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THE MIDLANDS ULTIMATE ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE WARWICKSHIRE
’ What sOn www.whatsonlive.co.uk
ISSUE 357
SEPTEMBER 2015
MICHAEL
PALIN A CANDID INSIGHT IN A DIVERSE T CAREER O inte rview insid e...
NICOLA BENEDETTI Italian indulgence for classical BRIT winner
COVENTRY SKY RIDE family event in the city INSIDE: FILM COMEDY THEATRE LIVE MUSIC VISUAL ARTS EVENTS FOOD & DRINK & MUCH MORE!
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Contents September Region 1 MM 8.qxp_Layout 1 24/08/2015 19:21 Page 1
September 2015 25-27 SEPT 2015
BIRMINGHAM WEEKENDER
S ha in
Birmingham Weekender: 25 to 27 September. Maudits Sonnants is just one of the many free events on offer as part of this big weekend - check out the festival highlights on page 44
Michael Palin
Florence Welch
Sylvie Guillem
offers a candid insight into a diverse career interview, page 6
big, beautiful and blue in Birmingham, page 11
hangs up her dance shoes interview, page 36
INSIDE: 4. News 11. Music 22. Comedy 25. Theatre 38. Dance 48. Film 51. Visual Arts 55. Days Out 65. Food @whatsonbrum
@whatsonwarwicks
@whatsonworcs
Birmingham What’s On Magazine
Warwickshire What’s On Magazine
Worcestershire What’s On Magazine
What’sOn MAGAZINE GROUP
Publishing + Online Editor: 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 Editorial: Brian O’Faolain brian@whatsonlive.co.uk 01743 281701 Lauren Foster lauren@whatsonlive.co.uk 01743 281707 Abi Whitehouse abi@whatsonlive.co.uk 01743 281716 Adrian Parker adrian.parker@whatsonlive.co.uk 01743 281714 Contributors: Graham Bostock, James Cameron-Wilson, Chris Eldon Lee, Heather Kincaid, Katherine Ewing, Helen Stallard Managing Director: Paul Oliver Publisher and CEO: Martin Monahan Graphic Designers: Lisa Wassell Chris Atherton Accounts Administrator: Julia Perry julia@whatsonlive.co.uk 01743 281717
Offices: Wynner House, Bromsgrove St, Birmingham B5 6RG This publication is printed on paper from a sustainable source and is produced without the use of elemental chlorine. and We endorse the recycling of our magazine and would encourage you to pass it on to others to read when you have finished with it. 13-14 Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, SY2 6AE All works appearing in this publication are copyright. It is to be assumed that the copyright for material rests with the magazine unless otherwise stated. No part of this publication may be reproduced, or stored in an electronic system, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recording or otherwise, without the prior knowledge and consent of the publishers.
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News
A ROUND-UP OF LOCAL AND NATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
City of bricks The UK’s biggest LEGO show makes its Birmingham debut at the NEC next month. A haven for fans of the multi-coloured construction pieces, BRICK (29 October - 1 November) boasts numerous interactive features and live LEGO building. Attractions include brick pits - enabling visitors to showcase their inner master builder - LEGO video games (including the latest releases), a fan zone, LEGO Minecraft, a museum of LEGO history, the Seven Wonders of the World recreated in LEGO, and race ramps on which to test your custom-built cars. And with the event taking place over Halloween, visitors are also promised ‘a haunting experience’, with plenty of spooky activities programmed. Arrive dressed in your ghastliest ghostly outfit and you never know, you might even win yourself a prize...
Almost there... Grand Central ready for the off
Birthday celebrations at Warwick University The University of Warwick turns fifty this year, and plans have been unveiled for a weekend of celebrations to mark the occasion. The Public Festival Of The Imagination - taking place on the university’s central campus on Friday 16 and Saturday 17 October - features a full programme of themed events focusing on imagining the future. The festival sees the university’s Butterworth Hall transformed into a family-orientated interactive discovery zone where visitors can check out innovative research and conduct their own science experiments. Celebrity input to the festival includes contributions from BBC Saturday Kitchen regular Vivek Singh (pictured below), who’ll explore the benefits to health and wellbeing of Indian spices. Selecter singer Pauline Black also takes part, reflecting on the social effect of the musical genre, while local polar explorer Mark Wood answers questions about what life’s like in a freezer. For further information on what’s happening at the festival, visit warwick.ac.uk/imagination. 4 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
One of the most exciting retail projects ever to take place in the Midlands finally comes to fruition this month. The £150million Grand Central development will house more than sixty retailers, with the jewel in its crown being the eagerly anticipated John Lewis store. Some of the biggest names on the high street are set to adorn the development’s sparkly malls, including award-winning bookshop Foyles, vintage designer Cath Kidston, menswear brand Steel & Jelly, and the White Company. And when it’s time to move on from retail to cafe therapy, Grand Central will offer customers plenty of options. Its diverse range of cafes and restaurants includes Caffe Concerto - an upmarket Italian patisserie offering live music Cocomacs - a cafe bar selling freshly baked coconut macaroons - and Giraffe, a national restaurant chain with a menu inspired by flavours from around the world. For a full list of shops and restaurants, visit grandcentralbirmingham.com.
Six Million Dollar Man in Brum
Heritage Day at the Hippodrome
The Six Million Dollar Man is coming to Birmingham. American actor Lee Majors became one of Hollywood’s hottest properties in the 1970s when he starred as bionically-enhanced astronaut Steve Austin in the hit television series. Lee will visit the NEC over the weekend of 21 and 22 November to take part in the MCM Comic Birmingham Comic Con & Memorabilia Show.
A free family open day this month provides visitors with an insight into the workings of one of the region’s most popular theatres. Birmingham Hippodrome’s open day forms part of a wider programme of Heritage Weekend events and will feature a host of family-friendly activities, theatre tours and talks. Visitors will also be offered an opportunity to explore original archive materials and share and record their Birmingham Hippodrome memories. Hippodrome Heritage Day takes place on Saturday 12 September between 10am and 4pm. If you’d like to attend the event, simply turn up on the day. Check out page 61 for other Heritage Weekend events in your area.
Young panto stars sought in Coventry The Belgrade Theatre is inviting young performers from across Coventry and Warwickshire to audition for its festive show Beauty And The Beast. The Coventry theatre is on the lookout for twenty four children aged nine to sixteen to star in its panto chorus with auditions scheduled to take place on Sunday 6 September from 10am. Interested?, then why not complete and return a copy of the registration form which can be downloaded from belgrade.co.uk
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Bleak House star at The REP Anna Maxwell Martin (Bleak House, Philomena) is to make her Birmingham Repertory Theatre debut early next year, performing alongside John Hefferman (Jonathan Strange And Mr Norrell) in a new production of Macbeth. Anna will take the role of Lady Macbeth (to Hefferman’s Macbeth) in an ambitious new staging by Carrie Cracknell and Lucy Guerin. A co-production with the Young Vic and HOME in Manchester, Macbeth shows in Birmingham from 26 to 30 January.
Big names revealed in comedy festival line-up Chris Ramsey, Jason Byrne, Henning Wehn, Lee Nelson, Tom Stade, Doug Stanhope and Andrew Maxwell are just some of the well-known comedians who’ll be facilitating laughs aplenty at next month’s Birmingham Comedy Festival (2 to 11 October). In addition to offering the very best in standup, the ten-day event hosts an impressive programme of theatre, film and special events, as well as the annual Birmingham Comedy Festival Breaking Talent Award. To find out more about what’s happening, visit bhamcomfest.co.uk.
Image credit: Anish Kapoor’s The Chant of the Blue
A retrospective on sculpting the future A ten-year period during which a new generation of artists introduced a fresh approach to sculpture is set to be explored in a new exhibition at Warwick Arts Centre’s Mead Gallery. Works by world-renowned artists including Antony Gormley, Anish Kapoor, Julian Opie, Cornelia Parker, David Nash and Richard Deacon will feature in Making It: Sculpture In Britain 1977-1986, which shows at the gallery from 8 October to 29 November. Highlighting a time of great social, political and economic change, Making It showcases a series of works created before the included artists became household names. Commenting on the show, Fiona Venables, Deputy Curator at Mead Gallery, said: “The late 1970s and early 1980s was such a pivotal time for sculpture in this country. This is a good time to stop and reflect upon the work of a pioneering generation of British artists.”
IN BRIEF Australia comes to Brum on the big screen
Song and projection tell a rural tale A musical adventure with a difference is being showcased at Telford’s Enginuity Museum on Saturday 10 October. Presented as part of the venue’s Shifting Worlds Symposium, The Trail Of Thomas Love is the work of Shropshire-born songwriter and photographer Nathan Tromans. A unique multimedia performance exploring the myths of Shropshire’s Severn Gorge landscape, the work sees Nathan (accompanied by a five-piece band) perform a selection of ‘mystical and enchanting’ music. Numerous images from the Ironbridge archives and photographs from Nathan’s own collection will be projected on a backdrop during the course of the performance. Speaking about the project, Nathan describes his songs as being ‘imbued with the spiritual influences of artists such as Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave’, to name but a few.
Opera Australia’s lavish and highly acclaimed production of Verdi’s Aida, performed on Sydney Harbour, will this month be screened live in five cinemas across Birmingham, Solihull and Walsall. The screening takes place on Tuesday 15 September. The participating cinemas are Solihull’s Cineworld, Walsall’s Showcase, and Birmingham’s Empire Cinema, Great Park; mac - Midlands Arts Centre; and Odeon on Broadway Plaza.
Time to get Fierce...
Next month sees the return of one of Birmingham’s most diverse festivals. Widely considered to be among the country’s most important contemporary arts events, Fierce (7 to 11 October) has a reputation for ‘risk-taking, excellence and innovation’. The festival will take over space at various city centre venues, including The Drum, Minerva Works, Eastside Projects and mac. No fewer than eight UK premieres from international artists feature in this year’s event, including Simone Aughterlony’s Supernatural. A hotly anticipated dance piece, the work presents a thought-provoking exploration of the subject of gender roles. Sleep With The Curator, meanwhile, invites festival-goers to pack their sleeping bag and spend the night in the Eastside Projects gallery in Digbeth. They’ll be joined there by curator Gavin Wade for a selection of bedtime stories. Gavin will also demonstrate his cooking prowess by rustling up bacon pancakes the following morning! For further information about this year’s programming, visit fierce.co.uk.
Fundraiser event to light up lives
A nurse at Acorns Children’s Hospice is appealing for people to support a Birmingham fundraising event taking place early next month. Acorns Lantern Walk at Cannon Hill Park on 3 October promises to light up the autumn skies as hundreds of people participate in a sponsored event to raise money for children and young people cared for by the charity. Anita Latimer, a special nurse at Acorns, is calling on Midlanders to sign up for the event. “Money raised through sponsorship from the walk,” says Anita, “means that nurses like me can provide the specialist one-to-one care for life-limited and life-threatened children. We can also provide support for their families, which is so vital. It costs Acorns nearly £9million per year to provide the care we do. We rely on the public for the bulk of this amount, so I’m hoping lots of people ‘shine’ with us and help make this year's Lantern Walk the biggest and brightest yet.” For further information and to register, visit acorns.org.uk/shinetogether. www.whatsonlive.co.uk 5
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interview
Michael Palin As one of the legendary Monty Python team, Michael Palin has written and appeared in some of the most iconic comedy sketches ever conceived. He’s also found time over the last forty-six years to keep a near-daily diary of his personal and professional life. Now, at the age of seventy-two, Michael is preparing to hit the road with a brand new stage show. Based on his diaries, the show will feature not only plenty of sure-to-be-amusing anecdotes but also rare archive film, videos, photos and records, providing a candid insight into a hugely successful and incredibly diverse career. What’s On recently caught up with the man himself to find out more... Can you spot any significant changes in the way you’ve written the diaries across the decades, Michael, or have they remained consistent in terms of factors such as their style and content? The style has sort of developed over the years. I’d kept loads of diaries as a schoolboy but only for about three weeks at a time. It was 1969, just before Python began, and I decided I was going to try and write every day. The problem was that I wasn’t quite sure how much to write or how much time it should take up. I started it and then slightly resented it taking over my life, so wrote shorter pieces. After a while I realised I was quite enjoying the process of recording what was going on in my life. I realised that if I was going to do it properly, I’d have to give some time to it - about thirty minutes a day - and try to do it nearly every day. I tend now to be firmly in the habit of doing it most mornings and writing much more than I did to start with. The other change, I suppose, is that since the diaries were originally published, in 2006, I’ve become slightly more selfconscious about names and things like that. So instead of just writing a nickname, I might write a full name because I know some time later this might be published. 6 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
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When you look back on your diaries, what surprises you most about yourself as a younger man? What surprises me is that I haven’t changed much. I’ve matured, I’ve got older, but I don’t know that I’ve got a lot wiser. When I was young I was quite impulsive. There weren’t many days off, that’s for sure, but I think I’m the same now. Work is my life and life is my work, really. I’ve always been freelance. Terry Jones and myself were always writing together, always looking over our shoulders to see where we could get the next job, where we could get a series or a play, wondering whether we should write drama or write comedy. Python was going on in the background but it was never going to make us enough money at the time. I look back and can see then what I am now, which is someone who’s tempted to try lots of different ideas, and who generally comes out the other side having done an awful lot in the process. Did you just write and write, or did you reflect over your diaries as you were writing them? I’ve never really looked back. I’ve read them quite often, which is very useful sometimes. There was a Python court case about three years ago and I was the star witness because I was the only one who could remember anything - because I’d written it down in my diary. The Palin Diaries appeared in court and were read - rather badly, I have to say - by the prosecutor. The decision to publish was partly taken because various people were asking me if I was going to write an autobiography. I sort of resisted that, but then I realised the reason I was resisting was because everything was there in my diaries. I thought, ‘There’s the story, why don’t I just publish them?’ Up until that time I’d considered them to be private. Even my wife hasn’t read all the way through the diaries - nor would she want to because they go on a bit! But then, once they’re published, they do become a different beast. How near the knuckle are the diaries? Are there individuals who you’ve written about who might be hurt or unhappy about what you’ve written? I tend to be less confrontational than some people. I’m generally an optimist and see the best in people, so it’s not page after page of moans. When I try to write every morning, I do try and see the positive in that day. However, there are certain moments when you meet people and have to put down what you felt about them at the time. Some are people who I only met once, and my impression of them may have been pretty critical. Others - well, there’s the usual thing about all the Pythons I’ve worked with. Python is like a marriage in a way. You sort of need each other but at the same time you’re far more critical of each other than you probably would be of anybody outside. So there are little criticisms. They’re not major ones, they just fill out what the Pythons are like. Whether individual Pythons are happy about it or not, I don’t know. Have you had any feedback from them? Terry Jones said he couldn’t remember any of it, John Cleese said, ‘I didn’t say that’, and Terry Gilliam said, ‘Why wasn’t there more of me in it?’, so you get the picture?
Has re-reading them made you nostalgic for any particular bygone era? Yes, as you get older you do get a bit nostalgic. I look back at the filming of The Life Of Brian in Tunisia and remember it being a wonderful time, a time that’s well captured in the diary. Then there’s GBH, which was a long drama series I did for Channel Four. I remember enjoying that a lot - but the diary also shows the strain of it all in terms of the questions I was asking myself at the time. Questions like, ‘Am I really up to taking on such a major role?’ and ‘How will it work out?’ In the end the results were great, but it’s quite interesting how the different approaches are there in the diary. Did you ever feel the urge to omit certain things? No. When I was editing the diaries, I felt that they had to be as honest a portrait as possible because one is put slightly on a pedestal and I’ve no complaints about my life. I’ve done a hell of a lot and had wonderful opportunities to do lots of different things, but it’s not as easy as that. It does come with a little pressure, either to always be performing or in terms of finding yourself continuously called upon to do this and that, which sometimes is beyond what you want to do and beyond what you’re capable of doing, but you have to deal with that. I’ve kept the insecurities in because they’ve surprised me. What I was slightly concerned about, and talked to my family about, was whether to include in the published diaries more entries about the difficult periods of my life. The loss of my sister quite early on, and of Graham Chapman. When I looked back at the diary I noticed that I’d noted down my reactions quite carefully and quite thoroughly during that period. It was obviously something I had a lot to write about - especially how to deal with it - and I thought my experience and thoughts might be useful to help anybody else who’s dealing with loss of any kind. My family were all fine with me keeping that in. It’s not maudlin; it’s celebratory of lives. When deciding to condense the diaries into a stage show, what’s been your criteria in terms of what to include and what to leave out? Well, it’s partly governed by what’s going to work on stage, and a lot of that is stories, very good Python stories, so there’s got to be a section about Python in the show. There are very good travel stories and photos too, so you’ve got to have those in. They’re probably the backbone of the evening, but at the same time I want to deal with areas that tend to get sidelined, like the Ripping Yarns TV series, how it came about, why there were only nine of them, what our aim was in doing them. There was a wonderful book which we’ve rediscovered called Dr Fegg’s Encyclopaedia Of All World Knowledge, which Terry and myself wrote in the 1980s. We’re getting it reprinted and I do some readings from that on stage. It’s something that people don’t really know about that well. In Ripping Yarns, was any of Tomkinson’s Schooldays based on your time as a pupil at Shrewsbury School? Loosely. Public schools have rules which have been laid down over the centuries - like how many buttons you can open on your jacket depending on how long you’ve been at the school, and which bit of grass you can walk across if you’re a senior. The rules seem
completely petty and ridiculous from the outside, but that’s the way the schools have been shaped. All I did was tweak that slightly and introduce certain ‘privileges’, like being nailed to the walls by senior boys and that sort of thing. What I particularly liked was having an official school bully who was not discouraged. In fact he was actively encouraged; he was so good at bullying that parents sent their children to the school to be bullied by him. Ian Ogilvy - who most people will remember as The Saint - played him and was absolutely brilliant. I remember filming at Milton Abbey and it being just hilarious, especially when we had to have a stretcher come in through the school gates because one of the boys had tried to escape and been caught by the school leopard. You never saw the leopard, just this boy on a stretcher being brought back into the school. It was terrific. Unfortunately Milton Abbey School weren’t too eager to have us back again. I think Shrewsbury School would’ve had a better sense of fun about it because it was a very good school for encouraging humour. What’s your most memorable experience while filming your travel series? The best day was getting home at the end of Eighty Days. Actually, it wasn’t a very good day - everyone was rather rude and grumpy in London when we came back - but there was also just the sheer joy of having done the journey. As for the journeys themselves, there were many occasions that remain memorable. There were so many spectacular landscapes we were able to see - from Siberia through to Alaska - but I suppose the things I enjoyed most were meeting people; getting into situations where I would never have expected to meet, let alone have conversations with, people along the way. And if you could use all the experiences you’ve gained in life, plus the wisdom you naturally develop with age, to give some advice to Michael Palin circa 1969, what would you say to him? I think I’d probably say to him, ‘Don’t be too worried. Make sure that whatever you do is what’s in your head. Don’t be persuaded to do things you don’t want to do’. At seventy-two, you show little sign of slowing down. Isn’t this a time when you should be enjoying the fruit of your labours? Oh, I do enjoy the fruit of my labours. I very often look back at what I’ve done. I read books that are related to journeys I’ve been on and I think, ‘Wow, I can read about this part of the world because I’ve actually been there, so it means something to me’. I’ve made very good friends over the years and I’ve got far too much to do and far too many things I’m interested in, and that keeps me going. Actually, what my life has done is stock up on all sorts of experiences which, rather than wear me out, have actually stimulated me and will hopefully continue to do so.
Michael Palin: The Thirty Years Tour shows at Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent, Thursday 1 October; and Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Tuesday 13 October
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Alan Carr
interview
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The show’s very personal. It’s a gamble including so much personal stuff, but it pays dividends.
”
A sharp’n’sassy laughter merchant renowned for blending camp comedy with belly laughs to maximum effect, Alan Carr this month makes a welcome return to the Midlands with his brand new show, Yap, Yap, Yap!. What’s On recently chatted to the Chatty Man to find out what his legion of fans can expect... In the middle of my interview with Alan Carr, a very loud police siren starts wailing in the background. “I’m so in demand even the police want me,” jokes Alan. “Or maybe they’ve seen my act and want to arrest me!” This is typical of the quick-witted humour of one of the country’s finest comics. Alan is about to underline just how brilliant he is by embarking on his first major standup tour for three years. The show will certainly be coming to a theatre near you - the tour takes in an eyewatering one hundred-and-twenty-plus venues. The comic, who boasts a huge nationwide following after hosting thirteen series of his C4 chat show, Alan Carr Chatty Man, says, “I adore touring - it keeps me out of mischief! This is the biggest tour I’ve ever done. “I love live comedy. Sometimes the politics of doing the chat show and booking guests can be frustrating. And occasionally you’ll have a dud guest with nothing to say. But when it’s just you on stage with a mic in front of lots of people who’ve come specifically to see you, it’s fantastic. You’re the boss. I get such a buzz on stage. It’s a complete adrenaline rush. When you dream up new material and think, ‘Great, I can add that to the set,’ it’s a wonderful feeling. If it works, a new joke always brings a smile to my face. It’s such a thrill.” Alan’s loyal fanbase is mobilised whenever he tours. “Some venues have sold out within five minutes,” the comic reveals. “People have apparently been sleeping outside to get tickets. Oh please, stop it - that’s sweet, but unnecessary. “I always leave it three years between tours. I don’t know how Jimmy Carr does it, touring all the time. But I’m lucky enough to have the chat show to keep me busy in between. And it means that if I haven’t been touring for three years, it’s more of an event when I do.” Alan has amazingly devoted fans. “They’re
always lovely,” he enthuses. “A lot of them want to mother me. I’ve got one of those faces that makes women want to put me on their chest and stroke my hair. Blokes do the same - they always want to nestle me on their chests!” The warmth of his fans gives Alan a real glow. “Twitter can be a nasty, spiteful place. It makes you think the British public are awful. But Twitter isn’t real. It encourages a certain type of person. The real British public are lovely. They feel they know me, and they’re always bringing me presents! They bring me lots of knickers and ropey drinks for the globe on my chat show.” Such is his rapport with his fans that Alan has deliberately chosen to perform at more intimate venues on the Yap, Yap, Yap! tour. “I could’ve played arenas and done the tour within a month, but in those big places you can’t talk to the audience. If you mention the jumper of someone in the front row, eleven thousand, nine hundred-and-ninety-nine other people say, ‘What’s he on about?’ “With arena shows, the material doesn’t evolve. You don’t want to take the gamble of trying out new stuff in front of twelve thousand people. And if you lose the room at an arena, you can’t get it back because it’s so big. Putting on a show in a theatre, everyone there feels they’ve had a unique night that won’t happen anywhere else. “When you’re on stage, the audience transports you and you almost go into a trance. These people have paid good money to see you, and you can’t let them down. If they’ve had a crap day, they just want to go out and have a laugh - and it’s your responsibility to deliver. You want to perform for them because they’re so lovely.” So what subjects will Alan be discussing in Yap, Yap, Yap!? “The show’s very personal. It’s a gamble including so much personal stuff, but it pays dividends. Also, the audience can smell it if you start lying in your
act. There’s an honesty in this show that people will appreciate. “The show’s about co-habiting and how it affects you. I talk about my partner. The show’s about my life, so he has to be in it. I didn’t want to start lying and saying I still live on my own in Stretford. My partner doesn’t necessarily like being part of the show, but I said to him, ‘Look, it’s paying the bills. See those shoes you’re wearing? Comedy bought them, so stop moaning! The show is about manning up. “I called it Yap, Yap, Yap! because there’s a lot of waffle out there. With blogs and Twitter, everyone has an opinion nowadays. I can’t believe I’ll be waffling on stage for two hours - I’m adding to all that waffle. It’s my own fault!” The good news is that even if you can’t make it along to a live show, you’ll still be able to enjoy Yap, Yap, Yap! - Alan is recording a brand new live DVD of the show at the Hammersmith Apollo on Friday 25 September. It’s due for release by Universal Pictures (UK) later this autumn. Despite his high profile, Alan remains the same really grounded person he’s always been. “Fame is very nice,” he observes. “I’d never take it for granted; you get lots of great opportunities. The other day I was asked to present a Pride Of Britain Award, and that was great. And I also get marvellous presents. So if the fans who’re coming to the show could bring me some awful wine to put in my globe on the chat show, that would be very much appreciated!”
Alan Carr Yap, Yap, Yap! tour shows at Birmingham Hippodrome, Friday 11 Saturday 12 September; Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, Saturday 26 - Sunday 27 September, and Friday 16 October
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Music Mac DeMarco The Institute, Birmingham, Thurs 10 September
Mac DeMarco is a Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. He’s best known for his solo work and has released four fulllength studio albums - Rock And Roll Night Club (2012), 2 (2012), Salad Days (2014) and Another One (released last month). DeMarco this month appears in Birmingham for the first time and is accompanied by support act Dinner.
Public Image Ltd
Florence + The Machine Genting Arena, Birmingham, Sat 19 September
The Copper Rooms, Coventry, Wed 23 September
Florence Welch’s dream came true at Glastonbury this year when the band were asked to step up to the Friday night headline slot after Foo Fighters were forced to cancel. This made Welch Glastonbury’s first British female headliner this century - pretty impressive if you ask us! Rising to fame in 2009 with debut album Lungs, Florence + The Machine’s songs (including Kiss With A Fist and Dog Days Are Over) have been used extensively in TV shows such as 90210, Gossip Girl and Glee, making the band a huge hit on both sides of the pond. They’ve since released two further albums - Ceremonials (2011) and How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (2015). The latter topped both the UK and US charts and is being supported by this UK autumn tour.
Widely regarded as one of the most influential bands of all time, Public Image Ltd’s music and vision led to five UK top-twenty singles and five toptwenty albums. Frontman John Lydon, or Johnny Rotten to some, guided the band from their 1978 debut album, First Issue, through to 1992’s That What Is Not. After a seventeen-year hiatus, the band re-formed in 2009 and have been on the road ever since. This Coventry date is in support of their new album, What The World Needs Now.
