Shawn Mendes goes from social media sensation to chart-topping pop star

MENDES. Irresistible hooks and “relatable” themes.

Young pop-music fans who are looking for alternatives to One Direction and the misbehaving Justin Bieber need look no further than 16-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes—who, with the release of his full-length debut album, “Handwritten,” is the youngest artist to notch a No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 since, well, Bieber!

His music may be rough around the edges, but his accessible songs—first noticed on video-sharing websites, Vine and YouTube—get a big boost from their irresistible hooks and “relatable” themes: In “Stitches,” Shawn sings about going through a rough patch in a relationship, and “Aftertaste” is about a tumultuous breakup.

The repertoire’s hybrid of sugar-coated pop (“Life of the Party,” the deliciously frivolous “Air,” with Astrid) and adult-contemporary tunes (the irresistible “Something Big,” “Never Be Alone” and “This Is What It Takes”) are as rousing as the chart-toppers of Jason Mraz, Bieber and his friend, Ed Sheeran.

Top tracks: The catchy “Stitches” and “Strings,” the soothing “Crazy,” “Bring It Back” and the hum-worthy “I Didn’t Even Know Your Name”—radio-friendly tracks that are making Shawn Mendes the life of every tweener and teener’s party!

Provocative themes

On the theater scene, the stage productions we’ve recently seen in London are notable for their provocative themes: Simon Stephens’ exceptional adaptation of Mark Haddon’s “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” won seven of its eight nominations at the Olivier awards in 2013—with good reason:

An exhilarating fusion of physical theater, light and sound design, multimedia and a compelling story, the play follows Asperger’s Syndrome-stricken Christopher Boone (Graham Butler) as he investigates the mysterious death of his neighbor’s large black poodle.

The 15-year-old amateur detective doesn’t just uncover clues about the identity of the elusive canine killer, he also discovers unsettling secrets about his divorced parents and the emotionally fragile adults they know!

In December 2013, “The Curious Incident’s” sold-out run had to be stopped when a portion of the Apollo Theatre’s roof collapsed and injured more than 80 theatergoers! It reopened last year at the Gielgud, immediately beside the Apollo.

Playwright Jeffrey Lane’s stage adaptation of Pedro Almodovar’s “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown” (at the Playhouse Theatre), tells the story of neurotic actress Pepa (Olivier-nominated Tamsin Greig) who discovers that the longtime boyfriend (Jerome Pradon) who just dumped her has a vengeful wife (Haydn Gwynne) and a grownup son.

Gorgeous terrorist

Her best friend, fashion model Candela (Anna Skellern), is just as antsy, especially after she learns that her gorgeous boyfriend just might be—a terrorist!

The musical sometimes feels more frivolous than provocative—but, its neon-colored sets and groovesome, Latino-inspired show tunes more than make up for its awkward jump to the stage.

What you see isn’t what you always get in Jennifer Haley’s disturbing but thematically pertinent, Olivier-nominated play, “The Nether,” about the increasing dangers that lurk in cyberspace.

You enter the theater seeing just two chairs and a table on a bare stage, as an angry detective (Amanda Hale) interrogates an elderly gentleman she accuses of pedophilia and premeditated murder.

Then, the blank wall opens up and reveals an eyecandy set that captures a parallel world where crimes and their practitioners thrive: Are people less culpable and criminally liable if they practise their perversions and sexual fetishes in the nether?