A year ago I never thought I’d say this but England can be crowned T20 champions March 9, 2016 The World Twenty20 in India is underway and I see no reason why England can’t surprise a few people and win the tournament. A year ago I never thought I would be saying that but in the last 12 months, with the attacking brand of cricket which they’ve adopted, England have caught up with other [...]
Akhnaten by the ENO is a brilliantly inventive collision of art forms that hovers between the sublime and the ridiculous March 9, 2016 Royal Opera House | ★★★★☆ More high art burlesque than opera, this spectacular new production of Akhnaten hovers somewhere between the sublime and the ridiculous, and often it’s hard to tell where. There hasn’t been a full production in the UK for almost three decades and a heady sense of anticipation means that Akhnaten is already [...]
Anomalisa’s puppetry is more powerful than most live action human dramas March 9, 2016 Anomalisa (PG) | Dirs. Duke Johnson, Charlie Kaufman ★★★★★ It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Charlie Kaufman. Having spent much of the 2000s writing films that became instant classics (Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind) he capped off the decade with his directorial debut, Synecdoche, New York, which divided critics, but to many [...]
Van Gaal accuses critics of living in past as United prepare to face Liverpool in Europa League March 9, 2016 Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has accused his side’s critics of living in the past as the Old Trafford club prepare to face bitter rivals Liverpool in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie tomorrow night. The two clubs have 38 top-flight English titles between them and have conquered Europe a combined eight [...]
Premier League football clubs cap away ticket prices at £30 for the next three seasons March 9, 2016 The Premier League has granted some welcome relief to cash-strapped football fans by capping the price of away tickets to £30 for the next three seasons. Supporters who travel to watch their teams will pay no more than £30 per seat after the top flight's 20 clubs "unanimously agreed" to the limit. Escalating ticket prices have [...]
Hull City 0, Arsenal 4: Judge me in May, Wenger tells his foes March 8, 2016 Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger shrugged off supporter unrest after a section of the Gunners’ travelling fanbase urged the Frenchman to consider his position during his side's FA Cup fifth round replay victory at Hull. Forward Olivier Giroud ended his 11-match goal-drought with a double strike while Theo Walcott also netted twice as Arsenal eased past the [...]
Chelsea v Paris Saint-Germain: Hiddink tips Costa to locate his Champions League scoring boots March 8, 2016 Chelsea interim boss Guus Hiddink has backed striker Diego Costa to blast his side to the Champions League quarter-finals after coming under fire from rivals Paris Saint-Germain ahead of Wednesday's pivotal second leg at Stamford Bridge. A video montage on the French club’s Twitter account yesterday urged followers to “find the imposter” within a series of images of [...]
Tuilagi named in England’s matchday squad for England’s likely Six Nations title decider against Wales March 8, 2016 Powerhouse centre Manu Tuilagi is set to make his international return in England’s likely Six Nations title decider against Wales at Twickenham on Saturday after being named in head coach Eddie Jones’s matchday squad. Tuilagi has not played for England since their 2014 tour of New Zealand through a combination of long-term injury and suspension [...]
I See You review: A tense exploration of identity, race and language in post-apartheid South Africa March 8, 2016 Royal Court | ★★★☆☆ Language is all tangled up in history and identity, a thick linguistic rope wound tight around an ancestral flagpole. Set in post-apartheid South Africa, I See You considers what happens when that rope breaks and a language is lost, and asks whether it’s what you speak, rather than what you say, [...]
In this crazy season, don’t rule out West Ham of top-four race March 8, 2016 West Ham have proven they can cling to the coattails of the leading pack and in this crazily unpredictable Premier League season I wouldn’t rule out a top-four finish. Three successive wins have propelled the Hammers to fifth, just a point behind Manchester City and three adrift of Arsenal. I don’t really see them finishing [...]