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drinks Monday 2 June 08
It's on till 26 May and here's Some things you might want to know about Brighton Fringe 2008
London 06 - The People!
Parties, events, people...
CONTENTS:
London Film Festival - 14 September 06
Roundhouse Press Night - Space Soon - 8 September 06
Big Four London Launch - 21 June 06
OffWestEnd.Com Drinks - 20 June 06
Matt Holt - Birthday Party - 17 June 06
James Harris - Birthday Drinks - 26 May 06
London Philharmonic Orchestra London Season Launch - 4 May 06
Alan Crompton-Batt - Gift of Possessions - 7 January 06
Birthdays 2006
Births 2006
Marriages 2006
Deaths 2006
OTHER GOSSIP & CONTACT:
Edinburgh 06 - The People!
London 05 - The People!
Edinburgh 05 - The People!
Crystal Clean - Edinburgh 05 gossip column
London 04 - The People!
Crystal Clean - Edinburgh 04 gossip column
Edinburgh 04 - The People!
email - reviews@fringereport.com
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The London Film Festival 2006 runs from 18 October to 2 November. It's launched to international media today - 400 fairly well-dressed, clean-looking people filling up Screen Two at Odeon West End in London's Leicester Square.
A crisp 35-minute showreel gives a snapshot of 28 films from the 181 features and 131 shorts that make up this year's festival - the 50th anniversary:
title, (director / first-named actor(s) (details)): Anger Me (Elio Gelmini / Kenneth Anger, Jonas Mekas (Canada; about Kenneth Anger)). Babel (Alejandro González Iñárritu / Cate Blanchett, Brad Pitt). Bamako (Abderrahmane Sissako / Aïssa Maïga). Bobby (Emilio Estevez / Harry Belafonte). Breaking and Entering (Anthony Minghella / Romi Aboulafia). Candy (Neil Armfield / Abbie Cornish, Heath Ledger). Container (Lukas Moodysson / Jena Malone, Peter Lorentzon, Mariha Åberg). Fast Food Nation (Richard Linklater / Erinn Allison). For Your Consideration (Christopher Guest / with Ricky Gervais and regulars from the Christopher Guest-Eugene Levy film list (Best In Show, Waiting For Guffman, Spinal Tap) including Parker Posey, Michael Hitchcock, Eugene Levy, Bob Balaban, Christopher Guest). Iklimler (Climates) (Nuri Bilge Ceylan / Arif Asçi). Little Children (Todd Field / Kate Winslet). Nacido y criado (Born And Bred) (Pablo Trapero / Federico Esquerro). No 2 (Toa Fraser / Ruby Dee). Old Joy (Kelly Reichardt / Daniel London). Oliver Twist (1948) (David Lean / Alec Guinness). Quand j'étais chanteur (The Singer) (Xavier Giannoli / Gérard Depardieu (as has-been singer Alain Moreau) ). Red Road (Andrea Arnold / Kate Dickie). Romanzo criminale (2005) (Michele Placido / Kim Rossi Stuart). Shortbus (John Cameron Mitchell / Raphael Barker). Stranger Than Fiction (Marc Forster / Will Ferrell (as central character Harold Crick) ). Ten Canoes (Rolf de Heer & Peter Djigirr / Richard Birrinbirrin (Australia 2006; Aboriginal/English languages)). The Last King of Scotland (Kevin Macdonald / Simon McBurney). The US vs John Lennon (David Leaf & John Scheinfeld / John Lennon). This Is England (Shane Meadows / Joseph Gilgun). Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) (HenrySelick / Danny Elfman). To-kki-wa Gom (2005) (Rabbits and Bears) (Hyo-Jeong Kim / Joon-Won Kim (Bear), So-Young Lee (Rabbit) / Korea, 21-minute short / Korean Academy of Film Arts). Venus (Roger Michell / Peter O'Toole). Wang-ui namja (2005) (The King And The Clown) (Jun-ik Lee / Woo-seong Kam).
Amanda Nevill, director of the British Film Institute (BFI), speaks. 'There are so many ways we can see film now - it's good news for the industry. Last week we launched BFI online - this technology has great advantages.' Details are on the BFI's site (www.bfi.org.uk). But the festival's something special. 'Seeing a film on the big screen is really great - it's what films are made for. The festival serves to remind us of the full emotional power of film, shown as it was intended to be made.' New technology v dark moments in the stalls? Sounds like a draw.
She thanks the sponsors - the programme lists more than 50. Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone's in there of course, never missing an opportunity for publicity: 'London's status as an international centre for the film industry generates £14 billion each year, and every day there are over 30 film crews shooting on the capital's streets,' writes Ken. There's an intriguingly wide range of sponsors: Moet & Chandon, Blackbery, Land Rover, the Australian High Commission (no sign of Sir Les Patterson), along with all the government film bodies, the BBC, several commercial broadcast media, and main sponsor The Times.
Amanda Nevill's speech is warm - and passionate - it's a word she uses to conclude. An elegant and strikingly beautiful woman - with bright platinum blonde hair, stunning couture white jacket, black top and pretty black-and-white-patterned skirt to the knee - she clearly has a strong empathy with artists: 'A festival for a film-maker must be approached with courage - there is nowhere to hide. There have been some extraordinary film-makers over the last 50 years. The passion for film. We share this.'
Personality seems so important in arts leadership. In theatre, the charisma and warmth of, say, Christopher Richardson, Max Stafford-Clark (The Last King of Scotland chimes with his stunning stage evocation of Idi Amin as Macbeth), William Burdett-Coutts, Ed Bartlam & Charlie Wood probably isn't coincidental to their success. And in quite different ways, they pack a lot of sex appeal. The London Film Festival's Artistic Director Sandra Hebron projects exactly the same kind of warmth - and stage awareness. She strides confidently to centre-stage, pretty, lots of élan. Her hair is layered dark to blonde, cut page-boy style; she wears black, the top with dramatically plunging cleavage, skirt to the knee, meeting black leather boots. Pure style.
Sandra Hebron: 'We have a very ambitious programme. The selection is truly international'. It's from over 50 countries). 'Supporting and nurturing emerging talent is very important to the LFF.' She cites Kevin McDonald's The Last King of Scotland which opens the festival: 'It's original, imaginative, and absolutely gripping.' One of the film's producers, Andrea Calderwood, is here.
Sandra Hebron describes the programme: four world premieres in the British section; films from Africa and New Zealand. Still Life, the Venice Film Festival Golden Lion winner, is a late addition (not in the catalogue). There are career interviews and masterclasses, with participants including Kenneth Anger and Dustin Hoffman; discussion events; a programme of restorations including David Lean's Great Expectations (1946) and Oliver Twist (1948). On Friday 27 October (19:00) LFF presents a free outdoor screening - A Portrait of London - taking over Trafalgar Square - including work by Nicolas Roeg, and Jake & Dino Chapman. Sunday 29 October (20:30) features 50 Screens - 'We're rolling out across 50 venues' - it's billed as 'the world's largest surprise film screening'.
