Arts Ahead: What's On In London 22-28 March

By Zoe Craig Last edited 156 months ago
Arts Ahead: What's On In London 22-28 March

Our pick of the dance, theatre, exhibitions and opera opening in London this week

Be There First: London Shows Opening

First up this week is dance, and one of the highlights of Sadler's Wells' season: a collaboration between pop legends The Pet Shop Boys, renowned choreographer Javier De Frutos and playwright/director Matthew Dunster. But we're fairly sure if you haven't already got your tickets for The Most Incredible Thing, you might struggle: it's sold out at many of the online outlets we tried this morning...

Tonight the following shows open on London's theatre scene: Anna Karenina at the Arcola Theatre; The Birthday Of The Infanta at the Unicorn Theatre; and The (brilliantly, Frenchily quirky) Umbrellas of Cherbourg at the Gielgud Theatre.

From Wednesday, humour comes to the Hackney Empire, as Hamlet Clown Prince sees a group of clowns messing their way through Shakespeare's greatest text, getting muddled and mixed up, looking for the essence of Hamlet.

From Friday, Sunday Morning At The Centre Of The World is an exciting-sounding new play at the Southwark Playhouse. Half the audience is blindfolded, and experiences the story through dialogue, sound effects, smell and touch; the other half watches this played out in front of them, as a play within a play. And writer Louis de Bernières will appear as a surprise guest narrator at selected performances.

Two opera picks for you this week: Peter Brook's adaptation of A Magic Flute opens at the Barbican on Wednesday; Monteverdi's epic The Return of Ulysses opens at the Young Vic on Thursday.

Opening today in arts and exhibitions is At Home in Japan: Beyond The Minimal House at the Geffrye Museum, looking at Japanese interior design. Over at the Science Museum, you can see a new permanent exhibition called James Watt and Our World, recreating the attic workshop of the inventor's Birmingham home. From Thursday, Dirt is the new exhibition at the Wellcome Collection: 200 exhibits documenting dirt and cleanliness, and our attitudes towards these states over the centuries. From Friday, Street Cries: Depictions of London's Poor comes to the Museum of London. And from Saturday, you can enjoy a collaboration between the V&A and the Horniman Museum in The Art of Harmony: The V&A and Horniman Music Collections at the Horniman itself.

London Shows Closing: Last Chance to See

There are a few things closing at the King's Head Theatre (London's Little Opera House) this week: the Olivier Award-winning La Boheme closes at the King's Head Theatre on Wednesday, The Barber of Seville (Or Salisbury) closes on Friday, and Madam Butterfly (Or Bangkok Butterfly) on Monday.

As You Like It closes at the Rose Theatre in Kingston on Saturday; and Swan Lake closes at the London Coliseum on Sunday. Enjoy.

Last Updated 22 March 2011