The Band’s Visit, Donmar Warehouse, review: Great musical performances October 14, 2022 The Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra have been booked to appear at the opening of an Arab cultural centre in Petah Tikva, part of metropolitan Tel Aviv. But a misunderstanding while ordering bus tickets at the airport finds the band stranded overnight in Bet Hatikva, a fictional nowheresville in the middle of the Negev Desert. What [...]
The Boy with Two Hearts, National Theatre, review: Poignant tale of love October 14, 2022 The Boy With Two Hearts is a true story turned into a book by Hamed and Hessam Amiri, about their own journey from Herat to Cardiff, focusing on their brother Hussein and his chronic heart condition. Transformed into a play by Phil Porter and the Wales Millennium Centre, it is a poignant tale of love [...]
Blues for an Alabama Sky review: A comic picture of The Great Depression, but not a cohesive one October 14, 2022 Who knew a play about The Great Depression could, and frankly, should, be this funny? We laugh or we cry, goes the old adage, and Pearl Cleage’s 1995 play is an uneven but often joyfully comic celebration of some of the vulnerable, brash and foolhardy characters who lived through it. We meet Angel who dreams [...]
Apple Watch Series 8 review: More of the same good stuff October 13, 2022 Place the new Apple Watch Series 8 on your desk besides the Series 7 and even Tim Cook would have trouble telling them apart. It keeps the same smooth curves and ultra-slim bezels as the previous generation, which itself only incrementally updated a design that had remained the same since 2018. Unlike the iPhone, the [...]
How Hawkes Cidery is making liquid gold from unwanted apples October 13, 2022 If you happened to be at this weekend’s third-tier clash between Forest Green Rovers and Bolton Wanderers, you may have been greeted by a strange sight: fans turning up with bulging sacks of apples. The club – dubbed the most sustainable in the country – is working with Bermondsey-based cidermaker Hawkes in its annual bid [...]
Inside BFI London Film Festival’s ‘explosion’ of virtual reality film programming October 13, 2022 Kristen is deciding whether or not to have an abortion. Sat directly opposite me, her hair is dyed blue, her denim jeans are ripped and she’s opening up about her personal story. “How are you feeling?” I ask her, as luscious animations illustrate her changing feelings. She appears genuinely lifelike during our one-to-one conversation, but [...]
Townsend restaurant’s lemon sole with clams, peas and creme fraiche October 12, 2022 This lightly decadent dish devised by head chef Chris Shaw at Townsend restaurant will have you cleaning out the clam supplies from your local fishmonger – and the result is worth every penny. Ingredients 1 600g lemon sole, trimmed andskinned. (Does not have to beskinned)400-500g clams150 ml white wine100g fresh peas80 g creme fraicheHalf a [...]
Try 300 cocktails as London Cocktail Week begins October 12, 2022 Break out the tiny umbrellas, it’s time for London Cocktail Week. The award-winning festival is back for its 13th year, and bigger than ever. The concept is simple; buy a London Cocktail Week wristband for £15 and from 13 to 23 October it entitles you to attend non-ticketed events and purchase literally hundreds of tantalising [...]
Amsterdam film review: An A-List cast can’t save this messy film October 12, 2022 David O. Russell has built a reputation as a boom or bust director, with award-laden films like Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle alongside infamous bombs like I Heart Huckabees and Joy. But the hits are clearly enough to attract big names to new projects: his latest film, Amsterdam, has a jaw-dropping ensemble cast. Set [...]
Stephen Frears on Kings, Queens and ‘catastrophic’ politicians October 11, 2022 “You think you’ve reached the bottom and somehow the Tories manage to effortlessly make it worse.” This observation is delivered as soon as I enter the annex of the Soho hotel where I’m to interview lauded director Stephen Frears. Here to promote his new film about finding the remains of Richard III, he’s installed himself [...]