THEGAYUK

Tag: London News

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

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Apartment 40C

    ★★★★ | Apartment 40C

    Relationships are difficult things; from their tenuous beginnings through to their rocky patches, moments of pure joy and sometimes bitter dissolutions. Apartment 40c looks at the lifespan of a relationship of a New York couple by looking at their lives over the course of three pivotal evenings.

    Tom Lees and Ray Rackham’s clever new musical uses six actors to play the same two characters at different points in their lives. The characters often mingle on stage, unaware of the existence of their older or younger incarnations.

    Fresh-faced Alex Crossley and Alex James Ellison lend a romantic comedy element to the piece, playing the couple when they first meet in the apartment. Lizzie Wofford and the handsome hunk Drew Weston play the couple as they hit a difficult patch with brooding resentment, differences of opinion and betrayal threatening their once blissful intimacy. Nova Skipp (last seen in the incredible Damn Yankees at The Landor) and Peter Gerald play the couple in later life, returning to the apartment to arrange its sale.

    The story is well balanced with comedic moments, poignant numbers and rousing passionate songs. The music and lyrics are as good as you’d hear in any big West End musical (if not better, at times). Tom Lees and Ray Rackham’s show has a touch of Sondheim about it in places but ultimately has a unique and very distinct style of its own. The cast are spectacular with a standout performance from Lizzie Wofford who has the most amazing voice and is a breathtakingly accomplished actress. Drew Weston’s torso is worthy of a mention too. The sight of his six pack as he strode on stage in nothing but a towel led to a lot of shuffling and creaking of seats in the theatre.

    The set is well constructed and barring a few weak moments, this is an outstanding musical and a rare treat. Catch it while you can and I can almost guarantee that you’ll also catch some rising stars of theatre.

    Apartment 40C runs until the 20th of December at the London Theatre Workshop.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Treasure Island, the Curse of the Pearl Necklace, Above The Stag

    Well it’s almost Christmas and the silly season has started, and what better way to spend a couple of silly hours than at the Above the Stag theatre in Vauxhall at their yearly pantomime Treasure Island and the Curse of the Pearl Necklace?

    Though this is the first of their pantos I have seen, over the six years since their first one in their old home in Victoria, they have played to sell-out audiences each year and it’s easy to see why. Definitely not the show for the family outing with mum, dad, grandma and the little ones, this is the show you creep out to enjoy with your mates.

    I’ll have to confess pantomime is not really my thing. I usually go out of my way to avoid it, but maybe if they were more like this one I’d go more often. The script by Jon Bradfield and Martin Hopper abounds in witty one-liners that come so fast and furious it’s almost impossible to keep up. They have retained most of the pantomime traditions that we have grown up with, and the audience catches on quickly, shouting out “behind you”, “oh yes you are” and joining in the community singing with gusto.

    Another of the panto traditions they have retained is the character of the dame, here in the guise of Jim Hawkins’s mother, Sally and Philip Lawrence gives quite the stand-out performance of the night. Whether it be delivering the naughty dialogue, joking with the audience or delivering the odd ad lib, he is the master (mistress?) of every situation, and frequently had us all in fits of laughter. Hugh O’Donnel as Ethel, the Merman (get it?), who acted as our narrator and guide, was equally hilarious, delivering all his lines with his tongue firmly lodged in one cheek. In a fairly large cast, though, absolutely no one let the side down.

    In the past I have been known to criticise Andrew Beckett’s direction (in The Gay Naked Play and You Should Be So Lucky) but here he is obviously in his element. My problem in the other plays was that too much of the action was played out front, encouraging the cast to mug too much to the audience, but that is exactly what is required of pantomime, and here it works splendidly. Aside from a section at the beginning of the second act, which flags slightly, the swift-moving action holds one’s attention throughout and moves seamlessly from one scene to another.

    One should also mention the superb set by David Shields and Daniel Johnson’s excellent musical direction.

    If, like me, you can be a bit allergic to the usual Christmas fare, then this irreverent, naughty, adult orientated gay romp is definitely for you.

    Treasure Island and the Curse of the Pearl Necklace plays until January 10 at Above the Stag and I’d advise you to book early, as it will no doubt sell out completely.

  • Same-Sex Couple Told To Stop Showing Affection In London Restaurant

    A woman and her partner were told to stop showing affection in a London restaurant, after being told ‘This is a family restaurant’.

    Lydia Cawson, said that she was told by a staff member at the Canteen eatery at the Southbank’s Royal Festival Hall, to move away from her partner whom she was consoling at the time.

