Our most read content of 2024 was this preview review of the West End debut of Alien star Weaver in Jamie Lloyd’s take on Shakespeare’s The Tempest which runs at Theatre Royal Drury Lane until 1 February 2025. Tickets
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: *****
WHEN?: Tuesday 1 October, runs through 23 November 2024 RUNTIME: 150 minutes (including a 20-minute interval)
Rylance is the titular peacock – pronounced ‘paycock’ in an Irish accent – who plays workshy father-of-2 ‘Captain’ Jack Boyle, a man never short of tall tales of adventure.
monstagigz readers have been voting throughout November and December for their favourite pop, theatre, TV, film and podcasts of 2022 from our shortlists. Read on for details of our 2022 monstas winners …
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.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: *****
WHEN?: Saturday 30 July 2022, runs until 10 August 2022
My companion whispers in my ear at curtain down: ‘Best living actor in this country in a role of a lifetime’ and that does feel like a suitable 12-word summary.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
RUN TIME: 2 hours 30 minutes (including interval)
WHEN?: 28/7, press night 1/8, runs to 13/10/18
Sir Ian McKellen once told us that this Shakespeare tragedy should really be called Iago and Rylance’s performance in that role here might shock.
Sacha Dhawan (pictured above) won our Best Film/TV Actor monsta last year for The Boy With the Topknot and is here reunited with playwright Alan Barnett and former History Boy Samuel Barnett in a play at the Bridge Theatre marking the 70th birthday of the NHS. Runs 11/7 to 28/9/18. Tickets
We loved her in X Factor, Finland picked the best of three fine songs for her May Eurovision entry and she brings her Eurovision Wonderland show to Under The Bridge 25/4. We think her co-penned Monsters is our favourite song of the year so far. 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.
WORTH A LOOK?: *****
WHEN: 22/4/17
WHERE: East London/Westminster Abbey
We started Shakespeare’s birthday weekend with Live In This And Dwell In Lovers’ Eyes, a two-hour walk from Shoreditch to the Globe Theatre.
