THEATRE REVIEW: 5 reasons to see Pure Imagination at St James Theatre

  1. Goldfinger

Leslie Bricusse is an 84-year-old British composer, lyricist and playwright with a songbook bursting with tunes that you’ll remember predominantly from musicals or films but not necessarily know he penned. Running at the St James Theatre until 17/10 (we saw the 30/9 matinee), this show features a cast of five singing some of his best-loved songs as characters in a series of scenes without a great deal of dialogue but some storyline. There’s much emotion on show and Goldfinger could be incongruous but is played for laughs in a segment paying tribute to this and his other Bond work. Writing’s On The Wall? Nowhere close.

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LIVE REVIEW: Florence and the Machine

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

WHERE: Alexandra Palace

WHEN: 25/9

SETLIST: What The Water Gave Me; Ship To Wreck; Shake It Out; Rabbit Heart; Third Eye; Delilah; You’ve Got The Love; How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful; Cosmic Love; Long and Lost; Mother; Queen Of Peace; Spectrum; Dog Days Are Over; What Kind Of Man; Drumming Song.

It’s 9.20pm, we’re running 20 minutes late, there appear to be problems with the video screens and Florence and the Machine are due to be off before the 11pm curfew.

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PREVIEW: 8 reasons to be excited about October

  1. New Hurts album Surrender

Hurts’ third album Surrender is out 9/10 and includes singles Lights (YouTube clip above, and Hurts’ best single since Wonderful Life) and Some Kind Of Heaven. We’ve also heard tracks Rolling StoneSlow, Nothing Will Be Bigger Than Us, Weight Of The World and the title track and saw the band for the tenth time at their last UK gig at the Scala in June. We’d imagine this album would be their best because it’s the most pop. They play Brixton Academy in February. Tickets here.

  • Read on for reasons 2-8 including Medea, Years and Years, Teddy Ferrara, John Grant and Jeremy Hardy

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THEATRE REVIEW: Farinelli and the King

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

WHERE: Duke of York’s Theatre

WHEN: 19/9, press night 29/9 runs to 5 December

Transferring from the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Claire van Kampen’s study of Spanish king Philippe V asks whether music could heal his depression bordering on insanity.

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PREVIEW: Downton Abbey and Q&A with Penelope Wilton and Laura Carmichael

WHERE: BFI

WHEN: 17/9

We are about to watch the opening episode in the 6th and final season of Downton Abbey when ITV director of television Peter Fincham leaps on stage unexpectedly to tell us this is the beginning rather than the end.

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THEATRE REVIEW: Rocky Horror Show

WORTH A LOOK?: *****

WHERE: Playhouse Theatre

WHEN: 16/9, runs to 26/9 before nationwide tour

monstagigz hadn’t seen a theatre production of the Rocky Horror Show for about 20 years but decided to go to this one because author Richard O’Brien was appearing for the first time as The Narrator.

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