The Wellcome Collection explores the relationship between graphic design and health, The London Design Festival covers everything from fashion to architecture, and the capital's meatiest food festival, Meatopia, returns. LondonTown gives the lowdown on the best London events in September 2017.
London's meatiest food festival, Meatopia returns once again in 2017. Originally conceived by the late Josh Ozersky, the concept is the biggest festival of BBQ and smoking to hit London, welcoming a raft of UK and international chefs, restaurants, butchers and food heroes. Taking place at Tobacco Dock, the carnivore's paradise will treat guests to tasting-sized portions of dishes from a number of renowned chefs and iconic restaurants. Previous line-ups have included the likes of Pitt Cue, Duck & Waffle, Social Eating House, Berber & Q and Hawksmoor so we can expect big things again this year. And, with the return of the Friday night session, which was introduced in 2016, it's another three-day affair.
Kenneth Branagh directs Tom Hiddleston in Shakespeare's bloodthirsty tale of revenge, about a tortured son who is driven to the edge of madness by the ghost of his late father. Tickets for this hotly anticipated production, which raises funds to support the transformation of RADA's Chenies Street site, are allocated by a ballot system open from 1st to 6th August. If successful, applicants are notified on 8th August and then have 48 hours to book tickets between 9th and 10th August. These are the lengths you have to go through if you want to see Tom Hiddleston play Hamlet in an intimate 160-seat theatre. The updated building will include a new library, enhanced archive and the listed Drill Hall will become a flexible, public 250 seat theatre.
The annual one-day Angel Canal Festival is based around the City Road Lock on the peaceful Regent's Canal in Islington and features all sorts of attractions and events for the whole family. Attractions include a children's fun fair, boat trips, regatta, live music, street theatre and a boat rally. With 80 stalls and gazebos arranged along the towpath, there's plenty to choose from - expect to find stalls selling anything from crafts, books, jewellery, food and drink. As well as local businesses, there are a variety of local and national charities on site to raise awareness for their respective causes and to provide entertainment. The festival will be opened, as it is each year, by the Major of Islington, who arrives by boat from the London Canal Museum and gives a welcome speech before starting the Bell-Boat Race in the City Road Basin. Summer may be winding down but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy a family day out by the canal.
Award-winning actor Dean Elliott writes and directs a 50th-anniversary celebration of the musical duo featuring original photos and film footage, as well as all the hits. From their humble beginnings to worldwide success, via a bitter break-up to a recreation of their 1981 Central Park reformation concert, The Simon & Garfunkel Story tells the tale of the legendary musicians. Fans can relive the folk rock band's heydey through contemporary newsreels, adverts and film footage from the 1960s. Led by Sam O'Hanlon (Paul Simon) and Charles Blyth (Art Garfunkel), this anniversary production plays at the Lyric Theatre for a special four month season.
An edge-of-your-seat thriller from the hand of Frederick Knott, best known for writing Dial M For Murder, Wait Until Dark is set in 1960s London. Often ranked as one of the top 100 scariest films of all time, the play follows the story of Susy, a blind woman who was played by Audrey Hepburn in the film. Karina Jones takes on that role in the play as Susy, left alone in her apartment, becomes the victim of an elaborate scam hatched by a group of conmen. Starring Graeme Brookes (who played a part in the Brits Off Broadway festival) and Tim Treloar as ex-con Croker and the murderous Roat. The strong cast includes Jack Ellis as badman Mike and Oliver Mellor (best known for playing the role of Dr Matt Carter in Coronation Street) as photographer Sam Henderson.
Telling the true story of how a young couple planned secret meetings between the State of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation, Oslo reveals how the signing of the historic 1993 Oslo Accords came about. Featuring dozens of characters and set in locations across the globe, Oslo is both a political thriller and the personal story of a small band of people struggling together - and fighting each other - as they seek to change the world. Nominated for seven TONY Awards including 'Best Play' and 'Best Director', the new play by J.T. Rogers, directed by Bartlett Sher has its UK premiere at the National Theatre in September before a West End run at the Harold Pinter Theatre.
