It's Still Panto Time with Dick Whittington at The Hippodrome - Oh Yes It Is!

 It's Still Panto Time with Dick Whittington

 at The Hippodrome - Oh Yes It Is!

Christmas may be over but It's Still Panto Time with Dick Whittington at The Hippodrome - Oh Yes It Is! Dick Whittington is still at The Hippodrome until Sunday 29th January so there's still time to catch this amazing show. I went along last week with my family to check it out and have to say it was a real spectacular treat. You'll all know how much I love the theatre but my kids don't join me for many shows as they're a tough duo to impress lately, being 15 and 12 years old, the world's a little less impressive to them. Dick Whittington won them over with it's naughty jokes, funny scenes and hilarious stand up comedy routines. I've not seen them laugh so much in ages, they both actually enjoyed themselves and had a fab time.

Birmingham Hippodrome's panto is truly paved with gold!

The very talented Marti Pellow returns to Birmingham as The Ratman in the ultimate pantomime adventure, Dick Whittington. Marti joins Birmingham panto legend Matt Slack, TV celebrity Dr Ranj and actress, singer and television personality Suzanne Shaw in this star studded, action packed adventure full of laughter, music and dance. 

The UK’s biggest regional panto will also see the return of Hippodrome favourites Doreen Tipton and Andrew Ryan. Featuring amazing sets and glamorous costumes from The London Palladium, spectacular special effects and plenty of audience participation, this is the perfect chance for audiences of all ages to come together and share the magic of live theatre.

Dick Whittington has everything you could possibly want from a Panto. It's a wonderful mixture of fun and laughter, music and dance, glitz and glamour and suspense and frights. There were two scenes for us that truly wowed us, one of which also truly terrified us too but I won't spoil that for you. I will say, don't be late, you won't want to miss the opening scenes.

Tickets are still available from just £16.50. I'd definitely recommend that you go and see it if you get a chance as it won't disappoint. You'll laugh the night away and love every minute, just like we did. It was so much fun, a real escape from our normal everyday lives.

Disclosure: We attended a press night showing but all opinions expressed are my own.

Dreamgirls - Live at the Alexandra Birmingham this Christmas.

 Dreamgirls - Live at the Alexandra 

Birmingham this Christmas.

Meet The Dreams – Effie, Lorrell and Deena – three talented young singers in the turbulent 1960s, a revolutionary time in American music history. Join the three friends as they embark upon a musical rollercoaster ride through a world of fame, fortune and the ruthless realities of show business, testing their friendships and relationships to the very limit. 

This beautiful story of love and sisterhood is sure to warm your heart. 

Direct from the West End with it's extraordinary story and unforgettable, spine tingling vocals, this spectacular musical production features the classic songs "And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going", "Listen" and "One Night Only". Every note is filled with pure emotion and heart.. 

From start to finish, you'll be singing along and having a wonderful time. I loved the dazzling dresses and wonderful showtime costumes, it was a real treat for my eyes. The whole cast are amazing but a special mention has to go out to the incredible Nicole Dennis who plays the iconic role of Effie White. Her credits include Dear Evan Hansen, Dreamgirls (West End production) and finalist on ITV’s The Voice in 2019 where she wowed viewers and judges singing And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going with team mentor Jennifer Hudson. When she closed the first act singing "And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going" the whole room was up on their feet clapping her. It was so emotional and just so wonderful to witness last night.

Dreamgirls is Live at the Alexandra, Birmingham this Christmas from Tuesday 6th December right up until Saturday 31st Dec 2022 so there's plenty of time to go and see it. Tickets are available from £13.00. The show runs for a total of 2 hours 40 minutes, including the interval. 

Dreamgirls is the perfect christmas treat for all the family to enjoy. 

Disclosure: I attended the press night showing but all opinions expressed are my own.

