Reviews
-
Review: Howlin’ Fling 2023, Isle of Eigg
Hello! I had a lovely time on Eigg, thanks to everyone there, punters and artists alike. This review originally appeared in the Morning Star newspaper. I’ve added some photos; some of the festival, and some of the various fun walks I was able to do while on the island. From the ferry, Eigg comes into… Read more
-
Renationalising Dolly Parton
A review of 9-5 – The Musical. This first appeared in The Morning Star. 9-5: The Musical The Polish Theatre, London, 4/7/2023 A lingering life regret: passing up the opportunity to go to Dollywood, the Dolly Parton themed attraction in the Tennessee Smoky Mountains. Driving past the gates, thinking: what madness lies within there? Plastic… Read more
-
Return to Seoul
I went to the cinema on a whim. I noticed it cycling by, and it was too perfect to ignore. I passed at 4:29, and there was a film showing at 4:30: Return to Seoul, a film I had heard about without learning anything about, in my usual, hyper-obsessive, hyper-avoidant, spoiler-avoiding way. Sat a few… Read more
-
Trashfuture (live podcast recording in London)
This review first appeared in the Morning Star newspaper I am in the only room left in Britain where the mention of Matt Hancock gets a cheer. I’m not at a masochistic Tory fringe event, or at the disastrous former minister’s birthday party. Instead, I’m at a sold out live recording of a left wing… Read more
-
I’ve started writing regularly about comedy for the Morning Star. Back in the day I had a culture column for them, writing about everything from books to video games. I seem to remember having a very earnest byline photo and a pun-based column title – “Culture Matters”, I believe. I remember being super pleased when… Read more
-
Christian Brighty: Playboy, Brighton Fringe
I first saw Brighty as 1/3 of clown collective Privates, which is an unusual number of balls. Here, he plays a very different kind of testicle in the shape of eighteenth century heartbreaker Lord Christian Brighty – an ancestor, perhaps – in this very enjoyable hour of caddery, invisible ballroom partners, and ships struggling with… Read more
-
The Producers: a Mel Brooks musical, Bridewell Theatre, London
London has myriad nooks and crannies. Tucked away on an old alley off Fleet Street is the Bridewell theatre, where has-been Broadway producer Max Bialystok is resigned to a life of first-night flops and exploring certain other nooks and crannies in order to finance them. The Producers, a musical of a film about a musical,… Read more
jamesofwalsh 