Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre - Oklehoma - 30.06.15 - 04.07.2015

STAR CAST FOR RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN’S

OKLAHOMA!

BELINDA LANG, GARY WILMOT, ASHLEY DAY, CHARLOTTE WAKEFIELD & NIC GREENSHIELDS

Music & Lyrics Limited and Royal & Derngate Northampton present a new production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Pulitzer Prize-winning musical OKLAHOMA!, directed by Rachel Kavanaugh and with new choreography by Drew McOnie, which will tour the UK and Ireland next year and will be at Birmingham Hippodrome from Tuesday 30 June – Saturday 4 July 2015.

From the award-winning producers of the highly successful tours of The King & I and Fiddler on the Roof, this new production of one of the great classic American musicals will feature a large cast and chorus led by Belinda Lang (School for Scandal, Ladies in Lavender, The Killing of Sister George) as Aunt Eller, Gary Wilmot (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Pajama Game, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) as Ali Hakim, Ashley Day (The Book of Mormon, The Wizard of Oz, High School Musical) as Curly, Charlotte Wakefield (The Sound of Music, MAMMA MIA!, Spring Awakening) as Laurey and Nic Greenshields (Guys and Dolls, Billy Elliot, The Phantom of the Opera) as Jud Fry, accompanied by a live orchestra led by musical director Steve Ridley.  Set and costumes will be designed by Francis O’Connor, with lighting by Tim Mitchell and sound by Ben Harrison.

Rachel Kavanaugh is former Artistic Director of the Birmingham Rep.  She is directing An Ideal Husband at the Chichester Festival Theatre this autumn.  Other credits include The Sound of Music at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre,Love Story in Chichester and the West End, and The Merry Wives of Windsor for the Royal Shakespeare Company.  Drew McOnie’s choreography credits include In the Heights for Southwark Playhouse, The Sound of Music and Chicagofor Leicester Curve, Soho Cinders at the Soho Theatre, and Dames at Sea and On the 20th Century at the Union Theatre.  He recently launched his own theatre dance company, The McOnie Company.

OKLAHOMA!, with music by Richard Rodgers and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, was based on the Lynn Riggs play Green Grow the Lilacs and was the first musical written by the duo.  It was originally produced on Broadway in 1943 and the Academy Award-winning film was released in 1955. Set in the Oklahoma territory in the early 1900s, the musical tells the story of two sets of star-crossed lovers. Cowboy Curly loves Laurey, Aunt Eller’s niece, but Curly’s rival is the mysterious and dangerous hired hand Jud Fry.  Meanwhile, Ado Annie is torn between cowboy Will and peddler Ali Hakim.  Their stories are told with the help of some of the best loved songs in musical theatre history, including Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’, I’m Just a Girl Who Cain’t Say No, Surrey With a Fringe on Top, Kansas City, People Will Say We’re in Love and the title song.

The UK & Irish tour of OKLAHOMA! will be presented through special arrangement with R&H Theatricals Europe.

Website: www.oklahomatour.co.uk

OKLAHOMA!  runs at Birmingham Hippodrome from Tuesday 30 June – Saturday 4 July.  Tickets are priced £18-£40 and can be booked on 0844 338 5000 or online at www.birminghamhippodrome.com 5% transaction charge applies (excl. cash sales in person) postage from £1. Phone calls from 5p per minute. Prices and discounting subject to change.   Perf times:   Tue-Sat eves 7.30pm; Wed Mat 2pm; Sat Mat 2.30pm.

Access performances: Captioned Thu 2 July at 7.30pm; Signed Fri 3 July at 7.30pm; Audio Described  Sat 4 July at 2.30pm and 7.30pm.

Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre - Blood Brothers - 13.10.14 - 25.10.14

Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre

Bill Kenwright presents:

Willy Russell’s

BLOOD BROTHERS

Monday 13th - Saturday 25th October 2014 

 ONE OF BIRMINGHAM’S FAVOURITE MUSICALS RETURNS FOR AN INCREDIBLE 9th SEASON FOR 2 WEEKS ONLY!

 

Birmingham Hippodrome opened the first-ever UK tour of Blood Brothers starring Helen Reddy back in 1995, now more than 19 years later the international hit returns for its ninth season at the theatre starringMaureen Nolan from Monday 13 – Saturday 25 October 2014. 

Maureen Nolan makes a welcome return to the role of Mrs Johnstone after playing the iconic part in both the West End and on tour; she was the fourth Nolan sister to play the role, earning them entry in to the Guinness Book of Records.

