8 h. ago Alice Snedden at Soho Theatre review: a wonderfully witty turn from the versatile Kiwi comic

This is Snedden’s first show in five years - not that you’d know it

Politics

7 d. ago It's the economic end times, so obviously I'm thinking about my takeaway coffee | Emma Brockes

The true scale of what’s happening is hard to grasp, so our irrational brains reach for measly acts of self-denialMost of us, confronted with daily forecasts of recession and economic downturn, have an emotional response that expresses itself in a range of behaviours. Big purchases may be deferred or cancelled. Travel plans are revisited. We might review our childcare spend and wonder if we should go out less – all rational decisions in the face of the rising cost of living. Then there are the irrational gestures, those that have little meaning financially but offer us, via small acts of self-denial, an opportunity to feel we’re doing something morally rigorous. It’s these, in my case, that have lately been triggered.For me, the barometer has always been coffee, a small but ineradicable source of guilt that has only grown as the price of a single flat white creeps up towards £4. Forgoing this small pleasure neither damages my day, nor, on the other hand, does anything significant to...

Economics

1 week ago The Last of Us season two review – Bella Ramsey is absolutely wonderful

The actor’s take on a damaged young soul fighting for autonomy is a punchy, watchable delight. The second season is slower and narrower in scope, but it is just as gutsy and thoughtfulSeason one of The Last of Us was a lot. It must have surprised some viewers to find that an adaptation of a video game was among the best dramas of 2023 – although it wasn’t too unexpected for anyone who noticed that it was co-created by Craig Mazin, writer of the magnificent Chernobyl. More to the point, The Last of Us was relentless, constantly shifting and weaving to deliver devastation and heartbreak in brutal new ways. On its return for a second season, it has earned the right to take a breath and slow down.A quick recap. A fungus-based pandemic has splintered civilisation as we know it, turning the millions of “infected” into groaning, lurching sub-humans who are not undead but are still monsters whose only impulse is to bite the healthy. Joel (Pedro Pascal), a man whose 14-year-old daughter died...

Politics

3 w. ago Comedian Paul Currie brings High Court libel claim against Soho Theatre after blazing antisemitism row

Comic was at the centre of a storm after reportedly getting into an altercation with an audience member

Events

3 w. ago Wonderskin beauty review: do the viral lip stains go the distance?

They claim to stick around all day - but do they really? Abha Shah sees if Wonderskin really is top of the tints

Politics

last month Ambika Mod to play porn addict in ‘funny, unsettling and honest’ play at the Royal Court

The One Day actor will star in Sophia Chetin-Leuner’s Porn Play, one of four new premieres announced by the London theatreAmbika Mod is to star as an academic addicted to violent pornography in a new play at the Royal Court in London. Mod, best known for her screen performances in One Day and This Is Going to Hurt, will take on her highest profile theatre role to date in Porn Play, written by Sophia Chetin-Leuner and directed by Josie Rourke.Billed as “funny, unsettling and honest”, it opens in November at the Royal Court’s smaller Jerwood Theatre Upstairs. Chetin-Leuner, whose play This Might Not Be It was set in a mental health unit and staged at the Bush last year, said: “Ever since I was a teenager, going to see plays at the Royal Court has shaped my ideals and purpose of who I want to be as a writer – so it’s a terrifying privilege to have Porn Play debuting here.” The play was shortlisted for Soho theatre’s Verity Bargate award in 2022. Chetin-Leuner said she began writing it ...

Events