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59 results found.

Henry V
So, can the small provincial cockpit of the Oxford Playhouse hold the vasty fields of France? Well yes, with a little help from you and me. Shakespeare’s Henry V is a play ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 9 May, 2012

Madama Butterfly
Award-winning producer Ellen Kent returns to the touring circuit, after a brief period of retirement, with this polished and affecting version of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly; this time showcasing the talents of the ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 7 May, 2012

‘Tis Pity She's a Whore
It was never going to end well. From the opening scene of John Ford’s seventeenth century tragedy, when love-struck Giovanni reveals to his tutor that the object of his youthful passion is ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 8 February, 2012

Dr Marigold & Mr Chops
Simon Callow presents an accomplished old-fashioned entertainment in this one-man performance of two short plays by Charles Dickens. Based on the hugely popular public readings which Dickens conducted of his work from ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 20 September, 2011

Everest Nepalese Restaurant and Bar
I’d forgotten how much I like Everest. I’ve been a couple of times previously, but always with a slightly rowdy work group where conversation and wine tend to overshadow even the nicest ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 22 August, 2011

Garsington Opera Season 2011
This season, Garsington Opera, newly re-homed in the beautiful Wormsley Estate, hosts the UK première of Vivaldi’s opera La Verità in Cimento (Truth put to the Test), first performed in Venice in ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 23 June, 2011

Doctor Faustus
What’s a Renaissance man to do when he’s exhausted his reading list? Naturally, having reached the highest possible peak of human attainment, it’s always tempting to turn to a handy volume on ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 18 February, 2011

WNO Autumn Season 2010
Handsome prince Tamino, lost in a magical land, is rescued from a hideous monster, then charged by the Queen of the Night to bring back her beautiful abducted daughter Pamina and win ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 3 December, 2010

Duke of Monmouth
It rather takes you aback at first: a familiar red-brick suburban pub with a sign outside offering ‘Swiss Cuisine’ is nothing if not unexpected, and definitely makes an intriguing addition to Oxford’s ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 23 November, 2010

Verde Pizzeria & Trattoria
Cowley Road’s newest Italian has the clean, cavernous feel of a good, cheap and cheerful family restaurant, and this seems to be the market it’s aiming at. The menu, scattered with organic ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 3 August, 2010

Visiting Oxford - Things to See and Do
Sitting here in the office with the sun shining outside, contemplating an ideal day in Oxford, my mind is so full of fun possibilities that it's hard to imagine cramming them into ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 26 July, 2010

Four Lions [15]
So, what to expect from Chris Morris’ new venture? An uncomfortable mix of lowbrow farce and intelligent social observation; clever one-liners and carefully nurtured comedic themes, old-fashioned (and updated) slapstick and lots ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 12 May, 2010

RSC Productions in Stratford and London 2010
Everybody loves a good old fashioned love story. Instant infatuation, clandestine encounters, illicit passion and violent self-immolation will always get the audience cheering, even when the story is so familiar as to ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 7 April, 2010

The Perch
There are loads of good things about the Perch. It’s a beautiful setting: a lovely building in fantastic gardens, and, reached in the chill dusk after a walk along the canal and ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 22 October, 2009

The Mole Inn
In the past, the Mole has attracted one or two rather disgruntled reviews on these pages, but to be honest I find it rather hard to work out why. This well appointed ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 18 September, 2009

Turf Tavern Quiz Night
This is hardcore quizzing. Taking place in the rear-garden of the pub, there’s room for umpteen teams and it still gets full - I’ve been there in freezing mid-winter and the showing ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 7 June, 2009

Cricketer's Arms Quiz Night
A lively night with a crackling atmosphere, the Cricketer’s quiz is run by a number of wise-cracking characters whose irreverent and individual approach gives the proceedings an element of theatre as well ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 7 June, 2009

RSC Productions in Stratford and London, from 2009 and earlier
Let’s face it: with The Winter’s Tale, it’s really all about the bear. Did they pull it off? Did the gobbling up of the luckless Antigonus receive suitably tongue-in cheek treatment? The ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 15 May, 2009

Brasserie Blanc
Previous reviews of this restaurant have been so mixed that I was quite looking forward to finding out why. Did they have particularly unreliable suppliers? A chef with a split personality? One ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 4 May, 2009

Andromaque
From innovative Barbican-based theatre company Cheek By Jowl, in association with Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, comes this French language production of Racine’s Andromaque, part of Paris Calling, a Franco-British season of ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 11 March, 2009

