Hair, the original naked musical, is celebrating its 50th anniversary in a new production at The Vaults in London. Is the message that it sent in the hippie lovin’ 60s still relevant today? You betcha.
When Hair was originally produced off-Broadway in New York City in 1967, its message of anti-establishment and free love, anti-war, and its display of full frontal nudity shocked audiences back then, leading to more publicity and packed houses. Now that we have Donald Trump in the most powerful office in the world, and with the UK ready to break off from the EU, and not to mention the political and socioeconomic changes happening around the world, Hair’s message is perhaps more relevant than ever before. But is it actually a good show?
In the tiny, cosy and very hot theatre that is The Vaults under Waterloo station, 14 actors playing hippies sing and dance and sway their young lithe bodies all over the dirt floor that is the stage, and for one brief moment at the very end of the first half, they all get naked. And before and after in the second half, we are sung and spoken to by these youngsters as they tell their anti-war tales and burn their draft cards and the unlucky ones who are sent to fight in a war but come back with limbs, and emotions, gone.
Yet all the favourite songs are here, songs that include ‘Aquarius,’ ‘Good Morning Starshine,’ and ‘Let the Sunshine In,’ songs that make this show famous, more so than the script. So if you’ve never actually seen Hair performed, go and see it now as this might be your last opportunity, but don’t expect to be wowed and awed in this production, though it might help if you take some stimulants to get you through the evening as this show is as mellow as can be.
Hair plays at the Vaults Theatre, London until 3rd December 2017
The reopening of The Black Cap is moving ever closer as new bosses are sought to take over the iconic North London gay venue.
The Black Cap in North London could be re-opening soon, as long as new bosses can be found for the venue. The owners of the venue, Kicking Horse, have agreed to look for new tenants in order to re-open after it closed two and half years ago.
Black Cap Foundation, the community campaign group set up to reopen the venue, has been working with the freeholders of the Black Cap site, to finalise the property and business details.
However prospective owners will have to prove that they are financially viable and stable before they can even have a walk through the building and it’s not cheap. Paperwork for the venue shows that a “significant amount of capital investment” in the region of £900,000 will need to be spent on the venue because it has been closed for such a long time.
The leaseholders are looking for a whopping yearly rental of £300,000 for the venue which has a prime location near to Camden market, the tube line and the high street.
Black Cap Foundation director Alex Green said, “We’re thrilled at this agreement. This is a crucial step towards our goal of reopening the Black Cap, and we welcome the cooperation of the freeholders and the support of Camden council and the GLA in making that a reality.
“We’ve always believed the Black Cap’s unique, irreplaceable legacy of community and culture is worth fighting for, and can’t wait to see how it will be reinvented next.”
A spokesperson for Kicking Horse said, “We very much hope to find the leaseholder with the right vision, experience and resources to begin a brand new chapter for this world-famous venue.”
Interested parties are encouraged to contact Alex Green/Chris Clark of the Black Cap Foundation on enquiries@weareblackcap.com and Paul Tallentyre of David Coffer Lyons sales agent on ptallentyre@dcl.co.uk for further details.
The classic comedy Young Frankenstein has finally made it’s way to the West End, and it’s just as funny, or perhaps even funnier, than the hit 1974 film.
Mel Brooks, still kicking around at the age of 91, directed and co-wrote (along with Gene Wilder) the Oscar-nominated film. Brooks wrote the music and lyrics of the stage version which had it’s Broadway debut in 2007 to rave reviews and several Tony award nominations. Its arrival in the West End is welcome because there is a lack of stomach-splitting comedies on offer, and Young Frankenstein is not only stomach splitting – it’s laugh out very loud funny!
