How to watch all the big films nominated for Oscars and BAFTAs

Published

1 year ago

January 28, 2023

admin

While the Top Gun, Avatar and Black Panther sequels drew millions to cinemas, there are plenty of this year’s Oscar-nominated films you might not have seen yet – or even have heard of before all the awards season buzz.

Want to know your Everything Everywhere All At Once (Oscars frontrunner, with 11 nominations), from your All Quiet On The Western Front (BAFTAs frontrunner, with 14 nods)? And more importantly, how to watch them?

Here’s our guide to this year’s Oscar and BAFTA nominees – and where you can see them ahead of the ceremonies. Note, some films may be included with streaming packages, others you might have to pay extra to rent, depending on your subscription.

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE

A word-of-mouth and critically acclaimed hit, Everything Everywhere All At Once leads the Oscars race and is the bookies’ favourite to win best picture; stars Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu are also up for acting gongs, too.

Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, collectively known as Daniels, the film is billed as “a hilarious and big-hearted sci-fi action adventure about an exhausted Chinese-American woman (Yeoh) who can’t seem to finish her taxes”. Oh, and she also discovers parallel universes and has to prevent a powerful being from destroying the multiverse.

Following its release in cinemas Everything Everywhere All At Once is now available to stream on Paramount+, Apple TV, Google Play and Amazon Prime Video.

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT

A German-language film based on the renowned 1929 novel by Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet On The Western Front leads the BAFTA nominations – equalling Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon’s record as the most nominated foreign film in the history of the awards – and gained nine nods at the Oscars, too.

It’s a hard watch, telling the story of a young German soldier on the Western Front of the First World War; how the initial euphoria of war turns into desperation and fear as he and his comrades fight for their lives, and each other, in the trenches.

You can watch All Quiet On The Western Front on Netflix.

THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN

Set on a remote imaginary island off the Irish Coast in the 1920s, The Banshees Of Inisherin reunites In Bruges stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson and tells a darkly comic story of a friendship gone wrong; Gleeson’s character decides he’s sick to the teeth of his needy friend and doesn’t want to waste any more time chatting to him – and raises the stakes by threatening to chop off a finger every time his dull pal tries to strike up a conversation.

The film has led to huge Irish success so far this awards season, with Farrell, Gleeson and their co-stars Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan all nominated for Oscars in the acting categories, and Martin McDonagh (also the man behind In Bruges) up for best director.

Following its cinema release in October 2022, The Banshees of Inisherin is now available to stream on Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu.

TOP GUN: MAVERICK

A box office smash that fans had been waiting for for more than 35 years, the Top Gun sequel was one of a host of blockbusters (more below) that saw the big-hitters returning to the Academy Awards. Nominated for best picture, while it’s unlikely to take the top prize, it’s nice to see a bit more fun injected into awards season.

Of course, the sequel sees Tom Cruise return as Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, back to train newbies to be as brilliant in the skies as he is. Treading a delicate balance between old and new, there are plenty of throwbacks to please fans of the original.

No doubt the big Top Gun fans will have seen it already at the cinema, but for those who haven’t, you can catch it on Sky from 5 February, as well as on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.

Read our review: Aviators, love interests and oiled-up bodies – get ready for a walk down memory lane

ELVIS

Following Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman, it was only a matter of time before we got a new Elvis biopic. The 2022 film stars Austin Butler in the titular role, and tells the music icon’s story from childhood to music and movie star in the 1950s, and his complex relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker (played by Tom Hanks).

Written and directed by Baz Luhrmann, it’s in the running for eight Oscars, including best actor and best picture, while Mandy Walker is the only woman nominated for cinematography.

Elvis is available on Sky, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play and Hulu.

TAR

Cate Blanchett stars as the fictional renowned conductor Lydia Tar, who is days away from recording the symphony that will elevate her career.

She’s favourite to win best actress – and if Oscars are given out based on hard work, after learning to play piano on screen, speak fluent German and how to lead a live orchestra, she probably deserves it. If she wins, she can add it to the two Oscars she has already – for Blue Jasmine and The Aviator.

