Drive around London in a Barbie movie inspired car with Sixt July 14, 2023 Unless you’ve been hiding under a pink sound-proofed boulder this July, you’ll have noticed that the Barbie movie is coming out soon, next Friday 21 July. It’s hard to remember a movie in recent years that has had more pre-release publicity, from the on-set photos of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Bushmills Causeway Distillery: Worship at the cathedral of whiskey July 12, 2023 Today is the Twelfth of July, when Northern Ireland’s unionist community celebrates William of Orange defeating the Catholic King James II, at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. This victory secured a prolonged period of Protestant dominance, and the associated commemorations have been an ongoing source of sectarian tensions. Even now, parades organised by [...]
Ask the Expert: Kemal Demirasal’s top London restaurants July 12, 2023 The Counter’s chef-founder Kemal Demirasal on where he likes to eat in the capital on his day off. Brat Brat is one of my top restaurants in London, one that I visit every couple of months. It’s got an excellent selection of fish dishes, and as someone from a coastal city (Izmir), this is a [...]
Nessa is proof the death of Soho has been greatly exaggerated July 12, 2023 Much has been made of the creeping corporatisation of Soho, with independent bars and restaurants attempting – and often failing – to hold back the tide of chains hoping to capitalise on London’s most debauched district. Nessa, a new modern British bistro headed up by highly-rated chef Tom Cenci, shows there’s still a place for [...]