What angel wakes me from my flowery bed? Noel Coward Theatre : LOCAL LOVES

Eeek! On Friday I spent another brilliant night at the theatre. I've been excited about this one for well over a year now...

A Midsummer Night's Dream starring Sheridan Smith and David Walliams!

Not only is it probably one of my fave Shakespeares but check out that casting! David plays Bottom, a part I'm guessing he's been wanting to play for many years, and Sheridan plays Titania, queen of the fairies. The show is part of the now legendary Michael Grandage Season, at the Noel Coward Theatre in London's West End.

Michael was the artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse for ten years and is a true theatre gem. I was lucky enough to be at his final night at the Donmar - his closing show was Richard II starring Les Mis hunk Eddie Redmayne. It was a cracking play and the after party wasn't too bad either!

Now, a few months after gracefully bowing out of the Donmar Michael announced a season of five plays at the Noel Coward and these were...

Privates on Parade starring Simon Russell Beale. Simon was then in a show I worked on a few months later - The Hothouse. It was part of the hugely successful Trafalgar Transformed season, with renowned director Jamie Lloyd, and Simon was just lovely.

Peter and Alice starring Dame Judi Dench and Ben Wishaw. It was an absolute honour to see them on stage together and I'm luckily getting the chance to work on Ben's next show which is Mojo at the Harold Pinter Theatre, which also stars Rupert Grint, Brendan Coyle and Daniel Mays. I'm trying my best not to go all major fan girl on this one. But oh-em-gee it's going to be fantastic.

The Cripple of Inishmaan starring Daniel Radcliffe - yep, Harry Potter! I didn't get to see this one unfortunately but the reviews were pretty damn good and Daniel was mobbed at stage door every night.

Now it's the turn of A Midsummer Night's Dream. BRILLIANT.

I went with Catriona, who you've come across before (mega babe, old school glam) because she is a genius and booked a pair of £10 tickets to each show of the season. See - high quality West End theatre - cheap and accessible! I told you it was possible :) We popped to Notes down the road for a quick glass of bubbly and a mezze platter before the show - it's a really lovely little restaurant. By day it's a coffee shop, by night it's a wine lover's dream.

We then poured into the theatre with the rest of the excited audience and took our seats for, at a run time of two hours and fifteen minutes, a pretty pacey Shakespeare.

I loved the set - a dilapidated stately home, with a crumbling back wall revealing an almighty and ever-present moon. Take a look at that bad boy!

Now, what I particularly like about this production is Michael's nurturing of young and new talent - and this is something that he is becoming very well known for. Stefano Braschi, who plays Demetrius, was in Richard II at the Donmar and, more recently, Peter and Alice. Another great thing about Stefano is that he also has a cracking pair of legs which caused half of the audience to swoon as he ran around the stage after Helena wearing just his pants. Quentin Letts (the theatre critic for the Daily Mail) put it quite wonderfully -  "Lysander and Demetrius have the looks and limbs of Calvin Klein underpant models. They duly strip to their smalls." The rest of Quentin's five star review is here.

Other notable newbies are Stefan Adegbola and Alex Large who both only graduated from Guildhall School of Music and Drama this summer - imagine working with such theatre greats so soon after flying the nest of drama school!

Stefano  

So what does this London Luvvie recommend?

- Follow theatre seasons. It's great to see a group of works put together by one director - it gives you a sense of their style, artistry and agenda.

- Again - make use of theatre deals! Over 100,000 tickets were sold for £10 to the Michael Grandage and all seats on Mondays at the Trafalgar Transformed Season are £15. I personally prefer the Trafalgar method - all of the £10 Michael Grandage tickets were released in one go when the season went on sale so were pretty tough to get your hands on, whereas the Trafalgar Mondays only go on sale at the start of each month so you've always got another chance to get a deal.

Cirque Éloise iD, Peacock Theatre : LOCAL LOVES

Y'know that bit in Strictly when the professionals do an incredible lift and the whole audiences oohs and ahhs? Well, imagine that for two hours, with body contortion,  hidden trampolines, jumping from impossible heights, corde lisse (like that BBC ad!), bmx, juggling...BUT HIP HOP! This is Cirque Éloise iD.

When my brill friend Georgia (she makes the best themed cakes in town and went to the Harry Potter Studio Tour in costume. She's awesome.) mentioned the show to me I didn't think much of it but went along because the last thing I'd seen at the Peacock Theatre (ZooNation's Some Like It Hip Hop) was blooming brilliant so I was hoping for some more of the same. But my gosh did Cirque Éloise turn it up a notch!

It's proper edge-of-your-seat stuff and I did have to cover my eyes a few times - there's a huge element of danger in everything this troupe does. It's at shows like this where you can truly appreciate pure talent. Each member of the cast had something incredible to bring to the plate.

I won't spoil it too much but if you like a bit of hip hop dancing (come on, I know you've watched all the Step Up movies too) then I'd really recommend going - seriously. It is beyond impressive.

You can get tickets here - the Peacock Theatre is the younger, cooler sister of Sadler's Wells Theatre so that's why it directs you to that site. Tickets are £15, £24, £36, £42 and under 16s go half price! It's on until 18th October so quick, quick, quick.

