Latest news with #Romeo&Juliet
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Scottish Greens civil war sounds like a Shakespearean tragedy
'Civil blood makes civil hands unclean', a warning in the prologue of Romeo & Juliet which the Scottish Greens may want to remind themselves of as party infighting escalates. I never thought an infamous play about star-crossed lovers would make me think of a political party, yet, I couldn't help but be reminded of the Greens when watching the well-acted version of the play in Glasgow's Botanic Gardens on Friday. It was not so much the love story I was reminded of, but the infighting in fair Verona compared to the party whose slogan is 'to make Scotland a greener and fairer place'. As Shakespeare's version of the city has the Montagues and Capulets so too do the Scottish Greens have factions - and their most recent regional lists announcement may prove that 'ancient grudge to new mutiny' is on the rise. Effectively deselected by local members, MSP Maggie Chapman was ousted from the top of the North East list by her former employee and self-proclaimed 'change' candidate Guy Ingerson. The chances of the Greens picking up two seats in the North East are incredibly slim so this could be the nail in the coffin for Ms Chapman's political career as an MSP. After various controversial statements she's made since being elected, including saying there was 'bigotry' coming from the Supreme Court, she's potentially not been considered the best advocate for many in the party. Her rival, who has had his own spats with Ms Chapman, wanted to lead a message of change. Mr Ingerson told The Herald's Josh Pizzuto Pomaco ahead of the candidate selection announcement: 'This is a battle for the soul of the [[Scottish Greens]]…we need change.' Now that he's won, I can't imagine a loving friendship between the two sparring sides will now arise. And he's not the only dissatisfied Green who has done well in the selection process. Although current Green co-leader Patrick Harvie topped the Glasgow list - and sources tell me he did so 'comfortably' - behind him in second place for this region was Ellie Gomersall who is linked to a group critical of the current party leadership known as the 'Glasgow faction'. With the Greens hoping to pick up three seats in Glasgow, Ms Gomersall's chances of becoming an MSP are 'very high', one source tells me. Now, the party has its biggest challenge in their hands: to try and prevent infighting so they look stronger and more cohesive going into the Holyrood 2026 elections. READ MORE: They must be more like Benvolio in Shakespeare's tragedy and attempt to keep the peace. To do so will be incredibly difficult given the amount of anonymous briefings journalists like me have been given in recent years. The Herald has heard from multiple sources in the party about a great amount of discontent with the current leadership. With their leadership contest concluding at the end of next month, the duo elected will have to get to grips with infighting to prevent the negative impact it will have on voters' perceptions of them which can sometimes stray not too far from student politic stereotypes. So far, Ross Greer, Gillian Mackay and Lorna Slater are in the running. But a plague upon their house will befall if they cannot prevent the public smear campaigns. Despite hoping to double their MSPs next year to 16, the Greens will not win over the public if party members, let alone the voters, cannot trust one another. Judging from the round of applause Patrick Harvie received when he addressed issues of infighting during their most recent Greens conference, it seems many members are sick and tired of the quarrels. The message from their ranks appears pretty clear: Part fools, you know not what you do.
