Culture Tiger

T  Curtain Up: Celebrating 40 Years of Theatre in London and New York at the V&A is a proud and joyous transatlantic display of the rich and glittering history of two theatrical heavyweights - London’s West End and New York’s Broadway. A small (and free!) exhibition, Curtain Up brings visitors up close and personal with iconic costumes. Many of the costuming highlights range from the lavish Red Death ensemble from the eternal blockbuster The Phantom of the Opera to the roughly shredded chiffon bottoms from Matthew Bourne’s erotically charged Swan Lake. As well as an insight into the painstakingly fine details of costumes, there is an array of intricate set designs, scripts, letters detailing challenging props transfers, a wonderfully charming note from Ian McKellan to an understudy and videos of industry insiders revealing the demanding highs and lows of the business. Curtain Up goes beyond the glamour of a night watching a stellar performance - it also guides you through the yea

Queen & Queer rehearsal - Photography by Mickey Xu Thursday 18th February at The Place, London. Nikki & JD’s Le Lien , co-produced by Jacksons Lane, narrates a story of a past relationship between the two dancers through spoken word, gravity-defying circus skills, contemporary and Latin movements. Le Lien effortlessly combines gasp-inducing spectacle, such as single hand-to-hand lifts, with tender and intimate moments reflecting an entire range of thoughts and feelings encountered in the course of the relationship. We see Nikki bend and manipulate JD’s body like clay as she describes what to her makes the perfect physique of a partner at one point and at another the couple climb and swerve around each other like a couple in bed struggling to find the balance between holding a partner and being comfortable. Like all good stories about relationships, Le Lien is equally funny and heartbreaking. A rare treat to see acrobatic prowess mixed with soulfulness. Second on the eveni