So, the recommendation for this post is pretty obvious...

 - Go to see iD by Cirque Éloise! It's really one of the most exciting shows I've seen recently and gives Cirque du Solei a run for it's money in the cool stakes.

RAH daaarling : LOCAL LOVES

R.A.H. The Royal Albert Hall. 

What an absolute BEAUTY.

The Albert Memorial - opposite the North side of the hall

Well, I finally went to what can arguably be called one of London’s, if not England’s, most beautiful buildings! I’ve lived in London for over 3 years now and I can’t believe it has taken me so long to see something there. Now here comes the potentially un-cool bit – I went to see one of my fave bands…McFly! If, like me, you were doing your GCSEs about ten years ago I would bet a good tenner that you have a little soft spot for these guys. Their songs are so catchy and they’re genuinely lovely boys. Over the years I’ve met a few of them through mutual friends, they’re real gents and completely deserve to still be so damn popular a whole 10 years down the line.

So when I heard they were celebrating their 10 Year  Anniversary at the beautiful Royal Albert Hall I just had to go. I have a lovely little friend who managed to get me on the guest list (perks of being a theatre luvvie!) so we had really fantastic seats and just the best night ever!

I went with my gorgeous friend Catriona (total mega babe and a real hoot, she calls us girls ‘ladies’ and adds a bit of old school glam to everything). She is the proud owner of a McFly tour t-shirt and a copy of the greatest hits album, yep, a mega fan! We got there early and popped to the lovely Berry Bros. & Rudd No.3 Bar for a glass of bubbly before taking our seats. It’s really beautiful in there, the walls are a dark forest green and all the furniture is clad in deliciously sumptuous leather. They do scrummy cocktails too which I think I shall be sampling the next time I go – yum!

After getting our champers fill we headed into the auditorium….and my gosh it really does have the wow factor! We were in for a great night.

And the best bit? BUSTED CAME ON!!!! I full on reverted to my fifteen year old self and couldn't stop screaming! They played Year 3000 and Air Hostess. I, of course, knew every single word so sang along when I could stop myself shrieking. Deary me.

They’re no Bastille or Arctic Monkeys but I really bloody love McFly and went home on such a high – so I’d really recommend that you….

-          GO TO THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL! Get on the website and find something you want to see. The shows change all the time and there’s lots of one-nighters so I’m sure you’ll be able to find something that floats your boats and the tickets don’t all break the bank I promise. They do brill crimbo carol sing-alongs in December apparently ;)

-         BE A TOURIST! I've lived in London for long enough for it to start feeling like home now and it’s really making me complacent. There’s so much on our doorstep - you have to go and explore!

Seeing the King, Southwark Playhouse : LOCAL LOVES

I went to see gorgeous Max Irons in Farragut North at the Southwark Playhouse recently and it was a really brill evening.

Max, son of Jeremy Irons and Sinéad Cusack, shot into the public eye this summer in the BBC's dramatisation of Phillipa Gregory's The White Queen. I loved it and watched it religiously in that holy Sunday evening television slot.

I thought his portrayal of King Edward was very powerful (and very sexy of course!) so when I saw that he was in a play in London I snapped up some tickets with the girls straight away. Now, as you'll see from my Twitter I am a major theatre fiend and see several shows a week, for work and for pleasure, but ashamedly I had never been to Southwark Playhouse! This was the perfect opportunity and I was really excited to see the space.

The bar is really lively. I was with 9 noisy girls so we commandeered a corner to have a quick catch up before the show. The theatre is in Elephant and Castle and I would actually recommend going there even just for a drink. They're also happy to provide a home for production meetings and will reserve an area free of charge.

Now the play itself was about American politics...not really my cup of tea to be honest, but it was the casting that attracted me. Yummy Max of course, Rachel Tucker (West End star of Wicked) and Shaun Williamson (yes, Barry from Eastenders!). I was seriously impressed with Shaun, he performed with great strength and status. 

I think Max really suffered from nerves but hopefully as the run goes on he'll gain confidence and match the swagger of his character. However, the stand out performance for me was from Josh O'Connor who, after a quick glance at the programme, I realised has recently been part of the film version of Laura Wade's Posh. Posh, the play, started life at the Royal Court Theatre then transferred to the West End and had a brilliant run at the Duke of York's Theatre. I saw it twice and was gutted when it ended. But never fear - the movie will be out in 2014! But yes, Josh was brilliant. He had great comic timing and just seemed so utterly capable.

I really enjoyed my evening at the theatre - there's no frills or faff to the Southwark Playhouse, just quality theatre and a fun place to be. I'm going to go back soon as I'd love to see the space used in another way. The auditorium itself is very bare, almost industrial, and it feel like many worlds can be created in there. 

So my advice?

-  Don't be scared to go to a show that only has one element that interests you - go and see something because you fancy the lead actor, go and see something because you're intrigued by the theatre, go and see something because it's cheap!

