Est 1956 Issue 2739
EASTER Issue 3 April, 2009 OLYMPIC CITY 2012
53 YEARS The No.1 Magazine for Visitors
You have seen London, now see England
EXMOOR Still England but another World Yarn Market Hotel Dunster, Exmoor TA24 6SE Telephone 01643 821425 Email: hotel@yarnmarkethotel.co.uk
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Welcome to London 3 April, 2009
EASTER EDITION
CONTENTS EVENTS Mayor celebrates St George’s Day Winsdor Wheel Sonnets at the Globe
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MUSIC Handel’s Messiah Fujita Trio
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EXHIBITIONS Dressed to Kill at the Tower London Original Print Fair
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THEATRE Priscilla Queen of the Desert
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EATING OUT William IV GastroPub
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Proprietor Julie Jones Advertising Janet Gardener Editorial Sue Webster Jessica Rowe
© This is London Magazine Limited 42 Conduit Street, London, W1R 9FB. Telephone: 020 7434 1281 www.thisislondonmagazine.com
A very warm welcome to all our friends and neighbours visiting our fine capital at Easter time. Even in these tough economic times London is still the place to be. Our capital is a unique city that offers great diversity and choice, with over 300 languages spoken and a skilled and talented workforce to help businesses in the capital to grow and succeed. With the recent fall in the value of sterling there has never been a better time to visit London and get great value on every pound, dollar, euro or yuan. In fact, a Big Mac is now cheaper in London than in New York, a pint of Guinness is cheaper in our fair city than in Dublin and fashionistas will be glad to know that a Hermès scarf can be purchased cheaper here in London than in Paris. It is of the utmost importance that we continue to celebrate and advertise the richness and diversity of our unique city and the world-beating attractions, galleries, exhibitions, theatre and restaurants on offer here. That is why we've launched a new international campaign, 'Only in London', to encourage overseas visitors to come to the capital for the experience of a lifetime. London is continuing to invest in growth opportunities and the jewel in the crown is the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which will generate an estimated £4 billion economic opportunity. We are also investing in large infrastructure projects such as Crossrail, the largest addition to the transport network in London and the South East for 50 years, and upgrading our Victorian Tube lines so that they are fit for the 21st century. My message is loud and clear. In London we are working furiously to protect the economy during the downturn and I believe that the capital will emerge from this period of economic uncertainty in a very strong position providing unrivalled opportunities over the coming decades.
Boris Johnson
www.til.com
Mayor of London
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THE MAYOR CELEBRATES ST GEORGE’S DAY London Mayor, Boris Johnson, will celebrate St George's Day on 23 April with a programme of free events and he will fly the Cross of St George outside City Hall. The Mayor is expected to join the Leadenhall Market St George’s Day celebrations with fine English food and drink. There will also be St George's Day events in Trafalgar Square on Saturday 25 April and a Shakespeare celebration at Shakespeare's Globe on 19 April – Shakespeare's birthday was 23 April. The Mayor said: 'St George’s Day has been ignored in London for far too long, but I’m truly pleased to announce some fantastic events to mark this occasion. We have much to be proud of in this great country, England has given so much to the world, politically, socially and artistically. St George’s Day is a time to celebrate the very best of everything English and the Cross of St George will proudly fly outside City Hall on 23 April. I look forward to hopping on a Routemaster and visiting Leadenhall Market for traditional English festivities. I encourage everyone to join in the fun and celebrate England’s great Patron Saint.' A concert in Trafalgar Square, 'Contemporary Music, English Roots', will take place on Saturday 25 April from 12.30 to 18.00 and is a unique opportunity to hear some of the finest folk inspired music coming out of England today. It features acclaimed musicians Seth Lakeman, Eliza Carthy, Jim Moray, Kathryn Tickell and Bishi, artists who are reaching new audiences and finding innovative ways to express music that is inspired by English folk tradition. The celebration at Shakespeare's Globe on 19 April marks the 400th anniversary of the publication of Shakespeare's sonnets. T H I S
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WINDSOR WHEEL FOR ALL SEASONS The Royal Windsor Wheel returns to Alexandra Gardens on the banks of the River Thames at Windsor, on 2 April. Due to its popularity, the Wheel will now be an almost a permanent resident on the Thames riverside as it rolls in for its fourth successive year for an extended seven month stay spanning all four seasons, allowing visitors the chance to enjoy the spectacular panoramic views, whatever the weather, from the comfort of their climate controlled capsules. Visitors can soar over 50 metres into the skies above historic Windsor, with breathtaking views over the Castle battlements, the River Thames and the stunning countryside beyond. On a clear day or night you can even see as far as the gleaming arch of Wembley Stadium and the glittering skyline of Central London. Featuring the cutting edge in Observation Wheel technology and beautifully illuminated by night, the Windsor Wheel offers an unforgettable and awe-inspiring experience for everyone, and a unique venue for a special celebration or event. Call the Royal Windsor Information Centre on 01753 743900.
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EUROPE’S LARGEST VEGETARIAN EVENT COMES TO LONDON Europe's largest vegetarian event comes to London in April, featuring everything you ever wanted to know about being or going veggie or vegan or simply cutting down on meat. The Incredible Veggie Show takes place on Saturday 18 April at The Royal Horticultural Halls in Victoria. As with previous shows, the 2009 extravaganza will provide inspiration and information for all, 100 per cent vegan and 100 per cent cruelty-free. It promises to be a fun day out for people looking to improve their health, save animals and protect the environment. Tickets on 0117 944 1000. BRITAIN AND LONDON VISITOR CENTRE IN REGENT STREET The Britain and London Visitor Centre at 1 Regent Street, is dedicated to spreading the word about the rest of Britain as well as helping overseas visitors to tailor plans and get the most out of their break here. Serving tourists and Londoners for over 25 years, the BLVC is a knowledge bank of what to do and where to go in Britain and is open to anyone with an interest in seeing more of the country. It is the perfect place to get inspiration for an Easter break, to find theatre and attraction tickets or book countrywide accommodation and travel. Well-informed staff who between them speak over 11 languages are on hand to help advise visitors further about places to visit, experiences to try and British holiday suggestions to suit every pocket. VisitBritain is responsible for promoting Britain as a world class tourist destination. It has representatives in 36 countries around the world and has expanded into India, China, throughout Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia. L O N D O N
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AN EGG XTRA BOAT ADDED TO SIGHTSEEING SERVICE AT EASTER City Cruises will see its sightseeing fleet expand by an egg-xtra boat this Easter, which will result in an increase in the frequency of the service. From April, the fleet will expand from four to five boats. This move will enable the service to operate every 35 minutes, instead of the current 40 to 45 minutes and will provide passengers with more choice. The award winning sightseeing service includes a circular cruise between Westminster, Waterloo and Tower Piers as well as a hop-on hop-off service between the four major destination piers on the River Thames (Westminster, Waterloo, Tower and Greenwich). ‘The expansion of the sightseeing service is testimony to the company's commitment to provide innovative services on the River Thames, which are of a high quality and offer customers value for money', commented David Steele, Sales and Marketing Director at City Cruises Plc. City Cruises also offers two unique dining experiences on floating restaurants; the popular London Showboat, a three and a half hour dinner cruise on the River Thames, with cabaret and dancing and the R.S. Hispaniola Bar and Restaurant, a ship permanently moored on Victoria Embankment, offering excellent modern European cuisine with a Mediterranean twist in the restaurant and tapas at the bar. Further information 020 77 400 400. T H I S
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LONDON’S BLOODIEST OPERATING THEATRE OPENS THIS EASTER The London Dungeon’s newest experience lifts the lid on the gruesome, gory and plain painful history of surgery as a new blood soaked experience – Surgery: Blood and Guts – opens this Easter. Those who dare to enter will be transported back to a stomach churning pre-anaesthetic and anti-antiseptic world for a gangrenous taste of some of history’s most horrific surgical procedures. As well as showing off his headache relieving trepanning skills where a hand drill was used to bore through the skull, the saw-happy butcher-surgeon will demonstrate his adeptness at blood letting and invite guests to play patient and take a turn in his surgery chair.
