Birmingham
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Reviewed – Dead Sheep at the Birmingham Rep
“Being savaged by Geoffrey Howe is like being savaged by a dead sheep.” – Denis Healey One of the greatest political stories of modern times is that of how the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher, was ultimately brought down by her most loyal acolyte, Geoffrey Howe. The man who had been described by playwright Jonathan Maitland as Thatcher’s ‘political soulmate’ became her Brutus, her assassin with a resignation address that opened the floodgates to the growing dissent that had already been rumbling in the Conservative government. ‘Dead Sheep’, which opened at the Birmingham Rep last night, looks into the intrigue, the key political characters of the time, and also the premise…
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Luc Belaire and Ben Eine Collaboration at Selfridges Birmingham
I love a good collaboration, and when it involves a cool street artist and a French premium wine brand, so much the better. Selfridges are currently, exclusively offering just this, with a collaboration between Luc Belaire and Ben Eine. Ben has designed a limited edition custom-made backpack as part of a Belaire gift set. Ben Eine is, without doubt, one of street-art’s most established names, and his work can be seen throughout London, where his giant, colourful letters and words adorn whole swathes of the city’s shop fronts and walls. He hit headlines when his piece ‘21st Century City’ was given as a gift by David Cameron to Barack Obama…
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Happy 1st Birthday Nosh & Quaff
Last week saw one of Birmingham’s most popular and unusual restaurants celebrate it’s 1st birthday. And, because this is the restaurant that saucily encourages its patrons with the suggestion ‘Let’s Get Messy’, Nosh & Quaff celebrated in some style, with Pornstar Bellinis, live entertainment and some fabulous new dishes. It was quite a night. Nosh & Quaff is a restaurant that I had not visited until last week, mainly because of its reputation as the best place to eat Lobster in Birmingham. As everyone I know seemed to have tried the said lobster – getting messy in the process, and as I hate lobster, I didn’t think this was the…
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Bravissimo Opens in Birmingham
Rejoice ladies of the Midlands who don’t conform to the average bra sizes, we now have a destination in Birmingham where we can find beautiful underwear in the most sumptuous of surroundings. Bravissimo has now opened on the revitalised Cannon Street, and offers a glorious range of underwear, sleepwear and clothing that takes all cup sizes into consideration. I went along a couple of days ago to check out the ranges, and the bra fitting service. The verdict? I wanted to buy the whole store! “Today, Bravissimo customers are able to ask themselves ‘which bra do I like’ rather than ‘what comes in my size’.” I love the Bravissimo philosophy…
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Sunny Afternoon – The Kinks Musical at the New Alex Theatre
The Summer of 1966 must have been the best time to be alive. London was swinging (apparently), England won the World Cup and it was all soundtracked by the stunning, iconic sounds of The Kinks, with Sunny Afternoon pouring out of radio’s everywhere. But, ‘Sunny Afternoon;, The Kinks musical written by frontman Ray Davies, shows that behind the brilliance of the songs, there was a band tortured by fame, mental illness and internal strife. This was all brought vividly to life in Birmingham, at the New Alex Theatre last night. Sunny Afternoon is the story of the early Kinks from Ray Davies side of the story. It shows the start…
