Clangelina: Just a normal holiday with toys, theatre (and a private show)

Hello England: Brad Pitt waves to the crowd on the set of World War Z. Photo by Daniel Gilfeather / Rex Features
Joshi Herrmann10 April 2012

For the past month, genteel Richmond has been fizzing. One of the world's most famous families, the Hollywood superstars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and their six children are in the country while Pitt films his latest movie, World War Z.

They have chosen to rent a £10 million mansion on Richmond Hill, a property whose former tenants include Johnny Depp and Catherine Zeta-Jones. So how do the mega-rich entertain such a brood - Maddox, 10, Pax, seven, Zahara, six, Shiloh, five, and twins Knox and Vivienne, three - on holiday in London? Much like the rest of us, it seems.

From pottery-painting to a floating puppet theatre, the family have been active in the capital. Here, we recall their holiday highlights - before the family chartered a Virgin train and decamped en masse to Scotland, where Pitt is filming.

Away with the fairies
All children, even those who have everything, love good old-fashioned fairytales and magic. Two fantastical West End shows, one afternoon of puppetry on the Thames and a private screening of Harry Potter have seen the Jolie-Pitts indulging their kids' imaginations as much as possible.

A spokesman for the Apollo Victoria told the Standard that the clan came to see the musical Wicked as "normal patrons" for Maddox's 10th birthday treat and "booked their tickets online" just like anyone else - although he admitted they sat in "good seats", which means the outing cost in the region of £540.

A visit to Shrek the Musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane - where the national anthem was first performed in 1745 - followed a few days later, where the family watched Amanda Holden's interpretation of the ogre-princess Fiona.

For both their West End visits the Jolie-Pitts joined hundreds of London families at matinee performances to make sure bed times could be observed. However, star power came into play when they decided to take in some puppetry on the quaint Puppet Theatre Barge.

Juliet Rogers, who co-directs the floating show, told us that the star's agent had tried to book in for the scheduled performance but, on finding that it was sold out, asked if the puppeteers could stay around for an extra run two hours later, with only the family and their entourage in the audience. They were only too pleased to oblige.

"They were very much involved and really shared it with their children," Rogers told the Standard.

"They really enjoyed the show. We spoke to them afterwards and they said how lovely the atmosphere was. I introduced them to the puppeteers and they were fascinated with the puppets on the walls."

The second part of their puppet double-bill must have appealed to the couple's environmental instincts, featuring as it does a character called Captain Grimy, whose penchant for throwing rubbish in the sea is reformed by the intervention of a golden dolphin.

Rainy days
Jolie's alter ego Lara Croft may have been inspired by one of the best-selling video games of all time but she has put her faith in traditional toys to survive London's rainy days.

The star's first visit to Richmond's Toy Station shop attracted a pack of hungry snappers outside but owner Katherine Pezeshkian has told the Standard that Angelina managed to return, unnoticed, twice more to top up the toy box.

"She bought the kind of things you sit down and play with," says Pezeshkian, such as a soap-making kit (£8.99) and the Sylvanian Families - anthropomorphic plastic figures that have made a comeback in recent years. Jolie also bought 10 £1.20 Funny Squirting Cameras, 10 toy pistols and a Ben Ten dressing-up outfit for five-year-old Shiloh. She also purchased a Doctor Who rucksack.

The shop's co-owner, Karen Khatchik, said: "The children are all so well-behaved. They'll point things out to Angelina and she's always interested in what they have to say." And it seems even one of the most famous actresses in the world is getting into the spirit of credit-crunch Britain: "She doesn't spoil the children. They are always allowed to buy a few things but mostly small items. She doesn't do over-the-top things."

More active entertainment was on offer when Jolie and all the children visited the Pottery Café on Richmond Road. They organised a private hour-long session of pottery painting with son Knox being given a free pirate figure to paint because he turned up in the requisite fancy dress outfit. Staff signed a privacy agreement but a source at the café told the Standard: "They had loads of fun."

The jollity continued at the London Aquarium, where they fed the "friendly rays" and piranha.

Shopping local
When unrest came to London's streets last week, a spokesman for the Jolie-Pitts told the press that "Angelina has visited some of the most dangerous places on the planet," and wasn't planning to "pack her suitcase" because of the riots. A few of London's small shop owners have certainly benefited from the family's Blitz spirit.

Toy Station told the Standard it had seen an increase in custom since Jolie's well publicised stop-off, with new patrons remarking that they never realised they were there until they saw the photos of Clangelina. "It's been fantastic for us - it has put us on the map," they said.

At Streets Florist in Twickenham Jolie surprised the locals when she swept in to buy some calla lilies, thistles, red roses and birthday cards. "Everyone was looking but didn't want to intrude," said the shop's owner, Sandra Nunez.

Outdoor pursuits
Pitt's admission two years ago that the couple enjoy sex sessions in a secret stone grotto in their garden made headlines around the world, and it seems the family have brought their enthusiasm for the great outdoors to London.

Only Brangelina know what goes on in the secluded garden of their rented home but public sightings in the nearby park and at their local bike shop suggest they are making the most of their leafy location.

Pitt caused a stir when he was caught shooting deer in Richmond Park last month (with his beloved camera) and while Unit 4 on the Ivybridge Retail Park in Isleworth may not sound much like a holiday destination for Hollywood's most glamorous couple, that is where the Jolie-Pitts ended up on a visit to Halfords to look at cycling accessories.

No sightings have been made of Clangelina-on-wheels yet, but when they come back from Scotland finding a Boris Bike rack with enough free cycles for them all might be Mummy Jolie's biggest holiday challenge.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in