A Doll's House: triumphant journey from Denmark to Calcutta

What could a 19th century Norwegian man have to say about the life of a married Bengali woman during the British Raj?

It turns out that playwright Henrik Ibsen's universal themes questioning the traditional roles of men and women provide the opportunity for examining not only gender politics but British colonialism too.

Modern day British-Asian playwright Tanika Gupta's adaptation of Ibsen's 'A Doll's House' is a triumph. Together with the Lyric Theatre's new Artistic Director, Rachel O'Riordan, they re-locate Ibsen's play from a 1879 Norwegian town to Calcutta in the same year, then the capital of the British India.

Ibsen's Nora (wife of Torvald, mother of three, living out the ideal of the 19th-century wife) becomes Niru, a chirpy, husband-pleasing young Bengali wife married to English bureaucrat Tom. The play sees the unravelling of their lives leading Niru to question her situation and her own identity.

The whole cast shines - with Niru played by the dazzling actor Anjana Vasan who has many theatre, television and film credits (from Brexit: The Uncivil War (Channel 4) to Black Mirror (Netflix) and Disney's Cinderella too) and the towering Elliot Cowan as Tom also has a long list of previews credits including the current top BBC hit Peaky Blinders.

The stunning single-scene new setting is the internal courtyard of an Indian town house, complete with tree sprouting up through it's centre. It gave the sense of Niru's claustrophobic and enveloping world, trapped in her own doll's house. It was beautifully lit with the various doors off the courtyard providing useful entry and exit points.

The award-winning multi-instrumentalist composer was Arun Ghosh, who himself hovered above the action on a mezzanine verandah surrounded by the instruments which he delicately played, creating a tense backdrop at apt moments in the psychodrama.

Gupta chose to stick mostly to Ibsen's original script, making only a few alterations for the adaption. It's seems astonishing that in 1879 Ibsen portrayed such scandalous-for-the-time feminist sentiments.

In 2006, the centenary of Ibsen's death, A Doll's House held the distinction of being the world's most performed play that year showing - perhaps sadly, and inevitably - the enduring nature of the play's themes.

The Lyric provide a very useful 'education pack' (pdf) about the play and its adaptation.

A Doll's House, a new adaptation by Tanika Gupta, at the Lyric Theatre, London W6 0QL.

Viceroy's House: film about India-Pakistan 1947 partition

Really looking forward to 'Bend It Like Beckham' director Gurinder Chadha's next film, Viceroy's House, due out next year. It certainly has a cracking cast in Hugh Bonneville, Gillian Anderson, Simon Callow, Om Puri and Huma Qureshi :

Gurinder Chadha's films are always a treat especially to second-gen onwards Brit-Asians such as myself though they certainly have a wider appeal.  I also happen to hail from the director's same West London suburb and from a Sikh-Punjabi background so her material particularly resonates with me and it's always interesting to see what she's homing in on. Every Punjabi family has a partition story - I'm curious to see how she handles hers and how she mediates it within the grammar of film-making and the demands of commercial cinema.

In a more recent interview from this month, this time an event at America's Clark University, we learn that:

"Chadha is currently in the post-production phase of her film, “Viceroy’s House,” which will be released in 2017. The film chronicles the British partition of India and Pakistan, and the intertwining of many cultural perspectives during a controversial time in South Asian history. “I was very clear that this is a film made by a British Punjabi; it’s very much that perspective,” said Chadha. “No Indian could have made it, and no Pakistani could have made it, and no white British could have made it.”

“Viceroy’s House” tells Chadha’s family history. “When I was growing up I had come to understand that partition happened because it was our fault — that we Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims couldn’t get on with each other,” Chadha recalled. “There was violence and the British had no option but to divide the country. … As a result I had somehow felt that the loss of a homeland was a result of my ancestors’ fault.” Chadha said that when archived historical documents eventually became public, she and her family learned the partition was a political act."

Read more from this event here.

New Eltham's Fiddler on the Roof

Musical theatre is not normally my thing. The final straw came a couple of decades ago when I had to walk out of Lloyd Webber’s never-ending show, Time, at the interval – I couldn't stand it anymore.

