Culture Corner

Things I've seen/done/watched/read

Greetings, pals! I hope this finds you well, etc. I have spent the last ten days in London and I thought I might do a round up of all the arts and culture I’ve been enjoying. If you have thoughts on any of the below, PLEASE let’s get into it in the comments.

Firstly, I wanted to mention the two museums I went to whilst I was in Croatia. Zagreb seems to love a quirky museum (Museum of Hangovers! Museum of Cravats!), as do I, but I was short on time so I limited myself to two. The Museum of Lost Tales, which was beautiful and eerie, presenting Croatian myths and folk tales through art, and The Museum of Broken Relationships, which I wandered into off the street and an hour later, found myself staring at a Folgers coffee cup, crying. It is a constantly growing collection of mementoes from old relationships – the music cassettes someone’s ex recorded for her, and which she cannot bear to look at anymore since discovering his affair, the coffee cup containing another woman’s dead husband’s ashes – and the whole thing is so moving and cleverly done. A must see if you’re in the city.

Now, onto London.

1) First up – like every other millennial woman in the country, I went to see The Devil Wears Prada 2. There was plenty I liked about the film: I enjoyed what it had to say about journalism, AI, and the influence of tech billionaires. Having worked at a fashion magazine in 2010/2011, arguably just as the industry was teetering on the edge of irrevocable change, the ways in which TDWP2 demonstrated Runway’s loss of power and capital was very well done. (God, I had such an ache in my chest watching the scenes in New York. I cannot explain how much I miss the city, and how I yearn to return…) The fashion and property porn was 10/10, and Meryl and Emily Blunt and Anne Hathaway were predicably excellent. HOWEVER, my main gripe is that Andy Sachs shows no discernible character growth in over 20 years. Girl. Why the fuck are you still crying over Miranda Priestly at your big age? Get a grip!!! Also, the romantic subplot was superfluous to requirements, although I found the Aussie actor v charming. All in all – a fun time at the cinema and the place was PACKED. It’s almost as if art primarily made for women can be commercially viable too. Astounding news if true.

2) One of my favourite things about splitting my time between west Cork and London is the access to theatre, darling. I was lucky enough to grow up in a part of the world where amateur drama was nearly as important as the GAA (Gaelic games), and the education I received in Rossmore was invaluable. Sitting in a hall, listening to people argue about staging and acting and scripts and sets, gave me an appreciation of and a love for the art form that has never left. (Kilmeen drama group just won the All-Ireland drama festival with their all-female adaptation of Enda Walsh’s Ballyturk – here is an excellent Irish Times article about the group and amateur drama in Ireland as a whole. Well worth a read) This week’s choice was A Doll’s House at the Almeida. I have loved Ibsen’s play since I first read it at university and yet I don’t think I have ever seen a production that has fully blown me away. Such was the case here. There was much to admire, not least of all the superb acting, and I did think the re-telling had interesting things to say about love and finance and capitalism, but it never fully convinced me. And they changed the ending? THE ending?! Sacrilege! Still, I always think it’s worth applauding when a writer/director is brave enough to take a big swing, especially with a play as beloved as this one.

3) My friend Salma (subscribe to her brilliant Substack here) was a judge for this year’s Women Prize, and she recommended Heart the Lover by Lily King to me. Well. Fuck me. This book!! I WEPT. It is beautifully written and truthful and deeply moving without ever tipping into sentimentality. It’s so good on first love and heartbreak and how it changes us forever, but not necessarily in a bad way. It’s just life, in all its bittersweet glory. Believe the hype, this one is special.

4) I haven’t read The Other Bennet Sister (should I? Tell me in the comments) but I ADORED the TV adaptation. This isn’t about Lizzie or Jane or Lydia or Kitty, it tells the story of the oft-forgotten Mary, and what a surprisingly delightful heroine she makes. This show was so charming, it made me laugh and cry, and features a star-making turn from Ella Bruccoleri as Mary Bennet.

5) A good friend of mine, Brona C Titley, invited me to an early showing of a one-woman show she is developing. She wrote and starred in Particular Friend, and promised me that it was about nuns and fingering. Well, it certainly did involve nuns and fingering, and it was GLORIOUS. Laugh out loud funny, and completely full of joy. The last five minutes had me in bits too. It was an utter triumph and I can’t wait for everyone to see it.

6) Lastly, I went to the Elsa Schiaparelli exhibition at the V&A. It was glorious; just beautifully done. The clothes are witty and clever and modern, and it’s really striking to see the impact of Surrealism in particular on her work, how she was very much in conversation with contemporary artists like Dali and Picasso. I’m surprised we didn’t see more of her designs at the Met Gala this year, the theme (“Costume Art”) was perfect for it.

And that’s that! If there’s anything you recommend I check out in London, please let me know xx