albemarle gallery group show

54 YEARS The No.1 Magazine for International Visitors

Est 1956 Issue 2795Friday 30 April, 2010OLYMPIC CITY 2012

A show of paintings by John Speirs, Oleg Tyrkinand Auguste Rodin sculptures

Tuesday 4 May – Saturday 29th May

Hay Hill Gallery5a Cork Street, Mayfair, London W1 Tel: 020 7439 1001

T H I S I S L O N D O N M A G A Z I N E • T H I S I S L O N D O N O N L I N E

CONTENTS

Events 4

Music 8

Exhibitions 12

Theatre 16

Proprietor Julie Jones Chairman Terry Mansfield CBEAdvertising Janet Gardener

Editorial Clive Hirschhorn Sue Webster Dan Zimmer

© This is London Magazine Limited85 Tottenham Court Rd, London W1T 4TQTelephone: 020 7434 1281www.thisislondonmagazine.com www.til.com

Whilst every care is taken in the preparation of thismagazine and in the handling of all the materialsupplied, neither the Publishers nor their agentsaccept responsibility for any damage, errors oromissions, however these may be caused.

VISITOR INFORMATION

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Welcome to LondonAs the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and

Sport I’d like to welcome you to London and wishyou a wonderful stay in what I believe is one of themost vibrant and exciting capital cities in theworld.

All around you are the finest examples ofculture, heritage and history. You have the chanceto view the very best in performing arts, from streetdance to ballet, or jazz to opera or spend sometime looking round one of the capital’s galleries ormuseums, the most popular of which offer freeadmission.

But as well as the major attractions and sights there are a wealth of discoveries tobe made on every street corner. Try exploring one of the markets at the weekend toget a taste of London that is colourful and full of life. Of course there are the famousmarkets such as Camden and Portobello Road but there are also lesser known andequally exciting discoveries to be made in Columbia Road’s flower market or thelongest outdoor street market in Europe in Walthamstow.

Amidst the excitement and bustle there are also plenty of wonderful parks andopen spaces to enjoy. Two of our famous Royal Parks, Hyde Park and Green Park, areright in the centre of town but venture further afield and you will find Richmond Park,Hampstead Heath or Greenwich Park, beautiful open spaces which also offer fantasticviews back over the city.

After all this exploring you’ll obviously need to stop and recharge your energystocks and London offers you an enormous variety of cuisines from all corners of theworld. There is of course traditional British food whether it be a pub meal or fish andchips but a walk round China Town or Brick Lane will also tantalise your taste budsand give you a chance to sample the very best in food from London’s multi-culturalcommunities.

I’m sure that after just a few days here you’ll appreciate that London has a hugeamount to offer with so much to explore. There are many of us who experienceLondon life on a daily basis and still make new discoveries, and I hope that whateveryou decide to do in this great capital city you’ll enjoy your stay and leave wanting toreturn for more in the future.

Ben BradshawSecretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

GRAPHIC MASTER

35 Little Russell S reetLondon WC1A 2HHwww.cartoonmuseum.org020 7580 8155Tues-Sat: 10.30-17.30 Sundays: 12.00-17.30

140 works from a 75 year career to celebrate Ronald Searle’s 90th birthdayUNTIL 4 JULY

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THE LONDON ORIGINAL PRINT FAIR From new etchings by Peter Blake and

Damien Hirst to rare works by Picassoand Rembrandt, sixty-seven leadinginternational exhibitors will be broughttogether for the 25th anniversary of TheLondon Original Print Fair, making it notonly the longest-running print fair in theworld but also the longest-running artFair in London. The event takes placethis weekend from 29 April to 3 May atthe Royal Academy of Arts in Piccadilly.

Each year collectors flock to thisestablished event which continues tooffer an unrivalled spectrum of prints,covering all periods of Western art,including Canaletto’s etchings andHogarth’s engravings, and the work ofthe great nineteenth and twentiethcentury printmakers.

Works on display will include theworks of Rembrandt, Pissarro, Picasso,and Henry Moore as well as Japaneseprints, which have a strong influence onwestern art, and a rise in European artfrom France and Belgium.

The Fair has partnered with theBurlington Arcade, one of Britain’s mostbeautiful shopping arcades, and willshowcase a ‘print trail’, focused on thetheme of ‘Great British Artists’.

For a special loan exhibition to markthe 25th anniversary, Antony Griffiths,Keeper of Prints at the British Museum,has been invited to choose a selection ofprints to feature works that have neverbefore been on public display.

In addition to the exhibition, Griffithswill be holding a talk and walk throughthe exhibition at noon on Bank HolidayMonday, 3 May.

With a variety of art activities forchildren including a printmakingworkshop and competitions, the 25thanniversary Print Fair is a must forcollectors, art lovers and families alike.

SUMMER SPORTING MADNESS ONRESTAURANT SHIP HISPANIOLA

Visitors to London can enjoy somegreat sporting moments this summer onthe Restaurant Ship Hispaniola. Theship, which is permanently moored onVictoria Embankment in London,opposite the London Eye, is the idealvenue for enjoying some major sportingevents in a unique setting, as well assome great food and drink.

Throughout the 2010 FIFA WorldCup in June and July, the Hispaniolawill be showing the matches on the bigscreen inside. As well as watching thefixtures, for just £10 per person, guestswill be able to savour a burger and apint of beer on the upper deck sunterrace and take in the spectacularviews of the Thames, from St Paul's tothe Houses of Parliament.

A traditional Wimbledon cream teawill be available during the legendarytennis fortnight in June 2010. Again, foronly £10 per person, tennis fans will beable to enjoy a strawberry cream teawith a glass of Pimms, whilst watchingthe Wimbledon 2010 Championshipmatches on the big screen.

As well as the bar on the upper deckthere is also an elegant cocktail bar onthe main deck, where guests can enjoya selection of non alcoholic andalcoholic drinks, including draughtbeer. Telephone 020 7839 3011.


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19 Billy Elliots take their bow at the Curtain Call. Photographs: Richard Davenport.

David Walliams, Lara Stone, YvegenyLebedev, Elton John and David Furnish.

BILLY ELLIOT’S 5TH BIRTHDAYBilly Elliot the Musical recently

celebrated its fifth birthday in London’sWest End. Joining the current Londoncast to celebrate were composer EltonJohn, director Stephen Daldry, writer LeeHall, Haydn Gwynne who played theoriginal Mrs Wilkinson and Tim Healywho played Bllly’s original Dad, and 19past, present and future Billy Elliots.Guests included David Furnish, DavidWalliams, Lara Stone and YvegenyLebedev.

The three original Billy Elliots – LiamMower, James Lomas and GeorgeMaguire – formed part of a spectacularfinale choreographed for Billy’s fifthbirthday with 19 past, present and futureBillys. The critically acclaimed,internationally award-winning musicalopened at the Victoria Palace Theatre in2005 and has subsequently been seenby over 4.5 million people worldwide.


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‘Conversations with the Sea’ by JohnSpeirs is the artist’s third exhibition at theHay Hill Gallery and is a group ofpaintings that are intimate portraits of thesea in its many moods. Subverting thetradition of marine painting in broadlybrushed canvases, Speirs’ captivatingimages of the sea appear to fill the canvaswith glittering stillness and rampagingforce. For all their apparent indebtednessto the Impressionist style this series,however, also invokes a therapeuticengagement with the sea. Paint, colourand brushstrokes work together to explorethe ever-changing character of water as itsmashes against the rocks, rolls towardsthe shore or sparkles in reflectivemoments.

John was a leading graphic artist withJ Walter Thompson and became atrouble-shooter for the advertisingworld. He returned to England recently,and travels regularly to Uzes in France topaint en plein air. In Speirs’ paintingsclassical draughtsmanship, in the Sladetradition, meets extremely rich andvibrant colour palette making his worksaesthetically pleasing and collectable.