Today's audience includes Edinburgh International Film Festival's charming new director Hannah McGill, just off a plane from Toronto International Film Festival. She takes over from Shane Danielsen. Here is Oliver Harbottle (film release co-ordinator, Dogwoof Pictures). Loo How (Freud Communications). Jonathan Peake (Premier PR). Lawrence Atkinson (DDA PR). Ginger Corbett (Premier PR). Tom Grievson (Metrodome UK). Liz Miller (Premier PR). Charles McDonald. Jonathan Rutter. Diane Kelly (Freud Communications). Jane Trotman (Warner Brothers). John Dunning (Tartan Films). Mark Jones (Momentum Pictures). Dave Calhoun (Time Out). Damon Smith (Press Association). Helen de Witt (LFF). Melissa Gronlund (Frieze). David Edwards (Mirror). Jason Solomons (Observer). Larushka Ivan-Zadeh (Metro). Miles Fielder. Mark Stafford (Resonance FM and cartoonist-in-residence at the Cartoon Museum). Odeon West End general manager is Chris Hilton.
The festival includes galas and special screenings. There's Film on the Square - it's intended as the pick of the world (eg Hollywoodland (Allen Coulter / Ted Atherton)) in Leicester Square - where the best cinemas and drug addicts are - rather than a Masonic ritual. There's British cinema, French cinema; European cinema (eg De tre musketerer (2005) (The Three Musketeers) (Janis Cimermanis / (puppet stop-motion animation)); World cinema (eg Yamiutsu shinzo (1982) (Heart, Beating in the Dark) (Shunichi Nagasaki / Takashi Naitô, Shigeru Muroi, Taro Suwa)); experimental work; restored films from the archives; shorts (eg Sniffer (Bobbie Peers / Kristin Krogh Sissner, Danny Schlesinger)); animation; screen talks (eg Yo La Tengo (film-score composers singer/drummer Georgia Hubley, singer/guitarist (and her husband) Ira Kaplan, and bassist James McNew)); masterclasses, events, education activities - and awards.
The programme is online at www.lff.org.uk. And there's a magazine version. Its A3 centrespread is the full timetable. And even more briefly at a glance? Every event, every film, long and short - all the 400 items that make up LFF 06 are compressed onto a single sheet of A4. Just open the catalogue at page 104.
John Park - Screen 2, Odeon West End, 40 Leicester Square, London, WC2H 7LP - Thursday 14 September 06 - thanks for additional reporting to Rachael Booth - (c) www.fringereport.com
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Around 500 people drink at The Roundhouse tonight, as chief executive Marcus Davey welcomes press and public to look around.
The Roundhouse, next to Chalk Farm tube in London's Camden Town, opened on 1 June 2006. Its main space is a small-cathedral-sized circular room, stretching up to a gently-pitched conical roof. Artists in crash helmets and chunky builders' costumes are building a space rocket in the centre. It's part of a set of events themed to space travel, with commissions by artists Aleksandra Mir, N55/Neal White, London Fieldworks; and projects by Isobel Rocamora, aerialist Michelle Griffiths (both performing tonight), Semiconductor, Marko Peljhan, Jane & Louise Wilson, Jerry Dammers, Kodwo Eshun, London arts radio station Resonance FM. The whole is called Space Soon - Art & Human Spaceflight, from The Arts Catalyst. The Arts Catalyst includes Nicola Triscott (director), Rob La Frenais (curator), Gillean Dickie (project manager), Marian Carroll (education), Lyndsey Housden (administrator), Neal White (artist in residence), Alison Wright (communications), Judith Palmer (Space Soon conference). Kate Lewis is PR and Events Manager at The Roundhouse, and the venue's development team includes Rupal Lakhani.
The Roundhouse doesn't pigeonhole easily. It opened with Fuerzabruta - from the Agentinian company that created De La Guarda - loosely, aerialists / physical theatre / circus. Space Soon is in the area of visual, event, and installation art. In the immediate future there's music, theatre, dance. The BBC is performing Electric Proms (http://www.bbc.co.uk/electricproms/), with Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon, Tony Allen, Simon Tong, James Brown, The Who, The Guillemots, Jamie T, Young Tiger. Dance Umbrella brings Merce Cunningham Dance Company in the London premiere of Ocean, by Merce Cunningham & John Cage. 14 dancers are surrounded by the audience, surrounded by 150 musicians from Guildhall School of Music & Drama. There's Imogen Heap, Cat Power, Dresden Dolls, The Divine Comedy, Calexico, Opeth, Seu Jorge, Affroreggae, Gilles Peterson, The Zutons, Jarvis Cocker, Scott Matthews, Jolie Holland. There's a 2-day music conference State Of Play, with speeches and contributions from Alan Johnson MP, Sir Ken Robinson, Naomi Eisenstadt, Professor Lord Winston, Howard Goodall, Camila Batmanghelidjh, Hugh Masekela, Jon Snow, Marc Jaffrey, David Lammy MP, Christina Coker, Tony Howell, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Paul Roberts, Tony Hall, Estelle Morris, Eric Nicoli, Katherine Zeserson, Kirsty Wark.
According to The Roundhouse, the main space can take 200 to 1,800 people, depending on how it's arranged. Beneath it, at street level, are The Roundhouse Studios. These include rehearsal and technical studios, and a small circular performance space surrounded by brick arches and a circular cloister from which passages radiate. The performance space is occupied tonight by artists Bruce Gilchrist and Jo Joelson sleeping in tubes - project SpaceBaby by London Fieldworks (www.londonfieldworks.com). Their blood and heart rates are being monitored by scientists from Leicester University led by Dr Marcus Cooke - ensuring that The Roundhouse's Marcus-count stays at a steady 2.
The history of The Roundhouse stretches back to the 1800s, and more recently - as a performance space - to the 1970s (details at www.roundhouse.org.uk). The rebuilt Roundhouse keeps the original brickwork shell. It's been scrubbed and dried-out - the building used to run with damp. There's a new outer concentric wall of polished fair-faced concrete enclosing a new, elegantly-curved, main staircase. There's a new block containing a café and bar on two storeys, with a first-floor external terrace for art and drinking.
It's not just the building that's been cleaned - so have the people. There are no hippies at The Roundhouse now, with pretentious names and performances, delivering pseudo-political jargon, with the earnest wish (as The Roundhouse's new and witty history placards on its walls note) that 'the working class' would attend Shakespeare there.
Heartwarmingly, a couple of incidents tonight suggest that little may have changed. Arts Catalyst director Nicola Triscott makes a speech in front of the ongoing construction of The Arts Catalyst's space rocket. It is imaginatively constructed from items including scrap metal and what look like tractor tyres. It's Blue Peter on a heroic scale. With a straight face and no visible sense of irony, she describes the group as 'anarchic political artists'. In another part of the building, an elegantly middle-class woman calls out 'Cassius! Cassius!'. A coded theatrical reference perhaps - with or without the workers? No - it's the name of her child.
John Park - Roundhouse - Friday 8 September 06 - (c) www.fringereport.com
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Four of Edinburgh’s largest venues launch together in London tonight. Underbelly, Pleasance, Gilded Balloon, Assembly will cross-ticket and cross-promote each other's shows.
The liaison could be big, like the Axis (but without the gas chambers, defeat, devastating ruin, occupation by America, resurgence, beer festivals, leather trousers, and steadfast opposition to the war against Iraq); gradually open to everyone, like the EU; a bit of everything, like haggis; riven by sodomy, like Afghanistan’s Northern Alliance; queasily back-stabbing, like the Entente Cordiale; or very nice.
