Our tips on what to see when in London over the next seven days
Be There First: London Shows Opening
Tonight's hot theatre ticket is King Lear at the Donmar Warhouse. Derek Jacobi takes on the great title role: queue outside in the cold (muttering about Poor Tom: optional) to get some of those elusive Donmar tickets.
Opening tomorrow (and hopefully a little easier to get tickets for) is Season's Greetings at the National. It's got a star studded cast; look out for Mark "League Of Gentlemen" Gatiss, Catherine "Doctor Who" Tate, Nicola "Spooks" Walker, along with West End regulars David Troughton, Neil Stuke and Jenna Russell.
Other theatre this week includes Red Riding Hood at the Theatre Royal Stratford East from tomorrow; Anita Dobson in Sleeping Beauty at Richmond and the RSC's Antony and Cleopatra at the Roundhouse from Friday; and Get Santa!, the Royal Court's first family Christmas show, from Monday.
Kids will love The Night Before Christmas at Ambassadors Theatre from tomorrow; Beauty and the Beast at the Unicorn from Friday; and Bagpuss at the Soho Theatre from Saturday.
In dance, Matthew Bourne's wartime Cinderella opens at Sadler's Wells tomorrow, and The Nutcracker makes its festive return to the London Coliseum on Friday.
For new art shows and exhibitions, check out Imperial Chinese Robes from the Forbidden City at the V&A from today: robes worn by emperors and empresses of the Qing Dynasty, on show for the first time in Europe, and mighty impressive-looking too. At Proud from Thursday, you can see London Calling: The Clash – an exhibition of Adrian Boot's photographs of the band.
From Saturday, check out The Frost Fair at Shakespeare's Globe: an exhibition looking at the tradition of frost fairs from the 15th to the 19th centuries when it really was cold in London(!).
Last Chance To See: London Shows Closing
Both Impropera at the Leicester Square Theatre and Nina Conti: Talk To The Hand at the Soho Theatre bow to their last curtains on Sunday.
And Treasures from Budapest: European Masterpieces from Leonardo to Schiele closes on Sunday. Enjoy. And if we've missed anything, let us know in the comments below.
