What'sOnPAUL ZERDIN - Birmingham What's On

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F MIDLANDS WHAT’S

ON MAGAZIN

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ISSUE 345 S

EPTE

MBER 2014

LEE EVANShigh-energy comedy atthe National Indoor Arena

THE MARTIN BARRE BANDOrder Of Play in Bilston

BLACK COUNTRY NIGHTmakes its debut atDudley museum

ISSUE 345 SEPTEMBER 2014

WOLVERHAMPTON & BLACK COUNTRY

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What’sOnPAUL ZERDINNO STRINGS ON TOURINTERVIEW INSIDE...

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September 2014

INSIDE:

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29 30

Lee Evansbrings Monsters to Brumpreview p21

Rudy’s Rare RecordsLenny Henry brings newcomedy to The REP p27

War Horsearrives in Stokeinterview inside... p8

What’sOn

News p4Music p11

Comedyp21Theatre p25Dance p37

Film/DVD p39

Festivals p47

Visual Arts p51

Events p55

Eating Out p65

Dirty Dancing - smash-hit musical arrives in Wolverhampton.Read the preview on page 25

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Contents September Region 2.qxp_Layout 1 29/08/2014 11:12 Page 1

Exciting line-up forcomedy festivalPerformances by top comedians and animpressive programme of special eventsawaits visitors to next month’s BirminghamComedy Festival. The ten-day event, whichtakes place at numerous city venues, willfeature comedian/author Mark Watson, Irishfunnyman Tommy Tiernan, rising star JamesAcaster and comedian/actor Doc Brown, aswell as some of the region’s finest home-grown talent, including Andy Robinson, MrsBarbara Nice and Old Joint Stock favouritesFoghorn Improv. A revival of the cult radioseries The Goon Show, utilising two scriptspenned by Spike Milligan, also features, asdoes the Birmingham Comedy FestivalBreaking Talent Award, screenings of classicLaurel And Hardy films, and an exhibition byartist Steve Lilly. Check out the festival’s fulllistings at www.bhamcomfest.co.uk

Birmingham Town Hall is theplace for major new projectA collaboration between Birmingham videodesigner Matthew J Watkins and MercuryPrize folk artists Sam Lee and Becky &Rachel Unthank takes place at BirminghamTown Hall this month. Commemorating theFirst World War, A Time And Place seesSam, Becky and Rachel perform as part ofan eleven-strong line-up, and is a collabora-tive presentation by sounduk, Barbican andOpera North in partnership with BirminghamTown Hall. The show features an originalrepertoire from the era, presented alongsidenew material influenced by personal stories,and arrangements to the First World Warpoetry of Rupert Brooke, Wilfred Owen andIvor Gurney. A Time And Place: MusicalMeditations On The First World War makesits debut at Birmingham Town Hall on 17September, ahead of performances atLondon’s Barbican and Leeds’ HowardAssembly Room.

Tuesday is Bluesday...A new event showcasing the best of theregion’s blues bands launches this month atThe Asylum 2 in Birmingham’s Hockley dis-trict. Taking inspiration from the heady daysof the city’s Henry’s Blues House, NothingBut The Blues will provide a performanceplatform for today’s local bluesmen. Actsalready confirmed to appear include The58’s Blues Band (23 September), The GreyGoose Blues Band (30 September) andPeople’s Republic Of Mercia (7 October).Visit www. theasylumvenue.co.uk for furtherinformation

Children’s literary eventremembers 1914Organisers behind Shrewsbury’s Children’sBookfest have announced they’re to presenta series of events each November between2014 and 2018 to commemorate andremember all those who fought in the FirstWorld War. The initiative has been madepossible thanks to a partnership with theImperial War Museum and the ShropshireFirst World War Community Consortium.Funding has come from various sources,including Arts Council England and theArmed Forces Covenant, with all events hav-ing a strong literary connection. A FirstWorld War Day School is the opening pres-

entation in the series, taking place atShrewsbury Sixth Form College on 15November. This is followed by a perform-ance of The Best Christmas Present In TheWorld, featuring Michael Morpurgo andVirginia McKenna, at Theatre Severn on 16November.

Mouthwatering photographyin ShropshireA world-renowned photography competitionis to exhibit over sixty shortlisted images aspart of this month’s Ludlow Food Festival. Pink Lady® Food Photographer Of The Yearis a global celebration of food photographyby both amateurs and professionals, andonly travels to a few venues outside Londoneach year. The tour was launched a coupleof years ago as a result of requests fromfood festivals and galleries up and down thecountry. Pink Lady® has proved so popularthat some of the winning images from the2014 Food In The Street and Food For Salecategories were displayed on the red carpetat the European premiere of the film Chef inJune.Pink Lady® always features a number ofhigh-profile food experts on its judging panel- musician-turned-cheesemaker Alex Jamesand Antonio Carluccio have both playedtheir parts in recent years. Pink Lady® willshow at Ludlow’s Assembly Rooms until 5October.

News

Celebrating the Black Country’s heritage...A major festival celebrating the Black Country’s unrivalled manufacturing heritage both pastand present opens in the region this month. Black Country Echoes, taking place fromSeptember to December, comprises an extensive programme of events and exhibitions atover twenty-five venues across Wolverhampton, Sandwell, Dudley and Walsall. The project isthe result of a collaboration between local authorities, voluntary arts, and community andbusiness sector organisations, and builds on the success of the partnership’s Home Of Metalproject in 2011. For further information, visit, www.blackcountryechoes.org.uk

A ROUND-UP OF LOCAL AND NATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

4 www.whatsonlive.co.uk

Tommy Tiernan

Sam Lee with Becky and Rachel Unthank

News September Region 2.qxp_Layout 1 29/08/2014 11:41 Page 1

www.whatsonlive.co.uk 5

The Russiansare comingThe Central Band ofthe Belarus ArmedForces will be march-ing into the Midlandsregion later this year,performing atRedditch’s PalaceTheatre on 24November ahead oftaking part in theBirminghamInternational Tattoo atthe city’s NationalIndoor Arena (29 to 30November). The bandis appearing in amusic and danceextravaganza entitledRussian Spectacular,which also featuresspecial guest soloistsfrom The Bolshoi andDancers from TheBelarussian NationalFolk Dance Academy.

IN BRIEF

Arts organisations commission culture surveyA major online survey to assess what culture means to people in their everyday lives takesplace on 25 October. Entitled 24 Hour Culture, the survey aims to discover how people expe-rience arts and culture in the West Midlands, with participants from across the region encour-aged to fill in a short questionnaire and divulge what cultural activities they’ve taken part induring the twenty-four-hour period leading up to completing the survey.The survey has been commissioned by twenty-two of the West Midlands’ leading arts organi-sations, including the Royal Shakespeare Company, Birmingham Hippodrome, BirminghamRoyal Ballet and Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre. It’s hoped that the findings will inform arts poli-cy in forthcoming years, both by the organisations themselves and by local authority and gov-ernment. Joanna Reid, Director at Belgrade Theatre, said of the initiative: “We have an amaz-ing diversity of cultural life here in the West Midlands. Our hope is that the 24 Hour CulturalSurvey will help people to value the part that arts and culture already plays in their life, ratherlike how the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch Survey has made many people appreciate the birdlife in their gardens. We hope that by valuing arts and culture, they will want to protect it andparticipate more in it.” The survey’s findings will be analysed by experts from the RoyalShakespeare Company’s Audience Insight team, and will be made public before the end of2014.

New gallery dedicated toStaffordshire Hoard A new space dedicated to the fascinating story of theStaffordshire Hoard is to open at Birmingham Museum & ArtGallery in October. Featuring hands-on displays and hundreds ofpieces from the Hoard, the new gallery will allow visitors to learnmore about the treasure, its history, and the ongoing conservationtechniques used to unlock its secrets today. Youngsters visiting the gallery will have access to microscopesand the unusual tools that a conservator uses to work with pre-cious objects. Traditional games, dressing-up opportunities andstorytelling take place in the site’s Mead Hall, offering an insightinto Anglo-Saxon England and the living conditions of a seventhcentury lord and warriors. Commenting on the new gallery, Ellen McAdam, Director ofBirmingham Museums, said: “The Staffordshire Hoard is one ofBirmingham’s most popular collections, and this new gallery willgive visitors an even greater access to this unique find. Last yearalone, over one hundred thousand people from across the worldcame to see the Hoard at the museum, and we look forward towelcoming many more visitors in the years to come.”

Southside to showcaseinternational video artAn exhibition of international video art is tobe showcased in Birmingham’s Southsidedistrict in November. Presented byHippodrome Plus in partnership with thecity’s Ikon Gallery, About Town (13 to 16November) will feature a variety of nightscreenings by artists from the UK andabroad. A combination of large-scale instal-lations will transform Gallan Car Park onHurst Street into a large indoor landscape,complete with moving imagery and ambientsound. Birmingham Hippodrome’s foyerareas, staircases and landings, meanwhile,will become home to works by AdelAbdessemed and Kelly Mark. Also featuringas part of About Town are Beat Streuli’sNew Street (2013), Gillian Wearing’s BroadStreet (2000), Oliver Beer’s film Pay AndDisplay (2011) and Cornelia Parker’sChomskian Abstract (2007).

Actor voices support formac birminghamAcclaimed actor and mac birmingham sup-porter Adrian Lester has voiced his supportfor the venue’s planned weekend of creativeactivities this month. mac’s Open Weekend(6 - 7 September) has been made possibleby the generous players of People’sPostcode Lottery, and will enable visitors toparticipate in an array of free events andtaster sessions. Lester, who spent his form-ative years involved with Birmingham YouthTheatre and the Children’s Opera Company,recently spoke about hisgreat memories of thecentre and the dedicat-ed people who workthere, stating: “I know Iwouldn’t be where I amtoday without the oppor-tunities and confidencethat mac offered me.”

Miranda Sings in WolvesYouTube sensation Miranda Sings is to per-form in the region as part of a short UK tourlater this year. The brainchild of Americancomedian, actress and professional singerColleen Ballinger, Miranda has receivedover sixty million YouTube viewings, withfans loving her quirky look, off-key singing,and misinterpretation of current events.Miranda stops off atWulfrun Hall on 5November, entertain-ing her fans with ablend of comedy, hitsongs, magic tricksand dramatic read-ings of hate mail.Colleen Ballinger willbe accompanyingMiranda on tour.

Beat Streuli’s New Street (2013)

As The World Tipped by Wired Aerial Theatre which performed as part of Birmingham’s 4Squares Weekender in 2013Photo credit: Mark McNulty

News September Region 2.qxp_Layout 1 29/08/2014 11:41 Page 2

Citing Sesame Street and The Muppet Show as his early inspiration, ventriloquist Paul Zerdinhas a wide appeal, presenting an act which blends humour, cuteness and cheekiness in equalmeasure via his affable sponge characters, Sam, Baby and Albert. In between providing a hugedollop of laughs in the Birmingham Hippodrome’s pantomimes - Paul’s back at the venue thisChristmas - he’s taking to the road with his No Strings tour. What’s On finds out more...


So, tell us how you first got into puppetry.I used to watch Sesame Street and then TheMuppet Show. I remember getting a teddybear and I cut the back open, took all thestuffing out and put my hand into the mouthand made a puppet out of it. I’d been givensome puppet marionettes by a friend of thefamily and we built a puppet theatre. Myfamily all recorded the voices with me. Istarted doing that for friends’ birthday partiesabout the age of twelve. I was interested inventriloquism but I didn’t know how to do itproperly. I wanted to be a magician first andforemost. I forgot about the puppetry initiallyand became a magician when I left school.

Do you come from a showbiz family? My father went to RADA and still works as afreelancer. He was on the BBC WorldService. My mum does talks on her showbizcareer; she was a presenter on televisionand radio. My sister’s a journalist, too. I wasalways going to do something a bit ‘starry’.

Tell us about your very earlyperformances...I used to sit in the audience of Paul Daniels’shows as a kid and watch shows beingfilmed. They had guest acts on from all overthe world; some amazing acts from Vegas.The puppet thing I grew out of. I couldn’t seemyself doing that long-term, whereasmagic... you can do ‘close-up magic’ andshow people card tricks or do an illusionshow on stage. I did shows at school.Normally someone would recite a poem,sing a song or do a tap dance, but I levitatedmy sister! I got an agent when I left school,but she had lots of magicians on her rosterand told me I needed something different inorder to stand out. So I started learningventriloquism properly. I got a puppet built,and did a bit of Tommy Cooper-style comedymagic and some gags with the puppet. .

When was your first professional gig?One of my first gigs was close-up magic at

the Savoy Hotel for a private function. I gotpaid great money. I was seen by a fewpeople who then booked me. I put togetheran act and my agent got me a gig workingon a cruise ship in Scandinavia. I did afamily show in the afternoons and a late-night show around midnight, so I wasknackered! The ship went between Swedenand Finland, and the sun never sets. Thatwas a party ship, I can tell you! Then Imoved on to working-men’s clubs; that wasthe real training. They really let you knowwhat they think of you; you have to get themon your side within thirty seconds.

When did you discover your talent forvoices and mimicry?I could always do silly voices. As a kid I wasalways fascinated by voices and constantlymimicked cartoon characters. I had a shortcareer in radio, too. I did airport informationradio; travel information on all the flight timesat Heathrow on medium wave. I also had a

“”

I’d like to get my handinto Ed Miliband andgive him a personality

Paul Zerdinbringing his sponge friends to a theatre near you...

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interview...mid-morning show on a satellite radiostation. I used to do crazy voices, likeDonald Duck reading the weather. Sadly, youcouldn’t understand a word he said, so itdidn’t quite work out! I only lasted fourmonths.

What happened?I was just finding my feet. I came in one dayand I spilt coffee all over the mixing desksand the whole station went off air. At thetime, I was gigging and was changingaround some of my radio slots toaccommodate my magic shows at night. Thestation boss said, “You’re either a DJ or amagician”. I replied, “I think you can do bothin this day and age”. I came in the next dayand someone else was doing my show.They’d fired me and hadn’t told me!

Fast-forward to the present day and ThePaul Zerdin Show. Tell us what we canexpect? If you liked the last show, you'll love this one.The old man, Albert, is determined to find mea girlfriend from the audience, so we’ll begetting the crowd involved there. Sam hasdelusions of grandeur, thinking he can enterhimself into Britain’s Got Talent, and the babyis becoming a rap artist. Throw in someaudience participation and a little bit ofmagic and you've got a truly sponge-basednight of comedy. Sam is doing ventriloquismhimself too, and has a little dummy of me. Ican’t wait to test that out and see how itgoes down.

Do you ever have a temptation to throwyour voice in everyday life? I can be a bit of a prankster. In my act, I talkabout how I fool my girlfriend into thinkingwe’ve got the latest Sat Nav by pretending tobe its voice. I did a hidden camera show forSky where I did the voice of the lift, tellingpeople to get out, as they were too fat. I alsoordered room service in hotel rooms andfood in restaurants for me and the puppets.Both of our orders would be taken with somestrange looks. Knowing you’re being filmedfor TV makes it even more fun!

Everyone thinks ventriloquists are mad... I’ve met a lot of ventriloquists and I think I’dagree! I’ll do silly voices at home; pretend toopen the cupboard under the stairs and thatthere’s someone in there. I love silly stuff likethat. Why not get some laughs at home?

How did you go about constructing thecharacters of your puppets? Sam was built for a kids’ show I used topresent on GMTV. I play games with mythree-year-old nephew now and observe him.He gives me great ideas for Sam and thebaby. I love people-watching generally, so Iget a lot of inspiration from that. Sam isbasically me; a really, really immature versionwho gets away with a lot more than I could.The baby is my interpretation of ‘if a babycould talk, what would it be like?’. The oldman, Albert - my father is turning into him.He’s losing his hearing. I’m not taking thepiss out of deafness; Albert is deaf andlosing his marbles, and we’re just trying tofind the funny side of that. The puppets arecaricatures, which gives me licence to pushthings further than I otherwise could.

People tend to be more cautious today,even comedians. Do you feel we live in atoo-sensitive world?We live in an overly PC-conscious world. Youhave to be careful, and it’s a shame. I’m notsaying it’s good to say outrageous things,but I do feel we’re too sensitive. There’salways someone who’s going to moan.

What do you feel are the major differencesbetween ventriloquism and moretraditional stand-up?I do stand-up sections within the show aboutbeing a ventriloquist, to give that real-lifeelement. Ventriloquism is a form of stand-up,but it’s just me talking to me. I’m talking tosomething stuck on my arm. Ventriloquism isa very old tradition, but it’s not traditionalstand-up; it’s kind of like a sitcom. A situationis developing, and out of that will come ajoke between myself and the character. Idon’t do observational stuff; it’s about theirlives. It’s almost like interviewing. Like withAlbert; I’m the interviewer but hemisunderstands my questions, and thatenables me to do jokes about his old age.I’m acting and reacting all in one.

You mention presenting your showsalmost as a sitcom. Is a television sitcomsomething you’d like to do? Yeah, I did a mini-pilot for a productioncompany, and I’m writing quite a grown-upsitcom with a friend of mine for Children’sBBC. I have a wife and children in the show,and it’s based on my life as a jobbingventriloquist and all the things I’ve done. I’veflown out to Iraq and Afghanistan to supportthe troops; you really do get to do the mostamazing things. It shows how I balance afamily life with that. It’s still early days, but it’sexciting.

Did you watch the recent BBC puppetsitcom, Mongrels, about a group ofhousehold pets and urban animals?I didn’t see much, but from what I gather itwas all puppets, and I think ‘all puppets’ canbe a problem. There needs to be humaninteraction. The Muppets were very carefulwith that. Frank Oz, Jim Henson’s right-handman, says the Muppets don’t work in avacuum; there has to be a human there tobounce off. I have animatronic puppets thatcome alive without me, but you can’t havetoo much of that for too long. For an initial‘wow’ it’s magic, but you need the extradynamic with the performer talking to it, sothat you have something to connect to.

Similarly, what’s your take on Broadwayand West End smash Avenue Q?I like Avenue Q because it’s somethingdifferent - a pastiche of Sesame Street. I likeit and it’s been a massive success.

You also worked on the smash-hit feature,Muppet Treasure Island. How did thatcome about and what was it like?I got the job by accident. I was about to do atour and had a couple of months before Istarted. It was after I’d been a kids’ TVpresenter. A friend of mine was a puppeteerwho did Nobby The Sheep on a kids’ showcalled Gimme 5 and I went to see him. I’dedited a showreel and a CV on the off-chance that I could maybe meet one of thebosses and show him my stuff. I wasintroduced to Kevin Clash, the main Muppet

coordinator who did Elmo and lots of othercharacters on Sesame Street. He took meinto an office and Brian Henson, JimHenson’s son, was there. He asked me if Iwas any good, and then said, “What’re youdoing Monday? You’re working for us!”.That’s how I got in. I did a few weeks; theyasked me to do more but I couldn’t, becauseI had to do a tour. But it was amazing. Imean, Tim Curry was Long John Silver. Youlearn a lot about how film works.

It must be very different to performingyour own show?Yes, you carry out their orders and do whatthey want. I spent hours underneath a grassymound with Gonzo. Your body goes intospasm. My arm never goes above myshoulder in my shows, as my puppets areeye-height; but with the Muppets, everythingis above your head and you have to be outof shot. It’s a totally different craft. When theyshout ‘action’, you have to give it your all!

You’re also a festival regular. Do you findaudiences at Edinburgh different to otheraudiences? There’s more of a buzz in Edinburgh, as a lotof the audiences are going from show toshow. I’ve done Montreal, South Africa andAsia, but Edinburgh has a special vibe. Youfeel different; it’s just very exciting. I lovedoing festivals. I didn’t used to, but now I feelyou can do things you may not get awaywith elsewhere, as maybe the audiences aremore accepting. They know it’s a festival andthey know you may be trying out new anddifferent things.

One of the most popular parts of yourshow is when you get audience memberson stage to participate. How do youidentify who would be ideal guests? Mostly it's random. A couple who aren’t tooold to get onto the stage is a help. I’mlooking for people who look like they’rehaving a nice time and aren’t going to bepanic-stricken or freak out when they get onstage. There’s nothing worse than seeingpeople who look like they don’t want to bethere; that’s not fun for anyone. Similarly, youdon’t want someone who’s too much of ashow-off, because it looks like they’re set up.It’s a fine line. I’ll ask them if they’re up for it;if they’re not, I’ll leave them alone. You haveto invest time in finding the right people,because if you pick an individual or couplewho’re up for it, the next fifteen minutes aregold. You have to be quick but not too quick,or the whole routine that follows won’t work.You learn from experience. I got one guy upon stage and put the mask on him, thenbackstage he freaked out. He had a stropand said, “How dare you make me do it. I’vecome here to watch a show, not be part ofit”. But that’s only happened once. I sent himback to his seat.

Finally, if you could control a politicalfigure, which one would you choose andwhat would you make them say?I’d like to get my hand into Ed Miliband andgive him a personality. I’d give him a bettervoice too!

Paul Zerdin takes his sponge friends toLichfield Garrick on 23 September and toThe Place, Oakengates, on 10 October.

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The National Theatre’s award-winning production of the Michael Morpurgo novel War Horse is making awelcome return to the Midlands this month. But how did a little-known children’s story become one of thegreatest theatrical productions of the twenty-first century? What’s On caught up with the show’s co-director, Tom Morris, to find out...

War Horse returnsShow director Tom Morris talks about the hit production


How did the National Theatre’s productionof War Horse come about?The idea for the production came aboutwhen two very different trains of thoughtended up accidentally crossing over. Thefirst arose from a desire I had to work withHandspring Puppets. I’d seen their work in1995, in a show at the Battersea Arts Centre,in which there was a completely captivatinghyena at the centre of the production. Sincethen I’d followed their work, thinking that, atsome stage, there would be a way toharness this magnetic quality that theirpuppetry design had in a larger-scale show. When I moved to the National Theatre in2004, they were on my list of companies totry to collaborate with. In fact, I went toSouth Africa with Nick Starr (the ExecutiveDirector of the National Theatre) to see ashow they’d made about a giraffe. Wethought we might be able to invite it to playat the National’s Lyttleton Theatre. It was abrilliant but flawed production, and weagreed that it wasn’t right to invite the show

in its existing state to play at the National. Atthe centre of it was a giraffe that theaudience fell in love with. I was all for tryingto re-work that show, re-work the narrativearound the giraffe, and create somethingthat we could invite to play at the National.Nick Starr thought it was much too complexand challenging to do this. He suggested itwould be better to have an idea with whichto start working with Handspring fromscratch. And here’s the second train ofthought. At the same time, the NationalTheatre’s director, Nick Hytner, had asked usto come up with ideas for large-scale showsthat would appeal to a mixed audience ofadults and children. Philip Pullman’s HisDark Materials had been a big hit and wasreturning to the National for its secondChristmas season. Nick was thinking aboutwhat might follow it. It had changed the rulesabout what kind of work might be staged foradults and children, and Nick wanted tobuild on that. We were reading lots ofchildren’s books and, in the course of doing

so, I’d been told about Michael Morpurgo’sstories by a director and designer calledJulian Crouch. In particular, he told me thatMichael understood the First World War verywell and suggested I read a book calledPrivate Peaceful.I read this brilliant book, and several others,and quickly discovered that Michael was anamazing storyteller - but I hadn’t found astory that was quite right for us to adapt forthe Olivier stage. Then my mum asked me ifI knew that Michael Morpurgo had written astory about a horse in the First World War.Then it occurred to me that maybe these twoprojects, which I thought were separate,were, in fact, the same. If there was a storywhich was tailor-made for Handspring tomake a puppet for, maybe this was it. I readthe book and thought it was. I then askedNick Hytner to read the chapter of the bookin which there’s a disastrous cavalry charge.He got excited, and we agreed we shouldlook into it further.I then showed Nick a video of the giraffe,

“”

I read this brilliant book, andseveral others, and quicklydiscovered that Michael was anamazing storyteller

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interview...and he got a bit more excited. Even thoughthe book is narrated by a horse, we agreedthat if we were making a show which wasgoing to engage with adults and children in aserious way, then we shouldn’t have a talkinghorse. We both felt that one of the greatthings about the book was the insight it gaveinto the First World War. If we were going tomake a show, we wanted to treat the subjectwith the seriousness that it deserved. Thatpresented a huge challenge. If we weregoing to make something on a large scale toplay on the Olivier Stage, we had to acceptthat the space is modelled on a GreekAmphitheatre and is therefore designed forthe spoken word; to tell a story in which acentral character didn’t speak is counter-intuitive, to say the least - especially if thecentral character is played by a puppet.Rather than saying yes or no, Nick thenplayed his brilliant trump card, which allowedus to investigate the idea further withoutcommitting to a production. He suggested Igo into the National Theatre Studio to seewhat the idea might yield, and to ask NickStarr to construct some way to resource thedevelopment process and see what cameout of it. We went into the National Theatre Studio foran exploratory week, looking at the story -without puppets, but with some bits ofcardboard - and explored the relationshipbetween the boy and the horse. We lookedat wordless or almost-wordless scenes inwhich a boy would comfort or groom a horse- and might even tell some of his secrets toit. The results were surprisingly watchable,and some of that very early work made itsway into the finished show. We also tookcardboard cut-outs onto the Olivier stage, toget a sense of how we might actually stage ashow with a big puppet in the middle of it. Itwas all encouraging. We went through aseries of workshops in the studio, developingthe staging language, the design concept,the puppetry design, the musical languageand the script all at the same time, until wefelt we had something exciting enough toshow Nick Hytner. It was the moment whenthe baby horse changes into the big horse.By that time, the co-director, Marianne Elliot,was on board. So this moment had beensuggested by Toby Sedgwick, the movementdirector, after a lot of discussion with AdrianKohler and Marianne and me. We thought itlooked pretty exciting. I think we tried it outto a bit of Mahler’s first symphony, and gotNick down from his office to have a look.Nick Starr came too, who’d been there fromthe very start when we watched the giraffeshow in South Africa. Nick saw what we’d come up with and saidyes, let’s put that on. That was nearlyeighteen months after the first conversation.

Is this long gestation period normal for thiskind of work?I would say yes. But this kind of work isn’tnormal. My view is that one of the reasons thisproduction appealed to people when itopened was that it felt unfamiliar. It attemptedto do something that felt new and hadn’t beendone before. From our point of view, it was amassive counter-intuitive experiment. To put apuppet in a central role, a puppet that wasn’tspeaking, to try and tell a story whichsynthesised script, movement, music, designand puppetry, to say nothing of lighting andsound design as well. It’s far simpler to get a

really good script and work out how you’regoing to stage it than take a story and workout how that story will be told using all thosedifferent elements at the same time. If you’regoing to do that, you might come up withsomething that will break the rules in aninteresting and successful way, but you needto have a huge amount of development timeand, more importantly, it needs to beunpressured, which is what Nick Starr andNick Hytner managed to do. When we weregoing into the National Theatre Studio tryingout these ideas, there wasn’t a producer theresaying, right you’ve spent x thousand poundsalready and you need to deliver a solution bythe end of next week otherwise our investorsare going to start pulling the plug on theshow. There just wasn’t any of that. There wasa genuine backing for the experimental questwe were on. When the concept wasdeveloping, it was completely free, which wasa prerequisite for something so innovative.Obviously that changed when we finally wentinto rehearsals, and knew that we had to selltickets for the show, but in the early stages wehad complete experimental freedom.

How did your relationship with MarianneElliott work?My job at the National Theatre wasn’t to directplays. Originally I’d been invited to come upwith ideas to push the boundaries ofconventional theatre-making, based on myexperience at the Battersea Arts Centre. Asthe ideas developed, someone else wouldstage them; someone who had moreexperience at staging shows on a big scalethan I did. Nick Hytner and I talked aboutvarious directors for War Horse. After we’ddone a year or so in development, but at quitea slow pace, Nick suggested Marianne Elliott.I saw her work, met her and thought it was anexcellent idea. She came into the nextworkshop - the one where we ended upshowing Nick the baby horse growing into thebig horse - and we led the workshop together.Then, after that, Marianne suggested to Nickthat she thought the best way to deliver theproject would be for us to direct it together, forwhich I’m eternally grateful. It was very muchwithin her gift to share that role. But it goesagainst a lot of received wisdom about how todeliver a theatre show. As we found out, youdon’t save much time by having two directors.Everything has to be talked through andagreed, and that can multiply the amount oftime it takes to do something. But Mariannefelt at the time that we couldn’t have done itwithout both of us, because it was toocomplicated. And as it turned out, I think shewas probably right. We needed to be able totake it in turns looking at the work the otherperson was doing, think about it, learn from itand support it. Of course, with that there werevarious complexities. If two directors disagree,it can be difficult, but we worked it out.

It seems like a very collaborative project -design, direction, music, lighting,puppetry etc...The characterising thing about it is that thestory is told partly by the text, partly by howthe puppets move, partly by the staging,partly by the design, partly by the music andlight. All of those things had to be evolvingand woven together whilst we were makingthe show - rather like all those elements tell astory in a film. And I suppose that thecollaboration between Marianne and I fitted

into this much more complex, widercollaboration that made the show what it is.I think this is what made the showgroundbreaking. Those sorts of collaborations are wonderful;where you manage to get such a brilliantgroup together to work with a director asamazing as Marianne, who has such greatprecision of character motivation and staginginstincts. The designer, Rae Smith, isabsolutely the kind of designer who makesyou see possibilities you didn’t think existed,as does Paul Constable, the lightingdesigner, and Chris Shutt, the sounddesigner. Then you can add to that mix JohnTams, the pre-eminent architect of a folkscore in British theatre over the past fiftyyears, and Adrian Sutton, a composer ofsuch versatility. And that’s to say nothing ofthe puppets. There’s no question in my mindthat Adrian Koehler’s puppets are thebenchmark of puppetry designs in livingmemory in theatre. To have all those peoplein the same room and, from my point of view,to have the opportunity to provoke andmarshall all those instincts together, witheveryone outside their comfort zone, isprobably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’sas good as it gets from a creative point ofview.

How do you feel now that War Horse hascelebrated five years in London, withproductions running worldwide andnumerous awards won, including fiveTonys?Is it something you ever imagined?Absolutely not. It was an experimental show -and with experimental work, you expect tomake some audiences happy and interested,to maybe get some nice reviews, and tohang around for a couple of months. Wedidn’t even expect it to come back into asubsidised theatre for a second run, which itdid at the National Theatre. We hadabsolutely no idea it would become what it istoday. It was so outside the bounds ofpossibility that we didn’t talk about it. It’scredit to the astonishing skill of Nick Starr asa producer that he eased it into acommercial environment - first of all into theWest End, then onto Broadway and thenelsewhere - whilst protecting the subsidisedethos that had created it, and the ensembleethos that makes it work on stage. So it’s stillbaffling to any of us that it’s running as along-running show. We need to remindourselves that this is something that happensonce in a lifetime.

How was Michael Morpurgo involved inthe whole process?Brilliantly. Having inspired it, he let us get onwith it, but he said that at any point where wewanted either some advice or to inspire arehearsal room, in the way we’d beeninspired by his story, he was available to dothat. And he has been ever since. He’s beenan ongoing sounding board for us. He’sbeen incredibly graceful and generous, andwhenever we’ve wanted our rehearsal roomsto get to hear, first-hand, the story thatinspired the whole project, he’s come andtalked to the company.

