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The Dog in the Night hits the Apollo

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Mark Haddon’s debut publication, ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time,’ has become one of the most celebrated mystery novels since its’ release in 2003, winning multiple awards including the Whitbread Book of the Year Award and the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize for Best First Book. This March, it is coming to life on the Apollo Theatre stage.

The story is that of a fifteen year old boy called Christopher who is stood beside Mr Shear’s dead dog. The dog appears to have been speared by a garden fork. The time is seven minutes past midnight and Christopher is under suspicion.

Christopher Boone is a bright teenager, whose symptoms and behaviour suggest a mild form of autism; however his extraordinary brain and exceptional maths skill will equip him to solve and interpret the mystery of who killed Mr Wellington. Christopher has never ventured alone beyond the end of his road, hates being touched and distrusts all strangers. Yet with his detective work, his investigation unravels the unexpected discovery of his family’s real history, something that his father was determined to keep concealed.

Upon its’ release a decade ago, Haddon’s novel was an immediate success, earning critical acclaim from international media such as the New York Times, and noted authors including Ian McEwan.

To date, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time has been published in more than 35 countries and is an international bestseller. In the UK, it has sold more than 2.6 million copies, making it the 3rd best-selling book of the past decade.

Olivier Award-winning playwright Simon Stephens has adapted Mark Haddon’s novel for the stage and Marianne Elliot, who has worked with the National Theatre since 2005, will be directing the production.

This engaging and highly acclaimed production will run from the 1st March to 31st August at the historic Apollo Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue.

After shadowing Christopher through his strange and mysterious journey, why not enjoy a wonderful night in one of our exclusive suites, which currently have an amazing 50% off the usual price?

 

The Year Of The Snake Celebrations

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Kung Hei Fat Choi stands for Happy New Year in Chinese, every year hundreds of thousands of people descend into London’s West End to wish each other a Happy Chinese New Year. London’s celebrations are renowned for being the largest outside of Asia, offering people a taste of Chinese culture including a gravity defying lion dance, fireworks, Chinese nourishment, and an array of professional performances. The UK will commemorate the Year of the Snake, which focusses on action, change, innovation and achievement.

After a New Year’s parade, around the West End the celebration will officially start with a traditional Eye dotting ceremony, which will take place midday in Trafalgar Square. Dignitaries will include the Chinese Ambassador to the UK Liu Xiao Ming and the Deputy Mayor for Education and Culture Munira Mirza. A spectacular firecracker display will signify the start of the Chinese celebrations with music, dance and acrobatics.

Chinatown will be the centre of the New Year party, area will be overflowing with crowds but there will be lots of activity including food and craft stalls that will line the streets and also a lion dance which will meander through the public, stopping at restaurants and stores with the will to wish them a good luck for the year.

For the Chinese communities in London and across the world, the Chinese New Year is a huge but very important festival for their culture. The festival is based on the lunar and solar calendars and each year the Chinese calendar is represented by one of the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac.

On 10th of February at 10am the parade will begin in Trafalgar Square and the colourful floats and beating of the drums can be followed through Chinatown ending in Rupert Street at 11am. At 12pm on the main stage in Trafalgar Square the Ambassador and the Deputy Mayor will commence the Dotting of the Eye ceremony. Between 1pm and 5:30pm live performances from Hong-Kong singer-songwriter Emmy The Great and a breath-taking performance by the famous Chen Brothers will entertain the crowds. Paul Potts and performers from the Guangdong and Sichuan Provinces will also be a part of the line-up for live entertainment. Finally at 5:55pm a dazzling firework display will signify the end of the day’s celebrations.

Whatever time you come, whatever you buy, you can be assured that you will be entertained by the festivities, but after a packed schedule of activities why not properly wind down with one of Dukes’ world-famous Martinis over in our stunning Bar.

Below you can see the highlights of last year’s event.

Legendary Les Misérables still lighting up our stages in London.

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Cameron Mackintosh’s legendary production of Boubil and SchÖnberg’s Les Miserables is now a world-wide phenomenon. Les Misérables has been seen by more than 60 million people in 42 countries and in 21 languages around the world, in recent news it is still breaking box office records.

Set against the backdrop of 19th century France, Les Misérables tells a captivating story about broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption. The essence of the story is of a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit. The story focusses on an ex-convict called Jean Valjean, who has been hunted for decades by the ruthless policeman Javert after he breaks parole. When Valjean agrees to care for factory worker Fantine’s young daughter, Cosette, their lives change forever.

When Les Misérables transferred to The Palace Theatre, where it ran for 18 years and then continued its triumphant run at The Queen’s Theatre, the production has gained intimacy, power and still receives standing ovations after every performance. In nearly 10 years, more than 145,000 students in over 2,900 productions worldwide have interpreted Les Misérables in their own style.

When Susan Boyle sang the song ‘ I Dreamed a Dream’ on the popular television show Britain’s Got Talent, almost overnight it became the world’s most popular song with over 200 million YouTube hits. The connection with this song, as well as worldwide exposure meant that Les Misérables is hit all over again.

Les Misérables is a sung-through musical play based on the novel Les Misérables by the French Poet and playwright Victor Hugo, the musical is proving more successful than ever, it has already opened in USA and Spain and is planning to open in South Africa, Japan, and Australia.

The running time of Les Misérables is approximately 2hrs and 50mins with ticket prices ranging from £20:00 to £67:50. This enthralling musical will be running until 26th October at The Queens Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue.

After taking in this charismatic performance, why not head over to Dukes Bar to complete the night with one of our world famous martinis created by the legendary Alessandro Palazzi.