Reviews by Alice Nuttall
Terry Pratchett: Murder in Ankh-Morpork
Alice Nuttall
Discworld fans know that Stephen Briggs is a veteran at adapting Terry Pratchett’s works: Briggs and Pratchett worked together for many years, collaborating on books like The Discworld Companion, ...
3 years ago
Terry Pratchett: Murder in Ankh-Morpork
What To Do In Oxford: An imagination tour by Alex Kerr
Alice Nuttall
What To Do In Oxford, although published before the pandemic, is a useful book for this strange time. Whether we’re in full lockdown or moving through different tiers, as long as you’re able to ...
4 years ago
What To Do In Oxford: An imagination tour by Alex Kerr
Garth Nix and RF Kuang - Fantasy Novellists at Westgate
Alice Nuttall
If, like me, you didn’t know that Blackwell’s had a podcast, their latest episode is a great one to start with – a recording of a sold-out event featuring two stellar fantasy authors, Garth Nix ...
5 years ago
Garth Nix and RF Kuang - Fantasy Novellists at Westgate
SOLD OUT: Grace Petrie, Rainy
Alice Nuttall
SJE Arts was the fifth stop on Grace Petrie’s month-long tour of the UK, one of several sold-out venues on a trip that will take the folk artist and protest singer all around the country to sing ...
5 years ago
SOLD OUT: Grace Petrie, Rainy
Daily Bread
Alice Nuttall
The first thing you notice when you walk into The Old Fire Station’s theatre to see Daily Bread is the smell of baking sourdough. Co-writer and performer Robin Colyer was already onstage, mixing up ...
5 years ago
Daily Bread
The Inspector Arnold Series
Alice Nuttall
Nick Hooper's new venture, The Inspector Arnold series, delves deep into the mindset of a detective grappling with the truth. In the series' debut novel, The Occasional Gardener, we're thrown ...
5 years ago
The Inspector Arnold Series
Jool
Alice Nuttall
My partner and I have been working our way around Banbury's restaurants since we moved there a couple of years ago, and last Saturday evening, we thought we'd give Jool a try. We'd had a quick glance ...
5 years ago
Jool
High Fly Trapeze School Open
Alice Nuttall
Regular visitors to Flo's: The Place in the Park are bound to have noticed a new arrival in Florence Park. High Fly Trapeze School, located right next to the cafe, has brought the circus to town, ...
5 years ago
High Fly Trapeze School Open
First Animals and the Origin of Oceanic Ecosystems
Alice Nuttall
Have you ever wondered what makes something an animal? The latest exhibition at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History aims to answer this question, taking us back 600 million years to the ...
5 years ago
First Animals and the Origin of Oceanic Ecosystems
Colombia Coffee Roasters
Alice Nuttall
Established members on the Covered Market cafe scene, Colombia Coffee Roasters has branched out into Summertown, setting up in one of the front corner units of Prama House. As my visit coincided with ...
5 years ago
Colombia Coffee Roasters
Banana Tree
Alice Nuttall
Needing to grab a quick but filling bite to eat before heading to the Playhouse for a show, my companion and I decided to visit Banana Tree on George Street. Banana Tree advertises itself as a staple ...
5 years ago
Banana Tree
Pictures of Dorian Gray
Alice Nuttall
It's not surprising that Creation Theatre's latest production, Jermyn Street Theatre's Pictures of Dorian Gray was fully-booked - much like their previous adaptation of a Gothic classic, Dracula ...
5 years ago
Pictures of Dorian Gray
Offbeat Festival 2019
Alice Nuttall
Mythmaking, Ashmolean Museum, 28th July 2019
Part of Offbeat Festival, Mythmaking is a unique kind of performance. Part walking tour, part storytelling performance, Mythmaking reminds us that, even ...
