Ariana Grande has told fans she will return and told her fans she will do what for them – whatever they need.
Ariana Grande has broken her silence since her initial tweet after Monday night’s bombing of her concert in Manchester. Taking to Twitter she wrote to her 46 million fans that she was going to return to Manchester to perform a special fundraising concert for the victims of the suicide bombing.
She said that although there was nothing she could do to take away the pain her fans were feeling, she would “extend her hand and heart” and give whatever she could possibly give should they need her help.
In the letter to her fans she praised their diversity and beauty. She vowed not to be cowed by the attack and said that her fans should not let the action of the bomber divide them.
Twenty-two people were killed after a blast ripped through Manchester Arena during the end of her concert on Monday night. Up to 21,000 fans were in attendance of the concert.
At around 10:3o/33 PM as the singer, who was on a world tour had finished her concert and thousands of people were streaming out of the concert venue when a bomb was detonated.
Witnesses say that the bomb went off outside the auditorium.
★★★| Northern Ballet’s The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas
Based on the best-selling book, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas tells the story of two boys; Bruno, the son of a concentration camp Commandant and Shmuel, a young Jewish prisoner; as they befriend each other from opposing sides of the barbed wire fence.
Whilst a ballet based on the Holocaust may not seem an obvious choice, Northern Ballet’s production is well conceived. Utilising a muted colour palette alongside an original score which is laden in strings and piano to create a real sense of foreboding; the ballet is surprisingly well paced and despite its setting, manages to find some gentle and rather tender moments amongst the difficult subject matter, nowhere more evident than in the burgeoning friendship between the two boys.
Never straying very far from the original source material of the children’s book, Daniel de Andrade’s choreography is straightforward and uncomplicated; conveying the narrative without fuss and providing a clearly defined demarcation between different characters and scenes, which ultimately leads to the production of a ballet which is readily accessible to the whole family.
Matthew Koon impresses with his portrayal of Bruno, conveying the character’s innocence and bringing to his performance a child-like vivaciousness, which contrasts nicely with Filippo Di Vilo’s suitably understated portrayal of the hopelessness of Shmuel. However, it is Mlindi Kulashe’s performance as The Fury, which stands out; bringing a menacing presence and an incredible suppleness which comes across in his technically impressive performance.
Given the setting of the story, the ballet has the potential to be divisive in terms of its appropriateness; but Northern Ballet have produced a rather simplistically presented piece which handles matters with sensitivity and respect, and brings with it a genuine emotional punch which is derived from its narrative and characterisations.
The show had its world premiere at CAST in Doncaster (www.castindoncaster.com) before commencing its national tour calling at Wolverhampton, Leicester, Richmond, Aylesbury, Stoke, Bromley. Leeds and Hull. Visit www.northernballet.com for further details.
Carluccio’s has debuted its first ‘new generation’ restaurant in the heart of Solihull, bringing its original and unrivalled modern Italian dining, deli and shop to the Mell Square development.
Last night, I took my friend to Carluccio’s, and together we had a wonderful evening. The environment was cosy, the staff were very friendly and caring, especially Nicole who served us. Nicole was very smiley, and was very genuine when catering for our needs – throwing in some cheeky recommendations for us to try. We were particularly glad of the Homebaked Focaccia suggestion with traditional Extra Virgin Olive Oil (£2.95) and the accompaniment of Rustica Marinated Olives (£2.95).
We ordered a nice dry bottle of white Babylon Bianco (£21.95), which agreed with every dish we ordered. For starters, my guest ordered Crispy Calamari (£6.50) and the generosity of the dish was very appealing, enough for me to steal some bites. This dish I highly recommend, and will be ordering myself next time. I ordered Crab Macaroni (£6.95) for my first course, but I have to say I was a little disappointed. Though I appreciated the presentation of it, it was sort of ‘crab-less’. Having grown up in Portugal, I was spoiled for seafood. I wasn’t expecting a whole crab, of course, but I definitely wanted some fresh crab meat to go with the pasta. It was more like dry shavings tossed on top of the dish. It tasted fine, but for £6.95 I wanted some ocean essences. This is a new dish, so perhaps Carluccio’s should look at how the crab dimension is served in the next culinary draft.