Simon Fanshawe has charisma where other men just have a weak tan. A Fringe performer from 1981-ish, he won the Perrier in 1989, and looks terrific in Savile Row suit, hand-made shirt and bold pink-striped tie. Kicking off the party with a lively speech, handsome elongated-Chris-Neill-look-alike star and Fringe Society board member Simon is mercilessly upbeat. ‘The Fringe celebrates 60 years of its history this year’ with diversity - ‘If it was a stick of rock it wouldn’t say the same thing all the way through’ – and size - ‘The single biggest cluster of artistic talent anywhere on the planet.’ The alliance of venues won’t threaten the whole - ‘These four venues are pooling their clout and donating it to the Fringe’ - or the official Fringe body - ‘The Fringe will always be the pre-eminent box office’ and organisation.
Simon is introduced by father of The Pleasance, charming and debonair Christopher Richardson – fine in voice and good in looks, relaxed in his first year of partial leisure after handing the Pleasance over to Anthony Alderson’s direction – more on Anthony in a mo. Here’s lovely pr and producer auburn-haired Louise Chantal in red polka-dot dress. Lovely Zena Barrie’s in red-polka dot top – they could be twins. Zena’s in pretty cut-off jeans. She whispers discreetly about her gorgeous co-AD of Etcetera Theatre and It’s Alright For Some comedy empire Michelle Flower ‘Mark my words. This Edinburgh Michelle is going to fuck Alan Rickman’. Lorks a mercy – can nobody hold these girls back? Michelle stuns in sultry sleeveless and plunging black chemise, jeans, and sexy pearl earrings. Alan – when you finish work, go straight home.
It’s a balmy London summer night in the crowded smoky ambience of Café Lazeez - Sean Penn, Robin Wright Penn, Tim Roth, Ben Stiller, Ralph Fiennes come here – the ground-floor bar at Soho Theatre, with bold windows onto Dean Street. The around 100 guests include Tony Hadley, Fringe supremo delightful Paul Gudgin, performers’ all-round favourite Jose Ferran (business manager, The Pleasance), top producer handsome Ed Smith, and lovely comedy manager Hannah Oldman (Old Man Management), who is taking acts including Paul Morocco’s Olé! and Kerry Godliman to Ed 06. Here’s charming ladies-man Chortle editor Steve Bennett, and journalist pretty Veronica Lee, comedy artist Dave Ward - who'll run the after-hours gigs at Pleasance Dome. Stylish, charming and recklessly good-looking ex-Edfringe-press now Underbelly press Owen O'Leary; pretty pr Alexandra Gammie. Tanned and attractive David Burns (Burning Issues PR)’s Ed shows include The Goodies, Harry Shearer, Dutch Elm Conservatoire, David O’Doherty. Here’s independent stand-up specialist Jon Briley, surprisingly young (says Jon), handsome, big-haired and devilishly be-cardiganed, with acts including Robert Ince. Robert’s eye-catching drowning image in the Edfringe programme was designed by the photographer and big-haired Jon’s graphic designer girlfriend. Here’s beautiful pr Kim Morgan, and equally beautiful pr partner Paul Sullivan. Macho Kevin Wilson (CEO of KWPR, as opposed to ace Aussie comic Kevin ‘Bloody’ Wilson) looks tanned and burly in blue t-shirt, blue jeans, and maroon deck-shoe trainers; a magnificent – check those tattoos - figure of a man. Pretty Jules Richardson is with colleague handsome and burly comedy management ace Nigel ‘Bruiser’ Klarfeld (Bound & Gagged Comedy)- the thinking-girls gangster pin-up – who takes a terrific roster of 15 shows to Ed – all in Pleasance Courtyard - while finding time to look after performing dog Brandi at home. It’s the first sighting in the same room of comedy’s dream pairing Nigel Klarfeld and Brett Vincent since their parting at the end of 2005, but the lads seem as ever charming and at ease – here’s to them staying mates. Here’s divine Madelaine Bennett (Prospero Communications). Pretty Hils Jago, downright sexy in skimpy top and short black cocktail skirt showing off fabulous legs. Urbane and sexy Pleasance boss Anthony Alderson – his dad-in-law runs the Rose Theatre (Christopher Marlowe’s one), so it’s a family trait – looks relaxed in open white cheesecloth shirt and dark blazer. Charming William Burdett-Coutts runs Riverside Studios London, and Assembly Edinburgh. Here’s gorgeous and effervescent Mel Brown (CEO, Impressive PR), handsome journalist Brian Logan, pretty pr Sheridan Humphreys. Lovely Rachel Abel, now working at BBC 5 Live, and equally lovely Bobbie Pryor – they’re partners in Little Red Delicious – take 2 shows to Edinburgh.
Playwright Neil Heather takes his play Teen Scream to Assembly Rooms (13:15), and on to the West End. Impish comic Rhod Gilbert. Lovely Edwina Lunn. Manly Gilded Balloon head of press Fraser Smith stuns in a 7-year-old shirt by Tom Ford for Gucci; it’s blue with mutating pineapple décor strips; there’s a silver and turquoise cross in his cleavage, with sunglasses sexily set on top of his head. Pretty East15 graduette and Gilded Balloon press office manager Ellie McDonald looks fabulous – always – and especially tonight, her dazzling blonde hair piled high – in diaphanous green silk shirt – ‘She’s not wearing a bra’, smirks Fraser – and fashionable black trousers. Here’s lovely Becky Singh, programme co-ordinator for Assembly. Handsome chap Jeremy Lucas is smart in a grey suit – he’s Chairman of The Pleasance Trust.
Here’s tall, slender and handsome Paul Lucas (Paul Lucas Productions), co-producing Ed shows with hunky babe-magnet James Seabright. Paul is also head of press for Aurora Nova. Beautiful PR Claire Walker. Zena Barrie points out Neil Masters, stand-up, programmer of The Underbelly’s late show, and voice-over artiste – ‘He’s just done my answerphone message’ whispers Zena. Claire Nightingale is tall, blonde-haired and completely gorgeous, with a bewitching smile. Claire used to programme The Pleasance with Ollie Rance. Now she’s at top comedy stable PBJ (Peter Bennett-Jones – the lad was at Winchester and Cambridge).
Here’s stunning blonde sex-goddess Karen Koren, gorgeous in pretty black cocktail dress sweeping down to her magnificent upper storey (the lower one’s fabulous too) – and pretty black court shoes. Handsome boy-man comedy impresario Brett Vincent says he’s worn out and knackered but looks great. For Underbelly Productions he’s promoting The Early Edition including his brother Andre Vincent & Steve Furst & Marcus Brigstocke, Godliman & Lane, Rob Heeney, Carrie Quinlan, Steve Williams, Nick Doody, Glenn Wool, Al Pitcher, Jim Jeffries, Matt Kirshen, Carey Marx, Andrew Maxwell’s Full Mooners, Topping & Butch. Zena Barrie confides ‘If you want a party, Brett’s the one to get along. He’s a fantastic DJ. He was a child model for Andrex for 3 years.’ Zena confides that Underbelly joint directors Charlie Wood and Ed Bartlam (both flagrantly handsome and ex public school) say that ‘Brett is a great asset to the Underbelly office. To have someone working-class there’. In the Underbelly brochure acknowledgements, Brett’s down as The Geezer. Zena: ‘They say “he makes us feel like lads.” Brett’s first job was grooming the horses in Buckingham Palace’. Brett says it was picking mushrooms. Lovely Zena wears a priceless stainless-steel bracelet. Tanned old Etonian Charlie Wood looks rugged in floral silk shirt open at the neck to reveal a manly chest, and khaki chinos. In almost matching khaki dress, open-necked and soaring downwards, lovely Penny Sims (Underbelly head of press) looks pretty as a summer’s day.
