Staffordshire What's On September 2015

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THE MIDLANDS ULTIMATE ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE STAFFORDSHIRE

’ What sOn www.whatsonlive.co.uk

Michael Palin Thirty Years Tour interview inside...

ISSUE 357 SEPTEMBER 2015

DUNCAN JAMES

ON THE R OAD WITH PRISCILLA

SHREK THE MUSICAL West End winner out on tour

BIRMINGHAM WEEKENDER free arts in the city feature inside...

INSIDE: FILM COMEDY THEATRE LIVE MUSIC VISUAL ARTS EVENTS FOOD & DRINK & MUCH MORE!

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Contents September Region 2 MM 8.qxp_Layout 1 24/08/2015 20:33 Page 1

September 2015

Shrek The Musical West End winner arrives in Wolverhampton, page 25

Michael Palin

Florence Welch

Birmingham Weekender

offers a candid insight into a diverse career interview, page 6

big, beautiful and blue in Birmingham, page 11

free arts in the city feature, page 42

INSIDE: 4. News 11. Music 22. Comedy 25. Theatre 38. Dance 48. Film 51. Visual Arts 55. Days Out 65. Food @whatsonwolves

@whatsonstaffs

@whatsonshrops

Birmingham What’s On Magazine

Staffordshire What’s On Magazine

Shropshire 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

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News September Region two.qxp_Layout 1 24/08/2015 21:12 Page 1

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

Six Million Dollar Man in Brum 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.

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.

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.

Chance to dance with the stars in Shropshire Big names revealed in Comedy Festival line-up Chris Ramsey (pictured), 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).

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The Place in Oakengates is on the lookout for local girls to audition for its forthcoming festive show, Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs. Successful applicants will get the chance to dance alongside Jeremy Edwards (Hollyoaks and Holby City) and Nicole Faraday (ITV’s Bad). Auditions take place at the theatre on 20 September and are open to all dancers local to the Telford area.

Dancers must be at least eight years old and able to commit to performances between 8 December and 3 January 2016.

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.

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A Shakespeare first for local drama group Shropshire Drama Company (SDC) is to stage its first Shakespeare production at Theatre Severn next month. Rehearsals are well under way for As You Like It, which shows at the theatre from 28 to 31 October.

Commenting on the forthcoming show, SDC’s Director, Rosalind Garrard, said: “We’ve performed a number of diverse and well-received plays at Theatre Severn since it was opened in 2009 but we’ve yet to stage a Shakespeare production. People who’ve seen us perform at Much Wenlock will know that no corners are cut in terms of costume and imaginative, complementary sets. As You Like It will be no exception.”

Rocking towards Christmas with Roy Wood Cockney duo Chas & Dave, Enigma Strings and Andy Fairweather-Low & The Low Riders are just three of the acts so far confirmed to join Midlands rocker Roy Wood at his yuletide shindig in December. Roy’s high-energy Christmas show proved a real success at Symphony Hall in 2014 - so much so, in fact, that this year it’s moving to the bigger premises of the Barclaycard Arena. The event will be hosted by Liverpool comedian Stan Boardman. Organisers are promising plenty of surprises during the course of the show, including an appearance by a very special guest...

Tickets for Roy Wood’s Rockmas 2015 are now on sale priced from £34.45.

Competition time at Tamworth’s first food fest Baking enthusiasts are being invited to show off their skills at Tamworth’s first ever food festival this month. The Tamworth Food Gusto Festival - taking place at the town’s castle on 12 and 13 September - is hosting a special cup cake competition, with prizes being awarded to the adults and children who cook up the most impressive treats. The competition will be judged by international chef Simon Smith (pictured), who’ll be cooking live throughout the first day of the festival.

For further information, visit tamworthfestival.co.uk.

Dudley rower takes up the challenge

One-off Shrewsbury gig for world music project A collaborative world music project bringing together UK and Asian musicians visits Shrewsbury this month.

Folk Nations came together to explore and learn from different cultures and musical traditions, foster collaborative working and inspire the creation of new pieces. The collective perform at The Hive on Belmont at 3pm on 1 September.

IN BRIEF Australia comes to Walsall on the big screen Opera Australia’s lavish and highly acclaimed production of Verdi’s Aida, performed on Sydney Harbour, will this month be screened live at Showcase Cinema in Walsall. A must-see show for the region’s opera lovers, the screening takes place on Tuesday 15 September.

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.

A Midlands rower whose enthusiasm for the sport stems from Netherton’s Let’s Get Rowing scheme is to take part in the Talisker Whiskey Challenge in December.

Dudley-based Lee Felton will be part of a four-man crew who’ll compete against thirtyfour other teams in a three thousand mile unaided race across the Atlantic Ocean (starting in the Canary Islands and finishing in Antigua). Lee’s team will be rowing to raise awareness of the Rape Crisis England & Wales and Sport For Freedom charities.

To find out more about water sports on offer in Dudley, visit dudleywatersports.com. 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.

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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

SEPTEMBER HIGHLIGHTS Sat 5 Sept, 7.30pm

ABBA REUNION Starring the original 'Frida' from the London West End cast!

Tickets: £20.50

Wed 9 Sept, 7.30pm

THE BARRON KNIGHTS Back by popular demand!

Tickets: £18.50

Thurs 10 Sept, 7.30pm

COLIN FRY- THE 6IXTH SENSE TOUR Bringing his unique form of comfort and upliftment

Tickets: £19.50

Fri 11 Sept, 7.30pm

SHEILA M.H.S- MENTAL HEALTH SHOW Following on from her sell out Mental Health Show

Tickets: £15.00

Sat 12 Sept, 7.30pm

REMEMBERING GENE PITNEY Step back to the 60’s and the greatest hits of Gene Pitney

Tickets: £19.50

Sun 13 Sept, 7.30pm

JULIAN SMITH Returns to the Garrick to perform his usual mix of moving melodies and up-tempo music

Tickets: £18.00

Fri 18 Sept, 7.30pm KEEP THE HOME FIRES BURNING Opera concert commemorating 100 years since WWI.

Featuring Dads Army favourite Ian Lavender

Tickets: £18.00

Sat 19 Sept, 7.30pm

WORBEY AND FARRELL’S HOUSE PARTY Four hands and one piano raise the roof

Tickets: £17.50

Sun 27 Sept, 2.30pm

MINISTRY OF SCIENCE LIVE 100% educational, 200% Anarchic, 300% Explosive.

Tickets: £14.50, £12.50 child , £48 family

BOX OFFICE: 01543 412 121 www.lichfieldgarrick.com LICHFIELD GARRICK, CASTLE DYKE, LICHFIELD, STAFFS, WS13 6HR

From

TUES 1 SEPT THE MERCHANT OF VENICE Polly Findlay directs Shakespeare's uncompromising play, until Wed 2 Sept, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-uponAvon 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-upon-Avon AVENUE Q Wolverhampton Youth Music Theatre presents its version of the smash-hit musical, which tells the story of the loveable characters from downtown New York who’re trying to make sense of life's burning issues, Tue 1 - Sat 5 Sept, Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton ERIC IN BENIDORM A tale of sun, sangria and sombreros as Eric starts out on a brand new adventure without Madge, Tue 1 - Sat 12 Sept, New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme TWELFTH NIGHT The Lord Chamberlain's Men present Shakespeare's tale of mistaken identity, Wed 2 Sept, Ludlow Millenium Green, South Shropshire FIRST PERSON PLURAL An evening filled with monologues from Birmingham's finest writers, Wed 2 Thurs 3 Sept, Old Joint Stock Theatre, B’ham 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 TWELFTH NIGHT The Lord Chamberlain's Men present Shakespeare's tale of mistaken identity, Thurs 3 Sept, Dearnford Lake, Whitchurch, Shropshire ABSENT FRIENDS London Classic Theatre present Alan Ayckbourn's critically acclaimed observation of friendship, marriage and what it means to be ultimately happy, Thurs 3 Sat 5 Sept, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury

HAY FEVER Stourbridge Theatre Company present an amateur production of Noel Coward’s comedy of bad manners, Thurs 3 Sat 5 Sept, Stourbridge Town Hall 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 threeplus, 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 KING CHARLES III Robert Powell takes the lead in Mike Bartlett's Olivier Award-winning future-history play, Fri 4 - Sat 19 Sept, The REP, B’ham THE MAN CALLED MONKHOUSE Solo play starring Simon Cartwright as the eponymous comic, writer, actor and TV personality, Sat 5 Sept, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury 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 smash-hit 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

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, B’ham 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 awardwinning production exploring what it is to be young and fearless, Tue 8 - Sat 12 Sept, The REP, B’ham AN AUDIENCE WITH CHRIS RYAN Join author Chris Ryan as he discusses his life in the SAS, Wed 9 Sept, The Place, Oakengates Theatre, Telford, Shropshire WAITING FOR GODOT London Classic Theatre present Samuel Beckett's funny and poetic masterpiece, Wed 9 - Fri 11 Sept, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury 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 COLIN FRY An audience with the TV medium, Thurs 10 Sept, Lichfield Garrick LIKE A VIRGIN Belfrey Players present Gordon Steel’s romp through the bubblegum years of teenage life, Thurs 10 Sept, Belfrey Theatre, Wellington, Shropshire THE RETURN OF NEVERLAND A brand new musical created and written by Joshua Davies and Josephine Sherlock, Thurs 10 - Sat 12 Sept, Prince Of Wales Centre, Cannock LIGHTHEARTED INTERCOURSE Belfrey Players present Bill Naughton’s classic tale of human relationships, Fri 11

Sept, Belfrey Theatre, Wellington, Shropshire BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY Celebration of the music of Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons, Fri 11 Sept, Bedworth Civic Hall THE DISAPPEARANCE OF DOROTHY LAWRENCE Vital Exposure interrogates the way in which society deals with women who step out of line, Fri 11 - Sat 12 Sept, Arena theatre, Wolverhampton BEAUTY AND THE BEAST JR. Presented by Young Performers Theatre Group, Fri 11 - Sat 12 Sept, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury 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, B’ham THREE ONE-ACT PLAYS Belfrey Players present Bad Reception, a comedy by Paul Vincent; Butler, a devised comedy whodunnit; and Trevor Suther’s gritty & emotional drama, Cut It Out, Sat 12 Sept, Belfrey Theatre, Wellington, Shropshire 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, Birmingham JACK AND JILL & THE RED POSTBOX Skimstone Arts present a sensitive and challenging multimedia and physical theatre performance fused with original music and projection, Sun 13 Sept, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury

Week Commencing

MON 14 SEPT DISTANCE Original play which deals with themes of family abuse and the

Dr Seuss’s Cat In The Hat Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

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NT LIVE: THE BEAUX STRATAGEM GATEHOUSE THEATRE

Thurs 3 Sept Simon Godwin (Man and Superman) directs George Farquhar's wild comedy of love and cash.

