WINTER DIARY
PRIDE LIFE TAKES A LOOK AT SOME OF THE HOTTEST CULTURAL HIGHLIGHTS TO WARM YOU THROUGH THOSE LONG, COLD WINTER NIGHTS
Hot cultural dates for cold winter nights
ART ATTACK
TO 23 MARCH 2014 WHITECHAPEL GALLERY HANNAH HÖCH First major exhibition in the UK of the work of Hannah Höch who made her name in the Dada movement in the Berlin of the 1920s, but whose collages and photomontages span over seven decades, making humorous and moving commentaries on society during a time of enormous social change. Go to: whitechapelgallery. org 13 FEBRUARY - 26 MAY 2014 TATE MODERN, LONDON RICHARD HAMILTON Richard Hamilton was one of the most influential artists of the 20th century and this is the first retrospective of all his work from early exhibitions in the 50s to his final paintings in 2011. Hamilton is best known for his role in the birth of pop art, which will form the centrepiece of the exhibition. Hamilton was also fascinated with popular culture, so images of Mick Jagger, Marilyn Monroe and others from the Swinging Sixties feature, alongside later political personalities like Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair. Go to: tate. org. uk 27 FEBRUARY 2014- 15 JUNE 2014 NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, LONDON THE GREAT WAR IN PORTRAITS Part of the commemoration of the hundredth anniversary of the first World War, this free exhibition takes a look at the war through portraits of the individuals involved in the conflict, including soldiers in the trenches and the generals and leaders back at home. Go to: npg. org. uk 06 MARCH - 22 JUNE 2014 BRITISH MUSEUM, LONDON VIKINGS - LIFE AND LEGEND The Vikings are coming to this year’s major new exhibition at the British Museum. Exhibits include Viking weapons and treasures, as well as a 37-metrelong Viking warship, the longest ever found and never seen before in the UK. Booking essential. Go to: britishmuseum. org
COMIC TURN
TO 06 APRIL 2014 ON TOUR RUSSELL BRAND’S MESSIAH COMPLEX Russell Brand’s quest for world domination reaches England, with a little help, he tells us, from Jesus Christ, Che Guevara, Gandhi, Malcolm X and Hitler. Check the website for performance details. Go to: russellbrand. com
DANCIN’ IN THE CITY
01 MARCH - 15 MARCH 2014 SADLER’S WELLS, LONDON FLAMENCO FESTIVAL LONDON Flamenco Festival London returns for its eleventh year, featuring six sizzling and sexy shows from some of the biggest and hottest names of the flamenco world. Flamenco international superstar Sara Baras returns to the Festival, and singer Miguel Poveda also headlines, and hot new dancing sensation Ángel Múñoz makes his debut at the Festival. Check website for performance details. Go to: sadlerswells. com 11 - 30 MARCH 2014 PEACOCK THEATRE, LONDON SHADOWLAND Internationally acclaimed hit show which brings together shadow theatre, dance, circus and music, projected images and front-of screen choreography in the tale of a teenage girl’s coming of age and adventures in the Shadowland where she encounters strange creatures including cannibal chefs and a centaur - who also succeeds in getting her into bed. Created in collaboration with Steven Banks, lead writer for SpongeBob SquarePants, Shadowland has been seen by almost one million people worldwide. Go to: sadlerswells. com
FAMILY AFFAIRS
03 MARCH - 09 MARCH 2014 NATIONWIDE LGBT ADOPTION AND FOSTERING WEEK Each spring, agencies across the UK hold events targeted at lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender prospective parents, as part of the LGBT Adoption and Fostering Week. Check the website for details. Go to: lgbtadoptfosterweek.org. uk
ON ICE
TO 04 MAY 2014 ON TOUR ROBIN COUSIN’S ICE Olympic champion and Dancing on Ice judge Robin Cousins presents some of the best skaters from around the globe in the world premier of this ice-skating spectacular currently on a national tour. Check website for performance details. Go to: robincousinsice. com 07 - 23 FEBRUARY 2014 SOCHI, RUSSIA WINTER OLYMPICS 2014 Inevitably sport has taken a backseat to politics this year, where gay sportsmen and women still don’t know what sort of frosty reception they may get. How many athletes are going to show their opposition to Russia’s homophobic laws? Go to: sochi2014. com
MOVIE MANIA
20 FEBRUARY - 02 MARCH 2014 GLASGOW TENTH GLASGOW FILM FESTIVAL The UK’s third largest annual film festival reaches its tenth birthday and will be showing its biggest ever programme of movies, including Hooray For Hollywood: 1939, a celebration of what’s widely considered to be Hollywood’s Golden Year, and featuring films from that year including Gone with the Wind, Mr Smith Goes to Washington and The Wizard of Oz. Check website for performance details. Go to: glasgowfilm. org/ festival 20 - 30 MARCH 2013 BRITISH FILM INSTITUTE, LONDON 28TH LONDON LESBIAN & GAY FILM FESTIVAL Major annual celebration of LGBT cinema, featuring new films and old favourites, and from the mainstream to the avant garde. Check the website for more details. Go to: bfi. org. uk/ llgff
