This seasonal favourite returns for its fourth outing starring Julian Clary, Paul O’Grady, Gary Wilmot, Nigel Havers, Paul Zerdin and new face Matt Baker. Tempted? Read our 2016, 2017 and 2018 reviews. Runs 7/12 to 12/1/20. Tickets
WHERE? Greenwich Theatre
WHEN? opens 22/11, press night 29/11, runs to 12/1/20
Greenwich Theatre’s annual pantomime is always one of the highlights of our festive season and so we quizzed writer/director/star Andrew Pollard (pictured above) to find out more about this year’s show which is in previews from Friday (22/11/19)
WORTH A LOOK?: ****1/2
OUT: now
TRACKLIST: Shadows; I Don’t Know What’s Cool Anymore; Back Of My Bike; Goldmine; Sing A Song; Sometimes; Now You Know; The Answer; I’d Rather Die
‘Got a UK deal before we finished school, Moved to East London and tried to be cool,
Top ten felt like picking a cherry, Wearing free sneaks in the pub with Katy Perry.’
WORTH A LOOK?: *****
OUT: now
Ladies – start your engines. We’re big fans of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK and so, when monstagigz favourite MNEK appeared to produce rival girl groups, we thought the results would be good but we weren’t quite prepared for two fabulous versions of a great original song.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHERE? Shaftesbury Theatre
WHEN? 9/11, opens 20/11, runs to 30/5/20
Swede Max Martin is the third most successful songwriter in US chart history with credits on 22 number singles behind only Beatles Paul McCartney and John Lennon.
WORTH A LOOK?: *****
WHERE? Hoxton Hall
WHEN? 9/11/19
SETLIST: Glow; Glorious; We Got Love; Yours: Bones; Young; Glitterball; This Is Real; Friends; Brave; Ghost
Ella Henderson is at the piano introducing new song Bones reflecting on seeing a large backside in a magazine and realising it was her own.
WORTH A LOOK?: ***1/2
WHERE? Eventim Apollo
WHEN? 4/11, tour runs to 18/11/19
SETLIST: Handmade Heaven; Hollywood; Primadonna; Enjoy Your Life; I Am Not A Robot; To Be Human; Superstar; From; Orange Trees; Teen Idle; Believe In Love; Bubblegum Bitch; Emotional Machine; I’m Not Hungry Anymore; No More Suckers; Karma; Oh No; Baby: End Of the Earth; How To Be A Heartbreaker
We last saw Marina at a Q&A in London in April where she talked about her artistic freedom and so we’re not entirely surprised when at the close of tonight’s gig she drops a bombshell.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****1/2
WHERE? London Palladium
WHEN? 5/11, tour runs to 20/11/19
SETLIST: Goodbye Cruel World; Heroine; Dangerous Game; Dirty Mind; My 16th Apology; Heaven Is In Your Arms; The Trouble With Andre; Emotional Thing; C U Next Tuesday; Time To Say Goodbye; All The Queen’s Horses; When She Finds You; Black Sky; Stay; Are We In Love Yet?: I Don’t Care; You’re History; Catwoman; Hello (Turn Your Radio On)
Shakespears Sister are a band of extraordinary peculiarities not least, as lead singer Siobhan Fahey points out, that their final song tonight is titled Hello (while the opener was Goodbye Cruel World).
WORTH A LOOK?: ***
WHERE? Park Theatre RUNTIME: 140 minutes (with a 20-minute interval)
WHEN? 2/11, press night 5/11, runs to 30/11/19
Star Miriam Margolyes may be playing a woman who is housebound and sits predominantly in a wheelchair here but she has a hugely expressive face which leaves us in no doubt about what she is thinking.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHERE? The O2
WHEN? 1/11, tour runs to 22/11/19
SETLIST: Salute; Power; Woman Like Me; Wasabi; Bounce Back; Only You; Black Magic; Strip; Told You So; Secret Love Song Pt II; The Cure; Joan Of Arc; Wings; Shout Out To My Ex; Woman’s World; Reggaeton; No More Sad Songs; Think About Us; Heartbeat; More Than Words; Touch
There’s a beautiful moment during this arena gig with an audience heavy on parents and young children where Little Mix celebrate their LGBT fans and have some words of hope and encouragement for those with mental health worries.
