Fashion On The Ration - Imperial War Museum

A BRIDESMAID’S dress made from parachute material, a bracelet made from aircraft components, and a bra and knickers set made from RAF silk maps for Countess Mountbatten.

These are just a few of the 300 items on show in a major new exhibition exploring how fashion survived and even flourished during the Second World War.

Fashion On The Ration at the Imperial War Museum looks at how people found new ways to dress as austerity measures and rationing of clothes took hold during the Second World War.

It shows the amazing adaptability and ingenuity people had in adopting more casual styles and by renovating, recycling and creating their own clothes – and how the “make do and mend” mantra was born.

The Lambeth Road museum has brought together clothing, accessories, photographs and film, official documents and publications, artworks, wartime letters, interviews and ephemera, some of which have never been on display before.

The exhibition has been divided into six sections and focuses on what people wore, their sense of identity and how they coped with the demands and deprivations of wartime restrictions and shortages.

Among them is Functional Fashion. This explores how the demands of wartime life changed the way people dressed at work and at home, inspiring retailers to sell innovative and stylish products, such as gas-mask handbags, blackout buttons and siren suits, all of which will be on display.

Rationing And Make do and Mend looks at why clothes rationing was introduced in 1941, how the scheme worked and how it changed people's shopping habits.

With limited options for buying new clothes, people were encouraged to be creative and make them last longer by mending, altering, knitting and creating new clothes out of old material.

Beauty As Duty examines the lengths to which many women went to maintain their personal appearance – and the pressure they felt to do so.

On display will be adverts promoting war themed make-up such as Tangee’s lipstick for ‘lips in uniform’. Cosmetics and clothing often had a patriotic edge to them as shown in a colourful display of scarves by Mayfair fashion house Jacqmar, with wartime slogans such as Switch That Light Off. By wearing these items women were able to overtly demonstrate they were doing their bit for the war effort.

Fashion On The Ration is on at the Imperial War Museum until August. Tickets cost £10 for adults and £5 for children aged 15 and under. Visit www.iwm.org.uk or call the box office on 020 7416.

Rules For Living - review

FOUR STARS

EVER wondered how people cope with life and all it throws at them? A new play by Sam Holcroft gives us a chance to find out.

Rules For Living, brilliantly directed by Marianne Elliott and now on at the National Theatre's Dorfman stage gives the audience a glimpse of the coping mechanisms adopted by what increasingly becomes clear is a dysfunctional family.

The come together for Christmas - a ritual which has to be adhered to and which comes with a set of rules that you just know will make things fall apart and ensure there are tears before bedtime.

These rules have been established by the head of the family, Edith (Deborah Findlay) who organises the event with military precision - nothing is left to chance.

Into the fray come her two sons - Adam (Stephen Mangan) who really wanted to play cricket professionally but because he "choked" in a game is now a second rate lawyer and Matthew (Miles Jupp) a high flying solicitor who really wanted to be on the stage.

With them come their partners - the neurotic Sheena (Claudie Blakley) who is likes a drink and Carrie, (Maggie Service) an actress who tells cringingly bad jokes.

Through the increasingly fraught situation in which they find themselves they subconsciously reach for their own coping mechanisms which are flashed up as rules on an overhead scoreboard situated at either end of the stage, and given points.

As the tensions within the group are ramped up the rules get more extreme and the comedy more excruciatingly awful.

By the time we get to the second half it is obvious that the cork keeping the pressure at bay is going to pop in spectacular fashion.

It does so with the appearance of Adam and Matthew's father Francis (John Rogan) who is confined to a wheelchair after suffering a post-op stroke. With a twinkle in his eye it becomes clear he's had a fruity life and is the cause of most if not all of the trouble.

In predictable style it descends into farce and chaos with the most fantastic food fight.

With a fabulously witty script, terrific acting, staging and direction, there is much to recommend.

Rules For Living is on at the Dorfman, National Theatre until July 8. Tickets from £15. Visit www.nationaltheatre.org.uk or call the box office on 020 7452 3000  

Alice's Adventures Underground

IT is one of the most enduring and magical stories, Alice and her adventures with the White Rabbit, Queen of Hearts and the Mad Hatter.

Now in the 150th anniversary year of Lewis Carroll’s acclaimed tale Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, fans will be able to quite literally follow Alice down the rabbit hole and go deep underground to become part of her Wonderland adventure thanks to two shows - Alice’s Adventures Underground and Adventures In Wonderland.

Three years in the planning, the two - an adult and a child version - promise to bring this fabulous story to life on a grand scale, blending storytelling, live music, circus, installations and spectacle along with a collection of fantastical puppets in imersive promenade performances.

With a cast of more than 30 both will feature 33 rooms, a tea table of gigantic proportions, an original soundtrack, a rabbit hole, a hazy Caterpillar lair, Cheshire cats, a mysteriously absent Alice, plenty of tea and of course a truly terrifying Queen of Hearts.

And that’s not all, to complement the shows, there will be a series of Wonderland Sessions to celebrate the long-lasting legacy of the story which will include readings, discussions and live music.

This enormous undertaking has been created by critically acclaimed theatre company Les Enfants Terribles.

