Birmingham
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The Alice Boutique invites you down the rabbit hole
It is no exaggeration to say that Alice in Wonderland is having a bit of a moment. Alice Liddle, the little girl who was Alice, is profiled in this month’s Vogue, whilst the V&A museum of childhood will be hosting an exhibition next month entitled ‘The Alice look’ which will examine how Alice has been portrayed over the years. Even the Royal Mail is getting in on the Alice act with a commemorative set of stamps. In Birmingham, last week saw the launch of a stunning new collection of ceramics and stationary from the wonderful Alice Boutique, a launch that invited selected bloggers to take a trip down the rabbit…
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Breakfast At The Ivy Birmingham
There are some invites that you say yes to. There are some that you politely refuse. And there are some that you receive, scream, and jump up and down shouting yes, yes, yes over and over again. An invitation to breakfast at newly opened The Ivy restaurant in Birmingham is just one of those invites. And that is where a beautiful Saturday morning took me last week. The Ivy is one of London’s most iconic and stylish restaurants, and its Birmingham incarnation is destined to be the same. It opened last week in the former Louis Vuitton building on Temple Row and is definitely the new place to see and…
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The Rat Pack – The Sands Hotel 1960 Comes To Birmingham
If I could choose a time to go back to, the Las Vegas 1960 would be where I would head. The Rat Pack were in town to film Oceans 11, and Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr and Dean Martin were playing to packed houses at the Sands Hotel. Their blend of unforgettable songs, dance and chat, complete with a bar on stage, was the show to see, and the front row was often packed with the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Kim Novak and Lauren Bacall. It was the height of glamour, and is brought to life in wonderful style by The Rat Pack show that is currently showing at Birmingham’s…
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Evita at 40 – Still Sublime.
The iconic musical Evita came back to Birmingham last night, and showed why it is still a ,musical by which all others are measured. The Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice masterpiece is 40 this year, but the story of Eva Peron is still pertinent, and fresh in its telling, and with those instantly recognisable songs, and perfect lead performances, it remains one of the most astonishing pieces of musical theatre of our time. Eva Duarte is poor, but is not without ambition, and sees the singer Malgadi as a way to get to Buenos Aires. Once there, she makes her way as an actress, finding both fame and notoriety amongst the cream…
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Strangers On A Train – Satisfying Chilling
Two strangers meet by chance on a train heading to the West Coast. One man, Charles Bruno, is charming, funny and gregarious, the other, Guy Haines, is more guarded and private. But through a haze of alcohol, they pass the train journey talking, eventually getting to discussing the bane of their lives, that is, Charlie’s father and Guy’s estranged wife. Charlie hits on an idea, if they killed each other’s problems, there would be no way to link it back to them. They clink glasses in agreement, a pipe dream that would solve all their problems, but is just a fantasy. But, unknown to Guy, Charlie is a sociapath who…