12a The ‘Beaux’: Mr Aimwell and Mr Archer, two charming, dissolute 6.45pm, £12.50/£10 concs young men who have blown their fortunes in giddy London. Shamed and debt-ridden, they flee to provincial Lichfield. Their ‘Stratagem’: to marry for money.

PIVA: MEASURE FOR MEASURE MUSIC FROM SHAKESPEARE'S TIME THE MET STUDIO

AUTUMN HIGHLIGHTS 25 September, 8pm O’Hooley & Tidow Summat’s Brewin’ Micro Tour 26 September, 8pm

The Madhouse Presents:

Gary Edward Jones Band Tickets: £10, £12 otd

Fri 11 Sept Piva has developed a special show where they will be playing late 16th century popular dance and ballad music which would have been used in the 7.30pm, £10/£8 concs theatres of the day. As with any Piva show, they bring the period alive with stories and tales about life in Shakespeare's theatre.

2 October, 8pm Chris Ramsey UTLD O Up AllOGrowed S Tickets: 17.50

7 October, 12.30pm

LUKE JERMAY – SIXTH SENSE

Literature at Lunchtime with Dr Jane – Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles

THE MET STUDIO

Sat 12 Sept

8 October, 8.00pm Mark Thomas Tresspass

Tickets: £15, £13 conc

8pm, £16/£14 concs

16+

Luke Jermay is the most incredible man you’ve probably never heard of. He can read your mind. No really; he can read your mind. He doesn’t use mind games or psychological tricks; there are no smoke and mirrors. 'Jermay’s - Sixth Sense' has gained critical acclaim with 5 Star reviews from Edinburgh to London’s West End.

THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW LIVE GATEHOUSE THEATRE

11 October, 8.00pm Andy Fairweather Low

15 October, 8.00pm Sean Kelly Live!

Thurs 17 Sept Come and join Richard O’Brien and some very special guests for a guaranteed party, live in cinemas for one night only. Still the world’s favourite rock ’n’ roll musical 40 years on, the sensational Rocky Horror 12a Show is hailed by critics and adored by fans around the 6.45pm, £10 world, For this exclusive event, O'Brien returns to the cast for the first time in more than 20 years.

NT LIVE: CORIOLANUS GATEHOUSE THEATRE

Mon 28 Sept National Theatre Live’s 2013 broadcast of the Donmar Warehouse’s production of Coriolanus 12a returns to cinemas by popular demand. Shakespeare’s searing 7pm, £12.50/£10 concs tragedy of political manipulation and revenge, Coriolanus features an Evening Standard Awardwinning performance from Tom Hiddleston (The Avengers, War Horse (film), BBC's The Hollow Crown) in the title role.

21 October, 8pm King King Tickets: £16 adv, £18 otd

30 October, 8.00pm Robert Newman: The Brain Show Tickets: £15, £10 conc.

31 October, 8pm

The Madhouse Presents:

Henry Priestman & Loved Up Les

THE MANFREDS GATEHOUSE THEATRE

Wed 30 Sept The '60s group Manfred Mann is considered one of the finest and most respected bands from that era. As a result, their records have a timeless quality and, some 53 years on, The Manfreds, with original ‘front man’ Paul Jones, will be performing many of their 7.30pm, £20 hits, along with a mix of Jazz and Blues songs, from some of their best-known albums.

BOOKONLINE Box Office 01785 619080 www.staffordgatehousetheatre.co.uk

32 www.whatsonlive.co.uk

Brewhouse Arts Centre, Union Street, Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire DE14 1AA

Box office: 01283 508100. www.brewhouse.co.uk

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Theatre LISTINGS For full listing information on theatre productions, including times and dates, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk choices we make, Tues 15 - Sat 19 Sept, mac, Birmingham CALAMITY JANE Amateur staging presented by S&J Productions, Tues 15 - Sat 19 Sept, Stoke Repertory Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent 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 ROCKY HORROR SHOW Live National Theatre screening of the world’s favourite rock’n’roll musical, Thurs 17 Sept, Artrix, Bromsgrove; Stafford Gatehouse Theatre THE RED CHAIR Awardwinning Clod Ensemble present ‘a rich story of indulgence, neglect and recompense', Thurs 17 - Sat 19 Sept, The REP, Birmingham CHESHIRE CATS Cannock Chase Drama Society present a comedy by Gail Young, Thurs 17 Sat 19 Sept, Prince Of Wales Centre, Cannock 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, B’ham 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 OUR MAIN STORY TONIGHT Brand new play inspired by whatever major story is dominating the news, Fri 18 Sept, Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton DRACULA’S GHOST Original stage play concerning the actual story of Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula, Fri 18 Sept, Lichfield Garrick SEEING THE LIGHTS Brenda Murray’s funny, heartwarming and uplifting drama concerning a fractious family gathering, Fri 18 Sept - Sat 3 Oct, New Vic Theatre, Newcastleunder-Lyme SING-A-LONG-A FROZEN A full screening of the Disney sensation, complete with on-screen lyrics to help you sing along with Anna and Elsa during the film, Sat

19 Sept, The Place, Oakengates Theatre, Telford KEITH BARRY: BRAINMAKER Ireland’s biggest entertainment star, Sat 19 Sept, New Alexandra Theatre, B’ham 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 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 JURASSIC ADVENTURES A fun show for children aged three-plus featuring ‘mild peril & huge dinosaurs’, Mon 21 Tue 22 Sept, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury 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 DARCY OAKE Master magician who’s grabbed the world’s attention while ushering in a brand new era for an age-old art form, Tue 22 Sept, Civic Hall, Wolverhampton 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 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, Tue 22 Wed 23 Sept, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury 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 HMS PINAFORE Worcester On Stage present an amateur staging of Gilbert & Sullivan’s much-loved operetta, Tues 22 - Sat 26 Sep, Crescent Theatre, Birmingham GHOST THE MUSICAL Amateur production presented by the Lichfield Garrick Youth Theatre, Tue 22 - Sat 26 Sept, Lichfield Garrick 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 MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING Here To There Productions present a fresh take on Shakespeare’s classic tale, Wed 23 - Sat 26 Sept, Ludlow Assembly Rooms, South Shropshire 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, Thurs 24 Sept, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury 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 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, Bham THE MASTERS OF THE HOUSE SING THE MUSICALS Stars from West End shows including Les Miserables, Phan-

Sancho - An Act Of Remembrance - The REP, Birmingham

tom 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 IOLO WILLIAMS Wales’ best-known naturalist talks of Welsh homeland from mountain

tops to seashore. Sat 26 Sept, The Place, Oakengates Theatre, Telford, Shropshire 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 LES ENFANTS TERRIBLES: MARVELLOUS IMAGINARY MENAGERIE From the makers of Alice Underground and Captain Flinn And The Pirate Dinosaurs comes the

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Theatre LISTINGS For full listing information on theatre productions, including times and dates, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk promise of ‘a spectacle like no other’, Sun 27 Sept, mac, Birmingham LA TRAVIATA The Russian State Ballet & Opera House present Verdi's haunting tragedy, Sun 27 Sept, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury DAVID STARKEY The constitutional historian talks about the Magna Carta on its 800th anniversary, Sun 27 Sept, Ludlow Assembly Rooms, South Shropshire MINISTRY OF SCIENCE LIVE! New production

from the team behind Brainiac Live which takes a look at the inventors and engineers who’ve shaped the modern world, Sun 27 Sept, Lichfield Garrick

Week Commencing

MON 28 SEPT THE GLENN MILLER STORY The life and times of the world's most famous big band leader, Mon 28 Sep Sat 3 Oct, Regent The-

Marvellous Imaginary Menagerie - mac, Birmingham

34 www.whatsonlive.co.uk

atre, 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 BONNIE & CLYDE Get Your Wigle On present an amateur concert production of a non-traditional musical featuring blues, gospel and rockabilly music, Tue 29 Sept, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury 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 BRIEF ENCOUNTER A Different Animal Theatre present Noel Coward’s

classic love story, Tue 29 Sept - Sat 3 Oct, Lichfield Garrick 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, B’ham 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 SHREK THE MUSICAL Wed 30 Sept - Sun 11 Oct, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

Theatre Box Office Birmingham

Black Country

ALEXANDRA THEATRE 0844 871 3011 BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME 0844 338 5000 BIRMINGHAM REP 0121 236 4455 THE BLUE ORANGE THEATRE 0121 212 2643 CRESCENT THEATRE 0121 643 5858 DOVEHOUSE THEATRE 0121 706 7139 THE DRUM 0121 333 2444 HALL GREEN LITTLE THEATRE 0121 707 1874 MAC 0121 446 3232 OLD JOINT STOCK THEATRE 0121 200 0946 OLD REP 0121 359 9444 SOLIHULL ARTS COMPLEX 0121 704 6962 SUTTON ARTS THEATRE, SUTTON COLDFIELD 0121 355 5355

ARENA THEATRE WOLVERHAMPTON 01902 321321 BLOXWICH THEATRE 01922 653183 DUDLEY CONCERT HALL 01384 812812 FOREST ARTS CENTRE, WALSALL 01922 654555 GRAND THEATRE, 01902 429212 NEWHAMPTON ARTS CENTRE 01902 572090 OLDBURY REP, OLDBURY 0121 552 2761

Shropshire THE BELFREY, WELLINGTON 01952 222277 THE EDGE, MUCH WENLOCK 01952 728911 THE HIVE, SHREWSBURY 01743 234970

LUDLOW ASSEMBLY ROOMS 01584 878141 THE PLACE, OAKENGATES, TELFORD 01952 382382 THEATRE SEVERN, SHREWSBURY 01743 281281 WEM TOWN HALL 01939 232299

Staffordshire LICHFIELD GARRICK 01543 412121 NEW VIC, NEWCASTLEUNDER-LYME 01782 717962 PRINCE OF WALES CENTRE, CANNOCK 01543 578762 REGENT THEATRE, STOKE 0870 060 6649 RUGELEY ROSE THEATRE 01889 584036 STAFFORD GATEHOUSE 01785 619080 STOKE REPERTORY THEATRE 01782 209784

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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

36 www.whatsonlive.co.uk

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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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Dance

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

www.whatsonlive.co.uk 39

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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.

