THEGAYUK

Tag: London News

All the latest from London, the capital of the UK, home to the UK’s largest gay community.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Lady Rizo, At Soho Theatre, London

    ★★★★ | Lady Rizo, At Soho Theatre, London

    We are so lucky to live in London. The sheer range of entertainment this city offers is absolutely astonishing. On any given night, we are offered a bewildering array of choices, opera, ballet, theatre, whether it be mainstream or fringe.

    There really is something for everyone. It is surely the sheer richness of London’s cultural life that attracts artists from all over the world here. So it is that self-styled New York entertainer, dream maker, chanteuse and superstar Lady Rizo is visiting London to take up residency in the Soho Theatre’s intimate downstairs cabaret space until January 4th.

    Taking in a wide range of material, Lady Rizo lends her powerhouse vocals to such classics as Cole Porter’s “Love For Sale” and the seasonal “The Christmas Song”, as well as contributing some of her own songs from her own album “Violet”. With a nod to the festive season, she even puts her inimitable stamp on a bluesy rendition of Adolphe Adam’s “O Holy Night.”

    Elegant, but engagingly wacky, she jokes with the audience between songs, at one point stuffing most of her fist into her mouth as she peels off her gloves in a comedy strip routine, though, like Rita Hayworth’s Gilda, the gloves are all that come off. Mid-way through the show, she entices an audience member on stage and gets him to help her change her dress behind a back lit screen, whilst he tells her the story of how he lost his virginity. It’s that kind of show. We soon feel like old friends. By the end of it, she has the audience eating out of her hand, and singing along with The Bee Gees’ “To Love Somebody”.

    Big on personality, big on voice, this is one lady you shouldn’t miss, but get there early, or, even better, book, Tuesday’s performance was completely sold out.

    Lady Rizo is at the Soho Theatre Downstairs until January 4th 2014

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Blink, Soho Theatre

    ★★★★ | Blink, Soho Theatre

    Blink is the tale of Jonah and Sophie. It’s a love story, a very dysfunctional love story, but a love story all the same.

    The show was a sell-out hit at Soho Theatre and in Edinburgh in 2012 and sees a welcome return to this charming theatre on Dean Street.

    Harry McEntire and Rosie Wyatt give astounding performances as the two characters, both talking in short monologues, telling the audience the story of their unconventional romance. I won’t give any of the plot away but there are moments of gentle pathos mixed with quirky humour and dark reflections of modern life. The story is propelled forward by the intriguing storyline, which whilst bordering on the absurd, is made entirely real and believable by a fast paced and beautifully written script and strong line delivery from the two actors. The set is clever too, making use of a minimum of items to portray as variety of settings.

    Writer, Phil Porter, describes the piece as “A big, silly, serious, semi-ridiculous play.” He’s definitely mixed these elements well and this is a show well worth seeing

     

    Blink runs until 11/01/14 at The Soho Theatre

     

    Book tickets here: http://www.sohotheatre.com/whats-on/blink

     

  • New sexual health centre tests 20 percent more patients

    Guy’s and St Thomas’ new community sexual health centre has treated almost 20% more patients since moving from a hospital clinic 12 months ago.

    Burrell Street in Southwark is the first NHS sexual health clinic in London to open seven days a week – it replaced the Lydia Clinic at St Thomas’ in December 2012. There were 24,980 attendances at Burrell Street from January to November this year compared with 21,095 at the Lydia Clinic in the same period last year – an 18.4% increase.

    Duncan Selbie, Chief Executive of Public Health England who officially opened the state-of-the-art centre on Friday 6 December, said: “There is no one-size-fits all solution to improving the sexual and reproductive health of the nation. However, we know that making it easy for people to access expert advice and services, such as tests for sexually transmitted infections and HIV, can help them to make healthy, informed choices, and address health concerns early and effectively. Burrell Street is an excellent example of this – with great results already being seen in its first year.”

    Dr Anatole Menon-Johansson, Clinical Lead for Sexual Health Services at Guy’s and St Thomas’, says: “These figures show people are responding positively to what we offer at Burrell Street. Our Sunday clinics are particularly popular because no other NHS sexual health centre in London is open seven days a week. We are giving people what they want, when they want it.
    “By taking sexual health services out of hospital and into our local community we want to make having a sexual health test as routine as a check-up at your dentist or optician.”

