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Belters and bohemians: Opera Locos @Sadlers_wells

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At the start of the Opera Locos performance, the announcement says that they really are singing. You could be forgiven for wondering that, given the amplification turns up the backing track and the voices so loud that you can't always tell what's real. But this is a mostly harmless and slightly eccentric blend of opera classics fused with the occasional pop classic. However, recognising the pop tunes would help if you were over a certain age. The most recent of them dates back twenty years. It's currently playing at the Peacock Theatre .  Five performers play out a variety of archetype opera characters. There's the worn-out tenor (Jesús Álvarez), the macho baritone (Enrique Sánchez-Ramos), the eccentric counter-tenor (Michaël Kone), the dreamy soprano (María Rey-Joly) and the wild mezzo-soprano (Mayca Teba). Since my singing days, I haven't recognised these types of performers. However, once, I recall a conductor saying he wanted no mezzo-sopranos singing with the s
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06-08-05_1759 Originally uploaded by Pauly_ . Scenes from Brighton Pride 17:59. Shirts and hair optional. More colour and movement in the hot tent called "Wild Fruit". Very appropriate for some of the punters there... The place was heaving...
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06-08-05_1758 Originally uploaded by Pauly_ . Scenes from Brighton Pride Saturday 17:58. In the dance tent it was a bit warmer. Tops were optional. There is nothing like a bit of colour and movement...
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06-08-05_1728 Originally uploaded by Pauly_ . Scenes from Brighton Pride Saturday 17:28 - More pants... It wasn't a hot day either...
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IM004737 Originally uploaded by Pauly_ . Scenes from Brighton Pride Saturday 15:47 - When you can't decide what to wear to Pride... Just wear pants. Providing they're Calvins...
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Scenes from Balham Tube Station Friday 20:56. Balham - gateway to the south - does have a few smart restaurants on and around its High Street. Friday night I went with A to Dish Dash , which is a smart Persian restaurant offering delicious meats on sticks among other things. A gay couple sitting next to us and celebrating a birthday offered us cake. It was that sort of night...
Overheard at the gym tonight: Muscle Mary: You know I had no idea that they were living together. No idea. None. None at all. Just no idea!
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Scenes from Victoria Tube Wednesday 22:57. Four weeks on from 7/7 some figures: Seven million Londoners One London 6000 police on the streets Thursday A 15% drop in weekday tube commuters 600% increase in hate crimes One cunt in a cave
Concert: Ravi Shankar A was very impressed that he was adding to my cultural enrichment by getting me a ticket (due to a last-minute cancellation by a relative of his) to see Ravi and Anoushka Shankar in concert at the Proms. It was a wondrous and uplifting evening of musical meditation. Well for the most part. The first half consisted of a piece by Param Vir Horse Tooth White Rock which sounded interesting in parts but it also had some very loud percussion sections. I had warned A previously that loud percussion can make me jump unexpectedly and this was no exception. It was a pity that I wasn't sitting with A so he didn't see this very undignified jolt. But his relatives who I was sitting with did, and this amused them for the rest of the performance... Well, one can't always be dignified and graceful. After this loud and noisy piece, Shankar's Sitar Concerto followed. It was a welcome relief and I think most of the audience felt this way... You could fee
Afternoon Banter A: I have a spare ticket to see Ravi Shankar at the Proms tonight. Are you free to come? Paul: Sure, I only had my fallback plan of going to the gym. But what will be "the make up" of the audience? A: Oh it will be a night of a thousand saris. Have you got yours?
Movie: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory After a hectic day in the office I decided to go and see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory . It was playing at the Ritzy Cinema in Brixton, which is a grand old theatre that is a feature on the high street which has great seats and a good sound system... No trip to Brixton is complete without a visit to the cinema (although try and get to see a film in the main cinema and not in the extended bit)... As for the movie, I recently had a discussion with a Gene Wilder devotee who was passionately arguing that nobody could come near his comic genius. I thought that was all very well but that first movie had all those dreadful songs and departed from the book in several key places. Besides, I thought Johnny Depp would make this far more interesting and he did by becoming Michael Jackson. There is a scene towards the end where Wonka tries to lure Charlie away from his family into his big glass elevator so they could live together - and alone - which su
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31-07-05_1655s Originally uploaded by Pauly_ . Scenes from Soho Pride Sunday 16:55 - Just another excuse to show off some more flesh from Soho Pride really. No other reason...
Crimes and Meat It isn't everyday you have a crime scene out of the window. This morning around 4.30am a group of youths stabbed a boy. The story unfolds but will be front page of the South London Press Tuesday. And Scotch Beef ads are back on TV. They show a very muscular man in a kilt eating a big ol' hunk of beef. I had some last night. Delicious. Overheard at the Gym Tonight Man #1: So how much more have you got to do? Man #2: Well I have to do my abs... Man #1: Yeah... Man #2: And I think I might do my obliques... Man #1: Yeah... Man #2: And I think I might do some stretches... Man #1: Uh huh... Man #2: And then I might do a bit on the treadmill... Man #1: How about I meet you later?
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Scenes from Soho Pride Sunday 19:07 - A few sensible drinks outside Rupert Street... Standing amongst the shaved headed lads...
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Scenes from Old Compton Street Soho Pride Sunday 17:08. A view from above of the carnival atmosphere... It was also the chance to look down and do some serious people watching...
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Scenes from Soho Pride Sunday 16:50 at Soho Square. Today the punters came to Soho for a big gay street party. The weather even warmed up enough to make wearing a shirt unfortunately optional for many... Still there were some nice fit people out and about. Walking home from the theatre on Saturday evening at this same location I saw some gentlemen who had featured in some straight-to-video films that are popular amongst the gay community. They were wearing t-shirts that proclaimed what Eastern European production company they belonged to. A was not familiar with Bel Ami so I had to explain their cultural significance...

