A mixture of shows are set to arrive at Birmingham Hippodrome over the next 18 months as the theatre truly brings the West End - and more - to the West Midlands!
Chambers stars alongside Strictly Come Dancing winner, Caroline Flack, who makes her stage debut as ‘Irene’ in the national tour of Crazy For You which will visit Birmingham Hippodrome from Tuesday 24th to Saturday 28th October 2017.
High energy, high kicking and gloriously glamorous, the show is the ultimate feel-good musical with a fabulous score from the Gershwin brothers’ songbook. Mistaken identities, plot twists, heartbreak, happiness and a wealth of memorable tunes, including I Got Rhythm, They Can’t Take That Away From Me, Nice Work If You Can Get It and Embraceable You, all feature in this exhilarating celebration of the great Broadway musicals.
At the new season launch last week, CEO and Artistic Director, Fiona Allen, and broadcaster, Ed James, gave the audience a taste of what they can expect to see - from large scale musicals to opera and ballet to hip hop festivals.
The fun starts this week as the UK tour of Funny Girl to Birmingham. Hot on the heels of a record breaking, critically acclaimed West End run, this ‘utterly irresistible’ new production of the show stars Olivier Award-winning Sheridan Smith as Fanny Brice.
Funny Girl boasts some of the most iconic songs in film and theatre history, including 'Don’t Rain On My Parade', and tells the story of Brice, whose vocal talents and comedic ability see her rise from Brooklyn music hall singer to Broadway star.
One of theatre-land's most loved leading ladies, Carrie Hope-Fletcher, is Birmingham-bound in June with the first UK tour of The Addams Family (click click!). Having already received five star reviews, and with a brand new soundtrack, the show follows Wednesday Addams who's all grown up and has a shocking secret that only Gomez knows!
She’s fallen in love with a sweet, young man from a respectable family. With his cherished Morticia in the dark will Gomez manage to keep his daughter’s secret until the two families meet for a fateful dinner with hilarious consequences?
Cameron Mackintosh’s acclaimed new production of Boublil and Schönberg’s legendary musical Miss Saigon, a recent smash hit in the West End, is embarking on a major UK Tour and visits the Hippodrome this Summer.
Winner of a record-breaking nine 'Whatsonstage Awards' in 2015, including Best Show, this epic love story tells the tragic tale of young bar girl Kim, orphaned by war, who falls in love with an American GI called Chris – but their lives are torn apart by the fall of Saigon.
Weeks later, a new UK tour of Hairspray, directed by Paul Kerryson, hits the city and takes the audience back to 1960s Baltimore!
Tracy Turnblad is a big girl with big hair and an even bigger dream: to dance her way onto national TV, and into the heart of teen idol Link Larkin. Tracy’s audition makes her a local star and soon she is using her new-found fame to fight for integration. But can she win equality – and Link’s heart – without denting her ‘do?
Musical theatre isn't the only thing hitting the Hippodrome stage, as the theatre's B-SIDE Hip-Hop Festival gives the public the chance to immerse themselves in national and international artists plus the city's finest local Hip-Hop talents. With a packed schedule of dance and music performances, you can catch rap battles and see graffiti art being created before your eyes – all to the sounds of the festival from live DJs.
There's also regular ballet and opera highlights in the calendar, with Birmingham Royal Ballet staging Coppélia, Aladdin and (of course!) The Nutcracker, in the run up to Christmas.
The Welsh National Opera bring Tosca and Don Giovanni to Birmingham, amongst other operas, and were on hand to provide some beautiful entertainment as Natalya Romaniw brought Madame Butterfly to life on stage!
Now in its sixth year in London’s West End, Matilda The Musical is the longest running production at the Cambridge Theatre where it continues to play to packed houses. Adapted for the stage by Dennis Kelly and with original songs by Tim Minchin, Matilda The Musical has won a staggering 7 Olivier Awards and 5 Tony Awards amongst a total of 85 accolades internationally.
Based on the Roald Dahl classic, Matilda The Musical is the story of an extraordinary little girl who, armed with a vivid imagination and a sharp mind, dares to take a stand and change her own destiny. Commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, it premiered at The Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in November 2010, before transferring to London’s West End in October 2011.
The show has been seen by more than 6.5 million people worldwide and visits Birmingham Hippodrome from 3rd July to 8th September 2018. Friends priority booking opens on 25th April at 11am ahead of tickets going on general on sale on 9th May.
The production will be accompanied by a new education programme, designed to engage young people. From a travelling library of stories led by Mrs Phelps, to whole school takeovers of Matilda, the RSC aims to reach over 15,000 children, in collaboration with touring theatre partners.
The show joins a packed programme which includes the return of international smash-hit Wicked, from 4th April to 29th April 2018 and the much loved War Horse which arrives on 10th October and will play until 3rd November 2018.
Previously announced productions include the West End and Broadway phenomenon La Cage Aux Folles starring John Partridge and Adrian Zmed, Grease starring The Wanted’s Tom Parker and the return of the internationally-acclaimed National Theatre production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
Other autumn visits include Beautiful, The Carole King Musical, Sunset Boulevard starring Ria Jones as Norma Desmond, and the debut tour of Carlos Acosta’s brand new dance company Acosta Danza. Fiona Allan, CEO and Artistic Director of Birmingham Hippodrome said:
“Our claim to being ‘The West End in the West Midlands’ is further reinforced with the launch of our new season as we enter an extraordinary 18 month period. We’ll be proudly presenting the very best in award-winning shows: from Funny Girl to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Miss Saigon to Beautiful.
"Plus next year will be even bigger as both Wicked and War Horse return either side of a summer season of the RSC’s Matilda which arrives at Birmingham Hippodrome on its first ever UK Tour in 2018.
“And it’s not all about our main stage - if you’ve never been to our 200-seat Patrick Centre studio, see it brought to life with a fantastic new performance season alongside our resident partners, DanceXChange and Birmingham Royal Ballet.
"We will be bringing many more public performances to the centre for audiences to enjoy including jaw-dropping hip-hop, graceful ballet, Asian dance styles, youth productions and contemporary works-in-progress.
“Outdoors, in our neighbourhood streets and squares, we’ll be escaping to the countryside with Summer in Southside in June and welcoming back the Birmingham Weekender Festival in September with a free outdoor performance like no other.”
For more information, or to book tickets, head to birminghamhippodrome.com or call the box office on 0844 338 5000.