All that suspension of disbelief, all those excruciating looks on their faces as they emoted around tenuous plots – no. No more. I was done.

It may be surprising to hear this from a Brit-Asian bought up on a diet of Bollywood's musical films. In these films it was an unremarkable and frequent happening for 30, or more, backing singers and dancers to suddenly pop up and accompany the hero and heroine as they burst into song in some verdant scene.

Admittedly, the more excessive fantasy sequences went out with the 80s and 90s (I’m thinking demure Indian woman, with improbably blonde wig, with oversize silver puffball sleeves, swinging on a huge low-slung crescent moon amidst a smoke machine on full power…you get the picture). No, these days one is able to enjoy more ‘realism’ in Bollywood cinema, though it’s all relative of course. I mean, the highly-westernised, elite wealthy, light-skinned lives portrayed in many of today’s Indian blockbusters are a million miles away from the lives of ordinary Indians.

I was amazed then to find myself transfixed by last night’s production of Fiddler On The Roof by New Eltham Community Productions (NECP), a performing arts groups based at the New Eltham Methodist Church in the south-East of London. What had initially been a well-meaning booking to support some local artistic activity has now turned out to be a revelation.

From the Programme

The stunning quality of all the creative talent on show belied the fact that this was an amateur production. The spot-on choreography, the surprise live orchestral music, the period costumes, the track lighting and, of course, the acting, would not be out of place at a central London venue at a ticket four times the price. Instead, we were sitting in a small church community centre in a sleepy suburb (or ‘New Eltham Village’ if you please…)

‘Fiddler’ is of course a well-established musical play and film, a staple for amateur companies – the story of a life in Anatevka, pre-revolutionary Russian Jewish village, focussing on Tevye’, a dairyman and the ‘Papa’ trying to bring his daughters up according to the long-held traditions of the community. Modernity and love get in the way, as ever. The setting may seem obscure but its universal themes, and stonking tunes, have proved highly-appealing. Come to think of it, this IS every Bollywood film!

This NECP production is skilfully directed and choreographed by Hannah Bond.  The large cast challenged with many musical numbers and dances were brilliantly handled. The catchy opening whole-cast number ‘Tradition’ set the tone and was a refrain throughout. Later “If I was a Rich Man” was subtly done without giving into to hamming it up. The key lead Jewish father, Tevye is played brilliantly by Neil Stevens who, by all accounts, grew a beard especially for this part along with other male cast members. He struck just the right note with his combination of serious and comedic acting (“On the one hand…, on the other hand…, on the other hand, there is no hand”). For me, a large part of this production’s success was Neil Stevens’ ability to hold the audience for his solo pieces and to take us so convincingly with him on his journey. The acting was matched by his stage wife, Golde, played magnificently by Rachel King, with both of them excellent singers too.

A real and unexpected treat was the live orchestra and the entrancing 'fiddler' who started off playing in a small balcony above the stage and then descended later to interact with Tevye as he muses on life.

There was poignancy, comedy and romance in the portrayal of this little village but also the intrusion of the darker outside world. We see this Jewish community in Russia subjected to a progrom by anti-Semitic Czarist forces forcing our characters to flee and scatter, many setting off to emigrate to America as refugees, a sadly familiar scenario still with us though with different collection of communities, faiths and countries.

In short, I’d thoroughly recommend this production though it finishes its run tonight! However, I’m so glad to add the discovery of this gem to our list of local Eltham and SE London venues. We shall be looking out for the next NECP production.

See local professional photographer Robert Piwko's fabulous photographs of this production here.

West meets East: from Eltham, England, to Punjab, India

So finally we are taking the children to visit India, the place from which my family hail, and from whence my parents emigrated to the UK in the early 1960s. It was in London that my brother and I were then born and where we have made our own lives.

My husband, however, is not from an Indian background, his family being born and bred south Londoners for generations. All these factors hare inevitably meant that our children's bi-culturality is a bit lop-sided. Despite the best implorings of my mother, my talking in Punjabi regularly to my children in an otherwise English setting just didn't happen. And so, after all these years of only hearing about India and being touched by Indian culture in a peripheral way, our children will finally get to see the place and meet some extended family. My husband has done this once before, 14 years ago, the year we were married when, with the eagerness of a newly-wed he foolishly agreed to meet more of the the in-laws.

