Entertainment News

Professor Julian Lloyd Webber will be hosting a showcase of music by Birmingham Conservatoire students at Artrix Arts Centre in Bromsgrove on Wednesday 29 March. The internationally renowned cellist, who is Principal at the Conservatoire, will introduce both the music and his hand-picked musicians in a unique programme of popular classics – from artists such as Chopin, Mozart, Schubert, Strauss and Tchaikovsky – played and sung by five of the Conservatoire’s finest students.

Multi-platinum-selling artist J. Cole has announced that he will hit the road for a 57-city world tour.  The “4 Your Eyez Only” Tour hits Birmingham’s Barclaycard Arena on 14 October. The North Carolina-bred Cole is touring in support of his fourth album, the Platinum-certified 4 Your Eyez Only, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart in December. Each of its ten tracks has notched a place on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

A Thai artist who mixes Western and traditional Eastern imagery has been selected to display his artwork as part of a UK exhibition recognising new talent. Thailand born Tuschara Kiewpukdee who graduated from Birmingham School of Art, part of the Birmingham City University, was one of 31 emerging artists in the West Midlands region chosen to display their work at art galleries and heritage sites.

To celebrate World Book Day’s 20th anniversary (2 March) vet charity PDSA has teamed up with award-winning children’s writer Hilary Robinson to launch its annual writing competition. The competition is open to budding young writers, aged 16 or under, and this year’s theme is Animal Heroes. This coincides with Hilary’s latest book Flo of the Somme, which tells the story of a heroic dog who worked in the WW1 battlefields, delivering medical supplies to injured soldiers.

University of Wolverhampton Applied Arts second year degree students are exhibiting a range of glass and ceramics artwork inspired by a visit to local National Trust property, Wightwick Manor. The FREE exhibition – Reflections of Wightwick – will be held at the White House Cone Museum in Stourbridge from Saturday 25^th February until Sunday 5^th March open at 10.00 am until 5.00 pm.

Walsall College Performing Arts students will be showcasing their talents to the public when they perform a National Theatre play entitled ‘FOMO’ in The Venue, the college’s unique theatre space. ‘FOMO’ is one of 10 brand new plays written especially for National Theatre’s youth festival, Connections, by a selection of the best playwriting talent in the UK.

The winner of 10 Tony and 5 Olivier Awards, Billy Elliot the Musical will be at Birmingham Hippodrome for the first time ever from Tue 7 Mar – Sat 29 Apr 2017. Seen by almost 11 million people worldwide,Billy Elliot the Musical is set in a northern mining town against the background of the 1984/85 miners’ strike and follows Billy’s journey from boxing to ballet class where he discovers a passion for dance that inspires his family and whole community and changes his life forever.

Imagine 20 pianists, TV star and impressionist Alistair McGowan and celebrated actor Simon Callow in an all-night musicfest, plus a pianist who cycles through the night across the UK, arrives at dawn and sits down to play…  Well now you don’t have to! For one night only (Friday 3 March at Town Hall Birmingham) Birmingham Conservatoire has put together a ‘Piano All-Nighter’ – a nocturnal ‘pianothon’ of featuring some of today’s greatest pianists, celebrity guests and musicians from its own ranks. 

Birmingham Repertory Theatre has announced that the world premiere of One Love: The Bob Marley Musical, set to run at The REP from March 10 – April 8, will be extended due to popular demand.  The show is now booking until April 15. Set across a dramatic period in the music legend's life, One Love: The Bob Marley Musical, written and directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah, tells the story of a man propelled from rising reggae star to global icon.

The highly anticipated Club Anthem by DNA Productions was released yesterday at 12 midday! This is the massive new single by singer songwriter Mark Dwayne who has also created a name for himself as party host DJ and performer for some of the top clubs in Britain. This new sound of House is creating a massive buzz on social media, Mark invited his Facebook friends to support the single at his dynamic video shoot and wow what a turn out!

More than 5,000 butterflies from around the world have been released into the tropical Butterfly House at Blenheim Palace. Head Gardener, Hilary Wood, helped release dozens of exotic species from South America, Africa, Australia and South Asia as well as a selection of native butterflies in time for the start of the February Half Term holidays. Alongside the live butterflies, staff also delivered around 180 pupae from Africa and the Philippines which have been placed in the Butterfly House's hatchery area where visitors can see them develop within their chrysalises before being released in to the main area.

Escape to the Wild, is a new three-part series on Channel 4 with presenter, Jimmy Doherty. In the second episode Jimmy travelled to the wilderness of Canada to meet former actress Louise and ex-office worker Neil, who swapped London for a log cabin in the Yukon. This would seem like the perfect place to get some peace and quiet. But with no electricity or running water, Jimmy soon learns the harsh realities of living so far off-grid as he helps the couple prepare for winter, hunting moose and grouse, and keeping up their wood supplies.

Happy Valentines Day to all of our readers, friends, advertisers and supporters!

Life-size versions of Roald Dahl’s most iconic creations have been hand-crafted from paper and cardboard as part of an exhibition celebrating 100 years since the writer’s birth. Students on Birmingham City University’s Design for Theatre, Performance and Events course have created the unique structures which features a cast of Dahl’s most well-known characters from Matilda and George to Augustus Gloop and Fantastic Mr Fox.

Birmingham Royal Ballet has searched across the Midlands to find the perfect fit for Cinderella’s jewelled slipper, in a production that brings to life the big ballet aspirations of young and old alike. Cinderella Dreams, which premieres on 20 February, is the culmination of a six month quest to inspire and develop dancers from across the region. The production adapts David Bintley’s classic choreography and Sergei Prokofiev’s lush score to create a new and vibrant version of Cinderella, showcasing emerging talent from ages eight to 76 working alongside dancers from Birmingham Royal Ballet.

Release just in time for Valentines, ‘Mahi NRI’ (My Beloved Non-Resident Indian), is already kicking up a storm; both here in the UK and further afield. Set ostensibly in Birmingham, the romantic comedy that follows the life of student, Sherry (Hardy Sandhu), who lands in the UK with very little experience of the British way of life. He’s in England to become an NRI (Non-Resident Indian) to please his girlfriend’s mother back in the Punjab who feels that a man from UK is the only suitable match for her daughter.