For those who emerge unscathed there’s a whole dungeon full of frightening fun. From the Victorian stomping ground of Jack the Ripper to Sweeney Todd’s hairraising barber shop, a hanging inspired drop ride and with plenty of twisted humour, blood, gore and more in between, there’s centuries of history’s horrible bits to discover. Situated in the dark heart of the capital, just a stone’s throw away from the River Thames, The London Dungeon’s unique blend of tongue in cheek theatrical story telling, exciting rides, special FX and chillingly atmospheric surroundings guarantees out of the ordinary frightful fun over the Easter holiday. The nearest tube is London Bridge.
activity or tranquillity walking running cycling eating drinking relaxing it’s your space you choose
www.royalparks.org.uk
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The Royal Parks are: Bushy Park, The Green Park, Greenwich Park, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, The Regent’s Park & Primrose Hill, Richmond Park, St James’s Park.
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MAKE THE ROYAL PARKS PART OF YOUR SPACE IN LONDON No visit to London in spring is complete without a visit to one of the capital's eight Royal Parks. Enjoyed by millions of visitors each year, the Parks offer a place of retreat and recreation, providing a unique setting in which to walk, run or relax. So, where should you go and what should you do to get the best out of the 5,000 acres of historical parkland? Perhaps you could start at St James's Park and experience its truly regal air in the centre of ceremonial London or simply hire a deckchair and listen to music in the bandstand. From there it's a short stroll into neighbouring Green Park which is a popular picnicking and sunbathing retreat. Next stop is Hyde Park and, with 4,000 trees, a large lake, a meadow and ornamental flower gardens – there's a good chance you'll forget you're right in the middle of London. If you're out and about on Sunday, head for Speaker's
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Corner to hear London's most vocal orators share their opinions with the world. On the other side of Hyde Park's famous Serpentine lake, is Kensington Gardens which includes the ever-popular Diana, Princess of Wales' Memorial Playground, and a range of interesting memorials, such as the Peter Pan statue. Venture north to The Regent's Park where you can admire the award-winning gardens, enjoy a performance at the Open Air Theatre or visit the London Zoo. Even if you manage all this you would only be getting a small taste of what The Royal Parks has to offer. There's still the three outer parks to discover and explore. Visit Greenwich Park and the famous observatory, which are part of a World Heritage Site or lose yourself in Richmond Park - the largest and wildest of the Royal Parks and home to 650 free-roaming deer. Finally, Bushy Park offers a real escape from city life, complete with Woodland Gardens and formal avenues. Whichever park you choose you won't be disappointed, so why not make the Parks part of your space?
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GOLD BUNNY SPREADS A LITTLE MAGIC THIS EASTER This Easter at Westfield shopping centre, the iconic Lindt Gold Bunny will be hosting enchanting events to entertain the whole family. These springtime festivities are all in aid of raising much needed funds to enable parents to stay in family accommodation near their children whilst undergoing treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital. The Lindt Gold Bunny world will be appearing in the The Atrium at Westfield from the 2-11 April, bringing magical delights and chocolate treats with it. A magnificent and engaging bunny maze at Westfield will take families on an exciting journey to the centre, where they will find a Lindt Gold Bunny surprise! Master Chocolatier stilt walkers will be on hand to help you through the maze and there will be extra fun for the children with free colouring activities. An exclusive Lindt Gold Bunny boutique will be selling the ultimate Easter treat; delicately wrapped in gold foil, adorned with a red ribbon and bell. With a minimum £1 donation from each sale going to Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity, the aim is to raise £25,000 in order to assist with the upkeep and maintenance of patient family accommodation.
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LA LINEA AT THE BARBICAN Tuesday 14 April sees the UK debut at the Barbican for the band at the forefront of a movement in Buenos Aires to recapture the verve, energy and virtuosity of traditional acoustic tango for the 21st century. Fernandez Fierro is a 12-strong orquesta tipica driven by three violins and four bandoneóns; vocals are handled by Walter ‘Chino’ Laborde. The group has revolutionised what tango stands for in Argentina. Their sound is younger, harder, faster and perfectly captures the mood of the country in its post-crash hangover, appealing to a younger audience and deliberately side-stepping the clichés of ‘tourist’ tango. But it is playful as well as intense, with a touch of Vaudeville staging and plenty of rock attitude. Listeners are amazed at their virtuosity, and fall in love with their intensity. Also making his debut on 18 April, is Catalan artist Peret. Rumba Catalana – once widely dismissed by many Flamenco purists as a low cross-breed genre unworthy of serious interest – is now one of the most vital and exciting sounds to have emerged from Spain in the late– and post-Franco years. Unlike flamenco itself, it grew up in northern Spain and Peret (real name, Pedro Pubill Calaf) has long been its godfather and one of its musical figureheads. The performance promises to make many new converts for this irrepressible and infectious mixture of flamenco and Latin American styles, which he introduced to the world in the 1970s. Backed by his Barcelonan big band, the ultimate showman, celebrating 50 years in music, finally brings his rumba to London. Also appearing are La Troba Kung-Fú, another example of the remarkable musical mestizaje (fusion) that continues to emerge from the barrios of Barcalona, is led by singer and accordionist Joan Garriga. Heavily influenced by Cumbia, seasoned by rock and reggae, they deliver a manic and electrifying live show. Both concerts take place at the Barbican Hall. Box Office: 0845 120 7550.
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Orquesta Típica Fernández Fierro.
Piccadilly Market Perfect for all your Piccadilly market is held Christmas Gifts in the charming setting of the courtyard at St James’s Church Piccadilly Market is held–in the charming setting of the just yards from Piccadilly courtyard St James’s Church Circus. Aatpopular – just yards from the Royal destination for over 20 Academy. The market has been market offers a years, popularthe destination for over an exciting selection of twenty years and each week it antiques, plays host to up & tocrafts, 50 stalls arts offering an exciting selection of jewellery, souvenirs, antiques, crafts, arts, jewellery, fashions, furnishings and souvenirs, fashions, furnishings more. and more. The market has aopen growing Craft Market reputation for its contemporary Wednesday-Saturday jewellery designers who offer a 10am-6pm. range of unique pieces in St James’s Antiques and Murano glass, Baltic amber and vegetable ivory. Collectors Market open
Tuesday 10am-6pm.
Craft Market open: Wednesday-Saturday 10am-6pm. James’s Church, StSt James’s Antiques and Collectors Market open: 197 Piccadilly, Tuesday 10am-6pm. London W1J 9LL
Tel: 020 7734 4511
St James’s Church Piccadilly Tube: Piccadilly 197 Piccadilly, W1Circus/ Green 020 7734Park 4511 Tube: Piccadilly Circus/Green Park
Market closed 7-11 April.
Market closed: 23 December – 2 January 2009
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FORT ATKINSON HIGH SCHOOL CHAMBER WINDS The Fort Atkinson High School Chamber Wind Band, under the direction of Thomas Cook and Jessica Rensberger, from Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, USA will perform a lunchtime recital on Thursday 16 April at St Paul’s Covent Garden. Fort Atkinson High School is situated in the North Central United States and southeastern Wisconsin between Madison, Milwaukee, WI, and Chicago, Illinois. Fort Atkinson is a rural community of approximately 12,000 people and the high school has 950 students. The Chamber Winds consist of 33 students ranging in age from 14 to 17 years and in 9th through 12th grades. The ensemble presents the students an opportunity to perform in a small band setting with a chamber music atmosphere. Over the past 40 years the Fort Atkinson High School bands have performed across the United States,
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Canada and Europe. 2009 marks the first tour of England for this ensemble. The concert begins with Fanfare Intrada by David Jones and continues through a range and variety of music that reflects the pioneer heritage of Wisconsin to songs from Appalachia such as Amazing Grace arranged by Robert Rumbelow. Also included in the performance is music of a lighter nature such as March Creole by Stephen Bulla and Fidgety Feet arranged by John Edmundson that create musical images of the city of New Orleans and its Dixieland jazz history. After a musical journey through fanfares, folk heritage, and classic wind band literature, the concert will close with an English Wind Band March in the style of Gustav Holst entitled Kelvin Grove by Barrie Gott. The recital begins at 13.00 and admission is free. The nearest underground is Covent Garden.
