Tag: UK
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Over One Quarter Of LGBTs Smoke Compared To 18 Percent Heterosexuals
A survey has found that over 25 percent of gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans people are smokers compared to 18 percent of those identifying as straight.
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THEATRE REVIEW | Dina Martina “Sitting Ovations”
Would you willingly embrace artistic schizophrenia?
Even fiercely kiss your inner, self-hating, subconscious bigot? Join the club. It’s a deliberate, artistic strategy stunningly deployed by stellar gay stars Penny Arcade and Franko B, the spectacular collision of two opposing points of view.
Arguably first expressed in literature by Edgar Allen Poe’s ‘Imp Of The Perverse’ and refined as ‘DoubleSpeak’ by George Orwell’s 1984, it’s contrarianism writ large as art. Which is where manic, barely-sane comic Dina Martina – the probable incest brat of Family Guy’s Stewie Griffin and Ronald McDonald – comes storming in.
Hailing from Seattle, USA, she’s 301 pounds of deeply skewed fun, a human CGI ball of deeply silly putty.
So why mention her size? Because it’s the raw material of her art, darlings, Dina’s comic rocket-fuel, like Jack Dee’s trademark misery. ‘I stick to a high-sodium diet for that lush, larger-than-life look’, she giggles, her huge, plus-size clown’s mouth dilating like a gynaecologist’s nightmare.
Think Heath Ledger’s Joker squeezed in a ball-gown cursed with Michael Jackson’s falsetto, and you too might run screaming for the exit. But wait; this funky assassin in a fright-wig only has one, single target, her own, all-too-willing self. Zoning in on personal pain with the exquisite virtuosity of the Saw torture-flick franchise, Dina masterfully misleads us from moment one.
‘I live a life without purpose’ she sadly observes, but who could possibly take this cosy, human cupcake seriously? And that’s precisely the point; we’re being taken for a brilliantly contrary ride by a Wizard of Oz Munchkin with the super-shrewd crowd perception of Sigmund Freud.
But even with hindsight, it’s hard to adequately conjure Dina’s utterly demented stage entrance. Grinning like a slaughtered, Hallowe’en pumpkin, all Sergeant Pepper frock-coat and ballooning flesh, she pipes out inane, disco lyrics like a hooker on helium.
How do we take her? At face value? Not quite. See, no matter how twisted you are, there’s always someone more extreme. Take dog poo; amateurs eat it dumped and stale, but dedicated gourmets suck it straight out. Just like comedy, in fact, and Dina’s surgically precise freak-show.
And I’m in awe. Frankly, she’s attempting – and pulling off – a knife-edge balance of audience sympathies, by deliberately playing gay public poison Number One, the mincing, often self-loathing cliché. Never met one? Then check out John Inman and Larry Grayson on vintage TV. Still guaranteed to give gay rights activists instant heart attacks, Inman, Grayson and company were the utterly bland, acceptable face of homosexuality for heterosexuals.
Try that now, and you’ll be as ostracised as white actors in blackface playing to Afro-Caribbean audiences. But remarkably, Dina embodies that fluffy, yucky stereotype – the target of mass straight derision – and still melts modern-day gay heartstrings.
And mercifully, Dina’s Sitting Ovations is utterly removed from the vile, exploitative voyeurism of Soho’s deeply morally dubious Box club. Instead, she’s conceptually elegant, a drag Noel Coward of devastating double-takes and exquisitely dry, social dissections. ‘I am currently single’ she quips, ‘due to an unspoken agreement between me and men’.
Okay, so the subtlety’s often swamped in a pell-mell parade of costume changes and video clips of spoof 1980s pop tunes, but it bites. Dina’s cracked, sectioned-on-glee-pills voice sweetly trills of infants raised on booze-filled pacifiers, and middle-aged housewives memorably disfigured by ‘Necrospheres’, facial fillers harvested from spoiled corpses. In other words, USA today through a gorgeously dark, twisted gay looking-glass Oscar Wilde would’ve killed to glance at.
But there’s far more to ‘Sitting Ovations’ than faux-naive vignettes of the grotesque, distasteful and gaggingly twee. Arguably most memorable is a moody, extended reminiscence of an encounter with a (frustratingly unnamed) vintage Hollywood legend. Young, gauche and dumb, Dina’s fabulously dismissed by the aged, but still super-chic madam stabbing a prawn in her cocktail and holding it aloft.
‘This empty husk of a formerly vital creature’ she hisses to a suddenly tomb-silent room, ‘reminds me of you’. Just like anyone rash enough to risk Dina’s quick, eviscerating, Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde wit, in fact. Me, I’m shrewd enough to stay way out the firing line; Dina’s an ongoing, monster talent steam-rolling any unwary opposition, and sometimes – like many reluctant celibates – it’s best to just say yes.
