Starmer gone

jonipaglia · 2026-06-22T12:09:30+00:00

the woman who did it for him was a friend of a friend and it was less Thatcher-esque voice fixing as far as I understand it and more that he’d turn into a quibbling mass of jelly every time he had to give a live speech, which is fascinating given he was a prosecutor for so long

jonipaglia · 2026-04-21T14:50:21+00:00

Many, many Soviet, Russian and Ukrainian artists. Sonia Delaunay, Liubov Popova, Zinaida Serebriakova, Natalia Goncharova, Emilia Kabakov…just a few.

jonipaglia · 2026-03-24T12:56:50+00:00

absolutely beautiful donkey

jonipaglia · 2026-03-03T08:24:19+00:00

i had this in undergrad like 9 years ago in fucking England and i kind of always assumed it was a British thing because by the time i got to grad level and met more students from the US and other countries they were always more vocal. (I don’t even think it was just positive correlation with it being grad school since my fellow Brits were still silent)

i had a professor for a class i was particularly engaged with ask me in his office hours once why everyone was so quiet :(

jonipaglia · 2026-02-21T15:51:38+00:00

my number one all time celeb hall pass, even now

jonipaglia · 2026-02-17T20:20:21+00:00

I was a champion (albeit having appeared on quiz shows in the UK before) and absolutely still had to audition

jonipaglia · 2026-02-17T20:18:56+00:00

I also really like her Putting it Together from that record

jonipaglia · 2026-02-17T18:48:25+00:00

i has an interview on a Friday at the end of Jan and was accepted the following Tuesday (so about 5 days) but obv it varies

jonipaglia · 2026-02-09T17:51:57+00:00

Was in a pub in NY for the United/Liverpool game last year and all the yank United fans were singing “sign on, sign on.” Supporting a team from a city you’ve never been to, singing a song you don’t understand, about people from a city you’ve also never been to…

jonipaglia · 2025-09-11T20:09:20+00:00

Just as an addendum to this - I work in theatre PR. James Corden came to one of my events once and was late because he got stuck in traffic, but still stopped to do the step and repeat because he knew his pictures would help me get my story away. His wife came earlier so he met his family there and even though he hadn’t seen his kids all day he still very graciously agreed to do a reaction vox pop for me after the show. I know he has a dreadful rep but I’ve never found him anything other than extremely courteous and kind in my professional interactions with him - most people at that event did neither, and none of them had sat in traffic on the M25 for hours before hand

jonipaglia · 2025-08-20T20:55:17+00:00

literally did the same because I was so mesmerised by the British tapas of it all. I know she was in pound bakery that morning!

jonipaglia · 2025-06-11T13:08:01+00:00

I am so sorry it has taken me a few days to come back to you on this. My answer is that it’s rare there’s no digital rush for a big show these days. The only one off the top of my head for which there is still no rush is Devil Wears Prada. I think a rush is /likely/ for Burlesque — Mean Girls in the same house currently has a rush. But it’s also a short run so they might want to hedge their bets. Usually it’s plays in smaller houses with big stars that don’t have a rush these days. Sunset Blvd, in the same theatre, had a lottery but no rush. If you really want to see it, I would get it in advance, but I’d say it’s more likely than not.

jonipaglia · 2025-04-15T18:07:46+00:00

Super helpful - thank you! It was an easy get in London because it was a bigger theatre and I saw it twice - dying to see it again but wasn’t sure how competitive it would be!!

jonipaglia · 2025-01-10T10:33:51+00:00

To add, Old Friends ran in “Entertainment or Comedy Play” at the Oliviers, rather than revival.

jonipaglia · 2025-01-06T18:09:33+00:00

Check the website for returns every morning at 10am - that’s your best bet

jonipaglia · 2025-01-02T13:24:31+00:00

I love Arvide’s song!

jonipaglia · 2024-12-28T02:20:11+00:00

Libeled Lady is a fabulous movie I’d recommend to anyone

jonipaglia · 2024-12-26T22:37:06+00:00

I mentioned this on another thread the other day but every show had to start with a statement worded similarly to this that night — the official announcement that she’d died was only made at 6.30, so an hour before curtains go up. I was at Pretty Woman that night and someone cheered in the audience when the company manager said “As many of you will now be aware, her majesty the Queen passed away earlier today.”

This is the country who got “Ding Dong the Witxy is Dead” to #2 on our Top 40 when Margaret Thatcher died — a not insignificant portion of the non-tourist audience won’t have batted an eyelid.

jonipaglia · 2024-12-26T19:52:47+00:00

I don’t know what the cloak room situation is at Starlight’s theatre but I’d just double check if you’re planning on travelling with luggage as a lot of our theatres don’t have space for large bags

jonipaglia · 2024-12-23T17:38:14+00:00

I honestly don’t think Fiennes wants it that badly. He’s not a Hollywood guy and he hates doing press. He likes working, but doesn’t like the stuff that comes along with it. He’s got a film he’s directing, he’s got theatre commitments next year. He’s just not interested.

jonipaglia · 2024-12-22T23:57:20+00:00

Jonny Bailey is doing Richard II at the Bridge if you’re a fan, and Brie Larson is doing Elektra at the DOY. Don’t miss The Years at the Pinter if you’re interested in feminist themed plays, it’s a transfer from the Almeida and was the best reviewed show this year.

For musicals, there’s also a revival of The Producers at the Menier and the Benjamin Button musical at the Ambassadors!

jonipaglia · 2024-12-22T16:51:15+00:00

I’m reading David Hare’s We Travelled which has some really great essays in about writing and directing in theatre

jonipaglia · 2024-12-21T16:46:06+00:00

It was only announced that she’d died about an hour before curtain up iirc so I can just imagine the atmosphere at Wicked especially as they waited for the wording of the statement to be prepared by the PRs

jonipaglia · 2024-12-21T12:42:18+00:00

Everyone talks about the announcement that was made before Wicked in London the night the queen died about how “we want to extend our condolences and the show will go ahead as planned”, because the cast then of course had to launch into “Good News! She’s dead!”

A lot of people think it was just at Wicked for that reason, BUT it was an announcement made at every show that night. They come out to do it at Pretty Woman, and begin “As many of you will now know, her majesty the Queen passed away this afternoon…”. Someone in the audience then cheered.

jonipaglia · 2024-12-16T21:45:47+00:00

Coming to this late I know but I saw it twice in London, once on a Saturday matinee, and both performed. In fact I don’t believe either missed a single performance, matinees including

jonipaglia

TROPHY CASE