Wonderful Town is Wonderful

Leonard Berstein's New York inspired musical Wonderful Town arrives at the Birmingham Hippodrome this week, giving audiences classic Broadway showtunes and energetic dance numbers. The production stars West End favourites Connie Fisher and Michael Xavier as Ruth Sherwood and Rob Baker as well a strong supporting cast and a tight ensemble.

Lucy Van Gasse stars as Fisher's petite blonde stage sister - Eileen Sheerwood - with the looks and voice to match her natural stage presence. Her comic timing and performance of the love ballad "A Little Bit in Love" is charming, funny and commands attention. Nic Greenshields is funny but loveable as the larger than life Wreck, with hilarious chemistry with his onstage wife Tiffany Graves. The show boasts a strong supporting cast, each one deserving individual praise for their hard work and commitment to the show. Connie Fisher plays a good leading lady and is an instant win with audience's, although Gasse really should have the final bow... The main cast is only made stronger by a talented ensemble, spending the majority of the show performing highly energetic dance routines that keep the production's pace going.

Lucy Van Gasse steals the show as Eileen

Andrew Wright's contemporary musical theatre styled choreography is enough to buy a ticket alone. From dancing inhabitants of New York city opening the show with sustained lifts, charming Sailors doing the Conga to a drunk a passionate ballet in a Jazz Club, Wright's choreographic vision for the show works extremely well. My personal highlight was the number "Conquering New York" where the company creates the hustle and the bustle of the big city using clever movements with props. Although Simon Higlett's design of two huge skyscrapers disappearing into the distance and dirty apartments that fall apart before your eyes are interesting and intelligent, it seems as if the production budget ran dry before the set was able to be finished to make it look truly magnificent.

With so many classic musicals being revived recently theatre goers are more than spoilt for choice, however, the music, talent and choreography of Wonderful Town make this revival a funny and heart warming evening out, perfect for anyone wanting to be whisked away to the good old days of Broadway and the Big Apple.

First Night at the Opera

Having never been to the opera before I wasn't too sure what to expect last night at Welsh National Opera's production of "La Traviata". I've always liked the idea of "going to the opera" but have always been a bit anxious as to whether I could sit through two and half hours of singing in another language. However, last night's show was a really enjoyable experience and I'm glad to say I could sit through the two and half hours of singing in another language!

Before the show itself I did a bit of research (a quick Wikipedia of the story of the opera, what language it was in, who it was by etc) so I wasn't going into the totally unknown. I'd recommend other First Nighters to do this too, it means you won't be getting lost midway through the show. Also, the idea of everyone in the audience turning up in tuxedoes' and ball gowns put a bit of a shake in my boots, but it seemed to be a "dress as you want" dress code making the atmosphere less threatening and more relaxed.

Ok, so the production itself. La Traviata is a great "first opera", it's not too long and has two intervals (which broke the show up perfectly so I didn't get too agitated). This production was visually beautiful. The raked stage is lit sweetly and decorated with quaint French furniture and large dramatic drapes, at one point I found myself caught up in the wonder of the design rather than the drama taking place. A large orchestra plays hand in hand with a large ensemble to create a nice sound that doesn't make your ears wants to explode but is easy to listen to. The plot is somewhat easy to follow (if not a little bit dragged out) and resembles somewhat of a modern day soap episode, although I would recommend reading up on it beforehand.

The whole "foreign language barrier" is easy to get past with large sub-titles being played overhead. At first I couldn't figure out if I should watch the action or read the translations but I found I forgot about that in the end and started to naturally flip between the two. An interesting point to make is that the translations are played at the top of the proscenium arch and people sitting underneath the Circle couldn't see it.

WNO's production of La Traviata was visually and orally classic and beautiful and was a good introduction to the world of opera. I found myself caught up the character's lives and stories and gawping at how effortlessly they appear to sing. Forget what preconceptions you might have and give it a chance, you'd be pleasantly surprised... Just make sure you've done your research and have a seat where you can see the subtitles!

