53 YEARS The No.1 Magazine for Visitors
Matthew Barley
Est 1956 Issue 2763 OLYMPIC CITY 2012
XTREME CELLO September 23–26
A week of spellbinding music and technological feats and performances with Kit Armstrong, Julian Joseph, Sanju Sahai and Davoud Azad.
KINGS PLACE London’s newest music and arts venue
‘Check it out if you haven't already’ (The Observer)
Tickets from £6.50 online: www.kingsplace.co.uk KINGS PLACE 90 York Way, London N1 9AG
RAY QUINN EMMA STEPHENS is Danny
is Sandy
CALL 0844 412 6666 www.greasethemusical.co.uk
TICKETS FROM £15.00 PICCADILLY THEATRE off Piccadilly Circus
NOW BOOKING TO 2010
Welcome to London
CONTENTS Events
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Music
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Theatre
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Exhibitions
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Eating Out
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Publisher Julie Jones Chairman Terry Mansfield CBE Advertising Janet Gardener Editorial Sue Webster
© This is London Magazine Limited 42 Conduit Street, London, W1R 9FB. Telephone: 020 7434 1281 www.thisislondonmagazine.com
www.til.com
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.
VISITOR INFORMATION Emergencies 999 Police Ambulance Fire 24 Hour Casualty 020 8746 8000 Dentistry 0808 155 3256 The Berkeley Clinic, 19 Upper Berkeley St, W1. Tel: 020 7724 4004 www.theberkeleyclinic.com
As Chairman of the British Fashion Council, I would like to welcome you to London as we celebrate 25 years of British Fashion and London Fashion Week. London is one of the ‘big four’ fashion capitals alongside New York, Milan and Paris and over the past 25 years it has established its reputation as one of the world’s most exciting cities for fashion. A must see for international and UK media and buyers. Last season, London designers led the world fashion media headlines for their innovation. This month, these highly creative, emerging talents, including Christopher Kane, Marios Schwab, and Peter Pilotto, are matched by iconic designers and international British brands including Burberry Prorsum, Matthew Williamson, Jonathan Saunders and Pringle of Scotland. Our emerging and returning talent will be joined by the best of quintessentially British talent including Vivienne Westwood, Paul Smith, Luella and Betty Jackson. As part of the celebrations LFW has moved to its new home, the iconic landmark Somerset House which will see LFW located in the heart of London for the first time, and will allow a new approach to be developed as a legacy for the 25th celebrations. This season will see 59 designers show their collections on the catwalk, as well as 26 designers showcasing their collections as part of our first ever dedicated presentation schedule. LFW designer collections inspire not only buyers and press, but the high street too. While you’re in London ensure that you indulge in some retail therapy – our high street is the best in the world. Whether you love the designer labels on Sloane Street and Bond Street, the selection of Regent Street and Oxford Street, Carnaby Street’s history or the world famous markets in Portobello, Camden and Spitalfields, there are lots on offer. Then why not drop by London Fashion Weekend from 24th – 27th September and get up to 75% off some of London Fashion Week’s big name designers.
Harold Tillman
Chairman, British Fashion Council
The Ultimate in Sightseeing Cruise between Westminster, Waterloo (London Eye), Tower and Greenwich Piers. Enjoy the riverside sights with lunch, afternoon tea or a flight on the London Eye
Heal, Rejuvenate, Thrive – The Natural Way
Victim Support 0845 30 30 900 free and confidential service
Visit London 020 7234 5833 Heathrow Airport 0870 0000123 Gatwick Airport 0870 0002468 Taxis 020 7272 5471 Dry Cleaner 7491 3426 Florist 7831 6776 Optician 7581 6336 Watches 7493 5916 Weather 0870 9000100 T H I S
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For full details call 02077 400 or www.citycruises.com
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Phil Shaw: Fiction 6. Digital print on paper, 113 x 47cm. Edition of 25. Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery.
20/21 BRITISH ART FAIR AT THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART The 20/21 British Art Fair is the only fair specialising exclusively in modern and contemporary British art. It takes place again this year at the Royal College of Art, Kensington Gore, SW7, from 16 to 20 September. The Royal College of Art can justly be called the spiritual home of British art and, as such, provides an ideal setting for the Fair which attracts some 60 leading dealers showing works by the great names of the 20th century: Bacon, Freud, Frink, Frost, Hepworth, Hockney, Hodgson, Lanyon, Lowry, Moore, Nash, Piper, Riley, Scott, Spencer and Sutherland, to name a few. Alongside these, will be a large selection of work by emerging and established contemporary artists, some of T H I S
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whom already have achieved international reputations – like Hirst, Emin, Grayson Perry et al – as well as work by emerging artists who may be the stars of tomorrow. The market for good quality, well priced modern British art is holding up well, according to reports from the most recent fairs and exhibitions. The market today is also much deeper than it was at the time of the previous recession of the early 1990s and this will help sustain prices. ‘What’s the point of leaving the money in the bank earning little or no interest when I can buy a work of art which I can enjoy now?’ is often quoted by buyers. The 20/21 British Art Fair, is now in its 22nd year. More than 90% from 2008 are returning this year, demonstrating the strength of this Fair which, not only offers an enormous variety of art under one roof, but also an opportunity to tap into the expertise of the 60 leading dealers. Whether your taste is for the earlier work, Scottish Colourists, Pop Art or the contemporary, the breadth and depth of more than a hundred years of British art may well surprise. With prices from the low hundreds to hundreds of thousands, it is not to be missed! www.britishartfair.co.uk
Nick Archer, Heaven on Earth, April 2009, mixed media on canvas, 152 x 152 cm. Sarrah Myerscough Fine Art.
