TIL SEPT 8

MATCHDAY TOURS NOW AVAILABLE
Exciting interactive tour
Go behind the scenes at London Stadium
Historic London 2012 Olympic venue
Home to West Ham United and UK Athletics
See the changing room, indoor running track,
players’ tunnel, pitch side and much more
Enjoy beautiful parklands in Queen
Elizabeth Olympic Park
Ideal for individuals and groups
lstours@delawarenorth.com | london-stadium.com
@londonstadium | #londonstadiumtours

CONTENTS
Events 4
Ascot’s Festival of Food and Wine
Wembley Stadium Tours
Music 8
Dominion Theatre completes Restoration
Ute Lemper at Cadogan Hall
Exhibitions 12
20/21 Art Fair at Mall Galleries
Royal Miniatures Society Exhibition
Photo: Lee Parker.
Welcome to London
Theatre 16
Apologia
The Girl from the North Country
Proprietor Julie Jones
Publishing Consultant Terry Mansfield CBE
Associate Publisher Beth Jones
Editorial Clive Hirschhorn Sue Webster
© This is London Magazine Limited
This is London at the Olympic Park
Stour Space, 7 Roach Road,
Fish Island, London E3 2PA
Telephone: 020 7434 1281
www.til.com
www.thisislondonmagazine.com
It’s the time of the year again when air ambulances across the UK are raising
awareness of the fact that the Air Ambulance Services nationwide are all
charities. National Air Ambulance Week, from 11 - 18 September, helps
to spread the word and raise donations.
There are an amazing 582 hours of collections happening all week at 15 of
London’s largest stations. Also available are the new helicopter pin badges to
give away – these fun pin badges are a great way to help raise awareness.
You can find Londons Air Ambulance charity pin badges in 300 local shops
all around London.
For further information, or to make a donation visit
londonsairambulance.co.uk
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
Victim Support 0845 30 30 900
free and confidential service
Visit London 020 7234 5833
Heathrow Airport 0844 335 1801
Gatwick Airport 0844 892 0322
Taxis 020 7272 5471
Dry Cleaner 7491 3426 Florist 7831 6776
Optician 7581 6336 Watches 7493 5916
Weather 0870 9000100
t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g a z i n e • t h i s i s l o n d o n o n l i n e

4
ASCOT’S FESTIVAL OF FOOD & WINE RACING WEEKEND
A quintessentially British tradition, afternoon tea is one of the best-loved food
offerings served at Ascot Racecourse. This year’s Festival of Food & Wine Racing
Weekend, from 7-10 September – with Flat racing on Friday and Saturday – is set to
be a glorious few days of feasting, drinking and racing with Great British Bake Off
winner Candice Brown headlining the event, alongside two-Michelin star chef
Raymond Blanc OBE on Saturday 9 September.
CHINA CHANGING FESTIVAL
RETURNS TO SOUTHBANK CENTRE
Southbank Centre’s China Changing
Festival returns for its second year, on
Saturday 7 October, showcasing
contemporary China and exploring its
creative connection with the UK.
Launched in December 2016, this
three year international festival returns to
London presenting some of the most
innovative artists practising in China
today and celebrating inspiring work
from British-based Chinese and South
East Asian artists.
Over fifty per cent of the programme
is free, bringing together an eclectic day
including new perspectives on
traditional sounds, digital and electronic
art, surreal film, breakdance, comedy,
modern puppetry, theatre and topical
panel discussions.
KLEZMER IN THE PARK:
THE BIG MIX 2017
Jewish Music Institute’s flagship
annual one day Festival takes place this
year on Sunday 10 September, a funpacked
afternoon for all the family in
one of London’s most beautiful parks.
As well as BBC Radio 3 DJ Max
Reinhardt, Community Hub and Kids
Zone, this year’s live stage will feature
Klezmer in collaboration with a global
selection of artists. JMI Youth Big Band,
is a brand new youth ensemble
performing contemporary music of
Jewish origin. The ensemble will draw
inspiration from the great American big
bands and Jewish music throughout the
ages. The band is co?led by two world
class Jewish Jazz musicians; trumpet
player Sam Eastmond, and
instrumentalist Stewart Curtis.
WORLD-PREMIERE OF NETWORK
AT THE NATIONAL THEATRE
This autumn, the National Theatre will
stage the world-premiere of Network,
Lee Hall’s new adaptation of the Oscarwinning
film by Paddy Chayefsky.
Directed by Ivo van Hove, Douglas
Henshall will play Max Schumacher in a
cast which includes Tony award winner
Bryan Cranston as Howard Beale, and
Michelle Dockery as Diana Christenson.
Howard Beale, news anchor-man,
isn’t pulling in the viewers. In his final
broadcast he unravels live on screen.
But when the ratings soar, the network
seizes on their new found populist
prophet, and Howard becomes the
biggest thing on TV.
Network depicts a dystopian media
landscape where opinion trumps fact.
Hilarious and horrifying by turns, the
iconic film by Paddy Chayefsky won four
Academy Awards in 1976. Now, Lee Hall
(Billy Elliot, Our Ladies of Perpetual
Succour) and director Ivo van Hove
(Hedda Gabler) bring his masterwork to
the stage for the first time.
Douglas Henshall.
t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g a z i n e • t h i s i s l o n d o n o n l i n e

wembleystadium.com/tours
0800 169 9933
TOURS DEPART DAILY: 10:00 – 15:00
PRINTED TRANSLATION GUIDES AVAILABLE IN 9 LANGUAGES

