Paul in London

Scenes from Gordon's Bar Embankment Originally uploaded by Pauly_ . Friday night 10.49 - the crush before last orders...

Scenes from Covent Garden 16.49 Originally uploaded by Pauly_ . Shorts Gardens WC2

Tuesday night I caught The Musical of Musicals which is playing at the Sound Theatre (part of that Swiss Building where those hideous chiming things happen on the hour in Leicester Square). I understand that at some point the building will be demolished, which will be a victory for decent architecture. Having said all that, the theatre is not a bad space. Even better was this production. If you like your musical theatre (and hey who doesn't as what's there not to like??) then this show offers the same story about a girl who can't pay the rent, in the five different styles: Rodgers and Hammerstein, Sondheim, Jerry Hermann, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Kander and Ebb. The great thing about the show is even if the in-jokes sail over your head, the songs and the performances were good enough to stand on their own. While the Lloyd Webber segment managed to show how much the composer loves / copies / borrows from other composers, my favourite was the Kander and Ebb segment where ever

Scenes from Oxford St Easter Monday Originally uploaded by Pauly_ . Shoppers

Scenes for Easter Originally uploaded by Pauly_ . As a tribute for Easter I thought I would highlight some of the religious iconography that pervades the house that I reside in. This one particularly takes my fancy as it is truly a shocker. This crucafix is damaged hence why there is a little bit of a lean to one side of it. One wonders what mini-skip this was rescued out of. Then again, my flat-mate is not the only Londoner who decorates using other people's garbage... It's a Londonthing...

Last night I caught part of the Shostakovich Symphony cycle, Symphony 1 and 14 , that the LSO is performing with conductor Valery Gergiev. Gergiev becomes the LSO's chief conductor next year (when Sir Colin Davis becomes the President) Anyway, Symphony No 1 is quite accessible and full of loud explosions and power and vigour so it is easy to like. The orchestra obviously had loads of fun playing it. Given my location in the cheap seats (front row to the side) as the performance was a sellout, I not only had a curious view of the backs of the string section, but also I heard what sounded like strange grunting sounds. At first I thought it was the conductor but then surely not. But throughout the four movements of the First Symphony I could hear it. Was it the bowing of the strings? Well the acoustic from my seat was giving me an interesting flavour of the performance so that was a distinct possibility. When it came to the second half with the much more subdued Symphony No 14 again I

Bird Flu Originally uploaded by Pauly_ . The country hasn't completely panicked since some dead bird washed up against the shore in Scotland. Here's the secret line of defence...

Tuesday evening I caught Mack and Mabel at the Criterion Theatre. The production was from the same team at the Watermill Theatre who brought the pared-down version of Sweeney Todd I caught in 2004 (that is now playing on Broadway). This version uses the same techniques (so the actors play the musical instruments as well) and stars David Soul and Janie Dee. The musical was a flop when it was first produced in 1974. The music and lyrics in this show by Jerry Herman are probably the most memorable thing with songs including "I won't send roses", "Time heals everything" and "Look what happened to Mabel". Even in a pared-down version with the singers belting out the numbers and then blowing a tuba or playing the violin, the songs still were great. Less so was the chemistry between the two leads. At intermission there was a consensus that there wasn't much chemistry between Soul and Dee. There was a bit of bitchiness that Dee (who I saw last year in a ca

Scenes from Trafalgar Square Tuesday Originally uploaded by Pauly_ . For the first time ever, Nelson's column is covered in scaffolding as part of the regular cleaning that takes place once every 20 years...

Caught "Waiting for Godot" at the Barbican today which is part of a festival to commemorate Beckett's centennary . Sitting through the second act it occurred to me how brilliant Beckett is. It is a great play about the passage of time. In a week when time passed rather quickly and mediocrity seemed to be quite prominent within it, it was also good therapy. I'm not sure if the play is meant to be therapy, but it worked for me. The cast were terrific and the it looks like it will be a great run. Some of the other works (including a performance by John Hurt) is totally sold out so this festival is a bit of a must see at the moment in London...