Wednesday 29th April 2026

Culture

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s theatre: Defining the ill-defined

It has been 93 years since the first performance of Bertolt Brecht’s The Good Person of Szechwan at Schauspielhaus in Zurich. Many critics cite Brecht as the pioneer of...

Authenticity and the pop genre: Slayyyter’s ‘WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA’

Originality could be dead in pop music. The genre is so self-referential that it...

Why you should spring clean your bookshelf this Trinity

In the Northern Hemisphere, astronomers mark the beginning of spring on the date of...

Does ‘Euphoria’ no longer speak to our generation?

Should I have been watching Euphoria’s first season as an innocent, bright-eyed 14-year-old? Probably...

The Sweet Smell of Excess

"While the social implications of excessive behaviour seem real and uncomfortable, then, the extent to which films tend to deal with these is, we surely have to admit, limited."

In Defence of Excess

"You feel attacked, but you also feel seen – and really, is that not one of the most important things people look for when watching a film – to feel seen? "

‘Carry-On’ Excess-ing?

The dated views of the Carry-On films may offer their own entertainment

Troy Story Revisited

Reviewing Pat Barker’s ‘The Silence of the Girls’ (Penguin, 2018).

Going Wilde in America

“Audiences deserted his lectures, Harvard students mocked his outfits, and his failures left him drunk and dejected." Reviewing Michele Mendelssohn's 'Making Oscar Wilde'.

Morrissey: a musician of excess?

"Why do we call certain people 'excessive,' and allow others to escape from this label?" A discussion of the controversial front-man of The Smiths.

Excess of Expression: John Lennon 1969-72

'Why was it that, in putting self- expression, politics and philosophical substance at the forefront of his artistic agenda, Lennon’s music ended up failing to express both himself and everyday concerns with the same force as his work from the sixties?' A comparison of John Lennon's music from his solo career with his work in The Beatles.

Review: A Little Night Music – ‘a sophisticated and pleasant performance’

Despite some minor setbacks on the opening night, A Little Night Music delivers a confident performance, including some moments of hilarity

Review: (The Wings of the) Seagull – ‘leaves you frozen’

This one-actor show from mealspiel easily wins over its audience, with laugh-out-loud moments interspersed with stomach-churning horror.

Review: A Woman of No Importance – ‘the best Wilde production I’ve ever seen’

With a terrific cast, a splendid setting, and a deft handling of the script, Magdalen Players' take on A Woman of No Importance proves to be a fourth week delight

Ted Bundy Reinvented

Joe Bertlinger’s Ted Bundy biopic, released to Sky Cinema on Friday, seemed to be just one more of the latest string of films blatantly...

Review: Four Men in Their Respective Cells – ‘a whistle-stop psychological drama’

Though hitting the right notes thematically, Four Men in Their Respective Cells lacks polish and a conclusive ending

Bart van Es and the ripple effect of trauma

Bart van Es' new memoir reminds its readers that the aftermath of trauma is as much about inherited damage as it is about triumph and liberation.

Preview: Your Little Play – ‘your life is defined by the choices you make’

A piece of new writing about sexual misconduct and power feels particularly timely as it heads to the Pilch in 4th week.

Preview: My Mother Runs in Zig-Zags – ‘shapes the lived experience of war and migration’

A poetic performance about migration, war and family, with an all-BAME cast and crew, heads to the North Wall in fifth week

REVIEW: The Ruling Class – ‘actualises an eccentric and absurdist sense of humour’

Stage Wrong Productions' The Ruling Class delivers an outrageous and satirical examination of English upper-class society

Behind Closed Drawbridges

Why are we so fascinated by stories of royalty?

Bush’s Family Tree

An exploration of the musical influences across Kate Bush's discography

Is the band ‘shame’ just shameful?

A discussion on how Shame have inherited the punk ethos

The New Bridget Jones?

Reviewing ‘Queenie’ by Candice Carty-Williams (Trapeze, 2019).

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