War Horse shows at Regent Theatre,Stoke-on-Trent from Wed 24 September toSat 11 October

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The Martin Barre BandThe Robin, Bilston, Thurs 4 September

“This year sees us touring in many new territories,”says Martin Barre, “showcasing our new livealbum, Order Of Play.” The Martin Barre Band is now in its fourth year, andis keeping its sixty-seven-year-old Brummie front-man gainfully employed while his other band,Jethro Tull, take ‘a long break from touring’. Martin first played with the legendary rockers forty-five years ago, and has featured on every JethroTull album since that time. Alongside his work withTull, his claims to fame include collaborating withPaul McCartney and Phil Collins, and sharing astage with the legendary Jimmi Hendrix, Fleet-wood Mac, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. Martin’s band will here be playing ‘classic’ musicfrom the Tull catalogue.

Leo Appleyard QuintetThe Hive, Shrewsbury, Sat 13 September

With notable musicians Phil Robson and Jean Tou-ssaint among his tutors, it’s fair to say that Birming-ham Conservatoire-trained jazz guitarist LeoAppleyard has enjoyed an education for whichmany would give their guitar-strumming right arm.His debut album, Pembroke Road, is out thismonth, and Leo and his band are here joined bythe much-admired Manchester-born modern jazztrumpeter, Neil Yates.

Ani DiFrancoThe Glee Club, Birmingham, Wed 17 September

Whether it’s been abortion rights, gay visibility orany number of causes in between, Ani DiFrancohas never been slow to lend both her voice andname to a broad range of social movements. Theguitarist, poet and songwriter’s status as a feministicon is assured, as is her popularity as a musician.Her twenty-plus albums have seen her engagewith a wide range of genres, including punk, funk,hip-hop and jazz, but it’s for her folk rock and alter-native rock music that she’s best known and mostadmired.

Music

Ms. Lauryn HillO2 Academy, Birmingham, Tues 23 September

Breaking new ground as part of The Fugees, Lauryn Hill recorded her one and only semi-nal album, The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill, in 1998, selling eight million copies in the USalone. She’s since gone on to raise six children with Rohan Marley, son of Damian, andserved jail time for tax evasion in 2013. Now, following the sell-out success of two Londonshows, she plays Birmingham and Manchester on this short tour, her second UK showingin five years.

Vance Joy The Institute, Birmingham, Sun 28 SeptemberVance Joy is James Keogh, an Australian singer-songwriter who eschewed his promisingfootball career to make it as a musician. Providing the soundtrack to summer for thou-sands of students across the world, Vance Joy’s hit, Riptide, is the perfect introduction tohis upbeat indie style. This success has earned him a UK tour and a debut album to boot,with Dream Your Life Away set for release this very month. Recording in a tree house,Keogh’s worked with Ryan Hadlock of The Lumineers to put together this eagerly awaitedrecord. Ezra Vine supports.



PLUS A FREE MOTOWN & SOUL AFTERPARTY FOR TICKHOLDERS 10pm until 3am!

FRI19 SEPTDoors 7.30pm Concert 8.30pm

TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLINE FROM www.thebuttermarket.co.uk

PLUS A FREE MOTOWN & SOUL AFTERPARTY FOR TICKETHOLDERS 10pm until 3am!


Martha Reeves &The VandellasThe Jam House, Birmingham, Thurs 4 Sept;The Buttermarket, Shrewsbury, Fri 19 Sep-tember; Prince Of Wales Theatre, Cannock,Fri 26 September

A living legend comes to Shrewsbury. One ofthe biggest names in the history of music,Martha Reeves is widely referred to as ‘thefirst lady of Motown’. During her time withThe Vandellas, from the late-’50s through tillthe early-’70s, the all-girl group charted animpressive twenty-plus hits, including classicanthems like Nowhere To Run, Jimmy Mackand Dancing In The Street. The latter song,the Vandellas’ signature tune, is this year ahalf-century old, with Martha and co currentlytouring to arenas, casinos, clubs, theatresand festivals across the world in celebration.

Alt-JCivic Hall, Wolverhampton,Mon 22 September

Winners of the British Mercury Prize in 2012,Alt-J seemingly came from nowhere to shakeup the music scene with their cerebral sound.Forming at Leeds University, they later movedto Cambridge to hone their craft before sign-ing with Infectious Records in late 2011. Withsongs such as Breezeblocks, Tessellate andBloodflood making waves on the scene, theyinsist they’re completely ‘normal’, despitetheir challenging lyrics and disdain for thelimelight. See them on this eight-date UKtour, taking place in support of their soon-to-be-released second album, This Is All Yours.

Nik KershawTheatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Wed 10 Septem-ber; The Robin, Bilston, Thurs 25 September

Is it really possible that Nik Kershaw hasclocked up a half-century and more on PlanetEarth? It seems like only yesterday that theboy from Bristol was a fresh-faced teen idol,sharing airtime and chart space with the likesof Duran Duran, Wham! and Haircut 100. A one-time funk guitarist, Nik spent a record-breaking fifty weeks in the charts in hisgolden year of 1984, and played his part inLive Aid the following year too, as well asscoring hits with songs like I Won’t Let TheSun Go Down On Me and Wouldn’t It BeGood. Oh, and he also wrote the ChesneyHawkes number one, The One And Only.

The Magic NumbersThe Institute, Birmingham,Tues 16 September

This double brother-and-sister act wereeverywhere back in 2005, when their soft,sunshine-infused sound chimed well with theindie pop revival. A Mercury Prize nominationand a host of festival appearances soon fol-lowed, and their harmonies helped makethem a huge success. But two albums later,with a third, Alias, just released, it’s inevitablethat they’ve changed direction somewhat,now returning with a harder, rockier sound.Stating in an interview that they feel ‘like abrand newband’, they’llbe playing bothold hits andnew at this In-stitute gig. RenHarvieu sup-ports.

The Stray BirdsStafford Gatehouse, Mon 1 September

Their website describes their sound as hav-ing been ‘drawn from the richness of Ameri-can folk music traditions, spun with a stirringsubtlety and grace’. No Depression maga-zine, meanwhile, reckons they’re ‘a banddestined for global success’, while Whisper-ing Bob Harris expects them to be ‘elevatedinto a kind of folk/bluegrass superstardom’.The Stray Birds - well, two of them at least -came together in Pennsylvania in early 2010,when a snowy winter offered plenty of oppor-tunity for Maya de Vitry and Oliver Craven topool their creativity. Charles Muench came onboard later and a full-length album followed,as did plenty of positive feedback. They appear in the Midlands with 2014 hav-ing already seen them headline the CelticConnections festival in Scotland and play nu-merous London shows.

The DelegatorsHare & Hounds, Birmingham,Thurs 4 September

The Delegators are often compared to TheSupremes - and it’s easy to see why theSouth London ensemble are being hailed asa modern-day incarnation of the legendary1960s group. Lead vocalist Janet Kumah is apowerful onstage presence with a voice thatcommands attention, whilst the five-piece all-male band behind her generate a sound thatincorporates rocksteady, ska and early reg-gae. Regulars at festivals such as Glaston-bury, they here perform songs from theirlatest album, All Aboard.

DragonForceThe Sugarmill, Stoke-on-Trent,Fri 26 September

Not to be confused with the PS2 game, Drag-onForce is a seriously heavyweight UK metalband. Taking the scene by storm in 1999,they’re celebrating this year’s fifteenth an-niversary with the release of their sixth studioalbum, Maximum Overload. Playing the longest, fastest guitar solosaround, the band are also known for theirfantasy lyrics and retro video game sound.The new album features Trivium’s Matt Heafyand a cover of Johnny Cash’s Ring Of Fire.They’re playing an epic twenty-date UK tourthis autumn before heading for Europe andTokyo.

MusicPREVIEWS

Blondie O2 Academy, Birmingham, Sat 13 SeptemberSometimes style can outweigh substance - but in the case of Blondie, somebody got themeasurements just about right. At the height of the band’s fame in the late-1970s, ex-Playboybunnygirl and male adolescent fantasy Debbie Harry was the ultimate trendsetter. Her chis-elled features and punk-chick style made her the perfect cover girl, her disinterested expres-sion the equally perfect image for a disaffected generation. Indeed, so high was Harry’sprofile that it was easy to forget guitarist Chris Stein, drummer Clem Burke and keyboardistJimmy Destri were also in the band. Breaking up in 1982, Blondie reformed fifteen years laterand followed their golden-era string of hits - including Call Me, Atomic and The Tide Is High -with the 1999 single Maria, which stormed to the UK number one spot exactly twenty yearsafter Heart Of Glass had become their first British chart-topper. Earlier this year winningNME’s Godlike Genius award, the band appear in Birmingham in support of their latestalbum, Ghosts Of Download.



For full music listings in the West Midlands, visit. www.whatsonlive.co.uk 15

THE STRAY BIRDSStafford GatehouseTheatreCRYPTOPSY, DISGORGE &JUNGLE ROT The Robin,BilstonTHE GHOST OF A SABERTOOTH TIGER Hare &Hounds, Birmingham

JESSY LANZA Hare &Hounds, Birmingham FREDDIE GIBBS The Insti-tute, BirminghamTAZ TAYLOR BAND TheRobin, BilstonUP4 THE DOWNSTROKEThe Jam House, B’ham

DANNY BRYANT TheRobin, BilstonROLAND GIFT Hare &Hounds, BirminghamJULES RENDELL KitchenGarden Cafe, B’ham

THE MARTIN BARRE BANDThe Robin, BilstonMARTHA REEVES & THEVANDELLAS The JamHouse, BirminghamANDREW COMBS TRIOWITH MATT MCCLOSKEYHare & Hounds, B’hamTHE DELEGATORS Hare &Hounds, BirminghamCONSTANTINE, AR-MONIGHT, CAPTAIN HORI-ZON & VALOUS TheRoadhouse, B’ham

ROCKET The JamHouse, BirminghamVIVA SANTANA TheRobin, Bilston LISA STANSFIELD Sym-phony Hall, B’hamCOLD OCEAN LIES, MIS-TERNOTHING, PHUSSYAND THE USUAL SUS-PECTS Lichfield GarrickJOE MCELDERRY TheatreSevern, ShrewsburySIMIAN MOBILE DISCOHare & Hounds, B’ham HATS OFF TO LED ZEPPE-LIN Lichfield GarrickSOUL JUNCTION TheRoadhouse, B’ham THE SOUL SURVIVORSThe River Rooms,Stourbridge THE DANSETTE DAYSCrescent Theatre, Birm-ingham CLOUDBUSTING - A TRIB-UTE TO KATE BUSH Hare& Hounds, Birmingham TREDEGAR TOWN BANDAdrian Boult Hall, Birm-ingham WINSTON'S BIG BROTHERThe Actress & Bishop, BirminghamCASINO The Asylum,Birmingham THE REBELLION The Sug-armill, Stoke-on-Trent

KING ROCKER Route 44,Birmingham KAZABIAN The Oobleck,BirminghamDETECTIVE, SCREAMINGQUAYS, HOLLOW PEOPLE& ELLIE DOWEN O2Academy, Birmingham

G2 - DEFINITIVE GENESISThe Robin, BilstonED RUSH Hare &Hounds, Birmingham SURFIN' USA TheatreSevern, Shrewsbury THINK FLOYD NewAlexandra Theatre,Birmingham LABOUR OF LOVE - UB40TRIBUTE The RiverRooms, StourbridgeTHE 162ND BRITISH OPENBRASS BAND CHAMPI-ONSHIPS SymphonyHall, Birmingham XVII The Slade Rooms,Wolverhampton THE OLDEST HOUSE TheActress & Bishop, Birm-ingham STRAIGHTEN OUT -STRANGLERS TRIBUTEThe Roadhouse, Birm-ingham BENJAMIN BOOKER O2Academy, Birmingham BARE JOHN, HOPESTREET, THE BAD FLOW-ERS, DUKE RED LIGHT,THE NICS, SOUR SCARLET& PLASTIC FACTORY O2Academy, Birmingham RE-COVERED Irish Cen-tre, Birmingham DIRTY MONEY NO.5 TheSugarmill, Stoke-on-Trent THE NOTORIOUS BROTH-ERS Route 44, Birming-ham ALEX RAINSFORD TheSunflower Lounge,BirminghamPSYENCE & ELEC-TROSHOCK THERAPYGladstone Pottery Mu-seum, Staffordshire

ABBA REUNION CreweLyceumART GARFUNKEL NewAlexandra Theatre,Birmingham BRASS BAND GALA CON-CERT Symphony Hall,Birmingham JOE BROWN LichfieldGarrickSISTER SHOTGUN, ROBINTAYLOR, MALLEN & STONEBROKEN The Robin, Bil-ston HOUSE OF HATS, BETHPRIOR & FIDDLES SMITHHenry Tudor House,Shrewsbury GREY WOLF Kitchen Gar-den Cafe, Birmingham

JOE BROWN LichfieldGarrickJESUS JONES O2 Acad-

emy, Birmingham MYSTERY The Robin,Bilston RED BIRD SKY KitchenGarden Cafe, Birming-ham

PEARL JEM O2 Acad-emy, Birmingham KENT DUCHAINE The JamHouse, BirminghamKODIAK JACK The Road-house, BirminghamROB HERON & THE TEAPAD ORCHESTRA KitchenGarden Cafe, B’ham

GOSPEL CENTRAL TheJam House, B’hamTHREE STEP MANOEUVREFUNKY ORGAN TRIO TheYardbird Jazz Club,BirminghamNIK KERSHAW TheatreSevern, ShrewsburyMIKE TRAMP The Robin,Bilston

STACKRIDGE The Robin,BilstonROACHFORD The JamHouse, Birmingham THE HOUGHTON WEAVERSLichfield GarrickTONY BENNETT Sym-phony Hall, Birming-ham AS IT IS & LIKE TORCHESO2 Academy, Birming-hamPATRICK DUFF Hare &Hounds, Birmingham DURAN: THE TRIBUTE TheRoadhouse, B’ham

SOLID SOUL The JamHouse, BirminghamFALLING RED The Asy-lum, Birmingham RUTS DC, EVIL BLIZZARD& BLACKBOMBERS Hare& Hounds, BirminghamTHE SIMON AND GAR-FUNKEL STORY CreweLyceumTHE WEDDING PRESENTThe River Rooms,Stourbridge ROY ORBISON ANDFRIENDS The Place,Oakengates TheatreTHE SUPERSKAS TheRobin, Bilston COASTS The Institute, BirminghamTHE STARS FROM THECOMMITMENTS LichfieldGarrickA VISION OF ELVIS Victo-ria Hall, Stoke-on-TrentFUNKNIGHT FEATURINGINCOGNITO, JAMES TAY-LOR QUARTET & ROTUNDAOF WONDER BirminghamTown HallSTEVE TROMANS' AXISPOINT BirminghamTown HallTHE PARADE The Actress & Bishop, Birmingham GENERATIONS The Sug-armill, Stoke-on-TrentDIZZY LIZZY Route 44, Birmingham

SOLID SOUL The JamHouse, BirminghamDIRTY DC The Robin,

BilstonPLAYLOUNGE & KINGS OFCATS Hare & Hounds,Birmingham THE BUDDY PRESLEYSHOW Tamworth Assem-bly RoomsSWEDE DREAMZ - ABBATRIBUTE NIGHT TheGreat Barr Hotel, Birm-inghamSOUL LEGENDS Wolver-hampton Grand TheatreAC/DC TRIBUTE - HELLSBELLS The Roadhouse,BirminghamBENEATH THE REMAINSO2 Academy, B’ham THE DECADES BAND TheRiver Rooms, Stour-bridge LEO APPLEYARD QUINTETThe Hive, ShrewsburySAM SWEENEY'S FIDDLEmac - Midlands ArtsCentre, BirminghamLUKE WYLDE & THEJAPES The SladeRooms, W’hamptonTALONS The Flapper,Birmingham DANGEROUS GIRLS RE-UNITED Hare & Hounds,Birmingham PICKERING WHITE TheSugarmill, Stoke-on-Trent REVEREND RONNIE & THESKA COMMUNION Route 44, Birmingham ROSE REDD The Sun-flower Lounge, B’ham BLONDIE O2 Academy,Birmingham

THE SIMON AND GAR-FUNKEL STORY TheRobin, Bilston THE PSYCHEDELIC WAR-LORDS The RiverRooms, Stourbridge CASH (JOHNNY CASHTRIBUTE) The Road-house, Birmingham CHRIS WOOD Lichfield GuildhallTHE STONES Hare &Hounds, Birmingham RED SHOES Kitchen Gar-den Cafe, BirminghamLITTLE JIMMY Irish Cen-tre, Birmingham

THE SATURDAYS NationalIndoor Arena, B’ham GRUFF RHYS The GleeClub, Birmingham

BILLY MITCHELL AND RAY

LAIDLAW: THE LINDIS-FARNE STORY TheRobin, BilstonTHAT'LL BE THE DAYCrewe LyceumTHE MAGIC NUMBERSThe Institute, B’hamJASPER CARROT'S STANDUP AND ROCK Wolver-hampton Grand TheatreMARTIN STEPHENSONHare & Hounds, B’ham RICHARD DURRANT Hare& Hounds, BirminghamTHE RAY BUTCHER TRIOThe Jam House, Birm-ingham KRIS DREVER WITH EA-MONN COYNE KitchenGarden Cafe, B’ham

SAM LEE AND MEMBERSOF THE UNTHANKS Birm-ingham Town HallJANE MCDONALD IN CON-CERT WolverhamptonGrand TheatreJASPER CARROT'S STANDUP AND ROCK CreweLyceumNATHAN CARTER ThePlace, Oakengates The-atre, ShropshireTHE DOWLING POOLE TheAsylum, Birmingham DOUG MACLEOD The JamHouse, Birmingham THE CARPET CRAWLERSLichfield GarrickROGER CHAPMAN & THESHORTLIST The Robin,BilstonIGUDESMAN & JOO: BIGNIGHTMARE MUSIC Sym-phony Hall, B’ham ANI DIFRANCO The GleeClub, Birmingham SALLY BARKER The EdgeArts Centre, Much Wen-lock, South ShropshireBEARTOOTH O2 Acad-emy, Birmingham

THE REAL THING TheJam House, B’ham JONNY COLE The GleeClub, BirminghamMARTIN STEPHENSONHenry Tudor House,ShrewsburyMILES AND ERICA TheRiver Rooms, Stour-bridge BROTHERS GROOVE TheRobin, Bilston AN ACOUSTIC EVENINGWITH ANDY CAIRNS TheSlade Rooms, Wolver-hamptonBEVERLEY CRAVEN mac -

Midlands Arts Centre,Birmingham SHAWN KLUSH - ELVISWORLD TOUR Civic Hall,WolverhamptonSYD ARTHUR The Sun-flower Lounge, B’hamBLAST BEAT The Road-house, BirminghamTHE DIRTY OLD FOLKERSThe Actress & Bishop,Birmingham

TRU GROOVE The JamHouse, Birmingham DEFINITELY MIGHTBE O2Academy, Birmingham CHAS AND DAVE WulfrunHall, Wolverhampton JILTED GENERATION TheRoadhouse, B’ham GLORY DAYS - BRUCESPRINGSTEEN TRIBUTEThe Robin, Bilston TALON - THE BEST OF EA-GLES Birmingham TownHallMARTHA REEVES & THEVANDELLAS The Butter-market, Shrewsbury THE BURNING HELL Hare& Hounds, Birmingham AC/DC UK Lichfield Gar-rickTHE BOHEMIANS - ANIGHT OF QUEEN Tam-worth Assembly Rooms OLLIE HUGHES AS ROBBIEWILLIAMS The RiverRooms, Stourbridge MAMMA MIA! SabrinaBoat, Shrewsbury ELECTRIC BOYS TheSlade Rooms, Wolver-hampton MODERN BASEBALL TheAsylum, Birmingham INTO THE SHADOWSNewhampton Arts Cen-tre, WolverhamptonJULIET KELLY SPELL-BOUND STORIES Sym-phony Hall, B’hamBEAU TRAP The Actress& Bishop, Birmingham JEFFERSON HAMER ANDKRISTIN ANDREASSENStafford GatehouseTheatreTHE PERSONAS The Sug-armill, Stoke-on-Trent BOX O SNAKES Route 44,BirminghamELECTRIC SWING CIRCUSHare & Hounds, B’hamGUTI The Rainbow Ven-ues, Birmingham

TRU GROOVE The JamHouse, Birmingham

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MusicLISTINGS

For full listing information on gigs,including times and dates,visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk

Electric Swing Circus - Hare & Hounds, Birmingham


For full music listings in the West Midlands, visit. www.whatsonlive.co.uk 17

THE COUNTERFEITSTONES The Robin, Bil-ston LIVEWIRE - TRIBUTE TOAC/DC The SladeRooms, WolverhamptonUK FOO FIGHTERS O2Academy, Birmingham THE ILLEGAL EAGLESCrewe Lyceum THE MOONS Hare &Hounds, Birmingham THE MERCY TamworthAssembly RoomsUNITED RHYTHMS TheDrum, Birmingham KICK UP THE 80'S TheRiver Rooms, Stour-bridge THE WALL OF FLOYD Wul-frun Hall, W’rhampton JAWS The Oobleck,Birmingham LULO REINHARDT mac -Midlands Arts Centre,Birmingham HI-ON MAIDEN The Road-house, B‘ham VO FLETCHER AND RICSANDERS SymphonyHall, Birmingham HIGHTOWER, SAVANNAH& REASIDE The Actress& Bishop, Birmingham IAN STOREY Ludlow As-sembly Rooms, Shrop-shireINCARCERATE The Sug-armill, Stoke-on-TrentQUOMOTION Route 44,Birmingham

SHOWADDYWADDY Birm-ingham Town HallBRIGHOUSE & RASTRICKBAND Theatre Severn,Shrewsbury OTWAY & BARRETT TheRobin, Bilston KAZ HAWKINS LichfieldGuildhallCHRIS CLEVERLEYKitchen Garden Cafe,Birmingham

JOE MCELDERRY Lich-field GarrickDARLIA The Institute,BirminghamWAYNE HUSSEY TheRobin, Bilston ALT-J Civic Hall, Wolver-hamptonFAMY The SunflowerLounge, Birmingham GOSSLING Hare &Hounds, Birmingham LISBEE STAINTON KitchenGarden Cafe, B’ham

ALBERT LEE & HOGAN'SHEROES The Robin, Bil-ston SHARON CORR The GleeClub, Birmingham LAURYN HILL O2 Acad-emy, Birmingham THE DUNWELLS Hare &Hounds, Birmingham THE GLAMOPHONES TheJam House, B’ham

ALEXANDER O'NEAL TheJam House, B’hamMOTOWN'S GREATESTHITS - HOW SWEET IT ISLichfield GarrickMY SWEET PATOOTIE TheRed Lion Folk Club,BirminghamTHE BAY CITY ROLLERSCrewe LyceumMAGIC & LOSS - THEMUSIC OF LOU REED TheRobin, Bilston PANUFNIK CENTENARYSymphony Hall, B’ham ME VS HERO O2 Acad-emy, Birmingham THE PIERCES The GleeClub, Birmingham

DEL CAMINO The JamHouse, BirminghamTHAT'LL BE THE DAY The-atre Severn, Shrews-bury THE FORIEGN EXCHANGEHare & Hounds, B’ham DIESEL PARK WEST TheRiver Rooms, Stour-bridge NIK KERSHAW TheRobin, Bilston ANATHEMA The SladeRooms, WolverhamptonKING KRAB The Road-house, Birmingham KING 810 O2 Academy,Birmingham WATSKY The Institute,BirminghamWOMAN'S HOUR Hare &Hounds, Birmingham CIGDEM ASLAN mac -Midlands Arts Centre,Birmingham ROB LYNCH The Sug-armill, Stoke-on-Trent ASHESTOANGELS, INDANTE'S ECLIPSE, THEACID BALLET, THE DEADXIII & ALMOST EASY O2Academy, Birmingham ROD AND THE FACEZRoute 44, Birmingham THE JACARANDAS TheSunflower Lounge,Birmingham

THE SUBTERRANEANSThe Jam House, B’hamFIRES THAT DIVIDE TheActress & Bishop, Birm-ingham THE ULTIMATE EAGLESThe Robin, Bilston JAMES TAYLOR LG Arena,BirminghamJOEL GION The Institute,Birmingham DRAGONFORCE The Sug-armill, Stoke-on-Trent THE BORN AGAIN BEATLESThe Roadhouse, B’ham THE CARPET CRAWLERSStafford GatehouseTheatreBACK TO BROADWAY The-atre Severn, Shrews-bury DESPERADO - THE VERYBEST OF THE EAGLESTheatre On The Steps,

BridgnorthHONEYBLOOD Hare &Hounds, Birmingham DJ YODA Hare &Hounds, Birmingham MARTHA REEVES & THEVANDELLAS Prince OfWales Centre, CannockChase, StaffsIVOR & LYNN'S CLASSICROCK NIGHT Route 44,Birmingham MADBALL, BREAKINGPOINT & COLDBURN TheOobleck, BirminghamOLD’S COOL The LudlowBrewery, Shropshire

THE SUBTERRANEANSThe Jam House, B’ham DESPERADO - THE VERYBEST OF THE EAGLESTheatre On The Steps,BridgnorthBROOKS WILLIAMS Birch-meadow, Broseley THE BUSBY BABES TheRobin, Bilston QUADROPHENIA NIGHTFEATURING THE AT-LANTICS AND DJ DREWSTANSALL (THE SPE-CIALS) O2 Academy,BirminghamBITE SIZE BROADWAYLichfield GarrickGUNS VS ROSES TheRoadhouse, B’ham THE FRAY O2 Academy,Birmingham DRAGONFORCE The Insti-tute, Birmingham MOTOWN SOUL SPECTAC-ULAR WITH THE LOVESUPREMES The Place,Oakengates Theatre,Telford, ShropshireSTEVE CRADOCK TheSlade Rooms, Wolver-hamptonSUPREME QUEEN TheRiver Rooms, Stour-bridge AMONG THE ECHOES, VILEELECTRODES, ANALOGANGEL & KIRA The Ac-tress & Bishop, B’ham CHAMPION MC'S ANDLOVERS ROCK FEATURINGGENERAL LEVI, TOP CAT,TIPPA IRIE AND MORE TheDrum, Birmingham BEN MARWOOD TheFlapper, Birmingham MARSHALL JEFFERSON &MAURICE FULTON Hare &Hounds, Birmingham GRANT NICHOLAS The In-stitute, BirminghamKOBRA AND THE LOTUSThe Sugarmill, Stoke-on-Trent THE SCOPYONS Route 44CHICKS DIG JERKS TheOobleck, Birmingham

VANCE JOY The Institute,Birmingham ROXX TO RUIN The Road-house, Birmingham HATS OFF TO LED ZEPPE-LIN O2 Academy, B’ham THE SEARCHERS PrinceOf Wales Centre, Can-nock ChaseMICHAEL NESMITH Birm-ingham Town HallFRAGILE FEATURINGCLAIRE HAMILL - TRIBUTETO YES The Robin, Bil-ston THE URBAN VOODOO MA-CHINE O2 Academy,Birmingham

TOSELAND The SladeRooms, Wolverhampton VIN GARBUTT KitchenGarden Cafe, B’ham SOUTHERN The Sun-flower Lounge, B’ham SLEEPY SUN TheOobleck, Birmingham EZRA VINE The Institute,Birmingham

THE HORRORS The Insti-tute BirminghamTHE 1975 Civic Hall,WolverhamptonTHIS WILD LIFE The Asy-lum, Birmingham

ANDREA BALENCY & NLF3Hare & Hounds, B’ham JULY TALK The Institute,BirminghamJESS KLEIN Kitchen Gar-den Cafe, Birmingham MAX JURY The Sun-flower Lounge, B’ham

WHEATUS The RiverRooms, StourbridgeTHE PHANTOM BANDHare & Hounds, B’ham JAKE ISAAC Hare &Hounds, BirminghamCARRIE ELKIN KitchenGarden Cafe, B’ham

CRAFT SPELLS The Sun-flower Lounge, B’ham IVOR & LYNN'S CLASSICROCK DISCO Route 44,Birmingham STAKEOUT O2 Academy,Birmingham MYTH CITY The Actress& Bishop, Birmingham TROOPS OF MAFEKINGThe Sugarmill, Stoke-on-Trent, StaffsSYPHOR, SINATE & LE-GION OF WOLVES ScruffyMurphys, BirminghamSALVATORE LEONE TheSunflower Lounge,Birmingham

TUE 23 SEP

WED 24 SEP

THU 25 SEP

FRI 26 SEP

SAT 27 SEP

SUN 28 SEP

MON 29 SEPTUE 30 SEP

SUN 21 SEP

MON 22 SEP

MusicLISTINGS

For full listing information on gigs,including times and dates,visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk

Birmingham02 ACADEMY0121 622 8250THE ACTRESS & BISHOP0121 236 7426ADRIAN BOULT HALL0121 331 5901THE ASYLUM 0121 233 1109 THE BARBER INSTITUTE0121 414 7333 BIRMINGHAM TOWN HALL0121 780 3333CBSO CENTRE0121 780 3333FLAPPER 0121 236 2421THE GLEE CLUB0871 472 0400HARE & HOUNDS0121 444 2081THE INSTITUTE 0121 643 0428IRISH CENTRE0121 622 2314THE JAM HOUSE0121 200 3030THE KITCHEN GARDEN CAFE0121 443 4725LG ARENA0844 338 8000NIA0844 338 8000THE RAINBOW 0121 772 8174RED LION FOLK CLUB0121472 4253THE ROADHOUSE 0121 246 2273ROUTE 44 0121 708 0108SYMPHONY HALL0121 780 3333THE VICTORIA0121 633 9439

THE YARDBIRD0121 212 2524

Black CountryCIVIC HALL, WOLVERHAMPTON0870 320 7000DUDLEY CONCERT HALL01384 815577FOREST ARTS CENTRE0845 111 2898NEWHAMPTON ARTS CENTRE01902 572090ROBIN 2, BILSTON01902 401211SLADE ROOMSWOLVERHAMPTON0870 320 7000STOURBRIDGE TOWN HALL01384 812812WULFRUN HALL, WOLVERHAMPTON0870 320 7000

Shropshire BIRCHMEADOW, BROSELEY01952 882210THE BUTTERMARKET,SHREWSBURY01743 355055THE EDGE ARTS CENTRE, MUCH WENLOCK01952 728911HENRY TUDOR HOUSESHREWSBURY 01743 361666THE HIVE, SHREWSBURY 01743 234970LUDLOW ASSEMBLY ROOMS01584 878141THEATRE SEVERN, SHREWSBURY 01743 281281THE PLACE, OAKENGATES,TELFORD 01952 382382WEM TOWN HALL 01939 232299

StaffordshireFOXLOWE ARTS CENTRE, LEEK01538 386112

LICHFIELD GUILDHALL01543 262223

THE SUGARMILL, HANLEY STOKE-ON-TRENT01159 454 593

TAMWORTH ASSEMBLY ROOMS01827 709618

VICTORIA HALL, HANLEY 0870 060 6649

STAFFORD GATEHOUSE01785 254653

WarwickshireTHE ASSEMBLY, LEAMINGTON 01926 311311

THE KASBAH, COVENTRY024 7655 4473

NAILCOTE HALL, BERKSWELL02476 46 6174

STRATFORD CIVIC HALL 01789 207100

THE TIN MUSIC & ARTS,COVENTRY 0247 655 9958

WorcestershireARTRIX, BROMSGROVE01527 577330

HUNTINGDON HALL / SWAN THEATRE 01905 611427

MARR’S BAR, WORCESTER01905 613336

THE RIVER ROOMS, STOURBRIDGE01384 397177

Music Venues Box Office Across The Midlands

For additional information and to find out What’s On at these venues.Visit: www.whatsonlive.co.uk

The Fray - O2 Academy, Birmingham


CBSO: Beethoven’s Symphony CycleSymphony Hall, Birmingham, Tues 16,Thurs 18, Fri 20 & Sat 21 September

This month sees Andris Nelsons kick offhis final season as CBSO Music Directorwith his critically acclaimed cycle ofBeethoven symphonies. Last performed inBirmingham during the Orchestra’s2012/13 season, the cycle sees all ninesymphonies staged during four perform-ances. Symphony No 1 (dedicated to anearly patron of the composer), SymphonyNo 2 (written in four movements whenBeethoven’s deafness was becomingmore pronounced) and Symphony No 3,Eroica (a work expressing the classicalstyle of eighteenth century compositions),all come together in the performance onthe 16th. Symphony No 4 - considered tobe one of Beethoven’s lighter offeringsand recalling the work of Haydn - andSymphony No 5, one of his most playedpieces, are performed on the afternoon ofthe 18th. The third concert (20 Sept) com-prises Symphony No 6, Pastoral (written infive movements and inspired by the com-poser’s love of nature), and Symphony No7 (described by Wagner as ‘the apotheo-sis of dance’). A final concert on 21 Sep-tember brings together Beethoven’s short-est symphony (referred to by the compos-er as ‘my little symphony in F’) with hisfinal symphony (No 9). The latter sees theorchestra joined by soprano AnnetteDasch, mezzo-soprano Lioba Braun, tenorBen Johnson, bass Vuyani Mlinde and theCBSO Chorus.

