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Tag Archives: theartsdesk

Two Years At Sea

Anger-provoking art-house documentary about a guy who gets up to so little they don’t even bother to tell us his name (reviewed). — For theartsdesk

Cymbeline (in Arabic)

Yesterday’s Globe theatre retelling of the Cymbeline story opened – or at least appeared to open – with the entire cast contributing their 2p-worth on the issue of what the story of Cymbeline actually was. And fair dos. A ‘late’ and abnormally tortuous Shakespearean number, Cymbeline seems not only to have been constructed out of […]

theASHtray, vol.13

David Walliams does Roald Dahl, AA Gill does Mary Beard, and I do children’s literature, Little Britain, Donald Sturrock, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Sunday Times, Romans, the Daily Mail, Cicero, Bettany Hughes, Time Team, the Cambridge Latin Course, constipation, movie posters, The Ides of March, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The English Patient, […]

theASHtray, vol.12

A trenchant critique of all things Israel-Palestine – starring Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Rabin and Helena Bonham Carter – Ricky Gervais, retardations, Karl Pilkington, Channel 4, nurses, Gladiator, Star Wars, Leon, Madame Tussauds, Marvel, Shrek, Hamlet, Tom Phillips (RA), Lord of the Rings, Orhan Pamuk, museums, cabinets of curiosity, Istanbul, A Serbian Film, Daniel […]

La Fille du régiment

Donizetti’s silliness at the ROH, reviewed. — For theartsdesk

Town of Runners

Documentary on what’s in the water in the distance-running capital of the world: Bekoji, Ethiopia. (Reviewed.) — For theartsdesk

Navel-gazing, with Pamela Stephenson

Review of More4’s Pamela Stephenson: The Fame Report. — For theartsdesk

theASHtray, vol.11

An Easter holiday special, in which we take in Exeter’s Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Ancient Egypt, the Grand Tour, stuffed birds, Congolese objets d’art, camera-less photography, amateur collectors, wunderkammern/cabinets of curiosity, Bruce Chatwin, Nicky Hirst, madeleine moments, Broomhill Sculpture Park, sculpture in general, Ronald A. Westerhuis, Carol Peace, Jake Rusby, Mike Roles, Dartington Crystal, Swedes, […]

Almost no-one wants to be like Spike

Review of ITV’s Perspectives: (John) Sergeant on Spike. — For theartsdesk

theASHtray, vol.10

Featuring news and views on the espionage du jour, Peter Taylor, Homeland, Spooks, Rubicon, Tinker Tailor…, Ben Macintyre, Americans, Russians, the Chinese, Rwandans, Charlie Dutton Gallery, TASCHEN, FUSE magazine, typographics, computers, Garamond, rubber bands, Marshal McLuhan, Akira The Don, Pink Floyd, ABBA, YouTube, and lollies. — For theartsdesk