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Episode details

Radio 4,12 Jun 2013,30 mins

The Amen Corner; Much Ado About Nothing; Peter James; Stephen Hough

Front Row

Available for over a year

With Mark Lawson. James Baldwin's play, The Amen Corner, tells the story of Margaret, the uncompromising pastor of a Harlem church, who has to face a secret from her past. Marianne Jean-Baptiste stars in a new National Theatre production, featuring a gospel choir. Writer and critic Bidisha gives her verdict. Best-selling crime writer Peter James discusses his latest book Dead Man's Time, the ninth novel in the Roy Grace Series, and reveals the high-profile real-life inspiration for his character Amis Smallbone. For Cultural Exchange, concert pianist Stephen Hough chooses a song called The Hurdy Gurdy Man by Franz Schubert, from his 1828 song cycle Die Winterreise. After directing the blockbuster Avengers Assemble, Joss Whedon now releases a very different film: a modern-day version of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, shot in his own home, in black and white, and featuring a cast of his friends - most of whom appeared in his various cult TV series. Larushka Ivan-Zadeh reviews. Producer Nicki Paxman.

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