JARMAN 20 YEARS ON
ALL YEAR AROUND THE UK JARMAN 2014 It’s 20 years since influential film-maker, artist, diarist, gardener and gay rights activist Derek Jarman died, and 2014 features a year-long celebration of his work across the country. Check the website for details. See feature this issue. Go to: jarman2014. org TO 09 MARCH 2014 KINGS COLLEGE LONDON DEREK JARMAN: PANDEMONIUM A major free exhibition featuring the life of Derek Jarman, looking at the way his art engaged with London from his student days at King’s, through his time in artistic warehouses alongside the river, and on to his later life. Among items on display will be his notebooks and his rarely seen Super 8 films from the 70s. Go to: kcl. ac. uk/ cultural and www. jarman2014. org TO 06 APRIL 2014 TATE MODERN, LONDON BLUE Jarman’s last film, made when he was succumbing to Aids-related complications and was losing his eyesight, is just one single frame of monochromatic blue, but with its accompanying soundtrack of poetry, prose and music it’s a surprisingly moving and engaging cinematic experience. The free performance of the movie, running on continuous loop, and featuring the voices of, among others, Tilda Swinton and Nigel Terry, and the music of Brian Eno and Eric Satie is free as part of the Structure and Clarity display at Tate Modern. Go to: tate. org. uk
GOTTA SING! GOTTA DANCE!
22 FEBRUARY - 29 MARCH 2014 ON TOUR THE X FACTOR LIVE Last year’s winner Sam Bailey headlines along with Abi Alton, Hannah Barrett, Luke Friend, Nicholas McDonald, Rough Copy, Sam Callahan and Tamera Foster. Check the website for performance details. Go to: xfactor. itv. com TO 24 APRIL 2014 ON TOUR RUTHIE HENSHALL ON TOUR The UK’s first lady of musical theatre takes to the road for a national tour, featuring the defining songs of her life - both onstage and off. Henshall won an Olivier for Peggy Sue Got Married, and has also starred in Chicago and Les Misérables. Check website for performance details. Go to: ruthiehenshall. com TO 03 MAY 2014 SAINT JAMES’ THEATRE, LONDON URINETOWN The Broadway and multi-Tony-winning sensation finally comes to the West End. Richard Fleeshman and Jenna Russell star in this musical about an evil businessman who has made his fortune by buying up and monopolising all the public toilets, making it a “privilege to pee”. In a town where water is worth its weight in gold, anyone who refuses to pay to use the loo is sent to Urinetown, and is never seen again. Go to: urinetown. co. uk TO 05 JULY 2014 ON TOUR HAPPY DAYS Happy days are here again as Emmerdale hunk Ben Freeman stars as the Fonz and ex- Sugababe Heidi Range as Pinky, with Buck’s Fizz’s Cheryl Baker as Mrs Cunningham, in the national tour of the musical based on the classic TV show. Check website for performance details. Go to: happydaysthemusical.co.uk TO 29 NOVEMBER 2014 MANCHESTER OPERA HOUSE , AYLESBURY WATERMILL THEATRE, SAVOY THEATRE, LONDON DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS The glamorous French Riviera is the setting for this award-winning Broadway musical featuring two conmen out to pull the biggest scam of their lives, and win the affection of millionaire soap heiress Christine Colgate. Starring Robert Lindsay and Rufus Hound, the show has been specially adapted for a UK audience, and plays in Manchester and Aylesbury before opening at London’s Savoy Theatre on 10 March. Go to: scoundrelswestend.com 20 FEBRUARY - 29 MARCH 2014 SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE, LONDON THE A-Z OF MRS P Brand new British musical about the life of Phyllis Pearsall who spent five years of her life walkingt the London streets creating the A-Z. Starring Isy Suttie from Peep Show and Shameless, and Tony Award winning Frances Ruffelle. Go to: southwarkplayhouse.co.uk
27 FEBRUARY - 25 OCTOBER 2014 LONDON PALLADIUM I CAN’T SING - THE X FACTOR MUSICAL Former EastEnder Nigel Harman stars as Simon Cowell in this musical which is being called the (allegedly) true story behind the top-rated talent show, and a “gloriously twisted tale of naked ambition, heartache, hunchbacks and talking dogs”. Written by comedian Harry Hill, with new songs by Steve Brown, this comes with the backing of Cowell himself, and has all the signs of becoming a camp and cult classic. Go to: icantsingthemusical.com 05 MAY – 25 OCTOBER 2014 PRINCE EDWARD THEATRE, LONDON MISS SAIGON Revival of the classic musical set in Saigon during the Vietnam War, and telling the love story between bar girl Kim and American GI Chris. Written by the team behind Les Misérables, and based on Madame Butterfly, the original show ran for 4,000 performances in the West End. A new song Maybe has been added to this new version. Sure to be the hottest show in town, so prebook those tickets now. Go to: miss-sAigon. Com
