Author: graceboagmatthews

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FEATURE: Million Dollar Baby

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As part of the BFI’s ‘The Cinematic Life of Boxing’ season, a screening of Million Dollar Baby (2004) was followed by a Q&A with broadcaster and former athlete Jeanette Kwakye, retired boxer and writer Ruth Raper and professional boxer Laura Akram. The season explores the boxing lens and its unique ability to platform stories of love, social injustice, politics and above all, the strength of the human spirit.

Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby is one of cinema’s greatest examples of this; on the surface it’s the sad story of a remarkable female boxer and her reluctant trainer, but in truth it’s a story of family turmoil, gender inequality and, as Clint Eastwood himself described ‘a father-daughter love story’.

Oscar-winning Hilary Swank stars as underdog Maggie Fitzpatrick, who finally convinces coach Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) to take her under his wing, aided by gym caretaker and narrator Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupuis (Morgan Freeman). It’s got everything you want from a boxing movie: grit, determination, heart-warming success, out-of-character vulnerability and a devastating ending.

Eastwood’s idea for the film was initially rejected by Warner Bros – ‘It’s about a woman in boxing! Nobody will want to see that!’ – but he convinced them with a small budget and strong will. It’s true, in 2004, not many people did want to see women in boxing; women’s boxing wasn’t even in the Olympics until 2012, and even now women’s matches are knocked down to the bottom of line-ups. Raper discussed the current attitude towards women’s boxing, noting that there is ‘still a long way to go’.

The first ever all-female boxing card to headline a major venue was just last year at the Royal Albert Hall, and still they are paid a fraction of what their male counterparts receive. The former boxer turned writer/presenter discussed this with current boxer Laura Akram after the screening. They discussed the truth of the film, its moments of dramatisation and accuracy, and how it made them, as female boxers, feel. It was clear that the film’s tragic ending isn’t conducive to improving the sport’s dangerous reputation, but that its portrayal of the typical boxing gym, the themes it discusses and the relationship between coach and athlete were handled truthfully.

There was a general sense of hope from the panel; female boxing has come a long way since 2004, with world champions Katy Taylor, Caroline Dubois and Claressa ‘T Rex’ Shields, to name but a few, leading the way for aspiring young women. Representation in cinema is gaining traction, with Ryan Destiny’s portrayal of Claressa Shields in The Fire Inside (2024) Sydney Sweeney starring in Christy, the 2025 biopic of legend Christy Martin.

Also up for discussion was the accuracy of the film’s ‘Hit Pit’ gym, Raper noting that boxing gyms are often ‘in places where they are needed’, in deprived areas, working mens clubs, and that Million Dollar Baby does a good job of representing this element of the sport. The side stories of Danger Barch (Jay Baruchel) and the gym regulars are a big part of this, symbols of the social and symbolic power of boxing beyond its definition.

Wonderfully facilitated by Jeanette Kwakye, the evening was an inspiring and eye-opening peek into the world of women’s boxing, and an excellent meeting between cinema and sport, highlighting the importance of their intersection expertly.

REVIEW: Some Films Are Trash, Some Have Trash-Ness Thrust Upon Them

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

A fascinating introduction to the world of Trash cinema.

This April, the BFI is home to a brand new season ‘Trash! The Wildest Films You’ve Ever Seen’. Archivist William Fowler and BFI programmer Justin Johnson have curated a
wonderfully varied roster showcasing the campest, sexiest and trashiest of 20th century cinema. The season will begin with Paul Morrissey’s ‘Trash’ (1970) showing on Thursday 9th April and will close with two shorts ‘I Was A Teenage Serial Killer’ by Sarah Jacobson and ‘A Family Finds Entertainment’ by Ryan Trecartin showing on the 24th and 27th of April. On the 1st of April, the collection was kicked off with an introduction by its curators along with
three prevalent film scholars, critics and writers: Elena Gorfinkel, Helen de Witt and Dominic Johnson.