6
INTERNATIONAL VISITORS TO
LONDON – BEST ON RECORD
London welcomed a jump in visitors
during the first quarter of 2017, making
it the best on record according to new
figures released by the Office for
National Statistics. The number of
overseas visits to the UK for January to
June this year hit a record-breaking
19.1 million, up 9% on 2016. The past
six months have seen a 25% rise in
visitors from North America, thanks to
the ‘Brexit effect’ and weak pound. As
always, the transatlantic exchange has
valuable economic benefits.
There are some terrific shows running
on Broadway, with a West End transfer
for the juggernaut production of the
musical ‘Hamilton’ opening in
November. The story of America’s
Founding Father Alexander Hamilton,
the score blends hip-hop, jazz, blues,
rap, R&B and Broadway – the story of
America then, as told by America now.
For those returning home to or
through New York or UK travellers
heading over the Pond, a rising star on
the restaurant scene there is Thursday
Kitchen in the achingly cool Lower East
Side (thursdaykitchennyc.com)
The meanu, created by Kay Hyun, is
wonderfully eclectic. For veggies, angry
sweet potato with sriracha goat cheese
and chilla is a spicy favourite; there’s
kale with house-made lemon ponzu
dressing; and mapo tofu served with
green lentils and chili bean sauce.
The steak has a soy-garlic glaze and
feta grits; there is chicharron (confit pork
belly, cashew creme, white kimchi, lime
juice and cilantro) and local favourite
popcorn chicken in a sweet and spicy
sauce with black sesame crumbles.
There is also ramen, truffle mac and
cheese and edamame dumplings and the
seafood offering is just as good –
octopus served chilled with korean pear,
sweet soy-scallion, riesling gellee and
mango; tuna tataki and kimchi paella.
The wines are from all over, bubbles,
beer and Asian spirits and the amazing
‘got light’ korean liquor steeped for two
weeks with rose leaves, yuzu and egg
which is literally lit from within
(above) – available only on Thursdays.
SPEND A NIGHT WITH THE LIONS
AT GIR LION LODGE
Fancy falling asleep to tropical
birdsong, and waking up to a lion’s
roar instead of your alarm clock? Then
ZSL London Zoo has the experience for
you, right in the heart of the Capital.
Adventurous animal lovers can spend a
night within a whisker of the lions at
the Zoo’s Gir Lion Lodge overnight
experience.
Guests will be welcomed to nine
colourful cabins nestled in the heart of
the Land of the Lions exhibit. Beautifully
decorated with a bespoke, hand-painted
mural, each lodge has been named after
an animal from the Gir Forest, home to
the only wild population of Asiatic lions.
ZSL London Zoo’s dedicated hosts
will guide guests around the Zoo on
exclusive evening and morning tours,
sharing their insider tips on spotting
species and fascinating facts about some
of the Zoo’s 17,000 residents.You will
also discover more about the work ZSL
is doing with local communities and
rangers in India’s Gir Forest to protect
these endangered big cats.
Sleeping within roaring distance of
the pride of majestic Asiatic lions,
guests will then be treated to an evening
meal and breakfast, and each private
lodge comes fully equipped with home
comforts, including cosy beds and an
en-suite.
With places already selling fast, visit
www.zsl.org/girlionlodge to book a night
at the wildest overnight stay in London.
t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g a z i n e • t h i s i s l o n d o n o n l i n e

WEMBLEY STADIUM TOURS
Wembley Stadium Tour takes visitors
deep into the heart of the stadium and
into areas usually reserved for the
biggest and best names in sport and
music such as Beckham, Messi,
Ronaldo, Tom Brady, Anthony Joshua,
Ed Sheeran and Beyonce.
The award-winning, 75 minute,
guided tour includes access to the
Dressing Rooms, Press Room, Players
Tunnel, Pitchside and the iconic Royal
Box to have a photograph taken with a
replica of the world-famous FA Cup.
With multiple accessible train routes,
ample parking, a café, plentiful restroom
facilities and the London Designer Outlet
shopping centre next door, the Wembley
Tour caters for all visitor needs. It is
open 12 months a year and 7 days a
week with the exception of certain event
dates in the calendar. Tours depart at
10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00 and
15:00 with pre-booking advised.
Easily accessible via any of these
stations; Wembley Park via Metropolitan
and Jubilee Lines, Wembley Stadium
Station via Chiltern Line and Wembley
Central Station via Bakerloo Line,
London Overground and National Rail.
All tours are conducted in English.
Printed translation guides are available
in 9 languages. Book online at visiting
www.wembleystadium.com/tours or
calling 0800 169 9933.
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
KEY CAST CHANGES
As the musical heads into its 32nd
year, there are key cast changes for The
Phantom Of The Opera. Joining the cast
from 4 September are Ben Lewis who
will play the title role of ‘The Phantom’,
Kelly Mathieson as ‘Christine Daaé’ and
Jeremey Taylor as ‘Raoul’.
The Phantom Of The Opera has won
over 70 major theatre awards, including
seven Tony’s on Broadway and four
Olivier Awards in the West End. It won
the ‘Magic Radio Audience Award’, voted
by the public, in the 2016 Laurence
Olivier Awards.
Wembley Stadium.
7
t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g a z i n e • t h i s i s l o n d o n o n l i n e

8
DOMINION THEATRE COMPLETES
£6M RESTORATION
London’s Dominion Theatre, home to
Christopher Wheeldon’s stunning
reinvention of the Oscar® winning
Hollywood musical An American in
Paris, has completed a £6 million
restoration and unveiled a brand new
double-sided LED screen on Tottenham
Court Road, the largest and highest
resolution projecting screen on the
exterior of a West End theatre.
The extensive restoration of this
landmark Grade II listed building, which
sits majestically at the junction of
Tottenham Court Road, Oxford Street
and Charing Cross Road, was started in
2014 and is now finally complete with
the unveiling of the beautifully restored
theatre façade and the brand new digital
screen.
An American in Paris has been
ecstatically received by audiences and
critics, earning an incredible 28 five star
reviews when it opened at the Dominion
Theatre in March this year. It has now
extended booking though to the end of
January 2018.
The sumptuous new musical about
following your heart and living your
dreams is written by Craig Lucas and
features the timeless music and lyrics of
George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin,
including the songs I Got Rhythm,
‘S Wonderful, I’ll Build a Stairway To
Paradise and They Can't Take That Away
from Me, together with George
Gershwin’s sweeping compositions
including ‘An American in Paris’.
Jerry Mulligan (played by Ashley Day,
(pictured below) is an American GI
pursuing his dream to make it as a
painter in a city suddenly bursting with
hope and possibility. Following a chance
encounter with a beautiful young dancer
named Lise, the streets of Paris become
the backdrop to a sensuous, modern
romance of art, friendship and love in
the aftermath of war.
For tickets, telephone 0845 200 7982.
Photo: Johan Persson.
LES ENFANTS TERRIBLES PRESENT
THE TERRIBLE INFANTS
Award-winning theatre company Les
Enfants Terribles have announced the full
cast for the anniversary production of The
Terrible Infants. Staged at Wilton’s Music
Hall in East London and featuring new
creative material, it will run from
27 September to 28 October.
The Terrible Infants is a collection of
twisted short stories by Oliver Lansley
and Sam Wyer, which recall both Roald
Dahl and Tim Burton, performed with
Photo: Rah Petherbridge
inventive puppetry and atmospheric live
music. Following the phenomenal
success of Alice’s Adventure’s
Underground at The Vaults and to reflect
Les Enfants Terribles’ bold and
innovative theatricality, this ten year
anniversary staging will feature new
creative material.
Featuring recorded narration from
Judi Dench, The Terrible Infants
originally debuted in 2007 before
multiple appearances on nationwide
tours and around the world. The
production received numerous awards
when it debuted a decade ago including
Best Entertainment and Outstanding
Theatre in the Fringe Report in 2008
For tickets, telephone 0207 702 2789.
t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g a z i n e • t h i s i s l o n d o n o n l i n e

