At Home He Feels Like A Tourist

  • Salome at the National Theatre ***

    Salome National Theatre, 5th July 2017 Salome, much like Common also currently residing on the Olivier stage, has been given a bit of a pasting by the criterati. Not utterly trashed but its obvious flaws have been highlighted. And much like Common I have to say I think the criticism…

  • Gloria at the Hampstead Theatre review ****

    Gloria Hampstead Theatre, 4th July 2017 Right. This might actually be a review of, albeit dubious, utility. There are 3 weeks or so left on the run and there are  a fair few tickets left. And this is a fine piece of theatre with an interesting premise, formal innovation, enough…

  • Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin at the Wigmore Hall review *****

    Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin, Isabelle Faust, Bernhard Forck Wigmore Hall, 29th June 2017 JS Bach – Suite No 2 in A Minor BWV 1067a JS Bach – Violin Concerto in E Major BWV 1042 JS Bach – Violin Concerto in A Minor BWV 1041 CPE Bach – String Symphony…

  • Common at the National Theatre review ***

    Common National Theatre, 28th June 2017 Is it possible to feel sorry for a play? Common has had some pretty poor reviews from the criterati and the public alike and there are tons of tickets left for the month or so left on the run. Well I can’t pretend it…

  • Churchill film review **

    Churchill, 25th June 2017 I am a sucker for screen portrayals of Churchill. I didn’t really get on with The Crown last year on NetFlix but John Lithgow was on the money as the great man. And the past performances from the likes of Brendan Gleeson, Timothy Spall, Michael Gambon,…

  • Monteverdi Vespers at the Barbican Hall review *****

    The Academy of Ancient Music, Choir of the AAM, Robert Howarth, Louise Alder, Rowan Pierce, Thomas Hobbs, Charles Daniels Barbican Hall, 23rd June 2017 It was the Academy of Ancient Music and its choir performing Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers. It was bound to get 5 stars. If you have spent your…

  • Ensemble InterContemporain at the Wigmore Hall review ****

    Ensemble InterContemporain Wigmore Hall, 20th June 2017 Debussy – Premiere rapsodie Bruno Maderna – Viola Messiaen – Le merle noir Philippe Schoeller – Madrigal Luciano Berio – Sequenza 1 Ravel – Violin Sonata Matteo Franceschini – Les Excentriques Ensemble InterContemporain was founded in 1972 by Pierre Boulez and tenures 31…

  • Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Cadogan Hall review ****

    Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins, Jan Mracek Cadogan Hall, 16th June 2017 Berio – Sequenza V for solo trombone Prokofiev – Quintet in G Minor Debussy – Prelude a l’apres-midi d’un faune, Beethoven – Violin Concerto, Shostakovich – Symphony No 5 A welcome innovation from the RPO at its Cadogan…

  • Life of Galileo at the Young Vic review ****

    Life of Galileo Young Vic, 21st June 2017 My Brechtian education continues apace. Who would have thought that until a couple of years ago I hadn’t see any Brecht plays at all and frankly wasn’t that interested having been put off by the great man’s reputation. What a klutz I…

  • My favourite London theatre of 2016

    Right then. I know what you are thinking. Doesn’t this numpty know that it’s June 2017. Bit pointless talking about theatre from last year then. Well yes, you may well have a point. However this blog only started in March 2017 and it’s mine anyway so I can do what…