We began with the question ‘how do we define Trash cinema?’ The panel discussed genre, with films spanning horror, comedy, melodrama, pornography and queerness. The defining elements of Trash though, have much more to do with circumstance. The Trash-ness of a film is in its low budget, home-video style reality. These films are made by individuals, groups of friends, transgressives, punks in their own homes and cities, using what they have and revelling in its strangeness. They reclaim their ‘Trash’ label in their camp, bizarre
commitment to the filmmaking cause. A big takeaway of this discussion: ‘No one sets out to make a bad movie’. These filmmakers knew their budget and their resources, and they knew their films wouldn’t ever be consumed in the mainstream; therein lies the joy. They are
starkly aware of their ‘Trash’ and they love it. They are often a harshly real depiction of
marginalised identities, non-normative desires, unglamorised sex, drugs and vulgarity. As Fowler noted ‘The audience is confronted with more than just the maker’s intention’. We lose the layers of production, construction and merchandising and are left with what 1960’s ‘tastes’ would label ‘Trash’.


Justin Johnson showed a clip of John Waters’ ‘Pink Flamingos’ starring Edith Massey and Divine. Although known for its increasingly ‘revolting’ scenes and taglined ‘An exercise in poor taste’, we saw a charmingly strange scene between Edie and The Egg Man. Johnson noted the fascination in the everyday, taking it to surreal lengths through melodramatic script and peculiar performances. De Witt’s clip was from George Kuchar’s short ‘I, An Actress’ in which the filmmaker directs his student in a screen test, hijacking it and making for a hilariously hysterical short film. De Witt noted how the actor’s pleasure and excess in performance produces pleasure for the audience, another trademark of the ‘Trash’ genre. Gorfinkel chose a scene from better known ‘Trash’ by Paul Morrissey, starring Warhol
superstars Joe Delissandro and pioneering trans actress Holly Woodlawn, who George
Cukar suggested should have been nominated for an Oscar. It’s funny, eccentric and starkly confrontational of social conditions and the life of the ‘outcast’. Dominic Johnson showed ‘Super 8 1/2’ by Bruce LaBruce, a mockumentary style film about himself. LaBruce called the film a ‘Bruce-ploitation movie’, and through it blurred the lines between arthouse film and pornography. Johnson noted how LaBruce was often labeled ‘too arty for porn’ and yet ‘too pornographic’ to be widely successful in film. The clips were all captivating, and the panel’s analysis was thoroughly engaging and thought-provoking.

The evening was an eye-opening and intriguing introduction into the world of Trash cinema and I would strongly recommend a visit to the BFI during the season to take in some yourself. I certainly will be.

Trash! The Wildest Films You’ve Ever Seen runs at BFI Southbank until 30th April. Tickets here.

REVIEW: The Uncontainable Nausea of Alec Baldwin

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Rating: 2 out of 5.

A stylish and ambitious production, scuppered by its self-image.

Written and directed by LeCoq and RADA trained Tommaso Giacomin, The Uncontainable Nausea of Alec Baldwin is labelled an ‘absurdist, existential examination… marinating in the violence, complicity and paradox of modern life’. The cast of five- James Aldred, Stefanie Bruckner, Mathias Augusted Ambjør, Manuela Pierre, and Bartel Jespers, all having trained at RADA or Le Coq- were commanding, skilled, and engaging performers. The company itself, TG Works, is a highly physical theatre company featuring migrant-led and cross-disciplinary work. In the piece, movement was precise, a beautiful spectacle in a beautiful space. The stage was initially covered in a bright yellow fur carpet, with what seemed to be a huge yellow beanbag which later became an absurdly large, red inflated chair and a single plastic chair hanging from the ceiling. A sign upstage left read ‘Smile, you’re on camera’ and Pierri stood downstage left in front of a computer, ready to handle projections and camera work throughout the piece. It was immediately clear we were in for a confrontational ride.