10
CRAIG REVEL HORWOOD TO PLAY
MISS HANNIGAN IN ANNIE
Michael Harrison and David Ian,
Producers of the West End production of
Annie have announced that from
18 September to 26 November, Craig
Revel Horwood will join the West End
Company to play the role of Miss
Hannigan for 10 weeks, as Nikolai
Foster’s production extends booking at
the Piccadilly Theatre to 18 February.
Best known on television as a judge
on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing and
for a role he returns to this Autumn,
Craig Revel Horwood received great
critical acclaim in Foster’s production of
Annie that toured the UK in 2015.
Previously in the West End he has
performed the role of Munkustrap in
Cats, was Dance Captain in Miss Saigon
and played the role of Harry in Crazy for
You. His production of Son of a
Preacher Man will open in Bromley in
September before embarking on an
extensive UK tour. During his 10-week
run, because of his Strictly Come
Dancing commitments, Craig Revel
Horwood will not play the role of Miss
Hannigan on Saturdays.
Set in 1930s New York during The
Great Depression, brave young Annie is
forced to live a life of misery and
torment at Miss Hannigan’s orphanage.
Her luck changes when she is chosen to
spend Christmas at the residence of
famous billionaire, Oliver Warbucks.
Meanwhile, spiteful Miss Hannigan has
other ideas and hatches a plan to spoil
Annie’s search for her true family...
Foster’s production arrived in the
West End 40 years after the original
Broadway production opened in 1977
and received seven Tony awards
including the Best Musical, Best Score
and Best Book. In 1982, Annie was
adapted for the big screen directed by
John Huston with a cast including Carol
Burnett, Bernadette Peters and Albert
Finney. The much-loved score includes
the classics It’s A Hard Knock Life,
Tomorrow and Easy Street.
Box Office telephone 0844 871 7630.
ROY ORBISON TRIBUTE SINGER TO
PERFORM BLACK & WHITE NIGHT
Roy Orbison had an extraordinary,
unique voice that ranged from baritone
to tenor, spanning three to four octaves,
including a superb and soaring falsetto.
Elvis Presley said Orbison had the
greatest and most distinctive voice he
had ever heard. Bruce Springsteen and
Billy Joel both commented on the
otherworldly quality of Orbison's voice
while Barry Gibb of The Bee Gees said
of Orbison’s voice in ‘Crying’ that ‘To me
that was the voice of God’.
Londoner Dave Collison, has
mastered the Roy Orbison sound. Dave
is the first to admit his voice isn’t Godgiven.
His voice has always had an
uncanny similarity to the Big O’s but he
has studied and trained very hard over
20 years to perfect the tone and reach
the very high and low notes with the
seeming ease that Roy Orbison had.
Dave will perform The Black & White
Night Revisited as a special, one-off
event next week and will cover exactly
the same set-list as the original concert.
Backing singers for the original show
included KD Lang, Jennifer Warnes and
Bonnie Raitt, so Dave has carefully
chosen female backing singers with the
same vocal style to match the sound as
closely as possible.
Visit tickets.halfmoon.co.uk
Dave Collison will perform a tribute to Roy Orbison.
t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g a z i n e • t h i s i s l o n d o n o n l i n e

UTE LEMPER’S THE 9 SECRETS
ALBUM LAUNCH AT CADOGAN HALL
Grammy-nominated and
internationally acclaimed artist Ute
Lemper’s collaboration with renowned
best-selling author Paulo Coelho,
The 9 Secrets, has been released via
Steinway & Sons. The launch will be
celebrated with a concert at Cadogan
Hall on 15 September at 19.30.
The album presents a song cycle
composed and sung by Lemper, set to
words by Coelho from his 2012 novel
Manuscript Found in Accra, the thematic
content of which may be encapsulated in
the lines, ‘After lying undiscovered for
over 700 years, a manuscript holding
the answers to questions about life and
humanity is unearthed. Simple
questions about our lives torn between
happiness and sorrow and defined by
hope, intelligence and desire to love as
much as the capacity to hate and
destroy.’ Coelho himself is featured on
two tracks.
Ute was born in Munster, Germany
and completed her studies at The Dance
Academy in Cologne and the Max
Reinhardt Seminary Drama School in
Vienna.
Her career has been vast and varied,
having made her mark in films,
recordings and on theatre and concert
stages around the world. As a recording
artist, her discography thus far
encompasses more than 30 albums over
30 years, including 2012’s Grammynominated
Paris Days, Berlin Nights on
Steinway & Sons.
She has been lauded for her
interpretations of Berlin cabaret songs,
the works of Kurt Weill and Berthold
Brecht and the Chansons of Marlene
Dietrich, Edith Piaf and many others.
She has recorded the music of Elvis
Costello, Tom Waits, Philip Glass and
Nick Cave, and was named Billboard’s
Crossover Artist of the Year for 1993–
1994.
For tickets, telephone Cadogan Hall
box office on 020 7730 4500.
Ute Lemper.
Photo: Brigitte Dummer
11
t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g a z i n e • t h i s i s l o n d o n o n l i n e