Scotsman
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Sherlock Holmes: Scandal in Bohemia
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Romeo & Juliet, Botanic Gardens, Glasgow ★★★★ Sherlock Holmes, Botanic Gardens, Glasgow ★★★★ Verona is a construction site in this latest version of Romeo & Juliet, staged by artistic director Gordon Barr for the Bard In The Botanics season. Scaffolding, warning signs and high fencing dominate Heather Grace Currie's design, and on the fencing, the pinned flowers, notes and toys people place, these days, at any spot where a tragic death has taken place. Adam Donaldson as Sherlock Holmes and Rebecca Robyne as Irene Adler in Sherlock Holmes, A Scandal in Bohemia PIC: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan In this version, Star Penders's subdued Benvolio enters first, in his signature leather jacket, mooching along the fencing, reading the messages, including one – read out almost under his breath – that reflects the first lines of the play's famous prologue, with its reference to 'star-cross'd lovers'. And there, in those first few seconds, are all the strengths and weaknesses of Barr's version in a nutshell; a little short on the lush lyrical beauty and grave political context of Shakespeare's tragedy, but – in his own small-cast version, designed to focus on the young characters – full of a youthful energy and immediacy that's always thrilling, and sometimes almost shocking. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad So the story unfolds, with Montague boys Mercutio and Benvolio – and Romeo, when not distracted by love – roaming the hot summer streets in search of a rumble with the Capulets, represented by Benjamin Keachie's nervy Tybalt. Bailey Newsome delivers a memorable turn as a brilliantly poetic Glasgow Mercutio, Sam Stopford's Romeo is quietly intense; and when the three gatecrash the Capulets' summer ball, Romeo's romantic yearnings pivot instantly towards the host's daughter Juliet, played by Lola Aluko with a lusty, forthright energy that sometimes rushes past the early beauty of her romance with Romeo, but works brilliantly in the comic sequences with the nurse (also an excellent Star Penders), and in the ferocity of her confrontation with her father, Newsome again. After Mercutio's sudden death, in the most poignantly well-observed knife crime incident in all literature, Barr's tightly cut version shudders towards tragedy at speed, with mischance after mischance haunting Keachie's intense Friar Laurence in his efforts to save the young couple. Even 430 years on from its first performance, the tragedy seems so tantalising, and so unnecessary, that it requires a slightly longer and weightier coda than this version gives it; perhaps a return of the Duke – strongly represented throughout by Stopford with a megaphone – to speak his own final lines, rather than leaving them to a grief-hushed Benvolio. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Yet the fresh, driving energy of this Romeo & Juliet never fails, until the two lovers breathe their last; and as a portrait of a younger generation failed by the stubborn hate-mongering of their elders, Shakespeare's much-loved old tragedy often seems more timely than ever, in this summer of 2025. Adam Donaldson as Sherlock Holmes and Rebecca Robyne as Irene Adler in Sherlock Holmes, A Scandal in Bohemia. PIC: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan Over in the Kibble Palace, meanwhile, Bard associate director Jennifer Dick offers a brisk and fascinating 85-minute take on the Sherlock Holmes myth. Dick's play revolves around Holmes's relationship with the brilliant adventuress Irene Adler, and uses short versions of three Conan Doyle stories to explore a feminist narrative in which Adler repeatedly matches or outfoxes the great detective, who – unusually – is far from indifferent to her charms, and who lacks her edge of steel when it comes to destroying men who have mistreated women. In Dick's production – perfectly placed, for date and atmosphere, in the high-Victorian Kibble Palace – Adam Donaldson plays an unusually bewildered Holmes, not quite brilliant enough to get on the right side of feminist history, while Rebecca Robin dominates the stage as a gloriously smart and beautiful Adler, Stephen Arden narrates as a wryly reflective Watson and James Boal plays all three villains in fine style. The result is a hugely enjoyable fresh look at Sherlock, for our disruptive times; and one executed with skill and flair, to a gently brilliant musical score and soundscape assembled by Dick herself, for our delight.
