Arts
A sapphic rom-com not to be missed
What a relief it is that Virginia Gay’s adaptation of Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac should finally have opened in Sarah…
The BBC's fairly desperate new reality show: Unbreakable reviewed
On first impression, you might have thought that Unbreakablewas just a fairly desperate reality show cobbled together from I’m a…
Brilliant and distinctive but also relentless: William Kentridge, at the RA, reviewed
William Kentridge’s work has a way of sticking in the mind. I can remember all my brief encounters with it,…
Incredibly his new songs were the best songs: Lyndsey Buckingham, at the London Palladium, reviewed
Lindsey Buckingham, at 72, still has cheekbones that cast shadows. He has the upright shock of hair, too, though now…
Why I admire Saudi Arabia’s monstrous new city
Sam Kriss on Saudi Arabia’s $1 trillion eco-city
The genius of More or Less
In a week of slim audio pickings, I spent time reacquainting myself with some of the BBC classics and can…
Unforgettable story, forgettable film: The Lost King reviewed
The Lost King is a comedy-drama based on the 2012 discovery of the remains of King Richard III beneath a…
A show for politicians: John Gabriel Borkman, at the Bridge Theatre, reviewed
Clunk, clunk, clunk. John Gabriel Borkman opens with the obsessive footfalls of a disgraced banker as he prowls the attic…
Grey, grey and more grey: Aida, at the Royal Opera House, reviewed
Grey. More grey. So very, very grey. That’s the main visual impression left by Robert Carsen’s new production of Verdi’s…
Footy versus ballet?
All the different aspects of a culture collide and interconnect. Melbourne is the undisputed capital of Australian rules football (which…
Pleasantly untaxing: Mrs Harris Goes to Paris reviewed
Mrs Harris Goes to Paris is a comedy-drama based on the 1958 novel by Paul Gallico about a cheerful, kind-hearted…
The art of menus
Jonathan Meades on the art of menus
Simple songs; voice like the grand canyon: George Ezra, at OVO Hydra, reviewed
It would be easy to be a little dismissive of George Ezra. A wholesome late twentysomething hailing from the rock…
The makers of Fauda have another hit on their hands: Sky Atlantic's Munich Games reviewed
You’d have to pay me an awful lot more than I get for this column to review Monster: The Jeffrey…
Why does opera always feel the need apologise for its plots?
Leos Janacek disliked long operas, and the first act of The Makropulos Affair is a masterclass in how to set…
Welcome to the weird world of the New Right: Subversive podcast reviewed
Subversive is a podcast that documents the world of the ‘New Right’, a strange development in conservatism. Host Alex Kaschuta,…
Biomorphic forms that tempt the viewer to cop a feel: Maria Bartuszova, at Tate Modern, reviewed
Art is a fundamentally childish activity: painters dream up images and sculptors play with stuff. It was while playing with…
Worthy of Wilde: Eureka Day, at the Old Vic, reviewed
Eureka Day is a topical satire set in a woke school in America. An outbreak of mumps has led to…
Eye of a genius
In a week dominated by the death of the Queen it’s a strange thing that Jean-Luc Godard, the man who…
Why the Arts Council should kill off ENO and ENB
It is high time the Arts Council put ENO and ENB out of their misery, says Rupert Christiansen
More depravity, please: Salome, at the Royal Opera House, reviewed
The first night of the new season at Covent Garden was cancelled when the solemn news came through. The second…
Exhilarating, frightening and hilarious: Made in Leeds – Three Short Ballets reviewed
Good, better, best was the satisfying trajectory of Northern Ballet’s terrific programme of three original short works, which moves south…
Fresh and dreamy: Edward Lear, at Ikon Gallery, reviewed
‘It seems to me that I have to choose between 2 extremes of affection for nature… English, or Southern… The…
I'm too tired for Lena Dunham: Catherine Called Birdy reviewed
Catherine Called Birdy is written and directed by Lena Dunham and it’s a medieval comedy about a 14-year-old girl resisting…
Joyous and sexy: Nathy Peluso, at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, reviewed
Few forms of music have colonised the world like metal and hip-hop. Wherever you go you will find these two…
