Arts Carmen: Theatre Royal: Opera review Directed by Ellen Kent, this traditionally staged, romantic new production was set in Seville and reflected a Goya painting, with fountains, flowers, orange trees and even a wonderfully calm rescue donkey from Coral Weaver’s sanctuary. It was an evening of passion, romance and tragedy. Starring me By Eric Page • 2 min read
Music Tallis Scholars: CD Review This month I want to highlight some rather special artists who are celebrating their 40th anniversary this year – The Tallis Scholars, founded in 1973 by conductor Peter Phillips. They are launching their celebratory world tour with a concert at St Paul’s Cathedral on March 7 – if you can make it, By Eric Page • 2 min read
Music Paloma Faith: The Brighton Centre: Music Review Dotty pop diva, and otherwise former burlesque dancer, Paloma Faith channeled a steam-punk Shirley Bassey at a show veering from the intimate to the euphoric at The Brighton Centre. By Eric Page • 2 min read
Arts Gay artist’s visual poem BANNED from Jubilee Library exhibition Controversial poet and artist Vince Laws has had a visual poem BANNED from the Jubilee Library in Brighton during his exhibition entitled I am a poem celebrating LGBT history month. The piece, entitled THIS POPE IS PANTS, is made of donated pants, stitched together to form bunting. There is a letter By Eric Page • 3 min read
Arts La Traviata: ENO: Opera review Go and be delighted, the final scene is a triumph of ENO’s pursuit of presenting new talent and allowing it to shine. By Eric Page • 3 min read
Community News Green plans to cut Pride grant puts future Parades at risk Brighton & Hove City Council ‘s Green administration has ear-marked the annual grant of £25,000 to stage Brighton Pride to be cut after the 2013 event. The Green administration, who are having to make cuts of 20 million pounds to balance the council’s books, say their proposed cuts will see no child By Eric Page • 3 min read
Books Book Review: The Bible of Gay Sex “The Bible of Gay Sex” is richly illustrated; it’s a competent and entertaining book about everyone’s favourite pastime. By Eric Page • 2 min read
Features & Longread REALBrighton take a well earned rest As we announced late last year, we are winding up Real City Network Limited, the company behind REALBrighton.com and the other REAL branded city guides. It has been a difficult decision taken for a number of reasons. Real City Network has been feeling the pinch of tighter budgets as businesses incre By Eric Page • 3 min read
News Julie Burchill in transphobia row Newspaper columnist Julie Burchill has been accused of making transphobic comments in an article defending her friend Suzanne Moore. In Moore’s original article she said that some women were angry at “not having the ideal body shape – that of a Brazilian transsexual”. When a number of transsexuals By Eric Page • 1 min read
Arts Theatre Review: Quartermaine’s Terms at the Theatre Royal Simon Gray’s 1981 play is a masterful examination of English lives, and England, in the early sixties. The language school common room in which it is set is full of repressed emotions, longings and simmering resentments. At its heart is the title character, St John Quatermaine (Rowan Atkinson), a ma By Eric Page • 2 min read
Books In Your Hands: The Everyman’s Guide to Masturbation by Emme Mark In Your hands by Mark Emme With over 70,000 copies sold of this book I was looking forward to an interesting read and perhaps even pick up a few tips for the oldest male pastime in the world. How disappointed was I? I suspect some of the 70,000 books sold were bought as a joke […] By Eric Page • 2 min read
Letters Farewell to Pride in Canterbury The organisers of Pride in Canterbury posted the following final message on their website today, December 31. To date the website has received over 25,000 hits, it will remain on line and will be archived. By Eric Page • 1 min read
