Entertainment News

Birmingham’s Broadway Casino will be opening its doors to guests for a night to mark the Chinese New Year as the community celebrates the Year of the Rooster for 2017 with a special colourful and exciting event this Sunday. The casino is delighted to be hosting a fabulous free evening for guests to enjoy great food, fantastic company and unrivalled entertainment in contemporary surroundings as the celebrations kick off, at 7pm, where partygoers can buy raffle tickets to try and win one of the £100, £250 and £500 cash prizes or a meal for either two or four in The Restaurant – the casino’s latest addition. The winner of each prize will be announced during the event.

Grease is the word as the full casting is announced for the hit 70s musical, which returns this year to Wolverhampton Grand Theatre from November 27 – Saturday December 2. Casting includes Tom Parker who makes his musical theatre debut playing Danny Zuko, Danielle Hope who plays Sandy and Louisa Lytton who plays Rizzo. Completing the cast are Tom Senior as Kenickie, Michael Cortez as Sonny, Oliver Jacobson as Roger, Ryan Heenan as Doody, Callum Evans as Eugene, Lauren Atkins as Marty, Rosanna Harris as Jan, Rhiannon Chesterman as Frenchy, Gabriella Williams as Patty and Ailsa Davidson as Lynch.

Spanning 20 years, Lost Languages and other voices brings together 16 bodies of work exploring race, history and gender, encompassing a wide range of photographic media, from digital video installations to Victorian printing techniques. Joy Gregory was included in a recent group exhibition Liberties and this solo show, on tour from Impressions Gallery in Bradford, expands on those ideas while introducing new ones.

The Treasure Houses of England, a series of fine stately homes, castles and palaces have a wealth of activities, exhibitions and days out for all the family to enjoy. Discover living history and exciting cultural heritage Be inspired to visit the stunning Treasure Houses of England and discover what's new for 2017. From new historical exhibitions to family fun events, there's something for everyone.

Aladdin panto stars Joe McElderry and Lucy Kay enjoyed some free time meeting the animals at Dudley Zoological Gardens (DZG). The musical pair who are currently appearing in ALADDIN had a fun morning touring the zoo site and feeding some of the animals alongside dancer Katrina Ridley, before they headed back for the matinee performance. Joe and Lucy, who play Aladdin and Princess Jasmine in Wolverhampton’s biggest ever pantomime, helped keepers to feed some of the zoo’s resident animals.

Waddle with the penguins at Birdland, Park & Gardens, Gloucestershire today as they celebrate Penguin Awareness Day.  Keepers will be putting your penguin know-how to the test with a special quiz about the mischievous piscivores, plus enter the competition to be in with a chance to feed the penguins. Discover the parcel of penguins living in Penguin Shore and learn all about the quirky personalities of the colony of King Penguins and comical Humboldts. Meet film stars, TV personalities and one of the World's oldest penguins!

A fleet of articulated lorries, harnessing the equivalent power of 4000 horses, is set to roll out of Birmingham this month as Birmingham Royal Ballet begins its UK tour of Cinderella on a scale comparable to any major rock band's road trip. Broadcast by the BBC as the 2010 Christmas Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet's version of Cinderella won the Best Classical Choreography at the prestigious 2011 Critic's Circle National Dance Awards for David Bintley's elegant choreographic work.

The World Premiere tour of The Red Shoes opened at the Theatre Royal Plymouth in November and is now five weeks into a sold out eight week Christmas season at Sadler’s Wells, where it opened to rave reviews. The performances at Sadler’s Wells are the fastest selling in New Adventures history. Now Birmingham Hippodrome and New Adventures have announced that the world premiere tour of Matthew Bourne’s production of The Red Shoes will make an unprecedented return to the venue in July 2017 as part of an extended UK Tour.

Wolverhampton’s first literature festival promises something for every literary lover - young and old - with more than 70 events now lined up over three days. A wealth of celebrated home-grown authors and musicians are appearing at venues across the city. The Wolverhampton Original Literary Festival (WOLF), which is being backed by the Express & Star, runs from Friday, January 27 to Sunday 29, and includes many free events.

Pirate Hunters are rumoured to be arriving at Pirate's Quest ready for a brand new adventure  previewing February Half Term. In 1721 a Pirate Hunter's Ship called the 'Royal Anne' left England with the intention of sailing to the Caribbean to capture pirates… but she was not destined to complete that voyage. The ship crashed just off the south coast of Cornwall, and this is where your adventure begins!

Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2007 multi-Oscar-winning historical drama is regarded as one of the greatest films of the 2000s. Voted no.1 in Total Film’s Top Ten Films of the Decade and no.3 in the BBC’s 100 Greatest Films of the 21st Century, it also picked up two Academy Awards (from eight nominations), and the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.

Time is running out on the chance to star as a volunteer on the world stage at this year’s ICC Champions Trophy and ICC Women’s World Cup, with applications set to close on Monday January 16 for opportunities at Edgbaston. For the first time in cricket history England and Wales will host two major ICC global events and the Cricketeers will be at the centre of that action, with Edgbaston hosting five games – including a semi0final of the ICC Champions Trophy. The Cricketeer programme will unite communities over two months of exciting tournament cricket.

Birmingham Repertory Theatre is already on the lookout for young actors to star in the forthcoming world premiere production of ‘Nativity! The Musical,’ which opens in later this year, before touring around the country. Following on from the huge success of the ‘Nativity!’ films, the theatre is looking for children who are confident singers, dancers and performers to audition for lead roles in the production. 

As Disneyland Paris celebrates its 25^th anniversary, Eurostar is offering great value child fares taking travellers direct to the celebrations throughout 2017. For just £12.50 each way, the discounted child tickets are available for booking from January 10-25 and valid for travel between February 20 and October 31. Eurostar’s Disney service takes passengers direct from London St Pancras, Ashford International or Ebbsfleet International direct to Marne-la-Vallée – the doorstep to the Disneyland Park – in just over two and a half hours.

Blenheim Palace is pleased to announce that Elizabeth Emanuel will be contributing to the exciting new, 'Passion for Fashion – 300 years of Style,' exhibition opening on 12th February, 2017. The exhibition is a celebration of three centuries of Blenheim related fashion and style. Emanuel will be allowing items from her personal archive to be on display for the very first time and the dress-making process for Princess Diana's wedding dress will be documented from initial sketches and designs, right up to the finished article.

U2 will return to select stadiums this year with U2: The Joshua Tree Tour 2017, in celebration of the 30^th anniversary of the band’s seminal album. The tour hits Europe with a show in Twickenham on 8^th July and will see the band bring The Joshua Tree back to Dublin’s Croke Park on 22^nd July -  30 years since they made a memorable return to their hometown with the original Joshua Tree Tour, playing two very special sold out shows at the Jones’ Road venue in June 1987.