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LONDON FASHION WEEK EXHIBITION The London Fashion Week exhibition of Designer Collections, housed across London Fashion Week’s two new venues – Somerset House and 180 The Strand – will take place from 18-22 September. Somerset House provides a backdrop for designers that embrace the heritage of this neoclassical venue whilst 180 The Strand offers a modern, raw and flexible space allowing designers to be more expressive in an open-plan format. The exhibition will house 200 of the industry’s most creative UK and International brands and aims for the exhibition to mirror the energy on the catwalk. As part of this approach the exhibition will house collectives that recognise the strength of design in key product areas including; the Hat Collective (Headonism) featuring emerging British milliners, curated by Stephen Jones, The Lingerie Boudoir, a collective of over 15 lingerie designers, a floating T-shirt island, a dedicated ‘beach’ area and a selection of Australian and Scandinavian brands that represent this new offering. One of the exhibition’s most recognised features, NEWGEN supported by Topshop, will have a new look in a new environment. NEWGEN will showcase 17 designers in five interlocking rooms in the East Wing of Somerset House including Dominic Jones, Mary Katrantzou and Sykes. estethica, the BFC’s eco sustainable initiative sponsored by Monsoon will be showcased at 180 The Strand. estethica, now in its seventh season has evolved to become the epicentre for London's ethical fashion industry. All estethica designers adhere to at least one of the three principles of fair-trade and ethical practices, organic and recycled materials and are selected for both their ethical credentials and design excellence. www.londonfashionweek.co.uk L O N D O N
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NEW LUNCHTIME RECITAL SERIES AT CHAPPELL’S Following the outstanding success of the hugely popular lunchtime recital programme, Yamaha Artist Services Europe (London) has announced its seventh and most significant series of the critically-acclaimed Lunchtime Conservatoire Concert Series at Chappell’s in Wardour Street, Soho, to showcase the very best upcoming young
piano talent from UK Conservatoires. Previously limited to pianists from London's Conservatoires, the seventh series that moves to Thursdays has been extended by Yamaha and Chappells to provide a new national performance platform for promising students that will see the addition of upcoming talent from the RNCM Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, and the RSAMD The Royal Scottish Academy of Music
and Drama in Glasgow. The recitals offer a wonderful opportunity for visitors to London who are classical music lovers to take a lunchtime break to enjoy and appreciate performances by these highly gifted upand-coming artists. The concerts have received critical acclaim from some of the capital's top musicians, music professors and record labels since they provide outstanding showcase opportunities for the best emerging classical music talent in one of London's most intimate and historic concert settings. The series has also received excellent reviews from classical music writers. Entry to the recitals is free of charge but booking in advance is highly recommended. The concerts will take place in the Recital Hall of Yamaha Artist Services Europe (London), located in the historic Piano Hall at Chappell’s at 152-160 Wardour Street, W1, All recitals commence at 13.00. Seating is limited and places can be reserved in advance on 020 7432 4422.
COMMEMORATIVE 50TH ANNIVERSARY PACKAGE NOW ON SALE - SEE WEBSITE FOR DETAILS
REMEMBERING THE MILES DAVIS CLASSIC
KIND OF BLUE AT 50
Thursday 10 September GALA OPENING NIGHT CONCERT
NIGEL KENNEDY
JIMMY COBB’S SO WHAT BAND
WITH THE PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA PRESENTS
AN EVENING OF BACH AND ELLINGTON
FEATURING WALLACE RONEY, VINCENT HERRING, JAVON JACKSON, LARRY WILLIS & BUSTER WILLIAMS PLUS SPECIAL GUEST SUPPORT COURTNEY PINE
Friday 11 September
SADLER’S WELLS IS DANCE A GALA EVENING OF DANCE STARRING
TAMARA ROJO, PACO PEÑA & COMPANY, ANTON DU BEKE & ERIN BOAG, RICHARD ALSTON DANCE COMPANY, BOUNCE
“It’s a cornerstone record not only for jazz. It's a cornerstone record for music.” HERBIE HANCOCK
Saturday 12 September
LESLEY GARRETT & FRON MALE VOICE CHOIR WITH
Thursday 17 September 2009
THE FINE ARTS BRASS ENSEMBLE Sunday 13 & Tuesday 15 September CARL ROSA OPERA PRESENTS
GILBERT AND SULLIVAN’S ‘THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD’ STARRING PAUL NICHOLAS
Wednesday 16 September
DAME KIRI TE KANAWA AND
THE FUTURE STARS OF OPERA WITH THE CITY OF LONDON SINFONIA
WWW.TOWERFESTIVAL.COM 0844 847 2519 / 0871 230 1080 TICKETS FROM £27.50 SUBJECT TO BOOKING FEE
Friday 18 September CLASSICAL EXTRAVAGANZA
BRITISH PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA A GALA EVENING OF POPULAR CLASSICS
Miles Davis Kind Of Blue – The 50th anniversary of a timeless album. Available now in special Collectors and Legacy Editions.
NIGEL HUTCHISON (PIANO) & NATASHA MARSH (SOPRANO)
FOR TICKETS GO TO WWW.TOWERFESTIVAL.COM OR PHONE 0844 847 2519 TICKETS FROM £27.50 (SUBJECT TO BOOKING FEE)
LEGENDAR DRUMMER Y FR THE ORIGIN OM AL RECORDING
The Blue Moment by Richard Williams - The essential companion to Kind of Blue - Published on August 6, 2009.
PRODUCED BY HARVEY GOLDSMITH FOR AEG LIVE
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whether he wants it or not. Whether Sid is a ghost, a figment of Kurt’s imagination, an hallucination, a dream, or a Punk impersonator remains to be seen as the two musicians, trade quips and quotes about the emptiness of fame and a mutual understanding of drug addiction and self-destruction. Roy Smiles’ (Ying Tong, Year of the Rat) witty and beautifully poignant new play explores exactly what it means to dice with death when being alive proves to be all too painful and peace seems elusive. Playing at Trafalgar Studios until 3 October. Box Office: 0844 871 7632.
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KURT & SID AT TRAFALGAR STUDIOS This autumn, two of this generation’s brightest acting talents play two of music’s most famous figures in Roy Smiles’ new play Kurt & Sid at London’s Trafalgar Studios 2. Danny Dyer, (whose many acting credits encompass roles in works written and directed by Harold Pinter, as well as TV’s Skins and films such as Human Traffic, Doghouse, The Football Factory and Adulthood), plays Sex Pistols’ bassist Sid Vicious. Opposite him, Shaun Evans (Teachers, Boy A, Telstar and recently seen in Sky1’s The Take) makes his West End stage debut as Nirvana’s lead singer Kurt Cobain. It is April 1994. A 27 year-old man sits alone in an attic extension, in stark terms, on the cusp of becoming a Seattle suicide statistic. But this man is no ‘number and name’ to be reported in a local newspaper. He is an icon, albeit a reluctant one. Heartbreakingly, he is a father and husband too. This man is Kurt Cobain, frontman of Nirvana. Weary of being hailed as ‘Grunge King’, Kurt is about to pull the trigger of the gun in his hand and join the leagues of rock star deaths down the ages. Then, without invitation, he finds he has company – curious company in the form of a shadowy figure purporting to be the Sex Pistols’ Sid Vicious, Kurt’s hero. Strangely, ‘companionship’ is exactly what the long-dead bassist offers Kurt, T H I S
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LITERARY STARS TO SHINE AT FIRST CHISWICK BOOK FESTIVAL Chiswick will welcome a host of literary stars to the first Chiswick Book Festival which launches on 25 September with Antonia Fraser and Anthony Horowitz opening the adult and children’s sections respectively. Other authors taking part over the weekend will include Katie Fforde, Jacqueline Wilson, Lynn Barber, Michael Frayn and Celia Brayfield. Throughout the weekend, a range of literary events will take place in St Michael & All Angels Church & Hall; Chiswick House, Bedford Park; the Tabard Theatre; Waterstone’s and other venues in leafy Chiswick, West London (nearest tube station Turnham Green). With Chiswick home to numerous authors and publishers, the Chiswick Book Festival is a community event, celebrating local and national talent and raising funds for charities involved with reading, literacy and arts projects in Chiswick. Events will range from a morning of children’s events to historical fiction, romantic novels and film and television screenplays. Popular crime fiction will also feature in a special debate, as will talks on architecture and travel. There will be workshops examining the role of book clubs, and creative writing courses. Enthusiasts will have the opportunity to buy signed copies of the latest books and meet the authors.
