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Performing in a West End play late into the evening is inclined to make actors a bit peckish.
So Sigourney Weaver must have been thrilled to find there was an award-winning chef right by the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, where she’s starring in The Tempest.
Unfortunately, even though the food at Jamie Oliver’s Catherine St restaurant, which is in the same building, may be delicious, it can give off some rather overpowering smells.
So much so, in fact, that Ms Weaver and the cast are said to be somewhat fed up.
A backstage source tells me: ‘Recently it has become increasingly pungent. We are sick of it.’
The theatre is said to have received complaints about the pong. Audience member Dan Barker said: ‘Oddly, the theatre stank of roast pork, almost to a hallucinogenic degree.’
When Oliver, 49, opened the restaurant in November 2023 it earned rave reviews. Sadly, the same cannot be said for The Tempest, in which Alien star Ms Weaver, 75, plays Prospero.
Critics have panned her sci-fi re-imagining of Shakespeare’s play, with Time Out magazine saying: ‘She’s not a good verse speaker, delivering everything in a concerned-mom monotone. Having her on stage constantly... feels like a sop to her celebrity that isn’t borne out by her ability.’
Sigourney Weaver and her fellow cast on The Tempest are said to be fed up of pungents smells coming from Jamie Oliver's nearby restaurant
Pictured: Oliver's Catherine Street restaurant next to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
The theatre is said to have received complaints about the pong of 'roast pork' from Oliver's restaurant
Her version marks the first time Shakespeare has been performed at the theatre since Sir John Gielgud played Prospero in 1958.
Owner Andrew Lloyd Webber said that at the last performance, Sir John ‘broke Prospero’s staff’ and vowed that ‘Shakespeare would never again be performed at the Theatre Royal’. Lord Lloyd-Webber said he was ‘determined to prove him wrong’.
Jamie Oliver was contacted for comment.
Gav's tidy sum from personalised videos
The stars of Gavin & Stacey are enjoying a financial boost following the comedy’s final episode on Christmas Day.
Cast members including Mathew Horne, with co-star Joanna Page, and Steffan Rhodri have raked in thousands by recording personalised videos for fans on the Cameo website.
Since joining, Mathew, who plays Gavin, has made £7,000, and Steffan, aka Dave Coaches, has netted almost £30,000. Tidy.
Mathew Horne and Joanna Page in Gavin & Stacey. The show's cast members have raked in a tiny sum from personalised videos for fans
Anna gets 007 call
Anna Sawai, who won a Golden Globe last weekend for her role in the hit TV series Shogun, is being eyed as the next Bond actress.
The 32-year-old Japanese star has secretly been contacted by executives at Eon Productions to audition for the next 007 film.
A Hollywood source says: ‘The casting process is secretly under way, and Anna is mesmerising in Shogun. It’s captured the attention of producers.’
Japanese actress Anna Sawai has been contacted by executives at Eon Productions to audition the next James Bond film
Crunch time for Marisa
She was nominated for EE Bafta’s Rising Star award last week, but before making a name for herself in the BBC’s high-octane finance drama Industry, Marisa Abela would take any role to pay the rent – including filling her face with biscuits.
‘I did a self-tape during Covid for an Italian biscuit company. I basically sat at home and filmed myself eating ten of then,’ says Marisa.
Marisa Abela attending the BAFTA EE Rising Star Award 2025 nominations announcement at The Savoy Hotel in London
A hair-razing price to shave like a king
It's easy to see how the King makes £27 million a year from the Duchy of Lancaster at prices like this!
The monarch is selling a grooming gift set – a toiletry bag containing four lotions and potions for a man’s shaving routine – for just a whisker shy of £400.
According to its blurb, the £395 kit, created with high-end Mayfair barbers Truefitt & Hill, ‘evokes the charm of Highgrove Gardens’.
The King's Highgrove luxury grooming gift set includes a toiletry bag containing four lotions and potions and is priced at £395
Shirley gets her party started
Happy birthday to Dame Shirley Bassey, who turned 88 last week.
The only singer to perform more than one Bond theme song shared a photo of herself digging into an elaborate birthday cake with the message: ‘I would like to thank all the fans who sent me birthday wishes! Here I am at my birthday dinner with friends. Love and best wishes back to you all.’
Somebody must have been a big spender!
Dame Shirley Bassey cutting into an elaborate cake after turning 88 last week
The current owners of Ghislaine Maxwell’s former London mews house – where the notorious photo of Prince Andrew and Virginia Roberts Giuffre was taken – are set to almost double their money.
They bought the Mayfair pad for £1.75 million in 2021 and have now put it back on the market for £3.25 million.
Unsurprisingly, Maxwell’s links to the property are not mentioned in marketing material for potential buyers.
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