Theatre owner criticises PM after football fans inflict ‘significant damage’ to his buildings

Published

3 years ago

July 14, 2021

admin

Theatre owner Sir Cameron Mackintosh has criticised Prime Minister Boris Johnson after football fans scaled the walls of one of his theatres before England’s game against Italy.

Sir Cameron, who looks after a number of West End venues, said repair costs to the Wyndham’s Theatre, just off Leicester Square in central London, are thought to be in the “tens of thousands”.

In a letter to Mr Johnson, he wrote: “As was widely reported and condemned on social media, at approximately 5pm [on 11 July], around 50 people broke through fencing at Wyndham’s Theatre and climbed on to the delicate canopy of this 19th century, Grade II listed building in the heart of the West End.

“Despite similar incidents after the semi-final, the police appeared insufficiently resourced to deal with this vandalism and the danger posed to the trespassers, and it was only later that riot police finally arrived.

“No doubt, had England won the match – which we were all rooting for – the situation would have greatly worsened later in the evening. Significant damage was inflicted on the theatre, with repairs estimated in the tens of thousands, and the incident could easily have resulted in serious injury or fatality.”

Sir Cameron called the scenes a “grim metaphor” for how he feels they have been treated during the pandemic, saying the theatre industry has been left to “fend for itself”.

He added that theatres have been denied direct financial help and that the isolation rules are “unworkable”.

The impresario – who is behind London iterations of Hamilton and Mary Poppins – goes on to ask the prime minister why theatres have only been allowed to open with a capacity of 50% or 1,000 and comply with “extensive” mitigations, yet “tens of thousands of people” were allowed to head to central London with “seemingly little to no crowd management”.

The theatre in question is due to open on 7 August with a production of Leopoldstadt.

Speaking to The Times, Sir Cameron said that COVID “caveats are causing us chaos”, revealing that during its first day of rehearsals for Hamilton this week, 15 cast members had to be sent home due to track and trace, while re-openings of Hairspray and Prince Of Egypt had to be postponed.

Football fans were gathered across central London on Sunday ahead of England’s game at Wembley Stadium, with some spotted scaling buses, cinemas and restaurants, as well as letting off flares and fireworks in Leicester Square.

This was despite efforts to enforce social distancing across the capital, as thousands arrived for the game.

Sunday’s match, which England lost on penalties to Italy, had an attendance of more than 60,000 and was part of the government’s pilot events scheme – despite theatres having their audiences capped.

In response to Sir Cameron’s criticisms, the Home Office directed Sky News to Priti Patel’s tweet from Monday, which said: “A huge thank you to every police officer who’s been working in Wembley & across the country throughout #EURO2020.

“You’re a credit to policing in this country & should be incredibly proud.

“I condemn the violent minority who assaulted you last night – these thugs aren’t true fans.”

Entertainment

FKA Twigs opens ‘self-healing’ exhibition The Eleven at Sotheby’s

Published

2 hours ago

September 14, 2024

admin

FKA Twigs opens 'self-healing' exhibition The Eleven at Sotheby's

FKA Twigs says her latest work – a live performance piece at Sotheby’s – is part of her “huge and healing journey” over the last few years, in which she’s learned “how to use and live in my body again”.

The 36-year-old singer and actress opened her first major exhibition on Saturday, the day after her third album – Eusexua – dropped.

It’s a decade since the Cheltenham-born star – real name Tahliah Barnett – released LP1, and a world away from her first professional gigs as a backing dancer for stars including Kylie Minogue and Jessie J.

Described as “a physical and artistic quest for self-healing”, The Eleven comprises a rotating group of 11 “movers”, cycling through 11 ritualised motions that each last 11 minutes and are designed to improve your life.

Each addresses an issue with modern living, including our relationship with technology, simplifying our lives and self-awareness.

For example, if you’re suffering from screen addiction, the first part of a ritual might demand rubbing your hand when you discover that instead of being in the moment you are itching to check Instagram on your phone.

Or if you’ve got personal traits you want to fix, you might “take two hours out on a Saturday to think, ‘Oh, why do I get angry when I stand in a queue in Sainsbury’s?’ You know it’s not because of the queue”.