Lemar The Glee Club, Birmingham, Sun 20 September Lemar has sold well over two million albums since hitting the headlines with debut offering Dedicated, picking up both MOBO and BRIT Awards along the way. He performs in the Midlands to support recently released album The Letter, a combination of brand new numbers and reinterpreted soul classics by stars including Al Green, Sam Cooke and Van Morrison. “My cover versions had to be raw and gritty,” explains Lemar, who recorded the album in the legendary EastWest Studios in LA, where Sinatra recorded My Way and Marvin Gaye Let’s Get It On. “They had to expose the essence of the songs. The calibre of musicians and the vibe in the studio made it magical. Being in those EastWest Studios rooms, knowing who’d been there before me, was truly inspirational.”
Reef The Robin, Bilston, Sat 26 September
Although all four members of Reef hail from the West Country, they first met when they were all living in London way back in the early 1990s. Success came relatively quickly for the band, initially via Sony’s use of their song, Naked, in a minidisc commercial and then thanks to Chris Evans adopting their top-ten hit, Place Your Hands. A six-year break followed in the early twenty-first century, the fellas claiming that playing together had started to feel a little bit too much like proper work. They returned to the limelight with a bang in 2010, selling out shows across the UK and playing at both Glastonbury and the Isle of Wight festival.
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‘MOTOWN’ LEGENDS PARTY
Fri 4 Sept £32.50 also appearing on Sat 7 Nov
with Soul Legend
Fri 11 Sept £37.50
‘MAMMA MIA’ PARTY with ‘Sensation’ an ABBA tribute A special tribute to
WHITNEY HOUSTON
Fri 18 Sept £32.50
with Nya King
Sat 3 Oct £49.50
PINK BALL AT THE HALL with 80’s Experience
THAT’S LIFE ‘Take That’ & ‘Westlife’ show
Sat 17 Oct £32.50
Sat 10 Oct £35.00
DISCO DIVA PARTY with Tameka Jackson as Diana Ross
HALLOWEEN DISCO
Sat 31 Oct £27.50
with DJ Ian Rogers
Sat 14 Nov ‘SUPREME’ MOTOWN £32.50
& SOUL DIVA PARTY with The Motellas
LENNON AND McCARTNEY
Sat 21 Nov £32.50
with The Lennon and McCartney Experience
Sat 28 Nov £35.00
70’S & 80’S PARTY NIGHT with Borderline
DOWNLOAD THE BROCHURE FROM OUR WEBSITE
TICKET PRICES INCLUDE 4 COURSE MEAL WE WILL CATER FOR ANY SPECIAL DIETARY NEEDS BY PRIOR ARRANGMENT
NAILCOTE LANE, BERKSWELL, WARWICKSHIRE, CV7 7DE 12 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
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Music PREVIEWS The Undercover Hippy Hare & Hounds, Birmingham, Thurs 24 September
Billy Rowan - aka The Undercover Hippy brings together acoustic guitar, soulful vocals and infectious reggae rhythms with the lyrical delivery of an MC. Both a DJ and MC on the drum & bass circuit for seven years, Billy swapped the decks for an acoustic guitar in 2007 and became a solo act. He here plays with a full live band in what promises to be a high-energy show.
Mykal Rose, Etana and Cold Fever The Drum, Birmingham, Fri 11 September
Jurassic 5 The Institute, Birmingham, Tues 8 September
Jurassic 5 formed in 1993, debuting nationally two years later with first single Unified Rebelution. The American alternative hip-hop group’s eponymous debut album was released in 1998. Three albums followed Quality Control, Power In Numbers and Feedback - the latter two peaking at number fifteen on the Billboard 200 chart. The group disbanded in 2007 but reunited in 2013 and have since appeared at numerous festivals around the world.
Sain Zahoor Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Wed 30 September
“I was seven years old when, in my dreams, I began regularly seeing a hand emerging from a grave,” explains Sufi street musician Sain Zahoor. “I had the dream every night for seven continuous years.” Sain’s dream was the starting point of a remarkable journey which has seen him devote his life to the business of singing at shrines. When he finally produced a record of his music in 2006, he found himself being nominated for the BBC World Music Award. “I believe that music about worldly things denotes greed,” says Sain. “I love and appreciate music about Allah. My love, passion and devotion are all-consuming.”
Jamaican musical styles may have phased in and out of popularity over the last twenty-five years but Mykal Rose (inset image) has just kept on singing. One-time frontman of the legendary Black Uhuru, Rose is widely admired for a hard-edged brand of militant music that’s seen him scoring hit singles both at home and abroad. Mykal’s here sharing the spotlight with ‘Empress of Reggae’ Etana - who came to prominence with 2008 debut album The Strong One - and rising talent Cold Fever (main image), who’s made a recent splash by introducing the brand new genre of Desi Reggae, a fusion of his Jamaican and Indian heritage.
Madness
Moose Blood
Wolverhampton Racecourse, Fri 25 September
Kasbah, Coventry, Mon 7 September
Madness were one of the most prominent bands of the late-1970s/early-1980s 2 Tone Ska revival, and although their high-profile days are behind them, the zany funsters continue to draw a crowd - as their regular arena concerts ably illustrate. With hits like Baggy Trousers, On The Wings Of A Dove and Our House to recommend them, an evening with Suggs and the gang guarantees plenty of great music and not a little madcap mayhem.
Eddy Brewerton, Mark Osborne, Glenn Harvey and Kyle Todd make up the rock fourpiece Moose Blood. They produced three EPs in 2012/13 before releasing debut album I’ll Keep You In Mind, From Time To Time in late 2014 on the label No Sleep. Expect to hear songs from the album at this Coventry show.
Jacco Gardner The Tin Music & Arts, Coventry, Fri 18 September
Juan Martin Artrix, Bromsgrove, Sat 26 September
In the world of Flamenco guitar playing, Juan Martin is a colossus, performing in a highly distinctive compositional style that sees him blending the traditional and the modern to excellent effect. “It doesn’t matter whether it’s flamenco or art or jazz,” explains Juan, “the fact is that there are certain things that touch people, that connect with them and which can move an audience. Even if you’re not playing at quite your best, it’s important to make that connection; to touch them so that they can go away with a memory to treasure.”
Jacco Gardner is a neo-psych/baroque pop artist from the Netherlands. He creates a unique noise by combining the sounds of harpsichord, strings, flutes and other classical instruments with raw psychedelic effects. Gardner has produced two albums: Cabinet Of Curiosities (released on the Trouble In Mind label in 2013) and the recent Hypnophobia. “I came up with the title Hypnophobia while falling asleep, and part of my brain just didn’t turn off,” explains Gardner. “I often have trouble letting go of reality, even though I prefer the world in my dreams. Hypnophobia comes from a place where fears, darkness and creativity collide, like a slightly scary lucid dream. Fearing a loss of control definitely plays a big part in it.”
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Music GIG REVIEWS For further reviews, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk
The Levellers The Assembly, Leamington Spa
Twenty-seven years after Mark Chadwick met bedreadlocked bassist Jeremy Cunningham in a Brighton pub, the Levellers' unique folk-punk hybrid is still going strong. While the band may have aged a quarter of a century since the release of A Weapon Called The Word, in this age of austerity their anger and political lyrics feel as urgent and relevant as ever. Notorious for their blistering live performances, the Levellers found a perfect home at the Leamington Assembly, storming through songs with all their usual furious energy. Their predictably packed-out audience left their comedy support act slightly bemused, but The Bar-Steward Sons Of Val Doonican proved more than capable of holding their own. Arriving on stage in wigs and neon tank tops, the Barnsley boys left the audience in stitches with exquisitely crafted parodies like Lady In Greggs and Nando's (Fernando), the latter dedicated to fussy eaters everywhere. A kind of Yorkshire answer to Weird Al Yankovic, there was nevertheless some surprisingly excellent musicianship, particularly from ‘Bjorn Doonicansson’ on his cigarette box-shaped fiddle. They closed the set with some ‘Barnsley hip hop’ - their take on House Of Pain's Jump Around, complete with crowd-surfing from frontman Scott. The Levellers gig, meanwhile, served as a glance back over the group's greatest hits rather than an opportunity to showcase new work, but felt no less vital for it. Classic ’90s numbers like One Way, Carry Me and What A Beautiful Day breathed new life into the folk scene well before the recent revival, and it was anthemic tracks like this that made up much of the evening's set. Their irresistible concoction of fast-paced fiddle playing, heavy guitar riffs and pounding rhythms had the entire hall bouncing, spurred on by Cunningham and Jon Sevink bounding around the stage in patched-up punky shirts, the former's trademark dreadlocks as long and untamed as ever. The Levellers' excellent showmanship continues: this is a band who seem incapable of disappointing live. Heather Kincaid nnnnn
Centre, Birmingham BLAIR DUNLOP Kenilworth Castle, Warwickshire
Rainbow Venues, Birmingham
SAT 5 SEPT
SWEENEY ENTERTAINMENTS PRESENT - JACKSON LIVE IN CONCERT The Swan Theatre, Worcester MAC DEMARCO The Institute, Birmingham DURAN & INSTINCTION The Robin, Bilston GNOD The Oobleck, Birmingham DOWNTOWN FUSION The Jam House, B’ham OUTFIT Hare & Hounds, Birmingham
THE SEX PISSED DOLLS The Robin, Bilston THE JANOSKIANS O2 Academy, Birmingham THE OFFICIAL RECEIVERS BAND Artrix, Bromsgrove IRON VOID The Asylum, Birmingham MERKAGE O2 Academy, Birmingham ONLY SHADOWS The Rainbow Venues, Birmingham THE MERSEY BEATLES BEATLES TRIBUTE BAND Palace Theatre, Redditch UP4 THE DOWNSTROKE The Jam House, B’ham MEAT PUPPETS, THE BLEEDIN NOSES & ENQUIRY The Institute, Birmingham HAYES CARLL The Glee Club, Birmingham AUTOBAHN The Sunflower Lounge, B’ham LILO II The Oobleck, Birmingham SLADE Wolverhampton Racecourse MAJOR TOMS Hare & Hounds, Birmingham THE GLITTER BAND The Roadhouse, B’ham KICK UP THE 80’S The River Rooms, Stourbridge REGALE The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton THOMAS TRUAX The Tin Music & Arts, Coventry ELVIS TRIBUTE Irish Centre, Birmingham
SUN 6 SEPT ROCK OF AGES EXPERIENCE The Robin, Bilston HELL AND HOME & HIGHLIVES The Roadhouse, Birmingham T R DALLAS Irish Centre, Birmingham PLAIN AND SIMPLE VS OSHEA Suki10C, Birmingham
MON 7 SEPT
Music LISTINGS For full listing information on gigs, including times and dates, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk
WED 2 SEPT JIM ADKINS The Glee Club, Birmingham ADRIAN BYRON BURNS The Jam House, B’ham
THU 3 SEPT U2-2 The Robin, Bilston THE REAL THING The Assembly, Leamington Spa THE DEAR HUNTER The Rainbow Venues, Birmingham THE QUIK BEATS The Jam House, B’ham
OUGHT Hare & Hounds, Birmingham OUGHT Hare & Hounds
FRI 4 SEPT
ANTARCTIC MONKEYS The Roadhouse, Birmingham THE JIVE ACES Artrix, Bromsgrove SAINT ETIENNE The Assembly, Leamington Spa OH WHAT A NIGHT: NEW JERSEY BOYS PERFORMED AND NARRATED BY THE FX BAND Palace Theatre, Redditch
THE AND FINALLY BIG BAND Lichfield Garrick, Staffordshire UP4 THE DOWNSTROKE The Jam House, Birmingham GIN ANNIE BAND The Robin, Bilston JON TOUBIN Hare & Hounds, Birmingham MERCILESS TERROR The Marr’s Bar, Worcester MOTOWN LEGENDS PARTY WITH SOUL LEGEND Nailcote Hall, Berkswell, Warwickshire THE YOUNG O2 Academy, Birmingham GORDON HENDRICKS IS ELVIS The River Rooms, Stourbridge ROXY MAGIC Route 44, Birmingham ANGELIC UPSTARTS The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton LOCK STOCK & TWO SMOKING PADDY’S Irish
PAUL SMITH AND THE INTIMATIONS The Institute, Birmingham rcs
TUE 8 SEPT
JURASSIC 5 The Institute, Birmingham LEE FIELDS AND THE EXPRESSIONS The Institute, Birmingham THE WYZE GUYZ The Jam House, B’ham
WED 9 SEPT LIFE IN FILM Hare & Hounds, Birmingham THE GLORIOUS FOOLS PRESENT THE MUSIC OF JOHN MARTYN The Robin, Bilston LEO SAYER - RESTLESS YEARS TOUR 2015 The Jam House, B’ham OH SUSANNA Hare & Hounds, Birmingham WASTER, BEST YEARS, YOU KNOW THE DRILL & COAST TO COAST The
THU 10 SEPT
FRI 11 SEPT JETHRO TULL THE ROCK OPERA PERFORMED BY IAN ANDERSON Symphony Hall, B’ham WHITESNAKE UK 'GOOD TO BACK TOUR 2015' The Robin, Bilston THE EASTCOAST BOYS FRANKIE VALLI AND THE FOUR SEASONS Bedworth Civic Hall BROTHER & BONES The Rainbow Venues, Birmingham 'MAMMA MIA' PARTY WITH SENSATION Nailcote Hall, Berkswell, Warwickshire THE SUBTERRANEANS The Jam House, B’ham GIRLPOOL Hare & Hounds, Birmingham MYKAL ROSE & ETANA The Drum, Birmingham THE ACOUSTIC STRAWBS Artrix, Bromsgrove EOFE O2 Academy, Birmingham CHANTEL MCGREGOR The Assembly, Leamington Spa VICTIMS OF A DOWN The Roadhouse, B’ham PEOPLE'S SONGS Number 8 Community Arts Centre, Pershore PURE PURPLE & THE DIO TRILOGY Route 44, Birmingham FRAN THE MAN Irish Centre, Birmingham
SAT 12 SEPT DIRTY DC - TRIBUTE TO AC / DC The Robin, Bilston SPECIAL KINDA MADNESS The Roadhouse, Birmingham THE SUPERSONIC 70S SHOW Artrix, Bromsgrove THE MODFATHERS O2 Academy, Birmingham BENDRIX: BENJI KIRKPATRICK PRESENTS THE JIMI HENDRIX PROJECT mac, Birmingham WAND The Rainbow Venues, Birmingham HANNAH WANTS The Rainbow Venues, Birmingham LAST LIGHT The Sunflower Lounge, B’ham THE MANFREDS Palace Theatre, Redditch THE SUBTERRANEANS The Jam House, Birmingham TODD EDWARDS Hare & Hounds, Birmingham NOLA INSPIRED!, EYES OF THE RAVEN, SLAB, ONE FOR SORROW, A TOWER
OF CROWS & THE DARKHORSE The Flapper, Birmingham AURORA, THE CATHARSIS, THE FACE OF RUIN, SILENCE THE WEAK, RISE OF ATHENA, SOMEONE SAID FIRE, THE LAST HOUNDS & TIDE The Assembly, Leamington Spa DARK SIDE OF THE WALL Swan Theatre, Worcester HINDER O2 Academy, Birmingham VON KRYSTAL ROKZ Route 44, Birmingham VALOUS & OUR EARTHS BLOOD, RUSTLING, THE INFINITE STRUGGLE & ONE LIFE LEFT The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton THE FATHER TEDS & DJ MIKEY B Irish Centre, Birmingham
SUN 13 SEPT BOB DYLAN & THE HISTORY OF ROCK'N'ROLL Artrix, Bromsgrove THE MAGIC OF MOTOWN Wolverhampton Grand Theatre SI CRANSTOUN The Robin, Bilston RICKY WARWICK & DAMON JOHNSON The Oobleck, Birmingham BLAKE & BRAZIL Irish Centre, Birmingham
MON 14 SEPT KING CRIMSON Symphony Hall, B’ham DOPE BODY The Sunflower Lounge, B’ham
TUE 15 SEPT B. DOLAN The Rainbow Venues, Birmingham THE BLACKPOOL TOWER TEA DANCE Bedworth Civic Hall BRYAN CORBETT QUARTET The Jam House, Birmingham DOG FASHION DISCO & PYSCHOSTICK The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton
WED 16 SEPT EZIO LUNEDEI AND BOOGA The Robin, Bilston GOSPEL CENTRAL The Jam House, B’ham LUKE CONCANNON & JIMMY DAVIS Hare & Hounds, Birmingham BILLY BIBBY The Sunflower Lounge, B’ham I SPEAK MACHINE The Tin Music & Arts, Coventry
THU 17 SEPT STEVE GIBBONS BAND The Robin, Bilston THE SWORD The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton REBEKA The Oobleck, Birmingham THE MAGIC OF MOTOWN Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa INME The Rainbow Venues, Birmingham THE REAL THING The Jam House, B’ham WOLF ALICE The Institute, Birmingham
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Music LISTINGS For full listing information on gigs, including times and dates, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk SALLY BARKER Hare & Hounds, Birmingham THE GOOD OLD VARIETY DAYS STARRING ANITA HARRIS Belgrade Theatre, Coventry SPIRIT OF SMOKE The Roadhouse, B’ham
FRI 18 SEPT THE VIEW The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton DEFINITELY MIGHTBE OASIS TRIBUTE BAND O2 Academy, Birmingham ACTION BRONSON The Institute, Birmingham JOHN COGHLAN'S QUO The Robin, Bilston STATE CHAMPS The Asylum, Birmingham A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO WHITNEY HOUSTON WITH NYA KING Nailcote Hall, Berkswell, Warwickshire THE BEAT BROTHERS The Jam House, B’ham RACHAEL YAMAGATA The Institute, Birmingham WALTER LURE Hare & Hounds, Birmingham THE CARPENTERS STORY Artrix, Bromsgrove DIZZY LIZZY Route 44, Birmingham THE DAMNED The Copper Rooms, Coventry JACCO GARDNER The Tin Music & Arts, Coventry MOTOWN AND SOUL NIGHT WITH DJ PAUL KELLY Irish Centre, Birmingham
SAT 19 SEPT UGLY KID JOE The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton PAUL RAYMOND PROJECT The Asylum, B’ham UK FOO FIGHTERS - FOO FIGHTERS TRIBUTE BAND O2 Academy, B’ham MARTIN SIMPSON, ANDY CUTTING & NANCY KERR mac, Birmingham REMI HARRIS Artrix, Bromsgrove CUD Hare & Hounds, Birmingham HOT RED CHILLI PEPPERS The Roadhouse, Birmingham FLORENCE + THE MACHINE Genting Arena, Birmingham BRAXIMUSIC Albany Theatre, Coventry THE GRAVELTONES The Rainbow Venues, Birmingham GABBIDON BAND Hare & Hounds, Birmingham ALLAN TAYLOR Newhampton Arts Centre, Wolverhampton THE BEAT BROTHERS The Jam House, B’ham MUSIQ SOULCHILD The Institute, Birmingham STONE FOUNDATION PLUS MOUNTAINJAM O2 Academy, Birmingham OH WHAT A NIGHT - JERSEY BOYS TRIBUTE Wolverhampton Racecourse ALADDINSANE - THE SOUND AND VISION OF
DAVID BOWIE Huntingdon Hall, Worcester THE WEEKEND ANTHEMS The River Rooms, Stourbridge BIG WOLF Route 44, Birmingham ESPERI The Tin Music & Arts, Coventry THE UNDERDOGS & DJ MIKEY B Irish Centre, BIrmingham
SUN 20 SEPT GOT TO SING - BEST OF BRITISH Symphony Hall, Birmingham JOHN LEE’S BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST The Robin, Bilston ANDY FAIRWEATHER LOW AND THE LOW RIDERS Artrix, Bromsgrove LEMAR The Glee Club, Birmingham THE STONES Hare & Hounds, Birmingham PUB CRAWL Irish Centre, Birmingham
MON 21 SEPT W.A.S.P Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton
TUE 22 SEPT STACKRIDGE - THE FINAL BOW TOUR The Robin, Bilston BEN OTTEWELL Hare & Hounds, Birmingham SWEET BABOO The Rainbow Venues, B’ham THE BEARDS The Institute, Birmingham PINS Hare & Hounds, Birmingham KOSOTI O2 Academy, Birmingham DANKO JONES The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton RICH MCMAHON The Jam House, Birmingham
WED 23 SEPT THAT'LL BE THE DAY Palace Theatre, Redditch PUBLIC IMAGE LTD The Copper Rooms, Coventry ROCK 'N' ROLL PARADISE New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham THE WILDHEARTS Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton ABBAMANIA Belgrade Theatre, Coventry JACOB WHITESIDES The Institute, Birmingham THAT'LL BE THE DAY Palace Theatre, Redditch NEW MOTION Hare & Hounds, Birmingham MIKE TRAMP The Robin, Bilston WE’VE ONLY JUST BEGUN: THE CARPENTERS GREATEST LOVE SONGS Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa
THU 24 SEPT NIGHTS ON BROADWAY -
THE BEE GEES STORY New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA The Institute, Birmingham BERNIE MARSDEN The Robin, Bilston IMELDA MAY Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton WINTERFYLLETH, VOICES & THE KING IS BLIND The Rainbow Venues, Birmingham DEL CAMINO The Jam House, Birmingham SURFER BLOOD Hare & Hounds, Birmingham THE UNDERCOVER HIPPY Hare & Hounds, B’ham BAY CITY ROLLERS STARRING LES MCKEOWN Belgrade Theatre, Coventry HER CURSED WORDS O2 Academy, B’ham THE SIMON & GARFUNKEL STORY Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa
FRI 25 SEPT BIG COUNTRY The Robin, Bilston MOTOWN NIGHT WITH THE CONTOURS DJ SET Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton THE BIG CHRIS BARBER BAND Birmingham Town Hall THIS FEELING The Rainbow Venues, B’ham THE BORN AGAIN BEATLES The Roadhouse, B’ham NAMVULA mac, B’ham THE RAT PACK VEGAS SPECTACULAR SHOW Palace Theatre, Redditch 24 HOURS FROM TULSA: REMEMBERING GENE PITNEY Malvern Theatres, Worcestershire THE RED LEMONS The Jam House, B’ham JOHN OTWAY AND WILD WILLY BARRETT Huntingdon Hall, Worcester THE PURPLE SHADES Evesham Arts Centre, Worcestershire REACH OUT TO MOTOWN Belgrade Theatre, Coventry MADNESS Wolverhampton Racecourse COKI Hare & Hounds, Birmingham SIMPLY DYLAN The Institute, Birmingham EVIL NINE The Oobleck, Birmingham OYE SANTANA The Marr’s Bar, Worcester THAT’LL BE THE DAY Bedworth Civic Hall ENSLAVED The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton FLASH BACK FRIDAY Irish Centre, Birmingham
SAT 26 SEPT THE BUDDY PRESLEY SHOW Dovehouse Theatre, Solihull THE CHRISTIANS & ROACHFORD Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton GUNS OR ROSES The Marr’s Bar, Worcester BIG COUNTRY The Assembly, Leamington Spa ONE NIGHT OF QUEEN New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham
GUNS VS ROSES - TRIBUTE BAND The Roadhouse, Birmingham THE BLUETONES O2 Academy, Birmingham FIRE RED EMPRESS O2 Academy, Birmingham PURPLE ZEPPELIN Albany Theatre, Coventry JUAN MARTIN Artrix, Bromsgrove SINATRA - THE CENTENNIAL CONCERT Belgrade Theatre, Coventry H HAWKLINE & GWENNO The Rainbow Venues, Birmingham JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR The Copper Rooms, Coventry THE RED LEMONS The Jam House, B’ham TIDY'S 20TH BIRTHDAY PARTY The Institute, Birmingham BILLY MEETS ELVIS Huntingdon Hall, Worcester RHINO & THE RANTERS Hare & Hounds, B’ham DIRE STREETS Evesham Arts Centre, Worcestershire REEF The Robin, Bilston OFFSHORE The Rainbow Venues, Birmingham WATERLOO - THE BEST OF ABBA Swan Theatre, Worcester IVOR & LYNN’S CLASSIC ROCK DISCO Route 44, Birmingham THE FULL SHA BANG Irish Centre, Birmingham
SUN 27 SEPT BILLY MITCHELL AND RAY LAIDLAW: THE LINDISFARNE STORY Artrix, Bromsgrove MARTHA REEVES & THE VANDELLAS The Robin, Bilston THE BEAT STARRING DAVE WAKELING The Assembly, Leamington Spa EXTRACTION FESTIVAL 2015 The Institute, Birmingham HUNTER HAYES The Insti-
Diane Krall - Symphony Hall
tute, Birmingham HACKNEY COLLIERY BAND Hare & Hounds, B’ham SHILLELAGH Irish Centre, Birmingham
MON 28 SEPT LOCK & KEY The Rainbow Venues, B’ham DIANA KRALL - WALLFLOWER WORLD TOUR Symphony Hall, B’ham
TUE 29 SEPT CLIFF RICHARD Symphony Hall, Birmingham GUN & VUKOVI The Institute, Birmingham SLEAFORD MODS The Institute, Birmingham SHURA The Oobleck, Birmingham
WED 30 SEPT ANNIHILATOR O2 Academy, Birmingham CELESTIAL FIRE FEATURING DAVE BAINBRIDGE The Robin, Bilston STEALING SHEEP The Rainbow Venues, Birmingham KID WAVE Hare & Hounds, Birmingham THE EEDEN QUARTET Evesham Arts Centre, Worcestershire SPOCKS BEARD The Assembly, Leamington Spa PINKSHINYULTRABLAST The Institute, B’ham SAIN ZAHOOR Symphony Hall, Birmingham
Music Venues Box Office Across The Midlands Birmingham 02 ACADEMY 0121 622 8250 THE ACTRESS & BISHOP 0121 236 7426 ALFIE BIRD’S 0121 270 6665 THE ASYLUM 0121 233 1109 BARCLAYCARD ARENA 0121 780 4141 BIRMINGHAM TOWN HALL 0121 780 3333 FLAPPER 0121 236 2421 GENTING ARENA 0121 780 4141 THE GLEE CLUB 0871 472 0400 HARE & HOUNDS 0121 444 2081 THE INSTITUTE 0121 643 0428 IRISH CENTRE 0121 622 2314 THE JAM HOUSE 0121 200 3030 THE KITCHEN GARDEN CAFE 0121 443 4725 THE OOBLECK 0121 270 6665
THE RAINBOW 0121 772 8174 RED LION FOLK CLUB 0121472 4253 THE ROADHOUSE 0121 246 2273 ROUTE 44 0121 708 0108 THE SUNFLOWER LOUNGE 0121 632 6756 SYMPHONY HALL 0121 780 3333
Black Country CIVIC HALL, WOLVERHAMPTON 0870 320 7000 DUDLEY CONCERT HALL 01384 815577 NEWHAMPTON ARTS CENTRE 01902 572090 ROBIN 2, BILSTON 01902 401211 SLADE ROOMS WOLVERHAMPTON
0870 320 7000 STOURBRIDGE TOWN HALL 01384 812812 WULFRUN HALL, WOLVERHAMPTON
0870 320 7000
Warwickshire THE ASSEMBLY, LEAMINGTON 01926 311311 THE KASBAH, COVENTRY 024 7655 4473 NAILCOTE HALL, BERKSWELL 02476 46 6174 STRATFORD CIVIC HALL 01789 207100 THE TIN MUSIC & ARTS, COVENTRY 02476 230 699
Worcestershire ARTRIX, BROMSGROVE 01527 577330 HUNTINGDON HALL / SWAN THEATRE 01905 611427 MARR’S BAR, WORCESTER 01905 613336 THE RIVER ROOMS, STOURBRIDGE 01384 397177
For additional information and to find out What’s On at these venues. Visit: www.whatsonlive.co.uk
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Classical Music PREVIEWS
Royal Danish Orchestra Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Wed 16 September
Establishing its roots in the court of Denmark’s King Christian I more than five hundred years ago, the Royal Danish Orchestra continues to play a dominant role in the country’s cultural life. Having toured extensively to venues including Weiner Musikverein and New York’s Lincoln Festival Center, the orchestra this month visits the Midlands to perform as part of Birmingham International Concert Season. Under the direction of conductor Michael Boder and featuring soprano Magdalena Anna Hoffman, the orchestra perform Per Nørgård’s Iris, Schoenberg’s Erwartung Op 17 and Nielsen’s Symphony No.5 Op.50.