Tar is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.

THE FABELMANS

As arguably the most famous director in the world, Steven Spielberg’s cultural impact is unmatched – from Jaws and ET to war epics Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan, his films have imprinted on generation after generation for decades.

However, his latest film, The Fabelmans, is something a little different; a semi-autobiographical story loosely based on his childhood. As well as being a family drama, it portrays the anti-semitic abuse the young Spielberg faced.

The Fabelmans is available to rent or buy on Prime Video and Apple TV.

AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER

James Cameron’s mega-budget Avatar sequel opened in cinemas in December, 13 years after the original had us all reaching for our 3D glasses.

The film sees Sam Worthington returning to the role of Na’vi leader Jake Sully and is rooted around the family he now has with warrior Neytiri, played by Zoe Saldana, and the battles they face to keep each other safe. Sigourney Weaver and Kate Winslet also star.

No date has been given yet, but Avatar: The Way of Water will be available to stream on Disney+ following its cinema release.

TRIANGLE OF SADNESS

A Cannes Palme d’Or-winning satire from Swedish director Ruben Ostlund, Triangle Of Sadness scored three big Oscar nominations, for best picture, best director and best original screenplay.

Targeting the filthy rich, it follows a set of luxury cruise passengers with not a redeeming feature between them. However, they soon find their status undermined by unexpected events.

You can watch Triangle Of Sadness on Amazon Prime Video and Google Play.

WOMEN TALKING

Based on the novel by Miriam Toews, Women Talking tells the story of a group of women in an isolated religious community as they grapple with reconciling their reality with their faith.

Starring Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley and Judith Ivey, with Ben Whishaw and Frances McDormand, it has a strong cast but was an outsider for the Oscars this year.

Nominated for best picture, it is the only film in the category directed by a woman, Sarah Polley – and even she didn’t expect to hear its title called out, tweeting from an unusual location as she found out the good news: “Expectations were low for today. Here I am at a routine doctor’s appointment. I really didn’t plan this day right.”

Women Talking is released in cinemas on 17 February, with previews from 10 February.

AFTERSUN

A coming-of-age drama, Aftersun is set in the 1990s and centres on a father-daughter duo, played by Paul Mescal and newcomer Frankie Corio, as they spend a summer holiday away at an all-inclusive resort in Turkey. Although Mescal’s character Calum is seen laughing with his daughter when swimming in the sea or singing karaoke, in private moments we see his struggles with his mental health.

The film is a directorial debut from Charlotte Wells and is based on her own childhood experiences. While it isn’t up for best picture, Mescal’s heavily praised performance has earned him a nomination for best actor; not bad considering his Normal People breakthrough role came less than three years ago.

Following a cinema release in November, you can now watch Aftersun on the streaming service MUBI, Amazon Prime Video, and Apple TV.

THE WHALE

Enjoying a so-called “Brenaissance”, Brendan Fraser – known for leading action films including The Mummy trilogy – is firmly back in the spotlight after a pause in his career, with his performance in The Whale earning him standing ovations at film festivals.

Fraser plays an extremely obese man trying to reconnect with his daughter and struggling with his mental health, and he is now the favourite to win best actor at the Oscars in March.

You can watch The Whale in cinemas from 3 February.

BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER

Despite missing out on joining fellow sequels Avatar and Top Gun with an Oscars nod for best film, Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever did score a nomination for Angela Bassett, who is up for best supporting actress.

The film is a moving tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, who played T’Challa, the Black Panther in the original film; a story of loss, grief and dealing with bereavement, with lots of action and some surprises along the way.

Not only does Bassett’s nomination mark the cinematic universe’s first acting nod, but she is also favourite to win.

You can watch Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on Disney+ from 1 February.

LIVING

Starring British veteran Bill Nighy and Sex Education star Aimee Lou Wood, Living is written by Kazuo Ishiguro and based on a remake of the 1952 Japanese film Ikiru. It tells the story of Mr Williams, an elderly bureaucrat who is diagnosed with an incurable illness, so decides he must start living his life to the fullest.

