New Moon is nothing if not an international advertisement for the hungry virtues of virginity and young people can’t get enough of it
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Theatre
A smart, prickly and rewarding view of sexual and emotional confusion
Cock
Restaurants
Kitchen W8 is a bargain for this area, if such sophistication is what you crave
Kitchen W8
Too long and drawn out but very entertaining with excellent special effects
This is a peculiar play and does not work for me. Some of it is very funny but there are real flaws
Alex has a strong powerful voice and was faultless, she is far better now than she was on the X-Factor
London,
Derek Malcolm's rating
Reader rating
Dir: Suzie Halewood.
Cast: Ben Barnes, Andrei Chadov, Ovidiu Matesan
Description: Low budget British comedy inspired by the influx of immigrants to London, who flock to the capital believing the streets to be paved with gold. Russian pals Cobakka and Spiker leave behind their homeland to milk the British for every penny they can get, manipulating the benefit system and the good will of the residents. However, the scoundrels quickly discover that roguish charm will only carry them so far, and unless they are prepared to work hard for little pay, London might just be the death of them.
Country: UK. 2007. 81mins
Indolent rascals: Ben Barnes and Andrei Chadov take time off from scamming
Shot on Super 16 film stock for practically nothing, SA Halewood’s debut feature is subtitled A Russian’s Guide to Ripping Off London. Based on Pavel Tetersky and Sergei Sakin’s cult travelogue, it’s the story of two young self-confessed “pieces of Russian scum” who hook up with an oligarch’s shady son to exploit the British system for all it is worth.
You don’t know whether to laugh or cry as they forge work permits, steal mobile phones, filch from stores and smoke first dope and then crack. You laugh because Ben Barnes (The Chronicles of Narnia) and Andrei Chadov (a star in Russia) have enough charm to get away with being indolent rascals. On the whole, the dreadful people they meet deserve their lot.
Halewood’s triumph is that he looks at interracial London and its immigrant population with an ironic eye that doesn’t preclude sympathy.
This is a microcosm of society where everyone is trying to turn a pound or two in trying circumstances. We encounter a landlord who puts them up in a smelly room in a high-rise block, a corner shopkeeper who tells them to steal from supermarkets rather than him, and officials who pounce when they can.
Bigga Than Ben is small-scale, episodic and not without its sins of omission. But it looks as if it speaks the truth and is considerably more entertaining and thought-provoking than most of the week’s other offerings.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
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