New Alexandra Theatre - Amazing things to do

Five amazing things to do at The Alex –

which don’t involve theatre!

The New Alexandra Theatre is not just known for its blockbusting shows, although there are plenty of them!

More than ever before the venue is getting involved in a host of community projects, including The Big Sleuth, Birmingham Cocktail Weekend, and hosting in-house entertainment via Birmingham Jazz Festival.

Here’s five fantastic things you can do at The Alex, which don’t involve watching a show…

·         I aint’ afraid of no bear! Have you grabbed a selfie with Alexandra yet? The Alex’s very own bear on the Big Sleuth Trail? The beauty, who dons a Ghostbusters outfit takes pride of place at the end of John Bright Street, not far from the theatre.

Alexandra is just one of 100 stunning bear sculptures who are taking over the city as part of The Big Sleuth Trail. Each have been designed by artists and have their own story to tell, and have laid their paw prints all over the city – and beyond – to bring a colourful trail of creativity, imagination and fun

An additional 137 bear cubs have been created by local school children as part of The Big Sleuth Learning Programme. Together they form a fantastic, free public art trail that will lead you to parts of the city and wider region that you may never have visited before.

With Alexandra’s prominent position just outside New Street Station, she could be one of the first bears you visit!

And the added bonus is that once you scan her code on The Big Sleuth app, you can also visit The Alex Box Office and pick up a free goodie bag full of treats!

The Big Sleuth kicked off this week and runs throughout the Summer holidays. More details here http://thebigsleuth.co.uk/

·         If you’ve never sampled one of the Alex’s amazing cocktails, then July is certainly the best time!  This weekend the venue is proudly taking part in Birmingham Cocktail Weekend once again, which is now bigger and better than ever before.

Running from Fri 14 to Sun 16 July this exciting event is a weekend dedicated to sampling the best of Birmingham’s cocktail scene! And The Alex’s offering is a unique cocktail based on the history of the venue – the Salberg 75!

The Charlie Bates Trio will also be performing in the beautiful Piano Bar throughout the weekend to entertain drinkers.

Even more enticing is the opportunity to take part in another one of the unique Cocktail Masterclasses.

Lasting for one hour and hosted in the luxurious Ambassador Lounge, participants will learn how to make the Salberg 75. Then they can create their very own cocktail themed on a show from the upcoming season.

Places can be booked here:

https://new-www.atgtickets.com/venues/new-alexandra-theatre-birmingham/shows/cocktail-masterclass-(2)

·         Free Jazz in the theatre’s stunning Piano bar you say? Bar open until 11pm? What’s not to like? This month the theatre will take part in the city wide Birmingham, Solihull and Sandwell Jazz Festival for the very first time, with renowned band C-Jam set to delight listeners in the Piano bar on Friday 21 July.  

C-Jam’s repertoire is large and varied, ranging from cool jazz sounds to stomping blues/R&B and soul favourites. The experienced line-up includes three ex-members of the Steve Gibbons Band, including Brain Badhams (keyboards and vocals), who is currently with Elkie Brooks.

Brian Wilson (lead guitar/vocals) spent many years with the Gibbons Band, touring the USA supporting The Who, and worked with the Ruby Turner Band for a number of years.

Drummer Brendan Day’s 12 years with the Gibbons Band have been followed by work with the Dylan Project and Fairport Convention among many others.

Meanwhile bassist Frank Walker’s colourful music career includes working with Glenn Tipton in the Flying Hat Band and appearing with Alvin Stardust, whilst saxophonist Sam Rogers first came to notice with the Walsall Jazz Orchestra.

C-Jam will perform in the Piano Bar from 8pm, with the bar open from 6.30pm.

The jazz festival runs from July 14 to July 23 and more details are available herehttp://www.birminghamjazzfestival.com/

 

·         Friday afternoons at the Alex have also become a little bit special, with the addition of Coffee, Cake and Cadenzas.

The series of free monthly Chamber Concerts sees students from Birmingham's Conservatoire of Music presenting beautiful programmes at 1pm on the first Friday of every month in the theatre’s Piano Bar.

