The kindness of strangers: a concierge gave me his mother’s opera ticket

The kindness of strangers: a concierge gave me his mother’s opera ticket

I was travelling with my parents and discovered that Don Giovanni was being performed while we were there. I simply had to try to see it Read more in the kindness of strangers series At age 20, I fell head over heels in love with opera. It happened after seeing Joseph Losey’s film adaptation of Don Giovanni. Something clicked in me. I became a fervent subscriber to the Australian Opera and saw every opera I possibly could. A few years later, I was travelling in France with my parents and discovered that Don Giovanni was being performed in Avignon while we were there, with José van Dam, who had played Leporello in the film, starring as Don Giovanni. I simply had to get a ticket to see it. Continue reading...

Plan to reduce jury trials an ‘irremediable error’, lawyers say in MoJ letter

Plan to reduce jury trials an ‘irremediable error’, lawyers say in MoJ letter

More than 100 lawyers have accused the Ministry of Justice of ignoring the legal profession’s objections More than 100 lawyers who wrote to the Ministry of Justice expressing significant concerns about plans to severely restrict jury trials say representations by the legal profession are being ignored. The government is expected to formally announce the changes, which have caused deep division among the judiciary and senior lawyers, as soon as next week. Continue reading...

Cariad Lloyd and Rachel Parris look back: ‘We’ve been through a lot – trying for children, losing parents … but our friendship is constant’

Cariad Lloyd and Rachel Parris look back: ‘We’ve been through a lot – trying for children, losing parents … but our friendship is constant’

The comedians on their first meeting, pissing each other off, and a shared obsession with Pride and Prejudice Born in London in 1982, Cariad Lloyd is a comedian, actor and podcaster. She met comedian and musician Rachel Parris , born in Leicester in 1984, through improv comedy. Along with six other comedians, they formed Austentatious . The show is an improvised Jane Austen novel, based on an audience’s suggestion for a title, and is currently on at the Vaudeville theatre in London. Beyond their stage work, Cariad hosts the podcast Griefcast and is a co-host on Weirdos Book Club and Rachel worked on The Mash Report and publishes Introducing Mrs Collins: A Pride and Prejudice Novel on 6 November. Continue reading...