Mains wise, I chose Festoni with Smoked Salmon & Vodka (£12.50). This dish was the highlight for me. It had plenty of smoked salmon, which I love, and the Festoni pasta really worked for this dish, absorbing the wonderful cream & vodka sauce. Nicole grated some cheese for me which complemented it very well. My friend was not too impressed with his main. For just under £15, the Chicken Saltimbocca (£14.95) promises a palate adventure with 14-day aged prosciutto Gran Sasso with sage and a white wine sauce; served with roasted potatoes tossed in pesto and rocket. In part, the flavours from the potatoes and bird delivered, but the chicken was left with a tiny, speedo-sized prosciutto piece in the middle, leaving the rest of the chicken escalope bare. It was like the chicken was wearing a prosciutto loincloth. In fairness, when this was mentioned, the manageress offered to add more pieces or to choose some sides. That was a very professional and friendly way to deal with our disappointment.
The desserts were Mandarin and Lemon sorbet, which were very refreshing and packed with fragrance and flavour, and I had the Cioccolato Fondente (£6.95), which Nicole raved enthusiastically about. For that price, you are expecting an amazing dessert, but it was just like any other you get from a tin. It wasn’t special enough in my eyes.
The evening was finalised by a shot of Limoncello and Nicole doggy-bagged my wine, which was perfect! Overall, great atmosphere and flavours, but some concepts need rethinking and rebranding.
Gay Sporting Icon and Olympic Gold Medallist Honoured With Blue Plaque
One man’s determination to revive the reputation of a gay sporting icon and Olympic gold medallist has paid off with the news that the forgotten hero is to be honoured by a prestigious Blue Plaque.
In 1976, Birmingham-born John Curry made figure skating history at the Winter Olympics taking home two gold medals for team GB and becoming a sporting hero, winning BBC Sports Personality of the Year. But in the years that followed, Curry slowly slipped out of the public consciousness after he was famously ‘outed’ in the German tabloid press, and his untimely death in 1994 left a generation completely unaware of his achievements.
Actor and writer Tony Timberlake embarked on a personal journey to change this, first through his one-man show, Looking for John, which premiered at Birmingham Repertory Theatre last November and secondly by nominating John Curry, with the support of The REP Theatre to be honoured with a Blue Plaque in his home city.
The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Cllr Carl Rice and John Curry’s brother, Andrew, unveiled the Blue Plaque, awarded by Birmingham Civic Society, in honour of John’s achievements on Monday, May 15th. John grew up in Acocks Green, Birmingham and the plaque will feature on the house where he was born at 946 Warwick Road, now Arden Lodge Residential Home.
Tony Timberlake said.
“Getting recognition for John Curry has been a labour of love. Watching him win Olympic gold forty years ago had a huge impact on me as a youngster and it’s never left me. My play Looking for John made me think about John’s legacy – how he changed the world of figure skating and how he never denied who he was in his personal life. I felt he deserved to be remembered and celebrated again in the city where he was born and then died. I’m thrilled that John Curry will be celebrated once more and remembered forever in this way.”
John Curry OBE (1949 – 1994) was a world champion ice skater and gold medal winner at the 1976 Winter Olympic Games. He was born in Acocks Green and first learnt to skate at Solihull Ice Rink.
Gavin Orton, Chairman of Birmingham Civic Society said,
“Towards the end of last year the Society received a nomination from Tony Timberlake and the Birmingham Rep for a Blue Plaque to John Curry. The REP were about to premiere a play, Looking for John, directed by Tessa Walker, an Associate Director at The REP, and written and performed by the actor, Tony Timberlake. This nomination was supported by the Lord Mayor and we are delighted to be honouring John’s achievements today.”
The Birmingham Civic Society has been responsible for erecting Blue Plaques in the city since 1953 and there are currently over 80 around the city. The society receives several nominations every year and there’s currently a waiting list of over 20 years. To be honoured with a Blue Plaque, a person must have been born, lived or worked in the city and have achieved greatness, by, for example, making a significant contribution to their community or by excelling in their career.
Tony Timberlake’s play – Looking for John will be at The Assembly, Edinburgh as part of the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe from 3 – 20 August 2017.