I have been to India many times before I was married, though less so in the last couple of decades. Incongruously, my brother and I were even sent back for a few months of boarding school there, near Simla, in our primary school years, while my mother was in the UK. A madness that my mother soon changed her mind about, hence the short time there.

It was really at my mother's encouragement that we have set up this current trip. She still visits India frequently, having siblings and nephews/nieces there, and around 2002 she finally bought her own little house in the Punjabi new town of Chandigarh. Not getting any younger, she was very keen to show our kids 'her manor' and to show them off to family there. She and my brother will be traveling to India a week earlier and will meet us there.

The visit is most significant for me because of our children. It's that strange diasporic phenomena of having perhaps emotionally separated from your heritage country, and even having ambivalent feelings about it, yet despite this so wanting your children to have an attachment to it. An Irish acquaintance tells me that this is exactly his experience when taking his children back to Ireland for the first time. It's a strange crossroads of a time when all sorts of repressed emotions come to the fore, questions of identity and belonging, which perhaps you had not really appreciated before. But also looking back on my younger years and musing that, what may be generational differences within some families, in a diasporic family these also become interwoven with cultural differences between the different generations.

But back to the trip - we'll be visiting the northerly state of Punjab, which borders Pakistan of course, flying in to New Delhi and then basing ourselves in Chandigarh, at my mother's house. More of that later, but let me set the geographical scene...

So here's a map (click on images to enlarge) of the upper half of India, with its capital, New Delhi, in the north. Our time there will only touch the NW area of the vast land that is India, and within the state of Punjab.

This is the territory that our 12 day trip will cover, with the main places of staying/visiting marked out.

We've got this tentative itinerary planned, but this will very much depend on the pace, and the heat, that we and children can cope with once there:

Day 1

Sun: Overnight flight To New Delhi from Heathrow
(we've pushed the boat out and will be flying in Virgin's 'Premium Economy' class - here's the oh-so-important additional 'luxuries' you get, that mean you can look down on Economy, though still look 'up' to Upper Class - a bit like the 1960s sketch with Cleese and the Ronnies...I think a good linen tablecloth is always an essential... We decided that the kids could best cope with the 8-9 hrs flight if they slept overnight, especially as we still have the 5-6 hour drive to Chandigarh ahead once we land. Let's see how that works out...)

Day 2

Mon: Arrive at New Delhi
(to be met by the car which mum will have sent ahead - that should be interesting trying to find the driver in the busy airport...)

Drive, 5-6 hours to Chandigarh
This will be along the (in)famous Grand Trunk Road, one of Asia's oldest roads apparently, and much eulogized in various Punjabi songs - a bit like America''s 'Route 66'. We'll be stopping for lunch at one of the 'dhabas' (or roadside cafes) which Punjab is well-known for. 

Day 3 and 4
Tue and Wed: ​​Chandigarh
And so finally we will get to spend some time at my mother's place in Chandigarh. Known as the 'City Beautiful', Punjabis are very proud of having India's first 'planned city', as famously designed by Swiss-born French architect Le Corbusier. He was commissioned by Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister, to build a city that would replace Lahore, the previous capital of the Punjab lost to newly created Pakistan after partition in 1947.

Day 5

Thurs : the village tour

Leave very early to travel to west Punjab by car (3.5hrs) to my mother's ancestral village home, and the villages of some nearby relatives (area around no. 3, Moga, on the map). My mother has very efficiently pre-informed various relatives about when we will be arriving at each of them and how long we will stay at each. This is to avoid, very wisely, the protracted insistence at each place on extended hospitality involving long elaborate meals. Stay overnight at cousin's house.

