WO-Cover Midlands - March 1_24-7 Cover 27/02/2012 12:39 Page 1 MIDLANDS WHAT’S MIDLANDS ON WHAT’S THE MIDLANDS ESSENTIAL ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE ISSUE 315 MARCH MARCH 2012 www.whatsonlive.co.uk £1.80 ISSUE 315 MARCH 2012 OLIVER! WEST END MUSICAL IN BIRMINGHAM INSIDE: Patrick Robinson Waiting For Godot at the Old Rep interview inside Maverick Sabre Singer/songwriter in the city... interview inside THE DEFINITIVE LISTINGS GUIDE PART OF MIDLANDS WHAT’S ON MAGAZINE GROUP PUBLICATIONS GROUP MAGAZINE ON WHAT’S MIDLANDS OF PART PART OF MIDLANDS WHAT’S ON MAGAZINE GROUP PUBLICATIONS GROUP MAGAZINE ON WHAT’S MIDLANDS OF PART What’sOn MAGAZINE GROUP ‘Thinking man’s comic’ back in the Midlands INTERVIEW INSIDE ISSN 1462-7035 GRAND MAR12 WO FP_Layout 1 27/02/2012 14:16 Page 1 Great Shows At The Grand! TUES 6 - SAT 10 MARCH TUES 13 - SAT 17 MARCH MON 19 - SAT 24 MARCH starring CHristOPHEr tiMOtHY as OttO Frank TUES 27 - SAT 31 MARCH SAT 7 - SUN 8 APRIL TUES 10 - SAT 14 APRIL Music and Lyrics presents Curve Theatre Leicester’s production of RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN’S TUES 17 - SAT 21 APRIL ALSO BOOKING TUES 24 - SAT 28 APRIL SUNDAY 18 MARCH JIM DAVIDSON SUNDAY 1 APRIL THE MAGIC OF MOTOWN MONDAY 2 APRIL PAM AYRES An amateur production SUNDAY 22 APRIL DES O’CONNOR SUNDAY 29 APRIL THE SOLID SILVER 60s SHOW MONDAY 30 APRIL - SATURDAY 5 MAY DERREN BROWN - SVENGALI SUNDAY 6 MAY PAUL MERTON - OUT OF MY HEAD TUESDAY 8 - WEDNESDAY 9 MAY A NIGHT AT THE MUSIC HALL Follow us on @WolvesGrand Like us on Facebook: Wolverhampton Grand Box Office 01902 42 92 12 BOOK ONLINE AT www.grandtheatre.co.uk Contents March_Layout 1 27/02/2012 12:46 Page 1 March 2012 Editor: FEATURES: Davina Evans [email protected] 01743 281708 Chris Addison Editorial Assistant: Lauren Wright interview inside p6 [email protected] 01743 281708 Sales & Marketing: Jon Cartwright [email protected] 01743 281703 Chris Horton [email protected] 01743 281704 Admin/Subscriptions: Adrian Parker [email protected] 01743 281714 Managing Director: Paul Oliver Maverick Sabre [email protected] 01743 281711 interview inside p12 Publisher and CEO: Martin Monahan [email protected] Waiting For Godot 01743 281710 interview with P.A. to the CEO: Patrick Robinson p10 Jo Mercer [email protected] 01743 281701 Graphic Designers: Lisa Wassell Chris Atherton Accounts Administrator Julia Perry Brian Conley brings Fagin to Birmingham - p31 [email protected] 01743 281717 Website Development: Jim Pallett News p4 Contributors: Graham Bostock: Theatre Music p15 Alev Dervish: Music TO GET THE VERY Florence And James Cameron-Wilson: Film LATEST LISTING Comedy p28 The Machine Jessica Matthews: INFORMATION, back in the Midlands p15 Features VISIT: Head Office: Theatre p31 4/5 Dogpole, Shrewsbury, whatsonlive.co.uk Shropshire. SY1 1EN Tel: 01743 281777 INCLUDING Dance p48 Fax: 01743 281744 BOOKING ONLINE e-mail: [email protected] The Midlands’ most Film/DVD p51 comprehensive entertainment website Visual Arts p59 This publication is printed on paper from a Follow What’s On on sustainable source and is Events p63 produced without the use of elemental chlorine. March 2012 We endorse the recycling twitter.com/whatsonlive Clubbing/Gay p77 of our magazine and MTWTFSS would encourage you to 1 2 3 4 pass it on to others to Become a fan p78 read when you have Books/TV 56789 10 11 finished with it. Eating Out p79 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ’ facebook.com/whatsonlive WhatsOn 26 27 28 29 30 31 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 March_Layout 1 27/02/2012 10:57 Page 1 News A ROUND-UP OF LOCAL AND NATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT NEWS Director named for new Museums Trust The newly-formed body responsible for the running of Thinktank and Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery has announced the appointment of its first director. Professor Ann Sumner, who's currently the Director at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, will assume the role on a full-time basis in May, and brings to the new post a wealth of experience, having previously worked at London’s National Portrait Gallery, Manchester’s Whitworth Art Gallery and Dulwich Picture Gallery. Of her appointment, Professor Sumner said: “I'm enormously honoured to have been appointed to this exciting new role. The high quality and the diversity of the collec- tions which will be managed by the new Trust are outstanding, and hugely popular with the people of Birmingham, the West Midlands and beyond." Professor Ann Sumner Big