‘Pilots and Wives’, an exhibition ofpaintings by the Russian artist OlegTyrkin is the second survey of his recentwork to be held in the UK. The exhibitionconsists of twenty works spanning from2003 to 2010. Oleg’s paintings aresupremely honest and naive, theirimagery is openly figurative.

According to curator and the artist’swife Masha Naimushina, ‘The titleencapsulates the extreme opposites ofthe world my husband left behind withthe collapse of the Soviet Union: theintense feelings of all combat pilotsfacing the instant possibility of deathand their yearning for wives, girlfriendsand lovers left behind waiting.’

Most of Oleg’s works have no titlesbeyond the nominal, which allows theonlooker more freedom to interpret theirmany levels of meaning. Instead ofnarrative, Oleg’s language is archaic andpoetic, reminiscent of old photographsof long-forgotten people and places,which now exist on some eternal planeof consciousness. Their emotionalimpact lies in their evocation of a moodof childhood, with its almost sacredlevels of half-forgotten memory.

The two exhibitions will be on viewalongside the Hay Hill collection ofsome of the most iconic pieces of thefamed sculptor Auguste Rodin. Amongthe collection of posthumous casts aresuch iconic works as The Thinker, TheKiss, Eve, Age of Bronze, Balzac, TheWalking Man, along with many otherwell-known sculptures. The noted RodinScholar Albert Elsen considered theposthumous recasting of the sculptor’swork as part of the natural evolution inthe sculptures life. The exhibition ondisplay shows that it is once againpossible to capture the essence of theartist’s life accomplishments in casts ofthe highest quality, cast from foundryplasters.

Hay Hill Gallery is at 5a Cork Street,Mayfair, W1. Telephone 020 7439 1001or 020 7439 2299. www.hayhill.com

JOHN SPEIRS, OLEG TYRKIN AND AUGUSTE RODIN SCULPTURESThroughout May, the Hay Hill Gallery will present two

exhibitions of paintings by British artist John Speirs andRussian artist Oleg Tyrkin. Collectively, the exhibitions aimto capture the nostalgic mood of the artists’ encounter withnature, and the perception and memories of the past. Bothshows will be open to public from the 4-29 May.

John Speirs.

Oleg Tyrkin.

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The restaurant will have a special‘Food on the River’ menu which guestscan pre-order when chartering one ofthe hotel’s boats for a lunch orafternoon cruise, gently meanderingalong the Thames. This includes aselection of canapés, sandwiches,homemade scones and jam and picnicplatters.

This is a very English place to relaxwith friends and family as you soak upthe convivial atmosphere. And, if youare planning a romantic evening diningout under the stars, the elegant two AARosette Bowaters restaurant has aterrace right on the river’s edge wherethe mouth-watering menu has beencreated by head chef David Smith.

The perfect place to spend asummer’s evening with superb cuisineand fine wines to match.

Further information and bookings on0844 879 9128.

COVENT GARDEN MAY FAYREAND PUPPET FESTIVAL

On Sunday 9 May, the 35th AnnualCovent Garden May Fayre and PuppetFestival will be held in the garden ofSt Paul's Church, Bedford Street,WC2 – the actors' church – near thespot where Samuel Pepys first saw MrPunch in England in May 1662. Punchand Judy Professors and Puppeteersfrom all over the country will be comingto perform throughout the day.

At 10.30, a grand procession willtake place around the neighbourhood ofCovent Garden starting in the churchgarden, led by the Superior Brass Band.Then, from 11.30 to 17.30, there will bePunch & Judy Puppet Shows, PuppetWorkshops, Stalls, Folk Music by TheLost Marbles String Band, MaypoleDancing, Clowns and presentation of‘The Most Promising Young Prof’.

For information, call 020 7375 0441.

THE ASIA HOUSE FESTIVAL OFASIAN LITERATURE

Asia House are presenting the onlyfestival in Britain dedicated to writingabout Asia, from 5-27 May. It will hostsome of the best-known writers workingin and writing on the region. All nationsof Asia will be represented includingIran, Central Asia, Kashmir, Rajasthan,Myanmar, Tibet, China, Korea andJapan. There will also be Asian food,drink and music. Writers appearing atthe Festival include Fatima Bhutto,William Dalrymple, Yasmin Allibhai-Brown, Janine di Giovanni, Chang-raeLee, Victoria Schofield, John Kampfnerand Sathnam Sanghera.

Asia House tel: 020 7307 5454.

NEW SILVERSTONE GP CIRCUIT TOSHOWCASE WORLD-CLASS RACING

The first action on the new GPCircuit at Silverstone takes place thisweekend as the circuit hosts its firstmajor international event from 1-2 May,christening the new section of tarmac.As the finishing touches are beingmade to the new track layout (3.666miles in length), this is the first chanceto get a glimpse of the highlyanticipated Arena Complex which is themain feature of Silverstone's new GrandPrix Circuit. For tickets, call 0844 3728.

HOOPERS GALLERY REVEALSARCHIVE OF LONDON STAGE

Hoopers Gallery is showing afascinating range of Graham Brandon’sphotographs selected from the Theatreand Performance Collections at theVictoria and Albert Museum. Featuredin some 40 images, spanning 30 years,are actors small and large along withmany other great figures from the worldof theatre, opera and dance.

Graham Brandon trained and workedas a photo-lithographic technician inNew Zealand. During the mid 70s, hetravelled extensively throughout Asiaand Europe and eventually settled inEngland where he joined the V&AMuseum. Telephone 020 7490 3907.

COMPLEAT ANGLER, MARLOW SUMMER DINING AL FRESCOThe riverside lawn at the stylish Macdonald Compleat

Angler, which overlooks the River Thames at Marlow Bridge,will open on 1 May for drinks and summer dining al fresco.Watch the world float by as you sip a refreshing Pimms orglass of bubbly and indulge in the hotel’s new lunch menu orsavour a delicious cream tea.

The stunning setting of the Compleat Angler, Marlow.


7VIRGIN LONDON MARATHON – HALFA BILLION RAISED FOR CHARITY

The amount raised for charity byrunners in the London Marathon since itbegan in 1981 is on target to top half abillion pounds as the event celebratedits 30th anniversary last weekend,confirming the London Marathon as thelargest annual one-day fund raisingevent in the world.

‘The London Marathon is immenselyproud of its record as a charity fundraising event,’ said Dave Bedford,London Marathon’s race director. ‘Weprovide our runners with an opportunityto raise huge amounts for good causesevery year and will be delighted whenthe total raised for charity reaches half abillion pounds in our 30th year.’

In addition, over the last threedecades the London MarathonCharitable Trust has awarded more than£35 million in grants to develop sportand recreation facilities in the capitaland other areas in the country where theLondon marathon stages events.

This year the Trust has allocated arecord £5 million to sports projectsacross London, its largest annual awardstotal since the charity was founded in1981. The awards include total grants ofnearly £3.5 million made to 59 projectsin 29 London boroughs and two cross-London schemes, ranging in value from£750 for a short mat bowling carpet inBromley to £250,000 towards a newsports hall in Redbridge. The Trustallocated a further £1.15 million to itsLondon Marathon Playing Fields reservefrom which three quarters of a millionhas been earmarked this year to saveanother London playing field from closure.

Veteran THIS IS LONDON runner, BobMundy, was this year joined by daugherLaura who clocked a time of 4.50 in herfirst London Marathon, while Bobfollowed in at 5.03, running for Whizz-Kidz, a charity that gives disabledchildren and young people theindependence to enjoy an activechildhood – at home, at school and atplay (www.whizz-kidz.org.uk).

