Liam Patrick Harrison

It is a strangely disquieting moment when I recognised the dulcet tones of Home by Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros drifting over the opening sequence of Stuck in Love. I begin to sink down apprehensively into my seat. It’s not that I dislike the track; I love it, but therein lies the problem. I’ve become almost fearful of films harnessing my favourite tunes because they seldom live up to the song. It feels as if the filmmakers have kidnapped a popular artist, forcing them to provide some essential indie affectations for their quirky dramas. I sink lower and...

Your relationship with a performance starts the first moment you hear its name, get told a jumbled synopsis or a flyer is placed in your hand. From that instant your opinions and expectations begin to be shaped and a potential show already starts to form in your mind. As critics and theatre goers it is impossible to avoid forming preconceptions of pieces from the smallest stimuli. We are constantly re-writing and reassessing our opinions of shows before, after and indeed during the performance. As a reviewer it can be difficult to maintain any semblance of objectivity when you are...