rebecca in richmond

Oh, Rebecca. I've been meaning to read you for years. A glamorous woman is mysteriously murdered on a Cornish estate in the 1920s (or 30s or 40s - nobody actually knows). So me. So when my friend Tobi told me that he had tickets for a theatre adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's best-loved novel at the Richmond Theatre, I was there like a shot. The play was excellent - disturbing, funny, totally gripping. I particularly loved the set, which featured the wreck of Rebecca's sunken boat at its centre, a crystal chandelier swinging above. Director Emma Rice’s adaptation made excellent use of live music throughout the performance - violins and fiddles and gloomy sea shanties sung by fishermen in dark raincoats. Yes, I loved it. And now it's time to track down the paperback...

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again... I came upon it suddenly; the approach masked by the unnatural growth of a vast shrub that spread in all directions... There was Manderley, our Manderley, secretive and silent as it had always been, the gray stone shining in the moonlight of my dream, the mullioned windows reflecting the green lawns and terrace. Time could not wreck the perfect symmetry of those walls, nor the site itself, a jewel in the hollow of a hand.

early autumn culture

Tickets have all but sold out for Medea at the National Theatre but I've managed to get hold of one for tomorrow night, which is lucky as the run finishes next week. Medea will also be broadcast live to cinemas around the world on 4th September.

Benedict Cumberbatch’s starring role as Hamlet has become the fastest-selling ticket in London theatre history with advance seats selling out in minutes almost a year before the curtain rises. I'm going to have to beg, borrow or steal myself a ticket to this show. On another note, when I have kids, this is how I will encourage them to dress and behave at all times.

'This debut feature from the Cambodian-born, London-based film-maker Hong Khaou is heartfelt, intelligent film-making on a shoestring budget', says the Guardian.

As a teenager, Michel Gondry's The Science of Sleep was a favourite film of mine. For months I had it on repeat in the background, I loved the beautiful, whimsical world he had created so much. Mood Indigo seems to promise more of the same.

a night at the globe

I enjoyed a perfect early summer evening at Shakespeare's Globe last Thursday. I was at the Globe last two or three years ago - I went to watch a late night performance of Romeo and Juliet with friends under starry autumn skies. The beautiful building hadn't lost any of its magic for me; I was buzzing as soon as I walked through the doors. Fast forward a few years and I'm in ancient Egypt - this time I'd come to watch Antony and Cleopatra. The show was superb, a triumph - enchanting, funny, moving, with bold, simple sets. I loved it.

Of course I couldn't resist snapping Cleopatra's magnificent throne, which was left on stage at the end of the performance. After the play, I cycled home, alone, in quiet darkness - along the river, across Blackfriars Bridge, through Farringdon and past King's Cross - most enjoyable.

O excellent! I love long life better than figs.

the mormons are coming

I was intrigued by The Book of Mormon. I'd noticed a few billboards around town splashed with the phrase 'The Mormons are coming!' in giant black letters, but I hardly knew anything about the show or its plot, apart from the fact that it'd won a whole host of awards in the US for its achievements on Broadway... Believe it or not, I'm not a particularly avid fan of musical theatre, but a musical about Mormons? Could be good. So with a sense of curiosity, I popped along to the Prince of Wales theatre on Monday evening for the preview showing. Nothing could have quite prepared me for the experience. In summary, the show follows a pair of Mormon boys sent on a mission to Uganda, where they find the local tribes are too worried about war, famine and AIDS to care about religion (fair enough)... The satire was biting, the songs filled with blasphemy and obscenity, the costumes completely wonderful and the sets a marvel. It was utterly spectacular. In other words: go go go. (Unless of course you're the easily offended type... O ho.) It was the smiliest, campest thing I've ever come across, and I completely loved it. Find out more and book tickets here.

the judas kiss / no quarter

We finally got around to seeing David Hare's The Judas Kiss in the West End last night, after missing its original running at the Hampstead Theatre back in autumn last year. Hilarious, haunting and heartbreaking in almost equal measure, The Judas Kiss is a compelling drama about the power of all-consuming love and the cruelty of betrayal. Rupert Everert, playing Oscar Wilde, was utterly mesmerising. Perhaps it would be a cliché to say so, but Everertt was surely born to play this role!

Talking of theatre, we also went to see our friend Polly Stenham's brilliant play No Quarter at the Royal Court a couple of weeks ago. It was a real triumph - a heady cocktail of unhinged characters, good jokes, chaotic larks and brilliant set design. Make sure to pick up a copy of the text, published by Faber and Faber. (Cover illustration by the very talented Fee Greening.)