Category Archives: Behind the Arras Reviews

Rocky Horror Show, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

Posted on October 29, 2013 by garylongden

This is the 40th anniversary of the show which has toured worldwide since its inception by author Richard O’Brien. On the opening night of the Wolverhampton run it was not difficult to see why it has enjoyed such longevity. Brash, … Continue reading →

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Ghost Train- Sutton Arts Theatre, Sutton Coldfield

Posted on October 25, 2013 by garylongden

Written in 1923, Ghost Train enjoyed significant commercial success playing to packed houses at St Martin’s Theatre London from November 1925 to March 1927, and has been reworked several times for the cinema. The author, Arnold Ridley, is better known … Continue reading →

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Bilston Voices – September 2013

Posted on September 29, 2013 by garylongden

This was the final time that Bilston Voices was to gather at the Metro Café. It was an evening of valediction and celebration. By chance, not only did it represent the swansong for the event, it also coincided with the … Continue reading →

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Dreamboats and Petticoats – Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

Posted on September 12, 2013 by garylongden

Dreamboats and Petticoats revels in nostalgia, swirling skirts, slicked hair and great music. A jukebox musical, the song and dance are linked by a narrative set in 1961, at St Mungo’s youth club in Essex. Song writing hopefuls Bobby and … Continue reading →

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Gigi, Sutton Arts Theatre, Sutton Coldfield

Posted on August 31, 2013 by garylongden

Gigi the stage play is based on the 1944 novella by Colette , adapted by Anita Loos. The plot follows a young Parisian girl being groomed for a career as a courtesan, and her relationship with the wealthy ,cultured , … Continue reading →

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Evita – Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

Posted on August 22, 2013 by garylongden

Evita is amongst the best Lloyd Webber/ Rice collaborations. Its themes of power, fame, human triumph, tragedy and frailty are Shakespearean in ambition, wrapped in a popular accessible package which delights audiences wherever it goes. Marti Pellow is the big … Continue reading →

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Bilston Voices- June 2013

Posted on July 14, 2013 by garylongden

Bilston Voices has always had a reputation for strong poetry, an appreciative audience and skilful compering. And so it proved in June with a typically eclectic selection of poets on a warm summer evening orchestrated by the ebullient Emma Pursouse. … Continue reading →

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Steaming, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

Posted on July 3, 2013 by garylongden

Steaming was written in 1981 by Nell Dunn and was first staged at the Theatre Royal, Stratford, in London, winning the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy . It is part of an ambitious and varied summer season of … Continue reading →

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Laughter on the 23rd Floor, Sutton Arts Theatre Company, Sutton Coldfield

Posted on June 24, 2013 by garylongden

Laughter on the 23rd Floor is a Neil Simon comedy which opened on Broadway in 1993.According to Simon, Sid Caesar’s writers on the original Your Show of Shows ,including himself and his older brother Danny Simon, held their script sessions … Continue reading →

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“Yes Prime Minister” ,Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

Posted on May 8, 2013 by garylongden

“Yes, Minister” is a rarity, a television catchphrase which entered into popular parlance. A code, implying the reverse of its overt meaning. The sitcom, which morphed into “Yes Prime Minister”, was essential viewing in its heyday, the Thatcherite eighties. It … Continue reading →

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