Day 6

Friday: travel to Amritsar

Leave after lunch for Amritsar (2.5hrs by car), the most northerly place we'll be visiting and only about 35 mins from the Pakistan border. This is the site, of course, of the so-called 'Golden Temple' or to give it its proper name, 'Sri Harmandir Sahib'. It is the holiest of places for Sikhs to visit, akin to a Sikh Vatican. It was in the UK news this February when archived papers revealed the hitherto unknown involved of the British government in the events of 1984 at the Temple - this was when the Indira Gandhi's government unleashed a violent attack on the Temple, killing many people (575 officially, more unofficially). Amritsar is also the site of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, also known as the Amritsar massacre, in April 1919. That atrocity was depicted at length in Attenborough's Gandhi film.

We hope to visit both these places - one very beautiful, the other very poignant.

Amritsar is an iconic Punjabi city - steppeed in history, narrow cobbled lanes and famous for its food and 'chic/vintage traditional' fashion shopping,  We plan to stay overnight in a nice hotel, hopefully with swimming pool to give the kids some fun. We might also, if time, visit the Waggah border ceremony at dusk - famous for its nightly ritualistic and exaggerated 'closing of the gates' ceremony between the Indian and Pakistan border, as depicted on an episode of Michael Palin: "a masterly display of just how angry you can get without hitting anything!"

Day 7

Sat:

​​Early breakfast at Amritsar hotel, swim, pack, travel back to Chandigarh (4.5hrs)

Day 8, 9, 10

Sun, Mon, Tues: in ​​Chandigarh. On Sunday - celebrating Vaisaiki, the birth of the Sikh religion.

Day 11

Wed: ​Travel To Delhi

​​Check in to hotel, ​​explore Delhi​​ and celebrate daughter’s birthday, maybe at Connaught Place’s TGIF, to give her something familiar.

Day 12

Thurs: Delhi sightseeing

​​Breakfast in Delhi Hotel, b​rowse Chandi Chawk​​ ('moonlight place') an ancient shopping site, visit the 16th century Mogul Red Fort, ​cool off by the pool in the afternoon and ​explore the markets in the evening (hmm..bit ambitious this day)

Day 13

Fri: ​​hotel then fly home

Leave for Delhi airport and flight back home to UK.

And that, my friends, is the plan! Let's see how it works out. We're quite relaxed about changing things where we want to, and go with the flow, but you've got to have an aim, haven't you?

Our trip will have the added interest of a little election going on in India - the election of the 16th Prime Minister of independent India, by over 814 million citizens over six weeks of voting beginning 7 April. The front runner could unfortunately see India having its first non-secular leader, against the spirit of the constitution established by the first PM Nehru. 

Lots more I could write, but another time...so adios, ciao and namaste. We out.

"Hurry with the curry" says Eltham MP Clive Efford

My mother's homemade keema and aubergine and potato

Our local MP, Clive Efford, invites you to nominate your favourite south asian restaurant in Eltham for the 2013 Tiffin Cup. As explained further on his website:

"Clive Efford has launched the search for the best Indian or South Asian restaurant in his constituency.

The Tiffin Cup, now in its eighth year, celebrates the best of South Asian cuisine and offers people an opportunity to celebrate the rich variety of flavours served in restaurants up and down the country.
Members of Parliament are asked to nominate the most popular South Asian restaurant in their constituencies – and Clive is asking for help from local residents.

So if you’re keen on a korma, delight in a dhansak or love a lassi then this is a chance for you to choose your favourite local curry house......

To nominate your favourite South Asian restaurant either email Clive at clive@cliveefford.org.uk or visit www.cliveefford.org.uk/tiffincup. Nominations have to be in by March 28th, so hurry with the curry."

Hmmm..."keen on a korma, delight in a dhansak or love a lassi" Nothing like a bit of alliteration...

It is about time this blog, considering its name and the fact that it is written by a Brit-Asian, tackled the local 'Indian' restaurants (of course many are Bangladeshi, a different country, people). So, who are the candidates in Eltham? Here's my list of Indian restaurants in Eltham:

Food Dhaba Ltd

7 Newmarket Green

Eltham, London, SE9 5ER.  020 8850 3591

Cafe Eltham

377 Well Hall Road

Eltham, London, SE9 6TY.  020 8856 3777
[one of our regulars...]
 

The Cafe Raj

69 Well Hall Road

Eltham, London, SE9 6SZ.   