12
Yoshijiro Urushibara (1889-1953): (London
1910-1940): ‘Anemones in Black Vase’.
Coloured woodcut c.1930. 305 x 203mm.
From Hilary Chapman Fine Prints.
THE FINEST MODERN BRITISH AND
POST-WAR ART
The 20/21 British Art Fair, one of the
UK’s most popular art fairs and the only
one to specialise exclusively in Modern
and Post War British art, returns in a
new venue after its former location was
suddenly unavailable in 2016. After
some 25 years at the Royal College of
Art, it is moving to Mall Galleries in
central London close to the art market
hub of St James’s. The 28th staging will
take place between 13–17 September.
The fair is supported by 34 of the
UK's leading art dealers, some of whom
have exhibited at the fair since its
inception in 1988, which clearly
demonstrates the remarkable loyalty
which underpins this event. Its great
strength lies in the excellence and
variety of Modern (1900-1945) and
Post-War art (1945-1970). However,
work from 1970 to the present day will
also be on show.
Most of the great names of 20th
century British art will be represented:
Bomberg, Freud, Frink, Frost, Hepworth,
Hockney, Lowry, Moore, Nash, Piper,
Riley, Spencer and Sutherland to name a
few. Much of the work is privately
sourced and fresh to the market and
dealers keep work back for the fair. The
result is a niche event showcasing
paintings, prints, drawings and sculpture
of the highest quality.
Mall Galleries is a well-known venue
which hosts art events on behalf of the
Federation of British Artists such as the
New English Art Club. Many of the
artists represented at the fair would have
belonged to this group some 50 or even
100 years ago.
‘We are delighted to be back and are
very excited by the response to the new
venue’,say the founders and organisers,
Gay Hutson and Angela Wynn. ‘We are
confident that this select specialist fair,
with its great line up of dealers, will be
a feast for collectors.’
Open Wednesday 15.00-21.00;
Thursday: 11.00-20.00; Friday/Saturday
11.00-19.00; Sunday: 11.00-18.00.
www.britishartfair.co.uk
Patrick Procktor, RA (1936-2003): Jimi Hendrix.
Watercolour, 33 x 33 cm. Signed and dated ‘73.
From Christopher Kingzett Fine Art.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
describes Jimi Hendrix as ‘arguably the
greatest instrumentalist in the history of
rock music’. He died in London at the
age of twenty-seven.Hendrix was a friend
of Patrick Procktor having been
introduced to him by Ossie Clark. He
made one oil and a number of
watercolours of Hendrix. This is the
largest and strongest of the drawings.
Edward Bawden (1903-1989): ‘Queen’s Garden’ 1983 (Kew Palace) Linocut
and lithograph. 470 x 609mm. From: Dominic Kemp Modern British Prints.
t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g a z i n e • t h i s i s l o n d o n o n l i n e

FOLLOW IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF
WORLD ATHLETES AT LONDON
STADIUM
Hot on the heels of the IAAF World
Athletics and World Para Athletics
Championships this summer, tours
around the former Olympic Stadium are
available to book now.
The tour gives exclusive access to
usually private areas of the stadium,
superstar interviews and unique photo
opportunities. Visitors will be able to
re-imagine the success of the Super
Saturday athletes as they made their
preparations on the warm up track and
out to the main arena where the roar of
the crowds spurred them on to gold.
And football fans will not be left
disappointed as they follow in the
footsteps of their heroes from the
changing rooms and make the walk
along the players’ tunnel, out to the
manager’s dug out before standing pitch
side.
In addition, the London Stadium are
now offering guided football specific
match day tours, so visitors can take a
behind the scenes view of the stadium
only hours before the players battle it
out on the pitch. This is a different style
of tour, as it tour will be guided in small
groups and everyone on the tour will be
accompanied by one of the exceptional
Experience Makers. The guides are full
of character, knowledge and stories
about West Ham United, athletics and
the incredible feat of architecture that is
the London Stadium, so guests will be
entertained on your journey through the
stadium.The popular areas of this tour
will still be visited, but the excitement of
a match day will be in the air.
Either way, the tour is ideal for all,
including families visiting the Olympic
Park, the stadium comes alive through a
75 minute interactive multimedia tour
that has been specifically developed for
the venue. www.london-stadium.com
The London Stadium is just a short
walk from Stratford Station, which is on
the Jubilee, Central and Overground
lines.
The magnificent London Stadium from the air.
13
t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g a z i n e • t h i s i s l o n d o n o n l i n e

14
TECHNIQUES OF THE MINIATURE
ARTIST REVEALED
How do they create something that
small? That is usually the first question
you hear from people visiting The Royal
Society of Miniature Painters Sculptors
and Gravers’ (RMS) Annual Exhibition at
The Mall Galleries in London.
Two members of the RMS, wildlife
painter Jenny Musker and wildlife
sculptor Paul Eaton, reveal how they
create their tiny artworks.
Jenny works in watercolour on
polymin, the modern equivalent of ivory.
‘This is a man made cellulose, like
painting on the surface of a ping pong
ball. Before 1960, the surface would
have been ivory which is now banned for
wildlife conservation. Vellum, canvas,
board and paper are also acceptable; in
fact anything with a smooth surface
helps with the detail.
‘Polymin is an interesting surface to
paint on, the paint tends to ‘slide’ on the
surface, so you have to dry excess paint
off your brush first then build up layers
by stippling – dotting the paint on to
the surface. Each layer must be allowed
to dry before the next can go on and
one splash of water can lift the painting
right off!
‘The painting of wrens on cherry
blossom is approximately actual size at
just 1.5”x2.5”. Even at this scale it takes
many thousands of dots to make up the
layers. I am often asked why I work with
such a difficult medium. It adds a
beautiful translucency to the watercolour
and to the end result of the painting, and
I like the challenge of working on such a
tiny scale.’
Paul Eaton sculpts metal into
beautiful miniature masterpieces.
‘I sculpt from wax that is normally used
in injection moulding and comes in
pellet form. I use a low voltage soldering
iron to drip and mould wax almost like
painting, then I use various tools, some
made specifically for my own use, some
dental and engraving tools, to carve
more detail.
‘The subject is roughly assembled to
create a posture or pose, then detail is
Jenny Musker: Dancing in the Dog
Roses. Watercolour on polymin. Image
size 4.5x6.5cm with frame 9x11cm.
Left: Love Blossoms.
added and slowly the subject comes to
life. Once I am pleased with the
composition the wax is then cast into
metal using the lost wax process.
‘This process involves attaching a
wax bar or sprue to the subject and
immersing it in a liquid called
‘investment’, similar to clay slip. Many
layers are added to create a shell around
the subject and when dry the model is
fired in a kiln like a piece of porcelain. In
the kiln the wax burns away and leaves a
hollow shell into which molten bronze or
silver can be poured to create the final
piece. I then add further fine detail with
small drills and hand engravers before
adding patina and polish to bring out the
natural look of the metal. My love and
fascination of the natural world keeps
me inspired.’
The Royal Society of Miniature
Painters Sculptors and Gravers’ Annual
Exhibition opens on Wednesday
evening, 20 September, with the work on
view daily from 10.00-17.00 until
1 October.
A selection of artists will be
demonstrating different techniques
throughout the exhibition.
For details go to the website
www.royal-miniature-society.org.uk
Left: Paul Eaton miniature sculptures.
t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g a z i n e • t h i s i s l o n d o n o n l i n e

