Midtown: Guided Tours & Talks ★★★ FREE


These free walks around midtown, where EC1 meets WC1, are often seasonally themed. They happen in the late morning or early afternoon and start from the orange Bee Midtown Kiosk, just outside the Holborn tube station or from a couple of other designated points. The easiest way to learn about the walks is to pick up the brochure at the Holborn Kiosk. Walks are usually about 45 minutes and themes include "Bloomsbuy People," "The Cock Lane Ghost," "The Great War," "Suffragette City," and such literary tours as "Charles Dickens and Bleak House." There lots of different themes and the tours are always fun and informative.

Reviewed by J.C.

  Our score:  ☆☆☆ 

WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE:
Various days including the weekend, usually midday
Holborn
Nearest tube: Holborn
https://bee-midtown.com/walks
Map & Location: Holborn Station, Kingsway, London WC2B 6AA, UK

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Love Is Only Love ★★★★★ The Other Palace | Apr 29 - May 15, 2022

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Rabbit Hole ★★★★★ Union Theatre | Apr 12 - May 1, 2022

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Alright Bitches! ★★★★ Above The Stag Theatre | May 11 - Jun 4, 2022

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Five Characters in Search of a Good Night’s Sleep ★★★★ Southwark Playhouse | Apr 27 - May 21, 2022

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The title says it all. These are five monologues delivered by characters who are apparently suffering from insomnia. They are five very different people, but they all endure the same malady and in doing so they have time to recount their memories, regrets, fears and aspirations. Helen (Sally Knyvette) is a middle class woman who is self-contained and house proud; Bill (Vincenzo Nicoli) is a gentle chef with a romantic nature; Hugo (Gary Lilburn) is an Irish sculptor who as a child was abandoned by his father; Terry (Geraldine Alexander) is a woman who has lost a child and is now a caregiver for her own mother; Harvey (Andrew Hawkins) is a left-wing teacher who has been sacked from his job. All of the characters have interesting stories and all of the actors do absolutely first rate jobs at bringing them to life. Indeed, the quality of the acting is what makes this an exceptional production. However for us, the writing and construction of the work did not always rise to the high standar
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Dreamgirls ★★★★★ New Wimbledon Theatre | May 9 - 14, 2022

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La Bohème ★★★★★ King's Head Theatre | Apr 26 - May 28, 2022

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German Cornejo’s Wild Tango ★★★ Sadler's Wells Peacock Theatre | May 12 - 21, 2022

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This is a tango show plus! German Cornejo's Wild Tango has elements of break dancing and aerial work plus some terrific examples of the Argentinian national dance itself. The production also goes back to the origins of tango by presenting a lot of same sex dancing which has an authenticity and athleticism that is often quite breathtaking. German Cornejo himself with partner, Gisela Galeassi, were absolutely sublime in their sequences together and the rest of the company constantly amazed us with their nimbleness and gravity defying feats. Unfortunately, the show's costumes do not always work to display the talents and skillfulness of the dancers, with the dress decisions sometimes distracting from, rather than complementing, the performances. The use of gaucho-like trousers in one sequence simply obscures the dazzling footwork that is taking place. There is also a problem with the lighting throughout. Frequently it seems unnecessarily dark, concealing the stunning terpsichorea
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Bonnie & Clyde ★★★★★ Arts Theatre | Apr 9 - Jul 10, 2022

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Sidney Fox's Crime ★★★ Above The Stag Theatre | Apr 20 - May 7, 2022

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Was it murder or was it an accident? Did Sidney Fox commit matricide or was he the victim of prejudice? Writer, Glenn Chandler, has taken the fascinating case of a gay conman and his dissolute mother and brought their complex relationship and compelling story to life. In Sidney Fox's Crime Chandler lays out the facts and even suggests another alternative version for what happened to Rosaline Fox on October 23, 1929. It is an intriguing tale and it is compellingly told. Sebastian Calver plays the charming rogue Sidney to the hilt. The codependent relationship with his mother, his unabashed involvement with a series of men, and his brazen thievery are all on display. As Sidney's mother, Amanda Bailey exposes the cloying, claustrophobic nature of Rosaline's connection with her son and how her example, no doubt, led him into the life he led. Mark Curry does a fine job as barrister, James Dale Cassels. His debriefing of his client in prison thoughtfully leads the audience into
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