The American Issue 712 August 2012 by Blue Edge Publishing Ltd.

August 2012

THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE

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ARTS CHOICE MUSIC • REVIEWS WHAT’S ON • POLITICS EATING OUT • SPORT

Race for the Seats Olympic games and Olympic theater in London... or head for Edinburgh and the Festival Fringe

Producer Barbara Broccoli talks about Chariots of Fire Paralympian Seth McBride introduces wheelchair rugby

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The American ®

Issue 712 – August 2012 PUBLISHED BY SP MEDIA FOR

Blue Edge Publishing Ltd.

Old Byre House, East Knoyle, Salisbury SP3 6AW, UK Telephone all departments: +44 (0)1747 830520 Publisher: Michael Burland editor@theamerican.co.uk Please contact us with your news or article ideas Design and Production: Richard L Gale Advertising & Promotions: Sabrina Sully, Commercial Director advertising@theamerican.co.uk Subscriptions: theamerican@blueedge.co.uk Correspondents: Virginia E Schultz, Food & Drink virginia@theamerican.co.uk Mary Bailey, Social mary@theamerican.co.uk Estelle Lovatt, Arts estelle@theamerican.co.uk Alison Holmes, Politics alison@theamerican.co.uk Jarlath O’Connell, Theater jarlath@theamerican.co.uk Richard L Gale, Sports Editor richard@theamerican.co.uk Josh Modaberi, Sports josh@theamerican.co.uk Jeremy Lanaway, Hockey jeremy@theamerican.co.uk

©2012 Blue Edge Publishing Ltd. Printed by Advent Colour Ltd., 19 East Portway Industrial Estate, Andover, SP10 3LU www.advent-colour.co.uk ISSN 2045-5968 Cover: The stage version of Chariots of Fire (photo © Manuel Harlan). Circular Inset: Seth McBride, Team USA (photo by Kevin Bogetti-Smith). Square Inset: Barbara Broccoli (photo: Charlie Gray)

Welcome H

ave you heard about the apocryphal London buses? Nothing happens for ages then lots arrive all at once. Tourist attractions (in the widest sense) have been like that this summer. We’ve had the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, Ascot, the Olympics torch relay, the Euro 2012 soccer championships, more Olympics torch relay, Wimbledon, Henley Regatta, Bruce Springsteen singing with Paul McCartney in Hyde Park (well, for a bit), our July issue’s Olympics preview (full of tips on where to go and what to see at the Games – see it online) and yet more torch relay. And now, to top it all, it’s here... The Olympic Games. This month we have a fascinating feature on the very first Americans to take part in the Olympics. And if you’d like to enjoy something other than the greatest sports event on Earth the mag’s packed with ideas for you too – perhaps head north to Edinburgh for the greatest arts and comedy festival on Earth! Whatever you do, enjoy Britain at this fabulous time of year, and... Enjoy your magazine.

Michael Burland, Editor editor@theamerican.co.uk

SOME OF THIS MONTH’S CONTRIBUTORS

Mary Bailey is The American’s columnist-at-large, searching out interesting things for you to do in Britain. This month, she finds some alternatives to watching the Olympics.

Dr. Alison Holmes is our political ‘Transatlantic Columnist’, an Okie now based in California. Read her thoughts on the first of a slew of American municipal bankruptcies.

Jarlath O’Connell is an Olivier Award judge and our theater reviewer. His pithy and witty reviews each month tell you what’s hot – and, just as importantly, what’s not.

Don’t forget to check out The American online at www.theamerican.co.uk The entire contents of The American and www.theamerican.co.uk are protected by copyright and no part of it may be reproduced without written permission of the publishers. Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the information in The American is accurate, the editor and publishers cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions or any loss arising from reliance on it. The views and comments of contributors are not necessarily those of the publishers.

August 2012 1

The American The American • Issue 712 • August 2012

In This Issue... Regular Sections 4 News 8 Diary Dates 22 Arts Choice 25 Coﬀee Break 26 Wining & Dining 32 Music

35 46 48 50 57 65

Book and Theater Reviews Politics DriveTime Sports American Organizations The A-List

50 Paralympics PHOTO © JARED CURÉ, MNRAC NEWS NETWORK

16 The First U.S. Olympians It is 1896, and the Boston Athletic Association is about to go global in the ﬁrst modern Olympic Games

18 The Summer of ’82 Claire Gillian recalls a happy working holiday, serving Chicago Ribs in the heart of London

“For the first-time spectator, watching players weave, sprint, and crash their way up the court, it can be hard to tell how little function we have”

20 New to the UK: 5 Suggestions 46 Bankrupt Stock Carol Madison Graham has advice for immersing yourself in British culture ...if you want to be appreciated by the British

44 Barbara Broccoli Interview Virginia chats with the ‘Bond’ producer about the stage version of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and her new West End production, Chariots of Fire

Alison reports on the bankruptcy of Stockton, California ...its fate looks like being just the ﬁrst of many. How does that aﬀect the country’s voting mood?

49 Goodwood Festival of Speed The Earl of March and 185,000 close friends enjoy the annual get-together of some of the world’s fastest cars and drivers

48 DriveTime

Paralympian Seth McBride is a key member of America’s gold-medal defending Wheelchair Rugby team. Here he gives an insight to the sport and Team USA’s rivals

51 WIN: X Games Board +More Win an X Games-branded Skate Deck, Cap

and T-shirt, courtesy of ESPN

52 NBA Draft Notes 2012 Anthony Davis, Jared Sullinger, Thomas Robinson: where did they all land? Highlights from a U.S.-themed NBA Draft

54 BCS Busted Calls for a four-team college football playoﬀ have ﬁnally been answered

55 NHL Early Draft The NHL were high on Sarnia Sting forwards but the draft went defense-heavy

56 Olympic Escapists

2 August 2012

Visit Mull, go pony trekking in Wales, or seek out the source of the Thames. Anything but the Olympics, suggests Mary Bailey

The American

12 Festival Fringe 8 Diary Dates PHOTO ABOVE: EMT. PHOTO BELOW ©JOHAN PERSSON

Edinburgh is this month’s destination for a wealth of American performers PHOTO ABOVE © THOMAS HARGIS

22 Arts Choice

38 Theater Reviews

32 Music

Ragtime: “The production is invigorated by great singing from the ensemble cast and some beautiful tableaux”

26 Wining & Dining

August 2012 3

The American

USA College Day

Considering undergraduate study in the USA? Don’t miss USA College Day, the largest American university fair in the UK, with over 125 exhibitors representing U.S. universities and educational service providers. USA College Day 2012 will be held by the US-UK Fulbright Commission in partnership with Richmond, the American International University in London, i newspaper and The Independent at Kensington Town Hall, Hornton Street, London W8 7NX on September 28-29. Entry is free if registering in advance online (registration opens in August), £5 if you register on the day. www. fulbright.org.uk/news-events/usastudy-events/usa-college-day

Eccles Writer in Residence

Applications are invited for the Eccles British Library Writer in Residence Award 2013. Worth £20,000, and open to writers resident in the United Kingdom, the award is sponsored by the David and Mary Eccles Centre for American Studies at the British Library. Writers should be working on an English language non-fiction or fiction full-length book, the research for which requires that they make substantial use of the British Library’s collections relating to North America. Closing date: August 31, 2012. For full details visit: www.bl.uk/ecclescentre.

4 August 2012

Ambassador Louis Susman PHOTO COURTESY OF CHATHAM HOUSE

Ambassador Susman: America still the ‘Indispensable Global Power’

n a speech at independent policy institute Chatham House, U.S. Ambassador Louis Susman underlined the importance of international partnerships to America’s role as “an indispensable global power”. Countering arguments from some academics and journalists that America’s reach is in decline, Ambassador Susman cited the America’s economic strength, military power, and international connections as three factors in the nation’s continuing influence, reiterating the “special relationship” between the U.S. and the UK. While accepting that America faced “undeniable and significant challenges” Ambassador Susman said of America’s economic resiliency: “Despite being damaged by the most severe recession in more than 70 years, America is still – by far – the world’s largest economy … One of our greatest and most enduring strengths comes from the fundamentals of our economic approach. Our philosophy is built on the wholehearted belief in free trade.” Speaking of America’s defense policy, he pointed to a military “more agile, flexible, rapidly deployable and

technologically advanced … with strong international alliances and multilateral cooperation”. Describing America’s influence on Asia-Pacific, a region “fast-becoming a strategic and economic center of gravity,” he said, “turning our face towards Asia-Pacific does not mean turning our back on Europe. We are constantly reinforcing ties with our oldest and strongest allies, including our special relationship with the United Kingdom.” He added that enduring alliances “are sustained by a range of additional assets: … our values, customs and culture, institutions and organizations ... what the United States represents to the world. Values of freedom, democracy, human rights, tolerance, opportunity and the rule of law.” “America is not perfect,” he concluded, “but the lesson from history is that America has always shown the capacity to overcome its difficulties. Our economic strengths are unequaled. Our military power unrivaled. And our international partnerships unsurpassed. I believe that our weaknesses pale in comparison to our resilience and our strengths.”

August 2012 5

The American

British currency confusion It’s tempting to think that being so close to Europe, Britons understand what a Euro is worth better than Americans. Not necessarily, according to recent research commissioned by Sainsbury’s Bank Travel Money. Their statistics suggest that 10 million Brits (around 23%) think the Euro is worth more than the Pound). And using a credit card doesn’t help financial confusion, suggests MoneySupermarket. com in another survey, with 54% of Brits (and a few British-based Americans, we suspect), unaware that immediate interest is usually paid on an ATM withdrawal abroad.

From left, ACM Sir Stephen Dalton, Mrs Annette Basnett, Mrs Susie Schwartz, Air Cdre Colin Basnett, and Gen Norton A Schwartz. USAF/LAUSANNE MORGAN

American Honour for RAF Oﬃcer

Royal Air Force officer has been presented with the United States’ Legion of Merit for outstanding work in Afghanistan. Air Cdre Colin Basnett received the medal from General Norton A. Schwartz, Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, during the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford. The Legion of Merit is awarded for ‘exceptionally meritorious conduct’, and is endorsed by the President of the United States himself. Air Cdre Colin Basnett’s citation reads: “For especially meritorious service as Director of the Combined Air and Space Ops Centre from May 2010 to September 2010.” “To be presented with the Legion of Merit by General Schwartz was an honour in itself,” Basnett said. “I am extremely proud, especially as 670 American service men and women were under my command in Afghanistan. They moved mountains to deliver air power in support of allied troops on the ground, not just in terms of weapons delivery, but supply and transport too, the whole gamut of our combined capability.”

Liberty at Musee d’Orsay

Below: the original of Auguste Bartholdi’s Liberty Enlightening the World, now installed in the grand nave of Musée d’Orsay, Paris thanks in part to The American Friends Musée d’Orsay (AFMO), who funded its restoration after years in the open air of Le Jardin de Luxembourg.

ACA to create D.C. liaison oﬃce

ACA welcomes online 2005 FPCA

At their recent AGM, American Citizens Abroad (ACA) announced major initiatives to promote the interests of U.S. citizens living overseas, including a new liaison office in Washington D.C., the appointment of attorney Charles M. Bruce as Legal Counsel, and a Congressfocused push towards territorialbased taxation, with ACA proposing its own alternative tax proposal. “We’ve discussed it with members of Congress,” said Jackie Bugnion, ACA Executive Committee member. “From their reactions, we know this is a serious and well-founded alternative to the present system of citizenship-based taxation.”

Website access to the 2005 federal post card application (FPCA) has returned, with ACA recommending use of the 2005 version rather than the modified 2011 FPCA form, which requires voters to indicate, under threat of perjury, intention to return to the U.S., with potential state tax implications – a potentially problematic declaration for some overseas voters. According to Roland Crim, ACA Voting Team Lead, overseas voters could “discard the [2011] form, and be disenfranchised. Voting should be a straightforward process, not an exercise in semantic interpretation. The language of the new form acted as a form of voting repellent.”

The American

IRS to Help U.S. Expats and Dual Citizens (...to file in a timely manner)

EMBASSY NEWS

www.usembassy.org.uk

Advice for visitors during the Olympics

ast month, The American included Embassy advice for those preparing to visit this country during the Olympics. Here’s just a sample of highlights from the advice the Embassy offers to keep you safe during your trip. See the Embassy website (above) for further detail.

Train/Tube Safety & Etiquette

Unless you are in a hurry, stand on the right-hand side of escalators. Stand behind the yellow line on platforms and allow passengers off first. And if you see an unattended bag or package, don’t touch it – tell a member of staff or the police.

Black Cabs: the safe option

Any vehicle which is not a Black Cab that is touting for business is probably not licensed and should not be used. You can access 7,000 licensed Black Cabs using one telephone number: 0871-871-8710.

ATMs: Don’t be distracted

Beware ATM Fraud. Avoid using ATMs that look temporary, or are located in isolated areas. Beware thieves using distraction techniques, such as waiting until the PIN has been entered, then pointing to money on the ground or handing out a free newspaper. Most cash machines accept American bank cards.

London is a capital city

...with the pick pockets, muggings, and “snatch and grab” thefts that go with that. Don’t leave your bags unattended anywhere. Don’t keep all your valuables in one place. Don’t carry large amounts of cash around with you. Avoid leaving valuables in your room – keep them in the hotel safety box or safe. Avoid walking alone in isolated areas. Don’t leave your drink unattended.

Proof of ID

Unless cashing travelers’ cheques or flying domestically within the UK, your passport may be better off in the hotel safety deposit box. The UK accepts various forms of ID and a U.S. driver’s license or international driver’s license and photocopy of a passport is acceptable in most places.

Credit cards

It is important that you notify your credit card company of your travel to the UK. Credit card companies unaware of the holder’s travel abroad will often decline a transaction due to concerns about fraud.

Know the Law!

The UK is home to some of the toughest weapons laws in the world, and this includes most pocket knives, blades, mace and pepper spray.

The Internal Revenue Service has announced a new procedure aimed at helping U.S. citizens residing overseas catch up with tax filing obligations and those with foreign retirement plan issues. IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman announced the IRS will provide a new option for those who owe little or no back taxes. The procedure takes effect Sept. 1, 2012, and is designed to help taxpayers who may only recently have become aware of filing requirements, have simple tax returns and owe $1,500 or less during any covered year. The new procedures may also solve issues relating to some foreign retirement plans. While tax treaties facilitate income deferral under U.S. tax law, this can only be done if election is made by specific deadlines, which is why the new procedures may be useful and quicker for low compliance risk cases. Under the new procedures, taxpayers must file ‘delinquent’ tax returns together with the appropriate information returns for the preceding three years, and to file ‘delinquent FBARs’ for the preceding six years. However, the IRS adds that ‘Submissions from taxpayers that present higher compliance risk will be subject to a more thorough review and potentially subject to an audit, which could cover more than three tax years.’ The IRS also revealed that its offshore voluntary disclosure programs have now exceeded $5b in value, and released new details of January’s voluntary disclosure program, including tightened eligibility requirements.

August 2012 7

The American

Diary Dates

Your Guide To The Month Ahead

See our full events listing online at www.theamerican.co.uk

Get your event listed in The American – call the editor on +44 (0)1747 830520, or email details to editor@theamerican.co.uk Exhibition Road Show

The Wallace and Gromit Prom

Exhibition Road, London www.exhibitionroadshow.co.uk July 28 to August 5

Royal Albert Hall, London www.bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on July 29

Road Show features the work of emerging young artists, writers, thinkers, musicians and acrobats and will celebrate the refurbishment of Exhibition Road. Each evening there is classical, contemporary, pop and folk music alongside a nightly ballroom where visitors are invited to dress up and dance for nights of tango, waltzes, jives, and Scottish reels and jigs. Live storytelling, board games from the V&A’s collection, and a variety of physical activities also take place during the show. See the Road Show website for more details.

The Aurora Orchestra will stage a programme devised in collaboration with the creators of Wallace and Gromit as part of the 2012 BBC Prom

season. The event will feature the first performance of Wallace’s My Concerto in Ee, Lad, along with the first showing of the Wallace and Gromit adventure A Matter of Loaf and Death with a live soundtrack. Begins at 3.30pm.

Jekka McVicar Waterperry Gardens, Nr. Wheatley, Oxfordshire OX33 1JZ www.waterperrygardens.co.uk 01844 337264 August 1 You may know her as the Queen of Herbs. Jekka McVicar brings her experience of 60 RHS Gold Medals to an expert talk, offering advice and tips on herb growing and use.

The Olympic Journey Royal Opera House, London www.theolympicjourney.co.uk July 28 to August 12 This unique exhibition tells the Olympic story through the endeavours of ancient and modern Olympians. The Olympic Journey: The Story of the Games is being staged at the Royal Opera House for the duration of the Olympic Games, and will include unique artefacts, animation, film and audio from The Olympic Museum in Lausanne being shown in London for the only time. It promises to be a highlight of the London 2012 Festival.

8 August 2012

PHOTO: EMT

Edinburgh Military Tattoo Castle Esplanade, Edinburgh www.edinburgh-tattoo.co.uk 0131 225 1188 August 3 to 25 A must if you’re in Scotland – or a splendid reason to visit there. In the year of Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond

Jubilee and the year of Creative Scotland, this annual event will be more spectacular than ever. Set against the backdrop of Edinburgh Castle with military bands and artists from around the world, massed Highland Dancers, drill teams and the haunting sound of the Lone Piper. (Also see our Edinburgh Fringe guide, p10-11).

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The American

Cowes Week Isle of Wight www.cowes.co.uk August 11 to 18

American Air Day Imperial War Museum Duxford, Cambridgeshire CB22 4QR www.iwm.org.uk/duxford August 17 United States Air Force aircraft will once again thrill crowds with an air and ground show at Duxford. With both ground and air displays, this family-friendly day will showcase the work, in particular, of the Third Air Force resident in the UK.

Kids Week Various, London www.kidsweek.co.uk August 1 to 31 Kids Week is returning this summer, bigger and better than ever before! Throughout August, any child aged 16 and under can go free to a participating show when accompanied by a full paying adult. You can also purchase up to two extra children’s tickets at half price. See website for available shows.

York Mystery Plays 2012 St Mary’s Abbey, York Museum Gardens, York www.yorkmysteryplays2012.com 01904 623568 August 2 to 27 The York Mystery Plays, a medieval cycle of plays which have been performed by the people of York for hundreds of years, will return to the city yet again this year, set against the magnificent backdrop of the St Mary’s Abbey. As well as a cast of professional actors, over 2,500 people will be involved in the staging of this production including over 1,500 local volunteers: two community ensemble casts, musicians, a choir and the crew. Telling the story of

10 August 2012

the cosmic battle between good and evil, from creation to the last judgement, the York Mystery Plays have been performed by the people of York for more than 800 years and are a world-famous part of the city’s cultural heritage.

Croft Nostalgia Weekend West Lane, Dalton on Tees, DL1 1PL www.croftcircuit.co.uk August 4 to 5 An air display from one of the most famous, evocative and best-loved airplanes in history, a World War Two Spitfire, will be part of this year’s Croft Nostalgia weekend. The weekend mixes a wartime theme with a classic car display featuring historic motor racing vehicles from the 1940s to the 1970s, alongside many other attractions.

One of the most famous sailing regattas, Cowes Week began as far back as 1826. With over 40 races per day and up to 1,000 boats, a must-see for sailing fans.

The Cotswolds Decorative Antiques & Fine Art Fair Westonbirt School, near Tetbury, Gloucestershire GL6 8QG www.cooperevents.com/westonbirt August 17 to 19 Decorative and desirable art and antiques from the past three centuries go on sale at The Cotswolds Decorative Antiques & Fine Art Fair. Westonbirt House plays host to the fair, which will see a wide choice of antiques originating from England, France, Russia, China, Japan and more.

Isle of Wight Garlic Festival Fighting Cocks Crossroads, Bathingbourne Lane, Sandown, Isle of Wight, PO36 0LU www.garlic-festival.co.uk 01983 741 510 August 18 to 19 In its 26th year, the Garlic Festival on the Isle of Wight promises to be a feast not only for the senses of taste and smell, but sight and sound too, with live bands, classic cars, and even a zoo.

World Pipe Band Championships

Race the Train

Glasgow, Scotland www.theworlds.co.uk 0141 353 8000 August 11

Tywyn, Mid Wales www.racethetrain.com August 18

The World Pipe Band Championships have been associated with Glasgow since 1948 and are a celebration of the best Scottish music, culture and dance.

Runners use public roads, lanes, unmetalled roads, tracks and farmland to race beside the Talyllyn Railway on its journey to Abergynolwyn. You can follow their efforts from the train.

The American

Co-Opera Co. Present Don Giovanni and Hansel and Gretel

Osborne House Private Beach Opening

John McIntosh Theatre, Seagrave Road, London SW6 1RX www.co-opera-co.org August 22 to 25

Osborne House, East Cowes, Isle of Wight, PO32 6JX www.english-heritage.org.uk 01983 20002 August 27 to 31

Co-Opera Co. provides aspiring artists with the chance to work with, and learn from, some of the most highly-regarded singers, conductors, directors, actors and choreographers in the opera world today. This summer, Co-Opera Co. will present two muchloved operas, Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, at the John McIntosh Theatre of the London Oratory School. Also watch out for a performance of Opera: The Musical, featuring American Katherine Blumenthal.

Bogsnorkelling Llanwrtyd Wells, Powys, mid Wales www.green-events.co.uk August 25 to 27 The Bogsnorkelling Triathlon, the World Bogsnorkelling Championships, and Mountain Bike Bogsnorkelling. Competitors racing along water-filled trenches in a peat bog - summer fun!

The Notting Hill Carnival Notting Hill, West London www.thenottinghillcarnival.com August 26 to 27 Held each August Bank Holiday since 1966, the Notting Hill Carnival is the largest festival celebration of its kind in Europe. Every year the streets of West London come alive, with the sounds, tastes and smells of Europe’s biggest street festival. Twenty miles of vibrant colourful costumes, over 40 static reggae sound systems, hundreds of Caribbean food stalls, 40,000 volunteers and over 1 million revellers.

Join in traditional Victorian seaside games on Queen Victoria’s private beach at the family house she chose to live in on the beautiful Isle of Wight, as it is opened to the public for the first time ever. Laugh out loud at an authentic reproduction of an 1850s Punch and Judy show, challenge the family to a mini-golf tournament or have a go at the hoopla stall. Activities run daily, but may vary throughout the period.

World Gravy Wrestling Competition Rose & Bowl Inn, Bacup, Rossendale, Lancashire www.worldgravywrestling.com 01706 879555 August 27 Teams slip and slide about in lukewarm gravy, with points won by pinning opponents down in the gravy. An interesting take on the traditional British Sunday Lunch. Take a camera - or maybe take part?

Without You – Anthony Rapp Menier Chocolate Factory, 53 Southwark Street, London, SE1 1RU www.menierchocolatefactory.com 020 7378 1713 August 29 to September 15 Anthony Rapp’s one man show explores his turbulent journey through life, from his experiences performing in the musical, Rent, to the illness and passing of his mother. Written by and starring Rapp, this touching performance is based on his best-selling memoir.

IMAGE COURTESY WORTHING COUNCIL

Worthing International Bird Man Competition Worthing Pier, West Sussex, BN11 www.worthingbirdman.co.uk August 18 to 19 A flight competition for humanpowered flying machines held in this picturesque seaside resort on England’s south coast. Many flyers take part to raise money for charities, others aim for the distance prizes. The event attracts international contestants including from the USA.

American Museum in Britain Claverton Manor, Bath BA2 7BD www.americanmuseum.org 01225 460503 Housed in Georgian splendor in a beautiful mansion near Bath, the American Museum in Britain is the only museum outside the U.S. to showcase the nation’s decorative arts. There are workshops, Quilting Bees every Tuesday, kids’ activities and special exhibitions. Particularly recommended by The American is By Way of These Eyes: The Hyland Collection of American Photography, a spectacular selection of works by U.S. photographers assembled by Christopher Hyland, one of today’s greatest art collectors (exhibited until 28 October). H

August 2012 11

The American

The Edinburgh Festival

FRINGE Bored of the Olympics? Maybe you’re in the wrong capital!

he ‘Festival’ (as you may hear people say) is not one but twelve Edinburgh festivals that began with the Science Festival in March, before June and July’s Film, Jazz and Blues Festivals. August brings the most well-known events, with the International Festival (classical music, theater, opera and dance), Book Festival, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo (see page 7), and the Festival Fringe. Here’s our pick of the Fringe, the largest arts festival in the world, famous for its stand up and comedy review shows, and attracting hundreds of American performers alone! These are just the tip of the iceberg, so for details about venues, dates, time and age classification (some shows are distinctly alternative), visit www.edfringe.com or for other festival details, www.edinburghfestivals.co.uk.

