ART & CULTURE COMEDY FILM FOOD & DRINK MUSIC SHOPPING SMALL SCREEN THEATRE
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FREE EVERY MONDAY NOVEMBER 26>December 02 2012
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C hristmas t h e a t r e
SPECIAL
S tarring P antos , musicals , comedy & more WIN luxury christmas dinner | ELBOW | an idiot abroad | jeremy irvine
Gigs
TRANSATLANTIC SESSIONS Wednesday 6 February
MYSTERY JETS
+ temples + the night Thursday 29 November The boys from Eel Pie Island round off their 2012 UK tour with a very special show at Royal Festival Hall.
Royal Festival Hall
kate nash Saturday 1 December
Kate Nash presents a very special one-off night of collaborations with her after school club.
Queen Elizabeth Hall
Following last years sold-out tours, fiddle maestro Aly Bain and dobro legend Jerry Douglas perform with special guests including Mary Chapin Carpenter and others to be announced.
Royal Festival Hall
Ethan Johns Monday 25 February
The BRIT award-winning producer swaps the studio for the stage, performing an intimate set of music from his new record.
Purcell Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall
Sam Carter Friday 22 March
EVAN DANDO AND JULIANA HATFIELD Tuesday 4 December
Nineties alt-rock stars Evan Dando and Juliana Hatfield reunite to perform together once again.
Royal Festival Hall
A Vintage New Year’s Eve Party Monday 31 December
Glamorous pop-up nightclubs, bars, beauty parlours, and more. Music comes from live 20s ragtime bands and a 40s Swing orchestra, while DJs play everything from 50s rockabilly to pop hits of the 80s and 90s.
Royal Festival Hall
Fast-rising folk star Sam Carter performs songs from his new album The No Testament.
Purcell Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall
PHRONESIS Friday 5 April
Award-winning European jazz trio perform brand new material including arrangements for a larger ensemble of special guests.
Queen Elizabeth Hall
LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III Friday 3 May
The Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III returns to Southbank Centre.
Royal Festival Hall
0844 847 9910 southbankcentre.co.uk
Regulars
4 Scouted Secret Cash Machines, Last Chance London and much more
Cover PHOTOGRAPH: Helen maybanks / BIG PICTURE: LONDON News Features / rex features
6 Talent Scout Actor and musician Johnny Flynn takes us through his favourite London hotspots
Sections 17 20 27 29 32 34 38 40 48 55
London Food & Drink Shopping Art & Culture Comedy Film Small Screen Music Theatre Competitions
Cover Story
8 Christmas theatre special Oh yes it is! We pick the best of what’s on stage this season, whether you have children, are a big child at heart, or want something totally different
The Big Picture
December Dip Brace yourself for a pre-Christmas dip at Parliament Hill Lido 17
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Cue up for two days of 12in love Roll up! Roll up! Get yer limited edition clear vinyl 12in here! Old Spitalfields Market will be echoing to trader calls of a quite different type this weekend as bosses of some of the country’s best independent record labels set up stalls to sell their wares. The Independent Label Market is not only a chance to pick up merchandise and rarities such as limited edition vinyl, test pressings and even cassettes, but also an opportunity to get face-to-face with the folk who run the labels.
More than 50 labels will be setting up stalls, including Bella Union, Fabric, Peacefrog, Heavenly, Moshi Moshi, Ninja Tune, One Little Indian, Sunday Best, Acid Jazz and Rough Trade. Adding atmosphere to the event will be a handful of live performances. Just don’t mention the D-word (download). Independent Label Market, December 1 & 2, 11am-5pm, Old Spitalfields Market, independentlabelmarket. tumblr.com
Peter Quicke, label boss, Ninja Tune What will you be selling at the market? We will have two stalls – one for Ninja Tune and one for Big Dada. Most of what’ll be on offer will be vinyl because that’s what people are after, but
Digging fingers The R&S stand
Richard King Author of the Indie labels biography, How Soon Is Now
we’ll also have some rarities such as cassettes, a very limited yellow vinyl 12in of Roots Manuva’s Banana Skank EP and some signed CDs. We’ll also have some test pressings of records. Why is this type of event important? It’s great to meet people who are really interested in buying your records, to
The cash points at Camden //Secret Cash/////////////////////////// Town always have massive Machines of London///////////////// queues, so cut past the musicCAMDEN TOWN ///////////////////////////
lovers and head up Camden High Street towards Mornington Crescent, past the crowd at NatWest on your left and take a left down Greenland Street where there’s a sole machine with no-one there. Do you know a secret cash machine? Let us know on Twitter @ScoutLondon #secretcashmachines
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get that face-to-face feedback. It’s also good to get out of the office and sell to people direct – most of the time we sell to distributors or shops, so getting right to the sharp end of things is refreshing. What will be your market trader’s shout? A ninja howl!
Always online
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last chance
LONDON This House National Theatre: Cottesloe Closes Sat Dec 1 The Coming Storm Battersea Arts Centre Closes Sat Dec 1 The Man Who Fell To Earth, David Bowie - Golden Years Movie Poster Art Gallery Closes Sat Dec 1
Celebrity photographer Richard Young – the man Kate Moss affectionately calls Uncle Richard – has taken over 2m photos in a career spanning four decades. Now there’s a chance to pick up one of his iconic images at a new exhibition. Pret a Photo features recentlyunearthed images from the 1970s and 1980s, and includes many of the iconic photos seen on Sky Arts documentary Celebrity Exposed, aired earlier this year.
Among those snapped by the photographer are Bob Marley, Jack Nicholson, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, Freddie Mercury, Muhammad Ali and Yves Saint Laurent. Richard Young’s Pret a Photo, November 30-January 31, Richard Young Gallery, 4 Holland Street, W8 4LT richardyounggallery.co.uk
This week Scout was made by. . . 1. MANFLU Sharp, sweet and potent as hell, this amusinglynamed illness-combatter has kept us fighting fit over the past week
the invisable dot
2. He’s our man Great new biography of Leonard Cohen by Sylvie Simmons 3. Tim Key First class comedy from the poet stand-up at the Arts Theatre
NME Music Photography Awards Getty Images Gallery Closes Sat Dec 1 Arab Nights Soho Theatre Closes Sat Dec 1 Where The Mangrove Grows Theatre 503 Closes Sat Dec 1
not everything comes to him who waits
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The Seagull Southwark Playhouse Closes Sat Dec 1
dumb.me.uk
Snap up iconic celebrity photos
But I Cd Only Whisper Arcola Theatre Closes Sat Dec 1
4. No more comic sans Graphic novels are finally getting the credit they deserve, with two nominated for the Costa Award 5. Laugh or the Polar Bear Gets It Nearly wetting ourselves with laughter at a cracking comedy night in aid of Friends of the Earth, with Stewart Lee, Tony Law, Ed Byrne and many more
don’t underestimate my boredom scoutlondon.com Scout London
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Johnny Flynn Actor and musician
Very homely. Now, how about a bite to eat? There’s a Georgian restaurant near me called Little Georgia. It’s run by a lovely Georgian family and the food is delicious. Where’s your favourite outdoor spot? Probably London Fields. There are good playgrounds for my son. And it’s sort of in the middle of where most of my friends live so it’s a good meeting spot.
Scout London Cover Stars 0018
Zabou, 21 Postgraduate student in Art, Camberwell
What in London inspires you? London is an amazing place for art and creativity, whether it’s in the street, like graffiti, or inside museums. It also has a mix of people and good vibes which can make you richer everyday. And as a foreigner, it represents the British culture and way of life, which is an endless source of inspiration. Any London secrets to share? If you enjoy secret places and
wild-looking gardens, go to the Harleyford Road Community Garden (near Oval station). It’s public, though it has an incredible sense of intimacy, as if you were in your garden at home. Favourite part of London? Shoreditch has a taste of freedom and creativity with the many street art works out there, and the spirit of partying with the abundance of pubs and clubs.
What’s a great cultural experience you’ve had in London recently? Marika Hackman is a lovely singer whose debut single launch I went to. She’s wonderful. What’s your favourite venue and why? London has tons of good music venues. I used to go to places like the Enterprise in Camden a lot. Shepherds Bush Empire is my favourite of those old school theatre venues as it still feels nice and cosy. What’s your secret London tip for Londoners? Weekend markets in east London are my favourite thing in the city. Twelfth Night / Richard III run until February 10 at the Apollo Theatre, nimaxtheatres.com
How important is London in your work? London is my daily source of inspiration and where I hope I will develop my career as a creative. What’s next for you? I have many projects I want to develop such as animations and illustrations. I also plan to invade London with my stencils. See more at: zabou.me
Hey there, are you a talented creative? Fancy decorating the Scout London logo that appears on our cover each week? We welcome London-based artists, designers, illustrators, photographers. Get in touch: talent@scoutlondon.com 6
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simon annand
Let’s go for a drink – Scout’s buying. Where shall we go? I like going to my local – The Marksman on Hackney Road. It’s mostly a mix of local East End-ers and beats the hipster pubs down the road.
Where do you get your shopping fix? Luthier’s Corner on Denmark Street. I bought my favourite guitar there.
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Johnny Flynn is currently appearing as Viola alongside Stephen Fry and Mark Rylance in Twelfth Night at the Apollo Theatre, and as Lady Anne and Grey – also running at the theatre – in Tim Carroll’s two productions. As well as his acting roles, he leads folk band Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit.
C hristmas t h e a t r e
SPECIAL
From pantos to plays, kids shows to adults-only romps, we present the best of what’s on the stage this festive season
PANTO
What goes into staging a panto? Scout chats to Sean Holmes, artistic director at the Lyric in Hammersmith, who is directing a panto for the first time in his career Is panto quite a unique challenge for a director? Absolutely, it’s been a great learning curve. It’s like doing a mini musical in three weeks. Although there’s something about panto that is deliberately anarchic, a bit slapdash and chaotic, there are still seven or eight musical numbers to deal with, 20 people on stage at a time, slop sequences, loads of costume changes, UV light sections – it’s a big beast to do in a short space of time. 8
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Is it as much fun to stage as it is to watch? Yes, but there’s a lot of hard work that goes into it. Today we were having a lot of fun, but then there could easily be another session where you feel like you’re banging your head against the wall. I’ve never worked on something where you’ll keep changing things so much right up until the last minute. Most of the shows I do here are deeply miserable so this makes a nice change.
b all , Is it difficult to rehearse something that relies so heavily on audience participation? Definitely. There’s very much an element that you can’t rehearse until you have an audience in, which is quite scary. It’s particularly true for some characters, when so much of what they do is dependent on the audience being there, for that interaction. It’s like rehearsing without one key character – the audience. It’s a given that panto has to be funny and energetic, but what else do you aim for? It’s really important that you’re
dame
not arch or ironic, that you don’t undermine the form, that you maintain a sort of innocence. Sometimes the jokes are a bit knowing, but I think you need to commit to the innocence of the stories because, at the end of the day, they’re fairy tales. The other thing is that you really have to tell the story with the songs – they can’t just be people singing at you, there has to be a narrative within the song. Cinderella, starring Mel Giedroyc and Julie Atherton, is at the Lyric until January 5, £12.50-£35, lyric.co.uk Hammersmith
helen maybanks
A whole new
C hristmas b y Name
Stand-up comic Jarred Christmas will make his pantomime debut as Herman the Henchman in the New Wimbledon Theatre’s production of Snow White. And with a surname like his, who better to dish out the festive fun?
How are rehearsals going? Really well. We’ve just being doing some dance routines... How’re you finding that? Oh great – I’m a born dancer, I came dancing out of my mother’s womb – I limbo’d under the umbilical cord [laughs]. I recently did Madonna’s Hung Up for Let’s Dance for Comic Relief, so it’s something I really enjoy. Have you seen panto before? No. We don’t have panto in New Zealand – I think it’s a peculiarly British thing like trains not running because there are leaves on the track. The only time I’d come across it previously was when other comedians made jokes about it in their routines.
Aladdin The O2 Panto is all about cross-dressing, so who better to headline this take on the classic Middle Eastern rags-to-riches tale than drag veteran Lily Savage? The production will take place inside a purpose-built 1,900-seater theatre at the arena. December 7-January 5, £19.50-£49.50 theo2.co.uk North Greenwich Dick Whittington Hackney Empire The annual Hackney offering from writer/ director Susie McKenna is easily one of London’s best and most celebrated pantos, with true generation-spanning appeal. December 1-January 6, £10-£29.50 hackneyempire.co.uk Hackney Central Jack and the Beanstalk Theatre Royal, Stratford East Stratford’s panto is another favourite fixture in London’s Christmas calendar. This year’s story has been chosen by the public, who opted for everyone’s favourite tale of beans, botany and a very big baddie. December 1-January 19, £5.50-£23 stratfordeast.com Stratford
A name like yours must provoke a lot of comments at this time of year? Yeah – I get a fair amount of comments, but this is the first time I’ve done any festive work. I hope it’s not just because of my name. This is the first time you’ve been in a panto – why did you decide to do it? Comedians dread Christmas because all your gigs will be in front of office Christmas parties. They’re really tough gigs because one person in the company has come up with the idea of going to a comedy night and the rest are just there for a piss-up, so it’s really hard work. A lot of comedians find that at the end of December, you’ve earned a decent amount of money, but you’re going ‘why the f*** did I go through that?’. The opportunity came up to do this pantomime and I went for it.
PANTOMIME
Robin Hood Greenwich Theatre Not a typical panto choice by any means, but Greenwich’s ever-reliable writer, director and dame, Andrew Pollard, can always be counted on to turn in a side-splitting classic. Until January 6, £16-£25 greenwichtheatre.org.uk Greenwich Beauty and the Beast Shaw Theatre The Shaw in Euston has lined up This Morning presenter Alison Hammond and Corrie star Oliver Mellor to star in its adaptation of this much-loved tale. December 6-30, £19.50 shaw-theatre.com Euston
Panto pair Jarred Christmas (above) and Warwick Davis (left)
Why do you think panto has such enduring popularity? It’s one of the few things that can appeal to everyone from the grandparents to their grandkids. I usually perform to 18- to 35-yearolds, so when I see an older person in the audience I think ‘oh God, how am I going to appeal to them?’, or if I see kids in the audience, I go ‘who brings their f***ing kids to a comedy gig?’. But panto appeals to everyone – it’s about the only thing in entertainment that does. Apart from that 1990 film Beethoven, about the dog. Everyone loves that. Snow White, starring Priscilla Presley, Warwick Davis and Jarred Christmas is at the New Wimbledon Theatre, December 7-January 13, £10-£39.50, atgtickets.com Wimbledon
The Three Musketeers Rosemary Branch Theatre It’s to swash-buckling 17th century France that the Rosemary Branch’s popular panto heads this year, courtesy of the Charles Court Opera company and writer/director John Savournin. There are adult-only performances as well as the usual family-friendly shows. December 7-January 9, £5-£18.50 rosemarybranch.co.uk Essex Road Mother Goose Millfield Theatre If ever there was a time for puns, it’s panto season, so all credit to the Millfield for bringing the “eggs-factor” to North London. November 29-January 5, £9.50-£16.50 enfield.gov.uk Silver Street Cinderella Broadway Theatre Much-loved children’s TV star Floella Benjamin will be granting wishes as the fairy godmother in Catford. Joining her will be CBBC star Andrew Haydn Smith as Buttons. December 10-January 2, £12.50-£16.50 broadwaytheatre.ticketsolve.com Catford
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FAMILY SHOWS Scrooge London Palladium It doesn’t get much more Christmassy than Dickens’ life-affirming tale of miser Ebenezer Scrooge and the redemptive power of Christmas. This musical version stars Tommy Steele as the bahhumbugging curmudgeon. Until January 12, £32-£70 londonpalladium.org Oxford Circus
A Christmas Carol with Simon Callow Arts Theatre If Scrooge’s singing and dancing version isn’t your thing, an alternative is to see one of the country’s greatest actors reading Dickens’ very own adaptation of the book, which he created for performance. December 5-January 6, £15-£40 artstheatrewestend.co.uk Leicester Square
A Christmas Carol Waterloo East As well as Simon Callow’s version, there’s also Dominic Gerrard’s similarly-applauded one-man take on the Dickens tale, with direction from Tim Carroll, who is currently directing Mark Rylance in Richard III and Twelfth Night in the West End. December 3-15, £12 waterlooeast.ticketsolve.com Waterloo
\ Ball
Sleeping Beauty Sadler’s Wells Matthew Bourne, one of the UK’s greatest living choreographers, has already put his stamp on both The Nutcracker and Swan Lake. Now, finally, he turns his hand to the remaining masterpiece of Tchaikovsky’s peerless trio of ballet works. One of the dance events of the year. December 4-January 26, £12-£52.50 sadlerswells.com Angel
You
shall go to the
family SHOWS
Midnight’s Pumpkin is a typically wild and unpredictable slant on the Cinderella story from Kneehigh theatre company. Joint artistic director Emma Rice advises audiences to dust off their dancing shoes for one of the most interactive family shows of the season What’s the idea behind the show? It’s a very simple idea: when Cinderella goes to the ball, the audience goes too. It’s like the best family wedding you’ve ever been to. When we were creating it we thought, ‘How can we make it a really great party?’ So we thought we’d get all the audience involved. Why the Cinderella story? It’s the greatest fairytale there is. There are lots of great tales, but 10 Scout London scoutlondon.com
Cinderella is the one that everyone understands; it’s about feeling like you’ll never be loved, but then you are loved – there’s not a human on the planet that hasn’t felt that. What’s the music like in the show? It’s so eclectic – there’s quite a lot of live music. We have lots of new songs written for the show and then on top of that we have things like Temptation by Heaven 17 and 10cc hits. We’ve got all the
classics, and especially the ones you can’t sit down to. Is there much audience participation? There’s a great big dance floor where you can dance as much or as little as you want. We also teach some moves. It’s all about breaking down the barriers and having a good time. It’s a show for everybody, aged six to 80. Basically, anyone who enjoys a good fairytale.
How was it received last time? The proof of its success for us was that we couldn’t get the audience out at the end! People carried on dancing long into the night. Any tips for guests? Come dressed up, as if you were going to a party. Battersea Arts Centre, December 8-January 13, £15-£25, bac.org.uk Clapham Junction
Magical journey The Snowman
The Snowman Peacock Theatre Based on Raymond Briggs’ cherished children’s book and set to Howard Blake’s famous score, this captivating dance spectacle is one of London’s most popular festive fixtures – with good reason – and returns for a 15th Christmas this year. You’ll be walking in the air afterwards. Until January 6, £12-£32 sadlerswells.com Holborn
The Arabian Nights Tricycle Theatre Another alternative to the more traditional Christmas fare, Mark Zimmerman’s adaptation of this powerful ancient tale takes audiences to Baghdad, where a young woman has to save her own life every night, through the power of storytelling. November 30-January 12, £10-£20 tricycle.co.uk Kilburn
LET IT SNOW
Alastair Muir / catherine ashmore / v.vial
We have it on good authority that if you don’t leave Slava’s Snowshow with a smile on your face, you must hate fun. We chat to Slava the clown about one of the most beguilingly beautiful shows this winter Give us a hint as to what the audience can expect? It’s tricky to do that because about 25 to 30 per cent of the shows are improvised, right there on the spot. For example, someone will come on stage, and they won’t enter at the right place. That will be a spontaneous decision, and you’ve got to then work out how to react to that, how to turn it into something fresh and new.
How do you develop the show with the rest of the company? No-one ever knows that I am teaching them. I never, ever say ‘do this, or do that’. I look at what they have to offer and what they do, and I suggest that maybe they could develop that little bit there or that fragment there, and then they go away and work on it. Rehearsals and classes are forbidden here. Everything happens completely organically.
What’s life like as a clown? A clown is like a child – we have immediacy and a freedom, as children do. It is impossible for a child to sit still for more than five minutes, and, like clowns, they always want to be the centre of attention. But, like children, we also want to be loved. But I am extremely blessed, because I am happy and joyous, and also extremely lucky. Creating magic, creating illusion, is fun.
What’s your inspiration behind some of the props? I’ve discovered them in car boot sales or in little junk shops. The ‘rubbish’ discarded by someone else is often my precious gem. Southbank Centre, December 17-January 7, £20-£65, southbankcentre.co.uk Waterloo
The Nutcracker Royal Opera House / London Coliseum Quite possibly the ultimate Christmas theatre trip: an enchanting children’s story and one of the most famous ballets of all time, set to Tchaikovsky’s masterful score. Take your pick from world class dance by the English National Ballet at the Coliseum, or equally astonishing performances from The Royal Ballet at the Opera House. ROH: December 10-January 16, £5-£110 roh.org.uk Covent Garden Coliseum: December 12-January 5, £10-£67 eno.org Leicester Square Cinderella St James Theatre Another of the season’s re-imaginings of this classic fairy tale comes with similarly impressive credentials and a raft of rave reviews under its belt. Having started at Bristol’s Tobacco Factory last Christmas, Travelling Light’s pocket-sized production now comes to London with gallons of charm, emotion and fun. December 12-January 26, £17.50-£40 stjamestheatre.co.uk Victoria Julien Cottereau, Imagine Toi Southbank Centre A phenomenally talented member of the Cirque du Soleil alumni, clown and mime artist Julien Cottereau dispels any hackneyed stereotypes about his art form with a show which is as enchanting as it is physically impressive. December 13-24, £15 southbankcentre.co.uk Waterloo
Unlikely pair Goodnight Mister Tom Goodnight Mister Tom Phoenix Theatre This adaptation of Michelle Magorian’s award-winning children’s novel was a major hit at Chichester Festival Theatre, before touring the country. Telling of an unlikely friendship between an abused boy and a grumpy old man, it’s an emotional classic that’s unlikely to leave a dry eye in the house. Until January 26, £15-£46.50 goodnightmistertom.co.uk Tottenham Court Road Feathers in the Snow Southwark Playhouse This will be Southwark Playhouse’s last show before a relocation to Elephant & Castle. Clearly aiming to go out on a bang, the fabulous fringe theatre has reunited children’s author and playwright Philip Ridley with director David Mercatali after their acclaimed collaboration on last year’s Tender Napalm, to stage an epic adventure story about magic and migration. December 5-January 5, £10-£16 southwarkplayhouse.co.uk London Bridge
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FOR KIDS Hansel and Gretel National Theatre Following the success of the The Cat in the Hat and Beauty and the Beast, director Katie Mitchell returns to the National with this adaptation of the classic tale. December 7-January 26, £12-£24 nationaltheatre.org Waterloo Cloud Man Southbank Centre This rave-reviewed piece of charming puppetry tells of a girl who goes on a journey high into the clouds to meet a rare creature. December 22-January 6, £12 southbankcentre.co.uk Waterloo
for kids
Winter
wonderland
The outreach and education wing of immersive theatre collective Punchdrunk is producing The House Where Winter Lives, a weird and wonderful show for kids aged three to six. Scout chats to writer and director Pete Higgin
stephen dobbie / Jamie LUMLEY
What sort of experience can people expect from The House Where Winter Lives? Well, without giving too much away – we want to keep as much of it as secret as possible – it’s a promenade piece, so there’s no sitting down in any space. The guests gather outside the space, where they meet Mr and Mrs Winter, who are making gingerbread. They are invited into their house, a Hansel and Gretel-type cottage. But then they realise they’ve lost the key to their larder, which leads them on an adventure through the forest, encountering different spaces, animals and trees along the way. What’s the inspiration behind the performance? We’ve always been very influenced by fairytales but we’ve also drawn on different stories about winter, in terms of explaining why winter comes and what it means.
