King Lear William Shakespeare Théâtre de Nesle Review – Paris

Posted on January 22, 2015 by Colin David Reese

How do you put Shakespeare’s King Lear on a stage the size of a postage stamp with 6 actors (3m,3f) running 90 minutes?

The answer is – carefully.

This is a very careful production with everything timed meticulously. The 6 actors obviously play many parts each and the changes of costume/character are carefully thought through and executed with a seamless precision; one actor walking past another who is ready to hand the scarf and take the jacket that indicates the character change (for example). The staging is organised and choreographed to the centimetre and the use of the sparse décor (rostra particularly) highly effective.

The text has been cut intelligently and some of the subplots sacrificed to bring the running time to the 90 minutes that the theatre demands.

What the production lacks is a certain passion and a rhythm. The poetry of the verse has been sacrificed in the interests of clarity – creating a rather controlled and intellectual production. But then this is a question of personal taste when it comes to Shakespeare and I prefer passion. The intricacies of the plots and the machinations of Goneril and Regan – not to mention Edmund – are abundantly clear and easy to follow; the surtitles enabling those whose English is not “native” to keep up to speed.

On the whole a huge “bravo” to the entire team and a production well worth watching if you are in Paris soon.

Colin David Reese

The Wellington: Margaret Graham’s Local in The Heart of London

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Margaret Graham

OK, so it’s the middle of winter, the wind is hurtling along the Thames, and you’re crossing Waterloo Bridge, head down, unaware that the bridge was rebuilt in the 2^nd World War, and the workforce included women. The only thought in your head is food and shelter.

Such was the situation a couple of years ago as Penny Deacon and I (writers and organisers of Words for the Wounded) reached the Strand, and there it was; this beacon in a sea of misery, the fantastic, fantabulous Wellington on the Strand. Straight across the road we powered, and hit the stairs to the restaurant at a run, resembling nothing as much as drowned rats.

That was the start of our Wellie adventure: within a few months it was the Graham’s London ‘local’. Penny lives in the West Country so looks on enviously, but I’m in High Wycombe, which is just a hop skip and jump from town. Often I meet Jan Speedie (besties since we were nine and she is also an organiser of Words for the Wounded). We spend an inordinate amount of time in the National or Portrait Galleries, in St Martin’s in the Fields poking about, or at the theatre, or exploring the City. Where do we eat? The Wellie of course.

Sticky slow-braised pork belly.

But why? Isn’t one pub much like another? I think, quite frankly, that whoever said that, needs to go and wash out her/his mouth with soap, as my mother would say.

The Wellington has the knack of becoming special to everyone we’ve brought along; the ‘grands’ love it, our friends too. It dates from 1903 and its neo-gothic exterior is a bit of a landmark. It is named after Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington whose historic victory over Napoleon in 1815 ended the Napoleonic Wars. (If you haven’t been to Apsley House, home of the first Duke of Wellington and his descendants, you should. It stands right in the heart of London at Hyde Park Corner.)

The Wellingon sits next to Covent Garden, a name derived from the Convent Garden, which belonged to Westminster Abbey. It was to Covent Garden that I went to buy a gift for my granddaughter with money presented by Jose on behalf of the staff, as she was having a serious operation that day.

The staff are gorgeous. There’s the manager, Ruth, from Australia, Jose the team leader, (Spanish) who wins the rosette for character. There’s Michal, assistant manager, who grows a moustache for charity from time to time and who has read Maeve’s Afternoon Delight, so has a big tick from me. There’s our lovely pal Eszter from Budapest who we love because of her great kindness, and Thomas from Krakow who I’m trying to get to write a feature with me about Krakow for Frost Magazine.

The ambiance is smart as a button, especially after its recent makeover but so many of the original features are still there that it’s hard to go wrong. One of the highlights for me is the Art Nouveau windows.

So, now we come to the food, of course. My favourite is the belly pork, Dick seldom strays from the sausage and mash, but Jan plumps for the fish fillets or seafood pie. We invariably add a large glass of Pino Grigio each. It’s always the right temperature, always rather too nice.

Let’s not forget the bar… The Wellington boasts a gorgeous long bar, and that brings me to the ales, which Dick and his bestie, Tim Norman, swear by.