Nighy, perhaps destined to always be known for his fabulous turn as a washed-up rocker making a comeback in Love Actually, has been praised for his understated performance, which earns him his first Oscar nomination.

Living is available on Sky, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and Google Play.

CAUSEWAY

Jennifer Lawrence stars as a soldier struggling to adjust back home in New Orleans after suffering a traumatic injury while fighting in Afghanistan. The film follows her character Lynsey as she adapts once again to civilian life, and forges an unexpected bond with local mechanic James, played by Brian Tyree Henry.

It’s one that could have slipped under the radar but has been brought into the limelight thanks to a nod for Henry in the Oscars’ best supporting actor category.

You can watch Causeway on Apple TV+.

BLONDE

Ana de Armas has received nominations for several prizes for her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in Blonde, including best actress at the Oscars and BAFTAs.

The film itself, however, hasn’t been so well received; it leads the nominations at this year’s Razzies, or Golden Raspberry Awards, which celebrate cinematic under-achievements and are billed as the “ugly cousin” of the Academy Awards. And despite praise for her performance, the film has polarised critics.

Watch Blonde on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

TO LESLIE

British actress Andrea Riseborough caused a bit of a stir with her first Academy Award nomination; she is in the running for best actress thanks to her performance in To Leslie, an independent drama inspired by true events. The film sees the Made In Dagenham actress playing a single mother who turns to alcoholism after winning the lottery, before turning her life around when a motel owner offers her a job.

In the run-up to the Oscar nominations, the film had received no nods at the Golden Globes, the Critics’ Choice awards or the BAFTAs – but broke through with the Academy seemingly in no small part thanks to a campaign by some of the most prominent names in Hollywood.

Indeed, fellow nominee Blanchett used the opening minute of her Critics’ Choice speech to single out Riseborough, describing her performance as overlooked, while fellow Hollywood stars including (deep breath) Kate Winslet, Amy Adams, Gwyneth Paltrow, Edward Norton, Charlize Theron, Jennifer Aniston, Zooey Deschanel and Helen Hunt have also raved about it.

To Leslie is available on Amazon Prime Video and Google Play.

EMPIRE OF LIGHT

Set around a cinema in the 1980s, Sam Mendes’s Empire Of Light is a celebration of the big screen and also one of the most personal films the director has ever made. The film sees former Oscar winner Olivia Colman playing a woman struggling with mental health issues, a character based on the celebrated filmmaker’s own mother.

The drama is a love letter to cinema itself, and a timely reminder of the beauty of the big screen experience following the COVID pandemic.

The film is nominated for best cinematography at the Oscars, while at the BAFTAs it is up for outstanding British film and best supporting actor for Micheal Ward, as well as cinematography.

Following its run in cinemas, Empire Of Light is expected to be available on Disney+ some time in February.

BABYLON

Oscar-winning La La Land filmmaker Damien Chazelle takes both recollection and rumour as his inspiration for Babylon, and the outrageous excess and rampant debauchery that supposedly went on behind the scenes in Hollywood in the 1920s.

The film stars Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt and newcomer Diego Calva in a three-hour story about filmmaking. It earned three Oscar nominations – for costume, original score and production design – but hopes were perhaps a bit higher given it’s a lavish, big-budget affair (although it hasn’t done particularly well at the box office, either).

If you want to see it on the big screen, Babylon is in cinemas now.

GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY

Such was the success of the 2019 whodunnit hit Knives Out that Netflix picked up the franchise, reportedly paying £375m for Glass Onion and one more sequel. This time round, the ensemble cast is even more starry – featuring Kate Hudson, Edward Norton and Janelle Monae joining Daniel Craig for his return as Detective Benoit Blanc.

This time, it’s celebrities and influencers who are under suspicion, with the film taking a satirical look at the decadence of the very modern rich and famous.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is nominated for best adapted screenplay at the Oscars, and you can watch it – and the first film – on Netflix.

