ED’S PICK: February 2018

Words by Ed King

The shortest month of the year is here. Luckily it’s also the turning point, as life starts to push up through the thaw and Percy Thrower can start planning his planters. OK, bad example, but there’s a joke about daisies in the somewhere.

But luckily for us mortal coilers, the venues and promoters of this city are still packing a pretty heavy punch with February’s event calendar. If there truly is no rest for the wicked, then it seem incongruous that anyone got Christmas presents this year.

Comedy starts strong with the ‘queen of the acerbic broad smile’, or Katherine Ryan as she’s known in  other publications, bringing her Glitter Room tour to the Symphony Hall (2nd Feb) – a week before the Machynlleth Comedy Festival Showcase (9th Feb) comes to mac with Joe Lycett, Tom Parry, Mike Bubbins, Rachel Parris and Danny Clives. Then it’s back to the Glee Club for a little end of the month self help, as Lloyd Griffiths (23rd Feb) walks us through what it’s like to feel in:Undated in ‘a show about overcoming the overwhelming.’ I call them mornings, but we’ll see what he brings to the table.

Hurst Street is the home of dance this month, with Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella coming to the Hippodrome (6th – 10th Feb) whilst round the corner DanceXchange and Mark Bruce Company present a reworking of Macbeth (8th-9th Feb). And no doubt making St Valentine’s Day less of a massacre for many in this city, see what I did there, Birmingham Royal Ballet present The Sleeping Beauty back at the Hippodrome (13th – 24th Feb).

Music has everyone from the soon to be great to the already good coming through the city, kicking off with a cross city battle between Peach Club at The Sunflower Lounge (6th Feb) and While She Sleeps at the O2 Institute (6th Feb). A week later we have Iron & Wine at Symphony Hall (13th Feb), followed by Bedford’s alt rockers Don Bronco at the O2 Academy (15th Feb) as Dermot Kennedy plays the O2 Institute (15th Feb). A day later there’s Mondo Royale spicing it up at the Actress & Bishop (16th Feb) bringing a few different strands of your music rainbow across our city. In the days after that, we see Cabbage at the Castle & Falcon (17th Feb), one not to be missed, The Ataris at The Asylum (17th Feb), Irit at the Glee Club (19th Feb), Laura Misch at the Hare & Hounds (20th Feb), Big Cat at the Indie Lounge in Selly Oak (23rd Feb) and Puma Blue at The Sunflower Lounge (24th Feb).

All the ‘big gigs’ this month are at the Genting Arena, in the shape of Imagine Dragons (24th Feb) and the man himself, or one of them at least, Morrissey (27th Feb). But there’s a few home grown releases this month worth saving your sheckles for too, as Amit Datani releases his debut solo album – Santiago (17th Feb) and Table Scraps send another fuzz monster into the world with their latest long player – Autonomy (23rd). Watch out for March’s listings for showcase gigs from both.

Exhibitions come from a multitude of angles this month, with the two blips on our radar being Factory Warhol at The Sunflower Lounge (10th Feb) and The Dekkan Trap from Sahej Rahal in mac’s First Floor Gallery (17th Feb) – with a few ancillary events to introduce both the artist and exhibition.

Some suitable love story based theatre starts treading the boards in this most Hallmark of months, with Penguins (1st –10th Feb) and Brief Encounter (2nd – 17th Feb) coming to the Birmingham REP, as The Last Five Years get played out at The Old Joint Stock (14th – 18th Feb). Then it’s the arguably less seductive A History of Heavy Metal with Andrew O’Neill & Band in mac’s Theatre (18th Feb), before the award winning Mental has a three day at The Old Joint Stock (21st – 23rd Feb) and Terence Rattigan’s The Windslow Boy begins it’s run at REP (21st Feb – 3rd Mar). And for one night only each, LEFTY SCUM: Josie Long, Jonny & The Baptists and Grace Petrie present a mix bag of ‘Music! Comedy! Revolutionary socialism’ again in mac’s Theatre (27th Feb) whilst back at The Old Joint Stock there is single An Act of Kindness (28th Feb) to round off the month. But don’t worry, it’ll be back in March.

