EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Erin finds the jewel in her Crown - a new leading lady
I can reveal the 33-year-old actress, who shot to fame playing Peter's mother Princess Anne in the Netflix royal drama, has struck up a romance with radiographer Sinead Donnelly, 35.
Phillips, meanwhile, has announced his engagement to NHS nurse Harriet Sperling.
Over the weekend, Erin gave a glimpse into their blossoming relationship by posting a sweet photograph of them on holiday.
In the picture, the pair stroll hand in hand through an archway, dressed for an evening occasion and each holding a glass of wine. 'Take us back to Italy please...' Sinead commented on the snap.
Erin, who recently starred in Adolescence – another hugely successful Netflix series – was previously in a long-term relationship with fellow actress Sophie Melville.
They met in 2017 while starring in Alan Ayckbourn's play The Divide, with Erin later describing their relationship as her 'greatest accomplishment'. While she and Sinead are enjoying the honeymoon phase, Erin has admitted that her dedication to her craft can affect her personal life.
'I fall in love with my characters – my girlfriend will attest to this,' she said recently. 'The minute anything comes into my sphere, the blinkers go on.'
A self-confessed 'hopeless romantic' who 'loves love', Erin has also said of her sexuality: 'It took me a really long time to get to the point where I was, like, 'Oh, I'm gay'. I was never ready to carve out that path for myself, even though my relationships with men weren't satisfying.'
Helen's novel way to thrive
Despite having written the bestselling Bridget Jones series, Helen Fielding struggles with imposter syndrome.
The author, 67, is quietly working on a new book – unrelated to the hapless anti-hero played by Renee Zellweger on screen – but she admits: 'I think everything in my novel is rubbish and makes no sense. I'm out of my depth.
'I try to boost my confidence by saying I've had six novels published. Last week, I thought my new novel was great – I was imagining the reviews, 'Fielding's a master novelist at the top of her game'. Maybe it's just part of the process.
'In the end, you just have to knuckle down and, like Winston Churchill said, keep buggering on and get on with it.'
Emily Maitlis admits that since her Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew in 2019 ended his career as a working royal, she's developed a technique to avoid his daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. 'Occasionally, I find myself in the same room as them and I feel terrible,' she says. 'There's normally a very quiet, elegant dance where I try to get to the other end and leave them in peace.'
Elevated to the peerage by Boris Johnson, journalist Claire Fox was taken aback by a plea from her father, John. 'On his deathbed he said he had lung cancer because he smoked,' reveals Baroness Fox of Buckley, 65. 'He said: 'Claire, I want you to promise me... That you'll go down to Silk Cut Ultra [low-tar cigarettes]'.'
Harry Potter star Miriam Margolyes once gave a theatregoer a dramatic surprise. 'I would come on, acting drunk, and sit on a chair,' she recalls. 'Between the rehearsal and the first night, carpenters had put castors on the chair. At first I thought it was testament to the power of my performance. Then I fell on a punter in the front row.'
Here comes the cavalry, with 'hottest royal' Alex
When the Royal Family gathers for Trooping the Colour next year, one member may not be a spectator but riding in the King's Birthday Parade.
Alexander Ogilvy, 28, grandson of Queen Elizabeth's cousin Princess Alexandra, has graduated from Sandhurst and signed up to the Household Cavalry.
'Very proud of our British Army officer,' says his sister, Flora Vesterberg, 30. She joined Alex, pictured right – described as 'the hottest royal you never heard of' – with their grandmother, pictured above, for his passing-out parade at the military academy in Berkshire.
Divorcing Lily says life's a drag
Lily Allen is puffing her way through a painful time – and not just on stage.
The pop singer and actress, 40, who is divorcing her actor husband David Harbour, is currently playing the beleaguered Hedda Gabler at the Theatre Royal Bath. And she's convinced the play's director, Matthew Dunster, to let her vape on stage because she's 'going through some stuff' in her own life, too.
'When we were in rehearsals, I just said to Matthew, 'What about her vaping?' And he was, like, 'Yeah.' I think Matthew is just being generous to the fact that I might be going through some stuff: give her a little vape, give her a little time just to make her life a little bit easier.'