CABARET Movin’ Melvin: Me, Ray Charles and Sammy Davis Jr. – Singing, dancing, tap, and comedy. A festival favorite around the globe, Melvin has shared the stage with BB King, Stevie Wonder, and James Brown. Lady Rizo – The New York comedienne and chanteuse declared a ‘cabaret superstar’ by New York Magazine plunders pop songs from every decade in her ‘caburlesque’ show, in Edinburgh for the first time.

CHILDREN’S SHOWS For slightly older children, try The I Hate Children Children’s Show – ‘Magic for teens, tweens and hot soccer moms’, voted Best Children’s Show and one of the Top Ten Things at the Fringe in Fringe listing ThreeWeeks last year. Nicknaming himself the ‘bad magician’, the Hollywood Reporter describes Paul Nathan as ‘the best magician in LA’. Paul says “Children are a refreshing audience. They are noisy, have no attention span, and they carry disease.” ...What a charmer.

12 August 2012

US COMEDY/Stand Up From gags to diatribes to ‘an eveningwith’ informality, the Edinburgh Fringe attracts comedians from all over the globe. And especially the USA. If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere (oh, wait, that’s New York...) Adam Strauss: Varieties of Religious Experience – A show that will (they say) ‘statistically probably’ make

Henry Rollins

you laugh, award-winning New York stand-up Strauss will take you on a journey ‘through madness, love and redemption (with a side trip to pick up Chinese)’. Evolution and free will are also promised, together with a guarantee that this show will change your life (not necessarily for the better). Abigoliah Schamaun: Girl Going to Hell – There are four- and five-star reviews aplenty for Abigoliah, as she confesses the sins and transgressions of her life and asks your forgiveness (though not for the strong language). Oh, the introspection of it all. What we need is a psychotherapist. How about Taylor Glenn: Reverse Psycomedy – An American comic living in the UK, Taylor is a genuine former therapist who suspected she needed to change direction when she started practicing material on patients instead of therapy. Winner of the inaugural Welsh Unsigned StandUp Award 2010. If you haven’t heard of these other guys before, how about somebody a little more familiar, as you enjoy An Evening with David Hasselhoff Live – Media, song, dance and audience interaction accompany the legend’s trip from Knight Rider through Baywatch to the present day.

The legendary Black Flag frontman, actor, author, and Grammy award-winner brings his intense stream-of-social-consciousness stage presence to the Fringe for the fourth time in five years (all sell-outs). ‘It’s not stand-up comedy, more just story telling with laughs and the audience were in tears of laughter.’ (Daily Record). PHOTO: 1CEEDUB13

The American

Just the Tonic at The Caves is a venue with some kick when it comes to U.S. talent at the Fringe, with three of note (maybe more, but here are three we can fit in...). Denis Krasnov’s Hour of Intellectual Filth pretty well describes itself in the title, with some highbrow sweariness from the New York comedian (is anybody left in NYC this month?) covering ten years of Fringe shows! Body-parts will be mentioned ...as will Large Hadron Supercolliders. Eddie Pepitone’s Bloodbath features the ‘Bitter Buddha’, whose album A Great Stillness debuted in Billboard’s Comedy Top 10 following his appearance on Flight of the Conchords, Chappelle’s Show, Conan and more, often appearing in the guise the ‘New York City Heckler’. And no visit to Edinburgh would be complete without encountering a mime, though in this case, not a street mime but Billy The Mime (Cert 16+) – ‘Politically incorrect! Uncomfortably funny! Twisted! Chilling!’ (New York Times). If we just tell you that the routines include The Priest & The Altar Boy, Anna Nicole, Life & Death of Princess Diana, A Night in A Gay Bar 1979, and The African American Experience, you’ll get the the idea.

Mick Foley

BRITISH COMEDY

Patrick Coombs

Man 1, Bank 0

When Patrick Coombs is sent a fake $95,093.35 junk mail cheque, on a whim, he takes it to the bank. And it clears. This true story is about what happens next in the ‘David and Goliath’ story of man versus bank that we all want to hear. ‘This guy’s got star power’ (Variety). ‘Priceless’ (Time Out, New York).

American Girlfriend: Laura Levites Relationships are difficult enough, but after the turbulence of touring abroad and defending herself from anti-Americanism, Laura finds that the USA doesn’t want to let her British boyfriend in. What now? Boyfriend or country? ‘Her infectious enthusiasm will make you glad she found her way to Edinburgh’ (ThreeWeeks).

Mick Foley: Prisoner of Raw

He’s broken his jaw, nose (twice), six ribs, lost four front teeth, had over 300 stitches, written five New York Times best-selling books, and he’s even had his interview in The American. Now the WWE veteran offers up his entertaining ‘lessons-learned’ opinions on such things as sports entertainment, politics, pornography and world peace.

Aside from the U.S. talent in Scotland’s capital, there are many Britbased comics in Edinburgh, including some TV-familiar big hitters. Alan Davies (QI, Jonathan Creek) is back doing surreal and observational stand-up for the first time in a decade with his new show Life is Pain, after a sell-out tour of Australia. Marcus Brigstocke: The Brig Society drops in at Assembly Hall, Phill Jupitus (You’re Probably Wondering Why I’ve Asked You Here) is probably most familiar from Never Mind The Buzzcocks, while Sean Hughes is another comedy panel show veteran tackling the safe territory of Syria, religion, economics and race. ‘One of the best stand-ups of his generation’ (Telegraph). Meanwhile Stewart Lee – Carpet Remnant World brings Lee’s underlay-dry wit to the realities of middle-aged angst. ‘Marvellously funny’ (Observer). And there’s Greg Proops, who, last we checked, comes from San Francisco (...and Sean Hughes is Irish, by the way), but they’re British-based, so let’s not quibble. An hour of ‘vitriol and profanity, with breaks for pointed commentary’ is promised. And probably welcome. Prominent BBC radio voices are to be found in the comedic incarnations of Jo Caulfield, Sandi Toksvig (Danish via the USA), Shappi Khorsandi (Iran!) and Lloyd Langford. Critically-loved Andrew Lawrence – ‘One of the most significant comedians working in the country today’ (Independent), Lucy Porter, Simon Evans, and Juliet Meyers are all recommended. Also, seek out science-themed comedy Festival of the Spoken Nerd and My Stepson Stole My Sonic Screwdriver, Toby Hadoke’s follow-up to the Sony Award-nominated Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf.

August 2012 13

The American

THEATer Creators of previous Fringe successes Deepchurch Hollow, Slippery Rock Theatre present supernatural horror at the allegedly haunted Venue 45, with story The Barwell Prophecy, as two United States Homeland Security officers discover themselves trapped with ancient and malignant forces. Captain Ferguson’s School for Balloon Warfare is an historical multimedia solo show chronicling the titular U.S. Captain’s attempt to spy on Kaiser Wilhelm in a hot air balloon (‘at once, triumphant and tragic’ – New York Post). In Dead Man’s Cell Phone an incessant phone in a cafe provokes an insight into the strange world of modern technology, presented by two-time Fringe First winners, the Red Chair Players. Kristina Wong is Going Green the Wong Way in a comedy about environmental martyrdom and apathy (‘A hoot!’ – Miami Herald). Marshall University presents hilarious farce The Iliad, The Odyssey and All of Greek Mythology in 99 Minutes or Less. Shakespeare gets the hip-hop treatment courtesy of the Q Brothers in Othello – The Remix ...while Apocalypse or Bust (one of dozens of productions at the American High School Theatre Festival) sees the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse get lost in a maze of historical figures on the way to their big day.

The American’s resident thesp James Carroll Jordan is in The Intervention, a darkly humorous new play, with Phil Nichol and Jan Ravens at the Assembly Rooms. It’s already been rated the fourth must-see play out of fifty by several Scottish papers. It’s going into the Leicester Square Theatre, London in January. ‘Dizzyingly brilliant stuff’ (Scotsman).

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Re-Animator PHOTO © THOMAS HARGIS

MUSICALS Re-Animator The Musical

From the pen of American gothic horror genius H.P. Lovecraft, via the director of Re-Animator (the movie), Stuart Gordon, comes the story of Herbert West, a medical student with a serum that leaves his cadavers more than a little unsettled. Featuring George Wendt (Cheers), this tongue-in-cheek splatter-fest even includes a ‘Splash Zone’ for those who want be a little closer to the action. A must, surely! Displaying the range of musicals available: Clinton the Musical, in which two president Bill Clintons upend each other’s plans, as success, scandal, and songs ensue; Assassins, an historical folk musical from the Princeton University Players, looking at famous assassins and not-so-famous failed assassins, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; while the Group Infinity Rep Theatre (New York) present Mod, an original musical comedy themed on the British pop scene of the early 60s, as Rory, a teenager in 1964 small-town America, has ambitions to become the fifth Beatle. ‘Rock’n’roll has never been so funny’ (ThreeWeeks).

MUSIC Music from all three corners of the globe – America, England and Scotland. Our U.S. sample includes hit-making songsmith Dean Friedman’s evening of powerful and funny songs from his three-decade career – ‘An amazing talent!’ (Sun); fellow singer-songwriter Stuart McNair, with a southern folk music style influenced by Cajun music, bluegrass, blues, and country; and classical pianist Sid Samberg. The bizarre pairing of Squeeze lyricist Chris Difford and Red Dwarf comedian Norman Lovett is amongst England’s representatives, as is astonishing human beatbox Shlomo in Ministry of Mouth; Wendy Carle Taylor in Angels and Demons, a mix of Scots, Irish, French, American songs (‘Wonderful voice!’ – Mike Harding, BBC Radio 2); while Scotland offers the fiddle and voice of Elsa Jean McTaggart; Songs of Struggle, as some of Scotland’s finest singers mark Woody Guthrie’s centenary; BBC Proms veterans Blazin’ Fiddles at the Brunton Theatre; the Caledonian Folk and Blues at the Guildford Arms, a 4-hour extravaganza of free pub music; and the streetwise bagpipes of the Red Hot Chilli Pipers (see July’s issue of The American). H

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The American

The First US Olympians T

he Olympics are upon us: slick, corporate, expensive and, despite words to the contrary, elite. A good time, then, to remind ourselves of the first Olympic Games revival, held in the Spring of 1896, in Athens. From an American point of view, of course! Despite hype throughout 1895 about the Frenchman Baron Pierre de Coubertin’s forthcoming revival of the ancient Greek Olympic games, there was little American interest until a joking remark by a member of the Boston Athletic Association at their January 1896 annual indoor track meet at Mechanic’s Hall. 23 year old Arthur Blake had just won the hotly contested 1,000 yards in a very good time. Another club member and friend of Blake’s, stockbroker Arthur Burnham, congratulated him on his win, and Blake laughingly answered, “Oh, I’m too good for Boston. I ought to go over and run the Marathon at Athens, in the Olympic

It is 1896, and the Boston Athletic Association is about to go global in the first modern Olympic Games games.” Mr. Burnham looked at him for a moment in silence and then asked, “Would you really go, if you had the chance?” “Would I!” replied Blake, with alacrity. Within a month it was arranged. The team of mostly Harvard men was to consist of five: T. E. Burke for the 100 and 400 meters, Blake for the mile and the Marathon, W. W. Hoyt for the pole vault, T. P. Curtis for the 100 meters and the hurdles, and Ellery Clark for the high and broad jumps. John Graham, the Boston Athletic Association trainer, with his innovative training ideas, was in charge of the team. Some of the other sporting powerhouses, most notably the BAA’s arch rival from New York, declined to participate. The New York The 1896 Olympic Team IMAGE COURTESY OF BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION ARCHIVES

16 August 2012

Athletic Club had just defeated the London AC in an epic track meet in New York the previous fall. Beating the Brits in front of thousands of fans was big, and the general view was, who cared about some silly, shoestring-budget event in far-off Athens? “The American amateur sportsman in general should know that in going to Athens he is taking an expensive journey to a third rate capital where he will be devoured by fleas,” sniffed the New York Times. The other members of the BAA who decided to compete in 1896 were not track athletes: John Paine and his brother Sumner were club members. When he heard about the other athletes heading to Athens, John, a crack pistol shot, decided to go and compete in the shooting events. He traveled separately from the others, via Paris, where Sumner was working for a gunsmith, and persuaded his brother to accompany him to Athens. In the meantime a friend of Coubertin’s, Professor William Sloane, championed the idea at Princeton University. (Sloane served on the International Olympic Committee from 1894 to 1924, and was the founder and first president of the United States Olympic Committee.) Princeton decided to send a team of four men, Garrett, Tyler, Lane and Jamison, and James B. Connolly, subsequently known as a writer, took the trip upon his own account, representing the Suffolk Athletic Club,

The American

and traveling in company with the team from the BAA. Connolly was told that if he went to the Olympics, he would lose his place at Harvard, and have to re-apply. He went anyway, but didn’t re-apply! They boarded the steamship Fulda in New York, training every afternoon by sprinting, hurdling and jumping on the lower deck in rubber-soled shoes (the captain banned their spike shoes). Landing in Gibraltar they rushed to the running track for their last serious practice, before sailing on to Naples, then overland to Brindisi, boat to Patras and overland by train to Athens. It had taken them 16 days, and the games started the next day. The athletes wanted to check into their hotel (no Olympic Village then, teams had to sort out their own accommodation) and rest before the big day, but the streets were thronged with people, a brass band played, banners waved above the crowd – blue and gold for the Boston Athletic Association, orange and black for Princeton – and they were marched off in procession to an official building, where they were welcomed with long speeches in Greek, a party, and plenty of champagne. The locals couldn’t understand why they wouldn’t drink. Training – what was that?! They didn’t arrive at The Angleterre, their hotel, until late at night. Next morning, as they left their hotel, they had no idea what to expect, but as they made their way through the streaming crowds to the entrance, the magnitude of the whole affair began to dawn upon them. Every one of the sixty thousand seats was occupied, with more people standing in crowds upon the surrounding hills. Samaras, the Greek composer, led the musicians in his majestic Overture to the Olympic

The 1896 Olympic team fly the flag on the Athenian steps IMAGE COURTESY OF BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION ARCHIVES

Games and the King, accompanied by the royal family, formally opened the Olympic games of 1896. The sound of a trumpet announced the first event – the trial heats in the 100-meter run. The contestants filed onto the track, representatives of a dozen different nations. Three Americans, Curtis, Burke and Lane took their places and the rest of the team who weren’t competing that day sat in the Panathinaiko with the spectators. Curtis leaped into the lead, the blue and gold unicorn of the BAA on his vest. He held his gain, increased it, and crossed the line, a winner with plenty to spare. A moment later the Stars and Stripes were flying from the tall flagpole at the stadium entrance. Forgetting they were in a country where college cheering was unknown, the American BAA members jumped up and did their BAA cheer. People turned to stare at first, but it soon caught on and they were fêted throughout their time in Athens. The American team won 11 firstplace track-and-field medals (they were silver not gold), with BAA gaining 6 of them. Connolly’s trip was worth it when he won the hop, step and jump (triple jump). In the hurdles Curtis defeated Golding by

inches in, it is said, the most exciting finish of the games. John and Sumner Paine became the first siblings to finish first and second in the same event (Military Pistols). In order to avoid embarrassing their hosts, the brothers decided that only one of them would compete in the next pistol event, the free pistol. Sumner Paine won that event, thereby becoming the first relative of an Olympic champion to become Olympic champion himself. Perhaps the team’s most lasting contribution was what they brought back. The entire squad was in the Olympic stadium to watch the finish of the marathon, the final event of the 1896 Games and the highlight for the Greeks, won by their compatriot Spyridon Louis. The Americans were so impressed by the drama of this event they came home with the idea of staging a similar long-distance running race in the U.S. The BAA coach Graham and Tom Burke, who had won the 100 and the 400 meters in Athens, spearheaded the effort. A year later, in April 1897, the first BAA Marathon was held. Now known as the Boston Marathon, the race attracts 25,000 participants a year and is one of the country’s longestrunning annual sports events. H

August 2012 17

The American

The Summer of ’82 Claire Gillian recalls a happy working holiday, serving Chicago Ribs in the heart of London

hirty years is longer than many people have been alive. Yet I carry memories that old that are as vivid as those of a much more recent vintage. I was fresh out of college with a thirst for adventure despite having mapped out a career in the thrill-seeking world of public accounting (haha). My final semester in college, I saw a sign advertising a ‘Work in Britain’ program sponsored by British Universities North America Club (BUNAC). Ever the anglophile, I sold my parents on the idea, and one of my college friends decided to join me. We booked our round trip tickets to London, leaving in May with a return date at the end of August. Finals completed, and my career job set to start after Labor Day, we skipped the graduation ceremonies and jetted to Gatwick.

18 August 2012

Once in London, we found a crummy hostel in a nice part of the city. After allowing a day to get over our jet lag, we started job searching. Neither of us had any notion of where to look for work other than what was in the BUNAC handbook, that suggested several common occupations: Au pair (no thanks) Farmer (black thumb, nuh-uh) Restaurant (possibly) Hotel (chamber maid…if I had to) Retail (had experience here) Other (I had clerical skills so maybe) We purchased newspapers and visited the BUNAC offices for ideas about where to hunt – no internet back then! The BUNAC staff were very helpful, and I vaguely remember one of the workers being jaw-droppingly handsome and nice. I stayed a long time pestering him **wink**. Between the materials I’d been mailed and the resources and counseling at the BUNAC office, I was able to tame my anxiety. My friend and I strategized on where we would look and what we would do once we split up the next day. We both knew if we didn’t find jobs, we’d run out of money before our scheduled return date. For me, spending a hundred dollars or more to catch an earlier flight was not an option. My friend, however, had different ideas. After that first day she informed me that she would be returning to the U.S. as soon as she’d depleted her funds. Seems she had left behind an “almost” boyfriend and wanted to be with him and not in London.

In a sense, her decision fortified me with more determination to succeed, to not return home early, defeated. I was 21. I needed to stand on my own two feet, to prove I could do it. I called restaurants. I called the BBC about clerical jobs (because I watched the BBC at home). I called business offices. I pounded the sidewalks of Piccadilly, Knightsbridge, Oxford Street and many others looking for ‘Help Wanted’ advertisements in windows. I lined up interviews that went nowhere until my interview at The Chicago Rib Shack in Knightsbridge. I had an edge being and looking very American – curly auburn hair, freckles and a southern accent. My real edge, however, came from my alma mater. The owner of the restaurant, Bob Payton, was an alumnus of my university. Networking for the win! Bob hired me as a hostess – meeting, greeting and seating. One week of discipline and determination was all it took me to land that job. That would be an amazing feat even in my own country. My start date was set for a week later, so my friend and I travelled throughout England and the western part of Scotland in the interim. When we returned, we moved to a nicer boarding house (thank you Girls’ Friendly Society and Mrs. Say), registered with the Police as a resident alien, and got my job approved by the government – all requirements that seemed a bit daunting in concept but not so bad once accomplished. From the start, I loved working at the Rib Shack. Most of my co-workers

The American

were about my age and several, like me, were foreigners. My co-host was Canadian. One waitress was Danish, another South African, and I remember a Spaniard in the kitchen. The natives embraced me as one of their own, even sticking up for me when a taxi driver threw a snit because I wasn’t sure of the directions to my boarding house. The restaurant typically footed the bill for us to split cabs home if our shifts ran extra late. My co-workers and I often went to wine bars after shifts then on to breakfast. I remember walking the short distance home at dawn at least twice. During the day, if I worked the dinner shift, my co-host and I gallivanted around London, giggling and spying on his boyfriend who worked at Vidal Sassoon. Other days, I explored the sights and museums of London. My biggest fear was the constant threat of terrorism by the IRA. Their attacks were random, frequent and close. The ever-present threat they posed, memorialized by warning signs everywhere and newspaper reports, had no counterpart in my innocent pre-9/11 world. After that, classconsciousness probably disturbed me the most. If nobility came into the restaurant, they were moved to the top of the queue whether they had a reservation or not. That galled me. 1982 was the summer Prince William was born. I remember when Princess Diana went into labor. The entire country, if not the world, held vigil. After the birth, I happened to catch the royal family on their way to William’s christening. I cheered and drank the champagne that one of the nearby hotels passed out to the crowd. Though many groan today at all things eighties, I loved the music of that decade and still do, especially the UK variety I discovered that summer: Yazoo [Yaz in the U.S.], Madness, ABC,

Bananarama, Bow Wow Wow, Adam and the Ants, many of whom, like huge favorites Tears for Fears and Talk Talk, hadn’t yet made it big in America. The afternoon my co-worker crush came bebopping into the restaurant with Roxy Music’s Avalon album (yes, gasp, vinyl!) was a dark day, however. Knowing he had a date after his shift ended and planned on playing that album confirmed he was definitely off the market. I mean, that was / is some serious seduction music! No summer romance for me, alas. I managed to save a little money and quit my job two weeks before my flight home. For the first week, I went to shows, one every day. I used my International student ID to get bargains on last minute open seats, and they were usually the best ones in the house, better than any I’d have been able to afford had I not been a student. I think I paid five pounds for many of the tickets. My final week, I headed north on a one-week coach pass. I had already been to Glasgow, so for my second visit to Scotland, I headed to Edinburgh in time for the Tattoo. I visited many other cities and met so many wonderful and interesting people – on the coaches, at Youth Hostels, at bed and breakfasts, in public parks and museums. When I finally flew home in August, I was ready to bid London farewell and to see family and friends, who were wonderful about writing me. I wish

we’d had Skype and Facebook and email back then. Letters often took a week or longer to travel. I missed everyone terribly. I also missed peanut butter and really cold Diet Cokes and water with lots of ice in restaurants. But the trade I made during those three months was so worth it. My summer in London remains one of the best if not THE best summer of my life. The chance to learn just how resilient and self-sufficient I could be at the precipice to adulthood was truly a lifealtering one. H Interested in following in Claire’s footsteps? BUNAC’s new Intern in Britain program gives American students and recent graduates a chance to experience British life and culture from the inside, while gaining paid workplace experience for up to 6 months, with BUNAC offering visa sponsorship and processing assistance. For more information, visit www.bunac.org/usa/ interninbritain/

August 2012 19

The American

NEW TO THE UK? 5 SUGGESTIONS (...if you want to be appreciated by the British) Carol Madison Graham has advice for getting out there and immersing yourself in British culture

Assume you are in a Foreign Culture

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Americans and Britons moving to each other’s country often fail to grasp that they are living in a foreign culture. We assume we have the same set up but in reality it only appears that way. Attitudes to government, religion, social mobility through education and local versus national politics are four major areas where our cultures and historical experience dramatically diverge. Americans expect presidents to say “God bless America” but the British find that sort of statement off-putting. The Mayor of London has nowhere near the power of the Mayor of New York City. There are interesting stories behind these and thousands of other differences in our societies but it is easy to miss them if you assume that our accents are the only difference. To really appreciate Britain it’s best to approach the culture as you would Japan: carefully, respectfully, noticing similarities but expecting difference. Assume the culture is foreign and you will discover how fascinating it really is.

20 August 2012

S eek out Majority British environments!

Thousands of Americans work and live in cities across the UK. It is not unusual to go into a store in Oxford or a restaurant in Edinburgh and realize that the person serving you sounds like you – or like someone else from outside of the UK. If you came to Britain with the express purpose of having a British experience, you need to seek out British people. Places of worship are good places to start. They have the advantage of being places where visitors are very welcome and you will find friendly smiles over coffee after the service. Volunteering is another way of meeting people and becoming part of a British group. To find volunteer positions look at websites like www. volunteering.org.uk. You can also google your local council. Many council websites advertise temporary volunteer work for festivals and the like. Newspapers are another source of information on volunteering, particularly the Wednesday Guardian which is also online.

