Category: Review

CAR REVIEW | Fiat 124 Spider Lusso Plus 1.4 MultiAir Turbo

★★★★ | Fiat 124 Spider Lusso Plus 1.4 MultiAir Turbo

On Days like these…

Have you ever bought an album because of a car before? While I understand that he isn’t Italian, he is synonymous with an Anglo-Italian classic movie so having been given the new Fiat 124 Spider I had to get myself a Matt Monro album to go with it.

In a month that saw the shed leak, the garage leak, a roof tile fall off the house narrowly missing my Fiat Tempra and the trusty hatchback take in water quicker than the Titanic, I decided that testing the open-top Spider would be quite fitting. When faced with so much water and chaos what can possibly go wrong with a car that has a fabric roof? I’ll tell you, it snowed!

Fiat were once makers of great small sports cars. The range was made up of humdrum saloons, estates and coupes topped off with a little something cheeky for the weekend. The last time Fiat tried this was with the Barchetta. It was cheeky alright, just let down by the use of the last generation of Punto chassis.

Not so anymore with the new Spider. Underneath it is a Mazda MX-5. Now take that with a pinch of salt because the chassis was a joint development between Mazda and Fiat. While that doesn’t sound very exotic I can tell you that it translates into a beautiful chassis that never fails to satisfy.

What Fiat have given you over the MX-5 is their own 1368cc multiair engine. It’s not as rapid as the MX-5 or as lustful in its revs. The MX-5 we tested last year would scream to 7000rpm, the Fiat is all done by 6000. Once wound up above 2700rpm, it will trounce the MX-5.

In performance terms that translates into 140bhp at 5000rpm with 240Nm of grunt being delivered at 2250rpm. All this power and fun for over 40 miles to the gallon if you’re good. A little less if you are not. The paper spec to the actual driving feel doesn’t quite come out like that and this is probably not helped by the high gearing in all but first gear. The dashboard gauge will tell you to change up keeping it below 2000rpm. Totally pointless in almost every situation. Even crawling in traffic requires first because second is too high.

The multiair has 2 modes. Gutless city poser below 2500rpm or manic mayhem over 3000rpm. You can drive it 2 ways, cruise and enjoy the views or allow it full range and have it try and kill you on wet roundabouts. I’ll accept that is a little bit of an exaggeration. It needs to be respected in some situations though you can have some naughty fun with it. The traction control kicking in more readily than in the MX-5. The level of adhesion even in the wet was good. The chassis allows for this however if you are too lead-footed, when the engine comes on tap at 3000rpm it will give you a wake-up call. Thankfully it doesn’t make you too nervous all of the time. A little release of adrenalin over a journey is quite rewarding.

Get over this little annoyance and the Spider behaves in a civilised way. It’s not your all-out road rocket. The original never was and it’s nice to see this one isn’t either. It’ll take you places with wind-in-the-hair excitement and comfort. It’s a sports car at the end of the day, and not a lazy man car. The joy of a proper sports car is twirling the short throw gearstick back and forth. What it lacks in this department is a little rorty exhaust note.

As with any car with a removable top, it is easy to fold down manually in seconds and there is almost no buffeting at any speed. I was still able to keep dry in what felt like a monsoon above 45mph. I looked a prat but what the hell. The heating and heated seats doing a fine job on a winter’s weekend in keeping me warm.

It’s a win lose win situation with the Fiat 124 Spyder. Finally, it is a Fiat product that doesn’t look like a 500. It looks bloody lovely. Sadly the inside is Mazda. Thankfully it has that joint venture chassis so it handles like a dream.

So only thing that lets the Spider down really is in how Mazda it is inside. The original had a dashboard screwed to the dashboard made of wood with some dials. You wouldn’t want to recreate that however making it look different would have been a bonus. Like the 3 facia dials. The digital one for temperature and fuel look out of place. It needs dials with needles. What it needs are more dials. Changing the dashboard really would make it feel such a different car. Again on the model I had, the tobacco leather strip runs short across the dashboard. For visual pleasure, it needs to run across the entire length.

The other thing the Spider really needs is Fiat’s own infotainment system. Most certainly on the DAB radio. The one fitted is from Mazda and it is far too fussy and clumsy to select stations. The one I tried in the new Tipo was joyous because it simply worked so well.

