Latest news with #Madge
New York Times
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
In Three Off Broadway Shows, They're Coming Out and Out and Out
For decades, describing a boy or a man as 'artistic' was a way to imply they did not fit the accepted heterosexual mold. Of course the expression's double meaning could be literal, as illustrated by recent coming-of-age shows in which the narrators are both gay and, well, artistic. (As for lesbians, they have long been called 'handy' — bring on the tool belts.) Douglas Lyons and Ethan D. Pakchar's 'Beau the Musical' follows many of the conventional signposts of the 'growing up different' genre. As a 27-year-old, Ace (Matt Rodin) revisits his middle and then high school years, when he navigated an affair with his bully, Ferris (Cory Jeacoma); figured out how to better understand his mother, Raven (Amelia Cormack); and reconnected with a once-estranged grandfather, Beau (Chris Blisset), who had secrets of his own. Josh Rhodes's production for Out of the Box Theatrics, through July 27 at Theater 154 in Manhattan, goes how you'd expect a story involving same-sex attraction in Tennessee to go: clandestine trysts, self-loathing, violent encounters, art (in this case music) as an outlet and escape. This is well-trod terrain, but Lyons has a flair for recycling tropes, as he did in his popular comedy 'Chicken and Biscuits.' And Rodin, who played a gay teacher in the musical 'All the World's a Stage' this spring, gives a warm portrayal of someone trying to find his place through music-making. The bulk of 'Beau the Musical' takes place over the late 1990s and early 2000s, while Rob Madge's autobiographical 'My Son's a Queer (but What Can You Do?)' largely looks back at events from the 2000s and 2010s, when Madge, who identifies as nonbinary, was growing up. The shows' time frames overlap somewhat, but the experiences they depict are starkly different. A British production that had a five-performance run at New York City Center in June, 'My Son's a Queer' is a portrait of a child who was unconditionally loved and accepted, even when bossing their father around in a D.I.Y. Disney tribute — which we see because the Madges were fond of making home videos. Everybody in the family supported young Rob's artistic-ness, both literal and euphemistic: Granny Grimble made them a Maleficent costume, and when problems erupted at school ('not the best of times,' the adult Rob says in a rare display of understatement), their mother took a job as a 'lunch lady' to keep watch. Madge revisits those years with unflagging, if solipsistic, brightness — the young Rob often asks their parents, 'Are you filming?' and a robust ego seems to have been a constant. The downside is that the City Center performance I saw did not always bear out Madge's confidence in their talent, with performances of original songs (written with Pippa Cleary) that rarely rose above adequate. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Is this week's UK heatwave linked to climate change?
As the UK prepares for a heatwave this week, there is a 50/50 chance of a day where temperatures reach 40C within the next 12 years, the Met Office has predicted. It said the prospect of exceeding that figure is now more than 20 times more likely than it was in the 1960s, as a result of climate change. The UK had its first recorded temperature above that threshold on 19 July 2022, when it was 40.3C in Coningsby, Lincolnshire — the hottest day in British history. And while temperatures will not get that high this week, the Met Office has said a heatwave is likely in many parts of England, with a maximum of 33C forecast in the east on Sunday. Met Office spokesperson Grahame Madge told Yahoo News that warm air driven from southern Europe later this week will make it very warm in the UK. 'This week the UK will experience rising temperatures," he said. "Later in the week, a weather pattern develops which will encourage a flow of air from further south in Europe to bring much warmer conditions to the UK, with values expected to reach 32C on Saturday.' The Met Office said much of the UK will reach the threshold for a heatwave either on Friday or Saturday. To qualify as a heatwave, there must be three continuous days of temperatures at a certain level, which varies by area in the UK. Madge said: 'A heatwave is a period of three days or more where the maximum temperature reaches or exceeds a specific threshold. 'This threshold is 25C for northern and western parts of the UK, rising to 28C for Greater London and parts of the Home Counties.' The Met Office predicted that the UK is likely to experience a hotter than usual summer in its most recent three-month outlook, after this year's spring was the sunniest and among the driest and warmest on record. Four of the five warmest summers on record for England have occurred since 2003, while all of the top 10 warmest years according to mean temperature have occurred since the year 2000, with five in the most recent decade up to 2024. Records extending back to 1890 show that the mean temperature (the average of the maximum and minimum temperature across every weather station through the year) has risen from just over 7.5C in 1890 to more than 9.5C today. Climate change, caused by greenhouse gas emissions, has made heatwaves 30 times more likely in the UK, the Met Office has said. Over time, this will make UK winters warmer and wetter, while summers will become hotter and drier, although wetter summers will be seen sometimes. By the year 2050, heatwaves similar to the one seen in 2018 will happen every other year. Met Office scientist Emily Carlisle said earlier this month: "The UK's climate continues to change. "The data clearly shows that recent decades have been warmer, sunnier, and often drier than the 20th century average, although natural variation will continue to play a role in the UK's weather.' In its study on 40C temperatures, published in Weather Journal on Wednesday, the Met Office warned that even higher temperatures of 45C or more "may be possible' in today's climate, while heatwaves could go on for a month or more. The study said the chance of temperatures hitting 40C is more than 20 times more likely than it was in the 1960s, and has almost trebled since the year 2000. Temperatures several degrees higher than the July 2022 record – up to a maximum of 46.6C – are also 'plausible'. Dr Gillian Kay, senior scientist at the Met Office and lead author of the study, said: 'Because our climate continues to warm, we can expect the chance to keep rising. We estimate a 50/50 chance of seeing a 40C day again in the next 12 years. 'We also found that temperatures several degrees higher than we saw in July 2022 are possible in today's climate.' The Met Office predicts that by the year 2070, summers will be between 1C and 6C warmer and up to 60% drier, and winters will also be up to 4.5C warmer and up to 30% wetter.
