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

The cast of The Welkin. Photo by Paul Bovey. The Welkin written by Lucy Kirkwood, Directed by Peter Daly-Dickson. At the Saints Drama Society, Allesley Village Hall, Coventry from 19 – 23 May 2026. Review by Ann Evans I’ve seen a number of productions put on by the Saints Drama Society but The Welkin by Lucy Kirkwood, with its large cast of 18, directed by Peter Daly-Dickson is in my opinion their best so far. They take on this critically acclaimed play, first aired by The Na

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

Jo Banbury as Blanche (seated) and Paige Phelps as Stella. Photo by Gwyn Davies. A Streetcar Named Desire written by Tennessee Williams, directed by Chris Carpenter, at The Talisman Theatre, Kenilworth from 18 – 23 May 2026. Review by Ann Evans The Talisman Theatre, Kenilworth take us on an emotional journey down to New Orleans as Blanche DuBois arrives at the shabby apartment of her younger sister Stella Kowalski and her husband Stanley. It’s late spring 1947 and the weath

Graham Macdonell and Cassandra Wilson. Photo by Andrew Maguire Photography. TWO written by Jim Cartwright, performed by Tread the Boards at The Attic Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, from 15 - 24 May 2026. Directed by Ash Bayliss. Review by Charles Essex The landlord and landlady (Graham Macdonell and Cassandra Wilson) are genial and full of bonhomie in their northern pub in a working-class area, but the affability and banter quickly dissipate as they fire sharp barbs at each

A Phoenix Night Rises, performed at The Bear Pit Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, Saturday 16 May 2026. Review by Charles Essex. The Phoenix Players theatre company is 80-years-old and this variety evening was an opportunity to showcase the various performance genres and the talents of their members in 17 songs and comic sketches, and two one act plays. The evening kicked off with a rousing rendition of I’m gonna be [500 miles] involving all the cast, followed by an eveni

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

The company of Mallory Towers. Photo by Steve Tanner. 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. Tour dates and venues below. Review by Amanda Burden. Three proof points that would have convinced 10-year-old me that adult me had absolutely won at life. 1. I saw Bananarama live (Godiva Festival, 2023. Potentially the best gig I’ve ever seen). 2. I once sat in the So

Last year's show. Photo courtesy of the BMM. VauxALL, the celebration of all Vauxhall, Opel and Bedford models, is calling all owners and enthusiasts to bring their vehicle to the British Motor Museum on Sunday 17 May. Sponsored by Howden Classic Insurance Services, VauxALL is in its fourth successive year and is widely respected as one of the leading Vauxhall events in the UK. This headline May event is recognised by many as the start of the show season for the Vauxhall, O

A pupil from Thomas Jolyffe Primary and one of the birthday butterflies. Photo credit the school. Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm marked the 100th birthday of Sir David Attenborough on Friday 8 May with a memorable celebration bringing together local schoolchildren, visitors and staff to honour one of the world’s most treasured naturalists and broadcasters. Pupils from Thomas Jolyffe Primary School and Stratford-upon-Avon Primary School joined the special event, releasing

Daisy Swaby as Ariel. Photo courtesy of Caramba Theatre Company. Caramba Theatre Company present The Tempest by William Shakespeare at The Bear Pit Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, Saturday 9 May 2026. Directed by Mollie Taylor. Review by Charles Essex. Caramba Theatre Company’s adaptation of The Tempest used novel costuming and effects in the production of this Shakespeare classic. The audience was greeted with an intriguing set when they entered, beautiful birdsong contras

Alex Brown as Bird and Sean Kerrigan as Bull McCabe. Photo by Martin Pulley. The Field by John B Keane performed by the Rugby Irish Community Drama Group at Rugby Theatre, Sunday 10 May as part of Rugby Fringe Week. Directed by Nicky Main & Bev Avis-Dakin. Review by Ann Evans The Rugby Irish Community Drama Group took on The Field by John B Keane and an excellent job they did of it too. We spent the evening in Flannigan’s Bar, in the village of Carraigthomond in the Southwest

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

Cast of Flashbang. Photo courtesy of Proforca Theatre Company. Flashbang written by James Lewis, directed by David Brady presented by Proforca Theatre Company at the Belgrade Theatre, B2 Venue, Coventry from Thursday 7 – Saturday 9 May. Review by Annette Kinsella. Which wise philosopher first observed that “we are all just two or three bad decisions away from Armageddon”? History does not record their identity, but I’d be willing to put money on it being someone who once wi

Mum Comes To Dinner by Nicholas Marsh. Photo courtesy of Rugby Theatre. As part of Rugby’s Fringe Week Black Box Productions present three new one-act plays for one night only – 7 May 2026 at Rugby Theatre, including new work from their Rugby Theatre Writers’ Group. Review by Ann Evans There was an excellent turn out to support this year’s Black Box Productions, which brings us new plays from local writers, in the stripped back theatre using the bare minimum of props and scen

Some of the colourful cast. Photo by Pamela Raith Photography. Murder She Didn’t Write. Performed by Degrees of Error at Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, from 6-7 May. Director Lizzy Skrzypiec. Review by Hilary Hopker. The premise of this play is simple yet terrifying for most actors. No one knows what’s going to happen next, not the audience, not the actors, nor the guy on sound effects. This is improv at a level you’ve never seen before. The play opens with a detective narr

(l-r) Michael Barker as Henry and Chris Gilbey-Smith as Kenneth. Photo by Richard Smith. Love, Love, Love by Mike Bartlett at The Loft Theatre, Leamington Spa from 6 - 16 May. Directed by Lynda Lewis. Review by Ann Evans. The Loft’s latest production may be called Love, Love, Love, but the overriding emotion that this dysfunctional family send out is loathe, loathe, loathe! That does of course, make for an excellent evening’s entertainment. The story is set over three very

Holly Lawlor and Aisling O’Mara. Photo by Ste Murray. Poor by Katriona O’Sullivan adapted by Sonya Kelly at The Belgrade Theatre, Coventry from 1 – 9 May 2026. Directed by Róisin McBrinn. Review by Amanda Burden 1987: a year etched in the heart of every Sky Blues fan - the first and only time (so far) Coventry City lifted the FA Cup. This weekend, as the city turned sky blue once again to celebrate a return to the Premier League, with the now-legendary open-top bus rolling th

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

Dave Candy in Pigeon Syndrome. Photo by Ben Keyser. Before the Fringe – a triple bill of one act plays presented by Broadly Speaking Productions. At Ilmington Village Hall 2 May 2026 and again at Tysoe Village Hall 7 pm Sunday 17 May. Review by Charles Essex Playwright Ben Keyser’s theatre company Broadly Speaking Productions put on a triple bill of his clever one act plays at Ilmington Village Hall. Pigeon Syndrome, which has won numerous awards for Best in Festival

Legally Blonde JR at The Albany Theatre, Albany Road, Coventry CV5 7JQ, 7:30pm, Thursday 30 April 2026. One day only (matinee and evening show) Review by David Court. Show Poster First published as a novel by Amanda Brown in 2001, Legally Blonde quickly found further life on screen before becoming a hugely successful stage musical in 2007, with music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin. A classic fish-out-of-water comedy, it follows sorority president Elle Woods