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Scottish Greens civil war sounds like a Shakespeare tragedy
'Civil blood makes civil hands unclean', a warning in the prologue of Romeo & Juliet which the Scottish Greens may want to remind themselves of as party infighting escalates. I never thought an infamous play about star-crossed lovers would make me think of a political party, yet, I couldn't help but be reminded of the Greens when watching the well-acted version of the play in Glasgow's Botanic Gardens on Friday. It was not so much the love story I was reminded of, but the infighting in fair Verona compared to the party whose slogan is: 'to make Scotland a greener and fairer place'. As Shakespeare's version of the city has the Montagues and Capulets so too do the Scottish Greens have factions - and their most recent regional lists announcement may prove that 'ancient grudge to new mutiny' is on the rise. Effectively deselected by local members, MSP Maggie Chapman was ousted from the top of the North East list by her former employee and self-proclaimed 'change' candidate Guy Ingerson. The chances of the Greens picking up two seats in the North East are incredibly slim so this could be the nail in the coffin for Ms Chapman's political career as an MSP. After various controversial statements she's made since being elected, including saying there was 'bigotry' coming from the Supreme Court, she's potentially not been considered the best advocate for many in the party. Her rival, who has had his own spats with Ms Chapman, wanted to lead a message of change. Mr Ingerson told The Herald's Josh Pizzuto Pomaco ahead of the candidate selection announcement: 'This is a battle for the soul of the [[Scottish Greens]]…we need change.' Now that he's won, I can't imagine a loving friendship between the two sparring sides will now arise. And he's not the only dissatisfied Green who has done well in the selection process. Although current Green co-leader Patrick Harvie topped the Glasgow list - and sources tell me he did so 'comfortably' - behind him in second place for this region was Ellie Gomersall who is linked to a group critical of the current party leadership known as the 'Glasgow faction'. With the Greens hoping to pick up three seats in Glasgow, Ms Gomersall's chances of becoming an MSP are 'very high', one source tells me. Now, the party has its biggest challenge in their hands: to try and prevent infighting so they look stronger and more cohesive going into the Holyrood 2026 elections. READ MORE: Maggie Chapman knocked from top of Scottish Greens list Why Greens' Maggie Chapman was dethroned from regional list Peggie v NHS Fife: The crucial lesson from Darlington nurses Inside Glasgow's tenement crisis and the call for new laws They must be more like Benvolio in Shakespeare's tragedy and attempt to keep the peace. To do so will be incredibly difficult given the amount of anonymous briefings journalists like me have been given in recent years. The Herald has heard from multiple sources in the party about a great amount of discontent with the current leadership. With their leadership contest concluding at the end of next month, the duo elected will have to get to grips with infighting to prevent the negative impact it will have on voters' perceptions of them which can sometimes stray not too far from student politic stereotypes. So far, Ross Greer, Gillian Mackay and Lorna Slater are in the running. But a plague upon their house will befall if they cannot prevent the public smear campaigns. Despite hoping to double their MSPs next year to 16, the Greens will not win over the public if party members, let alone the voters, cannot trust one another. Judging from the round of applause Patrick Harvie received when he addressed issues of infighting during their most recent Greens conference, it seems many members are sick and tired of the quarrels. The message from their ranks appears pretty clear: Part fools, you know not what you do.
Buzz Feed
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
People Who Dated Bad Boy Or Girl Share How They Changed
From Romeo & Juliet to Grease, dating the "bad" boy or girl has been seen as a rite of passage for young people for centuries. However, as these "rebels" mature, they sometimes become very different from the people they were as teenagers... That's why, when I recently decided to ask members of the BuzzFeed Community who dated their high school's "bad boy" or "bad girl," to tell me how that person turned out as an adult, I received many comments that ranged from heartwarming to "What the hell?" Without further ado, here are 21 of their most enlightening responses: "I was 17 when I became friends with the 19-year-old bad boy, whom I'll call 'Jesse', right after high school. He had been on his own since he was 15 and had a past history of stealing to make ends meet. He would also regularly get into fights, didn't have a license or a phone, lived in a camper in someone's backyard, and went from job to job. His only real prospect was being in a rock band." "Around the time we became friends, I was privately struggling in an emotionally abusive three-year relationship with my boyfriend, whom I'll call 'Kyle.' Kyle was the epitome of a 'good guy' — charming, handsome, rich, and generally well-liked by Jesse. Jesse was the only person