Hot tickets! Your London spring arts and culture highlights
Culture vultures to the front! We know where to find the best theatre, cracking comedy, ground-breaking art exhibitions, and even where the circus will be popping up. Here’s what’s hot in the big smoke this spring.
THEATRE
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Theatreland is packed with unmissables this spring. For a hilarious, feminist send-up of all your favourite girls’ night movies – Titanic, Pretty Woman, Beaches, Legally Blonde, The Notebook and Dirty Dancing, don’t miss Six Chick Flicks – a night of biting wit, fun montages, dance breaks, original songs and improvised moments performed by Kerry Ipema and KK Apple. Book now to catch it at Leciester Square Theatre 9-13 Apr and the Arts Depot, North Finchley 30 Apr.
To celebrate World Book Day today, interactive family theatre tour Spot’s Birthday Party (based on the much-loved Spot the Dog stories),is offering tickets across many venues for just £12 each – including our Blackheath Halls 20-21 Apr. Woof to that! To redeem your £12 tickets, add code SPOT12 at checkout.
Then, tear jerker warning, Eugene O’Neill’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, starring the brilliant Brian Cox (clutching his own shiny Emmy, Golden Globe, and Olivier awards) in a compelling performance. Opening on Tue 19 Mar (until Sat 8 Jun) at Wyndham’s Theatre, the tale delves into addiction, betrayal, and tricky family relationships. Anton Chekov’s The Cherry Orchard also tackles family trouble and is getting a much-deserved moment in the spotlight at Donmar Warehouse (Fri 26 Apr – Sat 22 Jun).
Another dollop of classic theatre, the Bard’s enemies-to-lovers play Much Ado About Nothing (Thu 25 Apr – Sat 24 Aug), headlines The Globe’s summer season in the trusted hands of artistic director Sean Holmes. Closely followed by a new production diving into the murderous reign of Richard III, with Michelle Terry playing the role of the King and directing (Thu 9 May – Sat 3 Aug). Then there’s Sir Ian McKellen rocking more Shakespeare at the Noël Coward Theatre in Robert Icke’s, Player Kings, (Mon 1 Apr – Sat 22 Jun)
Any sci-fi fans in the crowd? You’ll love Minority Report (Sat 20 Apr – Sat 18 May) at Lyric Hammersmith, a fresh adaptation of Phillip K Dick’s iconic novella, which imagines a futuristic London and interrogates the philosophy of free will – heavy stuff. Cleanse your palate with the pink plastic world of Mean Girls (Wed 5 Jun – Sun 27 Oct) at The Savoy.
For more teen drama, Bridgerton’s Charithra Chandran is making her West End debut in a veeery limited Sundays-only run of Instructions for a Teenage Armageddon (Sun 17 Mar – Sun 28 Apr) at The Garrick Theatre. It’s an immersive show exploring the all-too-familiar challenges and anxieties of adolescence.
AL-FRESCO
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This is your sign that the warmer months are coming, Regent Park’s Open Air Theatre is back with Shakespeare’s comedy of identity mix-ups Twelfth Night (Fri 3 May – Sat 8 Jun), then a shiny new musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Enormous Crocodile (Fri 17 May – Sat 8 Jun).
Ditch the stage for the big screen with Adventure Cinema, kicking off its programme outdoor screenings on Fri 7 Jun, with Grease, at Charlton House and Gardens. Rooftop Film Club is also returning this spring, so keep an eye on their website for the ticket drop.
ART
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Art aficionados take your pick from these ground-breaking artists. Starting at The British Museum, Michelangelo: The Last Decades (Tue 2 May – Sun 28 July) looks at the last 30 years of the Renaissance master’s sculptures, drawings, and architectural designs, as well as the Epifania, one of only two surviving cartoons by the artist. Caravaggio’s final works are similarly the topic of interest at The National Gallery. The Last Caravaggio (Thu 18 Apr – Sun 21 Jul) will showcase The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula, painted just before his death and coming to London for the first time in 20 years.