Scientist Frederick Frankenstein (Hadley Fraser), who insists his last name is pronounced Frankensteen in order to disassociate himself from his grandfather – the mad scientist Dr Victor von Frankenstein, and which becomes a running joke throughout the show, learns that he has inherited a castle in the town of Transylvania Heights from his grandfather. He decides to check it out and boards the Queen Mary Shelley ship (Shelley is the original author of the book of Frankenstein), says goodbye to his fiancé Elizabeth (Dianne Pilkington) who sings the camp song ‘Please Don’t Touch Me’ in reference to her devotion to Frederick. Once Frederick arrives in the town, he is greeted by Igor (Ross Noble), a man with a hump on his back which keeps on changing sides. Frederick also hires an assistant to help him at the castle, and this assistant is the blond, beautiful, buxomy and German Inga (a wonderful Summer Strallen – who practically steals the show with her looks, and dumbwitnedness). They ride up to the castle on a wagon to the tune of ‘Roll in the Hay (because they are literally on hay and during the bumpy ride Inga practically exposes almost every part of her body – it’s too funny to be seen! Once in the castle (the production designer cleverly takes up deeper and deeper into the castle through the use of darkness and doors that continually reveals amazing new sets). There we meet the fabulous housekeeper Frau Blücher (Lesley Joseph) who has an absolute scene-stealing number with the song ‘He was my Boyfriend’ in reference to Victor Frankenstein. While in the castle, Frederick and Inga find a secret entrance to the laboratory, which inspires Frederick to create a monster in memory of his grandfather. Well, Igor gets a corpse for the experiment, but it’s not exactly what Frederick had in mind, nonetheless, a monster is born, but knocking on the door are the town’s villagers, led by the one-armed and one-legged Inspector Kemp (Patrick Clancy) (it literally cost him an arm and a leg! Tha dump!). He and the townspeople know that something is up in the castle, that many years ago bad things happened there, and they want to find out exactly what is going on in there. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Young Frankenstein continues with the laughs, and laughs, and laughs, culminating in the rib breaking song ‘Puttin on the Ritz’ sung by The Monster, Frederick, Inga, Igor and company. This show has got to be the funniest show I’ve seen in the West End in a long time (funnier, I think, than ‘The Book of Mormon’). And all the cast are excellent, but Strallen and Joseph are lucky enough to be given show-stopping songs to sing, and Noble as Igor is just too good to be true, and let’s not leave out Shuler Hensley who plays, to great effect, The Monster. This show is just about perfect for a comedy, and Director and choreographer Susan Stroman has created a masterpiece, while kudos goes to set designer Beowulf Boritt. It’s a shame that this show is at the small Garrick Theatre, it needs a bigger theatre just so that more people are able to see it and enjoy it, but nonetheless it’s one you definitely don’t want to miss!
Young Frankenstein plays at the Garrick Theatre, book tickets now
G-A-Y Late, one of London’s busiest gay venues has been granted an extension of its opening hours.
Extra trading time at G-A-Y late means that operating hours at G-A-Y on Old Compton Street must be decreased by one hour.
Customers will be able to enjoy an extra hour of G-A-Y Late, the Jeremy Joseph owned gay bar in central London. Management will now be allowed to serve customers until 4 AM.
G-A-Y had wanted to extend its opening hours to help combat an increase in rent for the venue just off Tottenham Court Road. The approval came on a number of conditions including the reduction of hours at the group’s other venue, G-A-Y on Old Compton Street.
In response Councillor Angela Harvey, Chairman of Westminster Council Licensing Committee, said, “Preserving the unique mix of Westminster’s night-time economy is a key priority of the council, and we have worked closely with local businesses and residents to balance their needs within our licensing policy.
“The City of Westminster has over 3516 licensed premises of which 1096 are located within the West End.
“Councillors felt the amended application demonstrated that this case was exceptional and would not cause any significant disturbances to residents.
“The application is subject to several key conditions to mitigate the cumulative impact of the later hours; Including the reduction of operating hours by one hour of G-A-Y Bar on Old Compton Street, and patrols of Goslett Yard by staff to ensure patrons disperse after closing time.”
There is practically only one place to be in Hackney Wick, and it’s Number 90 Kitchen.
Luckily enough to be right on the River Lea with the water and boats and the Olympic Stadium in its backyard, Number 90 Kitchen is a pub, restaurant, and it is also an amazingly cool place to hang out.
