Posts by Gabriel Wilding
Golden Boy review – Josh O’Connor sweats through Odets’ Depression-era boxing drama
Stanley Townsend, Daniel Mays and Hayley Squires round out a cast in which the women get little to do
Read MoreThe Yard reopens with a poem made flesh
Diane Page’s revival of Shange’s 1970s choreopoem comes to a warehouse theatre rebuilt around a ventilation chimney and recycled brick
Read MoreJulia Pascal stages the camp France chose to forget
An intellectual, an artist and a teenage communist meet in a Pyrenean camp, played by a cast of six
Read MoreDeath Note: The Musical review— all belt, no beckoning
A long-promised staging of the manga phenomenon reaches the Barbican with vibrant visuals and a punishing score — but its death gods barely haunt
Read MoreHome turf: Hackney Empire’s new chief on putting community centre-stage
As Hackney Empire marks 125 years, Chris Sudworth talks community, affordability and a 16-month birthday party — with a little help from Lenny Henry, Chaka Khan and Hackney Women’s FC.
Read MorePhilosophy of the World review – Better than The Beatles, worse than a headache
In Bed With My Brother return to The Yard with a Shaggs tribute as ramshackle as its subject — which may or may not be the point
Read MoreAppalachia: Prong of the South – restaurant review
Ex-Smoking Goat’s Ali Borer refines the vast mid-Atlantic region into small plates and open flame on the corner of Nile Street
Read MoreSummer obsessions at Table 464
A year-old Kingsland Road room that Ernesto Gabriel constructed with his own hands, the seven-dish menu is as quietly devoted as the space
Read MoreA Fine Idea review – the ambition is admirable; the basement, less forgiving
Christine Bacon’s expansive new play at the Arcola, drawn from Jason Hickel’s The Divide, takes aim at 80 years of ‘international development’ — and is very nearly saved by a strong cast from a script that wants to do everything at once
Read MoreTavern review – chiaroscuro and ‘chunion’ puffs
Here, decorated chefs offer a taster of fine dining for ‘fussy yet sustainably anxious foodies’
Read MoreUnder the Shadow review – Babak Anvari’s chilling film is transplanted to Almeida Street
This stage adaptation of this 2016 Persian-language horror is sharp on the politics of women’s lives in wartime Tehran — and oddly literal-minded about its Djinn. Lelia Farzad leads a strong cast; the parlour tricks let them down
Read MorePatties and patina
Amongst the brioches at Keymer’s pub
Read More‘British people rattling around together’: Quartet in Autumn – review
‘In two hours, not much happens – but everything happens, you know?’
Read More‘Utterly disarming’: Artie’s Sarnies
Behold – a gourmet sandwich pop-up at The Haggerston
Read More‘A world beyond the bog’: FLUSH at the Arcola
An energetic, award-winning dive into the sanctuary of the ladies’ loo’
Read MoreBuongiorno, Ornella
Milanese chic arrives at Hackney Downs
Read MoreHand of Glory, mouth of pizza
Tracks Pizza pop-up opens at the Hackney pub, and boy, is it good
Read More‘Fuck/F**K Yeah’: Joy and resilience at The Divine
Photograph: Aimee McGhee Two and a half years into running The Divine on Stoke Newington Road, co-founder John Sizzle (alongside longtime business partner Jonny Woo) is characteristically undaunted – even as the hospitality industry faces what he frankly describes as “a perfect storm for closure.” Catching up with me over the phone one rushed lunchtime,…
Read More‘Tragedy proves to be eternal’: Iphigenia, Arcola review
Serdar Biliş reframes the Greek classic through EarPods, satin, and silver. With a seasoned cast and raw, real-world interviews, the Arcola’s Iphigenia successfully bridges the gap between past and present.
Read More‘A double cheeseburger of talent’ – Revel Puck Circus: The Glimmer Daze
Raw, relatable, and community-led. The Revel Pucks might be short on sparkle, but they bring a sprightly, new-gen energy to the big top
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