ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Radical Optimism by Dua Lipa (May 2024)

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: ***1/2

TRACKLIST: End Of An Era; Houdini; Training Season; These Walls; Watcha Doing; French Exit; Illusion; Falling Forever; Anything For Love; Maria; Happy For You

Next month Dua Lipa headlines the Friday night on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival and this album appears very much to have been written with that career-defining moment in mind.

  • Read on for reasons including why this is exactly the sort of album she needs under her belt to make Glastonbury successful
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THEATRE REVIEW: John Cleese’s Fawlty Towers – The Play starring Adam Jackson-Smith & Anna Jayne Casey at the Apollo Theatre

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: *****

WHEN?: Saturday 4 May, opens 15 May and runs through 28 September 2024 RUNTIME: 110 minutes (including a 20-minute interval) Update: Extended through 4 January 2025

In an era where box sets are king and series with multiple episodes are the norm it seems scarcely believable that beloved 70s, Torquay-set sitcom Fawlty Towers mustered just 12 episodes.

  • Read on for reasons including how theatre is the natural setting for this superior farce
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FILM REVIEW: Back To Black starring Marisa Abela, Jack O’Connell, Lesley Manville & Eddie Marsan

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Aline Mahrud

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

We only saw Amy Winehouse live once at what is now the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith, in late 2007 where she arrived late, slurred throughout and didn’t get a great reception from a disappointed crowd.

  • Read on for reasons including how this is Amy – the love story
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THEATRE REVIEW: The Comeuppance at the Almeida

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

WHEN?: Saturday 27 April 2024, runs through 18 May 2024 RUNTIME: 120 minutes (no interval)

A revival of playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ 2014 play Appropriate starring Sarah Paulson is tipped to earn multiple Tony nominations tomorrow (Tuesday 30 April 2024).

  • Read on for reasons including how Jacobs-Jenkins is fast becoming 1 of the world’s most interesting young playwrights
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THEATRE REVIEW: The Picture Of Dorian Gray starring Sarah Snook at Theatre Royal Haymarket

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Aline Mahrud

WORTH A LOOK?: **

WHEN?: Saturday 27 April 2024 and runs through 11 May 2024 RUNTIME: 120 minutes (without interval)

The tech breaks down after 40 minutes, the spell is broken, the show is paused and we leave never to return.

  • Read on for reasons including why this is the emperor’s new clothes of theatre
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ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Nonetheless by Pet Shop Boys (April 2024)

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

TRACKLIST: Loneliness; Feel; Why Am I Dancing?; New London Boy; Dancing Star; A New Bohemia; The Schlager Hit Parade; The Secret Of Happiness; Bullet For Narcissus; Love Is The Law

Written in lockdown, this 15th Pet Shop Boys studio album bursts with reflection, introspection and liberation in equal measure.

  • Read on for reasons including how this is the Boys’ best album since 1993’s Very
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LAST NIGHT THEATRE REVIEW: Nachtland starring Jane Horrocks & John Heffernan at the Young Vic

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Aline Mahrud

WORTH A LOOK?: ***1/2

WHEN?: Saturday 20 April (matinee) and runs through 20 April 2024

What would you do if you found a painting apparently by Hitler in the attic of your dead father-in-law’s home while clearing it?

  • Read on for reasons including how Nachtland poses lots of difficult questions with answers ranging from the unpalatable to the freakishly bizarre
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PREVIEW/PREDICTIONS: Eurovision 2024 final starring Olly Alexander for the UK, Baby Lasagna, Eden Golan & Nemo

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Neil Durham

WHEN?: 8pm (UK time) 11 May 2024

WHERE?: Malmo Arena, Sweden

HOW DO I WATCH?: BBC1 in the UK SVT Also eurovision.tv

The UK hosted Eurovision memorably last year in Liverpool and in 2024 former Years and Years frontman Olly Alexander competes to win the 68th edition in Sweden with his pop banger Dizzy.

  • Read on for reasons including predictions about how we think these finalists will finish on 11 May
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THEATRE REVIEW: Minority Report at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Neil Durham

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

WHEN?: Saturday 20 April, opens 29 April and runs through 18 May 2024 RUNTIME: 90 minutes without interval

A Philip K Dick short story, a Spielberg film starring Tom Cruise and now a play re-imagined by a well-known British actor but does it already know it’s transferring to the West End after this run?

  • Read on for reasons including how this is an adrenaline rush of visual spectacle and intellectual stimulation that is fully deserving of a West End transfer
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