- Alexandra Burke in Chicago
She may now no longer be playing the Palladium in September but she was the best thing about Chess at the Coliseum this year and now she stars as Roxie in Chicago at the Phoenix Theatre 13/8 through 14/10. Tickets
- Read on for reasons including Busted Shop Of Horrors, Jake Shears and Jed Mercurio’s Bodyguard
2. Little Shop Of Horrors at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
We loved our 1st visit to this magical venue to see As You Like It and now can’t wait for this musical revival which runs 3/8 to 15/9/18 and stars Jemima Rooper and Matt Willis from Busted. Tickets
3. Jake Shears releases solo album
We miss the Scissor Sisters but former frontman Jake, who has written the Tales Of The City musical as well as starring in Kinky Boots on Broadway, is doing his best to help us forget. He returns to pop with a self-titled new album out 10/8, debut single above. We’ll be reviewing his Scala show 15/8. Tickets
4. Fra Fee plays Other Palace
Fee starred in The Ferryman which won our Best New Play monsta last year and here takes a bow with a solo gig at the Other Palace 29/8. Tickets
5. Aristocrats opens at the Donmar
We last saw No Offence‘s Elaine Cassidy onstage in the Donmar’s fine production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses and here she returns in a Brian Friel play shortly after his Translations was so well received at the National. Runs 2/8 to 22/9/18. Tickets
6. Jed Mercurio’s Bodyguard debuts
Mercurio is the brains behind Cardiac Arrest and Line Of Duty and his new BBC1 series – The Bodyguard starring Keeley Hawes and Richard Madden – is the subject of a BFI preview and Q&A 6/8 ahead of its TV debut. Tickets
7. Bananarama play Leeds
The ‘Rams won our Best Gig monsta last year and your last chance to see them live as a trio in the UK takes place in our favourite northern city 4/8/18. Why you should: review. Tickets
8. Victorious Festival in Southsea
August is a month of summer holidays and travels. For those missing out on Glastonbury this year, we’ve written about Victorious before and its headliners this year are The Libertines, Paul Weller and The Prodigy (although our picks would be Years And Years, Paloma Faith and Lightning Seeds). It runs across the final bank holiday weekend of the year. Tickets
9. Gals Aloud at the Underbelly
There was a time when gay London life wasn’t complete without a regular G-A-Y Girls Aloud PA. The Grils are no more, sadly, although we may just have stumbled on the next best thing at south London’s Underbelly 23/8. Tickets
- Picture via Facebook courtesy Alexandra Burke
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