Saturday 7th February 2026

Culture

The mysterious posters in Oxford, and the novel behind them

I had assumed it was just another poster, lost in the usual blur of student plays, society termcards, and talks promising free pizza. But this one was oddly specific.

Musical theatre and classic literature: A marriage of two minds?

Musical theatre owes a great debt to the literature of preceding centuries. Often, all we need is one idea to ignite a spark that leads to something greater.

Rich and generative: In conversation with ‘The Glass Menagerie’

After the success of The Creditors last Michaelmas, the Keble-based Crazy Child Productions is set to bring Williams’ breakout work to the Keble O’Reilly.

How not to decolonise a museum: ‘Suturing Wounds’ at the Pitt Rivers

Emma Heagney reviews Sara Sallam's exhibition at the Pitt Rivers and how the museum interacts with decolonisation.

Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poet’s Department: Who tortures the poet?

The most tortured love affair on Taylor Swift’s new album is her relationship with her audience. Following its release on April 19th, the album’s...

Christian Atheism by Slavoj Žižek review

‘And what did the twentieth century want with religion, already well worn and threadbare from its journey down the ages...What did we have to...

The Oxford Fashion Gala: A stellar display of talent

The evening of Wednesday 8th May brought a show that transcended the limitations of space and time in a beautiful portrayal of Oxford University’s...

Film around the world: Germany’s The Lives of Others

I’m sure that those of us who studied A-Level German back in the day (not so long ago, if you’re a first-year reading this)...

The Mermaid

The mermaid is dying, and no one cares.She does not belong here, here in the suburbsWhere council-mandated hedges block her from the sea.She does...

Freida Toranzo Jaeger’s Prophetic Glitter

Freida Toranzo Jaeger names her paintings like items in a manifesto: Extinction is the price we pay for our existence (2023), Open your heart...

Film around the world: Italy’s Suspiria

The first time I heard about Suspiria, I was nine and my babysitter was telling me I couldn’t watch it, shouldn’t even - that...

Sunak’s Samba with the fashion industry

In Rishi Sunak’s recent Downing Street Interview, his words and promises were certainly not the star of the show. Showing off his Adidas Sambas,...

The Human Body review: ‘A Socialist exploration of healthcare and romance’

I recently attended my first production at the Donmar (https://cherwell.org/2024/01/24/review-of-tennant-as-macbeth-an-auditory-experience/ - shameless self plug!) and fell in love with the energy of the space...

Ten Years to Save the West by Liz Truss review: Revenge of the lettuce

I have met Liz Truss only once. It was in Oxford Town Hall in November of last year and I had tried (without success)...

Cherwell Introducing: Phoebe Blue

Joining me this week is the radiant Phoebe Blue, a 2nd year classicist at Balliol, singer-songwriter, and bassist. Meeting me on a blustery Saturday...

Artificial insights: Decoding diversity and redefining art history with AI

In the age of AI-enhanced art, the possibilities for creativity and cultural exchange are limitless—and inclusive.

War, Peace and Writing

Throughout history, art has left an indelible cultural impact on humanity’s collective understanding of war. Picasso’s ‘Guernica’ is perhaps the most famous manifestation of...

Long Day’s Journey Into Night review

I walked into the Wyndham Theatre’s production of Long Day’s Journey Into Night by Eugene O’Neill half-expecting a night at the London Theatre like...

Film around the world – Turkey’s Atıf Yılmaz

Atıf Yılmaz was a Turkish film director. Until his death in 2006, he was extremely prolific and directed films across every decade of Turkish...

The Christ Church Picture Gallery review

The Christ Church Picture Gallery has free entry for Oxford students. It offers a chance to view one of the most impressive college art collections, with pieces spanning the 14th to 18th centuries

Men used to go to war – now they DJ

Why are so many people becoming DJs? This recent obsession has taken the world – and now Oxford – by storm. Love it or...

Matchstick Cats

Mark and Trev were surrounded on the bed of the truck by old wooden beams and bits of furniture – debris of a life...

The rise of genre fluidity: Is this the death of genre as we know it?

My favourite genre of music: a question I’ve found becoming increasingly difficult to answer over the years, and it’s only now that I’m discovering...

Memory and narrative in Miguel Gomes’ Tabu

"Now approaching the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution, I return to Miguel Gomes’ 2012 feature Tabu."

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