Arts Ahead 14 to 20 September on londonist

Great picture, right?

I'm still desperate to see another Matthew Bourne ballet after completely loving his Nutcracker! at the New Wimbledon Theatre a couple of Christmasses ago. That time, we were lucky enough to hear a Q&A with the man himself. Despite a few years of chasing, I've never been able to secure an interview with him for Visit London... Maybe one day...

Anyway, that's only the tutu on the top of what's happening in London this week. It's a packed one, and I've got two shows to look forward to.

• Complicite's A Disappearing Number with the in-laws-to-be (heh!)
• AND Design for Living with Moriarty at the Old Vic

On top of that, this week's Arts Ahead gave me the chance to link to one of my fave reviews from last year: Morecambe. Sometimes these things just write themselves. This is an example of one that did. I'm still proud of it a year later. (Ah, the small pleasures of your author.)

Maaan, I hope A Disappearing Number is good. There's so much hype about this show. And you know how I can sometimes react to hype. Fingers crossed for me, everyone.

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

"The Blocking is Shocking!" And Other Things I Never Think About

In the Singin' In The Rain interval at the New Wimbledon Theatre, I got chatting to another critic from the Croydon Advertiser, or some such. She was really nice, despite going for the usual cliched:

"I was wondering what you thought, because, well, you're so young! And I wondered what young people were thinking of the show. Tell me, tell me: what do young people think?"

So I told her I wasn't loving it; the "make 'em laugh" number didn't, and I was struggling to like that most likeable of characters Don Lockwood, because I didn't think he was, well, very good.

[Londonist, you'll be pleased to hear, got a more reasoned Singin' In the Rain review a few hours later.]

Then I think I surprised her (given that I've just been let out of school for the evening, right) by saying I much preferred the last production I saw: with Adam Cooper as Don, at Sadler's Wells. Different from the film, marginally better dancing than we were currently enjoying in Wimbledon (I jest), and a whole lot snappier. (Turns out the Indy didn't love it, but this was a different time for me, and I was just thrilled to be on my first trip to Sadler's Wells, out of that damp flat, enjoying big ol' London, and so on.)

She'd seen the same show, and agreed Adam Cooper was ace.

Then, she started talking about the blocking. And that's when I started to feel odd about the exchange. I never know what to say when audience members, critics, whoever, talks about a play's blocking being good or bad. I just don't get it.

Blocking: it's where people stand when they talk, right? And where they move to when they're done. That's it...

Script, music, costumes, acting, casting, scenery, voices, singing voices, the band, the audience's reaction, the auditorium, the seats, etc etc all strike me as more relevant, more interesting, more inviting of reaction than the b.l.o.c.k.i.n.g.

Surely it just is or isn't there, done, constructed. Not intricate degrees of good or bad. Perhaps I've missed something crucial, but there it is.

To me, talking about it is like enjoying a meal at a lovely restaurant, good service, great food, nice place, comfy seats and, instead of enjoying all of that, moaning about the typography on the menu being something you don't quite like.

Meh, I'm just never interested.

Londonist: Arts Ahead 12-19 November

London's arts scene has a time-travelling theme this week. See the best of November's openings and closings, and you'll traverse time from the earliest myths to the most modern art, plus a final trip to Manchester's contemporary pop scene before it leaves London altogether.

Think Impressionism was all about the French? Think again. Sisley in England and Wales opens today at the National. It's a rare chance to see rugged British landscapes rendered all soft and impressionisty. From tomorrow, explore the greatest story ever told about a building as Babylon: Myth and Reality opens at the British Museum. Critics are already raving about the BM's latest blockbuster; see for yourself from Thursday.

Another exciting blockbuster, Darwin opens on Friday, at the Natural History Museum. Look at Darwin's original manuscripts, understand the impact of the bearded one's radical ideas, and check out his specimens from live iguanas to horned frogs at this funky interactive exhibition. It's on til March if you want to avoid the first-week crowds.

Theatre travels from the sublime to the ridiculous, as one should expect. The odd-sounding Chav Scum Kills God descends into hell at the Courtyard Theatre from today; at the same time as the RSC's Tragedy of Thomas Hobbes brings revolution to London's stunning Wilton's Music Hall.

Take your kiddie-winks along to Michael Rosen's ace-sounding Pinocchio at the Polka Theatre from Friday. And Doctor Who heads into theatre as Noises Off opens at the New Wimbledon from Monday.

Last Chance To See

Never Forget! finishes its run at the Savoy on Saturday, and heads off on tour round the country. Say what you like about musicals based on a bad Take That tribute band, we bloody loved this, and so did many others. Go for the sparkling, witty choreography. That, and remarkable rain special effects.

Saturday is also your last chance to see Julian Opie's stuff at The Lisson Gallery. If you can't make it, we recommend taking a look around their lovely website anyway.

Finally, Flamenco Flamen'ka flounces out of the Lyric this weekend. Missed it? We heard it wasn't that good anyway.

Gorgeous image: Alfred Sisley (1839-1899) The Cliff at Penarth, Evening, Low Tide, 1897. © Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales. Acquired with the assistance of The Art Fund and the Gibbs Family Trust, 1993 (NMW A2695)