English hierarchy and convention in the 50s are beautifully represented in all their stultifying glory in this slow-moving, painful but funny drama, about a Departmental Manager at the London County Council, coping with loss in the traditional manner, by repressing all his emotions.
All the cliches of post-war middle-class British society are covered: bowler hats, punctuality, understatement…
Considering that it was an impossible task replacing the irreplaceable Chadwick Boseman, who portrayed Black Panther, director and co-writer Ryan Coogler did justice to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with his Wakanda Forever. The movie is an emotional tribute to the late actor who was a wonderful super-hero. Our London Mums‘ editor Monica Costa met him at the first Black Panther‘s…
Mayerling at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and in a cinema near you.
Ballet as you’ve never seen it before, with classically trained dancers properly acting out the story thanks to modern choreography by the great Kenneth Macmillan. Out with the cardboard cut-outs, out with the repetitive Russian symmetry, out with the synchronised swim in tutus.
Ryoichi Hirano and Sarah Lamb in…
The Banshees of Inisherin starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson is a black comedy about a very badly managed falling out.When BFF (Best Friends Forever) becomes BFNM (No More), it is painful for all concerned.
It doesn’t help that the story takes place on the suffocating little fictional Irish isle of Inisherin where the only privacy is to be found by escaping to The…
Good by C.P. Taylor is at the Harold Pinter Theatre until 24 December 2022. A deceptively simple title. It’s the journey of one lecturer from being pretty decent to becoming a holocaust supporter. His personal rationale, torn between disbelief and herd instinct, is an exploration of how Germany allowed it, collectively.
We’ve all looked at end-stage Alzheimer’s sufferers and thought, ‘We…
Quirky, totally, but think:
Do you love music, uplifting music, but can’t play an instrument and would love to be part of a small group which teaches you how to ring a welcome peal for a bride, a babe or a dearly departed one ? Ringers have also been faithfully celebrating and commemorating every great event since the WW1 Armistice, including more recently, the passing of Queen Elizabeth II…
La Boheme at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and in a cinema near you.
God not opera you’re thinking… All mountainous women and no action. Well, not any more, it isn’t. Rather, it’s young singers, who act properly, in edgy sets with humour thrown in.
Boheme (1893-5) has a touch of the Dickens, in that it is a gritty social commentary, mocking all strata of society…
Isn’t London the richest place to be for culture? If you know where to look, you can find anything. Last weekend a stream of films from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were on the menu at the Baltic Film Festival at Riverside Studios. Next week, who knows what delights. London Mums‘ editor Monica Costa and I caught the final screening in this festival.
The story
Anastasia (13)…
Sung by The 1885 Singers, based in All Saints, Putney.
This Mass is Romcom-meets-God !! Possibly about as irreverent as the film ‘Life of Brian’ which retold the life of Jesus as a musical. Rossini wrote his last great work for friends, and said himself he wasn’t sure if it was sacred or sacrilegious. The Pope banned the orchestral version with female voices.
And you can understand…
My Neightbour Totoro is at the Barbicanuntil 21 January 2023.
Totoro is a kind of Japanese Winnie-the-Pooh and has become a legend both in Japan and around the world. The film by Miyazaki dates from the 80s, but is set in 50s Japan, in the countryside. This first ever staging of the film is a triumph. I even dressed up as a Totoro, accompanied by my Japanese husband, Tadashi, and…