DOROTHY CIRCUS GALLERY OPENS
IN NOTTING HILL
Dorothy Circus Gallery is opening the
doors of its British branch in Notting Hill
with a new exhibition. On the occasion
of their unique anniversary, the Gallery
have prepared a celebration in the form
of a Group Show, with a splendid
reunion of its most important pop and
surreal icons. These artists will
collaborate with new international
figures in a magical meeting, beginning
in October.
Pages from Mind Travellers Diaries is
the name of the Group show, the title
mirrors the Gallery’s restless mood and
ideologies. That is the way it all started,
with the idea of a journey toward the
most remote corners of surrealism. It is
a journey full of surprises and
significant meetings of minds which
have shaped the gallery’s identity.
With the aim of spreading its image
around the world while absorbing new
cultural concepts, the Gallery started its
journey around Europe from Rome,
heading towards London. Shifting from
extremely bizarre and unusual tastes to
the most refined tendencies, what could
have been a better first destination for
the Circus if not the magnificent
London? The city of extreme glamour
and the dynamic centre of the fashion
industry, which can suddenly turn into
the elegant abode of the classy and
refined afternoon tea. The directors
decided that London has the perfect
atmosphere to welcome Dorothy Circus
Gallery’s unique style.
The first Group Exhibition in London
will feature popular names in pop art,
and surreal characters already present in
the art scene. These great artists’
extravagant pieces are made from
multiple artistic mediums and personal
styles, ranging from highly detailed
digital images to a more traditional
approach of brushes on canvas.
Following the Group show, the artists
will continue to work with the Gallery on
a brilliant series of solo exhibitions, one
per each artist that will begin in 2018.
Joe Sorren - Coney Island Supper Club
25x100 cm (49x39inches) oil on canvas
15
t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g a z i n e • t h i s i s l o n d o n o n l i n e

16
Photos: Marc Brenner.
APOLOGIA Trafalgar Studios
As playwrights have constantly
discovered, sending their characters on
overnight visits to town or country
houses reaped dividends. Back in the
twenties Noel Coward had a hit with Hay
Fever, in the thirties George S. Kaufman
and Moss Hart wowed Broadway with
The Man Who Came to Dinner and,
striking a more serious note in the
sixties were Edward Albee‘s a Delicate
Balance and Harold Pinter’s The
Homecoming. In 2004 David Eldredge
successfully adapted the Danish film
Festen, a recriminatory drama that
centered around a celebratory 60th
birthday.
Four years after Festen, the Bush
Theatre presented Alexi Kaye Campell’s
Apologia, in which a formidible
matriarch invites her two sons and their
girlfriends to an informal birthday dinner
in her country home. It’s now being
revived in the West End as a vehicle for
the American actress Stockard Channing
who was last seen on the London stage
in 1992 in John Guare’s Six Degrees of
Separation.
She plays Kristin, a published arthistorian
and fervent 1960’s political
activist around whom the play revolves.
As originally written, Kristin was
British. She’s now morphed into an
American (‘by birth not by choice’)
thereby necessitating some rewrites
which work well enough but without
going too deeply into her political
origins. What hasn’t changed, though,
is the superior moral high-ground she
adopts when her views are challenged or
those held by others differ from her own.
First to arrive is her son Peter, an
international banker (a taker rather than
a giver as Kristin puts it) and his rather
vanilla, deeply Christian fiancee Trudi.
Next up is Claire, a successful soap
actress who drives a Porsche and wears
a Japanese number that costs £2000.
She has come from London without
Peter’s unemployable brother Simon, a
would-be writer who arrives after
everyone has gone to bed.
What follows as Kristin monstrously
hurls insults at the two young women,
scoring cheap points as she dismisses
their beliefs and life-styles, raises
rudeness and insensitivity to an art form.
Not that she shows much compassion
for her sons either. The family dynamic
reaches a climax when Peter and Simon
confront her at different times for not
even mentioning them in a memoir she
has just published.
There are, of course, deep-rooted
reasons for Kristin’s behaviour and they
go way back to her divorce. She was in
Florence with her very young sons at the
time, and did nothing to regain custody
of them when they were taken from her
by her ex-husband. Living with the
burden of this guilt clearly resulted in
self-hatred which, in turn hardened her
into the lonely monster she’s become.
Also present at this dinner from hell
is Hugh, an outspokenly camp old
queen who holds the same political
beliefs as his host and probably knows
her better than anyone else. There’s a
scene the play desperately needs in
which he sets out to explain Kristin’s
behaviour to Peter but which,
unfortunately, is interrupted and goes for
nothing.
The raison d’etre of Jamie Lloyd’s
laid-back production is, clearly,
Stockard Channing and she’s terrific.
Watching her navigate her way around
Campbell’s razor-edged text or just
listening, as in a scene in which her son
Simon describes an experience he had
at age 12 when he was picked up by a
man in Genoa, is to appreciate an
actress working at the very top of her
form.
As Trudi Laura Carmichael slowly
peels off layers of her character not
initially in evidence; while Freema
Agyeman also brings out unexpected
facets in Claire. Desmond Barritt does
the best he can with the marginalsed
stereotype Hugh, and Joseph Millson,
playing both Peter and Simon,(obviously
never seen together) gives each brother
a convincing personality of their own.
Adding to a flawed but entertaining
evening is the excellent set by Soutra
Gilmour.
CLIVE HIRSCHHORN
t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g a z i n e • t h i s i s l o n d o n o n l i n e

