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13 Nov

The Foundling Musuem

Posted by Lisa in Arts No Comments

The Committee Room

I would definitely count the Foundling Museum in Bloomsbury as one of London’s hidden treasures.

The Foundling Museum is worth visiting for its splendid interior, fascinating collections, changing exhibitions – and it’s an absolute must see for Hogarth enthusiasts.

The philanthropic sea captain Thomas Coram founded the hospital in 1739 for the “education and maintenance of exposed and deserted babies and young children”. Bear in mind that then the word “hospital” was not used in the sense it is today; then, it indicated an institution for those less fortunate.

The first stone was laid in 1742. At the time, the hospital was described as “the most imposing single monument erected by 18th century benevolence” and became London’s most popular charity. Estimations suggest Thomas Coram’s good work benefitted more than 27,000 youngsters.

The Foundling Museum

The museum, now housed in the only remaining hospital building (the administration building) tells the story of Thomas Coram’s amazing work and really does appeal to all ages.  In addition, the glorious Rococo interior houses works donated by artists including Louis-Francois Roubiliac, Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough.

The museum also explores the work of the composer George Frideric Handel and artist William Hogarth, both governors and major benefactors of the institution. The works donated by the artists made the Foundling Hospital the nation’s first art gallery open to the general public.

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22 Oct

Viva el Vino Gourmet Tapas and Wine

Posted by Lisa in Eating Out, Pubs & Bars 2 Comments

campo-tapasIf you’re a foodie who fancies something different, try Viva el Vino – a collaboration between one of the hippest tapas joints in town (Pinchito Tapas) with the equally cool Spanish wine label, Campo Viejo.

This marriage made in heaven involves first choosing your wine and then allowing the talented Pinchito chefs to match the tapas to the wine.

Pinchito Tapas is a young, funky, friendly and informed tapas restaurant. We loved it because the all the action takes place around the bar. This is not because we’re obsessed with drinking (well, not totally) but because we loved the sociable, buzzy atmosphere – and it reminded us of Spain.

My friend and I had the tough job of sampling the menu. We were given eight different wines with matching tapas. It was a delicious, easy and exciting experience. Surprises included Campo Viejo Gran Reserva 2002 served with morcilla (Spanish blood sausage), caramelised apple, cabrales (Spanish cheese) and golden onions and rocket.

The menu we tried costs £30. For that you get eight generous samples of wonderful wines and are inundated with delicious matching tapas, things that you probably wouldn’t choose yourself, but actually work brilliantly.

The Viva el Vino menu is available until Janaury 2010 and if you’d like to try it, it’s best to book ahead. We’ll definitely be back for more

Do you have a favourite Spanish restaurant in London?

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20 Oct

Grayson Perry: The Walthamstow Tapestry

Posted by Lisa in Arts No Comments

The Walthamstow Tapestry by GraysonPerry

If you’ve never been before, now’s an excellent time to visit the Victoria Miro gallery. A little off the beaten track, but more than worth the effort, this bright and airy space is one of the largest and most interesting commercial art galleries in London.

Designed specifically for the Victoria Miro, The Walthamstow Tapestry is maverick potter Grayson Perry’s largest work to date. Three metres high by fifteen metres long, the tapestry is shown with a number of new ceramic works – which I think are extraordinary. How anyone can pack so much information, imagery, attitude and beauty into the surface of a gentle ceramic is a total wonder.

The tapestry explores the insane, quasi-religious adoration of consumerism and is vibrant and colourful. Apparently, Grayson was inspired by antique batik fabrics from Malaysia and eastern European folk art. The work is busy with depictions of people doing ordinary things – shopping, ironing, walking the dog etc. and almost every inch of the tapestry is devoted to brands. At Victoria Miro until 7 November 2009.

Grayson Perry will be talking to Will Self about his work and influences at the British Library on 9 November. For booking details, please visit the British Library’s website.

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5 Oct

Dreamers: Three short plays by Tennessee Williams

Posted by Lisa in Theatre No Comments

Susannah York at the New End Theatre

A few nights ago, we ventured up to the wonderful New End Theatre in Hampstead to see three short plays by Tennessee Williams.

The first play, This Property is Condemned, revolves around Willie, an unkempt, unhinged and tragic young woman who lives alone in a derelict boarding house. Set near railway tracks on the outskirts of a small Mississippi town during the depression, the off kilter Willie tells Tom the story of her life and her dead sister, the ill fated prostitute Alva.

The Lady of Larkspur Lotion is set in a wretched, cockroach-infested room in a boarding house in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The play revolves around three characters. Mrs Hardwicke-Moore, brilliantly played by Susannah York, is immediately recognisable as a deluded and broken Blanch Dubois character. Mrs Wire is the abrasive, no nonsense landlady who doesn’t believe a word of Mrs Hardwicke-Moore’s excuses for not being able to pay the rent. Jos Vantyler, the only actor to appear in all three plays, is a failed writer who is a raging and bitter alcoholic.

Talk to Me Like the Rain is about a desperately unhappy couple. A man – and a woman hauntingly played by Lysette Anthony. She has survived on nothing but water for 3 days and has spent the time confined to a seedy furnished room in Manhatten. He wakes up with her at home with dim, dark memories of what he did the debauched night before. Under duress the women laments her longing to leave the life she despises to a live a different existence by the seaside.

Dreamers lasts for a total of 60 minutes, around 20 minutes for each play with no interval. Ninon Jerome’s direction is a real lesson in less is more, minimal sets and absolutely no gimmicks – just great performances. At the New End Theatre until 10 October.