Spring has finally arrived in London with a host of golden daffodils for visitors toenjoy in the Royal Parks – Hyde Park, Regent’s Park and St James’s Park.

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Turkish born guitarist Cem Duruöz(or ‘Gem’ as pronounced in his nativetongue) won the first prize in the TurkishNational Guitar Competition at the age ofseventeen and completed his graduatestudies at The Juilliard School withSharon Isbin, who says of him ‘Hisexcellent stage presence complementshis virtuosic technique and musical,elegant artistry.’

A multi-faceted musician, CemDuruöz has collaborated with bandoneónmaster Raul Jaurena, gambist JohnDornenburg, conductor MichelTabachnik and soprano Camille Zamora.A frequent soloist, he has appeared withmore than ten orchestras regularlyperforming Rodrigo’s Concierto deAranjuez among others.

Mr. Duruöz has performed in fourcontinents – in countries such asArgentina, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Japan,France, Greece, Bosnia, Spain, Serbia,Kosovo, Poland, Mexico, throughoutTurkey and the USA.

Recent concerts include his UKpremiere performance at the PurcellRoom in London, recitals at theMinnesota Guitar Society, Marlow GuitarSeries and Redwood Arts Council Seriesin the US and the Turkish premiereperformance of Anatolia Guitar Concerto,featuring Turkish melodies and rhythmswritten for him by David Hahn.

He has recorded three solo CDs tointernational critical acclaim: Pièces deViole and Contemporary Music for

Guitar, both released by Centaur Recordsas well as ‘Desde el Alma – TangoClassics’, called ‘A masterpiece’ byArgentine critics.

In addition to concert performancesall over the world, Cem Duruöz is anenthusiastic educator and teaches guitarperformance at Wesleyan University inthe USA.

‘There were gorgoeus moments ofsudden quietude and serenity: Mr. Duruözwould tastefully wait for just the rightmoment to slow down the tempo, givingthe music special cadential moments.’ –New York Concert Review, USA.

The concert is presented by a newcharity, Talent Unlimited, whoseprincipal aims are to help talented yetfinancially challenged music studentsand also students from deprivedbackgrounds.

His Excellency, Ambassador of Turkeyand Mrs Yigit Alpogan, together withAyse and Ted Dickson, will host areception at St James’s following theconcert giving members of the audiencea chance to meet and talk to Cem Duruöz.

Those who wish to attend thereception should contact TalentUnlimited before the day of the concerton [email protected] or telephone07767 64 2092.

Tickets for the concert will also beavailable at the door on the night.

Don’t miss the opportunity to attendthis evening of superb musicianship.

Nearest underground: Piccadilly.

GUITAR TREASURES FROM CEM DURUOZ AT ST JAMES’SGuitar treasures from Turkey, Spain, Argentina and beyond

will be performed by Cem Duruöz in concert at St James’sPiccadilly on Friday 7 May (at 19.00). ‘Flawless classicaltechnique, depth of color, long flowing lines…’ wroteAmerican Record Guide Music in Concert.

Cem Duruöz.


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WORLD PREMIERE OF MAJOR NEWWORK BY ROXANNA PANUFNIK

The day after a British election isalways rather special. In particular thisyear, 7 May sees the world premiere of animportant new work by the distinguishedBritish composer, Roxanna Panufnik(pictured), performed by one of the UK’stop boys’ choirs.

Performed in candlelight in thebeautiful neo-gothic setting of StJames’s Spanish Place, with its resonantacoustic, the new work, Schola Missa deAngelis, is a ground-breakingcomposition. It is the first new plainsongmass setting in nearly 60 years. Scoredfor full choir, soloists, organ and brassoctet, Panufnik has added her owndistinctive harmonic language to anancient plainsong melody.

The concert also features Gabrieli’s InEcclesiis, motets by Bruckner and thefabulously uplifting and rarely performedCanterbury Te Deum by Grayston Ives.

Panufnik, born in 1968, has struck anemotional chord with audiences aroundthe world. This is a unique opportunityto be at the first performance of a workwhich will attract international attention.

The Schola (from the London OratorySchool), a 50-strong choir consisting ofboys from the age of 8 to 18 plusprofessional male voices, is one of theUK’s top boys’ liturgical and commercialchoirs. They perform regularly with themajor London orchestras and have made

numerous film soundtracks, includingHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabanand the three double platinum awardwinning The Lord of the Rings trilogy,which they performed live recently atLondon’s The Royal Albert Hall.

‘…a boys choir ….its sound sowarm, the sense that the liturgical natureof the music is clearly understood andappreciated….. Impressive indeed.’Gramophone, March 2010.

‘one of the best boys’ choirs in theworld.’ Choir and Organ Magazine,May/June 2009.

Tickets are available from See Ticketsat www.seetickets.com,or by telephone0871 230 0010, priced £10, £15, £20.

CHORUS! AT SOUTHBANK CENTRESouthbank Centre’s festival, Chorus!,

invites visitors to celebrate the power ofsinging alongside professionalmusicians covering the widest range ofvocal events from 1-9 May. Conceptualartist Martin Creed, winner of the 2001Turner Prize, will create a new version ofhis Work No. 409. For the full durationof the Festival, visitors’ journeys in thetranslucent Royal Festival Hall lift oversix levels will be charted by the voices ofVoicelab singers, rising or falling inpitch with the progression of the lift fromfloor to floor and thus translating theindividual journeys through space andtime in the language of music.

English Piano Trio‘Musical Vienna’

HAYDNMOZART

SCHUBERTSt. James’s Church, 197 Piccadilly, W1

Friday, 14th May 2010 7.30pmTickets: £12 and £10 (Concessions)

Prior booking 020 7381 0441 or at the door


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JOURNEY THROUGH THE HIDDENSOUND WORLDS OF THE THAMES

River Sounding is a major newcommission by sound artist BillFontana, featuring a series of soundsequences, recorded by the artist alonga one-hundred-mile section of the RiverThames stretching from Richmond toSouthend.

The work will create an imaginaryacoustic map of the Thames, takingvisitors through Somerset House’satmospheric subterranean spaces,normally closed to the public, and out tothe Great Arch on the Embankment,highlighting the building’s historicalconnection to the river.

River Sounding will be at SomersetHouse, Strand, WC2, until 31 May.Further information, call 020 7845 4600.

SEVENTH ANNUAL INTERNATIONALFESTIVAL OF HIP HOP DANCE

Still the only event of its kind in theUK, Breakin’ Convention returns toSadler’s Wells this weekend for itsseventh year, from 1–3 May. Breakin’Convention presents dancers fromJapan, the USA, Germany, Denmark,Sweden, France and one of the strongestUK line-ups the festival has ever seen.

Alongside world class performances,the weekend is packed with live aerosoljams; workshop programmes taught byinternational artists; DJ demos, freestylecirclesand a world record attempt for thelongest continuous popping wave.

Fresh from Got to Dance fame are theStatus performers, with the Alice inWonderland–themed piece that tookthem to the semi-finals of thecompetition, and Cardiff-basedyoungsters Jukebox who perform aspecial collaborative piece withinternational champions Plagueespecially for the festival.

The ticket office is on 0844 412 4300or www.sadlerswells.com

PARADISE FOUND AT MENIERCHOCOLATE FACTORY

Harold Prince and Susan Stromanwill direct an all-American star studdedcast in the world premiere of ParadiseFound at the Menier Chocolate Factory,based on the novel The Tale of the1002nd Night by Viennese authorJoseph Roth. Paradise Found follows theexploits of the Shah of Persia who isfeeling low. So to lift his spirits he’s offto Vienna with his Eunuch in tow forsome new adventures. He promptly fallsin love with the Empress of the Empire,much to the dismay of her husband.