Pretty blonde-haired Kerry Teakle is head of press for Assembly, in fabulous tailored grey ¾-length jacket and black couture trousers, with low-cut top and elegant silver necklace with prominent red stone. Lovely fringe and West End theatre producer and writer Siobhan Rhodes-Johnson shimmers in blue jeans and low-cut chemise top, black with design. Her handsome and fashionably-dark-stubbled husband Simon Rhodes-Johnson works at the National Theatre, and together they look after Dylan aged 2, and left at home (ahh) – he’s a miniature chocolate poodle.
Announcing – The Terrier Award. Laura Davis - C Venues head of press - comes with classical dancer Ash Mukherjee, who will dance with jazz singer Holly Penfield at Ed 06. Laura, in lovely red wide-brimmed hat (topically Royal Ascot) with pink bow, and pretty dark hair cascading down her back – discloses exclusively to FR that C Venues is presenting a new award in 2006. The Terrier Award (pronounced to rhyme with Perrier, but you guessed) was dreamed up by Laura and mate Dusty Limits, who is MC-ing comedy at C this year, pinched from The Bongo Club. The Terrier will recognise the show with the utmost tenacity for dragging itself beyond its limits – dogged. ‘It’s for people who just won’t let go of a show’ says beguiling Laura. The award is on 25 August 06 at C’s Cabaret Bar. The trophy? A chocolate dog.
John Park - Assembly, Gilded Balloon, Pleasance, Underbelly London Launch – Wednesday 21 June 06 – 17:00 (19:00) – Café Lazeez, 21 Dean Street, London W1D 3TN – thanks for additional reporting to Zena Barrie - (c) www.fringereport.com
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Tonight celebrates the launch of fantastic website www.OffWestEnd.com. The site focuses on some of London’s most exciting theatres. It’s run by Sofie Mason and business partner Kevin Nicholas.
Glamorous hostess gorgeous Sofie Mason greets guests at a door in an alley down the side of an impressive building on Regent Street – with more than an echo of a bordello madame. The gal’s got style - and it’s naughty style. Then it’s down a few steps to an inner door with one of those vision slots that strip clubs and crack dens have in films – very off West End. Youcef Aden has designed the interior of the cellars to create members’ club Hedges & Butler.
There are drinks, there are speeches – including one scheduled by The Theatres Trust’s Mhora Samuel - there’s food, and a lot more drinks. The sparkling collection of guests include:
Evanna Meehan (Head of Production, Gate). Marla Rubin (Festen). Alex Gammie (Alex Gammie PR). Linda Wilkinson (King's Head Theatre). Sarah Coop (Hampstead Theatre). Gordon Thompson. Richard Rolfson. Liza (Story Circle Company). Gavin Plumley. Henriette Krarup (Fundraising, Gate Theatre). Garrick Hagen (Story Circle Company). Cath Longman (General Manager, Gate).
Rick Bland, producer and actor - the original Jerry Springer (Jerry Springer The Opera). Jamie Lehrer (Lyric Hammersmith Theatre). Peter Collins (Greenwich Theatre). Sascha Evans (Battersea Arts Centre, BAC). Paul Cooper (aka Mr Sofie Mason). Frankie Holloway (Souk). Holly Long (OffWestEnd.com Super Club). Terry Chisholm (Division 100). Katie Regan (Admin, Queens Head Theatre). Hywel David.
Philip Hedley (former Artistic Director, Stratford East Theatre). Chris Lincé (Marketing, Cockpit Theatre). Veronica Humphris (Greenwich). Wendy. Barry Burke. Dave Wybrow (Manager, Cockpit). Thom Stanbury (Admin Director, Queens Head). Claire Lovett (Gate). Geoff O'Connell (Hot Tuna).
Zoe Baty, journalist. Nelson Fernandez (Visiting Arts). Paul Dubois (Off The Cuff Theatre Company). Francesca Franchi (OffWestEnd.com Super Club and Royal Opera House). Peter Slavid. Evita Bier (Admin Director, Warehouse Theatre, Croydon). Helen Anderson (Lyric Hammersmith). Roger Evans. Valerie Boulet (Oval House Theatre). Holly Kendrick. James Haddrell (Marketing, Greenwich). Ted Craig (Artistic Director, Warehouse).
Cookie Rameder (Cochrane Theatre). Antony Morgan (Division 100). Bob Carlton (Artistic Director, Queens Head). Deidre Malyna (Cochrane). Mhora Samuel (The Theatres Trust). John Kelly (Prospect). Diana Jervis Read (OffWestEnd.com). Chris O'Kelly (Marketing, Queens Head). Tamzin Robertson (Hampstead). Katherine Bond. Jessica Hepburn (Lyric Hammersmith).
John Park - 20 June 06 - Hedges & Butler Members Club, 3 New Burlington Mews, London W1B 4QB - thanks for additional reporting to Sofie Mason - article date 11 July 06 - (c) www.fringereport.com
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Ace director, actor, stand up and MC Matt Holt’s birthday party launches 3pm Saturday afternoon and expires 10am Sunday morning at the stylish Shepherds Bush bachelor pad he shares with comedy impresario legend Rohan Acharya and computer whiz Mike Smith. Together Ro, Matt and Mike are comedy generator Underhand and lots of comedy performers and actors are here. Including:
Astonishing actress, breathtakingly gorgeous Sarah Marlene Coyle who starred in SandMan as Nurse Haze. Comedian Nick Doody. Handsome TV talent scout and producer Tom Hopgood works for Brown Eyed Boy – they discovered and produced Laura Solon for Ed 05, and she won the very last Perrier Award. This year Tom’s going better, by producing stunner Isabel Fay Robinson’s show Magic Steve – and marrying her. Ace comic Matt Kirshen. Handsome actor Brett Goldstein, who’s just finished a block-busting month’s run at The Courtyard, Covent Garden and is taking his play Love Remains to Edinburgh. A couple of brothers who went to Charterhouse – come on, it’s a posh party - Jon Wallace plays Macduff in Jeamworld’s upcoming feature film Macbeth and works for Breast Cancer; Jim Wallace writes the original musical score for the film (downloads at www.sleepnomore.net). Pretty comedian Newton.
Thrilling blonde intellectual, gorgeous Ella Walker, talent scout, researcher – Ella has worked for BBC and Tiger Aspect. By the way – Matt Holt shares a birthday with his comedy partner ruggedly macho-ly handsome hunk James Lamont on 15 June. Pretty Emily Holt is Matt Holt’s sister and does drugs counselling and therapy – her services may be needed before the night’s out. Extremely handsome comedy impresario, sexpot Rohan Acharya, currently in the BBC’s comedy department. Matt’s old school friend, divine Rachel Allinson, with her charming and lively two-year-old son Danny. Lovely Zanthe Fuller. Attractive John Samuel Worsey, Banquo in the Macbeth film. Dangerously good looking in a Steve McQueen way, host and party boy (but not in a Boys In The Band way) Matt Holt . Handsome actor Gerry Howell.