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BBC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA NEW SEASON AT THE BARBICAN After 12 concerts at the BBC Proms (including the world-famous Last Night of the Proms), and tours to Germany, France and Switzerland, the BBC Symphony Orchestra returns to the Barbican on 3 October for one of the widest-ranging seasons in its recent history. General Manager, Paul Hughes, says: ‘From music of the 15th century to the newest works of 2009, from classical to jazz, and from Martinu and Mozart to Monty Python, the programming reflects the BBC’s original ideals when it was created – to perform the widest possible range of music to the highest possible standard’. The first concert of the new Barbican season marks the beginning of a complete Martinu Symphony cycle, marking 50 years since the composer’s death. Jiri Belohlavek, now in his fourth year as Chief Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducts all six of his compatriot’s symphonies in what promises to be an impassioned thread running through the season and an important commemoration of this hugely appealing composer. The symphonies are programmed alongside essential works such as Strauss’s Four Last Songs on 9 October, Brahms’s A German Requiem 19 March and Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor 8 May, 2010. This concert includes Martinu’s First Symphony, a work conceived in exile from Nazi-dominated Europe, and leading bass-baritone Gerald Finley joins the Orchestra to sing Mahler and Musorgsky. The second concert sees the Orchestra and maestro joined by the highly acclaimed Strauss interpreter Anne Schwanewilms to sing his elegiac farewell to the world, Four Last Songs. Completed less than a year before his death the pairing of this richly romantic and popular work with Schwanewilms’s distinguished lyric soprano promises to be a captivating performance. L O N D O N
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BATEAUX LONDON According to some habitués, the best weather for a cruise up and down the Thames is overcast, or even rainy. Then, London’s version of the famous bateaux mouches, which ply the Seine, feels pleasingly like a transparent cocoon, bearing its passengers above the constantly flowing waters to gaze at the splendours of the Houses of Parliament and Tower Bridge. We were lucky, though, because the day of our lunch cruise was dazzlingly sunny. In the reception office on their dedicated pier – which sways evocatively next to the Embankment, as if you have already boarded the boat – people without reservations were being turned away. Clearly, you have to book ahead, and everything runs to a tight schedule, since many passengers disembark to go to a matinee or take a ‘flight’ on the London Eye. You get a marvellous view of the Eye, along with other riverine landmarks, in a cruise, which begins at 12.30 sharp (boarding at noon) and docks at 14.00. The commentary is not continuous, however. Sometimes you are left to take in the intriguing architecture of the Docklands (once warehouse, now smart apartments); sometimes you are regaled with tales of pirate hangings, historic ships, pilgrims who set off for the New World and villains who perished in this one. Guess which bridge over the Thames marks the confluence of salty and fresh water? The answer is given on
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the cruise, when you can also best admire the stone carvings of seabirds on the one side, land birds on the other. Meanwhile lunch is served, a delicious three-course meal of – this season – smoked mackerel pâté with toast, chicken in a mushroom sauce below puff pastry and chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream. The cost is £26pp, or £37.50 with water and wine. More fun is to be had at night time, when dinner cruises combine longer meals with live bands and after-dinner dancing (from £75pp.) Sunday jazz lunches are by far the most popular, but just pootling along the river on a weekday was exciting enough for us. The Thames rarely sparkles, but we did see a brilliant turquoise damsel fly and more seabirds than human youngsters, hurtling past on smugglers’ boats, waving wildly as they bounced up and down. There is something on the river for everyone, it seems. BATEAUX LONDON 020 7695 1800 www.bateauxlondon.com
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Superb views from Bateaux London.
BLUE ELEPHANT THEATRE 10TH ANNIVERSARY The Blue Elephant Theatre celebrates its 10th anniversary with yet another cross-art-form eclectic programme of new work. Beginning and ending with two in-house productions developed through its ‘Writers at Work’ programme (supporting emerging writers and directors), the season also includes movement-based Shakespeare, an ambitious choreography of Beethoven’s entire 3rd Symphony and an innovative platform for short contemporary dance pieces. Julius Caesar runs from 13 October – 7 November. Shakespeare’s political and bloody thriller is radically revamped in this contemporary production set in Italy where lust and passion rule a dictatorship destined for disaster. Corruption, sex and violence drive Caesar, the supreme power force, to lose sight of those closest to him who finally lead to his undoing and the ultimate betrayal. Dance performances include Soft Cuts 2009, ‘Short Encounters with International Contemporary Artists’ from 4 – 6 December. For tickets to any of the events or further information, telephone 0207 701 0100. I S
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KINGS PLACE NEW MUSIC AND ARTS VENUE Kings Place, the new music and arts venue in King’s Cross, celebrates its 1st Birthday in October. Having presented over 600 events in the past year, Kings Place is still going strong, presenting music in weekly themes, aiming to look in depth at a range of music to interest regular concert goers, as well as new audiences from the local and wider London area. This week’s theme is Matthew Barley’s XTREME CELLO, a week of spellbinding music, technological feats and performances featuring Kit Armstrong, Julian Joseph, Sanju Sahai and Davoud Azad. The Cello is loved for its uniquely soulful sound. In the hands of Matthew Barley, the instrument will prove it has soul and much more, as he embarks on a journey into new cello territory. Beginning with some of the great classics by Beethoven and Brahms, this series takes in one of the greatest-ever chamber works featuring two cellos, collaborations with Jazz, Indian and Sufi musicians, daring improvisations, plus unusual new arrangements and finishes with an extraordinary event utilising the very latest motion-capture technology (as used in the Harry Potter films), to project a 7 year old Matthew onto a screen in a virtual worlds as he plays! Xtreme Cello runs September 23 – 26. Tickets from £6.50 online.
The stunning exterior of Kings Place. Other events in the Autumn Season include The London Sinfonietta, presenting a snapshot of electro acoustic and electronic music from around the world; The London Jazz Festival, celebrating the music of Italian pianist and composer Stefano Bollani; The Classical Opera Company, commemorating the 250th anniversary of Handel’s death with a series of works which he wrote at the outset of his career; and vocal soloists I Fagiolini who celebrate Christmas at Kings Place with an ‘a capella’ festive programme. For full details and to book tickets, visit www.kingsplace.co.uk – Tickets from £9.50 online.
Kings Place Hall One. T H I S
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STILLEN UK PREMIERE AT LILIAN BAYLIS STUDIO Award-winning director Lotte van den Berg comes to the Lilian Baylis Studio at Sadler's Wells this week, to present the UK premiere of Stillen on Thursday 24 and Friday 25 September. Graduate of the Amsterdam School of the Arts, Lotte is one of the new generation of artists described as the ‘young Dutch minimalists’, whose work often resists categorisation, challenging the boundaries between mime, dance and theatre. With an intimate cast of six, spanning three generations, Stillen is a piece that almost silently explores the language of bodies, inspecting looks and gestures with a minimal use of words. Stillen is about restless bodies, bodies that tremble and shake, that express desire and pain, bodies that incessantly attract and reject one another. Through the relationships of the characters, the work investigates the constant search for interaction, the consolation of touch, and the pain of ultimately finding oneself alone, and offers UK audiences an insight into her bold, fresh style of performance.