Is it difficult to create a show that both adults and children can enjoy? The key to making works that children and adults enjoy is that adults get a big kick out of watching their children have fun. So the aim is to create a magical experience for these kids. Having said that, satisfying children’s theatre should be just as satisfying for the adults as well – I don’t think there should be a divide. What kind of response are you aiming for from the children? The idea is to blow their minds slightly, to take them on a completely unexpected adventure. We’re treading the finest of lines between fear and joy, with joy being the ultimate goal. Discover Children’s Story Centre, until January 13, £6-£8, discover.org.uk Stratford
Classic Barry McCarthy as Father Christmas Father Christmas The Lyric, Hammersmith Raymond Briggs’ children’s classic is given its first theatrical treatment by Pins and Needles Productions, with acclaimed actor Barry McCarthy in the title role. November 30-January 5, £8 lyric.co.uk Hammersmith 59 Minutes to Save Christmas Barbican Christmas is under threat and only the kids can save it. Children aged seven and over will go on an interactive journey around the Barbican in this fast and fun show. December 15-January 6, £12 barbican.org.uk Barbican The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming The Roundhouse Based on Lemony Snicket’s wickedly funny story, this show tells of a potato pancake who flees his frying fate through a wintry village which is preparing for Christmas. November 28-December 30, £8-£10 roundhouse.org.uk Chalk Farm Room on the Broom Lyric Theatre, Shaftsbury Avenue Another story by The Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson, this tale of a witch and the friendly animals that help her escape a dragon is staged with songs and puppetry. Until January 13, £13-£20.50 roomonthebroomlive.co.uk Piccadilly Circus Seussical The Arts Theatre The Cat in the Hat leads audiences on an adventure through a magical world, bumping into some of Dr Seuss’s other beloved characters along the way. December 4-January 6, £17.50 seussical-london.com Leicester Square
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FOR ADULTS Privates on Parade Noel Coward Theatre For many, Christmas theatre is all about farce. Directed by Michael Grandage, this new production of Peter Nichols’ acclaimed comedy features Simon Russell Beale as a cross-dressing captain in the British army in the second world war. December 1-March 2, £10-£85 michaelgrandagecompany.com Leicester Square The Magistrate National Theatre And there’s more farce fun to be had at the National in this madcap Victorian play, starring Hollywood actor John Lithgow. Until February 10, £12-£47 nationaltheatre.org.uk Waterloo
Canterbury Tales Southwark Playhouse This spirited adaptation of Chaucer’s classic stories is appropriately raw and rowdy – there’s loads of live music and even a bar inside the theatre. December 17-22, £14-£16 southwarkplayhouse.co.uk London Bridge Dick! Leicester Square Theatre If most panto is just too clean and wholesome for you, this adult version could be right up your alley (ooh-er). Until January 20, £18.50 leicestersquaretheatre.com Leicester Square Fuerzabruta The Roundhouse After a sold-out run in 2006, this visually mind-bending “rave of a show” is back. Set to a thumping soundtrack, it features amazing visual effects, all of which take place above the standing audience. December 27-January 26, £30-£39.50 roundhouse.org.uk Chalk Farm
Violent night
Deliciously dark and wickedly humourous, 1927’s much-applauded The Animals and Children Took to the Streets is the ultimate antidote to any saccharine Christmas overdose. Scout meets performer Esme Appleton What’s the show all about? It’s all set in a part of town that’s not the nicest part – it’s the poor area and the place that people don’t like to talk about. The children there decide that they want to kick up a fuss and want a bit more from life.
Perfect match Meow Meow Meow Meow’s Little Match Girl Southbank Centre One of the world’s most acclaimed cabaret stars brings her peerless showmanship and vocal skills to Hans Christian Andersen’s heartbreaking story, adding a dark edge to its discussion of homelessness at Christmas. December 13-30, £15-£30 southbankcentre.co.uk Waterloo
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Did you draw any inspiration from London? We actually created the show in 2010, before the riots had happened. It pre-dated all that, but a lot of the time I really think people don’t give a hoot about other people, and they don’t think about kids that have no money, as long as the problem doesn’t encroach into their lives. Your show has been described as an “eerie cabaret”. How would you describe it? Some people describe it as similar to Tim Burton. I don’t really think it is, but it has that
aesthetic. We use lots of black and white, stop frame animation and live music, so it’s kind of silent film orientated. It has humble roots but seems to have grown into one of the season’s must-see shows. People really began to notice it after the riots. Before that we were just some little play, but afterwards people started saying it foresaw what happened. It was good that people saw something different in it, rather than just as a light-hearted story. We never though of it as a Christmas show but people have really taken to it. I think it can almost be seen as an antiChristmas play. National Theatre, December 12-January 10, £12-£24, nationaltheatre.org.uk Waterloo
jeff busby
A Chorus of Disapproval Harold Pinter Theatre Alan Ayckbourn’s classic comedy, starring Rob Brydon, Nigel Harman and Ashley Jensen. Until January 5, £10-£53.50 achorusofdisapproval.com Piccadilly Circus
FOR ADULTS
CHRISTMAS CRACKER
This scrumptious seasonal spectacular is filled with your favourite Yuletide classics. Featuring a sparkling mix of Christmas songs and orchestral pieces, plus sing-along carols to help lift your spirits and celebrate this fun time of year. Suitable for all the family, this delightful evening of festive musical gems is not to be missed! Programme to include:
• Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas • Sleigh Ride • Let it Snow • O Come, All Ye Faithful • Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker plus many more.
BOOKING INFORMATION Saturday 8th December, 7.30pm Fairfield Halls, Croydon Stephen Bell conductor Graham Bickley vocalist Croydon Philharmonic Choir Telephone Bookings: 020 8688 9291 Online Bookings www.fairfield.co.uk
Tuesday 18th December, 3pm & 7.30pm Saturday 22nd December, 3pm Cadogan Hall, London Nick Davies conductor Mary Carewe vocalist Michael Dore vocalist Telephone Bookings: 020 7730 4500 Online Bookings www.cadoganhall.com
Image: Wellcome Library, London
Open until 14 April 2013 Book tickets at www.museumoflondon.org.uk/dissection or on 020 7001 9844 An online booking fee and timed entry apply. Due to its subject matter, Doctors, Dissection and Resurrection Men is not recommended for children under 12. Media partner
Barbican, St Paul’s, Moorgate
Witness the fitness Christmas is a time for stuffing your face and saying ‘bah humbug’ to the consequences. But you’ve got to admire those who can get fit and festive at the same time – especially when it’s for charity. So jog along and support those who are breaking a seasonal sweat (or, in one case, a shiver) in aid of a good cause
December Dip
It takes a brave soul to strip off and plunge into unheated water in the middle of December. But then, if the UK’s growing number of ‘wild swimmers’ is anything to go by, there’s quite a lot to be said for the punishing rush of hypothermic adrenaline. The Outdoor Swimming Society’s annual December Dip sees around 400 swimmers leap into Parliament Hill Lido in the depth of winter for a bracing swim. Thick Of It actress Joanna Scanlan will be kicking things off,
and there’ll be plenty of warming refreshments to get the blood flowing again once the swimmers have finished. There’ll also be live music from the North London Brass Band, a raffle and prizes for ‘best dressed dippers’. The event runs from 11am to 1pm. Entry for swimmers is £15, which includes a swimming hat and refreshments. Spectators need to pay a £1 donation on the door. Visit outdoorswimmingsociety.com for more information or to sign up.
OUTDOOR SWIMMING SOCIETY / SKYLINE EVENTS / xmaspuddingrace.org.uk
December Dip, December 8, 11am, Parliament Hill Lido, Gordon House Road, NW5 1QR Gospel Oak
Santa Run There can be few funnier sites than several thousand people of all shapes and sizes panting their way around a (quite hilly) royal park in ill-fitting Santa suits. So, even if you don’t know anyone who’s taking part, get along to chuckle and cheer as they all shake their bellies like bowls full of jelly. The race starts at 11am. There is a 5km route and a 10km route. Registration is now closed. Visit doitforcharity.com for further details. DoItForCharity Santa Run, December 9, 10am, Greenwich Park Cutty Sark
Great Christmas Pudding Race
Ranked as possibly the funnest and funniest event in the charitysupporting calendar, this annual event sees teams of six runners navigating various obstacles as they sprint around Covent Garden carrying a Christmas pud. Fancy dress is mandatory, obviously adding to the hilarity of the
spectacle, which has been taking place every year since 1980. There will also be a variety of entertainment by street performers, and all money raised goes to Cancer Research. The race starts at 11am. Visit xmaspuddingrace.org.uk for details or to enter a team.
The Great Christmas Pudding Race, December 1, 11am, Covent Garden Piazza Covent Garden scoutlondon.com Scout London 17
Monday November 26 Brixton Craft: Xmas Special at Upstairs At The Ritzy, Coldharbour Lane, SW2 1JG Brixton phone for prices, 7pm. Stalls from local traders and create designs for cards, gifts and wrapping paper. Evening Art Course at Guildhall Art Gallery, Guildhall Yard, EC2P 2EJ Bank £84, concs £13.50, 6pm-8pm. Incite Poetry at The Alley Cat, 4 Denmark Street, WC2H 8LP Tottenham Court Rd FREE, 7.30pm10.30pm. A poetry reading, followed by an open-mic. Nassim Nicholas Taleb In Conversation With Bryan Appleyard: Talk at Union Chapel, Compton Terrace, N1 2UN Highbury & Islington adv £12.50, 7pm, doors. The author and journalist Appleyard discuss how to succeed in a chaotic world.
The Olympus Scandal: The First CEO In History To Become A Whistleblower And Report On His Own Company: Lecture at London School Of Economics, Houghton Street, WC2A 2AE Temple FREE, 6.30pm-8pm. Former Olympus Corporation president and CEO Michael Woodford discusses the financial scandal he uncovered at the company. A Photographer Speaks: Dorothy Bohm at Museum Of London, 150 London Wall, EC2Y 5HN Barbican £7, concs £6, adv booking required, 7pm-8.30pm. The photographer speaks about her extraordinary career.
Tuesday November 27 A Blakean Poetry Festival: Burning Tyger Revue at Pentameters Theatre, Three Horseshoes, Heath Street, NW3 6TE Hampstead £10, concs £8, 8pm. With Aidan Andrew Dun and Lucie Rejchrtova, Marius Kociejowski and Stephen Watts. Chris And Cosey In Conversation With The Quietus’ Luke Turner: Talk at Rough Trade East, Brick Lane, E1 6QL Aldgate East FREE, 7pm. The musicians discuss the Desertshore project and the Final Report album with journalist Turner.
The Guardian Review Book Club: Richard Ford: Talk at Kings Place, 90 York Way, N1 9AG King’s Cross St Pancras £9.50, 7pm. The American novelist talks to John Mullan about his bestselling novel.
Thursday November 29 Guillem Balague, Mikel Arteta, Albert Ferrer: Talk at Waterstones, 203-206 Piccadilly, W1J 9LE Piccadilly Circus £5, mems £3, phone for availability, 6.30pm. Football pundit Balague discusses former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola with players Arteta and Ferrer. Chill Pill at The Albany, Douglas Way, Deptford £7, concs £5, SE8 4AG 7.30pm. London’s coolest poetry night returns. Curated by Mr Gee. In Store Signing: The Viz Annual 2012: The Billposter’s Bucket at Waterstones, Leadenhall Market, 2-3 Whittington Avenue, Leadenhall Market, EC3V 1PJ Bank FREE, 12.30pm. The comic’s creators sign copies the annual. The Singing Hypnotist at The British Library, 96 Euston Road, NW1 2DB Euston FREE, ticketed, 7.30pm-9pm. An entertaining evening of music and mesmerism with performer, writer and cabaret star Christopher Green.
Ray Cooney: Author Event at National Theatre: Cottesloe, South Bank, SE1 9PX Waterloo £4, concs £3, 6pm. The celebrated writer of Run For Your Wife discusses his 66-year career.
Wednesday November 28 Anthropomorphic Mouse: Taxidermy Class at Viktor Wynd Fine Art Inc, 11 Mare Cambridge Heath Street, E8 4RP phone for prices, 1pm. With taxidermist Maybelle Edwards. Doctors, Dissection And Resurrection Men: Talk at Museum Of London, 150 London Wall, EC2Y 5HN Barbican phone for prices, 1pm-2pm. Early 19thcentury anatomical study, human dissection, comparative anatomy and the trade in dead bodies.
Transport for London travel update
The Gadget Show Live At Christmas at ExCel, Royal Victoria Dock, 1 Western Gateway, E16 1XL Canning Town Fri £11, child £5, Sat & Sun £12.95, child £6, Super Theatre £8 & £15, 9am-6pm, 11am, 1.30pm, 4pm. To Sunday. Demonstrations of electronic gadgets plus a Super Theatre hosted by Pollyanna Woodward and Jason Bradbury (pictured).
Friday November 30 Annual Anthony Powell Lecture: Think First, Fight Afterwards at Wallace Collection, Hertford House, Manchester Square, W1U 3BN Bond Street £12.50, phone for availability, adv booking required, 6.30pm-8pm. Novelist, critic and historian AN Wilson discusses author Powell’s military interests and narrative techniques. Londinium At Late: Workshop at Museum Of London, 150 London Wall, EC2Y 5HN Barbican £7, concs £6, 7pm-9.45pm. Themed art, design and fashion activities.
Saturday December 1
Northern line No service Camden Town to Edgware, closed until 8.30am southbound and 9am northbound on Sunday. Dockland Light Railway No service from Bank to Shadwell on Saturday. No service Canning Town
18 Scout London scoutlondon.com
to Beckton and Bank to Shadwell on Sunday London Overground No service Sydenham to West Croydon all weekend. For the latest information visit tfl.gov.uk
Christmas Market at The Water Poet, 9-11 Folgate Street, E1 6BX Liverpool Street FREE, 12pm-7pm. Sing-along Christmas songs, festive food, seasonal films, stalls and a best/worst Christmas jumper competition. John Cooper Clarke at The Albany, Deptford Douglas Way, SE8 4AG £12-£16, 7.30pm, doors. Edgy and satirical punk poetry. HDR Photography: Workshop at Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL South Kensington adv £80, 10.30am-5pm.
Segway Rally at Alexandra Palace, Alexandra Palace Way, N22 7AY Wood Green adv £39, adv £32.50 per person for two or more participants, adv booking required, 9am-2pm, gates 8.30am. Using your weight to control your speed and direction as you glide around the gardens. Make Do And Mend: Quilt: Workshop at Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road, SE1 6HZ Lambeth North FREE, 11am1pm, 2pm-4pm.
Sunday December 2 Christmas Fair at Chelsea Physic Garden, 66 Royal Hospital Road, SW3 4HS Sloane Square £5, Friends/under 16s FREE, 10am-4pm. Stalls laden with festive treats and delicious food, located inside large heated marquees in the garden. Christmas Port Masterclass at Vinopolis, 1 Bank End, SE1 9BU London Bridge £50, 1pm-2.30pm. A special Christmas Port masterclass in the run up to the festive season. John Cooper Clarke at Jacksons Lane Theatre, 269a Archway Road, N6 5AA Highgate £20, 8pm. Edgy and satirical punk poetry. Courtaulds At Christmas at English Heritage: Eltham Palace, Court Yard, Off Eltham FREE, Court Road, SE9 5QE plus admission £9.60, child £5.80, concs £8.60, family £25, 11am-4pm. An Evening With Sir Tim Rice: Talk at Riverside Studios, Crisp Road, W6 9RL Hammersmith £12, concs £10, 7pm. The lyricist discusses his career with impressionist Rory Bremner and answers questions from the audience. Festival Fun: Hanukah: Workshop at Jewish Museum, Camden Town, 129-131 Albert Street, NW1 7NB Camden Town FREE, plus admission £7.50, child £3.50, concs £6.50, family £18, under 5s FREE, adv booking essential, 2pm-4pm. Sarah Jane Funnell: Author Event at Waterstones, Greenwich, 51-55 Greenwich Church Street, SE10 9BL Cutty Sark FREE, 11am. The author reads and signs copies of her book Phillipa Knickerbocker Glory And The Ice Cream Castle. Make Do And Mend: Quilt: Workshop at Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road, SE1 6HZ Lambeth North FREE, 11am1pm, 2pm-4pm. A Most Curious Christmas Kids Fair at York Hall, 5-15 Old Ford Road, E2 9PJ Bethnal Green £2.50, under 16s FREE, 10.30am-4.30pm. Design-led, handmade and vintage presents for young children, parents and babies.
wally gobetz
ONGOING Meet Santa In His Reindeer Lodge at ZSL London Zoo, Regent’s Park Outer Circle, NW1 4RY Camden Town From Nov 17, Mon-Sun, phone for times, ends Dec 24, phone fpr prices. Visit the grotto in the reindeer herd’s home and receive a gift. Until Dec 24. Natural History Museum Ice Rink at Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 5BD South Kensington Mon-Wed, Sun 10am-10pm, Thu-Sat 10am-11pm, £11.50 & £13.50, child £8 & £9, family £31 & £36. Young and old take to 950-square metres of ice against the dramatic backdrop of the world renowned museum. Until Jan 6. Skate At Somerset House at Somerset House, The Strand, WC2R 1LA Temple From Nov 16, Mon-Sun 10am-10.15pm, £7.50-£14, Ice rink. Until Jan 6. Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park, W2 2UH Hyde Park Corner From Nov 23, Mon-Sun 10am-10pm, except Nov 23, 5pm-10pm, closed Dec 25, ends Jan 6, FREE, ride prices vary. A yuletide market, Santa’s factory and various rides including a double-decker carousel, star flyer and three rollercoasters. Until Jan 6.
R EADE R O F F E R
The Scout London Christmas Trail Discover a hidden Christmassy London with the Scout London Christmas Trail. We’ve teamed up with HiddenCity to offer you a FREE festive cryptic trail across the city, with a coffee to start you off and prizes for top teams. Sign-up now – there are limited spaces!
What is it?
Uncover a hidden Christmassy London with our cryptic trail, curated by HiddenCity. HiddenCity is an experience where you solve a trail of clues sent to you by text message. Bring your mobile phone and a map and get ready to discover a side of the city that you normally wouldn’t see. The Scout London Christmas trail is a special HiddenCity trail. Sip wine in cosy bars, seek out seasonal art and ramble by riverside lights. And, as it’s Christmas, we’ve arranged for one or two mini treats for you to enjoy en route.
Taking place from
Nov 30-Jan 2 Sign up at
scoutlondon.com/hiddencity and book your date now. You can either solve the trail leisurely, or if you’re feeling competitive there are prizes for the fastest teams.
How it works
Enter your details and mobile phone number at scoutlondon.com/ hiddencity to receive instructions. You’ll begin at the new Lavazza Coffee Bar in Somerset House West Wing on the Strand. Send “start” from your phone and you’ll receive a cryptic clue, unlocking a complimentary winter-warming coffee, and your next challenge. The rest is a mystery, which you are about to uncover… This HiddenCity experience normally costs £16 per team. We have limited free places for Scout London readers. There are no premium text message charges.
The trail is ideal for two to four people per team – if there are more of you, why not split up into multiple teams and compete against each other? Expect your challenge to last three to five hours.
About HiddenCity
HiddenCity is a game where you solve a trail of clues sent to you by text message. Discover quirky shops, stylish bars and tuckedaway pubs. Do it in one team or unleash your competitive side by entering multiple groups. It’s up to you. We think two to four people per team is a great number. In addition to the special Scout London Christmas Trail, HiddenCity has 16 trails to choose from in five cities. The trails last between two and five hours. Once you’ve signed up and paid, all team captains receive a welcome text message and email with the start location. The hunt kicks off when Team 1 sends “start”. Then all the teams get the first clue.
Win prizes
To enter, send a tweet during the trail, or within 24 hours of finishing, mentioning @ScoutLondon and your team name. By completing the trail and sending a tweet, you’re automatically in with a chance of winning a prize. And if you’re feeling more competitive, why not try to beat the other teams taking part? We’ll be looking out for the Fastest Team Each Week, the Most Creative Team Photo, Daily Lucky Dip Winners... and a secret Special Challenge that you’ll find along the way. Prizes include Fairtrade chocolate from Divine Chocolate, tickets to award-winning comedy at the Soho Theatre, and free Christmas ice cream from Ruby Violet. See scoutlondon.com/hiddencity for competition rules.
London, take a bow, you’re officially the best city in the world for cocktails. Ben Norum toasts our globe-conquering capital
D
on’t just take our word for it – London’s cocktail crown is official. At the recent 50 Best Bars awards, it managed to scoop an unprecedented 13 placings, more than any other city. And what’s more, the capital nabbed six of the coveted top 10 spots, including the No.1, which went to Artesian Bar at The Langham Hotel. Shoreditch speakeasy Nightjar came third, with The Connaught and Savoy just behind at four and five respectively. 69 Colebrooke Row and Callooh Callay also made the list. The awards were held at 8 Northumberland, close to Embankment station. But that doesn’t mean there was a home advantage. The internationally renowned Tales of the Cocktail awards, held in the summer in New Orleans, were slightly overshadowed by a certain London-based sporting event, but our achievements in the face of American bias were Olympic in
20 Scout London scoutlondon.com
their own right. The Connaught won World’s Best Cocktail Bar, Callooh Callay won World’s Best Cocktail Menu, Salvatore’s at The Playboy Club was certified as having the best drinks selection, Zetter Townhouse won the newcomer award, and Artesian triumphed once again, winning the award for the world’s best hotel bar, while barman Alex Kratena was crowned International Bartender of the Year. It’s a heady list, which comprises six out of the nine baror bartender-related awards which international entrants were eligible for – and London was the only nonUS city to win anything. Leading New York mixologist Audrey Saunders has been quoted saying: “London is the best cocktail city in the world. I hate to admit it, but it’s true.” And the head bartender at New York’s renowned Clover Club bar recently reiterated the sentiment. Speaking at London Cocktail Week, he said: “New York looks to London for its lead – it’s always at least two years ahead.”
So, what makes London so great? Some of it is our history, and our long tradition of world-leading hotels. The Savoy is responsible for numerous classic creations, including The White Lady and Corpse Reviver #2, while making the Dry Martini the popular drink it is today. The Lanesborough lays claim to the Breakfast Martini; Dukes Hotel created the Vesper Martini, made famous by Bond; and Mayfair’s Limmer’s Hotel quite possibly mixed the first Collins. London legend Dick Bradsell is our city’s
star5112
We Are The (Cocktail) Champions
cocktail king. He has created no fewer than nine now-classic cocktails while working at bars including The Groucho Club in Soho. Among his most famous creations are the Bramble, Russian Spring Punch and Espresso Martini. But what puts London so far ahead of everywhere else is the variety and accessibility of modern cocktails, says mixology maestro Tony Conigliaro. The man behind the cocktail lists for both 69 Colebrooke Row and Zetter Townhouse, Conigliaro has been pivotal in bringing London’s bar scene into the 21st Century. “I love the variety that London offers,” he says. “A lot of cities now have good bars serving good cocktails, but many are prohibitively expensive. We have that here and there’s nothing wrong with it, but it’s good to have choice.” He continues to praise the way that, “London manages to love and respect the classics, while not being afraid to experiment”. The only thing that stumps Tony is perhaps London’s biggest plus. “I can think of a ‘style’ of cocktail bar for Milan or Tokyo or New York...I can picture a typical venue. I don’t think London has that. We borrow from all over the world and combine influences to create our own thing.” So perhaps it’s diversity and originality which make us worldleading, as well as our magpie culture. In any case, we’ve got a whole lot of cocktails to get through, and we’ll certainly drink to that. To London...