who saw through Kyle's 'nice guy' facade, and he made his opinions known. I was defensive and decided that Jesse must have feelings for me and was trying to drive Kyle and me apart, so I ended my friendship with him. But his opinions on Kyle bothered me for weeks because they were completely accurate. This eventually gave me the courage to break up with Kyle." "I found my way back to Jesse about a month later and thought dating a bad boy for the summer might be a fun rebound. I'd hang out with him and his band, drink alcohol for the first time, and let his wild energy rub off on me. That wild summer turned into a wild year and then another. Thirteen years later, we're happily married." "My husband of 27 years was the motorcycle riding, chain on the wallet wearing, anti-establishment punk in high school. I was the Bible-toting, prayer-group leading, honors student. He told me he was going to marry me the first week I met him in the middle of tenth grade." "In high school, I briefly dated a girl known for shenanigans that usually resulted in her being suspended from school. They were all harmless pranks, but I suspect they were a nuisance for teachers or anyone with ears sensitive to creative swearing." "Started dating a super cool guy who was three years older than me when I was a senior. I had known him prior, but our relationship was never romantic or inappropriate. We got married shortly after I graduated, and I got pregnant. We split up before I gave birth, as he had become addicted to drugs. His family was always very helpful with our daughter." "He eventually became sober, and we not only co-parent beautifully, but we get along great. I adore his wife and his other child. He's even helped me move three times over the years. He's a great guy. We now share a grandson, as been so long since we were a couple that we almost think of each other like siblings at this point, weird as that sounds."—Anonymous "The 'bad boy' I dated is now in a Christian rock band, proselytizing on social media about how God hates immigrants and members of the LGBTQ+ community. He claims to know what God thinks about the issues, because he and God are 'so tight.' I definitely dodged that bullet." "We casually dated for four months, and it was wild, hot, heavy, and intense, yet sweet and romantic too. He was covered in tattoos from his ankles to his neckline." "I started dating the 'bad boy' (he was 18 and I was 17) during my senior year of high school when he offered to give me guitar lessons in exchange for me teaching him how to play the piano. Unbeknownst to me at the time, he was on probation for underage drinking and doing community service. (He also did many other questionable things before we met, but was never caught)." "He was really sweet to me at the beginning, but as our relationship continued, his true colors began to emerge. He had a terrible temper, so much so that he once threw a half-empty soda bottle that hit me in the ribs. That was the moment I decided to end our relationship and go 'no contact.'During our relationship, I always told him that if he didn't learn to control his temper and not fly into rages, he would be dead by the time he was 40. Sadly, I heard that he died from a heart attack two weeks before his fortieth I was in college, I went in the complete opposite direction and began dating a cop whom I've been happily married to for 26 years, and he and I have a 20-year-old daughter. (I never learned how to play guitar, though.)"—Anonymous, 45 "I went to high school with the typical rebel teen boy. He cut class, sold weed, was very intelligent, and in all the honors classes, but barely graduated due to poor attendance and grades. After graduation, we didn't talk or see each other because we barely talked at school." "The 'bad boy' was a terrible (and annoying) person. He was known for stealing, cheating, breaking hearts, and spitting gum at the teachers. In high school, he got a girl pregnant, refused to deal with it, and forced her to get an abortion." "I married him. We met on a blind date when we were 15, but it didn't work out. We met again when we were 16/17 at a house party. Everyone was drinking, but I wasn't because I was on medication for seizures, so I basically sat in a corner wondering why I was even there." "I married my bad boy. I met him just after high school. He was spontaneous, edgy, and got me outside my cautious comfort zone. We were very random and impulsive together, but all that changed when I had his kids." "I have no idea what my 'bad boy' is up to these days. But while we were dating, he got my then-friend pregnant, and I broke up with him. I left town and pursued my dreams, but she got stuck there with the kid. Last I heard, she was finally getting her life on track, and he had left." "Mine was addicted to alcohol and drugs when I met him. He was also annoying, reckless, and partied a lot, so I don't know what attracted me to him in the first place. We had an intense time, but it didn't work out because he couldn't commit to me." "I went to the prom with the 'bad boy' when I was a freshman and he was a junior. My parents were pretty overprotective because of his history (the year before I met him, he stole a friend's car and took a joyride several states away). Anyway, when the school year ended, so did our relationship." "We dated at 