The Trip to Italy: A Popular Postmodernism
"Did you ever hear of a good sequel?" asks Rob Brydon, in the postmodern improvisational joy that is The Trip to Italy. "The Godfather II," answers Steve Coogan without hesitation. "That's what they...
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Copenhagen 2014: A Look Back
The scene for this year's Eurovision was set by a somewhat dramatic reflection on last year's competition in Malmö. After creating the suitable excitement, the event opened with the usual display of...
View ArticleViva La Bearded Diva!
And they said we'd reached 'peak beard'! While facial hair pundits were only recently predicting a swing back to clean-shaven faces, a gang of ambitious and creative chaps oiled their bristles...
View ArticleBritain's Got Talent 2014 Audition Show Five
As we hit week five, the question I keep being asked, apart from have I met Simon Cowell, is when will I press my golden (Midas) buzzer? Well, time will tell. I am looking for that special someone....
View ArticleNational Disgrace
Since its opening in 2007 the National Theatre's production of WarHorse has attracted widespread critical acclaim. Michael Morpurgo's story set to music was a massive success at the Olivier Theatre and...
View Article'Married At First Sight' - Channel 4's Latest Social Experiment
This post first appeared on LilliesandLove Channel 4 has announced they are to launch a new addition to their line-up of reality TV programmes in the form of 'Married At First Sight'. A relatively...
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Avenue Q - A Review
Avenue Q is a musical that I've always wanted to see but for whatever reason have never had the opportunity. When it first hit the West End in 2009, tickets were almost impossible to find. Either...
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Thinking About Lou, 6 Months Later
Photo: Bill Kelly "Maybe there's something over there Some other world that we don't know about..." --Lou Reed, "Sword Of Damocles," Magic & Loss (1992) Six months after Lou Reed's passing, the...
View ArticleGuns, Trapezes and Suitcases: 'Annie Get Your Gun' UK Theatre Tour
At my feet sits an empty suitcase. The yawning, zippered mouth seems cavernous right now but judging by the chaotic jumble of clothes around me, I have no doubt I'm about to put its capacity to the...
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The Reignition of the Britain's Fire Festivals
Written by Christina Oakley Harrington. May Day has been enjoyed again in London, even in the rough and un-gentrified areas like my beloved Walworth Road. England has always loved its Fire Festivals,...
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Zimbabwe Part Two: Kunzwana #1 and a Mighty Encore
After the success of our first show in Zimbabwe, and the joy of the song writing workshop on Friday morning, it was time to go and play some music on the streets of Zimbabwe. The First Street stage was...
View ArticleSix of the Best Breasts in Music
Don't panic. I'm not about to betray my feminist upbringing by ranking music industry breasts - there's enough of that sort of thing on YouTube comment boards, and it's well known that Simon Cowell has...
View ArticleMicrocosm - Soho Theatre - 3 1/2 Stars
Alex and Clare, are a couple of young professionals who have taken their first step onto the property ladder but before long their bright future is scuppered by a seemingly minor confrontation outside...
View ArticleThe Case of the Incredible Disappearing Princess
I watched a trailer for a movie I didn't recognise at the weekend. It was for an animated movie about a daring, unstoppable thief having a series of misadventures. Right at the end of the trailer, we...
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Katie Price Announced Her Divorce on Twitter - And Didn't Deserve the Abusive...
Last week a seemingly distraught and heartbroken Katie Price (formerly Jordan) took to Twitter to announce her divorce from husband of just over a year, Kieran Hayler, declaring he'd been "having a...
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A Short History of Nymphomania
By Louise Cohen A woman who can't get enough sex - or just a normal girl who gets mocked down the pub. That's how most of us know the word 'nympho' these days, and while the director Lars von Trier...
View Article70 Is the New 60... So Enjoy Later Life!
Age is mind over matter... and if you don't mind it doesn't matter! I enjoy being in my mid seventies, but like many of my age I realise the time has come for a reappraisal of ageing. For me the key to...
View ArticleLook Ma! I'm in Parliament
Well, this mindfulness thing seems to be taking off, which I never expected. When I first went to Oxford three years ago to get my masters in MBCT (mindfulness-based cognitive therapy) I wouldn't tell...
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Bank Holiday Attractions for the Arts and Crafts Enthusiast
Another bank holiday weekend is nearly upon us. If you are an arts and crafts enthusiast looking for inspirational activities with a creative bent then read on. Looking at William Morris, John...
View ArticleThe Kim Kardashian Shoe Change Challenge
This is breaking news. Between a costume change of 't-bar' sandals, to 'over the toe' style, and the continuing has-she? hasn't-she? surgery debate, I can't quite decide which story is most influential...
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