Category Archives: Architecture

Casa de Segunda (Lipa City, Batangas)

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Casa de Segunda

After lunch at Liam’s Lomi House, we still had time to kill before checking in at The Zen Villas Resort so we decided to visit Casa de Segunda which was just a 1.7 km. (10-min.) drive away.

Also known as Luz–Katigbak House, the well-preserved Casa de Segunda is a heritage house built in the 1880s and owned by Don Manuel Mitra de San Miguel-Luz and Doña Segunda Solis Katigbak, Dr. José Rizal’s first love.

The quatrefoil-shaped, brick fountain

In 1956, the house was repaired by Paz Luz-Dimayuga who  serves as one of the caretakers of the house museum and, in 1996, after the house and its surrounding compound was renovated, was declared as a national Heritage House by the National Historic Institute.

Our guide discussing the history of the house at the zaguan

The present heiresses, the great-granddaughters of Doña Segunda Katigbak-Luz, maintain and manage the house, as well as Ms. Lilith Malabanan (great great grandchild of Segunda), who lives near Casa de Segunda.  At present, the house was converted into a museum.

Portrait of the young Segunda Katigbak

We entered the house through a nondescript entrance gate (designed by Lucila “Luchi” Reyes-Resurreccion during the 1996 renovation) and into an inner courtyard, with weathered red tiles, whose focal point is a quatrefoil-shaped, brick fountain, fishpond, and an orchard.

Portraits of Segunda’s parents and photos of the families of Luz-Katigbak heirs

Upon entry, we were met by a caretaker who lives at the adjoining replica of a 19th-century house, which was occupied by one of the Luz–Katigbak heirs.

The zaguan

She acted as our guide around the house which we entered via the zaguan (entrance), the storage area for agricultural harvests and the family’s carroza (processional carriage) for the revered santo and, now, the receiving area for the visitors of the museum.

The comedor (dining area)

Its floor is paved with black-and-white machuca tiles which were partially damaged during the bombing of Lipa during the World War II.  It featured information materials, cultural artifacts and a copy of a portrait of Segunda as well as the portrait of her parents and photographs of the families of the Luz–Katigbak heirs.

The entresuelo (servant’s quarters) which also served as an office

According to her, the Luz–Katigbak House was one of the houses built by Don Norberto Calao Katigbak, a gobernadorcillo, from 1862 to 1863, who was known to own big parcels of land in Batangas.

Ascending the hagdan (grand staircase) to the piso principal (main floor)

The Katigbaks were one of the richest families in the province. Part of their wealth was attributed to the coffee industry, being one of the major business ventures in the past. Norberto was married to Doña Justa Mitra de San Miguel-Solis and their daughter was Doña Segunda Solis Katigbak (1863-1943).

The sala mayor (living area)

Our National Hero José Rizal was captivated by the 14-year old, charming and graceful Segunda whom he met through his sister, Olimpia who was one of her classmates at Colegio de la Immaculada Concepcion de la Concordia in Santa Ana, Manila.

Antique piano and violin

Don Mariano Solis-Katigbak, Segunda’s older brother, also was a close friend and classmate of Rizal at Ateneo Municipal. However, as Segunda was already betrothed to her uncle Don Manuel Mitra de San Miguel-Luz (1858-1942) from a wealthy family in Lipa, Batangas), Rizal never proposed.

Full length Venetian mirror

Eventually, Don Manuel and the 16-year old Doña Segunda got married, on January 12, 1879, and had 14 children, 9 of whom survived to mature age.

A pair of butakas (birthing chairs)

Known in the province as a family of scholars, political leaders, professionals and artists, one of its descendants of the Luz–Katigbaks is Arturo R. Luz, a National Artist for Visual Arts.

Painting of San Sebastian Cathedral

This house was originally built on a square plan, with an azotea (terrace) extending it into an L-shaped plan.  The adobe wall, at the ground floor, was plastered with lime mortar.

Manual sewing machine

The house was also one of the set locations for Pulang Lupa, a 2024 Philippine drama series starring Barbie Forteza, Sanya Lopez, David Licauco and Alden Richards.

Oratorio (prayer area)

From the zaguan, we moved on to the comedor (dining area), below the azotea, which has a pleasant view of the inner courtyard.  We also entered the entresuelo, meant to be the servants’ quarters but sometimes used as an office.

The master bedroom with narra 4-poster bed and two butakas

We then went up the hagdan (grand staircase) leading up to the sala mayor (living room), at the piso principal (main floor), whose flooring were made out of mid-sized narra planks, of deep warm color. It is furnished with 19th century furniture (including a large, chic Venetian mirror), valuable heirloom pieces, paintings and antique portraits.

Vanity table with full length mirror

The three sides of the room were surrounded by wood and capiz sliding windows, which protect the room from rain water without blocking the sunlight, and persiana panels which serves as the second layer of the windows, providing ample protection from sunlight.

The children’s bedroom

Below the pasamano  (window sills) are ventanillas with balusters, which draw up the prevailing breeze inside the house. The transom (upper part of the window) was protected by wood and capiz panels, in a diagonal pattern, which maintain soft lighting in the house.

The azotea (terrace)

On both sides of the staircase are the cuartos (bedrooms) while behind it is an impressive oratorio (prayer area) featuring a magnificent, locally-made Batangas uno mesa altar with statues of saints displayed on top. Two antique frames encase Segunda’s novena and prayer pamphlets.

A retablo ((altarpiece)

The master bedroom is furnished with a carved, 4-poster narra bed, accentuated with crocheted bed fineries, lace curtains, an aparador (wardrobe) and a vanity table with a full-length mirror.  We finally visited the azotea, whose open portions are protected by restored balusters and, from there, went down a staircase, to the inner courtyard.

