Midlands Cover - Sept.qxp_Layout 1 28/08/2014 16:38 Page 1 MIDLANDS WHAT’S ON MIDLANDS WHAT’S THE MIDLANDS ESSENTIAL ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE ISSUE 345 SEPTEMBER 2014 www.whatsonlive.co.uk £1.80 ISSUE 345 SEPTEMBER 2014 THE MEMORY RETURNS THE CATS BACK IN BRUM DEFINITIVE LISTINGS GUIDE INCLUDING BIRMINGHAM WOLVERHAMPTON WALSALL DUDLEY COVENTRY STRATFORD WORCESTER REDDITCH PART OF MIDLANDS WHAT’S ON MAGAZINE GROUP PUBLICATIONS GROUP MAGAZINE ON WHAT’S MIDLANDS OF PART MALVERN SHREWSBURY TELFORD STAFFORD STOKE Lenny Henry stars in Rudy’s Rare Records at The REP preview inside Riverdance celebrates twenty foot-tapping years @WHATSONBRUM WWW.WHATSONLIVE.CO.UK @WHATSONBRUM preview inside What’sOn MAGAZINE GROUP ISSN 2053 - 3128 - 2053 ISSN brings high-energy comedy to the city... grand_whatson FP Sept:Layout 1 27/08/2014 12:22 Page 1 GreatGreat Theatre Theatre at thetheGrand!Grand! TUES 16 SEPT WED 17 SEPT FRI 19 - SAT 20 SEPT Jane McDonald The Singer of Your Song TUES 14 - SAT 18 OCT TUES 21 OCT - SAT 1 NOV TUES 4 - SAT 8 NOV A TOURING CONSORTIUM THEATRE COMPANY AND ROYAL & DERNGATE NORTHAMPTON PRODUCTION An amateur performance in association with MusicScope ALSO BOOKING TUES 11 - SAT 15 NOV TUES 18 - SAT 22 NOV MON 24 - SAT 29 NOV SAT 22 MARCH LESLEY JOSEPH HOT FLUSH ............................................................................................ SUN 30 MARCH THE SOLID SILVER 60s SHOW ............................................................................................ SUN 6 APRIL THE FAAABULOUS CERI DUPREE SHOW ............................................................................................ SUN 13 APRIL BEYOND THE BARRICADE ............................................................................................ MON 14 - TUES 15 APRIL TAP FACTORY ............................................................................................ FRI 18 APRIL THAT’LL BE THE DAY ............................................................................................ SAT 19 APRIL THE CHUCKLE BROTHERS’ SPACE ODDITY ............................................................................................ TUES 29 APRIL - SAT 3 MAY THEBased on PLAY J.M. Barrie’s THAT original GOES play With permissionWRONG from Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children This amateur production is given by special arrangement with Joesf Weinberger Follow us on @WolvesGrand Like us on Facebook: Wolverhampton Grand Box Office 01902 42 92 12 BOOK ONLINE AT www.grandtheatre.co.uk Contents September.qxp_Layout 1 29/08/2014 10:41 Page 1 September 2014 Editor: Davina Evans INSIDE: [email protected] 01743 281708 Editorial Assistants: Rudy’s Rare Records Brian O’Faolain [email protected] Lenny Henry brings new 01743 281701 comedy to The REP p25 Lauren Foster [email protected] 01743 281707 Adrian Parker [email protected] 01743 281714 Sales & Marketing: Chris Horton [email protected] 01743 281704 Subscriptions: Adrian Parker [email protected] 01743 281714 Managing Director: Paul Oliver [email protected] Propaganda Swing 01743 281711 singers, swastikas and jazz Publisher and CEO: at The Belgrade Martin Monahan p6 [email protected] 01743 281710 Graphic Designers: Lisa Wassell Chris Atherton Accounts Administrator Julia Perry [email protected] 01743 281717 Website Development: Cats The Musical - the memory returns... preview page 25 Jim Pallett Contributors: Graham Bostock: Theatre James Cameron-Wilson: TO GET THE VERY Lee Evans Film; Alev Dervish: Music p4 brings Monsters to Brum Eva Easthope, Kate LATEST LISTING News Evans, Jessica Aston, preview p21 Patsy Moss, Jack Rolfe, INFORMATION, Jan Watts, Reggie White, Music p11 Simon Carter, Anita VISIT: Champaneri whatsonlive.co.uk Comedy p21 INCLUDING Head Office: BOOKING ONLINE 13-14 Abbey Foregate, Theatre p25 Shrewsbury, SY2 6AE Tel: 01743 281777 The Midlands’ most e-mail: [email protected] comprehensive p37 entertainment website Dance Follow us on... Film/DVD p39 This publication is printed on paper from a sustainable source and is Festivals p47 produced without the use September 2014 of elemental chlorine. Birmingham Visual Arts p51 We endorse the recycling @whatsonbrum M TW T F S S of our magazine and Warwickshire would encourage you to 1234567 @whatsonwarwicks p55 pass it on to others to Events 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 read when you have Worcester finished with it. @whatsonworcs Eating Out p65 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 ’ 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 WhatsOn 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 September.qxp_Layout 