    Marielle Perraut, Matron for Sexual Health Services at Guy’s and St Thomas’, adds: “The commitment, enthusiasm and expertise of all our staff is fundamental to the success of our new centre at Burrell Street. They have embraced a whole new way of working and made the centre a safe, friendly and innovative environment for both patients and staff.”

    Southwark and Lambeth have some of the UK’s highest rates of sexually transmitted infections and HIV. Burrell Street provides a range of services for the diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, rapid HIV tests, and a contraception clinic. The environment is designed to put patients at ease. It includes eye-catching artwork funded by Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity.

  • The original ladies’ night at Lounge returns in 2014

    Lounge, the famous scene-changing night for women, is set to return following countless requests by the crowd that made it the fabulous night it once was.

    A new venue – arguably the best yet – with a discerning and classic music policy sees Lounge return to form, which is sure to attract Loungers new and Loungers of yesteryear wishing to make an event of a night out with friends and lovers.

    Voltaire is where we’ve chosen to make home for the foreseeable future – a gorgeous playden for the classic London Lounge lady.

    From a palace to a prison, the Grade II listed Voltaire is steeped in history and has undergone many guises before finally finding its feet as one of London’s finest drinking haunts. Named in honour of the French writer and philosopher, who famously spent six years exiled in London, it’s the perfect subterranean spot with its vaults, alfresco cigar terrace and Pommery library to hide from the hustle and bustle of the City.

    A cigar lovers dream, Voltaire’s very own humidor houses an array of smokes led by Padrón from Nicaragua, alongside limited edition cigars from the Dominican Republic and Cuba’s renowned Don Candido, regarded as the best cigar of the 20th century. Pull up a stool on the al fresco terrace and savour the latest vintages with a glass of bubbly.

    More details will be announced nearer the time, but think Studio 54 for a new generation with a hint of sophisticated edge that will leave people wanting more.

    For those who really want to feel the new vibe, we’ve created a collaborative Spotify playlist
    for everyone to see at welovelounge.co.uk

    Where: Voltaire, 19 New Bridge Street, London, EC4V 6DB [Find Lounge]
    When: Friday 7th February, 2014 from 8pm
    Who: Sophisticated, discerning and gorgeous ladies and their devilishly handsome boys
    Door: Very limited £5 early bird tickets, then £10.
    Music: Classic disco, soulful house, retro grooves and ironic anthems

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Ushers The Front Of House Musical, The Hope Theatre

    USHERS is a bright new musical from Kouban Productions with a book by JAMES ROTTGER. Centred around 5 ushers and their overbearing manager, there are enough in-jokes to please anyone who has ever worked front-of-house, but not so many that non-industry folk would be put off.

    It is opening night of a new jukebox musical, ‘Oops! I Did It Again’, based on the songs of Britney Spears and starring Marti Pellow as Kevin Federline and Michael Ball as Britney’s mum. Ben (LIAM ROSS –MILLS), Gary (WILL JENNINGS), Stephen (ROSS MCNEILL) and Rosie (CHLOE BROOKS), four long-standing ushers, are joined by Lucy (ABIGAIL CARTER-SIMPSON), a newcomer to their ranks and their “spend-per-head” obsessed supervisor, Robin (RALPH BOGARD).

    Two very different romantic relationships play out in front of us. Ben and Gary have been together for three years but now face a 12-month separation. By contrast, Lucy and Stephen have only just met and their encounters provide one of the several recurring jokes of the show, with dramatic lighting and intense music highlighting the instant attraction – a clever dig at the intensity and speed of on-stage relationships.

    YIANNIS KOUTSAKOS’ score is visioned and exciting, with catchy numbers and a particularly touching duet between Ben and Gary. Lively and exciting choreography from RUSSELL SMITH and GEMMA FULLER complements the score perfectly.

    The cast are energetic and engaging, and carry their roles with ease. Will Jennings is an excellent Gary, and the duet mentioned earlier shows off his voice beautifully. Chloe Brooks is a very talented comic actor with a classic musical theatre voice.

