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Birmingham Cover Online.qxp_Birmingham Cover 29/03/2017 14:43 Page 1 LAURA MVULA - Your FREE essential entertainment guide for the Midlands INTERVIEW INSIDE ISSUE 376 APRIL 2017 BIRMINGHAM WHAT’S ON WHAT’S BIRMINGHAM 2017 APRIL Birmingham ’ WhatFILM I COMEDY I THEATRE I GIGS I VISUAL ARTS I EVENTSs I FOOD Onbirminghamwhatson.co.uk PART OF WHAT’S ON MEDIA GROUP GROUP MEDIA ON WHAT’S OF PART TWITTER @WHATSONBRUM BIRMINGHAMWHATSON.CO.UK @WHATSONBRUM TWITTER Tango at The Hippodrome Contents April Birmingham.qxp_Layout 1 22/03/2017 14:01 Page 1 Contents April Birmingham.qxp_Layout 1 22/03/2017 21:01 Page 2 April 2017 Contents La Cage aux Folles - John Partridge talks about his role in the hit West End musical feature on page 26 Shake It Up! Laura Mvula Disney On Ice the list the best places in town to enjoy in conversation with the What’s celebrates 100 years of magic at Your 16-page a sinfully sugary delight On Readers’ Award winner the Genting Arena week by week listings guide Feature page 13 page 20 page 43 page 51 inside: 4. First Word 11. Food 16. Music 24. Comedy 28. Theatre 39. Film 42. Visual Arts 45. Events @whatsonbrum fb.com/whatsonbirmingham @whatsonbirmingham Birmingham What’s On Magazine Birmingham What’s On Magazine Birmingham 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 Editorial: Lauren Foster [email protected] 01743 281707 Sue Jones [email protected] 01743 281705 MAGAZINE GROUP Brian O’Faolain [email protected] 01743 281701 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, David Vincent, 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 April Brum NEW.qxp_Layout 1 22/03/2017 14:03 Page 1 Entertainment news from around the region Arts Council funding for city centre Dance Hub Arts Council England has confirmed that it will provide £5million to develop a Dance Hub at Birmingham’s Hippodrome theatre over the next three years. The new space will include a large studio, of- fice spaces and meeting rooms that will con- nect to studio, performance and social spaces within the wider complex. Commenting on the project, Peter Knott, Area Director of Arts Council England, said: “As the nation’s developer of arts and culture, we want to invest in bold schemes. The Birmingham Dance Hub promises to be just that, enticing audiences and enhancing the city’s reputation. “When artists and creatives think of a great place to locate their practice, we want them to recognise Birmingham and the wider city re- gion as the place to choose.” Flatpack Festival returns Fancy dress is encouraged, and one of the Route confirmed for new featured venues will be holding a Disney sin- Vélo Birmingham bike ride Birmingham’s Flatpack Film Festival is re- galong. For more information and to pur- Full details of the Vélo Birmingham 100-mile turning for an 11th year. chase tickets, visit eventbrite.co.uk fully closed cycling road route have been an- The popular event has built its reputation on nounced. presenting a package of entertainment that Strictly judge brings new The autumn event, taking place on Sunday brings together animation, music, artists’ 24 September and starting on the city’s Broad film, archive discoveries, offbeat shorts and Dusty Springfield musical Street, will take 15,000 cyclists on a ‘breath- live cinema. to Birmingham theatre taking journey’ from city to country, passing This year’s festival takes place at venues A ‘heartwarming’ new musical showcasing through Dudley, Herefordshire, Sandwell, across the city from Tuesday 4 to Sunday 9 the songs of Dusty Springfield is stopping off Staffordshire and Worcestershire. April. in Birmingham this autumn. To find out more, visit vélobirmingham.com Highlights include a ‘feast’ of David Lynch films, drop-in activities for younger visitors Directed and choreographed by Strictly Come to enjoy in the Colour Box strand of the pro- Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood, Son Of Iconic Longbridge music gramme, a wide range of quirky movies and A Preacher Man visits the city’s New Alexan- venue gets a makeover more than 20 short-film premieres. dra Theatre from Tuesday 12 to Saturday 16 Visit flatpackfestival.org.uk for more infor- September. The production will feature a se- Local rock legends The