News.com.au
03-06-2025
- General
- News.com.au
Broncos' Problems Run Deeper Than Madge — And the Fix Is Right in Front of Them
Everyone's blaming Madge but it goes deeper than that. Tyson Jackson looks at what's really going wrong with the Broncos — and what they need to fix before 2025 completely slips away.
The Advertiser
29-05-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Big Ben's return can chime for a loud Broncos boost
Brisbane will unleash their next generation prop Ben Te Kura for the first time this year and he has been backed by a dual international to run riot against Manly. The Broncos have axed bench prop Fletcher Baker and elevated 21-year-old Te Kura for Saturday night's NRL match after the club's five losses from six games. Brisbane's 2006 title winner Karmichael Hunt, an Australian representative in two codes, has been coaching Te Kura in the Queensland Cup for Souths Logan Magpies. Te Kura is the 205cm giant, the tallest in the NRL, who played three matches off the bench in 2024 and impressed. Now he gets his chance away at Brookvale Oval as coach Michael Maguire backs youth after former New Zealand international Martin Taupau was released from the club. Te Kura has missed just three tackles in nine matches for the Magpies this year while making 40 tackle busts. "He is just doing his job really well as a middle - carrying hard and making sure his defensive movements are where they need to be," Hunt told AAP. "The last few weeks he has been leading from the front and setting a platform and obviously Madge (Maguire) has been happy with him. "I'm sure Madge's instructions are to cause a bit of havoc. He has got the ability to do that." Broncos veteran Gehamat Shibasaki said Te Kura would do the job. "Benny is a big boy. He has done really well and I am proud of him for how he has handled the pre-season and getting his body right and doing his reps in the Q Cup," he said. "He gives Patty (Carrigan) and Payne (Haas) a run for their money at training so I'm pretty sure if he can handle those boys he can handle anyone. "He's matured a lot. He understood he had to get fit and get his body right. He's done a lot of time with his extras and got his food right and what he needed to do to get in the team. "Madge has seen that and he's really deserved it." Broncos hooker Cory Paix said his role with Te Kura was straight forward. "My job is pretty easy. I just have to give it to the big fella and he can run over the top of them," Paix grinned. "Ben has been working really hard in the Queensland Cup and deserves his opportunity. I am sure he will do a really good job." Brisbane will unleash their next generation prop Ben Te Kura for the first time this year and he has been backed by a dual international to run riot against Manly. The Broncos have axed bench prop Fletcher Baker and elevated 21-year-old Te Kura for Saturday night's NRL match after the club's five losses from six games. Brisbane's 2006 title winner Karmichael Hunt, an Australian representative in two codes, has been coaching Te Kura in the Queensland Cup for Souths Logan Magpies. Te Kura is the 205cm giant, the tallest in the NRL, who played three matches off the bench in 2024 and impressed. Now he gets his chance away at Brookvale Oval as coach Michael Maguire backs youth after former New Zealand international Martin Taupau was released from the club. Te Kura has missed just three tackles in nine matches for the Magpies this year while making 40 tackle busts. "He is just doing his job really well as a middle - carrying hard and making sure his defensive movements are where they need to be," Hunt told AAP. "The last few weeks he has been leading from the front and setting a platform and obviously Madge (Maguire) has been happy with him. "I'm sure Madge's instructions are to cause a bit of havoc. He has got the ability to do that." Broncos veteran Gehamat Shibasaki said Te Kura would do the job. "Benny is a big boy. He has done really well and I am proud of him for how he has handled the pre-season and getting his body right and doing his reps in the Q Cup," he said. "He gives Patty (Carrigan) and Payne (Haas) a run for their money at training so I'm pretty sure if he can handle those boys he can handle anyone. "He's matured a lot. He understood he had to get fit and get his body right. He's done a lot of time with his extras and got his food right and what he needed to do to get in the team. "Madge has seen that and he's really deserved it." Broncos hooker Cory Paix said his role with Te Kura was straight forward. "My job is pretty easy. I just have to give it to the big fella and he can run over the