Why Devon’s Salcombe is the new hotspot for holidaying Londoners August 8, 2022 Apparently there’s been a raft of Londoners arriving in Salcombe absolutely fuming. Their Chelsea Tractors have been getting stuck down Devon’s tiny roads, and even the most expensive sat-navs are flummoxed by the windy-windy routes. What’s caused the spike in first-time visitors that seem to be getting lost, and were they aware before they set [...]
South Pacific review: It’s shocking how contemporary this simmering musical feels 70 years on August 5, 2022 Mid century American writer and lyricist combo Rodgers and Hammerstein are having a moment. A new experimental version of their most famous musical, Oklahoma!, played at the Young Vic earlier this summer, and now there’s a fresh version of South Pacific. Over 70 years since its 1949 Broadway premier it still feels shockingly contemporary in [...]
Phantom Peak review: £34 without any drinks? Call the sheriff – let’s shut this place down August 5, 2022 Workers are spending more than seven pounds on a pint these days in London. I have been one of those people. Getting ripped off is tiring, but so many places rip you off in London that it feels impossible to keep track of what’s actually a good price, and what feels acceptable but actually isn’t. [...]
London cocktail bars for summer, from rooftops to new terraces August 2, 2022 London cocktail bars are proudly dingy places. They’re described as “subterranean,” or “dimly-lit” or “dens.” That makes sense in the winter when we want to escape the bitterness with a biting smack of tequila on the tongue. But what about in summer, when we’re still after fine cocktails but with some more air to breathe, [...]
Women’s Euro final 2022: The best places to watch England vs Germany TODAY July 31, 2022 Sing it with us… It’s coming home, it’s coming home, it’s… could it be, finally? TODAY is the day, and we couldn’t be more excited. Kick off is at 5.00pm this afternoon and the game will be screened on BBC One, but of course our great city has plenty of options if you’d rather get [...]
Bad Jews review: An unnervingly realistic portrait of bad family communication July 28, 2022 I’d estimate that at least half the audience at Bad Jews are having an uncomfortable flashback while they watch. Joshua Harman’s play, which first premiered Off-Broadway ten years ago, is unnervingly successful at capturing the impossibility of family communication, especially in light of grief. We’re stuck in Jonah’s confined New York City apartment, where, as [...]
The best new London rooftop bars to visit this summer July 27, 2022 There’s nothing like a rooftop bar in summer – and while old favourites like Frank’s Cafe in Peckham, Radio in Covent Garden and The Boundary in Shoreditch are timeless places to drink, it’s always worth trying somewhere new. Here are a raft of fresh rooftops that have recently opened, all well worth raising a glass [...]
Fashion Freak Show review: This thrillscape of wild costumes will delight die-hards July 21, 2022 Men gyrating in neon yellow tutus, dancers proudly sporting red tubing as the only cover to their modesty, others teasing the crowd wearing Shakespearean ruffs extending the length of the body. And how could we forget the conical bras? French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier’s vivid imagination is what helped him push past the crowd [...]
Exclusive with Jean Paul Gaultier: ‘Straight actors should be able to play gay roles’ July 21, 2022 It’s 9.30am and Jean Paul Gaultier is relentlessly turning over last night’s performance of ABBA Voyage. It’s far too hot for coffee so we’re sitting with a pair of orange juices and Gaultier is encouraging me to get stuck into the breakfast buffet. I politely decline because there are more important things at hand: discussing [...]
Ochre restaurant review: Art on the walls and plates at the National Gallery July 20, 2022 The National Gallery seems like the kind of place you go for dinner when you’re a grown up. I’ve wandered past the stately, towering entrance to Ochre restaurant for the past decade, ogling the formidable doormen and wondering what lies inside this easterly stretch of the building that houses so many priceless paintings. Ochre used [...]