Arts Ahead: What's On 10-16 January

Marianela Nunez and Thiago Soaresin in Romeo and Juliet. Photo by Dee Conway

January's cultural opening start properly this week, with ballet, Damien Hirst, Quentin Blake and more. Here are the highlights on londonist. Plus a lot of last-chance-to-see (bye bye, Jerusalem, I'll miss you!) shows, so make sure you don't miss out.

For me, it's yoga; a trip to The Ladykillers; possibly a night at the Southwark Playhouse; and writing, writing, writing; and hopefully some more writing...

Happy New Year! And Here's Your Arts Ahead for 2012

Well, here's my mighty round-up ahead of all the excitement this Olympic year from londonist.

Another Tuesday, another Arts Ahead for you. But this time, it's for the whole of 2012.

Alphabetically, you could look at it like this:

Adam Cooper, Big Dance, Cultural Olympiad, David Hockney, Exposure, Freud (Lucien), Globe Theatre, Hirst (Damien), I-Einstein on the Beach(!), Jubilee (Diamond), King Lear and Kronos Quartet, Long Day's Journey Into Night, Metamorphosis: Titian, (All) New People, Oil Tanks, Porgy and Bess, (The) Queen, Reverb, Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, (Sweeney) Todd, Umbrellas (for Singin In The Rain), Viva Forever, World Shakespeare Festival...

X.. Y... and...

Zach Braff.

That's not to mention Cate Blanchett at the Barbican's 30th birthday, Mozart at the Royal Opera House or any of the 1000s of Dickens 2012 events happening in London. Even Nick Curtis at the Standard is getting excited: does that say Annus Fabulous in that url?!

Can you see why I might've been somewhat, shall we say, restless over the Christmas break?!

I've likened the past few weeks to the clunking, jerky movements heading up a rollercoaster before you finally get to the top, look at a beautiful view all around you (thanks, Christmas in the Shire), and then, Wwwoooosh! From today I've plunged into a spinning, twisting, unrestricted, unregulated freefall that'll continue until ooh, it's all over. In the middle of September.

Welcome to 2012.

Arts Ahead 20-26 September

Roberta Marquez and Valeri Hristov in Emeralds, part of Jewels. Photo by Johan Persson

What a gorgeous photo. I think Jewels at the ROH is a real hot ticket for dance fans this week.

Elsewhere, theatreland feels like it's finally woken up after its summer snooze: there's another Tempest, two musicals, Mike Leigh's new play and more to choose from this week.

Plus, the V&A's latest blockbuster, and all the fun of the London Design Festival.

As for me, I'm headed to a preview of the Playboy of the Western World at the Old Vic. Which gives me the opportunity to share another gorgeous photo.

Robert Sheehan. Photo by Jay Brooks

Ahem.

Read the rest of this week's Arts Ahead on londonist

Arts Ahead 19 - 25 July

Ghost, Fela!, Circa: it's a week of one-syllable openings in London's theatreland. Swan, Lake too; but that doesn't count.

But I do like the sound of the Design Museum's new exhibition: Kenneth Grange, Making Modern Britain. Must try to get down there in the coming weeks.

Read more...

Arts Ahead 26 April - 2 May

Yes, there's a Royal Wedding on, but there's other things going on around London too, y'know!

Here's a guide to what's on this week in terms of big theatre, art, dance and exhibitions in London.

And what am I up to? Well, my "culture" is restricted to phoning various people to sort *our* wedding plans for June. We've passed the two-months-to-go mark, and things are picking up pace!

Read this week's Arts Ahead on londonist

Arts Ahead 19 - 25 April

There's loads of great-sounding exhibitions opening this week, in the run-up to Easter.

My four highlights are:

1. Hand Drawn London @ Museum of London (hurray for Londonist getting its own cool exhibition up at MoL!)
2. Australia Landscape @ the British Museum
3. Museum of 1951 @ Royal Festival Hall (my personal fave)
4. Let Them Eat Cake @ Wellington Arch (should totally get my future mother-in-law down to this while she continues to negotiate her way to creating our wedding cake!)

Theatre's a little quieter, and there's pretty much nothing operatic going on at all. That's Easter for you, I guess. Although Alfie Boe fans can catch the tenor entertaining the crowds at the St George's Day concert in Trafalgar Square. Alongside Matt Rawle of Zorro fame!

Read the rest of this week's Arts Ahead on londonist

Arts Ahead: 12 - 18 April

Another week, another round of Arts Ahead from Londonist. There's lots of cool-sounding dance around this week: everything from Tango to the Diaghilev Festival and more...

My week includes cooking up an "alternative" review of Betty Blue Eyes, a baby shower for Bump Rhodes, a trip to the National to see Frankenstein, and the small matter of a Hen Do at the weekend.

Here's hoping I'm still alive by next Tuesday, to update everyone on next week's arty happenings...

