The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Review
Spring loaded: 100 hot tickets
From Mad Max to The Merry Widow, Bruce Springsteen to Spirited Away – our critics pick the cultural must-sees of the new season
2 THEATRE
Long Day’s Journey into Night Jeremy Herrin revives Eugene O’Neill’s masterpiece with Succession star Brian Cox as the fading actor James Tyrone, and Patricia Clarkson as his morphine-addled wife. Wyndham’s Theatre, London WC2 (delfontmackintosh.co.uk), to June 8
4 BOOKS
Choice by Neel Mukherjee
The Booker shortlistee returns with a superb, emotive novel about ordinary people who suddenly feel adrift in their lives – and the choices that led them there.
Atlantic
TV
Ripley
Andrew Scott as Patricia Highsmith’s charming sociopath Tom Ripley – how could we resist? Throw in Johnny Flynn as Dickie Greenleaf and a gold-standard showrunner (The Night Of ’s Steven Zaillian), and this should be superb. Netflix
5 OPERA
Carmen
Bizet’s now hugely popular opera was not initially a success, but its scorching intensity seems more timely than ever. In this new production (there’s another coming up at Glyndebourne), Aigul Akhmetshina takes the fiery title role in a staging by Damiano Michieletto. Royal Opera House, London WC2 (roh.org.uk), until May 31
8 TV
The Regime
Satire with bells on, as Kate Winslet stars as a flailing authoritarian chancellor in an unnamed European country. Think The Death of Stalin meets The Crown.
Sky Atlantic
9 DANCE
Edward Scissorhands
Matthew Bourne’s beautifully designed, intensely moving dancetheatre adaptation of Tim Burton’s beloved 1990 film is one of the finest things he has ever done. Alhambra Theatre, Bradford, to Apr 13 (new-adventures.net), then touring
10 ART
Ranjit Singh: Sikh, Warrior, King Founder of the Sikh empire, former owner of the Koh-i-Noor diamond – before Queen Victoria got her hands on it – Singh beat Churchill in a 2020 BBC poll to be crowned the greatest leader of all time. From jewels to armour, this show transports you to the maharajah’s court. Wallace Collection, London W1 (wallacecollection.org), until Oct 20
11 TV
Fallout
In this post-apocalyptic, sci-fi phantasmagoria, Ella Purnell’s young “vault dweller” drags herself blinking into a nuclear-war scorched Los Angeles. Big, mad, delirious fun. Amazon Prime Video
THEATRE
Player Kings
Robert Icke adapts Shakespeare’s ebullient epic histories Henry IV, Parts I & II, with Ian McKellen playing Falstaff at the age of 84. Noël Coward Theatre, London WC2 (playerkingstheplay.co.uk), in preview from Apr 1, until June 22
CLASSICAL
Bewitching Rhythms
The jazz great Wynton Marsalis stages another raid on classical territory with a trumpet concerto, receiving its UK premiere from Alison Balsom and the LSO, conducted by Antonio Pappano. Barbican, London EC2 (lso.co.uk), and Bristol Beacon (bristolbeacon. org), on Apr 12
BOOKS
Sociopath by Patric Gagne
“I’m a liar. I’m a thief. I’m highly manipulative.” So begins a disturbing memoir by an author who has been a lifelong sociopath.
Bluebird
12 FILM
The Teachers’ Lounge
The fallout from a staffroom pickpocketing incident threatens to tear a school apart in this nervesnapping German Oscar nominee. Cinemas
TV
Franklin
Left-field historical dramas are all the rage on television. This Michael Douglas vehicle looks a lot of fun, as US founding father Benjamin Franklin attempts to woo the French. Apple TV+
FILM
Close Your Eyes
The 83-year-old Spanish auteur
Victor Erice (The Spirit of the Beehive) has fashioned a late masterpiece: an essay on cinema and memory, about the unsolved disappearance of an actor in the 1990s. Cinemas
FILM
Back to Black
We’ve had Freddie Mercury, Whitney Houston and Bob Marley: now, Amy Winehouse, as played by Industry star Marisa Abela, gets her own rise-and-fall biopic, with Sam Taylor-Johnson calling the shots. Cinemas
FILM
Civil War
Alex Garland brings us a dystopian action movie, with Kirsten Dunst heading a team of journalists who must document a guns-blazing meltdown across America. Cinemas
13 COMEDY
Troy Hawke: The Greeters Guild Milo McCabe went viral with his “Greeters Guild” videos, playing the charming, Terry-Thomas-like Troy Hawke. It is even funnier on stage, thanks to McCabe’s gift for spontaneous crowd-work. Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, and Apr 14, then touring (livenation.co.uk)
POP
Take That
In their swinging 50s, the former boy-band quintet has shrunk to a scruffily bearded trio of serious musos. But they have done so with grace, adding lyrical depth to melodious showmanship and maturing into masters of harmony.
