Capable Child

What is full of sausage, smells of garlic and is sitting on the front row at Town Hall Birmingham waiting for the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra to strike up a medley of winter cheer? Us!  On a chilly Saturday afternoon, Birmingham city centre doesn't always feel like the place you want to be. Not so at in the run up to Christmas. Parking at the Snow Hill station car park allowed us a slow stroll through the village of stalls, eateries and kids' activities that have taken root around St Philips's cathedral - spotting penguins on the way. We were then swept up New Street past gluhwein, Christmas decorations, chocolate covered marshmallows and a singing reindeer. Birmingham's German Market proved a good lunch stop before our final destination: Town Hall Birmingham. On entering the building, we were ushered downstairs to take part in a free children's craft session. Although it was a bit crowded we were able to locate a template of a mask, as well as feathers, g...

Sparkle and Shine, the well know finale song, in this incredible production sums up the the whole show. The musical is directed by Debbie Isitt who herself grew up in Birmigham which explains why there are so many funny local jokes in the show. Debbie not only directed the stage show but also wrote Nativity and launched it as a film. This means the play is true to the film and 'goes big' in every way possible from the sets, the costumes, the songs and the cast. In the local area, it seems like there are many whispers of children who tried out for the show or almost made it to the stage. Having watched the show, its clear that it must have been incredibly competitive to be one of the 50 local children out of a cast of 67 who made it onto the stage. The children were amazing, quickly falling into role as sweet, funny, moody or prim as required. 6 year old 'Matilda Flower' stole the heart of the audience as the star of Bethlehem and got well deserved applause after applaus...

Rory Mackay as Drosselmeyer A cracking ballet that you would be nuts to miss! Have you guessed what it is yet? Yes, it is the Birmingham Royal Ballet’s festive classic, The Nutcracker. Returning to the Birmingham Hippodrome after extensive rebuilding of the sets, this beautiful ballet is a wonderful start to the Christmas season.  Karla Doorbar as Clara As we followed Clara through her family’s Christmas Eve festivities we were treated not only to mesmerising ballet, but also a magical performance, stunning costumes and scenery that brought the whole experience to life. These only became more so as we followed Clara through her journey to the lands of snow and sweets and home again. Whether being attacked by rats, flying on a snow white swan or being transformed into the Sugar Plum Fairy, Clara led us into a world of imagination fuelled by the beauty of what was laid out on stage before us. For those who know The Nutcracker, you will not be disappointed, as the storyline is true to...

  A Winter Funland just half an hour from the centre of Birmingham? It's becoming a tradition for the NEC to host this fun family event. I headed there with my family to experience a day of fun last Christmas and below I share my 10 top tips about visiting. Choose a date that suits your family. A pre-Christmas visit will definitely make your family feel festive. (You can't help it when there are elves everywhere you look!) Before Christmas, Santa's grotto is open so you can visit Mr Claus in person as part of your experience. Post-Christmas there are likely to be discounts on tickets. We got a great Groupon deal and  greatly appreciated some indoor fun on a cold January day. Take a photo of the 'show times' board. The shows are excellent and included as part of your ticket price. People queue in advance to get into the shows. So maybe park a grown up in the queue so you get the show that you want and a choice of seat. Under 3s are free! This is brilliant. We saw lot...