Supremely pretty stand up Katy Wix, who was once callously knocked off the platform of a Routemaster bus by a blind man. Rohan Acharya’s delightful cousin Neil Chakravarty - good looks run in the family. Belle of the ball, gorgeous actress in TV, film and theatre, lovely Elizabeth Bower. Long-standing family friend of Matt’s family (unless Matt vomits over everyone tonight – no,no, it’s not going to happen), lovely Anne Griffiths. Gorgeous Jen Morris, mulling the difficult decision of what she’ll wear next week at Royal Ascot. Charming Carey Marx. Lovely Lyndsay Fenner, runner on Macbeth and working at BBC Broadcasting. Talented designer and writer Chris Lincé. Michael O'Kelly, First Assistant Director on Macbeth.
International sex-symbol, icon of beauty (and Fringe Report’s Crystal Clean), actress Isabel Fay Robinson dresses - surprisingly modestly for Isabel - in a pretty flared floral dress cut to the knee with plunging décolletage. Isabel gets her spanner out and constructs the barbecue for the party – the boys aren’t capable.
Lovely actress Emily Juniper and her lovely friend Zoe - they dance a lot together. Impish comedian, talented Anil Desai, a Giant Pineapple Boy – they famously cover their penises with balloons – Anil doesn’t, tonight. Stockbroker and singer lovely Rachel Carrol who was at Warwick University with Rohan Acharya (and quite a lot of the people here). Pretty actress Hamble Padden, Lady Macduff in Macbeth, who formed more than a working relationship with screen husband Jon Wallace aka Macduff on the Macbeth set – now they’re together – ahh – good old-fashioned romance isn’t dead. Outrageously handsome comedy writer and performer Tom Mitchell, who was at school in Reading with Matt Holt. TV writer and producer, pretty Anna Starkey.
Handsome chaps Steve Hughes, Underhand joint director (and shortly off to Hong Kong) charming Mike Smith, Macbeth (and Cambridge Shakespeare Festival) actor Ricki Unwin, delightful Paul Byrne, Macbeth Director of Photography Tim Jordan, fine comic Ed Byrne, charming Robin Booth (Emily Holt’s lucky fiancé), Ladder To The Moon artistic director Chris Gage, comedian Tom Price, ace actor, writer and Fuse Productions artistic director Ben Neale, rangy and gifted comedian John Hopkins. Here’s charming Nick Paton. and Fergus March, joint chief executives of Jeamland Productions, producer of the Macbeth film. Sex symbol Fergus has just finished a year-long run as the male lead in Mamma Mia.
Adorable Stephanie Little runs the definitive Northern Lights Film Festival at Tyneside Cinema Newcastle in the autumn. Steph’s recently engaged to Tom Mitchell – he’s given her a gorgeous gold diamond ring – they marry in her native France next year. Film conversation turns to Shane Danielsen - fabulous Australian chief executive of Edinburgh International Film Festival – nicknamed Shagger. Stephanie recalls her shocking first encounter with Shagger Shane in Cannes. He grasped her firmly and applied a full snog, apparently the Australian equivalent of the Renaissance hand-kiss. A breast man, Shane was keen to move down for a full mammary massage but Steph was embarrassed because (a) they were in the Imperial in front of the whole of Cannes and (b) she had never met him before. Steph says she ran quickly away. But she smiles happily.
John Park - Saturday 17 June 06 - Shepherds Bush - thanks for additional reporting to Matt Holt - article date 11 July 06 - (c) www.fringereport.com
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Charming debonair and recklessly handsome Dr James Harris celebrates his 35th birthday in the other Coach & Horses, just up the road from the famous one where legendarily rude Soho host Norman Balon - made famous in Jeffrey Archer Is Unwell retires this week. Tonight’s Coach & Horses is the one at the corner of Poland Street and Great Marlborough Street but has its share of rude men and women – the pick of London’s theatrical satire writers. And who more so than Dr James himself, author of the immortal encapsulation of the Michael Barrymore saga Fisting By The Pool? (Later in New Zealand, Michael Barrymore did Alladin. No, honestly).
James Harris is joined by his writing partner, the lithe and suavely-good looking Marc Blakewill. Charming Marc confides that he’s off on holiday to the Greek island of Lesbos – possibly in search of the ultimate male fantasy. James, Marc and Paul Sawyer co-founded HMS Comedy (name initials) and all three are here tonight - aah. Lovely Debbie Sawyer is here too. Here are two Ruperts, fortunately not bare. Bachelor playboy Rupert Keenlyside, publisher of Global Treasury News, is just back in London from the fleshpots of Singapore; elegantly-coiffured blond Rupert Wainwright, and gorgeous Julia Tybura, all three writers for NewsRevue and The Treason Show. As is handsome Paul Jones. Fabulous drama and comedy writer Barry Grossman whose The Attractive Young Rabbi ran for 3 series on BBC radio. Barry’s new book on how to play Scrabble is scheduled for 2006 release by HarperCollins. Stunningly beautiful Jacqueline Wood has fully recovered from dramatically snapping her left collarbone in two while filming on location 5 months ago. Gorgeous raven-haired Jacqueline gave an astonishing performance in Justin Butcher’s The Madness of George Dubya / A Weapons Inspector Calls / Guantanamo Baywatch trilogy as Cherie Blair (and a sexy police officer - hopefully she's kept the uniform). It was a ferociously demanding part, especially the night playwright Justin Butcher had to replace a sick cast member playing Arnold Schwartzenegger. Misty-eyed, gorgeous Jackie recalls the severity with which she had to whack Justin's naked bottom. Ruggedly good-looking Sitcom Trials (and many other shows) actor Dan March. Thomas Nelstrop and Simeon Goulden co-write and co-direct Edinburgh 06-bound sketch comedy The Plan B Show featuring Thomas, Eve Webster, Andy Spiers, Pia de Keyser. Tousle-haired piano virtuoso and hunky Royal Academy of Music harpsichord graduate Pete Smith is playing piano for NewsRevue's Edinburgh 06 show, which is directed by pretty Jemma Gross. Rakishly good-looking rake and gifted actor Gareth Kane is taking new improvisation show Scratch to Edinburgh 06. Lovely ex RADA Jackie Stirling co-hosts with Johnny Hansler new monthly comedy night The Teak Show at the Horse & Groom, 128 Great Portland Street, W1N 5PH. Here are adorable comedy writer Tanya Tier and charming life and writing partner Mike Tier. Actor James Burton, was in the Edinburgh 05 run of NewsRevue and is about to do The Treason Show in Brighton. Here’s pretty actor Charity Trimm, ex-Sweethearts 'n' Bodyparts and many other sublime comedy shows, who formed Three Girls In A Boat with Anne-Marie Draycott and Wanda Opalinska. James Harris spent time in Hong Kong working with EDS on the construction of the airport as an IT programmer in the late 90s (of the last century, not James) - friends from then are here; and fellow student Stu from when James did chemistry at London University. Rupert Wainwright was a project manager on the Hong Kong project and introduced James to NewsRevue. So if you wanted to know how to get into comedy writing, that's how. It's a slippery slope to perdition.