They have enlisted what director James Seager calls a “crack team” of writers, performers, musicians and puppeteers to bring Alice’s fans right to the heart of Wonderland.

It is being staged in the vast, cavernous and labyrinthine tunnels under Waterloo Station known as the Vaults which James says has been totally transformed.

Tickets have been selling like hot tarts, so much so that both shows have now been extended from their original six week run to the end of August, and James is delighted.

“It’s quite incredible,” he laughs. “I am bowled over and really excited though it’s also completely terrifying because it’s such an epic undertaking.

“There are so many people involved. It’s certainly the biggest thing we have ever done. It’s hugely technical and the level of complexity is incredible and has been very challenging but it’s been an amazing privilege to do it."

For James it was the continuing appeal of the story that inspired him to create the shows.

“It’s a milestone in British literature, an amazing piece of work, and there is a huge and enduring love and fascination for the story," he says.

"It has some fantastic characters and it is set in a magical, crazy and totally nonsensical world which is both dangerous and exciting but a place we all want to go to.

“Of course it is also wonderfully written and it gives the reader a chance to use their imagination.

"Over the years it has been interpreted in various different ways,” he adds. "I wanted to do something a bit different to celebrate the 150th anniversary, but remain faithful to the essence of the story - I'm not sure anyone has done anything like this or on this scale before!

"I liked the idea of setting it underground as it fits the story so when the Vaults came up it was the obvious choice.

“These tunnels are amazing and they really take your breath away," he adds. "The entire space is about the size of two football pitches and we have taken over all of it.

"I love the fact that from the outside you'd never know it was there - the full splendour of it is revealed as you go through the doors."

To bring Wonderland to life the team has built areas and rooms within the tunnels through which the audience will travel as they see the story unfold in front of and around them.

They will be divided into groups and go in different directions and every 15 minutes a new group will begin their adventure.

“I don't want to give too much away but will be quite disorientating experience,” says James. “We have created lots of different rooms that people will visit as the story is told to them by the actors.

"It will be a question of ‘where am I?’ as they go through all the different rooms and tunnels. Each space will be different to the last and visually will look amazing - for example in one of the rooms every wall is a door.

"It's very complicated and challenging because the audience gets split up and they go off in different directions and the actors need to be in certain places at specific times. But it makes it exciting.”

At the end of the show they will find themselves in the Queen's Gardens and will be encouraged to stay on, have a drink in the bar or enjoy the live music that will play after the evening shows.

It has been a real labour of love for the team knitting all the elements together and James admits when he first came up with the idea he had no idea it would turn into such an undertaking.

"We've been planning this for so long but as we began creating it we realised the potential and opportunity for developing it in different ways," he says.

"That's why we have a show for those over the age of about 12 and one for younger audiences. The younger ones are the next generation of theatre-goers and we felt it was important to make something for them too.

"There are also the add ons of live music, food and drink in the maze, flamingo croquet and sessions where people can come along and explore the story further.

"It's definitely made our lives harder but in its 150th year we thought we should do something special and exciting - so I hope audiences will enjoy being immersed in this amazing Wonderland."

Alice’s Adventures Underground and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland will take place at The Vaults, Leake Street until August 31.

Visit www.alice-underground.com/ or call the box office on 0871 230 1557 for full listings.

INTERVIEW - Bubbleman

DID you know that there was such a person as a Bubbleologist? Well there is, and his name is Louis Pearl.

The American, a former toy inventor and seller, has been delighting family audiences around the world with his unique bubble shows for 30 years.

And South Londoners will get a chance to see him when he brings his entertaining mix of bubbles, tricks, comedy and science to the Udderbelly Festival this month.

"I can't wait," he enthuses as we chat ahead of the show. "What could be more fun for a kid than seeing bubbles being made in the belly of an inflatable purple cow?

"It's absolutely the best place to do this show and my favourite venue in the UK. There are 400 seats so I can see everyone and they can see me. It's also has the best atmosphere."

It turns out atmosphere is all important if the bubbles are to be their best.

"It's impossible to do a show and create bubbles if there is air conditioning on," says Louis. "The Udderbelly venue is perfect as the air temperature is just right and there is no breeze.

"One of the most important ingredients is humidity as bubbles work best if there is humidity."

So how do you get the perfect bubble?

"The solution is key,” he says. “I prefer to use Fairy Liquid – about 16 parts water to one part Fairy.

"To make the bubbles stay moist and to stop them drying out, I also recommend adding some glycerine.

“But to get the super big bubbles and to get the solution to stretch, you need to add gums such as guar or zanthan gum. Polymers are the secret ingredient.

“It’s all about experimenting though and when I first started out that was what I was doing. In fact my kitchen still looks like a chemistry lab as I still experiment.

“But it’s a lot of fun," he adds chuckling. “I have the best job! I get to go all around the world, play with bubbles and make people laugh. What could be better?”

The show will explore the breath-taking dynamics of bubbles, combine comedy and artistry with audience participation and enough spellbinding bubble tricks to keep everyone mesmerised.

It will also feature live music performed and created by his wife which changes from show to show, depending on how the bubbles change shape and evolve.

