“The woods are just trees; the trees are just wood.” The Royal Exchange sends its audience skipping Into the Woods with a contemporary revival of the Stephen Sondheim 1986 classic. When a wicked witch places a curse on a childless baker and his wife; the couple blend fables to find various fairy-tale characters recognisable items to form the ingredients for their baby. The realistically revamped fairy-tale interweaves characters from Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel and Cinderella for an offbeat musical that deals with themes of loss, betrayal, and death. Olivier and Tony-winning designer Jenny Tiramani create an encroaching forest that surrounds the famously round theatre. With a narrator sitting amongst the audience and an eight-piece band filling in live sound effects, the production takes advantage of the enclosed space. It surprised its audience with characters appearing from all four entrances and levels of the theatre (as well as suspended in mid-air) to keep the play lively and engaging. The story offers the best of both worlds. Act 1 invigorates its audience with well-known characters’ stories. Portrayed by a strong cast of eighteen, including Alex Gaumond as the Baker and Amy Ellen Richardson as his wife. Gillian Bevan as the Witch and Exchange Associate Artist Maxine Peake as the voice of the Giant. Act 2 looks at the reality of what characters have done to achieve their wishes and how they have affected their entire kingdom. Asking, what happens after "happy ever after" in the real world? Into the Woods is far from a preachy children’s story, its subtext is a lascivious and subversive look into classic fairy-tale characters. #IntotheWoods #TheRoyalExchange #Manchester

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Sir John Acton The Emperor is a story filled with disenchantment, offering a glimpse at the descent of power through the eyes of the powerless. The fall of the Ethiopian empire is exposed through ten characters, all played by Kathryn Hunter. Capturing the rituals and extravagance of everyday life for Haile Selassie are the civil servants surrounding him. Kathryn switches between ten male roles including the emperor’s dog cleaner, time-keeper, pillow bearer and Minister of Information. Paired with Ethiopian musician Temesgen Zeleke, who performs live on stage besides Kathryn. Kathryn displays her versatility by transforming through costumes, voices and mannerisms effortlessly. The simple, black set and swift costume changes allow the audience to follow Haile Selassie’s dethronement in a removed, entertaining but ultimately moving performance. Running alongside the loyal cast of characters is Jonathan Dimbleby’s documentary, The Unknown Famine. The TV documentary brought light to Ethopia’s famine in 1973, with its exposure and embarrassment used to fuel the overthrow of Selassie. The deterioration of everyday life plays out slowly for the people of Ethiopia. Distraction techniques are used to motivate people against their own self-interests and many of the authoritarian practices are still prevalent in western culture. Kathryn even brings audience members up onto the stage to party and enjoy the Ethiopian empires new riches. All of Kathryn’s characters eventually serve to highlight the desperate state of the declining Selassie regime with the inevitable corruption of power. Their servitude allows them to watch their country drained of its resources and its people starve whilst its emperor stashes $100 bills under his Persian carpet. #TheEmperor #Manchester #HOMEmcr

When it comes to outstanding theatres and memorable productions, Manchester is spoilt for choice. However, the recent suspension of all performances has left the future of our theatres in peril. Help support Manchester’s theatres and performers through the Coronavirus pandemic by donating or gifting the price of your ticket back to the theatre. The Lowry https://wonderful.org/fundraiser/emergencyappealtosupportthelowry-de4579b3 HOMEmcr https://homemcr.org/about/support/donations/ The Royal Exchange https://www.royalexchange.co.uk/we-need-your-support ATG https://www.atgtickets.com/membership/ #SupportTheArts #noplacelikeHOME

Missy Elliott’s latest music video 'WTF' (Where They From) has been released on YouTube from her upcoming 7th album. It has been 10 years since Missy’s last studio album, 'The Cookbook' was released but the hit maker is back with a vengeance. The Grammy winning rapper turned her attention to producing when she was diagnosed with a disorder known as Graves' disease, which at times left her unable to write. Missy opened up about her diagnosis on Sway In The Morning in 2012 claiming, "For me, when you say you have to take a radiation pill you think you’re really finna be out of here…You have to go through your eyes changing, your hair falling out and skin changing. Everything for me was traumatic." With a career spanning over 20 years, 'WTF' will be Missy’s first new single since 2012. Despite this, Missy has featured on numerous songs since her hiatus, including 'Without Me' with Kelly Rowland and Fantasia in 2013. As well performing a medley of her hits at the 2015 Super Bowl XLIX halftime show with Katy Perry. Fans are now ecstatic to see one of the first ladies of hip-hop get back to her roots and return on full form. 'WTF' features Pharrell Williams, fresh choreography and the unforgettably cinematic scenes Missy is known for. This article was originally written for The Nubian Times

