Spotted: Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki

When: last night
Where: in the interval of A Doll's House at the Donmar Warehouse

It's like buses, right? I don't see anyone famous for months, and then three come along IN ONE DAY. It's nuts. That's what you get for hanging around theatreland on a Saturday, rather than being in the flat ignoring the Grand Prix, I guess.

But WHO, WHO, WHO I hear you cry, ARE THESE TWO?

Let me put you out of your misery. Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki are none other than Penny and Leonard from favourite guilty-pleasure channel4 telly programme The Big Bang Theory. OMG. OMFG. I.KNOW. Etc.

That's Johnny Galecki, who I also had a crush on when it was the 90s and I used to watch Rosanne every Friday in the hope that he'd be on as David, Darlene's long-suffering boyfriend.

Crazy.

I went to the bar in the interval, and saw a really pretty blonde girl standing there on her own. "My goodness," I thought, "I know her. Oh, no, I don't. It's just that she looks just like Penny from the... oh, it is Penny from The Big Bang Theory. " When I realised she was waiting for someone, I did momentarily think it might be...

Then David/Leonard/Johnny walked round the corner, and I couldn't believe it. Odd who makes you feel starstruck.

They were being nice and quiet and reserved. No shouty American TV stars here: it's the Donmar afterall. Johnny was wearing a ma-hoosive blingtastic white watch though; that was screaming American TV star, even if the rest of him wasn't.

And seemed quite loved-up in a nice, stealing-quick-kisses-in-public kind of way.

Oh, did I not mention they're a couple?

Spotted: Michael Ball (?)

When: today, lunchtime
Where: Thomas Neal Centre, Seven Dials

OK, so I can't say I'm 100% sure I saw the heart-stoppingly brilliant Michael Ball today while I was eating my lunch. But I'm almost positive, so here goes.

I've cut enough images of the Ball's wonderfully rotund, cheeky, dimpled visage to recognise it as it sails past me on a shoe shopping jaunt.

I've listened to enough of his unique, sweet, moving, dulcet tones (really, really enough) to be attuned to the sound as he sing-songs to his tanned, blonde, male companion, "I just want to look in Size?" (Their question mark, not Michael's. Not mine.)

I was totally star-struck. Breathless. Shocked.

This is the man I spend an inordinate amount of time listening to on my ipod at work. On the train. In Sainsbury's. Listening to Michael Ball is my guilty pleasure. This is the guy I duet with whenever JC's out of the house. For me, you can forget Russell Watson: MB is The Voice.

I'm on my own. I've been talking to strangers all morning in the queue for the Donmar, surely I could go and, well, talk to him.

Contemplating my very tasty veggie pie from Progreso, I realise I'm probably not going to give up on my lunch to see if it really is him. Firstly, I'm sure it is. Secondly, I have nothing to say.

"Ahem, you were great in Kismet".
Not his greatest moment.
"Err, your version of Empty Chairs and Empty Tables can make me cry".
Move away from the stalker.
"Hi, I remember you from Opportunity Knocks".
Is this even true? Do I remember him from some Saturday night talent show from years and years ago, or is this just my imagination?

Some people are best left on ipods and on stage.

Besides, I'm sad to say, if it really was him, he needs to, shall we say, dress a little more "his age." To avoid a sort of muttony-male look. Just saying.

Theatrical Excitement: Madame De Sade @ Wyndhams Theatre

After being blown away by Ivanov, with Ken Branagh, directed by Michael Grandage, as part of the Donmar West End Season last year, I'm very, very, VERY excited to be seeing Madame De Sade tomorrow night, on what appears to be the second press night.

Hurrah. I was offered the (single, meh) press ticket by my boss. Amazing. I'm so grateful.

The excitement crescendos on a number of levels.

First, and most importantly, I'm getting to see the lovely Dame Judi Dench on stage for the first time. I've been a big fan for a long time now. It probably triggered by seeing her in Mrs Brown, in Bond films, in Shakespeare in Love and on telly. Or by reading about her playing a wonderful Lady Macbeth at the age of 20, while I was studying at Liverpool. (This last fact may or may not be correct - I'm sure it was wonderful, I just don't know how old she was - but surely the point is that my interest was aroused...) Tonight's research has revealed a few more choice nuggets:

• I love the fact that when she played Lady M opposite Ian McKellen at The Other Place in Stratford, Michael Billington was there, reviewing it: "If this is not great acting I don't know what is." (Not that exceptional a quote, I'm sure MB said other things besides, but apologies: I'm using wiki. Here's hoping he's there tomorrow; he might be seeing it tonight, though.)
  
• She's also a singer, having played Sally Bowles in Cabaret. Here it is on YouTube. She played Sally when she was 34. Which kinda kills my current silly "life's-going-to-be-over-when-I'm-30" vibe stone dead...
  

Second, the rest of the cast is pretty impressive. I can't wait to see Rosamund "Perfect Skin" Pike do her thing on stage either. She was at uni with JC, dontcha know.

Third, this is the kind of show that's got even the sensible people at the Guardian getting into mischief: Dame Judi Brings Home the Bacon...