THE BATMAN

Following a long wait for The Batman to launch in cinemas, its release date pushed back twice because of COVID production delays, it finally arrived in 2022; Robert Pattinson following in the footsteps of stars including Christian Bale, Ben Affleck, Michael Keaton and George Clooney to play the Caped Crusader on the big screen.

Another box office hit drawing people back to cinemas, it is now Oscar-nominated for best sound, best make-up and hairstyling, and best visual effects.

You can watch The Batman on Sky, Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.

GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE

Not an Oscars contender but a hit with the BAFTA panel, Good Luck To You, Leo Grande is up for the awards for outstanding British film and outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer at the BAFTAs, as well as acting gongs for stars Emma Thompson and Daryl McCormack.

McCormack, who plays a male sex worker hired by Thompson’s retired teacher, is also in the running for the rising star trophy.

Good Luck To You, Leo Grande is available on Sky and Amazon Prime Video in the UK.

THE WOMAN KING

Snubbed by the Oscars, The Woman King has at least been recognised at the BAFTAs, with star Viola Davis earning a best actress nomination, and Gina Prince-Bythewood in the running for best director.

The film tells the true story of a fierce group of female warriors who protected a West African Kingdom in the 1800s, with Davis starring. She has referred to The Woman King as her magnum opus, aiming to prove to the industry that films about black women can attract cinema audiences.

You can pre-order The Woman King on Sky and watch on Amazon Prime Video from 30 January.

TILL

Till is biographical film based on the true story of Mamie Till-Bradley, who pursued justice after the racist murder of her 14-year-old son Emmett Till in 1955 – for which star Danielle Deadwyler has been universally praised for her performance.

Despite this, it didn’t receive any Oscar nominations, but Deadwyler is recognised in the leading actress category at the BAFTAs.

You can watch Till in cinemas now.

Watch the Oscars exclusively on Sky Showcase on Sunday 12 March from midnight. Sky News will be live on the red carpet at the ceremony in Hollywood on Sunday 12 and live with the winners at the Vanity Fair party on Breakfast with Kay Burley, on Monday 13 March

Entertainment

Kevin Spacey denies new allegations of inappropriate behaviour

Published

1 day ago

May 4, 2024

admin

Kevin Spacey denies new allegations of inappropriate behaviour

Kevin Spacey has denied new allegations of inappropriate behaviour from men who feature in a Channel 4 documentary released next week.

In an interview with journalist Dan Wootton posted on X, the double Oscar winner said he will “no longer be speechless”.

Last year, Spacey was found not guilty by a jury of nine sexual offences alleged by four men between 2001 and 2013 after a trial in London.

He also won a US civil lawsuit in October 2022, after being accused of an unwanted sexual advance at a party in 1986.

The Channel 4 documentary titled Spacey Unmasked is said to feature testimony from men “regarding events they say took place between 1976 and 2013, and relate to what they describe as unwanted sexual behaviour” from Spacey, according to an email shown during the interview.

‘I wasn’t in on the deal’

The two-part series, produced by Roast Beef Productions, is set to air on Monday and Tuesday next week.

“I take full responsibility for my past behaviour and my actions, but I cannot and will not take responsibility or apologise to anyone who’s made up stuff about me or exaggerated stories about me,” the 64-year-old US actor said.

“I’ve never told someone that if they give me sexual favours, then I will help them out with their career, never.

“…I’ve clearly hooked up with some men who thought they might get ahead in their careers by having a relationship with me.

“But there was no conversation with me, it was all part of their plan, a plan that was always destined to fail, because I wasn’t in on the deal.”

‘Clumsy passes’

During the interview, he denied accusations of any illegal behaviour, but did say he had made “clumsy passes” at people in the past.

“Were there times when I would flirt with some of the people who were involved in those programmes who were in their 20s? Yes,” he said.

“Did I ever hook up with another actor? Yes. Did I make a clumsy pass at someone who wasn’t interested as it turned out? Yes.

“But I was not employing them, I was not their boss, I was often times just swimming in for an hour here or there as a well-known actor to lend support… to answer questions.

