THEATRE REVIEW: Hot Mess starring Danielle Steers & Morgan Gregory at the Other Palace

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By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ***1/2

WHEN? Sunday 14 June, opens 23 June and runs through 6 September 2026 RUNTIME: 85 minutes (no interval)

Hot Mess was shortlisted for our Best New Musical 2025 monsta and last year we said of it: ‘We’d definitely recommend catching it on this short run and wouldn’t be at all surprised if it scorches its way to the West End next.’

  • Read on for reasons including how Hot Mess remains 1 of the best new musicals of recent years
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FILM OF THE MONTH: Disclosure Day starring Emily Blunt & Josh O’Connor (June 2026)

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By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: **** RUNTIME: 145 minutes

It’s almost half a century since director Steven Spielberg helmed Close Encounters Of The Third Kind and his 1st film since 2022’s The Fabelmans is his best since 2002’s Minority Report.

  • Read on for reasons including how this is a story that bears telling today amid the world’s many current wars
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THEATRE REVIEW: Pride starring Samuel Barnett at the National Theatre

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By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: *****

WHEN? Saturday 13 June, opens 25 June and runs through 12 September 2026 RUNTIME: 160 minutes (with a 20-minute interval)

The audience rises as 1 at the curtain to give this musical re-imagining of the beloved 2014 film about lesbian and gay support for the miners during their 80s industrial action the adulation it deserves.

  • Read on for reasons including how this is giving Redcliffe a run for its money as the best new musical of the year so far
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FILM OF THE MONTH: The Devil Wears Prada 2 starring Meryl Streep (May 2026)

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By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

Fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly is 1 of Meryl Streep’s most iconic characters and it should perhaps be no surprise that this sequel is proving even more popular than its original.

  • Read on for reasons including how the success of this sequel means this may not be the last we see of this saga
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TV PREVIEW/REVIEW: 6 reasons why you should watch Half Man

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By Neil Durham

Richard Gadd won Emmys for writing, producing and acting in Baby Reindeer – which won 6 in all – and Half Man is arguably his even darker follow-up about 2 brothers ‘from another lover’ across 30 years.

  • Read on for reasons including how Half Man is more thought provoking than even Baby Reindeer
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THEATRE REVIEW: Sinatra The Musical starring Joel Harper-Jackson at the Aldwych Theatre

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ***1/2

WHEN? Saturday 6 June, opens 23 June and runs through 10 April 2027

Start spreading the news – there’s a sensational central performance from Joel Harper-Jackson (Daniel’s Husband, Marylebone Theatre) as Sinatra in this jukebox musical about his life.

  • Read on for reasons including how we had fun but this is probably 1 for die-hard fans of the star’s only
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THEATRE REVIEW: Glengarry Glen Ross starring Indira Varma & Rosa Salazar at the Old Vic Theatre

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: *****

WHEN? Friday 5 June, opens 16 June and runs through 18 July 2026 RUNTIME: 90 minutes (without interval)

Welcome to the 1st professional staging of this David Mamet classic about the toxic masculinity of Florida real estate salesmen with an all-female cast.

  • Read on for reasons including why you should witness theatrical electricity at work in this gladiatorial production
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PREVIEW: 9 reasons why we can’t wait for July 2026 starring Ben Platt at the Menier

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

  1. Ben Platt in Midnight At The Never Get

Platt (The Last Five Years, London Palladium) stars in this story about Trevor Copeland and Arthur Brightman who perform love songs in 1965 New York at a time when their love is against the law. Runs at the Menier Chocolate Factory 11 July through 12 September 2026. Tickets

  • Read on for reasons including Cats, Confessions II and Rosie Sheehy in The Oresteia
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ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Apollo by Gene (June 2026)

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

Tracklist: London, Can You Wait?; Be My Light, Be My Guide; We Could Be Kings; Where Are They Now?; Truth, Rest Your Head; Your Love, It Lies; Long Sleeves For The Summer; Sleep Well Tonight; Save Me, I’m Yours; O Lover; Speak To Me Someone; A Car That Sped; Walking In The Shallows; Haunted By You; Olympian; For The Dead; Sick, Sober and Sorry; Fighting Fit; I Can’t Help Myself; Who Said This Was The End?

It’s 8 months after Gene’s 1st London gig for 21 years and the perfect time for this live album to drop ahead of Camden Roundhouse shows this autumn.

  • Read on for reasons including how Apollo proves a startling reminder of both how incredible Gene were and could be again
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