Theatre: Some Girl(s)

Saturday night I caught the play Some Girl(s) at the Gielgud Theatre that stars David Schwimmer. I was a bit wary of a star vehicle but I had heard that it was funny, it was written by Neil LaBute and Catherine Tate also featured in it. The premise was simple, a man about to get married looks up some old girlfriends that he thought he did wrong to say sorry and make amends with them before moving on. This could potentially be quite an interesting premise but as the play moved on I realised that I knew far more interesting people than the four people on stage and I wondered about these people around me tittering away at the scenarios dished up on stage (then again it was a Friends audience so they probably found this cutting edge satire)... My mind couldn't stop wondering thinking about real-life substitutes for what was on stage. Most recently I know F who is dating two men. One night she calls man #2 and gets a woman who tells her that she has the wrong number. This is the sam
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Scenes from Harrods Saturday 16:30. The last day of the Harrods sale brought all the punters out for an extra 20% off. A wanted to get some more dinner plates, but not these ones after I suggested that they looked like you could get them at John Lewis . He settled for something much smarter. Later I bought a couple of shirts, so a sensible round of shopping was had by all. It was actually the first time I set foot in Harrods, so A was keen to give me the grand tour (but I declined the offer to see the Dodi and Di memorial ). While it is a tacky Egyptian bazaar with clothes, crockery, this and that piled up on top of each other in no real sense of logic or organisation, it still does have a certain charm about it... Still as one sees the fading grandeur of the building and the cracked and dirty tiles in the food hall, it seems like there is a (very) small part of English shopping history that is slowly decaying away... And nobody really seems to notice as they snap up the Harrods bags
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Scenes from inside WC1 Thursday 06:46: Early morning cloud completely concealed the BT Tower from view.  
News: Another day, another suspect package There is no benefit in staying back working late. I found this out tonight when the high street was closed off due to a suspect package found near the tube station. It turned out to be nothing and the main street has just now reopened. Its just another day of heightened state of alert where every package and every passenger is suspect. Actually dealing with suspect passengers is easy now... You just get up and move to another carriage. I didn't think I would see this but I saw it on the Victoria line when a drunk man asleep across several seats was causing a little alarm to other passengers, so they got up and moved. Personally drunk men flailing about didn't strike me as likely terrorists. Tonight as the Victoria line was suspended due to more security alerts this meant I took to walking on foot from Brixton to Stockwell. Along the way I noticed the terrorist safe house in Blair House that was raided overnight and the impromptu memor
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Scenes from Bloomsbury St - Bloomsbury 21:39. The weather this week has been cool rainy and wet. Given the long period of dry weather the rain seems almost out of place... Now where did I leave my umbrella? 