Top Ten
butchers
Moen & Sons, bacon and 1 MOwn-cured homemade sausages
SW4 0JA Clapham Common
2
Ginger Pig, First of a small empire for this field-to-fork butcher W1U 4EW Bond Street
Walter, Offer a free home delivery service W14 9EB 3 HG Baron’s Court
Mele e Pere Soho £££
Lidgate, Vast selection, British charcuterie 4 Cincluding W11 4UA Holland Park
Mele e Pere’s sex shop style signage and bright window display scream ‘attention grabber’. But once you’re through the door and down the stairs (the name translates as ‘apples and pears’) you’ll find the muted simplicity that it’s really all about. Stripped back wooden floors and bare tables are made sneakily trendy with eclectic, salvagestyle mismatched chairs and equally recycledlooking wall-mounted desk lamps; modern art hangs nonchalantly on the wall. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but who cares? The menu and kitchen, headed up by ex-Wild Honey chef Andrea Mantovani, is proudly Italian, but the space is quintessentially Soho. Not hip New Yorkinfluenced Soho, or brash get-the-touristsin Soho, but old school we’ll-do-what-wewant Soho. Mele e Pere wants us to have a selection of small plates in the place of standard starters, so we do. Spicy deep-fried olives make an instant impression: large, green, stuffed with chillies and breadcrumbed, they’re helplessly addictive and ridiculously delicious. A “cotechino” – cooked Italian sausage – is served with puy lentils, which soak up its peppery, garlicky flavours, and offset with tangy preserved mustard fruits. Meaty chunks of grilled octopus are smoky, dressed with a rich and tangy young olive oil and paired with a scoop of creamy mashed potato. Aubergine parmigiana is unctuous and hearty, with the aubergine almost fully melded into the tomato and cheese, so it’s more of a conduit for flavour than anything too vegetal in its own right.
Of Mayfair, London institution, supplying many 5 Allens a Michelin restaurant W1K 3LA
Bond Street
Family-run 6 AandDovebig on& Son, British SW11 6PJ Clapham Junction
J Frankland & Son, Chat you buy from this classic 7 Pascommunity butcher SE11 5NH
Vauxhall
Kitchen, Eat in, then take some meat out with 8 Natural you EC4A 3AP Chancery Lane
9
Highland Foods, Exotic offerings alongside local, plus meat boxes NW7 1LB Mill Hill East
Butchered by the kitchen at Jamie’s 10 Barbecoa, restaurant EC4M 9AG St Paul’s
The small plates cost between £3.50 and £6.50, and include more typical antipasti offerings of cured meats alongside these fully formed mini-main courses. Though there’s a host of pasta dishes and larger plates to explore, quite frankly a few of these and a seat at the bar would be hard to beat for a light but flavour-heavy lunch, whether alone or with company. Pastas come in two sizes to fit with how you choose to compose your meal. A classic beef ragu is a good test, and brings flying colours to mind. Earthy, rich and hearty are easy adjectives to use, but this dish’s sheer depth of flavour warrants every hyperbole, punctuated with layers of taste that suck you into a beefy vortex. Pumpkin ravioli is less dynamic in comparison, but the pairing of the sweet filling with shards of bitter green chicory is an admirable move. A tiramisu is very good rather than great – it could possibly benefit from a little more coffee to cut through the mascarpone. But the waiter’s treatment of our cheese order – bringing two kinds of one to show how it changes with age – is truly commendable. And if that makes it sound like the team here are passionate, just wait until they start talking about wine. Bottles start at just over £15 and take in most of Italy before a few interesting overseas options are considered, with plenty of natural and biodynamic choices. Ben Norum 46 Brewer Street, W1F 9TF Piccadilly Circus scoutlondon.com Scout London 21
The Fat of the Land Marylebone £££
Dishoom Shoreditch ££
If Spain did pubs, they’d probably be very much like this: comfy, with good draught beer and a large selection of wine and sherry, very friendly, with a hefty menu of tapas dishes. Given you’ll want to try as many of the more than 60 available plates as you can, you’d be wise to bring a group. Or at least come when you’re feeling greedy. Either way, don’t miss pan-fried chorizo served with soft polenta to mop it up; earthy rather than scary black olive & chocolate pâté; a spicy crabmeat and avocado salad; crisp and succulent salt cod fritters; and, of course, the cured ham. Save room for pear and orange crumble, too, if only to dispel the myth that sticking citrus in our national dessert is wrong. When Fat dares to be different, it has a knack of making things work when they really shouldn’t. BN
A Bombay-style café serving the kind of Anglo-Indian food that is popular in parts of the subcontinental city: you’ll likely know the drill by now thanks to the popular Covent Garden branch and last year’s beach bar pop-up on the Southbank. This new opening is round three (the second permanent venue) and by far the biggest so far. Breakfasts including the famous and insanely delicious bacon naan rolls and all-day delights such as creamy black daal, chilli squid and masterful tandoor lamb chops are joined by an on-site bakery. Sweet and savoury pastries, stuffed ‘puffs’, buns, breads and biscuits are available to eat in, take away or even have delivered. Try the jeera (cumin) biscuits for a pick-me-up, or grab a keema puff pastry bake, stuffed to bursting with spiced lamb and peas. BN
35 New Cavendish Street W1G 9TR
Bond Street
7 Boundary Street E2 7JE
Shoreditch High Street
42º Raw Mayfair £
PipsDish Kitchen Islington ££
London’s restaurant scene isn’t short of Scandinavian influence, and this is another concept to hail from Copenhagen. Recently opened as a café/restaurant at the Royal Academy, the idea is that everything it serves is either raw or “cooked” to below 42ºC. The menu is filled with healthy lunch options (it’s only open to 6pm) that are boxed up and ready to be taken away. Raw noodles of carrot and courgette are served in a sauce made of curry, chilli, ginger and coconut oil, while the “lasagne” is made up of courgette slices, tomato sauce, nut pestos and baby spinach. A Thai soup is unique on the menu for being both hot and delicious, but the rest, unfortunately, leaves us cold. Still, if you’re in a rush, their selection of healthy juices will certainly give you a boost. Qin Xie
Former BBC producer-turned-food blogger Philip Dundas took his passion to the next level with this intimate supperclub set in a disused Citroën garage off Upper Street. Now open for regular Friday and Saturday night dinners as well as Sunday lunches, it’s a rare chance to partake in some underground restaurant über-cool without following a random postcode through the backstreets of Hackney. The food is simple, the tables communal and the wine BYO. A vibrant soup, deeply-spiced citrusy tagine and homely berry crumble all hit the spot on our visit, though could easily be recreated at home. It’s a dinner with a difference and you may just leave with some new friends, but at £30 a pop (plus extra for cheese) you’ll have to make peace with the fact that you’re paying a lot for the experience. BN
6 Burlington Gardens W1S 3EX 22 Scout London scoutlondon.com
Green Park
Garage, 133B Upper Street N1 1QP
Highbury & Islington
CENTRAL Il Calcio 33 North Audley Street, W1K 6ZQ Bond Street Italian £££ Italian restaurant group Il Calcio already runs 12 restaurants in Romania, and this is its first London outing. The menu at this Mayfair launch is focused on the traditional, with fresh pasta and antipasti joined by carpaccio, tartare and bigger dishes like sea bream baked in salt. Giaconda Dining Room 9 Denmark Street, WC2H 8LS Tottenham Court Road European ££ This charming venue has long captured the imagination of Londoners with its French-meets-Italian menu and friendly service. Fast becoming a highlight of tucked-away (especially due to ongoing Crossrail works) Denmark Street, the restaurant has now re-opened following a refurb that gives it more space and enables seven-day opening. Gail’s Kitchen 11-13 Bayley Street, WC1B 3HD Tottenham Court Road British ££ Born out of the Gail’s Artisan Bakery group, this is the first fully fledged restaurant to come from the brand. This all-day venue will offer breakfast-to-dinner dishes inspired by bread and the bread oven. There’s also a decent wine list and a selection of cocktails. Blue Boar Steakhouse 22-28 Broadway, SW1H 9JS St. James’ Park Steakhouse £££ This restaurant will be a prime feature of the much awaited new InterContinental London Westminster, and will no doubt turn up on the expenses of many MPs in the near future. Dishes created in the smoke ovens and charcoal grills include barbecued baby back ribs, pulled rare breed lamb, and pork belly glazed with English mustard.
SOUTH
Shaka Zulu The Stables Market, Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AB Camden Town African ££££ On Wednesday 5th December, this cavernous and carnivorous African-themed restaurant will be hosting a charity dinner in support of their nominated charity, the outstanding Education Africa, which strives to improve the lives of African children through the power of education. A three course dinner, live entertainment and the chance to win prizes are included in the price of £99. Check the website for booking and details.
EAST Lupita Spitalfields 60-62 Commercial Street, E1 6LT Aldgate East Mexican ££ Following on from the success of its Villiers Street branch, this original Mexico City restaurant has opened up its second London branch close to Spitalfields Market. The same selection of tacos, quesadillas and enchiladas will be available, alongside an extended range of cocktails (particularly those made with tequila), Mexican beers and South American wines. Moo Grill 42-44 Middlesex St, E1 7EX Liverpool Street Argentine ££ Just down the road from their cosy first venue, the Moo Grill team has made the most of a bigger venue here in order to offer more bar space, a dedicated takeaway service point and lots more seating. Argentine beef sandwiches, snacks, steaks and other grills remain order of the day.
FM Mangal 54 Camberwell Church Street, SE5 8QZ Oval Turkish £ Proving that Turkish exists outside the realms of Dalston and Stokey, this Camberwell joint is less-known but much-loved among those who do. Fresh salads, smoky meats, spice smeared bread and minimal spend are what it’s all about. Bar Tozino Maltby Street SE1 2HQ London Bridge Spanish ££ This new opening from Chuse Valero, whose jamon stall is one of the high points of Maltby Street market, combines the finest directly-imported Spanish ham with a short selection of Spanish wine, beer and sherry. There are also plans to run ham-carving lessons and sherry tastings down the line. Clapham Picturehouse 76 Venn Street, SW4 0AT Clapham Common Cinema ££ This is a decent bar whether or not you’re going to see a film, and all the better as a pit-stop on a Saturday while browsing Venn Street Market. The best bit, though, is that you can wave goodbye to a cardboard container of coke and take a pint into the film with you instead (as with all Picturehouse cinemas)
WEST El Gaucho 30B Old Brompton Road, SW7 3DL South Kensington Argentine £££ This isn’t the most famous Argentine steak group to use the Gaucho name, but a rather smaller concern with just two restaurants in West London. Come here for a family feel, regular live flamenco music and a flow of good wine. The Pear Tree 14 Margravine Road, W6 8HJ West Brompton Gastropub ££ A once grim pub has gone gastro with this exemplary transformation. A full menu of simple British classics is available, and the scotch eggs are well worth a go. It’s still every bit the old boozer, though, with an interesting selection of rotating guest ales.
Salvador & Amanda 1 Vernon Place, WC1A 2EP Holborn Spanish ££ The second outing from the team behind the popular Leicester Square restaurant of the same name, this larger venue is spread over two floors, with the downstairs bar offering a more casual tapas menu while the upstairs dining room leans towards fine-dining with dishes such as Galician-style monkfish with chickpeas and Serrano broth. Brompton bar and grill SW3 2EP South Kensington £££ This Saturday sees the start of Advent, marked here with a festive Bloodshot Bad Santa Brunch. Expect ‘Ho Bloody Ho Mary’ welcome drinks, gifts from Bad Santa’s black sack, live jazz and angry elf electro swing DJs. Tickets are £10.
North The Rosemary Branch 2 Shepperton Road, N1 3DT Haggerston Theatre Pub ££ While the theatrical action goes on upstairs, downstairs is a good value gastropub that caters both to audiences and non play-going punters. There’s a decent list of imported beers to keep you interested, too. Pane Vino 323 Kentish Town Road, NW5 2TJ Kentish Town Italian ££ Southern Italian food may be presented without fuss or fanfare but is heavy on the flavour at this laid-back locals’ favourite. Breads and bakes vie for menu space with pastas, including the house special of linguine alla bottarga – that’s dried grey mullet roe.
Disco Bistro at The Rising Sun 61 Carter Lane, EC4V 5DY Blackfriars ££ This is the latest pop-up opening from chef Carl Clarke, who previously brought us both Rock Lobsta and The English Launderette. Set in the pub’s upstairs dining room, he’s serving hearty British and American-influenced dishes like smoked ham knuckle broth and silver mullet with clams. Bar snacks include very in vogue lobster corn rolls and sliders.
Scout London Price Guide ££££ Over £19 per main £££ £14-18 ££ £9-13 £ Under £9
scoutlondon.com Scout London 23
TAKE OUT...
Scandinavian Kitchen
Who says sandwiches need to be, well, sandwiched? At Scandinavian Kitchen you can take your pick from open sandwiches topped with the likes of smoked salmon, pickled herring and gjeitost (goat’s cheese). Meatballs, sausages, salads, cakes, Danish pastries and more accompany seriously good coffee, and it can all be packed up to take away. Pick up a pack of the hilariously-named Spunk salted liquorice sweets while you’re there. 61 Great Titchfield Street, W1W 7PP scandikitchen.co.uk
24 Scout London scoutlondon.com
COOK IN...
Salt Yard: Food & Wine from Spain & Italy Having carved themselves a Mediterranean niche in London’s restaurant scene, the team behind restaurants Salt Yard, Dehesa and Opera Tavern have self-published their first cookbook. The pages intersperse recipes for classic dishes – such as courgette flowers stuffed with goat’s cheese and drizzled with honey, mini Iberico burgers and churros with chocolate – with contributions from others in the food business.
EAT IN...
MammaJaan’s North London mum Anjam Jabeen first developed her range of ‘London Curry Sauces’ just for friends and family. Thanks to interest from retailers, production has stepped-up somewhat. But they’re still made by hand in the same way – with fresh, natural ingredients and no artificial additives. Anjam’s readily available range now includes lemongrassheavy Hampstead Harooni, tangy Camden Chitur, and greenchilli led Belsize Bhuna. RRP £3.99, available at Planet Organic, Whole Foods Market, The People’s Supermarket and Budgens stores across North London, plus many independent retailers. Visit mammajaans.co.uk
RRP £30, available at Salt yard Group restaurants, plus Heal’s, Foyles and Jeroboams. Visit saltyard.co.uk
FESTIVE ENTERTAINMENT WITH D&D LONDON TWENTY-FOUR STUNNING & VERSATILE RESTAURANTS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS. Whether you are looking for a sensational setting for your annual party, or the perfect table to host a family dinner, D&D London holds the key. With 24 venues, a dedicated events team, and exquisitely prepared menus we look forward to helping you plan the celebration of the season. For groups of 12 to 1,000 guests can call our events team for instant availability, inspiration, and to discuss requirements;
020 7716 7887 | events@danddlondon.com
scoutlondon.com Scout London 25
Monday 8:02 am
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Join today by emailing Charlotte at cgatehouse@zipcar.co.uk and quote SCOUTLONDON to claim £75 FREE driving credit with a new business account.
Annual membership fee is £99. All fees and rates exclude VAT. Free annual account applies for first year only. Driving rates include insurance, Congestion Charge and 40 miles free fuel per day. All fees and rates exclude VAT.
Party time Christmas party season is upon us. Get yourself stylishly kitted out for a month of booze, dancing and finally talking to that ‘certain someone’ from accounts
Dress to the nines
love shirts
A Little Black Dress is as essential as drinking too much. We like this one. Marleyna Dress, £160 from Coast
Put that novelty Christmas tie down and get the office talking with this instead. TMD Brown Feather Print Shirt, £125 from Topman
Pucker up If it’s taken you this long to chat someone up, you might as well go all-out with a novelty ice breaker. Mistletoe headband, £6.95 from Selfridges
clutch the deal
Be on top form
Keep it together with this pretty clutch. Oriental Print Clutch, £95 from Karen Millen
We all know how the party’s going to end. Minimise the morning-after pain with this hangover prevention pill made from vitamins and minerals. Lifeline, £12.99 for 20 pills from lifeline-hangover.com
SHine on This jacket has an incredible sparkly scarf – as sported by Jahmene on X Factor. Maison Martin Margiela Mirror Ball Tuxedo Jacket, £99.99 from H&M scoutlondon.com Scout London 27
Thu 17 Jan (Sold Out) & Wed 27 Mar
Sinéad O’Connor Crazy Baldhead Tour Fri 25 Jan An evening with
Cowboy Junkies Sat 26 Jan
Sahara Soul with Bassekou Kouyaté & Ngoni Ba, Tamikrest and Sidi Touré Sun 3 Mar (3pm & 7.30pm shows)
Bobby McFerrin SpiritYouAll Wed 20 Mar
Yo La Tengo The City of London Corporation is the founder and principal funder of the Barbican Centre
barbican.org.uk
Treasures revealed A new permanent gallery opens at the Natural History Museum this week, showcasing some of the most important exhibits from its 70 million-strong collection. Scout takes a sneak preview peak
natural history museum
W
hen it opens on Friday, the Natural History Museum’s Treasures Gallery will be the first new permanent gallery to open at the institution since January 2011. Overlooking Dippy, the much-loved Diplodocus, the aptly-named exhibit will showcase 22 of the renowned museum’s most significant and valuable objects, selected from its collection of more than 70 million specimens. Among the highlights will be a
fossil of the world’s earliest-know bird – an Archaeopteryx. The most valuable fossil in the museum’s collection, this 47m-year-old rock slab gives an incredible insight into the evolutionary process as it featured a combination of bird and dinosaur characteristics. But that’s not the oldest specimen in the gallery. There’s the 4.6bn-year-old Wold Cottage meteorite – the earliest surviving meteorite seen to land in the UK, as well as a moon Extinct A Great Auk
rock dated to 3.7bn years old. Elsewhere there’s a skull of a north African Barbary lion, thought to have lived in the Tower of London around 1280–1385. It would have been part of the King’s menagerie and, after the ancient
native lions, is the oldest lion to be found in the UK. A 1,000-year-old skeleton of a Dodo is joined by dinosaur teeth, fossil ammonites (main picture), a Neanderthal skull, a rare copy of Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species and many other items, all giving a fascinating snapshot of the Earth’s natural history over billions of years. Treasures Gallery opens on November 30 at the Natural History Museum, nhm.ac.uk
Fossil An Iguanodon tooth
scoutlondon.com Scout London 29
Readerfer: Of Ticket £32 2 for 15! SAVEX£SCOUT)
OF CHRISTMAS
TO (Quote
— A world of festive food and drink — 7-9 DECEMBER - ExCeL LONDON Discover all the inspiration you need this festive season at Taste of Christmas. Learn from the experts including world famous chefs Michel Roux Jr, Jamie Oliver, The Baker Brothers and Mary Berry to create a gastronomic delight for the entire family. The UK’s finest restaurants will be serving their seasonal specials and cooking up some culinary magic to get your tastebuds tingling. Tick off your Christmas wish list from hundreds of fine food and boutique market stalls or get hands on in a cheese and wine tasting or cookery class.
For tickets, visit tasteofchristmas.com or call 0870 161 2129 For the latest news and exclusive offers, socialise with us on
and
*Calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras. Saving calculated on the door price. Booking and transaction fees apply.
Scan to view the Taste showreel
Central
Valentino: Master Of Couture at Somerset House, The Strand, WC2R 1LA Temple £12.50, concs £9, Starts Thu, Until Mar 3. A major exhibition on the career of the acclaimed Italian designer. 84 Projects From Yokoland at Kemistry Gallery, 43 Charlotte Road, EC2A 3PD Liverpool Street FREE, Starts Fri, Until Jan 19. A selection of the designers’ projects from the past decade. Art Of Change: New Directions From China at Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX Waterloo £9, OAP £8, concs £7, ages 12-18 £6.50, Until Dec 9. Installations and performances by artists including Chen Zhen, Yingmei Duan and Gu Dexin. A Bigger Splash: Painting After Performance at Tate Modern, Bankside, Holland Street, SE1 9TG Southwark £10, concs £8.50, Art Fund mems £5, concs £4.25, Until Apr 1. Works that examine the relationship between performance and painting. Peter Blake: Rock, Paper, Scissors at Waddington Custot Galleries, 11 Cork Street, W1S 3LT Green Park FREE, Until Dec 15. A major retrospective of works by the British Pop-Art pioneer. BP British Art Displays 1500-2010 at Tate Britain, Millbank, SW1P 4RG Pimlico FREE, Until Mar 4. The Collection displays at Tate Britain rehung in the western suite of galleries. Bronze at Royal Academy Of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, W1J 0BD Green Park £14, OAP/disabled/NADFAS/ Art Fund mems £13, NUS £9, unwaged £5, ages 12-18 £4, ages 8-11 £3, under 8s/ disabled carer FREE, family £30, inc. gallery guide, Until Dec 9. More than 150 bronze sculptures from Asia, Africa and Europe, spanning 5,000 years. Cartier-Bresson: A Question Of Colour at Somerset House, The Strand, WC2R 1LA Temple FREE, Until Jan 27. An exhibition featuring 10 previously unseen Cartier-Bresson images, as well as works by 14 contemporary photographers. Christmas Exhibition 2012 at Belgravia Gallery, 45 Albemarle Street, W1S 4JL Green Park FREE, Until Jan 1. Works in various media by gallery artists including Nelson Mandela and Andy Warhol. Doctors, Dissection And Resurrection Men at Museum Of London, 150 London Wall, EC2Y 5HN Barbican £9, child/concs £7, Until Apr 14. A major installation charting the 2006 finding by archaeologists of a burial ground at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.
Everything Was Moving: Photography From The 60s And 70s at Barbican Centre, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS Barbican £12, adv £10, concs £8, adv concs/ages 13-17 £7, adv ages 13-17 £6, under 13s FREE, Until Jan 13. A major survey of the photographic medium during a period of rapid social change. Zeng Fanzhi at Gagosian Gallery, Britannia Street, 6-24 Britannia Street, WC1X 9JD King’s Cross St Pancras FREE, Until Jan 19. A display of recent paintings by the Chinese artist. Flame And Water Pots: Prehistoric Ceramic Art From Japan at British Museum, Great Russell Street, WC1B 3DG Russell Square FREE, Until Jan 20. Pots from one of the oldest ceramic cultures in the world. Wayne Gooderham: The Secret History Of Second-Hand Books at Foyles, 113-119 Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0EB Tottenham Court Road FREE, Starts Fri, Until Dec 13. Second-hand books containing personal inscriptions. William Klein/Daido Moriyama at Tate Modern, Bankside, Holland Street, SE1 9TG Southwark £12.70, concs £10.90, National Art Pass/Art Fund mems £6.35, concs £5.45, Until Jan 20. A chance to compare photographs and films by the two artists.
The Northern Renaissance: Durer To Holbein at The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, Birdcage Walk, SW1A 1AA Victoria £9.25, NUS/OAP £8.50, family £23, under 17s £4.65, under 5s FREE, Until Apr 14. Paintings, drawings, prints, manuscripts, sculpture, tapestries and armour. rAndom International: Rain Room at Barbican Centre, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS Barbican FREE, Until Mar 3. An installation exploring the notion of water as an increasingly scarce natural resource. Turner Prize 2012 at Tate Britain, Millbank, SW1P 4RG Pimlico £10, concs £8.50, Until Jan 6. Contemporary works entered for the prestigious prize.
North Eric Bainbridge: Steel Sculptures at Camden Arts Centre, Arkwright Road, NW3 6DG Finchley Road FREE, Until Dec 2. Abstract sculpture made from reclaimed materials including scrapyard steel, exploring the value of readily available and inexpensive objects. Brown Sugar On Main Street at Zebra One Art Gallery, 1 Perrins Court, NW3 1QX Hampstead FREE, Until Jan 26. A display of unseen and rare images of The Rolling Stones, by Peter Webb and Dominique Tarle. Judy Chicago And Louise Bourgeois, Helen Chadwick, Tracey Emin at Ben Uri Gallery, 108a Boundary Road, NW8 0RH Kilburn Park £5, child FREE, concs £4, Until Mar 10. A survey of the American artist and activist, contextualised with work by three other prominent and successful European female artists.
