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Welcome to the London For Fun regular newsletter keeping you up to date with what's new in London`s events.

LONDON FOR FUN Newsletter: 12 February 2008 Issue No.141

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http://www.londonforfun.com
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1.) Top 10 London events
2.) Other Events, Theatre listings, Museums and Galleries
3.) How to unsubscribe

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1. Top 10 London events
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1 - Darren Almond - Darren Almond’s diverse work, incorporating film, installation, sculpture and photography, deals with evocative meditations on time and duration as well as the themes of personal and historical memory. Almond is interested in the notions of geographical limits and the means of getting there – in particular, culturally specific points of arrival and departure. Until 23 February.
www.whitecube.com

2 - Shen Yun Chinese Spectacular - Inspired by 5,000 years of Chinese history and traditional culture, Shen Yun brings to life Chinese performing arts in a gloriously colourful and exhilarating show. With a seasoned troupe of over 100 dancers, singers, musicians and orchestra from New York-based Divine Performing Arts, the global phenomenon Shen Yun comes to London. Its masterful choreography and graceful routines range from grand classical processions to ethnic folk dances, with gorgeously costumed dancers moving in stunning synchronised patterns. Based on ancient heroic legends and fables from the Tang, Song and Qing Dynasties, as well as contemporary tales, the charm of Shen Yun is unmissable. 22- 24 February, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre.
http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/

3 - Madam Butterfly - Anthony Minghella’s breathtaking realisation of Madam Butterfly returns to the London Coliseum. Conducting Puccini’s heart-rending score once more, David Parry collaborates with Carolyn Choa as she directs soprano Judith Howarth in the title role. Gwyn Hughes Jones reprises his role as Pinkerton while the talented mezzo Karen Cargill makes her ENO debut as Suzuki. Until 7 March.
www.eno.org

4 - Tosca - Puccini’s tragic masterpiece Tosca returns to the Royal Albert Hall. This spectacular staging, directed by David Freeman with majestic designs by David Roger is brought to you by the same team who created Madam Butterfly and will be sung in English using Amanda Holden’s translation. A distinguished cast of soloists accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will be conducted by Peter Robinson. Set in the period of the Napoleonic wars, Tosca is based on true events which unfolded in Rome during a period of great turmoil. Puccini put his heart and soul into this story of political intrigue and doomed love. From 28 February until 9 March.
www.royalalberthall.com

5 - Sleeping & Dreaming - Why are scientists still perplexed by sleep? What do the insights that our dreams bring us mean? And is a life without sleep conceivable? Sleeping and dreaming is a nightly (or daily) occurrence for us all, yet we still know relatively little about this elusive phenomenon. Sleeping & Dreaming explores this fascinating theme through the eyes of artists, scientists, film-makers and historians. Until 9 March.
www.wellcomecollection.org

6 - Yamato Drummers of Japan - Yamato are master performers. They take the ancient art of taiko drumming and bring it bang up-to-date in an exhilarating display of expertise and athleticism that has thrilled audiences worldwide. Taiko drumming is a physical, as well as musical spectacle – the drums can measure up to six feet across, requiring powerful stamina to play. Yamato's nine performers display their breathtaking expertise on over 20 drums, varying from huge barrel-like Odaikos to hand-held instruments. Combined with exquisite bronze cymbals, vocals and bamboo flutes, Yamato create a kaleidoscope of sound. From 19 March until 30 March.
www.sadlerswells.com

7 - The Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2008 - John Davies, Jacob Holdt, Esko Männikkö and Fazal Sheikh have been selected for the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2008. This year’s shortlist demonstrates a focused and sustained commitment to exploring subjects of social and political importance through photography. The Annual Prize of £30,000 rewards a living photographer, of any nationality, who has made the most significant contribution to the medium of photography in Europe between 1 October 2006 and 30 September 2007. Until 6 April.
www.photonet.org.uk

8 - Georges Bizet - The Spanish heat and gypsy passion of Carmen take to the stage as The Royal Opera presents the first revival of Francesca Zambello’s vibrant production with Tanya McCallin’s richly coloured designs. It’s a great stage recreation of the sun-drenched and sultry world of 19th-century Spain, with its ranks of soldiers and crowds of peasants, its gypsies and bullfighters, its spectacle and its deadly, white-hot emotions. Spanish-born Nancy Fabiola Herrera has been greatly acclaimed as the fickle temptress of the title, while star tenor Marcelo Álvarez is Don José, the soldier she forces to murderous jealousy over her new affair with the bullfighter Escamillo, played by Kyle Ketelsen. It’s a perfect cast to bring alive the sexy solos, rousing choruses, impassioned arias and Spanish dances of one of the most famously tuneful of all operas and one of the most enduringly popular works in the entire repertory. From March 25 to April 17.
www.royaloperahouse.org

9 - Living London: Gerry Fox - For his first major solo exhibition, Gerry Fox will present Living London, a single work made up of a series of synchronised multiple screen film installations inspired by London. In the space of 30 minutes the work will take the viewer on a series of journeys through life, through London and through the restored Methodist Chapel of 176. Fox’s work presents a portrait of London and evokes the physical sensation of being immersed in a city’s ever changing environment. Living London imparts differing scenes of London life, from the city’s historic and contemporary sites to dizzying portrayals of every-day occurrences. Until 20 April.
www.projectspace176.com

10 - Peter Doig - The most comprehensive exhibition to date of the work of Peter Doig will open at Tate Britain in February 2008. Spanning two decades, this major survey comprises over 50 paintings and a group of works on paper. It will also include a substantial body of work developed in the five years since his move to Trinidad in 2002 – many of them not previously shown in the UK. Peter Doig’s highly distinctive approach to painting has won him international acclaim. He made his name in London in the early 90s and has been a leading figure in the British art scene ever since. Using everyday photographic images from newspapers or snapshots as a compositional starting point, Peter Doig's haunting paintings have a strong sense of atmosphere – his figures often seem out of time, and his landscapes possessed of a strange, unnamable presence. The narrative lure of the image is always countered by the visceral impact of the painted surface. Until 27 April.
www.tate.org.uk

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2. Other Events, Theatre listings, Museums and Galleries

Events listing:
http://www.londonforfun.com/events-in-London.htm

Theatre listings:
http://www.londonforfun.com/London-theatres.htm

Museum listing:
http://www.londonforfun.com/London-museums.htm

Galleries listings:
http://www.londonforfun.com/galleries-in-London.htm

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