Hot on the Highstreet Week 54

Have you heard about the secret pop up shop in Topshop? It seems it is not such a coveted secret anymore, everyone in the fashion world is blurting out the news! The secret store is housed inside the flagship store at Oxford Circus, as well as in New York and online.

The beautifully decorated colourful space is a treasure trove full of one-off goodies from designers known and obscure. Gems, lace, beads and trinkets litter the place so there is plenty to look at and try on. Topshop Boutique designs that never made it to production hang delicately on hangers, looking absolutely dreamy.

The concept was thought up by designers Meadham and Kirchoff, a wacky fashion pair who are familiar Topshop collaborators. I particularly love the wildly eccentric limited edition headdress made by Nasir Mahdar that you can see a picture of above. Other designers include Maria Francesca Pepe and Pamela Love.

This tiny shop inside a shop is hard to spot, disguised on the exterior by stunning flower decorations from fancy florists ‘Wild at Heart’. Look carefully enough and you will discover a door that leads to the magic emporium, just like C.S Lewis’ fairytale wardrobe.

Prices range from £50-350, the temporary Secret Store is only open til Thursday 9 June. Visit website here.

Georgia Russell Exhibition at England & Co Gallery

Cutting paper has become quite a trend in the art world, with whole exhibitions based on the method. Scottish artist Georgia Russell does this more effectively than most, producing wonderful, powerful yet transient works hand cut with a scalpel. Thousands of delicate incisions transform books and photographs into hauntingly beautiful structures. Some sit magically in antique bell jars while others are suspended like a spirits of their former selves.

‘Cutting through Time’ is Georgia Russell’s fifth solo exhibition at England & Co Gallery, though her creations are often seen in group exhibitions too. Having followed her work, I personally feel this is the best to date - a dark and austere collection of works that stand statuesque in the wonderfully bright white space. Perhaps the most momentous pieces are those that hang imposingly in the window, impressive ethereal spirals; they certainly draw you in from the street.

More than usual, it seems Russell is preoccupied with texture in this exhibition, experimenting with larger, more expressive cut designs which consequently have a greater presence and spirit. It is interesting to see the contrast between the delicate paper and the wild energy of the cutting. Multi layering and repetition create intricate patterns, and memorable shadows.

I have always loved Russell’s enchanting cut books, but in this exhibition I found the photographic works particularly intriguing. ‘Stereoscopic’ is static in its acrylic case and yet looking closer you notice a swirling movement, a gentle breeze travelling through the black and white landscape. ‘Wild Waters’ is another example where the cutting emphasises the drama and turmoil of the image.

‘Cutting through Time’ is a truly stunning exhibition that will amaze and astound even the most cynical of critics.

Visit the England & Co website here.

'One Man, Two Guvnors' at The National, Lyttelton Theatre

A few nights ago I attended the premiere of ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’ at the National’s Lyttelton Theatre. This new English play, written by Richard Bean, is based on the Italian comedy, ‘The Servant of Two Masters’ by Carlo Goldoni.

The action takes place in Brighton, where an odd mix of characters come together after the murder of Roscoe Crabbe. Dodgy dealer Charlie “the duck” Clench had organised for his dippy daughter Pauline to marry Roscoe, but is now adjusting the engagement party for his daughter’s true love, melodramatic actor Alan Dangle. Meanwhile Francis Henshall, minder to Roscoe, believes his employer is still alive, which is apparently confirmed when Roscoe’s twin sister Rachel enters disguised as her dead brother. She is posing to claim the money her family are owed from Charlie, and also to protect her lover Stanley Stubbers, her brother’s killer. If all that isn’t confusing enough, Henshall has committed to working for both Rachel (in disguise as Roscoe) and undercover murderer Stanley, but neither must know of his dual alliance.