East
Futureproof at Bernard Jacobson At 6 Cork Street, 6 Cork Street, W1S 3NX Piccadilly Circus FREE, Until Dec 21. A group show which combines technological space with contemporary art not determined by hype or fashion. The Man Who Fell To Earth. David Bowie - Golden Years, 1969-1981 at The Movie Poster Art Gallery, 1 Colville Place, W1T 2BG FREE, Until Dec 1. A display featuring vintage posters and memorabilia, including the original Heddon Street K. West sign that appeared on the cover of the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. Jim Marshall : Rolling Stones 1972 at Snap Galleries, 8 Piccadilly Arcade, SW1Y 6NH Green Park FREE, Until Dec 31. Photographs capturing the Rolling Stones onstage and in the quiet camaraderie behind the scenes. Marilyn Monroe: A British Love Affair at National Portrait Gallery, 2 St Martin’s Place, WC2H 0HE Embankment FREE, Until Mar 24. Photographs documenting the iconic actress’s connections with Britain. NME Music Photography Awards at Getty Images Gallery, 46 Eastcastle Street, W1W 8DX Oxford Circus FREE, Until Dec 1. Selected images from the music photography competition.
Aspen Magazine: 1965-1971 at Whitechapel Gallery, 80-82 Whitechapel High Street, E1 7QX Aldgate East FREE, Until Mar 3. All 10 complete sets of the cult 1960s publication. Andrew Bick: School Studies: Ghosts, Arguments at Hales Gallery, 5-13 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA Bethnal Green FREE, Until Dec 22. Selection of abstract, mixed-media paintings. Arth Daniels: Plastic Surgery at StolenSpace Gallery, Dray Walk, The Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, E1 6QL Aldgate East FREE, Until Dec 2. Display of unconventional portraiture that uses a mix of both live subjects and multimedia assemblage.
Helen Marten: Plank Salad at Chisenhale Gallery, 64 Chisenhale Road, E3 5QZ Bethnal Green FREE, Until Jan 27. Sculptural pieces forming an installation which examines the relationship between the material and conceptual.
Jock McFadyen: Filth at Eleven Spitalfields, 11 Princelet Street, E1 6QH Aldgate East FREE, Until Dec 21. Paintings by the Paisley-born artist. Photomonth Photo Open at Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA Aldgate East FREE, Until Dec 1. An open exhibition inviting photographs from members of the public. Mark Peter Wright: 30 Minutes Of Listening at IMT, Unit 2, 210 Cambridge Heath Road, E2 9NQ Bethnal Green FREE, Until Dec 2. Mixed works exploring themes of listening, location and time.
South Ansel Adams: Photography From The Mountains To The Sea at National Maritime Museum, Romney Road, SE10 9NF Greenwich £7, concs £5, mems FREE, Until Apr 28. Photographs of the natural landscapes of America. The Great Christmas Art Bazaar! at Will’s Art Warehouse, 1 Sadlers House, 180 Lower Richmond Road, SW15 1LY Parsons Green FREE, Until Dec 24. Works in various media. Halhead & Kerr: Harmattan Cluster at Anarch, Enclave 4, 50 Resolution Way, Deptford High Street SE8 4AL FREE, Starts Fri, Until Jan 26. A sculptural and sound installation. Daniel Kramer: Photographs Of Bob Dylan at O2 Bubble, Millennium Way, SE10 0PH North Greenwich £12, child £6, concs £8, Until Feb 3. Images of the acclaimed folk and rock musician and writer. Jim Marshall: Rip This Joint: The Rolling Stones 1972 at O2 Bubble, Millennium Way, SE10 0PH North Greenwich £12, child £6, concs £8, Until Feb 3. A series of portraits of the British rock band, taken during their 1972 tour.
West Frank Auerbach: Early Works 19541978 at Offer Waterman & Co, 11 Langton Street, SW10 0JL Fulham Broadway FREE, Until Dec 1. Exhibition of oil paintings and charcoal drawings. Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950 at Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL South Kensington £10, concs available, Until Jan 6. A large display of ballgowns dating from 1950 to the present day. The Estate Of LS Lowry: A Selection Of Works at Crane Kalman Gallery, 178 Brompton Road, SW3 1HQ South Kensington FREE, Until Jan 12. Paintings, pastels and drawings, including previously unseen works Hollywood Costume at Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL South Kensington £14, OAP £11, NUS/ ages 12-17/unwaged/disabled £9, family of 3 £23, family of 4 £37, under 12s/mems/ disabled carer FREE, Until Jan 27. Over 100 famous costumes covering 100 years of Hollywood films. Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer Of The Year at Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 5BD South Kensington £9, concs £4.50, family £24, Art Fund mems £4.50, concs £2.25, under 3s FREE, Until Mar 3. One hundred winning images from the established contemporary wildlife photography competition.
scoutlondon.com Scout London 31
Parental guidance The world is a scary place for a young parent, as award-winning comic Rob Rouse has discovered. He chats to Dan Frost about poo, porn and prudishness
32 Scout London scoutlondon.com
find truths about ourselves and asking what the consequences might be – but hopefully making it very funny at the same time.” Since bursting onto the scene in the late 90s and winning the prestigious So You Think You’re Funny Award at Edinburgh in 1998, Rouse has made a name for himself as an honest, frank and consistently funny dissector of everyday life – namely his own. But this drew criticism on his last show. “There were people who said, ‘I’ve heard all this before, just someone talking about their f**king kids’. But the fact is, there’s nothing in life that someone else hasn’t gone through before or talked about,” he says, a hint of annoyance creeping into his usually very affable voice. “And I tend to get just as many people going, ‘This is his really funny account of what
happened to him, so therefore the experience is unique’.” Almost as an answer to previous criticism, the father of two has stuck two fingers up at the naysayers and based his current show heavily on the antics of his offspring. Not only that; he’s also deliberately ignored the accepted
need for a narrative thread to pull all the jokes together. “I was just bored of that as an idea,” he says. “I was bored of thinking ‘this has to make sense’. As your life gets more complicated – more children and more out of control – there’s a realisation that you have to cease trying to control everything, and just roll with it all and enjoy that mess. So I was just trying to write stuff from my guts rather than trying to shape it into a particular form.” The result is a show that offers a very funny assessment of the opening years of parenthood, embracing the reality that having children often inspires more questions than it does answers. “Crucially, it’s about what I don’t understand,” chuckles Rouse, “and there’s certainly plenty of it.” Rob Rouse, Leicester Square Theatre, December 1, robrouse.com
andy hollingworth
“I
t’s fascinating what people take offence to,” says Rob Rouse with enthused agitation. “It’s unbelievably fascinating that people will be offended by me talking about poo and the sheer amount of s**t you have to deal with as an adult. But you try and pick apart other things that maybe we should be thinking about… people just aren’t offended enough about some really serious things that are happening in the world.” The 38-year-old comic is discussing his current show, Life Sentences, which he insists contains “nothing that is actually rude” but which has nevertheless been referred to by one reviewer as his “filthiest show to date”. The material draws principally on the amusements and annoyances of being a young father, so there are plenty of bodily functions gags, which could explain such a reading. But this doesn’t wash with Rouse. He thinks there are topics raised in the show that people should be getting more offended by than a few scatalogical gags. Such as? “Well, we had a daughter this time around, and it really has made me think,” he says. “Inevitably, you see the world through their eyes, and think about how it might pan out for them. “I think the sexual landscape that kids are growing up in is really changing. Most kids by the age of 11 have seen hardcore pornography. I’m not trying to be a prude or be like Mary Whitehouse – Christ, I’ve looked at gallons of the stuff myself. But it’s undoubtedly changing the perception of what young boys and girls think is normal to expect from sexual interactions. So the show is about looking honestly at these things, trying to
ONGOING
Luisa Omielan: What Would Beyonce Do? at Comedy Cafe, 66-68 Rivington Street, EC2A 3AY Liverpool Street 8pm, FREE, ticketed. Contemporary standup and improv. Rich Peppiatt: One Rogue Reporter at Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE Tottenham Court Road 9.30pm, £15, concs £12.50. Political humour.
Monkey Business Comedy Club at The Oxford, 256 Kentish Town Road, NW5 2AA Kentish Town 8pm, £6.50, concs £5. With Neil Pummell, Rick Murtagh, Ali Blodwen Jones, James O’Brien, Winter Foenander, Ethan Lawrence, James Rolfe, Dave Chawner, Dave Goodson, Andrew Tobert, Michael Straney and more.
Friday November 30
Wednesday November 28
Ross Noble: Mindblender at Hammersmith Apollo, Queen Caroline Street, W6 9QH Hammersmith Nov 29 & 30, Dec 1, 8pm, £25. Surreal and offbeat humour from the Geordie stand-up. Henning Wehn’s German Christmas Do at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 4.30pm, Dec 1 & 2 £12.50, concs £10.50, Dec 8 & 9, 15 & 16 £15.50, concs £13.50. The German comic puts a festive spin on his show. Micky Flanagan: Work In Progress at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 7pm, £12. Until Nov 27. Sharp wit and storytelling. Judith Lucy: Nothing Fancy at Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE Tottenham Court Road From Nov 19, Mon-Sat 9pm, ends Dec 1, Nov 26-29 9pm £15, concs £12.50, Nov 30 & Dec 1 9pm £20, concs £17.50. Sharp observations and personal monologues. Sheeps: Dancing With Lisa at Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE Tottenham Court Road Nov 29 & 30, Dec 1, 9.45pm, £15, concs £12.50. Sketch comedy troupe.
Monday November 26 The Alternative Comedy Memorial Society at Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE Tottenham Court Road 8pm, £12.50. With Robert Newman, Paul Currie, Bridget Christie, Will Andrews, Ben Target, Alexis Dubus, Steve Pretty, Tom Bell and Thom Tuck. Tony Law & Edward Aczel at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 7pm, £7, concs £6. The stand-ups try new material. Garrett Millerick: Sensible Answers To Stupid Questions at The Harrison, 28 Harrison Street, WC1H 8JF King’s Cross St Pancras 7.45pm11pm, £6.50, adv £5. Storytelling humour from the stand-up. Old Rope Comedy Night at The Phoenix, 37 Cavendish Square, W1G 0PP Oxford Circus 8.15pm, £7, adv £5. With John Moloney, Robin Ince, James Acaster, Aisling Bea, Alistair Barrie, Tony Law and MC Tiff Stevenson.
Tuesday November 27 Greg Davies: The Back Of My Mum’s Head at Hammersmith Apollo, Queen Caroline Street, W6 9QH Hammersmith 7pm, £20. Stories and anecdotes from the well-known comedian.
The Awkward Silence at The Wilmington Arms, 69 Rosebery Avenue, EC1R 4RL Angel 7.45pm, £5. Sketch comedy from Ralph Jones and Vyvyan Almond. Comedy Wednesday at Paradise By Way Of Kensal Green, 19 Kilburn Lane, W10 4AE Kensal Green 8pm10.30pm, £6, adv £5. With MC Jeff Leach. Tim Minchin And His Orchestra at The Coronet, 28 New Kent Road, SE1 6TJ Elephant & Castle 7pm-11.30pm, adv £16.50. Musical comedy. Monkey Toast: The Improvised Chat Show at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 9pm, £8, concs £6. Onstage interviews with real celebrity guests become improvised scenes. Mark Watson: The Information at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 7.30pm, Wed and Thu £15. Is the internet making us better or worse?
Thursday November 29 Gits & Shiggles at The Harrison, 28 Harrison Street, WC1H 8JF King’s Cross St Pancras 7.30pm11pm, £8, adv £6. With Humphrey Ker, The Beta Males, Joey Page, Jon Levene and Jim Campbell. The Humble Quest For Universal Genius at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 9.30pm, £8, concs £6. With Tom Wrigglesworth, Lloyd Langford and MCs Mark Allen and Eli Silverman. Andrew Ryan: Ryanopoly at St James Theatre, 12 Palace Street, SW1E 5JA Victoria 8pm, £6-£12.50. Incisive stand-up. Tiffany Stevenson: Comfortably Numb at St James Theatre, 12 Palace Street, SW1E 5JA Victoria 9.15pm, £6£12.50. Satirical stand-up about the perils of modern life.
Michael McIntyre at Wembley Arena, Arena Square, Engineers Way, HA9 0DH Wembley Park Nov 28-30, Dec 1-3,8pm, £35. The renowned comedian’s latest show
Luke Benson: Backseat Hero at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 7pm, £7, concs £5. Ever been stalked? The Geordie Giant brings you a joke-filled hour about petty acts of heroism.
We Are Most Amused at Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, SW7 2AP South Kensington 7.15pm, £70-£125. Joan Rivers, Ed Byrne, Rowan Atkinson, Jimmy Carr, Miranda Hart and E4 comedy trio The Midnight Beast are among the acts taking to the stage at the Royal Albert Hall for The Prince’s Trust comedy gala 2012. The Boat Show at Tattershall Castle, Victoria Embankment, SW1A 2HR Charing Cross 8pm, Fri £13.50, concs £11, Sat £16, concs £14. With Terry Alderton, Lee Hurst, Keith Farnan and MC Windsor. The Covent Garden Comedy Club @ Heaven at The Covent Garden Comedy Club @ Heaven, Under The Arches Villiers Street, WC2N 6NG Charing Cross 8pm-10pm, £13. With Tommy Campbell, Quincy, Ash Frith, Andrea Hubert and MC David Ward. Headliners Comedy Club at George IV, 185 Chiswick High Road, W4 2DR Turnham Green 9pm, Fri £12, Sat £14, adv £10. Simon Evans, Pete Firman, plus MC Martin Coyote. The Invention Cycle at Canal Cafe Theatre, Bridge House Pub, Delamere Terrace, W2 6ND Warwick Avenue 7.30pm, £9.50, concs £8. Fast-paced improvised comedy. Jongleurs Comedy Show at The Sports Cafe, 80 Haymarket, SW1Y 4TE Piccadilly Circus 8.30pm, doors 6.30pm, last adm 7.30pm, Thu £12, Fri & Sat £25. With The Noise Next Door, Colin Cole, Will-E Robo and Jeff Innocent. Soho Comedy Club at The Casino At The Empire, 5-6 Leicester Square, WC2H 7NA Leicester Square 8pm, £15, adv £10. With Tony Law, Mike Belgrave, Andrew Watts and MC David Mulholland.
Saturday December 1 Banana Cabaret at The Bedford, 77 Bedford Hill, SW12 9HD Balham 9pm, £16, concs £13. With Tom Stade, Mick Ferry, John Fothergill and Brett Goldstein.
Dexter Clark’s Festive Flounce! at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 9.30pm, £10. Camp humour from the celebrity hairdresser. Comedy Cafe at Comedy Cafe, 66-68 Rivington Street, EC2A 3AY Liverpool Street 7.30pm, £16. With Tobias Persson, Kate Lucas, Ron G and MC Kevin Precious. The Funny Side...Of Covent Garden: Special Christmas Show at The George, 213 Strand, WC2R 1AP Temple 8pm, £14. With Brendan Dempsey, Nick Doody, Lucy Porter and MC Jonny Freeman. Knock2Bag at Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA Aldgate East 7pm, £12, concs/adv £8. With Doctor Brown, Cardinal Burns, Ed Gamble, Claudia O’Doherty, David Trent and Pat Cahill. Andy Parsons: Work In Progress at Pleasance Theatre, Carpenter’s Mews, North Road, N7 9EF Caledonian Road 9pm, £7.50 phone for availability. Gruff political and topical humour as the Mock The Week star tries out new material. Rob Rouse: Life Sentences at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 9.45pm, £15, concs £13. Cheeky wit and anecdotes about becoming a father for the second time.
Sunday December 2 99 Club Leicester Square at Storm, 28a Leicester Square, WC2H 7LE Leicester Square 8pm-10pm, £20, £30 inc meal. With Josh Howie, Suzi Ruffell and Spencer Brown. Lucy Beaumont: Get Your Tail Out Of My Gravy: Work In Progress at Pleasance Theatre, Carpenter’s Mews, North Road, N7 9EF Caledonian Road 8pm-9pm, £5. Surreal and interactive humour as the stand-up tries out new material. Francesca Martinez: What The **** Is Normal? at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 7.30pm, £15, concs £13. Hard-hitting stand-up. Max And Ivan’s Roffle Club at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 8.30pm, £8, concs £6. Character and sketch comedy. Greg Proops at Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE Tottenham Court Road 7pm, £15, concs £12.50. Quirky and smart stand-up.
scoutlondon.com Scout London 33
facing great expectations He may have been in three films this year, but that’s almost all the professional acting Jeremy Irvine has done. And now he’s taking on Dickens. Kate Whiting meets the man causing a stir among the Hollywood big hitters
G
etting the tube is causing Jeremy Irvine a bit of bother at the moment. “At my local stop, there’s this huge poster of me,” he says. “I go to huge lengths to avoid it.” He’s referring to the posters for his new movie Great Expectations, in which he plays the main character, Pip. That aside, Irvine is having the year of his life. After making his film debut as the lead in Steven Spielberg’s War Horse in January, he found himself being asked by Four Weddings and a Funeral director Mike Newell to play Pip.
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And then Colin Firth asked him to take on the role of his character’s younger self in upcoming war drama The Railway Man. “Sometimes you read a script and spend a long time saying, ‘Oh well, maybe it could work this way’, but this was just such a ‘I’ve got to do this movie’ moment,” says Irvine earnestly, when we meet at The Savoy. “I met Colin Firth and had dinner with him, and he was the one that actually got me the role, which was nice.” Irvine plays the young Eric Lomax, a real-life British army officer who was sent to a Japanese prisoner of war camp in the second world war and forced to work on
the infamous Death Railway from Thailand to Burma. The film is based on his memoir of the same title, with Firth as the older Lomax. “We kind of share the movie, and he was so generous,” says Irvine. “We’d rehearse in his living room and I was thinking, ‘My God, this is the kind of acting masterclass you can only dream of when you’re at drama school’. “At the time, you’re just working with someone who’s really good at what they do and really interesting, but afterwards you go, ‘Wow, that was really kind of him’.” Irvine has branched out from the historical pieces to star in indie weepie Now Is Good with Dakota
Fanning, but now it’s back to the Victorian era for Great Expectations. Adapted for the big screen by One Day author David Nicholls, it stars a who’s who of British acting nobility, including Helena BonhamCarter as Miss Havisham, Ralph Fiennes as the convict Magwitch and Robbie Coltrane as Jaggers. After War Horse, Irvine insists he was confident about bringing to life another well-loved book. “Although there have been a few TV adaptations, there hasn’t actually been a period movie adaptation since 1946, so I felt there was scope for doing something new and interesting,” he says.
Johan Persson
pectations Great Expectations was most recently tackled by the BBC last Christmas, with Gillian Anderson as Miss Havisham and Douglas Booth as Pip: “He did a great job,” says Irvine, graciously, adding that although the story is the same, it’s difficult to compare different adaptations. “It takes 20 hours to read Great Expectations cover to cover, and we had to get it into just two hours of film. In the BBC version, they cut stuff I couldn’t imagine losing and I’m sure we did too. Adaptations will never be the same as each other, it’s like shuffling a pack of cards, they’ll never go in the same order twice.”
For anyone who’s not read Dickens’ masterpiece, we first meet orphan Pip as a 10-year-old, living with his sister and her blacksmith husband, Joe, on the marshes in Kent. A chance encounter with escaped convict Magwitch is followed by a visit to the house of Miss Havisham, who employs him to entertain her beautiful ward Estella. Ten years later, Pip learns he has been given a huge fortune by a mysterious benefactor and must abandon his lowly life in the country to live as a gentleman in fashionable London. Director Mike Newell picked Irvine for the role because of
Passionate Jeremy Irvine with Holliday Grainger as Estella in Great Expectations
his youth and good looks. The young actor hides his face in embarrassment when Newell says: “He’s dark, so I thought he would look good in the forge, against the hot iron.” But it was obviously more than that: “At some point Pip would feel guilty about how he’d behaved in his climbing of the social ladder and I was interested in how my intuition told me he would play guilt.” At 22, Irvine comes across as very mature. He’s also extremely passionate about the roles he has chosen, and is quick to defend Pip, who at one point is shamefully embarrassed by brother-in-law Joe’s country ways when he visits him in London. “You can’t ever see someone as being a terrible person,” says Irvine. “Pip’s been put down his whole life and he’s incredibly unhappy. Becoming a gentleman is his one way of getting out of this awful life, so it’s not some sort of childish whimsical idea, it’s this real, deep, driving ambition.” He’s similarly fired-up about telling the story of Eric Lomax in The Railway Man. “I actually got to meet him and his family, so felt a huge responsibility to that story. Unfortunately Eric died two weeks ago [aged 93], but he knew the movie was being made. He was such a wonderful person, so I really wanted to do his story justice.” Irvine lost two stone for the part by hardly eating for two months. “I really scared myself – and certainly my mum. I don’t think I’d put
myself through that again, but this merited it,” he says. “A man died for every single sleeper laid on that railway track. It’s extraordinary, but we don’t seem to talk about it.” The actor grew up in a Cambridgeshire village, the oldest of three sons to Bridget, a local politician, and engineer Chris. His 13-year-old brother Toby played the young Pip. (“The one thing I didn’t vouch for was that my mum would be on set the whole time,” adds Irvine, laughing.) After discovering a love of drama at sixth form, he went on to study at Lamda and had played a tree for the RSC and appeared in a Disney sitcom when Steven Spielberg cast him in War Horse. He’s acutely aware that “fame is a fickle thing” and says he won’t be counting his chickens just yet. But he also doesn’t want to be typecast: “It’s amazing; as soon as one movie works, you read six scripts that are exactly the same.” And while he may have been spotted recently ice-skating with singer Ellie Goulding at Somerset House, he’s not keen to live the celebrity party lifestyle. “I realised very quickly that I didn’t want to be famous, so I don’t go to [celebrity hangout] Mahiki, I just go to the pub with my mates. “We’re only acting. The work my mum does – re-housing homeless people – that’s a real job.” Great Expectations is released in cinemas on November 30 scoutlondon.com Scout London 35
new releases
The Hunt (12A) Sensationalist headlines that greet every unsettling twist in Operation Yewtree, Scotland Yard’s investigation into allegations of child abuse by BBC presenter Jimmy Savile, strike an ominous chord throughout The Hunt. Thomas Vinterberg’s timely drama witnesses the emotional devastation when an adored primary school teacher, Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen), is wrongly accused of inappropriate behaviour by a young charge (Annika Wedderkopp). The girl later retracts her statement – “He didn’t do anything. I said something foolish” – but the damage is done and Vinterberg masterfully ratchets up the tension as close friends and colleagues turn on Lucas, meeting his pleas of innocence with shocking violence. Mikkelsen is mesmerising as an honest man besmirched by childish spite, and the script provides the lead character with no obvious escape from his undeserved misery. Damon Smith
Sightseers (15) The art of romance isn’t dead – but it’s certainly deadly – in Ben Wheatley’s deranged road movie, which walks a tightrope between sickeningly dark comedy and grisly horror as a hen-pecked daughter (Alice Lowe) embarks on a caravanning holiday with her nerdy boyfriend (Steve Oram) and discovers her suitor is a psychopath, who deals out rough justice to inconsiderate passers-by. The humour in Sightseers is black as night and Wheatley doesn’t flinch from depicting horrific actions in grisly close-up. Buy into his twisted vision of modern Britain and there is much to enjoy, from Oram and Lowe’s adorable screen chemistry to the quirky tourist attractions including Keswick Pencil Museum and the National Tramway Museum in Crich that provide the couple with their roadmap to slaughter. DS
Great Expectations (12A)
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Expectations were certainly great when Mike Newell’s retelling of Dickens’ classic closed last month’s BFI London Film Festival. Alas, as the characters in David Nicholls’s screenplay learn to their cost, life is full of disappointments and Newell’s film has a fair few, not least Helena Bonham Carter’s anaemic portrayal of eternal bride Miss Havisham, who raises her beautiful ward Estella (Holliday Grainger) “to wreak revenge on all men” including orphan Pip (Jeremy Irvine). Arriving less than a year after the BBC’s well crafted adaptation, Great Expectations is sluggish and slavish, and fails to outshine David Lean’s 1946 version even with John Mathieson’s magnificent cinematography and Jason Flemyng’s endearing portrayal of blacksmith Joe Gargery. Neither the best of times, nor the worst of times, but something in between. DS
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Also showing
Nordic Film Festival
Romeo + Juliet (12A)
The inaugural Nordic Film Festival serves up a smörgåsbord of independent features from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, which exemplify the region’s creativity and verve. Pierce Brosnan and Trine Dyrholm headline the special screening of Susanne Bier’s Love Is All You Need, which opens the six-day event, while festivities close with Lisa Langseth’s impressive debut, Pure, starring Alicia Vikander. Sandwiched between these tasty new offerings are gems from the past including Thomas Vinterberg’s disturbing family portrait, Festen (Dec 1), a midnight screening of André Øvredal’s entertaining monster movie, Troll Hunter (pictured) (Dec 1), Joachim Trier’s haunting love story Oslo, August 31st (Dec 2), and Gabriel Axel’s awards-laden 1987 pastoral drama, Babette’s Feast (Dec 3).
