By Lussorian’s roving reporter Toby Rose
The Oliviers got bigger and better this year and symbolic of this was the move to the prestige premises of the Covent Garden Opera House.
A giant red carpet, winding up the street, was truly star studded, and once again under the banner of headline sponsor Mastercard. Big names including Barbara Windsor to Tye Daley of Cagney and Lacey fame stopped for snappers, TV interviews and autograph hunters alike. The air might have been chill but the glamour shone through.
Barbara Windsor with Lussorian’s Toby Rose
And the anticipation was high, as this year has been a stellar year for London Theatre. As James Earl Jones was to note when he presented the Best Director to Matilda’s Matthew Warchus. The was a time when the question was if a show had ‘legs’ - which meant could it pay the rent for a theatre run.
Now, he said, the question posed is whether a London show has the ‘wings’ to fly to over for a Broadway transfer. There is an air of confidence in this booming sector of Britain, which has posted its eighth successive year of breaking box office records.
Julian Bird, Chief Executive of the Society of London Theatres, revealed that the 2012 Oliviers were the biggest ever. Not only that but the event itself was something of a record breaker “possibly the biggest one nighter anyone has done, ever. We had about 450 people on stage” he told The Guardian.
The Crazy For You Posse
Among those on stage were the world-class winners of this year’s crop of gongs. Including Best Musical Revival for Crazy For You at the Regents Park Open Air Theatre. It also received an Olivier for costumes, which were on fine display when the cast took to the stage to perform a number to rapturous applause.
Collecting her second Olivier was Ruth Wilson for Anna Christie and also back for a prize was Sheridan Smith who won for Best Supporting Performance in Flare Path. The hot star – who last year won for her outstanding role in Legally Blonde – was not in able to attend in person. None other than her director Trevor Nunn read out her acceptance speech modestly omitting the, no doubt, gushing thank you reserved for him.
Later at the party Sheridan’s mother, mentioned in the speech and wildly cheering from the circle, explained how she was taking care of Miss Smith’s three dogs.
The eagerly anticipated Mastercard Best New Play Award went to a true quality piece, Collaborators at the Cottesloe at the National Theatre. And another high point was appearance of Ronan Keating singing the Bacharach classic I’ll Never Fall In Love. He was then joined on stage by Kimberly Walsh, for a sweet duet.
But in a night, which saw two barnstorming productions going head to head One ManTwo Guvnors and Matilda - it was to be the endearing charm of the Roald Dahl musical which was to emerge the decisive winner with 7 Oliviers.
Billy Elliot showcased the talents of a brace of young lads in tutus, the audience at the Royal Opera got to see the young ladies who made the title role in Matilda their own. They bounced on stage and sang a song from the show. Hearts melted and their performance heralded an evening, which was to see Matilda scoop the lion’s share of Oliviers. The inventive charm of the musical swept all before it.
Dame Elaine Page channelling Evita
The evening culminated with the presentation of a Lifetime Achievement Award to Sir Tim Rice and to give fine voice to his peerless achievements in theatre was Dame Elaine Page, who sang a rousing Evita. The performance left the Royal Opera House in no doubt as to the legacy of one of giants of musical theatre.
The big beast of London’s theatre land marvelled and whooped as The Lion King cast invaded the auditorium to bid farewell Oliviers 2012 in high spirited style. In yet colourful sign off tribute to the talent of the night’s Lifetime Achievement recipient Sir Tim Rice who had just been congratulated on the big video screen by two of Britain‘s biggest showbiz beasts Sir Elton John and Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber. Proving that when it comes to Theatre land, London remains King of the Jungle.
St Ermin’s is located in the St. James’s park area of London and is one of the most stylish and sophisticated hotels in London.
This fabulous Hotel had an extensive refurbishment in 2011, which cost a cool £30 million, and you can really see that this money has been well spent. High quality materials and fittings are drawn together under a stylish look, which really catches the eye and makes you take notice. Around every corner there are touches of class, beauty and elegance. As you may have guessed, I was really impressed by the Hotel; it is now, without doubt, one of my favourites in London.
But don’t let this modern refurbishment fool you! St Ermin’s is drenched in a mysterious and elusive historical past. The hotel has been at the heart of tales of espionage and secret diplomacy for over 80 years; during the 1930s the hotel and the next building were used by officers of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS or MI6) located close by. I was also told that the Caxton Bar, the onsite bar at St Ermin’s, was used regularly by SIS, MI5 and Naval Intelligence Division case officers to meet their agents. How exciting!