    The couple had met at the restaurant during a break and Ms. Cawson was consoling her partner after a stressful week at work – with an arm around her shoulder and a ‘peck on the cheek’.

    Allegedly the couple were approached by a member of staff and asked to move away from each other.

    She told London Live ‘I didn’t notice any adverse reaction in the restaurant, myself. Then the lady came over to us and said “can you stop what you’re doing please, this is a family restaurant”.’

    Her partner then asked the member of staff, ‘Is it a family restaurant or is it a homophobic restaurant?’

    Ms. Cawson also added, The first thing is that we were really shocked by this challenge.

    We didn’t feel like we were overly affectionate. Yes, it was an intimate moment, but consoling her and just a simple loving reaction.

    The second comment was that it was a family restaurant and it made me feel; ‘why does that matter? Is it because children are present – not that there were any children present at that time – anyway, why should it matter if it is a family restaurant?’

    Taking to Twitter, Canteen owners tweeted, ‘Everyone is welcome at Canteen, gay / straight/old/ young regardless of sexuality. We are horrified at the thought of being labelled anti gay – half of our team are gay. At Canteen, we pride ourselves on being a modern, equal opportunities, open and accessible business. We want everyone to feel welcome in our restaurants.’

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW: Rosa’s Thai Cafe, Chelsea

    Rosa’s Thai Cafe which have venues situated in; Spitalfields, Soho, Westfield Stratford, and Carnaby, recently opened their first restaurant that has a bar inside in Chelsea, which I visited recently with a friend.

    The restaurant was quite busy with clientèle appearing to be well off, middle-aged socialites. The restaurant eventually reached maximum capacity which felt a little cramped at times. As much as the large novelty Christmas tree adorned with quirky cute toy stuffed crabs was a talking point, and good show, it probably didn’t help with the spatial availability.

    Obviously inspired by their festive deco, my friend ordered the Soft Shell Crab – crispy crab topped with Thai herbs, shallots, and spicy fresh chilli sauce. This starter came served with a fresh salad of peppers which was a really nice cool contrast to the crispy spicy crab.

    I went for the Spicy Pork Patties – lightly deep fried spiced marinated minced pork with galangal, lemongrass, garlic and chilli. These were cooked really well being uber crisp on the outside and tender, herby and well spiced on the inside. It came served with a smokey honey sauce that was so good I could have done with the double the amount served. Lovely.

    In the space between courses, even with a busy restaurant, the staff were so attentive always ensuring that our water and wine were topped up as required and done so with such stealth it almost gave the impression we had magic never ending glasses.

    For a main I chose the Grilled Jumbo Prawns with spicy fresh chilli sauce, and cooled steamed vegetables. Unfortunately, this dish was really underwhelming. My reason for this being that the prawns had been butterflied and cut in half and not stated to be served in that manner on the menu. I felt they were overcooked and awkward to eat picking the flesh out of the charred outer half shells. It took the fun out of jumbo prawns for me. The cooled steamed vegetables were verging on raw, however, I would much rather vegetables be overly al-dente than mush. The side I chose was Garlic Brown Rice- and considering the amount of crispy garlic it had on top of the rice, it was rather bland unfortunately.

    After then seeing and tasting my friend’s main course, however, I would be interested in going back to Rosa’s Thai and exploring the other curries they have on offer. My friend had Salmon Red Curry- deep fried salmon fillet in light batter in Thai red curry and Thai herbs. The fish was beautiful and the curry sauce it came in was superb. An array of flavours elegantly executed with nothing too overpowering which so many curries can be. The coconut rice that we paired with this was also delicious.

    Lacking a dessert menu the restaurant do offer a coconut or green tea ice cream (not homemade unfortunately) of which we had and shared both. Both these flavours beautiful, my favourite being the green tea. They don’t appear on any menu so you will have to ask and I recommend that you do as it was a really lovely end to the meal.

    It’s a shame my main was not what I was expecting, but the flavours of the other dishes we tried were really good and the fact the restaurant was packed mid-week with locals shows that the Rosa’s Thai in Chelsea must be doing something good. Next time I visit a Rosa’s Thai I will most certainly be having one of their curries.