L-R: Reden Espinosa,  Beth Espinosa,  Grace, Jandy and the author

Casa de Segunda: 96 Rizal Street, 4217 Lipa City, Batangas.  Tel: (043) 784 1952. Mobile number: (0977) 425-7598. Admission: Php100 (Php75 for seniors and PWD). Open daily, 8 AM to 5 PM.

Persada Johor International Convention Centre (Johor Bahru, Malaysia)

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The 23,003 sq. m., US$13 million Persada Johor International Convention Centre (Malay: Pusat Konvensyen Antarabangsa Persada Johor), site of the ASEAN Tourism Forum (January 15-20), is located within the 2.6679-ha. (6.592-acre) Persada Johor Convention Centre Complex.  Developed and owned by Johor Corporation Bhd (the investment arm of the Johor State Government), this prestigious convention center venue is where both international and local events are held.

Persada Johor International Convention Center

Situated in the very heart of Johor Bahru, the capital of Johor, the site on which it stands was the former Johor Military Force (JMF) camp, and it was also the site of early remnants of Johor Bahru city. Poetically, the Malay word persada means “a raised stage or building” or “a place which has steps for a royal member to sit and conduct official matters.”

Convention center lobby

The huge and well-planned Persada Johor International Convention Centre can accommodate 3,500 delegates theater-style of 2,160 people banquet-style.  With 16 function rooms and 758 carpark spaces, it was adopted to reflect historical elements of Johor as well as modern features with dominant qualities such as strength, integrity and functionality.  Its architecture, acknowledging Johor’s rich cultural heritage, features an exterior embellished with “Khat” Islamic writings.  Its unique roof is shaped after the Johor Sultanate state ruler’s official hat, a symbol of creativity, practicality and nobility.

The preferred Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (M.I.C.E) destination in Southern Malaysia, this state-of-the-art, huge and well-planned facility, inaugurated last October 2006, is also the first convention center in Malaysia to be a member of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC).

The convention complex, comprising two main levels and two intermediate floors, consists of convention halls, 10 meeting rooms of different sizes, a 2,016 sq. m. exhibition hall, a 90-seat auditorium and restaurant. The upper level houses the Convention Halls while at the lower level are the Exhibition Halls.

The author at the exhibition hall

The 3,078 sq. m. main Convention Hall, with its highly modular floor layout, can easily be converted into three smaller fully soundproofed convention halls – the 1,058 sq. m. Hall 301 (maximum capacity: 1,000 pax); the 902 sq. m. Hall 302 (maximum capacity: 900 pax); and the 903 sq.m. Hall 303 (maximum capacity: 900 pax). All the convention hall capacities stated are in theatre-style but fully convertible to reception, classroom and banquet arrangements.

The convention hall

The Exhibition Hall, which can be used for exhibitions, conventions, banquets, concerts, trade shows and sporting events, comprises two separate halls that can be combined to offer a total floor space of 3,070 sq. m. (33,051 sq. ft.).  The 1,931 sq. m. Exhibition Hall 101 can accommodate 100 booths of 3 m. x 3 m. stands with a ceiling height of 9 m., while the 1,140 sq. m. Exhibition Hall 102 can accommodate 50 booths with a limited ceiling height of 4.5 m.

Level 4 (Gallery Level) has one meeting room and an auditorium (401) with a non-flexible seating capacity of 84 persons. Level 3 (Convention Hall Level) has three meeting rooms (the 60-pax Room 304 and 305 and the 120-pac Room 306). All Meeting Room capacities stated are in theatre-style arrangement but fully convertible to reception, classroom and banquet arrangements.

Media briefing at an auditorium

The all-day dining Selesih Restaurant serves a range of upmarket, deliciously authentic Malay, Johorean and international cuisine, either from the a la carte menu or its tantalizing buffets.  Open daily from 7 AM to 10.30 PM.  Outside are a selection of mobile restaurants that serves fresh, hot and chilled food, as well as snack items and hot drinks. A bridge links the convention center with the nearby, 5-star Petri Pacific Hotel.

Persada Johor International Convention Centre: Jalan Abdullah Ibrahim, P.O. Box 293, 80730 Johor Bahru, Johor.  Tel: 07 219 8888 (general line).  Fax: 60 7-219-8889. E-mail: admin@persadajohor.com (general email).  Website: www.persadajohor.com.   Coordinates: 1.461833°N 103.761583°E.

How to Get There: The convention center is accessible by Muafakat Bus route P-101.

Church of St. Charles Borromeo (Mahatao, Batanes)

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Church of St. Charles Borromeo

From Maydangeb White Beach, we traveled the remaining 2.4 kms. (a 5-min. drive), to Mahatao town proper, making a stopover at the town’s Spanish-era Church of St. Charles Borromeo.

Check out “Maydangeb White Beach”

The church complex

The first church, made with light material and completed by Dominican friars in 1789, was destroyed by a strong typhoon in 1872 and the present structure was rebuilt, with stone and lime, in 1873 by Father Crescencio Polo, OP (who also remodeled the stone and mortar convent attached to the church).

Plaque installed by National Historical Institute in 2008

On September 19, 1898, during the Philippine Revolution, the flag of the Katipunan was raised in the campanille and the church was ransacked (the original gold Episcopal crosier of the image of San Carlos as well as the gold jewelry pieces of the Lady of the Rosary and the Santo Niño were stolen).

Plaque installed by National Commission for Culture and the Arts in June 2005

In the 20th century, the cogon roof was replaced with galvanized iron and, sometime in 1990, the choir was removed.  On July 31, 2001, the church was declared as a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines.

