Shucked @ Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre…

 Marcus and had a fab afternoon today watching musical Shucked at the glitzy @RegentsParkOAT 

The show is a pun-packed winner - truly a‑maize‑ing! It’s barnstormer of country‑corn humour & foot‑stomping tunes. 🌽

Sophie McShera’s Maizy is sweet enough to butter your popcorn, Ben Joyce’s Beau rocks a mullet & a heart‑on‑his-sleeve ballad “Somebody Will,” & Georgina Onuorah as Lulu absolutely kills it with “Independently Owned” — it’d rip roof off if there was one.

Keith Ramsay’s Peanut is deadpan philosopher, dropping gems like, “Politicians & diapers should be changed regularly — for same reason.”  

Jack O’Brien’s direction (and that wonky barn!) leans into cornball charm in best possible way. It’s silly, spirited, & cob‑solutely delightful. 🌽

My favourite line - “This isn’t an argument — I’m right & you’re just saying stuff.”  

#Shucked #SophieMcShera #BenJoyce #GeorginaOnuorah #KeithRamsay #JackOBrien #cornyjokes

Radiant Boy @ Southwark Playhouse…

Friday night with Roger saw #RadiantBoy at glitzy @SouthwarkPlayhouse — ghosts, gays, and Yorkshire sass!

@stuartactor is hilariously haunted, @BenAllenLDN serves hot priest realness, & @ReneeLamb_ is the scene stealing ghost

Funny, spooky, and full of feels.

🛥️

 

The Fifth Step @sohoplace

 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Fifth Step @sohoplace a masterclass in dark humour and emotional landmines. 

Jack Lowden on fire. Impeccable comic timing.

Martin Freeman terrifyingly calm. Funny. Chilling. 

Absolutely top tier theatre. Go!

#TheFifthStep #SohoPlace #JackLowden #MartinFreeman 

Steel @ Park Theatre…

Last night, Elliot and I went to go and see Steel at the Park Theatre and London‘s glitz Finsbury Park. 

Set in post-industrial heart of Workington, West Cumbria, Steel is a striking 80‑minute two‑hander by Lee Mattinson, brought to life through skilful pairing of actors, sharp writing, & inventive staging.

Jordan Tweddle brings depth to James, transitioning from grouchy teen to vulnerable young man with such seamless emotional nuance - his tear‑wet face as pathos builds is striking.

Suraj Shah plays Kamran alongside plethora of other roles with astonishing versatility. He was super, real delight to watch, as he switches from seventeen‑year‑old lad to alcohol‑addled auntie & sudden sensational drag superstar. 

Under Liz Stevenson’s tight, fast‑paced direction, the production navigates themes of class, identity, racism, & homophobia with refreshing clarity. The sparse set - anchored by a prominent digital clock- supports quick, snappy scene changes, keeping the narrative urgent. 

Lee Mattinson’s sharply acerbic script delivers lines like “middle‑class Workington is drinking pints of mushroom risotto” & “I hate Lake District. Beatrix Potter can go fuck himself,” balancing humour & social critique. 

The play has an intense brilliance, that, despite the rough Cumbrian accents & nervous start, impresses with emotional authenticity & sociopolitical punch. It’s funny too. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Cure 😅…

 

Heathrow Terminal 3 First Class Lounges…

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Four lounges, one terminal, & far too many boozy coffee cocktails”    

A month or two ago Darce & I took a day-trip to Prague - pretty much with the express(o martini) reason of visiting Heathrow’s posh lounges before take-off. And we weren’t disappointed.

It turns out Heathrow Terminal 3 is less of an airport concourse & more of a first class lounge tasting menu. If you’ve got right ticket - or an airline status that involves a secret handshake - you can spend hours of your pre-flight time drifting between four very different sanctuaries, each one quietly judging the others. And indeed there are still others - but let’s stick with these four. 

British Airways First Lounge  

A cozy blend of worn carpets, breakfast wine, & mild confusion. The décor whispers “recently refurbished Travelodge,” but the champagne is cold & the bacon rolls hot, which almost balances things out. It’s the spiritual home of toasties, complimentary newspapers, & people muttering “Where’s Concorde Room?” under their breath. BA keeps it functional, with enough drinks to take the edge off any potential upcoming turbulence & enough food to remind you that, yes, you’re still in Britain. There’s a self-serve bar because nothing says ‘trust’ like letting sleep-deprived travellers pour their own gin @ 8am. Darce & found it comfortable, familiar, & slightly chaotic - like being in your posh friend’s kitchen.

Cathay Pacific First Lounge  

Minimalist. Serene. Possibly run by monks with degrees in interior design & suspiciously clean - we started to wonder if anyone else had ever actually been in it. This is lounge where noise goes to die. The dimly lit, marble-heavy setting is home to legendary noodle bar & staff who treated our breakfast order like a diplomatic engagement. It would feel entirely appropriate to whisper your drink order in Mandarin. Sit in leather chair, order Dan Dan noodles, & briefly believe in peace on Earth.    

Qantas Lounge  

If Cathay lounge is a spa, Qantas lounge is a business-class dinner party hosted by someone who read Monocle once & took it personally. You’ll find Neil Perry-designed food, a double staircase to make an entrance Nicole Kidman would be proud of, a serious cocktail bar, & a bunch of Australians being aggressively friendly. It’s lively without being loud, polished without being pretentious. You’ll leave full, caffeinated, & slightly more adventurous than intended.    

