London’s Savoy Theatre will always be associated with the musical comedies of Gilbert & Sullivan which built it. Their topsy-turvy had to be transporting because the Savoy’s seats were designed…
When listening to the Declaration of Independence tomorrow, it’s well to recall how much of today’s American politics – and fiscal frolics – have English precedents. Our break with…
The late Richard Griffiths is best remembered here as Vernon Dursley in the ‘Harry Potter’ films. But, Griffiths was most notably a stage actor who excelled in plays…
Most people encounter Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) when they read about the London’s plague in 1665 or its great fire in 1666. His Diary holds the best first-hand account of both.…
From good friend Leon Gettler comes a Sun (London) article, ‘Charles Toothpaste Shock’. (Punctuation as in original.) Its first paragraph reads: PRINCE Charles depended on key aide Michael Fawcett…
The May 2011 Harper’s has a superb review of ‘Another Year’ by Francine Prose: ‘Lonely Island: Mike Leigh’s Intimate Cinema’. I’ve praised ‘Another Year’ here and here. I’m…
As the two principal characters of ‘Another Year’, appeared on screen, my wife whispered, ‘It’s so nice to visit Tom and Gerri again.’ And, so it was. …
In ‘The Wire’, Idris Elba shone as ‘Stringer’ Bell, a drug ring’s #2 who looked like a young executive, took business classes but who’d ordered the wrong man’s killing. Elba’s…