5 years ago
Offbeat Festival 2019
The Old Auctioneer
Alice Nuttall
Deciding that a sunny Good Friday was the perfect day for a pub lunch, my partner and I headed to The Old Auctioneer for a bite to eat. The pub is a fixture on Parsons Street, with the impressive ...
6 years ago
The Old Auctioneer
The Mousetrap
Alice Nuttall
'There are six of you here listening to me. One of you is a killer.' Despite Agatha Christie's prediction that her play would run for just eight months, The Mousetrap is approaching its 70th year, ...
6 years ago
The Mousetrap
Keepers Kitchen & Bar
Alice Nuttall
A new arrival to Oxford's food scene, Keepers is a restaurant with an unusual twist - it's themed around bees and honey. I'd read about Keepers, but didn't know what to expect on the Sunday that I ...
6 years ago
Keepers Kitchen & Bar
The Way Past Winter
Alice Nuttall
The Way Past Winter is your third book - did the writing process differ at all from The Girl of Ink and Stars or The Island at the End of Everything?
Absolutely - my process is constantly evolving ...
6 years ago
The Way Past Winter
Who Let the Gods Out? Greek Mythology as Never Seen Before
Alice Nuttall
The final book in your Who Let the Gods Out series has just been released. What has the journey been like for you as an author?
Hi - thanks for having me! It's been extraordinary. My expectations ...
6 years ago
Who Let the Gods Out? Greek Mythology as Never Seen Before
Hymns For Robots
Alice Nuttall
Even if you don't know Delia Derbyshire's name, you'll know her work. Heading up the BBC's Radiophonics Workshop in the 60s, she took a bare-bones composition by Ron Grainer and turned it into one of ...
6 years ago
Hymns For Robots
Sarah Langford - In Your Defence
Alice Nuttall
"Let's do some due diligence first," said Professor Ngaire Woods, as she sat down in front of the audience with barrister and author Sarah Langford. "How many of you are lawyers?" Approximately ...
6 years ago
Sarah Langford - In Your Defence
Crystal Rasmussen: Diary of a Drag Queen
Alice Nuttall
Unsurprisingly for a veteran drag performer, Crystal Rasmussen knows how to make an entrance. Resplendent in a tiger-print coat, snakeskin boots, and perfectly-coiffed hair and beard, they stepped ...
6 years ago
Crystal Rasmussen: Diary of a Drag Queen
Pizza Calzone
Alice Nuttall
In the year-and-a-half I've lived in Banbury, I must have walked past Pizza Calzone a hundred times, always meaning to go in. From the outside, the restaurant is quite unassuming, tucked away on one ...
6 years ago
Pizza Calzone
Beowulf
Alice Nuttall
'We need stories about monsters. They remind us what is possible,' storyteller Seth Kriebel remarked, as he opened this intimate, informal and innovative night of theatre. Stories about monsters are ...
6 years ago
Beowulf
Queen's Lane Coffee House
Alice Nuttall
Standing on the High Street, in a centuries-old staredown with The Grand Café (its rival for the title of 'Europe's oldest coffee shop'), the Queen's Lane Coffee House is a charming and relaxed ...
6 years ago
Queen's Lane Coffee House
The War of the Worlds
Alice Nuttall
Rhum & Clay's production The War of the Worlds, based on the furore around Orson Welles' infamous 1938 radio production, began rather more immersively than even the cast and creative team ...
6 years ago
The War of the Worlds
Will's Deli
Alice Nuttall
I managed to make it to Will's Deli before the snow hit, but if I hadn't beaten the weather, it would still have been an excellent choice - the menu at this veggie-friendly cafe is eminently suitable ...
6 years ago
Will's Deli
The Nosebag
Alice Nuttall
The Nosebag is a longstanding member of central Oxford's food scene, known for its home-made cakes and its wide range of salad options. When I went in for lunch, I found the place understandably ...
6 years ago
The Nosebag
The Alchemist
Alice Nuttall
The décor in The Alchemist is exactly what you'd expect from an ultra-modern cocktail bar - lots of copper trimmings, dark wood, and highly detailed pencil illustrations everywhere. It's clearly ...
