Category: Music

Tommy – He sure played a mean pinball

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

So, I knew Tommy was a Pinball Wizard and that I would be treated to some wonderful tunes from ‘The Who’, but that was about it when a lovely friend and I arrived at The Birmingham Rep on Wednesday evening. I must confess we were both as clueless as each other, however by the end of the show, we had both been blown away.

The production of ‘Tommy’ came from The New Wolsey Theatre Ipswich along with Ramps on the Moon. Ramps on the Moon works towards developing the chances of employment and artistic opportunities for disabled performers (please visit their site to find out more, as I do not feel that I can do their work justice).

So, the story of Tommy, the Pinball Wizard, was, of course, told through the tunes of ‘The Who’ and the amazing artistic skill of the company. The use of sign language, that was at times skillfully choreographed into the lovely dance routines, was seamless. The complementary skills of the different actors moulded the narrative together and you could see the enjoyment of all involved.

The musicians were wonderful and clearly threw themselves into channeling their inner ‘Who’ to bring joy to all. The passion for their craft was clear, especially with the rendition of ‘Pinball Wizard’ (more than once).

When this wonderful production reached its conclusion, there was one of the most deserving standing ovations I have ever witnessed. I urge you to catch the ‘Tommy Tour’ if you can to see why.

I certainly now know that there is much more to Tommy than being a Pinball Wizard.

The Shires #MyUniverseTour

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

I have a secret…I love country music, especially British country music. Also, I have the loved the British duo ‘The Shires‘ since I heard ‘Nashville Grey Skies’ on BBC Radio 2 back in 2014. Since first hearing that single, I have collected their two albums, ‘Brave’ and ‘My Universe’, gone to gigs whenever I could (I have seen them 3 times) and followed their career with interest.

So, on Tuesday 25th April, I went to see The Shires for the 3rd time at Warwick Arts Centre with a friend. Again, The Shires, their band and their support did not disappoint. The set list was a wonderful combination of songs from both of their albums, so nobody in the audience could have left disappointed, as I am pretty sure that they managed to get the favourite songs of pretty much every audience member into the set. The passion that Crissie and Ben have for their music comes across every time that they perform and, as they pen so many of their own songs, you can really feel the emotions.

This was an especially emotionally charged gig as they performed ‘Daddy’s Little Girl’ – a song that Crissie wrote about her Dad – which brings a tear to my eye every time. Additionally, there was not a dry eye in the house when Ben donated one of his guitars to a charity auction for ‘Zoe’s Place‘, a local charity. One of the most deserving standing ovations I have ever witnessed.

The audience were all on their feet, dancing, clapping and singing along to all the wonderful songs that this duo and their band belt out. There is certainly a clear mutual respect between The Shires and their fans.

Nobody will have left this gig disappointed, and all will certainly have been singing the songs from the set list for the rest of the week.