Hanoi: The Heart of Vietnam
As the capital city of Vietnam, Hanoi is fittingly multi-layered. Striking a balance between the high-octane modernism of Ho Chi Minh City and the rustic allure of Hoi An, it’s […]
A Golden Age of Serial Drama
It’s almost three years since Kevin Spacey, speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival, declared television to be ‘entering a new golden age’. His claim has since been much-quoted, if […]
Dreamy Hoi An
My first experience of Hoi An was during a rainstorm at night. It’s always unfortunate when your travels are hit by bad weather, and there could seem nothing worse […]
The Art of Adele
Last night I saw Adele in concert at the O2 Arena in London. The world’s best-selling artist of the 21st century, she was every bit as sublime as one could […]
The Father, Duke of York’s Theatre, 2016
It’s rare in the West End to come across a play so unentertaining and so brilliant at the same time. This is one of the many feats of Florian Zeller’s […]
The Charming Chaos of Ho Chi Minh City
If there’s a place that can truly be described as an assault on the senses, it’s Ho Chi Minh City. Dizzying in momentum and irrepressible in spirit, the city thrives […]
Second Series Syndrome
It’s a familiar headline in the world of television: a popular drama series, initially transmitted as a self-contained, start-to-finish story, finds itself recommissioned for a sequel. From Broadchurch to […]
Escaped Alone, Royal Court Theatre, 2016
Afternoon tea and apocalyptic catastrophe: in Caryl Churchill’s latest play, Escaped Alone, her trademark absurdity is stretched to ambitious heights. Running just over the course of 50 minutes, the play […]
Painting the Modern Garden
As 100mph storms engulf a dark, wintry Britain, the Royal Academy of Arts brings a timely form of escapism. Its latest exhibition, ‘Painting the Modern Garden’, transports us to the […]
Michael Craig-Martin: Technology and Transience
In his 1964 book Understanding Media, the Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan noted how ‘technical change alters not only habits of life, but patterns of thought and valuation’. This notion became […]
The Culturist 