Fasten your seatbelts! Ivo van Hove has taken on the ultimate quotable backstage melodrama: Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s 1950 Oscar-winning film about a celebrated actress and her young wannabe assistant. And the modern star power is assured: Gillian Anderson succeeds Bette … Continue reading
Step away from the returns queue. The rare presence of Hollywood star Cate Blanchett on a London stage has caused a box office frenzy, but sadly this would-be provocative vehicle – Martin Crimp’s loose variations on Samuel Richardson’s 1740 proto-novel Pamela, … Continue reading
Another year, another bloated final that winds up being totally irrelevant to the results. At some point, Strictly bosses might need to look into that… For my money, of the last four, Ashley was the strongest dancer, Joe the most … Continue reading
Semi-final week saw the usual quality drop-off with two dances – although in some cases such technical lack was rebranded as “authenticity” by the ever-erratic judges. We also had the dance and music lottery either boosting or limiting celebs, depending … Continue reading
In these divisive times, we can count on the BBC’s sequin-fest to get all the generations round the telly on a Saturday night, becoming armchair experts on fleckerls and voltas. In this 16th series, however, the good ship Strictly has hit more icebergs … Continue reading
Musicals Week! The quarter-finals! All to play for on this jazz hands show, and the combination of high-stakes competition and rampant theming produced… mixed results. Some dances fit beautifully with their songs, others were swallowed whole – and the judges … Continue reading
So, we could talk about the post-Blackpool hangover pervading the week (this show very much brought to you by paracetamol and Alka-Seltzer). We could talk about scoring monstrosities, or the continuing bafflement of Couple’s Choice, or how the ghost of … Continue reading
Ah, Blackpool – home of ballroom. Or, in Strictly’s case, home of prop dancers, inflated (in most cases) scores, and alarming combos like fire, feathers and copious amounts of hairspray. At its best, it provides history, spectacle and a thrilling … Continue reading
It might seem a strange statement to make while the BBC is shoving Stacey towards the glitterball, and Joe’s YouTube views have now surpassed the last six series, but one thing I’m enjoying is this year’s unpredictability. Who could have … Continue reading
Why do Strictly viewers hate Ashley Roberts?
This weekend’s Strictly Come Dancing semi-final saw a third consecutive trip to the dreaded dance-off for ex-Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts – despite topping the leaderboard with pro partner Pasha Kovalev after notching four nines for a fierce Paso Doble and a perfect … Continue reading →