PREVIEW: 9 reasons why we can’t wait for January 2026 starring The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

  1. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

Passenger wrote the music and lyrics for this adaptation of the novel at Theatre Royal Haymarket starring The Full Monty‘s Mark Addy and Jenna Russell (Hello Dolly! London Palladium) running 29 January through 18 April 2026. It’s the story of a man who receives a letter from a long-lost friend and walks from Devon to Berwick-upon-Tweed. Tickets

  • Read on for reasons including American Psycho, I’m Sorry Prime Minister and The History Of Sound
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THEATRE REVIEW: Brace Brace starring Phil Dunster & Anjana Vasan at the Royal Court

By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ***

WHEN?: Saturday 2 November and runs through 9 November 2024 RUNTIME: 70 minutes (without interval)

Dunster (pictured right above) is arguably best known for playing Mancunian striker with a heart Jamie Tartt in Apple’s brilliant comedy Ted Lasso and here shows his versatility as an unsympathetic newlywed who freezes during a plane hijack.

  • Read on for reasons including how this is worth a look for its strong cast bringing more to an implausible script than it merits
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FILM REVIEW: Wicked Little Letters starring Olivia Colman & Jessie Buckley

By Neil Durham

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

WHEN?: Tuesday 20 February 2024, UK release Friday 23 February RUNTIME: 100 minutes

Wicked Little Letters is based on a true story from 1920s England of neighbours Edith Swan and Rose Gooding in the seaside town of Littlehampton when a series of obscene letters begin to target Edith and others, with suspicion falling upon Rose.

  • Read on for reasons including how the quality of the laugh-out-loud trailer is maintained throughout the film
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ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Cabaret starring Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley (January 2023)

WORTH A LOOK?: *****

Our sister sees a lot of West End musicals and so we take her to see this production of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club and she later writes on Facebook: ‘I think it was possibly the best show I have ever seen.’

  • Read on for reasons including how this production is ripe for a successful Broadway transfer
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AWARDS SHORTLIST: Best TV/Film Actress of 2022

It’s been quite the year, it’s almost Christmas and what would the festive season be without some recognition of the best of 2022? Over the next month we’ll shortlist five nominees in each of 16 categories for our 8th annual Oscars, or monstas if you will, of 2022.

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AWARDS LONGLIST: MONSTAS: Best Theatre, Music, TV, Film and Podcasts of 2022 so far (part 2 of 2)

You, dear reader, are given the chance to vote in 16 categories from late November this year to tell us your favourite theatre, music, TV, film and podcast of 2022.

  • Read on for reasons including 8 of 16 categories of our Best Theatre, Music, TV, Film and Podcasts of 2022 so far
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PREVIEW: 9 reasons why we can’t wait for June 2022 starring Glastonbury Festival and the legendary Diana Ross

  1. Diana Ross plays Glastonbury legends slot

2022 marks the 1st Glastonbury Festival since 2019 and will be our 7th visit with headliners including Paul McCartney, Billie Eilish and Kendrick Lamar. We’re particularly looking forward to catching Pet Shop Boys and Years and Years as well as Diana Ross in the legends slot. But it’s always about so much more than the music with the atmosphere being unrivalled. Tickets are sold out

  • Read on for reasons including Emilia Clarke in The Seagull, Lorde, Culture Club and Agnes does Mighty Hoopla
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PREVIEW: 9 reasons why we can’t wait for March starring Jonathan Bailey, Taron Egerton & Jade Anouka in Cock

  1. Jonathan Bailey, Taron Egerton and Jade Anouka in Cock

Bridgerton star Bailey won our Best Performance Of A Song monsta in 2018 under Marianne Elliott’s direction in Sondheim’s Company, currently running on Broadway. Elliott returns to direct here. Anouka won a monsta too in 2016 for Best Theatre Actress in the Shakespeare Trilogy. Both star with Egerton (Rocketman) and Phil Daniels (Les Miserables). Mike Bartlett’s 2009 (Snowflake) play about a gay male couple threatened from an unlikely source originally starred Ben Whishaw, Andrew Scott and Katherine Parkinson. Runs 5 March through 4 June 2022 at the Ambassadors Theatre. Tickets The view from the audience as Egerton fainted at the 1st preview

  • Read on for reasons including To Kill A Mockingbird in the West End and the return of Bridgerton
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Best read monstagigz content of 2021 starring Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley

  1. When we saw the 1st preview of Cabaret starring Eddie Redmayne

We were at the 1st preview of Rebecca Frecknall’s reimagining of the Kander and Ebb classic musical starring Redmayne, Jessie Buckley and Omari Douglas in November. The production at the repurposed Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre is shortlisted for 3 monstas in our awards announced 30 December 2021. Cast change expected in March, we return to see it for a 3rd time (it’s that good and this time team monstagigz dining in the front row) in July and booking to 1 October 2022. Tickets

  • Read on for reasons including the London stage debut of Saoirse Ronan, new Bob Marley musical Get Up, Stand Up! and Beverley Knight in The Drifters Girl
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