The Inseparables: Finborough Theatre
'An ambitious and wildly imaginative production that suffers under the weight of debris from the breaking of the fourth wall' THREE STARZ The Play: The Inseparables by Grace Joy Howarth – based on the novel by Simone de Beauvoir, translated by Lauren Elkin. On until 10th May. Book here. France during the First World War. Nine-year-old Sylvie Lapage prays for France to be saved from the war, but her miracle arrives in the form of the new girl at school - Andrée. She is unlike anyone else – wildly bright and full of life. Finally, Sylvie has someone who makes her laugh,...
Legendary King’s Road nightclub 151 is re-born as The Rex Rooms
One of Chelsea's most famous lost nightspots has finally shaken off its hangover and re-emerged on the King's Road with an exuberant flourish. 151 - the small basement venue, so-called simply because of its street number - has reopened as The Rex Rooms at 151 and is set to carve out a reputation as the go-to partying destination that will revitalise Chelsea's late night scene. Behind the venture is a consortium of the talents from the worlds of clubbing, Hollywood and finance. Two of London's most celebrated nightclub creators are fronting The Rex - fashion designer Marc Jacques Burton and...
Lineker, the colossus of crisp acting, treads the boards at Finborough Theatre
Gary Lineker, the legendary character actor from television crisp adverts, was an unlikely late substitute on the team sheet at the Finborough Theatre. Lineker, the former England captain and Spurs and Barcelona striker, came off the bench to host a special discussion panel following a performance of the raw and bloody love story Men's Business (on 9th April). It emerged that the connection that prompted Lineker's unlikely appearance on the set is playwright Simon Stephens, who has adapted Franz Xavier Kroetz's Mannersache. Lineker and Stephens are close friends, so the ex-football star...
Pammie’s swimsuit! Design Museum dives in deep to reveal shallow swimming exhibition
The Design Museum has made a splash by opening an exhibition dedicated to swimming - with a rare swimsuit worn by beach legend Pamela Anderson during her spell making waves in the 1990s TV series Baywatch. Spotlit and suspended by wires in a cabinet with security glass, the iconic red swimsuit takes pride of place in Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style. The display even features 'erect nipples' to acknowledge Pamela's stand out features when she played Californian life guard C.J Parker from 1992-97. The minimal costume, with its high cut lines...
Men’s Business, Finborough Theatre: A play of raw emotion that gets under the skin
By Rob McGibbon The Play: Men's Business by Franz Xaver Kroetz - in a new translation by Simon Stephens. On until 12th AprilA love story set in the back room of a butcher’s shop with a brutal bastard of a dog howling in the yard next door. Charlie’s faith in the possibility of love can’t be dimmed. No matter what deranged brutalities life throws at her. Victor doesn’t take his builder’s boots off for dinner, has a rule to never go to a woman’s flat in case she gets ‘ideas ‘ and doesn’t like secrets…or dogs…Is he the one she’s been waiting for? Men’s Business is the world premiere of Tony and...
The General marshals Chelsea troops to help raise £10,000 for NSPCC
General Sir Adrian Bradshaw, KCB OBE DL, drew a colourful parade of around 300 guests to his talk at The Wren Chapel at Royal Hospital on 26th March. The stellar attendance helped raise more than £10,000 for the Chelsea and Kensington branch of the NSPCC. Organisers - led by branch President Lavinia Wallop and Chair Jane Gordon - were delighted by the turnout and by such generous support for the charity. Sir Adrian's speech was focused on the 'current defence and security challenges for NATO and the UK'. As former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander (Europe) for NATO, Sir Adrian was certainly in...
The Chelsea Society’s Annual Report rolls orf the presses
The Chelsea Society has issued its annual report for 2024 and its Winter Bulletin. The Citizen is happy to publish here the Editor's Foreword by Deputy Chairman Michael Stephen and below you will find the opening of the Chairman's Report by Dr James Thompson. The report covers, in commendable detail, all the key changes and issues that have faced Chelsea during the past year. The report is a jolly good read and can be accessed in full here. The Chelsea Society was founded in 1927 and sticks strongly to its original remit: 'To protect the interests of all who live and work here and to...
Cooper the German Shepherd to star in Finborough Theatre’s new play
The Finborough Theatre has announced some radical casting for a new production - Cooper, the 10-year-old German Shepherd. Cooper, who lives in Chelsea, will pad the floorboards as the character imaginatively called 'Dog' in Men's Business, a love story set in the back room of a butcher’s shop. He plays "a brutal bastard of a dog" and gets to howl - a lot. Men's Business is the 'world premiere' of Tony and Olivier Award winner Simon Stephens’ new translation of German playwright Franz Xaver Kroetz’s rarely performed work Mannersache. It arrives at...
Chelsea’s Culture and Entertainment
In our Culture and Entertainment section, we will keep your diary ahead of the curve on everything that is happening at the landmark institutions illustrated below.
We will develop a comprehensive guide to everything that is happening in Chelsea, from plays, concerts and art exhibitions, to specially curated cultural and historical events.
We will also bring you expert reviews of reviews of restaurants, bars and clubs – and any parties we manage to attend.
And watch out for our definitive Chelsea pub guide.