Samuel Beckett's controversial Waiting for Godot comes to the Arts Theatre in September. The show sees Didi and Gogo and their aching feet pass the time playing games near a tree while they wait for Godot. Joking, bickering and musing, the pair are only interrupted by brutish Pozzo and his hapless servant Lucky. Celebrating the return home of the 1955 production, the theatre is offering 1955 seats under £30 across the run.
Robert Lindsay, well known for starring in My Family on TV and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels in the West End, returns to Hampstead for the first time in 35 years. He stars with Claire Skinner (a familiar face to fans of Outnumbered) in the world premiere of Prism, based on the life of legendary cinematographer Jack Cardiff. The retired filmmaker, who has swapped movie sets for the sleepy village of Denham in Buckinghamshire, is writing his autobiography but would rather live in the past than remember it. "It's my King Lear" says Robert Lindsay.
This September, the Wellcome Collection presents the first major exhibition exploring the relationship between graphic design and health. Can Graphic Design Save Your Life? brings together around 200 objects to consider the role graphic design plays in constructing and communicating healthcare messages across the globe, demonstrating how it has been used to persuade, inform and empower. Featuring work by influential figures in graphic design from the 20th century and drawing from both public and private collections, the exhibition will highlight the widespread and often subliminal nature of graphic design, featuring everything from cautionary posters to neon pharmacy signs.
In 2008, Birmingham based choreographer Rosie Kay joined the 4th Battalion The Rifles, to watch and participate in full battle exercises, and visited the Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre for our Armed Forces. What came of these observations is an award-winning, five-star work 5 SOLDIERS: The Body is the Frontline which explores how the human body remains essential to war. Presented by Sadler's Wells at Yeomanry House as part of a UK tour. NOTE: age guidance 12 and over (parental guidance advised, contains some scenes of violence).
This September, Shakespeare's Globe hosts the world premiere of Tristan Bernays' brand new play, Boudica. Directed by Eleanor Rhode, the ancient history play tells the story of one of Britain's most infamous women, who was a queen, a warrior and a rebel. The epic tale of power, politics and love is set in AD 61, Britannia and follows Boudica, the widow of The King of the Iceni, as she tries to claim her rightful throne.
Regarded as the rowing equivalent of the London Marathon, the Great River Race gathers over 330 boats for a 21.6 mile race from the Isle of Dogs in east London to Ham House west of London. Bursting with colour, spectacle, intense competition and casual fun, the race challenges crews to row from the industrial cityscape of Docklands all the way along the Thames to the idyllic semi-rural Richmond shores. Since launching in 1987, entries have snowballed from a mere 72 entrants to a massive 330 boats carrying over 2,000 competitors, racing for 35 trophies. Festivities along the river at Richmond will begin at noon with live music, a children's beach, donkey rides and food and drink stalls, finishing with a spectacular riverside party at Ham.
Music and food festival OnBlackheath returns this September for its fourth year, with headliners Travis and The Libertines. Also taking to the stage will be electronic four-piece Metronomy, American blues ace Seasick Steve, singer-songwriter Jake Bugg and soulful singer KT Tunstall. Further to the music, there will be a John Lewis Food Village where visitors can enjoy award-winning street food, communal dining, a food demonstration stage, guest chefs, pop-up restaurants and a Meantime Craft Brewery Bar. Children are also catered to with the Family Playground, featuring an adventure area, giant art walls, crafting and a storytelling stage.
Following its successful debut at the Almeida, Rupert Goold's production of Ink, James Graham's "stingingly astute" (Evening Standard) Fleet Street drama comes to the West End. Set in the late 1960s and starring a young and ambitious Rupert Murdoch (played by Bertie Carvel), the play charts the birth of The Sun as Murdoch embarks on a quest to hire an editor to give birth to a crowd-pleasing newspaper. The critics gave four stars to this "impressively unpreachy look at the red tops' circulation wars" (Independent).
The Royal Opera's 2017/18 Season opens on 11th September 2017 with Richard Jones' highly anticipated new production of Puccini's La boheme, conducted by music director Antonio Pappano. Replacing John Copley's previous 1974 production for the company (which was in the repertory for 41 years), the new staging of Puccini's opera of love, bohemian life and death in 19th-century Paris features a classy international cast including Nicole Car, Michael Fabiano, Nadine Sierra and Mariusz Kwiecien. La boheme not only opens The Royal Opera's Season but coincides with a celebration of opera taking place across London and the UK this autumn, including Opera: Passion, Power and Politics, the inaugural exhibition at theVictoria and Albert Museum's new Sainsbury Gallery from 30th September 2017.