Let’s start with the outdoor terrace. Now is there anywhere else where you’d want to be – sipping fabulous drinks and cocktails amidst the cool ambience? It’s a very large terrace, perhaps almost as large as the restaurant itself, wooden tables with wooden benches, some raised, overlooking the beautiful canal (well, the canal is actually very dirty, and the water is not exactly blue, but at nightime, you can’t tell!). However, it’s nice to be near the water anywhere in London. Overall, Number 90 is a massive venue, with a cool atmosphere – and includes a D.J. booth. Number 90 also has a great food menu and an even better cocktail menu – the drinks are superb!
The N199 Lemon Pie cocktail was so unlike anything you’ll ever drink. Infused with vodka, lemon mousse, lime juice and topped with gingerbread it was both sweet and delicious. If you want something a bit less desserty, try the N31 Gin drink, which is made with apple juice and cucumber garnish. It actually tasted a bit too healthy! Another recommendation is the drink named after the restaurant – the refreshing N90. It’s made with Appleton Rum, mango juice, Angostura bitters and topped with ginger beer. Please do order this! I would remiss to not forget about the N68 (no, it’s not a night bus) midnight expresso bourbon drink, with Frangelico, Kahlua, Orange Bitters, and topped with whipped cream. I recommend ending the night with this drink – it’s perfect!
Food at Number 90 Kitchen and Bar can be summed up as comfort food. While it’s not a culinary lovers delight, the food does satisfy the need to fill an empty stomach while at the same time slamming down cocktails. The night my dining companion and I went we had a variety of menu items, all very affordable and good. The BBQ pulled pork burger, served with crunchy slaw, was good, as was the beef burger, topped with the delicious chutney and bacconaise sauce. The Halloumi Sticks, with tomato salsa on the side, was a bit bland and not very sexy, but the sweet potato fries were a winner. For dessert, it was the polenta cake that won hands down, an absolute delis of a dish!
But as mentioned before it’s not really the food that people go to Number 90 for. It’s the hipster location and the vibe, along with it being one of the few bars/pubs around in the area (It’s a 15-minute walk to Stratford and a 3-minute walk to Hackney Wick overground station). Number 90 also houses a small gallery where they hold exhibits from time to time, as well as some of the finest DJ’s, are showcased, and they will also be serving up a Christmas menu (yes, it’s less than three months away – so book now).
For any and all information about Number 90 Bar & Kitchen, please go to it’s website:
There’s a monster loose at the Arts Theatre in London; it’s toxic, it smells, and it’s completely hilarious!
It’s The Toxic Avenger, the show that was originally a movie (circa 1984) and just last year played at The Southwark Playhouse to rave reviews. Well, The Toxic Avenger is getting revenge by coming back to a much larger theatre, with a superb cast!
In a nutshell, the show takes place in New Jersey. You know the place, people only pass through there to get to the bright lights and big city of New York. Well, New Jersey is where the denizens of Manhattan dispose of all of its waste – not just garbage but everything and anything that they don’t want, New Jersey, unfortunately, gets.
But in a town called Tromaville, New Jersey, which gets the worst of the wasted, there is nerd and aspiring earth scientist Melvin Ferd the Third (Mark Anderson), his mom Ma Ferd (Natalie Hope), Sarah the blind librarian (Emma Salvo), and host of other characters played by Ché Francis and Oscar Conlon-Morray, named appropriately as black dude and white dude. But when Melvin decides to find out who is responsible for the vats of toxic waste in Tromaville, he plans to put a stop to it. His investigation leads to the Mayor (Hope again), but when she finds out Melvin is on her case, she gets her two goons to get rid of Melvin, and they throw him into a vat of toxic sludge. But Melvin does not get killed, he comes back bigger and better than ever – he’s been transformed into “The Toxic Avenger” (a/k/a Toxie)!
Toxie attempts to get his revenge, but in the meantime, blind librarian Sarah has a thing for him because she thinks he’s French (though when Toxie was Melvin he had a huge crush on her but she rebuffed him). Meanwhile, the Mayor is still up to no good and vows to kill Toxie no matter what it takes. But hilarity (and lots of physical comedy) ensue; lots of running on and off the stage by the cast, Sarah doing everything she can to get with Toxie, and the brilliant Hope has a scene with herself as both the Mayor and Ms Ferd – and one time she’s on stage as both characters! It’s a tour de force performance! Will Sarah and Toxie find love with each other? Will the corrupt Mayor have her way and turn Tromaville into more of a toxic waste dump? Will the front row of the audience escape unscathed? You will have to find out and buy tickets to this must-see show. And did I mention that it’s a musical? Everything you want and more is this show! And the cast are brilliant!
