TIL_Easter

Welcome to London 

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CONTENTS 

Events 4 

Peter Rabbit Themed Easter at Kew 

Superhero Takeover at ZSL London Zoo 

The Passion of Jesus in Trafalgar Square 

Music 8 

Royal Choral Society’s 142nd Messiah 

Hertfordshire Chorus perform Britten 

English Chamber Orchestra 

Exhibitions 12 

The Arsenal Museum and Stadium Tour 

Wonderlab at the Science Museum 

Theatre 16 

The Best Man 

Faulty Towers The Dining Experience 

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 

As British Summer Time now hits the UK, 

there is no better time to visit and 

experience London, one of the most 

exciting, vibrant and historical cities in the 

world. On behalf of London’s West End 

Theatre community, I am delighted to 

welcome you to one of the greatest and 

most multi culturally diverse capitals – a 

city which brings together young and old, 

modern and traditional, government and 

business, leisure and culture. 

What a super time to bring the family into London to see the famous sites, 

from the Tower Of London and help defend the Tower in a live historical 

re-enactment and help the heroic guards defend the mighty castle against its 

enemies; to Kensington Palace, now home to our youngest Royals and a new 

and interesting exhibition on Queen Mary and her grand garden designs and 

possibly create your own palace garden to take home. 

Theatre in London is going through an amazing time, with several new shows 

about to open. From the massive new epic monster hit BAT OUT OF HELL – 

The Musical at the Dominion Theatre, to the new bio musical TINA based on 

the true life story of the legend that is Tina Turner, or even take in Strictly 

Ballroom, based on the film of the same name. These join the mega hits of 

Mamma Mia!, Wicked, Lion King and not to mention Hamilton, which opened 

here in December 2017. 

Whatever you do this Easter, please find the time to read this fascinating and 

most interesting magazine, which will help and guide you through the life of 

London and what there is to do this Easter. On behalf of us all, please come 

and spoil yourself in the most captivating and historical city in the world. 

Julian Stoneman 

Theatre Producer & General Manager 

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. 

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Thomas Alexander Photography. 

HM THE QUEEN VISITS THE NEW 

ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS 

On Tuesday 20 March, the Royal 

Academy of Arts welcomed its Royal 

Patron, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 

to mark the completion of its major 

redevelopment. Touring and officially 

opening the Burlington Gardens building 

ahead of the public opening of the new 

Royal Academy on 19 May, The Queen 

met those involved in the design and 

construction process, which has been 

completed in the Royal Academy's 250th 

anniversary year. 

The Queen entered the Royal 

Academy through the refurbished 

Burlington Gardens entrance and was 

led on a tour by the President of the 

Royal Academy, Christopher Le Brun. 

Her Majesty viewed the new Gabrielle 

Jungels-Winkler Galleries and unveiled 

the first painting to be hung in the new 

spaces, Self-portrait of Sir Joshua 

Reynolds, P.R.A (c.1780), painted by the 

RA’s founding President. 

During the course of her visit, The 

Queen also viewed the RA’s exhibition, 

Charles I: King and Collector, an 

exhibition which includes over 80 works 

generously lent by Her Majesty from the 

Royal Collection. Charles I: King and 

Collector reunites 140 works of art 

acquired and commissioned during the 

reign of Charles I (1600-1649), for the 

first time since the seventeenth century. 

PETER RABBIT THEMED EASTER 

FESTIVAL AT KEW GARDENS 

Join Peter Rabbit and all his furry 

friends on a botanical bunny adventure 

this Easter at the Royal Botanic Gardens, 

Kew, in partnership with Penguin 

Ventures (part of Penguin Random 

House). Visitors can expect an exciting 

activity-packed day out with games, 

crafts and storytelling inspired by 

Beatrix Potter’s iconic tales. 

Children will be delighted by the 

exquisite illustrated world of Peter 

Rabbit set against the stunning 

landscape of Kew Gardens. Spring will 

be well and truly underway and the 

Gardens will be filled with the dazzling 

colours of blooming crocuses, daffodils 

and magnolias. The Easter extravaganza 

will encourage people to find out what 

Peter and his friends can eat, how fruits 

and vegetables grow and what research 

Kew is conducting on edible plants 

behind the scenes. 

Peter Rabbit. 

Beatrix Potter © Frederick Warne & Co., 2018 

Benjamin Bunny. 

At the gates, visitors will receive their 

very own copy of Mr McGregor’s garden 

notebook so they can follow a Peter 

Rabbit trail to the festival hub in Kew’s 

beautiful Secluded Garden. Life-sized 

selfie boards of Peter and other 

characters along the way will offer 

families the chance to take fun souvenir 

snaps. 

In the festival hub, children and 

adults will be able to get stuck into all 

sorts of games, craft activities and 

workshops. Children can try building a 

warren to make a home fit for Peter and 

his family, or play giant food card games 

with their friends. At Mr McGregor’s 

potting shed, visitors will find the 

hilarious veggie consequences 

workshop offering the chance to create 

incredible monster vegetable prints to 

take home. 

Elsewhere, youngsters can choose 

which Peter Rabbit character they’d like 

to be for the day and make fuzzy bunny 

ears to match. Kids will also be able to 

plant their very own seeds pots, to take 

home and nurture. 


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Photo: Tony Bates Photo: ZSL London Zoo 

SUPERHERO TAKEOVER AT 

ZSL LONDON ZOO 

This Easter, ZSL London Zoo is 

inviting visitors to discover the 

incredible world of animal superheroes 

and their powers – with a new 

experience for the whole family to enjoy. 

As part of ZSL’s 2018 Superhero 

Takeover, from 30 March to 15 April, 

kids will be able to embark on a selfguided 

Superpowers Trail around the 

Zoo, discovering real life animals with 

heroic superskills. 

Jae Jae and Melati the Sumatran Tigers. 

Find out why lemurs let off stink 

bombs, or discover how the mysterious 

axolotl regrows its limbs; try to fade into 

the background using a tiger’s 

camouflage, or pit yourself against one 

of the world’s strongest species – the 

leafcutter ant. Children of all ages will be 

given a special comic book packed with 

fun activities to guide them on this new 

animal adventure, which has interactive 

activities at each stop, before heading to 

Superhero HQ to complete their mission 

with some super-themed games. 

Dress up with Capes of Confusion, 

where pulling on different capes will 

help you hide from predators, float like a 

butterfly in search of ultraviolet flowers 

in Rainbow Rabble, or invite the whole 

family to help you Snag a Snack by 

catching sticky insects in your very own 

web! 

Once youngsters have earned 

superhero status they can spend the rest 

of the day exploring the world-famous 

London Zoo, discovering even more 

about the 19,000 super-animals who call 

it home. ZSL’s 2018 Superhero Takeove 

is a year-long celebration of incredible 

wildlife and the ZSL superheroes 

working to protect animals both at home 

and around the world. 

For further information or to book 

visit www.zsl.org 

THE PASSION OF JESUS IN 

TRAFALGAR SQUARE 

On Good Friday, 30 March, the 

renowned Wintershall Players return to 

the heart of London with their aweinspiring 

full-scale re-enactment of The 

Passion of Jesus, performed in the 

shadow of the National Gallery. 

The Passion premiered in 1993 on the 

Wintershall Estate in Surrey and since 

then has become a highly anticipated 

Easter fixture, both in Guildford and in 

Central London. 

The story commemorating the day 

Jesus is believed to have been arrested, 

tried and crucified by the Romans, two 

days before miraculously rising from the 

dead on Easter Sunday, is brought to life 

by a cast of over a hundred, all in 

resplendent costumes, along with 

horses, doves and donkeys. 

Featuring realistic scenes and a heart 

moving crucifixion and resurrection, 

The Passion of Jesus is an unforgettable 

Easter experience. The performances 

now attract more than 20,000 people to 

Trafalgar Square on Good Friday. 

Director Ashley Herman, and 

producer Charlotte de Klee, both 

appeared in the very first Passion 

production in 1993 as Narrator and 

Miriam and have been associated with it 

ever since. The actor and artist James 

Burke-Dunsmore has performed as 

Jesus on stage for more than 60 

different productions to over a quarter of 

a million people, and 2018 marks his 

21st year performing in the role. 


PIANO DAY: NEIL COWLEY AT 

THE BARBICAN 

The Barbican is presenting a free, 

lunchtime performance by contemporary 

pianist Neil Cowley to celebrate the 

annual worldwide event, Piano Day on 

Thursday 29 March. 

Cowley has performed with Brand 

New Heavies, Zero 7, as a solo artist and 

as part of Neil Cowley Trio – the group 

that took home 2007’s Best Album title 

at the BBC Jazz Awards for their record 

Displaced (Hide Inside Records, 2006). 

Grace, from their most recent album, has 

been streamed over 16 million times on 

Spotify. 

Classically trained Cowley has 

recently announced that the Trio is on 

hiatus whilst he launches a new solo 

project, which debuted at the Barbican in 

early March 2018 supporting Roy Ayers. 

This concert precedes further Piano 

Day celebrations taking place at Milton 

Court Concert Hall that evening, a triple 

billing featuring performances by 

Poppy Ackroyd, Marina Baranova and 

Florian Christl. 