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HANDEL’S MESSIAH AT WESTMINSTER ABBEY A special performance of Handel’s best-loved work, Messiah takes place at Westminster Abbey on Tuesday 14 April at 19.00, on the 250th anniversary of Handel’s death in the composer’s final resting place. The Choir of Westminster Abbey will be joined by periodinstrument orchestra, St. James Baroque and soloists: Aylish Tynan, Sarah Connolly, Jonathan Lemalu and Paul Agnew. The performance will be conducted by James O’ Donnell, Organist and Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey. Handel has a unique association with Westminster Abbey. The composer made London his home for over 40 years and wrote his celebrated Coronation Anthems for George II’s coronation in 1727. Zadok the Priest, the most famous anthem has been sung at every coronation since. Handel is buried in Poets' Corner at Westminster Abbey and immortalised in an imposing life-size statue by Louis-Francois Roubiliac. Beside the figure of the composer is a musical score showing the opening phrases of the aria I know that my Redeemer liveth from Messiah. The Handel festival or ‘Commemoration’ of 1784 included a performance of Messiah at Westminster Abbey given by vast numbers of singers and musicians and attended by an audience of thousands, which established a fashion for largescale performances of the work. Now 250 years to the day since the composer’s death, James O’Donnell directs The Choir of Westminster Abbey, St. James’s Baroque and four internationally acclaimed soloists in this special anniversary performance. Box Office: 020 7638 8891. Nearest tube: Westminster or St James’s Park. L O N D O N
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NATIONAL YOUTH WIND ORCHESTRA OF GREAT BRITAIN Thursday 9 April at 7.30
CADOGAN HALL Conductor Matthew George Tuba James Gourlay FUJITA TRIO IN CONCERT AT ST JOHN’S SMITH SQUARE The Fujita Trio will be performing at St. John's, Smith Square on Thursday 16 April at 13.00. The three sisters from Japan have been playing chamber music together since early childhood. They made a highly acclaimed debut at the Wigmore Hall in March 1999 and in June 2000, they made a successful debut at Oji Hall in Tokyo, Japan. Concert engagements have taken the Trio to Canada, France, Italy, Ireland, Romania, Egypt, Morocco and Turkey and they have won numerous awards and prizes, both as a Trio and individually. Arisa won the Audi Junior Musician Competition when she was only fifteen years old, Honoka won all the cello prizes at the Guildhall School, and Megumi won Fourth Prize at the Montreal International Piano Competition. Together, they won the Chamber Music Prize at the Guildhall School in 1994. In addition to performing, the sisters have studied music all over the world. Though originally from Japan, Arisa studied with David Takeno at the Guildhall School of Music, London, where she now teaches. Honoka trained in Ireland and Israel before also coming to the Guildhall School, where the Trio also received coaching from the Takacs Quartet. Early in life Megumi studied in America and Iraq, but studied formally in the UK at the Yehudi Menuhin School, T H I S
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and then with post-graduate studies at the Royal College of Music. In England, the Trio has performed extensively, at venues including the Barbican Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room, Wigmore Hall, St. Martinin-the-Fields, Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, and at the Exeter, King's Lynn, and Salisbury Festivals. The Fujita sisters also made a debut recording of chamber music by the Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu for ASV Records, which was released in 2001 with a worldwide critical acclaim, to coincide with concerts at the Wigmore Hall – as part of the Japan 2001 Festival. On 16 April, the programme will include Beethoven's Trio in Eb Op.1 No.1, followed by Smetana's Trio in G minor Op.15. Tickets are available from the Box Office on 020 7222 1061. On concert evenings, the restaurant at St John’s Smith Square is open from 17.30. To make a reservation, call The Footstool on 020 7222 2779. M A G A Z I N E
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Leonard Bernstein Bruce Fraser Martin Ellerby Hudson Nogueira Rolf Rudin John Williams Box Office:020 7730 4500
HAYDN
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CREATION Sung in English
Thursday 9 April at 7.30pm
Apollo Chamber Orchestra & Choir Conductor: David Chernaik Lorna Anderson – soprano Richard Edgar-Wilson - tenor Jonathan Gunthorpe - baritone
St. John’s Smith Square Box office 020 7222 1061
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Jonathan Gunthorpe (baritone).
APOLLO CHAMBER ORCHESTRA & CHOIR IN HAYDN’S CREATION The Apollo Chamber Choir and Choir, well known for their popular performances of Handel’s Messiah and Bach’s St Matthew Passion, will be joined by an outstanding team of soloists for their Easter performance of Haydn’s Creation, conducted by David Chernaik.
FUJITA PIANO TRIO Arisa Fujita violin Honoka Fujita cello Megumi Fujita piano St. John's Smith Square Thursday 16 April at 1pm
Beethoven: Trio in Eb Op.1 No.1 Smetana: Trio in G minor Op.15 Tickets: £7
Box Office 020 7222 1061 All engagement enquiries to:Neil Chaffey Concert Promotions neil37@musiciansfromchaffey.com T H I S
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Haydn’s masterpiece is a musical depiction of the seven days of Creation, charting the journey from the Representation of Chaos to the joyful music of Adam & Eve, ‘the blissful pair’. Haydn uses the full range of orchestral colour and texture to illuminate the story, using words taken from the Bible and Milton’s Paradise lost, with music of great beauty and infinite variety. Soloists will be Lorna Anderson (soprano), Richard Edgar-Wilson (tenor) and Jonathan Gunthorpe (baritone). The performance will take place at St John’s Smith Square on Thursday 9 April (19.30), Tickets from the box office telephone 020 7222 1061. HANDEL 250 ANNIVERSARY AT ST-MARTIN-IN-THE-FIELDS St Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square is to mark the 250th anniversary of the death of George Frederic Handel with a performance of Theodora, his penultimate oratorio on Thursday 16 April (19.30). The performance is one of a series of concerts that comprise the Handel 250 Festival. The English Chamber Choir will join forces with the Belmont Ensemble of London under the baton of Peter G Dyson to present Handel's dramatic oratorio, remarkable for being the composer's only work in the genre not on a biblical subject. Thomas Morell's English libretto tells the tale in three acts of a Christian princess condemned to slavery as a temple prostitute for refusing to offer incense to the Roman gods as a sign of allegiance to the Emperor. Handel's setting is recognised as one his finest depicting the conflict between Rome and the Christians with power and tenderness. Another highlight at St Martin's will be when James Bowman, Britain's greatest living countertenor, joins forces with London Octave on Tuesday 14 April, to present a programme of his favourite Handel arias in a candlelit celebration of 250 years since the Baroque master's death.
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James Bowman has been one of the world's leading vocalists since his debut with Benjamin Britten.Through his work with the Early Music Consort of London, Bowman has been a key figure in the international renewal of interest in early music and period performance and is particularly central to the revival of Handel's operas. For his programme with London Octave and leader Andrew Watkinson (leader of the Endellion Quartet) at St Martin's, he will present his own selection of arias from these operas, complimented by readings from documents including the composer's Last Will and Testament.
