Culture
REVIEW: 2:22 – A Ghost Story at the Mayflower Theatre

The multi award-winning ‘2:22 – A Ghost Story’ which took the West End by storm has come to take Southampton’s breath away. The Mayflower is the latest theatre to see Whatsonstage’s ‘Best New Play’, and you can see exactly why it has that title. This play is a brilliantly funny, adrenaline-fuelled night that will leave you either on the edge of your seat, or cowering behind your own hands. The story is just fantastic and you feel a part of the narrative from the very start to the very end. Danny Robins (Writer) gets you constantly asking yourself questions throughout the play; not only, do you believe? But as he said, “The statement, ‘I have seen a ghost’ still has the power to silence a room and forever change the way you see someone, or how people see you.”
It’s quite difficult to give a general rundown of this show whilst trying not to give anything away, so I’ll keep this very brief. Husband and wife, Sam and Jenny, buy a new house and Jenny believes that it is haunted. Sam disagrees and when they have their first guests over for dinner, Lauren and Ben, arguments spark and everyone is in disagreement. The only way to settle the debate is to stay up until 2:22.
Not much to go off I know, but trust me, the show is so much better the less you know about it!
The cast were amazing. This play notoriously always has a star-studded cast, and the tour is no different to that. There are only 4 cast members; Joe Absolom as ‘Ben’, Charlene Boyd as ‘Lauren’, Nathaniel Curtis as ‘Sam’, and Louisa Lytton as ‘Jenny’. They all bounced off of each other perfectly and made you feel like you were just watching a group of people interacting, and not acting – it felt so natural. (Not supernatural… cheap I know). All joking aside however, it genuinely did feel as if we were watching an unscripted dinner party, seemingly effortless! There were moments where the whole audience was laughing, and there were moments where the whole audience was gasping. Nothing that was said seemed like it was thrown away, everything stuck and had some sort of impact. Bravo! I remember thinking in the interval, ‘that feels like I’ve watched the first half of a movie and not a play,’ which is so impressive regarding the small cast and fixed set.

As I previously mentioned, the set was the same throughout but boy was it impressive. It’s meant to symbolise a new home in the midst of getting renovated, and that’s exactly what it looks like. It’s such a simple set design, but there’s also so much going on at the same time and its all functional. You can tell that ‘2:22’ is used to being in much smaller theatres, but I don’t think that the set felt drowned out at all. The use of black curtains around the stage were really effective in both creating a darker atmosphere but as well as killing that extra unused space. The lighting for the show was also very integral to the success of it. The use of darker lighting for outside, with strobe effects every now and then really packs a punch in getting those reactions from the audience. And how can we not talk about the red digital clocks and use of added red lighting. There are 2 digital clocks on the whole time, and even when they’re not ‘in use’ they almost act as an extra character looming over the stage, waiting for their moment. Fantastic design!
Soundtrack wise, there isn’t an awful lot used. There’s atmospheric music, or music/sound effects used by the actors, but all music that is used is purely atmospheric and is meant to have a meaning. Which it does! I think one of the things I liked most about the play was the fact that in the 2 hour run-time, we don’t go anywhere, we’re literally just at a dinner party yet it didn’t drag. There was always something keeping you engaged, whether that be the dialogue or the movement, or even the moments of impactful silence. This is such a difficult thing to do in theatre, and for a story that is set in one place over one evening, that’s so impressive! Clearly this is something Directors, Matthew Dunster and Isabel Marr worked very hard on. With thrillers or suspense stories, it’s cliché that you can more often than not see what’s going to happen next and where the arc of the story is going. ‘2:22’ was definitely not like that. I couldn’t guess what was coming next, and that is so refreshing helping build onto the excitement of what was or wasn’t about to happen.
‘2:22’ is an amazing story that hits so many points whilst certainly getting you ready for the spooky season. The actors were brilliant, the set was fantastic and the story. Well I now know why the story is so critically acclaimed! I went to watch this play with almost no prior knowledge, and I think that’s how it should be watched. Having said this, I will definitely be wanting to go back, I feel like it may be a completely different watching experience second time around. It’s a horror movie on stage. If you plan on going to see ‘2:22 – A Ghost Story’ (which you absolutely should), try and avoid all spoilers and immerse yourself into the narrative as much as you possibly can. I wish all the cast and crew the best of luck as ‘2:22’ ends its time in Southampton on the 21st October before carrying on the rest of its UK tour. I think its safe to say the Mayflower will certainly be keeping their ghost light out for the foreseeable!
Culture
Review of The Roses 2025

