West End landlord Shaftesbury posts smaller annual loss thanks to retail rebound WEST END West End commercial landlord Shaftesbury posted a smaller annual loss thanks to its hospitality and retail firm tenants rebounding after lockdown. “There has been great progress on Shaftesbury’s road to recovery in recent months,” chief executive officer Brian Bickell said in a statement yesterday. However, he cautioned that there was “still further to travel before [...]
London recovery: West End busier than week before as shoppers get into Christmas spirit Xmas shopping Central London was busier last week than the previous week, as shoppers got into the festive spirit. Shopping destinations including Oxford Street and Regent Street saw an 8.3 per cent boost to footfall, in the week beginning 14 November. In a further endorsement for the City’s rebound, London’s office hubs were also busier than the [...]
The Normal Heart at the National Theatre is a desperate howl In the same week Matthew López took home the Best Play gong at the Tony Awards for The Inheritance, a work that has drawn strong comparisons to fellow Tony-winner Angels in America, the National Theatre began its revival of the original play chronicling the AIDS crisis: The Normal Heart. Larry Kramer’s semi-autobiographical 1985 play follows [...]
Hamlet at the Young Vic: Cush Jumbo magnetic as Danish Prince October 8, 2021 Playing Hamlet is still seen by many as the pinnacle of an acting career. When we think of the greats in the role we think of John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier, Richard Burton, Daniel Day-Lewis, Ian McKellan (twice, as of this summer). But Cush Jumbo inhabits the part so brilliantly in this new production at the [...]
Visitors migrate back to London’s West End as venues throw open their doors July 26, 2021 Visitors are beginning to migrate back to London’s tourism spots like the West End, as last week’s ‘Freedom Day’ meant theatres and clubs could throw open their doors for the first time in over a year. Last week’s heatwave meant locals and visitors alike could make the most out of London’s reopening – before the [...]
Oxford Circus to be transformed into two pedestrian-friendly piazzas June 17, 2021 Oxford Circus will be transformed into a two pedestrian-friendly piazzas in a plan that should also improve access to Oxford Circus tube station and create a greener space in Central London. Work in the area will begin later this year, and will be delivered through a phased approach, starting with two ‘car free’ piazzas on [...]
‘West End productions cannot survive under social distancing’ warn theatres June 15, 2021 The four-week delay to easing lockdown restrictions will have “serious implications” for many theatres, with large-scale commercial productions at most serious risk, the industry has warned. On Monday evening the government postponed plans to fully re-open society on 21 June amid a sharp rise in cases of the more transmissible Delta variant, which was first [...]
‘Arrest us’: Lloyd-Webber vows to reopen theatres on 21 June regardless of restrictions rules June 9, 2021 Andrew Lloyd-Webber has vowed to reopen his London shows later this month, regardless of whether the government goes ahead with so-called ‘freedom day’. The theatre entrepreneur has had he is willing to be arrested if authorities try to intervene in his plans to re-open. “We are going to open, come hell or high water,” Lloyd-Webber [...]