#The Birmingham Repertory Theatre

[entirelymesmerising]

Alan Rickman as Sherlock Holmes, 1976, Birmingham Rep(ertory Theatre)

David Suchet (known as Hercule Poirot) starred in it too, as Professor Moriarty!

https://www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/open-house/50-years-of-history/

[scotianostra]

On February 9th 2007 the Scottish actor Ian Richardson passed away.

Ian is probably most famous for the TV series House of Cards. Ian was educated in Edinburgh, at Balgreen Primary School, Tynecastle High School and George Heriot’s School. He made his stage debut as 14 year old in, A Tale of Two Cities and caught the acting bug, and unfortunately, in my own opinion, the directed told him he would need to lose his Scottish accent to progress as an actor. Nowadays actors seem to adapt their accents to each role, it’s a pity Ian was told this and I wonder was it that rough it had to happen?

His mother arranged elocution lessons, and he became a stage manager with the semi-professional Edinburgh People’s Theatre. made a name for himself playing Hamlet at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in 1960 before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company where he began a stint of several years appearing in a variety of roles. At the RSC, he created the role of Jean Paul Marat in Marat/Sade, reprising it for the much-heralded 1966 film version. Stage success in Stratford, Ontario, and New York would soon follow.

Richardson appeared as Oberon in Peter Hall’s well-liked 1968 rendition of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, then as Don John in the BBC Much Ado About Nothing in 1978. Much of his best work has been on TV, the silkiness of his delivery equipping him equally for traitors like the mole who sells out in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy or, eponymous, Blunt , or as a speaker of Six Centuries of Verse.His portrayal in the former role of Bill Haydon in the adaptation of John Le Carres novel was exquisite and would reward a watching. He also starred as Sherlock Holmes in two TV movies Hound of the Baskervilles and Sign of Four before starring in the dystopian universe of Terry Gilliam’s Brazil . For the rest of the 1980’s there were a variety of character roles in both films and TV.

The 72-year-old actor died unexpectedly in his sleep at his London house on February 9, 2007, survived by his widow Maroussia Frank, whom he died in the arms of, the couple had been making plans for their 46th wedding anniversary……

[ludmilachaibemachado]

Julie Christie at Birmingham Repertory Theatre, 24th July 1963🪷🪷🪷

Photo by Bill Ellman📸

Via @isabelfutre on Instagram🪷

[insanityclause]

Tom Hiddleston - 42 years, 42 performances

The Play What I Wrote

'Guest Star Tom Hiddleston'

Birmingham Repertory Theatre, December 2021 - February 2022

[myfavoritepeterotoole]

Peter O'Toole and his daughter Patricia

caption: Peter O'Toole shares the limelight with his daughter Pat, aged 19, in the photo call for the Birmingham Repertory Theatre production of ‘Man and Superman’ September 1982

** Man and Superman directed by Patrick Dromgoole

Peter O'Toole as Jack Tanner

[grandstationwolverhampton]

Birmingham Bliss: Unveiling the Most Stunning Wedding Venues in the City

Introduction:

Birmingham, a city steeped in history and modern allure, serves as a captivating backdrop for couples seeking to tie the knot in style. The diverse cultural tapestry and architectural wonders make Birmingham an ideal destination for weddings, with a plethora of stunning venues that cater to every taste and preference. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore some of the most stunning wedding venues in Birmingham, each offering a unique blend of elegance, sophistication, and charm.

The Elvetham Hotel:

Nestled in 35 acres of lush gardens and grounds, The Elvetham Hotel, situated in Hartley Wintney near Birmingham, is a historic and picturesque wedding venue. Dating back to the 19th century, this stunning mansion provides a romantic setting for ceremonies and receptions. The Oak Room, with its impressive oak paneling and large windows overlooking the gardens, offers a regal space for exchanging vows. The Elvetham Hotel's commitment to excellence and its timeless surroundings make it a sought-after choice for couples seeking a truly stunning wedding venue.