If you like sports, join a local sports team or get into the habit of going along and watching the games. Soon you will be one of the regulars, chatting with your fellow supporters who will appreciate that you have taken an interest. Another way to meet British people is to take a class. Many people make friends through learning or improve a skill while they are overseas. Local knitting shops often hold or advertise classes and, despite the stereotype about British monolingualism, many British people take language classes. When I took a crash course in Spanish at the Instituto Cervantes, I was the only non Brit and I thoroughly enjoyed speaking with my classmates at break time. Finally, there are community theatres. Naturally, the British frequent the main theatre districts but in London it’s no secret that the many plays and musicals cater to the tourist trade, especially Americans. There are excellent community theatres all over the UK, performing classics as well as modern plays about British society – a bonus. And you may recognize some of the actors from film and television.

The American

Not the West End: Joely Richardson at the Rose Theatre, Kingston, Surrey.

Betty’s famous tea rooms of York and Harrogate

IMAGE COURTESY OF BETTY’S

Take trips elsewhere in the UK (before going to Paris)

Many Americans visiting the UK find that after the initial excitement it feels a little too much like home – especially if they have not heeded suggestion one! The stores contain very similar products, the cinemas are mainly Hollywood films, the British accents soon sound normal, and of course many spend more time Skyping than discovering. As a result, they quickly lose the thrill that comes from adjusting to a foreign society. So they set off for Paris – like typical tourists. By all means visit other places but imagine a visitor to the U.S. running off to Mexico for something different when they had only seen Manhattan! This is a very beautiful country and there is a tremendous amount of diverse scenery, history and even language crammed into a short amount of travel time. A few hours on the train and you are in an entirely different environment trying to understand what people are saying all over again. Once you have begun exploring English villages, cathedral towns, Scottish highlands, Welsh castles and cities like Liverpool and Edinburgh you will want to see more and more. So before you hit Dalloyau in Paris, I recommend afternoon tea at Betty’s in York.

Learn about Britain post 1945

One reason Americans and Brits sometimes misunderstand each other is the knowledge gaps we possess. Americans learn something of British history for the simple reason that some of their history is ours as well. But the UK tends to drop out of U.S. textbooks by 1945. The British on the other hand learn very little about American history in school but our contemporary culture is constantly in the media as are U.S. national politics, so they know a fair amount about contemporary U.S. culture. I used to tell British Fulbright scholars on their way to the States that this lopsided state of affairs meant that “we think you live in the past, and you think we don’t have one.” The British do not live in the past but (like all of us) have to deal with its legacy. Major changes in how their society and politics were organized occurred post-1945 when the party of Winston Churchill left office. The postwar period is more germaine to present day British society than the medieval period or the pre-war era of the costume dramas we are all so fond of. The more you learn about post-war Britain, the more interesting the media stories will be and the more interesting

questions you will have for the British friends you will meet. In fact, the more interesting your questions, the more likely you are to attract friends.

Don’t be self-conscious about being an American

Although there is anti-American feeling in Britain there is pro-American feeling as well. Having said that, there is no question that once you speak, many people are sizing you up. What sort of Americans are British people a little wary of? The kind who think Britain is just like the U.S., who ignore the big issues in their society, who think of the UK purely as a base to go to the continent and who make no effort to integrate into the community. In other words, if you follow the first four suggestions you will not need to worry about number 5. H Carol Madison Graham has worked for the U.S. Diplomatic Service, and after moving to Britain was appointed executive director of the U.S.-UK Fulbright Commission. She writes a blog with ideas for enriching study and living abroad at www.engageabroad.com

August 2012 21

Art s choice The American

by Richard L Gale

his being Summer, with the emphasis on the great outdoors, August’s Arts Choice is a ‘last chance to catch...’ of summer exhibitions, many of them outdoors, before the cold(er) weather of the Fall sends us scurrying to the warmer environs of the galleries.

Philip Haas: The Four Seasons, and Andy Warhol: The Portfolios Dulwich Picture Gallery, London SE21 7AD To September 16

Portfolios of Andy Warhol’s silk-screen art – 80 works from the Bank of America Collection, including established favorites such as iconic depictions of Muhammad Ali and Marilyn Monroe – may be the headline act at England’s Oldest Gallery at present, but you’d be forgiven for making a bee-line for the Dulwich Gallery’s garden, where another American artist brings no less color to the occasion. Philip Haas, perhaps as famous for his film installations, has created four

fifteen-foot sculptures that draw on 16th century paintings by Giuseppe Arcimboldo to present each of the seasons in monumental composite heads of natural form, all the more surreal in their modern interpretation for stepping beyond the canvas and into the real world, playful and totemic in equal measure. The first of the seasons, Winter, was created in 2010, and exhibited at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., then in Milan and Versailles. However, Spring, Summer and Autumn were completed in London and appear here at the Dulwich for the first time.

Bruce Beasley

Pangolin London, N1 9AG. To August 25 More sculpture of impressive size – or in this case, mass – as the first major solo show of American modernist abstract sculptor Bruce Beasley since 1995 concludes this month. Beasley’s Philip Haas: The Four Seasons © DULWICH PICTURE GALLERY

Bruce Beasley, Knight’s Gambit II, cast bronze with patina

pleasing geometric intersections have been resident at MoMA New York since the ‘60s, and his union of cubist aesthetics of form and gravity-defying structure are well-represented here. If you haven’t visited Pangolin London before, this is a great opportunity to become acquainted with the gallery and its associated foundry.

Gallaccio, Goldsworthy, Kovats: New Commissions at Jupiter Artland Bonnington House, Kirknewton, City of Edinburgh EH27

If you’re heading to Edinburgh for the Festival or Fringe (see page 12), check out new installations by three world class artists now joining the landscape of Jupiter Artland. Southern Californiabased Scottish artist Anya Gallaccio has installed Light Shines Out of Me, a three-square-metre underground folly of amethyst and obsidian designed as a sanctuary of peace. Andy Goldsworthy’s Coppice Room, his fourth and final contribution at Jupiter Artland is similarly enclosing, though claustrophobically so, a dense forest of vertical boles, dark and primal, inviting one to retreat to the light. Where Gallaccio’s element is rock, and Goldsworthy’s wood, Tania Kovats’ Rivers celebrates the diversity of water, 100 British river specimens – snapshots of moving liquid – trapped inside museum jars and displayed inside a boathouse next to a lake.

The American

Jock McFadyen and Horseshoe Jake in front of Popular Enclosure, Jock’s 2005 painting of Walthamstow Dog Track, where Jake once raced © THE ARTIST.

Jeremy Deller’s inflatable Stonehenge, Sacrilege PHOTO © LONDON 2012

Made in Hackney – Jock McFadyen

Art and the Olympics

The Fleming Collection, 13 Berkeley Street, London W1 To 17 October 2012 It is the art rather than the artist, which is made in Hackney (McFadyen is Scottish-born, yet educated in Chelsea), but many of the images in this exhibition portray urban scenes familiar or lost to Londoners, including Tate Moss, an image of a building since destroyed to make way for the Olympic Stadium, and Walthamstow Dog Track, a little-regarded regional sporting and cultural icon which tragically closed in 2008. Scottish bays and French supermarkets also feature in McFadyen’s broad vistas, which elevate the humdrum and overlooked to a quiet reverence traditionally reserved for more pastoral scenes.

gardener with the wind-up false teeth in The Beatles’ Help. This exhibition, cocurated by Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller and art historian Professor David Alan Mellor, and supported by the Henry Moore Foundation, covers his theatrical performances, installations, kinetic automatons (including Rosa Bosom, who won the ‘Alternative Miss World’ in 1985), ephemeral sculpture, and painting. The Bruce Lacey Experience will tour to The Exchange Gallery in Penzance in October.

The Bruce Lacey Experience

Camden Arts Centre, London NW3 6DG www.camdenartscentre.org To 16 September 2012 Bruce Lacey’s love of the mechanical is peculiarly British in tone, as visionary as Heath Robinson yet clinging to the aesthetic curve rather than the straight-line practicality of fellow boffin eccentric Wilf Lunn. Perhaps for this reason, international recognition has rarely gone further than ‘that

Bruce Lacey, Rosa Bosom PHOTO: STUART ROBINSON © UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX

Whether through the support of the wider cultural event that is London 2012, or merely through happy coincidence, there are more than a few installations and events connected (however tenuously) to the Olympic Games. The five interlocking rings of Anish Kapoor’s towering ArcelorMittal Orbit – taller than the Statue of Liberty, and located outside the Olympic stadium – will be a familiar sight during the sporting spectacular, despite not being universally applauded. During July at least, fellow Turner winner Jeremy Deller’s inflatable Stonehenge, Sacrilege, was stealing the column inches with its touring tonguein-cheek opportunity for people to bounce around a scale model of one of England’s most beloved monuments. Other than a weekend pause at the Olympic site, it’s hard to quantify the connection between the sporting event and our prehistoric henge, but what it lacks in artistic expression, it more than makes up for in sheer fun. More tangibly relevant is the latest of Nic Fiddian-Green’s neo-classical horse-head sculptures, a 10 foot version of his Horse At Water, which will be on display at the Equestrian Arena at Greenwich during the London Olympics – possibly the most fitting location yet for variations of the sculpture. Fiddian-Green’s equestrian works,

The American

inspired by the Elgin Marbles’ Great Horse of Selene, are already owned by the likes of Russell Crowe, JK Rowling, and Tom Cruise (at least for now), as well as outside the National Sporting Library and Museum in Middleburg, Virginia. A 35 foot version, close in scale to the version readers may have spied near Marble Arch in London, will be shipped to Philadelphia’s thoroughbred racecourse later in the year (... and cue the Filly/Philly puns). Finally, there is Secrets: Hidden London – Nothing Is Set In Stone, a stone sound-sculpture created with composer Mira Calix to be found at Fairlop Waters nature reserve and country park, Redbridge, London until September 9. Calix’ composition is activated – never in its entirety – in sections depending on the approach of visitors to the composite gneiss obelisk. Calix cites the words of Heraclitus as an influence on the work: “Everything changes and nothing remains still... you cannot step twice into the same stream”.

Art Apps and Online Catalogues

Below: Mira Calix, Nothing Is Set In Stone, stone sound-sculpture.

Exploring biography and unconsciousness, John Goto’s exhibition of photography is inspired by the life and

PHOTO BY SEBASTIAN KITE © MIRA CALIX

Pen, Paints & Pixels

Dove Cottage, Grasmere, Cumbria www.wordsworth.org.uk The extent to which mobile apps can enhance public enjoyment of art is demonstrated by the release of a mobile app for visitors to the Lake District. The Wordsworth Trust’s Pen, Paints & Pixels exhibition presents visitors with Thomas Gray’s 1769 account of a tour of Cumbria; John R Murray’s digital photography, and Joseph Farington’s watercolors and sketches. Now, using GPS technology and a mobile app built with assistance from the Yale Center for British Art in Connecticut, visitors with mobile devices can take words and pictures from the exhibition outdoors to witness how locations have changed.

John Goto: Dreams of Jelly Roll

Freud Museum, 20 Maresfield Gardens, London NW3 to 16 September 2012

JW Waterhouse by William Logsdail, c. 1887 © NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, LONDON

dreams of the ‘founding father of Jazz’. Additionally, Goto’s House of Dreams, Augmented Reality installation uses the Layar app to overlay figures from Jelly Roll Morton’s dreams onto a visitor’s smartphone views of the location.

JW Waterhouse among sitters at NPG’s first online catalogue

Finally, the National Portrait Gallery has launched its first online catalogue, (www.npg.org.uk/lvc), featuring hundreds of portraits from the late Victorian era. Among the subjects are JW Waterhouse, Beardsley, Holman Hunt, Leighton, Morris, Ruskin and Whistler.

Watercolour of Brathay Bridge by Joseph Farington – part of Pen, Paint & Pixels. PHOTO: RICHARD CASPOLE © YALE CENTER FOR BRITISH ART, 2009

The American

Coffee Break OLYMPIC QUIZ 1 W here were the ancient Games held? (place and country) 2 I n which year were the first Olympic Games held? 3 I n honour of which Greek god were the Games held? 4 N ame the five events which made up the ancient Olympic Pentathlon 5 W hat did winners receive as prizes at the ancient Olympics? 6 I n which Olympic sport are all the events open to both men and women? 7 I f you have a beard, which Olympics sport would you be barred from? 8 I n 1988 which athlete was disqualified after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs, and who was awarded the mens’ 100 metres gold medal because of this? 9 H ow long is an Olympic sized swimming pool? 10 W hen was the first Paralympics held? 11 L ondon is the location of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games (you may have noticed), but where will the 2016 Olympics be held? (see photo for clue)

At which Olympics (place and year) did these famous events take place? (Clue: they’re in chronological order.) 12 T he USA were beaten by the USSR in the men’s Basketball final. The USA thought they had won, but confusion surrounding a late time-out enabled Russia to grab a lastminute win. 13 N adia Comăneci of Romania scored seven perfect 10s in women’s Gymnastics – a perfect 10 had never been awarded before at the Olympics.

And the site of the 2016 Olympic Games is...?

14 C arl Lewis, of the United States, won the 100m, 200m, 4x100m Relay and Long Jump. 15 A merican Greg Louganis won gold in the men’s 3m Springboard and 10m High Board Diving events, despite hitting his head on the diving board in the heats. 16 M ichael Johnson won the 200m and 400m sprints, the only man in history to do so. 17 J amaican Usain Bolt started celebrating before crossing the line but still won the men’s 100m sprint in the record-breaking time of 9.69 seconds.

6 9

1 7 8

6 9

1 4

8 1

9 3

Answers to Coffee Break Quiz & Sudoku on page 65

August 2012 25

The American

hen we first moved to London in the 1980s, the Guinea Grill was one of my late husband’s favourite restaurants. Unlike now, finding a great steak was difficult and this (and one other restaurant) was where we dined whenever he wanted his ‘steak fix’. Originally a pub in the 1750s for the servants of the wealthy gentry, the premises were taken over by Young’s Brewery in 1888, after which it slowly gained a more upmarket clientele. In 1952 Young’s added a steak menu and soon had celebrities like Princess Margaret, Sophia Loren, Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton as regular clients. There is a kind of public (private) school atmosphere, the reason, I suspect, that then and now one finds twice as many men as women sitting in the various dining rooms. Still, I’ve been there a second time since a media dinner in May, and though the steaks aren’t quite as good as some steak houses in London, I am returning for a third time with a male friend from the States very soon. It is a traditional pub with no TV or music and wooden walls decorated with tartan and hunting prints. There

26 August 2012

DINING OUT AT

The Guinea Grill is a basic bar which spills out onto the sidewalk on warm or non-rainy nights. On entering, you pass a display of refrigerated meat and a chef working diligently at the grill. The meat is no longer hanging as it once did – possibly because of stricter health regulations – which I rather miss. The wood panelled rooms behind the pub have white cloth tables and jacket-and-tie-clad waiters who revive memories each time I dine there. There is a 28-seat private dining room on the second floor. Paying homage to the past, I enjoyed Scottish smoked salmon each time I’ve been there. Few restaurants in London have better smoked salmon. My friend, who lives in the States but went to an English boarding school, decided on steak and kidney pie (£14.95), possibly my least favourite English dish, as his first course. He said the suet crust was as good as his Scottish grandmother made. The Guinea Grill specialises in grass-fed Aberdeenshire cattle, dry-aged specially for them by their butcher. My friend had a 12 ounce sirloin steak (£31.00) while I chose Dover sole (£33.50). My sole was perfectly grilled and deboned and worth returning for, but my friend said his steak came under the heading of “good”.

Restaurants reviewed by Virginia E Schultz

With both we had baked potatoes with sour cream and chives (£4.00) and shared a green salad (£6.00). The summer pudding had far too much bread and not enough fruit. However, my friend’s sticky toffee pudding was excellent and if he hadn’t wanted to end with the cheese course would have ordered a second helping. The cheese board (£8.70) was lovely and I couldn’t help trying out a number of the cheeses. With the wine we enjoyed with our meal plus a glass of champagne outside when we first arrived, his port with the cheese course, and coffee at the end of the meal, the bill came to £195.00 for two with tip. Expensive, yes, but this is Mayfair and if you ate and drank as well as we did, one unfortunately should expect it. The best bet is to order steak or smoked salmon with a glass of wine in the pub and just enjoy the atmosphere. Either that, or go there at lunch during the week when prices are slightly lower.

The Guinea Grill 30 Bruton Place, London W1J 6NL Telephone: 020 7409 1728

he last time I was in Portsmouth I sailed there with my late husband. The city is mainly located on Portsea Island, making it England’s only island city, and is home to the world’s oldest dry dock still in use, as well as the home to famous ships such as Henry VIII’s Mary Rose and Lord Nelson’s flagship, HMS Victory. We enjoyed our visits and even considered buying Lord Nelson’s brother’s house. Knowing how difficult traffic can be, especially on weekends, I left late Friday night in order to avoid traffic and stayed at the Portsmouth Marriott Hotel. I tried to stay at a guest house and a country house hotel, but they were already booked for the weekend. No complaints about the Marriott, with clean rooms, a pool as well as exercise facilities, and a location close to the Spinnaker Tower and historic Naval Dockyard. I noted at breakfast that the staff were extremely patient and helpful with both toddlers or teenagers. Prices are also reasonable. 2012 marks the bicentenary of Charles Dickens’ birth in Portsmouth and I found visiting the middle class house where he was born exceptionally interesting. His good fortune ended when he was nine and his father, the inspiration for Mr. Micawber in David Copperfield, was imprisoned for bad debts. Still, as our guide pointed out, without his three years working in appalling and lonely conditions in Warren’s blacking factory, Dickens might not have become one of the greatest English writers. After visiting Dickens’ birthplace, I made my way to the The Wellington, located beside

the Anglican cathedral and the old walls in Portsmouth where I was meeting former sailing friends, Charles and June. As we entered, Charles ran into an old school friend from his days at Rugby, who informed us the food improved considerably since a bad review in December. The prices were certainly reasonable with the Sunday roast starting at £12. Charles and I ordered the roast while June decided on the locally caught fish of the day. Charles’ beef came bloody rare as he asked, but my medium rare had to be returned for being far too well done (...much apologies, as it appeared there was a mix up in the kitchen and I had someone else’s order). June’s fish arrived in what appeared to be a parsley sauce, which she scraped off. It was, however, beautifully cooked... just forget the sauce. Sadly, my friends were almost finished by the time my roast arrived, again to apologies. The fresh vegetables came somewhat overcooked for my taste, but perfect as far as June and Charles were concerned. The dessert of fruit crumble as well as the ice cream were quite good and the bottle of Australian Shiraz lovely. Charles had ale – real ale as he emphasized – which he thoroughly enjoyed. With drinks, food including starters, dessert, vat and tip, our bill came to a little under £80. All in all I’d describe the food as tasty if not overexciting, but I wouldn’t hesitate to go again.

The Wellington 62 High Street, Portsmouth PO1 2LY wellingtonoldportsmouth.co.uk, 023 9281 8965

THE WELLINGTON

August 2012 27

The American

Fernandez & Wells Cafe Bar I

often stop in Fernandez & Wells on Lexington Street when I’m in London W1. It sells about the best charcuterie and sherry in London. Sometimes I grab a bite there, but mostly I take my food purchases home to enjoy later with friends. It was why I became excited when my friend, Rosemary Wells, whose son is the second name listed, invited me to join her for lunch at their newly opened shop in Somerset House. Somerset House was built as a grand riverside palace by Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, but his execution for treason in 1552 had the unfinished palace taken over by the crown. Since then, it has witnessed The Treaty of London signed in 1604, Oliver Cromwell’s effigy laying in state for weeks after his death, providing grace and favour apartments for indigent friends and relatives of the monarchy, and the French ambassador, who held a series of grand masquerades in what was then a crumbling building. When the crown finally relinquished old Somerset House to the government in 1774, George III reserved the right to have space in the new building for the Royal Academy of Arts, the Royal Society and the Society of Antiquaries. However, the core of today’s collection was presented in 1932 by Samuel Courtauld to the gallery that bears his name, with further gifts added later on. In its vast interior

28 August 2012

the government also had offices and they remained until Simon Jenkins, Editor of the Evening Standard, started a campaign to move the Civil Service so the river wing could be used for art galleries and chamber concerts on summer evenings. In 1985, I attended a Georgian event when the Royal Academy turned the evening into a series of gaming rooms with dancing, and like the other guests I arrived in a lovely hired Georgian costume. This time, as we arrived for lunch, there were a number of people sitting at tables outside overlooking the Edward J. Safra Court, but Rosemary and I decided to lunch inside. The interior is vast and materials such as stone and sycamore combine with a series of huge modern paintings complimenting the 18th century interior. Since that first time with Rosemary, I’ve returned several times. There is a small but excellent wine list, at prices that are reasonable. Spanish Cava (£4.25 a glass) and Italian Prosecco Spumante (£4.75). I usually have a sherry and Oloroso Abocado (£5.70) is perhaps my favourite. There are also wines from Spain, Italy and France. One evening, before we were to go to the theatre, which is within walking distance in low heeled shoes, a friend and I shared the Nardin Smoked Baby Mackerel (£9.50) and a Devon Seafood plate (£6.50). We also had Arequina Olives (£3.30) and

Fernandez & Wells Cafe Bar Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA fernandezandwells.com 020 7420 9408

Caperberries (£3.50) which are often substitute for olives in Spain. Their cheese selection (£4.50) changes every four to six weeks and comes from one of France’s top cheesemongers. There are selections of sandwiches and if you like chorizo, try their Alejandro chorizo, a hand made spicy sausage from La Rioja served warm along with Manchego Cheese (£8.50). There is a long list of teas, from green to black, and just about the best coffee in London from £2.30 to £2.90 a cup or glass. But my to die for sandwich is the grilled cheese and for something a little more filling, Mozzarella di Bufala with Prosciutto di Parma (£12.50). As for the bread, no matter what sandwich...try it, you’ll love it! There are a number of special events held at Fernandez & Wells in the evening. Check as well what’s going on in Somerset House. For example, during the summer months there is a grove of 55 fountains and in the winter a skating rink in the same space. Go to www.somersethouse.org.uk

ITALIAN RESTAURANT

NEW MENUS Designed by Head Chef Claudio Milani

Now that the rain has passed, come and enjoy the tranquillity of our Italian Garden and our great Summer Menus

48 High Street, Cobham, Surrey KT11 3EF

For bookings 01932 862121 or visit

01932 862121

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Book your table online on our website: www.lacapanna.co.uk Business account customers and party bookings are welcome. All major credit cards accepted.

Creative dishes made from the freshest ingredients

“La Capanna must boast the prettiest interior of any restaurant I have ever dined in” – David Billington, Hello Magazine

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The American

Great Taste at Cadogan “Mr. Woilde, we ‘ave come for tew take yew Where felons and criminals dwell: We must ask yew tew leave with us quoietly For this is the Cadogan Hotel”

ctress Lily Langtry, a well-known beauty and the mistress of the future king of England, Edward VII, had formerly lived in 21 Pont Street, and when she sold the house it had been incorporated into the Cadogan hotel. It was, however, the arrest of Oscar Wilde on 6 April 1895 in room 118 that brought the recently built and very extravagant hotel to Victorian Society’s attention. The above poem recounted the arrest of the Irish poet on various charges of indecency and who, after conviction, spent two years in jail.

30 August 2012

I visited the Cadogan to review the ‘Great Taste of Britain’ menu under the direction of Head Chef Oliver Lesnik. New menus are to be introduced every 6 to 8 weeks highlighting the best of boutique and specialty British produce and ingredients. Overseen by the Great Taste Awards Chair, Nigel Barden, guest curators will include Xanthe Clay, Lucas Hollweg, Fay Maschler and Bill Knott. Nelly Pateras was my guest in the beautiful restaurant where one wouldn’t be surprised to see Lily or Oscar sitting at the next table. Ordinarily, I’m the one who is served the wrong or improperly cooked dish, but that night it was Nelly who was dissatisfied, while I couldn’t have been more pleased. Nelly pushed aside her first course, while my only complaint about my Courgette Flower & Goats Cheese was I enjoyed it so much I wished I could have a second serving. Glancing to my left I saw another guest doing the same to his Cured Mackerel. Nelly debated between the Charred Rump of Beef with wild garlic and bone marrow risotto, and Lamb Sweetbreads & Neck Fillet, and chose the first. For me, I knew it could only be the Pollack Baked in Salt Dough with fennel and potato, parsley root puree and sorrel. Delicious right down to

the last scrape of my plate with Sally Clarke’s wonderful bread. The bread was special, we agreed. Unfortunately, Nelly’s beef was difficult to cut and when I asked for a steak knife they didn’t have one. There is a Great Taste Cheese Board including Quickes Vintage Cheddar, Cornish Yarg, Mrs Bells Blue and Milleens Dote from Cork, with side dishes of quince, damson and port jelly that I can highly recommend. As there was Buffalo Milk Ice Cream from Laverstoke Park Farm, which I adore; they kindly offered me a scoop with my Strawberries & Cream Jubilee. Again Nelly wrinkled her nose at the Chocolate & Chili Cake. However, we both enjoyed Like Water for Chocolate (£10), a cocktail made from Benromach 10 year old whisky, Bhyrr vermouth and Mozart dry chocolate liquer. The service was excellent throughout and the wine selected for us enhanced our dishes. Sadly, an off night for Nelly, but I’m ready to return. The menu is offered at three courses at £28.00, two courses £23.00 and one course £18.00. Wine and drinks extra.