Utilita Arena, Sheffield, and Apr 14, then touring (takethat.com)
14 THEATRE
London Tide
Ben Power adapts Charles Dickens’s Our Mutual Friend, with songs co-written with PJ Harvey. Ian Rickson directs.
National’s Lyttelton Theatre, London SE1 (nationaltheatre.org. uk), until June 22
TV
The Sympathizer
Fresh from his Oscar triumph, Robert Downey Jr takes on multiple roles in this thrilling adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzerwinning novel about a Vietcong soldier exiled in Los Angeles. Sky Atlantic
15 COMEDY
Rhod Gilbert & the Giant Grapefruit
Now thankfully given the all-clear nearly two years after a cancer diagnosis, the perennially furious Welshman tours a new show about “turning life’s giant grapefruits into something approaching lemonade”. The Courtyard, Hereford (rhodgilbert comedian.com), and touring
16 BOOKS
Knife by Salman Rushdie
This, by any measure, is the publishing event of the year: one of the greatest living novelists on his nearmurder in 2022, and how literature can lighten even our darkest days. Jonathan Cape
TV
Red Eye
High-octane, high-concept and just plain high – this white-knuckle conspiracy drama is set aboard a flight from Beijing to London, where a doctor (Richard
Armitage) is arrested for murder.
ITV1, date TBC
BOOKS
Ten Years to Save the West by Liz Truss
Bad news: 2,000 years of democracy may end imminently, according to Truss. Should we take the advice of the ex-PM, who calls herself the
“only Conservative in the room”? Biteback
17 DANCE
Hofesh Shechter: From England with Love
The unique, always-fascinating Israeli-born choreographer serves up what promises to be a billet-doux to his adoptive country, performed by his zingy young Shechter II troupe. Queen Elizabeth Hall, London SE1 (southbankcentre.co.uk), to April 20
TV
Feud: Capote vs the Swans Following his superb series about Joan Crawford and Bette Davis, Ryan Murphy returns with another irresistible battle – between Truman Capote and his glittering milieu. The starry case includes Tom Hollander, Naomi Watts, Demi Moore, Molly Ringwald and more. Disney+
18 THEATRE
Love’s Labour’s Lost
Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey’s inaugural season as RSC artistic codirectors includes a play about the 1997 Kyoto summit. But first, Emily Burns revives Shakespeare’s youthful comedy, with Bridgerton’s Luke Thompson making his RSC debut. Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon (rsc.org.uk), until May 18
23 CLASSICAL
Verdi’s Requiem
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra loves to play earth-shaking choraland-orchestral blockbusters at the Royal Albert Hall, and they don’t come more earth-shaking than this. Royal Albert Hall, London SW7 (royalalberthall.com)
THEATRE
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
As seen at the Kiln last year, this musical romcom (by Jim Barne and Kit Buchan) stars Dujonna Gift and Sam Tutty as the sister of the bride and the son of the bridegroom, with baggage to unpack as they cross the Big Apple carrying, yup, a cake. Criterion, London W1 (twostrangersthemusical. com), until July 14
TV
Blue Lights
The Belfast-set police drama was one of the best things on television last year and makes a welcome return. It’s raw and relevant in a way that most cop dramas aren’t.
BBC One, date TBC
24 THEATRE
Minority Report
David Haig (My Boy Jack) has had the commercially canny, thematically timely idea of adapting Philip KDick’s futuristic vision of precrime suspects (as made famous on screen by Spielberg/Cruise). Max Webster (Life of Pi) directs.
Lyric Hammersmith, London W6 (lyric.co.uk), until May 18
25 ART
Expressionists: Kandinsky, Münter and the Blue Rider
In her day, she was seen as little more than a “side-dish” to her teacher and lover Kandinsky. But is Gabriele Münter actually the forgotten founder of German expressionism? This brilliant artist’s time may have come at last.