The ales change seasonally so the Wellie rotates between 18 seasonal ales 4 times per year and also rotates between 19 National favourite ales. Nicholsons Pale Ale is always stocked – it is a classic English-style Pale Ale and brewed exclusively for Nicholson’s by St Austell Brewery. It is brewed with the finest Cornish Maris Otter barley.

If you’re after a super friendly attractive venue, with great food and drink, you don’t need to be freezing. Just head to the Wellie (The Wellington on the Strand, 351 Strand. London) www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk/thewellingtonstrandlondon

Wine review of Echo Falls, Fruit Fusion Red Wine, by Matthew Pain

Posted on January 9, 2015 by Frostie

Wine review of Echo Falls, Fruit Fusion Red Wine, by Matthew Pain

There is spiced orange on the nose, which belies the sweetness on the palate. This is a light cherry tasting wine, which is best suited, as the label suggests, to either being chilled over ice or served hot as a mulled wine.

It probably needs citrus if chilled and extra cinnamon or orange slices if warm, to offset the sweetness. It’s a bit like old-fashioned punch or a winter version of sangria from those memorable package holidays.

Available from tesco.com

Not That Kind of Girl By Lena Dunham Book Review

Posted on December 28, 2014 by Catherine Balavage

Where to start? I guess with the fact that this book is not what I thought it would be. It’s not bad, it’s just not what I expected. Let’s get the controversy out of the way: I don’t believe Lena molested her sister. The passage about ‘spreading open her vagina’ makes for very uncomfortable reading but, in my opinion, is very different from sexual abuse. Same gender curiosity in young children is different from sexual abuse, many have said that if this book was written by a male things would be different, but not if the male did what Lena did to his brother. Young children don’t even know what sex is. So, end of.

The thing is, I don’t relate to Lena Dunham. Or at least I thought I did until I read this book. I don’t get the drug use, I am very anti-drugs and always have been. I don’t even care if I come across as boring but mentioning casual drug use as if it is not a thing to me is irresponsible. Many people think drug use is ‘cool’ and ‘artistic’ but it’s not. Drugs ruin lives and society. Now go ahead and judge me for my controversial view: I don’t care. The book is full of sex: masturbation and sexual encounters. This also makes for uncomfortable reading. Not bad reading, just uncomfortable. Dunham seems to want to punish herself with jerks and bad sexual encounters. It’s a version of self-loathing and it made me want to pick her up and hug her. Then of course there is the fact that Dunham was raped. Rape is never fun to read about, but Dunham’s courage in telling her story is commendable. The book is full of brutal honesty.

I know that in many ways this review will seem like a bad review, it’s not. I still think Dunham is talented, amazing, brilliant: a trail blazer. We are similar in age and I also made a web series about young twenty-somethings struggling to find their way in life, though with less success than the juggernaut that is Girls. We are both writer/producers/actors/directors and I always thought that Dunham was so together. I think she is now and that is what is interesting about this book. After all of the self-loathing, punishing herself dating/having sex with men who treated her terribly and other self-destructive behaviour the book comes beautifully full circle: she no longer runs away from people and herself, she in many ways, becomes a grown up. She finally stops causing herself pain. While I related more to Amy Poehler and her awesome book, Yes Please, there is something here to learn. Dunham is unvarnished, naked, almost embarrassing in her honesty. Dunham has been called the voice of her generation many times. Truth is, she doesn’t speak for me or many people that I know. But the thing is: it doesn’t matter. She is still paving the way for women, still creating waves in the film and TV industry, still making progress in a brutal, sexist industry. It doesn’t matter that I don’t 100% relate to her: she is still awesome. I may not write endlessly about my vagina the way Dunham does but then, maybe my vagina just isn’t that interesting. There is a lot of stories of bad sex in this book, and I hope that other women who read it don’t think this is par for the course. It shouldn’t be.

This book is certainly worth a read. It really made me think and feel. This is essentially a collection of autobiographical essays which Dunham was paid £2.3m for by Random House. It is not as good as it could have been, and Dunham could have done with more editing, but she is certainly a talented writer and I am sure there will be more to come. As Dunham says in the book: “There is nothing gutsier to me than a person announcing that their story is one that deserves to be told, especially if that person is a woman,”

Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She’s Learned is available here.