The cast is George Lee Andrews, KateBaldwin, Shuler Hensley, Judy Kaye,Lacey Kohl, Herndon Lackey, PamelaWinslow Kashani, Amanda Kloots-Larsen, Daniel Marcus, John McMartin,Nancy Opel, Mandy Patinkin, JimPoulos and Martin van Treuren.

Tickets are available from the BoxOffice telephone 020 7907 7060.

CHOPIN: THE ROMANTIC REFUGEE The British Library sheds new light

on the life of Fryderyk FranciszekChopin from Poland to Britain in a newexhibition to mark the 200th anniversaryof his birth.

Opening last month in the FolioSociety Gallery at the British Library,Chopin: The Romantic Refugeeexamines the ways in which Chopin’smusic displays his Polish patriotism inthe context of the political sympathiesfor Poland that were current in Franceand England during his lifetime.

Born 200 years ago, Chopin was achild prodigy whose brilliance as apianist quickly spread beyond his nativePoland, and a tour of Europe at the dawnof his career cemented his reputation asa composer of startlingly original pianomusic.

Poland was variously partitionedbetween Russia, Prussia and Austria inthe late 18th century, and in 1831 theKingdom of Poland, established at theCongress of Vienna in 1815, fell underRussian rule.

Chopin’s nationalist sympathiesprevented him from returning to Warsawafter his tour of Europe, and he spent therest of his life in exile mainly in Paris,where he associated with the leadingwriters, artists and composers.

For further information, visit thewebsite www.bl.uk/music

Southend Bell. Photo: Bill Fontana.


11MUSICAL VIENNA AT ST JAMES’S

‘Musical Vienna’, an evening with theEnglish Piano Trio, looks a treat for aMay evening!

With Jane Faulkner on violin, JustinPearson, cello, and Timothy Ravenscroft,piano, the English Piano Trio is aleading chamber ensemble in the UK,with regular concerts in this countryand abroad. Last year, they celebrated 20creative years together.

On 14 May, they return to a favouriteLondon venue – St James’s ChurchPiccadilly, with an enticing collection ofthree ever popular works in the greatViennese tradition. The ‘Golden Age’ inVienna produced, amongst others, thegeniuses of Haydn, Mozart andSchubert. The English Piano Trio hasalways maintained that music of thisperiod is their favourite. ‘The trios ofHaydn are the most fantastically excitingworks to play’, says violinist JaneFaulkner.

‘Haydn really turned the piano triointo an ensemble in which the threeinstruments have their own voice. Thesheer breadth of emotion and colour inhis writing is amazing.’ The playersacknowledge that the Trio in B flat bySchubert, a composer leading the wayinto the romantic movement, is probablythe greatest work written for piano trio.It is wonderful to listen to with itsmemorable melodies and dramaticinterplay between the performers.

The English Piano Trio has, naturally,made many professional friends throughthe years, and this is reflected in theaddition in many of their concerts ofanother performer for one work. Likeeveryone, they simply enjoy playing withtheir friends, but they also relish the extracolour that another voice gives in theensemble. For this concert they haveinvited the distinguished viola playerRachel Bolt to join them in the gloriouspiano quartet in G minor by Mozart.

‘Musical Vienna’ is on Friday 14 Mayat 19.30 at St James’s Church Piccadilly.Tickets £12 available at the door, or priorbooking on 020 7381 0441.

LONDON ARTS ORCHESTRALondon Arts Orchestra will

appear in concert on Saturday8 May (19.30) at St James's,Piccadilly, W1.

The Orchestra was formed in2009 by musicians from theRoyal College of Music, RoyalAcademy of Music, GuildhallSchool of Music and Drama,and Trinity College of Music.Their aim is to offer a fresh approach toorchestral music by collaborating otherartists and performers.

This concert will feature readingsfrom Scandinavian literature thatexplores the region’s heightened senseof darkness and light, and the humanpsychology that mirrors it.

The programme will be Nielsen:Helios Overture, Sibelius: Valse Triste,Grieg: Elegiac Melodies and Sibelius:Symphony No. 5.

For more information and tickets, callthe church box office on 020 7381 0441or visit www.londonartsorchestra.co.uk.St James’s Church is at 197 Piccadilly,W1. Tube Green Park or Picc dilly.a


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FRA ANGELICO TO LEONARDO:ITALIAN RENAISSANCE DRAWINGS

A major exhibition opens this week atthe British Musuem, which bringstogether the finest group of ItalianRenaissance drawings to be seen in thiscountry for over seventy years. Drawnfrom the two foremost collections in thefield, the Gabinetto Disegni e StampeUffizi in Florence and the British Museum,the display will chart the increasingimportance of drawing during the periodbetween 1400 and 1510, featuring 100works by amongst others Fra Angelico,Jacopo and Gentile Bellini, Botticelli,Carpaccio, Leonardo da Vinci, FilippoLippi, Mantegna, Michelangelo, Titian andVerrocchio. In addition, infraredreflectography and other non-invasivescientific analysis of the works will givefresh insights into the techniques andcreative thinking of artists as theyexperimented with a freedom not alwaysapparent in their finished works.

In 15th century Italy, a fundamental shifttook place in the use of preparatorydrawings. The starting point of 1400 marks

the beginning of the Renaissance, whichsaw the development of perspective, anincreased interest in classical forms and agreater focus on naturalism. The exhibitioncloses with the early drawings by Raphaeland Michelangelo, prior to their departureto Rome and the unfolding of the HighRenaissance. It was during the 1400s thatartists began to make drawings as works ofart in their own right, signifying the

beginning of a wider appreciation ofgraphic works, which were beginning to becollected and preserved. This risingimportance of drawing is evident in workssuch as Mantegna’s mordant allegory ofhuman folly, the Virtus Combusta (Virtue inflames) or later examples of finishedpresentation drawings such Leonardo’ssilverpoint Bust of a Warrior from the 1470s.

Nevertheless the majority of drawingsin the exhibition are working studies,and as such were never intended to beseen outside the studio. Drawingsallowed artists to practice and refinedesigns for paintings. It was during the15th century that the stages of designinga painting from initial sketch to finaldesign were worked out and this processremained in place until the modern age.Exploratory compositional studies werefollowed by detailed sketches of figuresand important motifs, sometimesconcluding with a same size drawing ofthe design known as cartoon. Theexhibition will include the first survivingstudy for a panel painting: LorenzoMonaco’s study in the Uffizi of around1407 for the left-wing of his Coronationof the Virgin altarpiece from the NationalGallery, London. The drawing and therelated panel will be brought together forthe first time.

The influence of classical art andarchitecture was a key factor in theemergence of a new approach by painters,sculptors and architects. A move towardsrealism, the representation of man andnature and the use of a linear perspectiveto create an illusion of the threedimensional form were the core elementsof the Renaissance style, seen particularlyin the album of finished drawings made bythe Venetian painter Jacopo Bellini and inthe works of his artistic rival Pisanello.

To book tickets, call 020 7323 8181.

Two cheetahs, 1400-10 © The Trustees of theBritish Museum.

Leonardo da Vinci, landscape © Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe degli Uffizi.


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RONALD SEARLE – GRAPHICMASTER AT CARTOON MUSEUM

‘He had a huge effect on me. I wantedto draw like him. His pen was alwayssearching, exploring every nook andcranny of his subject. His exciting,electric style fascinated me.’

– Gerald ScarfeRonald Searle celebrated his 90th

birthday in March. Regarded as ‘TheMaster’ by cartoonists not only in Britainbut around the world he is still drawingand continues to inspire cartoonists,illustrators, animators, film makers andartists in many fields.