Style wise it is beautiful. Some have bemoaned the size of the overhangs. I like them. It is in keeping with the original lines. What Fiat have managed to do is finally tidy up the rear. Whatever they did to it back in the 60s and 70s always looked like a job your dad did in the shed. If anything they could have exaggerated the upper flicks of the rear wings a bit more. The front is a pleasure to look at. Somehow it also manages to look wider than the MX-5.

To sum up the Spider over the MX-5 is easy. The Spider isn’t your all out sports car. It’s a touring car with the ability to go very quickly. What it needs is the option of the limited slip rear diff as fitted to the MX-5. If that was fitted it would sharpen an otherwise Bellissimo dressed package.

If I had the money right now I’d be putting down a deposit for a Lusso Plus in magnetic bronze metallic with tobacco leather and adding historical alloy wheels. In the meantime, I’ll just play with the model I bought in my bed instead.

Like
Looks
Comfort
Performance

Dislike
Infotainment system
Lack of an exhaust note
Mazda interior

The Lowdown
Car – Fiat 124 Spider Lusso Plus 1.4 MultiAir Turbo
Price – £23,295 (as tested)
MPG – 44.6 (combined)
Power – 140 bhp
0-62mph – 7.5 seconds
Top Speed – 134 mph

22nd January 2017
THEATRE REVIEW | Promises Promises, Southwark Playhouse

★★★ | Promises, Promises – Southwark Playhouse

CREDIT: Claire Bilyard

‘Promises Promises’ has a fine pedigree. It’s a 1968 musical based on the classic 1960 Billy Wilder film, ‘The Apartment’. The script is by King of the one-liners Neil Simon and the music is from the outstanding duo Burt Bacharach and Hal David. The set list contains the lilting ‘A House is Not a Home’ and the glorious ‘I’ll Never Fall in Love Again’ which topped the charts for Dionne Warwick and Bobby Gentry. Surely, this a case for high expectations being met if ever there was one? Sadly it’s a bit of a mixed bag and isn’t all it pledges to be.

The main problem with the piece is the tone of the musical which feels dated and uncomfortable to watch. It’s more reminiscent of Benny Hill’s stomach curdling capers than the suave sex appeal of ‘Mad Men’. Chuck is a junior executive who accidentally hits on a way to curry favour with his married bosses by lending them his bachelor pad to take their girlfriends to for sex. After a lot of songs, dialogue and an inordinate amount of set up, Chuck realises that the object of his affection, waspish cafeteria worker Fran, is being taken back to the flat by the boss of the company. The first act limps along and feels uncomfortable because of the dated references to women whilst the second act takes a darker turn but feels equally uncomfortable in its bizarre response to one character’s suicide attempt.

There’s a cringe-worthy set piece in Act One where a group of married executives prance around and sing about where to take a girl to have sex on the sly. The girls are of course young and pretty (and largely devoid of character) whilst the executives are overweight and lumbering. The rest of the songs blend into one at times and the script feels less than zippy. Chuck addresses the audience and feels like he should be hilariously funny to watch but he just isn’t. The odd strong one liner that should be really funny (a woman downs a drink in one and he says ‘I’d hate to see her eat!’) barely raises a laugh, feeling lost amongst a swamp of too much dialogue and too many songs. At three hours there feels like not much content over a lot of time.

There are plenty of positives, though. The cast is really skilled and likeable. In spite of his humour falling flat, there’s something really quite loveable about Gabriel Vick’s portrayal of Chuck. Vick is a decidedly good looking man who can belt a tune out and is magnetic. He’s worth the ticket price alone. I defy you not to come out of the theatre with a slight crush on him. Equally strong is Daisy Maywood as the sharp-tongued but soft-centred Fran. Naturally, there are good songs among the setlist (it’s Bacharach and David. They write bloody good songs). Simon Wells slightly creaky set feels fun and is versatile and the choreography is filled with joyous moments.

Although this musical misses the mark by a mile in many ways it’s still worth a stroll to the delightful Southwark Playhouse just to see such strong performances and sit back for a few hours and let the music wash over you. Just don’t listen to the words too closely.

