reviews
theartsdesk |

We are bowled over! 

We knew that theartsdesk.com had plenty of supporters out there – we’ve always had a loyal readership of arts lovers and professionals alike – but the response to our appeal to help us relaunch and reboot has been something else.

Helen Hawkins |

How much more can Jeremy Clarkson’s body take? The fifth season of his reality show about his Oxfordshire spread, Diddly Squat Farm and pendant pub, could have been borrowed from the Book of Job.

Neatly winding up season four with an impending heart attack, this time, as headlines have announced, he calmly reveals to his team that he also has aggressive prostate cancer to tackle. But not until his drought-addled crops have been harvested, of course.

David Nice
Bloomsday doesn't just celebrate James Joyce's odyssey through so many parts of Dublin that still teem with character; it's also putatively about the…
Kieron Tyler
Between June 1964 and September 1966, London-area R&B band Downliners Sect issued ten singles, one EP and three albums on EMI’s Columbia imprint…
David Nice
The conundrum of five women, three of them men, is the same as it was in the last Serse I witnessed, in the more intimate surroundings of St Martin-…

Subscribe to theartsdesk.com

Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.

To take a subscription now simply click here.

And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?

Matt Wolf
David Mamet's 1983 scorcher is problematically reinvented
Rachel Halliburton
William Kentridge's vision subtly blends his political experiences with mythology
James Saynor
The evergreen animation franchise in a below-par new romp
Sarah Kent
Art works chosen to illustrate an idea
Aleks Sierz
New play about international aid is too finger wagging for its own good
johncarvill
Revived for Monroe's centenary, Billy Wilder's classic reminds us how great film can be
Hugh Barnes
Joyce lurks in the margins of his own biography in a detailed history of Irish politics
Jonathan Geddes
Crowd shows warmth toward the Londoner, back touring after mental health break
India Lewis
A visually pleasing film with a somewhat patchy plot
Ellie Roberts
The star’s 12-night residency is off to an impressive start
Sarah Kent
Celebrating chutzpah on a grand scale
Nick Hasted
Emily Blunt helps a peculiar alien encounter eventually touch profundity
Thomas H. Green
The Changingman of pop performs a long set that lives up to the nickname
Boyd Tonkin
Fine music-making illuminates Debussy's sinister blend of realism and romance
Kieron Tyler
New edition of the album capturing ‘possibly the most powerful human sound ever recorded’
Sarah Kent
A company that is alive and kicking - literally
Helen Hawkins
Double bill takes the Royal Ballet dancers to unusual new heights
Helen Hawkins
Joshua Harmon's three-hander offers a panoramic view of a fractured family
David Nice
Subtle, introspective 'Harold in Italy' followed by over-punchy 'Symphonie fantastique'
Thomas H. Green
The rain just about stays away as Eighties synth perennials stick to the hits
Rachel Halliburton
Semi-staged version brings a heightened appreciation of the symphony's jostle of voices
Demetrios Matheou
Martina Laird’s debut play is twisty, sexy and provocative
Adam Sweeting
Ten years later, the Euro-controversy still rages
Liz Thomson
Rufus Wainwright's final tribute to Judy Garland

the future of arts journalism

You can stop theartsdesk.com closing! 

We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £33,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d

And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.

latest in today

We are bowled over! We knew that theartsdesk.com had plenty of supporters out there – we’ve always had a loyal readership of arts…
How much more can Jeremy Clarkson’s body take? The fifth season of his reality show about his Oxfordshire spread, Diddly Squat Farm and…
Bloomsday doesn't just celebrate James Joyce's odyssey through so many parts of Dublin that still teem with character; it's also putatively…
“I guess you could call it a lost album. I stumbled upon it in my vault at home. I’d forgotten about it completely,” explained Rodney…
Between June 1964 and September 1966, London-area R&B band Downliners Sect issued ten singles, one EP and three albums on EMI’s…
The conundrum of five women, three of them men, is the same as it was in the last Serse I witnessed, in the more intimate surroundings of…
O Glengarry, where is thy sting? That's likely to be one response to the bewildering Old Vic revival of David Mamet's defining (and…
Bach: The Complete Keyboard Concertos Mahan Esfahani (harpsichord/director), Britten Sinfonia, leader Jacqueline Shave (Hyperion…
Beginning with “The Ground Above” and closing with “Otherside”, there’s an ambient, otherwordly, disembodied feel to Beth Orton’s new album…
William Kentridge’s production of Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo marks a double début at Glyndebourne – neither the director nor the opera,…