Tate Modern, London SE1 (tate.org.uk), until Oct 20
26 FILM
Challengers
Anyone for mixed doubles? Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist vie for on court supremacy – and shared lover Zendaya – in this romantic thriller set in the world of pro tennis. Cinemas
TV
Disclaimer
The Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity, Roma) returns to the small screen with an ambitious drama about a documentary-maker (Cate Blanchett) who finds that she and her dark secrets are the subject of a popular novel. Apple TV+, date TBC
27 ART
Bloomin’ Brilliant: The Life and Work of Raymond Briggs
The Snowman creator’s gift lay in his ability to tackle loss, loneliness and the fear of death – in something as apparently simple as a children’s book. This intimate show draws on more than 100 works from the late author’s 60-year career.
Ditchling Museum of Art+Craft, East Sussex (ditchlingmuseumart craft.org.uk), until Oct 27
MAY 2 THEATRE
The Deep Blue Sea
Tamsin Greig plays one of Terence Rattigan’s great roles: Hester Collyer, the clergyman’s daughter and judge’s wife rendered wretched by a love affair with a restless ex-Battle of Britain pilot. Lindsay Posner directs. Ustinov Studio, Theatre Royal Bath (theatreroyal.org.uk), until June 1
FILM
The Fall Guy
Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt star in this pell-mell comedy as the action choreographer and director of a high-octane caper who must track down its missing star. Cinemas
ART
Michelangelo: The Last Decades What does a great artist produce in the autumn of their life? Beethoven’s late style was tragic, thorny and transcendent. For Michelangelo, as this exhibition proves, the final years demanded a similar reckoning with mortality – and salvation. British Museum, London WC1 (britishmuseum.org), until July 28
THEATRE
The Cherry Orchard
The firebrand Australian director Benedict Andrews has relocated The Seagull to a shack down under, and planted Three Sisters in a wasteland. Now, he turns his attention to Chekhov’s final play, with the German star Nina Hoss (Tár, Homeland) making her London debut as the aristocratic landowner Ranevskaya. Donmar Warehouse, London
WC2 (donmarwarehouse.com), until June 22
BOOKS
Magic Pill by Johann Hari
Johann Hari: respectable journalist or confessed plagiarist? Whatever you think, expect his latest grand inquiry, this one into the truth about the diet-drug Ozempic, to make serious waves.
Bloomsbury
TV
The Tattooist of Auschwitz
As bracing a true story as they come – in this adaptation of Heather Morris’s bestseller, Harvey Keitel plays Lale Sokolov, a Jew at Auschwitz tasked with tattooing the ID numbers on fellow prisoners’ arms. Sky Atlantic
3 DANCE
The Winter’s Tale
Christopher Wheeldon’s modern classic is one of those rare Shakespeare adaptations that’s arguably several steps up from the original. Royal Opera House, London WC2 (roh.org.uk), until June 1
POP
Olivia Rodrigo
Somewhere between the allAmerican songcraft of Taylor Swift and the generational angst of Billie Eilish, this fizzing 21-year-old US sensation has brought rock bite back into the pop mainstream. Co-op Live, Manchester, and May 4, then touring (ticketmaster.co.uk)
COMEDY
Machynlleth Comedy Festival Top comics – this year including James Acaster, Miles Jupp and Bridget Christie – flock to this picturesque Welsh town to reveal new material to a comedy-mad crowd. Various venues, Machynlleth (machcomedyfest.co.uk), until May 5
FILM
Love Lies Bleeding
Four years after Saint Maud, Rose Glass returns with an outrageous 1980s scuzzball noir set on the US amateur-bodybuilding circuit. Kristen Stewart stars.