What's happened to this blog...

So I started this little blog a year or so ago just to see what happened and (by some crazy chance) it seems to be going well. I started blogging about my random experiences and thoughts and from there ended up writing for the Birmingham Hippodrome as one of their First Night Bloggers. After that I was approached by the people at I Am Birmingham (big cheer for my hometown) who have asked me to join the team reviewing and attending various events, shows and performances in Birmingham. And then I was approached by M. Magazine to do some writing for them, so it seems to have gone rather well. (I'm sure my GCSE English teacher would be rather proud of me...)

Anyway, lots of links below where you can see my ramblings. Enjoy.

My blog: This blog...
Birmingham Hippodrome First Night: Birmingham Hippodrome First Night
I Am Birmimgham: I Am Birmingham
I Am Birmingham Blog: I Am Birmingham Blog
M. Magazine: M. Magazine

Cinderella - The Greatest Pantomime of Them All!

Billed as "the greatest pantomime of them all" the Birmingham Hippodrome's 2011 pantomime "Cinderella" doesn't lie!

I've been a regular panto-goer at the Hippodrome for  ten years now and have seen many Cinder's go to the ball, Jack's climb beanstalks and Aladdin's find magical lamps. But this year QDOS (the UK's biggest pantomime producing company) have managed to top themselves again.

Brian Conley returns to the Hippodrome making this his 5th pantomime at the venue - a record for the theatre - and manages to bring lots of laughter for all audience members.  Panto leading lady Kathryn Rooney also returns to the Hippodrome to play the title role proving she not only has the beauty of a princess but also the voice of an angel. Lynda Bellingham makes her panto debut as the Fairy Godmother making you wonder why she hasn't made an appearance before - dare I say she was the most glamorous Fairy I've ever seen?

David Robbins and Martin Ramsdin are possibly the wickedest Ugly Stepsisters I've ever seen (and with names referencing to this years X Factor they are utterly hilarious!) Dan Burton and Matthew Goodgame make an admirable duo as Dandini and Prince Charming. Basil Brush even makes his role of the Baron his own and grasps the character like any true actor would!

Having seen well over 15 pantomimes by QDOS it's easy for gags to get recycled and routines to get boring but this years production brings something fresh to the Christmas tradition... New effects mean Cinderella and Buttons both go to the Ball via a route over the heads of the audience and we see a traditional panto horse get transformed into a real life Shetland pony. There's plenty of gags and audience participation to get even the hardest pf Scrooges chuckling along. But the highlight for me was definitely watching Buttons (Brian Conley) battle it out with Prince Charming whilst singing a love duet with Cinderella... Even poor Cinders gets caught up in her hassle.

With magical songs, slapstick routines and costumes to dazzle (over 300 of them I believe) the Birmingham Hippodrome is the place to be this Christmas for festive entertainment for the whole family... Oh yes it is!

Slava's Snow Show is a Must See!

From the minute I walked into the auditorium covered in snow I felt that I wasn’t in for an evening of “usual” theatre, and let me tell you: I was not disappointed. Usually I find rather easy write a review; I can talk about what cast member I liked the most, my favourite song, what didn’t work too well in my opinion and so on. However, with this show I just don’t know where to begin! One sentence best sums up this performance: Slava’s Snow Show is amazing! It is literally a visual feast of delightfulness.

A company of clowns enchant audiences as they cover them in a blizzard, wrap them up in a giant spider web, throw massive inflatable balls out and cover them in water. There’s not much story behind the entirely mimed show but it seems to bring out the inner child within you, who wouldn’t feel like a child when you’ve got half a dozen clowns throwing water at you?

I’m not going to lie, at first I was a bit sceptic. Did I really want to sit through a show of clowns miming? I found out I did! The show moves so fast with so much fun there’s not a moment for you to get bored.

