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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,
Barry Millington's rating
Reader rating
Elephant and Castle: a mix of the urban and the pastoral
One of London's least favourite landmarks, the Elephant and Castle shopping centre, is slated for demolition. You might think they'd be partying in the Old Kent Road but some have affectionate memories of it, including Tansy Davies, co-creator (with Mira Calix) of the score for Elephant and Castle premiered at Aldeburgh, and director Tim Hopkins.
The narrative, devised by Hopkins, is a reworking of Hansel and Gretel. It begins outside the Maltings in a slum, moving to the reed beds for a cinematic evocation of the shopping centre - a paradise for the kids (gingerbread was served to the audience on large trays) - into the Maltings for a scene in a bingo hall ("Life is a lottery" in Blake Morrison's text, shocking only for its banality) and finally back to the reed beds, transformed by twinkling lights into a world of enchantment where the Beatles' All You Need is Love evokes an idyllic sphere with the family reunited.
The score is as brutal and uningratiating as the story, fusing aggressively amplified instruments with a harsh soundtrack of urban alienation. It builds to a powerful climax of sinister threat and a positive, if equivocal, resolution.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