WOMEN’S MARATHON 

TRAILBLAZER KATHRINE SWITZER 

Kathrine Switzer (USA), a true 

trailblazer for women’s sport, will 

compete in the Virgin Money London 

Marathon for the first time in 2018 – the 

year in which the UK has been 

celebrating equality for women. 

Switzer was the first woman to 

challenge the all-male tradition of 

marathon running when she became the 

first woman to enter and officially race 

the Boston Marathon in 1967. 

Women were barred from running the 

26.2-mile distance at this time and 

Switzer, who entered using just her 

initials, became known worldwide when 

a race official tried, but failed, to forcibly 

remove her from the competition. 

Switzer finished the race and in doing 

so proved to the world that women could 

race the 26.2 mile distance and paved 

the way for every woman who has run a 

marathon since. 

CHELSEA FC STADIUM TOURS 

OF STAMFORD BRIDGE 

For visitors to London, a tour of 

Stamford Bridge is not to be missed. 

Home of the Blues, it’s a fun, informative 

and unforgettable experience enjoyed by 

sports fans of all ages from all over the 

world. The guided hour-long tour will 

take you behind the scenes at one of the 

world’s greatest football clubs, giving 

visitors access to areas normally 

reserved for players and officials. 

Along the way you will visit various 

stands in the stadium, the press room, 

home and away dressing rooms, the 

tunnel and dug-out areas. All tours 

include entry to the Museum, giving the 

chance to see how Chelsea has evolved 

on and off the pitch over the years. 

Chelsea pride themselves on having 

guides who are both knowledgeable and 

enthusiastic about the club and it's their 

passion that make the tours a truly 

memorable experience. 

Whilst at the Stadium, have lunch at 

Chelsea's very own Frankie's Sports Bar 

& Diner as part of the Tour and Lunch 

package. Frankie's is an American style 

sports bar, with 12 big screens. The 

menu includes American favourites, 

including pizza, burgers and New York 

cheesecake. You can enjoy all your 

favourite sports while enjoying lunch after 

a tour around Stamford Bridge. 

A combined Tour and Lunch package 

includes a full stadium tour, entrance to 

the Chelsea FC Museum and a twocourse 

lunch from a set menu in 

Frankie's Sports Bar & Diner. Other 

options are available, including the 

Ex-Players Tour, where you will be 

guided by an ex-Chelsea player. There 

will be an opportunity to ask as many 

questions as you like, as well as grab 

autographs and pictures. 

For further information, visit the 

website at www.chelseafc.com 

Chelsea lift the Premier League Trophy 

2016/2017. 

Photos: Getty Images 

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DISCOVER THE SECRETS BEHIND 

THE GOBLET OF FIRE 

Starting this Easter, visitors are 

invited to discover behind-the-scenes 

secrets of Harry Potter and the Goblet of 

Fire as Warner Bros. Studio Tour 

London launches a special feature 

dedicated entirely to the fourth 

instalment of the magical film series, 

revealing secrets behind the characters, 

costumes and props that made it so 

special. 

As part of the feature, The Goblet of 

Fire will be returned to the Great Hall for 

the first time since filming wrapped in 

2010. Every visitor to the Great Hall will 

see a live Special Effects demonstration 

showing how the Triwizard Champions’ 

parchments were expelled from the 

Photos: Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter 

Goblet, even receiving a souvenir 

parchment to remember their visit. 

During filming, two versions of the 

Goblet of Fire were created for different 

purposes. 

The original goblet was hand-carved 

by Head Propmaker, Pierre Bohanna, 

from a single piece of wood chosen for 

its twists, knots and splits to give it an 

organic, ancient quality. A mould of this 

was then taken for the Special Effects 

version that was rigged to propel the 

parchments of the four Triwizard 

Champions. Visitors to the Studio Tour 

will see both versions of the Goblet of 

Fire up-close as part of the feature. 

The Studio Tour’s Goblet of Fire 

exhibition will run from Friday 

30 March. Telephone 0345 084 0900. 

REGENT’S PARK OPEN AIR 

THEATRE EVENTS FOR 2018 

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre have 

announced their full programme of 

MOREoutdoor events to complete their 

2018 season. Joining the already 

announced (and sold-out) Joe Lycett, 

the one-off comedy and film events all 

take place on Sunday evenings. 

The Luna Cinema returns to the 

Open Air Theatre with three nights of 

classic cinema under the stars. As the 

Spice Girls announce their forth-coming 

reunion, ‘Spice Up Your Life’ this 

summer with a screening of their iconic 

1997 movie, Spice World. Packed with 

famous faces, the girls zip around 

London in their double decker bus to a 

playlist of Spice Girl favourites, including 

‘Stop’, ‘2 Become 1’ and ‘Wannabe’. 

The Greatest Showman is this year's 

movie musical. Based on the life of 

P T Barnum and starring Hugh Jackman 

and Zac Efron, the film's incredible score 

includes ‘This Is Me’, which has already 

won the Golden Globe for Best Original 

Song. Following this, experience a true 

cinematic masterpiece back on the big 

screen, with a special screening of 

Ridley Scott's Alien. Starring Sigourney 

Weaver in the career defining role of 

Ripley, Alien set the sci-fi benchmark 

and has inspired countless films since. 

To accompany MOREoutdoor events, 

there is a choice of pre-event dining 

options, including The Regent’s Park 

Burger served from The Grill, Picnics 

and Luxury Hampers for Two. The Gin 

Experience for Two, includes reserved 

seating before the event, ingredients for 

two double Sacred Gin G&Ts each, and 

a selection of smoked almonds and 

pitted Nocellara and Kalamata olives. 

The 2018 season at Regent’s Park 

Open Air Theatre also includes Peter 

Pan (17 May – 15 June), Benjamin 

Britten’s opera The Turn of the Screw, in 

a co-production with English National 

Opera (22 – 30 June), As You Like It 

(6 – 28 July), Dinosaur World Live for 

ages 3+ (14 Aug. – 9 Sept.) and Little 

Shop of Horrors (3 Aug. – 15 Sept). 


JIM STEINMAN’S AWARD-WINNING 

BAT OUT OF HELL – THE MUSICAL 

The 2018 West End run of Jim 

Steinman’s Bat Out Of Hell – The 

Musical, winner of the Evening Standard 

Radio 2 Audience Award for Best 

Musical 2017, will begin at the 

Dominion Theatre on 2 April, with a Gala 

Night on Thursday 19 April. 

The cast will be led by Andrew Polec, 

winner of the Joe Allen Best West End 

Debut in the Stage Debut Awards 2017, 

as Strat and Christina Bennington as 

Raven, with Rob Fowler as Falco and 

Sharon Sexton as Sloane. 

Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical wowed 

critics and public alike when it played 

limited seasons at Manchester Opera 

House, London Coliseum and Toronto’s 

Ed Mirvish Theatre in 2017, and has 

been seen by nearly 500,000 people so 

far. Bat Out Of Hell became one of the 

best-selling albums in history, selling 

over 50 million copies worldwide. 16 

years later, Steinman scored again with 

Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell, which 

contained the massive hit I Would Do 

Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That). 

For the stage musical, the legendary 

and award-winning Jim Steinman has 

incorporated iconic songs from the Bat 

Out Of Hell albums, including You Took 

The Words Right Out Of My Mouth, Bat 

Out Of Hell, I Would Do Anything For 

Love (But I Won’t Do That) and Two Out 

Of Three Ain’t Bad, as well as two 

previously unreleased songs, What Part 

of My Body Hurts the Most and Not 

Allowed to Love. 

Jim Steinman’s Bat Out Of Hell – The 

Musical is a romantic adventure about 

rebellious youth and passionate love, set 

against the backdrop of a postcataclysmic 

city adrift from the 

mainland. Strat, the forever young leader 

of The Lost, has fallen for Raven, 

daughter of Falco, the tyrannical, ruler of 

Obsidian. 

Dominion Theatre Box Office 

telephone 0845 200 7982 or visit the 

website www.BatOutOfHellMusical.com 

Patrick Sullivan as Blake, Andrew Polec as Strat & Giovanni Spano as Ledoux 

in Bat Out of Hell at the Dominion Theatre. 

Photo: Specular 

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The Royal Choral Society outside the Royal Albert Hall. 

ROYAL CHORAL SOCIETY’S 142ND 

GOOD FRIDAY MESSIAH 

There is no better way to kick off the 

Easter weekend than revelling in the 

joyous, moving music of Handel’s choral 

masterpiece, Messiah. This year sees the 

Royal Choral Society’s 142nd annual 

Good Friday afternoon performance at 

the Royal Albert Hal on 30 March at 

14.30; it’s an event that forms an 

important part of London’s Easter 

celebrations. 

The Royal Choral Society was formed 

for the opening of the Royal Albert Hall 

in 1871, and the choir performed 

Messiah in its first season in 1872 but is 

was in 1876 the great Easter tradition of 

singing Messiah every Good Friday 

afternoon at the Royal Albert Hall began. 