RJ@21 - CLOSED Summer 2011
This little corner of the Cowley Road was once home to Joe’s, a long-running Oxford breakfast institution which one can’t help thinking might have been squeezed out by slicker competition from surrounding ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 31 October, 2008

Door 74
Door 74 is an engaging little venue, intimate and unfussy, but with a good selection of interesting, high quality dishes. To a certain extent it has the feel of a tiny Parisian ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 26 September, 2008

Branca
It all started off so well. Branca is a restaurant with a nice atmosphere: much more spacious than expected, pleasantly bustling but not noisy, full of well turned-out people with even suntans ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 23 June, 2008

RSC Productions in Stratford and London, from 2009 and earlier
Romantic comedy, updated folk story, or a deeply moralistic cautionary tale, The Merchant of Venice is a play which operates on many levels, and for this reason as much as for its ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 26 May, 2008

Fishers
I have mixed feelings about Fishers. On the one hand it provides an unpretentious atmosphere in which to eat quality seafood which is fresh, inventive and sensitively cooked; on the other, it’s ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 1 May, 2008

Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival 2008
The lecture begins with a technical hitch: the microphone, we are told (though sitting at the back I can barely hear the explanation) has mysteriously been switched off, and switching it on ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 3 April, 2008

Spies by Michael Frayn
A new adaptation of Michael Frayn’s 2002 novel of the same name, Spies is a story of British suburbia; a quiet, leafy cul-de-sac with its own social codes and petty intrigues seen ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 26 February, 2008

The High Table Brasserie and Bar
That slightly ropey but affectionately remembered late-night choice, Merton’s Bar, has recently been replaced by The Eastgate Hotel’s new restaurant, The High Table. The management have effected a complete change in atmosphere, ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 18 February, 2008

A Trip To Scarborough
Alan Ayckbourn’s affection for the northern seaside town of Scarborough makes the decision to reprise Richard Brindsley Sheridan’s 18th century romp A Trip to Scarborough an intriguingly logical step, full of dramatic ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 8 February, 2008

The Oxford Retreat
The Oxford Retreat is doing quite a lot right. At first glance, the set-up seems slightly curious: the bar, which is often lively, is a bit close to the romantically lit dining ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 20 December, 2007

Tales from the Brothers Grimm
Classic fairytales, presented in the enchanting atmosphere of the antique Mirror Tent by a theatre company that specialises in the mystic and magical: what could be a cosier, more charming way to ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 7 December, 2007

RSC Productions in Stratford and London, from 2009 and earlier
Much more than a retelling of a famous English military triumph, Henry V is a play of contradictions, where comedy mingles provocatively with tragedy, where the flipside of loyalty to one’s country ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 1 December, 2007

Strada
It’s been suggested that a place where one restaurant has failed to thrive often retains a whiff of failure that taints the next business to take over the premises. It was reassuring, ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 24 October, 2007

The Taming Of The Shrew
The return of all male troupe Propeller to Oxford is a cause for celebration. Their modern, energetic interpretation of The Taming of the Shrew doesn’t disappoint, encompassing physical high jinks, musical comedy ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 16 May, 2007

Xian
I’d heard great things about Xian: that the food was excellent and the service beyond compare, so I was pleased to finally get around to making the long trek to Summertown. The ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 30 April, 2007

Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival 2007
Jeremy Paxman. RoyaltyWhat exactly is royalty and how does it work? Can it be a suitable component of modern government and if not, what should replace it? In spite of being overheard ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 24 March, 2007

Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival 2007
Jung Chang. Mao: The Unknown StoryJung Chang became famous in the early 90s for writing Wild Swans, the extraordinary story of three generations of Chinese women; her mother, her grandmother and herself. ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 22 March, 2007

Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival 2007
Pauline Kiernan. Filthy ShakespeareIn contrast to Robert Lacey’s lecture earlier in the day, the subject matter of Pauline Kiernan’s book – the smutty subtext running through Shakespeare’s work – had led me ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 21 March, 2007

Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival 2007
Robert Lacey. Great Tales: The Battle of the Boyne to DNARobert Lacey makes a good first impression: sort of politely exuberant and very much at ease with his audience. This being the ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 21 March, 2007

Dancin' Oxford Festival 2007
Made in Oxford is a collection of four short pieces showcasing local Oxford talent. The first piece, in telling spaces; even the breath is set to rather haunting, minimalist music. Nine dancers ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 8 March, 2007

