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AMATEUR REVIEWS A-Z Index of affiliate reviews Reviews listed by affiliates Requiem for Ground Zero, Stage2, Crescent Theatre Old King Cole, Hall Green Little Theatre Touch and Go, Grange Players, Grange Playhouse, Walsall. Lillies on the Land, Highbury Theatre Centre Duet for One, Swan Theatre Amateur Company Hello Dolly, Sutton Arts Theatre Agatha Crusty and the Village Hall Murders, Hall Green Little Theatre One Man, Two Guvnors, The Nonentities. Ladies in Lavender,Hall Green Little Theatre Heroes, Grange Players, The Grange Playhouse The Cherry Orchard, The Talisman, Kenilworth Bedroom Farce Dudley Little Theatre, Netherton Arts Centre The Woman in White, The Nonentities, Rose Theatre, Kidderminster Anyone for breakfast, Sutton Arts Theatre Dangerous Corner, The Highbury Players, Highbury Theatre Centre, Blue Remembered Hills, Swan Theatre Amateur Company South Pacific, Manor Musical Theatre Company, Sutton Coldfield Town Hall Teechers, Stage2, The Crescent Theatre God of Carnage, The Nonentities, Rose Theatre, Kidderminster Lady Windermere's Fan, Hall Green Little Theatre Made in Dagenham, Sutton Coldfield Musical Theatre Company. Ladies in Lavender, Grange Players, Grange Playhouse A trick to catch the old one, Edward's Boys Directory of leading amateur companies. If you want details about becoming an affiliate contact Sue Clarke. sue.clarke@behindthearras.com Other reviews Jack and the Beanstalk, Aldridge Youth Theatre The Addams Family, Brownhills Musical Theatre Company Cats. WBOS Youtheatre NEWS Sutton Arts are holding open auditions for Hello Dolly! which opens in June, 2017. Moorpool Players bring the curtain down on 39 years of plays in Harborne The girl who cain't say no says yes for real at Manor Musical Theatre Company. ARCHIVE Past reviews The Late John Slim's FINAL THOUGHTS SMALL THOUGHTS			THEATRE REVIEWS Reviews by title Reviews by theatre (If a review is not found try Other reviews) LATEST Shirley Valentine, Malvern Theatres Funny Girl, Wolverhampton Grand Room On The Broom, Coventry Belgrade The Scarecrow's Wedding, Malvern Theatres The Red Shoes, Birmingham Hippodrome The Play That Goes Wrong, Malvern Theatres Twelfth Night, Wolverhampton Grand Charley's Aunt, Worcester Rep, The Commandery, Worcester. Our man in Havana, Malvern Theatres Romeo and Juliet, Wolverhampton Grand Summer Variations, Elmhurst Ballet School BE Festival, Birmingham Rep BE Festival, Birmingham Rep The Mikado, Malvern Theatres The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Birmingham Hippodrome Der Rosenkavalier, Birmingham Hippodrome Emma, Malvern Theatres Fanny - A New Musichall, Lichfield Garrick Die Fledermaus, Welsh National Opera, Birmingham Hippodrome La Cage Aux Folles, Wolverhampton Grand Madam Butterfly, Welsh National Opera, Birmingham Hippodrome Our Man In Havana, Lichfield Garrick Romeo and Juliet, Coventry Belgrade Jasper Carrott Stand Up and Rock, Malvern Theatres All Or Nothing, Wolverhampton Grand Three Short Ballets, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Birmingham Hippodrome Strictly Murder, Malvern Theatres The Play That Goes Wrong, Birmingham Rep Salomé, RSC, Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon Footloose, Coventry Belgrade The Graduate, Malvern Theatres Stadium, Birmingham Rep Coppélia, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Birmingham Hippodrome. Shirley Valentine, Coventry Belgrade I am here, Shop Front Theatre, Coventry The Addams Family, The Birmingham Hippodrome Reigen,Oxford Playhouse Running Wild, Wolverhampton Grand The Crucible, The New Alexandra Theatre Waiting for God, Malvern Theatres We're Going on a Bear Hunt, Coventry Belgrade Dirty Dancing, The New Alexandra Theatre Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Wolverhampton Grand ARCHIVE Coming soon Stage2 are reprising Steven Berkoff's Requiem for Ground Zero, which paid homage to the victims of 9/11 in 2001. It was planned a year ago but with recent attacks in Manchester and London, the performance is a homage to all victims. More Birmingham Hippodrome season launch saw producers and directors form forthcoming shows plus Tom Chambers talking about the start of his career and Welsh National Opera’s Natalya Romaniw singing one fine day. More Performing arts Sutton Park rang to the sound of choirs and classical music with a concert in the Park from the CBSO followed by a family fun day, all organised by the Royal Borough of Sutton Coldfield Town Council. More Yeoman of the Guard, CBSO, Symphony Hall Cole Porter: Let's do it, CBSSO, Symphony Hall John Williams at the Oscars, CBSO, Symphony Hall Performing Arts Archive 1 2 NEWS The CBSO will bring the classics to Sutton Park on Juy 1 with a concert in the park. Birmingham Royal Ballet's pro-am version of Cinderella has its world premiere at Birmingham Hippodrome More. Heaven Eyes brought to life at The Old Rep FEATURES Stage2's adaptations of Claire Dowie monologues into ensemble pieces has seen Bloomsbury publish four of the plays with the expanded scripts aimed at schools and youth theatres. More BRB's The Nutcracker opened at Birmingham Hippodrome in front of it's creator, Sir Peter Wright, celebrating his 90th birthday. More Contact roger_clarke@behindthearras.com