Fourth, and cheeky, I know, but it's a press ticket, so hopefully I'll get a great seat. I saw Ivanov from a vertigo-inducing standing position at the back of Wyndham's, for just a tenner, on the last weekend. Even from that distance, after that many shows, watching the top of Branagh's head and missing some of the play through awkward sight-lines, I could still tell that the acting, the directing, the whole shebang was brilliant. I can't wait to be able to see that from a decent seat (in the stalls?).

It's going to be good.

Londonist: Evening Standard Theatre Award Winners Announced

The dominant Donmar picked up four of the Evening Standard Theatre Awards this year, proving that small can also be powerful when it comes to theatre.

Eight years after winning Most Promising Newcomer in the same awards, the gorgeous Chiwetel Ejiofor takes the Best Actor gong for his Othello, despite hot competition from David Calder's Lear and Kenneth Branagh's Ivanov.

Margaret Tyzack and Penelope Wilton were named Best Actress jointly by the judges for their performances in Enid Bagnold's The Chalk Garden at the Donmar.

(Oh to have been a fly on the wall while that non-decision was being reached.)

Michael Grandage, Big Daddy (Artistic Director) of the Donmar, who directed Othello, The Chalk Garden and Ivanov beat Michael Boyd and John Tiffany to win the Best Director award for the third time.

In a shortlist that was criticised for shunning commercial theatre, even the more populist musicals (Marguerite, La Cage Aux Folles) lost out to the Young Vic's Street Scene.

A Special Award went to Kevin Spacey for bringing the Old Vic back into our hearts, and the Editor's Award (or Award for Sheer Gobsmacking Brilliance, as it shall now be known) went to the RSC's Histories Cycle.

For lovers of theatre, awards, and theatre awards, the Evening Standard Theatre Awards are just the beginning of a whole season of shiny silverware. If your favourites didn't feature today, then there's always the Critics Circle Awards, the Theatregoers' Choice Awards and the prestigious Laurence Olivier Awards in March.

Check out the full results here, and let us know what you think.

Picture of the lovely Chiwetel from Thomas Roche's photostream under the creative commons licence.

Read the original londonist post here.

Londonist: Arts Ahead 19-26 November

Londonist brings news of lots of lovely openings in London this week, filling us with a nice juicy sense of anticipation. Rather than that anxious stomach-achy guilt feeling when you know something fab is closing and you're never going to get to see it.

Today, confusingly, brings Yesterday to London. Award-winning choreographer (and Sadler's Wells Associate Artist) Jasmin Vardimon celebrates her company's 10th anniversary with a retrospective at the Peacock Theatre. There's multimedia, new pieces, old pieces, trademark physicality, social commentary and a lot of other stuff for dance fans to get excited about.

Imagine This finishes its preview run and opens its new Warsaw Ghetto-based, big-name-free doors up to the critics today at the New London Theatre. Good luck, everybody.

The Donmar's TS Eliot Festival kicks off on Thursday. It's on til 17 January, so check out the link for all the info. Our recommended highlight is The Family Reunion, starring the brilliant Samuel West and the lovely Penelope Wilton.

Saturday brings a whole host of new blood to London's theatres. A Little Night Music opens at the Menier Chocolate Factory, directed by Trevor Nunn. It stars Maureen Lipman, Jessie Buckley (who didn't win the part of Nancy) and Hannah Waddingham from Spamalot.

For the little Londonists out there, don't miss the magical puppet show with a story by Roald Dahl; The Giraffe, the Pelly and Me opens at the Little Angel Theatre also on Saturday.

Finally, everyone's favourite Doncaster soprano Lesley Garrett is back in the West End at the Savoy Theatre in Carousel which also opens on Saturday night. All together, now, "When you walk through the storm..."

Last Chance to See

Saturday is also your last chance to see Erwin Olaf's Grief at Hamilton's Gallery. An instalment in the trilogy, Rain, Hope and Grief, these remarkable photos focus on what Olaf describes as the "half-second after you receive bad news but before you react."

Saturday also sees the Shaolin Monks' residency at the Hackney Empire come to an end. We think they'll be back sometime soon.

Image from the Jasmin Vardimon Company by Ben Harries.

Read the original post on londonist.

Londonist: Donmar Dominates Evening Standard Theatre Awards Shortlist

The Evening Standard Theatre Awards shortlist has been announced, and the Donmar Warehouse tops the bill with six nominations for three shows.

Today's announcement cuts down on the longlist released earlier this week to three nominations in each category.

Donmar Artistic Director Michael Grandage is nominated for Best Director for three productions (Othello, The Chalk Garden and Ivanov).

And those same three shows dominate the acting categories. Kenneth Branagh (Ivanov) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (Othello) compete in the Best Actor category, and Margaret Tyzack and Penelope Wilton (both The Chalk Garden) are up for Best Actress. They're joined by David Calder for Lear at Shakespeare's Globe, and Lesley Sharp for Harper Regan at the National.

Rupert Goold's been dropped, as those up for Best Director include Michaels Grandage and Boyd, and John Tiffany for Black Watch at the Barbican.

The same Black Watch is up for Best Play, alongside The Pitmen Painters, and Christopher Shinn’s Now Or Later at the Royal Court.

Eurobeat and Jersey Boys miss out on Best Musical; the shortlist now contains Street Scene, La Cage Aux Folles, and Marguerite.

See the Standard's full shortlist, and let us know what you think below.

Image from cormac70's photostream via the Creative Commons Attribution licence.

See original post on londonist.