Hushed murmurs of excitement were audible as James Corden swaggered on stage as the food obsessed Francis Henshall, his larger than life personality immediately fills the auditorium. His performance is an impressive tour de force, Corden throws himself about the stage and isn’t shy of full on audience participation, though at times I felt he tried a little too hard and occasionally his rants came across as slapstick. Strong support is given from Jemima Rooper as convincingly disguised Rachel Crabbe, and Oliver Chris as the absolutely ridiculously funny posh lover Stanley Stubbers. The audience seemed to delight in watching Tom Edden playing the poor old man Alfie, who can barely talk or walk.

Brilliant direction from Nicholas Hytner is to be expected, but I was pleasantly surprised by the frequently changing retro set designed by Mark Thompson. Music plays a big part in this production, and this is provided by extremely talented crew of four, The Craze. Fresh new songs written by band member Grant Olding inject the evening with energy and fun, and provide a welcome distraction while the scene changes are made. The Craze aren’t afraid to experiment, playing a wide range of instruments including washboard, spoons, harmonica, ukulele, and even an accordion. Every actor gets a turn to play /sing in a number with the band, these musical interludes are well designed with the words, style and instrumentation all matching the performer’s character in the play... particularly humorous when Alan uses his bare chest as a percussive device.

Despite the tendency towards pantomime, ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’ really made me laugh and certainly entertained me a darn sight more than the National’s slow paced production of The Cherry Orchard.

Continues until July 26th, book here.

Dishoom Pop-Up Restaurant on Southbank

Rippling waves, golden sand, and delicious beach snacks... all found in London’s most exciting holiday destination... Embankment?!

Dishoom markets itself as London’s first and only Bombay cafe, selling authentic and traditional food of India’s famous city. This quirky restaurant set up a temporary pop-up on Embankment a few weeks ago providing hearty meals for hungry Southbank workers and visitors alike. The cafe is uniquely decorated with recycled newspapers, beautiful coloured bottles and amusing portraits. A bar lines one side and high stools the other, the atmosphere is friendly and relaxed.

Staff wander about welcoming you in, very eager to help, they wear hilarious neon t-shirts (that are also available to buy for £15) with bold slogans across their chest like “Bombay on Thames”. I am always on embankment, milling around before going to see a production at The National or The Old Vic and this pop-up perfectly suits my needs of needing a quick, filling, and interesting meal before a show. I went the other day before a play and tried the chicken curry and the popular Dishoom spicy lamb wrap. Both were delicious, much better than I expected. Rich and full of flavour the curry is thick and tangy, perfectly cooked chicken in a tomato based sauce that is packed full of spices, is comes with a separate portion of toasted naan. The wrap was a little too hot for me, but is a wonderful mix of crunchy vegetables and marinated meat.

To drink I tried a Chaijito made from chai infused Pampero run, fresh mint and lime. With no sugar (a crucial ingredient in a normal mojito) I found the cocktail a little too bitter, but it was an intriguing mix and certainly a refreshing accompaniment to go with the food.

Dishoom’s Chowpatty Beach will be adding spice to London’s Southbank until 4 October, so plenty of time to try out this bollywood Bombay bonanza for yourself.

'Bette and Joan' at The Arts Theatre

Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, two names that conjure up images of beauty, glamour and theatrical glory - both women played important roles in Hollywood history. Anton Burge’s new play ‘Bette and Joan’ shows these two iconic figures in the midst of their comeback film in 1962 Hollywood, "What ever happened to Baby Jane?" Both are nervous to be appreciated, Joan is desperate "to be liked" while Bette is obsessed with her success as a dramatic actress.

The set is carefully arranged, two adjacent dressing rooms sit with an all important mirror on the wall separating the two actresses. This significantly places the women opposite each other, so at times they are literally staring at one another, almost as reflections, and yet the contrast between the dressing rooms' decor shows their obvious differences in character. Factually Bette and Joan were very alike: both were born after the turn of the twentieth century, both married four times, both were Aries, both were adopted children, both were abandoned by their fathers and the list goes on. However after Crawford’s death Davis was frequently caught saying “we had absolutely nothing in common.” In this play their similarities and differences are explored by Burge throughout.

