Wednesday 27th May 2026

Culture

‘Would you mind if I asked you a troubling question?’:  ‘Ulster American’ in review

Arun Lewis reviews Grá Productions' staging of David Ireland's 'Ulster American', and finds fault in an otherwise fascinating performance.

Subs, dubs, and AI flubs: Lost in film translation

How hard could it be to watch an entire film in German when I could not even introduce myself in the language? Quite hard, it turns out.

Barker & Co. Booksellers: Oxford’s newest independent bookshop

A new secondhand bookstore opened in Oxford city centre last week. Located in the Golden Cross shopping centre, just off Cornmarket Street, the bookstore stocks hundreds of secondhand books, ranging from accessibly priced paperbacks to rare and expensive antiquarian first-editions.

‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ in review

The Harris Manchester Players immersed Oxford’s inhabitants in the delightful world of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest this May.

Preview: The Witch of Edmonton – ‘promises a sufficiently sinister experience’

Hoof and Horn Productions' take on The Witch of Edmonton heads to the BT Studio in Seventh Week

Staging Invisibility

The writer of Week Seven's Hustlers at the BT discusses the concept of the hustler and diversity in theatre

Sensual Absence in Jim Jarmusch

"If there is one thing Stranger than Paradise and Down by Law teach about Jarmusch, it is that he does a disservice to himself every time he makes a film in technicolour"

Boards, Beats and Bros: Mid90s Review

"Following the traditional narrative arc of the coming-of-age tale, the film follows Stevie as he rides out the highs and lows of adolescence, and learns important life lessons along the way."

Sensuality In Strauss’ ‘Salome’

"Salome’s kiss is undoubtedly an extreme example, a sensual climax of an obscene kind, but musically important nonetheless, and a moment that illuminates its preceding pages of music."

Frequencies and what they do to you

A primer to the niche field of "sound art"

Philosophy in the Bookshop – Nigel Warburton in Conversation with Naomi Wolf

Naomi Wolf talks of book blunder and her ties to Oxford.

An Artificial Low

Reviewing Ottessa Moshfegh's 'My Year of Rest and Relaxation' (Jonathan Cape, 2018)

Menial Heroics

Reviewing Sayaka Murata's 'Convenience Store Woman' (Granta, 2019)

Review: The Tempest – ‘exploit the comic potential in Shakespeare’s verse’

RJ Productions present an enjoyable rendition of Shakespeare’s last solo-authored play, whose strongest points lie in its subtler elements

Review: Ordinary Days – ‘brings the score to life in quite an extraordinary way’

A rom-com premise gives way to a brilliant musical at the BT, with endearing and relatable performances

Review: My Mother Runs in Zig-Zags – ‘incredibly refreshing and ambitious’

An all-BAME cast and crew production, My Mother Runs in Zig-Zags powerfully explores civil war, intergenerational trauma and the diasporic experience

Review: The First Last – ‘an unmitigated triumph’

Student playwright Matt Kenyon's hilarious comedy about unplanned fatherhood is on at the BT Studio until Saturday

Preview: A View from the Bridge – a fresh take on the Miller classic

Practically Peter Productions bring the Arthur Miller classic set in 1950s Brooklyn to the Pilch in Sixth Week.

Should comedy have an expiration date?

In a politically correct society, we look at whether it is right to remove offensive jokes from comedies written before our time

Review: Amadeus – University College Players ‘have more than risen to the challenge’

With outstanding performances and excellent musical accompaniment, University College Players do justice to Peter Shaffer's Amadeus

Review: The Roaring Girl – ‘a ground-breaking proto-feminist piece of theatre’

With cross-dressing, feminist themes and a feisty soundtrack, The Roaring Girl proves a fifth week delight

Review: Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons – ‘complex but never cumbersome’

With a compelling performance and effective use of lighting and music, Dromadaire Productions encourages us to consider the importance of communication

Being under the spell of Harry Potter

An overview of the outrageous content of the Fangasm podcast

The exploitation of musicians’ emotional struggles

"The general reaction to musicians’ pains is a testament to the humanity of our age."

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