March 2014
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
Est. 1976
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Buddy Greco WIN albums: 3 Welsh Tenors & Charlie Landsborough UK floods - did they really have to happen?
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The American ®
Issue 730 March 2014 PUBLISHED BY SP MEDIA FOR
Blue Edge Publishing Ltd. Old Byre House, East Knoyle, Salisbury SP3 6AW, UK Tel: +44 (0)1747 830520
Departments: News, Article ideas, Press releases: editor@theamerican.co.uk Advertising & Promotions: advertising@theamerican.co.uk Subscriptions: theamerican@blueedge.co.uk The team: Michael Burland, Content Director + Motors & Music michael@theamerican.co.uk Sabrina Sully, Content Director & Community Contact sabrina@theamerican.co.uk Daniel Byway, Content Executive dan@theamerican.co.uk Virginia E Schultz, Food & Drink (USA) virginia@theamerican.co.uk Michael M Sandwick, Food & Drink (UK) mms@theamerican.co.uk Mary Bailey, Social mary@theamerican.co.uk Alison Holmes, Politics alison@theamerican.co.uk Jarlath O’Connell, Theater jarlath@theamerican.co.uk Richard L Gale, Sports richard@theamerican.co.uk
©2014 Blue Edge Publishing Ltd. Printed by Advent Colour Ltd., www.advent-colour.co.uk ISSN 2045-5968 Main Cover Image: Buddy Greco Image © Mark Kehoe Circular Inset: Floods. photo Nick Sarebi Square Inset: The Three Welsh Tenors
@TheAmericanMag
Y
ou know when someone is described as a ‘veteran’ this, or a ‘legendary’ that? This month we talk to someone who has really earned those accolades, the truly legendary veteran singer and musician, Mr Buddy Greco. This month Buddy tells us about being in his ninth decade of making music, his friendship with Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe and performing at the Hippodrome Casino - an old 1960s haunt. Oh, and why he’s recently become an expat, settling in... Southend, Essex!
Martha Plimpton and Gary US Bonds are both in town this month too, and they chat with us about a new play and old friends. And if you ever wondered who really runs the House of Commons, it’s not the Prime Minister, it’s not the Speaker, it’s the Clerk, and the current incumbent Sir Robert Rogers explains what that really means...
Enjoy your magazine,
Michael Burland, Content Director michael@theamerican.co.uk
Among this month’s contributors
Carol Gould The writer and broadcaster’s father, who supervised the dredging of America’s waterways, would have been shocked by the UK’s floods.
Jarlath O’Connell The American’s theater reviewer’s pithy and witty reviews tell you what’s hot and, just as importantly, what’s not.
Sir Robert Rogers The Clerk of the House of Commons and Chief Executive tells all about the history of his job - the men who really run the British Parliament.
Read 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.
March 2014 1
The American • Issue 730 • March 2014
In This Issue... Regulars 4 6 10 20 24 26 30 34 37 48 50 56 65
News Diary Dates Features Wining & Dining Cellar Talk Feature Interview Arts Choice Music Theater Drive Time Sports American Organizations The A-List
33 The Johnsons are back! Rocco, Tammy-Lee, Charles and little Anne have been away, but they’re back with their unique look at expat life
10 Peggy Lee Loves London
Toy poodle goes tagging
12 Water Management? The dredger of America’s waterways would have been shocked by Britain’s floods
14 Clerk of the House
ho really runs Parliament? We get the W lowdown from the horse’s mouth.
19 New World, Old Maps
The American Museum in Britain’s fabulous arty charts show
25 COMPETITION
14 Parliament The Clerk with Clout takes us behind the scenes of The House of Commons
Win great albums by the Three Welsh Tenors and Charlie Landsborough
26 Buddy Greco
The legendary singer and pianist is now your neighbor - Buddy’s an expat in Essex!
30 Arts Choice
The first major American painting acquired by England’s National Gallery
34 By US Bonds
A soul surivor talks about his life in music
37 Martha Plimpton
The actress arrives at the Old Vic
41 Theater Reviews
1984, Cirque Du Soleil, Ellen Terry With Eileen Atkins, A Spoonful of Sherman, Crazy Coqs Cabaret and Superior Donuts
48 Evoque Evolution
The baby Range Rover gets an upgrade
50 Sideline
Michael Sam is a headliner after he came out in more ways than one
52 Step on the Gas
A mericans are in the British Touring Cars Championship
53 New NASCAR Rules a Drag? What’ll fans make of new rules? 54 Eagle Eyed Who was Missing at Maui?
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NEWS EMBASSY NEWS: Ambassador Barzun visits London Sixth Form students
T
he Ambassador hopes to visit a Sixth Form once a week during his posting in the UK. On January 15th, Ambassador Matthew Barzun delivered an interactive and engaging talk to Sixth Form students (ages 16-18) at Harris Academy Crystal Palace. Through the use of ‘clicker’ technology, the Ambassador polled students on topics related to the UK/US relationship and received instant feedback on the results. Harris Academy in Crystal Palace was selected as a starting point for the Ambassador for its diverse student population as well as a prior relationship with the Embassy’s Public Affairs section. The Ambassador was warmly welcomed by a rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Star Spangled Banner’ by one of Harris Academy’s politics students and fielded questions about America ranging from gun control, the death penalty, campaign finance reform, and even our non use of the metric system, in the one-hour session.
Surrey Hills Chamber Choir in Choir of the Year 2012
PHOTO TAS KYPRIANOU ©CHOIR OF THE YEAR
The American
Choir of the Year 2014 - open for entries
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egistration is now open at www. choiroftheyear.com, for UK Choir of the Year 2014 auditions for any amateur choir consisting of 8-100 singers, of any age and music style. This is the UK’s national choral competition which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Auditions run from March to June, in Middlesbrough, London,
Croydon, Bristol, Leeds, Basingstoke, Warwick, Norwich and Glasgow. Supported by family, friends and members of the public, choirs from Classical to Jazz, Gospel to Glee will take the stage in an attempt to impress a panel of expert judges and be voted through to the semifinals. The finals will be broadcast on BBC Radio and TV.
New Fulbright-LAMDA Acting Scholarship
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AMDA (The London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art), LAMDA in America, Inc and the US-UK Fulbright Commission are pleased to announce the launch of the Fulbright John Wood LAMDA Scholarship, made possible by a generous $1 million endowment from the MLDauray Arts Initiative. John Wood CBE, was considered one of the greatest C21st stage actors. His career included many Broadway performances, the RSC and National Theatre. Each year this full scholarship will enable a student from the US to study for LAMDA’s MA in Classical Acting for the Professional Theatre. Applications for the first award will open in spring 2014, and the first scholar will begin studies in London in September 2015. Apply through the Fulbright application process and be aware that it will include a LAMDA audition in North America. See www.fulbright.org.uk late March/early April for more details.
Free Tax Prep for Low-Income Families
T
ax filing is now only a few months away. If you earn less than $58,000, the MyFreeTaxes partnership provides free tax preparation and filing services. Now in its sixth year, the MyFreeTaxes partnership is the only online initiative allowing free federal and state preparation and filing in all 50 states and
4 March 2014
DC to individuals and families. Powered by the Walmart Foundation in cooperation with Goodwill Industries International, National Disability Institute, and United Way, the partnership supports volunteerassisted free tax preparation in 100 communities nationwide in the US and at www.myfreetaxes.com.
The American
A small selection of the TynieToys furniture
American Doll’s House furniture sale in UK
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he entire contents of a colonial style country house doll’s house are being sold in the UK on March 13–14, with an estimate of £300£500. “Rarely do such wonderful contents come on the auction market,” said Richard Bromell of Charterhouse Auctioneers in Sherborne, Dorset. “Included in the auction are not only the contents of the formal drawing rooms, but also that of the staff quarters.” This dolls’ house furniture was manufactured by TynieToys, of Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in 1920 by two entrepreneurial women, Marion Perkins and Amey Vernon, it sold their popular range of dolls’ houses and accessories
through department stores such as Marshall Field’s, and was part of the colonial revival movement in America. Although produced on a commercial basis, the painted furniture is particularly sought after as this hand painted decoration was subcontracted to students of the Rhode Island School of Design. Originally owned by a family relation, the TynieToys dolls’ colonial mansion house was given away to a convent many years ago and the contents packed up in two cardboard boxes in 1945, where they stayed until now. For further information call 01935 812277, go to www.charterhouse-auction.com or email on info@charterhouse-auctions.co.uk
American Billy
Result!: Mitchell Tobin as Billy Elliot
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n December 13, 13 year old Mitchell Tobin from Florida, USA, joined the cast of Billy Elliot, becoming the eighth American to play Billy in the West End. He previously played the role in the North American touring production. “I live with my dad, mom, sister Shaina and my brother Ben in Florida. I first started dancing when I was three,” Mitchell said .“I am so looking forward to playing Billy Elliot again and I can’t wait to make my West End debut!”
RAF Croughton
PHOTO NELC
Call for Increased Scrutiny of American Military Bases in the UK
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he House of Lords demand greatly increased scrutiny of American bases in the UK. After evidence of their use for drones and hi-tech surveillance, a cross-party group of peers have tabled amendments to the defence reform bill, to strengthen and update the regulation of these bases into the C21st. The current regulations are based upon the 1951 NATO status of forces agreement. They will require the defence secretary to report to parliament on activity at these sites; provide a scrutiny group, headed by a senior judge, to carry out oversight; and bring the bases under the remit of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, which oversees the use of surveillance in the UK. Documents disclosed by Edward Snowden show that RAF Croughton is used as a relay station for the Special Collection Service, the network of embassybased listening stations used to spy in locations including Berlin. The base also has a direct link to GCHQ’s Cheltenham headquarters and a secure fiber-optic link to Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti.
March 2014 5
The American
Your Guide To The Month Ahead
See our full events listings online at www.theamerican.co.uk List your event in The American – email editor@theamerican.co.uk or call us on +44 (0)1747 830520
American Museum in Britain Claverton Manor, Bath BA2 7BD www.americanmuseum.org info@americanmuseum.org Telephone: 01225 460503 From March 22 Housed in Georgian splendor at Claverton Manor in Bath, the American Museum in Britain remains the only museum outside the US to showcase the nation’s decorative arts. There are exhibitions, workshops, Quilting Bees every Tuesday, kids’ activities and special events inc. March 23, Mariachi Tequila, an afternoon of traditional Mexican music. Also, this year’s permanent exhibition The Colourful World of Kaffe Fassett as world-renowned knitwear and textile designer Fassett returns to the American Museum in Britain to celebrate his fifty years working as an artist and colourist.
6 March 2014
Fashion Rules Kensington Palace, Kensington Gardens, London W8 4PX www.hrp.org.uk/KensingtonPalace/ WhatsOn/FashionRules to July 4, 2015 A divine selection of dresses illuminates the rules of fashion which have governed society for centuries. Dresses from Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret and Diana, Princess of Wales make up part of an elegant display representing fashion from the 1950s through to the modern day. Saint David’s Day Everywhere www.wales.com/en/content/cms/English/ St_Davids_Day/Events/Events.aspx March 1 Celebrations across the country of the patron saint of Wales include the St David’s Day Parade in Cardiff , and the St David’s Day Gala at St David’s Hall. Events in all major Welsh towns, across the UK and even internationally - Disneyland Paris has a St Davids Welsh Festival.
Dalemain Marmalade Festival Dalemain Mansion and Gardens, Dalemain, Penrith, Cumbria CA11 0HB www.dalemainmarmaladeawards.co.uk/ cms/festival.php March 1 to 2 The world’s original marmalade awards as part of this festival. With a varied programme of events from food fairs and tastings to music, arts and crafts.
Tours of Parliament Houses of Parliament, Westminster, London SW1A 0AA www.parliament.uk/visiting/ visiting-and-tours/tours-of-parliament/ +44 (0)161 425 8677 March 1 to 29 No trip to London is complete without a tour of one of Britain’s most iconic buildings - the Houses of Parliament. Guided tours offer the chance to walk the historic corridors and pass through the famous Houses of Lords and Commons, with optional English language audio tours available between March 8 and 29, 2014. Also now available, Tours can include Afternoon Tea in the elegant Pugin Room, with views of the River Thames and delicious food. Chiswick House Camellia Festival Chiswick House, London W4 2QN www.chgt.org.uk March 1 to 30 See rare and historically important examples of the Camellia plant in the glorious Italian garden of Chiswick House. USA Grad School Day The American School in London, 1 Waverley Place, London NW8 0NP www.fulbright.org.uk/news-events/ usa-study-events/usa-grad-school-day March 4 The Fulbright commission’s semi-annual event advising prospective students on how to navigate the US university postgraduate admissions process. Parliamentary Pancake Race Victoria Tower Gardens, London SW1P www.rehab.ie/pancake-race/index.aspx March 4 MPs, Lords and members of the media compete in this annual traditional pancake race outside the Houses of Parliament, a great family fun event in support of the charity Rehab.
The American
StAnza - Scotland’s International Poetry Festival St Andrews, Scotland KY16 www.stanzapoetry.org March 5 to 9 Scotland’s celebration of international poetry. The festival incorporates workshops, masterclasses and readings from a global selection of poets, including several from the USA. We Are Proud to Present... Bush Theatre, Uxbridge Rd, London W12 www.bushtheatre.co.uk March 5 to 12 Jackie Sibblies is an award-winning Brooklyn-based writer. Her play is about a group of actors who gather to tell the little-known story of the first genocide of the C20th. We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, From the German Sudwestafrika, Between the Years 1884 – 1915, had its world premiere at Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago. Crufts 2014 NEC, Birmingham B40 1NT www.crufts.org.uk March 6 to 9 The world-famous celebration of dogs. Canines compete in agility and obedience tests to win the accolade of Best in Show. Bath Decorative & Antiques Fair The Pavilion, North Parade Road, Bath www.bathdecorativeantiquesfair.co.uk 01278 784912 March 6 to 9 A wide variety of antiques, collectibles, decorative artistic pieces and other items for visitors to view and purchase. Cake International EventCity, Phoenix Way, Barton Dock Rd, Urmston, Manchester M41 www.cakeinternational.co.uk March 7 to 9
A sugarcraft, cake decorating and baking show with A Chocolate Experience, Workshops, Competitions, Demonstrations and many exhibitors .
Philly Cheesesteaks in London! Partridges Market, 2-5 Duke of York Square, London SW3 4LY (and others) www.libertycheesesteakcompany.com March 8 The Liberty Cheesesteak Company is bringing the US favorite to London. The first pop-up market stall where you can fi nd authentic Philly Cheesesteaks is Partridges Market, off the King’s Road in Chelsea, on March 8, 10am to 4pm. See the website for more dates. Cheltenham Festival 2014 Cheltenham Racecourse, Gloucestershire www.cheltenham.co.uk March 11 to 14 A premier racing weekend featuring the best and the bravest of jockeys and horses. Ladies Day is March 12th. March 13th has a real Irish flavor with a pre-St Patrick’s Day Celebration. The climax of the jump racing season, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, is the finale on March 14th. Benjamin Franklin Fellowship Debate Competition Benjamin Franklin House, 36 Craven Street, London WC2N 5NF www.benjaminfranklinhouse.org March 12 In collaboration with the US Embassy, the annual competition for upper secondary school students aims to encourage tomorrow’s thinkers today. The winner will join students from the US and Europe at the Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellows Summer Institute. Glasgow Comedy Festival Glasgow, Scotland G4 www.glasgowcomedyfestival.com March 14 to 5 April
Anthony Outred’s ‘The Collector’s Cabinet’ 72 & 74 Pimlico Road, London SW1W 8LS www.outred.co.uk antiques@outred.co.uk +44 (0)20 7730 7948 March 18 to 31 Anthony Outred’s new exhibition places the spotlight on collector’s cabinets. Once the height of Courtly fashion, these cabinets became anachronistic ‘curiosities’ in themselves. As the Renaissance gave way to the Age of Enlightenment, the increasing importance of rigid classification meant that the fluid, encyclopaedic approach of the Wunderkammer fell from favor. Collectors began to divide their objects into sharply delineated categories, keeping artistic and scientific pieces carefully apart. This exhibition celebrates a renewed fascination with the curious and the rare, bringing together a sumptuous selection of cabinet pieces, from luxurious objects of vertu to exotic Eastern and African artefacts. March 2014 7
The American
This International Festival has a top line-up of comedians including Miranda Hart, Sarah Millican and Ruby Wax. On March 29 the Stand Comedy Club hosts a showcase of new American comedy talents, including Daily Show writer Paul Mercurio and breakthrough act Joe Machi.
Mrs Roosevelt Flies to London The King’s Head Theatre, 115 Upper St, Islington, London N1 1QN www.kingsheadtheatre.com 020 7478 0160 March 2 to 23 In October 1942, Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of the President, takes a dangerous trip to wartime London, to visit US troops and see how the British, most importantly the women, are coping. In her last days, as the Cuban Missile Crisis pushes the world to the brink of final catastrophe, Eleanor relives her journey, from bomb-damaged Buckingham Palace to midnight factories. She recalls her life, from unhappy child, to unconventional wife, to becoming, in President Truman’s words ‘First Lady of the World’. Granted special permission to use Eleanor’s writings, Alison Skilbeck’s one-woman show explores the public, and hidden life of one of the most extraordinary women of the 20th century, a woman who never lost her passionate belief in the strength of the human spirit. Tickets: £12-£25. 8 March 2014
In Fine Style: The Art of Tudor and Stuart Fashion The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, London SW1A 1AA www.royalcollection.org.uk March 14 to 20 July Luxurious clothing was essential for the elite of the Tudor and Stuart dynasties. This new exhibition charts the change in taste for fashionable attire in Great Britain between the 16th and 17th centuries, using paintings, drawings and miniatures from the Royal Collection, as well as rare surviving articles of clothing and accessories from the era. The Jersey Boys - Original Frankie Piccadilly Theatre, 16 Denman Street London W1D 7DY www.atgtickets.com March 15 to April 27 John Lloyd Young, who originated the role of Frankie Valli on Broadway in 2006, returns to the role when The Jersey Boys moves to its new home in the Piccadilly Theatre. The Real Tom Paine - Paul Myles Wigmore Library, 208 Fairview Avenue, Wigmore, Gillingham, Kent ME8 0PX www.visitmedway.org/events/wigmorelecture-real-tom-paine-paul-myles 01634 337799 March 17 The formative years in England of Tom Paine, one of the founding fathers of the United States of America. St Patrick’s Day 2014 Worldwide www.st-patricks-day.com March 17 A celebration of Irish heritage and culture. Parades in major cities across the UK including London, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Don’t forget to stop into your local Irish pub for a pint of Guinness with a shamrock on top.