Fazeley Studios:

For those with a penchant for urban chic, Fazeley Studios in Digbeth, Birmingham, is a unique and contemporary wedding venue. Housed in a converted Victorian warehouse, this venue seamlessly blends industrial charm with modern aesthetics. The Grand Gallery, with its exposed brick walls and soaring ceilings, provides a trendy and versatile space for weddings. Fazeley Studios' dedication to creativity and its central location in the creative quarter make it an ideal choice for couples seeking a stunning and unique wedding venue in Birmingham.

The Old Library, Birmingham REP:

Situated in the heart of Birmingham's cultural district, The Old Library within the Birmingham Repertory Theatre is a wedding venue that exudes both historic charm and artistic sophistication. The distinctive architecture, high ceilings, and ornate details create an elegant backdrop for ceremonies and receptions. The venue's central location adds an extra layer of convenience, making it a stunning choice for couples who appreciate the fusion of cultural richness and timeless romance.

Aston Hall:

Aston Hall, a Jacobean mansion situated in Aston, Birmingham, stands as a testament to grandeur and historic beauty. Surrounded by formal gardens and picturesque landscapes, this stunning venue offers a variety of spaces for weddings. The Great Hall, with its intricate plasterwork and majestic ambiance, provides a regal setting for ceremonies. Aston Hall's rich history and timeless elegance make it a truly stunning choice for couples seeking a wedding venue that transports them to a bygone era while enjoying the conveniences of the present.

Hyatt Regency Birmingham:

Boasting a prime location on Broad Street, the Hyatt Regency Birmingham is a contemporary and luxurious wedding venue with stunning views of the city skyline. The Symphony Ballroom, with its sleek design and panoramic windows, provides a sophisticated space for ceremonies and receptions. The venue's commitment to modern luxury and impeccable service ensures that couples and their guests experience a wedding marked by opulence and style. The central location adds a touch of urban glamour to the overall wedding experience.

Benefits of Choosing Birmingham Wedding Venues:

Diverse Atmospheres: Birmingham's wedding venues offer diverse settings, from historic mansions to contemporary urban spaces, ensuring that couples can choose a venue that aligns with their desired atmosphere.

Cultural Richness: Venues like The Old Library at the Birmingham REP provide a cultural and artistic backdrop, adding an extra layer of sophistication to wedding celebrations.

Versatility: Birmingham wedding venues offer versatile spaces that can be tailored to accommodate different wedding styles and sizes, providing couples with flexibility in creating their dream celebration.

Convenience: Central locations of venues like the Hyatt Regency and The Old Library offer convenience for guests, making it easy to access and enjoy the city's amenities before and after the wedding.

Historical Significance: Venues such as Aston Hall bring historical significance and architectural beauty to weddings, providing a stunning backdrop that transcends time.

In conclusion, Birmingham's stunning wedding venues offer couples a range of choices, each contributing its unique charm to the celebration. From historic splendor to contemporary luxury, Birmingham provides a canvas for couples to create stunning and unforgettable moments on their wedding day.

Conclusion:

Birmingham's wedding venues epitomize a perfect blend of historical charm, modern allure, and cultural richness, making the city an ideal destination for couples looking to celebrate their special day in style. Whether it's the historic grandeur of Aston Hall, the urban chic of Fazeley Studios, the cultural richness of The Old Library, the natural beauty of The Elvetham Hotel, or the contemporary luxury of the Hyatt Regency, each venue contributes to the stunning tapestry of Birmingham weddings.

[venuesinalabama]

Top Things To Do In Alabama That won't Break The Bank!

You will frequently hear from people in Alabama that there is nothing particularly interesting for tourists. However, the state's greatest industry, tourism, which brings in well over $10 billion annually, happens to be a major corporation.

Above all, Alabama's rural and agricultural roots, together with its warm hospitality, mouthwatering cuisine, top-notch hotels and resorts, and renowned events where there are many Things To Do In Alabama with several festivals and performances, are what makes the state so alluring to tourists.

