The Midlands Essential Entertainment Guide
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Midlands Cover - June_Layout 1 24/05/2013 13:55 Page 1 MIDLANDS WHAT’S ON WHAT’S MIDLANDS THE MIDLANDS ESSENTIAL ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE ISSUE 330 JUNE 2013 JUNE www.whatsonlive.co.uk £1.80 ISSUE 330 JUNE 2013 THE LION KING THE DEFINITIVE LISTINGS GUIDE ARRIVES IN BIRMINGHAM INCLUDING BIRMINGHAM WOLVERHAMPTON WALSALL DUDLEY COVENTRY STRATFORD WORCESTER INSIDE: REDDITCH MALVERN SHREWSBURY Bruce Joel Rubin TELFORD STAFFORD creator of Ghost STOKE interview inside Sean Foley brings Jacobean comedy to the RSC interview inside Peter Lord co-founder of Aardman talks pirates interview inside PART OF MIDLANDS WHAT’S ON MAGAZINE GROUP PUBLICATIONS GROUP MAGAZINE ON WHAT’S MIDLANDS OF PART What’sOn MAGAZINE GROUP ISSN 1462-7035 Grand Theatre (FP-June)_Layout 1 24/05/2013 08:36 Page 1 Contents June_Layout 1 24/05/2013 16:13 Page 1 June 2013 Editor: INSIDE: Davina Evans [email protected] 01743 281708 Editorial Assistants: Ghost The Musical Brian O’Faolain interview with creator [email protected] 01743 281707 Bruce Joel Rubin p6 Adrian Parker [email protected] 01743 281714 Sales & Marketing: Jon Cartwright [email protected] 01743 281703 Chris Horton [email protected] 01743 281704 Subscriptions: Adrian Parker [email protected] Sean Foley 01743 281714 interview p8 Managing Director: Paul Oliver [email protected] 01743 281711 Publisher and CEO: Martin Monahan [email protected] 01743 281710 Graphic Designers: Lisa Wassell The Lion King arrives in the Midlands, page 29 Chris Atherton Accounts Administrator Julia Perry TO GET THE VERY Peter Lord [email protected] p4 01743 281717 LATEST LISTING News talks animation p10 Website Development: INFORMATION, Jim Pallett Music p13 Contributors: VISIT: Rhianna Graham Bostock: Theatre whatsonlive.co.uk shines bright James Cameron-Wilson: Comedy p26 in Birmingham p13 Film; Anita Champaneri: INCLUDING Eating Out; BOOKING ONLINE Alev Dervish: Music Theatre p29 Eva Easthope, Kate The Midlands’ most Evans, Jessica Matthews, comprehensive Patsy Moss, Jack Rolfe, Dance p43 Jan Watts, Reggie White entertainment website Head Office: 4/5 Dogpole, Shrewsbury, Festivals p45 Shropshire. SY1 1EN Tel: 01743 281777 Fax: 01743 281744 Film/DVD p51 e-mail: info@whatson- live.co.uk Visual Arts p59 This publication is Follow us on... printed on paper from a sustainable source and is p63 produced without the use Events of elemental chlorine. twitter.com/whatsonlive June 2013 We endorse the recycling Clubbing/Gay p77 of our magazine and MTWTFSS would encourage you to Like us on... 12 pass it on to others to p78 read when you have Books/TV 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 finished with it. 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 facebook.com/whatsonlive Eating Out p79 ’ 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 WhatsOn 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 MAGAZINE GROUP 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. News June_Layout 1 24/05/2013 16:42 Page 1 News A ROUND-UP OF LOCAL AND NATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT NEWS ATG buys Broadway theatre Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG), which owns the New Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham, as well as the Regent Theatre and Victoria Hall in Stoke-on-Trent, has announced that it’s acquired the largest the- atre on Broadway. Situated in a prime posi- tion on New York’s 42nd Street, The Foxwoods Theatre is currently home to the most talked-about show on Broadway - Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark. This latest purchase brings the number of theatres in ATG’s portfolio to forty. Fierce Festival announces return of Franko B One of the most provocative performers ever to appear at Fierce Festival is to make a wel- come return to the event this year. Franko B will join forces with a dancing animatronic polar bear to present a large-scale theatrical performance, combining dance and film, at Warwick Arts Centre in Coventry. Other Fierce highlights include French artist Denis Tricot creating a giant Birmingham City Centre sculpture from strips of wood, and culinary fun with Blanch and Shock, Midlands’ youngsters to take to the stage who’ll be creating a feast using produce grown in Edible Eastside. Fierce runs at vari- An eclectic programme of plays, including Carlo Goldoni’s A Servant Of Two Masters, ous locations around Birmingham from 4 to Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and Mark Ravenhill’s Totally, lies at the heart of a July festival for bud- 6 October, with full programming details due ding performers. Inspired by Birmingham Rep’s centenary and its exploration of both new and to be announced in August. classic literature, The Young Rep Summer Festival of Theatre takes place at Birmingham’s Old Rep venue. The