It is thought that this choir has sung this 

profound spiritual epic more times than 

any other choral ensemble; estimated to 

be around 280 performances. Messiah is 

the perfect musical choice for 

Passiontide, with the moving and 

uplifting music illustrating Christ’s 

passion, redemption and resurrection. 

Messiah contains one of the greatest 

Photo: Kevin Day. 

choruses in the choral repertoire – the 

‘Hallelujah Chorus’. It is thought that 

when King George II first heard the 

Hallelujah he stood up on his feet, and 

ever since, when the opening bars of 

this chorus are played, the audience 

rises to its feet: this is quite a sight in 

the sumptuous interior of a packed 

Royal Albert Hall on Good Friday 

afternoon. 

From the earliest days, the finest 

orchestras, conductors and soloists have 

joined the RCS at the Royal Albert Hall 

on Good Friday and this year is no 

exception with the Royal Philharmonic 

Orchestra, soprano Anna Devin mezzosoprano 

Madeleine Shaw, tenor Rufus 

Müller and bass Dominic Sedgwick all 

joining the choir under the baton of 

conductor Richard Cooke. 

Be part of this great Easter tradition 

on Good Friday afternoon and enjoy 

Handel’s magnificent oratorio in one of 

the world’s greatest concert halls. 

Tickets available from the website at 

www.royalalberthall.com or telephone 

0845 401 5045. For further information 

go to www.royalchoralsociety.co.uk 

FRIENDS FOR ALL AT THE 

ROUNDHOUSE 

Poet Simon Mole will be bringing 

Friends For All, his interactive spoken 

word performance for families, to The 

Roundhouse, London, on Sunday 24 

June as part of his 2018 Spring Tour. 

The performance is part of The Last 

Word Festival, celebrating fearless 

storytelling. 

Friends For All is a story about 

having the confidence to be yourself and 

stand up for what you believe in and 

features rapping, dancing and far-out 

video projections for ages 5-11 and their 

grown-ups. 8 year old Lexi doesn’t make 

friends as easily as some. If only her 

school would allow a non-school 

uniform day then she could be herself 

and find others like her. Inspired by 

Grandad’s hippy stories from the 

swinging 60s, she decides to fight the 

powers that be, namely her class teacher, 

Mr Marsh, and the class bully, Suzy. 

Poet and rapper Simon Mole 

performs in this humorous and moving 

piece, co-created with theatre maker 

Peader Kirk. The show features Simon 

Mole’s trademark poetry, rap and 

storytelling style alongside original 

video projections courtesy of Andrew 

Crofts, an original sound track 

composed by Jonny Wharton and 

lighting design by Phil Clarke. 

Photo Stephen Beeny. 


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Wicked is partnering with Great Ormond Street Hospital for 2018. Photo Troy Johnston 

WICKED PARTNERS WITH 

GREAT ORMOND STREET HOSPITAL 

WICKED, the award-winning musical 

that tells the incredible untold story of 

the Witches of Oz has announced a new 

charity partnership with Great Ormond 

Street Hospital Children’s Charity. 

For more than a decade, the London 

production of Wicked has been 

supporting and championing the 

remarkable work of many UK charities 

through its philanthropic programme, 

WICKED: FOR GOOD. In 2018, Great 

Ormond Street Hospital Children’s 

Charity joins this charitable endeavour, 

which also includes the Anti-Bullying 

Alliance, the National Literacy Trust and 

the Woodland Trust. 

Wicked, which is now in its 12th year 

at London’s Apollo Victoria Theatre, will 

be fundraising for Great Ormond Street 

Hospital Children’s Charity in multiple 

ways, including opt-in donations on the 

ticket booking system and bucket 

collections. Cast members will also visit 

the hospital to help entertain children 

during their treatment, as well as 

attending the special patient parties 

organised by GOSH Charity. 

Great Ormond Street Hospital for 

Children NHS Trust is one of the world’s 

leading children’s hospitals. The hospital 

has always depended on charitable 

support to give seriously ill children the 

best chance to fulfil their potential. 

Michael McCabe, Executive Producer 

(UK) of WICKED said: ‘Wicked has been 

proud to champion the remarkable work 

of many UK charities for more than a 

decade through our ‘For Good’ 

philanthropic programme. We are 

incredibly proud to now announce a 

new year-long fundraising commitment 

in support of the extraordinary Great 

Ormond Street Hospital by raising 

money for GOSH Children’s Charity. It is 

a privilege for us to be able to 

collaborate with them and support their 

vital and inspirational work.’ 

For tickets, telephone 0844 871 3001. 

CRYSTAL PALACE FESTIVAL 

After a spectacular event in June 

2017, the Crystal Palace 

Festival returns this summer 

to thrill Londoners again with 

one of the biggest free cultural 

events in south London. The 

arts and culture festival has 

been lauded for its excellence 

in programming and its 

friendly atmosphere and 

organisers are stepping things 

up even more for 2018. 

Festival events will take 

place across the Crystal 

Palace area from 11–17 June 

with the free Crystal Palace 

park event taking place on 

6 June, headlined by the 

Stereo MCs. This Grade II listed heritage 

park has been the scene of many a free 

concert, and the bowl has a long history 

of legendary gigs from the very 

beginning in 1967 when Pink Floyd 

performed all the way up to the famous 

Bob Marley concert in 1980 and 1990 

with The Cure and Pixies. 

With 28,500 visitors to the 2017 

event in the park, organisers are 

expecting even bigger crowds on 

16 June as they return with an 

impressive line up of music, spoken 

word, theatre, visual arts, family and 

community activities and of course 

amazing food and drink. 

Festival director Noreen Meehan said 

‘We are passionate about bringing music 

and the arts back to Crystal Palace Park 

so we are really excited about securing 

such great headliners, Stereo MC’s and 

Polarbear. 2017 was an amazing year for 

us with the line up and the move to 

Crystal Palace Park proving so popular. 

We are looking to build on that success 

so we have been working on hard on 

creating some new content for our 

audience to enjoy. For example the 

Village Green will feature all that’s 

amazing about our active community 

with fantastic choirs and bands from the 

Crystal Palace area.’ 

The festival has been made possible 

by funding from Arts Council England, 

Croydon Council and Bromley Council. 

Stereo MCs 


HERTFORDSHIRE CHORUS PERFORM 

BRITTEN AND MICHAEL HURD 

Shipwreck! Attempted cannibalism! 

Whale attack! Violence at church 

conferences! ... and the backstory of 

Santa Claus! Britten’s Saint Nicolas is 

about the life of the patron saint of 

children, seamen, voyagers, and 

scholars. It chronicles several of the 

saint’s most celebrated life events. 

Britten’s music paints a dramatically 

bold portrait of the saint’s character, and 

captures both the innocence and 

reverence of the memories of Saint 

Nicolas. 

The concert also features the music of 

Michael Hurd, which is less well known 

but very rewarding: Music’s Praise is a 

choral setting of texts by William 

Shakespeare, Alexander Pope, Robert 

Herrick, and William Strode. The 

Phoenix and the Turtle(dove) is a setting 

of William Shakespeare’s metaphysical 

poem for mezzo-soprano and chorus. 

Jonah-Man Jazz is a highly entertaining 

and memorable ‘pop’ cantata based upon 

the Biblical story of Jonah and the 

whale, and has introduced a whole 

generation of children to the pleasures 

of singing. 

Conductor and composer Jonathan 

Willcocks wrote: ‘Unlike many 

contemporary composers, Michael Hurd 

writes music that is immediately 

attractive both to performers and 

audience’. This concert will also launch 

a recording of Michael Hurd’s choral 

music on the Lyrita label. 

Hertfordshire Chorus, directed by 

David Temple MBE, is one of finest large 

choirs in the UK, renowned both for the 

quality of their classical choral music 

and for commissioning and performing 

new works by contemporary composers. 

The performance will be at St John’s 

Smith Square on 14 April at 19.30. 

Tickets are available by telephone on 

020 7222 1061 or from www.sjss.org.uk 

St John’s Smith Square is a short 

walk from Westminster station, which is 

on the Jubilee Line. 

The Hertfordshire Chorus. 

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Stephanie Gonley. 

ENGLISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA 

LONDON SEASON 

Following a sold-out European tour 

culminating in a performance at the 

Musikverein in Vienna, the English 

Chamber Orchestra (ECO) are back in 

London to continue their 2017/2018 

London Season with two Spring 

concerts at Cadogan Hall (Sloane 

Square) on either side of the Easter 

weekend featuring top soloists Christian 

Zacharias and Stephanie Gonley. 

German master-pianist Christian 

Zacharias, who has devoted a lifetime to 

the music of Mozart, directs the ECO 

and performs as soloist in an all-Mozart 

programme on 29 March at 19.30. The 

programme includes the majestic Prague 

symphony and two sublime arias for 

soprano – music that Mozart said 

should fit a singer’s voice ‘like a welltailored 

suit’. First, though, Zacharias 

stars as both soloist and director in 

Mozart’s 25th Piano Concerto exactly as 

the composer himself would have done 

back in 1786. The ECO will be joined by 

Croatian mezzo-soprano Renata 

Pokupic, whose ‘velvety voice’ has 

graced the stage of opera houses 

worldwide including London’s Royal 

Opera House Covent Garden. 

