Worcestershire Cover January 2020.qxp_Worcestershire Cover 13/12/2019 12:14 Page 1 Your FREE essential entertainment guide for the Midlands GINO - INTERVIEW INSIDE... WORCESTERSHIRE WHAT’S ON JANUARY 2020 JANUARY ON WHAT’S WORCESTERSHIRE Worcestershire ISSUE 409 JANUARY 2020 ’ WhatFILM I COMEDY I THEATRE I GIGS I VISUAL ARTS I EVENTSs I FOOD On worcestershirewhatson.co.uk PART OF WHAT’S ON MEDIA GROUP GROUP MEDIA ON WHAT’S OF PART inside: Yourthe 16-pagelist week by week listings guide PINOCCHIO join the adventure with Oddsocks at Artrix TWITTER: @WHATSONWORCS @WHATSONWORCS TWITTER: THE MORMONS ARE COMING... Award-winning musical on tour FACEBOOK: @WHATSONWORCESTERSHIRE MARTYN JOSEPH brings his inimitable folk style WORCESTERSHIREWHATSON.CO.UK to Huntingdon Hall Winchcombe Park Full January 2020.qxp_Layout 1 12/12/2019 17:27 Page 1 Contents January Warwicks/Worcs.qxp_Layout 1 13/12/2019 16:34 Page 2 January 2020 Contents Go, go, go, Joe! - Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat visits the Coventry Belgrade - page 32 David Baddiel Milton Jones Jennifer Saunders the list takes to the road to talk trolls, in-demand funnyman heads for summoning the dead in Blithe Your 16-page Twitter and Trump... the Midlands region Spirit at Malvern Theatres week-by-week listings guide feature page 8 page 25 page 30 page 53 inside: 4. First Word 11. Food 17. Gigs 24. Comedy 30. Theatre 43. Film 46. Visual Arts 49. Events fb.com/whatsonwarwickshire fb.com/whatsonworcestershire @whatsonwarwicks @whatsonworcs Warwickshire What’s On Worcestershire What’s On Warwickshire What’s On Worcestershire What’s On Managing Director: Davina Evans [email protected] 01743 281708 Sales & Marketing: Lei Woodhouse [email protected] 01743 281703 Chris Horton [email protected] 01743 281704 What’sOn Editorial: Lauren Foster [email protected] 01743 281707 Brian O’Faolain [email protected] 01743 281701 Abi Whitehouse [email protected] 01743 281716 Lauren Cole [email protected] 01743 281733 MEDIA GROUP Sue Jones [email protected] 01743 281705 Subscriptions: Adrian Parker [email protected] 01743 281714 Contributors: Graham Bostock, James Cameron-Wilson, Katherine Ewing, Jenny Ell, Nanci Davies, Patsy Moss Publisher and CEO: Martin Monahan Accounts Administrator: Julia Perry [email protected] 01743 281717 This publication is printed on paper from a sustainable source and is produced without the use of elemental chlorine. We endorse the recycling of our magazine and would encourage you to pass it on to others to read when you have finished with it. All works appearing in this publication are copyright. It is to be assumed that the copyright for material rests with the magazine unless otherwise stated. No part of this publication may be reproduced, or stored in an electronic system, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recording or otherwise, without the prior knowledge and consent of the publishers. First Word January_Worc Davina November.qxp_Layout 1 13/12/2019 16:36 Page 1 Entertainment news from around the region A Bite Size festival at Warwick Arts Centre Coventry’s Warwick Arts Centre is this month once again hosting the Bite Size Festival, an initiative designed to cele- brate and promote some of the best new work from the Midlands’ creative talents. Offering audiences the chance to sample a range of theatre in one place on one day, the festival comprises six sessions throughout Saturday 18 January. Excerpts of brand new work, full-length shows and pieces still in development all feature. For more information, visit warwickartscen- tre.co.uk Graziano and Giada set to to help fund two new exhibitions. who has sold more than 75 million records The museum has also been inducted into the worldwide, plays the venue on Friday 31 July. dazzle in Havana Nights Trip Advisor Hall o f Fame. For tickets, visit axs.com For more information, visit covmm.co.uk RSC on the lookout for theatre groups to perform The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is offering amateur and semi-professional the- atre groups, schools and colleges the oppor- tunity to put on a play written or inspired by William Shakespeare. The production will be staged in the summer at The Dell, the RSC’s open-air performance Worcester to get state-of- space on the banks of the River Avon in Strat- the-art hockey centre ford. Anybody interested in mounting a produc- An application has been submitted to build a tion should download The Dell 2020 Guid- multi-million pound state-of-the-art hockey ance Notes & Application Form, which are centre in Worcester. available at rsc.org.uk/thedell. The closing The land is currently owned by the council. If date for applications is Monday 24 February. agreement is reached, it would be jointly Strictly Come Dancing professional