At the Soho Theatre until 24th October 2015
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RESTAURANT REVIEW: Shikumen (Shepherds Bush)
Dim Sum are an absolute pleasure, they fill me with joy (and best of all, variety satiety).
I regard them as little presents, neatly wrapped with contents of treasure. Having a quick lunch at the Shikumen with good company and lots of these little presents, make good for an hour of paradise.
The restaurant itself has a moody feel with lots of dark woods and patterned trellising providing privacy. Lots of pretty traditional ceramics are on display on the tables, ready to receive some wonderful tea the Shikumen have on the menu. We tried the Dragon’s well (Zhejian, £2.80) and Yunnan Pu-Erh (£2.50), which were both lovely, aromatic and topped up swiftly by the staff.
Even though both myself and guest had decided on dim sum all the way, I did have a glance at the a la carte menu and was pleased to see a range of interesting dishes; black cod, squirrel fish (Seabass), Pork with bitter melon etc. Their alcohol / drinks menu was also extremely extensive, and I spotted a green tea creme brûlée on the dessert menu, making Shikumen very tempting for a re-visit over dinner sometime.
Our dim sum began to flow to the table very quickly, just what you need on a lunch break! All the dishes we had came in three or four pieces, and we had probably over ordered (curse of the tidbits tummy!).
Pumpkin Seafood Dumpling (£3.80) – Beautiful little balls of sunshine, brightly coloured from the pumpkin, encasing a sweet whole prawn cocooned inside. My friend remarked on how these looked like the little Indian saffron sweets you can get. These worked really well in a little dip of the chilli condiments that are brought to the table to offset the natural sweetness of the dish.
Chicken Taro Croquettes (£3.50) – Now these really did look fantastic. Chicken and mushroom in a deep, rich savoury gravy, deep fried in a crispy pastry web- little grenades of textures and flavour. These were probably my favourite, and there was definitely an air of nostalgia to the dish as it almost had a chicken and mushroom pie feeling to it.
Pan-Fried Turnip Cake (£3.20) – My other favourite of the dishes served, this sweet, garlicky, soft (almost fish-like) fleshy textured savoury cake had me going back for more and more. Everything about the dish i found enchanting, in as much as in appearance looks very simple almost bland but its texture and flavour are actually quite complex, wonderful.
Roasted Duck Pumpkin Puff (£3.80) – More balls of sunshine, golden and crisp exterior with a spongy, duck filled gravy inside that had strong peppery notes and a nice little appearance from pine nuts for an added texture and buttery-ness. Crabmeat & Prawn Dumpling (£3.80) – Stunning and almost floral in its presentation, topped with caviar. A lovely, mellow and aromatic flavour with silky seafood, complimented by a hit of sharp spring onion. Baked Venison Puff (£4.20) – Presented on a triangle shaped piece of puff pastry, glazed and topped with sesame seeds. This was very sweet initially but moments later came forth a bit of heat and spiciness, which was welcomed. Another appearance from pine nuts worked with the soft texture of the venison. Char Siew Bun (£3.20) – The staple dish of any dim sum menu. It came to the table in a familiar bun presentation. Sweet red onion made for a crunchy experience, and it was refreshing to receive the bun itself not overly sticky (which can be the case more than often in some places). I would say Shikumen’s pricing with their dim sum menu is spot on, I would definitely come back to a Shikumen restaurant, if not only to get my teeth into that green tea creme brûlée!
Shikumen are adding a single red dumpling to every order of Xiao Long Bao throughout October to honour President Xi Jinping’s State visit to London. STARS: ★★★★PRICE: £££
Venue Address:
(Check their website for other locations)
Shikumen Shepherd’s Bush
Dorsett Hotel
58 Shepherd’s Bush Green
London
W12 8QE
Venue phone: 020 8749 9978
Tipping policy: http://www.shikumen.co.uk/shepherds-bush/contact/Reviewed by Jordan Lohan | @lohanjordan
THEATRE REVIEW: Northern Ballet: 1984
Whilst it is perhaps not the most obvious choice for a new ballet, George Orwell’s nightmare vision of a dystopian future, 1984, is brought to life by Northern Ballet.
Police Urge Gay Community To Come Forward In Murder Investigation
Detectives investigating the murders of four men are appealing for information and witnesses.
The Homicide and Major Crime Command launched an investigation following the deaths in Barking of Anthony Walgate, 23, from Barnet on 19 June 2014; Gabriel Kovari, 22, from Lewisham on 28 August 2014; Daniel Whitworth, 21, from Gravesend on 20 September 2014 and Jack Taylor, 21, from Dagenham, on 14 September 2015.
A man has been charged with four counts of murder. The alleged killer is thought to have met the men all under the age of 26 via gay dating apps and websites.