21 Pont Street, Knightsbridge London SW1X 9SG www.cadogan.com, 020 3544 6024

The American

Cellar Talk By Virginia E Schultz

Burgundy 2009

postelle, and if anyone has a bottle they want to share, do give me a call. Whenever we asked what was the most important element in making wine, the answer was always terroir, which is a combination of soil, slope and climatic conditions. After heavy rain for several days, the farmers are known to collect the soil that has run to the bottom of the hill and return this soil to the vineyard. Rully is located in the Côte Chalonnaise and the three main villages are Mercurey, Givry, and Rully. Mercurey is considered the region that produces the wines of highest quality and they are usually the more expensive. They are not considered in the same category as Côte d’Or (pronounced coat door) and if I could afford any burgundy I wanted, I’d choose a wine from a Grand Cru Vineyard. Burgundies grand cru will cost anywhere from £50 up, if you’re lucky, to well over a hundred pounds a bottle. Even today, when most Americans think of a white burgundy they will order Chablis. Unfortunately, we drink Chablis too young and seldom taste one with five to ten years in the bottle. The classic food for Chablis is oysters, although locally, the Chablisien seem to prefer andouillette, a rich and delicious sausage. I’ve been fortunate to taste a number of 2009 reds and prefer

them to the 2008. Thanks to the weather conditions during the growing season, grapes that often have difficulty ripening are deliciously bright and fruity. I haven’t tasted M. Chapoutier Ermitage White Le Meal 2009, but if price is no hindrance, I’ve been told this is heaven in a glass. I shall stick to Jacob’s Creek Chardonnay South Eastern Australia 2011 (around £5 a bottle) for everyday drinking, but don’t misunderstand, budget allowed, I wouldn’t. Vintage 2009 is delicious now and will continue to be wonderful for another 25 years. One last note. If you see your favourite 2010 wine on sale, buy it. Because of weather conditions there isn’t much around. As for 2002s in your cellar, save them, whether red or white, for a very special occasion. H

PHOTO: MICK STEPHENSON / MIXPIX

hite or red, my husband’s favourite wine was Burgundy. Every few years we’d take a trip to Burgundy and stay in some charming hotel in the region. In Burgundy, the best wines are on the hillsides and as I am the world’s most disastrous map reader, I was behind the wheel. Now farmers, no matter which country they’re from, will stop to check a field on the spur of the moment and more than once my foot hit the brake as the pick-up truck in front of me came to a halt without warning. This gave my husband the opportunity to speak, in his rudimentary French, to the farmer about his grapes. As a result, we often ended up in the kitchen of some wine grower tasting wines and eating whatever his poor wife managed to find for these odd Americans. A favourite place to stay is Hotel Le Cep in Beaune (www.hotel-cepbeaune.com) whose prices range from around $200-700 a night. It’s old world elegance at its finest and there is also parking. One of my favourite white wines was and still is Rully. The upper slopes, similar to those of Corton, and stonier and higher in limestone, is where you’ll find Chardonnay, while the lower slopes, with the higher clay content, is Pinot Noir. The vineyards are ranked as villages and premiers cru. My favourite premier cru is Clos St. Jacques, named after St. Jacques de Com-

The American Japandroids

MUSIC

Adam Ant

Solfest

Fancy a festival a little out of the way? Solfest could be your dream event. It’s at Tarns, near Aspatria, Cumbria, in the far north west of England, right by the Scottish border. Spectacular scenery is guaranteed, as is a varied line-up that includes contemporary and classic popular music with rock, roots, folk and dance on its seven stages. Interesting acts include the legendary Adam Ant, Celtic poeticrockers The Waterboys, KT Tunstall, The Bootleg Beatles and Larkin Poe, an American bluegrass-folk-rock band fronted by sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell and named for their great-great-great-grandfather. Solfest runs from August 24th to 26th.

Brecon Jazz Festival

The historic market town of Brecon in Mid Wales stages one of Britain’s most stimulating jazz festivals. Dionne Warwick, Yolanda Brown, the Neil Cowley Trio, Stan Tracey, Ginger Baker and many other jazz stars will be joined by street entertainment. It all happens from August 10th to 12th.

LIVE AND KICKING Japandroids

Rocking Canadian duo Japandroids have been selling out shows in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Denver, Chicago, Toronto, New York, Brooklyn, Philly, D.C. and back home in Vancouver. Their sophomore album Celebration Rock, came out on June 5th, and you can see them this side of the pond this month: August 16th Dublin, Ireland Workmans Club; 17th Belfast, Mandela Hall; 18th Skipton, Beacons Festival; 19th Leicester, Summer Sundae Festival.

Alice Cooper

Alice’s Terror Tour arrives in Britain this month. Then goes. Then comes back again. You have several chances to see the king of shock rock, on August 12th at Bloodstock Open Air Festival (Walton-On-Trent); then October 24th Cardiff, Motorpoint Arena; 25th Wolverhampton Civic Hall; 27th Bournemouth International Centre; 28th London, Wembley Arena; 30th Nottingham, Royal Concert Hall; 31st Edinburgh, Usher Hall; November 1st Sheffield, City Hall.

Booker T Jones

Multi-instrumentalist, wizard of the Hammond, songwriter, core of The MGs, heart of Stax Records, yes, that Booker T Jones. It’s been 50 years since Booker T and The MGs recorded their first hit, Green Onions, and he’s celebrating at London’s premier jazz club, Ronnie Scott’s on August 22nd, 23rd and 24th. On the 25th he plays The Rhythm Festival in Northampton, 26th The Great British R&B Festival at Colne, Lancs, and 27th Bilston, Robin 2.

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Barry Harris

Eminent American pianist Barry Harris brings serious jazz to a five night residency at London’s Pizza Express Jazz Club from August 16th to 20th. A rare chance to see a bona fide genius who is also an influential teacher with his own unique system of reharmonization.

Cedar Hill

Elton John

PLAN AHEAD FOR... Elton John, Peace One Day Wembley Arena, headlined by Elton John, is the site of the final event of the London 2012 Festival. The concert is also the biggest event yet for Peace One Day, a non-profit organisation which promotes peace and got the UN to adopt an annual day of global ceasefire and non-violence.

Mick Hucknall Sings American Soul At The Royal Albert Hall For One Night Only! The former Simply Red frontman is kick-starting his solo career with a special concert at a special venue, the Royal Albert Hall in London, on September 18th. The evening will be a showcase for his new solo album American Soul, his own take on classic songs which have inspired him. It’s not a new direction, having had hits with Money’s Too Tight To Mention, If You Don’t Know Me By Now and You Make Me Feel Brand New, all covers, but the start of his solo career has enabled him to gather together his personal blues-soul favorites including I Only Have Eyes For You, I’d Rather Go Blind and That’s How Strong My Love Is.

Formed by its patriarch and mandolin player Frank Ray some 40 years ago, Cedar Hill are living proof that original bluegrass is alive and thriving in the Ozark mountains of Missouri and Arkansas. They’re appearing just twice this year in the UK, at the Didmarton Bluegrass Festival, Kemble Airfield, near Cirencester, Gloucestershire (August 31st to September 2nd) and at the Gower Bluegrass Festival, Swansea, Wales (September 7th and 8th).

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks The former member of indie band Pavement brings his own outfit for two club gigs this month. Pavement have reformed, toured and gone quiet again. Malkmus fans can see their man August 2nd Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, and August 3rd Deaf Institute, Manchester.

End of the Road Festival

Set in one of Britain’s prettiest festival locations, Larmer Tree Gardens in Dorset, is the End of the Road Festival. Now in its seventh year, it won Best Small Festival at last year’s UK Festival Awards. Always a worthwhile line-up, this year’s acts include Patti Smith, Dirty Three, Mark Lanegan Band, Van Dyke Parks, guitar diva Anna Calvi, American banjo goddess Abigail Washburn, Grizzly Bear, Midlake, Beach House, Tindersticks, The Low Anthem, singersongwriter (and friend of Led Zep and Pink Floyd) Roy Harper, and Swedish Emmy-Lou-alike duo First Aid Kit.

Jake Bugg

How many teenage singer songwriters seem to come from nowhere, get a song on a national TV beer commercial, appear on both Jools Holland’s Later... show and Newsnight Review and get compared to Donovan, Dylan and Hendrix? Only one! In fact Bugg comes from Nottingham, and his punchy, rootsy songs have been livening up British pop and rock radio shows over the summer. See him live in the UK on July 27th at Cambridge Folk Festival; 28th Keighley, The Aire Do, Cliff Castle Park; 29th Nozstock, Herefordshire; August 3rd Y Not Festival, Matlock; 5th Stockton Riverside; 8th Boardmasters Festival, Newquay; 11th Wilderness Festival, Oxford; 18th Summer Sundae, De Montfort Hall, Leicester; 25th Reading Festival; 26th Leeds Festival; September 1st Bingley Music Live; 2nd Jersey Live, Channel Islands; 7th Bestival, Isle of Wight; 22nd Loopallu, Ullapool; 23rd Reading Rooms, Dundee; 25th Masque, Liverpool; 28th Black Box, Belfast; October 20th The Gathering, Oxford; November 12th HMV Institute Temple Room, Birmingham; 13th Wedgwood Rooms, Portsmouth; 14th Koko, London [due to public demand, the Scala show has been moved to Koko, original tickets remain valid]; 15th Thekla, Bristol; 17th Club Academy, Manchester [The Deaf Institute on Nov 17th has now moved to Club Academy, all tickets remain valid]; 18th Cockpit, Leeds; 19th Fibbers, York; 21th King Tuts, Glasgow; 22nd Academy 2, Newcastle; 23rd Rescue Rooms, Nottingham.

The American

Reviewed by Virginia E Schultz, Sabrina Sully and Richard L Gale

A Walk Across The Sun

by Corban Addison Quercus Fiction Hardback £12.99, Kindle £6.18 A tsunami rages through a coastal town in India, and 17 year old Ahalya Ghai and her 15 year old sister Sita’s luxurious middle-class existence is washed away, as they are left orphaned and homeless. Their only hope is to find refuge at their convent school in Chennai, many miles away. In the chaotic aftermath of the disaster they eventually find a lift. However, the two sisters are instead sold into a brothel in Mumbai by the driver, and there seems no escape. On the other side of the world, an overworked Washington lawyer, Thomas Clarke, is struggling to cope with the death of his infant daughter and the subsequent collapse of his marriage to his Indian wife Priya, who returned to her homeland three weeks before. On his way home to his parents for Christmas, he witnesses a 10 year old girl’s blatant kidnapping in the

Cape Fear Botanical Gardens, and unable to catch the culprits, he learns from his father, a judge, of the probable fate of the young girl – sex trafficking. Unbelieving, he starts to research the trade in the U.S. He then takes a big step, a sabbatical from his high-pressure job to accept a position with the Mumbai branch of CASE (Coalition Against Sexual Exploitation), to give him time to think through his situation, and be nearer to Priya. His work deals with cases from the red light district, where he comes across Ahalya, and tries to rescue her and her sister in a dangerous chase across continents. Through cruelty and loss, natural and man-made, comes love and indomitable human spirit and courage. This is a first novel from U.S. lawyer Addison, who has an abiding interest in human rights. His sensitive treatment of a difficult subject in an atmospheric page-turning thriller deserves to be read, and its message spread, because only with grass roots condemnation will this abominable trade ever be stopped. – SS

To Heaven And Back: (A Doctor’s Extraordinary Account of Her Death, Heaven, Angels, and Life Again: A True Story) By Dr. Mary Neal, MD Paperback, price £9.99 Dr. Mary Neal is a board certified orthopaedic surgeon who drowned while kayaking in South America and went to heaven where, she says, she conversed with Jesus and received God’s encompassing love. Born in Michigan and graduating from the University of Kentucky before attending the UCLA medical school, she completed her surgery training at the University of California after which she lived in Sweden and Los Angeles while receiving special training in spinal surgery at USC. She now resides and works in Jackson, Wyoming. Although I have doubts about afterlife, because of her background and education I found this a fascinating book and one that would be interesting to discuss in a book club or among friends. – VS

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American heiress Cora from Downton Abbey IMAGE COURTESY CARNIVAL FILMS

To Marry an English Lord

by Gail MacColl and Carol McD. Wallace Workman Publishing, Paperback, £10.99 Published August 30 Originally published in hardback in the U.S. in 1989, this is being reprinted in paperback in the UK to coincide with the new UK TV series of Downton Abbey, which will star Shirley MacLaine as the mother of the American-born Countess of Grantham. The book is a fascinating social history of the wealthy American heiresses who married into the English aristocracy, simultaneously bringing their wealth and new blood to an aristocracy noticeably starved of both. Shut out of an unbending, exclusive New York Society, more than 100 ‘new money’ American heiresses invaded and were welcomed into Victorian and Edwardian British Society. It is clearly ordered and laid out, with a comprehensive index. The authors have achieved a wonderful balance of a page-turning reference book that is an easy and very interesting read. It is full of interesting tidbits, with salacious gossip, historical personalities, grand houses and tips on the etiquette of the time, and packed with illustrations and old photographs of this exclusive world. – SS

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The John Carlos Story

By John Carlos with Dave Zirin Haymarket Books, Paperback, £16.99 The image of Tommie Smith and John Carlos, glove-clad fists raised aloft, is a freeze-frame moment in Olympic history (or as some media commentators of the time reported it, Olympic infamy), packed with issues of black struggle, militancy, and questions over the leadership of the Olympic movement. Yet to read John Carlos’ autobiography is to hear about his life before the event and since, beyond Mexico City in 1968, back to Harlem and the deep south in the ’50s and ’60s, to the time of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Muhammed Ali and Jim Brown. Carlos was no victim of gang warfare or lynchings, but the atmosphere of danger one step to the right or left of his path, and the ever-present pressures to toe the line and not agitate, are part of the landscape he tears past at world-class speed, succinctly explaining the difficulties, frustrations and injustice meted out upon an unbowed talent born into a world of race-based restriction. There is something more noble than mere anger about Carlos, who carries an unrelenting expectation of equality and refuses to accept any less than the respect due to anyone.

In a slim volume (under 200 pages), Carlos connects the dots of his life, explains the errors and successes of his youth, why he initially opted to boycott the Olympics and the decisions that led him there, the cost of his political stand upon his family, and his life after athletics. As with Tommie Smith, whose autobiography, Silent Gesture, was released a few years ago, the price of protest has clearly been great on athletes whose stand, even now, is not given the respect it deserves. – RG

Fibber in the Heat

By Miles Jupp Ebury Press, Paperback, £11.99 More sports-related non-fiction, though you couldn’t ask for a greater contrast, as we enter the English middle class bastion of cricket. What is a cricketing book doing in the pages of The American, you may ask, but Miles Jupp’s attempts to join a journalistic jaunt around India with the England cricket team – despite not having a valid press pass – is as much comedy or travelogue, with Jupp as a rudderless Michael Palin. More famous as the inventor Archie in nursery-age kids show Balamory (a role he is desperate to leave behind him as he attempts to mix with the ‘real’ journalists), Jupp casts himself as no less an amiable bumbler here than is his be-kilted alter-ego. While some sections (the opening chapter is a case in point) are so loaded with cricket jargon as to be near-impenetrable to non-cricket fans, his predicament as a stranger in a strange land is of universal appeal, and his dream of using press credentials to get close to his sporting heroes comes across as innocently enterprising rather than a little scary. Jupp just isn’t that sort of chap. – RG

THEATER PREVIEWS

Right: Mack and Mabel now on at The Vault, Southwark Playhouse

Jumpy

Mack and Mabel

By April De Angelis Duke of York Theatre August 28 to November 3

Book by Michael Stewart Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman Revised by Francine Pascal The Vault at Southwark Playhouse July 5 to August 25

Depending whether you are old enough to remember when feminism was hardcore but optimistic, Jumpy is either comic or faintly tragi-comic. The contrast of once strident feminist mum Hilary, and her mobile-clutching, celebrity TVeenage daughter Tilly is the backbone of De Angelis’s play. Tamsin Greig (star of TV’s Episodes) reprises the role of Hilary as it transfers to the Duke of York, having drawn critical plaudits in its Royal Court debut last year.

Eight-times Tony nominated musical Mack and Mabel is underway at Southwark Playhouse, but if you think you know this love story between movie director Mack Sennett and screen star Mabel Normand, think again. This new version cuts some characters and even some songs, and includes a rewritten ending to downplay the musical fantasy and explore further the relationship of the two characters. Directed by Thom Southerland and produced by Danielle Tarento, the men behind last year’s critically acclaimed Parade.

Vieux Carré By Tennessee Williams King’s Head Theatre, Islington, London To August 4 If this run of Vieux Carré seems brief – barely a month on stage before giving way to The Great Gatsby Musical – it’s worth considering that the play’s 1977 debut lasted just five performances. This largely autobiographical tale of the writer’s stay at a disintegrating New Orleans boarding house, with broad-stroke characterizations and limited character arcs, has rarely known success. However, for Williams completists who accept the play’s claustrophobia on its own terms, there may not be a better place to witness it than in the confines of the intimate King’s Head Theatre. Left: Bel Powley and Tamsin Greig appear in Jumpy, opening at the Duke of York Theatre this month

Jonathan Pryce PHOTO © HELEN WARNER

King Lear By William Shakespeare Almeida Theatre, Islington, London, N1 1TA August 31 to November 3 Five years on from the RSC/Trevor Nunn/Ian McKellen/Sylvester McCoy triumph, the Bard’s great tragedy is about to be unleashed anew as directed by Michael Attenborough and starring multiple Tony and Olivier Award winner Jonathan Pryce in the title role, with Michael Byrne as Fool. Critics are poised to gush, but as ‘event’ Shakespeare productions go, Almeida tickets could be justifiably scarce.

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n 1982 Harvey Fierstein’s play blazed a trail with its unapologetic and assertive representation of gay life. At a time when it was considered the height of bravery or stupidity to play gay, Antony Sher successfully took on the part in London. Soon made into a hit movie, Torch Song Trilogy holds a special place in the hearts of many. Thirty years on, however, we can safely say that, thankfully, it has dated. Stripped of its political urgency, the piece is revealed as rather conventional and square even, at times overwritten and in all a little too tart for its own good. Filling the stilettos of Fierstein as the drag queen hero Arnold, and channelling that unmistakably rasping voice, is the American actor David Bedella. He made a great splash as Satan in Jerry Springer the Opera and while he certainly has the dramatic finesse for the part, he neglects to draw out the vulnerability and neediness underneath Arnold’s torrent of sardonic quips. Without this the piece lacks heart. It’s partly a problem of the writing, though. In a three-hour play (it was longer) the central character remains a cipher for ideas rather than a fully rounded human being. Too self-knowing and with more soliloquies than Hamlet, after a while you wanna shout out at him “Enough already with the tawk”. Arnold finds love with wavering teacher Ed (an engaging Joe McFadden) who loves him but won’t settle for

38 August 2012

PHOTOS © CATHERINE ASHMORE

THEATER REVIEWS

TORCH SONG TRILOGY

By Harvey Fierstein • Menier Chocolate Factory, London • Reviewed by Jarlath O’Connell

a life in the gay ghetto. He loses Joe to girlfriend Laurel (Laura Pyper) and on the rebound he hooks up with a hot young model, Alan (Tom Rhys Harries), only to lose him in a violent homophobic attack. Ed returns for the third part of this triptych where we meet Arnold’s formidable mother played by Sara Kestelman in formidable Jewish momma mode, and David, a gay teenager whom Arnold is fostering. Perry Millward brings a great sassy energy to the part of David but it’s a role that stretches credulity. A damaged 15-year-old foster kid wouldn’t have this degree of confidence and self-awareness and neither would a foster agency have been likely then to entrust him with the likes of Arnold. While the play makes a heartfelt plea for understanding the sacrifices of gay people in a hostile world and it rehearses arguments that badly needed airing then, it also too often settles for easy sentimentality or melodramatic tricks.

Killing off the charming young lover of the main protagonist makes our hero more sympathetic, but it does also reek a bit of the old days when gays had to either end up mad or dead to elicit our sympathy. The acclaimed actor Douglas Hodge, whose Olivier and Tonywinning role in Fierstein’s La Cage Aux Folles began here, introduces some neat directorial flourishes. Daringly staging the second act entirely on a large bed, he has the characters tumbling in and out between the sheets like a formation swimming team. But it works and it relieves the endless relationship angst talk. He also shares around the torch songs, which punctuate the play, although he does undermine their power a little by choosing to have some accompanied by an Irish Harp. Beautiful and all as it is to hear, harp strings don’t tear the heartstrings the way they should here. So, an accomplished revival of a play, which without Fierstein’s own presence in it, will always appear a little underpowered. I’m sure he’d smile at the essay in the programme which kindly explains to the post-gay generation what a torch song is. Now, I feel old.

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Dandy Dick A

s English as summer rain, the genteel farces of Sir Arthur Wing Pinero are perfect for the tourist. Dandy Dick from 1887 is expertly done here with a top-notch cast and beautiful designs, and it all adds up to a quintessentially English night at the theatre. Given a wide berth by producers (the last major West End production was in 1973 with Patricia Routledge), this one is essentially a bit of fluff, whose closing message that “there is no harm in a bit of fun”, is about as radical as it gets. While this might have been a suitable outing for one’s maiden aunt (do they still exist?), today it is of interest more as an historical curiosity. Farce has since got more edgy, thank goodness, but director Christopher Luscombe, who has a real feel for the genre, and his pitch perfect cast, make this worth the effort. You can’t of course get more Eng-

lish than Patricia Hodge, and here she relishes the part of the ultimate horsey woman, ‘George’ Tidman “the daisy of the turf”, a merry widow, whose visit greatly discomfits her clergyman brother (Nicholas Le Prevost). Hitting it off (or should that be ‘orf’) with her brother’s old chum Sir Tristram, Michael Cochrane in tally-ho mode, she labours the equine metaphors to breaking point. “What names do you run under?” she demands of her fillies... I mean nieces. The archetypal no-nonsense, blustering, English country lady, she is no doubt inspired by the great Lady Gay Spanker in Boucicault’s play London Assurance, which Fiona Shaw personified so perfectly at the National Theatre last year. Pinero’s farces generally shied away from sex (this was the era when they covered piano legs to avoid inflaming passions) and instead offered a frisson

PHOTO © ROBERT WORKMAN

By Arthur Wing Pinero Theatre Royal Brighton and on tour Reviewed by Jarlath O’Connell

of delight to the middle classes who could safely watch respectable people like themselves in danger of losing their social position because of some indiscretion. Here it’s a clergyman, who, while trying to raise funds for the restoration of his church spire, ends up embroiled in a horse doping scandal. Le Prevost is wonderfully pompous and exasperated as he inveighs against gambling, while having to put up with two amorous daughters and their guardsmen suitors, a dodgy butler, a jealous copper as well as the visit from his flighty sister, who ends up asking him to stable her prized steed, Dandy Dick, after a fire. The midnight shenanigans, here set to peals of thunder, whilst the Dean and the butler concoct a potion to benefit the horse in the next day’s race are classic farce.

