Arts Ahead: What’s On In London 14 – 20 February

By Zoe Craig Last edited 145 months ago
Arts Ahead: What’s On In London 14 – 20 February

Arts Ahead is brought to you in partnership with Cardboard Citizens: A Few Man Fridays a new play written and directed by Adrian Jackson.

Here's our pick of the new art, theatre, dance, classical and jazz events on offer this week

ART: Picasso and Modern British Art opens at Tate Britain today, featuring more than 60 works by the great man, and looking at his influence on Great British artists like Duncan Grant, Ben Nicholson and Francis Bacon.

Go way back at the Dulwich Picture Gallery from tomorrow, with an examination of Van Dyck in Sicily called Painting and the Plague, 1624-25. Bang up-to-date is the latest show at the Barbican: Song Dong’s installation in the Curve Gallery is called Waste Not, and comprises 10,000 household objects collected over five decades by the artist’s mother. The Courtauld Gallery’s new show looks at the little-known friendship between Mondrian and Nicholson from the heady days of modernism.

CLASSICAL: One of the world's finest orchestras, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, are in town this week as part of their ongoing residency at the Barbican Centre. Three performances over as many nights see the Americans perform Mahler Symphony No.9, a UK premiere by leading British composer Thomas Adès, some Ravel and Berlioz featuring Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato and Bartók Piano Concerto No.2 with Chinese piano superstar Lang Lang. This is about as A-list as it gets for quality classical music.

JAZZ: Tomorrow night, jazz trio Phronesis, described by Jazzwise magazine as "one of the most exciting bands on the planet today" perform a gig at the Vortex club in Dalston. Experience some sparkling, contemporary instrumental music for just a tenner. Watch them in action below:

DANCE: We're in the middle of two big dance festivals in London at the mo: choose between the London Flamenco Festival at Sadler’s Wells, or Resolution! at The Place.

THEATRE: The Fitzrovia Radio Hour returns to the Ambassadors Theatre for a run of Tuesday night shows from tonight. The Recruiting Officer, starring Tobias Menzies, opens at the Donmar tonight. One of this spring’s big blockbuster shows, Singin’ In The Rain opens tomorrow. Adam Cooper stars alongside Scarlett Strallen and a whole lot of onstage water at the Palace Theatre. There’s an all-male production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s satire, Patience, at the Union Theatre from tomorrow. Boy In A Dress is an exploration of class, gender, religion and identity at the Oval House Theatre from Friday. On Monday the Tricycle Theatre’s new series of 10 short plays called The Bomb – A Partial History starts, looking at the history of nuclear armament from the 1940s to the present day.

KIDS’ THEATRE: From tonight, you can see a family-friendly version of Cinderella at the Lyric Hammersmith. If you’re looking for further half-term fodder, there’s Grim Grimms: Three Drops of Blood at the Unicorn Theatre from tonight; Horrible Histories Barmy Britain at the Garrick, also from tonight; and Island at the National Theatre from tomorrow.

Anything we’ve missed that you’re really looking forward to seeing this week? Let us know in the comments below.

We have listings for ongoing shows at London’s top museums on our Museums and Galleries page

Arts Ahead is brought to you in partnership with Cardboard Citizens: A Few Man Fridays a new play written and directed by Adrian Jackson.

In the 1960s the Chagos islanders were evicted from their Indian Ocean home to make way for a US military base and have been fighting for justice since. This world premiere from award-winning homeless theatre company Cardboard Citizens tells their story.

Moving, gripping and funny, A Few Man Fridays unearths an inglorious episode of British history, and explores the fantasies of the powerful, set against the dreams of the powerless.

For more information, tickets and to watch the trailer click here.

Performing at the Riverside Studios until 10 March, tickets £20 (£15 conc).

Last Updated 14 February 2012