Reviews

  • hamlet
    Hamlet (Theatre)
    Posted in: Drama & Theatre, Reviews

    Shakespeare, the world’s greatest bard was both born and buried in Stratford-upon-Avon 400 years ago so it’s fitting that on this anniversary year Britain’s first all black production of Hamlet should be produced and performed in Stratford – Stratford, East London that is. Black Theatre Live’s partnership with Stratford Circus arts centre and Watford Palace […]

  • henri-barande-exhibition
    Henri Barande (Exhibition)
    Posted in: Reviews, Shows & Exhibitions

    Religious iconography is underscored throughout the large scale abstract works in this, Henri Brande’s first exhibition in the UK, giving the already hushed environment of the white-walled gallery space an even more hallowed atmosphere. Added to this an air of mystery about an artist who not only preferred to work under the radar for half […]

  • Cote Brasserie, Camden
    Cote Brasserie, Camden (Restaurant)
    Posted in: Food & Dining, Reviews

    You won’t have to look too hard to find a restaurant along Camden’s Parkway. For some reason, whether that’s the ethnic make up of the area or just culinary tastes peculiar to NW1, there are a large number of Japanese and Italian eateries along that stretch of road. But squashed some where between is a […]

  • one-night-in-miami
    One Night in Miami (Theatre)
    Posted in: Drama & Theatre, Reviews

    Did this conversation between Cassius Clay (as he was then known), Malcolm X, soul singer Sam Cooke and American footballer Jim Brown actually take place? That’s debatable, but without doubt these three men were close pals of The Greatest and if we are led to believe they were together chatting in this hotel room after […]

  • the-girl-on-the-train
    The Girl on the Train (Film)
    Posted in: Movies & TV Shows, Reviews

    With an idea which remains refreshingly simple in its execution despite its twists and turns, director Tate Taylor takes us on an express train ride through alcoholic lead character Rachel Watson’s (Emily Blunt) inebriated and confused version of the events leading to the death of her ex-husband’s nanny. Adapted from a book by Paula Hawkins […]

  • beyond-caravaggio
    Beyond Caravaggio (Exhibition)
    Posted in: Galleries & Museums, Reviews, Shows & Exhibitions

    Caravaggio’s technique of using intense contrasts of deepest shadows against whites with moon-like colour came to be known as chiaroscuro. The overall effect is to charge the piece with drama and also create a sense of compositional volume. It was imitated not only by 17th-century artists such as Valentin de Boulogne and Jusepe de Ribera […]

  • Arabian Garden
    Arabian Garden (Restaurant)
    Posted in: Food & Dining, Reviews

    Run by a husband and wife team from Algeria and Lebanon respectively, the Arabian Garden restaurant in Stratford, East London stands out on the High Street as a must-visit. The inviting exterior opens into a restaurant with distinctly Middle Eastern ambience and an elegant sense of space from the well positioned décor and dining areas. […]

  • Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
    Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (Film)
    Posted in: Movies & TV Shows, Reviews

    Director Tim Burton’s interpretation of American author Ransom Riggs’ debut novel has his distinctive gothic, offbeat flavour all over it, from Miss Peregrine’s raven-black take on the blue rinse all the way to the grotesque Hollows – monsters who’d look more at home in a horror movie than a children’s drama. Jake is a young […]

  • Antony Gormley FIT
    Antony Gormley: FIT (Exhibition)
    Posted in: Reviews, Shows & Exhibitions

    From Antony Gormley’s 1998 Angel of the North sculpture, perched on a Gateshead hill and commenting on North East social and post-industrial transition, to his current exhibition at The White Cube, Bermondsey doing much of the same about London, but in a totally different way (although The Angel of the North’s baby brother makes a […]

  • The Resurrectionist (Theatre)
    Posted in: Drama & Theatre, Reviews

    In Greek mythology Prometheus stole fire from the Gods and spent eternity paying for his crime. His archetype is ‘resurrected’ in this Frankenstein-influenced play set in a gothic castle overlooking Lake Geneva. We know that the literati writing circle of Romantic poets Lord Byron, Percy Shelley and his wife Mary (who would go on to […]