Saturday 13th June 2026

Culture

Nonsense and sensibility: Adapting Austen for the screen

It is a truth universally acknowledged that not all Jane Austen adaptations are created equal.

‘Our House’ in the middle of Beaumont Street

'Our House' ultimately becomes not just a story about crime or morality, but about the vulnerability of growing up and the frightening uncertainty of trying to decide who you are.

Is the dancefloor really dead?

Tongue-in-cheek as it may be, Charli xcx’s ‘Rock Music’ speaks to the structural issues actively decimating nightlife across the world, even if her motivations may be more aesthetic than political.

Testing my patients: ‘The Effect’ at the BT Studio reviewed

Necessarily navigating the difference between ‘side effects’ and reality, the play strikes a fine balance between what one thinks and what one feels.

Fringe: “Quite absurd”, Review of Blue Dragon

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”, says a harried wife to her brooding husband as she looks out onto a small and scattered audience in an...

Fringe: “Continuously Shocks”, a Review of Cruelty

“Imagine. You're a character. You're in a club.” This may be Oli's (Luke Nixon) first line to the audience but it does not feel necessary....

Fringe: “Uncannily familiar”, Review of Cowboys and Lesbians

"Immensely funny, masterfully constructed, and, uncannily familiar", Anuj Mishra reviews Billie Esplen's original play 'Cowboys and Lesbians'.

‘ASMR Eat Your Heart Out!’: A Review of The Metamorphosis

The Metamorphosis was, understandably, intense, and weird – in a good way. Blessed with excellent performances, and clever use of technology, the play captured all the absurdity of Kafka.

‘He eagerly played the lead guitar whilst simultaneously thrashing a piano chord with his foot’ – A review of Jacob Collier’s Bristol concert

'With at least 12 different musical instruments on stage, Collier tirelessly leapt from one instrument to another across the stage'

Harry Potter as Therapy

'I am 25 years old, and I have reread the Harry Potter books 10 times, but in this review I want to introduce you to something truly special'

“A Brilliant Balancing Act”: A Review of By Proxy

By Proxy is shocking, morally complicated, and will have you frustrated, yet empathetic towards both Kit and Jo. It is also hysterically funny, with witty dialogue and inside jokes that will appeal to the Oxford student. By Proxy is a brilliant balancing act that engages at every turn.

“A Joy to Watch”: A Review of ‘Window Seat’

The play is a joy to watch. Coleman always provides just enough detail in the dialogue to allow the audience to follow what is happening without making the relationship between the two characters seem overlaboured or mechanistic.

“Bugs Are Cool”: Interview with the Cast and Crew of The Metamorphosis

"Gregor Samsa is a travelling salesman in the cloth trade who has been worked to the bone and suffers under the pressure of his family, who rely on him financially. At the beginning of the play, he wakes up to discover that he has transformed into a repulsive and unhuman creature."

“Dreamlike and Wonderful”: A Review of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’

"All in all, a dream-like and wonderful way to spend the ‘three hours between our after-supper and bedtime’, in the words of Theseus himself."

Retelling the Immigrant Experience: A Review of ‘Xiao’

'Before us is a potted plant, a porcelain tea set, a dinner table, and a couple in embrace.'

Review: ‘A Girl in School Uniform (Walks into a Bar)’

'This is a production that knows what it’s doing.'

“Fast-paced, witty and painfully relatable”: Review of Immaculate

'The Devil, complete with a set of black wings, is sat at the end of the row having a chat with an audience member as we arrive for the opening night of Oliver Lansley’s ‘Immaculate’ '

“Heartwarming, enjoyable, and refreshingly different”: A Review of Sisyphus House

'The charm of the production was in the idea that the titular house had been witness to all sorts of burgeoning relationships throughout its tenure, and this was sweetly conveyed through Nott and Bruton’s writing.'

“A successful exploration of the play’s tension and comedy”: A review of Macbeth.

Andrew Raynes’ production of Macbeth is a successful exploration of the play’s tension and comedy, and the cast and crew should be congratulated on bringing that out. The production succeeds in creating the world of Macbeth, and is blessed with some very talented actors which help bring it to life.

Kesha ‘Gag Order’: A review

'The album is all Kesha, a meticulously crafted and finely tuned testament to her prowess as a songwriter.'

Meeting the President’s Husband: An Interview with Peter Kessler

'Come to Magdalen Monday Movies. You will not regret it. And whatever happens, you're not getting your money back.'

Evil Dead Rise: Brutal, Bloody, Bonkers.

'Spirits are unleashed, souls are possessed, and jumpscares are aplenty.'

Why Oxford’s Fashion Gala was better than the Met’s  

'The line of reporters and photographers asking the same questions to uncomfortable-looking celebrities, who try to recollect why Lagerfeld was in fact their personal hero, makes for tortuous watching.'

Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying: Tracing the Atmospheres of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic

'When the pandemic hit Ontario, William Faulkner was a cadet in the Canadian Royal Air Force. Writing home to his parents, he would bemoan the lengthiness of his base’s lockdown, and the protracted sense of time it engendered.'

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