‘This celebration of Blackness and all its beauty is a soaring slipstream of change’ Cassa Pancho does it again. Pulling intellectually stimulating, and eye-wateringly beautiful ballet out of the proverbial hat. Even if the evening is a little one-sided, I ask, what have we done to deserve it? Ballet Black returns in all their glory. A double bill, something old and something ...

‘Lacking emotional groundwork’ The theatrical version of ‘does what it says on the tin’, Anders Lustgarten’s new state of the nation play focuses on the north/south divide and the rise of the alt-right. City vs town, left vs right, community vs self, you get the idea… Anders Lustgarten exploded onto the scene in 2007 with commissions from the National and Soho ...

‘A stylish step in the right direction’ Mare Street has long been a boardwalk of cool new dinner spots – including a couple I’ve reviewed in the last few months. But an architect-cum-restaurateur opening a vegan fine dining experience in an old factory building – now that, my friend, is cool. Edit founder Elly Ward’s passion for the planet isn’t just ...

‘Like turning a piece of topaz around in the sunlight’ We have all seen our most irritating friends Instagram posts; pruning in the blue lagoon, drenched in earth spit from geysers, drinking odd concoctions in Reykjavik’s bars. But Iceland’s history has always been tempered by depopulation, hardship, and natural ferocity. It wasn’t always a snowy playground for Europeans on a bucket list ...

‘Beautiful music, beautiful sentiment, and at times beautiful animation’ The world is melting as you may have heard, and with those of us of reading age slowly racing towards senility, the children are our only hope. With climate despair rampant it is important to remind young people of the choice and hope inherent in their future. What better way to do that ...

‘An infinitely pretty space to get classily trollied on aperitivos’ The pub is dead. Maybe a touch hyperbolic but stay with me. What I mean is the blueprint of an evening spent downing lukewarm pints until you can’t stand is becoming less tempting for many people. Nightlife has changed. But what steps into the void? What does a good time ...

‘Marred in the mud and mess of living off the land’ Remember when the pandemic caused a mass stampede to the countryside? Well, the statistics are in and have shown nature’s healing power has already begun to wane as those brave explorers are slowly drawn back to the cities. What is to blame for this reversed migration? A great example ...

‘Everything you could think of shoved into this odd little show’ Julie Cunningham & Company I’ll give ya what ya want, what ya really really want… and if that is a space-age experimental dance piece with the famous Jules Cunningham and sporty (dancy) spice Mel C, then that is what you’ll get. But how does this happen? Celeb cameos are ...

‘Little mistakes puncture a layered tapestry’ With discussions and support for mental health reaching a historic high, a play about a precipitous spiral into instability might seem an easy win. But Director Rebecca Frecknall has a difficult task on her hands, trading in the worn-out sequins of Cabaret (her most recent coup) for something much darker and arguably more complex. One of Tennessee ...

‘Skewered by their own success’ Starting a review with a dramatic statement is a writer’s right. Shock, explain, and recapitulate. It works very well. So well it has almost become cliché…. But will I do it again? Punchdrunk’s extension of the run of The Burnt City until September 2024 rather forces me doesn’t it? I hate immersive theatre. This isn’t ...