So.... I tried. I tried once and I tried again and the Everyman still hasn't quite won me over yet…read more After the initial launch, I booked tickets to go and see Avengers in April for a bit of a date night treat with Dan G. As the cinema specialises in bringing food to your seat, I figured it would be worth heading down for a spot of dinner and a film on a Thursday evening to give this place a proper try. Firstly, I do love the layout and vibe. You're welcomed into a smart, stylised bar and eatery area and invited to take a seat before your film. You can order food before the showing if you would prefer or order for delivery during the film. On our first trip we flashed our tickets (on email, rather an a paper ticket system) and headed to the bar to order a couple of burgers and beer. I went for a veggie burger and Dan went for a smoked. This with a couple of beers came to around £30 (which was incorrect as per the website and seemed to be quite pricey - especially for drinks), still, we duly paid up and headed to the screen for a punchy extravaganza of superhero proportions. The food was bought out to us during the adverts and bought out to us on a tray (so you can pop it on your lap). The burger was really atrocious. I couldn't taste anything at all! Considering it was packed with all kinds of lovely veg - this was a total shame. The seats were comfy enough (every seat at the Everyman is a sofa seat), but as Dan has pointed out - the sound didn't seem to be great (which was another disappointment). Following this visit I got in touch with the Everyman to tell them about my experience (I would have spoken to the manager on the night, but the film didn't finish until nearly 12pm and I was shattered). Their customer service was top notch (that gets 5*) and I received an email reply stating that they would update their website and offered another two burgers on the house to make up for our sub-par food on our first visit. We decided to give them another go and visited a second time in May to see Mad Max. We popped in, flashed the email and were offered the free food without any issues. I went for a house burger this time and we just ordered a couple of glasses of water (as it was a roasting hot day and we were parched). The screen we were in a second time (downstairs) was a lot better. Even comfier, more leg room and better sound. This was a much more pleasant screening experience than we had, had previously. The food didn't come out until the film had started (which was a bit of a pain as we had to eat in the dark) and although my burger seemed to be a lot more flavoursome, it was a tad burned. All in all, I would give the venue 3.5 stars due to the great customer service, comfy seating and great screening area downstairs (which has it's own dedicated bar). I am not in a hurry to head back (it's quite expensive for films at around £12 - £13 a ticket) and the food hasn't wowed me yet. Don't let that put you off though! It's definitely worth a visit if you haven't yet been, just be sure to keep in mind that the drinks are quite pricey. I would recommend it for a date night or a treat, but for an everyday cinema experience I would probably head elsewhere.

This is one of those places that has been on my radar for ages but I haven't been inclined to…read morevisit. I am not a huge film watcher so always give it a miss.....I was surprised how much I loved it here. So this place take the edge of the hardcore cinema Experience by playing on two on my weaknesses...hunger and thirst. To watch the film we had nachos, nuts and hummus delivered to our seats and I also had an elderflower fizz. I admit not the most manly of drinks but we were watching Bridget Jones....I think t can be excused. I really like the way that the cinema has sofas instead of chairs so you can be more comfortable watching your chick flick and I also love the way the manager comes out to say hello and introduce the film. Small finishing touches...great effect.

Hooray to the independent music venues!…read more I love the fact that the Ballroom has been refurbished by private developers in a bid to restore the heart in Birminghams central music scene. Nowadays, bands tend to be left with 2 options. Either play at a small dingy venue where a limited number of fans can afford to come and see you, or play at a large arena which not only costs fans a ridiculous amount of money to come but you also need to be pretty big time to fill the gig. That's where the Ballroom shines and continues to make its mark on the industry. Large enough to put on a memorable gig but so reasonably priced it enables everyone to come and enjoy the experience. The sound system was OK, I have heard better but overall it was a good night, crackin atmosphere and the drinks weren't too expensive either.