If something looks perfect from the outside does it mean it actually is?
That’s the concept that director Jay Roach brings to life in the new movie The Roses released in August 2025.
The Roses is a reimagining of the 1989 film The War of the Roses which was originally based on Warren Adler’s 1981 novel.
Although unlike the novel the characters instead are shown to struggle with their different careers either rising or falling.
It has been adapted, in my opinion, to make it resonate with women a lot more as in both the novel and first film the women were stay at home mothers who felt unsatisfied.
This appears to be one of the main reasons for the divorces with Barbara (Kathleen Turner) eventually turning to a catering business.
However, within the new modernised version Ivy’s (Olivia Colman) successful career is a point of contempt for Theo (Benedict Cumberbatch).
While it starts off with a more realistic depiction of parents struggling with the loss of a career and a start of a new one, it slowly divulges itself away from the typical divorcee movie.
I watched this movie at the Everyman (luxury I know!) and the grip it had on me as an audience member was outstanding.
With the selection of actors involved in this movie it’s no surprise that there is a mix of comedy and drama making it a satirical black comedy.
While it was delightful to watch, I feel that some audience members might criticise the realism of the movie.
Yet I go to the cinema to be transported from real life so the mix of realism and shock factor was highly entertaining.
A contrasting mix of comedy and darkness
The performances from the actors was exactly what the movie needed.
The chemistry, or lack thereof, between Colman and Cumberbatch was so believable that you would think that they were married in real life.
Their delivery of both the comedy and the rage was again so believable that it sucked me as the audience into what was the “dirty laundry” of their personal lives.
With a supporting cast including Andy Samberg, Allison Janney and others their characters mostly brought the comedy relief needed in to break the movie up.
They also gave us a contrast to the main relationship being shown which helped us recognise how some of the actions were exaggerated for our benefit.
However, some critics online have noted that while it is undeniably a satirical dark comedy, the dark comedy seemed to be held back some times, therefore not always giving it the edge it needed.
I think that for a 15 certificate movie it had just the right amount to stretch over its wide audience.
Another criticism that The Roses received was that the contrast between the comedy and cruelty was sometimes so abrupt that it didn’t hit as hard as it could have.
At some points the comedy seemed out of place which almost gave the film a sort of jarring feel as they changed between the emotions.
The ending is ambiguous which can have mixed reactions from the audience.
Some may like to have the movie tied up neatly at the end whereas others like that they can believe what they want to believe.
I am the latter in the case of this movie as I enjoyed the fact that I could believe either the more macabre ending or not.
To me the ending, without giving any spoilers, had me on the edge of my seat with a real 360 turn.
Again it had the perfect amount of shock factor and comedy which highlighted the overall tone throughout.
I felt that it drew the entire film together nicely especially with the ending performance from Coleman and Cumberbatch.
Culture
Sam Bishop’s new single – Just a Little