18
Photo: Brinkhoff Mogenburg
Olivia Colman and Olivia Williams in
Mosquitoes by Lucy Kirkwood
MOSQUITOES Dorfman Theatre
Lucy Kirkwood’s award-winning
Chimerica was one of the theatrical
highlights of 2013, a brilliant, ambitious,
and visually exciting cross-continent
meld of the personal and political. Her
new play for the National Theatre doesn’t
have quite the same impact, but it’s
pretty impressive nonetheless – not least
because of a handful of top notch
performances under Rufus Norris’s fluid
direction.
Jenny and Alice are sisters – but
although they share the same parentage,
the similarities end there. Whilst Alice is
a highflying particle physicist working
on the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva
and bringing up her teenage son alone,
Jenny, at the beginning of the play is an
anxiously expectant, Luton-based
mother-to-be who sells medical
insurance by phone, consults her
horoscope and believes whatever she
reads on the internet.
Kirkwood covers a lot of ground in
what is primarily an account of the
siblings’ combustible relationship with
each other, and at times the science
(despite a white-coated Paul Hilton’s
passionate delivery) seems more of an
excuse for some beautiful, bubbling
visuals. But the antagonistic
co-dependency of the sisters on a very
human collision course holds one’s
attention. Olivia Williams’ dedicated
scientist is quick to jump on a plane
when her sister needs her (but can’t see
that her exceptionally bright but socially
inept, reluctantly sexting son – excellent
Joseph Quinn – will never fit in at the
Swiss school he hates). Olivia Colman’s
bereaved, train wreck Jenny, her limited
intellectual abilities constantly
undermined by the academics who
surround her, is the one who somehow
keeps the family practically afloat. And
Amanda Boxer is a hoot as their
querulous, insensitive mother, still
resentful that her errant husband long
ago received the glory of the Nobel Prize
she thought should have been hers as
she battles, now, with encroaching
dementia and incontinence.
Until 28 September.
Louise Kingsley
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR SEASON
EXTENDED AT OPEN AIR THEATRE
Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s
production of Tim Rice and Andrew
Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar
is now playing until 23 September.
The production returned to the Open
Air Theatre following a sell-out run in
2016, with critics proclaiming it
‘adrenaline-pumping’ (The New York
Times), and ‘a gorgeous, thrilling,
heavenly musical’ (The Guardian).
Directed by Timothy Sheader, the
production won the 2016 Evening
Standard Award for Best Musical, and
the 2017 Olivier Award for Best Musical
Revival, with the Open Air Theatre
announced as ‘London Theatre of the
Year’ in The Stage Awards 2017. Tyrone
Huntley who reprises his role as Judas
this year, also won the Evening Standard
Award for Emerging Talent, and was
nominated as Best Actor in a Musical in
the Olivier Awards. The production also
picked up Olivier Award nominations for
Best Lighting, Best Sound, Outstanding
Achievement in Music, and Best Theatre
Choreography for Drew McOnie.
This is the UK’s first outdoor
production of Jesus Christ Superstar,
and 2017 also marks the 45th
anniversary of the show first opening in
the West End.
Established in 1932, the award
winning Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
is one of the largest theatres in London.
Situated in the beautiful surroundings of
a Royal Park, both its stage and
auditorium are entirely uncovered. Voted
London Theatre of the Year in The Stage
Awards 2017 and celebrated for its bold
and dynamic productions over 140,000
people visit the theatre each year during
the 18-week season. Timothy Sheader
and William Village were appointed Joint
Chief Executives in 2007.
For tickets telephone 0844 826 4242.
t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g a z i n e • t h i s i s l o n d o n o n l i n e

Company of Girl From The North Country at The Old Vic.
GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY
Old Vic
Having experienced a resounding
Broadway flop in 2006 with Twyla
Tharp’s The Times They Are A-Changin’,
song laureate Bob Dylan was
understandably protective when it came
to future theatrical presentations of his
work. Yet out of the blue, Dylan’s
manager contacted Irish playwright
Conor McPherson who, at the age of 25,
in 1997, was catapulted to fame with his
Olivier Award winning ghost story The
Weir. What was on offer was an open
invitation to McPherson to use Dylan’s
catalogue of songs in any manner he
chose.
As McPherson had never written a
musical before and neither had Dylan,
he didn’t give the suggestion much
thought until one day an idea struck
him: he would write a play set in a
rundown guest house in Dylan’s
birthplace of Duluth, Minnesota during
the height of the the Depression. It
wouldn’t be a conventional jukebox
musical in the mould of Jersey Boys but
a character-driven drama in which
Dylan’s songs would provide a soundtrack
appropriate to the mood of any
given moment without the necessity of
furthering the plot. It would, said Conor,
‘free the songs from the burden of
Photos: Manual Harlan
relevance for our generation and make
them timeless.’
It’s a brilliant concept and with a
multi-talented cast to prop it up, Girl
From the North Country works
thrillingly. Despite the familiarity of a
context exhaustively explored in so
many Depression-era books, films and
plays, Dylan’s songs lend it a freshness
and a contemporary relevance that
resonates powerfully and movingly.
Bronagh Gallagher (Mrs Burke).
The time is 1934 – one of the
bleakest years of the Depression. A
world in microcosm exists within the
confines of the shabby guest-house run
by Nick Laine (Ciaran Hinds) whose
parlous financial circumstances are
exacerbated by a wife (Shirley
Henderson, wonderful) suffering from
dementia, a layabout alcoholic son (Sam
Reid) with unfulfilled literary aspirations,
and a black adopted daughter (stunning
Sheila Atim) who is pregnant though the
father is nowhere to be seen. Nick is
doing his best to marry her off to an
elderly shoe salesman (Jim Norton)
while he himself is having a liaison with
a widow (Debbie Kurup) who occupies a
room upstairs.
Other characters wrestling despair,
disillusion and survival include a
destitute factory boss (Stanley
Townsend), his pill-addicted wife
(Bronagh Gallagher), their grown-up son
with the brain of a four-year-old (Jack
Shalloo), a boxer (Arinze Kene on top
form) whose promising career crashed
after he was wrongfully arrested, a local
morphine addicted doctor (Ron Cook)
who also serves as an occasional
narrator, and an unscrupulous, blackmailing
bible-salesman (Michael
Schaeffer, effectively creepy).
Reminiscent of plays by Eugene
O’Neill, William Saroyan, Thornton
Wilder, Arthur Miller and Maxim Gorky
in which a group of men and women
collectively represent humanity in its
desperate fight for fulfilment and
survival, McPherson’s drama and
Dylan’s songs (from 1963 to Duquesne
Whistle in 2012) attempt to take the
pulse of the human condition and
succeed.
The play is compellingly directed by
the author whose multi-tasking cast,
apart from delivering sharply delineated,
vividly observed characterisations, are
also terrific singers who happen to play
several musical instruments. They
deserve to be seen and heard.
CLIVE HIRSCHHORN
19
t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g a z i n e • t h i s i s l o n d o n o n l i n e