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RAGTIME Book by Terrence McNally, Music by Stephen Flaherty, Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park, London

Michael Cochrane and Patricia Hodge in Dandy Dick

Luscombe’s staging is wonderfully solid in every sense. It features some choice original music, in the Victorian style, by Nigel Hess, beautifully played and sung by the cast, and it is greatly enhanced by Janet Bird’s extravagantly beautiful sets and Hilary Lewis’ perfectly judged costumes. It’s a Rolls-Royce production for a play which really probably doesn’t deserve it. The production fits like a glove into the gorgeous Theatre Royal Brighton, (opened in 1807) and having been written in Brighton and set around the fictional race meeting of St Marvells (modelled on Brighton racetrack), it’s the perfect place for ATG Theatre Group to launch this new touring venture. Theatre Royal Brighton Productions is being led by Luscombe and two other theatrical luminaries, Maria Aitken and Philip Franks, and aims to showcase the best of British drama. Next up is Joe Penhall’s Blue/ Orange and the aim is to tour them around ATG’s national theatre circuit (the country’s largest) before hopefully ending up in the West End. Dandy Dick would make a perfect Christmas amuse-bouche if it ends up on Shaftesbury Avenue.

40 August 2012

PHOTO © JOHAN PERSSON

PHOTO: ROBERT WORKMAN

imothy Sheader, Artistic Director of the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park, has the place on a roll. For the past three years their productions have won the Olivier Award for Musical Revival. Hello Dolly and Into the Woods were great popular hits and last year’s Crazy For You had a respectable run in the West End. This year’s show, Ragtime, is a harder sell and they are to be congratulated for their courage in giving an airing to this great modern musical. They have, however, taken an already complex multi-layered piece and added a framing device, set in the present and in modern dress. Against the backdrop of a tattered ‘Dare to Dream’ Obama election poster and a landslide of detritus (think 9/11), designer John Bausor has only managed to make a complex piece even more diffuse. It detracts from the piece but thankfully just bookends it. Sheader’s taut staging more than makes up for this shortcoming, and the production is invigorated by great singing from the ensemble cast and some beautiful tableaux from choreographer and former enfant terrible of the contemporary dance world, Javier de Frutos.

Based on the novel by E L Doctorow, Ragtime became a multi Oscar nominated film by Milos Forman in 1981 and a Broadway musical in 1998. It tells the story of three groups of New Englanders around 1910, represented by the proud African American Coalhouse Walker Jnr (Rolan Bell), the WASP ‘Mother’ (Rosalie Craig in a fine full blooded performance) and the newly arrived, impoverished, Jewish immigrant Tateh (John Marquez). Around their stories it carefully maps the emerging social consciousness of the time. Their lives are entwined when the privileged white lady takes in Coalhouse’s newborn baby and its mother. Later, after being widowed, ‘Mother’ ends up marrying Tateh, who has eventually prospered in the land of opportunity when his ‘photoplay’

business spawns the movie industry. Racism raises its ugly head when the proud Coalhouse takes revenge on his cruel tormenters by taking hostages and the ensuing siege brings together this disparate group of characters. The piece is suffused by the honeyed tones of ragtime music, the “new music” which itself was symbolic of a new beginning and Flaherty’s deliciously evocative score builds on this sound aided by Ahrens’ clever lyrics. He also realises he’s doing a show and delivers some great numbers, including a belter of an “11 o’clock” number for Mother called Back to Before. Terrence McNally’s adaptation anchors the piece in the intimate human story at the centre of the novel, while mining the rich kaleidoscope of characters provided by Doctorow, who cleverly interweaves a host of historical characters into the plot. Henry Ford, Booker T Washington, Emma Goldman and burlesque star Evelyn Nesbitt (“I’m a personality, not an actress”) all appear. Harry Houdini also turns up with his escapology act and an onstage crane allows the Open Air theatre for the first time to fly in a cast member, if not some scenery - being an open-air thrust stage has always hindered them in terms of sets. This production has great scale, immense flair and it deserves to be seen.

PHOTOS © JOHAN PERSSON

The American

Note: The Delacorte Theater in Central Park, New York is restaging the Open Air Theatre’s production of Sondheim’s Into the Woods from 2010. It will run there from July 23 to August 25, 2012, a first for the Open Air.

August 2012 41

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The Last of the

Haussmans By Stephen Beresford National Theatre, London Reviewed by Jarlath O’Connell

Star casting: Helen McCrory, Julie Walters, and Rory Kinnear PHOTOS © CATHERINE ASHMORE

42 August 2012

tephen Beresford is a lucky man. His first play is being staged in the National’s second biggest theatre, the Lyttleton, rather than the Cottesloe ‘studio’ where young playwrights are expected to earn their spurs. The reason, one suspects, is the star casting of box office gold Julie Walters in the lead role. The result, quite pleasingly, is that the play is as good as its eternal star. Julie plays Judy, an anarchic and feisty hippie, now in her 60s, who dropped out from her respectable store-owning family to find herself in the ashrams of India and the squats of ’70s London. Now holed up in a dilapidated seaside art deco house by the sea in Devon, her rebel spirit hasn’t dimmed. Following a cancer scare she is visited by her wayward offspring and, as her daughter puts it, “She sleeps all day and gets up when she’s hungry, she’s like a f***ing badger”. Vicki Mortimer’s perfectly realised set for the house, on a great revolve, is one of the highlights of the piece, a stunning temple to faded bohemianism with its posters of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, old car seats out the front, sprouting weeds and murky window panes. It is the future of that property which is the catalyst for the drama as daughter Libby is at the end of her tether and wants to ensure her inheritance. She’s joined by her brother, Nick, (Rory Kinnear in fine form), gay and a wasted heroin addict, who still hasn’t left adolescence behind. The great Helen McCrory brings multiple layers to Libby, swinging between a jaded self assurance and helpless defeat, especially when dealing with her surly but sharp-eyed teenage daughter, Summer (Isabelle Laughland), who’d rather be with her successful father. The third generation might be bourgeois again, much to Judy’s horror.

The American

NORA EPHRON

Actress, Screenwriter, Producer, Director, Journalist & Playwright May 19, 1941 – June 26, 2012 Obituary by Virginia E Schultz

lthough we came of age in a similar era, we came from different backgrounds. The only thing we had in common was that we were both eldest daughters. She was a nice Jewish girl from New York; I was a nice Protestant girl from Pennsylvania. Nice was another thing we had in common, although Nora was far funnier about it than I could ever be. “We all look good for our age. Except for our necks,” she wrote in 2006. “Oh, the necks. There are chicken necks. There are turkey gobbler necks. There are elephant necks. There are necks with waﬄes and necks with creases that are on the verge of becoming waﬄes.” Wanting to be a journalist since high school, Ephron moved to New York after graduation from Wellesley in 1962 and started out as a mail girl and checker at Newsweek. At the time a woman journalist on Newsweek was almost an alien, but after the editor of a satirical magazine had her write a spoof on a famous Post columnist, Leonard Lyons, the newspaper’s publisher Dorothy Schiff, reasoned that anyone who could make fun of the newspaper could also write for it. From there she went up and up and was soon writing for Esquire and The New York Times. With her friendship with playwrights, wits and filmmakers Mike Nichols, Woody Allen, Benjamin Bradlee and his journalist wife, Sally Quinn, Rob Reiner, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg to name a few, many compared her to Dorothy Parker,

PHOTO: DAVID SHANKBONE

Judy thinks she has found a new soul mate in the local doctor, Peter (Matthew Marsh), who plays away with both mother and daughter and whose hippie threads mask a more calculating nature. Marsh is wonderfully slippery. Added to the mix is local boy Daniel (Taron Egerton) who uses the pool for swimming training. Appearing to Nick like an apparition in Speedos, his interest, sadly for Nick, lies elsewhere. An outsider, he receives his ‘sentimental education’ among this unpromising lot. Getting into its stride the play seems to be building up to yet another indictment of the shabby legacy of the ’60s generation and the emotional damage they wrought on their children. However, along the way, Beresford seems to fall in love with Judy and he can’t find it in him to condemn her. Walters’ performance, though wonderfully blousy at times, is also perfectly nuanced and the quality of the piece is in its evenhandedness to the characters. While the contribution of that ’60s generation to culture change might not be robustly enough defended here for some, the piece nevertheless doesn’t hector or judge. In this way it owes much to Chekhov, and in particular The Cherry Orchard, with its portrait of a hapless family not able to cope with the realities of economics. It doesn’t wallow in ennui however and is also laugh-outloud funny, and it is this razor sharpness which elevates it above its competitors.

part of the Algonquin Round Table of sophisticated writers in the 1920s. After her divorce from her first husband, she married Carl Bernstein (who, with Bob Woodward, exposed the Watergate scandal that brought down President Nixon), and they had two children. While she was pregnant with their second child, she discovered her husband was having an affair and love turned to hate, insiring her novel Heartburn, later a film starring Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson. Among her many other screen credits were the nuclear drama Silkwood and her last film, Julie & Julia, but she’s probably best remembered for Sleepless in Seattle and When Harry Met Sally. As a woman in the mainly male film world, Ephron hit most bases as a writer, director and producer. Her death was due to complications from the blood disorder myelodysplasia, which had been diagnosed six years ago. With the last smack of the bat, she’s made her final home run and so I say, “Good bye for now but not forever.”

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Barbara Broccoli

Virginia E Schultz chats with the ‘Bond’ producer about the stage version of Chariots of Fire

“I

June 18, 1960, she is the the youngest of four children raised by Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli, the legendary producer who turned 007 into the longest running series in movie history and Dana Broccoli, actress, writer and playwright. Barbara is one of the producers of Chariots of Fire, now playing at the Gielgud Theatre in London. “I wanted Chariots of Fire to honor

PHOTO: CHARLIE GRAY

suppose my interest in the entertainment business began because I wanted to spend as much time as I could with my father,” Barbara Broccoli told me. “I was 17 when I first began working in the publicity department of The Spy Who Loved Me.” Barbara Broccoli is one of the entertainment industry’s most successful producers. Born in Los Angeles on

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the film, but be a unique theatre experience as well. Edward Hall, the director, said we should approach Mike Bartlett to do the first draft and when I saw how it fulfilled Edward’s vision it snowballed from then on.” Barbara’s father had been a long time fan of Ian Fleming, but his big break came when United Artists agreed to put up one million dollars for the 1962 adaption of Dr. No in collaboration with Harry Saltzman. Barbara grew up in the behind-thescenes world of James Bond, travelling with her family to the various exotic locations used in the films. Legend has it that her mother, Dana, picked the little known actor Sean Connery out of the line up when she called him “gorgeous”. Together with her half brother, Michael G. Wilson, Barbara now co-produces the Bond films, producing the past six and currently working on the 23rd 007 adventure Skyfall, directed by Sam Mendes and starring Daniel Craig. As a child, Barbara says she wasn’t aware of how much her parents influenced her, but her father’s passion for his work and the way they lived their lives and cared for people ultimately set an example, she realized later. The family lived in London until in 1977, reluctantly, they had to move to Los Angeles for tax reasons. She graduated from Loyola University in Los Angeles with a degree in motion picture and television communications. In 1983, she became an assistant director on 1983’s Octopussy. It was, however, as the producer of the Bond films starring Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig that

The American

she made her initial success. Her nonBond producing credits include Crime of the Century (TV) and the London stage production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang which she co-produced with Michael and her mother, Dana. The musical was adapted from the film produced by her father, based on the children’s novel by Ian Fleming (who was, of course, also the Bond author). More recently, she’s been involved on Broadway with A Steady Rain (2009), followed by Once – A New Musical (2012) which won eight Tony Awards this year, including Best Musical. In 2008, she was awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire) in Her Majesty the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List. And so to Chariots of Fire. The running tracks go through and behind the audience and one can see and feel the runners exertion, hear their breathing, see the sweat roll down their faces as they race past. The actors had to train as athletes with six weeks of boot camp, says Barbara. The director wanted them to understand what it’s like to be in sports and have to continue training no matter how tired they may feel. The set designed by Miriam Buether “blew everyone away”. “Chariots is an exciting, very inspirational story,” Barbara told me. “It’s not only the story of Abraham and Liddell, but men like Lord Lindsay who offered to trade days with Liddell so he didn’t have to run on Sunday. The humanity of the story moves audiences. ‘He who honours me, I shall honour’: it’s a quote from the bible that the American sprinter, Jackson Scholz, gives to Liddell before a race.” Chariots of Fire will be running through November, but if successful, there could be life beyond. Plans to take it on tour are also being considered. Frankly, if you haven’t obtained tickets to the Olympics, why not see Chariots of Fire instead?

Chariots of Fire Gielgud Theatre • 35 Shaftesbury Avenue • London W1D 6AR Reviewed by Virginia E Schultz

Bring me my bow of burning gold; Bring me my Chariot of fire!

or those who have not seen the Oscar winning 1981 film, Chariots of Fire is the story of two runners, Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams (here played by Jack Lowden and James McArdle), who during the 1924 Olympics want to become the fastest men on earth. Liddell is willing to ‘run in God’s name’ until he learns the Olympic 100 meter race is taking place on a Sunday, something his faith won’t allow. The Olympic Committee is furious at his decision and even the Prince of Wales can’t convince him to run. He also has to prove to his family he isn’t running for the glory of his own ego. The other runner is Abrahams, a wealthy Jewish student at Cambridge who is accused by the dons of not having the Corinthian (gentlemanly) spirit. The determined and hardnosed Abrahams dismisses it by remarking his accusers have the ‘archaic values of the prep school playground.’ The third stars are the well-trained ensemble who race around Miriam Buether’s brilliantly designed set as if

PHOTO © MANUEL HARLAN

they were athletes, not actors. Buether has turned the set into a series of circles and the main acting area is equipped with a revolving stage. McArdle portrays Abrahams’ ruthless determination with the skill of an actor whom we shall be hearing more of. Lowden comes across too much the English gentlemen and lacks at times that Christian conviction that later took Liddell to China as a missionary before he died in a Japanese concentration camp after giving his place to another person when offered a release. Pride, self-sacrifice and courage of one’s convictions. It’s what we want our Olympic athletes to feel. The rest of the ensemble, especially the loveable and cranky trainer Sam Mussabini (Nicholas Woodeson), are all excellent. Director Edward Hall hasn’t missed a beat and I have no doubt Chariots of Fire is in for a long run. Yes, it played on my emotions, but when I left the theatre I was humming the famous theme tune originally written by Vangelis for the film. A great and complex play? No. A wonderful two and a half hours? Absolutely.

August 2012 45

The American

POLITICS

Bankrupt Stock

Alison Holmes reports on the bankruptcy of Stockton, California ...an isolated case or perhaps just the first of many? And how does that affect the voting mood?

he party will soon be over. The strawberry crop long forgotten, Premier League players re-imported to their well-paid roosts, and the world’s best athletes taking their bling back to their respective home countries. The revellers will be gone, and the Queen will, at last, be able to put her feet up and have a nice cup of tea with 'him indoors'. The British may be a declining power in a global world, but there is still something impressive about their ability to put on a show that is traditional yet trendy, elegant yet earthy, reinventing themselves yet retaining their roots. As the summer of sport draws to a close there are at least two ongoing storylines across the water that offer less bang than a Buck House show or any hoopy hoop opening ceremony, but are bound to run and run. Think of it as British RADA meets American Vaudeville (or perhaps reality TV). The first is the sad story of the bankruptcy of the city of Stockton, California. The second, inextricably linked to the first, is the continuing saga of presidential politics. For those not following the fate of medium-sized American cities, Stockton is located 80 miles outside San Francisco. A river port city in the Central Valley with 290,000 souls, it is the 13th largest city in California. It currently has a painfully high unemployment

46 August 2012

rate, followed closely by a similarly painful crime rate. ‘Twas not always thus, as Stockton tried to cash in on a construction boom of suburban homes for San Franciscan commuters, it also struck out on an ambitious city project building programme.

“ Stockton went broke, like millions of families across America, because it simply could not pay the monthly bills” However, the plan backfired as folks lost their jobs, leading to the second highest foreclosure rate and the subsequent desertification of the city’s revenues. The city’s latest title is that of the largest city to go bankrupt in American history. For those keeping track, New York City did not actually file for bankruptcy, though its financial woes in the 1970s provoked the sense, if not the reality, that the city was ‘bust’ in every meaningful way. Back in Stockton, city fathers aren’t dwelling on the fact that Forbes business magazine has twice placed Stockton in the ranks of ‘America's most miserable cities’.

The problem arises, at least in part, because California state law requires cities to adopt a balanced budget by July 1 of each year. To meet this goal, for the past three years Stockton has been forced to eliminate one-fourth of the city’s police officers, one-third of the fire staff and 40% of all other employees. They also cut wages and medical benefits. Pause here for a moment to take in those statistics: a quarter of the police, a third of fire staff and basically just under half of all other employees. Is it any wonder the crime rate has soared and life in Stockton is miserable? Unfortunately, and despite what most would consider cuts so deep they look more like amputations, the hole was still not filled to the tune of $26 million. So, as a result of Assembly Bill 506, a state law less than six months old (and no doubt designed to deal with the queue of cities behind Stockton) any municipality considering bankruptcy must first negotiate with creditors with the goal of settling debts without filing for Chapter 9 protection. For Stockton, this process has failed. The latest proposed budget suspends debt payments and payments for legal claims (the mediation process alone has cost upwards of $10million); reduces payments for retiree medical benefits and makes even further reductions in pay and benefits – though it does

The American

Stockton, California PHOTO BY CALWEST

try to increase revenue through code enforcement and parking citations. Good luck with that strategy to meet the bills… The new bottom line will mean that the city all but closes its doors with many current and former employees as well as its citizens left firmly in the cold. Stockton is interesting because, while it is not the first city to go bust, it is part of a new trend of cities that face this situation not through disastrous investments or some single project mishap. Stockton went broke, like millions of families across America, because it simply could not pay the monthly bills. There was an inexorable cause and effect: as citizens lost their jobs, their homes and their businesses, the city lost its tax base. The question will be not whether, but when (and how many) other cities follow them down this gloomy path. The story of Stockton is connected, in a grassroots kind of way, to the second summer soap and the drama of the presidential race. After the dog and pony show of the

primary season, things have gone relatively quiet. For the political hacks, it is not the Queen’s Jubilee or baseball season or Olympic basketball that now keeps them awake, but the fast approaching convention season. Planners have been occupied (no pun intended) with Obama Care, the Supreme Court ruling and its aftermath (a story for another day), while the campaigners have been setting up their networks and $5,000 a plate fund-raising opportunities. However, they would all do well to spare a thought for the people of Stockton writ large watching from across the country. The mood of the voters at the moment is probably best described as ‘punch drunk’. If they don’t live in a city on the edge, they or those they love have probably been at least touched, if not battered, by financial uncertainty, job insecurity, health and housing crises, not to mention natural disasters and freaks of weather. There is little a president can do about the fact observed by Elbert Hubbard that ‘Life is one damn

thing after another’, but the zeitgeist created can play havoc with any candidate’s position in the polls. Political campaigns are often as much about luck and not losing a race, as they are about a good strategy and setting out to win. Obama, as Bob Worcester so expertly tells us, is doing well enough to make it over the line, but there is always the element of chance in every campaign. Harold Macmillan (the Prime Minister who had to deal with the decline in Britain’s reputation in the aftermath of the Suez Crisis and, ironically, the First Earl of Stockton) famously once said, one’s fortunes in politics are always subject to ‘Events dear boy, events’. Thus we are neatly brought back to the amazing ability of Brits to reinvent and renew themselves so amply demonstrated over the past few months. Perhaps this is as good a reason as any to look back fondly on a summer well-spent as well as forward with some modicum of hope for the next generation of Stocktons – American style. H

August 2012 47

The American

Coping With A Crash It may never happen. But if it does the Institute of Advanced Motorists has some tips for coping with a car accident while driving in the UK. This may be different to advice in the States, so do take a look.  Be aware of the risk from passing

traffic. Look for a safe place to stop to exchange details if you can, especially if no one has been injured.  Turn your engine off and put your hazard lights on to warn other drivers.  Swap details as quickly and calmly as possible then clear the road to prevent causing delays.  Give your name, address, registration, car make, model, colour and insurance company details to the driver(s) involved. Make sure you get these details from them.  Take photographs if possible.  You don’t have to call the police unless someone is injured or if there is an accusation of dangerous driving.  Report the incident to your insurers as soon as you can. The IAM’s Simon Elstow added: “The reality is nobody wants to think about having a car accident. But it’s important to be prepared in case you are involved in one. And if it happens, try not to get angry or upset.”

48 August 2012

DRIVETIME

VMCC Festival of 1000 Bikes Words and photograph by Ian Kerr

espite atrocious weather across the whole of the United Kingdom, which flooded the F1 Grand Prix at Silverstone, the VMCC Festival of 1000 Bikes at Mallory Park on July 6th to 8th managed to run with little disruption and attract a good crowd. The event’s title is now something of a misnomer as the number of classic motorcycles appearing now approaches double that. It is an ideal opportunity for private collectors of classic GP machines to get the original riders back on board. One of the most prolific owners is Steve Wheatman whose Classic Suzuki Racing Team normally has at least three ex-factory team mechanics making sure the bikes are in a similar state to when they used to head out onto a race grid for real. Steve’s star guest for 2012 was a certain American by the name of Kevin Schwantz (above), whose name is forever linked to Suzuki. The 1993 500cc GP World Champion, “Revvin” Kevin took to the track on a genuine ex-works RG500 in Sunday’s “Past Masters” track feature. Not content with tarmac riding he

also tried his hand at trials riding. It was the first time Schwantz had returned to Mallory Park since the 1986 Race of the Year. “Mallory Park was where I first raced a 500cc GP 2-stroke. It was not a GP, but it was the first time I actually competed on a 500, thanks to my late friend Barry Sheene,” said Kevin. But the event is not just about one superstar, it is jam packed with them, mingling with the crowds in the paddock, signing countless autographs and talking to the fans they did not have a chance to talk to when they were racing. Some also provide the odd pillion ride for a few lucky people, like another American ex-Suzuki & Cagiva Superstar Randy Mamola, who went out on a twin-seat Ducati in his role as an ambassador for the charity Riders for Health. The event is mainly a celebration of British vintage and classic motorcycling, but this is the second year the main star has come from the USA – last year it was former world champion ‘King’ Kenny Roberts and in the past other greats have attended from across the pond, so make a date in your diary for next year!

GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED T

he Goodwood Festival of Speed has grown since 1993, when classic car enthusiast par excellence the Earl of March attempted to bring motor racing back to the racing circuit at his stately home. Top class events had been held there between 1948 and 1966. Unable to get a permit for racing he decided to host a small event in the grounds of Goodwood House itself. 25,000 fans came to see a few classic racing cars belting up the hill climb track, which normally acts as Lord March’s front driveway. This year a record 185,000 spectators enjoyed a vast range of attractions. Formula 1 drivers including current World Champion Sebastian Vettel and former champion Alain Prost made their Goodwood debuts together with over 120 other motor racing heroes from past and present, including Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton, Emerson Fittipaldi and Kenny Roberts. Custom builder Jesse James brought his amazing Baja racer truck. A rally stage saw some frantic action, and the Moving Motor Show enabled prospective buyers to be driven in some spectacular modern supercars. By the way, Lord March realized his dream, and the Motor Circuit now hosts the annual Goodwood Revival, where many great cars from racing history compete full-tilt on one of the fastest circuits in Europe (this year September 14th to 16th), another great reason to visit this beautiful part of Sussex. Left: Flying the U.S. flag: American vehicles and drivers included (from top left) a delectable trio of Harley Davidson racers, this beast of a Chevrolet-engined Shadow, and Mario Andretti’s Ferrari 712.

Above and below: The Festival’s Cartier ‘Style et Luxe’ concours d’elegance competition celebrated Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee with a selection of royal vehicles. From top: a 1902 coach still used at the State Opening of Parliament; the Queen’s Rolls-Royce Phantom V; the Maharaja of Bharatpur’s aluminum Rolls-Royce once used by the Duke of Edinburgh on a trip to India - the spotlight was added so that the Maharaja could go tiger hunting in style!; the U.S. Presidential Lincoln Cosmpolitan Limousine commissioned by Harry S Truman in which The Queen visited the White House in 1957. The ‘Bubbletop’ canopy was added by President Eisenhower.