top of them," Paix grinned. "Ben has been working really hard in the Queensland Cup and deserves his opportunity. I am sure he will do a really good job." Brisbane will unleash their next generation prop Ben Te Kura for the first time this year and he has been backed by a dual international to run riot against Manly. The Broncos have axed bench prop Fletcher Baker and elevated 21-year-old Te Kura for Saturday night's NRL match after the club's five losses from six games. Brisbane's 2006 title winner Karmichael Hunt, an Australian representative in two codes, has been coaching Te Kura in the Queensland Cup for Souths Logan Magpies. Te Kura is the 205cm giant, the tallest in the NRL, who played three matches off the bench in 2024 and impressed. Now he gets his chance away at Brookvale Oval as coach Michael Maguire backs youth after former New Zealand international Martin Taupau was released from the club. Te Kura has missed just three tackles in nine matches for the Magpies this year while making 40 tackle busts. "He is just doing his job really well as a middle - carrying hard and making sure his defensive movements are where they need to be," Hunt told AAP. "The last few weeks he has been leading from the front and setting a platform and obviously Madge (Maguire) has been happy with him. "I'm sure Madge's instructions are to cause a bit of havoc. He has got the ability to do that." Broncos veteran Gehamat Shibasaki said Te Kura would do the job. "Benny is a big boy. He has done really well and I am proud of him for how he has handled the pre-season and getting his body right and doing his reps in the Q Cup," he said. "He gives Patty (Carrigan) and Payne (Haas) a run for their money at training so I'm pretty sure if he can handle those boys he can handle anyone. "He's matured a lot. He understood he had to get fit and get his body right. He's done a lot of time with his extras and got his food right and what he needed to do to get in the team. "Madge has seen that and he's really deserved it." Broncos hooker Cory Paix said his role with Te Kura was straight forward. "My job is pretty easy. I just have to give it to the big fella and he can run over the top of them," Paix grinned. "Ben has been working really hard in the Queensland Cup and deserves his opportunity. I am sure he will do a really good job."
Perth Now
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Hopes Big Ben's return can chime for a Broncos boost
Brisbane will unleash their next generation prop Ben Te Kura for the first time this year and he has been backed by a dual international to run riot against Manly. The Broncos have axed bench prop Fletcher Baker and elevated 21-year-old Te Kura for Saturday night's NRL match after the club's five losses from six games. Brisbane's 2006 title winner Karmichael Hunt, an Australian representative in two codes, has been coaching Te Kura in the Queensland Cup for Souths-Logan. Te Kura is the 205cm giant, the tallest in the NRL, who played three matches off the bench in 2024 and impressed. Now he gets his chance away at Brookvale Oval as coach Michael Maguire backs youth after former New Zealand international Martin Taupau was released from the club. Te Kura has missed just three tackles in nine matches for South-Logan in the Queensland Cup this year while making 40 tackle busts. "He is just doing his job really well as a middle - carrying hard and making sure his defensive movements are where they need to be," Hunt told AAP. "The last few weeks he has been leading from the front and setting a platform and obviously Madge (Maguire) has been happy with him. "I'm sure Madge's instructions are to cause a bit of havoc. He has got the ability to do that." Broncos veteran Gehamat Shibasaki said Te Kura would do the job. "Benny is a big boy. He has done really well and I am proud of him for how he has handled the pre-season and getting his body right and doing his reps in the Q Cup," he said. "He gives Patty (Carrigan) and Payne (Haas) a run for their money at training so I'm pretty sure if he can handle those boys he can handle anyone. "He's matured a lot. He understood he had to get fit and get his body right. He's done a lot of time with his extras and got his food right and what he needed to do to get in the team. "Madge has seen that and he's really deserved it." Broncos hooker Cory Paix said his role with Te Kura was straight forward. "My job is pretty easy. I just have to give it to the big fella and he can run over the top of them," Paix grinned. "Ben has been working really hard in the Queensland Cup and deserves his opportunity. I am sure he will do a really good job."