Festival of Ideas: Barry Humphries St George’s, Great George St, Bristol, Avon BS1 5RR www.ideasfestival.co.uk/2014/events/ barry-humphries March 17 Comedy legend Barry Humphries picks memorable stories from a five decade comedy career that created famous comedy characters like Australian Housewife Dame Edna Everage and cultural attaché Sir Les Patterson. Shakespeare Week 2014 Various, UK www.shakespeareweek.org.uk March 17 to 23 Celebrated across the UK in schools, museums, theaters, historic sites, cinemas and libraries, Shakespeare Week gives the chance to inspire children and their families with Shakespeare’s stories, language and heritage. Bond in Motion - London London Film Museum Covent Garden, 45 Wellington St, London WC2E 7BN www.londonfilmmuseum.com March 21 The largest official collection of 50 vehicles from the James Bond films, previously at Beaulieu’s National Motor Museum, is now at the London Film Museum. Oxford Literary Festival Various, Oxford www.oxfordliteraryfestival.org March 22 to 30 Talks with authors and big names in the literary world. The Opening Festival Dinner, hosted by Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing, Arizona State University on March 22nd, aims to celebrate the contribution of the USA to world literature and culture. The Fast Show Santa Pod Raceway, Wellingborough,
The American
Bedford NN29 7JQ www.thefastshow.com March 23 Santa Pod’s fi rst performance and modified car event of the year, with FWD Drag Racing, Drifting, Stunt Displays, Jet Car, Fun Fair Rides and much more.
The Bolton Architect that built Los Angeles YHA Potato Wharf, off Liverpool Road, Castlefield, Manchester M3 4NB www.manchestermodernists.wordpress.com March 25 John Parkinson (1861-1935), was a British born architect who at the age of 21 moved to North America and made his name as the designer of many notable buildings, particularly in Los Angeles, inuding Los Angeles City Hall. In this illustrated talk hosted by the Manchester Modernist Society, independent researcher Jamie Tyan-Ainslie looks at Parkinson’s career, his work in Canada, Napa and Seattle, and his firm’s growth in Los Angeles. An Evening with David Sedaris Cadogan Hall, 5 Sloane Terrace, London SW1X 9DQ www.cadoganhall.com/event/ an-evening-with-david-sedaris/ March 27 to 31 David Sedaris embarks on his first ever UK tour, and returns to Cadogan Hall. If you enjoyed Pete Lawler’s write-up on meeting David Sedaris in the Jan-Feb 2014 issue of The American, this is a great chance to see Sedaris live for yourself, complete with his pitch perfect comedy and masterful wit. Puttin’ on the Glitz - Fashion and Film in the Jazz Age The Eccles Centre, The British Library, 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB www.bl.uk/eccles March 28 The glitz and glamor of Jazz Age
Hollywood had a profound affect on fashion, and in this talk between fashion historian Amber Jane Butchart and blog editor Chris Laverty, the impact of this age on London fashion will be explored.
Annual Oyster Gathering Flushing Quay, Falmouth, Cornwall TR11 5UF www.visitcornwall.com/whats-on/ south-cornwall/roseland/falmouth/ oyster-gathering-seafood-harvest March 28 to 30 Join the local oyster men on their last weekend of the season. Seafood markets, specialist chefs and trips onto the water are all part of this festival to celebrate fishery on the river Fal. Bath Comedy Festival Bath, BA2 www.bathcomedy.com March 28 to April 6 The annual comedy festival returns to the Roman/Georgian city of Bath. World Pooh Sticks Championships Little Wittenham, Oxfordshire OX14 4RB www.pooh-sticks.com March 30 The Pooh Sticks Championships have been unfortunate with weather over the past few years, but weather permitting (and with fi ngers crossed), this year’s event is scheduled for March 30th. The event, based on the game as featured in Winnie the Pooh books, will be celebrating its 31st Championships this year. A fun day for the whole family, if the weather isn’t too wet, and a great charity event. Mother’s Day UK March 30 The UK day for all children to show appreciation to their Mothers (the fourth Sunday of Lent), so have your cards and gifts at the ready for March 30th.
American Season 2014 at The Ustinov Ustinov Studio, Theatre Royal Bath, Sawclose, Bath BA1 1ET www.theatreroyal.org.uk/page/3399/ The+American+Season+2014 01225 448844 March 6 to June 28
The Ustinov Studio in Bath presents its annual American Season with three UK premieres; Dan LeFranc’s The Big Meal – March 6 to April 5, a stunning tale spanning eighty years and five generations of an American family; Keith Huff ’s A Steady Rain – April 9 to May 10, chronicles love and rage on the streets of Chicago; and Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel – May 29 to June 28, is set in New York in 1905, where Esther, a black seamstress, sews exquisite lingerie for clients ranging from wealthy white patrons to prostitutes. The Ustinov’s artistic director, Laurence Boswell, recently described playwrighting in America as ‘huge’, and emphasised the ‘great volume and variety of work’ which the nation produces. He said, ‘In the work of the best contemporary American writers you can discover genuine innovation and originality. The writers we present write challenging stories which hold up a mirror to contemporary life’. The Ustinov Studio’s American Season is a wonderful opportunity to see awardwinning, acclaimed performances by some of American’s finest playwrights, and these three plays will be highlights in the Studio’s 2014 calendar. March 2014 9
The American
The American’s expatriate canine UK correspondent gets typographical
'The Medium is the Message'
Rivington Street
Shoreditch, London EC2A 3AY O Shoreditch High Street Buses: 47, 55, 243, 35, 135, 149
10 March 2014
London typography artist Ben Eine became known for his alphabet lettering in Shoreditch and ‘Alphabet Street’ in Spitalfields, where he persuaded shop owners to let him spray the alphabet in sequence on their shutters. His lettering has become very popular with locals who find it’s cheered up a dreary wall, and parents found it helped their kids learn the alphabet. His work is also admired by the UK government, who gave one of his works, Twenty First Century City, as an official gift to the United States government.
PHOTO © KATRINA LESKANICH
BUY THE BOOK: Extract from the book Peggy Lee Loves London, available on Amazon. Signed copies can be ordered from Katrina’s website www.katrinasweb.com/shop
THE AMERICAN MUSEUM IN BRITAIN Housed in Georgian splendor, co-founded by an American, the museum showcases America’s decorative arts. Exhibitions, workshps, Quilt collection. 01225 460503 www.americanmuseum.org
GARY POWELL’S LONDON WALKS American Walk - London’s US connections new for 2014 John Wesley’s London - Methodist Movement Founder www.garypowellauthor.co.uk +44 (0)7738 426017 powellgary_54@yahoo.co.uk
UNIQUE BRITISH TOURS Specialises in 17 Unusual Theme Tours such as The American Connection, Crimes, Curiosities & Eccentrics and Ghosts, Witches and Legends. +44 (0)1293 823566 enquiries@uniquebritishtours.co.uk www.uniquebritishtours.co.uk
GREENWICH ROYAL TOURS Fun and informative walking tours of historic Greenwich, London’s secret gardens, Law in London, and new for 2014, Shakespeare tours. www.greenwichroyaltours.com UK: 0800 542 1200 bookings@greenwichroyaltours.com
BERKELEY CASTLE (Gloucestershire) Visit the oldest castle lived in by the original family. American, Royalty and Shakespeare connections. Special events throughout the year. www.berkeley-castle.com +44 (0)1453 810 303 david.exworth@berkeley-castle.com
OLD COUNTRY MILITARY & HISTORY TOURS INC. UK, Europe, USA : Military, Kings & Queens, homes & gardens, art & architecture, genealogy. Relaxing, informative personalised tours.
STONEHENGE Experience this prehistoric monument in all its splendor. New Visitor Center & experience. Advance bookings. Special out-of-hours Stones access available.
THE ROYAL INSTITUTION Founded in 1799 to educate the public in science. Artefacts and equipment, incl. one of the 3 original Colt 45’s. Museum and talks program in central London. +44 (0) 20 7409 2992 www.rigb.org
www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/stonehenge
+44 (0) 1747 828719 www.oldcountrytours.com
The American
Water Management? Carol Gould’s father supervised the dredging of America’s waterways - and would have been shocked by Britain’s recent floods
A
©NICK SAREBI
nyone who lived through the dreadful storms and floods of Britain’s winter of 2013-14 will be aware of the cries for the dredging of the country’s waterways. During the height of the crisis recriminations flew in all directions, even down to Tory ministers criticizing one another. I should mention that whilst visiting the Little Venice Canalway Cavalcade in summer 2013 one of the exhibitors told me the stinky Grand Union Canal had not been dredged in over one hundred years! (If you’ve ever done that boat trip to Camden Lock you’ll
12 March 2014
know what I’m talking about.) In the 1760s, when Benjamin Franklin lived in Craven Street, Charing Cross, not too far from the Thames, the stench from the river was reported to have been vile. Franklin must have had a phenomenally strong immune system because he had been known to swim in the Thames on his first visit to London in 1724. The intense discussions on British radio and television, in the papers and in Parliament in February 2014 about the parlous lack of dredging of waterways brought
back memories of someone who I am convinced was revolving in his grave during the British crisis: my late father. Oscar Gould was one of the chiefs of the US Army Corps of Engineers Marine Design Division based at the Customs House in Philadelphia, just by Penn’s Landing where the tall ships are moored. He had been an accomplished structural engineer who had expanded his training to marine issues in the 1960s and become a member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers; he was involved
Carol’s father proudly poses in front of ‘one of his’ dredgers
in bridge maintenance as well as the inspection of aircraft carriers. (I was particularly proud of his being one of only two Jewish civil engineers to progress this far although it is sad that he had had to resort to changing his name from Gold to Gould in the 1930s during a wave of anti-Semitism in the USA.) I used to plead with him to take me on one of his expeditions on barges and dredges to places like Pascagoula, Mississippi; Mobile and Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Savannah, Georgia; Charleston, South Carolina and even as far west as Portland, Oregon. He used to tell me I could not travel with him because of the dangers involved but as a grown woman I now suspect in retrospect that he liked the temporary bachelorhood these trips provided. One story I will never forget unfolded on 22 November, 1963, when my father had to be in South Carolina on engineering business, leaving my mother, sister and me alone for the weekend in which President Kennedy was assassinated. My father cried down the phone to my mother about the locals ‘popping the vintage corks’ to celebrate the death of ‘n--- lover’ JFK. Over the long period of the 2014 British flooding crisis I kept thinking of my father, who was determined that the major waterways and ports
for which his unit was responsible were dredged at least once a year. My impression was that the US Army Corps of Engineers was duty bound to make sure waterways were not building up detritus, which is what appears to have happened across the UK for decades culminating in the crisis of relentless rain of the winter of 2013-14. Dredging, or the lack of, has become a bone of contention in Britain because the flooding disaster exposed tremendous gaps in a dredging programme that should have been in place for decades. Recently I visited a restaurant ship moored at Embankment and was staggered by the sight of masses of garbage and trash floating on the surface of the Thames. The stench was unimaginable and this was not ‘The Great Stink’ of Benjamin Franklin’s time in London. I thought of my father and how disgusted he would have been by this situation. After he retired, my father was horrified to hear of the accident in Boston Harbor in which the QE2 collided with jagged rocks. Evidently the underwater maps had not been revised since 1939. He was infuriated that someone supervising that section of the east coast had failed to commission an update of the maps. He took the event personally and I spent many
COURTESY CAROL GOULD
a distressing phone call trying to assure him that it was not his fault. He was a man of conscience in his work, having marched in 1938 to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to fight to have a black civil engineer admitted to their union. Hopefully the British government and loyal opposition will put recriminations and political wrangling aside and get our engineers to work dredging the nation’s waterways. We must avoid the tragic consequences seen in every corner of the country during the winter storms and floods. And finally, I would like to share one of my favorite moments from my youth. My father came home one day from a trip with the Admiral of the Fleet on an aircraft carrier. He showed my mother a photograph of himself wearing a captain’s hat and said ‘Don’t I look just like a real seafaring man?’ to which she replied, ‘No, you look like an old Jew.’ He couldn’t stop laughing. THAT is what a long marriage is all about!
Carol Gould has written for The Guardian, The Jewish Chronicle and The Daily Telegraph; she is the author of Spitfire Girls and Don’t Tread on Me - anti-Americanism Abroad and has appeared on BBC Any Questions? and many other UK broadcasts. Carbeth@go53.freeserve.co.uk March 2014 13
The American
CLERK OF THE HOUSE By Sir Robert Rogers
The Houses of Parliament, London, working late into the night IMAGE COURTESY MAURICE (ZOETERMEER, NETHERLANDS)
L
ast year we celebrated the 650th anniversary of the Clerkship of the House of Commons. It was a good time to look back on the history of the office, and the development of the Westminster Parliament over the centuries, as well as to speculate what the future may hold. I am the 49th Clerk of the House of Commons since my first predecessor, Robert de Melton, was appointed in 1363. He was paid £5 a year for life – a salary on which it was possible to live quite well in early medieval England! We were called “Clerks” because originally we were priests – Clerks in Holy Orders – at that time priests could read and write, whereas rather a lot of Members of Parliament couldn’t... Among de Melton’s successors was Henry Elsynge, Clerk of the House during the Long Parliament (1640-48), who was present at the Table of the House when Charles I came to try and arrest the Five
14 March 2014
Members. It was said that “more reverence was paid to his chair than to that of the Speaker”; at that time William Lenthall, who had his fifteen minutes of fame when he told the King that he had “neither eyes to see nor tongue to speak in this place, but as the House is pleased to direct me, whose servant I am here”. Brave words; but Lenthall was a poor Speaker, whose career was described as being “a mixture of cowardice and indecision”. In my high-ceilinged office close to the Chamber of the Commons hang portraits of five of my predecessors: Nicholas Hardinge, Clerk from 1732 to 1748, the greatest Classical scholar of his day, who often adjudicated between the front benches on Greek and Latin quotations, with golden guineas being tossed across the Table of the House to settle the bets. On another wall is the Joshua Reynolds portrait of Jeremiah Dyson, a great public
benefactor. In those days the Clerkship was bought and sold like many other public offices. Dyson bought the Clerkship in 1748 for the equivalent of £750,000 in today’s money, but when Dyson left office in 1762 he left it unencumbered; and it was never sold again. John Hatsell, the author of the magisterial fourvolume Precedents of Proceedings of the House of Commons, was the first to make a systematic analysis of Parliamentary law and procedure, and his influence is still felt today. He held office from 1768 for an extraordinary 52 years; but after thirty years he retired to the country, leaving the Clerk Assistant to do the work – but Hatsell kept the salary! Sir Thomas Erskine May, Clerk from 1871 to 1886 and author of the Parliamentary Practice which has now been through 24 editions but still bears his name, was described by a later Clerk of the House as “a sycophant of real ability”, and was any-
The House of Commons in session with the Speaker in his central chair and the Clerk and his colleagues at the Table of the House
thing but impartial, being a lifelong and uncritical supporter of William Gladstone and the Liberal Party. The portrait of Sir William McKay (Clerk from 1998 to 2002) brings the story up to the present day, as Sir William chaired the McKay Commission charged with finding an answer to the “West Lothian Question”. In essence, this is: if Scottish MPs are able to vote on legislation affecting England but English MPs can’t vote on exclusively Scottish issues within the responsibility of the Scottish Parliament, how can English MPs have a decisive voice on laws affecting England? (He answered the question, by the way.) Most of my 48 predecessors would recognise one half of my job: I am the House’s principal adviser on constitutional issues, and on all its procedure and business. But only three of my predecessors would recognise the other half: I am Chief Executive of the House of Commons
Service of some 2,000 people, and responsible for its budget of about £200 million a year. We support every aspect of the House’s work. We are not civil servants; we are servants of the Legislature, not of the Executive, so Ministers can’t direct us; and we are rigidly politically impartial, because part of our credibility is being able to advise all sides of the House, even in the most contentious circumstances. This is very different from the majority/ minority model of staff support in the US Congress (although it is rather similar to the role of the Parliamentarian), but it seems to work pretty well. The House Service contains an amazing array of talents and skills. I have architects, engineers and craftspeople who look after the Palace of Westminster – nine acres of Grade 1 listed building in a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I have award-winning chefs who serve more than a mil-
lion meals a year; an outstanding Research Service which produces internationally recognised work on subjects as diverse as economics, climate change and education. The staff supporting our investigative select committees are at the cutting edge of policy scrutiny and calling the Government of the day to account. Add to that education, outreach, HR, finance, security and IT and you see what I mean about the diversity of skills. But whatever the individual role, we see ourselves collectively as stewards of the central institution in British democracy. As the House’s Corporate Officer, I hold all its property. It’s quite an interesting experience being the owner of a world-famous piece of real estate in the centre of London, to say nothing of being the legal owner of the Great Clock and of Big Ben itself. But you won’t be surprised to learn that this comes at a price: if anyone takes legal action
March 2014 15
Sir Robert Rogers in the Court dress worn for State occasions IMAGE © UK PARLIAMENT
against the House it’s me they sue; and, if the place burns down again (as it did in 1834) I will be the man in the dock. In my job, I’m constantly reminded of how the old lives with the new. At the Table of the House I wear Court dress, wig and gown. And when a bill is sent from the House of Commons to the House of Lords I write on it in Norman French Soit baillé aux Seigneurs, and the bill is “walked” by me or one of my colleagues to the Bar of the House of Lords to be handed over to one of their Clerks. All this may seem a little antique; but while the bill is
16 March 2014
travelling physically to the House of Lords the text is on the shared drive between the Public Bill Offices of each House, using some of the most advanced text-handling software in the world. So I have no problem with the dignified framework of dress and ceremony which creates the space for the rough and tumble of definitely unceremonious politics! The House of Commons has been through a rough time in public estimation in the last few years. The expenses scandal in 2009, although long foreseen and to an extent the result of a failure of gov-
ernment after government to pay MPs appropriately, was a damaging and sad time, not least for those of us who had devoted our careers to making Parliament better understood and more effective. But the General Election of 2010 was a sea change, with the arrival of 227 new MPs (35% of the House’s membership) who knew what they were getting themselves into, and threw themselves into the business of being Members of Parliament with energy, commitment, and a remarkable degree of independence. It may be that the new politics of coalition (the first peacetime coalition for nearly 80 years) have also had an effect, but overall the House is more topical, relevant – and independent and contrarian – than I have seen it in my service of more than forty years at Westminster. Slagging off Parliaments is a national sport all over the world; but Parliamentary democracy is precious. The work of Parliament, and what it can do for the individual citizen, needs to be much better understood. I have always preached a virtuous circle: if you really understand something, then it is a natural human reaction to value it. And the more you value it, the more you come to feel ownership. And that is a worthy aim, because Parliamentarians don’t own Parliaments; the true owners are the citizens Parliaments serve. Tours around the Houses of Parliament, including the Chamber of the Commons, are available most Saturdays throughout the year and on selected weekdays during holiday periods including Easter and the summer. Full details at www.parliament.uk/ visiting.
