The Steeple Times

Category: Theatre

The Steeple Times reviews Theatre, Opera and Plays

  • Reader Event – An Evening with Steven Berkoff: An Acclaimed Actor Who Walks Against The Woke

    Reader Event – An Evening with Steven Berkoff: An Acclaimed Actor Who Walks Against The Woke

    Matthew Steeples invites you to a discussion-dinner with ‘A Clockwork Orange’ and ‘Rambo’ star Steven Berkoff in London on Wednesday 26th November

    Matthew Steeples invites you to PJ’s Chelsea Brasserie in London for an evening where he and Steven Berkoff will converse not only about an astounding career that began in the 1960s that has seen this “go-to villain” appear in  Octopussy, Rambo, The Tourist and The Krays, but also one of a “baddie of umpteen blockbusters” who’d actually like to be remembered just as “a man who walked against the tide.”

     

    Always a disruptor and anything but timid, this actor, writer and producer’s views on everything from his fellow thespians to the #MeToo movement will be visited. Steeples will ask Berkoff about when he played Harvey Weinstein in a one-man show and delve into the darkness and satire of Greek and East; there will be exploration of Berkoff’s life growing up in London’s East End after the Second World War and a tour of his time at the heights of Hollywood and more recently in  hits such as The Vikings and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

     

    On 26th November at PJ’s Chelsea Brasserie – following on from rip-roaring evenings with amongst others Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York author Andrew Lownie and Manhunt and Crime Suspect host Peter Bleksley – you will get to enjoy a delicious 3-course dinner after 45-minutes of conversation and questions with this taboo-breaking actor best known for his “Berkovian theatre” style. Of one thing be certain, this will be a night where there’ll be nothing ‘woke’ on the menu either literally or figuratively.

    Tickets are priced at £85 per person and include a glass of Prosecco on arrival and half a bottle of either red or white wine per person also with dinner.

     

    Taking no prisoners: The wise words of Steven Berkoff against woke wazzockery…

    • “We are becoming people who have everything and feel nothing.”
    • “I like evil people… I’m like a surgeon who is happiest when working with a very diseased body.”
    • “When I write about working class people I do so in ways that reveal them at their absolute magnificent worst.”
    • “Now on a Saturday night it’s Strictly Come Dancing… Sometimes I look at it and there is something in it that actually turns my guts.”
    • “Pubs should stay open… People should be meeting, communicating. People need somewhere to love each other, talk to each other. The one cultural outlet is the bloody pub.”
    •  

    Booking

    TIMINGS

    • The event is to be held on Wednesday 26th November 2025.
    • Arrivals for Prosecco in a private setting on the first floor of PJ’s Chelsea Brasserie from 6.30pm.
    • Matthew Steeples in conversation with Steven Berkoff at 7pm prompt with audience questions to follow for 45 minutes.
    • 3-course dinner with wine, with options for those with particular dietary requirements, to follow. Guests will have the opportunity to chat with Steven Berkoff and Matthew Steeples during the dinner.
    • After dinner, guests will be welcome to continue discussions downstairs at the legendary PJ’s bar for further cocktails and conversation.

     

    ADDRESS

    • The event is to be held at PJ’s Chelsea Brasserie, 52 Fulham Road, Chelsea, London, SW3 6HH.
    • The nearest London Underground station is South Kensington (District, Circle and Piccadilly lines); it is located just 5 minutes away on foot.
    • The event is to be held on the first floor of the building; access is by staircase only.

     

    PAYMENT FOR TICKETS AND BOOKING QUERIES

    Deadline for booking – Wednesday 26th November 2025 at 12 noon; tickets can only be purchased in advance and guest names must be supplied for allocated place settings.

    Tickets can be purchased at a rate of £85 per person. Please make payment by bank transfer to:

    • Bank: Barclays Bank
    • Account Name: Longreach Publishing Limited
    • Sort Code: 20-90-74
    • Account Number: 63608697
    • IBAN: GB13BUKB20907463608697
    • SWIFTBIC: BUKB
    • Please reference payments “BERKOFF” and include your surname and the surnames of any guests also to aid our record keeper.