Two Star Twist On Christmas: The Square Restaurant Review

Posted on December 19, 2014 by Jane Cable

New Bond Street wins the battle of the Christmas lights, no question. Even a grey Thursday morning couldn’t dull the shimmer of silvery peacock feathers and they must look even more spectacular after dark. But we weren’t going to hang around to until nightfall – we were in London for lunch at a very special restaurant.

We discovered The Square in Bruton Street a couple of years ago. Chef patron Philip Howard had just won the fish course of The Great British Menu and we were entranced by his fresh, classic style of cookery. To be honest I was also entranced by his silver fox good looks… much like my own husband’s… and the fact we could actually afford to eat in his two Michelin star establishment in Mayfair.

That’s when you know a successful restaurant is all about the food. The set lunch in the run up to Christmas was £50 and I believe it’s still substantially less for the rest of the year. There are bottles of wine on the extensive list for under £30 (and over £1,000). Ours was £55 and a quite superb Barbera. The one tiny fly in the unctuous ointment of our visit was that the young lady sommelier tried to upsell us to one double the price. Last time we were at The Square the fantastic Egyptian master of the wine list had carefully price pointed the desert wine we chose to exactly the same area as the bottle we had ordered – and that was very impressive.

But the rest of the service was outstanding. Although the restaurant is dressed formally its staff have a twinkle of humour and fun about them which makes it anything but starchy. Plus you only have to glance in their direction (or less, but more of that later) and they glide, smiling, across to your table in an instant.

It being Christmas, we started with a glass of champagne and very soon our amuse bouche arrived; a tiny rounded glass of cauliflower puree topped with a crisp bacon and sage crumb, sharp cranberry flavours and sitting on a bed of turkey jelly. You hear chefs talking about balance and this was it – a perfect microcosm of Christmas dinner.

We opted for different starters. My better half went for the terrine of English partridge and foie gras with air dried pear, quince puree and mead jelly. He especially liked the idea of English partridge… we once went to a small restaurant in Brighton and he asked whether the partridge on the menu was English or French… and we were rather amused when the answer came back “chef says it’s from Sussex.” He didn’t seek to question the origin of The Square’s offering; he was too busy eating it.

I chose the lasagne of Dorset crab and scallop because its cappuccino of shellfish and champagne foam is one of The Square’s signature elements. It was rich and light at the same time, and a perfect accompaniment to the delicious minced crab, sandwiched between the thinnest layers of a rather brilliant green – presumably festive – pasta.

For the main course we both headed straight for the roast haunch of Windsor Park venison with beetroot and port puree, roast chervil root (not a tiny parsnip, oh husband mine) and smoked ham and potato galette. The meat was cooked rare and finely sliced over the galette (a simple but time-consuming way of raising the humble potato to a heavenly level) and a bed of shredded sprouts. It was cooked to perfection but the real star of the show was the beetroot puree; sweet, rich and such a vibrant colour, it brought the plate to life on both table and taste buds.

The menus were brought back to us and we discussed our choice of desert. A very brief discussion really; husband of course went for cheese and because I’m not keen on the Brillat-Savarin which constituted the cheesecake, I decided on the Christmas pudding soufflé with chestnut and macadamia nut brittle ice cream.

We were somewhat surprised to see the cheese trolley appear at our table before the waiting staff had taken our order. “You do want it, though, sir” our young French waiter insisted “And you’re having the Christmas pudding soufflé, madam.” The psychic approach is certainly taking service to new levels. He also seemed to instinctively know which cheese to select for my husband, having been given the lead that Epoisses was essential. A Waterloo from Hampshire (“Like our French camembert…”), a goat cheese from the Auvergne, a very high class Cheddar and a blue from Carmarthen before scraping out the last of the Epoisses box to leave a huge dollop on my husband’s plate. I swear I can still smell it now.

The cheese was whisked away to reappear a little while later with my Christmas pudding soufflé, which was served with the understated theatre of a ball of ice cream being dropped into it, followed by hot brandy sauce. It was sublime. Every element of a Christmas pudding was there; spices, peel, plump raisins, but wrapped up in a lightness which is unforgettable. If it hadn’t been for Colin McGurran’s langoustine terrine (Frost, August 2014) it would have easily been my dish of the year.