Promises, Promises plays at the Southwark Playhouse until 18th February 2017

19th January 2017
THEATRE REVIEW | Sister Act – Sheffield Theatres and National Tour

★★★| When 70’s disco lounge singer Deloris Van Cartier witnesses Curtis, her married, crime-boss lover, murdering one of his cohorts; she is placed in witness protection in the last place on earth anyone would look for such a sassy little lady – a convent. Trying desperately to fit in, whilst doing nothing but standing out, she is assigned to take over the choir, whose screeching vocals are enough to curl your wimple. But as the singer tunes up the choir, Curits finds out where Deloris is, and sets out to make sure she doesn’t testify against him.

Picture Credit – Curve Theatre PR Supplied

Featuring the songs “Raise Your Voice”, “Take Me To Heaven”, “Fabulous Baby” and “Spread the Love Around”, Sister Act is a fun, spirited and vivacious show with very catchy songs, warm characters and a spring in its step. With a large, static set and a vibrant lighting design by Liam Jones, the production is bolstered by the presence of Alexandra Burke who, to her credit, could certainly belt out the big numbers. There was some very able (and tuneful) support from Joe Vetch as Detective “Sweaty” Eddie Souther, and a real smooth criminal in Aaron Lee Lambert as Curtis, the Shaft influenced, soul styled bad guy. Throw into the mix some enjoyable physical comedy from Curtis’s cronies, and you have the basis of a good show.

But with every heavenly blessing, there are some sins to atone for, as Craig Revel Horwood’s direction doesn’t quite hit its stride, with a heavy reliance on over-exaggeration of movement and gurning facial expressions; which meant that instead of the comedy flowing naturally from the effervescent script, it felt somewhat forced. The inclusion of musical instruments being played by the cast on stage worked in parts, but served as a distraction in others; and felt as though it stifled the choreography, which is a shame given the directors “Strictly” credentials. But once confession is over, all is forgiven as the show yields to its musical-number-filled second act and feel-good finale.

Sister Act is a high energy bundle of fun, and whilst this production and ensemble cast doesn’t sparkle quite as brightly as other productions of this show, it has enough big tunes, bold characters and beating heart to make for an toe-tapping, if ultimately throwaway, evening at the theatre.

Sister Act is currently on a UK Tour until 7^th September 2017 and details can be found at http://www.sisteractuktour.co.uk/ . The show was reviewed at Sheffield Theatres, who’s upcoming production of new musical “Everyone’s Talking About Jamie” opens on the 9^th February 2017. Visit https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/whats-on/everybodystalking-jamie for details.

19th January 2017
REVIEWED | WE Festival – New Year’s Eve Madrid

★★★★ | WE Festival

Madrid, Spain – this year for the New Year’s celebration my boyfriend, I and a few friends travelled to Spain to check out the WE New Years Eve Festival.

CREDIT: Aaron Holloway

The WE circuit dance party is one of the biggest brands in the world, hosting parties in Spain, Germany, UK, and America. The party in Madrid is WE on its home turf. Madrid is known for its party lifestyle and the plethora of clubs the city offers makes it the perfect home for a week-long dance festival. We attended two of the parties, the Matinee theme night (Matinee has its home in Ibiza) and the main WE party on New Year’s Eve which was held at La Riviera, a massive club that could well be described as the home base of WE Madrid.

In true Spanish style, the clubs don’t get really going until around 1 am, but after that they are jam packed full of hot guys and occasionally girls looking to dance the night away. One thing can be said for the WE parties: they are excellently managed. The lines to get in are kept moving at a good pace so you’ve got more time to enjoy the party rather than stand outside, the coat check staff were quick and efficient, and the bars, which use a ticket system that I’m not personally a big fan of, were fast and the clubs are arranged to have lots of large bars so that you don’t spend most of your night waiting in line for a drink.

As is to be expected, the music is excellent and provided by some of the world’s best DJs including GSP and Phil Romano. On New Year’s Eve we were even provided with a couple of attractive hosts to help us count down to midnight when we partook in a glass of prosecco and the traditional 12 grapes on the strokes of midnight.

Madrid is host to many excellent gay events, not only the WE New Years Festival but also the WE summer festival which happens during the Madrid Pride week.

