Category: France
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A History of British Architecture: Tudor and Early Stuart 1540 to 1660
Preamble So there will a few of these. Obviously largely generated by AI Claude. With my interjections and prompts in red text. The subject interests me and this is a way of fixing in my head. Well sort of. Anyway, in short, more for me than you. This all started…
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The Stuff of Dreams and Exploitation: The Reckoning
Part 4 of 7 A canter through the history of luxury, consumption and desire The Reckoning LVMH’s fall, the superfake Rolex, Arnault versus the tech bros, and what happens when the phantasmagoria fails In the first quarter of 2025, Bernard Arnault — founder and chief executive of LVMH, the world’s…
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A History of British Architecture: Norman Britain 1066 to 1150 AD
A meander through the history of British Architecture by era. Part 4 The Normans.
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God of Carnage at the Rose Theatre Kingston ***
God of Carnage Rose Theatre Kingston, 11th February 2020 I remain ambivalent about the work of French playwright Yasmina Reza. I can see why she would wish to lampoon “middle-class” mores in her contemporary comedies of manners. There is, after all, a long and illustrious dramatic tradition of doing so.…
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Cyrano de Bergerac at the Playhouse Theatre review *****
Cyrano de Bergerac Playhouse Theatre, 30th January 2020 I appreciate the utter pointlessness of me rabbiting on right now about theatre productions that have come and gone but since I am ill equipped to do anything but stay out of the way as instructed, then forgive me my indulgence. Actually…
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Two Ladies at the Bridge Theatre review *
Two Ladies Bridge Theatre, 2nd October 2019 Well on the plus side the new season just announced at the Bridge looks to be a humdinger. A revival of Caryl Churchill’s A Number, directed by Polly Findlay with Roger Allam and Colin Morgan as Salter and son(s), Nick Hytner taking on…
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Edmond de Bergerac at Richmond Theatre review ****
Edmond de Bergerac Richmond Theatre, 1st May 2019 Alexis Michalik is a loving looking chap. Oozes Gallic charm. The wunderkind of French theatre. So its good to know he is half-British. He kicked off as an actor but it is his plays, which have run to packed houses in Paris…
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Tartuffe at the National Theatre review *****
Tartuffe: The Imposter National Theatre Lyttleton, 24th April 2019 Top Girls. Downstate. Small Island. Follies which I can vouch for from the first run. And now this Tartuffe. All superb. If the NT is still going through a dodgy patch artistically then f*ck knows how good it is going to…
At Home He Feels Like A Tourist 