Coffee, cake and an assortment of other treats are on sale at every single event, which are also available to watch on Facebook Live.

The concerts are a great opportunity for everyone to come along to the theatre and listen to some outstanding live music for free, whilst enjoying a cuppa in the beautiful surroundings of the Piano Bar.

After a spectacular series of concerts, the talented students are taking a well deserved break, but will back to entertain from Friday 3rd November.

·         Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of the Alex? There are regular backstage theatre tours available which all provide a unique look behind the scenes.

Each tour offers a unique insight into one of the most historic theatres in the West Midlands.

The tours are a chance to see the dressing rooms that have housed the stars, visit the backstage areas that are the workhouse of theatre life and finally step onstage at the Alex and in doing so join with some of the greats of English theatre. After a tour participants can relax with a free hot drink and biscuits in the bar.

More details on the tours are available at www.atgtickets.com

Touch and Go - The Grange Players - 13-22.07.17

The Grange Players

Presents

Touch and Go

13^th – 22^nd July 2017

Just about every actor and director I have met have told me that farces are among the most challenging of productions to successfully stage, not least because on the surface, the exaggerated and rather implausible situations have to appear as impromptu and believable.  It is also challenging for Companies to take on these plays because the genre, with its humour seemingly firmly set in the 1970’s and 1980’s, can seem out-dated to modern audiences.  There is, therefore, a marginal difference between a production that has the audience rolling with laughter or squirming with embarrassment.  So, it is always with a sense of trepidation I approach these as an audience member.

I need not have worried.  The Grange Players have put on a very-well directed, fast-paced, slick and hugely enjoyable evening’s entertainment, where I soon immersed myself in the humour, forgot about how improbable it all was, and remembered that the art of the double–entendre has its place, as long as it is well-delivered.

Of course, there is a great deal of hard work that goes into staging a play that looks effortless and, in the case of a farce, many pitfalls to avoid.  A good production needs a strong script, a talented cast and a skilled director.  To start with the script: with, perhaps, the exception of the Master of Farce, Ray Cooney, few have manged to draw an audience in so that the absurd seems plausible.  With Touch and Go Derek Benfield produces the usual mix of sex, adultery, lies, deception, improbable situations and arrangements going wrong, in a clever script written with economy and fluidity, which compensates for the formulaic approach.  The characters are well-drawn, at least to those of us who remember the early 1980s.  Lovers of the double-entendre will of course enjoy this play, although I must say even in 1982, when the play was written, the ‘coq-au-vin’ pun would have been barely funny, even if used just the once.  Mr Benfield obviously thought this line funny enough to use over and again.

All of this counts for nothing if the cast don’t understand the rules of farce.  In this production the cast work hard to make the characters believable and to ensure the comedy emerges from the situation, rather than exaggerating characteristics or looking for cheap laughs.  The script is delivered with pace and precision, and the second Act in particular draws us in and speeds along like a train, with a nice little twist at the end.  It should also be pointed out that the cast demonstrated a great deal of stamina, which was needed not only to sustain the pace and physicality, but also to endure what must have been one of the hottest and most humid evenings of the summer. 

We first meet the colourful, playful, and ever-hopeful of finding love, Wendy, just about the most innocent of the characters in this play.  Dressed for a night of thrills, Naomi Millard plays the character with innocence and bewilderment as the action unfolds around her.  Keith Hayes eases into his role as Brian, general cad and rather unlikely love interest of Wendy, well.  This role, of all of them, needed to avoid the trap of over-playing, and Keith delivers a suitably restrained and believable performance.  Liz Webster plays Hilary as a seemingly rather calculating character.  She has lovely timing and manages that most difficult task for actors, getting drunk on stage, in a believable and controlled manner.  Rod Bissett shines in his role as George.  One feels as if he has somehow been reeled in by Hilary, and although far from innocent, brings a lot of pathos to the role, in particular when he is exposed in his Y-fronts and shirt.  Finally, Suzy Donnelly as fashion designer Jessica, returning a day early from a work trip to New York, appears completely taken in by the web of lies and deceit woven around her. Suzy adds real depth to the character, and one is never sure if she has really been taken in by the events.  Events at the end suggest perhaps she wasn’t as innocent after all.  All in all, this strong cast brings both range and depth to their characterisation, which is rare in farces.

