City University and Birmingham Children’s Hospital - to coincide with World Radiography Day. X-Ray: The Unknown Quantity is launched on Tuesday 8 November.

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Brum arts venue hosts dance conference A Birmingham arts venue is this month hosting a conference focusing on dance of the ‘African diaspora’. The term is used to refer to worldwide communities which have resulted, via descent, from the movement in historic times of people from Africa.

Re:generations 4 - Diasporic Dance: Legacies Of Imagination takes place from Thursday 3 to Saturday 5 November at mac Birmingham.

The fourth in a UK series of biennial conferences focusing on the topic, the event seeks to reaffirm the country’s significant contribution to the art form.

Among the highlights of the conference are three public performances of mixed bills, with contributors including Birmingham company ACE Dance & Music.

For performance tickets, visit macbirmingham.co.uk/whats-on

An illuminating UK first at Genting Arena Birmingham’s Genting Arena has spent £800,000 on a state-of-the-art LED lighting system to dramatically enhance the experience of watching shows and events at the venue.

The first of its kind to be installed in a UK arena, the system has the ability to produce a multitude of colours, transforming the look and feel of the place.

Commenting on the investment, the venue’s managing director, Phil Mead, said: “The installation of this new colour-changing lighting system has really improved the quality of our lighting within the arena. It can create different atmospheres for all genres of event, making you feel completely a part of the event from the minute you walk through the turnstiles until the minute you leave us. This is a unique technology that can’t be found anywhere else in the UK at present, and will help create an unforgettable experience for all our event-goers.”

Coffee, cake and live music at the New Alex The New Alexandra Theatre has launched a weekly coffee, cake and live music event, taking place every Friday from 11am to 3pm.

Students from Birmingham Conservatoire will provide the music.

Commenting on the new initiative, Lisa Mart, general manager of the New Alex, said: “We’re thrilled to launch this brand new event, where customers can listen to quality music whilst enjoying a cuppa in the beautiful surroundings of our Piano Bar.”

Robert Glasper in Birmingham Grammy Award-winning pianist Robert Glasper takes to the stage at Birmingham Town Hall this month (Sunday 20 November).

The versatile Glasper, who’s recently worked with both Miles Davis and Kendrick Lamar, is joined for the gig by the Experiment band, highly regarded for their innovative blend of jazz, hip-hop-fuelled grooves and cutting-edge fusion electronic sounds.

“We’re delighted to be presenting Robert Glasper in Birmingham,” says Mary Wakelam-Sloan, Jazzlines Manager at the Town Hall.

“He is without doubt one of the world’s leading contemporary artists. His recent work on the Miles Davis projects and with Kendrick Lamar has been brilliant, and I can’t wait to hear the new version of his Experiment band.”

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FEATURE

“We are all fools in love” A new staging of Jane Austen’s ultimate romantic comedy opens at the REP It is a truth universally acknowledged that a classic novel celebrating a major anniversary must be in want of an adaptation. In 2013, 200 years after the publication of Pride And Prejudice, director Deborah Bruce brought the world of Lizzie Bennet to life on stage at Regent's Park's spectacular Open Air Theatre. Now, as we approach the anniversary of Jane Austen's death, Bruce returns with a whole new cast to embark on a nationwide tour of the show, arriving at Birmingham REP in November.

Of course, Pride And Prejudice has been adapted countless times before - for better or worse, who doesn't have the sight of Colin Firth dripping from a quick dip in the lake etched forever in their minds? But for the Generation Y, perhaps the strongest association is with Keira Knightley and the doe-eyed Matthew McFadyen in Joe Wright's considerably less faithful feature film.

There'll be some who have seen and loved the wonderful web show version, which updates the story for the digital age, while a tiny few of us are even nerd enough to know the 1940 take, with all its mounds of hideously anachronistic fuss and frills.

Either way, you could easily be persuaded that by now the world has had its fill of muslin gowns, rolling estates and brooding gents. It's no small feat then, that Bruce is able to make audiences look back on the story with fresh eyes.

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Playing the role of Elizabeth is Tafline Steen. Fresh from finishing drama school, Steen gets her first taste of touring theatre with the show.

“I think if you're of a certain age and you live in England, you will have seen a bit of the Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle version at some point,” says Steen, “but it never really imprinted on me. I did see the Joe Wright film, which I know some purists don't like, but I actually really enjoyed it. I never felt the need to go back and look over previous productions, though.

Thanks to Deborah, there was no sense of having to honour (Lizzie's) iconicism or other people's interpretations of her.”

What's perhaps most striking about the Regent's Park production is how it places not the young lovers, but the older generation centre stage. In highlighting the loneliness and disappointment of Mr and Mrs Bennet, Bruce shows how this drives their differing ambitions for their daughters, getting to the heart of that agonising choice between security and happiness that the almost preposterously lucky Jane and Lizzie are both able to circumvent.

“I think the whole play's about Mr Bennet, but then I always think every play I'm in is about me!” laughs Matthew Kelly, who will be making a welcome return to The REP 15 years after his phenomenal performance in Of Mice And Men earned him an Olivier Award. “I love Mr Bennet, and audiences like him because he's

funny and quick-witted, like Elizabeth.

He's very loyal, and would do anything for his daughters, but he's stayed in a marriage for way too long. I think he did love his wife. He's now fond of his wife, but they should have parted long ago. He's terrible to her sometimes. That's why he wants Elizabeth to be happy. He says, 'Let me not have the grief of seeing you unable to respect your partner in life'. Because he knows what would happen to her.

“One of the great disappointments to both Mr and Mrs Bennet is the fact that they never had a son. The reason, I think, that Elizabeth is such a favourite of his and so unpopular with Mrs Bennet is that of course she should have been the boy.

They had Jane, and she was loved and adored as the first child, but then they had to have a son to cut off the entail and inherit the estate. Then they would have been safe. So for Mrs Bennet, Elizabeth is a massive disappointment, and that's made her very strong.”

“I think Jane Austen is very hard on Mrs Bennet,” says Felicity Montagu, whose unique take on the character puts her in the spotlight for perhaps the first time.

“She looks down on 'silly women’. I mean, yes, she can be silly, but a lot of the time she's right. Her daughters will be destitute if they don't get married. So she's not such a fool; she's just not an educated woman.

“The relationship between Mr and Mrs Bennet is such that she doesn't really

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by Heather Kincaid

know him, so when he strikes against her sometimes, she's really devastated. Perhaps if she’d been in a happier marriage she wouldn't have put herself through so much anxiety. But she was unlucky - she had five daughters in trying to have a son, and it made her very worked up and ill, and turned her into a kind of pantomime figure to her own husband. I think this is very much a story about love and how people are often unloved - about how they work out how to live without love.”

For all the shifting of the usual focus, this is a surprisingly faithful adaptation. There are necessary elisions, but essentially, the story and the dialogue ring true to Austen's vision. Even her razor-sharp narration gets a look-in, as several of the lines that Austen uses to get inside her characters' heads are here divided out among the actors. Perhaps most notably, Mrs Bennet starts and ends the play with the novel's iconic opening line.

“There's one of my lines that I had to do a lot of work on because it's not really a Mrs Bennet line, so it didn't come very comfortably at first,” says Montagu. “She can be very condemnatory, Jane Austen, so you have to be quite careful when you're actually playing a character that she doesn't seem to write them off completely.”

It's true that Austen can be crueler than we sometimes give her credit for, as anyone who's read her letters can testify.

Partly it's a symptom of the time - as

someone who refused to be held back by convention, Austen has little patience for other women who passively accept their lot. On some level, her constant mocking is perhaps also a defence against the slings and arrows of the world. But there's also an extent to which she simply seemed unable to resist any opportunity for a laugh, and it's this, as well as her obvious self-awareness, that keeps us hooked on her.

“Austen's great for theatre,” says Kelly, “because she writes so much in dialogue, so quite a lot can be lifted straight from the novel. Part of the reason her dialogue is so strong and real is that the family used to read her work to each other at night. I guess there wasn't much else to do!”

“It's such intelligent, incisive writing,” adds Montagu. “Her characterisations are so beautifully fledged and real. She's a great painter.”

Of course, her stories have more serious things to tell us, too, many of which continue to be relevant today. While the concept of feminism wasn't readily accessible to Austen, it's now impossible not to read in her stories the first stirrings of the movements that would follow - interestingly, it was just as Austen came of age that Mary Wollstonecraft published her radical Vindication Of The Rights Of Woman. Two hundred years later, as the cast are well aware, the global battle for

equality is far from won.

“A lot of women around the world still don't really have liberation,” says Montagu. “There's a well-educated class that does, but so many are still subject to what men say or what corporations or governments say. And there's still a disparity in the professions over pay and things like that.”

“This show has got a very big cast,” says Kelly. “There are 20 of us, the majority of whom are women, which is still unusual.

Just the other day, there were 14 of us in the rehearsal room, and I looked around and realised I was the only man. That's really, really rare.”

A final word on the subject goes to Tafline Steen. “Not to discredit the vast strides we've made over the last 200 years, but in terms of this story being an exploration of gender and self-actualisation for women, I think it's really on the money for a lot of the things we're still wrestling with. It makes me sad that this is still a bit of an oddity, and I hope that doesn't continue to be the case, but I'm glad it still resonates for people.”

Pride And Prejudice shows at The REP, Birmingham, from Tuesday 8 until Saturday 12 November.

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Food REVIEW: Gusto, Colmore Row, Birmingham

Tucking in with added Gusto The first restaurant to open as part of the £45million redevelopment of Birmingham’s iconic Grand Hotel building, Italian eatery & wine bar Gusto’s arrival on the scene signals a sea change for Colmore Row and the surrounding district, adding renewed cache to the city’s already enviable restaurant and bar offering.

Perfectly positioned at the heart of the city, just a short walking distance from New Street and Snow Hill stations, Gusto prides itself on ‘making the everyday exquisite’. It offers a well-considered menu of Mediterranean classics such as pizzas, pasta, seafood risotto and speciality burgers, combined with an extensive choice of signature meat and fish dishes. These include 28-day aged premium steak, Fillet of Pork Saltimbocca served with buttered mash and masala jus, and Whole Salt Baked Sea Bass infused with lemon and Italian herbs.

Combining classical and contemporary Italian influences with relaxed yet luxurious city-centre surroundings, one would be hard-pressed to find a more fitting location for the aspirations of this high-end eatery than the soon-to-be-restored Grand Hotel building. Stylishly finished to evoke the cosmopolitan ambience of the ‘grand cafes’ of European tradition, the minimalist interior comes complete with bistro-style seating, hardwood floors, exposed brickwork and unifying ‘olive tree’, extending throughout the restaurant’s various rooms and connecting corridors. Monochrome art prints and whitewashed walls add to the venue’s light, contemporary finish, whilst low-level period lighting, statement mirrors and stained glass-effect room-dividers pay homage to the bustling European cafes and capitals of old.

Opting for an appetiser of baked rosemary focaccia bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (£3.95), we perused the starters menu. This included the classic Bruschetta with tomato and basil, Mussels cooked with white wine and garlic and Creamed Cauliflower soup with crispy shallots and chilli oil. My personal choice of Grana Pandano Risotto with wild mushrooms, truffle butter and pancetta (available as a starter at £7.25 or main course at £12.50) was a masterclass in flavour, the richness of the truffle butter complemented beautifully by the subtle smokiness of the pancetta and earthy notes of the mushrooms. For the perfect

sharing experience, I recommend treating yourself to a deli board of cured meats or fine cheeses at £7.95 per person. Each is painstakingly sourced for quality and presented with an exquisite eye for detail on a rustic wooden platter with a choice of rosemary focaccia bread and marinated Mediterranean vegetables.

Aided by a glass or two of Pino Grigio ‘Riff’ (£6.50), my main course of Lobster and prawn spaghetti in a light tomato sauce (£19.25) was an absolute delight to eat.

Succulent, beautifully sweet and infused with an unmistakable taste of the sea, the freshness of the lobster combined perfectly with the lightness of the tomato and cream sauce. The contrasting textures of spaghetti and prawn - cooked al dente to just the right side of firm - proved the perfect marriage of flavour and texture. Equally impressive was my partner’s choice of Roasted Lamb Rump with truffle cheese ravioli and tomato sauce (£18.50), accompanied by a side order of Garlic Roasted Vine Tomatoes with spiced breadcrumbs (£3.50), an intensely rich combination of ingredients, infused with the true spirit of rustic Italian cuisine.

Choosing from a catalogue of well-known dessert options, which included Lemon Sorbet, Summer Berry and Prosecco Jelly and the delightfully named Bombolini (mini doughnuts in orange Chantilly and chocolate sauce) - the highlight of the meal came in the form of Almond Milk Panna Cotta with honeycomb, flaked almonds and lemon curd (£5.25) - a deliciously light and zesty palatecleanser executed with delicacy and panache. For something a little more substantial, you can’t go far wrong with the Nutella and Mascarpone Calzone served with

vanilla ice cream at £6.25 - but be warned, this over-generous dessert is not for the fainthearted.

In addition to the a la carte evening menu, Gusto also offers a set-price lunch menu, priced at £12.95 for two courses and £14.95 for three courses. Quick to capitalise on Birmingham’s growing drinks culture, the restaurant also offers a Monday-to-Friday ‘cocktail club’, featuring over 50 signature drinks, each priced at £4.95.

With thirtysomethings flocking from London in their thousands to set up shop in the UK’s second city, and foreign investment in Birmingham at an all-time high, it isn’t hard to see why high street chains like Gusto, The Alchemist and The Botanist are growing wise to the possibilities of contemporary Brum.

Whether it’s an after-work cocktail, a casual dinner-date, a light lunch or an office Christmas party, Gusto’s extensive yet affordable menu and upmarket, cosmopolitan ambience make it a highly desirable addition to Birmingham’s rapidly expanding dining offer. Katherine Ewing Food: Service: Ambience: Overall value OVERALL

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Gusto Unit 10 The Grand Hotel Colmore Row Birmingham B3 2BS Tel: 0121 200 2400 whatsonlive.co.uk 11

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Food Love Wine? Then check this out!

Comedian Helen Lederer is the guest host at this month’s Love Wine Festival, taking place at Birmingham’s Burlington Hotel on Saturday 5 November.

“When I got the call from Love Wine to party with them this year, I positively flushed with excitement,” reveals Helen, who appeared in the recent big-screen version of Absolutely Fabulous. “To attend a special event with wine lovers, erudite Masters of Wine as well as wine enthusiasts, is my idea of liquid heaven. 'What took you so long?' is what I wanted to say.

Instead I said, ‘Yes please!’

The festival brings together more than 30 exhibitors who provide between them around 250 wines to sample (spitting, we’re reliably informed, is optional).

Other attractions at the event include Wine Walks with ‘wine celebrities’ and the opportunity to attend Love-In masterclasses, to learn about and taste a variety of different wine styles from around the world.

For further information, visit lovewinefest.co.uk

Whisky Festival a first for Birmingham Birmingham is this month hosting its first whisky festival.

The grade II listed Birmingham Council House provides the backdrop for the one-day get-together, which is being run by well-established event organisers The Whisky Lounge.

The company has been operating since 2002 with the aim of promoting whisky as ‘a historical and iconic product of almost alchemic origins’.

It already runs similar events in Yorkshire, Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle.

Alongside the best homegrown whiskies from all over Scotland, visitors to the festival can also sample a good selection of drams from across the world, as well as a number of special ‘under the counter’ offerings.

City restaurant rated amongst the world’s best A Michelin-starred Birmingham eatery is the third best restaurant in the UK and the ninth best in the world, according to a survey by travel company website TripAdvisor.

Contemporary British fine dining restaurant Adam’s is located in the city centre’s Waterloo Street and specialises in serving modern dishes created ‘to the very highest professional standard’.

The venue is owned by its chef, Adam Stokes, and boasts three AA Rosettes as well as its Michelin star. The TripAdvisor survey used an algorithm which took into account the quantity and quality of reviews received by restaurants across the world over a 12-month period. Adam's recorded an impressive 1,299 five-star ‘excellent’ ratings out of a total of 1,432, with a further 95 reviewers rating the restaurant as ‘very good’.

Cocktails and curry at new Moseley eatery A Birmingham couple are responding to the increasing number of restaurant chains opening in the city’s suburb of Moseley by launching their own Indian street food and cocktail bar in the area.

Shivani and Ajay Kenth hope to open the doors of Zindiya in time for Christmas. Their new eatery will seat 90 people and offer an all-day

menu of Indian food served tapas style.

The Kenths are opening their new bar following the recent arrival in Moseley of Pizza Express and Prezzo. They hope that their eatery will go some way towards gently shifting the balance of culinary power in the area, away from international chains and back towards independent bars and restaurants.

Cereal Killer let loose in Birmingham’s Bullring...

It’s time to get, er, cerealously excited - trendy London cafe Cereal Killer is set to arrive in Birmingham’s Bullring this month.

Open from 8am to 8pm, the new venue will serve more than 100 different cereals from around the world, including American ones with names like Kix, Trix and Superman, and pop-tarts and cereal cocktails. Customers can also choose from 30 different varieties of milk

and 20 different toppings.

Arcade games and 1980s and ’90s memorabilia will help give the cafe a nostalgic feel.

Cereal Killer’s Birmingham arrival comes on the back of its enormous success in the capital, where branches were opened a couple of years ago by identical twins Alan and Gary Keery.

For more information, visit cerealkillercafe.co.uk

Health food shop to open first all-vegan eatery Birmingham's first all-vegan eatery is set to open at the end of the month.

The new restaurant, located in Suffolk Street Queensway, is owned by Natural Healthy Foods, a vegan health food shop in the city’s Digbeth area.

As well as organic vegan, gluten free, hot and raw food and raw desserts, Natural Healthy Foods Eatery will also serve, on tap, a fermented beverage of black tea and sugar called kombucha, a drink which Natural Healthy Foods’ shop in Digbeth is said to have 'extraordinary' health benefits.

The eatery also sells protein drinks suitable for both vegans and non-vegans, and houses a large store selling fresh fruit, vegetables and everything needed for a healthy plant-based diet.

Natural Healthy Foods Eatery is open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 7pm and on Sundays from 11am to 5pm. whatsonlive.co.uk 13

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Gigs Simply Red Genting Arena, Birmingham, Sun 20 November

Reforming in 2015, with Mick Hucknall the only original member, British soul and pop band Simply Red have sold more than 50 million albums since their inception in the mid1980s. This month, they celebrate the 25th anniversary of their album, Stars, the UK bestseller for two consecutive years in 1991 and ’92.

The first half of their Birmingham show features the entire album, the second a compilation of classic Simply Red songs.

“After the huge success of A New Flame,” Hucknall recalls, “I set myself the challenge of composing a whole album of original songs. I could never have imagined that Stars would have the impact that it did. It was a truly magical time. Now, looking on after 25 years, it seems only fitting to celebrate the album by performing it in its original running order.”

Caravan Palace O2 Academy, Birmingham, Fri 18 November

The Cinematic Orchestra O2 Institute, Birmingham, Wed 9 November

Often described as the pioneers of electro swing, French seven-piece Caravan Palace showcase a unique sound combining oldschool jazz, house, hip-hop and jive.

They rose to prominence in 2008 following the release of their eponymous debut album, which charted in Switzerland, Belgium and France, and have since released a further two albums: Panic (2012) and <|°_°|> (2015).

“There was a French TV channel that wanted to do a porn show with very old black-andwhite porn movies, which were illegal at the time,” says Arnaud Vial in recalling the band’s origin, “and they wanted some new music to fit with it. They asked us to do something that mixed the old and the new.

For us, it was pretty natural to mix the two, as we were playing gypsy and old swing music as well as electronic music. That’s how we started.”

Read the full interview at whatsonlive.co.uk.

14 whatsonlive.co.uk

The Cinematic Orchestra are a British nujazz and electronic music group created in 1999 by Jason Swinscoe, whose background in fine art inspired him to ‘translate visual art into audible art’.

The collective includes core members Phil France on double bass, former DJ Food member Patrick Carpenter on turntables, Luke Flowers on drums, Tom Chant on saxophone, Stuart McCallum on guitar and Nick Damm on piano.

The Cinematic Orchestra's sound, in both live and studio contexts, is created by a live band improvising along with a turntablist and electronic elements, such as samples provided by Swinscoe.

Read our interview with Jason at whatsonlive.co.uk.

Anoushka Shankar Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Thurs 10 November

Daughter of Ravi Shankar and half sister to Norah Jones, Anoushka is an Indian sitar player and composer. Now aged 35, she gave her first public sitar performance in 1995, at the age of 13, as part of her father’s 75th birthday celebration concert in New Delhi.

Following the success of her 2013 album, Traces Of You, she returns with an innovative, cutting-edge programme that addresses themes of movement, asylum and refugees topics that deeply inspired her creative process whilst composing the music for recently released concept album Land Of Gold.

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Gig previews from around the region

Flamingods The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham, Thurs 3 November

With a reputation for exploration and experimentation, five-piece ethnicfolk band Flamingods draw their inspiration from cultures around the world. They use an extensive collection of instruments acquired from places as far-flung as Nepal, Thailand, Indonesia, Turkey, Japan and Tanzania.

Originally started by Kamal Rasool in late 2009 as a bedroom project, the band this year released their third album, Majesty, to great acclaim.

Bastille Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham, Tues 8 November

To say indie-pop four-piece Bastille have had a whirlwind few years would be an understatement. Their debut album, Bad Blood, released in 2013, was twice number one, certified double-platinum and named

the biggest-selling digital album of the year.

The band then went on to be named British Breakthrough Act at the 2014 BRIT Awards.

They stop off in Birmingham this month as part of their Wild World world tour.

Read the interview with band member Will Farquarson online at whatsonlive.co.uk

PJ Harvey Starworks Warehouse, Wolverhampton, Fri 4 November

Very much going her own way, the songs and albums PJ Harvey produces are never anything less than startling. Harvey has a distinctly arty bent that sets her apart from girlwith-noisy-guitar pretenders to her throne, producing work that’s always refreshingly original and often disconcertingly challenging.

Menstruation, matricide and the horrors of war are all subjects which have featured in her songs.

Following a critically acclaimed performance at Glastonbury this year, she visits the Midlands as part of a 17-date headline tour across the UK and Europe in support of her ninth album, The Hope Six Demolition Project.

Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles

Felix Riebl Hare & Hounds, Birmingham, Sat 26 November

The Glee Club, Birmingham, Tues 1 November

Melbourne-based Felix Riebl is the cofounder and long-time frontman of The Cat Empire - an Australian ska/jazz band who’ve been performing their high-energy shows to the world for over a decade.

Riebl visits Birmingham this month in support of his recently released second solo album, Paper Doors.

KT Tunstall Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Fri 4 November

Snarky Puppy member, multi-instrumentalist and producer Cory Henry uses his primary instrument, the organ, to create a unique sound by blending the genres of jazz and gospel.

Henry began touring in 2006 and has since hit the road with an abundance of mainstream artists, Bruce Springsteen, Boyz II Men and P Diddy included.

Kickstarting his career in the best possible way, with a debut release - First Steps - that went to number one on iTunes Jazz Chart, his latest offering, The Revival, is his first collaboration with The Funk Apostles.

Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall came to public attention with her 2004 debut album, Eye To The Telescope. In no time at all, she’d won both BRIT and Ivor Novello awards, earning Grammy and Mercury Prize nominations into the bargain.

Best known for singles Black Horse And The Cherry Tree and Suddenly I See, she brings her folk-rock sound to Birmingham following the release of fifth album KIN.

