Reality on the West End

We're just coming to the close of a fast one month visit back to the UK, and unfortunately most of this trip was spent visiting business contacts in a cold and too often snowy Germany. But we decided to treat ourselves to a theatre evening tonight, after waiting most of the afternoon at the embassy to get some more pages clamped into our fully-stamped passports.

We had been wanting to see the musical version of "Zorro" playing at the Garrick. Fortunately there were still a few seats available for the performance, because we really would not have wanted to miss it. In a word, this production is brilliant! Everything clicked - Matt Rawle had the ladies swooning over his portrayal of Diego/Zorro, Lesli Marhgerita was just a ball of fire as the gypsy, Inez and Madaleno Alberto showed great talent and promise standing in for Emma Williams as Luisa. Add to that mix the imaginative music of The Gypsy Kings and a whole lot of Flamenco dancing, and you've got an unbeatable combination.

Trouble is, it all goes away at the end of the week. And that is the reality, because after all, theatres are a business, and in these tough times everything must be executed perfectly from a business standpoint to assure success. Perhaps it was just not well enough publicised - we rather stumbled upon it shortly after it opened - but, the fact that it is closing so soon is nothing short of a tragedy.

So, if you are anywhere around London this week, do yourself a big favour and get down to the Garrick. We promise that you will not regret it!