In the promising opening scene, Alec Baldwin (no, not that one – although he was mentioned), played by Aldred, sits with his back to the audience and speaks into a microphone. Projections show an AI bot giving Alec advice on how to deal with his guilt. This section is humorous, a relatable insight into the current online climate. It is intriguing, we wonder if the performers are talking about Hollywood’s Alec Baldwin, and we wonder where this conversation goes. Instead of exploring further, we are plunged into absurdist dream land. A somewhat clown-esque hoover routine and a massive piñata head later, we don’t know where we are. There is a crazed German woman (Bruckner), a confusing but well-observed caricature of her ‘real’ character, and a lot of Pierri filming the stage space, projected onto the back screen. It felt like too many cooks in the confrontational kitchen. Perhaps more time to linger on the particular points made would have made this a more accessible, engaging piece, but long monologues of relative nonsense and skirting around Baldwin’s problem made for a frustrating middle section. The desire to reflect the overwhelm of life in 2026 is understandable, but in this case comes across as somewhat condescending to its willing audience. An enjoyable choreographed dance break ended this dream sequence, it provided energy and a change of pace to the intentional mess.

We returned throughout to the AI advice, getting closer and closer to finding out what really happened to Alec Baldwin. A series of AI generated scenes played out to describe the events. These were interesting, eerily humorous and skilfully played. Bruckner, Ambjør and Jespers created funny characters and showed the ridiculously literal nature of the scenes with ease. The piece then ended with two monologues, describing the true events and closing out the story. These were necessary, as there had been limited clarity throughout the piece, but they were long and static, perhaps overly wordy. It was an appropriately unsatisfying ending considering the play’s themes. This was indeed a piece that confronted the audience’s complicity in the face of war and violence. It was a shame that this was clouded by an over-ambitious amount of themes and self-indulgently elaborate absurdism.

This show runs at New Diorama Theatre until the 24th March. Tickets here.

REVIEW: Dance Plague of 1518 at New Wimbledon Theatre

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Rating: 4 out of 5.

90 minutes of wonderful, historically (in)accurate chaos

A rousing applause welcomed an energetic foursome of Sam Trotman, Finn Tickel, Caoimhe de Brún and Harrison Macdonald-Taylor to the Studio stage at New Wimbledon Theatre on Friday night for the debut of this new musical, ‘The Dance Plague of 1518’. Writers Trotman and Tickel and director Alex Maxwell hope to see it soar at the Camden Fringe festival this Summer. I have no doubt it will do so. It was relentlessly witty, jam-packed with historical inaccuracy and completely stupid, in the most charming sense. It’s a 90 minute musical comedy, awkwardly aware of itself and fantastically meta. The opening: a GCSE-style performance piece, an overbearing director and then a single note sounds from the heavens. The chaos begins.

An empty set, save a single office chair upstage and temporary wings propped up for the endless costume changes, was home to a host of hilarious characters. Trotman excelled in his various roles, from camp and creepy high priest to village idiot (etc), he commanded the stage, captivated the audience and brought in the laughs with buckets of charisma. I particularly enjoyed his priest solo and many well-timed glances at the audience. He interacted excellently throughout the piece and I even felt they all could have capitalised more on the very reactive crowd. Both writers’ passion for this piece was clear throughout. Fellow writer Tickel’s character work was also brilliant, shifting costumes and accents galore. The two stars of the ‘play within the play’, de Brún and Macdonald-Taylor gave assured performances, vocally and comedically. De Brún took on a typical princess role and ran with it, bringing an energetic and joyful lightness, also taking on comedy side characters with skill. Macdonald-Taylor was endearing and cheeky, especially in musical numbers (I particularly enjoyed ‘Orgy In A Field!).

Songs were funny, musically impressive and cleverly placed. A variation of styles and genres helped the brilliantly pacy play flow smoothly. Pretty much every joke landed well, crammed with historical references and pop culture ‘Easter eggs’. The piece slightly lagged at the hour mark, losing some momentum as the denouement ensued. The first two thirds of the piece were explosive, with new characters emerging all the time; the challenge now is to continue this energy as we get to know the characters in depth. Perhaps some clearer and more precise movement direction could really help take this musical to the next level, adding consistent action to a wordy piece. Choreography was well-placed, but would shine with improved accuracy and a bit more magnitude.

REVIEW: The Rocky Horror Show

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

Sexy, slick and silly; an all-round success!

The auditorium shivered with antici…pation as the cast of The Rocky Horror Show tour 2024/25 took to the stage of Oxford’s New Theatre. From the first spotlight beam on Natasha Hoeberig, the audience was rapt. Hoeberig gave her all to every second, tackling a tricky dual-role as Usherette and Magenta, as did every member of the company throughout this boundlessly energetic production. This energy saturated all aspects of production, from the excellent set to the dynamic lighting choices and the consistent skill of the band (sat visibly above the stage). 

