Arts Ahead: What's On In London 29 November – 5 December

By Zoe Craig Last edited 148 months ago
Arts Ahead: What's On In London 29 November – 5 December

Arts Ahead is sponsored by The Ladykillers which opens from 26 November at The Gielgud Theatre.

THEATRE Lenny Henry stars in The Comedy of Errors at the National Theatre, which opens tonight. Tickets have sold fast: let’s hope he lives up to the hype. Another hyped show is the German Hamlet, opening at the Barbican tomorrow. Six characters, digital imagery, and a lot of mud star in this modern-day interpretation. Also opening tomorrow is A Round-Heeled Woman at Aldwych Theatre, about a woman in her 60s looking for love.

Elsewhere there are lots of children’s shows opening in time for the festive period this week. Choose from Cinderella at Chickenshed from tomorrow; The Snow Queen at the Unicorn from Thursday; Aladdin at the Lyric Hammersmith from Friday; The Enormous Turnip at Jackson’s Lane from Friday; or Cinderella at the Hackney Empire from Saturday.

DANCE Fans can choose from the traditional: The Nutcracker opens at the Royal Opera House on Saturday, or the modern: Undance is a new collaboration between composer Mark-Anthony Turnage, choreographer Wayne McGregor and artist Mark Wallinger, which has its world premier at Sadlers Wells this week.

OPERA This week's opera highlight is surely Orpheus In The Underworld at the Young Vic from tomorrow: Rory Bremner’s translated Offenbach’s opera, and updated it for our media-savvy times.

CLASSICAL Caught Christmas fever early? Head to St John's Smith Square, the fantastic former church nestled near the Houses of Parliament, on Saturday where one of Cambridge's best college choirs will sing a range of seasonal music.

On the more youthful side of live classical music in London, Yellow Lounge, a major record label promotion, returns for its second classical club night (of which more here) on Friday. Two major young artists, pianist Alice Sara Ott and violinist Janine Jansen perform at the Old Vic Tunnels in  Waterloo.

ART Photography fans should head to the National Theatre from Thursday for the Landscape Photographer of the Year exhibition. Mapping London is another free show opening on Thursday; this time at Daniel Crouch Rare Books near Green Park. And on Friday, the last of our suggestions for free art exhibitions opens at the Black Rat Projects in Shoreditch: Murmuration is a new installation by New York street artist Swoon.

If you're excited about anything else opening this week, let us know in the comments below...

This week's Arts Ahead is sponsored by The Ladykillers

THE LADYKILLERS comes to life on stage in a hilarious and thrilling new adaption by Graham Linehan (Father Ted) and directed by Sean Foley (The Play What I Wrote).

Featuring a stellar cast of some of the finest stage and screen comedy actors including BAFTA winner Peter Capaldi (The Thick of It) as Professor Marcus along with James Fleet (The Vicar of Dibley), Ben Miller (The Armstrong and Miller Show), Stephen Wight (Evening Standard Outstanding Newcomer) and Olivier Award winner Clive Rowe with Marcia Warren as the sweetly innocent Mrs Wilberforce.

THE LADYKILLERS is a classic black comedy; a sweet little old lady, alone in her house, is pitted against a gang of criminal misfits who will stop at nothing… For more information and tickets, go to The Ladykillers website.

Last Updated 29 November 2011