The second concert, on 3 April at 

19.30, showcases the ‘rapturous’ playing 

of the ECO’s leader, Stephanie Gonley, 

who will perform as soloist in 

Beethoven’s Romances for Violin and 

Orchestra and Vivaldi’s wonderfully 

evocative Four Seasons. The birdsong of 

Spring, the downpours of Summer, the 

fireside serenity of Winter: everyone has 

got their own favourite piece of this 

ever-popular work, but there’s still 

nothing to beat the sensation of hearing 

these concertos performed live – and 

feeling all that energy at first hand. The 

concert opens with Dvorak’s beautifully 

‘sunny’ Serenade for Strings, inspired by 

the folksongs and dances of the 

composer’s native Bohemia. Stephanie 

has appeared as soloist with many 

leading orchestras in the UK and abroad, 

including the London Philharmonic 

Orchestra, Philharmonia, BBC 

Symphony Orchestra, the Academy of 

St. Martin in the Fields, the Scottish 

Chamber Orchestra, the Chamber 

Orchestra of Europe, the Australian 

Chamber Orchestra and the Hong Kong 

Philharmonic to name but a few! 

The ECO has long been an integral 

part of the UK’s orchestral heritage, with 

almost 60 years of music-making across 

the globe and the most extensive 

discography of any chamber orchestra 

worldwide. The illustrious history of the 

orchestra features many major musical 

figures including Benjamin Britten, Slava 

Rostropovich, Pinchas Zukerman and 

Daniel Barenboim. The orchestra has 

recorded many successful film 

soundtracks including Dario Marianelli’s 

prizewinning scores for Atonement and 

Pride and Prejudice, and several James 

Bond soundtracks. The ECO also 

features with soprano Renée Fleming on 

the soundtrack of the recent Oscarnominated 

film ‘Three Billboards outside 

Ebbing, Missouri’. 

Cadogan Hall is two minutes' walk 

from Sloane Square tube station (Circle 

Line), in the heart of Chelsea and close 

to many shops, bars and restaurants. 

For tickets, call 020 7730 4500. 

RETURN OF OPERA NORTH IN 

KISS ME, KATE 

Opera North’s award-winning 

production of Cole Porter’s classic 

musical comedy, Kiss Me, Kate, returns 

to the London Coliseum for a two-week 

run in June. 

Cole Porter’s riotously inventive 

homage to the sparkling wit of 

Shakespeare, Kiss Me, Kate is an 

irresistible celebration of the joy and 

madness of working in theatre. 

On the opening night of a musical 

version of The Taming of the Shrew in 

1940s Baltimore, the tempestuous love 

lives of actor-manager Fred Graham and 

his leading lady (and ex-wife) Lilli 

Vanessi are set to collide. Throw in 

Fred’s current paramour Lois Lane and 

her gambler boyfriend Bill – plus a 

couple of gun-toting gangsters who 

somehow get caught up in the show – 

and the stage is set for a funny and 

farcical battle of the sexes. 

Richard Mantle, General Director, 

Opera North comments: ‘Kiss Me, Kate 

is a real treat of a show, boasting what is 

probably Cole Porter’s richest, most 

accomplished theatrical score. It’s 

serious fun, and Opera North’s landmark 

production approaches it with the 

respect it demands, benefiting from 

David Charles Abell’s critical edition of 

the score and recognising the huge 

range of musical and dramatic skills that 

it calls for.’ 

Photo: Guy Farrow 


THE ULTIMATE 

FOOTBALL EXPERIENCE 

GO BEHIND THE SCENES AT STAMFORD BRIDGE 

To book please call 0371 811 1955, 

email tours@chelseafc.com 

or visit chelseafc.com/stadium-tours 

For full terms and conditions, please visit www.chelseafc.com 

02138

18 

THE ARSENAL MUSEUM AND 

STADIUM TOURS 

The Arsenal Museum at Emirates 

Stadium was re-opened last year 

following a complete renovation. Founded 

in 1886, Arsenal has an impressive 

history from the club’s time at Woolwich, 

Highbury and Emirates Stadium and the 

refurbished museum offers visitors the 

chance to take in a number of exciting 

exhibits. 

Many of the items on display were 

donated by former players who hold a 

special place in Arsenal’s history. 

Highlights include Jens Lehmann’s 

goalkeeper gloves that he wore for every 

league match of the unbeaten Invincibles 

season in 2003/4. The museum also 

features two impressive video theatres 

and twenty major displays based on 

Arsenal's proud history, from its formation 

in 1886 to the present day. These displays 

include a selection of iconic shirts 

including those worn by Alex James in 

1936 FA Cup Final and the 2015 FA Cup 

Final shirt signed by the winning squad. 

New to the tour are state of the art 

audio guide handsets. The handsets are 

fully interactive touch screen handsets 

with larger viewing screens that make the 

whole experience more enjoyable for the 

tour visitor and include the new ‘Shirt 

Cam’ feature. 

‘Shirt Cam’ allows visitors to hold the 

handset in front of a players shirt and 

reveal stats about the player plus a 

highlights video of the player in action on 

the pitch. Guests are now also able to 

explore Arsène Wenger Office as part of 

their stadium tour. They can see the inner 

sanctum that is used by the Manager 

before and after games at Emirates 

Stadium. Tours are open 7 days a week, 

Monday – Saturday 9.30 – 18.00 and 

Sunday 10.00 – 16.00, the last entry is 

one hour before closing time. 

Pablo Picasso: Le Rêve (The Dream) 1932. 

Private collection. 

© Succession Picasso/DACS London, 2017 

PICASSO’S ‘LOVE, FAME, 

TRAGEDY’ AT TATE MODERN 

This stunning and important 

exhibition covers Picasso’s prodigious 

output in the year 1932, when he had 

just turned 50, as well as some works 

that were exhibited in the major 

retrospective of his work held in the 

same year. He was not yet half-way 

through his career. The exhibition also 

introduces the visitor to Picasso’s large 

dilapidated country house in Boisgeloup 

where he created many of these 

paintings and sculptures. 

1932 was a seminal year for Picasso, 

his ‘year of wonders’: his paintings 

revealed a new level of sensuality and he 

cemented his status as one of the most 

influential artists of the 20th century. He 

was conducting a passionate and 

clandestine affair with the much younger 

Marie-Therese Walter. 

According to the gallery’s director, 

Frances Morris, the highlight of this 

exhibition – featuring 100 of his works – 

are the three reclining nudes of Marie- 

Therese, seen together for the first time 

in 85 years. They were painted in just 

ten days and are referred to as ‘sensual, 

seductive and beautiful’ by Ms Morris. 

Picasso notoriously had lots of lovers 

and the works depicting those women 

are among his most highly-regarded 

paintings. 

As is usual for such an exhibition, 

these works come from far and wide and 

many private collections: particularly 

beautiful is ‘Girl before a mirror’ owned 

by and normally displayed at MoMA in 

New York. Although many people feel 

that they know Picasso as an artist, it is 

unlikely that the visitor will have 

experienced him in quite the way they 

will in this enjoyable and highlyrecommended 

exhibition. 

Jackie Hawken 


20 

EASTER HOLIDAY FUN AT THE PARK 

Warmer weather and longer days 

make it easier to scramble your way 

around the Queen Elizabeth Olympic 

Park this Easter. Visitors will be spoilt 

for choice with plenty of things to do at 

the Park – whatever your age or interest. 

Start the holidays on a high at The 

ArcelorMittal Orbit. The adventure starts 

with a journey up to the viewing 

platform, hovering 80 metres above the 

ground for stunning skyline views of 

London. Or, if you’re craving that shellshocked 

feeling, upgrade your ticket and 

descent back down to Earth in The Slide 

at ArcelorMittal Orbit. The exhilarating 

ride takes you through 12 twists, loops 

and curves in the 178 meter long tunnel, 

which makes it both the highest and 

longest tunnel slide in the world! 

Taking place throughout the entire 

Easter holidays (and beyond!), the 

popular funfair will take over Stratford 

Waterfront from 30 March to 7 May. 

Bringing a collection of exciting and 

adrenaline-fuelled rides, children can 

prepare for hours of energy-filled fun 

with dodgems, jumping frogs and 

carousels galore. 

Visitors to the Park could also take 

the family to the London Aquatics Centre 

and duck, jump, run and dive off the 

large inflatable obstacle course at the 

Aqua Splash and Extreme Aqua Splash 

sessions. 

The popular boat tours and swan 

pedalos will also return on 30 March. 

Relax and unwind on a guided boat tour 

along the river than runs through the 

Park and learn more about the beautiful 

landscape and iconic venues in the Park. 

Or, let loose on the swan pedalos and 

entertain yourself on the river. 

There are hundreds of acres of 

beautiful parklands at the Park, which 

you can explore on trails and in the 

playgrounds. 

And, the sporty ones amongst us 

who want to relive the 2012 Games can 

measure themselves up against the 

world’s best athletes on the London 

2012 walkway. 