20
Photo: Charlie Gray
PLAYS
CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF
A major revival of Tennessee Williams’
Pulitzer Prize-winning play, starring Sienna
Miller and Jack O’Connell. Closes 7 October.
APOLLO THEATRE
Shaftesbury Avenue, W1 (020 7851 2711)
THE COMEDY ABOUT A BANK ROBBERY
One enormous diamond, eight incompetent
crooks and a snoozing security guard. What
could possibly go right?
CRITERION THEATRE
Piccadilly Circus, (020 7492 0810)
THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG
A Polytechnic amateur drama group are
putting on a 1920s murder mystery and
everything that can go wrong... does!
DUCHESS THEATRE
Catherine Street, WC2 (0330 333 4810)
INK
James Graham's acclaimed new play transfers
following a sold-out season at the Almeida
Theatre in North London. From 19 September.
DUKE OF YORK’S THEATRE
St Martin’s Lane, WC2 (020 7492 1552)
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.
FORTUNE THEATRE
Russell Street, WC2 (0844 871 7626)
THE FERRYMAN
In Jez Butterworth’s new major drama, multi
award-winning actor, director and writer Paddy
Considine is joined by Laura Donnelly and
Genevieve O’Reilly. Directed by Sam Mendes.
GIELGUD THEATRE
Shaftesbury Avenue, W1 (0844 482 5130)
QUEEN ANNE
Royal Shakespeare Company production of
Helen Edmundson’s new play, set in 1702,
with William III on the throne and England is
on the verge of war. Until 30 September.
VENUS IN FUR
A major production of David Ives' dark
comedy starring Natalie Dormer and David
Oakes. Opens 17 October.
HAYMARKET THEATRE
Haymarket, SW1 (020 7930 8800)
OSLO
Bartlett Sher's acclaimed production of
J.T. Rogers' new Tony Award-winning play. A
darkly funny political thriller, this production
comes to the West End following a three week
run at the National Theatre. Opens 2 October.
HAROLD PINTER THEATRE
Panton Street, SW1 (0844 871 7627)
Royal National Theatre
Plays in repertory
OLIVIER THEATRE.
FOLLIES
Tracie Bennett, Janie Dee and Imelda Staunton
play the magnificent Follies in a dazzling new
production of Stephen Sondheim’s legendary
musical staged for the first time at the National.
LYTTELTON THEATRE
OSLO
Bartlett Sher's acclaimed production of
J.T. Rogers' new Tony Award-winning play.
5-23 September, then transfers to Harold
Pinter Theatre from 2 October.
DORFMAN THEATRE
MOSQUITOES
Olivia Colman and Olivia Williams play sisters
in a world premiere from Chimerica writer
Lucy Kirkwood, directed by Rufus Norris.
NATIONAL THEATRE
South Bank, SE1 (020 7452 3000)
LABOUR OF LOVE
World Premiere of James Graham's new
comedy starring Martin Freeman and Sarah
Lancashire. Set in the Labour Party's
traditional northern heartlands, a clash of
philosophy, culture and class.
Opens 25 September.
NOEL COWARD THEATRE
St Martin's Lane, WC2 (0844 482 5141)
GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY
Conor McPherson beautifully weaves the
iconic songbook of Bob Dylan into this new
show full of hope, heartbreak and soul.
Until 7 October.
DR SEUSS’S THE LORAX
The return of David Greig's stage adaption
returns to London for a special three week
season. Opens 15 October.
OLD VIC THEATRE
The Cut, Waterloo, SE1 (0844 871 7628)
HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED
CHILD PARTS I & II
A new stage play based on the Harry Potter
franchise written by Jack Thorne, based on
an original story by J.K Rowling.
PALACE THEATRE
Shaftesbury Avenue, W1 (0330 333 4813)
DERREN BROWN
Derren Brown's 'greatest hits' show
Underground in London promises to be a
spell-binding experience of magical genius
and epic showmanship.
PLAYHOUSE THEATRE
Northumberland Ave, WC2 (0844 871 7631)
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
The return of the Timothy Sheader's acclaimed
revival of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's
seminal musical featuring songs I Don't Know
How to Love Him, Gethsemane and Superstar.
REGENT'S PARK OPEN AIR THEATRE
Regent's Park, NW1 (0844 826 4242)
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 (0844 499 1515)
APOLOGIA
Jamie Lloyd's production of Alexi Kaye
Campbell's play, starring Stockard Channing.
A witty, topical and passionate play about
generations, secrets, and warring perspectives.
Until 18 Noember.
TRAFALGAR STUDIOS
Whitehall, SW1 (020 7492 1548)
A WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE
A major revival of Oscar Wilde's classic
starring Eve Best and Anne Reid and directed
by Dominic Dromgoole. From 6 October.
VAUDEVILLE THEATRE
Strand, WC2 (020 7400 1257)
HEISENBERG: THE UNCERTAINTY
PRINCIPLE
Marianne Elliott's West End Premiere of
Simon Stephens' play starring Anne-Marie
Duff and Kenneth Cranham.
WYNDHAM’S THEATRE
Charing Cross Rd, WC2 (0844 482 512)
t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g a z i n e • t h i s i s l o n d o n o n l i n e