It’s hard to single out any one performer, but I’m going to. Of course, Hope gets the most exercise (and laughs) as both the Mayor and Melvin’s mother, but it’s Salvo’s performance that is most memorable because she’s playing a blind woman, and it’s so believable! And she’s so funny! Kudos to the cast, and production team, including director Benji Sperring, for bringing us a show that’s one not too miss. It’s got everything a musical should have; escapism, fantasy, great story, amazing performances, and some rocking songs. Buy tickets for this show now!
From Joe DiPietro and David Bryan (original founding member and keyboardist/vocalist for Bon Jovi), the Tony Award-winning team behind the hit West End musical Memphis.
The Toxic Avenger The Musical is now playing at The Arts Theatre in London until December 3, 2017
The Naked Rugby Players calendar is here and it contains 52 nekkid mens!
Six LGBT rugby clubs around Britain got starkers earlier this year to raise awareness for both inclusive rugby and the importance for guys to check their tackle for lumps and bumps, in partnership with the Balls To Cancer charity.
From Edinburgh to London, Swansea to Manchester, Northampton to Newcastle, the teams braved the cold, the driving rain (and the rare occasion of sunshine) to bare all on the pitch, locker rooms and showers. Money raised from the sales of calendars help support the clubs involved and the Balls To Cancer charity.
Photographer Monty McKinnen said,
“Turning up to each club was a challenge as we didn’t know who the players would be, or how comfortable they’d be when we asked them to strip and get up close to pose with each other. It turned out in the end they didn’t need much encouragement to derobe. In fact at one club we turned around to find them all stood there naked on the pitch before I’d even got the camera out!
“I have so much admiration for these guys who bared all for charity. 200,000 men are diagnosed with cancer every year. 80,000 of those will die from their cancer. It’s time we got to grips and get a hand on the situation. I hope this calendar empowers guys to check their packages more often and to feel comfortable talking about male cancers.”
One in two men will suffer cancer in the UK during their lifetimes. Cancers which are detected early, such as testicular cancer, are beatable – but only if the message gets through that men should check their equipment regularly, which is why the Calendar features a cheeky monthly reminder.
In total 52 guys of all shapes and sizes got completely naked for the calendar, which the organisers hope will bring much needed attention to testicular cancer and the importance of LGBT+ inclusive sports in the UK.
Acclaimed musical theatre writer Stephen Clark, who died last year, penned this two-hander play as a vehicle for uber camp legend Julian Clary. The play concerns ageing architect Michael (Julian Clary) who is cooking dinner for a younger man (James Nelson-Joyce) who’s he’s picked up in the pub. As he slices, boils and fries the food in a functional on-stage kitchen he shares his thoughts on sex and death. Naturally. Once Tim arrives it’s not clear whether it’s sex or death that’s on the menu and who is in charge of the situation.
Let’s get some important things out of the way first. Yes, Julian Clary can cook. To be fair, it’s a simple recipe, though. Shirley Valentine had to fry chips and egg. He just chucks a few things in a pan and rustles up a pasta sauce. Can he act, though? Partially. He manages to deliver the tight monologue that forms the first part of the ninety-minute play but once the action heats up he flounders a little. His character’s uptight and rigid persona suits his physical presence and makes the job an easier one.
The main issue here is the play itself. It just doesn’t quite work and although mildly engaging it misses the mark more than it hits it. It’s a fairly relentless onslaught of thoughts about the death of celebrities. What should be sinister feels absurd and what should be absurd feels humdrum. What feels like a calculated move to shock comes across as tedious. It’s also, bafflingly, partly in rhyme and there’s a bizarrely intrusive soundtrack to the piece.
On the plus side, the kitchen is stylish and attractive as is the young actor James Nelson-Joyce. Spoiler alert: expect full nudity. Julian Clary is an interesting spectacle and the faults of the piece aside it’s good to see him tackle something that’s different from his usual milieu.