On stage Crawford is in the dressing room to the right, all glitz and glamour - ostentatious flowers, frocks and jewels, velvet dressing gown, and the all important pepsi filled fridge. Davis, on the left is more of a free spirit, throwing her shoes off in her plain bare room, and smoking constantly while applying her haughty character's make up and generally making a mess.

Both actresses, Anita Dobson as Crawford and Greta Scacchi as Davis, give polished performances, producing impressively nuanced depictions of these great women. It helps that Scacchi looks alarmingly like the real Bette Davis, and with the melodramatic mannerisms is hilariously convincing. Dobson reminded me instantly of a younger "Dot" from Eastenders, all pinched smile and delicate features. Crawford’s clever conniving is played with a devilish humour, and yet she is equally brilliant acting out the sickly sweet side to the actress' character.

The script is dominated by a slanging match between the women, yet a glimmer of friendship is evident towards the end when the girls giggle together bitching about the younger actresses, "like that slag Monroe," who have stolen their limelight. Unfortunately I was rather distracted in the second half by pulsating, blaring music above the theatre, threatening to spoil the mood. And it doesn’t help that the seats at the Arts Theatre are rather uncomfortable, after nearly three hours of viewing I was longing to get up.

‘Bette and Joan’ is an illuminating insight into the lives of two of the greatest screen stars; we frequently see iconic photographs, but never before has such an intriguing and touching ‘behind the scenes’ story been revealed.

Continues until Saturday 25 June, book here.

Hot on the Highstreet Week 53

Work clothes are hard enough to get right in winter... finding a suitably smart and cool outfit for summer is even tougher. However I have done a bit of market research and have found the perfect, comfortable, summery, office-friendly skirt from Zara.

Zara has really excelled this season, bringing us a wide variety of fashion forward, affordable clothes. Walking into the shop, it is like a rainbow, bright garments pop out at you from every corner. Brilliant neon tailored jackets, vivid patterned silk dresses and colourful blouses and shirts, all ideal for summer days in the office.

This mini skirt comes in four fun colours: lemon yellow, green, fushia pink and orange. It has convenient pockets on either side, and is made from 48% cotton and 52% nylon, which gives the skirt a comfortable stretch. The shape and design is quite plain, with a slight flare that gives the piece a real 60s vibe. Zara’s clothes come in a simple size system, XS (6-8), S(8-10), M(10-12), L(12-14); I have found from experience that the sizes come up quite small. Smart clothes can be expensive, but at £29.99 this skirt doesn’t break the bank.

The worst thing about work clothes is the necessity to dry clean, which adds endless cost onto an item of clothing you wear a lot. I find that I try to avoid wearing delicate dry clean only clothes because I can’t afford the cleaning bills! This Zara skirt is suitable for machine wash at 30 degrees, so shouldn’t cause any problems being washed normally.

I bought the pink and wore it so much, I went back to get it in green too. I love both and feel so relieved to have a comfortable skirt that I actually like the look and feel of for work. It works particularly well with a plain white shirt, or silk top and can be worn with or without tights. I also sometimes wear my pink one with a bright orange cropped jacket for the ultimate colour clash outfit.

Visit Zara website here.

A Midsummer Night's Dream at ENO

I’ve never seen Britten’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ before, although I have sung one of the eerily beautiful arias from it. This was the second of two Shakespearean opera's I watched last Saturday having already seen Macbeth at the Royal Opera House in the morning. Unfortunately in comparison Macbeth was rather more impressive and gripping.

The English National Opera’s new production is certainly not conventional. Director Christopher Alden has scrapped the dreamy forest in favour of a 1960's school yard setting - a tad morbid and bizarre. Some of the characters are teachers (Oberon and Tytania) and some are pupils (Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius and Helena) whilst the lover’s tiffs from Shakespeare’s original turn to adolescent arguments and teenage romances. Charles Edwards’ set is strikingly beautiful and imaginative - giant brickwork walls of an urban British boys school, complete with high windows and several floors, it is staggeringly realistic. For me the design was the highlight of the production.

