WORTH A LOOK?: ****
OUT: now
East has a new record label and, while this new song features the high-energy pop most associated with her, it adds Afrobeat to the mix, taking inspiration from tribal music and sounds from her mother’s Ghanaian heritage.
WORTH A LOOK?: ***1/2
WHEN?: Released UK-wide 01/02/19
The 76th Golden Globes are awarded at the Beverley Hilton, Beverley Hills in California on Sunday (6 January 2019) and this film is shortlisted for 5 (Best Film (Musical or Comedy), Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Screenplay).
The greatest show on earth returns on 2 February 2019 in Gothenburg with 1 of its least successful acts closing the show (pictured above and immediately below) hoping to make up for her 2010 failure to reach the Eurovision Song Contest final in neighbouring Oslo. Read our Heat 1 predictions here.
WORTH A LOOK?: ***
WHERE? Royal Court RUN TIME: 100 minutes (no interval)
WHEN?: 29/12 (matinee), runs to 26/1/19
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time returned recently to the West End and it was for her part in the original production that Nicola Walker (who we last saw in A View From The Bridge in 2015) won a Best Supporting Actress Olivier.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHERE? New Victoria Theatre Woking RUN TIME: 2 hours and 30 minutes (with a 20-minute interval)
WHEN?: Runs to 6/1/19
We saw Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood in pantomime last year in Southampton when we thought it odd he didn’t dance more and it’s a criticism that’s rectified here.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHEN?: Released UK-wide 01/01/19
It’s been an extraordinary year for Oscar-worthy Best Actress performances with Lady Gaga and Glenn Close leading the field – now joined by Olivia Colman who plays Queen Anne here.
2018’s Best Theatre Actress
Martin McDonagh features twice in this list and wrote/directed the Oscar-winning film Three Billboards in 2018. We were at the 2nd preview for this new play at the Bridge Theatre and weren’t keen: ‘Our problem with A Very, Very, Very Dark Matter is that, while McDonagh could be argued to be skewering the lazy racism of 18th Century Europe of the time, it makes for a very uncomfortable and politically incorrect watch in 2018.’
A modern love story by Matt Jones with music by Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke starring Billy Cullum and Tyrone Huntley (pictured left to right above) runs at the Lyric, Hammersmith, 18/1/19 through 16/2/19. Tickets
It’s almost Christmas and what would the festive season be without some recognition of the best of 2018? Over the next week we’ll shortlist five nominees in each of 14 categories for our Oscars, or monstas if you will, of 2018.
