The Punchbowl
When I arrived at the salubriously appointed Punchbowl in Mayfair, various thoughts ran through my…
Author Alex Larman
Man and Superman
In his final season as artistic director of the National Theatre, it’s as if Nick…
The History Boys
Alan Bennett’s wise, witty play about schoolboys, education and sex was first staged at the…
HKK Chinese New Year
When I first visited the finest fine dining outpost of the Hakkasan empire, HKK, which…
Arcadia
After the truly shattering disappointment of Tom Stoppard’s newest play, The Hard Problem, it was…
The Ramen Revolution
First of all, you have to forget about Wagamama. Not that their bowls of noodles…
The Ruling Class
Second-or-third rate productions of first-rate plays are, regrettably, an all too common occurrence in London…
Sea Dreaming
There’s a divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will. Sometimes, it seems…
The Merchant Of Venice at The Almeida
After its initial, and triumphant, appearance at the RSC in 2011, Rupert Goold’s revelatory production…
Henry IV, Parts I & II
For a pair of plays often described as Shakespeare’s single greatest achievement, the Henry IV…
An Oxford Sojourn: Macdonald Randolph Hotel
The first thing that you notice about Oxford – city of dreaming spires, home of…
Twelfth Night
‘If music be the food of love, play on.’ Probably Shakespeare’s greatest comedy – and…