In autumn 2017, Tate Britain stages the most comprehensive exhibition to date of Rachel Whiteread, the first woman to win the Turner Prize. That accolade came in 1993, the same year she made House (arguably her best known work), an 'inside out house' where the fireplaces of the interior could be seen on the outside. This life-sized cast of a condemned terraced house in London's East End, only existed for a few months but established Whiteread as one of the Britain's leading contemporary artists. This exhibition brings together well-known pieces such as Ghost, Untitled (100 Spaces) and Untitled (Staircase) alongside works that have never been exhibited before.
Julia Jones conducts a revival of David McVicar's beautiful staging of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, with Joseph Kaiser and Kate Royal singing the roles of Tamino and Pamina opposite Christopher Maltman as Papageno. Drawing on the magical spectacle and earthy comedy that was popular in Viennese theatre in the late 18th century, The Magic Flute tells the tale of Prince Tamino and his mission to save the Queen of the Night's daughter, Pamina, from the enchanter Sarastro. The fairytale story transports the audience into a fantasy world of dancing animals, flying machines and glittery starry skies, and is often seen as an expression of Mozart's spiritual beliefs and his search for wisdom and virtue.
The international performance ensemble flips between "folkloric influences and rave-like trance as if they were two sides of the same coin" (Financial Times) as Hofesh Shechter presents Grand Finale, a surreal, cross-disciplinary show, combining elements of dance, theatre and music concerts. Exploring the anarchic and violent energy of a doomed world and a humanity at odds with itself, this is a "bleak but powerful" dance (FT).
The Young Vic presents the London premiere of Arthur Kopit's Wings starring Juliet Stevenson. Directed by Natalie Abrahami, it tells the story of Emily, a fiercely independent aviator and wing walker who has just suffered a stroke that's destroyed her sense of reality. As fragments of her life come back together, she struggles to find her voice and herself. The play sees Juliet Stevenson and Natalie Abrahami reunite after their hugely successful collaboration on Happy Days.
Exceptional horsemen and warriors, the Scythians were powerful nomadic tribes of Siberia and this autumn the British Museum reveals their ancient culture preserved in permafrost for thousands of years. Through 200 objects dated between 900 and 200 BC, including exciting archaeological discoveries from burial mounds in the high Altai mountains, the exhibition tells the story of these feared adversaries and neighbours of the ancient Greeks, Assyrians and Persians. Marvel at the multi-coloured textiles, fur-lined garments, fearsome weapons, horse headgear and tattooed human remains, perfectly preserved in frozen tombs.
The Noel Coward Theatre presents the world premiere of James Graham's new play, Labour of Love. Starring Martin Freeman and Tamsin Greig and directed by Jeremy Herrin, the razor-sharp political comedy is set away from the Westminster bubble and follows Labour MP David Lyons and his constituency agent Jean. Spanning 25 years, it moves from Kinnock through Blair to Corbyn and beyond.
Celebrating London as the gateway to international design, the London Design Festival celebrates is 15th anniversary in 2017 with hundreds of events and landmark projects. The annual festival takes in sectors as diverse as fashion, architecture, retail, typography, photography and textiles in an ambitious city-wide project. Over nine days in September, cultural institutions like the V&A, Somerset House and the Design Museum take part and the city is divided into eight design districts - there are hubs in Brompton, Chelsea, Clerkenwell, Islington, Queens Park and Shoreditch. Events vary from product launches in tiny boutiques to massive trade shows including designjunction and 100% Design. Look out for this year's landmark projects: Camille Walala's colourful architectural playground in the middle of Broadgate, Ross Lovegrove's Transmission and While We Wait by Elias and Yousef Anastas, both at the V&A.
An exuberantly colourful, strange and squidgy new world, Villa Walala creates an unexpected architectural landscape in the heart of Broadgate. Dreamt up by textile designer Camille Walala the 'building-block castle', covered and coloured with digitally printed patterns, is a landmark project of the London Design Festival which promises to be the best yet as it celebrates 15 years. Constructed from vinyl, sealed PVC inners and high-strength nylon, Villa Walala is a soft-textured structure with vibrant colours, tactile surfaces and playful shapes, injecting a little joy and playfulness into the City, colour amid the glass and grey concrete of the office blocks.