PHOTO: KEVIN BOGETTI-SMITH

Seth wearing Beijing gold

Wheels of Steel

s the final buzzer sounds, Kazuhiko Kanno punches his hands into the sky as a grin of disbelief spreads over his face. The bench of the Japanese Wheelchair Rugby Team erupts in celebration, staff members hug players, and players slap each other’s backs and whoop in uncontained joy. They have just beaten the USA for the first time. This game at the 2012 Canada Cup – the last Wheelchair Rugby competition before London’s Paralympic Games – is the first time anyone other than Canada has beaten the USA in major international competition, and the first time the USA has lost in a sanctioned tournament since 2004. While the USA has been a powerhouse since its inception, the sport of Wheelchair Rugby has undergone significant transformations since its 1979 birth at a Winnipeg, Manitoba rehab hospital. It began as a way for quadriplegics, tired of sitting on the bench in wheelchair basketball games, to compete with others of similar function. The rules are simple: four on four on a basketball court, each team

50 August 2012

PHOTO © JARED

CURÉ, MNRAC

NEWS NE TWOR

The American

Paralympian Seth McBride is a key member of America’s gold-medal defending Wheelchair Rugby team. Here he gives an insight to the sport and Team USA’s rivals. trying to push a regulation volleyball up the court, while the ball must be dribbled or passed every ten seconds. A goal is scored when a player crosses the opponents goal line in possession of the ball, similar to scoring a try in able-bodied rugby. For the first-time spectator, watching players weave, sprint, and crash their way up the court, it can be hard to tell how little function we have. The sport is classified based on function, with a point system ranging from .5 to 3.5. Teams can have four players totaling 8 points on the court at one time. A .5 is the most impaired player in the game, generally .5s have shoulder and bicep function but little else. At the top end, 3.5s have a significant level of upper body function. Generally players in this class either have good hand strength, ample trunk (back extensors,

abs, hip flexors) function, or some combination of the two. When the sport first began, the best players were those with good hands who were able to grip pushrims to propel their chairs and pinpoint passes across the court. As the game and equipment have evolved, speed and chair maneuverability have become more and more important, and athletes with trunk strength now control the game – if you have enough trunk you rarely need to pass the ball. It makes for an exciting sport to watch. Even compared with the last Paralympics in Beijing, today’s games at the Canada Cup look like they’re being played in fast-motion. Exhibit A in the new world of wheelchair rugby is Australia’s Ryley Batt, widely regarded as the world’s most dominant player. A class 3.5 with congenital quadruple amputations,

The American

he has almost non-existent legs, full arms that end in a single finger on one side and three fingers on the other. On offense, he looks like a ball in a plinko machine, changing direction with each new obstacle but always finding his way to the opposing goal line. On defense, he charges around with frightening closing speed, hitting, swiping, and generally causing mayhem. Not surprisingly, Australia are currently ranked No.2 in the world and are vocally confident about their ability to take gold in London. But where Batt had once been an anomaly, every one of the eight teams that will be competing in London – France, Belgium, Great Britain, Canada, Sweden, Japan, Australia, and the USA – now have at least one player of similar, dominant function. It has made Wheelchair Rugby’s 4th Paralympics likely to be the most competitive yet. USA and Australia are the clear favorites to meet in the gold medal game, but a single slip-up could send the whole tournament into uncharted waters. And that is where we stood in Canada. Having just lost to Japan, the USA was faced with an unexpected semi-final against Australia. Missing our most dominant player, Chuck Aoki, as well as another significant contributor, Derrick Helton, to illness and injury, we were faced with a game in which, for the first time in 6 years, we were not the overwhelming favorites.

Batt calls the game a “dream matchup,” clearly fired up about the possibility of sending us into the Bronze medal game. We come charging out with furious intensity and it doesn’t take long before Australia’s dream match is sent reeling. Early in the second quarter we have a fourgoal advantage that the Aussies challenge but never turn around. Rotating lineups, the USA players stay relatively fresh while Australia’s shallow bench takes its toll in the second half. After beating Australia in the semis we meet a familiar foe, Canada, in the tournament championship. We’ve learned our lesson from the Japan loss and play smart, cohesive ball, controlling the game throughout to take first. In London the teams will be the same, but everything else – the intensity, speed, and passion – will be ratcheted up a couple of notches. Wheelchair Rugby’s 10,000-seat arena has already sold out for every match, and Channel 4 will be providing extensive television coverage. If this summer’s preliminaries are any indication, all spectators are going to be treated to an amazing show. H

Win

X Games

Skate Deck

Cap and T-shirt

courtesy of ESPN

It’s time for another ESPN giveaway. Did we say ‘giveaway’? Not so fast! You’re going to have to earn it. To enter the draw, check out the question below, and email the correct answer, your contact details (name, address & daytime phone number) to theamerican@blueedge.co.uk with XGAMES in the subject line to arrive by mid-day August 30. You must be 18 years old or over to enter this competition. Only one entry per person per draw. The editor’s decision is final. No cash alternative.

Seth (below) in action against Canada PHOTO: KEVIN BOGETTI-SMITH

The Question

Leaping a board into the air without the use of hands is known as...? a) an ‘Ollie’ b) an ‘Alan’ c) a ‘Rodney’

August 2012 51

The American

NBA Draft Notes 2012 Overseas was out of style, Heels were in, and the first two picks were a ’Cat walk. Richard L Gale checks NBA draft chic.

Denver Nuggets

Detroit Pistons

erhaps nixing overseas travel expenses or disappointed by a decade of hit and miss internationals, the NBA Draft looked Stateside this year. In contrast to recent drafts, the first eighteen selections were U.S. citizens. Even counting Syracuse’s Fab Melo as Brazilian and St Bonaventure’s Andrew Nicholson as Canadian, there were still as many players – four – from each of Kentucky and North Carolina as there were overseas players in the first round. Atlanta Hawks Two players from the same school R1 (23) SG John Jenkins (Vanderbilt) (Kentucky) were selected back to R2 (43) PF Mike Scott (Virginia) back for the first time in NBA history. Boston Celtics Anthony Davis was the obvious no.1 R1 (21) PF Jared Sullinger (Ohio State) bringing the same generational talent R1 (22) C Fab Melo (Syracuse) R2 (51) SF Kris Joseph (Canada/Syracuse) to the NBA as Andrew Luck had to Back problems, imperfect span and weight, and memothe NFL Draft earlier in the year, while ries of fellow Buckeye Greg Oden may have dropped Michael Kidd-Gilchrist pipped Brad Sullinger’s stock. Melo’s sheer size (7’0” with 9’2” reach) is Beal, Dion Waiters and Thomas Robinattractive. Both must prove they can bring it in the pros. son to the no.2 pick. In all, six Kentucky Brooklyn Nets players were taken among 60 picks. Less predictable player fortunes saw Jared Sullinger land at pick 21 (he didn’t even attend the draft in person, with predictions he might go in the second round after once being considered a lottery option), air-flight fearing Royce White surprisingly taken at pick 16 and Baylor’s Perry Jones III barely making the first round cut. There were trades, but no blockbuster, Houston stranded with three first rounders and no top 10 team to deal with. Ten years after Yao Ming went No.1, the reason for international players being out of fashion was probably no more than a glut of U.S. talent, some having held back from the 2011 draft for fear of the lockout. By the end of Round 2, overseas players were back, 12 nations eventually represented, and begging the question: if they were over-rated in the past, how under-rated were they in 2012? Time will tell.

52 August 2012

R2 (41) PG Tyshawn Taylor (Kansas) via Blazers R2 (54) SF Tornike Shengelia (Georgia) via 76ers R2 (57) PF Ilkan Karaman (Turkey)

Charlotte Bobcats

R1 (2) SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Kentucky) R2 (31) SF Jeff Taylor (Vanderbilt) MKG’s an NBA-caliber competitor with rebounding skills upstaged only by UK teammate Davis. Attacks the rim.

Chicago Bulls R1 (29) PG Marquis Teague (Kentucky)

Cleveland Cavaliers

R1 (4) SG Dion Waiters (Syracuse) R1 (17) C Tyler Zeller (North Carolina) Trade SF Kelenna Azubuike from Mavs The Cavs traded three picks to Dallas to gain Zeller and roster filler Azubuike. Waiters is at least an explosive bitpart player to start with, but paired with Kyrie Irving? Wow. Zeller is a whole bunch of four-star skills.

Dallas Mavericks

R1 (24) G Jared Cunningham (Oregon St.) via Cavs R2 (33) C Bernard James (FSU) via Cavs R2 (34) SF Jae Crowder (Marquette) Defensively notable: Cunningham brings momentumshifting steals, and is a free-throw regular. James, a nice shot-blocker, served in the Air Force, and is 27 years old.

R1 (20) SG Evan Fournier (France) R2 (38) SF Quincy Miller (Baylor) R2 (50) PF Izzet Turkyilmaz (Turkey) R1 (9) C Andre Drummond (UConn) R2 (39) SF Khris Middleton (Texas A&M) R2 (44) SG Kim English (Missouri) His nearly-7’0” frame and athletic upside meant Drummond wasn’t hanging around long, but he’s a projection. A knee injury turned Middleton into a R2 steal. Ben Gordon and a future R1 were swapped for ex-everywhere SG-SF Corey Maggette during draft week.

Golden State Warriors

R1 (7) SF Harrison Barnes (North Carolina) R1 (30) C Festus Ezeli (Nigeria/Vanderbilt) R2 (35) SF Draymond Green (Michigan State) R2 (52) C Ognjen Kuzmic (Bosnia & Herzegovina) Barnes just feels like he belongs in the NBA – he has big moment belief and off-court diligence. Ezeli also exhibits a tireless work ethic. Green can do most offensive things well, but could be exploited defensively.

Houston Rockets

R1 (12) SG Jeremy Lamb (UConn) R1 (16) SF Royce White (Iowa State) R1 (18) PF Terrence Jones (Kentucky) Traded R1 (14) plus a future R2, plus C Samuel Dalembert and cash for Bucks players Jon Brockman, Jon Leuer, Shaun Livingston and R1 (12) this year. Another trade sent away Chase Budinger to get R1 (18) ...and then, seeking a trade-up into the top 5. They ended up with the athletic Lamb, high-scoring pteromerhanophobe White, and wingspan-endowed blocker Jones. All nice players, but I’m pretty sure this wasn’t the plan.

Indiana Pacers

R1 (26) PF Miles Plumlee (Duke) R2 (36) SG Orlando Johnson (Santa Barbara) via Kings

Los Angeles Clippers R2 (53) PF Furkan Aldemir (Turkey)

Los Angeles Lakers

R2 (55) SF Darius Johnson-Odom (Marquette) via Mavs R2 (60) C Robert Sacre (Canada/Gonzaga) Needing more than Bynum at center, Sacre is big, intelligent, blocks, and is accurate at the line. Johnson-Odom can shoot some. Both picks were good look-sees late.

Memphis Grizzlies R1 (25) PG Tony Wroten, Jr. (Washington)

The American

Miami Heat

R2 (45) C Justin Hamilton (LSU) via 76ers Traded Arnett Moultrie, acquired Hamilton, and pocketed a future R1. This was more like a deferred draft.

Milwaukee Bucks

R1 (14) PF John Henson (North Carolina) R2 (42) SG Doron Lamb (Kentucky) Trade C Samuel Dalembert from Rockets Some felt Bucks GM John Hammond should have resisted his trade habit, and stayed at pick 12, instead of dealing with Houston. They missed Jeremy Lamb, but Doron is no mutton, an outstanding 3-point shooter, while the player they picked at 14, Henson, answers an athletic need. Dalembert brings veteran size. This wasn’t a disaster.

Minnesota Timberwolves

R2 (58) SF Robbie Hummel (Purdue) Gave up R1 (18) pick to gain ex-Rockets SF Chase Budinger and rights to Israeli PF Lior Eliyahu. Hummel has a troubling injury history. A questionable result.

New Orleans Hornets

R1 (1) PF Anthony Davis (Kentucky) R1 (10) SG Austin Rivers (Duke) R2 (46) SF Darius Miller (Kentucky) After taking shot-blocking phenom Davis No.1, the Hornets slam-dunked the first round with Doc Rivers’ ballsavvy son, then added Davis’ team-mate Miller, another great ‘team’ player. A franchise-defining haul.

New York Knicks

Harrison Barnes was the first of four Tar Heels selected in the first round, and part of high work ethic group of selections for the Warriors

R2 (48) SF Kostas Papanikolaou (Greece)

Oklahoma City Thunder

R1 (28) PF Perry Jones III (Baylor) With 8’11” reach, Jones was a star at Baylor, but not dominant, and almost slumped to R2 on draft day. An unfinished ‘big’ who could blossom late, he has time at OKC.

Orlando Magic

R1 (19) PF Andrew Nicholson (Canada/St. Bonaventure) R2 (49) C Kyle O’Quinn (Norfolk State) Nicholson can block, rebound, but nine spots better than Perry Jones III? O’Quinn may be a better blocker/ rebounder, averaging a double-double in MEAC. But why didn’t they trade unhappy Dwight Howard on draft day?

Philadelphia 76ers

R1 (15) SF Maurice Harkless (St. John’s) R1 (27) PF Arnett Moultrie (Mississippi State) via Heat Gave up future R1 and R2 (45) Justin Hamilton for Moultrie, a dogged contributor with rebounds and solid shooting from line and perimeter. Harkless is less finished, but has raw athletic panache and loves to play.

Phoenix Suns

R1 (13) PG Kendall Marshall (North Carolina) It isn’t all about dunks, blocks and 3-pointers. If it’s about passing and decision-making, Marshall is a pass-master.

Portland Trail Blazers

R1 (6) PG Damian Lillard (Weber State) R1 (11) C Meyers Leonard (Illinois) R2 (40) SG Will Barton (Memphis) Goodbye Oden, hello Leonard, a suprisingly athletic big man a shade over 7’. But Lillard should never have been the sixth man up on the draft stage. Is he really any better a ‘short’ (6’3”) contributor than Darius Johnson-Odom?

Sacramento Kings R1 (5) PF Thomas Robinson (Kansas) Fine size, good span, awesome athlete, rebounded as well as anybody, and logged 27 double-doubles. He will seek to make a big chippy statement about being selected as low as 5th, and if you’re not excited to see Robinson go out there with Demarcus Cousins, and a coming-of-age Jimmer Fredette, then you have no pulse!

San Antonio Spurs R2 (59) SG Marcus Denmon (Missouri)

Toronto Raptors

R1 (8) SG Terrence Ross (Washington) R2 (37) SF Quincy Acy (Baylor) R2 (56) C Tomislav Zubcic (Croatia) Ross, statistically, is good across the board, and athletic, and has a great shooting range, but really, pick 8?

Utah Jazz R2 (47) SF Kevin Murphy (Tennessee Tech)

Washington Wizards

R1 (3) SG Bradley Beal (Florida) R2 (32) SG Tomas Satoransky (Czech Republic) The Wizards need to show life. Points help, and Beal scores points. He’s hard working, can jump or fly to the rim, and his rebounding mustn’t be overlooked too. Barring injury, he’s a can’t-miss selection. H

August 2012 53

The American

In January 2014, the Bowl Championship Series will breath its last, and FBS football will gain a four-team playoff. Richard L Gale looks at how future champions will be crowned

n 2011, No.3 Oklahoma State were 11-1, losing a single game on the road, one day after hearing of the death of a much-loved athletic department member. They had the same record as no.2 Alabama, and unlike the latter, were a conference champion. They also had an offense that people really wanted to see go up against LSU’s defense, but that was beside the point. The BCS matched up two teams from the same conference in the National Championship game. But Oklahoma State had a case. In 2010, No.1 Alabama and No.4 Boise State were the only two unbeaten teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), and both conference champions. Despite Boise’s modern record for knocking off major conference opponents, Boise were left on the outside looking in. But they had a case. From 2014, such cases will at

least be heard. The powers-that-be of college football (that is, presidents of the major college conferences) have, after years of pressure and hints of political intervention, surrendered to a proposal to adopt a four-team playoff. With two bowls from a rotation of six acting as semi-finals, each year’s BCS Championship Game (in some renamed form – the ‘BCS’ moniker has acquired too much baggage) will be sold to the highest bidder, ensuring that the college football moneygo-round is enhanced rather than impaired by the change. So, at last, everybody wins. The No.3 team with the same record as No.2 (but a conference title to show for it) gains a postseason route to stake their claim, and even the occasional mid-major upstart, if unbeaten, has a theoretical shot at going all the way. So have the anti-BCS grumblers finally

got their way? Well, maybe not entirely. A committee (of who? – yet to be selected, but likely with major conference leanings) will select the four lucky teams each year based on criteria headed by win-loss, but also using strength of schedule, head-to-head, and whether or not they are conference champions as tie-breakers. Again, it is not yet clear which tie-breakers will be awarded greatest significance. For example, if strength of schedule is considered more important than being a conference champion, major conferences will still get the jump on mid-majors. Even something as apparently transparent as win-loss begs the question, which is most important – the number of wins or the absence of losses?’ The devil’s in the detail. The new arrangement is set to last a minimum of 12 years – until 2026. It’s hard to believe that during that time we won’t hear noise from the teams that finished 5th or 6th in the polls and feel they had a better case than some of the teams above them. It’s hard to believe that strength-of-schedule arguments (‘you can only play who’s on your schedule’) won’t continue. According to a recent poll approximately 50% of respondents said they favored an eight-team playoff. A four-team playoff may prove to be no more than another step on the road. For now, at least, the term ‘BCS-buster’ will remain in circulation. Heck, after six straight champions, college football just needs an SEC-buster! H

NHL Draft: Defence-Heavy T

he 2012 NHL Entry Draft was a defence-heavy affair, with eight defencemen in the top ten selections, thirteen blueliners in the first round matching a record set in 1996. Despite the draft’s defensive leanings, two of the top three selections were actually forwards – with hard-to-spell Russian names.

1. Nail Yakupov (Russia), Edmonton Oilers Eighteen-year-old Russian winger Nail Yakupov spent the last two seasons with the OHL’s Sarnia Sting, breaking the team’s rookie scoring record, set by Steven Stamkos, netting 49 goals, 101 points last year. Yakupov, the first Russian to go top since Alexander Ovechkin, models his game on explosive retired Russian superstar Pavel Bure. Oilers head scout Stu MacGregor accepts the comparison. ‘Whenever I saw him get in all alone on a goaltender, he didn’t miss. He has the potential ... to score thirty goals [a season].’ Yakupov is confident he can help the Oilers to right their ship – immediately. ‘Why not? ... I think I’m ready for the NHL.’

2. Ryan Murray (Canada), Columbus Blue Jackets The run of defenceman started with Ryan Murray of the WHL’s Everett Silvertips. The Saskatchewan native is touted for his two-way play,

By Jeremy Lanaway

hockey smarts, and leadership ability. The Silvertips captain has played for Canada’s U18 team on three occasions, and was also a surprise addition to Canada’s national men’s team at the 2012 IIHF World Championships, a feat accomplished before by only Jonathan Toews and Oilers superstar Eberle. ‘People know how solid he is defensively, but what gets overlooked a bit is how good he is offensively,’ said Silvertips head coach Mark Ferner. ‘He’s a great skater, he exudes leadership, he’s a guy who commands a lot of respect on the ice ... tailormade for the NHL.’

3. Alex Galchenyuk (USA), Montreal Canadiens The Canadiens added another piece to their rebuild process by taking centreman Alex Galchenyuk, another Russian from the Sarnia Sting. His high draft position surprised more than a few people, as he missed all but two games last season with a torn ACL. The Canadiens are clearly banking on a return to his rookie form, when he amassed 31 goals and 52 assists in 63 games. Habs fans worried about Galchenyuk’s commitment to resisting the powerful lure of Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League need be reminded that Galchenyuk was actually born in the United States. H

PHOTO BY RESOLUTE

The American

NHL Early Entry Draft, First Round 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Team EDM CBJ MTL NYI TOR ANA MIN PIT WPG TBL WSH BUF DAL BUF OTT WSH SJS CHI TBL PHI CGY PIT FLA BOS STL VAN PHX NYR NJD LAK

Player Pos. Origin/Leag. Nail Yakupov RW RUS/OHL Ryan Murray D CAN/WHL Alex Galchenyuk C USA/OHL Griffin Reinhart D CAN/WHL Morgan Rielly D CAN/WHL Hampus Lindholm D SWE/SWE Mathew Dumba D CAN/WHL Derrick Pouliot D CAN/WHL Jacob Trouba D USA/USHL Slater Koekkoek D CAN/OHL Filip Forsberg C SWE/SWE Mikhail Grigorenko C RUS/QMJHL Radek Faksa C CZE/OHL Zemgus Girgensons C LVA/USHL Cody Ceci D CAN/OHL Thomas Wilson RW CAN/OHL Tomas Hertl C CZE/CZE Teuvo Teravainen LW FIN/FIN Andrei Vasilevski G RUS/RUS Scott Laughton C CAN/OHL Mark Jankowski C CAN/HQC Olli Maatta D FIN/OHL Michael Matheson D CAN/USHL Malcolm Subban G CAN/OHL Jordan Schmaltz D USA/USHL Brendan Gaunce C CAN/OHL Henrik Samuelsson RW USA/WHL Brady Skjei D USA/USHL Stefan Matteau C USA/USHL Tanner Pearson LW CAN/OHL

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lympic escapists. There are actually some number of these. I know because I’ve met them. Nice, normal people whose only strangeness is that they feel they can get through the summer without knowing who has won the table tennis semi finals or the third swimming heat. Or they just want to get away from crowds. Here are some alternatives.

Or how about pony trekking in Wales? As short a time as a weekend is enjoyable and children love it. We chose accommodation at a farm and there will be a horse suited to your ability, whether you are experienced riders or regard the saddle of a horse as something approaching the height of Everest. Remember, riding has kept the Queen fit for many years. Wales is beautiful and you will never go hungry there - as long as you like lamb. Perhaps you just prefer some days out. Lullingstone, Kent has one of our finest Roman Villas, owned by English Heritage and well worth a visit. You take the Sevenoaks train from Victoria and get off at Eynsford. Don’t go by road during early September, or you’ll be back in the Paralympic diversions! Get some lunch in the village and then follow the signposted footpath. The garden is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and the son of the house grows beautiful plants and exhibited at

Chelsea Flower Show this year. It’s the sort of place where if anyone asks you about the Olympics, don’t apologise for lack of interest, just jabber on about the original one in Greece – they will think you are one of the many American intellectuals to be found roaming around Britain in the summer. (Of course, you may actually be one!) Why not home in on the Source of the Thames, near Cricklade, Wiltshire? The path to this spring starts at the bottom of Cricklade High Street (you’ll see directions) and it’s a fabulous walk. You can park in the street. Or just recall the art of doing nothing ... read a whole book in one day ... buy a croquet set, play it and cheat ... learn to make a really good Pimms No. 1 and drink it ... recite Gray’s Elegy in the garden ... or gaze into space ... and gaze into space again. H Pictured: Oban bay, and inset, pony trekking in Wales

PHOTO: MEGOIZZY

PHOTO: MARTIN ABEGGLEN

Visit Mull, Scotland. You reach the Scottish island by ferry from Oban, and you can reach Oban by a pretty little train from Inverness - or drive up via historic York. Mull is restful, and walking there gets real air into your lungs, fishing is great and if you are lucky you will see Basil (see above), a black British eagle patrolling his five mile coastline while keeping an eye open for lunch. Mull also has good tweeds. If you are a fashion fan, perhaps you should buy a length and have it made up in locally or in Chelsea or Richmond. Close to Mull is the island of Iona, where Christianity was brought to these islands 1,400 years ago, and so remote it’s easy to forget which day of the week it is. Games, what Games?

Not everybody’s going to be rooted to the sofa during the Games. Mary Bailey ponders the alternatives.

