August Culture Review

Anyone else fell like August has been the month that won’t quit? Between moving house (and city), starting a new job and trying to embrace the ‘summer of freedom’, this month has been a lot. As a result, Midnight Culture has been operating on a summer schedule with posts flying out whenever I have had a chance to write them! So thank you for sticking with me this month while it has been a lil’ bit chaotic!

August hosts the first ‘Theatre’ entry on the Culture Review. After 18 months I finally sat in a West End theatre and saw not one, but two shows! It felt even more timely as I am currently in rehearsals for a show myself (my first time on stage since March 2020) and you can find out more information about that here.

Despite the chaos I have still found time to do some watching, so here are my top picks this month.

Film and TV

The Chair, Streaming on Netflix
Sandra Oh is a queen. That is all.

The new Netflix series The Chair starring Sandra Oh landed on Netflix this month. Set in the English Department of fictional, Ivy-league college Pembroke. Sandra Oh’s character Ji-Yoon Kim has just been promoted to Chair of the college’s failing English Department, meaning that she is effectively in charge of how the department is run and how classes are taught and allocated. She is also responsible for keeping a team of largely white, archaic academics in line while trying to advocate for academics who are bringing new styles and initiatives into the university teaching style. For anyone who has been to university this academic dynamic will paint a familiar picture.

What I think the show does brilliantly is explore the interplay between the challenges faced by older women and people of colour in the world of academia which is dominated by older, white men. It is acknowledged in the show that these men have been the gatekeepers for too long and although the three women in the series have all had their own journey to reach their academic pinnacle there are specific barriers faced because of how they intersect across race, age and gender. At the start of the series Professor Yaz McKay (Nana Mensah), a popular, innovative, black academic’s module, ‘Sex in the Novel’ is oversubscribed, the lecture hall is packed out and bursting with the energy of an incredibly diverse student body. In contrast older Professor Elliot Rentz (Bob Balaban) has five people in his class: ‘Survey of American Letters: 1850-1918.’ The show explores contemporary academia and how social media is utilised by young people to galvanise, inform and share, but it also questions what is hoped to be gained by having a platform to speak and a forum to be heard as both a student and an academic.

All the tropes you would expect from an academic drama set on an American college campus are there: the politics of tenure, huge pieces of dark wooden furniture, red brick buildings and department dinners where promotions are promised and alliances made. There is also a great cameo from David Duchovny who sends himself up wildly, it is stunning work! I binged all six thirty minute episodes in an evening and would highly recommend you do the same for a shot of academic drama.

The Chair is currently streaming on Netflix.

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Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over, Available on Sky Go and Virgin Media
Stacey Dooley is best known for her hard hitting documentaries exploring trafficking and exploitation but back in 2019 she started the series, Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over where she visits some of the most interesting and varied families across the UK. Series 1 sees her visit a polyamorous couple, mormons and landed gentry. She stays with the family, in their home for the weekend and in that time gets an insight into their lives and how they differ from perceived societal norms. For the first few episodes I couldn’t get over the fact that she was actually staying in these peoples homes, usually on the sofa bed. Dooley is also incredibly candid in her observations of the families, unafraid to delicately challenge and provoke when necessary, which feels slightly strange when she is standing in their kitchen in her slippers. I started watching this series on YouTube and it was a calming companion while I unpacked boxes in my new place. As someone who loves to people watch and is fascinated by other people’s stories and how they live, it is a very light hearted and enjoyable insight into some areas of culture and society that we don’t often get a chance to see.

Watch the Sound, Available on Apple TV
I have been eagerly anticipating this documentary. Created by Mark Ronson, Watch the Sound explores where sounds come from and what gives a track it’s own unique sound. Across six episodes, Ronson examines an element of music production and interviews musicians and producers working across all genres. He speaks to Tame Impala, Questlove and Charli XCX to name a few and my personal favourite, the icon: Paul McCartney. Now I don’t know if Paul has always been this camp but everything he did in this doc had me howling. He gives no shits, clearly still loves music as much as the day he first picked up an instrument and I can’t get enough of him! Ronson is a great host, endlessly knowledgeable and I can’t help but wonder if these musicians hear music the same way as the rest of us do. My favourite episodes were ‘Sampling’, ‘Reverb’ and ‘Synthesisers’ but honestly every single one is fascinating. It is a fab, insightful watch that I would recommend to anyone who has ever made, played or listened to music.