Doric String QuartetHenderson Hall, Moor Park, LudlowSouth Shropshire, Sat 27 September

Highly rated by the influential Gramophonemagazine, the Doric are one of a brightnew generation of British string quartets.Since their formation in 1998, the quartethave toured extensively, collaborating withsome of classical music’s finest perform-ers. They’ve received plenty of plaudits fortheir recordings too, which include Schu-bert’s Rosamunde and Death Of The Maid-en quartets in 2012. Comprising Alex Red-ington and Jonathan Stone (violins),Hélène Clément (viola) and John Myser-cough (cello), the quartet this monthappear in South Shropshire to performworks by Haydn, Ades and Beethoven aspart of Ludlow Arts classical series.

Nicola Benedetti Plays VivaldiStafford Gatehouse, Fri 19 September

Mesmerising audiences and critics alike with her musicality and poise, Scottish-born violinistNicola Benedetti is one of classical music’s most sought-after performers, her road to famebeginning when she won Young Musician of the Year in 2004. The tenth anniversary of her suc-cess was celebrated in July with the release of her album, Homecoming - A Scottish Fantasy,featuring folk musicians Julie Fowlis, Phil Cunningham and Aly Bain. Awarded an MBE in the 2013 New Year’s Honours list, Benedetti went on to make chart historyby becoming the first Scottish classical artist to break into the UK Top Twenty. She also playeda patriotic role at the opening ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. This Stafford concert sees her joining forces, for a programme of contrast, with the acclaimedManchester Camerata, conducted by the orchestra’s Music Director, Gábor Takács-Nagy. The featured works are: Vivaldi’s much-loved masterpiece, The Four Seasons; Mozart’s LinzSymphony; Arvo Part’s Silouan’s Song, ‘My soul yearns after the Lord’; and Vivaldi’s Concertoin F, RV 569.

Classical MusicPREVIEWS

The SixteenSt Chad’s Church, Shrewsbury,Thurs 18 September

Recognised as one of the world’s greatestensembles, The Sixteen were formed by con-ductor Harry Christophers thirty-five years agowith the aim of providing a fresh insight intoBaroque, early classical and more contempo-rary music. With over one hundred recordingsunder their belt and numerous accolades totheir name, they return to the Midlands thismonth to perform The Choral Pilgrimage. An annual tour aiming to bring back music tothe buildings for which it was written, The Pil-grimage sees Christophers direct the ensem-ble in a programme of works by English com-posers. Featured pieces are: John Sheppard’sGaude, gaude, gaude Maria; William Mundy’sAdolscentulus sum ego; Richard Davy’s ODomine caeli terraeque; Sheppard’s Libera noI and II; Shepphard’s In manus tuas I; Davy’sAh, mine heart, remember thee well; andMundy’s Vox patris caelestis.


Birmingham Bach Choir:Unfinished RememberingSymphony Hall, Birmingham,Sat 13 September

Commemorating the 1914 outbreak of theFirst World War, Paul Spicer’s UnfinishedRemembering is a new choral symphony,written especially for Birmingham BachChoir to perform with full orchestra, semi-chorus and soloists. Spicer’s work both opens and closes thisspecial evening of remembrance, whichalso features Vaughan Williams’ DonaNobis Pacem - a plea for peace, composedin 1936 amid growing fears of a new war. Spicer’s second featured work is A SharedSinging, with libretto by Euan Tait. A songof hope dedicated to the British Legion, itsees the composer and choir joined by theOrchestra of the Swan, the Midlands Mili-tary Community Choir, soprano JohaneAnsell and baritone William Dazeley.

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TREDEGAR TOWN BANDIN CONCERT Fri 5 Sept,Adrian Boult Hall, Birm-inghamBOURNVILLE STRINGORCHESTRA Programmefeatures works byMozart, Britten, Webern& Beethoven, Sat 6Sept, The Barber Insti-tute, BirminghamORGAN PROM Sat 6Sept, Victoria Hall, Han-ley, Stoke-on-TrentLUNCHTIME ORGAN CON-CERT FEATURING BYRAM-WIGFIELD Mon 8 Sept,Coventry CathedralBIRMINGHAM BACHCHOIR: UNFINISHEDREMEMBERING Sat 13Sept, Symphony Hall,BirminghamWILLARD WHITE: FROMMOZART TO MUSICALS,Sat 13 Sept, MalvernTheatresCHANDOS SYMPHONYORCHESTRA THE YOUNGMUSICIAN SHOWCASE.Featuring Michael Lloyd(conductor) and TobyHughes (double bass),Sun 14 Sept, MalvernTheatresLUNCHTIME ORGAN CON-CERT FEATURING BENCHEWTER Mon 15 Sept,Coventry Cathedral

CBSO BEETHOVEN WEEK:THE EROICA Programmeincludes; Beethoven -Symphony No 1, No 2and No 3, Tue 16 SeptSymphony Hall, B’hamCBSO BEETHOVEN WEEK:THE FIFTH SYMPHONYProgramme includesBeethoven’s Sym-phonies No 4 and 5,Thurs 18 September,Symphony Hall, B’hamJUICE VOCAL TRIO Thurs18 Sept, Maidment Hall,Shrewsbury SchoolTHE SIXTEEN: THE VOICEOF THE TURTLE Featur-ing a programme ofmusic by English com-posers. Thurs 18 Sept,St Chad’s Church,ShrewsburyA FUNDRAISER CONCERTWITH ORCHESTRA OF THESWAN Featuring worksby Handel, Mozart,Bach and Pachelbel. Inaid of Stratford's newcancer and eye hospi-tal, Fri 19 Sept, Strat-ford Arts HouseCBSO BEETHOVEN WEEK:THE PASTORAL Pro-gramme includesBeethoven’s Sym-phonies No 6 & 7, Sat20 Sept, SymphonyHall, Birmingham

CBSO BEETHOVEN WEEK:THE CHORAL SYMPHONYProgramme includesBeethoven’s Sym-phonies No 8 and 9,Sun 21 Sept, Sympho-ny Hall, BirminghamALDWYN VOICES(AUTUMN IN MALVERN)Programme includesCommemoration I - SonString Quartet & ThePath To Peace -Siegfried Sassoon &Malvern, Choral musicby William Byrd, JohnBlitherman, ThomasTomkins, Hulbert Parry,Edward Elgar, John Ire-land, William Waltonand String Quartet -Edward Elgar, Opus 83,Sun 21 Sept, GreatMalvern PrioryLUNCHTIME ORGAN CON-CERT FEATURING TOMCORNS, Mon 22 Sept,Coventry CathedralTHE COULL QUARTET Pro-gramme includes worksby Mozart, Beethoven &Smetana, Wed 24 Sept,Evesham Arts CentreCBSO: PANUFNIK CENTE-NARY Programmeincludes works byStravinsky, Beethoven,Panufnik & Wagner,Wed 24 Sept, Sympho-ny Hall, BirminghamRODERICK WILLIAMS ANDSUSIE ALLAN FeaturingBritten songs andproverbs of WilliamBlake, Thurs 25 Sept,Malvern Theatres WRAGGE LAWRENCE GRA-

HAM & CO CONCERTMusic from around theworld, Thurs 25 Sept,Birmingham Cathedral LYNDON JENKINS: MAINLYFOR PLEASURE A specialconcert to celebrate thelife of THSH’s MusicAdvisor, Lyndon Jenk-ins, Thurs 25 Sept,Birmingham Town HallMUSIC FOR LUNCHRECITAL WITH JONATHANALLSOP Fri 26 Sept,Birmingham CathedralTHOMAS TROTTER: CON-CERT FOR ORGANFESTProgramme includesworks by Mendelssohn,Stimpson, Thalben-Ball,Jonathan Dove & Elgar,Sat 27 Sept, Birming-ham Town Hall A PROM FOR ALL WITHTHE ST MICHAEL’SSINGERS Featuring PaulLeddington Wright &Kerry Beaumont (con-ductor), the CoventryCathedral Orchestra &the Coventry CathedralChoristers, Sat 27 Sept,Coventry CathedralORGAN PROM Sat 27Sept, Victoria Hall, Han-ley, Stoke-on-TrentDORIC STRING QUARTETProgramme includesworks by Haydn, Ades& Beethoven, Sat 27Sept, Henderson Hall,Moor Park, Ludlow,South ShropshireLUNCHTIME ORGAN CON-CERT FEAT. KERRY BEAU-MONT Mon 29 Sept,Coventry Cathedral

ClassicalLISTINGSFor full listing information on classicalconcerts, including times and dates,visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk

Classical Box OfficeADRIAN BOULT HALL, B’HAM0121 331 5901

ARTRIX, BROMSGROVE01527 577330

BARBER INSTITUTE, BIRMINGHAM0121 414 7333

BIRMINGHAM CONSERVATOIRE0121 331 5901/2

BIRMINGHAM & MIDLANDINSTITUTE0121 236 3591

BIRMINGHAM TOWN HALL 0121 780 3333

BRAMALL CONCERT HALL,BIRMINGHAM0121 414 3344

BRIDGE HOUSE THEATRE,WARWICK01926 776438

CBSO CENTRE, BIRMINGHAM0121 780 3333

HUNTINGDON HALL,WORCESTER01905 611 427

ROYAL PUMP ROOMS,LEAMINGTON SPA01926 742700

ST MARY’S CHURCH,WARWICK01926 403940

STRATFORD CIVIC HALL01789 207100

SYMPHONY HALL, BIRMINGHAM 0121 780 3333

WARWICK ARTS CENTRE02476 524524

For additional information Visit: www.whatsonlive.co.uk

Sir Willard White - Malvern Theatre

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Comedy Comedy Box Office

Lee MackRegent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, Sun 7 September; Symphony Hall,Birmingham, Mon 8 - Weds 10 & Fri 12 September; De Montfort Hall,Leicester, Fri 19 - Mon 22 September

Finely crafted one-liners and quick ad-libs are the stuff of Lee Mack'scomedy, and his mastery of them has recently seen him making sig-nificant in-roads into the lucrative world of television. A BAFTA-win-ning contribution to The Sketch Show, his role in Not Going Out andregular appearances on Would I Lie To You have ensured he'sbecome a well-established goggle-box face. As you'd expect,though, it's away from the constraints of the telly that Lee's at hisfunniest, which is why catching him on this live tour should ensureyou enjoy a funny and memorable night out.

With a career behind him that’s almost as long as a Ronnie Corbettjoke, the sweaty fellow is nowadays one of the UK's best-establishedcomedians. Evans was initially hailed as the new Norman Wisdom,presenting a style of buffoonish slapstick humour that recalled amore innocent age. With time, however, he's proved himself to bemuch more than just a one-trick pony, but has also managed toretain the zany, high-energy delivery that originally endeared him tothe UK's comedy-loving audience.

Lee EvansNational Indoor Arena, Birmingham, Weds 17 - Sun 21 September

ARTRIX, BROMSGROVE 01527 577330BIRMINGHAM TOWN HALL0121 780 3333CIVIC HALL, WOLVERHAMPTON0870 320 7000COURTYARD THEATRE,HEREFORD01432 340555THE DRUM, BIRMINGHAM0121 333 2444DRUMMONDS BAR,WORCESTER01905 28190THE EDGE ARTS CENTRE,MUCH WENLOCK 01952 728911EVESHAM ARTS CENTRE,WORCESTERSHIRE01386 446944FOXLOWE ARTS CENTRE,LEEK, STAFFS01538 386112THE GEORGE HOTEL,BURSLEM, STAFFS07763301081THE GLEE CLUB, BIRMINGHAM0871 4720400 HIGHLIGHT, BIRMINGHAM, 0844 844 0044HUNTINGDON HALL,WORCESTER, 01905 611427KITCHEN GARDEN CAFE,BIRMINGHAM0121 443 4725LUDLOW ASSEMBLYROOMS01584 878141MAC, BIRMINGHAM0121 446 3232OAKENGATES THEATRE,TELFORD01952 382382PALACE THEATRE, REDDITCH01527 65203PLAYERS BAR, BIRMINGHAM0121 643 6871THE ROSES THEATRETEWKESBURY01684 295074ROYAL SPA CENTRE,LEAMINGTON SPA01926 334418SHOWCASE, COVENTRY,0871 220 1000THE SLADE ROOMS,WOLVERHAMPTON0870 320 7000SOLIHULL ARTS COMPLEX0121 704 6962STAFFORD GATEHOUSETHEATRE01785 254653THEATRE SEVERN,SHREWSBURY01743 281281WARWICK ARTS CENTRE02476 524524WULFRUN HALL, WOLVERHAMPTON0870 320 7000

For more comedy listings, visit, www.whatsonlive.co.uk 21

Bridget ChristieTheatre Severn, Shrewsbury,Weds 24 September

Bridget Christie describes herself as ‘a femaleperson’ and ‘the only stand-up to have beenbilled alongside both Lionel Blair and NaomiWolf’. She could just as easily have describedherself as a comedian whose career is headingfor the stars at breakneck speed. Married to fel-low laughter mer-chant Stewart Leesince 2006, her CVincludes numeroustelevision appear-ances and ten criti-cally acclaimedEdinburgh Festivalshows, a number ofwhich have alsoenjoyed runs atLondon's presti-gious Soho Theatre.

Mitch BennFoxlowe Arts Centre, Leek, Staffordshire,Thurs 4 September

A regular contributor to BBC Radio Four’s TheNow Show and BBC Radio Two’s It’s Been ABad Week, Mitch Benn is one of the UK’s mostaccomplished writers and performers of comicsongs. The recipient of numerous awards, Mitchrecently had his first novel published and touredthe country with the intriguingly titled Mitch BennIs The 37th Beatle.

The Axis Of AwesomeGlee Club, Birmingham, Tues 16 September

The Axis Of Awesome’s name is a play onPresident George W Bush’s ‘axis of evil’ phrase,and very much sets the tone for the group’sslick combination of music, comedy and paro-dy. Aussie funnymen Jordan Raskopoulos, LeeNaimo and Benny Davis formed the act in 2006,having been heavily involved in improvisationaltheatre at the University of Sydney, and caughta big break the following year when theyreleased a number of rap parodies lampooningthe Australian Federal Election. “We leave menlaughing and women gasping (and also laugh-ing),” they say of themselves. “Before longyou’ll be laughing and/or gasping too, depend-ing on your gender.”


BRIGHT CLUB COMEDYNIGHT HOSTED BY MRSBARBARA NICE Mon 1Sept, The REP, B’hamWILL FRANKEN & AARONTWITCHEN Mon 1 Sept,Old Joint Stock Pub,BirminghamTIG NOTARO Tues 2Sept, Birmingham TownHallPATRICK MONAHAN,ADAM KAY, ARCHIEMADDOCKS, RICHWILSON Thurs 4 Sept,The George Hotel,LichfieldJASON JOHN WHITEHEAD,JOEL DOMMETT &COMEDY CAROUSEL WITHANDY ROBINSON Thurs 4Sept, The Glee Club,BirminghamJASON JOHN WHITEHEAD,JOEL DOMMETT, NICKDIXON & CHARLIE BAKER Fri 5 - Sat 6 Sept, TheGlee Club, BiriminghamKUM-N-AVALOFF COMEDYNIGHT Thurs 4 Sept,Stourbridge Town HallMITCH BENN, CAIMHMCDONNELL, STEVEGOODHALL, JAY ISLAAM& PETER MCCOLE Thurs4 Sept, Foxlowe ArtsCentre, Leek, Staffs

RO CAMPBELL, DANAALEXANDER, CHRISTIANREILLY & ERIC LAMPAERTFri 5 - Sat 6 Sept,Highlight ComedyClub, BirminghamKATIE MULGREW, PAULCURRIE, ALEX SMITH Fri5 Sept, HerefordCourtyard TheatreSTEPHEN K AMOS & JOHNSIMMIT Fri 5 Sept, TheDrum, BirminghamDAVE JOHNS, ROMESHRANGANATHAN, JOEBLOOR & COMIC TBC Sat6 Sept, Players Bar,BirminghamLEE MACK Sun 7 Sept,Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-TrentSEVERN JESTERS Sun 7Sept, Theatre Severn,ShrewsburyJETHRO Mon 8 Sept,Theatre Severn,ShrewsburyLEE MACK Mon 8 - Wed10 Sept, SymphonyHall, BirmimghamCELIA PACQUOLA, VIVGEE & MAUREENYOUNGER Wed 10 Sept,Kitchen Garden Cafe,BirminghamDOC BROWN & COMEDYCAROUSEL WITH ANDY

ROBINSON Thurs 11Sept, The Glee Club,Birmingham DOC BROWN PLUS THREECOMICS TBC Fri 12 - Sat13 Sept, The GleeClub, BirminghamLEE MACK Fri 12 Sept,Symphony Hall,BirminghamTOM STADE Fri 12 Sept,Theatr Hafren,Newtown, PowysBRYAN LACEY, MICKFERRY, JESSICAFOSTEKEW & PHILBERTOFri 12 - Sat 13 Sept,Highlight ComedyClub, BirminghamJIM DAVIDSON Fri 12 -Sat 13 Sept, TheatreSevern, ShrewsburyROY CHUBBY BROWN Sat13 Sept, NewAlexandra Theatre,BirminghamTOM STADE Sat 13 Sept,Civic Hall, W’hamptonROMESH RANGANATHAN,ANDY ASKINS, ROGERMONKHOUSE & COMICTBC Sat 13 Sept,Players Bar, B’hamMILTON JONES & PAULZERDIN Sun 14 Sept,The Glee Club, B’hamLEE EVANS Wed 17 -Sun 21 Sept, NationalIndoor Arena, B’hamJOHN BISHOP - WORK INPROGRESS Thurs 18Sept, Wulfrun Hall,WolverhamptonIAIN STIRLING, THE NOISENEXT DOOR & COMEDYCAROUSEL WITH ANDY

ROBINSON Thurs 18Sept, The Glee Club,BirminghamIAIN STIRLING, THE NOISENEXT DOOR, PIERREHOLLINS & HOLLY WALSHFri 19 - Sat 20 Sept,The Glee Club, B’hamROSS NOBLE - WARM UPSHOWS Thurs 18 - Fri19 Sept, The Place,Oakengates Theatre,TelfordSTEVE BUGEJA, TOMCRAINE, LUKEHONORATTY Fri 19 Sept,Hereford CourtyardTheatreHARDEEP SINGH KOHLIFri 19 Sept, mac,BirminghamWINDSOR, CHRISMCCAUSLAND, TEZ ILYAS& FELICITY WARD Fri 19 -Sat 20 Sept, HighlightComedy Club, B’hamCOMEDY IN THE MET Sat20 Sept, StaffordGatehouse TheatreJOHN BISHOP - WORK INPROGRESS, Sat 20 Sept,Stafford GatehouseTheatreLOL COMEDY CLUB MCDAMION LARKIN Sat 20Sept, Regent Theatre,Stoke-on-TrentTOM WRIGGLESWORTH,TIFFANY STEPHENSON,PAUL TONKINS & JOHNFOTHERGILL Sat 20Sept, Players Bar,BirminghamBRIDGET CHRISTIE Wed24 Sept, TheatreSevern, Shrewsbury

PAUL ZERDIN Thurs 25Sept, Palace Theatre,RedditchIAN MOORE, ADAMBLOOM & COMEDYCAROUSEL WITH ANDYROBINSON Thurs 25Sept, The Glee Club,BirminghamIAN MOORE, ADAMBLOOM, GEORGE EGG &JOE BOR Fri 26 - Sat 27Sept, The Glee Club,BirminghamDANNY BHOY Fri 26Sept, mac, BirminghamMIKE WILKINSON, JEFFINNOCENT, DR GEORGERYEGOLD & COMIC TBCFri 26 Sept, HighlightComedy Club,BirminghamMIKE WILKINSON, JEFFINNOCENT, KIERANLAWLESS & COMIC TBCSat 27 Sept, HighlightComedy Club,BirminghamPADDY LENNOX, ROCAMPELL, LIAM SPIERS &ALAN DONEGAN Fri 26Sept, The GeorgeHotel, Burslem, Stoke-on-TrentNICK REVELL,STOOLPIGEON, MATTBANKS, LEWIS SCHAFFER& CHRIS NORTONWALKER Fri 26 Sept,National BreweryCentre, Burton-upon-TrentSHORT & GIRLIE SHOW,HANNAH BRACKENBURY,LARA A KING & MAUREENYOUNGER Fri 26 Sept,

Memorial Hall, KingsHeath, BirminghamKATE LUCAS, OLA &ERICH MCELROY Sat 27Sept, TamworthAssembly RoomsJOJO SMITH, ERICHMCELROY, NICK DIXON &DAVE FULTON Sat 27Sept, Players Bar,BirminghamTHE LAUGHTER CREWESun 28 Sept, CreweLyceumTHE LAUGHING SOLE -COMEDY CLUB FOR KIDSSun 28 Sept, mac,BirminghamRICHARD BLACKWOOD,SLIM, RUDI LICKWOOD &JOHN SIMMIT Sun 28Sept, The Glee Club,BirminghamMARK STEEL Mon 29Sept, HerefordCourtyard Theatre

ComedyLISTINGSFor full listing information on comedygigs including times and dates visitwww.whatsonlive.co.uk

For more comedy listings, visit, www.whatsonlive.co.uk 23

Tom Stade

THE EASY WAY TOBOOK

YOUR TICKETS ONLINE

whatsonlive.co.uk

The most comprehensive what’s on listings website for Birmingham and the West Midlands


Theatre - September Region two.qxp_Layout 1 29/08/2014 11:16 Page 1


Seen by millions across the globe, Eleanor Bergstein's worldwidesmash-hit musical tells the classic story of Baby and Johnny, twofiercely independent young spirits from different worlds who cometogether for what will prove to be the most challenging and tri-umphant summer of their lives. Hit numbers include Hungry Eyes,Hey Baby, Do You Love Me? and I’ve Had The Time Of My Life. If

you've not seen the show before, it's well worth checking out - itscelebrity fans include Sir Ian McKellen, Dame Judy Dench, EmmaForbes, Naomi Campbell, Alan Shearer, Graham Norton and JoannaLumley, to name but a few. So if you enjoy the show, you'll certainlybe in exalted company!

Dirty Dancing

War Horse Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, Wed 24 September - Sat 11 October

Described as ‘the theatrical event of the decade’ when it opened in the London WestEnd, War Horse has continued to garner great praise in the ensuing years. Based onMichael Morpurgo’s hugely popular 1982 novel, it tells the story of a young mannamed Albert whose horse, Joey, is sold to the cavalry and shipped to France at thebeginning of the First World War. Joey’s subsequent adventures lead to him findinghimself alone in a no-man's land - but Albert is in no mood to give up on his belovedcompanion, and sets out to find him and take him home to Devon... The production has been widely praised for its effective use of lifesize horse puppets,and has picked up numerous coveted awards since premiering in 2007, including anOlivier Award and five Tony Awards. It’s not been to everybody’s liking, however, withseveral of its critics feeling that, while the plot worked effectively as a children’s book,it lacked sufficient substance to carry an evening of theatre, particularly one endeav-ouring to present the atrocities of war.

CatsBirmingham Hippodrome, Tues 9 - Sat 27 September

A spectacular and captivating adaptation of TSEliot’s Old Possum’s Book Of Practical Cats, thisAndrew Lloyd Webber production has been per-formed in over three hundred cities in more thantwenty countries around the world. It's also widelyconsidered to be the show that redefined the mod-ern musical, paving the way for a seemingly relent-less stream of blockbuster hits. All in all, then, onehelluva theatrical experience...

Theatre

Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Tue 23 September - Sat 11 October


TheatrePREVIEWSThe Perfect MurderTheatre Severn, Shrewsbury,Mon 15 - Sat 20 SeptemberBased on the international best-selling crimethriller by Peter James, The Perfect Murderfinds Victor Smiley in the mood to bring hislong and no longer satisfactory marriage toan end in emphatic style. As young detectiveRoy Grace starts to investigate his very firsthomicide case, dark forces intervene, andGrace begins to fear that nothing is quite as itseems... Robert Daws (The Royal, RogerRoger) heads a cast of familiar televisionfaces, including Dawn Steele, Gray O’Brien,Thomas Howes and Simona Armstrong.

Happy Birthday SunitaArena Theatre, Wolverhampton,Tues 23 - Sat 27 SeptemberWith successful offerings Britain’s GotBhangra and Break The Floorboards to theirname, it’s fair to say the producers of thisbrand new comedy-drama know a thing ortwo about putting on a show. It’s Sunita’sbirthday, and her family are hosting a sur-prise party - but the guest of honour isnowhere to be found. As the evening pro-gresses, forty years-worth of family dramacomes bubbling to the surface, and it soonbecomes apparent that nothing will ever bequite the same again...

Avenue QNew Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham,Tues 16 - Sat 20 September

Described by The Times as ‘the best musicalof the decade’, the Tony Award-winningAvenue Q focuses on subjects such as dat-ing, racism, being gay and finding your pur-pose in life. At the centre of the story isPrinceton, a bright-eyed college graduatewith a tiny bank balance who's easily dis-tracted by a busty blonde and a plethora ofweird and wonderful friends... The show con-tains themes of an adult nature and is proba-bly not suited to those who’re easily offend-ed.

Billy The Kid:His Life In MusicAE Harris, Birmingham, Fri 12 September;Boards Head, Kidderminster, Sun 14 Septem-ber; New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme,Tues 16 September

For two ageing cowboys without much tobrag about, making the claim that they onceknew legendary outlaw, gunman, gamblerand rustler Billy The Kid - even though theydidn’t - offers the best chance they’ll everhave of achieving the fame and notorietythey crave... This lively fusion of music, the-atre and comedy was first presented at theBrighton Fringe in 2013, and is co-written byand co-stars Rex Horan, best known as amember of multi-award-winning jazz bandThe Neil Cowley Trio

Open All HoursLichfield Garrick, Sat 20 - Sun 21 September

Roy Clarke’s BBC TV series about the comicmisadventures of shopkeeper Albert Ark-wright and put-upon errand boy Granville -as played by Ronnie Barker and David Jason- is the latest in a now-significant line of tellysitcoms to be adapted for the theatre. This

stage version has been specially commis-sioned to celebrate the fortieth anniversary ofthe series’ television premiere, and bringstogether memorable moments from overtwenty classic episodes.

Jasper Carrot’s StandUp And RockWolverhampton Grand Theatre, Tues 16 Sep-tember; Crewe Lyceum, Wed 17 September;Dudley Town Hall, Tues 16 October; Birming-ham Town Hall, Tues 21 October; TheatreSevern, Shrewsbury, Sun 26 October; Lich-field Garrick, Tues 11 - Sat 15 November

Jasper Carrott’s been plying his trade nowfor many a decade, with career highs includ-ing numerous television series and a chart-busting mid-’70s hit with the hugely amusingFunky Moped. He’s retreated into the shad-ows a little more of late, but here returns witha new stand-up routine that promises to betwenty-four carrott - sorry, carat - gold, not tomention a handful of top musical chums -namely, Bev Bevan, Trevor Burton of TheMove, the Rockin Berries’ Geoff Turton, andceltic rock band Quill’s Joy Strachan-Brain.


Rudy’s Rare RecordsThe REP, Birmingham, Thurs 4 - Sat 20 September

Dudley-born laughter merchant Lenny Henry here returns to the Midlands to star in the stageversion of the popular BBC Radio Four series. A touching comedy set in an old Birminghamreggae record shop at risk of redevelopment, Rudy’s Rare Records was co-created by Henry,who also starred in the original radio version. “I’ve performed comedy gigs many times in Birmingham over the years, but this is my firststraight acting role in the city and the first time I’ve been on stage at The REP,” says the for-mer Tiswas and New Faces star. “Growing up in Dudley, I would come into Birmingham everySaturday to hang out in a record shop not too dissimilar to Rudy’s, so it’s a play that’s veryclose to my heart." Read our interview with Lenny at whatsonlive.co.uk

WINTICKETSwhatsonlive.co.ukto enter



THE COMEDIAN’S COMEDIAN PODCASTWITH STUART GOLDSMITHFEATURING TOM STADE

LET ME STAY

Tue 23 - Sat 27 September, 7.30pmSat Mat 1.30pm

Mon 22 September, 7.30pm

Tickets: £5.00

Tues 14 October, 7.30pm

Tickets: £10/£8 concs

Tickets: £10/£8 concs / £5 mat

Thurs 16 & Fri 17 October, 7.30pmFri Mat 1.30pm

Tickets: £10/£8 concs / £5 mat

SEPTEMBER 2014

BROMSGROVE’S THEATRE, CINEMA,LIVE MUSIC AND COMEDY VENUE

For bookings & full details log ontowww.artrix.co.uk or phone 01527 577330 Artrix, Slideslow Drive, Bromsgrove B60 1PQ Free parking on-site

Tuesday 23rd September

BRIDGETCHRISTIEEDINBURGH FESTIVAL STARWITH A BIC FOR HER

Wednesday 17th September

20,000 DAYS ONEARTH (15)

SCREENING OF NICK CAVEFILM & CONCERT

The new Artrix brochure is available to download on www.artrix.co.uk

Thursday 11th September

HARDEEP SINGHKOHLITOP COMEDIAN ASKS ‘HARDEEP IS YOUR LOVE’

Thursday 18th September

A STREETCARNAMED DESIRE (12A)

NT LIVE SCREENING STARRING GILLIAN ANDERSON

,FORTHCOMING CINEMA: Hector & The Search For Happiness (15)Of Horses & Men (15) // Boyhood (15) // Bright Days Ahead (15) Begin Again (15) // Mood Indigo (12A) // The Grand Seduction (12A)

Sunday 14th September

STEVE HOWESOLO TOUR FROM THE GUITARIST FROM YES

Friday 26th September

ATOMIC BLONDIETRIBUTE CONCERT IN AID OFMULTIPLE SCLEROSIS


TheatrePREVIEWSChinn And Chapman’sBlockbuster The MusicalNew Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham,Tues 23 - Sat 27 September

The storyline of this show sees Mickey Blocksent back in time after being told he can turnhis life around by performing two selflessdeeds - but it’s the music of legendary song-writing team Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapmanthat’s the real oxygen of this all-action pro-duction. Chinn and Chapman churned outchartbuster after chartbuster back in the1970s and ’80s, with Sweet, Suzi Quatro,Smokie, Tina Turner and Mud all featuring onthe long list of high-profile artists to havebenefitted from the duo’s collective ear for ahit sound. So if songs like Tiger Feet, Mickey,Living Next Door To Alice, Some Girls andCan The Can give you a warm, nostalgicfeeling deep inside, then this is a night out atthe theatre you’ll definitely want to catch.Much-loved star of stage and screen PaulNicholas takes top billing alongside formerEmmerdale actress Suzanne Shaw.