Released 18 September 40 www.whatsonlive.co.uk

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.

Birmingham Weekender:Layout 1 24/08/2015 10:33 Page 1

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

What’sOn ON BEHALF OF BIRMINGHAM ARTS PARTNERSHIP

The UK’s largest regional leisure publishers

Visual Arts Region 2 September.qxp_Layout 1 24/08/2015 21:13 Page 1

Visual Arts Tove Jansson: Tales From The Nordic Archipelago

Image Courtesy of Mat Collishaw and Blain|Southern

The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent, until Sun 13 September

Original unseen photographs and material relating to the life and work of Moomins creator Tove Jansson is here presented in an ongoing celebration of the hundredth anniversary of her birth (in 1914).

The images were taken over a sixty-year period, capturing a flavour of the existence which she enjoyed on her private island in the archipelago of Finland. The rare family photographs reveal the story of an extraordinary life.

Mat Collishaw New Art Gallery, Walsall, Fri 25 September - Sun 10 January 2016 This Mat Collishaw exhibition brings together works of sculpture, photography, film and installation which ably testify to the richness and breadth of his practice.

Collishaw’s reputation has been built on a fascination with the darker side of human nature. Among numerous other sources, he finds his inspiration via popular culture, mythology and the slick vernacular of advertising, creating a world in which even the most shocking of concepts becomes positively alluring.

Helen Snell: Burnt Out Shire Hall Gallery, Stafford, Sat 12 September - Sun 1 November

Award-winning artist Helen Snell has used digital laser and water jet cutting techniques to create Burnt Out, an exquisitely detailed Arts Council England-funded exhibition.

Exploring themes relating to imperialism, exploration, survival and the quest for knowledge in extreme and hostile environments, the show comprises floor-based, wall-mounted and suspended pieces.

One of its highlights is Paper Flotilla - a stunning installation of paper boats displayed on a purpose-built plinth.

Photo: Brick City - St Pancras Station

Brick City: The World’s Most Iconic Buildings And Landmarks In Lego Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery, Mon 14 September - Sun 11 October

Although for the majority of people Lego bricks are simply a toy with which to keep small children entertained, for Warren Elsmore they’re a challenging and enjoyable modelling medium. Warren here celebrates the potential of these hugely popular plastic construction pieces by using the bricks to build models of some of the world's best-known buildings and most iconic landmarks.

A master of his medium, Warren’s collection features both models that are indistinguishable from the real thing and ones which instead evoke the spirit of a building in just a few small pieces. www.whatsonlive.co.uk 51

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VisualArts PREVIEWS VisualArts LISTINGS Further exhibitions

Kay Boyce Exhibition The Willow Gallery, Oswestry, North Shropshire, Sat 26 September Sat 24 October

Best known for her visual presentations of ballerinas and contemporary dancers, Kay Boyce is one of the UK’s leading figurative painters. Despite having enjoyed a successful career as a freelance illustrator, Kay’s true vocation is as an artist. Her delicate use of oils and pastels lend a soft and distinctly feminine quality to her work.

Re-making The Past Bilston Craft Gallery, until Sat 31 October

This touring exhibition from the Devon Guild of Craftsmen brings together a selection of contemporary craft which explores the art and archaeology of the ancient past.

The six featured artists - Mary Butcher, Susan Kinley, Helen Marston, Syann van Niftrik and Wright & Teague - have each carried out extensive research into the lives and creativity of modern man’s Neolithic ancestors. They’ve then used their freshly acquired knowledge to inform their new artwork, presented in, among other materials, textiles, clay, metal and glass.

For full listing information on Visual Art exhibitions, including times and dates, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk LORD HILL, WATERLOO, WESTON & SHROPSHIRE: GEORGE RICHMOND'S PORTRAIT OF LORD HILL A small exhibition about Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill of Hawkstone and Almarez, to whom the Hon Orlando Bridgeman was ADC, and his legacy, until Tues 1 Sept, Weston Park, Staffordshire

PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY EXHIBITION Pictures by the Stourbridge Photographic Society, from flamenco dancers to a misty dawn across a vineyard, until Sun 6 Sept, Himley Hall & Park, Dudley

UNDERSTANDABLE ART

BY BARRY RHODES Exhibition of paintings including scenes of the Midlands, until Sat 5 Sept, Bilston Craft Gallery

SMALL WORLDS The artists in this exhibition focus their attention on the urban environment, until Sun 6 Sept, The New Art Gallery, Walsall

BLOOMING SHROPSHIRE 2015 OPEN Exhibition on the theme of flowers, until Sat 5 Sept, Van Gallery, Shrewsbury 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 TILLEKE SCHWARZ EMBROIDERY Solo exhibition from the Netherlands-based textile artist, until Sun 6 Sept, Shire Hall Gallery, Stafford

Landscape With Machines Coalbrookdale Gallery, Ironbridge, Fri 25 September - Fri 18 December

The response of contemporary artists to the legacy of the Industrial Revolution is explored in this brand new exhibition.

Highlights of the display include a piece which utilises stacks of circular machine parts to suggest a view of mountain peaks, spires or chimneys, and a copper and bronze sculpture which connects the intimacy of the body with the hard-edged physicality of the industrial world.

SUMMER SHOWCASE A selection of crafts with a summery theme, until Sun 6 Sept, Shire Hall Gallery, Stafford 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 STEWART EASTON: THE NEXT VERSE Exhibition which fuses together hand embroidery, sonic art and music, until Sun 6 Sept, Shire Hall Gallery, Stafford FROM ‘RED’ ELLEN TO OSWALD MOSLEY Portraits of inter-war politicians by Edmund Knapp, until Sun 6 Sept, The Barber Institute, Birmingham 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 THE STOURBRIDGE

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OUR STOUR An exhibition of photographs by Graham Beckley, until Sun 6 Sept, Himley Hall & Park, Dudley

SOUND, SYSTEM, CULTURE National tour celebrating reggae sound systems in key cities throughout the UK, until Mon 7 Sept, The Drum, Birmingham QUBE OPEN 2015 Annual open competition. This year’s theme is LIFE: Different Perspectives, until Mon 7 Sept, Qube Gallery, Oswestry, Shropshire JEWELLERY EXHIBITION Showcase of contemporary jewellery from School of Jewellery artists-in-residence and staff members, until Thurs 10 Sept, Pure Bar, Birmingham TO CHECK THE TIDE OF PREJUDICE Exhibition of lithographs, original sketches and wash drawings of the construction of the London & Birmingham Railway in the 1830s, until Thu 10 Sept, Coalbrookdale Gallery, Ironbridge, Shropshire NAUTICAL CRAFT EXHIBITION Works by contemporary designer/makers created in response to the sea and coast, until Sat 12 Sept, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham DOUGIE MAC PRESENTS EXPRESSIONS OF CARE Douglas Macmillan Hospice has teamed up with local schools to capture children’s feelings and emotions towards hospice care, until Sun 13 Sept, The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent SUMMER-THEMED EXHIBITION Exhibition for the summer holidays in the showcase gallery, until Sun 13 Sept, Red House Glass Cone, Stourbridge WALSALL SOCIETY OF ARTISTS 66TH ANNUAL EXHIBITION Bringing together a range of media by local artists, until Sun 13 Sept, New Art Gallery, Walsall

Hiroshige’s Japan: 53 Stations of The Tokaido Road

LOVE, LIFE & LANDSCAPES Featuring German romantic prints and drawings from the Barber’s collection, until Sun 13 Sept, The Barber Institute, Birmingham ANIMAL ARCHITECTURE

BY ADAM KOSSOFF Exhibition which explores the restoration of Dudley Zoo’s famous animal enclosures, until Sat 19 Sept, Wolverhampton Art Gallery WILLIAM SMITH, FATHER OF GEOLOGY Exploring the first scientific map of the British Isles, until Sat 19 Sept, Dudley Museum & Art Gallery

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

SUMMER OPEN EXHIBITION Featuring contemporary artwork and handmade crafts, until Sat 19 Sept, Willow Gallery, Oswestry, North Shropshire

THE LITTLE HOOT Collection of owls crafted by children from local nursery, primary, secondary and special schools in Birmingham, until Sun 27 Sept, Birmingham Museum & 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

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

THE ENGLISH SHIRES - A DIFFERENT LOOK A range of work viewing the shires through different eyes, until Sun 20 Sept, Newcastle Borough Museum and Art Gallery

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

MAGGIE KITCHING RBSA Display of prints drawn directly from life using vinyl relief and etchings, until Sat 26 Sept, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham

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

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 ANIMAL ALPHABET Have fun working your way through the alphabet with animals from the museum’s collections in this family-friendly show, until Sun 27 Sept, The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent JACQUES NIMKI: SEEN/UNSEEN A new, permanent installation featuring more than three hundred barely

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 MATT SAYERS: REMEMBER THIS A trip back in time, depicting Cannock Chase’s thriving mining industry, local surroundings and the people who built and shaped the community, until Fri 16 Oct, Museum of Cannock Chase 9 EVENINGS: REDUX Fresh look at Billy Kluver’s seminal 1966 art, performance and technology programme, until Sat 17 Oct, Vivid Projects,

