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AMATEUR REVIEWS A-Z Index of affiliate reviews Reviews listed by affiliates Blood Brothers - The Play, Dudley Little Theatre Blithe Spirit, The Nonentities, Kidderminster Hobson's Choice, Highbury Theatre Centre Sleuth, Hall Green Little Theatre Goodnight Mr Tom, Sutton Arts Theatre Shakers Re-stirred, Swan Theatre Amateur Company, Swan Theatre, Worcester. 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 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 Where is Mrs Christie? The Swan Theatre, Worcester A Judgement in Stone, Coventry Belgrade Tango Moderno, The New Alexandra Theatre Son of a Preacher Man, The New Alexandra Theatre Our House, Malvern Theatres Reasons to be Cheerful, Derby Theatre Reasons to be Cheerful, Coventry Belgrade The Whip Hand, Birmingham Rep Door Private Lives, Malvern Theatres Faithful Ruslan, Coventry Belgrade Jane Eyre, Birmingham Rep Guys and Dolls, Malvern Theatres Brassed Off, Wolverhampton Grand West Side Story, The New Alexandra Theatre The Tiger Who Came To Tea, Malvern Theatres The Railway Children, Malvern Theatres The Crucible, Malvern Theatres Landscapes, Birmingham Hippodrome Miss Saigon, Birmingham Hippodrome The Dreaming, Lichfield Garrick Titus Andronicus, RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon Wolfie and the Showgirl, Crescent Theatre, Birmingham Shirley Valentine, Malvern Theatres ARCHIVE Coming soon Cindrella had a ball at Villa PArk as Birmingham Hippodrome launched this year's panto spectacular. More Duet for one is a moving, emotive two hander at Birmingham Rep chronicling six painful visits to a psychiatrist by a world famous violinist struck don by MS. 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 HallPerforming Arts Archive 1 2 NEWS Calling all budding scriptwriters. A £1,000 cash prize is on offer for the winner of a scriptwriting competition with a shortlist performed at a red carpet event at Birmingham Rep. More Hall Green Little Theatre stalwart Jean Wilde opened in The Testament of Mary at the Edinburgh Fringe this month. More FEATURES Sampad, the prominent South Asian arts organisation, is already involved in Utsav 2017, the Year of South Asian Arts, and are now gearing up for Birmingham Weekender in September. More Wolverhampton Grand's first home grown production in 40 years, Brassed Off, opens this week and we have been talking to Jeffrey Holland. More 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 Contact roger_clarke@behindthearras.com

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	SOn of a Preacher Man, The New Alexandra Theatre: With a new musical you know little more about than a Press release, it is strange how the smallest things can set the mark - good or bad - for a whole production. Read on West Side Story, The New Alexandra Theatre: Stage Experience is one of the highlights of the theatrical year – a chance to see the stars of the future in a show brimming with youthful passion, talent and enthusiasm. Read on. Brassed Off, Wolverhampton Grand: In an era when plays are struggling to win audiences outside London, a drama with a hard hitting political message may seem a brave programming choice. Read on. Miss Saigon, Birmingham Hippodrome: Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil’s reworking of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly has rightly earned its place in the pantheon of musical theatre, one for any bucket list of shows to see before you die. Read on. 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.
	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
	Sampad, the prominent South Asian arts organisation, is already involved in Utsav 2017, the Year of South Asian Arts, and are now gearing up for Birmingham Weekender in September. More
	Calling all budding scriptwriters. A £1,000 cash prize is on offer for the winner of a scriptwriting competition with a shortlist performed at a red carpet event at Birmingham Rep. More
	Wolverhampton Grand's first home grown production in 40 years, Brassed Off, opens this week and we have been talking to Jeffrey Holland. More
	Hall Green Little Theatre stalwart Jean Wilde opens in The Testament of Mary at the Edinburgh Fringe this week More
	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
	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.
	For more information, comments or views about the site you can contact us on roger.clarke@behindthearras.com

SOn of a Preacher Man, The New Alexandra Theatre: With a new musical you know little more about than a Press release, it is strange how the smallest things can set the mark - good or bad - for a whole production. Read on

West Side Story, The New Alexandra Theatre: Stage Experience is one of the highlights of the theatrical year – a chance to see the stars of the future in a show brimming with youthful passion, talent and enthusiasm. Read on.

Miss Saigon, Birmingham Hippodrome: Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil’s reworking of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly has rightly earned its place in the pantheon of musical theatre, one for any bucket list of shows to see before you die. Read on.

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.