020 8294 2494   caferaj.co.uk

Eltham Palace Tandoori / Eltham Tandoori Restaurant

52 Eltham High St

Eltham, London, SE9 1BT.   020 8850 6578

Le Spice

220 Eltham High St

Eltham, London, SE9 1BA.   020 8859 4213

Moonlight Tandoori

3 Tudor Parade, London, SE9 6SY.   020 8859 4994
 

Sabaj

97 Westmount Road

Eltham, London, SE9 1XX.   020 8859 3300

Star Of India

267 Eltham High Street

Eltham, London, SE9 1TY.    

020 8850 8022   starofindia.eu

[used to go here years ago]

Yak and Yeti

86 Eltham High St, London SE9 1BW.  

020 8850 2626   yakyeti.co.uk

[one of the newer, more up market additions...]

Have I missed any? Who are your favourites? I'll reveal mine all in good time, before the deadline...

Update on the 'big fat' wedding

Well, it was, of course, a lovely event (my previous post about the wedding we were going to last weekend). I posted these two photos via twitter during the event, trying not to invade anyone's privacy too much (click to enlarge). However, the first dance of the bridal couple (here in the pic above) was a real paparazzi event - not very romantic though the couple only had eyes for each other.

I didn't get any closer to exactly how my family were related to the wedding couple though I did hear some charming and nostalgic stories from my mother about how she remembered various people there when they were toddlers, toddling around the village, being baby-sat by her and her sisters, in the state of Punjab, India. That all seemed so far away, many grim London rented rooms, double factory shifts and sacrifices away. The community now at this opulent wedding were a confident, financially secure, and more relaxed group than those early days of struggle. That felt good.

p.s the aunt and her family with whom my mother had fallen out never showed! So all was good in the wood.

Big, fat* Indian wedding

Yes, we are attending one tomorrow. More specifically, a Sikh Punjabi 'do'. The wedding is of a relative who hails from the Nottingham branch of the family. But don't ask me how we are related - I have no idea. My mother, at whose behest we are attending, launches into great details about the aunt-of, the cousin-of, the niece's husband's sister-in-law, but I am none the wiser! I need a diagram. Trouble is, I lose interest half way through...

We are all ready with our outfits, and will travel over tomorrow to my mother's to the west of London, near hounslow/heathrow. As you can see my outfit is particularly sparkly, yes, it reminds me too of a xmas tree. Unfortunately I didn't have time (or frankly, the inclination) to spend hours searching for something more sophisticated. The children (8 & nearly 10) are excited about going to an 'Indian party'. It's been ironic that I've turned to British descriptions of Indian dancing to explain to my inquisitive daughter how it's done - yes, the old change the light bulb with one hand, and pat the dog with the other, at the same time...(some people really do dance like that, but there are plenty of other moves too).

My mother is very excited to be attending such an event with her whole family, especially with all her grandchildren around her, something which happens increasingly less. But there will be an element of frisson in the mix tonight - in good old family tradition, there has for years been a schism between my mother and her sister which means that that they, and their supporters, don't talk to each other! This will be tricky to negotiate tomorrow night especially because I find it difficult to be (knowingly) rude to people. I shall take the 'third way' I think. There will be lots of showing-off and one-upmanship tomorrow night about who's got the best car, clothes, house, most successful children etc. I won't enter that race (much to my family's annoyance).

Lord knows what my (non-Asian) husband makes of it all - he goes along with it all very sportingly. I guess he married the package...

Aside from all this (!) I'm looking forward to it!

There may be some 'live-tweeting' from the wedding, now that I've got my new smart phone, if I'm not too busy with kids, relatives at war, and busting a few of my own moves...

*bit loathe to use this phrase given the horrible trouble caused by the Channel4 programme recently, but I don't want to lose it altogether because, since the 'Big Fat Greek' wedding days, it has been a really apt and useful phrase to describe a particular type of diasporic event

The Colonial Eye: British Empire images of the Punjab, India - free event

Curious about film footage of life in India during British rule? This is a quick mention of a fab and free event this weekend, of public archive footage of this period in India, especially focusing on Punjab.