    Ross McNeill is an exceptionally strong and believable performer, as is Abigail Carter-Simpson. McNeill’s fine voice is showcased perfectly in his solo number, and Carter-Simpson’s has a beautiful quality that left me wanting more. As fairly recent graduates, they are both well worth watching out for in the future.

    Ralph Bogard plays the power-hungry supervisor, Robin, with conviction and he leaves us in no doubt that he can belt out, and hold, a tune. Unfortunately, his character has the one part of the production which really doesn’t work – his training sessions add little to the story, and the word definitions which follow are rather demeaning to an intelligent audience. Although tiresome, these interruptions are blissfully short, and we soon return to a plot which stands perfectly well without them.

    However, the stand-out performance of the night, for me, came from Liam Ross-Mills. His vocals had a slightly dodgy start on the evening I attended, but he soon found his voice and lifted it to something quite delightful. He performs with an intense vulnerability, stealing the show – difficult task amongst such a talented cast.

    Ushers is the first production in the brand-new Hope Theatre, a 50-seat performance space above the Hope and Anchor pub in Islington. Exclusively committed to showcasing new writing, the Hope Theatre opens with an Equity agreement already in place to ensure all performers and stage managers are paid an approved rate, something that disturbingly few small-scale fringe theatres have.

    Ushers is a great show performed exceptionally well with a lively and entertaining score, and should be a must-see for any musical theatre worker or fan this month.

    Ushers: the Front of House Musical plays at the Hope Theatre until 30 December. Tickets £15 from www.thehopetheatre.com

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Dick Comes Again

    ★★★ Once again, Leicester Square Theatre has provided an outrageously camp panto that hovers on just the right side of obscenity.

    Dick (Dave Bibby) and his trusty but drunk sidekick, Dave the Cat (Nick Read), agree to help Alice Fitznicely (Laura Hyde) sail the Leaky Vessel up Streaky Crack to find her family jewels and the key to her chas-titty belt. They are aided and hindered along the way by Sofonda Cox (Soho legend, The Very Miss Dusty ‘O’), Queen Runt (Paula Masterton) and Fairy Bell-End (Laura Curnick).

    With a few of last year’s jokes re-used, this production could, perhaps, have benefitted from some more original material, but it’s a small complaint. The old jokes are still relevant and the new ones manage to shock and delight in equal measure – there were a few audible gasps from the middle-aged ladies sat in front of me who shrieked and squealed throughout the evening.

    The innuendos come thick and fast in almost every line of Stuart Saint’s script with moments of genuine hilarity. Plenty of twerking and some superb performances from the very colourful cast further enhance the deliciously filthy pantomime atmosphere.

    The best laughs of the night, for this critic anyway, come from Dave the Cat, a drunk sexed-up version of Puss from Shrek (complete with dodgy Spanish accent). Nick Read performs his role brilliantly and shines through an already bright cast. Laura Hyde’s Alice is another particularly splendid performance, playing the role in the time-honoured over-the-top panto manner.

    Golden showers, S&M, Asian ladyboys and even a 14” dildo complete the ingredients for this fun Soho night out with plenty of suitably cringe-worthy audience participation.

    DICK! COMES AGAIN: BIGGER, LONGER, HARDER! plays at the Leicester Square Theatre until 19 January.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Shape of Things, Arcola Theatre London

    ★★★★★ | The Shape of Things, Arcola Theatre London

    I’m sure you all know the scenario: you meet a man who you feel needs a few little tweaks just to make him perfect.

    Maybe he needs a new hairstyle or better clothes, maybe a better physique or a more sparkling repartee. Perhaps he needs to lose a few of his less desirable friends. What if this was to become the main feature of your relationship, though? What if changing him was the impetus of your bond? Where do you draw the line?

    This 2001 play from Neil LaBute (In the Company of Men, Your Friends and Neighbours, Fat Pig) is well worth this refreshing revival and is as pertinent today as it was the day it was written. The rapier sharp and pacey dialogue makes for a gripping piece that is both hilariously funny and chilling in equal measures. The cast of four are particularly strong with outstanding performances that draw you in to the narrative and the cunning use of an initially minimalist set underlines the play’s themes. The intimate space of the Arcola Theatre lends itself well to this intense and witty black comedy.