Read the rest of this week's Arts Ahead on londonist

Arts Ahead: 5 - 11 April

Aaaaaand, I'm back.

Yes, yes, I know. But several distractions (some wedding shaped, some career shaped, some holiday shaped) have slotted themselves into the jigsaw puzzle of my life in the last couple of months, and meant blogging's been pushed to the back of the toy cupboard.

But here's April, looking all sunny and shiny, and I'm determined to at least collate if not create on this here blog.

So, here's Arts Ahead for this week: a ramshakle collection if ever there was one.

Russian Shakespeare, pub opera, women war artists, and Lithuanian film posters. It's certainly a strange week.

My plans are simple: stay sane, get ready for the hen do, and see Betty Blue Eyes at the theatre.

Read the rest of Arts Ahead on londonist

Arts Ahead 1 - 7 February

Susan Hiller Homage to Marcel Duchamp (detail) 2008. Courtesy Timothy Taylor Gallery, London © Susan Hiller

February's here and it finally feels like London's cultural scene is waking up!

Hence this brilliant picture for Tate Britain's Susan Hiller show, opening today.

There's other brilliant stuff going on in art, theatre, dance and opera, but for me, it's a quiet week while I try to get on top of the running (minus 2 weeks to the first 10k of 2011) and get some sleep ahead of this weekends shenanigans. (Bridesmaids and Houseparties, if you really want to know.)

Read the rest of Arts Ahead on londonist here

Arts Ahead 25 - 31 January

Sniff. It's time for me to come to terms with the fact that I'm not going to see Rory Kinnear's Hamlet anytime soon.

Yes, ladies and gents, this time tomorrow, it's all over. And I didn't see it.

Ho, hum. One day, one day, I'll see Hamlet live. And it'll be a brilliant experience, I'm sure.

For me, this week, it's all about King Lear, tonight at the Roundhouse. After last week's exciting As You Like It, I have high hopes for a great production. Last time I saw it, it was with the late Pete Postlethwaite, and I wasn't terribly impressed.

There's lots of other things on in London this week. Here are my tips from Arts Ahead on londonist.

Arts Ahead 18 - 24 January

Arts Ahead for this week, and it was high time the art section of my column got some proper attention.

So, a great image, and some lovely recommendations. The Royal Academy, the London Art Fair, Tate Modern's new one, and something curated by the Scissor Sisters all made it into the mix.

One thing that struck me while I was putting together this week's piece was The Country Girl at the Apollo, and its great review from the Telegraph. Billington quite liked it too. And yet I've heard nothing about this play the whole time it's been on. Nothing from PRs requesting previews / offering interviews. Nothing in terms of reviews when it opened. And now its closing earlier than we had listed. I guess it's just one of those things... a quiet success that passed most people by.

Read the rest of Arts Ahead on www.londonist.com

Arts Ahead 11 - 17 January

It's the usual story for culture in January. A few new things opening, and an OVERWHELMING slew of things closing. Things that you've said for the last three months, "Oooh, I'd quite like to see that," and not done anything about it.

Well now, you're doomed to never see them. Doomed, I say. January weekends are full of people's birthdays (I have an almost comically long list of friends with birthdays in January) and work requests are flowing with the speed of an entire company with New Year's Resolutions to keep.

So, so long Gauguin, Canaletto, the vowel-happy Eadweard Muybridge, Rachel Whiteread, and Damian Ortega. I'm sorry I missed you, but alas, the chance is now gone.

On a more positive note, I'll start the year with some Shakespeare: the RSC's As You Like It at the Roundhouse on Monday. Looking forward to it.

Check out the rest of this week's Arts Ahead on londonist

Photo by Johan Persson shows Marianela Nunez and Carlos Acosta in Giselle

Arts Ahead for 2011

For years now, I've wanted to write an Arts Ahead column for londonist for the whole of the coming 12 months.

There's always a week or two when Art Ahead goes from fun to thin, and I worry about barrel-scraping to fill the inches.

This year, I finally got myself into gear to produce one. And very satisfying it was too!

Turns out putting together arts highlights for the whole year is harder than you think, particularly when it comes to whittling it all down to something manageable for you, dear readers...

But here we are: Read Arts Ahead for the whole of 2011. 

And a you get a picture of Shrek's bum to boot. Lucky lot.

Arts Ahead 14- 20 December

Look-y! It's a dancing squirrel!

Yes, silly season is definitely here. "It's Christmas!" as someone once shouted, and everything's gone a bit fast and loose.

And in case a dancing squirrel isn't enough to convince you everything's gone a little bit screwy on London's cultural caledar, here's some more evidence:

• David Hasselhoff's in panto in Wimbledon
• CBBC stars are doing something called Potted Panto at the Vaudeville
• the Old Vic isn't doing a panto at all, but some farce called A Flea in Her Ear

In fact, it's the latter that I'm looking forward to seeing this week. I'm taking JC and hoping that Tom Hollander lives up to the excited look on LK's face every time we talk about this show at work...

