| The Rep Theatre shows and productions | | |
| CABARET (in the Main House) | | | Saturday 29th July to Saturday 13th September 2008 - 7.30pm | | Welcome to the multi award-winning hit West End production of Cabaret! The "sensational" double Olivier Award Winner and Variety Club Awards Best Musical turns Weimar Berlin of 1931 into a divine haven of decadence, its extraordinary and morally ambiguous inhabitants determined to keep up appearances as the real world - outside the comfortable sanctuary of the cabaret - prepares for the nightmarish chaos of war. And at its heart is the legendary Sally Bowles who performs nightly at the infamous Kit Kat Klub in "A shimmering masterpiece of a show guaranteed night after night! It's divine decadence darling!" Since its Broadway premiere in 1966 and the famous movie version, with Liza Minnelli, Michael York and Joel Grey, Cabaret has won a staggering number of stage and screen awards including eight Oscars, seven BAFTAs and 13 Tonys. Matinee performances at 2.30pm on Thursdays and Saturdays performances at 3pm & 8pm. No performances on Sunday. (back to top) | | | to book by phone, call | | the rep theatre | | we also recommend... | 0121 303 2323 | | | |
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| | | | Wednesday 3rd to Saturday 20th September 2008 - 7.45pm | | Originally produced in Hanover, this is the English language premiere of Simon Stephens' stark and shattering new play that captures Britain as it craches from the euphoria and promise of 2012 into the chaos and reality of 7/7. Simon Stephens is one of Britain's most acclaimed playwrights whose debut play Sleep Of The Just was produced at the Traverse in 1994. His previous work includes One Minute (ATC), Motortown (Royal Court) and On The Shores Of The Wide World (Royal Exchange Manchester) which won an Olivier Award for Best New Play in 2005. Pornography is directed by Sean Holmes, whose recent work has included The Entertainer (Old Vic), The Caucasian Chalk Circle (National Theatre) and Sergeant Musgrave's Dance (Oxford Stage Company). This production opens at the Traverse Theatre as part of the Edinburgh Festival before transferring to The REP. This play contains language and graphic descriptions which may cause offence. Matinee performances on Saturday 13th & Thursday 18th September at 2.45pm. No performances on Sunday 7th & 14th September. (back to top) | | | to book by phone, call | | the rep theatre | | we also recommend... | 0121 303 2323 | | | |
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| THE BAD ONE (at The Door) | | | Thursday 25th to Saturday 27th September 2008 - 7.45pm | | There was once a poor, lonely, orphaned girl called Jackie who lived with her grandmother in a big old house on the edge of town. Sometimes she didn’t mind being lonely, for she had plenty to do as her grandmother kept her busy with cooking and cleaning. But sometimes she’d feel the wind blowing in a certain direction and a great gaping emptiness would fill her stomach and she’d yearn for the company of another girl just like herself – someone to sing and play with. However, her grandmother was very strict and had forbidden singing and dancing because “one thing leads to another”. The Bad One is a dark and playful drama exploring Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde from a female perspective. A chilling and cautionary gothic fairytale! Matinee performance on Saturday at 2.45pm. (back to top) | | | to book by phone, call | | the rep theatre | | we also recommend... | 0121 303 2323 | | | |
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| WUTHERING HEIGHTS (at the Main House) | | | Friday 26th September to Saturday 18th October 2008 - 7.30pm | | A brand new adaptation brings Emily Bronte’s passionate and spellbinding tale of forbidden love and revenge to life on stage. Set on the wild, windswept Yorkshire moors, Wuthering Heights is the tempestuous story of free-spirited Catherine and dark, brooding Heathcliff. As children running wild and free on the moors, Cathy and Heathcliff are inseparable. As they grow up their affection deepens into a passionate love, but Cathy lets her head rule her heart as she chooses to marry the wealthy Edgar Linton. Heathcliff flees broken-hearted only to return seeking terrible vengeance on those he holds responsible, with epic and tragic results. April De Angelis is one of the UK’s most innovative dramatists. Her plays have included A Laughing Matter at the National Theatre, Hush at the Royal Court and The Warwickshire Testimony for the RSC. Matinee performances on Tuesday 14th, each Thursday & Saturday 4th & 11th at 2pm. Tuesday 30th performance at 7pm. (back to top) | | | to book by phone, call | | the rep theatre | | we also recommend... | 0121 303 2323 | | | |
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| AT THE GATES OF GAZA (at The Door) | | | Thursday 2nd to Saturday 4th October 2008 - 7.30pm | | Stranded in the battlefields of the Holy Land during the Great War, a battalion of West Indian volunteers fight for the Empire, Queen and the Mother Land. Their long search for identity and honour falls apart as the fragile hopes of young lives, both black and white, explode and shatter as betrayal and race take their toll. At The Gates Of Gaza is a highly charged, emotional and gripping look at a world in the midst of change. Matinee performance on Thursday at 1.30pm. (back to top) | | | to book by phone, call | | the rep theatre | | we also recommend... | 0121 303 2323 | | | |
