16 January 2009 by This Is London

Est 1956 Issue 2728 Friday 16 January 2009 OLYMPIC CITY 2012

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Welcome to London My very best wishes to everyone for Chinese New Year, 2009. It's the year of the Ox, a symbol of strength, patience and fortitude – qualities that will certainly help see us through the current difficulties.

CONTENTS

Events

Music

Exhibitions

Theatre

Eating Out

Proprietor Julie Jones Advertising Janet Gardener Editorial Sue Webster

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Whilst every care is taken in the preparation of this magazine and in the handling of all the material supplied, neither the Publishers nor their agents accept responsibility for any damage, errors or omissions, however these may be caused.

On Sunday 1 February, the capital's Chinese New Year celebrations will transform central London. Visitors to Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square and Chinatown will see in the Year of the Ox in spectacular style, with a magnificent programme of Chinese arts and entertainment, delicious food, and of course fireworks. In Trafalgar Square, after the official opening ceremony at midday, there will be performances by artists from the Qinghai and Kunming provinces in China, as well as Chinese dragons, lions and Chinese acrobatics. In Chinatown, there will be lion teams, plus cultural stalls and food and, for the first time, Shaftesbury Avenue will become 'Hong Kong in London, with a stage featuring performances by local Chinese artists. The celebrations are a highlight of China in London, a season of events across the city that includes Shanghai Week. Events at the British Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum and in City Hall are focusing on the country's largest city as it gets ready to host the World Expo in 2010. I'm proud that London hosted the world's first Great Exhibition of Works in 1851 and am sure Shanghai will put on a great show next year. In the meantime, there's much to experience right here. Look out for the London Chinese Film Festival, plus events at the National Portrait Gallery, Museum of London in Docklands, Cockpit Theatre and Camden Town Hall. Enjoy the capital's Chinese events and enjoy your time in our city.

Boris Johnson

Mayor of London

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CIRQUE DU SOLEIL BRINGS QUIDAM TO ROYAL ALBERT HALL Cirque du Soleil returns to the UK this month with the jawdropping spectacular Quidam – a visual extravaganza that’s set to bring awe and wonder to the Royal Albert Hall for the New Year. Directed by Franco Dragone, Quidam (pronounced ‘key-dam’) tells the tale of a young girl who lives her life in isolation and solitude, fuelled from being ignored by people in the world who are busy

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being caught up in their own lives. Embarking on an imaginative and terrifying journey, the young girl sees her once alienated world transformed into a place of hope as she meets mysterious characters who seduce her with scenarios that are both marvelous and unsettling. Feted for bringing the impossible to life, Quidam features a thrilling combination of acrobatic artistry, technical expertise and extravagant design, all with musical accompaniment. Over nine million spectators have experienced Quidam, a Cirque du Soleil classic and one of the most theatrical shows in their repertoire. Tickets are on-sale through the Cirque du Soleil ticket-line on 0870 380 0020, or the Royal Albert Hall box office 020 7838 3122.

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HAMPSTEAD THEATRE 50 YEARS CELEBRATED WITH ‘PRIVATE LIVES’ A dynamic revival of Noel Coward’s ‘Private Lives’ opens Hampstead Theatre’s 50th Anniversary celebrations on 22 January. Coward’s enduring bittersweet comedy was Hampstead’s first big hit in its inaugural season in 1962. The 2009 revivial will feature two electronic pairings: Director Lucy Bailey and Tony Award-winning designer Katrina Lindsay team up once again following their daring interpretation of Twelfth Night for Manchester’s Royal Exchange in 2003, and Jasper Britton and Claire Price take on the roles of the infamous divorcees, Elyot and Amanda. Virtuoso composer Errollyn Wallen MBE provides the original music score and sound design.

Private Lives was first produced at the Pheonix Theatre in 1930, starring Noel Coward and Gertrude Lawrence (pictured), with a relatively unknown Laurence Olivier and Adrienne Allen. James Roose-Evans’ production of the play opened in 1962 at Hampstead Theatre at a time when Coward was deeply out of fashion. This sparked new interest in the playwright and he subsequently referred to the production, which he flew to the UK to see, as ‘Dad’s Renaissance’. Box Office telephone 020 7722 9301. Only 8 minutes’ from Bond Street tube! L O N D O N

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CHINA IN LONDON The China in London season, built around the number of events with a Chinese theme that take place across London around the time of Chinese New Year, is designed to encourage understanding and interest in Chinese culture and society and celebrate the contribution of the Chinese community to the city. Chinese New Year itself attracts an audience of up to 300,000 in central London and takes place on Sunday 1 February, with activities in Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square and Chinatown, as outlined by The Mayor in his Welcome to London on page 3. The main focus of China in London this year is Shanghai, which is hosting the World Expo in 2010 and a number of

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events are planned as part of Shanghai Week. The formal launch takes place at the British Museum on 29 January, where the exhibition, 'Treasures of Shanghai', brings together examples of bronzes and jades from the Shanghai Museum collection. It explores their role in ancient China as ritual objects and demonstrates their powerful legacy for later generations. The world's first Great Exhibition of Works of Industry was an international showcase held in London in 1851, created upon the ideal that good design, along with industrial efficiency, was important in improving the quality of life in the modern world. In 2010, China’s World Exposition in Shanghai will explore the full potential of urban life in the 21st century, a significant period in urban evolution. The Expo Forum: ‘From London to Shanghai, Inheritance and Innovation – Wisdom in Urban Development’, on Thursday 29 January at the V & A, brings together the custodians of the legacy of the

first Great Exhibition, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the organisers of the first World Expo to be held in China. Speakers will present projects related to the Shanghai Expo site and case studies on urban renewal and sustainability. Admission free, booking www.vam.ac.uk City Hall is also hosting 'Images of Shanghai', a photographic exhibition documenting the urban look of Shanghai and planning for the Shanghai Expo Park. The Expo site, located on both sides of the Huangpu River, will house pavilions representing over 200 countries and international organisations. With its theme of 'Better City, Better Life,' the World Expo takes place from 1 May - 31 October 2010, and aims to explore the full potential of urban life, focusing on innovation, interaction and cross-cultural dialogue.

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MODEL ENGINEERING – A HOBBY THAT ISN’T JUST FOR CHRISTMAS! A traditional hobby, model engineering is making a comeback as a pastime that can be enjoyed by all ages and as a family, teaching the young new skills and keeping older generations’ minds active. The London Model Engineering Exhibition 2009 is the perfect place to find out more about this fascinating British hobby. From 16–18 January, Alexandra Palace’s Great Hall will be filled with whirring engines, real steam railways and fun activities for all the family when the venue becomes a hive of activities to educate, excite and inspire. Model engineering has been a popular hobby for over a century as a traditional British pastime and is increasing its popularity with young and old and is the perfect hobby in the winter months. The show will bring together model displays of every type with whirring engines and real steam locomotives, model boats, tanks, rockets, aeroplanes, helicopters and lorries. With every size from miniature scale through to garden railways, everyone will find something they want, whether its steam, traction, remote control, plastic or scale modelling. Also at the show, The Imagineering Foundation will be bringing their popular Fair stand to introduce children to the fascinating world of engineering through demonstrations and ‘having a go’. The organisation, formed in response to a drastic shortage of skilled engineers in the UK, will take over an area inside the Model Active Zone at the show getting kids involved with fun, hands on activities, illustrating basic principles of science, engineering and technology.

