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Wee liberties: Beauty and The Beast: A Horny Love Story at Charing Cross Theatre

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It may not be a tale as old as time, but it’s still the same old story, almost, with Beauty and the Beast: A Horny Love Story currently playing at the Charing Cross Theatre .  As the title suggests, this is not family holiday entertainment, but neither is it all gay gore. And a surprisingly large number of clever gags, a gorgeous-looking production, costumes, and an ensemble make for a classy night out with the occasional lashing of sluttiness.  It’s been a while since I have seen an adults-only panto. Like many things at the theatre—ticket prices, opening nights, age of social media influencers—things have changed. Happily, things have changed for the better here. The show focuses on assembling an excellent cast. Elaborate costumes by Robert Draper and David Shields’ set pieces help give this adult panto a touch of class. There are the usual lewd jokes and a quick flash of buttocks.   The setting of the story is in the northernmost village of Scotland, Lickmanochers. Not...
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Scenes from Clapham Common Sunday 20:02

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Scenes from Clapham Common Sunday 20:02 , originally uploaded by Paul-in-London . After one fine day on the common...
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Scenes from Waterloo Bridge Saturday 12:40

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02062007627 , originally uploaded by Paul-in-London . Singing Bulgarian folk music first thing on a Saturday morning is not the best thing for a hangover, but I am sure by next Friday when the Overture starts on the South Bank it will sound all rather sensible... Well as sensible as a few hundred people singing on a boat going up the river can sound... After rehearsals it became a bit of a task to avoid the free runners. The brutalist buildings at the South Bank Centre are proving ever popular for this sort of thing...
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Theatre: Rose and other adventures...

In the month it took to get my internet put up I did get up to the following: Caught The Rose Tattoo with Zoe Wanamaker. Great play and well worth the £10 tix. It is great to see more Tennessee Williams plays in London and here is hoping that the fashion for reviving his work continues... It wasn't hard to resist doing ones best impersonation of Sicilian impersonator with colleague AW. It sort of goes, "Naw naw naw naw naw... Naht mah Rrrrose!" Perhaps it was the fine wine, but after the play AW and I photographed the grass on the theatre and groped a cast iron statue on Waterloo Bridge ... It was a great night... Saw Pelléas et Mélisande (translated: Pelléas and Mélisande) at the Royal Opera. I had been warned that the opera was boring so sat in the cheap seats but it turned out to be all rather exciting and dramatic. Sure it all ends in tears but what a way to go... The champagne at interval cost more than the ticket but it was all rather worth it... Particularly whe...
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Office Banter

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Colleague (offering a mint): Paul, do you like soft mints? Paul: I like them soft, I like them hard, but my favourites are curiously strong...
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Scenes from Trafalgar Square Friday

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Scenes from Trafalgar Square Friday , originally uploaded by Paul-in-London . In keeping with a "grass in unusual places" photo montage... I present... Trafalgar Square (and on fat bastard with a camera trying to take a photo of a yoof having a rest)... Internet is connected at last so regular updates will resume shortly...
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Scenes from the National Theatre Saturday

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Scenes from the National Theatre Saturday , originally uploaded by Paul-in-London . Grassy and Wet (and it has been a long time but should be back on the internet after moving!)
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Conversations over food in the office at lunchtime...

Colleague: Gee Paul, that looks good... Paul: Well... You are what you eat...
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Scenes from SW4 Friday 21:52

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Scenes from SW4 Friday 21:52 , originally uploaded by Paul-in-London . The time has come to leave SW4. This weekend I move north... Well, at least to SW9. I say goodbye to Jesus and the other iconography that adorns my London flatshare... Actually with half his head missing, Jesus looks worse than a Chelsea fan flying back from a match in Liverpool ... Over and out from SW4...
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(Little) Theatre: Copacobana

Thursday night (rather than packing) I went to Putney to see the PLOS (that's Putney Light Opera Society) production of Copacabana. Well, I nearly didn't get in as it was sold out. Fortunately thanks to the rather efficient house manager seats were found. Upon getting inside it was immediately clear why the show was a sellout. With 36 people on stage (plus band but they were hidden) even if everyone only sold two tickets the theatre was bound to fill up. As for the show Copacabana. Well the book is so bad that it takes on charm of its own. Based rather loosely on Barry Manilow's song (and co-written by him), the show is padded out with melodrama, bad gags and at least two reprises of the song Sweet Heaven so it was stuck in my head. The actors didn't take all this too seriously and neither did the audience. At one point we all hissed the villain. It seemed so right... The leads were great although at times it was Piccadilly Circus on stage there... Anyway, the Putney ...
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Scenes from Waterloo Bridge Tuesday 23:42

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Scenes from Waterloo Bridge Tuesday 23:42 , originally uploaded by Paul-in-London . 31 sculptures of artist Anthony Gormley go up over the city... Somewhat confronting... Although perhaps not as daunting as trying to navigate Oxford St to see Kate Moss at Topshop ...
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