STEVEN ANDREW welcomes the third instalment of autobiography by a libertarian socialist whose political work is charged with Gramscian realism
Culture
PETER MASON suspends his disbelief and disappears down a rabbit hole on the London Tube
WILL PODMORE welcomes a well-written and pacey account of the run-up to the 2024 general election
PETER MASON welcomes the national tour of an irreverent show that switches the spotlight to the wives of Henry VIII
DAVID NICHOLSON, eight-year-old BEHATI and nine-year-old SKYLAR applaud a hilarious production that doesn’t ignore the social message
SUSAN DARLINGTON is unmoved by a production full of spectacular tableax but without emotional connection to the characters
STEVE JOHNSON applauds an outstanding album that is a celebration of achievements won through collective struggle
Short stories by Mexican Guadalupe Nettel, labyrinthine tales by Uruguayan Mario Levrero, and a poetic paranormal investigation by Colombian poet Catalina Vargas Tovar
GORDON PARSONS negotiates an exhaustive biography of WH Auden that explores his growing detachment from England
PETER MASON shivers in the under-heated ecclesiastical setting of a concert featuring five 19th-century French composers
A new release from Nick Lowe, and reissues of Taj Mahal and Paul Williams
SIMON PARSONS applauds the psychological study of prisoners dealing with a frighteningly oppressive world endured by far too many
RON JACOBS appreciates the suspenseful style of a biography of the path to Lula’s first presidency, and the lessons it contains for working class self-organisation
CHRIS SEARLE translates the fusion of four jazz maestros into a mental image of Hackney Carnival
A bucket-list of visuals, the unsung heroine of IVF, queer love in the City of London, and half a musical: The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE reviews Blink, Joy, Layla and Wicked
by Martin Goldie
BEN LUNN draws attention to the way cultural expressions of solidarity with Palestinians in the UK are being censored by Israeli-sponsored lawfare
SIMON PARSONS applauds an assured and enjoyable adaptation of Ali Smith’s meditative and pessimistic novel about Brexit Britain
Papal tiffs, Reality TV torture, volleyball feminism and a monster in the closet; The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE reviews Conclave, The Contestant, Power Alley and Your Monster
MARIA DUARTE recommends a documentary that reconstructs the part played by white activists in the struggle against apartheid
Despite its anti-socialist bias, JOHN GREEN recommends a new survey of British architecture that seeks to educate and provoke
by Neil Young
Chris Searle speaks to singer CARMEN SOUZA
RITA DI SANTO picks the best from a festival that is a hub for new cinematic discoveries
PAUL DONOVAN applauds the dogged determination of the Old Vic to stage Dickens’s classic Christmas moral tale in support of Waterloo food bank
JON BALDWIN recommends a well-informed survey of the ills promoted by AI tech corporations, and the measures needed to stop them exploiting us
JOHN GREEN is disappointed by a marred critique of the British establishment by someone who was part of it
JONATHAN TAYLOR is entranced by a collection that touches themes of homelessness, loneliness and abuse with dream-like imagery
A remarkable posthumous collection of poetry and other writings is a tragic document of genocide, and a beacon of hope for a Palestinian future, says HENRY BELL
MARIA DUARTE is moved and outraged by a courageous undercover documentary that explores the plight of women in Afghanistan
JAN WOOLF relishes a book of poetry that deploys the energy of political struggle, rooted in post-war working class history and culture
NICK MATTHEWS welcomes the Communist Party of Britain’s commitment to culture and suggests that the Victorian critic points the way toward combining social function with beauty
Daring Scottish gothic, a murderer in their midst, the best spy story of the year and a classic list of clues
SIMON DUFF is transported by the sweetly seductive tones of experimental guitarist Pat Metheny
SYLVIA HIKINS rejoices at the confounding of evil property developers in a subversive re-telling of the fairytale
GORDON PARSONS is filled with unease by the RSC’s offering of a brutal fairytale for Christmas