    Should you have any queries of questions, please contact Jane Monckton at [email protected]

     

    SET MENU – 3 course dinner, Wednesday 26th November 2025

    The ticket price includes a glass of Prosecco on arrival, ½ a bottle of either red or white wine per person and a choice of one of each of the following:

    STARTERS

    SEARED TUNA wasabi & avocado purée, toasted sesame seeds, yuzu and soy dressing

    SCOTCH BEEF CARPACCIO wild rocket, parmesan, mustard dressing

    BURRATINA shaved truffle, baby plum tomatoes, rocket, toasted focaccia

    CRISPY FRIED ARTICHOKES caper and herb mayonnaise

    MAINS

    THE PJ’S BURGER 8oz patty, mature cheddar cheese, bacon, iceberg lettuce, pickle, smoked crackling mayonnaise, fries

    CHICKEN MILANESE wild rocket, artichoke & Reggio cheese salad, toasted sesame, tahini honey dressing

    GRILLED SEABASS FILLET French beans, cherry tomatoes, black olives & pesto

    ROAST CAULIFLOWER STEAK chickpeas and roasted red pepper, chipotle hummus, chimichurri

    PUDDINGS

    CLASSIC CRÈME BRULEE

    BELGIAN CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE CAKE

    CHOCOLATE & VANILLA CHEESECAKE white chocolate sauce, mixed berry compote

    SELECTION OF SORBETS & ICE CREAMS three scoops

     

  • Reader Event – Will the REAL William Shakespeare please stand up?

    Reader Event – Will the REAL William Shakespeare please stand up?

    ‘The Steeple Times’ invites you to a discussion dinner with ‘The Truth Will Out’ filmmaker Amanda Eliasch, filmmaker Cheryl Eagan-Donovan and actor Ron Destro on Thursday 23rd October 2025; the question proposed will be “Will the REAL William Shakespeare please stand up?”

    • Join Matthew Steeples of The Steeple Times on 23rd October for a conversation with Amanda Eliasch, director of the forthcoming feature documentary The Truth Will Out.
    • Also on the panel will be the filmmaker Cheryl Eagan-Donovan and Ron Destro, an actor and founding director of the Oxford Shakespeare Company.
    • A discussion and questions focused on “Will the REAL William Shakespeare please stand up?” shall be followed by a 3-course dinner at PJ’s Chelsea Brasserie, London, SW3.

    Matthew Steeples invites you to PJ’s Chelsea Brasserie in London for an evening where director, writer and producer Amanda Eliasch, filmmaker Cheryl Eagan-Donovan and actor and founding director of the Oxford Shakespeare Company, Ron Destro, will discuss two enduring myths crafted to serve political and cultural agendas: that of the virginity of Queen Elizabeth I and the true authorship of William Shakespeare’s works.

     

    Amanda Eliasch is an English artist whose career has spanned photography, poetry, film and theatre. She champions the theory that Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford authored Shakespeare’s works and explores such in her forthcoming documentary film The Truth Will Out. Eliasch’s fellow panellists for this event, themselves both respected experts in this field, Cheryl Eagan-Donovan and Ron Destro, will join her to discuss the ‘elephant in the room’ that has intrigued many for so long; did William Shakespeare actually pen the plays attributed to him or was the real writer hiding under the radar?

     

    On 23rd October at PJ’s Chelsea Brasserie – following on from evenings with amongst others Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York author Andrew Lownie and Manhunt and Crime Suspect host Peter Bleksley – guests will get to enjoy a delicious 3-course dinner after 45-minutes of conversation and questions about the enigma best known as the ‘Bard of Avon’. The £75 per person ticket price includes a glass of Prosecco on arrival and half a bottle of either red or white wine per person also.

    Amanda Eliasch with Peter Bleksley at ‘The Steeple Times’ discussion dinner with Peter Bleksley in November 2024; Matthew Steeples.
    Amanda Eliasch with Peter Bleksley at ‘The Steeple Times’ discussion dinner with Peter Bleksley in November 2024; Matthew Steeples.
    Cheryl Eagan-Donovan and Ron Destro.
    Cheryl Eagan-Donovan and Ron Destro.

    To book your tickets…

    TIMINGS

    • The event will be held on Thursday 23rd October 2025.
    • Arrivals for Prosecco in a private setting on the first floor of PJ’s from 6.30pm.
    • Matthew Steeples in conversation with Amanda Eliasch, Cheryl Eagan-Donovan and Ron Destro at 7pm prompt with audience questions to follow for 45 minutes.
    • 3-course dinner, with options for those with particular dietary requirements, with wine to follow.
    • After dinner, guests will be welcome to continue discussions downstairs at the legendary PJ’s bar for further cocktails and conversation.