Since seeing the show I’ve had a dozen people ask me if it’s “scary”... (The whole “I’m scared of clowns situation”) and it isn’t! Is it weird that I actually felt sorry for the clowns? The characters make you fall in love with them, not fearful of them.

I don’t want to write too much as it will give everything away, but seriously, there’s no wonder this show won a Tony. Get a ticket!

Visit Birmingham Hippodrome for ticket and show details.

Tracie Bennett's End of the Rainbow on Tour

Judy Garland once graced the stage of the Birmingham Hippodrome and now over 40 years after her death Tracie Bennett brings "End of the Rainbow" to the theatre giving audiences a dramatic insight into the final events of her life.

Judy starts off as a camp diva, refusing to go on stage and ends up flailing around her London hotel as she is forced into drink and drugs by the life she's led. The emotional ending really hits home. And a few references to The Wizard of Oz are sure to keep the audience chuckling.

Bennett gives a truly magnificent performance as Judy. One moment I found myself chuckling away at her over the top camp performance and the next I was taken aback as she wobbles around stage drunk and dosed up on drugs. It's not surprising that London audiences loved her, and it's not at all a surprise that Bennett will be reprising her role on Broadway. From Judy's voice to her dramatic personality, Tracie Bennett embodies the character.

The show features many of Garland's much loved songs including "The Man That Got Away", "The Trolley Song" and "Over the Rainbow"... Not only are these songs orchestrated beautifully by a small band, but the likeness in the leading lady to Garland's voice is uncanny. Bennet really does capture that deep husky tone that Judy was famous for.

Hilton McRae, Norman Bowman and Robert Maskell give excellent performances to as Anthony (Judy's pianist) Mickey (her fiancée)  and various other roles. The relationship between the men in her life and Garland was portrayed beautifully by these fine actors.

I couldn't help but feel emotional as we see the events leading up to the star's tragic overdose after which Bennet performs "Over the Rainbow" to a standing ovation. The shows leading lady definitely gave it her all and fully embodied the Hollywood star.

Finally, a piece of pure class entertainment is getting the recognition it should! This show deserves every success it gets and it's easy to tell that Broadway will lap this production up. 

See this show on the rest of the UK tour... It's one not to miss.

For tickets and information visit http://www.birminghamhippodrome.com 

My First Night at the Dance Xchange

Last night I was invited to attend Hofesh Shechter’s "Uprising and The Art Of Not Looking Back". Having never attended a legit dance production before I wasn’t too enthralled about the whole idea... My initial ideas could not have been more wrong. From the moment I entered the auditorium with usher’s offering me earplugs I knew that I was in for an evening of something interesting.

Act 1 consisted of a company of male contemporary dancers in an act entitled “Uprising”. I was amazed at their core strength and ability to mould themselves into all directions... Being a dance student (I know, a dance student who doesn't like watch dance shows seems crazy) I can only imagine the years of practise gone into being able to have such control over their movements. It’s also important to note their selling of the performance: the dancers fully committed to the performance and conveyed strong emotions to the audience of dance students, dance enthusiasts and general public. After some amazing flooreography (dancing on the floor... that’s not a technical term) Act 1 ended with a man being suspended by the other dancers waving a red flag (a nice homage to Les Mis in my opinion).

Act 2’s “The Art of Not Looking Back” was presented by a female company. The juxtaposition of men beating each other up in Act 1 to the female dancers performing jaunty ballet positions whilst shaking their stomachs violently at the sky tells us a lot about the artistic choices behind Hofesh’s idea. My highlight of the show was when the men joined the women and the whole company performed a spookily sped up version of the whole show in dimly lit shadows. I believe the lighting plot played a huge part in the success of this show... Without it the dance effects wouldn’t work.

Not being a huge fan of watching dance performances beforehand this show has definitely opened up my mind to a new branch of theatre... I was always under the impression that dance was supposed to tell a story and even though I could not for the life of me decipher a story from the whole piece it was thought provoking and extremely clever. In my reviewing notes I wrote “something from a Saw movie” which I pretty much sum up the whole concept of this piece. I would urge anyone to check out Hofesh’s or the Dance Xchange’s work.

