Antigone review: Sophocles is dragged into modern London September 16, 2022 While Sophocles may have written his great Athenian tragedy Antigone way back in 441BC, its core themes are enduring, something playwright Inua Ellams makes abundantly clear in this sharp and moving adaptation. Transposed to modern-day London, Ellams’ eponymous heroine is a young British-Pakistani Muslim. We meet her, along with her three siblings, at their local [...]
The Snail House: Richard Eyre makes debut aged 79 September 16, 2022 During the Covid pandemic, one of the positive effects of people being locked in their homes was the release of pent-up creativity. For most this began and ended with attempts to make sourdough bread, but others were considerably more productive. For instance Richard Eyre, the former director of the National Theatre, returned to writing, and [...]
Pinocchio gets the live action treatment in time for Disney+ Day September 16, 2022 Disney’s 1940 animation Pinocchio may not have the affection of some of its modern peers, but few can argue its place in cinema history. One of the most acclaimed animated films of all time, its magic and sentiment set the tone for the studio’s reputation. If you watch a Disney animated film, or visit one [...]
Charles III: Why he Britain’s King of Style September 15, 2022 The man we had known for decades as Prince Charles is a stalwart of “best dressed” lists. Now King Charles III, he has played a strong sartorial game in this solemn week, from the dress uniform of a field marshal to his immaculate (but venerable) morning dress. The new monarch has needed an outfit for [...]
The Clinic at the Almeida: A disjointed play that asks the Big Questions September 15, 2022 The Clinic has all the right ingredients to be a solid state of the nation play. Dipo Baruwa-Etti’s new work is probing, well acted, dramatically staged. But somehow the pieces just don’t fit together, the souffle doesn’t rise, and the result is frustratingly disjointed. It’s a play that asks Big Questions about the modern black [...]
Mike Leigh: ‘The Queen dying is emotional but King Charles? That’s another matter’ September 15, 2022 For a man seven-times Oscar nominated for films about so-called ‘ordinary’ people, Mike Leigh certainly plays the part. We meet outside the newly opened Garden Cinema, but there’s no blacked-out car to deliver perhaps Britain’s most famous living director. Instead, Leigh appears from around a street corner, alone, clasping a folded chair under arm. If [...]
See How They Run: Saoirse Ronan shines in this twisty whodunnit September 15, 2022 Cinema trends come from unexpected places. After decades as a mainstay on Sunday afternoon TV, the whodunit seemed to take off in Hollywood after the success of Murder On The Orient Express and Knives Out. Both were the start of forthcoming trilogies, and hoping to replicate that success is murderous comedy See How They Run. [...]
Brahmāstra Part One: Shiva sees the superhero genre get the Bollywood treatment September 15, 2022 Rooted in ancient Indian mythology, Ayan Mukerji’s Disney-produced Hindi-language fantasy Brahmāstra — Part 1 of a planned trilogy — has taken eight years and one pandemic to hit the big screen. It is set within the ‘Astraverse’ — where natural elements are controlled via weapons (Astras) by a secret society called the Brahmānsh — and [...]
Wonderville is the capital’s enchanting new Cabaret bar September 15, 2022 There’s honestly very little funnier than awkward suburban dads getting flirted with by overly ostentatious female performers. Especially when they’re dressed in tiny scraps of clothing. Brits are awkward, and then there are suburbanites that get dressed up to go into London to see a cabaret show. They are awkward. At new London cabaret venue [...]
World Sight Day September 14, 2022 | City Talk World Sight Day 2022 | #LoveYourEyes This month, the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) launched its Love Your Eyes global campaign. The goal of this year’s campaign is to raise awareness of the social and economic impacts of blindness across the world. Across the world, many suffer from poor eye health. As a result [...]