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: Donald Petrie.
Cast: Richard Dreyfuss, Alistair McGowan, Caroline Goodall, Nia Vardalos, Sophie Stuckey, Ian Ogilvy, Alexis Georgoulis
Description: Greek-American tour guide Georgia has grown weary of the lack of respect shown by tourists to her country. So she hands in her notice and grits her teeth for her final tour with driver Poupi Kakas, who holds a torch for Georgia. Sure enough, the latest group of passengers has no interest in the past. Brash American traveller Irv suggests that Georgia should stray from her usual fact-heavy spiel. Immediately, passengers begin to pay attention and start bonding.
Country: US/SP. 2009. 94mins
Fading heroine: tour guide Georgia (Nia Vardalos) discovers her coach driver is the man of her dreams
There are some films naïve enough to make cynics splutter but sentimentalists coo. Donald Petrie’s tale about a striving middle-aged tour guide in Greece finding love with the handsome driver of her coach is one of them. And love is not all she finds on the way to the Acropolis, where apparently the wind blows through the ancient columns somehow proclaiming the meaning of life. She also discovers that her mixed bag of tourists are not idiots after all but lovely
people.
There’s Richard Dreyfuss as a gregarious widower who misses his wife dreadfully on the quiet. There’s an old lady who filches ghastly mementos and hands them around as gifts. There is the inevitable quota of stupid Americans who think Greece is the name of a musical. All human life is there and it looks pretty grim to our fading heroine.
But Georgia (Nia Vardalos, remember her in My Big Fat Greek Wedding?) survives everything thrown at her and, in the end, triumphs. As for the love interest, her driver (Alexis Goergoulis), once he gives up the pretence that he doesn’t speak English, suddenly becomes a strong, silent Greek type anyone would fall for on a coach trip. He thinks that underneath her somewhat dowdy exterior lies a real live woman — and so it transpires.
What a comforting fable to warm us as the evenings draw in. Away with cynicism! Enjoy if you can. The cast look as if they did.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Tonight:
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