John Park - Coach And Horses, Poland Street - (c) www.fringereport.com - 26 May 06
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Musicians used to be fat and fairly unhygienic, not washing much, drinking a lot, probably farting too. It wasn't by chance that the orchestra's workplace was called a pit. Those days have gone.
Timothy Walker, the charming head of the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO www.lpo.org.uk) shakes hands with everyone and bounds onto the dais of almost-top floor of London's City Hall.
There's an open-air walkway round the building at this level. Ideal for sightseeing - and committing suicide. City Hall is apparently one of the unhappiest workplaces in London, with 16% of the 667 staff leaving in 2005 (Evening Standard 23 June 06). According to the Standard, this is 'way above government and town hall averages. Some 544 sick days were claimed (in the first 6 months of 2006) on the grounds of "stress, depression, anxiety, mental health and fatigue"'. This, however is not the LPO's problem - they're just renting the room.
The Greater London Authority's (reassuringly) cheerful Mark Prescott introduces Timothy Walker AM, Chief Executive and Artistic Director of the LPO - a master of the short speech.
The LPO will play the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Wigmore Hall, St Paul's Cathederal, Barbican Centre, London Coliseum, Brighton Dome, Glyndebourne - and Eastbourne's intriguingly-titled Congress Theatre. There will be Family and Schools concerts in London. And tours in to Germany (October 06), Brussels, Budapest, America, Toronto, Dublin, Manchester. There's an Early Years Project in Southwark and Lambeth. Future Firsts mentors young graduates. There's Adopt A Class in the City. A Hit Squad of 12 players will go into hospitals, schools, and 'the community'. Open Ear will encourage new writers. The LPO's record label will produce 4 new releases, 12 in total.
The season's core is a 30-concert series at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. At the various venues works and authors include Matthew Hindson, John McCabe, James MacMillan, Noam Sheriff, Arthur Honegger, Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein, Kurt Weill, Beethoven, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, Poulenc, Ravel, Donizetti, Gounod, Martinu, Spohr, Dohnanyi, Williamson, Brahms, Giovani Pacini, Shostakovich, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Malcolm Arnold, Paul Patterson, Benjamin Britten. There's a collaboration with Opera Rara - sadly so spelt, and therefore not girls in short skirts showing their pants (or less).
Performers include soprano Melanie Diener, baritone Alistair Miles, conductor David Parry, the Geoffrey Mitchell Choir (probably no relation to George Mitchell, creator of the Black And White Minstrells, so the choir is unlikely to offend), soloists Bruce Ford, Jennifer Larmore, Laura Claycomb, Mirco Palazzi, London Philharmonic Choir.
Queen Elizabeth Hall soloists include (alpha order): Marin Alsop, David Angus, Paavo Berglund, Karen Cargill, Alice Coote, Neville Creed, Majella Cullagh, Colin Currie, James Edwards, Boris Garlitsky, Daniel Gortler, Liora Grodnikaite, Marc-André Hamelin, Vernon Handley, Helen Huang, Gywn Hughes Jones, Yossif Ivanov, Chris Jarvis, Darren Jeffery Vladimir Jurowski, Leonida Kavakos, Isabelle van Keulen, Katie van Kooten, Emmanuel Krivine, Pekka Kuusisto, Tasmin Little, Anthony Marwood, Rachel Masters, Kurt Masur, Ingo Metzmacher, Anthony Michaels-Moore, Roberto Minczuk, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, David Parry, Marina Piccinini, Artur Pizarro, Ola Rudner, Christine Schäfer, Herbert Schuch, Pieter Schoeman, Baibe Skride, Steven Sloane, Stuart Stratford, Melvyn Tan, Pieter Wispelwey, Joseph Wolfe, Alexander Zemtsov. The LPO's Patron is HRH The Duke of Kent KG, Leader is Boris Garlitsky, Composer In Residence is Mark-Anthony Turnage.
Handsome Timothy Walker talks enthusiastically about Queen Elizabeth Hall's 'intimacy. There's a lovely warm acoustic' The season is called 'Closer To The Music'. He's from Tasmania; medium height, short grey hair, couture grey suit, highly polished black shoes, white shirt, silver tie - a dapper Tasmanian devil.
He thanks Sir Thomas Beecham, first conductor of the LPO (the one who made that joke about the female cellist that all female cellists have had to suffer since). He list all the conductors since, and announces the new one - who will take office in this 75th season, when the LPO returns to its residence at the Royal Festival Hall when it is refurbished - Vladimir Jurowski.
Vladimir Jurowski looks in his 20s, perhaps early 30s, recklessly good-looking, dark suit, medium height, shoulder length wavy dark brown hair, open blue shirt, sexy, tanned - and holds himself erect (no sniggering at the back). He gives a light humorous speech about his approach to the orchestra. 'I have formed a very close bond with the players' says Vladimir, explaining that he has worked in Britain for 11 years. 'I hope our work in the present and future will enhance (the orchestra).' Vladimir acknowledges his debt to his predecessor Kurt Masur, and wants to 'develop a rapport with the musicians on a human level.'
The LPO is self-governing. Its Chairman is First Violinist Martin Höhmann. He's another very good-looking dark-suited chap, perhaps 30, wire-rimmed glasses, black tie, white check shirt, neatly-parted bouffant black hair, slim. Like the others he speaks succinctly and enthusiastically about the orchestra. Martin explains that he 'appreciates personal contact with Vladimir Jurowski', which is good to know.
If you thought that Aviva was an unreliable train operator with a sideline in London buses, it turns out that it's not - that's another company. This one is 'the world's sixth largest insurance group (with) assets under management of £317 billion (at 31.12.05)' - and they sponsor the LPO. Richard Harvey Group Chief Executive speaks, supporting the orchestra. The company is sponsoring Vladimir Jurowski's position. Richard, an elegantly tall man, wears an electric-blue cerulean wide-patterned tie, against a tailored grey suit, the jacket cut with side vents. The LPO receives financial support from Arts Council England and the South Bank Centre.
Jude Kelly is the Artistic Director of the Royal Festival Hall (RFH www.rfh.org.uk), a blissfully pretty woman perhaps in her twenties with shortish elegantly-cut blonde hair. She wears couture blue jeans to just under the knee, tucked into high tan leather boots; and tailored black jacket over a black t-shirt. Jude welcomes the completion of work at the RFH (estimated re-opening is summer 2007) and the return of the LPO. 'We have a wonderful orchestra with a great future ahead of it. The Royal Festival Hall is the home of classical music.'
And that's the speeches over in 30 minutes. Excellent. There's a lot of drink, but no bad behaviour - what has happened to traditional musicians? It's worrying. The approximately 100 guests include charming and good-looking Graham Bauer. Graham is the partner of Timothy Walker, and a fellow Tasmanian. To many, the Australian diplomatic corps is overshadowed by its long-serving London cultural attaché Sir Les Paterson. Fortunately, it also has people who know what they are doing, and Graham had a long and enjoyable time in the diplomatic service, eventually leaving for his present career in the design of gardens. Michelle Abbey is the LPO's Audience Development Manager, whose duties include increasing the cultural mix of audiences. Here are PR Kim Morgan; journalist and publisher Steve Pope; Unicorn Theatre Marketing Manager Carmen Morris-Coulson.