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America sive novus orbis… (America or the New World…), by Theodor de Bry (1528-1598), Handcoloured copperplate engraving COURTESY OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM IN BRITAIN
New World, Old Maps T
he American Museum in Britain, sited just outside the beautiful and historic city of Bath, is a mustvisit for Americans and anyone else interested in American culture as it's the only museum of Americana outside the United States. Its latest exhibition is a fabulous collection of historic maps which belonged to the co-founder of the museum, the psychiatrist and collector, Dr Dallas Pratt. The European view of the Americas changed in the Renaissance era as cartographers learned more about the new lands from explorers, including Christopher Columbus, who had ventured west in search of gold, spices and other treasures. This ‘New World’ constantly changed shape on maps made between the 15th and 17th centuries as Portuguese, Spanish, French, Italian and British navigators reported back on their adventures. Detailed maps were vital to the exploitation of the Americas and investment in accurate charts was mainly pragmatic rather than altruistic. With better maps, the rich New World territories could be claimed, plundered and ruled by their Old World conquerors, and the country who had the best maps would beat their European rivals to the richest pickings. Some pre-eminent maps of this period, however, were designed as elaborate expressions of patriotic sentiment, not intended to be used
as sea charts. These prints, by great artists such as Dürer and Holbein, were made to adorn the walls of merchants and princes, treasured for their exquisite artistry. In 1988, Dr Pratt gave the Museum over 200 Renaissance maps of the New World. They were acclaimed by scholars as one of the finest collections of printed world maps in existence. They included rarities such as the Borgia World Map, one of only ten surviving prints taken from a medieval map (c.1430) engraved on metal. Medieval map-makers tended to 'big-up' their own lands so Italy is disproportionately large. The further from Europe, the more bizarre are the subjects depicted: the giants Gog and Magog inhabit the East; the Tartars (under their emperor Canis, possibly Genghis Khan) ‘dwell in towns of many tents of skin’; Siberia is called ‘the land of illustrious women’; further south, the Scythians ‘through want, sell their children in the market’ and worship a head placed on a pole. America sive novus orbis… (America or the New World…) is by Theodor de Bry (1528-1598). Born in the Spanish Netherlands into a
family of jewellers and engravers, he fled to Strasburg then Frankfurt for religious reasons - he was a Protestant - and set up as a publisher. He launched a series of illustrated books based on the discoveries of Columbus, Amerigo Vespucci, Ferdinand Magellan and the conquistador Francisco Pizarro, who are pictured in the corners of his map (see above). Dr Pratt recollected when he first caught the ‘map bug’: “I bought my first sixteenth-century map in 1932. It was the summer before I entered Yale, and I was in Paris with a friend. Strolling past bookstalls which line the left bank of the Seine, my eye was caught by three quaint and colorful maps. One was of the world, with fat-cheeked wind-puffers, one of the western hemisphere with a cannibal’s ‘lunch’ dangling from a Brazilian woodpile, and the third depicted an upside-down Europe with south at the top. Who could resist?” New World, Old Maps is on from March 22 to November 2. The publication Mapping the New World – Renaissance Maps, published by Scala Arts and Heritage Publishers, is available from the American Museum in Britain, americanmuseum.org
March 2014 19
The American
L’ESCARGOT ‘L
ondon’s oldest French Restaurant’ is the big claim made by this stalwart of the Soho scene. And it ain’t lyin’. Such longevity is rare in the restaurant world, but L’Escargot is no ordinary eatery. It’s Twenties London, post-World War I but pre-Depression. Spirits are high, even hysterical, the skirts of the ‘flappers’ are higher, and everyone loves a good time. Especially in Soho, the slightly risqué theatrical (in many senses) area between smart-but-staid Mayfair and arty Bloomsbury where the social set mingle with actors, criminals, wits and other ‘interesting’ members of the lower orders. A turbocharged proto-Swingin’ Sixties, if you will. This was the setting chosen by Georges Gaudin, a French émigré, for his restaurant. It became a firm favorite, known for good French food and wine at non-exorbitant prices. Its walls covered in modern French artworks, it had the seal of approval of Coco Chanel, an early
20 March 2014
habitué, and legend has it that a young Maurice Chevalier, the debonair singer and actor, adopted his famous ‘boater’ straw hat after glimpsing a gentleman wearing a similar hat with a tuxedo at L’Escargot. The ebullient Gaudin was famous for breeding his own snails in the basement. Of late, L’Escargot’s reputation became tarnished by a lack of... a certain something, that eternal je ne sais quoi. The food was sometimes ordinary, the wine list dull and the service offhand. Now two well-known London restaurateurs, Laurence Isaacson (co-founder of Groupe Chez Gerard) and Brian Clivaz (chairman of the Langan’s Brasserie) are revitalizing it. We lunched at L’Escargot to see how it’s going. First, they have built a high-powered operational team, in General Manager David Seccombe, who previously ran Scott’s, Mayfair, and Christopher’s in Covent Garden, and
48 Greek St, Soho, London W1D 4EF 020 7439 7474 Reviewed by Michael Burland
Head Chef Oliver Lesnik, formerly at the Cadogan Hotel. David makes no bones about the work that is required in turning around a restaurant’s prestige. The decor is still to be revamped, and the menu, ‘classic French bourgeois,’ will receive more attention. A promising sign is that David is determined to win back L’Escargot’s reputation for having one of the best wine lists in the country. Every day he will choose an exceptional wine which will be available by the glass and en carafe and charged at ‘a ridiculously low price’. Although snails are no longer bred in the basement, they are still very much on the menu. How could they not be? After a glass of very nice house champagne, I started with a plate of six Escargots de Bourgogne (£9), ideally meaty rather than so-often chewy, and bathed in luscious garlic and parsley butter. The best I’ve had in London. My companion went for the Feuilleté aux champignons,
Tarte Tatin aux Poires
Parfait de Foie Gras David Seccombe, General Manager
a little tart with wild mushrooms and leeks (£7) that was a light and tasty as you could hope. Don’t panic, everything’s listed in English too, and the staff are friendly and unjudgemental if you don’t “parlayvoo” - unlike in Paris. Main courses were grilled calves liver with bacon (£18) for me, a wonderful flavor but slightly overdone as I’d specifically asked for it “French medium please, pink but not red in the middle” - call me fussy. My friend had baked haddock with quails eggs (£8, actually the plat du jour’s starter, but he was going on to dinner) which was a delightful combination. We each had a glass of house Côtes du Rhône. A good house wine, which this is, bodes well for the rest of the list. Our desserts were a perfectly executed crème brûlée - another good test for any restaurant - and a refreshing tarte au citron (both £5). French food fans, L’Escargot is back in the game!
Escargots de Bourgogne
March 2014 21
The American
19 New Bridge Street London EC4V 6DB www.diciannove19.com
Diciannove Reviewed by Michael M Sandwick
Pancetta di Maiale
S
imple and elegant has long been my motto. Achieving it however is deceptively difficult. Too simple becomes dull and too complicated becomes clumsy. Diciannove hits a fine balance both in and out of the kitchen. Located a stone’s throw from Blackfriars tube in the heart of the City, the dining room is clearly designed with business lunches in mind. Quality materials enhance the otherwise neutral décor and the acoustics make it easy to hear and be heard. This in spite of the fact that our table was enormous! Those in the know request a table in the back dining room when it is open. This space is far more intimate and equally well suited for a romantic interlude or brokering a merger! Executive chef Alessandro Bay has also taken the concept of simplicity to heart. Good, quality ingredients, prepared well without a lot of fuss. Basta! As well as the a la carte menu, there is an assortment of cicchetti: Italian style tapas originally from Venice. These are
22 March 2014
small sharing dishes for either lunch or better yet, cocktails. We shared a pizzette with nduja, a spicy sausage, mozzarella, tomato and oregano (£8.75). Very spicy indeed but delicious and the crust was thin and crisp. Pan fried scallops with butternut squash purée and pancetta crumbs (£10.50) was beautifully prepared but needed just a touch of something acidic to balance the sweetness of butternut and scallops. As well, the waiter suggested the zucchini fritti with anchovies and shaved garlic (£5.25). Delightfully thin and crispy. For me, a bit more zucchini wouldn’t be amiss. I did wonder for a moment if I was just eating batter. Grilled sole with parsley new potatoes and anchovy greens (£22) was just as it should be. Succulent, perfectly grilled and served with lemon and butter. The anchovy greens turned out to be green beans though. I was disappointed, but the beans were cooked so perfectly I forgot all about it. Spaghettini with lobster, Pigato,
a rather obscure wine from northern Italy, thyme and tomato was very tasty but didn’t quite hit the right balance. Lobster is so delicate, it is easily overpowered. That was sadly the case. Instead of shining through as the main ingredient, the lobster merely enriched the tomato sauce. Still a good dish and £16.50 was quite reasonable for a main. All the pastas and risottos can be ordered as starters as well. There is a small but decent and largely Italian wine list. A glass of Gavi di Gavi Superiore at £9 was a bit tart for my taste but the Chianti Rufina Fattoria at £7.50 was rich, full bodied and excellent with the pasta. For dessert, decadent chocolate mousse with chocolate salami (£7) tiramisu (£7) and zabaione with lemon curd and berries (£6.50) were all very good. The chocolate salami, dense, dark and nutty was the hit of the day but the lemon curd ran a close second. There is also a deli, offering a range of Italian goodies as well as hampers and lunch to go.
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The American
Cellar Talk By Virginia E Schultz
Whiskey and Cheese Whisky/whiskey as we all know is made from grain mash. The different grains are barley, malted barley, rye, wheat, buckwheat and corn. The name is the anglicisation of a Gaelic word meaning word of life and is spelled, depending on the country, either whiskey or whisky. Americans spell it with the ‘e’ while the Canadians and British drop it. Drinking whiskey at one time was simple. For most Americans, it was made in Scotland and when they asked for a Scotch on the rocks, it came from there. Now, all that has changed. My late husband enjoyed Scotch and it wasn’t until he was on a business trip to the Far East that he tasted Japanese whiskey. Which, I might add, he enjoyed. My grandfather, who also loved whiskey, never drank anything but whiskey made in Scotland, as that was all that was available. Unlike the British, both men liked it on the rocks and it wasn’t until we lived in the UK before my husband began to enjoy whiskey straight from the bottle. But then, the whiskey was brought up from his friend’s cellar and was far colder than taken if it came out of a bottle stored in the drink’s cabinet in the living room. Recently, a friend came for a visit and brought several bottles of whiskey he bought in Ireland as well as French cheese he thought would go with the whiskey. Except for the cheddar, all the cheeses were
24 March 2014
unpasteurized and bought at La Fromagerie (shops with walk–in cheese rooms in Highbury and Marylebone), one of my favorite and possibly the best cheese store in London. La Fromagerie stores and matures their cheeses on site and if you have an opportunity to visit the cellar where the cheese is stored, don’t hesitate. One warning, however, you’ll buy more cheese than you planned. Our first cheese was Rollet. Originally made by the monks of Maroilles Abbey in the 17th century, it is a pungent cow’s milk cheese and went beautifully with the Glenmorangie Artein on hand. One taste and we understood why the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France was a success. We next decided on Talisker Distiller’s Edition and tasted it with a Canadian sharp cheddar and the Boulette d’Avesnes, a paprika coated soft cheese with parsley, cloves and tarragon. The whiskey was definitely the loser in this. However, tucked away in my drink’s cabinet I had a sample bottle of Crown Royal (Canadian), a perfect match. As a surprise, my friend brought a bottle of single malt, Adelphi ($75) which had a kind of wild cherry note and a luscious finish of molasses and licorice. I have never tasted it, but on a trip to China he shared a 38 year old Glenfiddich with a client that cost around $3,000 a bottle. It is now only bottled for the China
15 year old Glenmorangie Artein Private Edition – just waiting for the cheese...
trade, but will soon be sold in the States if anyone is interested. It was described as tasting like toasted chocolate and recently picked ripe cherries. For a good selection The Whisky Exchange (within Vinopolis, 1 Bank End, London SE1 9B, Tel: 0207 403 8688), holds a range of around 1,000 single malt whiskies, and the widest choice of American and Irish whiskies anywhere in the UK. They also carry many whiskies from Canada and Japan, and examples from Wales, India, Sweden and even Holland. You can order online or by phone, Europewide. For anyone interested in buying older whiskey or spirits, try an auction. Bonhams is the only international auction house committed to whiskey and spirits and are very helpful if you have any questions. Email either: whisky.us@bonhams. com or bonhams.com/whisky.
WIN Beautiful Music! Win the latest albums by THE THREE WELSH TENORS or CHARLIE LANDSBOROUGH TARANTELLA by The Three Welsh Tenors This is the follow up to their debut, which charted high in the UK Classical Charts. The new album, on the Sain label, showcases brand new arrangements of much loved classics, Welsh favourites and some of the best loved popular songs including the Welsh hymn ‘Rhys’, sung in both English and Welsh, and an a capella version of ‘Busy Doing Nothing’ from the film A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. They play a handful of dates in support of the new album:
Feb. 16th St David’s Hall, Cardiff, a Charity Concert with ten tenors; March 1st The Ffwrnes, Llanelli, St David’s Day Gala Concert; March 7th Cymru, Llandudno. HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE by Charlie Landsborough
Charlie has recorded albums in Nashville, won many Country music awards and his songs have been recorded by George Hamilton IV, Jack Jones, Pat Boone, and other top artists. His 28th studio album (released on Edsel, April 7th) features the songs of The Beatles. It’s a blend of popular tunes and some not so obvious, from ‘Ticket To Ride’ to ‘Let It Be’, all performed with his trademark deep, heartfelt sound. Charlie is playing selected dates: March 14th Southport Theatre; 15th Milton Keynes, The Stables; 16th Hayling Island, Sinah Warren Coastal Hotel; 19th Stockport, Plaza Theatre; 21st Folkestone, Leas Cliff Hall; 30th Cannock, Prince of Wales Theatre; April 1st Newark, Palace Theatre; 2nd Chesterfield, Winding Wheel; 3rd Derby, Assembly Rooms; 4th Hayes, Becks Theatre; 5th Clacton-On-Sea, West Cliff Theatre; 6th Whitley Bay, Playhouse; 7th Billingham, Forum Theatre. HOW TO ENTER:
Just answer this question then tell us whether you would like to be entered in the draw for the latest album by The Three Welsh Tenors or Charlie Landsborough
What is a Tarantella? A B C
A spider A movie director famous for Pulp Fiction A folk dance
Email your answer and your name, address and daytime telephone number to theamerican@blueedge.co.uk with ALBUM COMPETITION in the subject line; or send a postcard to: ALBUM COMPETITION, The American, Old Byre House, Millbrook Lane, East Knoyle, Salisbury SP3 6AW, UK; to arrive by mid-day March 31, 2014. One entry per person per draw. The editor’s decision is final. No cash alternative.
The American
Buddy Greco in Las Vegas with Frank Sinatra
Win When You’re Swinging Sinatra said “Buddy can make anything swing - nobody comes close in that department.” Sammy Davis Jr. added “Buddy Greco’s world is a very swinging world.” Indeed it is, even if the jazz legend now lives in swingin’ Southend, Essex! Buddy tells The American about being in his ninth decade of great music and great friends
S
o, where do you start when interviewing Buddy Greco? I’ve not previously interviewed anyone who’s in their 81st year of musicmaking, and who released his first single in 1946. “Oh my God, you had to say that, huh? I’m lucky I lasted this long,” he chuckles. Buddy was born Armando Greco on August 14, 1926. When was the last time anyone called him Armando? “1926!” he laughs. The Buddy nickname came about when the young musician was at the Musician’s Union, having just joined the organization. “Someone was looking for a piano player, and a Union official said, ‘there’s a really good little piano player right there’. The guy looked at me and said, ‘Hey Buddy, would you like a job?’ The name stuck. Armando wasn’t really conducive to the kind of show business that I’m in. It’s more classical... and I’m a jazz pianist.” Having said that, classical was where it all began. Buddy grew up during the Depression, in a cultured but not well off family. The family ran a record store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, his father was an opera critic and his
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mother a talented musician. They were tough years; tough, but happy times for the music-mad youngster. It was a music-mad neighborhood too. From within three blocks of his home came Al Martino, Frankie Avalon, Fabian, Dizzy Gillespie and Sarah Vaughan, to name a few. That’s a history of American popular music, right there. “The family went back a long way in music, classically. From the moment I was born I heard Caruso and other opera records,” says Buddy, “And I wanted to be a classical piano player... until I heard Louis Armstrong. Then I realized I wanted to be a jazz pianist. It was instant. Louis made me feel good. He made me laugh inside. I was about 12. “I started playing piano when I was four. But we were very poor, and didn’t have a piano in the house. Lucky for me, I found early on that I had perfect pitch. That means that anything that’s musical, or has a musical sound, I can tell you what notes they are. It’s something you’re born with, you don’t acquire it. So I would take my piano lessons from my teacher who lived close by, run home and practise on a cut-out of a piano keyboard that my father found on the cover of a
magazine. He pasted it on the table and I would play on this ‘keyboard’ and actually hear the notes in my head. It’s very weird! I was creating music from the beginning too, as soon as I heard jazz.” And he still is, 72 albums, over 100 singles including his biggest hit ‘The Lady is a Tramp,’ and countless gigs later. It’s interesting that Buddy refers to himself as a piano player, when he is equally well known as a singer. He also, continually through our chat, repeats how lucky he has been. Well, luck plus talent, plus hard work, maybe. On March 21 Buddy is performing at the Hippodrome Casino in central London. He played there many times when it was a top London nightclub in the 1960s and ‘70s. The venue was originally a Victorian variety theater named the Hippodrome (after the animals who performed there) and its first show featured a young Charlie Chaplin. Later, as the Talk of the Town, the stage was graced by Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Judy Garland, Eartha Kitt, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, The Temptations, Dusty Springfield, Tom Jones and Ethel Merman in her only UK appearance, among a galaxy of stars.