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The Sun
a minute ago
- The Sun
The £5 street pills wreaking havoc in seaside town voted happiest place to live as pubs replaced by bedsits for addicts
WITH its long sandy beach and iconic historic 'Spanish City' complex offering up first class dining and a champagne bar, it doesn't seem absurd that this north east town was dubbed one of the UK's happiest places to live. But baffled locals have branded the accolade "a load of rubbish", claiming the 'Jekyll and Hyde' seaside resort is overrun with drug addicts and alcoholics. 17 17 17 17 Whitley Bay, in North Tyneside, was ranked third out of 70 areas in 2024 in an online survey which cited its impressive coastline and independent shops and bars. But locals say there is a stark divide between its hipster high street lined with boutiques and fancy restaurants, and scruffy rundown terraces full of bedsits. Residents who live in the east of the town - also named best place to live in the North of England in 2023 by The Sunday Times - told The Sun they're sick of being woken up by drunks in the middle of the night. They also claim the streets have been flooded with pregabalin - a highly addictive prescription-only medication which can induce feelings of euphoria and relaxation, being flogged illegally for £5 a pill - earning the town the nickname 'Pregab City'. While the famous Spanish City Plaza complex, immortalised in the Dire Straits song Tunnel of Love, underwent an impressive renovation in 2018 and is now home to a fine dining restaurant and champagne bar, other areas of the town are struggling. Residents believe many are unable to afford the expensive offerings at the iconic domed building, which housed a down-to-earth funfair, amusement arcade and bingo hall up until the 2000s. Now a cod and chips at the venue will set you back £13.95. South Parade, which leads from the town down to the seafront, used to be lined with bars and nightclubs and was a hive of activity on bank holidays and weekends. But now the street is a shadow of its former self and has just one club - the rundown-looking Havana. Other nightlife hotspots have been replaced by halfway houses, bedsits and B&Bs, many of which are reportedly occupied by alcoholics and drug addicts. We live in UK's 'worst' seaside town – tourists say it's rundown and crime is a problem but here's why locals love it Meanwhile the crime rate in the immediate area is three times as high as the national average. Victoria Knibbs lives in a flat in the area with her boyfriend and dog Sunny. The 29-year-old team manager said: "Whitley Bay has the potential to be a lovely place. There are really nice cafes and bars on one side of the town, but it's still very run-down on the other. "We look out onto our street and there is always shouting. People shout up and down from the windows and there's a constant police presence at one of the B&Bs. We've been woken up at 4am with people shouting drunk in the street and on stuff Victoria Knibbs "Every weekend there are police or ambulances down there. Every day you'll have people on the street corners rolling around. "I was walking to the Metro station the other day and there was a guy trying to pick up his friend off the floor. "They had both fallen over and were moving at the slowest pace. It doesn't bother me, but you will see this as soon as you leave the house. "We've been woken up at 4am with people shouting drunk in the street and on stuff." 'Jekyll and Hyde' town 17 17 Just around the corner from Victoria, one couple are seen hurrying down a back alley, as the man downs a can of lager before 11am. The woman with him is still in her pyjamas as they wander out of sight. Victoria, who says the town is divided in two, added: "Whitley Bay was voted as this lovely place to live, but if people want to visit there's no good hotels to stay at. "There are nice spots, but that's the seafront, it isn't Whitley Bay itself. "I love my flat and the landlord is fine, but the pubs around here bring in a certain clientele. "The places in this town are either run-down and cheap, or they charge you £20 for a glass of water. It's split into two halves." Victoria claimed there is "no reason" for her to go to Spanish City as there's "nothing for families with kids and dogs". "It was built to make it look, how amazing is this place, but you go and there's not much there. In my whole life I've probably been inside three or four times," she said. "Since we've been living here there have been lots of places we wanted to try but they end up closing down. "I would love to shop independent and go local, but there's not the investment." High accolades 17 17 Army veteran Dave Kelly is originally from Northampton but has lived in Whitley Bay for over 20 years. The 52-year-old is fed up of what he sees on a daily basis, telling The Sun: "You see homeless people and alcoholics all of the time. "It's mainly young adults who are off their faces on Pregabalin. Whitley Bay is known to be 'Pregab City'. "The town looks great on paper, especially with all of the investment that got put into the seaside. "It sounds great when you talk about lovely beaches etc., but it's only that part. There is nothing spoken about regarding the town centre. You see homeless people and alcoholics all of the time. It's mainly young adults who are off their faces on Pregabalin. Whitley Bay is known to be 'Pregab City' Dave Kelly "I live opposite Spanish City and you get travellers coming down there. Just the other week the travellers cut the gates off a park but they just