Evita Returns to the Hippodrome

The Bill Kenwright tour of “Evita” returns to the Birmingham Hippodrome this week to delight audiences with a sweet production.

Abigail Jaye delights as Evita.


Abigail Jaye gives a stunning and sassy performance in the iconic role of Eva Peron. With vocals that melt your ears she overpowers the orchestra and gives a memorable performance of the show tune anthem “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina”. Jaye laps up the audience’s applause and it’s easy to see she’s in her element in the title role. Co-stars Mark Powell and Mark Heenehan (as Che and Peron respectively) support their leading lady well and offer good vocals and steady performances throughout. My highlight performance goes to Sasha Ransley in her role as the Mistress as she melts audience’s hearts with her rendition of “Another Suitcase in Another Hall”. Reuben Kaye as Eva’s lover Magaldi provides a strong character and luscious vocals. The show’s ensemble support the leading players and deliver strong harmonies (and lots of costume changes). The quirky ensemble number “Peron’s Latest Flame” offers a good build up to the act one finale of “A New Argentina”.

The ensemble in the showstopper "Buenos Aires"

Conductor David Steadman has a great Andrew Lloyd Webber score to work with and the musical arrangements are a feast for the ears as audiences are delivered some of their most memorable musical theatre songs ever written. With music ranging from tango to rock, the score helps to develop the story along nicely and allows for some great vocals from the ensemble with haunting harmonies. Matthew Wright’s design stole the show, with a set composing of moving staircases, sliding balconies and shadowing Argentinean pillars, the visual aspect for audiences is delightful.

The production is a nice show, it has all the right elements – good leads, good score, good set but I can’t help but think something is lacking. Maybe it’s the overload of slow ballads, or the lack of “wow factor” effects; I don’t know. Whatever I think, it’s clear to see that audiences love the show from its great success: it’s been playing the UK for a good few years and has even had an international leg on its tour.

Finally a big shout out and round of applause for some of my buddies who are appearing in the show in the Birmingham stop of the tour... I was like a proud father watching you.

A True Night at the Theatre for “Top Hat On Stage” at the Birmingham Hippodrome

“Dress to impress! It's Black Tie and Tiara night...” As I walked the red carpet at the Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre last night I could tell I was in for a true night out full of glitz and glamour. Even before the show began I immediately felt like I had been taken back in time to 1930s Broadway: there were ties and tiaras galore and the people of Birmingham had really gone all out for opening night.

The house lights dimmed and to the audience’s delight the conductor appeared and conducted the 23 piece orchestra under the glow of a follow spot; a definite throw back to the golden age of musical theatre. Three times Olivier Award nominee Summer Strallen and Strictly Come Dancing star Tom Chambers are the perfect duo to lead the strong company of 31 in this musical farce based on love and false identity. They play the roles made famous in the film by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, happy go lucky Broadway star Jerry Travers and the sassy Dale Tremont. Tom Chambers delights the audience with his Fred Astaire tap numbers, especially the act one finale when he is joined by the rest of the company, whilst Summer Strallen charms us with her beautiful rendition of “Better Luck Next Time” as she realises her love life is falling to pits. A personal highlight for me was watching the two leads fall in love in a London park as they tap and sing to “Isn’t It A Lovely Day (To Be Caught in the Rain?)”. Pure brilliance! Other highlights include Martin Ball and Vivien Parry’s act two duet “Outside of That I Love You” as they bicker over their marriage, whilst Ricardo Afonso and Stephen Boswell give genius comedic performances as the Italian fashion designer Alberto and the slightly deluded butler Bates. The cast of 31 continue this delightful performance as they simultaneously tap away in company numbers and bring to life scene including a Broadway stage, an upper class London hotel and a Venice beach.