In 2017 WE Festival is one of the sponsoring events at World Pride in Madrid at the end of June. Having attended Pride, or Orgullo to the locals, two years ago and having an excellent experience at both the clubs and pride events which take over the city’s gay area Chueca, one can be certain that World Pride hosted by Madrid is going to be one hell of a party. Keep an eye on their website for details and ticket sales.

Aaron attended the WE New Years Festival as a guest of WE Party Group

17th January 2017
FILM REVIEW | Manchester By The Sea

★★★★★ | Manchester by the Sea

Studiocanal

Casey Affleck gives a devastating performance in Manchester by the Sea.

In a role that will win him the Academy Award for Best Actor, Affleck is Lee Chandler, a man stricken with grief, so much grief that gets worse when he gets word that his older brother Joe (Kyle Chandler in flashbacks) has suddenly passed away in their hometown of Manchester, New Hampshire. Joe leaves behind teenage son Patrick (newcomer Lucas Hedges), and it’s Lee who is now Patrick’s guardian.

But Lee just doesn’t have the energy, or the passion, to take in his nephew. Now a handyman, he moved to Boston after a tragic event that took the lives of his three children, a tragic event that could have been prevented, and a tragedy that caused the breakdown of his marriage to Randi (Michelle Williams).

So he’s really quite unsure and struggles with what to do with Patrick. Lee can’t send Patrick to his mother, who he is not close to.

There is so much darkness in Manchester by the Sea that it’s hard to leave the film without feeling depressed and sodden. Yet it’s Affleck’s acting that propels this film to must-see and award-worthy status.

Affleck, who is Ben Affleck’s younger brother and who just won a golden globe gives the best performance of his career.

His Lee is quite unlike any character you’ve seen all year – and Affleck plays him amazingly.

Williams is also very good as Lee’s wife who eventually moves on and starts a new life, and BAFTA rising star nominee Hedges is a real find and perfect as the rebellious teenager.

In a film produced by Matt Damon, who was originally going to star as Lee, and with excellent writing and directing by Kenneth Lonergan (2000’s You Can Count On Me) who with this film cements himself to A-list status of Hollywood filmmakers, Manchester by the Sea is one of this year’s few must-see films.

15th January 2017
THEATRE REVIEW | BU21

★★★★ | BU21

We’re bombarded every year with news of atrocities. We might try to avoid looking at the scenes on the news or alternatively seek them out with a ghoulish fascination. We might worry about it happening to us or think about how we’d cope with say a gunman opening fire or a bomb blast. The certain fact is that bad things happen in the world and we can’t avoid knowing that they do.

CREDIT: BU21

‘BU21’ looks at the human aftermath of a terrorist plane attack which causes mass causalities in suburban North London. It’s a wry and witty play that’s multi-layered and never predictable. Told as a set of interconnected monologues it’s a 100-minute ride with surprising humour as well as pathos.
Graham has been elevated from van driver to national icon, having been one of the first to be filmed at the scene on the news and now finds this gives meaning to his life. Izzy learned that her mother had been ripped apart via Twitter and is trying to use her middle-class skills set to cope with this. Waitress Ana was horribly burned and maimed whilst sunbathing before her shift and is living life in a cold vacuum. Floss is seeing a dead man everywhere she goes. The thing is she was at the kitchen window and a man fell to earth in his plane seat and died looking into her eyes. City banker Alex’s flat was hit by wreckage which led to the unfortunate discovery of his girlfriend’s body welded to Alex’s best friend mid-shag. Finally,
Clive is a devout Muslim. Raised with no religion he’s found comfort in Islam and wants to tell us about his side of the story.

It might all sound unbearably grim and definitely like a play to avoid watching during a grey English January but this is where author Stuart Slade surprises tricks and teases. Slade’s characters are varying in their resilience, their surprising humour and their ability to get through. The play also turns its gaze upon society. Why do we want to watch this and what does our fascination with tragedy say about us as a society or as individuals? Slade plays with our prejudices too and laughs at and forces us to laugh at ourselves too. This is an alarmingly sad, hilariously funny and utterly pertinent play and is an experience you won’t stop thinking about for quite some time.

BU21 plays at the Trafalgar Studi0 until Feb 18th

15th January 2017
THEATRE REVIEW | Strangers in Between, Kings Head Theatre

★★★★ | Strangers in Between, Kings Head Theatre

CREDIT: Andreas Grieger

Great performances by a cast of three is the highlight of the play ‘Strangers in Between.’

