The Pride theatre review - London West End

Last night, to get me in the mood for a trip to the Edinburgh Festival (in all it's guises) next week, I went along to the Trafalgar Studios off Trafalgar Square to attend the opening night of The Pride, a play written by Alexi Kaye Campbell and set in both 1958 and the present day.

This often hilarious but also very touching piece of theatre explores themes of honesty and openness in relationships and centres around 3 main characters who are involved in a love triangle. Themes of homosexual behaviour and society's take on what is and isn't permissible are explored through the time shift which is cleverly portrayed both in the performances and the staging.

Given the recent law in Russia forbidding the promotion of homosexuality to anyone under the age of 18, this play is very contemporary and absolutely right for now. The cast even came on stage after the first curtain call with placards stating 'To Russia With Love', a reminder that in some parts of the world the movement for equality and recognition is still as it was here in the UK in 1958.

Image from The Evening Standard

Philip, Oliver and Sylvia are played by Al Weaver as Oliver, Hayley Atwell as Sylvia and Harry Hadden-Paton as Philip. Comic relief was brought by Mathew Horne who made the audience laugh out loud with his characterful portrayal of a role-playing rent boy - this particular role requiring a Nazi military costume, and the effusive editor of a men's magazine (thinks Nuts not Esquire).

All four actors were highly believable and the play itself well-written and thought provoking. Catch it while you can as it is on a limited run until November 9.

The Pride is at The Trafalgar Studios, London.





 

Regent Street Rules!

Apart from a spell on the South Bank (shudder, South of the Thames) I have, for my whole working life worked within a short walk from my favourite shopping street, Regent Street. It knocks all others into a cocked hat in my opinion, being a great mix of high street and high end with some great restaurants for lunch on Haddon Street too.

Nespresso is where I buy my coffee pods (the thing that actually keeps me going on a daily basis), the Apple Store is computer porn and there is always something new to be seen and checked out in terms of fashion and beauty shopping.

Yesterday I took a belated walk to '...& Other Stories' which has opened at the Oxford Circus end. Readers of my blog know I love Cos (also on Regent Street) and this is the latest addition to the business from those clever people at H&M (same side of the road too). The range has clean lines, great accessories, a fine beauty range and something to suit whether you're 20 or 50. I particularly liked the bags and jackets and will be investing next pay-day.

Anthropologie is native to the US and is a bit of a step up in terms of pricing but you will always find something a little out of the ordinary and I find it perfect for buying unusual home pieces too.

And we mustn't forget Sketch - perfect for a treat afternoon tea...

Of course the list goes on and on which is why this is my favourite shopping street of all time. There's Superdry, Burberry, Penhaligon's, Banana Republic, Hollister and Veeraswamy (which has been there for years and years) not forgeting Gaucho and The Living Room. I'm already sold on the street (can you tell?) but now I can almost feel the beating heart of it because the Regent Street online site has launched a social media 'hub' which I have been playing with to my hearts content for the last evening. I have signed up my Twitter and Instagram accounts so now when I tweet anything about #RegentStreet it appears in the hub alongside everyone else's so it's so easy to keep abreast of what's going on and what to look out for from people literally on the street! The community section in the hub is really excellent too as it lists not only all the stores' sites but all their social media too (so twitter feeds, instagram etc) so you can join in their fun too. It's a great idea for a really great street and I must admit I'm hooked!

Here is what the hub looks like...

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