Wolves & B'Cntry Cover April.qxp_Wolves & B/Country 23/03/2015 16:49 Page 1 WOLVERHAMPTON & BLACK WOLVERHAMPTON COUNTRY ON WHAT’S THE MIDLANDS ULTIMATE ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE WOLVERHAMPTON & BLACK COUNTRY ISSUE 352 ’ Whatwww.whatsonlive.co.uk sOnISSUE 352 APRIL 2015 ALEXANDRA APRIL 2015 BURKE INTERVIEW INSIDE... JONNY COLE on why Black Country humour is the best PART OF MIDLANDS WHAT’S ON MAGAZINE GROUP PUBLICATIONS GROUP MAGAZINE ON WHAT’S MIDLANDS OF PART interview inside... MATT FORDE topical stand-up and political debate in Wolverhampton @WHATSONWOLVES WWW.WHATSONLIVE.CO.UK @WHATSONWOLVES INSIDE: FILM COMEDY THEATRE LIVE MUSIC VISUAL ARTS TUES 21 APRIL - SAT 2 MAY EVENTS FOOD & DRINK Box Office 01902 42 92 12 & MUCH MORE! BOOK ONLINE AT grandtheatre.co.uk Boyzone (FP-April).qxp_Layout 1 23/03/2015 16:51 Page 1 Contents APRIL Region 2.qxp_Layout 1 23/03/2015 17:28 Page 1 April 2015 Editor: INSIDE: Davina Evans [email protected] 01743 281708 Editorial Assistants: Bouncers is back! Brian O’Faolain Godber classic on tour... [email protected] 01743 281701 interview p10 Lauren Foster [email protected] 01743 281707 Adrian Parker [email protected] 01743 281714 Jamie Ryan [email protected] 01743 281720 Sales & Marketing: Lei Woodhouse [email protected] 01743 281703 Chris Horton [email protected] 01743 281704 Subscriptions: Jonny Cole Adrian Parker [email protected] talks Black Country humour 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 Alexandra Burke talks about having the best time of her life in Chris Atherton The Bodyguard - interview page 6. Accounts Administrator Julia Perry [email protected] TO GET THE VERY 01743 281717 News p4 Contributors: LATEST LISTING Graham Bostock: Theatre INFORMATION, A Siege Of Callais James Cameron-Wilson: Music p13 VISIT: English Touring Opera Film; Eva Easthope, in Wolverhampton p20 Jessica Aston, Patsy whatsonlive.co.uk Moss, Jack Rolfe, Jan Comedyp22 Watts, Simon Carter INCLUDING Head Office: BOOKING ONLINE 13-14 Abbey Foregate, Theatre p25 Shrewsbury, SY2 6AE The Midlands’ most Tel: 01743 281777 comprehensive p40 e-mail: [email protected] entertainment website Dance Follow us on... Film/DVD p43 This publication is printed on paper from a sustainable source and is Visual Arts p51 produced without the use April 2015 of elemental chlorine. Wolverhampton Events p55 We endorse the recycling & Black Country MTWTFSS of our magazine and @whatsonwolves would encourage you to 12345 Staffordshire p65 pass it on to others to Eating Out 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 read when you have @whatsonstaffs finished with it. Shropshire 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 ’ @whatsonshrops 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 WhatsOn 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 April Region two.qxp_Layout 1 23/03/2015 19:54 Page 1 News A ROUND-UP OF LOCAL AND NATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT NEWS Best Family Day Out in Ironbridge - it’s official! Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust has won a prestigious Hudson’s Heritage Award in the Best Family Day Out category. The annual awards are an independently judged national scheme celebrating the UK’s very best historic houses, gardens, muse- ums and heritage sites. Commenting on the award, Paul Gossage (pictured), director of Marketing and PR for Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, said: “Winning one of these awards demonstrates the high standards and commitment we offer our visitors to ensure their experience is the very best. It’s an acknowledgment and recognition that our museums are amongst the elite of heritage attractions in the UK.” Duncan James to star in Priscilla... Former Blue singer Duncan James is returning to the Midlands stage, this time to star in Priscilla Queen Of The Desert. Duncan, whose stage credits include Legally Blonde and Chicago, will play Tick in the heartwarming adventure, which follows the friendship shared between three pals who hop aboard a battered old bus and head off in search of love and romance. The show originally opened in 2006 in Australia, running there for two years before hitting the West End stage. With its dazzling array of costumes and a glorious selection of Diary date for foodies dancefloor favourites - including It’s Raining Men, Say A Little Prayer, Go West, Hot Stuff and Always On My Mind - Priscilla Queen Of The Desert shows at the Regent Theatre, Stoke-on- Midlands-based foodies should put a date in Trent, from Monday 21 to Saturday 26 September and