"1917"

Sam Mendes’ “1917”, based on a story from his family’s history, see two British soldiers, played by George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman, tasked with delivering an urgent message from a World War I trench to a nearby regiment, in an effort to keep them from falling into a fiendish trap set by the Hun. Needless to say, there is much unfortunate incident along the way.

The tale is told as though in a single take and in real time (well, almost), and is thoroughly gripping, truly bringing home the horror of conflict, as well as paying tribute to the concepts of duty and comradeship. Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns’ script (along with Thomas Newman’s score) never allows the tension to slip, even during the rare moments of apparent calm; there are plentiful clever visual set-pieces (cinematography by Roger Deakins); and the parade of star cameos is only slightly distracting. Beautifully realised, this is cinema at its most powerfully immersive.

"The King And I" / Best Theatre of 2019

January is generally a barren desert when it comes to theatre-going, so it was good to get an opportunity to see the touring version of the recent Broadway revival of “The King And I” at the Wales Millennium Centre – my first ever live experience of a Rodgers and Hammerstein. Very impressive and pointed, and a reminder of the power of the American musical of the classic era.

The King And I (pic: Johan Persson)

Meanwhile, I contributed the customary Bests of 2019 piece to the British Theatre Guide; delighted to name National Theatre Wales’ “On Bear Ridge” as my production of the year.

Over Christmas, I had my regular appointment to catch up on “Star Wars”, and found “The Rise Of Skywalker” to be surprisingly coherent and dramatically satisfying – but then, I’m not immersed or particularly invested in the culture.