two-week-long mini-festival will see more than two hundred young people from across Birmingham and the West Midlands (aged between nine and twenty-five) come together to per- form. A highlight of the festival will be the world premiere of Evan Placey’s Girls Like That, a play written especially for young people which explores ‘the perilous consequences that can happen when teenagers and technology join forces’. The Young REP Summer Festival of Theatre plays at Birmingham’s Old Rep from 1 to 13 July. chance of taking part in the initiative, chil- More folk for Shrewsbury dren must submit a story or drawing of their In addition to hosting a highly regarded dream sleepover. UNICEF supporter Emma annual folk festival every August, the will be one of the judging panel and has stat- Shropshire market town of Shrewsbury is ed that she’ll “be looking for those who have also earning itself a mighty fine reputation for written or drawn a truly creative story or pic- attracting quality folk performers throughout ture, and someone who has really used their the year. American singer-songwriter Richard imagination”. For more information, visit Shindell, Cara Luft, Katriona Gilmore, Jamie www.giantsleepover.com Franko B Roberts and Belshazzar’s Feast have all been booked to appear at the town’s Hive venue between August and December. Coventry theatre takes the Grand Union gets a £100,000 Check out whatsonlive.co.uk for further infor- show on the road mation. birthday present The Belgrade Theatre in Coventry has Birmingham’s Eastside gallery and artists’ stu- launched an initiative designed to reach out dio Grand Union has been awarded a grant of Spice Girl urges children to to new audiences. The theatre’s Unplugged £100,000 by Arts Council England. series will feature numerous scenes and The funds will enable the artist-run space in raise funds for UNICEF readings performed by professional actors, Digbeth, which is celebrating its third birthday, Former Spice Girl Emma Bunton has with excerpts from Charlie Peace: His to increase its programming and bring more launched a nationwide initiative to tempt UK Amazing Life And Astounding Legend, One international artists to the city. A Small Hiccup, children to take part in the Giant Sleepover - Night In November and The Prodigals all fea- a group presentation featuring eight new com- the largest event of its kind in the world - and turing. The events will take place in some missions that in the process raise money for UNICEF. very unconventional settings around include perform- Children are also being invited to try their Warwickshire, including Coventry’s medieval ance, video, luck at winning the chance to enjoy ‘the ulti- Charterhouse, Draycote Water, The Butcher’s sculpture and digi- mate sleepover’ at one of six special venues Arms Restaurant in Priors Hardwick, Rugby tal media, will con- up and down the country - with Eastnor School’s Lewis Art Gallery, Foleshill Road’s tinue to show at Castle in Herefordshire and Trentham Edgewick Play Centre and Compton Verney the venue until Monkey Forest in Staffordshire the two ven- Art Gallery, which will stage the first event on Saturday 29 June. ues on offer in the Midlands. To have a Sunday 9 June. 4 www.whatsonlive.co.uk News June_Layout 1 24/05/2013 16:43 Page 2 Brindleyplace to host second Outdoor Film Festival The second Brindleyplace Outdoor Film Festival takes place in the heart of Birmingham next month, with organisers of the week-long event asking people from across the city to vote for their favourite film at www.brindleyplace.com. The free event will showcase a total of nine films between 8 and 14 July, all of which have a PG certifi- cate or below. Free popcorn will be on offer courtesy of Brindleyplace, while takeaway options will be available from local restau- rants including Wagamama, Thai Edge, Piccolino and Bank. Theatre announces new senior role Birmingham Hippodrome has appointed Paul Kaynes as its Director of Creative Programmes. Paul, who has twenty-five years’ experience working within the Midlands arts scene, previous- Top acts announced for the ly worked as the West Midlands Creative Programmer for the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, return of the Godiva Festival overseeing such major projects as The Voyage - the huge outdoor spectacular which launched the London 2012 Festival’s opening weekend. Paul, whose new role will see him Echo And The Bunnymen, Maximo Park and working with the Hippodrome’s Education and Creative Programming team to enable more The View, together with X Factor star Amelia people to experience all that the arts has to offer, says of the theatre’s future aims: “We want Lily, the Loveable Rogues and Titch, are just to give visitors to the theatre and Southside an unforgettable cultural experience, attracting some of the names announced for this new people to the area through a programme of outdoor performances.