Highlights this year include New Scotland Yard, London's latest tower and an urban farm in Waterloo.
Open House LondonVarious Venues London,
LondonLondon, WC2N 5DWExhibitions
Dates: 21st - 22nd September 2019
One weekend a year we get to go behind doors which are, for the rest of the year, closed to the public and see inside London's architectural landmarks. The fantastic, free Open House London allows access to more than 800 of the city's sites and buildings. Highlights this year include the revamped New Scotland Yard, London's latest tower, nicknamed 'the vase', an urban farm in Waterloo, an exhibition by starchitect Norman Foster and the gargantuan Francis Crick Institute at King's Cross. Old favourites like the BT Tower and William Morris's Red House are back as well as City of London icons like the Cheesegrater and 'The Gherkin'. There's a wealth of architectural gems to choose from, old and new. You can also get inside some of the grandest private homes in your own neighbourhood - it's a voyeur's dream come true. For the more serious students of contemporary design, this is a chance to visit spaces by famous modern architects, some of whom give talks and tours of the buildings they've designed. Entry to some houses is only permitted via pre-booked tickets acquired through the website www.londonopenhouse.org. You're advised to bring booking confirmation with you.
The winning images of Astronomy Photographer of the Year are presented in a free exhibition at the Royal Observatory Greenwich which showcases some incredible images of the sky, from within our solar system and far into deep space. Images on display include winners from all nine categories: Aurorae; Skyscapes; People and Space; Our Sun; Our Moon; Planets, Comets and Asteroids; Stars and Nebulae; and Galaxies. Further special prizes include The Sir Patrick Moore for Best Newcomer prize, which is given to an amateur astrophotographer who has taken up the hobby in the last year and who has not entered the competition before; the Robotic Scope prize, given for photographs taken with a remotely operated robotic telescope; and the Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year, given to young and aspiring photographers.
Decorex, the longest-standing design and interior show during The London Design Festival, returns to Syon Park in 2017, with Robert Adam's Syon House providing an elegant backdrop to the event. This year, to celebrate its 40th edition, there's an inspiring seminar programme with Giles Kime, interiors editor at Country Life, and Sophie Conran among the speakers exploring topics from hotel interiors to taking your brand global. Over 400 companies exhibit new products and collections from contemporary, traditional and bespoke furniture to the latest lighting, floor coverings, fabrics and wall coverings, accessories and bespoke services. While primarily a trade event, members of the public are able to attend the show on the penultimate day.
More than 30 of the world's leading designers, including the director of design at Jaguar, are taking part in Design Frontiers, a group exhibition at Somerset House showing work which challenges and breaks through frontiers. Coinciding with London Design Festival, the exhibition includes designs by Ian Callum at Jaguar, Tord Boontje for Swarovski, Katie Greenyer, Creative Director at Pentland, Benjamin Hubert with Allermuir and a collection of designers for Danish textile manufacturer Kvadrat, with works shown in the Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court, West Wing Galleries and Terrace Rooms.
Fifteen years after an ill-fated teenage romance during a school field trip to the Scottish Highlands, Ramona returns the close-knit village to reconnect with Jim and clear her conscience about the scandal that changed both of their lives. A darkly comic play about the inescapable gravity of young love written by Sophie Wu.
The commercial cornerstone event of The London Design Festival, 100% Design is a vast showcase for more than 400 architects, product designers and interiors specialists. Diving the Olympia exhibition centre into areas for the workplace, interiors and emerging brands, the fair hosts product launches for decorative lighting, furniture and fittings as well as providing a platform for newcomers like Odddot, Junction Fifteen and London florist Grace & Thorn. Industry experts explore trends and the future of design at 'Talks with 100% Design' while Dealer Day is a chance to network and attend seminars and talks. Predominantly a trade show, doors are open to the public on the final day.
Marking the centenary of the death of Degas, who died on 27 September 1917, Drawn in Colour: Degas from the Burrell is a fitting tribute to one of the greatest creative figures of French art. Pulling together 13 pastels, three drawings, and four oil paintings from the collection of shipping magnate Sir William Burrell, these stunning works will be exhibited alongside additional oil paintings and pastels from the National Gallery and beyond. The free display shows some of his favourite subjects: the ballet, horse racing, and the private world of women at their toilette.
