London is where everyone heads to at this time of the year, and so it is no surprise that apart from the shops, the restaurants, now it is theatre which has been the biggest beneficiary. Even Indian tourists are demonstrating a welcome cultural awareness and I have happily met friends who have ignored the “joys” of Oxford Street or Harrods to stream into theatre halls, museums and art galleries. Hurrah! At last we are enjoying cultural pursuits.
None of it comes cheaply, however, as the prices of theatre tickets have shot up 400 per cent. So it might be more of a status symbol to buy a theatre ticket than a Burberry!
This increase, actually, is unprecedented. And for those of us who found that hit shows like The Book of Mormon overpriced even at £150 last year, feel we got a bargain, now that their price has shot up to £200 for a premium seat. And this is still cheap for American tourists who would have to pay £310 per person back home for the same play.
No one, however, is protesting as theatre is London and London is theatre. And thankfully there are a few theatres, such as the National and the Donmar which do subsidise some tickets, for which we must acknowledge the generosity of sponsors. According to some reports, the National Theatre will soon be selling around 100,000 tickets at £15, for around six plays.
The high seasonal demand is partly responsible for pushing prices up and some of the pricing could even be due to the cast. Many stars, such as Nicole Kidman, Benedict Cumberbatch and Bradley Cooper are testing the floorboards. This makes it exciting for the audience, but it still tells you that there is an insatiable hunger. And already there are dire warnings that Christmas plays are expected to cost more than £200 per ticket! So start saving up!
Luckily, as we said, some theatre is still affordable. And so we were fortunate to get to see McQueen, about the “bad boy” of fashion, Alexander McQueen, written by James Phillips. The play gives a glimpse of McQueen’s life through his interaction with a female fan, Dahlia, who climbs into his studio to steal a dress. It is a fictional treatment, adapted by Phillips as he didn’t want to make a “documentary”. We wonder if there could also have been problems concerning the portrayal of a style icon whose contemporaries are still alive. The flamboyant fashion designer is played by Stephen Wight and the obsessed stalker by Dianna Agron, the American TV and film actress.
But unfortunately, the play fails to capture either the genius of McQueen or his torment. For those unfamiliar with his history or his struggle, the play did not inform or entertain. The presentation was interesting, however, as models in ballet shoes flitted in and out. But for an insight into his life and how he impacted fashion, and even for his intriguing relationship with the spectacular Isabella Blow, we might have to turn to the exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, Savage Beauty, which, coincidentally, is on right now.
Fortunately, museums in London are open to celebrating our history through popular culture. I still remember the amazing exhibition on the life and work of David Bowie! We want more!
Talking about fashion, some supermodels have turned into a heady cocktail of glamour and controversy. And so we have been hearing quite a lot over the years about Kate Moss, a tabloid favourite. At 41, we imagine she would be more “superannuated” than “super” as models go, but she seems to have an enviable ability not only to stagger out of parties looking rather worse for wear, but managing to, clothed or unclothed, be the glowing face for the best brands, the following day.
However , there are some who just aren’t impressed. For example, the staff of an economy airline, easyJet, recently called in the police to escort Moss, when their plane landed at Luton airport.
Apparently, she had been unruly during the flight. Passengers however were more sympathetic. Moss was returning from Turkey after launching the 50th birthday celebrations of friend Sadie Frost. The crew, according to some passengers had refused to serve alcohol to the model, so she simply poured herself some vodka from her own bottle. (We had no idea we could do that!). Anyway, she pronounced some choice cuss words about the pilot as she was marched off. A rolling Moss has the right to be stoned, as they say.
But let’s forgive all trespasses as these days it is constant party time in London! We try, however, to savour the summer at home, sitting in the garden, writing and admiring the sexy swagger of the overweight pigeons! Occasionally, we do get lured out, as we did, all the way to Hyver Hall to the gracious home of Surina and H.S. Narula for an evening celebrating Umrao Jaan.
Yes, London met Lucknow over ghazals and kathak, and I could spot friends from India, including Suhel Seth and Anil Gupta. Kabir Bedi also made an appearance. We wore our anarkali dresses and quaffed kebabs at the evening of music and dance meant to raise funds for Akademi, which encourages the proliferation of South Asian Dance in the UK under its very efficient director, Mira Kaushik. It was a magical evening and I can see that this will be a summer when East meets West much more often than ever before!
Kishwar Desai is an award-winning author