Although it's early days, the Birmingham Ballroom already shows signs of settling down as the city…read morecentre's premier mid-large music venue experience. Having laid empty and derelict for over a year, the venue was bought up by disillusioned ex-employees from the Academy group with a view to open a venue that openly challenged the O2 Academy. Having refurbished the old Academy 1 and 2 (and the Bar Academy next door), there is a nostalgic familiarity attached to The Ballroom that its owners have knowingly traded in on: Although the floor is no longer notoriously sticky, it feels like visiting an old friend. The bar is far more reasonable than the new O2, and is constantly offering night-specific drinks promotions. Touring acts are becoming more frequent as the venue becomes more established and it will be competing with the O2 and the Institute within a few months, arguably. But the Ballroom's real lure for me is knowing that an independent venue lies within the city centre once more (the Flapper is perhaps too far a walk to be considered truly 'central'), and that goes a long way with me.

I'm seriously disappointed with myself that I hadn't actually heard of jam house before, I love…read morethis sort of place, so I'm glad it ended up being introduced to me. Owned by jools Holland you can expect to see some seriously awesome (and rather loud) live music, and quite a mixed crowd - we were rather entertained by a very grumpy looking middle aged couple. Drinks are reasonably priced, but it did take a very long time to get served, the staff seemed pretty chilled out, and there were a good number of pushy customers. The place is well kept, there are some pretty features like the ceiling and sculptures, and it's a good place for **proper** dancing. One thing I will say, is that it took an odd turn after the band finished, where it's went from soul, blues, jazz and a little 80s goodness that fitted in quite well to 90s club music, which just seemed really strange to us. Saying that, I would definitely go again.

Located in the heart of the jewellery quarter of Birmingham the Jam House occupies a traditional…read moreand Historic Georgian building with seating spread over three stylish yet informal airy floors. Both food and drink are expensive in here, but good quality and the live music is fantastic but stay away if you do not like it loud!

As it's own space. I wanted to add the The Patrick Centre for the performing arts to yelp. Accessed…read morethrough the upper floor in Birmingham Hippodrome's main foyer, this is a 200-seater auditorium more intimate experience than the huge show space of the Hippodromes main theatre. Jord M and I won tickets to see Beautiful Thing at The Patrick Centre thanks to Vicky O (Our Birmingham Community Manager and thanks to the team at Birmingham Hippodrome for the Tickets!) We were here on press night! Which meant a free programme and drinks in the VIP Lloyd room before the show and during the interval. Within five minutes of our arrival, I saw actress Charlie Brooks by the stage door, and resisted having a photograph rather than crashing her conversation. My night was already made!! If you don't know Beautiful Thing, is a 1993 play by Jonathan Harvey, about two teenage boys finding love on a south London council estate. Although current for the time it was made, it is really now a play set in the 1990s with lots of nods to the culture of the day. 1990s copies of The Guardian, Hello! magazine, reading the problem page in gay magazines and finding gay venues in classified directory all add to the authenticity of the time. Charlie Brooks who plays Janine Butcher in EastEnders is BRILLIANT as Sandra, a single, hard-working mother with a string of ex boyfriends. She is funny, warm and much more loveable than the hard faced character she plays in the soap. I was really excited to see her in this role made famous in the film by Linda Henry who is Shirley Carter in EastEnders. Her son Jamie is played by the great Sam Jackson from Skins, and he really is believable as Sandra's child who is starting to want to explore his own sexuality. Acting-wise there is lots of crossover with BBC EastEnders. Their neighbour's son Ste is played by excellent Thomas Law who played Peter Beale version 4 in EastEnders. His awkward sexual awakening, and the homophobic violence from his family, remind you that this was first performed a year after being homosexual was declassified as a mental illness in the UK (in 1992.) Sandra's hippyish boyfriend, Tony, is played smoothly by Gerard McCarthy who played Kris Fisher in Hollyoaks. Tony is "right on" about too understanding about everything and you feel like he is a bit of a yes man. And finally the cast is rounded out by the talented Vanessa Babirye, as the other neighbour Leah. Leah's obsession with the music of Mama Cass provides the even more retro soundtrack to the play. While this is really Jamie and Ste's love story for me the performance of Charlie Brooks stole the show. If you get chance to see it around the country then GO SEE IT!

Seeing as the market is the biggest German market outside of Germany I wasn't as impressed as I…read moreexpected to be. There were duplicates of lots of the food/drink huts and I expected a wider range of huts selling goods like toys and decorations. It felt very sparse compared to what I'd seen in previous year's photos. We checked the map to make sure we hadn't missed a section but I'm guessing they maybe took a hit post-covid because it just didn't hit the mark for us. Beautiful to walk around at night but very expensive, especially for the food options.

