The uniquely spectacular Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg: “An outstanding project the likes of which will never happen again in the city” April 25, 2016 It’s hard to describe the appeal of Hamburg. It isn’t as picturesque as Munich, nor as cool as Berlin. Instead it’s quietly confident, relaxed, comfortable with its role as Germany’s second largest city, a hub for commerce and industry. One of Europe’s most important ports, Hamburg is located on the River Elbe and the city [...]
New homes on sale this weekend, including the former BBC Television Centre in White City April 22, 2016 Television Centre, White City From £700,000 The former home of the BBC forms the centrepiece of the regeneration of White City, which will see 5,000 new homes built in total. The first batch of homes will go on sale from 23 April at 11am in the Television Centre Pavilion. The first phase will consist of [...]
Cross the arid Namibian desert on a self-driven safari April 22, 2016 It’s hard to imagine a landscape more dramatic than that of the largely uninhabited southern African desert nation Namibia. Dot its picturesque lands with a hefty assortment of big game and wildlife and you’ve got the right conditions for an epic holiday setting. A network of well-maintained (though often unpaved) roads means a visit to the [...]
Property of the Week: This novel loft conversion doubled the living space at 28 Nottingham Place in Marylebone April 22, 2016 You’ve heard of wealthy homeowners digging down into their basements, but have you ever seen them build up? The owners of the fourth floor apartment at 28 Nottingham Place, a period building in the heart of Marylebone, have decided to do just that and increase their living space from 680sqft to 1,219sqft at the drop [...]
Spend it like Beckham at this weekend’s Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair in Battersea Park April 22, 2016 When the Beckhams go shopping these days it’s with an air of refinement, an eye for detail and a nose to sniff out some decorative objets to fill their many, many rooms. David was spotted at the Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair in Battersea Park in January, and on Tuesday, for the spring fair, it [...]
Secret Cinema Presents: 28 Days Later is as accomplished as anything the company has tried before April 21, 2016 You know the drill by now: turn up at a secret location, wear a certain outfit – a haz-mat suit or hospital scrubs in this case – and experience an immersive theatrical experience based on a popular movie. This time it’s 28 Days Later, and the frenetic opening minutes more than live up to the clear potential [...]
Jane Got A Gun review: Natalie Portman struggles to save a messy film April 21, 2016 The Western, that great American genre, hasn’t treated the fairer sex very… well, fairly. Their role is usually confined to prostitutes or prizes to be won in a shoot out. Jane Got a Gun wants to be something more. It started life with Lynne Ramsay, the Scottish director behind outstanding adaptations of We Need to [...]
Funny Girl review: Sheridan Smith is show-stoppingly hilarious in this hit comedy musical April 21, 2016 If there were any lingering concerns about Sheridan Smith’s ability to fill the Streisand-sized boots of Fanny Brice in Funny Girl, they’re almost immediately dashed the moment she takes to the stage. They’re dashed and then dashed again, and then any remaining shreds of undashed concern are swept up in a little basket and hurled [...]
The Flick play comes to London’s Dorfman Theatre and it’s brilliant April 21, 2016 A man stands under harsh fluorescent strip-lights, slowly – painfully slowly – mopping the floor. We watch for what seems like hours as he squeezes out his mop, slides it dully across the ground and repeats, interminably. There's no wink towards the audience, no suggestion that some comic reward is about to follow. It never does. The Flick, [...]
Vico review: The fast-food Cambridge Circus trattoria is reborn as a grown up, sit down, complete dining experience April 19, 2016 Dominating an entire corner of Cambridge Circus, Vico was once a grand yet informal arancini outpost serving superfast Italian street food to exiting theatre audiences. But since relaunching in December the pace has mellowed, a giant indoor fountain has appeared, comfortable tables and chairs invite you to stick around and the expanded menu has evolved [...]