For the complete gig guide visit whatsonlive.co.uk 15

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FEATURE

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Cara Luft What’s On caught up with the Juno Award-winning singersongwriter ahead of her Midlands gig this month...

It's been 12 years since Canadian folk star Cara Luft parted ways with The Wailin Jennys and embarked upon a major solo chapter in her career. Two acclaimed solo albums and a whole lot of touring later, however, and Luft has finally found herself back in a band with a new and somewhat unexpected collaborator. We spoke to her about how a chance encounter with fellow Manitoban JD Edwards inspired their joint venture, The Small Glories, which is coming to The Hive this month.

“There's a venue in Winnipeg called the West End Cultural Centre,” Cara explains, “and about three months before its 25th anniversary, the artistic director started asking Manitoba artists who’d played there over the years to come and play at an event. All of us were partnered with someone we'd never worked with before, with the goal of learning two songs by other Manitoba artists. JD and I hadn't even heard each other sing before, so it was kind of crazy, but we just immediately realised how well our voices worked together. I think there were about 35 artists involved in the project, but we kind of stole the show because we were such a natural fit.”

Of the two songs that they prepared for the anniversary gig, just one makes it onto the duo's debut album, Wondrous Traveler, released in February this year. The track is a delicate, dreamy, atmospheric take on 1000 Stars, written by Winnipeg's Greg MacPherson.

“Greg is more of a kind of indie-rock guy, and he does it in quite a wacky and interesting way - about halfway through, he completely changes the time signature, and it doesn't have any harmony or acoustic guitar on it. Our version is obviously quite different, but I think he was really tickled pink that we'd tackled it!

The second one was a Neil Young song called Don't Let It Bring You Down, which JD had previously sung with his rock band. When we first did it, it didn't gel as easily as 1000 Stars, partly because it was in both of our lower registers. We've since revisited it and swapped parts, so now I sing the melody and JD sings the harmony, and we've upped it a little bit. It sounds killer now, and we'd really like to record it for the next record.”

There's little doubt that the chance to spread her wings over the last few years has made Luft a much more confident mu-

sician. The contrast between the artistic freedom she's enjoyed of late and her previous experiences with the Jennys has taught her the importance of giving herself room to reflect, explore and make her own discoveries.

“I’ve missed collaborating, because I love playing with other people and harmony singing, and it's nice when everything doesn't fall on one person's shoulders, but I don't think it's healthy to just do one thing, and the Jennys were really all-encompassing. There wasn't much room for different kinds of musical expression or exploration. But with The Small Glories, even though this is our main focus, it's really important to both of us to have our fingers in other pies, even if they're only very little pies. I'm still doing some solo stuff and some teaching, and JD's got his rock band and also does some solo work, so neither of us is putting all our eggs in one basket.”

Edwards isn’t the only person Luft has shared the project with. Other collaborators include a whole host of diverse talents, ranging from Erin Propp and Scott Nygaard to British folk musician Bella Hardy. Luft was initially paired with

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FEATURE

‘‘

Continued...

I've been going over to the UK at least once a year since 2006, so I really feel like I've got a community there, and whenever I'm on tour I love to reconnect with all the amazing people that I've met over the years...

Hardy via an exchange programme, which resulted in the creation of two of the tracks on Wondrous Traveler: Fast Turning World and Time Wanders On. “Folk Music Canada and English Folk Dance & Song Society decided to partner up, and the directors of those organisations approached artists in their respective countries who they thought would be a good fit. The first part of the project happened in Alberta. Bella flew over and we spent a couple of weeks together, writing material and doing performances. We'd never met before, so it was a really interesting experience. Then the following year, I went over to the UK and spent two weeks with Bella doing the same thing.

We've become very dear friends, so I'm really grateful to Neil Pearson, who was in charge of bringing us together. He knew both of us really well and knew we would get along. I think we write really well together too, so I'm hoping we'll get the chance to do more in the future.”

The name The Small Glories, which also appears in the lyrics to Home, was first suggested by the band’s producer, Neil Osborne, who previously worked with Luft on her solo album, The Light Fantastic.

“We'd been bouncing names around and someone had suggested The Glories, but we thought that sounded a little too... in your face, perhaps? But while we were in the studio recording, our producer came in and said, 'I've got a name. I think it's an awesome name, and if you guys don't take it in the next five seconds, I'm gonna keep it for another project!' Well, we all thought it was great, and the next day we were working on Home. The lyrics still needed some tweaking, so JD suggested putting the band name in. It just seemed to fit exactly with what I was singing about.”

The album title, meanwhile, is taken from the final track, a haunting fusion of two

”

traditional Sacred Harp hymns - Wondrous Love and The Traveler - with hurdygurdy accompaniment from Andrew McCrorie-Shand. A choral tradition followed primarily in the southern US States, Sacred Harp describes a kind of ‘shape note’ singing, where musical notes are printed in different shapes to help readers identify them easily. Each of the four shapes corresponds to a sung syllable (fa, sol, la or mi). Songs are first sung through using just these syllables, allowing singers to focus their attentions on learning the harmonies before getting to grips with the lyrics.

ing behind bushes - all this really loveydovey, fun stuff - so we weren't sure how well the slower Billy Bragg version really suited them. Ours is really upbeat, and it always goes down really well live. We recorded it pretty much live off the floor with our drummer and bass player, and it actually had our producer dancing in the studio, which we figured was a good sign!”

“I can't even remember now how I came across it, but really weirdly I started dreaming about shape-note singing, so I decided to research it and I came across this beautiful documentary. The film came with two music discs. The first was all traditional Sacred Harp groups singing the songs, the second had artists doing their own interpretations of them, and it kind of blew my mind a bit. I already knew some of the songs, like Wondrous Love, from my parents, who are both folk singers, but I hadn't made the connection with this tradition before.”

“We’ve been approached by several labels, but weighing the options that were given to us, it made sense to stay independent for the time being. I've been doing crowdfunding since the ’90s, before it was even called that, and it's been a really beautiful way of connecting with my fanbase and my audience. That said, there are a lot of things a label can offer that may be too time-consuming or too costly to do on your own. Releasing this album has been quite draining financially and on a work level, and keeping on top of the business side of things does take away from creativity time, so we might look into signing to a label for future projects.”

Another pre-existing work to be radically reinterpreted is Woody Guthrie's Way Over Yonder In A Minor Key. A lost Guthrie song for which only the lyrics survive, it was set to music in 1998 by Billy Bragg and Wilco as a gentle piece with more than a touch of Bragg's trademark acoustic melancholy. The Small Glories' take transforms the song into a joyous, gospel-infused belter that's impossible not to dance along with.

“JD had learned it for a Woody Guthrie 100th birthday concert he was asked to play at, and decided to reinterpret it in a major key. When you look at the lyrics, it’s all about chasing girls up trees and kiss-

Having already covered its costs through a successful crowdfunding campaign, Wondrous Traveler is now available to order online at a price of your own choosing via The Small Glories website.

After warmly received appearances at The Hive in 2013 and at Shrewsbury Folk Festival in 2014, Cara is looking forward to heading back here.

“I've been going over to the UK at least once a year since 2006, so I really feel like I've got a community there, and whenever I'm on tour I love to reconnect with all the amazing people that I've met over the years.”

The Small Glories perform at The Hive, Shrewsbury, on Sunday 20 November.

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Classical Music Ludovico Einaudi Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Tues 22 November

“There is something in it that comes from classical,” says Ludovico Einaudi of his own music, “but I have influences from different music I’ve experienced in my life, from African music to folk and rock.”

Einaudi’s sound certainly defies easy classification. Commentators have tried on for size all manner of descriptions, from ‘beautifully haunting’ and ‘evocative’ to ‘minimalist’, ‘alt-classical’, ‘ambient’ and ‘contemporary’. None of these quite say enough, however, about the stylish soundscape created by a man who’s quietly become one of the most successful musicians in the world. Ludovico’s music is everywhere, although he remains best known for his contribution to the drama film and subsequent TV mini-series, This Is England, for which he received a BAFTA nomination.

He returns to Birmingham on the back of recently released album Elements, a work inspired by, as the Turin-born composer explains, “creation myths, the periodic table, Euclid’s geometry, Kandinsky’s writings, the matter of sound, and of colour, the stems of wild grass in a meadow, the shapes of the landscape.”

Ex Cathedra: Bach Mass In B Minor Birmingham Town Hall, Sun 6 November

A choral masterpiece combining moments of magnificent majesty with movements of utter serenity, Bach’s epic and always breathtaking setting of the Mass was composed throughout his lifetime and completed shortly before his death.

It’s presented on this occasion by Ex Cathedra Choir and Baroque Orchestra.

The well-established early music ensemble have based their reputation on the performance of choral music from the 15th century onwards, and are here conducted by their ever-trusty founder, Jeffrey Skidmore.

The City of Birmingham Choir Elgar Concert Hall, The Bramall, University Of Birmingham, Sun 6 November

Kevin Volans

Birmingham Contemporary Music Group: Kevin Volans CBSO Centre, Birmingham, Fri 11 November

Internationally acclaimed pianist Barry Douglas joins Birmingham Contemporary Music Group to present the joyfully unpredictable Kevin Volans’ Piano Concerto No 4 - the first Sound Investment premiere of the scheme’s 25th anniversary year.

Once listed by BBC Music Magazine as one of the 50 most important living composers, Kevin first wrote for BCMG eight years ago, creating the quiet and contemplative Partenheimer Project.

This eagerly anticipated second offering from the South African-born composer promises to be a substantial, high-energy and spectacular piece.

The concert also features the Cologne-based Signum Quartet, making their first appearance in Birmingham to present the evening’s second world premiere, Volans’ String Quartet No 12. Geoffrey Paterson conducts.

Adrian Lucas conducts the City of Birmingham Choir as they present a concert designed to take their audience on a musical journey through ‘life-changing events that have shaped and influenced not just individuals, but the world as a whole’.

The afternoon’s programme includes: Sir Edward Elgar’s From The Bavarian Highlands, a remembrance of a holiday the Elgars enjoyed in Upper Bavaria in 1894; Michael Tippett’s 5 Spirituals, a response to Kristallnacht, the Nazi government's violent pogrom against its Jewish population; and Brahms’ Liebeslieder Waltzes, the writing of which, it’s widely speculated, was motivated by his frustrated love for the wife of fellow composer Robert Schumann.

Also included is contemporary composer Bob Chilcott’s Five Days That Changed The World, a piece which marks: the invention of printing (on Thursday 29 March 1455); the abolition of slavery (Friday 1 August 1834); the first powered flight (Monday 14 December 1903); the discovery of penicillin (Friday 28 September 1928); and the first man in space (Wednesday 12 April 1961). whatsonlive.co.uk 17

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Dance

Dance previews from around the region

Vamos Cuba!

Birmingham Hippodrome, Tues 1 - Sat 5 November

Acclaimed Cuban choreographer Nilda Guerra makes a return with a follow-up show to her well-received Havana Rakatan.

Guerra’s aim is to celebrate her country’s youthful, modern spirit, and she does so by setting the action in Havana airport, a place where families are parted, lovers reunited, time flies when you’re having fun and, it would seem, there’s always plenty of reason to get dancing.

Critics of the show have complained that it panders to tourist stereotypes, but a live band led by Julito Padron, a cast of fully energised dancers and a mix of traditional and modern dance styles ensures there’s plenty to keep the audience engaged.

Aakash Odedra: Echoes & I Imagine Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Wed 30 - Thurs 1 December

The Happiness Project DanceXchange, The Patrick Centre, Birmingham Hippodrome, Tues 15 November

“We’re all interested in being happy,” says international dance artist Didy Veldman, who here launches her own company, Umanoove, “and The Happiness Project examines the idea of happiness as something we strive for, as something fleeting, something that can be very elusive or even absent. My aim is to find a common language between the movement, the drama and the music on stage, in my investigation of western society’s endless search for fulfilment.”

Ballet Black: Triple Bill Lichfield Garrick, Fri 18 November

The highly rated British Kathak dancer Aakash Odedra certainly caused a stir with his previous double bill, Murmur and Inked.

He returns with a show that further evidences his talent for blending the traditional with the contemporary.

Kathak icon Aditi Mangaldas has choreographed the first and more traditional piece, Echoes, an exuberant work of high-octane dance that ‘explores our relationships with our ancestors’.

I Imagine, meanwhile, is an experimental work which sees Odedra teaming up with award-winning poet Sabrina Mahfouz.

The piece cleverly combines choreography and spoken word in a contemplation of ‘the imagined future and the confines of skin’.

Ballet Black were hailed as real game changers when they presented this trilogy of abstract dance works at the Barbican earlier this year. Featuring international dancers of black and Asian descent, the company was widely praised for its success in filling a major London venue ‘with probably the most diverse audience in the history of British ballet’, as the Guardian described it.

The works the ensemble presented on stage were just as remarkable as the audience they attracted. The centrepiece is Christopher Hampson’s Storyville. Set to the haunting music of Kurt Weill, it tells the bittersweet fable of Nola, a farm girl who falls prey to unscrupulous characters and worldly desires in 1920s New Orleans.

The triple bill is completed with two more recently devised pieces - Christopher Marney’s To Begin, Begin and Cristaux, a duet by Arthur Pita.

Balletboyz: Rabbit and Fiction Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Wed 16 November

BalletBoyz’ latest show has elicited all manner of superlatives from critics and audiences alike since debuting in the spring.

The production, performed by an all-male company of 10, comprises two works by internationally acclaimed choreographers.

Swedish dance-maker Pontus Lidberg’s eccentric and stylish Rabbit comes complete with Alice In Wonderland overtones and contemplates loneliness and the desire for friendship.

Javier de Frutos’s mischief-making Fiction is based around the responses of his dancers to the news of his tragic death, the choreographer apparently having been impaled on a shard of his own scenery! The work includes de Frutos’s ‘obituary’, written for him by the critic Ismene Brown and gloriously narrated in camp voiceover.

whatsonlive.co.uk 19

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Comedy

Seann Walsh Brewhouse Arts Centre, Wed 2 November; The Glee Club, Birmingham, Tue 29 November; Artrix, Bromsgrove, Tues 13 December

Seann Walsh is such a popular comedian he could even give Barcelona Football Club a run for their money when it comes to the acquisition of silverware.

An award-winning star of television shows such as Mock The Week and Russell Howard’s Good News Extra, the somewhat dishevelled Seann has been likened to the legendary Billy Connolly in terms of his gift for storytelling (although others have labelled him the new Dylan Moran, so take your pick). His jokes aren’t bad either, with two examples being as follows: “I don't understand swimming. You don't see fish going for a walk,” and “Are city-centre beat officers police who rap?”

Seann visits the Midlands this month with his wellreviewed touring show, One For The Road, a contemplation on whether the changes happening in his life are due to his getting older or becoming middle-class.

Six of the best...

Laugh Out Loud Comedy Regent Theatre, Stoke; Religion, Walsall; Couture, Stafford, Sat 19 November

Laugh Out Loud brings quality comedians to 14 venues across the country, including three here in the Midlands.

Two of the three are this month visited by the highly rated Markus Birdman (pictured), a comedian who firmly believes that comedy should always be presented live, to no more than 200 people, and in a dingy club (we’re not quite sure how he views the two Midlands venues he’s visiting this month)!

Marcus is joined on the bill in both Walsall and Stafford by Bobby Mair, Terry Burgess and Micky P Kerr.

Meanwhile, at Stoke-on-Trent’s Regent Theatre, Phil Nichol, Darius Davies and Pierre Hollins are the trio of funnymen charged with the task of bringing some autumn mirth to the Potteries.

20 whatsonlive.co.uk

Jonathan Pie

Jerry Sadowitz

Artrix, Bromsgrove, Tues 8 November

Crescent Theatre, Birmingham, Fri 18 November; Wulfrun Hall, Fri 25 November

The media’s decision to pounce on Jeremy Corbyn in the wake of his first Labour leadership victory lit the torchpaper for actor Tom Walker to create the larger-than-life character that is Jonathan Pie. Recent YouTube sensation Pie is supposedly a British political correspondent - but one who likes to rant at the TV camera.

The media’s savaging of Corbyn pushed Walker over the edge. “I got really annoyed by it,” he admits, “by the ridiculousness of the British press.”

But the annoyance that the actor felt had the surprisingly positive effect of making his creative juices flow - and so Jonathan Pie was born.

Now Pie has headed out on a national tour, and is most definitely the man of the moment. Whether he’s more than just a onetrick pony, however, remains to be seen.

American-born Scottish comedian and magician Jerry Sadowitz comes with a health warning; he is most definitely not for the fainthearted.

A man who’s not averse to hurling his underwear at female members of the audience, Sadowitz is about as far away from political correctness as it’s possible to get; so much so, in fact, that he claims Bernard Manning was the good cop to his bad cop.

Although he’s a man who never seems more at home than when he's alienating and offending pretty much everyone, Sadowitz claims a lot of thought goes into what he says. “I don’t always do the right thing,” he told Time Out, “but however offensive it might sound, at least there’s a genuine thought behind it.”

He visits the Midlands this month with his Comedian, Magician, Psychopath! tour.

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Billy Connolly Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham, Wed 2 - Thurs 3 November

A disarmingly gregarious man with a largerthan-life persona, Billy Connolly peddles his material with the assured touch of a comedian who knows he's got his audience in the palm of his hand.

Nowadays dealing with the challenges of Parkinson’s disease, the legendary Scottish funnyman has recently had treatment for prostate cancer and can sometimes be tripped up by a less-than-reliable memory. But health issues and a frailer physical appearance aside, the Big Yin is in fine fettle. He seems to be enjoying his time on the road - not least because touring helps alleviate the symptoms of Parkinson’s.

“It's a miracle,” he exclaimed in an interview in the US earlier this year. “I think science should study it. I've gone on stage sick and come off better!”

MY Comedy Penthouse Conference & Events Centre, Birmingham, Sun 13 November

This popular live comedy night makes a welcome return to SHOUT, the annual festival of queer arts and culture which is this month taking place at venues across Birmingham and further afield.

The evening is hosted by MY Comedy’s resident MC, Maureen Younger.

The much-travelled Maureen began performing comedy sketches for a French cafe theatre group before branching out on her own.

Peddling an on-stage persona that's been described as 'a lazily saucy flirt', she makes the most of some rather lightweight material by virtue of her impeccable comic timing...

She’s here joined in the laughter-generating stakes by Jen Brister (pictured above), Jayde Adams and Birmingham funnylady Lindsey Santoro.

Ellie Taylor

Lucy Porter

The Core, Solihull, Fri 11 November

Theatre Severn, Wed 2 November

Ellie Taylor kickstarted her comedy career in her late 20s, performing in stand-up reality TV series Show Me The Funny.

Now in her early 30s, Ellie’s comedy has come a long way in a short time. “It was tricky back then,” she admits, “getting offers that I wasn’t ready for, but I really do feel like I’m there now.”

If her currently touring stream-of-conciousness show, Infidellieity, is anything to go by, her self-assessment is bang on the money.

Jokes built around the subjects of bikini waxes, smear tests, contraception and orgies all feature, as does stick-on facial hair and Ellie’s revelation that she’s only slept with half a dozen men. She manages to keep the attention of the fellas in the audience too; no mean feat when your material is as femalecentric as hers is.

Edinburgh favourite Lucy Porter has a mischievous style of comedy that marks her out as a real talent. She’s an absolute charmer, but don’t be fooled - her pleasant girl-next-door demeanour conceals a beautifully twisted mind!

Highlights of her career include achieving a record score on Celebrity Mastermind, in which her specialist subject was American funnyman Steve Martin.

Her big bag of gags includes, “My husband proposed to me over the phone. I said yes straight away, but I should’ve asked who was calling.”

Lucy is this month visiting the Midlands with Consequences, a touring show which comprises heartfelt personal revelations, incisive cultural observations and issues as wideranging as transgender rights and Australian sheepshearers.

For more comedy listings visit whatsonlive.co.uk 21

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FEATURE

Kiss Me, Kate

Welsh National Opera challenge audience assumptions with a new staging of Cole Porter’s classic...

Ask many theatre-goers if they're into opera or musicals and chances are they'll come down fairly firmly on one side or the other. Received wisdom has it that opera is ‘high culture’, complex and intellectual, perhaps even inaccessible, while musicals are fun, populist and somehow less sophisticated. But a large-scale collaboration between Opera North and Welsh National Opera (WNO) on a touring production of Cole Porter's classic Kiss Me Kate could well challenge those assumptions, bringing together performers from both spheres. But just how separate really are the two? According to leading lady Jeni Bern, the divide is not as stark as you might think...

“People imagine that it's more sniffy than it is,” she says. “My ex-husband worked in the West End, so I have lots of friends on both sides of the camp, and while there may be a sort of joking, friendly rivalry between them, in the end, we do all really appreciate the different skills and demands of each. For me, the idea of doing eight shows a week is just crazy - you don't get that in opera. On the other hand, I know from the musical theatre people involved in this show that many of them find the idea of singing without a microphone absolutely terrifying. But I think that's what's lovely about this project both sides bring their different skill sets to the table and we're able to share everything. I know some people hate the idea of opera companies doing musicals - they 22 whatsonlive.co.uk

perceive it as somehow less worthy, but as an opera singer, I can assure you that this is definitely no less physically, mentally or emotionally demanding.”

Beyond the general appeal of dipping one's toes into something different, there are plenty of very good reasons why an opera company might take on a musical, particularly when it comes to Golden Era shows like this one.

“Although they look spectacular, a lot of West End shows don't have the luxury of the big orchestra that an operatic company can provide,” Bern explains. “David Charles Bell, our previous conductor, did some fantastic research, and we've gone right back to the original orchestration.

There's music here, like the Harlequin Ballet, that hasn't been heard since 1942.

Also, a lot of people forget that when these shows were first done, they wouldn't have been amplified like modern musicals. They were designed to be sung with a big, lush, orchestral sound, and I think they do benefit from going back to that.

“It's also worth bearing in mind that Cole Porter would have had a musical education that included listening to opera and classical music. He's an incredible musician, and would definitely have been aware of operatic singing style. At the end of Act One, I added in a little cadenza that isn't technically in the score, but the way it's written is almost like a parody of that, so I thought, why not? I'm a soprano, but

this is more a mezzo soprano role, so I cheekily decided to give myself a few high notes!”

Branching out into musicals can also be a great opportunity for opera companies to attract new audiences, perhaps encouraging them to come back and see a ‘proper’ opera next time.

“People know Kiss Me Kate is a feelgood family show that you can bring the kids or bring your granny along to,” says Bern.

“But there are plenty of operas that are just as fun and accessible as this. I think a lot of people are put off by this myth that opera is not for everyone, so doing a musical as an opera company can be a great vehicle for saying, 'We're not as scary as you think.' I'm from a very working-class background, so I get quite cross about the perpetuation of this idea that opera's elitist.”

So far from being detached from the colourful, more mainstream world of musical theatre, Bern has always loved the classics. Her pursuit of a professional singing career was at least partly inspired by the musicals she performed back in her school days. In fact, it was there that she first encountered the fiery Lili Vanessi in an amateur production of Kiss Me Kate.

“I was lucky enough to go to a school where we had a fantastic music teacher who was also a leading light in the local am-dram world, and every year we would do a musical at school, rather than a play.

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by Heather Kincaid

We did loads of fantastic ones - Godspell and Bye Bye Birdie and The Pyjama Game - and I think it was in my final year that we did Kiss Me Kate. It's great getting to revisit her now with some life experience.