“That may not have been the best decision, and it is not one that I would do today, but it happened.

“It wasn’t illegal, and nor has it ever been alleged to have been illegal.”

The Usual Suspects and House Of Cards star said he has struggled to get work after being acquitted of all criminal charges, branding his experience a “life sentence”.

Spacey was one of the most recognised faces in Hollywood when allegations of sexual misconduct were made in 2017, leading streaming giant Netflix to cut ties with the actor.

Sky News has not been able to verify the latest allegations.

Entertainment

What colour season are you? The style science behind the clothes that make you look good

Published

1 day ago

May 4, 2024

admin

What colour season are you? The style science behind the clothes that make you look good

Like all good (just about) millennials, my Instagram algorithm knows me better than anyone else.

Who and what do I spend my scroll time with? Dogs, mainly. Celebs in the ’90s, holiday cabins that are all floor-to-ceiling glass and breathtaking views and eyewatering prices. More dogs.

But over the past few months, something else has crept in: bare faces with swatches of different coloured fabric draped across their chests like rainbow napkins, their features brightening or dulling as the bibs are changed with a flourish by a stylist.

Pictures of celebrities with rainbow borders framing their faces fill my feed, sometimes with before and digitally altered “after” images side-by-side, showing how different our favourite stars might look with, say, a slightly warmer blonde tone to their hair, or in a silver dress rather than gold.

Welcome to the world of colour analysis – the science, the stylists say, behind the clothes that make you look good.

Like Avon parties, shoulder pads and blancmange, knowing your colour season was de rigueur in the 1980s, before the 1990s ushered in a more laidback approach, followed by instructions on What Not To Wear and How To Look Good Naked, focusing on body shape, in the noughties.

But colour styling is back.

In the past year or so, the trend has exploded on social media thanks to demand from millennials and Gen Zs who have discovered the power of knowing your season – search for #colouranalysis or #coloranalysis and you’ll find around 300,000 posts on Instagram alone, with similar numbers on TikTok.

Colour stylists say that not only is it a fun way to look at fashion, it’s also sustainable and a cost-saver – the idea being that if you know your colours, you’re not going to waste money on items that don’t optimise your looks.

What is colour styling?

The idea is that every single person’s features can be classified into a set of shades associated with spring, summer, autumn or winter – broken down further into 12 sub-seasons such as “true spring” or “bright winter” – and from this palette you can take guidance on the colours that suit you best, not just for clothing but also for make-up and hair.

Winters look great in jewel tones such as emerald green, or neon brights, while autumns suit the colours you associate with the season – mustard, cinnamon, dark moss green. Springs are warm, bright and clear, summers more soft and subtle. But your season is not just about how you look on the outside, and some might surprise you.

Watching the switching of colour drapes, or scrolling through the digital equivalent, can feel like a magic trick; a glow-up without a hint of highlighter or hair dye. Stylists assure this is #nofilter and there is no digital trickery going on here; the wrong colours will wash you out, but the right colour on the right person could well make your eye bags and wrinkles all but melt away.

Having watched this content from various colour stylists over the past few months, I have learned a lot about seasons, palettes and contrast, and undertone v overtone, warm v cool, clear v muted. I have learned that you might share the same eye, skin and natural hair colour as someone else and still be in a different season. That your colour season is not about skin colour or even tone.

And that, apparently, despite black being a go-to or a comfort blanket for many, it’s only – brace yourselves – those in the winter palette who truly suit it.

So now, in the interest of journalism, I’m finding out for myself.

Anyone who knows me will know my wardrobe is on the brighter side. I think I’m a spring. I hope I’m a spring. Am I a spring?

Have I been wearing the ‘wrong’ colours all my life?

I have my colours done by Francesca Cairns, a UK stylist of 10 years who says she has seen her Instagram following grow from about 10,000 to 500,000 across two accounts in the past 12 months or so, all thanks to colour analysis.

“It’s boomed, especially in the last year,” she says. “Gen Z want to learn about what works for them so they can create wardrobes that are sustainable. People are obsessed with it, it’s everywhere.”

