The Book of Dust at Bridge Theatre: Philip Pullman prequel is enchanting December 9, 2021 Set twelve years before the epic His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman’s The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage is the origin story, if you like, of the trilogy’s much-loved heroine, Lyra. A crisp adaptation by Bryony Lavery and wondrous direction by Nicholas Hytner make for a truly magical reimagining for stage. The Bridge’s metaphorical curtains [...]
Measure For Measure at Sam Wanamaker Playhouse review December 8, 2021 Government sleaze is on display again, but at least in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse’s latest Shakespeare production, it’s entertaining. In Measure for Measure, the Duke of Vienna delegates power to an outwardly righteous advisor, with the hope he will restore moral order in an increasingly licentious society, but remains in the city in the guise [...]
Blinding Lights: The Weeknd is the UK’s most-viewed artist December 8, 2021 The Weeknd is the most-viewed artist in the UK (94.3m views), followed by Little Mix (93.7m views), according to data released today by Vevo, the world’s leading music video network.
The One that Trot Away: My dream of a Peppa Pig restaurant empire December 8, 2021 As Pied à Terre celebrates its 30th anniversary, there are plenty of highs and lows I could look back upon. Winning a Michelin star just over a year after opening; regaining our second Michelin star with chef Shane Osborn; the fire that closed the restaurant for most of 2014 (at least my badminton game came [...]
The last supper: Actor Nathaniel Parker on his dream final meal December 8, 2021 I prefer the sound of a “final meal on Earth” to “Last Supper”, as otherwise it feels a bit too much like the night before an execution. I also like it because if I was religious, I’d feel as if I was going on to somewhere else, which would be nice. My final meal on [...]
Heathrow recreates Love Actually’s iconic scene following pandemic reunions December 8, 2021 18 years on from first hitting the big screen, the iconic opening scene of Love Actually at Heathrow has been recreated for today’s times.
Cumberbatch shines in Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog December 6, 2021 It’s always interesting to see what Marvel stars do in-between saving the world. Tom Holland showed his dark side in Cherry; Brie Larson made legal drama Just mercy; and Chris Hemsworth mixed more action with ads for the Dubai Expo. Before he sends us to The Multiverse as Doctor Strange, Benedict Cumberbatch appears to be [...]
The Hand of God review: Childhood memories and Maradona obsessions December 3, 2021 Awards season can often be a time when great directors get reflective. Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma became an Oscar contender two years ago, while Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird and Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari have both won acclaim in recent years as films based partly on the filmmaker’s experiences. It’s a tricky path to take, however, sometimes [...]
Novel coronavirus: Meet the writers who penned a book during lockdown December 3, 2021 They say everyone has a book in them, but usually that’s where it stays. Writing a novel is a time-consuming business, a months- or years-long project, often undertaken with little guarantee anyone will ever read it. Every successful author has their ‘origin story’, from JK Rowling scribbling away in an Edinburgh cafe to Dostoyevsky bashing out The [...]
Hitting the note or off pitch? Quick fix for music streaming won’t help us December 3, 2021 Works of art make rules; rules do not make works of art, or so said Claude Debussy in his approach to composition. For Labour MP, Kevin Brennan, a love of music and rules for art is at the heart of his fight against streaming companies, which he claims don’t pay artists fairly. His private member’s [...]