Things To Do Today In London: Wednesday 26 April 2017

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King's Night at Dutch Centre

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Things to do today

KENNEL CLUB TOUR: A rare chance to get inside the Kennel Club's new headquarters in Piccadilly. Learn about what the canine-centric organisation does, and visit its art gallery and library. Kennel Club (Piccadilly), £5, book ahead, 11am

LUNCHTIME LECTURE: There are 1.2 million species recorded as existing on our planet, but estimates project that's only a fraction of the true number. Listen to Chris Yesson speak on his journeys in the Arctic discovering entire new species. Grant Museum of Zoology, free, just turn up, 1.30pm-2.30pm

BOOK CLUB: The newly re-opened National Army Museum has a book club. This month they're discussing Pankaj Mishra's Age of Anger. National Army Museum, free, book ahead, 6.30pm-8pm

KING'S NIGHT: It's the Dutch monarch's birthday, which means it's party time. Head to the Dutch centre for drinks and 'orange madness'. Dutch Centre, £10/£5, book ahead, 6.30pm-10pm

SCIENCE MUSEUM LATES: It's the last Wednesday of the month so the Science Museum is open late for an adults-only event. The theme this month is food and drink — learn about food science through talks, hands-on events, and of course, the legendary silent disco. Age 18+. Science Museum (South Kensington), free (charge for some events), just turn up, 6.45pm-10pm

Operation Red Rocket at The Rose Lipman Building

SHORT FILMS: See a range of award winning short films at Spot Night. After the films there's a Q&A with their makers; hear about their creative processes and their insights into the industry. Hackney Picturehouse, £6, book ahead, 7pm

MUDLARKING: Greenwich Historical Society hosts mudlarking expert Nicola White, who shares her experiences of finding items on the Thames foreshore to use her art. James Wolfe School (Greenwich), £3, 7.15pm

SEXUAL THEATRE: It's time for an honest chat about sex with researcher/artist/provocateur Louise Orwin. Camden People's Theatre, £12/£10, book ahead, 7.15pm-8.25pm

RETRO FUTURE FOOD: The year is 1965 and the space race has already been won. Step into Operation Red Rocket for a past glimpse of an imagined tomorrow. With an epic five course meal. The Rose Lipman Building, £55, book ahead, 7.30pm-11pm

BEER COMPETITION: It's a good old fashioned Brewery Brawl down at the Jackdaw and Star tonight. In the red corner it's the reigning champ Canopy Beer Company. Opposite them in the blue corner, the challenger, The Five Points Brewery Company. Basically you drink a lot of beer and pick your fave. Jackdaw and Star, £10, book ahead, 8pm-11pm

Art review: endangered species

Copyright Louise McNaught

Louise McNaught's style sits somewhere between fine art and street art — her bold paintings, prints and sculpture usually featuring animals. This time she's focussed on endangered species: a polar bear, rhino and shoal of hammerhead sharks are found in her latest show. Louise McNaught: Edge of Existence at Curious Duke, 173 Whitecross Street, EC1Y 8JT, until 29 April, free ★★★☆☆ (Monday-Saturday) Tabish Khan

Theatre review: failing to deliver

Photo: Mauel Harlan

Christopher Hampton's 1970 play The Philanthropist — a sort of inverted riff on Molière's The Misanthrope — is a witty, absurdist comedy on the negative effects of benign passivity and the cocooned self-centredness of academic life that's out of touch with the real world. Unfortunately — despite some amusing moments — too many lines fall flat in Simon Callow's strangely disconnected revival with a talented cast of comic TV actors who seem out of their depth on stage. Simon Bird, Matt Berry, Tom Rosenthal, Charlotte Ritchie plus Lily Cole appear to be lost in a collective state of vacancy where no one really inhabits their admittedly unengaging characters or relates to each other. The Philanthropist, Trafalgar Studios, Whitehall, SW1A 2DY, £26.50‒99, until 22 July ★★☆☆☆ [Monday‒Saturday] Neil Dowden

Good cause for the day

HOSPITAL ABSEILING: Abseil 150 feet down the the face of St Thomas' Hospital for an enormous thrill and a brilliant cause. All money goes towards Guy's and St Thomas' charity raising money for the hospitals. St Thomas', £25/£30, book ahead, 12 May, noon-6pm