Alabama is the place to rediscover your sang-froid for tormented souls tired of city lights. From the fresh, crisp air of north-central Alabama's mountains and lakes to the glittering sun-soaked beaches of the state's southern Gulf coast, Alabama has a stunning assortment of attractions to offer the traveller seeking comfort in Nature's arms. It is also a state with a rich historical and cultural legacy. So, whether it's simply a weekend trip or a longer vacation, wise people check out Alabama before picking where to go on their well-deserved break. And I say "wise" people because a vacation in Alabama won't break the bank - you may have a great time at a far lower cost than comparable vacation places!

Alabama has something to offer travellers of all tastes and preferences, from museums to flea markets, from golf to motor sports or greyhound racing, from the battleship Alabama to the US Army Aviation Museum, and even natural history museums and the estuarium at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab.

Fleamarket Mobile, the largest such market on the Gulf Coast, provides the best opportunity for bargain hunters. Similarly, there is something for everyone interested in education and museums. There are museums dedicated to natural history, political history, and military history, to name a few.

The Alabama Shakespeare Festival is the only professional theatre in the United States with a live-in acting group that stages a rotating repertory of classical works. Then there's the letter F. The Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum is located in New York City. Don't forget Ivy Green, the famed Helen Keller's birthplace.

There is also much for sports fans. While the Alabama Sports Facility Hall of Fame honors sporting greats such as Jesse Owens, the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and the Barber Vintage Motorsports Park and Museum are must-sees for car enthusiasts. There is also the Birmingham Greyhound Race Track for individuals who enjoy dog racing.

There is a lot for the literary-minded in a state that has given us literary masterpieces like To Kill a Mockingbird. Aside from the more serious issues, the intrepid traveller seeking macabre literary pleasure can try their hand at gathering the countless ghost stories that Alabama residents are fond of telling. So, if you're searching for an outing that you can enjoy without worrying too much about your wallet, consider Alabama!

[yorkcalling]

The Play What I Wrote Announced For York Theatre Roya;

The Play What I Wrote Announced For York Theatre Roya;

David Pugh, Theatre Royal Bath Productions and Birmingham Repertory Theatre present The Play What I Wrote By Sean Foley, Hamish McColl and Eddie Braben York Theatre Royal, 27 June – 2 July Thom has written a play, an epic set in the French Revolution called ‘A Tight Squeeze for the Scarlet Pimple’. Dennis on the other hand, wants to continue with their double act. He believes that if they…

[entirelymesmerising]

Alan Rickman as Sherlock Holmes, 1976, Birmingham Rep(ertory Theatre)

David Suchet (known as Hercule Poirot) starred in it too, as Professor Moriarty!

https://www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/open-house/50-years-of-history/

[scotianostra]

The Scottish actor Nicol Williamson was born on October 14th 1938 in Hamilton.

Williamson was an enormously talented actor who was considered by some critics to be the finest actor of his generation in the late 1960s and the 1970s, rivalled only by Albert Finney in his generation.

Born the son of a factory owner. When he was 18 months old, his family moved to Birmingham, England. Williamson was sent back to Hamilton to live with his grandparents during World War II due to Birmingham's susceptibility to bombing, but returned when the war ended, and was educated at the Central Grammar School for Boys, Birmingham

He left school at 16 to begin work in his father’s factory and later attended the Birmingham School of Speech & Drama. He recalled his time there as “a disaster” and claimed “it was nothing more than a finishing school for the daughters of local businessmen”. After his national service as a gunner in the Airborne Division, Williamson made his professional debut with the Dundee Repertory Theatre in 1960.

In 1962 he made his London debut as Flute in Tony Richardson’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Royal Court Theatre. His first major success came in 1964 with John Osborne’s Inadmissible Evidence for which he was nominated for a Tony Award when it transferred to Broadway in 1965. 1964 also saw him appearing as Vladimir in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot at the Royal Court Theatre. In 1968, he starred in the film version. Williamson’s Hamlet for Tony Richardson at the Roundhouse caused a sensation and was later transferred to New York and made into a film, with a cast including Anthony Hopkins and Marianne Faithfull. Faithfull later stated in her autobiography Faithfull that she and Williamson had had an affair while filming Hamlet.

