I was lucky enough to be at The O2 yesterday when British gymnast Beth Tweddle won Gold in the Women’s Floor event at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships 2009.
Beth pulled out all the stops in front of the home crowd in a dramatic final. Having performed first, we had to wait for a further seven competitors to complete their routines before Beth’s efforts were rewarded. There was also drama when one of the gymnasts, Jessica Ortiz, was stretchered off following a nasty fall, reminding us what a demanding sport it is. Ortiz is recovering in hospital.
The O2 proved to be a great venue for the Championships. Even those of us without a lot of background knowledge of the sport were able to follow and appreciate the performances taking place on the arena floor below. This bodes very well for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games which will also feature gymnastics at The O2. With any luck Beth will be competing then too. Although, at 24, she is already past the age at which the majority of gymnasts retire, she showed yesterday that she is still in top form.
Watch Tweddle’s performance at bbc.co.uk
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Enron, Royal Court Theatre, London
City worker Will H offers his take on Enron at the Royal Court Theatre:
I recently had the pleasure of seeing Enron. This new play lays bare the archetypal corporate crime of the 1990s. White-collar crime may not be traditionally fertile ground for drama, but writer Lucy Prebble and cast have done an excellent job of bringing to life the story of Enron: blowing up the bubble and then blowing up the company.
At the heart of the play is a classic and well-crafted tragedy and morality tale. Accounting geeks Jeff Skilling (Samuel West) and Andy Fastow (Tom Goodman-Hill) find success exploiting aggressive interpretations of accounting rules. Amid ever-growing adulation and constant pressure, the pair double-up their bets and become ever more detached from the operating realities. Thus a minor sin snowballs into the fraud of the decade.
As the executives help corrupt – and are corrupted by – the “irrational exuberance” of the age, the audience is entertained by a series of well-aimed vignettes on the financial system. Expressed via the media of sassy Texans, Jedi energy traders and a pack of raptors, even mark-to-market accounting and off-balance-sheet finance can make for a riveting, thought-provoking night out.
Enron has sold out its run at the Royal Court. The production transfers to the Noël Coward Theatre from 16 January 2010 and is currently booking until 8 May.
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Wicked, Apollo Victoria Theatre, London
Gina Gitonga aged 11 lives in Kenya and recently spent a few weeks in London. We know it’s a bit early for Halloween, but here are her highlights for a frighteningly fun weekend in London.
Friday night kicks off with one of the best musicals around. Wicked is about the witches of Oz before they became Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West. The pair meet at university: one is popular and one is not and yet they become friends. Catchy songs, brilliant singing and spectacular sets make an amazing show. I loved it!
Saturday morning is a visit to the London Dungeon. We braved the queues and once we got inside it was really scary! I found out about London’s horrible past from Jack the Ripper to the Great Fire of London. There are also two rides; a boat through Traitors’ Gate in the dark and the terrifying Extremis: Drop Ride to Doom where you get lifted up and then freefall down! To recover we went to Dim T – my first ever dim sum – delicious.
Then it’s off to the Tower of London for the afternoon to see the real Traitors’ Gate and the scene of many executions including Anne Boleyn. We also saw Henry VIII’s armour and the famous crown jewels.
On Sunday head off on a thrilling, high-speed boat ride with Thames RIB Experience. Our trip started slowly like a normal tour and then we sped up and the boat rocked from side to side! We went under Tower Bridge and as far as Canary Wharf before turning round.
I enjoyed every minute of my time in London and look forward to coming back again soon.
Do you have any suggestions for Halloween high jinks in London?
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Two giants of stage and screen are currently starring in Waiting for Godot at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart are rare beasts – both are serious thesps and sci-fi/fantasy movie heroes (or villains).
Of course, Waiting for Godot comes down firmly on the side of thought-provoking theatre; existential musings punctuated with moments of lightness and laughter. As you’d expect, these two master actors captivate the audience and Simon Callow’s Pozzo is well worth a special mention too.
But could I forget who the actors were and simply see the characters without the stardust?
The London theatre scene has become popular with movie actors, celebrities and wannabes from Nicole Kidman to Abi Titmuss.
Have you seen a big name on the London stage? Were they a hit or a miss?
Freestyle motocross star Robbie Maddison performed a spectacular backflip over an open Tower Bridge in the small hours of this morning. The 27-year-old Australian took to the air at 2.55am and soared some 30m over the Thames.
Maddison used the famous London landmark as a take-off and landing ramp as he cleared the gap above the Thames after the bridge had been raised. With an approach speed of around 40 mph, Maddison took off from the north side of the bridge, performed a no-handed backflip and held his landing in front of the south tower.
Maddison said: “The whole experience was awesome… it was an incredible feeling to fly between the two towers and over the Thames.”
See spectacular stunts for yourself when Red Bull X-Fighters comes to Battersea Power Station on 22 August.
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Recently opened, The Restaurant at St Paul’s is a unique place to enjoy lunch or afternoon tea. Unlike some other crypt restaurants, the 48-cover space has a fresh feel, and with neighbours including the Duke of Wellington and Admiral Nelson you’ll have go a long way to find a more historic setting than St Paul’s Cathedral.
We were lucky enough to sample the sumptuous lunch menu which features new takes on traditional British fare using carefully sourced, seasonal ingredients. Highlights included asparagus with a poached Gressingham duck egg, roast grey mullet and a delectable gingerbread sandwich dessert with ice cream made from Regent’s Park Honey – yum!
With 2 courses for £16 or three for £20, restaurant owners Harbour & Jones are expecting the restaurant to be booked out in advance so it’s worth reserving a table if you fancy trying it for yourself. Alternatively, Harbour & Jones have also taken over the running of the café in the crypt and transformed the menu there as well.
www.restaurantatstpauls.co.uk
Have you been to a restaurant in an iconic London building? Tell us about it…
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