A big round of applause is in order for choreographer Bill Deamer, mixing ballroom, tap and vaudeville styles to create a visual feast for theatre goers. It all looks perfect on a set designed by Hildegard Bechtler who uses sliding flats, beautiful backcloths and revolving beds to take us to nearly 30 locations. And what’s this show without the music? Although the film only had 5 songs, the creative team dug through Irving Berlin’s back trunk to create a beautiful score that takes us back to the golden era of musicals. Although, I couldn’t help but get distracted by some of the sliding flats getting stuck during scene changes, a few backcloths rising too early (and I’m pretty sure Tom Chambers might have been miming a few of his numbers, forgive me if I’m wrong...)

A big cheer should also go to the Hippodrome staff for hosting the “black tie and tiara” dress code and laying out a red carpet. It’s funny how theatres have spent the past few years making shows more accessible by diminishing dress codes and the affluent nature of the theatre, yet a sense of nostalgia filled the air as the audiences agreed that the theatre should be a place where you can get dressed up and feel elegant.

A 5 star production that deserves every success it gets, and if not more! It’s really good to see a piece of new commercial theatre that’s bringing something fresh to audiences. This show feels old in a sense that it takes you back to a time when theatre was an elegant night out, yet it feels fresh and exciting.

The show plays at the Birmingham Hippodrome until 10th September, before continuing its UK Tour.

Visit for tickets and for details on the show and the rest of the tour.

The Guangdong Acrobatic Troupe's Swan Lake at the Birmingham Hippodrome

I have to admit, the actual idea of going to the ballet is often more appealing to me than actually seeing it. Many times I've tried to sit through three acts of wonderful movement, music and scenery but by the end of Act One I'm often ready to go home. However, The Guangdong Acrobatic Troupe's production of Swan Lake disproved my "Act One only" theory.

The production mixes ballet with circus as the company tells the story of Swan Lake. I can't even begin to detail the amazement of the performance: from men dressed as swans en pointe (that's ballet terms for "on their tip toes"), to dancging frogs, clowns dancing on giant spinning globes and swans prancing about the stage on roller skates.

My personal highlight of the night was watching three men balance poles on the shoulders whilst others ran up them somersaulting from one pole to another. The entire Hippordrome audience was captivated from beginning to end. Another great feat for me was watching the principle dancers perform something I never thought I would see: an attitude promenade en pointe on someone's head (another ballet term: "one leg in the air, the other on tip toes, on someones head whilst turning").

I cannot praise this production enough! The company deserves all it's success and I applaud everyone involved with the show. I'd also like to say a big thanks to the Birmingham Hippodrome Frist Night Scheme... I wouldn't usuall book to see a show like this but thanks to them I was able to see a spectacular production that I will never forget. Who knows, maybe the next time I'm at the ballet I'll be able to sit through all three acts?

Six Summer Saturday's - Nofit

Chamberlain Square came to life over the Summer as the Birmingham Hippodrome took over with it's "Six Summer Saturday's" project, bringing live outdoor theatre across the city.

Dirty Dancing First Ever National Tour (coming to the Birmingham Hippodrome Summer 2012)

The kind people at the Birmingham Hippodrome invited me along to an exclusive press launch for the first ever national tour of “Dirty Dancing” today. First of all, I’m not going to lie; I’ve never seen the movie or the stage show – I’ve been living under a rock...The event was held at Aston Villa Football Ground and included a tour of the ground, drinks reception, lunch, exclusive performances from cast members and a Q&A / photo session.

Upon arrival we were greeted nicely and offered drinks before being shown a stadium tour. The tour included seeing the conference rooms, the pitch and (my favourite part) seeing the home team’s dressing room. I was amazed by the rooms – who knew there were hidden safes behind the team’s shirts? (I’m gonna guess anyone who loves football already knew this...)

Checking out the Villa's dressing room... Click for a bigger version.


After bumping into same familiar faces from other Hippodrome events fellow blogger Alex and I made our way to the main event...