Visually this opera is quite unbelievable. The vast set and at times the sheer quantity of young boys on stage is enough to make you gasp. No-one can deny it is a daring production: Theseus is a weird paedophile, young boys smoke spliffs and drink and there is even a great fire that consumes the stage just before the interval... but I couldn’t help wondering how necessary all this drama is? It is not beneficial to our understanding, confused the already complicated narrative, and made little sense to me.

The large cast dealt with this odd interpretation as best they could. I have never seen so many young children in one opera - at one point when all the boys lined up across the stage I counted nearly 40! The vocal star of the show was most definitely counter tenor Iestyn Davies as Oberon. He sings this tricky part wonderfully with pitch perfect accuracy and gorgeous tone. I could have listened to him all night. The chorus excelled producing a rich sound and bringing the best out of Britten’s stunning music.

The orchestra worked persistently away in the pit on Britten’s tricky music, and I thought their rendition evoked all the magic of the Britten’s otherworldly score. Leo Hussain performed well too, conducting with a sensitive understanding of the music. Much of this opera’s music is quiet and hesitant - musical directions that are exhausting to conduct, especially for a three hour production. However, this didn’t seem to trouble Hussain at all and he seemed completely at ease throughout.

A very strange, and yet mesmerising production of Britten’s dazzling opera, go and see it if you like your opera a bit on the wild side.

Continues until 30 June, book here.

David Tennant and Catherine Tate in 'Much Ado About Nothing' at Wyndhams Theatre

The new production of ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ aims to entertain, it is a kooky modernised version of Shakespeare’s comic classic. The story follows two sets of lovers, the conventional couple Claudio and Hero and the love-hate duo, Benedick and Beatrice. Gossip and rumours trick Benedick and Beatrice into revealing their love for each other, whilst Claudio is fooled into rejecting Hero at the altar. After much joking around, the truth is told and happiness restored; both couples are married, and everyone celebrates with a dance.

David Tennant and Catherine Tate are reunited at the Wyndham’s Theatre as the contrary lovers, Benedick and Beatrice. I wasn’t disappointed... Tate is silly as ever, and though I usually find her irritating, with the Shakespearean wit she excels. Tennant is masterful on stage, his eye contact and quirky mannerisms are instantly attractive to watch. He shows total commitment is full of energy and is consequently utterly believable and likeable. No one can deny the chemistry between Tate and Tennant in all they do.

The setting and interpretation however lets the show down. The stage is covered in a luminous drape of material, looking rather like a giant ethereal jellyfish. This lifts to expose a white marble clad scene, with grand pillars and scenery, apparently supposed to reflect Gibraltar - sunny, kitsch and tacky. The era is early to mid 1980s. Director Josie Rourke has commented that this setting fits well with the female characters as it allows them to inherit some 1970s feminism.

We sat right at the top of the steep theatre and despite this our tickets were still £21! I think it’s awful that celebrity cast shows often exempt themselves from budget tickets.

It was exciting to finally witness David Tennant on stage, after his Hamlet success I was intrigued to see him tackling Shakespeare with my own eyes. Unfortunately the outrageous set caused too much of a distraction for me to really relax and enjoy it. It was disappointing to watch another classic mucked around with, causing much of the beauty of the script to be lost.

‘Much Ado About Nothing’ continues until 3 September 2011, book here.

DIRT at The Wellcome Collection

Just up the road from the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel is the Wellcome Collection, we went for a little cultural excursion after our meal at Gilbert Scott. The current exhibition is called DIRT investigating the filthy reality of everyday life. It presents a full history of squalid truths and grimy facts, explaining and illustrating our relationship with dirt and the attitudes surrounding it, whilst also displaying some intriguing works of art.

The Wellcome Collection is a wealthy institute and the exhibitions here tend to be thorough and inspiring, DIRT is no exception. It is beautifully organised in a series of rooms, highly engaging and exciting. I was pleased to find lots of young adults and teenagers looking round while I was there on a Saturday afternoon, it is clear that this is a venue that encourages interest in art and culture. It also helps that the exhibition is free!