14 and again at 17. He had the reputation of a rebel, hung out with a crowd that got into trouble, and was even voted 'Class Rebel' senior year. But he wasn't a malicious person and got along with everyone. He was more of a 'wrong place at the wrong time' type of guy." "My husband of 20 years was a certified bad boy. We didn't meet until after high school, but I've heard the stories about him running dice games in the halls, dealing in the parking lot, breaking into houses, and engaging in other behaviors that resulted in a few trips to rehab. After high school, it only got worse, and his run-ins with the justice system were very serious." "By the time we met in our early 20s, he had been indicted and was awaiting trial and sentencing. Somehow, he was only sentenced to house arrest and thing about him is that he's never been a bad person, just a kid who made lots of ill-advised choices. He's incredible, and all of those experiences made him interesting and wildly empathetic."—Anonymous "It hasn't been that long since we graduated, but I had a thing with the 'bad boy' new kid my senior year — weed, street racing, etc. He was kicked out of his house at 17. He always had to be in a relationship, and he'd cling to that person like his life depended on it, then completely shut them out without warning (me included)." "I dated the 'bad boy' in high school— the one all my friends tried to warn me about. He was well known for using drugs, partying, and being with a lot of girls. He had also been arrested shortly before I met him." "He wasn't exactly a 'bad boy' like a delinquent, but he was the class clown: We hit it off in middle school for a while until life started getting bad for me. He later went on to bully me because I had a low social status in the community and was showing signs of poverty at school. I had also developed a disability that affected my education, and he, along with his friends, bullied me to the point where I almost committed self-harm." "He's a doctor now and is either engaged or married to a woman who resembles me (apparently he has a type), but she clearly takes better care of herself (fake tan, veneers, etc.) I'm now a disabled substitute teacher and married mother of two."—[deleted] "I was convinced I was in love with him when we were in tenth grade, but my parents HATED him. We reconnected when I was in college, until one night when he left me a voicemail filled with vitriol because he couldn't reach me while I was out for a girls' night. That was enough for me, so I dropped him." "I guess my high school 'bad' boy experience could be considered as the typical relationship of a good girl and a bad boy in reverse order, as he became the 'bad' version of himself after we broke up." "There was always the potential threat of his environment causing him to steer in the wrong direction at any time; overcoming that early on seemed like the start of a successful journey to something positive, despite all that was against we broke up, he took it horribly, and I felt awful about it. Eventually, he rose above his anger and resentment by dating a girl I'd gone to school with since pre-k. Once they had established their commitment to each other, I thought nothing more of it and was happy for them both." "Then a few years later, someone asked me when I'd seen him last. I couldn't remember. They proceeded to describe to me in vivid detail and with incredible accuracy a person I would no longer recognize if he'd walked up and spit in my face." Did any of these stories surprise you? If you dated your high school's "bad" boy or girl, tell us how they turned out it in the comments or using the anonymous form below! If you or someone you know is in immediate danger as a result of domestic violence, call 911. For anonymous, confidential help, you can call the 24/7 National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or chat with an advocate via the website. If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, you can call SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) and find more resources here.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tom Holland on drinking Bero with Zendaya, improving at golf and the joy of sobriety
City AM's Deputy Life&Style editor Adam Bloodworth spoke to the actor Tom Holland about the joys of alcohol free living Like when David Beckham became more synonymous with sarongs and buzz cuts than football, Tom Holland has gone on to symbolise so much more than Spider-Man. A legion of young men follow his every sartorial move; earlier this year, his 'blokecore' short back-and-sides cut for Romeo & Juliet briefly became as much a part of the Gen Z uniform as cargo pants. But Holland has always been laser-focused on making movies. 'My fashion sense is so bad that no one would have ever bought the clothes,' he told me recently when we spoke about the idea of collaborations. That was until 2024, twelve years into his career, when Holland found another calling. His venture into brewing has become such a significant part of his life that it's the only thing mentioned in his social media bio. Forget the Blockbusters, all his Instagram namechecks is '@berobrewing founder.' When he was younger, an average weekend involved 'sitting in the pub and drinking myself silly,' he told me when I led a discussion at a launch event for his alcohol free beer company Bero in Wimbledon. But Holland went sober three years ago after finding that getting tanked up didn't help him overcome social anxiety, and was only masking insecurities. He has become a role model for the rise in people, particularly young people, who aren't drinking alcohol. 