‘Theatre that is stripped bare is Dutch director Lotte van de Berg’s trademark. She deals not in words but in hushes, images, with few frills. Van den Berg blows a bubble round the ordinary to grasp its naked essence. – De Standaard Ticket office 0844 412 4300. L O N D O N
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TOWER FESTIVAL AT HISTORIC TOWER OF LONDON The Tower Festival is arguably the finest celebration of opera, dance, jazz, world and classical music in the heart of London. The 50th Anniversary of Miles Davis's landmark album Kind of Blue will be celebrated on Thursday 17 September. Legendary jazz drummer Jimmy Cobb (the only surviving member from the original recording) and his ‘So What’ band, will perform masterpieces from the album including ‘So What’, ‘Freddie Freeloader’, ‘Blue In Green’, ‘All Blues’, and ‘Flamenco Sketches’ plus other classics by Davis, John Coltrane, Julian ‘Cannonball’ Adderley, and original compositions inspired by this era. Courtney Pine will open the show making it a must see event for jazz lovers.
The Tower of London. On 18 September, the British Philharmonic Orchestra will be performing a gala evening of popular classics including Tchaikovsky Capriccio Italien, Handel Water Music Suite, Rossini William Tell Overture, Verdi Sempre Libre from La Traviata (with special guest Natasha Marsh), Grieg Piano Concerto (with special guest Nigel Hutchison), Walton Crown Imperial and Johann Strauss Blue Danube Waltz. The evening will be conducted by Anthony Gabriele. On the 19 and 20 September, Peter Gabriel's celebrated festival WOMAD presents a weekend of world music featuring Khaled, Imagined Village, T H I S
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Nigel Kennedy – gala performance at the Tower Festival. The Bays and Heritage Orchestra and Tony Allen. As part of the WOMAD weekend there will be workshops, where the audience has a chance to meet and learn about the visiting artists and their music. There will also be entertainment provided in the picnic areas throughout the day and the ubiquitous WOMAD flags will also be a feature of the weekend. The blend of stunning surroundings in the heart of London, world class performances and quality food and drink is an experience not to be missed. For tickets, call 0844 847 2519 or visit www.towerfestival.com
CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AT SOUTHBANK CENTRE The Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Bernard Haitink open Southbank Centre’s Shell Classic International series with two concerts on 23 and 24 September at the Royal Festival Hall. Haitink leads the Orchestra in performances of Mozart’s Jupiter symphony and Brahms’ first symphony, followed the next evening with performances of Haydn’s symphony No. 101 The Clock and Bruckner’s seventh symphony. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra opened the 2007/08 Shell Classic International season with Riccardo Muti and has been a regular visitor to the Royal Festival Hall throughout the venue’s history with the likes of Daniel Barenboim, Pierre Boulez and the late Sir George Solti. These concerts are preceded by a free informal talk given by Southbank Centre’s Head of Music Marshall Marcus. Founded in 1891, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is one of the oldest and most prestigious American orchestras, boasting a roll call of music directors and guest soloists including an appearance as narrator in 2005 by the then Illinois state junior senator Barack Obama. Box office telephone 0871 663 2500.
Bernard Haitink conducts Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
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CHI2 PRESENTS MONKEY KING AT RICH MIX British-born Chinese violinists and composers, CHi2 are to celebrate China’s history and culture with Monkey King, a dynamic, modern interpretation of a Beijing Opera, at Rich Mix on 2 & 3 October. Liz and Sarah Liew of CHi2, who have previously toured and recorded with Moby (world tours), Lamb, Boy George, Goldfrapp, Nelly Furtado, Gnarls Barkley, KLF/Orb, have created an edgy musical cocktail of traditional and modern sounds, fusing together acoustic and electric instruments, digital media and one of the world’s most ancient art forms with a unique contemporary twist, to create a stunning show that bursts with colour and vibrancy. This is the first full-length mixed media show conceived by CHi2. It has been four years in the making and shot in part on location in Beijing. Their London shows are part of their UK tour coinciding with the release of their studio album ‘Chi2 Presents Monkey King (Sun Wukong)’ and follows a successful 2008 tour as part of the China Now season, and a sell-out London launch show in December 2007. The two London shows will take place on Friday 2 & Saturday 3 October at Venue 1 of Rich Mix in Shoreditch, with special guest tabla maestro Kuljit Bhamra. Bhamra’s expertise will add a different dimension to Chi2’s show as he will musically reflect the storyline where Monkey and the disciples journey to India in search of the Holy scriptures to bring back to China. T H I S
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Monkey King draws on a well-loved story – the sixteenth century classic Chinese folk epic novel, Monkey: Journey To The West. The tale focuses on a priest journeying to the West in search of the Buddhist scriptures with his three trusty disciples, Monkey, Pigsy and Sandy. Along the way, they have to overcome innumerable dangers and encounter gods, demons and warriors that Monkey must subdue using his considerable martial arts skill. Bringing their own melting pot of style, influences and improvisation to the show, CHi2’s sound is a crosspollination of their own Chinese roots and individual music sensibility. They fuse electronic beats and effects with melodies and improvisations on both electric Chinese violins and keyboards, layered with angelic vocals and harsh percussion. The drama, both aurally and visually, is enhanced by actor Tom Wu, as he employs spoken word, narration and his expertise in martial arts to convey the thrill-seeking adventures of the storyline. A Gold Medalist in martial arts, Wu has performed widely on stage and screen. Rich Mix is at 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, E1. Tube: Liverpool Street. Tel: 020 7613 7498. www.richmix.org.uk
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WINDSOR FESTIVAL CELEBRATES 40 YEARS This month, the Windsor Festival will celebrate its Fortieth Anniversary as one of the country’s leading arts, music and literary festivals. Running from 19 September to 4 October, the Festival will play host to some of the world’s most gifted musicians and writers. Along with events featuring John Lill, Michael Parkinson, and Roy Hudd, the main 2009 programme highlights include the 40th Anniversary Gala Concert, welcoming back the Philharmonia Orchestra. This concert will be held in Windsor Castle’s Waterloo Chamber on 21 September and will feature world renowned conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy. Brian O’Kane, the winner of last year’s International String Competition, will wow audiences as solo cellist. The 2nd annual International String Competition will also take place. In the spirit of Lord Menhuin, a festival founder whose desire to provide more opportunity to young musicians remains core to its ethos today, this competition will seek out the next budding young string talent from a pool of 50 entrants worldwide, 8 of whom will battle it out to be crowned the winner of this unique prize. Henry VIII 500th Anniversary will be celebrated with events taking place to mark the King’s 500th accession to the throne. Activities will include exploring Windsor Town in Tudor times focussing on the pageantry and religious turmoil which characterised his reign. Quintessential Voices will present Pass Time With Good Company, a programme of words and music on both evenings in the unique setting around the King’s tomb in St George’s Chapel, and the Castle Dungeon to celebrate his love of music and the arts, and David Starkey will give a special talk there to conclude the Festival. For further information, visit the website at www.windsorfestival.com.