The New London Singers and Barts Chamber Choir join the New London Soloists Orchestra under the baton of conductor Ivor Setterfield with Benedict Nelson (baritone on Friday 17 April (19.30). These exceptional ensembles come together for a performance of Handel's celebratory Dettingen Te Deum, written in 1743 in his capacity as 'Composer of the Musick to the Chapel Royal' in honour of King George II's victory over the French army at Dettingen. Not a 'Te Deum' in the traditional sense, but a grand martial panegyric, this florid and dazzling work is the grand finale to the evening's Handel and Mozart programme. The evening's programme includes Handel's Zadok the Priest from Solomon and Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus and Piano Concerto No 14 K449 with soloist Chris Lee. Box office telephone 020 7766 1100. L O N D O N
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A MUSICAL REVOLUTION COMES TO SOUTHBANK CENTRE A much-anticipated Residency and a Spring season of international musicmaking by and for young people at Southbank Centre will take place from 14-18 April. At the heart of it will be the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela and its Music Director and superstar Gustavo Dudamel, hailed as the ‘envy of the world’. Dudamel will bring 200 young musicians to fill the formal and informal spaces of the Royal Festival Hall. Dudamel and the Orchestra are the products of a pioneering social programme, ‘El Sistema’, which was founded in 1975 by Professor José Antonio Abreu and has trained more than a quarter of a million children to play in 125 Venezuelan youth orchestras. These young musicians, many from deeply underprivileged backgrounds, play with a dynamism and professionalism of such a compelling nature, that they have revolutionised the thinking of music-making and music education across the world. For these five days in April, the UK will see and hear the inspiration of this revolution at first hand. There will be concerts and open rehearsals with Dudamel – showcasing a varied repertoire from Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky and Bartók to major Latin-American composers – as well as films, talks and performances by young players, including not only the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra but also the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. This will also be an occasion to celebrate the achievements of Venezuela’s now famous ‘Sistema’, with three symposia (including a unique opportunity to meet Professor José Antonio Abreu – speaking publicly in the UK for the first time), and to explore the potential of an English pilot project. Two sold-out concerts in the Auditorium, on 14 April and 18 April, will be relayed live on The Clore Ballroom from 19.30 free of charge. Tickets for other events 0871 663 2500. T H I S
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A brand new full-length ballet of Snow White, by London City Ballet, will run from 23 - 26 April at the Peacock Theatre, choreographed by the talented Olivia Pickford to a wonderful lilting score by Richard Norriss. Box Office telephone 0844 412 4322.
FORT ATKINSON HIGH SCHOOL CHAMBER WINDS from Wisconsin, USA PERFORMING A LUNCHTIME RECITAL AT
ST PAUL'S CHURCH Covent Garden THURSDAY, 16TH APRIL ~ 1 pm The Chamber Winds consist of 33 students aged from 14-17. The Ensemble presents the students an opportunity to perform in a small band setting with a chamber music atmosphere. Over the past 40 years the Fort Atkinson High School bands have performed across the United States, Canada and Europe. 2009 marks the first tour of England for this ensemble. The concert begins with Fanfare Intrada by David Jones and continues through a range and variety of music that reflects the pioneer heritage of Wisconsin to songs from Appalachia such as Amazing Grace. Also included is music of a lighter nature such as March Creole by Stephen Bulla and Fidgety Feet arranged by John Edmundson that create musical images of the city of New Orleans and its Dixieland jazz history. After a musical journey through fanfares, folk heritage, and classic wind band literature, the concert will close with an English Wind Band March in the style of Gustav Holst entitled Kelvin Grove by Barrie Gott.
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PORTSMOUTH HISTORIC DOCKYARD YEAR OF ANNIVERSARIES There will be a royal flavour in 2009 at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard with the 500th Anniversary of King Henry VIII’s coronation and the commissioning of his favourite warship the Mary Rose marked as part of the extensive events programme. The ship was famously raised from the Solent in 1982 and is on display at the Historic Dockyard along with an unrivalled collection of Tudor artefacts. With preparatory work underway on the new Mary Rose Museum, due to open in 2012, visitors will be able to make the most of visiting the ship before autumn when it is withdrawn from public view in anticipation of construction work. The laying of the keel – one hundred years apart – of HMS Victory in 1759 and HMS Warrior 1860 in 1859 will also be prominent in 2009. Visitors can board both ships and discover everything about living and working on these formidable fighting machines. A multi-period living history event interpreting 2000 years of history at the dockyard and harbour, ‘Dockyard through the Ages’, will take place later this summer on 19 and 20 September. For further information, telephone 023 9272 8060. T H I S
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SPRING INTO EASTER AT LEEDS CASTLE Visitors can celebrate spring at Leeds Castle near Maidstone, Kent this Easter as 'Spring into Easter' takes place in the castle grounds from 10-13 April. The craft marquee will offer special souvenirs or follow a trail through the grounds with chocolate rabbits at the end. A walk through the grounds at this time of year is especially rewarding with spring bulbs bursting into colour in the parkland and anemones carpet the Wood Garden. You’ll find signs of new life everywhere, with nesting activity and rearing of young on the castle waterways. Leeds Castle is near Maidstone in Kent, an hour’s drive from London. For further information, telephone 01622 765400.
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THE MILL AT SONNING The 2009 season at the beautiful Mill at Sonning, on the River Thames near Reading, will include Deadly Murder by David Foley (23 April–31 May), The Bed Before Yesterday by Ben Travers (4 June– 11 July), The Odd Couple by Neil Simon (15 July–22 August), Holiday Snap by Michael Pertwee & John Chapman (26 August–3 October), and That Odd Feeling, a new musical by Richard Harris with music by Denis King (7 October– 21 November). Performances are at 20.15 with dinner beforehand in the wonderfully restored Mill from 18.30. Trains Paddington to Reading: 25 minutes on direct trains. Box Office telephone 0118 9698000. CHICHESTER FESTIVAL’S ‘CALENDAR GIRLS’ TRANSFERS The Chichester Festival Theatre production of 'Calendar Girls', the new stage play by Tim Firth, adapted from his own screenplay for the 2003 film, will open at the Noël Coward Theatre in London's West End on Saturday 4 April. Box office is on 0844 482 5140. The normal £1.50 booking fee will go to Leukaemia Research. HIGHTIDE FESTIVAL 2009 HighTide Festival returns to Suffolk in May for the third year running and this year will present twice the programme of work. Three world-premieres from the 2008 Festival all transferred to theatres in London, including Stovepipe, in collaboration with the National Theatre and Bush Theatre. At the core of HighTide Festival 2009 will be worldpremieres of three plays, all directed by leading new names in British theatre which will be presented on the same day on Saturday 2, Sunday 3, Monday 4, Saturday 9 & Sunday 10 May. L O N D O N
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You Have Seen London, now see England Spend a few nights at the Yarn Market *** Hotel in Dunster, set in the magnificent Exmoor National Park. There is a castle at the end of the street, the church bells ring in the new day, a walk on the sea shore beckons before breakfast or perhaps it is more romantic in the setting sun. Close by are the heather clad hills and wooded valleys of Exmoor, the wild deer and Exmoor ponies and buzzards often circling overhead.
