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Review of the Week
Weekend Dish
May 22, 2026
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2 min read
The American blues poet’s new album moves from neo-soul to spiky social commentary in a thrilling, sonically inventive mix, writes Jude Rogers
May 15, 2026
3 min read
Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel make for a gorgeous, if unlikely, double act as a painter and his assistant in Steven Soderbergh’s generation-gap comedy, writes Nerve film critic Ellen E Jones. But is it art?
May 8, 2026
The Spanish star’s multifaith, multilingual live spectacular – featuring saints, sinners, an orchestra, and an incense-burner overhead – would make anyone a believer, writes Nerve music critic Kate Hutchinson
May 1, 2026
Fran Kranz’s play, about two families’ long-delayed reckoning in the wake of a school shooting, is moving and superbly acted but not to be entered lightly, writes Nerve theatre critic Dorian Lynskey
Apr 24, 2026
Cornish auteur Mark Jenkin’s drama about ghost ships and gentrification, all shot on 16mm film, is eerie, disorienting and his most audience-pleasing film to date, writes Ellen E Jones
Apr 17, 2026
An ambitious exhibition launching the V&A's brand new outpost shies away from the hardest parts of the social history behind the tunes, but tells its story with verve, writes music critic Damien Morris
Apr 10, 2026
7 min read
The sculptor’s joyous, organic creations, repurposed and reimagined from everyday objects, speak to each other beautifully in her new exhibition, writes Emily LaBarge
Apr 2, 2026
Two inventive, high-profile openings pay striking testament to the dangerous power of love, writes Dorian Lynskey
Mar 27, 2026
6 min read
Babies, boobs and pop bangers! The Swedish star is back with a euphoric new album embracing the joy of motherhood and messy, middle-aged desire, writes Nerve music critic Kate Hutchinson
Mar 20, 2026
Maxim Gorky’s pre-revolutionary play about wealthy Russians on the brink of chaos is reborn in a five star, distinctly relevant revival, writes Nerve theatre critic Dorian Lynskey
Mar 13, 2026
John Patton Ford's remake of the Ealing comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets updates the old film for the oligarch era with leading man Glen Powell and some deserving 21st-century victims, writes Nerve film critic Ellen E Jones
Mar 6, 2026
The kitsch live version of the singer’s gut-punch breakup album West End Girl feels, appropriately, like theatre, but somehow lacks a joyful climax, writes Nerve music critic Kate Hutchinson
Feb 27, 2026
The huge, energetic paintings of the unstoppable 91-year-old artist, the first female British painter to have a solo exhibition in the RA’s main galleries, are a remarkable celebration of life and memory, writes Emily LaBarge
Feb 20, 2026
Cynthia Erivo is a remarkable presence playing every character in this multimedia gothic revival – even if it feels more like watching an arena concert than a play, writes Nerve theatre critic Dorian Lynskey
Feb 6, 2026
British-Nigerian director Akinola Davies Jr's acclaimed debut about an estranged father spending a busy day in Lagos with his sons, is a radiant and moving film about parents and children everywhere, writes Ellen E Jones
Jan 30, 2026
The Welsh National Theatre’s first large-scale production, currently on tour with artistic director Michael Sheen in the lead role, brings a shimmering Celtic quality to Thornton Wilder’s tale of smalltown America, writes Jude Rogers
Jan 23, 2026
The high priestess of Americana is getting more and more politically charged as she enters her 70s – with guest collaborators including Big Thief helping her address the moral collapse of the US on her new album, writes Nerve music critic Kate Hutchinson
Jan 16, 2026
The American photographer’s celebrated portrait series, being shown in full for the first time in the UK, is as raw and intimate on its 40th anniversary as it was when it first appeared, writes Nerve art critic Emily LaBarge
Jan 9, 2026
Chloé Zhao’s Bard drama with its powerhouse lead performance from Jessie Buckley is hotly tipped for success. But is it just a deluxe version of Shakespeare in Love? writes Ellen E Jones
Dec 23, 2025
Timothée Chalamet’s propulsive energy lights up Josh Safdie’s new film about a table tennis hustler who’s on his way to the top, writes Ellen E Jones
Dec 19, 2025
A huge hit on Broadway, Cole Escola’s history-busting comedy about Mary Todd Lincoln - Abraham’s wife - is wild, subversively queer and riotously funny, writes Dorian Lynskey
Dec 12, 2025
5 min read
This year’s breakout star writes folk songs of breathtaking intimacy – but even in a venue as big as Koko, they have the power to make time stand still, writes Kate Hutchinson
Dec 5, 2025
The extraordinary new film by dissident Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi is a thriller, a fable about state repression and a road movie all at once, writes Nerve film critic Ellen E Jones
Nov 28, 2025
Ten years after his first triumph with an Arthur Miller play, director Ivo Van Hove has returned to the American dramatist and produced another masterpiece that feels startlingly current, writes Dorian Lynskey