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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 CRAZY COFFINS EXHIBITION The result of an artist-led project which explored how we’d like to be represented if we were to design our own coffins, until Tues 27 Oct, Newman Brothers Coffin Works, Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham MY LITTLE COLLECTION A single collection of over two thousand ponies reveals how My Little Pony has evolved from a child's toy into a collecting phenomenon, until Sat 31 Oct, Dudley Museum & Art Gallery PILOTS OF THE CARIBBEAN VOLUNTEERS OF AFRICAN HERITAGE IN THE RAF An exhibition curated in partnership with Black Cultural Archives. It tells the inspirational story of the volunteers, commemorating and celebrating their vital contribution to the defence of Britain during two World Wars and the subsequent peace, until Sat 31 Oct, RAF Cosford, nr Wolverhampton 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 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 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 ceramics made by twentynine potters working in England and Wales during the twentieth century, until Thurs 31 Dec, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery LOWRY & BERRY: OBSERVERS OF URBAN LIFE Works by distinguished artist LS Lowry and his local counterpart Arthur Berry are

here brought together for the first time, until Sun 10 Jan, The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent 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 MENTAL SPACES An ongoing project containing work produced by local artists affiliated to The Asylum Art Gallery, until Sat 2 Apr 2016, Light House Media Centre, Wolverhampton 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 TALKING WITH THE DEAD: SPIRITUALISM IN STOKEON-TRENT Bringing together stories, objects and photographs from attendees of spiritualist churches in Stoke-on-Trent, Tue 1- Sat 31 Oct, The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent RAY SHELDON EXHIBITION Exhibition exploring the dynamics of still life in art, Wed 2 - Wed 30 Sept, Weston Park, Staffordshire EPSTEIN'S ROCK DRILL I TRANSFORMED BY WAR Rock Drill was destroyed by Epstein at the end of 1915 and reformed into the truncated Torso In Metal From Rock Drill, Fri 4 Sept 2015 - Sun 24 Jan 2016, The New Art Gallery, Walsall

RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Thurs 10 Sept - Mon 9 Nov, Qube Gallery, Oswestry, North Shropshire THE HOSPITAL IN THE OATFIELD Exhibition of ten paintings by French artist Victor Tardieu, recently acquired by the Florence Nightingale Museum, Sat 12 Sept - Sun 1 Nov, Shire Hall Gallery, Stafford MADE AT MAC: PHOTOGRAPHY A showcase of work from two Kate Green-led courses, Sat 12 Sep 2015 Sun 10 Jan 2016, mac Birmingham BRICK CITY: THE WORLD’S MOST ICONIC BUILDINGS & LANDMARKS IN LEGO Celebration of some of the world’s most famous buildings, Mon 14 Sept - Sun 11 Oct, Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery 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 ARTS FUNDING DEBATE Two former Culture Secretaries discuss the impact of the new political landscape. Wed 16 Sept, Royal Birmingham Society Of Artists, Birmingham

DISPLAY SHOW Touring exhibition which considers display as intrinsic to artistic production and interpretation, Sat 19 Sept - Sat 12 Dec, Eastside Projects, Birmingham

CRAFTSENSE Explore three hundred years of craft through fine historic examples of applied arts produced in the Black Country, Thurs 10 - Wed 30 Sept, Bilston Craft Gallery

BIRMINGHAM PASTEL SOCIETY Exhibition in the showcase gallery, Sat 19 Sept - Sun 1 Nov, Red House Glass Cone, Stourbridge

FRACTURE: WW1 TO 21ST CENTURY HEALING A new digital installation, working in partnership with the world-renowned

MINER’S TOOLS A range of equipment used by miners over the years to extract coal, Sat 26 Sept - Sun 10 Apr 2016, The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent PAUL NEWMAN: STAGE Exhibition which explores the idea of an internal landscape, Sat 26 Sept - Sun 22 Nov, mac, Birmingham RAISING THE ROOF Reflections of the Hippodrome in its heyday, Sat 26 Sept - Sat 24 Oct, Dudley Museum & Art Gallery JOHN HOPKINS ARBSA Display of studio and ‘plein air’ watercolours, Mon 28 Sept - Sat 21 Nov, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham JET ROTMANS - A TALE OF TWO CITIES SHREWSBURY AND ZUTPHEN (NETHERLANDS) Exhibition mainly featuring work in the form of Jet’s favourite medium, the Artists' Book, Mon 28 Sept - Sun 13 Dec, Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery

Museums & Art Galleries Birmingham ARTIFEX Sutton Coldfield 0121 323 3776 BARBER INSTITUTE 0121 414 7333 BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM & ART GALLERY 0121 303 2834 CASTLE GALLERIES 0121 248 8484 GRAND UNION 0121 643 9079 IKON GALLERY 0121 248 0708 NUMBER NINE THE GALLERY 0121 643 9099 RBSA GALLERY 0121 2364353 STRYX GALLERY, DIGBETH stryxarts@gmail.com THREE WHITE WALLS GALLERY 0121 200 3328

RED HOUSE GLASS CONE 01384 812750 WOLVERHAMPTON ART GALLERY 01902 552055

Shropshire BEAR STEPS GALLERY, SHREWSBURY 01743 344994 SHREWSBURY MUSEUM & ART GALLERY 01743 258885 TWENTY TWENTY GALLERY, MUCH WENLOCK 01952 727952 THE WILLOW GALLERY, OSWESTRY 01691 657575 VAN GALLERY, MARKET HALL, SHREWSBURY 01743 355079 QUBE, OSWESTRY 01691 656882

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

Staffordshire AIRSPACE GALLERY 01782 261221 NEWCASTLE BOROUGH MUSEUM & ART GALLERY 01782 232323 THE POTTERIES MUSEUM & ART GALLERY, STOKE-ONTRENT 01782 232323 SHIRE HALL GALLERY STAFFORD 01785 278345 STAFFORDSHIRE MUSEUM, SHUGBOROUGH 01889 881388

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

EMMA HART: BIG MOUTH Collection of ceramic sculptures integrated with contradictory film, photography and sound elements, Sat 5 Sept - Sat 31 Oct, Grand Union, B’ham

PHOTOGRAPHIC PRIZE: 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

MINTON ARCHIVE An interactive exhibition of some of the museum’s Minton pieces, Sat 26 Sept - Sun 27 Mar 2016, The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent

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 KAY BOYCE EXHIBITION Figurative works in oils, pastels and pencil, Sat 26 Sept - Sat 24 Oct, Willow Gallery, Oswestry, North Shropshire WELCOME HOME! A CELEBRATION OF THE

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Events

Shropshire Truck Show Oswestry Showground, Shropshire, Sat 5 - Sun 6 September Widely considered to be the ‘friendliest’ event of its kind in the UK, the Shropshire Truck Show this month makes a welcome return complete with celebrity guests Jake Wood (EastEnders’ Max Branning) and Joey Essex.

The show also features a line-up of main arena entertainment (including displays from Moto Stunts international stunt team), a display of hundreds of trucks and the region’s largest showcase of truck acces-

sories.

Commenting on the event, Show Director Jason Lunn said: “Our recent break from the Oswestry site has allowed them to develop the showground, improving the roadways and toilets - and we were pleased to see a new grandstand in place for the main arena last year. We’ve had fantastic comments from everyone about our return to the venue.”

Stafford Arts Festival Stafford Town Centre, Staffordshire, Sat 5 September

Stafford’s fifth Arts Festival this month sees dancers, musicians and artists taking to the streets to provide passers-by with a range of free entertainment and activities to enjoy. Participants in this year’s event include Stafford Operatic Society, the town’s largest musical theatre group, presenting a showcase of songs from their upcoming production of Sweeney Todd and Art Brasil, performing Brazilian percussion, song and dance. Artists will be ‘in residence’ in the town to produce work that captures ‘the essence of the day’, while street theatre presentations include freestyle hula hoop performances and the talented bubbleologist who’s sure to delight crowds with his amazing bubble tricks.

Ludlow Food Festival Ludlow Castle, Shropshire, Fri 11 - Sun 13 September

A feast for the senses awaits visitors to this popular event in Shropshire’s renowned gastronomic hotspot. Now in its thirteenth year, the Ludlow Food Festival regularly delights huge crowds - and this year’s event certainly promises to carry on that tradition.

Attractions include more than one hundred-and-eighty artisan food producers, a host of top chefs and an abundance of demonstrations and activities catering for all ages. Numerous regular attractions, including a kids’ area with cookery lessons, are presented within the castle grounds, while the show’s always-popular food trails take place out in the wider town.

New for 2015 is the Talks & Tastings area, providing visitors with a chance to chat to local producers and chefs, watch them at work and taste the results. www.whatsonlive.co.uk 55

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Events PREVIEWS Battle Of Britain Weekend RAF Museum Cosford, Shropshire, Sat 12 - Sun 13 September

A flypast from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Spitfire is the centrepiece of this special RAF Museum Cosford weekend.

Commemorating the seventy-fifth anniversary of the most important event in Royal Air Force history, the weekend also features Leonides, Bristol and Griffon engine demonstrations.

Other highlights include a humorous 'make do and mend' class with Marjorie Cartwright-Jones - presented alongside vocal renditions of her favourite 1940s songs - and Second World War ‘hit parade’ numbers performed by singing trio Miss Fortunes.

Visitors to the event can also step back in time to a 1940s classroom, and see how a World War Two RAF Operations Room functioned during the Battle of Britain.

Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Festival Ironbridge, Shropshire, Sat 19 September

The Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Festival is an annual celebration of the area’s designation as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986. The event once again offers its winning blend of heritage talks and walks, craft and food markets and live street entertainment.

Numerous hands-on art activities for younger visitors also feature.

UK National Drum Fair Tamworth Food Gusto Festival Tamworth Castle, Staffordshire, Sat 12 - Sun 13 September

Tamworth Castle’s Pleasure Grounds offer a delightful backdrop for this inaugural event, which brings together a range of food, drink and artisan stalls with live entertainment and demonstrations.

As well as enjoying the selection of local and regional produce, visitors can relax to some live music or go on a castle tour.

An art area, face painting and traditional games ensure there’s plenty to keep youngsters entertained throughout the weekend.

