Here are two contrasting shows to get theatre tickets for at the London fringe.
Wildbird are a theatre company based in the highlands of Scotland. They formed in 2005 and have worked with the National Theatre of Scotland on their ‘Crucible’ and ‘Macbeth’ projects.

Now, they present their new London show, ‘Fall of the Peacock Throne’, which will run at the Southwark Playhouse from the 5th of March until the 28th of March.

The play tells the story of the 1953 Iranian coup alongside, and in juxtaposition to, Alexander’s invasion of Persia in 333BC. The play seems particularly timely as Iran’s Islamic revolution celebrates its thirtieth anniversary. Whilst the play takes the view that the Iranian coup in 1953 failed because of British oil interests and the US cold war strategy, it doesn’t address the problems Iranian people live under today.

Meanwhile at Theatre 503 from the 3rd of March until the 28th of March, a new piece of writing seems concerned with entertaining its audience rather than pushing heavily political messages. ‘Hallelujah’ by Jane Bodie is a black comedy which has been commissioned, written and rehearsed in under two months as part of Theatre 503’s Rapid Write Programme.

Based in a funeral parlour, it deals with the topical subject of being in the red, and what it really means to be broke.

BOOK SPAGHETTI HOUSE SHOW & MEAL DEAL

FULL RESTAURANT LIST

Packages Available

All Theatre / Dinner Deals include: SHOW TICKET – 2 COURSE MEAL

A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC – £32.50 (TICKET NORMALLY £45.00 ALONE!)
BLOOD BROTHERS – £26.50 (TICKET NORMALLY £22.50 ALONE!)
GREASE – £29.00 (TICKET NORMALLY £29.00 ALONE!)
LA CAGE AUX FOLLES – £47.50 (TICKET NORMALLY £54.00 ALONE!)
JERSEY BOYS - £32.50 (TICKET NORMALLY £20.00 ALONE!)
STOMP - £39.50 (TICKET NORMALLY £45.00 ALONE!)
THRILLER – £24.95 (TICKET NORMALLY £43.50 ALONE!)
WICKED – £57.50 (TICKET NORMALLY £60.00 ALONE!)

Restaurant Review

The Spaghetti House first opened its doors in 1955 and has since then established itself as a chain of London’s finest family run Italian Restaurants. The idea of a Spaghetti House was the dream of two Italians; Lorenzo Fraquelli and Simone Lavarini. Their love of food and tireless ambition was rewarded when the first restaurant in Goodge Street gained a reputation for wonderfully authentic Italian dishes and therefore quickly expanded.

Huge success followed and now Concierge Desk are delighted to include a meal here as part of a number of show/meal packages.

The charm of the Spaghetti House is more than the wonderful food and wine on offer. There is a warmth amongst the staff that creates a relaxing and informal atmosphere. Service comes with a smile and you definitely get the impression that the waiting staff take pride in their work. Indeed,  the Spaghetti House prides itself on creating an environment in which their staff learn and develop their skills and become an important part of the Spaghetti House ethic.

Concierge Desk are confident that once you have been to the Spaghetti House, you will go back again. The food is delicious with wonderful sauces, a huge variety of incredible pasta dishes, heavenly fish and desserts that are just delicious; try the amaretto ice cream or warm apple tart! The restaurant itself is classy but in an understated way and this makes it the perfect venue for a night out.

Sample Menu

Two course meas at Spaghetti House include a (choice of a starter and main course or main and dessert

A typical choice of menu is as follows:

 Starters
Classic Caesar cos lettuce with anchovies and parmesan, tossed with their special Caesar dressing
Minestrone Casalingo – the restaurant’s home-made minestrone soup

Main courses
Tortelloni Crema Funghi spinach with ricotta filled pasta cream and mushroom sauce
Spaghetti Bolognese – a special spaghetti in a classic and slow cooked meat sauce coming with tomatoes, red wine garlic and herbs

Desserts
Cassata wedge of mixed Italian ice cream, which comes with strawberry sorbet vanilla, pistachio and chocolate  layers
Torta al Cioccolato – a sumptuous and rich double chocolate mousse cake

Restaurant Location

30 St Martins Lane
Trafalgar Square
WC2N 4ER

Nearest Tube Station: Leicester Square (served by Piccadilly and Northern lines)

Nicholas Hytner, the artistic director of the National Theatre, home to some of the best London Shows, has suggested that drama schools need to focus more on practical training. This is because drama schools are under pressure from the government to increase the amount of theoretical study and adopt degree status thus ensuring funding. Hytner feels that this pressure has meant that drama school graduates are unprepared for the profession.

Ironically, Hytner also feels that there is an insufficient understanding of the linguistics and social history which are required to fully contextualise dramatic texts. However, he blames this on primary and secondary schools.

His report states

“Young actors are not as well equipped as they were 20 years ago to rise to the challenges of the stage, particularly of the classical stage.”

Hytner said that the preferred option was for students to do a university degree followed by drama school training. However, this would serve to favour actors from wealthy backgrounds.

Hilary Strong is the director of the National Council for Drama Training which accredits 20 drama schools. Whilst she accepts Hytner’s points, she emphasises that accredited schools run courses which are strictly vocational. She stressed that she felt there should be more scholarships available to eighteen year olds to allow them access to the more vocational courses.

Marius Von Mayenburg is one of Germany’s best young playwrights. His work is frequently translated into English and performed in the UK. The Royal Court, in particular, has presented his and many other international playwrights’ work. The current London show in the main house at the Royal Court is his play ‘The Stone’. It is the centrepiece in a season of plays related to the last sixty years of German history.

The play tells the story of a house from 1935 when it is bought from Jewish owners by a young couple. Eighteen years later the daughter of that couple discovers the stone of the play’s title. In 1973 a family returns to reclaim the house.

The play is directed by Ramin Gray and boasts a stellar cast including Linda Bassett and Justine Mitchell. Bassett has appeared in many films including ‘The Hours’, ‘Calendar Girls’ and ‘Kinky Boots’. She also plays Queenie in ‘Lark Rise to Candleford’. Justine Mitchell seems to be constantly in work. In the last two years alone she has been in two productions at the National Theatre including Howard Davies’ five star production of ‘Philistines’. She played Olivia in Neil Bartlett’s ‘Twelfth Night’ for the RSC and played Hedda Gabbler for the Gate Theatre in Dublin.

Once again, for a top London show, head to Sloane Square and the Royal Court.