We make it easy, less than 2 hours’ from Paddington Station and you will be free. We can provide courtesy transport from Taunton Rail Station (or coach station if you want to save some pennies). Alternatively, we can help on local car hire for the duration of your stay. We guarantee you time to relax and enjoy everything Exmoor has to offer. Cost – Only £75 per person per night – (and maybe less if you stay a few days) Enquiries and Bookings hotel@yarnmarkethotel.co.uk Find out more www.yarnmarkethotel.co.uk Telephone 01643 821425 GPS postcode TA24 6SF
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HENRY VIII BACK IN FASHION AT THE TOWER OF LONDON To celebrate the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII's accession to the throne in 1509, Historic Royal Palaces and the Royal Armouries have partnered to present at the Tower of London the most stunning exhibition of Henry VIII's personal arms and armour ever to be held in the UK – Henry VIII: Dressed to Kill. Some of these original artefacts have never been on display in the UK before. This new exhibition, opening on 3 April and running until 17 January, 2010, will be displayed over three floors of the iconic White Tower. It will bring together at the Tower of London, for the first time since the reign of Elizabeth I, the largest number of original weapons, armours and pieces of military equipment associated with Henry VIII. Star items will include: the stunningly decorated 'Silvered and Engraved' armour of King Henry VIII (about 1515); the Wilton anime armour of about 1544 for Henry VIII from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, that has not been displayed in the UK for many years; the extraordinary 'Horned Helmet' presented to King Henry VIII by the Emperor Maximilian I (1511-14); and the beautiful 'Burgundian Bard' horse armour of King Henry VIII (1511-15). This will be the first time all these objects have been brought together in a single exhibition. Exploring Henry the Sportsman, Henry the King, Henry the Warrior and Henry the Icon, this exhibition will feature loans from international collections as well as treasures from the Royal Armouries’ own collection. The armours on display will include one made for Henry to wear at the Field of Cloth of Gold in 1520 but not finished. Completely covering the king's body, it was made of many overlapping, moving parts using state of the art ideas and T H I S
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designs; it is still in 'working order' after 500 years. Made to fit the King's body exactly, this gives us a wonderful impression of the physique of an athletic young king and of the man behind the monarch. Part propaganda and part fashion, it conveys the power, majesty, wealth and psychology of a man who spent a fortune setting up a royal workshop at Greenwich to make him exclusive armours and ensure he was always Dressed to Kill. This dazzling exhibition will give visitors unprecedented access to Henry VIII's most spectacular armour and personal weapons. It will include the only two sporting guns that are known to have survived from Henry VIII's personal armoury, as well as examples of the experimental firearms such as the gun shields that he purchased to arm some of his troops. The exhibition will use not only the most advanced technology in displaying the armour itself, but also 21st century photographic, video and scanning techniques to show in fine detail the intricate construction and lavish decoration of these amazing original artefacts, hand-made by master armourers in England and Europe 500 years ago. Never before have visitors seen Henry's arms and armour looking so good. Henry VIII: Dressed to Kill is supported by HISTORY ™.
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Man Group plc Charitable Trust has pledged to support the conservation of the White Tower at the Tower of London in time for the 2012 Olympiad.
PAINTINGS BY JANIS HARDIMAN Daughter of Alfred Hardiman RA, Rome Scholar and sculptor of the Earl Haig memorial in Whitehall, Janis Hardiman trained at St Martins prior to postgraduate studies at Camberwell School of Art. Janis paints what surrounds her – her home on Hampstead Heath, the Heath itself, and the nearby allotments. She has always painted on the spot, whether working on landscapes or interiors. The intricate detail and quiet power of her work testify to the fact that she has spent over forty years working as an artist. Paintings by Janis Hardiman will be on view at The Gallery, 28 Cork Street, W1, from 6-11 April. Hardiman seldom exhibits – her work is usually sold straight to private clients – so this exhibition provides a rare and exciting opportunity for collectors and critics alike.
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TATE BRITAIN RE-STAGES WILLIAM BLAKE’S 1809 SOLO EXHIBITION On 20 April, Tate Britain will unveil the first display devoted to William Blake’s only one-man exhibition, reuniting nine of the surviving works two hundred years after they went on display in May 1809. The original exhibition was Blake’s most significant attempt to create a public reputation for himself as a painter and provided a vital insight into the artist’s self-image and ambitions. Held in Blake’s brother’s shop on Golden Square, Soho, the exhibition comprised 16 works. It was not a critical success: only a single, negative review was published in the press, and the show was very poorly attended, to the artist’s profound dismay. It proved to be a turning-point in Blake’s life, leading him to withdraw yet more fully from the public realm and become even more embittered about the state of the British art world. The Tate display will include works from the Tate Collection along with important loans from the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, The
Fitzwilliam Museum, and Southampton Art Gallery. The display will highlight Blake's distinctive use of watercolour and tempera, which he called 'fresco painting' in imitation of the great painters of the Renaissance. For example, the watercolour The Soldiers Casting Lots for Christ's Garments 1800 will be displayed alongside tempera paintings such as Satan Calling up his Legions 1795-1800. The display will also include a number of related works by Blake, and more conventional paintings in oil colours and watercolour exhibited in other exhibitions in London in 1809 – including pictures by JMW Turner. Blake’s Descriptive Catalogue (1809) is one of the most sustained and lucid commentaries on his aspirations as an artist, his symbolism, and on art and the art world. Tate Publishing will be publishing a new edition of this important work, which will make available to the general reader for the first time this key text by one of the best-loved and most intensively studied of British artists. Significantly, this will incorporate full-
colour illustrations of the works surviving from the original exhibition now to be seen alongside Blake's text. In this catalogue Blake directly addresses widely relevant questions about art history and aesthetic value, technique and commerce in art, displaying ferocious wit, insight and an extraordinary sense of creative ambition. The Descriptive Catalogue is perhaps one of the most overlooked of Blake’s writings. William Blake (1757-1827) was a poet, printmaker, visionary and artist whose work was both profoundly personal and universal. Overlooked by many of his contemporaries, Blake was always certain that his achievement as artist, poet, prophet and visionary, would one day be properly recognised and, in the early 1920s, Tate created the first ever gallery devoted to his work. To this day a designated Blake gallery, with regularly changing displays, is a permanent feature at Tate Britain, playing a significant role in shaping the extraordinary public reputation which Blake now enjoys.
supported by:
Was Mrs Beeton the first female commuter? In 1860 she took the train into London each day. She had no laptop, but may have worked on her famous cookbook on the way. Grab more food for thought at the new Museum. www.ltmuseum.co.uk
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period for the arts, for textiles as well as architecture. Each of these accomplishments is presented and discussed as the exhibition explores the themes of his reign. The exhibition doesn’t so much focus on the ruler, as it does on the impact and consequences of his rule. It presents things in a global perspective, so that rather than giving the details on Abbas’s life, it provides the conditions in which he lived, and how his rule influenced those circumstances. It does so by focusing around four main sites – his capital city, Isfahan, and three shrines: Ardabil, an ancestral shrine, Mashhad, a tomb of an Imam, and Qum, a place of study.
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WATERCOLOURS AREN’T EXTINCT BUT SOME ARE PREHISTORIC Artist Eva Tomkins’ beautiful depiction of the Natural History Museum’s famous Diplodocus skeleton will be displayed at the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours’ annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries. Darwin’s bicentenary has sparked a new interest in fossils, geology and evolutionary science and there have been long queues up to the front entrance of the Natural History Museum as its popularity continues to grow – but it is artists as well as scientists who have an interest in the exhibits. The 26-metre-long Diplodocus in the Central Hall of the Museum is familiar to many and Tomkins remembers going to see it as a child. In fact it is one of the world’s best loved dinosaurs, according to Palaeontologist Dr Paul Barrett and is known affectionately as ‘Dippy’ by the Museum staff. Tomkins wanted her painting to capture the ‘beautiful grace and rhythm’ of the exhibit amongst the ‘church-like architecture… a perfect setting.’ She spent many hours in the museum sketching and photographing the skeleton before making the final picture, which was always going to be in watercolour. Diplodocus carnegii by Eva Tomkins (above) will be on display at the Mall Galleries from 2-19 April. Nearest tube: Charing Cross. Tel: 020 7930 6844.