New releases from Jennifer Castle, Primal Scream and Keith Jarrett
JOHN HAWKINS marvels at the blithe dismissal of people as a passive mass in a new work that extols the coming merger of human intelligence with AI
RON JACOBS recommends an exhaustive demonstration that colonialism is insidious, pervasive, positive and negative
DEBRA BENITA SHAW applauds the Booker prize winner: a short but powerful story urging us to save the planet
MICHAL BONCZA recommends a book that explores imaginatively the disappearance of Francisco Tenorio Cerqueira, the famed precursor of Brazil’s contemporary popular music
ANGUS REID celebrates the achievement of Frank Auerbach, and the decisive influence of his teacher, David Bomberg
Free counselling (and free hugs) from Dr Attila in these dark times
DAVID YEARSLEY reads the political subtext in the injudicious misfire of will.i.am’s resurrection of his Obama video for the Kamala Harris campaign
New releases from Linda Moyan, Niwel Tsumbu, Ineza with Alex Webb & the Copasetics
Emotional repression in Hong Kong, emotional repression in the UK, swords and sandals and a forgettable family reunion: reviews of The Last Dance, Silent Men, Gladiator II and Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point
MARIA DUARTE recommends an exploration of the way famous black jazz musicians were used as camouflage in the US plot to assassinate Lumumba
by Jessamine O’Connor
TOM STONE recommends the sonic and visual impact of a band that keeps evolving, musically and politically
CHRIS SEARLE marvels at the improvising genius of an Irish harpist and a Dutch drummer, meeting for the first time
ADAM DE PAOR-EVANS remembers MC Duke: a pioneering British rapper more people should know about
FIONA O’CONNOR detects contemporary relevance in the depiction of a society heading into the abyss while the world does nothing
WILL STONE relishes the subtle demonstations of political awareness that accompany two standout performers at Brighton’s Mutations festival
MARY CONWAY complains - on behalf of men - that men are not the one-dimensional, testosterone-fuelled psychopaths portrayed in this play
New releases from Propaganda, David Gilmour and Jon Hopkins
WILL PODMORE listens keenly to the people’s voice expressing support for the USSR and disdain for the political Establishment and the empire
ALEX HALL exposes the moral double standards peddled by Western media in name of political expediency when dealing with Hamas
ALAN McGUIRE recommends an autobiography that is an intriguing mix of short stories and personal sketches
by John Kendall Hawkins
CHRISTINE LINDEY welcomes a fascinating survey of the work of the communist and socialist artists who founded the AIA in the 1930s
RON JACOBS recommends a new collection of essays that examine the presence of fascism in the US and the struggle against it
SIMON PARSONS applauds a moving version of Ishiguro’s vision of a world in which science and ethics have diverged
Lego synaesthesia, a tender portrait of poverty, bear-faced capers and premature Santa: The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE reviews Piece By Piece, Bird, Paddington in Peru and Red One
The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE recommends an unlikely tale of friendship between an Israeli and a Palestinian in the midst of West Bank ethnic cleansing
DEE HUEZ overhears some soul-searching in the Democratic Party
MARK TURNER gets over his discomfort that US cultural imperialism means we know more about US subcultures than our own
LEWIS MASDEN reckons that Uncle Sam needs an explanation
GEORGE FOGARTY introduces himself to the healing power of traditional Indian music
by Frankie Quinn
In the second of a two-part report RITA DI SANTO speaks to Palestinian film-maker Mohammed Almughanni
In the first of a 2-part report RITA DI SANTO relishes the platform given to Palestinian stories at an independent Egyptian film festival
MAYER WAKEFIELD speaks to playwright Richard Bean about his new play Reykjavik that depicts the exploitation of the Hull-based “far-fleet” trawlermen
MIK SABIERS pays homage to a book of urban portraits drawn from 40 years of activism and engagement