We ordered our coffee and as we waited there was another delightful treat in store as we were offered a clementine from a beautiful wooden trug. It was the perfect finish to a rich meal, and apart from a few simple wreaths in the restaurant windows, one of the few visible concessions to the festive season. As I said, at The Square – it’s all about the food.

To find out more about The Square, visit www.squarerestaurant.com.

Jane Cable, December 2014

Nipa Thai London

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Sarah Bacchus

Nipa Thai is one of the hidden gems of London. A fairly small and intimate setting with exceptional staff and decor.

Nipa (meaning pretty lady) is quite frankly amazing and has won the prestigious Thai Select award from the Thai Government for the highest standards of quality and fine food. There are only 14 other award holders in the whole of the UK, the equivalent of a Michelin star!

Once you have entered the hotel take the stairs up to the stunning terrace and enter the restaurant. We where lucky enough to visit when all the decorations where up and looking festive and pretty.

You will be welcomed with open arms when entering the restaurant by the most delightful and beautifully dressed staff.

The gorgeous menu will have you salivating and excited right from the start. We promise you wont be disappointed with any dish.

Once we had sat down the staff suggested some great wine to accompany our meal. We where treated to Vegetarian pad thai. Steamed sea bass with chilli and garlic sauce. Sweet and sour chicken along with sticky rice and a bowl of delicate jasmine infused plain rice.

The intimate ambiance of the entire restaurant will leave you feeling relaxed and totally satisfied. Further more the staff have to be the best in London. The food was mind blowing and we have been totally spoilt now due to the delicate and incredible flavours and textures of the sumptuous sea bass. The best we have ever had and we love our fish.

The pad thai was perfect and complimented both dishes so well. Crisp and delicate at the same time.

We then moved on to pudding….now this has to be said by the time we had eaten so much wonderful food I really didn’t think it would be possible to top the meal…Well I was wrong.

A hot clean towel to freshen up in between service.

Then feast your eyes on these babies below. Deep fried ice cream and a selection of tropical hand carved fruits. The highlight of the evening. Such talent in the cooking and presentation will have you gushing about this place for weeks once you have eaten here.

We leave you with this image and its safe to say it was the BOMB!!!

We give Nipa Thai 10/10. Make sure you plan a visit to this wonderful hidden oasis of flavours very soon.

Nipa Thai Restaurant Lancaster Terrace London W2 2TY T: 020 7551 6039 nipa@lancasterlondon.com

Opening hours: Mon-Sun: 5.00pm – 10.30pm.

Skip Hop Duo Special Edition Changing Bag Review

Posted on December 12, 2014 by Catherine Balavage

It is hard enough to find a bag you like in life without the addition of baby paraphenalia. Which is why changing bags have it so hard: they need to be functional and gorgeous. Parents don’t expect anything less.

First thoughts on the Skip Hop Duo Special Edition Changing Bag were good. It is a beautiful bag. It is well made and has a lovely design. It is so stylish and beautiful that I would actually buy it if it wasn’t a changing bag. But is it functional? Yes. The bag has wipable fabric and a cushioned changing pad. It has a total of nine pockets which included a personal zip pocket and two hidden insulated side pockets.

It has two pockets on the front of the bag which are very handy, and the pocket at the back has the cushioned changing pod in. The back pocket still has room for other things too. The front pockets have magnetic closure and one of the things I really love about the bag is that it is not bulky at all. It is incredibly well designed and you can tell a lot of thought and time has gone into making such an excellent changing bag.

The bag is a good size and I love a big bag. Other great things are the slip-resistant adjustable stroller strap & the rolled handles, the key fob zipper pull and the fact that the bag is BPA and Phthalate-free. This bag really is a winner: highly recommended. It is perfect for fashionable parents who want the best of everything.

The latest changing bag to come from the New York based SkipHop brand is the Duo Special Edition. The bag’s ultra-stylish, fresh design came about after Skip Hop cleverly incorporated all the style and functionality of its best-selling Duo Deluxe changing bag, but added three contemporary patterns and several extra special features, ensuring parents really stand out from the crowd.

