See Corinne Day's portrait, Kate at A Positive View at Somerset House. 1990 © Corinne Day
Be There First: London Shows Opening
Get cultured and charitable this week as A Positive View opens at Somerset House. In aid of the homelessness charity, Crisis, the exhibition is all about 20th- and 21st-century photography. The Indian Portrait: 1560-1860 opens at the National Portrait Gallery from Thursday, showing some 60 portraits from public and private collections. Saturday sees the start of Paul Sandby: Picturing Britain, A Bicentenary Exhibition at the Royal Academy; an exhibition aiming to reinstate this fantastic watercolourist into his proper position in the history of British art.
If you're into dance, this could be a very busy week. Tonight, La Fille Mal Gardeé opens at the Royal Opera House. Blaze brings street dance to the Peacock Theatre from Thursday; and Saturday sees the start of Sutra: Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Antony Gormley and Shaolin Monks collaborating on an award-winning piece of dramatic dance at Sadler's Wells.
If you're more actively into dance, then you can take part in Fleur Darkin's new show, Disgo, at Laban from tomorrow. Then Move It brings all the best things about dance, (plus workshops, seminars, celebs, auditions and more) to London's Olympia for four days from Thursday.
Over in theatreland, Russell Kane takes modern day woes and makes them into a Shakespearean tragedy at the Soho theatre from tonight. We like the sound of The Tragickal Saveings of King Nigel. Another tragedy opens tonight too: Love Never Dies, at the Adelphi Theatre. So Andrew Lloyd Webber can stop moaning about negative reviews of previews this ropey Phantom sequel has got from the blogosphere as the official, opening-night-obeying critics finally have their say in tomorrow morning's papers. Can't wait.
From tomorrow, you can see circus acts at the Barbican in Circa. Also opening tomorrow is the star-studded London Assurance at the National Theatre (with Mark Addy, Simon Russell Beale, Fiona Shaw and Richard Briers). And the interesting-sounding Irish play The Sanctuary Lamp opens at the Arcola Theatre tomorrow too: three people locked in a Catholic Church for the night...
Last Chance to See: London Shows Closing
The Cat In The Hat closes at the Young Vic on Saturday, as does The Dead School at the Tricycle Theatre, An Inspector Calls at Wyndham's Theatre, The Misanthrope at the Comedy Theatre, Off The Endz at the Royal Court, Party at the Arts Theatre, and Promises Promises at the Soho Theatre. Catch 'em while you can...
Finally, Sunday is your last chance to see Michael Landy's headline-grabbing Art Bin at the South London Gallery. Enjoy.
