Wicked film review: Ariana Grande helps this musical really fly November 22, 2024 More than two decades after the production was first staged, Wicked makes it to the big screen in the first of a two-part adaptation. Arriving on a tornado of publicity, expectations are high for the Broadway favourite, but can it be just as popular on film? For the uninitiated, Wicked presents an alternative history behind [...]
Layla film review: a bold tale of London and LGBTQ love November 21, 2024 Layla film review and star rating: ★★★★ Independent film Layla begins with a Pride event that will look familiar to all those sceptical of Rainbow Capitalism. Bilal Hasna plays the title character, a British-Palestinian non-binary drag queen who lands a gig performing for a delivery app company. When a high paying show turns out to [...]
75 litres of fake blood splattered my shoes in London’s most eccentric show November 20, 2024 Blood Show at the Battersea Arts Centre review and star rating: ★★★★ 75 litres of fake blood. Four different varieties of fake blood to make the liquid more realistic. Blood Show, playing a short run at the Battersea Arts Centre until this Saturday, is London’s most eccentric show – and well worth your time. Somewhere in-between [...]
Restaurant Sat Bains is the best reason to visit Nottingham November 20, 2024 When you think of the great culinary capitals of the world, your mind probably wanders to Tokyo, Paris or perhaps San Sebastian, cities where the great chefs of our time gather, their collective talent creating a surge of excellence and innovation. You probably do not think of Nottingham, or, more specifically, a nondescript little corner [...]
Libby takes a Bottle to Pilates November 20, 2024 You know, you could really benefit from regular Pilates Libby,” purrs my glamorous instructor as she guides my shaking leg to a previously unattainable angle. Probably true, as right now my hip flexes are screaming at me about my days spent sitting at a laptop. I have been persuaded to try my first Reformer Pilates [...]
The Great Christmas Feast review: the best seasonal event in London November 19, 2024 With rip-off Christmas events around every corner in the capital, it’s refreshing to find a yuletide event that takes itself seriously. The Great Christmas Feast is a theatrical event based on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, with a three-course meal served in intervals between the appearances of each of the ghosts. Inspired by Victorian cooking [...]
Lunchtime Tourism: Cannon Street’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it London Stone November 19, 2024 You wouldn’t know it, but London’s heart beats from a small alcove just opposite Cannon Street station. The city’s heart is made of limestone, wrenched from Rutland and its beats are faint. But its power is unmistakable. Passing office workers fear it so much they’re reluctant to even look at it, let alone stand near it. [...]
High Low Pairings: Fried Chicken November 19, 2024 It was the revered Château d’Yquem that first introduced me to the beauty of the high-low pairing when they served their premier sweet wine with KFC-style fried chicken. It was the taste sensation I never knew I needed, and I set out to discover what other fine wines would enhance the humble (but rightfully beloved) [...]
Porsche 911 Targa by Theon Design review: Bright fantastic November 19, 2024 Back in the 1960s, Automobile Engineer magazine expressed its fear that dark paint colours made cars more dangerous. Shades such as grey and black, it reasoned, could transform a vehicle into a ‘camouflaged weapon’. The respected German car magazine Auto, Motor und Sport held a similar view. It suggested that sports cars should be [...]
New purist Porsche 911 Carrera T goes back to basics November 18, 2024 Want the purest Porsche 911 experience? The new 2025 Carrera T does without all-wheel drive or a towering rear spoiler. Instead, Porsche has gone back to basics, with an ‘emphasis on driving fun’. Most significantly, the PDK dual-clutch automatic gearbox is not available on the Carrera T – even as an option. Every car will [...]