Government confirms BBC licence fee exemption and UK-wide big screens for Platinum Jubilee May 14, 2022 The government has confirmed that big screens will be set up outdoors in London, Edinburgh and Cardiff so that people can come together to celebrate The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee next month.
Eurovision 2022 faces new levels of politics May 13, 2022 Whilst the Eurovision contest has always been given a political tint by viewers, who look for signs of the audience turning towards or against nations based on geopolitical factors, this year feels especially pertinent for Europeans tuning in tomorrow evening. With Russian banned, Ukraine is already the favourite to win with its folk and rap [...]
Cultural capital: Museums, galleries and libraries get £128m cash injection May 9, 2022 Cultural venues including museums, galleries and public libraries will get a £128m injection of cash to improve accessibility to the arts and safeguard the future.
Wake Up Punk review: Egos drown out discourse in search for true meaning of punk May 9, 2022 Just what exactly is Punk in modern society? It’s a question posed by Vivienne Westwood and son Joseph Corré in this new documentary. Sadly, the film never seems to find an answer as egos and hypocrisy drown out the discourse. The main narrative surrounds Corré’s protest in 2016, where he burned around £5m of his [...]
Much Ado About Nothing at the Globe: They don’t make rom-coms like this anymore May 7, 2022 The Globe Theatre is kicking off its first full summer season in two years with a thoroughly enjoyable garden party, and welcoming you to attend William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. Much Ado About Nothing is one of Shakespeare’s most popular and uncharacteristically funny comedies. It centres around a pair of romances, one of which [...]
Oklahoma review: Sexy, edgy production has highs and lows May 7, 2022 It’s hardly the world’s best-kept secret that the musicals of Rodgers & Hammerstein, such as South Pacific and The Sound of Music, are crusty as hell. Written over 75 years ago, musical naysayers would call them sexist and perhaps even say their writing is banal – but many have retained a level of fame and [...]
Middle theatre review: A bleakly comic but overlong relationship drama May 7, 2022 When things are going well in a relationship you might hear three little words, when they’re going badly you might hear four: we need to talk. David Eldridge’s new play Middle is about that talk, picking apart the remnants of a marriage that’s already “smashed on the rocks, bleeding to death”. We meet middle-aged couple [...]
Casablanca Beats is a hip hop story with soul to spare May 6, 2022 There’s often an extra dimension to films that are inspired by the director’s own life. Nabil Ayouch (2015 drama Much Loved) draws on his own life in this story of a Anas (Anas Basbousi), a former rapper living in the Sidi Moumen suburb of Casablanca who takes a job teaching young people his craft at [...]
Downton: A New Era is nostalgic, predictable fun May 6, 2022 Familiarity is king when it comes to cinema at the moment. Superheroes, video games, and even the Jackass crew have all found success prodding at our nostalgia over the last few months. It’s the perfect time for the return of Downton Abbey, the cosy TV drama which led to an even cosier 2019 film. The [...]
Age of Rage review: Ivo van Hove sprawling Greek epic is a hot mess May 6, 2022 You wait a lifetime for a play retelling the fall of Troy through the medium of interpretive dance and then two come along at once. Following hot on the heels of Punchdrunk’s immersive The Burnt City comes Age of Rage, the first post-pandemic work by Dutch auteur Ivo van Hove (The Network, Hedda Gabler). From [...]