Described as "magnificently danced" and "a gift for ENB" by Judith Mackrell in The Guardian when it premiered at Manchester International Festival, Akram Khan's reinterpretation of Giselle for English National Ballet updates the piece, placing it in "a starkly contemporary setting". In his first full length ballet, Khan casts Giselle as part of a community of migrant workers turned out of their jobs in a condemned garment factory. Set and costume designs are by Academy-Award winning designer Tim Yip, known for his work on the hit film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Adolphe Adam adapts Vincenzo Lamagna's original score. In this "intriguingly imagined" and "visually transfixing" adaptation, Akram Khan "uses his 40-strong cast to impressive effect" (The Guardian).
The Raindance Film Festival, described by The Guardian as "the indie-est film festival this side of the Atlantic", opens with the UK premiere of Oh Lucy!, a Japanese film starring Josh Hartnett. The 12-day programme includes around 200 feature films, shorts programmes, seminars and workshops. Among the noteworthy screenings there's You Are Killing Me Susana by the producer of Frida and starring Gael Garcia Bernal. Get fully immersed in the latest releases in the virtual reality arcade, get a masterclass with Drop Dead Fred director Ate de Jong and enjoy a closing night gala after party at Planet Hollywood.
This September, the Barbican hosts the first large-scale exhibition in the UK on late American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Basquiat: Boom for Real draws from international museums and private collections to showcase the work of the pioneering prodigy of the downtown New York art scene, who came to the media's attention in 1978 when he teamed up with his classmate Al Diaz to graffiti enigmatic statements across the city under the collective pseudonym SAMO. A famously self-taught artist, Basquiat then went on to become one of the most celebrated artists of his generation. This exhibition will bring together more than 100 works, many of which have never before been seen in the UK.
DesignJunction returns to London for a seventh year in 2017, bringing together a series of exhibitions and installations. Held during, and a big part of, the London Design Festival, DesignJunction gives visitors an exciting insight into some of the most innovative products and creations in the design world. The cutting edge show also has a seminar programme, large-scale installations and places to eat. Added extras include a late night shopping event with special discounts, free fizz, a design masterclass, live demos and music.
London Design Fair
Launched in 2016, the fair is back for its second year.
Launched in 2016, the London Design Fair is an extension of The London Design Festival, taking over a whole floor of the Old Truman Brewery. Last year saw over 200 international exhibitors, showcasing the very latest in contemporary interior products, including furniture, lighting, ceramics, textiles, materials and accessories go on display, and, while this year's line-up is yet to be announced, it's expected to be just as big.
Head to The House of Illustration this autumn for a rare opportunity to see little-known production designs by celebrated political cartoonist Gerald Scarfe. The new exhibition, Gerald Scarfe: Stage and Screen, will invite guests to step into an imagination that is acerbic, explosive and unmistakable with a showcase of works by the celebrated political cartoonist. It will feature costumes and props from Pink Floyd's The Wall, Disney's Hercules and English National Ballet's The Nutcracker. For more work by Gerald Scarfe, head to the plush Scarfes Bar in Rosewood London.
The first musical version of Nick Hornby's book Fever Pitch, which famously follows the ups and downs of life supporting Arsenal Football Club, is staged at the Union Chapel, in the heart of north London where the book is set. Performed by Highbury Opera Theatre, the musical explores the author's obsession with Arsenal and is really an "opera for people who think that they don't like opera" says composer Scott Stroman. He and librettist Tamsin Collison have re-imagined the book as a comedy/drama featuring a cast of five professional actors, ten professional musicians and a chorus which includes 40 local school children.
BBC Good Food host the first-ever food and drink festival in the Tower of London's iconic dry moat. The three-day FEAST will host up to 200 cutting-edge food and drink companies from across the globe along with a number of renowned chefs such as Tom Kerridge, Michelle Roux and John Torode. The line-up includes The Feast Kitchen, with live cooking demos from rising stars and well-established chefs; pop-up restaurants, with dishes from all corners of the London food scene, a Le Cordon Bleu Skills School, with cuisine and patisserie masterclasses; and Feast Workshops, including a steak workshop with Ginger Pig and The Jones Family Project and cocktail masterclasses with The Rolling Drinks Trolley.