The Director, Louise Farmer, has put on a polished production.  She understands the genre and has got the best out of a strong cast, allowing them to develop clear characters while maintaining the necessary constraints required by a farce.  Louise also designed the set, which is split to represent the two apartments where the action takes place, with a lighting design that reflects this.  Simple and effective it ensures the pace never drops and the action is continuous.

The audience at this sold out evening at The Grange clearly enjoyed this play.  If you can get a ticket, and enjoy humour circa 1982, you should go and see it.

On until the 22^nd July

The Grange Players - Heroes - 18.05.17 - 27.05.17

The Grange Players

Presents

Heroes

By Gerald Sibleyras

Translated and Adapted by Tom Stoppard

Directed by Dexter Whitehead and Rosemary Manjunath

18th - 27th May 2017

Heroes is set in 1959 on the terrace of a home for veterans in France. It follows the antics of World War one veterans Henri (Paul Viles), Gustave (Andrew Tomllinson) and Philippe (Robert Onions).

The play was originally called 'The Wind in The Poplars' and was translated and renamed by Tom Stoppard. It was first performed in 2005 at the Wyndham's Theatre.


This was a gentle play, with the characters spending their time discussing the nuns that run the home, the other residents and planning a journey to 'escape' and see the poplar trees that they could see in the distance from their terrace.

Each character had its own sadness. Henri had a gammy leg, Gustave suffered from agoraphobia and Philippe kept passing out due to having a piece of shrapnel lodged in his brain. This however, did not make it a sad tale. We had fun and laughter throughout with extremely funny lines and situations. It was beautifully written to make the audience aware of the hard reality of war but not getting bogged down by the grim details, so you left feeling entertained, uplifted at how resilient human being are, and with a grin on your face.

The staging of this production was lovely with lots of detail. You had a light, bright terrace with 3 chairs. It was elegant and didn't take over from the action on stage.

Paul Viles was a wonderful Henri. He limped across the stage and tried to keep order throughout. His facial expressions and tone created great comic moments.

Robert Onions gave a gentle, poignant portrayal of Philippe. He had a lovely, touching moment where he was talking about how he wanted to be a pianist before the war. Not wanting to dampen the audiences mood, you then had him saying that after the war he couldn't follow his dream as it would be difficult to be a pianist when he kept passing out.

Andrew Tomlison needs to have a special mention as Gustave. He took over the part only a few weeks before the start of the show due to the original cast member having to pull out.  He portrayed the character with the brash confidence of a war veteran and really made the character his own.

The three of them together gave a first class performance but we shouldn't forget the forth member of the cast - the stone dog, who was there throughout the performance. He sat upright and Philippe would often think that he moved. He was often included in the conversations and was even going to go with the three veterans on their journey to the Poplar trees!

This performance of Heroes was extremely well directed by Dexter Whitehead and Rosemary Manjunath and is well worth a watch as it leaves you feeling proud of what people went through to make our County the best in the World - We should never forget what could have been!

The play runs until 27th May 2017

The Grange
Broadway North
Walsall
West Midlands
WS1 2QB
Box Office: 07909 036 835
Theatre: 01922 625 100
Website: www.grangeplayers.co.uk

The Grange Players - Ladies in Lavender - 16th - 25th March 2017

The Grange Players

Present

Ladies in Lavender

Adapted for the Stage by Shaun McKenna

Directed by Rosemary Manjunath

16th - 25th March 2017

Ladies in Lavender is a lovely, gentle play set in Cornwall in the mid-1930's. We see sisters Ursula and Janet Widdlington's lives turned upside down with the introduction of Andrea into their home. He is found washed ashore by their property close to death and they take it upon themselves to nurse him back to health. It is discovered that Andrea is Polish and was travelling on a boat to try and become a violinist in America before he was swept ashore. He is extremely talented and it isn't long before his talent is discovered by Olga Daniloff who's brother is a world renowned violinist.

