Alan Cumming stars in his one-man show I Bought a Blue Car Today
Be there first: London Shows Opening
Theatreland's a busy place this week. Alan Cumming's one-man musical hit, I Bought a Blue Car Today opens at the Vaudeville Theatre today. It's only on for a week, so get in there quickly! If you missed it first time round, you'll be pleased to hear the award-winning sell-out show, The Pitmen Painters, returns to the National Theatre from today. It's running until 22 September; and will also be back again towards the end of the year.
Trevor Griffiths' new play, A New World: The Life of Thomas Paine opens at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre tomorrow. Too True To Be Good, Bernard Shaw's rarely played political extravaganza comes to the Finborough Theatre tomorrow too. Site-specific show Katrina (survivor testimonies mixed with New Orleans music) opens at the Bargehouse from Thursday.
Fans of independent film should head to the Portobello Film Festival from tomorrow: see more than 700 independent films, for free, at venues like the Westbourne Studios, The Tabernacle, and The Inn On The Green.
Alternatively, if you're into opera, check out the British Youth Opera at the Peacock Theatre from Friday. They're presenting a double bill of Rossini, and The Rake's Progress on different nights until 12 September.
Looking for something different this weekend? Check out Pestival, a festival celebrating insects, spiders and all things creepy and crawly, at the Southbank Centre from Friday.
Artswise, we suggest you check out First Shots: Early War Photography 1848-60 which opens at the National Army Museum today, or Hannah Rickards (the MaxMara Art Prize winner) at the Whitechapel from Saturday.
Last Chance to See: London Shows Closing
Those of you out there clinging to the last of summer can still catch a couple of outdoor theatre shows, so long as you remember to wrap up warm! Two Greek tales, Medea and a Jason and the Argonauts for kids play at The Scoop in More London until the weekend.
If you're thinking that sounds a little chilly, try Grimeborn, the Arcola Theatre's alternative opera festival, before it closes on Friday; or The Trafalgar Studios' great production of The Mountaintop (it got some lovely reviews) which takes its last bow on Saturday.
Walking in My Mind at the Hayward comes to a close on Sunday. As does Snozzcumbers and Frobscottle! a celebration of Quentin Blake and Roald Dahl's work at the V&A Museum of Childhood. Richard Long, the Turner prize winner, closes his show at Tate Britain on Sunday too. Enjoy!