Nicola Benedetti: Italy And The Four Seasons Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Sat 26 September
Scottish-born violinist Nicola Benedetti is one of classical music’s most sought-after performers, her road to fame beginning when she won Young Musician of the Year in 2004. A former pupil at the Yehudi Menuhin School for young musicians, Benedetti has since won Best Female Artist at both the 2012 and 2013 Classical BRIT Awards, and performed with some of the world’s most renowned conductors. Indulging her love of Italian Baroque, Benedetti is here joined by Leonard Elschenbroich on cello in a programme featuring two seminal and much-loved works from the classical repertoire - Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence. The specially curated programme also includes Vivaldi’s Grosso Mogul in D major and MarkAnthony Turnage’s new work for violin and cello.
Chandos Symphony Orchestra Malvern Theatre, Sunday 13 September
Malvern’s very own amateur orchestra is here joined by the Royal College of Music’s professor of conducting, Peter Stark, and violin soloist and leader of Opera North, David Greed (pictured). Three intense works make up the evening’s programme - Rachmaninov’s Isle Of The Dead, Barber Violin Concerto and Stravinsky’s Petrushka (1947 version).
Carducci String Quartet
Orchestra Of The Swan Stratford Arts House, Fri 18 September
The Stratford-based Orchestra of the Swan is held in high regard for championing new music, receiving great acclaim for its collaboration with Indie band James in 2011 and its team-up with Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel the following year. In 2014, the orchestra performed over sixty concerts throughout England and Wales, and here host a fundraising event in aid of Stratford Hospital Cancer and Eye Appeal. Accompanied by David Le Page on violin, the orchestra perform Mozart’s A Musical Joke, Albinoni’s Oboe Concerto, Mozart’s Horn Concerto No.4 Finale, Haydn’s Symphony No.45 Farewell - Finale, and Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. Visit stratfordhospital.co.uk for further information about the appeal.
Artrix, Bromsgrove, Fri 25 September
David Greed
Performing more than ninety international concerts each year, Carducci are regarded as one of the most successful string quartets in the business. The Washington Post described their playing in a recent concert as displaying 'a deep and almost familial sense of unity... full of life and vitality... extravagantly beautiful...' Featuring Matthew Denton and Michelle Fleming on violins, Eoin Schmidt-Martin on viola and Emma Denton on cello, the quartet make a welcome return to Bromsgrove as part of their international cycle. They perform Shostakovich’s String Quartet No 5 in D Op83, String Quartet No14 in F sharp Op 142, and String Quartet No12 in D Flat Op 133. www.whatsonlive.co.uk 19
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Catrin Finch
Armonico Consort with Catrin Finch St Mary’s Church, Warwick, Sat 26 September
Founded by organist and conductor Christopher Monks in 2001, Armonico are one of the largest organisations of their kind in the UK. Using authentic period instruments, the baroque consort regularly perform with some of the best solo musicians in the world. This Warwick concert sees them joined by Welsh harpist Catrin Finch for a programme of Bach’s mesmerising music. The evening features Finch performing her own ambitious arrangement for harp of the Goldberg Variations.
Classical LISTINGS For full listing information on classical concerts, including times and dates, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk 163RD BRITISH OPEN BRASS BAND CHAMPIONSHIP Join eighteen of the finest bands from across the globe as they perform a brand new composition by renowned composer & French horn player, Stephen Roberts, Sat 5 Sept, Symphony Hall, Birmingham SIR SIMON RATTLE CONDUCTS THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS Featuring the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Magdalena Kozena (mezzo soprano), Toby Spence (tenor), Roderick Williams (baritone) & BBC Proms Youth Choir, Tues 8 Sept, Symphony Hall, Birmingham IVORY & GOLD Eclectic Americana for all ages, Sat 12 Sept, Stratford Artshouse ALL THE KING’S MEN Programme features an eclectic blend of impressive harmonies, Sat 12 Sept, Maidment Auditorium, Shrewsbury School ORGAN PROM WITH DONALD MACKENZIE Sat 12 Sept, Victoria Hall, Stoke-onTrent CHANDOS OPERA Programme includes works by Rachmaninov, Barber & Stravinsky, Sun 13 Sept, Malvern Theatre ROYAL DANISH ORCHESTRA PERFORM NEILSEN Featuring Michael Boder (con-
ductor) & Magdalena Anna Hoffman (soprano). In addition to Nielsen’s Symphony 5 Op 50, the programme also includes works by Per Nørgård & Schoenberg, Wed 16 Sept, Symphony Hall, B’ham LUNCHTIME ORGAN CONCERT SERIES FEATURING CATHY LAMB OF LICHFIELD CATHEDRAL Fri 18 Sept, Wellington Methodist Church, Shropshire ORCHESTRA OF THE SWAN Programme includes works by Mozart, Albinoni, Haydn & Vivaldi, Fri 18 Sept, Stratford Artshouse HADLEY ORPHEUS MALE VOICE CHOIR IN CONCERT Sat 19 Sept, All Saints Church, Wellington, Shropshire A-Z OF THE CBSO Presented by Paul Rissman & featuring Michael Seal (conductor). Programme includes works by Adams, Elgar, Mozart, Prokofiev, Vivaldi & Zimmer, Sat 19 Sept, Symphony Hall, Birmingham G4 Wed 23 Sept, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury CBSO RACHMANINOV’S THIRD PIANO CONCERTO Featuring Christian Măcelaru (conductor) & Simon Trpčeski (piano). Programme includes works by Sibelius, Rachmaninov & Nielsen, Wed 23 - Thurs 24 Sept, Symphony Hall, Birmingham
LONDON CONCHORD ENSEMBLE Featuring Daniel Pailthorpe, Maximiliano Martin, Nicholas Korth & Daniel Rowland. Programme includes works by Janacek, Poulenc, Hindemith & Brahms, Thurs 24 Sept, Malvern Theatre CARDUCCI STRING QUARTET Programme includes works by Shostakovich, Fri 25 Sept, Artrix, Bromsgrove CBSO CENTRE STAGE: DEBUSSY SONATAS Featuring Catherine Ardagh-Walter (cello), Caroline Simon (violin), John Thwaites (piano), Christopher Yates
(viola), Marie-Christine Zupanic (flute) & Celine Saout (harp), Fri 25 Sept, CBSO Centre, Birmingham NICOLA BENEDETTI: ITALY AND THE FOUR SEASONS Sat 26 Sept, Symphony Hall, Birmingham EUROPEAN UNION CHAMBER ORCHESTRA Programme includes works by Vivaldi, Corelli, Bach & Handel, Sat 26 Sept, Malvern Theatre A TOUCH OF BASIL Annual celebratory concert presented by the Philip Bates Trust, Sat 26 Sept, Birmingham Conservatoire ARMONICO CONSORT: BACH MOTETS & GOLBERG VARIATIONS Featuring Catrin Finch on harp, Sat 26 Sept, St Mary’s Church, Warwick LA TRAVIATA Presented by Russian State Ballet & Opera House, Sun 27 Sept, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury BIRMINGHAM CONSERVATOIRE STRINGS DAY Masterclasses, performances & workshops for strings players of all ages, Sun 27 Sept, Birmingham Conservatoire RUSSELL WATSON Mon 28 Sept, The Place, Oakengates Theatre, Shropshire LUNCHTIME ORGAN CONCERT WITH THOMAS TROTTER Programme includes works by Mendelssohn, Howells, Wammes & Widor, Mon 28 Sept, Town Hall, Birmingham MONDAY SHOWCASE: CHOPIN, DEBUSSY & MENDELSSOHN Featuring Darrel Chan & Arthur Bocaneanu (piano), Mon 28 Sept, Recital Hall, Birmingham Conservatoire CBSO SIBELIUS' FIFTH Featuring Edward Gardener (conductor) & Lars Vogt (Piano). Programme includes works by Mendelssohn, Mozart & Sibelius, Wed 30 Sept, Symphony Hall, Birmingham
WARWICK Early Music Series at St Mary’s Church Tuesday 6 October, 7.30
Joglaresa Robbers, Rebels and Royals Celebrating Magna Carta, signed 1215
Tuesday 10 November, 7.30
London Handel Players with Anna Devin Beg, Borrow or Steal Bach - Campra - Handel - Leclair - Vivaldi
Tuesday 8 December, 7.30
Christmas Concert – The York Waits with Deborah Catterall The High Feast of Yule
LEAMINGTON SPA International String Quartet Series at Royal Pump Rooms Friday 9 October, 7.30
Royal String Quartet (Poland) Bach - Haydn - Beethoven
Friday 6 November, 7.30
Kodaly String Quartet (Hungary) Haydn - Kodaly - Webern - Beethoven
Friday 27 November, 7.30
Carducci String Quartet with Morgan Szymanski Guitar Haydn - Shostakovich - Vivaldi - Boccherini
To Book Call 01926 334418 www.royalspacentreandtownhall.co.uk Lars Vogt
www.leamingtonmusic.org www.whatsonlive.co.uk 21
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Comedy Chris Ramsey
Comedy Box Office
Huntingdon Hall, Worcester, Thurs 24 September; The Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury, Wed 30 September; The Old Rep, Birmingham, Sun 11 Oct
Chris visits the Midlands this month with his latest touring show, All Growed Up, in which he explores ‘getting older, finding yourself, taking responsibility and all the other terrifying realisations that come with being dragged kicking and screaming into modern adulthood’.
Lloyd Griffith Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham, Sat 5 September
A classically trained one-time choirboy from Grimsby, Lloyd Griffith loves being a stand-up comedian. “It allows me to sit at home in my shorts all day,” he explains, “eating soup and writing jokes. What’s not to like?” Lloyd’s routines tend to comprise plenty of flirting, some stories about his local football club, and what he describes as ‘a fair amount’ of the (mainly self-deprecating) jokes he spends his days writing in his underpants.
Rob Beckett Stratford Artshouse, Stratford-upon-Avon, Wed 20 September
First tickling the nation’s collective funny bone in 2009, Rob Beckett’s TV work includes 8 Out Of 10 Cats and Celebrity Juice. A high-tempo comedian who’s been described by one newspaper as ‘a little short of a revelation’, Rob claims his relationship with comedy began as a youngster when, as the middle child desperate for attention, he set out to make his friends and family chuckle (or better still, belly laugh). Gags include: “You know you're working class when your TV’s bigger than your bookcase”.
22 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
Michael McIntyre Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham, Fri 18 - Sat 19 September and Fri 25 - Sat 26 September
For some, the very sight of Michael McIntyre is enough to make their blood pressure soar. For others - included among whom are those who ensure his tours are always a sell-out - he's one of the funniest comedians of the modern era. Like him or hate him, there's certainly no getting away from the man and with DVDs of his stand-up shows having sold in excess of three million copies, it's fair to assume he'll be popping up all over the place for many a year to come. He’s here making a Midlands stop off with his latest touring show, Happy & Glorious.
Upfront Comedy The Drum, Birmingham, Fri 4 September
New kid on the comedy block Travis Jay should certainly be well versed in the business of being funny - his mother is none other than pioneering comedienne Angie Le Mar (pictured). Angie, who shot to stardom in the late 1980s, here ‘keeps it in the family’ by teaming up with first-born son Travis to present a brand new stand-up show. Expect their routine to be extremely slick and perfectly presented - after all, they’ve probably been rehearsing it ad nauseam at all manner of family gettogethers!
ARTRIX, BROMSGROVE 01527 577 330 THE BEAR PIT, STRATFORD-UPON-AVON 01789 403 416 BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME 0844 338 5000 BLUE ORANGE THEATRE, BIRMINGHAM 0121 212 2643 CIVIC HALL, WOLVERHAMPTON 0870 320 7000 CLARENDON ARMS, KENILWORTH 01926 852 017 COURTYARD THEATRE, HEREFORD 01432 340 555 COVENTRY VILLAGE HOTEL 024 7671 9000 THE DARK HORSE, BIRMINGHAM 0121 689 4372 THE DRUM, BIRMINGHAM 0121 333 2444 EVESHAM ARTS CENTRE, WORCESTERSHIRE 01386 446 944 THE GLEE CLUB, BIRMINGHAM 0871 472 0400 HUNTINGDON HALL, WORCESTER, 01905 611 427 JONGLEURS COMEDY CLUB, BIRMINGHAM 0870 011 1960 KATY FITZGERALD’S, STOURBRIDGE 01384 374 410 KITCHEN GARDEN CAFE, BIRMINGHAM 0121 443 4725 MAC, BIRMINGHAM 0121 446 3232 MOLINEUX STADIUM, WOLVERHAMPTON 0871 222 2220 THE OLD JOINT STOCK, BIRMINGHAM 0121 200 1892 PALACE THEATRE, REDDITCH 01527 65203 PLAYERS BAR, BIRMINGHAM 0121 643 6871 THE ROSES THEATRE TEWKESBURY 01684 295 074 ROYAL SPA CENTRE, LEAMINGTON SPA 01926 334 418 SHOWCASE, COVENTRY 0871 220 1000 SOLIHULL VILLAGE HOTEL 0871 222 4604 STATION PUB, SUTTON COLDFIELD 01785 619 080 STOURBRIDGE TOWN HALL 01384 812 812 STRATFORD ARTSHOUSE 01789 207 100
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Comedy LISTINGS For full listing information on comedy gigs including times and dates visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk BEN SCHOFIELD, TONY BASNETT, JO D'ARCY & DANNY DAVIES Thurs 3 Sept, Katie Fitzgerald's, Stourbridge KUM-N-AVALOFF COMEDY NIGHT Thurs 3 Sept, Stourbridge Town Hall ANDREW WATTS, MIKE WILMOT & COMEDY CAROUSEL WITH ANDY ROBINSON Thurs 3 Sept, The Glee Club, Birmingham BRYAN LACEY, SEAN MEO & FUNMBI OMOTAYO Fri 4 Sept, Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton RAW COMEDY Fri 4 Sept, Evesham Arts Centre, Worcestershire ANDREW WATTS, MIKE WILMOT, INEL TOMLINSON & GEORGE EGG Fri 4 - Sat 5 Sept, The Glee Club, Birmingham LLOYD GRIFFITH Sat 5 Sept, Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham DANNY WARD, ANGIE MCEVOY, JEFF INNOCENT & OTIZ CANNELLONI Sat 5 Sept, Jongleurs Comedy Club, Birmingham ROUGH WORKS Sun 6
Sept, The Glee Club, Birmingham CARLY SMALLMAN Mon 7 Sept, Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham PAUL CHOWDHRY Mon 7 - Tues 8 Sept, The Glee Club, Birmingham DANA ALEXANDER, GARETH BERLINER, ANDY STEDMAN, TACO & STEVEN SCOTT Tues 8 Sept, The Dark Horse, Birmingham DOC BROWN Wed 9 Sept, Artrix, Bromsgrove KAREN BAYLEY, JANICE PHAYRE, JO D'ARCY & MAUREEN YOUNGER Wed 9 Sept, Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham PETE JOHANSSON, FUNMBI OMOTAYO & COMEDY CAROUSEL WITH ANDY ROBINSON Thurs 10 Sept, The Glee Club, Birmingham FITZ OF LAUGHTER COMEDY CLUB - ACTS TBC Fri 11 Sept, Katie Fitzgerald’s, Stourbridge ALAN CARR Fri 11 - Sat 12 Sept, Birmingham Hippodrome GORDON SOUTHERN, STEFANO PAOLINI, EDDY
BRIMSOM & BENNETT ARRON Fri 11 - Sat 12 Sept, Jongleurs Comedy Club, Birmingham PETE JOHANSSON, WES ZAHARUK, DANE BAPTISTE & JIM SMALLMAN Fri 11 - Sat 12 Sept, The Glee Club, Birmingham RYAN GOUGH, SCOTT BENNETT, LAUREN PATTERSON, GEORGE RIGDEN & LOST VOICE GUY Sun 13 Sept, Clarendon Arms, Kenilworth, Warwickshire LOUDEEMY SOUP COMEDY NIGHT Mon 14 Sept, The Blue Orange Theatre, Birmingham AL MURRAY Thurs 17 Sept, The Courtyard, Hereford STUART MITCHELL, NICK DIXON & COMEDY CAROUSEL WITH ANDY ROBINSON Thurs 17 Sept, The Glee Club, Birmingham ALEX HORNE Fri 18 Sept, mac, Birmingham MARLON DAVIS, RUSSELL HICKS, GAVIN WEBSTER & JOHNNY CANDON Fri 18 Sept, Jongleurs Comedy Club, Birmingham ED GAMBLE, FIN TAYLOR & AHIR SHAH Fri 18 Sept, The Courtyard, Hereford SHIP OF FOOLS STAND-UP COMEDY Fri 18 Sept,
Palace Theatre, Redditch IAN D MONTFORT, IVAN BRACKENBURY, RYAN GOUGH, TOM BINNS & HANNAH SILVESTER Fri 18 Sept, Solihull Village Hotel STUART MITCHELL, NICK DIXON, MICKEY SHARMA & MAGNUS BETNER Fri 18 - Sat 19 Sept, The Glee Club, Birmingham MICHAEL MCINTYRE Fri 18 - Sat 19 Sept, Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham SEAN HUGHES Sat 19 Sept, The Bear Pit Theatre, Stratford-uponAvon MARLON DAVIS, RUSSELL HICKS, RO CAMPBELL & GAVIN WEBSTER Sat 19 Sept, Jongleurs Comedy Club, Birmingham BARNSTORMERS COMEDY NIGHT Sat 19 Sept, Artrix, Bromsgrove TOADALLY FREE COMEDY! Sun 20 Sept, The Blue Orange Theatre, Birmingham RUSSELL HICKS, FREDDIE FARRELL, BRENNAN REECE, ATHENA KUGBLENU & HOUSSEM RHAIEM Tues 22 Sept, The Dark Horse, Birmingham MARK THOMAS Wed 23 Thurs 24 Sept, mac, Birmingham CHRIS RAMSEY Thurs 24 Sept, Huntingdon Hall, Worcester
Lloyd Griffith, The Old Joint Stock, Birmingham
SEAN HUGHES Thurs 24 Sept, Artrix, Bromsgrove RUDI LICKWOOD, JIMMY MCGHIE & COMEDY CAROUSEL WITH ANDY ROBINSON Thurs 24 Sept, The Glee Club, Birmingham DAVE JOHNS & DAVE WARD Thurs 24 Sept, Station Pub, Sutton Coldfield CHRISTIAN SCHULTE LOH, ALEX BOARDMAN, GAVIN WEBSTER & CHRIS WASHINGTON Fri 25 Sept, Jongleurs Comedy Club, Birmingham JOE BROMEHEAD &, STEVE DAY Fri 25 Sept, Coventry Village Hotel, Coventry MICHAEL MCINTYRE Fri 25 - Sat 26 Sept, Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham RUDI LICKWOOD, JIMMY MCGHIE, JULIAN DEANE & JAMES COOK Fri 25 - Sat 26 Sept The Glee Club,
Birmingham CHRISTIAN SCHULTE LOH, ALEX BOARDMAN, STEPHEN DODD & PATRICK MONAHAN Sat 26 Sept, Jongleurs Comedy Club, B’ham ALAN CARR Sat 26 Sept, Civic Hall, Wolverhampton AL MURRAY Sat 26 Sept, Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa BARRY CASTAGNOLA & MANDY KNIGHT Sat 26 Sept, Players Bar, Birmingham JO ENRIGHT Sat 26 Sept, mac, Birmingham SHAPPI KHORSANDI Sat 26 Sept, Palace Theatre, Redditch ALAN CARR Sun 27 Sept, Civic Hall, Wolverhampton CHRIS RAMSEY Wed 30 Sept, The Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury ROB BECKETT Wed 30 Sept, Stratford Artshouse, Stratfordupon-Avon
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Theatre
Image courtesy of the West End production of King Charles III
King Charles III
Robert Powell
The REP, Birmingham, Fri 4 - Sat 19 September
Mike Bartlett’s future-history play, which here stars Robert Powell, went down a storm with the critics when it debuted in the West End last year. Its quality was further confirmed by an Olivier Award for best new play. The queen is dead, meaning that it’s finally time for Prince Charles to take the throne. But with great power comes great responsibility and before too long the new king is asked to give his assent to a law
that threatens the very future of democracy... Describing King Charles III, Robert Powell said: “The play’s about the battle against everybody else as Charles tries to keep his integrity, because he’s very conscious of his own conscience. He’s a very conscience-driven man, and all the better for that.” Read the full interview with Robert at whatsonlive.co.uk
Crush Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, Fri 4 - Sat 19 September
Toe-tapping tunes, witty lyrics, soaring ballads and, er, heaps of hockey sticks are all present and correct in this new, high-energy musical from the pen of Maureen Chadwick (Bad Girls, Footballers’ Wives). When a 1960s boarding school’s proud tradition of free expression is threatened by the arrival of a conservative headmistress, it’s left to the Upper Sixth to save the day... Music and lyrics are by the hugely talented Kath Gotts. Read our interview with Maureen Chadwick at whatsonlive.co.uk Crush in rehearsal
The Shawshank Redemption New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham, Mon 28 September - Sat 3 October
The movie adaptation of this Stephen King novella is undoubtedly one of the best-loved films of the last two decades. Well, of the last twenty-one years, to be precise. And it’s the fact that the movie is celebrating this coming-of-age milestone that’s inspired this brand new stage version. Familiar television faces Ian Kelsey and Patrick Robinson star in the story of a man named Andy Dufresne who’s serving a double life sentence at the notorious Shawshank facility. An unlikely friendship with prison fixer Red makes life a little more bearable - but when the warden decides to make Andy’s life hell, the nothing-to-lose lifer hatches a daring and ingenious plan to escape... www.whatsonlive.co.uk 25
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BROMSGROVE’S THEATRE, CINEMA, LIVE MUSIC AND COMEDY VENUE
SEPTEMBER 2015
Saturday 12th September
Saturday 19th September
Sunday 20th September
SUPERSONIC 70’S
REMI HARRIS
ANDY FAIRWEATHER LOW
SENSATIONAL TRIBUTE TO THE MUSIC OF THE SEVENTIES
EXCITING YOUNG GUITARIST AND COMPOSER
WELCOME RETURN FOR THIS POPULAR PERFORMER
Monday 21st September
Thursday 24th September
Saturday 26th September
PAM AYRES
SEAN HUGHES
JUAN MARTIN
POET’S 40 YEAR ON SHOW
COMEDIAN’S BRAND NEW SHOW MUMBO JUMBO
CELEBRATED VIRTUOSO OF FLAMENCO GUITAR
FORTHCOMING CINEMA: Amy (15) // Love And Mercy (12A) // Miss Julie (tbc) Timbuktu (12A) // Absolutely Anything (12A) // Doreen - The Movie (15) FORTHCOMING SCREENINGS: Othello (RSC Live) // The Beaux’ Stratagem (NT Live) Aida (Opera Australia) // Rocky Horror Show Live // Romeo & Juliet (Royal Ballet Live) Roger Waters’ The Wall - Encore // Coriolanus (NT Live) // Le Nozze di Figaro (ROH Live) Hamlet (NT Live) // The Barber Of Seville (ENO Live) // Henry V (RSC Live) // The Mikado (ENO Live)
Download the Artrix brochure on www.artrix.co.uk
www.artrix.co.uk or phone 01527 577330 Artrix, Slideslow Drive, Bromsgrove B60 1PQ
26 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
Free parking on-site
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Theatre PREVIEWS Dead Dog In A Suitcase (And Other Love Songs) The REP, Birmingham, Tues 29 September - Sat 3 October
Trip hop combines with folk, Renaissance polyphony with psychedelia and ska with grime and dubstep in this imaginative new take on John Gay’s classic musical satire, The Beggar’s Opera. The ever-impressive Kneehigh are the company behind this twisted morality tale, which finds contract killer Macheath newly married to Pretty Polly Peachum - and Mr and Mrs Peachum far from happy about it...