With the Duo Special Edition, Skip Hop has cleverly combined high style with practicality. Mums will love the faux leather detailing, smart key fob zipper pulls and rolled clutch handles in addition to the slip resistant shoulder strap. And when it comes to the bag’s material, it looks just like a regular, smart fabric but in fact it’s a clever, wipe-able material that ensures the bag stays looking as good as new for years to come.

Other features on the Duo Special Edition include Skip-Hop’s special patented shuttle clip system which allows the Duo Special Edition to attach effortlessly to the buggy handles in seconds. The nine compartments let you organise all of baby’s essentials and keep wet and messy items separate; the pockets include a large, roomy main compartment with a zip closure to keep contents safe, large rear pocket for changing pad and nappies and two roomy front pouches. Contents are easy to spot with the contrasting lining and the convenient side phone holder and easy access pen holders ensure mums and dads have everything to hand. Parents will also appreciate the ‘quiet’ magnetic closures to help prevent waking baby. The changing pad is cushioned and waterproof and the entire bag is of course BPA and Phthalate free.

Parents have a choice of three fabric patterns: the smart black and white ‘Aztec’, chic ‘Blue Pin’ or the ‘French Stripe’, a classic ‘boating’ style navy striped fabric that looks just like canvas.

Skip Hop Duo Special Edition: RRP £65.00

STOCKISTS:

French Stripe – marksandspencer.com

Blue Pin – marksandspencer.com

Aztec – www.jaijai.co.uk

More Skip Hop Duo Changing Bag’s available here.

www.maguari.com

Le Fear II: Le Sequel Review By Jason Croot

Posted on December 11, 2014 by Frostie

After reading BFI advice on writing a review of your own film I thought why not!

Le Fear II: Le Sequel is a 90 minute 100% improvised feature film about the making of a film. Based in London U.K it follows the journey of hapless 22 times film director Carlos Revalos [Kyri Saphirs] who is about to embark on his biggest movie yet Le Fear II: Le Sequel a film noir horror love story. Carlos’s journey starts with a meeting with the shrewd movie executive Dirk Heinz [Andrew Tiernan] who agrees to back Carlos’s film as long as Revalos puts up some of his own cash as collateral, one other condition is that Carlos intertwines his movie with Nollywood [Nigeria] the fastest growing film industry in the world. Dirks Secretary Helga [Shona McWilliams]does the paperwork and the deal is done commence the movie.

The world’s worst director Carlos Revalos meets the world’s worst film producer Efi womonbogo [Seye Adelekan] the clash of the titans or rather the clash of the tits, because these guys each are as clueless as the other about filmmaking. Efi has his entourage, Africa special effects [Roxy Sternberg], Femu [Schee Bell] the runner and Witch Dr Charles [Sean Earl McPherson] none of which really have a clue what to do. Carlos has his film crew Jacques the French cinema photographer, [Hadien Mekki], Jessie [Leila Reid], the production assistant Chafarafa the Script Supervisor [Jay Croot] Berwyn [Catherine Balavage] the stunt coordinator and Queenie [Victoria Hopkins] the Makeup artist. Hollywood meets Nollywood this is where the fun begins, and Conflict time! Everything Carlos wants, romance, film noir and horror is not delivered by Efi who has a different take on it with his motley crew. Africa the vibrant special effects girl, who apparently worked on big movies, Efi Tells Carlos “Avatar and Pride and plagiarist”. Africa brings Carlos nothing but cheap sci-fi effects which she believes is the best thing since sliced bread. That’s the problem with the Nollywood guys they believe their shit is good shit, and Carlos the man who has his own money on the line £500000, is in deep lumber. Bring on the Piece de résistance the actors within the film. We have the fiery French actress Racquel [Denise Moreno] and the green drama school first time film actor Oliver[Jack W. Carter] they cause poor Revalos’s pain to deepen not only is he combating of a motley crew from Nollywood he has disgruntled actors to please now can it get any worse? YES. The film set is not a beautiful purposed built location but a make shift set the input of Efi, “I wanted to make a film noir not a camping film” Jacques tells Carlos. The plot thickens and Carlos calls Dirk to sort out this rabble “Dirks going to have your arse” Carlos tells Efi who replies “My ass is he gay?” Dirk arrives and puts Carlos straight, the movie continues we now bring in two other actors within the movie these hired by Efi Vanessa [Vampire] Eleanor James Dr Strange [Julian Lamoral Roberts] Bmovie actor, Vanessa drives Berwyn the stunt coordinator barmy and proceeds to act more like a L’Oreal shampoo advert than scare people. We also have a student filmmaker Mickey [Warren Taylor] who is filming behind the scenes of the film within the film.