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WINTER WANDERS – LONDON WALKING WEEKEND Walk London is organising 40 free guided walks over the weekend of Saturday 31 January and Sunday 1 February. Funded by Transport for T H I S

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London, the walks will take place on every section of the 350 mile / 500km Strategic Walk Network in London, which consists of six routes – the London Loop, Capital Ring, Jubilee Walkway, Thames Path, Lee Valley Walk and the South East Green Chain. The walks all fit into one of three themes: Urban Ambles – a wander through the stimulating streets of central London; Suburban Strides – a chance to explore the fringe of the city; and Rural Roams – the beautiful countryside surrounding the Capital. The walks start and finish at an underground station, bus stop or railway station, all within reach of an Oyster Card. Routes have been designed to be away from traffic and connect some of London’s best attractions, parks and open spaces. For further information on Winter Wanders, telephone 0870 240 6094. FRANZ FERDINAND PLAY FREE LUNCH TIME SHOW AT HMV Franz Ferdinand are to celebrate the release of their third studio album, ‘Tonight’, with a free show and signing session at HMV’s flagship store, on Oxford Street in London’s West End on Monday 26 January. Showtime starts at 13.00, after which the band will remain in the store to meet fans and sign copies of the new album, released the same day. M A G A Z I N E

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The Donovan Bar at Brown’s Hotel.

A MARMITE MAKE-OVER FOR THE DORCHESTER’S AFTERNOON TEA Two Great British institutions, Marmite and The Dorchester, are set to form the quintessentially British partnership of 2009, as they team up in January to serve the first ever Marmite afternoon tea. For a limited time only, The Dorchester’s award-winning afternoon tea will begin with a selection of finger sandwiches that includes delicately sliced cucumber sandwiches with the addition of the nation’s most beloved (and hated!) Marmite. This surprising, yet delicious, sandwich combination has become something of a favourite in Britain. Afternoon tea then continues with warm Dorchester-baked scones served with jams and Devonshire clotted cream and a selection of pastries and cakes created by The Dorchester’s team of pastry chefs. The Marmite afternoon tea will be served in The Dorchester’s elegant Promenade from 12-25 January, priced at £31.50 per person or £40.50 with champagne. To reserve a table, telephone 020 7629 8888.

ROCCO FORTE COLLECTION ADDS TWO NEW AWARDS TO ITS NAME The Rocco Forte Collection recently won two awards at the Prix Villegiature ceremony in Paris, when Brown’s Hotel received the ‘Best Service in a European Hotel’ award and The Charles Hotel in Munich topped the ‘Best Hotel Architecture in Europe’ category. Other nominations at the prestigious awards, which are chosen by a jury of 20 top journalists and three leading hotels, included: ‘Grand Prix of the Best European Hotel’ (Brown’s Hotel); ‘Best Bar in a European Hotel’ (Brown’s Hotel The Donovan Bar); and ‘Best Bathroom in a European Hotel’ (Hotel de Russie in Rome). Brown’s Hotel’s General Manager, Stuart Johnson, comments: ‘Excellent service delivery and exceeding customer expectation is the foundation of everything we do at Brown's and at The Rocco Forte Collection. The win is a testament to the hard work of each individual team member as well as the company's continued commitment to training.’ ‘It’s especially pleasing as our Deputy Head Concierge also won ‘London’s Concierge of the Year’ award at the Morris Golden Keys Concierge awards. We are obviously doing something right!’ These are the latest in a recent rush of awards for The Rocco Forte Collection. Sir Rocco is the second only Briton to be inducted into the University of Houston’s illustrious Hospitality Hall of Honour (after his father Lord Charles Forte), and an incredible nine of its 11 hotels feature in Forbes Traveller’s list of 400 best hotels and resorts in the world.

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JONATHAN MILLER DIRECTS ENO IN PUCCINI’S LA BOHÈME Jonathan Miller, renowned director and polymath, returns to English National Opera with a new production of Puccini’s enduringly popular masterpiece La bohème, to be premiered at the London Coliseum on Monday 2 February. ENO has assembled a dynamic cast of young artists, including Peruvian-born conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya making his British opera debut, British tenor Alfie Boe and American soprano Melody Moore, making her UK debut. Miller’s association with ENO stretches back over 30 years and this new production is his first in London for over a decade. This long, fruitful partnership has created some of ENO’s most successful opera productions, including Don Giovanni, The Turn of the Screw, Der Rosenkavalier, The Mikado and Rigoletto. Having started his career in medicine as a neurologist, Miller is admired and respected for the way he delves into the characters and physical reality of his protagonists, brilliantly drawing out references to their personalities from the music. Interpreting this tragic tale of young artists and doomed love, Miller applies his sensitivity, wit and eye with a doctor’s practical approach to illness and death. He cites the genius of Puccini’s

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score in the final death scene in La bohème. Unnoticed by Rodolfo or any of her friends gathered in the room, Mimì slips quietly away, her death marked only by a particular phrase in the score. Miller and his designer Isabella Bywater have set Puccini’s opera in 1930s Paris, the era of the Depression. Together they have created an unromanticised view of bohemian life, of deprivation and squalor, peopled by the demimonde (Miller’s ‘true bohemians’). The set design draws inspiration from the realism and atmosphere caught in the sepia-tinted photos of CartierBresson, Brassaï and Kersesz, as well as being influenced by films from the 1930s, such as Hôtel du Nord and Atalante. ENO’s new production assembles a principal cast of talented young artists, who have all begun to make their mark. Miguel Harth-Bedoya, one of the new generation of driven conductors from South America who is taking the US by storm, makes his UK opera house debut. Alfie Boe, having appeared in Baz Luhrmann’s production of La bohème on Broadway and in Los Angeles, as well as in David McVicar’s Glyndebourne production, returns to ENO to take the part of Rodolfo, following his success last season in The Merry Widow. Boe is a unique artist who has gained critical acclaim in the core operatic repertoire

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Alfie Boe

and has broadened his appeal with cross-over discs for EMI. Boe is joined by the young American soprano Melody Moore, an Adler fellow from the highly respected San Francisco Young Artists Programme, making her British debut as Mimì. Texan-born soprano of Palestinian-Iraqi descent Hanan Alattar, who has sung under Daniel Barenboim and performed with the Berlin Staatsoper, Chicago Symphony and LA Philharmonic, also makes her UK opera debut singing Musetta. Roland Wood, who was seen earlier this Season as Alfio in Cav & Pag, sings Marcello; Colline is sung by the Latvian bass-baritone Pauls Putnin_ and Schaunard by the young British baritone David Stout. La Bohème runs for 13 performances only on 2, 4, 6, 11, 13, 19, 24, 27 February and 4, 6 March at 19.30 and 15 February and 8 March at 15.00 and 21 February at 18.30. Will Kerley is in conversation with Jonathan Miller on 4 February at 17.30 at the Coliseum, tickets £4. Box Office telephone 0871 911 0200.

