This September, Birmingham Rep will be hosting an entire month of one-night productions in their largest performance space.

The shows range from a special from one of the rising stars of the British comedy, to the musical re-telling of the remarkable life of a gospel hall-of-famer.

Kicking off the month will be Mozart’s timeless opera, The Magic Flute (Thursday 5 September 2024) presented by Wild Arts. This surreal re-imagining of Mozart’s classic (and final) great opera is full of theatrical magic, fairy-tale lovers and fantastical creatures. Translated into English this is a perfect introduction to opera for all aged 5 plus.

Following the brave Prince Tamino on his journey to rescue his lover Pamina, the kidnapped daughter of the Queen of the Night, with only the help of the hapless Papageno on his side. His quest will set him against forces of darkness and light and transform his understanding of the dream-like world in which he lives.

Simmer Down Arts, the UK’s premier Reggae Music and Arts Development Agency, follow on Saturday 7thSeptember with a staging of the acclaimed production of Glory. This astounding musical theatre productioncelebrates the life and legacy of Sister Rosetta Tharpeand the remarkable story of her 1964 gospel concert on a disused railway station in Manchester, UK.

The following week, one of the most celebrated stars in British comedy, Tez Ilyas (best known for his role as ‘Eight’ in Man Like Mobeen) returns to Birmingham on Thursday 12th September with his new show, After Eight. 

A lot has changed in the last two years for Tez. He got married, he bought a house, and he became a stepdad to two rabbits. Trying to make sense of his new life, the changing world around us and wrestling the big questions, like: why is Lotus Biscoff in everything now?

One of the most recognisable voices in British Poetry, Roger McGough joins the bill of one-nighters, performing his absolute best pieces of irreverent, intimate, and ever-original poetry for new and old audiences alike on Saturday 14th September, with a book-signing after the performance.

In this new show, McGough takes audiences on a journey through his life in poetry, back to his childhood during the Liverpool blitz and bomb-shelters, his youth as a contemporary of the Beatles and Bob Dylan and the fame of number one hits and Top of the Pops with ‘Lily the Pink’ and ‘Thank You Very Much’ with the band The Scaffold.

As well as these one-night-only specials, earlier in the month The Door will stage Declan Bennett‘s Boy Out of The City, Bennett’s autobiographical one man show about gay shame, loneliness and banana bread; confronting his catholic school days, discovering the gay scene in Soho and surviving the harsh bright lights of New York City in the midst of the COVID-19 Lockdown.

For more information or to get your tickets, visit birmingham-rep.co.uk.