The night scenes have to be the most classic and funniest ones we have Witch doctors, Lesbian Vampires, Alien Explosions and a very angry actress “SUSHI DE MERDE Carlos you are a piece of shit little man! I’m going back to Paris right now” Carlos now one actress short of a picnic or rather of making his worst movie, and now without a location when disgruntled land owner Tom Dickinson[Ian Cullen] arrives and kicks them off “my land what are you doing in my land are you filming one of those pornographic films?” Efi replies “I swear on my father’s grave and my mother’s goat”

Le Fear II: Le Sequel will go down in history if Carlos can manage to complete it won’t be the classic he longed for but his worst yet. Bring on a new actress Racquel replacement Lucy Lou [Aiko Horiuchi] a Japanese actress brought in by Efi she joins the madness. “Can we use it?” Carlos asks Jacques about the new location, “Yes but I don’t want my name on that movie” Jacques replies “At this stage fuck your name” Carlos tells him the film gets more crazier and continues to deliver humour right until the end.

Summary Comedy is complex some people laugh at Dad’s Army, Fawlty Towers and Porridge all classic British Comedies others won’t get the humour of those classics! some will love Flight of the conchords and Curb your enthusiasm and others won’t, you can’t make everyone laugh no matter how good the comedy is, Le Fear II: Le Sequel has already made a few people smile and laugh and we hope to continue to do so, I’m not going to say we created the best film within film the world but we have made a film that me and the producers are very proud of we are proud of the cast and how hard they worked to create the humour the crew and how hard they worked to get the camera lighting and sound to be as good as it is the editor who has done a great job and the musicians who have supplied us with a great soundtrack.

I will leave you with some other funny lines from the film Le Fear II: Le Sequel

Cast Lines

Carlos Revalos [Kyri Saphiris]

“They Buy a bloody blow up doll, stick some sparklers up its arse, and call it special effects of a high budget production”

Dirk Heinz [Andrew Tiernan]

“You’ve got a fucking film to make, so pull it out of the bag”

Lucy Lou [Aiko Horiuchi]

“My English is very little”

Jacques [Hadrien Mekki]

“You’re just crazy fucking English people who want to drink tea; I just want to make a good film”

Racquel [Denise Moreno]

“If we die what happens? Because I don’t feel I’m going to come out this film alive”

Africa [Roxy Sternberg]

“It’s beyond Hollywood, Nollywood, Woody Allen my gosh we have it”

Dr Strange [Julian Lamoral Roberts]

“If Crossed I get cross if cross I need Blood”

Jessie [Leila Reid]

“Can you teach Carlos to keep the fire inside of him”

Vanessa [Eleanor James]

“I’m a professional actress I have been in god knows how many movies”

Queenie [Victoria Hopkins]

“Do you like it wet? I bet you do I bet you like it real moist Don’t you?”

Berwyn [Catherine Balavage]

“Oh I’m swishing my hair like I’m in a 1970’s fucking porn film”

Witch Dr. Charles [Sean McPherson]

“Ring Nigerian now £5, no problem”

Twitter https://twitter.com/Lefear2lesequel @lefear2lesequel

Facebook Like Page https://www.facebook.com/Lesequel

Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/163431550389968/
IMDB http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1982759/

[Editorial note: Frost Magazine founder and owner Catherine Balavage played Berwyn in Le Fear, Le Sequel]

Frost Magazine

Books and Lifestyle

Tag Archives: Review

King Lear William Shakespeare Théâtre de Nesle Review – Paris

The Wellington: Margaret Graham’s Local in The Heart of London

Wine review of Echo Falls, Fruit Fusion Red Wine, by Matthew Pain

Not That Kind of Girl By Lena Dunham Book Review

Two Star Twist On Christmas: The Square Restaurant Review

Nipa Thai London

Skip Hop Duo Special Edition Changing Bag Review

Le Fear II: Le Sequel Review By Jason Croot