6 years ago
The Alchemist
Gothic Fiction: An Evening With Laura Purcell and Stuart Turton
Alice Nuttall
"One star. Turgid," Stuart Turton pretended to read from the back of his debut novel The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle as he and fellow author Laura Purcell settled down in front of the audience. ...
6 years ago
Gothic Fiction: An Evening With Laura Purcell and Stuart Turton
Audience with Murder
Alice Nuttall
It takes experience to tackle a play as multi-layered as Audience With Murder, but fortunately, experience is something the Banbury Cross Players have in spades. Founded over 70 years ago, this local ...
6 years ago
Audience with Murder
OxPHWOARd: Electricity
Alice Nuttall
Electricity was the theme of OxPHWOARd's latest show, and sparks were flying from the stage as the evening unwound. The Oxfordshire Drag Collective is going from strength to strength - in addition to ...
6 years ago
OxPHWOARd: Electricity
St Aldate's Tavern
Alice Nuttall
One of Oxford's old faithfuls, St Aldate's Tavern is always worth a visit. It's a traditional pub with a wide range of real ales, comfortable seats and a relaxed setting, and I've spent several good ...
6 years ago
St Aldate's Tavern
Citizenship
Alice Nuttall
It was a busy night at the Burton Taylor Studio, with two short plays being performed one after the other. The first of these plays was a student performance of Citizenship, written in 2015 by Mark ...
6 years ago
Citizenship
Manos
Alice Nuttall
Jericho isn't short of places for a quick but high-quality meal, and if you want fresh, fast food, the local Greek café Manos is an excellent choice. Manos has been part of the eclectic Jericho ...
6 years ago
Manos
The Royal Blenheim
Alice Nuttall
The Royal Blenheim is that wonderful mix - a proper, traditional pub that's also moved with the times, making it an excellent choice for an evening out in the heart of Oxford. Patrons can drink their ...
6 years ago
The Royal Blenheim
Bullish
Alice Nuttall
The Burton Taylor Studio was transformed into a small but buzzing powerhouse for this one-off performance of Bullish, a show about transmasculine identities that plays with myth, masculinity and ...
6 years ago
Bullish
Spellbound: Magic, Ritual & Witchcraft
Alice Nuttall
Do you walk under ladders? You'll have the chance to prove how superstitious you are (or aren't) on the way into the Ashmolean's Spellbound exhibition. The first room - more of an antechamber, ...
6 years ago
Spellbound: Magic, Ritual & Witchcraft
The Dew Drop Inn
Alice Nuttall
The Dew Drop Inn has been part of Summertown's food and drink scene for many years, and although the decor has changed over time, it has kept its place as a central point in this part of Oxford. It's ...
6 years ago
The Dew Drop Inn
The Story Museum
Alice Nuttall
The Story Museum is committed to being child-friendly, and this is just as true for its Story Café as it is for its exhibitions (these are currently closed for a period of redevelopment, but the ...
6 years ago
The Story Museum
The Cape of Good Hope
Alice Nuttall
The Cape of Good Hope is a favourite Oxford haunt of mine - they have excellent gigs and open mic nights, as well as doing a good line in cider - but I hadn't been since they brought in their new ...
6 years ago
The Cape of Good Hope
Miss Littlewood
Alice Nuttall
Joan Littlewood wanted to make theatre open to everyone, and I think she'd have approved of the RSC's summer programme, including this new musical that tells her life story. When I arrived with my ...
6 years ago
Miss Littlewood
Souvlaki Brothers
Alice Nuttall
Familiar faces on the Oxford street food scene, the Souvlaki Brothers are now set up in their permanent shop in the Covered Market. I headed along to their official opening, eager to try some of ...
