Author: mrmonstagigz

THEATRE REVIEW: On Bear Ridge starring Rhys Ifans, Rakie Ayola, Jason Hughes & Sion Daniel Young at the Royal Court

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: ***

WHERE? Royal Court Theatre RUNTIME: 85 minutes (no interval)

WHEN? 26/10, press night 28/10, runs to 23/11/19

Owners John Daniel and Noni  are not leaving their isolated shop on Bear Ridge despite the lack of custom and instead are reminiscing about the times when people were not divided and used the old language.

  • Read on for reasons including why monstagigz favourite Sion Daniel Young shines here

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THEATRE REVIEW: Mary Poppins starring Zizi Strallen & Charlie Stemp

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: ****1/2

WHERE? Prince Edward Theatre RUNTIME: 170 minutes (including 20-minute interval)

WHEN? 23/10, press night 13/11, runs to 29/3/20

This production is a revival of the show which ran at this very venue for more than three years and closed in January 2008 after winning a Tony and two Oliviers including Best Actress for then-titular star Laura Michelle Kelly.

  • Read on for reasons including how Zizi Strallen fares as Mary Poppins

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GIG REVIEW: Cher at The 02

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

WHERE? The 02

WHEN? 20/10, tour runs to 19/12/19

SETLIST: Woman’s World; Strong Enough; Gayatri Mantra; All Or Nothing; All I Ever Need Is You; The Beat Goes On; I Got You Babe; You Haven’t Seen The Last Of Me; Welcome To Burlesque; Lie To Me; Waterloo; SOS; Fernando; After All; Heartbreak Hotel; Walking In Memphis; The Shoop Shoop Song; Bang Bang; I Found Someone; If I Could Turn Back Time; Believe

‘What’s your grandmother doing tonight?’ asks the 73-year-old superstar who appears much younger than her years during this high-energy extravaganza.

  • Read on for reasons including how this was Cher’s first UK show for more than 15 years 

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GIG REVIEW: The Divine Comedy at the Eventim Apollo

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

WHERE? Eventim Apollo

WHEN? 17/10, tour runs to 9/11/19

SETLIST: Europop; Queuejumper; Generation Sex; Commuter Love; Office Politics; Norman and Norma; Come Home Billy Bird; The Synthesizer Service Centre Super Summer Sale; Infernal Machines; You’ll Never Work In This Town Again; I’m A Stranger Here; At The Indie Disco; I Like; National Express; The Life And Soul Of The Party; A Feather In Your Cap;  A Lady Of A Certain Age; Absent Friends; When The Working Day Is Done; Something For The Weekend; Philip And Steve’s Furniture Removal Company; Your Daddy’s Car; Songs Of Love; Tonight We Fly

‘Sometimes I get a little nervous about London. I make myself less nervous by basically assuming that you’re … Nottingham,’ says Divine Comedy frontman Neil Hannon endearingly to audience cheers. ‘Excellent playing along.’

  • Read on for reasons including how this was a 5* performance not fully appreciated by your reviewer

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Q&A and TV PREVIEW: His Dark Materials featuring Ruth Wilson, Dafne Keen & Sir Philip Pullman at the BFI

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WHERE? BFI IMAX RUNTIME: 60 minutes (episode 1 to air on BBC1 3/11 and HBO 4/11/19)

WHEN? 15/10

Piers Wenger is BBC’s controller of drama and describes this eight-part first season of Sir Philip Pullman’s renowned literature trilogy as ‘the most ambitious drama the BBC has ever made’.

  • Read on for reasons including what to expect from episode 1 which airs on BBC1 Sunday 3 November 2019

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THEATRE REVIEW: Lungs starring Claire Foy & Matt Smith at the Old Vic

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: *****

WHERE? Old Vic RUNTIME: 90 minutes (no interval)

WHEN? 14/10, opens 19/10, runs to 9/11/19

STOP PRESS: The Old Vic is staging socially distanced performances of Lungs from 26/6/20 tickets

Lungs is a two-hander with barely any scenery by People, Places and Things author Duncan Macmillan about a couple considering starting a family and asking themselves questions including whether it would be an environmentally-friendly decision.

  • Read on for reasons including how Foy & Smith shape up on stage after years opposite each other in TV’s The Crown

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THEATRE REVIEW: Tokyo Rose at the New Diorama Theatre

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: ***

WHERE? New Diorama Theatre RUNTIME: 75 minutes (no interval)

WHEN? 12/10 (matinee), closes 12/10/19

Word reached us from this summer’s Edinburgh Festival  that this new musical by Burnt Lemon Theatre was the show to catch.

  • Read on for reasons including how this has a fascinating World War Two-based true story at its heart

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AWARDS: MONSTAS: Our Best Film of 2019 so far

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

We awarded 14 monstas for the best pop, theatre, TV and film of 2018 in December – and here we look at the cream of 2019 so far and what’s to come. Amy, The Pass, God’s Own Country and The Happy Prince are previous winners in this category.

  • Read on for our top 5 best films of 2019 so far and our hopes for the rest of the year

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THEATRE REVIEW: Glass. Kill. Bluebeard. Imp. starring Toby Jones, Deborah Findlay & Louisa Harland at the Royal Court

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

WHERE? Royal Court RUNTIME: 140 minutes (including 20-minute interval)

WHEN? 4/10, closes 12/10/19

This venue thrives on its reputation as ‘the writers’ theatre’ and the author of these four short plays with single-word titles is 81-year-old Caryl Churchill.

  • Read on for reasons including both appearances from Louisa Harland who plays Orla in Derry Girls

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THEATRE REVIEW: BIG The Musical starring Jay McGuiness and Kimberley Walsh

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: ***

WHERE? Dominion Theatre RUNTIME: 160 minutes (including 20-minute interval)

WHEN? 2/10, closes 2/11/19

Fans of TV’s Strictly Come Dancing are especially well served here by a former winner of the Saturday night ratings hit as the leading man and a finalist as his leading lady.

  • Read on for reasons including how McGuiness combines wide-eyed naivety with dancing as good as Charlie Stemp’s

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