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Alexia Khadime at Elphaba in WICKED.
LASTMINUTE.COM SPA DEALS With an inspiring range of hotel spas, spa breaks, spa days and destination spas throughout London and the UK, www.lastminute.com can offer an unbeatable opportunity for visitors to relax and feel rejuvenated. It’s impossible not to unwind at London’s most serene spa, the exclusive City Point Club, and, at just
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£99 for two people, you can simply stretch out and enjoy full use of the spa facilities, plus a luxurious treatment. Or, spend a day at the beautiful spa in the five star Baglioni Hotel in Kensington, choosing two treatments from four fabulous options so you get exactly what you are looking for, whether it is relaxation or detox – truly affordable luxury at your fingertips in the heart of London. The Purity Spa in The London Hilton on Park Lane are offering an exclusive pamper day which includes a glass of champagne and two relaxing treatments, plus use of all the facilities. These excellent spa deals from lastminute.com are offered in addition to the unbeatable range of meal deals and some of the best priced theatre tickets in London. Earlier this week, for example, they were offering a 48 hour restaurant sale for Marco Pierre White. And, check out WICKED tickets, or Billy Elliot best available seats at just £37.50 (subject to availability) and no booking fee. www.lastminute.com
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RISOTTO FESTIVAL AT STRADA Strada, the authentic Italian restaurant, will hold a Risotto Festival in its restaurants throughout September to celebrate the classic Italian dish. Four new risotto dishes will be available on the menu, inspired by the Northern Italian regions of Piedmont, Milan, Lombardy and Venice where risotto has its roots. Rice arrived in Italy sometime in the 10th century. The north of the country took to rice farming four to five hundred years later making risotto the region’s signature dish. Risotto is still more widely eaten that pasta in the area. As well as risotto, the menu includes handmade pizzas and fresh pastas as well as fish and meat dishes using only the finest fresh ingredients.
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A DAZZLING ARRAY OF AWARDS FOR JERSEY BOYS! ‘Jersey Boys’, the award-winning Broadway musical which opened in London’s West End at the Prince Edward Theatre in March last year, triumphed at the Laurence Olivier Awards by winning the coveted ‘Best New Musical’ Award. This adds to the rich haul of twenty one major international awards that Jersey Boys has won since it first opened in 2006 on Broadway. The London show recently won four Whatsonstage.com
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Awards, decided by public vote, for ‘Best New Musical’, ‘Best Actor in a Musical’ for Ryan Molloy, ‘Best Supporting Actor in a Musical’ for Stephen Ashfield and ‘Best Set Designer’ for Klara Zieglerova. Jersey Boys has also been voted ‘Best West End Show’ at the 2008 Visit London People’s Choice Awards. Jersey Boys is the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons – Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Nick Massi and Tommy DeVito – and how this group of blue-collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks became one of the biggest American and International pop music sensations of all time. They wrote their own songs, invented their own sounds and sold 175 million records worldwide – all before they were thirty. Their songs include ‘Sherry’, ‘Walk Like A Man’, ‘December, 1963 (Oh What a Night)’, ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’, ‘My Eyes Adored You’, ‘Let’s Hang On (To What We’ve
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Got)’, ‘Bye Bye Baby’, ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’, ‘Working My Way Back to You’, ‘Fallen Angel’, ‘Rag Doll’ and ‘Who Loves You’. The London cast is headed by Ryan Molloy as Frankie Valli, Stephen Ashfield as Bob Gaudio, Philip Bulcock as Nick Massi, Glenn Carter as Tommy DeVito and Scott Monello as the alternate Frankie Valli. Jersey Boys is written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio and lyrics by Bob Crewe. The London production is staged by the entire original Broadway creative team, led by director Des McAnuff and choreographer Sergio Trujillo The orchestrations are by Steve Orich and the music supervision and vocal arrangements by Ron Melrose.
Jersey Boys is produced by Dodger Theatricals, Joseph J. Grano, Tamara and Kevin Kinsella, Pelican Group, in association with Latitude Link and Rick Steiner, and a small group of UK colleagues. Prince Edward Theatre Box Office telephone 0844 482 5151 or online at www.jerseyboyslondon.com L O N D O N
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DAVID TROUGHTON JOINS KEVIN SPACEY IN INHERIT THE WIND David Troughton joins Kevin Spacey to lead the cast in Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee’s explosive courtroom classic ‘Inherit the Wind’, directed by Trevor Nunn, at the Old Vic from 18 September. Inherit the Wind is a gripping and extraordinarily relevant drama in which two legal titans, Henry Drummond (Kevin Spacey) and Matthew Harrison Brady (David Troughton) confront each other when a close knit community puts freedom of thought on trial. When schoolteacher Bertram Cates violates a state law, he finds himself at the centre of a court case that not only shakes the United States but resonates across the world. Considered one of the great American plays of the twentieth century, Inherit the Wind is inspired by the famous 1925 Scopes ‘Monkey’ Trial in which science teacher John Scopes was accused of violating a Tennessee state statute by teaching Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution to his students. First performed on Broadway in 1955, Inherit the Wind was also made into a hugely popular film starring Spencer Tracy and Gene Kelly in 1960, receiving four Academy Award nominations. This production marks the 200th Anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his ‘The Origin of Species’. Box Office telephone 0844 871 7628.
A SREETCAR NAMED DESIRE AT THE DONMAR Once again the Donmar has a welldeserved hit on its hands with this atmospheric production of Tennessee Williams' powerful domestic drama – and not just because of the starry casting of Rachel Weisz as the febrile, alcohol dependant Blanche DuBois whose arrival threatens to disturb the balance of her younger sister Stella's marriage. Slim, delicately pale and constantly topping up her liquor levels, Weisz's Blanche lives on her memories and her nerves – a restless, fading Southern belle, constantly preening in the last ditch hope of catching a husband before her age can no longer be concealed by a carefully shaded light, and unable to hide her shock at the Kowalski's cramped living conditions. Ruth Wilson makes a superb Stella, wholesome, glowing with sexual fulfilment and torn between loyalty to her
needy sibling and to her coarse, hottempered spouse. Elliot Cowan's accent tends to wobble, but he is a mesmerisingly virile Stanley, a man who sometimes thinks with his fists but can see right through his sister-in-law's superior pretensions and has no qualms about smashing through the illusion of the protective make-believe world she has created. The contrast between him and Barnaby Kay's hesitant, mother's boy ‘Mitch’ (who seems to offer Blanche a final chance of security) could hardly be greater. Christopher Oram's subtle design, dominated by a wrought iron spiral fire escape, cleverly suggests the cramped intimacy of the Kowalski's New Orleans tenement apartment and, over 60 years since the play's Pulitzer prize-winning premiere, Rob Ashford's perceptive revival reaffirms its lasting appeal.
