A “masterpiece of forensic fury”, said Mark Lawson in The Guardian, this “verbatim” play is based on writer Gillian Slovo’s interviews with survivors of the 2017 Grenfell fire and the relatives of some of the 72 people who died in the tower block, excerpts from the public inquiry transcripts, andContinue Reading
“For 45 years, it has menaced our children, bringing unbridled horror and trauma into countless young lives,” said Robbie Collin in The Daily Telegraph. “But at last, good sense has prevailed” – and “Watership Down” has been regraded from a U to a PG. In its latest annual report, theContinue Reading
Pre-release expectations were already “stratospheric”, but the unlikely pairing of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” around the world has “helped fuel the biggest collective weekend at the box office since the pandemic”, said Rebecca Rubin in Variety – music to the ears of their respective film studios, Warner Bros. Discovery and Universal,Continue Reading
“What a drag it is, getting old,” sang a fresh-faced Mick Jagger in 1966. Today, the icon, rebel, knight and ultimate rock and roll reprobate turns 80, with celebrations that will reportedly feature 300 of his closest friends, including bandmates Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards, at a lavish party inContinue Reading
Recommended reads for the school summer holidaysContinue Reading
Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster film “Barbie” has brought the legacy of the popular yet controversial doll back into the limelight. With the release of the film, Gerwig has made history: “Barbie” took $377 million (£294 million) at the box office on its opening weekend around the world, making it the biggest debutContinue Reading
During the colonial period, when Africa was almost entirely divided up by European powers, “the camera became something of an imperial device”, said Sarah Cascone on Artnet. Western photographers’ images told stories “about the history, culture and identity of the African continent” – often portraying it and its inhabitants as exoticContinue Reading
It does what it says on the tin, but this novel about a romance between Sally, a comedy writer, and Noah, a pop star, “feels not only deliciously bingeable, but fresh”, said The Observer. Curtis Sittenfeld “explores the worlds of celebrity, modern dating, lockdown and Covid-19 with wit, humour and often profundity”, said The Independent. “A light-heartedContinue Reading
“For those yet to fall for its ample charms, ‘The Great’ plays hard and fast with the rise of Catherine the Great, Empress of all Russia,” said Rebecca Nicholson in The Guardian. “Newcomers should not start with season three”, however, but go back to the start to see “how everybody gotContinue Reading
The blockbuster musical “Miss Saigon” ran for ten years in London and New York following its launch in 1989, but it was always controversial, said Paul Szabo on What’s On Stage. A spin on Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” transposed to wartorn Vietnam, written by “Les Misérables” creators Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, it was accused of misogyny, racism, and of perpetuating racist stereotypes – andContinue Reading
