Category : Culture

The Christmas Dream review – Thailand’s first musical in decades is big on sentimental spectacle

A festive musical blends fairytale optimism with lush orchestration and Sound of Music sweetness – even if this often overwhelms a thin storylineReported to be the first Thai musical in 50 years, The Christmas Dream is directed by Englishman Paul Spu...

A Ceremony of Carols review – joy and Alleluias for Cardiff Polyphonic Choir

Eglwys Dewi Sant, Cardiff A radiant Christmas celebration brought an emphatic account of Britten’s song cycle, together with past commissions by Welsh composers and newer works that perfectly complemented each otherHalifax, Nova Scotia, was where, in...

A shocking investigation into unaided home births: best podcasts of the week

Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne tread a delicate line between hard-hitting and empathetic in this profile of the Free Birth Society. Plus, an ode to The Gilmore GirlsA shocking Guardian investigation by Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne into the Free Birth Soc...

TV tonight: the next chapter of the shocking Salt Path exposé

Chloe Hadjimatheou, who broke the story about the bestselling memoir, continues her investigation. Plus: a silly thriller romp with a fun cast. Here’s what to watch this evening9pm, Sky DocumentariesIt was the literary scandal of the year: the Observ...

‘People were in tears on set’: the emotional return of word-of-mouth sensation Two Doors Down

The outrageous Scottish sitcom became a sleeper hit – then its co-creator died tragically. Ahead of its festive special, the stars open up about the show’s poignant comebackWhen taxi drivers in London started shouting punchlines at him – that’s when...

What rhymes with la la la, la la la la la? Kevin Killian, the poet obsessed with Kylie Minogue

He wrote poems named after Kylie songs and named his collection of erotic fiction after her indie album. He even loved the B-sides. So what did the avant garde writer find so inspiring about the mini Melbourne marvel? Kevin Killian was obsessed with...

‘We wrote it living on Tesco sandwiches and anxiety attacks!’ How Operation Mincemeat conquered the world

It started out as a fringe musical about an outlandish war plan – and became a West End and Broadway smash. As the show hits China, Australia and Mexico, its ‘nerd’ creators explain how they went global with a box of hats and a dreamNatasha Hodgson i...

‘I am not happy with my output!’ Kate Hudson on taking risks, rejecting compromise – and finding her voice at 46

After years as Hollywood’s romcom darling, Hudson is putting music at the centre of her career – and after her show-stealing turn in Song Sung Blue, the Oscar buzz is growingThe first voice I hear when I enter the hotel room to meet Kate Hudson belon...