By Chris Colbourn SelfMadeHeroÔÇÖs translation of this Belgian-Dutch graphic novel feels particularly timely as the last three years of Brexit madness have soured a lot of young peopleÔÇÖs relationships with older generations. When politics divides us, it can be easy to forget that the other side are real people too, with their own lives and emotions, and this book is about just that. Blossoms in … Continue reading Review | Blossoms in Autumn
By Yi Lam Tang ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà A musical theatre group, who formed for only one month before the eighth season of BritainÔÇÖs Got Talent, had amazed the judges every time with their harmony. Collabro won the majority of votes and had become the winner of the eighth season of BritainÔÇÖs got talent. Since 2014, they had published 4 alba and are currently on their fourth tour: … Continue reading Review | Colabro
By Phoebe Blandford ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà An evening of jazz was a refreshing change of scene from regular student life, swapping the VKs for cocktails and nibbles at the Wales Millennium Centre. The evening was held in their Ffresh caf├®; a small space that is kitted out as a cabaret bar, and perfect for a jazz evening. It was set up like a traditional jazz caf├® with … Continue reading Review | Miles Davis: The 1950s and Beyond
Words by Ashley Boyle ÔÇ£An energetic and fun performance which traces the milestone moments of MotownÔÇØ Having already watched this stage production in London 2 years ago, I was beyond thrilled to be given the chance to review Motown the Musical here in Cardiff. Growing up, I was exposed to all of the great sounds of Motown at my grandmaÔÇÖs, making the genre among my … Continue reading Motown the Musical | Theatre Review
by Lottie Ennis Simply put, micro-habits are defined as a set of small tasks which one can complete regularly to improve general health and wellbeing as well as work towards their goals. More importantly, micro-habits can also act as a form of self-care and allow individuals to invest emotionally in themselves for the future without taking up huge chunks of time. The main point of … Continue reading How micro-habits can change your life
By Sarah Rawle ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà Top or Bottom? If you havenÔÇÖt been asked this question yourself, you have likely heard it before. Maybe not sung to you accompanied by a ukulele, or alongside a lesson in 1970s handkerchief code ÔÇô but such is the uniqueness of ÔÇÿBottomÔÇÖ. It is a question about the power dynamics of sex. A question which has become so engrained in our … Continue reading Review | Bottom
By Saoirse O’Connor ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà Agatha ChristieÔÇÖs name is synonymous with the modern detective story, her influence evident in modern shows like Death in Paradise. As soon as we see a group of suspects gathered in a room, a detective centre stage ready to uncover a murderer, the Queen of CrimeÔÇÖs hand isnÔÇÖt hard to discern. But the modern interpretation of Christie is more sordid than … Continue reading Review | The Mirror Crack’d
By Jasmine Snow ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà Recently, I had the pleasure of seeing one of William ShakespeareÔÇÖs most haunting tragedies, Antony and Cleopatra. The show was performed at the Llanover Arts Centre by Act One, directed by Sophie Callery and produced by Daisy Leach. The performance perfectly captured the struggle between reason and emotion, but the 1920s setting left something to be desired. The plot follows a … Continue reading Theatre Review: Act One Presents Antony and Cleopatra
By Anna Whitfield Camp be yourself is a short yet sweet play about two women who return to their beloved summer camp ten years later, but this time as camp councillors. The two-woman play, written and performed by two Royal welsh college of music and drama graduates, shows the characters struggling to come to terms with the harsh realities and complexities of adulthood. The play … Continue reading Review | Camp Be Yourself
By Martina Merenda ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà Set in a post-apocalyptic present, National Theatre’s production of Macbeth, under the direction of Rufus Norris, doesn’t disappoint. The tragedy in five acts starts with the brave Scottish general Macbeth, who, after a mysterious meeting with the “three weird sisters” (the witches) discovers to be the centre of a prophecy that will eventually see him as king of Scotland. Driven by … Continue reading Review | Macbeth