Louise Kingsley
EUROPEAN PREMIERE OF FEATURE FILM DIXIE DYNAMITE Dixie Dynamite, a classic kung fu myth, redneck style, makes its worldwide debut with a free screening at the Portobello Film Festival on 20 September. Independently-produced, the animated feature introduces audiences to a novel ‘redneck kung fu’ genre. The tongue-in-cheek story is complemented by an original score of American/Japanese/redneck fusion music, including an epic version of the Lynyrd Skynyrd classic Free Bird featuring taiko drums and shamisen. T H I S
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WAR HORSE The National Theatre’s new epic based on the celebrated novel by Children’s Laureate, Michael Morpurgo. Actors work with magnificent life-size puppets on a gruelling journey through history at the time of the First World War. NEW LONDON THEATRE Drury Lane, WC2 (0844 412 4654)
PRICK UP YOUR EARS Simon Bent’s darkly funny and moving play tells the story behind the domestic life of playwright Joe Orton and Kenneth Halliwell. Stars Matt Lucas (co-creator of Little Britain), directed by Daniel Kramer. COMEDY THEATRE Panton Street, SW1 (0844 871 7622) 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. CRITERION THEATRE Piccadilly Circus, WC2 (0844 847 1778) SPEAKING IN TONGUES Seemingly random confessions of a group of strangers are pieced together in the investigation of the disappearance of a leading psychiatrist. 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. FORTUNE THEATRE Russell Street, WC2 (0870 060 6626)
AN INSPECTOR CALLS The National Theatre production of J B Priestley’s classic thriller returns for a strictly limited eight week season. NOVELLO THEATRE Aldwych, WC2 (0870 950 0940)
The National Theatre production of LOLITA, featuring Brian Cox. Photo: Richard Hubert Smith. LYTTELTON THEATRE THE PITMEN PAINTERS A humorous and deeply moving play by Lee Hall about a group of miners who produced a work admired by the most avant-garde artists. LOLITA Richard Nelson has adapted one of the best known and most controversial stories of the 20th century for a 90-minute monologue. COTTESLOE THEATRENee THE BLACK ALBUM Hanif Kureishi’s witty stage adaptation of his striking prescient novel, humorously considers how the events of 1989 have shaped today’s world, where fundamentalism battles liberalism.
Royal National Theatre Plays In Repertory OLIVIER THEATRE ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL Set against a background of sexism, snobbery and a battle between the generations, Shakespeare turns fairytale logic on its head. MOTHER COURAGE AND HER CHILDREN Fiona Shaw takes the title role in Bertolt Brecht’s uncompromising masterpiece, one of the most astonishing stage creations of the twentieth century.
CALENDAR GIRLS The true story of the members of the Woman’s Institute who shun their usual cake baking and jam making in order to produce a nude calendar to raise money for Leukaemia Research. NOEL COWARD St Martin’s Lane, WC2 (0870 850 9175)
OUR CLASS Polish playwright, Tadeusz Slobodzianek, confronts his country’s involvement in the atrocities of the last century. NATIONAL THEATRE South Bank, SE1 (020 7452 3000)
INHERIT THE WIND Major revival of Jerome Lawrence and Robert E Lee’s play, directed by Trevor Nunn and starring Kevin Spacey. Two legal titans clash when a community puts freedom of thought on trial. OLD VIC The Cut, Waterloo, SE1 (0844 847 1722) THE MOUSETRAP Agatha Christie’s whodunnit is the longest running play of its kind in the history of the British theatre. ST MARTIN’S THEATRE West Street, WC2 (0870 162 8787) BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S New stage adaptation of Truman Capote’s classic novella, set in New York City 1943, with Anna Friel as charming and vivacious good-time girl, Miss Holly Golightly. THEATRE ROYAL HAYMARKET Haymarket, SW1 (0870 400 0626) OTHELLO Love, jealousy and desire are the themes of Shakespeare’s great tragedy, performed by the Northern Broadsides and West Yorkshire Playhouse, with Lenny Henry in the title role. TRAFALGAR STUDIOS Whitehall, SW1 (0870 060 6632) THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION Based on Stephen King’s 1982 novella about Andy Dufresne, a man convicted for a double murder and sentenced to life in Shawshank prison. Stars Kevin Anderson and Reg E. Cathey. WYNDHAM’S THEATRE Charing Cross Road, WC2 (0870 950 0925)
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BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S James Dreyfus, Suzanne Bertish, Dermot Crowley and John Ramm are to join Anna Friel and Joseph Cross in Samuel Adamson’s new stage adaptation of Truman Capote’s classic novella Breakfast at Tiffany’s, directed by Sean Mathias, opening at Theatre Royal Haymarket on 29 September, and currently previewing. New York City, 1943. William ‘Fred’ Parsons, a young writer from Louisiana, meets Miss Holly Golightly, a charming, vivacious and utterly elusive good-time girl. Everyone falls in love with Holly, including William – but he is poor, and Holly needs rich. Will she marry Rusty, playboy millionaire? Or José, the future president of Brazil? As war rages in Europe, Holly begins to fall in love with William – and then her past catches up with her ... Award-winning Anna Friel’s theatre work includes Lulu for the Almeida Theatre Company both in London and New York and Patrick Marber’s Closer on Broadway. Later this month, she will star opposite Will Ferrell in the film Land of the Lost. Friel is currently filming London Boulevard with Keira Knightly and Colin Farrell. James Dreyfus’ recent theatre credits include Amongst Friends at Hampstead, The Common Pursuit for Menier Chocolate Factory, Cabaret, Donkey’s Years and The Producers. Box office telephone 0845 481 1870. T H I S
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COMPLICITÉ IN ENDGAME BY SAMUEL BECKETT Richard Briers returns to the London stage as Hamm in Simon McBurney’s new production of Beckett’s 1957 masterpiece Endgame which opens at the Duchess Theatre on 24 September. Richard Briers and Simon McBurney continue their collaboration following the critically acclaimed 1997 Complicité production of The Chairs which was part of the Royal Court season at the Duke of York’s before transferring to Broadway. Briers will be joined by Adrian Scarborough as Clov – fulfilling their ambition to work together on this project for many years. Simon McBurney comments: ‘Endgame. To travel into Beckett's language is a tempting prospect, for which you need the best travelling companions. I can think of no better than Briers.’ Endgame, Beckett’s second play, premiered in 1957 at the Royal Court in French as Fin de partie. He later translated the work into English and it was published in 1958. Samuel Beckett (1906 – 1989) was an Irish writer, dramatist and poet. He wrote in both English and French, and his principal works include Krapp’s Last Tape, Happy Days and Waiting for Godot. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969. For tickets telephone the box office on 0844 412 4659.
Simon McBurney.