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 Cycle Show NEC, Birmingham, Thurs 24 - Sun 27 September

Midland Game Fair Weston Park, Shropshire, Sat 19 - Sun 20 September

If traditional country pursuits are your passion, the well-established Midland Game Fair makes for a rewarding weekend. The premier event of its kind in the country, the show features a wide range of attractions, with everything from world-class clay pigeon shooting to game and coarse fishing demonstrations. Gun dog competitions, falconry displays, ferret racing, fine arts and rural crafts also feature, as do over six hundred trade stands catering for a wide range of visitors’ countryside shopping needs.

food traders through to drink merchants and provides the ideal platform for the city’s talented entrepreneurs to showcase their work.

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

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.

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). www.whatsonlive.co.uk 57

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Events PREVIEWS 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.

For further information, visit www.aplaceinthesun.com

Events LISTINGS For full listing information on Events, including times and dates, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk from

TUES 1 SEP SUMMER CERAMIC DROPIN WORKSHOPS Personalise a ceramic mug with brightly coloured designs using on-glaze painting (Mondays), or create your own creature out of clay (Tuesday to Friday), until Sun 6 Sept, Coalport China Museum, Coalbrookdale, Shropshire 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, until Sun 27 Sept, Victoria Square, Birmingham 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 SUMMER OF FUN Step

back in time as Drayton Manor celebrates its sixty-fifth anniversary in style, until Wed 30 Sep, Drayton Manor Theme Park, Tamworth, Staffs TUESDAY TILE DECORATING WORKSHOP Tues 1 Sep, Jackfield Tile Museum, Shropshire THE WORKS' CANTEEN An evening of poetry, lyrics, music and storytelling, Tues 1 Sep, Black Country Living Museum, Dudley SAM SCARECROW'S FARMERS GAMES DAY Family fun & games, Tues 1 Sep, Ash End House Children's Farm, Tamworth, Staffordshire ANIMAL ANTICS Meet Otto the Otter and Teddy the Fox as they make their way through the museum with a wooden cart that’s laden with ancient magic, props & relics from the greatest fairytales ever told, Tues 1 Sep, The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent THROUGH CLOSED GATES TOUR Opportunity to walk through long-lost pleasure grounds, Tues

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 threeday festival of free arts events taking place across the city.

1 Sep, Erddig Hall, Wrexham CAFÉ SCIENTIFIQUE: RESPONDING TO TRAUMATIC INJURY Talk from Professor Mark Midwinter, Tues 1 Sep, Thinktank at Millennium Point, Birmingham LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! Bring your pictures to life with thaumotropes and watch as the images appear to move, Tues 1 - Wed 2 Sep, Black Country Living Museum, Dudley SUMMER HOLIDAY FAMILY FUN Join the summer of fun at Cadbury World with a whole host of entertainers, from magicians to ventriloquists, Tues 1 Wed 2 Sep, Cadbury World, Birmingham BE A NATURE KNIGHT Nature activities and challenges, Tues 1 Wed 2 Sep, Chirk Castle, Wrexham SUMMER HOLIDAY CANDLE DIPPING Fun drop-in workshops to make your own fabulously coloured candle, Tues 1 - Sun 6 Sep, Blists Hill, Ironbridge, Shropshire DISCOVER & EXPLORE SUMMER ART CART Family 'drop in' and workshops sessions, suitable for children aged five and older, Tues 1 - Sun 6 Sep, Shire Hall Gallery,

Stafford MAIZE MAZE National Forest Adventure Farm's twelfth annual maize maze, Tues 1 Sun 6 Sep, National Forest Adventure Farm, Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire TERRIFIC TEXTILES WORKSHOPS Discover more about fantastic creations made from a variety of textiles, Tues 1 - Sun 6 Sep, Enginuity Museum, Ironbridge, Shropshire SEVEN SECRET DOORS Discover the site’s seven doors and the secrets that lay behind them, Tues 1 - Mon 7 Sep, Shugborough Historic Working Estate, Stafford SUMMER AT THINKTANK A packed programme of activities and events for children to enjoy, Tues 1 - Sun 27 Sep, Thinktank at Millennium Point, Birmingham FIVE NESTS Exhibition featuring a unique sensory setting where your young one can nestle, play or explore, Tues 1 Sep - Sat 31 Oct, Wolverhampton Art Gallery CAR RALLIES AT COSFORD Tues 1 Sep Thurs 31 Dec, RAF Cosford, Shifnal, Shropshire GEOCACHING AT ATTINGHAM Borrow a

device and help track down the geocaches, Wed 2 Sep, Attingham Park, Atcham, Shropshire TEDDY BEARS PICNIC Take along a picnic blanket and your favourite teddy, Wed 2 Sep, Ash End House Children’s Farm, Tamworth, Staffordshire SPORTY WEDNESDAY: HOWZAT CRICKET Wed 2 Sep, Attingham Park, Shrewsbury SPORTY WEDNESDAY: ATHLETES Wed 2 Sep, Attingham Park, Shrewsbury OCEAN FILM FESTIVAL WORLD TOUR Showcasing some of

the world’s most amazing underwater film footage, Wed 2 Sep, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury GREAT BRITISH WALKING FESTIVAL Exclusive tour of the gardens, Wed 2 Sep - Wed 28 Oct, Powis Castle and Garden, Welshpool, Shropshire MEET A MASCOT DAY Thurs 3 Sep, Ash End House Children’s Farm, Tamworth, Staffordshire ANTIQUES ROADSHOW Watch on as BBC One’s ever-popular Sunday evening programme is filmed at Trentham, Thurs 3 Sept, Trentham

Wulf’s Quest - The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent

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Events LISTINGS For full listing information on Events, including times and dates, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk Gardens, Stoke-onTrent TAMWORTH BEER FESTIVAL Featuring ninetyplus real ales from micro breweries, Thurs 3 - Sat 5 Sep, Tamworth Assembly Rooms, Staffordshire SHIRE HORSE DAY Fri 4 Sep, Ash End House Children’s Farm, Tamworth, Staffordshire GREGYNOG OPEN HOUSE EVENT Fri 4 - Sat 5 Sep, Gregynog Hall, Newtown, Powys WULF’S QUEST Travel back in time and try to save the Kingdom of Mercia from the tyranny of famine, Fri 4 - Sat 5 Sep, Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-onTrent MUCH WENLOCK WALKING WEEKEND Offering a different programme of walks every day, Fri 4 Mon 7 Sep, Much wenlock, South Shropshire BLACKSMITH EXPERIENCE DAY Sat 5 Sep, Black Country Living Museum, Dudley 4X4 IN THE FOREST Join the rangers in your 4x4 to explore Cannock Chase, Sat 5 Sep, Cannock Chase Forest, Rugeley, Staffordshire STAFFORD ARTS FESTIVAL Dancers, musicians, and artists take to the streets, Sat 5 Sep, Stafford Town Centre BAT WALK Sat 5 Sep, Attingham Park, Shrewsbury CRAVEN ARMS FARMERS’ MARKET Sat 5 Sep, Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre, Craven Arms, Shropshire FIREWORK CHAMPIONSHIPS Firework displays to music, Sat 5 Sep, Eastnor Castle Deer Park, Ledbury, Herefordshire STARS IN YOUR SKIES THE BIG BANG Dr Alan Longstaff explores the questions around the Big Bang, Sat 5 Sep, Carding Mill Valley & The Shropshire Hills, Church Stretton, Shropshire 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 SHROPSHIRE TRUCK SHOW The region's largest showcase of trucks and accessories, Sat 5 - Sun 6 Sep, Oswestry Showground, Shropshire 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 1940S WEEKEND Featuring period fete, musical entertainment, vintage motor vehicles and a mini-beer festival, Sat 5 - Sun 6 Sep, Churnet Valley Railway, Stoke-on-Trent IRON CURTAIN VEHICLE RALLY Featuring over forty Eastern European cars, Sat 5 - Sun 6 Sep, Foxfield Railway, Blythe Bridge, Staffordshire NATIONAL CHRYSANTHEMUM SHOW Sat 5 - Sun 6 Sep, Staffordshire County Showground GUILDEX Two days of specialist trade sales, demonstrations, models and layouts, Sat 5 Sun 6 Sep, Telford International Centre, Shropshire SUNDAY SCENES TOUR Take a walk with a member of the Trentham team and discover the story behind the restoration of Trentham Gardens, Sun 6 Sep, Trentham Gardens, Stoke-onTrent, Staffordshire RAF NATIONAL SERVICE PARADE A parade and service of Remembrance held by the National Service Royal Air Force Association, Sun 6 Sep, National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire DOLLS HOUSE FAIR Display of doll’s houses and miniatures, Sun 6 Sep, Staffordshire County Showground 28TH FESTIVAL OF 1000 CLASSIC CARS & NORTH WEST CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE SHOW Popular one-day event with a selection of classic cars and bikes on display, Sun 6 Sep, Cholmondeley Castle, Whitchurch, Shropshire GO CANOEING GUIDED TOUR Ideal for beginners, Sun 6 Sep, The Ackers, Small Heath, Birmingham BEAT THE BOUNDS WALK Sun 6 Sep, Attingham Park, Shrewsbury

