London & Partners

ENTERTAINMENT
Entertainment
With David G. Taylor
What’s hot
Two popular Shakespeare’s Globe productions transfer to the West
End this month in a Bard double bill. First up, is an award-winning
all-male production of the comedy Twelfth Night (from 2 Nov,
p. 77), which stars Mark Rylance (Jerusalem) and Stephen Fry
(Wilde). Meanwhile, Rylance also stars in the tragedy Richard III
(from 7 Nov, p. 76). You’ll find both of these William Shakespeare
plays performed in repetoire at the Apollo Theatre, following a
successful run at the Globe theatre in the summer. Pictured left is
Rylance dressed as the countess Olivia in Twelfth Night.
Opera glasses at the ready
Opera buffs are spoilt for choice this month, with a multitude of
great productions underway and more about to open. To start, catch
a child-friendly double bill of Oliver Knussen operas at the Barbican
(p. 78). Where The Wild Things Are and Higglety Pigglety Pop!
(3 Nov) is a staged concert based on kids’ picturebooks that
features singers, the Britten Sinfonia orchestra and projections of
Maurice Sendak’s stunning original illustrations.
Over at the Royal Opera House (p. 78) audiences are being
transported to a sun-dappled 1950s Italian village with its
production of Donizetti’s love story L’elisir D’amore (from 13 Nov).
Be sure to visit the website for details of the Royal Opera House
Live Cinema Season, which is screening Berlioz’s Les Toyens this
month (date to be confirmed).
Elsewhere, there’s a chance to fall under the spell of the gypsy
temptress Carmen (pictured, from 21 Nov), with a new production at
the London Coliseum (p. 78). A Spanish bullring provides the setting
for Bizet’s battle of the sexes, which centres on lust and immorality
among a bunch of low-life characters in 19th-century Seville.
Society drama
It’s your last chance to catch Olivier
Award-winning actress Sheridan
Smith (Legally Blonde The Musical),
in the title role of Hedda Gabler
(pictured, until 10 Nov, p. 75) at the
Old Vic. The tragedy, by Norwegian
playwright Henrik Ibsen, is about
a newlywed woman at odds with the
rigidity of 19th-century society.
Following on, the mood is
lightened by a rip-roaring Trevor
Nunn production of Kiss Me Kate
(from 20 Nov, p. 72). The exuberant
musical is a show-within-a-show. In
it, a theatre company’s production of
the Taming Of The Shrew forms the
backdrop for rivalry and romantic
entanglements among the cast.
Listen out for classic Cole Porter
songs including Too Darn Hot and
Brush Up Your Shakespeare.
TWELFTH NIGHT IMAGE © JOHN TRAMPER; HEDDA GABLER IMAGE © JAY BROOKS
68
| visitlondon.com|LONDON PLANNER|November 2012