By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK? *****
WHEN? Tuesday 11 November, runs through 6 December 2025 RUNTIME: 100 minutes (no interval)
Conor McPherson (The Brightening Air, Old Vic) adapts The Hunger Games which opens this week in London and this won the Best New Play Olivier in 1999.
We last saw Sally Field in this Arthur Miller play at the Old Vic in 2019. Ivo Van Hove (Opening Night, Gielgud Theatre) is at the helm of this version at the Wyndham’s Theatre starring Paapa Essiedu, who won last year’s Best Theatre Actor monsta, Bryan Cranston and Marianne Jean-Baptiste. Runs 14 November through 7 March 2026. Tickets Our review
It’s been quite the year, it’s almost Christmas and what would the festive season be without some recognition of the best of 2024? Over the next 2 months we’ll shortlist five nominees in each of 17 categories for our Oscars, or monstas if you will, of 2024.
You, dear reader, are given the chance to vote in 17 categories from October this year to tell us your favourite theatre, music, TV, film and podcast of 2024.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHEN?: Sunday 30 June 2024, booking until 21 September 2024 RUNTIME: 160 minutes (including a 20-minute interval) Update: Now closing 11 August 2024
Grieving piano prodigy Kosei can no longer hear music after the death of his mentor mother until mysterious violinist Kaori arrives as the school’s new girl and turns his world upside down.
It’s the young leads of this classic musical we’re most excited to see. Charlie Stemp won our Best Theatre Actor monsta last year (Crazy For You, Gillian Lynne Theatre) and we saw Georgina Onuorah in Cinderella at the same venue. Stephanie J. Block and Adrian Dunbar are the main leads here at the Barbican 4 June through 14 September 2024. Tickets Our preview review
By Aline Mahrud
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHEN?: Saturday 3 February, runs through 15 June 2024 RUNTIME: 180 minutes (including a 15-minute interval and a brief pause)
It’s the long hot summer of 1976 and 3 sisters reunite in the front room of their mother’s Blackpool guesthouse as she lays dying upstairs.
Our most read content of 2023 was this preview review of a play by Sam Steiner about a society where spoken words were rationed to 140 a day in a two-hander starring Aidan Turner (The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Noel Coward Theatre) and Jenna Coleman (All My Sons, Old Vic). Our review also caught the attention of Mail Online (see below).
It’s been quite the year, it’s almost Christmas and what would the festive season be without some recognition of the best of 2023? Over the next month we’ll shortlist five nominees in each of 16 categories for our Oscars, or monstas if you will, of 2023.
7 years ago Julian Clary starred opposite Paul O’Grady in pantomime Cinderella at this venue in a production that marked a return of the form to a theatre previously renowned for it. We’ve loved the shows that have followed, Dick Whittington, Snow White, Goldilocks, and Pantoland at the Palladium, in both 2020 and 2021, and Jack And The Beanstalk starring Dawn French in 2022. French’s comedy partner Jennifer Saunders stars here alongside Clary and My Son’s A Queer‘s Rob Madge. Runs 9 December through 14 January 2024. Tickets Our review