got moved on. "You get lots of p***heads in the centre, too. The other day we got a group who came along and took the leftover tobacco from ashtrays on the outside tables of pubs and were making roll-ups in front of everyone." In the 2024 survey from FurnitureBox of the happiest places to live in the UK, only Stratford-upon-Avon and Harrogate were ranked higher than Whitley Bay. The town was also named Best Place to Live in the North and Northeast in the 2023 Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide. The paper described the town's high street, Park View, as "one of the best independent shopping streets in the country, with its artisan bakery, brunch spots and microbrewery, as well as more traditional outlets such as the shoe-repairer and the butcher." What is Pregabalin? Pregabalin is a prescription-only medicine which has flooded the black market, selling for up to £5 a pill. The white or orange tablets induce feelings of euphoria and relaxation, but can be highly addictive and even deadly when consumed alongside other drugs, such as opioids. Dan Brocksopp works as a young persons team leader at PROPS, a recovery service which aims to improve the lives of families affected by alcohol and drug use in Newcastle and North Tyneside. He said: "Substance misuse, alcohol and drugs, is becoming an ever- increasing problem. With pregabalin, people who are using it should only be getting it through their GP or hospitals. "It's finding its way into the wrong hands, and then it's getting distributed through the local communities. "Not a lot of people know the risks associated with pregabs as they've bought it off the street. When a drug is prescribed, the doctor takes into account the patient's age and size and tolerance. "That obviously doesn't happen when it's taken illegally. "We are concerned that pregabs are becoming an ever-growing issue alongside other drugs including alcohol. "Pregabs are being intercepted as they travel through hospitals and GP surgeries. People are getting them prescribed and then selling them on to make a little bit of money. "They are mainly used to treat epilepsy, anxiety and nerve pain. If someone is presenting themselves to a GP with those conditions, they can be prescribed them. "With any drug there is a street value. People can make money from them. With epilepsy you'd have to be diagnosed, there would have to be proof of that. "But high levels of anxiety are hard to prove, so people are presenting with these issues, and realising they can get pregabs. They then distribute them and sell them. "Like any drug it Pregabs can suppress thoughts and feelings and reduce anxiety. It can also suppress physical pain, and that's what it is prescribed for in terms of nerve damage." Dan added: "Mixed with other drugs, pregabs become highly dangerous. "In terms of anti-social behaviour, what we do find is that people tend to act erratically when they are taking illicit substances. "When the effects of the drug wear off, it can increase insomnia, pain and anxiety. You might be in discomfort which could cause you to make decisions you otherwise wouldn't when out in the community. "Because pregabs are prescription-only drugs you can sell them for up to £5 tablet, and a lot more inside prisons. "But also vulnerable people who are actually prescribed pregabs for a genuine medical problem are exploited and the drugs are taken from these people to sell." 'Misspent millions' 17 17 One man, who wanted to remain anonymous, added: "Being named as one of the best places to live is a load of rubbish. It's definitely going downhill. "This place is all second-hand shops and all of the banks are closing down. "You see loads of homeless people unfortunately. "Even little things like the roads. If you look at them you will see lots of potholes. "They've spent millions on the seafront and the Spanish City, but the investment should have been spread. "That investment hasn't exactly brought lots of jobs here, only for council workers and contractors from down south. "If you look at South Shields, you can cycle from there to Newcastle on the new cycle paths they put in. "But you couldn't do that on this side of the river, and we're closer to the city than South Shields." Rising crime rates 17 17 According to Street Check data, the crime rate in and around North Parade is classed as high, with 288 reported crimes per 1,000 people. The national average is 88. In Whitley Bay as a whole the figure is much lower, at 89 crimes per 1,000 people. Leslie, 70, who didn't want to give her surname, said: "There are a lot of druggies in the guesthouses. "They have changed a lot of the accommodation to halfway houses where the people are coming off drugs or drink. "But they're not clean because I know people who live on them. There are a lot of druggies in the guesthouses. They have changed a lot of the accommodation to halfway houses where the people are coming off drugs or drink Leslie "There's no way of policing people using drugs, so it's an issue. Who looks after these people?" She added: "There are nice parts. Park View, the high street, is good, but there are parts that let the place down. "Even the pavements are bad. I saw an old lady fall over the other day because it's all uneven and she stumbled and fell. "There needs to be better investment for things like that." Around the corner three young men in tracksuits holding a crate of lager are seen hurrying across the street and into a flat, locking the door behind them. Hotel hell Brian Place found himself begging on the streets after his benefits