It’s a sure sign that summer is here when the Underbelly opens on London’s Southbank. If you haven’t seen it before on its travels, it’s an upside down giant purple cow that acts as a big top for international circus acts. This year they’re showcasing more Canadians with Quebec’s acrobatic troupe Flip Fabrique with a show called ‘Catch Me’.
You’ve seen one circus/gymnastic/acrobatic troupe and you might think that you’ve seen them all. If you think that then you’ll be pleasantly surprised by this show. Even the most jaded and cynical are at risk of sitting with their mouths open in awe like they’ve got some sort of chronic sinus problem.
The show contains all the usual stuff: balancing, juggling, trampolining and a handful of hot men one of whom is hypnotically beautiful when he whips off his top and reveals a torso to die to die for. There’s more to it than that and it’s not the vague and unnecessary storyline (that you won’t even realise is there unless you read the program) that makes this show so enjoyable. Just as you complacently think you know where a stunt is going, the performers snap you back out of that and you’re treated to a spectacular and unexpected twist on a theme.
The last fifteen minutes is a frenetic sensory overload that leaves the audience gasping like children at a firework display. They’re a quirky bunch and there’s a hipster vibe to their styling. Most of all this is a fun night for a summer evening. Enjoy!
Catch Me, plays at Underbelly, until 9th July 2017
University of Leicester academic co-curates special exhibition on Joe Orton
The new National Justice Museum launches its first crowdfunding campaign for exhibition exploring role of crime in Joe Orton’s life and work
The National Justice Museum has launched its first-ever crowdfunding campaign to celebrate the work of Leicester playwright, Joe Orton.
The museum is hoping to raise £10,000 as part of an Art Happens campaign, hosted by national charity Art Fund, to help create a special exhibition – featuring archival materials provided by the University of Leicester – and exploring for the first time the fascinating role of crime in Joe Orton’s life and work.
Titled Crimes of Passion: The Story of Joe Orton, the exhibition will mark the 50th anniversary of Orton’s death and the 50th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality.
The exhibition is co-curated by the renowned Orton academic at the University of Leicester, Dr Emma Parker.
Dr Parker, of the School of Arts, said,
“This exhibition will examine, for the first time, crimes committed by and against Orton alongside Orton’s treatment of crime in his plays. It offers a valuable insight into shifting conceptions of social justice.”
Orton was born in Leicester in 1933 and after winning a scholarship to RADA in 1951, he met Kenneth Halliwell, an actor and writer seven years his senior. Halliwell would become Orton’s friend, mentor, partner and eventually his murderer. Throughout his life, Orton wrote many acclaimed plays including: Entertaining Mr. Sloane, Loot and What the Butler Saw.
The exhibition will pay homage to Joe Orton’s principle format of work – plays and will feature objects on loan from the University of Leicester’s Orton Archive [1], including archival material and the Morocco diary.
Artist (and Orton’s nephew) David Lock, will also be commissioned to create new artwork and a large-scale collage inspired by the one that lined the walls of Orton’s and Halliwell’s bedsit in London which featured images stolen from library books.
Donations for the museum’s Art Happens campaign, start at just £5 and donors can take away a selection of limited edition rewards; from badges and tote bags, to prints and original artwork from artist David Lock.
Tim Desmond, Chief Executive of the National Justice Museum said,
“We’re excited to launch our first ever crowdfunding campaign with Art Happens. Joe Orton is a gay icon and a working-class hero from the East Midlands and we hope to bring focus to his life and work through the themes of crime and punishment as part of a new special exhibition. It is important to us that the 50th anniversaries of Joe’s death and the decriminalisation of homosexuality are recognised as part of our programme of public learning as to how the law can and does more to protect fundamental but neglected personal rights.”
Donations can be made via the National Justice Museum’s Art Happens page: www.artfund.org/joe-orton [2]
Following in the footsteps of some of the UK’s largest news outlets THEGAYUK has followed “best practice” by moving its entire site from an HTTP to an HTTPS connection. This means that content served on THEGAYUK.com is now encrypted, by default.
The move is just one of a series of improvements made to THEGAYUK.com since it’s inception in 2012. The process of moving from its original site started in February 2016 and has taken over a year of hard work to complete.
