Our pick of the top art, theatre and dance shows opening in London this week
Be There First: London Shows Opening
There are fewer theatre openings than usual this week, as theatreland slows down or heads north for the summer. But there are still a few tasty treats to tempt you: tonight, Martin McDonagh's dark tribute to rural Ireland, The Beauty Queen of Leenane returns to the Young Vic.
Tomorrow, the National Theatre opens its summer season of Double Features, all written by playwrights who are new to the venue: Sam Holcroft, DC Moore, Prasanna Puwanarajah and Tom Basden.
From Thursday, you can see the frankly bizarre-sounding Betwixt! at the Trafalgar Studios: sex-crazed nymphs, hunchbacks, cross-dressing mutes, dancing reporters, evil world-dominating enchantresses and a disembodied head make up the strange world of this new musical.
Dance fans are sure to be thrilled by Carlos Acosta's Premieres Plus at the London Coliseum from tomorrow; or by the Mariinsky Ballet's Homage to Fokine at the Royal Opera House from Friday.
New art exhibitions that have caught our eye this week include Paintings in Hospitals: Art in Large Doses at the Menier Gallery – a chance to see a showcase of the charity's London collection without being ill; Contested Terrains at Tate Modern – a free exhibition of contemporary artists working in Africa; and The Long Avant-Garde – site-specific installations in cells in The Old Police Station in Deptford from Friday.
And over at the Science Museum, we rather like the sound of their latest exhibition: Oramics to Electronica: Revealing Histories of Electronic Music. It's the first phase of a new display which looks at the way electronics have altered our sound world.
Last Chance to See: London Shows Closing
The last performance of Flipping The Script at the Young Vic takes place on Thursday. Saturday is your last chance to see Toad at the Southwark Playhouse, Luise Miller at the Donmar, and Alarms and Excursions at the Richmond Theatre.
The O2's big Titanic artefact exhibition closes on Saturday. Enjoy!
