Our pick of what's new and what's closing this week
Be There First: London Shows Opening
The Rivals opens tonight at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. It's a transfer from Bath: directed by Peter Hall, starring Penelope Keith (Margot to you and me) as Mrs Malaprop and Peter Bowles as Sir Anthony Absolute. Barbra & Frank: The Concert That Never Was comes to the New Player's Theatre from Thursday: bringing a Las Vegas tribute show to the West End for Christmas. Ideal for those who like that sort of thing.
The award-winning Black Watch returns to the Barbican from Saturday: the National Theatre of Scotland's powerful play about frontline soldiering and the complex and uncomfortable reality of war.
For kids, you can choose between two Little Angel Theatre shows: Fantastic Mr Fox transfers to the Royal Albert Hall from Thursday, or you can see a puppet-based Alice in Wonderland at the Little Angel Theatre itself from Saturday. Seasonal favourite The Gruffalo returns at the Garrick Theatre from tomorrow.
And the first of London's pantos shouts "He's behind you" from Greenwich this week. Cinderella opens on Thursday, promising everything you've come to expect from the genre.
Our solitary dance pick this week is Rambert: Season of New Choreography at the Royal Opera House's Linbury Studio. If you know about more top Londony dance this week, let us know in the comments.
For art and exhibitions, we like the sound of Modernist Hampstead: The Tradition of the New exploring Hampstead's legacy of modernist architecture, art, literature and thought from Thursday. Friday sees Bloomberg New Contemporaries open at the ICA: the pick of London's recent graduates' work. Also from Friday, look out for Mat Collishaw's Magic Lantern: a zoetrope of fluttering moths in the uppermost cupola of the V&A. Photography fans can see Waterline: Cruising Photography 1925-1970 at the National Maritime Museum from Saturday. (Photos from holiday cruises: what were you imagining?)
Last Chance To See: London Shows Closing
The First London Iranian Film Festival closes on Friday.
Arthur Miller's Broken Glass closes at the Tricycle Theatre on Saturday, as does Charged at the Soho Theatre, Design For Living at the Old Vic, Passion at the Donmar Warehouse and the Rocky Horror Show at Richmond Theatre.
And Russian Criminal Tattoos closes at 4 Wilkes Street gallery on Sunday. Enjoy!
Above photo of Peter Bowles and Penelope Keith in The Rivals at Theatre Royal Haymarket by Nobby Clark