The church’s interior

It has an espadaña-style façade similar to Basco Cathedral and the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer in Sabtang, with two round arches at roof levels for the bells (one of which is dated 1874).  The outer walls have uneven wall thicknesses due to the addition of massive step buttresses that serve as stairways for servicing its then cogon-covered roof.

Check out “Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception” and “Church of St. Vincent Ferrer”

The main altar

The church’s Baroque style interiors showcases floral designs with sunburst ornaments painted in polychrome and gilt, lending a golden glow among the statuary. On the center of the main retablo is the statue of St. Charles Borromeo (the patron saint) surrounded by statues of St. Joseph, St. Dominic de Guzman and St. Rose of Lima.

Right side altar housing statue of Our Lady of the Rosary

Two side altars house the statue of the Our Lady of the Rosary, on the right, and of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the left.

Left side altar housing statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

The second floor of the church convent, on the right side of the façade, is not the typical volada (cantilevered gallery) for convents in the Philippines but an open extended deck. At the back of the convent are remains of an old circular well.

The church’s convent

Within the church’s courtyard is a stone structure that once housed the beatario.  Elsewhere in the courtyard and the elementary school are Spanish-era stone lampposts said to have been used as guiding lights to guide fishermen and early mariners safely to the anchorage just beyond the town’s seaport.

One of two Spanish-era stone lampposts

Church of St. Charles Borromeo: National Road, Brgy. Uvoy (Poblacion), Mahatao, 3901 Batanes. Mobile number: (0921) 766-2282. Feast of St. Charles Borromeo:  November 4.

How to Get There: Mahatao is located 13.4 kms. (a 30-min. drive) south of Basco.

Provincial Heritage and Tourism Office (PHTO): Mobile number: (0929) 230-5934. Website: www.breathtakingbatanes.com.

Church of St. Antoninus of Florence (Uyugan, Batanes)

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Church of St. Antonius of Florence

From Mutchong View Point, it was to be a long 20.1-km. (40-min.) drive to the Honesty Coffee Shop in Ivana. Five minutes into our trip, we made a short stopover at the Church of St. Antonius of Florence near the municipal hall at the town center of Uyugan.

Check out “Mutchong View Point” and “Honesty Coffee Shop”

View of church from the left. Note the pair of step buttresses on the side

The smallest of all the Spanish-era churches in Batanes, this simple church was built in 1871 by Dominican Fr. Fabian Martin (term: 1844 to 1878) and is one of the churches frequented by Fr. Jerry Orbos during his Pilgrimage Tour.

AUTHOR’S COMMENTS:

This single nave church, also built in the espadaña style, has one segmental arch for a bell (now gone) on the upper portion of its Baroque and Gothic-style façade which is buttressed by massive flat pilasters from the foundation to the top.  

Gothic influences are seen from the gables over the narrow, semicircular arched main entrance, the flanking statue niches and the window (above which is the Dominican Order’s seal with its motto “Veritas”) over main entrance. On the sides are step buttresses that serve as stairways for servicing its then cogon-covered roof.   

The church’s single nave interior

Church of Antoninus of Florence: Brgy. Kayuganan, 3903 Uyugan.  Feast of Antoninus of Florence: May 10.

How to Get There: Uyugan is located 22.2 kms. (a 45-min. drive) from Basco and 11.9 kms. (a 25-min. drive) from Ivana. 

Provincial Heritage and Tourism Office (PHTO): Mobile number: (0929) 230-5934. Website: www.breathtakingbatanes.com.

Church of St. Vincent Ferrer (Sabtang, Batanes)

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Church of St. Vincent Ferrer

After our tour of Chavayan Village, we again boarded our van for 8.5-km. (20-min.) drive back to the población to visit the Spanish-era Church of St. Vincent Ferrer.  This church started as a small chapel in 1785.  In 1844, it was rebuilt in lime and stone by Dominican Fr. Antonio Vicente, OP.

Check out “Chavayan Village”

The church’s Baroque façade

In October 1956, after damage by a typhoon, Fr. Gumersindo Hernandez, OP, repaired the campanille and, from 1983 to 1984, Fr. Rafael Carpintero, OP, repaired the interior and replaced the cogon roofing with galvanized iron.

Historical plaque

In 2008, the church, convent and beaterio complex were declared as a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.

The massive buttresses at the sides

Like the Basco Cathedral and the Church of St. Charles Borromeo in Mahatao, this church has an espadaña-style facade, with two round arches for its two bells on the upper portion of the Baroque façade.

Check out “Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception” and “Church of St. Charles Borromeo”

The church convent

Four massive and broad pilasters, topped by heavy set, urn-like finials, flank the semicircular arched main entrance, at the first level, and the semicircular arched window at the second level.

The church’s interior

The thick walls enclosing the nave, made with stone and lime, are supported by buttresses while, at the back, four round pillars support the choir loft (below which is the baptistery).  A pedestal, with a stone statue of St. Vincent Ferrer, stands a short distance to the right of the church.

The main altar

Inside the church is the original Baroque retablo, with niches for statues of saints, above the high altar.  Made with polychrome and gilded woodwork, it was restored by Fr. Carpintero during the 1983 to 1984 renovation.

Stone statue, of St. Vincent Ferrer, on a pedestal

Church of St. Vincent Ferrer: Brgy. Malakdang (Poblacion) Sabtang, 3904 Batanes.  Mobile number: (0929) 110-2401. Feast of St. Vincent Ferrer: April 27.