A man has been jailed for a minimum of 39 years for the murder of a man he met on a gay dating site.
The death of 58-year-old Peter Fasoli was originally ruled as accidental
Footage of his torture was uncovered by his nephew
Jason Marshall tried to hide his crime by setting fire to Mr Fasoli’s home.
A 29-year-old man has been jailed, to serve a minimum of 39-years for the murder of a 58-year-old man he met via a gay dating website.
Jason Marshall was found guilty on Wednesday, 9 August at the Old Bailey in London, for the murder of 58-year-old Peter Fasoli. He was also sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for arson, to run concurrently.
Originally it was believed that Mr Fasoli had died accidentally in his own home, it wasn’t until a seven-hour video of him being tortured was discovered that his death was treated as a murder case.
Victim Peter Fasoli was 58 when he died. He met his attacker online and invited him to his home for roleplay.
Torturer
The jury heard how Marshall set up a rendezvous via a gay dating site with Mr Fasoli at his Ealing home and tortured him for a prolonged period before suffocating him. He then committed arson in a bid to hide the evidence of the brutal murder and stole his victim’s credit card using it to flee by plane to Italy a few days after the murder.
Mr Fasoli, aged 58, died on Monday, 7 January 2013, after he was brought out of his burning flat in Rubens Road, Northolt.
His death was originally ruled as accidental.
Police, London Ambulance Service (LAS) and London Fire Brigade (LFB) attended after being called just before 01:00hrs in the morning. The case was originally treated as non-suspicious, following an investigation led by LFB which concluded the fire was accidental, with the most likely cause a faulty light bulb.
Images from Mr Fasoli’s home after Marshall set fire to it to hide his tracks.
A forensic pathologist who examined Mr Fasoli’s body found no evidence of any third party involvement and the inquest held at West London Coroner’s Court on 16 August 2013 returned a verdict of accidental death.
However, around a year later, in autumn 2014, Mr Fasoli’s nephew decided to collect the hard drive of his uncle’s computer, which was being stored on behalf of the family with other belongings that had survived the fire by a friend in Yorkshire.
His murder was captured on webcam
The two men, who met on a gay dating site, take part in a role play that goes terribly wrong. Mr Fasoli is killed by Marshall. Video found on the hard drive of Mr Fasoli’s computer shows the interaction between the two.
His nephew knew his uncle had been interested in the family tree and hoped to find research preserved on the computer system. Instead, he discovered a number of videos featuring his uncle taking part in sexual activities with other men – including the horrific seven-hour film of the encounter with Marshall. Mr Fasoli had unwittingly captured his own murder on the web camera that he had on his computer in the living room.
The film, shown to the jury in court, showed Marshall arriving kitted out with generic police accessories he had purchased on the internet, and he and Mr Fasoli chatting and then engaging in what appeared to be consensual role-playing based on an ‘interrogation’ before Marshall initiated what became a prolonged and violent domination of Mr Fasoli culminating in his murder. This included threatening him at knifepoint, and forcibly injecting him on multiple occasions. Classic FM radio station is playing throughout.
Marshall wears gloves in the footage found on the hard drive of one of the victim’s computers. It was only discovered after his death was ruled accidential.
The audio captures the sounds at the end of the film of Mr Fasoli shouting out to Marshall after his head has been covered and he has been pulled off the bed and out of view of the camera. Marshall remains impervious as he continues to ignore his victim’s increasing and visible distress. After Peter had stopped making any noise at all, Marshall left him lying on the floor and calmly smoked a cigarette before gathering his belongings.
Lighting a fire to cover his tracks
The web camera lead then appears to be pulled out and the sound can be heard of Marshall splashing a liquid around and flicking a lighter. A short time later Marshall is heard leaving the flat and the smoke alarm activates. The next morning he sent a message to Peter via the same dating site apologising for not having turned up the night before in a further attempt to cover his tracks, before using Peter’s bank card to withdraw hundreds of pounds. The day before he fled to Italy he sent further messages accusing Peter of ‘ignoring’ him.
