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Sleight of hand: The Fabulist @charingcrossthr

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Billed as a musical comedy, The Fabulist is actually a rare chance to see Giovanni Paisiello’s rarely performed light opera, The Imaginary Astrologers , translated and updated to Mussolini’s Italy. With sublime music, fine singing and a bit of additional silliness thrown in for good measure, it’s a welcome addition to the choices available on the West End. It’s currently playing at Charing Cross Theatre . In this update, the action moved to Italy in 1929. A magician (or, as he prefers to be called, Fabulist), Julian is on the run from both the fascists and the Catholic Church. On the run, he stumbles on a film shoot and dazzles the screenwriter Clarice with his charm while her sister tries to complete a series of mildly subversive historical films. What will win in a battle of ideas between science and magic, the church and the Fabulist? It’s an evening of light operatic comedy, so there are no prizes for guessing.  Experts in clerical fascism and fascist mysticism may find some of the
Theatre: Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Tonight caught Hedwig and the Angry Inch featuring David Bedella at Heaven Nightclub.

Sitting in second row on the aisle made one a little anxious knowing that there is a bit of audience participation involved in the show, but fortunately the "car wash" of a member of the audience took place a few rows further back.

The show was the basis for the cult movie (well an emerging cult movie since it was only released in 2001), and is such a great show full of tributes to 70s glam rock and punk music and cheap gags. Bedella was terrific as the blonde drag diva with the "angry inch".

There was something good about seeing it under the arches at Heaven. It is the sort of show that seems to work best in a shabby venue. As the show progressed and as the temperature rose, the seats were uncomfortable and you could hear the clinking of beer bottles. None of this mattered, it just added to the flavour of it all.


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