I am back at London’s worse kept secret, the East End’s beautiful historic gem Wilton’s Music Hall. Their festive family show this Christmas season is a new take on the children literature classic The Wind In The Willows by Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. Having grown up with the book or any film or … Continue reading The Wind In The Wiltons near the river Thames
Come From Away is a love letter to the wonders of air travelling and being connected, of pilots and the warm welcome another person’s home can offer when lost and unprepared: In the era of chunky Nokia phones and Hugh Grant romcoms, a provincial airport somewhere in Newfoundland unexpectedly hosts thousands of passengers which were … Continue reading Come From Away at the Phoenix Theatre – I want to go again
You have truly made it in show biz if you have been abducted by a mega fan: Tom Reynolds’ radical admirer is the gun-equipped, wide-eyed epidemiologist Astrid Barton (Ciara Murphy) who has obsessively watched every piece of video footage of her favourite actor. In a room decorated with signed film posters and photographs, he is … Continue reading Chop Me Up Or Let Me Go at the Bread And Roses Theatre in Clapham
If there is one advantage of lockdown, it is the access to plays you have missed seeing on stage, in my case Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus at London’s National Theatre and again at its rerun in 2018. Thank you, National Theatre At Home. I first watched the Oscar-showered film from 1984 in school when I was … Continue reading London’s National Theatre At Home – Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus
Obviously, I agree to review a Christmas concert, once I discover that it falls on the date my beloved grandma would have turned almost ninety. And especially when it has been set up to raise awareness for the isolation and loneliness of our elder citizens. The Constella OperaBallet’s Christmas Gala 2020 is available to watch … Continue reading The Constella OperaBallet’s Christmas Gala 2020 connects stars with the nation’s care homes and your living room
The audio recording of Love, Love, Love begins with a warning of strong language and explicit sexual scenes, then a collage of news footage of the UK’s chaotic lockdown start in March follows, especially difficult for theatres suddenly hanging in limbo: The government did not close them but advised their guests not to go. “Missed … Continue reading Mike Bartlett’s Love, Love, Love at the Hammersmith Lyric – for your ears only
In times of lunch & learns and al desko dining it is important for anyone employed to reclaim your lunch break – you are entitled to this to give your eyes a rest from screens, enjoy your food, get fresh air and not check your phone and to a certain degree you are also responsible … Continue reading Find a lunch time recital near you: Tuesdays at Wesley’s Chapel & Leysian Mission
Constantly yearning for more dramatizations of Hans Christian Andersen’s oeuvre, I am blocking my calendar immediately when hearing that the London Dreamtime / Cunning Folk bunch does a personal favourite of his literary fairy tales, The Snow Queen. I have been to storytelling events by Vanessa Woolf and George Hoyle before; an evening walk by … Continue reading A London Dreamtime: The Snow Queen at the Union Chapel in Islington
Catford’s Broadway Theatre has been on my list of London venues yet to discover first-hand for a while – no wonder I am blown away by the unexpected size of this historic music hall and admire its art deco interior already in the box office. Here panto seasons are advertised on loud posters: The previous … Continue reading The Chinese New Year’s Extravaganza at The Broadway Theatre in Catford
It must easily be the rainiest days Florence has seen in a while but the two of us are here for a single weekend, no longer, and therefore the city needs to be discovered quickly. The first evening is spent entirely with wonderful Tuscan food but for the second we plan something else. Flyers in … Continue reading A little Night Music in Florence, Italy
Sadie takes the Stage 