Mary Whitehouse gives a wonderful performance as Ursula. She is touching, with a sparkle in her eye. She shows us that even though we may be ageing on the outside that we are still all young at heart and her growing fondness for Andrea is delivered with lovely subtly and grace. There are not many actors who can really tell a story with their eyes but Mary does this with every glance and meaningful stare which is a true talent.

Sandra Haynes who plays Janet is a lovely contrast to the sensitive Ursula. She is 'to the point' and obviously the driving force in the household. Sandra delivers her part with charm and there are some lovely tender moments between the sisters.

There are a lot of laughs within this play and Jill Simkin who plays Dorcas certainly gets her fair share of the funny lines. Her facial expressions alone told a thousand stories and her quickly delivered one liners had the audience laughing which made this a perfectly rounded performance with laughs, sadness and reminiscing.

The rest of the cast were made up of Paul Viles who plays Dr Mead, David Smith as Andrea and Leah Solmaz as Olga. They all gave wonderful performances which made this a truly entertaining piece of theatre to watch. 

The set was designed by the director Rosemary Manjunath and it was extremely well thought out, with the bedroom, sitting room, garden and beach all being present on stage without the need for lengthy set changes which can always take away from the action. I particularly liked how action could be happening in the garden while other characters are doing things in the living room or in the bedroom. This really did make it feel as if you were in the action with them. The lighting and sound by Stan Vigurs and Colin Mears really helped this piece come alive and I can honestly say that I had a thoroughly entertaining evening where a piece of theatre has come together and produced something memorable. So well done to everyone involved.

It would be a shame to miss this play, so get yourself over to The Grange between 16th - 25th March 2017.

Box Office: 07909 036 835

Website: www.grangeplayers.co.uk

Address: The Grange Playhouse, Broadway North, Walsall, West Midlands. WS1 2QB

The Grange Players - Holmes for the Holidays - 11.01.17 - 21.01.17

 The Grange Players

Present:

Holmes for the Holidays

11.01.17 - 21.01.17

The trepidation awaiting a critic’s review can be a daunting prospect. As an actor myself, I empathise with any cast or production team member who would echo the play’s line ‘She was ruthless. She was evil! She was a theatre-critic for God’s sake!’ Be reassured. The ‘Holmes for the Holidays’ team should have no such anxieties: there is much to praise in this show.

Attending The Grange theatre for the first time, any trace of apprehensions I might have held were soon dispersed. This is a space of welcome, a place of shared experience where theatre is enjoyed. The warmth and efficiency of the gentleman manning the ticket desk thawed me as I stepped beyond the reach of the cold, snowy night outside. The auditorium’s rake of comfortable seating was soon filled almost to capacity - no mean feat for any theatre on a night in mid-January. In the half-lit atmosphere of this intimate proscenium venue, an expectancy of enjoyment pervaded before curtain-up.

The venue is pertinent, for this play of two acts, set in the Christmas period of 1936, would not sit half so well in a pared-down, black-box space. It provides a seamless complement to the masterfully tailored set, which supplies both period aesthetic and functionality for essential stage-business.

In many theatre pieces of this nature, the technicals shine when appropriate and effective without being intrusive, and for this very reason can often be overlooked. On this criteria, the show’s sound and lighting design, intrinsic to the play’s telling, were impeccable. Costume and properties were made well to purpose and would serve a several-month run.

‘Holmes for the Holidays’ is the pen-work of ‘the purveyor of light comedy to middle America’ (show programme, citing The Times, 2006) Ken Ludwig, and the director and cast do well to present the piece to a British audience and maintain its distinctive US flavour throughout. A rapid East coast patter between William Gillette (Robert Meehan) and his houseguests is supported by all the cast with fluent accent, manner and interaction. Whilst at times the first act feels a little expositional, by the interval this ensemble immerse the audience thoroughly in the small 1930s world of egos, friendships, insecurities and trusts between actors who strut the stage. The wonderfully executed slapstick, delivered without excess by characters Daria Chase, Felix Gisel and William Gillette (Liz Webster, Sam Evans, Robert Meehan), adds to the humour and harkens back subtly to 1930s comedy styles.

