The Week’s guide to what’s worth seeing and reading
Showing now
All About Eve at the Noël Coward Theatre, London WC2 (allabouteveplay.com). A new stage adaptation of the Bette Davis film starring Gillian Anderson and Lily James as Margot and Eve; the music is by PJ Harvey. Ends 11 May.
Book now
The boffins who find the fascinating facts for the BBC’S panel show QI have a hugely popular spin-off podcast No Such Thing as a Fish, which they take on sell-out tours. Their next tour starts 28 February at The Tivoli Theatre, Aberdeen; then Glasgow, Cambridge and on (nosuchthingasafish.com).
Tom Hiddleston stars in Betrayal, Harold Pinter’s tale of romance and adultery told in reverse. 5 March-1 June, Harold Pinter Theatre, London SW1 (pinteratthepinter.com).
The Essex Book Festival is celebrating its 20th birthday with more than 100 events taking place across the county throughout March. Highlights include workshops and talks by Sarah Perry, Sophie Hannah, A.L. Kennedy, Melvyn Bragg, Alan Johnson and Trevor Phillips, and a touring stage adaptation of Malorie Blackman’s Noughts & Crosses. 1-31 March, various venues, Essex (essexbookfestival.org.uk).
Just out in paperback
Chernobyl: History of a Tragedy by Serhii Plokhy (Penguin £9.99). Plokhy’s “compelling” history of the systemic failures that led to the nuclear disaster at reactor no. 4 won the Baillie Gifford Prize for non-fiction (Guardian).