The Normal Heart at the National Theatre is a desperate howl October 8, 2021 In the same week Matthew López took home the Best Play gong at the Tony Awards for The Inheritance, a work that has drawn strong comparisons to fellow Tony-winner Angels in America, the National Theatre began its revival of the original play chronicling the AIDS crisis: The Normal Heart. Larry Kramer’s semi-autobiographical 1985 play follows [...]
John and the Hole: A surreal family drama designed to confuse October 8, 2021 Some films signal their intentions from the beginning: good vs evil, a love story, or a hero out to save the world. Then there are films like indie thriller John and The Hole, which leave almost every frame open to interpretation. Having just starred in Sean Durkin’s drama The Nest, Charlie Shotwell once again explores [...]
The Addams Family 2: A sequel more silly than spooky October 8, 2021 One of the surprise hits of 2019 was the animated reinvention of The Addams Family, a slight comedy that captured the creepy fun that makes the clan so enduring. After some delays, the all-star cast are back with the inevitable sequel, taking this spooky show on the road. The Addams Family remain blissfully happy in [...]
October in the City: the cultural events not to miss October 7, 2021 How much fun is it being out and about dancing, being immersed in art and going to live music again? On 7 October Unpredictable Thursdays presents experimental music, free improvisation, film, and art sessions, which are well worth checking out. For something more classical, Fidelio Orchestra Cafe has introduced a new series of concerts featuring [...]
What If If Only, Royal Court review: a punchy analysis of grief October 5, 2021 Could things have been different? Can we change the past? Should we risk the consequences? These are the questions posed by Caryl Churchill’s latest wisp of a play, What If If Only – and which it teasingly, infuriatingly, only half answers. Perhaps that’s due to the play’s length: at just 17 minutes long, it is [...]
No Time To Die: Daniel Craig signs off in style October 1, 2021 Fifteen years after first donning the tuxedo, it’s time for Daniel Craig to take his final bow as James Bond. He arrives just as cinema is crying out for a hero: No Time To Die’s several delays (starting in March 2020) were a constant reminder of an industry still reeling from the last 18 months, [...]
A house in St John’s Wood with a garden to die for October 1, 2021 ‘Our England is a garden that is full of stately views, / Of borders, beds and shrubberies and lawns and avenues’ – so begins Rudyard Kipling’s 1911 poem, The Glory of the Garden. Over a century later, England’s towns and cities are not quite so green, and houses with decent-sized gardens are harder to come [...]
Your guide to the 2021 London Cocktail Month September 29, 2021 No longer content with a mere week, this year’s celebration of mixology has been rebranded London Cocktail Month. Featuring a packed schedule of events, from food pairings to hands-on masterclasses, the next four weeks are the perfect time for booze enthusiasts to indulge. With dozens of bartenders creating hundreds of special drinks for the occasion, [...]
What If…? episode 7 review: Meet The Party Prince September 27, 2021 *** WARNING: contains spoilers for Marvel’s What If…? on Disney+ *** Three episodes to go, and while Marvel’s What If…? has got everyone talking, the episodes have been tough at times. This format has been used to explore darker timelines, and jokes about “The Many Deaths of Tony Stark” have already begun circulating online. However, [...]
The Many Saints of Newark – nostalgia masks so-so crime drama September 27, 2021 *** This review of The Many Saints of Newark contains spoilers for The Sopranos TV show *** It was 13 years ago that Tony Soprano looked over his shoulder in a diner to the strains of Don’t Stop Believin’ only for the screen to go black. It was a divisive end to one of the [...]
