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Two Ladies: La Bella Bimba at Barons Court Theatre / Canal Cafe Theatre

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T hey sing. They dance. They clown around. They even wash clothes! Such is the story of La Bella Bimba, part of the Voila Theatre Festival, which highlights new and emerging artists. A tale of two Italian ladies who land in 1920s New York, trying to break into Broadway without speaking a word of English. It’s harmless, primarily even if a little nonsensical, and is currently playing as part of the Voila! Theatre Festival .  I caught the performance at the Barons Court Theatre , where the intimate setting created an evocative atmosphere reminiscent of dark New York alleyways. The space was almost claustrophobic with a distinct smell of rising damp, making you feel immersed in the story of two Ladies hanging around the theatre doors of Broadway. On the plus side, the theatre has some of the most comfortable seats you will find in any pub theatre in London. As the naive and hopeful singers, Co-creator Lucrezia Galeone as Carlotta and Sarah Silvestri as Cecilia are fine singers with co...
Overheard at the Tate Friday Night:

Man with a woman (to woman #2):Edith has been here once before, but she was sixteen and it was with the nuns...

Art: Turner, Whistler & Monet

Finally caught the blockbuster at the Tate on Friday night of Turner, Whistler and Monet. A room full of Monet's paintings of the Houses of Parliament and of Waterloo Bridge and Charing Cross were worth the price of admission. I always have thought Monet's paintings of the Palace of Westminster capture it far better than any photograph. The purpose of the exhibition was to highlight how all three artists explored light and atmosphere in landscapes. A blockbuster exhibition that was well worth the visit...

And then later...

Caught up with M&M for Friday night drinks. A long day and nearly two hours at an exhibition took its toll. Left them both at G-A-Y around 2am. I got a text from M1 Saturday saying:
End a bit of a blur again. Not only did I end up with a Brazilian in my bed but a can of Strongbow on my shelf in the fridge
To which I replied:
I am assuming you mean boy not wax
Well hey, both are a dime-a-dozen in London...

Conversations: Soho and rough parts of town

During the course of Friday evening the following was part of a conversation that took place with two New Yorkers:
Mike: Tom wants to go to The Hoist but the concierge of our very nice hotel says that we shouldn't go there as it is in a rough part of town.
Paul: You are obviously staying at the wrong hotel if the concierge says that. You need to stay at a dodgy one so you can get advice on the dodgy venues.
Tom: So what is open in Soho after 2am?
Paul: Fuck all
Mike: Oh "Fuck All"... I didn't see that venue in the press?
Paul: Yeah it's new so you may not have it in your Spartacus guide...

And so on and so on and so on...

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