‘When you get to hell, John, tell them Daisy sent you.’ Tarantino continues to re-write history with this self-referential Reservoir Dogs of the West. Taking place some time after the American Civil War, eight strangers comprising of outsiders, bounty hunters, former Confederates and a prisoner are forced to take shelter in a remote cabin as a fierce blizzard runs through. The ultra-wide, 70mm shot scenes capture the vast landscape and hostile environment but chiefly offer an intimate look at the characters within Minnie’s Haberdashery. Tarantino re-evaluates America history in this anti-western as he refuses to romanticise whiteness or its failed depictions of American masculinity. Bruce Dern and Samuel L. Jackson both play veterans with conflicting and sometimes mythological notions of what part they played in the war. There are no boundaries to the misogyny, racism and callous disregard for his characters and despite the three main stars all being in their 50’s, Tarantino doesn’t pull any punches. The Hateful Eight includes the first original score for a Tarantino film, composed by Ennio Morricone who went on to win the Golden Globe for Best Original Score. The film is also teamed with an experienced cast who offer great performances. Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demián Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, and Bruce Dern all boost the character driven film. Tarantino’s universe continues to merge his love of history with contemporary themes of racism and violence that is not without its monologues and shock value scenarios. The Hateful Eight, however, has a wider dialogue in regards to issues of class, ethnicity and gender. They are not elaborate, judgmental or resolved, but they are genuine concerns. The six-part western revival reads like a play. It underpins racial politics and contemporises the issues that will resonate with its intended audience. Despite the film being 3 hours 7 minutes long, during the AMC’s first screening of the film, the room shows no signs of popcorn or phone lit faces. The filmmaker's self-proclaimed 8th film is very much representative of his style and yet still relevant and suspenseful.

Since 1999 artists Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige have collected over 4,000 scam emails. In their new exhibit, I Must First Apologise… the artists explore why scam emails are still effective and what they say about the state of the world today. The fraud, known as the Nigerian scam (due to the bulk of the cons originating from the country) predates email. While the tricks have been extremely effectively in manipulating thousands of people into giving up their savings, it has at worst resulted in bankruptcy, murder and suicide. Ordinarily, both the victims and perpetrators of these deceptions remain anonymous. Hadjithomas and Joreige make the scams concrete, using sculptures and video installations. Setting out to challenge our naivety in The Rumour of the world, (a darkened space that includes 17 screens, 100 loudspeakers and 38 digital videos) the installation allows you to weave in and out of various talking heads. As you are drawn in to listen to personal monologues, the credible stories are revealed as readings of junk emails. Hadjithomas and Joreige not only offer a face to the ambiguous stories but ask the question “can we regard them not just as scams but as works of fiction in their own right?” In The Trophy Room, the exhibition highlights extreme responses to these hoaxes. Displaying the results of the Scam beaters (a group based in the United States), who have responded to scammers in an effort to waste their time and money. The group asks scammers to perform sometimes punishing tasks, including getting their arm tattooed and painting multiple portraits of their dog. Their final display of “trophies” often blur the line of abuse and power between the scammer and victim.

“Big Brother is Watching You.” The Lowry’s free digital art exhibition, Right Here Right Now is currently showing until the 28th February 2016. Alongside the established LS Lowry exhibit; 16 international artists are examining our personal relationship with digital technology and its influence worldwide. The exhibit gives audiences the opportunity to engage with playful pieces of technology that highlight the multifaceted aspects of the online world. Taking inspiration from Google Earth, Facebook and YouTube to explore areas of voyeurism, surveillance and distortion. The separated dark rooms, ‘Destructive Observation Field’ and ‘Dawingian Straw Mirror’ showcase the dreamy features of computer-generated visual interferences. Projecting images onto large screens; the computers abstract art is triggered by movement or light and offer a large-scale reminder of technologies capability to enhance our experience of the world around us. Alternatively, the exhibition explores our impact on the world and its diminished humanness. Google Earth images are used to raise awareness of how the earth is being exploited. Highlighting how people motivated by profit can use technology to drain the earth’s finite resources for short term gain. The paradox of technologies ability to be both globalising and self-defeating continue with ‘Planthropy’ and ‘A Charge for Privacy’. ‘Planthropy’ looks at the web-based approach to charity. The installation explores the mixing of real and virtual spaces by connecting Wi-Fi enabled hanging plants to a specific cause e.g. #donate refugees, #hunger and #climate change. Every time a person tweets a hashtag, the watering system for that plant is activated for the audience in the gallery to hear. Scrutinising companies that offer free services while taking a user’s personal data, ‘A Charge for Privacy’ allows passersby to plug in and charge a phone or tablet into a computer for free. While charging, the computer uploads and projects all of your private images onto a nearby screen for the audience in the gallery to watch. The ‘Lightwaves’ show that took place outside of the Lowry complemented the digital art with interactive lights, a light maze and surreal giant bunnies.