I do have quite a personal take on it in some respects. I'm divorced, and my exhusband was in the business too, so I understand the trials and tribulations of trying to keep a relationship going with somebody who’s also in this very precarious, emotional rollercoaster of an industry. But just for the record, I don't hate men!”

This current production actually made its debut last year, receiving widespread critical acclaim during its first tour as an Opera North show before heading out for a second run under the WNO banner.

There are challenges, of course, in adapting to different singing and staging styles, but it’s not the first time either company has taken on a musical, with Opera North having put on Carousel last year and WNO ending its autumn 2015 season with Sweeney Todd.

Even when it comes to opera, WNO has a reputation for theatricality, with productions that emphasise both quality acting and bold, elaborate, often high-concept designs. Their Sweeney Todd abandoned the story's 19th century origins to present Mrs Lovett's pie shop as a kind of ’70sstyle greasy spoon. The same season also included Handel's Orlando, relocated to

World War Two Britain, and Bellini's I Puritani, where the Catholic/Protestant conflict of the Reformation was used to reflect on religious tensions in 1970s Northern Ireland. Kiss Me Kate might not mark quite so dramatic a departure from previous productions, but it's not without that same inventive spark.

“Generally, productions of Kiss Me Kate will do the dressing-room scene with Fred's and Lili's dressing rooms next to each other, and a wall and a door between them,” says Bern. “Jo (Davies, director) and Colin (Richmond, designer) wanted to avoid that cliché, and the idea behind the design is that they're on a very tight budget, so Fred doesn't really have a dressing room per se - just a sort of clothes rail.

“The show within a show is also managed beautifully. We have this set of what we call sliders - they're flats that are hung, and they pivot and tilt and reverse, so that, as an audience, you can sort of be in both places at the same time. On one side is what you see in The Taming Of The Shrew, and on the other is what you'd normally see backstage, so there are scribblings and people's notes and photographs on the wall. It means we don't have to do a revolve, and for the audience it should almost look like you're seeing the show from backstage. It's really exciting, but the downside is that the sliders are a bit temperamental - I think

they’ve had more rehearsals than we have!”

The witty, theatrical self-parodying of Kiss Me Kate is part of what’s made it such an enduring favourite, and in opting for a more realistic backstage aesthetic, Richmond emphasises the story's self-reflexive comedy. But from an insider perspective, just how true to life really are the backstage antics it portrays?

“Well, I don't think I've ever had a screaming row at a leading man backstage,” Bern laughs, “and I've certainly never thrown anything at anyone! But tensions can run high when you're working that closely with people. Moments like when everyone's looking for the missing ruff are fairly indicative of the chaos in the wings. Particularly when you're getting in to a new venue, things go missing and you sometimes only just make entries because you've got to sprint up a set of stairs that wasn't there last time. And also the unglamorous side of it all, with the rubbishy old dressing tables and clothes rails, is very true to life - it's nothing like in the Hollywood movies with the huge bouquets and flouncy dresses!”

Welsh National Opera’s Kiss Me, Kate shows at Birmingham Hippodrome from Thurs 10 to Sat 12 November

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Theatre

Theatre previews from around the region

The Commitments Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, Mon 14 - Sat 19 November; New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham, Mon 13 - Sat 18 March

Roddy Doyle’s smash-hit musical adaptation of his own bestselling novel follows on from the Bafta-bagging movie version that scored a huge international success way back in the early 1990s.

As with book and film, the stage show finds working-class music fan Jimmy Rabbitte inspiring an unlikely bunch of amateur musicians and friends to become the finest soul band Dublin has ever produced.

Along the way, the band treats the audience to more than 20 gold-star soul classics, including: Try A Little Tenderness; River Deep, Mountain High; Papa Was A Rolling Stone and Mustang Sally.

Andrew Linnie takes the lead role as Jimmie, while Coronation Street actor Kevin Kennedy stars as his Da.

Shakespeare, His Wife And The Dog Birmingham REP, Mon 21 - Wed 23 November

Shakespeare has retired but is making the lives of those around him, including his wife Anne, a complete and utter misery. During the course of a sleepless night in Stratford, the couple shine the spotlight on their marriage, as the bard struggles to find meaning in his past...

Bated Breath’s well-reviewed two-hander is a cleverly scripted celebration of the life and works of the world’s most famous playwright. It’s also a meditation on old age - one that manages to be both humorous and insightful. But then how could it possibly be otherwise, given that much of its material is sourced from Shakespeare’s canon of plays and poetry?

RSC actor Philip Whitchurch takes the role of Stratford’s most famous son.

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Dracula The Musical Blue Orange Theatre, Birmingham, until Sat 5 November

Following on from their 2015 production of Sweeney Todd, Night Project Theatre here present a musical version of Bram Stoker’s legendary gothic horror story.

The show premiered on Broadway in 2004, complete with a nude scene in which the blood-supping Count seduces the best friend of the woman he loves. The flash of flesh generated enormous publicity but failed to save the production from closing. The curtain came down for the last time after only 154 performances and a serious panning from the critics. A comprehensive rewrite followed, and the revitalised production then made its way to this side of the Atlantic, where it has risen Dracula-like from the dead and proved to be a major hit with European audiences.

Better make sure you pack some bulbs of garlic and a wooden stake, just to be on the safe side...

Beautiful Thing The Old Joint Stock, Birmingham, Wed 16 - Sat 19 November

Jonathan Harvey’s award-winning urban love story focuses on teenager Jamie’s relationship with his classmate and neighbour, Ste. Premiered in 1993, the play’s been performed in countries across the world, with numerous

high-profile actors being drawn like proverbial moths to a flame to its winning blend of insightful writing, sharp humour and powerful drama. Jonny Lee Miller, Suranne Jones, Hugh Bonneville, Philip Glennister, Andrew Garfield and Rhys Ifans are among those to have appeared in the show across its 23-year history.

This latest version may lack star names, but it’s being helmed by the hugely experienced Tracey Street, a well-regarded freelance director on the Midlands theatre scene, so expect an evening of high-quality fare.

Barking Mad Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton, Thurs 17 November

When the Olivier Award-winning Guy Masterson married a gorgeous German model named Brigitta, he couldn’t possibly have realised the extent to which he was also entering into a binding, and indeed tempestuous, relationship with her dog, Nelson.

The eight years that followed tested everything, admits Guy, including his marriage, his career and even his sanity...

Masterson’s hour-long, one-man show garnered plenty of positive reviews at this summer’s Edinburgh Festival, where it was presented under the title of Love And Canine Integration.

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Tue 8 Nov

The Merchant of Venice André Tchaikowsky

Wed 9 Nov

Macbeth Verdi

perf Extra orma nce!

N

Thu 17

Thu 10 - Sat 12 Nov Cole Porter’s

Kiss Me, Kate

ov 2 pm

Mon 14 Sat 19 Nov

Tue 1 Sat 5 Nov

Tue 8 Sat 12 Nov

From £12

From £16.50

Tue 25 Nov Tue 13 Dec

Mon 19 Dec - Sun 29 Jan

Tue 7 Sat 11 Feb

From £19

From £15.50

From £19.50

“Uproariously entertaining – every inch a whopping hit” Daily Telegraph

From £16

Shobana Jeyasingh Dance: Material Men

Wed 15 Sat 25 Feb

Fri 3 & Sat 4 Mar

Mon 27 & Tue 28 Mar

From £16

£15

£16

Everyone’s Welcome 0844 338 5000 birminghamhippodrome.com Calls cost 4.5p per min plus access charge. 5% transaction charge applies excluding cash sales in person.

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Theatre

Theatre previews from around the region

The Full Monty Birmingham Hippodrome, Mon 14 - Sat 19 November; Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Mon 6 - Sat 11 February

When the ladies in their lives go on a night out and the entertainment includes a male stripper, a group of newly redundant steelworkers hit on a great idea for a money-spinning venture...

Based on the much-loved British movie of the same name, The Full Monty arrives in Birmingham with a soundtrack featuring Donna Summer, Hot Chocolate and Tom Jones, and a cast including Louis Emerick, Andrew Dunn and one-time Eastender Gary Lucy.

“This may be a comedy but the stories running through it are really strong,” says Gary, “particularly that of my character, Gaz. He’s feeling worthless because he doesn’t have a job and might lose his son. His sole aim is to continue to see his boy, so he gets the guys together to make some money.

“What’s been great so far is that the audience have been quiet when they’ve needed to be, through the more serious aspects, but then have really got into the spirit of the piece and had a good night.”

When We Are Married New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Tues 8 - Sat 12 November

keeper serve to complicate matters even further...

The highly rated Northern Broadsides are the company here bringing their comic expertise to bear.

Dare Devil Rides To Jarama Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Sun 13 November

Mention JB Priestley and for most people the play that instantly springs to mind is An Inspector Calls. But seven years before the upper middle-class Birling family and the mysterious Inspector Goole first made their theatrical mark, Priestley penned this delightful northern comedy.

The action focuses on three couples, all old friends and all of whom had married on the same day. They gather together to celebrate what they believe to be their silver wedding anniversary - except that it isn’t their wedding anniversary at all. In fact - and as they find out to their horror - they’re not even legally wed.

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A celebration of the contribution and sacrifice of the volunteer International Brigades, Neil Gore’s new play is presented by Townsend Productions, a company whose previous work includes The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, We Will Be Free! and United We Stand.

At the centre of its action is speedway hero Clem ‘Dare Devil’ Beckett, a man whose immense courage leads him to join the International Brigades in their fight against Franco’s forces of Fascism in 1930s Spain.

While fighting for the freedom of the Spanish people, Clem forms an unlikely friendship with literary critic, writer and poet Christopher Caudwell.

Clem and Caudwell’s belief in a common cause not only unites them but leads them to the Battle of Jarama, where the ultimate sacrifice may well be a price they end up having to pay...

Home At Seven Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Tues 1 - Sat 5 November

RC Sheriff wrote this clever little mystery play more than 20 years after penning his best-known work, Journey’s End. It scored an instant hit with theatre audiences of the early 1950s - so much so, in fact, that a mere two years after first being performed, it was adapted for the cinema, with Ralph Richardson taking the lead role...

There’s nothing unusual about David Preston’s return home from work at 7pm except that, on this particular occasion, 24 hours have elapsed without him even realising it, and it’s now a day later than he thought.

Along with his wife Janet, already upset by his bizarre disappearance the night before, David soon gets another shock, when evidence incriminates him in a murder committed during the time for which he cannot account.

Former Coronation Street villain Brian Capron stars alongside Jenny Funnell, best known from the Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer sitcom, As Time Goes By.

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FEATURE

I’VE HAD THE TIME OF MY LIFE

A new production of Eleanor Bergstein’s classic story this month returns to the Midlands.

What’s On popped along to rehearsals to find out more...

Thirty years after Eleanor Bergstein's classic story of a whirlwind holiday romance first took cinemas by storm, its now almost equally iconic stage adaptation is back on the road with an all-new cast and creative team. Directed by Federico Bellone, this new Dirty Dancing UK tour has been specially designed to adapt readily to differently sized stages, allowing it to visit more venues than ever before.

This month, the smash-hit show stops off at the Regent Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent and the Wolverhampton Grand before moving on to Coventry's Belgrade Theatre early in the New Year. We spoke to the Dirty Dancing On Tour team to find out more about how the magic is made.

“I think for the first time, we've gone for a very realistic look,” explains Federico Bellone. “Basically, we've taken the famous picture of the resort where they shot the movie and tried to theatricalise that here. We'll be going out to venues that were not able to house previous versions of the show, but it should still be spectacular. We have three revolves on stage, so it's quite intricate. We've also tried to make the pace even faster - without rushing through it, of course.”

“There's a huge pressure to get the balance right,” adds choreographer Gillian Bruce, “because everybody knows this show, so you have to look at the main ingredients and try to keep those, while also making it a little bit different.

I was very careful with choosing the cast. The look had to be right, and the sexiness had to be right. I actually wanted to push that a little bit further than in the film, to make it even more ‘dirty’ - without becoming vulgar, obviously, and still making sure it was right for the era.”

These continual changes and reinventions both large and small - are part of what makes every Dirty Dancing live experience feel special, even more than a decade after the show made its stage debut. Carlie Milner, who plays the unlucky Penny Johnson, has also starred in previous incarnations of the show, but is con-

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stantly inspired by the team around her to work through new approaches to the part.

“Of course everyone will have a different take on things,” she says, “and the people around you give you more information, which you just kind of absorb into your performance. It's been lovely to recreate the show with a new vision - your ideas do change over time, and my own personal take on it has definitely changed. I've found things in the story that I hadn't really thought about before. I loved the old version but I'm really looking forward to touring this one too.”

Joining more experienced cast members like Milner are the newcomers such as Lewis Griffiths and Katie Hartland, who lead the show as the iconic young couple Johnny and Baby.

“Stepping into Patrick [Swayze]'s shoes, I do feel like I'm a bit in his shadow, as anyone would, because he made the part completely his own,” Griffiths confesses. “I'm not trying to imitate him at all, but as Gillian said, we've all got to take parts of what's already in the film and make it work for us without replicating too much. This is definitely going to be Lewis Griffiths' Johnny Castle as opposed to Patrick Swayze's Johnny Castle.”

Hartland agrees. “I think for me the biggest challenge has been taking such an iconic film and trying to make it your own as much as you can. Especially with the dancing, because I'm not half as experienced and amazing as some of the others, so it's been a real thrill getting to dance like that and to be pushed in that way.”

Among the things that have made Dirty Dancing such a huge success is the fact that it straddles different theatrical genres. It isn't quite a conventional stage musical. Not only are the songs performed by a separate band rather than sung by the main cast members, but the style of the dancing and staging is also very different.

“Dirty Dancing is definitely, absolutely a

play, but it's a play with a lot of music,” says director Bellone. “I think quite often when people go to see the show for the first time, they expect it to be a musical and are surprised when the cast don't sing. I first went to see it back in 2007, I think it was, and at the time I thought that they should sing more. But when I met Eleanor Bergstein, she explained to me the reasons why she was absolutely against that, and I had to accept that she was perfectly right.”

“It's quite a difficult show to choreograph because it's all couple work,” says choreographer Bruce. “I think sometimes it can get so busy that the audience doesn't really know where to look. I've tried to give more focus to the numbers and allow the audience to enjoy everything without being forced to just look at one thing at a time.”

“That's why a lot of people will say that the musical numbers are so tricky to get right,” adds Bellone. “They're not meant to look like the numbers in a typical musical, but at the same time, they still have to be beautiful.

You have to focus on specific effects. On film it's much easier because you can use closeups and focus in on details, but on stage, you have all these people there and the audience can look anywhere they want to.”

This distinctive format also puts additional pressure on the cast members, requiring everyone to be on top form from both dramatic and physical standpoints. Add to this the fact that, with Dirty Dancing being such a huge, worldwide phenomenon, the expectations of audiences across the country are enormous.

“It's quite rare to have something that's so heavy both in terms of the dance and the character aspects,” says Milner. “Physically this version is very demanding and there's a lot going on. You want to make sure you do it correctly, but there's only so much time, and that in itself is quite difficult for a performer.

From a character point of view, it's also quite difficult. Obviously for me, Penny goes

through a lot of trauma, and so I have to find ways to relate with all of the complex emotions she experiences.”

“I consider myself an actor rather than a dancer,” says Griffiths, “and while I don't think there's anything that I can't learn and get into, it’s been challenging being in a show involving so much dancing. Johnny's character is so completely in his comfort zone in the dance studio, leading and teaching in his Cuban heels, so I'm having to find ways of taking Lewis' insecurities and turning them into Johnny's strengths.”

“All the characters are going through their own stories,” says Milner, “but they're also all intertwined, so it's all about trying to keep that link and that continuity running through the show, while also bringing out your character's own personal journey. So yeah, it's hard!”

The rehearsal process may be long and challenging, demanding absolute dedication from the team, but as things begin to fall into place, every one of them agrees that the time and energy they've poured in has been well worth it.

“The casting for this show is unbelievable,” says Griffiths. “When I got the role of Johnny, it was amazing, but it felt a bit like being at the bottom of a very large mountain. I'm really thankful that, with the help of these two and all the crew and creatives, I'm already halfway up that mountain, and once we get to the top I think it's gonna be a hell of a show. I'm really honoured to be a part of that.”

Dirty Dancing shows at Stoke’s Regent Theatre from Mon 7 to Sat 12 November; Wolverhampton Grand Theatre from Mon 28 November to Sat 3 December; Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, from Mon 30 January to Sat 4 February; and the New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham, from Mon 29 May to Sat 3 June

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Theatre Sunny Afternoon Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, Tues 29 November - Sat 3 December; Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Tues 18 - Sat 22 April 2017

This clever homage to Swinging ’60s superstars The Kinks has been wowing audiences and critics in equal measure since opening in the West End in 2014. Indeed, its quality and popularity were last year suitably rewarded when it won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical.

Adapted from Joe Penhall’s book, with an original story by Kinks guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Ray Davies, the show features plenty of the band’s best-known tunes, including iconic tracks You Really Got Me, Waterloo Sunset, Dedicated Follower Of Fashion, All Day And All Of The Night and Lola.

Oliver Samuels: Guilt Trip

Honour

New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham, Sun 6 November

Stafford Gatehouse Theatre, Tues 8 - Sat 12 November

Jamaican ‘king of comedy’ Oliver Samuels here makes a welcome return, having previously enjoyed huge touring successes with his shows Divorce Papers and Dolly House.

Samuels’ latest offering is a comedy drama which examines the life of a woman haunted by an event from her dim and distant past an event that continues to impact on the lives of all those associated with her.

“Guilt Trip offers a refreshing insight into the richness of Jamaican culture,” explains Oliver, “and also looks at some of the misconceptions that exist in dealing with mental illness. It’s full of laughter, and uses both drama and comedy to touch, stimulate and entertain its audience.”

Joanna Murray-Smith's 1995 play has certainly done the rounds over the last two decades, having been produced in close on 40 countries. Here in the UK, it scored a major hit at the National in 2003 when Eileen Atkins and the late Corin Redgrave played the leads. Its West End revival three years later provided a starring role for Dame Diana Rigg.

When distinguished literary journalist George is interviewed by the ambitious and considerably younger Claudia, sparks fly and his long and seemingly stable marriage to Honor bites the dust.

But as the central characters come into conflict, it becomes increasingly uncertain where the balance of power actually lies...

Into The Woods Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, Thurs 24 - Sat 26 November

Local company 4PLAY make their debut with this James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim musical. The show brings to life Cinderella, Jack And The Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood and numerous other fairytales to present a moving lesson about community responsibility and the stories people tell their children. One-time Opportunity Knocks winner Mark Rattray stars as the Baker.

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The Unknown Soldier Lichfield Garrick, Tues 8 November

The need to keep a promise and repay a debt keeps Jack on the World War One battlefields, even though the guns have fallen silent...

Described as a story of comradeship and betrayal, and of promises both broken and kept following the carnage of the Great War, The Unknown Soldier debuted at Edinburgh last year and was highly praised by the critics.

Its author, award-nominated playwright Ross Ericson, enjoyed a 2013 success with Casualties, a fraught drama about the Afghanistan War and its repercussions.

Demi Nandhra: Life Is No Laughing Matter mac, Birmingham, Tues 8 - Wed 9 November

“Sometimes I think I’ve felt everything I’m ever gonna feel,” reveals Birmingham-based Demi Nandhra. “And from here on out, I’m not gonna feel anything new. Just lesser versions of what I’ve already felt.”

Demi uses a combination of installation and performance to explore the role of women in modern society, with feminism very much at the heart of her work. In Life Is No Laughing Matter, her first solo show, she contemplates the subjects of mental health, depression and anxiety.

Described as ‘part personal narrative, part social rant, part mess’, the production is an autobiographical live art/stand up/theatre performance that delves into her experience of living with depression - from trying to find a cure to eating 56 bananas and attempting ‘to think happy thoughts’.

Audience members are warned to expect ‘shit metaphors, unicorns, dependency on a loved one and Demi’s nana's holy water’...

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theatre for younger audiences...

George’s Marvellous Medicine

George’s Marvellous Medicine New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham, Tues 22 November - Sat 3 December

Birmingham Stage Company return with one of their most popular Roald Dahl adaptations. George’s Marvellous Medicine tells the fantastical tale of a young boy who chances his arm as an infant Alexander Fleming and makes a medicine to cure his grandmother of her bad temper. But when she takes it, all sorts of weird and wonderful things occur, and it isn’t long before George realises that his adventures have only just begun.

Peppa Pig’s Surprise Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, Wed 2 - Thurs 3 November

If you’ve taken your little ones to any of the previous Peppa Pig stage shows - and enjoyed the experience of watching them having a fantastic time - you’ll already know that this latest production is well worth catching.

“It seems hardly any time at all since we started on the first Peppa Pig live stage show,” observes writer and director Richard Lewis. “It’s been an incredible experience seeing the children’s reactions, not only in the UK but throughout the world. It just confirms that Peppa really is a worldwide phenomenon.”

Captain Flinn And The Pirate Dinosaurs 2 Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Sat 5 November

Award-winning children’s ensemble Les Petits Theatre know that the best way to keep people coming to their shows is to entertain the adults in the audience as well as the youngsters. And just like the company’s original Captain Flinn stage show, this lively sequel manages to do exactly that.

As you’d expect, there’s plenty for the kids to enjoy too, in an action-packed adventure that sees Flinn’s kidnapped friends being

Captain Flinn And The Pirate Dinosaurs 2

forced to hunt for the Magic Cutlass by the tyrannical Mr T-Rex. Cue the ever-heroic captain, and a dangerous rescue mission that could well see his timbers being comprehensively shivered...

Granny’s Game The Place, Oakengates, Shropshire, Sat 12 November

“We offer a diverse programme of theatre activities,” says Kirsty Mead, who co-founded Lincolnshire children’s theatre company Rhubarb back in the year 2000. “We bring theatre directly to family centres, village halls, youth clubs, schools, art centres, heritage sites, museums and traditional theatres.”

Rhubarb’s latest touring show is based on the real-life experiences of pioneering investigative journalist Nellie Bly, whose welldeveloped sense of adventure saw her undertake a record-breaking, Phileas Fogg-style trip around the world in 1889.

And globetrotting adventure is very much on the agenda for the show’s two young heroes, Julia and John, when they discover a mysterious boardgame while visiting their granny...

The Nose That Nobody Picked Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton, Sun 6 November

Mountains of mucus, toe-tapping tunes and two nostrils full of magic are the order of the day in this first-time-touring stage adaptation of David Parkin’s much-loved book.

While indulging in his hobby of making ornamental displays with gnomes and toys, 10-year-old Christopher stumbles upon a living nose, one which has been raised by slugs in his garden.

The nose needs a face, so Christopher sets out to find him one. But he’s reckoned without the less-than-helpful intervention of Doctor Skinner, an eccentric plastic surgeon who not only has connections to the nose’s past but also harbours sinister intentions...

Where’s My Igloo Gone?

Where’s My Igloo Gone? mac, Birmingham, Wed 23 - Sun 27 November

Soaring snow geese, pet husky dogs, starry nights, fishing adventures and the kind of cold that makes the skin tingle are all featured in this Bone Ensemble story about a little girl who sets off in search of help when her igloo starts to melt...

“We’re collaborating with experts in climate change and social psychology,” explain the Birmingham-based Bone Ensemble, “so that we can weave scientific knowledge into a compelling narrative with dynamic interactive activities, engaging audiences with climate change in a new and refreshing way.”

Cloud Cuckoo Land: Ding Dong mac, Birmingham, Sun 6 November

Cloud Cuckoo Land, the company behind this bright and bubbly production, describe themselves as a ragtag ensemble of multi-talented cuckoos.

