Sweet Charity, Machines Like Me, Smoke and Mirrors: The Psychology of Magic, Loro
Sweet Charity at the Donmar Warehouse with Anne-Marie Duff, Ian McEwan's new novel Machines Like Me, Smoke and Mirrors: The Psychology of Magic at the Wellcome, Sorrentino's Loro
Josie Rourke returns to the work of Cy Coleman, who wrote the music for City of Angels; with the Broadway classic Sweet Charity. With choreography from the world-renowned Wayne McGregor, Rourke reunites with Anne-Marie Duff as Charity, and Arthur Darvill makes his Donmar debut as Oscar, for her farewell production as Donmar Artistic Director. During Sweet Charity, multiple guest actors will play the role of Daddy Brubeck including Shaq Taylor, Adrian Lester, Le Gateau Chocolat, Beverley Knight and Clive Rowe.
Ian McEwanβs subversive and entertaining new novel Machines Like Me poses fundamental questions: what makes us human? Our outward deeds or our inner lives? Could a machine understand the human heart? Machines Like Me occurs in an alternative 1980s London, where Britain has lost the Falklands war, Margaret Thatcher battles Tony Benn for power and Alan Turing achieves a breakthrough in artificial intelligence. The novel's narrator Charlie drifts through life making his money by playing the stock market when he becomes involved in a menage a trois with a difference - one of the three is one of the first synthetic humans. It is not long before this strange love triangle inhabiting an even stranger alternate reality have to confront some profound moral dilemmas.
Smoke and Mirrors The Psychology of Magic at the Wellcome Collection in London explores how magicians have achieved astonishing feats of trickery by exploiting the gap between what we think we perceive and what we actually perceive. Recently scientists have begun to appreciate this ability as a powerful tool for the study of human psychology. This research has emerged from an extraordinary history that stretches back to the 19th century, where a fascination with the paranormal coincided with the birth of science as a profession and the flourishing of the entertainment industry.
Italian writer/director Paolo Sorrentinoβs new film Loro - which means "them" - focuses on the controversial life of the former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi around the time of the βbunga-bungaβ parties and the earthquake in LβAquila.
Tom Sutcliffe is joined by Geoffrey Durham, Naima Khan and Stephanie Merritt. The producer is Hilary Dunn.
Podcast Extra Selections:
Naima recommends Banthology: Stories from Unwanted Nations
Geoffrey recommends the Swedish fantasy film Border and movie Leave No Trace
Stephanie recommends the following Kate Atkinson 'Jackson Brodie' novels: One Good Turn, Case Histories, Started Early Took My Dog, When Will There Be Good News, Big Sky
Tom recommends the Jon Ronson podcast 'The Last Days of August'
Last on
Sweet Charity
Sweet Charity is at the Donmar Warehouse until 8 June 2019
Loro
Loro is out in Curzon Cinemas from 19 April 2019
Machines Like Me
Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan is out now and published by Random House.
Smoke and Mirrors: The Psychology of Mirrors
The exhibition is open until 15 September 2019 at the Wellcome Collection
Podcast Recommendations
Geoffrey Durham recommends the Swedish fantasy film Β and movie
Stephanie recommends the following 'Jackson Brodie' novels: One Good Turn, Case Histories, Started Early Took My Dog, When Will There Be Good News, Big Sky
Tom recommends the podcast 'The Last Days of August'
Broadcast
- Sat 20 Apr 2019 19:15ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4
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Saturday Review
Sharp, critical discussion of the week's cultural events, with Tom Sutcliffe and guests