THEGAYUK’s editor in chief, Jake Hook said,
“It is really important for us that users of our services including the shop, chat services and our news site feel safe whilst using it. We’ve still got more improvement to announce, but I’m pleased that we’re the UK’s first LGBT outlet to secure our connection, ensuring our users’ experience of the site is encrypted and their privacy protected
We’re very proud to bring our users and readers and safer browsing experience”.
You can tell which sites use SSL technology when you visit them by looking at the URL bar. It should show the URL as a https:// and if you’re using a Chrome browser the word “secure” will appear.
UKIP has just released its GE2017 manifesto, so we’re delved into the paperwork to find out what UKIP have promised and pledged to the LGBT+ community of the United Kingdom.
In the manifesto, the term LGBT was mentioned once, in which Flo Lewis, the party’s LGBT chair, said,
“Those of us who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender may have first hand experience of how misogynistic and homophobic attitudes are tolerated in the name of ‘respecting cultural differences.’ It is important to stand up for true equality in the face of those who would dismiss it.”
So down to specifics:
On education: UKIP will end sex education in primary schools. Will look into whether further legislation is required to tackle cyber bullying.
On health: Nothing specific to LGBT+ community, but promised to increase funding for mental health. Will also hold a review into editorial codes of the media, to promote “healthy body images”.
On politics: UKIP pledge to test the social attitudes of those who are seeking to immigrate to the UK. They wrote,
“…we do not believe in treating women or gay people as second-class citizens, and we hold to a fundamental belief in democracy and free speech. UKIP’s points-based immigration system will therefore include one further major principle: we will test the social attitudes of migration applicants to foster community cohesion and protect core British values”.
UKIP also will repeal Labour’s Human Rights legislation and remove the UK from the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights”. They will replace with a new UK Bill of rights.
On crime: Nothing specific to LGBT+ community.
On the world stage: Nothing specific to the LGBT+ community
This is the simple emotional Tweet sent by Martyn’s brother, Dan Hett and it says it all.
All day Martyn Hett’s name trended on Twitter after it was revealed that he was one of the 22 fatalities of the Manchester bombing on Monday night.
Martyn didn’t just trend in the UK, but worldwide his name sat above that of Pope Francis. Martyn was a well-loved figure from Manchester’s LGBT community and yesterday many people took to social media to express their sadness, memories and loss.
Here’s just a little of the love that was shown for Martyn as the devastating loss was announced on social media.
In the wake of the attack in Manchester, the UK’s threat level has been raised from severe to critical – the first time this has happened since June 2007.
But the nation doesn’t seem to be bothered, instead, getting into the spirit of the times by pointing out just what constitutes an actual threat to the British way of life. #BritishThreatLevels has been the top trending topic on UK Twitter for most of Wednesday, and the responses are bloody brill.
I’m a political nerd, so I immediately went to check out what the politicians and journalists were saying – and I wasn’t disappointed:
Here is the most marvellously British response to terrorism. #BritishThreatLevels
Originally I thought this was an ingenious idea. I was going to push each column back a day until we reached Thursday, 8 June – election day. So this one was meant to be sent to my editor on Monday night, for publication on Tuesday.
I can’t put into words how utterly devastated I am – how utterly devastated all of us at THEGAYUK are – about what happened at Manchester Evening News Arena on Monday night. 22 beautiful, young lights were snuffed out far too early by a hateful “loser,” as US President Donald Trump rightly called him. Twenty-two young girls and boys, women and men, lost their lives because some twisted soul bought into an ideology of hate.
Speaking only for myself, I have wept uncontrollably for those we lost in Manchester – those beautiful, precious children and their equally precious parents who just wanted to see a pop idol sing. I pray to God that anyone and everyone responsible is brought not only to justice, but to His wrath. I hope they burn in Hell.
In the wake of the horrific attack in Manchester, the parties have halted campaigning until at least the weekend. Some have criticised this decision, but I think it wholly right. At the end of the day, we’re all British (except me; I’m American – but I desperately wish I were British). This is a national tragedy, the likes of which we haven’t seen in twelve years, since the 7/7 attacks in 2005. Politics suddenly seems much less important when our children are being killed by terrorist thugs as end leave what was meant to be one of the happiest nights of their lives.