     

    ADDRESS

    • The event is to be held at PJ’s Chelsea Brasserie, 52 Fulham Road, Chelsea, London, SW3 6HH.
    • The nearest London Underground station is South Kensington (District, Circle and Piccadilly lines); it is located just 5 minutes away on foot.
    • The event is to be held on the first floor of the building; access is by staircase only.

     

    PAYMENT FOR TICKETS AND BOOKING QUERIES

    Deadline for booking – Wednesday 22nd October 2025 at 6pm; tickets can only be purchased in advance and guest names must be supplied for allocated place settings.

    Tickets can be purchased at a rate of £75 per person. Please make payment by bank transfer to:

    • Bank: Barclays Bank
    • Account Name: Longreach Publishing Limited
    • Sort Code: 20-90-74
    • Account Number: 63608697
    • IBAN: GB13BUKB20907463608697
    • SWIFTBIC: BUKB
    • Please reference payments “SHAKESPEARE” and include your surname also to aid our record keeper.

    Should you have any queries of questions, please contact Jane Monckton at [email protected]

     

    SET MENU – 3 course dinner, Thursday 23rd October 2025

    The ticket price includes a glass of Prosecco on arrival, ½ a bottle of either red or white wine per person and a choice of one of each of the following:

    STARTERS

    SEARED TUNA wasabi & avocado purée, toasted sesame seeds, yuzu and soy dressing

    SCOTCH BEEF CARPACCIO wild rocket, parmesan, mustard dressing

    BURRATINA shaved truffle, baby plum tomatoes, rocket, toasted focaccia

    CRISPY FRIED ARTICHOKES caper and herb mayonnaise

    MAINS

    THE PJ’S BURGER 8oz patty, mature cheddar cheese, bacon, iceberg lettuce, pickle, smoked crackling mayonnaise, fries

    CHICKEN MILANESE wild rocket, artichoke & Reggio cheese salad, toasted sesame, tahini honey dressing

    GRILLED SEABASS FILLET French beans, cherry tomatoes, black olives & pesto

    ROAST CAULIFLOWER STEAK chickpeas and roasted red pepper, chipotle hummus, chimichurri

    PUDDINGS

    CLASSIC CRÈME BRULEE

    BELGIAN CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE CAKE

    CHOCOLATE & VANILLA CHEESECAKE white chocolate sauce, mixed berry compote

    SELECTION OF SORBETS & ICE CREAMS three scoops

  • Fagin’s Bentley

    Fagin’s Bentley

    1961 Bentley S2 Continental drophead coupé owned by Golden Globe award winning actor Ron Moody – best known as ‘Fagin’ in ‘Oliver!’ – for sale for 329% more than it sold for in 2014 after restoration

    Described on their Instagram page with the quip: “After some time behind the wheel of this beautiful Bentley, you may well find yourself saying: ‘Please, sir, I want some more,’” by acclaimed Bentley and Rolls-Royce dealership Frank Dale & Stepsons, a 1961 Bentley S2 Continental drophead coupé by Park Ward owned by the late actor Ron Moody from 1968 until 2014 is currently for sale for £295,000.

     

    Restored two years ago after having been sold at Bonhams for £68,700 in June 2014, Moody – born Ronald Moodnick (1924 – 2015) – the stunning car offered is one of sixty cars built in right hand drive. Finished in ‘Valentine’s Blue’ with an off-white leather interior and blue everflex hood, the car was clearly much loved by the Oscar nominated actor given he kept it for 46 years.

     

    Of it, Frank Dale & Stepsons comment:

     

    “The current owner began improving the car in 2014 following several years of limited use by Mr Moody.”

     

    “The mechanical works in recent years include but are not limited to the brakes being rebuilt, overhauling the fuel system including the carburettors, a new exhaust system, overhauling the power steering, a new propshaft, restoration of the radiator and overhauling the heating system, restored rear springs as well as general servicing and maintenance.”

     

    “The cosmetics have also been hugely improved with the car benefitting from coachwork structural repairs and a bare metal re-paint in the cars original colour as well as restoration to the chrome. The power hood was also recently retrimmed in blue everflex as per the original specification from 1961.”

