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Drunk Theatre: “HVI: Play of Thrones” at the Union Theatre
The Union Theatre isn’t technically above a pub, though it feels like it might as well be. It is, however, just around the corner from Baltic, a restaurant/bar that does very good cocktails, so good...
View ArticleFriday interesting things
HOO BLOODY RAY an end is in sight. My news desk has been one person short since October; we’ve been just about managing, but shifts have been tiringly busy and we haven’t been allowed to take any...
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Drunk Theatre: Earlham Street Clubhouse and “City of Angels” at the Donmar
The drinks: Earlham Street Clubhouse The evening’s story actually started last October during London Cocktail Week, that most magical of times in the capital. A £10 wristband gets you cocktail bars...
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Gloucestershire: Berkeley Castle and Britain’s Best Pub 2015
It’s a golden Tuesday in September and I’m the only person in my carriage on the 9:15 train from Paddington, going west. The inspector comes by after a quiet three-quarters of an hour, and I hand him...
View ArticleI’m already not reading books by white men in 2015, here’s how it’s going
Last week my friend Lydia retweeted a mention of “that widely discussed no-white-male writer challenge”, and I said “Er, what?”, and she linked me to this XOJane article by KT Bradford: I Challenge You...
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National Portrait Gallery and restaurant, London
Last December I had an afternoon unexpectedly free up, so I decided to spend it at my favourite big art gallery near Trafalgar Square. Not the grand one with the pillars, the National Gallery, but the...
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Ed Miliband, what has the internet done with you
I’m sorry. I really didn’t want to talk about the election on the internet. (For those of you not in the UK, we’re having a general election in 10 days and it is e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e.) Maybe instead of...
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The Briton’s Protection, Manchester
Unfortunately, I only passed the Briton’s Protection on my last day in Manchester, on the way to the train station, with no time for a pint. But I was interested by the sign, showing soldiers on...
View ArticleTravel blogging and capitalism
In June I suddenly started hearing about a product called the ‘Paradise Pack’, a package of e-courses and e-books that promised ‘Everything you need to learn how to make money travel blogging online!’...
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Verona: Shakespeare, fascism and authenticity
Last month I did a talk about Romeo and Juliet, Verona, tourism and fascism at History Showoff, a fun night where a bunch of historians get up in a pub basement and have exactly nine minutes to share...
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Another History Showoff: Surviving the Spanish Inquisition
Hello! Gosh I had this ambitious plan for writing something for every day in October, though you can see how well that’s gone. So many things happened this summer that I’ve been keeping it all on the...
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Drunk Theatre: The Oresteia, Trafalgar Studios (Almeida)
I was quite drunk the first time I ever encountered the Oresteia, Aeschylus’ family bathtub-drowning-revenge-stabbing-dynastic-betrayal-murderfest trilogy. For about ten years, every January a group of...
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‘The Odyssey’ Live (Almeida)
It’s something you might do in college, if you had a certain kind of drama department, except it was with some of the best actors in the world and more people watching than just a few very patient...
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Athens: Acropolis seminar, Context Travel
The Parthenon gallery, Acropolis Museum, Athens Disclosure: I had been intending to book a Context Travel tour when I found out a friend of mine works there, and the next time we saw each other I plied...
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just a little white whale on the go
Stay with me here. Raffi is releasing a new album, which I found out about via this slightly odd Vulture article that fixated on whether he’s slept with any adult fans. (come on, it’s RAFFI. RAFFI...
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London to Rome in a DAY! On a TRAIN!
Last week I took the TRAIN to Rome, all in one day, which was extremely exciting if you’re me! Although getting to St Pancras for the 05:40 Eurostar was a bit dreadful – I especially remember one...
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Drunk(ish) Theatre: “Guys and Dolls” at the Savoy Theatre
Cast of Guys and Dolls on tour in Manchester: Sophie Thompson, David Haig, Jamie Parker, Siubhan Harrison. Photo Manchester Evening News. The show: Guys and Dolls at the Savoy Theatre, February 27...
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Tabletop Shakespeare: Henry VIs and Richard III, Forced Entertainment
I first saw Forced Entertainment’s Complete Works, where they perform 36 of Shakespeare’s plays by moving household items around, on a livestream from Berlin. A lot of the Shakespeare Twitter people...
View ArticleA Shakespeare haggadah
Okay, I ended up doing something for HASHTAGSHAKESPEARE400 after all! Tonight is also the second night of Pesach (Passover), and I put together a sort of Shakespearean accompaniment to the haggadah...
View ArticleTudor Brexit
Hello! How are you? I was working on a book and then a bunch of ostentatiously horrible political stuff happened, so instead I’ve spent the last three weeks drinking constantly and refreshing Twitter....
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