The Royal Academy hosts a major Jasper Johns exhibition in 2017, showcasing his work in the Main Galleries show. Regarded as one of the most important artists of the 20th century, Jasper Johns has remained central to American contemporary art since his arrival in New York in the 1950s and, as the Evening Standard stated, "few living artists have influenced the course of art as profoundly as Johns". This exhibition will show his early paintings alongside his sculptures, prints, collages and drawings, giving focus to a different chapter in his career. It provides a rare opportunity to see such a vast collection of the artist's work outside of America.
Producers of the largest yoga lifestyle events in the world, Wanderlust present the world's only mindful triathlon this summer. Taking place in Victoria Park, Wanderlust 108 involves a 5km run (or walk), an outdoor 90-minute yoga class and a guided meditation. There will also be free scheduled aerial yoga, acro-yoga, hooping and walking meditation classes as well as live music and DJs, artisanal vendors selling everything from clothing to jewellery, local food and plenty of further activities.
2017 marks the 170th anniversary of the first publication of Charlotte Bronte's classic and much loved story, Jane Eyre. A good time, then, for Sally Cookson's bold re-imagining of Jane Eyre to be staged at the National Theatre, the culmination of a major twenty one city tour of the UK. Nadia Clifford plays the spirited heroine who fights for freedom and fulfilment in the face of poverty and justice and Tim Delap makes his National Theatre debut as Rochester. This acclaimed production was described by the Daily Telegraph as "fresh and wonderfully engaging".
Following a sold-out tour in 2016, Ian Hislop and Nick Newman's The Wipers Times transfers to the Richmond Theatre this September. The play tells the extraordinary true story of the satirical newspaper created during the Somme. In a bombed out building during WWI In the Belgian town of Ypres, which was mispronounced as Wipers by British soldiers, two officers discover a printing press and decide to create a newspaper especially for the troops. However, instead of creating a sombre journal about life in the trenches, they produced a cheerful, subversive and humorous newspaper in an attempt to lift the spirits of the men on the front line.
Pioneering immersive theatre company Punchdrunk (who gave us The Drowned Man, Sleep No More and Faust) is to stage a brand new production inspired by the remaining fragments of Aeschylus' lost play The Kabeiroi this autumn. So popular are these productions that tickets are allocated by ballot. This time, instead of masks for the audience, visitors will experience Kabeiroi - a six-hour show taking place in multiple locations across London - in groups of just two. Starting off where the ancient Greek tragedy, written between 499 and 456 BC ends, artistic director Felix Barrett invites us to rediscover the childlike excitement of exploring the unknown.
Fresh from her storming Glastonbury performance, Lorde comes to Alexandra Palace promoting long-awaited new album 'Melodrama'. Lorde, real name Ella Yelich-O'Connor, held her own dancing in a perspex box on Glastonbury's Other Stage at the same time as Radiohead performed on the Pyramid Stage. Writing in The Guardian, Alexis Petridis described it as, "one of the weekend's highlights" admiring her, "magnetic and coolly self-assured" performance. The 20 year old New Zealand pop singer-songwriter "has just shown herself to be a fascinating musical talent" (Telegraph) with a second album that presents "a vivid diary of her progression through adolescence".
The Terrible Infants theatre company (or Les Enfants Terribles) present the ten-year anniversary production of their multi-award winning show The Terrible Infants at Wilton's Music Hall. Puppetry, music, storytelling and performance come together in this award winning show based on a series of twisted tales by Oliver Lansley and Sam Wyer, which features recorded narration by Dame Judi Dench. The story, suitable for ages 6 and over, sees the return of Tumb, the boy who eats his Mum, Thingummyboy, whose face is so forgettable even his Mum struggles to recall him, Little Linena, Manky Mingus and Little Tilly. They'll be joined by another twisted tale in this excellent animation and physical theatre that appeals to Roald Dahl and Tim Burton fans alike.