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TKTS BOOTH SPEARHEADS RECORD SALES IN WEST END THEATRE tkts in Leicester Square, the West End’s only official theatre ticket booth beloved of both tourists and Londoners, is playing a remarkable part in the exceptional success being enjoyed by London’s theatres this year. In a break with tradition, the tkts booth moved from selling ‘day of performance’ only to selling advance discount tickets too, for up to a week ahead of the performance day. Now visitors on short breaks to London can buy bargain tickets for every night of their stay in the capital and the change has paid handsome dividends. The tkts booth – always an indicator of the health of the West End – has been breaking sales records with more than 30 different shows to choose from daily, including musicals, comedies, opera, drama and dance. Figures from The Society of London Theatre reveal total attendances to week ending 15 August 2009 to be 4% up on last year to 8,786,394 and box office receipts are up 5% on the same period. The sales team at the booth have seen a return of more American patrons and increases in Irish Republic, French, Spanish and German visitors, presumably benefiting from a favourable exchange rate. tkts is run by the theatre industry itself so offers unbeatable choice, value, and complete customer security when buying theatre tickets. As the West End’s only official theatre ticket booth, run by the Society of London Theatre, tkts is the place to buy both bargain and normal price tickets for plays and musicals with complete confidence from knowledgeable staff and no unexpected extras (a booking fee of £3 is already included in the advertised price). Profits from the running of tkts help fund a range of activities and initiatives to help young people enter the industry and new audiences discover theatre. The tkts ticket booth is situated in the Clocktower Building on the South Side of Leicester Square. I S
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Leanne Rowe in Victoria Wood’s new version of her play Talent, a comedy with songs, at the Menier Chocolate Factory until 14 November. Box Office telephone 0207 907 7060.
MUSICALS 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. ALDWYCH THEATRE Aldwych, WC2 (0870 4000 704) 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. APOLLO VICTORIA THEATRE Wilton Rd, SW1 (0870 161 1977) CHICAGO A dazzling mixture of sinuous bodies, tough broads, murder and fickle fame, the Ebb-Fosse musical goes from strength to strength. CAMBRIDGE THEATRE Earlham Street, WC2 (0870 890 1102) 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. DOMINION THEATRE Tottenham Court Rd, W1 (0870 169 0116) THE MYSTERIES First seen in 2004, the Olivier Award winning South African company return to the West End with a vibrant spectacle of music and dance. GARRICK THEATRE Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2 (0844 412 4662) T H I S
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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 Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx. GIELGUD THEATRE Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2 (0844 847 1722)
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. PLAYHOUSE Northumberland Avenue, WC2 (0870 060 6631)
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Long running epic romance by Andrew Lloyd Webber, set behind the scenes of a Paris opera house, where a deformed phantom stalks his prey. HER MAJESTY’S THEATRE Haymarket, SW1 (0870 890 1106)
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. PRINCE EDWARD THEATRE Old Compton Street, W1 (0870 850 9191)
SISTER ACT Based on the smash hit movie, the new stage musical follows disco-diva Deloris Van Cartier as she goes into protective custody in a convent, featuring a score by 8-time Oscar-winner, Alan Menken. LONDON PALLADIUM Argyll Street, W1 (0844 847 1722) THRILLER – LIVE Spectacular, high octane show celebrating the career of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5. LYRIC THEATRE Shaftesbury Avenue, W1 (0870 890 1107) THE LION KING Disney‘s phenomenally successful animated film is transformed into a spectacular stage musical, a superb evening of visual delight. LYCEUM THEATRE Wellington Street, WC2 (0870 243 9000) STOMP This British theatrical sensation has enthralled audiences across the world with its combination of theatre, dance, comedy and percussion. NEW AMBASSADORS West Street, WC2 (020 7369 1761) PRISCILLA THE MUSICAL Based on the Oscar award winning film, a glamorous Sydney based performing trio take their show to the middle of the Australian outback. PALACE THEATRE Shaftesbury Avenue, W1 (0870 895 5579) BLOOD BROTHERS Willy Russell’s powerful musical about twins from Liverpool, separated at birth, whose paths cross in friendship and finally in bloodshed. PHOENIX THEATRE Charing Cross Road, WC2 (0870 060 6629) GREASE Inimitable slice of 50s Americana, bursting with denim, cheerleaders and well-oiled quiffs. Summer Nights, Hopelessly Devoted to You, You’re The One that I Want and many more get audiences dancing in the aisles. PICCADILLY THEATRE Denman Street, W1 (0870 060 0123)
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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. PRINCE OF WALES THEATRE Old Compton Street, W1 (0870 850 0393) LES MISERABLES A spectacularly staged version of Victor Hugo’s epic novel about an escaped convict’s search for redemption amidst the tumult of Revolutionary France. One of the world’s most popular musicals, featuring a score by Claude-Michel Schonberg. QUEENS THEATRE Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2 (0870 950 0930) DREAMBOATS AND PETTICOATS Inspired by the smash hit albums, comes a brand new musical featuring some of the greatest hits of the rock ‘n’ roll era. This feel-good production takes you back in time to when each passing week brought another classic track. 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. Based on the John Waters movie. SHAFTESBURY THEATRE Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2 (020 7379 5399) OLIVER! Cameron Mackintosh’s revival of Lionel Bart’s musical masterpiece, starring Rowan Atkinson as ‘Fagin’. The legendary songs include ‘Consider Yourself’, ‘Food Glorious Food’, ‘I’d Do Anything’ and ‘As Long as He Needs Me’. 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. VICTORIA PALACE Victoria Street, SW1 (0870 895 5577)
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Henry Darger, ‘Untitled’, c. 1950-60.
THE MUSEUM OF EVERYTHING Opening in October, The Museum of Everything is London’s first and only public space for the display of art which has been created by artists living outside the boundaries of mainstream society. Beautiful and challenging, delicate and democratic, this is the secret art, which has inspired generations of artists – from Dubuffet to Basquiat. In this groundbreaking exhibition, the museum has invited leading artists, curators and cultural figures to explore the continuing connection between this genre and contemporary practice. The selectors have chosen artists from this genre that have influenced their own work – for example, the spirit drawings of London-born medium Madge Gill, the recycled ceramic kingdom of Indian road worker Nek Chand and the panoramic fairytale illustrations of the renowned Chicago recluse, Henry Darger. The creator of The Museum of Everything is James Brett, an award winning filmmaker, writer and designer based in London. The Museum is situated on the corner of Regents Park Road and Sharpleshall Street in Primrose Hill, NW1. www.musevery.com T H I S
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‘SAXON’ AT SCHWARTZ GALLERY Schwartz Projects continues its investigation into current curatorial practice at Schwartz Gallery by providing a platform for emerging and more established curators working in the UK and internationally. Curated by Juan Bolivar, ‘Saxon’ runs until 4 October. The band Saxon is described by the main character in Irvine Welsh's novel Filth, as ‘white man's soul’. In 2009, the song Wheels of Steel was used in the soundtrack of the controversial video game Grand Theft Auto IV. Originally from Barnsley, Yorkshire, the band formed in 1976, eventually dropping its original name, S.O.B, to become Saxon. Schwartz Gallery is at 92 White Post Lane, E9. Tel: 020 8985 4414.