How to Get There: There are scheduled 30 to 45-minute early morning boat trips by falowa (round-bottomed boat) from Ivana’s Radiwan Port to Sabtang. The church is located close to the port.

Sabtang Tourist Information Center: Brgy. Sinakan, 3904 Sabtang.  Mobile number: (0929) 226-8055.  E-mail: tourismsabtang@gmail.com.

Provincial Heritage and Tourism Office (PHTO): Mobile number: (0929) 230-5934. Website: www.breathtakingbatanes.com.

Chavayan Village (Sabtang, Batanes)

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Chavayan Village

From Chamanatad-Tinan Viewpoint, it was just a short 1.1-km. drive, along a winding road, to the old, charming village of Chavayan.  The one of the smallest villages in Sabtang and the southernmost community in the province, it is situated between the mountains and the sea, facing the northern tip of Luzon Island. Here, you can find glimpses of the Ivatan way of life, now being threatened by our ever-changing world. Farming and fishing are the primary source of livelihood for the locals. The word chavayan was derived from the word cha (meaning “bountiful”) and vay, the arrowroot plant.

Check out “Chamanatad-Tinan Viewpoint”

Jandy, Grace and the author at the entrance to the village
L-R: Gelyn, Jun, Lorraine, Lourdes, the author, Grace and Jandy. On the left is a now unused boat winch

The iconic “welcome rotunda,” at the asdepen (or asdepan, meaning “entrance) signaled our arrival at the village. To its right is a small hut that serves as the shelter for the Sabtang Weavers Association, the most prominent feature of the village.

Sabtang Weavers Association

Here, we watched old womenfolk traditionally weaving unique souvenir items such as the soot, an Ivatan cape carefully made from finely stripped and dried banana or voyavoy palm leaves, which serves as protection from the scorching heat of the sun or the wind and rain.

Woman weaving a vakul

The vakul is a woman’s soot that covers the head and back and protects the wearer from the sun, rain and wind, keeping themselves cool during the long hours of work in the field.  The kanayi, on the other hand, is a man’s soot made with voyavoy palm leaves or dried abaca stalks.  Worn on the shoulders, it takes three weeks to a month to make but it lasts a lifetime. The talugong, a men’s headgear, normally goes along with the kanayi.

Vakul

Also displayed at their showroom are other handicrafts made out of grasses and palm trees such as abaca bags, purses, pasikin (basket), salakots,home decorations, and other handicrafts.  For photo ops, Grace Lorraine, Lourdes and Gelyn  tried out a vakul  (rented for only PhP20/vakul/person) while Jun, Jandy and I suited up with a kanayi and talugong.

A sinadumparan

Later on, we walked along the narrow street and its rows of old sinadumparan (one of the three classes of stone houses on Batanes) stone houses, a style introduced by the Spaniards when they landed in the province during the late 1800s and some of them are already more than 100 years old.  To preserve the architecture and design of the traditional houses, the provincial government has declared this villages as well as the village of Diura in Mahatao as cultural zones.

Chavayan Theater

These houses have thick walls are made with powdered limestone and corals, while the roofs are made of thatched cogon grass. Here, you can find the traditional detached Ivatan kitchen. The area has no commercial buildings and cellular site around and the life of the locals here are preserved and traditional.  The village does have a “teatro” (theater) where events are held.

Grace and Jandy in front of the Chapel of St. Rose of Lima
Interior of the chapel

Further out, located 10 m. from the beach, is the beautiful Chapel of St. Rose of Lima, the only house of worship in the islands that is still in its traditional form, with cogon grass as roofing.  With a pastel-colored façade, it was built, from 1951 to 1959, via Ivatan spirit of yaru (similar to the Filipino concept of bayanihan) organized by the late Ireneo Hornedo (who was also responsible for building the Chavayan “teatro” and the “welcome rotunda”).  Before venturing out to fish or farm, community prayers are held here before dawn, as villagers offer petitions for safety and abundance.

Monument of Satisfaction

Looking up into the cliff, you can make out Mother Nature’s most perfect sculpture; the phallic-looking Monument of Satisfaction. A small store, at the opposite end (avuyi) of the village, sells Chavayan-made native slippers or sandals, fondly called chavayanas,which fishermen use as protection for their feet on shallow, rocky coastal areas.

The road leading to the beach

On the beach near the village, a popular photo spot, are the Kissing Rocks of Chavayan Village, two unique and imposing rock formations, along the serene and breathtaking bay, that appear to “kiss’ or come close together.

The “Kissing Rocks of Chavayan Village”

Chavayan Village: National Rd., 3904 Sabtang.

How to Get There: Sabtang, on Sabtang Island, is located close to the port.  There are scheduled 30 to 45-minute early morning boat trips by falowa (round-bottomed boat) from Ivana’s Radiwan Port to Sabtang.  From the port, you can rent a tricycle to take you to the viewpoint.

Sabtang Tourist Information Center: Brgy. Sinakan, 3904 Sabtang.  Mobile number: (0929) 226-8055.  E-mail: tourismsabtang@gmail.com.

Provincial Heritage and Tourism Office (PHTO): Mobile number: (0929) 230-5934. Website: www.breathtakingbatanes.com.

Sondheim Theater (London, England, U.K.)

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Sondheim Theatre

The highlight of our third day in London was to see the brilliant staging of one of the world’s most popular musicals – Cameron Mackintosh’s acclaimed fully-staged new production of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg’s Les Misérables, the West End‘s longest-running musical, at the Sondheim Theatre.  This revolutionary Tony Award and Laurence Olivier Award-winning West End musical, opened last September 25, 2021, will run until March 29, 2025.

