Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre

Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre Hurst Street, Birmingham, B5 4TB Street map

Buy Tickets: 0844 847 1722 - or use the online links below

2011 Season at The Hippodrome in Birmingham:

Dick Whittington Panto
Saturday 18 December 2010 to Sunday 30 January 2011
Joan Collins will make her pantomime debut in the role of 'Queen Rat' in this year's traditional family Birmingham Hippodrome panto, Dick Whittington. Joining Joan on stage in Britain's biggest pantomime will be Julian Clary, Nigel Havers and Keith Harris & Orville. Michael Harrison, Managing Director of Qdos Entertainment's Pantomime Division which stages the Hippodrome show, said: "We are delighted that the 53rd annual pantomime at Birmingham Hippodrome will have such a fantastic line-up of stars. Panto is well and truly at home in Birmingham and Dick Whittington will be the biggest panto in the land this Christmas!"

Chess: the Musical
Monday 7 to Saturday 12 February 2011

Matthew Bourne's Cinderella
Tuesday 15 to Saturday 19 February 2011

La Fille Mal Gardee - Birmingham Royal Ballet
Wednesday 2 to Saturday 5 March 2011
When country beauty Lise falls in love with farm lad Colas, she's about to upset the apple cart. Her mother, Widow Simone, has her own ideas about who her daughter should marry. Enter Thomas, a pompous and wealthy vineyard owner. And Alain, his rich son - attractive as a potato, smart as a turnip and the proud possessor of two left feet. Now watch as each of this merry crew try to meet their heart's desires. Ever popular because of its simple, engaging story, wonderful wit and pulsating passion, La Fille mal gardée remains a firm favourite for all the family. Created in 1960 by one of the greatest choreographers of the 20th century, this charming ballet was an instant hit. Funny, tender and true, this lovely ballet of rural bliss will put a spectacular spring in your step.

Die Fledermaus - Welsh National Opera
Wednesday 9 and Friday 11 March 2011
Welsh National Opera return to the Birmingham Hippodrome in March with two operas. All of Viennese high society is going to Prince Orlofsky's Ball. They just don't want each other to know this. Eisenstein should be going to prison so he's keeping a low profile. For obvious reasons his wife and her lover Frank are also keen to conceal their identities. Their maid Adele should be tending to her sick aunt, not partying. Eisenstein's best friend Falke however is plotting revenge on him for making him walk through the city dressed as a bat. By the end of the night all masks will be lifted, identities will be known and truths will be revealed. The waltz king, Johann Strauss II's comic operetta is a delicious Viennese treat, filled with sumptuous music. Celebrated opera director John Copley's new period set- production promises to create an evening of opulence, elegance and sheer frivolity. Sung in English with surtitles in English and Welsh.

Il Trovatore - Welsh National Opera
Thursday 10 and Saturday 12 March 2011
Twenty years ago, Azucena's mother was burned for witchcraft by the Count di Luna. In retaliation Azucena is said to have thrown one of di Luna's son on the fire. In the present day the truth of those events will haunt the next generation. No-one will escape the chilling truth. Verdi's Il trovatore is Italian opera at its most passionate and full blooded. Filled with memorable choruses and memorable arias, the audience are propelled through this tale of vengeance by music of enormous power. Peter Watson's period production returns with celebrated Welsh tenor Gwyn Hughes Jones making his role debut as Manrico. Sung in Italian with surtitles in English and Welsh.

Footloose
Monday 14 to Saturday 19 March 2011

The "All New" Original Tribute To the Blues Brothers
Monday 21 to Saturday 26 March 2011

Busting Out
Sunday 27 March 2011

Les Ballets Trockadero De Monte Carlo
Wednesday 30 March to Saturday 2 April 2011

Jekyll & Hyde
Monday 4 to Saturday 9 April 2011

Calendar Girls
Monday 11 to Saturday 16 April 2011

Thriller Live - In Concert
Monday 18 to Saturday 30 April 2011

John Cleese
Monday 9 to Wednesday 11 May 2011
For the first time ever comedy legend and the most senile member of Monty Python will be bringing his 'Alimony Tour' to the UK - visiting Birmingham in May at the Hippodrome Theatre. Best known for his idiosyncratic turns in Monty Python's Flying Circus and Fawlty Towers, John Cleese will bring his unique comedic perspective to audiences across the UK. From writing to starring in plays, musicals, theatrical and comedy productions, to films and sitcoms, Cleese has done it all, and now it's time for him to tell you about his jam-packed life. John Cleese says: "it is an evening of well honed anecdotes, psychoanalytical tit-bits, details of recent surgical procedures, and unprovoked attacks on former colleagues, especially Michael Palin". Cleese has achieved a lot in his career which started as a sketch writer for BBC Radio's Dick Emery Show and then The Frost Report. After this stardom beckoned, and Monty Python was created with Cleese co-writing and staring in four series and three films. He went on to achieve further success as the neurotic hotel manager Basil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers, which he co-wrote with then wife Connie Booth.

