Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre - Cats - 09.09.14 - 27.09.14

PRESS RELEASE

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s

BIRMINGHAM HOSTS THE JELLICLE BALL ON ITS LAST STOP AHEAD OF A RETURN TO LONDON’S WEST END…

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s CATS returns to Birmingham Hippodrome Tuesday 9 – Saturday 27 September 2014 on its last stop of a current UK tour before returning to London’s West End for a limited run at the iconic London Palladium.

CATS first opened in the West End on 11 May 1981 and ran for a record breaking 21 years playing almost 9,000 performances. On Broadway it ran for an amazing 18 years and has been performed in over 300 cities in 26 countries. The global phenomenon has now been seen by over fifty million people worldwide.

Zizi Strallen takes the role of Demeter in the current cast, following in the footsteps of her parents Sandy Strallen and Cherida Langford, her sister Summer Strallen and her aunt, Bonnie Langford who have all trod the boards in the same production.

CATS is directed by Trevor Nunn, with choreography by Gillian Lynne and set and costume design by John Napier.  Re-creating the direction and choreography for the tour is Chrissie Cartwright.

Re-creating the direction and choreography for the tour is Chrissie Cartwright.

Based on T.S Eliot’s ‘Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats’, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s record- breaking CATS tells the story of how on just one special night of the year, all Jellicle cats meet at the Jellicle Ball where Old Deuteronomy, their wise and benevolent leader, makes the Jellicle choice and announces which of them will go up to the heaviside layer and be reborn into a whole new Jellicle life.

The infamous score includes one of Lloyd Webber’s most famous melodies, Memory, made famous by stage actress and originator of the role of Grizabella, Elaine Paige.

CATS has featured some of this country’s most famous stage performers including Elaine Paige (‘Grizabella’), Wayne Sleep (‘Mungojerrie’), Bonnie Langford (‘Rumpleteazer’), Paul Nicholas (‘Rum Tum Tugger’), Brian Blessed (‘Old Deuteronomy’), Sarah Brightman (‘Jemima‘) and Rosemarie Ford (‘Bombalurina’ & ‘Grizabella’).

The 2013/14 tour of the Cameron Mackintosh and The Really Useful Theatre production of CATS is again presented by David Ian.

CATS purr-forms at Birmingham Hippodrome

Tuesday 9 – Saturday 27 September 2014

Tickets £17.50-£42.50*

Performance Times; Mon – Sat eves 7.30pm

Wed Mats 2pm

Sat Mats 2.30pm

*5% fee applies, postage from £1, calls cost from 5p per min. Prices and discounting subject to change.

Footloose The Musical - New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham - 20.08.14 - 23.08.14

New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham

Stage Experience Presents:

Wednesday 20th - Saturday 23rd August 2014

12 days ago, approximately 120 young adults came together at the New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham to embark on a journey to put on a top quality performance of Footloose and good grief did they do it is style!

Stage Experience has been going since 2003 and has proven that it doesn't take months to put on a top quality production.

Footloose is a story of a Bible-Belt conservative American society who ban dancing. Surprisingly, this is actually based on a true story about Bible Belt Elmore City in Oklahoma who banned dancing and it was only allowed again after a group of High School students decided that they wanted a school dance and challenged the law back in the 80's.

Footloose centres around Ren (Matthew Russell) a Chicago lad who moves to Bomont with his mother Ethel (Molly Hope) after his father walked out on them.

We see him struggle to adapt to his new life and also see how the locals treat him. He discovers that dancing was banned from Bomont 5 years earlier by the Reverend Shaw Moore (Mark Shaun Walsh) and the local committee after the death of 4 youngsters who were driving home from a dance.

Ren decides that it is time for dancing to be put back on the agenda and along with fellow students tries to convince the Reverend and the committee to change the rules.

Along with this we see Ariel (Georgina Anderson) who is the Reverend's daughter and her rebellious streak by dating Chuck Cranston (Drew Rafton) as she tried to understand the change in her loving father after the accident 5 years previously. She is sick of all the rules and regulations but softens after meeting Ren - could this be a love interest?

Matthew Russell gave a sterling performance as Ren McCarmack. He can sing, dance and act (a triple threat as my acting friends say!). He had lovely stage presence and at the tender age of 15 gave a great performance.

Mark Shaun Walsh as the Reverent Shaw Moore was superb. His voice was powerful and his diction was such that you could hear every word that he sang. He created great emotion in some of his speeches.

The suffering wife of the Reverend, Vi Moore was played by Aneira Evans. She really captured the audience with her warmth and tender delivery of songs. You really felt as if this lady was hurting and lost.

For me, Willard Hewitt played by Callum Connolly gave some scene stealing performances and his song 'moma says' really stood out to me.

The whole cast were dedicated and had obviously worked extremely hard which was evident.

How the Director and Choreographer Pollyann Tanner manages to create such wonderment in such a short space of time and to such a high standard baffles me.