ELECTION ARTIST CORNELIA 

PARKER UNVEILS NEW ARTWORKS 

The UK’s first ever female Election 

Artist, Cornelia Parker OBE RA, has 

produced a collection of artworks for the 

Parliamentary Art Collection which are 

intended to reflect the tone and mood of 

the snap General Election of 2017. The 

artworks consist of two films, entitled 

Left Right & Centre and Election 

Abstract and a series of fourteen 

photographic prints selected from her 

Instagram feed and taken while she was 

following the campaign trail. 

During the election campaign, 

Cornelia Parker observed first hand 

events across the United Kingdom 

including hustings, manifesto launches, 

protests, marches and televised debates. 

On her travels she met with voters and 

candidates, witnessed an election count 

and attended the State Opening of 

Parliament. 

Left Right & Centre is an eight 

minute film featuring the newspapers 

subscribed to by the House of 

Commons during the 2017 General 

Election campaign period and the 

eventful months that followed. The 

newspapers and their headlines chart the 

polarised opinions across the political 

spectrum. Cornelia Parker created the 

work in the House of Commons 

Chamber using a drone to film in the 

dark at night and the light of the 

following day. 

Election Abstract is a three-minute 

film which animates a fast-paced ‘torrent’ 

of over a thousand still and moving 

images captured by Cornelia Parker 

during the election, including the wider 

events which occurred during this time, 

such as terrorist atrocities in Manchester 

and London and Grenfell Tower disaster. 

Cornelia Parker’s election artworks 

will be on public display in Westminster 

Hall until Wednesday 11 April. Tickets 

are free of charge and available to book 

by calling 020 7219 4114 or in person 

from the Ticket Office at the front of 

Portcullis House on Victoria Embankment. 

www.parliament.uk/visiting/ 

THINK LIKE A SCIENTIST AT 

WONDERLAB 

Opened in 2016 at the Science 

Museum, Wonderlab: The Statoil Gallery 

is its most ambitious interactive gallery 

ever, inviting visitors to think like a 

scientist. 

The gallery features unique exhibits, 

specially-commissioned artworks, 

explosive demonstrations and immersive 

experiences led by the Museum's 

talented team of science communicators, 

Explainers, to inspire visitors of all ages 

to wonder at the science and 

mathematics that shape our lives. 

The Museum’s goal is to see 200,000 

young people in school groups visit the 

gallery free of charge each year, twice as 

many as the previous interactive gallery 

could accommodate. Other visitors can 

able to buy an annual pass from £13, 

allowing unlimited entry to the gallery 

for 12 months, or a day ticket from £8. 

With over 50 mind-blowing exhibits 

across seven zones, visitors to the 

gallery can explore the incredible 

phenomena that occur around us every 

day, with topics as diverse as sound, 

forces, light, electricity, maths, matter 

and space. Wonderlab is also home to 

three live demonstration areas and a 

120-capacity showspace inspired by the 

Royal Institution’s world-renowned 

Faraday Theatre. 

© Plastiques Photography, courtesy of the Science Museum Group. 

Amongst the gallery’s many 

highlights, visitors can ride on a giant 

rotating model of the solar system to 

learn why we have seasons, experience 

forces on a giant friction slide, and take 

part in live science shows full of 

electricity, rockets, space and more. 

Science Museum Group Director, 

Ian Blatchford, said: ‘The Science 

Museum Group’s core purpose is to 

ignite curiosity in our visitors. We’re 

confident we will do this in spades with 

Wonderlab: The Statoil Gallery – a 

perfect mix of curatorial flair, scientific 

clout and joyous imagination.’ 

The Museum has also created a short 

film celebrating the power of a child’s 

wonder, featuring the inspirational voice 

of Sir David Attenborough. Meanwhile, 

taking the gallery’s lead and inviting the 

public to share their wonders are a 

number of famous faces including 

Sir Patrick Stewart, Pharrell Williams, 

Professor Brian Cox, Lauren Laverne, 

Theo James, NASA’s Charlie Bolden and 

Olympians Jonny and Alistair Brownlee. 

The gallery is designed by awardwinning 

practice ‘muf’ architecture/art, 

which is renowned for working with 

artists on innovative projects celebrating 

the social and playful aspects of public 

spaces. Tickets are available to book 

now; sciencemuseum.org.uk/wonderlab 

or on 020 7942 4000. 

21 


22 

Pigeons Paula Bronstein/Getty Images 

RED, WHITE AND BLUE AT 

GETTY IMAGES GALLERY 

Getty Images this week opens Red, 

Blue, White: Global Colours, a moving 

new exhibition showcasing nearly 60 

limited-edition photographs from over 30 

of the world’s leading photojournalists. 

The exhibition predominantly features 

colours evocative of the national identity 

in many Western countries – red, blue, 

white. The motif plays with the mutability 

of political symbols and the tension, 

particularly acute in this historical 

moment, between nationalism and 

internationalism. 

The exhibition also marks the launch of 

the Reportage Collection of prints, which, 

like its namesake division within Getty 

Images’ editorial department, showcases 

in-depth photojournalism. It includes 

images from renowned photojournalist 

John Moore, who has made careerdefining 

work documenting Latin 

American migration to the United States, 

alongside powerful images from Paula 

Bronstein’s journey capturing Afghan 

society throughout two decades of war. 

Also on display are more light-hearted, 

but no-less-captivating images of 

Bollywood behind-the-scenes, Eton’s 

enduring traditions and Africa’s emerging 

fashion industry, products of in-depth 

journalism from photographers who have 

immersed themselves in these worlds for 

years. 

Jay Davies, Managing Editor of 

Reportage at Getty Images, said: ‘The 

Reportage Collection features the work of 

photographers who commit to a story, 

whether it’s that of an individual or an 

issue, a community or a country. These 

images represent not just a moment in 

time but the photographer’s longtime 

familiarity with his or her subject.’ 

The Getty Images Reportage Collection 

features contemporary documentary 

photography from Getty Images staff and 

contributors. The subject matter is varied, 

geographically diverse and embodies the 

in-depth storytelling. 

Getty Images Gallery is situated at 

46 Eastcastle Street, W1W 8DX. 

www.gettyimages.co.uk 

EASTER HISTORY LESSON AT 

ST KATHARINE DOCKS 

Visitors will have a whole host of 

reasons to head down to St Katharine 

Docks this Easter, as Central London’s 

only marina springs to life with a fresh 

exciting event. A truly memorable Easter 

experience is on offer at the St Katharine 

Docks newly-refurbished marina as 

tourists, children and parents are invited 

to scout around the Central Basin to find 

special St Katharine Docks patterned 

eggs, which will be affixed to notable 

areas of the central basin such as the 

Telford Bridge and near the Coranarium. 

Once found, participants will draw their 

own version of the Egg Patterns using 

Easter egg colouring-in sheets. 

Participants and those joining in can 

collect the Easter egg colouring-in sheets 

and a ‘Hunt Pack’ that will consist of 

crayons and activity sheet printed in bold 

colours. The pack is where participants 

will draw their versions of 

St Katharine Docks’ egg patterns upon 

finding the hidden designs. The event 

follows the SKD190 story, as St Katharine 

Docks have designed an Easter egg hunt 

that celebrates the fact that the Docks is 

190 years old. Numerous locations and 

notable areas will be decorated with the 

illustrated eggs representing the Docks’ 

historic character as the designs depict 

elements of the Docks historic imports 

and past. 


24 

THE BEST MAN Playhouse Theatre 

Gore Vidal’s The Best Man is a political 

slug-fest that goes the distance. In one 

corner we have former Secretary of State 

William Russell (Martin Shaw), in the 

other Senator Joseph Cantwell (Jeff 

Fahey). Refereeing the bout – whose prize 

is the US Presidential nomination – is 

elderly, ailing ex-President Arthur 

Hockstader (Jack Shepherd) a cynic who 

clearly relishes the cut-and-thrust to 

which every such nomination is prone. 

Russell, a sharply intelligent Harvard 

graduate with an aura of culture and 

sophistication about him would, on 

paper at any rate, appear to be a shoe-in 

for the job. But his character is not 

without its blemishes. He’s a part-time 

philanderer locked into a shaky marriage 

with a long-suffering, marginalised, 

grin-and-beat-it wife (Glynis Barber). 

Cantwell, on the other hand, is an 

uncultivated, self-made, bigoted, 

ruthlessly ambitious, morally deficient 

Southener who took on the New York 

mafia and won. He has a doting wife 

called Mabel (Honeysuckle Weeks), and, 

on the surface at least, a happily married 

family man. 

Politics, however, is a dirty game and 

punching below the belt par for the 

familiar course. Each candidate has 

Honeysuckle Weeks, Maureen Lipman and Glynis Barber 

in The Best Man. Photo: Pamela Raith. 

something damaging on the other: 

Cantwell is well-aware that Russell’s 

past includes a mental breakdown; while 

a homosexual liaison Cantwell was once 

alleged to have had at a military 

academy has recently been brought to 

Russell’s attention. 

While there is no doubt that Cantwell 

will do whatever it takes to secure the 

nomination, Russell’s integrity blanches 

at bully-boy tactics until his realistic 

campaign manager (Philip Cumbus) 

persuades him otherwise. Who is the 

best man – and will he win? 

