- Moulin Rouge at the Piccadilly Theatre
This musical version of the 2001 film won 10 Tonys in 2020 and opened in London in 2021 although Covid delayed its press night and, as we write, it is still in previews with a 1st official night pushed back to 9 January 2022. We hope to visit the jukebox musical ahead of its revised press night and check out our site for a review. Tickets
- Read on for reasons including A Number at the Old Vic, new Years & Years album and Taboo reunion
2. A Number starring Paapa Essiedu and Lennie James at the Old Vic
In February 2020 we saw Roger Allam and Colin Morgan in Caryl Churchill’s father-son two-hander reunion with a twist at the Bridge. Essiedu was in I May Destroy You last year which won our Best TV monsta and James is most familiar to us from TV’s Line Of Duty and The Walking Dead. Directed by Lyndsey Turner, this production runs 24 January through 19 March 2022. Tickets
3. Years and Years album Night Call released
2021 was quite the year for Olly Alexander with a starring role in TV’s award-winning It’s A Sin, his re-energised band Years and Years releasing half a dozen singles and a BBC1 New Year’s Eve special featuring Pet Shop Boys and Kylie in the can. Vote for Olly to win our Best TV/Film Actor and for It’s A Sin to win Best TV. 3rd album Night Call is out 21 January 2022 and is shaping up to be dancefloor friendly. We join Olly at an intimate south London gig in February followed by an arena tour in May. Tickets
4. Taboo reunion at the Palladium
Boy George co-wrote this musical which draws on elements of his life and we saw it in London after it premiered in 2002 and starred Luke Evans, Matt Lucas, Julian Clary, Euan Morton John Partridge, Boy George himself and Declan Bennett (Boy Out The City, Turbine Theatre). Quite who will be at this cast reunion on 30 January 2022 remains to be seen but we can’t wait to find out at this 20th anniversary concert. Tickets
5. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Bring It On
Miranda’s In The Heights was 1 of our films of the year and so we’re interested in the 2011 cheerleading musical he co-wrote, Bring It On, which stars Olympic silver gymnastics medallist Louis Smith at the Southbank Centre. Covid in the cast meant our December visit was cancelled and so we’re seeing it ahead of its 22 January 2022 close. Tickets
6. 1st Eurovision songs are heard
We’ll be sharing our top 10 list of 2021 best read articles before New Year’s Eve and just outside the most popular are our regular Melodifestivalen heat previews and 2022’s will begin weekly from January’s 1st Friday. We’re also excited for Seann Miley Moore‘s (UK X Factor) participation in Eurovision selection show Australia Decides in February. We’ve also heard the songs by Estonia’s 5 former Eurovision representatives who feature in February’s Eesti Laul semi finals and our pick is Sahlene’s Champion. We were in the Eurovision final audience in Tallinn in 2002 when she sang Runaway brilliantly for the country eventually finishing 3rd.
7. Peggy For You starring Tamsin Greig
We last saw Greig in Talking Heads at the Bridge Theatre in 2020 and here she stars as the titular literary agent Peggy in a revival directed by Richard Wilson. It runs until 29 January at Hampstead Theatre and we’ll be reviewing it in January if we think it’s worth a look. Tickets
8. monsta winner Paul Mescal stars in The Lost Daughter opposite Olivia Colman
Mescal won our Best TV/Film Actor in 2020 for the fine Normal People and here joins Oscar winner Colman in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s debut film as director/screenwriter based on the novel of the same name by Elena Ferrante about a woman on holiday becoming obsessed by the lives of other people, prompting memories of her own motherhood. It is now on limited cinema release – also starring Cabaret‘s Jessie Buckley – before dropping on Netflix 31 December 2021.
9. Sheridan Smith returns to BBC1 in Four Lives
The story of the Barking murders carried out by Stephen Port against a number of gay men may still feel a little raw after the recent inquiry findings but this Stephen Merchant-starrer also features monsta winner Sheridan Smith and starts with the 1st of 3 episodes on BBC1 from 9pm Monday 3 January 2022.
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