Graziano leased for 30 years to RGS Worcester and Di Prima is preparing to ‘dazzle and delight’ Worcester Hockey Club, with a proposed Midlands audiences with a brand new dance opening date at the end of 2020. The plans show. include two international-standard hockey The 25-year-old will be joined on his Havana pitches, two youth-football pitches, a single- Nights tour by fellow Strictly professional storey pavilion with changing rooms, a club- and fiancée Giada Lini. Promising a mix of room and car park. A decision on the Latin dances, with individual performances application is due to be made by next month. from Graziano and Giada, the show stops off at a number of Midlands venues. To find out where, visit havananightstour.co.uk Warwick Castle date for Coventry Music Museum superstar Michael Buble secures new sponsor Grammy Award-winning superstar singer The Coventry Music Museum has secured a Michael Bublé will stop off at Warwick Castle new local sponsor for its 2020 programme. this summer as part of his UK tour of stately Community service organisation Coventry homes, castles and cricket grounds. Bublé, Leofric Lions has donated £1,250 to the venue 4 whatsonlive.co.uk First Word January_Worc Davina November.qxp_Layout 1 13/12/2019 16:36 Page 2 First Word Dance with Motionhouse in Leamington Spa Midlands dance company Motionhouse has launched three new classes at its Leam- ington Spa studio: Discover Movement & Play is a family- friendly class for children aged between two and five; Dance Fit For Over-60s focuses on dance-based exer- cises to keep older people active; and Surge is a ‘physi- cal and fun’ dance class for boys aged 11-plus. For more information, visit motionhouse.co.uk A Monster Calls at the Coventry Belgrade Theatre... First it was a book, then a film, now it’s a play. A story of love, life and healing, the production The critically acclaimed stage adaptation of focuses on 13-year-old Conor, his terminally ill Patrick Ness and Siobhan Dowd’s A Monster mother, and the monster who comes calling on Calls stops off at the Coventry Belgrade Theatre him in the depths of the night... The show is from Tuesday 3 to Saturday 7 March. suitable for children aged 10 and older. Stoke stadium date for Robbie Don’t forget New theatre producers gear up for 2021 Robbie Williams will this to Treecycle! Following the announcement of Corey Campbell, Balisha Karra and Jus- summer perform a special Remember that you can tine Themen as co-artistic directors, Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre has show at Port Vale Football take the hassle out of made two further appointments to the team that will support the delivery Club's Vale Park Stadium in recycling your of its UK City of Culture programme next year. Stoke-on-Trent. Christmas tree this Joining the venue as senior producer is Sâmir Bhamra, Artistic Director & Local lad and Vale supporter month by allowing a CEO of Phizzical, a Midlands-based production company creating adven- Robbie will take to the stage local hospice to take it turous touring work with a focus on South Asian and British Asian per- on 20 June for a concert in aid away for you. spectives. of three charities - the Donna St Mary’s Hospice’s The second appointment is Krysztina Winkel, who will take on the role of Louise Hospice for Children & Treecycling campaign embedded community producer and focus on outreach and participation. Young People, Unicef UK and will see volunteers Krysztina has previously worked with community drama group Barefeet The Hubb Foundation. collect thousands of Theatre in Zambia, as well as on social inclusion projects in countries used Christmas trees ranging from Italy to Iraq. from properties across Birmingham, Sandwell and Solihull, in return for a donation to the Hospice. The initiative takes place on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 January. More info is available at birminghamhospice. org.uk whatsonlive.co.uk 5 First Word January_Worc Davina November.qxp_Layout 1 13/12/2019 16:36 Page 3 First Word Gwen Taylor to star in new thriller A brand new thriller is coming to Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre in the spring (15 - 18 April). Based on a true story, The Croft is set in a remote region of the Scottish Highlands, where two women enjoying a break from the frantic pace of 21st century life find their weekend taking an unexpected turn... Gwen Taylor, who recently ap- peared at the Belgrade in the UK tour of The Lady Vanishes, takes top billing. For more in- formation, visit belgrade.co.uk Big names announced for Solihull’s 2020 summer festival Kool And The Gang, Tony Hadley, Belinda Carlisle, festival in the town’s Tudor Grange Park is this year Shalamar, Leo Sayer, The Brand New Heavies and taking place on 25 & 26 July.