Podcasts

Off Menu with Ross Kemp
So Off Menu has been recommended to me a few times recently as it follows in the same vein as Table Manners, which I talked about back in June. Hosted by comedians, James Acaster and Ed Gamble, in each episode a celebrity guest is invited to share their dream three course menu and drink pairings. As with any discussion around food there are usually some brilliant anecdotes and the success of the episode hinges entirely on the guest and their quality of anecdote or love of food.

Now the Ross Kemp episode of Off Menu was recommended to me three times by three completely unrelated people, so I knew this would be a great episode to start with. Ross Kemp is often lampooned in pop culture as being this incredibly intense, wannabe- gritty journalist throwing himself into life and death situations for the shock value. However the Ross Kemp on Off Menu is an anecdote wizard with brilliant stories about the food he has chosen and also some great stories that you would only have if you had spent time with some of the world’s deadliest gangs. Grilled chicken is all I am going to say and I recommend you listen ASAP!

Please Do Not Swear
The ultimate, unofficial Big Brother podcast. If you are regular reader of this blog you will know I live for nostalgia and as the early noughties begins to feel like a historical moment, noughties pop culture is being held up like a precious relic. Big Brother was a cultural landmark when it launched in 2000 and Please Do Not Swear is a deep dive into each series of Big Brother. I started with listening to the third series of Celebrity Big Brother as that is the first series I can remember watching religiously. The celebrity contestants included Brigitte Nelson, John McCririck and, of course, the legend that was, Jackie Stallone and just getting a recap of Jackie Stallone’s iconic entrance was enough to have me hooked.

The podcast recaps the stand out moments of each week in the Big Brother series, talking tasks, nominations, alliances and arguments. It is truly joyful listening for anyone who’s evenings used to revolve around Channel 4 and the hour of updates from the Big Brother house. I am currently listening to Series 6, (remember Makosi and Anthony?) and eagerly awaiting the drop of Series 7, the most quotable, unforgettable series in the show’s history!

Theatre

Anything Goes, playing until October 2021 at the Barbican Centre
I booked tickets to see this on a complete whim, knowing in my gut that if I missed it I would be missing a piece of West End musical theatre history. After 18 months of little to no theatre this show is the perfect antidote. Anything Goes has everything you would want from a musical, huge, whole cast tap numbers, countless costume changes and a star sent directly from Broadway! Sutton Foster, who first played ‘Reno Sweeney’ in the Broadway revival 10 years ago, is making her West End debut and watching her was like watching a piece of living, breathing history.

Robert Lindsay also stars (and I will admit that I know him purely from BBC sitcom, My Family) but he is a Tony and Olivier award-winning actor and playfully kept the tightly constructed script and choreography fresh. It was a joy to see Nicole-Lily Baisden playing the role of romantic lead, ‘Hope Harcourt’, and I wish there had been more casting like this when I was growing up as it is so important to see black women as sought after, soft and sensitive. Carly Mercedes Dyer played ‘Moonface Martin’s’ partner in crime ‘Erma’ and completely stole the show with genius characterisation and razor sharp comic timing. Her number, the gorgeously staged, ‘Buddie Beware’ was fabulous. She smashed it and to see true black excellence on that stage was an incredible welcome back to the world of theatre and long may it continue!

Amelie the Musical, now playing at the Criterion Theatre
Based on the 2001 film, Amelie the Musical tells the story of Amelie Poulain, a young woman living in Montmartre who sees the extraordinary in the every day. Amelie struggles to connect with people around her, sticking to her regular commute to work and spending evenings watching TV in her apartment alone. Her connection with people around her is through anonymous good deeds, that is until she meets a young man who collects ripped photos from photo booths across Montmartre and who is equally as fascinated with her as he is with his photos. The show is beautifully staged with the cast of actor-musicians not just multi-rolling and moving through constant choreographed sequences but playing all the music. The score is stunning, poignant, playful and with lyrics that tell us a whole city’s worth of stories in the 2 hours and 30 minute running time. I would recommend getting a ticket if you can, or for a taste of the show the soundtrack is on Spotify and I have had it on repeat this month!

Music

‘Rumours’ by Lizzo ft. Cardi B
Lizzo is back and she still gives absolutely no shits and I LOVE IT! Lizzo is my power artist. When I need to remind myself who I am, I reach for some Lizzo and ‘Rumours’ has just come to the top of that feel-good pile! The lyrics are straight talking and a direct challenge to the tabloids and the trolls. There is a great brass breakdown that reminds me of the punchy 80’s synth in Ghostbusters and Cardi B serves up a great verse. I’m hoping this means we’ll be seeing a new Lizzo album very soon too…!

Finally, a big thank you for sticking with me this month. There has been lots happening so if you are reading this, I see you and appreciate you! Thank you!