Tag Archives: Birmingham

Writer: L. Frank Baum Music and Lyrics: Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg Director: Liam Steel Reviewer: Selwyn Knight The REP describes this production as a ‘bold yet faithful reimagining’ of the world created by L Frank Baum and forever cemented in our heads by the iconic MGM film. And the blurb does not lie – the story and the songs ...

Book and Lyrics: Robyn Grant and Daniel Elliot Music: James Ringer-Beck Director: Cat Robey Reviewer: James Garrington It’s a tale as old as time, yet in the hands of Fat Rascal Theatre, it is also pretty contemporary. Their take on the tale is different, but most of it has more than a slight ring of familiarity for most of the audience. Gender-swap ...

Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Original Choreography: Sir Peter Wright, Lev Ivanov, Vincent Redmon Additional Choreography: David Bintley, Marion Tait Reviewer: Daljinder Johal It’s difficult to reinvent the wheel for a classic ballet like The Nutcracker. But Sir Peter Wright’s 1990 production doesn’t need to when it’s just so magical. Since Wright gifted it to Birmingham, the scale of this annual production never fails ...

Writers: Pete Brooks and Andrew Quick, from the book by Joseph Conrad Directors: Pete Brooks and Andrew Quick Reviewer: Selwyn Knight Written in 1899, Joseph Conrad’s novella, Heart of Darkness, is often regarded as one of the great stories of the twentieth century. It is an attack on colonialism and empire, in which we follow our protagonist, Company man Charles Marlow, ...

Book: José Fernandez Music: Steve Margoshes Lyrics: Jacques Levy Director: Nick Winston Reviewer: Selwyn Knight ‘You want fame? Well, fame costs. And right here is where you start paying…’ To a generation raised on instant celebrity and The X Factor, these words must ring hollow, but Fame the Musical, based on Alan Parker’s 1980 film, Fame, shows that there is ...

Conductor: Richard Balcombe Reviewer: Selwyn Knight Today, Birmingham’s Symphony Hall pays tribute to the undisputed King of Swing, Frank Sinatra. And who better to lead that tribute than (probably) Britain’s finest crooner, Matt Ford, although, as Ford explains, this isn’t a tribute act, it’s a celebration of Sinatra’s sound – Ford doesn’t try to impersonate Sinatra’s voice or his quirks, ...

Conductor: Michael Seal  Reviewer: Selwyn Knight In an evening in the company of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO), one is pretty much guaranteed superb musicianship from all, with the acoustics of Birmingham’s Symphony Hall ensuring that every element is audible. So what is it that takes a good concert and makes it great? One feature might be the ...

Writer: Chris D’Arienzo Director: Nick Winston Reviewer: Clare White Two things are integral to 1980s Hollywood - big dreams and big hair. In The Bourbon Club on LA’s Sunset Strip small town girl Sherrie meets city boy Drew, both desperately searching for their big break. Aspirations of stardom and double denim collide as the pair fall in love; however, the ...