Later enquiries showed that Marshall had contacted and met Peter on at least one occasion in the weeks before 7 January, and had led Peter to think that on the night of the murder he would be bringing another young man along to join them for the evening.
Once the hard drive found by Peter’s nephew and given to West Yorkshire Police was passed to the MPS, the Met’s Homicide and Major Crime Command launched its investigation into Mr Fasoli’s murder on 10 November, 2014.
The MPS formally informed the Coroner of this development. Following enquiries, officers identified Marshall as the key suspect. Police discovered that Marshall was in prison in Italy in late 2014, having been convicted and jailed for a murder and subsequent attempted murder of two men in Rome just weeks after he fled the UK. These also took place in the context of sexual encounters.
A European Arrest Warrant was obtained, and on Wednesday 15 February, officers travelled to Heathrow Airport to meet the flight Marshall was returning to the UK on. He was arrested and later that same day charged with the murder of Mr Fasoli.
Detective Inspector James Stevenson, of the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said, “We are pleased the sentence handed down to Marshall for the brutal killing of Peter. This was a cold-blooded attack, during which Marshall cynically gained the trust of a vulnerable older man to get entry into his home, then subjected him to a horrific and prolonged ordeal and ruthlessly ignoring Peter’s cries for help knowing he was fighting to stay alive. Marshall then did everything he could to evade being brought to justice.
“Anyone affected by this case can get in touch with LGBT agencies such Galop www.galop.org.uk and Camden LGBT forum www.camdenlgbtforum.org.uk who can offer confidential counselling and third-party reporting.”
Even though TfL has decided to revoke Uber’s license in London, you can still use your Uber account and get a taxi.
Transport for London (TfL) has informed US tech firm Uber that it will not issue it a private hire operator licence after the expiry of its current licence on 30 September. TfL cited the company’s policy on reporting criminal offences, hiring policies and tech software which could bar regulatory organisations for gaining full access to its technology as some of its reasons.
Can I still order a taxi on Uber?
Uber has 21 days to appeal and those appeals could see the battle for Uber on London’s street rage for years into the future. Tfl also noted that Uber had the right to appeal the decision and that it could continue to operate ” until any appeal processes have been exhausted”.
So technically Uber can still continue to offer cars to its customers as Tfl has stated that it can continue to operate whilst any appeals process goes on.
Uber has confirmed it will appeal the decision.
40,000 Unemployed drivers in London?
The blow to Uber could potentially mean the loss of tens of thousands of jobs across London as well affecting over 3.5 million passengers who use the service. The company has around 40,000 drivers in London – but they aren’t considered employees of the company, but self-employed.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said in a statement, “I fully support TfL’s decision – it would be wrong if TfL continued to license Uber if there is any way that this could pose a threat to Londoners’ safety and security.”
In a statement, Uber said, “far from being open, London is closed to innovative companies”.
Why did the TFL ban Uber?
In making its decision to effectively ban Uber TfL said,
TfL has concluded that Uber London Limited is not fit and proper to hold a private hire operator licence.
TfL considers that Uber’s approach and conduct demonstrate a lack of corporate responsibility in relation to a number of issues which have potential public safety and security implications. These include:
Its approach to reporting serious criminal offences.
Its approach to how medical certificates are obtained.
Its approach to how Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks are obtained.
Its approach to explaining the use of Greyball in London – software that could be used to block regulatory bodies from gaining full access to the app and prevent officials from undertaking regulatory or law enforcement duties.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has backed Transport for London’s decision not to renew Uber’s operating license suggesting Uber did not “play by the rules”.
“I want London to be at the forefront of innovation and new technology and to be a natural home for exciting new companies that help Londoners by providing a better and more affordable service.
However, all companies in London must play by the rules and adhere to the high standards we expect – particularly when it comes to the safety of customers. Providing an innovative service must not be at the expense of customer safety and security.
“I fully support TfL’s decision – it would be wrong if TfL continued to license Uber if there is any way that this could pose a threat to Londoners’ safety and security.
“Any operator of private hire services in London needs to play by the rules”.
The blow to the Saudi backed Uber could potentially mean the loss of tens of thousands of jobs across London as well affecting over 3.5 million passengers who use the service.
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