‘Deeply funny and moving’ With the shadow of Pina Bausch less looming large and more guiding their actions, Tanztheater Wuppertal brings one of the late choreographer’s older works back to London. But how does the gender politics of 1978, wrapped in the clothes and music of the mid-1930s, land in 2022? I love Bausch, and Kontakthof has all the elements we come ...

‘Flounders in what it is trying to say’ Deep beneath the Ham Yard Hotel, Cyrano de Bergerac is brought once again vividly onto the silver screen. Sadly, this beloved farce has an identity crisis in the chrysalis and comes out bewildered. Satirising the romantic French novels of the 1600s,  Edmond Rostand’s 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac is known for its ludicrous, comic ...

‘Life in the old dog yet’ Surrounded by the golden stuccoed and sweeping grandeur of the Shoreditch Town Hall the evening of uplifting music and youthful talent is surprisingly spartan. Simple orange lights never change allowing for the music to sing… for itself. Rebecca Miller looks very much like a chic circus ringleader conducting the red and black orchestra in ...

‘Neither the grubby, irrelevant cabaret of the Kit Kat Club nor the jazz age glamour of F Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel’ Suited, booted, plucked, and tucked we rustle down to the London Cabaret Club for an event loosely based around ‘The Great Gatsby’. However, the event feels more like a P&O cruise around the Caribbean in 1982 than the thumping ...

‘A riotous explosion of infusion, colour and reinvention’ As (seemingly) the whole of London’s Ukrainian population squeeze In the Barbican Hall I find myself pleasantly astonished. DakhaBrakha may technically be a folk group and wear traditionally Ukrainian costume but there’s nothing old-fashioned or conservative about what I’m about to witness. Created as a theatre project in 2004 Marko Halanevych (vocals, ...

‘Some gothic flavour thrown in for good measure’ ‘The father of the rock ballad’ and creator of a genre (‘Steinmanesque’), Jim Steinman’s songs have permeated the cultural consciousness. However, all the leather, Harley-Davidsons and soaring vocals don’t equate to an easy ride for his most famous musical.  Like a mix between Peter Pan and Repo! The Genetic Opera, Bat Out of Hell welcomes us into ...

‘Marathon concert offers an eye-opening view of music and humanity’ Like the Noisettes song 24 hours, a lot can change in a day. We all have the same allocation (myself and Beyoncé, for example) but it’s how you use them that counts. That’s why when I saw the Barbican was putting on a 24-hour concert starting last Saturday night, I thought ‘Sure, do ...

‘An undeniable success’ Two prestigious talents brought together for an evening dedicated to love of the Violin. Four composers exhibit their different visions for the instrument as Maxim Vengerov’s fingers dance along the strings and Simon Trpčeski’s glide along the keys. The crowd pulled in by the amassed talent is predictability large, and the muffled (masks) chatter feels comforting after ...

‘Heavy and hearty’ Christmas Is dead, you’re back home, trousers a little tighter, wallet a little lighter, eyes filled with resolutions shinning a little brighter. But why should the real joys of Christmas (the food) be ditched come the new year? Hearing from my editor that a burger pop-up is offering a full roast on Sundays my blood levels began ...

‘Soul-warming gem’ More than 2000 years’ worth of human steps have bustled along the Roman Road. With olive oil coming from Greece and amphorae of wine from Pompeii, this street is certainly no stranger to new cuisines. Now up pops an homage to the American deep south, named after one of its fieriest products. It is as if one has ...