A great sense of fun, good humour and liberal dollops of audience interaction are the constants in Paris Underground, a subversion of classic French cabaret and variety that is more than a little cheeky. Seven performers take to the stage for a couple of hours singing, dancing, tapping, contorting, climbing, telling stories and performing magic…
In Paul Greenrass’ new film, News of the World, a veteran of the Civil War travels across the country reading the news from papers he collects. Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Tom Hanks) shares stories of disasters, politics and gossip for audiences in every town he visits. He’s mainly talking to people who are illiterate or…
An Easter Saturday night opening at the Old Fitz. And what an opening. Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, by Rajiv Joseph, presented by a young independent company, Mad March Hare Theatre, directed by Claudia Barrie, was an unexpected pleasure. One of the highest order. On the eve of the celebration of the Resurrection of…
Writer-director Adam McKay’s new film, Don’t Look Up, spoofs the materialistic, pop-culture world we live in. Earth is about to be destroyed by a comet, but do people care? Apparently not and the lack of interest is led by no less than the US president. PhD student Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) discovers the comet. At…
If you’ve heard of the slow cinema movement, Kelly Reichardt could be considered its high priest. Her exacting, often dramatically beautiful films are the antithesis of, say, modern superhero movies. Often set on the American frontier, her work features long static shots and minimal dialogue. And Reichart’s new film, First Cow, follows much the same…
Texas 1979. A group of six amateur filmmakers head into rural Texas to film an adult movie called The Farmer’s Daughter, but end up in a “f***ed up horror movie” instead. Buoyed by the commercial success of adult films like Debbie Does Dallas and Deep Throat, both of which were massive box office hits, and…
“Dead bodies usually mean something bad…” It’s 1945, towards the send of WWII. The German navy are even sinking hospital ships. When the film opens, a group of survivors from a sunken hospital ship are adrift somewhere in the North Atlantic. Tensions are high as they are desperately short of food and water. This motley…
High on a hill in the peaks of my childhood memories, live many viewings of The Sound of Music. Catchy tunes, a dramatic wedding dress, adorable children and a nanny we all wish we could spend the day with – what’s not to love? And theatre-goers clearly feel the same, with sold out productions around…
Stirring solos, captivating duets and soaring ensemble numbers are the hallmarks of a stunning world premiere concert production of an age-old story. The work, which is based around the tale of the Hunchback of Notre Dame, has been a labour of love for composer and librettist Samuel Kristy. With original orchestrations by Hamish Ander, under…
American Primitive is the thirteenth studio album by veterans Old 97’s. The record is arriving just months before the 30th anniversary of their debut album, Hitchhike to Rhome. The band, consisting of vocalist/guitarist Rhett Miller, bassist Murry Hammond, guitarist Ken Bethea, and drummer Philip Peeples, describes the album as a “de-evolution,” featuring big, loud, brutal,…