“We like nothing better,” they reveal, “than whipping up immersive, interactive and interdisciplinary plays, parties and installations, to whisk you away from your everyday life to somewhere altogether stranger.”

The Birmingham company’s new offering for younger children is an interactive musical play based around the subject of ‘time’. It sees a cast of actor-musicians creating a unique 360° immersive listening experience by playing a wide variety of instruments all around the audience. And the youngsters get to join in with the music-making too, through clapping, singing, movement, calland-response and imaginative suggestions.

Kids can also meet the characters - Dot, Smidge, Mooch and Nora - all of whom will be battling hard to save their beloved clocktower.

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Christmas

Festive shows and attractions opening in November

’Tis the season to be jolly - well, nearly. Yes, Christmas is a-coming, and it’s time to start thinking about how best to celebrate and enjoy this festive time of year. If you’re struggling for ideas, fear not - we’ve got a few suggestions that should hopefully ensure you’re positively chomping at the yuletide bit come the 25th of December. From pantomimes to family shows, stylish ballets to Shakespeare storms, underground boat trips to illuminating lantern festivals, it promises to be an unforgettable season of magic and mirth in the Midlands.

Check out which festive shows and attractions are opening across the Midlands this month...

Treasure Island The REP, Birmingham, Fri 25 November - Sat 7 January

This latest theatrical version of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale, a modern adaptation

by Bryony Lavery, puts an interesting spin on the author’s swashbuckling story, with the chief protagonist being a girl rather than a boy.

When pirates ransack her grandmother’s inn, fearless Jim is drawn into the adventure of a lifetime - one which will see her not only setting sail in search of buried treasure but also spending time in the company of a one-legged pirate with murder in mind...

Cinderella

The Tempest

The Nutcracker

Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Wed 30 November - Sun 8 January 2017

Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratfordupon-Avon, Tues 8 November - Sat 21 January 2017

Birmingham Hippodrome, Fri 25 November - Tues 13 December

With its comical Ugly Sisters, metamorphosising pumpkin, matchmaking fairy godmother, drop-dead-gorgeous Prince Charming, super-cute mice and fits-one-footonly glass slipper, Cinderella can justifiably lay claim to being the most popular of all pantomimes.

This year’s Theatre Severn version of the famous fairytale features all the usual panto elements of comedy, singing, dancing, audience participation and ‘stunning’ sets and costumes. And also very much as usual, it stars the ever-popular Brad Fitt, on this occasion appearing ‘as you’ve never seen him before’...

Shakespeare’s last and most complete play, The Tempest also represents the culmination of his art, bringing together many of the themes that informed his greatest dramas.

A wild storm forces a royal ship onto the rocks of an enchanted isle. The castaways, separated from one another, find themselves slipping under the control of the mysterious Prospero.

Matters are further complicated by the presence of supernatural spirit Ariel and the grotesque man-beast, Caliban...

Presented by the RSC as their Christmas family show, this brand new production is helmed by the company’s artistic director, Gregory Doran, and stars Simon Russell Beale as Prospero.

Sir Peter Wright’s enchanting version of this firm festive favourite returns to the Hippodrome this month, courtesy of Birmingham Royal Ballet. Created in 1990 as a thank you to Birmingham for its support of the company following its move to the Midlands from London’s Sadler Wells, Wright’s production is seen by many as the finest interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s magnificent and mesmerising score.

In true Christmas spirit, the story follows the young Clara as she’s swept up in a fantasy of soldiers, giant rats, snow fairies, magic and mystery, before finally being transformed into a beautiful ballerina...

A magical, must-see show for little princesses. whatsonlive.co.uk 33

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Festive shows and attractions opening in November

The Wind In The Willows The Old Rep Theatre, Birmingham, Mon 21 November - Sat 31 December

A firm festive favourite, Kenneth Grahame’s much-loved riverside tale ably demonstrates the way in which one life can command the full attention of three others! Loyal Mole, faithful Ratty and steady old Badger simply don’t have time for any of their own interests - they’re far too busy having to look after their reckless and irrepressible friend, Mr Toad...

Presented by Scott Ritchie Productions and Birmingham Ormiston Academy.

Dick Whittington Belgrade Theatre, Coventry Wed 23 November - Sat 7 January

The story of a young man who heads for London in search of fame and fortune is one of the most popular of all pantomimes, not least because of the topdrawer adventures with which the happy-go-lucky Dick finds himself involved.

With Sarah the Cook and Queen Rat both putting in an appearance, and heady romance also on the cards for our ever-affable hero, this is a show that promises to be packed to its festive rafters with action, comedy and fun.

Stick Man Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Thurs 24 November - Sat 31 December

“Scamp Theatre send shivers down my spine,” reveals Julia Donaldson, the co-creator (along with Alex Scheffler) of the hugely popular children’s book on which this show is based. “They’re so lively and innovative. I love their production of Stick Man, and so do

the audiences.” Julia’s not wrong - audiences most definitely do love the show, as a smashhit season in the West End ably demonstrated. Featuring a trio of talented performers, the production brings together puppetry, songs, live music and ‘funky moves’ to tell the story of Stick Man’s desperate attempts to get back to the family tree. Suitable for children aged three and older.

The Snow Queen New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Sat 19 November - Sat 28 January

The Snow Queen is ruler of all she surveys, and when she kidnaps young Kay, it’s left to his sister, Gerda, to save him from a bleak future in the frostbitten wastelands...

The New Vic here give this Hans Christian Andersen work a brand new treatment, presenting a timeless tale that brings together ‘enchanting characters, original music and breathtaking on-stage magic’.

This particular take on sibling love set amidst the ice caps and snow-laden landscapes of the north has been directed with the intention of appealing to family members of all ages.

Santa’s Winter Wonderland The SnowDome, Tamworth, Fri 18 November - Sat 31 December

SnowDome’s all-new Santa Show is part of the venue’s Winter Wonderland event, and finds the big man in red making final preparations for another ‘Christmas extravaganza’.

Suitable for all age groups, Santa’s Winter Wonderland provides plenty of festive fun for visitors to Tamworth’s snowy indoor attraction. A safe environment ensures youngsters

are able to play and slide in real snow as they explore Santa’s Christmas snow trail, take a walk through the enchanted forest, enjoy a game of snowballs and hitch a ride on a sledge.

The less adventurous, meanwhile, can observe the snow-related action as they amble along the promenade walkway. There’s even an animal village, where you can meet Santa’s reindeer and discover some of his furry friends. whatsonlive.co.uk 35

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Festive shows and attractions opening in November

Birmingham’s Frankfurt Christmas Market Birmingham City Centre, Thurs 17 November Thurs 29 December

Ice Skate Birmingham Centenary Square, Birmingham, Sat 19 November - Sun 8 January

Ice Skate Birmingham makes a welcome return to the city centre this month. As usual located in front of the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, the

popular visitor attraction can hold up to 300 people per session. Younger or inexperienced skating enthusiasts can keep upright by using special penguin skating aids, which can be booked online and in advance.

Santa Hunts

Magic Lantern Festival

Black Country Living Museum, Dudley, various dates from Sun 20 November Sat 24 December

Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Fri 25 November - Mon 2 January 2017

Saint Nicholas’s much-vaunted ability to make his way around the world at superfast speed on Christmas Eve should also stand him in good stead in the run-up to the festive season, when he’ll need to pop up in all manner of places to excite and delight children of all ages - even the grown-up ones!

One such stop-off for the big chap is the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley, where he’ll be sipping a sherry and scoffing a mince pie in his secret workshop. The challenge for young visitors to the venue is to see if they can find him. Meeting a series of characters along the way, children can solve magical clues, sprinkle dust on reindeer shoes and even send letters up the chimney to the great man himself. If they manage to find him, they’ll be rewarded for their endeavours with a surprise gift...

What’s not to like?

Celebrating over 2,000 years of lantern festivals, this ‘illuminating’ event sees visitors accessing the venue through a giant lantern entrance before following a lantern-lit trail around the gardens.

Aside from enjoying the collection of beautifully constructed lanterns and the natural scenery, visitors to the festival can also catch up with Santa and his reindeers.

Other attractions include a 12-metre-wide lantern scene - featuring penguins, snowmen, Christmas trees and baubles - and a special fairy-themed area, complete with a floating fairy, beautiful butterflies and thousands of bright and tiny lights.

This is the largest outdoor Christmas market in the country and sits at the centre of Birmingham’s festive celebrations.

Drawing crowds from across the city and further afield, the Frankfurt Markets feature a wide range of traditional handmade toys, art, and items from throughout the world. There’s plenty of food and drink available too, including German mulled wine, grilled sausages, vegetarian options, pretzels and German beer. Carol singers and an ornate carousel are other popular elements of this well-established attraction, which, for the first time, is staying open beyond Christmas (until 29 December).

Campers Christmas Coventry Transport Museum, Sun 27 November

This year’s Christmas Campers event takes the entirely relevant theme of ‘pantomime’, and, we’re reliably informed, features ‘everything from Puss In Boots to Dick Whittington’.

Camper vans of all shapes and sizes take part, and organisers promise an abundance of fairy lights and costumes to further enhance the festive cheer. There are prizes to be won too, and a Christmas DJ - decking his decks with boughs of holly, no doubt.

For those who fancy a leisurely browse, a Christmas craft fair should prove just the yuletide ticket.

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Film Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them CERT tbc Starring Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Colin Farrell, Carmen Ejogo, Samantha Morton, Ezra Miller, Ron Perlman, Jon Voight Directed by David Yates (UK/USA)

By the time this epic fantasy trundles onto DVD, the name Newt Scamander should be every bit as famous as Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape.

Eddie Redmayne plays the eccentric English wizard, invented by JK Rowling in her 2001 novel, and it’s Rowling who adapted the book in her screenwriting debut. Set in the same universe as Harry Potter, the events precede the first Potter film by 70 years and unfold in New York. It’s there that Newt arrives after a world tour researching - and rescuing - certain magical creatures, the subject of his eponymous textbook. But shortly after his arrival in 1926 some of his fantastic beasts are accidentally released from his care…

The film was intended to be the first in a trilogy, although Rowling announced last month that there would be two more editions (making it a quintet). In 3D and IMAX. Released Fri 18 November

CRITIC’S CHOICE

Film highlights released in November...

The Light Between Oceans

A Street Cat Named Bob

CERT 12a (113 mins)

CERT 12a (103 mins)

Starring Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Rachel Weisz, Bryan Brown, Jack Thompson, Caren Pistorius Directed by Derek Cianfrance (USA/Australia/UK/New Zealand)

Starring Luke Treadaway, Ruta Gedmintas, Joanne Froggatt, Anthony Head, Caroline Goodall, Bob the Cat Directed by Roger Spottiswoode (UK)

Based on ML Stedman's 2012 novel of the same name, this post-WWI drama tells the story of a lighthouse keeper and his wife who adopt an infant girl they find stranded in a rowing boat - and of the later moral consequences.

Derek Cianfrance previously directed Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond The Pines, so this should be interesting.

Bob is a ginger stray who befriended James Bowen (Treadaway), a busker and recovering drug addict whose life was turned around by the friendship. So much so, that Bowen wrote a book about the alliance which sold a million copies in the UK alone and has been translated into 30 languages. The coup of this British adaptation is that the filmmakers persuaded the real Bob to play himself.

Released Tues 1 November

The Accountant CERT 15 (128 mins)

Starring Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J. K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal, Jeffrey Tambor, John Lithgow Directed by Gavin O'Connor (USA)

Released Fri 4 November

Number crunchers are the new warriors in a global infrastructure governed by algorithms. Christian Wolff (Affleck) is more comfortable with digits than people but has to face the real world when his dealings in criminal numerical manipulation is cottoned onto by the Treasury’s Crime Enforcement Division.

People will die.

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Film Nocturnal Animals CERT 15 (117 mins)

Starring Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Isla Fisher, Armie Hammer, Laura Linney, Michael Sheen, Andrea Riseborough Directed by Tom Ford (USA)

The owner of an art gallery (Amy Adams) receives a manuscript of her ex-husband’s new novel, something she reads as a veiled threat… Adapted from Austin Wright’s 1993 novel Tony And Susan, this marks the fashion designer Tom Ford’s second film as director, following the critically acclaimed A Single Man. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Venice Film Festival.

Released Fri 4 November

CRITIC’S CHOICE

A United Kingdom CERT 12a (111 mins)

Starring David Oyelowo, Rosamund Pike, Jack Davenport, Tom Felton, Jack Lowden, Terry Pheto, Laura Carmichael Directed by Amma Asante (UK/USA/Czech Republic)

Amma Asante directed the intelligent, powerful and hugely affecting Belle (2013) and now turns her attention to another cause célèbre involving the clash of black and white skins. This is the true

Rupture CERT 15 (99 mins)

story of Sir Seretse Khama (David Oyelowo), the king of Bechuanaland (now Botswana), who falls for a white office worker (Rosamund Pike) he meets in London during the unforgiving years of the late 1940s. The ensuing furore that greeted the couple’s romance ended up becoming a diplomatic crisis. Based on the book Colour Bar by Susan Williams and filmed in London and Botswana.

Released Fri 25 November

A Hundred Streets CERT 15 (93 mins)

Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Chiklis, Peter Stormare, Lesley Manville, Kerry Bishé Directed by Steven Shainberg (USA/Canada)

Starring Idris Elba, Gemma Arterton, Charlie Creed-Miles, Steven Mackintosh, Samantha Barks, Ken Stott Directed by Jim O'Hanlon (UK)

A single mother is abducted, drugged and taken to a secret facility where she struggles to discover what the heck is going on. Then the experiments begin…

The streets in question are spread out across the London capital, where three people’s lives take a remarkable turn. Expect some pretty strong language and sex.

Released Fri 4 November

Released Fri 11 November

Arrival CERT 12a (116 mins) Starring Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg, Tzi Ma Directed by Denis Villeneuve (USA)

Great cast, terrific director (cf. Incendies, Prisoners, Sicario). And if the idea sounds overly familiar - mysterious spacecraft landing all over the planet - you can bet that this will be very, very different. Amy Adams plays Louise Banks, a linguist recruited by the military to communicate with the visitors.

The sci-fi drama received rave reviews at the Venice Film Festival.

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Film releases in November

American Pastoral

Almost Christmas

CERT 15 (108 mins)

CERT tbc

Starring Ewan McGregor, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Connelly, Rupert Evans, Valorie Curry, David Strathairn Directed by Ewan McGregor (USA)

Starring Kimberly Elise, Omar Epps, Danny Glover, Mo'Nique, Nicole Ari Parker, Gabrielle Union Directed by David E. Talbert (USA)

Allied CERT tbc Starring Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard, Lizzy Caplan, Matthew Goode, Jared Harris, Anton Lesser Directed by Robert Zemeckis (UK/USA)

No, the festivities can’t be that close!?

As we’re scrambling to address our Christmas cards, along comes this starry ensemble in which the various members of a dysfunctional family get together to pretend to celebrate. Cf. last year’s Christmas With The Coopers.

Released Fri 25 November Inspired by the true incident of two assassins who fell in love during a mission to take out a German official, Allied is the latest film from the keyboard of Steven Knight. Knight’s previous credits include Dirty Pretty Things, Peaky Blinders, The Hundred-Foot Journey and the criminally underrated Burnt, so this comes with some pedigree.

Set in 1942 in North Africa and London.

Of all the people to adapt Philip Roth’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of 1997, Ewan McGregor was not the obvious choice. Be that as it may, the Scottish actor makes his directorial debut here and plays the part of former college athlete and successful Jewish American businessman Seymour Levov.

Seymour leads a perfect life until his 16-yearold daughter (Dakota Fanning) decides to commit an act of political terrorism.

Released Fri 25 November

Paterson CERT tbc

Released Fri 11 November

The Innocents CERT 15 (115 mins)

Bad Santa 2 CERT tbc

Starring Lou de Laâge, Agata Kulesza, Agata Buzek, Vincent Macaigne, Joanna Kulig Directed by Anne Fontaine (Poland/France/Belgium)

Starring Billy Bob Thornton, Kathy Bates, Tony Cox, Christina Hendricks, Brett Kelly Directed by Mark Waters (USA)

Willie T Stokes is not the most charitable of characters and here uses the umbrella of Yuletide to rip off a Chicago charity on Christmas Eve. The first film, originally released in 2003, was a wickedly funny black comedy featuring a villain with an approximate rooting in reality. Here’s hoping the new film retains some of that calibre.

Starring Adam Driver, Golshifteh Farahani, Barry Shabaka Henley, Cliff Smith Directed by Jim Jarmusch (USA/Germany/France)

Coincidentally, Paterson (Adam Driver) lives in a city also called Paterson. It’s here that our protagonist leads his uneventful life driving a bus, walking his dog and popping into a bar for his one beer a day. However, his wife is just bursting with ambition and urges Paterson to take his gift for poetry seriously…

Released Fri 25 November

Released Fri 25 November Polish films are not, as a general rule, enormously hearty affairs. Anne Fontaine’s Franco-Polish drama, based on true events, is nonetheless an extraordinary and extraordinarily powerful film. Set in a Polish convent in the bleak midwinter of 1945, it tells the story of how a young French Red Cross worker (Lou de Laâge) is drawn into the grim, cloistered world of that institution.

The outcome is shocking and moving and the film itself superbly acted and exquisitely mounted.

Released Fri 11 November

The Edge Of Seventeen CERT tbc

Starring Hailee Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson, Kyra Sedgwick, Haley Lu Richardson, Blake Jenner Directed by Kelly Fremon Craig (USA)

High school junior Nadine Byrd (Hailee Steinfeld) is not enjoying her youth, when her older brother starts dating her best friend. Eww! This coming-of-age comedydrama from first-time writer-director Craig got some pretty awesome reviews in the US. Released Wed 30 November

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Bellows and The Body

Despite his significant standing in the US, early-20th century painter George Bellows remains a relatively unknown artist here in the UK - a perhaps unsurprising fact given that there are only two of his paintings in British public collections. One of the two is Nude, Miss Bentham, a 1906 artwork acquired last year by Birmingham’s Barber Institute and now showing at the venue in a new exhibition. What’s On recently paid the gallery a visit to find out more…

Around the middle of the 20th century, visual art underwent a radical transformation as modernist movements like abstract expressionism swept Europe and America. Yet just a few years earlier, Western art had looked decidedly different, and many artists who have received little attention in recent years were hugely influential in their time.

One key movement in American art which today has been largely forgotten in Europe comprised a group of former students of the New York School of Art who sought to reflect the harsh realities of the urban life around them. Among the most prominent and prolific of this so-called ‘Ashcan School’ was George Bellows, once described by the Columbus Museum of Art as ‘the most acclaimed American artist of his generation’.

Nicola Kalinsky, Director of the Barber, “but it's not a name that many people here know.

The National Gallery has one Bellows painting, but otherwise, ours is the only one in a British public collection.”

Taking pride of place is an arresting, fulllength portrait acquired by the gallery in February 2015. Depicting the fleshy, muscular form of a female model, Nude, Miss Bentham (1906) is here displayed alongside Bellows’ comparable Nude Girl, Miss Leslie Hall (1909) for the first time in over a century, thanks to a loan from The Terra Foundation for American Art.

In a new exhibition titled Bellows And The Body, Birmingham University's Barber Institute sheds light on this often underappreciated painter.

“It's a striking image,” says Nicola, “quite unlike anything else we have in the collection. But at the same time, it speaks to some of the work we already have. This painting normally hangs near our Manet, and while they're from different traditions, you can see similarities in terms of how painterly and realistic they are.”

“In America, George Bellows is very popular as well as historically important,” says

The exhibition highlights Bellows' development over the years, from the student base-

ball player sketching idealised, athletic bodies for college yearbooks, to the socially conscious and decidedly realist artist who later emerged.

Other striking works include The Stag At Sharkey's (1917), a visceral lithograph print of two boxers which served as the cover for a 1915 edition of The Masses, a socialist magazine whose art editor was Bellows' friend and contemporary, John Sloan.

“In the 1900s, New York was the great modern city,” says Nicola. “With the first highrises going up and thousands of immigrants descending on it, it was an exciting place to be, but there were also social problems and poverty. The Ashcan artists felt it was important to paint the city as it really was, warts and all.”

Bellows and The Body: The Real, The Ideal and The Nude continues at The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University Of Birmingham, until Sunday 22nd January

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Visual Arts Realisation mac, Birmingham, until Wed 30 November

With its international reputation as one of the UK's most diverse cities, Birmingham last month seized the opportunity to acknowledge the cultural contributions of its many communities by celebrating Black History Month (BHM).

As part of those celebrations, this Inspiring A New Generation-coordinated exhibition brings together examples of work by Birmingham-based painters and mixed media artists.

The artwork on show either celebrates important people from the Black community or, in keeping with the over-arching theme of the city’s BHM programme, connects into the subject of music and musicians.

A number of the displayed artworks are available for sale.

Eva Rothschild: Alternative To Power New Art Gallery, Walsall, until Sun 15 January

Eva Rothschild’s sculptures often look ‘precarious’, as she herself describes them.

One of the leading sculptors of her generation, the Dublin-born artist likes to create and display a sense of physical tension within her work, an aim which often leads her to design pieces that seem to defy gravity.

One of the intentions of this approach is to challenge the viewer; Rothschild believes that the ideal way to look at art is to be permanently confused.

Alternative To Power marks the first time she’s exhibited in the Midlands. The show features a new body of work for the gallery that’s characterised by the use of co-dependent forms. Each piece is made up of multiple elements that rely on one another for support, the columns, frames, arches and benches forming a fragile union of physical components.

Alongside her gallery pieces, Rothschild is also displaying a large-scale dyed fabric banner, carrying the exhibition’s title, in the venue’s front-facing Window Box.

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East Meets West

Roy Lichtenstein

Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, until Fri 6 January

Wolverhampton Art Gallery, until Sun 26 February

The ways in which people nowadays spend their leisure time are many and varied, as the artwork displayed in this brand new exhibition ably illustrates.

Coordinated by Grain, an organisation dedicated to delivering ambitious, high-quality arts projects, East Meets West features the work of 16 local and emerging artists working with moving image or photography.

The artwork on show includes images that examine drinking culture, document community-led action to save local swimming baths, provide a sensitive portrait of a young Shetland Island resident’s use of his leisure time and shine a light on the obsession that can drive a collector.

Renowned for works based on comic strips and advertising imagery coloured with his signature Benday dots, Roy Lichtenstein was one of the most radical and influential artists of the 20th century and a leading figure in the Pop Art movement.

This exhibition of his art is drawn from Artist Rooms, a collection of international modern and contemporary art owned by National Galleries of Scotland and Tate on behalf of the public.

Commenting on the show, Wolverhampton councillor John Reynolds, cabinet member for City Economy, said: “This is the fourth time the art gallery has hosted an Artist Rooms exhibition, and we’re delighted the Lichtenstein works, newly added to the collection, are coming here this month. They were first displayed at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh in 2015, and this will be the first opportunity for visitors to see the works at an Artist Rooms associate venue.”

Brick Wonders Herbert Museum & Art Gallery, until Sun 15 January

Although for the majority of people Lego bricks are simply a toy with which to keep small children entertained, for some, they’re a challenging and enjoyable modelling medium.

The potential of these hugely popular plastic construction pieces is here celebrated via an exhibition that uses the bricks to build models of some of the world's best-known buildings and landmarks.

Included in a collection of over 70 constructions are presentations of the Great Wall of China and Niagara Falls.

