Lofty characters fail to lift musical’s acrobatic spectacle October 13, 2013 THEATRE THE LIGHT PRINCESS Xenobe Purvis, The National Theatre Three Stars THE NATIONAL Theatre turns to fairy tale in its latest production, The Light Princess, written by songwriter Tori Amos and playwright Samuel Adamson. The musical elaborates on George MacDonald’s story of the same name; this version finds two kingdoms grieving for lost queens, and [...]
Le Weekend of laughter, angst and lingering love in Paris October 13, 2013 FILM LE WEEKEND Daniel O’Mahony, Cert 15 Four Stars IN THIS funny and moving film written by Hanif Kureishi, Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan play a fifty-something couple trying to rejuvenate their ailing marriage on a weekend sojourn to Paris. Kicking off with a fraught Eurostar journey, it’s clear things won’t be that simple. Nostalgia [...]
Knives are out for Rodriguez’s Machete Kills October 13, 2013 FILM MACHETE KILLS Simon Thomson, Cert 15 Three Stars MACHETE KILLS hits you like a shot of tequila. It’s a frantic, stupid, cartoonish mess and that’s what makes it so fun. In this sequel to Robert Rodriguez’s 2009 film Machete, Danny Trejo returns as the former Mexican federale and cleaver-like knife enthusiast, Isador “Machete” Cortez. [...]
No wow factor in R&J remake October 13, 2013 THEATRE ROMEO & JULIET Simon Thomson, Cert 15 Two Stars THE LATEST adaptation of Romeo and Juliet is the tale of two young, star-crossed lovers who, despite the enmity of their families, will not silence their desire to… fight crime! Only kidding – this is another paint-by-numbers remake of the same Romeo and Juliet you [...]
Foodie heaven in Moroccan town October 9, 2013 Philippe Agnello, head chef at Momo, explains how to make an authentic pigeon pastille I was in Morocco visiting a very good friend of mine, Omar, who returns to his hometown every summer. His family lives in Kebdani, a small remote village near Nador in northern Morocco where few tourists stray and it is rich [...]
Cheers, it’s Cocktail week — here’s five of the best October 9, 2013 London Cocktail Week is taking place in Seven Dials between 7th-13th October. For more information visit Sevendials.co.uk/events Champagne style: Bellini 2 shots peach puree 1/2 shot creme de peche de vigne liqueur 1/4 shot freshly squeezed lemon juice Top up with Prosecco sparkiing wine Shake first three ingredients with ice and fine strain into chilled [...]
Meander through London on the trail of great Italian food October 8, 2013 London Restaurant Festival’s Ciccheti Trail is a foodie’s dream THE PUB crawl, once a concept that filled my youthful soul with an inordinate degree of excitement, nowadays seems somewhat antiquated. Is this my fault – is it simply that I have grown into a dour 30-something severely lacking any kind of alacrity? Or is the [...]
Mix it up October 8, 2013 @philip_salter I’VE just found out it’s National Inclusion Week. Nobody told me so I’m feeling rather left out. It’s also National Curry Week, and no doubt a dozen other “Weeks” that are busy passing us all by. One worth taking note of though is hosted in this great city of ours; in fact, in my [...]
A beginners’ guide to sitting pretty October 8, 2013 Spending hours on end at your desk staring at a screen is notoriously bad for your health. Leading nutritionist Jess Scott gives her top food tips for staying healthy and energetic while stuck in the office. STASH Keep a healthy stash of mixed nuts and seeds at your desk – the key to healthy snacking [...]
Before and after: Alex Dymoke embarks on a transformation October 8, 2013 I’M NOT sure I have any muscles on my abdomen. I’ve certainly never seen any and it strikes me as an arrogant leap of faith to assume they exist. From the outside you wouldn’t be able to guess I’m so out of shape. At 6ft 1, I look quite skinny if I wear the right [...]