Act two witnesses the Sherlock actor Gillette don his robes and pit his wits to the challenge of solving the case, and here the energy changes: there’s a murderer at large, and the drawing-room banter and revelations are superseded by purposeful activity. This, together with the introduction of Inspector Goring, adeptly played by Suzy Donnelly, lends more of the familiar territory of the who-dunnit and drives the pace to the final scenes.

There are conventions and concepts within ‘Holmes for the Holidays’ that will be recognisable to many actors and, whilst it is not essential to appreciate these to enjoy a performance, it may be a service for any reviewer here to highlight them to a potential audience member. The first scene is brief in nature, and in the spirit of ‘in late/out early’ begins mid-action without preamble at the curtain-call of a particular Sherlock Holmes performance. The piece assumes a conventional linear plot structure from the start. An awareness of this may avoid some confusion.

The prevalence of characters (not actors) taking the limelight and declaiming in the piece may also initially startle. The quoting of famous dramatic pieces, the basking in the approval of peers, all this expression of talent or ego amongst Gillette’s guests seems the hallmark of actors in each others company, and it takes a skilled ensemble to pull this off well. We watch actors performing the roles of 1930s stage actors, and it is good to accept that what they do is credible and naturalistic.

Directed by Chris Waters, ‘Holmes for the Holidays’ runs from 11th through to 21st January 2017.

Review by Anthony Webster

The Grange Players - Bracken Moor - 16.11.16 - 26.11.16

Bracken Moor

The Grange Players 

The Grange Theatre, Walsall

16^th – 26^th November 2016

This is an excellent production of a gripping and ghostly tale set in the 1930s, with surprises, personal transformations and twists on the way, and which draws parallels with current world affairs.

The programme describes this play as “a drama that speaks to us all set against the economic crisis of the 1930’s”.  Set in a large austere Yorkshire house the play opens with mine owner Harold Pritchard (Adam Woodward) and collier John Bailey (Robert Onions) discussing the potential closure of a mine with the loss of 140 jobs.  Harold and his wife Elizabeth (Julie Lomas) then play hosts to their old friends the Averys from London. They haven’t met for ten years following the death of Pritchard’s son in terrible circumstances at the age of 12, after which Mrs Pritchard in a state of shock and grief withdrew from life.  All the memories resurface when Avery’s 22 year old son Terence (Rob Meehan), who was very close to Edgar, starts experiencing nightmares whilst sleeping in the dead son’s bedroom. 

Although set in the 1930s this is a modern play, first performed in 2013.  The Anglo-Greek playwright Alexis Kaye Campbell sets out an ambitious vision, and draws our attention to parallels between the events leading up to the Second World War and the current poor state of world affairs.  Campbell strives to do this by creating tensions in the plot concerning the rise of fascism, failures of capitalism, the gap between the political left and right, between mysticism and materialism and along the way touches on oppression, emancipation, feminism, male roles and expectations, and even throws in a bit of Freud for good measure.  There is a lot going on!  Underneath then, this is a deeply political play that is concerned that humanity should not repeat historical failures and looks at how this might be achieved.  Whether Campbell quite succeeds in his ambition is less certain.  Certainly there is plenty of personal awakening and transformation going on here.  Maybe, however, his ambition is too big and, without giving away any spoilers, the dramatic device the playwright uses to resolve the various tensions is unconvincing.  Campbell may have achieved a bit more by saying a bit less. 