Henry V Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, Sat 12 September - Sun 25 October
Marvellous Imaginary Menagerie mac, Birmingham, Sun 27 September
The Edinburgh Spotlight was well impressed with Les Enfants Terribles’ Marvellous Imaginary Menagerie when it performed at the city’s Fringe festival. The popular website described it as the show which Roald Dahl and Tim Burton would’ve produced had they ever met one another and decided to open a travelling circus! Les Enfants Terribles have previously enjoyed stage success with the equally clever shows Alice Underground and Captain Flinn And The Pirate Dinosaurs. They here present a combination of vaudeville, circus, puppets, dance, music and magic that seems sure to delight.
Alex Hassell takes the lead in what’s widely regarded as Shakespeare's greatest and most memorable history play. Henry V tells the story of the Battle of Agincourt - from Westminster's corridors of power to the actual battlefields themselves - and of the warrior king whose visionary leadership inspired the English to a famous and completely unimaginable victory... Gregory Doran directs a production that’s being presented in the six hundredth anniversary year of the Battle of Agincourt.
The Graduate
Flare Path
Crescent Theatre, Birmingham, Sat 5 - Sat 12 September
Malvern Theatre, Tues 15 - Sat 19 September
Everyone surely knows this story. In a tale by now well embedded in the cultural consciousness, the hapless Benjamin Braddock embarks on an ill-advised affair with the wife of his father’s boss - and then proceeds to complicate matters further by falling for her daughter... Terry Johnson’s witty stage adaptation of the celebrated 1967 movie contains scenes of a sexual nature, nudity and use of herbal cigarettes.
This epic wartime romance from the pen of Terrence Rattigan was described by Sir Winston Churchill as a moving masterpiece. Set in 1942, it presents an evocative portrait of life in wartime Britain. The play explores not only the experiences of the RAF bomber crews charged with dangerous missions over Germany but also of the wives and sweethearts they’d left behind - women faced with the very real possibility that their loved ones may never come home from the war. Philip Franks and Olivia Hallinan star.
Welcome To Night Vale New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham, Tues 22 September
Lavender Junction
A podcast presented as a radio programme for a fictional desert town ‘somewhere in the southwestern United States’, Welcome To Night Vale has been touring as a fully realised live show for a couple of years now. Indeed, the production stopped off in the UK last year for eight sold-out performances. Cecil Baldwin stars as radio presenter Cecil Palmer in a show that features previously unheard scripts, all of which complement and enhance the constantly evolving narrative of the podcast.
Edward II
Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham, Sat 12 September
Blue Orange Theatre, Birmingham, Thurs 17 September - Sat 26 September
Peppermint Muse theatre company describe their latest production as ‘a lyrical tale of lifelong love’. The show is written and performed by Lisa Stenhouse, who plays an Englishwoman reflecting on ‘the extraordinary sights, sounds and symbols of colonial India’. The show debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe last year, where it was described as ‘an authentic slice of social history about women, marriage and motherhood’.
Edward II is perhaps best known for a scene in which the king is assassinated by having a red-hot poker thrust up his bottom. But Christopher Marlowe’s classic tale of love, lust and ambition has plenty to offer besides its legendary instance of fatal anal trauma. Here being presented by Blue Orange Arts, it tells the story of a young monarch who lets his passion for another man influence his every decision - even those which are concerned with the gravest matters of state... www.whatsonlive.co.uk 27
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Theatre PREVIEWS The Silver Sword Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, Sat 26 September - Sat 3 October
Puppetry, projections and a cast of talented actor/musicians are here brought together in a brand new stage version of one of the most famous children’s books of the twentieth century. Set during the immediate aftermath of World War Two, the story follows the Balicki children as they suffer an existence of hardship and deprivation on the streets of Warsaw. But when they meet a fourteen-year-old boy named Jan, they suddenly see a glimmer of hope on the horizon...
The Bodyguard Absent Friends Old Rep, Birmingham, Mon 21 - Sat 26 September
Alan Ayckbourn will always be best known for his tales of bedhopping couples, dysfunctional marriages and backfiring friendships, the most famous among which are 1970s offerings such as Absurd Person Singular, Season’s Greetings, Bedroom Farce and The Norman Conquests. Perhaps slightly less well known but very much in the same mould is this 1974 comedy, which sees unfulfilled housewife Diana’s well-intentioned tea party taking several turns for the worse before ultimately descending into complete chaos.
Waiting For Godot Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa, Fri 18 - Sat 19 September
The most famous absurdist drama ever written, Waiting For Godot is at once a funny, slapstick comedy and a bleak reflection on the random futility of existence. Revolving around two misfit, bickering, devoted vagrants and their determination to wait for the mysterious Godot, the play remains a popular modern masterpiece. This latest production comes courtest of London Classic Theatre.
Birmingham Hippodrome, until Sat 5 September
Alexandra Burke stars in this award-winning musical based on the hit 1990s movie featuring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston. When ex-Secret Service agent Frank Farmer is hired to protect superstar Rachel Marron from an unknown stalker, sparks soon begin to fly between the pair. Each expects to hold the whip-hand in the relationship; neither expects to fall in love... Featuring classic numbers including One Moment In Time, I Wanna Dance With Somebody and the legendary I Will Always Love You, the show received mixed reviews from the critics when it opened in 2012 but has proved to be a real hit with its audiences. Read the review online at whatsonlive.co.uk
Hecuba
Shrek The Musical
Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, Thurs 17 September - Sat 17 October
Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Wed 30 September - Sunday 11 October
The RSC’s inventive telling of Euripides’ tale of ‘war, womanhood and courage’ has been adapted by Marina Carr and is helmed by Erica Whyman, who enjoyed a roaring success with 2014’s The Christmas Truce. Written by Euripides around 424 BC, the play finds the Trojan War at an end and the great queen Hecuba imprisoned by charismatic victor Agamemnon. Her sons are dead and her daughters face a world they no longer understand. Although Agamemnon has slaughtered his own daughter to win the war, another sacrifice is now demanded... The production contains some violence and distressing scenes, and has been deemed suitable for audience members aged twelve and older.
The popularity of this family-friendly West Ender is hardly a surprise. After all, Dreamworks’ animated Shrek movies - inspired by cartoonist William Steig's 1990 book - were absolutely huge. After a tentative Broadway start, the production was revised for its subsequent US tour and West End residency - and is all the better for it. Pretty much retelling the story of the first movie, it peddles a line in humour that calls to mind both the surrealist Pythons and an evening of festive-season pantomime fare. There are plenty of new songs to enjoy too, presented alongside the cult Shrek anthem I’m A Believer. All in all, then, a feelgood show that pretty much touches all the bases for its young target audience while at the same time offering plenty to keep the adults amused.
Distance mac, Birmingham, Tues 15 - Sat 19 September
Midlands-based actors Paul Findlay and Solaya Sang star in this original play about the choices people make around the issue of child abuse. “The play takes place in modern Britain and deals with two brothers who’ve been separated by circumstance,” explains Paul. “Only when Morgan, a psychotherapist, fails in his job are secrets unearthed from the brothers’ shared past, reuniting them and leading to a dramatic confrontation.” www.whatsonlive.co.uk 29
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Theatre LISTINGS For full listing information on theatre productions, including times and dates, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk From
TUES 1 SEPT THE MERCHANT OF VENICE Polly Findlay directs Shakespeare's uncompromising play, until Wed 2 Sept, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon THE BODYGUARD Awardwinning musical based on the blockbuster film. X Factor winner Alexandra Burke takes the lead as Rachel Marron, until Sat 5 Sept, Birmingham Hippodrome THE JEW OF MALTA Justin Audibert makes his RSC debut to direct Christopher Marlowe's subversive play, until Tue 8 Sept, The Swan Theatre, Stratford-uponAvon VOLPONE Former RSC Artistic Director Trevor Nunn returns to direct Henry Goodman in the title role of Jonson’s comic satire, until Sat 12 Sept, The Swan Theatre, Stratford-uponAvon FIRST PERSON PLURAL An evening filled with monologues from Birmingham's finest writers, Wed 2 - Thurs 3 Sept, Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED Middle Ground Theatre Company present a new production of the classic Miss Marple mystery, Wed 2 - Sat 5 Sept, Malvern Theatres FIFTY SHADES OF FIZZOG New comedy sketch show featuring some of Fizzog's best-loved characters, including internet sensations The Dancing Grannies, Thurs 3 Sept, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre NOISES OFF Amateur production of Michael Frayn’s acclaimed comedy concerning an ambitious director and his cast of mediocre actors, Thur 3 - Sat 12 Sept, Sutton Arts Theatre, Sutton Coldfield DR SEUSS'S THE CAT IN THE HAT Lively and engaging theatre experience for young children aged three-plus, Fri 4 - Sat 5 Sept, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre HABEAS CORPUS Alan Bennett’s classic farce which gives a sideways swipe at life & death, Fri 4 - Sat 12 Sept, Hall Green Little Theatre, Birmingham CRUSH Maureen Chadwick's sizzling comic musical, set in an allgirls boarding school in
the 1960s, Fri 4 - Sat 19 Sept, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry KING CHARLES III Robert Powell takes the lead in Mike Bartlett's Olivier Award-winning futurehistory play, Fri 4 - Sat 19 Sept, The REP, Birmingham KRAPP'S LAST TAPE Last Of The Summer Wine actor Tom Owen stars in Samuel Beckett's one-act play, Sat 5 Sept, Crescent Theatre, Birmingham TREE FU TOM New show starring the world's smallest superhero, direct from the smashhit CBeebies series, Sat 5 Sept, The Old Rep Theatre, Birmingham THE GRADUATE Stage version of Charles Webb's bestselling novel about a young man seduced by his parents’ friend, Sat 5 Sat 12 Sept, Crescent Theatre, Birmingham DAN VYLETA The German-Canadian novelist and cultural historian talks about his latest book and teaching creative writing at Birmingham University, Sun 6 Sept, Artrix, Bromsgrove
Week Commencing
MON 7 SEPT SUNSTROKE In a series of micro-plays, a succession of ordinary holiday-makers reflect on the unfolding chaos around them and their place in an increasingly frightening and uncertain world, Mon 7 Sept, The REP, Birmingham THE MIKADO Presented by the National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company, Mon 7 - Tues 8 Sept, Malvern Theatre THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST Oscar Wilde’s much-loved and brilliantly witty masterpiece, Mon 7 - Sat 19 Sep, Priory Theatre, Kenilworth SUNSET BOULEVARD West Bromwich Operatic Society present an amateur staging of Andrew Lloyd Webber's blockbuster musical, Tue 8 - Sat 12 Sept, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre NO GUTS, NO HEART, NO GLORY Aisha Zia's award-winning production exploring what it is to be young and fearless, Tue 8 - Sat 12 Sept, The REP, B’ham HMS PINAFORE Presented by the National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company, Wed 9 - Thurs 10 Sept,
Malvern Theatre TO BUILD A WOODEN O Written to coincide with the six hundredth anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt, writerin-residence Nick Wilkes’ show has been described as a ‘must see’ production, Wed 9 - Sat 12 Sept, Malvern Theatres PARDON ME PRIME MINISTER Kidderminster Operatic & Dramatic Centre present an amateur staging of Edward Taylor & John Graham’s ‘fun & frivolous poke at the world of politics’, Wed 9 - Sat 12 Sept, The Rose Theatre, Kidderminster DISNEY’S THE LITTLE MERMAID JR Amateur stage adaptation of the Disney animated film which tells the story of a mermaid who dreams of a world beyond the sea, Wed 9 - Sun 13 Sept, The Dream Factory, Warwick BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY Celebration of the music of Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons, Fri 11 Sept, Bedworth Civic Hall IAIN LEE VS RADIO Award-winning radio and TV presenter Iain Lee picks out some of the most hilarious moments from the history of radio, Fri 11 Sept, Huntingdon Hall, Worcester JACK AND JILL & THE RED POSTBOX Skimstone Arts present a sensitive and challenging multimedia and physical theatre performance fused with original music and projection, Fri 11 Sept, Swan Theatre, Worcester THE GONDOLIERS Presented by the National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company, Fri 11 - Sat 12 Sept, Malvern Theatre AN AUDIENCE WITH COLIN FRY Evening of physic mediumship, Sat 12 Sep, Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton ME AND MY CAT A First Stages production for young audiences, Sat 12 Sept, The REP, Birmingham LAVENDER JUNCTION Lyrical tale of lifelong love inspired by true memories of colonial India, Sat 12 Sep, Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham BEN NORRIS: THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE FAMILY One-man show about love, loss and motorways, Sat 12 Sept, mac, Birmingham THE UNEXPECTED GUEST Agatha Christie’s tale of mystery and intrigue, Sat 12 - Sat 19 Sept, Oldbury Rep, B’ham HENRY V Alex Hassell returns as Henry V in Gregory Doran's continued exploration of Shakespeare's history plays, Sat 12 Sep - Sun
25 Oct, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
Week Commencing
MON 14 SEPT SLEEP NO MORE Modern supernatural thriller presented by the Malvern Theatre Players, Mon 14 - Sat 19 Sept, Malvern Theatres DISTANCE Original play which deals with themes of family abuse and the choices we make, Tues 15 - Sat 19 Sept, mac, Birmingham FLARE PATH Philip Franks & Olivia Hallinan star in Terrence Rattigan’s epic wartime romance, Tue 15 - Sat 19 Sept, Malvern Theatres CALAMITY JANE Amateur staging presented by S&J Productions, Tues 15 - Sat 19 Sept, Stoke Repertory Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent CRAZY FOR YOU Amateur production of the smash-hit musical presented by the staff and students of the Elgar School of Music, Wed 16 - Sat 19 Sept, The Swan Theatre, Worcester BLACK TONIC Interactive theatre meets minibreak as audience members play detective in the bedrooms and corridors of a real hotel, Wed 16 - Sun 20 Sep, Radisson Blu Hotel, Birmingham THE GOOD OLD VARIETY DAYS STARRING ANITA HARRIS With TV Illusionist Van Buren & Allyson, comedian Steve Barclay and award-winning singer Lorrie Brown, Thurs 17 Sept, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW Live National Theatre screening of the world’s favourite rock’n’roll musical, Thurs 17 Sept, Artrix, Bromsgrove GODSPELL Pinpoint Productions present an amateur version of the ground-breaking rock musical, Thurs 17 - Sat 19 Sept, Palace Theatre, Redditch THE RED CHAIR Awardwinning Clod Ensemble present ‘a rich story of indulgence, neglect and recompense', Thurs 17 - Sat 19 Sept, The REP, Birmingham APPOINTMENT WITH DEATH Amateur production of Agatha Christie's work of detective fiction, Thurs 17 - Sat 19 Sept, The Norbury Theatre, Droitwich EDWARD II Blue Orange Theatre presents Christopher Marlowe's famous play, Thurs 17 Sat 26 Sept, The Blue Orange Theatre, Birmingham HECUBA Erica Whyman directs Marina Carr's
reimagining of the legend of Hecuba in a visceral new play, Thurs 17 Sep - Sat 17 Oct, The Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon DRACULA’S GHOST Original stage play concerning the actual story of Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula, Fri 18 Sept, Lichfield Garrick WAITING FOR GODOT London Classic Theatre present Samuel Beckett's funny and poetic masterpiece, Fri 18 Sat 19 Sept, Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa KEITH BARRY: BRAIN HACKER Ireland’s biggest entertainment star, Sat 19 Sept, New Alexandra Theatre, B’ham CHILDREN'S THEATRE The Norbury Players present a short play performed by adults for children aged four to ten, Sat 19 Sept, The Norbury Theatre, Droitwich ADA Devised performance which brings Ada Lovelace's story to life via a combination of film, animation and recorded audio, Sat 19 Sept, Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham GRACIOUS LADIES Kevin Allen, author of Gracious Ladies: The Norbury Family & Edward Elgar, presents a selection of letters read by actress Katrina Norbury, who’s lived at Sherridge - the elegant Norbury family house, Sun 20 Sept, Malvern Theatre FOR SERVICES RENDERED W Somerset Maugham’s play explores the damaging legacy that the First World War had on a middle-class family, Sat 19 - Sat 26 Sept, Crescent Theatre, Birmingham EQUUS Highbury Theatre Centre presents its acclaimed performance of Peter Shaffer’s rarely produced modern masterpiece, Sun 20 - Mon 21 Sept, mac, B’ham
Week Commencing
MON 21 SEPT PETER & DAN SNOW: THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO EXPERIENCE Two of the best military historians in the business bring into sharp focus the historic Waterloo clash between Napoleon and Wellington, Mon 21 Sept, Birmingham Town Hall PAM AYRES - FORTY YEARS ON Pam's latest show presented in support of her latest book of poetry, Mon 21 Sept, Artrix, Bromsgrove FATHER BROWN: THE CURSE OF THE INVISIBLE MAN John Lyons (A Touch Of Frost/Shameless) stars in a spine-
chilling whodunnit based on the classic mysteries of GK Chesterton, Mon 21 Wed 23 Sept, Malvern Theatres A TRANSLATION OF SHADOWS Presented by the Midlands-based Stan's Cafe, Mon 21 - Wed 23 Sept, The REP, B’ham PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT Feelgood international musical featuring Blue's Duncan James as Tick, Mon 21 - Sat 26 Sept, Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent ABSENT FRIENDS London Classic Theatre present Alan Ayckbourn's critically acclaimed observation of friendship, marriage and what it means to be ultimately happy, Mon 21 - Sat 26 Sept, The Old Rep Theatre, Birmingham WELCOME TO NIGHT VALE A drama in the form of a community radio show hosted by Cecil Palmer (played by Cecil Baldwin), Tue 22 Sept, New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham ROYAL OPERA HOUSE: ROMEO & JULIET Screening of Kenneth MacMillan's famous version of Shakespeare's romantic tragedy, Tue 22 Sept, Malvern Theatres SANCHO: AN ACT OF REMEMBRANCE Paterson Joseph's one-man show exploring the life and times of Charles Ignatius Sancho, Tue 22 - Fri 25 Sept, The REP, Birmingham
Sancho - The REP
HMS PINAFORE Worcester On Stage present an amateur staging of Gilbert & Sullivan’s much-loved operetta, Tues 22 - Sat 26 Sep, Crescent Theatre, Birmingham THAT'LL BE THE DAY A musical romp through the youthful days of Rock’n’Roll in the ’50s, on through the Swinging ’60s and into the taste-free days of the 1970s, Wed 23 Sept, Palace Theatre, Redditch RACHAEL YOUNG: I, MYSELF & ME Join Rachael Young as she navigates the potholes of internet dating, latenight trashy TV and endless questionnaires about love, Wed 23 Thurs 24 Sept, mac, Birmingham THE GREAT BRITISH COMEDY REVUE Join the Worcester Repertory Company as they take
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Theatre LISTINGS For full listing information on theatre productions, including times and dates, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk audiences on a tour of classic British comedy, Wed 23 - Sat 26 Sept, Swan Theatre, Worcester LEVEL UP SEASON 4 An explosive night of spoken word in performance, featuring some of the country's very best poets alongside local rising stars, Thurs 24 Sept, The REP, B’ham AN EVENING WITH NICK OWEN Thurs 24 Sept, Palace Theatre, Redditch TITFIELD THUNDERBOLT Based on the 1953 British comedy film about a group of villagers trying to keep their branch line operating after British Railways decided to close it, Thurs 24 - Sat 26 Sept, Stratford Artshouse, Stratfordupon-Avon THE 39 STEPS Experience one hundred minutes of fun and action as four actors play one hundred-and-thirty-nine roles in this classic whodunnit, Thurs 24 Sat 26 Sept, Palace Theatre, Redditch
APPOINTMENT WITH DEATH Amateur production of Agatha Christie's work of detective fiction, Thurs 24 - Sat 26 Sept, The Norbury Theatre, Droitwich THE DREAMBOYS The UK’s top male glamour show, Fri 25 Sept, Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa THAT'LL BE THE DAY A musical romp through the youthful days of Rock’n’Roll in the ’50s, on through the Swinging ’60s and into the taste-free days of the 1970s, Fri 25 Sept, Bedworth Civic Hall DARK LADY Character comedy show with elements of storytelling, clowning, tragedy, singing and healing, Fri 25 Sept, Old Joint Stock Theatre, B’ham MAUDITS SONNANTS Concert and outdoor theatre performance with an orchestra of bell ringers and acrobats, Fri 25 - Sat 26 Sept, Centenary Square, Birmingham LUMINOUS Series of intimate performances and
installations, Fri 25 - Sat 26 Sep, The REP, Birmingham APRIL IN PARIS A Bear Pit Theatre production of John Godber’s romantic comedy, Fri 25 Sept - Sat 3 Oct, The Bear Pit Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon SIMON WESTON: MY LIFE, MY STORY Falklands War veteran, author and public speaker Simon Weston takes to the stage for the first time to tell his noholds-barred story, Fri 25 Sept, Swan Theatre, Worcester THE MASTERS OF THE HOUSE SING THE MUSICALS Stars from West End shows including Les Miserables, Phantom Of The Opera and The Producers present a two-hour feast of musical theatre's greatest hits, Sat 26 Sept, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre I LOVED YOU AND I LOVED YOU Sweetshop Revolution fuse dance and theatre to chart the meteoric rise of young Welsh composer Morfydd Owen, Sat 26 Sept, mac, Birmingham AN EVENING OF BURLESQUE Direct from London's West End, this fascinating art form is brought to life ‘for your delight and delectation’, Sat 26 Sept, New
Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham TREE FU TOM New show starring the world's smallest superhero, direct from the smashhit CBeebies series, Sat 26 Sept, Stourbridge Town Hall ACCIDENTAL BRUMMIE Inspired by real-life encounters and experiences in the backstreets of Birmingham, Cressida Brown & The Rep’s Foundry artists create a promenade performance, Sat 26 Sun 27 Sept, The Rep, Birmingham THE SILVER SWORD Stage version of Ian Seraillier’s highly acclaimed and muchloved children’s novel, Sat 26 Sept - Sat 3 Oct, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry LES ENFANTS TERRIBLES: MARVELLOUS IMAGINARY MENAGERIE From the makers of Alice Underground and Captain Flinn And The Pirate Dinosaurs comes the promise of ‘a spectacle like no other’, Sun 27 Sept, mac, Birmingham MR TIGER GOES WILD Story about being yourself which features original live music, infectious characters and lots of imagination, Sun 27 Sept, Stratford Artshouse
Week Commencing
MON 28 SEPT SALLY MORGAN: PSYCHIC SALLY ON THE ROAD Mon 28 Sept, Palace Theatre, Redditch THE GLENN MILLER STORY The life and times of the world's most famous big band leader, Mon 28 Sep Sat 3 Oct, Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION Widely considered the number one movie of all time, Stephen King’s classic story comes to the stage, Mon 28 Sept Sat 3 Oct, New Alexandra Theatre, B’ham BEFORE THE PARTY Tom Conti and Gwen Taylor star in an adaptation of a short story by Somerset Maugham, Mon 28 Sept - Sat 3 Oct, Malvern Theatres THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST Oscar Wilde's much-loved and brilliantly witty masterpiece, direct from the West End. Starring Nigel Havers, Sian Phillips and Christine Kavanagh, Tue 29 Sept - Sat 3 Oct, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry DEAD DOG IN A SUITCASE (AND OTHER LOVE SONGS) Kneehigh with Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse present Carl
Grose's A New Beggar's Opera, Tue 29 Sept - Sat 3 Oct, The REP, Birmingham HOW TO BE A HERO Tessa Walker directs the world premiere of Bernadette Rusell and Gareth Brierley's play, which draws on real stories of heroism from Birmingham and beyond, Tue 29 Sept Sat 3 Oct, The REP, Birmingham SUNSHINE ON LEITH Following the highs and lows of Ally and his friend Davy as they return home to Leith from the army, Tue 29 Sept - Sat 3 Oct Crescent Theatre, Birmingham GREEN GINGER: OUTPOST Absurd comedy and grotesque puppetry combine to explore nationalism, leadership and the terrible consequences of using another man’s toilet, Wed 30 Sept, mac, Birmingham THE GREAT BRITISH COMEDY REVUE Join the Worcester Repertory Company as they take audiences on a tour of classic British comedy, Wed 30 Sept, Swan Theatre, Worcester SHREK THE MUSICAL Wed 30 Sept - Sun 11 Oct, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre
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Theatre WEST END Broadway story on West End stage... Sheridan Smith is to star as Fanny Brice in a new production of Funny Girl, opening in London later this year. Sheridan follows in the footsteps of Barbra Streisand, who received great acclaim for her portrayal of Fanny in the original 1966 staging at the Prince of Wales Theatre. Streisand later won an Oscar for her performance in the 1968 film version, in which she starred opposite the late Omar Sharif. Set in New York City, Funny Girl charts Fanny’s rise from Lower East Side girl to one of Broadway’s biggest stars. The show’s score features some of Streisand’s greatest hits, including People, Don’t Rain On My Parade and You Are Woman, I Am Man. Widely considered to be one of Britain’s finest actresses, Sheridan Smith was recently awarded the OBE for services to drama. Her credits include Bugsy Malone, Legally Blonde and Into The Woods. Funny Girl shows at the Menier Chocolate Factory from 20 November to 5 March.
Kate Fleetwood to make her Almeida debut Kate Fleetwood is to make her Almeida debut in husband Rupert Goold’s production of Medea, which opens later this month. Kate will take the title role in the Euripides’ masterpiece, a drama which cuts to the heart of gender politics and asks what it means to be a woman and a wife. Kate’s stage credits include Cole Porter’s High Society at the Old Vic, Love’s Labours Lost at the National Theatre, The Winter’s Tale at the RSC and Our New Girl at Bush Theatre. On film she’s appeared in the BAFTA-winning Philomena, London Road, Les Miserables and Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows. This latest version of Medea is brought to the stage by award-winning author and controversial feminist writer Rachel Cusk. Bookings are currently being taken for the show, which runs at the Almeida from 25 September to 14 November.
