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Times
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
This musical is a five-star sensation — it hit my senses first, then my brain
Just this once, believe the hype. Evita's much publicised balcony scene, in which Rachel Zegler's Eva Perón serenades the good people of Oxford Circus with Don't Cry for Me Argentina while the audience inside watch on a giant screen, is a joy. But Jamie Lloyd's revival of the 1978 musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice feels like a conveyor belt of highlights, one after the other. Amping up the revival he first staged at the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park in 2019, Lloyd moves it indoors — and then blows the roof off. This Evita is simply sensational. That alfresco balcony scene is both an outlier and a hallmark of the boundary-pushing fun to be found throughout. Cameras follow Zegler as she swaps this Eva's uniform of bra top and hot pants for her more familiar white suit. It could so easily be naff, yet the clash of artifice and reality — why, there's a glimpse of the crowd standing outside the Pret next door! — makes for a great moment. It's as exciting as Tom Francis's walk round the block in Lloyd's Sunset Boulevard (with Nicole Scherzinger) but drilled deeper into the storytelling. Why? Because it's our sole glimpse of Eva, the wife of the authoritarian president Juan Perón, facing her public. She glances at the cameras to make us her confidants as she puts on her show. And then the cameras follow her as she strides back on stage to sing High Flying, Adored from the top of the wide bank of steps that is Soutra Gilmour's set. Kapow! • The best shows in London and the UK to book now The kapows keep coming. The remarkable sound of the requiem at the start, from a huge cast shrouded in cowls, smoke and spotlights. Diego Andres Rodriguez as our narrator, Che, striding around casually for Oh What a Circus, and ending up half-naked and bloodied. The sinuous, half-dressed chorus who bump, grind, crawl and tango their way across the steps, creating the world of mid-century Buenos Aires, telling stories with their bodies alone (a medal, please, for the choreographer Fabian Aloise). Haze and spotlights add to the sense of place, of forward motion and sexual desire. Is this the most sensual Lloyd Webber production of them all? It feels radical, yet also rooted in faithful, full-hearted renditions of some of his catchiest tunes. At the centre of it all is the American Zegler, 24, oozing starry command. Making herself strategically doll-like as she plays with the patriarchy, her Eva is always magnetic. Zegler aces the charisma and, not least, vocal power required of an approach that's sometimes more like a Beyoncé stadium show than a West End musical. All that notoriety for her brash comments about Snow White suddenly feels old. A star is reborn. • Read more theatre reviews, guides and interviews Is there collateral damage from Lloyd's ever-stylish, rarely literal approach? Yes, there is some loss of clarity, even if you always get the gist, and some of Rice's adroit lyrics get lost in the gig-level amplification. The songs and the story are less compelling in the more contemplative conclusion. The worst this ever is, though, is a truly great concert performance. It is properly sensational, in that it hits the senses first, the brain second. Did I feel huge amounts for our morally ambiguous heroine? Not really. Did I care that I didn't care? Not really. What a circus. What a parade. ★★★★★London Palladium What have you enjoyed at the theatre recently? Let us know in the comments below and follow @timesculture to read the latest reviews
Daily Mail
10-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Wife of retail baron Sir Philip Green in lucrative property deal
As TopShop is poised for a High Street comeback, the wife of retail baron Sir Philip Green has made a lucrative property investment near the chain's former flagship store on London's Oxford Circus. Monaco-based Tina Green, 75, owns 20 flats in a complex near Marble Arch via her Guernsey-based vehicle P17 Investments, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Lady Green owned Topshop's parent company Arcadia, which was run by her husband. She bought the leasehold apartments at Garrett Mansions, off Edgware Road, in August 2020, three months before Arcadia was put into administration. Stores were closed during the second coronavirus lockdown in November 2020 with the loss of 13,000 jobs, and the brand names sold to online competitors. Apartments at Garrett Mansions, which has a pool, spa and gym, sell for £1.4 million. It would make Lady Green's investment worth as much as £28 million. Topshop returned to physical retail for the first time in four years with a one-day, pop-up event yesterday in Shoreditch, East London, ahead of a rumoured High Street comeback.
Times
30-04-2025
- Lifestyle
- Times
Garum restaurant review: ‘I'd go back for the carbonara again'
Right, here are three excellent places you could have lunch: one mad, one posh, one quick. Those are the three basic paradigms, right? Because if you're planning to have lunch today, then you're either going to be thinking, 'Hmm, I've got a lot on. I'll grab something tasty but swift,' or, 'I've got a couple of hours. I fancy something interesting,' or, 'I'm a man of means. I deserve something properly posh today.' Shall we go to the quick place first, get it out of the way? Great. Tenmaru. It's a nice authentic little ramen joint, everything made on site, proper Japanese values, which opened in Finsbury Park in 2019 and spawned a second site behind Oxford Circus just round the corner from my office
Express Tribune
09-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
BTS' Jungkook shares new song recommendations and playfully interacts with Jimin on Weverse
Despite fulfilling his mandatory military service, BTS' Jungkook continues to engage with fans in his unique way. On March 9, 2025, he surprised ARMYs by posting a list of song recommendations through his dog Bam's Instagram account. Since deleting his personal Instagram, Jungkook has occasionally used this account to share glimpses of his life and music preferences. His latest playlist featured a mix of artists and genres, including Let Me Know by Carlos Abril, Amelia Rose, and 9ICK, One Deep and Slauson by Pimmie, Oxford Circus by Frex, Hanging With You by THEHONESTGUY, Drama by Rex Orange County, Dramamine by Flawed Mangoes, and Among the Clouds by Aqualina. Fans quickly reacted by streaming the songs and sharing their thoughts on social media, appreciating Jungkook's continued effort to connect with them. In addition to his Instagram update, Jungkook also made an appearance on Weverse, BTS' fan interaction platform. Jungkook took to Weverse with a lighthearted post about the changing seasons, writing, "Weather is finally getting better heh heh." His fellow BTS member Jimin joined in on the conversation, humorously replying, "Not yet, it's still cold." Their playful banter continued, with Jungkook jokingly responding, "Please don't leave comments while talking next to me," to which Jimin simply replied, "Yep." This lighthearted exchange quickly became a trending topic among ARMYs, who cherished the moment between the two friends. Meanwhile, March 9 also marks SUGA's birthday. Fans had speculated that he might use the occasion to address them publicly following his recent DUI controversy. However, as of now, he has remained silent, leaving ARMYs awaiting his return. For now, Jungkook's updates continue to offer ARMYs a sense of connection and excitement as they await the return of BTS from military service.