Apple praise for England’s Open day for new library building Second City... A new sixty million pound addition to the Worcester skyline gets its first full public airing this A recent article in The New York Times has month, when The Hive opens its doors for a one-day preview on 24 March. declared Birmingham to be “big-shouldered, With its gold-clad roof and modern design, The Hive is undoubtedly a striking building, but it’s friendly and fun.” The article, entitled Thirty-six what lies within its walls that's of real significance. Hours In Birmingham, provides a whistle-stop The Hive is Europe’s first fully integrated Public and University Library, and will house more tour of the city’s heritage, and praises its less- than twenty-six thousand records of historic sites and buildings, twelve miles of original docu- er-known hidden gems, sprawling suburbs and ments, a children’s library and creative space, performance areas, conferencing facilities and cultural attractions. The city’s restaurant scene informal meeting places. The shared space will also provide a first point of contact for council also gets the thumbs-up, with local talents services across Worcestershire, and is seen as an important element of the regeneration of the Aktar Islam of Lasan Restaurant and Michelin- city centre. The late-March 'taster day' features music, promenade performances, exhibitions starred chefs Glyn Purnell, Richard Turner and and films. And if you're up for some illuminated evening entertainment, catch the son et Luke Tipping all receiving praise for their culi- lumiere performance under the city’s Croft Road railway arches. Read more on page 48. nary flair. In a previous New York Times article, Birmingham was named Birmingham Opera Company No name, but big voices! number nineteen in a announce world premiere A choir for Birmingham’s homeless men and Forty-five Places To Go Twenty-five years of producing innovative women this month joins forces with their In 2012 shortlist - the London counterparts to present an evening only English city other opera productions is celebrated by Birmingham Opera Company this month, as of Olympic-themed music. The two choirs - than London to be men- both named Choir With No Name - perform tioned. Graham Vick joins the ensemble to premiere a brand new production at the Argyle Works as part of the BBC’s Music Nation - a nation- in Digbeth on 21 March. Commissioned from al initiative that acts as a countdown event Severn Valley Railway leading British composer Jonathan Dove and for the forthcoming London 2012 Festival. writer Alasdair Middleton, Life Is A Dream The performance takes place at Carrs Lane welcomes BBC crews features an international cast that includes Church Centre, Birmingham, on 3 March. The Severn Valley Railway Kidderminster-to- American baritone Eric Green. The opera Bridgnorth line has been chosen for location tells the story of royal son Segismund, who’s Big Brother winner on her filming for the second time in as many years. imprisoned from The 2011 box office hit Sherlock Holmes: A birth by his way to Brum Game Of Shadows was part-filmed at the father, King Basil, Birmingham’s New Alexandra Theatre has Midlands attraction, and now the heritage after the king announced that Celebrity Big Brother winner line has been selected for a new Steven prophesizes that Denise Welch is to appear in a new produc- Poliakoff drama to be screened on BBC Two one day his son tion of Steel Magnolias, showing at the later this year. Dancing On The Edge - a will kill him and venue from 21 to 26 May. Denise, whose drama that follows a group of black jazz wreak havoc on previous acting credits include Coronation musicians as they seek fame and fortune in his kingdom. For Street, Holby City, The Bill and, more recent- the higher echelons of London society - will further informa- ly, Waterloo Road, is joined in Robert see Severn Valley Railway’s Kidderminster tion, visit Harling’s bitter-sweet comedy by a host of Town terminus double as Folkstone during www.birming- other well-known faces, including Kacey the 1930s. hamopera.org.uk Eric Green Ainsworth, Isla Blair and Cherie Lunghi. 4 www.whatsonlive.co.uk News March_Layout 1 27/02/2012 10:57 Page 2 Birmingham’s latest hotel set to open its doors This month sees the opening of a new-con- cept four-star hotel in the heart of Birmingham, the first of five to be rolled out across the UK in the next five years. The one hundred-and-seventy-four bedroomed Hotel La Tour offers contemporary and affordable accommodation, as well as dedi- cated conferencing facilities.