logo
A Matter of Life and Death – a delightful adaptation of Powell and Pressburger's all-time classic

A Matter of Life and Death – a delightful adaptation of Powell and Pressburger's all-time classic

The Guardian06-04-2025

The 1940s hits, played by on- and offstage bands, cross-fades to cacophony. English bomber pilot Peter is suspended above us. His plane is hit, his parachute in shreds; only his radio still functions. He connects with American ground staff radio operator June (standing before us on the in-the-round stage). During a snatched, crazily bantering exchange before Peter bales out, the two fall in love. Kaylah Copeland and Thomas Dennis, as the couple, calibrate this crucial, tone-setting scene to perfection, delivering an emotional punch with a light touch and grounding fantasy in emotional reality.
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's 1946 film, A Matter of Life and Death, was made with serious intent, as a propaganda piece, to heal divisions in the aftermath of the second world war. It brings the dead of past conflicts into contact with the living via a seemingly whimsical romance – and a seemingly endless, celestial staircase, here magically conjured to our imaginations through the interplay of Alexandra Stafford's lighting and Laura McEwen's designs.
Peter survives and meets June; their love blossoms. It's a mistake! A thick fog hid Peter from the 'conductor' sent to guide him to the afterlife (Michael Hugo's French aristocrat walking gingerly as if still conscious of the effect of the guillotine that ended his life during the French Revolution). How will the bureaucracy of the world beyond manage this once-in-a-thousand-years error?
A trial is convened. This world and the other overlap. While the white-clad dead debate whether Peter must join his fellow airmen or remain with June on earth, white-clad medics operate on the airman's brain. As in the film, this delightful new stage adaptation by Theresa Heskins, who also directs, plays with ambiguities within the fiction: are we meant to see the other world as 'real' or as a product of Peter's injured brain?
A joyous, 14-strong ensemble of actor-musician-dancers tops and tails scenes with life-affirming, period swing jazz rhythms (under Akintayo Akinbode's musical direction), conveying, more powerfully than the film, the message that 'nothing is stronger than love'.
A Matter of Life and Death is at the New Vic theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme, until 19 April

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

How Bangkok taught Lounys rhythm and contrast
How Bangkok taught Lounys rhythm and contrast

