High Society

High Society review – smooth musical hardly misbehaves but the songs are heavenly

Barbican theatre, LondonImpeccable vocals and slick staging make for dazzling set pieces in a tame production that’s missing the emotional centre of the 1956 filmFive years ago, the Barbican staged the first of three Cole Porter musicals in quick succession. A sublime revival of Anything Goes was fun, frothy and polished to perfection. Kiss Me, Kate followed, and now this show, about the romantic shenanigans of the American east coast gentry.

High Society review – smooth musical hardly misbehaves but the songs are heavenly

Barbican theatre, LondonImpeccable vocals and slick staging make for dazzling set pieces in a tame production that’s missing the emotional centre of the 1956 filmFive years ago, the Barbican staged the first of three Cole Porter musicals in quick succession. A sublime revival of Anything Goes was fun, frothy and polished to perfection. Kiss Me, Kate followed, and now this show, about the romantic shenanigans of the American east coast gentry.

Many put off dental treatments due to costs, but it could mean a high price to pay for an ageing society

Bachelors vs families: Who is the ‘ideal resident’? Inside India's housing society divide

“If you're a bachelor/young couple with kids, as much as possible, avoid high rises” A software engineer's recent words in a viral social media post warning bachelors and young couples against living in high-rise societies reignited a debate that has simmered in Indian cities for years. The post, which criticised resident welfare associations (RWAs) for being intrusive and overly controlling, struck a chord with thousands of young urban residents who shared similar experiences of visitor...

East Asia’s population challenge isn’t just about raising birth rates

Across East Asia, societies are becoming richer, healthier and more educated, yet fewer people feel able or willing to have families and raise children. Low fertility plagues high-income societies, particularly in East Asia, where the total fertility rate (TFR) has fallen below one birth per woman, well under the replacement level of 2.1 births. While many countries have dedicated considerable resources and effort to reversing this trend, the results have been somewhat disappointing.

Queen Elizabeth’s mother wanted her to marry another man before Prince Philip: author

Before Prince Philip captured Queen Elizabeth II's heart, another aristocratic suitor may have been in the running for the future monarch. According to royal historian Hugo Vickers, author of "Queen Elizabeth II: A Personal History," his research revealed that Hugh, Earl of Euston — who later became the 11th Duke of Grafton — was considered a potential match for the young princess before she ultimately fell for the man who would become the love of her life. "The Queen Mother was very keen...

Pre-Modern Armies for Worldbuilders, Part I: Why They Fight

This week I want to try something a little different. Rather than taking apart a particular fantasy military system, I thought I might try to lay out a more general sense of how military systems tend to map on to societies, both because such general historical frameworks are handy for thinking about the past, but also because they make useful rules of thumb for imagining fantastical societies. So essentially here we are asking: how do societies end up with the sort of armies they have?

As ACs run nonstop in 45°C heat, are Delhi homes facing a growing fire hazard?

As temperatures across Delhi-NCR climb past 45 degrees Celsius, air-conditioners are now running almost constantly in homes, apartments and residential societies. In this extreme heat, another problem is quietly showing up inside these spaces: The risk of AC-related fires. What usually begins as a basic attempt to beat the summer heat can sometimes spiral into something far more dangerous.

The Caning That Changed America

Most people in the Senate chamber noticed the sound before anything else—the sharp, sickening crack of a metal-tipped cane landing on an unprotected skull. On May 22, 1856, Preston Brooks, a young representative from South Carolina, confronted Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts during a visit to the upper chamber. Sumner, known for his fiery abolitionist orations, had recently given a speech leveling insults at Brooks’s kinsman Senator Andrew P. Butler, including that he consorted with...

Great mysteries of archaeology: An ancient Amazonian world revealed from the sky

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