Based on the novel by Melvyn Bragg and brought to vibrant life by Howard Goodall as an award-winning musical, The Hired Man has superb provenance. Add in Tim Ford’s inspired directing, Angharad Sanders’ musical direction and John Brooking’s superb designs and you have a sure-fire hit on your hands.
I have to declare an interest here as the author of this marvellous new piece starred in one of my own plays, but his own claims to fame are not only being an excellent actor and festival organiser, but writer as well.
The latest Lichfield Players’ production has that rarest of all qualities, charm, and not only that, it has it in absolute bucketfuls.
The Royal Ballet School’s Gala opened with a bang proving that thanks to Royal Ballet School Elmhurst the Midlands is home to a powerhouse of dance training young people to the highest level of excellence in this exacting medium.
This benchmark production by Elle Knight’s legendary Intimate Theatre is the most exactly judged I have seen this year, its deeply felt emotions flickering like summer lightning flashing just under the horizon via a hand-picked cast unveiling performances of seldom-seen perfection.
I love the famous Doris Day film of Calamity Jane so I jumped at the chance to see Birmingham’s own musical theatre company’s staging of this classic tale.
BalletBoyz have caught the interest of dance lovers up and down the country with a vibrantly all-male ensemble and Lichfield was no exception with a packed main house for their excitingly contemporary show.
This year’s brilliantly wide-ranging Birmingham Dance Festival has zipped by in a headlong rush filled with inspired programming that’s brought a heady mix of dance styles from right around the world to the Midlands, with the overall emphasis quite rightly on the new.
Vienna Festival Ballet’s regular visits have been among the real highlights of the last few years for Lichfield theatregoers and I for one have become a huge fan.
This year’s International Dance Festival Birmingham has been a revelation, full of fascinating, shocking, moving, beautiful and inventive theatre.
One of the best things about festivals is getting the chance to see new stuff completely outside your experience and Cloud Dance Theatre of Taiwan fits this description perfectly.
I’m always up for new theatre so when invited to see Eurotrashed, a group of new plays by Birmingham based writers’ group BOLDtext, I jumped at the chance.
