Close-Up Culture

Independent journalism on the things we love

Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story – Theatre Review

MATTHEW Parker’s revival of a play built around two young men who killed a 14-year-old boy in Chicago 98 years ago – and escaped the noose for their heinous crime – is as captivating a piece of theatre as you are likely to see this year. I implore you to get down to the cosy,…
Power Luncheon – Theatre Review

WALLY Sewell’s Power Luncheon is built around the exchanges between Prime Minister Winston Churchill and King George VI that took place during the Second World War at their weekly meetings inside Buckingham Palace. At times, it seems they were more interested in waging war with each other than addressing far more urgent issues of state.…
Dark Sublime – Theatre Review

ALTHOUGH a tad too long and the theatre rather cold, there is much to admire in the Progress Theatre’s amateur production of Dark Sublime. The play, written by Michael Dennis and directed at the Progress by Aidan Moran, is focused on the relationships – short and long term – forged by Marianne (a delightful Melanie…
6 Interesting Facts You Didn’t Know About Musical Theatre

You may not know it, but musical theatre has been around for centuries. The first-ever musical was staged back in 1717! It was called The Beggar’s Opera and it was a huge success. People adored it so much that they wanted to see more and more of these amazing productions. And since then, we’ve seen…
Sarah Jane Morris At Ronnie Scott’s – Live Music Review

I CAN’T think of a more uplifting way to kick-start the New Year into gear than to spend a night listening to the glorious Sarah Jane Morris at Ronnie Scott’s in London. Sarah Jane is a musician who has been plying her trade since the 1970s – and has never once stood still. Although her…
La Clique – Theatre Review

How marvellous it is to have La Clique back performing in their Spiegeltent in the heart of London’s West End. Christmas and New Year would not be quite the same without this wonderful eclectic band of performers doing nigh impossible things with their bodies and thrilling audiences in the process (how we missed them in…
Yes So I Said Yes – Theatre Review

DAVID Ireland’s Yes So I Said Yes – running at the smashing Finborough Theatre in London’s Chelsea until Saturday December 18 – is not for the faint hearted. Rape and bestiality feature in the 75 minute play — and there’s also a dose of violence that involves someone’s vital appendage being removed. But if you can…
Top Hat – Theatre Review

THE Mill at Sonning’s production of Top Hat is stunning winter fayre. Two and a half hours of sparkling, dazzling theatre that will put a spring in your step, a smile on your face and have you jigging all the way back to the car park afterwards. Both sublime and divine as we are transported…
21 Round For Christmas – Theatre Review

IF you fancy a slice of bitter sweet theatrical fayre with a twist of Christmas thrown in for good measure, you won’t go far wrong with 21 Round For Christmas. Playing at The Hope Theatre in London’s Highbury until December 18, it’s an hour of fun – tinged with an underpin of sadness – as…
Swan Song – Theatre Review

ANDREW Lancel is a tour de force as Dave Titswell, an English teacher, in Swan Song – a play written by Jonathan Harvey and running at the Turbine Theatre besides Battersea Power Station until December 4. Delivering a monologue that is punctuated with wit, and without time to draw breath, Lancel is nothing short of…