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Peter Mason
haar
Music Review / 27 October 2025
Three lumps of coal and a flame
27 October 2025

PETER MASON thrills to Irish folk band The Haar

burning spear
Gig Review / 12 August 2025
Still burning
12 August 2025

PETER MASON relishes a legend of Jamaican roots reggae still plying his trade with a large degree of spirit

flam
Dance / 30 May 2025
Flamenco festival
30 May 2025

PETER MASON is wowed (and a little baffled) by the undeniably ballet-like grace of flamenco

IT'S JUST NOT CRICKET: Protesters demonstrate outside Lord's Cricket Ground in London, on February 25 2025, against England playing Afghanistan in a Champions Trophy match, as female participation in sport has effectively been outlawed in Afghanistan since the Tailban returned to power in 2021
Books / 25 May 2025
Sticky wicket
25 May 2025

PETER MASON is surprised by the bleak outlook foreseen for cricket’s future by the cricketers’ bible

(L) Mudlark kneels on a rocky shore, collecting objects; (R) Medieval pilgrim badge. Pics © London Museum
Exhibitions / 22 April 2025
The marvels of mudlarking
22 April 2025

PETER MASON is enthralled by an assembly of objects, ancient and modern, that have lain in the mud of London’s river

POWER-DRESSING: Miriam Grace Edwards as Mary in Mrs Presiden
Theatre Review / 5 February 2025
Tradwife pic dilemma
5 February 2025
PETER MASON applauds a thought-provoking study of the relationship between a grieving woman and her photographer
CONSTRUCTIVISM FOR KIDS: Ballet Shoes at the National Theatr
Theatre Review / 9 December 2024
Orphan girls find their gift 
9 December 2024
PETER MASON is moved by a striking production of Noel Streatfeild’s enduringly popular children’s book
DOUBLE TAKE: Dominic Semwanga and Megan Keaveney as Fes and
Theatre review / 4 December 2024
Festive Feste fare
4 December 2024
PETER MASON reckons the NYT’s production of Shakespeare’s comedy is the pick of the Christmas shows on offer in London 
FEELING THE CHILL: Le Concert Spiritual play St James Spanis
Music review / 25 November 2024
Spiritual chiller
25 November 2024
PETER MASON shivers in the under-heated ecclesiastical setting of a concert featuring five 19th-century French composers 
Doreene Blackstock and Cash Holland in A Raisin In The Sun
Theatre Review / 15 October 2024
Outstanding US kitchen sink drama
15 October 2024
PETER MASON applauds a classic drama exploring assimilation and resistance among poor black inhabitants of a Chigago slum
Suzy Kohane, Josie Benson and Edith Vernes in French Toast
Theatre review / 9 October 2024
Lost in translation
9 October 2024
PETER MASON is disappointed by a clunky comedy that falls flat
Theatre review / 29 August 2024
A charming version of the tale of the hard-hearted giant
29 August 2024
PETER MASON is enchanted by a unique take on the Oscar Wilde favourite delivered through the ancient form of marionettes
KEW JUMPING: Fairies in Theatre on Kew's production of Midsu
Theatre review / 30 July 2024
Missing the Kew
30 July 2024
PETER MASON is unimpressed by an unsubtle production that disregards its woodland setting
(Left to right) Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, and An
Motorsport / 14 June 2024
24 Hours of Le Mans
14 June 2024
PETER MASON writes about the exhilarating race which kicks off in France this weekend, and the British drivers competing across three categories
McLaren's Jenson Button during the 2016 British Grand Prix a
Sport / 13 May 2024
Former F1 champ Button set sights on Le Mans 24 for third time
13 May 2024
DEFINITIVE: Nick Holder in Faith Healer
Theatre Review / 26 March 2024
Death of a snake oil salesman
26 March 2024
PETER MASON applauds a pitch-perfect production of the late Brian Friel’s compelling study of gullability and disillusion
Crossroads Motel: Liza Sadovy (Mary) and Peter Wight (John)
Theatre Review / 23 October 2023
Shakespearian soap
23 October 2023