Nicholas Hytner unveils theatre plans Plans have been unveiled for a new nine hundred-seat theatre and producing space near London’s Tower Bridge. The project will be steered by Nicholas Hytner - former Artistic Director of the National Theatre - and Nick Starr, who collectively operate as the London Theatre Company. Speaking about the new venture, Hytner said: “We’re already working with playwrights and directors on programming a season that will be predominately new but will include, on occasion, a re-invention of a great work from the past.” The new theatre will be housed at the heart of Berkeley’s One Tower Bridge development - overlooking Tower Bridge and the river - and is scheduled to open in the spring of 2017.
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interview
Sylvie Guillem HHHHH
“The most charismatic performer on earth” With a career spanning thirty-five years, Sylvie Guillem is undoubtedly one of the finest dancers of her generation. This month, following a performance at Birmingham Hippodrome, she hangs up her dance shoes for the last time in the UK. Sarah Crompton reflects on a stellar career defined by a series of firsts.
PHOTOGRAPHER: BILL COOPER technê Sylvie Guillem
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technê Sylvie Guillem
It’s not an exaggeration to say there has never been anyone in dance quite like Sylvie Guillem. Her career has been marked by a series of firsts: at nineteen, the youngest ballerina to be made an étoile at the Paris Opera Ballet; the first to take control of her own career and leave that company in search of work that fulfilled her; the first woman to segue effortlessly from ballet to contemporary dance. Those achievements have been built on her exceptional physical prowess. She was gifted by nature with the most remarkable body, flexible and pliant, tall and graceful, with beautiful feet, expressive limbs and the ability to make lines that seem - as choreographer Russell Maliphant puts it - “to go out into space”. That facility enabled her, quite literally, to change the shape of dance: because Guillem could effortlessly raise one leg in a six o’clock position by her ear, or extend the line of an arabesque sky high, every ballerina who followed her aspired to that level of elegant perfection. But the quality that makes her so special, the one that has ensured her longevity as a dancer, is the intelligence with which she has used her abilities, both on stage and off. As a dancer, she revealed a capacity fully to inhabit the role she was performing, to search out all its possibilities, both dramatic and emotional. At the Paris Opera Ballet, she dazzled in the classics, beginning a long journey of discovery in Swan Lake and Giselle, but also shone in new work such as William Forsythe’s ground-breaking In The Middle Somewhat Elevated. When she walked out, in 1989, it was a national scandal. But France’s loss was Britain’s gain. In her twelve years as principal guest artist at the Royal Ballet, she seized the range of its English repertory: she was a heart-breaking Juliet in Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo And Juliet, a captivating and tragic heroine in Manon, and a devastating dying Marguerite in Frederick Ashton’s Marguerite And Armand, which she was the first ballerina since Margot Fonteyn to perform. Yet her
quest for new styles to explore led her to ask the company to stage the Swedish choreographer Mats Ek’s Carmen for her. That curiosity stood her in good stead in the third stage of her career, where, as an associated artist of London’s Sadler’s Wells, she has commissioned a series of contemporary dance works from the choreographers she most admired - and toured them around the world. This brought new fans, as well as fresh horizons; the Birmingham Hippodrome and the International Dance Festival have twice played host to her performances, in Russell Maliphant’s Push and in 6000 Miles Away, a programme of works by Forsythe and Ek. Ek’s Bye, a poignant solo to Beethoven’s final piano sonata, is the concluding work of A Life In Progress, the new programme Guillem is now performing as part of a farewell world tour. In the year of her fiftieth birthday, she decided to retire, with the same determination she has brought to every step she took. “Time is time, age is age, when you finish a book you don’t need to go back through the pages again,” she told me. “That’s it, that’s the story. I have made it as long and beautiful as I could and now I want it to end beautifully.” To that end, she is presenting a group of works by the choreographers she has loved, and whose work is entwined with her life. Not
just Ek but Forsythe, who provides a duet for two male dancers, and new works from Akram Khan and Russell Maliphant. Guillem’s final British performance will be at Birmingham Hippodrome; her final performance anywhere will be in Japan in December. The tour is an opportunity for her to say goodbye to the audiences who have loved her - and who she has loved. When she was presented with an Olivier Award for lifetime achievement in April, she put her feelings into words. “I never had an opportunity to say out loud an enormous thank you to the audience. I needed the audience and you were always there, warm and passionate. It was a pleasure to dance for you, and I will really miss you.” Her performance each night is also a thank you to them. She wants to be remembered as she always was - committed and as perfect as she could be. “People deserve my honesty towards the work I am doing. I don’t want to disappoint them. I really care about that.” Sylvie Guillem performs Life In Progress at Birmingham Hippodrome on Tuesday 8 and Wednesday 9 September 7.30pm. Tickets are £15 to £75. To book, call 0844 338 5000 or visit www.birminghamhippodrome.com
Bye Sylvie Guillem
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Kapa Haka Tale Birmingham Rep, Fri 25 September This Corey Baker-choreographed show introduces audiences to the wonders of Māori culture and the performance art of kapa haka, here fused with contemporary dance. Using innovative digital technology, Corey’s work is based on the Māori myth and legend of Hinemoa and Tutanekai, which is widely considered one of New Zealand’s finest folk stories. The piece features magical New Zealand creatures, the fierce Haka and a rendition
of the famous native love song, Pokarekare Ana. Originally commissioned by International Dance Festival Birmingham 2014, this latest staging of Kapa Haka Tale forms part of Birmingham Weekender, a fusion of music, dance, theatre, art, literature, food and fashion which takes place across the city from Fri 25 to Sun 27 September. Check out pages 44 for other festival highlights.
Chantry Dance Company Elmhurst School Theatre, Birmingham, Sat 19 September; The Swan Theatre, Worcester, Thurs 24 September
Formed by choreographer Paul Chantry in 2012, Chantry Dance Company facilitates three strands in its approach to dance: performance, outreach and education. The company majors on contemporary ballet and here showcases a double-bill of works, the first of which is inspired by the life and loves of Vincent Van Gogh. Vincent - A Stranger To Himself explores the man behind the self portrait, his relationship with the women in his life and, of course, his passion for art. Chantry’s second offering, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, encourages audiences to actively interpret the imagery presented to them. The work is named after and set to Mozart’s famous score. Choreographed by Martin Joyce, the piece is a relatively new addition to the contemporary ballet repertoire, having premiered in London in 2013. 38 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
Swan Lake Birmingham Hippodrome, Mon 28 September - Tuesday 6 October
A firm favourite in Birmingham Royal Ballet’s repertoire, Sir Peter Wright’s lavish production of Swan Lake brims with romance and beauty. It tells the story of Odette, a beautiful princess who, caught under the spell of the evil Von Rothbart, must spend the daytime hours as a swan, returning to human form only when night falls. Swan Lake launches BRB’s autumn season at its Birmingham home and will be followed by Variations Triple Bill (8 to 10 October). A celebration of BRB’s twenty-five years in the city, the show comprises George Balanchine’s Theme And Variations, Alexander Whitley’s Kin and Frederick Ashton’s Enigma Variations.
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Dance LISTINGS For full listing information on dance, including times and dates, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk
Autin Dance Theatre: Pathos mac, Birmingham, Fri 11 September
Birmingham-based Autin Dance draw on contemporary social issues and events to produce ‘spell-binding performances’ which ‘resonate with audiences long after they leave the auditorium’. Formed by international dance artist Johnny Autin in 2013, the company here present an immersive double-bill comprising two original works. Taksim Square is a poignant piece inspired by protests in Turkey. Out Of Touch, meanwhile, reflects on the nature of touch and its physical and emotional resonance. Choreographed by Autin, both pieces will be performed by an international cast of five dancers.
SECOND HAND DANCE: GRASS Explore the ground and all its wriggly inhabitants in this quirky dance show for young children, Sun 6 Sept, mac, Birmingham SYLVIE GUILLEM - LIFE IN PROGRESS After an unparalleled career that’s spanned almost thirty-five years, Sylvie Guillem presents her final dance programme, Tue 8 - Wed 9 Sept, Birmingham Hippodrome AUTIN DANCE THEATRE: PATHOS Immersive double-bill comprising two original pieces, Fri 11 Sept, mac, Birmingham SOMETHING THEN, SOMETHING NOW Tues 22 Sept, Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton VINCENT & FLAVIA The UK's 'best loved' Argentine Tango champions return with a brand new show, Tue 22 - Sat 26 Sept, Birmingham Hippodrome CHANTRY DANCE COMPANY DOUBLE-BILL Duology featuring Vincent - A Stranger To
Himself & Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Thurs 24 Sept, The Swan Theatre Worcester KAPA HAKA TALE Corey Baker Dance presents... Fri 25 Sept, The REP, Birmingham
STILL HOUSE: OF RIDERS AND RUNNING HORSES Presented by mac Birmingham and Fierce Festival as part of Birmingham Weekender, Fri 25 - Sat 26 Sept, mac, B’ham SWAN LAKE Birmingham Royal Ballet presents its acclaimed production of the greatest love story ever told, Mon 28 Sept - Tue 6 Oct, Birmingham Hippodrome
Vincent & Flavia - Birmingham Hippodrome
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Film Released from Fri 4 Sept
Miss Julie
CERT 12a (130 mins)
Starring Jessica Chastain, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Nora McMenamy Directed by Liv Ullmann (Norway/UK/Ireland/France)
August Strindberg’s play on class and gender has been filmed twice before on the big screen, but has never previously been directed by a woman. Liv Ullmann is a fine actress in her own right and for five years was the partner of Ingmar Bergman, one of the top filmmakers of the twentieth century. So the credentials for this dark, passionate love-triangle bode well.
EDITOR’S CHOICE
Ricki And The Flash CERT 12a (101 mins) Starring Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Mamie Gummer, Audra McDonald, Sebastian Stan, Rick Springfield Directed by Jonathan Demme (USA)
Having sung in Postcards From The Edge, A Prairie Home Companion, Mamma Mia! and Into The Woods, Meryl Streep returns to the music scene to play Ricki Rendazzo, a rocker who pursued her dreams of stardom over the needs of her family. Then she attempts a reconciliation with her daughter, Julie (played by Streep’s real-life daughter, Mamie Gummer). Director Demme previously coaxed Oscar-winning performances out of Mary Steenburgen, Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins and Tom Hanks, so can he repeat the magic with Ms Streep? The script is by Diablo Cody, who won an Oscar for Juno.
Released 4 September
No Escape CERT 15 (103 mins) Starring Owen Wilson, Lake Bell, Pierce Brosnan, Sterling Jerins, Spencer Garrett Directed by John Erick Dowdle (USA)
Shot in Thailand, No Escape tells the story of Jack and Annie Dwyer (Wilson, Bell), who have just relocated to an exotic locale. However, when a bloody coup takes place, they find that foreigners are the first to be executed. Pierce Brosnan costars as a rather brave government agent.
American Ultra EDITOR’S CHOICE
Everest CERT 12a (121 mins) Starring Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Robin Wright, Emily Watson, Keira Knightley, Sam Worthington, Jake Gyllenhaal, Elizabeth Debicki Directed by Baltasar Kormákur (UK/USA/Iceland)
That’s one mouth-watering cast. The actors play various characters involved in the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, the most deadly expedition (at the time) launched on the world’s highest mountain. The script is by William Nicholson (Shadowlands, Gladiator, Les Miserables) and Simon Beaufoy (The Full Monty, Slumdog Millionaire). Sounds unmissable. In 3D.
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CERT 15 (96 mins)
Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Topher Grace, Connie Britton, John Leguizamo, Bill Pullman Directed by Nima Nourizadeh (USA)
Mike Howell (Eisenberg) is a drug-addled government ‘sleeper’ agent who has become a liability. But when the powers-that-be decide to terminate him, he proves to be too well-trained to eliminate. Pot luck may have something to do with it.
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The Transporter Refueled CERT 15 (96 mins)
Starring Ed Skrein, Ray Stevenson, Loan Chabanol, Gabriella Wright Directed by Camille Delamarre (France/China)
Jason Statham has now been around so long that other actors are picking up his cast-offs. While he’s busy preparing for Fast & Furious 8, the rapper-cum-actor Ed Skrein (Game Of Thrones) takes up the role of Frank Martin, courier of the corrupt. Frank is enjoying quality time with his father (Stevenson) in the south of France, when he is embroiled in a spectacular bank job involving a bevy of bent beauties.
FROM
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials CERT tbc
Starring Dylan O'Brien, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Ki Hong Lee, Rosa Salazar, Kaya Scodelario, Aidan Gillen, Barry Pepper, Lili Taylor, Patricia Clarkson Directed by Wes Ball (USA)
Even though Thomas, Newt and Minho have escaped all that maze running, they discover that the future is still a dystopian place. In fact, the next leg of their journey makes their previous sojourn seem like a picnic in the park. Based on The Scorch Trials by James Dashner, who also penned Maze Runner: The Death Cure (currently in pre-production).
Released from Fri 18 Sept
A Girl At My Door CERT 18 (119 mins) Starring Bae Doona, Kim Sae-ron, Song Saebyeok White, Hie-jin Jang Directed by July Jung (South Korea)
Following a personal scandal, police academy instructor Lee Young-nam is moved from Seoul to a quiet seaside town. There, she takes up the office of chief of police and befriends an abused fourteen-year-old girl, who she invites into her home... When the film screened at Cannes last year, it received a threeminute standing ovation.
The D Train Released from Fri 11 Sept
Irrational Man CERT 12a (95 mins) Starring Jamie Blackley, Joaquin Phoenix, Parker Posey, Emma Stone Directed by Woody Allen (USA)
Fans of William Barrett’s 1958 eponymous book, a study in existential philosophy, may thrill to Woody Allen’s latest comedy-drama. Here, Joaquin Phoenix plays an alcoholic, unconventional philosophy professor who embarks on an irrational act in order to salvage his ego. Devotees of Nietzsche may also get a kick out of Woody’s worldview.
CERT 15 (101 mins)
Starring Jack Black, James Marsden, Kathryn Hahn, Russell Posner, Jeffrey Tambor, Mike White Directed by Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel (USA)
Jack Black plays Dan Landsman, the selfappointed chairman of his high school's alumni committee. With the class’s twentieth anniversary coming up, Dan sets out to track down the most popular guy in class, the better to lure the other graduates. The directors previously co-wrote the 2008 Jim Carrey comedy Yes Man.
Legend CERT tbc
WED 9 SEPT
Starring Tom Hardy, Emily Browning, David Thewlis, Christopher Eccleston, Chazz Palminteri, Taron Egerton Directed by Brian Helgeland (UK/France)
Tom Hardy stars opposite Tom Hardy in this biographical thriller about the notorious twins, Ronald and Reginald Kray. Based on John Pearson’s 1972 book The Profession Of Violence: The Rise And Fall Of The Kray Twins. Expect some pretty strong violence.
A Walk In The Woods CERT 15 (104 mins)
Starring Robert Redford, Nick Nolte, Emma Thompson, Kristen Schaal, Nick Offerman, Mary Steenburgen Directed by Ken Kwapis (USA)
It’s hard to imagine Bill Bryson’s 1998 memoir being turned into a film, let alone have Robert Redford play Bill Bryson. The cuddly Bryson was in his mid-forties then and Redford is seventy-eight now. The walk in the woods was actually a two thousand, two hundred-mile trek along the Appalachian Trail, an amble that was somewhat complicated by the accompaniment of Bryson’s dissolute ‘former’ friend Stephen Katz (Nolte). We will see.
Triple Nine CERT tbc Starring Woody Harrelson, Kate Winslet, Aaron Paul, Norman Reedus, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Casey Affleck, Anthony Mackie, Gal Gadot Directed by John Hillcoat (USA)
If done properly, heist films are pretty irresistible. This one is directed by John Hillcoat, the uncompromising filmmaker with such credits as The Proposition, The Road and Lawless under his belt. Here, a gang of criminals in cahoots with a cabal of corrupt cops get together to pull off a seemingly impossible robbery. But first they must eliminate a certain police officer… www.whatsonlive.co.uk 41
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Film NEW RELEASES Released from Fri 25 Sept
Captive CERT 12a (97 mins) Starring David Oyelowo, Kate Mara, Michael K. Williams, Leonor Varela, Jessica Oyelowo, Mimi Rogers, Matt Lowe Directed by Jerry Jameson (USA)
Not to be confused with last year’s The Captive with Ryan Reynolds, Jerry Jameson’s Captive is a crime-thriller about a murderercum-rapist on the run who takes a drug addict (Mara) hostage in her own apartment. The magnetic Oxford-born Oyelowo (Selma) plays the killer and makes any film he’s in worth seeing. His wife Jessica co-stars. Inspired by real events.
Life CERT tbc Starring Robert Pattinson, Dane DeHaan, Ben Kingsley, Joel Edgerton, Alessandra Mastronardi Directed by Anton Corbijn (USA/Canada/Germany/Australia/UK)
The Messenger CERT 15 (98 mins)
Miss You Already
Starring Robert Sheehan, Lily Cole, Tamzin Merchant, David O’Hara, Joely Richardson Directed by David Blair (UK)
CERT 12a (112 mins)
Robert Sheehan (The Mortal Instruments) plays Jack, outwardly a disconcerting fellow, but a young man with a dark secret: he is being plagued by those who have ‘passed on.’ Expect some gory moments.
Dane DeHaan is the hot young man in Hollywood right now, so he would seem to provide the right heat to play James Dean. Based upon the friendship Dean shared with the Life photographer Dennis Stock (Pattinson), it seems appropriate that the celebrated photographer Anton Corbijn is behind the camera, so to speak. Corbijn previously helmed the celebrated Control (2007) - about Ian Curtis and Joy Division and the rewardingly intelligent The American, with George Clooney, and A Most Wanted Man.
Just Jim CERT 15 (84 mins)
Solace CERT tbc
McFarland CERT PG (129 mins) Kevin Costner returns to his passion for sport (Bull Durham, Field Of Dreams, Tin Cup, etc) to play the real-life cross-country coach for a largely Mexican-American school team. From the New Zealand director of Whale Rider and North Country. 42 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
Might this be a cult weepie of the future? Could this be this year’s Beaches? Anyway, Toni Collette and Drew Barrymore play life-long mates whose friendship is tested when one gets pregnant and the other gets cancer. Filmed in London and West Yorkshire.
Starring Emile Hirsch, Craig Roberts, Ryan Owen, Charlotte Randall, Nia Roberts, Richard Harrington Directed by Craig Roberts (UK)
Starring Anthony Hopkins, Colin Farrell, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Abbie Cornish, Janine Turner Directed by Afonso Poyart (USA)
Starring Kevin Costner, Maria Bello, Morgan Saylor Directed by Niki Caro (USA)
Starring Toni Collette, Drew Barrymore, Dominic Cooper, Paddy Considine, Frances de la Tour, Jacqueline Bisset Directed by Catherine Hardwicke (UK/USA)
Colin Farrell plays a serial killer and Anthony Hopkins is the psychic who assists the FBI in their enquiries. The scripter Peter Morgan is more famous for his factual screenplays (The Queen, The Last King Of Scotland, Frost/Nixon, The Damned United, Rush, etc), so maybe there’s an element of truth here, too?
Craig Roberts made his mark as the subdued, disturbed fifteen-year-old at the centre of Richard Ayoade’s smart and touching directorial debut Submarine (2010). Now Roberts, aged twenty-four, has made his own directorial debut - from his own screenplay. He plays a friendless Welsh teenager who sees a chance to increase his popularity when a cool American dude (Hirsch) moves next door. We can’t wait.
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FREE FESTIVAL WEEKEND BIRMINGHAM
CITY CENTRE 25-27 SEPT 2015
birminghamweekender.com #BhamWE
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A WEEKEND TO BE INSPIRED AND ENTERTAINED Birmingham’s leading arts organisations have come together to stage an ambitious outdoor festival - the city’s largest. You can expect a free weekend of amazing arts and entertainment, with events throughout the city centre. With over 100 performances and events, Birmingham Weekender is a showcase of the world-class organisations and artists that have made Birmingham their home. And here Birmingham What’s On Magazine features some of the highlights....
Night-time spectacular Birmingham Hippodrome presents Compagnie Transe Express
MAUDITS SONNANTS FRI 25 & SAT 26 SEPT, 8.30PM Centenary Square To mark the opening of Birmingham Weekender, Birmingham Hippodrome presents Maudits Sonnants (Damned Ringing) by French Company, Transe Express. Actors, trapezists, acrobats, bell ringers, dancers, percussionists, singers, string quartets, welders, technicians and forgers will fill Centenary Square with aweinspiring and bewitching performances lifted 55 metres into the sky. Rekindle childhood memories of enchanting music boxes and exciting fairground rides in this magical outdoor concert - all for FREE!
DON’T MISS!
“It is theatre, orchestra, acrobatics and spectacle all at once. ”
Sublime!
L’Est Republicain
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LOOK OUT FOR… LIVE MUSIC AND PERFORMANCE
CHECK BIRMINGHAMWEEKENDER.COM FOR TIMES AND LOCATIONS.
ON THE CITY STREETS ACROSS THE WEEKEND infuseDANCE
Curious Cargo
BODYGUARDS PROTECT AND SERVE
LOST LUGGAGE PORTERS
Birmingham Repertory Theatre
MÃORI FACE PAINTING The Bicycle Ballet Company
DanceXchange
STRICTLY NIGHT CYCLING
Vamos Theatre
THE CRIMPLENE CRUSADERS
CUBES
Jason Maverick
SHOP DUMMIES
Highly Sprung
URBAN ASTRONAUT SEE BIRMINGHAM OPERA COMPANY PERFORM IN CAFES ACROSS THE WEEKEND
Find performance times and updates online and via social media: #BhamWE BhamWeekender
TOWN HALL & SYMPHONY HALL TRANSFORM VICTORIA SQUARE INTO A MUSICAL PICNIC FOR ALL THE FAMILY Town Hall & Symphony Hall
MUSICAL PICNIC SATURDAY 26 SEPTEMBER 11AM STRINGCREDIBLES. 12.30PM SHE’KOYOKH . 2PM ESKA 3.30PM HACKNEY COLLIERY BAND 5PM YAABA FUNK SUNDAY 27 SEPTEMBER 11AM HOLLY THOMAS AND FRIENDS 12.30PM YOUNG PILGRIMS AND BOSTIN’ BRASS 2PM SARA COLMAN, WITH SPECIAL GUESTS TOWN HALL GOSPEL CHOIR 3.30PM ELECTRIC SWING CIRCUS 5PM SHLOMO
Sit back and enjoy!
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CITY OF BIRMINGHAM SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA SATURDAY 26, 11AM-7PM & SUNDAY 27, 12-5PM SEE BIRMINGHAMWEEKENDER.COM FOR TIMES AND REPERTOIRE The Mailbox The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra is made up of musicians among the highest calibre in the world. For
Birmingham Royal Ballet
Birmingham Weekender they take up residency in the Mailbox and
SWANNING AROUND
split into a selection of mini musical supergroups - from brilliant brass
SATURDAY 26 SEPT, 1.15PM, 2.45PM, 3.45PM Bullring, Lower West Mall outside Debenhams
and pulse-pounding percussion to delightfully delicate strings. Over a dozen very different ensembles of CBSO musicians perform up close and personal, for the ultimate in musical variety, including
This is your opportunity to see artists from Birmingham Royal Ballet
magnificent Mozart and blockbuster movie tunes. Plus, this is the
perform the famous pas de deux from Swan Lake. Watch as two of
Mailbox - so you can relax, grab a bite to eat and enjoy musical bliss
the company’s dancers perform an extract of ballet’s greatest love
al fresco from one of the world’s finest music-making institutions.
story, and be swept away by the beauty of this world-famous work.
STYLE BIRMINGHAM LIVE SATURDAY 26 & SUNDAY 27 SEPT, 11AM, 1PM, 3PM Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery’s stunning Gas Hall is transformed into a spectacular fashion theatre where the latest autumn/winter style and collections will be showcased from a host of high street retailers and shopping centres.
Birmingham Royal Ballet
Style Birmingham Live features six catwalk shows across the
SWAN FLASH FLOCK
weekend - all hosted by TV presenter Mark Wright and style expert
SATURDAY 26 SEPT, 1PM
Everyone is a VIP at Style Birmingham Live and tickets for the
Bullring, Lower West Mall outside Debenhams
weekend include entry into a show, a welcome drink on arrival
Mark Heyes - as well as fashion advice from style experts.
plus an exclusive goody bag and access to retailer offers and Join hundreds of ordinary people as they become a flock of swans in
activities. www.stylebirminghamlive.com
our community flash-mob-style event. Based on ballet’s most famous love story, we’ll provide the music as members of the public get to perform an excerpt from Swan Lake. Learn the steps at www.brb.org.uk/flashflock
Tickets £16.50 plus booking fee. For tickets, visit www.theticketfactory.com Corey Baker Dance
HAKA DAY OUT SATURDAY 26, 12PM & 4.15PM SUNDAY 27, 12PM & 3PM Centenary Square
ALSO SUNDAY 27, 1.45PM & 4.15PM Rugby World Cup Fanzone
RUGBY WORLD CUP 2015 FANZONE EASTSIDE PARK NEXT TO MILLENNIUM POINT The official Birmingham Rugby World Cup 2015 Fanzone is free to enter and will be open from 18-20 and 23-27 September.
MATCHES ALSO SHOWN AT THE BULLRING BIG SCREEN
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Imagineer Productions
GODIVA’S ODYSSEY SUNDAY 27 SEPT, 11AM-6PM PARADE AT 5PM Centenary Square Godiva comes to Birmingham as part of her Odyssey around Britain. This extraordinary six metre-tall puppet joins in the Mucho
Eye Candy
Brumcha fun as beautifully-costumed masqueraders awaken
MUCHO BRUMCHA
her from slumber to join their revelry. Operated by a team of puppeteers, Godiva’s movement and expressions are achieved through a combination of a traditional
SATURDAY 26 & SUNDAY 27 SEPT, 11AM-6PM PARADE 5PM ON SUNDAY
puppetry and modern animation techniques.
