Saturday 20th December 2025

Culture

Graceful and self-assured: Circle Mirror Transformation reviewed

Boulevard Productions’ Circle Mirror Transformation is a faithful and competent take on Annie Baker’s 2009 tragicomedy.  The play follows a group of people of different ages taking a beginners’ drama...

‘We’re all mad here’: Alice in Won-DRE-Land at Tingewick 2025

When I wandered into Tingewick Hall on a cold, dark evening in seventh week,...

A comical approach to a classic text: ‘Hedda Gabler’ reviewed

Tiptoe Productions’ Hedda Gabler, co-directed by Ollie Gillam and Gilon Fox, delivered a strong...

‘Lux’ by Rosalía review: A breath of fresh air

'The Latin title ‘Lux’ perfectly embodies the concept and overall aesthetic of divine femininity, as well as the multilingual aspects that run throughout the work. With complex and meaningful lyrics written in 13 languages, and split into four movements, the record is a breath of fresh air for the pop scene'.

The opening of a closed cultural world

One combative poem has a lot to reveal about the place of artists under Soviet rule, Charlie Baker writes

Preview: Lady in the Sheets – “chaotic, hilarious, uncomfortable”

Jimi Cullen is excited by the potential of 'Lady in the Sheets'

Project 1917: The revolution will be tweeted

The historical Project 1917 is bringing new life to the Russian Revolution, writes Lucy Enderby

A beautiful, entrancing mess of an album – with a piercing social critique

Clementine produces an sophomore album far from easy listening, writes Clara Dijkstra

‘Random’ review – ‘Nuanced and fresh’

Kitty Horsfall admires the cohesion of the different elements of this performance

‘Death and the Maiden’ – ‘Intimately, excruciatingly personal’

As part of our look back on the Russian Revolution, Izzy Smith admires Dorfman’s complex but visceral examination of the aftermath of revolution in his play Death and the Maiden

In search of originality? Retreat into cinema’s monochrome past

It is a truth universally acknowledged that commercial filmmaking has recently entered a new phase of life. Countless articles and blogs bemoan the lack...

Confessions of a Drama Queen: A Change of Career

Under-appreciated in her own time not only as an actress but also as a reviewer, our melodramatic fresher is driven to desperation, even considering writing for Cherwell.

Assassination attempts amid the violence that tore Kingston apart

The first book written by a Jamaican to win the Man Booker Prize is an epic in the truest sense of the word, writes Jacob Cheli

Touch, tenderness, and technology in Cloud of Petals

Sarah Meyohas’ new exhibition embraces electronic form in its exploration of beauty, writes Eleanor Birdsall-Smith

More Slush than Snow – The Snowman fails to impress

Jonnie Barrow is severely disappointed by the new Scandi thriller

Andrew Graham-Dixon: Bridging the gap between high culture and mass media

Art history documentary maker Andrew Graham-Dixon talks contemporary art and BBC spending to Altair Brandon-Salmon

‘Random’ preview – “Convincing and jarring”

Izzy Smith is impressed by what she sees of this masterfully emotive performance

Five minutes with Markus Beeken, Light Entertainment Society’s Community Officer

We chat to Markus Beeken, a member of the Oxford University Light Entertainment Society (commonly referred to as “owls”), about his involvement with drama at Oxford.

Imagining the Divine review – engrossing and important

Lizzy Diggins is intrigued by the religious crossovers at the Ashmolean's new exhibition

A perfectly preserved corner of London speaks to modern Britain

Susie Finlay discovers the delights of still-life drama

Strong musical talent and an excellent script

Jacob Greenhouse declares 'Cyrano de Bergarec' a triumph.

TV memes for deadline-drowning teens

Becky Cook comments on the importance of film and TV shows in meme culture

‘Bacchae’ review – A focus on gender that isn’t reflected in the casting

Louis Morris finds this year’s Oxford Greek Play, Euripides’ Bacchae, aims high but fails to impress.

Exploring the poetry of the everyday world

Quiet, mysterious Haruki Murakami fuses local culture with global emotions, writes Lucy Enderby

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