High Society, The Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham. High Society was a major hit musical film way back in 1956, starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, and Frank Sinatra (it was actually Kelly’s final film role before she became Princess Grace of Monaco). It was over 40 years later that it… Continue reading
Birmingham Fest 2026 is over and was as ever an absolute joy, with a wonderful range of shows and fantastic performances. It’s therefore been difficult to pick out some award winners but we’ve done it and here goes! *BEST SHOW – “TERMINAL 2” (PAYNE’S PLAYERS). *BEST PERFORMANCE –… Continue reading
The Karate Kid The Musical. The Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham. The Karate Kid is of course an extremely famous hit film from 1984 – a staple of 80’s culture. It spawned three initial sequels, a remake, a hugely popular TV spin off series (Cobra Kai), and a further sequel…. Continue reading
The Choir of Man. The Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham. What started out as a fringe show in Edinburgh has now played all over the world and is now a major tour. The Choir Man is set in the local pub (“The Jungle”) and we are welcomed there by the… Continue reading
Here’s your programme for Birmingham Fest 2026! You can see the full line up here. You can view and download the guide here: Bham Fest 26 brochure This can also be downloaded from our main website page. This year’s festival takes place between 17 July – 2 August (inclusive). We… Continue reading
The Rocky Horror Show. The Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham. It’s hard to believe The Rocky Horror Show is over 50 years old, and this UK tour shows it has no signs of slowing down – it’s still selling out and is still as fresh as it ever was. … Continue reading
We Will Rock You. The Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham. We Will Rock You is of course a jukebox musical. I’m not usually a fan of these but this is Queen – one of the biggest rock bands ever – so let’s put this to one side. Written by Ben… Continue reading
Annie. The Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham. The award-winning Broadway musical “Annie” opened in 1977 and has pretty much been running somewhere ever since. It was based on a 1924 comic strip, which was based on an 1885 poem. When you first hear “Annie” you immediately envisage a girl with… Continue reading
The Shawshank Redemption. The Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham. Of course best known as the widely-lauded 1994 movie The Shawshank Redemption the piece actually started out as a 1982 novella (then called Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption) written by Stephen King. The plot follows former banker Andy Dufresne (Joe McFadden)… Continue reading
Operation Mincemeat. The Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham. For those that don’t know, the “Operation Mincemeat” of the title was a secret mission during World War 2 by the British to overt invasion by the opposition. It was a very unusual plan – which I won’t go into for those… Continue reading
