Arts
War on want
Radiohead have been at the top of the musical tree for so long now that it’s easy to forget what…
War on want
Radiohead have been at the top of the musical tree for so long now that it’s easy to forget what…
Wish upon a star
Out come the stars in Kenneth Branagh’s Romeo and Juliet. He musters a well-drilled, celebrity-ridden crew but they can’t quite…
Wish upon a star
Out come the stars in Kenneth Branagh’s Romeo and Juliet. He musters a well-drilled, celebrity-ridden crew but they can’t quite…
The supremes
When I interviewed Richard Farnes in Leeds six years ago about Opera North’s project of performing the complete Ring, he…
The supremes
When I interviewed Richard Farnes in Leeds six years ago about Opera North’s project of performing the complete Ring, he…
Sound and fury
There are few jobs more dishonest than being a radio critic in Britain. I know this because it was how…
Sound and fury
There are few jobs more dishonest than being a radio critic in Britain. I know this because it was how…
Impure thoughts
Spoiler alerts aren’t normally required for reviews of Shakespeare — but perhaps I’d better issue one before saying that in…
Why confront the ugly lie of Islamic State with a tacky fake?
Can the beauty of Palmyra be reproduced by data-driven robots? Stephen Bayley on copies, fakes and forgeries
Nothing sacrilegious about this British Library Punk show, says Paul Cook of the Sex Pistols
There have been many punk exhibitions over the years so I can’t help but chuckle at the ‘experts’ who are…
Not a repertory piece but in its dignity it earns respect: Royal Opera’s Oedipe reviewed
For years I have been telling people that they should listen to, in the absence of staged performances, Enescu’s opera…
I came out feeling euphoric and disorientated: Young Vic’s Blue/Orange reviewed
Blue/Orange by Joe Penhall enjoys the dubious status of a modern classic. A black mental-health patient, Christopher, is about to…
The lifts are lovely: Tate Modern’s extension reviewed
Tate Modern, badly overcrowded, has built itself a £260 million extension to spread everyone about the place more. This means…
Why Deborah Ross wants to punch G.K. Chesterton in the head
Love & Friendship is based on the little-known Jane Austen epistolary novella, Lady Susan, which was not published until after…
Isn’t it puke-inducing being lectured about poverty by millionaire comics?
Going Forward (BBC4, Thursdays) is a BBC comedy about the continuing adventures of Kim Wilde, the fat, cynical but lovable…
Coney Island amusement park used to display premature babies to a paying public
I like Radio 4 — you can have it on in the background burbling away for hours and hours without…
The Royal Court is the Eddie the Eagle of theatre
If there were an Eddie the Eagle award for theatre — to recognise large reputations built on minuscule achievements —…
Eoin Andersen
Zurich’s loss was Melbourne’s gain in 2015 when Eoin Andersen became Concertmaster of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Having begun violin…
Giving Tate Modern a lift
Tate Modern, badly overcrowded, has built itself a £260 million extension to spread everyone about the place more. This means…
The great pretenders
There is fakery in the air. And maybe the French are done with deconstruction. A drone operated by a French…
Jane Austen on speed
Love & Friendship is based on the little-known Jane Austen epistolary novella, Lady Susan, which was not published until after…
Punk turns 40
There have been many punk exhibitions over the years so I can’t help but chuckle at the ‘experts’ who are…
Royal Court Theatre
If there were an Eddie the Eagle award for theatre — to recognise large reputations built on minuscule achievements —…
Royal Court Theatre
If there were an Eddie the Eagle award for theatre — to recognise large reputations built on minuscule achievements —…