Birdsong The Play at The Comedy Theatre

The Comedy Theatre introduces Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks' harrowing novel adapted for the stage. This play has a star line-up, that aside from Faulks boasts the director Trevor Nunn, and many wonderful actors.

The story follows a young man’s journey through a great love and a great war. The play is split into three sections, the later parts more convincing than the first. The long opening section concentrates on the young Englishman Stephen Wraysford as he visits Amiens and falls in love with a married woman, played by the rather stiff Genevieve O’Reilly.

After the interval Birdsong shows the vile horror of World War I, like I have never seen it portrayed before. Every aspect of the painful anguish and devastation is realised through haunting acting and clever dramatics. The stage is impressively constructed to show the claustrobic tunnels and trenches, and smoke effects create further atmosphere. Just before the interval a great clash and cloud of smoke or powder wafts over the audience, an incredible sensation and evocative transition to mark the start of the war.

I loved watching Lee Ross who plays one of the central characters, Jack Firebrace. The kindness and bravery of this character within the turmoil of war gives the story real strength and substance, and Ross’s characterisation reflects this with a touching morality. He plays the part directly with no fuss, when he learns of his young son’s death from diphtheria he avoids sentimentality but somehow provokes great sadness in the audience, it is truly touching.

I left feeling moved and educated, and now would like to read the original book.

Book tickets here.

The Magic Flute at Hamstead Garden Opera

The Magic Flute is surely one of the most theatrical operas in the standard repertoire. It combines comedy, tragedy and magic, but is above all a moral story about love and fidelity. Upstairs at the Gatehouse has been Hampstead Garden Opera’s (HGO) home since 2001, and this year they celebrate their 20^th anniversary with Mozart’s masterpiece.

As an adoring fan of Stephen Fry, I was delighted to discover he had translated Mozart’s libretto, originally in German. This witty script definitely makes the piece more family friendly. Fry translated the work for Kenneth Branagh’s film, and HGO are perhaps the first company to perform it to a London audience. The young singers have good diction, and because the venue is so small, you can hear every word.

James Hurley directs the opera, with costumes by Madeleine Millar and set by Rob Mills. At the helm of the HGO band is music director Oliver-John Ruthven, who I myself have been lucky enough to be conducted by in the past. The production has not one, but two talented casts, made up predominantly of Oxbridge graduates and other twenty-somethings. I guess with this in mind, I shouldn’t have been surprised to spot a few friends in the cast.

I saw the show on their first night, and I felt the excited anticipation in the air. Director Hurley has decided to set the opera in a child’s playroom, which however strange, is quite intriguing to watch. The only problem is the presence of adult themes that don’t quite suit this vision, and make the already complex story even more confusing. The singers however, seem to relish the unique setting and play around with their characters with an amusing quirkiness.

The star of the show is, without a shadow of a doubt the 22 year Guildhall student Raphaela Papadakis, who sings with such clarity and ease, she has the skill of an older singer, but the delicate freshness of a young girl. This is Raphaela’s first production with HGO, I only hope she stays with them, as she brightens up the whole night. I also loved watching Samuel Queen, who is completely adorable as birdcatcher Papageno. He wears a hilarious adult size babygro decorated with birds, I was delighted to see his companion Pagagena in a matching outfit, these are genius finds from Madeleine Millar. I can honestly say that these amateur HGO singers are more pleasant to listen to than the professionals I heard in The Barber of Seville a week earlier.

The Dionysus Ensemble accompany the singers playing Mozart’s recognisable tunes with experience and style. I was, unfortunately seated a little too close to the musicians and found they occasionally overpowered the vocalists.

A bizarre interpretation of a favourite classic, but more importantly a bunch of extraordinarily talented musicians, frolicking about and singing their hearts out. Hampstead Garden Opera is definitely a company to look out for!

Evening performances of The Magic Flute are on November 4, 5, 6, 10, 11 12 & 13 at 7.30 pm:
Matinées on Saturday November 6 at 2.30.pm and on Sundays November 7 and 14 at 4.0 pm.
Tickets – November 4 & 5 £18 (concessions £16): all other performances £20 (concessions £18): 18 and under £12 for all performances. All seats unreserved.
Box office: 020 8340 3488.
Further information: Martin Musgrave (martin.musgrave@hgo.org.uk - 07590 567 790) Website:www.hgo.org.uk

Fondue Fun at Swissotel The Howard

I heard whispers about the Swiss Cheese Fondue Night. Swissôtel The Howard, a smart London hotel, transforms itself every Tuesday and Saturday into a magical Swiss Chalet for Fondue and other tasty après-ski goodies.