His most celebrated film role was as Merlin the magician in the King Arthur epic Excalibur in 1981. Director John Boorman cast him as Merlin opposite Helen Mirren as Morgana over the protests of both actors; the two had previously appeared together on stage in Macbeth, with disastrous results, and disliked each other intensely. It was Boorman’s hope that the very real animosity that they had towards each other would generate more tension between them on screen, as is evident from their scenes together. Williamson gained recognition from a much wider fanbase for his performance as Merlin. A review of Excalibur in the London Times in 1981 said, “The actors are led by Williamson’s witty, perceptive Merlin, missed every time he’s off the screen.”

Some of his other notable cinematic performances are as a deeply troubled Irish soldier in the 1968 Jack Gold film The Bofors Gun; Sherlock Holmes in the 1976 Herbert Ross film The Seven-Per-Cent Solution; and Little John in the 1976 Richard Lester film Robin and Marian.

Williamson had a reputation as a bit of a hellraiser and a troublesome man who was known for several tantrums and on-stage antics. During the Philadelphia tryout of Inadmissible Evidence, a play in which he delivered a performance that would win him a Tony Award nomination in 1965, he hit the equally mercurial producer David Merrick. In 1968 he apologised to the audience for his performance one night while playing Hamlet and then walked off the stage, announcing he was retiring. In the early 1970s, Williamson left the Dick Cavett Show prior to a scheduled appearance, leaving the host and guest Nora Ephron to fill the remaining time. In 1976, he slapped an actor during the curtain call for the Broadway musical, Rex. In 1991, he hit co-star Evan Handler on the backside with a sword during a Broadway performance of I Hate Hamlet.

In 1974, Williamson recorded an abridged reading of The Hobbit for Argo Records, with authorisation for abridgement provided by Tolkien’s publisher. The recording was produced by Harley Usill. According to his official website, Nicol himself re-edited the original script, removing many occurrences of “he said”, “she said”, and so on, as he felt that an over-reliance on descriptive narrative would not give the desired effect. In 1971, Williamson married actress Jill Townsend, who played his daughter in the Broadway production of Inadmissible Evidence. They had a son, Luke, but divorced in 1977.

Despite concerns over his health in the 1970s, Williamson admitted drinking heavily and claimed to smoke 80 cigarettes a day. In an episode of The David Frost Show in the 1960s, during a discussion about death, which also involved poet John Betjeman, Williamson revealed that he was very much afraid of dying, saying that “I think of death constantly, throughout the day” and that “I don’t think there is anything after this, except complete oblivion.” On 25 January 2012, Luke Williamson announced on his father’s official web site that Nicol Williamson had died on 16th December 2011, aged 75, after a two-year struggle with oesophageal cancer. The news was released late as the actor did not want any fuss to be made over his death.

[ludmilachaibemachado]

Julie Christie at Birmingham Repertory Theatre, 24th July 1963💐💐💐

Photo Bill Ellman💐

[tomhiddleslove]

Source: middulph on IG.

 #TPWIW opening antics 🎩🎩

[entirelymesmerising]

Alan Rickman as Sherlock Holmes, 1976, Birmingham Rep(ertory Theatre)

David Suchet (known as Hercule Poirot) starred in it too, as Professor Moriarty!

https://www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/open-house/50-years-of-history/

[scotianostra]

On February 9th 2007 the very well respected Scottish actor Ian Richardson passed away.

Ian William Richardson was born on April 7th 1934 in Edinburgh, he attended Ballgreen Primary School, Tynecastle High and George Heriot’s School in Edinburgh, he caught the acting bug early starring in an amateur production of A Tale of Two Cities at aged 14. The director encouraged his talent but warned that he would need to lose his Scottish accent to progress as an actor, a comment that would appall the likes of Ewen MacGregor nowadays.His mother arranged elocution lessons, and he became a stage manager with the semi-professional Edinburgh People’s Theatre.