Check out “Musical Review: Les Miserables”

The theatre’s marquee

The 1,222-pax Sondheim Theatre (formerly the Queen’s Theatre) was so beautiful, it was an attraction in its own right.  Prior to the show, we waited at the luxurious bar which looked like a VIP Lounge. The theatre offers three seating areas: Stalls, Dress Circle and Grand Circle.

L-R: Selena, Manny, Sean, Paula, Grace, the author and Jandy

This West End theatre  opened as the Queen’s Theatre on October 8, 1907, as a twin to the neighboring Hicks Theatre (now the Gielgud Theatre), on the adjoining corner of Shaftesbury Avenue, which had opened ten months earlier. Both theatres were designed by W. G. R. Sprague.

The original plan was to name the venue the Central Theatre. However, after a lengthy debate, it was named the Queen’s Theatre and a portrait of Queen Alexandra was hung in the foyer. The first production at the Queen’s Theatre was a comedy by Madeleine Lucette Ryley called The Sugar Bowl. Although it was poorly received and ran for only 36 performances, the theatre received glowing reviews.

Staircase

In 1913, Tango Teas became a popular pastime and the stalls seats were replaced with tables and chairs where, for the sum of 2/6, people took tea while watching professional tango dancers and dress parades on stage. In 1920, Elsie Janis altered the theatre so that the stalls were “surrounded by a parterre and backed by a luxurious lounge.” A note in the program for It’s All Wrong, described as a “musical complaint,”” read “Miss Janis regrets that her name appears so often in the program, but she does not wish to shirk any of the responsibilities.”

In September 24, 1940, a German bomb landed directly on the theatre, destroying the facade and lobby areas. The production at the time was Daphne du Maurier’s highly successful Rebecca starring Celia Johnson, Owen Nares and Margaret Rutherford.

The theatre stage

The theatre remained closed until, almost 20 years later, a £250,000 restoration was completed by Architects Westwood Sons & Partners. With Sir Hugh Casson acting as consultant on the décor, the auditorium retained its Edwardian decor, while the lobbies and exterior were rebuilt in a modern style. On July 8, 1959, the reconstructed theatre opened with Ages of Man, John Gielgud’s solo recital  in Shakespeare speeches and sonnets. In June 1972, the theatre was Grade II listed by English Heritage.

From April 2004 to July 2019, the theatre played host to Cameron Mackintosh‘s production of Les Misérables, the West End‘s longest-running musical which, after 18 years, transferred at the nearby Palace Theatre. The musical celebrated its 20th anniversary at the venue on October 8, 2005, and overtook Cats as the West End‘s longest-running musical of all time a year later on October 8, 2006. In 2010, Delfont Mackintosh refurbished Queen’s Theatre for the 25th Anniversary of Les Misérables and, on October 8, 2015, the show celebrated the 30th anniversary of its original opening at the Barbican Centre in 1985.  On September 4, 2019, the show celebrated its 14,000th performance.

In 2019, Cameron Mackintosh announced that the original production of Les Misérables would close on July 13, 2019 while the theatre underwent an extensive £13.8 million, lightning fast 20-week refurbishment and restoration. The auditorium’s lovely Edwardian splendor was recreated, from the 1950s reconstruction, with the addition of a curved rail and new boxes at dress circle level, named after Maggie Smith and Judi Dench. Overhangs and ceilings on each tier were also redecorated with a recurring W. G. R. Sprague-inspired cherub design in carved plaster and “fifteen colors and seven shades of gold.” In total, approximately 70 to 80% of the plastering in the building was redone and a new, custom-made chandelier was hung.

Dress Circle and Grand Circle seating areas

To be closer to the audience, the stage was lowered 30 cm. and the famous and innovative revolving stage, used in Les Misérables to enable smooth and seamless changes between scenes, was also notably removed.  In a void space, next door to the theatre, 32 additional toilets were installed. Additional space on every floor, from the basement up, was also reclaimed from a former electricity substation leased to the electric board in 1907. This allowed for more space on stage as well as additional dressing rooms on several floors, now fitted with showers. Finally, to improve audience comfort and sight-lines, new seating was installed.

Ceiling and chandelier

On December 18, 2019, the Queen’s Theatre was renamed as the Sondheim Theatre in honor of composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim who was also celebrating his 90th birthday.  On January 16, 2020, following completion, the Sondheim Theatre re-opened for its first performance of Les Misérables, featuring sets inspired by original paintings by Victor Hugo, in the 2009 touring staging.