Avenue Q
Tuesday 17 to Saturday 21 May 2011

Midnight Tango
Monday 23 to Saturday 28 May 2011

Yes, Prime Minister
Monday 30 May to Saturday 4 June 2011

Turandot - Welsh National Opera
Wednesday 8 and Friday 10 June 2011
Welsh National Opera return to the Birmingham Hippodrome in March with two operas. Peking has become a terrifying place. Crowds fill the streets, baying for blood, waiting for public executions. The victims are men who have attempted to answer three riddles. The prize is the hand of the beautiful but cold-hearted Princess Turandot. The penalty for failure is death. These horrors do nothing to deter Calaf, son of Timur - a deposed king. Intoxicated by the beauty of the Princess, not even the desperate pleas of Liù, Timur's servant, can waken Calaf from his trance. He is determined to answer the riddles, risking his own life and those who truly love him. Turandot is the crowning achievement of Italian opera in the last century. It may be best known for Nessun Dorma but Turandot is filled with music of extraordinary power. If you enjoy other operas by Puccini, Turandot simply has to be experienced.Christopher Alden's spectacular, potent production sets the action of the opera firmly in the 20th century creating a portrait of a society suffocated by a brutal regime. Sung in Italian with surtitles in English and Welsh.

Cosi Fan Tutte - Welsh National Opera
Thursday 9 and Saturday 11 June 2011
Ferrando loves Dorabella. Guglielmo loves Fiordiligi. Their friend Don Alfonso however believes that all women are fickle. He makes a bet that when tested, their girlfriends too will show themselves to be fickle and unfaithful. They accept the wager and agree to disguise themselves and seduce each other's girlfriends. Soon doubts set in, their certainties crumble and their relationships become very complicated indeed. Mozart and Da Ponte's insightful comedy is one of the great works of art examining human behaviour. Mozart employs every note to wittily and thoughtfully depict the chaos into which the characters throw themselves. Like The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte is a mirror into which audiences are invited to look and see themselves. Benjamin Davis directs his first new production for the company. A cast of talented rising young singers has been brought together for this seaside-set production. Sung in Italian with surtitles in English and Welsh.

Coppelia - Birmingham Royal Ballet
Wednesday 15 to Saturday 18 June 2011
What's at the heart of a woman? Eccentric toymaker Dr Coppélius wants to know, and he's planning to bring his mechanical doll, Coppélia, to life - he just needs the right spell. When Dr Coppélius leaves Coppélia on his workshop balcony she's soon causing quite a stir in the village. Particularly in the heart of redblooded young lover Franz, and the jealous mind of his real-life fiancée, Swanilda - who's mistaken the mannequin for a crying, talking, sleeping, walking rival. With a wild mix of abracadabra, and some mischievous maidens, comic chaos is riotously unleashed when humans and automatons collide in Dr Coppélius's spooky toyshop. Peter Wright's enchanting production of this joyous and witty ballet is an ever-popular celebration of love, with a sparkling score and breathtaking choreography. Coppélia is guaranteed to lift the hearts of all the family.

Passion and Ecstacy - Birmingham Royal Ballet
Wednesday 22 to Saturday 25 June 2011
Full of quivering jumps and turns, dance phrases that freeze into glitteringly unpredictable poses, and speeds that reach apparently impossible highs, Allegri diversi is a sparklingly energetic classical ballet to Rossini's bubbly score. It will leave you breathless. In Carmina burana, an encounter with the mindblowing Goddess Fortuna deals three seminarians a major lesson in the fickle nature of fate. Compelled to abandon their sacred studies to pursue a more sensual approach to life, forbidden pleasures and physical temptations quickly become the young men's most eager areas of revision. Soon the young celebrants are soaring with passion, love and alcohol. Carmina burana is a thrilling, large-scale production, made to Carl Orff's rousing and emotionally charged choral tour de force - a feast in its own right. Bintley's breathtaking choreography for both ballets ensures an unforgettable experience.

We Will Rock You
Tuesday 5 July to Saturday 06 August 2011

Carlos Acosta
Wednesday 17 to Saturday 20 August 2011

Swan Lake - Guangdong Acrobatic Troupe of China
Tuesday 23 to Saturday 27 August 2011

Top Hat
Tuesday 30 August to Saturday 10 September 2011