Now for something from this century. The Tate Modern’s major exhibit of South African visual artist Zanele Muholi(Thu 6 Jun – Jan 2025) packs a political punch through 260 striking photos that challenge conventions of gender, race, and identity. If the politics of music are more your speed, try the British Library’s Beyond the Bassline (Fri 26 Apr– Mon 26 Aug). A first-of-its-kind display, it journeys through 500 Years of Black British Music from London to Lagos, delving into the influential clubs, carnivals, and kerbside auditoriums.
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Let’s talk fashion. We’re excited to step into the wardrobe of NAOMI Campbell in the V&A’s first-ever retrospective dedicated to a model (from Sat 22 Jun). That’s right, you can browse through over 100 looks from the supermodel’s iconic closet, spanning over 40 years in the biz. Here’s to hoping those 1993 Vivienne Westwood heels are part of the collection. While you’re there, have a nosey at snaps from Sir Elton John and David Furnish’s Collection, which includes even more iconic fashion and celebrity moments (from Sat 18 May).
LITERATURE
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Already slacking on your 2024 reading goals? Trot down to Ally Pally for the brand-new North London Book Festival (Tue 21 – Sun 24 Mar). You’ll hear from a mix of debut and well-known author readings, panel discussions, Q&As, workshops, and book signings, it’ll pluck you right out of your reading slump. Plus, the brilliant line-up includes Natalie Haynes (A Thousand Ships), Lemony Snicket (A Serious of Unfortunate Events), Michael Rosen, and Stuart Turton (The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle).
Prefer poetry? Take it up with the Royal Albert Hall, which will be hosting award-winning poets and authors in The Poets’ Revival (Wed 1 May). You’ll hear works from Mercury Prize-nominee and Sunday Times Bestseller Kae Tempest, Young People’s Laureate of London Momtaza Mehri, and loads more impressive voices from the London literary scene.
MUSIC
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Pop royalty descends on the capital as Bananarama celebrates a whopping 40 years of hits at The London Palladium (Wed 3 – Sat 6 Apr), then at BST Hyde Park, in the shape of Kylie Minogue (Sat 13 Jul), Shania Twain (Sun 7 Jul), and, scream it, Robbie Williams (Sat 6 Jul), you can catch Gary and the rest of the Take That gang at The O2 (Thu 25 – Tue 30 Apr). R&B fans, you’ll get your fix on Sat 29 Jun, as SZA headlines with support from Sampha and Snoh Aalegra, or try OVO Arena, where Bryson Tiller has added an extra date to his tour (Tue 16 – Thu 18 Apr). Pop back to the OVO for Troye Sivan’s return to the big stage on Thu 27 Jun. And, you’ll find catchy tunes galore at Eventim Apollo, where Madison Beer takes the stage on Tue 2 Apr, and then Tom Walker, Tue 7 May.
If you don’t fancy shaking your tail feathers, André Rieu and his smooth violin are popping up at OVO Arena on Wed 15 & Sat 18 May and the Royal Albert Hall‘s jazz series has a lovely combo coming up: multi-award winning trumpeter and composer Henry Spencer takes over the Elgar room (Thu 30 May) as does South London soul singer Raelle (Thu 6 Jun).
COMEDY
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In need of a good giggle? Iain Stirling will be putting his Love Island wit to the test at Hackney Empire (Sat 13 Apr). The following weekend (Sat 20 Apr) 10 comedians representing nine countries will face off in the annual Comedy Clash – may the funniest man win. Other big hitters at Hackney Empire include the hilarious All Killa No Filla duo (Thu 25 Apr), Morgan Rees‘ debut UK tour (Thu 16 May), break a leg Morgan, and Frankie Boyle’s New World Order star Laura Smyth living her best life on Fri 21 Jun.
Over at Bloomsbury Theatre, Laura Ramoso (pictured) is back in London (Sun 21 Apr) after a sell-out run at Edinburgh Fringe last summer, with her jovial sketch and improv comedy. And if you loved Parks and Recreation, actor Ben Schwartz is also back in the UK this May, and there are miraculously still tickets for his fully improvised show at the Royal Albert Hall, Sun 19 May.
CIRCUS
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Roll up, roll up! Giffords Circus is back from Thu 6 – Sun 23 Jun), and it’s an absolute winner for the whole family with everything from acrobats and jugglers to horses, magicians, puppeteers, dancers, and comedy shows. Catch it at Chiswick House and Gardens.