By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ***** RUNTIME: 165 minutes (including 20-minute interval)
WHEN?: Saturday 25 March, booking to 16 December 2023
It’s a sign of the quality of this production that despite 3 major cast changes it continues to punch at the very top of its weight.
Siobhan McSweeney (The Alchemist, Barbican Theatre) and Louisa Harland (Glass. Kill. Bluebeard. Imp, Royal Court) may be best known as Sister Michael and Orla McCool from Channel 4’s Derry Girls but here they reunite onstage with fellow cast member Ardal O’Hanlon in Brian Friel’s (Translations, National Theatre) 1936-set County Donegal tale of the Mundy sisters battling poverty to raise seven-year-old Michael and care for their uncle Jack. Runs 6 April through 27 May 2023. Tickets Review
By Aline Mahrud
WORTH A LOOK?: ***
WHEN?: Saturday 18 March (matinee), runs through 15 April 2023, then tours at venues until 10 June 2023 Update: Transfers to the West End and the Criterion Theatre 17 August through 9 September 2023 Tickets
The best bit in this new comedy written by its star Ian Hallard (Closer To Heaven, Above The Stag) is the reaction of his character’s Nan to his news that he is bisexual at the close of Act 1.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHEN?: Monday 20 March, tour runs until 28 April 2023
SETLIST: Make Believe; Victory; Not Usually Like This; Aftertaste; Him; Crocodiles; Endless Nights; How Do You Know?; Hello Gorgeous; Part Of Me; All For You; I’ll Be Waiting
Last night Ducrot played a sold out show at the 2,400-capacity KOKO in Camden and has re-arranged his tour schedule so he can support Ed Sheeran at gigs including The 02 in London on Friday and Saturday this week.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ****1/2
TRACKLIST: Me And Your Mates; Home For The Weekend; Deere John; Take 5; Michelangelo; Locally Made Jam; Flowers; 501
‘The sweet smell of Lynx and regret.’ Remembering. Misremembering. Nostalgia. Youth. Cities by the sea. Welcome to Welly, your new favourite singer/band.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
This single marks Ellis-Bextor’s return to working with Ed Harcourt who co-wrote her Wanderlust and Familia albums before her greatest hits and Kitchen Disco eras.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHEN?: Saturday 11 March (matinee), runs through 23 April 2023 RUNTIME: 180 minutes (with a 20-minute interval)
We take our 4th row seats and notice steps leading down from the stage into the centre aisle and a terrifying fear about being invited onstage and interrogated in a language that is not native to us grips us.
By Neil Durham
WHEN?: 8pm 9 May 2023
WHERE?: Liverpool Arena
HOW DO I WATCH?: BBC
‘Irregular voting paterns’ in 6 jury votes last year means this year’s semi finals will be televote only with this being the toughest semi and tasked with finding 10 finalists from a field of 15.
By Neil Durham
WHEN?: Saturday 13 May 2023 8pm (GMT)
WHERE?: Liverpool Arena
HOW DO I WATCH?: BBC1
We’ve now heard all the songs by the 6 countries pre-qualified for May’s Eurovision Song Contest final and below we predict where we think they will finish there.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: *****
WHEN?: evening 7 March 2023
WHERE?: C. de Villarroel, 163, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
Last night I had the best meal of my life.
monstagigz 