The smell of mulled wine and sausage cooking on the streets of the city centre can only mean one…read morething......the Christmas market is back! This is a yearly addition to the city centre with stalls selling festive treats ranging from chocolate and tasty treats through to toys and ornaments. The real thing people go here for however is the food and even more importantly the drink. This is the one time of the year that Birmingham city council lets allows people to drink on the street (in designated areas) and people 100% take advantage of this! The bars and stalls are always full with people enjoying a range of mulled drinks and beers. I am a big fan of this market and even though it can be a little pricy at times its a welcome addition to November/December in the city. Go get yourself an oversize glass of festive cheer and welcome the Christmas market back to Brum!

Studio theatre now in new library next to the shop:) Its a…read morefairly small venue, but the acoustics and lighting are good. Seating was also comfortable for the hour or so I was there and temperature reasonable:) T There is a small selection of drinks and snacks you can buy too just as you go in:)

Dull, dark, dingy and extremely dated. That's how I would describe the current Birmingham Library…read moreTheatre. I've only been there once and unless it has a refurbishment I won't be going again. We went to watch a friends independent production which in itself was great but unfortunately we couldn't get over how run down the venue looked. I don't think it helped that there was a blockage in the toilet that evening so there was a foul smell lingering in the corridors which made me feel a little sick from the moment I entered. I know that they are busy developing a brand new, multimillion pound library in the centre of Birmingham so I just hope they've remembered to find a home for the theatre as it would be a shame to leave it behind and destroy yet another creative venue in the heart of the city.

Our son bought us tickets to see Frank Skinner. He paid for seats in the grand dress circle. We…read morewere so cramped in the seats we had to leave before Frank came on due to my husband's pain in the legs they were so cramped.

Have watched shows at the Alex many times in my life, was even in a drama club there when I was…read moreyoung! The most recent time was to see Avenue Q. It's not incredibly glamorous or impressive, more cosy- and there's nothing wrong with that! There are lots of places to purchase sweets and drinks (including alcoholic ) and the queues go down quickly. I purchased a bottle of water and some chocolates and this came to £5.50. The show looked and sounded great. We had seats in the stalls and this gave us a great view. It was a little too warm. The theatre isn't huge but that adds to the atmosphere!

One of the most amazing films ever had been recreated in superb fashion at the Birmingham Rep the…read moreplay itself is amazing! Incredible staging and well worth going to see! All the suspense and horror of the film on stage in Birmimgh! One of the best things I have seen in a long time! The cast were incredible they captured the feeling and the emotion of the film perfectly making you believe and feel part of the drama. It was the staging that stole the show for me with all the key moments you would expect and the special effects were incredible. Overall one of the nest things I have seen in a long time and well worth going to see this halloween! The Séance is a totally unique experience, it is truly haunting and incredibly well done. You do sit down and have a totally spooky time. It's great

Okay, this is primarily a review of the performance of 'The Exorcist' and secondly of its…read moreassociated event 'Seance'. However it would be unfair not to mention The Rep itself and its 'partner', best-supporting-actor, Centenary Square. I have also posted a separate review for the Birmingham Rep. I grew-up a fan of horror movies, but was far too young to see the film when it came out in the early 1970s but I remember being entertained by the hype concerning its affect on filmgoers! When I saw the film it was a bit of an anti-climax, special affects had moved on. So 40+ years on I was fascinated to see how this could work as a stage play, and whether it would still have impact on the audience. Silent pitch-darkness kicked things off, and the audience reacted with nervous, sceptical laughter, but the sceptics weren't laughing for long! The cast was excellent, with some household names in Peter Bowles and Jenny Seagrove. Each and every actor played their part extremely well and I found myself drawn into the weaving narratives. The production team's use of the space and the set was incredibly clever and effective. The second act brought the narratives together and the dénouemont we were so eagerly anticipating. Lovely...? Not this play! There was some great use of humour along the way, which I don't remember in the film version, plus it was set in modern times, mobile phones and MRI scans. It made me think of that YouTube channel "how the film should've ended", I wanted to suggest Skype exorcism to Father Merrin... On afterwards for 'The Seance' - I'm afraid it didn't do much for me. In the days of Doris Stokes et al. this 'worked' (in the trickery sense) because of the tensions, connections and heightened senses between the participants. Instead, this was sensory deprivation. If you're going in a group I guess you might find it an interesting thing to try. The seance is in a rectanglar shipping-container in Centenary Square. It made me think of all the amazing things that we've had to our city within Centenary Square over the years, what a marvellous space it is. As above, best supporting actor Oscar please! Lastly an observation on the Rep- it's my favourite theatre space in Birmingham and quite unlike the others. It is fresh, very easy to access, and has everything I need as a theatre-goer. I feel The Rep has gone up several notches since it's been annexed with the library of Birmingham. What lucky people we are.