were stopped. The 45-year-old, who lives in a nearby residential home, said: "It is a bit bad around here. The people who get put in the hotels cause trouble. "It was voted as the best place to live but those people haven't seen the streets or the shopping bits. "I do think it has started to clam down with the drunks, but it has been bad." One woman walking her dog through the town who didn't want to be named added: "The people in the hotels gather in clusters. "You often see them outside Home Bargains with the police outside. "We used to have lots of pubs and clubs, but at least they were making money. "We have the Dome, which do good meals, but it's very expensive. "The stuff they have spent the money on doesn't appeal to everyone. "If you walk along the streets you can tell where the nice stuff is, for the people with money. "Then you come into the centre and it's Home Bargains and charity shops." Tackling anti-social behaviour 17 Northumbria Police's Chief Inspector David Morrison, of North Tyneside Area Command, said: "We take every crime reported to us seriously and carry out a number of initiatives across the year to ensure Whitley Bay remains a safe and welcoming place for everyone. "During the summer months this includes Operation Coastwatch, which involves extra patrols, preventative work on the transport network to disrupt and stop any disorder before it reaches communities, and beach wardens to monitor coastal activity. "In the first six months of this year alone we saw a 19 per cent fall in the number of reported anti-social behaviour incidents in the town, compared with the same period in 2024. "We are not complacent, however, and are aiming to build on these excellent results. "Alongside our partner organisations, including North Tyneside Council, we carry out regular high-visibility patrols to identify any issues and act upon them. "We remain absolutely committed to tackling all forms of criminality in the community and anyone living in the area who has concerns should contact us so that we take the appropriate action. "Anyone found responsible for criminal behaviour will be dealt with to the full extent of the law." Rejuvenation hopes 17 17 Peter Mennell, Director of Housing at North Tyneside Council, said: "Whitley Bay has undergone a major transformation in recent years, with significant investment from the Council and private sector partners helping to breathe new life into the town. "The seafront has been revitalised, local businesses are thriving, and the town consistently ranks among the best places to shop — a real sign of the pride and happiness people feel here. "In the first six months of this year, reports of anti-social behaviour in Whitley Bay have fallen by 19 per cent, reflecting the positive impact of regular patrols and joint initiatives such as Operation Coastwatch. "Our work with Northumbria Police and partners ensures a strong, visible presence throughout the town, and we're committed to building on this success. "Our Community Protection Team and Northumbria Police work closely with residents and businesses to keep Whitley Bay safe and welcoming. "We encourage people to come and talk to us at community consultations and events — because working together is how we'll continue to tackle any issues and make the town an even better place to live, work and visit." 17
Daily Mail
32 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Why did it take so long for Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodriguez to get engaged? Portuguese footballer proposes years after rape allegations and media speculation
Is there ever a right time to propose? Probably not, but as wise men famously say, only fools rush in, and as many fans across the world will happily testify, Cristiano Ronaldo is no fool. The Portuguese footballer confirmed his engagement to long-term girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez on Monday evening after proposing with an extravagant diamond ring. But if Ronaldo's Instagram revelation was a surprise to his millions of fans, it was only because many of them had assumed the couple were already married. And why wouldn't they? After all, more than a decade has passed since their eyes first met across the well appointed shop floor of a Spanish Gucci store. At the time Ronaldo was at the peak of his career, an icon for local club Real Madrid and the Portuguese national team, while Rodriguez was a part-time model who supplemented her income as a shop assistant at the high-end boutique, located within the historic boulevards of Madrid's Salamanca. One could've been forgiven for writing the romance off as a casual fling, but the ensuing ten years have seen it go from strength to strength, and neither have moved to discredit persistent claims of a secret marriage. Indeed, even Ronaldo has referred to long-term partner Rodriguez as his 'wife' - notably during a recent podcast. But the events of Monday now confirm the footballer has only just asked for her hand in marriage, which begs the question - why did it take so long? Perhaps we'll never know the answer, but the last ten years have not been without their fair share of turbulence - both on and off the pitch. Ronaldo had been Real Madrid's talisman for seven years and was already a father to son Cristiano Jr when he met Rodriguez, but his whirlwind career would see the couple uprooted to northern Italy when he signed for Juventus in 2018. It was a period of significant change for the couple, with Ronaldo welcoming twins Eva and Mateo via a San Diego based surrogate in June 2017 - just