Sitting at one of the press tables, chit chat and socialising was at the top of the agenda - I need to get used to these events and remember that when someone asks “where are you from?” they don’t mean my area, they’re in fact asking me what newspaper, company, ticket agent or TV / radio station I’m from. Following on from a lovely lunch provided by the Hippodrome / Villa Ground, the event began.

Dirty Dancing preview... Click for a bigger version.

James Leece and Charlotte Gooch burst onto stage performing the “Mambo” number: a hot Latin sequence with lifts galore. Karl Sydow (producer of the production) then took to stage to give the audience a general talk about the film, the show and the new tour. Chris Holland and Shonagh Daly then gave us an amazing performance of the song “Do You Love Me?" before all five of the Dirty Dancers held an open question and answer session.

Some interesting questions from the crowd revealed that the tour will include all the famous scenes from the movie (including the water scene, the log scene and of course the infamous lift) and that the production will follow closely to that of the recently closed West End show. However, the original set has been slightly adapted for touring venues (like every other big West End tour). The cast also told some quirky anecdotes about the “lift” going wrong in performances. Who knows? Maybe you’re there the night when Baby’s family have to stop her from face-planting the stage. Before going, the cast gave an extraordinary performance of the famous song “Time of My Life”.

James Leece and Charlotte Gooch perform for the press... Click for a bigger version.

The Hippodrome also revealed today that Dirty Dancing will be the last production to be performed on the current stage. On the 12th August 2012 the theatre will close its doors to undergo a million pound redevelopment of the main stage: a deck that has been there for decades and has seen some of entertainment’s most famous faces perform on it.

After a photo call it was time to leave; my train was full of other audience members discussing how excited they are to see the show (most of them have booked tickets over a year in advance).

Recently closed at the Aldwych Theatre, Dirty Dancing opened in the West End in 2006, breaking all box office records with advance ticket sales of over £15 million, which made it the fastest-selling show in West End history. It has since played to over 1 million people, receiving nightly standing ovations and continuing to enthral and delight. The show is sure to sell out at the Hippodrome soon so booking early is advisable.


Dirty Dancing will appear at Birmingham Hippodrome from Wednesday 4 July to Saturday 25 August 2012.

Ticket Prices: £20-£55 (Concessions available)

Book online www.birminghamhippodrome.com or telephone 844 338 5000.

For more information on the show visit www.dirtydancingonstage.com

Birmingham Hippodrome Presents Six Summer Saturdays

“Six Summer Saturdays is back – bigger and better!” Well, that’s what the Hippodrome is saying in their press releases and after attending a fun filled Press Launch, I can verify that they are truly living up to their promises. Over the summer, the Birmingham Hippodrome is bringing outdoor theatre to the streets of the city from the 9th July to the 13th August. What’s best? It’s all for FREE!

The Six Summer Saturday’s allow the Hippodrome take theatre off the main stage and make live performances accessible to new audiences. Over an estimated 100,000 attended last year’s events.

Today we were given an exclusive preview of some of the events going on across the city... The Pressure Company gave us a preview of songs on some of the weirdest and unusual instruments ever to be played in Chamberlain Square, whilst inflatable lobsters caused havoc in Victoria Square stopping to pose for pictures with innocent passersby. (I also had a chance to try out an interactive game on the BBC’s Big Screen in Victoria Square; I don’t know who had more fun, me or the little kids...)

Make sure you keep an eye out all over the city for snowball fights, interactive games on the BBC’s Big Screen in Victoria Square, inflatable lobsters parading the streets, six foot paintings, aerial theatre and much much more!

There’s something for everyone over the summer, whether you’re looking to make a day out of it, or just happen to get caught up in the wild excitement as you pass through the city. I’ll be going through the city with interactive glasses capturing all the fun on film for the theatre.

More information on the events, performances, dates and times (and the locations) can be found on www.sixsummersaturdays.com