Centenary Square
Join in! Get hands on experience of puppeteering Godiva Vibrant colour sweeps through Centenary Square as we invite
under the guidance of Imagineer’s expert team.
you to join Birmingham’s very own Day of the Dead celebration. Come and shake your maracas in our ‘Día de Muertos’ Parade; get dressed up with your own wrestling and sugar skull masks; make a flower garland head-dress and get your face-painted as we march through the streets for a fun-time fiesta. To get our chiquitas and hombres in the party mood we’ll have live music and DJs, tasty food, Lucha Libre wrestlers, performers and
STAY AND PLAY!
dancers. Dressing up is mucho encouraged!
The Drum
DUB QALANDAR SUNDAY 27 SEPT, 6.30PM Symphony Hall Running time: 90 minutes We wrap up the festival in style with a unique evening of music, brought to us by The Drum. Dub Qalandar is a spectacular inter-cultural performance especially created for Birmingham Weekender. An ensemble of master musicians and vocalists, including Legend, Reggae Magic, Azad Kashmir Folk Group, Surj Sahota and Yaz Alexander, come together in a spiritually uplifting tapestry reflecting the rich cultural diversity of Birmingham. Sufi mystic music meets roots reggae in a deep urban dub style, with village clay pitchers, intricate sitar riffs, rhythmic, punctuating dholki beats, reverberating bass lines, skanking guitars, nyabinghi drummers plus the extraordinary tabla maestro Mohinder Singh Mendi. This new inter-cultural orchestra has musical direction by the award-winning composer and musician Simon Duggal. Concept and direction by Mukhtar Dar. FREE but ticketed. You can arrange tickets at Symphony Hall box office in person or by calling 0121 345 0600. Please note booked tickets are unreserved by area (eg if you book a ticket for the stalls you can sit anywhere in the stalls). No transaction fee will be charged.
STREET FOOD VICTORIA AND CENTENARY SQUARE We’ve invited some of the best regional street food traders to set up stall over the weekender. Look out for artisan coffee, Caribbean barbeque with a twist, Thai curry, Malay noodles and posh fish and chips, not to mention the delicious snack chaat, inspired by the chaat wallahs of Mumbai. We’ve also heard rumour of a special Weekender hotdog… Head to Victoria and Centenary squares to fuel up.
YOU’LL ALSO FIND PLENTY OF CAFES AND RESTAURANTS AT BULLRING, GRAND CENTRAL AND THE MAILBOX.
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FRIDAY 25 SEPTEMBER 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
RUGBY WORLD CUP 2015 FANZONE Eastside Park ARGENTINA V GEORGIA Rugby World Cup 2015 Fanzone INTERLUDE The REP LIVE MUSIC Centenary Square SOUNDWALK GRAND CENTRAL Meet Cherry Reds bar OF RIDERS AND RUNNING HORSES NCP Car Park, Newhall Street KAPA HAKA TALE The REP MAUDITS SONNANTS Centenary Square LUMINOUS The REP FILM SCREENING: WHIPLASH Everyman Cinema, The Mailbox
SATURDAY 26 SEPTEMBER AROUND BULLRING AND NEW STREET 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
CULTURE CATWALK Around Bullring and High Street WRITING THE FESTIVAL Moor Street Station BARBARA NICE Around Bullring and High Street SAMPAD ARTS, WORDPLAY BCMG, REQUIEM TO LET Empty shop unit INSPECTOR SANDS, A HIGH STREET ODYSSEY Union Street ROGUEPLAY, SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP Corporation Street DANCEXCHANGE, CUBES High Street BRB SWAN FLASH FLOCK Bullring outside Debenhams BRB SWANNING AROUND Bullring outside Debenhams CARMINA BURANA Bullring outside Selfridges BIRMINGHAM OPERA COMPANY, THE WAITER’S REVENGE St Martin in the Bullring Tea Lounge RUGBY WORLD CUP 2015 FANZONE Eastside Park ITALY V CANADA Rugby World Cup 2015 Fanzone SOUTH AFRICA V SAMOA Rugby World Cup 2015 Fanzone ENGLAND V WALES Rugby World Cup 2015 Fanzone
THE MAILBOX AND GRAND CENTRAL 4 4 4 4 4
FILM SCREENING: FROZEN Everyman Cinema, The Mailbox PUTTY The Mailbox and over the city-centre BBC MAKE IT DIGITAL The Mailbox CITY OF BIRMINGHAM SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA The Mailbox FREE SEEING AT GRAND CENTRAL WALK meet Cherry Reds bar
VICTORIA SQUARE 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
STYLE BIRMINGHAM LIVE Gas Hall at BMAG BIRMINGHAM MUSEUMS EXHIBITIONISTS Victoria Square OPEN DRAW BMAG and across the city-centre MUSICAL PICNIC: THE STRINGCREDIBLES Victoria Square MUSICAL PICNIC: SHE’KOYOKH Victoria Square BRAZIL EXTRAVAGANZA Victoria Square MUSICAL PICNIC: ESKA Victoria Square MUSICAL PICNIC: HACKNEY COLLIERY BAND Victoria Square MUSICAL PICNIC: YAABA FUNK Victoria Square
BRINDLEYPLACE 4 4 4 4 4 4
AT HOME WITH VANLEY BURKE Ikon Gallery GRAPHIC AND DIGITAL STITCH MASH-UP Oozells Square CROWNS OF CONFIDENCE Oozells Square BERENDING KUMPO Oozells Square BLACK COUNTRY VOYAGES Brewmaster Bridge AT HOME WITH THE DISKERY Ikon Gallery
CENTENARY SQUARE 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
THE REP OPEN DAY Centenary Square TOY THEATRES The REP MAORI FACE PAINTING The REP BIRMINGHAM MUSEUMS EXHIBITIONISTS Centenary Square MUCHO BRUMCHA Centenary Square ACCIDENTAL BRUMMIE The REP INTERLUDE The REP HAKA DAY OUT Centenary Square OF RIDERS AND RUNNING HORSES NCP Car Park, Newhall Street MAUDITS SONNANTS Centenary Square LUMINOUS The REP THE FURIES The REP
BIRMINGHAM WEEKENDER IS PRODUCED BY
PARTNERS
WHAT’S ON BhamWeekender
Find performance times and updates online and via social media:#BhamWE
BirminghamWeekender.com
SUNDAY 27 SEPTEMBER
AROUND BULLRING AND NEW STREET 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
CULTURE CATWALK Around Bullring and High Street WRITING THE FESTIVAL Moor Street Station MOTIONHOUSE, LOST Bullring, Central Street INSPECTOR SANDS, A HIGH STREET ODYSSEY Union Street ROGUEPLAY, SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP Corporation Street BCMG, REQUIEM TO LET Empty shop unit SAMPAD ARTS, WORDPLAY BIRMINGHAM OPERA COMPANY, THE WAITER’S REVENGE Café Neo, Bullring Rag Market RUGBY WORLD CUP 2015 FANZONE Eastside Park AUSTRALIA V NEW ZEALAND Rugby World Cup 2015 Fanzone HAKA DAY OUT Rugby World Cup 2015 Fanzone SCOTLAND V USA Rugby World Cup 2015 Fanzone IRELAND V ROMANIA Rugby World Cup 2015 Fanzone
THE MAILBOX AND GRAND CENTRAL 4 4 4 4
PUTTY The Mailbox and over the city-centre BBC MAKE IT DIGITAL The Mailbox CITY OF BIRMINGHAM SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA The Mailbox SHOPPING FOR SIMULACRA WALK meet Cherry Reds bar
VICTORIA SQUARE 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
STYLE BIRMINGHAM LIVE Gas Hall at BMAG BIRMINGHAM MUSEUMS EXHIBITIONISTS Victoria Square OPEN DRAW BMAG and across the city-centre MUSICAL PICNIC: HOLLY THOMAS & FRIENDS Victoria Square MUSICAL PICNIC: YOUNG PILGRIMS AND BOSTIN’ BRASS Victoria Square BRAZIL EXTRAVAGANZA Victoria Square MUSICAL PICNIC: SARA COLMAN AND TOWN HALL GOSPEL CHOIR Victoria Square MUSICAL PICNIC: ELECTRIC SWING CIRCUS Victoria Square BIRMINGHAM OPERA COMPANY: THE WAITER’S REVENGE Edwardian Tea Rooms, Birm Mus & Art Gallery MUSICAL PICNIC: SHLOMO Victoria Square
BRINDLEYPLACE 4 4 4 4 4
AT HOME WITH VANLEY BURKE Ikon Gallery GRAPHIC AND DIGITAL STITCH MASH-UP Oozells Square BERENDING KUMPO Oozells Square BLACK COUNTRY VOYAGES Brewmaster Bridge CROWNS OF CONFIDENCE Oozells Square
CENTENARY SQUARE 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
THE REP OPEN DAY Centenary Square MAORI FACE PAINTING The REP BIRMINGHAM MUSEUMS EXHIBITIONISTS Centenary Square GODIVA’S ODYSSEY Centenary Square MUCHO BRUMCHA Centenary Square TOY THEATRES The REP ACCIDENTAL BRUMMIE The REP INTERLUDE The REP HAKA DAY OUT Centenary Square DUB QALANDAR Symphony Hall
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MEDIA PARTNER BIRMINGHAM
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Visual Arts Region 1 September NEW.qxp_Layout 1 24/08/2015 21:55 Page 1
Visual Arts Emma Hart: Big Mouth Grand Union, Birmingham, Sat 5 September - Sat 31 October
Emma Hart’s ceramic sculptures go where other pieces fear to tread. Clay fists throw punches and rub crying eyes; hands clutch at stomachs; there’s even squeezed clay hair cascading through anus-like scrunchies. And integrated into the sculptures are film, photography and sound elements, their glossy finishes contrasting sharply with their subject matter: a roadside gutter; sweaty legs; a bottom with knickers wedged up its cleft. Life, believes Emma, is made to look good in images. She uses the artform of sculpture to corrupt and ‘dirty’ those images, in the process seeking to reveal what she terms ‘the raw, crude and real state of things’.
Paul Newman: Stage mac, Birmingham, Sat 26 September - Sun 22 November
Illustration Beats Explanation
Paul Newman’s latest work brings together drawing, painting, performance and installation to examine two territories - the artist’s studio and the public exhibition space. Occasionally referencing historical paintings sourced from artists’ postcards, the display includes works which look both backwards and forwards, as characters and motifs from a ten-year period re-emerge.
Worcester City Museum & Art Gallery Sat 12 September - Sat 21 November
A collaboration between Nathaniel Pitt, Division of Labour Gallery and the Museums Worcestershire team, Illustration Beats Explanation features contemporary artists who use comics, storyboards and drawings as a visual way to convey new ideas about the world.
Crazy Coffins Exhibition Newman Brothers Coffin Works, Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham, until Tues 27 October
The Ghanaian tradition of burying a deceased person in a bespoke coffin - one which represents and celebrates their life - provides the inspiration for this quirky display of coffin designs. “The Newman Brothers factory museum presents to us the conservative world of the funeral trade,” explains Ursula Williams from Crazy Coffins - the Nottingham-based company behind the show. “By contrast, the exhibition invites us to consider the possibilities of a coffin in expressing the lifelong enthusiasms of an individual, and how it can be the affectionate or even humorous focus of a farewell ceremony.” www.whatsonlive.co.uk 51
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VisualArts PREVIEWS VisualArts LISTINGS Further exhibitions
The Little Hoot Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, until Sun 27 September
Rather aptly emerging, given its subject matter, from ‘under the wing’ of The Big Hoot, The Little Hoot is the culmination of a citywide schools education programme. For those not in the know about The Big Hoot itself, it’s a Birmingham-based summertime art project which has seen one hundred beautifully designed owl statues being displayed throughout the city. The Little Hoot, meanwhile, has engaged over twenty-five thousand children from one hundred-and-fourteen schools in the business of decorating three-foot-tall fibreglass owlet sculptures. The owlets are on display at eighteen citywide locations - but it’s this BMAG exhibition which features the greatest number of statues, with no fewer than twenty-six being available to view in the venue’s Gallery Sixteen.
A History Of Us... Herbert Museum & Art Gallery, Coventry, until Sun 4 October
Street artist Pahnl is the creative force behind this new exhibition. A ‘miniature history of humanity’ presented across a forty-four-metre display, A History Of Us is described as ‘witty, sometimes factual and often a little bit subversive’. The exhibition features ‘a riot of tiny, graphic people’ offering an unconventional view of the past, present and future, from primal prehistory through to the twenty-first century and beyond.
For full listing information on Visual Art exhibitions, including times and dates, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk WAY OF THE WARRIOR Exhibition of arms and armour from historical movies, including Gladiator, Last Samurai and War Horse, until Sat 5 Sept, Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum UP CLOSE: SMALL PRINTS EXHIBITION Collective exhibition showcasing a variety of print-making techniques and styles, until Sat 5 Sept, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham STONES @ HOME IN THE GARDEN EXHIBITION Solo exhibition by Viv Astling RBSA, until Sat 5 Sept, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham LOVE IS ENOUGH: ANDY WARHOL AND WILLIAM MORRIS Exhibition bringing together significant and iconic works by both artists, including some rarely seen pieces, until Sun 6 Sept, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery FROM ‘RED’ ELLEN TO OSWALD MOSLEY Portraits of inter-war politicians by Edmund Knapp, until Sun 6 Sept, The Barber Institute, Birmingham SUSAN STOCKWELL: SEA MARKINGS Exhibition inspired by the RSC’s summer 2015 season of plays and the world of sixteenth century Venice, until Sun 6 Sept, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon CANNON HILL ART SCHOOL SUMMER SHOW Showcase of end-ofyear work by Cannon Hill Art School students, until Sun 6 Sept, mac - Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham ALIEN INVASION Meet iconic lifesize characters from Star Wars: Chewbacca, Yoda and the Dark Lord himself, Darth Vader, until Sun 6 Sept, Forge Mill Needle Museum, Worcestershire
Display Show Eastside Projects, Birmingham, Sat 19 September - Sat 12 December
This thought-provoking and, on a level, mindboggling exhibition asks whether any object can be separated from the way in which it is shown, repaired, treated, classified, owned and valued. The presentation includes an ongoing survey of radical display practices from the twentieth century, such as those associated with Franco Albini, Lina Bo Bardi and Carlo Scarpa... Display Show is one of a series of group exhibitions and productions which have been designed ‘to effect change upon the existing conditions of Eastside Projects’. 52 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
WALKING THE RAINBOW: EARLY YEARS ACTIVITY SPACE Delve into a world of colourful possibilities, where the light sparkles and textures and materials inspire young imaginations to soar, until Sun 6 Sept, Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry SOUND, SYSTEM, CULTURE National tour celebrating reggae sound systems in key cities throughout the UK, until Mon 7 Sept, The Drum, Birmingham JEWELLERY EXHIBITION Showcase of contem-
porary jewellery from School of Jewellery artists-in-residence and staff members, until Thurs 10 Sept, Pure Bar, Birmingham NAUTICAL CRAFT EXHIBITION Works by contemporary designer/makers created in response to the sea and coast, until Sat 12 Sept, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham THE STORY OF CHILDREN’S TELEVISION FROM 1946 TO TODAY Fascinating exhibition which takes a look at some of the shows and characters that have excited and delighted youngsters across the decades, until Sun 13 Sept, Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry THE DAN PEARSON WILLIAM MORRIS MEADOW Dan Pearson’s commission comprises a mown parterre (a formal garden) based on the designs of legendary English designer William Morris, until Sun 13 Sept, Compton Verney Gallery, Warwickshire LOVE, LIFE & LANDSCAPES Featuring German romantic prints and drawings from the Barber’s collection, until Sun 13 Sept, The Barber Institute, Birmingham THE ARTS AND CRAFTS HOUSE: THEN AND NOW Exhibition tracing the origins, legacy and enduring appeal of the historic arts & crafts movement and its fascination with the creation of the home, until Sun 13 Sept, Compton Verney, Warwickshire THE HART SILVERSMITHS: A LIVING TRADITION Exhibition which tells the story of the tradition, skill and way of life of the silversmith, until Sun 13 Sept, Compton Verney, Warwickshire ANIMAL ARCHITECTURE BY ADAM KOSSOFF Exhibition which explores the restoration of Dudley Zoo’s famous animal enclosures, until Sat 19 Sept, Wolverhampton Art Gallery OF TIME AND THE RAILWAY Robert Davies’ film about the railway line between Birmingham and Aberystwyth, until Sun 20 Sept, mac Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham MAGGIE KITCHING RBSA Display of prints drawn directly from life using vinyl relief and etch-
ings, until Sat 26 Sept, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham THE MODERNIST FACE: SMITH, DOBSON & BRITISH PORTRAITURE 1920-60 A snapshot through the lens of Modernism, this latest Barber exhibition explores the work of two under-appreciated British artists, until Sun 27 Sept, The Barber Institute, Birmingham JACQUES NIMKI: SEEN/UNSEEN A new, permanent installation featuring more than three hundred barely visible works referencing plant drawings, until Sun 27 Sept, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham AT HOME WITH VANLEY BURKE Exhibition showcasing the entire contents of the artist’s flat in Nechells, north-east Birmingham, until Sun 27 Sept, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham TAKEHISA KOSUGI: SPACINGS Exhibition featuring three of the artist’s sound installations, involving everyday materials and radio electronics, until Sun 27 Sept, Ikon, Birmingham JULIE BROOK: PIGMENT A compelling video work shot in a cave in Namibia in 2013 and featuring three himba women extracting red pigment, until Sun 27 Sept, Ikon, Birmingham HIDDEN STORIES An art installation created by local artist Matt Reeves and Ignite (Thinktank's Young People's Forum) until Wed 30 Sept, Thinktank at Millennium Point, Birmingham KING JOHN, MAGNA CARTA AND WORCESTER CATHEDRAL EXHIBITION An exhibition celebrating the eight hundredth anniversary of Magna Carta and marking the death of King John, until Wed 30 Sept, Worcester Cathedral PAULA HAMILTON ARBSA A display of ‘garden works’ which, owing to Paula’s background as a textile artist, are rich in colour and design, until Sat 10 Oct, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham IT'S ALL ABOUT THE HENS Exhibition about hens by artists and 'henenthusiasts' Ali McQuail and Lady Jane Gray, until Sat 10 Oct, Harborne Art Gallery, Birmingham SIR TERRY FROST RA (1915-2003): A LEAMINGTON LAD This exhibition, in the year which marks the centenary of the artist’s birth, includes a large number of works which haven’t been displayed before, until Sun 11 Oct, Leamington Spa Art Gallery &
Museum 9 EVENINGS: REDUX Fresh look at Billy Kluver’s seminal 1966 art, performance and technology programme, until Sat 17 Oct, Vivid Projects, Digbeth, Birmingham JO NADEN RBSA Solo exhibition featuring a series of small-scale sculptures and drawings that reference time as measured by the sun, moon and tides, until Sat 24 Oct, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham AN ENGLISHMAN ABROAD Exhibition examining the changing focus of pilgrims and the countries which their pilgrimages have taken them to, until Sat 31 Oct, Worcester City Museum & Art Gallery STILL WITH US: THE STORY OF YARDLEY PEOPLE IN WORLD WAR ONE An exhibition that celebrates the lives of some of the people in Yardley during World War One, until Sun 1 Nov, Blakesley Hall, Birmingham GOOD MONEY: A CURRENCY COMPETITION FOR HANDSWORTH Local residents have been designing their own currency and nominating local Handsworth ‘visionaries’ who will have their profiles cast on the coins, until Sun 1 Nov, Soho House, Birmingham HIROSHIGE’S JAPAN: 53 STATIONS OF THE TOKAIDO ROAD Famous series from one of the great masters of Japanese landscape print, until Sat 21 Nov, Wolverhampton Art Gallery ART IN THE PARK: KERN BABY BY FAYE CLARIDGE This enigmatic new commission by artist Faye Claridge for the grounds at Compton Verney takes on the form of an exaggerated sculptural emblem of folklore, until Sun 13 Dec, Compton Verney, Warwickshire CHINESE COLLECTION REDISPLAY Consisting of over one hundred objects spanning over three thousand years, until Sun 13 Dec, Compton Verney Gallery, Warwickshire BIRMINGHAM PEOPLE AND CHANGE IN THE INNER-CITY Display exploring the way in which ordinary Birmingham people have been represented in art during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, until Thurs 31 Dec, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery 20TH CENTURY BRITISH STUDIO CERAMICS A display of seventy-eight pieces of studio ceram-
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At Home With Vanley Burke - Ikon Gallery
URBAN LIFE EXHIBITION 2015 Selling exhibition showing analogue and digital photography as well as lens-based mixed-media works, Thurs 10 Sept - Sat 3 Oct, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham THE SHAPE OF NATURE Quilt exhibition by two leading textile artists, Hilary Beattie and Jenny Rolf, Thurs 10 Sept - Sun 25 Oct, Forge Mill Needle Museum, Redditch
ics made by twentynine potters working in England and Wales during the twentieth century, until Thurs 31 Dec, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery INHERITING ROME Exhibition which uses money to explore and question our deep-seated familiarity with the Roman Empire’s imagery, until Sun 24 Jan 2016, The Barber Institute, Birmingham THE CLIVE BEARDSMORE GIFT The 2015 interventions into the Garman Ryan Collection is a selection from a substantial gift of artworks donated to the gallery by a private collector, Clive Beardsmore, until Sun 24 Jan 2016, The
New Art Gallery, Walsall WENDY RAMSHAW’S ROOM OF DREAMS An installation made up of many parts, from small jewels in frames to large, freestanding furniture, until Sun 22 May 2016, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery JAIN MCKAY Featuring two sets of prints Children Of The Apocalypse and Lying Portraits, Wed 2 - Sun 27 Sept, Artrix, Bromsgrove WORCESTER CATHEDRAL PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION Photographs from this year's competition, Tue 8 - Sun 20 Sept, Worcester Cathedral PHOTOGRAPHIC PRIZE:
THE JHB ARCHIVE Drawn from an open call for submissions by artist and BOM Fellow Jo Gane, the exhibition reimagines a missing sculpture by artist Julian Henry Beck from the collection of Nuneaton Museum, Thu 10 Sept - Sat 3 Oct, BOM (Birmingham Open Media) 'THE GAIN LINE' Awardwinning contemporary artist Ravi Deepres takes audiences on a unique journey into the heart of the game, Sat 12 Sep 2015 - Sat 9 Jan 2016, Rugby Art Gallery & Museum THE RUGBY OPEN EXHIBITION A celebration of Rugby’s sporting heritage, with art works representing the 'proud home' of Rugby and rugby the game, Sat 12
Sept 2015 - Sat 9 Jan 2016, Rugby Art Gallery & Museum MADE AT MAC: PHOTOGRAPHY A showcase of work from two Kate Green-led courses, Sat 12 Sep 2015 Sun 10 Jan 2016, mac Birmingham RBSA PRIZE FOR INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY, WINNERS & RUNNERS-UP Awarded each year to graduates from Birmingham City University’s School of Jewellery, Mon 14 Sept - Mon 2 Nov, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham A TOUCH OF TEXTURE CRAFT EXHIBITION Featuring jewellery made using alternative materials including leather, felt, cotton, wool, silk and velvet, Mon 14 Sept - Sat 16 Jan 2016, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham BIRMINGHAM PASTEL SOCIETY Exhibition in the showcase gallery, Sat 19 Sept - Sun 1 Nov, Red House Glass Cone STEENBECKETT Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan's installation of 35mm celluloid film which moves continuously around the gallery, Sat 19 Sept Sun 29 Nov, mac, Birmingham
JOHN HOPKINS ARBSA Display of studio and ‘plein air’ watercolours, Mon 28 Sept - Sat 21 Nov, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham BROMSGROVE PHOTO-
GRAPHIC SOCIETY 2015 Contemporary exhibition by members of the Bromsgrove Photographic Society, Wed 30 Sept - Sun 25 Oct, Artrix, Bromsgrove
Museums & Art Galleries Birmingham ARTIFEX Sutton Coldfield 0121 323 3776 BARBER INSTITUTE 0121 414 7333 BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM & ART GALLERY 0121 348 8000 CASTLE GALLERIES 0121 248 8484 GRAND UNION 0121 643 9079 IKON GALLERY 0121 248 0708 RBSA GALLERY 0121 2364353 STRYX GALLERY, DIGBETH stryxarts@gmail.com WHITEWALL GALLERY 0121 200 3328
Black Country BANTOCK HOUSE WOLVERHAMPTON 01902 552195 BILSTON CRAFT GALLERY 01902 552507 BROADFIELD HOUSE GLASS MUSEUM, DUDLEY 01384 812745 DUDLEY MUSEUM & ART GALLERY 01384 815575
LIGHT HOUSE MEDIA CENTRE WOLVERHAMPTON 01902 716055 THE NEW ART GALLERY WALSALL 01922 654400 RED HOUSE GLASS CONE 01384 812750 WOLVERHAMPTON ART GALLERY 01902 552055
Warwickshire COMPTON VERNEY GALLERY 01926 645500 HERBERT ART GALLERY COVENTRY 02476 237521 LANCHESTER GALLERY, COVENTRY 02476 888248 MEAD GALLERY WARWICK 02476 524524 ROYAL PUMP ROOMS 01926 742700 RUGBY MUSEUM & ART GALLERY 01788 533201
Worcestershire WORCESTER CITY ART GALLERY 01905 25371
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Events
Style Birmingham Gas Hall, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Sat 26 - Sun 27 September Returning for its seventh year in 2015, Style Birmingham promises to be an unmissable weekend of fashion, beauty and shopping, with no fewer than eight catwalk shows taking place over two days. Offering a platform on which designers/retailers can showcase the latest autumn trends, the event also offers plenty of tips and fashion advice from highly regarded experts. The Only Way Is Essex and Strictly Come Dancing star Mark Wright will be hosting the catwalk shows, while style expert and presenter Mark Hayes will be on hand to offer visitors the benefit of his vast knowledge.
