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AMATEUR REVIEWS A-Z Index of affiliate reviews Reviews listed by affiliates Fame - The Musical, Sutton Arts Theatre, Sutton Coldfield Murder, Margaret and Me, Hall Green Little Theatre The Ladykillers, The Nonentities, The Rose Theatre, Kidderminster. Beryl, Highbury Theatre Centre Delivered Dozen, Grand Arena Youth Theatre, Wolverhampton Grand The Witches, Hall Green Little Theatre Funny Money, Grange Players, Bloxwich Library Theatre Neighbourhood Watch, The Nonentities, The Rose Theatre, Kidderminster Not Now Darling, Sutton Arts Theatre Kiss Me Kate, Manor Musical Theatre Company, Sutton Coldfield Town Hall Vita and Virginia, Swan Theatre Amateur Company, Worcester Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Stars, Stage2, Crescent Theatre Suddenly at Home, Highbury Theatre Centre Far from the madding crowd, Hall Green Little Theatre The Women in the Moon, King Edward VI School, Stratford-upon-Avon The Full Monty, Sutton Coldfield Musical Theatre Comant, Sutton Coldfield Town Hall. The Dresser, Mint Theatre Society Birdsong, Sutton Arts Theatre Lovesong, Highbury Theatre Centre Chime Hours, Hall Green Little Theatre Dangerous Obsession, The Nonentities, The Rose Theatre, Kidderminster. Neighbourhood Watch, Swan Theatre Amateur Company, Worcester No Sex Please, We're British, The Nonentities, The Rose Theatre, Nonentities. Hay Fever, Hall Green Little Theatre The Perfect Murder, Sutton Arts Theatre Boeing, Boeing, Highbury Theatre Centre Arsehammers-Adult child/Dead child Stage2, The Crescent Theatre Cinderella, Hall Green Little Theatre Cinderella, Sutton Arts Theatre The Lion in Winter, The Nonentities, Rose Theatre, Kidderminster A Christmas Carol, Mint Theatre Society, Stonnall Village Hall The Ballad of Lady Bessy, The Loft, Leamington Spa Call Me Dusty, Hall Green Little Theatre Aladdin, Birmingham Youth Theatre, The Old Rep 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 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 The Tempest CB (06-18) Coventry Belgrade Whisky Galore, Coventry Belgrade Woyzeck, Birmingham Rep Polarity & Proximity, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Birmingham Hippodrome Birdsong, The New Alexandra Theatre Romeo and Juliet, RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon Elements of Freestyle, BIDF, Birmingham Hippodrome. Macbeth, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon Beautiful - The Musical, Wolverhampton Grand The Case of the Frightened Lady, Coventry Belgrade Trying it on, Birmingham Rep Door Birdsong, Derby Theatre Rhondda Rips It Up! Welsh National Opera, mac, Birmingham. Michael Rosen's Chocolate Cake, Malvern Theatres and this is my friend Mr Laurel, Jeffrey Holland, Aldridge Youth Theatre 84 Charing Cross Road, Malvern Theatres A Grand Music Hall, Wolverhampton Grand Titanic- The Musical, Birmingham Hippodrome. Eugene Onegin, Malvern Theatres Atomos, The New Alexandra Theatre Mountains: The Dreams of Lily Kwok, Coventry Belgrade 84 Charing Cross Road, Wolverhampton Grand Stomp! Birmingham Hippodrome. The Leftovers, Coventry Belgrade B2 Our Country's Good, Birmingham Rep Shackleton's Cat, English Touring Opera, The Albany, Deptford. Legally Blonde - The Musical, The New Alexandra Theatre Art, Birmingham Hippodrome Sherlock Holmes: The Final Curtain, Malvern Theatres ARCHIVE Coming soon Sting's The Last Ship has its UK Premiere next month and came to The New Alexandra Theatre on 16 April. Watch the video of the launch here. Performing arts Yeoman of the Guard, CBSO, Symphony Hall Performing Arts Archive 1 2 NEWS Iain Mackay dances his farewell in his final performance with Birmingham Royal Ballet at Birmingham Symphony Hall More Grange Players in Walsall are in danger of folding unless they can raise £60,000 after their theatre, the Grange Playhouse was closed over health and safety concerns after a fire inspection. More FEATURES It's a touch of the Vorsprung durch techniks with Welsh National Opera's collaboration with Bonn's Oper der Stadt Bonn to create their Verdi Machine to be seen for the first time in La forza del destino at Birmingham Hippodrome. More. Sam Rabone talks to Gary Longden about his role as Widow Twankey in Aladdin at Lichfield Garrick More Contact roger_clarke@behindthearras.com