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	Funny Girl, Wolverhampton Grand: Natasha J Barnes. Make a note of the name. Musical theatre has a new star that lights up the stage like a beacon! Read on. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Birmingham Hippodrome: There are rare productions that come along and challenge our perception of theatre; West Side Story, for example, changed the way we think of musicals, the National Theatre’s War Horse transported puppets from niche and children’ theatre to mainstream drama. Read on. Madam Butterfly, WNO, Birmingham Hippodrome: This production might be 39 years old but it is still as fresh as the cherry blossom of Nagasaki in springtime which says much for the original staging by its celebrated director, the late Joachim Herz. Read on Duet for One, Swan Theatre: Every so often along comes a production that reminds you why you spend so much of your time reviewing theatre – a production it is a privilege and a sheer joy to watch. Read on. Hello Dolly, Sutton Arts Theatre: If ever you wanted a definition of madness then producing a big-cast, Broadway musical at Sutton Arts Theatre is a good start. Read on. The Addams Family, Birmingham Hippodrome: As dysfunctional, fictional families go, the Addams clan must be one of THE most famous, especially to inhabitants of the underworld! Read on. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Wolverhampton Grand: Northern Ballet, under artistic director David Nixon, must be one of the most inventive and certainly bravest ballet companies around. Read on. La Cage Aux Folles, Birmingham Hippodrome: John Partridge is going to have to go some in the rest of his career to top his performance as Albin. He is simply magnificent. Read on. The Hypocrite, RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon: This is a corker of a show from the RSC. Three laughs a minute. The audience was in paroxysms of laughter. I giggled till my sides split. Read on. Antony & Cleopatra, RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon: From the eye-catching oriental dance at the outset, one could sense that director Iqbal Khan’s new Antony and Cleopatra for the RSC – part of their Roman Season (Julius Caesar, Antony, Titus Andronicus) was going to be something special. Read on.
	A CHANCE to help the Arras without it costing a penny More
		Actor Samuel West makes a heartfelt plea to save funding for theatres - More
	News and features
	Stage2's adaptations of Claire Dowie monologues into ensemble pieces has seen Bloomsbury publish four of the plays with the expanded scripts aimed at schools and youth theatres. More
	Birmingham Hippodrome season launch saw producers and directors form forthcoming shows plus Tom Chambers talking about the start of his career and Welsh National Opera’s Natalya Romaniw singing one fine day. More
	The RSC's Queen Anne, given five stars at Stratford will run at The Theatre Royal, Haymarket in the West End for the summer opening on 30 June and closing on 30 September. Theatre Royal Haymarket or Seatplan
	Billy Elliot - The Musical, based on the hit film, is on its first national tour and continues at Birmingham Hippodrome this month. More
	Birmingham Royal Ballet's pro-am version of Cinderella had a successful world premiere at Birmingham Hippodrome More.
	BTA Awards, 2016. Behind the Arras reviewers Roger Clarke, Roderic Dunnett, Alison Brinkworth, Jeff Grant and Gary Longden look back on the highlights of 2016.
	Wolverhampton Grand panto stars Lisa Riley, Ian Adams and Doreen Tipton, talk about Aladdin. More.
	BRB's The Nutcracker has become the herald of Christmas and opened at Birmingham Hippodrome in front of it's creator, Sir Peter Wright, celebrating his 90th birthday. More
	Kara Tointon, star of Strictly Come Dancing, Mr Selfridge and the West End, talks to Roger Clarke at The New Alexandra Theatre about her role in the new tour of Gaslight. More.
	Birmingham Hippodrome: The dates for the eagerly awaited first UK tour of Billy Elliot have been announced and the smash hit show will arrive in March 2017. More
	Birmingham Royal Ballet: Doug Nicholson is a man with a mission - to sell BRB around the world. Read on
	For more information, comments or views about the site you can contact us on roger.clarke@behindthearras.com

Funny Girl, Wolverhampton Grand: Natasha J Barnes. Make a note of the name. Musical theatre has a new star that lights up the stage like a beacon! Read on.

Madam Butterfly, WNO, Birmingham Hippodrome: This production might be 39 years old but it is still as fresh as the cherry blossom of Nagasaki in springtime which says much for the original staging by its celebrated director, the late Joachim Herz. Read on

Duet for One, Swan Theatre: Every so often along comes a production that reminds you why you spend so much of your time reviewing theatre – a production it is a privilege and a sheer joy to watch. Read on.

Hello Dolly, Sutton Arts Theatre: If ever you wanted a definition of madness then producing a big-cast, Broadway musical at Sutton Arts Theatre is a good start. Read on.

The Addams Family, Birmingham Hippodrome: As dysfunctional, fictional families go, the Addams clan must be one of THE most famous, especially to inhabitants of the underworld! Read on.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Wolverhampton Grand: Northern Ballet, under artistic director David Nixon, must be one of the most inventive and certainly bravest ballet companies around. Read on.

La Cage Aux Folles, Birmingham Hippodrome: John Partridge is going to have to go some in the rest of his career to top his performance as Albin. He is simply magnificent. Read on.

The Hypocrite, RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon: This is a corker of a show from the RSC. Three laughs a minute. The audience was in paroxysms of laughter. I giggled till my sides split. Read on.

Antony & Cleopatra, RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon: From the eye-catching oriental dance at the outset, one could sense that director Iqbal Khan’s new Antony and Cleopatra for the RSC – part of their Roman Season (Julius Caesar, Antony, Titus Andronicus) was going to be something special. Read on.