Press Review: Calendar Girls The Musical at The Alexandra Theatre

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Written by Gary Barlow and Tim Firth and directed by Jonathan O’Boyle, the newly reimagined musical adaptation of the 2003 smash-hit movie is back on tour for the first time since 2019, and the cast list alone is enough to spark excitement. 

Based on the now world-famous true events of a group of middle-aged women in Yorkshire, Calendar Girls The Musical follows the story of the members of the Knapley Women’s Institute. Annie (Tanya Franks), is devastated following the loss of her husband John (Colin R Campbell) to cancer. With her friend Chris (Amy Robbins), they hit on the idea of creating a nude calendar featuring members of the WI to raise money for a new sofa in the visitors lounge of the hospital where John received treatment. But can they get approval from the notoriously traditional Women’s Institute and will they be able to convince their fellow WI members Ruth (Maureen Nolan), Jessie (Lyn Paul), Celia (Marti Webb), Cora (Honeysuckle Weeks) and self-proclaimed leader Marie (Paula Tapenden) to participate?

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The Benefits of Being Productively Unproductive

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On Friday night I logged off and sank back into the couch. Last week wasn’t particularly bad, but it was certainly intense in the sheer volume of work that appeared on my daily lists. While everything got done I was left feeling mentally and physically exhausted. 

Additionally, my sleep patterns have been all over the place (thank you, peri-menopause), and this has resulted in lots of my working hours being conducted through what has felt like a hazy fog behind my eyeballs recently. 

Working for myself has a number of positives… in theory. I don’t have an awful daily commute, I can set my own hours, choose who I work with and I don’t have a micro-managing, passive-aggressive line manager to deal with (of which I have experienced many). While these are all things that I appreciate on a daily basis, I have found that as my client base has grown, an increasing level of fear has accompanied it… 

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The Universe Steps In… Again

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Isn’t it strange how, when you find yourself in a difficult situation, the universe seemingly steps in and shows you the direction in which you need to go?

I discussed recently about the challenges that The Bloke and I have faced this year, particularly with the death of various family members and my mum being ill. We’re both tired and a bit stressed, we both struggle with depression and anxiety on occasion and both of us have found ourselves getting through the day on autopilot when things have got really tough. 

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Press Review: Stage Experience – Bring It On

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Showcasing the very best in local young talent, the Alexandra’s annual Stage Experience is open to anyone aged 9-24 years old who have a passion for performance, wardrobe, stage management or behind-the-scenes technical skills. Over the last few weeks, young performers and technicians from all over the West Midlands have intensively rehearsed to bring their latest production to life. 

With music by Tom Kitt and Lin-Manuel Miranda, lyrics by Amanda Green and book by Jeff Whitty, Bring It On The Musical is very loosely based on the 2000 cheerleading film starring Kirsten Dunst.

Campbell Davis (Laura Bryan) achieves her goal of being named captain of the Truman High Cheerleading Squad, only to have her hopes dashed when she discovers that she has been redistricted to inner-city Jackson High School. 

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Time for a Change

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On 1st January 2023 The Bloke and I sat on an enormous couch in a suite in a nice hotel. We were surrounded by our favourite snacks and were watching a film while talking about our hopes and expectations for the coming year.

“It’s going to be amazing, I can feel it,” I remember saying, and at the time, I believed it. After the world shut down in 2020 things had plummeted, and 2021 had been tough, so had 2022. Surely 2023 couldn’t get any worse, could it?

As it turns out, yes it could. 

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My Father Died

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It’s taken me over a month to write this. I’ve been back and forth with myself, repeatedly drafting and deleting, hoping that the urge to write would fade… but it hasn’t. So today I decided to bite the proverbial bullet and post – albeit a much more concise, less angry version of my initial ramblings – but at least I’ve transferred my thoughts and sent it out into the universe. I may decide to delete it later, but we’ll see. 

My father passed away at the beginning of July. 

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Press Review: Wish You Were Dead at The Alexandra Theatre

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Following on from five hit stage shows and the new acclaimed ITV series ‘Grace’ the work of best-selling author Peter James returns to The Alexandra, Birmingham with the world premiere stage adaption of Wish You Were Dead.

Inspired by a strange holiday in France by author Peter James and his family, Wish You Were Dead tells the story of Detective Superintendent Roy Grace (George Rainsford) and his wife Cleo (Katie McGlynn), who arrive at a French Maison D’Hôtes in the rain for a much-needed holiday with their new baby. Accompanied by their nanny, Kaitlynn (Gemma Stroyan), things haven’t gone according to plan – Kaitlynn’s boyfriend (and Roy’s colleague) Jack (Alex Stedman) has yet to arrive, the hotel is run-down and nothing like what was advertised and the greeting received from Madame L’Eveque (Rebecca McKinnis) is far from welcoming. 

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Press Review: 9 to 5 The Musical (BMOS) at the Alexandra Theatre

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⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Hey, a girl can scheme, can’t she?

9 to 5 is back at The Alexandra Theatre this week, this time with the BMOS Musical Theatre Company – an amateur performing arts group with members of all ages from across the West Midlands.

Based on the 1980 film starring Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda and Dolly Parton, the show has an Oscar, Grammy and Tony award-nominated score by Dolly Parton herself, and a book by the iconic movie’s original screenwriter Patricia Resnick.

Set in the late 1970s, 9 to 5 tells the story of Doralee (Jo Smith), Violet (Michelle Worthington) and new employee Judy (Rachel Richards) – three female co-workers pushed to their limits by their sexist and egotistical boss Franklin Hart. After a hilarious turn of events, the women concoct a plan to kidnap and turn the tables on the despicable Hart, taking control on the company that has always kept them down.

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Press Review: STARS – An Afrofuturist Space Odyssey at The Old Rep Theatre

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A finalist for the George Devine Award 2022, STARS is a new play written by acclaimed playwright Mojisola Adebayo (winner of the Alfred Fagon Award 2021). Moving, joyous and uplifting, the show features a ‘tour de force’ performance by Debra Michaels and music mixed live on stage by Bradley Charles, weaving in exquisite animations by artist Candice Purwin and creative captioning throughout.

STARS is the story of Mrs, a woman in her eighties looking back on her life, her marriage and friendships, and all the pleasure she’s missed out on and looking forward to the possibility of reclaiming this – in outer space! The show takes its audience on a journey from ancient West African folklore, via a council flat in South London, to the stars.

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Press Review: The Ocean at the End of the Lane

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⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ A spectacle that needs to be seen!

From the imagination of Neil Gaiman, best-selling author of Coraline, Good Omens and The Sandman, comes the National Theatre’s major new stage adaptation of The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

Returning to his childhood home, a man finds himself beside the pond of the old Sussex farmhouse where he used to play. He’s transported to his 12th birthday when his remarkable friend Lettie claimed it wasn’t a pond, but an ocean – a place where everything is possible… Plunged into a magical world, their survival depends on their ability to reckon with ancient forces that threaten to destroy everything around them.

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