I have never had fondue before, but as a keen cheese lover was keen to try it. The idea is rather genius and unlike any other. The pop up restaurant was created last year and has returned after huge success. This year its popularity has grown further making it increasingly difficult to book, although I hear they are adding some extra days to accommodate more. I booked for early evening (before a show) to ensure we got a table. The restaurant was empty and despite being a little spooky, it meant we could fully appreciate the authentic Swiss Chalet décor – wooden surrounds, warm lighting, and red checked tablecloths. They have definitely done their research!

The package meal costs £29, rather overpriced I decided later but the demand is there.

The meal includes:

- Swiss Cheese Fondue (Gruyère, Vacherin Mont D’Or and Epoisse)
- Crusty Sourdough Bread
- A selection of Sliced Cured Meats with Pickles
- Mixed Leaf Salad
- Dessert (Apple Strudel with Custard or Sweet sugar cake)

-A glass of Schnapps

The starter of salad and meat was fresh and light before the rich main. The pot of cheese came next, bubbling away. I was really desperate to like it, the idea of hot gooey cheese thrills me, but unfortunately the sharp aftertaste (likely to be from the large amount of white wine added to the mix) ruined it. Although dunking bread into your own mini cauldron is lots of fun and made us giggle. The desserts were rather mediocre by my pudding standards, and I left most of mine. I was disappointed with the meal, and paid my £29 begrudgingly (I could have bought a nice piece of clothing instead.)

A very different night out, but I rate the ambience much higher than the food!

Swiss Cheese Fondue Nights: Every Tuesday and Saturday night till the end of April 2011
Address: 12 Temple Place Restaurant, Swissôtel The Howard, 12 Temple Place, London WC2R 2PR.
Booking/reservation tel: +44 207 836 3555

Hot on the Highstreet Week 24

Savannah Miller in her favourite Sara & Zoe waistcoat.

Ever since I first saw this waistcoat on Savannah Miller’s blog for VOGUE I haven’t been able to stop obsessing about it. I soon found out that the garment came from the gorgeous little family company Sara & Zoe.

The company was started about 14 years ago by Sara Stewart and has since been taken over by her equally creative daughter, Zoe. Without a shop, they offer an appointment service, or you can catch them at one of the many fairs they are doing this Christmas (see on the website). Zoe makes regular trips to India to pick each and every piece on sale, a fine selection, including jackets, waistcoats, shawls, bags, scarves and not forgetting the beautiful silver and semi precious stone jewellery.

I visited the Sara & Zoe stand at a recent craft clothes fair in Chelsea Old Town Hall. The beautiful bright Indian colours stood out a mile. Zoe explained about the different pieces and the origin of the stock. All the items come from a tiny family run business in India, made with a unique craftsmanship that reflects the vibrancy of life in this country so far away from our own.

Falling in love with several items I had to limit myself to just a waistcoat – the piece I loved best. But honestly there is so much to choose from, and with prices from £5-200 there are many perfect present options too – that is if you are generous enough to not keep it for yourself. I bought a rabbit skin waistcoat, like Savannah’s above but in a lighter creamy beige colour, with red stitching and white fur... I look a little bit like a trendy Eskimo in it! It cost £85, reasonable considering real fur in UK shops can be extortionately priced.

Have a look at the website, and I’m sure, like me, you will find Sara & Zoe totally irresistible. New Stock comes in from India soon, catch it before it all goes.

Look at the website here.

The Railway Children at Waterloo Station

The Railway Children’s impressive run ends on 2 January 2011, so there is a limited time to catch this special train; I went last weekend. I have to admit I felt a bit out of place without a child on my arm as the seats were mostly occupied by eager children!

This adaptation of E Nesbit’s classic comes to London’s Waterloo from York Theatre Royal where it was originally produced at the National Railway Museum. A family story that children love, and adults remember fondly. This is a wonderful theatrical journey that excites from start to finish. I am a big fan of productions that use alternative performing spaces, and never has there been a more appropriate venue than Waterloo station for the Railway Children.

I can’t believe how much unused space there is at this important London terminus. Before you reach the seating area you walk through the station, up an escalator, and into the waiting area, where there are all the pleasantries you expect before a train journey: a sweet shop, tea and coffee stand, a gift shop, even a champagne bar (we headed over there!). Then through to Platform 1 or 2, depending on your ticket... the audience sits on both platforms either side on the old railway track.

The show features The Stirling Single, a gorgeous 66-tonne steam locomotive and the Old Gentlemans’s Saloon (from the original Railway Children film). There is nothing grandiose about the story of the Railway Children, its simple nature makes it much more engaging and believable than other more elaborate plays. We watch as the three children, Bobbie, Peter and Phyllis grow up and explore life in the country, living near a railway station.