    REVIEWED BY: by Jordan Lohan
    ADDRESS: 246 FULHAM ROAD LONDON SW10 9NA
    VENUE PHONE: 020 3773 8384
    WEBSITE: http://rosasthaicafe.com/chelsea
    STAR RATING: ★★★ (explained)
    PRICE: ££ (explained)
    TIPPING POLICY:

  • Popstarz Closes The Doors For The Final Time

    The gay scene in London was forever changed with the introduction of Popstarz in 1995. Now nearly twenty years later the alternative gay night life brand is being put to bed.

    In an interview with PinkNews.co.uk, head DJ and promoter Tommy Turntables lamented the ever decreasing gay scene in London saying, ‘the G-A-Y brand doest appeal to every gay person, in fact I’d say it doesn’t appeal to the majority of gay people, but there’s always new interesting things happening, a lot happens out East, you just have to dig for it more these days.’

    The Popstarz night was the brainchild of Simon Hobart, who died nearly 10 years ago. When asked what Simon’s legacy would be, Tommy said, ‘His legacy will be showing the gay scene that not everything has to be the same, cut from the same cloth, that there is brilliance in our differences.’

    Advance tickets have sold out, but there will be 400 £20 tickets available at the Coronet on New Kent Road, London from 10pm tonight.

  • Out and Proud IVAN MASSOW To Stand For London Mayor In 2015

    Out and Proud IVAN MASSOW To Stand For London Mayor In 2015

    London Live, the capital’s TV channel, interviewed entrepreneur and gay rights campaigner Ivan Massow on its lunchtime show the Headline Interview.

    The gay rights activist and entrepreneur Ivan Massow, 47, exclusively announced that he was standing for London Mayor in 2015. Ivan unsuccessfully ran for London Mayor 2003 as an independent candidate, but today announced that he was standing on behalf of the Conservative party. The former head of the Institute of Contemporary Arts, was once a political adviser to William Hague but left the Conservative Party over section 28 in 2000 and defected to Labour. Ivan recalls his memories of Margaret Thatcher, his argument with Tracey Emin and discusses his four key policies: devolution, transport, housing and a introducing a London card.

    Speaking about why he decided to run as mayor Ivan said,

    ‘Why I’ve got involved this time and what really drove me and rattle my cage, which was watching the devolution debate on television, seeing it all unfold with Scotland and hearing this vilification of London and realising, thinking to myself its great being in London, and I love being a Londoner – but it’s not that great here. We have incredibly expensive accommodation, incredibly expensive travel and food – it’s costly to be here. People travel for maybe an hour to get to work with a sweatshop of the United Kingdom producing vast amounts of money that pay for hospitals and schools all around the country. To hear this thing coming at us all the time made me want to get involved and do something about it.’

    The Headline Interview, London Live – Freeview 8, YouView 8, Sky 117 and Virgin 159

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Accolade, St James Theatre

    ★★★★★ | Accolade, St James Theatre

    London, 1950: Private and public worlds collide when on New Year’s Day author Will Trenting’s knighthood attracts the glare of the British press. Happily married novelist, Will, has been leading a double life. Drawn to the seedier side of life, he’s been mixing with London’s ‘low-life’ and indulging in debauched sex parties and drunken debauchery. Will is forced to battle against the exposure of his secret life, its effect on his family and friends and the double standards of a society bent on destroying him.

    Rising star Director Blanche McIntyre (Best Director 2013, UK Theatre Awards) directs Emlyn Williams’ tale of sex, scandal and blackmail. As relevant now as when it first shocked audiences in 1950, this gripping thriller was awarded Time Out’s Best Off West End Production and three Off West End awards including Best Production when it was presented at the Finborough Theatre in 2011.

    Playwright Emlyn Williams was openly bisexual, balancing his marriage and family life with a series of flings. Coming out as bisexual ahead of most of his contemporaries, Williams’ play echoes his own private life. Surprisingly, the play passed the strict censorship rules of the early 1950s and still retains a freshness and salacious yet sympathetically drawn power to shock in 2014. This is a superior play and a worthy revival of a piece that was sadly neglected and mostly forgotten for many years. Shades of Coward and Rattigan exist but this play has a daring boldness that wasn’t always evident in works of the era.

    The staging and cast are pitch perfect with no weak links in the powerful nine-person line-up. The versatile set invokes the feel of the early 1950s and manages to echo the play as the walls slowly close in along with the world Trenting inhabits.

    I’d heartily recommend catching this rare gem at the St James Theatre.

    Accolade runs until the 13th of December 2014

    Buy tickets here: http://www.stjamestheatre.co.uk/theatre/accolade/

    by Chris Bridges

  • Eight Artworks Stolen From Winter Pride

    Eight artworks by the artists Jane Moore and Eleanor Pearce were stolen over the weekend at the annual Winter Pride.

