Entertainment News

The Highways Festival made its unforgettable debut at the Royal Albert Hall, bringing together some of Country and Americana's brightest stars for an electrifying showcase of talent. Kip Moore, Morgan Wade, Jackson Dean, and Stephen Wilson Jr. delivered captivating performances in the auditorium that left the audience spellbound.

On 19 May 2023 – what would have been Comedy legend Victoria Wood’s 70th Birthday, Sean Foley, the double Olivier Award-winning Artistic Director of Birmingham Repertory Theatre announced the creation of the first ever major playwriting prize dedicated to the art of Comedy and the UK premiere of Bhangra Nation – A New Musical, part of a World Class season of plays at The Rep for 2023/4. 

The Victoria Wood Playwriting Prize For Comedy in partnership with The Victoria Wood Foundation is the brainchild of Sean Foley, who is renowned for writing and directing comedies.

Following the release of their 3rd mini album, My World, via Warner Records, today K-Pop girl group Aespa announced their first global tour, Aespa Live Tour 2023 ‘Synk : Hyper Line’ with stops in the United States, Latin America, and Europe.

Produced by Live Nation, the 14-city tour kicks off on August 13 at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena, before making stops in Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Germany, UK, and France in September, with a major headline show at The O2, London on Thursday 28th of September 2023. While on the road, Aespa is set to perform songs from My World, including the youthful and high-energy track “Spicy” and the precious and heartwarming “‘Til’ We Meet Again.”

Viewers of BBC’s EastEnders can expect a tense couple of weeks as a shocking twist is expected. Returning stars include the character of Cindy Beale who was killed off over 20 years ago.

Making her grand return to Walford after 25 years, despite being killed off-screen whilst in prison in 1998, Cindy’s return is set to be part of a much bigger plot. As a twist will see the return of Albert Square legend Ian Beale following his two-year-long absence, but he will have some company.

With Andy Rourke, the bassist for rock band The Smiths, passing former fellow band members paid their tributes after it was confirmed by guitarist Johnny Marr confirmed his death. 

“It’s with deep sadness the Andy Rourke has died after a lengthy illness with pancreatic cancer,” he wrote. In the statement posted on Twitter, Marr went on: "Andy will be remembered as a kind and beautiful soul by those who knew him, and as a supremely gifted musician by music fans."

Reggae legends, Inner Circle’s hit song Sweat (A La La La La Long) is now certified Gold in the United Kingdom (UK), over 30 years after its release.

According to the BPI (British Phonographic Industry), the song was issued a BRIT Certified Gold award after selling over 400,000 copies in the UK, as measured by The Official Charts Company. It is the band’s first song to be certified Gold in the UK.

Following a successful run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where he performed to packed houses, the hottest British talent from the magic scene, breakdancing magician and finalist of Britain’s Got Talent, Magical Bones, is set to embark on a national tour with his acclaimed unique high energy magic show, Soulful Magic.

Bones brings a set of powerful illusions intertwined with great stories, beautiful music, lots of laughter and of course the coolest, break-dance moves. This cutting-edge show is more than a deceptive spectacle of grand illusion - it’s a concert of Soulful Magic.

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) announce full casting for its upcoming productions of The Empress, by Tanika Gupta, and world premiere of Falkland Sound by Brad Birch, which will open in the Swan Theatre in the Summer of 2023.

These timely and evocative plays are brought sharply into focus in 2023 and offer fresh perspective on Britain’s relationship with its imperial past and how it continues to shape the country’s identity today. The Empress will run in the Swan Theatre from Friday 7 July to Friday 15 September 2023, with press night on Tuesday 18 July before transferring to the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre in London from Wednesday 4 October to Saturday 28 October, with press night on Tuesday 10 October.

A contemporary tragedy in small-town Ireland, a literary detective story about the Brontë sisters, elopement and scandal in a liberal thinking household, and a classic Shakespearean comedy about unrequited love – Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Theatre Company unveils its summer season of shows.

Spinning is one of the best-known plays of award-winning Irish playwright, Deirdre Kinahan.  Inspired by a real case of the kidnapping of a daughter by her father, Kinahan ponders: what happens when your life spins, how do you react, how do you survive it?  In small-town Ireland, father-of-one Conor is desperate to hold on to a life that is disintegrating before his eyes. 

Birmingham Rep is delighted to bring to its stage the world premiere tour of Nesrin Alrefaai and Matthew Spangler’s stage adaptation of Christy Lefteri’s gripping bestselling novel The Beekeeper of Aleppo from Tuesday 13 – Saturday 17 June.  Reuniting the team that produced the international stage sensation The Kite Runner.

With acts from 26 countries performing in Liverpool as they competed to win Eurovision Song Contest 2023, Sweden's Loreen came out on top in an uplifting and pulsating completion, as the city was the base for this year’s competition as it represented the war-torn Ukraine – whose Kalush Orchestra won the competition in ‘22. They opened the show and performed featuring a surprise cameo by Catherine, Princess of Wales.

It’s Eurovision time as this year’s event going global, with fans around the world joining in on the voting. 26 acts will be performing in Liverpool today, to an expected global audience of 160 million viewers, with acts from as far away as Austria – whose rockers, Voyager, will be opening the show with Teya & Salena's up-tempo Who The Hell is Edgar? - a song inspired by 19th Century poet Edgar Allan Poe.

Wicked, “one of the most successful musicals of all time” (BBC News), will fly back into the Birmingham Hippodrome from Tuesday 5 March to Sunday 7 April 2024 and producers today confirmed that the previously announced Laura Pick (Elphaba) will be joined by Carl Man as ‘Fiyero’, reuniting these two former Wicked West End cast members. Further casting to be announced.

Cloudy June is taking the musical landscape by storm - something she owes not only to her very unique sound but also to her tremendously captivating attitude.

Next level realness might be a good way to sum it up: unfiltered, straightforward, self-confident, and yet approachable at the same time. At just 24-years-old, she is already emerging as a queer icon and with 70 million streams to date, over a million monthly listeners at Spotify and major German airplay, and there’s much more to come.

Global cultural icon Beyoncé kicked off her Renaissance World Tour with a sold-out show in Stockholm, Sweden, at Friends Arena, filling the city with powerful dance music from her wildly successful seventh studio album, Renaissance. The emotional return to the global stage, five years in the making, captivated the 46,000 fans in attendance with songs such as “Plastic Off The Sofa,” “Cozy,” and “Break My Soul,” along with legendary hits from her trailblazing discography like “Flaws And All,” “Crazy In Love,” and “Love On Top” in a nearly 3 hour performance.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel –Deborah Moggach’s stage adaptation of her Sunday Times best-selling novel, which inspired one of this century’s most treasured films – will play at the Belgrade Theatre Coventry from 13 – 17 June, with a press night on 13 June.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel takes us on a journey to India with an eclectic group of British retirees as they embark on a new life. The luxury residence is far from the opulence they were promised, but as their lives begin to intertwine and they embrace the vibrancy of modern-day India, they are charmed in unexpected and life-changing ways.