PETER MASON is unimpressed by a two-act Elizabethan version of Crossroads
A wonderfully tasteful series of sets
Theatre Review / 19 June 2023
Little to justify the trip
19 June 2023
PETER MASON's overwhelming disappointment is ameliorated by a sumptuous stage settings
NOSTALGIC Tom Carradine in Carradine’s Cockney Sing-a-long
Theatre / 7 March 2023
Ding dong on the old joanna
7 March 2023
PETER MASON submerges into East End nostalgia, and would do it again
(L to R) Reece Shearsmith as Peter, Frances Barber as Elsa,
Theatre / 23 January 2023
Stranger danger
23 January 2023
PETER MASON applauds a razor-sharp comedy of manners
(L to R) Michael Luwoye as Mandela, Danielle Fiamanya as Win
Theatre Reviews / 16 December 2022
An examination of the way apartheid tore at the heart of human relations
16 December 2022
Two of Morning Star’s theatre critics take distinct views of the musical that charts the life of one of the world’s greatest and best loved freedom fighters
Elton John performing at Vicarage Road Stadium
Music Review / 12 July 2022
Elton John's wonderfully idiosyncratic British farewell
12 July 2022
CHEEKY: Tweedy and Dany Rivelino
Circus Review / 22 June 2022
A refreshing take on the circus experience
22 June 2022
A CONGA LIKE NO OTHER: Stephen K Amos as Alfred P Doolittle
Musical / 3 June 2022
A fantastically enjoyable interpretation of a great musical
3 June 2022
PETER MASON recommends a production that never drags, never dips in intensity nor wanes in entertainment value
Theatre Review / 8 April 2022
Project Dictator
8 April 2022
Music Review / 4 April 2022
The beauty of Gaelic according to Allt
4 April 2022
Theatre Review / 20 March 2022
A prime example of the dangers of well-intentioned over-complication
20 March 2022
MEMORY LANE: (L to R) Bus conductor Agatha Claudette Hart, 1
Exhibition / 1 March 2022
‘I cried like a baby the first week I was here’
1 March 2022
PETER MASON is captivated by snapshots that build up a strong feel of what it was like to live and work in those now far-off times, when strong unionisation and an enlightened attitude from LT nurtured camaraderie
(L to R) Nebra Sky Disc, Germany, about 1600 BC; Stonehenge
Exhibition / 20 February 2022
Stonehenge re-discovered
20 February 2022
PETER MASON recommends the satisfying to see, full-scale appreciation of one of the great wonders of the world
STRONG PERFORMANCE: (L to R) Ruby Barker as Imani, Suzette L
Theatre Review / 20 February 2022
The conundrums of processing grief
20 February 2022
PETER MASON recommends a play which eloquently addresses the emotional consequences of an unexpected death in the family
STRONG PERFORMANCE: (L to R) Ruby Barker as Imani, Suzette L
Theatre Review / 18 February 2022
The conundrums of processing grief
18 February 2022
PETER MASON recommends a play which eloquently addresses the emotional consequences of an unexpected death in the family
(L to R) Hamish Macdougall as fiance, Nathaniel Christian as
Theatre Review / 31 January 2022
The fading memory of spitfires and Vera Lynn
31 January 2022
PETER MASON recommends a tentative metaphor of a nation in search of a meaningful destiny beyond the remembrance of conflict
Jimmy Pursey
Music Review / 24 January 2022
No moribund nostalgia-fest from the Hersham crew
24 January 2022
(L to R) Dawaat-Leesa Gazi and Halema Hussain
Theatre Review / 21 December 2021
A tender story of migration
21 December 2021
MOUNTING UNEASE: (L to R) Stephanie Beatriz as Lauren, James
Theatre Review / 19 December 2021
Class and gender tension flavoured ghost story
19 December 2021
Well-paced production keeps PETER MASON, and the rest of audience, at the edge of their seats
The Cast of A Christmas Carol
Theatre Review / 5 December 2021
An overall splendid package if perhaps too drawn-out
5 December 2021
Theatre Review / 29 November 2021
A panto let down by inconsistent writing and direction
29 November 2021
Music Review / 15 November 2021
