TOP 100 ENGLAND SITES
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| Travelling tales - where did 1958 hitchhiker end up? An appeal is launched for information about a man who left a Gwynedd village more than 50 years ago to go around the world. bbc.co.uk |
Showbiz veterans celebrate the London Palladium's 100th birthday Bruce Forsyth unveils a plaque at the theatre where he made his nameBrucie was there, as were Doddy and Des, while the musical crowd was represented by Elaine, Lesley and Michael. And then of course there was Baron Lloyd-Webber of Sydmonton.All were gathered at lunchtime to celebrate the centenary of the London Palladium, a building that was at the heart of British variety for most of that time until blockbusting musical theatre took over.Andrew Lloyd Webber, the theatre's owner, announced plans to rebuild and refurbish the front of house area as well as – to cheers – doubling the number of ladies loos.It was left though to 82-year-old Forsyth to cut the cake and unveil a commemorative plaque. "I started here 52 years ago as a compere, which was the plum job," he told the Guardian. "That was number one, no other job could be as good as that because you were meeting and welcoming stars from all over the world."Forsyth was the host of Sunday Night at the Palladium, the show that made him a star. "It is a pity we don't have anything like it today but then I don't think you could find the top of the bills, I really don't. We had all the greats from the film world, the greatest theatre stars, the biggest recording artists – it was a very special time, a real golden age."There has always been something about the Palladium to make it one of the best known of all theatres. "You only have to stand on the stage, even when it's empty, just to feel the atmosphere," said Forsyth. "Of course lots of theatres have atmosphere and some have a bad atmosphere, but when you stand on that stage and just feel it, it has got something you just cannot create."The Frank-Matcham-designed Palladium opened on Boxing Day 1910 and has played host to all the greats of variety, from Houdini to Laurel and Hardy, Gracie Fields, the Crazy Gang, Frank Sinatra, Frankie Howerd and on.More recently it has been home to musicals including Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Sound of Music and Sister Act.Lloyd Webber called the forthcoming work "the biggest programme of refurbishment and change in the Palladium's history" and said it would be completed by the time he opens his new production of The Wizard of Oz next February.Yesterday, between the cake-cutting upstairs and plaque-unveiling downstairs, there was an awkward, 'what's happening now?' moment, which of course allowed Forsyth to fill the gap. "It's nice to see you to see you. And welcome to Tuesday afternoon at the London Palladium. Not bad for a matinee, I've played worse. Actually the smallest audience I've ever played to was in …"Some time later the plaque was unveiled.TheatreAndrew Lloyd WebberMark Brownguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Cops and cuts Senior policeman Sir Hugh Orde on the challenges ahead bbc.co.uk |
Cameron promises push for growth David Cameron urges a "forensic, relentless approach" to ensuring the UK's future economic growth, but Labour says the government lacks a plan to help business. bbc.co.uk |
Joe Gazzano obituary The first thing you noticed as you went into Gazzano's delicatessen in Farringdon Road, central London, was the smell, perfume rather – the sweet savour of cured pork overlaid by the clean, lactic tang of cheese and the heady blast of coffee. The second thing you noticed was Joe Gazzano, who has died aged 60 from lung cancer.He was a short, stocky figure in an apron, with a thick head of hair brushed back, an easy smile and keen eyes behind his spectacles. He greeted many of his customers by name and in the appropriate language, slipping from English to Italian and back again as easily as a slice of Gazzano's prosciutto slipped down the throat.Gazzano's, founded by Joe's family a century ago, was a model of its kind, shelves piled with rustling bags of pasta asciutta, dried pasta, ranks of bottles and tins of olive oil and carefully selected wines. It cheered you up just going in there, browsing over the display cabinet of salamis speckled with fat and peppercorns, legs of prosciutto or rolls of porchetta ready to be carved, and mortadellas as round as cannon barrels. There was an array of cheeses, laid out with artful casualness, and neat tumps of sausages, glistening and tied to each other with string.Around the corner were the fresh pastas, raviolis with two or three different fillings (the pumpkin was a particular favourite of mine) and agnolotti, tagliatelle. And none of these temptations ever looked tired or tatty. The secret, as Joe knew, was having a steady turnover of foods, and that meant having a steady throughput of customers.While Gazzano's was very much Joe's shop, Joe's empire, his true genius was to keep it, as it had always been, a family enterprise. His own children were just as much a part of the tapestry of Gazzano's as he was, and I lost count of the times that I spotted a new, keen, knowledgeable youngster behind the counter. "Oh, he/she's my nephew, niece, cousin, so-and-so's son/daughter," Joe would say.Nor was Joe a man who lived in the past. In 2004 Gazzano regulars were dismayed when the shop closed down to allow for the site to be developed, and for a new Gazzano's to rise from the rubble in 2006, clad in metal in a daring design. (Gazzano's kept their Guardian devotees happy by opening a cafe in the Guardian museum on the other side of Farringdon road). This typically shrewd move not only moved the old family business smartly into the 21st century but helped guarantee the future of the shop, hopefully for a second hundred years. It stands as a monument and a memorial to a modest, kindly man.Joe is survived by his wife Ruth, children Joe and Lucy, and grandchildren Mia and Sam.LondonFood & drinkItalyThe GuardianMatthew Fortguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |