Arts Ahead: What's On In London 17–23 May

By Zoe Craig Last edited 154 months ago
Arts Ahead: What's On In London 17–23 May

Our hints and tips on what's happening, culturally, in London this week

Be There First: London Shows Opening

Tonight, The Cherry Orchard starring Zoe Wanamaker opens at the National Theatre.

See retro comedy at Udderbelly from Wednesday with Fitzrovia Radio Hour; Total Football explores what it's like to be British today at the Barbican, also from Wednesday.

You've got a choice of two pieces of verbatim theatre this week: Mad Blud opens at Theatre Royal Stratford East from tomorrow, and deals with knife crime; Do We Look Like Refugees? brings verbatim drama about Georgian refugees displaced in the 2008 August War to the Riverside Studios on Thursday.

New play Belongings delves into one woman's quest for identity and a place she can call home at the Hampstead Theatre from Thursday, and The School For Scandal is revived by acclaimed director Deborah Warner at the Barbican from Friday.

Opera fans can see a new staging of Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream at London Coliseum from Thursday.

And dance aficionados should check out Charles Linehan at The Place on Thursday, or the Northern Ballet's Cleopatra at Sadler's Wells, which we might've mistakenly told you about last week, but actually opens tonight.

If you're looking for a good gallery experience this week, we can recommend Tracey Emin at the Hayward from tomorrow; Mark Leckey at the Serpentine Gallery from Thursday; the Catlin Art Prize at The Tramshed from Thursday; or Out of this World (a look at science fiction at the British Library) from Friday.

And kids'll love Pirates: The Captain Kidd Story which opens at the Museum of London Docklands on Friday too.

Finally, free exhibition Collier Campbell opens at the National Theatre on Monday: a retrospective of sibling textile designers Susan Collier and Sarah Campbell, who collaborated with design houses like Yves St Laurent, Cacherel and Liberty.

Last Chance To See: London Shows Closing

Saturday is your last chance to see Buddy at Richmond; End of the Rainbow at the Trafalgar Studios; I Am The Wind at the Young Vic; Mr Benn at the Rose Theatre, Kingston; The Umbrellas of Cherbourg at the Gielgud and Werther at the ROH.

Sunday is your last chance to see The Coronation of Poppea at the Kings Head Theatre. Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments below...

Last Updated 17 May 2011