https://youtu.be/Cd61xDR4a74 Libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré Score by Charles Gounod ★★★★ Navigating the human condition, to the eventual judgements of heaven’s light and hell’s fire, Faust holds no prisoners in its sumptuously decadent retelling of the infamous man who sold his soul for wealth, power, and vitally in this iteration, a woman. The Royal Opera … Continue reading Faust – Royal Opera House
Writer and Choreographer: Rhiannon Faith Director: Adam Sheldon Lockdown has forced the hands of creativity to flourish in completely unexpected ways for many, and though several productions seek to transform their shows for a virtual or digital format, Rhiannon Faith’s Drowntown Lockdown, a short film, serves as a precursor to a future theatrical narrative, all the time … Continue reading Drowntown Lockdown – Barbicon Online
https://youtu.be/tu5CBJrEwnE Music: Giacomo Puccini Libretto: Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica Director: Richard Jones ★★★ A painter, a scholar, a musician, and a poet convene in their ramshackle abode – late on rent, low on funds, but bountiful in spirit(s). Giacomo Puccini’s La bohème is one of the artform’s most regularly performed pieces, and a staple of Italian … Continue reading La bohème – The Royal Opera House
https://youtu.be/DSCKfXpAGHc Directed by Thomas Kail Book, Music & Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda ★★★★★ For people who never understood, indeed resented, the attention and proclaimed brilliance of Hamilton – this is the opportunity to witness the phenomenon which has, and continues to, challenge the face of theatrical culture and historical perception. The American founding fathers, among … Continue reading Hamilton – Disney +
https://youtu.be/CaY62OULGC4 Written by Sebastian Faulks Adapted by Rachel Wagstaff Directed by Alistair Whatley & Charlotte Peters ★★★★★ In the bleakest moments of atrocity, even war, stories of the human ability for kindness, compassion and endurance offer lifelines. 104 years, to the day, since the Battle of the Somme, one of modern Europe’s most horrific events, … Continue reading Birdsong – Online
Originally set to take place in Edinburgh’s magnificently vibrant arts space Summerhall, Screen.Dance, Scotland’s Festival of Dance on Screen, will shift to an online format – presenting a digital programme from Friday 19th – Saturday 20th June. Drawing together dancers, choreographers, artists, film producers and musicians, the event will showcase work across the nation and … Continue reading Screen.Dance – Scotland’s Festival of Dance
https://youtu.be/ChksJ8AL9Lk Directed by Marc Meyers USA/ 2019/ 91 mins ★★ Satanists get a bit of a bad reputation, don’t they? Whether it’s John Carpenter’s hideously underappreciated Prince of Darkness, or the more recent The Blackcoat’s Daughter, the blurring of humanity and its association with the Devil is as ancient a narrative tool as possible. Then there were … Continue reading We Summon the Darkness – Review
https://youtu.be/L6P3nI6VnlY Directed by Sam Hargrave Screenplay by Joe Russo ★★★ Hiring an unsavoury sort of chap to secure to the safety of a loved one has seemingly grown into its own genre these days, hasn’t it? From director and stunt-coordinator Sam Hargrave, Netflix is looking to secure viewership with the draw of high-stakes action, visuals and … Continue reading Extraction – Netflix
https://youtu.be/s0sZtjE2MXg Written & Directed by Prentice Penny USA/2020/104 minutes On the subject of wine, The United States not only seems intent on procuring a namesake for their product, but American cinema too has a steadily dripping reserve of films where vineyards sit as a central theme. For every Bottle Shock or Sideways, which take a predominately middle-class approach, there … Continue reading Uncorked – Netflix
