Julias Gown, Madness Returns, Caroling: London Weekend
Kylie Minogue joins with Jason Donovan to get Londons Christmas party started at the O2 tomorrow.
The Australian stars lead Hit Factory Live, a celebration of the music produced by Pete Waterman. Heartthrobs Steps, Bananarama, Rick Astley and Dead or Alive also feature. (The event had been due to take place in Hyde Park in July, then got canceled as heavy rain turned the site into a mud bath.)
Madness takes over the O2 on Saturday. Expect large doses of cheeky-chappie Cockney humor and hits such as Our House, Driving in My Car and It Must Be Love. The Camden nutty boys will also perform songs from their new studio album Oui Oui Si Si Ja Ja Da Da, released after their Jubilee and Olympics concerts.
O2, Peninsula Sq., SE10 0DX. Information: +44-20-8463-2000 or http://www.theo2.co.uk, http://blog.madness.co.uk/
Saturday
Remember the ivory-and-black gown that Julia Roberts wore to pick up her Oscar in 2001?
Its hanging on a mannequin in Valentino: Master of Couture, a handsome tribute to the Roman maestro held insid! e the grand riverside quarters of Somerset House.
Dont go expecting red gowns all over the place: A dizzying variety of cuts and colors are worn by mannequins parked on a high steel catwalk. Theres the dress that Jackie Kennedy wore to wed Aristotle Onassis, and the black crepe number that actress Monica Vitti pouted in for the 1961 La Notte (directed by Michelangelo Antonioni). It looks as if it was sewn yesterday.
Downstairs are vitrines crammed with adoring messages from Kennedy and Donatella Versace (You are and always will be numero uno, she gushes in handwritten Italian.) Theres also a 1991 apology note from Meryl Streep, who says shell miss Valentinos 30th-anniversary bash because we are expecting a baby that very weekend.
Who said fashion exhibitions were dull?
Valentino: Master of Couture is at Somerset house through March 3, 2013. Information: http://www.somersethouse.org.uk.
Delaunay is an elegant European restaurant and cafe a short walk from Somerset House. Its owned by the same people as the Wolseley and attracts a similar celebrity crowd. Information: http://www.thedelaunay.com/ or +44-20-7499-8558.
Saturday Night
Another Opnin, Another Show, Why Cant You Behave?, Always True to You in My Fashion, Brush Up Your Shakespeare. The hits just keep on coming in Cole Porters Kiss Me, Kate, which is enjoying a suitably festive revival by director Trevor Nunn at the Old Vic.
Hannah Waddingham seduces everyone in sight with her So in Love number as leading lady Lilli Vanessi. Too Darned Hot starts the second half with choreographer Stephen Mear letting the entire cast run riot over the stage.
The Old Vic, 103 The Cut, London, SE1 8NB. Information: http://www.cft.org.uk/ and http://www.oldvictheatre.com or +44-844-871-7628.
Sunday
A full weekend of carol concerts and singalongs is lined up at the Royal Albert Hall so you can celebrate Christs birth in music.
On Sunday evening at 8 p.m. (and Saturday evening at the same time), the circular building will be candlelit for carols and a performance of Handel, Mozart, and Vivaldi by the Mozart Festival Chorus and Orchestra -- in full 18th-century costume. The concert is repeated Monday at 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Royal Albert Hall, Kensingt! on Gore, SW7 2AP. Information: +44-845-401-5045; http://www.royalalberthall.com.
Haandi is an East African-owned Indian restaurant serving first-class food. Its a 10-minute walk from the Albert Hall and has stood the test of time against competing establishments on the Brompton Road. Information: +44-20-7823-7373 or http://www.haandi-restaurants.com.
(Farah Nayeri and Mark Beech write for Muse, the arts and leisure section of Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are their own.)
Muse highlights include Jason Harper on cars, Rich Jarosolvsky on tech and Jeremy Gerard on New York theater.
To contact the writers on this story: Farah Nayeri in London at farahn@bloomberg.net and Mark Beech in London at mbeech@bloomberg.net or http://twitter.com/home/Mark_Beech.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Manuela Hoelterhoff at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net.
U.K. ska-punk band Madness, now going for 36 years, has announced shows at London's O2 and the Midem Festival in Cannes. The group released a new album and performed at the London Olympics and Jubilee concerts in 2012. Source: Midem via Bloomberg
Valentino Garavani
Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images/Somerset House via Bloomberg
Fashion designer Valentino Garavani at his "Master of Couture' exhibition at Somerset House. The exhibition runs until March 3, 2013.
Fashion designer Valentino Garavani at his "Master of Couture' ! exhibitio! n at Somerset House. The exhibition runs until March 3, 2013. Photographer: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images/Somerset House via Bloomberg
'Valentino: Master of Couture'
Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images/Somerset House via Bloomberg
A 1968 wedding dress belonging to Jackie Onassis, left, in a catwalk display at the "Valentino: Master of Couture" exhibition at Somerset House in London. The show, featuring over 130 hand crafted designs worn by Hollywood icons and Royalty, runs until March 3, 2013.
A 1968 wedding dress belonging to Jackie Onassis, left, in a catwalk display at the "Valentino: Master of Couture" exhibition at Somerset House in London. The show, featuring over 130 hand crafted designs worn by Hollywood icons and Royalty, runs until March 3, 2013. Photographer: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images/Somerset House via Bloomberg
A 1992 black velvet evening gown worn by Julia Roberts on her 2011 Oscar night for "Erin Brockovich." It is a feature at the "Valentino: Master of Couture" exhibition at Somerset House. Photographer: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images/Somerset House via Bloomberg
Hannah Waddingham (Lilli Vanessi) and Alex Bourne (Fred Graham) in "Kiss Me, Kate'' at the Old Vic Theatre in London. Trevor Nunn's production transfers from the Chichester Festival to London. Photographer: Catherine Ashmore/Jo Allan PR via Bloomberg
'Kiss Me, Kate'
Catherine Ashmore/Jo Allan PR via Bloombe
Jason Pennycooke, as Paul, and company in "Kiss Me, Kate" at the Old Vic Theatre in London. The story switches between the onstage production of a musical and problems between the cast backstage.
Jason Pennycooke, as Paul, and company in "Kiss Me, Kate" at the Old Vic Theatre in London. The story switches between the onstage production of a musical and problems between the cast backstage. Photographer: Catherine Ashmore/Jo Allan PR via Bloombe