Commenting on his participation in the show, Mark Wright said: “I’m a big fan of Birmingham, and the people have always been so welcoming. It’s changing so much and I can’t wait to be there to host Style Birmingham Live and see the latest looks from the city’s amazing line-up of shops.” Style Birmingham 2015 coincides with the launch of Grand Central one of the most exciting retail projects ever to take place in the Midlands - and Birmingham Weekender, a three-day festival of free arts events taking place across the city.
Leamington Food & Drink Festival Royal Pump Rooms Gardens, Royal Leamington Spa, Sat 5 - Sun 6 September
Given that twenty-five thousand foodies visit and over one hundred-and-fifty producers and retailers exhibit, it’s hardly surprising that Leamington’s Food & Drink Festival is the biggest event on the town’s calendar. “People travel from far and wide to the festival, and its reputation grows every year,” says Stephanie Kerr, executive director of the event’s organisers, BID Leamington. “The diverse range of local food and drink is a big attraction, along with a packed programme of cooking demonstrations, tastings and live entertainment. Plus it’s totally free to attend.” The show’s action-packed programme boasts both new attractions and old favourites, with a live cookery theatre, a make & bake kids cookery school and a taste trail all featuring.
A Place In The Sun Live NEC, Birmingham, Fri 25 - Sun 27 September
Looking to invest in that dream holiday home abroad but not quite sure how best to go about it? Well, you could start by heading to Birmingham’s NEC and checking out Channel Four’s overseas property exhibition, A Place In The Sun Live. Featuring around one hundred-and-twenty agents selling property in destinations across the world, the show also hosts a series of free-to-attend seminar sessions, where you can learn about everything from the process of buying property abroad to how you’ll be affected by those all-important tax laws. The TV programme’s presenters, Laura Hamilton, Jasmine Harman, Jonnie Irwin and Amanda Lamb, are also on hand with plenty of sound advice. And for anybody who’s harbouring celebrity aspirations, there’s even a chance to screen-test to appear on the next series of the show. www.whatsonlive.co.uk 55
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Events PREVIEWS UK National Drum Fair Cocks Moors Woods Leisure Centre, Birmingham, Sat 26 - Sun 27 September
Promoted and managed by drummers for drummers, this annual event is taking place for a thirteenth time and this year includes over sixty stalls-worth of custom and vintage drums, cymbals and accessories. The show also features free workshops, clinics and drum sheds, and pays special tribute to John Bonham via a performance by award-winning tribute band Hats Off To Led Zeppelin.
The Great British Food Festival Ragley Hall, Park & Gardens, Warwickshire, Sat 12 - Sun 13 September
Warwickshire’s Ragley Estate provides a perfect backdrop for this month’s Great British Food Festival (GBFF). A must-attend event for the region’s foodies, the two-day show features over eighty local producers, celebrity and local chef demos, cookery lessons, talks and live music. For those wishing to show off their baking skills, the festival hosts a Cake Off competition with three distinct categories - Victoria Sponge, Chocolate Delicious and Signature Bake. Free admission to the event is available for all entrants, and there’s a ‘fantastic foodie prize’ for the winner. And for anybody feeling brave enough, GBFF offers various Men Vs Food challenges for both men and women throughout the weekend. So if you think you can sink a foot of chilli sausage, beef it up with half-pound burgers, keep your cool with suicide sauce or down a pint of cider, then pop along and have a go... You never know, a Man Vs Food Champion t-shirt could well be yours...
Offer
use promo code ‘Whats On’ for 20% off advanced tickets
The Cycle Show NEC, Birmingham, Thurs 24 - Sun 27 September
With cycling’s profile in the UK at an all-time high, this hugely popular show is not surprisingly bigger than ever, with over two hundred-and-eighty bike companies in attendance to showcase their latest kit. The show also features Cyclocross racing, the BMX flatland championships, a cycle-runrow Dry Tri for children aged seven to thirteen, and four test tracks.
Toy Collectors Fair NEC, Birmingham, Sun 27 September
Britain’s biggest toy fair makes its way to Birmingham this month to showcase a huge array of collectables. From diecast models by Corgi and Dinky through to numerous TV and film-related items, this one-day event offers plenty of interest for enthusiasts. Expert toy valuers are on hand to assess visitors' items for free. So if you have a particular piece that you’d like to know more about or are thinking of selling, why not take it along and get it valued? Who knows, you may be pleasantly surprised...
Mid-Autumn Festival The Arcadian, Birmingham, Fri 25 September
In-Site: Festival Of Graduate Creativity Birmingham Cathedral Square, Mon 7 - Fri 11 September
This celebration of graduate creativity is here returning for a fifth year. The festival sees a group of recent graduates transforming the outdoor space around Birmingham’s cathedral with an ambitious programme of craft ‘interventions’. The interventions, inspired by the cathedral’s tercentenary celebrations, will incorporate art forms such as casting metal, ceramics, weaving and wood turning. In:Site returns later in the month at the Birmingham Weekender event (26 & 27 September).
Musical performances, martial arts demonstrations, high-kicking lion dancing and the culinary delights of a street food festival all feature in this popular Chinese event, which is held to celebrate the day that the moon is said to be at its brightest and most round.
Birmingham Chilli Festival Brindleyplace, Birmingham, Sat 19 September
Temperatures are set to rise in Brindleyplace on the nineteenth of the month when the Birmingham Chilli Festival makes a welcome return. The event is now in its fifth year and as usual features numerous food stalls selling a wide range of chilli-influenced street food. Live music and entertainment are also on the bill, as is the always-popular chilli-eating competition. A chilli-inspired produce market on the eighteenth should help visitors prepare their tastebuds for the following day’s festival.
National Drag Racing Championship Finals Santa Pod, Northampton, Sat 19 - Sun 20 September
This always popular get-together sees a wide variety of race cars and bikes ensuring the track remains action-packed throughout both days. Alongside the racing, the event also provides evening entertainment courtesy of a live band. There’s plenty of fun for the family to enjoy too, with side shows, funfair rides, arts & crafts and ceramic workshops all featuring.
Adventure Travel And Overland Show Stratford Racecourse, Warwickshire, Sat 26 - Sun 27 September
The Adventure Travel & Overland Show is the only event of its kind in Europe and provides information about a wide range of outdoor adventure holidays. These include African wildlife safaris, Australian outback tours and guided trekking, rafting, canoeing, kayaking, climbing and diving holidays. A full programme of free seminars, evening entertainment in the Severn Cider Beer Tent and a collection of display vehicles further add to the show’s appeal.
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Events PREVIEWS Birmingham Independent Food Fair Millennium Point, Birmingham, Sat 12 - Sun 13 September
“This festival is about celebrating and supporting the local food heroes of the Birmingham area,” says Ahmed Ahmed, Birmingham Independent Food Fair’s organiser. “That's what makes this fair different - it's a true taste of Birmingham. We're so happy with the public response, and Millennium Point provides the perfect venue for us to host such a large-scale event, both in and outdoors. We hope that everyone comes along and gets a taste of Birmingham’s fantastic independent food and drink offering.” The fair features representatives from more than forty local independent food and drink businesses - from restaurants and street food traders through to drink merchants and provides the ideal platform for the city’s talented entrepreneurs to showcase their work.
Coventry Sky Ride Coventry City Centre, Sun 27 September
“We want more people to enjoy riding a bike,” says Sky Ride ambassador Sir Chris Hoy. “That’s why Sky and British Cycling have teamed up to bring you Sky Ride. We’ve made it easier than ever to get out on your bike and spend quality time with your family and friends.” Coventry’s Sky Ride event offers people the chance to enjoy stunt rider displays, jump onto a giant air bag (if they feel brave enough!) and enjoy the experience of cycling around a traffic-free city. “Sky Rides close towns and cities for big bike events so you can ride safely on traffic-free streets,” adds Sir Chris. “With a huge festival atmosphere and loads to do, they’re great fun and a great way to get on your bike.”
Events LISTINGS Glamping Show Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire Thurs 24 - Sun 27 September
Described as ‘a showcase of all that’s glamping in camping’, the Glamping Show presents a wide selection of pop-up, temporary and pre-pitched accommodation solutions, including yurts, tipi and safari tents. The show also features contributions from experts on subjects such as bushcraft, upcycling and survival techniques.
Malvern Autumn Show Three Counties Showground, Sat 26 - Sun 27 September
Foodies, countryside lovers, green-fingered gardening types and nostalgia buffs are all well catered for at this lively show. Highlights include the Good Life Pavilion, in which TV chef Valentine Warner and fellow experts take to the stage with gardening, growing and cooking advice. The RHS Flower Show, the Harvest Pavilion, the UK National Giant Vegetables Championship and a food & drink hall are other sure-to-be-popular attractions.
For full listing information on Events, including times and dates, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk from
TUES 1 SEP BIG BRUM OPEN TOP BUZ TOURS A chance to see Birmingham in all its glory, taking in its history, iconic landmarks and beautiful architecture. Tours start and end at Victoria Square, Birmingham, until Sun 27 Sep THE BIG HOOT Say hello to Fort Dunlop’s two owl friends, who form part of a parliament of eighty-five across the wider city, until Sun 27 Sep, Fort Dunlop, Birmingham MINI MOVERS Drop in and get interactive with your toddler, Tues 1 Sep, Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon, Warwickshire SUMMER HOLIDAY FAMILY FUN Join the summer of fun at Cadbury World with a whole host of entertainers, from magicians to ventriloquists, Tue 1 Wed 2 Sep, Cadbury World, Birmingham SUMMER HOLIDAY JAGUAR COLLECTION ACTIVITIES Family activities to explore the Jaguar collection, Tue 1
- Thurs 3 Sep, Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon, Warwickshire SUMMER HOLIDAY FAMILY ACTIVITIES Explore over two hundred cars whilst completing fun family activities, Tue 1 - Sun 6 Sep, Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon, Warwickshire HORRIBLE HISTORIES: WICKED WARWICK Horrible Histories live on stage with a truly unique, seen-nowhereelse Wicked Warwick Show, Tue 1 - Sun 6 Sep, Warwick Castle CROOME'S DISCOVERY LOG BOOKS Join the journey of discovery around the park, using a log book, Tue 1 - Sun 6 Sep, Croome Park, Worcester SUMMER OF ARCHAEOLOGY - INDIANA BONES TRAIL Explore the Summer of Archaeology excavations on the estate, Tue 1 - Sun 6 Sep, Brockhampton Estate, Bromyard, Worcestershire PLAY LIKE AN EDWARDIAN Featuring themed wartime fete games, Tue 1 - Sun 6 Sep, Croft Castle, Leominster, Herefordshire
ANYONE FOR CRICKET? SUMMER TRAIL Follow the family trail to find out all about cricket in the eighteenth century, Tue 1 - Sun 6 Sep, Berrington Hall, Leominster PIRATE FESTIVAL Arrive dressed as a pirate for a swashbuckling family fun day, Tue 1 - Sun 6 Sep, Hatton Adventure World, Warwickshire HORRIBLE HISTORIES: MEDIAEVAL MAYHEM The truly gruesome sights, sounds and smells of Mediaeval England are brought back to life, Tue 1 - Sun 6 Sep, Warwick Castle SUMMER SPECTACULAR Enjoy playing at being cowboys, Tue 1 - Sun 6 Sep, Hatton Adventure World, Warwickshire SUMMER HOLIDAY AT MAD A chance to design a part of the MAD Marbles Wall, Tue 1 - Mon 7 Sep, The MAD Museum, Stratford-upon-Avon SUMMER AT THINKTANK A packed programme of activities and events for children to enjoy, Tue 1 - Sun 27 Sep, Thinktank at Millennium Point, Birmingham ARCHAEOLOGY OF GOSFORD STREET Display of archaeological finds from Far Gosford Street which reflect the everyday life of people in the area since the medieval period, Tue 1 - Wed 30 Sep, Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry,
Warwickshire CROOME'S OUTER EYECATCHERS: PANORAMA TOWER Explore inside the outer eye-catchers, which are only open at certain times of the year, Tue 1 Sep - Sun 4 Oct, Croome Park, Worcester SCULPTURE TRAIL Chance to view over one hundred stunning sculptures, Tue 1 Sep Sun 4 Oct, The Jinney Ring Craft Centre, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire PRO PEAK PERFORMANCE TEST & TUNE DAY Test day for racers entered in the European Finals, Wed 2 Sep, Santa Pod Raceway, Northamptonshire VICTORIAN RAG RUGGING Find out how the Victorians recycled their clothes into attractive rugs, Wed 2 Sep, Tudor House Heritage Centre, Worcester SUMMER EVENING SUPPERS An evening talk followed by a twocourse supper and a stroll in the gardens, Thurs 3 Sep, Baddesley Clinton, Warwickshire KENILWORTH FESTIVAL & PARTY IN THE PARK Live music, dancing, entertainers, amusements, market stalls & more... Thurs 3 - Mon 7 Sep, Kenilworth Castle, Warwick INTERNATIONAL MICROCAR RALLY Featuring up to seventy microcars on display
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Events LISTINGS For full listing information on Events, including times and dates, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk from the 1950s and ’60s, Fri 4 Sep, Coventry Transport Museum BUSFEST Described as the ‘world’s largest Volkswagon camper van show’, Fri 4 - Sun 6 Sep, Three Counties Showground, Malvern EVENING SCENIC SPECIALS A scenic evening ride with the added option of traditional fish and chip supper, Sat 5 Sep, Severn Valley Railway, Bewdley, Worcestershire BLACKSMITH EXPERIENCE DAY Sat 5 Sep, Black Country Living Museum, Dudley WHEEL WORD GAME Sat 5 Sep, Chedhams Yard, Wellesbourne, Warwickshire FIREWORK CHAMPIONSHIPS Firework displays to music, Sat 5 Sep, Eastnor Castle Deer Park, Ledbury, Herefordshire SHAKESPEARE TOUR OF STRATFORD Sat 5 Sep, The Falstaff's Experience, Stratfordupon-Avon, Warwickshire DISCOVER YOUR IRISH FAMILY HISTORY Join Maggie Loughran, an expert in British and Irish genealogy, for a fascinating lecture, Sat 5 Sep, Birmingham Back to Backs HERITAGE WEEKEND Listen to informative talks about the Cadbury family before taking a stroll around the historic Bournville Village, Sat 5 - Sun 6 Sep, Cadbury World, Birmingham BIRMINGHAM HONEY SHOW A chance to learn all about bees, honey and the craft of bee keeping, Sat 5 - Sun 6 Sep, Martineau Gardens, Edgbaston, Birmingham LEAMINGTON SPA FOOD & DRINK FESTIVAL Featuring live cookery schools and master classes, Sat 5 - Sun 6 Sep, Royal Pump Rooms Gardens, Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire ON THE BUSES Featuring a superb display of historic vehicles from all parts of the country, Sun 6 Sep, Severn Valley Railway, Bewdley, Worcestershire CROOME'S OUTER EYECATCHERS: DUNSTALL TOWER Explore inside the eye-catchers, Sun 6 Sep, Croome Park, Worcester KNIGHTS SCHOOL AND
JOUSTING Sun 6 Sep, Eastnor Castle Deer Park, Ledbury, Herefordshire ANNUAL PILGRIMAGE Harvington Hall's annual pilgrimage followed by mass in the hall's garden, Sun 6 Sep, Harvington Hall, Kidderminster, Worcestershire WOODLAND CRAFTS AT SPETCHLEY GARDENS See woodland crafts experts in action and have a go yourself in some of the venue’s special on-site workshops, Sun 6 Sep, Spetchley Park Gardens, Worcestershire DIVA WEDDING FAYRE Luxury event focusing on all aspects of the big day, Sun 6 Sep, Worcester Racecourse MANOR HOUSE HOE DOWN Join the cowboys at Manor House for a fun family day out, Sun 6 Sep, Manor House Museum, West Bromwich GO CANOEING GUIDED TOUR Ideal for beginners, Sun 6 Sep, The Ackers, Small Heath, Birmingham
Week Commencing
MON 7 SEP STAFFORDSHIRE HOARD & CONSERVATION TOUR Behind-the-scenes tour, Tue 8 Sep, Birmingham Museum And Art Gallery A MORNING WITH DIANA MCVEAGH The renowned Elgar and Finzi scholar gives a talk on both composers, Tue 8 Sep, The Elgar Birthplace Museum, Worcester THE GRAND GARDEN TOUR Learn more about the history of the site’s garden and its most recent additions, Wed 9 Sep, Ragley Hall, Alcester, Warwickshire BRIGHTWELLS FESTIVAL OF THE HORSE Show and sale of proven and potential sport & performance horses, Wed 9 Sep, Three Counties Showground, Malvern HONDA RON HASLAM RACE SCHOOL Chance to experience riding on an international racing circuit, Wed 9 Sep, Donington Park Racing Circuit, Castle Donington, Derby KEYHOLE TOURS: THE MONASTIC UNDERCROFT A general-history tour of the abbey, including areas not available to the public, Wed 9 Sep, Stoneleigh Abbey, Kenilworth,
Warwickshire TOMMY’S PEPPA PIG SPLASHATHON Sponsored splashathon in aid of supporting Tommy's charity, Wed 9 Sep, Solihull Sports Centre BAT WALKS A walk through the grounds at dusk looking for the bats that live at Charlecote Park, Fri 11 Sep, Charlecote Park, Warwickshire JANE EYRE ON STAGE AND SCREEN Dr Hila Shachar explores the many and varied adaptations of the classic novel, Fri 11 Sep, Clore Learning Centre, Stratford-upon-Avon HERBERT LATES An evening of art, music, drinks, talks, performances and history, Fri 11 Sep, Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry, Warwickshire WELLBEING FESTIVAL Three-day celebration of self-exploration, selfexpression, music, yoga, meditation and life-changing workshops, Fri 11 - Sun 13 Sep, NEC, Birmingham THRILL-SEEKER DAY Eight activities for the whole family to enjoy, Sat 12 Sep, The Ackers, Birmingham RUN WHAT YA BRUNG The chance to take your car or motorcycle out on the famous quarter-mile dragstrip and test its performance limits in a safe and legal environment, Sat 12 Sep, Santa Pod Raceway,
Heritage Weekend - Cadbury World, Birmingham
Wellingborough, Northants EVENING SCENIC SPECIALS A scenic evening ride with the added option of traditional fish and chip supper, Sat 12 Sep, Severn Valley Railway, Bewdley, Worcestershire THE COVENTRY CHILLI FESTIVAL Featuring twenty of the ‘best chilli producers in the UK selling the best chilli products around’, Sat 12 Sep, Coventry City Centre COVENTRY TRANSPORT MUSEUM CLASSIC CAR BREAKFAST CLUB A chance to show off your classic car and/or motorcycle, Sat 12 Sep, Coventry Transport Museum, Warwickshire
SKETCH COVENTRY An informal day of sketching around Coventry city centre, Sat 12 Sep, Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry GUIDED TOUR TO THE COFFIN WORKS A special guided tour from the cathedral to Newman Bros Coffin Works in Fleet Street, Sat 12 Sep, Birmingham Cathedral PRIORY THEATRE OPEN DAY Chance for visitors to explore the theatre’s wardrobe & props department and take a look behind the scenes of the venue’s September production, The Importance Of Being Earnest. Free entry! Sat 12 Sep, Priory Theatre, Kenilworth SHAKESPEARE TOUR OF
STRATFORD Sat 12 Sep, The Falstaff's Experience, Stratfordupon-Avon, Warwickshire BREAKFAST CLUB AT COVENTRY TRANSPORT MUSEUM An opportunity for classic car & motorcycle owners to show off their cars in front of the prestigious Coventry Transport Museum, Sat 12 Sep, Coventry Transport Museum MEDIEVAL UNDERCROFT TOURS A unique chance to see one of Coventry’s oldest cellars, Sat 12 - Sun 13 Sep, Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry CURATOR TOURS Join the curators of the Herbert for a behind-the-scenes look at the museum collections, Sat 12 -
Heritage Open Days A national initiative which takes place every September, Heritage Open Days provides a free-of-charge opportunity to find out more about the region’s entertainment venues and visitor attractions. Here’s a selection of open days taking place across Birmingham, Warwickshire and Worcestershire between 10 and 13 September. Check out heritageopendays.org.uk for further events and information... EXPERIENCE local history, architecture and culture, Thurs 10 Sun 13 Sep, The Pen Museum, Birmingham ENJOY free entry into Avoncroft Museum, Fri 11 Sep, Avoncroft Museum, Bromsgrove, Warwickshire EXPLORE the seventeenth century rooms and objects from the past, Sat 12 Sep, Aston Hall, Birmingham A CHANCE to share photographs and memories of Bournville Village, Sat 12 Sep, Selly Manor, Bournville, Birmingham HERITAGE OPEN DAY Sat 12 Sep, Chedhams Yard, Wellesbourne, Warwickshire
FREE admission for all, Sat 12 Sep, Berrington Hall, Leominster, Herefordshire EXPLORE Worcester Cathedral and discover its heritage, Sat 12 Sep, Worcester Cathedral TAKE PART in special guided tours around the stores and collections, Sat 12 Sep, Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry, Warwickshire TOURS OF THE ATTICS Guided tours of Blakesley Hall, including the mysterious second-floor attics, not usually available for the public to view, Sat 12 Sep, Blakesley Hall, Birmingham VISIT Croome for free and discover its hidden heritage, Sat 12 -
Sun 13 Sep, Croome Park, Worcester PIKES AND MUSKETS English Civil War military drills, campsites and more, Sun 13 Sep, Aston Hall, Birmingham HERITAGE OPEN DAY & VEGETABLE SHOW Featuring a veggie car boot sale and cookery workshops from the Harborne Food School, Sun 13 Sep, Birmingham Botanical Garden JOIN the conservation volunteers for a chance to explore the house and gardens for free, Sun 13 Sep, Winterbourne House & Garden, Edgbaston, Birmingham HERITAGE OPEN DAY Event organised by the Redditch Local History Society, Sun
13 Sep, Forge Mill Needle Museum, Redditch, Worcestershire STREETFOOD, ALE AND FOLK MUSIC FAIR Featuring a wide range of food, ale and music from the West Midlands, Sun 13 Sep, Blakesley Hall, Birmingham HERITAGE WEEKEND Sun 13 - Mon 14 Sep, The Weavers House, Coventry, Warwickshire PACKED weekend of special openings, free events and displays to celebrate the city’s great buildings, Sat 12 Sep, St Mary’s Guildhall, Coventry RARE INSIGHT into one of the country’s bestknown theatres, Sat 12 Sep, Birmingham Hippodrome
