Beneatha’s Place at the Young Vic, review: Canny direction, excellent acting July 13, 2023 Kwame Kwei-Armah’s play (which he also directs) Beneatha’s Place is a more straightforward proposition than its circuitous history might suggest. It’s the first UK staging of his 2013 work, which premiered in Baltimore and acts as an unofficial sequel to Lorraine Hansberry’s seminal 1959 play about the African American experience. You don’t really need to [...]
Royal Court writer on staging a play about mobile phone addiction July 13, 2023 We caught up with the creator of this new play, a dark comedy about mobile phone addiction and three generations of women in one family WHERE DID THE INSPIRATION FOR CUCKOO COME FROM? It started with being interested in things you’re allowed to say and talk about, about having opinions and people disagreeing. I also [...]
See Hugh Jackman before he was famous in 1990s musical now in cinemas July 13, 2023 A West End musical may be the furthest thing imaginable from a Hollywood superhero blockbuster, but the 1998 National Theatre revival of Oklahoma! has a special place in superhero history. It’s the production that gave star Hugh Jackman recognition outside of his native Australia, with the actor auditioning for Wolverine during the show’s run. The [...]
Squaring the Circle: the story behind iconic Pink Floyd and Wings album artwork July 13, 2023 An album cover may have a different context in the era of endless streaming, but the designs on the front of LPs could make you a legend in the 1960s, as this documentary from Anton Corbijn (Control) illustrates by documenting the story of design studio Hipgnosis. Squaring The Circle documents the rise and fall of [...]
‘They nailed it!’: Designers of Exchange Square by Liverpool Street Station awarded for ‘transforming’ area July 13, 2023 A new park located in Liverpool Street has won an architectural award for its efforts injecting fresh greenery and leisure space into the busy Square Mile. Exchange Square, which is situated at the back of Liverpool Street, was awarded ‘Building of the Year’ by the Worshipful Company of Chartered Architects’ (WCCA) – with the masterminds [...]
Cash still king in the City compared to rest of London but amount withdrawn almost halves July 13, 2023 Westminster and the City remained London’s biggest centres for cash withdrawals but saw a near halving in the amount of cash withdrawn over the past four years. According to figures from LINK, which operates the interbank network, the amount of cash withdrawals from the City and Westminster fell to £55m in May 2023, 49 per [...]
How Balans, the best of the Soho restaurants, is getting even better July 13, 2023 Soho institution Balans, one of the best Soho restaurants, is finally realising how good it is – Adam Bloodworth meets the founder David Taylor is the sort of restaurateur who has no idea how good his restaurant is. You may not either: but Balans on Old Compton Street is open all night on Fridays and [...]
How London’s new stock exchange hopes to solve the IPO ‘cliff edge’ July 13, 2023 There are few more nervy moments in the life of an entrepreneur than standing atop the balcony of the London Stock Exchange, ringing the figurative bell and handing their pride and joy over to the whims of the public market.
Uniqlo owner reports record quarterly profit bolstered by Chinese demand July 13, 2023 Fast Retailing, the owner of Japanese clothing brand Uniqlo, reported a 35 per cent increase in quarterly profit today, and raised its annual profit outlook as it continues to be boosted by demand in China. Fast Retailing’s operating profit in the three months to May surged to 110.3 billion yen. Revenue for the quarter came [...]
Birdbox returns with Birdbox Barcelona – but is it any good? July 13, 2023 Birdbox became a massive hit for Netflix in 2018, not just in terms of viewership but in the way it seemed to capture people’s imagination. Where most Netflix films disappear into the algorithm, the sight of a blindfolded Sandra Bullock leading children from unseen horrors stayed with movie fans. Enter, Birdbox Barcelona… A sequel was [...]