This rich history and the super chic modern look make for a wonderfully exciting experience.
The hotel has 331 beautiful rooms including 41 suites, which are designed to induce the upmost feeling of calm and relaxation. The room rates begin at an extremely reasonable just £209 plus VAT, room only, and Junior Suites start at £479, plus VAT.
Our room was one of the hotel’s finest offerings; it included a surround sound bose system, two plasma TVs and the most wonderful walk in shower you could imagine. The colour scheme of the room, whites, pinks and purples, was truly stunning and made for an elegant inner city destination. There was also a spacious living area, complete with dining table and comfortable seating. In a word – perfect.
I would also recommend a cocktail in the Caxton Bar – we tried some sumptuous tasting cocktails which really topped off our stay. If you wanted to feel a bit of the hotel’s espionage past, why not ask for a martini, shaken… you know the rest. But the star of our meal was the Halibut Fish and Chips, with a light ale batter (£17). The batter was stunningly light and the fish was thick, meaty and scrumptious. I could eat that every day of the week! Additionally, the Caxton grill serves up delights for breakfast, lunch and dinner and is not to be missed.
The hotel is also offering an amazing Jubilee Celebration package. The Queen Elizabeth II package is available from 01 April – 31 August 2012 subject to availability and is priced at £999 plus VAT for two sharing a deluxe room inclusive of breakfast, a tour of Westminster Abbey, a royal afternoon QETea devised by Executive Chef Hus Vedat in the hotel’s library, a regal picnic – best taken in St James’s Park with a view of the Palace – and a welcome pack of flags, hats and royal jubilee souvenirs. Suites are available for an additional £300.
For more information please go to: www.sterminshotel.co.uk
This summer you may be looking for some top end travel accessories – if so, look no further than VAUDE’s brand new range of eco-friendly and top-end luggage.
VAUDE – Rails 60 BackPack Trolley Review – RRP £190
Firstly, Vaude’s Rails bags are all super light weight due to their aluminium frames; they are easy to fling around, put high on a rack on the train, pull up a set of stairs, or even take onto the tube. Obviously, the weight of the back is dependent on what you have inside; if you have a stack of bricks in the bag, then it may start feeling heavy. However, this bag is one of the lightest around and that’s not all…
The aluminium frame and tough wearing organic fabric make for a strong, durable and sturdy feel – which screams of quality. The bag has a handy extendable handle, which is also constructed with aluminium and further develops the long lasting feeling and high quality feel of the product. This pull-along handle is a necessary addition to any modern travel case, but one criticism I wold aim at the bag is the handle – it’s just a little too long and this can make it awkward whilst walking through busy areas.
When it comes to practicality Vaude also gets top marks. The Vaude rails range have an array of handy pockets, which come in all shapes and sizes with lots of zips, nooks and crannies. Also, this particular range comes in a selection of vibrant colours – mine was an exciting electric blue, with white accents. Sizes also range from 40L, to 60L or 80L.
But this bag is a little different… it can also be turned into a handy backpack! The stowed away straps can be brought out and become great straps to carry the bag upon your back. This is quite an interesting feature and adds another level of versatility to the Rail range.
Other products
VAUDE Sapporro
This super versatile bag is can be pulled, pushed or carried on your back! Also, it comes with an integrated laptop compartment and stowable shoulder straps. (RRP £125)
VAUDE Futuna
The Futuna is perfectly sized for business trips and even has ample storage space for your laptop. It retails at £150 and is available in orange or black.
For more information please go to: www.vaude.com
Today, I am writing about a rather interesting, and if I am honest, a rather “out there” product – the Valkee Bright Light Headset. The headset is designed to improve your mood and wellbeing, just by emitting light into your ears… um, I was sceptical too.
But how does it work? Here is the theory…
When it is dark, gloomy and raining outside, do you ever feel down? Do you ever feel like the weather and the change in seasons affects your mood? Well, maybe you are one of the UK’s four million people who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder. SAD, as it is commonly, and rather ironically known, is a mood disorder that experts believe is related to a lack of exposure to sunlight.
According to Valkee (Valkee by the way is the Finnish word for Light, who knew?): “Sufferers experience normal mental health throughout most of the year, but during the darker winter months, encounter symptoms of depression and anxiety. It’s estimated that 17% of the UK population experience SAD in some form every winter. Light therapy, often used in conjunction with medication, is the most common treatment for the disorder.”