The acting is as good as it needs to be, but not spectacular by any means. I enjoyed Louisa Clein’s performance as Phillis, an adult playing a young child must work hard on stage to have conviction, and Clein does, every detail is carefully thought through to mimic a young girl. Nicholas Bishop took on the role of Peter and created a nice dynamic with his to sisters on stage. Unfortunately something about Sarah Quintrell (who plays the oldest child Phillis) unsettled me throughout the show. Her movements are very stylised, almost dancelike, and her facial expressions are so melodramatic they look silly. She is irritating and unconvincing. Of the more mature characters David Baron as the Old Gentleman and Marshall Lancaster as Mr Perks really stand out and are a pleasure to watch.

And when the show is over, there is no tiring walk to the tube station, just hop on a train at Waterloo.

Reiss Party on Regents Street

Reiss and Marie Claire were having a party, so I went along to the Regent’s Street branch with two good friends. Champagne (well, Prosecco) was flowing and all the frocks were out, all with an appealing 10% discount. With this dangerous combination I was surprised not to see more fashion-hungry girls there.

The shop Reiss has never been one of my favourites, but since becoming a working gal I have found some real life-saving gems in there. Their prices have rocketed in the last few years, like most highstreet brands... which means you have to make buying less mean more. I tend to (try to) wait for the sale, prices normally drop to 50%, and even then I buy pieces that have versatility, like a silk top that can be worn with different skirts or trousers for work.

There were many alluring party frocks on display at the party, and my friends and I tried many (far too expensive) ones on. We agonised over several beautiful dresses, trying to justify the price and finding imaginary perfect events we could wear this one or that one to: Christmas Parties? Upcoming weddings? Best Friend's Birthday? I fell in love with a stunning leopard print silk top, that fitted well and seemed to suit me, but at £95 it just wasn’t worth it (see image above).

After finishing our second glass of Prosecco (we thought it would have been too rude to try for a third) we dragged ourselves away, deciding that our money was much better spent on food in a restaurant!

Visit the website here.

BOND music with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

The big, bold and beautiful Royal Albert Hall needs something equally epic to fill its great walls: The Proms, Cirque du Soleil, and now The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

This Halloween I was kindly invited to a concert by the RPO for a night of the best of Bond music. With the clocks changing that day, the night was particularly dark and cold, and the Royal Albert Hall felt like a welcoming and warm refuge for the evening. In the car on the way we tried desperately to remember the most famous Bond theme, but couldn’t and instead came up with Mission Impossible and the Pink Panther tunes. We walked in humming these substitute songs deliberately to confuse other audience members. All a bit silly, but it seemed to us a hilarious idea at the time.

We had great seats in the stalls opposite the centre of the stage, just below the royal box, as the woman behind us pointed out. Eventually the players came on stage conducted by the animated Carl Davis, who seemed to enjoy jumping about at the helm. The orchestra played with real gusto, obviously enjoying the change of programme from the usual classical repertoire. Two vocalists: Mary Carewe and Simon Bowman sung the vocal numbers.

I loved the fashion show aspect of the evening. Soloist Mary Carewe must have showcased at least four outfits during the concert! She had a smooth luxurious voice that conquered every song, and plenty of confidence that suited the bravado music. Bond girl Honor Blackman was a stunning presenter for the occasion; in case you don’t remember she was Pussy Galore in the film, Goldfinger. She wore two glittering gowns, gold for the first half, and black for the second, and sat at a small table next to the orchestra, commentating on each of the pieces of the night.

I enjoyed most the songs that I recognised... and there were more than I realised. With such a large orchestra plus all the extra drummers, bass and guitar players the sound was electrifying. ‘Diamonds are Forever’ and ‘Live and Let Die’ were fantastic as well as, of course, the famous theme tune... I had remembered it by the time it was performed!

The Barber of Seville (Or Salisbury) at The King's Head in Islington

Dan Crawford founded the King’s Head Theatre in 1970. It was the first pub theatre founded in England since the days of Shakespeare. The building has been around since the mid 1800’s, the back room where the theatre is located used to be a boxing ring and a pool hall!

In May of this year Adam Spreadbury-Maher took over the artistic direction; and thanks to him, with the help of Robin Norton-Hale, OperaUpClose became resident at the theatre in Islington. It is programmed as ‘London’s Little Opera House’ aiming to produce classic operas with new interpretations. The season kicks off with Rossini’s light-hearted Barber of Seville (Or Salisbury), which uses a new translation by director Norton-Hale.

The production is funny thanks to Norton-Hale’s sparkling witty script that acts as a wonderful match for Rossini’s joyous music. OperaUpClose is a good name, as this opera is literally in your face, and at times is surprisingly loud, especially if you are used to hearing opera in a theatre as massive as the Coliseum. I mostly enjoyed this unusual intimacy; opera is still such a specialised elite genre, and I find it encouraging that there are companies emerging like OperaUpClose that allow it to reach more people.

