Saturday 3rd January 2026

Culture

‘The political is also political’: Ash Sarkar’s ‘Minority Rule’

Universities have often been seen as bastions of radicalism. Forgetting the fact that higher educational institutions, particularly ancient and elite ones in the Anglophone world, are governed by centuries...

Graceful and self-assured: Circle Mirror Transformation reviewed

Boulevard Productions’ Circle Mirror Transformation is a faithful and competent take on Annie Baker’s...

‘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...

Review: Lovers: Winners

Lovers triumph in this production of Brian Friel's one-act play about the difficulties of young love

Review: 4:48 Psychosis

May Anderson diagnoses a case of dramatic apathy in this production of Sarah Kane's final work

From Page to Screen

Following the success of We Need To Talk About Kevin at Cannes, Cherwell asks what makes a good adaptation of a book to film

Here comes the sunflower

Remi tells us what happens when you put a bunch of hipsters in a room full of poetry, indie music and 60s rock n' roll

First Night Review: The Importance of Being Earnest

Eleri Thomas finds a new production of Wilde's farce 'utterly droll'

Interview: Shabazz Palaces

Ishmael Butler from the Seattle based hip hop group, Shabazz Palaces, ironically talks to Cherwell about shying away from press

Review: Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club, New Theatre

Cherwell is blown away by the energy and passion of this Grammy Award Winning latin collective

Review: The Oresteia

Finola Austin is thoroughly turned off by a reworking of The Oresteia and discusses how it takes metatheatre too far

First Night Review: DNA

Rosalind Stone is blown away by the open air production of the play,DNA

Send in the Clowns

Lauri Saksa takes advantage of a ringside seat at Michelle Obama's address at Christ Church on Wednesday and sneaks some snapshots of FLOTUS and her attendant media circus

From Page to Picture: Kazuo Ishiguro

Cherwell meets the authors behind the books behind the films you love. Kazuo Ishiguro speaks about the complex relationship between film and the written word

Review: The Merchant of Venice

Conor Tucker discusses how RSC's most recent production of The Merchant of Venice doesn't quite add up

Review: An Evening of Dance

Rebecca Tatlow watches dancers reach for the stars at Wadham's town and gown charity event, An Evening of Dance

Dramatherapy: theatre’s love-child

Carla Neuss discovers the psychological benefits of theatre

The Tortoise and the Fair

Kathleen Bloomfield and Lauri Saksa spend the day watching and photographing Oxford's annual tortoise fair

Review: Paul Hillier, Theatre of Voices – Stories

Paul Hillier leads Theatre of Voices in an enthusiastic and dramatic performance of John Cage and Luciano Berio

Knowing the score

Cherwell reports on the Cavatina Trust, an organisation aiming to break down the stuffy conventions of classical music

Review: Friendly Fires – PALA

The trio from St Albans offer us a sophomore album which, despite its tropical beats and infectious ambience, doesn't fully live up to expectation

Review: Kate Bush Director’s Cut

Cherwell is unconvinced by Kate Bush's latest offering which remasters and reimagines her old hits rather than offering up new ones

An odd future for hip hop?

Thomas May talks about how Tyler, The Creator has taken his transgressive act from the blogosphere to the mainstream with aplomb

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