MUSICALS
KINKY BOOTS
Inspired by a true story and based on the
Miramax film, the show tells the story of Charlie
Price who has reluctantly inherited his father's
Northampton shoe factory.
ADELPHI THEATRE
Strand, WC2 (020 3725 7060)
STOMP
This multi-award winning show continues to
astound audiences across the world with its
universal language of rhythm, theatre, comedy
and dance.
AMBASSADORS THEATRE
West Street, WC2 (020 7395 5405)
WICKED
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 Road, SW1 (0844 826 8000)
EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE
New musical starring John McCrea transfers
to the West End following a sold-out run at
Sheffield's Crucible Theatre. Opens 22 Nov.
APOLLO THEATRE
Shaftesbury Avenue, W1 (020 7851 2711)
MATILDA
Critically acclaimed Royal Shakespeare
Company production of Roald Dahl’s book,
directed by Matthew Warchus.
CAMBRIDGE THEATRE
Earlham Street, WC2 (0844 800 1110)
AN AMERICAN IN PARIS
The award-winning, thrillingly staged and
astonishingly danced Broadway Gershwin
musical featuring some of the greatest music
and lyrics ever written.
DOMINION THEATRE
Tottenham Court Rd, W1 (020 7927 0900)
THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS
Major new musical based on Kenneth
Grahame’s book, starring Rufus Hound.
A riotous musical comedy that follows the
impulsive Mr Toad whose insatisable need for
speed lands him in serious trouble. To 9 Sept.
LONDON PALLADIUM
Argyll Street, W1 (0844 412 4655)
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 (0844 871 3000)
THRILLER – LIVE
High octane show celebrating the career of the
King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Over two hours
of the non-stop hit songs that marked his
legendary live performances.
LYRIC THEATRE
Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2 (0330 333 4812)
SCHOOL OF ROCK
Andrew Lloyd Webber's new stage musical
with lyrics by Glenn Slater and book by Julian
Fellowes, adapted from the film.
NEW LONDON THEATRE
Drury Lane, WC2 (020 7492 0810)
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.
NOVELLO THEATRE
Aldwych, WC2 (0844 482 5170)
EVITA
A major revival of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd
Webber's legendary musical.
PHOENIX THEATRE
Charing Cross Road, WC2 (0844 871 7627)
ANNIE
Revival of the famous musical starring
Miranda Hart. A Depression-era rags-toriches
story featuring the songs It's The Hard-
Knock Life, Easy Street and Tomorrow.
PICCADILLY THEATRE
Denman Street, W1 (0844 871 7630)
ALADDIN
The classic hit film has been brought to thrilling
life on stage by Disney, featuring all the songs
from the Academy Award winning score.
PRINCE EDWARD THEATRE
Old Compton Street, W1 (0844 482 5151)
LES MISERABLES
A spectacularly staged version of Victor Hugo’s
epic novel about an escaped convict’s
search for redemption in Revolutionary France.
QUEEN’S THEATRE
Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2 (0844 482 5160)
DREAMGIRLS
Set in the USA during the late 1960s and
early 1970s, it follows a young female singing
trio as they become music superstars.
SAVOY THEATRE
Strand, WC2 (020 7492 0810)
MOTOWN THE MUSICAL
Featuring all the much loved classics from
Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, and the Jackson 5,
the show tells the story behind the hits.
SHAFTESBURY THEATRE
Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2 (020 7492 0810)
42nd STREET
The song and dance, American dream fable of
Broadway returns to the West End. The
timeless tale of small town Peggy Sawyer’s
rise from chorus line to Broadway star.
THEATRE ROYAL
Drury Lane, WC2 (020 7492 0810)
21
YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN
Legendary filmmaker and comedian Mel
Brooks brings his classic monster musical
comedy to life on stage in an all-singing,
all-dancing musical. Opens 10 October.
GARRICK THEATRE
Charing Cross Road, WC2 (0330 333 4811)
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 (0844 412 2707)
Clare Halse & Company in 42nd Street.
Photo: Brinkhoff & Moegenburg
t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g a z i n e • t h i s i s l o n d o n o n l i n e

22
CIGALA
One of the secret delights of London,
the backstreets of Bloomsbury remain
unknown to many visitors, who find
themselves culturally exhausted by the
British Museum. Who can blame them?
Such a treasure trove of antiquities
makes shopping seem lightweight.
Yet just a few hundred yards from
Russell Square is the fascinating
Brunswick Centre – a sort of
architectural monument to civic pride,
1970s style. It has been renovated and
given listed building status so that no
future arbiters of taste can knock it
down.
Those who feel like scowling at its
pre-formed concrete balconies will
almost certainly take more pleasure in
the Foundling Museum, which tells the
story of Britain’s first home for
abandoned babies, set up by Sir Thomas
Coram and his friend, the composer
Friedrich Handel. The little mementoes
left by the mothers of the foundlings – a
lock of hair, a scrap of card – are heart
breaking. Outside is Coram’s Field – to
this day a park and playground where
adults may only enter if accompanying a
child.
The best treat of this wander through
the area, however, is Lamb’s Conduit
Street. Together with Rugby Street (a
side turning) it is home to some of the
best boutiques and restaurants of
Bloomsbury. Many are niche menswear
outlets, like Oliver Spencer, Universal
works or Simon Carter. But there is also
the feminist publisher, Persephone
Books, Susannah Hunter, who makes
elaborate leather bags and even The
People’s supermarket, a true cooperative
store where locals can play
shop and get a discount on their
groceries.
Still, if you don’t live there and will
never benefit from such a scheme, I
recommend a quick peek in Maggie
Owen’s shop on Rugby Street, where the
costume jewellery is both beautiful and
surprising.
And then there is always dinner.
Or lunch. Lambs Conduit Street is a
bustling hub for diners. At the top end,
closest to the playground, families eat
pasta on the pavement outside Ciao
Bella. It is wildly popular and aroma of
warm garlic quite hard to resist. Further
south, Noble Rot is the name of a
magazine for wine aficionados, now
given to the wine bar where you can
imbibe any number of luscious vintages
alongside a simple British menu.
Which brings us to Cigala, plumb
opposite Noble Rot, a Spanish eatery
beloved of local business people and
doctors from Gt. Ormond Street hospital.
It is also a favourite haunt of a lot of
English people, who swear by the paella
and tapas. In fact the family at the table
closest to ours leant over to tell us that
the paella was ‘just like you get in Spain’
while I goggled at the sheer quantity of
rice and seafood that three adults can
apparently eat.
Anyway we were not to be swayed.
My main quest was a whole sea bream
grilled to perfection, with creamy
broccoli on the side. Then, serially, we
tried lots of tapas. The salted Marcona
almonds (£4.60) are excellent. The
‘Jamon Serrano’ (£9) – a cured
mountain ham – makes you swoon to be
in Spain again, I would say. Lots of
regulars were hoovering up the patatas
bravas (fired potatoes with spicy tomato
sauce) and the toast with ripe tomatoes,
olive oil and garlic, but if you are ‘agin
carbs’ then try the squid sizzled up with
hot peppers for a protein treat. The only
disappointment was a tiny dish of baked
crab which turned out to be mainly
breadcrumbs. The cheese board comes
with very nice crisp bread full of fennel
seeds and the dessert of orange jelly,
chocolate mousse and black bean ice
cream – a cute and tangy tower – is
wonderful. It is apparently the invention
of the restaurant’s owner and founder,
Jake Hodges, and has been described as
a chef’s satire on the Jaffa cake.
The atmosphere at Cigala is sweetly
relaxed. Not everything comes just at the
right time, but the waiters are eager
young Spaniards and the old-fashioned
décor makes you think of a seaside
eatery near the beach.
Sue Webster
54 Lamb’s Conduit Street,
WC1N 3LW
0207 405 1717
t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g a z i n e • t h i s i s l o n d o n o n l i n e