WILL STONE fact-checks the colourful life of Ozzy Osbourne
A panto let down by inconsistent writing and direction
[Tristram Kenton] 
JAMES CROSSLEY applauds a lucid biography of the German radical preacher who reemerged as a hero in the GDR
Prizes all round: the Bard hands plaudits to the Miners Gala, OT&JC, Joe Solo, Black Sabbath’s frontman and the Lionesses
Star cartoonist JAMIE BRITTON is in awe of a graphic novel of epic proportions that explores class, religion and globalisation via the strange cultivation of Ginseng in the US Midwest
GUILLERMO THOMAS is intrigued by a history of the Middle East that demonstrates how promising post colonial beginnings were snuffed out by Western imperialist interests
MARIA DUARTE recommends the intricate study of a high-performance and highly dysfuntional German family
Aladdin
Lyric Hammersmith, London
LIKE the proverbial football match of two halves, this patchy panto takes on highly different aspects before and after the interval.
In the section up to the break there’s barely a memorable moment. The custard pie slapstick is limp, the music is uninspiring and the jokes are weak, with some strangely out of date “current affairs” cracks for the adults.
In general there’s little for young or old to get stuck into, especially as it takes far too long to reach the animating point where Aladdin finally goes into the cave to search for his magic lamp. Mulled wine at half-time was a blessed relief.
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PETER MASON is wowed (and a little baffled) by the undeniably ballet-like grace of flamenco
PETER MASON is surprised by the bleak outlook foreseen for cricket’s future by the cricketers’ bible
PETER MASON is enthralled by an assembly of objects, ancient and modern, that have lain in the mud of London’s river
PETER MASON applauds a thought-provoking study of the relationship between a grieving woman and her photographer
