Arts Ahead: What’s On In London 10-16 April

By Zoe Craig Last edited 143 months ago
Arts Ahead: What’s On In London 10-16 April

This week's hottest theatre, art, classical and world music events

THEATRE: Oedipussy is a new show, opening at the Lyric Hammersmith this evening. It’s billed as an outrageous meeting of Greek tragedy and James Bond. Also opening tonight is Long Day’s Journey Into Night opens at the Apollo Theatre, starring David Suchet and Laurie Metcalf. Alan Ayckbourne’s Neighbourhood Watch opens at the Tricycle Theatre tomorrow, as does Chris Larner’s one-man show about Dignitas, An Instinct for Kindness at the Trafalgar Studios. From Thursday, you can see Chalet Lines at the Bush Theatre: a comedy that looks through five decades of birthdays, hen dos and weddings and asks, do all women turn into their mothers? Friday is the first night for poet and visual artist Inua Ellams’ show Black T-shirt Collection at the National Theatre. This week’s starriest opening is surely Big And Small (Gross Und Klein) at the Barbican Theatre: Cate Blanchett play in a delicately surreal play by Botho Strauss.

ART / EXHIBITIONS: From Wednesday, you can see Queensberry Hunt: Ceramic Design at the Ceramics Galleries at the V&A, examining work by the 1960s company including some of the most familiar and best-selling tableware ranges of recent decades. From Thursday through to Saturday, you can see the free exhibition, Show Me the Monet at the Mall Galleries: work chosen by judges from the BBC2 programme of the same name. A fascinating sounding exhibition comes to the Brunei Gallery called Kolam: Ephemeral Patterns for Eternal Prosperity, work by Sweden-based anthropologist and artist Anna Laine, looking at South Indian ritual drawings. Festival! is a free photography exhibition at the National Theatre which opens on Monday.

CLASSICAL: Handel may have been German by birth, but the baroque composer was a Londoner for much of his artistic life and his music is endlessly performed in the capital. Each spring, the London Handel Festival presents dozens of events, including a singing competition, at a range of venues, but mainly St George's Hanover Square. Tomorrow, the finalists of this year's competition perform – you guessed it – arias by Handel.

WORLD: The African music superstars of the 21st century, the blind Malian couple Amadou and Mariam bring their upbeat, melodic Afro-pop to Shepherd's Bush Empire on Friday. Expect catchy grooves, scintillating guitar solos from Amadou and an unashamedly feel-good vibe.

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

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

Last Updated 10 April 2012