WHEN?: 10/5
WHERE: BBC4 8pm (link below)
Rehearsals for the 1st Eurovision semi-final started 2/5 and we’ll be updating our semi 1 predictions to reflect them as they progress, so here’s our thoughts on the 18 entries vying for 10 final slots.
An obvious winner. Their star burned more brightly and less long than most. Waterloo is so good it sounds so completely of its time (Brighton 1974) yet wouldn’t be out of place in any of the intervening 50 years. ‘So how could I ever refuse …?’
At the risk of a lady disclosing her age, we were six years old when this romped home as the UK’s 3rd winner after Sandie Shaw and Lulu in 1976. We thought the ‘ … even though you’re only 3 …’ pay-off line twee even then. The British Airways-inspired outfits would later front their own entry as Scooch with Flying The Flag in Helsinki in 2007.
WORTH A LOOK?: ***
WHERE: Scala
WHEN: 26/4
SETLIST: Godawful Things; I Don’t Care About You; Side Pony; Clear A Space; Mistakes; Stop Your Crying; Spectacular Failure; Lola; How Good It Feels; Saving All My Sinning; Hell Yeah; What I’m Doing Here; Don’t Make Me Hold Your Hand; Elijah; Just Ask; So Long; You Go Down Smooth; Bad Self Portraits; 17; Call Off Your Dogs.
Lake Street Dive are musical magpies – we think we can hear strains of songs as diverse as The Nolans’ I’m In The Mood For Dancing and the Jim’ll Fix It theme tune at times during their set.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHERE: Donmar Warehouse
WHEN: 29/4, runs to 18/6
At just 75 minutes long Elegy feels like the obvious follow-up to author Nick Payne’s biggest hit Constellations, an exploration of free will and quantum physics, which opened on Broadway over a year ago starring Jake Gyllenhaal after a West End transfer.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****1/2
WHERE: Duke Of York’s
WHEN: 9/4, runs to 25/6
Kit Harington is onstage only in tight white boxer shorts showing off his muscles and reveals his bare bottom to whoops of delight from this audience at this first preview.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHERE: Wyndhams Theatre
WHEN: 11/4, runs to 18/6 Returns to Trafalgar Theatre 3 May through 10 August 2024 Tickets
Denise Gough’s electrifying performance as a recovering drug addict in this original production which debuted at the revitalised National Theatre deservedly won her a best actress Olivier Award this month.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHERE: National Theatre
WHEN: 16/4, runs to 18/5
A look of bemusement sweeps across our young waiter’s face as he asks us the title of the play we’ve just seen – and we tell him.
WHERE?: BFI
WHEN: 6/4
Sir Ian McKellen is telling the BFI audience about his relationship with Shakespeare because the venue has put his Richard III at the heart of its celebrations for the 400th anniversary of the bard’s death later this month.
Read on for details of Sir Ian’s new app version of The Tempest out 23/4
43 countries, two semis and a final: 14/5. The bookies have the UK’s Joe and Jake 27th as we write this but we’ve heard all the entries and think You’re Not Alone has a shot at winning particularly with an EU referendum 23/6. Our dark horse is Croatia’s Nina Kraljić (main picture and below) who’s channelling Hounds Of Love-era Kate Bush:
