The BBC's former euphemism, "women in sensible shoes" would be a hyper-simplification of the complex characters in The Killing of Sister George. Frank Marcus's play, although not controversial as it was forty years ago, is no less powerful in the hands
"Masters, spread yourselves", says Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream as the audience at Parkshot Studio settled in our seats for an evening of utter delight from the students of the Richmond Drama School. Director David Whitworth chose a black box
The Richmond Shakespeare Society's summer show was directed by Stephen Scammell. The director's use of an open air theatre in the round, a great innovation for the society's annual production, was very effective. The use of a smaller compact playing
Christ Church East Sheen Summer Concert took place on July 8. This was a very successful concert, consisting of an extremely attractive variety of musical items. Holding centre place was a delightful performance of Claud Debussy's Pour le Piano by
The David Wood adaptation of Roald Dahl's story for children, Fantastic Mr Fox' was brought to enchanting life in the Richmond Shakespeare Society Youth Theatre production at the Mary Wallace Theatre recently. Mr Fox's thieving ways arouse the ire
The Old Hamptonians' Amateur Dramatic Society's production of the Nol Coward play Fallen Angels' at the Hampton Hill Playhouse recently was a very stylish affair. Set in London it was first performed in the mid-1920s and was regarded as shocking at
A Coffee Concert at the Orange Tree Theatre is always a delight the space is perfect for the intimacy of chamber music. On a recent Sunday the Allegri Quartet gave one of its regular Sunday morning concerts, but this was a very special occasion when
Kew Sinfonia celebrated their 20th birthday and Mozart's 250th anniversary at St Anne's Church in Kew Green last Saturday night. Their attractive programme showed panache, humour and grandeur. It was a delight on a hot and sticky night to be in the
The Summer concerts in the Hampton Court Festival are a privilege worth enduring winters for. They offer a diversity of musical talent unimaginable in any other single showcase, in so short a period. Gorgeous Hampton Court,replete with cobblestones
Lucky lucky children - thanks to the Orange Tree Theatre's Children's Shakespeare workshops in schools, they are introduced to the bard in a light and breezy manner long before the texts become the subject of in-depth analysis for examination purposes
The return of Kodo Osada, the brilliant young concert pianist, to the summer music programme at St Stephen's Church, Hounslow was eagerly anticipated by a fair-sized audience despite the attractions of World Cup football at the same time on Sunday, June
They seek him here: they seek him there; but Twickenham Operatic Society found the elusive dashing Scarlet Pimpernel' at Richmond Theatre last week. Much swash was buckled and daring-do done as rapiers clashed under the shadow of Madame Guillotine.
TLandmark Arts Centre in Teddington presented the Summer Art Fair 2006 recently in the splendid gothic building in Ferry Road. When I visited on Friday evening, the place was abuzz with interested browsers who certainly had plenty to savour. The show
How can parents make sense of their children's disabilities? That's the question posed by Peter Nichols' outrageously funny A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (The OSO Arts Centre, 13th 18th June). At one point, Ed, young father of the severely disabled Josephine
Barnes Choir began its all-Elgar programme at All Saints, East Sheen, recently with a performance of Five Early Part Songs, written at the very beginning of the 20th century. Although the poems now seem to us old fashioned, the musical settings are
Brentford's decision to completely change their team at half-time led to Staines Town beating them 3-1 in the first friendly of the season at Wheatsheaf Park on Saturday. Steve Cordery's men went behind to a 10th-goal from Alex Rhodes, but bounced back
Mention the names Kander and Ebb and you may get a blank look but follow that with the composers of Cabaret', Chicago', New York, New York' and the reaction will be quite different. Recently The World Goes Round played at ArtsEd Schools in Bath Road
A joyful homage to Mozart was made by Anete Graudina and her friends in the concert at St Anne's Church on Kew Green recently. The orchestra, mainly comprised of members of the London College of Music and Media String Ensemble, was led by Susanne Stanzeleit
Brentford hope the £150,000 shirt sponsorship they have signed with online betting company Samvo Entertainment Ltd will lead to top Chinese players coming to Griffin Park in a deal that could be worth about £1million. The spin-offs from attracting the
Teddington Theatre Club's production of Alphabetical Order by Michael Frayn was a valiant attempt by a talented cast to stage a difficult play. First performed in 1975 the play is set in the library of a provincial newspaper. The librarian, Lucy, is
At a time when age barriers are becoming distinctly blurred, Alecky Blythe's play Cruising at the Bush Theatre takes a look at dating for the Saga set showing that there's no glass ceiling on the dating game. Is he wealthy enough to support me? Is
Recently ArtsEd School of Acting presented Sauce For the Goose by Georges Feydeau. First of all a confession - I don't like farce, even those of such a master of the art as the supreme French farceur Georges Feydeau. Correction, I didn't like farce
Richmond Shakespeare Society's contribution to the Chelsea Flower Show week was its own impeccable show garden at the Mary Wallace Theatre. Charlotte Jones's tragi-comedy Humble Boy caused the buzz. This neatly structured play, dripping with symbolism
Teddington Theatre Club's production of Talking Heads brought three of Alan Bennett's monologues into the intimacy of the Coward Room at the Hampton Hill Theatre. Three individuals, each trapped in unfulfilled lives, chat in a dear diary' style that
Wathen Hall in St Paul's School, Barnes was the venue for a charity concert one recent Sunday afternoon. Entitled Rio Grand' the name relates to a musical experience by Constant Lambert with words by Sir Sacheverell Sitwell. The performers were
The contrast in the arrivals of Brentford's two latest signings striker Chris Moore and centre-half Adam Griffiths could not have been greater. Moore, given a second chance by the club who rejected him 10 years ago, had his own press conference because
With its shallow, curved auditorium, Watermans Arts Centre, Brentford was a fine forum for enjoying graduating students of the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance present their own choreography and it was a joy. Even my untrained eye could
