London churches, with their wonderful acoustics, are becoming gig venues February 16, 2023 London churches are becoming arts venues… and it’s making money, says Adam Bloodworth “These spaces were built for their acoustics,” says Sammie Ellard-King, marketing director at K&G Hospitality. It’s an obvious statement to make about a church, but then again, why haven’t more been turned into music venues? It’s predicted that 350 churches will close [...]
The BAFTAs 2023 – Who is going to win vs who SHOULD win February 16, 2023 The BAFTAs are back with a bang this Sunday. After years of turmoil in the film industry, there’s a strong group of contenders led by sci-fi hit Everything Everywhere All At Once and The Banshees of Inisherin. But who’s likely to take home the famous mask, and who should be getting their moment? City A.M. [...]
Standing at the Sky’s Edge: Richard Hawley musical comes to the National Theatre February 16, 2023 Musicals are a tricky proposition for the National Theatre. They are pretty much guaranteed to fill seats but also invite the criticism that other theatres already have the genre well covered, and is it the kind of thing the National should be investing in? So there must have been a sigh of relief when Chris [...]
Phaedra at the National Theatre: Yerma director returns with a strange hit February 16, 2023 Those expecting a traditional retelling of Seneca’s Phaedra may think they’ve walked into the wrong theatre when the Lyttelton curtain rises. There isn’t a tunic or a doric column to be seen in director Simon Stone’s reimagining – instead you’re met by a gleaming glass cube housing an extremely swanky modern apartment. You may still [...]
Fans criticise ‘pointless’ Blackadder reunion without Rowan Atkinson February 15, 2023 Richard Curtis, Blackadder’s creator, has confirmed that the comedy will return for a one-off special this year, but fans on social media are criticising the reunion because of Rowan Atkinson’s refusal to take part. “Blackadder without Rowan Atkinson is like a broken pencil. Pointless,” wrote one fan. “Without Rowan Atkinson..stop..please just stop..stop..!!” wrote another. “I [...]
Tom Holland’s fourth Spider-Man movie is officially being made February 15, 2023 Marvel studios has announced that Tom Holland’s fourth Spider-Man movie is in the writing process, news that’s sure to excite his legions of fans. Spider-Man No Way Home took 1.9 billion at the international box office, making it the highest-grossing Spider-Man film ever made and Sony’s highest-grossing film of all time. Part of its success [...]
The Lehman Trilogy returns to the West End and it’s as vital as ever February 15, 2023 The Lehman Trilogy, first performed in London in 2018, is one of the great plays of recent times, a perfect meeting of vision and execution, text and cast, time and place. Coming a decade after the financial crash, Sam Mendes’ production won five Tony awards and made its inevitable journey across the Atlantic to Broadway. [...]
Donatello at the V&A is a once in a lifetime chance to see a true genius February 10, 2023 “The greatest sculptor of all time” is a hefty title to live up to. “Donatello: Sculpting the Renaissance” makes a hearty case for it in this expansive and thrilling exhibition. It’s curated in partnership with the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi and the Museo Nazionale del Bargello in Florence, and the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, which have [...]
You Netflix review: Penn Badgley’s psychopathic killer moves to London – but is it any good? February 9, 2023 You Netflix review and star rating: ★★★☆☆ You on Netflix started as an interesting rumination on social media, Penn Badgley’s Joe Golberg skulking around New York murdering people who gave away too much online in-between his penchant for reading high brow books. Now they’ve brought the formula to London, where The Shard and Tower Bridge [...]
Harry Styles’ Grammys outfit wasn’t radical: Bowie did it better 50 years ago February 9, 2023 If you have an ounce of sense or taste, you will look at the red carpet for the Grammys, if at all, the same way that less enlightened 18th century thrill-seekers paid to be shown round the Bethlem Royal Hospital. Those you observe are to be pitied, to be sure, but you are viscerally aware [...]