Tag Archives: Alexandra Theatre Birmingham

Press Review: Here & Now – The Steps Musical at The Alexandra Theatre

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⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ A jubilant and nostalgic homage to one of Britain’s most beloved pop groups. Sensational!

Back in February I had the privilege of speaking with award-winning director Rachel Kavanaugh and writer Shaun Kitcherner about their new project: Here & Now, a brand new musical based on the songs of British pop band Steps. 

At the time, the casting process hadn’t yet started, but right from the beginning they were both passionate about roles being made available for “all types of ordinary people of all ages, young people, older people of all shapes and sizes, all heritages, all gender identities.”

And almost nine months later, after seeing snippets of cast rehearsals and interviews, ticket sales that were so poplar that extra nights were added and glowing initial reviews of early performances, I was eager to see whether it would deliver.

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Press Review: Murder in the Dark at the Alexandra Theatre

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⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

What happens when the lights go out?

From the acclaimed writer Torben Betts and directed by Philip Franks, this psychological thriller brings a seemingly endless twists and turns throughout, with plenty of jump-out-of-your-seat moments, interspersed with an unexpected sprinkling of wit.

Similarly to The Mousetrap, it is requested that the audience ‘spread the word but not the spoilers’ once the twists have been revealed, so there is less to say than I would perhaps like, particularly because I thoroughly enjoyed it!

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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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Press Review: Death Drop: Back in The Habit

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⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Unapologetically and deliciously camp with riotous laughs and razor-sharp wit!

Following three sold-out West End runs and a smash hit UK tour, Death Drop is back in an all new mystery!

The Sound of Music meets Scary Movie in this jam-packed, riotous comedy. Death Drop is the hilarious thriller which pays homage to all your favourite horror films – from IT to Scream and everything in-between.

After the glowing success of the original play (read the full review here), the team behind Death Drop return to Birmingham’s Alexandra Theatre where the audience has been invited to pay a visit to the holy Convent of St. Babs…

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Press Review: The King and I at The Alexandra Theatre

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Directed by Bartlett Sher and billed as starring Helen George in the role of Anna, the critically acclaimed Lincoln Center Theatre production of the Rogers and Hammerstein musical arrived on stage at The Alexandra Theatre as part of its major 2023 UK tour. 

Set in 1860’s Bangkok, The King and I tells the story of the rather unconventional and tempestuous relationship between King Mongkut of Siam (now known as Thailand) and Anna, a strong-willed British widowed schoolteacher who is employed by the King to tutor his many children, highlighting the battle between male and female, Western ideals and Eastern traditions. The show features an instantly recognisable score with songs including Getting to Know You, Shall We Dance and Whistle a Happy Tune.

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Press Review: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel at The Alexandra Theatre

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Based on Deborah Moggach’s novel These Foolish Things which inspired the hit 2011 movie, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel arrived at The Alexandra Theatre this week. 

With an all-star cast including Hayley Mills (yes, THE Hayley Mills), Paul Nicholas, Rula Lenska (I was genuinely star-struck), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel tells the story of an eclectic group of British retirees who travel to India in an attempt to embark on a new life. Their hotel, owned by the formidable Mrs Kapoor (Reka John-Cheriyan) and her son, Sonny (Nishad More) is far from the opulence that was promised, falling into an ever-increasing state of disrepair as the retirees try to adjust to the cultural differences around them. 

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Press Review: Dreamgirls at The Alexandra Theatre

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⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Finally arriving on stage two years after their 2020 performance was cancelled, Dreamgirls has hit the stage at the Alexandra Theatre for their Christmas run, and it was worth the wait.  

I was lucky enough to experience a press preview of some of the main cast a little while ago and expectations were high, but nothing quite prepared me for the glitz and glamour that unfolded on stage. 

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Christmas at the Alexandra Theatre Press Preview and Interview: Dreamgirls

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A little while ago I was given the incredible opportunity to see a preview of the Christmas show at The Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham: Dreamgirls. 

Dreamgirls tells the story of Effie, Lorrell and Deena – three talented young singers in the turbulent 1960s and 1970s, a revolutionary time in American music history. We follow the journey of 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 to the very limit.

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Press Review: Noughts & Crosses at The Alexandra Theatre

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⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Gripping and thought-provoking

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 racial and social divides. A segregated society teeters on a volatile knife edge. As violence breaks out, Sephy and Callum draw closer, but this is a romance that will lead them into terrible danger…

Based on the first book in Malorie Blackman’s Noughts & Crosses series, directed by Esther Richardson and adapted by Sabrina Mahfouz, Noughts & Crosses offers a love story (very loosely based on Romeo & Juliet) set in an reimagined society. The Crosses – all people of colour – hold the power, while the Noughts – the white population – are at the mercy of the discriminatory rules and restrictions placed upon them. Sephy (Effie Ansah), a Cross, is the daughter of the Home Secretary Kamal Hadley (Chris Jack) and lives a life of privilege.  Her childhood friend Callum, a Nought, has won a place at her prestigious school for Crosses, causing a violent series of protests and backlash. Their developing romance is strictly forbidden, and both sides face huge barriers and prejudice while trying to simultaneously be together while finding their own paths. 

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Press Review: The Shawshank Redemption at The Alexandra Theatre

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⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ A powerful piece of theatre

Based on Stephen King’s 1982 novella Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption (which was also the inspiration for the smash-hit 1994 movie starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman), The Shawshank Redemption has been adapted for a theatre audience in a 2022 UK tour. 

Presented by Bill Kenwright, directed by David Esbjornson and adapted from the novella by Owen O’Neill and Dave Johns, The Shawshank Redemption tells the story of Andy Dufresne (Joe Absolom), who is wrongfully convicted of the murder of his wife and her lover and is sent to the notorious Shawshank facility to start his double life sentence. As he deals with the harsh brutality and cruelty of prison life, he strikes up an unlikely friendship with the prison fixer Ellis ‘Red’ Redding (Ben Onwukwe). However, when his talents for accountancy are discovered by Warden Stammas (Mark Heenahan), he realises a desperate plan to escape is needed… 

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