Joseph And The AmazingTechnicolor DreamcoatRegent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent,Tues 16 - Sat 20 SeptemberAndrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's classicmusical tells the story of a boy driven intoslavery by his calculating brothers, who’re allenvious of his coat of many colours.Joseph’s ability to predict the future from hisdreams, however, ultimately frees him andwins him a place among the highest in theland... This long-time hit show is an ensem-ble triumph, with terrific energy put in by allconcerned. X Factor finalist Luke Danielsstars as Joseph, with Dancing On Ice finalistMatt Lapinskas as Pharoah.

The Kite RunnerThe REP, Birmingham,Mon 22 September - Sat 4 October; TheatreSevern, Shrewsbury, Mon 20 - Sat 25 October

This stage version of Khaled Hosseini’s inter-national bestselling novel and film hasenjoyed some excellent reviews since pre-miering last year. Taking its audience on ajourney across time and continents, it

encompasses both the traumas of the Sovietinvasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and the hor-rors of 9/11 some twenty-two years later. Atits heartland, though, is the story of thefriendship that exists between two young-sters - Amir, a well-to-do Pashtun boy, andHassan, a Hazara who’s the son of Amir'sfather's servant. The boys spend their dayshappy in one another’s company and kite fly-ing together - until, that is, their friendship isdevastated and their lives shattered by a dis-play of shameful cowardice on Amir’s part...

Blind Hamletmac - Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham,Wed 24 September

Iranian writer Nassim Soleimanpour is bestknown for the play White Rabbit, Red Rabbit,which has been presented around the worldin no fewer than fifteen languages. This latestthought-provoking work finds the playwrightconfronting the slow loss of his sight and thefact that he’s never read Hamlet. Withtragedy looming, ‘he chooses to play withthe truth and fiction, chance and fate’... The production is here presented by ActorsTouring Company, winner of a 2013 FringeFirst Award with The Events, which was alsovoted Best Play Of 2013 by critics in TheGuardian.

Love’s Labour’s LostRoyal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, Tues 23 September - Sat 14 March

Set in the summer of 1914, this latest versionof Love’s Labour’s Lost forms part of theRSC’s commemoration of the centenary ofWorld War One, and is being show as one ofa pair alongside Love’s Labour Won (betterknown as Much Ado About Nothing). One of Shakespeare’s lesser performedworks, it gained in popularity for a whilecourtesy of Kenneth Branagh’s Hollywoodmusical version. Taking as its theme men’spreoccupation with the opposite sex, it’s awork which has much to offer in the way ofchuckleworthy entertainment, a claim whichcan’t necessarily be made for all of theBard’s comedies. Eager to pursue loftier pas-times, four young lads decide to boot theirwenching ways into touch for a whole year.As luck would have it, four young beautiesunexpectedly arrive on the scene, and putthe boys’ resolve well and truly to the test!Read the interview with Love’s Labour’s Lostand Love’s Labour’s Won director Christo-pher Luscombe at whatsonlive.co.uk

Horrible Histories: Barmy BritainTheatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Mon 22 - Wed 24 September

If you love the Horrible Histories series - and why the heck wouldn’t you?! - then BarmyBritain is a show well worth catching, presenting ‘terrific tales and fascinating facts’ from theextensive annals of UK history. Alongside providing answers to such searching questions as‘what would happen if a Viking moved in next door?’ and ‘would you stand and deliver todastardly Dick Turpin?’, the show also invites its audience to escape the clutches of Burkeand Hare, move to the groove with the partying Queen Victoria and prepare to do battle in theFirst World War. In short, and as its publicity says, it’s ‘a truly horrible history of Britain - withall the nasty bits left in!’.






Box Office 01743 281 281Book Online www.theatresevern.co.uk

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OLD MACDONALD HAD A FARMTime: 2.30pm

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A WHOLE LOTTA LEDTime: 7.30pm

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THE TWO GENTLEMEN OFVERONA Full staging ofShakespeare’s exuber-ant romantic comedyuntil Thurs 4 Sept,Royal ShakespeareTheatre, Stratford-upon-AvonHENRY IV PARTS I & IIRSC Associate ArtistAntony Sher returns tothe Company to playthe infamous comicknight Falstaff, until Sat6 Sept, Royal Shake-speare Theatre, Strat-ford-upon-AvonTHE 39 STEPS until Sat 6Sept, The Blue OrangeTheatre, BirminghamWICKED Hit West Endmusical flies intoBrum... until Sat 6 Sept,Birmingham Hippo-dromeTHE ROARING GIRL JoDavies directs Lisa Dil-lon as the dynamic,cross-dressing heroinein a new version ofThomas Middleton &Thomas Dekker'sJacobean comedy, untilTue 30 Sept, The SwanTheatre, Stratford-upon-AvonARDEN OF FAVERSHAMPolly Findlay makes herRSC debut, directingthis darkly comic thrillerwhich focuses on ahusband, wife and loverwho find themselveslocked within a deadlygame, until Thurs 2Oct, The Swan Theatre,Stratford-upon-AvonTHE WHITE DEVIL MariaAberg directs a newproduction of JohnWebster's violenttragedy, considered bymany to be one of thegreat works ofJacobean theatre, untilSat 29 Nov, The SwanTheatre, Stratford-upon-AvonTELL ME ABOUT YOUR EX2 Brand new theatricalexperience where the

audience is the author!Funny, scary, sad anduplifting, this is a playfor everyone who’sbeen in love - or still is,Tue 2 - Sat 6 Sept, OldJoint Stock Theatre,BirminghamTHE ADDAMS FAMILYNew musical comedypresented by Wolver-hampton Youth MusicTheatre, Tues 2- Sat 6Sept, Arena Theatre,WolverhamptonTHE TWO GENTLEMEN OFVERONA: RSC SCREENINGShakespeare’s exuber-ant romantic comedyWed 3 Sept, The EdgeArts Centre, Much Wen-lock, ShropshireTHE TWO GENTLEMEN OFVERONA: RSC SCREENINGShakespeare’s exuber-ant romantic comedy,Wed 3 Sept, Artrix,Bromsgrove; mac -Midlands Arts Centre,BirminghamTWELFTH NIGHT Liver-pool's PurpleCoat Pro-ductions present theiraward-winning take onShakespeare's bitter-sweet comedy, Wed 3Sept, Crescent Theatre,BirminghamUGLY DUCK ClaybodyTheatre’s warm-heartedPotteries comedy, writ-ten & directed by Debo-rah McAndrew, Wed 3 -Sat 13 Sept, New VicTheatre, Newcastle-under-LymeAN EVENING OF CLAIR-VOYANCE WITH JOHNCOOK Thurs 4 Sept, ThePlace, Oakengates The-atre, TelfordAN AUDIENCE WITH DESO'CONNOR Thurs 4 Sept,Theatre Severn,ShrewsburyMEDEA A National The-atre Live screening ofEuripides' powerfultragedy, Thurs 4 Sept,The Edge Arts Centre,Much Wenlock, Shrop-shireGROUNDED Gate The-atre's production ofGeorge Brant's grippingnew play, which targets

our assumptions aboutwar, family, and what itis to be a woman,Thurs 4 - Sat 6 Sept,The REP, BirminghamRUDY'S RARE RECORDSLenny Henry stars inthe world premiere ofDanny Robins' comedy,based on the success-ful Radio 4 series,Thurs 4 - Sat 20 Sept,The REP, BirminghamTHE FIGHT GAME & THEHUMAN ROCKET Shrop-shire-based OwenLewis Portable TheatreCompany presents adouble-bill of one-actplays, Fri 5 Sept, Apple-tree Theatre, Ludlow,South Shropshire13: A NEW MUSICALYoung Performers The-atre Group present ahigh-energy musicalabout discovering thatcool is where you findit, and sometimeswhere you least expect,Sat 6 Sept, TheatreSevern, ShrewsburyBEN NORRIS: THE HITCH-HIKER’S GUIDE TO THEFAMILY UK All-StarsPoetry Slam ChampionBen Norris presents awork-in-progress per-formance of his debutone-man theatre show,Sat 6 Sept, mac - Mid-lands Arts Centre, Birm-ingham

BRITISH SCIENCE FESTI-VAL: HELA A powerfulperformance by IronOxide spans race andpoverty in 1950s Ameri-ca to current ethicaldebates about whoowns our DNA, Mon 8Sept, mac - MidlandsArts Centre, Birming-hamAN EVENING WITH GER-VAISE PHINN Hilarioustales in a brand newshow about the life of aschools inspector in theYorkshire Dales, Tue 9Sept, Theatre Severn,ShrewsburyBRITISH SCIENCE FESTI-VAL: A CURE FOR AGEINGA performance aboutbeing young and fool-ish, and becoming oldand wise, Tues 9 Sept,mac - Midlands Arts

Centre, BirminghamFAULTY TOWERS: THEDINING EXPERIENCE Afully immersive, highlyimprovised and site-specific comedy whichsees audience mem-bers waited upon byBasil, Sybil & Manuel,Tue 9 - Sun 14 Sept,The REP, BirminghamCATS New production ofAndrew Lloyd Webber'ssmash-hit musical, Tue9 - Sat 27 Sept, Birm-ingham HippodromeBRITISH SCIENCE FESTI-VAL: CHRONICLES OFMEMORY FORETOLD -REMEMBER THE GOODTIMES Award-winningtheatre company Jugu-lar present a darklycomic play about thedisastrous conse-quences of ‘forgetting’in relationships, Wed 10Sept, mac - MidlandsArts Centre, Birming-hamTHE RUSSIAN DOCTORWorld premiere ofAndrew Dawson's the-atrical response toAnton Chekhov's self-imposed exile to theremote Tsarist penalcolony of SakhalinIsland, Wed 10 - Sat 13Sept, The REP, B’hamBLESS 'EM ALL Nostalgiashow. Thurs 11 Sept,New Alexandra Theatre,BirminghamTHE SECRETS OF STONEYLIGHTHOUSE AND THETHRILL OF LOVE Wolver-hampton’s CentralYouth Theatre present adouble bill of work byLaura Sambrooks &Amanda Whittington,Thurs 11 Sept, ArenaTheatre, Wolverhamp-tonAN AUDIENCE WITH COLINFRY Fri 12 Sept, Wul-frun Hall, Wolverhamp-tonRUBBLE AND MARRIAGECentral Youth Theatrepresent a double bill ofworks by ArzhangPezhman & NikolaiGogol (stage adapta-tion by Tom Parry), Fri12 Sept, Arena Theatre,WolverhamptonBILLY THE KID: HIS LIFEIN MUSIC Fusion of the-atre, music and come-dy featuring re-enact-ments of moments fromcowboy history, writtenby and starring musi-cian Rex Horan (NeilCowley Trio) andwriter/performer ChrisJohnston, Fri 12 Sept,AE Harris, BirminghamFIRST DO NO HARM TeaAnd Tenacity presentHilary Spiers' drama,which examines a for-gotten corner of history,encouraging discussionon the future of ourhealth & welfare sys-tem, Fri 12 - Sat 13Sept, The Blue OrangeTheatre, BirminghamSOMEWHERE ELSE A playwritten by Gari Jones,Fri 12 - Sat 13 Sep, mac- Midlands Arts Centre,BirminghamAN EVENING WITH TONYJACKLIN A Q&A session

and a meet'n'greet withthe former British Openchampion. Hosted byWillie Thorne, Sat 13Sept, Theatre Severn,ShrewsburySIGHTLINES CentralYouth Theatre presentTash Dummelow’s threeshort children’s stories,celebrating the manytypes of creativity, Sat13 Sept, Arena Theatre,WolverhamptonTHE FIGHT GAME & THEHUMAN ROCKET Shrop-shire-based OwenLewis Portable TheatreCompany presents adouble-bill of one-actplays, Sat 13 Sept, TheAssembly Room,Welshpool Town Hall,PowysTHE PLAY’S THE THINGCentral Youth Theatrepresent Joseph Twil-ley’s exploration of theless-than-glamourousworld of Black Countrytheatre, Sat 13 Sept,Arena Theatre, Wolver-hamptonLORD OF THE FLIES TheCrescent Theatre Com-pany present NigelWilliams' stage versionof William Golding'sdystopian novel, Sat 13- Sat 20 Sept, CrescentTheatre, BirminghamPROPAGANDA SWING Bel-grade Theatre & Not-tingham Playhousepresent the true story ofGerman jazz musician,Karl 'Charly' Schwedler,and his mission to keepbig band music alive in1930s Berlin, Sat 13 -Sat 27 Sept, BelgradeTheatre, CoventryBILLY THE KID: HIS LIFE INMUSIC Fusion of theatre,music and comedy fea-turing re-enactments of

moments from cowboyhistory, written by andstarring musician RexHoran (Neil CowleyTrio) and writer/per-former Chris Johnston,Sun 14 Sept, BoarsHead, Kidderminster

HIGH TALES FROM THEMP3 Young People fromaward-winning 20 Sto-ries High tell eachother’s true storiesstraight from their MP3players. As they hearthe words in head-phones, the performersdeliver line for line tothe audience what theyare hearing - live, Mon15 - Tue 16 Sept, mac -Midlands Arts Centre,BirminghamTHE PERFECT MURDERPeter James' best-sell-ing crime thriller, Mon15 - Sat 20 Sept, The-atre Severn, Shrews-buryTHAT'LL BE THE DAYRock'n'roll spectacularcombining music fromthe 50s, 60s & 70s withwacky comedy rou-tines, Tue 16 Sept,Crewe LyceumBILLY THE KID: HIS LIFEIN MUSIC Fusion of the-atre, music and come-dy featuring re-enact-ments of moments fromcowboy history, writtenby and starring musi-cian Rex Horan (NeilCowley Trio) andwriter/performer ChrisJohnston, Tues 16Sept, New Vic Theatre,Newcastle-under-LymeJESUS CHRIST SUPER-STAR Amateur produc-

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TheatreLISTINGSFor full listing information on theatreproductions, including times and dates,visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk

The White Devil - The Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon

First Do No Harm - The Blue Orange Theatre, Birmingham



Box Office 01785 254653www.staffordgatehousetheatre.co.uk

BOOKONLINE

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIREGATEHOUSE THEATRE

WHAT THE LADYBIRD HEARDGATEHOUSE THEATRE

Thurs 25 SeptThe Axis of Awesome are TheWorld’s Most Awesomest Com-edy Band. In the incredible timethat they have been together,they have done literally so muchstuff. They have blown audi-ences away around the world,including the prestigious invite-only Montreal Just for Laughs Festival and four sold out seasonsat the world’s largest arts festival, the Edinburgh Fringe. Their lasttour was a sell-out success so book in early!

8pm, £15/£13 concs

AXIS OF AWESOMEGATEHOUSE THEATRE

Sat 4 OctThe U.K’s most exhila-rating comedy act! TheNoise Next Door will bedelivering explosivedoses of their trademarkoff-the-cuff comedydirectly into the funny bones of the nation. Six time sell-out veter-ans of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and one of the country’smost sought after comedy club headliners, The Noise Next Doorleave audiences everywhere in awe of their lightning quick wit andtotally original comedic talents.

8pm, £12

THE NOISE NEXT DOORTHE MET STUDIO

Thurs 18 SeptOne of the world’s most spec-tacular events, Handa Operaon Sydney Harbour, is return-ing to cinema screens with amodern retelling of Puccini’s tale of love and honour,Madama Butterfly. This year is the third opera to be staged on themagnificent water stage, suspended over the harbour against abackdrop of the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.

8.00pm, £16

MADAMA BUTTERFLY ON SYDNEY HARBOURGATEHOUSE THEATRE

Fri 19 SeptOne of the world’s most phe-nomenal violinists, Scottish-born Nicola Benedettijoins Camerata's Music DirectorGábor Takács-Nagy to lead theorchestra in Vivaldi’s well knownmasterpiece, The Four Seasons, and Mozart’s effervescent LinzSymphony. Experience the stilling and film-like sound world ofSilouan’s Song – a breathtaking hymn for string orchestra, writtenby the famed Estonian contemporary composer and Cameratafavourite, Arvo Pärt.

7.30pm, £16/£14 concs/Under 26s £5 / Under 18s £3

MANCHESTER CAMERATA: BENEDET-TI PLAYS VIVALDI GATEHOUSE THEATRE

Sun 21 & Sun 22 Sept

Make sure you book early for this glittering family treat! Join thewoolly sheep, the hairy hog, the fat red hen and the dainty dog inthis brand new stage adaptation of Julia Donaldson and LydiaMonks’ colourful farmyard adventure. With live music, puppetry,plenty of audience participation and lots of laughs!

Various Times, £11 Buy 10 get 1 free

Tues 16 SeptThe fastest-selling production in the Young Vic’s history, Tennessee Williams’ timeless masterpiece A Streetcar Named Desire will be broadcast live from their London home byNational Theatre Live. With Gillian Anderson (The X-Files, TheFall) as Blanche DuBois, Ben Foster (Lone Survivor, Kill YourDarlings) as Stanley and Vanessa Kirby (BBC’s Great Expecta-tions, Three Sisters at the Young Vic) as Stella.

7.00pm, £12.50, £10 students/unemployed

14+



tion presented by GetYour Wigle On, Tue 16 -Wed 17 Sept, TheatreSevern, ShrewsburyNOT I/FOOTBALLS/ROCKA-BY Lisa Dwan performsa triple bill of works bySamuel Beckett, Tue 16- Sat 20 Sept, The REP,BirminghamAVENUE Q Tony Award-winning musical thatcentres on a group ofloveable yet hopelesscharacters on a down-town New York street,Tue 16 - Sat 20 Sept,New Alexandra Theatre,BirminghamJOSEPH AND THE AMAZ-ING TECHNICOLORDREAMCOAT Tim Riceand Andrew LloydWebber’s hit musical,Tue 16 - Sat 20 Sept,Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-TrentAUSTEN’S WOMEN One-woman productionwhich sees RebeccaVaughan revisit some ofthe most rewardingmoments from theAusten canon, Wed 17Sept, Ludlow AssemblyRooms, South Shrop-shireTHE FIGHT GAME & THEHUMAN ROCKET Shrop-shire-based OwenLewis Portable TheatreCompany presents adouble-bill of one-actplays, Fri 19 Sept, TheAdam Ballroom, TheLion Hotel, ShrewsburyGHOSTS A New Vic Pro-duction of HenrikIbsen’s tale of publicvirtue and private guilt,Fri 19 Sept - Sat 4 Oct,New Vic Theatre, New-castle-under-LymeOLD MACDONALD HAD AFARM Presented byPeople's Theatre Com-pany, Sat 20 Sept, ThePlace, Oakengates The-atre, TelfordTWO DEGREES An inti-

mate and interactiveexperience for twelveaudience memberswhich promises to sur-prise, engage and stirboth the imaginationand the emotions, Sat20 Sept, Old JointStock Theatre, Birming-hamJACK AND THEBEANSTALK Lyngo The-atre presents its versionof the classic fairytale,Sat 20 September, TheREP, BirminghamOPEN ALL HOURS Criti-cally acclaimed stageversion of the hugelypopular BBC televisionseries, Sat 20 - Sun 21Sept, Lichfield GarrickTHE LITTLE MERMAIDAmateur productionpresented by Get YourWigle On, Sat 20 - Sun21 Sept, Theatre Sev-ern, ShrewsburyMY BOY JACK Presentedby the Crescent The-atre Company, Sat 20 -Sat 27 Sept, CrescentTheatre, BirminghamMEDEA A National The-atre Live screening ofEuripides' powerfultragedy, Sun 21 Sept,mac - Midlands ArtsCentre, Birmingham

HORRIBLE HISTORIES:BARMY BRITAIN A brandnew show featuring 3DBogglevision effectswhich bring historicalfigures and events tothe stage. Presented byBirmingham StageCompany, Mon 22 -Wed 24 Sept, TheatreSevern, ShrewsburyTHE KITE RUNNER Haunt-ing tale of friendshipwhich spans culturesand continents whilefollowing one man's

journey to confront hispast and find redemp-tion, Mon 22 Sept - Sat4 Oct, The REP, Birm-inghamPAUL ZERDIN: NOSTRINGS The masterventriloquist returnswith a brand new showfeaturing much-lovedsponge characters,stand-up and ‘wicked’audience participation,Thurs 23 Sept, LichfieldGarrickCHINN AND CHAPMAN'SBLOCKBUSTER THE MUSI-CAL Paul Nicholas starsas Crazy Max in theworld premiere of amajor new British musi-cal featuring the chart-busting hits of leg-endary songwritingteam Nicky Chinn andMike Chapman, Tue 23- Sat 27 Sept, NewAlexandra Theatre,BirminghamHAPPY BIRTHDAY SUNITARifco Arts present anew comedy-dramaabout family life, Tue 23- Sat 27 Sept, ArenaTheatre, Wolverhamp-tonDIRTY DANCING EleanorBergstein's smash-hitWest End musical tellsthe classic love story ofBaby and Johnny, Tue23 Sept - Sat 11 Oct,Wolverhampton GrandTheatreLOVE'S LABOUR'S LOSTChristopher Luscombedirects a new produc-tion of Shakespeare'ssparkling comedy, Tue23 Sept - Sat 14 March,Royal ShakespeareTheatre, Stratford-upon-AvonBLIND HAMLET ActorsTouring Company pres-ent an innovative pieceof game-theatre whereaudiences can helpshape the course of theevening, Wed 24 Sept,mac - Midlands ArtsCentre, BirminghamSMASHED Award-win-ning performance of cir-cus and theatre explor-ing lost love and after-noon tea. Presented byGandini Juggling, Wed24 Sept, New Vic The-atre, Newcastle-under-LymeTWEET TWEET A play byyoung people foryoung people whichexplores how casualviral actions can haveserious real-life conse-quences Wed 24 Sept,The REP, BirminghamWAR HORSE AcclaimedWest End drama basedon the novel by MichaelMorpurgo, Wed 24 Sept- Sat 11 Oct, RegentTheatre, Stoke-on-TrentTHAT'LL BE THE DAYRock'n'roll spectacularcombining music fromthe 50s, 60s & 70s withwacky comedy rou-tines, Thurs 25 Sept,Theatre Severn,ShrewsburyELVIS MCGONAGALLStand-up poet, arm-chair revolutionary andrecumbent rocker,Thurs 25 Sept, Theatre

Severn, ShrewsburyFOGHORN IMPROV: THESHERLOCK TOMES Stepinto Baker Street for anevening of improvisedsleuthing, Thurs 25Sept, Old Joint StockTheatre, BirminghamCERI DUPREE: FIT FOR AQUEEN New show cele-brating the femaleimpersonator’s thirtyyears on stage, Thurs25 Sept, Old Rep, Birm-ingham BACK TO BROADWAYDescribed as an 'all-singing, all-dancing'theatrical extravaganza,Fri 26 Sept, TheatreSevern, ShrewsburyOUR KYLIE’S HAVIN’ ABAB Stripped DownTheatre present thesecond in the ‘OurKylie’ trilogy of comedy

plays’, Fri 26 - Sat 27Sept, Old Joint StockTheatre, BirminghamENCHANTED BURLESQUEPanache comedy, bur-lesque, variety andlashings of glitters, Sat27 Sept, The Old RepTheatre, BirminghamTHE FIGHT GAME & THEHUMAN ROCKET Shrop-shire-based OwenLewis Portable TheatreCompany presents adouble-bill of one-actplays, Sat 27 Sept, TheWillow Gallery,Oswestry, North Shrop-shireONE WOMAN IN HER TIMELaughter, tears andpowerful poetry in aperformance based ona young woman’simpulsive decision totry an intensive medita-

tion retreat, Sun 28Sept, mac - MidlandsArts Centre, Birming-ham

MICHAEL PALIN: TRAVEL-LING TO WORK Brandnew two-part stageshow which looks backat twenty-five years ofexploring the world andnearly fifty years inradio, television, booksand films, Tue 30 Sept,New Alexandra Theatre,BirminghamCATS Amateur produc-tion presented by Lich-field Garrick Youth The-atre, Tue 30 Sept - Sat4 Oct, Lichfield Garrick



TheatreLISTINGSFor full listing information on theatreproductions, including times and dates,visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk

Open All Hours - Lichfield Garrick

Austen’s Women - Ludlow Assembly Rooms



TheatreREVIEWSBelow are reviews of theatreproductions we checked out lastmonth. For further theatre reviews, visitwww.whatsonlive.co.uk

The Curious Incident OfThe Dog In The Night-TimeReviewed at The Gielgud Theatre, London, aheadof it showing at the Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent,and Wolverhampton Grand Theatre in February.

Mark Haddon’s groundbreaking book was anunlikely novel with an even less likely leading lad.What at first appeared to be a naïve narrative soonrevealed itself to be the personal testimony of a fif-teen-year-old boy with Aspergers syndrome. The central character, Christopher, is shocked tofind his neighbour’s dog has been skewered to herlawn with a garden fork. His uniquely logical mindis baffled by the incident and he sets out to solvethe murder...Literary reviewers hailed the book’s unusualness,and declared its detailed exposition of an Asperg-ers mind to be unfilmable. A stage adaptation wasunthinkable. But in the modern theatre, theunthinkable has a habit of happening, and theNational Theatre took the challenge to playwrightSimon Stephens. Together they came up with oneof the most remarkable productions in the wholehistory of the South Bank.Christopher is a very special character to play and,in the performance I saw, his ‘separateness’ wasbeautifully handled by a rather gawky, finger-twist-ing Abram Rooney. I hope he tours, because hisunderstanding of an Aspergers mind is acutely per-ceptive. And there is love in the play too; the irrational,unmanageable love of Christopher’s exasperatedparents, and the cool, caring, professional love ofhis teacher, Siobhan. Narrating the play, she is hisguardian angel; his still small centre of certainty -and the relationship between the wonderfully wiseteacher and the seriously struggling student isdeeply affirming. It's Siobhan who effectively cre-ates the show we see by suggesting Christopher’sdiary be turned into a school play. And every sooften the elastic of the imagination is wittilysnapped back to this underlying, practical concept.Not only has the National Theatre achieved theunthinkable; it has done so in triumph.The book has been translated into forty-four lan-guages and the play seen by over two hundredthousand people so far. It opens on Broadway thisautumn and arrives in the Midlands next year.I urge you to see it. And if you do, take my adviceand stay seated when you think it’s all over.Chris Eldon Lee n n n n n

The Gruffalo Birmingham Town HallIt’s not summer in Birmingham without one of Julia Donaldson’s delightful tales beingbrought to life at the city’s Town Hall. And surely one of the best of the adaptations isthat of the multi-million-selling children’s classic, The Gruffalo - brilliantly adapted forthe stage by award-winning theatre company Tall Stories.Tall Stories’ storytelling approach doesn’t rely on flamboyant costume but insteaduses actors as storytellers, so that children are aware of the tale being told beforethem. So via just a trio of performers, some basic costumes and a minimal set, young-sters and their families were transported to the Deep Dark Wood, to join the mouse onhis journey to meet the fox, the snake, the owl and, of course, the elusive Gruffalo.In this magical show, the fox becomes a ska-loving Cockney wideboy, sending chil-dren squealing with laughter; the owl is a ditzy pilot, donning goggles; the snake is asalsa-loving, sequined dancer who uses hypnosis to try and lure the mouse to his log-pile house. But the gutsy mouse outwits them all, with the help of the very willing chil-dren, who revel in some well-directed audience participation.And youngsters were on the edge of their seats for the much-anticipated arrival of TheGruffalo himself, bounding on stage complete with his all-important purple pricklesand death-defying roar.Julia Donaldson fans will absolutely adore this imaginative retelling of the much-lovedbook, complete with talented cast, catchy songs and well-constructed characters.Fiona McCartney n n n n

BirminghamALEXANDRA THEATRE 0844 871 3011BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME 0844 338 5000BIRMINGHAM REP 0121 236 4455THE BLUE ORANGE THEATRE0121 212 2643CRESCENT THEATRE 0121 643 5858DOVEHOUSE THEATRE0121 706 7139THE DRUM 0121 333 2444HALL GREEN LITTLETHEATRE0121 707 1874MAC 0121 446 3232OLD JOINT STOCK THEATRE0121 200 0946OLD REP 0121 245 4455SOLIHULL ARTS COMPLEX0121 704 6962

Black CountryARENA THEATREWOLVERHAMPTON01902 321321 BLOXWICH THEATRE01922 653183DUDLEY CONCERT HALL01384 812812FOREST ARTS CENTRE, WALSALL01922 654555GRAND THEATRE, 01902 429212

NEWHAMPTON ARTS CENTRE01902 572090OLDBURY REP, OLDBURY0121 552 2761

ShropshireTHE BELFREY, WELLINGTON01952 222277THE EDGE, MUCH WENLOCK01952 728911THE HIVE, SHREWSBURY01743 234970LUDLOW ASSEMBLY ROOMS 01584 878141THE PLACE, OAKENGATES, TELFORD01952 382382THEATRE SEVERN,SHREWSBURY01743 281281WEM TOWN HALL 01939 232299

StaffordshireLICHFIELD GARRICK 01543 412121NEW VIC 01782 717962PRINCE OF WALESCENTRE, CANNOCK01543 578762REGENT THEATRE, STOKE0870 060 6649RUGELEY ROSE THEATRE01889 584036STAFFORD GATEHOUSE01785 254653STOKE REPERTORY THEATRE01782 209784

WarwickshireBEDWORTH CIVIC HALL024 7637 6707BELGRADE THEATRE, COVENTRY024 7655 3055BRIDGE HOUSE THEATRE, WARWICK01926 776438THE DREAM FACTORY 01926 419555ROYAL SHAKESPEARETHEATRE, STRATFORD-UPON-AVON0844 800 1110ROYAL SPA CENTRELEAMINGTON 01926 334418WARWICK ARTS CENTRE, COVENTRY02476 524524

WorcestershireARTRIX ARTS CENTRE,BROMSGROVE01527 577330THE HIVE 01905 822866HUNTINGDON HALL, WORCESTER01905 611427MALVERN THEATRE01684 892277NORBURY THEATRE, DROITWICH01905 770154 PALACE THEATREREDDITCH 01527 65203ROSE THEATRE,01562 743745SWAN THEATRE, WORCESTER 01905 611427

Theatre Box Office



TheatreWEST END

Shrek: The Musical actor Nigel Lindsay and The West Wing’sRichard Schiff are to join Lindsay Lohan when she makes her WestEnd debut in David Mamet’s Speed-the-Plow at the PlayhouseTheatre this month. The duo play high-powered producers BobbyGould and Charlie Fox in Mamet’s satirical dissection of Holly-wood’s movie industry, with Lohan playing their temporary secre-tary, Karen. The American actress has said she feels ‘very luckyand excited and nervous’ about making her West End debut,adding: "There's a different standard to it here. It seems more pres-tigious. It seems a bit more serious, and that's something that Ireally want to experience.” Speed-the-Plow opens at the Playhouse Theatre on 24 Septemberand runs until 29 November.