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4 Aug

Friday Night Laughter Lounge at Vinopolis

Posted by Lisa in Attractions, Classes, Comedy No Comments
Vinopolis Laughter Lounge

Vinopolis stages a comedy night called Laughter Lounge the last Friday of every month so my mate Jo and I went along to check it out. As neither of us had done a Vinopolis wine tour before and share a deep, rather uneducated passion for drinking (wine in particular) we thought we would sign up for the Grapevine tour as well.

Our Grapevine tour kicked off with a 20 minute lecture which was brilliant. We learned how to look, smell, slurp and identify the complexities, balance and age of wine. Then we were let loose on the labyrinth of regional wine rooms. Armed with tasting vouchers we put our new wine powers to the test.

The highlight was definitely the initial lecture, after which we sampled some lovely wines from Lebanon and Greece that we would never have bought from an off-license. The tour is an educational experience rather than an opportunity to get sozzled. That said, the final gin cocktail definitely put a spring in our step in preparation for the Vinopolis Laughter Lounge.

Located in another part of Vinopolis’s wonderful cavernous stone areas, the Laughter Lounge is a large room with a stage, bar and seats.

The evening was held together by MC Dan Atkinson whose self depreciating, political gags really did make everyone laugh out loud. Other acts included Matt Blaize and the brilliantly camp Topping and Butch whose fabulous, stupidly revealing rubber costumes and cheeky ‘Never Mind, Never Mind’ cabaret songs stole the show.

Although the seats are arranged auditorium style, it’s a pretty relaxed atmosphere that encourages everyone to make as many trips to the bar as possible. Which makes perfect sense, as it is a Friday night and Vinopolis is London’s shrine to wine.

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25 Jun

Prunella Scales Stars in Carrie’s War at the Apollo Theatre London

Posted by Lisa in Theatre No Comments

Prunella Scales in Carrie's War

For me – and I’m sure the vast majority of the audience at the Apollo Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue last night – Nina Bawden’s Carrie’s War is a forgotten childhood story filed in the back of the  memory. A bit like Oliver Twist or The Hobbit.

Set in 1939 the story revolves around 12 year old Carrie and her younger brother Nick, who are evacuated out of London during the Second World War to a Welsh mining town. Stories of a young slave boy’s scull, a miserable  miserly bible bashing shopkeeper, a mysterious wealthy dying widow, a white witch and a cavernous old house built on an ancient Druid site await them.

Carrie and her brother are clever, innocent, funny Enid Blyton type characters, who know the difference between right and wrong and in the case of young Nick think with their stomachs first.  Whereas Mr Evans, brilliantly played by Sion Tudor Owen, whose false- teeth sucking daft rants for me at least, stole the show and his sister played by Kacey Ainsworth (remember her in EastEnders?) the down trodden mousey Lou feel more Dickens. It’s a pretty talented and starry cast  led by Prunella Scales who plays the ailing, sad but slightly sinister Mrs Gotobed.

Gentle but fast paced, Carrie’s War worked the cast hard as the production demands them to act and sing wonderful Welsh hymns.  It’s action packed too – humour, betrayal, Carrie’s journey from child to teenager – all contained by a brilliant set that features two houses, both with two levels divided by a pocket of war-torn Welsh countryside. The stage was a clever, constant reminder of the war and the play’s two locations.

One for grownups and kids, Carrie’s War is a brilliant yarn, immaculately staged and performed. Playing to a packed house, everyone in the audience loved Carrie’s War. If you see the play, let us know what you think.

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20 Jun

Radical Nature at the Barbican

Posted by Lisa in Arts No Comments

Radical Nature, Barbican Gallery

This year, for its summer exhibition Radical Nature: Art and Architecture for a Changing Planet 1969 – 2009, the Barbican has cast its net wide in every sense of the word. The main action takes place in the Barbican Gallery with offsite installations on the Barbican’s Lakeside Terrace and in Dalston.

We liked Radical Nature, not just for its exhibits but for its earthy smells, surprises, apocalyptic sense of humour and space.

It’s all about the way, in recent years, nature and the environment has inspired artists and architects. The exhibition looks at the way these modern artists engage with the environment as they attempt to create some kind of harmony between man and planet.

Using both levels of the Barbican’s gallery space, the exhibition features 25 artists and architects. Described by the curator as “Frankenstein’s garden”, Radical Nature kicks off with a sad and eerie looking lone pine wolf on a trailer. One of Mark Dion’s Mobile Wilderness Units – the wolf demonstrates how man continually tries to turn nature into a palatable commodity.

Particular highlights for me included Anya Gallaccio’s Birch Tree. To create the installation the artist worked with a tree surgeon to source a tree which was destined to be felled. Once cut down, the tree was reassembled in the gallery space using metal bolts and wires. It’s very gentle and yet it screams “I shouldn’t be in here!”

Great stuff for children includes Henrick Hakansson’s Fallen Forest. It’s a tropical jungle flipped on its side and you can explore behind, around and above it. Green Room, 2009 is a simple wooden structure that you walk into. Once inside, a beautiful miniature garden is revealed and the mirrored interior walls create an illusion of infinite space, when in fact only once person can comfortably fit inside the structure.

Radical Nature is good stuff – serious, surprising and fun. The exhibition is on until 18 October. If you see it, let us know what you think.

Photograph by Lyndon Douglas, courtesy of the Barbican.

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