American Airlines Flagship Lounge  

An all-you-can-eat buffet of practicality. It feels like a well-funded college lounge that grew up, discovered wine fridges, & got a business degree. There’s an impressive buffet, solid bar, & more TVs than necessary. It’s confident, capable, & surprisingly relaxed - like the lounge equivalent of someone who shows up to black-tie event in a hoodie & still looks better than everyone else. The food is surprisingly solid, drinks flow freely, & there was someone FaceTiming on speaker. It’s got subtle “mid-West airport hotel” vibe, but in charming way — a lounge that doesn’t try too hard because it doesn’t need to. You’ll eat, drink, & possibly forget you’re in Heathrow at all. We did. 

Final Thoughts  

Start at Cathay for zen, move to Qantas for sustenance & espresso martinis, swing through BA for British snacks & mild chaos, then wrap it up at AA for a drink or three of pink champagne & Wi-Fi that actually works.  

  

You’ll board your flight nourished, a bit woozy, relatively clean, & deeply reluctant to sit not-quite-upright in a steel tube for 2 hours with strangers. 

@darce_styles

@heathrow_airport

#heathrowairportterminal3

#Heathrow

#londonheathrow

#lhr

#airportlounge

#airportlife

#travel

#travelling

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#oneworld

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#oneworldsapphire

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#cathaypacific

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#aa

Silent Disco @ London Transport Museum…

Last Saturday night Darce and I spent an evening dancing with the trains. And the busses.

The London Transport Museum had flung opened its doors for a silent disco. Two different soundtracks, two different colours red/blue - you choose.

We’d both been to one before, at the Natural History Museum, and as at that time, ironically, it’s quite a communal experience dancing with headphones on. You see other people listening to a tune & dancing so you tune into that too & sing along together.

It was brilliant fun. Go, go, go.

London Transport Museum Acton Depot...

Yesterday Darce & I went to an open day at the London Transport Museum Depot in London's glitzy Acton Town.

The place is packed full of trains, trams, buses, signs, tiles, & roundels. TFL porn basically.

We loved it. 

The Mikado @ Wilton’s Music Hall…

Last night, Stuart and I went to see Opera della Luna’s The Mikado at Wilton’s Music Hall in London’s glitzy E1.   

The production is a fabulously flamboyant romp through Titipu-as-a-fashion-runway, where Gilbert and Sullivan meet Gaultier and the satire struts in heels.  

Director Jeff Clarke swaps out kimonos for couture, giving the classic operetta a makeover that would make RuPaul proud. 

The cast delivers laughs and high notes in equal measure - Matthew Scott Clark’s Ko-Ko is a comic whirlwind, while Kelli-Ann Masterson’s Yum-Yum hits all the right notes (musical and otherwise).  

The small orchestra punches well above its weight under Michael Waldron’s baton, and the slick musicality keeps pace with the chaos onstage. 

Sure, the show sidesteps some of the original’s more outdated elements with a wink and a smirk - but a few creaky bits still peek through the seams.  

All in all, it’s a stylish, silly, and sharp revival that proves The Mikado still has legs - especially when they’re strutting down a catwalk.

Madonna - Ray of Light Remix Album…

I’m considering buying a record player just to get this…. Madonna’s Ray of Light remix album out next month 🤪🤩

https://shopuk.madonna.com/products/veronica-electronica-vinyl-exclusive-lithograph 

Union Chapel…

The Union Chapel is stunning building just off Islington’s glitzy Upper Street. 

A working place of worship, it also hosts live events to keep the lights on; comedy shows, gigs, recitals, opera, concerts, you name it.

It’s a beautiful space to see performance - often just lit by candles.   

I’ve seen Marc Almond, Goldfrapp The Fratellis, Bjork, Beck, Cerys Matthews, Eddi Reader, Ian McCulloch, Mika, The King's Singers, Alexandra Burke, Alphabeat, V V Brown, Sparks, Mavis Staples, PP Arnold, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Melanie, The Three Degrees, Hugh Cornwell, Hazel O'Connor, Barbara Dickson, & Arseblog to name but a few. 

A little while ago I went on a guided tour.  We got to visit some of the back rooms, the back passages, and play with the organ. Ooh-er. 

Here’s a potted history of the place…

1799 - The congregation is found by a union of nonconformists & Anglicans, hence the name Union Chapel.

1806 - The first Union Chapel is built on Compton Terrace.

1850s & 60s - Union Chapel becomes a rather fashionable & is known for the musicality of its services.

1872 - Having out-grown the original building a decision is taken to build a new Union Chapel, competition is launched to find design - it's won by James Cubitt.

1877 - The new Union Chapel, the building we know & love today, is opened. It is a church designed with music in mind. It includes one of countries finest organs, hidden behind the pulpit & a beautiful rose window featuring 8 angels each playing a different instrument.

1920s - The congregation starts to decline.

1944 - The Chapel is badly damaged by a bomb which killed 26 people. All the glass on north side of building is blown out & the Sunday School Hall is used as a shelter for those left homeless by the blast.

1981 - The building, which is in a terrible state of disrepair is scheduled for demolition. But local residents campaign tirelessly & it is saved.

1992 - The first gigs start to happen as a way to raise money for Chapel & to allow people to enjoy the space. The Margins Project for those homeless & in crisis is formed.

2000s - Voted London's best venue in 2002, '06, '12 & '14. With the help of grants & donations carry out major repair works to the roof of chapel, tower & organ. And become first place of worship in Islington authorised to carry out same sex weddings.

2025 - Celebrates 148 years standing!

If you get chance to see a performance there, go!