Theaster Gates at Whitechapel Gallery review October 14, 2021 Fenchurch Street is currently a mess of diggers and drills, creating the perfect backdrop for a sculpture exhibition that begins with bricks. Chicago-based artist Theaster Gates explores the historical significance of clay and clay artefacts, using them as a way of understanding racial identity in an urban setting. Sculpture, installation and film all feature in [...]
Dexter, Directors, and Dirt – an interview with Michael C Hall October 13, 2021 Michael C Hall is a busy man. Next month, he returns to his most famous role, serial killer Dexter, in a reboot of the award-winning drama. Before that he stars in John and The Hole, an indie thriller about a family held captive in a bunker by their teenage son. Hall talks getting his hands [...]
The Normal Heart at the National Theatre is a desperate howl October 8, 2021 In the same week Matthew López took home the Best Play gong at the Tony Awards for The Inheritance, a work that has drawn strong comparisons to fellow Tony-winner Angels in America, the National Theatre began its revival of the original play chronicling the AIDS crisis: The Normal Heart. Larry Kramer’s semi-autobiographical 1985 play follows [...]
John and the Hole: A surreal family drama designed to confuse October 8, 2021 Some films signal their intentions from the beginning: good vs evil, a love story, or a hero out to save the world. Then there are films like indie thriller John and The Hole, which leave almost every frame open to interpretation. Having just starred in Sean Durkin’s drama The Nest, Charlie Shotwell once again explores [...]
The Addams Family 2: A sequel more silly than spooky October 8, 2021 One of the surprise hits of 2019 was the animated reinvention of The Addams Family, a slight comedy that captured the creepy fun that makes the clan so enduring. After some delays, the all-star cast are back with the inevitable sequel, taking this spooky show on the road. The Addams Family remain blissfully happy in [...]
October in the City: the cultural events not to miss October 7, 2021 How much fun is it being out and about dancing, being immersed in art and going to live music again? On 7 October Unpredictable Thursdays presents experimental music, free improvisation, film, and art sessions, which are well worth checking out. For something more classical, Fidelio Orchestra Cafe has introduced a new series of concerts featuring [...]
What If If Only, Royal Court review: a punchy analysis of grief October 5, 2021 Could things have been different? Can we change the past? Should we risk the consequences? These are the questions posed by Caryl Churchill’s latest wisp of a play, What If If Only – and which it teasingly, infuriatingly, only half answers. Perhaps that’s due to the play’s length: at just 17 minutes long, it is [...]
No Time To Die: Daniel Craig signs off in style October 1, 2021 Fifteen years after first donning the tuxedo, it’s time for Daniel Craig to take his final bow as James Bond. He arrives just as cinema is crying out for a hero: No Time To Die’s several delays (starting in March 2020) were a constant reminder of an industry still reeling from the last 18 months, [...]
A house in St John’s Wood with a garden to die for October 1, 2021 ‘Our England is a garden that is full of stately views, / Of borders, beds and shrubberies and lawns and avenues’ – so begins Rudyard Kipling’s 1911 poem, The Glory of the Garden. Over a century later, England’s towns and cities are not quite so green, and houses with decent-sized gardens are harder to come [...]
Your guide to the 2021 London Cocktail Month September 29, 2021 No longer content with a mere week, this year’s celebration of mixology has been rebranded London Cocktail Month. Featuring a packed schedule of events, from food pairings to hands-on masterclasses, the next four weeks are the perfect time for booze enthusiasts to indulge. With dozens of bartenders creating hundreds of special drinks for the occasion, [...]