In “From the Archives: The Colonial Eye: British Empire images of the Punjab, India 1912 – 1947” artist Tajender Sagoo “has curated a series of short films produced during the British rule of India with a focus on the Punjab. The screening will bring together public information and travelogue films found in British public archives and rarely seen on the big screen.

The public information films selected are examples of state propaganda used to form public opinion, a practise still prevalent today in regions such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, even in this era of digital media. The travelogues selected are personal observations of places and people. Screened together they form a visual essay of Punjab as written by its rulers and administrators.“

The screening is going to be followed by a panel discussion with “four specialists on South Asian film, popular culture and history discussing what the films can tell modern day viewers and taking questions from the audience.”
 
Given my own family’s Punjabi background, it would be interesting to know more about how the Raj viewed the Punjab during my grandparents' time. Even for a south Londonist, this sounds well worth crossing the river for.

This event takes place Sunday 19 February at 14.00 at the Pheonix Cinema, 52 High Road, East Finchley N2 9PJ. It's free but booking is essential (Box Office 020 8444 6789)

Eltham and SE London Events for October 2011

Sun 2 Oct 2011
Italian Market, Passey Place, Eltham
Experience the sights, sounds & aromas of Italy & sample Continental produce when Italian traders visit Passey Place, Eltham.10am-4pm

2 October 2011–25 February 2012

Traders Unpacked Season
A new gallery at the National Maritime Museum explores the history and continuing relevance of Britain’s trade with Asia, looking at this compelling story through the lens of the East India Company. Traders: the East India Company and Asia examines the commodities that the Company traded, the people that shaped its tumultuous career and the conflicts and rebellions that were its ultimate undoing. Check out the fantastic range of events going on http://www.nmm.ac.uk/visit/exhibitions/traders/traders-unpacked/
at National Maritime Museum, Romney Road, Greenwich, London SE10 9NF


4 October 2011
Museum Gallery Tour, Hall Place and Gardens, Bexley
2.30pm.
Join the Bexley Heritage Trust curatorial team for a tour that explores the new Museum galleries at Hall Place. You can ask questions and find out what it takes to look after Museum objects. Charges apply. Tickets must be booked in advance on 01322 621 238.   


Sat 8 October 2011
10.30am to 4.30pm at Eltham United Reformed Church
Annual Meccano Model Show in Eltham by the South East London Meccano Club.
A great day out for all the family. The hall will be packed with working Meccano models - trains, planes, cranes and more. There will be a raffle with Meccano prizes. You can buy Meccano sets and parts from the Meccano dealer. Refreshments available all day.
Meccano Show 2011 website


Sat 8 October 2011

The Big Draw Face Station website

12noon to 4pm at The Painted Hall, Old Royal Naval College

Experiment with ways to create faces surrounded by James Thornhill’s wonderful portraits in the Painted Hall. Led by freelance artist Caroline Dorset. Free event.

Old Royal Naval College, King William Walk, London SE10 9LW

The Painted Hall, Old Royal Naval College, location map

Tel: 020 8169 4799 or boxoffice@ornc.org

Sun 9 October 2011
London Regatta 2011
10am to mid-afternoon, subject to weather conditions.
London's largest sailing event of the year at Greenwich Yacht Club.
The annual test closure of the Thames Barrier will create non-tidal conditions on the up-river side towards London. This temporary removal of the effects of the tide provides a rare occasion for dinghy sailors to compete in open water without needing qualifications or tidal water experience. Over 60 boats of various types representing sailing clubs across the capital will take part. The first race will start at 10am on four courses marked out between the Thames Barrier and the O2 Arena. Presentation of awards is expected to take place mid-afternoon. Directions foir spectators can be found at www.greenwichyachtclub.co.uk/directions. Public entry to Greenwich Yacht Club on the day is free.   Greenwich Yacht Club, Peartree Way, London SE10 0BW
More details can be found at www.greenwichyachtclub.co.uk