Baz Luhrmann’s daring re-invention of the tragi-romance across social barriers shatters the myth that Shakespeare and iambic pentameter are too stuffy for the big screen. With flashes of bold colour and a great soundtrack including The Wannadies, Garbage and Kym Mazelle, this Romeo + Juliet positions its star-cross’d lovers (Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes) in a dizzying whirl of gangland gun battles, 24-hour TV news and fancy dress balls. The young stars share electrifying screen chemistry and deliver tourde-force performances amidst Luhrmann’s directorial brio and the jaw-dropping production design. The double bill concludes with the effervescent rom-com 10 Things I Hate About You.
Nov 30-Dec 5, times and prices vary Riverside Studios and various venues, Crisp Road, W6 9RL Hammersmith
Nov 26, 6.25pm, £6.50, mems £4; double bill £12, mems £7. The Prince Charles Cinema, 7 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BY Leicester Square
Baby Face (12A)
London Feminist Film Festival
When the original cut of Baby Face was submitted to censors in 1933 – just before the enforcement of the Hays Code to curb sauciness on the big screen – the arbiters of good taste were left hot under the collar by Barbara Stanwyck’s portrayal of an alluring woman, who brazenly trades sexual favours for career advancement. It’s little wonder that suggestive imagery ended up on the cutting room floor in the interests of public decency. Almost 80 years later, the uncut version of Baby Face screens as part of the Barbican’s Step Into The Dark season, followed by an animated discussion about the film and its reception with director Mike Leigh (pictured).
Established in response to the poor representation of women in front of and behind the camera, the inaugural London Feminist Film Festival champions the work of female directors around the world. The UK première of Myriam Fougère’s Lesbiana – A Parallel Revolution (pictured) opens the festival, splicing archive footage and contemporary interviews to explore the lesbian feminist movement of the 1980s. The full programme includes a screening of Marleen Gorris’s classic A Question Of Silence (De Stilte Rond Christine M.) (Nov 30) and the documentary Kung-Fu Grandma, which meets a group of Kenyan women who have enrolled in self-defence classes to protect themselves from rape (Dec 2). Nov 29-Dec 2, times and prices vary, Hackney Picturehouse, 280 Hackney Central Mare Street, E8 1HE
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Nov 26, 7.30pm, £13.50, online adv £12.50, concs £10.50, mems £10.80, adv online £10. Barbican, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS Barbican
scoutlondon.com Scout London 37
Karl Pilkington is back for a final series of An Idiot Abroad and this time he’s not alone. Kate Whiting meets the unwittingly funny man and his friends Ricky Gervais and Warwick Davis
“W
e’re here to tell you, you’re fired!” quips Ricky Gervais, dissolving into his trademark giggles as he extends a hand over the boardroom table. The star of The Office is flanked by friends and co-stars, Karl Pilkington and Warwick Davis, in a meeting room at London’s Mayfair Hotel which looks uncannily like something out of The Apprentice. Thankfully, Gervais is not as intimidating as Lord Sugar, but it can sometimes be difficult to get a word in once his banter gets going.
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Today’s topic of conversation is strictly the third and final series of An Idiot Abroad, which sees Pilkington and Davis team up at Gervais’s behest. After two series of travelling round the globe for Sky1, Pilkington apparently refused to do any more unless someone went with him. “The first time it was mental, it was a tough new experience,” says the 40-year-old whose witticisms have built him a huge fan following. “The second time I was ticking stuff off the bucket list so I was
getting to do stuff I wanted to do. There was no reason to do another one, and then Ricky said Warwick really loved the programme...” Gervais’s initial idea was for Pilkington to cycle along the route Marco Polo took from Venice to China via India, with Davis in a basket on the front. “When I first told Karl, he didn’t say, ‘That’s ridiculous’. He said, ‘What, I’m doing all the pedalling?’ which I think was nice, he straightaway thought, ‘He’s going to be a burden’,” laughs Gervais.
An Idiot Abroad 3 starts on Sky1 on Friday, November 30
PA PHOTO / SKY 1
An idiot comes home
Luckily for Pilkington, the bike idea was scrapped but, unluckily, the rest of the idea wasn’t. Though he didn’t need to carry 42-year-old Davis around in a bicycle basket, Pilkington still found plenty to worry about during the unlikely pair’s travels. “All the way through the show he kept saying to Warwick, ‘Are you all right? You don’t look very well’,” says Gervais. “Warwick was fine, Karl just wanted to get out of it.” It is hilarious TV: episode two sees the unlikely pair take on roles in a low-budget Bollywood film which involves dancing in garish costumes, as well as trying out laughter yoga, which annoys Pilkington so much he screams. And then, when they’re in China, Pilkington tries to make Davis ill by feeding him odd foods, like testicles. “Warwick was the only one that wasn’t ill, which annoyed Karl, so there’s one scene where he’s slipping him food that he thinks will make Warwick ill,” explains Gervais. “It’s the funniest two minutes of television I have ever seen, I was crying with laughter.” “You thought it was going to bring us together, didn’t you?” pipes up Davis. A baffled Pilkington says: “I do not know why you did not get ill. He’s closer to the floor than me and there’s all the filth on the floor. I don’t understand it.” Davis replies: “I was careful what I was eating and I’ve got an iron constitution.” For all their disagreements during the five weeks of filming, it’s clear the pair are now firm friends and Davis says he learned a lot. “It was a life-changing experience. You have to be careful when you travel and meet people not to impose your values on their situation, because they’re probably quite happy with their lives.” Gervais admits this is the end for the trio: “After this, Karl will be on his own. I think you’re going to try and get a job in B&Q - or is it Homebase you like more?” “B&Q’s got better,” mumbles Pilkington, to more hoots from Gervais.
The Amazing Spider-Man (12)
Available on Blu-ray and DVD now
The latest instalment in the Spider-Man story is a terrifically entertaining refurbishment of the Marvel Comics superhero, blessed with an appealing mix of high-octane action and humour. Technology has advanced in gargantuan bounds in the past decade and Marc Webb’s film soars in the breathlessly paced action sequences. The lack of a scenery-chewing villain or one defining memorable moment like the upside-down kiss is a slight disappointment but in all other respects, this Spider-Man swings to dizzying heights. DS
Blue Badge Style
ITunes App store, Google Play, and Blackberry App World, FREE
Style and disability are not mutually exclusive – that’s the ethos behind the newly-launched Blue Badge Style app. Like other city guide apps, it aims to enable users to hunt out new, hip and happening bars, restaurants, shops and so on in their area, with the added function of rating their accessibility and facilities for less-able folk, as well as their style factor. Each of the three categories is given a score out of five, and an overall rating. Users can submit their own reviews too. It’s a great concept and the app’s aesthetically pleasing. However, the basis of the rankings are unclear and inconsistent. Facilities rated 4 out of 5 means nothing to a wheelchair user. What we really want to know is; do they have step free access? A disabled toilet? Helpful staff? Nice for locating venues but needs more work if to be relied on as ‘Blue Badge’ guide. Alice James
Ted (15)
Available on iTunes, Blu-ray and DVD now
John Bennett’s wish comes true and his favourite teddy, Ted (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) comes to life. Fast-forward to the present day, John (Mark Wahlberg) now has a job and a girlfriend, Lori (Mila Kunis). After the couple row about priorities, John responds by asking his best buddy to move out and stand on his own two paws. Ted is a deliciously foul-mouthed comedy that employs digital trickery to bring to life a stuffed bear with a penchant for women, soft drugs and offensive language. DS
Brave (PG)
Available on DVD, Blu-ray, CD and download
King Fergus of Clan DunBroch (voiced by Billy Connolly) and his wife Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson) plan to marry off their daughter Merida (Kelly Macdonald) to the first-born son of one of the other clans. But Merida refuses and runs off to meet a witch, which has unintended consequences. A real return to form for Disney Pixar. DS
Warehouse 13 season 3 (15)
Available on Netflix from December 2
With the latest seies of Syfy’s series set to be released in April, catch up with season 3, which sees the two secret service agents Pete (Eddie McClintock) and Myka (Joanne Kelly) continue their mission to chase down reports of supernatural and paranormal activity in search of new objects to cache at the secret Warehouse 13. Ray Lamothe
Don’t miss your chance to win with Scout London has teamedup with Netflix, the world’s leading Internet subscription service for enjoying films and TV shows, to give one lucky reader the chance to win a one year subscription and a Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone so you can instantly watch hours of great entertainment.
Simply answer the following question: Netflix Original Series Arrested Development Season 4 is due for release in 2013. Which actor plays the awkward teenage son George Michael Bluth? A) Michael Cera B) Michael J Fox C) Zac Efron
To enter text SCOUT FLIX and your answer to 88010 Texts cost £1*, also enter at scoutlondon.com/netflix * see Terms & Conditions on p55
scoutlondon.com Scout London 39
a golden year for
elbow
From the Olympics to their forthcoming arena tour, Elbow have had an incredible 12 months. Frontman Guy Garvey invites Andy Welch to his home studio to reflect on how it’s been a marathon rather than a sprint 40 Scout London scoutlondon.com
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PA Photos / Hamish Brown / David Wardle
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or many years, Elbow seemed destined to be one of Britain’s great unfulfilled talents. The affable five-piece laboured throughout the 90s and, even when they’d signed to a major label and had to all intents and purposes ‘made it’, the label was sold, they were dropped and the debut they’d recorded was shelved. In 2001 things finally started to look up. Asleep In The Back, their first album, was released and Brit Awards and Mercury Prize nominations followed. But it’s been a slow build to their status today as one of Britain’s favourite bands. Their ubiquitous hit One Day Like This is ingrained in the public consciousness, whether it’s being played while a baby is born, as a first dance at a wedding or on a much larger stage. And when the BBC needed music for its coverage of the 2012 London Olympics, it knew where to turn. “I never thought we’d get to this point,” says the band’s singer Guy Garvey. “I knew we could handle it if it did happen, though.” We’re sitting on the top floor of his house, just a couple of miles from the centre of Manchester. The room is his makeshift studio where he records demo vocals and, unable to read or write musical notation, sings melodies onto tape ready for the strings arranger to work his magic. There’s a computer, piano, guitar and various other instruments strewn around, along with numerous empty tea mugs. Garvey’s been busy producing (fellow Mancunians) I Am Kloot’s new album, as well as working on his own band’s next offering, although don’t expect to hear anything until spring 2014. Elbow’s forthcoming arena shows are something of a farewell before the band takes some well-deserved time off in the New Year. “We never had gap years, and it’s been hectic since The Seldom Seen Kid came out,” says Garvey, referring to their fourth album which scooped the Mercury Prize in 2008. “It might seem a bit naïve for a band in our position, seemingly at their peak, to have time off, but we’ll see. The lads have young families, we’ve all got projects we want to explore, and it’ll give us something we’ve never had before – a couple of months to listen to what we’ve recorded so far and work out what else it needs.” But Garvey is already full of excitement about the prospect of putting together their as-yet-untitled sixth album. “There’s
a special atmosphere in the studio; we’re all ready to change things up, push things forward,” he says. He plans to spend at least four months of 2013 in New York with his writer girlfriend Emma, who today is on hand with bacon sandwiches and tea. While there, he’ll work on the Broadway musical version of King Kong. Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja invited Garvey to join the songwriting team. “Where better to write those songs than where King Kong’s set?” he says. “Plus I’ll write more Elbow songs. We went there earlier this year, just for a few days, and I came back with some really strong lyrics. “A lot of time when you’re away you write about home with real clarity. You reorder your priorities when you’re away too. You think, ‘That thing I do all the time? Turns out it’s not important’, or you figure that something you never do, you should actually do a lot more.” Anyone with tickets to Elbow’s shows in November and December might be treated to some of those lyrics. The band plan to demo some new material in front of an audience – it’s an unprecedented move for the band, but symptomatic of just how much confidence they have and how trusted they are by their fans. This is a special band, blessed with the rare gift of being able to make faceless arenas feel like front rooms, while their giant choruses and spontaneous sing-alongs make small stages seem like cavernous halls. “I like to get out there among the people at each gig,” says Garvey, trying to explain the band’s allure. “I need to see who’s there and feel how each show’s different. We also get a twisted thrill out of getting the crowd to boo us, and the best way of doing that is to tell them
that the previous town’s crowd were louder or whatever.” He recalls an incident during a show at The O2 last year: “Just after I’d said ‘They were better last night’, a guy in front row piped up and said, ‘So were you!’ “I dedicated the following song to him, John he was called, and all 20,000 people laughed. Things like that wouldn’t happen if you just walked on, did your thing and walked off. Telly, I call that. “We did used to just stand at the end of the room and play, and you’d have people gazing at you, picking their nose and forgetting that you can see them too. I like a gig to be an interactive experience.” Few bands of Elbow’s stature are afforded the relative anonymity they enjoy. Garvey’s easily the most recognised member – he’s out in front on stage and is such an affable fellow off it. He also presents his own BBC 6Music show, Guy Garvey’s Finest Hour. Despite his fame, he still drinks in the same bars and takes the tram everywhere. “Not out of any misguided attempt to be a ‘man of the people’, but because it’s a great place to listen to music and I love Manchester,” he says. “I remember the days when no one was interested in anything we did, so I’m going to enjoy it now that’s not the case.” When it comes to his public image, Garvey is equally as level-headed. “It’s never going to affect the way I write,” he says. “I think people are drawn to us because we find the extraordinary in the ordinary, the beautiful in the mundane. That’s a songwriter’s job. “There’s a note of hope in everything I write, and it’s because I can’t not do that. I can’t not offer some silver lining.” Elbow play at Wembley Arena on November 27 and The O2 on December 2
The main Guy Garvey’s on- and often off-stage presence makes an Elbow gig feel intimate whatever the venue
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Soul II Soul
November 29-December 1, Islington Town Hall, £27.50
Keep on Movin’ as Jazzie B and the incredible Caron Wheeler (who sang on Top 10 hit Back to Life) play three nights of greatest hits at the intimate Islington Town Hall. Upper Street, N1 2UD Angel
Also this week: Adam Ant & The Good, The Mad And The Lovely Posse, Georgie Girl & Her Poussez Posse Nov 30, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, adv £28.50 Alexisonfire Dec 2 & Dec 3, O2 Academy Brixton, £25, phone for availabilty Baloji, AJ Holmes & The Hackney Empire Nov 28, Village Underground, £14 Ben Howard Nov 28-Nov 30, O2 Academy Brixton, £17.50 Christmas With Steps Dec 2, London Palladium, £22.50-£50 David Cronenberg’s Wife Nov 28, Buffalo Bar, adv £5 Gary Barlow Nov 27, Royal Albert Hall, £45-£95, phone for availability Kate Nash Dec 1, Southbank Centre, £10, concs £5 Keane Nov 30, The O2 Arena, £27.50 & £45 Kool & The Gang Nov 29, Electric Brixton, £35 Mystery Jets Nov 29, Southbank Centre, £15 & £17.50, concs £7.50 & £8.75 Public Service Broadcasting Nov 27, XOYO, £8 Rob Zombie/Marilyn Manson: Twins Of Evil Tour Nov 26, The O2 Arena, £30-£37.50
Skunk Anansie Dec 1, O2 Academy Brixton, £25, phone for availability Steve Vai Dec 2, Hammersmith Apollo, £28.50 The Human League Nov 26, Royal Albert Hall, £27.50 The Pharcyde Nov 30, The Clapham Grand, £20 The Rolling Stones Nov 29, The O2 Arena, returns only The View Nov 29, Electric Ballroom, £16.50 Tinariwen Nov 27, Union Chapel, £19.75 & £22.50
Rodrigo Y Gabriela Nov 29, HMV Forum, £25
Darwin Deez
November 28, XOYO, returns only
Scout Stereo
The kooky-haired chap responsible for 2010’s totally infectious Radar Detector returns to the UK having just announced his next album will be called Songs For Imaginative People - slated for February release. Expect to get a sneak preview of what’s going to be on it at this sold-out show. 32-37 Cowper Street, EC2A 4AP
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Old Street
Unknown Mortal Orchestra Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark) Beautifully simple, but a bit disturbing.
2
FaltyDL Straight & Arrow (Radio Edit) Massive new tune fom across the Pond – big!
Phreeda Sharp November 26, Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen, £6
With a rapid-fire flow so fast you’ll come out feeling like you’ve been in a blow dryer, Phreeda Sharp is a French-Ghanian MC living in Hackney. She’s also one of the most exciting things to happen to London’s hip hop scene in quite some time. Check her out and you won’t regret it. Be prepared to be blown away. Hoxton Square, N1 6NU Old Street
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Psychemagik Valley of Paradise
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Monsters of Folk Man Named Truth
5
The Four Tops Sunny
Chanting monk sample – what’s not to like?
Banjo-clad brilliance from the folk supergroup.
A special song for a special occasion.