The American
The American Buddy Greco at his piano IMAGE © MARK KEHOE
Buddy is at the Hippodrome with Lezlie Anders, his fifth wife with whom he works and tours. Lezlie will also be appearing at the Hippodrome and elsewhere with a new show they are working on, American Songbird, celebrating great American female singers like Doris Day, Rosemary Clooney and they also do a great show called Fever! A Tribute to Miss Peggy Lee, with Lezlie singing and Buddy play-
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ing and conducting. Although Buddy and Lezlie both became friends of Peggy Lee, the original connection between Buddy and Peggy was Benny Goodman Miss Lee sang with him, and one of Buddy’s first professional engagements was playing with Goodman’s band. “I joined Benny when I was about 18,” says Buddy. “I really didn’t want to work with bands, I wanted
to be my own boss I guess, but he offered me a job. I was taken aback, because he was such a genius. My father said, go with him and learn your craft. It’s the best thing I ever did. I just constantly learned. If you’re going to work with someone, you might as well work with the best.” Surely there was a line round the block of people wanting to play with Goodman? “Oh sure. My then manager, Elliot Wexler, also managed Benny Goodman. They were putting a new band together. Elliot took Benny to a little place called Club 13 in Philadelphia to hear me sing and play, and he offered me the job.” I had to ask: Buddy spends all day with his wife, working and playing together. How does that work out? “How good can it be? It’s a thrill. You’re working with the woman you love, who happens to be a great singer. I love playing piano and conducting for her. She’s absolutely divine.” Buddy was on the road with jazz bands and playing solo in clubs while still a teenager. He must have grown up quickly? “Are you kidding? What an experience. I was in absolute heaven. And when you’re on the road you grow up very quickly.” Would he care to elaborate? “No... it would take too long. But you’re playing one-nighters, you meet people, you jam... it’s a whole life in itself, especially the women and the drinking. I was never a drinker, but as far as the womanizing, well, I won’t go into that right now!” he says discreetly. (Maybe he’s saving the juicier tales for his auto-
The American Buddy with Marilyn Monroe PHOTO COURTESY BUDDY GRECO
biography, of which more later.) The Goodman years led to a great solo career in which Buddy played and sang with greats from different musical genres as varied as Dizzy Gillespie, The Beatles, Dusty Springfield and Marilyn Monroe. The smoky jazz clubs he started out in led to theaters, the world’s top nightclubs, symphony halls and, of course, the Las Vegas showrooms with which Buddy became synonymous. He enjoys all of them. “They all have a different meaning to me. To get more experience, I always took every job I could get, and it paid off - I’m still doing it! I’m 86 and I’m still making records and performing. It’s been a great ride. In Las Vegas he became associated with the Rat Pack, Frank Sinatra’s infamous group of friends who included Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin and Peter Lawford. “Between you and I, they were my dear friends and although I can’t really say I was a member of the Rat Pack, if people say so I’m honored. If Frank, Dean or Sammy ever wanted me to play with them, I was there. It was a joy and a thrill to be with them.” What comes across from looking at recordings of that group of hyper-talented friends, apart from the skill they had, was the fun they seemed to have performing with each other. “You just said the famous word, FUN” Buddy agrees. “Every time we got on stage, we didn’t know what we were going to do or how it would turn out, but the audience went crazy every night. Everybody loved it, and everybody wanted to be part of it.” Buddy occasionally performs with a group of
young singers in a Rat Pack tribute. It brings back memories of being with the real Rat Pack, the group who were, pre-rock and roll, at the peak of pop culture. For four years Buddy and Lezlie owned their own night club in Cathedral City, California, which closed in August 2009 with the economic crash. He still has a house in California, but now this quintessential American performer calls Southend home. That’s Southend, Essex, to the east of London, England. “We came here four years ago, not knowing we were going to stay. But an awful lot of people wanted me to work here. I would say this is my home now. I love it here. And the English people have been so good to me for so many years.” The question remains, why Southend? It’s not the traditional haunt of American stars, more usually found in Mayfair or Surrey. “We lived in London, right across from the Royal Albert Hall, but a friend said he had found the perfect out of town place that was right by the water, and the travel time was quick, and we fell in love with Southend. Every time we go back to the States, I get calls wanting me to come back to England and Europe because there’s a lot of work here for me. Once in a while I miss home, but how could I not miss beautiful Southend!” Young British pianists are benefiting from Buddy’s talent and experience. After his own hard upbringing, he is putting back into the business, holding free masterclasses for talented youngsters and fundraising to pay for more classes. Lezlie and Buddy have also been
working on his autobiography, and it’s nearly finished. It’s taken many years, because his life and career have been not only long, but packed with stories and incidents. It’s been hard to edit. “Just the Benny Goodman chapter was a thousand pages,” Buddy says. Something a lot of people will want Buddy to talk about in his book is his trip to the Cal Neva Lodge where Marilyn Monroe visited Frank Sinatra and his friends the weekend before she died in stillmysterious circumstances. Buddy was one of the last people to see Marilyn alive. He is happy to talk about it, but keeps some cards close to his chest. “I was there. I have the last few pictures taken of her, giving me a hug by the pool. A lot happened that weekend. I have my own ideas of what went on. I know she was there, I was there, and Frank, and Peter Lawford. We had a wonderful time. She was a great lady, very talented, and very smart - a lot of people forget that. People ask me what happened when she died. I have an idea, but it belongs to me.” Perhaps Buddy’s book will elaborate. In the meantime, check out Buddy’s website for more details about his fabulous career, his book and forthcoming concerts. www.buddygreco.co.uk
March 2014
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Hockey, Printmaker
Dulwich Picture Gallery, Southwark, Greater London SE21 7AD to May 11th
First Major American Painting for England’s National Gallery
National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN 2015 to 2016 The final and largest in a series of pieces by American artist George Bellows (1882–1925) which depict workers gathered on a cold winter day on the New York waterfront has become the National Gallery’s first major American acquisition. An exemplar of the modern realism central to American art in the early 20th century, it was purchased in 2014 for $25.5 million by the National Gallery with support from the American Friends of the National Gallery, Sir Paul Getty’s fund, and private appeals. It is also the first painting by Bellows to enter
30 March 2014
Men of the Docks, 1912, George Bellows, Oil on canvas, 114.3 x 161.3 cm
To coincide with the 60th anniversary of David Hockney’s first print, Dulwich Picture Gallery have gathered an impressive collection of the artist’s works, focusing on his main two print techniques, etching and lithography. Over 100 works are on display, including A Rake’s Progress, 1961-63 and Illustrations for Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm, 1969. Later works include a selection of home-made prints, alongside examples of ‘computer drawings’ such as Rain on the Studio Window, 2009, a prelude to the artist’s renowned iPad works. Accompanying the exhibition, a variety of lectures, talks and printing courses are on offer to provide a fully immersive experience of Hockney’s art. The exhibition is curated by Richard Lloyd, Head of Prints & Multiples, Christies, New York.
© THE NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON
Lilies, 1971, David Hockney, Edition: 65, 29 1/2 X 21”Lithograph © DAVID HOCKNEY
a UK public collection. The painting has been purchased from Randolph College in Lynchburg, Virginia, as part of a new, Transatlantic academic partnership, the first of its kind between an American college and a UK gallery. See it in Room 43 of the gallery, alongside major Impressionist works including snow scenes and urban vistas by Monet and Pissarro. The National Gallery has been building on its commitment to exploring American art after having launched an ongoing collaboration with the Terra Foundation for American Art in 2009.
The American
LAST CHANCE TO SEE ... a well-known and influential English printmaker, draftsman, and painter, before studying on a Fulbright grant at the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia and was a professor at the Cooper Union in New York City until 2002. He now lives and works in New York. Haacke and Shrigley were selected from a shortlist of six artists whose works can be seen on a 360° view via www.london.gov.uk.
Vikings: Life and Legend
The British Museum, Great Russell St, London WC1B 3DG March 6th to June 22nd
Gift Horse, Hans Haacke © JAMES O JENKINS COURTESY THE ARTIST AND THE PAULA COOPER GALLERY, NEW YORK
Fourth Plinth Commission Revealed Trafalgar Square, London 2015 to 2016
German-American Hans Haacke and Briton David Shrigley are the latest artists to have their works selected for the Fourth Plinth commission. The previously empty Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square has become a much-anticipated part of the capital’s artistic programme. Haacke’s riderless, skeletal horse will be unveiled in 2015, whilst Shrigley’s 33 feet high hand giving a thumbs up, titled Really Good, will occupy the plinth during 2016. Haacke’s horse will have an electronic ribbon attached to its front leg, displaying live ticker information from the London Stock Exchange. Haacke was a student of Stanley William Hayter,
The British Museum’s first major exhibition on Vikings for over 30 years illustrates the era spanning the 8th and 11th centuries through the context of art. It features many new archaeological discoveries and objects never seen before in the UK alongside important Viking Age artefacts from the Museum’s own collection and elsewhere in Britain and Ireland, like the Lewis Chessmen. The Vale of York Hoard will be shown in its entirety, including the silver cup in which the Hoard was buried, as well as gold and silver jewellery demonstrating how status was vividly displayed through ornamentation. Lewis Chessmen c. 1150-1145 © THE TRUSTEES OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM
Aziz + Cucher
Gazelli Art House, 39 Dover St, London W1S 4NN to March 9th Catch the last few days of a major exhibition of new photography and animations by acclaimed artists Anthony Aziz (American) and Samuel Cucher (Venezuelan), who have been life partners and collaborators since 1992. The exhibition centers on the installation Time of the Empress, one of four ambitious video pieces comprising Some People, which combine several large flat screens displaying a series of animated drawings of modernist buildings in an endless loop of construction and disintegration. Some People focuses on the strain between society’s aspiration for progress and the cyclical nature of history.
Time of Empress, Media Installation 2012
© AZIZ + CUCHER, COURTESY GAZELLI ART HOUSE
Radical Figures: Post-war British Figurative Painting Manchester Art Gallery, Mosley Street, Manchester, Lancashire M2 3JL www.manchestergalleries.org to March 16th
Francis Bacon, Lucien Freud and David Hockney are at the center of this exhibition which explores the new approach to figurative art that emerged after WWII, and continued up to the 1970s and ‘80s.
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The American Agrigento, Sicily, 2013, Robin Richmond acrylic and lava sand on canvas, 66 x 82cm IMAGE COURTESY CURWEN GALLERY
Bailey’s Stardust
National Portrait Gallery, London WC2H 0HE to June 1st World-renowned photographer David Bailey has selected over 250 of his portraits, taken over five decades, for this largest exhibition of his work. Held in high regard for his imaginative and thoughtprovoking approach to photography, his subjects include actors, writers, musicians, film-makers, fashion icons,
Robin Richmond: In Solitary Fields Curwen Gallery, 34 Windmill St, London W1T 2JR March 6th to 29th
The title of Robin Richmond’s new exhibition, On Solitary Fields, is taken from Emily Dickinson’s memorable poem A Light Exists in Spring. The parallels are absorbing; Dickinson’s poetry and Richmond’s art both place a translucent film over the world, balancing the definitive with the abstract. Here, Richmond’s works represent specific locations, but ask us to contemplate them fluidly through a dream-like lens of color and imagination, as a sense of place rather than a literal translation of the French, Sicilian and Italian landscapes that inspired her. Born in Philadelphia, Richmond has been a fellow and Artist in Residence at Yale University since 2003 and now lives and works in London and South-West France.
Cybele by Auguste Rodin, 1905 IMAGE © JONTY WILDE COURTESY COMPTON VERNEY
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Moore Rodin at Compton Verney
Compton Verney, Warwickshire CV35 9HZ to August 31st Celebrating its 10th anniversary season, Compton Verney presents an exhibition of two giants of modern sculpture, Henry Moore and Auguste Rodin. Alongside key sculptures, the exhibition displays an extensive range of drawings by both artists and photographs taken by Moore. The full programme for the event incorporates workshops, talks, and activities.
Mick Jagger by David Bailey, 1964 © DAVID BAILEY
designers, models and artists. Iconic Bailey images are presented here alongside lesser known pieces, carefully laid out in a series of contrasting rooms which utilise symbols of skulls and of pregnancy to inspire meditations on the nature of birth and death. Rooms devoted to striking portraits of The Rolling Stones and Catherine Bailey contrast with remarkable documentary photographs from the photographer’s expedition to Papua New Guinea in 1974 and moving images of those devastated by the famine in east Africa, taken in support of the Band Aid charity in 1985. The exhibition’s title reflects the idea that we are all made from, and return to, ‘Stardust’.
The American
Coffee Break QUIZ 1 In his farewell address, which US President first
warned of the possible “misplaced power” of the new military-industrial complex?
2 If you ordered pamplemousse in a French restaurant,
what would you be eating?
3 Noted for its mild flavor and lack of bitterness,
where does ‘Blue Mountain’ coffee come from?
9 7 4
3 6
6 5
3 7
5 7
5
4
6 What is a group of owls called? 7 For which US President was the Blueberry Jelly Bean
created?
8 Runnymede in Surrey is the home to a memorial to
which former US President?
9 And which famous historical document was sealed at
Runnymede?
It happened 25 years ago... 10 Warner Communications merged with which other
media company in March 1989?
6
6 3
2
1 8
4 Who is known as The Sage of Omaha? 5 What does ZIP (from ZIP code) stand for?
9
6
5 7
1 7 3
It happened 50 years ago... 11 March 27: the most powerful recorded earthquake (9.2)
in North American history struck. Where?
12 March 30: Quiz show Jeopardy! was first broadcast in
the US in March 1964, but on which network?
It happened 150 years ago... 13 March 14: Which famous American railway engineer was
born? He had a ballad, films & tv series named after him. Who was he? Sing the tune for an extra point!
Quiz answers and Sudoku solution on page 65.
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The American
...By US Bonds
Gary US Bonds, that is. The American chatted to a soul survivor about his life in music, how the British invasion nearly sank it, and the shows he’s coming here to play in honor of an old friend
B
y US Bonds is the great title of a lovely book by a lifelong soul singer. Born in Jacksonville, Florida, on June 6, 1939, Gary Levone Anderson was given his stage name by record producer Frank Guida, who changed it in response to a patriotic government fundraising campaign. Some say that Guida hoped that Gary’s record would get extra airplay as disc jockeys mistook it for a public-service announcement. Whatever the rationale, the name stuck. Gary’s 1960s hits like ‘New Orleans,’ ‘Quarter to Three,’ ‘School Is Out,’ ‘School Is In,’ and his Twist records are still party floor-fillers, as are later releases such as ‘This Little Girl’ and ‘Out of Work’ from the ‘80s. But he has always performed and
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written songs - many of his songs have been recorded by other artists - even when the recording career was slow. Would it be fair to say that despite not becoming a megastar, Gary has always enjoyed his life and career? “Of course, and I still do. It’s the best job I’ve ever had, if you wanna call it a job... actually I’ve never had another job, so this is it!” In fact, although he makes light of it, Gary was a scratch golfer, good enough to play professionally on the tour, but segregation made that impossible in the South (he was raised in Norfolk, Virginia). But music was his main love, golf is something to do at the weekend. What is his handicap these days? “Right now? It’s golf!” he laughs.
His book is an honest, no BS account of a life in music. If you’re looking for a drug-infused exposé, (à la Keith Richards) or a Morrisseyesque rant at former friends and colleagues then go elsewhere. This is a heart-warming story about a man who loves his music, family and friends. The book’s index bears this out - those are the three biggest sections. Gary has been married to his wife Laurie for almost 51 years. “That’s a long time in this business, I understand. And I still have the same friends I had when I was a kid.” Gary doesn’t lose old friends, he just keeps making new ones. “I know, I hate it at Christmas, my Christmas card list is ridiculous. I can’t take it many more!” he joshes.
Above: the cover of Gary’s first album (1961) Below: “Congratulating a newly-signed artist. I hold my smallest fan, Brandy” Right: An Apollo appearance as “U.S. Bonds,” warming the crowd for The Drifters [ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE ANDERSON FAMILY COLLECTION EXCEPT WHERE NOTED.]
Ben E King and Ruth Brown, the ‘Queen of R&B’ were old friends in the music world, and newer ones include Steve Winwood, Southside Johnny, Dickey Betts, Phoebe Snow, hotshot guitarist Albert Lee and importantly - Steve ‘Little Steven’ van Zandt and through him Bruce Springsteen. They’re from different genres of music, but they are all soulful musicians. “Yeah, I think that’s because I’m like that - I don’t know what I’m going to be from one day to the next. One day I’m a soul singer, the next I’m a pop singer, then I’m singing rock. I get the chance to go to different venues and meet different people. I even get to hang out with the country folks!” Gary’s song, ‘Friend Don’t Take Her She’s All I’ve
Got’ was a hit for Johnny Paycheck and nominated for both a Grammy and the Country Music Association’s Songwriter of the Year award. The British Invasion of the early Sixties put a dent in Gary’s career, but he obviously isn’t the kind of man to hold a grudge. Not only are some of his friends Brits from that era, but, as he explains, “We just celebrated the Beatles 50th anniversary in a show at the Apollo in Harlem. I told the audience, I’m up here paying tribute to guys that almost knocked me outta the business. It doesn’t feel right!” he laughs. Steven van Zandt got Gary back recording in the Eighties, bringing in some of his ‘heavy friends’ including The Boss, Bruce Springsteen. “Steve does a lot more than anyone
I know - he does movies, television, and everything. He’s a hard working guy, and he can get you to do things you didn’t know you wanted to do, too. He got me into that, and we came up with a couple of solid albums. It was a blast - two years of pure laughter.” Most unusually for a singer, Gary goes on the road with his wife and daughter, both named Laurie - Big Mama and Little Mama. Does having the family on tour curtail any rock and roll fun? “No, we have a blast, we party with each other and laugh and joke all the time.” Nowadays Gary plays the dates he wants to play, including tours in the UK and the United States with Ben E King. He loves touring here. “I love Britain,” he says. “It’s a
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The American
Above: Thanking the crowd PHOTO COURTESY OF EASON JORDAN Below: Gary and Steven PHOTO ©MATTHEW ZIEGLER
comfortable place to be. I like it the way it’s always been, I hope it stays that way. The people treat you very well. And they know more about American soul music than we do. I’m always amazed when I talk to people there, they tell me things even I didn’t know.” Gary also enjoys touring with former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman’s band The Rhythm Kings. “That’s where I first met Albert Lee. He is phenomenal - he can play any style too. He’s getting old, he’s 70 now. I’m coming across for his birthday concerts. But I told him, I’m not hanging out with old people like you any more. It might rub off on me!” One last question: what’s the best thing about being Gary US Bonds? “Being able to talk to fine people like you,” he grins. “And enjoying music and my life. It’s been a wonderful trip and I’m glad I got to drive it.” Gary US Bonds will be appearing at Albert Lee’s 70th birthday celebration concerts at the Cadogan Hall in London on March 1 and 2, a once-in-a-lifetime concert featuring Albert and his band alongside special guests performing country and rock numbers from past and present, hosted by BBC radio presenter Bob Harris.
Gary’s book, By US Bonds, is published in the UK by Wheatley Press.
36 March 2014
PHOTO © ROB YOUNG
The American
Martha Plimpton
Martha arrived in a wet, gale-battered London to appear in Other Desert Cities at the Old Vic. Honest, Martha, it’s not always like this!
M
artha Plimpton has become one of the most recognizable faces in American movies and TV. You will have seen her in Raising Hope, The Good Wife [in which she won an ‘Outstanding Guest Actress' Emmy as multiple baby-toting hotshot lawyer Patti Nyholm], ER, Grey’s Anatomy, How To Make It In America and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and films such as The Mosquito Coast and The Goonies when she was a child, Running on Empty, Stanley & Iris, Dante’s Inferno and Parenthood. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. But many people on the eastern side of the Atlantic are not as aware of her equally successful stage career. Then again, she has not appeared on the London stage... yet. That’s all about to change as she arrives to star in Other Desert
Cities, the new play by Jon Robin Baitz which has been a smash in the States. It won the Outer Critics’ Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play, five Tony nominations and was a finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. New York is in Martha’s genes, and acting (you won’t be surprised to learn) is in her DNA too, she explains: “My father is an actor [Keith Carradine, with whom she acted recently in Raising Hope - his character is Colt Palomino, spoofing classic western roles]. My mother [Shelley Plimpton] was an actress - they met when she was in the original cast of Hair, on Broadway and he joined a year later. And that’s how I came to be. My father moved back to California, where he’s from, and my mother stayed in New York and raised me.”
