Delicious food and dazzling theatre!

I wasn’t too sad to return to work on Tuesday after a lovely Easter break, because I knew I had a great evening planned. Dinner with my wonderful mum at the newly opened Bella Italia in North Street followed by End of the Rainbow at Theatre Royal Brighton.

We indulged in Bella Italia’s new menu. 3 courses plus bread is truly extravagant for a Tuesday evening but we wanted to make sure that we got the full Bella Italia experience ;)

I had the Gamberi to start and my mum had the Calamari. Both were delicious and we couldn’t let the garlic/chili sauce that came with the prawns go to waste so we ordered some caramelised onion bread to soak up the rest!

For mains we both had pasta. We were both very impressed with the selection of meat free dishes on the menu. In the end mum ordered Pasta Capra – a tomato based pasta with vegetables and goats cheese. I had the Pollo Limone Siciliana – a light, tangy and still creamy pasta. At this point we should have stopped. But the desserts that were coming out looked far too tempting to say no. So we ordered the tiramisu and the Big Tony!! The picture below pretty much sums up how delicious they were!! I wasn’t lying when I said we indulged.

Luckily we didn’t have far to waddle over to Theatre Royal Brighton. We arrived just in time to get to our seats and see the stage come alive with the sounds of Judy Garland.

This production is set in 1968 when Judy returns to London for her much-needed come-back tour. She arrives with her soon-to-be 5th husband Mickey and long term friend and pianist Anthony. The next two hours of theatre are both hilarious and poignant. Lisa Maxwell who portrays Judy Garland captures Judy perfectly. We learn that Judy had a razor-sharp wit about her; she was able to laugh at herself and at others and she loved to argue. We see the vulnerable, tragic, self-destructive side of Judy and of course, through Lisa Maxwell’s very impressive voice, we hear those songs that made Judy famous all around the world.

If you haven’t booked tickets at Theatre Royal Brighton yet, please do. You will see why End of the Rainbow has been a hit on Broadway and the West End as you are drawn in to Judy’s turbulent relationships with the people around her and ultimately the demons that have haunted her since she was a child.

Amazing acting, singing and comedy make this a must-see show.

Katie

End of the Rainbow
29th March - 02 April, 7:45pm eves, Thurs & Sat mat 2:30pm,
Theatre Royal Brighton, New Road, Brighton, BN1 1SD

Bella Italia 
165 North Street, Brighton, BN1 1EA