Sun 9 October 2011

Bird watching with the Friends of Greenwich Park

8am at Greenwich Park, Blackheath Gate entrance

Join the Friends of Greenwich Park on a guided walk to explore the park's birdlife. Bring binoculars and meet at Blackheath Gate. Free.  Bird Walk website

at Greenwich Park, London SE10 9NF

Greenwich Park, Blackheath Gate entrance location map
Tel 020 8858 2608


Throughout October
Black History Month -see Lewisham and Greenwich websites
various events including:

1.  Deacons For Defense
at Goldsmiths University of London Lewisham
Screening of a film which explores a little known but true aspect of the American civil rights movement. Starring Forest Whittaker and Ossie Davis.
(conflicting date information around - check with Goldsmiths Student Union)

2.  Alex Wheatle: Uprising
The Albany Centre and Theatre
11 Oct to 14 Oct, 7.30pm
Marking the 30th anniversary of the Brixton riots, award-winning author Alex Wheatle presents his autobiographical story of how he became a writer.



Thursday 13 Oct to 15 Oct 2011
Table Manners
Alan Ayckbourn's play by the Priory Players
8pm.  Progress Hall, Admiral Seymour Road
Tickets £7 (£6 conc)
Contact 07502 450 983


Fridays 14 October, 28 October, 25 November
Friday Night Curry and a Pint
19.30–21.30, £25
Discover the origins of the ‘Great British curry’, the story behind India Pale Ale and how the East India Company changed the eating and drinking habits of a nation. An evening of masala, manuscripts and migrations that is guaranteed to stimulate the imagination and the taste buds. Speaking on this series of unique learning and dining events, will be historian Rozina Visram, Shrabani Basu, author of Curry: The Story of the Nation’s Favourite Dish and the beer writer and convivial raconteur, Peter Haydon. Ticket price includes a delicious Indian meal and a pint of India Pale Ale.



16 Oct 2011
Passey Place Farmers' Market     
Support the farmers' market in Passey Place
The market is held on the third Sunday of each month between 10 am and 3 pm


starting Wed 19 October, for various dates
Hair
Bob Hope Theatre, Wythfield Road, Eltham
The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical HAIR tells the story of the "tribe", a group of politically active, long-haired hippies of the "Age of Aquarius" living a bohemian life in New York City and fighting against conscription into the Vietnam War. Let the Sunshine in !!!!  7:30pm
Contact Details: www.bobhopetheatre.co.uk or 020 8850 3702 or http://www.eldoradomusicalproductions.co.uk/


Wednesday 19 October 2011
7.30pm
The Mayor of Lewisham is hosting a curry evening at the award-winning Babur restaurant, 119 Brockley Rise, Honor Oak, SE23 1JP. Tickets cost £25 per person and includes a superb three-course meal as well as a donation to the Lavender Trust at Breast Cancer Care. This is a popular annual event so booking is essential. To make your reservation contact Derek Johnson on 020 8314 8636.


Sunday 23 October
Apple Day, 11am-4pm, FREE ENTRY.
Woodlands Farm, Shooters Hill
All are welcome at the Woodlands Farm Trust Apple Day. Come and celebrate National Apple Day with a variety of activities, including crafts, a treasure hunt, archery, face-painting, and pressing apples to make juice. There will be stalls selling local produce, including farm honey and home-made jams and cakes. A great day out for all the family. Entry is free, but donations are welcome – all money raised helps us to care for our animals.


Tues 25-Fri 28 October
Education Activities for Half Term
Woodlands Farm, Shooters Hill
See their website: Woodlands Farm


25 - 29 October
The Circus is Coming to Town, Ruxley Manor Garden Centre, Sidcup
See the spectacular John Lawson Circus Company with fantastic acts such as acrobatics, Wild West knife throwers, trapeze artists, and comic chaos from clowns Kakehole and Popol. For show times or to book go to www.ruxley-manor.co.uk


Sat 29 Oct 11
Comedy Night at The Pavilion
‘Comedy on the Common’, The Pavilion on Plumstead Common, London SE18 1QG
Doors open: 7pm. Show time: 8:15pm.
£8 on the door or book online
Licensed bar. Comedians include:
Marian Pashley, Juliet Stephens, Danny Ward. MC - Frank Casdy
Click here for location details.