We were swept into the world of Transsexual by a dazzling Adam Strong, performing the role of Dr Frankenfurter with an inspired originality. Tim Curry’s definitive original performance in this iconic role has held back many a ‘Frank’ from reaching such heights. Many moments had the audience a-giggle; Rocky (Morgan Jackson) embodied his role with a unique playfulness and the central couple, Brad and Janet (Connor Carson and Lauren Chia), conquered stereotypical characters with an eye-catching charm. They drew the audience’s attention throughout, an impressive feat when viewed beside many flashier characters. The vocal and physical stamina of the whole cast was spectacular, and very well received by the teeming crowd. Audience members were hot on the call-outs, which were cleverly received and rebutted by Jackie Clune’s narrator, stunning us with eloquent ad-libs and risky references.

Christopher Luscombe made some fabulous directorial choices; entrances and exits were endlessly surprising and staging effortlessly slick. Nathan Wright’s choreography was outstanding, masterfully pinpointing the focus of every moment and filling the room with spirit. The second act held us just as suspended as the first, and we were all too ready to jump on our feet and dance at every opportunity. A charming Joyce-lee Zanoncelli, playing Columbia, brought a cutesy elegance to her role, with endless energy and some very impressive moves. Every performer inhabited their role with accuracy, focus and pizzazz from their first entrances to their final poses. Job Greuter’s Riff Raff was an instant hit, glowing from a window ‘over in the Frankenstein place’. Both he and Hoeberig, the sibling duo, shone even from the sidelines in every scene. 

Such an iconic musical is inevitably difficult to attack with such imagination and yet this performance is hard to fault! It was an all-round success and an undoubtedly fantastic night out for the glam rockers of Oxford who had all turned up in their best lingerie!

REVIEW: She Vanishes in the Air

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Rating: 3 out of 5.

 A profound interactive challenge for an unsuspecting audience

She Vanishes in the Air is set up as an open rehearsal; the audience are greeted by the actors who direct them to seats and ensure they scan the barcode that sits on their seat and enter their full name into the voting system. Already, there was an atmosphere of uncertainty. Still, I went ahead and filled out the form. There was an introduction, a Brechtian questioning of the audience and a couple of humourous interactions between the cast. The Old Fire Station’s stage was almost bare, with a row of three chairs in a bench centre stage. The cast stayed on stage for the entirety of the single-act play, and a musician (Mark Taylor) in the rehearsal room, stage left, skilfully providing the live drums and sound effects throughout.

The idea begins with a woman’s disappearance, and the task is to choose the reason. The first recreation of events, performed by writer and director Lorena Briscoe, was a physical theatre dog walk with an imaginary dog. This was a fittingly confusing watch, thankfully interrupted by the rest of the cast (Jenny Johns and Steve Hay), watching from the sidelines. A long discussion on sexism, racism and political correctness ensued, leading to an audience vote. There was a lot of discussion and plenty of confusing language used to describe the cast’s dilemmas. I wasn’t sure if Briscoe was genuinely asking the audience to contemplate cancel culture or deliberately confusing us to make a point. This format continued.

I enjoyed the open rehearsal setup, and the cast were brilliant when addressing us and each other. There were funny moments, and sad ones, and I had real sympathy for each character/person at various points. The cast had audience members shouting out and even joining them on stage. I appreciated the discussion of underrepresented ideas, such as intersectionality and Latinx representation in the arts. The issues discussed were important, current and approached with sensitivity, but there were so many of them that it felt rushed and circular. Then again, perhaps this is Briscoe’s desired effect. The audience involvement was a great idea, I felt accountable for my voting choices and was interested in the final results. As it turned out, the vote had no impact on the performance; the results were announced at the end and the actors exited. This was underwhelming.

Briscoe has a good idea here. It is a new and effective way of making the audience take responsibility for their online behaviours. The performance could benefit from varying in style, to distinguish the acting from the discussion, but with some clarification of its question to the audience, this could be a really effective political piece.