    The artworks were stolen off the exhibition wall of the ‘John Sizzle and A Man to Pet Cabaret Room’ (Great Gallery upstairs) at Tobacco Dock, in London, during the Winter Pride Art Awards 2014.

    Three men were seen removing the artworks between 2am and 3am.

    Winter Pride has given a description of the men: one man dressed in all black, the other man was aged between 30-45, 5’9″ bald with thick rimmed glasses.

    Simon Tarrant the organiser of the event said,

    ‘The artists are devastated,

    ‘Please help us recover these artworks, we just want to get them back to Jane and Eleanor.’

    Anyone with information should contact Simon on the email: info@simontarrant.com

  • REVIEW | La Soiree, Southbank, London

    ★★★★★ | La Soiree, Southbank, London

    A Treat For Cabaret, Circus or Burlesque

    Roll up, roll up – the circus is back in town! Last seen in London in 2011, multi award-winning cult hit La Soirée returns to the capital celebrating a triumphant world tour and the 10-year anniversary of the troupe’s first show.

    The show is a heady mix of cabaret, circus and burlesque with enough quirky weirdness to please even the most twisted of people. Trapeze work, juggling, strip-tease and acrobatics feature along with music, comedy and some quite frankly hot men wearing very little at all. The world of cabaret can be a little tired but the well curated acts all put original and exciting spins on traditional art forms. Acrobatics are so much more fun when the performers are dressed as English gents and stripping off to the National Anthem, surely? What could be finer on a winter’s evening than a man dressed as a giant blue bunny squashing a balloon with his bottom or a depressed clown belting out songs? This is a very funny, lively and engaging show and well worth seeing. If you love cabaret, circus or burlesque then this is a definite treat. If you’re naïve to all of that then this is a good place to start sampling it.

    The Spiegeltent is the perfect venue with intimate ringside seats and a vintage feel that suits the proceedings well. There’s a range of seats with booths available and dining packages available if you’re feeling extravagant. Surrounding the venue are winter themed bars and stalls, a maze of fir trees and a lot of people in Christmas jumpers.

    The strictly limited Christmas season runs until the 11th of January 2015

    View the acts here: http://www.la-soiree.com

    Buy tickets here: http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/la-soir%C3%A9e-87403?dt=2014-11-12

  • Will Same Sex Couples Be Allowed In Sharia Law Hotel?

    A multi-millionaire businessman has bought the Bermondsey Square Hotel in London and has imposed a strict Islamic policy.

    In accordance with Sharia law, London’s Bermondsey Square Hotel will no longer be serving alcohol or pork products after a change in management on Tuesday.

    The changes happened so quickly that many of the usual clients of the hotel were taken aback when staff refused to serve them alcohol, which was previously voted the UK’s trendiest hotel on Trip Advisor.

    The staff at the hotel, dubbed ‘Hotel Sharia’ by the press, are currently unaware of the identity of the new owner but have been told he is from the Middle East.

    The Daily Mail reports that an IT consultant who was a regular at the hotel said, ‘A group of us were meant to be meeting in the bar and they said: “We can’t serve alcohol anymore.”
    ‘When I contacted the manager to ask why, he told me that the new owner wanted it to be a Sharia law hotel. Under Sharia law, you can’t make a profit from alcohol.’

    Perhaps more famously for THEGAYUK’s readership, the hotel was the setting to Hotel GB, which starred a host of Channel 4 celebrities, including Doctor Christian Jessen in 2012.

    Hotel GB was a TV experiment, which saw the hotel, staffed by a mix of British unemployed trainees in a hope to get Britain working again. Guests had the option to pay or not to pay depending on what they thought of the service.

    SHARIA WHAT DOES IT MEAN:
    Islam’s legal system, derived from the Koran
    Informs every aspect of Muslims’ lives
    Islamic jurists issue formal guidance through fatwas, or religious edicts
    Sharia law includes provisions for capital and corporal punishment but modern scholars say getting to that stage can be difficult
    Marriage is treated as a contract in Islam
    From The BBC

    BOYCOTT?
    Earlier this year the Brunei chain of hotels The Dorchester Collection faced a world-wide boycott, headed by a number of high-profile VIPs including Anna Wintour, after the chain’s owner, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, the Sultan of Brunei said he wanted to run this Country under Sharia law – a law that could see LGBT face harsh punishments including stoning.

