Fringe REVIEW: #BeMoreMartyn @The Warren Theatre Box MARTYN Hett unwittingly became the face we all remember in the days following the terrorist attack on Manchester Arena in May 2017. The success of this play, #BeMoreMartyn is not in its staging of the manner of Martyn’s death – it does not, but in its focus on his life and those he impacted closest By Craig Hanlon-Smith • 1 min read
Fringe REVIEW: The Soft Subject (A love story) @The Warren HYPHEN Theatre Company presents Chris Woodley’s autobiographical show which essentially is a love story with all the twists and turns you would expect. Framed within the context of a structured drama lesson, Woodley is an ex-state school drama teacher, our hearts melt as the two protagonists meet an By Craig Hanlon-Smith • 1 min read
Poppers and Viagra together – Why it may be time to think again Following recent medical reports, urgent research is underway to further explore a potentially dangerous consequence of poppers and Viagra when used together. By Craig Hanlon-Smith • 3 min read
FEATURE: My so-called chemsex life or when I met Jack, Seb and James I had originally tried to write this piece 18 months ago, but rather than an unsophisticated or educated guess along the theme of what has come to be known as ‘chemsex’, I wanted to hear real and current stories from those who were actually engaged, in some way, with this lifestyle and recreational By Craig Hanlon-Smith • 8 min read
Check Mate: Chess @The Coliseum, London THE history of the stage musical Chess is as chequered as its current set design at London’s Coliseum. A successful stint in the West End from 1986 to 1989 was long overshadowed by a Broadway disastrous run of two months following vast rewrites as US producers insisted that the American must beat th By Craig Hanlon-Smith • 3 min read
OPINION: Craig’s Thoughts – why are we so nasty to each other? Russell Tovey announces his marriage and receives almost no Tom Daley-style vitriol from the gay community. It couldn’t be because we would all serious make a play for his rugby playing beau Steve Brockman, could it? By Craig Hanlon-Smith • 5 min read
In The South OPINION: Craig’s Thoughts In its infancy, Big Brother was billed as a social experiment, originally a fascinating and nation gripping revolution in reality television. Not entirely due to its shift onto the schedule of Richard Desmond’s Channel 5, in more recent years it has descended into a desperate opportunity to shock an By Craig Hanlon-Smith • 5 min read
Arts Matthew Todd talks alcohol, drugs and the mental health crisis in the LGBT+ communities Matthew Todd has a long-standing association with Attitude magazine of over 20 years, most recently as editor. Ahead of the paperback and audio release of his hugely successful book, Straight Jacket, Craig Hanlon-Smith caught up with the journalist, novelist, playwright and stand-up comedian, no les By Craig Hanlon-Smith • 10 min read
Features & Longread OPINION: ‘Craig’s Thoughts’ by Craig Hanlon-Smith Within almost a month of meeting my then boyfriend, now husband, he became an uncle for the first time. I remember receiving the text from him, which screamed in capital letters; I AM AN UNCLE. My automatic, and I concede extremely unattractive response, was one of searing jealousy. I had, until thi By Craig Hanlon-Smith • 4 min read
Health Time to Talk AND Change our mental health It is now more than a year since local lads Davey Shields and Damian Friel started their MenTalkHealth (MTH) initiative. Created to openly discuss mental health issues, initially on a series of podcasts, accompanied by a range of guests and their regular original team member Eli Beaton, their campai By Craig Hanlon-Smith • 3 min read
News OPINION: Craig’s Thoughts A Christmas Tale or Baby Jesus Will Save Us (again) by Craig Hanlon-Smith @craigscontinuum. And lo, as another seasonal winter of good cheer loomed ahead like a Nazarean census, Joseph and his Mary set out once more on their quest to deliver the son of God to save mankind. By Craig Hanlon-Smith • 4 min read
In The South OPINION: I am what I am Craig Hanlon-Smith responds to the Facebook rant by Richard Wolstencroft, festival director of the Melbourne underground film festival following the positive vote for gay marriage in Australia. By Craig Hanlon-Smith • 4 min read