So, enough to keep you lovebirds busy this month – or to distract the kings and queens of singledom on that depressing light letter box day. But whether you face this world alone or together there’s always Fight Club for £1 at The Mockingbird Kitchen & Cinema (12th Feb). Cheaper than a card, at least. 

For more on any of the events listed here, click on the highlighted hyperlink. Ed King is Editor-in-Chief of Review Publishing, which issues both the Birmingham Review and Birmingham Preview.

BREVIEW: Coppélia @ Hippodrome 13-17.06.17

Elisha Willis as Swanilda and Michael O'Hare as Dr Coppélius / Andrew RossEd’s Note: Bethan has been attending free weekly ballet lessons at Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) as part of their Dance Track programme, after being selected when a team from BRB came to her school.

BRB has an ongoing agenda (with Dance Track and beyond) to reach children ‘who often wouldn’t otherwise have an opportunity to participate in dance’ and to ‘introduce the young participants and their families to ballet and to incite an interest in the art form’.

Having previously covered BRB’s production of Cinderella for us in February this year, I wanted to see what Bethan and her mum, Jenny, would make of Coppéliaa ‘comic ballet’ who’s folklore story line is often cited as a classic that’s accessible for a younger audience.

Birmingham Review, Bethan and Jenny would like to thank everyone at Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Birmingham Hippodrome for their support with our coverage.

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Words by Bethan & Jenny / Production pics by Andrew Ross

Topics for conversation on the way home from school usually include trying to extract what my seven year old daughter, Bethan, has spent the day doing. Usually “nothing”… but today she was abuzz with excitement telling me how she had been talking to her teachers about her impending visit to the ballet. “Mum, I have got to keep a tally chart of all the ballet moves I know when we see Coppélia tonight.”

As an attendee of the Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Dance Track programme, Bethan was looking forward to being able to identify any of the moves she has learned, as she did when we saw their performance of Cinderella in February“I think it will help me a lot with my ballet”.

Upon arrival, we were ushered downstairs to the Qdos Lounge to collect our tickets. We found an apple juice and some chocolate buttons at the bar (and a glass of wine for Mum) and took our seats in the stalls. Bethan needed a booster seat to be able to see the stage properly, and, although there weren’t many children in the audience for this performance – which was quite understandable given that it was a school night – there was a stack of boosters at the door. The staff were helpful, asking if I needed more than one and if I would like help taking it to my seat.

Elisha Willis as Swanilda and Joseph Caley as Franz / Andrew RossAs we were waiting for the performance to begin, Bethan noticed that she could hear the Orchestra warming up. She went for a look by herself, and came back to me with very flushed cheeks – someone playing “a ginormous harp!” had smiled and waved at her. She also reported that she had seen “three or four violas, two double bass and lots of drums… It’s amazing how they can all play them together!” Not knowing a viola from my elbow, I took her word for it.

Unlike Cinderella the story of Coppélia has not been a firm favourite in our house, so neither Bethan nor myself knew the plot. We’d read the Birmingham Preview for Coppélia before getting to the Hippodrome and had a quick look on Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Facebook page and website while we were waiting for the rest of the audience to take their seats, to remind ourselves of the basics of the story line.

We watched a short video and read a brief summary of the plot, both of which helped to give us a condensed understanding of the production we were about to see – this was so helpful because as soon as the key characters came on the stage Bethan knew their names and their roles. Without this she may have been a little bit lost (although she would still have certainly enjoyed the dancing).

Elisha Willis as Swanilda and Michael O'Hare as Dr Coppélius / Andrew RossActs I & II tell the story of Doctor Coppélius trying to bring his beautiful doll to life, of Franz’s infatuation with her and of his jealous lover Swanhilda. This story was delivered with a clever combination of dance, props, mime and lighting to make the character’s thoughts, feelings and intentions clear.