REVIEW: An Evening Without Kate Bush

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

A fabulously crazy Kate Bush cabaret, dedicated to the fans!

A single, tiny red light floats at the front of the Oxford Playhouse stage in silence. Slowly but surely, movements begin and the music swells; the gloriously Bush-like voice of Sarah-Louise Young fills the room. I’ve never seen Kate Bush live but I can imagine this number was pretty close. Through a gauze, Young twisted and turned and guided the small light to illuminate her body. Finally, in a huge feathered headdress and leotard (obviously a ‘Fish Person’ uniform), Young revealed herself and as the song came to a close, addressed us, creepily, “She’s not here”. The laughter was almost uninterrupted from that point onwards.

Young is a huge Kate Bush fan and she celebrates the singer in many ways through this strange, hilarious and moving performance. For her, being a tribute act would simply not be enough; she includes verbatim from other super fans, stories from her own fanhood and many songs, some parodies and some dangerously accurate replications. Luckily I am a pretty hardcore second-generation Kate Bush fan so I have a solid knowledge of her work, but even if I hadn’t, Young made the effort to include us all. There was plenty of humour, as Young dabbled in audience interaction. She invited a few people to join her on stage at various points in the show, having created an impressively comfortable space for her fellow super fans. 

There were moments of complete weirdness, which thrilled us all, but there were also poignant, moving moments. It’s always touching to hear a room of admirers singing their favourite songs in unison, but I was shocked by how powerful it was to watch Young move to the music. She had such a lightness and precision that only amplified the energy of Bush’s music and held the room in awe. I was stunned as she recreated her teenage performance of ‘James and the Cold Gun’; the balance of humour and sentiment was just right. 

As the show finished, I genuinely wanted more. It was an absolute triumph!

REVIEW: Rachel Parris: Poise

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Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

A silly, political and hilariously depressing peek into life at 40

I didn’t know what to expect from Rachel Parris; I looked her up before the show and, embarrassingly, the only thing I recognised was her husband, the guy from ‘Sorry I’ve Got No Head’. So when Parris asked us, five minutes into the show, who had heard of ‘The Mash Report’, I was almost alone in my feeble ‘whoop’ from the third row. I would say the audience was almost exclusively in the 40-65 age range, and decidedly liberal. Due to my own ignorance to Parris’ impressive back catalogue of political comedy, it took a few minutes for me to gauge the tone of the show. Parris, however, gauged us immediately; an Oxford graduate herself, she knew how to work the room, and how to subtly humble it. Safe to say, I was quickly charmed.

I was really sold approximately halfway through the never-ending list of things about Boris Johnson she loved to make fun of. Parris was hilarious when she just kept on going. The repetitions of jokes, so far past funny that they got funny again, were always successful. I found myself giggling uncontrollably as she described trying to convince the child psychologist that her son could locate his neck. I’m sure this went on for over 3 minutes. 

Parris cleverly used her musicality at well-timed intervals throughout the show, rounding off her rants with songs of varying genres, parodying them and their subject matter. My favourite song was her finale, a ‘Bond theme’ describing the perfect woman on film. The audience found this very relatable; there was always a layer of genuine meaning behind Parris’ humour, which was very impressive and left me eager to follow her socials for more! She sang about Easter in the post-Brexit passport queue at Dover, sampling Les Mis and various nursery rhymes, as well as an a Capella folk song lamenting the phrase ‘life begins at 40’, which was vulnerable and truly moving, a perfect addition to the second half of the show. At one point, I’m a song dedicated to Andrew Tate, she had the audience split down the middle, all singing in harmony! This was surprisingly successful and thrillingly awkward for the typically Oxford audience. 

Despite the occasional political jab that went straight over my 20 year-old head, Poise made me chuckle consistently and ugly laugh multiple times. I felt included in her self-deprecating stories and enjoyed their political undertones (or overtones!). If I wasn’t in the Rachel Parris fan club before, I am now!

REVIEW: Scummy Mummies

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Rating: 3 out of 5.

A funny, rude, musical support group for the everyday mum!