Listen to our playlist: j.mp/scout0018
lanis A Morissette November 28, The O2, £35 & £45
jamie-james medina / Pieter M. van Hattem
Glasvegas She still has one hand in her pocket, but the other one has been organising a string of UK arena dates. Following a short UK tour in June, which included a date at the O2 Brixton Academy, the Ironic singer will be showcasing tracks from her new album as well as classic material. Peninsula Square, SE10 0DX North Greenwich
December 1, The Garage, £18
Having been dropped by their label after the disappointing sales of second album Euphoric Heartbreak, Glasvegas are taking a short break from the recording of their yetto-be-named third album to head out on a tour, which opens with this London date. Expect more big choruses and keening rock’n’roll. 20-22 Highbury Corner, N5 1RD Highbury & Islington scoutlondon.com Scout London 43
ABC Dec 18, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, £35-£75 Action Bronson Dec 16, The Garage, £14.50 Aimee Mann Jan 28, Southbank Centre, £15-£25, concs £7.50-£12.50 Alabama 3 Dec 8, HMV Forum, £20 Alexisonfire Dec 2 & Dec 3, O2 Academy Brixton, £25, phone for availabilty Ali Campbell Dec 7, IndigO2, £25-£50 Alt-J May 16, O2 Academy Brixton, £16 Alt-J Jan 18 & Jan 19, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £14 Antonio Forcione, Gwyneth Herbert Dec 7, Dec 8, Dec 10, Dec 11, Dec 9, Pizza Express Jazz Club, £20
Justin Bieber Mar 4-5 &7-8, The O2, £50 & £60 Archive Dec 4, Heaven, £15 Asia Dec 22, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £22.50 Astrakan Dec 15, Tottenham Chances, £5 Bad Manners Dec 21, 229 The Venue, £20 Band Of Skulls Dec 7, O2 Academy Brixton, £17.50 Bastille Mar 28 & Mar 29, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, adv £13 Beach House Mar 25 & Mar 26, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £18 Ben Folds Five Dec 4 & Dec 5, O2 Academy Brixton, £37.50 Biffy Clyro Apr 3, The O2 Arena, £26.50 & £29.50 Bill Bailey Dec 18, Hammersmith Apollo, £25 Bleech Feb 15, KOKO, £5 Bloc Party Feb 22, Earls Court, adv £29.50 Blood Red Shoes Jan 22, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £13.50 Bombay Bicycle Club Dec 22, KOKO, adv £20 Bonnie Raitt Jun 27, Royal Albert Hall, £40-£50 Brand New Heavies Dec 3-Dec 5, The Jazz Cafe, £25 Bullet For My Valentine, Halestorm Mar 17, Roundhouse, £20 Carlos Nunez And Philip Pickett & Musicians Of The Globe Feb 1, Southbank Centre, £15-£30, concs £7.50-£15 Chas & Dave Dec 8, IndigO2, £20-£45 Chew Lips Dec 5, Birthdays, £8 Courtney Pine Dec 23, The Hideaway, £25 Cradle Of Filth Dec 19, HMV Forum, £15 Crystal Fighters May 23, KOKO, £14 Cult Of Luna Jan 22, The Garage, £15 D-A-D Mar 2, O2 Academy Islington, adv £15 Daniel Jeanrenaud, The Beekays Dec 29, The Blues Kitchen, £6, FREE before 9pm
44 Scout London scoutlondon.com
Danny & The Champions Of The World, The Lucky Strikes, The Dreaming Spires, Trevor Moss & Hannah-Lou, Case Hardin Dec 21, The Windmill, £7 Dappy Dec 20, Hammersmith Apollo, £18.50 Deerhoof, Buke & Gase Dec 4, The Garage, £14 Deftones, Letlive Feb 20, O2 Academy Brixton, £28.50 Depeche Mode May 28 & May 29, The O2 Arena, £40 & £50 Dizzy Gillespie Afro-Cuban Experience Feb 8 & Feb 9, Ronnie Scott’s, £25-£45 Django Django Dec 21, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £15 Djerv, Dunderbeist Dec 16, The Underworld, £10 Dodgy, Mark Morriss Dec 14, O2 Academy Islington, £17.50 Dreadzone Dec 13, The Garage, £15 Dropkick Murphys Jan 18 & Jan 19, HMV Forum, £21 Duke Special Dec 20, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £15 Editors, The Courteeners, The Temper Trap, Lucy Rose, Theme Park Dec 17, O2 Academy Brixton, adv £25 Electric Six Dec 15, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, phone for prices Ellie Goulding Dec 12, O2 Academy Brixton, £25 Elvis Costello & The Imposters Jun 4 & Jun 5, Royal Albert Hall, £45 Emeli Sande Apr 8, Hammersmith Apollo, £25-£29.50 Emmy The Great And Tim Wheeler Dec 20, The Scala, £16.50 Enter Shikari, Cancer Bats, Engine-Earz Experiment Dec 16 & Dec 17, Roundhouse, adv £20 Eric Clapton May 17, May 18, May 20, May 21, May 23, Royal Albert Hall, £70 & £85 Esben And The Witch Feb 26, The Scala, adv £10 Example Feb 23, Earls Court, £28.50 Fairport Convention Mar 9, Union Chapel, adv £25 Fairport Convention May 10, The Borderline, £24 Fear Factory Dec 18, KOKO, £16 Finley Quaye, The Mercenaries Feb 28, The Scala, £19.50, adv £12.50 & £15.50 Florence + The Machine Dec 5 & Dec 6, The O2 Arena, £29.50 Foals, Efterklang Mar 28, Royal Albert Hall, £10-£25 Four Tet Feb 28, Heaven, £15.50
Little Mix Feb 13, Hammersmith Apollo, £19.50-£32.50
Classical
Leonidas Kavakos And Nikolai Lugansky Nov 30, Barbican Centre, £10-£27 Ronan Keating: Fires Tour Jan 26, The O2 Arena, £35 Foy Vance Jan 23, Islington Town Hall, £15 Frank Hamilton, Mark Grist Dec 20, The Barfly, Camden, £6 Fun Apr 12, Hammersmith Apollo, £18.50 Funeral For A Friend Feb 18, The Garage, £16 Gary Barlow Dec 27, Hammersmith Apollo, £35 & £65 Gary Numan Dec 7, HMV Forum, £28 Girls Aloud Mar 1-Mar 3, The O2 Arena, £42.50-£49.50 Glen Matlock And The Philistines, Spizz, Ed Tudorpole, London, Night Of Treason, The Duel, Tv Smith Dec 23, 100 Club, adv £30 God Is An Astronaut Dec 5, Heaven, £14 Happy Mondays Dec 19 & Dec 20, Roundhouse, adv £32.50 Helloween Apr 16, HMV Forum, adv £25 Hit Factory Live Christmas Cracker Dec 21, The O2 Arena, £49.50 I Am Kloot Feb 19, Barbican Centre, £25 Inspiral Carpets Mar 22, KOKO, phone for prices JLS Dec 21, The O2 Arena, £25 & £33.50 Jake Bugg Feb 27 & Feb 28, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, phone for prices James Blake Dec 4, Conway Hall, phone for availability James Yorkston, Geese Dec 19, Shacklewell Arms, adv £12.50 Jessie J Mar 9 & Mar 10, The O2 Arena, £25 & £33.50 Jessie Ware Mar 13 & Mar 14, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £16.50 Jingle Bell Ball Dec 8 & Dec 9, The O2 Arena, day ticket £45 Joe Satriani Jun 17, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £40 Joe Satriani Jun 18, IndigO2, phone for prices Jon Spencer Blues Explosion Dec 3, Electric Ballroom, £18.50 Justin Bieber Mar 4, Mar 5, Mar 7, Mar 8, The O2 Arena, £50 & £60 Kaiser Chiefs Mar 1, O2 Academy Brixton, adv £27.50 Kings Of Leon Jun 12 & Jun 13, The O2 Arena, £57.50 Kris Kristofferson Dec 7, Southbank Centre, £35 & £40, concs £17.50 & £20 Lana Del Rey May 19 & May 20, Hammersmith Apollo, £28.50
Aled Jones May 12, Union Chapel, adv £35 Alfie Boe: Storyteller Apr 8 & Apr 9, Royal Albert Hall, £25-£45 Andre Rieu, Johann Strauss Orchestra Dec 16, The O2 Arena, £40-£90 Britten Sinfonia Dec 5, Wigmore Hall, £12, concs £10 Brodsky Quartet And Jacqui Dankworth Dec 7, Kings Place, £14.50-£29.50, adv £9.50 Carol Concert Dec 6, English Heritage: Apsley House, £20, mems £15, adv booking required Carol Concert Dec 16, Swiss Church, phone for prices Carol Concert Dec 20, English Heritage: Eltham Palace, £20, mems £15, adv booking required
Trinity Laban Symphony Orchestra Dec 6, Blackheath Halls, £12, concs £8 Carols And Villancicos: A Celebration Of Christmas Dec 6, St James’s Church, £15, under 12s £5 Eric Whitacre & Eric Whitacre Singers Dec 6, Union Chapel, adv £18.75 & £25 Exaudi Dec 6, The Temple Church, £10-£20 Philip Glass Ensemble Dec 15, Union Chapel, adv £20 Steinberg Duo Mar 5, 1901 Arts Club, £18, concs £15 Thames Chamber Orchestra/Choir Of Christ’s College Cambridge Dec 3, St John’s, Smith Square, £10-£45 The Mediaeval Baebes Dec 21, St Sepulchre-Without-Newgate, adv £17.50 Tine Thing Helseth And Vilde Frang Dec 7, St Martin-In-The-Fields, £8-£28 Victoria Simonsen Apr 5, St Barnabas Millennium Hall, FREE, donations welcome
The Script Mar 22 & Mar 23, The O2 Arena, £29.50 Lawnmower Deth, Beholder Dec 15, The Garage, £15 Lawson Mar 1, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, phone for prices Leona Lewis May 8 & May 9, Royal Albert Hall, £35-£65 Lianne La Havas Mar 11 & Mar 12, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £15 Lisa Stansfield Dec 4, The Scala, £29.50 Lisbee Stainton Mar 27, The Borderline, £10 Little Feat Feb 8, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £30-£32.50 London Gay Big Band, Jonathan Bullock, Charlotte Peters, Matthew Crowe Dec 16, Two Brewers, £10, adv £8 Los Campesinos!, Among Brothers, Sparky Deathcap Dec 15, Islington Town Hall, £15 Lucy Ward Dec 3, The Green Note Cafe, £12, adv £10 Macy Gray Dec 20, KOKO, £30 Madness Dec 14 & Dec 22, The O2 Arena, £29.50-£47.50 Mark Lanegan Band, Creature With The Atom Brain Dec 4, HMV Forum, £20 Maroon 5 Jun 23 & Jun 24, The O2 Arena, £40 & £45 Matthew Dear Dec 5, Fabric, phone for prices Mica Paris, Nathan Watson Dec 31, The Jazz Cafe, £45 Michael Kiwanuka Dec 5, Southbank Centre, £17.50 & £20, concs £8.75 & £10 Mick Hucknall Apr 28, Hammersmith Apollo, £40 & £50 Molotov Jukebox, Nimmo And The Gauntletts Dec 6, The Borderline, adv £15 Mumford And Sons Dec 11 & Dec 18, The O2 Arena, £29.50-£32.50 Mumiy Troll May 25, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £20 Nas Mar 19, The O2 Arena, £34-£39, w/ CD £44.99-£49.99 Natives Dec 12, The Barfly, Camden, £5 Netsky Mar 1, HMV Forum, £15 Neville Staple From The Specials Dec 14, The Albany, £12-£16 Ocean Colour Scene Feb 25 & Feb 26, Electric Ballroom, £28.50 Of Monsters And Men Mar 5-Mar 7, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, phone for prices Olivia Newton-John Mar 13, Royal Albert Hall, £45 & £55 Olly Murs Mar 10, Wembley Arena, £34
Olly Murs Mar 29 & Mar 30, The O2 Arena, £34 Orbital, Nathan Fake Dec 14 & Dec 15, O2 Academy Brixton, £30 P!nk Apr 24, Apr 25, Apr 27, Apr 28, The O2 Arena, £42.50-£55 Paloma Faith Feb 7, Hammersmith Apollo, £22.50-£29.50 Patrick Wolf Apr 6, Southbank Centre, £17.50-£22.50 Patrick Wolf Dec 5, Rough Trade East, phone for prices Peter Andre, Sam Gray Dec 4, The O2 Arena, £27.50-£30 Plan B, Labrinth, Rudimental Feb 9, The O2 Arena, £30 Republica Mar 14, The Garage, £14 Richard Hawley Feb 23, Troxy, £22.50 Rod Stewart: Live The Life Tour Jun 4, The O2 Arena, £60-£70 Ron Pope Jan 4, KOKO, £15 Ron Sexsmith Mar 7, Royal Albert Hall, £22.50-£32.50 Rush May 24, The O2 Arena, £60 & £75 Saint Etienne Dec 14, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, phone for prices Sam And The Womp Dec 6, XOYO, £9 Sebastien Tellier, Kyla La Grange Dec 5, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £17.50 Sigur Ros Mar 7-Mar 9, O2 Academy Brixton, £30 Squarepusher Mar 30, Roundhouse, £25 Stereophonics, Gaz Coombes Dec 20, Troxy, phone for prices The Black Keys Dec 12 & Dec 13, The O2 Arena, £30 The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown Mar 29, The Borderline, £19.50 The Damned Dec 15, Roundhouse, £20 The Darkness Mar 7, Hammersmith Apollo, £27.50 The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster Apr 12, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £15 The Feeling Apr 26, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £22.50 The Flaming Lips May 20 & May 21, Roundhouse, £32 The Hives Dec 14, Roundhouse, £18.50 The Kabeedies, These Ghosts, Alloy Ark, Rory McVicar Dec 6, The Garage, £6 The Pogues, Frank Turner And The Sleeping Souls Dec 20, The O2 Arena, £45 The Prodigy Dec 18-Dec 20, O2 Academy Brixton, £45 The Rasmus, The Dirty Youth Dec 14, Electric Ballroom, £14 The Raveonettes Dec 3, Village Underground, £14.50 The Stone Roses Jun 7 & Jun 8, Finsbury Park, £55 The Vaccines May 2, The O2 Arena, £27 The Wildhearts Dec 17, HMV Forum, £20 The Wonder Stuff, Pop Will Eat Itself, Jesus Jones Dec 19, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £20 The XX Dec 16, O2 Academy Brixton, adv £25, phone for availability Wiley, Skepta, JME Apr 20, HMV Forum, £14.50 Willy Mason, Nick Mulvey Dec 5, The Scala, adv £15 Yeasayer Dec 4, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £17
Monday November 26 Between The Buttons at The Barfly, Camden, 49 Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AN Chalk Farm FREE, 7.30pm-late. DJ Magnetic Paul provides soul and 1950s to 1970s rock’n’roll. Glamorous Afterparty at Covert, 65 Albert Embankment, SE1 7TP Vauxhall £7, w/ flyer £6, 5am-11am. Deep house and electro courtesy of DJs Kaos Kid, Marlon K and Francko Harris. Hoxton Ukulele Hootenanny at The Queen Of Hoxton, 1-5 Curtain Road, EC2A 3JX Shoreditch High Street £20, 7.30pm-12midnight. Resident DJs play Ukulele inspired music, plus live performances. It’s Britney Bitch! at The Shadow Lounge, 5-7 Brewer Street, W1F 0RF Leicester Square £5, 10pm-3am. DJ Tuomo Fox and special guests spin pop, R&B and chart hits under the watchful eye of MC Patrick Lilley.
Tuesday November 27 Panic at The Roxy, 3-5 Rathbone Place, W1T 1HJ Tottenham Court Road £5, NUS/w/flyer £3, guestlist w/flyer FREE before 10.30pm, 10pm-3am. Max Panic, Gaz Panic and That Perfect Fumble spin indie, electro, retro and pop. Queerly Out Shots at Escape Bar, 10A Brewer Street, W1F 0SU Piccadilly Circus FREE, 9pm-3am. DJ Julio Bravo spins power pop, disco, 1980s, R&B, old skool, Motown and hip hop.
Girls-A-Loud at Candy Bar, 4 Carlisle Street, W1D 3BJ Tottenham Court Road FREE, 8pmlate. DJs play pop, chart and electro, while Seauntelle hosts the weekly karaoke session.
Thursday November 29
Make Noise: Electronic Recycling Tour at Corsica Studios, 4-5 Elephant Road, SE17 1LB Elephant & Castle FREE, 7pm-1am. DJs Benji B (pictured), Martelo, Greenmoney, Nic Tasker and Kodiak spin garage, electronica and bass music, plus a live performance from Labyrinth Ear. White Heat at Madame Jojo’s, 8-10 Brewer Street, W1F 0SE Piccadilly Circus £5, concs/flyer £4, 10.30pm-3am. DJs Matty, Olly and Marcus supply electro, techno and indie.
Wednesday November 28 Cabaret Voltaire at Cellar Door, Zero Aldwych, WC2E 7EN Temple FREE, 9pm-late. Burlesque and cabaret club with Friedrick & Bridges. Gigolo at The Shadow Lounge, 5-7 Brewer Street, W1F 0RF Leicester Square concs £5, 10pm-3am. Guys with attitude party to house, pop and disco, hosted by international porn stars.
Bad Sex at Proud Camden, The Horse Hospital, Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AH Camden Town £7, £5 before 10pm, guestlist NUS £5, NUS FREE before 10pm, 7.30pm-2.30am. Mayton DJs, Fin Munro and Phaze One spin indie, electro, rock and pop, plus a live performance from Wild Flowers. BleeD Presents: Before My Eyes at The Waiting Room, 175 Stoke Newington High Stoke Newington Street, N16 0LH £6, adv £4, 9pm-2am. DJs Demdike Stare, Raime and Blackest Ever Black play top quality psychedelic, roots and ambient music into the early hours. Cheapskates at Moonlighting, 16-17 Greek Street, W1D 4DR Tottenham Court Road w/flyer £4.50, 9pm-3.30am. Resident DJs and guests supply indie, electro and old-school vibes. Chick Habit at Candy Bar, 4 Carlisle Street, W1D 3BJ Tottenham Court Road FREE, 9.30pm-late. DJs Amy B and CeCe spin pop and classics from the 1990s, plus music by girls in the basement. Fabriclive at Fabric, 77A Charterhouse Street, EC1M 6HJ Farringdon £13, NUS/mems £10 before 12midnight, 10pm3am. Rusko, Reso, Clean Bandit and Dave Gamble spin electro and drum’n’bass. Kit Kat Kabaret at Cellar Door, Zero Aldwych, WC2E 7EN Temple FREE, 9pm-late. A burlesque and cabaret show.
I Love FWD at Plastic People, 147-149 Curtain Road, EC2A 3QE Liverpool Street £7, 9.30pm-2am. Shakelton (pictured), Horsepower and George Fitzgerald spin dubstep, house, techno, electro and garage. Magnum Aftershow Party at Surya, 156 Pentonville Road, N1 9JL Angel phone for prices, 11pm-3am. Resident DJs play rock, with live performances from Magnum and Trillium. Nachtmusik Presents at XOYO, 32-37 Cowper Street, EC2A 4AP Old Street adv £10, 9pm-1am. Moonbootica, Gabriel Ananda, Picture Book and Lord Highowl spin elecronica across two rooms. The Orgasmatron Presents at Floripa, 9193 Great Eastern Street, EC2A 3HZ Old Street £5, 8pm-1am. Guy Chambers, Lo Polidoro, Highfields and Ross Clarke spin an eclectic mix of genres including dance, electro and pop, with a live performance from Fake Club, burlesque and cabaret.
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Sessions at Corsica Studios, 4-5 Elephant Road, SE17 1LB Elephant & Castle FREE, 11pm-3am. DJs Artifact, Troy Gunner, Oli Dab And Robin and Piri Piri spin dubstep, electronica, house and bass music. Society Presents at Dalston Superstore, 117 Kingsland High Street, E8 2PB Dalston Kingsland FREE, 9pm2.30am. Robert Owens and Class Of 808 resident DJs play Chicago house and acid. Underdog at Pacha, Terminus Place, SW1V 1JR Victoria £7, adv £5, 10pmlate. Kris Harris and DJ Valente spin house in the main room, while Hidden.Outside.The. Box play indie, electronic, dance, and nudisco in the Global Room. Vinyl at Eagle, 349 Kennington Lane, SE11 5QY Vauxhall £3, FREE before 10pm, mems £2, 6pm-2am. Pop hits from the last three decades. Voodooz House at The Coronet, 28 New Kent Road, SE1 6TJ Elephant & Castle adv £10 & £13, 10pm-6am. Funky and deep house, techno and tribal courtesy of DJ Klipa, Sun Light Project, Doran, Destiny Maglorie, Deepsteppa and Ricky Romero.
Friday November 30 Audio Doughnuts 2nd Anniversary at Fire, Arch, 39-43 Parry Street, corner South Lambeth Road, SW8 1RT Vauxhall adv £15, 9pm-7am. Electronic music courtesy of DJs Roy Davis Jr, Marshall Jefferson, MK, Zed Bias, Maddslinky, Will Saul, Sinjin Hawke, Salva, Route 94, Ossie, Leon Vynehall, Two Inch Punch, A1 Bassline, Eclair Fifi, Shox, Pusherman, My Panda Shall Fly, Kashii, Pale and Funkystepz, plus live performances from Benin City, Onoe Caponoe and Anushka. Basslaced Presents Girls Music x Church at Secret Location, E1 adv £15, 10pm6am. Electro, house and dance courtesy of Toddla T, The 2 Bears, Ashely Beedle, Forgemasters, Roses Gabor, Martelo, Walter Ego, Paul Woolford, Huxley, xxxy, Lando Kal, Seb Wildblood and Apes. Breakin Bread’s 14th Birthday at The Social, 5 Little Portland Street, W1W 7JD Oxford Circus £5, mems £3, FREE before 9pm, 6pm-1am. DJs Mr Thing, Chris Read, DJ Skeg and MC Kope spin hip hop. Bump at Plan B, 418 Brixton Road, SW9 7AY Brixton £10, £7 before 11pm, 9pm-4am. Rugrat, Snips, CWD and Motive spin hip hop, funky, dancehall and dubstep. Circus LDN at Egg, 200 York Way, N7 9AX King’s Cross St Pancras £20, NUS/mems/adv £15, 10pm-8am. House and techno courtesy of Laurent Garnier Presents LBS, Yousef, Acid Mondays and White Jail Lab. Derrick Carter Does Disco at Loft Studios, 77-81 Scrubs Lane, NW10 6QW Willesden Junction adv £15, 10pm6am. The Chicago DJ spins disco and house, with support from Luke Howard, Terry Farley and Dan Beaumont. Fabriclive at Fabric, 77A Charterhouse Street, EC1M 6HJ Farringdon £18, adv £22 inc cd, adv £17, NUS/mems £13 before 12midnight, £8 after 3am, 10pm-6am. DJ Hype, Pascal, Goldie, Hazard, Randall, Sub Zero, Taxman, Potential Bad Boy, IC3, Evil B, Justyce, Funsta MC, 2Shy, LTJ Bukem, Bailey, DJ Nookie, dRamatic, dbAudio, Dynamic, SP:MC, Fats, Five Alive, Octane, DLR, Survival And Silent Witness, Ant TC1, Halogenix, EBK, MC Fokus and MC JC spin drum’n’bass, electronica and jungle across three rooms.
Roots Tours at Jamm, 261 Brixton Road, SW9 6LH Brixton £10 & £12, adv £8, 10pm-4am. Reggae and dub courtesy of The Twinkle Brothers and Channel One Sound System. Tief at Corsica Studios, 4-5 Elephant Road, SE17 1LB Elephant & Castle adv £8-£15, 10pm-6am. DJs Levon Vincent, San Soda, Maurice Fulton, KRL And Greymatter, Gratts, Wolf Music and Hesseltime spin house, disco and electronica, plus a live performance from Jacob Korn. Tonker at Eagle, 349 Kennington Lane, SE11 5QY Vauxhall £6, FREE before 10pm, mems £5 after 10pm, 9pm-3am. Resident DJ Tim Jones and guest play house, chart and dance. Wild Life! at The Queen Of Hoxton, 1-5 Curtain Road, EC2A 3JX Shoreditch High Street £5, FREE before 9pm, 8pm-2am. Resident DJs play party classics, house, disco, electro and techno across two floors.
Mitchell and Kemi Oshi. Siesta Closing Party at The Coronet, 28 New Kent Road, SE1 6TJ Elephant & Castle adv £5 & £10, 3pm-1am. DJs Russ Yallop, Raffa FL, Jobe, Majesty, Steven Cee and Adam Cotier spin deep house and minimal, plus live performances from Luke Larrell And Kele Le Roc and Wbeeza.
Sunday December 2 Beatnik Presents at The Macbeth, 70 Hoxton Street, N1 6LP Old Street FREE, 7pm-late. Resident DJs play beatnik, folk and bluegrass with live performances. Acts TBA Entail Records Presents at Crucifix, 7-9 Crucifix Lane, SE1 3JW London Bridge £12-£20, 10pm6am. House, pop, rock, techno and electro courtesy of Dominik Eulberg, Adapter and Malandra JR. Missing at 333, 333 Old Street, EC1V 9LL Old Street £8, £5 before 10pm, ladies FREE, 8pm-2am. Deep techno and house courtesy of Jordan Rutter, Daniel
Sunday Sessions at Gigalum, 7 Cavendish Parade, Clapham Common South Side, SW4 9DW Clapham South phone for prices, 7pm-late. Kissy Sell Out (pictured), Norman J, Oliver Ingrosso and Stonebridge spin house and electro.
The universe’s best pop night!
Club de
FROMAGE
New Year’s Eve Now on Sa le!
om Tickets fr 0!* only £6.5
*Advance tickets for normal nights only. Booking fees apply
The Gallery Presents at The Ministry Of Sound, 103 Gaunt Street, SE1 6DP Elephant & Castle £14, 10.30pm6am. DJs Tenishia, Marcel Woods, Alex M.O.R.P.H, Eddie Bitar, Gavyn Mytchel And Steve Lee, Femi Fem, Jay Deep, Digital Mike and Mellophonik spin trance, electro, house and dance. Habibi at Raduno, 85 Charterhouse Street, EC1M 6HJ Farringdon £10, £8 before 12midnight, 10.30pm-3.30am. Nikki Lucas, Qurra and Barbara Bush spin Arabic and Turkish R&B and Greek urban and pop. Hot Wuk at East Village, 89 Great Eastern Street, EC2A 3HX Old Street £15, adv £10, 9pm-3.30am. The Heatwave and Sticky spin reggae, dancehall, bashment and garage. I Love Pacha Presents Vegas Baby at Pacha, Terminus Place, SW1V 1JR Victoria £12, 11pm-late. Bam Bam and James McLaughlin spin electro, house and dance in the Main Room, while Abstract Sounds play experimental and progressive pop in the Global Room. J Rocc & Lefto at Plastic People, 147-149 Curtain Road, EC2A 3QE Liverpool Street £12, £8 before 11pm, early bird £6, 10pm-3am. Electro, house and hip hop courtesy of J Rocc and Lefto. Licked Beatz at Cable, 33A Bermondsey Street, SE1 2EG London Bridge adv £8 & £10, 10pm-6am. Phaeleh, DJ Die, Kahn, Logan Sama, JME, Ikonika, D.O.K, Ill Blu and Rattus Rattus spin dubstep, garage, electronica and house music. Lost In London at Pacha, Terminus Place, SW1V 1JR Victoria £15, adv £12, 11pm-6am. Resident DJs and guests spin house, electro, pop and Latin records. Onyx: New Era at Area, 67-68 Albert Embankment, SE1 7HD Vauxhall adv £6, adv £12 inc A:M Afterhours at Fire, 11pm-5am. Per QX, Terry Bryan, Matt Bogard, Lady Lloyd, Tasty Tim, James St James, Tuomo Fox, Kartel Brown and Maximus Crown spin house, pop, R&B, garage and funk across three areas. Propaganda at O2 Academy Islington, N1 Centre, 16 Parkfield Street, N1 0PS Angel £5, 10.30pm-3.30am. DJ Dan and guests spin an eclectic mix of indie, electro, pop, dance and drum’n’bass.
Saturday December 1 Adamski Live Presents Neo-Waltz at Chats Palace Arts Centre, 42-44 Brooksby’s Walk, E9 6DF Homerton £10, 6.30pm-12.30am. Electronica and neo-waltz courtesy of DJ Adamski and Richard Torry, with live performances from Viktoria Modesta and David McAlmont, plus dance lessons. Bambara Recordings at Cargo, 83 Rivington Street, EC2A 3AY Old Street £15, 8pm-late. DJs Arnaud Le Texier, Alfredo Ramos, Joel Campos, Momentum DJs, Tristi and Gilbert S spin house and techno. Bodydrummin 2 Year Birthday Party Presents at The Bedroom Bar, 62 Rivington Street, EC2A 3AY Old Street £8, 10pm-3am. Trinidadian Deep spins deep and soulful house, techno, Afrobeat and minimal sounds, with support from Jamesey, Sheyi and Jay Russell. Buttoned Down Disco’s Christmas Party at KOKO, 1a Camden High Street, NW1 7JE Mornington Crescent FREE by application only, 9pm-3.30am. Resident DJs and guests play indie classics and electro. Decibel at Jamm, 261 Brixton Road, SW9 6LH Brixton £12, adv £10, 10pm-8am. Hard techno and jungle courtesy of Floxytek, Roms, Ben 9mm, Vandal, Jonny Sideways, MattyKore, Mandidextrous, Sikhead, NNEA and NKS in room one, while Chris Liberator, Rachel Rackitt, Manarchy, SpaceFace, Alan Badger, Mr Meatball, Spinks, Dirty Noose and Syco spin acid techno and drum’n’bass in room two. Fabric at Fabric, 77A Charterhouse Street, EC1M 6HJ Farringdon £20, adv £24 inc cd, adv £19, NUS/mems £14, £10 after 4am, 11pm-8pm. Craig Richards, Baby Ford, Terry Francis, Efdemin, Adam Shelton, Subb-An and Burnski spin house and techno, with live performances from Horror Inc. and SWZK. Fela Kuti Vs James Brown at The Rhythm Factory, 16-18 Whitechapel Road, E1 1EW Whitechapel £7 before 10.30pm, phone for times. Funk and Afrobeat courtesy of DJs Linx, DJ Soul Provyder, Leslie Love, DJ Romanzo, Matakut, DSL, Barrie Thomas, Carlos de Carvalho and Sam Noel, plus live performances from Future Grooze featuring Helen McDonald and Richard Olatunde. Michiko I Love You at Pacha, Terminus Place, SW1V 1JR Victoria £20, adv £15, 11pm-6am. Rob Roar, Scott Cuba, Max Linen and Darren Bouthier spin house.