Week Commencing

MON 7 SEP BAKE AND MAKE Have a

go at making a loaf of bread and pat of butter from scratch, Mon 7 Sep, Moseley Old Hall, Wolverhampton STAFFORDSHIRE HOARD & CONSERVATION TOUR Behind-the-scenes tour, Tues 8 Sep, Birmingham Museum And Art Gallery TUESDAY TILE DECORATING WORKSHOP Tues 8 Sep, Jackfield Tile Museum, Shropshire TOMMY’S PEPPA PIG SPLASHATHON Sponsored splashathon in aid of supporting Tommy's charity, Wed 9 Sep, Solihull Sports Centre, Birmingham THE SPIRIT MESSAGES TOUR An evening of mediumship with Janey Hitchcock and John Crook, Thurs 10 Sep, Festival Drayton Centre, Market Drayton, Shropshire SEASONAL CREATIVE COOKING AT LUDLOW FOOD FESTIVAL Join the Grow Cook Learn team, Fri 11 Sep, Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre, Craven Arms, Shropshire TOUR OF BRITAIN British cycling’s premier roadcycling event, Fri 11 Sep, Stoke City Centre LUDLOW FOOD FESTIVAL Featuring the very best of local fare, talks & demonstrations from the region's top chefs and the now-famous Ludlow Sausage Trail, Fri 11 - Sun 13 Sep, Ludlow Castle, Shropshire 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, Sparkbrook, Birmingham AN EXTRAORDINARY DAY IN THE LIFE OF MOSELEY OLD HALL Experience the adventures of Charles Stuart in 1651, Sat 12 Sep, Moseley Old Hall, Wolverhampton OPEN DOORS An annual celebration of Welsh culture and architecture, Sat 12 Sep, Chirk Castle, Wrexham HERITAGE DIESEL CAULDON SERVICE Experience railway nostalgia by travelling behind a heritage diesel locomotive, Sat 12 Sep, Churnet Valley Railway, Froghall, Staffordshire TOWN SKETCH CRAWL INTERIORS WITH DAVID BANNISTER Explore methods and techniques that will aid your drawing of architectural forms and interior spaces, Sat 12 Sep, The Willow Gallery, Oswestry, Shropshire

Heritage Day - Cadbury World, Birmingham

MULTICULTURAL FUN DAY Annual event featuring live music, dancers and food stalls, Sat 12 Sep, United Reformed Church, Shrewsbury HIPPODROME HERITAGE DAY A rare insight into one of the country’s best-known theatres, Sat 12 Sep, Birmingham Hippodrome MADE IN SHROPSHIRE: ARTS AND CRAFT MARKET A collaboration of artists, designer-makers and food producers who live or work in Shropshire, Sat 12 Sep, The Square, Shrewsbury 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 NEWCOMEN ENGINE IN STEAM Sat 12 - Sun 13 Sep, Black Country Living Museum, Dudley ANTIQUES FAIR Number One Events hosts their long-established antiques fair, Sat 12 Sun 13 Sep, Staffordshire County Showground BATTLE OF MORTIMER'S CROSS Croft is brought back to life with a reenactment of the Battle of Mortimer's Cross, Sat 12 - Sun 13 Sep, Croft Castle, Leominster, Herefordshire BATTLE OF BRITAIN WEEKEND Nostalgic family weekend of events and activities for the whole family to enjoy, Sat 12 - Sun 13 Sep, RAF Cosford, Shifnal, Shropshire CITY OF COLOURS Over one hundred street art and graffiti artists transform Digbeth into one of the world’s biggest art galleries, Sat 12 - Sun 13 Sep, Digbeth, Birmingham THE BIRMINGHAM CRUISE SHOW 2015 Opportunity to meet with all the major and specialist cruise liners, Sat 12 Sun 13 Sep, NEC, Birmingham

TAMWORTH FOOD GUSTO FESTIVAL Including children’s activities, live music and a beer tent selling speciality ales, Sat 12 - Sun 13 Sep, Tamworth Castle, Staffordshire SOOTY'S FUN HOUSE Fabulous new show to delight the whole family, Sat 12 - Sun 13 Sep, Cadbury World, Bournville, Birmingham BPM DJ & ELECTRONIC MUSIC PRODUCTION EVENT Featuring exclusive DJ performances, new product displays, seminars and workshops, Sat 12 - Mon 14 Sep, NEC, Birmingham FAMILY FUN AT LUDLOW FOOD FESTIVAL Join the Grow Cook Learn team and have a hands-on cooking experience, Sat 12 - Sun 13 Sep, Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre, Craven Arms, Shropshire 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 AUTUMN PLANT FAIR Cheer up your garden with some late-blooming plants, Sun 13 Sep, Weston Park, Nr Shifnal, Shropshire PROMS IN THE PARK Afternoon of musical entertainment, Sun 13 Sep, Haden Hill House Museum, Cradley Heath, Dudley MOLINEUX BRIDAL FAIR Featuring over twentyfive specific exhibitors to help you plan your big day, Sun 13 Sep, Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton AN EXTRAORDINARY DAY IN THE LIFE OF MOSELEY OLD HALL Experience the adventures of Charles Stuart in 1651, Sun 13 Sep, Moseley Old Hall, Wolverhampton

BOSTIN’ PEAKS AUTUMN SPORTIVE Sun 13 Sep, Uttoxeter Racecourse, Stafford MAKE A LADYBIRD HOME Learn about these popular insects and create a home for them to put in your own garden, Sun 13 Sep, Priory Park, Dudley WALK FOR DREAMS Charity fundraiser to support Promise Dreams, Sun 13 Sep, Wolverhampton Racecourse STEAM CREAM LAND CRUISE TRAIN Enjoy cream tea whilst travelling by steam train through the countryside, Sun 13 Sep, Foxfield Railway, Blythe Bridge, Staffordshire RIVER, ROME AND REPTON WALK Follow the river down to the Roman city and back via Humphrey Repton's grand entrance, Sun 13 Sep, Attingham Park, Shropshire CARRIAGE PARADE Hosted by The British Driving Society, Sun 13 Sep, Attingham Park, Shropshire TOUGH MUDDER NORTH WEST A ten-to-fourteenmile obstacle course, Sun 13 Sep, Cholmondeley Castle, Whitchurch, Shropshire THE SEVERN MILE A onemile processional race through Quarry Park in Shrewsbury, Sun 13 Sep, Pengwern Boat Club, Shrewsbury, Shropshire THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN: MYTH AND REALITY Join historian James Holland as he gives a talk on the Second World War, Sun 13 Sep, RAF Cosford, Shifnal, Shropshire FORK TO FORK Marcus Chilton-Jones leads a walk around the Dorothy Clive Garden, Sun 13 Sep, The Dorothy Clive Garden, Willoughbridge, Shropshire THE BIRMINGHAM COMMUNITY FOOD FESTIVAL AND HORTICULTURAL SHOW Sun 13 Sep, Winterbourne House &

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Events LISTINGS For full listing information on Events, including times and dates, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk Garden, Edgbaston, Birmingham

Week Commencing

MON 14 SEP THE BATTLE OF THE BAKERS Featuring celebrity chef Paul Hollywood, Tues 15 Sep, Britannia Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire TUESDAY TILE DECORATING WORKSHOP Tues 15 Sep, Jackfield Tile Museum, Shropshire MINE IT, MAKE IT, MOVE IT Hands-on event involving fun experiments and demonstrations, Wed 16 Sep, Blists Hill, Ironbridge, Shropshire TREE-MENDOUS! Trails and talks celebrating Cholmondeley Castle's tree heritage, Wed 16 Sun 20 Sep, Cholmondeley Castle, Whitchurch, Shropshire TASTE OF THE ORIENT An opportunity for visitors to sample authentic Chinese cuisine, Wed 16 Sep, Highbury Hall, Moseley, Birmingham BEHIND CLOSED DOORS TOURS Discover Erddig's hidden spaces... Thurs 17 - Fri 18 Sep, Erddig Hall, Wrexham DRIVE IN MOVIE - BLUES BROTHERS Screening of the iconic movie, Fri 18 Sep, Beckett's Farm, Wythall, Birmingham OPEN COCKPITS EVENING Fri 18 - Sat 19 Sep, RAF Cosford, Shifnal, Shropshire IRONBRIDGE GORGE WORLD HERITAGE FESTIVAL Sat 19 Sep, Ironbridge, Shropshire 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 WILDLIFE WATCH GROUP A programme of activities and walks for children and young people aged eight to fourteen, Sat 19 Sep, National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas, Staffordshire NORTHERN IRELAND VETERANS ASSOCIATION SERVICE OF REMEMBRANCE Sat 19 Sep, National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire MIDLAND GAME FAIR Including world-class clay pigeon shooting, gundog competitions, falconry displays, ferret racing, fine arts, rural crafts and hundreds of trade stands, Sat 19 Sun 20 Sep, Weston Park, Nr Shifnal, Shropshire 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, Bournville, Birmingham COLLECTIONS WEEKEND An opportunity to see some of the local ceramic items held in the castle collections, Sat 19 - Sun 20 Sep, Tamworth Castle, Staffordshire GREAT BRITISH WALKS A series of escorted walks as part of the Great British Walk, Sat 19 - Sun 20 Sep, Chirk Castle, Wrexham MEDIEVAL WEEKEND WITH CWMD IAL A look at life back in the early medieval period, Sat 19 Sep, Chirk Castle, Wrexham STONE MASONRY DAY COURSE Sat 19 Sep, Black Country Living Museum, Dudley

Birmingham Chilli Festival - Brindleplace

WILD DYES - DAY COURSES Sat 19 Sept, Black Country Living Museum, Dudley HARVEST BANQUET Featuring local autumn produce, mulled cider and a farmyard fire-pit, Sat 19 Sep, Fordhall Organic Farm, Market Drayton, Shropshire GARDEN DESIGN WORKSHOP A one-day workshop with awardwinning garden designer Clive Mollart, Sun 20 Sep, Trentham Gardens, Stoke-onTrent, Staffordshire 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 SHEPHERD & WILLIAMS ANTIQUES & COLLECTOR FAIR The perfect opportunity to find yourself a hidden gem to take home, Sun 20 Sep, Wolverhampton Racecourse KNOTTY TRAIN DAY A chance to travel on what’s said to be one of the oldest trains in the country, Sun 20 Sep, Foxfield Railway, Blythe Bridge, Staffordshire THE MILL WALK A short walk around the park's grounds, Sun 20 Sep, Attingham Park, Atcham, Shropshire ANTIQUE & VINTAGE FAIR Antiques and vintage collectables, Sun 20 Sep, Maws Craft Centre, Ironbridge, Shropshire ANNUAL CHILLI FESTIVAL 2015 Sun 20 Sep, The Dorothy Clive Garden, Willoughbridge, Shropshire ANTIQUE & VINTAGE FAIR Sun 20 Sep, Maws Craft Centre, Ironbridge, Shropshire