The new exhibition at the CartoonMuseum shows 140 works from acrosshis seventy-five-year career, from hisearly cartoons for the Cambridge DailyNews in the 1930s to political cartoonsfor Le Monde in the 2000s. Many of thepictures have been lent by Searlehimself. The focus is particularly on hisreportage drawings which show Searle’sskill for capturing the essence of anevent, character or situation.

From 1942 to 1945 Searle enduredthree and a half years as a prisoner ofwar of the Japanese working on theinfamous Thai-Burma Railway. His 400

secret drawings, some of which he hidunder the mattresses of prisoners dyingof cholera, recorded life and death in thecamps. Some of these fragile drawingsare included in the exhibition. Hisexperience as a POW transformed hislife and formed the basis of his laterreportage work. In the 1950s Searlecaptured life on the London streets,drawing sewer men and street sweepers,horse auctions and the funeral of GeorgeVI for the News Chronicle. In the 1950sand 60s he travelled the world forAmerican magazines such as Life andHoliday. In 1961 alone he drew theEichmann trial in Jerusalem and thenewly built Berlin Wall.

As an observer of life Searle isunparalleled: his unerring eye for thesurreal and the comic can be seen in hisdrawings – both entertaining andrevealing – from America, Canada,Germany, France, Ireland andCasablanca. In Britain he is still bestknown for his St Trinian’s andMolesworth drawings, but these are butone tiny chapter in his career. Thisexhibition shows the quality anddiversity of the work he has producedover his long life.

Throughout his career Searle hasstudied and collected the masters of thepast – Carracci, Hogarth, Gillray,

Rowlandson and Cruikshank – some ofwhose works are included in theexhibition, as are Searle’s medalsdedicated to the ‘Fathers of Caricature’,which he designed for the French Mint.

In 1995 at the age of 75 when mostpeople are enjoying retirement, Searletook on a new challenge when he wasasked by the French newspaperLe Monde to draw a weekly politicalcartoon. He continued to do so until2007 when cutbacks at the paperbrought the association to an end.

As a mark of the great esteem inwhich he is held, a number of theworld’s leading cartoonists andfilmmakers have produced artworks inhomage to Searle and written pieces forthe exhibition catalogue: Steve Bell,Roger Law, Mike Leigh, Uli Meyer,Arnold Roth, Martin Rowson, GeraldScarfe, Posy Simmonds and RalphSteadman.

Ronald Searle has been closelyinvolved in the mounting of theexhibition, lending artwork and drawingmaterials and assisting with researchthrough an in-depth interview.

On view until 4 July at the CartoonMuseum, 35 Little Russell Street, WC1.Telephne 020 7580 8155.www.cartoonmuseum.org

The Revelation, Granta November 1964© Ronald Searle. Reproduced by kindpermission of the artist and the SayleLiterary Agency.

Punch, 6 February 1963 cover© Ronald Searle.

Ruddy Sports Day, Lilliput May 1952.© Ronald Searle.


14

More than 150 paintings and workson paper reflect the artist’s life andpersonality. His earlier paintings couldbe described as rough around the edges,spontaneous and very experimental.Many of the works in the early part ofhis career are thickly layered with paint.

This is because of his unique andvisionary way of approaching the canvaswhereby he would not step away from apiece, but let his imagination andmemories take over layer by layer. Hisuse of crisp, bold, lines and colourscombined with the drab, free flowing,abstract shapes could only be composedby an artist who lived the life of Gorky.

He was born in Vosdanig Adoian inArmenia, most likely in 1904, in a timeof internal conflict. In the events leadingup to the First World War, he had toescape on foot with his mother, whothen later died of starvation – a horribleexperience in anyone’s mind. Gorkyviewed this as a bold moment in time,yet with questions still left unanswered.In 1920, the artist arrived in New York asa refugee and started reliving hischildhood memories through art, saying,‘I tell stories to myself while my paint ...My mother told me stories while Ipressed my face into her long apron withmy eyes closed. All of my life her stories

keep unravelling pictures in mymemory.’ This is highlighted in aremarkable set of paintings, The Artistand his Mother, which act as memorialsto Gorky’s lost childhood andconfrontations with exile.

He later received commissions fromPresident Roosevelt's new deal plan,painting for airports and other publicbuildings. When he married in 1941,we witness the breakthrough of the artistand feel the liberation in of work. Hisworks are suddenly watered down, andmuch more fluid in motion. The bestexample is Waterfall. Gorky decided thatin one corner he used too much materialand let the water run down the wholecanvas creating a beautiful, interpretiveimage.

This period in his life did not lastlong though. The end of his life wasfilled with terror and difficulty. First, hisstudio burnt down and he lost a year’sworth of works. A year later, he wasdiagnosed with cancer and had surgerythat was ongoing for years. This madehim angry and eventually led to his wifeand children leaving him.

However, it speaks volumes for thisinteresting man that, even during thenegative times in his life, he stillperserved and continued to tell hisstories though his art.

Dan Zimmer

ARSHILE GORKY: A RETROSPECTIVETate Modern is presenting the first major retrospective of

Arshile Gorky in Europe for twenty years. The exhibition tellsthe life of this fascinating abstract expressionism artist, beginningwith his days of study, to times of greater success during the GreatDepression, and the final sad years of his life. With little formaleducation, it is all the more surprising that he became a pivotalartist in mid-20th century American art.

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Arshile Gorky: The Artist and His Mother,c1926-36. Whitney Museum of Art ©ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2010.

Arshile Gorky: Waterfall, 1943 Tate ©ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2010.


16

But someone should have told him thatsequels rarely work and Love Never Dies,which was 20 years in the making, is noexception. A quartet of writers – LloydWebber, Ben Elton, Glenn Slater andFrederick Forsyth collectively prove thatfour heads are not better than one –especially when the one is GastonLeRoux’s, the creator of the enduringnovel without which, etc.

What LeRoux created was the kind offail-safe plot that claws into theimagination and refuses to let go. WhatMessrs Lloyd Webber and Co. havewrought, are six characters in search –not of an author, they've got enough ofthose – but a workable story-line that will

move, engage and convince an audience.In the absence of any such thing, we're

left with a tepid situation (it really can't becalled a plot) in which, ten years after theevents depicted in Phantom, sopranoChristine Daae, her now impecunioushubbie Raoul and their ten year-old sonGustav, travel from Paris to New York atthe request of a certain Mr Y who makesthem a financial offer they cannot refuse.

All Christine has to do is sing for himin a show he produces at Coney Island.What she doesn't realise until her arrivalin New York is that Mr Y is none otherthan the erstwhile Phantom of the ParisOpera, and, because, umm, love neverdies, he is still besotted with her.

Oh, there's a mini sub-plot of sortsinvolving ex-ballet mistress Madame Giryand her jealous dancer daughter Meg,neither of whom are a barrel of laughs.But then nothing in this musical is.

Gustav turns out to be the Phantom'sson, though why and how Christineallowed him that brief moment of passionten years earlier, is never explained. Norare we given any reason why Raoul, who,if memory serves, had pots of money inPhantom, is now down on his uppers.

More damagingly, it is never explainedwhy the Phantom of the original, apsychopathic killer who indulged in somepretty anti-social behaviour, like dumpingchandeliers on unsuspecting payingcustomers in the stalls, should becomealmost as wealthy as Lord Lloyd Webberand have morphed into a harmlesseccentric with a passion for theatricalgadgets. Was he lobotomised? We needto be told.

And why, in the show's preposterouslyoperatic final scene (spoiler alert to follow)in which Christine is shot by the jealousMeg, does young Gustav seek solace in thearms of the Phantom, a stranger with ahideous facial scar he has only just learnedis his real father? Wouldn't he have rushedto his dying mother's side to comfort her?Or seek out Raoul, who has done a runneron his family?

With so many questions to ask, and,frankly, with so little interest in the answers,all that's left to enjoy is the music.

