Reviews
House of Games, Hampstead Theatre review - adapted Mamet screenplay entertains but is defanged
Wednesday, 14 May 2025
There is so much that is right about Jonathan Kent’s new production of House of Games – the casting, the staging, the direction. But the flaw it can’t overcome is that the 1987 David Mamet screenplay on which Richard Bean based this stage version in 2010 has been transformed from a vicious psychologically tough caper-movie into an almost jaunty puzzle-play, its sharp teeth removed.
Karim Said, Leighton House review - adventures from Byrd to Schoenberg
Wednesday, 14 May 2025
William Byrd, Arnold Schoenberg and their respective acolytes go cheek by jowl, crash into one another, soothe, infuriate and shine in their very different ways This is all in a typical programme of pianist, conductor, composer and all-round pioneer Karim Said, and last night in the studio of Leighton House, it nearly all worked (when it didn’t, that was the nature of the beast, not the pianist).
Stile Antico, Wigmore Hall review - a glorious...
Tuesday, 13 May 2025
There was a wonderful festal spirit at the Wigmore Hall last night, as the vocal ensemble Stile Antico ran through a Greatest Hits selection in...
PUP, SWG3, Glasgow review - controlled chaos from...
Tuesday, 13 May 2025
According to PUP lead singer Stefan Babcock, the Toronto foursome practiced together a grand total of twice before embarking on their current UK and...
Zoe Lyons, Touring - midlife, without the crisis
Tuesday, 13 May 2025
Zoe Lyons knows her audience; as a few shoutouts confirmed, many of them are long-time fans, and have had lives with similar highs and lows along the...
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The Last Musician of Auschwitz review - a haunting testament
When fine music was played in a death factory |
Giulio Cesare, The English Concert, Bicket, Barbican review - 10s across the board in perfect Handel
When you get total musicality from everyone involved, there’s nothing better |
Hallé, Elder, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester review - premiere of new Huw Watkins work
Craftsmanship and appeal in this 'Concerto for Orchestra' - and game-playing with genre |
Music Reissues Weekly: Roots Rocking Zimbabwe
Exhaustive guide to how and why a music scene evolved |
Supergrass, Barrowland, Glasgow review - nostalgia played with youthful energy
The Oxford group's revival of their debut album fizzed with excitement |
Louis Cole, Roundhouse review - nothing is everything
Telepathic grooves and Mahlerian beauty collide in Camden |
Here We Are, National Theatre review - Sondheim's sensational swan song
The late composer bids farewell with a show made-to-order for now |
Riefenstahl review - fascinating fascism? Portrait of the Nazis' favourite film-maker
A new documentary unlocks the archive of the woman who directed 'Triumph of the Will' |
Giant, Harold Pinter Theatre review - incendiary Roald Dahl drama with topical bite
John Lithgow gives a masterclass in delivering a 'human booby trap' |
The Surfer review - Nicolas Cage is relentlessly down and out in western Australia
Irish director Lorcan Finnegan's manic take on macho surfer culture |
Einkvan, Det Norske Teatret, The Coronet Theatre review - alienation times six
Estranged father, mother and son each doubled in Jon Fosse’s mesmerising meditation |
Desire: The Carl Craig Story review - a worthy, brand-conscious encomium for a techno star
Documentary on the Detroit electronic music producer borders on hagiographic |
The Trunk, Netflix review - stylish, noir-ish Korean drama wrapped around a beguiling love story
Unusual psychological study of a stranger paid to save a toxic marriage |
The Gang of Three, King's Head Theatre - three old Labour ghosts resurrected to entertain and educate
Beautifully written and equally well acted play resonates down the decades |
Words of War review - portrait of a doomed truth-seeker in Putin's Russia
Maxine Peake gives a poignant performance as the fearless reporter Anna Politkovskaya |
The Excursions of Mr Brouček, LSO, Rattle, Barbican review - sensuousness, fire and comedy in perfect balance
Janáček’s wacky space-and-time-travel opera glows and grips in every bar |
Conversations After Sex, Park Theatre review - pillow talk proves a snooze
Award-winning Irish play fails to reach a memorable climax |
Malpractice, ITV1, Series 2 review - fear and loathing in the psychiatric unit
Powerful return of Grace Ofori-Attah's scathing medical drama |
Shack, Union Chapel review - the surprise return of the Liverpool legends does not run to plan
A celebration with a sting in its tail |
Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare's Globe - swagger and vivacity cohabit with death
Sean Holmes’ Western-style production brings a flamboyant start to the summer season |
Two to One review - bank heist with a big catch
'Christiane F' star Natja Brunckhorst directs Sandra Hüller in East German crime story |
Fake, ITV1 review - be careful what you wish for
Australian drama probes the terrors of middle-aged matchmaking |
Music Reissues Weekly: John McKay - Sixes and Sevens
The former Siouxsie and the Banshees guitarist digs through his archive and finds treasure |
Pimpinone, Royal Opera in the Linbury Theatre review - farce with a sting in its tail
Telemann’s comic opera hits the mark thanks to two fine, well-directed young singers |
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It followed some...
House of Games, Hampstead Theatre review - adapted Mamet scr...
There is so much that is right about Jonathan Kent’s new production of House of Games – the casting, the staging, the...
Karim Said, Leighton House review - adventures from Byrd to...
William Byrd, Arnold Schoenberg and their respective acolytes go cheek by jowl, crash into one another, soothe, infuriate and shine in their very...
Album: MØ - Plæygirl
Danish singer MØ is a paradox. Initially she appeared to be another Scandi electro-pop princess of the bangers. The monster 2015 hit “Lean On”...
Stile Antico, Wigmore Hall review - a glorious birthday cele...
There was a wonderful festal spirit at the Wigmore Hall last night, as the vocal ensemble Stile Antico ran through a Greatest Hits selection in...
PUP, SWG3, Glasgow review - controlled chaos from Canadian p...
According to PUP lead singer Stefan Babcock, the Toronto foursome practiced together a grand total of twice before embarking on their current UK...
Zoe Lyons, Touring - midlife, without the crisis
Zoe Lyons knows her audience; as a few shoutouts confirmed, many of them are long-time fans, and have had lives with similar highs and...
The Last Musician of Auschwitz review - a haunting testament...
“It is so disgraceful, what happened there,” says Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, in a comment that is the understatement of the century. She is referring...
Giulio Cesare, The English Concert, Bicket, Barbican review...
Is Giulio Cesare in Egitto, to give the full title, Handel’s best and shapeliest opera? Glyndebourne’s revival of the legendary David...
Hallé, Elder, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester review - premiere...
Huw Watkins’ Concerto for Orchestra, the fourth new work of his to be commissioned and premiered by the Hallé and Sir Mark Elder, is...