LONDON LIFE

NEWS ATTRACTIONS HIGHLIGHTS

Picnic under the stars

FILM LOCATION...

The East End

Fancy dining al fresco while watching top theatre productions? Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is helping you make the most of the warm summer months by offering the chance to pre-book a picnic with your theatre tickets up to 36 hours before a performance.

Pick up your basket prior to curtain opening and tuck into a delicious selection of food and drink, including wine, while enjoying plays such as Shakespeare’s best-loved comedy Much Ado About Nothing, which
is being presented until 27 June. Vegetarian options are also available, while a complimentary programme is included in the picnic package.

The fun doesn’t stop there, with performances continuing throughout

The back streets and alleyways of London’s East End have been the backdrop for a whole raft of fi lms.

Emerge from Old Street Tube station and head to Coronet Street in Hoxton, where the facade of an empty building was used as the exterior of a bar in the 1992-released The Crying Game. Spitalfi eld’s 3 Fournier Street also doubled up as a hairdressers in the same fi lm.

Fast-forward 12 years and nearby Postman’s Park was used in the 2004 release of Closer starring Julia Roberts, Jude Law and Natalie Portman in a gripping story of love and betrayal.

Other fi lm locations include The Light Bar on Shoreditch High Street, which is where Ren�e Zellweger’s character was told by friends to dump Mark Darcey in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre at dusk

the summer. A brand new adaptation
of Shakespeare’s comedy The Tempest can be seen from 5-28 June, Oscar Wilde’s masterpiece The Importance
of Being Earnest takes to the stage from 3-25 July and the award-winning musical Hello, Dolly! is being performed from 30 July to 12 September.

Don’t worry if you don’t get around
to booking a picnic — there’s also a bar serving a selection of freshly prepared tapas, main courses, light summer salads and tasty barbecue dishes prior to shows. Wine, traditional summer drinks, tea and coffee are available from the bar, while tea and cake can be booked in advance for matinee performances.
www.openairtheatre.com/eating

DID YOU KNOW? London’s blue

plaques mark great figures of the

past, such as actors, authors and

scientists and the buildings in

which they lived. The first plaque

dates from 1867 and is dedicated

to comedian Harry Relph.

EYE SPY: BLACK CABS

London’s famous taxis may be a tad pricey, but if you have some cash to splurge they’re often quicker than the Tube and you won’t have to fi ght your way through the
crowds. Simply stick your hand out to hail one
on the street — there’s no shortage of
these iconic vehicles — or head to
a taxi rank (or book in advance).

Couldn’t be easier.

12 W2L SUMMER 2009