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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,
Fiona Maddocks's rating
Reader rating
Dir: Ian Rutherford (revival dir), Stephen Pimlott (original dir).
Cast: English National Opera, Xian Zhang (cond), Martin Fitzpatrick (cond, Mar 21, 23, 30), Tobias Hoheisel (des), Mary Plazas (Mimi), Lee Bisset (Mimi, Mar 21, 23, 30), Peter Auty (Rodolfo), Dwayne Jones (Rodolfo, Mar 21, 23, 30), Mark Stone (Marcello), Giselle Allen (Musetta), Gail Pearson (Musetta, Mar 21, 23, 30), Matthew Rose (Colline), Iain Paterson (Schaunard), William Berger (Schaunard, Mar 21, 23, 30)
Description: Steven Pimlott's powerful updating of Puccini's Parisian love story makes a welcome return to the London Coliseum, featuring Mary Plazas as Mimi, Peter Auty as Rodolfo and Mark Stone as Marcello. Director Ian Rutherford leads the revival while Chinese-born conductor Xian Zhang takes the baton. Sung in English.
Trains: Tube: Leicester Square/Charing Cross 
, Tube / Bus: 3, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 23, 24, 29, 53, 77a, 88, 91, 139 
Phone: 0871911 0200
Website: www.eno.org
Email: access@eno.org
Unique and enduring vitality: Peter Auty (Rodolfo) and Mary Plazas (Mimi) in the ENO's revival of the late Steven Pimlott's staging of La Boheme
A mood of elegy tinged ENO's revival of Steven Pimlott's staging of La Bohème. Pimlott, one of Britain's most versatile directors, died last week aged 53.
Nicholas Hytner, a lifelong friend and colleague - they were ENO staff producers in the 1970s fresh out of Cambridge - spoke in a warm tribute of a man who could turn his hand equally to Bombay Dreams or Puccini, bringing enlightenment and wit to both.
Hytner's chief concern was to let last night's audience know "just how much Pimlott was adored" by all his colleagues.
That affection added tangible poignancy to a performance in which every member of the company, including each child in the chorus, gave their best.
Busy working on The Rose Tattoo at the National at the time of his death, Pimlott had left the revival to Ian Rutherford, who successfully restored the bristling, youthful energy of the 1993 original.
The Bohemians of the title, though poor, treat life's minor troubles with fraternal joshing and irony. Mimi's tragedy flattens them like a sudden avalanche.
This is a Bohème in which tears are sharpened by laughter. Women remain outsiders, emphasised by Tobias Hoheisel's divided set in which Mimi and Musetta exist in shadow, only finding warmth and light in the men's garret.
This was a fine ensemble performance, led by Mary Plazas as Mimi. Her doll-like fragility combined with vocal stamina make her a figure of true pathos.
Yet the moment which silences the audience is not so much her death scene as the rapturous Act I declaration of love, which begins with Rodolfo's "Your tiny hand is frozen".
The poet-lover, convincingly sung by Peter Auty, displayed ardour and assurance, with no unwelcome heroics.
Mark Stone's Marcello and Giselle Allen's Musetta provided gutsy, bickering contrast.
Matthew Rose, a young bass rapidly graduating to mature artist, excelled as Colline, first mere lumbering chum and then, in his tender aria to his old coat, eloquent philosopher.
American-Chinese conductor, Xian Zhang, fanfared wherever she goes, made an impressive house debut. Never rushed, she drew a spacious, powerfully emotional account from orchestra and singers alike.
Peter Brook once talked about the ghosts which inhabit the very fabric of a theatre, there to be called down by each new generation of performers. The animating spirit of Steven Pimlott gave this performance unique and enduring vitality.
• Until 30 March. Information: 0870 145 0200.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