'When I got sober I was really passionate about this idea of bettering my life, self help and wellness, so it felt like a perfect fit,' he says. 'People are exercising more, focusing on their health, and you know, it's a slight contradiction to do all those things – to go to the gym, eat healthy – and then drink 25 beers in the evening.' It's no secret that I really struggled with alcohol Holland didn't want to feature on the packaging, but one of the beers – there are four currently available – is named after his hometown of Kingston, and designs on the cans incorporate the official colours of his school. 'It's no secret that I really struggled with alcohol,' he said at the event. 'In my first year of sobriety I was trying all these non-alcoholic beers and alcoholic replacements and I could never really find something that scratched the itch, that made me feel included in the nightlife experience. We started going back and forth on what we thought was missing in the category of non alcoholic beers and then Bero was born.' 'We're not trying to compete with alcohol, we're not trying to encourage people to not drink, we're just offering people the opportunity to moderate. To have something that is the in-between beer or the Tuesday night beer or an office lunch beer. We really are keen to not say stop drinking.' Holland set up Bero with business partner John Herman, who has 30 years of experience in scaling companies. He interviewed a range of potential collaborators, but Herman was the clear partner. 'I am in no way shape or form a businessman,' Holland told me. 'I sit in our board meetings and contribute absolutely nothing. 'I have a gripe with John, I haven't been invited to this quarter's board meeting. I just really wanted to work with someone who was gonna help me understand the process and the building blocks required to building something like this. John has been incredibly patient with me. To me they sound like stupid questions, but we're great mates and we've been working together daily for the past nearly two years.' Other than the flex of enjoying an office lunchtime beer, Tom Holland says Bero has 'massively' improved his golf. 'I can say that confidently, that is a fact,' he says. 'Back in the day when I was playing badly I would drink, and the worse I would play the more I would drink, and the more I would drink the worse I would get. Now when I play with my friends and they're all drinking on the course, I'm stone cold sober, super focused and refreshed at the same time. Having a Bero on a golf buggy at a golf course with my friends is a dream come true.' We're speaking from a suburban home in Wimbledon hired for the day by Chase Travel, who are working in partnership with Holland. It's a mild summer morning and the 29-year-old has been playing tennis on a small court in the garden. It's all with the aim of aligning the beer brand with an aspirational sportsluxe lifestyle. Following Challengers starring his fiancé Zendaya, the 'Tenniscore' trend, all about encapsulating the culture of tennis in our lifestyles, has grown significantly. Wearing a black cardigan with miniature Bero bottles as the buttons, he grins when we start talking about tennis. He's effusive about 'incredible' João Fonseca, the 18-year-old Brazilian who debuted at Wimbledon, and nostalgic about his childhood, when his mother would send him and his younger brothers to queue for day tickets, a quintessential British tradition. People arrive the night before and the queue can take eight hours. 'I remember as kids doing that every year, mum sort of just kicking us out of the house,' he said. As a schoolboy at Donhead Preparatory School in Wimbledon, Holland tried out to be a ball boy at the Championships, but never landed the gig. 'I was very sad about that,' he said. 'I went for it every year and I never made it. I'm not good enough at catching and I've got serious ADHD and they have to stand still for a long time. As I'm an actor, I'm an attention seeker so I would have been trying to make it all about me.' He still lives in Kingston, and when he's at home he passes Bero samples around to friends and family to test out new flavours. 'Zendaya's my good marker,' he says. 'She doesn't like beer so if she doesn't like it, I'm like, 'Okay that's good,' because that means it tastes like beer!' There's one parallel with his day job: Holland finds brewing surprisingly creative when it comes to finessing flavour, even though he says he doesn't know about the intricacies of brewing. 'I just know what I like and what I don't like,' he says. 'Grant [the Bero brewmaster] has been our superpower in that he can interpret our needs, wants and desires and turn them into these fantastic products. Sometimes I'm like, 'I don't know what I don't like about it, but this is what I'm missing,' and he's so good at taking those thoughts and turning them into something fantastic.' A little beer therapy session then, it sounds like? 'Yeah!' Find Tom Holland's beer at Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