Playing for the second year in a row at the Kings Head Theatre, ’Strangers in Between’ is a drama about a young man experiencing the big city for the first time. Shane (Roly Botha) has moved from his small hometown in Australia to the big city of Sydney. He says he’s 19, and he works in a liquor store yet doesn’t even know how to use the register. In walks a customer – gay and trendy Will (Dan Hunter). Shane at first is a bit intimidated by him, but they manage to make small talk until another customer walks in – Peter (Stephen Connery-Brown) – a middle-aged gay man looking for a simple yet inexpensive bottle of wine. Eventually, Shane gets Will’s number.

Shane lives in the Kings Cross section of Sydney, an area teeming with prostitutes and crime. But Shane loves it there, especially as it’s far away from his family, and especially brother, he ran away from. He and Will hook up for a few trysts – it’s purely a sexual relationship – while Shane finds comfort in his friendship with Peter. But Shane has a couple secrets, one being his age, and the other involving his homophobic brother Ben (Hunter). But suddenly Ben finds Shane in Sydney after Shane’s world is falling apart after he has lost his job and contracted an STD from Will.

The cast is very admirable but it’s Botha who shines. His Shane is young, cute, innocent and with a nervous tick – he dominates the very small stage – Botha is a wonder. Hunter ably does double duty as Will and Ben, while Connery-Brown is very good as Peter. While the ending is a bit of a letdown, the play, written by Tommy Murphy, is a show that all of us can relate to because at one time we were all young and innocent and new to the big city.

For tickets, please visit:

Strangers In Between plays at the Kings Head Theatre until 4th Feb 2017

13th January 2017
THEATRE REVIEW | The Kite Runner, Wyndham’s Theatre

★★★★ | The Kite Runner, Wyndham’s Theatre

The Kite Runner tells the story of Amir, a young boy played by Ben Turner, growing up at the beginning of the troubles, in Afghanistan. When the Russians invade he is forced to flee with his ailing father or “Baba” (Emilio Doorgasingh) and begins a new life in the US where he finds a bride in what should be a happy ever ending. Unfortunately, Amir is also accompanied by a burdening baggage of guilt as a result of a set of lies and deceit, a secret known only by his father’s dear old friend Rahim (Nicholas Khan) who remained in Kabul.

Amir’s mother had died during Amir’s birth, so he was brought up by Baba and father and son servants, the later Hassan (Andre Costin) of whom had developed a strong and loyal bond with Amir which is pivotal to the storyline. However, Amir betrayed that loyalty after witnessing an outrageous act on Hassan by a local gang of youths, who’s ring leader Assef (Nicholas Karimi) and Amir’s nemesis, reappears in an added twist later in the story when he is compelled by Rahim to return on a dangerous mercy mission to Kabul, now inhabited by the Taliban.

The adaptation is brave as it’s a narration by Amir of his journey from boy to man and the tragedy that unfolds. This is a common style for Asian story telling but there is a danger that narration can be plodding and almost “sermon-esque” but Mathew Spangler seems to have struck a perfect balance between the story telling, flash-backs and cleverly choreographed crowd scenes that echoed the atmosphere and rhythms of Husseini’s novel, helped by a strong performance from Ben Turner and the supporting cast. The stage set is minimal with a kind of skateboard park half pipe that cleverly allows an illusion of height and depth for the performers to work off especially during the kite flying and action scenes, the backdrop a giant movable kite that had patterns projected on to it that complimented each scene.

Tragedy upon tragedy lent to a relatively high tear jerk rating but this was pleasantly interspersed with humour from the characters who seemed to grow in confidence as the performance progressed and they connected with the audience.

My only minus point about this stage version is that Husseini’s novel addressed other issues head on, shaking a fist at the revolving door of invaders that ruined what was once a beautiful country and a Mecca for travellers seeking enlightenment with a steady bustling economy and the subservient divide between Sunni and Shia, issues that were incidental and merely form a backdrop in this stage version, but were what made the novel a hot potato. However, to encapsulate the novel in its entirety on stage is too big an ask!

I cannot sum up without mentioning the wonderful and often hypnotic percussion accompaniment from Hanif Khan that gelled the performance, beautifully done.

