Musical theatre gives me the shivers and I have no interest in watching Andrew Lloyd Webber find his Nancy. That being said, the only thing cold and perverse about the production of ‘Into the Woods’ at the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park was the mid-August wind and fine drizzle that briefly threatened to interrupt the performance. That the show went on – and that I wanted it to continue – is testament to the successful retelling of the Broadway hit, which is based on the book by James Lapine …

It’s that time of year again, when Mr Cloud Man doesn’t know if it’s summer or winter, rain or shine. This can be pretty depressing when you’re cooped up in work, battling traffic during the daily commute, or sitting indoors at night as the wind howls against your window.
However, never fear, as we haven’t given up yet! There are plenty of things to keep us cheery round about this time of year. The city is your oyster, and London in particular is hardy and resilient against all the weather the …

As a hobby photographer, I did a little research recently into photography courses in London. There are loads of courses available out there, from lots of different institutions and colleges. Choosing a photography course to take in London is a little bit like saying ‘how long is a piece of string’!
With literally hundreds of courses on offer and lots of places to take courses, I think choosing the right course boils down to your requirements and aims in terms of what you want to get out of it. Also, this …

There’s something really appropriate about visiting art galleries when it’s raining. As I
walked into a Mayfair gallery I wished I wore glasses so that I could pensively chew on
their tip with the rain pouring outside. Partly because it would be a great Kodak moment
but also because the art galleries in West London lend themselves well to pretentiousness.
Tucked behind the Royal Academy of Art is a network of side streets filled with luxury
shops, car dealers and art galleries that blur the line between gallery and art merchant. You need to be …

I know the norm is to check out the larger, more obvious galleries in London such as the Tate Modern, National Gallery etc, but the reality of it is that London is buzzing with a lesser known on the tourist track art scene. This is what makes London so exciting, and such a great place to live. There’s always something happening, always something popping up, exhibition openings here there and everywhere. It’s hard to describe the sheer extent of the art world within the capital, but let’s be honest, people …

Ever fancied learning something new but can’t commit to a full-time course? Then City Lit is a really good place to consider.
In brand new premises (a 6 floor huge purpose-built building), a vast improvement on the random sites it occupied before, you’ll find City Lit on Keeley Street, a five minute walk from Holborn tube.
Established in 1919, it’s now the largest adult education centre in Europe, offering day, evening and weekend courses. And luckily for its students, it’s always managed to attract the best teachers: Dame Edith Sitwell, T.S. …

Fifty French Rock Chicks vs. One Restless Ron Arad

The two exhibitions currently open at the Barbican Centre prove one thing: birds spend their lives looking for the same thing as we do, an agreeable place to perch for momentary rest and recuperation. For their part, birds may take a more simple-minded approach to life, whereas we humans tend to complicate our existence with thoughts of legacy and making a lasting difference to our environment; but whether fowl or fellow, we are all fluttering from post to wire, tree to washing …

Change is blowing over to this side of the Atlantic, bringing with it a warm breeze, a spring clean and a change of scene, and in the midst of all of this blustery hot air, I recently found myself being carried back to the mainstay of conservative tradition: the V&A museum.
After a long hiatus, I revisited the museum in South Kensington to find that even the V&A, the keeper of global art and design spanning the last five millennia, has made a few alternations to its vast interior showcase. No, …