The talented cast. Photo courtesy of the Masqueraders. Crazy For You - Music and lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin, book by Ken Ludwig. Presented by the Masqueraders Theatrical Society at Abbey Theatre, Nuneaton, from 21 – 23 May 2026. Directed by Angie Adams. Assistant Director & Producer Mike Chappell, Musical Director Dave Adams. Choreography Gemma Eales and Chloe Jupe. Review by Ann Evans It was another fabulously entertaining show from the Masqueraders Theatri

Glorious! written by Peter Quilter. Directed by Kirk Jameson. At The Belgrade Theatre from 19 – 23 May 2026. Review by Amanda Burden It is a truth universally acknowledged that I cannot sing. Never mind the people who say kindly “but everyone can sing!”. My caterwauling would have Gareth Malone reaching for a stiff gin with a Nurofen chaser and quietly rethinking every life choice that led him to standing in a draughty church hall coaxing middle managers through a rendition o

Charlie Hamblett and Anton Lesser. Photo courtesy of the artists. Red Sky at Sunrise: Laurie Lee in Words and Music, Orchestra of the Swan, Warwick Arts Centre, 19 May 2026. Hambletts Productions. Review by Ann Cee Last night I slipped into an almost forgotten, rural idyll and was cradled in the dreamy British countryside at a time when the pace of life seemed more human. The exceptional Orchestra of the Swan and awesome Anton Lesser and Charlie Hamblett created an exquis

Max Cooper at WAC. Photo courtesy of Antony Hopker. Max Cooper, Warwick Arts Centre, 15 May 2026 Review by Antony Hopker Live electronic music can be something of an acquired taste. The performance is generally watching the artist mixing, flicking switches, triggering sequences. Cynics may say that you’re not watching anything live as it’s all pre-programmed. Max Cooper blew any such notions away with a stunning visual show where he laid down the tracks to a dazzling mont

Show poster. Glorious written by Peter Quilter and directed by Kirk Jameson at the Belgrade Theatre from 19 – 23 May 2026. Preview Florence Foster Jenkins is about to blow your mind… and possibly your eardrums. Glorious! follows Florence’s journey as she prepares for her concerts, builds an unlikely friendship with her accompanist, Cosme, and defies her critics to follow her dreams. Dubbed ‘the worst singer in the world,’ Glorious! is the true story of American socialite

Following the success of their spring concert (Brahms’ German Requiem), audiences are invited to experience the rich tapestry of folk music from around the world as Warwickshire Singers present their summer concert, Echoes of Tradition, at The Old Shire Hall in Warwick on Sunday 5 July at 3.00pm. Warwickshire Singers are excited to be joined by soprano Evelyn Byford, baritone Gianpiero Greatorex and percussionist James Jackson. Join them for an afternoon filled with vibrant

The Masqueraders Theatrical Society present the Gershwin Musical, Crazy For You at the Abbey Theatre, Nuneaton from 21 to 23 May 2026. Also, Alan Parker’s Bugsy Malone on 20 May at 7.30pm and 23 May at 1pm performed by the Masqueraders Juniors. Preview Crazy For You is a high energy romantic musical comedy featuring a fabulous score by George and Ira Gershwin and based on the book by Ken Ludwig. It follows Bobby Child, a stage-struck banker with dreams of dancing on Broadwa

Rebecca Mileham. Photo courtesy of Alison Manning. The opening night of this year's Springboard Festival at the Criterion Theatre in Earlsdon did not disappoint. As Artistic director, Anne-marie Greene said in her opening welcome, this is the 4th year of the festival which consists of a week-long celebration of creative arts, featuring a variety of music, poetry, theatre, literary discussion, community groups and even visual art. The festival brings together amateur and profe

Falling. Photo courtesy of Open Theatre. Falling performed by Open Theatre’s ensemble company of young performers touring to Birmingham REP, The Belgrade (Coventry) and Arena Theatre (Wolverhampton) this May. Dates and times below. Preview Falling is an experience on the borderlines of theatre, dance and mime. This ground-breaking theatre show has been devised and is performed by Open Theatre’s ensemble company of young performers. Described as the “most validating piece of

Sara Pascoe. Photo courtesy of the artist. Festival on the Close, Rugby, from: 20 – 25 June 2026. Preview Rugby, the much-loved Festival on The Close returns to Rugby this year with an exciting programme packed with headline performances, unforgettable music, comedy, and live theatre. As the festival approaches its ten-year anniversary, organisers promise a spectacular celebration of live performance for audiences of all ages, and all in support of Rugby’s Bradby Club, the lo

Seb Farrall – A Celebration. Performed at The Butterworth Hall, Warwick Arts Centre, Sunday 3 May 2026. Review by Charles Essex. Seb Farrall was a highly respected and extremely talented and enthusiastic character on the local choral music scene before his tragic death on his 32nd birthday following a cycling accident. Evidence of the high esteem with which he was regarded was that there was hardly an empty seat in the Butterworth Hall for this tribute to him a year afte

