Mubeen Blogs

Polka theatre, London Marietta Kirkbride’s enchanting take on the Arthur myth brings silliness and songs when young Grace travels back in time with Merlin the wizard Here is a sparkling new take on the King Arthur legend for the ages – and all ages – from Bucket Club theatre company. Our tale begins with young Grace waiting in A&E, Lego stuck up her nose and her brother hurt following a squabble. When Merlin appears in hospital, weaving a tale of mysterious adventure, Grace is pulled into an epic quest packed with enchanted forests and sparkling underwater realms. In the closing scenes, when Arthur finally pulls that famous sword from the stone, loud gasps ripple through an enchanted young audience. Magic. Writer Marietta Kirkbride’s contemporary take has lots of smart jokes for the parents to enjoy and a helping of Gawain the Green Knight thrown in for good measure. There are witty nods to today’s political climate, with a sixth-century England languishing without a king and stru...

Blunder that threatened qualification and poor start against Mexico are in the past as date with Canada looms Hugo Broos, South Africa’s Belgian head coach, deserves a significant share of the credit for Bafana Bafana reaching the World Cup knockout stages for the first time in their rather chequered history. The country had been absent from the tournament since they hosted it in 2010 and participated only twice before that, in 1998 and 2002. A wave of unbridled excitement was triggered when Broos ended the long wait to qualify. “The question I always asked myself is: ‘Why is South Africa not a dominating country in Africa?’” Broos said in a recent radio interview. “When I came here, I had a plan. I kept the plan till the end, till the results were there, because I knew that was the way to do it.” Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/uw8bs6n

The earthquake in Venezuela, a brutal heatwave in Europe, the resignation of Keir Starmer and the World Cup – the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists Warning: this gallery contains images some readers may find distressing Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/oC4kWsg

Queen Elizabeth Hall, London This recreation of the final concert that the composer attended – only weeks before his death aged 63 – featured his fourth symphony, Dvorak’s Cello Concerto and Haydn’s symphony no 73. Every period-instrument outfit has its shtick – its own version of what “historically informed performance ” might mean. The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment plays music from an increasingly generous historical tranche ( Stravinsky beckons next season ) but always on instruments dating from the same period as the works being performed. Except when they don’t. This performance marking the OAE’s 40th anniversary was not about imagining what certain compositions might have sounded like to their first audiences. Instead, it reproduced the exact programme of a concert held in Vienna on 7 March 1897. The 19th-century concert was the latest instalment in a series run by the eminent conductor Hans Richter , which turned out to be the final concert ever attended by Johannes Brah...

Annual list of creatives invited to join the Academy also includes Josh O’Connor, Teyana Taylor and Jon Bernthal Jacob Elordi , Jenna Ortega and Stephen Fry are among the 529 creatives invited to join this year’s member class of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. “We are delighted to invite this remarkable group of film artists and professionals from around the world to join the Academy,” said CEO Bill Kramer and Academy president Lynette Howell Taylor in a statement. “Through their commitment to filmmaking, this year’s exceptionally talented class has made significant contributions to our global movie industry.” Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Ncx2RLX

Revenue share is 14.4%; players want 16% Players to limit time they give to the media The top men’s and women’s tennis players have decided to continue their protests for a greater percentage of grand slam tournament revenues at Wimbledon. A month after the top players chose to limit their pre-tournament media duties at the French Open to 15 minutes, the players will extend the protest until the end of the first week of the tournament, also limiting their post-match media duties during the event. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/EPrLUmH

Excerpts of footage of response to incident earlier described as ‘shocking’ but review finds use of force justified A review of video footage that appeared to show South Yorkshire police officers shoving and drawing batons and stun guns on teenage girls has found the “the use of force was proportionate, necessary, and justified to keep all involved safe”. South Yorkshire police initially described the footage as appearing “nothing short of shocking” but a review by its professional standards department found that while there “is an opportunity for learning around de-escalation” the actions were appropriate. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/4Bz7QPO