I checked in with Bethan regularly to ensure that she understood the story, and with some guidance she could explain it clearly to me. She loved the comedy that the dancers brought to their roles, laughing out loud on more than one occasion (and drawing turned heads from other ballet-goers to share her enjoyment).

During both intervals we were looked after very well by the staff at the Hippodrome. One of the ladies serving drinks in the Qdos Lounge was keen to talk to Bethan about her experience of the ballet, and she was more than happy to oblige. They spent quite some time discussing the Dance Track programme, Bethan’s future career hopes (perhaps a ballerina, but maybe an astronaut or an RSPCA inspector) and her take on Coppélia. Bethan was brought apple juice and biscuits, and I enjoyed a coffee while she chatted.

Elisha Willis as Swanilda and Michael O'Hare as Dr Coppélius / Andrew RossBack in our seats for Act III, Bethan was busy updating her tally chart before the curtain lifted. She was pleased that she has spotted 10 pliés, 5 spring points, some fifth position jumps and too many pirouettes to count. Although she eventually gave up on the tally chart as this was where the dancers really came in to their own; the story of Coppélia had been delivered and now we were on to the more serious stuff.

The portrayals of the seasons were beautiful – the costumes made it clear that this is what the dances were about, particularly Winter (the main dancer, who received a standing ovation from several of the audience for his tremendous performance). The only part we couldn’t quite fathom was the appearance of a bearded gentleman in a white cloak throughout these dances. Bethan said he looked as though he was from Harry Potter, and I must say I agreed with her.

On the way home, I asked a sleepy little girl if she had enjoyed herself. Bethan said that it had been “magical” and that she had loved it all – she couldn’t choose a favourite part. She fell asleep in the car, and struggled to wake up the next morning, but went skipping in to school clutching her program so that she could tell her teachers all about her special night out and another wonderful performance by Birmingham Royal Ballet.

CoppéliaBirmingham Royal Ballet 2017

Birmingham Royal Ballet brings its production of Coppélia to the Birmingham Hippodrome from 13th to 17th June. For direct gig info and online tickets sales, click here.

For more on Birmingham Royal Ballet’s production of Coppélia, visit www.brb.org.uk/whats-on/event/coppélia

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For more from Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB), including full event listing and online ticket sales, visit www.brb.org.uk

For more on BRB’s Dance Track programme, visit www.brb.org.uk/up-close/dance-education/dance-track

For more from Birmingham Hippodrome, visit www.birminghamhippodrome.com

BPREVIEW: Coppélia @ Hippodrome 13-17.06.17

Elisha Willis as Swanilda and Michael O'Hare as Dr Coppélius / Andrew Ross

Words by Ed King / Production pics by Andrew Ross

On Tuesday 13th June, the Birmingham Royal Ballet’s production of Coppélia opens at the Birmingham Hippodrome – running daily at 7:30pm until Saturday 17th June. Matinees will be held at 2:00pm on Thursday 15th and 2:30pm Saturday 17th June, with an audio described performance at 10:30am also on Saturday 17th June.

Tickets are priced between £11-59 depending performance date, time and seating. For direct details, including full performance times and online tickets sales, click here.

A ‘comic ballet’ in three Acts, Coppélia was first choreographed by Arthur Saint-Léon to a libretto from Léo Delibes. Attributed as an adaptation of the German folklore short story Der Sandmann – E. T. A. Hoffmann’s macabre story of demonic alchemy and revenge, Coppélia premiered at the Théâtre Impérial l’Opéra in Paris on 25th May 1870.

Coppélia tells the old tale of man loves woman, professor builds doll, man falls in love with doll, woman pretends to be doll, man falls back in love with woman… we’ve all been there. Although I guess it’s slightly more plausible than being held prisoner in a house made of short crust pasty.

Elisha Willis as Swanilda and Joseph Caley as Franz / Andrew Ross

Coppélia, the eponymous life sized dancing doll, is the invention of the Dr Coppélius – a somewhat dubious man with an unhealthy habit of building companions and leaving them sitting on balconies. Franz, a young man in Dr Coppélius’ village, falls for the motionless Coppélia and attempts to woo her by climbing up to the aforementioned balcony and declaring his love.