Theo Parrish at Plastic People, 147-149 Curtain Road, EC2A 3QE Liverpool Street £10, 10pm-4am. The Detroit-based DJ musician spins techno and house. Warehouse Presents at Club Warehouse, Unit H9, Hastingwood Trading Estate, 35 Angel Road Harbet Road, N18 3HT £12, adv £10, 11pm-7am. DJ Clive Henry of Peace Division fame plays house music. The Xmas Ball at Hidden, 100 Tinworth Street, SE11 5EQ Vauxhall £15 & £20, adv £12, 9pm-6am. DJ EZ, Matt Jam Lamont, Martin Jackson, Paul-Michael, Replae and Lee Freeland spin garage, Grant Nelson, Steve Feelgood, Liam D, Bertie Morse and Nicky Driver play funky, and DJs Jonathan Ulyssesm, Habitat 2 Others, Scott Clark, Kid Cuts, Move The House, Danny Ryan, Louis James and Frosty spin house, across three rooms.
Every Sat 02 Academy Islington
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Green Day... the musical?
Outside the box show American Idiot in
action
After more than a year on Broadway and a UK rated tour, the musical based on Green Day’s celeb ndon. American Idiot album is finally arriving in Lo Scout chats to the director and lead star
G
reen Day: the musical. Who saw that coming? Not us, certainly. And yet, here it is, a critically-acclaimed Broadway hit that is now rocking out over here. Whatever you might know or think you know about America’s titans of scuzzy West Coast punk, American Idiot the Musical is a genuinely surprising offering. It takes the songs from the multi Grammy-winning album of the same name and turns them into the narrative for a powerful and provocative piece about the angst and alienation of American youth in the Bush era. Sex, drugs and rock’n’roll are all placed front and centre, often in uncomfortable ways. And its portrait of American society at one of its most controversial moments is about as damning as they come. Having seen the European premiere in Southampton, we caught up with director and creator Michael Mayer and leading cast member Alex Nee after the show. Michael, did the idea of turning American Idiot into a musical come about the first time you listened to the album? M: It did. When I was growing up and listening to Broadway cast recordings, I would listen to them from start to finish while imagining that I was having a full-on experience of the show. When I first heard American Idiot in 2005, I started to have a very similar emotional feeling. I realised it was because there was a narrative inside the
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music. Even though it wasn’t advertised that way, I could tell it was like a rock opera or a rock musical. It is very theatrical, and there’s a real progression to it. So I thought, ‘My gosh, maybe it is like a musical, maybe I should think of it that way’. And did you immediately envisage it as such a caustic state-of-the-nation piece? M: Absolutely. Those Bush years were as bad as anything I’ve ever seen. We were in a war that we shouldn’t have been in and were behaving, as a country, in a way that I think is intolerable. And no one was doing anything about it. So to hear these punks from the East Bay – whose music I liked but who I didn’t think had their finger on the pulse of a political or social moment – articulating on behalf of an entire generation, it was very surprising and very powerful. They were giving voice to the feelings that I felt so strongly, and giving them in a way that could be received by young people. I got very excited and thought, ‘This is galvanising. These are guys at the peak of their popularity and the peak of their artistic powers, using them for good’. I really wanted to be a part of it. I thought there was a chance we could motivate a generation that had been written off, both by America and by themselves. Alex, were you a fan of the album? A: I was a big fan of their earlier records, but American Idiot represented a big change in their sound, and really changed the game for them.
The time of their lives Alyssa DiPalma and
Alex Nee
r Musical mastermind Director Michael Maye
Back in black Alex Nee and Trent Saunders in American Idiot
Turner Rouse, Jr / John Daughtry
I wasn’t really sure how to respond to that so I didn’t initially love it. But then a couple of years later, seeing the original production of American Idiot on stage really opened up the album for me in a lot of new ways and of made me realise just how complex and raw it is. Was it hard to get the band to agree to it? M: Actually, no. I didn’t think that Green Day would be at all open to a stage version of their album. I thought they would just go, ‘Haha, thanks but no thanks’. But they have been so incredibly supportive right from the start. They really were just, ‘Go for it, follow your heart’. When they came to hear the material for the first time, with all these incredible arrangements and the story and everything, they were weeping by the end. You don’t expect Green Day to be
weepy, and we didn’t expect what we were doing to affect them so deeply, so early in the process. But even I was surprised by the emotional power of it. It’s very uncompromising in its portrayal of disaffected youth. Did you have reservations about showing the drugs, sex and rock’n’roll so prominently? M: No, because that’s what the story was. All I wanted to do was make a show out of it, and to tell the story the best way I could with the material I had, so it naturally became a very uncompromising piece. And every time I tried to back away from that, it felt hollow. A: It’s an uncompromising show, but I’m definitely of the belief that these things are happening to people and they should be put on
stage in their raw form. We don’t want to sugar coat it in any way because that’s not gonna start any kind of real conversation. Do you think it has started a conversation in the States? A: Yeah. It definitely empowers people who don’t normally see themselves represented on the stage – people who feel different and out of place. To show them they are not alone and that lots of other people are going through these things, I think that allows them to start their own conversations with each other and with their parents. American Idiot, Hammersmith Apollo December 4-16 americanidiotthemusical.co.uk scoutlondon.com Scout London 49
Here it is at long last. It seems like an age ago that the most famous girl group in the history of British pop announced that their back catalogue of sassy hits was to form the basis of a new West End musical.
A Christmas Carol, with Simon Callow Arts Theatre, November 29-January 6, £15-£40
And while the idea of ‘Spice Girls, the musical’ has attracted some snobbish eye-rolling in certain corners of the critical circle, such is the group’s enduring popularity that excitement and anticipation has easily drowned out any skeptical grumbles. The show is already selling like hot cakes and the smart money is on it running and running. Not only does it revive the hits of one of the most popular girl groups, it has an estimable creative team working behind the
The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming The Roundhouse, November 28-December 30, £10
scenes. For one thing, it’s being produced by Mamma Mia! creator Judy Craymer. And the story – of one girl’s journey into the world of overnight celebrity and its impact on her mother and friends – has been written by none other than comedy queen Jennifer Saunders. Get ready to spice up your life. W1D 7DY Piccadilly Circus vivaforeverthemusical.com
Dick Leicester Square Theatre November 29-January 20, £18.50
As mentioned in our cover feature, this one-man performance of Dickens’ tale of Christmas redemption by one of Britain’s best stage actors is back after a sold-out season last year. This was the first of Dickens’ books ever to be read publicly by the author himself, and Callow bases his version on Dickens’ own performance.
One of the season’s biggest children’s shows, this production by YaD Arts is an adaptation of Lemony Snicket’s story about the frustrations of a Jewish potato pancake who attempts to educate a Christian village about Hanukkah while its inhabitants are all in the throes of Christmas celebrations.
Brash, bawdy and very filthy, this cabaretinfused offering at Leicester Square Theatre is the most promising of this year’s crop of ‘adult pantos’. It features characters with names such as Sofonda Cox and Queen Runt, places such as the Streaky Crack, and legends such as that of the ‘bell-end’. You get the gist.
WC2H 7JB Leicester Square callowchristmascarol.com
NW1 8EH Chalk Farm roundhouse.org.uk
WC2H 7BX Leicester Square leicestersquaretheatre.com
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hazel gardener / patrick baldwin / PA Wire
Viva Forever! Piccadilly Theatre opens November 27 £20-£67.50
The imals An and n
e r d l i Ch Took to the Stree ts
Privates on Parade Noël Coward Theatre December 1-March 2, £10-£57.50 Having left the Donmar Warehouse after a dazzling 10 years as artistic director, Michael Grandage has launched his own production company and lined up a glittering cast for his opening series of plays. Still to come are Jude Law, Daniel Radcliffe, Judi Dench, Ben Whishaw and David Walliams, but first up is the brilliant Simon Russell Beale (pictured) in this revival of Peter Nichols’ wartime farce. The action focuses on a mostly gay British military concert troupe stationed in South East Asia just after the second world war. WC2N 4AA Leicester Square michaelgrandagecompany.com
Crea
ted
by 1
927
Evening Standard, Financial Times, Time Out Sydney
‘This is a perfect alternative show. In fact, it is a perfect show.’ Financial Times
Seamlessly synchronizing live music, performance and storytelling with stunning film and animation, the internationally acclaimed show by award-winning company 1927 returns. Julius Caesar Donmar Warehouse November 29-February 9, £15-£35
HUGO GLENDINNING
Mamma Mia! director Phyllida Lloyd returns to the Donmar with this all-female telling of Shakespeare’s vicious tragedy. With such a pedigree behind her, it’s no surprise that Lloyd is able to pull in a heavyweight cast. Stage and screen veterans Frances Barber and Harriet Walter will play the title role and Brutus respectively, joined by Cush Jumbo and Jenny Jules. This is an early highlight in the tenure of the Donmar’s new artistic director, Josie Rourke. WC2H 9LX
Covent Garden donmarwarehouse.com
12 December – 10 January National Theatre South Bank SE1 9PX 020 7452 3000 nationaltheatre.org.uk
Co-commissioned by BAC, Malthouse Theatre & The Showroom (University of Chichester) Developed at BAC
No booking fee
Waterloo, Southwark, Embankment
Photo © ‘1927’
Sponsored by
The Magistrate booking until Feb 10 2013, National Theatre: Olivier, South Bank, SE1 9PX Waterloo £12-£47, Nov 30, Dec 1-3, 7 & 8, 10 & 11, 18-22, 2629, Jan 1-5, 7-12, 14-16, 18 & 19, 21 & 22, Feb 9 & 10, 7.30pm, mats Dec 1, 8, 22, 27, 29, 31, Jan 3, 5, 12, 19, Feb 9, 2pm, Dec 2, 20, 2.30pm (press perfs Jan 17, 7pm). Farcical comedy with John Lithgow in the lead role. A Christmas Carol With Simon Callow Starts Thu, booking until Jan 6 2013, Arts Theatre, 6-7 Great Newport Street, WC2H 7JB Covent Garden £15-£40, From Nov 29, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats TueSat 3.30pm, except Nov 29 & 30, 7.30pm only, Dec 24, 31, 3.30pm only, extra perfs Dec 2, Jan 6, 3.30pm & 7.30pm, no perfs Dec 3, 25 & 26, Jan 1 & 2. One-man show based on Dickens’ performance The 39 Steps booking until Mar 30 2013, Criterion Theatre, 218-223 Piccadilly, Piccadilly Circus, W1J 0TR Piccadilly Circus £15-£55, Mon-Sat 8pm, mats Wed 3pm, Sat 4pm, no perf Dec 26, Dec 24, 4pm. John Buchan’s thriller. Billy Elliot - The Musical booking until Dec 21 2013, Victoria Palace, Victoria Street, SW1E 5EA Victoria £19.50-£65, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm. Musical adaptation of the film. The Bodyguard booking until Apr 27 2013, Adelphi Theatre, 409-412 Strand, WC2R 0NS Charing Cross £20£67.50, Nov 26-30, Dec 1-4 previews £20£57.50, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 3pm (press night Dec 5, 7pm, no perf Dec 24 & 25, extra mat perf Dec 27 & 28, Jan 3, 3pm). New musical adaptation of the film. Cabaret booking until Jan 19 2013, Savoy Theatre, Savoy Court, Strand, WC2R 0ET Charing Cross £35-£85, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm, no perf Dec 25. Will Young stars in Rufus Norris’s production of Kander and Ebb’s musical. Chariots Of Fire booking until Feb 2 2013, Gielgud Theatre, 35-37 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 6AR Piccadilly Circus £26-£55, Premium Seats £85, MonSat 7.45pm, mats Wed, Sat 3pm. Mike Bartlett’s stage version of the race to compete in the 1924 Paris Olympic Games. A Chorus Of Disapproval booking until Jan 5 2013, The Harold Pinter Theatre, 6 Panton Street, SW1Y 4DN Piccadilly Circus £10-£53.50, Premium Seats £85, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm, no perfs Dec 2426, 31, extra mat perf Dec 28, 2.30pm. Alan Ayckbourn’s comedy. Constellations booking until Jan 5 2013, The Duke Of York’s, St Martin’s Lane, WC2N 4BG Leicester Square £25£75, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm, no perf Dec 24 & 25, 31, Jan 1. Nick Payne’s drama on friendship and free will, with Rafe Spall and Sally Hawkins.
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Damned By Despair booking until Dec 17, National Theatre: Olivier, South Bank, SE1 9PX Waterloo £12-£32, OAP £22, Nov 26-29, Dec 4-6, 12-15, 17, 7.30pm, mats Nov 24, 29, Dec 6, 13, 15, 2pm, Nov 16, 2.30pm. A new version written by Frank McGuinness, of Tirso de Molina’s drama. Dick! Starts Thu, booking until Jan 20 2013, Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square £18.50, From Nov 29, Tue-Sat 7pm, Fri & Sat 9.30pm, Sun 5pm, mats Sat 4pm, Sun 2.30pm (press night Dec 1, 7pm, no perf Dec 24-26, 31, Jan 1, Dec 1, 4pm & 7pm). Strictly adults-only pantomime. Dreamboats And Petticoats booking until Jan 19 2013, Wyndham’s Theatre, Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0DA Leicester Square £10-£75, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu 3pm, Sat 4pm, except Dec 24, 3pm only, no perfs Dec 25 & 26, Jan 1, extra mat perfs Dec 28, Jan 2, 3pm. Marks and Gran’s musical. Ghost – The Musical booking until Apr 20 2013, Piccadilly Theatre, 16 Denman Street, W1D 7DY Piccadilly Circus Mon-Wed/Thu mats £25-£65, Thu eves/ Fri & Sat £25-£67.50, Premium Seats £85, £25 day tickets available Mon-Fri from the box office from 10am on the day of the performance, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm. Stage adaptation of the film. Hero booking until Dec 22, Jerwood Theatre At The Royal Court, Sloane Square, SW1W 8AS Sloane Square Mon £10, Tue-Sat 7.45pm £20, Thu, Sat 3.30pm/ concs £15, Mon-Sat 7.45pm, mats Sat 3.30pm, Dec 13, 20, 3.30pm (press night Nov 29, 7pm). EV Crowe’s drama portrays the story of a gay teacher facing prejudice. Jersey Boys booking until Oct 20 2013, Prince Edward Theatre, 28 Old Compton Street, W1D 4HS Tottenham Court Road Tue-Thu £20-£65, Fri-Sun £20-£67.50, Premium Seats Tue-Thu £85, Fri-Sun £95, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, Sun 5pm, mats Tue, Sat 3pm, no perf Dec 25, Dec 30, 3pm, extra mat perf Dec 27, 3pm. Musical about the career of Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons.
Kiss Me Kate booking until Mar 2 2013, Old Vic, 103 The Cut, SE1 8NB Waterloo £11-£60, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm, Dec 24, 28, 30 & 31, 2.30pm (press night Nov 27, 7pm, no perf Dec 25, Jan 1, no eve perf Dec 24, 31). The award-winning Cole Porter classic musical is directed by Trevor Nunn.
Les Miserables booking until Oct 26 2013, Queen’s Theatre, 51 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 6BA Piccadilly Circus £20-£85, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm, no perf Dec 24 & 25, extra mat perf Dec 27, Jan 3, 2.30pm. Musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s classic. Let It Be booking until Jan 19 2013, Prince Of Wales Theatre, 31 Coventry Street, W1D 6AS Piccadilly Circus £20, £40, £60, Mon, Wed-Sat 7.30pm, Sun 5pm, mats Thu, Sat 3pm. Celebration of The Beatles’ music. The Lion King booking until Jan 6 2013, Lyceum Theatre, 21 Wellington Street, WC2E 7RQ Covent Garden Tue-Thu £30-£60, Fri, Sun £32.50-£62.50, Sat £35-£65, Jan 1-Jul 23, Sep 2-Dec 31, Jan 1-6 2013, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat & Sun 2.30pm, Wed & Thu, Sat 2.30pm, no perf Dec 25, no mat perf Dec 26, extra mat perf Dec 27, 2.30pm. Disney film adaptation. Loserville ends Jan 5 2013, Garrick Theatre, 2 Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0HH Charing Cross Oct 17-31, Nov 1-30, Dec 1-31, Jan 1-31, Feb 1-28, Mar 1 & 2 Mon-Thu £10-£45, Fri & Sat £10£49.50, Tue & Wed 3pm & 7.30pm family £32.50, Oct 1-16 previews £10-£29.50, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 3pm, no perf Dec 24 & 25, 31, extra mat perfs Dec 27 & 28, Jan 3, 3pm. Musical about a computer geek, set in 1971. Mamma Mia! booking until Apr 13 2013, Novello Theatre, 5 Aldwych, WC2B 4LD Covent Garden Mon-Fri £15-£64, Sat £15-£67.50, Mon-Sat 7.45pm, mats Thu, Sat 3pm, no perf Dec 24 & 25, extra mat perf Dec 31, 3pm. Musical comedy set to the ABBA back catalogue. Matilda: The Musical booking until Dec 22 2013, Cambridge Theatre, Earlham Street, WC2H 9HU Covent Garden £19£58.50, disabled £28.75, Tue-Thu under 18s £19-£48.50, Feb 14 2012-Feb 17 2013 £20-£62.50, disabled £31.25, Tue-Thu under 18s £19-£52.50, Tue 7pm, WedSat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm, Sun 3pm, extra mat perf Nov 1, 2.30pm. Musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s tale. Monty Python’s Spamalot booking until Apr 13 2013, Playhouse Theatre, Northumberland Avenue, WC2N 5DE Charing Cross £15-£85, Mon-Sat 8pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm, no perf Dec 24 & 25, Dec 31, 2.30pm & 5.30pm, extra mat perfs Dec 27 & 28, Jan 1, 2.30pm. Eric Idle and John Du Prez’s musical comedy. The Mousetrap booking until Dec 21 2013, St Martin’s Theatre, West Street, Cambridge Circus, WC2H 9NZ Leicester Square £16-£42, Premium Seats £61, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Tue 3pm, Sat 4pm, no perf Dec 24 & 25, 31, extra mat perfs Dec 27 & 28, Jan 3 & 4, 3pm. Agatha Christie’s classic murder mystery. One Man, Two Guvnors booking until Aug 31 2013, Theatre Royal, Haymarket, 18 Suffolk Street, SW1Y 4HT Piccadilly Circus £15-£55, premium seats £85, concs available, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm, except Dec 24, 2.30pm, Dec 26, 7.30pm only, no perf Dec 25, extra mat perfs Dec 27, Jan 3, 2.30pm. Richard Bean’s comic tale, based on The Servant Of Two Masters. Our Boys booking until Dec 15, Duchess Theatre, 3-5 Catherine Street, WC2B 5LA Covent Garden £20-£65, Mon-Sat 7.45pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.45pm. Terrors faced by young injured soldiers.
People booking until Apr 2 2013, National Theatre: Lyttelton, South Bank, SE1 9PX Waterloo £12-£47, Mon-Fri under 18s £19 & £23.50, other concs available, Nov 26-29, Dec 3-6, 17-20, 28 & 29, Jan 1, 4 & 5, 7 & 8, 11 & 12, 14 & 15, Feb 1 & 2, 4, 8 & 9, 11-13, 18-21, 25-28, Mar 7-9, 15 & 16, 18-20, 26-28, 30, Apr 1 & 2, 7.45pm (mats Nov 8, 17, 29, Dec 6, 15, 20, 29, 31, Jan 5, 12, Feb 2, 9, 13, 20, 27, Mar 9, 27, 30, 2pm, Jan 6, Feb 3, 3pm). Alan Bennett’s drama about the owner of a British stately home contemplating sale of its contents. The Phantom Of The Opera booking until Oct 26 2013, Her Majesty’s Theatre, 57 Haymarket, SW1Y 4QL Piccadilly Circus £22.45-£85, MonSat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic Gothic musical. Privates On Parade Starts Sat, booking until Mar 2 2013, Noel Coward Theatre, 85-88 St Martin’s Lane, WC2N 4AU Leicester Square £10, £27.50, £57.50, From Dec 1, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm (press night Dec 10, 7pm, no perf Dec 24-26). Peter Nichols’ awardwinning second world war comedy. Richard III booking until Feb 10 2013, Apollo Theatre, 31 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 7EZ Piccadilly Circus £25-£55, Nov 28, Dec 5 & 6, 12 & 13, 19 & 20, Jan 2 & 3, 9 & 10, 23 & 24, 30 & 31, Feb 6, 7.30pm, mats Dec 1, 8, 15, 22, 27, 29, Jan 5, 12, 19, 26, Feb 2, 9, 2pm, Dec 2, Jan 20, Feb 10, 3pm. Shakespeare’s history play led by Mark Rylance as the Duke of Gloucester. Rock Of Ages booking until Feb 17 2013, Shaftesbury Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2H 8DP Holborn Mon-Thu £20£57.50, Fri & Sat £20-£65, Mon-Thu 7.30pm, Fri 5.30pm & 8.30pm, Sat 8pm, mats Sat 4pm, no perf Dec 25, Dec 31, 3pm & 7pm, extra mat perf Dec 27, 3pm. Chris D’Arienzo’s musical celebrating Los Angeles rock culture. Room On The Broom: Tall Stories (Ages 3-8) booking until Jan 13 2013, Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 7ES Piccadilly Circus £12.50-£20, Dec 1 & 2, 8 & 9, 15 & 16, 20, 22-24, 28-31, Jan 5 & 6, 12 & 13, 10am & 12noon, Nov 21-23, 28-30, Dec 4-7, 11-14, Jan 4, 10 & 11, 11am, Dec 18 & 19, 27, Jan 2 & 3, 11am & 2pm. An adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s tale. Scrooge The Musical booking until Jan 5 2013, London Palladium, 8 Argyll Street, W1F 7TF Oxford Circus £27-£69, child £22-£53, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 3pm, Dec 28, 3pm, no perf Dec 24-26, Jan 1. Musical based on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. The Showstoppers booking until Dec 23, Charing Cross Theatre, The Arches, Villiers Street, WC2N 6NL Embankment £17.50-£27.50, Sun 7pm, mat Dec 16, 3pm. Improvised musical comedy from the acclaimed troupe. Shrek – The Musical booking until Feb 24 2013, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, Catherine Street, WC2B 5JF Covent Garden £20-£65, Wed & Thu eves family of four £99-£150, additional seats £29.50 (upper circle) & £45 (best available), Premium Seats £95, Mon, Thu-Sat 7.30pm, Wed 7pm, mats Thu, Sat & Sun 3pm, Dec 24, 31, 3pm. Musical based on the animated film. Singin’ In The Rain booking until Sep 1 2013, Palace Theatre, 109-113 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 5AY Leicester Square £14-£84, £25 day
JOHAN PERSSON / jay brooks
WEST END
Catherine ashmore
seats available from the box office from 10am on day of the performance, Oct 1-Aug 31 2013, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mat Oct 1-Aug 31 2013, Wed, Sat 2.30pm, no perf Dec 24 & 25, 31, Jan 6, Dec 26, 5pm, extra mat perf Dec 27 & 28, Jan 3, 2.30pm. Musical based on the MGM film. Stick Man: Scamp Theatre (Over 3s) booking until Jan 6 2013, Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square £12.50-£14.50, family £45, Wed-Sun 10.30am, Sat & Sun 2pm, Dec 22 & 23, 27-30, Jan 5 & 6, 12.15pm. A children’s show about a family of stick people. Stomp booking until Dec 22 2013, Ambassadors Theatre, West Street, WC2H 9ND Leicester Square £20£49.50, Mon, Thu-Sat 8pm, Sun 6pm, mats Thu, Sat & Sun 3pm, no perf Jul 27, Aug 12, Dec 25, no eve perf Dec 24, Jan 1. Steve McNicholas and Luke Cresswell’s percussion-based spectacular. Thriller Live booking until Oct 15 2013, Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 7ES Piccadilly Circus £26£87.50, Tue-Fri, Sun 7.30pm, Sat 8pm, Dec 31, 3.30pm & 7.30pm, mats Sat 4pm, Sun 3.30pm, no perf Dec 25 & 26, Jan 1, extra mat perf Dec 28, 3.30pm. A celebration of the music of Michael Jackson. Top Hat – The Musical booking until Sep 28 2013, Aldwych Theatre, 49 Aldwych, WC2B 4DF Covent Garden £20-£65, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm, no perf Sep 4-5, Dec 25, extra mat perf Dec 30, 2.30pm. Irving Berlin’s classic romantic musical.