Ah, the music. Well, in common withmost of Lloyd Webber's shows, there are,to be sure, a couple of good tunes. And ifthey sound familiar, it's because they are.I thought I detected a hint of NoelCoward's A Room With A View in theConey Island Waltz but in the main, themost blatant plagiarism is the composerstealing (or, to be more charitable,recycling) from himself.

LOVE NEVER DIESIn an attempt to regain the glory he lost with such shows

as Whistle Down the Wind, The Beautiful Game and TheWoman in White – and believing in the maxim, if at first yousucceed, try again – Andrew Lloyd Webber returns to thesource of his biggest hit, The Phantom of the Opera.

Show Girls and Summer Strallen as ‘Meg Giry’ in Love Never Dies.


17The ubiquitous title song – and the

best in the show – has a whiff of AdolphDeutsch's theme tune from Billy Wilder'sThe Apartment (the first four notes areidentical), plus an essence of Puccini,without whose influence no ALW scorewould be complete.

The song, as everyone must know bynow, was first heard in The BeautifulGame, which, though a financial failure,ran quite a long time. I know composersre-use material from shows that eitherclosed in tryouts or within a week ofopening. But to use as a title number asong from a fairly high-profile show thathad a respectable run strikes me asunacceptable. And lazy.

Much of the rest of the score ischaracterised by lush, Lloyd Webbercrescendi and the promise of soaringunforgettable melodies that never quitematerialise.

Though the pervading musicalambience, with its duets, trios and quartets,rarely strays very far from operaticconventions, it also contains the obligatorynod in the direction of old-fashionedBroadway musical comedy (Heaven by theSea). A real mish-mash of styles.

There's not much to be said for GlennSlater's lyrics. Apart from the occasionalinfelicity, like rhyming ‘bother’ with ‘father’,the rhymes are generally clean andefficiently well-turned. Nothing, though, togive Stephen Sondheim a sleepless night.The cast, with the exception of SierraBoggess as Christine, is no better than itsmaterial.

Ms Boggess's ‘eleven o'clock’ titlenumber is the evening's only genuinelydeserved show-stopper and she delivers itwith spine-tingling conviction. There's a realpresence on stage whenever she appears –which, alas, cannot be said of RaminKarimloo's Phantom. His voice is fine, butwhere's the personality? The charisma? Ifever a show relied on its leading man to gobeyond the call of duty and conjure magicwhere none exists, this is it.

Liz Robertson and Summer Strallen,always assets in whatever musical theyappear, are more or less lost in the

confusion of the first act (things improvemarginally in the second) and one's heartgoes out to them, as it does to the usuallyexcellent Joseph Millson as Raoul. Thedashing hero of Phantom of the Opera ishere reduced to an alcoholic loser with aslittle flesh and blood on him as atransparent projection on a scrim. Call itthe show's most thankless Raoul.

There are six kids playing Gustave. I'mnot sure which one I saw, but I doubt hewas the best of the bunch.

Though Jack O'Brien's direction ismore assured in the show's less clutteredsecond half, he never manages to makeus care about anything that's happening;and as for Jerry Mitchell's choreography,I can only ask ‘What choreography?’ Did Imiss something?

Which leaves Bob Crowley's sets andcostumes and Jon Driscoll's projectiondesigns. They're by far the best things inan evening that thinks its an opera butactually, is just another poor musical.

I left the theatre humming theproverbial scenery – oh, and the first fournotes of The Apartment.

Adelphi Theatre.CLIVE HIRSCHHORN

POLAR BEARS AT THE DONMARMark Haddon leapt to prominence

with his 2003 award-winning novel TheCurious Incident of the Dog in theNight-Time, written from the perspectiveof a boy with Asperger's syndrome. Forhis playwrighting debut he tacklesanother mental health problem and theeffect it has not only on the sufferer butalso on her nearest and dearest.

Told in intentionally jumbledflashback, it seems, at first, that it'sRichard Coyle's John (a gentle, lovingphilosophy lecturer) who's the one withpsychiatric problems as he confronts hiswife Kay's horrified brother Sandy withthe news that she's lying dead in thecellar – and that he was the one whokilled her. But as Haddon tracks therelationship from the couple's firstmeeting, delving into the siblings'childhood on the way, he exposes thepsychological weaknesses of all hischaracters.

Despite the smart suit, well paid joband unseen trophy wife, the sadistictendencies Paul Hilton's Sandy exhibitedas a little boy still lurk just below theharshly practical surface of the grownman. And Kay's mother (a taut CeliaImrie) may, too, have exacerbated thebipolar predisposition her daughterinherited from her suicide father.

Nobody does anguish better thanJodhi May and she touchingly conveysthe contrast between Kay's apparentcreative highs and her paralyseddepressive lows. But the wayward scripttends to get sidelined, introducing aJesus like character who turns out to bea former lover and straying into self-indulgent dissemination of informationwhich does little to flesh out thecharacters.

Jamie Lloyd's well-acted 90-minuteproduction benefits from SoutraGilmour's shattered, distancing design,and certainly has its arresting moments,but ends up struggling with a notaltogether convincing depiction of adamaged and damaging reality.

Louise Kingsley

Ramin Karimloo as ‘The Phantom’ andSierra Boggess as ‘Christine’.

Photo Catherine Ashmore.


18POSH Royal Court Theatre

Given the Royal Court's long-runninganti-Establishment bias, you didn't haveto be Nostradamus to predict that Poshwould be a loaded play about class.

It's set in a private dining room of anOxford gastropub where The Riot Club,comprising ten pukka male students intheir early twenties, meet for a ritualisticdinner whose main course is a ten-birdroast, and where the bottles of wineoutnumber the guests.

All harbour an inflated sense ofentitlement, convinced they areresponsible for putting the ‘great’ in GreatBritain – past present and future, andresent the fact they are no longer in power.

Bright but foul-mouthed, conspicuouslydebauched (they each bring a sick bag withthem as a hedge against excessive eatingand drinking), and with a stereotypicalHooray-Henry approach to the world,practically everything they say reeks of asnobbish class-consciousness rather thanclass.

With ten characters in the mix,playwright Laura Wade, by necessity, haschosen only a handful on whom to

concentrate. And while each has hisrevelatory moments, a few, such as TomMison, as James, the Riot Club'spresident, David Dawson as their residentgay poet (deliciously named Hugo Fraser-Tyrwhitt), Henry Lloyd-Hughes as Dimitri,a Greek by name but an English toff bynature, and most memorable of all, LeoBill as the group's repellently outspoken(and violent) member Alastair, make themost impact.

Indeed, the one element not in shortsupply is impact, and after the initial houror so – the time Wade allows hercharacters to establish themselves, the playdramatically shifts gears. The meal startsuneventfully enough. There's somediscussion about the wine on offer and it'sdiscovered that the ten-bird roastcomprises only nine birds (no guinea fowlcould be found). Nor does the The landlord(Daniel Ryan) endear himself by asking thelads to keep the volume of noise down asother paying customers have complained.

The evening is further compromisedwhen a ‘prozzer’ (prostitute) called Charlie(Charlotte Lucas) who has been bookedfor the night refuses to indulge in the sex

act expected of her and is forced to leavewhen the landlord discovers her presence.The evening climaxes not in sex, despite aclumsy attempt on behalf of one of theboys to kiss the landlord's waitressdaughter (Fiona Button) against her will,but when the aggressive Alastair floors thelandlord with a vicious uppercut after theytrash his dining room.

It's at this point that incredulitysupercedes shock as all ten students,oblivious of their victim's life-threatening wounds, stand aroundbickering and apportioning blame ratherthan calling an ambulance.

