Birmingham Hippodrome 2013/14 Pantomime Cast ANNOUNCED!!!

STAR-STUDDED CAST ANNOUNCED FOR BRITAIN’S BIGGEST PANTOMIME!

"Birmingham Hippodrome and Qdos Entertainment are delighted to announce a star-studded cast for the UK’s biggest pantomime. 

Sutra - Birmingham Hippodrome (07/05/2013)

'Sutra' is unlike anything I have ever seen before. I haven't been to many Dance productions, so I was intrigued as to what it was going to be like.

The production features real life Monks from the Shaolin Temple. It crosses Contemporary dance with martial arts and acrobatics, which makes it an incredibly interesting piece. Personally, I couldn't quite grasp any sense of story, but it had themes of freedom and isolation.

I'm not highly educated when it comes to dance, but I was definitely left in awe of the performers on stage. The whole company were incredibly talented and some of the skills they hold are unbelievable.

Rent in Concert - New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham (30/04/2013)

As a fan of the show, I was incredibly excited to have the chance to see it performed again live in the theatre. Rent is such an empowering and moving show, its hard not to do it justice. Unfortunately for me, this production wasn't exactly the fine example I was hoping for. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed the show, it's hard not too, but it had its faults. 

As it was billed as Rent in Concert, I wasn't expecting to see a fully staged production of the show, but by the interval I was left confused as to what is was exactly. The majority of the cast, seemed to be acting out the story, brilliantly I must add, and treating it like this was a low scale production of the musical, while others seemed to have no connection with the story and were simply treating it as a rock concert. Unfortunately, poor direction left the show feeling under-rehearsed and inconsistent.

Tony Awards 2013 Nominations ANNOUNCED!!

BEST PLAY
The Assembled Parties Author: Richard Greenberg
Lucky Guy Author: Nora Ephron
The Testament of Mary Author: Colm Tóibín
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike Author: Christopher Durang

BEST MUSICAL
Bring It On: The Musical
A Christmas Story, The Musical
Kinky Boots
Matilda The Musical

BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL
A Christmas Story, The Musical – Joseph Robinette
Kinky Boots – Harvey Fierstein
Matilda The Musical – Dennis Kelly
Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella – Douglas Carter Beane

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (MUSIC AND/OR LYRICS) WRITTEN FOR THE THEATRE
A Christmas Story, The Musical, Music and Lyrics: Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
Hands on a Hardbody, Music: Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green, Lyrics: Amanda Green
Kinky Boots, Music & Lyrics: Cyndi Lauper
Matilda The Musical, Music & Lyrics: Tim Minchin

BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY
Golden Boy
Orphans
The Trip to Bountiful
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
Annie
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Pippin
Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella

Olivier Awards 2013: Winner's and Nominees

The Results for the 2013 Olivier Awards have been Announced.

The winners of each category are highlighted, with the nominations below:

Best Actor
Luke Treadaway for The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time
Rupert Everett for The Judas Kiss (Apollo Theatre)
James McAvoy for Macbeth
Mark Rylance for Twelfth Night
Rafe Spall for Constellations

Best Actress
Helen Mirren for The Audience
Hattie Morahan for A Doll’s House
Billie Piper for The Effect
Kristin Scott Thomas for Old Times

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Richard McCabe for The Audience
Paul Chahidi for Twelfth Night (Apollo Theatre)
Adrian Scarborough for Hedda Gabler
Kyle Soller for Long Day’s Journey Into Night

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Nicola Walker for The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time
Janie Dee for NSFW
Anastasia Hille for The Effect
Cush Jumbo for Julius Caesar (Donmar Warehouse)
Helen McCrory for The Last Of The Haussmans

Mastercard Best New Play
The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time
Constellations
The Audience
This House

Beautiful Thing #BeautDress - Arts Theatre, London (12/04/2013)

Last night I was a part of History. I attended the private dress rehearsal of the 20th Anniversary Production of Jonathan Harvey's 'Beautiful Thing' at the Arts Theatre, London. At the start of the show, producer Tom O'Connell came on stage to welcome us to this special event. He asked us to keep in mind that this was a Dress Rehearsal, a fact that I had completely forgot by the interval.

For those of you who may not know the play, “Beautiful Thing is a glorious urban love story between two young men coming to grips with their sexuality and the effect it has on the people in their lives. It tells the story of teenager Jamie's relationship with classmate and neighbour Ste. Together the two boys find comedy, warmth and the music of Mama Cass through their loud-mouthed next door neighbour Leah. The play exquisitely depicts what it is to be sixteen, in the first flush of love, and full of optimism.”

As a fan of the play anyway, I was extremely excited and intrigued to see this production. It's safe to say, in no way was I disappointed. Every aspect of the show came together beautifully, making the whole thing so believable. Colin Richmond has done a fantastic job with the design. Although fairly simple, he did a great job creating a set, that was pleasing to the eye.

The cast on a whole, came together perfectly. Suranne Jones plays Jamie's mum, Sandra. Her portrayal of this loud-mouthed, single mother who is more pre-occupied with ambitious plans to run her own pub and an ever-changing string of lovers, is very well executed and believable. Her comedic timing is superb. The first scene in Act 2, between her and Jake Davies, who plays Jamie, was simply stunning. The acting between both of them was so true, and made the relationship between them seem so real. In fact, they reduced me to tears.

First Night Blogger!

I am pleased to announce that I am now a 'First Night Blogger' for Birmingham Hippodrome. This fantastic opportunity means that I will be attending Press Nights and providing reviews on the productions I've seen, on my blog.

The First Night Scheme at Birmingham Hippodrome is a free membership schme, giving 16-23 year olds the
chance to get their hands on thousands of discounted tickets for musicals,
comedy, dance, panto, opera and ballet! The benefits of the scheme also include invitations to special events, post show talks, backstage tours and workshops.

To Register yourself as part of this scheme: 

• Download a registration form from the Birmingham Hippodrome Website
• Register by phone from Ticket Sales 0844 338 5000
• Visit the Birmingham Hippodrome on Hurst Street and fill in your form by person