Southbank Centre

Southbank Centre Review

The public has never really warmed to the Southbank Centre's hulking concrete buildings, confusing elevated walkways, and outside circular staircases, products of the Brutalist style popular when the Centre was built in the 1950s and 60s (though architecture buffs love it). But they flock to its concerts, recitals, and exhibitions.

One of the largest arts centers in the world includes the Royal Festival Hall, originally built for the 1951 Festival of Britain and refurbished in 2007. This major concert hall is truly a People's Palace, with great acoustics and good sightlines from all of its 2,900 comfortable seats. Performers range from major symphony orchestras to jazz, pop, and world music artists like Al Green, Brian Wilson, and Alison Krauss. A new tradition is the summer Meltdown Festival, where guest curators, who have included cult favorites like Lou Reed, Patti Smith, and Elvis Costello, put together esoteric programs of their favorite acts.

The smaller Queen Elizabeth Hall is more strictly classically oriented, hosting chamber orchestras, choirs, dance performances, quartets, and operatic recitals. Within the Hall, the Purcell Room provides a venue for more initmate performances such as solo recitals, spoken-word events, and chamber music.

The Hayward Gallery is home to exhibitions of leading contemporary artists such as Tracey Emin and George Condo as well as up-and-coming new faces, along with unusual exhibitions by such "outsider" artists as prisoners and mental patients.

The Centre's windswept plazas have recently been made far more user-friendly by the addition of a number of excellent cafés and restaurants encompassing a variety of cuisines. For a more formal alternative, the RFH's stylish Skylon restaurant is a good choice for a pre- or post-theatre dinner accompanied by spectacular views over the Thames.

Not officially part of the Southbank Centre but moments away on the east side of Waterloo Bridge, the National Theatre is home to some of the best productions in London (several, such as War Horse and The History Boys, have become films) at prices well below the West End. Meanwhile, film buffs will appreciate the BFI Southbank (formerly the National Film Theatre), which offers restored prints of classics, themed seasons, and the latest in foreign/independent/experimental releases in state-of-the-art cinemas, as well as talks by leading directors and screenwriters. There are also two buzzy bars and all-day restaurants. Hear leading actors, directors and writers discuss their work at the National Theatre's Platforms, a series of inexpensive early evening and afternoon talks.