That makes two great dynasties in American creative arts from which Martha is descended, as she is a distant cousin of the writer George Plimpton and the cartoonist Bill Plympton (same family, different spelling). Martha was in the business from a very early age, so early that she attended the Professional Children’s School in Manhattan, a small private school for children who are already working in ballet, music, the theater, sports and so on. Most articles about Martha talk about her modeling, but she’s quick to point out that was only a ‘temporary job’. “I don’t know where people get that from,” she says. “I had started acting in downtown avant garde musicals at the Public Theater. That was where my first plays were, at the age of eight or nine. When I was eleven I once did a Calvin Klein
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commercial. I wasn’t a model. But it led to my first role in a movie called The River Rat with Tommy Lee Jones, when I was twelve.” The big break happened a year later when Martha was thirteen and she played Stef Steinbrenner in The Goonies. It’s often forgotten that the film was a slow burner. “It was massive, but it wasn’t a huge hit at the time. It’s had a much longer life than anyone expected. It’s iconic now, but it didn’t have nearly the success of, let’s say, E.T. or Raiders of The Lost Ark. It had another life because it came out around the time of the advent of VHS and cable. It became a children’s classic.” And that might have been that. Many child actors become typecast and disappear at a certain age, and Martha herself was often cast in tomboy roles. Other young actors who achieve early success have personal problems that destroy. Martha herself was in a relationship with River Phoenix, who died in 1993 after taking heroin and cocaine. How did she avoid the pitfalls and build an adult career? “I don’t know that there’s any secret. I’ve lived in New York all my life, and acting in New York is different than it is in Los Angeles.
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In New York, if you want to act you do plays. In Los Angeles there’s no real theater community. In New York, if you find yourself hitting a dry spell in movies or television, you can work in the theater. American actors are just figuring out what the Brits have always known - you can do all of them. They might require different muscles, but they’re all fun in their own ways and they provide different kinds of nourishment... I just like to work.” And work Martha has certainly done. From rep, to off-Broadway, to Broadway, to Steppenwolf in Chicago. But Other Desert Cities is her first time on the London stage. Why? “Because they asked!” she laughs. No, why hasn’t she been here before? “First of all, it’s not as easy as you might think for American actors to get work here. There are great actors already here, and they don’t really need us, hah hah! But I’ve wanted to come to work in London all my life. Every actor dreams of being on stage at the Old Vic, it has such an extraordinary history and there are so many years of incredible work having been done here. When I came into the rehearsal hall and realized who had been in this room, and
the plays they had rehearsed here, it sent a chill up my spine. The energy in the room is so good. “London is one of the theatrical capitals of the world. This is a dream come true for me. It’s particularly fortunate because this play, Other Desert Cities, is written by a dear friend of mine, Robbie [Jon Robin] Baitz, so I’m familiar with his work and I know his style. We’ve known each other for years, but I’ve never worked with him before. It’s been marvelous, fabulous. He’s a brilliant writer and incredibly smart and funny. There was an ice-breaking that didn’t need to happen. He’s been here for the first week of rehearsal, and he’s coming back.” Baitz is American - he wrote for The West Wing, and created and wrote the ABC show Brothers & Sisters - but he is a self-confessed Anglophile and says his favorite writers are Harold Pinter, David Hare & Caryl Churchill. Is there an English element in his work? “Hmmm... I wouldn’t know how to answer that,” muses Martha. “It’s about a prominent conservative American family that is being forced to confront the life they have constructed for themselves. The challenge is coming from within, from their daughter,
PHOTO ©ALAN LIGHT
Left: Martha in 2009 PHOTO © PORTRAITPROFESSIONAL
who I play. It’s a reckoning. It’s also very funny in that sharp way that Robbie has, very wry, Sinéad Cusack, who plays the matriarch, is a fantastic character, a woman with extraordinary backbone and wit. To some degree family dynamics are almost universal. Actually Robbie’s rhythms and attack are very American, and the play is about very American themes. But that said, he has an attention to detail in his writing that I think the English can appreciate. Does that make any sense?” It does, and British audiences love O’Neill, for example. But have they changed the play, or has Martha had to adapt her acting style, for London? “Oh no, no, no. But it’s early days, who knows what’ll happen. Every play is different, you get together, collaborate and see what happens. We shall see!” Finally, what’s the best thing about being Martha Plimpton? “Oy oy oy, for cryin’ out loud! The best thing about being Martha Plimpton? Well, if you had my friends, you’d know.” You can see Martha Plimpton in Jon Robin Baitz’s Other Desert Cities at the Old Vic from March 13 to May 24.
OBITUARY
Far Left: Martha Plimpton and River Phoenix at The Oscars 1989
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here have been few stars as loved as Shirley Temple who died on February 10th at the age of eighty-five, writes Virginia Schultz. She had been America’s ultimate child star and had been a top box office draw all over the world as she danced, sang, and cried into every one’s heart during the height of the Depression era. A pretty, curly (wig) blonde, adorable child, her image was free of the scandal that plagued so many other child stars with with their parental feuds and drug and alcohol problems. She was so much the symbol of innocence that children today know her through the sweet, non-alcoholic cocktail of ginger ale topped with a maraschino cherry. Her first film role came at the age of three. Her hit movies which included Bright Eyes (1934), Dimples (1936), Poor Little Rich Girl (1936), and Heidi to name a few, featured sentimental themes and musical sub-plots along with their stories of resilience and optimism that a struggling public needed during that time.
There were few little girls and boys who didn’t know or even sing “On The Good Ship Lollipop” at dance recitals or school programs and President Franklin D. Roosevelt praised her more than once for lifting America’s spirits. She also was credited with saving 20th Century Fox, her studio. Shirley Temple retired from acting at 21, but her achievements did not end with film. She ran unsuccessfully as a Republican candidate for Congress in 1967 but went on to hold several diplomatic posts during Republican administrations, including the Ambassador to Czechoslovakia during the collapse of Communism in 1986. She was also a devoted mother, as I discovered when I met her at a boarding school in California which our daughters both attended. She regarded her former career as helpful to her life in politics, saying “Politicians are actors too, don’t you think?” Temple, known in private life as Shirley Temple Black, died of natural causes at her home at Woodside, California, near San Francisco.
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IMAGE BY MANUEL HARLAN
1984
By George Orwell A new adaptation created by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan An Almeida Theatre, Headlong, Nottingham Playhouse co-production Almeida Theatre, Almeida Street, Islington, London N1 1TA www.almeida.co.uk Reviewed by Daniel Byway
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eorge Orwell’s 1984, published in 1949, is one of the most influential novels in recent history, with its chilling depiction of perpetual war, pervasive government surveillance and incessant public mindcontrol. Its ideas have become our ideas, and Orwell’s fiction is often said to be our reality. Filtering the spirit and the ambition of the novel through the lens of contemporary culture, this radical new staging explores surveillance culture, identity and how thinking you can fly might actually be the first step to flying. Dystopia is a hard genre to stage. Go too far and a show becomes a tangle of strobe lighting and blackouts. Don’t go far enough and the horror of a world such as that depicted by Orwell’s classic dystopian novel is lost. Thankfully, Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan’s production does justice to Orwell’s book, despite occasionally finding itself throwing a few too many special effects into the mix. You can appreciate why the play
is performed this way. Some of the effects are truly astonishing, including several minutes where the set is entirely dismantled to reveal the infamous Room 101. 1984’s world is meant to shock, and these effects instil the book’s nightmarish sense of repression and control. But at its core, 1984 is a debate about textual meaning and the deconstruction of language, and this emphasis on dramatic effects does subdue those subtle references. I think it would be cruel to judge the play on that issue alone, however, because it’s almost impossible to translate those literary debates onto stage. Icke and Macmillan do give it a good try though. Key scenes are replayed throughout the performance, but with their structures altered by the removal of dialogue and even characters with each replay. It’s a very effective way of representing Big Brother’s ability to re-write history. As a stage adaptation, the producers have taken the essence of the book and converted it into
a visual representation. The play is almost a highlight reel of important scenes that tease out fundamentals of the plot. To paraphrase the play itself, it bypasses the irrelevant parts of Orwell’s text and gets straight into the action. When it gets to the action, the cast excels. The strongest performance is undoubtedly Tim Dutton, who takes on the role of O’Brien. Simultaneously a comforting ally in parts of the play, and a chilling figure of oppression in others, Dutton occupies the roles of hero and villain perfectly. Mark Arends and Hara Yannas are particularly strong in the leading roles of Winston and Julia, but it’s Dutton’s portrayal of O’Brien which makes the greatest impression Although this production inevitably loses some of the nuances of the book, it succeeds as a visual presentation of dystopia. Its intelligent stage design and thoughtful approach to shocking the audience are worth the applause it received, and the impact it will have.
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The American
Quidam
Above: Target Left: Aerial Hoops Act
PHOTOS MATT BEARD AND COSTUMES DOMINIQUE LEMIEUX
Cirque Du Soleil Q
uidam’s deep, dark, contrasting mystery coupled with unique, breath-taking and simply awe-inspiring action will leave you ‘damming for more. The show’s story takes you through a fairy-tale land with surprises and excitement at every turn. But this fairy-tale isn’t your typical ‘knight in shining armor rescues princess’ fable but a gloomy more elusive narrative that could have been conjured up by the Wicked Witch of the West. Director Franco Dragone does well to keep the synergy of the creature-like performers flowing throughout, scene to scene. The epic, ambitious nature of the set is not overdone in any sense of the word. The imaginative scale of the performance is met with the same level of enthusiasm from the performers and fans alike. Cirque Du Soleil consistently features in the media spotlight for their daredevil acrobats’ manoeuvres.
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The skills often pulled off by these machines we call human beings would even have the legendary Evel Knievel shaking in his boots. But having seen a number of Cirque Du Soleil performances, four in total, the toned down nature of the acrobatics in this show is obvious. You almost feel as if they’re playing it safe, there are no ‘heart in mouth’ moments that leave you with nightmares of someone falling to their demise. Don’t let that put you off though. Quidam’s sheer visual concept reminds you of a multi-million dollar blockbuster film that has obscene amounts of money spent on the CGI effects. The visually enriching nature of the show heavily relates to Quidam’s story of a young girl lost in boredom who wants to escape the confines of her emotions. Whenever she feels introverted, the visuals react. Whenever she feels extroverted, the visuals react; creating a unique and original set that enables
Reviewed by Natimi Black-Heaven
one to have an eye-opening, surreal theatrical experience. But not just eye-opening; throughout the show, your ears are filled with wonder and interest. The symphony has one empathising with not just the young girl but also the main protagonists and the rest of the cast. Music director Benoit Jutras really gives the audience a vibrant treat of sounds and songs that leaves us in a trance of imaginative youthfulness. Quidam is amongst the best of Cirque Du Soleil’s shows. Although you won’t find yourself gasping in distress or jumping at what seems to be an inevitable mishap, you will walk out with a new sense of creativity, imagination and youthful enjoyment. It’s just finished its run at The Royal Albert Hall, London, but catch it on its European tour starting with Tolouse, Strasbourg, Toulon and Montpellier in March. www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/quidam/ tickets.aspx
Ellen Terry With Eileen Atkins Adapted and performed by Eileen Atkins Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Bankside, London SE1 9DT January 2 – February 24 Reviewed by Jarlath O’Connell
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ondon’s newest theater is lit by candlelight. The famous Shakespeare’s Globe at Bankside finally has a winter home as they’ve transformed an old rehearsal space into a stunning Jacobean Playhouse, complete with ornate painted roof. For a series of 12 Monday nights, accompanying the current run of the inaugural production of The Duchess of Malfi, one of our greatest actresses, Dame Eileen Atkins, presents a virtuoso one–woman show of Shakespeare which will certainly have a life afterwards. Here we get one great actress inhabiting the role of another as Atkins portrays the celebrated Victorian stage star, Ellen Terry in a recreation of her lectures on Shakespeare’s female characters. In her later years Terry toured extensively delivering lectures on how she believed these great parts ought to be played. “I am able to speak to you about Shakespeare’s women with the knowledge that can be gained only from union with them” she declaimed. The same could be said for Atkins. What is extraordinary however, considering the era, was the depth of Terry’s own scholarship, which takes these lectures far beyond a mere Masterclass into an astute critical appraisal of the plays combined with a deft psychological
insight into the characters. What might have ended up a 70 minute amuse bouche is transformed here into a riveting theatrical event as the excerpts light up the arguments. Clad in striking blue velvet, waistcoat, trousers and dramatic long coat, Atkins, who amazingly turns 80 in June, cuts an astonishingly dashing figure. The great voice and unbridled enthusiasm are a joy and her interpretations are an object lesson in how to bring clarity and emotional truth to dramatic verse. Broadly, Terry’s thesis was that encountering strong Elizabethan women had informed Shakespeare’s own conception of femininity and that this deep understanding of women was further developed over the course of his plays. In doing so she debunks the idea that the women’s roles were in any way secondary and proves her point with excerpts from Beatrice, Rosalind, Portia, Viola, Desdemona, Juliet, Cordelia and Ophelia. Occasionally the observations may be locked in their period, but this is a minor quibble when so many of them remain so insightful. She makes a strong case too for the Englishness of Shakespeare’s characters, no matter when or where the setting, and gives us a witty take on Mistress Page from
The Merry Wives of Windsor, the epitome of the sensible English country woman. What unites most of Shakespeare’s women, she argues, is their courage, apart from a few she summarily dismisses, such as Helena. She challenges the conventional wisdom that Desdemona is some sort of ninny and illustrates her strength of character concluding that there’s “something of the nun about her”. She makes a strong case too for Juliet’s maturity (14 year olds then were not the same as today’s) but she does conclude “an actress can’t play Juliet until she is too old to look like Juliet”. Atkins is mesmerising as the young Juliet, in her single moment of doubt, when she contemplates the horror of awakening in the family vault. She then gives us a forlorn Lear reunited with his daughter Cordelia in a scene of almost unbearable poignancy and she ends with a sympathetic take on Ophelia, although she warns that there needs to be “something queer about her” from the outset if the role is to work. She cautions us against getting too attached to any one theory about Shakespeare, pointing out that in his work “the web of life is a mingled yarn”. If it is, then Atkins has certainly spun some gold from it.
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St James Theatre Studio, 12 Palace St, London SW1E 5JA www.stjamestheatre.co.uk, January 13, 2014 Reviewed by Jarlath O’Connell Left: Robbie Sherman; Inset: The Brothers: Robert B and Richard M Sherman; Right: The cast of A Spoonful of Sherman: left to right: Emma Williams, Charlotte Wakefield, Stuart Matthew Price, Greg Castiglioni. PHOTOS COURTESY BEN DAVIES
A Spoonful of Sherman A
little bit of schmaltz goes a long way with your curmudgeonly reviewer so a celebration of the life, times and songs of Robert B Sherman was going to be a tall order. I happily survived. The Shermans have been writing tunes for three generations now. The grandfather Al Sherman was a gifted Tin Pan Alley tunesmith and his sons Robert and Richard were responsible for the songs which made Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang the international smash hits they became. They’re in the news recently being featured in the Emma Thomson movie Saving Mr Banks, suffering the viperish barbs of PL Travers. The brothers also greatly enhanced such animated Disney classics as The Jungle Book and The Aristocats and wrote the score for the greatly underrated ‘70s take on Cinderella, The Slipper and the Rose. Robert Snr spent his final years in London overseeing the smash hit theater reincarnations of Chitty and Mary Poppins which brought these beloved stories to a whole new generation and his son Robert Jnr still resides here. He himself has taken up the family trade, so far without
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particular success, but the passion is there as is the same devotion to “avoid ugliness”. Robert Jnr is MC for this compilation show but is a faltering performer himself. Rather touchingly, he missed cues and fluffed lines, having got lost in the joy of watching his fellow performers. The talented bunch he brought together for this evening included Emma Williams (the West End’s most scrumptious Truly Scrumptious), Charlotte Wakefield (a recent Maria in The Sound of Music in Regent’s Park), Stuart Matthew Price (possessor of an exquisite tenor voice) and Greg Castiglioni, who is more animated than anything Disney could conjure up and who pulls off the comedy numbers with and an effortless panache. Al Sherman, the grandfather, made his bread and butter on pop and novelty songs, of which he was a master. One forgets that he composed such ‘50s hits as ‘Comes Along a Love’ and ‘You’re Sixteen’ (you’re beautiful and you’re mine, yes you do know it), famously covered by Ringo Starr. Wakefield gave us a finger snappin’ take on Annette Funicello’s
hymn to her beach–bum beau ‘Tall Paul’ and its lyric about “his king size charms” is about as racy as the Sherman’s ever got. The quartet of trained theater voices struggled a little with the ‘50s teeny bopper stuff (Price admitted he’d never heard of ‘You’re Sixteen’) but they made up for it in the extended excepts from Mary Poppins and Chitty as well as numbers from various stage shows which were more in their comfort zone. Castiglioni came into his own in the Tigger number from Winnie the Pooh, as the rat, Templeton, in ‘A Veritable Smorgasbord’, written for the great comic Paul Lynde and ‘Jiggery Pokery’, another rat, in Sherman Jnr’s recent show Bumblescratch, which is set among London plague rats, no less. Williams’ English Rose quality was perfectly deployed for ‘Suddenly It Happens’ from The Slipper and the Rose and in a deeply felt ‘For Now For Always’, written for Hayley Mills in The Parent Trap. The Shermans have certainly left us a legacy of catchy tunes that will live forever as parents reintroduce their own kids to the material, and this show is a great reminder of that.