Vidal, a Democrat and no stranger to 

the American political system having 

unsuccessfully stood (twice) for office, 

was very much in his comfort zone when 

he wrote The Best Man in 1960. And 

although 58 years is a long time in 

politics, not very much has changed in 

the race to the White House -– as the 

play (never before staged in Britain) all 

too presciently recognises. 

What has changed, though, is the 

theatre. Formulaic, well-structured 

Broadway plays are, today, an 

endangered species. And with TV shows 

such as The West Wing and House of 

Cards upping the ante where the 

machinations of power politics are 

concerned, contemporary audiences 

might find Vidal’s insider take on the 

genre a tad cosy. Yet there’s a great deal 

to enjoy in director Simon Evans’ slick, 

well-acted production. 

Sharing many of Vidal’s urbane 

qualities, Russell is very much the hero 

of the piece and Cantwell the villain. 

(‘a Frankenstein monster’, as Russell 

describes him.) That said, it is the latter, 

more colourful character who has the 

showier part and Jeff Fahey makes a 

virtue of his vices. Shaw, on the other 

hand, has the harder task: how to make 

the blander Russell equally engaging 

and not as dry as some of his dialogue 

indicates. He succeeds admirably, 

bringing a light touch and an understated 

authority to the role. 

In a welcome return to the West End, 

veteran Jack Shepherd as the canny, 

seen-it-all-before Hockstader pilfers 

every scene he’s in. Even politically 

incorrect lines such as ‘women voters 

have no more sense than a bunch of 

geese’, cannot detract from the 

flashiness of the role or the enjoyment 

audiences partake in it. 

In terms of their material, the women 

are less well served. Though both the 

wives are under-written, Barber subtly 

dispenses a veneer of loyalty and marital 

harmony that cannot disguise the 

character’s underlying unhappiness; 

while Weeks convincingly taps into 

Mabel’s vapid sexuality. But it is 

Maureen Lipman as a committee woman 

specialising in dispensing advice to the 

candidates and their spouses on the best 

way to snatch the female vote, who 

makes the most with the least in her two 

scene-stealing appearances. 

With a few prop changes, Michael 

Taylor’s excellent set – a hotel suite in 

Philadelphia – serves both the candidates. 

Not a knockout but a win on points. 

CLIVE HIRSCHHORN 


Offi cial London Theatre 

WickedTheMusical.co.uk • #WickedUK 

© WLPL 

APOLLO VICTORIA THEATRE • SW1V 1LG • VICTORIA

26 

Photos: Charlotte Murphy. 

Matthew Bugg (Harry Brown) in Miss 

Nightingale Rehearsals. 

WEST END PREMIERE OF NEW 

BRITISH MUSICAL MISS NIGHTINGALE 

The new British musical, Miss 

Nightingale, will make its West End 

debut at the Hippodrome Casino in 

Leicester Square, for a limited sevenweek 

run in their 180-seat theatre, from 

21 March – 6 May. This original show, 

set in 1940s London during World War 

Two, is created and written by Matthew 

Bugg and features 16 original songs, 

from innuendo-laden Music Hall style 

numbers to tender ballads and complex 

trios and quartets, which wonderfully 

capture the soaring spirit and biting wit 

of the 40s. 

An intimate underground cabaret club 

opens in the heart of London. A saucy 

new star shines under the spotlight. Two 

men struggle to bring their illicit love 

out of the shadows. The war-torn capital 

has never been so revealing. Welcome to 

the Glitz of the Blitz; where showgirls, 

secrets and scandal abound. A world 

where aristocrats jostle with blackmarket 

spivs, songwriters take to the 

streets and nothing is quite as it seems. 

Maggie Brown, an aspiring singer 

and her best friend George Nowodny, a 

songwriter and Jewish refugee, perform 

a dazzling act at the newest nightclub in 

town, owned by wealthy socialite and 

RAF war-hero, Sir Frank Worthington- 

Blythe. Maggie’s beau Tom Connor, 

paves the way for the sexy and 

charismatic ‘Miss Nightingale’ to be 

born, and the musical duo quickly find 

themselves with a West End hit. 

However, what the leading lady doesn’t 

know, is that George and Sir Frank are 

hiding a secret and as Miss 

Nightingale’s success grows, so does a 

forbidden love between the two men. 

From the moment the audience arrive 

at the Hippodrome Casino’s beautifully 

intimate theatre, they will be taken back 

in time to the hilarious and heartwarming 

world of the wartime West End. 

Themed food and drink will be served at 

cabaret tables and the audience will be 

able to immerse themselves in WW2 life 

during the days of air-raids, rationing 

and the Great British stiff upper lip. 

This new musical is performed by a 

cast of six actor-musicians, led by 

Lauren Chinery in the title role, 

alongside Oliver Mawdsley as Frank, 

Matthew Floyd Jones as George, Adam 

Langstaff as Tom, Tobias Oliver as 

Clifford (pictured below) and Matthew 

Bugg himself, in the role of Harry. 

Since it was first staged in 2011 at 

The Lowry Studio, Salford, Miss 

Nightingale has completed five sold-out 

UK tours and a headline season at The 

Vaults in 2017. Tickets: 020 7769 8888. 

NEW 2AM CLUB NIGHT OPENS ON 

LONDON’S SOUTH BANK 

Concrete Lates is a new monthly latenight 

club night launched as Southbank 

Centre’s iconic music venues Queen 

Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room reopen 

following two years of extensive 

restoration and redesign. Now the latestopening 

regular gigs and DJ night on 

the South Bank, Concrete Lates will 

feature cutting-edge electronic music 

from a blend of new artists and 

established names, with a particular 

focus on female talent. 

Bringing club culture to the heart of 

London’s South Bank, this new night will 

take place within the historic Queen 

Elizabeth Hall foyers which have been 

reconfigured to accommodate a 1000- 

capacity gigs space overlooking the 

River Thames. 

The inaugural Concrete Lates on 

Friday 13 April presents an evening of 

international techno inspired by the 

current Andreas Gursky retrospective at 

Southbank Centre’s Hayward Gallery. 

Produced in collaboration with Boiler 

Room and inspired by German artist 

Gursky’s love of the genre, visitors hear 

sets from rising female techno stars Pan 

Daijing and JASSS, and a live 

performance from Bristol-based duo 

Giant Swan. The evening also features 

one-off late-night entry into the Hayward 

Gallery (until 1am), where a newly 

commissioned ambient mix by Pan 

Daijing accompanies the artwork on 

display. 


28 

SUMMER AND SMOKE Almeida 

Some wag once wrote that men and 

women want different things: men want 

women and women want men. The hero 

and heroine of Tennessee Williams’ 

Summer and Smoke illustrate a variation 

on that theme: he wants her body and 

she wants his soul. 

She is Alma Winemiller (Patsy 

Ferran), an uptight, idealistic, neurotic, 

sexually repressed minister’s daughter; 

he is John Buchanan (Matthew 

Needham) a dissolute, promiscuous 

young doctor who lives next door to her. 

The setting is a small town in the 

Deep South, it is summer and the year is 

1916. There is no plot of any 

consequence, and the fulcrum on which 

the play pivots is Alma’s frustrating 

attempts to imbue John, whom she has 

loved since childhood, with a spiritual 

and moral awareness of which he is 

completely devoid. He, in turn, is 

equally frustrated in his attempts to 

educate her about life and sex. At one 

point, to rub her nose in reality, he 

shows her a graphic anatomy chart 

including reproductive organs. Alma is 

not convinced; what’s not shown, she 

points out, is the soul. 

Yet, through a process of theatrical 

osmosis, Alma morphs into John, and 

he into Alma. The play ends with John, 

having found a younger marriageable 

woman, discovering spiritual peace of 

mind; while Alma, totally against her 

puritanical upbringing, offers herself to 

him physically. Or, as she puts it: ‘the 

tables have turned with a vengeance.’ 

But it’s too late for both of them. 

Initially, the fear Alma and John have 

in capitulating to each other’s desires, 

provides the play with its much-needed 

conflict. It’s a fascinating clash between 

the sacred and the profane, allowing 

Williams to dissect two sides of the 

human condition. And he does so with 

some wonderful lyrical flourishes, some 

heavy-handed symbolism (Alma’s name, 

we’re incessantly told, is Spanish for 

‘soul’) and even some blatant melodrama 

involving a murder. 

When Summer and Smoke premiered 

on Broadway in 1948 in a production 

Williams hated, it received mainly 

adverse reviews, one critic calling it ‘a 

pretentious and amateurish bore’. A 

1952 off-Broadway revival redressed the 

critical balance and although the play 

falls short of the perfection of The Glass 

Menagerie or A Streetcar Named Desire 

(both of which preceded it), it’s certainly 

worth reviving. 

Though Williams was very specific 

about the set he required, director 

Rebecca Frecknall and her designer Tom 

Scutt have ignored his wishes 

completely. Gone are any sense of 

period and location – especially the 

play’s symbolic Angel Fountain which 

provides the village with its pure 

drinking water. Visual realism is 

KEEPING IT TRADITIONAL AT 

FORTNUM & MASON 

Oh so tasteful in every sense, 

Piccadilly’s Fortnum & Mason is one of 

London’s oldest food emporiums. This 

Easter, the 300-year-old bastion of 

traditional good taste, will be staging a 

series of Easter events to complement its 

wonderful Easter shopping experiences. 