Francesca works online, with clients internationally as well as in the UK, so needs photos. No make-up, natural lighting, standing in front of a window. I take about a million selfies before I find a couple that are vaguely passable and send them over, along with older pictures of myself over the years and some information: natural hair colour, (dark blonde/ mousey), eye colour (grey-green, a bit non-descript), how easily I tan (not bad) and my jewellery preference (silver; but, if I’m honest, this could well be a legacy from my frugal youth).

Rather than draping with material in person, she surrounds your face with colour digitally, the style equivalent of Tinder, swiping yes on the shades that work, relegating the ones that don’t, to see a pattern.

It’s mainly about undertone – not skin colour (overtone), she says. The tricky thing? You can’t necessarily see it.

“When I look at someone, I’m putting silver and gold next to them, or very warm versus cool colours,” Francesca says. “I’m seeing which looks best next to their features, which one’s not overpowering them.”

The aim of wearing your best colours is to see your face first, before everything else, she says. The right colour will enhance your features, bring out your eyes. “You don’t want a dress to wear you,” Francesca says. “When you walk into a room, you want people to see your face and your features before your outfit. You want it to all be in harmony rather than overpowering you.”

Her process usually takes 48 hours, but Francesca has my results over to me the next day.

I am, it seems, not a spring.

According to Francesca’s workings, I am a soft summer, just like Rihanna, Sarah Jessica Parker and Rachel McAdams. I have a neutral undertone which leans cool, she tells me, with muted and soft colouring, subtle rather than high contrast. Baby blue, pine green, lavender, sage and taupe are on the list of recommended clothing colours, while ash brown and cool blonde are suggested for my hair (not too far off, but my highlights are probably on the warmer side).

I do own a fair bit of light blue denim, which is good, but I’m looking at all the bright greens, oranges and pinks in my wardrobe. This isn’t about my favourites, though, it’s about the ones that harmonise with my features best.

“It’s colour science,” Francesca says. “If someone’s got a warm undertone, nine out of 10 times they’re probably going to be in the spring or autumn seasons because they look better with a lot of warm tones most of the time. But if you’re neutral, you can border both the seasons.” As I’m neutral, she says some of the spring colours would work – but winter is too high contrast and cool-toned.

Someone with a high contrast – pale skin, dark hair, bright eyes, for example – can pull off high contrast colours such as cobalt blue and fuchsia pink. “But they might overpower someone who’s got softer features,” she says.

Celebs in – and out – of season

It’s important to note that colour analysts don’t always agree. Some put Margot Robbie as a summer, for example, while others, including Francesca, say she’s a spring. Some say you have to do the analysis in person to be certain, while others say photos taken in the right conditions are enough.

I take an online colour quiz for a second opinion and it puts me as a spring, but this is without photographic evidence; I can’t help but think the result is probably something to do with the questions being mainly about the colours I’m drawn to and how I see myself.

Francesca is confident in my summer analysis, but says I can lean into the spring palette. And this isn’t about throwing away an entire wardrobe, but potentially making tweaks.

“Colour analysis isn’t about restriction,” she says. “I’m an autumn. People ask me all the time if I still wear black? Yes, because 90% of my wardrobe before I did this was black. I’ll always wear black, but I’ll make it work for me better by wearing my make-up in my colours, or accessories round my face, wear black lower down or with a lower neckline.

“If you love a colour that’s not in your season it doesn’t mean you can’t wear it, it just means that you wear your colours with it or make it work for you in a different way. And when I post celebrities against different [background] colours, it can be quite subjective.”

Because being groomed and beautiful means stars often look good against all sorts of different shades.

“People might prefer them in a different [colour to their season] and that’s their opinion. But when it comes down to the trained eye and you know what you’re looking for, you see straight away why one palette works better than another.”

Kim Kardashian (winter), Kate Middleton (summer) and Hailey Bieber (autumn) are celebrities you will usually find wearing their colour palettes, she says.