After National Service in the Army (part of which he spent as an announcer and drama director with the British Forces Broadcasting Service) he obtained a place at the College of Dramatic Arts in Glasgow. After a period at the Old Rep (also known as the Birmingham Repertory Theatre), he appeared with the Royal Shakespeare Company of which he was a founding member, from 1960 to 1975. During this time he also appeared on Broadway where the The New York Times, called his performance in a production as “outstanding.“ He would later play Henry Higgins in a revival of “My Fair Lady,” for which he was nominated for a Tony Award.

On the big screen he played the part of Oberon in a lukewarm film version of RSC’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream that nevertheless bore an elite company of Britain’s finest pre-Dames in Judi Dench, Helen Mirren and Diana Rigg..

Richardson starred in many UK mini-series including Porterhouse Blues, Lord Mountbatten: The Last Viceroy, The Gravy Train, and of course perhaps the most well know, House of Cards, playing the Machiavellian Tory politician Francis Urquhart, famous for the quote "You might well think that … I couldn’t possibly comment”, which became a catchphrase for the series.

Looking through his biography I wasn’t surprised to find he was in the excellent TV series Private Schultz, I was however surprised that he played three different roles in the six episodes!

Whereas he was less well known in on the other side of the Atlantic, Americans might also know him from commercials, as the man who asked, out of the window of a Rolls-Royce, for Grey Poupon mustard.

Richardson married actress Maroussia Frank in 1961, they spent the rest of his life together, in a 2007 interview she recalled the night he passed away…….

“We went to bed, and at 2am Ian made a little bit of a noise, as if he were having a dream. I just shook him a little and expected him to mutter something like: ‘What, oh sorry’ - but he didn’t. I got up and went round to his side of the bed.”

Her husband died in her arms a few minutes later.

She went on to say that Ian had told her he wanted to go first and that

“Ian would have been helpless on his own. I did everything for him. He didn’t even know which bank his account was with. In a way, it is good that he died in his sleep rather than suffer from a long illness - a wonderful way for him to go.”

Ian Richardson was 72 when he died of an undiagnosed Heart disease

[scotianostra]

The Scottish actor, John Carlin was born on November 6th 1929  in Johnstone.

There are very few details about John Carlin online, the Herald has an obituary on him, but it’s behind a paywall/ Anyway what I gleaned from elsewhere is he  attended the Glasgow College of Dramatic Art.

In the late 1950s, Carlin acted with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. He made his radio debut in 1955 on the Children's Hour and went on to appear in a number of television programmes in the 1960s. Also in the 1960s he worked as a disc jockey on the BBC's Light Programme. He has an impressive portfolio of TV appearances.

His first role was in  The Piper of Orde was a BBC Scotland Television Drama from 1957, the 60′s saw him in several episodes of  Emergency-Ward 10 as well  Dixon of Dock Green, Z Cars, Kidnapped and number TV plays amd armchair theatre shows and three different roles in Dr. Finlay's Casebook.

As well as 70′s dramas he moved towards comedy appearing in Frankie Howerd's Hour and the sitcoms,  And Mother Makes Three, Love Thy Neighbour, Man About the House and Robins Nest. Carlin also turned up in  Carry on Laughing!TV Series and the films  Carry On England and  Carry On Emmannuelle.

The sitcoms continued in the 80′s,  The Gaffer, Keep it in the Family and Fresh Fields to name but three. Dramas during this era beckoned to, Bergerac, Minder, Boon and one of my faves Big Deal.

Of course no Scottish actor worth his salt can pass up a show like Taggart, John Carling first appeared in  two three parters, Dead Ringer in 1985 and  Hostile Witness in 1990, two different parts and 6 shows in total.

Carlin’s acting career stretched into the 90′s with dramas  She-Wolf of London, The Darling Buds of May and Poirot. The sitcoms continued with our own City Lights and The Upper Hand.

John Carling died peacefully on 19th November 2017, aged 88 years, after a short illness.