Dubai got a taste of the London nightlife scene on Sunday night when British actor Jude Law hit the red carpet to open the city’s latest nightclub, The Act.
Dressed in a slim-fitting grey suit, he posed at the Shangri-la Hotel on Shaikh Zayed Road, where he’s holidaying in the UAE.
Also on the red carpet were British model Jodie Kidd and the club’s founder, Simon Hammerstein.
The Act Dubai, on the 42 floor of the hotel, is as much restaurant and theatre as it is club, with Peruvian food on the menu and performers on a stage. It is open only on Thursdays, and reservations are recommended.
“Dubai has always sought the best of everything, whether is the biggest fish tank or tallest building so now we feel it is about time to start building the culture and lifestyle, starting with the highest theatre in the world,” said Hammerstein.
“Everyone loves to mix highbrow and lowbrow, we want an old-school classy room with which to trash every night and have as much fun as possible in. Don’t you see a table and think mini dance floor?”
Local performers will be part of the show, he added. “We started working a few months ago with the production team from Vegas and New York to work on the local and regional talent to integrate them in the Dubai show as they are integral in the culture we are trying to build.”
Kidd, who has been to the club’s other venues in New York and London said to expect the unexpected. “It’s quite fabulous and quite bonkers, so we’ll see how it is -- slightly toned down.”
She wore a royal blue jewelled dress to the black-tie event (male guests were required to wear tuxedoes, although apparently Law was exempt from that).
“I’d call it a nightclub,” said Hammerstein. “Most nightclubs served food from the beginning of civilization up until the 80s. The food will be Peruvian, fast becoming one of the top new emerging cuisines in the culinary world. Fresh new flavours and unique tastes waiting to be discovered.”