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| | | | Tuesday 7th to Saturday 11th October 2008 - 10am, 11.30am & 1.30pm | | What’s this? What does it look like? How does it feel? Does it smell nasty, or taste nice? Does it make a noise? Join two dancers and a live musician as they use their eyes and ears, noses and mouths, fingers and feet to investigate some wierd and wonderful, bizarre and beautiful objects. For ages 3 to 7. Matinee performance on Thursday at 1.30pm. (back to top) | | | to book by phone, call | | the rep theatre | | we also recommend... | 0121 303 2323 | | | |
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| IF I COVER MY NOSE YOU CAN'T SEE ME (at The Door) | | | Tuesday 14th to Thursday 16th October 2008 - 7.45pm | | Funny and compelling, Polarbear is a 21st century storyteller with his roots in the rhythms of hip hop and his feet firmly on the ground. With a sharp line in storytelling and poems, he uncovers the tale of a 28-year-old man stuck in a job he never wanted and a 10-year-old private detective looking for answers. (back to top) | | | to book by phone, call | | the rep theatre | | we also recommend... | 0121 303 2323 | | | |
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| KNOCK AGAINST MY HEART (at The Door) | | | Tuesday 21st to Wednesday 22nd October 2008 - 1.30pm & 7.30pm | A king betrayed, a daughter led by passion and an enemy blinded by fury. The hunger for power and freedom consume Prospero, Miranda and Caliban.
Knock Against My Heart is a thrilling new play inspired by The Tempest, developed in unique collaboration with Brazil’s acclaimed theatre company Nos Do Morro. (back to top) | | | to book by phone, call | | the rep theatre | | we also recommend... | 0121 303 2323 | | | |
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| PRIVATES ON PARADE (at the Main House) | | | Thursday 23rd October to Saturday 8th November 2008 - 7.30pm | | Malaya 1948 and the British Army is fighting communism. One of its secret weapons is the bawdy humour and musical revue of the Song and Dance Unit South East Asia – better known as Sadusea. Join Captain Terri Dennis as he attempts to create a sparkling show, despite being landed with a bunch of wet behind the ears recruits who can’t tell a tap step from a tea cup. Under the increasingly deranged eye of a Sergeant Major convinced that Christianity can overcome Communism, can new boy Steven Flowers keep his nerve, and lose his virginity, before the final curtain? Based on playwright Nichols’ own experiences entertaining the troops during his national service with Kenneth Williams and Stanley Baxter, Privates On Parade is a portrait of a forgotten struggle and an affectionate musical tribute to the British Army entertainment corps. Expect strong language, song, dance and comedy. Matinee performances on Saturday 1st & Thursday 6th at 2pm. Friday 24th performance at 7pm. No performances on Sundays. (back to top) | | | to book by phone, call | | the rep theatre | | we also recommend... | 0121 303 2323 | | | |
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| BEST FRIENDS (at The Door) | | | Saturday 25th October 2008 - 11am & 1.30pm | | Billy is starting school and it’s a bit scary! Time to call on Mudge, his imaginary friend, for a bit of help. With a pinch of fun, a scoop of friendship and a little drop of bravery, Billy rises to the challenge. What comes as a very unexpected surprise is the special new friend he meets when he gets there. Best Friend’s imaginative fusion of theatre, dance and original music, promises to delight. Suitable for ages 4-7. (back to top) | | | to book by phone, call | | the rep theatre | | we also recommend... | 0121 303 2323 | | | |
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| THE CHILD & THE TOAD (at the Centenary Suite) | | | Tuesday 28th October 2008 - 10.30am & 1.30pm | | Toad, Toad, hurry quick, Come here you little thing, You must have your bread and milk, A feast fit for a king. Based on the Brothers Grimm Folk tale, The Child And The Toad is an extraordinary story about love and loss. (back to top) | | | to book by phone, call | | the rep theatre | | we also recommend... | 0121 303 2323 | | | |
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| GIANT & HERO (at the Centenary Suite) | | | Wednesday 29th & Thursday 30th October 2008 - 10.30am & 1.30pm | | On a remote island, in the middle of a lake lives a gentle, if lonely, giant. The people who live on the land around the lake know little about this giant, and so they see him as a threat and potential danger. But to the giant it is they who are the threat. A threat to the giant’s very survival… Language Alive! is part of The Play House. (back to top) | | | to book by phone, call | | the rep theatre | | we also recommend... | 0121 303 2323 | | | |