As the contributing political editor for THEGAYUK, I had a decision to make: do I write in defiance of the terrorists, or do I follow suit with our political parties and cease political coverage for the next few days? I’ve grappled with this question all day, and I don’t know that I have the right answer. But I arrived at my answer.
I’m not going to write about politics today.
Instead, I’m going to talk about the victims who have been publicly identified, talk about their lives, and talk about what it is I think makes Britain so goddamn special.
I hope you’ll understand.
Saffie-Rose Roussos was 8. She became separated from her sister and mum – who at the time I’m writing this is still in hospital and unaware her daughter has died – and was killed in the terrorist attack. According to the Telegraph, her headteacher, Chris Upton said “Saffie was simply a beautiful little girl in every aspect of the word. She was loved by everyone.” She was “unassuming, with a creative flair,” he said, and “she was loved by everyone and her warmth and kindness will be remembered fondly.”
Georgina Callander was 18. Her mother, Leslie, was the first to lay a flower at Tuesday’s vigil in Manchester’s Albert Square. A self-proclaimed “Arianator” (the nickname for those in the Ariana Grande fandom), Georgina was seeing her idol for at least the second time. She was also an avid fan of Once Upon a Time, a television show about fairy tale characters. Several of the cast members, including Rebecca Mader (who played the Wicked Witch of the West) and Emelie de Ravin (who played Belle) tweeted condolences, remembering Georgina. (As a fellow Oncer, Georgina holds a special place in my heart, and I tweeted at series creator Adam Horowitz asking that, as another fan requested, the first episode of series 7 be dedicated in her honour.)
Kelly Brewster was 32. She had just put the deposit on a house with her partner, intent on building a life with him and his daughter. According to the Daily Mail, she shielded her young niece, Hollie, from the shrapnel coming from the nail bomb. Hollie survived thanks to her aunt’s courage, as did Kelly’s sister – Hollie’s mum. The Daily Mail spoke to the father of Kelly’s partner, Ian, who said he is ‘absolutely distraught.’
Alison Howe and Leslie Lees were waiting for their daughters to come out of the concert when they were killed. Both were from Royton, Oldham according to the Mirror. “They took a caring beautiful mum and step mother away from us all she was amazing to us x love you loads Alison Howe xx,” her stepson Jordan Howe posted on Facebook – again, according to the Mirror, who also reports that around the same time Leslie’s brother said she was “gone, but never ever forgotten.” These two mums were trying to collect their daughters from a pop concert. That’s it.
These are the victims, as of 3:33 GMT on 24 May, I know of. More will surely be made known by the time this is published. (ed note: RIP to Martyn Hett)
Their stories are equally worth telling. All 22 (and, God forbid, counting) souls’ stories are worth telling. It would be my honour to write them all.
I may never get that chance, but what I have now is a chance to use my platform as a contributing editor of this magazine and a writer for other British outlets to say this: they will not have died in vain. Their stories will be told, and their loss will redouble our efforts to confront the scourge of extremism within our own borders and abroad – that evil ideology, irrespective of religion, that seeks to divide us. The terrorists won a battle; they will not win the war.
Britain is at its best when it is united. It is what I love most about this country – a country that, no matter who you are or where you’re from can come together over a cup of tea. If that sounds quaint, it is, but it’s also honest – as the assassinated Labour MP Jo Cox said, we have more that unites us than divides us.
Britain is a beautiful, resilient country that will not be cowed by terrorists. No matter our sexuality, our race, our religion – no matter anything – we will always come together. The Mancunians showed us that last night, offering their houses to strangers and their taxi rides free of charge. They took the stranger in. Why? Because they’re British, and their neighbours were in need. That’s what we do in this country.
And though I’m American, I know a thing or two about the British spirit. I know how unbreakable it is. Times are scary, and times are tough. We’ve suffered devastating losses. But as long as we stand together, united, we cannot be defeated.
I’ll get back to politics later this week. I have an interview with Labour MP Peter Kyle that’s not to be missed and my usual witty observations. In the meantime, I ask that you pray for Manchester – or, if you’re of no faith, keep them in your thoughts. After all…
