Arts Ahead: What's On In London 12-18 January

By Zoe Craig Last edited 170 months ago
Arts Ahead: What's On In London 12-18 January

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Sheridan Smith as Elle in Legally Blonde the Musical. Photo by Uli Weber
It's a packed week in London's cultural calendar. Take your pick from the following:

Be There First: London Shows Opening

For those who get excited about shows like this, Legally Blonde: The Musical is finally opening this week. The musical, which stars Sheridan Smith (Smithy's little sister to Gavin & Stacey fans) is already looking like a hit in preview, despite wranglings about when exactly critics are going to get to have their say... Watch this space.

Kenneth MacMillan's beautiful ballet interpretation of Romeo and Juliet opens at the Royal Opera House tonight. Maybe book ahead for Feb if you're trying to impress someone around Valentine's Day?

Tomorrow, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (Tom Stoppard and Andre Previn's masterpiece about madness and truth) reopens at the National Theatre. Tickets start from £10, and it's just over an hour of incredible theatre. We recommend. At the Barbican, Öper Öpis opens the 2010 London International Mime Festival with a blend of visual arts, circus, music and dance.

Frisky and Mannish, tipped for great things in 2010, bring their critically acclaimed, smash-hit show to Soho Theatre after a sell-out run in Edinburgh for just three nights from Thursday.

And Monday sees the start of The Caretaker's London run. Jonathan Pryce wowed critics with Pinter's tale of two brothers at the Liverpool Everyman; now he takes to the stage at the Trafalgar Studios.

Artswise, we like the sound of Melanie Manchot's Celebration (Cyprus Street) at the Whitechapel from tomorrow, Sophie Benson's Vanishing Points photos (including icebergs) at Kings Place from Friday, and Post-Abolition: Commemorative Stamps from Around the World at the Museum of London Docklands from Monday.

Last Chance to See: London Shows Closing

Irish singer/actor Camille O'Sullivan's show, The Dark Angel closes on Friday. As does Jessica Hynes and Rupert Penry-Jones' stay at The Priory at the Royal Court.

The ever-popular La Clique comes to a close at the Roundhouse on Saturday. We await news of it finding a new home soon... Morecambe also ends its run in London on Saturday. We hope it'll be back. And the Snow Queen twirls her last at the London Coliseum on Saturday too.

The splendidly cartoonish Cat in the Hat closes on Sunday at the National.

In the art world, Pop Life also comes to a close on Sunday at Tate Modern. As does Maharaja:The Splendour of India's Royal Courts at the V&A. And the London Short Film Festival comes to a close on Sunday too. Seems only last week we were telling you it was opening. Guess the clue's in the title...

Last Updated 12 January 2010