Private Eye's Lunchtime O'Boulez and other writers have reported that the government has threatened London's orchestras with closure - by withdrawing Arts Council money - if they do not increase the number of musicians who are not white. Whether because of this or from its own judgment, the LPO has an active Education and Community Programme. Last year, according to the LPO, they reached 31,000 children aged 4-19, held 400 workshops with 11,500 participants, 6 school concerts. The LPO's Hit Squad took the LPO to 2,000 new listeners.
This season the Programme will focus on Southwark, Lambeth, Lewisham, and South East England. There are new partnerships with Peckham Education Action Zone, Old Kent Road Mosque, The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre, Bromley Youth Music Trust, South Lambeth Library, London Youth Arts Festival, along with many existing partners.
There's an irony. Prime Minister Blair's Government funds a classical music campaign in inner-city schools and mosques. At the same time it slaughters Muslims in Iraq - having murdered them in their thousands with the illegal war against Iraq. It tortures them by letting the American planes use Britain to fly Muslims to be tortured. It refuses to force the Americans to close their Muslim torture camp on Cuba. It extradites Muslims to 'trial' in America. It demonises Muslims in Britain.
There's a precedent. In Apocalypse Now, an American helicopter blasts the Vietnamese enemy with classical music - Richard Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries - before burning them to death with napalm.
Whatever the Government's hypocrisy, the LPO seems determined to create a more culturally-mixed audience, and to encourage writing and performance from children who haven't previously been invited into traditional Western classical music. The LPO's practical and enthusiastic approach to its schools and community project, coupled with its evidently charismatic leadership, might bring about its own quiet revolution.
John Park - City Hall, Tower Bridge, London - (c) www.fringereport.com - 4 May 06 (this article written 4 July 06)
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The distinguished publicist and inventor of modern PR Alan Crompton-Batt died in September 04 at the tragically young age of 50. He had packed his possessions ready for transit from London to South Africa - where his life ended. Today the boxes are opened, for giving to the many friends he'd made in a remarkable life.
The venue is the deliciously expensive restaurant Embassy, generously lent by proprietor Mark Fuller. Alan's best friend and former wife Elizabeth Crompton-Batt hosts the event. 'Alan's great loves were food and music,' says Elizabeth. 'I am sure he would have found it amusing that we are holding a gathering for all his friends to choose their favourite books, CDs and videos from his extraordinary collection.'
There's a lot. Elizabeth: 'something in the region of 10,000 CDs, 4,000 books and several hundred videos.' They are everywhere - three long tables covered in books, boxes bulging with books - cookery books, books on food, novels, biographies, books on every possible subject. Four tables are piled with the thousands of CDs; there are more in packing crates. There's every band conceivable. And a box of cuddly toys, a collection of outrageous ties, and a pair of American leather cowboy boots - Alan was a flamboyant dresser. There are his personal letters too, and photographs - everything must go.
It's been a balance of standing the rising storage bill at the shippers - generously paid by old friend Tim Etchells - and waiting for time to pass since the shock of Alan Crompton-Batt's premature and sudden death. Even now, 14 months after his spectacular memorial service at Covent Garden's Actors' Church, there is an air of sadness.
It's clearly particularly hard for Alan C-B's astonishingly beautiful former wife Elizabeth Crompton-Batt. Now happily married to Manhattan Loft Corporation CEO Harry Handelsman, proud mother of little Allegra, aged 4, and CEO of Elizabeth Crompton-Batt PR, Elizabeth confides that she sees memories in each of the items.
Alan's pretty mother Yvonne Crompton-Batt is here with her handsome husband Alan McDonald. Looking at Yvonne, who'd pass for a lass in her 50s - she's an active 84, having only just retired from her hairdressing career at 80 - it's clear where Alan gained his rakish good looks. Clearly not far from tears, Yvonne confesses that she finds today emotional. She recalls Alan's devotion to his late father, who served with the RAF in what was then Malaya, and Singapore - where Alan went to school.
Here's lovely Beth Coventry, owner of The Wells, Well Walk, Hampstead. 'It's a gastro-pub, in an old Georgian building,' says Beth, 'with a bar-restaurant downstairs, and restaurant upstairs'. She describes the food, by chef Ian Sutton, as 'modern British'. Beth is a legendary chef with a remarkable track-record. Far too modest to admit it, she's probably single-handedly responsible for inventing the gastro-pub. For 13 years, she was chef at Simon Parker-Bowles's epic restaurant Greens. She then co-founded Notting Hill's Prince Bonaparte, and the definitive Goldborne House in Goldborne Road with Tom Etridge.
Here's restaurant PR Maureen Mills, CEO of Network London - in elegantly sexy leather jacket. Charming Reg Gadney - playwright, author, gastronome - has a new book Immaculate Deception published by Faber & Faber on 6 February - it's about Russian oligarchs.
Embassy is an apt and stunning backdrop to the asset disposal of a man whose life was style. And lived on a bold canvas. 'I didn't realise how poor I was' chirps a cheeky Cockney schooled in the Dick Van Dyke mould, looking at shop windows in nearby Burlington Arcade. The mesh of little streets round its north entrance include Tiffany's, Asprey's, suit paradise Savile Row, art gallery focus Cork Street. And Old Burlington Street, where no 29 is Embassy.
It's cher, cherie. A fashionable girl-around-town keen on Michelin-starred executive chef (a hunky lad) Garry Hollihead's cuisine prepared by head chef Mladen Vidaković - starting with Pave of Smoked Salmon, Caviar & Blinis; moving on to Fillet of Beef & Roast Lobster, Herb & Lemon Butter; White Chocolate & Orange Torte with Cheescake Cream - demurely drinking a bottle of Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial and finishing with a Partagas, Piramides Limited Edition cigar - will shift £170.44 from her credit card. Being tempted - and it's a shrine to temptation - to nudge Moet aside for a bottle of Louis Roederer Cristal Rose 1995 will add £427.50.
Here's the fabulous Fay Maschler - restaurant editor of the Evening Standard, and - many would say - creator of modern European food writing. She was one of Alan C-B's closest friends.
There's stunning art. Andrew Hewkin's prints include his subtle water-colour-effect The Cigar Aficiando (after Michelangelo) (print 1/10, 1997), which delicately puns on the Sistine Chapel's touching fingers - in this case passing a cigar. His Demiodalisque (print 1/10) pastiches Salvador Dali with a nude portrait on a mermaid's body by a pool and Arabesque landscape. There's an original Andrew Hewkin oil (200cm x 150cm approx) - reflecting Dali, with guitar, table and palm trees - on the staircase wall.
'Andrew Hewkin?' says Reg Gadney, 'I taught him at the Royal College of Art.' Reg taught at RCA 1969-82, in the Film School, Sculpture, Painting, and General Studies departments. It was the time when Brian Ferry was a student. And the late Ian Dury - 'a good artist,' says Reg.
Reg recalls the years of intrigue and infighting that characterised the RCA. At the time, he described Sir Jocelyn Stevens becoming Rector as like 'Robert Maxwell taking over the National Gallery. They said they'd sue'. Reg - tall, bald, handsome, with the build of a boxer - stood his ground. They didn't. He remembers distinguished design methodology Professor L Bruce Archer - 'he mentored Janet Daley', the forthright journalist who taught in Prof Archer's department.
