WORTH A LOOK?: ****
OUT (in the UK): 16/3/18
TRACKLIST: Mind Expansion; I Can Get; Sunshine; Boney’s Theme; Dizzy; Livin’ My Life; Drive In; New Brew; Good Thing; Peace Out
Great Danes Alphabeat brought their pop fizz to three fantastic albums and bowed out of the charts all too prematurely.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHERE: O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
WHEN: 14/3, UK tour runs to 24/8
SETLIST: Go To War; Plot Twist; Schedules; I Don’t Buy It; Raw; Savage In Our Blood; Doing You A Favour; Watch Me; Dynamite; In Vain; High Five; Fake Friends; Credit; Strangers; Don’t Kill My Vibe
We’re not here to kill 21-year-old Sigrid Raabe’s vibe but for her Scandipop bangers although it soon becomes clear that there’s much more to her than those.
WORTH A LOOK?: *****
WHERE: Wyndhams Theatre
WHEN: 10/3 runs to 7/4/18
Last Sunday Lesley Manville was pipped to a Best Actress Oscar for her role as a domineering sister to Daniel Day-Lewis in Phantom Thread and a day later she was shortlisted for the Oliviers for her role in this.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHERE: Old Vic
WHEN: 24/2, press night 1/3, runs to 14/4/18
We join director Max Webster and writer Stephen Beresford for a Q&A two nights before their production of Ingmar Bergman’s beloved children’s classic Fanny and Alexander opens.
WHEN?: Saturday 10 March (7pm UK time) on SVT (link to watch below)
The quality of the songs in this year’s Melodifestivalen has attracted criticism but for us 2018 has been all about the Swedish public’s love of the novelty entry ahead of possible Eurovision winner Cry by Dotter.
WORTH A LOOK?: ***
WHERE: Almeida Theatre
WHEN: 3/3, press night 7/3, runs to 7/4/18
UPDATE: Summer And Smoke transfers to the Duke Of York’s 10/11/18 to 19/1/19 Tickets
Last year saw two acclaimed Tennessee Williams revivals in London (the Young Vic’s Cat On A Hot Tin Roof and The Glass Menagerie at the Duke Of York’s) and his Summer And Smoke is less well known for a reason.
WHEN? 7pm Saturday 10/3/18 on NRK (link at the bottom of the preview)
This year’s Norwegian selection includes a former Eurovision winner, a past entrant and the writer behind one of Scandinavia’s biggest groups of the 90s in its ranks.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHERE: Charing Cross Theatre
WHEN: 24/2, press night 26/2, runs to 31/3/18
How have we never managed to see the 1971 film of this life-affirming Colin Higgins play about a death-obsessed teenager and his chance meeting with a bohemian woman approaching her 80th birthday?
WHEN?: 7pm Saturday 3/3/18 on SVT (link to watch below)
WHERE?: Kristianstad
We’re very excited about the upcoming four duels that will see our eight-strong final become a dozen not least because some of our favourite songs compete again here.
WORTH A LOOK?: **
WHERE: Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith
WHEN: 23/2/18, tour runs to 26/8/18
SETLIST: Oh L’Amour; Ship Of Fools; Breathe; Mad As We Are; Just A Little Love; In My Arms; Chains Of Love; Sacred; Sweet Summer Loving; I Love Saturday; Victim Of Love; Phantom Bride; World Be Gone; Who Needs Love Like That; Take Me Out Of Myself; Blue Savannah; Atomic; Drama; Stop!; Love You To The Sky; Always; Here I Go Impossible Again; Sometimes; A Little Respect
