Latest 7 magazine

Dripping style and period charm this witty dramatisation conjured humour from Agatha Christie’s own words. The nuances, social airs and wild snobbery make for good laughs and the director and cast certainly played the game. Not by mugging but by playing it straight, well fairly, and allowing us to find the giggles.
A great set and costumes and a curtain that rose and fell established that period feel too. Denis Lill was deadpan to great comic effect, Catherine Shipton brilliantly gauche but top marks go to Bruce Montague and Robert Duncan whose eccentric capers were perfectly pitched.
A thoroughly enjoyable night at the theatre.
Theatre Royal, 13 July
4/5
Andrew Kay

Victoria Nangle reckons a funny thing happened… but was it stand-up?

The other week I went on holiday. I know, I’m lucky. Now, I went on holiday to a land that didn’t trade in the Euro or the dollar. This meant it was very hot, quite Muslim and not a lot of other people that looked like me. We were staying quite near a mosque and I kept worrying that I was wearing inappropriate attire. Were my sleeves too short? Should I be wearing a scarf on my head? Were my sandalled feet too flagrant? Alright, I got a little paranoid in my concerns but people were staring at me. The second day of our holiday we went to a Western Quarter where everyone was wearing Western clothes and I looked quite conservative, and STILL people were staring at me. My friend even spotted a mother pointing me out to her child! What the blazes?! And then I remembered… that I am a giant. Read the rest of this article »

The Duke of York’s is fantastic at adding a sense of occasion to its big movie launches. With previous events for Batman Returns and The Simpsons Movie to name but a couple the theme of dressing up in 1930s style went down a treat with punters and staff alike. With a red carpet laid out, paparazzi shots taken and a mini-play before the film started that took place from all over the cinema and was smashing fun, this was ‘event Friday night’. So much more than a night at the pictures.
Duke of York’s Picturehouse, 3 July
5/5
Victoria Nangle

“Sorry about the tennis,” Californian band Chief said by way of introduction after Roddick beat Murray only hours before. The crowd didn’t mind and were soon treated to a set of well executed indie tracks. Chief’s music was flawless, their sound dynamic – they made the most of the small setting and were ever the professionals in adjusting equipment and sound levels to deliver a quality performance. Top supporting bands geared up the crowd, including Fearless Heroes, who, with a new drummer in tow, were on form and looked at home on stage.
The Freebutt, 3 July
4/5
Zara Baker