Rebecca Collingwood as Gwendolyn Lacey . Photo courtesy of the production company. Malory Towers from the novels by Enid Blyton and adapted and directed By Emma Rice, at the Belgrade Theatre as part of the UK Tour, from 12 - 16 May. Preview. The Emma Rice Company has announced the full cast for their upcoming tour of Malory Towers from the novels by Enid Blyton and adapted by Emma Rice. Rice directs Eden Barrie (Mary Lou Atkinson), Molly Cheesley (Alicia Johns), Rebecca C

Masquerade, Karen Carpenter. Photo courtesy of the artist. On Friday 1 May, Masquerade returns to Stratford, performing at the Rother Street Arts House. Preview Step into a world of timeless melodies and heartfelt harmonies with Masquerade, the ultimate live tribute to the legendary duo, Karen and Richard Carpenter. Fronted by the exceptional Kate Matthews as Karen Carpenter, with her warm, hauntingly accurate vocals, and the talented Rob Norman as Richard Carpenter on pi

There’s lots going on behind the scenes at the newly refurbished Criterion Theatre, Earlsdon, as preparations get underway for their fourth incarnation of the Springboard Festival. Running from Saturday 9 May to Saturday 16 May the Springboard Festival will be showcasing a wide variety of local artistic talent with writers, poets, performers, musicians, both amateur and professional entertaining audiences over the week. Amongst the great line-up of nightly entertainment wi

Folk duo Harper's Dove (Campbell Perry and Ruth Noble) at the venue for the new folk club, Oak House Sports and Social Club. Photo credit: Sybella Perry. Leamington is experiencing its very own Folk Revival as 28 April sees the relaunch of The Heart of England Folk Club, where acclaimed singers such as June Tabor and Polly Bolton first started out in the 1960s. Local folk duo Harper’s Dove are working in partnership with Oak House Sports and Social Club to create a place wher

Henry Salmon, photo courtesy of the artist. Elton's Song, at Rother Street Arts House, Stratford-upon-Avon on Saturday 18 April. Preview Rother Street Arts House will host the premiere of Elton’s Song on Saturday 18 April, unveiling an electrifying new tribute show performed by a collective of local musicians. Led by Stratford-upon-Avon based pianist, piano tuner and teacher Henry Salmon, the production celebrates the timeless music of Elton John and his long-time collaborat

Charlie Hamblett (L) and Anton Lesser (R) Photo credit James Northcote. Red Sky at Sunrise: Laurie Lee in Words and Music at Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7FD, Tuesday 19 May 2026 at 7.30pm. Actors Anton Lesser, Charlie Hamblett with Orchestra of the Swan. Director Judy Reaves. Music Director David Le Page. Writer Deirdre Shields. Producer Hambletts. Preview Author, Laurie Lee’s extraordinary story - from Cider with Rosie to the Spanish Civil Wa

The Cast of Come From Away. Come From Away. The book, music and lyrics are by Irene Sankoff and David Hein. Directed by Nicky Main, Musical Director James Harragan. At the Priory Theatre, Kenilworth from 8 – 18 April 2026. Review by Charles Essex While the awful events of the planes crashing into the twin towers on 9/11 filled our screens and were the only news, a little-known event was being played out 1100 miles away in Newfoundland. The small town of Gander, which had a

The Choir of Man. Photo by Mark Senior. The Choir of Man, Created by Nic Doodson and Andrew Kay, directed by Nic Doodson. Direct from the West End, the Olivier Award-Nominated worldwide smash hit – now on its first ever UK tour. At the Belgrade Theatre from 7 – 11 April. Review by Margaret Mather. Set in a fictional pub called The Jungle, this show has it all. It tells the story of the great British pub institution which is sadly declining in the UK. It shows how much they ar

Max Cooper. Photo by the artist. Max Cooper 3D/AV Live, Feeling is Structure Album Tour. At Butterworth Hall, Warwick Arts Centre on Friday 15 May 2026. New Album out 8 May 2026. Preview Acclaimed electronic artist and multidisciplinary composer Max Cooper will be bringing his 3DAV live album show to some of the most prestigious venues throughout the UK on the back of his London sold out Royal Albert Hall performance - including Coventry's Warwick Arts Centre (15 May 2026) Re

Claire and Tim Johnson. Photo courtesy of Consensus Opera. A Ring of Untruths, written and adapted by Tim Johnson, performed by Consensus Opera at The Bear Pit Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon from 25 - 27 March 2026. Review by Charles Essex Following on from Consensus Opera’s 2026 production A Bitter and Twisted Cocktail, Tim Johnson has written a wonderful thriller using his encyclopaedic knowledge of Gilbert and Sullivan music. The story starts with a lowly detective (Trac