Detective Chief Inspector Tim Duffield, said:
“We are keen to trace anyone who may have information in connection with these incidents.
“I would encourage anyone with information to come forward, no matter how insignificant you may think it is. If you have any reservations about speaking to the police, please rest assured that your call will be treated in the strictest confidence.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact the incident room on 020 8358 0400 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
The investigation team are working closely with LGBT independent advisors. If you don’t want to speak to police you can contact the charity Galop at www.Galop.org.ukor via their Shoutline on 020 7704 2040.
A man has been charged with four counts of murder in relation to the deaths of four men
Stephen John Port, 40 (22.02.75) of Cooke Street, Barking was tonight, Sunday, 18 October, charged with four counts of murder in relation to the deaths of four men between June 2014 and September 2015.
TRAILER: Swan Lake II: Dark Waters
The annual contemporary performance season, Sacred, starts at the Chelsea Theatre November 5th – 28th. One piece to keep an eye on is the very talented PanicLab’s Swan Lake II.
A new solo performance from jordan Lennie, who helped to choreograph the piece along with Joseph Mercier, is a visual treat. Jordan may be naked on stage for a lot of this performance piece, which will always draw the crowds, however the overall beauty of the piece is in the artistic playfulness of the character.
We spoke with Joseph this week who told us,
‘Swan Lake II: Dark Waters takes a queer approach to ballet. It plays with aspects of the art form that are often denied or downplayed. Aspects like eroticism, campness, seduction, vanity and excess. In Swan Lake II these are highlighted and magnified in playful ways, drawing out some of ballet’s inherent queerness’.
Watch the full trailer here:
COMPETITION: We have a pair of tickets to give away to see Swan Lake II: Dark Waters. Free Entry Here.
Stonewall Cancels All Future Awards
Britain’s biggest LGBT charity Stonewall has said that it will no longer be holding its annual awards.
Stonewall, Britain’s biggest LGBT charity has said that it plans to cancel its annual awards after 10 years of the ceremony. The £240 per ticket awards which have courted controversy over the decade, most notably with its bigot of the year award, are bowing out with Sir Ian McKellen hosting the final ceremony.
Ruth Hunt, Stonewall’s Chief Exec spoke about the decision to step back saying,
“Ten years ago, a peck on the lips between two men on TV would have caused uproar, and books featuring lesbian characters rarely made the best-seller list. And this was one of the only award ceremonies to celebrate the achievements of the lesbian, gay and bi community. That simply isn’t the case today, and ceremonies and awards that recognise the success and diversity of our wonderful community have blossomed.
“We have therefore decided that now is the time for us to step back, making this year’s awards the final Stonewall Awards.”
Tickets for the event have increased from £155 + VAT in 2012 to £198 + VAT in 2015. Guests will be treated to a champagne and canapé reception on the 5th November in the magnificent Raphael Gallery of the Victoria & Albert Museum.
Judging this year’s competition are past presenter of the awards, Gok Wan, Bethany Black, Lord Browne, Sandi Toksvig, who is due to take over from Stephen Fry on QI, Russell T Davies and Kevin Jenkins.
Everything You Need To Know About The Boys From Apprentice
We like a man in a suit. With the new series of The Apprentice starting tonight we thought we’d look over the boys’ CVs…
We’re just like Lord Sugar, we’ve got saying you’re wired, or hired, or something. We’ll be looking over the lads’ CVs to just they’re up for the job.
Brett Butler-Smythe
Age: 28
Occupation: Builder
Lives: Plymouth
Brett went straight to the Royal Navy after leaving school, where he worked as a marine engineer. He says starting his own property business from scratch is his biggest business achievement to date. He says his biggest strengths are being hard working, committed and trustworthy, and that he has no weaknesses. His attitude to business is ‘work hard, play hard, work harder’.
He says: “I pride myself on not having any negative or bad traits about myself, they’re all good, they’re all positive.”
Dan Callaghan
Age: 23
Occupation: Director, Fragrance Retailer
Lives: Manchester
Dan’s first job after university was working for an MEP at the European Parliament in Belgium, where he lived for a year. He describes himself as bright, optimistic and cheerful. He cites turning his fragrance company around after a difficult few years as the business achievement he is most proud of. He names Jeff Bezos of Amazon as one of his inspirations, because he feels the company has redefined the way consumers see online shopping.
He says: ‘’I’m just a generally all round quite entertaining person, I think. A lot of people laugh at me.’’
David Stevenson
Age: 25Occupation: Owner, Sports Marketing Company
Lives: Nottingham
David’s background is in sports marketing and his company specialises in increasing crowd attendances at sporting events. He says his greatest achievement so far was promoting a high profile football match between two women’s national teams at Wembley to sold-out capacity. He cites Elon Musk as his business inspiration because of the amount he achieved early on in his career.