Travel advice in London...

Travel advice in London... Originally uploaded by Pauly_ . Also doing the rounds today on email... A message board purportedly from Notting Hill tube station this week... It reads: Please do not run on the platforms or concourses. Especially if you are carrying a rucksack, wearing a big coat or look a bit foreign. This notice is for your own safety. Thank you. (If you don't believe it, clicking the photo will enlargen it)
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Scenes from Torrington Place, Bloomsbury Sunday 15:34 - On a traffic divider a debate written in permanent felt pen takes place about the pros and cons of the Islamic faith. A tell-tale sign of ones proximity to a university campus if there ever was one... 
News Etc Ted Heath was buried today . I recall Monty Python's quiz joke about Ted, "Edward Heath is a what?". The answer was "a bachelor" which still gets laughs since it is still the euphemism bandied about. The big news today was be on the lookout for bombers with delta containers made in India . These tupperware rip-offs are only sold in 100 stores in the UK. I suggested to A he should do a stocktake of his plasticware and he advised that all containers were present and accounted for. Personally, I don't have any... And as the inquest opened today into the death of the man who was shot eight times at Stockwell tube, there are unconfirmed reports that t-shirts around London have started to appear with the slogan "Don't shoot, I'm not Brazilian"...
ATT530130 Originally uploaded by Pauly_ . London Fights Back: Picture doing the rounds on the email circuit today... I don't think it really is ER. There is something that just isn't right about her posture I think...
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IM004631s Originally uploaded by Pauly_ . Scenes from Hampstead Heath 19:57. The Writer by Giancarlo Neri looking towards Parliament Hill. Just what is a giant table and chair doing in the heath? Well, it's art. And it is quite impressive...
Theatre: As You Like It Caught the Young Vic's production of As You Like It at the Wyndham's Theatre on Saturday night and it was quite good (and fun). This production has Sienna Miller as second billing, but playing Celia she hardly has the most demanding of Shakespearean roles. It is quite possible to play this role and to fret over Jude at the same time I suspect. The stars of the show really were Helen McCrory as Rosalind - who playing a man and woman gets to do all those fun Shakespearean things - and Dominic West as Orlando, who looked suitably good looking and all that. On the strength of McCrory's work in this I suggested to A that she deserves to be a bigger star. After reading her bio I realised that she already has quite a film career but surely she should be the next Catherine Zeta Jones. A suggested that CZJ was far more beautiful that HMcC so she had no chance, but I suggested that with cigarettes and plastic surgery surely anything is possible. As for the
The state of being alert but not alarmed... Catching the tube from Balham into central London was an interesting experience today. Passing through Stockwell and Oval tube stations did cause pause for reflection on the past 48 hours. You can't exactly get back to normality when you're reading The Times which gives you great detail about the bombs that partially exploded on the tube Thursday, and looking at CCTV footage of a man fleeing the station you are just passing through. The events of yesterday were also quite extraordinary (not to mention exhausting)... And as the police presence on the ground and in the air becomes ever more noticeable you can't help but wonder and hope if it is coming closer to endgame... Whatever the events of the next few days hold, it is now a case of be on the lookout for certain types of young men with rucksacks. They may be easier to spot if there are smart-casual trendy officers with Glock automatics drawn trailing them... Today I picked u
News: The watershed Today's shooting at Stockwell Tube station (that's where I interchange in my normal commute) was a bit of an shock. But I can't help but think it is a little relieving that there is one less madman out there... Unlike in Australia, police don't shoot people here as much so it has been described as a watershed for UK security . But what is the alternative when a man on a hot day is wearing a thick jacket and refusing to obey police instructions? Also a great piece by Thomas Friedman in the New York Times about the incitement of hatred as well. His article doesn't give much time for the excuse-makers either: When you live in an open society like London, where anyone with a grievance can publish an article, run for office or start a political movement, the notion that blowing up a busload of innocent civilians in response to Iraq is somehow "understandable" is outrageous.
Theatre: What the Butler Saw The opportunity arose on Thursday to see the Hampstead Theatre production of Joe Orton's What the Butler Saw with A. After a day of near-miss bombings on the public transport network it seemed like a sensible antidote. Or a silly one anyway. I thought the cast were great and it is such a great play full of witty one-liners about sex, incest and psychiatry so who could ask for anything more on a night like Thursday night was? It was press night as well so there were all sorts of press reviewers there with their little notebooks (including former Tory MP Michael Portillo - who we made stand twice because we had to get past him to get to our seats in the theatre). The production kept the story set in the 60's which was a good idea since the story while witty and fully of funny lines does tend to go on a bit and all the psycho-talk is very out of date. After the show there were some murmurings about how it was a little amateurish but I thought