There will be two arts and craft 

workshops featuring Easter Bonnet 

making on Saturday 24 March and 

ceramic Egg Decorating on Sunday 

25 March. While for special treat, 

Fortnum’s Easter Afternoon Tea is served 

in the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon. 

abandoned and, in an emphatic 

reference to the work of directors John 

Doyle and Ivo von Hove, chairs take the 

place of props, everyone goes barefoot 

and the vast expanse of blue sky 

Williams demands in his text has been 

replaced by a pit-like empty space 

framed by nine upright pianos on which 

are perched working metronomes. 

With no distracting scenic 

impediments, the pain, the longing and 

the anguish at the heart of the play 

certainly resonate. At the same time, 

there were moments I felt I was watching 

a rehearsal on a bare stage 

If the production and some of the 

emendations and additions to the script 

could be considered controversial, 

Ferran’s Alma is a triumph. Though a tad 

idiomatic and over histrionic at times, it 

has the potential, as the run progresses, 

to develop into a truly outstanding 

performance. Her gradual sexual 

awakening (albeit too late for the 

happiness she yearns) to the resignation 

of her fate as she surrenders her 

virginity to a young travelling salesman, 

is sensitively calibrated and will break 

your heart. 

As is usual with Tennessee Williams, 

the male protagonist is harder to cast. 

Matthew Needham is personable enough 

as Buchanan (do the jeans he wears 

throughout have to be quite so 

unflatteringly baggy?) but for maximum 

effect you need the charisma of a young 

Marlon Brando or Paul Newman. An 

impossible ask. 

Multi-casting in the smaller roles 

further and deliberately alienates the play 

from any sense of realism. Anjana Vasan 

plays an indistinguishable quartet of 

young women, Nancy Crane is Alma’s 

demented mother as well as a local 

gossip, and Forbes Masson, doubles as 

both John and Alma’s father. 

While I still haven’t seen a truly 

brilliant production of this problematic 

play, I doubt whether I’ll see a better 

Alma than Patsy Ferran. 

CLIVE HIRSCHHORN 


FAULTY TOWERS THE DINING 

EXPERIENCE 

Faulty Towers The Dining Experience 

is the 5-star immersive theatre show 

that’s 70% improvised and wins acclaim 

internationally. Served a 3-course meal 

by Basil, Sybil and Manuel, audiences 

are promised plenty of laughs and 

interaction so it’s ideal for comedy and 

theatre fans, as well as anyone who 

simply fancies an unforgettable meal and 

plenty of laughs. This true blend of 

ingenious comedy and unique theatrical 

script is a multi-sensory treat where 

chaos and fun reign right from the start. 

The show is now booking six shows a 

week for the whole of 2018 at a new 

venue in London’s West End. In a move 

designed to allow greater flexibility in 

performance space and a more theatrical 

feel, the show now appears in the 4-star 

Radisson Blu Edwardian Bloomsbury 

Street Hotel. Faulty Towers The Dining 

Experience is a loving tribute to Fawlty 

Towers, the BBC TV series written by 

John Cleese and Connie Booth. 

A resident feature of London’s 

comedy scene since 2012, the show 

ranks consistently high in TripAdvisor’s 

top London Theatre listings and holds 

TripAdvisor’s Certificate of Excellence for 

2015, 2016 and 2017. It had its 20th 

birthday last year and continues to tour 

the world in 2018. 

For tickets, telephone the box office 

on 0845 154 4145. 

UNDERBELLY LINE-UP FOR 10th 

YEAR ON SOUTHBANK 

Now preparing for a 10th year on the 

Southbank and having smashed through 

the million-tickets-sold barrier last year, 

Underbelly Festival Southbank 2018 has 

an impressive array of talent on display 

by the Thames between April and 

September. 

Among the outstanding comedic 

talent set to descend on the South Bank 

are Underbelly Festival legend turned 

Vegas superstar Piff the Magic Dragon, 

one of the sharpest young observational 

comic talents in the business Alex 

Edelman, dark and twisted sketch 

masters Late Night Gimp Fight, kings of 

musical variety shenanigans The Horne 

Section and Prime Minister turned drag 

diva Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho. 

These brilliant performers join 

comedy heavyweights Nina Conti, Ruby 

Wax, Stephen K Amos and Gina Yashere, 

as part of a programme of over 130 

shows spanning every imaginable genre. 

Other shows cover the full spectrum 

of performing arts, with the 

scintillatingly sensual House of 

Burlesque Revue, the fiery talents of 

Aurora Galore and the man whose voice 

creates musical movements, Shlomo, 

while, for those not content with the role 

of audience-member, Underbelly Festival 

Southbank will also be playing host to 

cult alternative club nights including 

group singalong Massaoke, a brilliant 

Silent Disco in the Spiegeltent and the 

legendary Club Briefs – the immersive 

clubbing spectacular from the 

undisputed Kweens of boylesque. 

This year, London’s original, biggest 

and best pop-up arts festival will be 

marking a decade of excellence by 

welcoming four headlining circus shows 

from four different continents to coincide 

with the 250th anniversary of the 

artform, mere yards from where Philip 

Astley first took to the Ring in Waterloo 

in 1768. African acrobatic spectacular 

Circus Abyssinia swings in from 

Ethiopia, before sodden slapstick circus 

SOAP slides in from Germany, Latin 

circus-concert sizzler Circolombia 

brings a taste of South America, and 

Circa premiere their latest masterpiece 

from Down Under, Peepshow. 

29 


30 

The London cast of Kinky Boots. 

KINKY BOOTS CELEBRATES ITS 

1000TH PERFORMANCE 

Kinky Boots, the winner of every 

major Best Musical award, has recently 

celebrated its1000th performance and 

has now received its 1,000,000th 

customer in the West End. The 

production has also announced the 

opening of a new booking period, with 

tickets now available until 30 June. 

Kinky Boots at the Adelphi Theatre 

has become a favourite with UK 

theatregoers having won three Olivier 

Awards for Best New Musical, Best 

Costume Design and Best Actor in a 

Musical for Matt Henry who previously 

played Lola. Kinky Boots also won the 

London Evening Standard BBC Radio 2 

Audience Award for Best Musical as well 

as three WhatsOnStage Awards. 

Inspired by true events, Kinky Boots 

takes the audience from a gentlemen’s 

shoe factory in Northampton to the 

glamorous catwalks of Milan. Charlie 

Price (David Hunter) is struggling to live 

up to his father’s expectations and 

continue the family business of Price & 

Son. With the factory’s future hanging in 

the balance, help arrives in the unlikely 

but spectacular form of Lola (Simon- 

Anthony Rhoden), a fabulous performer 

in need of some sturdy new stilettos. 

For tickets, telephone 020 7087 7754 

Photo by Matt Crockett 

WORLD PREMIERE OF TRIOPERAS: 

TURANDOT, BUTTERFLY & CARMEN 

For the first time ever, three of the 

world’s most famous female-led operas 

have been dramatically revised with their 

stories told through the eyes of composer 

and interpreter, Pamela Tan–Nicholson, 

for the world premiere of TriOperas, in 

celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 

UK’s women’s suffrage. This radical new 

show, inspired by three of the best 

known female characters in opera, 

Turandot, Madam Butterfly and Carmen, 

opens at the Peacock Theatre on 23 

May, for a limited season until 1 July. 

TriOperas portrays the three women as 

reluctant heroines generations ahead of 

their time. Turandot is a cross-dressing 

daredevil warrior-princess, Madame 

Butterfly is an ambitious and proud 

Japanese geisha, and Carmen, the freespirited 

Spanish gypsy party girl. This 

innovative production, which challenges 

conventional depictions of the female 

protagonists, features a glorious fusion of 

classical music, musical theatre, circus, 

martial arts and dance. 

Uniquely, TriOperas has been 

designed for all female cast members to 

rotate roles in the three operas. Nine 

multi-talented female performers from a 

variety of artistic disciplines and 

backgrounds feature in the production – 

Sianna Bruce, Keedie Green, Sara 

Hamilton, Lucy Kay, Martina Mennell, 

Sarah Naudi, Shoreina Pereira, Katie 

Shalka and Chiarra Vinci. 

TriOperas merges opera singing with 

punk, rap, rock and hip-hop and a 

display of acrobatics, kung-fu, puppetry, 

breakdancing, tap, ballet, salsa, Chinese 

lion wushu and parkour. Stories are 

brought to life by a stellar production 

team, including choreographers such as 

Royal Ballet Principal Steven McRae, 

Sadler’s Wells' Breakin’ Convention 

Director Jonzi D, Masters Siow and Tang 

from Kun Seng Keng Lion and Dragon 

Dance Association. 


32 

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 Rosalie Craig and Owen 

McDonnell. Directed by Sam Mendes. 

GIELGUD THEATRE 

Shaftesbury Avenue, W1 (0844 482 5130) 

QUIZ 

A fictional imagination based on real events 

which took place in 2001 following an 

episode of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? 

