CULTURAL AGENDA
Exhibitions | Museums | Galleries | Shows
Dates for your diary of things you don't want to miss out on this spring
WHAT WE'RE BOOKING Richard Alston Dance Company: Final Edition
02 MARCH – 08 MARCH 2020
It's the final curtain call for the Richard Alston Dance Company this March as the contemporary corps closes after 25 years. New and recent works will be performed at the Cambridge Arts Theatre and London's Sadler's Wells “to show my current extraordinary dancers at their very best,” says Alston. cambridgeartstheatre.com; sadlerswells.com
101 Dalmatians
16 MAY – 21 JUNE 2020
Cruella de Vil stalks onto the Regent's Park open air stage on 16 May as the lovable story of 101 Dalmatians is given a musical twist. The new production sets an upbeat tone for the season including Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel.
openairtheatre.com
Damon Albarn: The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows
26 MAY 2020
With Blur and The Gorillaz, Damon Albarn was synonymous with Britpop. Now his latest solo work premieres in Britain at the Barbican Hall on 26 May. Typically experimental, he mixes natural sound and electronics with an orchestral ensemble to evoke Iceland's poetic landscape.
barbican.org.uk
To Kill A Mockingbird
21 MAY – 10 JUNE 2020 (PREVIEWS) 11 JUNE 2020 – 05 SEPTEMBER 2020 Classic American novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee comes to London's Gielgud Theatre from May. Adapted for the stage by The West Wing creator, Aaron Sorkin, Rhys Ifans plays the earnest lawyer in this tale of racial injustice.
Tokillamockingbird.co.uk
WHAT WE'RE READING Jane Was Here: An Illustrated Guide to Jane Austen’s England
28 MAY 2020
For a lively literary pilgrimage, dip into Jane was Here: An Illustrated Guide to Jane Austen's England by Nicole Jacobsen, Devynn Dayton and Lexi K. Nilson, published by Hardie Grant.
From Portsmouth to the Peak District, explore the places where the Pride & Prejudice author visited to where her books were filmed. The tips of nearby eateries included are also worth sampling.
hardiegrant.com
WHAT WE'RE SEEING
Andy Warhol
12 MARCH - 06 SEPTEMBER 2020 (TATE MODERN)
15 APRIL – 05 JULY 2020
(NATIONAL GALLERY)
London is going Andy Warhol crazy this Spring with his works in two major shows. Tate Modern hosts his retrospective from March including the iconic Marilyn Monroe diptych. While the National Gallery's new interpretation of Sin pits his pop art alongside Old Masters and others from April.
tate.org.uk / nationalgallery.org.uk
Mat Collishaw
14 MARCH – 07 JUNE 2020
Since his heady days as a Young British Artist (YBA) alongside Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and others, Mat Collishaw has been experimenting with high technology in his art – from virtual reality to animatronics. Now highlights are on show in his Nottingham hometown at the university's Djanogly Gallery including the shadowy laser scanned recreation of a local Sherwood Forest oak.
lakesidearts.org.uk
Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street
06 MAY – 06 SEPTEMBER 2020 Calling Sneakerheads to the Design Museum from 6 May as the Kensington gallery unveils its latest drop, Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street. Archives from the likes of Nike are opened, unrealised models revealed and visitors can also create their own designs. Join the snaking queues.
designmuseum.org
Niki de Saint Phalle: Joy of Living
02 MAY – 06 SEPTEMBER 2020
Bold colour and fantasy brighten the Yorkshire Sculpture Park as its Weston Gallery showcases Niki de Saint Phalle's multi-faceted work. Birds, snakes and other recurring symbols feature in sculpture to jewellery; complementing her mirror, glass and stone Buddha which sits permanently in the park.
ysp.org.uk
WHERE WE'RE PARTYING
Royal Windsor Horse Show
13 MAY – 17 MAY 2020
Head to Windsor Castle for the best British equestrian sport. Don a smart Drake's jacket and tie or pretty Erdem dress for this 77 year old show-jumping to dressage extravaganza. An up-tempo evening pageant showcases Britain's military and equestrian history.
rwhs.co.uk
The Petworth Park Antiques & Fine Art Fair
15 MAY – 17 MAY 2020
17th century Petworth House and Park is the magnificent backdrop to May's fine art and antiques fair. Set in the rolling Sussex Downs, discover treasures from majestic marble and gilt bronze objets d'art to the unusual egg tempera painting of local artist, Sue Viner.
petworthparkfair.com
RHS Flower Show Cardiff
17 APRIL 2020 – 19 APRIL 2020
The gardening season blossoms in April as Bute Park behind Cardiff Castle hosts this year's 15th Royal Horticultural Society's Flower Show Cardiff. There are top British nurseries, live floristry demonstrations and more. Top tip: visit the park's arboretum with its Siberian elm, Gingko biloba and other exotic trees.
rhs.org.uk
Chiddingstone Castle Literary Festival
07 MAY 2020 – 10 MAY 2020 Chiddingstone Castle's literary festival in Kent is fast making its mark. Five this year, intimate talks and workshops are given by seminal authors including War Horse's Michael Morpurgo, Joanna Trollope and former Vogue editor, Alexandra Shulman. The bonus: exploring the 19th century house with its ancient Egyptian to Japanese lacquer collections.
chiddingstonecastle.org.uk/ literary_festival
The Great Escape
13 MAY 2020 – 16 MAY 2020
Discover hot new music from around the world at Brighton's Great Escape Festival. Ones to watch include Nigeria's Odunsi (The Engine) with his alté (which stands for alternative) mix of R&B, funk and Afrobeat to the Manchester rapper, Aitch.
greatescapefestival.com
WHAT WE' RE LISTENING TO
Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa
3 APRIL
It's been worth the three year wait for Dua Lipa's second album, Future Nostalgia, releasing on 3 April. Don't Start Now set the pop pace, whilst Physical adds pulsating electro beats. Our pick: Break My Heart with its melodic nod to INXS's Need You Tonight. Hear her live from London to Glasgow from 26 May to 15 June.
dualipa.com; ticketmaster.co.uk
WHAT WE'RE WATCHING
No Time To Die
02 APRIL 2020
James Bond is back. And so is Daniel Craig – maybe for the last time as the suave spy. In his 25th outing, Bond is recruited by the CIA to rescue a scientist and finds himself on the trail of a villain (played by Rami Malek) armed with dangerous technology. Billie Eilish, the 18 year old big winner at this year's Grammys, warbles the theme tune.
007.com
WHERE WE' RE DISCOVERING
Borough Market Kitchen
Sample this season's freshest produce at Borough Market Kitchen's long tables. Choose from daily changing tortillas to tahini pie at its various stalls. For heartier fare, try Stoney Street by 26 Grains restaurant with dinner dishes including braised venison with wild mushrooms.
boroughmarket.org.uk