Maureen has been singing with her sisters since she was nine years old. Together they became one of Europe’s first girl bands – The Nolans. The Nolans’ success is legendary, including phenomenal record sales worldwide, particularly in Japan where they sold more records than The Beatles!  

Blood Brothers ran in London’s West End for 24 years, one of only three musicals ever to achieve that milestone, and has scooped up multiple awards across the globe including no less than four awards for best musical in London and seven Tony Award nominations on Broadway.

The musical tells the captivating and moving story of twin boys separated at birth, only to be reunited, by a twist of fate and a mother’s haunting secret. The memorable score includes A Bright New Day, Marilyn Monroe and the emotionally charged hit Tell Me It’s Not True.

Willy Russell is undeniably one of this country’s leading contemporary dramatists. His countless credits include Educating Rita and Shirley Valentine. Educating Rita, originally commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, enjoyed a two year run in the West End and was made into a movie starring Michael Caine and Julie Walters. Shirley Valentine also made the move from stage to screen in an enormously popular film starring Pauline Collins and Tom Conti.

Blood Brothers is directed by Bob Tomson and Bill Kenwright with designs by Andy Walmsley.  Dan Samson is the original sound designer. Rod Edwards is the musical supervisor and Kelvin Towse is the production musical director.

Blood Brothers runs at Birmingham Hippodrome from Monday 13 – Saturday 25 October 2014. Tickets are priced £18-£38 and available on 0844 338 5000 or online at 

birminghamhippodrome.com  5% transaction charge applies (excl. cash sales in person) postage from £1. Phone calls from 5p per minute. Prices and discounting subject to change. 

Performance Times: Mon-Sat eves 7.30pm, Wed mats 2pm, Sat mats 2.30pm.

Signed performance Tue 21 Oct 7.30pm; Captioned performance Thu 23 Oct 7.30pm; Audio described performance Sat 25 Oct 2.30pm.

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

Wicked - Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre - 9th July - 6th September 2014

Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre

WICKED

SEEN BY 42 MILLION WORLDWIDE AND NOW WICKED FLIES IN TO BIRMINGHAM

PERFORMANCES FROM WEDNESDAY 9 JULY UNTIL SATURDAY 6 SEPTEMBER

WICKED, the global musical phenomenon that tells the incredible untold story of the Witches of Oz, arrives in Birmingham tomorrow evening (Wednesday 9 July) to begin its strictly limited nine week summer engagement at the Hippodrome.

Executive Producer Michael McCabe said: “We are delighted to be bringing this spectacular production of Wicked to one of the most glorious theatres in the country. We look forward to what looks certain to be a very successful summer season in the city.”

Chief Executive of Birmingham Hippodrome, Stuart Griffiths said: "We are thrilled that Wicked opens at Birmingham Hippodrome tomorrow for a dazzling nine week season. We look forward to welcoming theatregoers over the summer for what is one of the most popular musicals of all time.” 

This spectacular production of “this thrillingly entertaining show” (Manchester Evening News) has broken countless Box Office records and already received multiple five star reviews across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

The award-winning London production continues its open-ended run at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, where it is now the 10^th longest running show in the West End. Around the world, Wicked has already been seen by 42 million people in 13 countries, and won 100 international awards.

In a brilliantly witty re-imagining of the stories and characters created by L. Frank Baum in ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’, Wicked tells the incredible untold story of an unlikely but profound friendship between two sorcery students. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfil their destinies as Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Wicked has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, a book by Winnie Holzman, musical staging by Wayne Cilento and is directed by two-time Tony Award® winner Joe Mantello. Wicked is based on the novel, ‘Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West’, by Gregory Maguire.

Wicked is produced by: Marc Platt, Universal Stage Productions, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone. Executive Producer (UK):Michael McCabe.

Official UK website: www.WickedTheMusical.co.uk

Birmingham Hippodrome

Hurst Street

Southside

Birmingham

B5 4TB

PUBLIC BOOKING NOW OPEN AS FOLLOWS:

IN PERSON: AT THE BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME BOX OFFICE

TELEPHONE BOOKINGS: 0844 338 5000*

BOOK ONLINE: www.birminghamhippodrome.com*

*5% transaction charge applies (excl. cash sales in person) plus £1 postage. Phone calls from 5p per minute. Prices and discounting subject to change.

Groups: 0844 338 7000 (Mon-Fri, 10.00am-6pm)

Access line: 0844 338 5000

Performance Times:

Monday-Saturday 7.30pm, Matinees Wednesday at 2.00pm & Saturday 2.30pm

Extra matinees added Thursday 14 & Thursday 28 August 2014 at 2.00pm

Ticket Prices:

Monday-Thursday: £55, £50, £45, £40, £33, £25

Friday & Saturday: £60, £55, £50, £45, £38, £30

For best ticket availability, choose Monday-Thursday performances.