1 29/08/2014 11:39 Page 1 News A ROUND-UP OF LOCAL AND NATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT NEWS Exciting line-up for comedy festival Performances by top comedians and an impressive programme of special events awaits visitors to next month’s Birmingham Comedy Festival. The ten-day event, which takes place at numerous city venues, will feature comedian/author Mark Watson, Irish funnyman Tommy Tiernan, rising star James Acaster and comedian/actor Doc Brown, as well as some of the region’s finest home- grown talent, including Andy Robinson, Mrs Barbara Nice and Old Joint Stock favourites Foghorn Improv. A revival of the cult radio series The Goon Show, utilising two scripts penned by Spike Milligan, also features, as does the Birmingham Comedy Festival Breaking Talent Award, screenings of classic Laurel And Hardy films, and an exhibition by artist Steve Lilly. Check out the festival’s full listings at www.bhamcomfest.co.uk New gallery dedicated to Staffordshire Hoard A new space dedicated to the fascinating story of the Staffordshire Hoard is to open at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery in October. Featuring hands-on displays and hundreds of pieces from the Hoard, the new gallery will allow visitors to learn more about the treasure, its history, and the ongoing conservation techniques used to unlock its secrets today. Youngsters visiting the gallery will have access to microscopes and the unusual tools that a conservator uses to work with precious objects. Traditional games, dressing-up opportunities and storytelling take place in the site’s Mead Hall, offering an insight into Anglo-Saxon England and the living conditions of a seventh century lord and warriors. Commenting on the new gallery, Ellen McAdam, Director of Birmingham Museums, said: “The Tommy Tiernan Staffordshire Hoard is one of Birmingham’s most popular collections, and this new gallery will give visitors an even greater access to this unique find. Last year alone, over one hundred thousand people from across the world came to see the Hoard at the museum, and we look Birmingham Town Hall is the forward to welcoming many more visitors in the years to come.” place for major new project A collaboration between Birmingham video already confirmed to appear include The designer Matthew J Watkins and Mercury Anniversary season offers 58’s Blues Band (23 September), The Grey Prize folk artists Sam Lee and Becky & plenty of laughs... Goose Blues Band (30 September) and Rachel Unthank takes place at Birmingham Warwick Arts Centre turns forty this year and People’s Republic Of Mercia (7 October). Town Hall this month. Commemorating the is celebrating with a packed programme of Visit www. theasylumvenue.co.uk for further First World War, A Time And Place sees ‘big names, big ideas and big nights out’. information Sam, Becky and Rachel perform as part of Comedians visiting the venue during the an eleven-strong line-up, and is a collabora- anniversary season include Dawn French, tive presentation by sounduk, Barbican and John Cleese, Noel Fielding, Mark Watson, Actor voices support for Opera North in partnership with Birmingham Katherine Ryan, Ross Noble, Bridget Christie Town Hall. The show features an original and Dave Gorman. Musical highlights, mean- mac birmingham repertoire from the era, presented alongside while, come courtesy of Classical Brit Award- Acclaimed actor and mac birmingham sup- new material influenced by personal stories, winner Russell Watson and chart-topping porter Adrian Lester has voiced his support and arrangements to the First World War Indie rock band British for the venue’s planned weekend of creative poetry of Rupert Brooke, Wilfred Owen and Sea Power. The venue’s activities this month. mac’s Open Weekend Ivor Gurney. A Time And Place: Musical theatre programming fea- (6 - 7 September) has been made possible Meditations On The First World War makes tures highly rated ensem- by the generous players of People’s its debut at Birmingham Town Hall on 17 ble Forced Entertainment, Postcode Lottery, and will enable visitors to September, ahead of performances at who’ll be celebrating their participate in an array of free events and London’s Barbican and Leeds’ Howard thirtieth birthday by per- taster sessions. Lester, who spent his forma- Assembly Room. forming the UK premiere tive years involved with Birmingham Youth of The Last Adventures. Theatre and the Children’s Opera Company, recently spoke about his great Tuesday is Bluesday... memories of the centre A new event showcasing the best of the and the dedicated peo- region’s blues bands launches this month at ple who work there,