ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Glorious by Bananarama (March 2024)

By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK: ****

TRACKLIST: Really Saying Something; Cruel Summer; Robert De Niro’s Waiting; Venus; More Than Physical; A Trick Of The Night; I Heard A Rumour; Love In The First Degree; Only Your Love; Preacher Man; I Could Be Persuaded; Movin’ On; Last Thing On My Mind; Every Shade Of Blue; Take Me To Your Heart; Prove Your Love; If; Crazy; Move In My Direction; Look On The Floor; Feel For You; Love Bite; Love Comes; Love Don’t Live Here; 17; Extraordinary; Baby It’s Christmas; Now Or Never; La La Love; Stuff Like That; Looking For Someone; I’m On Fire; It’s Gonna Be Alright; Favourite; Masquerade; Forever Young; Running With The Night; Cruel Summer (3am Mix); Feel the Love; Supernova

Keren Woodward and Sara Dallin have been a duo as Bananarama for the last 33 years of their 44-year career and so this curated album finds them choosing 10 tracks from each of the 4 decades of their career thus far.

  • Read on for reasons including how this album reminds how they’ve written some of pop’s finest moments across 40-plus years
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PREVIEW: 9 reasons why we can’t wait for April 2024 starring Sir Ian McKellen in Player Kings

  1. Player Kings starring Sir Ian McKellen

Director Robert Icke (Oresteia and Hamlet, Almeida) combines Henry IV parts 1 and 2 and McKellen (Mother Goose, Duke Of York’s Theatre) plays Falstaff alongside Richard Coyle’s (Ink, Almeida) Henry and Toheeb Jimoh’s (Romeo and Juliet, Almeida) Hal. Runs at the Noel Coward Theatre 1 April through 22 June 2024. Tickets McKellen’s ‘performance of a lifetime’ Player Kings review

  • Read on for reasons including new Pet Shop Boys album, Bananarama at the Palladium & Two Strangers
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9 reasons why we can’t wait for March 2024 starring Sheridan Smith in Opening Night

  1. Sheridan Smith stars in new Rufus Wainwright musical

Smith (Shirley Valentine, Duke Of York’s Theatre) stars in this new musical directed by Ivo van Hove (A Little Life, Harold Pinter Theatre) based on the John Cassavetes film with music and lyrics by Rufus Wainwright. Runs at the Gielgud Theatre 6 March through 27 July 2024. Tickets Our review

  • Read on for reasons including the UK’s Eurovision entry, new musical Cable Street & Bananarama’s Glorious
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SONG OF THE WEEK: Feel The Love by Bananarama (week beginning Wednesday 18 October 2023)

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

With Madonna 4 nights into a 6-date run at The 02 celebrating her 40 years in pop, it seems high time that Bananarama – Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward – did similar to mark their 4 decades at the top.

  • Read on for reasons including why you should be feeling the love as well as Glorious
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GIG REVIEW: Ella Henderson at Hoxton Hall

WORTH A LOOK?: *****

WHERE? Hoxton Hall

WHEN? 9/11/19

SETLIST: Glow; Glorious; We Got Love; Yours: Bones; Young; Glitterball; This Is Real; Friends; Brave; Ghost

Ella Henderson is at the piano introducing new song Bones reflecting on seeing a large backside in a magazine and realising it was her own.

  • Read on for reasons including how Jax Jones appeared here as a surprise guest

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PREVIEW: 9 reasons why we can’t wait for November 2019 starring James McAvoy as Cyrano de Bergerac

  1. James McAvoy stars in Cyrano de Bergerac in the West End

McAvoy won our inaugural Best Theatre Actor monsta in 2015 for The Ruling Class and reunites with director Jamie Lloyd for this take on Cyrano de Bergerac running at the Playhouse 27/11 through 29/2/20. Tickets  McAvoy also stars in BBC1’s His Dark Materials from 3/11/19 and you can read our Q&A with cast and author.

  • Read on for reasons including & Juliet, Alphabeat, Ella Henderson and Greenwich pantomime

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