Past and present productions

  • Hamlet (1930) – this Old Vic production transferred to Queen’s and John Gielgud gave his first Shaftesbury Avenue performances of the role he made almost his own with Donald Wolfit as a strong Claudius.
  • Moonlight in Silver (1934) – an ‘ultra-modern problem play’ by Clemence Dane, starred Gertrude Lawrence and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. This glamorous couple attracted much media attention especially as they were having an affair both on and off stage.
  • Short Story (1935) – Robert Morley’s first play, it combined a host of talent in Marie Tempest, Sybil Thorndike, Margaret Rutherford and Rex Harrison.
  • 1937 – The Gielgud season of Richard II, The School for Scandal, Three Sistersand The Merchant of Venice brought glittering casts and outstanding performances to the theatre. Those who appeared included Leon Quartermaine, Michael Redgrave, Glen Byam Shaw, Anthony Quayle, Alec Guinness, Peggy Ashcroft and George Devine.
  • Stop the World I Want to Get Off (1961) – Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse’s thought-provoking musical about the value of personal versus career choices, ran for 478 performances before transferring to Broadway.
  • A Suite in Three Keys (1966) – Noël Coward made his final West End appearance.
  • In August and September 1966 – Laurence Olivier’s National Theatre presented their first West End season, including famous productions of The Royal Hunt of the Sun and Othello.
  • In 1972, Marlene Dietrich appeared for a short season in cabaret. She had first sung in cabaret at the Queen’s in 1964, and her performance can be heard on a live recording.
  • Private Lives (1972) – Maggie Smith and Robert Stephens appeared in this acclaimed production.
  • Saturday, Sunday, Monday (1974) – by Eduardo de Filippo, Franco Zeffirelli directed Joan Plowright in a notable production.
  • Another Country (1982) – Julian Mitchell’s story about Guy Burgess’s schooldays, starred Rupert Everett and launched Kenneth Branagh’s career. Everett was subsequently replaced by Daniel Day Lewis and Colin Firth.
  • Wonderful Town (1986) – a major revival of Leonard Bernstein’s musical about New York won both Laurence Olivier Award and Variety Club Awards.
  • Three Sisters (1990) – the first time two sisters (Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave) had acted on stage together. Their niece Jemma also appeared here.
  • Passion (1996) – Stephen Sondheim‘s love triangle  ran for 232 performances and won Maria Friedman an Olivier Award for her role as Fosca.
  • The Lady in the Van (1999) – Maggie Smith “acted with every muscle” as the smelly, eccentric  Miss Shepherd who lived in playwright Alan Bennett’s drive for many years.
  • The Hobbit (November 28, 2001 –February 9, 2002) by Glyn Robbins from  R. R. Tolkien‘s book
  • Mysteries (February 26, 2002 –May 18, 2002) adaptation by Speir Opera
  • Umoja: The Spirit of Togetherness (June 18, 2002 –August 31, 2002) by Todd Twala, Thenbi Nyandeni and Ian von Memerty
  • Contact (October 23, 2002 –May 10, 2003) by Susan Stroman and John Weildman
  • The Rocky Horror Show(June 23, 2003 –July 5, 2003) by Richard O’Brien, starring Jonathan Wilkes and John Stalker
  • Cyberjam (September 23, 2003 –January 3, 2004)
  • The RSC’s The Taming of the Shrew (January 15, 2004 –March 6, 2004) by William Shakespeare
  • The RSC’s The Tamer Tamed (January 22, 2004 –March 6, 2004) by John Fletcher
  • Les Misérables (April 12, 2004 —July 13, 2019, December 18, 2019 –) by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg
  • Les Misérables – The Staged Concert (December 5, 2020 – February 28, 2021)

Sondheim Theatre:  51 Shaftesbury Avenue  corner Wardour Street, City of Westminster, London W1D 6BA, United Kingdom. Tel: +44 344 482 5151.  Coordinates: 51.511944°N 0.132778°W.

How to Get There: The nearest train station is Charing Cross while the nearest tube station is Piccadilly Circus (take Shaftesbury Avenue along where the famous illuminated signs are. The theatre will be on your left about 100 m. along, just after the Gielgud Theatre).

The nearest bus stops are serviced by numbers 12, 14, 19, 38 (Shaftesbury Avenue) and 6, 13, 15, 23, 88, 94, 139, 159, 453 (Regent Street). Night bus numbers: (Shaftesbury Avenue) 14, N19, N38; (Regent Street) 6, 12, 23, 88, 94, 139, 159, 453, N3, N13, N15, N109, N18, N136.

National Gallery of Scotland Modern Two (Edinburgh, Scotland, U.K.)

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National Gallery of Scotland Modern Two

The National Gallery of Scotland Modern Two, formerly the Dean Gallery, is one of the two buildings housing the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, one of Scotland’s national art galleries. Operated by National Galleries Scotland, it is twinned with Modern One which lies on the opposite side of Belford Road.

Check out “National Gallery of Scotland Modern One”

The English-Baroque facade

It is home to a changing program of world-class exhibitions and displays drawn from the permanent collection. During our visit, On permanent display is a recreation of the Scottish sculptor Eduardo Paolozzi‘s studio, as well as his magnificent, 7.3 m. high sculpture, Vulcan, that dominates the the Paolozzi’s Kitchen (named after the Scottish sculptor), reaching from the floor to the ceiling.

One of the tower, over staircases, that contain chimneys

The museum is housed in a English Baroque-style building, with Classical detail, which started out as the Dean Orphanage (the subject of a watercolor painting c.1830 by Thomas Hamilton).  Built in Craigleith stone from the nearby quarry, it took three years to build. Contributing to the Edinburgh skyline, in the west of the city center, are the towers, over the staircases, that contain chimneys. Above the entrance is a clock that came from the original Orphan Hospital and, in turn, from the 1764 demolition of the Netherbow Port on the High Street, which formerly separated the High Street from the Canongate.

The exhibit space

For many decades, this building, owned by the City of Edinburgh Council, served as the Dean Education Centre before its conversion into a gallery designed by the architect Terry Farrell and Partners. In 1999, the gallery opened opposite the existing Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. In 2011, both buildings were rebranded Modern Two and Modern One, respectively.

the 73 m. high Vulcan sculpture of Eduardo Paolozzi (1989)

Modern Two houses the Paolozzi Gift, a collection of works by Sir Eduardo Paolozzi, given by the artist to the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in 1994, as well as the gallery’s world-famous collection of Surrealism (including works by Salvador Dalí, René Magritte and Alberto Giacometti) and a large collection of Dada and Surrealist art and literature largely made up by the collections of Roland Penrose and Gabrielle Keiller.

Modern Two also houses temporary exhibitions, a library (its great strengths are Dada and Surrealism, early twentieth century artists and contemporary Scottish art), an archive and a special books collection.