The set and props are minimal and have an obvious budget feel - the audience are definitely required to use their imagination. This is a little distracting at the start when the singers just stand to sing their arias, but once the real drama started I found I forgot about the lack of set and costumes and I let the music entertain me. For accompaniment the singers have just a lone piano, clunking along in the corner; the poor pianist, Alison Luz plays furiously throughout but doesn’t have a particularly pleasant sounding instrument.

I absolutely loved watching Philip Lee as the Marquis of Bath... his facial expressions and gestures are hilarious and he produces some thoroughly entertaining drama with Berlinda Evans (Rosina) and Dickon Gough (Dr Bartleby). The smaller characters aren’t quite as convincing, I found Georgios Papaefstratiou as Mr Basil very unnerving to watch, and his voice is totally bizarre. He stumbles about the stage with a glazed expression. Maybe I picked out these absurdities because I was sitting so close to the action, and really should concentrate on the singing, which I found to be, on the whole, very good.

Perhaps with The Barber of Seville the OperaUpClose team is just having a few teething problems. I do believe this theatre company is one to watch and really admire its ambition.

PROUD GALLERY CENTRAL shows Bob Dylan photographs

This blog post is just as much about the venue as it is about the exhibition. PROUD Galleries in Camden is famous for its clever double act, art gallery by day, fabulous music venue and bar by night. London Lite called it ‘a magnet for all things cool and beautiful’. But who knew that a few miles away, on the stylish Kings Road, sits another PROUD gallery open to the wandering public seven days a week?

The photographs in both venues are wonderful, Camden displays prints that can be bought for as little as £70, so there is something for everyone no matter what the budget. For those collectors who want a more exclusive piece of work PROUD central is the place... the photos are often limited edition and consequently more expensive. Many times I have intended to visit the Camden branch either for food, art or music – all three massively appeal to me, but being a West London girl haven’t yet had the chance. I stumbled across the more central PROUD gallery a few days ago while on my way to a work night out. It was the striking black and white photos of Bob Dylan that caught my eye, and I couldn’t help but go in, just for a peek.

The space is clear and quiet, with a sophisticated feel, and a sweet bookshop in one corner. My favourite legend, Dylan, hangs all over the walls, sometimes alone with his guitar, and in some prints accompanied by various lovers or fellow musicians. All utterly engaging and inspiring to gaze at. Downstairs in the gallery is PROUD’s current exhibition of Keith Richards, featuring work by world class photographers including Ethan Russell, Dominique Tarle and Michael Cooper. I didn’t find these photos as exciting, most likely because they are not as recognisable to me. And yet as a collection they work coherently, complimenting each other and giving the viewer a real insight into the colourful and wacky era they capture. This exhibition will run until 21 November, when a Lennon show will start.

PROUD is one of the most popular privately-owned photographic galleries in the UK, and it is clear to see that they care about photography as much as their fans. I am delighted to have found the King’s Road branch, it is a gallery not to be missed. Oh, and did I mention admission is free?!

Visit the website here.

Robert Lindsay in Onassis at The Novello Theatre

It is two years since Onassis made its debut at The Chichester Festival Theatre under the former title of Aristo. The play, written by Martin Sherman is a kind of biography that obsesses rather too much on far-fetched conspiracy theories, and has obvious and frequent allusions to Greek tragedy.

I did not think much of the play, but am surprised to see the host of one star reviews it has provoked. Despite the material, how so many critics can deem Robert Lindsay’s performance as only worthy of one star is beyond me, as I think he is utterly fabulous as the egocentric lead. I went to school with Lindsay’s daughter, who is now also in the theatre world. I always enjoy watching him perform and feel he has a real ease on stage. As Onassis he is utterly surprising, I couldn’t quite believe it was him. He commands the stage and charms all he touches, how he makes such a brute seem appealing is a miracle. I was particularly impressed by his authentic sounding Greek accent that isn't matched by any of the Greek characters.

Other than Lindsay there is little else to be excited about. I found Tom Austen, who plays Onassis’ moaning son, to be unbearably soppy. Unfortunately his accent is so confused it distracted me from actually watching his performance. Jackie Kennedy is played by Lydia Leonard who seemed fed up throughout and just isn’t a particularly engaging character. The muse Maria Callas is taken on by Anna Francolini who looks almost identical to the famous opera singer. I enjoyed her diva presence and her frantically aggressive interactions with Robert Lindsay.

Sherman’s play comes complete with Greek Chorus who mope about in the background for most of the performance. The two musicians Ben Grove and Graeme Taylor play Ilona Sekacz’s lilting music beautifully on their guitars but there is just a little bit too much of it, and it became boring, especially when the wailing women in the ensemble join in. The set, by Katrina Lindsay, is quite appealing and has a marine slickness about it, with a glistening pool of water at the front that the actors seem to have fun playing about with. Onassis the play isn’t worth seeing, but Robert Lindsay's rendition of the man is.

Onassis continues until 5 February, 2011. Book here.