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Irina Kolesnikova as Nikiya

LaBayadere in

‘A soulful radiance to her technical brilliance that just reeks of potential greatness’ Sunday Express

Sunday 17th May 2009 LONDON COLISEUM

ST PETERSBURG BALLET THEATRE

www.arts-world.co.uk

www.irinakolesnikova.com

Christopher Warren-Green.

LONDON CHAMBER ORCHESTRA ‘BASICALLY BEETHOVEN’ SEASON One of the most polished and intelligent violinists of our time, Augustin Dumay, will perform Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with London Chamber Orchestra on Wednesday 21 January at St John’s Smith Square. Dumay has invited French pianist Delphine Lizé and cellist Justus Grimm from Germany to join him, under the baton of Maestro Warren-Green. Augustin Dumay performs regularly with the leading orchestras of the world including the Berlin Philharmoniker, the Japan Philharmonic and London Symphony Orchestra. Since 2003 he has been the principal conductor of the Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia, Belgium, and from 2008 the Principal Guest Conductor of the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra in Osaka, Japan. Dumay has made extensive recordings for Deutsche Grammophon and EMI. He recently collaborated with Maria João Pires with whom he recorded Beethoven’s complete sonatas for violin and piano for Deutsche Grammophon. Christopher Warren-Green is a highly experienced musician and one of the UK’s most engaging conductors. He regularly appears with RPO, Philharmonia and BBC Concert orchestras. This season, Maestro Warren-Green has worked with the Minnesota and Charlotte Symphony orchestras and in November 2008 conducted the Philharmonia in the 60th birthday celebration concert for HRH The Prince of Wales. Box Office telephone 020 7222 1061. T H I S

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LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA SOUNDS OF SOUTH AMERICA Kristjan Järvi will conduct the London Symphony Orchestra on 20 January at the Barbican, in a concert inspired by the dance idioms of South America including works by Ginastera, Piazzolla and Revueltas. Ginastera’s four-movement suite, adapted from his score for the ballet Estancia, was inspired by life on the ranches of Argentina. The fellow Argentinean tango composer Piazzolla, who helped revolutionise traditional tango into nuevo tango, named his Aconcagua concerto after the highest mountain in the Americas. This concerto for bandoneon, an accordion-like folk instrument from Argentina, will be performed by Dutch musician Carel Kraayenhof. Revueltas’s La Noche de los Mayas was originally a film score and was only arranged into a concert suite some twenty years after his death.

The Estonian-born Kristjan Järvi (pictured) is renowned as one of the most exciting conductors on the international stage and has been hailed by the New York Times as a ‘kinetic force on the podium’. Järvi is Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Tonkünstler Orchestra, Vienna, and New York’s celebrated Absolute Ensemble. As a Guest Conductor, Järvi has performed with the LSO, and also with the Leipzig Gewandhaus, Berlin Radio Symphony, Orchestre National de France and Royal Scottish National orchestras. Box office: 020 7638 8891.

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STEPHEN HOUGH SOUTHBANK CONCERT The recipient of multiple international awards, Stephen Hough is among the most distinctive British pianists of his generation, his playing characterized by an attention to detail, imagination and sonic beauty reminiscent of the ‘golden age’ musicians of bygone years. His Southbank concert programme on Sunday 18 January (15.00), mingles works that complement one another in a fascinating manner, with themes connected with Paris, Cortot and many other ingenious motifs – culminating in Chopin’s mighty B minor Sonata. Tickets telephone 0871 663 2500. ARTHUR RUBINSTEIN PIANO COMPETITION CONCERT The joint Silver medal winners of the 2008 Arthur Rubinstein Competition in Tel Aviv, Ching-Yun Hu and Roman Rabinovich will be making their Wigmore Hall debuts in a joint concert on Thursday 5 February. These two outstanding young artists will show the combined breadth of their backgrounds and performance exposure to date, with Ching-Yun moving from Taiwan to the USA to study at an early age and Roman Rabinovich moving from Tashkent to Israel in 1994 at the age of nine. He is now studying in the USA at the Juillard and Ching-Yun is currently studying at the Royal Academy of Music with Christopher Elton. Box office telephone 020 7935 2141.

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THE WAR OF THE WORLDS 30TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of the ‘War of The Worlds – Alive on Stage!‘ returns to The O2 on 20 June as part of its 13-date 30th Anniversary UK Tour. Following the hugely successful and critically acclaimed sell-out UK tours in both 2006 and 2007, as well as the Australian/New Zealand Tour in September 2007, the highly anticipated show features international hit singles ‘The Eve of The War’ and ‘Forever Autumn’. Jeff Wayne will again be conducting The Black Smoke Band and The ULLAdubULLA Strings, with Jennifer Ellison as Beth, Parson Nathaniel’s wife, and Moody Blues Justin Hayward returning for the third consecutive year as The Sung Thoughts of The Journalist, and Manfred Mann’s Chris Thompson as The Voice of Humanity. Inspired by the HG Wells novel, the album originally released in June 1978 features a compelling blend of prog rock and classical, as well as a spell-binding narration by Richard Burton and outstanding performances by some of the biggest artists of the 70s, including David Essex, Justin Hayward, Phil Lynott and Julie Covington. The album has enjoyed huge success across the globe with some 15 million records sold, spending over 330 weeks in the UK Album Chart (to date) plus T H I S

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achieving two International hit singles. It has also won two prestigious UK Ivor Novello Awards, the US Best Recording in Science Fiction and Fantasy voted by a panel of judges including Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, and last year Jeff won Classic Rock’s ‘Showman of The Year’ Award. Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of The Worlds has grown into a true classic, garnering a new generation of devoted followers, whilst inspiring the faithful listeners from the past decades. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Jeff Wayne’s multi-platinum awardwinning work, a special Limited Edition box-set of 2006’s debut UK Arena tour is being released. Tickets are now on sale from The O2 by telephone on 0844 856 0202. THRILLER LIVE Lyric Theatre Thriller – Live is a spectacular, highoctane show created to celebrate the career of one of the world’s greatest entertainers and the undisputed King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson has sold more than 750 million records and has had 13 number one singles, more than any other male artist. He is also one of the few to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice; once as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1997 and later as a solo artist in 2001. His M A G A Z I N E

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numerous other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records, including one for ‘Thriller’ as the world's best-selling album of all time, 100 million copies to date. Born 29 August, 1958, Michael Joseph Jackson was the seventh child of the Jackson family. He made his professional debut at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5 and began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group. Hailed as the ‘King of Pop’ in subsequent years, five of his solo studio albums have become among the world's best-selling records. An early star of MTV and the art of making pop videos, Michael broke down racial barriers, transformed the art of the music video and paved the way for modern pop music. The show features mega-hit songs from The Jackson 5 and his solo career including, ‘I Want You Back’, ‘I'll Be There’, ‘Show You The Way To Go’, ‘Can You Feel It’, ‘Rock With You’, ‘She's Out Of My Life’, ‘Thriller’, ‘Beat It’, ‘Ben’, ‘ABC’, ‘Man in the Mirror’, ‘Dirty Diana’, ‘Billie Jean’, ‘Earth Song’, and many more. To bring to life on stage the distinctive dancing and sound of many of pop's greatest hits, Thriller – Live includes eye-popping video footage and effects together with choreography by award-winning director Gary Lloyd and additional choreography by five-time MTV award-winning LaVelle Smith Jnr and Kerys Nathan. Tickets from the box office telephone 0844 412 4661.

