Tag Archives: Birmingham

Writer: Eric Gracey from the novel by Mary Shelley Director: Mark Webster Reviewer: Selwyn Knight Most would claim to at least have heard of Mary Shelley’s gothic novel, Frankenstein, about the man who thinks he can play God, creating a living, breathing human. In just short of an hour, Blue Orange Arts presents the story from the monster’s viewpoint with ...

Book: James Lapine Music and Lyrics: William Finn Director: Mehmet Ergen Reviewer: Selwyn Knight The Hoover family is one dysfunctional family. As the programme notes suggest, while the characters may seem to have little in common they are glued together by that single familial bond.  Olive Hoover is the youngest family member. She’s bullied at school and harbours dreams of ...

Book: Marsha Norman, based on the novel by Alice Walker Music and Lyrics: Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray Director: Tinuke Craig Reviewer: Tim Harding Based on Alice Walker’s 1982 novel, The Color Purple tells a story with an epic sweep spanning over forty years in the life of Celie and the community in Georgia where she lives. It may be ...

Reviewer: Gemma Fincher Theatrical powerhouse and Broadway icon Lea Salonga is currently headlining her first set of UK concerts, bringing her one-woman show to the beautiful Birmingham Symphony Hall as part of her tour. The concert was rescheduled from February due to Salonga breaking her leg on a family skiing holiday; however, the postponement scarcely matters as she delivers a ...

Writer: Laurence Peacock Director: Kyle Williams Reviewer: James Garrington The Blowfish Theatre production of Boris the Musical came about as a result of that now infamous referendum in 2016 – a satirical musical about Boris Johnson and Brexit. Three years on, and we’re still arguing about whether or not we should leave the EU – so out comes the sequel, Boris ...

Music:  Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Tim Rice Director: Bill Kenwright Reviewer: Clare White It was the first of musical writing duo Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s creations to be produced back in the 1970s and famously launched the West End stage careers of Jason Donovan, Philip Schofield and Lee Mead. Five decades later, Joseph and his coat of many ...

Conductor: Frederick Brown  Reviewer: Tim Harding Only four weeks left until the summer holiday starts.  And it turns out that it’s not just school children (and teachers!) who are getting ready for the break; orchestral musicians, it turns out, are already packing up ready for some summer sun.   Fortunately for us, before they fly off the members of the Welsh ...

Composer: Hector Berlioz Conductor: Edward Gardner Reviewer: Tim Harding The Damnation of Faust is a curious beast; a “dramatic legend” conceived by the composer as a piece for the concert hall, not the opera house, and yet requiring fully realized dramatic performances from singers and orchestra. Under the baton of Edward Gardner, the familiar story of the scientist Faust who ...