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	Macbeth, RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon: Polly Findlay’s RSC Macbeth took off fabulously on several counts: first, she cast the three witches as (roughly) 11 to 13 year old girls, memorably clad in quite garish pyjamas, electrifying in their speech and wondrously subtle in their moves and half moves. Read on. Trying it on, Birmingham Rep Door: So, what did happen to the children of the dawning of the age of Aquarius, the Sgt Pepper generation? The generation of long hair, Zapata moustaches, maxi-dresses, burnt bras and the flower power revolution. Read on. Titanic - The Musical, Birmingham Hippodrome: Titanic sails majestically across the wide ocean between musical and opera with not a mishap in sight. Read on. An Officer and a Gentleman - The Musical, Birmingham Hippodrome: This is really an officer, a gentleman and a jukebox – a combination which produces a classy musical based on the hit 1982 Richard Gere film, all sailing along with some cracking songs of the time. Read on. The Band, Birmingham Hippodrome: For Take That fans this is like manna from heaven, a theatrical pilgrimage; for anyone else it is a clever musical, full of heart, laughs, emotion and nostalgia. Everyone wins with this one. Read on. The Last Ship, The New Alexandra Theatre: Take a magnificent set, quality music, a fine cast and a solid heartfelt story well told and what’s not to like? Read on. The Fantastic Follies Of Mrs Rich Or The Beau Defeated, The Royal Shakespeare Company: The Commonwealth period under Oliver Cromwell brought Puritan values cruelly to the fore. It saw an appalling wastage of church paintings and stained glass, and not least, saw theatres lose the entitlement to present plays. Read On. Evita, Birmingham Hippodrome: It's more than 30 years since I first saw Evita, and I have seen it quite a few times over the years since then, but this is something else, on a different plane, by far and away the best Evita I have ever seen. Read on. Quartet, Birmingham Rep: The only really good thing about growing old is that it is better than the alternative – being guest of honour at the crematorium as retired baritone Wilfred puts it so succinctly in Ronald Harwood’s 1999 play Quartet. 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
	Welsh National Opera: It's a touch of the Vorsprung durch techniks with WNO's collaboration with Bonn's Oper der Stadt Bonn to create their Verdi Machine to be seen for the first time in La forza del destino at Birmingham Hippodrome. More.
	Iain Mackay dances his farewell in his final performance with Birmingham Royal Ballet at Birmingham Symphony Hall More
	Grange Players in Walsall are in danger of folding unless they can raise £60,000 after their theatre, the Grange Playhouse, was closed over health and safety concerns after a fire inspection. More
	BTA Awards 2017: Our reviewers have been looking back at their best productions of 2017 with Roger Clarke, Roderic Dunnett, Alison Brinkworth and Gary Longden
	Birmingham Hippodrome is running term time sessions with a hint of theatre for pre-school children More
	WNO at Birmingham Hippodrome: John Asquith has had the task of teaching the WNO cast and chorus to sing the Russian season in . . . Russian More
	Hall Green Little Theatre stalwart Jean Wilde opened in The Testament of Mary at the Edinburgh Fringe 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
	For more information, comments or views about the site you can contact us on roger.clarke@behindthearras.com

Trying it on, Birmingham Rep Door: So, what did happen to the children of the dawning of the age of Aquarius, the Sgt Pepper generation? The generation of long hair, Zapata moustaches, maxi-dresses, burnt bras and the flower power revolution. Read on.

Titanic - The Musical, Birmingham Hippodrome: Titanic sails majestically across the wide ocean between musical and opera with not a mishap in sight. Read on.

An Officer and a Gentleman - The Musical, Birmingham Hippodrome: This is really an officer, a gentleman and a jukebox – a combination which produces a classy musical based on the hit 1982 Richard Gere film, all sailing along with some cracking songs of the time. Read on.

The Band, Birmingham Hippodrome: For Take That fans this is like manna from heaven, a theatrical pilgrimage; for anyone else it is a clever musical, full of heart, laughs, emotion and nostalgia. Everyone wins with this one. Read on.

The Last Ship, The New Alexandra Theatre: Take a magnificent set, quality music, a fine cast and a solid heartfelt story well told and what’s not to like? Read on.

Evita, Birmingham Hippodrome: It's more than 30 years since I first saw Evita, and I have seen it quite a few times over the years since then, but this is something else, on a different plane, by far and away the best Evita I have ever seen. Read on.

Quartet, Birmingham Rep: The only really good thing about growing old is that it is better than the alternative – being guest of honour at the crematorium as retired baritone Wilfred puts it so succinctly in Ronald Harwood’s 1999 play Quartet. Read on.