By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: *****
WHEN?: Saturday 7 May, booking to 30 August 2022 RUNTIME: 190 minutes (including a 20-minute interval)
‘By George, she’s got it.’ Remember the name Amara Okereke who was flawless in the titular role at its 1st preview.
WORTH A LOOK?: *****
We’ve now watched rehearsal clips of all 40 entries into next Saturday’s Eurovision Song Contest and this is both our favourite and the song we think will win.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHEN?: Tuesday 3 May 2022, tour runs until 16 November 2022
GRIFF SETLIST: Say It Again; Walk; Forgive Myself; One Foot In Front Of The Other; Head On Fire; One Night; Shade Of Yellow; Black Hole
DUA SETLIST: Physical; New Rules; Love Again; Cool; Pretty Please; Break My Heart; Be The One; We’re Good; Good In Bed; Fever; Boys Will Be Boys; One Kiss; Electricity; Hallucinate; Cold Heart; Levitating; Future Nostalgia; Don’t Start Now
We arrive early at this venue because we want to see support act Griff who was named the Rising Star at 2021’s BRIT Awards and released her debut album last year.
By Aline Mahrud
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHEN?: Sunday 24 April (matinee), booking to 10 July 2022 RUNTIME: 150 minutes (including 1 20-minute interval)
Duet You Love Who You Love between the titular Bonnie and her would-be sister-in-law Blanche is an absolute showstopper as the pair ruminate on their love for Barrow brothers Clyde and Buck.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHEN?: Saturday 30 April, booking to 25 June 2022 RUNTIME: 170 minutes (including 1 20-minute interval)
We’re sat onstage behind a trestle table on which sits a six-pack of Bud Light and a cooking pot of chilli as male lead Curly McLain, played by Arthur Darvill, arrives playing guitar and singing Oh What A Beautiful Mornin’ and sits opposite us.
We saw lead Okereke in both The Boy Friend (Menier) and Spring Awakening (Almeida) and so know how deserved this casting is. We last saw Martine McCutcheon’s triumphant take on this Lerner and Loewe classic in 2001 and it returns to the West End at the Coliseum 7 May through 27 August 2022. Tickets 1st preview review
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: *****
WHEN?: Monday 18 April, booking to 1 October 2022
RUNTIME: 165 minutes (including a 20-minute interval)
7 Oliviers, 3 monstas and 5 months after we 1st saw this production we return for a major cast change which sees 4 of its 5 leads depart.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
TRACKLIST: Being In Love; Chaise Longue; Angelica; I Don’t Wanna Go Out; Wet Dream; Convincing; Loving You; UR Mum; Oh No; Piece Of Shit; Supermarket; Too Late Now
Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers named their band after a saying used by Isle of Wight residents to describe non-islanders, that they had a ‘wet leg’ from getting off the boat.
By Aline Mahrud and Neil Durham
WHEN? Saturday 14 May 2022
WHERE? PalaOlimpico, Turin, Italy
HOW DO I WATCH? BBC1 8pm (UK time)
This is the strongest batch of pre-qualified finalists for a Eurovision we can ever remember and we think there are 2 potential winners in this batch.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: *****
WHEN?: Saturday 16 April, opens 27 April and runs to 18 June 2022
RUNTIME: 100 minutes (no interval)
Defence barrister Tessa Ensler revels in the certainty of the law – defendants are either convicted or acquitted, everything is either black or white, right or wrong.
monstagigz 