A twenty-fifth anniversary gala performance of Boublil & Schön-berg’s award-winning Miss Saigon will this month see members ofthe original company take to the stage alongside the show’s cur-rent cast. Tickets for the 22 September Prince Edward Theatre galaare now on sale at 1989 prices, ranging from £13.50 to £22.50.The original production of Miss Saigon opened at the TheatreRoyal Drury Lane a quarter-century ago and ran for a decade. Theshow has since been seen by over forty million people worldwide. A new production of the musical opened to great critical acclaim atthe Prince Edward Theatre in May this year. With record advancebookings, it’s received an audience response which is said to be‘just as rapturous as the original’.The gala performance will be recorded by BBC Radio and broad-cast in its entirety on Sunday 28 September.

Lyndsay to join Lindsay at Playhouse Theatre

Celebrating twenty-five-years of Miss Saigon

No more Perfect Nonsense in the West End It’s been announced that Olivier Award-winning comedy JeevesAnd Wooster In Perfect Nonsense is to finish its West End run earli-er than planned. The show, currently starring John Gordon Sinclairand James Lance, had been taking bookings until next Januarybut will now end on 20 September. It will begin a UK tour a fewdays later in Guildford. Of their decision to cut short its London run, producers MarkGoucher and Mark Rubenstein said they felt it was best to closethe West End show ‘on a high’ until they could ‘find a cast tomatch the three brilliant Jeeves and Woosters that we’ve had thehonour to present’. They added that they were looking forward totaking the production out on tour. Alas, there are no current plansto bring the show to the Midlands...

Nigel Lindsay Lindsay Lohan Richard Schiff

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Dance September.qxp_Layout 1 29/08/2014 15:08 Page 1


Dance

RiverdanceNational Indoor Arena, Birmingham, Tuesday 23 - Thursday 25 September

When a show’s been seen by millions of people across thousands of performances on no fewer than four continents, it’s fair to say it’s onemother of a hit! Such are the statistics behind the mesmerising Riverdance, Michael Flatley’s breathtaking dance extravaganza that’s beenwowing audiences around the globe for a staggering two decades. Riverdance started out as a seven-minute interval piece at the EurovisionSong Contest in 1994. Within a couple of years, it had become the brand new craze, not only bringing traditional dance to a contemporaryaudience but also inspiring slick’n’sexy spin-off shows such as Spirit Of The Dance and Lord Of The Dance. If it’s been a while since you last sampled its delights or, perish the thought, you’ve never before witnessed its magnificence, these twentiethanniversary shows offer an opportunity not to be missed.

InalaWarwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Tues 30September; Symphony Hall, Birmingham,Thurs 30 October

When a group of talented musicians find theirway into the public consciousness via a bakedbeans advert, it says a lot about both the state ofthe world and the power of advertising. Such wasthe case with South African singers LadysmithBlack Mambazo. Still, don’t be fooled - Ladysmith had beenaround a long time before they provided thatmemorable Heinz soundtrack, having recordedover forty albums and sold over six millionrecords worldwide. They’re also much in evi-dence on Paul Simon’s Graceland album, usingtheir Zulu harmonies and unique sound to pro-vide some unusual and interesting additions tohis music. This latest presentation sees them collaboratingwith multi-award-winning choreographer MarkBaldwin and nine world-class dancers - includingtalent from the Royal Ballet - to present a live sto-rytelling experience that embraces an exhilaratingfusion of South African and Western cultures.

Beauty And The BeastBirmingham Hippodrome,Tues 30 September - Sat 4 October

Although not universally acclaimedwhen first performed in 2003, DavidBintley’s gothic fairytale has sincebecome recognised as an intelligentballet of monumental beauty. Phllip Prowse’s storybook set offorests and castles helps create abreathtaking atmosphere, while thetwo lead roles offer plenty of oppor-tunity for the principal dancers toexplore a relationship that’s bothrich in tenderness and laden withthreat. Add to the mix two outra-geously haughty sisters, a grumpygrandmother who’s been describedas ‘worthy of Roald Dahl’ and a sup-porting cast of delightfully engaginganimals, and you’ve got a show thathas all the necessary ingredientswith which to cast a profound andpowerful spell.


38 For full dance listings, visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk

RHYTHM OF THE DANCEFeaturing thirtydancers, a traditionalfull Irish band and the'dashing' Young IrishTenors, Sat 6 Sept,Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-TrentTHE POWER OFCOMPASSION EightTibetan monks presenta moving and inspira-tional insight into theworld of sacred musicand monastic dance,from the contemplative,mesmerising chant ofBuddhist texts tomajestic, brocade-cos-tumed masked dances,Sat 6 Sept, mac -Midlands Arts Centre,Birmingham

AN EVENING OFBURLESQUE Tantalising,camp and colourful,Fri 12 Sept, NewAlexandra Theatre,BirminghamJALEO FLAMENCOAndalusian dance,song & guitar, Sun 14Sept, Theatre Severn,ShrewsburyTHE SLEEPING BEAUTYPresented by EnglishYouth Ballet, Fri 19 -Sat 20 Sept,Wolverhampton GrandTheatreJORDON SCHOOL OFDANCE & PERFORMINGARTS: ELECTRIFY Sun 21Sept, mac - MidlandsArts Centre,Birmingham

JALEO FLAMENCOAndalusian dance,song & guitar,Sun 21 Sept, LudlowAssembly Rooms,South ShropshireRIVERDANCE 2014 Tue23 - Thurs 25 Sept,National Indoor Arena,BirminghamTHE BLACK ALBUM AvantGarde Dance present atriple bill of works com-prising three distinctlydifferent hip-hop chore-ographies, Thurs 25 -Fri 26 Sept, The PatrickCentre, BirminghamHippodromeJALEO FLAMENCOAndalusian dance,song & guitar.

Sat 27 Sept, mac -Midlands Arts Centre,BirminghamBEAUTY AND THE BEASTChoreographed by

BRB's Artistic Director,David Bintley, Tue 30Sept - Sat 4 Oct,BirminghamHippodrome

INALA A zulu ballet fea-turing dancers fromRoyal Ballet & Rambert,Tue 30 Sept, WarwickArts Centre, Coventry

For full listing information on dance,including times and dates, visitwww.whatsonlive.co.uk

DanceLISTINGS

Dance Box Office

ARENA THEATRE,WOLVERHAMPTON01902 321321ARTRIX, BROMSGROVE01527 577330BIRMINGHAMHIPPODROME 0844 338 5000DOVEHOUSE THEATRE0121 706 7139LICHFIELD GARRICK 01543 412121

LUDLOW ASSEMBLYROOMS, SHROPSHIRE 01584 873229MAC, BIRMINGHAM0121 446 3232NEW ALEXANDRA THEATRE,BIRMINGHAM0121 230 9082ROYAL SPA CENTRE,LEAMINGTON SPA01926 334418

SOLIHULL ARTS COMPLEX0121 704 6962STAFFORD GATEHOUSETHEATRE01785 254653THEATRE SEVERN,SHREWSBURY01743 281281WARWICK ARTS CENTRE,COVENTRY 02476 524524

For full venue information visit: www.whatsonlive.co.uk

Inala - Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry

The Power of Compassion - mac, Birmingham


Film TO WATCH THE LATEST MOVIE TRAILERS, VISIT: www.whatsonlive.co.uk

Starring Helen Mirren, Om Puri, Manish Dayal, Charlotte Le Bon Directed by Lasse Hallström (USA)

Produced by Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey, this is the much anticipated adaptation of the 2010 novelby Richard C Morais. Although set across a mere hundred feet of boulevard in Midi-Pyrénées, in France, thetale encapsulates the extremes of global culture today. When Hassan Kadam (Manish Dayal) and his familyare displaced from their native India, they set up a new restaurant in the South of France. However, MadameMallory (Helen Mirren), the proprietress of a traditional French restaurant down the street, is determined togive the new upstarts hell. The screenplay is by Steven Knight, who previously scripted Dirty Pretty Things,Eastern Promises and Locke, while the director Lasse Hallström has brought us The Cider House Rules,Salmon Fishing In The Yemen and, significantly, the French-set adaptation of Joanne Harris’s Chocolat.Oscar buzz is already humming.

The Hundred Foot Journey CERT PG (112 mins)TOP 5FILM BOX OFFICE

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FROMFRI 19SEPT

Serena CERT tbcStarring Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Rhys Ifans, Sean Harris, Toby Jones, Sam Reid, David Dencik,Ana Ularu Directed by Susanne Bier (USA/Czech Republic)

The last time that Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper played a couple, they ensnared an Oscar nomina-tion apiece, for Silver Linings Playbook, for which Ms Lawrence walked off with the main prize. Here, Cooperplays George Pemberton, a tycoon who moves from Boston to Depression-Era North Carolina to build a tim-ber empire. Initially met with hostility by the locals, his wife, Serena (Lawrence), soon proves that she canhold her own, hunting rattlesnakes and keeping the men in line. But then a secret from George’s past threat-ens to undermine their union... Susanne Bier previously directed the award-winning Open Hearts, After TheWedding and Love Is All You Need, while her 2011 thriller In A Better World won the Oscar for best foreignlanguage film. Serena is based on the 2008 novel by Ron Rash.


The Inbetweeners 2

The Inbetweeners 2(15)

Guardians OfThe Galaxy (12a)

The Expendables 3(12a)

How To TrainYourDragon 2 (12a)

Dawn Of The PlanetOf The Apes (12a)

Film - Sept.qxp_Layout 1 28/08/2014 17:20 Page 1

Before I Go to SleepCERT 15 (92 mins)

Starring Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth, MarkStrong, Anne-Marie Duff, Dean-Charles Chap-man Directed by Rowan Joffé (UK/USA)Christine Lucas (Nicole Kidman) has antero-grade amnesia, which means that every timeshe wakes up she’s forgotten everything fromthe day before.So she starts ajournal, a dailyrecord that beginsto unearth somefrightening truths.Based on the2011 novel by SJWatson.

They Came TogetherCERT 15 (81 mins)

Starring Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Cobie Smul-ders, Christopher Meloni, Max Greenfield, BillHader Directed by David Wain (USA)

With a title like this, it’s a wonder Judd Apatowwasn’t involved. But this is actually a parody ofthe romanticcomedy andapparently PaulRudd and AmyPoehler knocksparks off eachother.

Life Of Crime CERT 15 (99 mins)Starring Jennifer Aniston, Mos Def, IslaFisher, Will Forte, Tim Robbins, John HawkesDirected by Daniel Schechter (USA)

When the wife of awealthy man is kid-napped, the hus-band decides hedoesn’t want to paythe ransom...Based on the novelby Elmore Leonard.

FilmNEW RELEASES

Sex Tape CERT 15 (94 mins)Starring Cameron Diaz, Jason Segal, RobCorddry, Ellie Kemper, Rob LoweDirected by Jake Kasdan (USA)Having directed Cameron Diaz and JasonSegal in the surprisingly funny BadTeacher (2011), Jake Kasdan now teamsthem in another carnal romp. This timethey play a married couple whose privatesex tape ends up in cyber space. Verysporting of Rob Lowe to appear in a sup-porting role.

Released from Fri 5 September

FromWED 3SEPT


For full film listings, showings

and booking links

visit: whatsonlive.co.uk

View the latest trailers on line


A Most Wanted Man CERT 15 (112 mins)

Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, RachelMcAdams, Willem Dafoe, Robin Wright,Daniel Brühl, Nina Hoss Directed by Anton Corbijn (UK/USA/Germany)

The photographer Anton Corbijn has provedhimself to be a first-class filmmaker (cf. Control,The American) and would seem a good choiceto direct this adaptation of John le Carré's 2008novel. And it’s bang up-to-date, set in the worldof the war on terror and featuring a half-Chechen, half-Russian Muslim who turns up inHamburg with a claim to a huge fortune. Goodcast, too.

Boxtrolls CERT PG (97 mins)Featuring the voice of Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Ben Kingsley, Elle Fanning, Toni Col-lette, Jared Harris, Simon Pegg, Nick FrostDirected by Graham Annable and AnthonyStacchi (USA)

From the company (Laika) that brought usCoraline and ParaNorman, this is the story of anorphan boy (Egg) who is brought up by subter-ranean trash collectors. Brought to life usingstop-motion animation, the film is based on theheavily illustrated children’s novel Here Be Mon-sters! by Alan Snow. In 3D.

Pride CERT 15 (120 mins)Starring Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, DominicWest, Paddy Considine, Andrew Scott,George MacKay Directed by Matthew Warchus (UK)

Based on actual events, this is the story of howa group of LGBT activists attempted to raisemoney to help families affected by the 1984miners' strike. This should appeal to those wholapped up Made In Dagenham and its ilk. Ex-pect strong language and Welsh accents.

The Riot Club CERT tbcStarring Max Irons, Sam Claflin, DouglasBooth, Holliday Grainger, Freddie Fox, NatalieDormer, Jessica Brown Findlay, Sam ReidDirected by Lone Scherfig (UK)

For Riot Club read the Bullingdon Club, the Ox-ford University establishment known for its ram-bunctious rituals and elaborate banquets.Adapted by Laura Wade from her own playPosh and helmed by Lone Scherfig, the Danishdirector who brought us An Education and OneDay.

Think Like A Man Too CERT 12a (106mins)

Starring Meagan Good, Regina Hall, Taraji P.Henson, Gabrielle Union, Kevin HartDirected by Tim Story (USA)

Think Like A Man (2012), based on Steve Har-vey's book Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man,grossed over $100million worldwide, so a se-quel was inevitable. Here,the various couples fromthe first comedy convenefor a wedding in LasVegas and, also inevitably,nothing goes to plan.

Grand Piano CERT 15 (90 mins)Starring Elijah Wood, John Cusack, TamsinEgerton, Kerry Bishé, Alex WinterDirected by Eugenio Mira (Spain)When a pianist (Wood) struck with stage frightdecides to makea comeback inChicago, he be-comes the atten-tion of a sniper.The deal is that ifhe plays onewrong note, thesniper will killhim...

A Walk Among The TombstonesCERT tbc

Starring Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens, BoydHolbrook, Sebastian RochéDirected by Scott Frank (USA)

It sounds like a Western but it’s actually a crimedrama based on thenovel by Lawrence Block.When his wife is kid-napped, a New York drugtsar (Dan Stevens) hires aformer cop (Liam Nee-son) to get her back...

Magic In The MoonlightCERT 12a (98 mins)

Starring Eileen Atkins, Colin Firth, MarciaGay Harden, Simon McBurney, EmmaStone, Jackie Weaver Directed by WoodyAllen (USA)

Set in the 1920s on the French Riviera,Woody Allen's latest - his forty-third film aswriter-director - features Colin Firth as Stanley,a curmudgeonly illusionist. Stanley is thenasked to help unmask a clairvoyant (EmmaStone) who has managed to dupe a richAmerican family on the Côte d'Azur.




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Get On Up CERT 12a (139 mins)Starring Chadwick Boseman, Nelsan Ellis,Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Dan AykroydDirected by Tate Taylor (USA)

Tate Taylor directed the Oscar-winning The Help(2011), so it’s reasonable to expect great thingsfrom this biography of James Brown. Brown, ofcourse, was the Godfather of Soul, and Get OnUp chronicles his rise from poverty to celebrity.The script is co-written by Jez Butterworth, hewho penned the award-winning play Jerusalem.

Maps To The Stars CERT 18 (112 mins)Starring Julianne Moore, Mia Wasikowska,John Cusack , Robert Pattinson, OliviaWilliams, Sarah GadonDirected by David Cronenberg (Canada/USA)The world of Hollywood is excavated with typi-cal voyeuristic precision by David Cronenberg,a director not known for pulling his punches.For her role as an ageing, unhinged movie star,Julianne Moore won the best actress award atCannes this year.

The Equaliser CERT tbcStarring Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas,Chloë Grace Moretz, David Harbour, Bill Pull-man, Melissa Leo Directed by Antoine Fuqua (USA)

One may not immediately associate DenzelWashington with Edward Woodward, but theformer is recreating the role that the Croydon-born actor made his own on TV in the late-1980s. Here, Robert McCall (Denzel), anex-black ops commando, has been relocated toBoston and comes out of retirement to help ateenage girl (Moretz) in the clutches of a gangof Russian gangsters.

The Good Lie CERT 12a (110 mins)Starring Reese Witherspoon, Corey Stoll,Sarah Baker, Maria HowellDirected by Philippe Falardeau (USA)

Based on true events, this is the story of abrassy American woman (Witherspoon) who as-sists in the relocation of four young Sudaneserefugees. Corey Stoll, the male lead, previouslyplayed Ernest Hemingway in Woody Allen’sMidnight In Paris.

Human Capital CERT tbc Starring Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Matilde Gioli,Valeria Bruni Tedeschi Directed by Paolo Virzì (Italy)

Two families whose respective lives would’vebeen far simpler had they been kept apart don’tget so lucky. Instead, a road accident drawsthem together in ways that compromise thevery foundation-stones of their existence.Adapted from Stephen Amidon’s novel, directorPaolo Virzi’s character-driven movie shifts theaction from moneyed Connecticut to Italy’swealthy north, and focuses on the uncomfort-ably intertwined lives of the Bernaschis - a fam-ily of elegant capitalists - and the Ossolas - abrood of struggling middle-classers. The title ofthe movie, by the way, is a formal legal term,designating an accident victim’s net worth interms of compensation claims. Just so youknow.

This Is Where I Leave You CERT 15 (103 mins)

Starring Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, AdamDriver, Rose Byrne, Corey Stoll, KathrynHahn, Jane Fonda Directed by Shawn Levy (USA)

Based on the 2009 novel by Jonathan Tropper,this is the comedic story of four siblings who re-turn to their childhood home following the deathof their father. Sounds like August: OsageCounty - with a Yiddish makeover.

What We Did On Our Holiday CERT 12a (95 mins)

Starring Rosamund Pike, David Tennant,Ben Miller, Amelia Bullmore, Billy Connolly,Celia ImrieDirected by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin

When Abi (Pike) and Doug (Tennant) are in-vited to the Scottish Highlands for the birth-day of Doug’s father (Billy Connolly), theyare determined to keep their impending di-vorce a secret. But Abi and Doug takealong their three children, and you knowwhat children are like… A comedy from thecreators of TV’s Outnumbered.


FromFRI 26SEPT



The 100 Year Old ManWho Climbed Out OfThe Window AndDisappeared 15Allan Karlsson is bored totears in his old folks’home, so on his one hun-dredth birthday he climbsout of his window and em-barks on a most unlikelyadventure. RobertGustafsson & Iwar Wiklan-der star. Showing at RosesTheatre, Tewkesbury, Tues2 Sept

Arthur And Mike 15This is the story of a for-mer professional golferwho fakes his own deathin order to escape a life offailure. Then, in his new in-carnation as Arthur New-man, he encounters awoman who is also fleeingher old identity. Showing atRoses Theatre, Tewkes-bury, Tues 9 - Weds 10Sept

Begin Again 15Keira Knightley playsa singer-songwriterwho moves to NewYork with herboyfriend, only to becheated on by him.She then meets Dan(Mark Ruffalo), a disillu-sioned music executive…Showing at Royal SpaCentre, Leamington Spa,Fri 12 - Sun 14 Sept; Court-yard Theatre, Hereford, Fri12 - Thurs 18 Sept; Artrix,Bromsgrove, Fri 12 - Fri 19Sept

The Book Thief 12aA young girl sent to livewith a foster family inWorld War Two Germanylearns to read, with en-couragement from Max, aJewish refugee whothey’re hiding under thestairs. Showing at Stour-bridge Town Hall, Mon 1Sept

Boyhood 15This is one film that livesup to its title. Started in thesummer of 2002, thedrama continued produc-tion through to October2013, having shot for afew weeks every year in-between. The film is thestory of Mason Jr and fol-

lows him from the age ofsix to eighteen. Stars Patri-cia Arquette, EllarColtrane. Showing at Fes-tival drayton Centre, Mar-ket Drayton, Shropshire,Fri 5 - Sat 6 & Mon 8 Sept;Courtyard Theatre, Here-ford, Sat 6 - Tues 9 Sept

Bright Days Ahead 12aCaroline, a sixty-year-oldretired dentist, is given atrial membership for anactivity centre for old peo-ple. After finding thecourses dull and the com-pany grating, Carolinegets chatting to the hand-some IT teacher Julienwith whom she starts a se-cret affair. Fanny Ardant &Laurent Lafitte star. Show-ing at Artrix, Bromsgrove,Sun 21 - Mon 22 Sept

Captain Phillips 12aTom Hanks plays theeponymous CaptainRichard Phillips, who wasabducted by Somali pi-rates in 2009. It’s a taleripped straight from theheadlines, based on thebook by Captain Phillipshimself in collaborationwith Stephan Talty. Show-ing at Forest Arts Centre,Walsall, Fri 12 Sept

Cinema Paradiso 12aA middle-aged man’s re-flection on his past, in par-ticular the Sicilian cinema(and its projectionist) thatformed his dreams. StarsPhilippe Noiret. Showingat The Hive, Shrewsbury,Fri 12 Sept

Citizen Kane UA fascinating portrait ofAmerica's love of powerand materialism and the

corruption it sometimesfosters. Stars Orsen Wells.Showing at Edge Arts Cen-tre, Much Wenlock, Mon15 Sept

The Congress 15The story of an ageingHollywood beauty (RobinWright) who can no longerget work due to her repu-tation for being ‘difficult.’So, in order to continueher career, she sells therights to her ‘digitalimage.’ Stars RobinWright. Showing at LightHouse Media Centre,Wolverhampton, untilThurs 4 Sept; CourtyardTheatre, Hereford, Tues 23- Thurs 25 Sept

Cycling With Molière 15A misanthropic actor hasturned his back on thestage. Then the grumpythesp is approached byanother actor to make acomeback in a productionof Moliere’s The Misan-thrope. Unfortunately, it’snot the leading part…Fabrice Luchin & LambertWilson star. Showing atLudlow Assembly Rooms,South Shropshire, Fri 5 &Mon 8 Sept

Fading Gigolo 15Comedy drama abouta couple of friendswho set up a gigolobusiness to help thelonely women ofNew York. StarsWoody Allen, JohnTurturro Showing at

Courtyard Theatre, Here-ford, Mon 1 - Weds 3 Sept

Finding Fela 15A compelling portrait ofthe late, great Fela Kuti,Nigeria’s answer to BobMarley. Showing at mac,Birmingham, Fri 5 - Thurs11 Sept; Courtyard The-atre, Hereford, Weds 24 -Thurs 25 Sept

Finding Vivian Maier12aThe story of a mysteriousnanny who secretly tookover one hundred thou-sand photographs whichwere hidden and then dis-covered decades later. Vi-vian Maier’s strange andriveting life and art are re-vealed through never-be-fore-seen photographs,films, and interviewsShowing at mac, Birming-ham, Weds 3 - Thurs 4Sept

Fruitvale Station 15On New Year’s Eve 2008,

Oscar Grant III was shot atpoint blank range by a po-lice officer while being re-strained by another. Themobile phone footage hasbeen seen by millions ofpeople. This drama tracesOscar’s last twenty-fourhours. Michael B Jordan& Melonie Diaz star.Showing at Courtyard The-atre, Hereford, Mon 15 -Weds 17 Sept

The Galapagos Affair:Satan Came To EdentbcA documentary of thetrue-life story of the eccen-tric human wildlife that firstsettled in the GalapagosIslands in the 1930s, ex-pecting a utopian gardenof Eden. But as bohemianlifestyles and a free loveethos give way to person-ality clashes and Darwin-ian impulses, peoplebegin to disappear andan intriguing murder-mys-tery unfolds. Showing atRoses Theatre, Tewkes-bury, Sun 28 Sept

The Grand BudapestHotel 12aThe adventures of the leg-endary concierge Gus-tave H. Played here byRalph Fiennes, Gustave His a wonderful comic char-acter, an articulate, manip-ulative and brazen fellowwho abuses his positionwith startling zeal. Ac-cused of murder andchased all over the shop,the fellow never loses hisnerve. Showing at EdgeArts Centre, Much Wen-lock, Shropshire, Mon 8Sept

Grand Central 15The story of a decontami-nation sub-contractor at anuclear power plant in thelower valley of the Rhone,Grand Central deals withthe everyday problem ofradiation contaminationand stars two of France’shottest young performers:Tahar Rahim & Léa Sey-doux. Showing at Court-yard Theatre, Mon 22 -Tues 23 Sept; Roses The-atre, Tewkesbury, Weds 24Sept

The Grand Seduction12aThe story of a remote fish-ing village that has to en-snare a doctor in order toland a factory contractand thus stabilise the localeconomy. Stars BrendanGleeson. Showing at mac,

Birmingham, Fri 12 - Thurs18 Sept; Ludlow Assem-bly Rooms, South Shrop-shire, Fri 26 & Mon 29Sept; Artrix, Bromsgrove,Tues 30 Sept

The House Of Magic UThunder, an abandonedcat seeking shelter from astorm, stumbles into thestrangest house, ownedby an old magician. Whenthe magician falls ill, hisnephew sees a chance tocash in by selling thehouse, Thunder enliststhe help of the magician'sassistants to protect hisnew home. With thevoices of Cinda Adams,Grant George. Showing atCourtyard Theatre, Here-ford, Sat 6 - Sun 7 Sept

Jersey Boys 15Before The Beatles, themost popular rock bandof all time was The FourSeasons. The Broadwaymusical that chronicledtheir amazing career andwon four Tony awards hasbeen brought to the bigscreen by Clint Eastwood.Stars John Lloyd Young.Showing at Old MarketHall, Shrewsbury, untilThurs 4 Sept; Roses The-atre, Tewkesbury, Mon 1 -Sat 6 Sept

Joe 15Joe is a no-nonsense su-pervisor of a crew of lum-berjacks who finds workfor a troubled teenager. AsJoe takes him under hiswing, he discovers thatGary lives under thetyranny of a drunk andabusive father, and soonfinds himself torn betweenhis fierce protective in-stincts and his need toavoid the violence of hispast. Stars Nicolas Cage.Showing at Warwick ArtsCentre, Coventry, Mon 1 -Thurs 4 Sept; Royal SpaCentre, Leamington Spa,Thurs 18 Sept

Lilting 15Junn is a Cambodian-Chi-nese woman who lives inLondon who cannotspeak English and is to-tally dependent on herson to understand thecommunity in which shelives. Then he dies unex-pectedly, severing herlinks with the outsideworld…Stars BenWhishaw, Cheng Pei Pei.Showing at Ludlow As-sembly rooms, SouthShropshire, Weds 10 -

Thurs 11 Sept; CourtyardTheatre, Hereford, Fri 12 -Thurs 18 Sept; Roses The-atre, Tewkesbury, Fri 19Sept

The Love Punch 15The story of two divorceeswho, after reuniting at awedding, decide to teamup to retrieve the retire-ment money stolen fromthem. Pierce Brosnan &Emma Thompson star.Showing at StourbridgeTown Hall, Mon 15 Sept

The Lunchbox PGMiddle-class housewife Ilais trying once again toadd some spice to hermarriage, this timethrough her cooking. Shehopes that a new recipewill arouse some kind ofreaction from her neglect-ful husband. She pre-pares a special lunchboxto be delivered to him atwork, but, unbeknownstto her, it’s mistakenly de-livered to another officeworker. Irrfan Khan & Nim-rat Kaur star. Showing atEdge Arts Centre, MuchWenlock, South Shrop-shire, Mon 22 Sept

Mood Indigo 12aSet in a charmingly sur-real Paris, wealthy bache-lor Colin spends his timedeveloping a cocktail-making piano. When helearns that his best friendhas a new American girl-friend, our lonely hero at-tends a friend's party inhopes of falling in lovehimself. Showing at Court-yard Theatre, Hereford,Sat 13 - Thurs 18 Sept; Ar-trix, Bromsgrove, Weds24- Thurs 25 Sept

Mr Morgan’s Last Love12aMichael Caine stars as re-tired philosophy professorMatthew Morgan, who, liv-ing in Paris, ‘takes up’ witha French dance instructor.Showing at Roses The-atre, Tewkesbury, Mon 15- Tues 16 Sept; CourtyardTheatre, Hereford, Fri 19 -Thurs 25 Sept

FilmA-Z LISTINGS

WATCH

THE FILM

TRAILERS AT

whatsonlive.co.uk

All films are currently on general releaseunless otherwise stated. For full listinginformation, including times and dates,visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk


BirminghamCINEWORLD Broad St, B’ham0871 200 2000CINEWORLD Solihull0871 200 2000ELECTRIC, B’ham0121 643 7879EMPIRE 0871 471 4714MILLENNIUM POINT0121 202 2222MAC 0121 446 3232ODEON 0871 224 4007REEL Quinton 0121 421 5316

SHOWCASE 0871 220 1000VUE CINEMA Star City 08712240 240

Black CountryCINEWORLD W’HAMPTON 0871 200 2000LIGHT HOUSE MEDIA CEN-TRE, W’HAMPTON 01902716055ODEON MERRY HILL, DUD-LEY 0871 22 44007SHOWCASE, DUDLEY0871 220 1000

FOREST ARTS CENTRE, WAL-SALL 01922 645 555

ShropshireCINEWORLD, SHREWSBURY0871 200 2000THE EDGE ARTS CENTRE,MUCH WENLOCK01952 728 911FESTIVAL DRAYTON CENTRE,MARKET DRAYTON01630 654 444THE HIVE, SHREWSBURY01743 234 970LUDLOW ASSEMBLY ROOMS01584 878 141MAJESTIC, BRIDGNORTH01746 761815

ODEON TELFORD0871 224 4007OMH SHREWSBURY01743 281281WEM TOWN HALL 01939 232299

StaffordshireCINEWORLD, BURTON-UPON-TRENT 0871 200 2000 THE STAFFORD CINEMA,STAFFORD0207 438 9580FOXLOWE ARTS CENTRE,LEEK 01538 386 112 STOKE FILM THEATRE, 01782411188

ODEON TAMWORTH0871 224 4007

WarwickshireODEON COVENTRY0871 224 4007ODEON NUNEATON0871 224 4007SHOWCASE, COVENTRY0871 220 1000VUE, LEAMINGTON SPA08712 240 240PICTURE HOUSE, STRAT-FORD-UPON-AVON 0871 9025741WARWICK ARTS CENTRECOVENTRY 02476 524524

WorcestershireARTRIX, BROMSGROVE01527 577330MALVERN THEATRE0845 287 2146THE NORBURY THEATRE,DROITWICH SPA08444 777 1000WAREHOUSE, KIDDERMINSTER01562 747773VUE, WORCESTER0871 224 0240THE ROSE’S THEATRE, TEWKESBURY01684 295 074

CINEMA Box Office


Mrs Brown’s Boys D’-Movie 12aMrs Brown’s fruit & veg stallis threatened by develop-ers, so she enlists the helpof a troupe of blind Ninja as-sassins and a barrister withTourette’s Syndrome. Bren-dan O’Carroll & Eilish O’-Carroll star. Showing atLudlow Assembly Rooms,South Shropshire, Mon 1 -Tues 2 Sept; Roses The-atre, Tewkesbury, Mon 8 -Tues 9 Sept

Mystery Road tbcDetective Joe Swan is anative Australian tasked toinvestigate the murder ofan Aboriginal girl in his oldhome town; but his careerchoices have distancedhim from the Aboriginalcommunity, and the whitefolks don’t trust him either.Aaron Penderson stars.Showing at Ludlow As-sembly Rooms, SouthShropshire, Weds 24 -Thurs 25 Sept

Night Will Fall 15A documentary exploringthe Allied forces liberationof the Nazi concentrationcamps in 1944-45. Theirterrible discoveries wererecorded by army andnewsreel cameramen, re-vealing for the first time thefull horror of what hadhappened. Showing atmac, Birmingham, Sun 21- Mon 21 Sept

Of Horses And Men 15Set against the stunninglandscapes of Iceland, this

off-beat film weaves to-gether interlinking storiesbased around differenthorses. Ingvar Eggert Sig-urdsson & Charlotte Bøv-ing star. Showing at Artrix,Bromsgrove, Sun 7 - Mon8 Sept

One Direction - WhereWe Are Tour - ConcertFilmRecorded in Milan’s iconicSan Siro stadium, thismust for One Directionfans features fifteen min-utes of backstage footageand exclusive interviews.Showing at Festival Dray-ton Centre, Market Dray-ton, Shropshire, Sat 11 -Sun 12 Sept; Light HouseMedia Centre, Wolver-hampton, Sat 11 - Sun 12Sept

Planes 2: Fire And Res-cue U DustyCrophopper (voiced byDane Cook) returns formore aerial adventures, al-though when his engine isdamaged he realises thathe may never race again.Showing at Courtyard The-atre, Hereford, until Sun 7Sept; Roses Theatre,Tewkesbury, Sat 6 Sept

Point Blank 15An adrenaline-fuelled ac-tion thriller about a man onthe run, desperately tryingto save his pregnant, kid-napped wife in a raceagainst time. Gilles Lel-louche stars. Showing atThe Hive, Shrewsbury, Fri26 Sept

The Police Officer’sWife tbcA young couple lead amodest provincial exis-tence with their smalldaughter. The husband isa policeman. The wifestays at home and caresfor their little girl. Thisseemingly ordinary familylive a frugal life. It is also alife of increasing violence,measured by the darkbruises of the police offi-cer’s wife. AlexandraFinder & David Zimmer-schied. Showing at mac,Birmingham, Mon 15 -Tues 16 Sept

Polyester 15John Water’s cult classicstars Divine as a subur-ban housewife whoseworld falls apart when herpornographer husbandadmits he's serially un-faithful to her, her daugh-ter gets pregnant, and herson is suspected of beingthe foot-fetishist who'sbeen breaking localwomen's feet. Tab Hunteralso stars. Showing atmac, Birmingham, Sat 20& Tues 23 Sept

A Promise 12aThe protege of a wealthyindustrialist is sent abroadwhen it becomes appar-ent that he’s fallen in lovewith the industrialist’s wife.But before he goes, shemakes him a promise. Re-becca Hall & Alan Rick-man star. Showing atWarwick Arts Centre,

Coventry, until Thurs 4Sept; mac, Birmingham,Fri 5 Sept; Ludlow Assem-bly Rooms, South Shrop-shire, Fri 12 - Sat 13 Sept;Roses Theatre, Tewkes-bury, Mon 29 - Tues 30Sept

The Railway Man 15Based on the autobiogra-phy of Eric Lomax who,as a POW for the Japan-ese, helped build the Thai-Burma Railway. Colin Firthand Nicole Kidman star.Showing at Forest ArtsCentre, Walsall, Thurs 25Sept

The Rover 15With society in decline,the rule of law has disinte-grated and life is cheap.Hardened loner Eric (GuyPearce) travels the deso-late and dangerous Aus-tralian outback. When abrutal gang of thievessteal his car and only re-maining possession, theyleave behind thewounded Rey (RobertPattinson) in their wake.Forcing Rey to help trackthe gang, Eric giveschase. Showing at mac,Birmingham, Sat 13, Weds17 - Thurs 18 Sept

Saving Mr Banks PGBiog of PL Travers, the au-thor of Mary Poppins,Saving Mr Banks is di-vided between Travers’early years in Australiaand the later negotiationswith Disney to make a filmof her popular children’s

novel. Emma Thompson& Tom Hanks star. Show-ing at The Norbury The-atre, Droitwich Spa, Weds10 Sept

She Monkeys 12aWhen Emma meets Cas-sandra, they initiate a rela-tionship filled with physicaland psychological chal-lenges with Emma doingwhatever it takes to mas-ter the rules of the game.Mathilda Paradeiser &Linda Molin star. Showingat mac, Birmingham,Thurs 25 Sept

Sin City 2: A Dame ToKill For 15The much-anticipated se-quel based on FrankMiller’s graphic novels.The town’s most hard-boiled citizens cross pathswith some of its more re-viled inhabitants. JessicaAlba & Powers Booth star.Showing at Light HouseMedia Centre, Wolver-hampton, until Thurs 4Sept

Tracks 12aDirector John Curranbrings to screen the 1980memoir of Robyn David-son, which chronicles herone thousand, seven hun-dred-mile trek across theAustralian Outback withjust a dog, four camelsand the National Geo-graphic photographerRick Smolan. MiaWasikowska stars. Show-ing at Wem Town Hall,North Shropshire, Tues 16

& Thurs 18 Sept

Two Days, One Night 15Sandra has one week toconvince her workmatesto give up their bonusesso that she can keep herjob. Marion Cotillard &Fabrizio Rongione star.Showing at mac, Birming-ham, Fri 5 - Thurs 11 Sept;Ludlow Assembly Rooms,South Shropshire, Mon22 - Tues 23 Sept; Court-yard Theatre, Hereford,Mon 29 - Tues 30 Sept

Wakolda 12aSet in Patagonia 1960,this true story follows afamily who’re befriendedby a charismatic Germanman, who they welcomeinto their home and theirhearts, little knowing thathe’s notorious war crimi-nal Joseph Mengele.Showing at mac, Birming-ham, Tues 2 - Thurs 4Sept; Ludlow Assemblyrooms, South Shropshire,Mon 15 - Thurs 18 Sept;Roses Theatre, Tewkes-bury, Mon 22 Sept

Walking On Sunshine12aAfter a whirlwind ro-mance, Maddie is prepar-ing for her dreamwedding to gorgeous Ital-ian Raf. But, unbeknownstto her, Raf is an ex-holidayflame of her sister's andthe love of her life. Show-ing at Courtyard Theatre,Hereford, Fri 5 - Thurs 11Sept

Plastic 15Based on real events,this comedy thriller fo-cuses on a group of stu-dents whose credit cardfraud lands them in hotwater with a ruthlesscrime boss who givesthem two weeks to raise£2million. Stars EdSpeleers and Andy Allen.Released 8 September

Blue Ruin 15Dwight Evans is an out-sider whose quiet life isdisturbed when, seekingvengeance, he proveshimself an amateur as-sassin and ends up in afight to protect his es-tranged family. StarsMacon Blair.Released 8 September

After Earth 12aAfter Earth has been laidwaste by cataclysmicevents, a father and sonfind themselves back onthe planet, which is avery changed place, amillennium after eventsforced humanity to es-cape. Stars Will Smith.Released 15 September

Pompeii 12aIt’s 79AD and formerslave Milo is now a gladi-ator and in love with Cas-sia, who is betrothed tothe corrupt senator. Andthen all hell breaks loosewhen Mount Vesuviuserupts. Stars Kit Harring-ton.Released 15 September

Jimmy’s Hall 12aBarry Ward plays thereal-life political activistJimmy Gralton, who be-comes the only Irishmanever to be deported fromIreland. This is the storyof the dance hall he built.Also stars Simone Kirbyand is directed by KenLoach.Released 29 September

In Secret 15Set in 1860s Paris,Therese Raquin istrapped into a lovelessmarriage to her sicklycousin by her domineer-

ing aunt. But after shemeets her husband's al-luring friend, Laurent,she embarks on an illicitaffair that leads to tragicconsequences. Basedon the novel by EmileZole and starring Eliza-beth Olsen.Released 29 September

The Wind Rises PGHayao Miyazaki is one ofthe leading talents in ani-mation today, having woncountless awards andeven an Oscar (for hispeerless 2001 fantasySpirited Away). Here, he’sadapted his own mangacomic, a fictionalised bi-ography of the aircraft de-signer Jiro Horikoshi. The Wind Rises was thehighest grossing Japan-ese film in Japan last yearand earned Miyazaki an-other Oscar nominationthis year.Released 29 September

Of Horses And Men 12aSet against the land-scapes of Iceland, this off-beat film weaves togetherstories based around dif-ferent horses. Directed byBenedikt Erlingsson.Released 29 September

DVD NEW RELEASES

Bad Neighbors 15Here, the deal is thatfamily man SethRogen (with new-bornbaby girl) moves nextdoor to a frat houserun by the unruly,beer-swigging ZacEfron. Expect somepretty strong lan-guage, nudity and‘crude sex references’.Released 8 September



Festivals September 2014.qxp_Layout 1 29/08/2014 15:05 Page 1

Festivals


Zoo ProjectDonington Park, Fri 12 - Sun 14 SeptemberWith its very own culture, the Zoo Project takesplace deep within the forest at Donington Park andbrings a whole new dimension to the festival expe-rience. In addition to live acts across eighteenstages - this year’s line-up includes GrooveArmada, Steve Lawler and Acid Mondays - ZooProject also features a roaming team of party ani-mals providing a programme of alternative, impro-vised entertainment. Attractions include mischie-vous monkeys climbing up trees and taking refugein bushes, an eccentric Witch Doctor and his mys-terious Fire Birds and Voodoo Princesses, and atwelve-foot King Kong. Styling and body-painting areas, high-energyartists, creative costumes and circus-style actsalso form part of this unique presentation.Remember, ‘There’s no Zoo without YOU!’

Shrewsbury Fields ForeverWest Midlands Showground, Shrewsbury,Fri 12 - Sun 14 September

Multi-award-winning hip-hop artist Tinie Tempah takes top billing at this latest festival tograce Shrewsbury’s West Mid Showground. Growing in popularity and stature,Shrewsbury Fields sees over one hundred acts - including legends from indie rock,punk, alternative and the electronic live music scene - programmed alongside some ofthe country’s freshest new talent. An uber-cool comedy line-up, a silent disco, pop-upparties and a funfair further add to the festival’s appeal. Multiple arenas feature across the site, with the main stage hosting The Cribs, ShedSeven, Chloe Howl, John Power, Superfood, Ghetts and Etta Bond. Sunday’s comedyangle comes courtesy of Russell Kane, Lee Nelson, Justin Moorehouse, IvanBrackenbury, Ninia Benjamin and Micky D. Shrewsbury’s very own Blues Boy Dan, Just Josh and Stressful Tony provide the enter-tainment on the site’s acoustic stage.

Bromyard Folk Festival Various locations, Bromyard, Fri 12 - Sun 14 September

Described as the best ‘folk festival/cultural event in the Welsh Border area’, BromyardFolk provides over one hundred-and-seventy hours of traditional music, song anddance within a single weekend. Oysterband (Friday), We Banjo 3 (Saturday) and VinGarbutt (Sunday) share top billing, with performances from Kathryn Roberts and SeanLakeman, The Old Dance School, Les Barker and Blackbeard’s Tea Party also featuring.Add into the mix a plethora of ceilidhs, dance displays and various off-site events -including a torchlit Morris procession - and you’ve got yourself the makings of yetanother fine folk festival.

FESTIVAL NO.6 FeaturingPet Shop Boys, Beck,London Grammar, Bonobo& Martha and theVandellas, Fri 5 - Sun 7Sept, Portmeirion, NorthWalesONBOARD THE CRAFT FESTI-VAL Featuring Pre-Mad,Harvey Bainbridge,Leatherat, UndergroundZero & Flutatious, Fri 5 -Sat 6 Sept, Stoke PriorCountry Club, BromsgroveWHITWELL FESTIVAL OFMUSIC Featuring Doctorand the Medics, JamesWarner Prophecies,Dirtbox Disco & I Set TheSea On Fire, Fri 5 - Sun 7Sept, Community Centre,Whitwell, DerbyshireOAKFEST Featuring BadManners, From The Jam &The Troggs, Sat 6 Sept,Hartshill Park, Telford,ShropshireZOO PROJECT FeaturingGroove Armada, Mr Scruff,Ten Walls, Steve Lawler &

Ben UFO, Fri 12 - Sun 14Sept, Donington Park,DerbyshireSHREWSBURY FIELDS FOR-EVER FESTIVAL FeaturingTinie Tempah, The Cribs,Shed Seven, Superfood,New York Tourists & BluesBoy Dan Own, Fri 12 - Sun14 Sept, West MidlandShowground, ShrewsburyBROMYARD FOLK FESTIVALFeaturing Oysterband, VinGarbutt, The Old DanceSchool & Whapweasel, Fri12 - Sun 14 Sept, Variouslocations aroundBromyardSNODFEST FeaturingSkewwhiff, Shatter Effect,Ronin & Crazy 88s, Sat 13Sept, The Park,Worcestershire

FestivalLISTINGSFor full listing information on Festivals,visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk

Shed Seven

Tinie Tempah

Oysterband

Bad Manners


Birmingham IndependentFood FairMillennium Place, Birmingham, Sat 13 September

The latest addition to Birmingham’s culinary cal-endar, the Independent Food Fair presents a richtaste of the city’s vast gastronomic offering, withmore than forty producers, restaurants, drinksmerchants and street food vendors showcasingtheir wares. Thai Edge, Le Truc Cafe, Min MinNoodle Bar and Epi Restaurant will be handingout samples of their cuisine, while event sponsorDon Diego Bar de Tapas is operating a pop-uprestaurant specialising in authentic Spanish pael-la, tapas and churros.Organised by local food guide Dine Birmingham,the one-day event features culinary delights fromGreece, Poland and Indonesia, while wood-firedpizzas, handmade chocolates and gluten-freeconfectionary is complemented by a craft beerbar, cocktails from Bitters’n’Twisted - the companybehind Island Bar and Bodega - and a wine &spirits section sponsored by Langley’s Gin.

Abergavenny Food FestivalVarious locations, Abergavenny,Sat 20 - Sun 21 September

Still riding high after being declared Best Event InWales at the National Tourism Awards For Walesin 2013, Abergavenny Food Festival has set itsbar pretty high in 2014. Celebrity chef/food writer Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall opens the event and will then be inconversation with journalist Joanna Blythman,talking about his latest book, River Cottage LightAnd Easy - Healthy Recipes For Every Day. Also featuring in the event’s line-up of chefs andfood experts are Incredible Spice Men CyrusTodiwala and Tony Singh, C4’s Simply Italianhosts The Chiappa Sisters, top pastry chef ClaireClark and wine expert Jancis Robinson. A rolling programme of demonstrations in themarket hall, a children’s food academy at the cas-tle (sponsored byOrganic CentreWales), andnumerous streetfood (and non-food) tradersensure visitors ofall ages haveplenty to sink theirteeth into at thisyear’s festival.

Other food events coming upin the Midands...

Food Festivals

The Great British Food FestivalRagley Hall, Warwickshire, Sat 13 - Sun 14 September

Warwickshire’s Ragley Estate provides a perfect backdrop for this month’s Great BritishFood Festival (GBFF). A must for the region’s foodies, the two-day event features overeighty local producers, celebrity and local chef demos, cookery lessons, talks and livemusic. For those wishing to show off their baking skills, the festival hosts a Cake Offcompetition with three distinct categories - Victoria Sponge, Chocolate Delicious andSignature Bake. Free admission to the festival is available for all entrants, and there’s a‘fantastic foodie prize’ for the winner. For those feeling brave enough, GBFF offers vari-ous Men Vs Food Challenges for both men and women throughout the weekend. So ifyou think you can sink a foot of chilli sausage, beef it up with half-pound burgers, keepyour cool with suicide sauce or down a pint of cider, then pop along and have a go. Younever know, a Man V Food Champion t-shirt could be yours...

Ludlow Food FestivalVarious locations, Ludlow, Shropshire, Fri 12 - Sun 14 September

Now in its twentieth year, the Ludlow Food Festival regularly delights huge crowds. Thisyear’s event certainly promises to carry on that tradition, with attractions including morethan one hundred-and-eighty artisan food producers, top chefs and an abundance ofdemonstrations and activities catering for all ages. Shropshire celebrity chef Marcus Bean this year takes on the responsibility of organis-ing Top Chef Friday. Previously co-ordinated by Will Holland, the event features some ofthe UK’s most talented cooks, with Marcus keeping their identity under wraps until near-er the time. A festival is always a good platform on which to launch a new book, and county entre-preneur Sam Gray does that very thing with Doing It In Wellies, the story of her journeyfrom boardroom to smallholding. Meanwhile, Claire Bosi, founder of the town’s Michelin-starred Hibiscus restaurant, invites younger audiencesto share in her joy of creating with Gastronomical!, anillustrated cookery book for children. Last but not least, Marcus Bean showcases his ‘must-have’ cookbook, Chicken: New Classics. Regular attractions - including a kids’ area with cookerylessons, a quiz and a pudding tasting - take place with-in the castle grounds, while the always-popularsausage, ale and bread trails and a Sunday producersmarket take place out in the wider town.


Royal Leamington Spa Food And Drink FestivalRoyal Pump Rooms Gardens, Leamington Spa, Sat 6 - Sun 7 September

A mouthwatering line-up of entertainment awaits visitors to the biggest festival on theLeamington events calendar. Ready Steady Cook chef Brian Turner CBE is joined by aplethora of local food and drink aficionados at the Live Kitchen in the Royal PumpRoom Gardens. The popular television cook will also be drawing on his expertise tojudge the festival’s inaugural Aubrey Allen Home Cook Of The Year competition.Michelin-starred chef and local food hero AndreasAntona joins Brian on the judging panel.Other gastronomic highlights over the two days includethe hugely popular Taste Trail, the Star & Garter BBQArea - featuring beer and food pairing, breadmaking,butchery and BBQ demonstrations - and a Make &Bake Kids Cookery School. Non-food-related entertain-ment comes in the shape of live music in the band-stand and a Stagecoach Theatre Arts School showinspired by the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.

GIN FESTIVAL Debut eventfor novices & enthusiasts,Sat 6 - Sun 7 Sept, TheBond Company,BirminghamTESCO WINE FAIR Bringinghundreds of quality winesand thousands of winefans together under oneroof, Sat 6 - Sun 7 Sept,NEC, BirminghamATTINGHAM PARK FOOD FAIRAnnual event to tantaliseyour tastebuds, showcas-ing what’s on offer fromlocal food traders, Sat 6 -Sun 7 Sept, AttinghamPark, ShrewsburyBIRMINGHAM CHILLI FESTI-

VAL The heat is on to findeighteen people to brave itout and eat the hottestchilli, Fri 19 - Sat 20 Sept,Brindleyplace, BirminghamBIRMINGHAM OKTOBERFESTGerman beer, food, music& fun, Wed 15 - Sun 19Oct, Cannon Hill NaturePark, BirminghamVEGAN FEST Talks, demos& live entertainment, Sat25 Oct, Civic Hall,WolverhamptonBBC GOOD FOOD SHOW WIN-TER Feat top tips from ahost of celebrity chefs,Thurs 27 - Sun 30 Nov,NEC, Birmingham

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Marcus Bean



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Visual ArtsVoices Of War Exhibition Library of Birmingham,Mon 29 September - Wed 31 December

The experiences of men at the Front, the impactof war on children and families, the contribution ofblack and Asian soldiers, and the role of womenon the Home Front are among the themesexplored in this enlightening World War One exhi-bition. The Library’s richarchive, photography andspecial collections haveyielded plenty of fascinatingmaterial connected to theGreat War, with other sub-jects under the microscopeincluding Birmingham’sindustrial support for thewar effort, and debatesaround patriotism and paci-fism in the city. Voices OfWar is complemented by aprogramme of talks andevents, online resourcesand an accompanyingbook.

The Making Of MordorWolverhampton Art Gallery, Sat 20 September - Sat 17 January

Although it’s the various images from JRR Tolkien’s sketchbooks which are this exhibi-tion’s real pull, The Making Of Mordor also features works by a selection of other twenti-eth century writers and artists, all of whom, like The Lord Of The Rings author, were influ-enced in their work by the industrial powerhouse of the West Midlands. Works by Turner Prize nominee Richard Billingham, photographer Brian Griffin and inter-nationally acclaimed installation artist Olafur Eliasson all feature in a presentation thatalso includes archive film.

Craft And Conflict Bilston Craft Gallery,Sat 13 September - Sun 23 November

The themes of war and remembrance are here exploredvia a collection of both contemporary and historical items.Presented to coincide with the hundredth anniversary ofthe First World War, the exhibition focuses on the endeav-ours of local manufacturing companies as they assistedwith the war effort - with items such as grenades, helmetsand service vehicles all being made in the Midlandsregion. Work by contemporary craftmakers also features,exploring themes of both conflict and peace.

Exposed: The Body In Artfrom Durer to FreudShrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery,Mon 15 September - Mon 29 December

Exploring artistic responses to the human body,this touring exhibition features at its heart Burne-Jones’ pre-raphaelite Pygmalion series, present-ing ideals of love and aspiration. Via works byAlbrecht Dürer, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, BarbaraHepworth, Helen Chadwick, Francis Bacon, GillianWearing and Lucian Freud, Exposed reinforcesJones’ five themes: the body as focus for theartist’s observation; the creation of the ‘ideal’body; the mutation of the body; art as a means ofpreserving and memorialising the body; and thebody as a vehicle for the artist’s imagination andfantasy.


Olafur Eliasson, The Forked Forest Path, 1998, installation (c) Olafur Eliasson, courtesy Towner, Eastbourne

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The Fields Of Battle1914 - 1918: Paintings AndDrawings By Robert ParryShire Hall Gallery, Stafford,Sat 6 September - Sun 2 November

Described as thought-provoking and original,Robert Parry’s works act as a direct responseto nature. His mobile studio enables him toproduce large-scale pieces entirely on loca-tion. During the past twenty years, theMidlands-based artist has been a frequentvisitor to the Somme and Verdum, the resultof which is a series of ‘atmospheric’ imagesdepicting the landscape as it is today, wherenature and time have played their part inerasing the scars of war. On show for the firsttime, this major exhibition features a series ofcommissioned works depicting Messinesand the links with Cannock Chase.

Black Country Echoes:In PicturesLight House Media Centre, Wolverhampton,Mon 1 September - Fri 31 October

Bringing together the works of five post-warBlack Country documenters - spanning theperiod from the 1960s to the present day -Black Country Echoes comprises one hun-dred images, projected larger-than-life ontofour walls at the Light House Media Centre.Forming part of the region-wide BlackCountry Echoes Festival, each piece recordsthe ever-changing face of both landscapeand manufacturing in the area. Works by Nick Hedges, Arthur Lockwood,John Bulmer, Peter Donnelly and Jubilee ArtsArchive all feature.

VisualArtsPREVIEWS

ILLUSTRATE A showcaseof work by local artistscomprising differingstyles of illustration, untilMon 1 Sept, The Drum,Birmingham

COME CREATE Exhibitionto inspire visitors toexplore and demon-strate their creativitythrough displays,hands-on interactivesand fun activities, untilSun 7 Sept, Thinktank,Birmingham

EIGHT CENTURIES OF HIS-TORY Exhibition lookingat the life and times ofthe Earls of Dudley,who lived at HimleyHall, until Sun 7 Sept,Himley Hall & Park,Dudley

40 YEARS OF WATCHINGPAINT DRY Featuring thework of fine artist, car-toonist and comedywriter Geoff Tristram,until Sun 7 Sept, HimleyPark & Hall, Dudley

ARTIST ROOMS: ROBERTTHERRIEN Exhibitionfrom the American artistrenowned for his monu-mental sculptures whichtransform everydayobjects into fantasticalinstallations, until Sun 7Sept, mac - MidlandsArts Centre,Birmingham

CERAMIC EMPIRE: THETRADE IN STAFFORDSHIREPOTTERY Exhibitionexploring the supplyand representation ofthe Empire inStaffordshire pottery,until Sun 7 Sept,Potteries Museum & ArtGallery, Stoke-on-Trent

MARKO MÄETAMMInstallation byacclaimed Estonianartist Marko Maetamm,until Tues 9 Sept,Fletcher’s Walk,Birmingham

SECRET GARDEN CRAFTEXHIBITION Collection ofjewellery, textiles &ceramics exploringfairytales & narratives,until Sat 13 Sept,RBSA, Birmingham

NOEMIE GOUDAL: THEGEOMETRIC DETERMINA-TION OF THE SUNRISENoemie’s first solo exhi-bition featuring newexamples of the kind ofwork for which she’sbecome well known,until Sun 14 Sept, TheNew Art Gallery, Walsall

THE ART OF MARY WOR-RALL & SUSAN DAVIESuntil Sat 20 Sept,Harborne Art Gallery,Birmingham

TRACED Exhibition trac-ing the success of art &design inWolverhampton, andbringing together worksby local artists from the

museum’s collection,until Sat 20 Sept,Wolverhampton ArtGallery

SHARIF WAKED - CHICPOINT: FASHION FORISRAELI CHECKPOINTSExhibition documentingthe ‘thousands ofmoments in whichPalestinians are dailyforced to nude them-selves in the face ofinterrogation and humil-iation, as they attemptto move through theintricate and constantlyexpanding network ofIsraeli checkpoints’,until Sat 20 Sept,Wolverhampton ArtGallery

MARVELLOUS MACHINES:THE WONDERFUL WORLDOF ROWLAND EMETT Thelargest ever display ofEmett’s work, telling thestory of the innovator’slife in Birmingham, untilSun 21 Sept,Birmingham Museum &Art Gallery

QUILT ART EXHIBITIONuntil Sat 27 Sept,Dudley Museum

LASTING IMPRESSIONSThird in a collaborativeseries with the NationalPortrait Gallery, London,until Sun 28 Sept, TheBarber Institute,Birmingham

CONVERSATIONS A dis-play which spans fourcenturies of printmakingand features works byRembrandt, Goya,Cezanne & Picasso,until Sun 5 Oct, TheBarber Institute,Birmingham

BESIDE THE SEAExhibition which revisitsthe halcyon days of theBritish seaside, untilSun 5 Oct, ThePotteries Museum & ArtGallery, Stoke-on-Trent

USHA KHOSLA RBSAFeaturing handmadetextural ceramics,described by Usha as‘3D paintings’, inspiredby the CanadianRockies and Australia,until Sat 11 Oct, RBSA,Birmingham

GILLIAN WEARING: WEARE HERE New single-screen video workwhich sees the artistreturn to the area in andaround Sandwell whereshe grew up, until Sun12 Oct, The New ArtGallery, Walsall

ALBEL SINGH: PHOTOS OFWINTERBOURNEShowcasing Albel’sfavourite photographs,taken in the gardens atWinterbourne, until Tues14 Oct, WinterbourneHouse & Gardens,Birmingham

STAFFORD AND THEGREAT WAR History exhi-bition highlighting thework of local people onthe home front andwithin the armed servic-es, until Sat 18 Oct,Ancient High House,Stafford

MADE IN SHREWSBURYuntil Sun 19 Oct,Shrewsbury Museum &Art Gallery

LIFE ON THE EVE OF WARUnique exhibition focus-ing on the golden ageof the stately home,until Fri 24 Oct,Shugborough HistoricWorking Estate,Staffordshire

A RIVER RUNS THROUGHIT Works on paper fromthe Barber’s collection,until Sun 26 Oct, TheBarber Institute,Birmingham

STRANGE WAYS: CRASHTEST DUMMIES Multi-dis-ciplinary practicesteered by ElenaCassidy-Smith, HarmeetChagger-Khan andHelen Grundy, until Sun26 Oct, New Art Gallery,Walsall

TOM, FRANK AND MAYOriginal material, uni-forms, handling activi-ties and a short filmwhich demonstrates therole played by theMerry family duringWorld War One, untilSun 2 Nov, BlakesleyHall, Birmingham

SYMMETRY IN SCULP-TURE Focusing on therecent work of one ofthe UK’s most excitingBritish Asian artists,Zarah Hussain, untilSun 2 Nov, BirminghamMuseum & Art Gallery

LETTERS HOMEExhibition exploring dif-ferent elements of let-ters written during the

First World War, untilSun 2 Nov, BantockHouse & Park,Wolverhampton

TRUE TO LIFE? NEW PHO-TOGRAPHY FROM THEMIDDLE EAST until Sun 2Nov, BirminghamMuseum & Art Gallery

BACK TO FRONT: 40 PER-MANENT COLLECTIONGEMS Exhibition whichcelebrates the fortiethanniversary of thegallery’s Garman Ryancollection, until Sat 16Nov, New Art Gallery,Walsall

DEALING WITH DREAMS:THE GARMAN RYAN COL-LECTION 40TH ANNIVER-SARY Exhibition whichtells the story of theGarman Ryan collec-tion, from its conceptionto the present day, withpreviously unseenarchive material and art-works, until Sun 16 Nov,The New Art Gallery,Walsall

WALSALL’S GREAT WARExhibition marking thecentenary of World WarOne and the impact ofthe Home Front onWalsall, until Sat 29Nov, Walsall LocalHistory Centre

BRIAN YALE: FIRSTWORLD WAR BATTLEFIELDPAINTINGS until Sat 29Nov, Wolverhampton ArtGallery

FAITH AND FORTUNEExploring the early his-tories of two of theworld’s great religions,until Sun 30 Nov, TheBarber Institute,Birmingham

THE JEWELLERY QUARTERDURING THE FIRSTWORLD WAR until Sun14 Dec, Museum of theJewellery Quarter,Birmingham

STATIC: STILL LIFE RECON-SIDERED until Wed 31Dec, BirminghamMuseum & Art Gallery

CRAFTSENSE Featuringover one hundred of theworld-renowned Bilstonenamels, until Wed 31Dec, Bilston CraftGallery

SENSING SCULPTUREFeaturing new sculp-tures alongside oldfavourites, until Wed 31Dec, WolverhamptonArt Gallery

POP EUROPE! until Sat 7Feb, Wolverhampton ArtGallery

VisualArtsLISTINGSFor full listing information on Visual Artexhibitions, including times and dates,visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk


Further exhibitions

Last Post: Remembering The First World War -Coalbrookdale Gallery, Ironbridge, ShropshireImage credit: Arthur Lockwood


For more visual arts listings, visit, www.whatsonlive.co.uk 53

LAST POST: REMEMBER-ING THE FIRST WORLDWAR until Fri 27 Mar,Coalbrookdale Gallery,Ironbridge, Shropshire

