THEATRE REVIEW: Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet and Yew starring Omari Douglas at Bush Theatre

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By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

WHEN?: Saturday 8 February, opens 13 February and runs through 22 March 2025 RUNTIME: 165 minutes (including a 20-minute interval)

Bush Emerging Writers’ Group alumni Coral Wylie (pictured above right) writes and stars as 19-year-old Pip who identifies as non-binary, has dropped out of education and feels misunderstood by their parents.

  • Read on for reasons including how there’s a big heart at the root of the show that deserves nourishing
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THEATRE REVIEW: Unicorn starring Nicola Walker, Stephen Mangan & Erin Doherty at the Garrick Theatre

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: *****

WHEN?: Saturday 8 February (matinee), opens 13 February and runs through 26 April 2025 RUNTIME: 140 minutes (with a 20-minute interval)

We’re at dinner with friends the night before we see this and they mention they caught it on its 1st preview.

  • Read on for reasons including why this is hugely funny and the best new play of the year so far
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FILM REVIEW: A Real Pain starring Kieran Culkin & Jesse Eisenberg

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ****1/2 RUNTIME: 90 minutes

Culkin won a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe and is nominated for an Oscar in the same category while his co-star Jesse Eisenberg who wrote and directed this quiet gem of a movie receives a similar Best Original Screenplay nod.

  • Read on for reasons including how this elegant film is both brief and hard-hitting
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PREDICTIONS: Melodifestivalen 2025 Heat 2 starring Klara Hammarström, Kaliffa & Eric Segerstedt

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By Aline Mahrud

WHEN?: Saturday 8 February 2025 7pm UK time

WHERE?: Scandinavium, Gothenburg

Melodifestivalen showed its strength in depth last week with a 1st heat strong on musical diversity and there is much that is different to again appreciate here in this 2nd outing.

  • Read on for reasons including Kaliffa, Eric Segerstedt & Schlagerz
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THEATRE REVIEW: Second Best starring Asa Butterfield at Riverside Studios, Hammersmith

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By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: **** RUNTIME: 90 minutes (without interval)

WHEN?: Saturday 1 February (matinee), runs through 22 February 2025 Update: now extended through 1 March 2025

It’s not difficult to imagine what might have attracted former child star Asa Butterfield, now best known for Netflix’s Sex Education, to make his stage debut in this tale of the actor who was second choice to Daniel Radcliffe (Endgame, Old Vic) to play Harry Potter (Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, Palace Theatre).

  • Read on for reasons including how this is a story that is both hugely relatable and dramatically satisfying
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SONG OF THE MONTH: Ich Komme by Erika Vikman (February 2025)

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

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

The controversial exclusion of One Morning Left’s hard rock novelty song Puppy from Finland’s Eurovision selection show UMK on 8 February leaves this sticky and sexually explicit joy the clear favourite to triumph.

  • Read on for reasons including how Vikman popped her Eurovision cherry with Cicciolina
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PREDICTIONS: Melodifestivalen 2025 Heat 1 starring Linnea Henriksson & John Lundvik

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Aline Mahrud

WHEN?: Saturday 1 February 2025 7pm UK time

WHERE?: Coop Norrbotten Arena, Luleå

There’s lots of variety in the 60-second snippets we’ve heard in this opening of 5 heats with the S Club-ish closing number by Linnea Henriksson being our pick of the bunch so far.

  • Read on for reasons including our predictions for how we think these songs will fare on Saturday
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9 reasons why we can’t wait for February 2025 starring Jonathan Bailey as Richard II

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

  1. Jonathan Bailey is Richard II

Bailey (film Wicked and COCK, Ambassadors) stars in this Shakespeare directed by Nicholas Hytner (Giant, Royal Court and transferring to the Harold Pinter Theatre) at the Bridge Theatre. Runs 10 February through 10 May 2025 Tickets Our review

  • Read on for reasons including Cate Blanchett, Patti LuPone, Olly Alexander and Nicola Walker
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ALBUM OF THE MONTH: The Human Fear by Franz Ferdinand (January 2025)

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

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

TRACKLIST: Audacious; Everydaydreamer; The Doctor; Hooked; Build It Up; Night Or Day; Tell Me I Should Stay; Cats; Black Eyelashes; Bar Lonely; The Birds

Franz Ferdinand only include 2 of its original line-up in the now quintet which may give a clue why this 6th album is a dramatic return to form.

  • Read on for reasons including how Hooked could be Yello and Kraftwerk go Eurovision
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THEATRE REVIEW: Elektra starring Brie Larson & Stockard Channing at the Duke Of York’s Theatre

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ***

WHEN?: Saturday 24 January, opening 5 February and running through 12 April 2025 RUNTIME: 95 minutes without interval

Elektra is angry and we know this because she sports a buzz cut, wears a Bikini Kill T-shirt and shouts into a variety of onstage microphones, some with distortion pedals, unavailable to the rest of the cast like a slam poet goes full Sinead O’Connor on Saturday Night Live.

  • Read on for reasons including how Larson’s performance is wholehearted, brave and uncompromising
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