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Pinocchio is Super Charming At The Old Rep
The Old Rep officially launched its seasonal offering yesterday, with the press afternoon for Pinocchio. Each year the Old Rep tries to offer something a little bit different from the traditional pantomime fair, that will enchant audiences both old and young, and this year is no different. Judging by the audience reactions, and the faces of my son (almost 10) and niece (5), they have another massive hit on their hands. I love that they have chosen Pinocchio, a classic story that has been sadly neglected in recent years, you don’t even seem to see the Disney version that often now. The story of the kind and lonely toymaker Geppetto,…
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Benidorm Live launched In Birmingham
Last week saw the launch of Benidorm Live, the stage spin off from the successful TV comedy that will be arriving at The Alexandra Theatre next month. Writer Derren Litten, and stars Tony Maudsley, Jake Canuso, Janine Duvitsi, Sherrie Hewson, Adam Gillem and Shelley Longsworth were at The Alexandra to talk a little about the new show and the opportunity to recreate their TV roles on stage. The cast took part in a rather raucous and hilarious Q&A session where Derren revealed that he had finally been persuaded to transfer the show to the stage because it would be in smaller theatres, and therefore more intimate, rather than as a…
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Wolves Grand Panto – Meet Richard Cadell And Sooty!
My next interview in a series working up to the opening of this years Wolverhampton Grand panto is with Richard Cadell and Sooty! Richard and Sooty are returning to The Grand 15 years after they were last there and are looking forward to being part of Sleeping Beauty. I caught up with Richard in the glorious surroundings of the Mount Hotel and found out all about life with TVs most famous bear. Fashion-Mommy: Tell me about your role in Sleeping Beauty. Richard Cadell: Muddles the jester is the comic, the stupid character who gets everything wrong. He;s a court jester, a sort of Buttons character. Of course I also have…
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The Lovely Bones Haunts At The Rep Birmingham
From its shocking opening scene, which brutally depicts the rape and murder of a 14 year old girl, you know that The Lovely Bones is going to be like no other piece of theatre you have ever seen. Based on the best selling novel by Alice Sebold, the central (dead) protagonist of The Lovely Bones, Susie Salmon (like the fish) is one of the most memorable, tragic and yet still spirited characters in modern literature, and, on stage at the Rep Birmingham, she is brought to life with verve and panache by Charlotte Beaumont. The Lovely Bones is set in 1973, a time before mobile phones and the internet, when…
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Some Mothers Do Ave Em – Hilarious Fun
Frank Spencer was one of the the most beloved characters from 1970s television, a time often called the golden age of British comedy. A hapless innocent, almost a man child, Frank seemed to be followed by mayhem, disaster and destruction, and this recipe for disaster made Some Mothers Do Ave Em a bonafide smash hit that had TV audiences laughing out loud. Now it has been transformed into a stage production with Joe Pasquale taking on the Frank role made famous by Michael Crawford. It opened at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre last night, and once again has the audience laughing out loud. Frank Spencer is a walking disaster area. Married…