Time Out

time27 minutes ago

  • Time Out

How Bangkok taught Lounys rhythm and contrast

555. No, not the number – though it might as well be the punchline. It's how we laugh in Thai: ha ha ha. It's also how Lounys, a French-Algerian artist now living in Bangkok, occasionally sneaks humour into his work – a wink to the absurd, a code-switch between languages, cultures and emotions. Born in Paris with Algerian and Berber roots, Lounys is what happens when you fold a handful of cities into one mind: New York, Los Angeles, Miami, a few stops across Europe and now Thailand. His art has appeared across Bangkok, cropping up in galleries and pop-up shows like visual outbursts – provocative, dense, unfiltered. Drawing on satirical cartoons and caricatures, Lounys sketches out modern survival as a warped spectacle. Political figures are stretched, social archetypes distorted, but always with a knowing eye. There's something dreamlike in his method – automatic, compulsive, channelling the spirit of 1920s surrealism while humming with the colour-fuelled energy of pop art. We asked him a few questions, naturally – about the move, the city, the sprawl of it all. He tells us he's adapting to Bangkok, slowly. The food, the pace, the people. Bangkok: too hot to hold, too alive to ignore – just like his work. Looking back, how would you describe the different chapters of your artistic journey so far? What felt like turning points along the way? 'My journey's been instinctive – no map, no mentor, just motion. One chapter was solitude, another dialogue. The shift came when I stopped chasing the art world and started building my own. That's when it all began to find me.' You've spent years creating in Bangkok – how has the city shaped the way you think, see and make art? ' Bangkok taught me rhythm and contrast. It's chaotic, spiritual, neon and decaying all at once. That tension fed into my work. I learned to follow instinct and embrace imperfection, like the city does.' 'In Bangkok, sacred and pop blend so easily it never feels like a clash.' Are there moments, corners or textures in Bangkok that you keep returning to in your work? 'Yes – torn posters, rusted gates, soi dogs asleep in shrines, temples wrapped in scaffolding. I'm drawn to what's overlooked. It speaks to time, to resilience. I don't copy it exactly, but the texture, the spirit, slips into my work.' How has your relationship with the city's art scene changed since you first started out? ' When I arrived, I felt outside of everything – an observer. But by constantly creating and showing up, I found my rhythm. Now I feel part of a parallel current – not fully in the 'mainstream', but visible and supported by local creatives and international eyes.' What shifts have you noticed within the local creative community – whether in spirit, structure or support? ' There's more boldness now. Young artists aren't waiting for permission – they're experimenting, self-organising, making space without asking. Things feel more open, more horizontal. But there's also a hunger for meaning, not just noise.' 'The future belongs to those who create it themselves, on their own terms, with integrity and courage.' From my understanding, your work often weaves tradition into the contemporary – how do you navigate that mix in a place like Bangkok, where the past and present constantly collide? ' Tradition isn't fixed – it moves. I let that mix happen on its own, sometimes as a gesture, a texture or a symbol that slips in.' Do you sense a move towards newer, more experimental forms in Bangkok's art spaces? If so, where do you see your work in that mix? 'Definitely. There's a real openness now to cross-genre and multi-sensory, even anti-art gestures. My work isn't experimental in form but in spirit. It's grounded in painting yet takes in collage, street energy, memory and sometimes scent or sound. I don't chase trends, I stay honest.' Bangkok sits at the edge of so many influences – how do you bring both Thai and global elements into your visual language without losing either? ' By staying present. I'm a guest here but live deeply in Thailand. My work absorbs everything – streets, galleries, talks, rituals – mixed with my North African roots. The key is letting it flow naturally, not forcing it.' Is art a space for you to reflect or respond to what's happening socially or politically in Thailand, or is it something more inward? ' For me, art is deeply personal but always connected. I don't illustrate politics, I process feeling. When a moment stirs me – joy or injustice – it finds its way into the work. Art lets me respond poetically, never didactically.' 'I hope the next generation holds on to the freedom and generosity that make the Thai scene so unique – the absence of ego, the spirit of play.' You can now step inside his world – not just as a spectator, but as a collaborator. In his workshops, held regularly with little fanfare, you're handed a curious task: paint within the lines he's taped onto canvas, lines that carry the unmistakable rhythm of his hand. Participants – kids, adults, anyone with a brush and a bit of curiosity – paint within the lines. Once the tape peels away, what's left is a quiet collision – your colour, his form. An unspoken conversation made visible. It's an invitation to loosen control and co-create, with no need for prior skill or pretension. For those intrigued, he's reachable via Line (@lounys) or Instagram DM (@lounys). And if you're more voyeur than participant, catch him live-painting at Bardo Social Bistro and Bar on June 28 – a glimpse into the process, raw and unscripted, unfolding in real time.

BBC Antiques Roadshow guest left speechless as 'treasure' kept in spare bedroom given top value
BBC Antiques Roadshow guest left speechless as 'treasure' kept in spare bedroom given top value

Edinburgh Live

timean hour ago

  • Edinburgh Live

BBC Antiques Roadshow guest left speechless as 'treasure' kept in spare bedroom given top value

Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info An Antiques Roadshow expert couldn't hide her exhilaration after examining an "extraordinary" item that's kept in her family's spare bedroom. Kay was initially taken aback by the historical significance of the item, revealing: "Sheltering from a passing shower, and sheltering with an object which is, I feel almost radioactive with power. "It's a very interesting phenomenon to be this close to something that is really quite important. I'm recognising, immediately, the personal standard of Oliver Cromwell. "It's a name we all know but let's just put him into his place in history, he was one of the signatories to the death warrant for instance to Charles I. Very much involved with the regicide, killing of the king and then he became in 1653 what was known as the Lord Protector of England. "It was after the Civil War and he ran the country essentially from 1653 to 1658 and that is his importance in English history and why this object has such resonance." The owner of the historical piece then shared its background: "It was in a collection about seven years ago. My father actually bought the collection of militaria. (Image: BBC) "We now own it as a family, it's actually kept in one of our spare rooms and, as you say, it's one of those objects that make you tingle." Kay agreed: "It does make you tingle, because this is the standard that was part of the funeral procession of Cromwell's on November 23, 1658, and this was extraordinary. "Here was the non king being revered really as a king with a royal crown. It is an extraordinary image that we have here which was totally against everything that he stood for." She revealed the item's dramatic history, explaining it had been "stolen from the hearse by a young boy that was in the funeral crowd", with its inscription corroborating the tale. "Snatched from the funeral hearse! At that moment too, it's just brilliant," Kay enthused. The guest proudly mentioned: "My whole family's been into history for generations and my maternal grandparents are actually founding members of The Sealed Knot, the re-enactment society for the Civil War." To which Kay responded: "Which is amazing, what a coincidence! It was meant to end up with you." (Image: BBC) The guest then expressed a deep connection to the artefact: "Absolutely, I believe so. Because we're the kind of people who really want to look after it and preserve it and make sure it's seen by everyone it should be seen by for generations, I guess. "It's a real treasure, it's a pleasure to own." Kay praised the item's condition, noting it had been "beautifully restored" but emphasised the importance of proper care. The expert humorously suggested: "It does and however great your spare room is and I'm sure it has almost museum like qualities, I do think, even if it went on loan somewhere, I think it deserves to be looked after." The expert was visibly challenged by a unique item's worth, noting: "And as far as value's concerned, this is about the trickiest thing I've ever had to value. "It is certain to fetch £25,000 but how much more would it go?" Overwhelmed by the valuation, the guest stood there astonished, while the valuer Kay expressed her elation: "It's going to take me a little while to come down from this. "It'll take a couple of bars of chocolate and a cup of tea but this has been a really special moment with a really extraordinary object, don't you agree?" Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Wild animals shouldn't be kept as pets. It's like a prison sentence...
Wild animals shouldn't be kept as pets. It's like a prison sentence...

The Herald Scotland

time2 hours ago

  • The Herald Scotland

Wild animals shouldn't be kept as pets. It's like a prison sentence...

And we don't just mean the teensy-weensy pooches that Hollywood starlets plop in their Gucci shoulder bags, before schlepping them on to the red carpet for a photo opportunity. No, apparently some Americans also own pet zebras, which are very difficult to squeeze into a shoulder bag, Gucci or otherwise. They also don't particularly enjoy being pets, which probably explains why a zebra named Ed did a runner in Tennessee. The stripey escape artist seemed to be enjoying his freedom. Unfortunately those pesky humans managed to nab him, and he was airlifted in a giant net back to his owner. Reader Bruce Martin was telling his wife, Sally, about the great escape and the even greater capture. 'That's horrible,' winced Sally. 'Wild animals shouldn't be kept as pets. It's like a prison sentence for the poor things.' 'It's not so bad for a zebra,' reasoned Bruce. 'They're already behind bars.' Mind your language The audacious Diary is daring to venture where few adults (who aren't in possession of a teacher's certificate) have the boldness to tread. That's right, folks. We're tip-toeing through the school gates of Scotland's schools to discover what the young scholars have been up to. An English teacher in one of Glasgow's finer educational establishments tells us that a curious student wanted to know: 'Where do they speak jargon?' Read more: When a Glasgow teacher gives a young scholar dietary advice... Money matters These are fiscally ferocious times. Inflation isn't just through the roof, it's now blasting into the stratosphere and will soon be colliding with one of Elon Musk's rockets. Thankfully reader Brenda Collins knows how to scrimp and save. 'I'm great at budgeting,' she boasts. 'Unless there's a dress I want, or a great new wine bar opened in town, or I'm desperate to buy my 100th pair of high heels…' Work or shirk? Overheard by reader Mark Talbot on a Newton Mearns bus. One teenage girl said to her pal: 'My mum wants me to study really hard and go to uni. But why should I? Being intelligent is so uncool.' Bad habit When a pal of Trish Cummings slipped a packet of cigarettes from her bag, Trish said: 'You told me you'd stopped smoking for good.' 'I did,' nodded the pal. 'Now I smoke for evil.' Fine without spine Politically engaged reader Craig Ellis points out: 'The fact that jellyfish have survived for 650 million years despite not having brains or a spine gives hope to the entire political class in Holyrood.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store