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EDWARD SCISSORHANDS A young boy, Edward, loves playing with scissors. He is struck dead by lightning (we suppose) and so his inventor father fashions a new Edward on an old sewing machine. This one has scissors for hands. When his father is so terrorised by a motley mob of Hallowe’en pranksters that he drops dead, Edward Scissorhands ventures out from his spooky castle into the local town – and that’s when all the trouble begins. Tim Burton’s wonderfully dark, Gothic romance first captured choreographer Matthew Bourne’s imagination in 1990. He spent seven years re-working it into a ballet, but it has all been worthwhile – since 2005 the production has toured the world, and this special holiday stint at Sadlers Wells feels like coming home. For new audiences, and even for audiences less enamoured of dance than drama, this is a brilliant show. With its strong narrative thread, its classic themes of man-makes-monster, odd boy yearns for acceptance amongst peers and true love overcomes any disability, it appeals to all age groups. Besides, Edward (danced here with a gift for both comedy and pathos by Matthew Malthouse) and his delicious naiveté make for plenty of visual hilarity. Edward topiarising the neighbourhood’s bay trees; Edward dancing with assembled hedges; Edward snipping at the coiffed heads of local housewives, only to turn them out as pineappleheads or punks – all these scenes are laugh out loud funny. Not that Bourne’s trademark eroticism is entirely absent from this ballet. The young people of Edward’s town dance out T H I S

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their testosterone with swaggering thrusts which often spill over into violence. The bored wife who seduces Edward is frustrated by interruptions from her bowlegged husband, but finishes by straddling the washing machine in full spin cycle as he pumps oil into the lawnmower. All this, plus a panoply of gorgeous 1950s chic and the violin-enriched strains of Terry Davies’ arrangements, and you have a feel-good factor which is only briefly undermined by the sadness of Edward’s demise. Odd boy driven to destruction by straight-laced, smalltown folk? Somehow, it does not seem all that tragic. Sue Webster THE FAMILY REUNION T.S. Eliot's 1939 verse play conjures up another era and a different way of life in an atmospheric revival, staged as the centrepiece of the Donmar's festival commemorating the work of the American born playwright. It's quintessentially English, with the sands of time draining remorselessly into the corners of Bunny Christie's gloomy, wood-panelled country house set where the aristocratic Monchesey family has gathered to celebrate the birthday of the steely, controlling matriarch (Gemma Jones) and the anticipated arrival of her three sons. But it also draws on the tradition of Greek tragedy with a quartet of antiquated relatives forming a bemused and amusing chorus trying to make sense of events, and the three Eumenides (here reimagined as ghostly little boys) pursuing Sam West's tortured Harry. Returning home after an 8 year absence and the death of the wife whom he professes to have pushed overboard, he cannot escape the guilt within which accompanies him wherever he goes. The heightened, poetic language veers from the eerily disturbing to the totally obscure, but the quality of the acting coupled with the bleak intensity of Jeremy Herrin's stylish production more than compensate for the frustratingly abstruse and seemingly nonsensical passages. Louise Kingsley

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JIMMY OSMOND GUEST STARS IN GREASE AT THE PICCADILLY Legendary singer Jimmy Osmond will be swapping ‘Long Haired Lover from Liverpool’ for ‘Beauty School Drop Out’ when he joins the cast of the smash-hit musical Grease this week. Making his West End debut, Jimmy will play ‘Teen Angel’ from19 January to 14 March at the Piccadilly Theatre. Grease is celebrating the 15th anniversary of its opening in the West End and the original movie will be celebrating its 30th anniversary later this month, reinforcing the show’s enduring appeal and popularity. Since breaking out on Broadway in 1972, Grease’s place has been firmly established in the cultural Hall of Fame, having seduced the hearts of millions with its back-to-back sizzling tunes. The show features all the unforgettable songs from the hit film including ‘You’re The One That I Want’, ‘Sandy’, ‘Grease Is The Word’, ‘Hopelessly Devoted’, ‘Summer Nights’ and many more. This production originally opened in the West End in 1993 (co-produced with Robert Stigwood) where it enjoyed a fantastic run of 6 years. Since 1993, it has been seen by over 9 million people and has grossed over £175 million in the UK alone. Box Office: 0844 412 6666.

Jimmy Osmond.

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LONDON’S SEXIEST MUSICAL SHOW- STOPPING SMOOTH LEGS BY

EPILATORS

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David Howell PRSMA ,SEA (b.1939): Summer Rain, Langton Wold. Watercolour 30 x 50 cm. Jack Fine Art.

WATERCOLOURS & DRAWINGS FAIR IN COVENT GARDEN The Watercolours & Drawings Fair will be open from 4 – 8 February at a new exhibition space, all on one floor, in Russell Street, Covent Garden – the first art fair to be held in one of London’s most vibrant neighbourhoods. The Fair is a works on paper fair, the only such fair in the UK. It starts with some Old Master Drawings, runs through the 18th and 19th centuries, through Modern British to the Contemporary and includes drawings, watercolours, prints, and photographs, with a section devoted to Artist's Books. It is a fair with something for everyone – but selected by experts. One of the main strengths of this fair is the quality of exhibits. Buyers can purchase with confidence as the entire fair is vetted by a committee of experts. The intriguing world of handmade artist’s books is featured in the Covered! section of the fair, and the visitors can explore the ARTPHOTO room dedicated to photographs from the earliest period to the present day. There is also an exciting loan exhibition, Crisis? What Crisis? showing artwork for cartoons, commenting on

financial crises over the last 100 years. Wit, wisdom and fine artwork will be represented by artists such as William Heath Robinson, Rowland Emmett, Sir Osbert Lancaster and Nicolas Bentley, as well as more contemporary ones from Gerald Scarfe (The Sunday Times) Peter Brookes (The Times) Mac (Daily Mail) and Steve Bell (Guardian), amongst others.