MIKE QUILL reports on a lively conference in Barnsley that took stock of working-class access to culture and proposed strategies to embed culture within the trade union movement
MARY CONWAY admires a vivid, compassionate portrait of a father and daughter pinioned in the criminal underclass
After storming hundreds if not thousands of barns and some such up and down Britain and overseas over the last 30 years, ATTILA THE STOCKBROKER stops, if only for a nanosecond, to reminisce about the faithful bunch at his side all those years that are the inimitable Barnstormers
ALEX HALL is impressed by the scholarship of the book but disappointed by its failure to explore in significant depth the ‘why’ of the Gaza predicament
New releases from The Clearwater Swimmers, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Andrew Tuttle and Michael Chapman
WILL PODMORE recommends a book that spells out the ultimate futility of imperialist wars
FIONA O’CONNOR recommends a biography of a Portuguese modernist poet who maintained a philosophical approach to his own being and is best encountered within the playfulness of his writing
The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE reviews Anora, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, Blitz, and Heretic
MARIA DUARTE recommends a film that gives voice to ordinary Cypriots on both sides of the divide that is an affront to their aspirations
New releases from Miguel Zenon, Angelica Sanchez/Chad Taylor, Paul Dunmall
Chilly Gonzales’ music is interspersed with much thoughtful and comedic storytelling and philosophising, writes GEORGE FOGARTY
WILL STONE applauds a quartet of dance vignettes exploring the joys and sorrows of the human condition
Chris Searle speaks with drummer DEVIN GRAY of the Melt All The Guns Trio
The clock turns back for TOM STONE as he’s reminded of the splendour of seminal Genesis album The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
by Omar Sabbagh
From the conundrums of a parallel London to a rewilding project in rural Ireland via a disturbing post-plagues world mystery thrives
The Wretched of the Earth has been translated into South Africa’s Zulu language. Its translator MAKHOSAZANA XABA explains why Frantz Fanon’s revolutionary book still matters and why is it important that books like this be available in isiZulu
Legendary poetry publisher Smokestack Books will cease operations by the end of the year. JOHN GREEN looks back at its achievements
New releases from Mairearad Green & Rachel Newton, Jon Boden & the Remnant Kings, the Rheingans Sisters
MATTHEW HAWKINS admires a writer with the gumption and wit to extend a transformative experience of autism to the reader
STEVE JOHNSON recommends the autobiography of the great US singer-songwriter and activist, Barbara Dane
SUE TURNER is fascinated to read of another miners’ strike of the 1980s, told through the voices of women
PAUL DONOVAN applauds a highly important book that appears at a crucial time in the present biodiversity and climate crisis
CHRIS SEARLE interviews veteran pianist VERYAN WESTON
Brazilian groove, Black Africa and Malian mixtures
ANDY HEDGECOCK previews a new musical about the Post Office Horizon scandal that employs different community choirs as it tours
JAN WOOLF marvels at a rich brew of steam-punk Victoriana, homosexual scandal, and contemporary reference
PAUL FARMER speaks to Dave Rogers, artistic director of Banner Theatre, Britain’s foremost workers' theatre & music company on their 50th anniversary
ROGER McKENZIE recommends an exhibition that explores the colonial plunder hidden in the collection, and the questions it raises
Colonial plunder goes home, chilly euthanasia, transsexual drug baron and venom’s end: The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE reviews Dahomey, The Room Next Door, Emilia Perez and Venom: The Last Dance
The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE recommends a unique piece of investigative journalism undertaken by the Japanese victim of rape herself
GORDON PARSONS hails a magnificent performance by a cast who make sure that every word can be heard and understood
by Megan Pattie
PAUL LAUGHLIN welcomes a collection whose central issues embrace class, unemployment and the benefits system