Over the stairs, backlit, there's a huge (200cm x 200cm) stained-glass mural of Jimi Hendrix by Brett Rhodes-Neal. It's formed in three vertical panels joined together, showing a series of close-ups of Hendrix's face. Embassy's debonaire and charming owner, cuddly Mark Fuller explains that it was commissioned by Rod Stewart's manager, the legendary Billy Gaff for the original Marquee Club. An old friend of Alan Crompton-Batt, Mark's been in the business 25 years, the last 5 in the present location. Mark says the Jimi Hendrix piece is 'made of 1,000 pieces of stained glass. It's worth over $100,000.' Looking round the Embassy's paintings, he laughs 'This must be the only club restaurant where the art's genuine.'
Tim Etchells is MD of Single Market Events Ltd - his passion is organising exciting events. He started the BBC Good Food Show in Birmingham, which is how he met Alan C-B. He founded The Restaurant Show at Chelsea, and runs London Fashion Week. His current coup? 'We've just got the 10-year contract to run the British International Motor Show'. The significance of this is stunning - and not just to petrol-heads. For the first time in 30 years, the Motor Show is coming back (from exile in Brum) to London. It'll be at ExCel, Docklands, 18-30 July 06.
Here's distinguished food and architecture writer Jonathan Meades in classic intellectual crumpled brown suit. Here's elegant and gorgeous Nicky Stephenson. There's a calm in the room, not much talking. A couple of friendly waiters dressed in black serve red wine, coffees, cappuccino, fresh orange juice from the bar - which has a striking sky-blue underlit glass counter. The venue is comfortably furnished with brown-leather modern-design chairs and circular banquettes. Mirrored columns add a cheeky dash of Parisian bordello. There's soft downlighting from a classically-moulded ceiling.
And for those who - accurately, it's said - judge a restaurant by the cleanliness of its lavatories, they are. And dark and discreet - for who knows what encounters. They're downstairs, where the hallway is floored with hand-cut blue-green-grey slate. And for checking looks, there's a hallway mirror in exceedingly-distressed glass - ideal for eliminating age and the ravages of alcohol.
Here are superb food writers Bill Knott, Dee McQuillan, Angela Mason; Egon Ronay's Guides editor Andrew Eliel. Friendly chap Andy Downes sells software. It's less boring than it sounds. Topaz mobile data software, Andy explains, personalises a handheld computer to accept data - it replaces the clipboard and pen, and restaurant pad. No, don't yawn - remember that other quiet revolution, the i-Pod? Andy started training for the Anglican priesthood, discovered women - if only it had been men, he could have received a bishopric - and left for a career in the City. Then he set up and edited London Tourist News, and met Alan Crompton-Batt doing a promotion for Christopher Gilmour's epic restaurant Christopher's.
Andy Downes recalls their first business conference. 'We met at 12.30, and were still there at 6.30.' It was the first of many happy times on the lash. 'We used to drink together and party'. Alan C-B's lateral-thinking abilities for creative publicity astonished him 'Alan was great at putting A and B together to get to Z'.
Andy did political and gossip writing, and had fun with antiques legend Martin Miller writing books on how to impress women (those ex-trainee priests, eh?). 'The brains behind them was Richard Bundy; the editor was Alex Woodcock-Clarke.'
Alan Crompton-Batt was celebrated for his many passions. He adored women, and married the prettiest - his wife Elizabeth. His office was famous for the gorgeous debutantes who worked there, including iconic photographer Sukey Parnell. So it's not unexpected to find among the books here today Women by Naim Attallah. And The Life of Giacomo Girolamo Casanova. For someone who accurately understood the mechanism of power, it's not a surprise to find not one copy of Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince - but two.
And for someone who lit so many of London's ephemerally bright lights, perhaps the most poignant of mementos - a Monopoly board.
John Park - Embassy, 29 Old Burlington Street, London W1S 3AN - (c) www.fringereport.com - Saturday 7 January 06
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Happy Birthday on their days to: Shireen Mula (11 Dec). Jason Korsner (29 Nov). Nadia Gilani (13 Nov). Jeni Morrison (5 Nov). Chris Gutteridge (21 Oct). Sarah-Louise Young (20 Oct). Gillian Best Powell (5 Oct). MyAnna Buring (22 Sep). Gareth Kane (14 Sep). Victoria Johnston (12 Sep). Paul Sullivan (10 Sep). Chyla Young (2 Sep). Mary Paterson (19 August). Kelly Burke (11 July). Jack Rebaldi (7 July). Laura Davis (7 July). Anna Scott (4 July). Brett Vincent (2 July). Paul Byrne (30 June). Nicola Haydn (29 June). Alana Pryce (29 June). Gus Robertson (29 June). Matt Holt (15 June). James Lamont (15 June). James Harris - 35 on 22 May. Rhona Cameron (13 May). Lea Harris (13 May). Emma Taylor (9 May). Taly Koren (6 May). Martin Smith (5 May). Rachael Booth (29 Apr). Jessica Burn (29 Apr). Kim Morgan (17 Apr). Tally Parr (7 Apr). Katy Darby - 30 on 6 April. Hannah Dee (1 Apr). Sue Scott Davison (28 March). Cecilia Holmes (26 Mar). Andy Down (21 Mar). Nic Watson (20 Mar). Jemma Gross - 25 on 19 Mar. Max Stafford-Clark (17 Mar). Jasmine Cullingford (12 Mar). Lara Apponyi (6 Mar). Sarah Shavel (6 Mar). Georgina Edwards (3 Mar). Richard Costello (2 Mar). Drew Horley (28 Feb). Michelle Flower (15 Feb). Barbara Chomicka 30 on 10 Feb. Tracy Keeling (3 Feb). Anneka Svenska (26 Jan). Pam Lee (19 Jan). Jake Wiltshire (15 Jan). Rohan Acharya (13 Jan). Bo Wilson (5 Jan). Sarah Choppen - 30 on 1 Jan.
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Congratulations to the new parents, and welcome to the new babies: Emma Rebaldi (Emma Taylor) and Jack Rebaldi had baby Amelie at 20:47 on Tuesday 18 July. Phyllis Foundis and husband Kym Borrett had baby Dean Elijah at 07:10 on Wednesday 24 May, weighing 3.78 kg (8 pounds, 5 ounces), at Royal Hospital For Women, Randwick, Australia. 'We are all doing well' says proud mum Phyllis, 'just a bit sleepy'.
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Congratulations, and every happiness to those being engaged or married this year: Zoë Battley and Nathaniel Tapley marry on 12 August. Zoë and Nathaniel met acting in NewsRevue September 2004, and currently perform as Dirty Blondes. Melissa Leigh married Simon Osborne on Sunday 14 May in Marlow, Buckinghamshire. Samantha Sanns married Dylan Tweddle on Monday 1 May at Gosfield Hall, Braintree, Essex. Neelam Gill married on 18/19 February, and became Mrs Challoner. Anneka Svenska married on Saturday 21 January.
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Condolences to the survivors of those who died this year, and may the deceased rest in peace: The mother of Samantha Sanns died Friday 21 July 06. Samantha writes: 'After four long years battling against cancer my beautiful mum died this morning.' Mrs Eleanor Park, mother of Fringe Report editor John Park, died peacefully on Monday 24 July 06 at 11am, aged 93, in Lytham St Annes.
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Contact:
email - reviews@fringereport.com
(c) www.fringereport.com 2006
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Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2008