Arts
Double vision
Artists make good critics, but do critics make good artists? It’s hard to tell, when most are too chicken to…
Double vision
Artists make good critics, but do critics make good artists? It’s hard to tell, when most are too chicken to…
Bring on the young
One of the unlooked-for side effects of the financial crisis has been what might be called the desocialising of music…
Bring on the young
One of the unlooked-for side effects of the financial crisis has been what might be called the desocialising of music…
What now for ENO?
Michael Henderson wonders what direction English National Opera will now take
Rigoletto in a gentleman's club
So it’s farewell to the fedoras and adieu to the jukebox. After 32 years of service, Jonathan Miller’s Little Italy…
Brave Tommies and dim earls — Oh What a Lovely War is hoity-toity reductionism
Here it is. Fifty years late. Oh What a Lovely War was originally staged at Stratford East in 1964. It…
Four artists you ought to know — and a famous one you can know better
In this round-up of exhibitions in London’s commercial galleries, I feature three shows of little-known but mature contemporary British artists.…
You may be the Only One Left Awake at Only Lovers Left Alive
Jim Jarmusch is the noted American ‘cult director’, and if you were to judge him solely on the basis of…
The TV shows my children allow me to watch at half-term
Half-term again, so naturally all my TV viewing plans have gone out of the window. In some households — my…
When a Chinese and a Japanese visit Tokyo's Yasukuni war shrine
What does freedom mean to you? That’s the question the BBC World Service has been asking of us through its…
Tutus, loo rolls and a roomful of balloons
A tip: go see Martin Creed’s retrospective at the Hayward in the company of a child. I didn’t, but I…
Laugh but don’t pop
A tip: go see Martin Creed’s retrospective at the Hayward in the company of a child. I didn’t, but I…
Laugh but don’t pop
A tip: go see Martin Creed’s retrospective at the Hayward in the company of a child. I didn’t, but I…
What Emperor Augustus left us
Roderick Conway Morris on the influence and legacy of Augustus
Are hymns dying?
I love a good hymn, so long as I’m not expected to sing it. Lusty declarations of faith sound ridiculous…
Putin: ‘Oi, Europe, you’re a bunch of poofs’
Sochi 2014 is the least wintry Winter Olympics ever. Yes, there’s a bit of downhill shimmying going on in the…
'Castiglione: Lost Genius' loses his genius in a sea of brown
Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (1609–64) was, I must admit, unknown to me until I visited this show, the only Castiglione I…
Manon Lescaut is twerking — should we applaud or shudder?
Last seen clambering over the MDF wheelchair ramps of Laurent Pelly’s Royal Opera House production of Jules Massenet’s opéra comique,…
Bach is made for dancing
It appears that J.S. Bach’s music is to theatre-dance what whipped cream is to chocolate. Masterworks such as Trisha Brown’s…
Bury every copy of Monuments Men in mines across Europe, so George Clooney can try again
You know that old quip ‘I’m not just a pretty face’? I always thought it was meant to be said…
So long, Scandinavia. Bonjour, Benelux!
So long, Scandinavia. Bonjour, Benelux! BBC4, your subtitle-friendly channel, has filled the hole left by Nordic-noir The Bridge with Belgian…
Ali risked his life to escape Afghanistan — and now teaches Britons how to survive there
‘Brown is very good — no Cameron. David Cameron no good,’ he said. Just in case we weren’t sure what…
Take a look at John Maynard Keynes's armchair
Discoveries: Art, Science and Exploration at Two Temple Place (until 27 April) is like a giant cabinet of curiosities. Maps,…
Glorious gallimaufry
Discoveries: Art, Science and Exploration at Two Temple Place (until 27 April) is like a giant cabinet of curiosities. Maps,…