Two Lines Up Excentric VI (George Rickey, 1977, stainless steel)

The archive, containing over 120 holdings relating to twentieth and twenty-first century artists, collectors and art organizations, including the gallery’s own papers, holds one of the world’s best collections of Dada and Surrealist material. The special books collection, containing over 2,500 artist books and limited edition livres d’artiste (again with a main focus on Dada and Surrealism), also contains books by other major artists from the twentieth century including Oskar Kokoschka‘s Die Träumenden Knaben (1917) and Henri Matisse’s Jazz (1947), all available to the public in the reading room which is only open to the public by appointment. The Gabrielle Keiller Library hosts regular changing displays that showcase items from these collections.

Master of the Universe (Eduardo Paolozzi, 1989)

Modern Two is surrounded by a sculpture garden with a number of modern and avant-garde works on display, including Gate (1972) by William Turnbull, Two Lines up Excentric VI (1977) by George Rickey, La Vierge d’Alsace (1919–1921) by Emile-Antoine Bourdelle, There will be no Miracles Here (2007–2009) by Nathan Coley, Master of the Universe (1989) by Eduardo Paolozzi, Two Two-Way Mirrored Parallelograms Joined with One Side Balanced Spiral Welded Mesh (1996) by Dan Graham, Macduff Circle (2002) by Richard Long, and Escaped Animals (2002) by Julian Opie.

National Gallery of Scotland Modern Two: 75 Belford Rd, Edinburgh EH4 3DR, United Kingdom.  Tel: +44 131 624 6200.  E-mail: enquiries@nationalgalleries.org. Website: www.nationalgalleries.org.  Open daily, 10 AM to 5PM. Coordinates: 55°57′06.52″N 3°13′26.75″W.

National Gallery of Scotland Modern One (Edinburgh, Scotland, U.K.)

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National Gallery of Scotland Modern One

The National Gallery of Scotland Modern One, with its renowned collection of more than 5,000 items dating from the late 19th century to the present day, is housed in the former Watson’s Institution Building which was designed, in the Greek Doric style, by William Burn (1789-1870) and completed in 1825 as the John Watson School for Fatherless Children of the Professional Classes.  Its five-bay Neo-Classical frontage has a grand, six-columned portico.

The five-bay Neo-Classical frontage

In 1979, the building, with its classrooms and dormitories, was bought by the Crown Estates Commissioners and was successfully adapted, to its new function, from 1981 to 1984.  In 2011, its name was changed to Modern One. Operated by National Galleries Scotland, it is twinned with National Gallery of Scotland Modern Two which lies on the opposite side of Belford Road.

Check out “National Gallery of Scotland Modern Two“

The museum lobby

International post-war work features art by Francis Bacon, David Hockney, Andy Warhol, Joan Eardley and Alan Davie, with more recent works by artists including Douglas Gordon, Antony Gormley, Robert Priseman and Tracey Emin and an outstanding collection of modern Scottish art.

Ah Kong – Ghost (Rae-Yen Song, 2022)

It presents works from the collection as well as a program of changing exhibitions. The early part of the collection features important Surrealist and German Expressionist art from the beginning of the twentieth century, with paintings by Giacometti, Hockney, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso.

Lee Miller (Pablo Picasso, 1937, oil on canvas)

Also included are works by André Derain and Pierre Bonnard, cubist paintings, holdings of expressionist and modern British art, and 20th century Scottish Colourists Samuel John Peploe, John Duncan Fergusson, Francis Cadell and Leslie Hunter.

Glacier Chasm (Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, 1951, oil on canvas)

The collection also includes ARTIST ROOMS, a collection of modern and contemporary art acquired for the nation by National Galleries Scotland and Tate with support from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the Art Fund and the Scottish and British Governments.

?I Am Your Conduit (2014, thread embedded in handmade cotton paper)

The growing collection includes works by major international artists including Andy Warhol, Louise Bourgeois, Robert Mapplethorpe and Damien Hirst. The collection includes the larger of Roy Lichtenstein‘s In the Car pieces. The displays change on a regular basis.

Self-Portrait (Robert Mapplethorpe, 1980)

In 2002, the lawn to the front of Modern One was re-landscaped to a dramatic, award-winning (it won the prestigious Gulbenkian Prize in 2004) design by architectural historian Charles Jencks (b. 1939) entitled Landform Ueda, an eye-catching work or art in their own right.

Grace Jones (Robert Mapplethorpe, 1984, gelatin silver print on paper)

This sinuous series of grass-covered stepped terraces that rises to form a serpentine mound, with three pools of water occupying crescent-shaped hollows in between.  It also includes the remains of an 18th century windmill.

Tightrope Walker (Paul Klee, 1923, color lithograph on paper) (Copy)

Two Figures (Natalia Goncharova, ca. 1910-20, pencil and crayon on paper)

The sculpture park includes bronze works such as Personnage (1978) and Femme (Woman) (1970) by Joan Miro; Conversation with Magic Stones (1973) by Barbara Hepworth; and Reclining Figure (1951) by Henry Moore; among others.

Conversation with Magic Stones (Barbara Hepworth, 1973, bronze)

Reclining Figure (Henry Moore, 1951, bronze)

The Neo-Classical façade of Modern One is home to Martin Creed‘s Work No. 975, EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE ALRIGHT. Modern One backs on to the Water of Leith river and walkway, which can be accessed by a long flight of steep steps behind the Gallery.