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22-07-05_0931.jpg Originally uploaded by Pauly_ . Scenes from Waterloo Station Northern Line Friday 09:31 - The morning commute is disrupted at Waterloo after what was described as a suspect package is found at Kennington... My train had to be reversed back up the line to allow another train to reverse back into the station. It would be the bus for me for the rest of the journey... Before catching the 59 Bus from Waterloo Station I thought I could do with a coffee. I started heading over to the nearby Starbucks and suddenly British Transport Police appeared out of nowhere and swooped on a tall young lad with a rucksack right next to the coffee shop. I decided to skip the coffee and head to the bus stop. Starbucks coffee is such rubbish anyway. From the safety of the bus stop I could see that it was a false alarm. **Further Update** It is now reported that a man has been shot at Stockwell tube station around this time (three stops south of Waterloo). Just as well I was late for work to
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Scenes from Westminster Tube Thursday 23:16. An all-too familiar notice of service disruptions across the underground network this evening as the city escapes another round of bombings. Fortunately this time there is plenty of evidence that has been left behind. I was coming home from an evening at the Hampstead Theatre and with all the service disruption it was a bit of a roundabout route... Watching the footage this evening on the television as people describe the scramble to get out of Warren Street tube today seems all the more close by. Afterall I use that station a few times a week. Tonight I returned home to my street covered in discarded police tape. For most of the evening Tottenham Court Road was a pedestrian mall, but by midnight the road had reopened.
Email Banter -----Original Message----- From: Paul Sent: 21 July 2005 17:07 To: Amanda Subject: RE: News from a friend... Always count on you with the latest... But WHERE are these men now??? -----Original Message----- From: Amanda Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2005 5:09 PM To: Paul Subject: RE: News from a friend... hehe.... not in my life that's for sure. -----Original Message----- From: Paul Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2005 5:17 PM To: Amanda Subject: RE: News from a friend... Yeah I'm glad I don't have men with wires in my life either...
Latest Situation Police search hospital (the one at the top of my street) for a black, possibly Asian man, around 6ft 2ins tall, with wires protruding from a hole in his blue top . It appears they didn't find the man with wires in the hospital, although they have since returned. It is an odd feeling to know that a man intent on blowing himself up over some warped outlook on life is in your manor... As the hours go by without any further reports, the threat appears to have abated for now... It is now a waiting game... But they will be caught... Fortunately I am off to the theatre this evening so I don't need to go home just now... And on the email circuit... -----Original Message----- From: Amanda Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2005 5:01 PM Subject: News from a friend... Just spoke to X who has spoken to scotland yards ellite special forces unit he used to work for who are the first point of contact for terrorist attacks. Apparently 4 bombs in rucksacks we

Today Tottenham Court Road

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PICT2786 Originally uploaded by akira_kev . What now appears to be a minor explosion on Warren Street tube has closed all roads around. This picture is taken by a photoblogger at the corner of TCR and Torrington Place. The hunt is on for the various failed suicide bombers

Warren Street tube station lunchtime

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Warren Street tube station Originally uploaded by donkeyontheedge . Online bloggers are capturing the clearing of the area

Something Breaking...

