Culture

Between beer gardens and picnics: Climate Culture Care at the Ashmolean

When I returned to Oxford this term, just as England teased us with the sixth heat-wave of the year, I found myself at a loose end. With the deadline for two vacation essays still far in the distance, the sun lit up the sign for Soma Surovi Jannat’s Ashmolean Now exhibition, Climate Culture Care.

“What is a good life?”: The Standard of Living in review 

“What is a good life?” This axiological question, asked earnestly in the opening lines of James Graham’s The Standard of Living – playing at Theatre Royal Haymarket until December 12 – is often overlooked by the fractured and hyper-specialised discipline of economics.

Diverse voices: ‘Inshallah, Madonna, Inshallah’ by Miljenko Jergović 

‘When he created Earth and these lands upon it, when he divided people into...

Art as protest on university campuses

CW: rape. This week, Cornell University has made headlines as prosecutors reopened an investigation into...

Table Manners Review – ‘subtly and successfully updated’

Flared Productions' new take on Alan Ayckbourn's 1973 play is highly enjoyable

An Unexpected Visitor preview – immersive ingenuity

Lawrence Li is won over by the unconventional staging and comedy of this production

‘Brink’ Preview – ‘an exploration into public vs. private spaces’

Alastair Curtis' new play explores how individuals forge connections with others in our modern, digitalised world

‘Riverdale’, get off your hype horse

Jennifer Donnellan roots out the many flaws of the comic turned teen drama

Autumn by Ali Smith: a seasonal portrait of post-Brexit Britain

The first book in Smith's ongoing quartet reminds us that sympathy is possible in our polarised times

‘Widows’ is a celebration of female grit and resolve

Viola Davis leads a group of kick-ass women in a heist film with a lot on its mind

Salome Review – ‘struggles to take audience into another world’

Tea Party Productions' 'Salome' shows the play's continuing power to unsettle

How Charlie Chaplin lost his voice

The rise and fall of the filmmaker and his silent medium

Table Manners Preview – ‘reworked in a highly engaging manner’

Alex Rugman previews Flared Productions' reworking of Alan Ayckbourn's play.

The Spotify syndicate

We should be wary of Spotify's control over the music we listen to

Strange creatures: monstrosity in Kafka’s ‘The Metamorphosis’

The world of literature is abundant with monsters: physical monsters, psychological monsters, benevolent monsters, evil monsters. However, there is hardly a monster as puzzling...

The appeal of method acting

Many actors go to great lengths in pursuit of an authentic performance

Talaash interview – a fusion of dance, poetry, and identity

A discussion of the cultural significance and community spirit of Talaash

Normal People Review – ‘a novel that speaks to the current climate’

Jenny Scoones discusses the portrayal of masculinity and friendship in Sally Rooney's second novel

The walls that stare – what college portraits tell us about Oxford

They say a picture paints a thousand words. So what do the thousands of portraits hanging around Oxford colleges tell us about the University, and the...

Mojo Preview – ‘gloriously worded script but male dominated’

Cesca Echlin finds this rendition of Jez Butterworth's play hits comic targets, but also reflects on its male-dominated narrative.

Merlin: The magic of kindness

Exploring the continuing relevance of BBC's Merlin

The Band Review – ‘heartwarming and nostalgic fun’

The new Take That inspired musical a great testament to the great British boyband.

Journey’s End Review – ‘powerful commemoration of the centenary’

Adam Radford-Diaper is deeply moved by Cosmic Arts' marking of the centenary of the 1918 armistice

Overlord combines fun, gore, and flaws galore

An entertaining yet terrifying film that will keep you on the edge of your seat

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