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| HOPE SPRINGS (at The Door) | | | Thursday 30th October to Saturday 1st November 2008 - 7.30pm | | Welcome to Hope Springs – a correctional facility for teenagers. A place where parents send their children to ‘cure’ them of their delinquent ways. When young Sam goes missing in mysterious circumstances, a student rebel rallies the kids to take on the draconian regime. As they take matters into their own hands, it’s not too long before all hell breaks loose. Matinee performance on Saturday at 1.30pm. (back to top) | | | to book by phone, call | | the rep theatre | | we also recommend... | 0121 303 2323 | | | |
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| | | | Wednesday 5th to Saturday 8th November 2008 - 7pm | | Join the groundbreaking Decypher Collective and follow the intertwining paths of five MCs as they go head-to-head in a fierce lyrical battle. As pioneers of grime theatre the Decypher Collective have performed at the BASS music festival and Amsterdam’s The Black Soil Festival. After raising the roof with a work-in progress performance of 8sixteen32 at The REP in 2007, the astonishing Decypher Collective are now back with the full story. (back to top) | | | to book by phone, call | | the rep theatre | | we also recommend... | 0121 303 2323 | | | |
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| THE BOY WHO GREW FLOWERS (at The Door) | | | Saturday 8th November 2008 - 11.30am & 1.30pm | | Rink comes from an unusual family with unusual qualities but Rink is the most unusual of them all. Whenever the moon is full, beautiful flowers sprout all over his body. At school, Rink keeps to himself until one day a new girl arrives, who has one leg shorter than the other and loves dancing. Adapted from Jen Wojtowicz’s book, this magical play encourages children to appreciate difference, and gives reassurance to anyone who has ever felt out of place. (back to top) | | | to book by phone, call | | the rep theatre | | we also recommend... | 0121 303 2323 | | | |
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| ENJOY (at the Main House) | | | Monday 10th to Saturday 15th November 2008 - 7.30pm | | Enjoy is a rarely performed gem by one of the theatre’s greatest observers of the English way of life. Written in 1980, Alan Bennett set this dark comedy in his home town of Leeds where an ageing couple are living in the city’s last back-to-back. With the demolition of the area in progress, Wilf and Connie are soon to be re-housed in a brand new maisonette with a waste disposal unit and non-slip vinyl flooring! When a sociologist comes to observe them in their daily life, normality takes a decidedly atypical turn… With its cast of fifteen extraordinary characters and a stunning visual denoument, Enjoy promises to be an absolute theatrical treat. Alison Steadman is one of our best-loved and most prolific actresses. On stage, she created the role of the monstrous Beverly in Mike Leigh’s Abigail’s Party, and starred in The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice for which she won an Olivier Award. Her films include Shirley Valentine, Clockwise and Life Is Sweet. TV appearances include Fat Friends, The Singing Detective, Pride And Prejudice and the recent award-winning Gavin & Stacey. Monday performance at 7pm. Matinee performances on Thursday & Saturday at 2pm. (back to top) | | | to book by phone, call | | the rep theatre | | we also recommend... | 0121 303 2323 | | | |
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| LOCKED IN (at the Main House) | | | Monday 10th to Wednesday 12th November 2008 - 7pm | | On the 20th floor of an abandoned East End tower block, MC Balze and DJ Tariq rip up the airwaves on a leading pirate station. Their last CD was a massive hit and they’re all set to hit the big time with their first live set at Exile FM’s birthday bash. Then Zahida comes into their lives and cracks begin to appear in their friendship. When a local gangster asks Blaze for a serious favour, suddenly there’s a choice to be made that could split their world wide open. Locked In is a powerful three-hander by multi-award-winning writer Fin Kennedy. Matinee performances on Tuesday at 1.30pm. (back to top) | | | to book by phone, call | | the rep theatre | | we also recommend... | 0121 303 2323 | | | |
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| THE LION, THE WITCH & THE WARDROBE (in the Main House) | | | Wednesday 26th November 2008 to Saturday 17th January 2009 | | Four young adventurers playing hide and seek in the country home of an old professor stumble upon an enchanted wardrobe that will take them to places they never dreamed of. Stepping through the wardrobe door, they are whisked into the spectacular parallel universe known as Narnia - a fairytale land of magical proportions where woodland animals talk and mythological creatures roam... Join us as we journey to the ends of the world with this timeless classic that children cherish and adults adore. Suitable for all adventurers aged 6 and upwards. A co-production of the original West Yorkshire Playhouse production, presented by them in 2004 and 2007. The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe runs for approximately 2 hours 30 minutes including one interval. Matinee & morning performances available at varying times. For full listings see our November, December & January calendar pages. No performances on Sunday. (back to top) | | | to book by phone, call | | the rep theatre | | we also recommend... | 0121 303 2323 | | | |