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Events LISTINGS For full listing information on Events, including times and dates, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk Sun 13 Sep, Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry THE INTERNATIONAL N GAUGE SHOW A two-day show with a full range of railway models on display, Sat 12 - Sun 13 Sep, Warwickshire Exhibition Centre AUTUMN CRAFT FAYRE Sat 12 - Sun 13 Sep, Hatton Country World, Warwickshire ATTIC TOURS Special tours of Harvington Hall's attics, Sat 12 Sun 13 Sep, Harvington Hall, Kidderminster, Worcestershire RETRO TRUCK SHOW Featuring trucks from 1965 to 1995, trade stands and displays, food stands, a children’s fun area and a model show, Sat 12 Sun 13 Sep, Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon, Warwickshire THE GREAT BRITISH FOOD FESTIVAL Sat 12 - Sun 13 Sep, Ragley Hall, Alcester, Warwickshire THE BIRMINGHAM CRUISE SHOW 2015 Sat 12 - Sun 13 Sep, NEC, Birmingham SOOTY'S FUN HOUSE New show to delight the whole family, Sat 12 - Sun 13 Sep, Cadbury World, Birmingham BPM DJ & ELECTRONIC MUSIC PRODUCTION EVENT Featuring exclusive DJ performances, new product displays, seminars and workshops, Sat 12 - Mon 14 Sep, NEC, Birmingham PIRATE WEEK Grab your crew and jump aboard for a swashbuckling adventure, Sat 12 - Sun 20 Sep, National Sea Life Centre, Birmingham HEREFORDSHIRE ART WEEK Featuring one hundred-and-fifty artists and designer makers in studios and galleries, Sat 12 - Sun 20 Sep, Hereford City Centre FORDFEST Season finale for Ford Fans, Sun 13 Sep, Santa Pod Raceway, Northamptonshire CHURCHILL FORGE OPEN DAY Visit one of the last surviving waterwheelpowered forges in the country, Sun 13 Sep, Churchill Forge Mill, Worcestershire FUN DOG SHOW Sun 13 Sep, Eastnor Castle Deer Park, Ledbury, Herefordshire BIKE FEST Motorbike festival raising funds for a regional BlooD Bike group, Severn Freewheelers, Sun 13 Sep, Shelsley Walsh, Worcestershire THE BIRMINGHAM
COMMUNITY FOOD FESTIVAL AND HORTICULTURAL SHOW Sun 13 Sep, Winterbourne House & Garden, Edgbaston, Birmingham VIP RECORD FAIR Browse through and buy from the biggest selection of vinyl, CDs and music memorabilia, Sun 13 Sep, Fargo Village, Coventry, Warwickshire BIRMINGHAM ARMS FAIR The UK’s biggest antique and vintage arms fair, Sun 13 Sep, National Motorcycle Museum, Solihull
Week Commencing
MON 14 SEP KEYHOLE TOURS: JACOBEAN HOUSE General history tours of the house, including areas which are no longer open to the public, Tue 15 Sep, Stoneleigh Abbey, Kenilworth, Warwickshire ART, TRUTH & LIES A talk by artist Pamela Schilderman, Tue 15 Sep, Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry TASTE OF THE ORIENT An opportunity for visitors to sample authentic Chinese cuisine, Wed 16 Sep, Highbury Hall, Birmingham SUMMER EVENING SUPPERS An evening talk followed by a twocourse supper and stroll in the gardens, Thurs 17 Sep, Baddesley Clinton, Warwickshire NATIONAL DRESSAGE CHAMPIONSHIPS Thurs 17 - Sun 20 Sep, Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire PEAK PERFORMANCE TEST & TUNE DAY RWYB with maximum track time for serious enthusiasts. Car clubs, performance specialists and individuals all welcome, Fri 18 Sep, Santa Pod Raceway, Northampton DRIVE IN MOVIE - BLUES BROTHERS Screening of the iconic movie, Fri 18 Sep, Beckett's Farm, Wythall, Birmingham BIRMINGHAM CHILLI FESTIVAL Featuring cooking demonstrations, live music, and stalls selling chilli-related produce, Sat 19 Sep, Brindleyplace, Birmingham SILVER RING WORKSHOP With designer jewellery maker Grace Page, Sat 19 Sep, Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham
BEE DAY Sat 19 Sep, Chedhams Yard, Wellesbourne, Warwickshire ELGAR AND GERMANY Talk by Geoffrey Scargill, chairman of the North-West branch of the Elgar Society, Sat 19 Sep, The Elgar Birthplace Museum, Worcester LANGLAND STUDY DAY Explore the life and work of the poet William Langland, Sat 19 Sep, Worcester Cathedral NATIONAL FINALS National Drag Racing Championship Finals, with MSA 200mph pro mods, drag bikes, nostalgia classes and the jet car, Sat 19 - Sun 20 Sep, Santa Pod Raceway, Northampton CHARACTER WEEKEND Get snapped with some of Cadbury's most colourful characters, including Caramel Bunny, Freddo, Creme Egg and Mr Cadbury's Parrot, Sat 19 - Sun 20 Sep, Cadbury World, Birmingham JOUST! Traditional jousting tournament featuring valiant knights, demonstrations of riding skills, a living history encampment and drill activities for younger visitors, Sat 19 - Sun 20 Sep, Avoncroft Museum, Bromsgrove BERRINGTON'S BI ANNUAL BOOK FAIR Featuring hundreds of pre-loved books for sale, Sat 19 Sun 20 Sep, Berrington Hall, Leominster HIDDEN HERITAGE Discover Croome's hidden heritage and talk to devotees who spent time at Croome when it was a place of worship, Sat 19 - Sun 20 Sep, Croome Park, Worcester STONE CARVING WORKSHOP Medievalstyle workshop, Sat 19 - Sun 20 Sep, Forge Mill Needle Museum, Redditch, Worcestershire AUTUMN SPEED FINALE A weekend of sports, classic, saloons and racing car competitions, Sat 19 - Sun 20 Sep, Shelsley Walsh, Worcestershire SHAKESPEARE TOUR OF STRATFORD Sat 19 Sep, The Falstaff's Experience, Stratfordupon-Avon, Warwickshire COCKTAIL-MAKING CLASS Learn how to make cocktails with style, Sat 19 Sep, Manor House Museum, West Bromwich THAT ALTERNATIVE WEDDING FAIR Full of alternative, edgy, original, vintage and contemporary wedding businesses, Sat 19 Sun 20 Sep, Fargo Village, Coventry, Warwickshire
Mid Autumn Festival - The Arcadian, Birmingham
BONSAI DEMONSTRATION With experts on hand to answer questions, Sun 20 Sep, Birmingham Botanical Gardens CIRCUS SKILLS Join Jem the entertainer as she passes on her knowledge of circus skills, Sun 20 Sep, Eastnor Castle Deer Park, Ledbury, Herefordshire WEDDING FAYRE Everything you need for your big day, Sun 20 Sep, Hartlebury Castle, Kidderminster
GUIDED WALK AND TOUR OF HARVINGTON HALL A three-mile walk in the surrounding area of Harvington Hall, followed by a tour of the hall itself, Sun 20 Sep, Harvington Hall, Kidderminster, Worcestershire THE SHAKESPEARE HOSPICE DRAGON BOAT RACE Sun 20 Sep, Stratfordupon-Avon Boat Club
Week Commencing
MON 21 SEP KEYHOLE TOURS: THE MONASTIC UNDERCROFT A general history tour of the abbey, including access to areas not usually available to the public. The tour also includes a visit to the undercroft, a thirteenth century rib vault of arches built in medieval times, Wed 23 Sep, Stoneleigh Abbey,
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Events LISTINGS For full listing information on Events, including times and dates, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk Warwickshire SUMMER EVENING SUPPERS An evening talk followed by a twocourse supper and a stroll in the gardens, Thurs 24 Sep, Baddesley Clinton, Warwickshire THE CYCLE SHOW The UK's biggest cycling event, Thurs 24 - Sun 27 Sep, NEC, Birmingham BITE STREET FOOD MARKET - SEPTEMBER Fri 25 Sep, Fort Dunlop, Birmingham MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL Musical performances, traditional dancing, martial arts demonstrations and fireworks to finish, Fri 25 Sep, Arcadian Centre, Birmingham MACMILLAN RACEDAY Fri 25 Sep, Worcester Racecourse LIGHTFEST Researchers from the Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies host demonstrations, workshops and public lectures, Fri 25 Sep, Library of Birmingham BIRMINGHAM WEEK-
ENDER Three days of free outdoor events, including a fusion of music, dance, theatre, art, literature, food and fashion, Fri 25 - Sun 27 Sep, various locations, Birmingham City Centre GLAMPING SHOW Displaying the latest and best products on the market, Fri 25 - Sat 26 Sep, Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire MAUDITS SONNANTS Concert and outdoor theatre performance with an orchestra of bell ringers and acrobats, Fri 25 - Sat 26 Sep, Centenary Square, Birmingham A PLACE IN THE SUN LIVE Featuring around one hundred-and-twenty agents selling property in destinations across the world, Fri 25 - Sun 27 Sep, NEC, Birmingham THUNDERSPORT GB MOTORCYCLE RACES Including the FIM Sidecar World Championships, Fri 25 - Sun 27 Sep, Donington Park Racing Circuit, Castle
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Donington SATURDAY NIGHT SPECIAL Run What Ya Brung till late. Track open from 9.30am to 8pm, with evening entertainment and camping, Sat 26 Sep, Santa Pod Raceway, Wellingborough, Northants FARGO FUSION FESTIVAL Join Fargo as it celebrates its first year with a fusion of music, arts, performance, ska, dance, history and heritage, Sat 26 Sep, Fargo Village, Coventry APPLE AND HARVEST FESTIVAL DAY Sat 26 Sep, Chedhams Yard, Wellesbourne, Warwickshire MORRIS MINOR OWNERS CLUB A display of 'Moggies' at Millennium Place, Sat 26 Sep, Coventry Transport Museum DANCING IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY Join the dancing village folk, Sat 26 Sep, Selly Manor, Birmingham STYLE BIRMINGHAM LIVE Jam-packed weekend of fashion, beauty and shopping hosted by TV personality Mark Wright, Sat 26 - Sun 27 Sep, Birmingham Museum And Art Gallery UK NATIONAL DRUM FAIR Featuring stalls, workshops and live music,
Sat 26 - Sun 27 Sep, Cocks Moors Woods Leisure Centre, Kings Heath, Birmingham SOOTY'S FUN HOUSE Brand new show to delight the whole family, Sat 26 - Sun 27 Sep, Cadbury World, Birmingham APPLE DAYS Join in the apple-themed fun, Sat 26 - Sun 27 Sep, Mary Arden's Farm, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire DUNLOP MSA BRITISH TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP Gladiatorial-style racing, Sat 26 - Sun 27 Sep, Silverstone Circuit, Northamptonshire SAMURAI AND SUSHI WEEKEND Highlights from the Charles Paget Wade collection of Samurai armour, Sat 26 - Sun 27 Sep, Berrington Hall, Leominster SUMMER OF ARCHAEOLOGY CELEBRATION EVENT Celebrating the discoveries made over the summer, Sat 26 - Sun 27 Sep, Brockhampton Estate, Bromyard, Herefordshire MALVERN OUTDOOR SHOW Featuring Good Life Pavilion, Westons Cider Garden, the UK National Giant Vegetable Championship &
more... Sat 26 - Sun 27 Sep, Three Counties Showground, Malvern MAZDA DAY Sun 27 Sep, Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon, Warwickshire DROITWICH SPA MODEL BOAT CLUB Sun 27 Sep, Bodenham Arboretum, Kidderminster CROOME'S AUTUMN MARKET A wide range of market stalls with various treats on offer, Sun 27 Sep, Croome Park, Worcestershire ARCHERY Have-a-go sessions throughout the day, Sun 27 Sep, Eastnor Castle Deer Park, Ledbury, Herefordshire MILL RACE RUN A fundraiser run for the Shelsley Water Mill Society, Sun 27 Sep, Shelsley Walsh, Worcestershire AUTUMN CLASSIC & FRINGE Hundreds of classic vehicles and an opportunity to join the Autumn Cream Tea Run for a sixty-three-mile scenic drive, Sun 27 Sep, Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon, Warwickshire SKY RIDE COVENTRY Free family event, Sun 27 Sep, Coventry City Centre WEST MIDLANDS TRAMPOLINE COMPETITION Sun 27 Sep, Solihull Sports Centre RECORD & CD FAIR
A new event for lovers of vinyl, CDs, and music memorabilia. New and used, from £1 bargains to top collectables, Sun 27 Sep, Robin 2, Bilston, Wolverhampton COLOUR BLAST Warwickshire’s happiest 5k run, where participants are showered in coloured powder paint at various ‘colour stations’, Sun 27 Sep, Meon Vale Leisure Centre, Long Marston, Warwick
Week Commencing
MON 28 SEP TREASURES SERIES - THE ORGAN, WITH CANON MARCUS HUXLEY Canon Marcus Huxley talks about the organ at Birmingham Cathedral, Tue 29 Sep, Birmingham Cathedral DRIFT WHAT YA BRUNG Chance to practise drifting in safe and legal conditions on some of the Pod's thirty acres of open tarmac, where there are beginners, intermediate and advanced tracks open at the same time each DWYB day, Wed 30 Sep, Santa Pod Raceway, Wellingborough, Northants
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Eating Out
Graceful canalside dining... REVIEW Translated from Hindi, Vivaanta means ‘to live gracefully well’. It’s a word that describes neatly the ambitions of this new canalside restaurant next to The Cube. The eatery joins the swelling number of ‘posh Indians’ springing up across Birmingham, challenging the likes of Lasaan and Itihaas with reimagined Indian dishes and a stylish dining experience. The restaurant had only been open for two weeks when we visited. Our host apologetically told us that the serving staff and kitchen were still finding their feet. He needn’t have worried - this was easily one of the top three Indian meals I’ve had in the city. And trust me, I’ve had a few. The chef is aiming to lighten up traditional Indian cooking by going easy on the chilli and letting fresher flavours sing through. For our first course, the fish pakoras were crisp and daintily light, the fish falling into chunky yet moist flakes. The stand-out dish, though, was the sizzling platter of mussels, scallops and prawns. Served up hissing on a bed of samphire, the shellfish actually tasted of the sea, their flavour enhanced rather than hidden by the spices with which they’d been anointed. More fish for our mains. Fish is very much the thing here, having its own dedicated menu. I opted for the goan fish curry an entire monkfish tail steamgrilled then served up on a tomato-based sauce enhanced with the roes of fresh scallops. You certainly don’t get that in
your average balti house! It was fresh, hot, perfectly executed... and enormous. The onion naan was flecked green with spring onion, buttery, salty, gummy (in a good way) and totally more-ish. The dessert menu is simple and traditional: Rasmalai (a kind of sweet milk pudding) and galub jamun (syrup-soaked doughnuts), both served up with fresh mango, coconut and berries. Hurray for that - a chef who realises there’s no need to mess with perfection. Vivaanta is jumping on the cocktail trend with a lengthy drinks menu, and the mango bellini was just the ticket. Even if you’re just drinking rather than eating, the restaurant offers a great vantage point from which to watch canal boats puttering towards Gas Street Basin and lights twinkling at The Mailbox. Vivaanta’s prices are at the higher end - but then fresh fish and shellfish don’t come cheap, and this is a prime location to set up shop. The restaurant is a welcome addition to Birmingham’s dining-out scene. It will be interesting to see how it improves over the next few months. Helen Stallard Food: nnnnn Service: nnnnn Ambience: n n n n n Overall value n n n n n OVERALL n n n n n Vivaanta Holiday Wharf Waterfront Walk Birmingham B1 1SR Tel. 0121 665 6568
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Restaurant LISTINGS For full listing information on restaurants, including opening times and type of cuisine, visit: www.whatsonlive.co.uk
Birmingham AALTO RESTAURANT Hotel La Tour, Albert Street, Birmingham, B5 5JT 0121 718 8000 AIR RESTAURANT LG Arena, Bickenhill Rd 0844 338 0333 BALCONY BRASSERIE Selfridges on 4, The Bullring, B5 4BP BANK 4 Brindleyplace, B1 2JB 0121 633 4466 BAR ESTILO 10-114 Wharfside St, The Mailbox, B1 1RF 0121 643 3443 BARAJEE 265 Broad Street, B1 2DS 0121 643 6699 BELLA ITALIA 102 New Street, B2 4HQ 0121 643 1548 BERLIOZ Burlington Arcade, New St, B2 4JQ 0121 633 1737 BLUE GINGER 32 Poplar, Rd, Kings Heath, B14 7AD 0121 444 0999 BLUE MANGO Regency Wharf, Broad St, B1 2DS 0121 633 4422 BLUE PIANO RESTAURANT AND BAR 24-26 Harborne Rd, B15 3AA 0121 454 6877 BUONISSIMO 1 Albany Rd, Harborne, B17 9JX 0121 426 2444 CAFE OPUS 1 Oozells Square, Brindleyplace, B1 2HS 0121 248 3226 CAFE SAFFRON Wolverhampton Road, Oldbury, B69 4RR 0121 552 1752 CARLUCCIO’S The Water’s Edge, Brindleyplace, B1 2HP 0121 633 9262 CENTENARY BAR & BRASSERIE Broad Street, B1 2EP 0121 245 2080 CHI BAR & GRILL 61 Newhall Street, B3 3RB 0121 233 3150 CHIMICHANGA 41 Mill Lane Arcade, Touchwood, Solihull, B91 3GS 0121 704 0749 CHUNG YING 16-18 Wrottersley Street,
B5 4RT 0121 622 5669 CHUNG YING CENTRAL 126 Colmore Row, B3 3AP 0121 400 0888 CHUNG YING GARDEN 17 Thorpe St, B5 4AT 0121 666 6622 CIELO 6 Oozells Square, Brindleyplace, B1 2JB 0121 632 6882 COAST TO COAST 9 Brindleyplace, Broad Street, B1 2HJ COTE The Mailbox, B1 1RX 0121 631 1587 CUCINA RUSTICA 24 Ludgate Hill, B3 1DX 0121 233 2277 EASTZEAST 167 Broad Street, Birmingham, B15 1AY, 0121 643 4808 EDMUNDS 6 Brindley place, B1 2JB 0121 633 4944 FIESTA DEL ASADO 229 Hagley Road, Birmingham, B16 9RP 0121 445 9331 FLEET STREET KITCHEN Fleet Street, Islington Gates, B3 1JH 0121 236 0100 ITIHAAS 18 Fleet St, B3 1JL 0121 212 3383 JAMIE’S ITALIAN Middle Mall, Bullring Shopping Centre, B5 4BE 0121 270 3610 JIMMY SPICES Regency Wharf, Broad St, B1 2DS 0121 643 2111 LAS IGUANAS Arcadian Centre, Hurst St, B5 4TD 0121 622 4466 LASAN 3-4 Dakota Buildings, James St, St Paul’s Square, B3 1SD 0121 212 3664 THE LOFT LOUNGE 143 Bromsgrove St, B5 6RG 0121 622 2444 THE LOST & FOUND 8 Bennetts Hill, B2 5RS 0121 643 9293 LOVES The Glasshouse, Browning St, B16 8FL 0121 454 5151 MECHU 47 - 59 Summer Row, B3 1JJ 0121 212 1661 METRO BAR & GRILL 73 Cornwall St, B3 2DF 0121 200 1911
THE DINNER CLUB
MINT Yew Tree Retail Park, Stoney Lane Yardley, B25 8YP 0121 789 8908 MOUNT FUJI The Bullring, B5 4BH 0121 633 9853 NUVO BAR 11 Brindley Place, B1 2LP 0121 631 1600 OPUS 54 Cornwall St, B3 2DE 0121 200 2323 THE ORIENTAL The Mailbox, 128-130 Wharfside St, B1 1RQ 0121 633 9988 PEACHY KEENS 1741 Coventry Road, B26 1DS 0121 764 5519 PENNY BLACKS The Mailbox, 132-134 Wharfside St, B1 1XL 0121 632 1460 PICCOLINO 9 Brindleyplace, B1 2HS 0121 634 3055 PITCHER & PIANO Brindleyplace, B1 2HP 0121 643 0214 POPPY RED Arcadian Centre, Birmingham, B5 4TD 0121 687 1200 PURNELL’S 55 Cornwall St, B3 2DH 0121 212 9799 PURNELL’S BISTO 11 Newhall Street, B3 3NY, 0121 2000 1588 RAJDOOT TANDOORI 78 79 George St, B31 1PY 0121 236 1116 THE RECTORY 50-54 St Paul’s Sq, B3 1QS 0121 605 1001 RED PEPPERS 117 Wharfside St, B1 1RF 0121 643 4202 SAN CARLO 4 Temple St, B2 5BN 0121 633 0251 SHIMLA PINKS 215 Broad St, B15 1AY 0121 633 0366 SIMPSONS, 20 Highfield Rd, Edgbaston, B13 3DU 0121 454 3434 THE SLUG AND LETTUCE, Brindley Place, Birmingham, B1 2HL 0121 633 3049 STRADA 109-111 Wharfside St, The Mailbox, B1 1XL 0121 643 7279 TGI FRIDAYS 180 Hagley Road, Edgbaston, B16 9NY 0121 454 1930 THAI EDGE 7 Oozells Sq, B1 2HL 0121 643 3993 TURTLE BAY 81-91 John Bright Street, B1 1BL THE VAULTS Newhall Place, Newhall Hill, B1 3JH 0121 212 9837
(EST 86)
FOR THE MORE DISCERNING UNNATACHED PERSON
SINGLE?
& BALL
Autumn
BLACK WHITE
Saturday 24th October
at Park Royal Hotel, Warrington, Cheshire WA4 4NS 7.30 for 8pm - Pre-dinner drink, 3 course meal with
wine, coffee and dancing till late (disco) Park Royal Hotel, Warrington acc o able
£65
m Cheshire WA4 a4NS (01244) 677030 weekdays or 548816 eve/weekends vail also
www.thedinnerclubuk.com 66 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
The Ryder Grill, Sutton Coldfield
WAGAMAMA Brindley Place, Birmingham, B1 WATERS ON THE SQUARE Chad Square, Hawthorne Rd, Edgbaston, B15 3TQ
Warwickshire 7 SQUARE 7 Old Square, Warwick, CV34 4RA 01926 411 755 NO. 9 CHURCH STREET Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire, CV37 6HB 01789 415522 AGRA PLACE 12 Abbey Green, Nuneaton, CV11 5DR 024 7635 0515 THE ALMANACK Abbey End North, Kenilworth, CV8 1QJ 01926 353637 AUBERGINE 32 Smith St, Warwick, CV34 4HS 01926 400 086 THE BELL Alderminster, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 8NY 01789 450414 BLUE BISTRO 21 Spon St, Coventry, CV1 3BA 024 7622 9274 CARLUCCIOS 13 Waterside, Stratford-Upon-Avon, CV37 6BA 01789 267424 CATALAN 6 Jury St , Warwick, CV34 4EW 01926 498 930 THE CHURCH STREET TOWNHOUSE 16 Church Street, Stratford-uponAvon, CV37 6HB 01789 262222 COOMBE ABBEY Brinklow Road, Coventry, CV3 2AB 024 7645 0450 CROSSED KHUKRIS GURKHA 115 Abbey Street, Nuneaton, CV11 5BX 024 7634 4488 EDWARD MOON 9 Chapel Street, Stratford-uponAvon, CV37 6EP 01789 267069 EGO 29 The Square, Kenilworth, CV8 1EF 01926 864463 THE ENCORE Bridge Street, Stratford upon Avon, CV37 6AB 01789 269462 FINEST CATCH B’ham Rd, Henley in Arden, B95 5QR 01564 793783 FIVE RIVERS 20-22 Victoria Terrace, Leamington Spa, CV31 3AB 01926 431999 HIGH PAVEMENT BAR & DINING 3 High Street, CV34 4AP 01926 494725 HELP OUT MILL Heather Rd, Shakerstone, Nuneaton, CV13 0BT 01530 260666 INDIA RED 25 Abbey Street, Nuneaton, CV11 5BX 024 7634 2090 LE BISTRO PIERRE Swans Nest, Bridgford, Stratford
upon Avon, CV37 7LT 01789 264804 MALLORY COURT Harbury Lane, Leamington Spa, CV33 9QB, 01926 330214 MATRICARDIS 97 High St, Henley in Arden, B95 5AT 01564 792735 MERCHANTS Swan Street, Warwick, CV34 4BJ 01926 403833 NUMBER SIX Castle Street, Warwick, CV34 4BP 01926 497663 ONE ELM 1 Guild St, Stratford-Upon-Avon, CV37 6QZ 01789 404919 PREZZO 1-3 High St, Warwick, CV34 4AP 01926 475867 RESTAURANT 23 34 Hamilton Terrace, Holly Walk, Leamington Spa, CV32 4LY 01926 422422 RISTORANTE DA VINCI 50 Earlsdon Street, Coventry, CV5 6EJ 024 7671 3554 ROBBIE’S RESTAURANT 74 Smith Street, CV34 4HU 01926 400470 ROOFTOP RESTAURANT @ The RST, Waterside, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 6BB 01789 403449 SAFFRON GOLD Market St, Westgate House, Warwick, CV34 4DE 01926 402061 THE SAXON MILL Coventry Rd, Guys Cliffe, Warwick, CV34 5YN 01926 492 255 TAILORS 22 Market Place, Warwick, CV34 4SL 01926 410590 THE TREVELYAN Warwick Rd, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 ONR 01789 295252 THE VINE INN 86 - 88 West St, Warwick, CV34 6AW 07873 219005 WARWICK SPICE 24 Smith Street, CV34 4HS 01926 491736 ZIZZI 85-87 Regent Square House, Parade, Leamington Spa, CV32 4NL 01926 432532
Worcestershire ANAKARALI 47 The Tythings, Worcester, WR1 1JT 01905 21412 ANGEL CHEF 1 Angel St, Worcester, WR1 3QT 01905 731131 ANUPAM 85 Church Street, Malvern, WR14 2AE 01684 573814 BACCHUS 44 Worcester Road, Bromsgrove, B61 0TA 01527 877557 BENEDICTOS 34 Sidbury, Worcester, WR1 2HZ 01905 21444 BINDLES BAR & BRASSERIE
55 Sidbury, WR1 2HU 01905 611120 BRAMBLINGS Hither Green Lane, Redditch, B98 9BE 01527 406600 BRIDGE INN Plough Road, Droitwich, WR9 7NQ 01905 345874 CHADDESLEY RESTAURANT Brockencote Hall Hotel, Kidderminster, DY10 4PY 01562 777876 THE CHASE INN Chase Rd, Upper Colwall, Malvern, WR13 6DQ 01684 540276 CHESTERS 51 New St, Worcester, WR1 2DL 01905 611638 CROWN & SANDYS Main Rd, Ombersley, WR9 0EW 01905 62025 EWE AND LAMB Hanbury Road, Bromsgrove, B60 4DN 01527 871 929 THE FIG TREE 99 Church Street, Gt Malvern, WR14 2AE 01684 569909 FUSION BRASSERIE Hawbridge, Stoulton, Worcester, WR7 4RJ 01905 840647 THE INN AT STONEHALL Stonehall Common, Worcester, WR5 3QG 01905 820462 KING CHARLES II King Charles House, New St, Worcester, WR1 2D 01905 22449 L’AMUSE BOUCHE 51 Graham Rd, Malvern, WR14 2HU 01684 572427 LE BRASSERIE 5 Lower Mill Street, Kidderminster, DY11 6UU 01562 744976 MAEKONG THAI 12 Worcester Road, Bromsgrove, B61 7AE 01527 578888 MASSALLA LOUNGE 35 Broad St, Worcester, WR1 3NH 01905 729955 MUG HOUSE Claines Lane, Worcester, WR3 7RN 01905 456649 ON THE ROCKS 44 Worcester Road, Bromsgrove, B61 7AE 01527 882412 PARADISE BALTI 7 Lower Mill Street, Kidderminster, DY11 6UU 01562 60479 PORTWAY ITALIAN, Alcester Rd, Redditch, B48 7HT 01564 824794 ROSADOS’S 2 Finstall Rd, Aston Fields, Bromsgrove, B60 2DZ 01527 889948 SAFFRON BISTRO 15 New St, Worcester, WR1 2DP 01905 610505
grand_whatson FP Sept:Layout 1 20/08/2015 08:56 Page 1
Great Theatre at the Grand! TUES 8 - SAT 12 SEPT
SUN 13 SEPT
SAT 26 SEPT
TUES 13 OCT
WED 14 OCT
West Bromwich Operatic Society are extremely proud to present
Music by ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER Book & Lyrics by DON BLACK & CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON Based on the film by BILLY WILDER An amateur production by arrangement with The Really Useful Group Ltd
WED 30 SEPT - SUN 11 OCT
CERI DUPREE EYEcons
FRI 16 OCT
THURS 15 OCT
Follow us on
@WolvesGrand
SAT 17 OCT
Like us on Facebook: Wolverhampton Grand
Box Office 01902
42 92 12
BOOK ONLINE AT www.grandtheatre.co.uk
Belgrade Silver Sword (FP) 2015.qxp_Layout 1 24/08/2015 20:24 Page 1
Published on Aug 26, 2015
The Midlands ultimate entertainment guide
Published on Aug 26, 2015
The Midlands ultimate entertainment guide