The American
Liz Callaway
Crazy Coqs Cabaret The Crazy Coqs, Brasserie Zedel, 20 Sherwood St, London W1F 7ED www.brasseriezedel.com/crazy-coqs Reviewed by Jarlath O’Connell
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he Crazy Coqs is on a roll now and following a run of great Americans – Carole J Bufford, Brent Barrett, Linda Purl and Liz Callaway – the Spring programme has a slightly more British and jazz inflected feel: Patti Boulaye (March 4–8), Aaron Weinstein (March 11–15), Marlene VerPlanck (March 18–22), Ann Reid (March 25–29), guitar legend John Etheridge (April 1–3), Domenick Allen and Leigh Zimmerman (American! April 8–11), Claire Martin and Joe Stilgoe (April 15–19), Amanda McBroom and George Hall (April 22–26) and Cantabile (April 29–31). Listening to great vocalists in the intimate setting of this exquisite Art Deco room is a joy. I caught Liz Callaway’s and Brent Barrett’s shows recently. iz Callaway has voice both pristine and powerful. She burst onto the Broadway scene in 1981. Now in her 50s she retains that girl next door sweetness which can warm up a big concert hall but which, in the confines of the cabaret room, can at times come across as rather over cooked. A comic skit on Sondheim called ‘Another Hundred Lyrics Just Fell Out of My Brain’, which admittedly had us all fooled, was too studied to really tickle. Despite a Broadway career running up long runs in shows such as Cats, Evita and Miss Saigon she’s at heart a singer (with a radiant voice) rather than ‘an actress who sings’
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and her interpretations often lack varieties of color. Why complain, you might say, when the voice is this perfect, but cabaret demands more light and shade and being able to let your hair down a little. Her set was expertly chosen to highlight the peaks in her Broadway and concert career as well as some personal sentimental favorites for her including Jimmy Webb’s ‘Didn’t We’. Thankfully her ‘MacArthur Park’ was confined to the middle section, the bit without the cake left out in the rain. She triumphed in the really difficult songs such as Rodgers & Hammerstein’s ‘Something Wonderful’ where having the singing chops really matter. Her long time collaborator Alex Rybeck provided sterling piano accompaniment throughout. Last seen in London 15 years ago, in concert with her sister Ann Hampton Callaway in Sibling Revelry, it has been too long an absence. rent Barrett’s blurb says “one of the most beautiful voices in contemporary theater” and it ain’t lyin’. He’s no stranger to London, he was Olivier nominated for Kiss Me Kate and appeared here in Grand Hotel and Wonderful Town, but this was his London cabaret debut. He doesn’t talk much because he doesn’t need to, and others should take note. That rich tenor voice which is now, with age, augmented with a velvety baritone. The movie star looks are also still in evidence. Despite being used to barnlike theaters, he was relaxed in this small room. He even managed to transform that awkward
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dirge ‘Music of the Night’ so that it sounds like a subtle French Art Song. The arrangements and piano accompaniment by his long time collaborator Christopher Denny were top class. Songs about what happens after dark were perfect for this wonderful ‘bôite’. He took us from a perky ‘In the Cool Cool Cool of the Evening’ to a wonderfully limpid ‘Street of Dreams’. A highpoint was ‘Some Enchanted Evening’. Never an easy song to sing, he has the technique and good taste to keep it simple, packing an emotional punch. He cheerfully reminisced about escaping small-town Kansas for the bright lights of Pittsburgh, where he studied at Carnegie–Mellon before hitting the Big Apple and getting his break in Jerome Robbins’ revival of West Side Story. These were his disco dancing years and he threw some shapes while delivering an inspired melding of Diane Warren’s ‘The Rhythm of the Night’ with Dietz and Schwartz’s old standard ‘You and the Night and the Music’. All in all – a class act.
Brent Barrett
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The American
Superior Donuts With August: Osage County in the cinemas, Southwark Playhouse has cleverly jumped on the bandwagon and brought us Letts’ follow-up, which premièred on Broadway in 2009. Letts’ great ear for dialogue and eye for character are at the fore but this fringe production struggles to reconcile the inherent weaknesses of the script. Arthur Przybyszewski (yeah, you try it), played by Mitchell Mullen, owns Superior Donuts, a small bakery that his father, a Polish immigrant, started in a working class neighborhood of Chicago. He’s an ageing hippie with a ponytail and the demeanor of a leftover bassist from The Grateful Dead. His neighborhood is changing, vandals have trashed his shop and a blustering Russian porno shop owner next door, Max Tarasov (Nick Cavaliere), wants to buy it to tear it down and expand his own business. Arthur’s world is turned upside down by the arrival of a 21-year-old black street kid, Franco (Jonathan Livingstone), who needs a job badly. Precocious and literate, he’s penned his own ‘Great American Novel’ called America Will Be. He wants to update the joint with healthier menus, lively music and poetry readings. Here we see a retread of a
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familiar old TV movie cliché about the lively young punk awakening the soul of some emotionally frozen older person. Franco is hip and quite challenging but never really threatening, in other words the acceptable face of a young black male. Have these people never seen The Wire? These interpretations have moved on. While Letts’ play might appear on the surface to have the edginess of that show, it instead settles for comforting liberal notions of black vs white and good vs evil. Too often he resorts to easy cop-outs, monologues laden with back story and a visiting bag lady who drops in to offer some fortune-cookie wisdom. It’s as if he doesn’t trust the characters to get across all he needs to say. While it has heart, we’re still in the territory of O’Neill’s barroom of losers and dreamers, but without the poetry. Key plot points crucially lack credibility, damaging the overall effect. Would a kid so bright and well read as Franco really not know how a book is published? Would Frank, a diehard hippie, really be carrying around such a burden of guilt about fleeing the draft to Canada over 40 years ago? Surely someone with his politics would
By Tracy Letts Southwark Playhouse, Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD 020 7407 0234 southwarkplayhouse.co.uk February 11 to March 8 Reviewed by Jarlath O’Connell
have reached an accommodation on that by now. His decision, too, to insist on fighting the much younger hoodlum Luther, man to man, in order to retain his manly pride strikes a very false note although the brawl is brilliantly staged for this tiny space. Letts’ does have a fantastic ear for dialogue though, and the piece has many gems but we are so familiar with this milieu from TV that a fringe cast in London will always struggle with the verisimilitude. Accents waver like ribbons in the wind and most of the actors, including Mullen, never really get under the skin of the characters. A key problem is the direction, blocking is clumsy and pacing is way off. It’s as languid as Chekhov when it desperately needs to have the buzz of the inner city, where people don’t wait politely for others to finish their sentences. Having said that Cavaliere does some great barnstorming as the obnoxious Russian Max, Sarah Ball brings a tenderness to the love struck cop Randy and David Partridge has the right menacing stillness for Luther, the top hood, who turns up with his heavy to collect gambling debts from the unfortunate Franco, the fact which propels Frank, finally, into action.
Circumcision Matters Are you having problems arranging circumcision for your new-born boy? If so, go to www.circumcisionmatters.com A NOVEL ABOUT THE STUDY OF HISTORY CAN YOU REALLY REVISIT AND REWRITE THE PAST? Written by American expat Darren Kilfara
The inspirational story of the extraordinary women who risked their lives ferrying warplanes during WWII. Written by long-term American expat in Britain, broadcaster, columnist and writer Carol Gould. Published by Arrow Books Ltd Audiobook published by Isis Publishing
or call 0207 390 8433
Circumcision Matters
The The American American
DRIVE TIME
Evoque Evolution S
ince its launch in September 2011, the Range Rover Evoque has become one of the most successful vehicles the firm has ever made. That’s a very short time in Land Rover terms. It has confounded the expectations of those who expected the glitzy mini-RR to be a mere fashion accessory, a prediction that was sparked when Victoria Beckham (aka Posh Spice, or Mrs David ‘Miami MLS’ Beckham depending on your viewpoint) was drafted in as a design consultant for the new car and launched her own limited edition bling model. So it sells. But what, actually, is it? Firstly, for 2014, what it has is a raft of major mechanical upgrades under the familiar skin. Chief among these is a brand new, responsive 9-speed automatic transmission by ZF. That’s an extra three ratios, and it’s designed to improve fuel efficiency, emissions and refinement. First shown at the Geneva Motor Show back in March, Evoque is the first passenger car to
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get the new box. And it’s a good one. In mixed driving - around town and on reasonable blacktop country roads, broken potholed back roads and trails - it ticks its design-goal boxes. There’s also a manual mode, which allows you to change gear with steering wheel-mounted paddles, but in practice, after a couple of miles, you stop bothering and let the ZF do its thing. The Evoque also has optional Active Driveline (£1,174), which drives the front wheels only during above 22mph but monitors the car’s behavior and automatically reconnects four-wheel drive when it’s needed - within the reaction time of a fast human. The system also has an electronic differential which intelligently splits the torque between the rear wheels. Torque Vectoring by Braking also enhances agility and safety by redirecting torque between all four wheels, counteracting understeer, and works on the standard four-wheel drive system too.
Planning an accident? Me neither, but they can happen. Another new feature that drivers of ancient Defenders will find mind-boggling is InControl Remote, which automatically sends an SOS Emergency Call to the emergency services in the event of an accident. You can also connect to Land Rover’s Assistance service if you break down, and track the car if it’s been stolen. More help is available when parking and even day to day driving. This year you can specify, for £700, Park Exit, which automatically exits parallel parking bays, Perpendicular Park (to position the car centrally in parking bays), Closing Vehicle Sensing and Reverse Traffic Detection (to warn drivers of oncoming traffic), Lane Departure Warning, Traffic Sign Recognition (very useful if you’ve missed that last speed limit sign) and Wade Sensing (without which, potentially... ‘just how deep is this puddle... bubble... ubble’). Land Rover call Evoque the “greenest real offroader”. To be sure, any car bearing the RR or LR badge must be able to get through the toughest of trails, otherwise it devalues the brand... even if over 80 per cent of Evoque customers are new to the brand. What Evoque is must be what it does. Most British Evoques will be sold with one of the two 2.2 liter diesel engines on offer (150 or 190 horsepower) rather than the 2 liter, 240 horsepower petrol. We chose the
The American
190PS oil-burner. Despite the cutesie looks, I’m happy to report that all the new tech works. The Evoque is super-comfortable on poor, flood-damaged and unmended roads, despite its new 20 inch alloy wheels - large diameter wheels with lower profile tires ride worse but handle better than balloon tires on smaller rims. It’s not as isolated from bumps as the flagship Range Rover or RR Sport but it lacks both their superior air suspension and their much heavier sprung weight, which damps such judders. Attentive readers may spot that the car in the photos is not covered in Wiltshire mud, nor up to its door mirrors in Somerset floods. Frankly, conditions were so foul that photographs didn’t do justice to our black Evoque. We’ve pictured the new Autobiography version which has been announced since our test,
hence the bright orange bodywork and the good weather. Our car also had Intelligent Stop/ Start Technology, which promised to boost fuel economy to 47mpg and keep CO2 down to just 159 g/ km. I can’t comment on the emissions, but we achieved 38mpg - not bad considering the dreadful conditions we endured. So, pretty green. It also had the optional £4,650 LUX pack (yep, £4,650) which adds desirables such as a digital TV (passenger heaven), full-length panoramic glass roof, powered drop & raise tailgate, duel view touch screen, surround camera system with tow assist, blind spot monitor, keyless entry, Parallel Park assist (a particular issue for some Americans unused to it, but very commonly the only parking to be found in Britain), climate control and top-end Meridian sound system. We also
enjoyed - and that is the correct term - other extras such as adaptive Xenon headlamps (£305), a luscious heated steering wheel (£180), rear seat entertainment system (£2,295) and privacy glass (£350). And we loved the set-dressing - the ‘mood lighting’ in the doors, the puddleilluminating lamps with Evoque ‘shadow logos’, and the rest. The Evoque’s on the road price is £40,005, but that’s before all the options. It’s easy to spend north of £50k on an Evoque. That can be £15 large more than the same manufacturer’s own base Discovery 4, which boasts a full seven seats plus a ton more off-road capability. Is that good value? If you want a very cool, beautifully designed allrounder that is surprisingly good off road, neater in size and much more usable for most drivers most of the time, the answer must be, yes.
Vote for your top Motorcycle Icon
H
ere’s your opportunity to vote for your top three favorite motorcyclists, past and present, in an online poll aimed at identifying the most influential motorcyclists of all time. A shortlist of 48 motorcycling icons has been drawn up in consultation with experts from the National Motor Museum Trust Advisory Council and a number of motorcycling focus groups. It includes riders from all eras and genres of motorcycling from early Isle of Man TT winner Stanley Woods, to modern world champion Valentino Rossi, via the King of Cool himself, Steve McQueen. The poll will be open until midSteve McQueen in his element on a HondaCR250 PHOTO COURTESY CHAD-MCQUEEN COLLECTION
night on April 22nd, with everyone taking part entered into a draw to win goodies including a top prize of a three day premium reserved family ticket to this year’s British MotoGP at Silverstone.
The top 20 icons will be announced at the official opening of The Motorcycle Story display on May 14th at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, Hants. Cast your vote at www. motorcyclingicons.co.uk/contenders
The American
Missouri DE Michael Sam may not even be a top-100 selection in this year’s NFL Draft, but after the redshirt senior came out in more ways than one, he’s guaranteed to be a headliner
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rospective draftee Michael Sam won’t be the first gay NFL player when his name is called (and it will be) in May, but his announcement offers the macho NFL the chance to show, for the first time, just how an openly gay player gets treated in the locker room. The timing couldn’t be more poignant, set against the current sporting backdrop of both the Dolphins locker room bullying, and the Winter Olympics in Sochi, where the mayor staunchly denies there are any homosexuals in his town. The two loudest sports debates off the back of Sam’s revelation were whether an NFL locker room would be comfortable around a gay player, and whether NFL ‘war rooms’ would rate Sam down in their pre-draft analysis (hint: they’ll all claim that others may rate him down, though they of course wouldn’t; being in the business of bargain-hunting, they are bound to talk down the value of any player on their board). In the case of Missouri, they knew all season that one of their team captains was gay. He told them so. A distraction to the team? The Tigers went from 5 wins to 12, won the SEC East, beat Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl, finished 5th in the nation. Sam led the SEC with 11.5 sacks. So no, probably not. And Sam’s teammates kept his secret from becoming a media discussion. One can only hope that NFL locker rooms may prove themselves so enlightened. Casual homophobic
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epithets are presently too common amongst professional athletes – as evidenced in Ted Wells’ report about the situation at the Miami Dolphins. That will have to dry up fast or the NFL will be held to account. Of course, in Missouri’s case, the secret was kept in-family with no media circus surrounding it. This time the media knows, and journalists will certainly be listening to make a big deal of either any homophobic language or of perceived issues in Sam’s future NFL locker room... wherever that may be. Sam could land in the same state that spent the last couple of years cheering him, playing for St Louis (Rams Coach Jeff Fisher has already made supportive sounds...) or Kansas City (...Westboro Baptist Church less so). And he was raised not too far from Houston, a city who’s own mayor, Annise Parker, was recently re-elected, despite being openly in a same-sex marriage (so much for stereotypes of Texan conservatism). The spiciest locations: Miami, of course; San Francisco (see below), and London, a comparatively LGBTfriendly city. (What? We don’t have a franchise yet?). Well, the Jaguars could do with Floridian ticket sales, at least – rather than rousing a significant anti-gay backlash, the team that lands Sam will likely gain some support from liberals, underdogs, and those who see Sam’s entry to the NFL as a feel-good story (and with two of his brothers having seen
jail time, another murdered and a fourth missing, there’s many layers to this against-the-odds tale). Sam could sell a sizeable pile of jerseys. On the other hand, Jason Collins, the NBA’s first openly gay active player never found a place to play after his April 2013 announcement. Three months before that, the Baltimore Ravens’ Brendon Ayanbadejo spoke in support of gay marriage after Chris Culliver’s more homophobic overtones. Culliver was still a 49er the following season; Ayanbadejo was cut by the Ravens and hasn’t played since. Probably all just coincidence – player ages factor in. But with Roger Goodell (whose brother is openly gay) preaching tolerance, the NFL still has to show that it is ready to enforce it. Hardline Sheriff Goodell has his next point of emphasis clearly laid out before him. Sam still may not become the first openly gay NFLer, if a veteran player makes an announcement first. There were rumors last offseason that more than one player was on the cusp of coming out. I always felt it would take a player of tremendous standing to lead the way, somebody unshakeably established, in the Hall of Fame conversation, somebody whose arm or hitting style put him beyond reach. Somebody likely on their last contract anyway? That’s what makes Sam’s announcement all the more impressive. It’s possible it will affect his draft stock, though in reality, it just takes one team to
The American Michael Sam (#52) will likely provoke media interest from now through the end of the 2014 season. His draft position and destination will be one of the most intriguing stories of the offseason. PHOTO: © 2013 BEN WALTON COURTESY OF MIZZOU ATHLETIC STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Bama didn’t three-peat, but they’re still No.1 at recruiting say ‘hang on, this guy was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and he fits our system’ and then just take him where they have him rated even if he is a DE/LB tweener, and even if there is a better SEC DE in the draft (South Carolina’s Jadeveon Clowney) and maybe a better long-term DE investment on his own team (Kony Ealy). By the way, if a team defies my preoccupation with taking players at perceived market value, and just takes the player for his play whenever they want to, for once I won’t downgrade them. Seattle already has the last laugh on me over recent grades (though please, I did at least pick ‘em in preseason)! In the end it’s tackles and sacks that will define Michael Sam.
Come National Signing Day, the Alabama Crimson tide closed out a number one class that had been theirs for a while. However, SEC West rivals LSU had a great day to secure what many considered the no.2 class. Out West, the USC Trojans landed new coach Steve Sarkisian a class to herald a new era, swooping to the periphery of the top 10 from way back. Moments: • 5-star DE Solomon Thomas donned nerd glasses and posed behind a desksized conifer to declare himself for Stanford over UCLA and Arkansas. • 5-star CB Adoree Jackson picked USC over UCLA, Florida and LSU. USC trounced its own state, also signing Ath JuJu Smith and G Damien Mama • 4-star Ath Budda Baker chose Washington. Not a great day for UCLA, although they did lure 4-star LB Kenny Young from Louisiana. • 4-star dual-threat QB Treon Harris took Florida over FSU, Auburn, Miami. Florida needed some good news, with 5-stars Damian Prince (OL) and Ermon Lane (WR) opting for Maryland and Florida State respectively. 5-star DE Chad Thomas, Harris’ HS teammate chose Miami. • FSU had a great day, securing DT Derrick Nnadi, OT Roderick Johnson (expected), LB David Pugh, but not Ath JC Jackson nor 5-star WR Malachi Dupre, who chose LSU. DT Travonte Valentine also signed for the Tigers. • 5-star DE Chad Thomas, Harris’ HS teammate chose Miami. • 5-star LB Rashaan Evans shocked Auburn by signing up for the rival Tide. • 5-star DE Malik McDowell announced for Michigan State with the support of his dad. But it was ‘no go’ from mom, his legal guardian, whose signature he needed. At press time, McDowell’s commitment remained unofficial.
