Toby Jones tells us about turning his hand to writing for the new six part BBC2 TV series, Don’t Forget The Driver. It's a dark and poignant comedy about Brexit Britain, set in a coach company in Bognor Regis. The latest DC comics film Shazam! flies into cinemas this week. Originally published as a comic strip in 1939, it's the story of Billy Batson, a normal 14-year-old who is given the ability to transform into an adult superhero just by uttering the magic word “Shazam!”. Film critic Larushka Ivan Zadeh will tell us whether or not it's any good.At Easter, choirs across the country prepare to perform Bach’s St John and St Matthew Passions. We explore the significance of these intense and monumental works. Kirsty is joined by director Peter Sellars, who is staging the St John Passion at London’s Royal Festival Hall conducted by Sir Simon Rattle, and music historian Hannah French. 6 April Tewkesbury Abbey – St John Passion – City of Birmingham Choir
7 April Royal Festival Hall – St Matthew Passion – Bach Choir
13 April Kings Place London - St Matthew Passion - Feinstein Ensemble
14 April Plymouth Guildhall – St Matthew Passion - Plymouth Philharmonic Choir
14 April Merton College Oxford – St Matthew Passion
14 April Durham Cathedral – St John Passion
14 April Tremeirchion Church St Asaph – St Matthew Passion
16 April St Georges Bristol – St Matthew Passion – Ex Cathedra
17 April Salisbury Cathedral – St Matthew Passion
18 April Aberdeen Music Hall – St Matthew Passion – Dunedin Consort
19 April Coventry Cathedral – St John Passion
19 April Leeds Minster – St John Passion
19 April The Queens Hall Edinburgh – St Matthew Passion – Dunedin ConsortPresenter: Kirsty Lang
Producer: Oliver Jones
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Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music
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Folge vom 02.04.2019Toby Jones - Don't Forget the Driver, Shazam!, Bach Passions
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Folge vom 01.04.2019Suzi Quatro, Museum numbers, John KaniSuzi Quatro was the first female bass player to become a rock star in the 1970s, with hits like Devil Gate Drive and Can the Can. Fifty-five years after her first performance, Suzi talks about her new album No Control which she wrote with her son. Playwright and actor John Kani and director Janice Honeyman discuss John's new play for the RSC – Kunene and the King - which reflects on South Africa's post-apartheid history through the relationship of a dying white actor and his black nurse.Britain's museums and galleries show an increase of nearly 9% in visitor numbers in the last year, with Tate Modern leap-frogging the British Museum for the top spot. Nicholas Cullinan of the National Portrait Gallery in London, and Gordon Rintoul of National Museums Scotland debate the importance of visitor numbers as they plan their future programmes. Presenter: Stig Abell Producer: Timothy Prosser
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Folge vom 29.03.2019Local Hero on stage, the anti-climax in culture, Agnes Varda rememberedThe 1983 Scottish film Local Hero was a much-loved comedy drama about an American oil company rep who is sent to a fictional village in Scotland to purchase the town for his company. This film has now been adapted into a stage musical at the Edinburgh Lyceum with all 19 songs composed by Mark Knopfler, who wrote the film soundtrack. So does Local Hero the musical work? Novelist Ian Rankin delivers his verdict.After a two-year build-up, the UK will not be leaving European Union today after all. To reflect the mood of the nation, we investigate the anti-climax in art with film critic Hannah McGill and writer Matt Thorne. Why do writers and film-makers use it, what effect does it have, and what makes an anti-climax poignant or simply frustrating? Legendary film-maker Agnès Varda's death was announced today, at the age of 90. She was one of the key figures in the French New Wave in the 1960s, making films like Cleo from 5 to 7, Le Bonheur and The Creatures. Hannah McGill reflects on the career of the influential figure, and the first female director to receive a rare honorary Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, in 2015.In the wake of the press release issued yesterday by the National Theatre for its new season - of the seven plays presented, only one was directed by woman and none was written by a woman - Lisa Burger, the newly appointed joint Chief Executive of the National Theatre, and current Executive Director, discusses whether women playwrights and directors are still having a hard time making their presence felt at the National Theatre.Presenter John Wilson Producer Jerome Weatherald
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Folge vom 28.03.2019Tash Aw, Arts Sponsorship row, Parry's JudithTash Aw, winner of the Whitbread Award and Commonwealth Book Prize, discusses his new novel We the Survivors, about a man born in a Malaysian fishing village who tries to make his way in a country and society that is transforming. He describes the book as a tribute to those battling to survive in a ruthless, rapidly changing world. As museums such as the National Portrait Gallery and Tate Modern sever ties with the philanthropic Sackler family following controversy over its alleged role in the opioid crisis, what is the wider impact on the ethics of arts sponsorship? How much scrutiny of arts sponsors should there be? Andrea is joined by Heledd Fychan, chair of the Museum Association's Ethics Committee and author and academic Tiffany Jenkins.Dear Lord and Father of Mankind is one of the nation's favourite hymn tunes, yet the tune itself comes from a much bigger work, the oratorio Judith by Hubert Parry, which is about to get its first UK performance in almost one hundred years at the Royal Festival Hall in London next week. Music historian Jeremy Summerly explores the significance of this musical revival. Presenter: Andrea Catherwood Producer: Timothy Prosser