An aura of mystery that was hauntingly emotional and ethereal
15 November 2021
Music review / 26 October 2021
Impeccable blend of past and present
26 October 2021
Orla Fitzgerald as Maureen and Adam Best as Pato
Theatre Review / 20 October 2021
A brilliantly tense play
20 October 2021
A compelling story of how cruelty begets cruelty, and of how the child becomes the parent, writes PETER MASON
Francesca Annis as Ranyevskaya and Ian McKellen as Firs in t
Theatre Review / 15 October 2021
Orchard blossoms with novel take
15 October 2021
Chekhov classic is rejuvenated by being played nearer to comedy than tragedy, writes PETER MASON
CONUNDRUM: Pierro Niel-Mee as Victor
Theatre review / 30 August 2021
A memorably stimulating production despite information overload
30 August 2021
GLORIOUS: Stephenson Ardern-Sodje as Orlando, Anna Crichlow
Theatre Review / 22 August 2021
A glorious gamut of romance, poetry, satire and slapstick
22 August 2021
STRETCHING CREDULITY: Ian McKellen (centre)
THEATRE / 29 July 2021
How not to be Hamlet
29 July 2021
Ian McKellen's portrayal of the Prince of Denmark demands a suspension of disbelief too far, says PETER MASON
MAGNIFICENT: Ronke Adekoluejo
THEATRE / 21 July 2021
Lava, Bush Theatre London
21 July 2021
Impassioned exposé of pain and anger wreaked by racism and prejudice
GEEK APPEAL: Scott Folan (Jeremy Heere) with Renee Lamb (Jen
MUSIC THEATRE / 9 July 2021
Be More Chill, Shaftesbury Theatre London
9 July 2021
Coming-of-age journey in high school musical hits all the right notes
(L to R) Marble bust of Nero, around AD 55; miniature portra
EXHIBITION / 4 July 2021
Empirical proof in question
4 July 2021
An exhibition attempting to paint the Roman autocrat Nero as a popular ruler isn't really matched by the exhibits on display, says PETER MASON
MIND-BLOWING: Binker Golding
MUSIC / 17 June 2021
Binker Golding, Ronnie Scott’s London
17 June 2021
Exhilarating fusion of hard bop and contemporary soul from Golding's new quintet
INSPIRED BY WOMEN: Lady Maisery
LIVE MUSIC REVIEW / 30 May 2021
Lady Maisery, Cecil Sharp House London
30 May 2021
10th anniversary of top folk trio marked in style
HIGHLY ACCOMPLISHED: It has to rain before you can see where
EXHIBITION REVIEW / 30 May 2021
Walter Price: Pearl Lines
30 May 2021
Accomplished exploration of the figurative and the abstract
BRILLIANT PERCUSSIONIST: Sarathy Korwar
MUSIC / 25 May 2021
Sarathy Korwar, King’s Place London
25 May 2021
Exhilarating eclecticism from Korwar and co
TURNING POINT: Commemoration on February 2, 2021, of the 27t
BOOKS / 16 May 2021
The Country That Does Not Exist
16 May 2021
Obscured history of post-colonial Somalia
THE TIMES THEY ARE A'CHANGING: President Barack Obama hangs
MUSIC / 9 April 2021
Nothing to see here
9 April 2021
A new book on Bob Dylan offers no new insights into what makes the music legend tick, says PETER MASON
YEAR ROUND-UP / 4 January 2021
Best of 2020: Arts
4 January 2021
Bellowhead
Music Review / 8 December 2020
An impressive, multi-layered combination of players and instruments
8 December 2020
Streamed concert Bellowhead Stabal Mansion
Culture / 23 October 2020
Greater focus on the collateral damage connected to Salazar’s rule would have provided better context and more balance to his portrayal
23 October 2020
BOOKS / 2 September 2020
On a Dark Night With Enough Wind by Lilla Pennant
2 September 2020
Evocative accounts of life on the edge in rural Wales
BOOKS / 31 August 2020
Bordering Britain: Law, Race and Empire by Nadine El-Enany
31 August 2020
Questions posed but few answers given to the injustices of immigration controls in Britain
ARTS AHEAD / 26 August 2020
White Riot
26 August 2020
Gripping documentary on the birth and life of the anti-racist movement Rock Against Racism
(RELATIVELY) RESTRAINED: Stewart Home
FICTION / 23 August 2020
She’s My Witch by Stewart Home
23 August 2020
Deviance devotees make for an endearing odd couple