March 2014 51
The American
Below: United Autosports Car
PHOTO COURTESY UNITED AUTOSPORTS
Inset: Robb Holland may not need the shades this side of the pond PHOTO GRAHAME ASHMORE
Step on the Gas Americans in British Touring Cars... Daniel Byway gets excited
T
he British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) has been a mainstay of the UK motorsport scene for over 40 years. Like other touring car series, the BTCC features road cars which have been heavily modified for track performance. This means you’ll be able to see Toyotas, Chevrolets, Hondas, Fords and other makes at circuits around the UK during the 2014 season. This year promises to be exciting for the series, not only with the return of former BTCC title holders including Fabrizio Giovanardi and Alain Menu, but also with the arrival of the first full time American driver, and a new Anglo-American team. Denver, Colorado’s own Robb Holland is no stranger to touring cars, having also been the first American to drive in the World Touring Car Championship, at the series’ debut US race at Sonoma Raceway, California, in 2012. Holland, who had a part time involvement in the BTCC in 2012 and 2013, now becomes the first American driver to land a full time seat. He will be
52 March 2014
driving for the Rotek Racing team, and is expected to be using an Audi S3 motor. United Autosports will also enter the series in 2014. The Anglo-American team is co-owned by American Zak Brown and Briton Richard Dean, and plans to race two Toyota Avensis cars in this year’s campaign, with Englishman James Cole and Scot Glynn Geddie behind the wheels. United was founded by Brown and Dean in 2009, and has participated in events around the world, including the British GT Championship, the Macau GP, and the 24 Hours of Spa endurance race. The outfit are also active in historic racing circles on both sides of the Atlantic. With 2014 looking like one of the most exciting seasons in recent memory, what do you need to be aware of to start following BTCC? The 2014 BTCC season will have 10 rounds, starting at Brands Hatch on March 30, and returning to Brands Hatch for Round 10 on October 12. Each round hosts three races, with finishing positions 1st
to 15th receiving a set number of points each race. Bonus points are also awarded for fastest lap and, like NASCAR, for leading a lap of the race. Last year’s Champion, Andrew Jordan, fended off famous BTCC names including Gordon Shedden, Matt Neal and Jason Plato to the drivers’ title, but this year’s championship looks wide open. American Camren Kaminsky has also been confirmed for the 2014 British F3 Championship, so it looks as though the Stars and Stripes will be well represented on the UK motorsport scene in 2014. Round
Track
Date
1
Brands Hatch (Indy)
29-30 March
2
Donington
19-20 April
3
Thruxton
3-4 May
4
Oulton Park
7-8 June
5
Croft
6
Snetterton
2-3 August
7
Knockhill
23-24 August
8
Rockingham
6-7 September
9
Silverstone
27-28 September
10
Brands Hatch GP
28-29 June
11-12 October
PHOTO COURTESY DAVE STEADMAN, WWW.STEADMAN.INFO
The American
New rules a Drag? What will fans make of the major rule changes for NASCAR’s new season? Daniel Byway ponders.
O
n January 30th, NASCAR announced a major change for the 2014 season’s Chase for the Sprint Cup. As well as increasing the number of drivers eligible to enter the Chase, from 12 to 16, the new format separates the Chase into four rounds. Each round covers three races, with four drivers being eliminated from the Chase at the end of each round. The final four drivers in the Chase, or the Chase Grid as it’s now referred to, race in a first to the finish finale at Homestead, with the highest placed driver still on the Chase Grid being declared the Sprint Cup Champion. If it sounds confusing, that’s because it is. It isn’t the complexity of the new format, however, which makes me uneasy about this change. In the last issue of The American, I
pondered on the nature of dominance in motorsport, and its effect on audience interest. It seems as though the new format for the Sprint Cup is an attempt to extend the drama to the final race, but it will come at the expense of the traditional racing season. Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s Executive VP of Racing Operations, pointed out that this new format focuses on wins. For example, winners of regular season races will automatically qualify to be part of the new Chase Grid, and winners in any of the first three rounds of the new Chase will automatically advance into the next round. Although rewarding victory is admirable, this new system skews the favor too much towards drivers able to pull it all out for one victory, over those capable of competing
at the front all season long. There is also always an element of luck in motor racing – and an element of chance. Over the course of a season this can affect drivers differently, but in the heat of a three race round, or indeed the very final race at Homestead, I really fear fans will be cheated out of some of the titanic scraps for the title we’ve seen in recent years, because some of the best drivers will be eliminated from the Chase through circumstances beyond their control. I hope I’m wrong, but the new Chase format is just asking for controversy. It will almost certainly be an exciting way to conclude the season, and to keep fan’s guessing on who will be Champion, but I’m sure I’m not alone in saying the Sprint Cup this season is risking the integrity of the title.
March 2014 53
The American
Eagle Eyed
The Plantation course, Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. Tiger, Phil and Rory not pictured... because they weren’t there. PHOTO: MIKEY V
Missing at Maui: Darren Kilfara looks at some notable absentees So I’m settling down to watch the final round of the first PGA Tour event of 2014, the Tournament of Champions at Kapalua. It has everything a golf fan should want: a world-class leaderboard, gorgeous scenery, perfect weather, and what is normally one of the three best golf courses on the regular Tour rotation. And yet, all I can think about is what’s missing. Everyone will have noticed that Tiger, Phil and Rory didn’t make it to Maui. None of them ever do, but McIlroy’s absence was noteworthy because a) he and Caroline Wozniacki became engaged the week before, and b) he wasn’t actually eligible to play in the Tournament of Champions, as he won precisely zero PGA Tour events last year. These two points may be related. Rory did win the Australian Open in December (spoiling Adam Scott’s bid for an incredible hat– trick of Australian victories), but 2013 was undoubtedly a bad year for the young Irishman. He still seems badly advised, inadequately equipped and hugely distracted – which is fine, if he’s content to make lots of money and be lucky in love. Maybe he doesn’t care about maximizing his talents. Maybe McIlroy – Wozniacki will last longer as a golf –
54 March 2014
tennis couple than Norman – Evert and Garcia – Hingis before them. But… see what I did there? That last paragraph represents the ongoing tabloidification of professional golf. Do you ever read the Guardian or Telegraph and wonder why nearly every soccer article is about Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool? This is what golf feels like in 2014: we’d rather psychoanalyze Rory, Tiger and Phil and remorselessly exaggerate their peaks and troughs than cover the great golfers actually, you know, golfing. I don’t know what’s going through McIlroy’s head, and I never will. He seems like a nice kid with explosive talent, and I really do wish him well, but when seven of the top 22 golfers in the world are within two shots of the lead in the final round of a Tour event, maybe we should watch them and not worry about Rory’s sex life, why Phil was at the Bengals–Chargers playoff game, or Tiger’s mental state with the Masters still three months away. Something else is missing at Kapalua – its traditional wind patterns. Longtime Maui resident Mark Rolfing recently said this about the Plantation Course at Kapalua: “I think climate change is really kicking into effect here. When this course
was designed 25 years ago, it was designed for a trade wind condition that we expected pretty much 300 out of 365 days every year, and that just hasn’t been happening.” A few extra birdies and bogeys at a Tour event because of unusual winds don’t matter. But as the scientific evidence of climate change becomes increasingly undeniable, the anecdotal evidence of how it is affecting the game I love scares me greatly. Massive storms and floods have recently caused serious damage to notable courses like Lahinch and County Sligo on the Irish coastline and Kananaskis in the Canadian Rockies. The prevailing wind at my home links of Dunbar seems to prevail less and less even as it blows harder and harder; perhaps you’ve noticed similar trends at your own club? None of this proves anything, but while I know extreme golfing weather can be fun in moderation, I really hope it goes missing more often in 2014. Darren Kilfara formerly worked for Golf Digest magazine and is the author of A Golfer’s Education, a memoir of his junior year abroad as a student-golfer at the University of St. Andrews.
The American
ORGANIZATION FOCUS
The Anglo–American Charity A useful organization to help you maximise your charitable giving to American charities and reduce your tax obligations The Anglo-American Charity Limited and its US parent, the Anglo-American Charitable Foundation were established in 2003 as dual qualified US-UK donor advised funds to facilitate Transatlantic gifting and to provide an alternative to CAF America. Americans are by definition generous givers to worthy causes. In 2012, Americans gave $316 billion to various cultural, religious, humanitarian and educational causes or an average of $2,000 for every household. Americans give three to seven times more than Western Europeans. In addition half of American adults volunteer their time. The dilemma for a potential donor living in the UK and paying tax in both the UK and the US is that the tax treatment of charitable gifts is not joined up. The UK encourages philanthropy by allowing a charity to obtain Gift Aid from the government on any donation made by a UK tax payer as well as allowing Higher Rate paying taxpayers to reclaim the basic rate of tax on any donation. The US will allow you to take a tax deduction for up to 50% of your
56 March 2014
total donations in any one year. However, the more you earn the less the deduction. In the case of someone paying the maximum tax rate, the deduction could be as little as 20% of the amount of one’s total donations. By making your donations through the Anglo-American Charity (or CAF America), you can
increase the value of your gift and reduce your US taxable income. Should you be interested in discussing gifts of over $1,000, please call Jeff Hedges, Director of the Anglo-American Charity Limited on 0203 059 6004 or email him at: info@anglo-americancharity.org. Our website is www.anglo-americancharity.org
As an example, Sue Smith wants to give her alma mater $25,000. If she does so through a dual qualified charity, the process is as follows: •
Sue will write a check for $20,600 (or the Sterling equivalent of )
•
The Anglo-American Charity will reclaim the Sterling equivalent of $5,150 from the UK government
•
After deducting its fee, the Anglo-American Charity will make a gift of $25,000 through its parent to Sue’s alma mater
•
Sue as a high rate tax payer can reclaim the basic rate of tax paid on the donation from the UK government
•
Sue will receive acknowledgements from both the US and UK charities for the amounts of the gifts she has made.
American ORGANIZATIONS
American Friends of the British Museum The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. 020 7323 8590 www.britishmuseum.org American Friends of the Donmar Inc. 020 7845 5810 sdittmer@donmarwarehouse.com www.donmarwarehouse.com/p46.html American Friends of Gladstone Library Britain’s only Prime Ministerial library. www.gladstoneslibrary-us.com annette.lewis@gladlib.org
An index of useful resources in the UK Is your group or organization fundraising or running an upcoming event you would like more people to know about? Does your free entry need amendments? Would you like a profile article about your organization? Let us know – we rely on you to keep us up to date! Telephone 01747 830520 or email sabrina@theamerican.co.uk. American Citizens Abroad (ACA) 5 Rue Liotard, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland +41.22.340.02.33 info.aca@gmail.com www.americansabroad.org
ESSENTIAL CONTACTS EMERGENCIES Fire, Police, Ambulance
999 or 112 (NOT 911)
TRANSPORTATION London Underground 020 7222 1234 National Rail Enquiries 08457 4849 50 www.nationalrail.co.uk National Bus Service 0990 808080 www.nationalexpress.com TELEPHONES Direct Dial Code, US & Canada Operator Assistance, UK Operator Assistance, Intermational International Directory Assistance Telephone Repair
American Church in London Senior Pastor: Rev. John D’Elia. Sunday School 9.45am, Sunday Worship 11am, child care provided. 79a Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4TD Tel: 020 7580 2791/07771 642875 churchsecretary@amchurch.co.uk www.amchurch.co.uk American Institute of Architects 27 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3AX 0203 318 5722 membership@aiauk.org www.aiauk.org
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.php
American Friends of the Almeida Theatre, Inc. USA: 950 Third Ave., 32nd Floor, New York, NY 10022 UK: Almeida Theatre, Almeida Street, London N1 1TA www.almeida.co.uk/supportus/individual-support/ american-friends
American Friends of the Philharmonia Orchestra Jennifer Davies, Development Director jennifer.davies@philharmonia.co.uk www.philharmonia.co.uk/support/friends/afpo/
American Friends of Chickenshed Theatre USA: c/o Chapel & York PMB293, 601 Penn Ave NW, Suite 900 S Bldg, Washington, DC 20004 UK: Chickenshed, Chase Side, Southgate, London N14 4PE. 0208 351 6161 ext 240 www.chickenshed.org.uk/659/individual/ american-friends.html
MEDICAL ADVICE LINE NHS Direct 24-hour health information services www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk 0845 4647 Non-emergencies 111
CIVIC & SERVICES
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/
American Red Cross RAF Mildenhall 01638 542107, After Hours 07031 15 2334 red.crossv3@mildenhall.af.mil
001 100 155 153 151
For more details go to www.theamerican.co.uk and click on Life In The UK
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 Friends of Contemporary Dance & Sadler’s Wells USA: 222 Park Avenue South, 10A, New York, NY 10003 +1.917.539.9021 americanfriends@sadlerswells.com www.sadlerswells.com/page/american-friends UK: 020 7863 8134 development@sadlerswells.com
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 020 7565 5060 gabystyles@royalcourttheatre.com or info@afrct.org
American Friends of Dulwich Picture Gallery 020 8299 8726 www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/support_us/ american_friends.aspx American Friends of English National Opera (ENO) 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 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 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
March 2014 57
The American
+1. 703.684.7703 info@americanfriendsofsbt.org www.americanfriendsofsbt.org
British American Business Inc. 75 Brook Street, London, W1K 4AD. Tel. 020 7290 9888 www.babinc.org ukinfo@babinc.org
Debbie Berger Tel. 07738 628126 debbie.berger@stjude.org www.friendsofstjude.org/london
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
British American-Canadian Associates Contact via The English Speaking Union – esu@esu.org
Grampian Houston Association Secretary: Bill Neish 5 Cairncry Avenue, Aberdeen, AB16 5DS 01224-484720 wineish@sky.com
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 The Anglo-American Charity Limited Jeffrey Hedges, Director. 07968 513 631 info@anglo-americancharity.org www.anglo-americancharity.org The Association of Americans Resident Overseas 34 avenue de New York, 75116 Paris, France + 33 1 47 20 24 15 www.aaro.org 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 to make a tax efficient gift to the RNLI, contact AFRAS. Mrs. Anne C. Kifer P.O. Box 565 Fish Creek, WI 54212, U.S.A. 00-1-920-743-5434 ackafras@aol.com Atlantic Council Director: Alan Lee Williams. 185 Tower Bridge Road, London SE1 2UF 0207 403 0640 or 0207 403 0740 acuk@atlantic-council.org.uk Bethesda Baptist Church Kensington Place, London W8. 020 7221 7039 office@bethesdabaptist.org.uk Boy Scouts of America Mayfl ower District Executive: Cristina Priddy The Old Coach House, 81A London Rd, Brandon, Suff olk IP270EL 075 9210 1013 crpriddy@bsamail.org
58 March 2014
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 66-68 Exhibition Rd, South Kensington, London SW7 2PA 020 7584 7553 adcockmp@ldschurch.org https://lds.org.uk http://mormon.org
Has your group done something exciting lately? Share it with us Tweet @TheAmericanMag
Church of St. John the Evangelist Vicar: Reverend Stephen Mason. Hyde Park Crescent, London W2 2QD 020 7262 1732 www.stjohns-hydepark.com parishadmin@stjohns-hydepark.com Circumcision Matters Problems arranging circumcision for your new-born? Call 020 7390 8433. www.circumcisionmatters.com Commonwealth Church Rev. Rod Anderson, PO Box 15027, London SE5 0YS www.savestmarks.com Democrats Abroad (UK) Box 65, 22 Notting Hill Gate, London W11 3JE Regular updates on events, chapters throughout the UK, DAUK newsletters: www.democratsabroad.org.uk 020 7724 9796 www.democratsabroad.org/group/united-kingdom Register to vote and request an Absentee Ballot: www.votefromabroad.org Farm Street Church 114 Mount Street, Mayfair, London W1K 3AH Tel: 020 7493 7811 www.farmstreet.org.uk 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 Friends of Chicksands Priory (12th Century) Founded in 1975 by USAF personnel and British employees at RAF Chicksands Julie Benson 01525 860497 friendsofchicksands@gmail.com www.chicksandspriory.co.uk Friends of St Jude London
International Community Church (Interdenominational) 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: Jennifer Crowl 9 Fitzmaurice Place, London W1J 5JD. Tel: 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, Suff olk IP27 9EH. Tel 01842 860752 www.lionsclubs.org Lutheran Services, St Anne’s Rev. Timothy Dearhamer. Lutheran Church, Gresham St, London EC2. Sun 11am-7pm. 020 7606 4986 info@StAnnesLutheranChurch.org www.StAnnesLutheranChurch.org Methodist Central Hall Westminster, London SW1H 9NH Services every Sunday at 11am and 6.30pm. Bible study groups & Monday guilds also held. 020 7222 8010 www.methodist-central-hall.org.uk church@mchw.org.uk North American Friends of Chawton House Library US Offi ce: 824 Roosevelt Trail, #130, Windham, ME 04062 +1.207 892 4358 UK Office: Chawton House Library, Chawton, Alton,
The American
Hampshire GU34 1SJ 01420 541010 www.chawton.org/support/nafchl5.html
Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner 5th Floor, Counting House, 53 Tooley Street, London SE1 2QN 0207 211 1500 info@oisc.gov.uk www.oisc.gov.uk Republicans Abroad (UK) Chairman Dr. Thomas Grant chairman@republicansabroad-uk.org www.republicansabroad-uk.org Rotaract in Great Britain & Ireland For 18-30 year olds, an international membership www.rotaract.org.uk Rotary Club of London 6 York Gate, London NW1 4QG. Tel. 020 7487 5429 Rotary Great Britain and Ireland www.ribi.org 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 212- 480-2889 or (800) 913-6565 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 normajean78@hotmail.com www.tracepw.org 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 Club of Hertfordshire President: Lauryn Awbrey 63-65 New Road, Welwyn, Herts AL6 0AL 01582 624823 amclubherts@aol.com American Expats of the Northwest of England The Ruskin Rooms, Drury Lane, Knutsford, Cheshire WA16 6HA. expatsnw@gmail.com American Friends of English Heritage US: 1307 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W. Washington DC 20036. 202-452-0928. UK: 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, Flat 9 Hanover Court, 5 Stean Street, London, E8 4ED 075 3393 5064 abwinlondon@gmail.com Twitter: @USAProWomenLDN www.facebook.com/groups/293890040710041 www.meetup.com/American-Business-Women-inLondon 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 0800 0834804 awabristol_membership@fawco.org American Women of Berkshire & Surrey PO Box 10, Virginia Water, Surrey GU25 4YP. www.awbs.org.uk info@awbs.org.uk American Women of Surrey PO Box 185, Cobham, Surrey KT11 3YJ. www.awsurrey.org American Women’s Association of Yorkshire The Chalet, Scarcroft Grange, Wetherby Road, Scarcroft, Leeds LS14 3HJ. 01224 744 224 Contact: Carol Di Peri
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 Women of South Wales 07866 190838 awsouthwales@fawco.org 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 Clubs Patricia Connett-Woodcock 87 Brabazon Road, Heston, Middlesex TW5 9LL 020 8897 0723 tricia_baasdc@btinternet.com www.squaredancing.co.uk 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 Colonial Dames of America Chapter XI London. President Anne K Brewster: AnneBrewster@hotmail.com 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 Daughters of the American Revolution – Walter Hines Page Chapter Diana Frances Diggines, Regent dardiana@hotmail.co.uk www.dar.org Daughters of the American Revolution – Washington Old Hall Chapter, North Yorkshire Mrs. Gloria Hassall, 01845 523-830
The American Women’s Club of Dublin P.O. Box 2545, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 IRELAND www.awcd.net info@awcd.net
Delta Kappa Gamma Society International Great Britain President: Mrs. Sheila Roberts, Morvan House, Shoreham Lane, St. Michaels, Tenterden, Kent TN30 6EG email: saroberts123@aol.com www.deltakappagamma.net
American Women’s Club of London 68 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3LQ. 020 7589 8292 awc@awclondon.org www.awclondon.org
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
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The East Anglia American Club 49 Horsham Close, Haverhill, Suffolk CB9 7HN 01440 766 967 eaacexpats@karej.co.uk English-Speaking Union Director-General Peter Kyle Dartmouth House, 37 Charles Street, London W1J 5ED. Tel: 020 7529 1550 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 High Twelve International, Inc. Local Club Contact – Arnold Page High Twelve Club 298 Secretary, Darrell C. Russell, 1 Wellington Close, West Row, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, IP28 8PJ 01638 715764 russelld130@btinternet.com. 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: Susan Lenora. Tel. 0207 581 8261 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 0870 720 0663 info@naconnect.com www.naconnect.com Northwood Area Women’s Club c/o St John’s UR Church, Hallowell Road, Northwood, Middlesex HA6 1DN 01932-830295 info@northwoodareawomensclub.co.uk www.northwoodareawomensclub.co.uk Petroleum Women’s Club Contact: Nancy Ayres.