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains." In 19th century England, a zombie outbreak has ascended onto Jane Austen's classic tale relaying tangled relationships, class divides and gender inequity. Geared more towards Jane Austin fans and perhaps not as absorbing for hard core zombie aficionados; the 1813 novel has been reimagined to modernise its female role models for todays women. The updated Elizabeth Bennet is a master of martial arts and weaponry. Along with her four sisters, the Bennets beautiful costumes are adorned with thigh high slits to accommodate their ass kicking, over-the knee boots. In parts the film is pretty gruesome and is inflated with jump cuts, gross-out humour and experimental angles. The opening scene for instance includes a first person camera shot of a zombie slaying. Despite being an action film, it is the solid performances that pull the picture together. As the increasingly cleaver undead alongside a classic tale of securing appropriate suitor begins to trip itself up. After taking on the part of Disneys live action Cinderella, Lily James stars as Elizabeth Bennet with a deadpan emersions of the worlds that encase her. She has a believable and likable demeanour despite having to take on excessive amounts of dialogue direct from the Austen novel. It may be a one note joke but the tight shot, fast action and weapons stuffing garters sequences makes this film amusing. With a February release date and a distinct title, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies deliver exactly what the title promises.

Incidents of Travel In The Multiverse The artists AL and AL are interpreting tarot cards, rewriting history and reuniting across the Multiverse in a new exhibit that partners’ science and spirituality. The three-part journey at HOME asks you to take a leap of faith while exploring notions of space-time and reality. Incidents of Travel in the Multiverse begin in The Drawing Room, where seven images drawn on music paper reflect the reimagined myth of Icarus. Instead of flying too close to the sun, the boy travels to the edge of a black hole. Alongside the film At The Edge Of Time, the reimagined Voyage of Icarus supposedly brings Einstein’s theory of general relativity to life. The exhibit is embedded with scientific theory, and the artist film is back with a vengeance. Seven screens are used to explore the mysteries of the universe; with extensive research, technologies and collaborations created to review the possibilities of phenomena beyond that which can be proven. The artist's newest work, The Demiurge, focuses on the origins of life were modified clones travel across the Multiverse to find a cure for death. Many pieces are dedicated to Alan Turning and a brief encounter he had with a tarot reading gypsy. The artists question what cards Turning selected in rooms set in the past (1954) and the future (2154) where the films display time traveling machines in search of Turning. Ultimately, the exhibit is best explained by a smaller sign that stands at the entrance of the exhibit. A neon sign is holding an equation that does not speak for itself. The shared knowledge of physicists and mathematicians that highlight The Secret Language of Truth. The artists AL and AL clearly understand these scientific theories but don't necessarily know how to relay that to the average viewer. If you didn't know what the future held before you entered Incidents of Travel in the Multiverse, be prepared to remain confused as the secret club is likely to remain a mystery. Sat 6 Feb 2016 – Sun 10 Apr 2016

In a dystopian future fuelled by coffee and ‘data’, a new God has emerged. One with qualities like Kim Kardashian, but then again, this version has advanced body enhancement that includes nose removal and a sole talent for posting pictures of herself. The imaged obsessed world created by Rachel Maclean shows a future transformation of celebrity that doesn’t appear too different from our current standing. Speaking on societies need to be immersed in virtual reality and brainwashed to the point of no return; Wot U ;-) About? appears bright, engaging and immersive from the outside but its superficial glamour hides a terrifying truth. The exhibition plays on peoples’ accessibility of celebrities through the internet. Our fascination with celebrity, but also the ease in which we can now spotlight people for their designated 15 minutes. Reality television, social media and advertisements have led to the rise of a generation gripped by continuous ‘data’. The desire to be constantly in tune with celebrities’ disposable news has resulted in a dystopia where a Kardashian-like Gods feeds the confused, diseased masses with ‘data’. The common people walk around with their eyes covered by sleeping masks while cartoonish character’s keep everything in check. Their bright blue eyes pop against their yellow skin, their perfect teeth and their nose-less faces robotically perform to distract people from their reality. This is a great exhibition that includes Emoji-like models, prints and an all-encompassing three-piece screen to watch Maclean’s It’s What’s Inside That Counts film instillation.