Twelfth Night booking until Feb 9 2013, Apollo Theatre, 31 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 7EZ Piccadilly Circus £25-£55, Nov 27, 29 & 30, Dec 1, 4, 7 & 8, 11, 14 & 15, 18, 21 & 22, 26-29, Jan 4 & 5, 8, 11 & 12, 15, 17-19, 22, 25 & 26, 29, Feb 1 & 2, 5, 7-9, 7.30pm, mats Nov 28, Dec 5, 12, 19, Jan 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, Feb 6, 2pm, Dec 9, 16, 23, 30, Jan 6, 13, 27, Feb 3, 3pm. Mark Rylance plays Olivia in an all-male production of Shakespeare’s romantic comedy. Uncle Vanya booking until Feb 16 2013, Vaudeville Theatre, 404 Strand, WC2R 0NH Embankment £25£53.50, Premium Seats £76, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm, except Dec 31, 2.30pm, extra mats Dec 18, 28, Jan 2, no perfs Dec 24 & 25, Jan 1. Anton Chekhov’s comic tale on the tribulations of the human condition, starring Ken Stott, Samuel West, Anna Friel and Laura Carmichael. Viva Forever! Starts Tue, booking until Jun 1 2013, Piccadilly Theatre, 16 Denman Street, W1D 7DY Piccadilly Circus £20-£67.50, Nov 27-30, Dec 1-10 previews £20-£52.50, From Nov 27, Mon-Thu, Sat 7.30pm, Fri 5pm & 8.30pm, mats Sat 3pm, except Dec 31, 3pm (press night Dec 11, 6.30pm, no perfs Dec 24 & 25, extra mat perfs Dec 26 & 27, Jan 2, 3pm). A comedy musical by Jennifer Saunders, featuring the songs of the Spice Girls. War Horse booking until Oct 26 2013, New London Theatre, 166 Drury Lane (corner of Parker Street), WC2B 5PW Covent Garden £15-£55, Premium Seats £85, Mon, Wed-Sat 7.30pm, Tue
7pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm. Michael Morpurgo’s story about a farm horse caught up in the horrors of the first world war. We Will Rock You booking until Mar 23 2013, Dominion Theatre, 268-9 Tottenham Court Road, W1T 7AQ Tottenham Court Road Mon-Fri £27.50-£55, Sat £27.50-£60, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sat 2.30pm, Nov 28, Dec 26, Jan 31, Feb 27, 2.30pm, no perf Dec 24 & 25, extra mat perf Dec 27 & 28, 31, Jan 1-4, 2.40pm. Futuristic musical set to the hits of the band Queen. Wicked booking until Apr 27 2013, Apollo Victoria Theatre, 17 Wilton Road, SW1V 1LG Victoria Mon-Fri eves/mats £15-£62.50, Sat eves £15-£65, 24 front row day tickets priced £27.50 each released 10am at the box office, maximum two per person, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm, extra mats Feb 16 , Jul 26, Oct 25, Dec 27 & 28, 30, Jan 3, Feb 21 2013, 2.30pm, no perf Jul 27, Dec 25, Dec 2629, 2.30pm & 7.30pm, Dec 30, 2.30pm. Musical charting the early years of the Wicked Witch Of The West. The Woman In Black booking until Dec 14 2013, Fortune Theatre, Russell Street, WC2B 5HH Covent Garden £16.50£45, Premium Seats £55, Tue-Sat 8pm, mats Tue, Thu 3pm, Sat 4pm. Adaptation of Susan Hill’s ghost story. Yes, Prime Minister booking until Mar 30 2013, Trafalgar Studios, 14 Whitehall, SW1A 2DY Charing Cross £26.50, £46.50, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm. Political comedy.
Goodnight Mister Tom booking until Jan 26 2013, Phoenix Theatre, 110 Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0JP Leicester Square Nov 22-28, Jan 8, 15, 22 £15-£39.50, Nov 29 & 30, Dec 1-31, Jan 1-7, 9-14, 16-21, 23-26 £15-£46.50, Nov 22-30, Dec 1-21, Jan 8-25 Tue-Fri child £29.62 & £34.87, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, Nov 26, 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm (press perf Nov 27, 2.30pm, no perf Dec 25, extra mat perf Dec 4, 11, Jan 8, 15, 22, 1.30pm, Dec 18, 28, 31, 2.30pm). A stage adaptation by David Wood, of Michelle Magorian’s second world warset tale of friendship.
54 Scout London scoutlondon.com
Ignorance/Jahiliyyah Ends Dec 15, Hampstead Theatre, Eton Avenue, NW3 3EU Swiss Cottage £12, concs £10, Mon-Sat 7.45pm, mats Sat 3.15pm. A drama looking at intolerance and its consequences over 60 years. Written by Steve Waters. In Extremis Ends Dec 9, King’s Head, Islington, 115 Upper Street, N1 1QN Angel Nov 18 preview £10, Nov 19, 25 & 26, Dec 2 & 3, 9 £15, concs £12, Sun & Mon 7.15pm, mat Dec 9, 3pm. A drama about the night palm reader Mrs Robinson visited Oscar Wilde, a week before the trial of the century. Presented by Kean Productions. Jack & The Beanstalk Starts Sat, ends Jan 19 2013, Theatre Royal Stratford East, Gerry Raffles Square, E15 1BN Stratford £7-£23, concs £5.50£17.50, Dec 1, 6-8, 14 & 15, 19-22, 24, 26-29, Jan 2-5, 11 & 12, 18 & 19, 7pm, mats Dec 3, 6-8, 10-12, 14 & 15, 17-22, 24, 26-30, Jan 2-5, 7-12, 14-19, 2pm, Dec 4 & 5, 11 & 12, 18, Jan 8-10, 15-17, 10am (captioned Jan 4, 7pm, audio & signed mat perf Jan 5, 2pm). Dawn Reid directs Paul Sirett’s pantomime. Julius Caesar Starts Thu, ends Feb 9 2013, Donmar Warehouse, 41 Earlham Street, WC2H 9LX Covent Garden Nov 29 & 30, Dec 1-3 previews £10-£27.50, Dec 4-31, Jan 1-31, Feb 1-9 £10-£35, From Nov 29, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm (press night Dec 4, 7pm). Phyllida Lloyd’s all-female production of Shakespeare’s Roman tragedy. The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming: YaD Arts Starts Wed, ends Dec 30, Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8EH Chalk Farm £10, family £32, concs £8, From Nov 28, Tue-Thu 10am & 2pm, Sat & Sun 11am & 2.30pm, Tue-Sun 11am-2.30pm. A wonderfully strange tale by Lemony Snicket, adapted for the stage by YaD Arts, in association with Tall Stories. Love’s Comedy Ends Dec 15, Orange Tree Theatre, 1 Clarence Street, TW9 2SA Richmond Nov 14 & 15 previews £14.50, concs £12.50, Nov 16-30, Dec 1-15 Mon/Sat 7.45pm & 3pm £14.50, concs £12.50, Tue-Thu 7.45pm £16.50, concs £14.50, Thu 2.30pm £11.50, Fri 7.45pm £20, concs £18, Sat 7.45pm £22, Mon-Sat 7.45pm, mats Sat 3pm, Thu 2.30pm, no mat perf Dec 13. A bittersweet comedy by Henrik Ibsen, adapted by Don Carleton.
Merrily We Roll Along Ends Feb 23 2013, The Menier Chocolate Factory, 53 Southwark Street, SE1 1RU London Bridge £35, Meal Deal £43, concs £27.50, Premium Seats £37.50, Tue-Sat 8pm, mats Sat & Sun 3.30pm (press night Nov 28, no perf Dec 2, 24-26, extra perfs Nov 26, Dec 30, 8pm, Dec 27, 3.30pm). Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s musical, based on the 1934 drama by George S Kaufman and Moss Hart. The Prince And The Pauper (Over 6s) Ends Jan 13 2013, Unicorn Theatre, 147 Tooley Street, SE1 2HZ London Bridge £22, under 21s & concs £15, Nov 29, Dec 14, Jan 4, 7pm, mats Nov 25, 27-29, Dec 1 & 2, 5 & 6, 8 & 9, 13, 15 & 16, 19 & 20, 22 & 23, 27-30, Jan 2-6, 8, 10, 12 & 13, 2pm, Nov 27, Dec 5 & 6, 12 & 13, 19, Jan 8, 10.30am, Nov 30, Dec 7, 14, 21, Jan 11, 11am, Dec 4, 11, 18, Jan 9, 1.30pm (press night Nov 29, 7pm). Mark Twain’s tale on confused identities is adapted by Jemma Kennedy. Old Money Starts Thu, ends Jan 12 2013, Hampstead Theatre, Eton Avenue, NW3 3EU Swiss Cottage £15-£29, From Nov 29, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, Dec 5, 7pm, mats Sat 3pm, Dec 24, 3pm, Wed 2.30pm, preview perf Nov 29 & 30, Dec 1, captioned eve perf Dec 18, audio described mat perf Jan 5, no eve perf Dec 24, no mat perf Dec 1, 5, no perf Dec 25. A poignant comedy about life, death, widowhood and moving on. Robin Hood Ends Jan 6 2013, Greenwich Theatre, Crooms Hill, SE10 8ES Greenwich £19 & £25, concs £16 & £23, child £9.50 & £12.50, From Nov 22, Nov 23 & 24, 30, Dec 1, 7 & 8, 14 & 15, 18-20, 26 & 27, Jan 2-5, 7pm, Dec 2, 9, 16, 21-24, 28-31, Jan 6, 5pm, mats Nov 22 & 23, 27-29, Dec 4-6, 11-13, 10am, Nov 24, Dec 1, 8, 15, 18-20, 26 & 27, Jan 5, 2pm, Dec 2, 9, 16, 21-24, 28-31, Jan 6, 1pm, Dec 5-7, 12-14, 1.30pm. Andrew Pollard stars as Nanny in a traditional family pantomime. Straight Starts Tue, ends Dec 22, The Bush Theatre At The Old Library, 7 Uxbridge Road, W12 8LJ Shepherd’s Bush eves £19.50, concs £12, mats £15, concs £10, From Nov 27, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sat 2.30pm, press night mats Nov 27, 7pm, Dec 12, 2.30pm, captioned Dec 14, 7.30pm, audio described Dec 22, 2.30pm. DC Moore’s comedy drama adapted from the film Humpday. Sweet Smell Of Success Ends Dec 22, Arcola Theatre, 24 Ashwin Street, E8 3DL Dalston Junction Nov 9 & 10, 12 & 13 previews £18, Nov 14-30, Dec 1-22 TueSat 7.30pm £25, concs £18, Sat 2.30pm £22, concs £15, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sat 2.30pm. Musical drama from the book by John Guare, based on the 1957 film which featured Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis. The Trojan Women Ends Dec 15, Gate Theatre, 11 Pembridge Road (above the Prince Albert Pub), W11 3HQ Notting Hill Gate £10-£20, concs £10£15, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mat from Nov 17, Sat 3pm. Caroline Bird’s version of Euripides’s Greek tragedy.
FRINGE The Changeling Ends Dec 22, Young Vic, 66 The Cut, SE1 8LZ Waterloo £10-£30, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm (press night Nov 26, 7pm, no mat perf Dec 5). The Jacobean tragedy written by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley.
The Architects Starts Tue, ends Jan 6 2013, V22 Workspace, Block F, 100 Clements Road, SE16 4DG Bermondsey Nov 27-30, Dec 1-2 TueThu/Sun previews £10, Fri & Sat previews £15, Dec 4-24, 27-31, Jan 2-6 Tue-Thu £20, Fri & Sat £25, Sun £10, From Nov 27, Tue-Sat 8pm, doors 7pm, Sun 6pm, doors 5pm, mats Sat 3pm, doors 3pm, Sun 1pm,
doors 12noon (press night Dec 4, 8pm, no perf Dec 25 & 26, Jan 1, latter time is final entry point). A promenade show that draws on the mythological tale of the Minotaur. Boy George’s Taboo Ends Mar 31 2013, Brixton Clubhouse, 467 Brixton Road, SW9 8HH Brixton £10, £25, Meal Deal with top price ticket only £32.50, Oct 31 £20, Tue-Sun 7.30pm, mats Sat & Sun 3pm. Boy George’s romantic musical set during the era of the New Romantics Boy Meets Boy Ends Dec 20, Jermyn Street Theatre, 16B Jermyn Street, SW1Y 6ST Piccadilly Circus £20, concs £16.50, Early Bird Tickets if booked before Nov 5 £15, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat & Sun 3pm (press night Nov 27). Bill Solly and Donald Ward’s 1936 musical comedy on how London society is enjoying itself, against the backdrop of the Great Depression and the shadow of Hitler. Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience Ends Dec 22, The Charing Cross Hotel, Strand, WC2N 5HX Charing Cross Tue-Thu/Sun 3-course meal and show £43.50, Fri & Sat £49.50, Tue-Sun 7.30pm, mats Sat & Sun 1.30pm. An interactive comedy inspired by the TV programme. The House Where Winter Lives: Punchdrunk Enrichment (Ages 3-6) Starts Sat, ends Jan 13 2013, Discover Children’s Story Centre, 383-387 High Street, E15 4QZ Stratford £8, child £6, concs £7.50, Dec 1 & 2, 8 & 9, 15 & 16, 22 & 23, 27-31, Jan 2-7, 12 & 13, 11.30am, 1pm, 3pm, 4.30pm, Dec 21, 4.30pm. Immersive storytelling adventure set in a magical forest. The Night Before Christmas: Big Wooden Horse (Ages 3-7) Artsdepot, 5 Nether Street, Tally Ho Corner, N12 0GA Finchley Central £8, Dec 2, 12noon, 3pm, 4.30pm. A traditional children’s pantomime. The Snowman: Birmingham Repertory Theatre Company (Over 3s) Starts Wed, ends Jan 6 2013, Peacock Theatre, Portugal Street, WC2A 2HT Holborn £12-£32, family £95, Nov 28-30, Dec 1, 4-8, 11-15, 21 & 22, 26, 28, 30, Jan 1 & 2, 7pm, mats Dec 1 & 2, 5, 8 & 9, 12, 15 & 16, 20-24, 26-30, Jan 1-6, 2.30pm, Dec 1 & 2, 8 & 9, 15 & 16, 20-24, 27-30, Jan 2-6, 11am. A musical adaptation of Raymond Briggs’s children’s story. Too Many Penguins?: Polka Theatre Ends Feb 16 2013, Polka Theatre, 240 The Broadway, SW19 1SB South Wimbledon £10, concs £8, Nov 27, 29 & 30, Dec 5-7, 11 & 12, 14, 18 & 19, 21, 27, Jan 3-5, 9, 11, 13, 16, 18, 20, 23 & 24, 27, 29 & 30, Feb 1 & 2, 5, 7 & 8, 12 & 13, 15, 2.05pm, Nov 27, 29 & 30, Dec 5-7, 11 & 12, 14, 18 & 19, 21, Jan 3 & 4, 9, 11, 16, 18, 23 & 24, 29 & 30, Feb 1, 5, 7, 12 & 13, 15 & 16, 10.35am, Dec 1, 8, 27, 29, Jan 26, Feb 2, 12.30pm, Dec 1, 8, 29, Jan 12, 26, 11.05am, 2.35pm, Dec 14, Jan 3-5, Jan 9, 11, 13, 18, 20, 27, 29, Feb 7 & 8, 16, 12noon, Dec 27, Jan 5, 3.30pm. Children’s show telling a whimsical tale of friendship. The Wind In The Willows (Ages 5-11): Polka Theatre Ends Feb 16 2013, Polka Theatre, 240 The Broadway, SW19 1SB South Wimbledon £16, concs £11, Nov 23 & 24 previews £11, Dec 15, 29, Jan 5, 19, Feb 2, 9, 5.30pm, mats Nov 29, Dec 15, 29, Jan 3-6, 13, 19 & 20, 27, Feb 2, 8 & 9, 16, 2pm, Dec 1, 8, 22, 28, Jan 12, 26, 11am & 2.30pm, Dec 18-21, 10.30am & 2pm (signed perf Dec 8, 2.30pm, autism friendly perf Jan 5, 5.30pm). Kenneth Grahame’s story of friendship and bravery.
Keith Pattison
OFF WEST END Arab Nights Ends Dec 1, Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE Tottenham Court Road Nov 21 £10, Nov 22-Dec 1 £12.50, concs £10, Tue-Sat 7.45pm, mats Nov 29, Dec 1, 3.30pm (audio described & signed mat perf Dec 1). Short dramas inspired by events in the Middle East and North Africa. But I Cd Only Whisper Ends Dec 1, Arcola Theatre, 24 Ashwin Street, E8 3DL Dalston Junction Mon, Wed-Sat £16, concs £12, Tue pay what you can, Mon-Sat 8pm, mats Sat 3pm. Hard-hitting drama about a returning black Vietnam war veteran accused of a crime. Written by Kristiana Colon. Cinderella Ends Jan 5 2013, Lyric Hammersmith, Lyric Square, King Street, W6 0QL Hammersmith Nov 30, Dec 1 £12.50, Nov 24-29, Dec 2-31, Jan 1-5 £12.50-£35, under 16s £15, family £60, £80, Nov 30, Dec 7, 14, 20 & 21, Jan 2-4, 7pm, Dec 1, 8, 15, 22, 26-29, Jan 5, 6pm, mats Dec 1, 8, 15, 22, 26-29, Jan 2-5, 2pm, Dec 9, 16, 23, 30 & 31, 3pm. Julie Atherton stars as the girl seeking her Prince Charming. A Clockwork Orange Ends Jan 5 2013, Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE Tottenham Court Road Nov 19-22 preview £15, Nov 23-30, Dec 1-31, Jan 1-5 Mon-Wed £17.50, concs £15, Thu-Sat £22.50, concs £20, Mon-Sat 7.15pm, mats Wed, Sat 3pm, Dec 27 & 28, Jan 3, 3pm, no perf Dec 24-26, 31, Jan 1, no mat perf Jan 2. The classic horror tale by Anthony Burgess, presented as a dynamic, all-male physical drama by Action to The Word. The Dark Earth And The Light Sky Ends Jan 12 2013, Almeida Theatre, Almeida Street, N1 1TA Highbury & Islington £8-£32, Mon under 30s £16, concs available, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sat 2.30pm, extra mat perfs Nov 28, Jan 9, no perfs Dec 24-26, 31, captioned perf Dec 11, audio described perf Dec 15, 2.30pm. Nick Dear’s drama about the complex 20th century poet Edward Thomas. David Hoyle & Richard Thomas: Merrie Hell Starts Thu, ends Jan 5 2013, Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE Tottenham Court Road Nov 29-30, Dec 1-4 £10, Dec 5-31, Jan 1-5 Mon-Wed £15, concs £12.50, Thu-Sat £20, concs £17.50, From Nov 29, Mon-Sat 9.30pm, no perf Dec 24-26, 31, Jan 1. Musical cabaret show that puts the filth into festive. Dick Whittington And His Cat Starts Sat, ends Jan 6 2013, Hackney Empire, 291 Mare Street, E8 1EJ Hackney Central £9.50-£29.50, Dec 1, 4-7, 11-14, 19-23, 26-30, Jan 2-4, 7pm, Dec 8, 15 & 16, Jan 5 & 6, 5.30pm, mats Dec 1, 21-24, 26-31, Jan 2-4, 2.30pm, Dec 3-5, 7, 11-14, 19 & 20, 1.30pm, Dec 8, 15 & 16, Jan 5 & 6, 1pm (signed Dec 5, 22). Steve Elias plays Sarah The Cook in a traditional family pantomime. Father Christmas: Pins And Needles (Under 6s) Starts Fri, ends Jan 5 2013, Lyric Hammersmith, Lyric Square, King Street, W6 0QL Hammersmith £8, family £30, From Nov 30, Dec 7, 6.30pm, mats Nov 30, Dec 4-7, 9, 16, 23, 30, 2pm, Dec 1, 8, 29, 31, Jan 2-5, 11am, 1pm, Dec 4-7, 11-13, 15, 18-22, 26-28, 10.30am, Dec 9, 16, 23, 30, 12noon, Dec 11-15, 18-22, 26-28, 12.30pm, Dec 11-15, 19-22, 26-28, 2.30pm, Dec 29, 3pm. An adaptation of the Raymond Briggs book.
WIN Luxury Christmas Dinner delivered direct to your door Got the festive dinner fear? Worry not, HelloFresh.co.uk, the award-winning service that delivers food boxes with recipes and ingredients has developed a Christmas Dinner Box. Scout London has teamed up with HelloFresh.co.uk to take all the stress out of the big day – you could win all the raw ingredients needed to cook a traditional Christmas feast for four to six people, delivered direct to your door with step-bystep photo recipe cards, guiding even the most kitchen-phobic of cooks to festive triumph.
Co, butcher at Smithfield Meat Market for nearly 30 years · Gourmet Christmas pudding with brandy butter, sourced from Wilkin & Sons, also awarded a Royal Warrant · Handmade mince pies · Decadent cheese board · All served with the traditional Christmas sauces and accompaniments, Christmas crackers, and other gifts,
including a Prestat chocolate bauble and Joe & Seph’s mince pie-flavoured popcorn. A box for four to six people costs £155 and a box for eight to 10 people costs £225. Prices include delivery to mainland UK. hellofresh.co.uk
How many Royal Warrants has fishmonger James Knight been awarded? A) One B) Two C) Three To enter text SCOUT DINNER and your answer to 88010 or head to scoutlondon.com/win Texts cost £1*, and count for TWO entries!
Among the items are: · Luxury prawn cocktail starter, from James Knight of Mayfair, the only fishmonger to be awarded two Royal Warrants · Award-winning free range Copas turkey · All the trimmings, including garlic and herb-infused Brussels sprouts with toasted pine nuts, goose fat-roasted Maris Piper potatoes and honey glazed pigs in blankets from Tom Hixson &
* TERMS & CONDITIONS: Messages cost £1 each + standard network rate. 18+ bill payers only. Send STOP to end. Number may show on bill. A2B 08700460138. Closing date Dec 2, 2012. Full details online. The promotion is open to residents of the UK except employees of the Promoter, their families, agents or anyone professionally connected with the promotion. Promotion limited to one entry per person. Responsibility is not accepted for entries lost, damaged or delayed as a result of any network, computer hardware or software failure of any kind. Proof of sending will not be accepted as proof of receipt. For full T&Cs for all competitions, visit scoutlondon.com/win
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