SHAH ‘ABBAS: THE REMAKING OF IRAN AT THE BRITISH MUSEUM The British Museum is staging the first major exhibition to explore the rule and legacy of Shah ‘Abbas, one of the formative figures in the creation of modern Iran. Shah ‘Abbas is remembered as one of the country’s most influential kings, ruling Iran at a time of political renewal, when it succeeded in positioning itself as a world power with a sharply defined national identity. Shah Abbas came to power in 1587, overthrowing his father to become the fifth ruler of the Safavid dynasty. He inherited an unstable kingdom, but under his rule was able to transform the country and pave the way for modern Iran. He reshaped Safavid society and encouraged the spread of Shi’ism, and under his military leadership gained control of trade through the Persian Gulf. Most famously, he developed foreign trade and a steady relationship with several European countries, which stimulated Iran’s economy through the rekindling of the silk industry. This in turn ushered in a golden
Within this framework, there is a great display of diverse artefacts, from Indian miniature paintings, European portraits and Chinese porcelain, to a vast collection of Iranian silks and carpets, many of which have never before been seen outside of Iran. The wide range demonstrates the breadth of influence Shah ‘Abbas was able to maintain, and is just one part of the exhibition that dedicates itself to the legacy of the man who made modern Iran. British Museum tel: 020 7323 8181. Jessica Rowe
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LONDON ORIGINAL PRINT FAIR RETURNS TO ROYAL ACADEMY The London Original Print Fair returns to its old home in the main galleries at the Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House on Piccadilly, from 22-26 April. Over 50 international dealers, galleries, publishers and print workshops have been accepted to show work at this, the longest-running specialist print fair in the world. Now in its 24th year, the fair is the largest event of its kind in Europe. Prints have played an important role in the history of art. Before the invention of photography, it was through engravings that many people were able to become familiar with great works of art that would otherwise have been inaccessible. The same principle applies today and many contemporary artists study printmaking and create original prints as a significant part of their oeuvre – from Tracey Emin to Howard Hodgkin, from Lucian Freud to Bridget Riley. The Print Fair will offer collectors at every level the opportunity to invest, with works on show ranging from as little as £100 up to £1,000,000. Exhibitors include notable London galleries specialising in contemporary and modern work, such as Alan Cristea Gallery (Europe’s biggest print dealer), Paragon Press and Marlborough Graphics, expert private dealers from Europe and the US such as Picasso expert Frederick Mulder and old master specialists Christopher Mendez, Andre Candillier (Paris) and Dr Markus Nass (Germany).
Bernhard Eberle, Polar Bear, 2008. Linocut 60 x 50 cm. Courtesy the artist and Dreipunkt Edition T H I S
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Joan Miro, Gaudi XX, 1979. Etching and aquatint 95.2 x 79cm. Courtesy the artist and Galerie Boisseree.
The number of galleries showing contemporary work continues to rise, with Paul Stolper showing new editions by Peter Blake and Keith Coventry; Pratt Contemporary Art a highly international roster; Advanced Graphics will be featuring the work of Craigie Aitchison RA; TAG Fine Art recent Royal College of Art graduates Robert Ryan and Katsutoshi Yuasa, both of whom are already enjoying international success; Eagle Gallery/EMH photography inspired work by Zara Matthews and Peter Abrahams. The contemporary London gallery Eyestorm returns to the Fair to show work by, amongst others, Damien Hirst and Vic Reeves, whilst Ingelby Gallery from Edinburgh and Mixografia from Los Angeles are amongst the new exhibitors, both showing contemporary work. This year sees more exhibitors from Germany, including the return of Galeries Boisserée (Cologne) and Eikelmann (Düsseldorf) and first time exhibitors Dreipunkt Editions and Galerie Fetzer, both of whom show contemporary work. Information on 020 7439 2000. www.londonprintfair.com M A G A Z I N E
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HENRY VIII: A 500TH ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION AT WINDSOR CASTLE To mark the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII’s accession to the throne, a special exhibition will open at Windsor Castle, the monarch’s one-time home and final resting place, on 8 April. The exhibition will explore the life of one of the most significant figures in the history of the English monarchy through some of the most important and beautiful treasures from the Royal Collection and the archives of St George’s Chapel to survive from the King’s reign. Windsor Castle was one of a number of the King’s residences and it is the only royal residence at which the King resided that is still in use by the Royal Family today. It was also the sometime home of the King’s illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy and an exquisite miniature, the only-known portrait of Fitzroy, is included in the exhibition. The exhibition will include magnificent works by the King’s painter, Hans Holbein the Younger; the Wriothesley Garter Book, thought to be the earliest surviving view of the Opening of Parliament; and the Black Book, a superb register of the Order of the Garter. St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle is the burial place of the King and Jane Seymour, Henry’s third and favourite wife. Tickets telephone on 020 7766 7304.
The Royal Collection (c) 2009, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. I S
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PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT For the handful of us who regard musical comedy as a genuinely creative art form and number among the very best of them Oklahoma!, Carousel, Guys and Dolls, My Fair Lady, Gypsy, The Music Man, A Chorus Line, Chicago and Showboat, it’s painful to acknowledge that times have changed and fings ain’t wot they used t’be. Inferior shows like Jersey Boys and Mama Mia! have set new guidelines, and now there’s one more to add to the list: Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, a portmanteau musical without a single original song. It’s little more than an over-produced drag show whose potpourri of costumes are the real stars of the evening. Yet, like Mama Mia! etc, what it undeniably has, is audience appeal. At the performance I attended, a full house spontaneously rose to its feet and gave it the kind of ovation usually heard on Broadway rather than in the West End. Indeed, not since I saw Jersey Boys in New York a couple of years ago, have I witnessed anything quite like it. It’s hard to argue with that kind of success. Priscilla gives its audience just what they expect of it, and I must T H I S
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have been the only one who went home somewhat less than elated. Yes, it’s an eyeful, I admit. Tim Chapel and Lizzy Gardiner clearly had a blast designing the costumes which are so over-the-top and in-your-face that it’s easy to overlook the fact that some of them are pretty hideous too. If excess was the first item on their agenda, they’ve delivered in spades.
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Stephen Elliott and Allan Scott’s book – about a trio of outrageous Aussie drag artists and the bus journey they make from Sydney to Alice Springs where one of them has a young son he has never seen – has its fair share of bitchy one-liners that raise a laugh but hardly define their characters beyond campy stereotypes. The eclectic score ranges from songs such as Downtown, Go West, Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Thank God I’m A Country Boy, to Verdi’s Sempre Libera from La Traviata and Jerome Kern’s A Fine Romance. Most of it, in the best drag tradition, is lip-synched. Ross Coleman’s choreography is energetically jerky in a disco kind of way, and Simon Phillps’s direction makes good use of the bus (called Priscilla) in which our trio undertake their outback odyssey. He also does his best to camouflage the undernourished plot-line whose only conflict comes in the shape of some small-town homophobia. The standout member of the trio is Tony Sheldon, who, as Bernadette, a transsexual of, shall we say, a certain age, has all the best lines and knows how to deliver them. Oliver Thornton as muscle-Mary Felicia, minces on cue, while Jason Donovan is decidedly uninvolved, undercast and unhappy as Mitzi, the erstwhile heterosexual with a son he has never seen. Let’s leave it at that. Priscilla, Queen of the Desert may not be my idea of a good musical – not even an adequate one – but it’s an audience pleaser to be sure – and will be a whopping, stomping hit. So, goodbye to the Palace for at least another decade. CLIVE HIRSCHHORN L O N D O N
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ARTHUR MILLER’S ‘A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE’ ‘A View from the Bridge’ originally premiered in London, just after Arthur Miller was ordered to appear in Washington to testify against fellow Communists. It was in his involvement in the McCarthy movement, that Miller found inspiration for this play. The story of betrayal among Brooklyn longshoremen, it is a close weaving together of politics, personal fulfilment, public responsibility and artistic endeavour, and is a strong example of Miller as a quintessential 20thcentury American playwright. It’s the story of Eddie Carbone (Ken Stott), a Brooklyn-bred dockworker driven to ruin by his over-protective love for his niece, Catherine (Hayley Atwell). It begins with his insecurities when she becomes involved with two illegal immigrant Sicilian brothers, who have come into the country in order to find jobs. The eldest is a quiet but intense man who hopes to make money to send back to his wife and three children, while the younger brother is a animated character who dreams of living permanently in America, and catches the eye of the innocent, sheltered Catherine. In the modern equivalent of a Greek drama, Eddie is unable to deal with Catherine’s new relationship, and so their own relationship is on unstable ground. Heedless of the advice of those around him, Eddie’s obsession over his niece only grows, until in a desperate frenzy he destroys the fragile bonds that had held them all together. Veteran actors Ken Stott and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio do great justice to the intensity of Miller’s original screenplay, capturing the entangled emotions of the characters with only the slightest hint of melodrama. And though the play begins at a slow pace, every element is meant to bring the audience in – even the set design, a massive building façade that rises up to reveal the intimate setting of the Carbone’s living room. As the play goes on, the tension builds, and by the end, the audience is literally sitting on the edge of their seats. Jessica Rowe T H I S
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Spectacular, high octane show celebrating the career of Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 – ‘Thriller Live’, is at the Lyric Theatre. Box Office tel: 0870 890 1107.