King of Hearts
The latest offering from Alistair Beaton, former Spitting Image gagsmith and one-time speech writer to Gordon Brown, King of Hearts is a sly snapshot of a constitutional monarchy struggling to find its ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 14 February, 2007

The Old Bank
With the city’s never-ending stream of tourists, visiting business folks and fond parents, and its easy location within striking distance of London, one can’t help thinking that to a certain extent Oxford’s ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 16 January, 2007

The Merchant of Venice
In a fast paced and intriguing new production, Shakespeare’s tale of love, revenge and cash flow problems is brought bang up to date with game shows, drug dealing, police chases and very ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 7 July, 2006

The Eagle and Child
A nice cosy never-ending skittle alley of a pub which has never quite got over its association with the tiresome Inklings, the Eagle and Child has a frankly superior quiz (Tuesdays, 8.30pm, ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 8 June, 2006

The Bear Inn (Alfred St)
Quiz review: Mondays, 8.30pm, free. This one gets pretty cramped, and while I applaud the introduction of a non-smoking section in spite of my filthy habit, I’m not sure this place can support ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 8 June, 2006

Cricketers Arms, Iffley Road OFFLINE
Quiz review: A lively night with a crackling atmosphere, the Cricketer’s quiz (Mondays, 9ish) is run by a number of wise-cracking characters whose irreverent and individual approach gives the proceedings an element ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 8 June, 2006

The Turf Tavern
Quiz Review: This is hardcore quizzing. Taking place (Tuesdays, 8.30pm, £1 entry) in the rear-garden of the pub, there’s room for umpteen teams and it still gets full - I’ve been there ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 8 June, 2006

Chester Arms *CLOSED*
Quiz review: Rather disappointing quiz (Sundays, £1 entry), run by a nice professional quiz chap who also does one at the Annora bar in Iffley, and possibly some others I haven’t been ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 8 June, 2006

The Berkshire House
Quiz review: Tuesdays, 8pm, £1 entry. I love this quiz. Laid back, local and unpretentious, it strikes just the right balance in terms of difficulty: some questions fairly low-brow (ok, I wasn’t proud ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 8 June, 2006

Eagle and Child Quiz Night
A nice cosy never-ending skittle alley of a pub which has never quite got over its association with the tiresome Inklings, the Eagle and Child has a frankly superior quiz with a ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 8 June, 2006

The Bear Quiz Night
This one gets pretty cramped, and while I applaud the introduction of a non-smoking section in spite of my filthy habit, I’m not sure this place can support two separate areas – ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 8 June, 2006

Berkshire House Quiz Night
I love this quiz. Laid back, local and unpretentious, it strikes just the right balance in terms of difficulty: some questions fairly low-brow (ok, I wasn’t proud to know who won The ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 8 June, 2006

Chester Arms Quiz Night
Rather disappointing quiz, run by a nice professional quiz chap who also does one at the Annora bar in Iffley, and possibly some others I haven’t been to. I don’t know – ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 8 June, 2006

Pub Quizzes
The British are a nation of sporting folk, and often carry their love of healthy, neighbourly competition from its original field; the track, the pitch or the river, into that hallowed seat ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 7 June, 2006

Amnesty Lectures 2006
The subject of this year’s Oxford Amnesty Lectures is ‘War on Terror’; not a matter for surprise in the current political climate, but nonetheless a brave and, frankly, useful choice. We’re reminded ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 15 February, 2006

Freud
Something of a local institution, this popular venue on the edge of Jericho manages to fulfil a variety of functions for the residents of North Oxford. A café/bar with a late licence, ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 27 October, 2005

The Barber of Seville
One of three operas on offer at the New Theatre this week, Rossini's Barber of Seville by the Welsh National Opera is beautifully performed, amusing, unpretentious and absorbing, and makes for a ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 27 October, 2005

A Midsummer Night's Dream
I've always had the suspicion that theatre, like eating, is something best undertaken indoors. Setting the scene with a makeshift stage or a tartan picnic rug may seem like a good idea ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 12 July, 2005

Amnesty Lectures 2006
Since finishing university, my lecture-going has, to put it kindly, somewhat fallen off, so it wasn't without misgivings that I waited in the Sheldonian for the second of this season's Oxford Amnesty ...
Susie Cogan (DI Staff) - 3 February, 2005