Just a quick note to let everyone know that Rantastic will disappear shortly, so that I can clean out the database, I seem to be accumulating more errors recently and therefore its time i did this.

I will back everything up before it happens so in theory all the posts and page will be kept. However, before Rantastic goes I will be posting a blog later today and also including some images on my soon to be updated Gallery Page.

Evidently from the date it is apparent that I do not speak of Christmas as the title above would denote; instead of speak of the wonderfully camp Bournville Village Festival, held each year on the last Saturday in June.

In the spirit of the Festival all are expected to have a good day and enjoy themselves thoroughly which for the most part we all do.  It’s a great day for kids and big kids alike.  I think it’s important for us all to support events such as these as they are a vital integral part of our social history.

A little bit of Birmingham just gets brighter when events like the festival are on, things are good and everything green, its a nice time for Birmingham, when the fighting and social problems are all forgotten on a sunny day in late June.

*There will be photos from the festival online in my gallery early tomorrow.

Owing to popular demand to which I don’t agree; it seems that the abomination known as The Birmingham Central Library is to be listed, or at least thats the plan of the Save Birmingham Library Group and indeed English heritage are looking into the issue.

I must ask myself why.

The building designed by John Mardin has always to me looked like an upside down pyramid and it’s true that it has never fit the purpose for which it was built; an expanding book collection and archive, so much so that now we have to have a now one specially built at enormous cost.

An example of Brutalist Design.

“Brutalist modern building”

As described by English Heritage of all people; this does however, describe it wonderfully. In my opinion you can find beauty in modern buildings and design but the Library really doesn’t fit the brief. Birmingham should have a Municipal Library which is easy to use, designed for purpose and there for the use of the people, at present I’m ashamed of it. I like nothing more that perusing a book or indeed looking for one, but at the pyramid of shame its hard to find what you want, and it’s ruining the extensive collection of which Birmingham should be proud.

It’s time for Birmingham to decide what it wants to be.

Stuck in the Seventies or move into the Twentieth Century?

What a day it is today in Good Ol’ Birmingham! Warm is an understatement, its fucking boiling. You can gauge how hot it is by how much your shoes melt when they hit the floor, trainers are the best for this, you end up sticking to it, like a fly to its death.

So yes as you can tell the sun has gone to my head. It’s a joy to be sitting in the shade with my laptop outdoors. Although the battery really does leave a lot to be desired, its lasting thirty mintues, and i find my self doing my work more quickly to get it done before it sleeps.

I’m generally not one for publicly belittling something which I have actively promoted, but as ever life is proved to be more complex than first thought and this is the complication which brings me into the following.

On Thursday I went to see Our House the Madness Musical at the Birmingham Rep, don’t get me wrong I do love the show, but in my eyes the Rep have made some rather awful selections in their casting for Our House this time around.

When the original was produced in the west end it also receivied a mixed bag of reviews from the Journos; something which is not unusual, you have to take into account that Our House is a new musical, and as such a difficult thing to be acclaimed over, but never-the-less the perseverance payed off and the show won awards, for its writing, cast and design, and also a Guinness World Record; (something which I actively thrown into every article I write about the show.)

The minor cast is not the problem; its the billboard advertised “stars” which cause me the most concern. I don’t which to cause them any downheartedness but they really need to rehearse. Steve Brookstein; currently playing day in the Rep production is in a word, disappointing. I don’t doubt that he is a good singer, infact he isn’t actually that bad a singer in his own right, but the problem with Steve is that he is not an actor; and as most theatre goers will be aware there is a big difference and a very hard cross over from either singer to actor or indeed television to theatre.

I’m the type who will give someone a go, give them a chance and hope for the best, this was my idea of what to do with Steve; he didn’t deserve the chance. It is in theatre; a cardinal sin to dry aka forget your lines; but Steve did and in spectacular fashion. During a solo song in Act I Mr. Brookstein sauntered on to stage and began to sing what should be an emotional and touching song, but lo and behold he forgets the entire second verse, seemingly trying to cover he mumbles some words, and then remembers the song just in time to end with a flourish. I was not impressed. I mean you expect a production to be well rehearsed and for the actors to know what they are doing, and especially as Steve was billed and shown on all the advertising its a shame that he evidently didn’t think that rehearsal is worth a jot.

But oh well the show must go on and go on it did, in great fashion the rest of the cast minus Gwyneth Strong were fantastic and Chris Carswell playing showing was fantastic.

Everyone should still see it. Its one not to be missed!