Winchester original artist Sam Bishop has been releasing music for almost a decade but after not releasing a new song for the last two years, Just a Little is set to be release this Friday, February 7th.
Sam first got into music when he was in secondary school, after watching Imagine Dragons in the O2 he fell in love with their support act.
As an only child he has always been a creative person, writing stories and songs in his free time.
The first thought has never been how can I perform live but how can I write?
Sam also enjoyed:”I enjoy feeling nervous but eventually acting felt like second nature, so I decided to give music a go.”
After getting into music in school Sam released his first song in 2016.
“It has been trial and error since with each year getting better and better performing and writing more.”
I asked him whether he has always written his own songs, and he explained: “The first thought has never been how can I perform live but how can I write?
“That’s the angle I attack music with.”
For Sam music has always been a way to express how he feels.
But what’s the best part of the writing process?
Well, for Sam it’s the feeling of a song coming together as a whole, he compared the writing process to a tap, that it slowly drips until it starts to flow.
“You get a melody and a good lyric. It feels amazing when it all comes together it’s so special, it’s definitely a process it takes time and trial and error.”
Sam’s new single Just a Little, is no different, going through this same process, and has now come together ready for its release this Friday.
It all started in last summer, when Sam was on a flight from Miami to LA, he wasn’t interested in watching the typical films you find on airplanes, and felt creative, this is where the chorus for Just a Little was born.
Being away from family for a prolonged amount of time through working away and travelling gave Sam the feeling of wanting to be connected and keep in touch with people’s lives whilst being away.
Just a Little is about questioning whether you’re enough.
It’s a song full of vulnerability and expressing that and truly allowing yourself to feel those feelings.
After Sam’s travels he got home and revisited the song, from there it started to take off and really build.
He sent the song to his friend Toby who he describes as an unbelievable guitarist, and an excellent musician.
Toby then worked on the song as a production, whilst Sam worked on the lyrics.
Just a Little was kind of a one off, as a process it was very natural.
By mid-November the song was finished and now is the time for its release.
This song has a different sound to Sam’s previous songs, and he’s excited for people to hear this new style of music from him.
“It’s a very personal song washed under happy and jolly music.
“It’s very current and popular; something you’d expect to hear on the radio.”
Sam hopes that that the release allows people to connect with not just the lyrics but how the song feels.
Following the release Sam has big plans for the next year.
This is the start of a new sound for him, and he hopes more songs like this will follow with maybe one or two before the end of the year.
There are also a number of gigs to be announced for the next three months that he is looking forward to performing.
At the end of our interview Sam said: “Songs will happen, it’s what I love to do it’s so expressive as an art form and it’s something I will always want to do.
“Just a Little was kind of a one off, as a process it was very natural.
After not releasing a song for two years, once the lyrics were finished and he got the song back from Toby he knew this was the one that this would be the re-release of his music as an original artist.
Just a Little is out at midnight February 7th.
For announcements of new music and dates of performances you can follow Sam on Instagram @sambishopmusician.
Community
Highly anticipated Five Guys restaurant has opened on Winchester High Street

The wait is over for Winchester’s burger lovers, as a new Five Guys restaurant has opened in the heart of the city centre.
The American burger chain, world famous for its customisable smash burgers and seemingly bottomless fries opened on Monday, December 2nd.
It was a soft launch without any ceremony for the restaurant, but the new staff and management immediately had a growing queue of customers on their hands.
Five Guys has taken one of three units from the former Debenhams department store. The other two are Nando’s which opened last month and Pizza Express.
Founded in Virginia in 1986, Five Guys launched in the UK in 2013 and has become a popular choice for burger lovers, including celebrities such as Tommy Fury, Mollie King, Ed Sheeran, and Maya Jama.
There are now 1,800 restaurants worldwide including 171 in the UK.
The new Winchester branch is expected to be a popular addition to the city’s food scene.
-
Football9 years ago
Football – Winchester City vs Didcot Town
-
Community8 years ago
Winnall community association renovated
-
Community8 years ago
Hampshire’s frontline services at risk
-
Hampshire8 years ago
University of Winchester Parking Trouble
-
Community8 years ago
Knight Bus unveiled at school
-
Community8 years ago
‘Controversial’ new plans take shape in Eastleigh
-
Winchester News Online8 years ago
#MiracleMissy Update
-
Bulletins7 years ago
WINOL 20 November 2018