JOHN GREEN appreciates the clarity with which a GDR-born photographer observes the ‘post-competitive cannibalism’ of the contemporary US
The sonic possibilities of the violin are tested to their limits in new works, reports SIMON DUFF
SHIRLEY CLARK is moved by a dignified and defiant new work, written to commemorate the strike in 84-85
Unfortunate US bias, upper-class conundrum, dead Santa and Mayo maze
DAVID NICHOLSON is disappointed that an ambitious telling of the strike from a Welsh perspective disregards the collective struggle
The Bard, happily press-ganged by Pirates, tunes up for Christmas
New releases from Hannah Scott, Porridge Radio and previously unreleased Jimi Hendrix
RAE STREET recommends a useful guide that scotches the misguided belief that the arms industry is needed for the economy and jobs
Lewis Marsden finds Netanyahu in the morgue
CHRISTINE LINDEY marvels at a history of the Society for Cultural Relations with the USSR
SUSAN DARLINGTON applauds a play that explores the role that imagination can play for children growing up through trauma
ANDY HEDGECOCK applauds the results of a new initiative by Equity that gives free rein to working-class talent
Tim Lezard and Doina Cornell meet a band whose passion for politics is matched only by the power of their music
MATTHEW ALFORD questions the establishment-pleasing politics that underlie so-called ‘political satire’
Serial killer dating; courtroom charm; synaesthetic inspiration and jungle book robotics - The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE reviews Woman of the Hour, The Crime is Mine, A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things and The Wild Robot
MARIA DUARTE recommends a biopic of the US presidential candidate that explores his relationship with gay communist-basher Roy Cohn
JOHN GREEN recommends a history of the Black Sea peninsula, situated at a crossroads between Europe and Asia
GORDON PARSONS recommends an ideal introduction to the writer who was first to give the English a literary language
PETER MASON applauds a new drama that looks at knife crime through the lens of a group of young south Londoners
by Jenny Smith
PETER MASON applauds a classic drama exploring assimilation and resistance among poor black inhabitants of a Chigago slum
Citizen Chicane offers merchandise to the BBC
CHRIS SEARLE speaks to Panamanian pianist Danilo Perez
Mexican Yuri Herrera’s novel about Benito Juarez in New Orleans, and poetry by Mexican Fabio Morabito and Argentine Sergio Chejfec
BEN CHACKO finds many parallels with present-day peaceful Chinese influence, as well as evidence of exploitation, in a historical exhibition
New releases from Etienne Charles, Jason Anick/Jason Yeager and Elliott Sharp/Sally Gates/Tashi Dorji
by Cheryl Sonnier
GORDON PARSONS applauds one of those few brave plays to confront the politics of our world head on
MAYER WAKEFIELD speaks to playwright David Edgar about the political analysis that underlies his two new plays
MARTIN GRAHAM recommends an excellent starting point for unions and the wider movement for discussion of the housing crisis
SIMON PARSONS recommends a drama examining the division of India through the unjaded eyes of the young
WILL STONE is happily transported on a spaceship whose entire crew have been replaced
LYNNE WALSH regrets that unity is denied to a fine cast let down by the baffling spectacle of a poor lead performance
Cursed reincarnation, Zombies yet again, Israeli war crimes, Transformer origins and Spanish animation; MARIA DUARTE reviews Timestalker, Investigating War Crimes in Gaza, Salem’s Lot, Transformers One and Buffalo Kids
MARIA DUARTE recommends a homage to fearless, independent and empowering elderly women
RON JACOBS revisits the Antiwar Troupe’s 1971 Tour
ALEX HALL puts on asbestos gloves to handle a simple-minded ideological work of the ruling class
Patrick Cockburn provides a great insight into the world of his legendary journalistic father Claud says PAUL DONOVAN
PETER MASON is disappointed by a clunky comedy that falls flat
Using magic realism to highlight the problems of migrants does not sit easily with the harsh reality, says SIMON PARSONS
George Fogarty speaks to US Surrealist Blues poet AJA MONET
by p.a. morbid
JAN WOOLF revels in a painter of the poetic, whose freshness emulates that of the very young