Roy Lichtenstein Reflections on Crash 1990. ARTIST ROOMS, Tate and National Galleries of Scotland.

Lent by The Roy Lichtenstein Foundation Collection 2015

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Picasso On Paper Compton Verney Art Gallery, Warwickshire, until Sun 11 December

He may be best known for his paintings, but during his lifetime Pablo Picasso created more than 2,000 prints, a statistic that bears testimony to the high regard in which the artist held the discipline of printmaking.

Comprising more than 70 works from Dusseldorfâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Museum Kunstpalast, Picasso On Paper features artwork from across four decades. Various media are in evidence, including etching, lithography, aquatint and linocut, with the pieces being grouped according to such themes as family, bullfighting and mythology.

The exhibition is complemented by eight ceramics created by the artist in association with the Madoura pottery near Antibes in Provence.

Heavenly Lights: The Untold Story Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery, until Sun 15 January

The artwork of a Shrewsbury woman who was one of the great female artists of the early 20th century is the subject of this new exhibition.

Margaret Agnes Rope - or Marga, as she was known - was born in 1882 and produced stained glass that can be found in churches and cathedrals on three continents.

Although her work is collected by museums in the US, sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s now largely forgotten here in the UK.

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Events

Crafts For Christmas NEC, Birmingham, Thurs 3 - Sun 6 November

This popular event for crafting enthusiasts at all levels brings together four distinct shows under one roof - Crafts For Christmas, Cake International (4 to 6 November), Arts Material Live and Stitching, Sewing And Hobbycrafts.

Crafts For Christmas sees more than 150 exhibitors showcasing their exclusive range of bespoke and unusual gifts. ‘Inspiring’ workshops, live music, a gift-wrapping service and an impressive array of festive food also feature...

Visitors to the Stitching, Sewing & Hobbycrafts element of the event are invited to ‘stock up and revel in creative craft inspiration’ by

Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show NEC, Birmingham, Fri 11 - Sun 13 November

The biggest event of its kind, the Classic Motor Show has some impressive statistics behind it. Last year’s event, for example, featured a display of 1,800 cars and more than 600 trade stands manned by 250 of the UK’s best motoring clubs.

Visitors to the 2016 edition of the show can expect plenty more of the same, as well as the chance to drop into the Restoration Theatre to find out how to restore a cherished classic. The always-popular autojumble makes a welcome return too, complete with a range of mouthwatering 'show only' offers.

Other attractions at this year’s event include a dedicated classic motorbike show, Silverstone auctions, the chance for visitors to take a ride in ‘the car of their dreams’, and an appearance by Wheeler Dealer star Mike Brewer.

checking out a wealth of supplies, innovations, new product launches, demonstrations and workshops...

For anybody whose passion is making art, a few hours spent at the Art Materials Live attraction should prove to be both stimulating and informative. There are numerous free workshops to enjoy, fascinating demonstrations by professional artists and the opportunity to stock up on fresh supplies and admire ‘stunning’ displays... The fourth show, opening a day later than the other three, is Cake International, the UK’s leading cake decorating, sugarcraft and cake-baking show.

The event features cutting-edge workshops and demonstrations, lots of information about the latest trends and supplies, and an opportunity to check out some of the best entries in the annual cake-decorating competition.

BBC Good Food Show

Mind Body Spirit Festival

NEC, Birmingham, Thurs 24 - Sun 27 November

NEC, Birmingham, Fri 4 - Sun 6 November

A long-time favourite on the UK’s culinary events calendar, the BBC Good Food Show brings a packed programme of inspiration and entertainment to the NEC. Continuing to attract the crème de la crème of TV personalities, this year’s show sees, among others, Mary Berry, The Hairy Bikers, Raymond Blanc, Paul Hollywood, Michael Roux Jr, James Martin and Great British Bake Off 2015 winner Nadiya Hussain cooking up a treat or several in the Supertheatre.

Add into the mix oodles of tastings, hundreds of exhibitors showcasing their wares and a special show celebrating the cuisine of Northern Ireland, and you’ve got yourself the makings of a delicious day out.

The Mind Body Spirit Festival has been offering spiritual seekers a safe place in which to commune and share their ideas, beliefs and philosophies for almost 40 years.

When founded in 1977, it was the only exhibition in the world entirely devoted to the pursuit of healthier, more creative and fulfilling lifestyles.

A concept which might have seemed a little bit ‘out there’ back in the mid-1970s has certainly come of age in the early 21st century.

In an ever more stressful and seemingly dangerous world, it’s hardly surprising that the festival is going from strength to strength, as people seek a means of occasionally escaping the trials and tribulations of modern living.

Attractions at this month’s show include a workshop programme presenting new ideas on relationships, awakening, feng shui, inspired living, NLP, yoga, meditation, modern shamanism, science & angels. whatsonlive.co.uk 47

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more events from around the region

MCM Comic Con Birmingham

Hereford Contemporary Craft Fair

NEC, Birmingham, Sat 19 - Sun 20 November

The MCM Comic Con is an absolute must for anybody with an interest in movies, gaming, comics, anime, cult television shows, gadgets, clothing and toys. It also has an impressive track record when it comes to hosting celebrity appearances - and this year is certainly no different...

American actor Sam Jones shot to albeit brief stardom in 1980 when he took the title role in the big-screen version of Flash Gordon. The British-made movie, which boasted a camp, over-the-top style reminiscent of the 1960s Batman TV series, has since become a cult classic - a fact which not surprisingly means that Sam is nowadays in great demand at events such as this one.

He’s joined at this month’s get-together by Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood, two of the stars of Stanley Kubrick’s legendary sci-fi movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Spanish Riding School of Vienna: 450th Anniversary Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham, Fri 18 - Sun 20 November

Left Bank, Hereford, Fri 11 - Sun 13 November

jewellery and metalwork - all handmade by local craftspeople - are available for purchase, as are numerous edible delights. This year’s exhibitors include: Emily Richard, who makes jewellery in precious metals; Amanda Hillier, whose limited-edition linoprints, cards and gifts are inspired by Shropshire; and Sam Hemming, who creates unusual handmade glass and gemstone beadwork jewellery.

This well-attended annual show features contemporary craft designer-makers presenting a wide variety of work, including jewellery, textiles, furniture, ceramics, glass, stone carving, basketry, fashion & accessories and metalwork.

Commenting on the event, organiser Leoni Linton says: “Visitors to the show are able to meet every single maker of the craft they see, bringing to life an object of beauty with an understanding of who made it, and how and why they made it. This makes every purchase both personal and special - especially a bespoke commission, which virtually all our exhibitors take.”

Ludlow Medieval Christmas Fayre The Spanish Riding School of Vienna is this month celebrating its 450th anniversary with a series of exclusive shows in Birmingham and London.

The shows are hosted by TV presenter and British Dressage Ambassador Nicki Chapman.

Commenting on her involvement, Nicki said: “Spanish Riding School of Vienna tours are rare and exceptional. I’ve witnessed first hand these graceful horses thrilling crowds with their astonishing combination of elegance and power. This is an extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness these worldrenowned horses performing in the UK, during the academy’s momentous 450th anniversary year.”

Ludlow Castle, Shropshire, Sat 26 - Sun 27 November

Juggling jesters, giant puppets, swashbuckling sword fighters and a marvellous medley of medieval musicians all play their part in ensuring an engaging and entertaining experience for visitors to this ever-popular event - as do more than 100 stall holders selling food, drink and seasonal wares.

“I’m delighted by the range of new entertainment we’ve secured for this year’s show,” says Paul Saunders, artistic director of the fayre and a musician and performer in his own right. “Not only do we have great new music, theatre and live shows, but we’ve also got a fantastic new range of workshops for visitors of all ages to enjoy, from music and instrument making right through to dancing.”

Gorgeous Christmas Craft Fair Enginuity, Ironbridge, Sat 19 - Sun 20 November

Held in association with the Shropshire Guild of Contemporary Craft, this popular event provides a showcase for the region’s creative talent. Furniture, ceramics, glassware, textiles,

Tryzna

Warley National Model Railway Exhibition NEC, Birmingham, Sat 26 - Sun 27 November

The organisers of this long-running event - this month’s exhibition is the 49th edition of the show - have very sensibly got an eye to the future, ensuring there’s plenty for youngsters to enjoy across the two days.

Kids’ attractions include a number of layouts designed for children to operate and a Junior Modellers Workshop, in which budding engineers can put their skills to the test.

The show features more than 90 layouts in total, as well as numerous demonstrations, plenty of trade stands and, as a rather impressive centrepiece, four full-sized locomotives. whatsonlive.co.uk 49

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Your week to week listings guide November 2016

Ice Skate Birmingham in Centenary Square, Sat 19 Nov - Sun 8 Jan

Music I Comedy I Theatre I Dance I Film I Events I Visual Arts I

and more!

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s On Tues 1 to Sun 6 November

Mon 7 to Sun 13 November

Mon 14 to Sun 20 November

Mon 21 to Wed 30 November

The National Pet Show at the NEC Birmingham

Tom Odell at O2 Academy, Birmingham

Jess Glynne at Genting Arena, Birmingham

BRBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Nutcracker at Birmingham Hippodrome

Sat 5 - Sun 6 November

Sat 12 November

Fri 18 November

Fri 25 November until Tues 13 December

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Tuesday 1 - Sunday 6 November

THROUGHOUT NOVEMBER

Visual Arts Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery

NEW NIGHT IN THE MUSEUM Leading British artist Ryan Gander has selected artworks from the Arts Council Collection which appear to be involved in the act of looking, Sat 26 Nov - Sun 12 Feb

Grand Union NEW QUEERZONE3000 IN RESIDENCE AT GRAND UNION Representatives from the group will spend a week inhabiting the Mathew Parkin installation slope-tend-big, developing a film titled Do You Really Want To Hurst Me, exploring the social histories of Birmingham’s Hurst Street and its surrounding communities, Tues 15 Fri 18 Nov

Ikon Gallery SARA BARKER A major museum exhibition by Glasgow-based artist Sara Barker, presented by Ikon in collaboration with The Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, until Sun 27 Nov MAHTAB HUSSAIN AT CAFÉ OPUS A selection of tintype photographic portraits made by artist Mahtab Hussain, until Sun 27 Nov MITTI KA GUR - CLAY HOUSE A scaled replica of a traditional Pakistani clay house, showcasing miniature clay houses made by visitors to The Auspicious Journey this summer, until Sun 6 Nov

THE PASTORAL AND THE SUBLIME Showcasing three watercolours by Birmingham-born artist David Cox, as well as watercolours, drawings and prints by Gainsborough, Turner and Constable, among others, until Sun 8 Jan

mac, Birmingham DIALOGUE: DÉRACINER Exhibition by the Anglo/French group Dialogue, a collaboration focused on ideas and objects associated with borders, mapping and historical references between France and England, until Sun 27 Nov MADE AT MAC: THE ART OF COMPUTER GAMES AND ANIMATION Showcasing the work of participants from the animation courses for children and young people, until Sun 8 Jan

BOM (B’ham Open Media) LIFE ECHO Justin Wigan's first solo show is a groundbreaking experiment in sound and memory. The exhibition features specially designed pods and invites the public to participate in a fascinating experiment by creating their most powerful life memory triggers, until Sat 28 Jan

Museum of The Jewellery Quarter COLLECTING BIRMINGHAM: STORIES THAT SHOULD BE SHARED The first in a series of four exhibitions showcasing objects collected from local people, telling their stories of life in Birmingham, until Sat 31 Dec

Other The Library of Birmingham BIRMINGHAM BIG ART PROJECT The exhibition presents the five shortlisted artists’ proposals for a major new work of public art for the city of Birmingham, to be completed in 2018, until Sun 4 Dec

RBSA Gallery

NEW GRAHAM BLAINE RBSA A selection of delicate watercolours of trees in the landscape and boats, Mon 7 Nov - Sat 7 Jan

NEW MEMBERS AND ASSOCIATES 2016 Exhibition of work by RBSA members and associates, Wed 16 Nov - Sat 24 Dec NEW HEINKE JENKINS RBSA A selection of atmospheric lino and woodcut prints focusing on travel and movement, Mon 21 - Sat 14 Jan

NEW USHA KHOSLA RBSA Usha’s ceramic vessels have textured surfaces based on the colours and forms of the landscape, Mon 28 Nov - Sat 21 Jan

The Barber Institute BURIED TREASURES Exhibition exploring coin hoards, telling the stories of their deposition and discovery, until Sun 26 Feb 2017

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NEW SOLIHULL AMATEUR WATERCOLOUR ARTISTS EXHIBITION An exhibition of paintings by the talented Solihull Amateur Watercolour Artists. Instructed by awardwinning artist John Hopkin, Wed 2 Mon 14 Nov, The Core Theatre, Solihull

NEW FRAME16 PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION Exhibition celebrating the creativity and diversity of photography in Birmingham and the West Midlands, Sat 5 - Sun 13 Nov, Millennium Point & Eastside Park, Birmingham

NEW GALLERY 12 ANNUAL EXHIBITION 2016 A collective of artists, based in and around Birmingham, showcasing a wide variety of artwork, including paintings, jewellery, fine art photographs, pieces of decoupage, pottery and prints, Fri 11 - Sun 13 Nov, Woodbridge Gallery, Moseley, Birmingham

NEW ‘CITY' EXHIBITION BY RUNNING STITCH TEXTILE GROUP The group, consisting of eight local textile artists, display new work inspired by the images and colours of the urban landscape, Wed 16 - Mon 28 Nov, The Core Theatre, Solihull

Gigs HAWKLORDS Tues 1 Nov, The Robin, Bilston SYD ARTHUR Tues 1 Nov, The Rainbow Venues, Birmingham CORY HENRY & THE FUNK APOSTLES Tues 1 Nov, The Glee Club, Birmingham TELEGRAM Tues 1 Nov, Hare & Hounds, B’ham THE WEDDING CRASHERS Tues 1 Nov, The Jam House, Birmingham SPOTTED DOG JAZZ TUESDAYS Tues 1 Nov, The Spotted Dog, Birmingham BLUES PILLS Tues 1 Nov, The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton WILL JOSEPH COOK Tues 1 Nov, The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham HONNE Tues 1 Nov, O2 Institute, Birmingham JMSN Tues 1 Nov, Hare & Hounds, Birmingham ANDY IRVINE Wed 2 Nov, The Red Lion Folk Club, Birmingham BEAR'S DEN Wed 2 Nov, O2 Institute, B’ham

Bonfire Radicals - Hare & Hounds, Birmingham

ROXY MAGIC Thurs 3 Nov, The Robin, Bilston 3 DOORS DOWN Thurs 3 Nov, O2 Academy, Birmingham MULTI STORY Thurs 3 Nov, The Roadhouse, B’ham IRON FIST OF THE SUN, KHOST, TUNNELS OF AH & STECKDOSE Thurs 3 Nov, Hare & Hounds, Bimingham DIANE SHAW Thurs 3 Nov, The Jam House, B’ham FLAMINGODS Thurs 3 Nov, The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham SMOOVE & TURRELL Fri 4 Nov, Hare & Hounds, Birmingham

GABRIELLE Wed 2 Nov, Birmingham Town Hall

TRU GROOVE Fri 4 Nov Sat 5 Nov, The Jam House, Birmingham

REBECCA FERGUSON Wed 2 Nov, Symphony Hall, Birmingham

MERCHANDISE Fri 4 Nov, The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham

THE STYLISTICS Wed 2 Nov, The Jam House, Birmingham

VOODOO SIOUX, THEIA & NAKED SUNDAY Fri 4 Nov, Route 44, B’ham

GERRY COLVIN BAND Wed 2 Nov, Blue Piano Restaurant And Bar, Birmingham

BUGZY MALONE Fri 4 Nov, O2 Institute, Birmingham

TELEMAN Wed 2 Nov, The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton

FRED SKIDMORE TRIO Fri 4 Nov, Blue Piano Restaurant And Bar, Birmingham

MARTIN TURNER EX WISHBONE ASH Wed 2 Nov, The Robin, Bilston

BRING ME THE HORIZON Fri 4 Nov, Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham

GREGORY PECK'S JAZZ, FUNK AND SOUL OPEN MIC NIGHT Wed 2 Nov, The Night Owl, B’ham

WOMEN IN ROCK Fri 4 Nov, The Roadhouse, Birmingham

THE MOUSE OUTFIT Wed 2 Nov, Hare & Hounds, Birmingham ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN Thurs 3 Nov, Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton CARRIE RODRIGUEZ Thurs 3 Nov, Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham SHAWN KLUSH - ELVIS WORLD TOUR Thurs 3 Nov, Civic Hall, Wolverhampton JACK SAVORETTI Thurs 3 Nov, O2 Institute, Birmingham

KT TUNSTALL Fri 4 Nov, Symphony Hall, B’ham PJ HARVEY Fri 4 Nov, Starworks Warehouse, Wolverhampton CORINNE BAILEY RAE Fri 4 Nov, O2 Institute, Birmingham ASHLEY ALLEN QUINTET Fri 4 Nov, Symphony Hall, Birmingham THE READY EDDIES Fri 4 Nov, The Robin, Bilston SHAM 69 Sat 5 Nov, Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton BON GIOVI Sat 5 Nov,

The Robin, Bilston THE OASIS EXPERIENCE Sat 5 Nov, The Roadhouse, B’ham THE NICK ROSS ORCHESTRA: SOUNDS OF THE GLENN MILLER ERA Sat 5 Nov, Artrix, Bromsgrove ELAINE PAIGE Sat 5 Nov, Symphony Hall, B’ham DANCE GAVIN DANCE Sat 5 Nov, O2 Institute, Birmingham AMON AMARTH Sat 5 Nov, O2 Academy, Birmingham SCORPION CHILD Sat 5 Nov, The Rainbow Venues, Birmingham LEGENDARY NIGHT IN Birmingham Sat 5 Nov, O2 Academy, B’ham GOSPEL GOES CHARITY 2016 Sat 5 Nov, Birmingham Town Hall SWEAT Sat 5 Nov, Hare & Hounds, Birmingham HUSK Sat 5 Nov, O2 Academy, Birmingham ICE NINE KILLS Sat 5 Nov, The Rainbow Venues, Birmingham SAXON Sun 6 Nov, Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton NOLA INSPIRED Sun 6 Nov, The Roadhouse, Birmingham BONFIRE RADICALS Sun 6 Nov, Hare & Hounds, Birmingham KSI Sun 6 Nov, O2 Institute, Birmingham DEVINES Sun 6 Nov, Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham LIVE & LET ROCK Sun 6 Nov, The Robin, Bilston THE MISSION Sun 6 Nov, O2 Institute, Birmingham THE MEN THAT WILL NOT BE BLAMED FOR NOTHING Sun 6 Nov, O2 Academy, Birmingham THE SKULL + WITCH MOUNTAIN Sun 6 Nov, The Rainbow Venues, Birmingham

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Tuesday 1 - Sunday 6 November

Classical Music GILBERT AND SULLIVAN'S PATIENCE The Erdington Operatic Society present Gilbert & Sullivan’s clever and amusing satire, with music ranging from idyllic charm to brash, military patriotism, Tues 1 - Sat 5 Nov, Sutton Coldfield Town Hall CBSO: BRAHMS' SECOND Featuring the City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Cristian Macelaru (conductor) & Simon Trpceski (piano).

Programme includes works by Dvorak, Bartok & Brahms, Thurs 3 Nov, Symphony Hall, Birmingham KALICHSTEIN-LAREDO-ROBINSON TRIO Featuring Jaime Laredo (violin), Sharon Robinson (cello) & Joseph Kalichstein (piano). Programme includes works by Beethoven, Shostakovich & Brahms, Fri 4 Nov, Birmingham Town Hall BINCHOIS CONSORT In Praise of Saints: English Music and Midlands Alabasters in the Fifteenth Century, Fri 4 Nov, The Barber Institute, Birmingham

CITY OF BIRMINGHAM CHOIR: SONGS FROM A CHANGING WORLD Programme includes works by Elgar, Walton, Tippett, Brahms & contemporary composer, Bob Chilcott, Sun 6 Nov, Bramall Music Building, Birmingham EX CATHEDRA: BACH MASS IN B MINOR Featuring Jeffrey Skidmore (conductor), Elizabeth Adams, Katie Trethaway & Amy Wood (sopranos); Harriet Houghman Slade & Martha McLorinan (altos); Jeremy Budd (tenor) & Thomas Flint & Greg Skidmore (bass), Sun 6 Nov, Birmingham Town Hall

Comedy Gigs TAPE FACE Tues 1 Nov, Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton ROB BECKETT Wed 2 Nov, Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton BILLY CONNOLLY Wed 2 - Thurs 3 Nov, Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham JAMES ACASTER Wed 2 Nov, Stafford Gatehouse Theatre MRS BARBARA NICE, SALLY-ANNE HAYWARD, JULIET MEYERS & MAUREEN YOUNGER Wed 2 Nov, Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham DAVE SPIKEY Thurs 3 Nov, Stafford Gatehouse Theatre MANILLA ROAD COMEDY Thurs 3 Nov,

The Victoria, Birmingham PETER WHITE, ADAM KAY, BEN BRIGGS & YIANNI AGISILAOU Thurs 3 Nov, The George Hotel, Lichfield ROB DEERING, SEAN MCLOUGHLIN & COMEDY CAROUSEL WITH ANDY ROBINSON Thurs 3 Nov, The Glee Club, Birmingham WV1 COMEDY Fri 4 Nov, Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton LLOYD GRIFFITH, ADAM BLOOM, ANDREW RYAN & DAVE LONGLEY Fri 4 Nov, The Comedy Loft, Birmingham ROB DEERING, SEAN MCLOUGHLIN, KEVIN CARTHY & ANDREW WATTS Fri 4 Sat 5 Nov, The Glee Club, B’ham LLOYD GRIFFITH, IAN COGNITO, ANDREW RYAN & DAVE LONGLEY Sat 5 Nov, The Comedy Loft, Birmingham GLENDA JAXSON, OLA, KEVIN J & JOHN SIMMIT Sun 6 Nov, mac, Birmingham

Theatre Police Cops - Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham

THE TWO NOBLE KINSMEN Based on Chaucer's The Knight's Tale, The Two Noble Kinsmen is attributed to John Fletcher and William Shakespeare, and is best described as a tragicomedy exploring the intoxication and strangeness of love, until Tues 7 Feb, The Swan Theatre, Stratford-uponAvon THE ROVER Aphra Behn's anarchic restoration comedy, rich with seduction, intrigue and danger, set in the topsy-turvy world of the carnival.

