REVIEW: Waitress – An utterly charming production, & a rom-com with a difference

Wendy Mae Brown ‘Becky’, Chelsea Halfpenny ‘Jenna’ and Evelyn Hoskins ‘Dawn’. Photo Johan Persson Venue: Birmingham Hippodrome Performance Date: 17 May 2022 Reviewer: Alex Birch Star Rating: ★★★★★ Based on Adrienne Shelly’s 2007 indie film of the same name, Waitress is a rom-com musical about an underappreciated pie chef, Jenna (Chelsea Halfpenny), who spends her days […]

REVIEW – Cluedo:  A barmy night of murder mystery high jinks

Cluedo Production Image – 2022 UK Tour Credit Craig Sugden Venue: The Alexandra, Birmingham Performance Date: 03 May 2022 Reviewer: Alex Birch Star Rating: ★★★★ Debuting last month at Bath’s Theatre Royal, Cluedo is a new offering from Mark Bell, the director of The Play That Goes Wrong. This week, it’s playing at Birmingham’s beloved Alexandra Theatre until Saturday. […]

REVIEW: Footloose – it’s got the motor but still needs the key…

Oonagh Cox (Rusty), Jake Quickenden (Willard) and Lucy Munden (Ariel) in Footloose (Image: Mark Senior) Venue: The Alexandra Birmingham Performance Date: 19 April 2022 Reviewer: Ely King Star Rating: ★★★1/2 Everybody knows the iconic song Footloose, the title track of the 1984 film of the same name starring Lori Singer and a youthful Kevin Bacon. There […]

REVIEW: Fatal Attraction – A tempting, thought-provoking thriller

Oliver Farnworth and Susie Amy in Fatal Attraction Tour Credit: Tristram Kenton Venue: Aylesbury Waterside Theatre Performance Date: 05 April 2022 Reviewer: Jo Neville Star Rating: ★★★1/2 When Fatal Attraction opened in 1987 it soon became the film everyone was talking about.  The psychological thriller terrified cinema audiences earned multiple Oscar nominations, and took more than […]

REVIEW: Dreamboats and Petticoats: Bringing on Back the Good Times!

Venue: The Alexandra, Birmingham Performance Date: 21 March 2022 Reviewer: Alex Birch Star Rating: ★★★ Jukebox musical Dreamboats and Petticoats is set in mid-sixties Essex and is unapologetic about being targeted at the baby boomer demographic. Featuring beehive hairdos, live singing, and energetic dance numbers aplenty, it’s a trip down nostalgia road for mature audiences. The production is the […]

REVIEW: Fatal Attraction – the iconic movie is given a new lease of life

Oliver Farnworth as Dan and Kim Marsh as Alex in Fatal Attraction Tour Credit: Tristram Kenton Venue: The Alexandra, Birmingham Performance Date: 01 March 2022 Reviewer: Alex Birch Star Rating: ★★★★ Whatever your views on the 1987 erotic thriller Fatal Attraction, it certainly made a lasting impact on our culture. Starring Michael Douglas as Dan, a […]

REVIEW: School of Rock – a commitment to excellence that shines throughout

The cast of School of Rock UK Tour – Photo Paul Coltas Venue: The Alexandra, Birmingham Performance Date: 31 January 2022 Reviewer: Alex Birch Star Rating: ★★★★★ Remember School of Rock? In 2003, almost twenty years ago, the Hollywood comedy film helmed by a youthful Jack Black was an international box office hit. Family-friendly without being […]