Massive disruption again on the underground network this afternoon as three detonators (not bombs) and a nail bomb on a bus have gone off across London. The day has changed direction at 2.12.
At the hairdressing salon in Covent Garden Asian woman : You are very rude man. You give bad service Hairdresser Luke : Well I think you are rude. You wanted your hair straightened and now you want it curled but there isn't enough time to do this before we close Asian woman : You are hopeless and your work is rubbish Hairdresser Luke : Lady, go and get FUCKED! At this point Hairdresser Luke threw the rubber anti-static thing that goes around the neck at her and picked up his bag and stormed off out of the shop. I sat there wondering whether (a) he hurt the woman with this rubber device and (b) whether he was coming back as until this little drama unfolded he was due to cut my hair. Fortunately he did come back to cut my hair. He didn't say much but it was the most aggressive chop I have had. There was raw aggression in his texturing... This woman sounded like she was a nightmare. I say sounded as I sat in a chair on the other side of the mirror where she was. I couldn't see
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Scenes from Soho Bar Tuesday 23:52. I ran into Adam in the gym tonight and we went for a bite to eat afterwards. After that he insisted we should have a drink so he dragged me to a bar full of gays. Since I had been working out I only had orange juice (with a splash of vodka). 
News: Dogs on the tube Sniffer dogs are being deployed on the tube network to detect bombs. They will add a much welcome cute furry presence...
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Scenes from Leicester Square Tube Sunday 13:37. A less convenient interchange now that the Piccadilly Line is out of action through most of central London... The board above the exit indicating stations on the line is also covered up with tape...
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Scenes from South Kensington Sunday 17:56. Everybody on the street wear pink. Pink is a popular colour at the moment... 
Overhead at the Gym tonight: Muscle Mary (on mobile phone): Well I said to him, "Glen, I am a 'uman beeeeeeing and I am still living here and until I move out my room isn't a sssshow room"
Music: The Fairy Queen (Purcell) After Glyndebourne on Saturday I went to Royal Albert Hall on Sunday to see a BBC Proms concert of Purcell's The Fairy Queen . As it was a concert it was just the music (so it was only two hours) and it was a very enjoyable way to spend an early Sunday evening. A had two tickets, one in the stalls and one in the circle. Rather than take up my suggestion of paper-scissors-rock for determining who sat where, he suggested that we swap seats at interval. That far more sensible suggestion turned out to be best as the seat in the circle provided a great vantage point to see everything, while the seat in the stalls was better for proximity. Purcell in the cavernous space of the RAH may not be the best setting for this music, but it was nice to see it, and it reminded me that between now and mid-September I should be getting to more Proms concerts. After the concert and as we left the hall to find somewhere to have supper, A spotted a few celebrities in th
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Scenes from Glyndebourne grounds Saturday 16:48 - black tie, picnics on the grounds and the opera house in the background...  
Opera: La Cenerentola (Rossini) A invited me to Glydebourne on Saturday (which just so happens to be a country house near Lewes in East Sussex, that just so also happens to have a large state of the art opera house on its grounds). Naturally the chance to see opera done very well in a smashing location was something I eagerly accepted, so on a warm Saturday afternoon I was on a train to Lewes with A... Wearing a dinner jacket (as this is the expected standard of dress), and helping A with the picnic hamper. There are a few interesting things that is all part of the opera experience at Glydebourne. First of all, dinner jackets are required attire for men. What women wore seemed to veer from flowing ball gowns in an array of summer colours to something still formal yet more sensible. And secondly there is the dining experience. While there are restaurants there, many people opt to have a picnic on the grounds. So on lush green lawns are people in black tie having salads and cold meats. I
Overheard in my building this afternoon Old lady #1 : ...And it only costs a few pounds and they drop you off right at your door. Old lady #2 : Do they? Old lady #1 : Yes... Old lady #2 : Really? Old lady #1 : Yes... Old lady #2 : Do they? Old lady #1 : Yes they do! Old lady #2 : Oh well I'll have to get me one of those...

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14-07-05_1155.jpg Originally uploaded by Pauly_ . Scenes from London Thursday 11.55 - waiting outside to remember
The sound of a city united and unmoved Just before noon today we gathered outside our building to observe two minutes silence for the victims of last Thursday's atrocities. As the clock tower tolled 12pm, a wave of silence crashed in as buses cabs and cars switched off their engines, people stopped what they were doing, and there was nothing at all but people on the street saying nothing, yet making an incredible statement. Some people bowed their heads, but most didn't. It was a time to remember ...
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Scenes from Covent Garden Wednesday 20:28 - Roof gardens are popular... 
Blogs: We're Not Afraid As part of the response to the events of last Thursday the site We're not Afraid! is taking pictures sent in by people around the world in support of London. The city is bouncing back in many ways. Yesterday's raids and arrests were particularly important in raising the confidence of the population, but it also raises new questions...