THE JEWELLERY QUARTERDURING THE FIRSTWORLD WAR Exhibitionof artefacts, images andoral histories relating tothe recruitment of sol-diers from the JewelleryQuarter, until Sat 27June, The JewelleryQuarter, Birmingham

SOLDIERS STORIES:BIRMINGHAM AND THEROYAL WARWICKSHIREREGIMENT 1914 - 1918Exhibition which com-memorates the cente-nary of the First WorldWar and recounts theexperiences ofBirmingham men whoserved in the regimentbetween 1914 and1918, using personalobjects, medals &memorabilia, until Sun26 July, BirminghamMuseum & Art Gallery

A RIVER RUNS THROUGHIT Works on paper fromthe Barber’s Collection,until Sun 26 Oct, TheBarber Institute,Birmingham

SIMON REDGRAVE’SHIRED HANDS: PORTRAITSFROM THE WORKPLACEPop-up exhibition com-prising period photogra-phy from Nick Hedgesand John Bulmer whichtells the stories of peo-ple who labouredtogether every daythroughout their work-ing lives, Mon 1 Sept -Wed 1 Oct,Wolverhampton ArtGallery

CHUBB An exhibitionfocusing on formeremployees of Chubband Sons Ltd, showcas-ing the group’s person-al experiences of thelock and safe works,Mon 1 Sept - Fri 31 Oct,Light House MediaCentre, Wolverhampton

BLACK COUNTRY ECHOES:IN PICTURES Exhibitionwhich brings togetherthe work of five docu-menters of the post-warera in the BlackCountry, Mon 1 Sept -Fri 31 Oct, Light HouseMedia Centre,Wolverhampton

AUSTERITY TO PROSPERI-TY Exploring life andwork in Walsall from the

austerity of the late-1940s to the heyday forlocal industries in the1950s, Wed 3 Sept -Sat 10 Jan, WalsallMuseum

MARCIA FARQUHAR:LARGER THAN LIFE Sat 6Sept - Fri 7 Nov, GrandUnion, Birmingham

YINKA SHONIBARE Thefourth in a series of fiveexhibitions presented inIkon’s Tower Room aspart of the gallery’sbirthday celebrations,Wed 10 Sept - Sun 9Nov, Ikon Gallery,Birmingham

CRAFT AND CONFLICTExhibition bringingtogether historic andcontemporary worksthat reflect on war andremembrance, Sat 13Sept - Sun 23 Nov,Bilston Craft Gallery

DAVID A HUNT Light,Landscapes, PastelsAnd Me, Mon 15 Sept -Sat 4 Oct, New VicTheatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme

NEWCASTLE REMEMBERSCentenary exhibition tomark 100 years sincethe start of WWI, Sat 20Sept - Wed 12 Nov,Newcastle BoroughMuseum & Art Gallery,Newcastle-under-Lyme

RAFAL ZAR EXHIBITIONShowcase of new paint-ings by Sandwell-basedPolish artist Rafal Zar,who was awarded the

2014 ESP MembersOpen Show, Sat 20Sept - Sat 6 Dec,Eastside Projects,Birmingham

SUSAN PHILIPSZ - BRO-KEN ENSEMBLE: WARDAMAGED MUSICALINSTRUMENTS (BRASSSECTION) New site-spe-

cific work from TurnerPrize-winning artistSusan Philipsz, whichpromises to fill thegallery with the soundsof instruments dam-aged in World War I,Sat 20 Sept - Sat 6 Dec,Eastside Projects,Birmingham

IN THE LEATHER: REFLEC-TIONS ON WALSALL PASTAND PRESENT Artists andlocal urban sketchersshowcase images fromWalsall’s post-warleather trade, Sat 20Sept - Sat 10 Jan,Walsall LeatherMuseum

VisualArtsLISTINGSFor full listing information on Visual Artexhibitions, including times and dates,visit www.whatsonlive.co.uk

Museums & Art Galleries

BirminghamARTIFEX Sutton Coldfield 0121 323 3776BARBER INSTITUTE0121 414 7333BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM &ART GALLERY0121 303 2834CASTLE GALLERIES0121 248 8484

GRAND UNION0121 643 9079

IKON GALLERY0121 248 0708

NUMBER NINE THE GALLERY0121 643 9099 RBSA GALLERY0121 2364353STRYX GALLERY, [email protected] WHITE WALLSGALLERY0121 200 3328

Black CountryBANTOCK HOUSEWOLVERHAMPTON01902 552195BILSTON CRAFT GALLERY01902 552507

BROADFIELD HOUSE GLASSMUSEUM, DUDLEY01384 812745DUDLEY MUSEUM & ARTGALLERY01384 815575LIGHT HOUSE MEDIA CENTREWOLVERHAMPTON01902 716055THE NEW ART GALLERY WALSALL 01922 654400RED HOUSE GLASS CONE01384 812750WOLVERHAMPTON ARTGALLERY 01902 552055

ShropshireBEAR STEPS GALLERY,SHREWSBURY01743 344994SHREWSBURY MUSEUM &ART GALLERY01743 258885TWENTY TWENTY GALLERY,MUCH WENLOCK01952 727952THE WILLOW GALLERY,OSWESTRY01691 657575

StaffordshireNEWCASTLE BOROUGHMUSEUM & ART GALLERY01782 232323THE POTTERIES MUSEUM &ART GALLERY, STOKE-ON-TRENT 01782 232323SHIRE HALL GALLERYSTAFFORD 01785 278345STAFFORDSHIRE MUSEUM,SHUGBOROUGH 01889 881388

WarwickshireCOMPTON VERNEY GALLERY01926 645500HERBERT ART GALLERYCOVENTRY 02476 832386MEAD GALLERY WARWICK02476 524524ROYAL PUMP ROOMS01926 742700RUGBY MUSEUM & ARTGALLERY 01788 533201

WorcestershireWORCESTER CITY ARTGALLERY 01905 25371

Visit whatsonlive.co.uk for venue website details


Events - September Region Two new.qxp_Layout 1 29/08/2014 14:11 Page 1

Events

Workshops, hands-on exhibitions, science shows, discussions about the latest scientificbreakthroughs, quizzes, science-based comedy and drama and even science buskers onthe streets all feature in this year’s British Science Festival. Highlights of the event includean Ancient People Of The Midlands walk, an Applied Geology Of Kinver Edge outing (offer-ing the chance to discover Triassic sandstones that were deposited around two hundred-and-fifty million years ago), and a chance to learn about the archaeology, geology andgeography of Ironbridge Gorge. Arts-based attractions, meanwhile, include Forty Years OfStar Wars, a cosmic filmmaking exploration, and the Festival Of The Spoken Nerd, an eventwhich sees a mathematician, songstress, sketch comedian and stand-up present a showthat’s jam-packed with science demos, numerical delights and, er, ballads!


Stafford Arts FestivalVarious venues, Stafford, Sat 6 September

Stafford’s fourth Arts Festival this month seesdancers, musicians and artists taking to thestreets to provide passers-by with a range offree entertainment and activities to enjoy.Participants in this year’s event includeStafford Operatic Society, the town’s largestmusical theatre group, presenting a showcaseof songs from their upcoming production ofAnnie; The Crooked Bawbees, performing tra-ditional folk music featuring Northumbrianpipes, fiddles and piano; and Art Brasil, per-forming Brazilian percussion, song anddance. Artists will be ‘in residence’ in the townto produce work that captures ‘the essence ofthe day’, while street theatre presentationsinclude freestyle hula hoop performances andballoon-modelling by a performer on stilts.Free-to-participate arts & crafts workshops,meanwhile, ensure there’s plenty of opportu-nity for children to get hands-on.

British Science Festival Various locations, Birmingham, 6 - 11 September

Black Country Night Black Country Living Museum, Dudley, Sat 13 SeptemberThe Black Country Living Museum here follows up its Black CountryWeekend with its first ever Black Country Night. The brand new eventfeatures a range of entertainment from across the region, includingplenty of shenanigans from Stourbridge favourites Fizzog and per-formances from local internet sensation The Empty Can, who rose toprominence with their evocative song, I Vow To Thee Black Country.

The event also provides the chance to sample some typical BlackCountry fare, including the museum’s tasty tapas, featuring scratch-ings, pork pies, rabbit stew and faggots, all of which can then bewashed down with a pint or two of Peaky Blinders ale. In short, thiscould very well prove to be an absolutely, er, bostin night out.




THE EASY WAY TO BOOKYOUR TICKETS ONLINE

whatsonlive.co.uk

The most comprehensive what’s on listings website for Birmingham and the West Midlands



mac Open Weekendmac - Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham,Sat 6 - Sun 7 September

Having opened over half a century ago, mac(Midland Arts Centre) is nowadays one ofBirmingham’s best-known arts destinations,running a wide range of courses throughoutthe year. This sure-to-be-popular open week-end provides visitors with the opportunity tofind out exactly what the venue has to offer,with baby toddler and craft sessions, andZumba, yoga and capoeira classes all avail-able to sample. For those who’re interestedin artistic performance, drama and comedystand-up classes are also taking place dur-ing the course of the weekend, which alsosees New Art West Midlands and mac resi-dent artist Anna Smith unveil a brand newinstallation piece entitled Swing.

Cycle ShowNEC, Birmingham,Thurs 25 - Sun 28 September

With cycling’s profile in the UK at an all-timehigh, this hugely popular show looks set toimprove on its record attendance of 2013.Boasting a bumper crop of 2015 bikes andproducts, the show also features freestyleMTB dirt jumping with Monster's SamPilgrim, elite cyclocross racing, a 'devil takesthe hindmost' four-man roller-race, and aBMX spine ramp comp. The premium roadbike track makes a welcome return, alongwith three other test tracks.

Continental CircusTrentham Gardens, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs,Wed 10 - Sun 14 September

Continental Circus Berlin is promoting itselfas ‘a breath of fresh air’ in an era that’s pro-foundly dominated by electronically createdentertainment. And the company is certainthat its line-up of performers will prove splen-didly adept at eliciting jaw-dropping gasps ofamazement from its UK audiences. Amongthe circus’ more intriguing-sounding actsare: Keyla Ramache, the gyrating SpanishHula Hoop Queen; hand-balancing wondersZel & Zorka; the back-flipping, fire-limboingAfrican Warriors; and the UK’s very own

Rowan Caeron-Brown, who does his thingon a flying cloud swing. Add into this a sup-porting soundtrack of chart-topping hits fromthe past four decades, and the company isconfident they’re offering an evening ofentertainment that should appeal to even themost dedicated of modern technology wor-shippers.

UK National Drum FairPotteries Museum & Art Gallery,Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs, Sat 6 September

Promoted and managed by drummers fordrummers, this annual event is taking placefor a twelfth time and this year includes oversixty stalls selling custom and vintage drums,cymbals and accessories. The show alsofeatures free workshops, clinics and drumsheds, and pays special tribute to RingoStarr, fifty years after The Beatles performedon The Ed Sullivan Show and conqueredAmerica.

Ironbridge GorgeWorld Heritage FestivalIronbridge Gorge, Shropshire,Sat 20 September

The Ironbridge Gorge World HeritageFestival is an annual celebration of the area’sdesignation as a World Heritage Site byUNESCO in 1986. The event this year onceagain offers its winning blend of heritagetalks and walks, craft and food markets, livestreet entertainment and family activities.Numerous hands-on art activities for youngervisitors also feature, as does anEmbarrassing Bears Clinic, where, for asmall fee, minor repairs can be made to anyteddy bears in need of some TLC. An inter-

active talk about the Iron Bridge itself is anew addition for 2014. Visitors to the eventwill also be able to explore the many river-side shops, pubs, cafés, antique shops, craftcentres, restaurants and museums in thetown, many of which will be offering specialpromotions for the day.

Midland Game FairWeston Park, Staffordshire,Sat 21 - Sun 22 September

If traditional country pursuits are your pas-sion, the well-established Midland Game Fairmakes for a rewarding weekend. The pre-mier event of its kind in the country, theshow features a wide range of attractions,with everything from world-class clay pigeonshooting to game and coarse fishing demon-strations. Gun dog competitions, falconrydisplays, ferret racing, fine arts and ruralcrafts also feature, as do over six hundredtrade stands catering for a wide range of visi-tors’ countryside shopping needs.

Word Up!Library of Birmingham, Tues 30 September

A special event for young people and adultsfeaturing bestselling writer and poetBenjamin Zephaniah in conversation withSteve Camden is the highlight of this day-long event. Taking place throughout thelibrary, Word Up! is a celebration of books,the joy of reading and theLibrary of Birmingham’sfirst birthday, and bringstogether activities, per-formances, music, poetryand plenty of ‘reading-related fun’.

EventsPREVIEWS

Shropshire Truck Show Oswestry Showground, North Shropshire, 6 - 7 SeptThe Shropshire Truck Show this month returns to the Oswestry Showground after a year’sabsence, bringing with it main-arena entertainment that includes a presentation by motorcy-cle display team the Royal Signals White Helmets. Back Draft, the world’s only wheelie fireengine, also puts in an appearance, as do Coronation Street stars Georgia May Foote andJack P Shepherd. Commenting on the event, Show Director Jason Lunn said: “Last year’sbreak from the Oswestry site has allowed them to develop the showground, improving theroadways and toilets, and we’re pleased to see a new grandstand in place for the mainarena. We’ve had fantastic comments from everyone about our return to the venue, and lookforward to our new September date, which we hope will give us better weather!”



SUMMER TREASUREHUNT Holiday fun,where participants cansolve the clues aroundthe park to win amedal, until Fri 5 Sept,Hawkstone Park &Follies, Weston-under-Redcastle, NorthShropshireNATURE EXHIBITIONInteractive exhibition forthe holidays, until Sat13 Sept, Red House GlassCone, StourbridgeGUIDED TOUR WithHeritage Manager JaneMcArdle, Mon 1 Sept,Birmingham CathedralSTAFFORDSHIRE HOARDCONSERVATION STUDIOTOUR An exclusive tourof the StaffordshireHoard to find out aboutthe latest developmentsand go behind thescenes to meet theexperts. Advance book-ing essential!, Tue 2Sept, BirminghamMuseum And ArtGalleryROBOT BUILD OFF Createyour own junk robot athome and take it alongto the museum to bejudged. Prize for win-ning entries, Tues 2Sept, Potteries Museum& Art GalleryTILE DECORATINGWORKSHOPS Drop-insessions where partici-pants use the tech-nique known as tubelining to decorate theirvery own tile to takehome, Tue 2 Sept, Jackfield Tile Museum,Ironbridge, ShropshireLUNCHTIME TALK:LETTERS HOME Tue 2Sept, Bantock House &Park, WolverhamptonCRAFTPLAY EXPLORERSTue 2 Sept, BilstonCraft GalleryBOULTON'S BIRTHDAYBASH CelebrateMatthew Boulton’s286th birthday in style,with talks, storytellingand children's craftsthroughout the day,Wed 3 Sept, SohoHouse, BirminghamBAT WALK An introduc-tory talk by the site'sbat expert, followed bya walk around the ruinswith a bat detector tosee what you can find,Wed 3 Sept, WeoleyCastle, BirminghamARTFORUM GOLD CLUBArt club for young peo-ple aged 14-25, Wed 3Sept, WolverhamptonArt GalleryBEER FESTIVAL Thurs 4 -Sun 7 Sept, SevernValley Railway, BewdleyDIGBETH FIRST FRIDAY:AWAY FROM ALL SUNS

EXPERIMENTAL MUSICPROJECT Giant Axe takeover the gallery to per-form a live and impro-vised audio visualreworking of JindrichPolak's pioneering 1963film, Ikarie XB 1, Fri 5Sept, Eastside Projects,BirminghamMUCH WENLOCK WALK-ING FESTIVAL Featuringa range of walks overfour days, Fri 5 - Mon 8Sept, Much Wenlock,South ShropshireFARMER'S MARKETSale of local food,drink, craft and pro-duce, Sat 6 Sept, TheDiscovery Centre,Craven Arms, SouthShropshireLICHFIELD PROMS Freeannual outdoor concertfor the whole family, Sat6 Sept, Beacon Park,LichfieldSPECIALIST TALK:WOMEN ARTISTS OF THEPRE-RAPHAELITES Jointhe house steward for arelaxed tour following awalking tour of the col-lection, Sat 6 Sept,Wightwick Manor &Gardens,WolverhamptonLADIES EVENING A glam-ourous evening at theraces, Sat 6 Sept,WolverhamptonRacecourseTHE SHERIFF’S RIDE ATLICHFIELD CITY Historicride around the ruralcity boundary. Ridersmust register inadvance of the day, Sat6 Sept, Lichfield CityCentreEVENING SCENICSPECIALS A scenicevening ride with theadded option of tradi-tional fish and chipsupper, Sat 6 Sept,Severn Valley Railway,BewdleyFESTIVAL OF FIREWORKSFamily night out & pre-mier event for fireworksenthusiasts, Sat 6 Sept,Catton Hall,StaffordshireBIG MOTOR SHOWA weekend of motoringmadness arrives inStoke, Sat 6 Sept,Britannia Stadium,Stoke-on-TrentKNIGHT SCHOOL Chanceto learn the art of swordfighting and combatskills, Sat 6 Sept,Blakesley HallBirmingham VINTAGE VEHICLES ANDVIEWS Swallow Dorettisports cars celebratetheir 60th anniversary,Sat 6 Sept, AldridgeAirport, Walsall CRAZY SCIENCE AT SOHOSat 6 Sept, SohoHouse, BirminghamYOUNG ARTISTS Learnhow to draw, createpaintings and make

sculptures, Sat 6 Sept,Wolverhampton ArtGalleryGALLERY TOUR An infor-mal tour of the gallerySat 6 Sept,Wolverhampton ArtGalleryCRAFTPLAY SESSIONSAward-winning creativeplay project for under-sevens. Free but book-ing recommended, Sat6 Sept, Bilston CraftGalleryWORLD WAR WEEKENDNostalgia with music,stalls, displays, activi-ties and fun for all thefamily, Sat 6 - Sun 7Sept, Bantock HouseMuseum,WolverhamptonSHROPSHIRE TRUCKSHOW Trade stands,exhibitions & stalls,parade of trucks andmuch more... Sat 6 -Sun 7 Sept, OswestryShowground, NorthShropshireFOOD FAIR Tickle yourtastebuds with anassortment of foodietreats from more thanthirty local traderswho'll be on hand toshowcase their deli-cious offerings, Sat 6 -Sun 7 Sept, AttinghamPark, ShrewsburyGUILDEX A popularevent for model railwayenthusiasts, featuringspecialist trade sales,demonstrations, mod-els and layouts, Sat 6 -Sun 7 Sept, TelfordInternational Centre,ShropshireTESCO WINE FAIROpportunity to compareand contrast a varietyof different types andstyles of wines, withexperts on hand to offeradvice, Sat 6 - Sun 7Sept, NEC, BirminghamTHAT’S THE WAY TO DO ITMeet the site’s larger-than-life Punch & Judycharacters and enjoyan end-of-the-piershow, Sat 6 - Sun 7Sept, Potteries Museum& Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent STEAM GALA Sat 6 - Sun7 Sept, ChasewaterRailway, Brownhills,StaffsSOOTY'S WACKYWORKSHOP Taking timeout from his CITV showto visit Birmingham,Sooty is joined atCadbury World byfriends Soo andSweep, Sat 6 - Sun 7Sept, Cadbury World,BirminghamWORLD WAR WEEKENDSat 6 - Sun 7 Sept,Bantock House & Park,WolverhamptonSHUGBOROUGH: THEBROKEN BITS Exhibitionhighlighting the work ofStaffordshire CountyCouncil to preserve thecollections atShugborough, Sat 6 -Tue 30 Sept,Shugborough HistoricWorking Estate,StaffordshireUPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS:BEHIND THE SCENES

TOUR Revealing whatgoes on behind thescenes of a statelyhome, this unique tourtakes in some of thesite's twenty-eight bed-rooms and offers achance to learn aboutthe Weston ParkFoundation, the charita-ble trust that owns andmaintains the venue,Sun 7 Sept, WestonPark, StaffordshireON THE BUSES Featuringa superb display of his-toric vehicles from allparts of the country,Sun 7 Sept, SevernValley Railway, BewdleyCLASSIC VEHICLE SHOWMotorcycles to buses,cars to trucks.Hundreds of classicvehicles on display,Sun 7 Sept, Himley Hall& Park, DudleyUNIVERSITY OFBIRMINGHAMCOMMUNITY DAY Sun 7Sept, WinterbourneHouse & Garden,BirminghamCASTLE BROMWICHHOLISTIC & SPIRITUALEVENT Featuring com-plementary therapiesand healing, retailstands, professionalpsychics and more,Sun 7 Sept, Arden Hall,West Bromwich BIG BRUM OPEN TOP BUZTOUR Sun 7 Sept, AstonHall, BirminghamBOOKSALE & FREE ENTRYCheck out the wideselection of books onoffer and watch on asmillers display theirskills at grinding wheatand producingSarehole flour, Sun 7Sept, Sarehole Mill,BirminghamWOMEN ON WHEELS

SOCIAL RIDE Sun 7Sept, Quarry Park,ShrewsburyTRANSTAR CLASSIC CARSHOW Sun 7 Sept,Himley Hall, DudleyKNIGHTS' SCHOOL &JUNIOR JOUSTINGBecome a prince orprincess for the dayand learn how to joustin the mini-tiltyard, tryon real armour madeespecially for children,hear tales of medievalchivalry and finally takeup arms as you clashswords and join in afun’n’frantic medievalbattle, Sun 7 Sept,Eastnor Castle DeerPark, HerefordshireDAVELEE ANTIQUE & COL-LECTORS FAIR Monthlyevent, Sun 7 Sept,Newhampton ArtsCentre, WolverhamptonROTARY COUNTRY MUSICFESTIVAL Charity eventwhere visitors can showoff their line dancingskills, Sun 7 Sept,Birmingham BotanicalGardens

SALLY MORGAN: PSYCHICSALLY ON THE ROAD Tue9 Sept, New AlexandraTheatre, BirminghamTILE DECORATINGWORKSHOPS Drop-insessions where partici-pants use the tech-nique known as tubelining to decorate theirvery own tile to takehome, Tue 9 Sept,Jackfield Tile Museum,IronbridgeRUN IN THE PARK Tue 9Sept, Donington Park

CRAFTPLAY EXPLORERSTue 9 Sept, BilstonCraft GalleryA FAMILY CONCERN: THEJEWELLERY QUARTER ATWAR First World Wardrama performances atthe Smith & PepperFactory. Bookingessential! Tues 9 - Sat13 Sept, Museum of theJewellery Quarter,BirminghamMINE IT, MAKE IT, MOVE ITWed 10 Sept, Blists Hill,Ironbridge, ShropshireWWI HERITAGE OPENDAYS Series of freeguided architecturaltalks, history walks andmuch more... Thurs 11- Sun 14 Sept, Leek,StaffordshireCRAFTSPACE IN:SITEGraduate festival of cre-ativity, Fri 12 Sept,Birmingham CathedralLUDLOW FOOD FESTIVAL Recognised as the fore-most food festival inBritain, the LudlowFood and Drink fea-tures the very best oflocal fare, talks &demonstrations fromthe region's top chefs,and the now-famousLudlow Sausage Trail,Fri 12 - Sun 14 Sept,Ludlow Castle, SouthShropshireWWI MAGIC LANTERNSHOW AND POETRYREADINGS Pre-bookingessential! Sat 13 Sept,Blakesley Hall,BirminghamCRAFT & GIFT FAYRE Sat13 Sept, Severn Centre,Highley, ShropshireLUNAR CONNECTIONSWALK AND TALK Freeevent as part ofHeritage Open Days,Sat 13 Sept, SohoHouse, Birmingham

fromMON 1 SEP


EventsLISTINGSFor full listing information on Events,including times and dates, visitwww.whatsonlive.co.uk

That’s The Way To Do It - Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent


PIKES AND MUSKETS!Experience the EnglishCivil War with a livinghistory re-enactment,complete with musketfire, Sat 13 Sept, AstonHall, BirminghamHERITAGE OPEN WEEK-END Discover the histo-ry of BirminghamCathedral at this spe-cialist event, which alsofeatures stained glass-making activitiesinspired by the cathe-dral’s Burne-Jonesstained glass windows,Sat 13 Sept,Birmingham CathedralCENTENARY OF WESTBROMWICH BUSES Sat13 Sept, Black CountryLiving Museum, DudleyBLACK COUNTRY NIGHTFeaturing musicians,comedians and per-formers, Sat 13 Sept,Black Country LivingMuseum, DudleyHERITAGE OPEN DAYGOES GREEN Featuring aplethora of locally pro-duced food as well asthe return of theBourneville Bake Off,Sat 13 Sept, SellyManor, BirminghamYOUNG ARTISTS Learnhow to draw, createpaintings and makesculptures, Sat 13 Sept,Wolverhampton ArtGalleryVINTAGE CLOTHING &CRAFT FAYRE Vintageclothing, crafts andhandmade gifts forsale, Sat 13 Sept,Belgrade Theatre,CoventryEVENING SCENICSPECIALS A scenicevening ride with theadded option of tradi-tional fish and chipsupper, Sat 13 Sept, Severn Valley Railway,BewdleyVINTAGE RETRO FAIRUnique and originalclothes, accessories,homeware, jewelleryand crafts for sale, Sat13 Sept, St Thomas'

Church Hall,StourbridgeHERITAGE OPEN DAYAnnual event with applepressing by the stables,Sat 13 Sept,Sunnycroft, Wellington,ShropshireSHREWSBURY SEPTEM-BER ABSEIL Charityevent in aid of theChurches ConservationTrust, Sat 13 Sept, StMary’s Church,ShrewsburyVIKING FAMILY FUNEnjoy fancy dress, craftstalls, glass makingand more, Sat 13 Sept,Broadfield House GlassMuseum, Dudley CHARACTER WEEKENDGet snapped with someof Cadbury's mostcolourful characters,including CaramelBunny, Freddo, CremeEgg and Mr Cadbury'sParrot, Sat 13 - Sun 14Sept, Cadbury World,BirminghamDEER STUDY WEEKENDSat 13 - Sun 14 Sept,Trentham MonkeyForest, Stoke-on-TrentHERITAGE OPEN DAYSOpportunity to visitBlakesley for free, Sat13 - Sun 14 Sept,Blakesley Hall,BirminghamFLAXMILL MALTINGSHERITAGE OPEN DAYSGuided tours availableat regular intervalsthroughout the week-end, Sat 13 - Sun 14Sept, Flax Mill Maltings,ShrewsburyBPM - DJ SHOW Theworld’s largest eventdedicated to DJing,electronic music pro-duction and club cul-ture, Sat 13 - Mon 15Sept, NEC, BirminghamLORD HILL OPEN DAYRare opportunity to visitthe top of Lord Hill’sColumn, Sun 14 Sept,Shirehall, AbbeyForegate, Shrewsbury OPEN DAY 2014 Browsevintage stalls, buy a

record, fly a kite,explore backstage anddiscover how theatre ismade... Activities andentertainment for allages, Sun 14 Sept, TheREP, BirminghamCARRIAGE PARADE ANDHEAVY HORSEDEMONSTRATIONExperience a horse-drawn carriage presen-tation and heavy horsedemos, Sun 14 Sept,Attingham Park,ShrewsburyHARE AND TORTOISE FUNRUN Sun 14 Sept,Dudmaston Estate,Bridgnorth, ShropshireHUNTERS AND FARMERS:PREHISTORICBIRMINGHAMDr Mike Hodder talksabout a fascinatingperiod of Birmingham'shistory as part of theHall’s Second SundayTalks, Sun 14 Sept,Blakesley Hall,BirminghamCIRCUS ACADEMY: WHEELAROUND THE WARE-HOUSE See the profes-sionals show off theirskills on the GermanWheel, learn how tounicycle or hula hoop,and see the finale fromCircusMASH, Sun 14Sept, MuseumsCollection Centre,BirminghamBAKING BREAD Sun 14Sept, Sarehole Mill,BirminghamROOFTOP TOURS AHeritage Open Day,Sun 14 Sept, SohoHouse, Birmingham1940S ROOM: OPEN DAYSun 14 Sept, BantockHouse & Park,Wolverhampton WEOLEY CASTLE FESTI-VAL Popular local com-munity event, Sun 14Sept, BirminghamMuseum & Art GalleryHERITAGE OPEN DAY &CRAFT STALLS Eventwhere visitors can visitGladstone free ofcharge and browsestalls manned by localcraftspeople in the cob-bled courtyard, Sun 14Sept, GladstonePotteries Museum,Stoke-on-TrentSUMMER FUN DAY Whizzover the Valley Lawn on

the castle zip wire andtake part in gardengames, Sun 14 Sept,Eastnor Castle,Herefordshire

OTTER WEEK Themedevents and fundraisingactivities to raise aware-ness (and funds) for anotter conservation proj-ect with the Canal &River Trust, Mon 15 -Sun 21 Sept, TheNational Sea LifeCentre, BirminghamCURATORIAL GALLERYTOUR: BIRMINGHAMWOMEN AND THE FIRSTWORLD WAR Led by his-tory curator, Jo-AnnCurtis, Tues 16 Sept,Birmingham Museum &Art GalleryTILE DECORATINGWORKSHOPS Drop-insessions where partici-pants use the tech-nique known as tubelining to decorate theirvery own tile to takehome, Tue 16 Sept,Jackfield Tile Museum,Ironbridge, ShropshireCRAFTPLAY EXPLORERSTue 16 Sept, BantockHouse & Park,WolverhamptonMEET ME @ BANTOCKRegular conversationclub for people agedfifty and over offering achance to relax andenjoy a chat about thetopic of the month, sup-ported by objects fromthe handling and remi-niscence collections,Tue 16 Sept, BantockHouse & Park,WolverhamptonARTFORUM GOLD CLUBArt club for young peo-ple aged 14-25, Wed 17

Sept, WolverhamptonArt GalleryAUTUMN STEAM GALAFeaturing an impressiveline-up of iconic loco-motives. A great dayout for steam enthusi-asts, Thurs 18 Sept,Severn Valley Railway,Bewdley, NrKidderminsterAFTERNOON TEA DELIGHTDiscover hidden treas-ures in the site’s ceram-ic store on this behind-the-scenes tour, thenenjoy afternoon tea inthe cafe, Thurs 18 Sept,Potteries Museum & ArtGallery, Stoke-on-TrentCANNOCK CHASE BEERFESTIVAL Featuring sixtyales, ten ciders/perriesand entertainment onFriday night and Satafternoon, Thurs 18 -Sat 20 Sept, Prince ofWales Centre, CannockBAT NIGHT Fri 19 Sept,Sarehole Mill,BirminghamART SPEAKING Freeaudio-described tour ofa Vikings Guide ToDeadly Dragons, withCressida Cowell. Anevent for people withvisual impairment, Fri19 Sept,Wolverhampton ArtGalleryLOCAL HISTORY TALK:THE MUSIC MAN Fri 19Sept, WolverhamptonArt GalleryBIRMINGHAM CHILLIFESTIVAL Featuringcooking demonstra-tions, live music andstalls selling chilli-relat-ed produce, Fri 19 - Sat20 Sept, Brindleyplace,BirminghamOPEN COCKPITS EVENINGAn annual event whichallows visitors thechance to get up closeand personal to theworkings of a wide

range of the museum’saircraft. Enthusiastsyoung and old will beable to get a feel forwhat it was like to flythese much-lovedmachines, as well asgain out-of-hoursaccess to the museum,Sat 20 Sept, RAFCosford, NrWolverhamptonCRAFTPLAY EXPLORERSSat 20 Sept, BilstonCraft GalleryBLACK COUNTRY ECHOESFESTIVAL LAUNCH DAYSat 20 Sept,Wolverhampton ArtGalleryMOSAIC IN A DAYWORKSHOP Sat 20 Sept, Bilston Craft GalleryPAST LIVES FilmPremier, Sat 20 Sept,Coalbrookdale Gallery,Ironbridge, ShropshireMEREFEST 14 A newevent for Shropshirefeaturing more thanthirty activities, includ-ing canoeing, ponddipping, crafts & fish-ing, Sat 20 Sept,Cremorne Gardens,Ellesmere, ShropshireMUD RUN Sat 20 Sept,Hawkstone Park &Follies, Weston-under-Redcastle, NorthShropshireTHE HOUSE OF THEBLACKSTAR Sat 20 - Sun21 Sept, WhittingtonCastle, NorthShropshireMIDLAND GAME FAIRAn event for those inter-ested in country pur-suits, including world-class clay pigeonshooting, gundog com-petitions, falconry dis-plays, ferret racing, finearts, rural crafts, andhundreds of tradestands, Sat 20 - Sun 21Sept, Weston Park,Staffordshire