Week Commencing

MON 21 SEP ALL THINGS ONION A week of activities centred on the onion and its extended family, Mon 21 - Sun 27 Sep, The Weir, Swainshill, Herefordshire TUESDAY TILE DECORATING WORKSHOP Tues 22 Sep, Jackfield Tile Museum, Shropshire WALK WITH THE GARDENERS Seasonal tour around the gardens, Wed 23 Sep, Chirk Castle, Wrexham AUTUMN GARDEN FLORISTRY WORKSHOP Hands-on workshop in seasonal garden floristry, Thurs 24 Sep, Cholmondeley Castle, Whitchurch, Shropshire A LITTLE BOOK OF LEAVES Day course for those looking to return

Cycle Show - NEC, Birmingham

to hand stitching, Wed 23 Sep, Sunnycroft, Wellington, Shropshire SHREWSBURY BEER FESTIVAL Eighty real ales, ciders, perries and country wines, Thurs 24 - Sat 26 Sep, The Morris Hall, Shrewsbury, Shropshire CAMRA BEER FESTIVAL 2015 Thurs 24 - Sat 26 Sep, Prince Of Wales Centre, Cannock, Staffordshire THE CYCLE SHOW The UK's biggest cycling event, Thurs 24 - Sun 27 Sep, NEC, Birmingham A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM MURDER MYSTERY EVENING Join Mow Cop Players in the museum cafe for an evening of conspiracy and intrigue, Fri 25 Sep, Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent 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 LIGHTFEST Researchers from the Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies host demonstrations, workshops and public lectures, Fri 25 Sep, Library of Birmingham BIRMINGHAM WEEKENDER 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 NATURE'S AUTUMN BOUNTY Forage for autumn's bounty and finish the morning with a delicious lunch, Fri 25 - Sat 26 Sep, Fordhall Organic Farm, Market Drayton, Shropshire MAUDITS SONNANTS Concert and outdoor theatre performance with an orchestra of bell ringers and acrobats, Fri 25 - Sat 26 Sep, Centenary Square, Birmingham

BOWMAN ANTIQUES Selection of antiques, curios, vintage, retro & collectables. Up to four hundred stalls, Fri 25 Sun 27 Sep, Stafford Bingley Hall, Staffordshire 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 BOWMAN'S ANTIQUE FAIR Fri 25 - Sun 27 Sep, Staffordshire County Showground HARVEST FOOD FESTIVAL Local food & drink free tasters, Sat 26 Sep, Apley Farm Shop, Norton, Shropshire DANCING IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY Join the dancing village folk, Sat 26 Sep, Selly Manor, Bournville, Birmingham BATIK ON FABRIC WITH JENNY O'LEARY One-day course. Learn how to use traditional and nontraditional tools with hot wax on fabric and paper, Sat 26 Sep, The Willow Gallery, Oswestry, Shropshire MAS FESTIVAL Free event bringing music, art and sport to the heart of the city, Sat 26 Sep, Stoke-on-Trent City Centre CANAL ART FOR BEGINNERS - ROSES Sat 26 Sep, Black Country Living Museum, Dudley 1940'S WARTIME HANGAR DANCE Featuring Paul Drakeley & His All Stars Band, Sat 26 Sep, RAF Cosford, Shifnal, Shropshire 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, Bournville, Birmingham HISTORIC BOATERS’ GATHERING Sat 26 - Sun 27 Sep, Black Country Living Museum, Dudley HARVEST FAIR Celebrate harvest time with local food and local people, Sat 26 - Sun 27 Sep, Attingham Park, Nr Shrewsbury ARCHERY Have-a-go sessions throughout the day, Sun 27 Sep, Eastnor Castle Deer Park, Ledbury, Herefordshire BEECH TO BIRCH Be guided around the tree identification walk and discover the woodland, Sun 27 Sep, Dudmaston Estate, Bridgnorth, Shropshire WEST MIDLANDS TRAMPOLINE COMPETITION Sun 27 Sep, Solihull Sports Centre, Birmingham 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 CANAL ART FOR BEGINNERS - CASTLES Sun 27 Sep, Black Country Living Museum, Dudley

Week Commencing

MON 28 SEP TREASURES SERIES - THE ORGAN, WITH CANON MARCUS HUXLEY Canon Marcus Huxley talks about the organ at Birmingham Cathedral, Tues 29 Sep, Birmingham Cathedral TUESDAY TILE DECORATING WORKSHOP Tues 29 Sep, Jackfield Tile Museum, Shropshire RAMBLE WITH THE RANGERS Join the ranger team for a different walk each month in the castle's historic parkland. Walks are of differing lengths and difficulties, Wed 30 Sep, Chirk Castle, Nr Wrexham

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Eating Out September region two.qxp_Layout 1 24/08/2015 20:34 Page 1

Eating Out Voted Midlands No.1...

A Shropshire restaurant has beaten eateries across the Midlands to be named Regional Winner of the Waitrose Good Food Guide Reader’s Restaurant of the Year. The King and Thai in Broseley beat off some stiff competition from the region’s best-known restaurants with it’s ‘homecooked’ style food with ‘sauces made from scratch’ Chef Suree Coates from The King and Thai says, “I am so delighted to have won this award… At The King and Thai we are all passionate about fresh regional produce, seasonality and create fresh clean flavours in all our Thai dishes... I would like to thank everyone for voting for us and to our local suppliers for their consistent quality of produce.” The King and Thai is open Tuesday to Saturday 6pm – 9pm.

Chef Suree Coates

Little Italy in Wolverhampton...

REVIEW

Evening of fine food and wine at Hotel du Vin Following on from the success of the 2014 event, Birmingham’s Hotel du Vin is once again hosting a wine dinner. Taking place on 11 September, the dinner is hosted by the hotel’s new Head Sommelier, Marek, who will talk through the wines he’s personally chosen for the occasion. Co-hosting the event is Hotel du Vin ambassador and Sky Sports TV presenter Gary Newbon, who’ll be asking the questions and putting Marek through his paces during what promises to be a fun-filled evening. And if, after all that fine dining, you need to retire tout suite, special accommodation rates are available for those attending the event.

Hotel du Vin Ambassador - Gary Newbon

With an obvious lack of chain restaurants, Wolverhampton is quite unlike neighbouring city centres. However, with more and more independent eateries opening, it's definitely worth a visit.

Set in the heart of Darlington Street stands Rocco, an Italian restaurant which has just celebrated its first anniversary.

Although we were the first table to be seated straight after work on a Thursday evening, the restaurant quickly filled up with families, business groups and couples - always a good sign.

The manager, Mel, was a very attentive host. He made us feel extremely welcome and gave us his recommendations from the menu (which featured an excellent range of classic Italian meals). Whilst we pondered what to choose, we were presented with fresh, warm bread and tasty olives. This was washed down with a crisp glass of pinot grigio for me and a gin & tonic for my dining partner, Anoushka.

To start, I chose the antipasto Italiano (£6.95).

Stunningly presented, it was a very generous portion of speck, parma ham, salami, chorizo and ham.

All the meats were absolutely delicious - but what really gave it the edge was the dipped-inhoney toasted carrot shavings on top.

Anoushka opted for the classic Romana bruschetta (£3.95). The portion size was just right. Crispy on the outside, soft in the middle and with just enough topping, it received an emphatic thumbs-up from my friend.

My favourite main course is always seafood risotto (£10.95), and Rocco's version was simply amazing creamy tomato sauce with just enough garlic, peppered with prawns, mussels and baby squid. It arrived topped with a king prawn and the most perfectly cooked king scallop I’ve ever tasted.

Anoushka loves the classic penne arabiata (£8.50).

Rocco served it with pasta quills, shallots, garlic, fresh chillies and basil & passata sauce.The dish looked excellent and tasted lovely. The chef removed the cream from the sauce on our request; the restaurant couldn't have been happier to

oblige.

Both portions were very generous - perfect for large appetites.

The menu had a wide variety of dishes from which to choose, including pastas, pizzas, meat and fish.

Prices ranged from £7.95 to £19.95.

For dessert I opted for a creamy panna cotta (£3.95) with a tangy fruit coulis, which rounded off my Rocco experience perfectly.

The Death By Chocolate cake (£3.95) defeated Anoushka, who normally never leaves anything! It was, however, very tasty and every chocoholic’s dream.

A big thanks to Mel, Melissa and Beata, who provided excellent service throughout our evening.

And hats off also to the chef, Alexandra. We will be back! Eva Easthope Food: nnnnn Service: nnnnn Ambience: n n n n n Overall value n n n n n OVERALL n n n n n Rocco 72-73 Darlington Street Wolverhampton WV1 4LY Tel: 01902 546262

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Restaurant LISTINGS For full listing information on restaurants, including opening times and type of cuisine, visit: www.whatsonlive.co.uk

Black Country ARBOUR LIGHTS 127-128 Lichfield Street, Walsall, WS1 1SY 01922 613361 BANKS BISTRO Chapel Ash, Wolverhampton, WV1 4EP 01902 238433 BELLA 82 Chapel Ash, Wolverhampton, 01902 427555 BENGAL FUSION 174 High St, Lye, Stourbridge, DY9 8LN. 01384 891111 BILASH 2 Cheapside, Wolverhampton, WV1 1TU 01902 427762 THE BLUE BRICK Broad Gauge Way, Wolverhampton, WV1 1AA 01902 875301 BRAVACCIOUS 4 Upper Green, Wolverhampton, WV6 8QQ 01902 756052 CAFE CHAMPAGNE 253255 Bilston Road, Wolverhampton, WV2 2JN 01902 458024 CASA CASITA Upper Gornal, Dudley, DY3 1UP 01902 676754 CATELLANI’S 6 School St, Wolverhampton, WV1 4LR 01902 428928 CINNAMON COURT Bentley Mill Way, Walsall, WS2 0BP 0121 568 6664 THE COWSHED Clive Farm Clive Rd, Pattingham, WV6 7EN 01902 701888 THE CROOKED HOUSE Coppice Hill, Himley, DY3 4DA 01384 238583 THE DITCH 1 Town Hill, Walsall, WS1 2EU 01922 643215 DON SALVO 25 Darlington Street, Wolverhampton, WV1 4HW 01902 712819 DUNSLEY HALL Dunsley Rd, Kinver, DY7 6LU 01384 877077 FARADAYS The Waterfront, Brierley Hill, Dudley, DY5 1UR 01384 482 882 FIVE RIVERS Vicarage Place, Walsall, WS1 3NA 01922 646164 FOUR STONES Adam’s Hill, Clint, Stourbridge,