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01923 711720 nanayrs@btopenworld.com
Lakenheath High School. Tel: 01638 525603
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
Petroleum Women’s Club of Scotland pwcscotland@yahoo.co.uk www.pwcos.com Pilgrims of Great Britain Allington Castle, Maidstone, Kent M16 0NB. 01622 606404 sec@pilgrimsociety.org
American Legion London Post 1 Adjutant: Jim Pickett PO Box 5017, BATH, BA1 OPP 01225-426245 info@amlegionpost1london.org.uk www.amlegionpost1london.org.uk
Propeller Club of the United States – London, England propellerclubhq.com Royal Society of St George Enterprise House, 10 Church Hill, Loughton, Essex IG10 1LA. +44 (0) 20 3225 5011 info@royalsocietyofstgeorge.com www.royalsocietyofstgeorge.com
Bentwaters/Woodbridge Retirees’ Association President: Wylie Moore. 2 Coldfair Close, Knodishall, Saxmundham, Suffolk, IP17 1UN. 01728 830281
Stars of Great Britain Chapter #45 Washington Jurisdiction. Lakenheath, England sogb45@yahoo.com http://starsofgreatbritainchapter45.com
British Patton Historical Society Kenn Oultram 01606 891303 Brookwood American Cemetery The American Battle Monuments Commission Superintendant: Craig Rahanian Brookwood, Woking, Surrey GU24 0BL 01483 473237 www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/bk.php
St John’s Wood Women’s Club Box 185, 176 Finchley Road, London NW3 6BT membership@sjwwc.org www.sjwwc.org Thames Valley American Women’s Club Membership: Claire Mangers-Page PO Box 1687, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 8XT. 01628 632683 www.tvawc.com membership@tvawc.com
Cambridge American Cemetery (WWII Cemetery) The American Battle Monuments Commission Superintendent: Bruce D Phelps Madingley Road, Coton, Cambridge CB23 7PH 01954-210-350 cambridge@abmc.gov www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/ca.php
UK Panhellenic Association Contact Susan Woolf, 10 Coniston Court, High St. Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex HA1 3LP. 020 8864 0294 susanrwoolf@hotmail.com
Commander in Chief, US Naval Forces Europe US Naval Forces Europe-Africa - US Sixth Fleet www.c6f.navy.mil CNE-C6FPAO@eu.navy.mil
UK Anglian Shrine Club (Master Masons) Secretary: David A. Mostyn Long Furlong House, Holt, Norfolk NR25 7DD 01263 740223 davidmostyn@longfurlong.plus.com
Eighth Air Force Historical Society Gordon Richards/Michelle Strefford UK Office, The Croft, 26 Chapelwent Road, Haverhill, Suffolk CB9 9SD 01440 704014 www.8thafhs.org
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 Cathy Smith, 23 Prospect Rd, London, NW2 2JU. 020 7794 5861 www.womenwriters.org.uk info@womenwriters.org.uk
MILITARY 290 Foundation (UK Confederate Navy memorial) Ian Dewar, President, 2 Thompson Drive, Middleton on the Wolds, East Riding, Yorkshire YO25 9TX 01377 217 442 sites.google.com/site/290foundation 290admin@onetel.com AFJROTC 073
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 Co-Directors Dick Good & Jack Kramer Unit 8965, Box 30 RAF Mildenhall, Bury St. Edmonds, Suffolk, IP28 8NF 01638 542039 rao1@us.af.mil 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
The American
Military Officers’ Association of America www.moaa.org msc@moaa.org
Navy League of the United States, United Kingdom Council Council President: Steven G. Franck steven.franck@googlemail.com www.navyleague.org 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. Chapter Address: 513 MSSQ/SS, RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk. Society of American Military Engineers (UK) UK address: Box 763, USAFE Construction Directorate. 86 Blenheim Crescent, West Ruislip, Middlesex HA4 7HL Reserve Officers Association London Col. B.V. Balch, USAR, 72 Westmoreland Road, Barnes, London SW13 9RY memberservices@roa.org www.roa.org 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 Bldg 239 Room 139 RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk IP28 8NF +44-1638-54-4942/1566 phillip.guffa@mildenhall.af.mil
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 01280 708182 422abg.rao@croughton.af.mil
US Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point) UK Chapter President: Allison Bennett, bennett.ac@gmail.com Facebook: Kings Point Alumni - London/United Kingdom
Butler University, Institute for Study Abroad 21 Pembridge Gardens, London W2 4EB 020 7792 8751 www.ifsa-butler.org/england-overview.html
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
Centre Academy London 92 St John’s Hill, Battersea, London SW11 1SH Tel: 02077382344 , info@centreacademy.net www.centreacademy.net
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 Western UK Retiree Association President: R. Jim Barber, MSgt (USAF), Ret 01280 708182
EDUCATIONAL ACS International Schools ACS Cobham International School, Heywood, www.acs-england.co.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 020 7449 1200, 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
Centre Academy East Anglia Church Rd, Brettenham, Ipswich, Suffolk IP7 7QR Tel: 01449736404 , admin@centreacademy.net www.centreacademy.net Central Bureau for Educational Visits Director: Peter Upton, The British Council , 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 www.ditchley.co.uk info@ditchley.co.uk Dwight School London Formerly North London International School Viviene Rose, Admissions Director 6 Friem Barnet Lane, London N11 3LX 020 8920 0600 vrose@dwightlondon.org www.dwightlondon.org European Council of International Schools Executive Director: Jean K Vahey Fourth Floor, 146 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 9TR Tel 020 7824 7040 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 020 7937 5023 londoncentre@fordham.edu www.fordham.edu Fulbright Commission (US-UK Educational Commission) Dir. of Advisory Service: Lauren Welch Battersea Power Station, 188 Kirtling Street,
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London SW8 5BN 020 7498 4010 www.fulbright.co.uk
Harlaxton College UK Campus, University of Evansville Harlaxton Manor, Grantham, Lincolnshire NG32 1AG. Grantham 4541 4761. Tel 01476 403000 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 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
Royal Waterloo House, 51-55 Waterloo Road, London SE1 8TX. Tel. 020 7928 1372 www.schillerlondon.ac.uk admissions@schillerlondon.ac.uk
Schiller International, Wickham Court School Layhams Road, West Wickham, Kent BR4 9HW. Tel 0208 777 2942 Fax 0208 777 4276 Wickham@schillerintschool.com www.wickhamcourt.org.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
International School of Aberdeen 296 North Deeside Rd, Milltimber, Aberdeen, AB13 0AB 01224 732267 www.isa.aberdeen.sch.uk admin@isa.aberdeen.sch.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 admissions@southbank.org www.southbank.org
International School of London 139 Gunnersbury Avenue, London W3 8LG. 020 8992 5823. www.islschools.org mail@ISLschools.org
Syracuse University London Program Faraday House, 48-51 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3AE http://sulondon.syr.edu
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
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
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 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 Regent’s University London Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4NS. 020 7486 9605. www.regents.ac.uk exrel@regents.ac.uk 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
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UKCISA - Council for International Education 9-17 St. Albans Place, London N1 0NX 020 7354 5210 www.ukcisa.org.uk University of Notre Dame London Program 1 Suffolk Street, London SW1Y 4HG 020 7484 7811 london@nd.edu www.nd.edu/~ndlondon/lup/future/ introduction.htm Warnborough University International Office, Friars House, London SE1 8HB. Tel 020 7922 1200 www.warnborough.edu admin@warnborough.edu Webster Graduate Studies Center Regent’s College, Regent’s Park, Inner Circle, London NW1 4NS, UK. Tel: 020 7487 7505 www.webster.ac.uk webster@regents.ac.uk Wroxton College Study Abroad with Fairleigh Dickinson University, Wroxton, Nr. Banbury, Oxfordshire OX15 6PX 01295 730551, www.fdu.edu 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 chane@regents.ac.uk, www.alliant.edu Amherst College Bob Reichert RAreichert26b@aol.com Andover/Abbot Association of London Jeffrey Hedges ‘71, President 07968 513 631 hedgeslon@hotmail.com Association of MBAs Leo Stemp, Events Administrator Tel 020 7837 3375 (ext. 223), l.stemp@mba.org.uk 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 Berkeley Club of London Geoff Kertesz berkeleyclublondon@gmail.com http://international.berkeley.edu/LondonClub Facebook: www.facebook.com/ groups/223876564344656/ Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/groups/Berkeley-ClubLondon-4186104 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 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 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. Communication: Patrick Attie. Alumni Club & Liaison: Vanessa Van Hoof Brown Club UK, Box 57100, London, EC1P 1RB contact@brownuk.org www.brownuk.org Bryn Mawr Club Lady Quinton, President.
The American
Wendy Tiffin, Secretary/Treasurer, 52 Lansdowne Gardens, London SW8 2EF 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
www.hcuk.org
Indiana University Alumni club of England Anastasia Tonello, President 020 7253 4855 iuinlondon@yahoo.com www.alumni.indiana.edu/clubs/england KKG London Alumnae Association emilymerrell@gmail.com
Columbia Business School Alumni Club of London 6 Petersham Mews, London SW7 5NR www.cbsclublondon.org londonadmin@gsb.columbia.edu
LMU Alumni Club London (Loyola Marymount University) Kent Jancarik 07795 358 681 kent@jancarik.com
Columbia University Club of London Stephen Jansen, President london@alumniclubs.columbia.edu www.alumniclubs.columbia.edu/london
Marymount University Alumni UK Chapter President: Mrs Suzanne Tapley, 35 Park Mansions, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7QT. 020 7581 3742
Cornell Club of London Natalie Teich, President nmt4@cornell.edu www.alumni.cornell.edu/orgs/int/London
MIT Club of Great Britain Yiting Shen, Flat 8a, 36 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6PB 0789 179 3823 yshen@alum.mit.edu http://alumweb.mit.edu/clubs/uk/
Dartmouth College Club of London Sanjay Gupta, Andrew Rotenberg sanjay.gupta.96@ alum.dartmouth.org andrew.l.rotenberg.92@alum.dartmouth.org www.dartmouth.org Delta Kappa Gamma Society International www.deltakappagamma.org/GB (Links to all the USA and international members’ sites) Delta Sigma Pi Business Fraternity London Alumni Chapter. Ashok Arora, P O Box 1110, London W3 7ZB. Tel: 020 8423 8231 bertela@yahoo.com www.dspnet.org
Details changed? Let us know email sabrina@theamerican.co.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
Duke University Club of England Ms Robin Buck buckrobin@yahoo.com Tim Warmath timwarmath@yahoo.com Kate Bennett jkbennett@btinternet.com www.dukealumni.com/england
Notre Dame Club of London Hannah Gornik, Secretary: ND_Club_London@yahoo.co.uk
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
NYU STERN UK Alumni Club Matthieu Gervis, President sternukalumniclub@hotmail.com
Georgetown Alumni Club Alexa Fernandez, President GeorgetownLondon@Yahoo.com Gettysburg College Britt-Karin Oliver brittkarin@aol.com Harvard Business School Club of London www.hbsa.org.uk Harvard Club of the United Kingdom Brandon Bradkin, President president@hcuk.org Verity Langley, Membership vll@me.com
NYU Alumni Club in London Jodi Ekelchik, President alumni.london@nyu.edu
Ohio University UK & Ireland Frank Madden, 1 Riverway, Barry Avenue, Windsor, Berks. SL4 5JA. Tel 01753 855 360 frank@madant.demon.co.uk Penn Alumni Club of the UK David Lapter Tel. 07957 146 470 david.lapter@alumni.upenn.edu Penn State Alumni Association Penn State Alumni Association Ron Nowicki - 0207 226 7681 pennstatelondon@yahoo.co.uk www.alumni.psu.edu Princeton Association (UK) Carol Rahn, President
Jon Reades, Young Alumni carol.rahn@orange-ftgroup.com jon@reades.com www.alumni.princeton.edu
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 07817 203611 peggyhbriggs@gmail.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, robby@blueyonder.co.uk Lesley Anne Hunt, Events, lesley.hunt@blueyonder.co.uk www.stanfordalumni.org.uk Syracuse University Alumni UK Faraday House, 48-51 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3AE SUalumniUK@syr.edu www.facebook.com/SUalumniUK 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 Co-Presidents Ashley Lilly, Devin Howard london@aggienetwork.com http://clubs.aggienetwork.com/londonamc/ 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 UConn Alumni Association ucaa@uconnalumni.com UMass Alumni Club UK Julie Encarnacao, President
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The American
(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 Aff airs 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 londonuvaclub@yahoo.com http://members.aol.com/UKUVACLUB/UVA-london.htm US Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point) UK Chapter President: Allison Bennett bennett.ac@gmail.com Facebook: Kings Point Alumni - London/United Kingdom 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
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18 Redgrave Road, London, SW15 1PX +44 020 8788 6910 sara.hebblethwaite@virgin.net
Warnborough Worldwide Alumni Association c/o International Offi ce, Friars House, London SE1 8HB Tel. 020 7922 1200 Fax. 020 7922 1201 www.wwaa.info admin@warnborough.edu Wellesley College Club Farida El-Gammal ‘98, President www.wellesley.edu/alumnae/groups/clubs/intlclubs/ wellesley_uk_club WCLondon@alum.wellesley.edu 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
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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. Tel: 07812 580949 kristinamorgan@gmail.com www.zetataualpha.org
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 (SoSkan) Membership Secretary, Bob Isaac, 3 Hilliards Road, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 3TA membership@soskan.co.uk www.soskan.co.uk
ARTS American Actors UK Administrator: Kelly Harris, 07873 371 891 www.americanactorsuk.com
SPORTS Eagles Golf Society Sharon Croley c/o Eventful Services, 49 Hastings Road, Croydon, Surrey CRO 6PH sharoncroley@blueyonder.co.uk English Lacrosse PO Box 116, Manchester M11 0AX 0843 658 5006 info@englishlacrosse.co.uk www.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. 01708 725241 www.icehockeyuk.co.uk ihukoffice@yahoo.co.uk Infinity Elite Cheerleading (founded by C.A.C) Mondays 4.30-8.30 – Maiden Lane Comm. Centre, 156 St. Paul’s Crescent, London NW1 9XZ. Tumble: Thursdays 6-8 – Paget Centre,18-28 Randells Rd, Islington, London N1 0DH. Tel. 077 9132 0115 http://londoninfi nityelite.clubbz.com www.facebook.com/InfinityAllstars Herts Baseball Club Adult & Little League Baseball www.hertsbaseball.com Lakenheath Barracudas Swim Club Open to all military affiliated families. Charlie Midthun, President, laken.barracudas@yahoo.com; Head Coach, Dean Reed smurfathome@earthlink.net www.barracudas.moonfruit.com LondonSports Instruction & competitive play in baseball, basketball and soccer, boys/girls aged 4-15, newcomers or experienced players. Sports in a safe, fun environment. We welcome children of all nationalities. www.londonsports.com vll@me.com London Warriors American Football Club Kevin LoPrimo info@londonwarriorsafc.co.uk www.londonwarriorsafc.co.uk
We rely on you to keep us informed. Every effort is made to ensure that these listings are correct but if your entry requires amendments please tell us. Send profiles, news or articles about your organization for possible publication in The American. email sabrina@theamerican.co.uk, tel +44(0)1747 830520, fax +44(0)1747 830691
The American 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
Suppliers of quality products and services hand-picked for you 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.
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 US expatriates in the UK and Europe. America House, 54 Hendon Lane, London N3 1TT 020 8346 5237 www.jaffeandco.com Tax & Accounting Hub Professional service at aff ordable prices. Fixed fee U.S. Expatriate tax preparation service in London. Federal/ State, Foreign bank account/IRS audits response +44 (0)20 3286 6445. M: +44 (0)79 1439 3183 152 Burford Wharf, 3 Cam Road, London, E15 2SS www.taxandaccountinghub.com
FINANCIAL ADVICE
DRIVING INSTRUCTION Alison Driving School A well established, well known International Driving Instructor covering the area south and west of London, ideal for new drivers and for Americans who want to drive in the UK. www.alison-driving-school.co.uk alisondrivingschool@yahoo.co.uk 01784 456 037, cell 07956 220389
INTERIOR DESIGN
COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY Transitions Therapy Psychotherapy & Counselling for Expatriate Individuals, Couples, Families & Adolescents in the West End. London, England, United Kingdom 07557 261432 in the UK or 0044 7557 261432 from another country. Skype sessions available around the world. transitions_therapy@hotmail.com www.transitionstherapy.co.uk
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Hayden T Joseph CPA, PA Honest fixed fee tax compliance for individuals and small businesses. US Expat Returns from £200. UK Tel:+447554905143 US Tel:+3056515580 Derren@HTJosephCPA.com www.htjosephcpa.com
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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
Tanager Wealth Management LLP Integrated financial and investment advice for US expats living in the UK provided by US expats. Global account consolidation, UK/US savings and retirement planning together with investment advice. Contact us for a no obligation meeting or telephone conversation. 020 7871 8440 www.tanagerwealth.com contact@tanagerwealth.com @tanagerwealth
Rolando Luci Luxury lighting, including American brands, some unique to the UK. 01778 218121 www.rolandoluci.co.uk
LEGAL Setfords Solicitors Family lawyers and mediators with particular experience in expatriate cases. 01483 408780 www.setfords.co.uk lthomas@setfords.co.uk
Coffee Break Answers
1.Dwight D Eisenhower; 2. Grapefruit; 3.Jamaica; 4. Warren Buff ett; 5. Zone Improvement Plan; 6. A Parliament; 7. Ronald Reagan; 8. John F Kennedy; 9. The Magna Carta; 10. Time Inc.; 11. Alaska (it caused c. 139 deaths); 12. NBC; 13. Casey Jones (d. 1900).
March 2014 65
Swiss movement, English heart
Swiss made / Self-winding automatic movement / 38 hr power reserve / Marine grade stainless steel case / Uni-directional bezel / 300m (1000ft) water resistance / 4.0mm Anti-reflective sapphire crystal / SuperLuminovaTM indexes, bezel marker and hands / High density rubber strap / Bracelet, NATO and leather versions also available / Diameter: 42mm / Calibre: Sellita SW200-1 / 5 year movement guarantee
Showroom at No.1 Park Street, Maidenhead. To arrange a personal appointment, call +44 (0)1628 763040