Worcestershire Cover July 2017 .qxp_Worcestershire Cover 26/06/2017 20:37 Page 1 DAME SARAH CONNOLLY AT Your FREE essential entertainment guide for the Midlands THREE CHOIRS FESTIVAL WORCESTERSHIRE WHAT’S ON JULY 2017 ON JULY WHAT’S WORCESTERSHIRE Worcestershire ISSUE 379 JULY 2017 ’ WhatFILM I COMEDY I THEATRE I GIGS I VISUAL ARTS I EVENTSs I FOOD Onworcestershirewhatson.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 theMISS heat isSAIGON on as smash-hit musical lands in the Midlands TWITTER: @WHATSONWORCS @WHATSONWORCS TWITTER: AmericanSEASICK blues STEVE star headlines Bromyard Festival FACEBOOK: @WHATSONWORCESTER LivingVIKING History WEEKEND experience comes to Arley Arboretum WORCESTERSHIREWHATSON.CO.UK (IFC) Shrops.qxp_Layout 1 26/06/2017 18:24 Page 1 MEETING POINT: corner of Colmore Row & Waterloo Street, Victoria Square TOUR TIMES: 10.30am, 12.30pm & 2.30pm CONTACT: 0121 427 2555 / 07805 115 998 [email protected] AVAILABLE FOR PRIVATE HIRE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR Contents July Warwicks_Worcs.qxp_Layout 1 26/06/2017 15:02 Page 2 July 2017 Contents The Darkness - back in the UK to headline Godiva Festival more line-up info on page 19 Fusion The Mikado Summer Fun the list theatre, dance and music on the all-male version of Gilbert & Places to visit and things to do Your 16-page streets of Bromsgrove Sullivan’s classic in Malvern during the school holidays... week-by-week listings guide page 4 page 30 page 40 page 51 inside: 4. First Word 11. Food 15. Music 22. Comedy 26. Theatre 32. Film 36. Visual Arts 47. Events fb.com/whatsonwarwickshire fb.com/whatsonworcestershire @whatsonwarwicks @whatsonworcs Warwickshire What’s On Magazine Worcestershire What’s On Magazine Warwickshire What’s On Magazine Worcestershire What’s On Magazine Managing Director: Davina Evans [email protected] 01743 281708 ’ Sales & Marketing: Lei Woodhouse [email protected] 01743 281703 Chris Horton [email protected] 01743 281704 WhatsOn Yvonne Kentfield [email protected] 01743 281706 Editorial: Lauren Foster [email protected] 01743 281707 MEDIA GROUP Sue Jones [email protected] 01743 281705 Brian O’Faolain [email protected] 01743 281701 Elly Yates-Roberts elly@what- sonlive.co.uk 01743 281733 Abi Whitehouse [email protected] 01743 281716 Ryan Humphreys [email protected] 01743 281722 Adrian Parker [email protected] 01743 281714 Rhian Atherton [email protected] 01743 281726 Contributors: Graham Bostock, James Cameron-Wilson, Heather Kincaid, Katherine Ewing, Lauren Cox 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 Warwickshire_Worcs July.qxp_Layout 1 26/06/2017 15:12 Page 1 Entertainment news from around the region Reasons To Be Cheerful at the Coventry Belgrade A punk musical paying homage to rock’n’roll band Ian Dury And The Blockheads is visit- ing Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre in the au- tumn. Reasons To Be Cheerful is set in 1979 against the backdrop of mass strikes, punk rock and Labour’s crushing election defeat. The show follows die-hard Blockhead fans Vinnie and Colin as they set out to catch their favourite band live in concert at the Hammer- smith Odeon. With no tickets available for the sold-out gig, the boys are forced to think creatively, and find themselves embarking on a remarkable journey that leads to some rather unexpected consequences... Reasons To Be Cheerful shows at the Bel- grade on 8 & 9 September. For more info visit belgrade.co.uk Worcester’s Civil War Fusion of arts hits the place at the Gaydon-located venue on Sunday 13 August. Attractions will include a large Story at The Commandery streets of Bromsgrove motor sport display area showing BMW Car Visitors to popular Worcester attraction The Club Track Days, a rolling road, a tombola & Commandery can immerse themselves in the prize draw, family entertainment, a Pirelli sounds and smells of battle from this month stand, Concours winners and trade stands. onwards, courtesy of a brand new interactive For more information, visit britishmotormu- experience. seum.co.uk or call 01926 641188. Worcester's Civil War Story brings to life The Commandery's captivating history via an in- Kids’ TV favourites set to teractive exhibition, a collection of signifi- cant objects and documents, a programme of People out shopping in Bromsgrove on Satur- star in the Midlands live events, a number of city-wide trails and a day 22 July are in for an extra-special treat, as A touring concert featuring stars from some face-to-face meeting with Oliver Cromwell. the local arts centre brings a winning combi- of kids’ TV’s most popular shows is set to fin- The new attraction opens on Saturday 29 nation of theatre, dance, music and singing ish youngsters’ summer holidays on a high July. For more information, visit worcester- to the town’s High Street. note when it visits Birmingham’s Barclaycard shire.gov.uk The Artrix-programmed Fusion event, hosted Arena on 2 September. by BBC Hereford & Worcester’s Tammy Good- Presented by Disney Channel UK and Girl ing, will feature performances from profes- Talk Magazine in association with DHX Tele- sional artists and the voluntary sector. vision and Live Nation, The Big Ticket Con- Contributors include fire and hula-hoop cert is hosted by fan-favourite dancers Trevor artist Tallulah Blue, Translucent Youth Dance Tordjman and Jordan Clark, best known for Company, Artrix Songstars Choir, Got2sing their roles in the tween drama, The Next Bromsgrove choir and North Bromsgrove Step. Trevor and Jordan are joined by a num- High School. ber of fellow cast members, including For more information, visit Taveeta, who’ll be performing her new single, artrix.co.uk/whats-on/all-shows/fusion Resurrection. Stars from Disney Channel UK’s hit series The Lodge also feature, as do Backstage Motor Museum to host favourites McKenzie Small (Scarlett), Josh BMW gathering Bogert (Miles) and Aviva (Alya). For more information and to book tickets for Warwickshire’s British Motor Museum is set the show, visit barclaycardarena.co.uk to host Europe’s largest gathering of BMWs. The BMW Car Club National Festival takes 4 whatsonlive.co.uk First Word Warwickshire_Worcs July.qxp_Layout 1 26/06/2017 15:12 Page 2 First Word Leamington author wins prestigious writing prize The prestigious Jane Austen Writ- ing Prize has been won by a Leam- ington-based writer, artist and lecturer. Sally Tissington, a Creative Writ- ing tutor at the University of War- wick, had her short story, Tomato Pushing Girl, selected from nearly 300 submissions to the competi- tion, which was being run in hon- our of the 200th anniversary of Austen’s death. Sally’s winner’s prize was a £1,000 cheque, presented to her by HRH the Earl of Wessex. Already an established author, Sally published her debut novel, Crocodile On A Carousel, in 2012, and is now in the process of writ- Innovative digital art residency planned for Coventry ing a second novel, as well as a A series of workshops hosted by a team of digital artists is set to get Coventry’s residents thinking collection of short stories titled about ‘hidden moments of joy’. Unravel. The Canal Basin-based Ludic Rooms is a not-for-profit, post-digital arts organisation whose innova- tive residency will see them engaging with various community groups to produce a set of playful in- teractive artworks. “We want to engage a city of creators,” says Ludic Rooms’ Creative Director, Dom Breadmore, in ex- plaining his intention to provide “little hidden moments of joy” across the city. “We’ll be working with people to represent their experiences and creating artworks that spark the imagination. It’s sometimes the small things that you remember and which make you smile, not necessarily the huge spectacle. Our aim is to encourage people to think differently - to look at, for example, a bus stop, how we can use that differently, digitally, and how everyday life might look in a future city. Our cre- Coventry medieval ative process will be taking the public’s ideas - these moments of magic - and making them a reality.” attraction reopens to the public Coventry’s Priory Visitor Centre Museum in the Auditions in Brum for School Of Rock has been officially reopened to the public. running for top Aged between eight and 12? Play the drums, keys or the electric or Home to the 1000-year-old re- family award bass guitar? Fancy being in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s smash-hit West mains of the original St Mary’s End production of School Of Rock - The Musical? Worcester’s Tudor House Cathedral & Priory, the medieval If you can answer yes to all three of these questions, then you’ll be Museum is in the running attraction was closed last year as a delighted to know that the blockbuster show is holding open audi- for a major award. result of council cuts.