Notwithstanding this, the Grange Players succeed in delivering an excellent production.  The writer has created characters which under less experienced hands could have been clichéd and Director Rachel Waters ensured that the characters remained restrained and drew out excellent performances throughout.  Julie Lomas particularly was superb as the grief stricken mother burdened by guilt and wishing only for death.  She played the role with delicious understatement which hinted at underlying madness.   Adam Woodward as her husband Harold managed the no-nonsense self-satisfied gruff northern persona well and overcame the challenge of playing an older character.  Rob Meehan as Terence Avery takes on a very difficult role with great aplomb, throwing himself whole-heartedly into this complex character.  He convinces us that this young, worldly, university drop-out has wisdom and idealism way beyond his years, and who can provide hope, albeit in a rather manipulative way.  He was at his best and shone in an excellent scene with Mrs Pritchard.  Samantha Allen played the role of Vanessa Avery with real conviction and moved between compassion and anger with brisk ease.  There was less scope for expression for Les Wilkes as antique dealer Geoffrey Avery, with a character who seemed a little baffled by the proceedings, but he was a well-judged foil to some of the hysteria going on around him.  Robert Onions as John Bailey was completely authentic as the left-wing and compassionate collier trying to save the jobs of his men.  Dr Gibbons, played by David Weller, was needed to add credence to the underlying premise of the play, and a bought a respectful perspective on the supernatural which allowed the plot to develop.  Leanne Brown as the maid added a suitably hysterical fear of God atmosphere to the proceedings.

The cast was supported by an excellent set by All Round Property Services which achieved the right 1930s austerity, as did the authentic costumes by Rosemary Manjunath.  The sound and light design, by Stan Vigurs and Colin Meers, was spot-on and made an important contribution to building the atmosphere and tension. 

Overall, there were few flaws in this excellent production of an interesting, challenging, haunting and thought provoking play.

The play runs until the 26^th November.

Reviewed by Martin Walker

Sense and Sensibility - The Grange Players - 20.07.16 - 30.07.16

Jane Austen's

Sense & Sensibility

Adapted by Jessica Swale

July 20th - July 30th 2016

Directed By Louise Farmer

Sense & Sensibility is one of Jane Austen's best loved novels. It was written in 1811. 

Jessica Swale adapted the novel into a play and directed it in 2014 at The Watermill Theatre.

It is a charming story of the Dashwoods who are forced out of their home after their father died leaving all of his fortune to a male heir, his son John by his first marriage.

John's wife, Fanny, played by Liz Webster, was a nasty piece of work and declaired that the Dashwoods needed to leave their beloved Norland Park and they ended up in a cold Devonshire Cottage which was kindly offered to them by Sir John Middleton (Andy Jones).  Mrs Jennings, played by Jill Simkins made it her mission to marry the three Dashwood girls off and it's not long before a dashing Mr Willoughby, played with charm by Matt Cotter appeared on the scene to capture the heart of Marrianne Dashwood who was depicted by Stephanie Evans as a girl who lives for the moment and wears her heart well and truly on her sleeve. Her sweet nature and lovely singing voice also captured the heart of Colonel Brandon, nicely played by Sam Evans. His portrayal of the overshadowed love interest was delicately displayed. We also had 2 further Dashwood children, Elinor, the oldest of the three who kept her love for Edward Ferrars (Tomas Frater) hidden after she discovered that he was already promised to Lucy Steele (Libby Allport).

Elinor was played by Rachel Holmes and she gave a touching portrayal of a girl with far too much on her young shoulders. Her scenes with Edward were delicately portrayed and both gave some very touching portrayals.

Sam Allen gave a strong performance as Mrs Dashwood, the wife left with out a husband, fortune or home. Her expressions throughout told a thousand stories.

Katie Allen was a delight as the youngest Dashwood Daughter, Margaret. Her innocent, funny, full of life performance was touching and extremely entertaining.

One character to mention was Mr Palmer, played by Dan Payne. His glum, dry one liners captured the moment brilliantly and the audience couldn't help but laugh every time he opened his mouth or gave a knowing glance.

The show is full of pace and humour. There is a nice distinction between light and shade and Louise Farmer has directed this piece well.

Lighting depicted the different times of day well and the set worked well with different locations from rooms to outdoors.

The only slight flaw in the performance had to be the scene changes. The show has many scenes and changes in venue and it did slow the production down slightly. This was opening night though so there was time for the changes to quicken up and also to be a little less noisy.

Overall, this was a well put together production and is well worth going to see.

The show runs until 30th July 2016