Inside the Soviet Union's secret pornography collection
Posted on May 16, 2024
| 8 minutes
| 1542 words
| Jenniffer Sheldon
New East networkRussiaOff limits to the public but enjoyed by Soviet-era leaders, the Lenin Library collection grew out of erotica confiscated from aristocrats after the revolution. The Moscow Times reports
In the heart of the Russian State Library, Marina Chestnykh takes the creaking elevator up to the ninth floor. She walks past stack after stack of books kept behind metal cages, the shelves barely visible in the dim light from the frosted-glass windows.
[Read More]Meet the hardcore prommers
Posted on May 16, 2024
| 7 minutes
| 1464 words
| Kary Bruening
Classical musicWho would queue for eight hours just to secure a particular spot in the Albert Hall? As the Proms draw to a close, Stephen Moss meets the fans who take promming very seriously indeedSue Brady, who has hardly missed a Prom since 1968, has been queueing since just before 11am for a concert that will start at 7pm. Andrew Campbell, at the head of the queue for the gallery with a fat sci-fi book and a folding chair, hasn't missed a concert since 1990.
[Read More]Peter Needham obituary | Theatre
Posted on May 16, 2024
| 5 minutes
| 921 words
| Valentine Belue
TheatreObituaryPeter Needham obituaryThe Cheek by Jowl theatre company's two world tours of their celebrated all-male As You Like It in the 1990s launched the careers of several young actors, including Mark Benton, Tom Hollander and Adrian Lester. They were in their early 20s; Peter Needham, who has died aged 76, was entering his 60s, and played the clown Touchstone. His other roles with Cheek by Jowl included Polonius to Timothy Walker's Hamlet (1990), and Pompey and Friar Peter in Measure for Measure (1994), and his time with the company was memorable for the fresh view it took of the classics and its desire to take them on the road.
[Read More]The foodie traveller sips ginseng coffee in Milan
Posted on May 16, 2024
| 2 minutes
| 268 words
| Aldo Pusey
The foodie travellerMilan holidaysA very un-Italian sounding coffee has been popping up in bistros from Milan to Napoli – though caffè al ginseng remains stubbornly obscure in the UK
Cappuccino, espresso, macchiato – we’ve all learnt how to speak coffee in Italian. Visit Italy nowadays though and you’ll find its bars serving a beverage that has yet to make it into the English lexicon: caffè al ginseng. A hit with those cool cats, the Milanese, when it arrived in the city from south-east Asia just over a decade ago, the arabica bean coffee, flavoured with ginseng root extract, has since conquered the nation, even winning over the far south, where tastes tend to be more conservative.
[Read More]Tim Minchin: My life as a dad
Posted on May 16, 2024
| 8 minutes
| 1509 words
| Aldo Pusey
FamilyMusical comedian Tim Minchin met his wife when he was only 17 – they've been together 19 years. When he became a father, he discovered a whole new world of feeling to inspire his songs about the ups and downs of family lifeMore than 100,000 people saw Tim Minchin's latest show. He's sold out the O2 in London and won strings of comedy and music awards. But, on the quiet, this father of two under-fives also happens to be the king of ambivalent (and honest) parenting.
[Read More]Arcade Fire: I cant believe I still live in America. But theres something about it that I c
Posted on May 15, 2024
| 13 minutes
| 2576 words
| Jenniffer Sheldon
Eternal flame … Arcade Fire (left to right) Richard Reed Parry, Régine Chassagne, Win Butler, Tim Kingbury and Jeremy Gara. Photograph: María José Govea/The GuardianEternal flame … Arcade Fire (left to right) Richard Reed Parry, Régine Chassagne, Win Butler, Tim Kingbury and Jeremy Gara. Photograph: María José Govea/The GuardianArcade FireInterviewArcade Fire: ‘I can’t believe I still live in America. But there’s something about it that I can’t quit’Laura BartonAfter the high-concept hijinks around their last record turned off fans, the indie troubadours have gone back to basics with a rousing new album about Trump and togetherness
[Read More]Does food photography make you hungry? Only when it's done very well | Oliver Thring
Posted on May 15, 2024
| 3 minutes
| 510 words
| Chauncey Koziol
OpinionFood This article is more than 11 years oldDoes food photography make you hungry? Only when it's done very wellThis article is more than 11 years oldOliver ThringFood advertising is being blamed for obesity. But the wrong lighting or composition will kill an appetite not stimulate itThis just in from the no shit, Sherlock school of scientific research: pictures of food can make you feel hungry. Images of fatty foods "
[Read More]Etta James a life in pictures | Music
Posted on May 15, 2024
| 2 minutes
| 240 words
| Valentine Belue
Etta James – a life in pictures Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email Etta James scored her first hit in 1954, aged 15, with Roll With Me Henry, and her career took in blues, gospel, soul, jazz and rock'n'roll, as well as six Grammy awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She died in Los Angeles aged 73 after a battle with leukemia Fri 20 Jan 2012 14.
[Read More]Jellicle clown: Frankie Thompson on her unmissable feline fever dream Catts | Stage
Posted on May 15, 2024
| 8 minutes
| 1555 words
| Aldo Pusey
StageInterviewJellicle clown: Frankie Thompson on her unmissable feline fever dream CattsChris WiegandHer cat-tastic stage show is a riff on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical that swerves into emotionally raw territory. The Edinburgh fringe sensation talks about trauma, taboos and the importance of being disgusting
Was there ever a cat so clever? Move over Mr Mistoffelees, because Frankie Thompson has magicked up one of this year’s smartest stage shows with Catts, an unsettling and often wildly funny hour of clowning.
[Read More]La La Land musical set to open on Broadway | Broadway
Posted on May 15, 2024
| 2 minutes
| 352 words
| Kary Bruening
Broadway This article is more than 11 months oldLa La Land musical set to open on BroadwayThis article is more than 11 months oldDamien Chazelle’s Oscar-winning film will be transformed into a stage show featuring music from the same team
The Oscar-winning musical La La Land is to be transformed into a stage show.
The 2017 hit, which made over $470m worldwide at the box office, will be heading to Broadway, with music by Justin Hurwitz and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the same team who worked on the film.
[Read More]