The Rep has been in my life for as long as I've lived in Brum, getting on for 30 yrs now. We get…read morethere once or twice a year and the productions we've seen have always been enjoyable, some of them have been outstanding. As a review about the venue I can honestly say that the Rep has got better and better over time. Tonight I was in the House for 'The Exorcist', comfortable seating and wonderful production on the stage. Last year we were in the studio for 'Beryl', one of the best plays I have seen. Again great production values and a very comfortable experience for the audience. The Marmalade bar offers great cocktails, you can dine here too. Centenary Square is a big part of the cultural quarter of Birmingham with Symphony Hall, The Rep and Library of Birmingham all lined up like ducks in a row. Whilst the Rep seems to have been here forever, it feels brand new on the inside. There's a wonderful ambience around here, it's part of the Birmingham buzz. The real challenge of living in Birmingham, is that there is so much going on and only so much time. Then again, time spent at the Rep is happy time.

I LOVE going to the theatre. From Community pieces to large scale extravaganzas, you just can't…read morebeat the razzle dazzle of a trip to see a play. We are truly spoilt with arts venues in Birmingham. From the big touring shows at The Hippodrome to the fantastic gems at places like The Crescent and The Blue Orange Theatre, there is something going on every single week in the City. The REP is a truly fantastic theatre. I have seen a plethora of pieces here (most notably "The Northern Lights") and they have all been memorable. The theatre itself has even had a facelift with the construction of the Library, giving you even more of a reason to visit. As well as one-off plays, the REP hosts several events as part of Birmingham's cultural festivals. Keep an eye out on their website for more details of special events which go on throughout the year. In terms of the actual performance space, I have never had a bad view (even when buying the cheap seats) here. The ticketing has always been straight forward and problem free and it's easy to find out what's scheduled via their print materials and their site. The seating is comfortable and the theatre is accessible for those with mobility issues. As you would expect, drinks are expensive. It wouldn't be a trip to the theatre if you didn't have a good gasp at the price of two drinks, but saying that it's still cheaper than many of the other big theatre spaces I've been to around the UK. I have reviewed the Brasserie before for afternoon tea (http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/searcys-birmingham?osq=REP+Brasserie), but you can also grab pre-theatre menus here (which would work out a little cheaper than the regular menu). Check out what's coming up, book your tickets and give this fantastic venue a visit (but make sure to bring plenty of money if you want a drink before/during/after the play).

I was invited to the grand opening of the Heineken bar at Symphony hall this week and thought it…read morewould be rude to refuse. So I grabbed a couple of friends and headed down after work. The bar is located on the third floor entrance but is usually only available to Symphony Hall ticket holders. It's a nice open space from which you can see views of the city. The Heineken is served at minus 1 degrees which is very refreshing. They also serve limited wine options and a couple of other drinks. Bostin Brass played a great set during the event and there was a nice relaxed atmosphere. If you are going to see a show I would recommend that you have a look. Why not?

Birmingham Symphony Hall is, without a doubt, the best classical concert venue in the Midlands -…read moreblessed with a superior local orchestra (one of the best outside of London) and conductor, fine acoustics, and a nice, traditional concert atmosphere. You would never expect such a traditional-looking venue when you approach and enter the larger building that is the Convention Centre. When I visited in February they were tearing down the front of the Convention Centre, not interfering with the concerts. And I can't blame em, the old front sure was ugly enough. ;) - It's located a 10 minute walk from the New Street area. A pity that my latest concert, though featuring an attractive programme and an internationally recognized soloist, was rather sparsely attended: The place was half-empty. How is it possible that a 1+ million town cannot fill a symphony hall on any given night? Weird.