She tells Sky News she choreographed the project to “create a sense of calm, and to just gain more control over my life so that I can concentrate on the things of beautiful and wild and free and not get bogged down with all of the noise”.

Twigs, who studied opera and ballet from a young age, will take part in some performances, which will also feature a revolving cast of “special guests”.

It’s not only a first for Twigs, but also for Sotheby’s, as the first piece of live performance art in the London gallery’s 280-year history.

‘I’m a wild-rooted, earthy woman’

Twigs cites Madonna, Tracey Emin (her pen pal as a teen) and Serbian conceptual artist Marina Abramovic as three of her muses, adding: “In the last two years, as I am a grown-up now, I’ve really looked to these women just to encourage me to keep going and get my message out there.”

Twigs explains: “There have been so many women that have just created something so much bigger than themselves, and they haven’t given up, and they’ve kept on going and they’ve ignored the naysayers.”

Her work is also inspired by her own life, rich pickings for the star who says: “I feel like I could get 10 albums just out of my life and from [ages] 16 to 18 if I just sat down and really thought about it.”

She says she only wore a certain shade of blue in the year she was writing the album (“a worn Japanese blue” according to the star) and created “a modular wardrobe” along with collaborator Yaz XL to sit alongside the project and “take the stress of looking good out of your life”.

One thing Twigs is clear hasn’t inspired the exhibition’s message is the California wellness trends so popular with celebrities and millionaires.

She says: “I’m half Jamaican from a single-parent working-class family. So, I don’t really know of those Californian things too much. I’ve just made it from my life experience and I’m a wild-rooted, earthy woman.”

The exhibition includes intimate photographs and Polaroids taken by Twigs’s partner, photographer Jordan Hemingway, who she lives with in east London.

‘It’s about touching, slapping and holding yourself’

Twigs says rather than seeing the images as revealing, she sees them as “true”, adding: “I don’t really see my body in that way. Revealing or not revealing, I’d probably feel more awkward in an outfit I didn’t like, you know?“

The star goes on: “Over the past few years, I’ve been on a huge healing journey and, have had to learn how to use and how to live in my body again.”

She says one message of the show is shrugging off body hang-ups: “It’s about touching yourself and slapping yourself and holding yourself and moving in a way that just gets rid of all inhibitions.

“It’s about realising that we’re in our vessels and we can take control of them… Express ourselves. It’s raw and it’s wild and it’s ugly. And in that way, it’s perfect.”

It’s been a challenging few years for the singer, filing papers to sue her former partner Shia LaBeouf over alleged abuse four years ago, next month will see the case finally come to court in LA.

Twigs says the 38-year-old Hollywood star physically and emotionally abused her during their year-long relationship.

LaBeouf has denied the claims but apologised for the hurt he has caused.

‘Sistah Space feels like home’

With one in four women suffering domestic abuse during their lifetime, it’s a reality Twigs feels needs to be addressed.

As an ambassador for Sistah Space, a UK charity supporting African and Caribbean heritage women affected by domestic and sexual abuse, Twigs says she has found strength from the “strong women” around her.

Twigs explains: “I think that domestic violence and interpersonal relationship violence is a really misunderstood subject, and I think it can be even more complicated when you’re of colour and from different cultures.

“Sistah Space is an amazing organisation that helps support women and survivors, find their voice again, find their feet again after going through something really horrific. Sistah Space feels like home to me.

“I spoke to Ngosi [Fulani, the founder of Sistah Space] today on the way here, actually. And all of these incredibly strong women really inspired me to make this work and to keep going and to have tenacity and strength and all of these things to carry on and fight through in my own journey.”

Eusexua

The exhibition ties in with Twigs’s new album Eusexua – a “Twigism” coined by the star summing up that lightbulb moment when things just click.

With a new album out, a film out in the UK next month (the reboot of cult classic The Crow opposite Swedish actor Bill Skarsgard) and filming another, plus this exhibition, there’s no denying it’s an exciting year for the star.

But with her feet firmly on the ground, Twigs is just happy to be sharing her work with the world.

She sums up: “I feel like I’ve always kept myself very busy and I really love what I do and I love expressing myself and I love the arts and I’m just really grateful for all the opportunities to get them out there into the world.”

The Eleven is at Sotheby’s in London from Saturday 14 to Thursday 26 September and is free to view.