FRANK AUERBACH NEW WORKS AT MARLBOROUGH FINE ART ‘Frank Auerbach’s paintings are the full results of tremendous application. They may appear sudden – instantaneous even – but they are feats of concentration. Studied yet impulsive, ranging from darkness to radiance and from the declamatory to the subdued, they are keyed to an air of resolve as unguarded as joy, as involuntary as grief. From the earliest portrait heads to recent sightings of the tower blocks beyond Mornington Crescent, glorified as the sun strikes them, there’s a constant quickening, a pulse of the here and now’. – William Feaver. Frank Auerbach will show 20 new works from the 23 September, landscapes and portrait paintings and drawings, in his first London exhibition for five years. Tower blocks on the Hampstead Road, Mornington Crescent, the view from Auerbach’s studio entrance all become subjects for landscape. Auerbach’s persistent familiarity with his corner of North London is echoed in his models, close friends and family members who have committed to a regime of regular sittings week in week out over many years. Marlborough Fine Art, 6 Albemarle Street, W1. Tel: 020 7629 5161.
Right: Frank Auerbach Tower Blocks, Hampstead Road 2007 oil on board, 50.8 x 45.6 cm .
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Lowry original on sale at Chelsea Antiques Fair. 102ND CHELSEA ANTIQUES FAIR The world famous Chelsea Antiques Fair returns to the King's Road, SW3 from 23-27 September with leading specialist antique dealers from across Britain displaying art and antiques valued at more than £5million. Caroline Penman organised her first Chelsea Antiques Fair in 1984 and it has since been an established event in the London calendar of important London art and antiques events. Forty dealers take part, offering a wide range of high quality exhibits with prices from less than £100 to more than £20,000, and everything expertly checked for quality and authenticity. Among the regular exhibits will be formal and country furniture, ceramics, oil and watercolour paintings, fine silver, jewellery and objets de virtu. The fair is popular not only with London and Chelsea collectors, many of whom have been attending since the fair began in 1950, but also tourists in search of fine antiques. The American Ambassador, Larry Hagman and Robert Vaughn have been regular visitors. In past years, antiques have been sold to visitors from Japan, Argentina (a buyer who was looking to furnish his entire home on the coast with English antiques), South Africa, Italy, Germany and Russia. T H I S
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An original oil painting by L.S.Lowry will be among the many fabulous treasures going on sale at Chelsea. The painting by L.S.Lowry is a typical busy street scene with Lowry figures, signed and dated 1953 and was recently on public display at The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. Measuring 14” x 10”, it is on sale for £325,000 on the stand of Neptune Fine Art, art dealers from Derbyshire. There will be many highlights from the specialist exhibitors. They include Roger de Ville from Staffordshire, specialising in early English pottery; Mary Cooke Antiques from London, who has been specialising in silver at Chelsea Fair for more than 20 years; Peter Bunting from Derbyshire, the early English oak and country furniture dealer; Jupiter Antiques from Sussex specialising in 18th and 19th century porcelain; Ashleigh House Antiques from Suffolk, showing traditional Victorian oil paintings; and Simply Antiques from Suffolk with fine card cases. For further information on Chelsea Antiques Fair, telephone 0870 350 2442.
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FORTIES GLAMOUR AT LAPADA Visitors can find Forties glamour, Joan Crawford’s jewels, golden pearls and value for money vintage at this autumn’s antiques fairs. This fabulous parure of necklace, brooch and bracelet was commissioned by Joan Crawford and worn in her famous film The Women. After her death, the estate was sold, and Andy Warhol purchased this set for his private collection of jewellery. On sale at the LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair in Berkeley Square from 24-27 September. www.lapadalondon.com
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TWO TWENTY TWO The Landmark hotel is a curious place, in that it is often more interesting to enter from the back, rather than the front. The other night, for example, a gaggle of young girls was waiting patiently behind a barrier. For whom? I asked. A blonde pop singer. She came out as I went in, signed some autographs, got into her limousine and sped off. Inside, all was sedate hostelry. The Landmark is pure Victorian Gothic – the old station hotel, with Marylebone station directly behind. The foyer is vast and people sit drinking tea under the atrium. The restaurant has had various incarnations, including a very posh one featuring the famous chef, John BurtonRace, but its latest makeover as 222 is simpler and somehow more modern. Its most obvious attraction is a series of champagne tables, whose zinc tops include a lidded indentation for the ice and alcohol; these are also used for plateaux of fruits de mer. Apart from that, the menu is pure brasserie, and the cooking is noticeably good. Mains range from battered cod and chips with tartare sauce and mushy peas through fishcakes and hand made beef burgers to grilled steaks with chips. It would be fun to come here for such a supper and not too expensive at around £14 per dish. Middle-aged ladies seldom allow themselves the self-indulgence of chips, however. Tiger prawn salad with slow roasted red pepper and saffron mayonnaise (£8) was fresh and light; a starter of risotto (£7) was filling but so hard to resist, with its baby broad beans, asparagus and chervil. There is a good range of salads – classic Caesar and then Caesar with chicken or prawns, Greek salad, mixed salad, all the salads. They are obviously proud of the steaks since there is some blurb about their having been hung for T H I S
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at least 21 days and coming from traditional Irish breeds. We could not be deflected, though. Beth was determined to have sea bass sitting on a salad of fennel, watercress and orange (£17), which made up nicely for the chocolat fondant she ordered afterwards – with butterscotch ice cream! I was pleased with skewers of chicken, which had been marinated in herbs and sat on couscous with some mixed leaves and cucumber on the side. We tried the Gavi di Gavi by the glass (£9), which made for a very nice supper all round. Desserts are not amazing; I thought the chocolat fondant rather too liquid just on sight; some lemon meringue pie (£6) was neatly done, but the ones I make have more zing. This is a great place for a bite and a chat, though. It would be hard to think of anywhere else quite so agreeable this side of the Marylebone Road. TWO TWENTY TWO 222 Marylebone Road, NW1 Tel: 020 7631 8000
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Sue Webster •
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CHUTNEY & LAGER How many times have you made a reservation for two in a central London restaurant only to find that the tables are so closely wedged together that you feel like part of a coach party? Well, the good news at Chutney & Lager is a perfectlyplanned dining room with a refreshing sense of space. There’s also an extensive bar area which is popular with the drinks-after-work crowd and the design scheme throughout is an eclectic fusion of clean white surfaces, sensible use of contemporary metallic flock and a series of mini crystal chandeliers which create an impression of tastefully restrained bling! There is nothing, however, restrained about the menu which offers a comprehensive range of dishes to suit all tastes and, arguably, some of the best Indian cuisine in town. It’s certainly a very competitive market but Chutney & Lager have attempted to carve a niche for themselves by offering a tapas-style menu using the best ingredients, perfectlybalanced flavours, creative presentation and attention to detail throughout. An aperitif of Hendrick’s gin and tonic was served with cucumber (obviously someone behind the bar knows what they’re doing), the mouth-wateringly warm papadums were served with a freshly prepared mango chutney and a sensational mint relish which suggested a hint of horseradish. The Seekh Kebab had well-balanced spice and the Tandoori Chicken was moist with good texture. Lamb Samosa won top marks for a perfect filo pastry and other highlights included the Chicken Jalfrezi, Lamb Dopi-Aza, and Mushroom Hara Pyaz and the Pashwari Naan was the best ever! 43-51 Great Titchfield Street, W1 Tel: 020 7636 5737 David Hamilton-Peters L O N D O N
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