By Mike OÔÇÖBrien |┬áÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà In case youÔÇÖre somehow unfamiliar, QI is a comedy panel game show wherein Stephen Fry poses a series of absurd trivia questions to Alan Davies and guests. ItÔÇÖs great fun – but not even Fry, a national treasure famed for his genius, could possess this magnitude of nonsensical knowledge by himself. QI is, in fact, a well-oiled machine in an office … Continue reading REVIEW: No Such Thing as a Fish: Live in Cardiff
By Ilona Cabral The South Wales Wellness Show united curious Cardiffians, young and old, in a transformational event which┬ácelebrated holistic health and wellness. With over a hundred retailers, healers, free talks and workshops the show was dedicated to raising awareness and educating people about holistic healing. As show organiser Gaia Love said in an interview with Quench: ÔÇ£The event aims to evolve consciousness, raise awareness … Continue reading Review | South Wales Wellness show
By Ilona Cabral ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà Brace yourselves as your favourite Horrible characters come careering onto the New Theatre Stage! Over 20 years ago Terry Deary began writing his smash-hit series, ÔÇ£Horrible HistoriesÔÇØ and since then its popularity has not wavered! The series has inspired a BAFTA-winning Television show, merchandise and a Horrible-histories film is expected this year. Considering this legacy, the stage show production does not … Continue reading Review | Horrible Histories: The Terrible Tudors
By Jacob South-Klein ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà One of the manifold Golden Rules of Reviewing™ (so writes a man who until now has never written a review for Quench) is to maintain a level of objectivity, as a distant observer, from the reviewed event itself. In other words, do not, accidentally end up on stage with any Hairy Bikers, in front of three-thousand fellow audience members. The second … Continue reading Review | Hairy Bikers Live
Words by Max Modell ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà YouÔÇÖve gotta make a livinÔÇÖ somehow, so you may as well make it takinÔÇÖ your kit off, it seems to be working for the cast of The Full Monty. Based on the Oscar-winning (yes, you read that right) feel-good classic, you know what youÔÇÖre going to get, a good old cheeky bit of fun. But, in fact The Fully Monty … Continue reading The Full Monty | Theatre Review
ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà Words by Andrea Drobna First performed almost 20 years ago, Kaite OÔÇÖReillyÔÇÖs award-winning play Peeling is a revolutionary performance focused on womenÔÇÖs and disability rights. Through incorporating audio/visual cues as well as sign language throughout the production, the show had been made accessible to all audiences, outshining the production of many mainstream theatre performances. Recently, the play has been reworked by Taking Flight Theatre … Continue reading Peeling | Theatre Review
Words by Natalya Sareen-Kadach Contemporary, urban energy meets the melancholic tragedy that is Shakespeare’s ÔÇÿRomeo and JulietÔÇÖ in the RSCÔÇÖs latest interpretation at CardiffÔÇÖs New Theatre. With a purposeful lack of preliminary research I took my seat with a completely open mind, a total tabula rasa. In honesty, my subconscious had expected a lavish set and extravagant scene changes, appropriately garish Edwardian costume and an … Continue reading Romeo and Juliet | Theatre Reivew
Words By Allison Renker Vasily Petrenko moves with an awkwardness that conceals genius. The Russian-born conductor, soon to take the helm as Musical Director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, has dazzled audiences round the world and can now add the Welsh public to this group. This Wednesday, with his unique, unassuming conducting style Petrenko steered the Oslo Philharmonic through the streets of ShakespeareÔÇÖs … Continue reading Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra | Reivew
Words by Christopher Colbourn Guant├ínamo Kid tells the story of Mohammed El-Gharani, one of the youngest inmates detained at Guant├ínamo Bay by the US government in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. A Saudi national arrested outside a mosque in Pakistan at the age of 14, El-Gharani spent eight years of his life detained without charge or trial, first by Pakistan and then by the … Continue reading Graphic Novel Review: Guantan├ímo Kid
By┬áRhiannon Humphreys ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà Bummer and Lazarus by Jack Harrison is a Fringe show that is at once comedic, existentialist and absurdist in nature. On the surface, it is about two inseparable friends, the title characters, who are trapped, on the brink of starvation and need to find a means of escape from their captivity. However, on a larger scale the work explores broader concepts such … Continue reading Review | Bummer and Lazarus
