Conductor: Paul Murphy 1990 was a year of anticipation for Birmingham’s cultural life. As builders completed work on the new Symphony Hall, soon to become the home of the CBSO, Birmingham Royal Ballet was preparing to begin its own new chapter. The company’s move from London brought a world-class ballet company permanently to the city, marking a transformative moment for Birmingham’s arts scene. The man responsible for that bold move? Sir Peter Wright, now celebrating his 100th birthday. Wright’s journey to that moment was not straightforward. Born into a Quaker family with a father who disapproved of his ambitions, he…
Author: The Reviews Hub - Central
The Reviews Hub - Central
The Central team is under the editorship of Selwyn Knight. The Reviews Hub was set up in 2007. Our mission is to provide the most in-depth, nationwide arts coverage online.
Writer: William Shakespeare Director: Greg Doran There are few moments in a theatre-going career when all the elements of a production come together so perfectly to deliver an evening of pure theatrical magic. Greg Doran’s production of Venus & Adonis is one such moment and one that any lover of theatre should strive to attend if they possibly can. First performed as a collaboration between the RSC and Little Angel Theatre, Greg Doran’s 2004 production has been revived a number of times over the subsequent years. It is ostensibly a very simple affair: one narrator, one musician and five puppeteers…
Writer: Noël Coward Director: Philip Wilson This is a very welcome addition to the usual menu of Coward comedies, in that Philip Wilson’s production is the first since a couple of late 20th-century revivals in which Celia Johnson and Diana Rigg took on the title role created for Marie Tempest in 1927. The Marquise Eloise de Kestournel is the vivacious former lover of both Raoul and Esteban, and her unexpected reappearance in their lives throws a spanner in the works of the intended marriage of their – and, as it turns out, her – respective children. Originally set in 18th-century France,…
Created by Stroud and Notes Music and Lyrics: Kyla Stroud, Natalie Stroud and Olivia Zachariah Writers: Hannah Sands, Kyla Stroud, Natalie Stroud and Olivia Zachariah Director: Hannah Sands Six years in the making, Public – The Musical arrives at Curve carrying considerable festival pedigree. Born from songs written during lockdown in 2020, developed through a first run at VAULT Festival in 2022 – where it won the Origins Award – and honed further at Edinburgh Fringe in 2023, where it took Playbill’s Pick of the Fringe Award, this is a production that has earned its place at a full-scale venue.…
Book: Thomas Meehan Music: Charles Strouse Lyrics: Martin Charnin Director: Nikolai Foster Annie has been a fixture of musical theatre since Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin’s score first reached Broadway in 1977. This production, directed by Nikolai Foster and produced by Michael Harrison and David Ian, has toured the UK repeatedly since its opening in Newcastle in 2015, taken in a West End run at the Piccadilly Theatre in 2017, and shows no signs of diminishing appeal. The story – plucky Depression-era orphan finds improbable route out of poverty via billionaire benefactor, outsmarting scheming orphanage keeper along the way –…
Book: Jessie Nelson Music and Lyrics: Sara Bareilles Director: Diane Paulus First premiering on Broadway in 2016, Waitress has become a modern cult classic, with a passionate following and countless productions worldwide and is now out and about across the UK on its 10th anniversary tour. Based on Adrienne Shelly’s 2007 sleeper hit film of the same name, it’s a heartfelt comedy-drama about love, friendship and finding the courage to start again, set to music penned by singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles. Audiences are whisked away to an old-school American diner, where we meet Jenna (Carrie Hope Fletcher), a down-on-her luck waitress…
Writer: Richard O’Brien Director: Christopher Luscombe Let’s do the time warp again… and again and again; for 53 years, audiences have been doing the Time Warp, and it doesn’t look like they will be stopping anytime soon! With another tour of the biggest cult musical of all time, audiences up and down the nation are singing and dancing along with their favourite songs once more. But does this tour live up to the ones that came before it? Rocky Horror Show, when originally written in 1973, was so far ahead of its time. Yes, it was written during the height…
Creators: Nic Doodson and Andrew Kay Director: Nic Doodson Writer: Ben Norris The Choir of Man, which first premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe before transferring to the West End and embarking on international tours, arrives at Milton Keynes Theatre with a well-earned reputation. This Olivier-nominated production transforms the stage into “The Jungle”, a vibrant, working pub filled with music, movement, and a palpable sense of camaraderie. By the evening’s conclusion, the audience is not merely entertained but genuinely buoyed. While not without minor imperfections, the production offers a thoroughly engaging and memorable experience. Central to the show’s success is…