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| THE BROTHERS SIZE (at The Door) | | | Tuesday 2nd to Saturday 6th December 2008 - 7.45pm | | There are two brothers Size: Ogun, who has worked hard to get his own auto-repair shop, and Oshoosi who always takes the wrong track. Oshoosi is fresh out of prison with dreams of faraway places. When his ex-cellmate Elegba offers him the gift of a car, freedom seems just around the corner… A young American writer mingles Nigerian Yoruba myth with the earthily poetic life of present day Louisiana to create a playful and deeply original drama. Nominated for an Olivier Award in 2008. (back to top) | | | to book by phone, call | | the rep theatre | | we also recommend... | 0121 303 2323 | | | |
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| LION WITCH WARDROBE (at The Door) |
| | Tuesday 9th, Thursday 11th & Tuesday 16th December 2008 - 7pm | | Taking our Main House Christmas show The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe as their inspiration, three of our satellite youth theatres each present a highly inventive and entertaining show especially for the festive season. Perry Beeches Young REP will roar like the mighty Lion, Shenley Court Young REP will be casting a spell with the Witches and Harborne Hill School will be finding out exactly what’s inside the Wardrobe. (back to top) | | no tickets available online |
| | to book by phone, call | | the rep theatre | | we also recommend... | 0121 303 2323 | | | |
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| AN INSPECTOR CALLS (in the Main House) | | | Friday 30th January to Saturday 14th February 2009 - 7.30pm | | When Inspector Goole arrives unexpectedly at the prosperous Birling family home, their peaceful dinner party is shattered by his investigations into the death of a young woman. His startling revelations shake the very foundations of their lives and challenge us all to examine our consciences. Epic staging, raw emotion and a sweeping score are just some of the ingredients that have made An Inspector Calls a smash hit all over the world. Winner of 19 major international theatre awards, this hugely successful West End production returns to The REP after its sell-out runs in 2003 and 2005. Matinee performances on Tuesday 10th, Thursdays & Saturday 7th at 2pm. No performances on Sunday. (back to top) | | | to book by phone, call | | the rep theatre | | we also recommend... | 0121 303 2323 | | | |
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| THESE FOUR STREETS (in The Door) | | | Thursday 12th to Saturday 28th February 2009 - 7.30pm | | In October 2005 the rumour of a rape sparked disturbances in Lozells, Birmingham, that led to the killing of one man, widespread damage and a fracture between two communities that had previously appeared to be living happily alongside one another. Inspired by the views, hopes and fears of local people connected to or affected by the disturbances, These Four Streets is an engaging and hopeful play that highlights a community’s fight to stay together. A collaboration between six young female writers, These Four Streets explores the power of rumour and what it’s like to live in a place that has been written off. Commissioned by The REP, this production, supported by the Sir Barry Jackson Trust, will also tour regionally as part of our annual Door On Tour. Matinee performances on Saturday 21st, Tuesday 24th, Thursday 26th & Friday 27th at 1.30pm. No performances on Sunday. (back to top) | | | to book by phone, call | | the rep theatre | | we also recommend... | 0121 303 2323 | | | |
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| DON JOHN (in the Main House) | | | Tuesday 17th to Saturday 21st February 2009 - 7.30pm | | England, 1976. The Winter of Discontent. Cold hearts seek comfort and poor souls look for love. A woman nurses her dying father; a cleaner greedily devours her Open University course in the fight for a better life; a career woman seeks the path that her life never took, and the loyal friend, always in the shadows, fears he will disappear one day and no-one will notice. We are in the lonely hearts column of life. “Save me” is the silent call that drifts from their aching bodies. But wait. Help is at hand. Don John is here! Dangerous, naughty and irresistible, Don John is a vessel for all our desires – a delicious chancer. He enters our lives and leaves us changed. Oh yes, he leaves us, for Don John belongs to nobody but himself and The Devil! With a sensational score of specially commissioned music, Kneehigh bring their renowned brand of physical storytelling to this sexy tale. After their production of Brief Encounter delighted audiences at The REP last year, Kneehigh return to Birmingham with a new production that promises to be visually stunning, anarchic and intoxicating. Kneehigh are a driving force in c |
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