do something different
The London Latin Music Festival returns to the Barbican Tue 14 Apr 7.30pm
Orquesta Típica Fernández Fierro + Pascal Comelade Acoustic tango from Buenos Aires Sat 18 Apr 7.30pm
Peret + La Troba Kung-Fú UK debut from the music legend who paved the way for Ojos de Brujo, Manu Chao and the Gipsy Kings Tickets from £10
0844 848 8434 www.barbican.org.uk/lalinea Produced by the Barbican in association with Como No! M A G A Z I N E
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PLAYS
ENGLAND PEOPLE VERY NICE A riotous journey through four waves of immigration from the 17th century to today. The emerging pattern shows that white flight and anxiety over integration is anything but new.
THREE DAYS OF RAIN A major revival of Richard Greenberg’s play, starring James McAvoy and Nigel Harman, explores how the private worlds of one generation are reinterpreted by the next. APOLLO THEATRE Shaftesbury Avenue, W1 (0870 890 1101)
LYTTELTON THEATRE BURNT BY THE SUN Poised at the beginning of Stalin’s Great Terror, the play depicts a brutal future encroaching on the last days of a fading world.
THE 39 STEPS Maria Aitken’s tongue-in-cheek adaptation of John Buchan’s whodunnit has four actors playing 150 parts and includes all the legendary scenes from Hitchcock’s movie. CRITERION THEATRE Piccadilly Circus, WC2 (0844 847 1778) DIMETOS A powerful and deeply moving story about love, guilt and retribution, which explores faith in a modern world of moral decay. DONMAR Earlham Street, WC2 (0870 060 6624) PLAGUE OVER ENGLAND A new play by Nicholas de Jongh, based around the controversial 1953 conviction of Sir John Gielgud, which played a small, but distinct part in the battle to make homosexuality legal. DUCHESS THEATRE Catherine Street, WC2 (0870 890 1103) A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE Major revival of Arthur Miller’s classic play with Ken Stott and Mary Elizabeth Mastrontonio. Lindsay Posner directs. DUKE OF YORK’S St. Martin’s Lane, WC2 (0870 060 6623) THE WOMAN IN BLACK An innocent outsider, a suspicious rural community, a gothic house and a misty marsh are the ingredients of this Victorian ghost story, now in its 17th year. FORTUNE THEATRE Russell Street, WC2 (0870 060 6626) ENJOY Famously Alan Bennett’s first theatrical failure when it premiered in 1980, director Christopher Luscombe has triumphantly re-visited the play to universal critical acclaim. GIELGUD THEATRE Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2 (0844 482 5130) Royal National Theatre (Plays In Repertory) OLIVIER THEATRE DEATH AND THE KING’S HORSEMAN Set against the conflict of indigenous and invader in Nigeria,1943, Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka’s play examines the essence of corruption and the power of human will, as the Horseman of the newly dead King prepares to escort him to the afterlife. T H I S
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WOMAN IN MIND Alan Ayckbourn’s most personal and powerful play which tells the mesmerising tale of a woman’s struggle with her imagination. VAUDEVILLE THEATRE Strand, WC2 (0870 890 0511)
THE PITMEN PAINTERS Following sell-out seasons, Lee Hall’s new play returns to the Lyttelton. A humorous, deeply moving and timely look at art, class and politics. COTTESLOE THEATRE MRS AFFLECK Samuel Adamson’s new play takes Ibsen’s ‘Little Eyolf’ as the inspiration for a passionate and tragic tale of obsessive love, set in 1950 England. DIDO, QUEEN OF CARTHAGE The wit and sheer poetry of Christopher Marlowe’s first play is set on the shores of Carthage and tells the story of Dido and Aeneas. NATIONAL THEATRE South Bank, SE1 (020 7452 3000) CALENDAR GIRLS The true story of the members of the Woman’s Institute who shun their usual cake baking competitions and jam making in order to produce a nude calendar to raise money for Leukaemia Research. NOEL COWARD St Martin’s Lane, WC2 (0870 850 9175) DANCING AT LUGHNASA A major revival of Brian Friel’s award-winning play offering a bittersweet reflection on rural Ireland in the thirties on the brink of industrialisation. OLD VIC The Cut, SE1 (0870 060 6628)
ENTERTAINING MR SLOANE Originally staged in 1964, Joe Orton’s wickedly biting comedy stars Imelda Staunton and Mathew Horne. Until 11 April. TRAFALGAR STUDIOS Whitehall, SW1 (0870 060 6632) ON THE WATERFRONT Best known as the multi-Oscar winning film starring Marlon Brando, Budd Schulberg’s stage play is directed by and stars Steven Berkoff with a 12 strong ensemble – bold physical theatre. THEATRE ROYAL HAYMARKET Haymarket, SW1 (0870 400 0626)
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MUSICALS JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic family musical based on the Biblical story of the errant son and his jealous brothers. Includes the hit song, ‘Any Dream Will Do.’ ADELPHI THEATRE Strand, WC2 (0870 403 0303) DIRTY DANCING Based on the ‘80s movie, this famous tale involves a daddy’s girl and a dance instructor at a New York holiday resort during the long, hot summer of 1963. ALDWYCH THEATRE Aldwych, WC2 (0870 4000 704) WICKED THE MUSICAL Hit Broadway story of how a clever, misunderstood girl with emerald green skin and a girl who is beautiful and popular turn into the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch in the Land of Oz. APOLLO VICTORIA THEATRE Wilton Rd, SW1 (0870 161 1977) CHICAGO A dazzling mixture of sinuous bodies, tough broads, murder and fickle fame, the Ebb-Fosse musical goes from strength to strength in this monochrome production. CAMBRIDGE THEATRE Earlham Street, WC2 (0870 890 1102)
THE MOUSETRAP Agatha Christie’s whodunnit is the longest running play of its kind in the history of the British theatre. ST MARTIN’S THEATRE West Street, WC2 (0870 162 8787)
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MADAME DE SADE Yukio Mishima’s play, translated from the Japanese by Donald Keene, starring Judi Dench, directed by Michael Grandage. WYNDHAM’S THEATRE Charing Cross Road, WC2 (0870 950 0925)
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A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC Set to a score in waltz time by Stephen Sondheim, the story turns on four couples over a midsummer weekend in turn-of-the-century Sweden, where affairs of the heart are uppermost in everyone’s thoughts. Opens 7 April. GARRICK THEATRE Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2 (0844 412 4662) THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Long running epic romance by Andrew Lloyd Webber, set behind the scenes of a Paris opera house, where the deformed phantom stalks his prey. HER MAJESTY’S THEATRE Haymarket, SW1 (0870 890 1106) THE LION KING Disney‘s phenomenally successful animated film is transformed into a spectacular stage musical, a superb evening of visual delight. LYCEUM THEATRE Wellington Street, WC2 (0870 243 9000) THRILLER – LIVE Spectacular, high octane show celebrating the career of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5. LYRIC THEATRE Shaftesbury Avenue, W1 (0870 890 1107) STOMP This British theatrical sensation has enthralled audiences across the world with its combination of theatre, dance, comedy and percussion. NEW AMBASSADORS West Street, WC2 (020 7369 1761) SPRING AWAKENING Inspired by Frank Wedekind’s 1891 masterpiece of repressed emotion and adolescent passion, Steven Sater and Duncan Sheikh’s new musical explodes onto the West End stage following a sell-out season at Lyric Hammersmith. NOVELLO THEATRE Aldwych, WC2 (0870 950 0935) PRISCILLA THE MUSICAL Based on the Oscar award winning film, a glamorous Sydney based performing trio take their show to the middle of the Australian outback. PALACE THEATRE Shaftesbury Avenue, W1 (0870 895 5579) BLOOD BROTHERS Willy Russell’s powerful musical about twins from Liverpool, separated at birth, whose paths cross in friendship and finally in bloodshed. PHOENIX THEATRE Charing Cross Road, WC2 (0870 060 6629) GREASE THE MUSICAL Inimitable slice of 50s Americana, bursting with denim, cheerleaders and well-oiled quiffs. PICCADILLY THEATRE Denman Street, W1 (0870 060 0123)
