You’ve read them the book, now take the young tykes to a live dramatic representation of EB White’s classic ‘Charlotte’s Web’ – an enduring and endearing tale about farmyard friendship between Wilbur the pig and Charlotte the spider. Wilbur and his friends set out on a series of adventures, driven by an overarching need to prevent the pig being served up on a plate. Long before there was ‘Babe’, there was ‘Charlotte’s Web’.
Unplugged at 1133
July 18, 2010 - Comments Off
A night of reminiscence with old school and folk songs in this tiny bar that can claim to be about the only true live music venue in town, as opposed to the run-of-the-mill that churn out the same old covers. The regular musicians are drawn from a couple of local bands. The ‘stage’ is stuffed under the stairs and there is room for about twenty music loving standing sardines. Beers for Y10 will no doubt swell that to a crush.
Winston Churchill’s Britain at War Experience
July 15, 2010 - Comments Off
64-66 Tooley Street, SE1 (020 7403 3171)
London Bridge tube/rail. Open Apr-Sept 10am-5.30pm (last entry 5pm); Oct-Mar 10am-4.30pm (last entry 4pm). Admission £5.95; £2.95 5s-16s; £3.95 students, OAPs; £14 family. Credit AmEx, MC, £TC, V.
Website: http://www.britain-at-war.co.uk
This åreal life’ experience is, inevitably, nothing of the sort. What you get is a rather shabby attempt to evoke Blitz-time London, with rickety speakers blaring out ’40s radio broadcasts and showtunes, and awkward-looking dummies dressed up in period costumes. There is a lot of fascinating memorabilia, though, if you care to look for it among the muddled wall displays, and children might enjoy the atmospheric reproductions of an air raid shelter, dance hall and a huge darkened bombsite.
Shula’s Steak House
July 12, 2010 - Comments Off
The latest in the now-dizzying array of big-beef houses in DC, Shula’s is brought to you by Hall of Fame football coach Don Shula, who led both the Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Colts to gridiron glory. There’s the usual steakhouse fare (prime rib, lobster, shrimp) but nothing outdoes the 48-ounce Porterhouse ($66), which – if you can finish it – will get your name engraved on a plaque and initiated into a select club that Shula’s web site says is for ‘honoring true beef lovers of America’. Here’s hoping the masculine decor and trophies from Shula’s gridiron triumphs aids digestion.
Montecasino
July 8, 2010 - Comments Off
Casinos seemed to spring up overnight all over Joburg the minute gambling laws were relaxed. Gamblers can now get their fix much closer to home. The latest to be launched is Montecasino, although to be fair it’s a whole lot more than a casino. Created as an exact replica of a Tuscan village, it also offers a glitzy array of other leisure options including shops, restaurants, bars, cinemas, theatre and an interactive family entertainment venue for virtual reality games.
The Real Thing
July 5, 2010 - Comments Off
‘The Real Thing’, which last year won the Tony Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Ehle), opens with Max, an English architect, accusing his wife of adultery. We soon learn this is a scene from a play, written by Max’s friend, Henry, who is himself having an affair with Max’s wife, a left-wing actress named Annie. After Henry marries Annie, he begins to suspect that the tables have been turned on him and that she is carrying on with one of her co-stars. A richly satisfying comedy about marriage and writing, betrayal and integrity, high art and pop culture.
Glimmer, Glimmer and Shine
July 1, 2010 - Comments Off
John Spencer (‘The Rock’, ‘War Games’, ‘The West Wing’) stars in Warren Leight’s newest tragicomic play. Leight won a Tony Award for his play ‘Side Man’ and returns to the world of jazz with this story of twin brothers torn apart by music and hard living. When they form Eddie Shine’s trumpet section in the big band days of the 1950s, one leaves the group at his wife’s insistence and a 40-year feud begins. Evan Yionoulis directs this West Coast première before it goes to New York.
Casa de las Infusiones
June 30, 2010 - Comments Off
Calle Mercaderes, entre Obispo y Obrap’a (620216)
Open 10am-10pm daily. Admission free.
An all-female son group and a classical string quartet play on alternate days from noon to 5pm, and there’s also often a son or salsa group (at 7pm Tuesday to Saturday, and from noon on Sundays). The Casa de las Infusiones is also known as La Columnata Egipciana (Egyptian Colonnade).
