Rhinegold at the London Coliseum is a delicious Wagnerian success February 24, 2023 Richard Jones’s tacky and triumphant Rhinegold is the most recent addition to the English National Opera’s Ring Cycle. After a mixed and shadowy Valkyrie, Jones has reembraced his familiar droll kitschiness with a glorious slice of dramatic and comedic gold, complete with delicious Wagnerian weirdness. Wagner’s opera follows the story of the Nibelung Alberich, who [...]
England must beat poor Wales in Six nations to show growth February 24, 2023 England’s third round Six nations match against Wales on Saturday has an odd feel about it. On one hand Steve Borthwick’s men will travel along the M4 filled to the brim with confidence given their opponents across the Severn Bridge are in a state of disarray at the moment. The time is right for England [...]
England aim for fourth Test series win with victory over New Zealand February 23, 2023 As many are looking to lay down and get some kip this evening in the United Kingdom, 11,500 miles away England’s Test cricket team will be looking to get underway against New Zealand in the series decider. Ben Stokes’ England cannot lose the series given it is being played across two Tests and they are [...]
Football regulator WILL have more powers to investigate club owners but WON’T block takeovers linked to Saudi Arabia or Qatar, says sport minister Stuart Andrew February 23, 2023 The incoming independent football regulator will be given wider powers to investigate prospective owners – but will not block takeovers by Saudi Arabia or Qatar. A regulator will have more scope to look into the backgrounds of would-be buyers of English teams, similar to the checks in place in financial services. “We are looking at [...]
Designer behind ‘Notre-Dame on fire’ proposal chosen to design Paris 2024 Olympic torch and cauldron February 23, 2023 A designer who proposed rebuilding Notre-Dame cathedral to make it look like it was on fire has been chosen to create the Olympic torch and cauldron for Paris 2024. Mathieu Lehanneur has also created projects for the Pompidou Centre and worked with brands including Veuve Clicquot, Cartier and Nike. Lehanneur, 48, is due to reveal [...]
Inside the City of London’s first residential properties in 10 years February 23, 2023 There’s no need to take the Tube home, a bout of new properties are opening in the City of London To the uninitiated the City of London is unfairly thought of as an endless stream of glass-fronted office blocks from which chaotic workers stream, headlessly going between meetings, their only reward being the Tube journey [...]
Watson starts as England name team for Six Nations clash against Wales February 23, 2023 Anthony Watson will start for England for the first time in two years on Saturday after Steve Borthwick named his side to take on Wales this Saturday in the Six Nations. The Leicester Tigers winger replaces the injured Ollie Hassell-Collins and is joined in the back-three by Max Malins and Freddie Steward. This weekend’s crunch [...]
Cirque Berserk founder: Great circus involves real jeopardy – and the audience needs to feel it February 23, 2023 In our interview series The Lowdown, we ask performers and directors how they’re feeling ahead of their London show openings. Here, we sit down with Cirque Berserk founder Martin ‘Zippo’ Burton, a legend of the circus scene who’s been performing for 49 years HOW DOES IT FEEL TO CELEBRATE 10 YEARS OF CIRQUE BERSERK? 10 [...]
Romeo and Julie is the perfect romcom for the National Theatre crowd February 23, 2023 Romeo and Julie is the tale of two star crossed lovers from Splott, Cardiff, whose forbidden love threatens to tear apart two houses not particularly alike in dignity. We first meet the tragic hero elbowdeep in a soiled nappy. This Romeo is a working class, 18-year-old single dad struggling to raise the baby he couldn’t [...]
Mike Nelson: Extinction Beckons at the Hayward Gallery is a new high bar for installation art February 23, 2023 The Hayward Gallery has emerged as London’s foremost destination for large-scale installation art since it reopened in 2018, from the bio-technological horror of Lee Bul’s pink tentacles to the jaw-dropping scale of a Finnish spruce in Among the Trees. But even against this backdrop, Mike Nelson’s Extinction Beckons sets a mind-boggling new standard for transforming [...]