Landform Ueda (Charles Jencks)

Personnage (Joan Miro)

National Gallery of Scotland Modern One: 73 and 75 Belford Road, Edinburgh EH4 3DR, Scotland, United Kingdom. Tel: +44 131 624 6200. E-mail: enquiries@nationalgalleries.org. Website: www.nationalgalleries.org. Open daily, 10 AM to 5 PM.  Admission is free.

Church of St. Cuthbert and Graveyard (Edinburgh, Scotland, U.K.)

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St. Cuthbert Parish Church

The historic parish church of St Cuthbert, and its graveyard, are a significant part of Edinburgh’s heritage (the church has been a Category A listed building since 1970) that are both well-maintained.  The church, on the oldest continually used site of worship in the whole city, a parish church of the Church of Scotland.  The earliest church on the site was said to have been founded by St. Cuthbert around 670 AD.

The graveyard beside the church

Partly due to its closeness to Edinburgh Castle, the church was, at different times, caught in cannon crossfire between opposing armies, suffering severe damage or being destroyed as a result and it is believed that there have been seven churches built on its site. The present church of St Cuthbert’s, built in the Baroque and Italian Renaissance style, was designed (except for the steeple of the previous church which was retained), by Hippolyte Blanc and built between 1892 and 1894. It is apparently quite beautiful inside, with stained glass windows by Louis Comfort Tiffany, Douglas Strachan, and Ballantyne & Gardiner; mural paintings by Gerald Moira and John Duncan; and memorials by John Flaxman and George Frampton.  However, on this particular day, it was closed to visitors.

The twin, 3-storey Baroque towers with the old steeple in between

The church, divided into upper and lower levels by a continuous course of ashlar dressings, has a roughly dressed and snecked, cream sandstone exterior, with every corner decorated with half-fluted Corinthian pilasters, on the upper stage (pierced with round-arched windows, with architraves  supported by half-fluted Corinthian pilasters, of each of the four western bays), and quoining on the lower (each bay pierced by an oblong window below a corniced architrave). The slated roof rests at a shallow pitch. The near-identical north and south elevations terminate with square-based, three-storeyed Baroque towers on the east sides of the transepts.

One of the twin, Baroque-style towers

The church itself was where the almost 40-year old crime writer Agatha Christie married the 26-year old (a nearly 14-year age gap which was considered scandalous by some at that time) archaeologist Max Mallowan, her second husband, in 1930, a runaway affair, with the couple eloping northwards, from England to Edinburgh, where the service was conducted without friends or family, and just two strangers brought off the street to act as witnesses to the ceremony.

The large graveyard, near Edinburgh Castle, is believed to be on the oldest Christian site in Edinburgh.  The graveyard is impressive, containing hundreds of monuments worthy of notice, including one to John Grant of Kilgraston (near Perth), and a number of graves that are worth examining as it holds the remains of notable individuals like Thomas De Quincey (1785–1859, author of Confessions of an English Opium-Eater) and John Napier. The first reference to a graveyard here is recorded as being in 1595.

The graveyard

The mathematician John Napier (1550–1617) discovered logarithms and invented ‘Napier’s Bones’ (because the instruments were originally carved from bone or ivory), a device for easily calculating large sums, a precursor to the pocket calculator. He is buried in an underground vault on the north side of the church (reburied after destruction of the kirkyard of St. Giles to build Parliament House).

The three-bay Gothic mausoleum of the Gordons of Cluny, by David Bryce contains the tomb of Cosmo Gordon of Cluny FRSE (1736–1800), a politician and co-founder of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1783.

Obelisks used to mark the graves of notable individuals and families

Robert Tait McKenzie, a Canadian doctor and sculptor, created the memorial known as The Call 1914, in nearby Princes Street Gardens, which commemorates the Scots soldiers who were killed or injured during the First World War. His heart is buried in St Cuthbert’s kirkyard, with a small decorative plaque commemorating his life. Mackenzie originally wanted to be buried in front of the memorial after his death.

Sir Henry Raeburn (1756–1823), one of Scotland’s foremost portrait painters in the eighteenth century, is buried on the eastern wall of the graveyard. Another artist buried here is Alexander Nasmyth (1758–1840), also an architect and inventor, whose most notable painting is the much-copied portrait of Robert Burns. His son, James Nasmyth, also a prolific inventor, is most famous for the steam hammer while his other son, Patrick Nasmyth continued the family line as an artist of note.

Also buried here is Jessie MacDonald, granddaughter of Flora MacDonald (who helped Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Young Pretender of the Jacobite Uprisings, escape Scotland after his defeat at the Battle of Culloden in 1746), and George Meikle Kemp (1795–1844), the self-taught architect and master joiner whose major gift to the city of Edinburgh was the Scott Monument, the “Gothic rocket’’ of in Princes Street Gardens.

Other noteworthy burials in the graveyard include:

Many were also buried within the church. They include William Paul (1754–1802), Chaplain in Ordinary to George III; and Sir James Rocheid of Inverleith (1715–1787).

West of the transept, on the north side, are steps that descend to a round-arched doorway, in the basement level, that lead to the Nisbet of Dean burial vault. Buried here is Henrie Nisbet of Dean (died 1609) and his son William Nisbet of Dean. Henrie was Provost of Edinburgh, from 1592 to 1593, while William was twice Provost of Edinburgh 1615 to 1619 and 1622 to 1623. Constructed in 1692, it was retained during the construction of the current church and its predecessor.

Dog sculpture commemorating Edinburgh’s sister city of San Diego (California, USA) and their respective celebrity dogs (Greyfriar’s Bobby, of Edinburgh, and Bum of San Diego)

St, Cuthbert Church Graveyard: 5 Lothian Road, New Town, Edinburgh, EH1 2EP, Scotland.