Loveday Ingram directs, until Sat 11 Feb, The Swan Theatre, Stratfordupon-Avon THE EXORCIST Unleashed for the first time in a uniquely theatrical experience, until Sat 5 Nov, The REP, Birmingham DRACULA: THE MUSICAL Amateur production presented by Blue Orange Arts and Night Project Theatre, until Sat 5 Nov, The Blue Orange Theatre, Birmingham HENRY V The Crescent Theatre Company present Shakespeare’s epic history play, until Sat 5 Nov, Crescent Theatre, Birmingham WHAT SHADOWS Roxana Silbert-directed play starring Ian McDiarmid as Enoch Powell, until Sat 12 Nov, The REP, Birmingham THE MOUSETRAP Touring production of Agatha Christie's famous thriller the longest-running show in the history of British theatre, Mon 31 Oct Sat 5 Nov, New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham LEMONS LEMONS LEMONS LEMONS LEMONS Theatre’s award-winning debut show examines how we express ourselves, personally and politically, through the lens of one couple’s relationship, Tues 1 - Wed 2 Nov, mac, Birmingham HOME AT SEVEN Brian Capron and Jenny Funnell star in a staging of RC Sherriff's well-crafted thriller, Tues 1 Sat 5 Nov, Wolverhampton Grand

Theatre THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE St Alphege Musical Production Society present an amateur version of the toe-tapping musical, Tues 1 - Sat 5 Nov, The Core, Solihull PATIENCE Erdington Operatic Society present an amateur production of Gilbert & Sullivan’s comic opera, Tues 1 - Sat 5 Nov, Sutton Coldfield Town Hall HEADS WILL ROLL Told By An Idiot present a dark comedy about delusion, vanity and the corruption of power, Tues 1 - Sat 5 Nov, The REP, Birmingham THE TEMPEST: A STORYTELLING Shakespeare’s powerful tale, presented by award-winning storyteller Maria Whatton, Wed 2 Nov, Lichfield Garrick AN AUDIENCE WITH SIR RANULPH FIENNES An evening with ‘the world's greatest living explorer', Wed 2 Nov, The Bramall, Birmingham CATS A West Bromwich Youth Theatre production, Wed 2 - Sat 5 Nov, Lichfield Garrick THE HITCHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE FAMILY A multimedia road trip that asks searching questions about identity, Fri 4 Nov, Artrix, Bromsgrove COULROPHOBIA Pickled Image present a show featuring slapstick, mime, puppetry and a lot of cardboard.

Contains nudity and some strong language, Fri 4 Nov, mac, Birmingham MRS GUIDO FAULKES ENTERTAINS Riproaring comedy with songs, bombs, bullets and busty bawdiness aplenty, Fri 4 Nov, Lichfield Garrick POLARIS The chilling horror of a reality shattered and a splintered existence in turmoil... . Fri 4 Nov, The Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham POLICE COPS Action-packed hour of adrenaline-fuelled physical theatre,

cinematic style and uncompromising facial hair, Sat 5 Nov, Old joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham ALFIE WHITE SPACE EXPLORER A cosmic tale of adventure and discovery for children aged five-plus, Sat 5 Nov, Lichfield Garrick BETH VYSE: AS FUNNY AS CANCER Join Beth as she talks about her Stokeon-Trent family, The Waltons on alcohol, her time with Nelson Mandela, acting and thieving at the Royal Shakespeare Company, settling down with Michael Jackson and finding cancer, Sat 5 Nov, Artrix, Bromsgrove THE STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYLL & MR HYDE An intimate and haunting science fiction classic, Sat 5 - Sat 12 Nov, Oldbury Rep OLIVER SAMUELS IN GUILT TRIP New comedy drama which reminds us that knowledge from your past can turn out to be cruel, but can also be a powerful and invigorating force, Sun 6 Nov, New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham CLOUD CUCKOO LAND: DING DONG An interactive musical play about ‘time’ for younger children, Sun 6 Nov, mac, Birmingham BEYOND THE BARRICADE Hit songs from legendary West End and Broadway musicals, Sun 6 Nov, Lichfield Garrick

Dance VAMOS CUBA New show from acclaimed Cuban choreographer Nilda Guerra which fuses traditional and modern dance styles including salsa, rumba, cha-cha-cha and reggaeton, Tues 1 - Sat 5 Nov, Birmingham Hippodrome PATTERN RECOGNITION Using moving

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thelist lights which can track and intelligently respond to the dancers, Pattern Recognition opens up questions about learning and memory in relation to the technology of artificial intelligence, Thurs 3 - Fri 4 Nov, DanceXchange, Birmingham Hippodrome

TEN Ace Dance & Music present a thought provoking full length dance production combining contemporary dance with an essence of Flamenco, Kathak, Martial Arts and Ballet, Fri 4 Nov, mac, Birmingham

Talks / Spoken Word JOE KELLEHER: ON THEATRE AND POLITICS Joe Kelleher’s lecture considers a number of questions about how the contemporary theatre seeks to engage politically with the world around it, with the consequences of history and also with what is going on right now, Fri 4 Nov, The REP, Birmingham

Film INDEPENDENT LISTINGS: BADEN BADEN (15) Comedy/Drama.

Starring Salomé Richard & Claude Gensac. Foreign language, subtitled. mac, Birmingham, until Wed 2 Nov

Tuesday 1 - Sunday 6 November Birmingham, Sat 5 Nov THE MATRIX TRILOGY (15) Action/Sci-Fi. Starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne. The Mockingbird, Birmingham, Sat 5 Nov OH, MR. PORTER! (U) Comedy. Starring Will Hay. Electric Cinema, Birmingham, Sun 6 Nov

NEW FILMS ON GENERAL RELEASE: Released from Tues 1 Nov, showing at selected cinemas THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS (12a) Thurs 3 Nov, showing at selected cinemas DENNIS VIOLLET: A UNITED MAN (tbc) Fri 4 Nov, showing at selected cinemas THE ACCOUNTANT (15) NOCTURNAL ANIMALS (15) RUPTURE (15) A STREET CAT NAMED BOB (12a) THE DARKEST UNIVERSE (15) Patterm Recognitioon - DanceXchange, Birmingham Hippodrome

Events GINO D'ACAMPO SIGNING Gino D'Acampo signs copies of his latest book, Gino's Hidden Italy, Thurs 3 Nov, Waterstones - High St, Birmingham CRAFTS FOR CHRISTMAS The perfect place to start your Christmas preparations, with a host of gifts you wouldn’t usually find on the high street, Thurs 3 - Sun 6 Nov, NEC, Birmingham

MY SCIENTOLOGY MOVIE (15) Documentary. Starring Rob Alter, Tom Cruise, Paz de la Huerta. mac, Birmingham, until Thurs 3 Nov

ART MATERIALS LIVE Hone your painting skills and pick up top tips from the experts via a variety of free workshops and demonstrations, Thurs 3 Sun 6 Nov, NEC, Birmingham

DOCTOR STRANGE (12A) Action/Adventure. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton. Electric Cinema, Birmingham, until Thurs 3 Nov

THE STITCHING, SEWING & HOBBYCRAFT SHOW Supplies, innovations, demonstrations and workshops, Thurs 3 Sun 6 Nov, NEC, Birmingham

THE ANGELS' SHARE (18) Comedy/Drama. Starring Paul Brannigan, Siobhan Reilly. Electric Cinema, Birmingham, Thurs 3 Nov CINEMA BAMBINO: FINDING DORY (U) Animation/Comedy. Starring Ellen DeGeneres (voice), Albert Brooks (voice). mac, Birmingham, Fri 4 Nov MAGIC MIKE (15) Comedy/Drama.

Starring Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer. The Mockingbird, Birmingham, Fri 4 Nov SONITA (15) Documentary. Starring Sonita Alizadeh, Rokhsareh Ghaemmaghami. Foreign language, subtitled. mac, Birmingham, Fri 4 Wed 9 Nov I, DANIEL BLAKE (15) Drama. Starring Dave Johns, Hayley Squires, Dylan McKiernan. mac, Birmingham, Fri 4 Thurs 10 Nov SCREEN JUNIORS:THE WIZ (U) Adventure/Fantasy. Starring Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey. mac,

CAKE INTERNATIONAL The Sugarcraft, Cake Decorating & Baking Show makes a welcome return, Fri 4 - Sun 6 Nov, NEC, Birmingham DIGBETH FIRST FRIDAY Digbeth comes alive on the first Friday of each month with exhibitions, late-night openings, special events, culture in unexpected spaces, live music, street food and more, Fri 4 Nov, Digbeth, Birmingham

ed, Sat 5 Nov, Dudley Canal Tunnel and Limestone Mines FOUR NATIONS TOURNAMENT - DOUBLE HEADER Sat 5 Nov, Ricoh Arena, Coventry TEXTILES STORIES Use your own family history (or other old documents) to create a personal artwork, Sat 5 Nov, Black Country Living Museum, Dudley BIG AMATEUR WEEKEND Become an RSC actor for the weekend and experience how the performers and directors prepare and rehearse for a show, Sat 5 - Sun 6 Nov, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratfordupon-Avon THE NATIONAL PET SHOW 2015 Featuring hundreds of different animals, animal action displays, informative talks and demonstrations, Sat 5 - Sun 6 Nov, NEC, Birmingham THE SOOTY SHOW: SOOTY IN SPACE Sat 5 - Sun 6 Nov, Cadbury World, Bournville, Birmingham THE GUNPOWDER TREASON WEEKEND A weekend dedicated to the Gunpowder Plot, including a 35minute family play delivered by reenactors Sir Robert Cecil's Men, Sat 5 - Sun 6 Nov, Blakesley Hall, Birmingham

SHARK WEEK See sharks in all shapes and sizes and learn to identify different types, Sat 5 - Sun 13 Nov, National Sea Life Centre, Birmingham

Bonfires & Firework Displays THE VALE FIREWORKS Thurs 3 Nov, The Vale Park, Edgbaston VICTORIA PARK FIREWORKS Fri 4 Nov, Victoria Park, Smethwick EDGBASTON STADIUM FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR Sat 5 Nov, Edgbaston Stadium SOLIHULL ROUND TABLE FIREWORKS DISPLAY Sat 5 Nov, Tudor Grange Park, Solihull FIREWORKS DISPLAY Sat 5 Nov, Birmingham Botanical Gardens BONIFRE NIGHT AT SUTTON COLDFIELD’S RFC Sat 5 Nov, Roger Smoldon Ground, Sutton Coldfield

THE NATIONAL GRADUATE RECRUITMENT EXHIBITION The UK’s leading graduate jobs fair offers the chance to discover career opportunities across a broad range of industries, Fri 4 - Sat 5 Nov, NEC, Birmingham MIND BODY SPIRIT WELLBEING FESTIVAL Featuring 100 exhibitors, 27 workshops, live music, a wellbeing studio & spa, a ceremony space and a juice bar, Fri 4 - Sun 6 Nov, NEC, Birmingham FESTIVAL OF LIGHT Journey underground to see the caverns illuminat-

Solihull Fireworks at Tudor Grange

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AFRO CELT SOUND SYSTEM Mon 7 Nov, Birmingham Town Hall SILVERSUN PICKUP Mon 7 Nov, O2 Institute, Birmingham SKINDRED Mon 7 Nov, Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton TIBET Mon 7 Nov, Hare & Hounds, Birmingham

Monday 7 - Sunday 13 November

KING PLEASURE & THE BISCUIT BOYS Thurs 10 Nov, The Jam House, Birmingham

SHOW OF HANDS WITH MIRANDA SYKES Thurs 10 Nov, Birmingham Town Hall THE WYTCHES Thurs 10 Nov, O2 Institute, Birmingham

BREAK STUFF Fri 11 Nov, The Asylum, Birmingham

THE CADILLAC THREE Thurs 10 Nov, O2 Academy, Birmingham

TOM ODELL Sat 12 Nov, O2 Academy, B’ham

IDLES Mon 7 Nov, O2 Academy, Birmingham THE VINTAGE CARAVAN Mon 7 Nov, The Rainbow Venues, Birmingham

MICK FLANNERY Thurs 10 Nov, The Glee Club, Birmingham

DELAIN Tues 8 Nov, O2 Institute, Birmingham

TONY CHRISTIE Thurs 10 Nov, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

THE PAT MCMANUS BAND Tues 8 Nov, The Robin, Bilston

BONFIRE Thurs 10 Nov, The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton

UGLY KID JOE Tues 8 Nov, Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton

UNDER THE FRIDGE, PEARL SCAM & KIRVANA Thurs 10 Nov, The Robin, Bilston

DAVID ESSEX Tues 8 Nov, Symphony Hall, Birmingham BASTILLE Tues 8 Nov, Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham SPOTTED DOG JAZZ TUESDAYS Tues 8 Nov, The Spotted Dog, Birmingham SOLID AIR Tues 8 Nov, Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham LAIL ARAD Tues 8 Nov, The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham THE BLACK FEATHERS Wed 9 Nov, Kitchen Garden Cafe, B’ham THE FAIR RAIN Wed 9 Nov, The Red Lion Folk Club, Birmingham ELECTUS Wed 9 Nov, The Robin, Bilston

BRYDE + ME FOR QUEEN Thurs 10 Nov, The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham

THE CLONE ROSES Sat 12 Nov, O2 Academy, Birmingham STONE BROKEN Sat 12 Nov, The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton RICKY WARWICK AND THE FIGHTING HEARTS Sat 12 Nov, O2 Academy, Birmingham ANDREW BAIN PROJECT Sat 12 Nov, CBSO Centre, Birmingham

A SHAKESPEARE AND VERLAINE SONGBOOK Featuring Carolyn Sampson (soprano) & Jospeh Middleton (piano). Programme includes works by Schubert, Haydn, Purcell, Schumann, R Strauss, Vaughan Williams, Britten, Gurney, Bush, Debussy & Faure, Wed 9 Nov, The Barber Institute, Birmingham KEVIN VOLANS SPOTLIGHT Programme comprises Volans' Piano Concerto No.4, Fri 11 Nov, CBSO Centre, Birmingham

BALAAM AND THE ANGEL Sat 12 Nov, O2 Institute, Birmingham

BEASTDOME: ENVISION Featuring guest artist Freida Abtan, Sat 12 Nov, The Bramall, Birmingham

GROUPER Fri 11 Nov Sat 12 Nov, The Jam House, Birmingham

MATT GOUGH & FRIENDS Sat 12 Nov, Symphony Hall, Birmingham

THE TOTAL STONE ROSES Fri 11 Nov, The Roadhouse, B’ham

LACUNA COIL Sun 13 Nov, O2 Institute, Birmingham

UK FOO FIGHTERS Fri 11 Nov, O2 Academy, Birmingham

DORJE Sun 13 Nov, O2 Academy, Birmingham

CBSO: SPECTACULAR CLASSICS Featuring Anthony Inglis (conductor), Anthony James Edwards (tenor), James Cleverton (baritone) & the City Of Birmingham Choir.

Programme includes works by Orff, Grieg, Elgar, Handel, Brahms, Bizet, Ravel, Wagner, Rossini, Verdi, Tchaikovsky, Wood & Arne, Sat 12 Nov, Symphony Hall, Birmingham

FRED ZEPPELIN Tribute band to Led Zeppelin, Fri 11 Nov, Lichfield Guildhall PEARL JAM U.K Fri 11 Nov, O2 Academy, Birmingham

A VISION OF ELVIS Fri 11 Nov, Lichfield Garrick

SERATONES Wed 9 Nov, Hare & Hounds, B’ham

BETH HART Fri 11 Nov, Symphony Hall, Birmingham

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THE WAILERS Sat 12 Nov, O2 Institute, Birmingham

ORCHESTRA OF THE SWAN: BACH TO THE FUTURE Featuring Diane Clark (flute); Victoria Brawn (oboe); Hugh Davies (trumpet); David Le Page (violin) & David Curtis (conductor).

Programme includes works by Bach arr Steve Marland, Bach, Douglas Cuomo & Stravinsky, Wed 9 Nov, Birmingham Town Hall

ANOUSHKA SHANKAR Thurs 10 Nov, Symphony Hall, Birmingham

LUCIA CADOTSCH Wed 9 Nov, mac, Birmingham

BEING AS AN OCEAN Wed 9 Nov, The Rainbow Venues, Birmingham

IVOR & LYN'S CLASSIC ROCK DISCO Sat 12 Nov, Route 44, Birmingham

MILOS KARADAGLIC: BACH TO BEATLES Also featuring the Royal Northern Sinfonia. Programme includes works

by JS Bach, Francisco Tarrega, Manuel De Falla, Anon, Vivaldi, Granados, Joaquin Rodrigo, Luigi Boccherini, Carlos Gardel, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Astor Piazzolla & The Beatles, Mon 7 Nov, Symphony Hall, Birmingham

POMEGRANATE PIANO TRIO Programme includes works by Mozart, Nicholas Maw & Schubert, Fri 11 Nov, Artrix, Bromsgrove

HORSE MEAT DISCO Fri 11 Nov, Hare & Hounds, Birmingham

GLENN HUGHES & LIVING COLOUR Wed 9 Nov, Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton

RONI SIZE Sat 12 Nov, Hare & Hounds, B’ham

Classical Music

THE 3RD UK BLUES CHALLENGE Sat 12 Nov, The Robin, Bilston

ALCEST AND MONO Thurs 10 Nov, O2 Academy, Birmingham

GREGORY PECK'S JAZZ, FUNK AND SOUL OPEN MIC NIGHT Wed 9 Nov, The Night Owl, B’ham

THE CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA Wed 9 Nov, O2 Institute, B’ham

STATESIDE ROCK Fri 11 Nov, Route 44, B’ham THE PRIMEVALS, BLACK BOMBERS & THE DE RELLAS Fri 11 Nov, Hare & Hounds, Birmingham

TRAAMS Thurs 10 Nov, Hare & Hounds, Birmingham

BEN CAPLAN Tues 8 Nov, The Rainbow Venues, Birmingham

Theatre, Solihull

NEW MODEL ARMY Sun 13 Nov, O2 Institute, Birmingham CLARE TEAL Sun 13 Nov, Lichfield Garrick SHEELANAGIG Sun 13 Nov, Lichfield Guildhall

BIRMINGHAM SYMPHONIC BRASS Sun 13 Nov, The Barber Institute, B’ham

ARCHITECTS Fri 11 Nov, O2 Institute, B’ham THE REAL THING Fri 11 Nov, The Robin, Bilston MARGARET GLASPY Fri 11 Nov, The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham STARMAN: DAVID BOWIE A MUSICAL CELEBRATION Fri 11 Nov, The Core

LONDON CONCERT ORCHESTRA: SIMPLY GERSHWIN Featuring Gavin Sutherland (conductor), Viv McLean (piano), Gweneth-Ann Jeffers (soprano) & Njabulo Madlala (baritone), Sun 13 Nov, Symphony Hall, Birmingham

THE LOW ANTHEM Sun 13 Nov, Hare & Hounds, Birmingham ANDY FAIRWEATHER LOW AND THE LOW RIDERS Sun 13 Nov, The Robin, Bilston

10 Nov, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry PATRICK MONAHAN, IMRAN YUSUF & COMEDY CAROUSEL WITH ANDY ROBINSON Thurs 10 Nov, The Glee Club, Birmingham JAKE LAMBERT, PAUL MCCAFFREY & PHIL JERROD Thurs 10 Nov, The Bramall, Birmingham JOEL DOMMETT Fri 11 Nov, The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton ELLIE TAYLOR Fri 11 Nov, The Core Theatre, Solihull NICK PAGE, SIMON KING, SILKY & CHRIS PURCHASE Fri 11 Nov, Lichfield Garrick PATRICK MONAHAN, IMRAN YUSUF, GEORGE ZACH & JOSH HOWIE Fri 11 Sat 12 Nov, The Glee Club, B’ham GLENN WOOL, DAN NIGHTINGALE, SCOTT BENNETT & PETE OTWAY Fri 11 - Sat 12 Nov, The Comedy Loft, Birmingham FREDDIE FARRELL & ROB KEMP Sat 12 Nov, mac, Birmingham TONY BURGESS, COUNT EVIL, ANDREW MCBURNEY & CERYS NELMES Sat 12 Nov, New Invention Victory, Willenhall JIM DAVIDSON Sun 13 Nov, New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham JOSH HOWIE Sun 13 Nov, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry JEN BRISTER, JAYDE ADAMS, LINDSEY SANTORO & MAUREEN YOUNGER Sun 13 Nov, Penthouse Conference & Events Centre, Birmingham SEAN LOCK Sun 13 Nov, Birmingham Hippodrome

Theatre THE MERCHANT OF VENICE WNO present a new production, sung in English with surtitles, Tues 8 Nov, Birmingham Hippodrome MINISTRY OF SCIENCE Anarchic stage show taking a look at the inventors and engineers who’ve shaped and inspired the modern world, Tues 8 Nov, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER A story of comradeship, betrayal, and promises both broken and kept following the carnage of World War One, Tues 8 Nov, Lichfield Garrick

GROOVE TOWN: BIRMINGHAM'S VOICE OF THE TOWN CHOIR Sun 13 Nov, mac, Birmingham

LIFE IS NO LAUGHING MATTER An autobiographical live art/stand up/theatre performance about mental illness, suicide and radical cure attempts, Tues 8 - Wed 9 Nov, mac, B’ham

Comedy Gigs

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE Regent’s Park Theatre present a new staging of Jane Austen’s romantic comedy, Tues 8 - Sat 12 Nov, The REP, Birmingham

CHEEKY MONKEY COMEDY Tues 8 Nov, The Dark Horse, Birmingham JONATHAN PIE Tues 8 Nov, Artrix, Bromsgrove TOM STADE Wed 9 Nov, The Glee Club, Birmingham THE CATHERINE TATE SHOW LIVE Thurs

THE TEMPEST The Bard's magical exploration of revenge, forgiveness, love and magic, Tues 8 Nov - Sat 21 Jan, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon SOME GUYS HAVE ALL THE LUCK - THE ROD STEWART STORY Theatrical production celebrating the career of one of rock’s greatest icons, Wed 9 Nov,

The List 7 - 13 November - Birmingham Only VERSION.qxp_Layout 1 24/10/2016 16:05 Page 2 Why The Wh

Monday 7 - Sunday 13 November New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham MACBETH Welsh National Opera (WNO) present a new production of Verdi’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, Wed 9 Nov, Birmingham Hippodrome SHOWSTOPPER! THE IMPROVISED MUSICAL A brand new musical comedy, created from scratch at each performance, Wed 9 Nov, Lichfield Garrick FRANKENSTEIN 1899 Don’t Go Into The Cellar update Mary Shelley’s gothic horror story, Thurs 10 Nov, Lichfield Garrick SLEEPING BEAUTY Traditional pantomime presented by Birmingham Youth Theatre, Thurs 10 - Sat 12 Nov, The Old Rep Theatre, Birmingham KISS ME KATE Welsh National Opera present a 1940s-set musical version of Shakespeare’s The Taming Of The Shrew, Thurs 10 - Sat 12 Nov, Birmingham Hippodrome NABUCCO Opera & Ballet International present an Ellen Kent production of Verdi's haunting and melodic chorus of the Hebrew Slaves, Fri 11 Nov, New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham JOE BLACK: MEET ME AT THE ELDORADO Joe Black presents an evening of fun, filth and frivolity that pays homage to the decadent Weimar Berlin

nightlife, Fri 11 Nov, Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham GHOST STORIES FOR CHRISTMAS Don’t Go Into The Cellar present an evening of macabre Victorian theatre, Sat 12 Nov, Palace Theatre, Redditch MIRRORS AND MAKEUP Musical examining some of the key social issues that can often compromise the development of young people, Sat 12 Nov, South & City College, Digbeth, Birmingham THE MAGIC FLUTE Featuring Mozart’s beautiful music and celebrating the birth of teen culture, this timeless coming-of-age story explores the other-worldliness which glamorous Hollywood brought to post-war Britain, Sat 12 Nov, Birmingham Botanical Gardens DEEP IN THE HEART OF ME New play featuring the music of the Sinatra-led Rat Pack and exploring midlife anxiety and empty-nest syndrome, Sat 12 Nov, The Wellington Hotel, Bristol Street, Birmingham THERE’S NO OTHER EXCEPT ME Performance installation which invites audience members to respond to the potential of unanticipated dialogues through telephonic interactions, Sat 12 Nov, Birmingham Open Media (BOM), Birmingham

Why The Whales Came mac, Birmingham, Sun 13 November

“Danyah Miller is a storytelling phenomenon,” says War Horse author Michael Morpurgo of the woman who’s here presenting his delightful adventure story, Why The Whales Came. “After seeing and loving her wonderful one-woman show of my story, I Believe In Unicorns, I went back and back to see it again, in village halls and theatres up and down the country, in the West End, finishing with a triumphant performance in a packed Royal Festival Hall.