    It’s definitely well worth travelling out to the funky Arcola theatre to catch this modern classic with killer performances from a particularly strong cast.

    The play runs until the 21st of December

    Buy tickets here: http://www.arcolatheatre.com/production/arcola/the-shape-of-things

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Boylexe, The Shadow Lounge, London

    ★★★ | Boylexe, The Shadow Lounge, London

    Last Friday, the Shadow Lounge in Soho, paid host to the boylesque show, Boylexe, which the company performed to a packed house of rowdy guys and gals, clearly in the mood for a fun night out. In the event, I’m not sure they got quite what they expected.

    According to one of its performers, Phil Ingud, Boylexe is “a great night out filled with cabaret, stripping and touching stories… and a LOT of flesh!” which I suppose describes it pretty well. When I asked him how the show would differ from strip shows like The Chippendales and Dreamboys, he talks about the art of burlesque being different, less sexual, more about teasing and titillating, with no full frontal nudity.

    So far, so good. Only I felt that none of the routines we saw at the Shadow Lounge on Friday night were titillating enough. Clothes were divested much too quickly and there was no real sense of teasing the audience with the possibility that they might catch a glimpse of someone’s naughty bits. Not that we need to see them, of course, but there should always be the prospect, the possibility. That is what titillating means.
    A mixture of stripping and monologues, the show didn’t seem to know quite where it was pitching itself. MC, Alp Haydar presides over proceedings with an energy and enthusiasm, which manages to be both naughty and disarming at the same time, and the audience really responded to him, but this in itself caused problems, meaning that when Phil Ingut delivered his monologue about HIV, it was greeted with a rather uncomfortable silence. Maybe that was the intention. If so, it wasn’t made clear enough. Other monologues were less memorable and the strip routines, such as they were, did at least come as a welcome relief.

    We got a whiff of the circus or music hall with the entertaining strong man routines by The Mighty Moustache (aka Sir Alexander Leopold), and there was a clever reverse strip by drag queen Mr Mistress, who defiantly takes to the stage naked and drags up before our eyes.

    The line-up is never quite the same from show to show, and this Friday (December 6th), they will be joined by Nick Stiletto, who, I am told, delivers routines that are cheeky and fun, with a deft use of props, which is certainly more in the true spirit of burlesque.

    As it is, it is a somewhat uneven evening. There is the potential for a great night out, but it needs to have a clearer idea of what it is trying to achieve. According to the strippers in Jule Styne’s “Gypsy”,

    You can sacrifice your saccro
    Working in the back row.
    Bump in a dump till you’re dead.
    Kid, you gotta have a gimmick
    If you wanna get ahead.

    Maybe it’s gimmicks that are lacking.

    Boylexe plays at the Shadow Lounge on Fridays throughout December.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Julie Madly Deeply, Trafalgar Studios

    ★★★★ | Julie Madly Deeply, Trafalgar Studios

    Julie Madly Deeply is an affectionate look at the life of one of the most iconic stars of stage and screen, Dame Julie Andrews.

    Lifelong fan, Sarah-Louise Young, already a well-known name on the cabaret circuit, quips and quotes her way through the show she wrote with an eloquent ease, interspersing anecdotes with just some of the many songs Andrews is best known for from Thoroughly Modern Millie, Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady and The Boy Friend.

    Young infuses the show with her natural warmth and plenty of wit, and her devotion to Andrews is evident throughout. She speaks of her with passion and charm, using her perfect diction and clear singing voice to effectively mimic the star. Young’s versatility is evident as she effortlessly jumps between characters, including Audrey Hepburn and a deliciously slurring Liza Minnelli who pops up with familiar regularly.

    Musical Director Michael Roulston plays a perfect role, supporting and guiding Young throughout. His comedic flair and wonderfully expressive manner adds a great deal, and their chemistry is clearly visible.

    The staging is sparse, with just a chair, microphone and piano, but no more is needed. The focus is entirely held by Young and Roulston, and the characters they weave into this story (including a penguin that requires some help to leave the stage).Post-interval, one more prop arrives, in the form of a truly extraordinary Alpine landscape covered dirndl. Never before have I seen a movie so accurately embodied in costume.