Right: Robin Tanner (1904-1988): White Violets . Etching 12 x 10cm. Hilary Chapman Fine Prints. T H I S

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Visitors can also investigate Pictures in Mind, a loan exhibition of original illustrations for books and magazines, borrowed from private collections of members of the Imaginative Book Illustration Society. Works will be shown by well known names such as Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac, Walter Crane and E.H Shepard. The Watercolours & Drawings Fair is at The Flower Cellars, Russell Street, Covent Garden, WC2. Open daily at 11.00 except Wednesday 15.00-21.00 (by invitation only). Closing times Thurs at 21.00, Fri 20.30, Sat 20.00 and Sunday at 17.30. Fair information online at www.watercoloursfair.com or telephone 01798 861 815 TIM LEE AT THE HAYWARD PROJECT SPACE To open the New Year, the Hayward Project Space is presenting a number of recent and new works by Canadian artist Tim Lee (born Seoul, Korea, 1975). With comedic aplomb, Lee is known to employ a range of media, including video and photography to revisit key moments from the life and works of a variety of cultural icons from artists to comedians to explore notions of the original and the replica. For his exhibition at The Hayward Project Space, Lee is showing work informed by various artistic figures – the Russian constructivist photographer Alexander Rodchenko, the American artist Dan Graham, and the American comedian Steve Martin – underlining both Lee’s relationship to them, and their (perhaps unexpected) relationship to each other. Often skating close to absurdity, Lee’s ‘cover versions’ emphasise that cultural history, far from being fixed, is in a constant state of flux – changing with every fresh perspective on it. L O N D O N

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Eugene Verboeckhoven: Cossacks in Winter oil on paper laid down on panel 34 x 29.5 cm.

RUSSIA & EUROPE IN NINETEENTH CENTURY AT SPHINX FINE ART Sphinx Fine Art recently opened its doors for its first selling exhibition, Russia & Europe in the Nineteenth Century. Named after the 14th century BC Sphinxes that flank the Russian Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, the gallery has built up a collection of over 600 Russian, Old Master and nineteenth century European paintings. The collection was formed by Edward Strachan and in 2007 the Old Master expert Roy Bolton joined Edward to create a gallery that reflects their mutual vision: to re-unite Russian and Western European art in the minds of the art world. The gallery has devised an ambitious schedule of exhibitions that build on this theme to bring Russian painting into the mainstream of Western art, while at the same time re-awakening the links between Old Masters and Russian painting in Russia itself. Russia & Europe in the Nineteenth Century includes works by Aivazovsky, Repin, Nesterrov, Harlamoff, Shishkin, and Makovski. Sphinx Fine Art is at 125 Kensington Church Street, W8. For further information, telephone 020 7313 8040.

NATIONAL GALLERY OLD MASTERS INSPIRES YOUNG COMPOSERS ‘Composing Through Art’ is an innovative collaboration between the National Gallery and the London Chamber Orchestra, in which students from across the UK studying music, composition and sound design will have the opportunity to discuss affinities between music and painting in relation to the National Gallery’s collection. Young composers participating in this thought-provoking project have been asked to write a composition to be submitted in March 2009. The piece will be inspired by Bronzino’s painting An Allegory with Venus and Cupid (probably 1540–50). Notorious for its ambivalence, eroticism and obscure imagery, Bronzino’s painting is a thrilling and layered stimulus for composers. An Allegory with Venus and Cupid was chosen based on the myriad visceral themes and connotations, which still resonate in modern life. The appearance of the painting generously lends itself to the musical imagination through the colliding themes of Olympian decadence

versus the darkest corners of human temptation. Controversial and macabre, the composition tactically draws you into the three main themes of Lust, Jealousy and Deceit. The painting itself is structured as a whirlwind of themes and figures supporting a central motif. This provides a composer with a multitude of paths, ranging from a single musical representation of the core Venus/Cupid relationship, or the surrounding influencing forces, to the abstraction of the compositional whole. With the help of experts, including LCO resident composer Graham Fitkin, George Fenton (composer for Planet Earth and Blue Planet) and musician David Gordon, the young composers will examine the themes and figures, shapes, colours, rhythms and forms found within the painting. On 6 May, the London Chamber Orchestra will perform a special concert of the selected students’ work at St John’s, Smith Square. There will also be a concert at the National Gallery in front of Bronzino’s An Allegory with Venus and Cupid on 5 June.

discover art on paper • drawings • prints • artist’s books • watercolours • posters • photographs

4 - 8 February 2009 New Venue

COVENT GARDEN, LONDON the flower cellars, 4-6 russell street, covent garden WC2B 5HZ

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01798 861 815

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This is Europe

CARNIVAL IN COLOGNE Carnival in Cologne is almost as old as the history of the city itself. But the organised carnival celebrated today only dates back 180 years. The Greeks and Romans celebrated cheerful spring festivals in honour of Dionysos and Saturn with wine, women and song. The ancient Germans celebrated the winter solstice as an homage to the Gods and expulsion of the evil winter demons. Later the Christians adopted the heathen customs. The period of fasting (Lent) prior to Easter was heralded in by ‘Fastnacht’ or ‘Karneval’ – carne vale = Farewell to meat! In the Middle Ages, the celebration of Carnival, the masquerade, often took on drastic forms, very much to the displeasure of the city council and the church. Bans and ordinances did little to help, the celebration was wild and spirited. The boisterous street carnival was extended in the 18th century to include the so-called ‘Redouten’, elegant masked and fancy-dress balls in Venetian style, which were initially the preserve of the aristocracy and the wealthy patricians. T H I S

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In 1736, the first Redoute was held in Cologne in a noble house on the Neumarkt. Almost 50 years later, Cologne was captured by the French revolutionary troops. But the new rulers allowed the locals ‘de faire son tour’, to hold their carnival parades. The Prussians, who took control a short time later, were stricter. They, however, did not prevent the natives of Cologne from cultivating their Carnival tradition. Carnival was romanticised and became bourgeois. It became organised! In 1823, the ‘Festordnende Komitee’ was founded and on 10 February of that year, Cologne celebrated the first Rose Monday Parade with the motto ‘Inthronisation of the Carnival Hero’. Today, there are over 180 carnival societies, local history societies and district groups in Cologne which celebrate their home town festival with balls and parades. The highlight is always the Rose Monday Parade.

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The 2009 motto is ‘Our Carnival is heavenly crazy!’ The ‘crazy’ days this year start with Womens Carnival Day on Thursday 19 February. This is the day to experience the Carnival in its traditional form. Early in the morning, the streets are alive with ladies in fancy-dress on their way to the office, their place of work or to shops, and from 10.00 they all head towards the Alter Markt where the street Carnival is officially opened by the three principal Carnival figures: the Prince, the Peasant and the Virgin. The climax of Carnival is, as always, on Rose Monday, 23 February, with the big official parade, a colourful spectacle with thousands of people in fancy dress. At midnight, on Tuesday 24 February, amid great weeping and wailing, the ‘Nubbel’ (a life-size straw figure) is ceremonially burnt, before Ash Wednesday on 25 February, when, traditionally, fish dinners are served in all restaurants and pubs around the city.