NOEL COWARD THEATRE 

St. Martin’s Lane, WC2 (0844 482 5140) 

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 


The Play That Goes Wrong West End recently 

celebrated its third birthday at the Duchess 

Theatre, and is currently booking through to 

7 April 2019. 

PLAYS 

JULIUS CAESAR 

Caesar returns in triumph to Rome and the 

people pour out of their homes to celebrate. 

Alarmed by the autocrat’s popularity, the 

educated élite conspire to bring him down. 

After his assassination, civil war erupts on the 

streets of the capital. 

BRIDGE THEATRE 

One Tower Bridge, SE1 (0843 208 1846) 

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) 

MARY STUART 

Schiller’s political tragedy is set behind the 

scenes of some of British history’s most 

crucial days. Playing both Elizabeth I and 

Mary Stuart, Juliet Stevenson and Lia 

Williams trade the play’s central roles, decided 

at each performance by the toss of a coin. 

DUKE OF YORK’S THEATRE 

St Martin’s Lane, WC2 (020 7492 1552) 

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY 

Ian Rickson directs a major new revival of 

Harold Pinter’s brilliantly mysterious darkcomic 

masterpiece. Stars Zoe Wanamaker, 

Toby Jones and Stephen Mangan. 

HAROLD PINTER THEATRE 

Panton Street, SW1 (0844 871 7627) 

Royal National Theatre 

Plays in repertory 

OLIVIER THEATRE 

AMADEUS 

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a rowdy young 

prodigy, arrives in Vienna determined to make 

a splash. Awestruck by his genius, court 

composer Antonio Salieri has the power to 

promote his talent or destroy it. 

MACBETH 

Shakespeare’s most intense and terrifying 

tragedy is directed by Rufus Norris. Rory 

Kinnear and Anne-Marie Duff play Macbeth 

and Lady Macbeth. 

LYTTELTON THEATRE 

NETWORK 

Lee Hall and Ivo Van Hove bring Paddy 

Chayefsky’s iconic film to the stage for the 

first time. A dystopian media landscape where 

opinion trumps fact. Bryan Cranston plays the 

role of Howard Beale. 

PINOCCHIO 

On a quest to be truly alive, Pinocchio leaves 

Geppetto’s workshop with Jiminy Cricket in 

tow. Their electrifying adventure takes them 

from alpine forests to bottom of the ocean. 

DORFMAN THEATRE 

THE GREAT WAVE 

Set in Japan and North Korea, Francis Turnly’s 

epic new thriller is directed by Indhu 

Rubasingham. 

NATIONAL THEATRE 

South Bank, SE1 (020 7452 3000) 

THE BEST MAN 

Martin Shaw leads the cast in the timely 

UK premiere of Gore Vidal’s award winning 

political thriller about ambition, political 

scandal, ruthlessness, and the race for the 

White House. 

PLAYHOUSE THEATRE 

Northumberland Ave., WC2 (0844 871 7631) 

FAULTY TOWERS DINING EXPERIENCE 

Inspired by one of Britain's greatest ever 

comedy series, this 2 hour interactive 

production is set in a restaurant where you the 

audience are the diners. 

RADISSON BLU EDWARDIAN 

Bloomsbury Street, (020 7764 0523) 

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) 

FROZEN 

A major production of Bryony Lavery’s play 

about retribution, remorse and redemption, 

which explores the interwoven lives of three 

strangers as they try to make sense of the 

unimaginable. 

THEATRE ROYAL HAYMARKET 

Haymarket SW1 (020 7930 8800) 

Royal Shakespeare Company production 

of Matilda The Musical. 

Photo: Manuel Harlan. 


LADY WINDERMERE’S FAN 

Following Dominic Dromgoole’s engaging 

revival of Oscar Wilde’s masterpiece, awardwinning 

director Kathy Burke has brought 

together a talented comedic cast. 

VAUDEVILLE THEATRE 

Strand, WC2 (020 7400 1257) 

LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT 

Jeremy Irons and Lesley Manville reprise their 

roles in Richard Eyre’s acclaimed production 

of Eugene O’Neill’s Pulitzer prize-winning 

masterpiece 

WYNDHAM’S THEATRE 

Charing Cross Road, WC2 (0844 482 5120) 

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) 

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. 

APOLLO THEATRE 


MATILDA 

Critically acclaimed Royal Shakespeare 

Company production of Roald Dahl’s book, 

directed by Matthew Warchus. 

CAMBRIDGE THEATRE 

Earlham Street, WC2 (0844 800 1110) 

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) 

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) 

CHICAGO 

The dazzling multi-award-winning tale of 

nightclub singer Roxie Hart, her cell-block 

rival Velma Kelly and the smooth-talking 

lawyer Billy Flynn. Starring Cuba Gooding Jr. 

PHOENIX THEATRE 

Charing Cross Road, WC2 (0844 871 7627) 

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) 

BOOK OF MORMON 

Broadway musical takes shots at everything 

from organised religion to consumerism, state 

of the economy and the musical theatre genre. 

PRINCE OF WALES THEATRE 

Coventry Street, W1 (0844 482 5115) 

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 


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 


42ND STREET 

The song and dance, American dream fable, 

where af small town girl, Peggy Sawyer’s rise 

from chorus line to Broadway star. 

THEATRE ROYAL 

Drury Lane, WC2 (020 7492 0810) 

THE GRINNING MAN 

A new musical adaptation of Victor Hugo's 

1869 novel The Laughing Man, about a 

travelling sideshow freak whose face has been 

carved with a permanent smile. 

TRAFALGAR STUDIO 

Whitehall, SW1 (0844 871 7632) 

HAMILTON 

Lin-Manuel Miranda's multi award-winning 

musical, based on Ron Chernow's biography 

of one of the American Founding Fathers, 

Alexander Hamilton. 

VICTORIA PALACE THEATRE 

Victoria Street, SW1 (0844 248 5000) 

The Lioin King. Photo: Disney. 

33 


34 

AN EGG-CITING EASTER AT 

THE ARCH LONDON 

Treat yourself or your little chicks to a 

fun getaway at one of London’s best 

boutique hotels, The Arch London, this 

Easter. The luxurious Georgian 

townhouse is tucked away on a calm 

residential street in Marylebone making 

it the perfect place for a lavish break in 

the heart of London. 

The Arch London will be serving an 

egg-tra special Easter Afternoon Tea 

featuring classic scones and sandwiches 

as well as sweet treats including: triple 

chocolate and maraschino cherry tart, 

white chocolate and lemon curd Swiss 

roll, chocolate and blood orange tea 

cake, and milk chocolate and tonka bean 

mousse with peanut brittle. 

The egg-stravagent Easter menu will 

be served in its stylish restaurant Hunter 

486. The menu will feature a variety of 

delightful dishes including rare grilled 

salmon salad with Jersey Royals, 

asparagus, quail eggs and fennel 

mayonnaise; roast leg of English lamb, 

char grilled purple broccoli, gratin 

potatoes and rosemary jus; asparagus 

and ricotta ravioli with warm tomato and 

herb dressing; Yorkshire rhubarb cheese 

cake with rhubarb sorbet; and raspberry 

and pistachio trifle. Priced at £35 per 

person, the three-course menu will be 

available from 30 March until 2 April for 

lunch and dinner. 

Taking advantage of its unrivalled 

location and child-friendly amenities, 

The Arch London offers the ultimate 

family package starting at £390 per 

night. During their stay young children 

will dine complementary with their 

parents at Hunter 486. Each morning the 

whole family can also enjoy a 

complimentary English breakfast. 

JOANNA BELL STEPS ABOARD 

BATEAUX LONDON 

One of Britain’s most experienced 

chefs is to take the helm at Bateaux 

London. In a career spanning more than 

25 years, Joanna Bell has catered for 

HM The Queen and the Royal Family, 

created dishes for several star-studded 

The BRITs ceremonies and led the 

catering teams at a string of prestigious 

events. Now, Joanna, who opened her 

first restaurant at just 19, is embarking 

on a new challenge – as head chef at 

the Thames’ leading restaurant cruise 

company. 

Bateaux London, at Victoria 

Embankment and its sister business, 

Bateaux Windsor, operate a range of 

scheduled lunch and dining cruises on 

their vessels, Harmony and Symphony at 

London and Melody, at Windsor. 

The vessels can also be privately 

hired for events such as networking 

receptions, gala dinners and award 

ceremonies and each has a private 

dining room for smaller scale events and 

business lunches. 

In her new role, Joanna will be 

charged with devising and creating new 

menus, working with the on-board team 

of chefs, the front of house staff and the 

captain and crew and taking the lead on 

wide variety of compliance, 

administrative and culinary duties. 

The position is the latest in an 

impressive roll call of high profile 

appointments for the South African-born 

chef whose career began with the launch 

of her own restaurant, Bellami’s, in 

South Africa in 1991. 

She has created the menus and 

overseen the catering at events such as 

Royal Ascot, RHS Chelsea and Hampton 

Court Flower Shows and even for the 

entire French village at the London 

Olympics 2012.

TIL_Easter

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