All I want for Christmas Are My Two Front Teeth and... A Couple of Men in Tutus

Who ever said the ballet was cheesy and girly is clearly delusional. I've just seen the coolest, hippest, hottest ballet ever and it was right here in London. Matthew Bourne's rendition of Swan Lake at Islington's Sadlers Wells, was a real gem to watch. The music was, as usual, stunning and captivating. I even caught myself closing my eyes a few times too man, swaying side by side along the waltz-like tempo, and dreaming I was swept off my feet by the young prince himself. The set design, was yes, unusual, but surprisingly fresh and creative. The story, fun, light and relateable, caught me by surprise and was something to the sort of Hello's cover story from last March. A young prince, torn between fulfilling the duties asked of him by his Queen Mother and the Kingdom, and not succombing to the temptations of real life, girls, alcohol and rock n' roll. (Prince Harry anyone?)

Actually, I not only realized that I was witnessing a whole new modern adaptation of the classic romance story I was once so attached to as a little girl, but that the cutesy frilly young swan ballerinas, weren't the slim, feminine, or goddess-like ballerinas we all know too well. Yes, they were slim. Yes they were god-like. But they were certainly not feminine. In fact, the men impersonating the hundreds of swans haunting the young prince's dreams were more haunting than the the dream itself. Their bodies...My God! Their bodies! 

The story itself is endearing. Touching really. Even haunting. And sometimes cheery, fun and comical. The young prince tries hard to gain his mother's tough (yet promiscuous!) love and approval but in vain, fails. He then escapes his rejections by dreaming up a storm, wherein swans appear by the hundreds and suddenly become a symbol for the love his mum is unable to give him. The relationship between himself and the king swan is unnervingly touching and powerful. You will want to run on stage and grab the boy for a good ol' hug. Don't do it though, you run the risk of getting booed. I tried it, no fun. Watch a short clip here.

The Freak Show Must Go On

I've been missing this! Ahhh...I've been missing you! Here I am, back in the blogging world, to fill all your heads with lots and lots of nonsense about London. Yeah! I'm psyched! My latest sushi entry has left me quite hungry for more food entries but I've decided to lay low on the food writing for at least one day. Some of you have brought to my attention lately that the food entries tend to be too plentiful and too mouth watering (boohoo) and that I should find more "cool stuff to do" in London rather than "good tuff to eat" in London. That's totally fair. I get it. I guess the fat kid in me comes out a little too often through my food entries and I can understand that we're not all food fanatics. So I have a great one for you. But if I tell you, you have to promise me that you'll at least try to check it out. I am notifying you a good chunk of time in advance just so that you'll at least consider trying. So here it is. 

Three months ago, I was dragged down to the Hippodrome Theater in London to go see a "circus."...Or so I was told. I quickly realized that the circus was no ordinary circus, but that instead when there was supposed to be a clown, there was a man called Mario, Queen of The Circus; the contortionist was a guy called Captain Frodo slithering his body through two unstrung tennis rackets in a mini 1970's McEnroe outfit; the acrobats were performed by two British gents, wearing nothing but a tuxedo and bowler hat, revealing, at times phenomenal bodies and chiseled abs; and the circus diva was a girl called Amy G. who liked to "sing" America the Beautiful from dark and mysterious areas right underneath her dress. Yes, ladies and gentlemen. This is no ordinary circus. This show is a crazy, burlesque, (almost) porno, sensationally heart warming, gut wrenching, and stomach churning show that you will not want to miss. This is La Clique in London and I must tell you now, they were gone for a while but they're back November 20 til January 10 at The Roundhouse in Chalk Farm. Book your tickets now before it's too late. Tickets are selling out like hot cakes all over the world, from Sydney to Paris, and you must grab your chance now to see this incredibly sexy cabaret/burlesque freak show called La Clique (promo video).   Enjoy the good stuff to do! I''ll be back soon with good stuff to eat! HAHAHA (evil laugh).

Frodo The Contortionist

Mario, Queen of The Circus