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American ORGANIZATIONS

American Friends of the British Museum Mollie Norwich. The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. 020 7323 8590 www.britishmuseum.org

An index of useful resources in the UK

ESSENTIAL CONTACTS EMERGENCIES Fire, Police, Ambulance

TRANSPORTATION London Underground 020 7222 1234 www.tfl.gov.uk National Rail Enquiries 08457 4849 50 www.nationalrail.co.uk National Bus Service 0990 808080 www.nationalexpress.com

American Friends of the National Portrait Gallery Stacey Ogg and Charlotte Savery, Individual Giving Managers 020 7312 2444 individualgiving@npg.org.uk www.npg.org.uk/support/individual/ americanfriends.php

American Friends of the Almeida Theatre, Inc. Kenneth David Burrows, 950 Third Avenue, 32nd Floor, New York, NY 10022, USA or Lizzie Stallybrass, Almeida Theatre, Almeida Street, London N1 1TA, UK www.almeida.co.uk/supportus/americansupport.aspx

001 100 155 153 151

American Friends of Chickenshed Theatre U.S. Office: c/o Chapel & York PMB293, 601 Penn Ave NW, Suite 900 S Bldg, Washington, DC 20004 UK Office: Chickenshed, Chase Side, Southgate, London N14 4PE 0208 351 6161 ext 240 AdamG@Chickenshed.org.uk http://www.chickenshed.org.uk/659/individual/ american-friends.html

For more details go to

www.theamerican.co.uk and click on Essential Contacts

American Church in London Senior Pastor: Rev. John D’Elia. Music Director: Anthony Baldwin. Sunday School 9.45am Sunday Worship 11am, child care provided. 79a Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4TD (Goodge St. tube station) Tel: 020 7580 2791/07771 642875 churchsecretary@amchurch.co.uk www.amchurch.co.uk

American Friends of the Lyric Theatre Ireland Crannóg House, 44 Stranmillis Embankment, Belfast, BT9 5FL, Northern Ireland Angela McCloskey info@americanfriendsofthelyric.com www.americanfriendsofthelyric.com/ americanfriends.html

American Red Cross RAF Mildenhall Tel: 01638 542107, After Hours 07031 15 2334 red.crossv3@mildenhall.af.mil

MEDICAL ADVICE LINE NHS Direct delivers 24-hour telephone and e-health information services, direct to the public. www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk 0845 4647

CIVIC & SERVICES

American Friends of the Jewish Museum London Stephen Goldman Tel. 020 7284 7363 stephen.goldman@jewishmuseum.org.uk www.jewishmuseum.org.uk/american-friends

American Citizens Abroad (ACA) The Voice of Americans Overseas, 5 Rue Liotard, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland +41.22.340.02.33 info.aca@gmail.com www.americansabroad.org

999 or 112 (NOT 911)

TELEPHONES Direct Dial Code, US & Canada Operator Assistance, UK Operator Assistance, Int. International Directory Assistance Telephone Repair

American Friends of the Donmar Inc. Stephanie Dittmer, Deputy Director of Development 020 7845 5810 sdittmer@donmarwarehouse.com www.donmarwarehouse.com/p46.html

American Institute of Architects Benjamin Franklin House, 36 Craven Street, London WC2N 5NF. Tel: 020 7930 9124 chapterexecutive@aiauk.org www.aiauk.org

Here are some crucial telephone numbers to know while you are in the UK.

American Friends of Contemporary Dance & Sadler’s Wells U.S. Office: Celia Rodrigues, Chair 222 Park Avenue South, 10A, New York, NY 10003 +1.917.539.9021 americanfriends@sadlerswells.com UK Office: 020 7863 8134 development@sadlerswells.com. American Friends of Dulwich Picture Gallery Kathleen Bice, Development Officer, Members and Patrons 020 8299 8726 www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/support_us/ american_friends.aspx

American Friends of ENO – English National Opera Denise Kaplan, American Friends Coordinator London Coliseum, St. Martin’s Lane, London WC2N 4ES 0207 845 9331 Americanfriends@eno.org www.eno.org/support-us/individual-giving/ american-friends/american-friends.php

American Friends of the Philharmonia Orchestra, Inc. Jennifer Davies, Development Director jennifer.davies@philharmonia.co.uk www.philharmonia.co.uk/support/friends/afpo/ American Friends of the Royal Court Theatre U.S.: Laurie Beckelman, Beckelman and Capalino +1.212.616.5822 laurie@beckcap.com UK: Gaby Styles, Head of Development, Royal Court Theatre 020 7565 5060 gabystyles@royalcourttheatre.com or info@afrct.org

American Friends of the Royal Institution of Great Britain U.S.: c/o Chapel & York Limited, PMB #293, South Building Washington, DC 20004 UK: The Development Office, Royal Institution of Great Britain, 21 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4BS 020 7670 2991 kdodd@ri.ac.uk www.rigb.org American Friends of the Royal Society http://royalsociety.org/Overseas-Donations

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American Friends of St. Bartholomew the Great U.S.: John Eagleson 2925 Briarpark, Suite 600, Houston, TX 77042 UK: 20 7606 5171 admin@greatstbarts.com

American Friends of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust U.S.: John Chwat, President 625 Slaters Lane, Suite 103, Alexandria, VA 22314 +1. 703.684.7703 info@americanfriendsofsbt.org www.americanfriendsofsbt.org American Friends of the Victoria and Albert Museum, Inc. U.S.: Diana Seaton, Executive Director 61 Londonderry Drive, Greenwich, CT 06830 +1.203.536.4328 diana.seaton@afvam.org www.afvam.org UK: 020 7942 2149 American Friends of Wigmore Hall U.S.: c/o Chapel and York, 1000 N West Street Suite 1200, Wilmington DE 19801 UK: 020 7258 8220 mhosterweil@wigmore-hall.org.uk American Museum in Britain Director: Dr Richard Wendorf Claverton Manor, Bath BA2 7BD. 01225 460503. Fax 01225 469160 info@americanmuseum.org www.americanmuseum.org American Women Lawyers in London www.awll.org.uk info@awll.org.uk American Women’s Health Centre 214 Great Portland Street, London W1W 5QN. Obstetric, gynecological & infertility service. 020 7390 8433 www.awhc.co.uk Anglo American Medical Society Hon. Sec.: Dr. Edward Henderson, The Mill House, Whatlington, E. Sussex, TN33 0ND. 01424 775130. ed@themillhouse.eclipse.co.uk Association for Rescue at Sea The UK’s Royal National Lifeboat Association does not have an American Branch but if you wish to make a tax-efficient gift to the RNLI, contact AFRAS. Secretary: Mrs. Anne C. Kifer P.O. Box 565 Fish Creek, WI 54212, U.S.A. 00-1-920-743-5434 fax 00-1-920-743-5434 email: ackafras@aol.com Atlantic Council Director: Alan Lee Williams. 185 Tower Bridge Road, London SE1 2UF 0207 403 0640 or 0207 403 0740. Fax: 0207 403 0901 acuk@atlantic-council.org.uk

58 August 2012

Bethesda Baptist Church Kensington Place, London W8. 020 7221 7039 office@bethesdabaptist.org.uk Boy Scouts of America Mayflower District Field Executive: Wayne Wilcox 26 Shortlands Road, Kingston, Surrey KT2 6HD 020 8274 1429, 07788 702328 wpwilcox@gmail.com BritishAmerican Business Inc. 75 Brook Street, London, W1K 4AD. 020 7290 9888 www.babinc.org ukinfo@babinc.org British American-Canadian Associates Contact via The English Speaking Union esu@esu.org CARE International UK 10-13 Rushworth Street, London, SE1 0RB 020 7934 9334 www.careinternational.org info@careinternational.org Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 66-68 Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2PA 020 7584 7553 adcockmp@ldschurch.org https://lds.org.uk http://mormon.org Church of John the Evangelist Vicar: Reverend Stephen Mason. Assistant Priest: Reverend Mark Pudge. Assistant Curate: Reverend Deiniol Heywood. Hyde Park Crescent, London W2. Tel: 020 7262 1732 parishadmin@stjohns-hydepark.com Commonwealth Church Rev. Rod Anderson, PO Box 15027, London SE5 0YS www.savestmarks.com Democrats Abroad (UK) Regular updates on events, chapters throughout the UK (and specific email addresses), and DAUK newsletters: www.democratsabroad.org.uk Register to vote and request an Absentee Ballot: www.votefromabroad.org Tel: 020 7724 9796 www.democratsabroad.org/group/united-kingdom

Friends of St Jude London Debbie Berger 07738 628126 debbie.berger@stjude.org www.friendsofstjude.org/london Grampian Houston Association Secretary: Bill Neish 5 Cairncry Avenue, Aberdeen, AB16 5DS Tel: 01224-484720 wineish@sky.com International Community Church (Interdenominational) Our Vision: “Everyone Mature in Christ” (Col. 1:28) Pastor: Rev. Dr. Barry K. Gaeddert Worship on Sundays: 10.30 am at Chertsey Hall, Heriot Road, Chertsey, Surrey KT16 9DR Active Youth programme. Church Office: 1st floor, Devonshire House, 60 Station Road, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 2AF. 01932 830295. churchoffice@icc-uk.org www.icc-uk.org Junior League of London President: Meredith Niles 9 Fitzmaurice Place, London W1J 5JD. President 020 7499 8159 Fax: 020 7629 1996 jrleague@jll.org.uk www.jll.org.uk Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation 19 Angel Gate, City Road, London EC1V 2PT. Tel: 020 7713 2030. Fax: 020 7713 2031 info@jdrf.org.uk www.jdrf.org.uk Liberal Jewish Synagogue 28 St John’s Wood Road, London NW8 7HA Services 6.45pm Fridays and 11am on Saturdays except for first Friday each month when service is held at 7pm with a Chavurah Supper. Please bring non-meat food dish to share. 020 7286 5181 ljs@ljs.org Lions Club International Lakenheath & District 105EA, 15 Highfields Drive, Lakenheath, Suffolk IP27 9EH. Tel 01842 860752 www.lionsclubs.org

Farm Street Church 114 Mount Street, Mayfair, London W1K 3AH Tel: 020 7493 7811 www.farmstreet.org.uk

Lutheran Services, St Anne’s Rev. Timothy Dearhamer. Lutheran Church, Gresham St, London EC2. Sun 11am-7pm. Tel. 020 7606 4986 Fax. 020 7600 8984 info@StAnnesLutheranChurch.org www.StAnnesLutheranChurch.org

Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) Department of Defense, 1155 Defense Pentagon, Washington DC 20301-1155. Director: Ms. Polli K. Brunelli UK Toll Free Tel: 0800 028 8056 US Toll Free Tel:1-800-438- VOTE (8683). www.fvap.gov vote@fvap.ncr.gov

Methodist Central Hall Westminster, London SW1H 9NH Services every Sunday at 11am and 6.30pm. Bible study groups & Monday guilds also held. Tel: 020 7222 8010 www.methodist-central-hall.org.uk church@mchw.org.uk

The American

North American Friends of Chawton House Library U.S. Office: 824 Roosevelt Trail, #130, Windham, ME 04062 +1.207 892 4358 UK Office: Chawton House Library, Chawton, Alton, Hampshire GU34 1SJ 01420 541010 www.chawton.org/support/nafchl5.html Republicans Abroad (UK) Chairman Dr. Thomas Grant chairman@republicansabroad-uk.org www.republicansabroad-uk.org Rotary Club of London 6 York Gate, London NW1 4QG. Tel. 020 7487 5429 Royal National Lifeboat Institution Head Office, West Quay Road, Poole BH15 1HZ 0845 045 6999 www.rnli.org.uk The Royal Oak Foundation Sean Sawyer, 35 West 35th Street #1200, New York NY 10001-2205, USA Tel 212- 480-2889 or (800) 913-6565 Fax (212)785-7234 ssawyer@royal-oak.org www.royal-oak.org St Andrew’s Lutheran Church Serving Americans since 1960. Whitby Road & Queens Walk, Ruislip, West London. (South Ruislip Tube Station). Services: 11 am 020 8845 4242 pastorvan43@hotmail.com www.standrewslutheran.co.uk Other Lutheran Churches in the UK www.lutheran.co.uk T.R.A.C.E. P.W. (The ‘original’ Transatlantic Children’s’ Enterprise reuniting children with G.I. father’s and their families) Membership Secretary: Norma Jean Clarke-McCloud 29 Connaught Avenue, Enfield EN1 3BE www.tracepw.org normajean78@hotmail.com UK Society of CPAs Suite 32, 2 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3DQ

United Nations Association, Westminster branch Chairman: David Wardrop 61 Sedlescombe Road, London SW6 1RE 0207 385 6738 info@unawestminster.org.uk www.unawestminster.org.uk www.wethepeoples.org.uk USA Girl Scouts Overseas – North Atlantic Stem Kaserne Bldg 1002, Postfach 610212 D-68232, Mannheim, Germany. +49 621 487 7025. girlscouts@cmtymail.26asg.army.mil www.norags.com

SOCIAL

American Women’s Club of Central Scotland P.O. Box 231, 44-46 Morningside Road, Edinburgh, EH10 4BF info@awccs.org www.awccs.org

American Club of Hertfordshire President: Lauryn Awbrey 63-65 New Road, Welwyn, Herts AL6 0AL 01582 624823 amclubherts@aol.com

American Women of South Wales 07866 190838 awsouthwales@fawco.org

American Expats of the Northwest of England The Ruskin Rooms, Drury Lane, Knutsford, Cheshire WA16 6HA. expatsnw@gmail.com American Friends of English Heritage 1307 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W. Washington DC 20036. 202-452-0928. c/o English Heritage, Attn: Simon Bergin, Keysign House, 429 Oxford Street, London W1R 2HD. 020 7973 3423 www.english-heritage.org.uk American Professional Women in London Rebecca Lammers 58 Shacklewell Road, London, N16 7TU 075 3393 5064 abwinlondon@gmail.com www.meetup.com/American-Business-Womenin-London www.facebook.com/groups/293890040710041 Twitter: @USAProWomenLDN American Society in London c/o The English Speaking Union 37 Charles Street, London W1J 5ED info@americansocietyuk.com 020 7539 3400 American Stamp Club of Great Britain Chapter 67 of the American Philatelic Society. Hon. Publicity Secretary: Stephen T. Taylor 5 Glenbuck Road, Surbiton, Surrey KT6 6BS. 020 8390 9357 American Womens Association of Bristol awabristol_membership@fawco.org American Women of Berkshire & Surrey P. O. Box 10, Virginia Water, Surrey GU25 4YP. www.awbs.org.uk awbscommonground@yahoo.co.uk

The Anglo-American Charity Limited Jeffrey Hedges, Director. 07968 513 631 info@anglo-americancharity.org

Arnold Page High Twelve Club – International Club of Master Masons Secretary: Charles A. Aldrich 11 Burrow Drive, Lakenheath, Suffolk IP27 9EY 01842 860 650 mailto:caaldrich@btinterner.com Association of American Women in Ireland aawireland@fawco.org Association of American Women of Aberdeen PO Box 11952, Westhill, Aberdeen, AB13 0BW email via website www.awaaberdeen.org British Association of American Square Dance Zoe Bremer, 1 Burnwood Drive, Wollaton, Nottingham NG8 2DJ 0115 928 2896 rpmsquaredancing@aol.com www.uksquaredancing.com Canadians & Americans in Southern England 023 9241 3881 contactcase@casecommunity.com Canadian Womens Club 1 Grosvenor Square, London W1K 4AB Tues – Thurs 10.30-3.30 0207 258 6344 info@canadianwomenlondon.org www.canadianwomenlondon.org Chilterns American Women’s Club PO Box 445, Gerrards Cross, Bucks, SL9 8YU membership@cawc.co.uk www.cawc.co.uk

American Women of Surrey PO Box 185, Cobham, Surrey KT11 3YJ. www.awsurrey.org

Colonial Dames of America Chapter XI London. President Anne K Brewster: AnneBrewster@hotmail.com

American Women’s Association of Yorkshire The Chalet, Scarcroft Grange, Wetherby Road, Scarcroft, Leeds LS14 3HJ. 01224 744 224 Contact: Carol Di Peri

Daughters of the American Revolution – St James’s Chapter Mrs Natalie Ward, 01379 871422 nattyward@aol.com or UKDARStJames@aol.com http://mysite.verizon.net/jean.sutton/main.htm

The American Women’s Club of Dublin P.O. Box 2545, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 IRELAND www.awcd.net info@awcd.net

Daughters of the American Revolution – Walter Hines Page Chapter Diana Frances Diggines, Regent dardiana@hotmail.co.uk www.dar.org

American Women’s Club of London 68 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3LQ. 020 7589 8292 awc@awclondon.org www.awclondon.org

Daughters of the American Revolution – Washington Old Hall Chapter, North Yorkshire Mrs. Gloria Hassall, 01845 523-830

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Delta Kappa Gamma Society International Great Britain President: Mrs Sandra Blacker, 22 Manor Park, Tunbridge Wells www.deltakappagamma.net

Petroleum Women’s Club Contact: Nancy Ayres. Tel: 01923 711720 nanayrs@btopenworld.com

Delta Zeta International Sorority Alumna Club Mrs Sunny Eades, The Old Hall, Mavesyn Ridware, Nr. Rugeley, Staffordshire, WSI5 3QE. 01543 490 312 SunnyEades@aol.com

Petroleum Women’s Club of Scotland Executive Secretary: Mrs. Sue Dalgleish PO Box 77, Aberdeen AB15 4QU pwcscotland@yahoo.co.uk www.pwcos.com

English-Speaking Union Director-General Peter Kyle Dartmouth House, 37 Charles Street, London W1J 5ED. Tel: 020 7529 1550 Fax: 0207 495 6108 esu@esu.org Friends of Benjamin Franklin House Director: Dr. Márcia Balisciano Benjamin Franklin House, 36 Craven St, London WC2N 5NF 0207 839 2006 www.benjaminfranklinhouse.org info@benjaminfranklinhouse.org Hampstead Women’s Club President - Betsy Lynch. Tel: 020 7435 2226 email president@hwcinlondon.co.uk www.hwcinlondon.co.uk International American Duplicate Bridge Club Contact: Mary Marshall, 18 Palace Gardens Terrace, London W8 4RP. 020 7221 3708 www.ycbc.co.uk/american.htm Kensington & Chelsea Men’s Club Contact: John Rickus 70 Flood Street, Chelsea, London SW3 5TE. (home): 020 7349 0680 (office): 020 7753 2253 johnrickus@aol.com Kensington & Chelsea Women’s Club President: Mary Narvell. Tel. 0142 693 3348 president@kcwc.org.uk Membership: 0207 863 7562 (ans service). membership@kcwc.org.uk New Neighbors Diana Parker, Rosemary Cottage, Rookshill, Rickmansworth, Herts WD3 4HZ. 01923 772185 North American Connection (West Midlands) PO Box 10543, Knowle, Solihull, West Midlands. B93 8ZY T: 0870 720 0663 info@naconnect.com www.naconnect.com Northwood Area Women’s Club P.O. Box 46, Northwood, HA6 1XN 01932-830295 info@northwoodareawomensclub.co.uk www.northwoodareawomensclub.co.uk Stars of Great Britain Chapter #45 Washington Jurisdiction

60 August 2012

Air Force Sergeants Association European Division Timothy W. Litherland CMSgt, USAF (ret). Chapters at RAFs Alconbury, Croughton, Lakenheath, Menwith Hill and Mildenhall. tim_lith@msn.com www.afsadiv16.org

Lakenheath, England sogb45@yahoo.com http://starsofgreatbritainchapter45.com

Pilgrims of Great Britain Allington Castle, Maidstone, Kent M16 0NB. Tel. 01622 606404Fax. 01622 606402 sec@pilgrimsociety.org

American Legion London Post 1 Adjutant J.H. Spiller, III PO Box 5017, BATH, BA1 OPP Tel: 01225-426245 www.amlegionpost1london.org.uk info@amlegionpost1london.org.uk

Propeller Club of the United States – London, England propellerclubhq.com St John’s Wood Women’s Club President: Sue Rushmore Box 185, 176 Finchley Road, London NW3 6BT Membership: Sandy Asher membership@sjwwc.org www.sjwwc.org

Bentwaters/Woodbridge Retirees’ Association President: Wylie Moore. 2 Coldfair Close, Knodishall, Saxmundham, Suffolk, IP17 1UN. 01728 830281 British Patton Historical Society Kenn Oultram 01606 891303

Thames Valley American Women’s Club Contact: Miriam Brewster PO Box 1687, Maidenhead, Berks SL6 8XT. 0208 751 8941 www.tvawc.com membership@tvawc.com

Brookwood American Cemetery (WW1) Superintendent: Mr Frank Kaufmann. Brookwood, Woking, Surrey GU24 0BL 01483 473237 brookwood.ac@abmc-er.org

UK Panhellenic Association Contact Susan Woolf, 10 Coniston Court, High St. Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex HA1 3LP. 020 8864 0294 susanrwoolf@hotmail.com

Cambridge American Cemetery (WWII Cemetary) Superintendent: Mr. Bobby Bell. Asst. Superintendent: Mr. Tony Barclay. Coton, Cambridge CB23 7PH. 01954 210350

United Kingdom Shrine OASIS Anglian Shrine Club Secretary: Charles A. Aldrich, 11 Burrow Drive, Lakenheath, Suffolk IP27 9EY 01842 860 650 mailto:caaldrich@btinterner.com

Commander in Chief, US Naval Forces Europe Naval Reserve Detachment 130, Recruiting Officer: LCDR Thomas D. Hardin, USNR-R. 020 7409 4259 (days), 020 8960 7395 (evenings).

W.E.B. DuBois Consistory #116 Northern Jurisdiction Valley of London, England Orient of Europe Cell: 0776-873-8030 mjack36480@aol.com Women’s Writers Network Contact: Cathy Smith. 23 Prospect Road, London, NW2 2JU. 020 7794 5861 www.womenwriters.org.uk info@womenwriters.org.uk

MILITARY AFJROTC 073 Lakenheath High School. Tel: 01638 525603

Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association London Chapter Secretary: CW04, A.H. Cox, USN, Navcommunit Box 44, 7 North Audley Street, London W1Y 1WJ. 020 7409 4519/4184 www.afcea.org.uk london.sec@afcea.org.uk

Eighth Air Force Historical Society UK Representative: Mr. Gordon Richards and Mrs Connie Richards 14 Pavenham Road, Oakley, Bedford MK43 7SY. 01234 823357. Friends of the Eighth Newsletter (FOTE News) Chairman: Mr. Ron Mackay. 39b Thorley Hill, Bishops Stortford, Herts CM23 3NE. 01279 658619.

Joint RAF Mildenhall/Lakenheath Retiree Affairs Office Director: CWO John T Grantham, USA (Ret.). Unit 8965, Box 30. RAF Mildenhall, Bury St.Edmunds, Suffolk IP28 8NF Tel/Fax (01638) 542039 rao@mildenhall.af.mil or john.grantham@mildenhall.af.mi

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Marine Corps League Detachment 1088, London, England Commandant Mike Allen Creek Cottage, 2 Pednormead End, Old Chesham, Buckinghamshire HP5 2JS detachment1088@mcl-london-uk.org www.mcl-london-uk.org

Phone: 01280 708182 e-mail: 422abg.rao@croughton.af.mil

USNA Alumni Association UK Chapter Pres: LCDR Tim Fox ’97, timfox97@hotmail.com Vice Pres: Miguel Sierra ’90, mrsierra@chevron.com Treas/Membership Coord: Bart O’Brien ’98, bartonobrien2@yahoo.com Secretary: Matt Horan ’87, matthoran@btinternet.com

Mildenhall Retirees Association President: Jack Kramer 6 Nunsgate, Thetford, Norfolk 1P24 3EL

Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States Commander: Ernest Paolucci 24, rue Gerbert, 75015 Paris, France 00 33 (0)1.42.50.96.34

Navy League of the United States, United Kingdom Council Council President: Steven G. Franck steven.franck@googlemail.com www.navyleague.org

Western UK Retiree Association President: R. Jim Barber, MSgt (USAF), Ret Phone: 01280 708182

Non-Commissioned Officers’ Association (NCOA) – The Heart of England Chapter Chairman: Ronald D.Welper. Pine Farm, Sharpe’s Corner, Lakenheath, Brandon, Suffolk 1P27 9LB. Thetford 861643. The Chapter Address: 513 MSSQ/SS, RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk.