But wearing colours out of your season can pack a punch – think Taylor Swift‘s platinum white hair and dark lipstick look during the height of the Kim and Kanye feud in 2016, or Beyonce‘s current platinum look for the release of Cowboy Carter. Swift is a spring, apparently, while Beyonce is autumn.

“But I’m always training my eye, even now after years,” says Francesca. “You’ll always find that someone’s colours will always surprise you. And there’s no rule book – it’s all about having fun.”

Entertainment

Is now a golden age for original musicals on the West End?

Published

1 day ago

May 4, 2024

admin

Is now a golden age for original musicals on the West End?

At a time when jukebox musicals dominate London’s West End, some of theatreland’s stars argue the success of original shows is proof “audiences are ready to take a risk”.

From Motown to Michael Jackon, Tina Turner to the Jersey Boys, the past two decades have seen an exponential rise in offerings based around songs most of us will already know the words to.

Back in 1999, the runaway success of staging Mamma Mia! – based on ABBA’s extensive back catalogue – proved to be a game-changer.

It resulted in several investors believing they’d stumbled across a magic formula – the combination of chart hits with nostalgia being an easier sell to a guaranteed audience who like to know what they are getting.

While there’s no escaping their popularity or dominance, they’re not the shows that critics are getting really excited about.

Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York) is an original offering with brand new music that most people won’t have heard of, yet the millennial rom-com is losing count of the five-star reviews it has picked up within a matter of weeks.

Sam Tutty – who plays Dougal in the two-hander – says writers had to “fight tooth and nail” to bring it into the West End.

The actor, who previously won an Olivier for playing the lead in Dear Evan Hansen, explained: “To be at the place it is now is because they were allowed a foot in the door somewhere along the way.”

Dujonna Gift stars alongside him as Robin in a story that follows how two twentysomething strangers meet ahead of a wedding.

“Fringe theatre is kind of where it’s at right now,” she explains, “and supporting and championing these writers to believe that there is space in the market for their work will do great things.”

Gift, who’s previously starred in Hamilton and Motown: The Musical, says: “As someone who has done jukebox musicals before there’s always a market for that but right now… it’s really important that we create the spaces for these new writers.”

The success of Operation Mincemeat is proof of how word of mouth can get just as many punters through the door as casting a pop star.

The musical, which is based on the true story of the secret mission that won Britain World War Two, has extended its run eight times to keep up with demand.

While it recently won Best New Musical at the Oliviers, before writing the hit its creators – sketch troupe SpitLip – had come close to quitting theatre for good.

“When we first started making theatre you could get grants,” actor and writer Natasha Hodgson tells Sky News.

“It’s just really hard to be a creator without an enormous pot of cash in your bank right now.

“The whole theatre ecosystem is very aware of how difficult it is for theatre makers to get work off the ground, and everyone’s doing everything they can in terms of supporting new work and trying to get commissions over the line, but it is difficult, we have to keep banging the drum of how the arts is in our blood in this country.

“I do think that this show and others like this are proving that actually audiences are ready to take a risk, they’re ready to come and support new stuff.”

While harnessing the power of well-known musical property is more widely considered a safe bet for producers, Two Strangers producer Tim Johanson says it has meant truly original offerings are a harder sell.

“Surprising familiarity is a phrase I’ve heard a lot,” he explains.

“You need to have heard of X, or it’s a stage version of this artist’s work, or it’s this book or film, and all of those can make really great shows.”

But, rather than bring fans of existing musicians into the theatre, Johanson says they appear to be amassing an army of their own.

“People have seen the show 15, 16, 17 times already, they’re the ones who are talking about it online and driving other people to come and see it, driving the millions of music streams that we’re heading towards.”

So, while jukebox musicals might be everywhere, Johanson isn’t too worried.

“Operation Mincemeat, Six, those are the two that blazed the trail and genuinely, in my career, this feels like the best time to write new British musicals.”

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) is at the Criterion Theatre until 31 August. Operation Mincemeat is at the Fortune Theatre, London until 16 November.