For further information and hotel reservations, contact the Cologne Tourist Board, opposite the Cathedral, telephone (0221) 221 30400. www.koelntourismus.de Germanwings flies from London Stansted to Cologne daily, prices from the website on www.germanwings.com

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HALF TERM TREAT! THE INTERNATIONAL SMASH HIT

‘IDEAL FOR KIDS’ SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

ALSO ON SUNDAYS AT 3PM & 6PM

AMBASSADORS THEATRE 08448 112 334 WWW.STOMPLONDON.COM

CAROUSEL Savoy Theatre I am frequently asked which five musicals I would like to take to a desert island with me, and while my answers invariably depend on the mood of the moment, the one that never changes is Carousel. Written by Rodgers and Hammerstein in 1945, a year after their first collaboration, Oklahoma! and based on a Hungarian play by Ferenc Molnar called Liliom, it has, arguably, the greatest, most melodious score R & H ever wrote. Beginning with the lilting Carousel Waltz, and ending with a reprise of You’ll Never Walk Alone, there isn’t a note in it that isn’t burnished with inspiration. One great tune follows another, and of all the memorable R & H love duets, is there any more hauntingly lovely – or moving than If I Loved You, sung by carnival barker Billy Bigelow and Julie Jordan, the factory girl he eventually marries – and to whom he brings such sadness? Indeed, the scene, very early on in the show, in which Billy and Julie meet and fall in love is one of the most lyrical, brilliantly conceived in all musical comedy. The heartbreak that follows, as Billy loses his job, becomes a wife-beater and ultimately takes his own life after a robbery in which

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he is involved goes wrong, is hardly what audiences in 1945 expected from their musicals. Yet, such was the ground-breaking genius of the team who wrote Carousel, that they were able to turn a potential nogo subject into a three-hankie weepie. Far from being a downer, it sends audiences home with hope in their hearts and on a decided high. Yes, it is shamelessly sentimental, and yes, the fantasy elements in Act Two may not sit well with folk who like their musicals raunchier and with more sophistication attached. Well, that’s their loss. For me, from the moment Billy returns to earth on a day’s furlough from Heaven in order to redeem himself in the eyes of his wife and teenage daughter, tears begin to well, and they don’t stop until the curtain call. And so it once again proved in Lindsay Posner’s glorious revival which also benefits from Adam Cooper’s robust choreography and William Dudley’s stunning visual concept. That said, there were occasions when I thought the show needlessly over-amplified, and I’d have preferred a more charismatic Billy Bigelow than Jeremiah James, who sang better than he acted. No problems, though, with Alexandra Silber’s Julie – the best I’ve ever seen; Alan Vicary’s splendidly sung Mr. Snow, Lesley Garrett’s feisty and full-throated Nettie Fowler, and Graham MacDuff as Jigger, Billy’s obnoxious partner in crime. A wonderful revival, then, and a chance to sample the pleasures of the classic Broadway musical at its very, very best. CLIVE HIRSCHHORN

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OLIVER! OPENS AT THE THEATRE ROYAL DRURY LANE Lionel Bart’s musical masterpiece OLIVER!, starring Rowan Atkinson as ‘Fagin’, Jodie Prenger and Tamsin Carroll in the role of ‘Nancy’ and Burn Gorman as ‘Bill Sikes’, opens at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane this week. Rupert Goold (winner of the 2008 Olivier Award ‘Best Director’) directs the production, which is based on Sam Mendes’ triumphant 1994 staging, along with Tony Award-winning co-director and choreographer Matthew Bourne. The 1994 London Palladium production grossed more than £40 million at the box office. The production at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane promises to be even more spectacular than ever before, with a cast and orchestra of over one hundred. The sensational score is full of Lionel Bart’s irresistible songs including Food Glorious Food, Consider Yourself, You've Got to Pick-a-Pocket or Two, I'd Do Anything, Oom Pah Pah, As Long As He Needs Me, and many more. Box Office is on 0844 412 2955. L O N D O N

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LONDON’S ALIVE WITH...

soundofmusiclondon.com

0844 412 4655 LONDON PALLADIUM

A R G Y L L S T, L O N D O N W 1 A R E A L LY U S E F U L G RO U P T H E AT R E

LONDON’S No.1 MUSICAL

0844 412 6666 greasethemusical.co.uk PICCADILLY THEATRE off Piccadilly Circus

PLAYS

MUSICALS

COTTESLOE THEATRE GETHSEMANE Richly imagined ensemble play by David Hare about British public life, which looks at the way business, media and politics are now intertwined to nobody’s advantage.

WELL Lisa Kron’s Tony Award nominated play starring Sarah Miles and Natalie Casey. A riveting mother/daughter showdown of comedy of heartbreaking home truths. Mon-Sat at 20.00. Mats Weds & Sat at 15.00. APOLLO THEATRE Shaftesbury Avenue, W1 (0870 890 1101)

MRS AFFLECK Samuel Adamson’s new play takes Ibsen’s ‘Little Eyolf’ as the inspiration for a passionate and tragic tale of obsessive love, set in 1950 England.

THE 39 STEPS Maria Aitken’s tongue-in-cheek adaptation of John Buchan’s whodunnit has four actors playing 150 parts and includes all the legendary scenes from Hitchcock’s movie. Evgs at 20.00. Mats Tue at 15.00, Sat at 16.00. CRITERION THEATRE Piccadilly Circus, WC2 (0844 847 1778) A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE Major revival of Arthur Miller’s classic play with Ken Stott and Mary Elizabeth Mastrontonio. Lindsay Posner directs. Mon-Sat at 19.30. Mats Wed & Sat at 14.30. DUKE OF YORK’S St. Martin’s Lane, WC2 (0870 060 6623) THE WOMAN IN BLACK An innocent outsider, a suspicious rural community, a gothic house and a misty marsh are the ingredients of this Victorian ghost story, now in its 17th year. Mon-Sat at 20.00. Mats Tues at 15.00, Sat at 16.00. FORTUNE THEATRE Russell Street, WC2 (0870 060 6626)

NATIONAL THEATRE South Bank, SE1 (020 7452 3000)

DIRTY DANCING Based on the ‘80s movie, this famous tale involves a daddy’s girl and a dance instructor at a New York holiday resort during the long, hot summer of 1963. Evgs at 19.30. Mats Fri & Sat at 15.00. ALDWYCH THEATRE Aldwych, WC2 (0870 4000 704)

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM Gregory Doran reprises his acclaimed 2005 Royal Shakespeare Company production of Shakespeare’s best loved comedy. Mon-Sat at 19.15. Mats Thurs & Sat at 13.00. NOVELLO THEATRE Aldwych, WC2 (0870 950 0935) COMPLICIT Oscar winning actor, Richard Dreyfuss, stars in the world premiere of Joe Sutton’s new play, directed by Kevin Spacey. A powerful, American play that explores our current political climate. Mon-Sat at 19.30. Wed & Sat at 14.30. OLD VIC The Cut, SE1 (0870 060 6628) THE MOUSETRAP Agatha Christie’s whodunnit is the longest running play of its kind in the history of the British theatre. Mon-Sat at 20.00. Mats Tues at 14.45 & Sat at 17.00. ST MARTIN’S THEATRE West Street, WC2 (0870 162 8787)

Roya l Na t iona l The a t re (Plays In Repertory) OLIVIER THEATRE WAR HORSE Powerful and imaginative adaptation of the children’s novel by Michael Morpurgo, about a boy who pursues his horse to the trenches in the First World War. Features magnificent, life-sized puppets. Suitable for 12+yrs. EVERY GOOD BOY DESERVES FAVOUR A play for actors and orchestra by Tom Stoppard and Andre Previn. A dissident is locked up in an asylum, sharing his cell with a real lunatic who believes himself to be surrounded by an orchestra. LYTTELTON THEATRE AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY The dark side of the Midwestern American family is exposed in this exciting new play by Tracy Letts of the Steppenwolf Company.

