- Lady Gaga’s Chromatica album
This blog was named in part after ‘Mother monster’ and album number six features single Stupid Love and Ariana Grande duet Rain On Me. Chromatica‘s release was postponed from April and is now due to be unleashed 29/5. Tickets for her Chromatica Ball at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in north London are still onsale for July although it looks likely to be postponed.
- Read on for reasons including Will Ferrell Eurovision film, Bertie Carvel festival, Old Vic podcast and Lena Philipsson album
2. Will Ferrell stars in Eurovision film
2020 may have been the year of the Eurovision-that-never-was but 26/6 sees the release of Will Ferrell Netflix film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. Starring Rachel McAdams, Pierce Brosnan, Dan Stevens and Demi Lovato, it follows Icelandic singers Lars Erickssong and Sigrit Ericksdottir as they are given the chance to represent their country in Eurovision. We believe Graham Norton will also feature.
3. Bertie Carvel’s Lockdown Theatre Festival
Carvel (Ink, Almeida) is behind the airing of plays cancelled by the coronavirus crisis on BBC Radio 3 and 4 for a Lockdown Theatre Festival on 13 and 14/6. They include Love, Love, Love which was on at the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith and Katherine Parkinson in the Royal Court’s production of Shoe Lady.
4. Old Vic launches Playcrush podcast
What does a theatre industry which relies on thousands of people congregating together to watch casts perform do when that is not possible? The Old Vic in collaboration with Cardiff’s Sherman Theatre launches its Playcrush podcast tomorrow (25/5/20) featuring monsta winner George MacKay followed a week later by a 2nd episode starring monsta winner Sheila Atim. Details
5. Lena Phillipsson releases Maria Magdalena album
Our 1st live Melodifestivalen was in 2004 when Lena Philipsson won with Det gör ont and it remains our favourite ever MF winner. She returns with her 14th album on 5/6 and it is produced by Anders Hansson the man behind the song translated into It Hurts which finished 5th for Sweden in the Istanbul Eurovision of 2004 that we were also in the audience for. Maria Magdalena is actually how Lena was christened and this 9-song album is in her native tongue with 4 of the tracks already released (title track above).
6. Glastonbury Festival starring Diana Ross postponed
Glastonbury Festival‘s 50th anniversary year will be a fallow one because of COVID-19 which means the long-awaited appearance of legend Diana Ross (see video from 1964 above) is put back from 24 to 28/6 to next year. Ms Ross was also due to play The 02 in July and these gigs too have been put back to 2021. Tickets
7. Sunday in the Park with George starring Jake Gyllenhaal
Gyllenhaal was due to star in this Broadway transfer of the Sondheim musical at the Savoy Theatre from this month and it has now been postponed to next year. There’s much to love about film star Gyllenhaal not least Donnie Darko and Brokeback Mountain. Couple this with Sondheim whose monsta-winning revival of Company was in previews on Broadway and this was set to be one of the theatre events of the year.
8. A Doll’s House starring Jessica Chastain
Tickets are still on sale for Chastain’s West End debut this month at the Playhouse Theatre in Jamie Lloyd’s re-imagining of the Ibsen classic although we’d be surprised if it isn’t postponed in the current climate. The star of Zero Dark Thirty (for which she was Oscar nominated), Interstellar and The Martian is due to appear until 5/9. Tickets
9. Wonder Woman 1984 in cinemas
The fantastic use of New Order’s Blue Monday in the trailer and the appearance of the amazing Kristen Wiig has us onboard for the sequel to the ace 2017 original. It was due to be released 5/6 which is why it appears here although this has been rescheduled to 14/8 when it is hoped that some cinemas can open. Tickets
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