five months before Rodriguez gave birth to their first biological child, daughter Alana Martin. However the move to Turin took precedence as he adapted to life in a new city and a highly competitive new league after close to a decade in the Spanish capital. But there would be precious little time to settle, with the family once more on the move in 2021 - this time to England, with Ronaldo making a surprise return to the Premier League and Manchester United. It was a homecoming of sorts for the Portuguese ace, who had established himself as one of the world's brightest talents during his first, trophy-laden spell with United. And just months after arriving in Manchester there was joy on a personal front for Ronaldo, with Rodriguez confirming her second pregnancy - this time with her own twins, a boy and a girl. But the couple were devastated when their male twin tragically died during childbirth the following April - a loss they later described as 'the greatest pain.' 'It is with our deepest sadness we have to announce that our baby boy has passed away. It is the greatest pain that any parents can feel,' read an announcement shared by the couple. 'Only the birth of our baby girl gives us the strength to live this moment with some hope and happiness. 'We would like to thank the doctors and nurses for all their expert care and support. We are all devastated at this loss and we kindly ask for privacy at this very difficult time. 'Our baby boy, you are our angel. We will always love you.' The couple's heartache mirrored a torrid spell in Manchester, with Rodriguez reportedly unable to settle in Lancashire and Ronaldo failing to replicate his earlier successes with United. Indeed, the footballer's inability to form a cohesive working relationship with then-manager Erik Ten Hag would ultimately lead to his early departure from the club, but not before launching a blistering public attack on the Dutchman during a sit-down interview with Piers Morgan. Another move beckoned, and a hasty one at that, this time to Saudi Arabia, the arab riches of Riyadh based football club Al Nassr and the rapidly developing Saudi Pro League. Three years on and the couple appear to be settled in Saudi, where Ronaldo - now 40-years old and well past the age of conventional footballing retirement - recently signed a contract extension worth an incredible £167million-per-year. Rodriguez has been a constant by Ronaldo's side as his career takes him all over the world Rodriguez has of course become something of a celebrity in her own right, albeit through association, having launched a hugely successful fly-on-the-wall docuseries with streaming giant Netflix. But despite the domestic stability it promotes, there has been persistent conjecture surrounding the circumstances and setting in which the couple first met. Both parties have always maintained they met by chance while Ronaldo was visiting a Gucci store in Madrid, where Rodriguez worked as a sales assistant, but separate sources tell a rather different story. Appearing on Spanish TV show Fiesta in June, a former friend alleged they really met at famous Madrid nightspot Opium, a venue Rodriguez frequented in the hope of meeting wealthy sportsmen. According to the friend, Rodriguez 'always had interest in athletes, especially footballers' prior to her initial meeting with Ronaldo. 'If it hadn't been Cristiano, it would've been someone else,' she claimed. It was an unsubstantiated claim, and one the couple could easily dismiss after weathering a significantly heavier storm in 2018, when Ronaldo faced historic accusations of rape. But the couple were devastated when their male twin tragically died during childbirth the following April - a loss they later described as 'the greatest pain' Kathryn Mayorga waived her right to anonymity by alleging the footballer had raped her in a Las Vegas hotel room in 2009 before subsequently paying her £375,000 in hush money. Ronaldo has vehemently denied the claims. Releasing a statement in October 2018, he said: 'I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me. Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in.' Mayorga, a former teacher and model from the Las Vegas area, was 25 when she met Ronaldo at a nightclub in 2009 and went with him and other people to his hotel suite. She alleged in her lawsuit filed almost a decade later that the star, then 24, sexually assaulted her in a bedroom. Ronaldo, through his lawyers, maintained the sex was consensual and that the confidentiality agreement reached in 2010 was valid. In November 2023, a U.S. appeals court sided with Ronaldo, rejecting an appeal by Mayorga's lawyer to force the star to pay millions more than the $375,000 (£299,385) in hush money he originally paid. Mayorga's lawyer had asked the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a federal judge's dismissal of the case in Las Vegas in June 2022 and reopen the civil lawsuit she filed in 2018. They argued U.S. District Judge Jennifer Dorsey should not have rejected Mayorga's attempts to unseal and make public the confidentiality agreement she signed in 2010 in accepting payments from Ronaldo. A three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based appellate court disagreed. It also rejected their argument that the judge abused her discretion by dismissing the case with prejudice, which prevented Mayorga from re-filing the case, and took the unusual step of levying a $335,000 (£267,450) fine against her lawyer, Leslie Mark Stovall. 