The show begins with the concept of cleanliness and household dirt, looking at the tradition of cleaning in 17th century homes, particularly at the practice in Delft in the Netherlands. Several illuminating paintings by Pieter de Hooch depict the Dutch housekeeper’s obsessive cleaning habits, and the pride in keeping a polished immaculate house.

I found the hygiene exploration the most interesting, exploring a part of our history in which dirt and contamination have been devastating, examining the cholera epidemic in England that spread rapidly and killed hundreds within days. This room includes, a vial of infected water, maps showing the route of contamination, and other amazing artefacts. A beautiful drawing shows a woman’s face, before and after the disease has affected her. We also see photos from the Glasgow Royal Infirmary Hospital in 1861 where hygiene was totally inadequate and infection spread horrifically fast and many patients died from postoperative ‘ward fever’.

A fascinating and inspiring finale comes in the form of a feature on ‘Fresh Kills’, the largest municipal landfill in the world, situated on Staten Island in America. It is nearly three times bigger than Central Park with a peak higher than the Statue of Liberty. One photo of the site is shown above. Fresh Kills was closed in 2011 and over the next 20 years they hope to transform this area into a public park. Fittingly the name will be changed from ‘Fresh Kills’ to ‘Fresh Waters’.

DIRT continues at the Wellcome Collection until 31 August 2011, see more information here.

St John Restaurant, Smithfields

St John Restaurant has won over the hearts and appetites of many. Two good family friends recently told me it was “definitely their favourite restaurant in London”, but is this a daring eatery only for the super keen meat munchers, those diners able to bear squeamishness inducing dishes? I went along last week for dinner to investigate for myself the truth behind St John and its reputation.

Located opposite the wonderful Smithfields market (the oldest wholesale meat market in the UK), it is immediately apparent how and why St John became this carnivore canteen, a concept that has defined the restaurant’s purpose ever since opening. The building itself is a former smokehouse, a large white property that has been impressively transformed since its abandonment in 1967. Painted all white with bare tables scattered about, I was struck at once by the clinical layout. Though plain, the decor encourages a relaxed atmosphere that is far more welcoming than most high end restaurants.

After a brief drink at the bar we went through to the dining room, an expansive hall that reminded me of my school with a slightly unpleasant smell of steaming broth flavouring the air. A kind lady hung my jacket on one of the torturous hooks that line the wall... I wondered about the poor carcasses that would have previously hung there.

Freshly baked bread was delivered with our menus. It soon became apparent, that although St John is not suitable for vegetarians, it certainly offers a range of dishes that venture far beyond offal and innards... a fact that many seem unaware of. Knowing my own meat threshold, I decided to have a main and dessert. The mains arrived steaming, Braised Duck Leg, Turnips & Bacon for me and Rabbit Saddle, Carrots & Aioli for him. Both were presented primitively on the plate, no fancy decorating or unnecessary fuss, the rabbit looked quite funny plonked next to a whole carrot! The duck was cooked perfectly, rich and soft, falling easily off the bone. The accompanying turnips were pretty tasteless and a little under seasoned for me. I preferred the rabbit, an absolutely delicious hunk of meat, full of flavour.

For me it is the bakery that is the most enticing attraction at St John. An adorable addition to the dining room that sits next to the bar. After peering in on our arrival, I was very excited about how these baked treats may be included in the puddings. We had Poached Peaches & Toasted Brioche, and Apricot Crumble & Vanilla Ice-Cream. Both were a success, wholesome simple puddings, made with the freshest of fruit. To take home I asked for half a dozen homemade madeleines, they came with the bill in a brown paper bag, the smell so sweet and appetizing that other heads turned as they arrived. Oh and they tasted absolutely heavenly too, providing us with a perfect little breakfast the following day.

It was great fun being at St John and having a nice meal without worrying whether I was wearing the “right” outfit, or talking too loud. There is a laid back vibe and no stuffiness and this definitely affects the dining experience. However the meal for two still cost £60 (for two courses with a drink each) and with such brilliantly fresh ingredients I expected more... the highlight of a Michelin star restaurant shouldn’t be the little cakes at the end, should it?

Visit St John website here.