-  Make use of theatre discounts. Lots of theatres do great deals for Under-26s - The National, The Young Vic, The Old Vic, The Royal Court. I've paid as little as £5 in the past to see some of what became my favourite shows of all time. And for those of you who are over 26 I'd recommend going during previews - previews are the public performances of a show before it's been officially reviewed by the critics. Tickets are often cheaper and you're one of the first to see the show - you're ahead of the game, kid!

Island Retreat, Hayling : A STONE'S THROW AWAY

So, I started the weekend just gone feeling TERRIBLE after a pretty raucous night out in South West London. It started as a very civilised affair at my place - I made makeshift salmon blinis [wholewheat bread, a dollop of cream cheese, a slither of smoked salmon and a squeeze of lemon juice] and sour dough bruschetta, which we washed down with prosecco...

....then gin and tonics....which I particularly enjoyed...

....then after arriving at the club - mojitos...more gin, coronas, jagerbombs....you get the picture.

But what better way to bust a hangover than a trip to the seaside! My lovely friend Sophie has a little beach house on Hayling Island. Her extended family own a small strip of coast and a little private beach - dotted along the edge of the water are sweet wooden bungalows. Everyone knows everyone and it's a lovely atmosphere.

The girls and I jumped on the train to Sophie's family home just outside of London to pick up the car, sipping some medicinal pepsi and regretting that final drink. Awaiting our arrival was a pretty fantastic lunch....

Ice cubes made out of crushed berries - such a lovely idea.

After demolishing plate upon plate of lunchtime goodness we piled into the car and bombed down the M3, listening to Bastille far too loudly, windows down, blowing away the cobwebs. As soon as we arrived we were straight out onto the water in kayaks, on paddle boards and in a dinky little rowing boat. I'm not going to lie - I am an appalling rower - so I commandeered the kayak and then got rowed around a bit. Bliss.

Now, Guest of the Weekend Award goes to the lovely Lucy – seen above in a fetching yellow kayak. She selflessly took all her clothes off and waded out to sea when the rowing boat escaped. Granted, the water was only waist-deep so flashing her bra to all and sundry was a little unnecessary but we enjoyed the impromptu striptease nonetheless.

My personal rower

I haven't quite mastered the 'Graceful Disembark' just yet - soaking wet jeans!

We had fish and chips for sups and practically rolled into bed for a sea-air induced slumber.

In the morning, feeling mightily refreshed after a good sleep, great vats of tea and piles of toast with marmalade, we set off on a walk around the island and it looked like everyone else had had the same idea - sailors, golfers, windsurfers, fishers - you name an activity, we saw it! We tripped over sand dunes and pebble beaches, through woods and down little foot-worn paths.

After a spot of crabbing on the harbour wall and a lunch of scrambled eggs on toast and apple crumble with lashing of custard we reluctantly packed up and headed back to London a little sun kissed and very relaxed. It was such a lovely twenty four hours, the perfect way to spend the last weekend of Summer. I love London with all my heart but sometimes you do need to step out of the bubble.


So you can probably guess what my Londoner suggestion is this time folks....

- GO TO HAYLING ISLAND! It's a stone's throw away from London - from Waterloo the train takes an hour and fifteen minutes to get to Havant, the nearest station to the island, then it's a short ten minute drive. Apparently there's also a bus, the 31A, which takes just under half an hour. There are lots of holiday homes on Hayling so book yourself in, or just go for the day, and blow those cobwebs away!

Nails and Cocktails, Hippodrome Casino : LOCAL LOVES

If you're lucky enough to work in the heart of London you qualify for the brilliant WOW Card - it's a privilege scheme that gives us little hard workers discounts and deals in local shops, restaurants, theatres etc. Now, up until recently I've only really been abusing the 25% off food at Busaba deal but I finally got round to doing something non food related!

The Hippodrome Casino on Leicester Square has teamed up with the WOW scheme to offer free manicures and 2 for 1 cocktails on Wednesday and Friday evenings 6-8pm for the foreseeable future. Details of the 'Spa in the Bar' can be found here. So, having spotted this, the girls and I promptly booked ourselves for an evening of after work indulgence.

You can't see them very well but my rings are from the lovely Monica Vinader - she makes fantastic stacking rings and beautiful fiji bracelets.

Bellinis - a girl's best friend

 

This was my first trip ever to a casino and it was exactly how I expected it to be - so much glitz! The floor of the bar is made out of shiny pennies and the bottles of spirits lining the walls sparkled just as much. The waiters and waitresses were impeccably turned out and the service is fantastic.

The manicure was fairly basic, more of a colour change than anything, but it was such a lovely little treat - especially as we got to hear about the beautician working on Labrinth's latest music video!

The cocktails on offer were scrumptious and included an Adam's Apple, a Strawberry Swizzler, Mojitos and of course, the Classic Bellini, which I believe is one of your five a day?

It was a great evening all round so the recommendations from this Londoner are:

- Get a WOW card! Just ask your office administrator to get in touch via their website and they'll send enough for you and you colleagues. It's free!

- Go to the Hippodrome Casino when you're determined to be part of the Straight Through Crew - it's open 24hours and the time just slips away. You'll come out blinking in the sunshine ready for the first tube home!