Katy Massey draws on her own family history as the basis for her downbeat and gritty debut crime novel All Us Sinners. The book is set in Leeds, in the North of England, in the late 1970s, during the reign of terror of the killer who came to be known and The Yorkshire Ripper, All…
Each year I keep coming back for a repeat dose of Christmas cheer. Why? Because The Old Vic’s A Christmas Carol is a fine, heartfelt and meaningful production, in which the actor who plays Scrooge changes from year to year. Charles Dickens’ tale of greed at the expense of humanity may date back to 1843,…
Seriously Red is a cautionary tale about obsession, fandom, and discovering who you are. This Australian jukebox musical draws from the songbook of iconic singer Dolly Parton, and in style and look is something of a throwback to the 90s. The film is the brainchild of star and writer Krew Boylan (from TV series A…
Breathtaking vocals, including soaring solos and perfectly pitched harmonies, outstanding musical accompaniment and a superbly crafted set are hallmarks of Songs for a New World, a musical about journeys through the ages. There is no spoken or linear narrative, rather back-to-back characters’ stories (all sung) about moments of decision in their lives – decisions draw…
At first glance, Greenwood appears to be yet another environmental dystopia. The novel opens with a group of environmental tourists in 2038 being shown some of the last of the world’s great trees on an island off the west coast of Canada. And whilst there is a deep strain of environmentalism in Greenwood, it is…
Great energy, a strong score, big voices, creative staging and impressive lighting design distinguish Tommy circa 2022. The story still packs punch. Tommy has seen and experienced too much in his young life. His mum, Mrs Walker (Amy Lehpamer) and dad, Captain Walker (Matt Hetherington) were very much in love, when his dad was sent off to war,…
In essence a chase novel, Shepherd is also a confidently pitched work about something just a little different. There’s not a lot written that is set in this time, being the settler years of Australia, so that alone is something of a literary hook and grab for a young reader to pick up this book….
Is bullfighting a subject appropriate for children? I don’t think so. It’s an ancient and barbaric practice. Just why the producers of Ferdinand believed it was appropriate to turn this into a cutesy animated feature is puzzling, to say the least. I say that notwithstanding that the central character is a gentle giant. At one point he literally…
So far as US network television is concerned, The Good Wife ticked a lot of boxes. The legal drama scored a host of awards and, it’s fair to say, was missed by many when it finished in 2016. If you’re one of those, you may want to tune into The Good Fight, now showing on…
Not a new concept but so unacknowledged! Yes, the middle aged woman is pretty much invisible. If you’re over 40 and female, one could rob a bank, steal a car or murder someone and likely no one would ever think it was you. Can You See Her chronicles the effects of loss and how age…
