West London Area Guide

Overture "Genoveva" Schumann Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini Rachmaninov Soloist: Phoebe Papandrea Symphony No 1 Brahms

Written by & starring Isabella Thompson Plaything follows a comedy cabaret performer who is notorious for her on-stage toddler persona. After a condescending live TV interview, she feels forced to take radical action to redeem herself. The tactic? To perform a brand-new character every time she steps on stage. One critical question remains: is it really getting any better for people who identify or are labeled as female in the entertainment industry?

For our Summer Concert, the penultimate concert of the season, we celebrate composers who have been inspired by birds. Kodaly's "Variations on the Peacock" is based on an ancient Hungarian melody which was only re-discovered in 1937. Finish composer, Einojuhani Rautavaara, subtitled his Cantus Arcticus with "Concerto for Birds and Orchestra" and in the composer own words is "somber, stately, mysterious and mostly consonant". Kuolema is a incidental music to a play of the same name written by Arvid Jrnefelt. It has had a complex life as a suite with our first piece "Valse triste" being easily the most performed of the set; however the second "Scene with Cranes", the composer didn't assign an opus number to and wasn't published until 16 years after his death. Our finale is the spectacular tone poem "The Pines of Rome" penned by italian composer Ottorino Respighi. The piece is a spectacular tour around Rome drawing inspiration not just from the pine trees in the title, but also playing children, graveyards, and (of course) birds. We are very excited to be able to put on such a spectacular programme for you and very much look forward to you joining us for it.

Craig Ferguson, the Grammy-nominated, Emmy and Peabody Award-winning star of CBS’ ‘The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson’ and SiriusXM’s ‘The Craig Ferguson Show’, brings the wildly successful Hobo Fabulous to the Gilded Balloon for its European premiere – marking Ferguson’s first UK stand-up show in over 25 years! Featuring 100% all-new material and for one night only at the Edinburgh Playhouse. Don't miss out! Of his return to Edinburgh, Ferguson said 'what the world needs now more than ever is an ageing, unhinged vagrant travelling from place to place ranting nonsense into a microphone!' Ferguson is an acclaimed stand-up comedian who has earned two Grammy nominations for Best Comedy Album, for Craig Ferguson: Just Being Honest and I'm Here to Help. He also received a Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word on behalf of his New York Times bestselling memoir American On Purpose.

On this years Good Friday it only felt right for us to give thanks properly and bang heads with another carefully curated medley of UK music in one of London’s most culturally significant venues still standing in the heart of E&C, Corsica Studios. Ensuring a healthy balance between styles we’re more than excited for what this lineup is going to bring. Presented by Kyso Sound & Percy Mingle This is an 18+ event