Steve Gibbons Band mation and to book tickets. lection of the late singer’s best-loved songs - are this month (1 April) kickstarting a pro- including the famous title track, with which gramme of live performances at the newly re- she enjoyed a transatlantic hit in 1968. furbished Austin Club in Birmingham’s Tickets for the show are on sale now and can Longbridge area. be purchased at atgtickets.com/birmingham. In its heyday, The Austin would regularly For more information about the production, host star names on its stage, including Bob visit sonofapreachermanmusical.com Monkhouse, The Searchers, Georgie Disney pub crawl in Brum Fame and Joe A Disney-themed pub crawl is coming to the Longthorne. streets of Birmingham this month (Friday 21 The venue’s new & Saturday 22 April). season of live Tickets for the event cost £5 and include a shows also in- professional pub tour guide, free goodies cludes perform- along the way, free entry to all the venues vis- ances by a number ited on the tour, special drinks promotions of top tribute acts. and free entry to the after-party location. 4 whatsonlive.co.uk First Word April Brum NEW.qxp_Layout 1 22/03/2017 14:03 Page 2 First Word Biannual festival REP Christmas show now on sale... showcases new Birmingham Repertory Theatre is going dotty for dogs this local theatre work Christmas when it presents a brand new stage version of The A biannual festival showcasing new Hundred And One Dalmatians. theatre work from the Midlands is The REP’s Associate Director, Tessa Walker, takes the helm for taking place in Birmingham this the festive-season family show. Tessa has previously directed month. the venue’s yuletide productions of A Christmas Carol and The First Bite, which also visits Leicester Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe. and Derby, features 18 local compa- nies presenting ‘new ideas and ex- Dodie Smith’s delightful tale has been transformed for the stage tracts from shows’. by Debbie Isitt, writer and director of the hugely popular Nativ- Three of the companies will be cho- ity! films. Isitt’s stage show, Nativity! The Musical, begins its sen to receive a commission of national tour at The REP in October. £3,000 to develop their work. Tickets for The Hundred And One Dalmatians, which runs from Previous shows supported by the Thurs 30 November to Sat 13 January, are available now from First Bite Festival include Caroline Horton's award-winning You’re Not the REP box office on 0121 236 4455 or at birmingham-rep.co.uk Like The Other Girls Chrissy - which has toured since 2010 and been viewed by over 10,000 people - and Joan, by Milk Presents, which won a BRB announces new ballet season Fringe First at the Edinburgh Festival Firm family favourite Aladdin will kickstart Birmingham last summer. First Bite takes place at mac birming- Royal Ballet’s 2017/18 season in the autumn. ham on Saturday 22 April. Artistic Director David Bintley’s critically acclaimed show, which boasts music by award-winning composer Carl Davis, heads up a year-long programme of dance work that also Afterlife explored features Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo & Juliet, Concerto in Birmingham’s and Elite Syncopations. Jewellery Quarter Sir Peter Wright’s Nutcracker puts in its usual and always A Midlands collective of professional greatly appreciated festive appearance, and is followed a and non-professional theatre makers month later by his exquisite production of The Sleeping is this month performing a new play Beauty. ‘for and about Birmingham’. For full details of the company’s season, visit brb.org.uk Theatre Birmingham’s The Other Side is a site-specific, script-in-hand presentation taking place in the city’s Jewellery Quarter and based Fine Art Society around the subject of the Afterlife. Authors under the The show is being performed at St at the Barber Paul’s Church from Friday 21 to Sun- spotlight at new event day 23 April and then at Birmingham An ongoing series of lec- Birmingham Literature Festival’s (BLF) & Midland Institute on Thurs 11 & Fri tures for art enthusiasts is annual October event is this year being 12 May. being held at the Barber In- joined by a Springtime edition, taking For more information, visit theatre- stitute of Fine Arts by the birmingham.co.uk.