The ‘Scummy Mummies’ are celebrating their 10th anniversary with a live tour of their ’Greatest Hits’. Ellie Gibson and Helen Thorn met at a comedy show, bonded on their shared mum trauma and have since joined forces on a podcast baring it all, but mostly the grim bits! Contrary to frequent descriptions of their fatigue, the show was a surge of energy: from dancing in Lycra catsuits while singing witty lyrics to early 2000’s classics to re-imagining 70s porn in underwear and drag. Ellie and Helen each took one side of the stage, hiding behind cleverly decorated screens for quick changes and congregating around a table laden with Prosecco and various items from their ‘Scummy Mummy survival kit’.

The two women certainly know their listeners. I, at 20, was without a doubt the youngest in the room, and another audience member, Charlie, was the only male, as we quickly found out. The majority of the audience, probably slightly tipsy, were in stitches throughout. I could feel the room holding each other when jokes straddled the line between funny and sad. I felt I was an outsider looking in, as if I had infiltrated their safe space and was overhearing a naughty conversation! I did occasionally feel that some sketches hadn’t quite stood the test of time, with a distinctly ‘millennial’ vibe, which was sometimes funny but began to tire in the second act. 

The pair had a wonderful synergy; you can tell they are truly best friends. When things went slightly wrong with costumes and props, they were so snappy on the improv and had built such a great relationship with the audience that it could have been planned. I thought the costumes were fabulous, particularly at the opening of the second half, when the pair entered from the wings dressed as hairy, glittery, oversized labia. Slightly shocking moments like this were their strongest. I enjoyed their use of audience involvement, asking each of us to write down our parenting confessions in the interval and hand them in to be read aloud and judged. The fitting prize was a bottle of cheap Prosecco.

There was a noticeable focus on typical family structures and relationships that does well in their chosen demographic without allowing room for many others. However, it was comforting to experience a room full of women celebrating their changing bodies, their mistakes and their struggles. The final number, sung to a familiar tune, brought the show to a poignant end, and left me with at least a little hope in my potential future motherhood.

REVIEW: Manon Lescaut

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Rating: 3 out of 5.

A funky vision and a few fun twists on Puccini’s classic.

I think I can comfortably assume that the English Touring Opera’s production of Manson Lescaut at the Oxford Playhouse is vastly different from its first performances in Turin, 1893. Director and librettist Jude Christian’s fascinating biography of recent work had me on tenterhooks for the main event, and her revival of this Puccini classic did not fail to excite the senses and turn the classical world on its head. 

Practically, the vision was completely clear and, at the opening, completely blue. Tiled walls like an empty swimming pool and an unusual display of water coolers outlined the stage as the monochromatic colours of the rainbow were introduced in the costumes of the ensemble. These charmingly contemporary costumes remained unchanged throughout, keeping the modern vibe in check and the audience visually alert. Symbolic set pieces were effective; I particularly enjoyed Geronte’s ’watchful eye’ in act II and the huge gold pug in act IV, once I’d worked out what it was. I felt the choices Christian had made to revamp the opera from a feminist perspective had power and energy, but lacked some execution. I was glad at the interval that I couldn’t yet ‘work it out’, but was somewhat disappointed in the final acts by dwindling clarity and drawn out goodbyes. That being said, the funky and ambitious direction made me, as an infrequent opera viewer, infinitely more likely to come back for more! 

Conductor and music director Gerry Cornelius led the production with skill and assurance, and the orchestra was faultless. I felt this especially in the second half, where the music did the emotional ‘heavy lifting’ with verve and confidence. Voices were exceptional; I was particularly struck by soprano Jenny Stafford, who propelled the story with unwavering vocal energy and a convincing performance as Manon. I enjoyed Edward Hawkins’ Geronte, who commanded the stage fabulously in pink and summed up Christian’s ‘surreal nightmare’ take on the opera very well. The movement direction was imaginative, amusing and well executed by the ensemble when present. In duologues I found myself craving this energy, and felt that the central couple’s relationship at times relied on the lines sung and the music behind them.

All in all, a funny and surprising twist on a beautiful opera, filled with colour and open to interpretation. I was interested but not surprised to find I brought the average age of the audience down by a long way, and hope that this kind of active reimagination will encourage the younger generation to give opera a chance!