6 years ago
Souvlaki Brothers
Swallows and Amazons
Alice Nuttall
Staging Swallows and Amazons - the action of which ranges over a huge lake, onto several islands and up a mountain or two - is no mean feat, but Creation Theatre, with their famously original ...
6 years ago
Swallows and Amazons
Beetroot
Alice Nuttall
Despite the sunny day, Beetroot on Cowley Road was quiet when I arrived, which made it easy to find a spot on one of their many large tables and look through the menu. Beetroot serves ideal summer ...
6 years ago
Beetroot
Lucy Ayrton 'One More Chance' Book Launch Celebration
Alice Nuttall
Dani and Martha sound like complex and often challenging characters - were they difficult to 'get right' during the writing process?
Dani was always a bit easier - by the time I’d done a few ...
6 years ago
Lucy Ayrton 'One More Chance' Book Launch Celebration
84 Charing Cross Road
Alice Nuttall
What happens when 'a poor writer with an antiquarian taste in books', based in New York, places an order with a second-hand bookshop in London? In 84 Charing Cross Road, the answer is the formation ...
7 years ago
84 Charing Cross Road
Die Zauberflöte
Alice Nuttall
It was a perfect evening when I went to Garsington - not too hot, not too cold, but mild enough to sit comfortably by the lake and watch the ducklings, or wander around the gardens and spot actors ...
7 years ago
Die Zauberflöte
The Three Goats Heads
Alice Nuttall
Visiting The Three Goats Heads makes you feel like you're going back in time. As you head up the steps to the bar, you can imagine Victorian undergraduates stumbling the other way, or the Inklings ...
7 years ago
The Three Goats Heads
Under the Shop
Alice Nuttall
When you go into Under the Shop, the new cocktail bar below its sister venue The Pint Shop, it feels like being let in on a secret. Heading down the stairs, you find yourself in a comfortable, ...
7 years ago
Under the Shop
How To Write For Children
Alice Nuttall
The room was packed for The Story Museum's How To Write For Children event, which was unsurprising; Oxford is a hotbed of active and aspiring children's writers, and the panel was made up of some of ...
7 years ago
How To Write For Children
Oxford Comic Con - OXCON
Alice Nuttall
For the third year running, the Examination Schools were transformed for OxCon, Oxford's own local comic convention. Stormtroopers, cosplayers and comic vendors arrived, along with an array of guests ...
7 years ago
Oxford Comic Con - OXCON
What Goes On In Front Of Closed Doors
Alice Nuttall
We were all glad of the air conditioning in the Burton Taylor Studio, as we piled into this small, dark theatre on what had been the hottest day of the year so far. Emma Bentley, the actress behind ...
7 years ago
What Goes On In Front Of Closed Doors
Tick Tock Café
Alice Nuttall
Tick Tock Café, with its walls of clocks and its menu of good solid café grub, is a quirky East Oxford favourite. When I lived on Cowley Road, I used to go there for the occasional jacket potato ...
7 years ago
Tick Tock Café
Little Amsterdam
Alice Nuttall
The term 'hidden gem' is something of a cliche, but I think that Banbury's Dutch cafe and restaurant Little Amsterdam qualifies. Named after the colloquial term for Haarlem, the owner's hometown, ...
7 years ago
Little Amsterdam
R.E.S.I.S.T
Alice Nuttall
As recent news has shown, the stereotype that teenagers and young adults aren't engaged in politics is completely inaccurate. R.E.S.I.S.T. was created by the Pegasus Young Company in response to the ...
7 years ago
R.E.S.I.S.T
Oxford Literary Festival 2018
Alice Nuttall
MG Leonard - or Maya, as she introduced herself - has a dark secret. Despite having written three books where beetles are the heroes, she spent most of her life being utterly terrified of anything ...
7 years ago
Oxford Literary Festival 2018
It’s Always Tea Time
Alice Nuttall
I'll be the first to admit that it's difficult for me to be unbiased when it comes to The Story Museum. I used to volunteer there, and spent many happy afternoons sitting in the galleries, soaking up ...
7 years ago
It’s Always Tea Time
Oxford Literary Festival 2018
Alice Nuttall
Brian Aldiss wasn't only a towering figure in the world of science fiction, he was an Oxford local. Because of this, it was unsurprising to find that the Weston Library Lecture Theatre, where the ...
7 years ago
Oxford Literary Festival 2018
Oxford Literary Festival 2018
Alice Nuttall
Miranda Kaufmann, an Oxford University History alumna, is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, part of the School of Advanced Study, University of London. She has worked ...
7 years ago
Oxford Literary Festival 2018
Dracula
Alice Nuttall
Dracula is so much a part of popular culture that it's difficult to retell it in a way that feels new, while still staying true to the spirit of the original. Creation Theatre walked this fine line ...
7 years ago
Dracula
Koto
Alice Nuttall
When I booked the table at Koto, spring seemed to be on its way, but by the time the date rolled around, we were in the middle of a snowstorm that had led to cancellations across the city. I ...
7 years ago
Koto
Ye Olde Reinedeer Inn
Alice Nuttall
Tucked away on Parson's Street, Ye Olde Reine Deer Inn (or The Reindeer, as it's usually known) is your archetypical old-fashioned pub, in the best possible way. Stepping out of the February chill, ...
7 years ago
Ye Olde Reinedeer Inn
Philip Pullman and Katherine Rundell 'Daemon Voices'
Alice Nuttall
The Sheldonian Theatre is one of the many places where the walls between Lyra's Oxford and our own seem particularly thin. This became even more apparent last night, when the theatre was packed out ...
7 years ago
Philip Pullman and Katherine Rundell 'Daemon Voices'
Every Woman Series: Juno Dawson, 'The Gender Games'
Alice Nuttall
"I'm so ill," Juno Dawson cautioned us, as the event in Blackwell's Norrington Room began. "You might think that you've seen sick people before today, but believe me, you haven't." Despite the hefty ...
7 years ago
Every Woman Series: Juno Dawson, 'The Gender Games'
The 39 Steps
Alice Nuttall
Sometimes, as Richard Hanney would almost certainly tell you, a little risk is a very good thing. The cast and crew of this student production didn't play it safe with their performance of John ...
7 years ago
The 39 Steps
My Sichuan
Alice Nuttall
My Sichuan is one of the many restaurants in Oxford that I've been walking past for years, meaning to go in and try it one day. Last night, I finally crossed it off the list. My companion and I ...
7 years ago
My Sichuan
Shoryu Ramen
Alice Nuttall
Shoryu Ramen, a restaurant from the team that created London's Japan Centre, does not disappoint. Although the Oxford branch has already been open for a few weeks, I attended the official launch last ...
7 years ago
Shoryu Ramen
No Grave For The Orchids by JC Linden
Alice Nuttall
Dystopia is enjoying something of a golden age, with The Hunger Games, Chaos Walking, The Girl With All The Gifts, and many other post-apocalyptic stories gaining enormous popularity over the past ...
7 years ago
No Grave For The Orchids by JC Linden
Fiddler on the Roof
Alice Nuttall
The clash between tradition and innovation may be the central conflict of Fiddler on the Roof, but the Oxford Operatic Society's performance of this classic musical blends the two into a very ...
7 years ago
Fiddler on the Roof
Pepper's Burgers
Alice Nuttall
One of Jericho's old reliables, Peppers Burgers has earned its place as a student favourite. This burger bar serves beef, lamb, chicken and veggie burgers, along with chicken wings, onion rings, and ...
7 years ago
Pepper's Burgers
Valentine's Day Poetry Competition 2013
Alice Nuttall
Breaking Dawn, Part 1
Though her best friend thinks vampires suck
Bella Swan can't get over her luck
She walks down the aisle
Wearing almost a smile
'Cos she's ...
12 years ago
Valentine's Day Poetry Competition 2013
