I’ve been to many Theatres over the years. Ask me what to see and I mostly won’t remember. Recently The Nutcracker – London at The Coliseum with The English National Ballet. I was hugely disappointed. The building was scruffy, too hot to bear. The heat rose upwards like a Turkish Sauna. Heaven knows what it would be like during the warmer months? The production dull and thoughtless. No comparison to The Birmingham Royal Ballet productions.

Photo below of The Coliseum – London. Sadly it does not capture the bits of cello-tape on the stage floor. There was no apparent security (despite recent terror attacks in Paris) and it took us almost half an hour to leave the building, following the performance, due to a mass of people trying to get down the stairs at once. I hated the entire experience from beginning to end.

Here’s what the press said about The Nutcracker :-

★★★★★
“Dazzling” 
The Daily Telegraph 

“Christmas-card perfect”
The Guardian 

“This is now a contender as one of the best Nutcrackers around”
The Daily Express

Not sure whether they were watching the same performance as me …? Yup, more mainstream bullshit.

Then today I revisited The Hippodrome with my Nieces, Abbie and Gracie, where we watched Aladdin. It’s my favourite theatre to date. Nothing fancy yet it’s spacious and has good facilities – most importantly I’ve never seen a bad show. And of course, Birmingham ‘was’ my home town – I’ve many happy memories at The Hippodrome going right back to childhood. So perhaps I am a little biased … (ps look at my fringe, I cut it with nail scissors on the train.)

Well … eat your heart out ‘Ugly Sisters’ this show flawed you. Julian Clary was so tongue in cheek – I nearly fell from my seat.

He was ‘Ringo’ and his ring got a mention throughout each scene. Some tutted, but I loved the nerve. The show was packed with filthy camp innuendo.

(Plenty of ad-lib from Julian that had the rest of the cast sniggering between lines.) Not to mention 3D magic and crafty extras together with a superb cast to include Marty Pellow as the bad guy.

No expense spared with the costumes. The stage alive with colour. We thoroughly enjoyed it! (By the way the girls chose their own outfits, it’s good to clash I tell them.)

Tiffany Belle Harper.