In London, I caught the musical, “Close To You: Bacharach Reimagined”. Written by young Canadian artiste, Kyle Riabko, it’s a tribute to one of pop music’s most celebrated and prolific songwriters and while I normally eschew musical medleys, Riabko’s clever and contemporary arrangement and interpretation made me say a little prayer for young, fresh talent.
Sitting next to me and clearly enjoying it as much as I was, was a Los Angeles-based art teacher who takes a week off in London every year for what he calls his “West End fix”. David had seen it just the day before and I could understand why he had to return for a repeat performance so soon – the young artists on stage are brilliant and mesmerising as they move from one song to another as easily as raindrops falling on your head.
The stage for “Close To You: Bacharach Reimagined”
Youthful interpretations of timeless classics are vital in opening up old worlds to new audiences.
Benedict Cumberbatch breathed new life into “Sherlock” and Sherlock Holmes London walking tours are once again all the rage. And I dare say his recent reprisal of “Hamlet” at the Barbican attracted hordes of new fans who were more into him than the mad Danish king but never mind, now they’ve watched Shakespeare.
The reconstructed Globe Theatre
Shakespeare’s Globe, the complex which includes the reconstructed Globe Theatre and Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, is also being reimagined, along with the entire area of the London Borough of Southwark where it sits.
The Shard amid the development and across the river, the Cheese Grater and Gerkhin, all part of the new old London town.
Smack in the centre of the borough and rising tall and proud is The Shard, London’s first skyscraper. The Shangri-La London, the Hong Kong group’s first address in the UK, occupies the 34th to 52nd floors and the views from the hotel are, well, simply amazing.
That “wow” moment when you put your keycard into the slot and the curtains rise automatically, giving a slow reveal of a great, historic city that in its 2,000 years of existence has seen every kind of drama known to mankind – plaque, fires, murders, royal intrigues, war … (Watch video)
The London Eye gives you an elevated view as well but this view is at a whole new level – literally and my two days’ staying in the hotel and exploring the Southwark neighbourhood made me reimagine London, as she is, not as she was.
Old warehouses are being given a new lease of life in Southwark
Once teeming with prostitutes, convicts and pirates – Charles Dickens’ “Oliver Twist” was set in this area – Southwark is seeing a renaissance. I took a two-hour walking tour of Bermondsey Street and its surroundings with a Blue Badge guide and learnt not only about the history but the evolution and development of the area, and met café owners, glass blowers and artists who have made this part of London their home.
Fancy a pint at the Horseshoe Inn or a coffee at this cafe (below)?
Despite the development, what I like is that there is more old than new and the old are being kept and preserved, unlike where I live where there is more new than old. You can as easily pop into the Old Horseshoe Inn for a pint as you can for designer coffee and Ecuador chocolate at a café, and you can as easily catch unexpected art exhibitions at private galleries as admire abstract pieces of art at the Tate Modern.
A light installation at the White Cube Gallery in Bermondsey Street
The World Goes Pop exhibition at Tate Modern
The other aspect of London that’s being reimagined is the taxi system. London taxi drivers are known for their professionalism and their knowledge of London roads. But as with everywhere, Uber has disrupted the market and, armed with Google Maps and GPS, new drivers do not have to take the rigorous tests that London cabbies have to.
From my conversations with London cabbies, it is clear they hate and fear Uber. This article which argues that London cabbies’ knowledge is better than Uber and a GPS, pretty much sums up the situation.
One cabbie told me, “Don’t use Uber, luv. Use Hailo – here’s a discount coupon of 10 quid.”
Travellers now have plenty of choice when it comes to taxi services in the UK. I used cabforce.com for my transfers from Heathrow – one went smoothly, the other hit-and-miss, I had to ring him a few times because he was waiting at the wrong spot.
I used Uber a couple of times and the two experiences I had were poor – one spent more time complaining about life in Britain than he did getting me to my location and in the end, dropped me far from where my destination because the roads his GPS was telling him to use were blocked.
After a couple of bad experiences, I decided to return to London cabbies and you know what, it felt good to be zipping along the narrow streets of London in a black cab and being called “luv” and “darling” by drivers who know what they are doing and are proud of it.
It made me think that Uber can be beaten in places where taxis are well-regulated and drivers well-trained and well, there are some things you just don’t want reimagined in old London town.