Her attention to detail and ability to get over 100 performers to learn such a varied amount of dance routines is just outstanding and I definitely deserves a rest after this run!

The set changes were carried out quickly and efficiently and there were no awkward gaps in the action.

The only slight issue with the production was the sound quality. At times it was difficult to hear the singing and dialogue over the music. It is always difficult to mic such a large cast and the live band of 8 did drown out some of the big numbers.

The technical crew were also made up from young adults and they all did a great job. It is always strange to say it, but when you don't notice the light, sound, set changes is when the backstage crew are doing a sterling job.

This is the second show I have seen by Stage Experience and it is yet another roaring success and I would definitely reccommend it to anyone. We really do have some extremely talented youngsters here in the Midlands.

The show runs at The Alex until 23.08.14 - Get your tickets now.

www.atgtickets.com

Tel: 08448 713 011

Review by Jayne Lunn

Charity Fundraising - New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham

New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham

 

Nick takes centre stage to raise cash for

charity Shine

Determined dad Nick Fagan took the ultimate plunge for charity this week, when he took to the stage to shave his head for charity.

Nick, who is Deputy Technical Manager at the New Alexandra Theatre shaved his hair off in support of charity Shine, for whom he has set the target of raising a staggering £5,000.

Nick’s son Ethan has a tectal plate glioma (an inoperable brain tumor) and one of the symptoms of this is obstructive hydrocephalus. As Shine have always been there for Nick and his family, he wanted to do something in return.

Nick has now raised well over £1,000 of his target with donations made on JustGiving and through a bucket collection on the day. He plans to keep fundraising until he reaches the £5,000 mark.

A stylist from Jacks of London on Temple Street donated their time on the day to help the excellent cause.

Nick said: “ I decided to take the plunge and shave my head as I just wanted to give something back to Shine. They have been so supportive. I am overwhelmed by the support of friends and family and of my colleagues here at the New Alexandra Theatre.”

Donations can be made at https://www.justgiving.com/NickFagan. More information on Shine is available via the following link http://www.shinecharity.org.uk/hydrocephalus/information-publications/what-is-hydrocephalus

Above is Nick and Ethan before the big event. And here is the big shave in action at this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1U6KK4TAyg

 

About Town Video Art in Southside - Birmingham Hippodrome & Ikon - 13.11.14 - 16.11.14

ABOUT TOWN - VIDEO ART IN SOUTHSIDE 

presented by

Hippodrome Plus in partnership with Ikon

 

Thursday 13 – Sunday 16 November 2014

About Town is an exhibition of international video art in Birmingham’s Southside district taking place 13 – 16 November 2014.  Presented by Hippodrome Plus in partnership with Ikon, About Town showcases a wide variety of free night-screenings by artists from the UK and abroad, in unusual urban spaces. 

New commissions inspired by their location, alongside pieces from Ikon’s recent programme, will explore everyday city life and reflect on how we shape and are shaped by our surroundings. About Town audiences will intersperse their artistic experiences with short walks through streets brimming with local interest.

The Gallan Car Park, Hurst Street will see a combination of large scale installations, transforming it into a vast indoor landscape of moving imagery and ambient sound. Beat Streuli’s New Street (2013) will display projected sequences of photographic stills across three large screens, capturing the summer atmosphere of Birmingham’s streets. Gillian Wearing’s Broad Street (2000) focuses its attention on Birmingham’s frenetic night-life. Oliver Beer’s film Pay and Display (2011) documents his collaboration with the city’s Ex Cathedra choir to create an experimental music video shot in a stairwell in the Pershore Street Carpark. 

 

Birmingham Hippodrome will host a number of works in its foyer areas, on staircases and landings. Adel Abdessemed’s Happiness in Mitte (2003) depicts stray cats drinking, one by one, from bowls of milk left by the artist outdoors in Berlin’s Mitte district. In Hiccup #2 (2006) Canadian artist Kelly Mark documents a five day performance on the steps of the old Birmingham Library, repeating the same routine of simple actions while other people, undirected by her, are busy being otherwise occupied. 

A new commission, by emerging local artist Dean Kelland is based on 1970s British sitcoms. Other films to be shown include Marjolijn Dijkman’s Wandering Through the Future (2007), a montage of film clips, and Cornelia Parker’s Chomskian Abstract (2007), both speculating on the nature of the end of the world as we know it.  Nightingale (2003), by Birmingham-born Grace Ndiritu, explores racial stereotyping.

There will be numerous other works visible from the street, including Junebum Park’s Parking (2002) and Vladimir Logutov’s Twilight (2005), and Heather and Ivan Morison’s Colours and Sounds in Ivan Morison’s Garden (2002). 

 

Exhibition: About Town

Dates:  13 – 16 November 2014

Opening Hours:  4pm - 10pm

Location: Multiple venues around Hurst Street, Southside, Birmingham, B5 4TB

Price: Free

Website: www.birminghamhippodrome.com/AboutTown