“And now she’s bringing maybe my very favourite book to audiences everywhere. I shan’t miss this show. Don’t you miss it either. It will be a theatrical tour de force, that’s for sure.”

The award-winning Miller’s stage adaptation - mounted by her Wizard Presents production company - recounts Morpurgo’s story of two children, Gracie and Daniel, who find themselves stranded on the tiny island of the Birdman, a mysterious figure from whom Gracie’s father has warned her to keep well away...

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November 2016 BROMSGROVE’S THEATRE, CINEMA, LIVE MUSIC AND COMEDY VENUE Sunday 13 November

Thursday 17 November

Tuesday 22 November

JACKSON

LADY MAISERY

TRIBUTE TO THE KING OF POP

SHINING LIGHTS OF ENGLISH FOLK MUSIC

MARTIN TURNER: EX WISHBONE ASH

Wednesday 23 November

Thursday 24 November

Friday 25 November

PETER KNIGHT’S GIGSPANNER

AUSTENTATIOUS

THINK FLOYD

AN IMPROVISED JANE AUSTEN NOVEL

PLAYING DARK SIDE OF THE MOON & WISH YOU WERE HERE

FEATURING EX-STEELEYE SPAN’S PETER KNIGHT

AN EVENING OF WISHBONE ASH & BEYOND

COMING SOON: Martin Simpson, Nick Ross Orchestra, Beth Vyse, Jonathan Pie, Pomegranate Piano Trio, Peacock Angell, Raymond Froggatt, Glenn Tilbrook, Marcus Brigstocke, Robinson-Stone, Barnstormers Comedy, Nya’s House Of Soul, Outspoken, Mi Luna, Sunny Ormonde, Abba Forever, Winter Mountain, Seann Walsh, NYE with The Beat Brothers Download the Artrix brochure on www.artrix.co.uk

www.artrix.co.uk or phone 01527 577330 Artrix, Bromsgrove, B60 1GN

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Free parking on-site

@artrixarts @artrix arts centre

thelist

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Monday 7 - Sunday 13 November Wed 16 Nov

AMERICAN PASTORAL (15) THE INNOCENTS (15)

aeval battles, Fri 11 Nov - Sat 12 Nov, Warwick Castle

INDEPENDENT LISTINGS:

AMERICAN HONEY (15) Drama. Starring Sasha Lane, Shai La Beouf, McCaul Lombardi, Arielle Holmes. mac, Birmingham, Fri 11- Thurs 17 Nov

NAPOLEON DYNAMITE (PG) Comedy.

Starring Jon Heder, Efren Ramirez.

The Mockingbird, Birmingham, Tues 8 Nov

SINS OF THE FLESH + Q&A (15) Drama.

Starring Nahed El Sebai, Ahmed Abdala Mahomud, Zaki Faten.

Foreign language, subtitled. mac, Birmingham, Sat 12 Nov

Events

LANCASTER INSURANCE CLASSIC MOTOR SHOW Featuring over 2,000 classic cars, 300 motorcycles, 600 trade stands and the biggest indoor autojumble, Fri 11 Nov - Sun 13 Nov, NEC, Birmingham

Film

THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (PG) Drama/Horror. Starring Boris Karloff, Elsa Lanchester. Electric Cinema, Birmingham, Wed 9 Nov

ELSTREE 1976 (12) Documentary.

Starring Laurie Goode. Electric Cinema, Birmingham, Sat 12 Nov

BRIDGET JONES'S BABY (15) Comedy/Romance. Starring Renée Zellweger, Gemma Jones. Artrix, Bromsgrove, Wed 9 & Fri 11 Nov

THE COLOR PURPLE (18) Drama.

Starring Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Margaret Avery, Oprah Winfrey, mac, Birmingham, Sun 13 Nov

NT LIVE: THE DEEP BLUE SEA (12A) Drama. Starring Helen McCrory, Peter Sullivan. mac, Birmingham, Thurs 10 Nov

SEMBENE! + Q&A (12A) Documentary.

Starring Mbissine Thérèse Diop, Ousmane Sembene. mac, Birmingham, Sun 13 Nov

PANIC + Q&A (15) Drama/Thriller.

Starring David Gyasi, Pippa Nixon, Jason Wong. mac, Birmingham, Thurs 10 Nov

THE WOLF MAN (PG) Drama/Horror.

Starring Lon Chaney Jnr., Claude Rains. Electric Cinema, Birmingham, Sun 13 Nov

SIDEWAYS (18) Comedy/Drama.

Starring Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church. Electric Cinema, Birmingham, Thurs 10 Nov

NEW FILMS ON GENERAL RELEASE:

ETHEL & ERNEST (15) Animation/Drama. Starring Jim Broadbent, Pam Ferris, Luke Treadaway. mac, Birmingham, Fri 11-

Released from Thurs 10 Nov, showing at selected cinemas ARRIVAL (12A) A HUNDRED STREETS (15)

CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS SNOOKER Featuring defending champion Neil Robertson and China Open winner, Judd Trump. Mon 7 Nov - Sat 12 Nov, Ricoh Arena, Coventry WWE LIVE Popular WWE superstars and divas, all under one roof, Wed 9 Nov, Genting Arena, Birmingham FESTIVE GIFT FAIR Combine your Christmas shopping with an entertaining, inspiring and fun day out, Thurs 10 Nov - Sun 13 Nov, NEC, Birmingham SHOUT FESTIVAL Birmingham’s LGBTQ Arts Festival returns for its 8th edition, Thurs 10 Nov - Sun 20 Nov, Various locations across Birmingham - including mac, Old Joint Stock Theatre, Electric Cinema.

BOM, Birmingham, The Penthouse, and Birmingham REP. For full details of performances and events, visit shoutfestival.co.uk LITTLE WARRIOR WEEKENDS Teach your little warriors the skills required to conquer fierce dragons and medi-

HOOK A POPPY FOR REMEMBRANCE DAY - CRAFT WORKSHOP Make a poppy with the craft experts and learn about rag rugging techniques, Sat 12 Nov, Birmingham Back to Backs BIRMINGHAM WHISKY FESTIVAL Sat 12 Nov, Victoria Square, Birmingham SILVER BANGLE WORKSHOP Join local designer-maker Grace Page to design and make your own silver bangle in a day, Sat 12 Nov, Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham CASTLE BY CANDLELIGHT Walk through the period rooms and meet the castle characters, who’ll explore the use of light through the ages, Sat 12 Nov, Tamworth Castle HERITAGE WEEKEND AT CADBURY WORLD Sat 12 - Sun 13 Nov, Cadbury World, Bournville, Birmingham SEVENTEENTH CENTURY GAMES WEEKEND Including nine men's morris, card and dice games, Sat 12 - Sun 13 Nov, Moseley Old Hall, Wolverhampton

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thelist Gigs

MOLLY HATCHET Mon 14 Nov, The Robin, Bilston NATHANIEL RATELIFF AND THE NIGHT SWEATS Mon 14 Nov, O2 Academy, Birmingham IS BLISS Mon 14 Nov, The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham ANATHEMA Mon 14 Nov, The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton OLIVIA ROSE DEANE AND SOPHIA MARSHALL Mon 14 Nov, Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham THE WAVE PICTURES Mon 14 Nov, Hare & Hounds, Birmingham MUTANT MONSTER / TOUCH MY SECRET Mon 14 Nov, Hare & Hounds, Birmingham LUCKY CHOPS Mon 14 Nov, O2 Institute, Birmingham JULIA FORDHAM Tues 15 Nov, mac, Birmingham

Monday 14 - Sun 20 November

Thurs 17 Nov, O2 Academy, Birmingham

Nov, O2 Academy, Birmingham

THE HOLLIES Thurs 17 Nov, Symphony Hall, Birmingham

AMONG THE ECHOES, JAN DOYLE BAND, THE WEBB & WRAPPED IN PLASTIC Sat 19 Nov, The Flapper, B’ham

THE SKATALITES Thurs 17 Nov, Hare & Hounds, Birmingham KINDRED THE FAMILY SOUL & TRINA BROUSSARD Thurs 17 Nov, O2 Institute, Birmingham WALLIS BIRD Thurs 17 Nov, The Glee Club, Birmingham

RED BUTLER Thurs17 Nov, The Roadhouse, Birmingham

LAURA MVULA Sat 19 Nov, O2 Institute, Birmingham

KING KING Fri 18 Nov, The Robin, Bilston

PETE WYLIE & THE MIGHTY WAH! Sat 19 Nov, O2 Academy, Birmingham

MIKE STEWART LAWRENCE Fri 18 Nov, Dovehouse Theatre, Solihull THE DISCLAIMERS Fri 18 Nov, The REP, Birmingham JESS GLYNNE Fri 18 Nov, Genting Arena, Birmingham THE GRAVELTONES Fri 18 Nov, The Flapper, Birmingham

JACK GARRATT Tues 15 Nov, O2 Academy, Birmingham

JAKE MORLEY Fri 18 Nov, The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham

IAN MCNABB Tues 15 Nov, Hare & Hounds, Birmingham

PUBLIC IMAGE LTD Fri 18 Nov, O2 Institute, Birmingham

ALEX CAMERON Tues 15 Nov, Hare & Hounds, Birmingham

CARAVAN PALACE Fri 18 Nov, O2 Academy, Birmingham

DANNY GILES BAND, SALVATION JAYNE & THE RAINBREAKERS Tues 15 Nov, The Robin, Bilston

CHILDREN OF THE GRAVY - BLACK SABBATH TRIBUTE Fri 18 Nov, The Roadhouse, Birmingham

KRISTIN HERSH Tues 15 Nov, The Glee Club, Birmingham

KALEO Fri 18 Nov, O2 Institute, Birmingham

VIN GARBUTT Wed 16 Nov, The Red Lion Folk Club, Birmingham TOO HIGH TO RIOT TOUR Wed 16 Nov, O2 Institute, Birmingham DANNY BROWN Wed 16 Nov, The Rainbow Venues, Birmingham ALABAMA 3 Thurs 17 Nov, O2 Institute, Birmimgham THE COURTEENERS

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REBEL REBEL (DAVID BOWIE TRIBUTE) Sat 19 Nov, Route 44, B’ham

CHANGO SPASIUK Thurs 17 Nov, mac, B’ham

PURE PURPLE & THE SKYCAT HEROS Fri 18 Nov, Route 44, B’ham

RYLEY WALKER Wed 16 Nov, Hare & Hounds, Birmingham

SLAVES Sat 19 Nov, O2 Academy, Birmingham

ROBINSON-STONE Sat 19 Nov, Artrix, Bromsgrove

GLENN TILBROOK - THE BEST OF TIMES Tues 15 Nov, Artrix, Bromsgrove

SOFT MACHINE Wed 16 Nov, The Robin, Bilston

THE ATLANTIC PLAYERS Sat 19 Nov, Hare & Hounds, Birmingham

SHAUN GAMBOWL WALSH AND THE PLAGIATISTS Fri 18 Nov, O2 Academy, Birmingham THE GLAMOPHONES Fri 18 Nov, The Blue Monkey Club, Great Barr, Birmingham ALLIGATR Fri 18 Nov, O2 Institute, B’ham JAM JAH SOUND Fri 18 Nov, Hare & Hounds, Birmingham TOO REX - TRIBUTE TO MARC BOLAN & T-REX Sat 19 Nov, The Roadhouse, B’ham THE ANSWER AND THE DEAD DAISIES Sat 19

QUEEN EXTRAVAGANZA Sat 19 Nov, Symphony Hall, Birmingham IAN SIEGAL BAND Sat 19 Nov, Lichfield Guildhall THE VAPORS & THE CIRCLES Sat 19 Nov, The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton

Classical Music LUNCHTIME ORGAN CONCERT - THOMAS TROTTER Programme includes works

by Bach, A Guilmant, G Edmundson, C.Saint-Saens (arr. Lemare) & L Boellmann, Mon 14 Nov, Birmingham Town Hall HORÃCIO FERREIRA IN RECITAL Also featuring David Bekker (piano).

Programme includes works by Béla Kovács, Schumannm, Françaix, Weber, Kimmo Hakola & Brahms, Mon 14 Nov, Birmingham Town Hall VLADIMIR ASHKENAZY CONDUCTS RACHMANINOV'S SYMPHONY NO 1 Featuring Philharmonia Orchestra & Alice Sara Ott. Programme includes works by Borodin, Tchaikovsky & Rachmaninov, Tues 15 Nov, Symphony Hall, Birmingham MIRGA CONDUCTS MAHLER'S FIRST Featuring Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla (conductor) & the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Programme includes works by Serksnyte, Haydn & Mahler, Wed 16 Nov, Symphony Hall, Birmingham THE 12 ENSEMBLE Programme includes 3 British works from the ensembles forthcoming album along with Schubert's Overture in C minor, and Elgar's Elegy for Strings, Wed 16 Nov, The Bramall, Birmingham

& Zoe Goodwin (conductors), Sat 19 Nov, The Bramall, Birmingham THE RAF IN CONCERT 2016 Sun 20 Nov, Symphony Hall, Birmingham CEMPR AND EARLY MODERN VOCAL ENSEMBLE Featuring Music Secreta, Sun 20 Nov, The Barber Institute, Birmingham

Comedy Gigs JENNY ECLAIR Mon 14 Nov, Lichfield Garrick

RUSSELL KANE Thurs 17 Nov, Stratford Artshouse, Stratford-upon-Avon NATHAN CATON Thurs 17 Nov, The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton STEVE WILLIAMS, JOHN HASTING & COMIC TBC Thurs 17 Nov, The Glee Club, Birmingham LAURA MONMOTH & COMICS TBC Thurs 17 Nov, The Roadhouse, Birmingham

LOST AT HOME Sat 19 Nov, O2 Institute, Birmingham

SUZI RUFFELL Fri 18 Nov, The Glee Club, Birmingham

LEADER Sat 19 Nov, The Asylum, B’ham

JERRY SADOWITZ Fri 18 Nov, Crescent Theatre, Birmingham

ANDY WHITE Sun 20 Nov, Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham

STEVE WILLIAMS, JOHN HASTINGS, ELLIOT STEEL & ANDREW MCBURNEY Fri 18 - Sat 19 Nov, The Glee Club, Birmingham

WALKING ON CARS Sun 20 Nov, O2 Institute, Birmingham SIMPLY RED Sun 20 Nov, Genting Arena, Birmingham THE SOLID GOLD ROCK N ROLL SHOW Sun 20 Nov, New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham SARAH GILLESPIE QUARTET Sun 20 Nov, Lichfield Guildhall JIMMY EAT WORLD Sun 20 Nov, O2 Academy, Birmingham JOHN OTWAY BAND Sun 20 Nov, Hare & Hounds, Birmingham TRIVAX Sun 20 Nov, O2 Academy, B’ham

BRAHMS CLARINET QUINTET Featuring Oliver Janes (clarinet), Charlotte Skinner & Caroline Simon (violin), Catherine Bower (viola) & Eduardo Vassallo (cello). Programme includes works by Howells & Brahms, Thurs 17 Nov, CBSO Centre, Birmingham CBSO FRIDAY NIGHT CLASSICS: QUEEN ROCK AND SYMPHONIC SPECTACULAR Featuring the City Of Birmingham Choir, Richard Sidwell (conductor), Ricardo Afonso, Peter Eldridge, Jenna Lee James & Rachael Wooding (vocalists), Fri 18 Nov, Symphony Hall, Birmingham MUSICA SECRETA Featuring Deborah Roberts & Katherine Hawnt (sopranos), Alison Kinder (viola) & Claire Williams (harpsichord), Fri 18 Nov, The Barber Institute, Birmingham

ROAM + LIKE PACIFIC + COLUMBUS Sun 20 Nov, The Rainbow Venues, Birmingham

DAMIAN CLARK, KIRI PRITCHARDMCLEAN, MARK NELSON & JEFF INNOCENT Fri 18 - Sat 19 Nov, The Comedy Loft, Birmingham COMEDY CLUB 4 KIDS Sat 19 Nov, The REP, Birmingham WHITE YARDIE Sat 19 Nov, New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham PATRICK MONAHAN, JARRED CHRISTMAS, BEC HILL & TIERNAN DOUIEB Sat 19 Nov, The REP, Birmingham MARKUS BIRDMAN, TONY BURGESS, MICKY P KERR & BOBBY MAIR Sat 19 Nov, Couture, Stafford

Theatre THE FULL MONTY Gary Lucy, Anthony Lewis, Andrew Dunn, Louis Emerick, Chris Fountain and Kai Owen star in the much-acclaimed musical based on the smash-hit film of the same name, Mon 14 - Sat 19 Nov, Birmingham Hippodrome

PETE LINCOLN Sun 20 Nov, The Roadhouse, Birmingham WIND BAND AND SAX CHOIR Featuring the University Music Society and Matthew Stephens-Row, Harry Hextall

OUR HOUSE Featuring Madness songs Our House, Baggy Trousers, My Girl, Embarrassment, Driving In My Car, The Wings Of A Dove, Night Boat To

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Monday 14 - Sun 20 November Cairo and all-time classic It Must Be Love, Tues 15 - Sat 19 Nov, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

sively hetero-normative world, Wed 18 - Sat 19 Nov, The REP, Birmingham

9 TO 5 Based on the 1980 hit movie, this funny musical show is presented

by St Augustine’s Musical Theatre Company, Tues 15 - Sat 19 Nov, The Core Theatre, Solihull

POLARI Curated and hosted by author Paul Burston and featuring the best in established and emerging LGBT literary talent, Sat 19 Nov, mac, Birmingham

BEAUTIFUL THING Jonathan Harvey’s critically acclaimed urban love story, Wed 16 - Sat 19 Nov, Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham

RELATIVELY SPEAKING The Crescent Theatre Company presents Alan Ayckbourn’s classic comedy, Sat 19 Nov - Sat 3 Dec, Crescent Theatre, Birmingham

LOOKING FOR JOHN Powerful, heartfelt and comic story about one man’s obsession with his forgotten hero, Olympic skater John Curry, Wed 16 Sat 19 Nov, The REP, Birmingham PSYCHIC SALLY - CALL ME PSYCHIC Thurs 17 Nov, New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham AN AFTERNOON WITH SIR ROGER MOORE Celebrating 71 years in showbusiness, former James Bond star Sir Roger talks about his extraordinary life and career, Thurs 17 Nov, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre PA/NG Featuring music, live art, performance and digital art by local emerging artists, Fri 18 Nov, mac, Birmingham A BOY NAMED SUE Shout Festival performance exploring the need for a sense of community in an oppres-

KATE O’DONNELL & CONTACT; BIG GIRLS BLOUSE Kate makes a song and dance about her life, using humour, music and costume to tell her story, Sun 20 Nov, mac, Birmingham

Dance THE HAPPINESS PROJECT A choreographic investigation of western society’s endless search for fulfillment, Tues 15 Nov, DanceXchange, Birmingham Hippodrome BALLET BLACK: TRIPLE BILL FEATURING STORYVILLE A company for international dancers of black and Asian descent, collaborates with three bold

Polari (part of SHOUT Festival) - mac, Birmingham

and inventive choreographers to present an irresistible trilogy of narrative and abstract dance, Fri 18 Nov, Lichfield Garrick IF I COULD REACH HOME Classical and contemporary bharatanatyam and

kathak, featuring 3 wonderful performers of these Indian dance forms, including BBC Young Dancer Category Finalist Vidya Patel, Sun 20 Nov, mac, Birmingham

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thelist Talks / Spoken Word

LICENCED TO RHYME Monthly spoken word event fusing poetry, prose and, occasionally music. Co-hosted by Maggie Doyle, Worcestershire Poet Laureate Emeritus, and past Birmingham Poet Laureate, Giovanni ‘Spoz’ Esposito, Mon 14 Nov, Artrix, Bromsgrove

Film INDEPENDENT LISTINGS: SHOUT FESTIVAL: DEPARTURE (15) Drama. Starring Juliet Stevenson, Alex Lawther. mac, Birmingham, Mon 14 Nov BRIDGET JONES'S BABY (15) Comedy/Romance. Starring Renée Zellweger, Gemma Jones. Artrix, Bromsgrove, Mon 14 & Fri 18 Nov SHOUT FESTIVAL: GIRLS LOST (15) Drama. Starring Tuva Jagell, Emrik Öhlander. Foreign language, subtitled. mac, Birmingham, Tues 15 Nov

Monday 14 - Sun 20 November HOW FOOTBALL CHANGED A NATION + Q&A Documentary. Starring Adrian Chiles. mac, Birmingham, Tues 15 Nov CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (PG) Drama/Horror. Starring Richard Carlson, Julie Adams. Electric Cinema, Birmingham, Tues 15 Nov SHOUT FESTIVAL: THE GIRL KING (15) Biography/Drama. Starring Malin Buska, Sarah Gadon. mac, Birmingham, Wed 16 Nov THE GOONIES (PG) Adventure/Comedy.

Starring Sean Astin, Josh Brolin. The Mockingbird, Birmingham, Wed 16 Nov SHOUT FESTIVAL: THE NEW BLACK (15) Documentary. Directed by Director: Yoruba Richen. mac, Birmingham, Thurs 17 Nov

Motorcycle Live - NEC, Birmingham

CARMEN JONES (U) Drama/Musical.

