What's on in the Midlands

Published: 15 September 2019
Reporter: Steve Orme

Friendsical at Malvern Theatres Credit: Dale Wightman
Joey and the goose in War Horse at Curve, Leicester Credit: Brinkhoff Mögenburg
David O’Reilly as Francis Henshall in One Man, Two Guvnors at Derby Theatre Credit: Robert Day

The true love story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan is told in a new musical, On Your Feet!, which dances into the Theatre Royal, Nottingham from Monday until Saturday.

A new parody musical inspired by the television series Friends and featuring Jordan Fox, Sarah Goggin, Jamie Lee-Morgan, Thomas Mitchells, Ally Retberg and Charlotte Elisabeth York, Miranda Larson’s Friendsical tours to Malvern Theatres from Monday until Saturday.

Adapted and directed by Eliot Giuralarocca, In and Out of Chekhov’s Shorts is an “exhilarating, fun and accessible romp through some of the best of Chekhov’s short stories” in the MET Studio at Stafford Gatehouse Theatre on Tuesday.

“The UK’s number one rock ‘n’ roll variety production” That’ll Be the Day returns to Mansfield Palace Theatre on Tuesday.

Children’s favourite CBeebies’ stars Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy, Makka Pakka and friends are brought to life in a new story, In the Night Garden Live in Derngate, Northampton on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Bill Kenwright production of the musical Saturday Night Fever, adapted for the stage by Robert Stigwood and Bill Oakes, tours to the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry from Tuesday until Saturday while the world première of Stardust, a “romantic, pop, R&B and Bollywood musical thriller”, presented by Phizzical Productions, continues on the B2 stage at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry until Saturday.

Site-specific theatre company Potboiler performs its latest production Stoke, A Love Story in Longton Methodist Central Hall, Stoke from Wednesday until Saturday 28 September.

The National Theatre’s War Horse, adapted by Nick Stafford from Michael Morpurgo’s novel, visits Leicester for the first time and is at Curve from Wednesday until Saturday 12 October while in the Studio artistic director Nikolai Foster brings to life Hanif Kureishi’s screenplay My Beautiful Laundrette which runs from Friday until Saturday 5 October.

Birmingham Royal Ballet and Ballet Black dance a mixed bill of A Brief Nostalgia, The Suit and Nine Sinatra Songs at Birmingham Hippodrome from Thursday until Saturday.

The latest play from Birmingham-born writer Robin French, Rebel Music, commissioned by Birmingham REP, runs in The Door at the theatre from Thursday until Saturday 5 October while on the main stage Bryony Lavery’s adaptation of Alice Sebold’s story about life after loss The Lovely Bones continues until Saturday.

A “spectacular dance drama” in Hindi with English surtitles featuring a cast of more than 40 performers, Shakuntala is a “timeless epic tale of love, loss and redemption” which will be presented by Subrang Arts at the Albany Theatre, Coventry on Saturday.

Louis Dempsey (Tom), Rosie Wyatt (Kyra) and Roly Botha (Edward) continue in David Hare’s Skylight at The Theatre Chipping Norton until Saturday.

Richard Bean’s comedy One Man, Two Guvnors continues at Derby Theatre until Saturday 28 September.

Alex Kingston plays Dr Stockmann in Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People which continues at Nottingham Playhouse until Saturday 28 September.

Fiona Buffini directs her sister Moira’s play Handbagged, imagining what might have happened during regular meetings between Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret Thatcher, which continues at the New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme until Saturday 28 September.

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