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LA CAGE AUX FOLLES Major revival of the classic Jerry Herman musical, which became the biggest new American musical of the decade when it opened on Broadway in 1983. A timeless and deliciously funny tale of family values and the need to be proud of who we are, and where life is never a drag! PLAYHOUSE Northumberland Ave, WC2 (0870 060 6631) JERSEY BOYS Rags to riches tale of four blue collar kids working their way from the streets of Newark to the heights of stardom as Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. Features such hits as ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’, ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’ and ‘Sherry’. PRINCE EDWARD THEATRE Old Compton Street, W1 (0870 850 9191) MAMMA MIA Hit musical based on the songs of ABBA, set around the story of a mother and daughter, on the eve of the daughter’s wedding. PRINCE OF WALES THEATRE Old Compton Street, W1 (0870 850 0393) LES MISERABLES Much praised and spectacularly staged version of Victor Hugo’s epic novel. Mon-Sat at 19.30. Mats Weds & Sat at 14.30. QUEENS THEATRE Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2 (0870 950 0930)
WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF OPENS AT TRAFALGAR STUDIOS Edward Albee’s multi Award winning play ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf’ opens at Trafalgar Studios on Tuesday 14 April. An extraordinary theatrical creation of true depth, vicious comedy and compassionate insight, Albee's masterpiece combines the brilliant, the banal, the vulgar and the poetic. This production played a sell out season at the Lichfield Garrick Theatre last autumn. Edward Albee has won the Pulitzer Prize three times. The film version of ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf’? (1967) won 5 Oscars and his other plays include ‘Tiny Alice’, ‘Three Tall Women’ and ‘A Delicate Balance’. Performances continue until 9 May. Box Office 0870 060 6632.
CAROUSEL The story of the love affair between Billy Bigelow, a smooth-talking carousel barker, and Julie Jordan, plus one of the most celebrated scores of all time, including The Carousel Waltz, If I Loved You, June is Bustin’ Out All Over and You’ll Never Walk Alone. SAVOY THEATRE Savoy Court, WC2 (0870 164 8787) HAIRSPRAY THE MUSICAL Tracy Turnblad, the big girl with the big hair and an even bigger heart goes from 60s style dance show to a downtown rhythm and blues record shop in this musical based on the John Waters movie. SHAFTESBURY THEATRE Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2 (020 7379 5399) OLIVER! Cameron Mackintosh’s revival of Lionel Bart’s musical masterpiece, starring Rowan Atkinson as ‘Fagin’. The legendary songs include ‘Consider Yourself’, ‘Food Glorious Food’, ‘I’d Do Anything’ and ‘As Long as He Needs Me’. THEATRE ROYAL DRURY LANE Catherine Street, WC2 (0870 890 1109) BILLY ELLIOT - THE MUSICAL The hit British film is transformed into a thrilling stage musical by its original director, Stephen Daldry, with music by Elton John. VICTORIA PALACE Victoria Street, SW1 (0870 895 5577) M A G A Z I N E
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EXCLUSIVE EASTER COLLECTION FROM GODIVA CHOCOLATIER Godiva Chocolatier has an amazing collection of hand-crafted Belgian chocolates for Easter including a wide range of delicious eggs and scrumptious pralines and ganaches. The eggs are available in milk and dark chocolate, presented in floral blue and green boxes, wrapped in a grass green satin ribbon. And, perfect for an evening at the theatre, Godiva offers a treat-size box of mini Easter eggs in eight flavours which retails for £12.50. Godiva is located at 141 Regent Street, W1; Harrods Food Hall, Knightsbridge; and Selfridges.
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WILLIAM IV GASTROPUB Unique in an area dominated by über-trendy clubs and overly themed bars, the William IV is a Victorian boozerturned-gastropub, which has a lovely, local feel. The gentry of Old Street and surrounding neighbourhoods have clearly made this their watering hole, strolling in from home or just visiting after work. The ground floor is a pleasing assembly of long, scrubbed wood tables and zinc-topped garden tables grouped around the fireplace. Everything has been painted white, a sort of ghostly homage to days of yore. The landlord is a young Englishman called Henry, who obviously has a thing for vintage furnishings and has filled this space with button back leather chairs, antique benches, odd silver cups and 1950s glassware atop cases of stuffed birds. He says he picks them up at the nearby Criterion auction rooms (a treat for any visitor interested in antiques - check it out on Essex Road, N1; auctions every Monday evening and viewing all weekend.) T H I S
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There is nothing antique about the food offering here, however. Bar snacks range from wasabi-coated peas (hot and crunchy!) to mini hamburgers and marinated chorizo. The dinner menu is a roll-call of favourites – in the most enormous portions. Why order a main, we thought, when you could wolf down a starter of 'tempura of vegetables' (£5.95) which, far from being the teensy bowl of julienne strips covered in gossamer fine batter beloved of the Japanese, turned out to be a large plate laden with regular vegetables coated in the sort of beer batter found on (the best) fish and chips? To be dipped in an authentic mix of mirin and bonito flakes, of course.
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If the truth be told, I would have been grateful for such a filling, crunchy feast if I had not already ordered said haddock and chips (£12.50). Oh, well. My friend was having fresh crab spring rolls (£7.95) - and they really were fresh, with a wonderful flavour and only a few little pieces of broken shell in them. Quite reassuring. Our big discovery was the house wine – a very pleasant, fruity Trebbiano Chardonnay from Terra Forti at £12.50/bottle, which makes most wine bars look like daylight robbers - aptly described on the hand-picked list as 'a quaff it down jobby.' The fish and chips were miles better than in many of London's so-called best fish and chip shops (it's a terrible meal when done badly.) Rack of new season lamb with shallot crust (£18) was wonderful, and came very pink without a murmur of how it might come. Sticky toffee pudding was with toffee sauce and proper vanilla pod ice cream made a wonderful (if not very summery) pudding; chocolate brownie had been heated, bizarrely, but was otherwise the real deal. If you are at the City fringes or in Islington, the William IV makes a cosy hideaway for dinner. There are even film nights upstairs in a room got up as a sort of geography class, with vintage maps and cases full of natural history. It makes you feel glad that the pub, even in this sophisticated form, is still the heart of the village. Sue Webster WILLIAM IV 7 Shepherdess Walk, Hoxton, N1 T: 020 3119 3011
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PETER GRIMES DAVID ALDEN’s major new production of BRITTEN’s masterwork Conductor
EDWARD GARDNER Starring
STUART SKELTON AMANDA ROOCROFT GERALD FINLEY 9 – 30 May 2009 9 performances only
Ticke
ts from
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ENO LIVE AT THE LONDON COLISEUM Book on 0871 911 0200 or at www.eno.org Illustration by Steve Rawlings