Arts Ahead: What's On In London 19-25 January

By Zoe Craig Last edited 170 months ago
Arts Ahead: What's On In London 19-25 January

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Six Degrees of Separation opens at the Old Vic tomorrow
It's a busy old week on London's cultural calendar. Here are our tips for what to look out for.

Be There First: London Shows Opening

Theatreland's busy with openings this week. Six Degrees of Separation, starring Anthony Head, opens at the Old Vic tonight. Tomorrow, The Little Dog Laughed opens at the Garrick Theatre, with Mr Keira Knightley, Rupert Friend. We'll have a review for you later in the week, you lucky folk.

The Arts Theatre becomes the snobby Grangewood School for Young Ladies as Daisy Pulls It Off opens on Thursday. In contrast, Silence! The Musical also opens on Thursday at Above The Stag Theatre: the unauthorised musical parody of Silence Of The Lambs. Yes, really. And Romola Garai, who you'll remember as Emma in the BBC's latest adaptation stars in Chekhov's Three Sisters at the Lyric Hammersmith from Monday.

Dance fans are in for a treat as Giselle and Men Y Men comes to the London Coliseum tomorrow. ENB director Wayne Eagling has paired the beautiful, floaty Giselle with his own work, Men Y Men: music by Rachmaninov and eight male dancers, showing off as much testosterone as is allowed on stage. Again, look out for our review.

As we've mentioned before, Mira Mexico at the Barbican opens on Thursday. Cinema fans of a different kind will probably enjoy Mamma Mia! at The O2: "dress up, watch the movie and sing-a-long to your favourite ABBA hits" says the blurb. OK, then...

Artswise, we like the sound of Nat Finkelstein: From One Extreme to the Other at the Idea Generation Gallery from tomorrow, and Where Three Dreams Cross: 150 Years of Photography from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh at the Whitechapel from Thursday. The Royal Academy's latest queue-ridden blockbuster, The Real Van Gogh: The Artist and His Letters opens on Saturday. Book now, and get in line.

And there's an interesting new exhibition opening at the Science Museum: 1001 Inventions: Discover the Muslim Heritage in our World. Look out for the 6m-tall replica of the 13th-century Elephant Clock, featuring design elements from different cultures.

Last Chance to See: London Shows Closing

Pains of Youth closes at the National Theatre on Thursday. Both Skellig at the Bloomsbury Theatre and The Sleeping Beauty at the Royal Opera House come to an end on Saturday. And Matthew Bourne's iconic all-male Swan Lake closes at Sadler's Wells on Sunday.

Moctezuma: Aztec Ruler comes to a close at the British Musuem on Sunday. Beatles to Bowie closes at the National Portrait Gallery on Sunday, as does The Sacred Made Real (crazy 17th century Spanish religious art) at the National Gallery. And Wild Thing, a look at the work of British sculptors Epstein, Gaudier-Brzeska and Gill at the RA, also comes to a close on Sunday. Let us know if there's anything we've missed!

Last Updated 19 January 2010