Despite their all-for-one and one-for-all philosophy, self-preservation kicks inand the rest of the group decide thatAlastair, who administered the blows,should take the blame.

Wade's coup d'grace and her ultimatethrust of the dagger into the heart of apolitical party she clearly despises, is afinal scene in which an influential ToryMP (Simon Shepherd) reassures anunrepentant Alastair that the party needsmore men like him, and that the influentialold-boy network to which he belongs willhelp clear his name prior to recruiting himinto Conservative politics.

If ever a play loaded the dice to make apoint, this is it. The relish with which theplaywright hammers home her messagecomes dangerously close to caricatureand you will search in vain for a smidgenof decency among her ten offensive toffs,not one of whom appears to have a singleredeeming feature.

Yet there is undeniable ingenuity in theway the play is constructed, in thecharacters's authentic speech patterns andin the author's ability to juggle so manycharacters without losing focus.

Laura Wade is certainly a talent to watchand it will be interesting to see how shehandles a play with less easy targets andwith a fairer, more balanced point of view.

Lyndsey Turner's skilful and fluentdirection and Anthony Ward's settingscontribute immeasuarbly to the success ofan evening, which although flawed andmanipulative, packs quite a wallop.

CLIVE HIRSCHHORN

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Open daily 10am–6pmFriday until 9pmwww.nationalgallery.org.ukBook now: 0844 847 2409


20 PLAYSMRS WARREN’S PROFESSIONControversial in its time, George BernardShaw’s play is now acknowledged as a trueclassic. Stars Felicity Kendal.COMEDY THEATREPanton Street, SW1 (0844 871 7622)

THE 39 STEPSMaria Aitken’s tongue-in-cheek adaptation ofJohn Buchan’s whodunnit has four actorsplaying 150 parts and includes all thelegendary scenes from Hitchcock’s movie.CRITERION THEATREPiccadilly Circus, WC2 (0844 847 1778)

BEDROOM FARCEAlan Ayckbourn’s ingenious comedy shines abrilliant spotlight onto the trials andtribulations of suburban marriage.DUKE OF YORK’SSt Martin’s Lane, WC2 (0844 847 1722)

THE WOMAN IN BLACKAn innocent outsider, a suspicious ruralcommunity, a gothic house and a misty marshare the ingredients of this Victorian ghoststory, now in its 21st year.FORTUNE THEATRERussell Street, WC2 (0870 060 6626)

Royal National Theatre Plays in repertory

OLIVIER THEATRELONDON ASSURANCEDion Boucicault, Irish genius of Londontheatre in the age of Charles Dickens, wrotethis brilliantly funny play in 1841.WOMEN BEWARE WOMENCorruption will not go unpunished in ThomasMiddleton’s blackly funny, fast and ferocioustragedy, directed by Marianne Elliott.

LYTTELTON THEATRETHE WHITE GUARDAndrew Upton’s vigorous new version ofMilhail Bulgakov’s rarely performedmasterpiece, set in Kiev during the RussianCivil War.THE HABIT OF ARTAlan Bennett’s new play looks at the unsettlingdesires of two difficult men, Benjamin Brittenand W H Auden.

COTTESLOE THEATRESPRING STORMEuropean premiere of a gripping early play byTennessee Williams.BEYOND THE HORIZONThe powerful Pulitzer prize-winning dramathat formulated Eugene O’Neill’s vision ofAmerica.

LOVE THE SINNERDrew Pautz’s tense and provocative new playconsiders what we may be willing to sacrificefor what we believe to be right.

NATIONAL THEATRESouth Bank, SE1 (020 7452 3000)

WAR HORSEThe National Theatre’s epic based on thecelebrated novel by Children’s Laureate,Michael Morpurgo. Actors work withmagnificent life-size puppets on a gruellingjourney at the time of the First World War.NEW LONDON THEATREDrury Lane, WC2 (0844 412 4654)

ENRONBased on one of the most infamous scandalsin financial history, the play mixes classicaltragedy with savage comedy in a narrative ofgreed and loss during the tumultuous 1990s. NOEL COWARDSt Martin’s Lane, WC2 (0844 482 5140)

THE REAL THINGMajor revival of Tom Stoppard’s multi-award-winning modern classic, starring Toby Stephens.Razor sharp drama that brilliantly examines thecomplex nature of love, art and reality. OLD VICThe Cut, Waterloo, SE1 (0844 871 7609)

THE MOUSETRAPAgatha Christie’s whodunnit is the longestrunning play of its kind in the history of theBritish theatre.ST MARTIN’S THEATREWest Street, WC2 (0844 499 1515)

HOLDING THE MANWest End premiere of Tim Conigrave’s funnyyet moving play speaks across generations,sexual preferences and culture.TRAFALGAR STUDIOSWhitehall, SW1 (0844 847 1722)

MUSICALSLOVE NEVER DIESAndrew Lloyd Webber’s long awaited sequelto The Phantom of the Opera, the show is arollercoaster ride of obsession and intrigue, inwhich music and memory can play cruel tricks.ADELPHI THEATREStrand, WC2 (0844 847 1722)

DIRTY DANCINGBased on the ‘80s movie, this famous taleinvolves a daddy’s girl and a dance instructorat a New York holiday resort during the long,hot summer of 1963.ALDWYCH THEATREAldwych, WC2 (0844 847 2330)

WICKED THE MUSICALHit Broadway story of how a clever,misunderstood girl with emerald green skinand a girl who is beautiful and popular turninto the Wicked Witch of the West and Glindathe Good Witch in the Land of Oz.APOLLO VICTORIA THEATREWilton Road, SW1 (0844 826 8000)

CHICAGOA dazzling mixture of sinuous bodies, toughbroads, murder and fickle fame, the Ebb-Fosse musical goes from strength to strength.CAMBRIDGE THEATREEarlham Street, WC2 (0844 412 4652)

WE WILL ROCK YOUA unique collaboration between the legends ofrock and Ben Elton, reflecting the scale andspectacle that marked Queen’s live performances.DOMINION THEATRETottenham Court Rd, W1 (0844 847 1775)

ALL THE FUN OF THE FAIRInspired by his debut album, David Essexstars as fun fair owner, Levi Lee, recentlywidowed and father of a rebellious teenage son. GARRICK THEATRECharing Cross Road, WC2 (0844 847 1722)

HAIRThe 2009 Tony award winning production.A celebration of life, love and freedomfeaturing great songs including Let The SunShine In, I Got Life and Aquarius.GIELGUD THEATREShaftesbury Avenue, WC2 (0844 482 5141)

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERALong running epic romance by Andrew LloydWebber, set behind the scenes of a Parisopera house, where a deformed phantomstalks his prey.HER MAJESTY’S THEATREHaymarket, SW1 (0844 412 2707)

THRILLER – LIVESpectacular, high octane show celebrating thecareer of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.LYRIC THEATREShaftesbury Avenue, W1 (0844 412 4661)

SISTER ACTBased on the hit movie, the new stage musicalfollows disco-diva Deloris Van Cartier as shegoes into protective custody in a convent.LONDON PALLADIUMArgyll Street, W1 (0844 412 2204)

THE LION KINGDisney‘s phenomenally successful animatedfilm is transformed into a spectacular stagemusical, a superb evening of visual delight. LYCEUM THEATREWellington Street, WC2 (0844 844 0005)


21STOMPThis British theatrical sensation has enthralledaudiences across the world with its combinationof theatre, dance, comedy and percussion.NEW AMBASSADORSWest Street, WC2 (0844 811 2334)

PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERTBased on the Oscar award winning film, aglamorous Sydney based performing triotakes their show to the Australian outback.PALACE THEATREShaftesbury Avenue, W1 (0844 755 0016)

