1. A View From The Bridge in the West End

Transferring from Bath’s Theatre Royal, this Lindsay Posner production stars Dominic West (TV’s The Crown), Kate Fleetwood (Ugly Lies The Bone, National Theatre) and Callum Scott Howells (Cabaret, Kit Kat Club) in this Arthur Miller play about 1 man’s place in the close-knit American-Italian community of 1950s New York. Runs 23 May through 3 August 2024 at Theatre Royal Haymarket. Tickets Our preview review

• Read on for reasons including Olly Alexander, Boys From The Blackstuff and Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey

2. Eurovision Song Contest starring Olly Alexander

Alexander used to be the lead singer of Years and Years who were 1 of the highlights of 2022’s Glastonbury Festival and at 8pm on 11 May his single Dizzy, a song of the month for us in March, competes for the UK in the 68th Eurovision Song Contest. We predict how he will fare here and you can watch the show from Sweden at 8pm in the UK on BBC1. Tickets Semi 1 predictions and Semi 2 predictions

3. Boys From The Blackstuff at the National

Transferring from Liverpool’s Royal Court, this James Graham (Olivier Award-winner Dear England, Prince Edward Theatre) adaptation of Alan Bleasdale’s TV series about unemployment in 80s Liverpool plays for a limited run at the National’s Olivier Theatre for 21 performances between 22 May and 8 June 2024 before a West End transfer. Tickets Our review

4. Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey at the IndigO2

Bailey was the lead singer of this trio of 80s hitmakers and is the only original member of a line-up which this month arrives at London’s Indig02 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the band’s most successful album Into The Gap. The tour runs through 28 July 2024 and also includes gigs across the UK as well as in the US and Canada. Tickets Thompson Twins at Hammersmith Odeon, now the Eventim Apollo, was the 1st gig we ever went to in March 1984, on our 14th birthday. Our review

5. Bluets starring Ben Whishaw at the Royal Court

Whishaw (Against, Almeida) appears in an adaptation by Margaret Perry of a book by Maggie Nelson about depression and desire, pleasure and pain, and a person possessed by a lifelong obsession with the colour blue. Runs at the Royal Court 17 May through 29 June 2024. Tickets Our preview review

6. Fawlty Towers opens in the West End

John Cleese’s Fawlty Towers – The Play, to give it its full title, promises ‘your favourite scenes from the sitcom’s unforgettable 12 episodes’ and runs at the Apollo Theatre 4 May through 28 September 2024. Stars Adam Jackson-Smith as Basil, Anna-Jane Casey (Mother Goose, Duke Of York’s) as Sybil and Paul Nicholas as the Major. Tickets 1st preview review

7. Pet Shop Boys musical Closer To Heaven revived

The Turbine Theatre follows Above The Stag in reviving this Jonathan Harvey (Beautiful Thing) and Pet Shop Boys classic story of boy moves to London, goes clubbing and then finds love with a girl … and then a boy. Runs at the Turbine from 31 May through 30 June 2024. Tickets Pet Shop Boys’ new single Dancing Star is currently our song of the month for April. Our preview review

8. New Dua Lipa LP

Lipa has released 3 singles from this 3rd LP already with latest Illusion boasting a Barcelona-shot video and 2nd Training Season being a song of the week for us. We said of it: ‘Think of the hyped-up energy of last single Houdini, add the freneticism of Metronomy‘s insistent throb of Love Letters and mash it up with a sports-themed lyric starring a lover who could do better and you might come close to Training Season.’ Album Radical Optimism is out 3 May and upcoming gigs include Glastonbury Festival. Tickets We’ve reviewed her live at London’s 02 in 2022 and Brighton’s Dome in 2017. Our album of the month review

9. Passing Strange musical starring Giles Terera

Terera won an Olivier Award for Hamilton and we recently saw him in Power Of Sail at the Menier. This is the European premiere of a rock musical which is about a young musician trying to find himself in Amsterdam and Berlin in the 80s. Runs at the Young Vic from 14 May through 16 July 2024. Tickets 2nd preview review

• Main picture via Facebook courtesy Theatre Royal Haymarket Tickets
• Have you seen a Dominic West show before and what did you think of this 1? Let us know what you thought in the comments below
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