    There is not a dull moment in either Act, and Young joyously wraps the evening up with what can only be described as a “Sing-along-a-Julie” finale, which has even the shyest audience member singing along to a medley that reminds us all just how many of Andrews’ songs are embedded deep within us.

    A thoroughly modern retrospective which is wholly deserving of a sell-out run, Julie Madly Deeply is a witty, charming and entirely fitting tribute to a true star. I have no doubt at all that, if Julie herself were to see the show, she would be deeply flattered.

    Julie Madly Deeply plays at Trafalgar Studios until 4 January, 2014. Tickets are £20-30 from http://www.atgtickets.com/shows/julie-madly-deeply/trafalgar-studios/ and well worth every penny.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | From Morning To Midnight

    ★★★ | From Morning To Midnight

    “For those who like that sort of thing, that is the sort of thing they like.” I felt rather like Miss Jean Brodie after seeing From Morning to Midnight at the Lyttleton Theatre last night. Evidently there were plenty around me who liked the play rather more than I did. Well, to be honest, I didn’t like it at all.

    Admittedly we were not seeing it under the best of circumstances. Adam Godley, who was playing the central character of the Clerk had been taken ill, and his role was taken by understudy Jack Tarlton. Under the circumstances, Tarlton did a sterling job, but nobody can deny the debilitating effect of having to go on with an understudy so early in the run, and before the production had had a chance to settle down. One applauds Tarlton’s achievement, whilst duly noting that the balance of the whole can’t help but have been upset.

    From Morning to Midnight is a German expressionist play, written in 1912 by Georg Kaiser, and initially banned for its portrayal of the Kaiser. The action unfolds over a single day, on which the clerk breaks with normality, absconds from the bank he works in with 60,000 marks and goes in search of something to make life worth living. The loosely linked scenes are given titles: Machine, Bourgeoisie, Epiphany, Family, Society, Sex and Salvation, but, unsurprisingly, his search is fruitless.

    This is the theatre of ideas. None of the characters have names and all, even the clerk himself, are no more than ciphers, representatives of types; an Italian lady, a bank manager a society gent, mother, wife, daughter etc. Even the clerk is not a fully developed character, more of a catalyst for the events that unfold.

    Production values, as so often at the National are consistently high, with ingenious sets by Soutra Gilmour. Director Melly Still has a firm grasp of her material, helped by some wonderful choreography from movement director Al Nedjari, but I remained uninterested and uninvolved. No doubt others will enjoy it more than I did.

    From Morning To Midnight plays at the Lyttleton Theatre until January 26th 2014

    http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk

  • JESSIE J: Switches On The Christmas Lights

    Singer Jessie J kicks off Christmas celebrations on Oxford Street, in London, by switching on the lights.

     

    Bestselling British artist Jessie J kick started the Christmas season by wowing shoppers with an explosive performance and admitting it has always been a dream to switch on the world famous Oxford Street lights.

    Jessie J says,

    ‘I always used to make my parents bring me to Oxford Street to see the Christmas lights so it’s an honour to actually be switching them on this year. I spend a lot of time shopping on Oxford Street and this year will be no different. The lights switch-on is a prestigious part of the festive season for Londoners and I’m proud to be a part of it.’

    Illuminating the world’s most iconic high street with a new £1.5 million light scheme, and lighting up the entire Selfridges building in spectacular style, Jessie J performed in front of thousands of excited shoppers and flicked the switch on the brand new Christmas lights display along the world’s most iconic high street.

     

    Christmas cheer really did start here, as thousands of shoppers watched high octane performances by Jessie J, supported by X Factor winner James Arthur and pop sensation Conor Maynard, at the globally renowned Oxford Street Christmas lights switch-on hosted by the world’s best department store, Selfridges.

    Remarkable circus theatrics made the event truly memorable, with eclectic performers Gifford’s Circus giving a real twist to the evening’s celebration. A breath-taking lights display lit up the iconic Selfridges building, celebrating its ‘Destination Christmas’ campaign.