Starring Dorothy Dandridge, Harry Belafonte. mac, Birmingham, Fri 18 Sun 20 Nov

Birmingham, Sun 20 Nov

DOCTOR STRANGE (12a) Action/Adventure. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton. mac, Birmingham, Fri 18 - Thurs 24 Nov

Released from Thurs 17 Nov, showing at selected cinemas

QUEEN OF KATWE (PG) Biography/Drama. Starring Lupita Nyong'o, David Oyelowo. mac, Birmingham, Fri 18 - Thurs 24 Nov SHOUT FESTIVAL: DAWN and ARIEL (12a) Drama. Two short films. mac,

NEW FILMS ON GENERAL RELEASE:

FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM (tbc) GIMME DANGER (tbc) INDIGNATION (15) AMERICAN PASTORAL (15) THE INNOCENTS (15)

Events BAKE AND MAKE - CHRISTMAS BREAD, BISCUITS AND CRAFT Learn a 17th century skill and make your own Christmas treats and presents, Mon 14 Nov, Moseley Old Hall, Wolverhampton CHRISTMAS WREATH MAKING Tues 15 Nov, Avoncroft Museum, Bromsgrove

ghaBmRUM BirmHATinSO N @W

erhNaWmOpLVtoESn Wolv HATSO @W

ShrHoATpsSOhNirSHe ROPS @W

staffordshireFS STAF @WHATSON

ire steWrOsRhCS WorHcATeSO N @W

ire ICKS warHwATicSOkNsWhAR W @W

LUNATICK ASTRONOMY Join Odyssey Dramatic Presentations for an illustrated talk, accompanied by music and props and presented in the exact setting of the Lunar Society, Thurs 17 Nov, Soho House, Birmingham CHRISTMAS LIGHT SWITCH ON Thurs 17 Nov, Birmingham City Centre THE SKILLS SHOW One-stop shop for careers inspiration, bringing jobs and skills to life in a highly interactive environment, Thurs 17 Nov - Sat 19 Nov, NEC, Birmingham BIRMINGHAM FRANKFURT CHRISTMAS MARKET The famous festive market returns for another year, Thurs 17 Nov - Thurs 29 Dec, Birmingham City Centre CHRISTMAS LIGHT SWITCH ON Fri 18 Nov, The Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham SPANISH RIDING SCHOOL OF VIENNA 450TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR Read more on page 49, Fri 18 - Sun 20 Nov, Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham SANTA'S WINTER WONDERLAND Fri 18 Nov - Sat 31 Dec, The Snowdome, Tamworth

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CHRISTMAS RAG WREATH MAKING Learn the history of the craft and the techniques needed to create your own wreath, Sat 19 Nov, Birmingham Back to Backs CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION WEEKENDS Santa stars in his very own show, with a gift for every child, Sat 19 Sun 20 Nov, Cadbury World, Bournville GORGEOUS CHRISTMAS CRAFT FAIR Held in association with the Shropshire Guild of Contemporary Craft, this popular event provides a high-profile showcase for the region’s creative talent, Sat 19 - Sun 20 Nov, Enginuity Museum, Ironbridge, Shropshire MCM BIRMINGHAM COMIC CON Numerous celebrities make guest appearances at this well-established show, including Flash Gordon star Sam Jones, Sat 19 - Sun 20 Nov, NEC, Birmingham MOTORCYCLE LIVE Representing the best products, bikes and services available from leading companies across the globe, Sat 19 - Sun 27 Nov, NEC, Birmingham ICE SKATE BIRMINGHAM Get your skates on in beautiful city surroundings, Sat 19 Nov - Sun 8 Jan, Centenary Square, Birmingham SANTA HUNTS Enjoy a fun-filled search for Santa alongside the museum’s costumed guides, Sun 20 Nov, Black Country Living Museum, Dudley MUSIC MAZE Creative, participatory workshops for children aged eight to 11, Sun 20 Nov, CBSO Centre, Birmingham ZIGZAG ENSEMBLE Composing and improvising group for 12 to 18-yearolds, Sun 20 Nov, CBSO Centre, Birmingham STIR UP SUNDAY The traditional day for everyone in the family to take a turn at stirring the Christmas pudding while making a wish, Sun 20 Nov, Black Country Living Museum, Dudley CHRISTMAS CRAFT FAYRE Sun 20 Nov, The Jinney Ring Craft Centre, Bromsgrove

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thelist Gigs

CAM PENNER & JON WOOD Mon 21 Nov, Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham AIRBOURNE Mon 21 Nov, O2 Institute, Birmingham CHARLIE HUNTER Mon 21 Nov, Hare & Hounds, B’ham MADELEINE PEYROUX Mon 21 Nov, Birmingham Town Hall TOY Tues 22 Nov, The Rainbow Venues, Birmingham SHE MAKES WAR Tues 22 Nov, The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham ROADSTARS: SIMO AARON KEYLOCK FEDERAL CHARM Tues 22 Nov, The Robin, Bilston JULIE DEXTER Tues 22 Nov, The Jam House, Birmingham ELVIS PRESLEY LIVE ON SCREEN Tues 22 Nov, Genting Arena, Birmingham MARTIN TURNER EX WISHBONE ASH Tues 22 Nov, Artrix, Bromsgrove THE SISTERS OF MERCY Tues 22 Nov, O2 Institute, B’ham BOSTON MANOR, CAN’T SWIM & WALLFLOWER Tues 22 Nov, The Rainbow Venues, Birmingham THE ROVING CROWS Wed 23 Nov, The Red Lion Folk Club, Birmingham MUTUAL BENEFIT Wed 23 Nov, Hare & Hounds, B’ham CROOKED HOUSE AND BEN FROST Wed 23 Nov, Kitchen Garden Cafe, B’ham THE STYLISTICS Wed 23 Nov, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre GIGSPANNER Wed 23 Nov, Artrix, Bromsgrove THE FRONT BOTTOMS Wed 23 Nov, O2 Institute, B’ham GREGORY PECK'S JAZZ, FUNK AND SOUL OPEN MIC NIGHT Wed 23 Nov, The Night Owl, Birmingham

RAG N BONE MAN Wed 23 Nov, O2 Institute, B’ham UNCHAINED: THE BEST OF JOE COCKER LIVE Wed 23 Nov, The Robin, Bilston

PETER ASHER & ALBERT LEE Wed 23 Nov, The Jam House, Birmingham TERRORVISION Wed 23 Nov, Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton EDEN'S CURSE Thurs 24 Nov, The Asylum, Birmingham NIMMO Thurs 24 Nov, Hare & Hounds, B’ham THE NICK ROSS ORCHESTRA: SOUNDS OF THE GLENN MILLER ERA Thurs 24 Nov, The Core Theatre, Solihull DAYLIGHT ROBBERY Thurs 24 Nov, The Robin, Bilston BIRMINGHAM TRADFEST The UK’s newest traditional Irish music festival, Thurs 24 - Sun 27 Nov, Various venues in Digbeth, Birmingham THE SOLID GOLD ROCK N ROLL SHOW Featuring Marty Wilde, Eden Kane, Mike Berry and The Wildcats, as well as special guest Mark Wynter, Thurs 24 Nov, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre MELANIE MARTINEZ Thurs 24 Nov, O2 Institute, B’ham CHASE & STATUS Thurs 24 Nov, O2 Academy, Birmingham JOHNNY2BAD Thurs 24 Nov, The Jam House, Birmingham WOLF PEOPLE Thurs 24 Nov, The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham FARRO Thurs 24 Nov, The Rainbow Venues, Birmingham YESTERDAY, TODAY, FOREVER Thurs 24 Nov, Hare & Hounds, B’ham DIZZY LIZZY Fri 25 Nov, The Roadhouse, B’ham THE BEAT BROTHERS Fri 25 - Sat 26 Nov, The Jam House,

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Monday 21 - Wed 30 November

Classical Music

Birmingham 3 DIVAS TRIBUTE Fri 25 Nov, The Robin, Bilston

LUDOVICO EINAUDI Tues 22 Nov, Symphony Hall, Birmingham

FALLEN Fri 25 Nov, Route 44, B’ham

TOTALLY TCHAIKOVSKY: CBSO BENEVOLENT FUND CONCERT Featuring Edward Garner (conductor).

Programme includes Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake: Suite, 31’ & Eugene Onegin (Excerpts), 60’, Thurs 24 Nov, Symphony Hall, Birmingham

DEACON BLUE Fri 25 Nov, Symphony Hall, Birmingham THINK FLOYD Fri 25 Nov, Artrix, Bromsgrove TOM MISCH Fri 25 Nov, Hare & Hounds, B’ham MIKA SINGH Fri 25 Nov, Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham PHIL MEADOWS PROJECT Fri 25 Nov, Symphony Hall, Birmingham AUTONOMADS BUS STATION LOONIES Fri 25 Nov, The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton EMO DISCO Fri 25 Nov, Hare & Hounds, B’ham LITTLE BARRIE Fri 25 Nov, The Sunflower Lounge, B’ham BIG BAND Featuring Stan Sulzmann (saxophone). Also featuring Jonathan Silk (big band director), Fri 25 Nov, The Bramall, B’ham

BLAKE Fri 25 Nov, The Core Theatre, Solihull White Lies - O2 Institute, Birmingham

COUNCILLORS Sat 26 Nov, The Roadhouse, B’ham THE BRIAN HUMPHERSON TRIO Sat 26 Nov, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre ANNE-MARIE Sat 26 Nov, O2 Institute, Birmingham HOSPITALITY Sat 26 Nov, The Rainbow Venues, B’ham BRIAN FALLON & THE CROWES Sat 26 Nov, Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton FELIX RIEBL (THE CAT EMPIRE) Sat 26 Nov, Hare & Hounds, Birmingham FOXCOVER Sat 26 Nov, O2 Academy, Birmingham

MARTIN STEPHENSON AND THE DAINTEES Fri 25 Nov, O2 Institute, B’ham

TEENAGE FANCLUB Sat 26 Nov, O2 Institute, B’ham

NASHVILLE NIGHTS Fri 25 Nov, The Asylum, B’ham

CHINA CRISIS Sun 27 Nov, The Robin, Bilston

FUTURE OF THE LEFT Sat 26 Nov, The Flapper, B’ham

DAVID ESSEX Sun 27 Nov, Civic Hall, Wolverhampton

THE COUNTERFEIT STONES Sat 26 Nov, The Robin, Bilston

ALTER BRIDGE Sun 27 Nov, Genting Arena, Birmingham

PIERCE THE VEIL Sat 26 Nov, O2 Academy, B’ham

NYA'S HOUSE OF SOUL Sun 27 Nov, Artrix, Bromsgrove

SUICIDE SILENCE Sat 26 Nov, O2 Academy, B’ham

STEVE HARLEY Mon 28 Nov, The Robin, Bilston

EVIL SCARECROW Sat 26 Nov, The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton

SLICK RICK Mon 28 Nov, O2 Institute, Birmingham

THE ROY FORBES TRIO Sat 26 Nov, Blue Piano Restaurant And Bar, B’ham WARWOUND Sat 26 Nov, The Rainbow Venues, Birmingham THE CRACKED ACTORS & THE 10 O'CLOCK HORSES Sat 26 Nov, Route 44, B’ham THE STYLE

RAISING THE FIRES Mon 28 Nov, Crescent Theatre, Birmingham PASSENGER Tues 29 Nov, O2 Academy, Birmingham LAZULI Tues 29 Nov, The Robin, Bilston THE ACOUSTIC SESSIONS Tues 29 Nov, The Jam House, Birmingham

THE DAMNED - 40TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR Tues 29 Nov, Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton WHITE LIES Tues 29 Nov, O2 Institute, Birmingham KEVIN PEARCE Tues 29 Nov, Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham AGNES OBEL Tues 29 Nov, Birmingham Town Hall MERRY HELL Wed 30 Nov, The Red Lion Folk Club, B’ham CLARE TEAL Wed 30 Nov, Malvern Theatres NOTHING BUT THIEVES Wed 30 Nov, O2 Institute, Birmingham TURIN BRAKES Wed 30 Nov, The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton PHOENIX RISING Wed 30 Nov, The Robin, Bilston ELECTRIC SIX Wed 30 Nov, O2 Academy, Birmingham

PAUL LEWIS IN RECITAL Programme includes works by Schubert, Brahms & Liszt, Fri 25 Nov, Birmingham Town Hall AMY HARMAN & ERDEM MISIRLIOGLU Programme includes works by Schumann, Mozart, Medelssohn & Dutilleux, Fri 25 Nov, The Barber Institute, Birmingham DOMONKOS CSABAY IN RECITAL Programme includes works by Liszt, Clara Schumann & Chopin, Fri 25 Nov, Birmingham Town Hall SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Featuring Daniele Rosina (conductor).

Programme includes works by Mendelssohn & Elgar, Sat 26 Nov, The Bramall, Birmingham University CBSO: BEETHOVEN & ADAMS Featuring Edward Gardener (conductor), James Ehnes (violin) & the CBSO Chorus.

Programme includes works by Beethoven & Adams, Sat 26 Nov, Symphony Hall, Birmingham BRASS BAND & CHAMBER CHOIRS Featuring Stuart Birnie (brass band director) & Bradley Gill & Callum Thompson (chamber choir conductors). Programme includes works by Durante, John Rutter & Eric Whitacre, Sun 27 Nov, The Bramall, Birmingham University JOHN WILSON & THE JOHN WILSON ORCHESTRA: MUSIC FROM THE MOVIES Sun 27 Nov, Symphony Hall, Birmingham

PROSE Wed 30 Nov, Hare & Hounds, Birmingham PETE TONG PRESENTS IBIZA CLASSICS Wed 30 Nov, Genting Arena, Birmingham GREGORY PECK'S JAZZ, FUNK AND SOUL OPEN MIC NIGHT Wed 30 Nov, The Night Owl, Birmingham INGLORIOUS & LAST IN LINE Wed 30 Nov, Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton PETE WILLIAMS & ANDY WELLINGS Wed 30 Nov, Kitchen Garden Cafe, B’ham THE LEMON TWIGS Wed 30 Nov, Hare & Hounds, B’ham

LUNCHTIME ORGAN CONCERT WITH THOMAS TROTTER: FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE... Programme includes works by Bach, A Guilmant, G Edmundson, C.Saint-Saens (arr. Lemare) & L Boellmann, Mon 28 Nov, Birmingham Town Hall MICHAEL BALL & ALFIE BOE Mon 28 Nov, Symphony Hall, Birmingham MILITARY WIVES: HOME FOR CHRISTMAS Tues 29 Nov LIchfield Cathedral BENJAMIN GROSVENOR: BRAHMS Featuring Alpesh Chauhan (conductor), Benjamin Grosvenor (piano).

Programme includes works by Dvorak, Brahms & Sibelius, Wed 30 Nov, Symphony Hall, Birmingham

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Monday 21 - Wed 30 November

Comedy Gigs

passions of Will & Anne’s marriage, Mon 21 - Wed 23 Nov, The REP, Birmingham

TOADALLY FREE COMEDY! Mon 21 Nov, The Blue Orange Theatre, Birmingham

THE LADYBOYS OF BANGKOK ‘Energetic, exotic and eclectic’ entertainment, Tues 22 Nov, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

JON RICHARDSON Mon 21 Nov, Artrix, Bromsgrove

GEORGE'S MARVELLOUS MEDICINE Birmingham Stage Company presents Roald Dahl's much-loved story, Tues 22 Nov - Sat 3 Dec, New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham WHERE’S MY IGLOO GONE? The Bone Ensemble take audiences ‘on a magical journey through an Arctic world of soaring snow geese, pet husky dogs and starry nights’, Wed 23 Sun 27 Nov, mac, B’ham

CHEEKY MONKEY COMEDY Tues 22 Nov, The Dark Horse, Birmingham FAT PENGUIN COMEDY Wed 23 Nov, The Patrick Kavanagh, Birmingham THE NOISE NEXT DOOR, ANDREW STANLEY & COMEDY CAROUSEL WITH ANDY ROBINSON Thurs 24 Nov, The Glee Club, Birmingham CHEEKY MONKEY COMEDY Fri 25 Nov, Civic Hall, Wolverhampton JERRY SADOWITZ Fri 25 Nov, Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton JOSEPH JACOBS & MATT PRICE Fri 25 Nov, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre CRAIG HILL, JULIAN DEANE, SALLY-ANN HAYWARD & COMIC TBC Fri 25 - Sat 26 Nov, The Comedy Loft, Birmingham THE NOISE NEXT DOOR, ANDREW STANLEY, JOHN ROBINS & DAVE FULTON Fri 25 - Sat 26 Nov, The Glee Club, Birmingham BARNSTORMERS COMEDY NIGHT Sat 26 Nov, Artrix, Bromsgrove ROMESH RANGANATHAN Sat 26 Nov, Civic Hall, Wolverhampton STAND UP COMEDY SHOWCASE Sat 26 Nov, mac, Birmingham MICKEY SHARMA, SUNIL PATEL, OMAR HAMDI, BILAL ZAFAR, PATRICK MONAHAN & NOREEN KHAN Sun 27 Nov, The Glee Club, Birmingham SEANN WALSH Tues 29 Nov, The Glee Club, Birmingham THE CATHERINE TATE SHOW LIVE Wed 30 Nov, Barclaycard Arena, B’ham

Theatre AIDA Presented by Ellen Kent and Amphitheatre Productions, Mon 21 Nov, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS Scott Ritchie Productions joins forces with Birmingham Ormiston Academy to present Kenneth Grahame's classic children's story, Mon 21 Nov - Sat 31 Dec, The Old Rep Theatre, Birmingham SHAKESPEARE, HIS WIFE AND THE DOG ‘Heartfelt’ comedy which lays bare the secrets, lies, resentments and

AUSTENTATIOUS An all-star cast in period costume improvise a brand new Jane Austen work, based on a single audience suggestion, Thurs 24 Nov, Artrix, Bromsgrove I LOVE YOU, YOU’RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE! OJSMTC pay tribute to those who have fallen on their face at the portal of romance...Thurs 24 - Sat 26 Nov, Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham THE SEVEN ACTS OF MERCY Anders Lustgarten’s visceral new play confronts the dangerous necessity of compassion, in a world where it’s in short supply. Directed by RSC Deputy Artistic Director Erica Whyman, Thurs 24 Nov - Fri 10 Feb, The Swan Theatre, Stratford-uponAvon PSYCHIC SALLY - CALL ME PSYCHIC Fri 25 Nov, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre DIRTY DANCING – THE CLASSIC STORY ON STAGE Mon 28 Nov - Sat 3 Dec, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre BROKEN BISCUITS Paines Plough & Live Theatre present a heartwarming coming-of-age story, Tues 29 Nov Sat 3 Dec, The REP, Birmingham ACT COLLECTION Presented by Arena Collaborative Theatremakers, Tues 29 Nov, Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton GET IT ON: OUTSPOKEN A fusion of live performance, music and digital technology exploring issues of sexual health and healthy relationships for young people, Wed 30 Nov - Thurs 1 Dec, Artrix, Bromsgrove

Dance THE NUTCRACKER Presented by Midland Theatre Ballet and The Lisayne Ballet School, Thurs 24 - Sat 26 Nov, Crescent Theatre, Birmingham BIRMINGHAM ROYAL BALLET’S THE NUTCRACKER Brimming with festive energy, this ballet promises the perfect Christmas treat for the entire family, Fri 25 Nov - Tues 13 Dec, Birmingham Hippodrome

Broken Biscuits - The REP, Birmingham

Talks & Spoken Word OWEN JONES: THE POLITICS OF HOPE How can we build societies run in the interests of working people, not run as a racket for the mean and the greedy at the top? Popular Guardian columnist and author of Chavs and The Establishment shines some light on a positive way forward, Mon 28 Nov, The REP, Birmingham

Zellweger, Gemma Jones. Artrix, Bromsgrove, Sat 26 Nov SON OF SAUL (15) Drama/Thriller.

Starring Géza Röhrig, Levente Molnár. Foreign language, subtitled. mac, Birmingham, Sun 27 Nov I AM BOLT (15) Documentary. Starring Usain Bolt. mac, Birmingham, Mon 28 Nov

NEW FILMS ON GENERAL RELEASE: Released from Fri 25 Nov, showing at selected cinemas ALLIED (tbc) ALMOST CHRISTMAS (tbc) BAD SANTA 2 (tbc)

Film INDEPENDENT LISTINGS:

CREEPY (tbc) MUM'S LIST (tbc) PATERSON (tbc) A UNITED KINGDOM (12a) I AM BOLT (15)

HOMELANDS Documentary/Music.

Starring MC Saskilla, Terri Walke. mac, Birmingham, Wed 23 Nov

THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN (tbc)

THE TURIN HORSE (15) + Q&A Drama.

Starring Janos Derzsi, Erika Bok. Foreign language, subtitled. mac, Birmingham, Thurs 24 Nov

Events

YOUR NAME (12A) Drama/Horror.

Starring Mone Kamishiraishi. Electric Cinema, Birmingham, Thurs 24 Nov

CHRISTMAS PUDDING MAKING Tues 22 Nov, Avoncroft Museum, Bromsgrove

BEYOND THE HILLS (12) Drama.

Starring Cosmina Stratan, Cristina Flutur. Foreign language, subtitled. mac, Birmingham, Fri 25 Nov

WINTER WONDERLAND SEASONAL STYLE EVENT Personal stylist Beth Goodrham shares her top picks for the festive season, Wed 23 Nov, Birmingham Botanical Gardens

IN BLOOM (15) Drama. Starring Lika Babluani, Mariam Bokeria. Foreign language, subtitled. mac, Birmingham, Sat 26 Nov NG83: WHEN WE WERE B BOYS + Q&A (12A) Documentary. mac, Birmingham, Sat 26 Nov BRIDGET JONES'S BABY (15) Comedy/Romance. Starring Renée

GREYFRIARS AT CHRISTMAS As part of Worcester Christmas Market, see Greyfriars decorated with the traditions of 500 years of Christmas, Thurs 24 - Sat 26 Nov, Greyfriars House & Garden, Worcester BBC GOOD FOOD SHOW WINTER Chance to stock up on everything you need for the festive season,

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Thurs 24 - Sun 27 Nov, NEC, Birmingham

OPEN AFTERNOON AT THE MUSEUM COLLECTION CENTRE View a vast range of objects. Must be booked in advance, Fri 25 Nov, Museum Collection Centre, Birmingham ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION RECRUITMENT EXHIBITION Meet recruiters from the industry’s top employers and get one-to-one advice, Fri 25 - Sat 26 Nov, NEC, Birmingham BLACKOUT TOURS Experience the atmosphere of an exclusive evening tour after dark, Fri 25 - Sat 26 Nov, Upton House & Gardens, Warwickshire MOSELEY ARTS MARKET Featuring a broad spectrum of artwork, ceramics, jewellery, mosaics, textiles and other unique, hand-crafted gifts produced by artists and designers in and around Moseley, Sat 26 Nov, Victoria Parade, Moseley, Birmingham WREATH MAKING WORKSHOP Make your own traditional Christmas wreath using natural materials, Sat 26 Nov, Moseley Old Hall, Wolverhampton SANTA’S GROTTO AND CHRISTMAS CRAFT FAIR Sat 26 Nov, Selly Manor, Birmingham

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Monday 21 - Wed 30 November CHRISTMAS RAG WREATH MAKING With the guidance of craft specialists, learn the history of the craft and the techniques needed to create your own wreath, Sat 26 Nov, Birmingham Back to Backs CHRISTMAS IN THE HOME Step back in time and take part in some seasonal activities, Sat 26 - Sun 27 Nov, Black Country Living Museum, Dudley SANTA HUNTS Enjoy a fun-filled search for Santa alongside the museum’s costumed guides, Sat 26 - Sun 27 Nov, Black Country Living Museum, Dudley CHRISTMAS CRAFT FAYRE 2016 Showcasing high-quality artists, designer-makers and craftspeople, Sat 26 - Sun 27 Nov, Ruskin Glass Centre, Stourbridge LUDLOW MEDIEVAL CHRISTMAS FAYRE Sat 26 - Sun 27 Nov, Ludlow Castle, Shropshire CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION WEEKENDS Santa stars in his very own show, with a gift for every child, Sat 26 Sun 27 Nov, Cadbury World, Bournville, Birmingham WARLEY NATIONAL MODEL RAILWAY EXHIBITION Featuring in excess of 90 layouts, Sat 26 - Sun 27 Nov, NEC, Birmingham SANTA BOAT TRIPS Visit Santa in his

The Hairy Bikers at the BBC Good Food Show - NEC, Birmingham

underground grotto, deep in the Dudley caverns, Sat 26 Nov - Fri 23 Dec, Dudley Canal Tunnel and Limestone Mines SANTA SAFARI Festive day out for all the family, combining a four-mile selfdrive safari with a visit to see Santa, Sat 26 Nov - Sat 24 Dec, West Midland Safari and Leisure Park, Bewdley THE THEATRE OF CHRISTMAS See Packwood dressed for Christmas by

professional artist Jennifer Collier, Sat 26 Nov - Fri 6 Jan, Packwood House, Solihull FESTIVE BAKES AT SAREHOLE MILL A fun and informal baking class, Sun 27 Nov, Sarehole Mill, Birmingham CHRISTMAS AT BADDESLEY Warm up in front of the crackling fire in the Great Hall, surrounded by natural yuletide decorations, Mon 28 Nov - Tues 27 Dec Baddesley Clinton, Solihull

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