Ctrl at RADA Studios by Breaking Fourth is the world’s first VR play, and we can’t get enough of it July 14, 2016 This debut feature from Breaking Fourth claims to be the first Virtual Reality play, combining elements of video game storytelling with both traditional and immersive theatre. In this case, the “theatre” is a dark room filled with swivel chairs, where you’re given a short, in-character introduction before being told to don your VR headset (Samsung [...]
British Open 2016 prize money: How much can Rory McIlroy, Danny Willett and Jordan Spieth win at Royal Troon? July 14, 2016 Triumph at Troon this week comes with a lucrative reward; the biggest prize money pay cheque in the history of the Open. Just under £1.18m will be paid to whoever comes out on top of a testing course which includes the longest and shortest holes of any on the Open’s roster. It marks a £30,000 increase [...]
Cut is a psychological thriller half set in complete darkness July 14, 2016 A one-woman art performance in which a stunned audience is subjected to the traumatic inner brain-wrongs of a rapidly unravelling, paranoid air hostess, Cut is part psychological thriller and part first-person exploration of violent schizophrenic horror. In the tiny Vaults Theatre beneath the rail arches of Waterloo station, viewers are repeatedly plunged into complete darkness [...]
Great Britain to head to Rio Olympics with strongest ever track and field squad, says athletics chief July 13, 2016 Medal-hunting Great Britain will head to next month’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro with their strongest ever track and field squad, according to athletics team leader Neil Black. Team GB chiefs have announced an 80-strong party for the Games, which begin on 5 August, as they bid to improve on the haul of six medals won [...]
The Stripper play at St James Theatre review: Richard O’Brien’s follow-up to The Rocky Horror Picture Show gets stuck in a sexist time warp July 13, 2016 This 1980 musical by Rocky Horror writer Richard O’Brien – itself an adaptation of Carter Brown’s pulpy 1959 short story – fails at any point to justify its revival. O’Brien’s hero is Al Wheeler (Sebastien Torkia), a California cop who fails to save the suicidal Patty Keller (Gloria Onitri) from a window ledge drop. “Did [...]
Sunderland demand FA speed up decision on whether to hire Sam Allardyce as England boss July 13, 2016 Sunderland chiefs have called on the Football Association to move quickly and appoint a new England manager after Black Cats boss Sam Allardyce was interviewed for the vacancy on Tuesday. The club confirmed that Allardyce had left a pre-season training camp in Austria to hold talks with the FA over succeeding Roy Hodgson, who quit [...]
Unreachable at the Royal Court theatre review: former Doctor Who Matt Smith adds sparkle to this meandering tale of egotistical genius July 13, 2016 Anthony Neilson’s latest play is a wry examination of tortured artists and overblown filmmakers, a cautionary tale of how ego can sever your links to reality. It may remind you of the more dramatic people on your Instagram feed. Troubled director Maxim (Matt Smith) is obsessed with capturing light on film. Not just any light: [...]
Men & Chicken movie review: Mads Mikkelsen stars in this deranged, blacker than black Danish comedy July 13, 2016 This pitch-black Danish comedy touches upon incest, sex addiction, bestiality and vivisection, yet still manages to be disarmingly adorable. It follows two cleft-lipped brothers, depressive Gabriel (David Dencik) and compulsive masturbator Elias (Mads Mikkelsen, in a role as far from his part as Le Chiffre in Casino Royale as it’s possible to get) as they search [...]
Past is the past: Mohammad Amir–inspired Pakistan will be a stern challenge for England July 13, 2016 All the talk is of convicted spot-fixer Mohammad Amir returning to Test cricket and he is a big reason why I expect Pakistan to provide a stern challenge for England when the four-match Investec series gets underway at Lord’s on Thursday. The 24-year-old looks to be bowling pretty well and swinging the Dukes ball late, [...]
Ragnar Kjartansson at Barbican review: top Icelandic artist explores the point where performance meets reality July 13, 2016 Every five years Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson records a video of his mother repeatedly spitting in his face. So far there are four videos, which play side-by-side in this Barbican retrospective of his work. They encapsulate a question that’s fascinated him throughout his career – where do performance and reality meet? His mother is a [...]