Reviews
Felicity Kendal's Indian Shakespeare Quest, BBC Two
Wednesday, 16 May 2012
It's a truism of modern television that a programme rarely gets made without a celebrity being attached, but in this case there was a very good reason for Felicity Kendal being on board. Her parents, Laura and Geoffrey Kendal, founded Shakespeareana, a travelling theatre troupe that performed Shakespeare in India in the postwar decades; many will know their story from Merchant Ivory's 1965 film about the company, Shakespeare Wallah.Like her parents, Kendal has a deep love of both Shakespeare...
Falstaff, Royal Opera House
Wednesday, 16 May 2012
I didn't know whether to sigh or to yawn. Another opera. Another 50s set. At least it started well. In an obsessively wood-panelled hunting lodge, fat Falstaff (Ambrogio Maestri) lies in his bed in filthy long johns amid a sea of empty silver platters, working out a way to pay his bills and satisfy his lust. Not a 50s cliché in sight - yet. The banter between him and his sidekicks is focused and easy. And what singing from Maestri: effortless and clear and delivered in a parlando manner of...
Detroit, National Theatre
Wednesday, 16 May 2012
The competition for best dramatic use of a coffee table is won hands down by the wagon-wheel one that prompts a major argument in When Harry Met...
Read more...Silk, Series Two, BBC One
Wednesday, 16 May 2012
How delightful to welcome the return of Peter Moffat's skilful legal series. Yes alright, sceptics may contend that the law firm drama has already...
Read more...The Dictator
Wednesday, 16 May 2012
Is this a sophisticated satire or a dumb, laugh-out-loud, nothing-is-sacred comedy? That is the question which pings around your head Sacha Baron...
Read more...
56 Up, ITV1
Tuesday, 15 May 2012
Life is slowing down for the 7 Up generation who are still pursuing hopes and dreams Read more... |
The Raid
Tuesday, 15 May 2012
Martial arts mayhem and majesty from Welsh director Gareth Evans Read more... |
Globe to Globe: Henry VI, Parts 1, 2 and 3, Shakespeare's Globe
Monday, 14 May 2012
A slick Serb Part 1, an effective Macedonian Part 3 and a very very Albanian Albanian Part 2 Read more... |
Writing Britain: Wastelands to Wonderlands, British Library
Monday, 14 May 2012
A splendid national narrative moves from Anglo-Saxon latitudes to platform 9 and three quarters Read more... |
Little Dogs, National Theatre Wales/Frantic Assembly
Monday, 14 May 2012
Warts-and-all snapshot of Swansea nightlife is a feast of the senses lacking a beefy script Read more... |
Brighton Festival 2012: Interiors, Motor Show, Land's End
Sunday, 13 May 2012
Vanessa Redgrave tells the story of an Arab woman. Elsewhere it's all about voyeurism Read more... |
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Jansons, Barbican Hall
Sunday, 13 May 2012
The conductor looked exhausted, but his Amsterdam orchestra still make beautiful music Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: My Bloody Valentine, Loose Tubes, Fela Kuti
Sunday, 13 May 2012
Seminal sonic voyagers, magnificent Brit jazz captured live and Nigeria's master of musical stagecraft Read more... |
Brigham Young University Singers, St John's Smith Square
Sunday, 13 May 2012
American choral classics brought to life by an all-American ensemble Read more... |
Episodes, Series 2, BBC Two
Saturday, 12 May 2012
Matt LeBlanc, Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Greig return in Golden Globe winning culture-swap comedy Read more... |
Classical CDs Weekly: Bruckner, Mahler, Pärt
Saturday, 12 May 2012
Orchestral heavyweights and Estonian minimalism Read more... |
Globe to Globe: The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Shakespeare's Globe
Saturday, 12 May 2012
Two Zimbabweans people Shakespeare's Italy with a few props and a lot of comedic skill Read more... |
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