'The district court clearly recognised the gravity of dismissing the case and accordingly provided a thorough analysis, amply supported by factual findings,' Judge Johnnie Rawlinson wrote in a six-page opinion. In dismissing the case in Nevada, Dorsey sanctioned Stovall for 'bad faith,' saying he had improperly attempted to use documents that were leaked or stolen in a cyberattack to pursue Mayorga's case. Stovall told the 9th Circuit panel during oral arguments in October that Mayorga wasn't bound by the confidentiality agreement because Ronaldo or his associates violated it before the German news outlet, Der Spiegel, published an article in April 2017 titled 'Cristiano Ronaldo's Secret' based on documents obtained from 'the whistleblower portal Football Leaks.' Las Vegas police reopened a rape investigation after Mayorga's lawsuit was filed, but Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson decided in 2019 not to pursue criminal charges. He said too much time had passed and evidence failed to show that Mayorga's accusation could be proven to a jury. Mayorga's lawsuit claimed conspiracy, defamation, breach of contract, coercion and fraud. By the time Dorsey threw out the case, Stovall claimed Mayorga would receive far more than $25 million (£19.9m) in damages. The 9th Circuit ruling noted the 2010 settlement 'lay dormant until 2017, when `Football Leaks' released hundreds of documents through a cyber hack of Ronaldo's former attorneys.' 'Despite the settlement and confidentiality agreement between Ronaldo and Mayorga, Stovall sought and used documents from 'Football Leaks' - including those clearly marked attorney-client privileged - to prosecute a new lawsuit on behalf of Mayorga against Ronaldo,' the circuit court said. Having weathered their fair share of storms, Ronaldo and Rodriguez are now looking ahead to what will likely be an extravagant wedding ceremony. But will it be another ten years in the making? Only time will tell.
Telegraph
32 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Why did we ignore this glorious classic musical for 35 years?
If there is to be a revival of Lerner and Loewe's unrepentantly whimsical 1947 musical – and there hasn't been one in London for 35 years – then Regent's Park Open Air Theatre is the place to do it. Known primarily through the 1954 film starring Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse, Brigadoon has enchantment in its bones, demanding its audience buy into the idea of a magical Highland village that emerges from the mist for just one day every 100 years. That is considerably easier to do with an outdoor venue in which the falling dusk during evening performances is an inbuilt part of the scenery. And if Drew McOnie's effervescent yet punchy production – the first he has directed since taking over the venue this year – relies on admittedly flimsy source material, then so be it. This show is delightful. There's a hint of Powell and Pressburger's 1946 film A Matter of Life and Death to Rona Munro 's new adaptation, which accentuates the musical's Second World War setting by changing the two American men who find themselves lost in rural Scotland on May Day, 1945, from hunters to shot-down pilots. Is the idyllic village that suddenly appears to them, with its indefatigably happy residents blissfully unaware of the war (indeed, they have no concept of modernity at all), the hallucination of Tommy and Jeff, who are badly damaged by the horrors they have witnessed on the battlefield? Or have the pilots willed the village into being as an alternative to the prospect of dying on the hills before they can be saved? Either way, Munro subtly reinforces the idea of fantasy as a self-protective mechanism by suggesting the village itself originally 'disappeared' in order to escape the 1745 Jacobite uprising. Reality and dream co-exist in both uneasy and bewitching ways in this sensitive update, even as it unapologetically rests on Lerner's undeniably barmy book in which the wounded Tommy falls in love with local girl Fiona (a winning Danielle Fiamanya; she shares the role with Georgina Onuorah) whom he is to lose at midnight when the village vanishes, unless he commits himself to living in Brigadoon forever. McOnie's production retains Brigadoon's old-fashioned MGM musical quality with beautifully choreographed Oklahoma! -style scenes of swirling village women in full skirts and lace-up boots, and men merrily loading wagons with milk churns, images that knowingly lean into the idea of the art form itself as escapism incarnate. Loewe's score is pure romance, too, with its swooning harmonies led by filigree fiddles, the melodies unashamedly pretty. Basia Binkowska's set, with its sloping wood-clad walls and inclines, bears an unfortunate resemblance to a provincial ecology centre, but the pink and blue hue of the lights and the abundance of gorse and heather provide twinkling compensation, as does powerful use of a couple of pipers, particularly during a desolate funeral scene. There are some fine performances – notably from Gilli Jones as a puppyish Charlie and Jasmine Jules Andrews as Fiona's spirted sister Jean, whose marriage the villagers are celebrating. There is darkness, too, in the subsumed violence of an en pointe sword dance, and in Danny Nattrass's performance as the embittered Harry, desperately, unhappily in love with Jean. He provides a haunting counterfoil to the utopian happiness the village supposedly embodies. And as that dusk falls, Munro's ending neatly resolves the plot, while leaving a few unsettling questions lingering in the night air. At Regent's Park Open Air Theatre until Sept 20
