In Transit Blog: A Musical and House of Scandal

Written By Unknown on Senin, 13 Januari 2014 | 17.35

There's nothing like a scandal to attract an audience. That's good news for Andrew Lloyd Webber, whose latest musical, "Stephen Ward," is based on a British scandal so licentious that it resulted in the resignation of two government officials and the suicide of the show's title character.

The owners of Cliveden House, the former Astor estate in Berkshire, England, where the scandal took place, are hoping to capitalize on the story as well, offering overnight stays at the house, now a high-end hotel, as part of a special package for theatergoers.

In the early 1960s, Stephen Ward was the resident osteopath of Cliveden and it was there that he helped facilitate an affair between John Profumo, the former British Secretary of State for War, and Christine Keeler, a model who also kept company with Yevgeny Ivanov, a Soviet attaché.

The affair ended in disaster a few years later with the resignation of Profumo and, later, Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. Mr. Ward, who lived in an estate cottage, took his own life after being brought to trial, and the Astor family vacated the house shortly thereafter.

The Stephen Ward Theater Break package combines two tickets to the show, which is playing at the Aldwych Theatre in London, a night's stay at One Aldwych, a luxury hotel just down the street from the theater, and another day and night at Cliveden. There, guests will receive a tour of the house, which was designed by Charles Barry, the architect of Britain's Houses of Parliament; Ward's cottage; and the grounds' gardens, which are part of Britain's National Trust. Several meals at the hotels are included.

"It is ironic that Cliveden, built in 1666 by George Villiers, 2d Duke of Buckingham, courtier and minister to King Charles II, was constructed as a hunting lodge where he could entertain his mistress, Anna Maria, Countess of Shrewsbury and that it has played a part in the dramas of history ever since. It is a magnet for politicians and royalty," Andrew Stembridge, Cliveden's managing director, said in an email. "It is a house in which to entertain and to be entertained and we enjoy keeping that tradition alive and strong."

Rates begin at around $890 for stays from now through March 1.

A version of this article appears in print on 01/12/2014, on page TR3 of the NewYork edition with the headline: Theater: A Musical and House of Scandal.

Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang

In Transit Blog: A Musical and House of Scandal

Dengan url

http://travelwisatawan.blogspot.com/2014/01/in-transit-blog-musical-and-house-of_13.html

Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya

In Transit Blog: A Musical and House of Scandal

namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link

In Transit Blog: A Musical and House of Scandal

sebagai sumbernya

0 komentar:

Posting Komentar

techieblogger.com Techie Blogger Techie Blogger