Arts
A formidable cast for Covent Garden’s Capriccio
Richard Strauss’s operatic swansong Capriccio made an elegant and untaxing conclusion to the Royal Opera’s season. It was done in…
At last, a film about proper women who aren’t just drippily searching for love
Frances Ha will make many spit ‘Frances…Bah!’ but I won’t be among them. Yes, it is rather kooky, and highly…
What was the point of Burton and Taylor?
Watching Burton and Taylor (BBC4, Monday) I felt a bit like I do when I go to the theatre —…
The BBC bows to celebrity
The licence fee is both a blessing and a curse for the BBC. The clue is in that nickname —…
A secret gallery at Hyde Park Corner
A rare jewel sits in the middle of the Hyde Park Corner roundabout. The Quadrant Gallery, run by English Heritage,…
Battle of the buildings
A rare jewel sits in the middle of the Hyde Park Corner roundabout. The Quadrant Gallery, run by English Heritage,…
Wilful expression
‘Lounge suit’ is normally a reliable signifier of supine gentility. But there it was on the invitation to Richard Rogers’s…
Battle of the buildings
A rare jewel sits in the middle of the Hyde Park Corner roundabout. The Quadrant Gallery, run by English Heritage,…
When a smartphone gallery is better than the real thing
Michael Prodger finds that new technology is transforming how we experience art – in galleries, on computers and on smartphones too
A cast of celebs fails to bring any oomph to The Ladykillers
The Ladykillers is back. Sean Foley’s adaptation of the classic Ealing comedy introduces us to a crew of villains who…
A Crisis of Brilliance makes the trek to Dulwich worthwhile
This exhibition was dreamt up by David Boyd Haycock, a freelance writer and curator, following the success of a book…
Opera review: Longborough's tiny stage takes on the Ring - and wins
There are no two ways about it: Wagner’s Ring cycle, the biggest challenge that any opera company can face, has…
Wadjda is Saudi Arabia’s first feature-length film and is shot by a woman
Wadjda is the first feature-length film to come out of Saudi Arabia, and was shot by the country’s first female…
If you’re craving some Kiwi bush angst, Top of the Lake fits the bill
I sincerely hope you’re not watching television. With the glorious summer sun we’re having, you should be having picnics and…
Radio review: At last! A proper Book at Bedtime
It had begun to look as if Radio 4’s Book at Bedtime had been taken over by the zealous publicity-hungry…
Bear hunting on Shaftesbury Avenue
Shaftesbury Avenue might not be traditional bear-hunting territory, but young adventure-seekers would be well advised to beat a path this…
Bear necessity
Shaftesbury Avenue might not be traditional bear-hunting territory, but young adventure-seekers would be well advised to beat a path this…
Bear necessity
Shaftesbury Avenue might not be traditional bear-hunting territory, but young adventure-seekers would be well advised to beat a path this…
Wanted: a producer for Peter Nichols’s four new plays
Lloyd Evans meets Peter Nichols, who, in his ninth decade, is riding a wave of public favour
The last taboo in pop: fat old men
Don’t worry, I’m not going to go on about Glastonbury. I wasn’t there, I never have been and, unless forced…
Opera review: Verdi should be as controversial as Wagner
I’m not the first person to remark that Verdi is getting oddly little attention in this his bicentenary year, especially…
Yes, 'The Moo Man' is a film about cows. But it is absolutely amazing
Pacific Rim is a giant monsters v. giant robots film and although written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, who…
Exhibitions: Why can’t the critical fraternity make up its mind?
As more time elapses since the regrettable fracas over Kitaj’s 1994 Tate exhibition and his tragic suicide in 2007, he…
Exhibition: What really goes on in a royal bedchamber
What exactly are the ‘secrets of the royal bedchamber’? That the actual bed was seldom if ever slept in let…
Private Lives at the Gielgud: Spot the sexual tension between Anna Chancellor and Toby Stephens
It’s always a problem with Macbeth: what accents to use? The Globe is applying the traditional remedy. Lord and Lady…
