I tried explaining Sondheim’s complex morality fable to my five-year-old granddaughter. “You might find it scary," I said. "It weaves together the stories of Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Rapunzel and Jack and the Beanstalk with a new story about a baker and his wife. The pair long for…
Shirleymander ★★★★
The Chess Player ★★★★
Effigies of Wickedness ★★★★
A riot of colour, challenging ideas and songs with bite that the Nazis tried to ban. When the Nazis branded music by Jewish composers and ‘negro music’, the so-called ‘degenerate’ music of the Weimar cabaret, an ‘effigy of wickedness’ – they banned it too. But not before staging a Degenerate Music Exhibition…
SHOW ★★★★
Hofesh Shechter’s apprentice company dances up a whirlwind of comedy and menace. Celebrated choreographer Hofesh Shechter presents Shechter II, his apprentice company for dancers ages 18-25. Just eight extraordinary young international talents, chosen from over 1,000 who auditioned, prove they are already…
Life and Fate ★★★★★
Book review: The Shakespeare Flickbook
A visually intriguing gift from the late graphic designer Abram Games for the bard's 454th birthday. In 1975 Abram Games, one of Britain’s greatest graphic designers, was commissioned to make a Centenary Appeal poster for the Royal Shakespeare Company. His brilliant solution was to become known beyond…