Here's your guide to what's going on with London's cultural calendar this week...
Be There First: London Shows Opening
Kafka's Monkey opens at the Young Vic theatre tonight: starring Kathryn Hunter, this is a witty, heart-rending and ironic tale of forces assimilation into an alien culture. More broad comedy comes to the National Theatre from tonight as James Corden attempts to look after the needs of two bosses in One Man, Two Guvnors.
Lord of the Flies is the opening show in the Open Air Theatre's season for this summer, check it out from tomorrow. Another big opening this week is Pygmalion at the Garrick Theatre, starring Kara Tointon and Rupert Everett.
The Four Stages of Cruelty comes to the Arcola from Friday: an interesting-sounding show featuring live music, period cant and physical theatre, based on Hogarth's engravings of the same name.
This week's dance picks include the Rambert Dance Company at Sadler's Wells from tonight. You can see two UK dance premieres in a single evening at the Linbury Studio from tomorrow in Clara / Howl, by Cathy Marston and Bern:Ballett. Another mixed bill is on offer at the Royal Opera House in Scenes De Ballet / Voluntaries / The Rite of Spring by the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House from Saturday.
Opera fans can see Verdi's Macbeth at the Royal Opera House from tonight. Are there any other Shakespeare characters more operatic than the Scottish Thane and Lady M?
If you're in a museumy mood, you can enjoy Stars of Music, Stage and Screen at the Jewish Museum from Wednesday.
Also opening on Wednesday are two recommended art exhibitions: photography by Taryn Simon at Tate Modern, and paintings by George Shaw in an exhibition called The Sly and Unseen Day at the South London Gallery.
The Shape of Things to Come is a new sculpture show at the Saatchi Gallery from Friday.
There are two shows for cartoon fans opening in London this week. Bell...poque – Thirty Years of Steve Bell opens at the Cartoon Museum tomorrow. And on Monday, a new display of cartoonist Dave Brown's work opens at the Westminster Reference Library: Rogues' Gallery is a display of the pictures that appear in The Independent each Saturday.
If you're entertaining little Londonistas over the long weekend, we recommend Welcome to Monsterville at the Discover Children's Storytelling Centre, From The Tiger Who Came to Tea to Mog and The Pink Rabbit at the V&A Museum of Childhood and Royal Beasts at the Tower of London, all from Saturday.
Last Chance To See: London Shows Closing
Theatre shows closing on Saturday include Silence at the Hampstead Theatre, Autumn and Winter at the Orange Tree Theatre, Ecstasy at the Duchess Theatre, Flawless – Chase The Dream at the Peacock and Moonlight at the Donmar. Sunday is your last chance to see Do We Look Like Refugees at the Riverside Studios. The Goodnight Bird closes at the Finborough on Monday.
The Hoppe Portraits are only at the National Portrait Gallery until Monday. Enjoy!