     

    “The finished car presents and drives beautifully following these works and is complete with two large binders covering the history, one dedicated to the cars life up until 2014 and one covering the significant improvements over the past few years with invoices and photographs documenting the process. Chassis No BC6CZ comes complete with its original handbook and a wonderful back story having been owned and cherished by Mr Fagin himself for so many years.”

     

    Fagin’s Bentley – Ex-Ron Moody 1961 Bentley S2 Continental for sale – 1961 Bentley S2 Continental drophead coupé owned by Golden Globe award winning actor Ron Moody – best known as ‘Fagin’ in ‘Oliver!’ – for sale for 329% more than it sold for in 2014 after restoration. Offered by Frank Dale & Stepsons for £295,000 ($413,000, €339,000 or درهم1.5 million).
    Ron Moody is best remembered as Fagin in Lionel Bart’s stage and film musical ‘Oliver!’ – based on Charles Dickens’ ‘Oliver Twist’ – and of it commented: My proudest moment was the number ‘Reviewing the Situation.’ I suspect that, because I gave my all to the role, and because I was working with such a fine team of people, it inhibited my future career. I turned down quite a few offers afterwards because I thought the people didn’t come close to those I’d worked with on ‘Oliver!’ –which in retrospect was a mistake.”
    Fagin’s Bentley – Ex-Ron Moody 1961 Bentley S2 Continental for sale – 1961 Bentley S2 Continental drophead coupé owned by Golden Globe award winning actor Ron Moody – best known as ‘Fagin’ in ‘Oliver!’ – for sale for 329% more than it sold for in 2014 after restoration. Offered by Frank Dale & Stepsons for £295,000 ($413,000, €339,000 or درهم1.5 million).
    Fagin’s Bentley – In January 2014, ‘The Steeple Times featured the sale of another acclaimed actor’s Bentley S2 – this came in the form of a Continental Flying Spur, also produced in 1961, that had been owned by Gregory Peck. At the time it was guided at a price of between £137,000 and £182,000.

    The Numbers

    May 2021 – Offered for sale by Frank Dale & Stepsons for £295,000 ($413,000, €339,000 or درهم1.5 million).

    27th June 2014 – Sold at auction by Bonhams for £68,700 ($96,000, €79,000 or درهم353,000).

    Fagin’s Bentley – Ex-Ron Moody 1961 Bentley S2 Continental for sale – 1961 Bentley S2 Continental drophead coupé owned by Golden Globe award winning actor Ron Moody – best known as ‘Fagin’ in ‘Oliver!’ – for sale for 329% more than it sold for in 2014 after restoration. Offered by Frank Dale & Stepsons for £295,000 ($413,000, €339,000 or درهم1.5 million).
    Fagin’s Bentley – Ex-Ron Moody 1961 Bentley S2 Continental for sale – 1961 Bentley S2 Continental drophead coupé owned by Golden Globe award winning actor Ron Moody – best known as ‘Fagin’ in ‘Oliver!’ – for sale for 329% more than it sold for in 2014 after restoration. Offered by Frank Dale & Stepsons for £295,000 ($413,000, €339,000 or درهم1.5 million).
    Fagin’s Bentley – Ex-Ron Moody 1961 Bentley S2 Continental for sale – 1961 Bentley S2 Continental drophead coupé owned by Golden Globe award winning actor Ron Moody – best known as ‘Fagin’ in ‘Oliver!’ – for sale for 329% more than it sold for in 2014 after restoration. Offered by Frank Dale & Stepsons for £295,000 ($413,000, €339,000 or درهم1.5 million).
    Fagin’s Bentley – Ex-Ron Moody 1961 Bentley S2 Continental for sale – 1961 Bentley S2 Continental drophead coupé owned by Golden Globe award winning actor Ron Moody – best known as ‘Fagin’ in ‘Oliver!’ – for sale for 329% more than it sold for in 2014 after restoration. Offered by Frank Dale & Stepsons for £295,000 ($413,000, €339,000 or درهم1.5 million).
    Fagin’s Bentley – Ex-Ron Moody 1961 Bentley S2 Continental for sale – 1961 Bentley S2 Continental drophead coupé owned by Golden Globe award winning actor Ron Moody – best known as ‘Fagin’ in ‘Oliver!’ – for sale for 329% more than it sold for in 2014 after restoration. Offered by Frank Dale & Stepsons for £295,000 ($413,000, €339,000 or درهم1.5 million).