BLOOD BROTHERSWilly Russell’s powerful musical about twinsfrom Liverpool, separated at birth, whose pathscross in friendship and finally in bloodshed.PHOENIX THEATRECharing Cross Road, WC2 (0870 060 6629)

GREASEInimitable slice of 50s Americana, burstingwith denim, cheerleaders and well-oiled quiffsfeaturing Summer Nights, Hopelessly Devotedto You, You’re The One That I Want and more.PICCADILLY THEATREDenman Street, W1 (0844 412 6600)

DREAMBOATS & PETTICOATSInspired by the smash hit million sellingcompilation albums which featured some ofthe greatest hits of the rock ‘n’ roll era.PLAYHOUSE THEATRENorthumberland Ave, WC2 (0844 847 1722)

JERSEY BOYSRags to riches tale of four blue collar kidsworking their way from the streets of Newarkto the heights of stardom as Frankie Valli andThe Four Seasons.PRINCE EDWARD THEATREOld Compton Street, W1 (0844 482 5151)

MAMMA MIA!Hit musical based on the songs of ABBA, setaround the story of a mother and daughter, onthe eve of the daughter’s wedding.PRINCE OF WALES THEATREOld Compton Street, W1 (0844 482 5115)

LES MISERABLESA spectacularly staged version of VictorHugo’s epic novel about an escaped convict’ssearch for redemption amidst the tumult ofRevolutionary France.QUEENS THEATREShaftesbury Avenue, WC2 (0844 482 5160)

LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICALBased on the 2001 film which starred ReeseWitherspoon as Elle Woods, the multi award-winning musical comes to London.SAVOY THEATREStrand, WC2 (0844 847 1722)

OLIVER!Cameron Mackintosh’s revival of Lionel Bart’smusical masterpiece. The legendary songsinclude Consider Yourself, Food GloriousFood and I’d Do Anything.THEATRE ROYALCatherine Street, WC2 (0844 412 2955)

SWEET CHARITYTamzin Outhwaite plays the title role in the WestEnd transfer of Tony Award-winning musical,originally directed and choreographed by BobFosse from book by Neil Simon.THEATRE ROYALHaymarket, SW1 (0845 481 1870)

BILLY ELLIOT – THE MUSICALThe hit British film is transformed into athrilling stage musical by its original director,Stephen Daldry, with music by Elton John.VICTORIA PALACEVictoria Street, SW1 (0844 811 0055)

AVENUE QAn unholy comedic alliance of humans andpuppets tells the story of life on the wrongside of the tracks in this Tony Award-winningmusical by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx. WYNDHAM’S THEATRECharing Cross Road, WC2 (0844 482 5120)

SWEET CHARITYTamzin Outhwaite, who plays the title

role of Charity Hope Valentine, leads thecast in the West End transfer of the TonyAward-winning musical, Sweet Charitythis week. With book by Neil Simon,music by Cy Coleman and lyrics byDorothy Fields, Sweet Charity is producedin the West End by Chocolate FactoryProductions, David Ian Productions, theTheatre Royal Haymarket Productions andDavid Mirvish.

Sweet Charity follows themisadventures of love encountered bythe gullible and guileless Charity HopeValentine, a woman who always givesher heart and her dreams to the wrongman. Cy Coleman’s score featuresfavourite hits such as Hey, Big Spender;If My Friends Could See Me Now andThe Rhythm of Life.

Tamzin Outhwaite’s previous stagecredits include Matthew Warchus’critically acclaimed production ofBoeing-Boeing at the Comedy Theatre,Breathing Corpses and Flesh Wound forthe Royal Court, Oliver at the LondonPalladium and Baby on Board, AbsentFriends and They’re Playing Our Song,all for Alan Ayckbourn at the StephenJoseph Theatre, Scarborough.

Originally directed and choreographedby Bob Fosse, Sweet Charity premieredon Broadway at the Palace Theatre in1966, where it ran for over 600performances. The production won theTony Award for Best Choreography in thesame year. In 1967 the production openedin London at Prince of Wales Theatre,starring Juliet Prowse. The 1969 filmversion also directed and choreographedby Fosse, starred Shirley MacLaine andJohn McMartin. In 1986 the productionwas revived on Broadway winning fourTony Awards, and again in 2005 starringChristina Applegate.

Sweet Charity is based on the originalscreenplay for Nights of Cabiria byFederico Fellini, Tullio Pinelli and EnnioPlaiano.

Theatre Royal Haymarket Box Office:telephone 0845 481 1870.

Skating legend and Dancing on Icejudge Robin Cousins is guest star as'Teen Angel' in GREASE for a limitedseason until 19 June at London'sPiccadilly Theatre.


22

The breathtaking sculpture – thoughtto be the tallest in the UK – will consistof a continuous looping lattice of tubularsteel. Standing at a gigantic 115m, it willbe 22m taller than the Statue of Libertyin New York and offer unparalleled viewsof the entire 250 acres of the OlympicPark and London’s skyline from a specialviewing platform. Visitors will be able totake a trip up the statuesque structure in ahuge lift and will have the option ofwalking down the spiralling staircase.

One of the world's most distinguishedcontemporary artists, Turner Prizewinning Anish Kapoor studied inLondon, where he is now based. He iswell known for his use of rich pigmentand imposing, yet popular works, such

as the vast, fleshy and trumpet-likeMarsyas, which filled the Tate's TurbineHall as part of the Unilever Series, thegiant reflecting, pod like sculpture CloudGate in Chicago's Millennium Park andhis recent record breaking show at theRoyal Academy, the most successfulexhibition ever presented by acontemporary artist in London.

Anish Kapoor’s proposal has beendeveloped in collaboration with one ofthe world’s leading structural designers,Cecil Balmond of Arup. Balmond, whotrained and lives in London, is knownfor his innovative work on some of thegreatest contemporary buildings in theworld, such as the CCTV building inBeijing, as well as numerous Serpentine

Gallery pavilion commissions. The twobegan working together on the Marsyasproject in 2002 and have becomerenowned for their ambitious, large-scale public art projects.

ArcelorMittal will fund up to £16million of the £19.1 million project withthe outstanding £3.1 million provided bythe London Development Agency. Theunveiling also marks ArcelorMittal’sannouncement to become a tier twosponsor of the Olympic and ParalympicGames, to support the infrastructure andsuccess of 2012.

‘This stunning structure will become anew iconic London landmark towering115 metres into the London skyline.Alongside the Olympic Stadium andAquatics Centre, Anish Kapoor’s brilliantdesign will be like honey to bees for themillions of tourists that visit Londoneach year. Having been involved in thisproject from the outset, I’m now lookingforward to seeing it go from a great ideainto a brilliant reality.’ said Minister forthe Olympics and London, Tessa Jowell.

Chairman of the London OrganisingCommittee of the Olympic Games andParalympic Games (LOCOG), Seb Coeadded – ‘Our ambitions for the Gamesare very clear and very simple. We wantto leave leaving a lasting legacy: of moreyoung people playing sport, of changingpublic attitudes towards disabilitiesthrough the Paralympic Games, of anextraordinarily transformed landscape inEast London, in which this impressivesculpture will play a central role. Thenew sculpture will be an indeliblememory, a declaration of legacy and adefinable landmark that Londoners andpeople from around the world will enjoyvisiting during the Games and longafterwards.’

ANISH KAPOOR VISITOR ATTRACTION FOR OLYMPIC PARKAward winning London-based artist Anish Kapoor has been

given the commission of a lifetime to design the spectacularnew public attraction in the Olympic Park. The stunningartwork, to be entitled ‘The ArcelorMittal Orbit’, will ensurethe Park remains an unrivalled visitor destination followingthe 2012 Games, providing the key Olympic legacy Mayor ofLondon Boris Johnson envisaged for the East End.

albemarle gallery group show

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