EDUCATIONAL ACS International Schools ACS Cobham International School, Heywood, Portsmouth Road, Cobham, Surrey KT11 1BL 01932 867251

Society of American Military Engineers (UK) UK address: Box 763, USAFE Construction Directorate. 86 Blenheim Crescent, West Ruislip, Middlesex HA4 7HL London Post. President: W. Allan Clarke. Secretary: Capt. Gary Chesley. Membership Chairman, Mr. Jim Bizier. US Army Reserve 2nd Hospital Center 7 Lynton Close, Ely, Cambs, CB6 1DJ. Tel: 01353 2168 Commander: Major Glenda Day. US Air Force Recruiting Office RAF Mildenhall, 100 MSS/MSPRS, RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, 1P28 8NF. 01638 542290 Retired Affairs Office, RAF Alconbury Serving Central England POC: Rex Keegan Alt. POC: Mike Depasquale UK Postal Address: 423 SVS/RAO, Unit 5585, Box 100, RAF Alconbury, Huntingdon, Cambs PE28 4DA Office Hours: Tuesday and Friday, 10:30am–2:30pm 01480 84 3364/3557 Emergency Contact: 07986 887 905 RAO@Alconbury.af.mil 2nd Air Division Memorial Library The Forum, Norwich, Norfolk, NR2 1AW 01603 774747 www.2ndair.org.uk 2admemorial.lib@norfolk.gov.uk USAF Retiree Activities Office Director: Paul G Gumbert, CMSgt (USAF), Ret 422 ABG/CVR Unit 5855, PSC 50, Box 3 RAF Croughton, Northants NN13 5XP

ACS Egham International School, Woodlee, London Road (A30), Egham, Surrey TW20 0HS. 01784 430800 ACS Hillingdon International School Hillingdon Court, 108 Vine Line, Hillingdon, Middlesex UB10 0BE. 01895 259771 www.acs-england.co.uk

AIU/London (formerly American College in London) 110 Marylebone High Street, London W1U 4RY. Tel 020 7467 5640 Fax 020 7935 8144 www.aiulondon.ac.ukadmissions@aiulondon.ac.uk Alconbury Middle/High School RAF Alconbury, Huntingdon, Cambs, PE17 1PJ, UK. www.alco-hs.eu.dodea.edu AlconburyHS.Principal@eu.dodea.edu American Institute for Foreign Study 37 Queensgate, London SW7 5HR 020 7581 7300 www.aifs.co.uk info@aifs.co.uk American School in London 1 Waverley Place, London NW8 0NP Tel: 020 7449 1200 Fax: 020 7449 1350 www.asl.org admissions@asl.org American School of Aberdeen Craigton Road, Cults, Aberdeen. 01224 861068 / 868927. Benjamin Franklin House 36 Craven Street, London WC2N 5NF. Tel 020 7839 2006 Fax 020 7930 9124 info@benjaminfranklinhouse.org

Boston University – London Graduate Programs Office 43 Harrington Gardens, London SW7 4JU. 020 7244 6255 www.bu.edu/london British American Educational Foundation Mrs. Carlton Colcord, 1 More’s Garden, 90 Cheyne Walk, London SW3. 020 7352 8288 www.baef.org anncolcord@compuserve.com BUNAC Student Exchange Employment Program Director: Callum Kennedy, 16 Bowling Green Lane, London EC1R 0QH. 020 7251 3472 www.bunac.org enquiries@bunac.org.uk Center Academy School Development Centre 92 St. John’s Hill, Battersea, London SW11 1SH. Tel 020 7738 2344 Fax 020 7738 9862 ukadmin@centeracademy.com Central Bureau for Educational Visits The British Council Director: Peter Upton 10 Spring Gardens, London SW1A 2BN 020 7389 4004 Wales 029 2039 7346, Scotland 0131 447 8024 centralbureau@britishcouncil.org Council on International Educational Exchange Dr. Michael Woolf, 52 Portland Street, London WIV 1JQ Tel 020 7478 2000 Fax 020 7734 7322 www.ciee.org contact@ciee.org Ditchley Foundation Ditchley Park, Enstone, Chipping Norton, Oxon OX7 4ER. Tel 01608 677346 Fax 1608 677399 www.ditchley.co.uk info@ditchley.co.uk European Council of International Schools Jean K Vahey, Executive Director, 21b Lavant Street, Petersfield GU32 3EL. Tel 01730 268244 Fax 01730 267914 www.ecis.org ecis@ecis.org European-Atlantic Group PO Box 37431, London N3 2XP 020 8632 9253 justinglass@btinternet.com www.eag.org.uk Florida State University London Study Centre Administrative Director: Kathleen Paul 99 Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3LH. Tel 020 7813 3233 Fax 020 7813 3270 www.international.fsu.edu/london/ intprog1@admin.fsu.edu Fordham University London Centre Academic Coordinator: Sabina Antal 23 Kensington Square, London W8 5HQ

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Regents American College Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4NS. 020 7486 9605. www.regents.ac.uk exrel@regents.ac.uk

020 7937 5023 londoncentre@fordham.edu www.fordham.edu

Harlaxton College UK Campus, University of Evansville Harlaxton Manor, Grantham, Lincolnshire NG32 1AG. Grantham 4541 4761. Tel 01476 403000 Fax 01476 403030 harlaxton.ac.uk. Huron University USA in London 46-47 Russell Square, Bloomsbury, London WC1B 4JP Tel +44 (0) 20 7636 5667 Fax+44 (0) 20 7299 3297 folu@huron.ac.uk www.huron.ac.uk Institute for Study Abroad Butler University, 21 Pembridge Gardens, London W2 4EB 020 7792 8751 http://www.ifsa-butler.org/england-overview.html Institute for the Study of the Americas Director: Professor James Dunkerley. Tel 020 7862 8879 Fax 020 7862 8886 americas@sas.ac.uk www.americas.sas.ac.uk International School of Aberdeen 296 North Deeside Road, Milltimber, Aberdeen, AB13 0AB 01224 732267 www.isa.aberdeen.sch.uk admin@isa.aberdeen.sch.uk International School of London 139 Gunnersbury Avenue, London W3 8LG. 020 8992 5823. www.islondon.com mail@ISLondon.com International School of London in Surrey Old Woking Road, Woking GU22 8HY Tel +44 (0)1483 750409 Fax +44 (0)1483 730962 www.islsurrey.com mail@islsurrey.com Ithaca College London Centre 35 Harrington Gardens, London SW7. Tel. 020 7370 1166 www.ithaca.edu/london bsheasgreen@ithacalondon.co.uk Marymount International School, London Headmistress: Ms Sarah Gallagher George Road, Kingston upon Thames, KT2 7PE Tel: 020 8949 0571 info@marymountlondon.com www.marymountlondon.com Missouri London Study Abroad Program 32 Harrington Gardens, London SW7 4JU. 020 7373 7953. www.umsl.edu/services/abroad/universities/ molondon.html web_office@umsl.edu

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Richmond, The American International University in London Richmond Hill Campus,Queen’s Road Richmond-upon Thames TW10 6JP Tel: +44 20 8332 9000 Fax: +44 20 8332 1596 enroll@richmond.ac.uk www.richmond.ac.uk Schiller International University Royal Waterloo House, 51-55 Waterloo Road, London SE1 8TX. Tel. 020 7928 1372 www.schillerlondon.ac.uk admissions@schillerlondon.ac.uk Sotheby’s Institute of Art Postgraduate Art studies, plus day /evening courses 30 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3EE Tel: 0207 462 3232 www.sothebysinstitute.com info@sothebysinstitute.com

Wickham Court School, Schiller International Layhams Road, West Wickham, Kent BR4 9HW. Tel 0208 777 2942 Fax 0208 777 4276 Wickham@schillerintschool.com www.wickhamcourt.org.uk Wroxton College Fairleigh Dickinson Univ.,Wroxton, Nr. Banbury, Oxfordshire OX15 6PX. Tel. 01295 730551 http://view.fdu.edu/default.aspx?id=326 admin@wroxton-college.ac.uk

ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONS Alliant International University (formerly United States International University) England Chapter Alumni Association Chapter President: Eric CK Chan c/o Regents College London, Inner Circle, Regents Park, London, UK University: www.alliant.edu chane@regents.ac.uk

Southbank International Schools Kensington and Hampstead campuses for 3-11 year olds; Westminster campuses for 11-18 year olds. Director of Admissions: MargaretAnne Khoury Tel: 020 7243 3803 Fax: 020 7727 3290 admissions@southbank.org www.southbank.org

Amherst College Bob Reichert RAreichert26b@aol.com

TASIS England, American School Coldharbour Lane, Thorpe, Nr. Egham, Surrey TW20 8TE. Tel: 01932 565252 Fax: 01932 564644 http://england.tasis.com ukadmissions@tasisengland.org

Association of MBAs Leo Stemp, Events Administrator Tel 020 7837 3375 (ext. 223) Fax 020-7278-3634 l.stemp@mba.org.uk

University of Notre Dame London Program 1 Suffolk Street, London SW1Y 4HG 020 7484 7811 london@nd.edu http://www.nd.edu/~ndlondon/lup/future/ introduction.htm US-UK Fulbright Commission Dir. of Advisory Service: Lauren Welch 020 7498 4010 Dir. of Awards: Michael Scott-Kline, 020 7498 4014 Battersea Power Station, 188 Kirtling Street, London SW8 5BN www.fulbright.co.uk

Andover/Abbot Association of London Jeffrey Hedges ‘71, President 07968 513 631 hedgeslon@hotmail.com

Babson College Frank de Jongh Swemer, Correspondence W 020 7932 7514 babson.alumni@btinternet.com Barnard College Club Hiromi Stone, President. Tel. 0207 935 3981 barnardclubgb@yahoo.co.uk The Berkeley in Britain Club Kathleen Granados, Officer / Waleed Julier, Officer matthewdaines@californiahouse.org.uk amyambrose@berkeley.edu

Warnborough University International Office, Friars House, London SE1 8HB. Tel 020 7922 1200 Fax: 020 7922 1201 www.warnborough.edu. admin@warnborough.edu

Boston College Alumni Club UK Craig Zematis, President +44 7717 878968 BCalumniclub@gmail.com www.alumniconnections.com/olc/pub/BTN/cpages/ chapters/home.jsp?chapter=41&org=BTN

Webster Graduate Studies Center Regent’s College, Regent’s Park, Inner Circle, London NW1 4NS, UK. Tel: 020 7487 7505 Fax: 020 7487 7425 www.webster.ac.uk webster@regents.ac.uk

Boston University Alumni Association of the UK Will Straughn, Snr International Development Officer, University Development and Alumni Relations, 43 Harrington Gardens, Kensington, London SW7 4JU 020 7244 2908 020 7373 7411 bstraugh@bu.edu

The American

Brandeis Alumni Club of Great Britain Joan Bovarnick, President http://alumni.brandeis.edu office@alumni.brandeis.edu Brown University Club of the United Kingdom President: Tugba Erem Vice President: Caroline Cook Secretary: Pinar Emirdag Treasurer: Mikus Kins Events: Ramya Moothathu Communication: Patrick Attie Alumni Club & Liaison: Vanessa Van Hoof Former President: Ed Giberti edgibertiwgcuk@aol.com. Brown Club UK, Box 57100, London, EC1P 1RB contact@brownuk.org www.brownuk.org Bryn Mawr Club President: Lady Quinton. c/o Wendy Tiffin, 52 Lansdowne Gardens, London SW8 2EF. Wendy Tiffin, Secretary/Treasurer wendytif@ukgateway.net Claremont Colleges Alumni in London Hadley Beeman hadley_beeman@alumni.cmc.edu Colgate Club of London Stephen W Solomon ‘76, President 0207 349 0738 swsolomon@hotmail.com Columbia University Club of London Stephen Jansen, President london@alumniclubs.columbia.edu www.alumniclubs.columbia.edu/london Cornell Club of London Natalie Teich, President nmt4@cornell.edu www.alumni.cornell.edu/orgs/int/London Dartmouth College Club of London Sanjay Gupta, Officer Andrew Rotenberg, Officer sanjay.gupta.96@ alum.dartmouth.org andrew.l.rotenberg.92@alum.dartmouth.org www.dartmouth.org Delta Kappa Gamma Society International For information about the Society in Great Britain go to our website www.deltakappagamma.org/GB. There are links to all the USA and other international members’ sites. Delta Sigma Pi Business Fraternity London Alumni Chapter. Ashok Arora, P O Box 1110, London W3 7ZB. 020 8423 8231 bertela@yahoo.com www.dspnet.org Duke University Club of England Ms Robin Buck buckrobin@yahoo.com

Ohio University UK & Ireland Frank Madden, 1 Riverway, Barry Avenue, Windsor, Berks. SL4 5JA. Tel 01753 855 360 Fax 01753 868 855 frank@madant.demon.co.uk

Tim Warmath timwarmath@yahoo.com Kate Bennett jkbennett@btinternet.com www.dukealumni.com/england

Emory University Alumni Chapter of the UK Matthew Williams, Chapter Leader 079 8451 4119 matthew.eric.williams@gmail.com www.alumni.emory.edu/chapters-and-groups/ chapters/international.html

Penn Alumni Club of the UK David Lapter Tel. 07957 146 470 david.lapter@alumni.upenn.edu

Georgetown Alumni Club Alexa Fernandez, President GeorgetownLondon@Yahoo.com

Penn State Alumni Association Penn State Alumni Association Ron Nowicki 0207 226 7681 pennstatelondon@yahoo.co.uk www.alumni.psu.edu

Gettysburg College Britt-Karin Oliver brittkarin@aol.com Harvard Business School Club of London www.hbsa.org.uk

Princeton Association (UK) Carol Rahn, President Jon Reades, Young Alumni carol.rahn@orange-ftgroup.com jon@reades.com www.alumni.princeton.edu

Harvard Club of Great Britain Brandon Bradkin, President president@hcuk.org www.hcuk.org Indiana University Alumni club of England Anastasia Tonello, President 020 7253 4855 iuinlondon@yahoo.com www.alumni.indiana.edu/clubs/england

Rice Alumni of London Kathy Wang Tel. 07912 560 177 kathyw@alumni.rice.edu Skidmore College Alumni Club, London Peggy Holden Briggs ‘84, co-ordinator peggyhbriggs@gmail.com 07817 203611

KKG London Alumnae Association emilymerrell@gmail.com LMU Alumni Club London (Loyola Marymount University) Kent Jancarik 07795 358 681 kent@jancarik.com Marymount University Alumni UK Chapter President: Mrs Suzanne Tapley, 35 Park Mansions, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7QT. Tel 020 7581 3742 MIT Club of Great Britain Yiting Shen Flat 8a, 36 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6PB Tel: 0789 179 3823 yshen@alum.mit.edu http://alumweb.mit.edu/clubs/uk/ Mount Holyoke Club of Britain Rachel L. Elwes, President rlelwes@yahoo.com Karen K. Bullivant Vice-President kkbullivant@alumnae.mtholyoke.edu www.mtholyoke.co.uk Notre Dame Club of London Hannah Gornik , Secretary ND_Club_London@yahoo.co.uk NYU STERN UK Alumni Club Matthieu Gervis, President sternukalumniclub@hotmail.com

Smith College Club of London Kathleen Merrill, President smithclubgb@googlemail.com http://alumnae.smith.edu

Stanford Business School Alumni Association (UK Chapter) Robby Arnold, President Lesley Anne Hunt, Events robby@blueyonder.co.uk lesley.hunt@blueyonder.co.uk www.stanfordalumni.org.uk Texas Tech Alumni Association – London Chapter David Mirmelli, Ferhat Guven, Bobby Brents president@texastechalumni.org.uk www.TexasTechAlumni.org.uk Texas Exes UK (UKTE) President: Carra Kane 7 Edith Road, Wimbledon, London SW19 8TW 0778 660 7534 carrakane@alumni.utexas.net www.fornogoodreason.com/UKTEMain.htm Texas A&M Club London Ashley Lilly, Co-President Devin Howard, Co-President london@aggienetwork.com http://clubs.aggienetwork.com/londonamc/

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The John Adams Society Contact: Muddassar Ahmed c/o Unitas Communications, Palmerston House, 80-86 Old Street, London EC1V 9AZ 0203 308 2358 johnadamssociety@unitascommunications.com www.johnadamssociety.co.uk Tufts - London Tufts Alliance Vikki Garth Londontuftsalliance@yahoo.com UK Dawgs of the University of Georgia Rangana Abdulla ukdawgs@hotmail.com UMass Alumni Club UK Julie Encarnacao, President (0)20 7007 3869 julesje32@gmail.com University of California Matthew Daines (Program Director) 17 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3JA 020 7079 0567 matthewdaines@californiahouse.org.uk University of Chicago UK Alumni Association President c/o Alumni Affairs and Development – Europe University of Chicago Booth School of Business Woolgate Exchange, 25 Basinghall Street, London EC2V 5HA Tel +44(0)20 7070 2245 Fax +44(0)20 7070 2250 www.ChicagoBooth.edu University of Illinois Alumni Club of the UK Amy Barklam, President 07796 193 466 amybarklam@msn.com University of North Carolina Alumni Club Brad Matthews, Club Leader 2 The Orchards, Hill View Road, Woking GU22 7LS brad.matthews@alumni.unc.edu http://alumni.unc.edu University of Michigan Alumni Association Regional Contact: Jessica Cobb, BA ’97 +44 (0) 788-784-0941 jesscobb@yahoo.com http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/umich_uk_alumni/

University of Rochester/Simon School UK Alumni Association Ms. Julie Bonne, Co-President 0118-956-5052 julie_bonne@yahoo.com

University of Southern California, Alumni Club of London Jennifer Ladwig, President Chuck Cramer, Treasurer usclondon@gmail.com www.usclondonalumni.org University of Virginia Alumni Club of London Kirsten Jellard, 020 7368 8473

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londonuvaclub@yahoo.com http://members.aol.com/UKUVACLUB/UVA-london.htm

USNA Alumni Association, UK Chapter President: LCDR Greta Densham ‘00 (gretaj@mac.com) Vice President/Treasurer: Tim Fox ‘97 (timfox97@ hotmail.com) Secretary: Mike Smith ‘84 (Mike.Smith@polycom.com) Facebook Group - USNA Alumni Association, UK Chapter Vassar College Club Sara Hebblethwaite, President 18 Redgrave Road, London, SW15 1PX +44 020 8788 6910 sara.hebblethwaite@virgin.net Warnborough Worldwide Alumni Association c/o International Office, Friars House, London SE1 8HB. Tel. 020 7922 1200 Fax. 020 7922 1201 http://www.wwaa.info/ admin@warnborough.edu Wellesley College Club Ana Ericksen, President. ana@ericksenuk.com Wharton Business School Club of the UK Yoav Kurtzbard, President Claire Watkins, Administrator 020-7447-8800 ykurtzbard@youngassoc.com cwatkins@youngassoc.com Williams Club of Great Britain Ethan Kline: ethankline@gmail.com Yale Club of London Joe Vittoria, President president@yale.org.uk Scott Fletcher, Events events@yale.org.uk Nick Baskey, Secretary secretary@yale.org.uk www.yale.org.uk Zeta Tau Alpha Alumnae Kristin Morgan 07812 580949 kristinamorgan@gmail.com www.zetataualpha.org

ARTS North American Actors Association Chief Executive: Ms. Laurence Bouvard Americanactors@aol.com 07873 371 891

CIVIL WAR SOCIETIES American Civil War Round Table (UK) Sandra Bishop 5 Southdale, Chigwell, Essex IG7 5NN sandra-bishop@hotmail.com www.americancivilwar.org.uk Southern Skirmish Association Membership Secretary: Roland Edkins

7 Imber Way, Sholing, Southampton, SO19 1SF www.soskan.co.uk

SPORTS Eagles Golf Society Sharon Croley c/o Eventful Services, 49 Hastings Road, Croydon, Surrey CRO 6PH sharoncroley@blueyonder.co.uk English Lacrosse The Belle Vue Centre, Pink Bank Lane, Longsight, Manchester M12 5GL 0161.227.3626 www.englishlacrosse.co.uk info@englishlacrosse.co.uk British Baseball Federation/ BaseballSoftballUK 5th Floor, Ariel House, 74a Charlotte Street, London W1T 4QJ. 020 7453 7055 British Morgan Horse Society 01942 886141 www.morganhorse.org.uk admin@morganhorse.org.uk Ice Hockey UK 19 Heather Avenue, Rise Park, Romford RM1 4SL Tel. 07917 194 264 Fax. 1708 725241 www.icehockeyuk.co.uk ihukoffice@yahoo.co.uk Herts Baseball Club Adult & Little League Baseball www.hertsbaseball.com LondonSports Instruction and competitive play in baseball, basketball and football (soccer), for boys and girlsaged 4-15, newcomers or experienced players. Learn about and play sports in a safe, fun environment. We welcome children of allnationalities. www.londonsports.com vll@me.com London Warriors American Football Club Contact: Kevin LoPrimo info@londonwarriorsafc.co.uk www.londonwarriorsafc.co.uk Mildenhall EELS Swim Team International and local competitions for ages 6-19. Contact Coach Robin flv4@hotmail.com

Every effort is made to ensure that listings in the information guide are correct and current. If your entry requires amendments please notify us immediately. We rely on you to keep us informed. Telephone 01747 830520, Fax 01747 830691 or email us at theamerican@blueedge.co.uk. We would be pleased to receive news or short articles about your organisation for possible publication in The American.

The American

Suppliers of quality products and services hand-picked for you ACCOUNTANCY & TAX BDO LLP The UK member firm of the world’s fifth largest accountancy organisation. 55 Baker Street, London W1U 7EU 020 7486 5888 info@bdo.co.uk www.bdo.uk.com Jaffe & Co., incorp. American Tax International Comprehensive tax preparation and compliance service for U.S. expatriates in the UK and Europe. America House, 54 Hendon Lane, London N3 1TT 0800 085 1537 or 020 8346 5237 www.americantaxonline.com Xerxes Associates LLP Fixed Fee U.S. & UK Individual Tax Compliance, Consulting & Planning. Tel: +44(0)207 411 9026 Fax: +44(0)207 411 9051 www.xerxesllp.com

GROCERY Panzer’s Family-run deli in St. John’s Wood, established over 50 years. 13-19 Circus Road, St John’s Wood, London NW8 6PB 020 7722 8596 www.panzers.co.uk Lidgate Butchers Organic meats from a 150 year old business now run by the the fifth generation of the same family. 110 Holland Park Avenue, London W11 4UA Tel. 0207 727 8243 www.lidgates.com

LEGAL Kingsley Napley LLP Family lawyers with particular experience in dealing with cases involving Americans living here and abroad. 020 7814 1200 www.kingsleynapley.co.uk

ANTIQUES & COLLECTABLES Stephen T Taylor Your American stamp dealer in Britain since 1995. 5 Glenbuck Road, Surbiton, Surrey KT6 6BS 020 8390 9357 info@stephentaylor.co.uk www.stephentaylor.co.uk

CLEANING SERVICES Shine Cleaning Inc. Ltd Successful for over 20 years in the U.S. – now over here in Britain. All kinds of cleaning: Residential, Commercial, Medical, One-off or Contract. 0800 206 2212 or 078 2753 7215 www.shinecleaninginc.co.uk

EDUCATION Florida State University in UK Over 50 years of experience in international education. 99 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LA 020 7813 3223 www.international.fsu.edu

RESTAURANTS La Capanna The Finest Italian Food served in the loveliest of Surrey’s settings. 48 High Street, Cobham, Surrey KT11 3EF 01932 862 121 www.lacapanna.co.uk

VIDEO / TELEVISION Jim Garnett - Cameraman 27 years’ experience in television, magazines and newspapers – Full professional gear in both NTSC [USA/Canada] and PAL formats. Used by ‘Entertainment Tonight’, CBC, CTV National, CTV Toronto, CTV Sports, Global TV and Channel Zero. Tel. 07930-100909 http://jimgarnettphotography.blogspot.co.uk

MEDICAL & DENTAL The American Women’s Health Centre (AWHC) OB GYN Based in the West End of London, at the heart of medical excellence in Britain. Third Floor, 214 Great Portland Street, London W1W 5QN 020 7390 8433 info@AWHC.co.uk www.awhc.co.uk

To find out whether you’re eligible to advertise your products and services here, and for rates, call Sabrina Sully on +44 (0)1747 830520. You’ll reach Americans living in and visiting the UK as well as Britons who like American culture and products.

Coffee Break Answers

SOLUTION 4

1. Olympia, Greece; 2. 776 BC, it is generally accepted; 3. Zeus; 4. The Pentathlon was made up of long jump, discus, javelin, running and wrestling; 5. An olive wreath, a palm branch and a red ribbon; 6. Horse-Riding; 7. Boxing; 8. Ben Johnson was disqualified, Carl Lewis was awarded the gold medal; 9. 5 meters; 10. 1960; 11. Rio de Janeiro; 12. Munich, 1972; 13. Montreal, 1976; 14. Los Angeles, 1984; 15. Seoul, 1988; 16. Atlanta, 1996; 17. Beijing, 2008.

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