He says: “Me and Lord Sugar will work together because you’ve got age and beauty and those two go hand in hand all the time. Sugar’s got the age and I certainly am beautiful.”
Gary Poulton
Age: 34
Occupation: Programme Manager
Lives: Birmingham
Gary spent seven years at a leading supermarket chain as a Programme Manager, developing new store sites. He describes himself as someone who likes to succeed in all he does, and his biggest achievement in business to date was delivering the largest property development programme in the history of the supermarket he worked at in 2010-11.
He says: “I look like the nice, easy going, laidback Brummie but once I start doing my business, people know I’m the real deal.”
Joseph Valente
Age: 25
Occupation: Owner, Plumbing Business
Lives: Peterborough
Joseph describes himself as successful, passionate and driven. He says he applied for the show because he feels it is his destiny to be Lord Sugar’s business partner. He currently runs his own plumbing company and feels having a business is like being a parent, as it needs undivided attention and nurturing, and that Hugh Hefner is one of his role models.
He says: “I am the definition of success, I’m a godfather of business and I’m here to make Lord Sugar a lot of money.
Mergim Butaja
Age: 23
Occupation: Sales Account Manager
Lives: Coventry
Kosovan-born Mergim fled from the war-torn country to the UK with his parents and siblings when he was seven years old. Since the age of 18, he has been supporting his family by working in a range of jobs from sales to waiting tables. He names CEO of leisure retail chain The Range, Chris Dawson, as his business inspiration because of their similar backgrounds. Mergim says his determined attitude is his biggest strength and hopes he will inspire people who have lived through similar circumstances to succeed
He says: ‘’Why am I a worthy business partner for Lord Sugar? I’d be a challenge to him. Everyone he’s metprobably sucks up to him. I won’t, I’ll tell him like it is.’’
Richard Woods
Age: 31
Occupation: Director, Digital Marketing Agency
Lives: London
Richard is a director of a digital marketing company. He describes himself as self-assured and ambitious, and says his only regret is not being a millionaire before turning 30. He says building up four profit-making companies is the business achievement he is most proud of to date and cites Richard Branson as one of his inspirations because of the business empire he has created.
He says: “I’m a Swiss army knife of bouncy skills, business skills, enthusiasm, I’ve got everything highly tuned and highly chiselled.”
Sam Curry
Age: 23
Occupation: Private Tutor
Lives: London
Sam has been working as a tutor since leaving university, he has a passion for the arts and has taken part in numerous films and stage productions. He cites the fact that he’s always worked for himself as his biggest business achievement to date, and describes himself as loyal, honest and adventurous. Richard Branson is one of his main business inspirations because he agrees with the Virgin founder that you don’t need to be ruthless or cruel in business to succeed.
He says: “I’m an interesting mix between happy go lucky and adventurous and then quite logical and sensible. It’s a strange combination.’’
Scott Saunders
Age: 27
Occupation: Senior Account Manager, Sales
Lives: Hertfordshire
Scott’s business background is in sales, and he describes himself as sharp, motivated and obsessed with
making his first million. He likes simple but effective brands such as confused.com and cites Richard Kiyosaki, founder of Rich Dad Company, as one of his business inspirations because he admires the way he does business.
He says: “People do say to me they’ve never met anyone like me.’’
Theatre Review: How Does A Snake Shed Its Skin?
What happens when you combine a squiffed-up Marilyn Monroe, a calorie conscious Margaret Thatcher and a suicidal Virginia Woolf – throw in three filing cabinets, a bucket and some schizophrenic-style storytelling? ★★★
A trichotomy of a supposed glimpse into the minds of influential women, whisked in with a smidge of self loathing, bipolarism and an 11-year-old girl desperate for some love – we give you Susannah Hislop’s one woman show.
Watching Hislop is sort of like watching Eddie Murphy playing numerous characters in the same scene, with a touch of Vanessa Feltz’s meltdown on the first Celebrity Big Brother, and a slight undertone of Edwina Currie’s parties-for-one on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here. It’s an interesting combination.
Diary reciting, grapefruit and pill lobbing, famous quotes and letters piece together this helter-skelter performance that unveils the implausible but believable similarities linking the trio. Susannah focuses on the not-so-positive elements of Thatcher’s, Woolf’s and Monroe’s lives and ultimately is doing so for the same reason why Eric Pickles avoids mirrors – to feel better about herself.
Hislop has that Judi-Dench-being-interviewed draw – instantly likeable. But unlike the oven-timer for the Bake Off’s show-stopper, it could do with winding forward a few mins.
Written and performed by Susannah Hislop
Directed by Anna Ledwich