Knight School - Blakesley Hall, Birmingham

Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Festival, Shropshire


WINTER PREPARATIONSSat 20 - Sun 21 Sept,Blists Hill, Ironbridge,ShropshireAZTEC WEEKEND Explorethe origins of the cocoabean and take part innumerous themedcrafts inspired by theAztec tribe, Sat 20 -Sun 21 Sept, CadburyWorld, BirminghamMINIATURA - THEINTERNATIONAL DOLLS'HOUSE MODELLINGSHOW Miniatura is ahighly specialised visi-tor attraction eventestablished in 1983 andentirely dedicated tothe amazing hobby ofdomestic modelling in1/12th and relatedscales. The 'one-inch-to-the-foot' scale, as it’salways been known, isnow complemented byother related scales. Ifyou’ve ever thoughtthat dolls' houses areonly toys for children,think again! Sat 20 -Sun 21 Sept, NEC,BirminghamTHE BIRMINGHAM CRUISESHOW 2014 Providinginspiration and advice,the Cruise Show pro-vides an opportunity tomeet with all the majorand specialist cruiseliners under one roofand find out what's newfor 2015, Sat 20 - Sun21 Sept, NEC,BirminghamIF YOU GO DOWN TO THEWOODS... Search thequiet corners ofMoseley Old Hall to findthe various minibeastslurking there, Sat 20 -Sun 21 Sept, MoseleyOld Hall,WolverhamptonANTIQUE & COLLECTORSFAIR Sat 20 - Sun 21Sept, OswestryShowground, NorthShropshireWWI WEEKENDUniformed re-enactorsrecreate the experience

of trench life in thesite’s WWI trench sys-tem, providing aninsight into what lifewas like for soldiersduring the Great War,Sat 20 - Sun 21 Sept,StaffordshireRegimental Museum,LichfieldTHE NATIONAL PET SHOWPromising a fun day outfor animal lovers, andshowcasing a plethoraof animals, pet dis-plays, famous facesand excellent shopping,Sat 20 - Sun 21 Sept,NEC, Birmingham 1940S ROOM: OPEN DAYSun 21 Sept, BantockHouse & Park,Wolverhampton3RD ANNUAL CHILLI FES-TIVAL Featuring cookingcontest, an eating con-test and a Best ChilliSauce contest, Sun 21Sept, Dorothy CliveGarden, Nr MarketDrayton, ShropshireCIRCUS SKILLS WORK-SHOPS Clown aroundand have a go at jug-gling, stilt-walking,tightrope-walking,plate-spinning & more...Sun 21 Sept, EastnorCastle, HerefordshireSTUDLEY MIND BODYSPIRIT EVENT Featuringcomplementary thera-pies and healing, retailstands, talks and more,Sun 21 Sept, QueenAlexandra College,Birmingham BLACKHURST GARAGES75TH ANNIVERSARYCLASSIC CAR & BIKESHOW Free family dayout with all proceedsgoing to the MidlandsAir Ambulance, Sun 21Sept, BlackhurstGarages, WhitchurchBusiness Park,ShropshireFALCONRY DAY Watchhawks and other birdstake flight over the cas-tle ruins, Sun 21 Sept,Weoley Castle,

BirminghamSKYRIDE COVENTRY A5.5km traffic-free cityroute for people of allages to cycle, Sun 21Sept, Coventry CityCentre

TILE DECORATINGWORKSHOPS Drop-insessions where partici-pants use the tech-nique known as tubelining to decorate theirvery own tile to takehome, Tue 23 Sept,Jackfield Tile Museum,Ironbridge, ShropshireTHE CYCLE SHOW TheUK's biggest cyclingevent, Thurs 25 - Sun28 Sept, NEC,BirminghamPRIDE OF BIRMINGHAMAWARDS Join GabyRoslin and a host ofcelebrities as they pres-ent the first ever PrideOf Birmingham Awards.The evening celebratesthe most courageousand inspiring people ofthe region, and alsofeatures a diverse pro-gramme of live musicand comedy routines,Fri 26 Sept,Birmingham Town HallLOCAL PRODUCE MARKETThe local produce mar-ket at Brindleyplacemakes a comeback,with live music anddemonstrations on howto cook creatively, plusa wide choice of freshfruit and veg, cakesand pastries, Fri 26Sept, Brindleyplace,BirminghamFRIDAY TWILIGHT: ANIGHT WITH THE GODSDress up as yourfavourite god or mon-ster and discover theAncient Greek world ofmyth and legend in thisout-of-hours event, Fri26 Sept, PotteriesMuseum & Art Gallery,Stoke-on-Trent

BOWMAN ANTIQUE FAIRFeaturing up to fourhundred stands sellingantiques, curios, vin-tage, retro & collecta-bles, Fri 26 - Sun 28Sept, Stafford BingleyHall1940S CABARET Periodentertainment withmusic & comedy, Sat27 Sept, BantockHouse Museum,WolverhamptonTHE STAFFORDSHIREHOARD: BATTLEFIELDSPOIL & HIGH ART INEARLY ANGLO-SAXONENGLAND New insights,from Chris Fern, theAnglo-Saxon specialist,leading the analysis ofthe largest ever hoardof Anglo-Saxon gold,Sat 27 Sept, PotteriesMuseum & Art Gallery,Stoke-on-Trent KAROLINE RERRIESCREEN PRINTINGWORKSHOP British illus-trator & printmakerKaroline Rerrie demon-strates and teachesparticipants to maketheir own hand-cutstencils and how to usethem to create a seriesof multi-coloured prints,Sat 27 Sept, WestonPark, StaffordshireHARVEST FAIR & APPLEWEEKEND See the applepress working and buyfreshly pressed juicefrom the orchard, Sat27 Sept, AttinghamPark, ShrewsburyRAG RUG WORKSHOPLearn about the historyof the craft with special-ist Jessie Lindon, Sat27 Sept, BirminghamBack to Backs AN INTRODUCTION TOWICKER BASKETRY Joinexpert JonathanRidgeon and learn howto weave a small-to-medium-sized multi-purpose basket.Booking essential! Sat27 Sept, Selly Manor,BirminghamINTRODUCTION TODIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHYFOR COMPACT CAMERAS

Sat 27 Sept,Birmingham BotanicalGardensBLACK COUNTRY VEHI-CLES SHOW Sat 27 Sept,Stone Square, DudleyTown Centre CAMRA’S 29TH NATIONALBREWERIANA AUCTIONChance to bag yourselfa slice of brewing histo-ry with over 150 auctionlots, including aMarston’s snuff boxand a bust ofManchester’s JW Lees,up for grabs, Sat 27Sept, Town Hall,Burton-upon-TrentALL ABOARD FOR AUTISMCharity walking event,Sat 27 Sept, DraytonManor Theme Park,StaffordshireSOOTY'S WACKYWORKSHOP Fun-filledshow brimming withmagic, music andmess, Sat 27 - Sun 28Sept, Cadbury World,BirminghamTHE LAUGHTER CREWEComedy and currynight, Sun 28 Sept,Crewe Lyceum1940S ROOM: OPEN DAYSun 28 Sept, BantockHouse & Park,WolverhamptonAUTUMN WEDDING FAIRSun 28 Sept, PatshullPark, Pattingham,ShropshireHARVEST FESTIVAL Jointhe townsfolk at BlistsHill Victorian Town asthey celebrate theannual harvest in tradi-tional fashion, Sun 28Sept, Blists Hill,Ironbridge, ShropshireMAC FOOD MARKETIndulge yourself withtasty treats and special-ist goods at mac'smonthly food market,Sun 28 Sept, mac -Midlands Arts Centre,BirminghamWOOD FAIR Celebratethe shift into autumn,find out how the site'swoods are managedand see traditionalcraftsmen at work, Sun28 Sept, Dudmaston

Estate, Bridgnorth,ShropshireTOY COLLECTORS FAIRDescribed as 'Britain'sbiggest' event of itskind and featuring thou-sands of for-sale col-lectables from the UK'sleading specialist deal-ers, Sun 28 Sept, NEC,BirminghamTHE ORIGINS OF MIDDLEEARTH WALK A guidedwalk exploring the sur-roundings that inspiredJRR Tolkien, Sun 28Sept, Sarehole Mill,Birmingham BLACK COUNTRY MOTOR-BIKE GATHERING Sun 28Sept, Red House GlassCone, Stourbridge CLASSIC BUS RUNNINGDAY Rally & running dayheld by the PotteriesOmnibus PreservationSociety, Sun 28 Sept,Gladstone PotteriesMuseum, Stoke-on-TrentBELIEF AND SUPERSTI-TION Delve deeper intothe mysterious historyof folklore and customswith a fascinating tourand talk around thevenue, Sun 28 Sept,Blakesley Hall,BirminghamWEDDING FAYRE Freeentry, Sun 28 Sept,Alton Castle,StaffordshireBIRMINGHAMCONSERVATOIRE STRINGDAY Sun 28 Sept,BirminghamConservatoire

TILE DECORATINGWORKSHOPS Drop-insessions where partici-pants use the tech-nique known as tubelining to decorate theirvery own tile, Tue 30Sept, Jackfield TileMuseum, Ironbridge,Shropshire





Midland Game Fair - Weston Park, Shropshire

The National Pet Show - NEC, Birmingham


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Trying to find a great placeto eat on a busy Fridaynight was no easy task.My friend Faye and I werelooking for somewherethat was good value formoney whilst at the sametime delivering exceptionalfood. We’d tried bookingat all of our favouriterestaurants withinShrewsbury town centre,but to no avail. So castingour search a little wider,we settled on The CorbettArms, just ten minutes out-side of Shrewsbury in a lit-tle village called Uffington.Upon arriving at thevenue, we were warmlygreeted at the front doorby the smart and smileystaff, who promptly direct-ed us to our table on theedge of the restaurant; farenough away from thehustle and bustle of abusy Friday night, butclose enough to still expe-rience the atmosphere.With our drinks deliveredto us quickly, we spent afew minutes looking over amouthwatering menu. To

start, I decided to go for aclassic dish - the chickenliver and garlic pate,served with toast andonion jam (£5.95). Youcan’t really go wrong withpate, and I was delightednot only by its great tastebut also by the generousaccompanying salad. Fayeeventually settled on thecrispy goats cheesearrancini, served withspiced apple puree(£5.95). This perfectly-sized starter was wellcooked, smelt great andliterally melted in themouth - or so I was told.Time for round two - ourhighly anticipated maincourses. For £10.95, Fayesettled on a good old-fashioned steak & ale pie,with hand-cut chips andfresh garden peas. Whenit arrived at the table, weboth gasped at the size ofit. Whilst she managed topolish off the pie (alongthe way commenting onthe richness of the sauceand how perfectly thesteak was cooked), shewas too full to manage theside order of chips, whichwas left untouched.

I had a craving for fish, sowas happy to see that oneof my favourites was onthe menu. The grilled filletof sea bass was the per-fect choice, and wasserved with new potatoes,a samphire salad and alemon & chive creamsauce. The fish just flakedapart and, when com-bined with the otherflavours on the plate,made for a taste explo-sion.With both of us having ourfair share of food in theprevious two courses, wedecided to share a pud-ding and opted for a rasp-berry bakewell tart. Itproved to be the perfectway to end a great meal.Ryan Humphreys

Food: n n n n n

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The Corbett ArmsUffingtonShrewsburyShropshireSY4 4SN01743 709232

Eating Out

Taste explosion in Uffington...REVIEW

Shropshire restaurantsupports forces charityA popular Indo-Bengal restaurant in the heart ofShrewsbury is offering free meals in support ofthe Soldiers', Sailors' and Airmen's FamiliesAssociation (SSAFA), a charity which has beensupporting British forces and their families since1885. This month’s event at The Masala followsthe success of an initial fundraiser at the restau-rant last year. Venue owner John Mustafa cameup with the idea following the murder of FusilierLee Rigby, with diners being required to pay onlyfor drinks and make a donation to the Rigbycause. The evening raised £2,500. This timearound, Mr Mustafa is commemorating the hun-dredth anniversary of the First World War, and ishoping to raise an impressive amount over twoevenings (9 and 16 September). To find out moreand support this worthy cause, call The Masalaon 01743 235900

Francois’ farewell wine dinnerat Hotel Du VinHead Sommelier Francois Bourde is leaving theHotel Du Vin this month, and will be biddingadieu with a Farewell Wine Dinner at the popularBirmingham venue on 19 September. Hosted bySky Sports TV presenter Gary Newbon, the eventwill see Francois talking guests through a careful-ly chosen selection of his favourite wines fromaround the world. The evening menu includes anaperitif, canapés, a four-course dinner and fiveaccompanying wines. Tickets are priced at £79per head. For further information and to book,contact the Events team on 08447 364 250.

Something fishy in Brindleyplace...A one hundred-and-sixty-seater restaurant andcocktail bar has opened in Birmingham’sBrindleyplace. Promising the widest choice of fishin the city, Le Monde Fish Bar & Grill allows cus-tomers to choose their shellfish, fish, poultry andsteaks from a special display and then watchtheir selected dishes being prepared and cookedin an open kitchen. Catering for both intimate din-ers and large par-ties, Le Monde alsofeatures an exten-sive bar area withan express menu,and a private areafor events andmeetings.

Mike McCabe from SSAFA with Chef Faysal Ahmed andrestaurant owner John Mustafa

Eating Out September Region two.qxp_Layout 1 29/08/2014 14:01 Page 1


AALTO RESTAURANT HotelLa Tour, Albert Street,Birmingham B5 5JT0121 718 8000AIR RESTAURANT LGArena, Bickenhill Rd,0844 338 0333BANK 4 Brindleyplace, B1 2JB 0121 633 4466BAR ESTILO 10-114Wharfside St, TheMailbox, B1 1RF 0121643 3443BARAJEE 265 BroadStreet, B1 2DS 0121 6436699BELLA ITALIA 102 NewStreet, B2 4HQ 0121643 1548BLUE MANGO RegencyWharf, Broad St, B1 2DS0121 633 4422BLUE PIANO RESTAURANTAND BAR 24-26 HarborneRd, B15 3AA 0121 4546877BUONISSIMO 1 AlbanyRd, Harborne, B17 9JX 0121 426 2444CAFE OPUS 1 OozellsSquare, Brindleyplace,B1 2HS 0121 248 3226CARLUCCIO’S The Water’sEdge, Brindleyplace B1 2HP 0121 633 9262CENTENARY BAR &BRASSERIE Broad Street,B1 2EP 0121 245 2080CHUNG YING 16-18 Wrottersley Street,B5 4RT 0121 622 5669CHUNG YING GARDEN 17Thorpe St, B5 4AT 0121 666 6622CIELO 6 Oozells Square,Brindleyplace, B1 2JB0121 632 6882COAST TO COAST 9Brindleyplace, BroadStreet, B1 2HJ COTE The Mailbox, B1 1RX 0121 631 1587CUCINA RUSTICA 24Ludgate Hill, B3 1DX0121 233 2277DEL VILLAGGIOUnit 528, Middle Mall,The Bullring. B5 4BE0121 643 1400EDMUNDS 6 Brindleyplace, B1 2JB 0121 6334944FLEET STREET KITCHENFleet Street, IslingtonGates, B3 1JH 0121 2360100ITIHAAS 18 Fleet St, B31JL 0121 212 3383JAMIE’S ITALIAN MiddleMall, Bullring ShoppingCentre, B5 4BE0121 270 3610JIMMY SPICES RegencyWharf, Broad St, B1 2DS0121 643 2111LAS IGUANAS ArcadianCentre, Hurst St, B5 4TD0121 622 4466LASAN 3-4 DakotaBuildings, James St, StPaul’s Square, B3 1SD0121 212 3664THE LOFT LOUNGE143 Bromsgrove St,B5 6RG 0121 622 2444

LOVES The Glasshouse,Browning St, B16 8FL0121 454 5151MECHU 47 - 59 SummerRow, B3 1JJ 0121 2121661METRO BAR & GRILL 73Cornwall St B3 2DF0121 200 1911MOUNT FUJI The Bullring,B5 4BH 0121 633 9853 OPUS 54 Cornwall St, B3 2DE 0121 200 2323THE ORIENTAL TheMailbox, 128-130 Wharfside St, B1 1RQ0121 633 9988PEACHYKEENS 1741Coventry Road, B261DS 0121 764 5519PENNY BLACKS The Mailbox, 132-134 Wharfside St, B1 1XL0121 632 1460PICCOLINO 9 Brindleyplace B1 2HS0121 634 3055PITCHER & PIANOBrindleyplace, B1 2HP0121 643 0214POPPY RED ArcadianCentre, Birmingham B54TD 0121 687 1200PURNELL’S 55 CornwallSt, B3 2DH 0121 2129799PURNELL’SBISTOR & GIN-GER’S BAR 11 NewhallStreet, B3 3NY, 01212000 1588RED PEPPERS 117Wharfside St, B1 1RF0121 643 4202SAN CARLO 4 Temple St,B2 5BN 0121 633 0251SHIMLA PINKS 215 BroadSt, B15 1AY 0121 6330366SIMPSONS, 20 HighfieldRd, Edgbaston B13 3DU0121 454 3434THE SLUG AND LETTUCE,Brindley Place,Birmingham B1 2HL0121 633 3049STRADA 109-111Wharfside St, TheMailbox B1 1XL0121 643 7279THAI EDGE 7 Oozells Sq,B1 2HL 0121 643 3993WAGAMAMA BrindleyPlace, birmingham B1

ARBOUR LIGHTS 127-128Lichfield Street, WalsallWS1 1SY 01922 613361BANKS BISTRO ChapelAsh, WolverhamptonWV1 4EP 01902 238433BELLA 82 Chapel Ash, Wolverhampton. 01902427555BENGAL FUSION 174 HighSt, Lye, Stourbridge DY98LN. 01384 891111BILASH 2 Cheapside, Wolverhampton, WV11TU 01902 427762THE BLUE BRICK Broad Gauge Way,Wolverhampton WV11AA 01902 875301BRAVACCIOUS 4 UpperGreen, WolverhamptonWV6 8QQ 01902

756052CAFE CHAMPAGNE 253-255 Bilston Road,Wolverhampton WV22JN 01902 458024CASA CASITA UpperGornal, Dudley. DY31UP 01902 676754CATELLANI’S 6 School St,Wolverhampton, WV14LR 01902 428928CINNAMON COURT BentleyMill Way, Walsall WS20BP 0121 568 6664THE COWSHED CliveFarm Clive Rd,Pattingham, WV6 7EN01902 701888THE CROOKED HOUSECoppice Hill, Himley DY34DA 01384 238583THE DITCH 1 Town Hill,Walsall, WS1 2EU01922 643215 DON SALVO 25 DarlingtonStreet, WolverhamptonWV1 4HW 01902 712819DUNSLEY HALL DunsleyRd, Kinver, DY7 6LU01384 877077FARADAYS TheWaterfront, Brierley Hill,Dudley, DY5 1UR01384 482 882FIVE RIVERS VicaragePlace, Walsall WS1 3NA01922 646164FOUR STONES Adam’sHill,Clint, Stourbridge,DY9 9PS 01562 883260FRANZLS 151 Milcote Rd,Smethwick, B67 5BN0121 429 7920FRENCH CONNECTION 3 Coventry St,Stourbridge DY8 1EP01384 390940FRENCH HEN BromsgroveRd, Clent, StourbridgeDY9 9PY 01562 883040GOLDEN MOMENTS 2-3Ablewell St, Walsall WS12EQ 01922 640363THE HUNGRY BISTRO 81Lichfield Street,Wolverhampton, WV11EQ 01902 546336LE BRASSERIE 5 LowerMill Street,Kidderminster. DY116UU 01562 744976MADE IN THAI DarlingtonSt, Wolverhampton WV14HW 01902 312512PARADISE BALTI 7 LowerMill Street, KidderminsterDY11 6UU 01562 60479THE PIE FACTORY 50 HurstLane, Tipton DY4 9AB0121 557 1402 RED FORT Fold St,Wolverhampton, WV14LP 01902 424440RISTORANTE ROMAGNA 4Upper Green, Tettenhall,Wolverhampton WV68QQ 01902 756052SAFFRON WolverhamptonRoad, Oldbury B69 4RR0121 552 1752SIMON’S 520 Chester Rd,Aldridge, Walsall, WS90PU 0121 580 9293SPICES Hollywell Rd,Wednesbury. WS10 7PA0121 502 0720THE SPRINGHILLWarstones Rd, Penn,Wolverhampton WV44LB 01902 342530 THE SUMMERHOUSE 92Gospel End Rd, DudleyDY3 4AN 01902 676102�THORNESCROFTBridgnorth Rd,Wolverhampton, WV67EQ 01902 700 253THE WOODMAN Claverley,Wolverhampton WV5

7DG 01746 710 553

AFTAB 25 High St,Ironbridge TF8 7AD 01952 432055ALBRIGHT HUSSEYEllesmere Rd,Shrewsbury, SY4 3AF01939 290 523BISTRO JACQUES 77/77aMardol, Shrewsbury SY11PZ 01743 272586BUFFALO STEAK HOUSE125 Frankwell,Shrewsbury SY3 8JX01743 537523BUTLERS Park St, Shifnal,TF11 9BA 01952460662CASA NARANJO BarracksPassage, Wyle Cop,Shrewsbury SY1 01743588165CASA RUIZ 45 HighStreet, Bridgnorth, WV164DX 01746 218 084CHEZ MAW Best WesternValley Hotel, BuildwasRd, Ironbridge, TF8 7DW01952 432247THE COTTAGE Tern Hill,Market Drayton TF9 3PX01630 638984CROMWELLS 11 Dogpole,Shrewsbury SY1 1EN01743 361440DA VINCI’S 26 High St,Ironbridge, TF8 7AD01952 432250DORRINGTON OLD HALLPERSIAN CUISINE MainRoad, Dorrington,Shropshire SY5 7JD01743 719100DRAPERS 10 St Mary’s StShrewsbury, SY1 1DZ01743 344679THE FEATHERS Brockton,Much Wenlock TF136JR 01746 785202FENNELS 8 Market Place,Shifnall TF11 9AZ01952 463020THE FOX INN 46 High St,Much Wenlock TF136AD 01952 727292FRANK CAFE BAR 129Frankwell, ShrewsburySY3 8JX 01743 354422THE GOLDEN CROSS 14Princess St, Shrewsbury,SY1 1LP 01743 362507GRANARY BAR & GRILLWeston Park, Weston-under-Lizard, Nr Shifnal,TF11 8LE 01952852107 THE GLUTTON CLUB 165-167 Frankwell,Shrewsbury SY3 8LG01743 361672HADLEY PARK HOUSEHadley Park, Telford TF16QJ 01952 677269THE HAYWARDS at TheLion Hotel, Wyle Cop,Shrewsbury SY1 1UY01743 353107HENRY TUDOR HOUSE Barracks PassageShrewsbury SY1 1XA01743 361666HILL VALLEY HOTELTarporley Road,Whitchurch SY13 4HA0844 879 9049THE INN AT GRINSHILLThe High Street,Grinshill, Shrewsbury,SY4 3BL 01939 220410KING & THAI Avenue Rd,Broseley, Telford TF125DL 01952 882004THE KNIGHTON HOTELBroad Street, Knighton,

Powys LD7 1BL 01547520530LA BÉCASSE 17 Corve St,Ludlow, SY8 1DA 01584872 325LA DOLCE VITA 35 HillsLane, Shrewsbury SY11QU 01743 249126 LA LANTERNA The OldVestry, St Julian'sChurch, ShrewsburySY1 1UH 01743 233552LION & PHEASANT 50Wyle Cop, ShrewsburySY1 1XJ 01743 770345THE LION QUAYS Moreton,Oswestry SY11 3EN01691 684300LOCH FYNE Talbot House,Market Street,Shrewsbury SY1 1LG01743 277140LUDLOW KITCHENBromfield, Ludlow, SY22JR 01584 856020THE MALTHOUSE TheWharfage, IronbridgeTF8 7NH 01902 433712MORGANS 1 Bellstone,Shrewsbury SY1 1HU01743 239114MR UNDERHILLS DinhamWeir, Ludlow ShropshireSY8 1EH 01584 874431THE MYTTON & MERMAID Atcham, Shrewsbury,SY5 6QG 01743 761220THE OLD ORLETON INNHolyhead Rd, Wellington,TF1 2HA 01952 255011THE OLD RECTORY HOTEL& RESTAURANT Lowe HillRoad, Wem, ShropshireSY4 5UA 01939 233233THE PEACH TREE 21 AbbeyForegate, Shrewsbury, SY2 6AE01743 355055THE PLUME OF FEATHERSHarley, Shrewsbury SY56LP 01743 727360PORTER HOUSE 15 StMary’s St, Shrewsbury,SY1 1EQ 01743 358870THE POUND AT LEEBOT-WOOD Leebotwood, NrChurch Stretton SY6 6ND01694 751477RENAISSANCE, 29aPrincess St, Shrewsbury,SY11LW 01743 354289ROMOLO Victoria Avenue,shrewsbury SY1 1HH01743 233244SARACENS ShrewsburyRd, SY4 4AG 01939210877SEBASTIANS 45 Willow St,Oswestry SY11 1AQ01691 655444SHALIMAR 23 AbbeyForegate, ShrewsburySY2 6AE 01743 366658SHERAZ 79 Wyle Cop,Shrewsbury SY1 1UT01743 242321THE SILVERTON the OldDairy, 9-10 Frankwell,Shrewsbury SY3 8JY01743 248000TIN TINS Wellington Road,Telford TF2 8AJ01952 608688THE WALLS Welsh Walls,Oswestry SY11 1AW01691 670970ZIZZI RISORANTE 39-40High Street, ShrewsburySY1 1SF 01743 353232

NO 5 Gaol Mews, StaffordST16 3AN 01785 22 990095 HIGH GREEN Cannock.WS11 1BH 015435739051709 THE BASSERIE 3-5Lombard St, Lichfield.WS13 6DP 01543257986BELLA ITALIA 20 GreengateSt, Stafford, ST16 2HS01785 211968CHANDLERS CornExchange, Conduit St,Lichfield, WS13 6JU01543 416688THE CORNER HOUSESecond Avenue,Burton-On-Trent DE14 2WF01283 542321CURRY KUTEER 31Greengate Street, StaffordST16 2HY01785 253279ESSENCE OF THE ORIENT27 Broad Eye, StaffordST16 2QB 01785229988FOUR SEASONS SwinfenHall Lichfield, WS149RE 01543 481494THE GREEN ROOM CastleDyke, Lichfield WS136HR 01543 412121INDIAN VILLAGE 8 Lombard St, Lichfield.WS13 6DR 01543253415INDICA Virage Park,Cannock. WS11 0HN08712 070417LA DOLCE VITA 19 StaffordSt, Stone ST15 8QW01785 817 985THE LODGE 24Birmingham Road,Shenstone. WS14 0LQ01543 483334MALABAR 1-2 WaterStreet, Stafford, ST162AG 01785 227 500/600MARLOES 13 LondonRoad, Newcastle underLyme, ST4 1LQ 01782661983THE MILL 1 Mill St, Stone,ST15 8BA 01785818456THE NAVIGATION INNNewport Road, Gnosall,Stafford ST20 0BN01785 822327OLD VICARAGE 2 Main St,Branston, Burton, DE143EX 01283 533222PASCAL AT THE OLD VIC-ARAGE 2 Main Street,Branston, Burton-upon-Tren 01283 533222PASTICHE BISTRO 1 - 2 MillStreet, Stafford, ST162AJ 01782 263 737THE PEAR TREE Swinfen,Nr. Lichfield, WS14 9QR01543 481807PORTOFINO 38-40 MarshSt Stoke-On-Trent, ST11JD 01782 209444THE RED ROOM 7Newcastle Road,Congleton CW12 4HN01260 297871THORNBURY HALL, RASOILockwood Rd, KingsleyHolt, Stafford ST10 2DH01538 750831WOLSELEY ARMSWolseley Bridge, StaffordST17 0XS01889 883179

Black Country

Shropshire

Staffordshire

Birmingham

RestaurantLISTINGSFor full listing information on restau-rants, including opening times andtype of cuisine, visit: www.whatson-live.co.uk

For full Restaurant listingsvisit: www.whatsonlive.co.uk

Eating Out September Region two.qxp_Layout 1 29/08/2014 14:01 Page 2

Read the reviews online

For full Restaurant listingsvisit: whatsonlive.co.uk

Certificate of Excellence!2014 winner

2014 winner

www.thepeachtree.co.uk18-21 Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, SY2 6AE. Tel 01743 355055

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Great Theatre at theGrand!

ALSO BOOKING

SAT 22 MARCHLESLEY JOSEPHHOT FLUSH

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SUN 30 MARCHTHE SOLID SILVER 60s SHOW

... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

SUN 6 APRILTHE FAAABULOUSCERI DUPREE SHOW

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SUN 13 APRILBEYOND THE BARRICADE

.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MON 14 - TUES 15 APRILTAP FACTORY

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FRI 18 APRILTHAT’LL BE THE DAY

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SAT 19 APRILTHE CHUCKLE BROTHERS’

SPACE ODDITY.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

TUES 29 APRIL - SAT 3 MAYTHE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG

Box Office 01902 42 92 12BOOK ONLINE ATwww.grandtheatre.co.uk

Follow us on @WolvesGrand Like us on Facebook: Wolverhampton Grand

Great Theatre at theGrand!

TUES 4 - SAT 8 NOV

TUES 11 - SAT 15 NOV MON 24 - SAT 29 NOV

FRI 19 - SAT 20 SEPT

A TOURING CONSORTIUM THEATRE COMPANYAND ROYAL & DERNGATE

NORTHAMPTON PRODUCTION

TUES 14 - SAT 18 OCT TUES 21 OCT - SAT 1 NOV

TUES 16 SEPT WED 17 SEPT

An amateur performance inassociation with MusicScope

TUES 18 - SAT 22 NOV

Based on J.M. Barrie’s original play With permission from Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children

This amateur production is given by special arrangement with Joesf Weinberger

Jane McDonaldThe Singer of Your Song

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What'sOnPAUL ZERDIN - Birmingham What's On

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