National Portrait Gallery cuts BP sponsorship after 30 years February 22, 2022 The National Portrait Gallery has today announced that it will be cutting its partnership with BP, ending a 30 year relationship with the oil and gas firm. The announcement follows years of growing opposition to BP’s sponsorship of the Gallery, including the BP Portrait Award. Critics have varied from artist Gary Hume speaking out against [...]
Hamlet at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse: To see or not to see? February 22, 2022 Sean Holmes’ new production of Hamlet at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse is something of a curate’s egg. The costumes are an odd mix of period and modern, and there are a range of acting styles, which don’t really mesh, either. On the whole, it was the actors taking a more traditional approach who engaged better [...]
Here Before review: Andrea Riseborough shines in tense drama February 22, 2022 British star Andrea Riseborough has made thirty films in the sixteen years since her movie debut, fitting in a variety of projects. A fine supporting player in big names like Oblivion or Birdman, it’s smaller films such as horror-thriller Mandy or drama Luxor that allow her to really shine. The latest in that line is [...]
The Real Charlie Chaplin is an honest take on a cinematic genius February 21, 2022 Over a century on from his most famous film The Kid, Charlie Chaplin remains a singular figure in the history of cinema. In the film hub of Leicester Square, his statue has been standing since 1981, a short distance from London’s BFI IMAX, located on Charlie Chaplin Walk. Like Marilyn Monroe or James Dean, his [...]
The Forest at Hampstead Theatre is a fascinating puzzle-box February 21, 2022 Were it not for the involvement of award-winning French playwright, novelist and film director Florian Zeller, The Forest might have flown under the radar as a stylish but straightforward psycho-drama. That would have been a shame, because this is a play more delicate and layered than its elevator pitch might otherwise suggest. It first presents [...]
Let It Be: Paul McCartney set to headline Glastonbury February 21, 2022 Glastonbury announced that Sir Paul McCartney will headline the festival this year after pandemic cancellations, making him the oldest artist to take the main stage. The 79 year old Beatle will perform on the Pyramid Stage in June, according to reports from The Sun. It comes after American superstar Taylor Swift pulled out of the festival [...]
BBC One’s Morning Live makes Manchester move February 21, 2022 BBC One's Morning Live has relocated to Manchester as part of a drive to spread opportunities beyond the capital.
The Chairs at the Almeida review: Experimental comedy is a treat February 19, 2022 Comedy, as you might have heard, is in crisis. The backlash against Jimmy Carr for his bit about the ‘positives’ of Nazi genocide have thrown petrol on a debate that’s already been raging across the Atlantic, where comedians have increasingly found themselves defending their trade. This feels like an appropriate backdrop for The Chairs, the [...]
Flee is a wonderful animated docudrama February 17, 2022 In the past few years, animation has been used as a tool to tell stories that are too difficult to realise in live action. Films like Persepolis or The Breadwinner bring to life compelling recreations of real-life conflicts, often seen through the eyes of children. Nominated for three Oscars this week, Flee continues that tradition [...]
Death On The Nile review – a sedate but slick whodunnit February 17, 2022 The sequel to 2017’s Murder On The Orient Express has a problem that its studio doesn’t want to address. One of its key players is Armie Hammer, who early last year was accused of abusing former partners. While Hammer denies the allegations, which range from emotional abuse to cannibalism fantasies, the victims’ statements were enough [...]