Created by Christopher Wheeldon for The Royal Ballet, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland had its world premiere at the main stage of the Royal Opera House in 2011 and has stood the test of time. The story, originally by Lewis Carroll, "fairly zings along" (Telegraph) but there is time to appreciate Alice's encounters with "the dissolving Cheshire Cat, the gyrating Caterpillar, the enraged Duchess and the deranged Red Queen". The ballet comes from an impressive creative team: composing the music is Joby Talbot and Bob Crowley's wildly imaginative, designs draw on everything from puppetry to projections. Although the story has been tweaked, beginning with a party in Oxford held by Alice's parents, everyone (from children aged five upwards) will enjoy the show.
Embracing all dance forms, Carlos Acosta's new dance company performs at Sadler's Wells on their first UK tour, with Acosta himself taking a starring cameo role. He will introduce Acosta Danza, the Havana-based dance company made up of talented dancers from Cuba, trained in both ballet and contemporary dance. They perform new and existing pieces by Cuban choreographer Marianela Boan, Spanish dance-makers Jorge Crecis and Goyo Montero, New York City Ballet resident choreographer Justin Peck and Sadler's Wells own Associate Artist Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui.
Ross Noble, Lesley Joseph and Hadley Fraser lead the cast of Young Frankenstein, Mel Brooks' uproarious musical based on his Oscar-nominated 1974 film about a New York brain surgeon. Hadley Fraser plays the title role of Dr Frederick Frankenstein, grandson of the infamous Dr. Victor Frankenstein, and immortalised by Gene Wilder in the 1974 movie, who inherits a Transylvanian castle from his deranged grandfather and falls in love with a sexy laboratory assistant, played by Summer Strallen. Speaking to the Evening Standard, Mel Brooks says he has "cockneyed up" his musical for its West End debut.
See the world premiere of an experimental work for seven dancers by Joe Moran which looks at what dancing does. On a stripped back stage, On The Habit of Being Oneself challenges the performers to over 50 minutes of relentless dancing. Performed in the Lilian Baylis Studio at Sadler's Wells, the evening opens with Indefinite Article, a solo for dancer Andrew Hardwidge which presents a witty counterpoint to the multiple bodies and complex choreography of the main event.
The Barnes Film Festival returns for a second year in 2017, offering an alternative to the central London film festivals dominating the scene. The festival brings together the great and good of south west London's actors, filmmakers and directors including Emmy award-winning actor and director Stanley Tucci, actor George MacKay, writer and producer Steven Moffat, and TV producer Sue Vertue. The line-up includes workshops, discussions, screenings and competitions.
This September, The Young Vic brings to life the diaries of activist Rachel Corrie in a Josh Roche-directed production. The diaries were first brought to the stage by the late Alan Rickman when he collaborated with journalist Katherine Viner back in 2005 to create a powerful drama. My Name is Rachel Corrie delves into the brief life of the American college student and activist, who was killed at the age of 23 when she was in the Gaza Strip, to capture the idealism and sardonic wit of her vivid diary entries.
Complementing the Barbican's Basquiat: Boom for Real exhibition, The Grime and the Glamour: NYC 1976-90 is a major new film season at the Barbican Cinema. The season takes visitors on a journey back to the late 1970s and '80s and captures a period of significant historical change and creative energy in New York. With a series of films set in Jean-Michel Basquiat's home town, the line-up includes Susan Seidelman's Desperately Seeking Susan, with Basquiat's ex-paramour Madonna as Susan; Jim Jarmusch's Permanent Vacation, which saw Basquiat use the film set as a makeshift crash pad; and hip hop classic Wild Style, starring Fab 5 Freddy and Ramellzee.
The V&A and the Royal Opera House team up this year to present landmark exhibition Opera: Passion, Power and Politics. Told through the lens of seven premieres in seven European cities, the exhibition explores the story of opera from its origins in late-Renaissance Italy to the present day, culminating in the international explosion of opera in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Proud Camden is getting in on the Oktoberfest action with a month-long celebration. Bringing the spirit of the renowned German festival to north London, it will see the gig room transformed into a Bavarian beer hall, complete with long wooden tables and bunting as well as waiters and waitresses suitably dressed in Dirndl and Lederhosen. There will be a selection of European beers served in steins, of course, alongside weisswurst, bratwurst, currywurst and sauerkraut as well as live music, oompah, brass bands and dancing.