Welcome to our monthly roundup of the best entertainment stories on the internet. This month, we pretend to know about Debussy, meet the women shaking up comedy and classical music, and steer well clear of jokes about the EU…
A blagger’s guide
Ever find yourself talking to someone who knows their Holst from their Haydn, wishing you had even the slightest contribution to make? Luckily, comedian and podcast host Robbie Knox has a solution for anyone looking to blag their way through a conversation about classical music. His trick? Just learn about one composer: “It’s not that hard to become a relative expert in Claude Debussy because most people don’t know much about Claude Debussy. They probably know Clair de Lune. They might know he’s French. That’s kind of it for 95% of the population.”
Breaking through
While you’re on a journey of classical music discovery, do try and make time for this piece from Classical Music Magazine, which introduces 18 of the top female conductors working today. The classical music world has long been something of a boys club, with only five women making it into a recent list of the world’s top 150 conductors, but the women featured in the list are doing their bit to break down the barriers faced by aspiring female conductors.
It’s a similar case for comedy. Despite a marked increase in great female-lead comedy on TV, there’s still a depressing lack of women on the bills of many comedy clubs up and down the UK. The good news is that things are slowly changing, there are, for instance; more female comedians lined up for this year’s Edinburgh Fringe than ever before. And so with women on the rise in comedy the Independent caught up with a few of the leading lights to get their thoughts on breaking a traditionally male-dominated industry.
No laughing matter
As anyone who’s ever told a poorly received joke will tell you: this comedy thing is subjective. And as anyone who’s struggled through an awkward post-Brexit family gathering will tell you: this Brexit thing is divisive. So as you’d imagine, combining the two can cause a fair bit of friction. That’s certainly been the case for comedian Marcus Brigstocke, who’s recently opened up about the rise in people walking out of his gigs because of his pro-remain material: “A lot of the people that I think of as my audience will not be back – they won’t come again – they’re that angry,” he told Radio 4. Something worth bearing in mind for anyone looking to book a comedian for a corporate event.
Beyond the Big Top
As our director Adam Sternberg is always keen to point out, entertainment can be so much more than an after-dinner diversion. So it’s good to read performance curator and producer, Daniel Pitt, talking about creating theatre from circus skills and how circus can be used for more than just six minute shows introduced by a ringmaster: “When you frame a body on a stage, you’re shining a light on how it looks, what it’s doing and everything that means, and reflecting on personal identities and society.”
The gluten-free artisanal snozzberries taste like gluten-free artisanal snozzberries
It must be tough being married to Gwyneth Paltrow. No doubt she’s great company, but between the $200 smoothies and all-round terrible health advice, things might get a bit restrictive, diet-wise. With that in mind, Chris Martin’s recent Willy Wonka-themed 40th birthday party could easily be read as a post-divorce public rejection of his years of Goop-mandated clean living. “You’re not the boss of me any more, Gwyneth!” he perhaps cried, sugar coursing through his veins, as he bit into his umpteeth lolipop.
(If any of that sounds appealing, be sure to check out Sternberg Clarke’s blog on Roald Dahl themed entertainment ideas.)
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