Although Prince went through many incarnations and seemed to change band members on a whim, the Revolution stands the test of time in many memories. They were his backing band through the breakthrough years that saw him become a global superstar with Purple Rain and their gender equal, post-punk energy propelled many of Prince’s greatest hits.

They are back on the road (without Prince, of course) and what started as a grieving response to his tragic death has now become a sold out tour. The group’s visual and creative fulcrum is the female duo of guitarist, Wendy Melvoin and keyboardist, Lisa Coleman who scored success as a duo after the band split in the eighties. They helped write many of Prince’s tunes and continue to do them justice.

https://academymusicgroup.com/o2shepherdsbushempire/events/1151413/revolution-tickets

Starring two of Hollywood’s most bankable actresses, this film tells of an epic struggle between two queens who both had massive power, but were prisoners of their gender and the religious politics of the late sixteenth century. Saoirse Roman and Margot Robbie play Queen Mary of Scotland and Queen Elizabeth of England, respectively.

Both are plotted against and deceived, but both take different paths to ensure their survival. Mary reaches out to “trusted” allies. Elizabeth looks inward and trusts no one. Guess who survives. An essential history lesson that sheds light on the precarious nature of female power in a medieval world ruled by men. The rating is 15 years and if you were thinking of taking the kids along, be warned there are some quite graphic scenes of a sexual nature.

https://www.everymancinema.com/maida-vale

A twenty four carat national institution comes to the West End stage, thus fulfilling the unrealised dream of its creator. Before his death in 2011, John Sullivan had plans to turn his massively popular TV sitcom into a musical and now his son, Jim is about to make the plan a reality.

Co-written by comedy actor, Paul Whitehouse who also plays Grandad, the show charts the schemes and dreams of Derek Trotter and his younger brother, Rodney as they hatch one hapless get-rich-quick plan after another. The added songs uncover the strength of the family bond that underlies Del Boy’s bravado and the cluelessness of “Rodders” and Paul Whitehouse has a surprisingly soulful singing voice.

https://onlyfoolsmusical.com

Having partially shed its establishment image, Mayfair is replacing Kings Road as a playground for edgy wealth creators. It follows, then that Chelsea favourite, Pucci should relocate east and they’ve done so with a flourish and a change of direction.

Instead of upscale Italian, they’ve gone for an intriguing combination of crispy pizzas and small Middle Eastern plates. It’s not the most intuitive mix and diners will probably stick with one or another, but whatever they choose, they’ll not be able to argue with the sheer deliciousness of the ingredients. Aside from the pizzas, there is duck breast, spicy lamb chops and a show-stopping parade of Lebanese meze.

http://puccimayfair.com