Read the rest of this week's Arts Ahead on londonist

Image shows Royal Ballet: Tales of Beatrix Potter. Photo by Johan Persson

Arts Ahead 7 - 13 December

Here's my Arts Ahead for this week from londonist.

There seems to be lots of Shakespeare in town at the moment. More than usual for December, right? It's all Shakespeare and pantos - so close and yet so far away...

I'm off to see Love Story tonight, which I'm looking forward to, despite the early reviews I've scanned. (People don't seem to like it; but "people" are late-middle-age men, and I can't remember the last NEW musical I went to...)

And I'm dithering over what to see from the RSC's offering. This week, there's Antony and Cleopatra: something I've never seen performed, despite studying it on a Shakespeare In Performance type course.

Read the rest of this week's Arts Ahead on londonist

Arts Ahead 23 - 29 November

Londonist has a new look! Have you seen it? Check out this week's Arts Ahead for a sneaky peek.

I think it's looking great, but nostalgic that I am, I kinda miss the old version too.

Anyway, there's lots of exciting things going on in London this week, particularly if you're a kid who loves kids theatre. The Little Angel Theatre is storming the city with not one but two shows, and The Gruffalo's back. Peter Hall's The Rivals opens too, at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. What a theatre. (He was on Front Row the other night, plugging his di-dah di-dah di-dah rigid iambic pentameter way of reading Shakespeare. I still don't agree.)

My week features two trips to the theatre: one to see Judy Garland The Musical: End of the Rainbow (v exciting), the second to see Stewart Lee's Vegetable Stew with JC, my sis and DM.

Will let you know how I get on.

Read the rest of this week's Arts Ahead on londonist

Arts Ahead 16 - 22 November

There's theatre, arts, dance and film in this week's Arts Ahead.

My week's all about sport and kids, though.

Yoga tonight; football at Wembley tomorrow; and a evening with M&C and baby L (officially the cutest man in my world, bar JC) on Friday.

And I'm holding out for what I hope is going to be a great show next week: End of the Rainbow at the Trafalgar Studios.

I suppose even if the storyline's missing or whatever, at least I'm getting to hear those fantastic songs sung live, instead of on that old minidisc (its a 90s thing) recording of my Mum's Diva CDs:

• The Man That Got Away
• Come Rain or Come Shine
• The Trolley Song
• Somewhere Over the Rainbow

I'll let you know how it is next week.

Read the rest of this week's Arts Ahead on londonist

Arts Ahead 9 - 15 November

I don't know about you, but this week is pretty darn busy for me.

Despite having free evenings all over the place, I'm going to be clocking up not one, or two, but THREE museum visits in three days.

Yesterday, I battled through the cold, wind and rain to the Horniman for a Haitian Altar (more on that later); this morning was all about the Imperial War Museum, and tomorrow sees a trip to the Wellcome Collction for a new exhibition called High Society. I love getting out and about, but getting into work later each day means working later in the evenings... It's a worthy trade-off, though, seeing as I'm getting to see so many exciting things.

What else is on this week? More "fashion as art", lots of new exhibitions, and just a couple of theatrey things.

Read the rest of this week's Arts Ahead on londonist

Picture shows Miss Dior, René Gruau. Circa 1960. Black ink, gouache and watercolour. Private Collection. Copyright: SARL René Gruau

Arts Ahead 2 - 8 November

Arts Ahead rolls into November, with a heap of art, theatre and dance things opening this week.

I'm going to see Rob Ryan's new show at TAG arts on Dover Street tonight, (not something I chose to include in Arts Ahead, its bound to be too busy already...) but aside from that, and despite lots of nice invites, I have no other plans for going out.

The reason: CD is coming to stay. Wo-oh yeahhhh, the Will to my Grace returns to the capital once more, armed with an oyster card and an ever-increasing knowledge of how the London Transport system works. (It's not like this oop north, y'see. You want to go somewhere in Manchester, you just walk, he's fond of telling me. I know it's not strictly true. But I never argue with CD. Like I said, he's the Will to my Grace, I don't see him nearly enough and as far as I'm concerned he can do no wrong.)

Read the rest of my Arts Ahead for londonist here

Photo shows:Antonio, Joanne Landis Carnegie Hall Studio, New York Times Magazine, 1967. Part of Drawing Fashion at the Design Museum

Arts Ahead 12 to 18 October

The combination of birthdays, wedding planning, time off and wintery weather mean I'm not up to much this week.

However, it seems my slightly self-induced lethargy is at complete odds with the rest of the world. London this week is all about theatre. No, dance. No, wait, it's all about art. No, wait, *film*.

Ah, it's one of those weeks with TOO MUCH going on. There's no way you can take in all this, and still have time to appreciate it.

Anyway, if you can bear it, here's this week's Arts Ahead from londonist