PIAF Elena Roger stars in this Donmar Warehouse production, a captivating bio-play by Pam Gems in which the glamour and squalor of the extraordinary French singer, Edith Piaf, is brought to life. Evgs at 19.45. Mats Weds & Sat at 15.00. Until 24 January. VAUDEVILLE THEATRE Strand, WC2 (0870 890 0511) TWELFTH NIGHT Shipwrecked and fearing her twin brother dead, Viola is swept onto the shores of Illyria. Shakespeare’s comedy of cross-dressing and mistaken identity, with Derek Jacobi as Malvolio in this Donmar Warehouse production. Tues-Sat at 19.30; mats Weds & Sat at 14.30. Until 7 March. WYNDHAM’S THEATRE Charing Cross Road, WC2 (0870 950 0925)

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WICKED THE MUSICAL Hit Broadway story of how a clever, misunderstood girl with emerald green skin and a girl who is beautiful and popular turn into the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch in the Land of Oz. Evgs at 19.30. Mats Wed & Sat at 14.30. APOLLO VICTORIA THEATRE Wilton Rd, SW1 (0870 161 1977) THE JUNGLE BOOK Rudyard Kipling’s classic story about Mowgli, the boy who is raised in the jungle by a family of wolves. Danger and surprises mingle with music and dance in this popular family show. 9 December – 24 January. BLOOMSBURY THEATRE 15 Gordon Street, WC1 (020 7388 8822) CHICAGO A dazzling mixture of sinuous bodies, tough broads, murder and fickle fame, the Ebb-Fosse musical goes from strength to strength in this monochrome production. Mon-Thurs at 20.00. Fri at 16.30 & 20.00. Sat at 15.00 & 20.00. CAMBRIDGE THEATRE Earlham Street, WC2 (0870 890 1102) SUNSET BOULEVARD A new and intimate production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s highly acclaimed musical, which premiered at the Adelphi Theatre in 1993, where it ran for almost four years and played to nearly two million people. Mon-Sat at 19.30. Wed & Sat at 14.30. COMEDY THEATRE Panton Street, SW1 (0870 060 6637) WE WILL ROCK YOU A unique collaboration between the legends of rock and Ben Elton, reflecting the scale and spectacle that marked Queen’s live performances. Mon-Sat at 19.30. Mats Sat at 14.30. Extra show last Wed of month at 14.30. DOMINION THEATRE Tottenham Court Rd, W1 (0870 169 0116)

THE PITMEN PAINTERS Following sell-out seasons, Lee Hall’s new play returns to the Lyttelton. A humorous, deeply moving and timely look at art, class and politics.

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JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic family musical based on the Biblical story of the errant son and his jealous brothers. Includes the hit song, ‘Any Dream Will Do.’ Mon, Wed-Sat at 19.30, Mats Wed & Sat at 15.00. ADELPHI THEATRE Strand, WC2 (0870 403 0303)

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BUDDY THE MUSICAL Following the tragically short life of rock’n’roll idol Buddy Holly, from his first recording contract to his fatal tour of Midwest America with Ritchie Valens, this show has all the great tunes, including ‘That’ll Be the Day’ and ‘Peggy Sue’. Evgs at 19.30. Mats Thur & Sat at 15.00. DUCHESS THEATRE Catherine Street, WC2 (0870 890 1103) ZORRO THE MUSICAL Inspired by Isabel Allende’s bestseller ‘Zorro – A Novel’, this musical retells the dramatic story of the wealthy caballero and master swordsman in Spanish California, who defends the people against injustice — to the beat of the Gypsy Kings. Evgs at 19.30. Mats Thurs & Sat at 15.00. GARRICK THEATRE Charing Cross Road, WC2 (0870 890 1104) THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Long running epic romance by Andrew Lloyd Webber, set behind the scenes of a Paris opera house, where the deformed phantom stalks his prey. Mon-Sat at 19.30. Mats Tues & Sat at 14.30. HER MAJESTY’S THEATRE Haymarket, SW1 (0870 890 1106) THE SOUND OF MUSIC Major revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical about the singing von Trapp family, first made famous on Broadway in 1959, when it won six Tony Awards, then in the 1965 Hollywood film starring Julie Andrews, which won five Oscars. Still a perfect delight. Mon, Wed, Thur, Fri at 19.30; Tue at 19.00. Mats Wed & Sat at 14.30. LONDON PALLADIUM Argyll Street, W1 (0870 145 1163) THE LION KING Disney‘s phenomenally successful animated film is transformed into a spectacular stage musical, a superb evening of visual delight. Tues-Sat at 19.30. Mats Weds & Sat at 14.00. Sun at 15.00. LYCEUM THEATRE Wellington Street, WC2 (0870 243 9000) THRILLER – LIVE Spectacular, high octane show celebrating the career of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5. Tues-Sat at 20.00. Sat at 16.00. Sun at 15.30 & 19.30. LYRIC THEATRE Shaftesbury Avenue, W1 (0870 890 1107) STOMP This British theatrical sensation has enthralled audiences across the world with its combination of theatre, dance, comedy and percussion. Mon, Thur-Sat at 20.00. Mats Thur & Sat at 15.00. NEW AMBASSADORS West Street, WC2 (020 7369 1761) AVENUE Q An unholy comedic alliance of humans and puppets tells the story of life on the wrong side of the tracks in this Tony Award-winning musical by T H I S

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Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx. Mon-Thur at 20.00; Fri at 17.30 & 20.30; Sat at 17.00 & 20.30. NOEL COWARD St Martin's Lane, WC2 (0870 850 9175)