Franz’s fiancé, the incredibly forgiving Swanhilda, breaks into Dr Coppélius’ house and pretends to be the life sized doll come alive – dancing her way back into Franz’s heart and down the aisle. All ends well, despite Dr Coppélius’ secret plan to kill Franz and steal his soul (I did say dubious) with the original end to Act III seeing the whole village dancing in celebration as Franz and Swanhilda are finally wed.

Since its debut Coppélia has been adapted and performed by companies across the globe, making it one of the cornerstones of Classical Ballet. A firm favourtie with family audiences, Birmingham Royal Ballet has performed Coppélia for many years with changes being made to the narrative in several new productions.

Last performed at the Birmingham Hippodrome in 2015, Peter Wright heads up the 2017 production with further choreography from Marius Petipa and Enrico Cecchetti.

CoppéliaBirmingham Royal Ballet 2017

Birmingham Royal Ballet brings its production of Coppélia to the Birmingham Hippodrome from 13th to 17th June. For direct gig info and online tickets sales, click here.

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For more on Birmingham Royal Ballet’s production of Coppélia, visit www.brb.org.uk/whats-on/event/coppélia

For more from Birmingham Royal Ballet, including full event listing and online ticket sales, visit www.brb.org.uk

For more from Birmingham Hippodrome, visit www.birminghamhippodrome.com

BREVIEW: Cinderella @ Hippodrome 15-25.02.15

BREVIEW: Cinderella @ Hippodrome 15-25.02.15

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Birmingham ReviewEd’s Note: Bethan is seven. She has been attending free weekly ballet lessons at Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) as part of their Dance Track programme, after being selected when a team from BRB came to her  school. BRB are keen to reach children ‘who often wouldn’t otherwise have an opportunity to participate in dance’ and to ‘introduce the young participants and their families to ballet and to incite an interest in the art form’.

For our BREVIEW of BRB’s Cinderella, a returning production that gathered some momentum on tour, I wanted this perspective. The following was written by Bethan and her mum, Jenny, without direction from either BRB or myself. Bethan probably has better grammar than I.

I want to thank both Bethan and Jenny for their contribution, as well as BRB for playing along with this approach.

Words by Bethan & Jenny 

Cinderella. We all know the story, and non better than my Disney-fanatic seven-year-old daughter. The magic, the romance, the happily ever after… all of which Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) most certainly delivered on, in their true to Disney style production.

BREVIEW: Cinderella @ Hippodrome 15-25.02.15Wednesday evenings, for Bethan and I, usually follow the standard homework, dinner, bath and bed routine. So imagine the excitement of a little girl, a little bit in love with ballet, getting ready to go to the opening night of one of her all time favourite love stories on stage. Bethan chose her best party dress and most sparkling jewellery to wear, and a glamorous bow for her hair. “I’ve got to look pretty mummy,” she told me, “it IS the opening night AND Prince Charming will be there.”

Upon our arrival at the Hippodrome we were greeted by a friendly chap from BRB. He shook my daughter’s hand, said he had heard all about her and that he couldn’t wait to read her review. He even invited her to another production.

BREVIEW: Cinderella @ Hippodrome 15-25.02.15As we made our way to our seats, Bethan’s excitement doubled. She saw The Nutcracker last year, another fantasy production from Birmingham Royal Ballet, but we were quite far away from the stage. When Bethan realised tonight we were only six rows back she was over the moon, “I’ll be able to see their faces!”

We took our seats, the lady next to Bethan helping with her booster seat, and as the hush fell across the theatre she gripped my hand with anticipation.

Well, Act One certainly didn’t disappoint. The dance, props and costumes all helped Bethan to understand exactly who each character was and what they were doing. She found humour in the performance of the ugly sisters, felt sad for cinders as she was tormented, and was in awe of the fearsome wicked stepmother.

