Chinese Food Festival ★★★ FREE


This festival offers an opportunity to taste some interesting Chinese food; a great change from some of the old standards of Chinatown. There are also some interesting products on sale for making your own Chinese food and a sign-up cooking class that allowed us to produce some surprisingly edible and authentic tasting Chinese delicacies. The setting is quite spectacular right beside Tower Bridge and just across from the Tower of London.

Reviewed by J.C.

 Our Score:  ☆☆☆ 

WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE:
Last Reviewed: August 2020
Potters Fields Park
Nearest tube: London Bridge
www.chinesefoodfestival.com
Map & Location: Potters Fields Park, 165 Tower Bridge Rd, London SE1 3LW, UK

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The Mousetrap ★★★★ St. Martin's Theatre | Extended Run

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It's another astounding anniversary for the world's longest running play. The Mousetrap has become a national treasure and is a required stop on the London tourist scene, right up there with the Tower of London and The British Museum. However, what is really amazing is that this enduring West End fixture remains a great evening in the theatre. The definitive whodunit continues to beguile and puzzle audiences much as it did in 1952. Indeed, Agatha Christie's play stands up to the test of time and with each cast change it remains fresh and enduringly delightful. In the current iteration, Sara Lessore and George Banks convincingly convey the naïveté of Mollie and Giles Ralston – the new innkeepers who with their first intake of quirky and querulous guests get more than they bargained for. The strange and secretive group of visitors include the goofy Chris Wren impeccably played by Jonathan Tynan-Moss and the sinister Mr. Paravicini amusingly mugged by Rob Pomfret. Philip Chi
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Top Hat ★★★★★ The Mill at Sonning | Nov 16 - Dec 30, 2022

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Love Goddess, The Rita Hayworth Musical ★★★ The Cockpit | Nov 18 - Dec 23, 2022

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Rita Hayworth was one of the most important stars of her generation. A talented dancer who was seductively glamorous, she lit up the screen in Hollywood's golden era. This musical tells the story of the creation of her persona – which unsurprisingly involved a domineering father and a series of exploitative men. However, it also sets up the contrast of this typical show business tale with the tragic loss of her identity to the cruelty of early onset Alzheimer's disease. The challenge with translating such a biography into theatre is how much information to include. It is a question of finding the essential theme of a life and not getting caught up in all the fascinating details. Unfortunately here, there is really too much dependence on chronology and a determination to squeeze in a lot of particulars. The performances, however, are generally strong. Imogen Kingsley-Smith is an excellent young Rita and her dancing is outstanding. We particularly liked the sequences with Joey Si
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Elf The Musical ★★★★★ Dominion Theatre | Nov 14, 2022 - Jan 7, 2023

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A Sherlock Carol ★★★★ Marylebone Theatre | Nov 18, 2022 - Jan 7, 2023

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Richard Mosse: Broken Spectre ★★★★ 180 The Strand | Oct 12 - Dec 4, 2022

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Glory Ride ★★★ The Other Palace | November 14 - 16, 2022

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The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovary! ★★ Jermyn Street Theatre | Nov 17 - Dec 17, 2022

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Gustave Flaubert's 1856 novel was a sensation, and it went from being the subject of an obscenity trial to becoming a classic of French literature. Emma Bovary is a young woman who marries a doctor and lives in small provincial town. She longs for a more romantic and exciting life, and her dissatisfaction leads to an indulgence in both reckless extravagance and a series of love affairs. Her story ends in both despair and death. The current production approaches the narrative from three different perspectives. Like any 19th century morality tale, Emma's story is good material for parody and much of this show goes for broad humour at the expense of the 'outdated tale of a fallen woman.' Unfortunately, the humour wears thin as what might work as a short skit is drawn out and becomes repetitive. Indeed, one whole slapstick scene is repeated for no apparent reason. The second approach to the narrative is to take it seriously, and this is the predominant tone of Act II. Unfor
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The Lavender Hill Mob ★★★★ Richmond Theatre | November 14 - 19, 2022

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It is no small challenge to bring one of Britain's best-loved Ealing Studio comedies to the stage. The original is imprinted on the minds of a generation of filmgoers, as are the performances of its incomparable cast. Nevertheless, we thoroughly enjoyed the theatrical version of this caper classic starring Miles Jupp as Holland, the anonymous bank employee who masterminds a gold heist from the Bank of England. The chemistry between Jupp and Justin Edwards who plays Holland's accomplice, Pendlebury is perfect. The rest of the cast are equally adept in their roles as partygoers who take on various roles to act out Holland's criminal coup. They all manage to capture the whimsical spirit of the piece while never falling into the farcical or the cloying. This is not an easy line to walk. There is a simplicity and innocence about this type of comedy that is not easy to reproduce, and it is often incomprehensible to generations reared on the harsher, almost brutal, humour that is
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