Culture

Review: 113 – ‘An elusive, intangible, and shifting reality’

When I entered the Burton Taylor Studio to the sound of a mildly haunting cover of Tracy Chapman’s ‘Fast Car’, the whispered-yet-screechy vocals verging on the absurdly comic, I...

Theatre Georgina Cooper -

A ‘Closer’ look at intimacy in Labyrinth’s new production

Labyrinth Production’s upcoming production of Patrick Marber’s Closer is a novel step up in...

Theatre Faye Chang -

Review: Cyrano de Bergerac – ‘A clever adaptation of a timeless play’

I’m ashamed to admit I almost mistake Cuigy (Kate Burke) and Brissaille (Nancy Gittus)...

Theatre Natalie Tan -

Why reading for pleasure still matters at Oxford

The idea of students reading for pleasure during term time has sparked much debate....

Books Ruby Tipple -

Latest

Review: Sweetener by Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande finds produces some intermittent bangers while caught in the changing tides of contemporary pop

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...