The Nativity - The Musical at the Birmingham Rep #Review

 The Nativity - The Musical at the Birmingham Rep

Every child in every school has one Christmas wish, to star in the Christmas Nativity, and at St Bernadette’s School they’re attempting to mount a spectacular musical version! The only trouble is, their teacher Mr Maddens has promised them all that a Hollywood producer is coming to see their show to turn it into a film. Join him, his hilarious teaching assistant, Mr Poppy, their children and a whole lot of sparkle and shine as they struggle to make everyone’s Christmas wish come true. The Nativity - The Musical is a pure Christmas delight that everyone needs to go see this Christmas. I took my family along to see it last night and we all had the most wonderful evening. There was smiles and laughter galore. 

Based on the film Nativity!, written and direct by Debbie Isitt and produced by Nick Jones. You'll be treated to all of your favourite sing along hits from the movies including Sparkle and Shine, Nazareth, One Night One Moment, She’s the Brightest Star and a whole host of new songs. I'm still singing Sparkle and Shine in my head right now, it's just so catchy. 

  

This show is a real spectacular, it's full of magic, glitter, music and laughter. It's the perfect show to get you in the Christmas spirit. The stage was filled with bright and beautiful characters. See how this Christmas love story unfolds and fall in love with them all just like I did. The children were amazing up on that stage last night, they really filled my heart with pride for each and every one of them. Their high energy, glowing smiles and wonderful costumes, were all delightful. Their parents must be so proud of them, I sure was.

The Nativity - The Musical is a real treat, I'd highly recommend you go see it if you can. 

Ticket prices start from just £19.50 and are still available from the website. The show's running times are 2 hours and 25 minutes including the interval. This show will keep you entertained from the very first moment, right up until the big show stopping finale.

It's a The Rep Theatre from Saturday 19th Nov 2022  until Saturday 7th Jan 2023

Disclosure: We attended the press night showing but all opinions expressed are my own.

Saturday Night Fever Live at The Alexandra, Birmingham #Review

 Saturday Night Fever Live at The Alexandra, Birmingham

Experience the best selling Bee Gees soundtrack live on stage in this spectacularly reimagined music and dance extravaganza as Saturday Night Fever comes to town. This spectacular show is live at The Alexandra, Birmingham this week until Saturday 26th November. Follow the story of Tony Manero as he embarks on a reckless yet thrilling road to dancing success. It’s a homage to the 1977 John Travolta classic with more drama, more music, and hot new choreography which is sure to have you dancing all the way home.

Featuring songs from the bestselling movie soundtrack of all time, including the Bee Gees’ Stayin’ Alive, How Deep Is Your Love, Night Fever, Tragedy and More Than a Woman, as well as 70s favourites Boogie Shoes, Disco Inferno and many more. It's a party every night of the week with Saturday Night Fever, and I had the most wonderful night watching it.

The cast were amazing, I really don't know where they get their energy from but they filled that stage last night and captured the hearts of every audience member in the room. The story was captivating and the dance moves were incredible. I felt myself dancing along throughout but looking around the room, I'm happy to say that I wasn't the only one.

The stage was set up so well, we were spoiled with with giant mirrors, colourful dance floors and sparkling disco balls too. The whole room was lit up with pretty lights, it was delightful and the music, well that was just incredible and it was all live too. The Bee Gees sang every song live accompanied by a live band, it was all so real and exciting.

I love a good musical but this was so much more than that. The music is fantastic but the dancing is just another level. I've not seen a show quite like this one before but I loved it and had the best night. I loved how adult this show was, it contains lots of adult themes and some very strong language but that suited me just fine. It's not one for kids under 14 though.

There was sexy moves galore with lots of hip thrusting and sexy strutting thrown in.

There's plenty of eye candy to enjoy so you're in for a real treat with this show.

Saturday Night Fever is a real dancing treat so if you're looking for a high energy, feel good, toe tapping night out this week, then this is one for you. There's still tickets available and prices start from just £13 so don't miss out, get yourself booked up today HERE. 

Disclosure: I attended the press night showing, but all opinions expressed are 100% my own.

Noughts & Crosses at The Alexandra Theatre Birmingham #Review

 Noughts & Crosses at The Alexandra 

Theatre Birmingham - Review

Pilot Theatre presents this gripping Romeo and Juliet story. Written by award winning writer Malorie Blackman and adapted by Sabrina Mahfouz, Noughts & Crosses is a captivating drama of love, revolution and what it means to grow up in a divided world. Sephy and Callum sit together on a beach. They are in love. It is forbidden. Sephy is a Cross and Callum is a Nought. Between Noughts and Crosses there are many racial and social divides. A segregated society teeters on a volatile knife edge and as violence breaks out, Sephy and Callum draw closer, but this is a romance that will lead them into terrible danger.