BREVIEW: Cinderella @ Hippodrome 15-25.02.15As the story continued, the magical transformation of a dreary Cinderella clutching a pumpkin – along with two lizards, two mice and a frog – into a stunning coach and some handsome footmen, all added to the magic. Sadly this was a short-lived scene, and we both felt a little cheated out of the chance to enjoy it for a little longer before Act One was over.

The ballet dancers really came in to their own in Act Two, which was dedicated to the ball. Bethan has been learning ballet through the Dance Track programme with Birmingham Royal Ballet, after being selected from tryouts at her school, and was delighted to be able to recognise a few dance moves from her own lessons.

We both had a giggle at the clumsy dances of the two truly awful step sisters, trying to woo the Prince with their own unique charms (when not distracted by a waiter carrying a plate of cakes piled high) but to no effect. Of course, then the famous shoe was abandoned on the steps and, as the clock struck midnight, the curtain fell on Act Two.

Much of Act Three was dedicated to the Prince searching for his true love, running around the stage whilst being hotly perused by the many eligible maidens, and balancing on an ever increasing pile of shoes. When Cinderella and her Prince were finally reunited, the curtain fell as they wondered in to the BREVIEW: Cinderella @ Hippodrome 15-25.02.15moonlight, hand in hand, much to the delight of my seven year old theatre companion.

Although rather tired, Bethan had loved every second of her special night out at the ballet. She had engaged with the whole performance from start to finish, understanding the story and empathising with the leading lady. But with such incredible acting and dancing talent on the stage, alongside the clever costumes and set design, this could be an amazing experience for all ages in the audience.

For more from Birmingham Royal Ballet, visit www.brb.org.uk

For more on BRB’s Dance Track programme, visit www.brb.org.uk/up-close/dance-education/dance-track

For more from Birmingham Hippodrome, including a full prgramme of events and online ticket sales, visit www.birminghamhippodrome.com

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BPREVIEW: Cinderella @ Hippodrome 15-25.02.15

BPREVIEW: Cinderella @ Hippodrome 15-25.02.15

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Words by Ed King

Opening at the Birmingham Hippodrome on Wednesday 15th February, Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) presents David Brintley’s Cinderella – running until Saturday 25th February.Birm_Prev-logo-MAIN

Matinees will be held at 2pm and 2:30pm, with evening performances held at 7:30pm. There will be a Touch Tour (10:30am) and audio described performance (2:30pm) on Saturday 18th February.

Tickets for the main theatre seat (not boxes) range from £16-31 with concessions available. For direct information, including venue details and online sales, click here.

Cinderella is a classic fairy tale, one of the bedrocks of fantasy literature and moral narratives. It is a story so popular the name itself has become a description for romance, love and fortitude. Opening the day after Valentine’s Day, Birmingham Royal Ballet’s production of this timeless story could not be more pertinent.

In ‘a glorious celebration of ballet,’ choreographer and BRB Director, David Brintley, won the Critics’ Circle National Dance Award for Best Classical Choreography with his production of Cinderella – which premiered in November 2010. Returning to Birmingham for a ten day run, David Brintley’s Cinderella has received widespread praise from critics across the country.

With lighting by David A. Finn and set designs from John F, McFarlane, the world renowned creative, the Birmingham Hippodrome stage will be further transformed into a fairy tale land of ‘wonderful dance, spectacular scenery, and a cast of characters that include mice, lizards and even a dancing frog.’ The composer for David Brintley’s Cinderella will be Sergei Prokofiev.

David Brintley’s Cinderella – Birmingham Royal Ballet

A true family adventure from Birmingham Royal Ballet, David Brintley’s Cinderella comes to the Birmingham Hippodrome from Wednesday 15th to Saturday 25th February. For direct show information click here.

For more from Birmingham Royal Ballet, visit www.brb.org.uk

For more from Birmingham Hippodrome, including a full programme of events and online ticket sales, visit www.birminghamhippodrome.com

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