If 3D films are intended to get bums back in cinema seats with the promise of a unique experience; then the visual album is designed to have audiences pay for an artist’s complete story. It has been years since I sat and listened to any album in its entirety. However, visual albums offer an elevated understanding of an artist’s work, in which many have fused their words with impactful imagery to show their fans their full intentions. It is surprising that after the success of Kanye West’s “My Beautiful Twisted Dark Fantasy” and R. Kelly’s inexhaustible “Trapped in the Closet” more established artists haven’t chosen to market their music with a visual album. Unlike concert videos and live performances, these innovative productions would reach more fans and have them paying for the music in a space where it is increasingly undersold and has little to no longevity. Beyoncé is a veteran in the pop world and is clearly at a stage in her career where being her authentic self is more important than selling records. In April she spoke about the backlash following her politically moving Super Bowl performance in February. Her track, “Formation” sounded similar to her prior girl power performances, with lyrics such as “You just might be a black Bill Gates in the making. I just might be a black Bill Gates in the making.” However, the problem appeared to be her imagery. Her girl power squad was now in Black Panther getup, unapologetically black and unashamed. As a result, her performance was immediately tarnished with negative attention. Everyone from misinformed police officials, the right wing news media and Piers Morgan were asking for the old Beyoncé back. Thankfully, Beyoncé is smart enough to know that some issues transcend wealth and status. In solidarity with her community, she touched on a real and relevant issue suffocating the positive vision of America today. Her performance was watched by over 100 million viewers, making it the third most watched broadcast in U.S. television history. In response to the criticism, Beyoncé said, "If celebrating my roots and culture during Black History Month made anyone uncomfortable, those feelings were there long before a video and long before me. I'm proud of what we created, and I'm proud to be a part of a conversation that is pushing things forward in a positive way." After her performance Beyoncé doubled down by releasing “Lemonade”; a visual album that focuses on black women shines a light on unarmed black men being killed and touches on her pressure to be perfect. People may be thirsty for her drama and pleased to see her fail, yet her reaction to her critics has been reflective and honest. Beyoncé’s visual album is a brave championing on black women's inherited pain, struggle and the strength that connects us all. “Lemonade” runs through her nine stages of grief, with songs linked to the themes of intuition, denial, anger, apathy, emptiness, accountability, forgiveness, hope, and redemption. This well-rounded account of her betrayal and love goes beyond her pain; using poetry, audio clips and home videos to highlight generations of healing. There are plenty of memorable pop tracks such as “Freedom”, “Sorry” and “Hold Up” for the old-school Beyoncé fan but it is the visual vulnerability and personal insight that will make this an unforgettable moment in Beyoncé’s back catalogue.

It is rare that exhibitions focus exclusively on the black experience but Imitation of Life: Melodrama and Race in the 21st Century challenges perpetuated and expected images surrounding black men and women. Taking on racial politics in the ever evolving, post-digital culture. Many artists have chosen to confront the fluid politics of representation and race by opening new spaces and possibilities based on old constructs. As you walk into the gallery, Kevin Beasley’s Untitled (Fades/Violas) hits you as a strong yet beautiful blockade. The sphere is built with everyday African American dress but has been completely altered in a way that works against any expected racial stereotypes. There are many successful pieces in the exhibit that signify blackness as a different construct. However, this exhibit relies heavily on film. These pieces do not examine the performance aspects surrounding blackness but rather play into every shock value stereotype imaginable. Using six separate films, the artists continue to alter the images of black men and women in media as a means to highlight the power of both image and language on screen. The 2013 film, Ditch Plains follows a group of self-taught performers called the Ringmaster Crew. The New York based dancers perform sporadically throughout battered streets that have been hit by hurricane Katrina, illustrating how race is performed through abstract bodies in the 21st century. Race as a performance is seen in S1:E1 as a way to perpetuate stereotypes in comedy. The video focuses on the making of a black women's situation comedy called She Mad. Using clips of shows such as Oprah and Girlfriends to suggest that these images are dominated by problematic representations. However, through new media many black artists have chosen to create their own content. The artists concern appears dated as most comedies rely on archetypal characters and YouTube is now awash with popular, independent black comedy shows from productions such as Issa Rae and BLACK&SEXY.TV. Art Thoughtz: How To Be A Successful Black Artist continues to ask how African American identity is performed. The film shows a white actor inhabiting racial stereotypes in order to displace them. The piece claims to recognising ‘blackness’ as a role conferred by a history of discrimination, yet many of the videos perpetuate these traditions. They insult the creators by creating their own parody but do not look into how we move past these images. In an effort to open a dialogue for reinvention, Larry Achiampong’s Glyth presents a series of six digitally manipulated family photographs that depict ‘cloudface’ figures similar to ‘Gollywogs’. His portraits are a critique on how The Other is often misrepresented, whilst being a complete appropriation of an offensive image. Much like the adoption of the N-word, ‘cloudface’ fights against the original image but does not take on a new reality. Despite culture evolving, the past, present and future of race relations in the United States is as dishevelled as Tony Lewis’ distressed letters; they lack clarity, are open to interpretation but always provoke a reaction. This exhibition is running from the 30th April until the 2nd July.