They go on to say: “The breakthrough by Valkee’s scientists was proving that the brain actually responds better to light shone through the ears than through the eyes - meaning that the same benefits could be delivered in just a few minutes, compared with much longer periods required by conventional therapies.”
The Valkee headset consists of something almost like a set of ordinary MP3 headphones and all you need to do, according to the box, is place them in your ears for 8-12 minutes a day and voila, you will feel a lift! Supposedly, the light emitting diodes penetrate the brain and it improves your piece of mind and relieves you of any SAD effects.
Does it work?
I know what you are thinking – “surely, this cannot work? This sounds like something from Star Wars or Back to the Future!”
Do I agree with the science, I think on the whole, yes, yes I think I do. The Valkee certainly gave me a lift and improved my mood, if only for a short period of time. However, I looked forward to using the headset every day, which must be a subconscious suggestion that I enjoyed its benefits and effects. But to be honest, I am still unsure; I found myself asking could it be a rather expensive placebo, or does it actually work? For now, I will side with the latter! While using the product I certainly felt something positive was happening and it definitely improved my overall mood – whether this was to do with light rays hitting my brain, I couldn’t possibly say… but, on this occasion, I am willing to believe in the science.
Give it a go and see what it can do for you!
Valkee headsets are currently available to buy directly from the Valkee website at http://www.valkee.com. The Valkee headset costs £185, and is available in white or black versions. It can be charged via the USB of any portable device such as a laptop (cable included) and any power socket with a USB power charger (sold separately).
For more details on Valkee, including product reviews, please visit http://www.valkee.com
To see more behind the science click here: http://www.valkee.com/uk/science.html#navigation
Located in the London Marylebone area is a little slice of tranquillity and relaxation – Chi Yu. Chi Yu is Japanese for “healing” and this name really sets the tone for a setting of truly fantastic natural Japanese holistic beauty and pampering.
Chi-Yu offers a wide selection of traditional treatments which are designed to improve the balance between the mind, the body and soul. To do this they offer everything from reflexology, to aromatherapy, to acupuncture – all of which aim to eradicate all of the stresses and strains of modern life. I was greeted with a welcominng smile and a calming cup of green tea - from the moment I walked through the door I felt at ease.
I had plumped for an Intergrated therapy session which is a tailor made package to suit your needs. The Integrated Therapy session (£67 for an hour) begun with a preliminary discussion about my well-being, allergies or current ailments. For example, because I am an asthmatic, certain oils which promote ease of breathing were selected. We then isolated an area in my lower back which was causing me problems and this was particularly targeted for massaging, during the treatment itself. Additionally, traditional reflexology methods were used, in order to assist in my problem areas. This selection of treatments is a really flexible process and can include reflexology, facials, stone therapy and even acupuncture, if you so wish. You can also pick from a wide selection of aromatic oils - delicious!
My Integrated Therapy was orchestrated and constructed with the help of a lady called Saya, who was very helpful and understanding. The treatment rooms themselves are tranquil, atmospheric and brimming with amazing aromas. The therapy did exactly as it did on the tin; it really addressed problems in my lower back and improved my sense of well-being. Also, Saya provided suggestions of how to improve my posture, so to further help my back.
Chi-Yu is a charming, welcoming and good value well-being centre. It would make the perfect gift for that special someone, or it would be the perfect place for anyone to unwind in the city. Highly recommended. I should also add that many regulars came in and out during my stay – this allegiance to the brand can only be another sign of Chi-Yu’s high quality offerings.
Exciting News
I also have some exciting news on Chi Yu’s latest offering! Chi yu has launched a brand new Bespoke Signature Package (£122). The new package brings together the centre’s most popular treatments, personalised to each client’s individual needs, lifestyle and requirements.
The 2 hour session then incorporates an hour of totally tailored integrated complementary therapies to suit the client’s needs and preferences. After assessing the individual’s requirements, the expert therapist will devise a unique treatment. This could include anything from Holistic Aromatherapy, Acupuncture, Craniosacral Therapy, Acupressure and Meridian Massage or Reflexology, to name just a few.
The second hour of the treatment is the exclusive Chidoriya Japanese Facial, which uses natural Chidoriya Japanese skincare products in combination with Japanese facial massage and jade rollers. This improves skin texture, helps minimize the ageing process and promotes skin repair. Founded in Kyoto in 1949 Chidoriya products were originally a favourite of Maiko dancing girls and Geisha, and in the UK are available exclusively at Ch-Yu.
For more information, or to book your session today, click here: www.chi-yu.co.uk