I had the pleasure of seeing this show for myself last night and have to say, it was amazing. My daughter had read the book in school and had warned me it was going to be emotional but seeing this adaptation live, it took emotional to a whole new level. The dramatic effects and simple use of lighting and sounds, really brought you into their world of chaos. 

This story of forbidden loves brings so much drama to the stage. The whole audience were gasping out loud and even cheering at one point. It was so lovely to see everyone getting involved. My daughter, who's 15, and I really enjoyed this show. It was so well put together and acted superbly. We would definitely recommend that you go see it this week. There's still tickets available for the show and it's in town all week until Saturday November 19th.

Noughts & Crosses is one not to be missed. I'd love to go watch it all again.

Disclosure: We attended the press night. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

The Shawshank Redemption at the Alexandra Theatre Birmingham #Review

  The Shawshank Redemption at the 

Alexandra Theatre Birmingham Review

Last night I went to see the Shawshank Redemption, the 1994 feature film that's been regularly voted Britain’s favourite ever movie, starred Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman and was nominated for seven Academy Awards. It was interesting to see how it was adapted from the big screen to the big stage. I don't remember the film much but I loved the stage play. 

Despite protests of his innocence, Andy Dufresne (Joe Absolom) is handed a double life sentence for the brutal murder of his wife and her lover. Incarcerated at the notorious Shawshank facility, he learns that no one can survive alone. Andy strikes up an unlikely friendship with the prison fixer Red ((Ben Onwukwe), and things take a slight turn for the better. However, when Warden Stammas decides to bully Andy into subservience and exploit his talents for accountancy, a desperate plan is quietly hatched. This fast paced story will have you sucked in right from the start. I loved the stage set and all the actors were just superb. It's a very adult themed show so it's not really suitable for children, it has a recommended age guidance of 12+ years which is needed. The strong adult scenes were quite emotional but done very tastefully. I found myself close to tears several times but full of joy throughout too. It's a very emotional story to get lost in and get lost in it, I did.

The drama is broken up with flashes of humour which helps to relax the mood in between the serious scenes. Without those light hearted moments, I would have been a blubbering mess. 

The Shawshank Redemption is Live at The Alexandra, Birmingham from Monday 7 Nov - Saturday 12 Nov 2022 and there are tickets still available if you'd like to go and see it for yourself. If you enjoyed the movie, you'll love the show. It's fantastic to see live.

Disclosure: I attended the press night. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

The Mousetrap at the Alexandra Theatre Birmingham #Review

 The Mousetrap at the Alexandra Theatre Birmingham

Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap is the world’s longest running play and it's here in Birmingham this week on it's 70th anniversary tour. This thrilling West End production is the genre defining murder mystery from the best selling novelist of all time… case closed!

As news spreads of a murder in London, a group of seven strangers find themselves snowed in at a remote countryside guesthouse. When a police sergeant arrives, the guests discover – to their horror – that a killer is in their midst! Which one is the murderer? 

Who will be their next victim? Can you solve this world famous mystery for yourself?

Starring Todd Carty (EastEnders and The Bill), John Altman (EastEnders) and Gwyneth Strong (Only Fools and Horses and EastEnders). It's a wonderful cast, everyone is amazing.

This stage show has so many twists and turns and so many laughs too. It's an, on the end of your seat, keepy you guessing right up until the reveal, kind of production, I loved it.

The stage setup was incredible, you really do feel like you're in that big country manner hotel in the midst of a raging snow storm. They set the scene perfectly and drew you into their world. I loved the mix of humour with dramatic moments, it was really entertaining.

It's in town this week, running from Mon 31 Oct - Sat 5 Nov 2022 and TICKETS are still available online. If you love a good murder mystery, then this show is perfect for you.

I have been sworn to secrecy about who done it so you'll have to see it for yourself.

Disclosure: I attended the press night showing. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.