I recommend this play, well written, and with strong performances throughout. I have already booked my return ticket!

The Kite Runner runs at the Wyndham’s Theatre until 11th March.

13th January 2017
RESTAURANT REVIEW | Mamie’s

★★★★ | Mamie’s

If you’re looking for an excellent crépe in Covent Garden, I’ve got the place for you.

Mamie’s, on Catherine Street, right across the street from the Theatre Royal where Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is playing, serves many varieties of crépes – both sweet and savoury (also known as galettes). Nestled in a three-story building, Mamie’s is a cozy place for cozy food and has something for everyone. If you’re looking to make the visit a full meal, then your first course will be a galette – there are 9 galettes to choose from, all made from buckwheat, gluten free, and healthy. If you like salmon, you’re in luck – there is Salmon and Cheese as well as a dish called La Baudelaire, which my lunch companion had, with salmon, mushrooms, a fried egg, and cheese, along with lettuce on top. At £9.50 it’s a bit pricey, but it’s served open-faced (as opposed to rolled up) – and it is large. Other options include the Forest Compléte – egg, ham, emmental cheese, créme fraiche, mushrooms and onions (£8.90), and the cleverly-named L’Edith Piaf – blue cheese, pears, walnuts and mixed salad leaves (£7.90). I had the delicious La Chateaubriand – a rolled galette wth sausage, onions, whole grain mustard and mixed salad leafs – a snip at £7.90 – and very very tasty.

Of course, when I think of crépes I always think of the sweet kind – the ones you buy at markets and, if you’ve been to Paris, you can find loads of créperies that serve them – they’re a French institution! And at Mamie’s they’re delicious! I had the homecooked apples and cinnamon crépe. Talk about perfect, it was so so good, and very large, and at only £4.90 an excellent deal. You can choose from other options including Nutella (£4.90), pears and chocolate (£4.90), La Magritte – home cooked apples, caramel and vanilla ice cream (£6.90) or the La Henri Dés – Nutella, caramel and marshmallows (£5.90). Or if you’re a bit too full from your main course, then a butter & sugar or a lemon & sugar might be best for you (£3.00 and £4.50 respectively).

Mamie’s also has a small menu of starters including tapas and salads (though two were sold out on the day we visited), as well as an excellent beer and cider menu, and a cocktail menu that are specially-made and all at £8.00. But Mamie’s is very unique in two aspects of its business – the way you order and what you order. When you sit down you are given a computer tablet to place your order. Each course and drinks options are on the main page – and each dish has a picture of it – so you know what you’re getting! But even more clever is that for each galette and crépe, you can add additional items as toppings. So in the case of one of the galettes, you can add more salad, honey, an extra egg, ham, or onions, all at a very small surcharge. And in the crépe world, feel free to add jam, chocolate, pears, apples, perhaps turn it into a flambée – almost anything you want! There is also dairy free and vegan options. So if this doesn’t entice you I don’t know what else will!

French born Aymeric Peurois opened Mamie’s in early August and has designed his restaurant in the style of Brittany. As a child, he used to go to his grandmother’s house in Brittany (Mamie’s means grandmother in French) where she used to make crépes. So Aymeric, who is a former financier, decided to leave his job and open Mamie’s, which can seat around 40 people on both the ground and first floor (though five of the tables on the first floor are extremely close to each other). Aymeric is very passionate about the place, and he has plans to turn the basement into a cider bar/cider cellar. It’s a beautiful room, made to look like a speakeasy, and it’s got a see-it-to-believe-it large map of Brittany on the ceiling! Très incroyable! I really wish Aymeric all the luck in getting this business established and successful – it’s a very cute and cosy spot right in the heart of the West End.

Reviewed by: Tim Baros

Address: 19 Catherine St, London WC2B 5JS, UK

Phone: +44 20 7836 7216

For opening hours and to check the menu, please visit:
mamies.co.uk

12th January 2017
THEATRE REVIEW | St Petersburg Classic Ballet’s Swan Lake – Sheffield Lyceum and National Tour

★★★| It is a tidal wave of tights, tutus and tiaras in this presentation of one of Tchaikovsky’s most famous ballets, performed in typical traditional style by the St Petersburg Classic Ballet. Telling the story of a Prince who finds his youth slipping away and being pressured into marriage, he meets and falls in love with Odette, Queen of the Swans, who is under a curse from which only true love can free her. But their love is thwarted by the evil Von Rothbart when he tricks the Prince into being betrothed to another. When the Prince realises he has been a victim of such cruel treachery, he battles to save Odette from her curse.