The musical runs approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes (including an interval) and is suitable for a general audience. As a guide to parents and guardians, it is recommended for ages 7+. All persons entering the theatre, regardless of age, must have a ticket. Children under 3 years of age will not be admitted

Gregory Maguire’s ‘Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West’ is published by Headline.

The book is recommended for readers aged 16+

The GRAMMY® award-winning Original Broadway Cast recording on DECCA BROADWAY

Malmaison is the Official Hotel Partner of the Wicked Tour www.malmaison.com

WICKED

Wicked has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, a book by Winnie Holzman, scenic design by Eugene Lee, costumes by Susan Hilferty, lighting by Kenneth Posner, sound by Tony Meola, projection designs by Elaine J McCarthy, Hair and Wig designs by Tom Watson, music arrangements by Alex Lacamoire and Stephen Oremus, dance arrangements by James Lynn Abbott, orchestrations by William David Brohn, musical supervision by Stephen Oremus, musical staging by Wayne Cilento and is directed by Joe Mantello.

WICKED UK & IRELAND TOUR

The UK & Ireland Tour premiered in Manchester on 17 September 2013 (with previews from 12 September). This spectacular production has already broken Box Office records and been acclaimed as “so magical it defies belief” (Irish Daily Mail), “quite simply, the best musical I’ve ever seen” (Yorkshire Evening Post), “an evening of wall-to-wall musical perfection” (Sale & Altrincham Messenger), and “truly is a global phenomenon, and it deserves to be - the music is irresistibly catchy, the lyrics a perfect blend of poetry and wit and the plot, based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, is remarkably clever” (Huddersfield Daily Examiner). The show has already won multiple 5 star reviews across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. 

Critics also acclaimed the high quality of the production: “rest assured that this first touring production maintains the spectacular staging, costume design and magic of the original” (Manchester Evening News); “the production values are incredible - this is every bit the West End show” (The Public Reviews) and “this incarnation of the West End smash flew in and totally ripped up the rule book that states touring shows should somehow be second rate to London or Broadway. This interpretation is truly phenomenal” (Daily Record, Glasgow).

WICKED LONDON

The London production premiered on 27 September 2006 (with previews from 7 September) and has now been seen by over 5.5 million people.Wicked has been hailed as “the biggest thing in musicals since The Phantom of the Opera opened” (The Times), “one of the biggest hits of our age” (The Observer) and “one of the most popular West End musicals ever" (London Evening Standard).

Wicked continues to be the top choice of West End theatregoers having been voted Most Popular Show (Olivier Awards), Best Night Out (Evening Standard Theatre Awards), Best West End Show (Whatsonstage Awards in both 2011 and 2010) and Best Family Fun (Visit London Awards).

WICKED WORLDWIDE

Wicked has already been seen by 42 million people worldwide and grossed in excess of $3.4 billion at the Box Office. It has won 100 international awards.

The global musical phenomenon has been performed in over 100 cities in 13 countries around the world (United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Japan, Germany, Holland, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, The Philippines and Mexico) and has been translated into five languages: Japanese, German, Dutch, Spanish, and Korean. The original Broadway production remains “Broadway’s biggest blockbuster” (The New York Times) after more than a decade at the Gershwin Theatre.

Wicked has been recognised as “the best musical of the decade” (Entertainment Weekly), “the defining musical of the decade” (The New York Times), “a cultural phenomenon” (Variety) and “a breathtaking success story of a magnitude not witnessed since the peak years of The Phantom of the Opera” (The Washington Post).

WICKED – THE STORY

If you think you know the Wicked Witch of the West, think again...

When Dorothy famously triumphed over the Wicked Witch, we only ever heard one side of the story. Gregory Maguire’s “outstanding novel” (The Independent), ‘Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West’, ingeniously and wittily re-imagined the Land of Oz, creating a parallel universe to the familiar story written by L. Frank Baum and first published as ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ in 1900.

Wicked tells the incredible untold story of an unlikely but profound friendship between two girls who first meet as sorcery students at Shiz University: the blonde and very popular Glinda and a misunderstood green girl named Elphaba. Following an encounter with The Wizard, their friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths.

Glinda’s unflinching desire for popularity sees her seduced by power while Elphaba’s determination to remain true to herself, and to those around her, will have unexpected and shocking consequences for her future. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfil their destinies asGlinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Experience this unforgettable, award-winning musical and discover that you’ve not been told the whole story about the Land of Oz.