Writer: L. Frank Baum Music: Harold Arlen Lyrics: E.Y. Harburg Additional Music and Lyrics: Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice Adaptors: Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jeremy Sams Director: Nikolai Foster The first stage version of The Wizard of Oz was written in 1902, this touring production uses the script and score put together for the London revival more than a century later. There was, of course, a rather successful film adaptation in the 1930s which still has the best songs of any retelling of Baum’s original. There is no doubting the polish and professionalism on display in the current revival.…
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.
Conductor: Christoph Koncz We’re a week into 2024, but the spirit of the New Year is still alive in Symphony Hall as the CBSO takes us on a trip to Vienna for the annual New Year concert. It’s a programme that’s sure to warm the heart on a Sunday afternoon in January as the orchestra and maestro Christoph Koncz whirl us back to a more glamorous age. It’s a nicely varied programme with a mix of the obvious Viennese candidates and some less obvious pieces, yet all with either a link to Vienna or an anniversary this year. What better…
Writer: Ginna Hoben Director: James Edge The period of time in between Christmas and New Year’s Day can be really tough to programme. Christmas shows feel out of place, but so does a non-holiday show – it’s hard to win. The Old Joint Stock have perfectly cracked this dilemma with The Twelve Dates of Christmas. This one-woman show is 85 minutes of giggle-inducing, touching honesty and an unexpectedly lovable counter response to the more traditional holiday rom-coms. Sam Carlyle, as Mary, takes to the festively decorated stage in cosy tartan pyjamas, cradling a mug of something warm, and immediately stops…
Conductor: Michael England You know it’s Christmas in Birmingham when the German Market sets up in the city centre – and just across Centenary Square is Symphony Hall, home to another great Birmingham Christmas attraction, the CBSO and their series of seasonal concerts. If you’re still in need of something to get you into the Christmas spirit, this is it. The concerts are always a treat for the whole family, and this year’s Christmas at the Movies is no exception. It’s a feast of delights, from the opening Miracle on 34th Street theme to the final White Christmas, with Have…
Writers: Harry Michaels & Matt Slack Director: Michael Harrison It’s been a year of highlights at the Birmingham Hippodrome and as always they’re seeing the year out with a bang with their usual big-budget pantomime. This year it’s Jack and the Beanstalk and it’s as big and spectacular as ever, with a stunning set design from Mark Walters to add to the hugely talented cast and effects. There’s a saying about not changing a winning formula, and the Hippodrome team has adopted that with a vengeance, bringing back Matt Slack for his tenth successive year, this time as Jack’s brother…
Writer: Charles Dickens Director: Mark Webster A Christmas Carol is a classic tale originally written by Charles Dickens. Taking place on Christmas Eve, the gruff and greedy Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his dead business partner, Jacob Marley, and three Christmas spirits. They work together to show him Christmas across the years, in an effort to convince him to become a kinder, more generous and loving man. This story has been told many times, and in many different ways. This year’s production at The Blue Orange is easily recognised as A Christmas Carol and proves to be…
Writer: Thomas Heywood Adaptor and Director: Isobel McArthur Purists expecting to see a faithful production of Heywood’s play will be sorely disappointed. Anyone who wants to be royally entertained by a script packed with humour and memorable characters and a production that is energetic and engaging will leave Stratford uplifted and delighted. It is the story of Liz who is forced to flee from the pub she calls home and her journey to build a new life. In doing so, she makes a new family from those also in need of saving for a range of reasons. Together they face…
Writer: Paul Hendy Director: Emily Wood If there’s anything you can pretty much count on with a Royal & Derngate pantomime, it’s that it will be safe to take your children to without worrying about inappropriate humour for young ears. This year is no different, as the creative team of Paul Hendy and Emily Wood, also known as Evolution Productions, return with another offering, and this time it’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The script is written by Paul Hendy, and audience members who are familiar with his panto scripts will find the usual sophisticated jokes which are designed…