Month: October 2023

GIG REVIEW: S Club at The 02

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Aline Mahrud

WORTH A LOOK?: ***

WHEN?: Friday 27 October, tour moves to the US and Canada where it finishes 16 November 2023

SETLIST: S Club Party; Love Ain’t Gonna Wait For You; You’re My Number One; Natural; Sunshine; You; Stronger; Bring The House Down; Friday Night; Don’t Stop Movin’; Bring It All Back; Two In A Million; These Are The Days; Have You Ever; Alive; Reach; Never Had A Dream Come True; S Club Party

Bookending The Good Times Tour setlist with 2nd single and number 2 hit S Club Party gives the perfect idea of the vibe aimed for and achieved here.

  • Read on for reasons including how presenting as S Club 5 inevitably invites Steps comparisons
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THEATRE REVIEW: Manic Street Creature starring Maimuna Memon at Southwark Playhouse

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By Aline Mahrud

WORTH A LOOK?: ***

WHEN?: Saturday 21 October (matinee), runs through 11 November 2023 RUNTIME: 75 minutes (no interval)

We’re here in our front row seat at this 240-capacity venue because we loved Memon in Richard Hawley’s Standing At The Sky’s Edge for which she was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress in a Musical Olivier.

  • Read on for reasons including why Memon shows tremendous promise as a writer and performer
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THEATRE REVIEW: King Lear starring Kenneth Branagh at Wyndham’s Theatre

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ***

WHEN?: Saturday 21 October, opens 31 October and runs through 9 December 2023 RUNTIME: 120 minutes without interval

At 62 years old director Branagh is considerably younger than the last 2 actors we’ve seen take on the role of Shakespeare’s King Lear – Sir Ian McKellen who was 78 in 2017 and the late Glenda Jackson 80 in 2016.

  • Read on for reasons including how Branagh’s casting is less A Haunting In Venice and more a vanity in London
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9 reasons why we can’t wait for November 2023 starring Stranger Things

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

  1. Stranger Things at the Phoenix Theatre

The 80s-set Netflix sci-fi series of the same name won our 2016 Best TV monsta and so we’re very much looking forward to its theatrical counterpart promising to turn back the clock to Hawkins in 1959 ‘before the world turned upside down’. Stranger Things: The First Shadow invites us to explore the history of Hawkins and the origins of some key characters. Runs at the Phoenix Theatre 17 November through 25 August 2024. Tickets Preview review

  • Read on for reasons including Snow White, Cian Ducrot, Feeling Afraid and The Witches
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THEATRE REVIEW: Elephant starring Anoushka Lucas at Bush Theatre

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Aline Mahrud

WORTH A LOOK?: ***

WHEN?: Saturday 14 October, opens 19 October runs through 4 November 2023 RUNTIME: 80 minutes (no interval)

Lucas was shortlisted for Best Actress In A Musical at the 2023 Oliviers for her role in the reimagining of musical Oklahoma! which we saw at the Young Vic before it transferred into the West End.

  • Read on for reasons including how Lucas will go on to write something even more thought-provoking
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THEATRE REVIEW: Dear England starring Joseph Fiennes & Dervla Kirwan at Prince Edward Theatre

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: *****

WHEN?: Saturday 14 October (matinee), runs through 13 January 2024 RUNTIME: 170 minutes (including a 20-minute interval)

As the men’s England football team prepares for a crucial EURO 24 game against Italy on Tuesday (17 October 2023), James Graham’s latest play about Gareth Southgate’s reign as manager transfers to the West End.

  • Read on for reasons including how this West End production has changed from its National version
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THEATRE REVIEW: Beautiful Thing at Theatre Royal Stratford East

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: **** RUNTIME: 120 minutes (including 20-minute interval)

WHEN?: Saturday 7 October (matinee), runs until 7 October 2023 Then Leeds Playhouse 18-28 October Tickets & HOME Manchester 31 October – 11 November 2023 Tickets

We took our 1st tentative steps out of the closet in Devon in 1993, the year that this Jonathan Harvey (Mother Goose, Duke Of York’s Theatre) play premiered at London’s Bush Theatre starring Jonny Lee Miller.

  • Read on for reasons including why Leeds and Manchester have a beautiful treat in store
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