DY9 9PS 01562 883260 FRANZLS 151 Milcote Rd, Smethwick, B67 5BN 0121 429 7920 FRENCH CONNECTION 3 Coventry St, Stourbridge, DY8 1EP 01384 390940 FRENCH HEN Bromsgrove Rd, Clent, Stourbridge, DY9 9PY 01562 883040 GOLDEN MOMENTS 2-3 Ablewell St, Walsall, WS12EQ 01922 640363 THE HUNGRY BISTRO 81 Lichfield Street, Wolverhampton, WV1 1EQ 01902 546336 LE BRASSERIE 5 Lower Mill Street, Kidderminster, DY11 6UU 01562 744976 MADE IN THAI Darlington St, Wolverhampton, WV1 4HW 01902 312512 PARADISE BALTI 7 Lower Mill Street, Kidderminster, DY11 6UU 01562 60479 THE PIE FACTORY 50 Hurst Lane, Tipton, DY4 9AB 0121 557 1402 RED FORT Fold St, Wolverhampton, WV1 4LP 01902 424440 RISTORANTE ROMAGNA 4 Upper Green, Tettenhall, Wolverhampton WV6 8QQ 01902 756052 SAFFRON Wolverhampton Road, Oldbury, B69 4RR 0121 552 1752 SIMON’S 520 Chester Rd, Aldridge, Walsall, WS9 0PU 0121 580 9293 SPICES Hollywell Rd, Wednesbury, WS10 7PA 0121 502 0720 THE SPRINGHILL Warstones Rd, Penn, Wolverhampton, WV4 4LB 01902 342530 THE SUMMERHOUSE 92 Gospel End Rd, Dudley, DY3 4AN 01902 676 102 THORNESCROFT Bridgnorth Rd, Wolverhampton, WV6 7EQ 01902 700 253 THE WOODMAN Claverley, Wolverhampton, WV5 7DG 01746 710 553

THE DINNER CLUB

Shropshire AFTAB 25 High St, Ironbridge, TF8 7AD 01952 432055 ALBRIGHT HUSSEY Ellesmere Rd, Shrewsbury, SY4 3AF 01939 290 523 BISTRO JACQUES 77/77a Mardol, Shrewsbury, SY1 1PZ 01743 272586 BUTLERS Park St, Shifnal, TF11 9BA 01952 460128 CASA NARANJO Barracks Passage, Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury, SY1 01743 588165 CASA RUIZ 45 High Street, Bridgnorth, WV16 4DX 01746 218 084 CHEZ MAW Best Western Valley Hotel, Buildwas Rd, Ironbridge, TF8 7DW 01952 432247 THE COTTAGE Tern Hill, Market Drayton, TF9 3PX 01630 638984 CROMWELLS 11 Dogpole, Shrewsbury, SY1 1EN 01743 361440 DA VINCI’S 26 High St, Ironbridge, TF8 7AD 01952 432250 DORRINGTON OLD HALL PERSIAN CUISINE Main Road, Dorrington, Shropshire SY5 7JD 01743 719100 DRAPERS 10 St Mary’s St Shrewsbury, SY1 1DZ 01743 344679 THE FEATHERS Brockton, Much Wenlock, TF13 6JR 01746 785202 FENNELS 8 Market Place, Shifna,l TF11 9AZ 01952 463020 THE FOX INN 46 High St, Much Wenlock, TF13 6AD 01952 727292 FRANK CAFE BAR 129 Frankwell, Shrewsbury, SY3 8JX 01743 354422 THE GOLDEN CROSS 14 Princess St, Shrewsbury, SY1 1LP 01743 362507 GRANARY BAR & GRILL Weston Park, Westonunder-Lizard, Nr Shifnal, TF11 8LE 01952 852107 THE GLUTTON CLUB 165167 Frankwell, Shrewsbury, SY3 8LG 01743 361672 HADLEY PARK HOUSE Hadley Park, Telford, TF1 6QJ 01952 677269 HAVANA REPUBLIC

(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

Wildwood Kitchen, Telford

18 Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, SY2 6AE 01743 281744 THE HAYWARDS at The Lion Hotel, Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury, SY1 1UY 01743 353107 HENRY TUDOR HOUSE Barracks Passage, Shrewsbury, SY1 1XA 01743 361666 HILL VALLEY HOTEL Tarporley Road, Whitchurch, SY13 4HA 0844 879 9049 THE INN AT GRINSHILL The High Street, Grinshill, Shrewsbury, SY4 3BL 01939 220410 KING & THAI Avenue Rd, Broseley, Telford, TF12 5DL 01952 882004 THE KNIGHTON HOTEL Broad Street, Knighton, Powys, LD7 1BL 01547 520530 LA DOLCE VITA 35 Hills Lane, Shrewsbury, SY1 1QU 01743 249126 LA LANTERNA The Old Vestry, St Julian's Church, Shrewsbury SY1 1UH 01743 233552 LION & PHEASANT 50 Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury, SY1 1XJ 01743 770345 THE LION QUAYS Moreton, Oswestry, SY11 3EN 01691 684300 LOCH FYNE Talbot House, Market Street, Shrewsbury, SY1 1LG 01743 277140 LUDLOW KITCHEN Bromfield, Ludlow, SY2 2JR 01584 856020 THE MALTHOUSE The Wharfage, Ironbridge, TF8 7NH 01902 433712 MOMO·NO·KI T19 Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, SY2 6AE 01743 281770 MORGANS 1 Bellstone, Shrewsbury, SY1 1HU 01743 231199 THE MYTTON & MERMAID Atcham, Shrewsbury, SY5 6QG 01743 761220 THE OLD ORLETON INN Holyhead Rd, Wellington, TF1 2HA 01952 255011 THE OLD RECTORY HOTEL & RESTAURANT Lowe Hill Road, Wem, Shropshire, SY4 5UA 01939 233233 THE PEACH TREE 21 Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, SY2 6AE 01743 355055

THE PLUME OF FEATHERS Harley, Shrewsbury, SY5 6LP 01743 727360 PORTER HOUSE 15 St Mary’s St, Shrewsbury, SY1 1EQ 01743 358870 THE POUND AT LEEBOTWOOD Leebotwood, Nr Church Stretton, SY6 6ND 01694 751477 RENAISSANCE, 29a Princess St, Shrewsbury, SY11LW 01743 354289 ROMOLO Victoria Avenue, Shrewsbury, SY1 1HH 01743 233244 SARACENS Shrewsbury Rd, SY4 4AG 01939 210877 SEBASTIANS 45 Willow St, Oswestry, SY11 1AQ 01691 655444 SHALIMAR 23 Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, SY2 6AE 01743 366658 SHERAZ 79 Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury, SY1 1UT 01743 242321 THE SILVERTON the Old Dairy, 9-10 Frankwell, Shrewsbury SY3 8JY 01743 248000 TIN TINS Wellington Road, Telford, TF2 8AJ 01952 608688 THE WALLS Welsh Walls, Oswestry, SY11 1AW 01691 670970 ZIZZI RISORANTE 39-40 High Street, Shrewsbury, SY1 1SF 01743 353232

Staffordshire NO 5 Gaol Mews, Stafford, ST16 3AN 01785 22 9900 95 HIGH GREEN Cannock, WS11 1BH 01543 573905 1709 THE BASSERIE 3-5 Lombard St, Lichfield, WS13 6DP 01543 257986 BELLA ITALIA 20 Greengate St, Stafford, ST16 2HS 01785 211968 CHANDLERS Corn Exchange, Conduit St, Lichfield, WS13 6JU 01543 416688 THE CORNER HOUSE Second Avenue, BurtonOn-Trent, DE14 2WF 01283 542321 CURRY KUTEER 31 Greengate Street, Stafford, ST16 2HY

01785 253279 ESSENCE OF THE ORIENT 27 Broad Eye, Stafford, ST16 2QB 01785 229988 FOUR SEASONS Swinfen Hall, Lichfield, WS14 9RE 01543 481494 THE GREEN ROOM Castle Dyke, Lichfield, WS13 6HR 01543 412121 INDIAN VILLAGE 8 Lombard St, Lichfield, WS13 6DR 01543 253415 INDICA Virage Park, Cannoc, WS11 0HN 08712 070417 LA DOLCE VITA 19 Stafford St, Stone, ST15 8QW 01785 817 985 THE LODGE 24 Birmingham Road, Shenstone, WS14 0LQ 01543 483334 MALABAR 1-2 Water Street, Stafford, ST16 2AG 01785 227 500/600 MARLOES 13 London Road, Newcastle under Lyme, ST4 1LQ 01782 661983 THE MILL 1 Mill St, Stone, ST15 8BA 01785 818456 THE NAVIGATION INN Newport Road, Gnosall, Stafford, ST20 0BN 01785 822327 OLD VICARAGE 2 Main St, Branston, Burton, DE14 3EX 01283 533222 PASCAL AT THE OLD VICARAGE 2 Main Street, Branston, Burton-uponTrent 01283 533222 PASTICHE BISTRO 1 - 2 Mill Street, Stafford, ST16 2AJ 01782 263 737 THE PEAR TREE Swinfen, Nr. Lichfield, WS14 9QR 01543 481807 PORTOFINO 38-40 Marsh St Stoke-On-Trent, ST1 1JD 01782 209444 THE RED ROOM 7 Newcastle Road, Congleton, CW12 4HN 01260 297871 THORNBURY HALL, RASOI Lockwood Rd, Kingsley Holt, Stafford, ST10 2DH 01538 750831 WOLSELEY ARMS Wolseley Bridge, Stafford, ST17 0XS 01889 883179

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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

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SAT 17 OCT

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Box Office 01902

42 92 12

BOOK ONLINE AT www.grandtheatre.co.uk