A seldom-seen pearl was revealed recently by BROS at The Hampton Hill Playhouse. In 1926, in the middle of US prohibition, the Gershwin brothers decided to write a musical about bootleggers ... ... and to invite that archetypal English eccentric, PG
Spirited acting by a talented cast of members of St Mary's Drama Group brought the witty comedy Angels In Love' to entertaining life at St Mary's Community Hall, Hampton last week. Written in the 1950s by British playwright Hugh Mills, it tells of
Recently Today' by Robert Holman was presented at ArtsEd Schools in Bath Road, Chiswick. The author of this play of love, sex, sociology and politics set in pre-war England gave himself an Everest of a task by combining all these elements and ArtsEd
Orleans House on the Riverside at Twickenham is currently presenting an exhibition Twinings In Twickenham'. This fascinating exhibition is as packed with interest as a good cuppa is with flavour. Intriguing exhibits, ranging from portraits to pots,
THE 2006 One-Act season at Tolworth's vibrant CornerHouse arts centre was a triumph, proving again that there is a huge resource of dramatic talent in the area. Eight plays by local writers, ranging from 20 to 40 minutes, were performed in blocks on
Richmond upon Thames Performing Arts Festival 2006 presented the crme de la crme to a packed house in Queen Charlotte Hall recently, writes Julie Hildesley. The standard was set by the girls of Oakfield School Choir, under the direction of Keith Mansfield
The one-act season at Tolworth's vibrant CornerHouse arts centre was a triumph, writes Tim Harrison. Eight plays by local writers, ranging from 20 to 40 minutes, were performed in blocks, with co-ordinator Jon Constant ensuring each batch ended on
The National Theatre's production of The Seagull directed by Katie Mitchell left me with conflicting feelings. The most striking thing about the production was the enormous set: a slightly shabby country mansion of a retired, ailing civil servant,
Police have unveiled their latest weapon in the fight against crime - a simple piece of paper. And, although they may lack the menace of a taser or a truncheon, these pieces of paper - called Vulnerable Premises Advice Forms - have been credited with
A benefits fraudster has been ordered to pay back nearly £2,500 after turning down four chances to come clean. Julie Ingram, of Ermine Close, Hounslow, illegally claimed housing and council tax benefits that she was not entitled to because she had a
Extremism, terrorism and the "disengagement" of young people in Hounslow will be examined in a report being carried out by a council unit. The Community Development and Regeneration Unit (CDRU) will work closely with community leaders and government
Older residents in the borough are being encouraged to surf the net to avoid missing out on what is available online. The move follows a recent report by the communications watchdog Ofcom, which claims that the older generation are not getting the best
Hounslow police have released a three-month progress report on their Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNTs) stating that they are "making a real difference to local people". Superintendent Simon Phipps praised the work of the SNTs stating that they have dealt
Two students will attempt the 8,000-mile drive of a lifetime when they set out to get from London to Mongolia in a cheap old banger painted to look like a cow. Duncan Bucknill, 20, from Chiswick, and Patrick Cronin, 21, from Acton, are taking part in
Graffiti in the borough is to be targeted in a new drive by Hounslow Council to tackle the problem with tough action. The council's Community Environment Team is drawing up a hit list of graffiti hotspots. Vandals use a nickname or signature, known
The storm over the controversial decision to end the contract with the Brief Intervention and Counselling Service (BICS) is still raging. Hounslow Primary Care Trust (PCT) decommissioned the mental health service, based at Chiswick Health Centre, but
Over half of drivers who appeal against parking tickets in the borough are successful, it was revealed this week. The news comes just days after the mayor's official car was issued with a ticket and sparked assurances from Richmond upon Thames Council
After failing to appoint a permanent headteacher last week the governors of Shene School have announced the former head of Whitton School as its interim leader. Sue Raynor, who left her post at Whitton in December after six and a half years, will take
A world-famous jazz club in a Barnes pub that was set to close 18 months ago is re-launching this week, maintaining nearly half a century of tradition. There has been jazz played at the Bulls Head pub, on Lonsdale Road, for 45 years but that history
Campaigners are hoping a fried chicken restaurant will take away its plans to open a new branch in East Sheen. Plans lodged last month to turn Carlos restaurant, at 201 Upper Richmond Road West, into a KFC angered residents who packed into an area consultation
A Richmond charity threatened with service cutbacks has been given a three-month reprieve as a solution is sought to its funding crisis. The Addiction Support and Care Agency (ASCA) will receive £32,500 in emergency cash from Richmond upon Thames Council
He could be off to see the Wizard of Oz to ask for a heart and a brain, but it is more likely the Twickenham scarecrow named Tin Man was stolen from his allotment perch. Pupils from Trafalgar Infants' School and Trafalgar Junior School used to wave at
One of Richmond's landmark shopfronts has been listed among the country's most vulnerable architectural treasures. On Monday, Matthiae's Caf and Bakery in Kew was added to the 10 buildings in the borough already listed by English Heritage in the Greater
The tennis at Wimbledon is over and there's still no British winner. The football World Cup is over, and again our sporting heroes failed to live up to expectations. English cricket and rugby appear to be in the doldrums, but cheer up, there is one Wimbledon
The council has revealed it will change the number of affordable houses required on each large development despite a consultation of residents not being in support. A Unitary Development Plan (UDP) inspector recommended Richmond upon Thames Council insist
It is often overlooked that when you volunteer to help others, you can do a great deal for yourself at the same time. After less than an hour in the company of Richard Christie, who helps at Richmond Advice and Information on Disability (AID), it was