PR Supplied

In their second UK tour, Swan Lake proves to be a more entertaining and gentile evening than anticipated, with simple but effective sets, traditional costumes and an instantly recognisable score. The company, on the whole, performed well and the dancers individually were all very talented and quite natural in their performances. There is no denying the technical ability and suppleness of the cast, but when dancing as an ensemble, there were still some flaws in the performance including the odd stumble, the fixed smiles and, on occasions, the unison of the dancers not being as tight and synchronised as one would hope for and anticipate, especially from such a prestigious company

That aside, the vivacious, playful and instantly recognisable score by Tchaikovsky sounded as vibrant as ever, and proved absorbing, especially during the first act. There were times when the ballet sparkled brightly, nowhere more evident than the sight of a sheer volume of swans and signets in the latter portion of the second act, which amounted to a fairly mesmerising vision. The tapestry based static set was functional and some of the costumes were beautifully put together. There was a romantic pas de deux in the latter half of the second act and the soloists portraying the potential suitors displaying their wares at the opening of Act 3 were quite captivating.

For those seeking a traditionally presented ballet, then this version of Swan Lake is a safe bet and a pleasant evening’s entertainment, albeit one which is let down very slightly by a lack of unison within the performance on the odd occasions, which is a shame when compared to the tightly performed routines by other companies.

However, there remain many aspects of the show to enjoy and it is an easy, accessible ballet which is more focussed on dance and performance than detailed narrative.

The production was reviewed at Sheffield Theatres (www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk) who will be premiering a new musical, Everyone’s Talking About Jamie, based on the BBC3 documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at 16 in February 2017

St Petersburg Classic Ballet is touring the UK, calling at Poole Lighthouse, Truro Hall, Bath Theatre Royal and Aylesbury Waterside between now and the 4^th February 2017.

11th January 2017
TRAVEL REVIEW | Glamping In Yorkshire

A million stars looked down upon my boyfriend and me, as we gazed into the endless night sky. If you’re looking to get out into the wilderness and can’t quite pull off that Bear Grylls’ ruggedness, then perhaps Glamping should be your next holiday idea.

Right in the middle of rural Yorkshire is the stunning Camp Kutur, miles from any city. The days are still and silent and the nights are awe inspiring. As you gaze into the night sky, with the fire’s embers glowing softly as you sit on your private decking, you’ll feel like you’re at one with nature, but not too at one. Set in hundreds of acres of private land of the Camp Hill estate, Camp Kutur has just a handful of different accommodation options including Teepees, Unidomes, Hobit Pods and Geodomes. We were lucky enough to stay in one of the gorgeous Geodomes for two nights at the tail end of September.

The Geodomes are a spacious tented space, set on the forest’s edge, with a clear front overlooking the rest of the site. They are self-contained units, with a comfy double bed and seating area as well as a log burner. It’s all very very cosy. Outside there is a kitchenette and it’s own private toilet and shower. At the front of the Geodome is your own private decking area, complete with bar-b-que and a warming wood burner for those nights with a chill in the air.

On the site, there’s also an eco spa and sauna, although these come at an extra cost.

Glamping has almost become synonymous with hen parties, let’s face it. There probably isn’t a girlfriend of yours that hasn’t been on a glamping weekend and gone on and on about the rugs, the tea lights and the overall cosines of their yurt. Well, boys, I’m here to say it’s everything they said it was and we whole-heartedly approve.

A quick word of warning, despite it being glamping and there are the comfort extras over and beyond an ordinary campsite, it is still back to basics where tech is concerned. There is no electricity and no WiFi. So if you’re a techno junkie, you won’t be able to charge your devices or log onto the web. You may want to check with your phone’s network provider to see if there is 3 or 4G in the area. But if you’re looking to cut off be truly DND (do not disturb) then this is your haven.

Geodomes start at £80 (Oct/Nov) per night and a minimum of two nights booking is required.

10th January 2017