New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham, their diary to attend the Great British Food from Monday 20 to Sat 24 September. Festival, which takes place at Staffordshire’s Shugborough Estate in July. The popular event features over eighty local Visitor numbers give cause to oration with West producers, cookery lessons, children’s activi- Yorkshire Playhouse ties, live music and top chef demos from rejoice at museum trust... and shows at The REP Great British Bake Off finalist Luis Troyano Bosses at Birmingham Museum Trust are from Friday 15 to and Master Chef’s Luke Owen. For those celebrating after newly released figures show Saturday 30 May. wishing to show off their baking skills, the that more than one million people have visit- Tickets cost from £7 to festival hosts a Cake Off competition, while ed the Trust’s nine museum sites in the past £35 and can be pur- anybody feeling brave enough can take part twelve months. The news coincides with the chased from the box in various Men vs Food Challenges for both launch of the new Spitfire Gallery at Tahitian, office on 0121 236 men and women throughout the weekend. one of the Trust’s nine venues. The other 4455, or online at The Great British Food Festival takes place eight sites are Aston Hall, Museum of the Birmingham-rep.co.uk. at Shugborough over the weekend of 11 & Jewellery Quarter, Blakeslee Hall, Sarehole 12 July. Mill, Soho House, Weoley Castle, Birmingham Museum Collection Centre and Names announced for Made Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. Birmingham Tub on a hot Brum roof A festival reaffirming Birmingham’s reputa- One of Birmingham’s iconic rooftops is set tion as a groundbreaking, innovative and to get steamy next month, courtesy of the Corrie stars in fine voice at diverse hub makes a welcome return this city’s first ever rooftop hot tub cinema. Super summer. Made Birmingham debuted in 2014 Spa Cinema will be situated atop Fort The REP... and returns to the Digbeth Triangle on Dunlop and promises an evening like no Former Coronation Street favourites Vicky Saturday 25 July. Festival Director Pete other. Guests are invited to take to the roof Entwistle and Chris Gascoyne are set to star Jordan has promised that this year’s event of the one hundred-foot building to enjoy ‘an in a brand new Birmingham Repertory will ‘step up a few gears and become some- evening of experimental entertainment and Theatre production of Jim Cartwright’s thing that the city will truly be proud of’. Held cult cinema’. Taking place between Friday 22 Olivier Award-winning play, The Rise And Fall in association with Rainbow Venues, the and Sunday 24 May, the unique event fea- Of Little Voice. midday-to-midnight event features a fusion tures a host of themed activities, including a Vicky, who played Janice Battersby in the of live music and DJ performances. Beat- Tom Cruise cocktail flairing and hook-a-shark long-running ITV soap, and Chris, who boxer Beardyman, legendary dub ambassa- competitions. There’s even the chance to starred as Peter Barlow, will be joined in the dor David Rodigan and London’s Trojan enjoy the thrills and spills of mastering the show by Nancy Sullivan as Little Voice. Sound System crew are just some of the waves on Fort Dunlop’s surfboard simulator. Nancy has previously starred at The REP in well-known names who’re performing at the For further information, visit fortdunlop.com The Wizard Of Oz. event. For tickets and further information, The new show has been produced in collab- visit madebirmingham.com 4 www.whatsonlive.co.uk News April Region two.qxp_Layout 1 23/03/2015 19:54 Page 2 The carnival comes to town... Telford and Wrekin Council has announced plans for Carnival Of Giants on Saturday 6 June. A procession of big folk and magical creatures will set off from the recently launched Southwater development and make its way to Telford Town Park. Aided by Liverpool Lantern Company, local schools and community groups will work together in the run up to the event to create giants and puppets. The carnival will also host the Telford Big Dance, a community event which aims to bring young people together from across the region to perform and dance as a large group. Commenting on the carnival, Councillor Liz Clare, cabinet member for leisure services and culture, said: “Our ambition was to involve the com- munity in creating something spectacular to West End musical coming to the Midlands celebrate where they live. We hope this will One of the biggest musical hits ever to grace the West End stage visits Birmingham next year become a regular part of our growing as part of its first ever UK tour.