BLOOD BROTHERS Willy Russell’s powerful musical about twins from Liverpool, separated at birth, whose paths cross in friendship and finally in bloodshed. Mon-Sat at 19.45. Mats Thurs at 15.00 & Sat at 16.00. PHOENIX THEATRE Charing Cross Road, WC2 (0870 060 6629) GREASE THE MUSICAL Inimitable slice of 50s Americana, bursting with denim, cheerleaders and well-oiled quiffs. MonThur at 19.30; Fri 17.30 & 20.30; Sat at 15.00 &19.30. PICCADILLY THEATRE Denman Street, W1. (0870 060 0123) MICHAEL ROSEN’S PINOCCHIO Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen gives this classic tale of the wooden puppet who just wants to have fun a fresh, new adaptation. With live music and lots of silly business. Until 7 February. POLKA THEATRE FOR CHILDREN 240 The Broadway, SW19 (020 8543 4888) LA CAGE AUX FOLLES Major revival of the classic Jerry Herman musical, which became the biggest new American musical of the decade when it opened on Broadway in 1983. A timeless and deliciously funny tale of family values and the need to be proud of who we are, and where life is never a drag! Mon-Sat at 19.30. Mats Thurs & Sat at 14.30. PLAYHOUSE Northumberland Ave, WC2 (0870 060 6631) JERSEY BOYS Rags to riches tale of four blue collar kids working their way from the streets of Newark to the heights of stardom as Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. Features such hits as ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’, ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’ and ‘Sherry’. Evgs at 19.30. Mats Tues & Sat at 14.30. PRINCE EDWARD THEATRE Old Compton Street, W1 (0870 850 9191) MAMMA MIA Hit musical based on the songs of ABBA, set around the story of a mother and daughter, on the eve of the daughter’s wedding. Mon-Thur at 19.30. Fri at 17.00 & 20.30. Sat at 15.00 & 19.30. PRINCE OF WALES THEATRE Old Compton Street, W1 (0870 850 0393) LES MISERABLES Much praised and spectacularly staged version of Victor Hugo’s epic novel. Mon-Sat at 19.30. Mats Weds & Sat at 14.30. QUEENS THEATRE Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2 (0870 950 0930)

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QUIDAM – CIRQUE DU SOLEIL Cirque du Soleil returns to the Royal Albert Hall with the jaw-droppingly spectacular Quidam (pronounced ‘key-dam’). A thrilling combination of acrobatic artistry (pictured above), technical expertise and extravagant design– a Cirque du Soleil classic must see. ROYAL ALBERT HALL Kensington Gore, SW7 (0844 847 1594) CAROUSEL The story of the love affair between Billy Bigelow, a smooth-talking carousel barker, and Julie Jordan, a naïve young mill worker, the show is set to one of the most ravishing and celebrated scores of all time, including The Carousel Waltz, If I Loved You, June is Bustin’ Out All Over and You’ll Never Walk Alone. SAVOY THEATRE Savoy Court, WC2 (0870 164 8787) HAIRSPRAY THE MUSICAL Tracy Turnblad, the big girl with the big hair and an even bigger heart goes from 60s style dance show to a downtown rhythm and blues record shop in this musical based on the John Waters movie. Evgs at 19.30. Mats Thurs & Sat at 15.00. SHAFTESBURY THEATRE Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2 (020 7379 5399) OLIVER Cameron Mackintosh’s revival of Lionel Bart’s classic musical, starring Rowan Atkinson as ‘Fagin’, along with a ‘Nancy’ and ‘Oliver’ chosen by the British public. Mon-Sat at 19.30. Mats Wed & Sat at 14.30. THEATRE ROYAL DRURY LANE Catherine Street, WC2 (0870 890 1109) BILLY ELLIOT – THE MUSICAL The hit British film is transformed into a thrilling stage musical by its original director, Stephen Daldry, with music by Elton John. Mon-Sat at 19.30. Mats Thurs & Sat at 14.30. VICTORIA PALACE Victoria Street, SW1 (0870 895 5577) AMAZONIA In this Brazilian celebration inspired by people’s hero Chico Mendes, life is changing for the villagers of Todos Os Santos. Danger and desire are unleashed and the Amazon trembles. Can the spirits of the forest save the villagers? Until 24 January. YOUNG VIC The Cut, SE1 (020 7922 2922) I S

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TIBITS Wild colours. Cool seating. Trendy people. Doesn’t sound much like a vegetarian restaurant, does it? Indeed many diners fail to notice the lack of fish, flesh or fowl at Tibits. In a barnlike space on Heddon Street – the West End’s most intensely populated ‘restaurant alley’ – three Swiss brothers are offering a refreshing new concept which clearly appeals to all age groups. Tibits is the name (derived from ‘tidbits’) of four highly successful such eateries in Switzerland. According to press releases, London was chosen for this latest opening since the city ‘has a cosmopolitan eating out culture’ and, judging by the constant influx of customers only a week later, the owners have not made a mistake in that regard. Apart from the Designers Guild chair coverings and wallpapers in citrussy shades of pink, lime and chocolate, most prominent is a metallic, boatshaped structure, which is both hot and cold buffet. You can take anything you like away, but if you eat in, the salads and hot dishes are weighed and charged at the same rate - £2.50 for 100g. What this means, in effect, is that if you are as greedy as I was, a large plate heaped with around fifteen different types of salad is likely to cost £8-ish; if less ambitious, like my specially selected T H I S

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vegetarian friend, perhaps £7. Whatever, we found this excellent value. The baseline is that everything is freshly made and carefully prepared. So leaf salads, beetroots, potato, carrot salad and so on are all as they should be. Beyond that, impressive combinations range from a wonderfully fiery apple and ginger salad; marinated fennel salad, dried (and rehydrated) French bean salad, aubergine and sprouted quinoa salads. These were all

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quite inspiring. Amongst the hot dishes – which change all the time – a creamy dish of ‘Zurich strips’ is made with tofu and mushrooms and the mushroom risotto is made with spelt and worked very well as a dish which had to be kept warm, unlike rice. Kachari is one of the Indian recipes which is used as a staple – it’s a pastry case full of peas and vegetables – but vadai would be my favourite, a lentil fritter best eaten with the home made date chutney. Drinks served at the bar will no doubt be quickly discovered by the glamorous youth imbibing cocktails on the street late at night, for Tibits is no hairshirtand-sandal outfit. You can drink superb leaf teas if you want, but also cocktails made with fresh fruit juices (how wholesome!) and very reasonably priced wines (from £3.50/glass.) Desserts on the buffet did not win our admiration. Fruit salad; tiramisu stuffed with oranges and a rogue dish of chocolate sauce seemed disconnected and ill thought out. Pastries at the bar, however, from Amaretti tartlets to traditional Swiss ‘Schnecke’ and big, gorgeous brownies all looked irresistible. Tibits is open all day from 8 am, after all. You can bring children and let them loose in the kiddy corner on the lower ground with its books and drawing equipment. They can choose their own meal from the big boat and might discover they like salad after all. We plan to sneak round here for take-outs and eat-ins because, even for old cynics like us, it’s a great discovery. Sue Webster TIBITS 12-14 Heddon Street, W1 0207 758 4110 L O N D O N

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JONATHAN MILLER’s new production of PUCCINI’s love story Starring

ALFIE BOE 2 Feb – 8 Mar

Tickets from £19 ENO LIVE AT THE LONDON COLISEUM Book on 0871 911 0200 or at www.eno.org Illustration by Steve Rawlings