It is also completely improvised and not at all scripted so Louis says he never knows what might happen. What he does promise though is that it will be lots of fun.

"As you might expect it’s very playful so I get kids out of the audience to help me," he says.

"We mix the solution, add colour and do all sorts of cool things such as adding stage fog which I love because you can do some amazing tricks and effects with it.

"I also love using helium and lasers to create lots of different effects.

"Some of the bubbles have amazing colours within them, some are huge - the biggest I’ve done is about 70ft in diameter - and some you can put people or other things in.

“I do spinning bubbles, flying saucers and bubbles within bubbles, it's fantastic and fascinating – to see the look of wonder on the audiences’ faces is the best bit though.”

As well as the demonstration Louis also describes what he’s doing and how he’s creating the effects.

“It is a bit like a science lesson,” he admits. “But it’s one of the best science lessons you will ever sit through.

“I do talk a bit. Sometimes I tell the audience how I started, but mainly I let the bubbles do the talking.

“It’s more about the spectacle and creating one amazing bubble after another – it’s brilliant!”

Louis Pearl's The Amazing Bubbleman is on at the Udderbelly Festival between April 15 and 19. Visit www.udderbelly.co.uk for tickets and show times.

Interview - Natalie Abrahami, director of Ah Wilderness! at the Young Vic

IT has been quite a year for Natalie Abrahami. Not only has she directed award-winning actress Juliet Stevenson in the critically acclaimed and sell-out production Happy Days at the Young Vic, she has also been awarded the Waterloo-based theatre's Genesis Fellowship.

The two year grant is part of the Young Vic’s commitment to nurture and support new talent by giving them opportunities to learn their trade on the job.

Set up in 2010 it enables the recipient to work closely with artistic director David Lan and contribute to the company's directors programme as well as direct their own show at the theatre.

Natalie is the third recipient of the award, following in the footsteps of Jo Hill-Gibbins and Carrie Cracknell.

We chat as she is putting the finishing touches to her production of Ah, Wilderness! by American playwright, Eugene O’Neill which opens tonight for a six week run.

A rarely performed piece, it was given its debut in 1933 and is seen as a prelude to O'Neill's A Long Day’s Journey into Night.

It is a warm-hearted account of family life in Connecticut in 1906 and is set over an Independence Day weekend where teenager Richard Miller navigates his way through love and life.

Throughout, it touches on family, memory, trust, love and the painful process of growing up, themes that Natalie says will resonate with those who come and see it.

“It’s a real coming of age story where Richard tries to gain independence from his family,” she enthuses.

“What makes it such a great play is that the themes within it such as love and growing up are as relevant now as they were when O’Neill wrote it - it still feels very contemporary.

“It’s an extraordinary play, funny, poignant and beautifully written and one that David Lan had wanted to do for a while so I’m thrilled to be directing it.”

It takes its title from Quatrain XII of Edward Fitzgerald’s translation of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam one of Richard's favourite poems.

“In many ways the poem is the backbone of the piece,” says Natalie. “I think it is encouraging us to enjoy life and live for the moment, something Richard is trying to do.

“He tries to find his own voice as a poet and playwright and is absorbing writing, books and authors that were contraband at the time.

“It is the influence of these new works that concern his family particularly his mother who thinks they will corrupt him.

“We spent a lot of time talking about this in rehearsals, how we have to bring up children and educate them to find their moral values but give them an opportunity to stand on their own two feet,” she adds.

“So much of our growing up is based on impression and mimicry and about copying other people’s behaviour. We can’t keep our children inside and totally away from all the influences but we can give them barometers.

“Given the times we are living in with the explosion of the internet and the things today’s young people are exposed to, it has been very interesting to explore how parents try to do their best for their children – and that is as much the same now as it was when the play was written.

“Basically, all of us, like Richard, are trying to find our way in society and in the world and trying to do our best.”

And Natalie says she is very excited to be bringing the play to the theatre which has been so supportive of her work.

“I feel really blessed and lucky to have had this opportunity and to be awarded the Genesis Fellowship,” she says.

“It’s an incredible privilege and I have to pinch myself sometimes – especially working with people like Juliet Stevenson – it’s something I never imagined I would ever have the chance to do,” she says.

“Growing up I had never done any acting or directing but had a real interest in photography and live imagery. I did some work experience and realised I wanted to work with live theatre and film.”

University followed where she read English and began to do some directing before she got a graduate traineeship at the Royal Court.

She continued her training at the National Theatre Studio before working at organisations including the Royal Court, Royal Opera House, Battersea Arts Centre and now the Young Vic.

And after her stint in Waterloo she is off to direct Helen Edmundson’s Queen Anne at the RSC in the autumn but says she hopes to be back soon at the theatre which has given her so much support.

“I’ve learned so much from David and the team here – I love the Young Vic and would happily stay here forever!” she says.

“I never thought I’d ever have these kinds of opportunities so I feel very lucky and much like Richard – we try and find our way, live for the moment and keep on learning as best we can.”

Ah, Wilderness! is on at the Young Vic until May 23. Tickets from £10. Visit www.youngvic.org or call the box office on 020 7922 2922.