Sunday 11th January 2026

Culture

2025 releases you may not have seen (but definitely should)

It’s that time of year again: the season in which we are inundated with a never-ending stream of lists ranking 2025’s top releases. Cherwell, however, will not attempt to...

‘Dark, revealing, gripping’: In conversation with the cast of ‘JACK’

JACK, by Musketeer Productions, reimagines the cult story of the most notorious serial killer...

‘The political is also political’: Ash Sarkar’s ‘Minority Rule’

Universities have often been seen as bastions of radicalism. Forgetting the fact that higher...

Graceful and self-assured: Circle Mirror Transformation reviewed

Boulevard Productions’ Circle Mirror Transformation is a faithful and competent take on Annie Baker’s...

The man of the moment: Review of Keir Starmer: The Biography by Tom Baldwin

"Baldwin does his best to humanise Starmer and to deflate the view of him as “Mr Boring”."

A Press Morning at Yoko Ono’s ‘MUSIC OF THE MIND’ Exhibition

"The gallery space itself did not provide an atmosphere of silence, but rather upon observation, isolated moments of contemplation and quietness were evident amongst the bustling scene in the room."

Zone of Interest – Review

"His euphemisms are obvious, yet they are emblematic of the culture of 'seeing without seeing' that cast its shadow over the National Socialist period in Germany. "

Dynamic, Chaotic and Physical: Review of Frantic Assembly’s Metamorphosis

"Frantic Assembly takes on a new challenge, taking a decades old Kafka novel, The Metamorphosis, and putting it to the stage in their signature physical theatre style."

American Odyssey- The world building of Lana del Rey’s music

"The past decade of Lana del Rey’s music has ventured  from the deserts and neon-lights of Las Vegas to the streets of New York, Hollywood, and eventually rural California."

Nuclear Bombs and Feminism: Monica Sjöö’s Exhibition at Modern Art Oxford

"Based on the Modern Art Oxford posters, Monica Sjöö’s activism appeared to be a driving force for social change."

Julius Caesar at the TS Eliot Review: ‘Mature and Intelligent’

"From start to finish, it was a show filled with excellent performances from leading cast members."

Is it fair to still care about award ceremonies?

"I’m not quite at the level where I stay up until four in the morning to watch the Oscars, but I will, without fail, google the winners the next day"

‘Frost/Nixon’ by St John’s Drama Society – Review 

"Rohan Joshi is a star turn as President Nixon. His wounded gait, booming American accent, and measured pace of delivery kept the audience rapt."

A queer exploration of new age romance: ‘Best of Five’ Review

"Watching ‘Best of Five’ felt like I was watching a combination of mine and my friends' university experience playing out in front of me. "

OUO at the Sheldonian review: ‘Spectacular throughout’

"The Sheldonian Theatre was treated on Saturday of 4th week to a display by some of the University’s best musical talent."

Poor Things – Fashion Deconstructed

"Disturbing and spirited, Poor Things unconventional story is truly supported by equally unconventional but meaningful designs."

A modern way of doing Chekhov: The Cherry Orchard Review

"If the look of the production is traditional, then Esme Buzzard’s translation is distinctly fresh."

Daddy Longlegs: a Big Step Up for Student Production

"Daddy Longlegs went above and beyond the standard I’ve come to expect of student productions in my time at Oxford."

Review: Chaucer Here and Now, Weston Library

"Mansplaining scribes, scandalised censors, and unfinished endings. Even from day one, there is no stable and single Chaucer."

Gawain and the Green Knight – Review

"Gawain and the Green Knight was a play I was eager to see."

Five Songs for the Fifth Week Blues

"I believe that music makes a lot of things in life better. Fifth week at Oxford is no exception."

Crafting Kingship: Hellenistic Royal Portraiture

"A standardised visual vocabulary of royal ideology represented by statues and coinage"

Oxford University Short Film Festival 2024 – Day 5

"The Keble O’Reilly was yet again packed for the last night of what has, by all accounts, been a fantastically successful run for the Oxford University Short Film Festival (OUSFF). "

Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before: Week 3

"Each week, Rufus brings you a poem along with his thoughts on it. This week, he looks at The Winter Palace, by Phillip Larkin."

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