At Home He Feels Like A Tourist

  • Angel at the Arcola Theatre review ****

    Angel Arcola Theatre, 4th October 2017 I had been hoping to get an opportunity to see Angel after reading a review of the premiere at the Edinburgh Festival last year. I had read of the very sad death of the actor, Filipa Branganca, who had played the role of the…

  • Mother! film review *****

    Mother! 28th September 2017 What the dickens was that all about. My guess is that director Darren Aronofsky, as with his previous films, is not entirely sure himself. And that is no bad thing. Here is a chap who seems to have a happy knack of selling multi-layered, grand, quasi-surreal…

  • After the Rehearsal at the Barbican Theatre review ***

    After the Rehearsal Barbican Theatre, 28th September 2017 So what was this going to be? Another flawed, portentous (pretentious?), langourous stroll through a story which might better have been left in its original format, like Obsession here at the Barbican earlier this year in the Toneelgroep Amsterdam Residency? Or a…

  • The Wipers Times at Richmond Theatre review **

    The Wipers Times Richmond Theatre, 27th September 2017 The Wipers Times has been knocking about for a couple of years know having morphed from the TV drama written by Ian Hislop and regular partner Nick Newman (which I didn’t see) into the play version at Newbury and then the Arts…

  • The Best Man at Richmond Theatre review ****

    The Best Man Richmond Theatre, 2nd October 2017 N.B. The Best Man has, as I confidently expected, found its way to the West End, to wit the Playhouse Theatre where it opens on 24th February and runs through until 12th May. Well worth a visit and not ridiculously priced, though…

  • Doubt, A Parable at the Southwark Playhouse review ***

    Doubt, A Parable Southwark Playhouse, 26th September 2017 Once again a review of a play whose run is over. Apologies. This revival of Doubt, A Parable, by US playwright JP Shanley, was efficiently directed by Che Walker, but turned out to be a little slighter in form and content than…

  • The Judas Passion at St John’s Smith Square review ***

    Orchestra of the Age of the Enlightenment, Nicholas McGegan, Brenden Gunnell, Roderick Williams, Mary Bevan, Choir of the OAE St John’s Smith Square, 25th September 2017 The Judas Passion is a new work commissioned by the OAE and the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra San Francisco, and was composed by Sally Beamish with…

  • Rachel Whiteread at Tate Britain review *****

    Rachel Whiteread Tate Britain, 25th September 2017 If you take even a passing interest in contemporary British art you are probably aware of Rachel Whiteread, and you may well have seen some of her work. Even if you are not interested, or are firmly in the nihilistic, hater camp that…

  • The Unknown Island at the Gate Theatre review ***

    The Unknown Island The Gate Theatre, 23rd September 2017 Saturday matinees at the Gate Theatre  represent an astonishing bargain by “that London” standards (as do Wednesday matinees though they are limited to us economically unproductive types). So I could traipse up to Wembley to watch Spurs stuff Bournemouth for just…

  • Fretwork at the Wigmore Hall review ****

    Fretwork (Asako Morikawa, Joanna Levine, Sam Stadlen, Emily Ashton, Richard Boothby) Wigmore Hall, 18th September 2017 JS Bach – The Art of Fugue – Contrapunctus I-XI, XIV Fretwork are one of those marvellous groups of dedicated adventurers who have brought Early, Renaissance and Baroque music back to life. There was…