Arts MUSIC REVIEW: With a Rebel Yell WHATEVER the motivation behind releasing almost a third of an imminent album three months early, the official line being that it is to steal the thunder of those behind an alleged hacking, the music industry has changed beyond all recognition from when Madonna first began shifting vinyl by the hanga By Craig Hanlon-Smith • 4 min read
Arts REVIEW: Sleeping Beauty Doug Devaney’s Sleeping Beauty at Emporium on London Road is a delightful Christmas offering incorporating all the features expected of a traditional pantomime, wrapped up in a clever script and featuring very strong individual performances by the actors and children. By Besi • 2 min read
Arts REVIEW: Aladdin in Worthing Oh Yes It Is! Why you should make the trip for Panto to Worthing by Craig Hanlon-Smith. THE FLOOD of Pantomimes on offer at this time of year can sometimes leave me petitioning to the national council for theatrical quality control – were such a think tank to exist. By Craig Hanlon-Smith • 2 min read
Music REVIEW: The Rainbow Chorus The Rainbow Chorus, Brighton only LGBT choir bought early Christmas cheer to Kemptown last Saturday night (December 13) with their seasonal offering, Blame It On The Baubles. The chorus has come along way since its early days under the direction of Carl Boardman and is presently on an upwards curve, By Besi • 2 min read
Arts REVIEW: Beauty and the Beast I love nothing better than an old school, traditional pantomine and Eastbourne Theatres production of Beauty and the Beast at the beautiful Devonshire Park Theatre ticked all my panto boxes in this show stopping production. By Besi • 3 min read
Arts REVIEW: Aneesa Chaudhry To many Aneesa Chaudhry is best know as musical director of the Rainbow Chorus, Brighton’s only LGBT choir. On Sunday night (December 7) at the Brunswick in Hove she showed the audience exactly how accomplished a musician, singer and performer she is. The Brunswick was packed to the rafters with fri By Besi • 3 min read
Arts REVIEW: We all live together: A Concert for World AIds Day I have been covering LGBT community events for the last 20 years and Monday nights World Aids Day Concert, ‘We all live together’ was up there with the very best of them. St Mary’s Church on the corner of St James Street and Rock Gardens was full to the rafters for one of the few days of the year wh By Besi • 2 min read
Arts REVIEW: Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus staged their annual Christmas Show Putting on the Glitz at the Theatre Royal this year and the move proved to be a triumph. The production, which was completely sold out had it all, great singing, stylishing staging, funny segues and memorable solo numbers. By Besi • 3 min read
Arts OPERA REVIEW: The Gospel According to the Other Mary This is something new, modern but accessible, understandable and moving. I would highly recommend this engaging production by the ENO, and if the music bores you a little, you can always float away with Banks and his vibrant, rhythmic angelic crumping or allow the chorus to astonish you. By Eric Page • 5 min read
Arts REVIEW: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Following the sudden departure of Rufus Hound’s last month from his role playing Freddy Benson the shows producers took the opportunity last week to introduce to the press his replacement, Alex Gaumond, fresh from playing bossy Miss Trunchbull in Matilda at the Cambridge Theatre along with Bonney La By Besi • 4 min read
Arts BOOK REVIEW: dr.a.g. bookthefilm edition dr.a.g. the world’s most glamorous coffee table book returns centre stage for an encore performance just in time for Christmas with twenty new faces and photographs included in this new bookthefilm edition. The preface to this magnificent ‘piece of art’ reminds us that in the early days of theatre, By Besi • 3 min read
Arts BOOK REVIEW: Red Hot 100 Three years ago Thomas Knights had an idea – to put ginger guys in the spotlight like never seen before. To show them as desirable, as alpha males. Sexual, confident, Heroic, as the ultimate male. By Eric Page • 2 min read