    Robert Holland General Manager and spokesperson for Bespoke said,

    ‘Bermondsey Square Hotel is still operated by Bespoke Hotels, as it has been since it opened in 2009. We have recently made decisions to change some elements of the business, as any business owner is entitled to do. These are in the best interests of the future of the hotel. We always have, and continue to, welcome guests of all shapes, sizes and denomination.

    ‘The hotel is privately owned and we do not discuss ownership of the properties Bespoke operates.’

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Señor Ceviche

    Peruvian pitanza comes to Soho in the form of Señor Ceviche

    Recently a friend and I were lucky enough to try out the pop-up turned restaurant, Señor Ceviche and their fine Peruvian dishes. Originally a pop-up restaurant touring round London, it has now made its home in the heart of Soho. Inspired by his time working in Peru’s top ceviche restaurant, Señor Ceviche himself, Harry Edmeades, will transport hungry Londoners to the sights, sounds and tastes of the Peruvian capital. The interiors have been designed around the bohemian and artistic streets of Lima’s party district, Barranco, which is home to some of Lima’s most exciting bars and restaurants, and where Harry stayed while in Peru.

    As you enter the restaurant, in the very impressive Kingly Court, you soon realise that the restaurant hasn’t lost its edge. With a truly Spanish downtown feel, you are transported to the mean backstreets of Lima (where we all know, the truly good food is). We were seated by the brightly and bubbly, Ariana who truly added to the Hispanic experience, serving us with the perfect balance of attentiveness and yet not too attending.

    We soon had a chance to look over the mouth-watering menu but our eyes were naturally drawn to the cocktails and we were not disappointed. We enjoyed Miraflores, Ayahuasca, Señor’s Frozen Sour and Mamaquilla; the perfect accompaniments to a truly tasteful meal. So onto the best bit, alongside the numerous amounts of cocktails, we were delighted to be presented with various dishes. We chose Chifa Chicharonnes (slow cooked, crispy pork belly with sweet soy sauce), The Spaniard (sea bream & king prawn ceviche with tomato tiger’s milk & crispy chorizo), Tamarind BBQ Chicken Anticuchos (chicken skewers with sticky tamarind BBQ sauce & aji amarillo anticucho sauce) and the best-selling Super Chicken (marinated & chargrilled chicken served with aji rocotto mayonnaise) as well as Patatas Fritas with Huancaina & Tomato Fondue (skin on fries covered in spicy Peruvian cheese sauce & tomato fondue) and Cusco Quinoa (roasted vegetables, edamame beans, giant choclo corn & crumbly queso). Now that may sound like a lot of food and yes, it was. But we were so happy. I’m an incredibly slow eater so the opportunity to go through these delicious dishes at my own pace was perfect and by the end, I was rightly stuffed (although I did enjoy their brownie and coconut ice cream).

    Founded in 2012 by Harry, the roots of Señor Ceviche lie in pop-up innovation; just five ceviche dishes and his now-signature Pisco Sour featured on the original menu for a one-off fusion of art and cuisine at The Art Cellar, and saw other takeovers at The Doodle Bar and Dukebox. Since then, Harry has continued his culinary journey, spending extensive time in Peru to bring new flavours and tastes to Señor Ceviche’s experimental menu. As well as working in some of the Lima’s top restaurants with Peru’s most acclaimed chefs, Harry has worked tirelessly to source the very best of Peruvian produce. Through meeting with an array of chilli farmers to pisco producers across Peru, Harry ensures Señor Ceviche will serve authentic dishes made from the highest quality and freshest Peruvian ingredients.

    Overall opinion:
    The whole experience was amazing; the food, drinks and staff were incredible. The dishes are served in a tapas style, so if you like that style of dining where ‘sharing is caring’ (and who doesn’t to be honest) and you don’t mind the dishes arriving as soon as they’re cooked, you’re going to love Señor Ceviche. The restaurant that celebrates the vibrancy of Peruvian culture with authentic Chicha street art adorning the walls including posters commissioned exclusively for Señor Ceviche. It is a restaurant that I will definitely be returning to and that I would definitely recommend.

    REVIEWED BY: Matt Peake
    ADDRESS: 1st Floor, Kingly Court. London, W1B 5PW
    VENUE PHONE: 0207 842 8540
    WEBSITE: http://senor-ceviche.com/
    RATING: ★★★★★ (explained)
    PRICE: ££ (explained)
    TIPPING POLICY: Optional Service Charge