WORTH A LOOK?: ***
WHERE: Theatre Royal Haymarket
WHEN: 9/2, press night 20/2, runs to 5/5/18
We’re imagining that most of the packed audience at this venue are here for Doctor Foster star Suranne Jones and it’s her name we hear in occasional murmurings from our fellow guests ahead of this first preview.
The Garrick Theatre had some success earlier this year with Griff Rhys Jones/Lee Mack comedy The Miser and this musical re-working of the Mel Brooks classic looks like it will be puttin’ on the Ritz with a cast including Ross Noble (see above) and Lesley Joseph. Runs 28/9 to February 2018. Tickets
We awarded 12 monstas for the best pop, theatre, TV and film of 2016 in December – and here we look at the cream of 2017 so far and what’s to come. The Shakespeare Trilogy, by the Donmar at King’s Cross Theatre, was the previous winner in this category.
Sir Ian has long been one of our favourite actors and when he shared our BFI Shakespeare Q&A with him on his Facebook page in April our traffic went into meltdown. Pictorial evidence above.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHERE: Old Vic
WHEN: 28/10, runs to 3/12
How long is too long in the theatre? It’s a question which crosses our mind during this three-hour-and-45-minute production with one 15-minute interval.
This 18-song David Bowie musical ran off Broadway for three months from November 2015 and features hits including Life On Mars?, Heroes and Absolute Beginners. It was written by Bowie with Once author Enda Walsh. Starring Dexter’s Michael C. Hall and directed by Ivo van Hove, it runs 25/10 – 22/1 at the King’s Cross Theatre and seems a fitting salute to the star who died 10 days before curtain down on the US show. Tickets.
monstagigz 