FKA Twig’s third studio album, Eusexua, is out now.

Entertainment

Justin Timberlake pleads guilty to impaired driving

Published

11 hours ago

September 13, 2024

admin

Justin Timberlake pleads guilty to impaired driving

Justin Timberlake has called on the public to “call a friend or take an Uber” if they have been drinking after he pleaded guilty to driving while impaired following his arrest in June.

The 43-year-old appeared in person at Sag Harbor Village Court in the Hamptons, New York state, on Friday to enter the new plea, a lesser charge compared to driving while intoxicated, which he denied last month.

The judge sentenced Timberlake to a $500 (£380) fine with a $260 surcharge and 25 hours of community service at the nonprofit of his choosing for the non-criminal traffic violation.

After the sentencing, the singer said “even if you’ve had one drink, don’t get behind the wheel of a car”.

He added: “There are so many alternatives. You can call a friend [or] take an Uber.”

The 10-time Grammy winner added: “This is a mistake that I made, but I’m hoping that whoever is watching and listening right now can learn from this mistake. I know that I certainly have.”

The Cry Me A River singer was arrested in the early hours of 18 June after police said he failed to stop at a stop sign and could not stay in his lane while driving in Long Island, New York state.

Court documents stated his eyes were “bloodshot and glassy” and that he “performed poorly on all standardised field sobriety tests”.

During the proceedings, the singer remained standing throughout. He said he grew up in a small town and appreciated the kind of strain his arrest has made on Sag Harbor.

He said he has had a lot of time to reflect on his actions. “I did not live up to the standards that I try to hold for myself,” he said, adding he is “grateful for the opportunity to move forward” and use his platform to hopefully help others make “better decisions”.

“I should’ve had better judgment,” he said to the judge. “I understand the seriousness of this.”

Timberlake, who had his licence suspended last month, had previously pleaded not guilty to the greater charge of driving while intoxicated, which can incur penalties including jail time and fines up to $2,000 (£1,520) for a first offence.

Timberlake, who allegedly refused to take a breath test following his arrest, strongly denied the allegations.

His lawyer Edward Burke has maintained that Timberlake was not drunk.

The singer had reportedly been having dinner with friends before he left a restaurant and was pulled over by police.

A child star, Timberlake performed as a young Disney Mouseketeer alongside Britney Spears – who he later famously dated – Ryan Gosling and Christina Aguilera.

In 1995, he became part of NSYNC – one of the best-selling boy bands of all time – and embarked on a solo recording career in the early 2000s.

Timberlake is married to actress Jessica Biel and the couple have two sons together.

Hot off the heels of his European tour, Timberlake is due to appear as a guest on US chat show The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday night.

Entertainment

Jay Blades: The Repair Shop presenter charged with controlling and coercive behaviour against estranged wife

Published

11 hours ago

September 13, 2024

admin

Jay Blades: The Repair Shop presenter charged with controlling and coercive behaviour against estranged wife

The Repair Shop presenter Jay Blades has been charged with controlling and coercive behaviour against his estranged wife.

The alleged behaviour includes physical and emotional abuse, according to court documents.

The 54-year-old appeared at Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court and was bailed until another court appearance next month.

Blades married fitness instructor Lisa Zbozen in November 2022 in Barbados, but in May she said she was “broken” after grabbing a bag of things and leaving home.

West Mercia Police said he was charged on Thursday after they were called to an address on 3 May, the day after Ms Zbozen’s Instagram post, and began an investigation.

Blades – a furniture restorer – is the face of the popular BBC show, which features people having treasured objects repaired and rejuvenated.

The Repair Shop first aired in 2017 and its 14th series is due later this year.

Blades’ other TV work includes Britain’s Best Beach Huts and David and Jay’s Touring Tool Shed, alongside Sir David Jason.

The BBC said a repeat of the latter show had been dropped from Friday’s schedule.

The presenter was raised by his mother on a council estate in Hackney in east London, according to his website.

It says he left school with no qualifications before studying criminology and then finding his “true vocation in restoration and supporting vulnerable people”.

Blades announced a break from social media at the end of April – and said he would be getting therapy – after posting that his uncle had been murdered.

However, he returned in June for an Instagram post to honour his grandmother and aunt as part of the Windrush generation.