ON CAMERA
TO 01 JUNE 2014 NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, LONDON BAILEY’S STARDUST Must-see exhibition featuring over 250 portraits from the work of David Bailey, one of the world’s top celebrity photographers, and selected by Bailey himself. In his time Bailey has captured an extraordinary range of subjects, from actors and writers, from unknowns to global superstars. Booking advisable. Go to: npg. org. uk TO 30 JUNE 2014 NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, LONDON BENJAMIN BRITTEN - A LIFE IN PICTURES Celebrating the centenary of one of the greatest British composers of the twentieth century, this exhibition of more than 40 photographs, many never seen before, traces the life of Britten, and Peter Pears, his partner and collaborator for almost 40 years. Go to: npg. org. uk
OPERATICS
TO 27 FEBRUARY 2014 COLISEUM, LONDON PETER GRIMES Described as the most significant British opera in over two centuries., this award-winning production of Benjamin Britten’s opera will also be screened live in cinemas around the UK and worldwide on Sunday 23 February. Go to: eno. org TO 24 FEBRUARY 2014 ROYAL OPERA HOUSE, LONDON DON GIOVANNI Sexy new interpretation from Kasper Holten of Mozart’s classic opera following the career of a serial seducer trying to escape his own mortality and paying a high price. Go to: roh. org. uk TO 11 APRIL 2014 ON TOUR MANON LESCAUT Part of Welsh National Opera’s Fallen Women season, Manon Lescaut is Puccini’s first great opera. Opens in Cardiff before touring the country. Check the website for performance details. Go to: wno. org. uk 11 FEBRUARY - 12 APRIL 2014 ON TOUR LA TRAVIATA Verdi’s classic opera weepie about the doomed love of Alfredo and Violetta ensures that by the end of the production there won’t be a dry eye in the house. Opens in Cardiff and then tours the UK. Check the website for performance details. Go to: wno. org. uk
13 FEBRUARY - 14 MARCH 2014 COLISEUM, LONDON RIGOLETTO A 19th-century gentleman’s club is the setting for this must-see new production of Verdi’s masterpiece, which features some of the composer’s most popular tunes. A co-production of the ENO and the Canadian Opera Company. Go to: eno. org
THE PLAY’S THE THING
FROM 10 FEBRUARY 2014 NATIONAL THEATRE, LONDON A TASTE OF HONEY A major revival of what was once a groundbreaking and influential play. A Taste of Honey tells the story of Jo, a 17-year-old working class girl in Salford, who becomes pregnant and shares her flat with her best gay friend, played by Dean Lennox Kelly. Go to: nationaltheatre. org. uk 25 FEBRUARY - 14 JUNE 2014 NOëL COWARD THEATRE, LONDON THE FULL MONTY Following a critically acclaimed national tour, the play about six Sheffield steelworkers turned strippers comes to London’s West End. Based on the smash hit film. Go to: fullmontytheplay.com 01 MARCH - 02 JUNE 2014 GIELGUD THEATRE, LONDON BLITHE SPIRIT Dame Angela Lansbury makes a long awaited return to the London stage as eccentric medium Madame Arcati in Noel Coward’s ghostly comedy. Go to to: blithespiritlondon.com
TAKING PRIDE
02 FEBRUARY - 02 MARCH 2014 SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA SYDNEY MARDI GRAS There’s one whole month of fun and fabulousness leading up to the Mardi Gras parade on Saturday 1 March, when more than 9,000 people take to the Sydney streets in the biggest LGBT party in the southern hemisphere. Go to: mardigras. org. au 22 FEBRUARY 2014 VIENNA, AUSTRIA RAINBOW BALL, VIENNA Channel your inner Strictly at Vienna’s 17th Rainbow Ball, where same-sex couples practice their ballroom moves. Go to: hosiwien. at/ regenbogenball 21 - 23 FEBRUARY 2014 LONDON STUDENT PRIDE National Student Pride comes to the capital for the first time. The opening party will be at Camp Attack at Heaven on Friday 21 February. There’s a daytime festival at Westminster University on Saturday, followed by another party at G-A-Y in Heaven with Sunday given over to film screenings. Check the website for more details. Go to: studentpride. co. uk 25 FEBRUARY – 5 MARCH 2014 SITGES, SPAIN SITGES GAY CARNIVAL The Sitges gay carnival kicks off just before the regular carnival and promises one of the craziest parties around. The busiest days are Sunday for the Debauchery Parade and the Extermination Parade on Tuesday night. Go to: tinyurl. com/ 77vkvue