Cinemas
4 JAZZ
Dee Dee Bridgewater
The Cheltenham Jazz Festival has bagged some enticing American stars, none more so than Bridgewater, whose coffee-and-cream voice carries a flavour of the Deep South. Cheltenham Town Hall (cheltenhamfestivals.com)
5 POP
Bruce Springsteen
The boss is back. The 74-year-old returns to UK stadiums after a sixmonth break to deal with a peptic ulcer. The greatest live performer of the rock era can still kick up a storm with his E Street Band. Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Wales, and touring (brucespringsteen.net)
7 THEATRE
Spirited Away
Following the success of My Neighbour Totoro, London gets another stage version of a Studio Ghibli hit, this one Hayao Miyazaki’s 2001 blockbuster about a girl trapped in the spirit world. John Caird directs a Japanese cast (English surtitles). London Coliseum, London WC2 (spiritedawayuk.com), until Aug 24
9 POP
Eric Clapton
At 78, and suffering nerve damage to his fingers, the man they call Slowhand no longer tours often, so catch the most accomplished and influential guitarist of the original British blues-rock boom while you can. Utilita Arena, Newcastle, then touring (ericclapton.com)
THEATRE
Punch
James Graham’s latest – starring Julie Hesmondhalgh and directed by Adam Penford – looks at the reallife case of a Nottingham teen who threw a fatal punch, and the later search for justice and forgiveness. Nottingham Playhouse (nottingham playhouse.co.uk), until May 25
10 FILM
Hoard
The spirit of Nic Roeg crackles through Luna Carmoon’s sparklingly odd debut, in which a schoolgirl raised by a compulsive hoarder falls for a wrong ’un, and finds buried impulses unleashed. Cinemas
ART
National Treasures
Turner’s The Fighting Temeraire sets sail for Newcastle; in Edinburgh, you can hear the tinkle of Vermeer’s A Young Woman Standing at a Virginal. The National Gallery celebrates its 200th anniversary by loaning a dozen of the nation’s most-loved paintings to museums across the UK.
Various venues (nationalgallery. org.uk), until Sept
14 THEATRE
Withnail and I
Bruce Robinson has adapted his own adored 1987 Brit-flick about two squiffy, on-their-uppers 1960s actors, with Robert Sheehan taking the acerbic Richard E Grant role of Withnail. Sean Foley directs. Birmingham Rep (birmingham-rep. co.uk), until May 25
15 CLASSICAL
Bartók, Prokofiev, Shostakovich After 15 glorious years as chief conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the Ukrainian Kirill Karabits bows out with a thrilling programme, including Bartók’s The Miraculous Mandarin. Lighthouse, Poole (bsolive.com)
16 COMEDY
Catherine Bohart: Again, With Feelings
Bohart’s breakthrough came in 2018 with a terrific set about growing up with OCD as the bisexual daughter of a Catholic deacon. Now a panelshow regular, in this show she looks aslant at love and relationships.
The Forge Comedy Club, Brighton (catherinebohart.com), then touring
DANCE
A Streetcar Named Desire
First staged in 2012, Scottish Ballet’s first-rate adaptation of Tennessee Williams’s steamy Southern Gothic melodrama is back, and should still make for an absolutely gripping (and grown-up) night out.
Sadler’s Wells, London EC1 (sadlerswells.com), until May 19
17 FILM
IF
John Krasinski writes and directs a blend of live action and animation about a young girl called Bea, who, like her upstairs neighbour (Ryan Reynolds), has the power to see people’s abandoned imaginary friends.
Cinemas
22 THEATRE
Viola’s Room
Immersive pioneers Punchdrunk turn their London base into a laboratory, beginning with a version of Barry Pain’s 1901 short story The Moon-Slave (adapted by Daisy Johnson); barefoot groups of up to six “feel their way through a mazelike installation”.
One Cartridge Place, London SE18 (punchdrunk.com), until Aug 18
23 THEATRE
Romeo & Juliet
Tom “Spider-Man” Holland returns to the West End for the first time since making his debut in 2008 in Billy Elliot the Musical. The run for Jamie Lloyd’s production sold out in hours, despite the casting for Juliet not having been announced. Duke of York’s Theatre, London WC2 (romeoandjulietldn.com), until Aug 3
BOOKS
Long Island by Colm Tóibín Nearly two decades after his Costa Award-winning Brooklyn, Tóibín returns to Eilis, Tony and children, just as a secret is revealed and their lives start to fall apart.
Wistful prose and small-town Ireland beckon.
Picador
ART
Judy Chicago: Revelations Chicago is best known for serving up The Dinner Party, a banquet set on a triangular table with ceramic place settings (which resemble vulvas) for 39 women – from Sappho to Hildegard of Bingen to Virginia Woolf. Now an elder stateswoman of the art world, this is the feminist trailblazer’s first solo show at a major London gallery.
Serpentine North, London W2 (serpentinegalleries.org), until Sept 1
BOOKS
Endgame 1944 by Jonathan Dimbleby
June 6 will be the 80th anniversary of D-Day: brace for many books. But first, travel with Dimbleby to the Eastern Front, where the Nazis’ fate was being brutally sealed.
Viking
24 COMEDY
Comedy at the Castle
It’s a siege! Simon Amstell, Nina Conti, Rory Bremner and Maisie Adam are among the comics invading a 12th-century castle. Buy a day ticket, or glamp for the weekend in wooden lodges or princely tents. Warwick Castle, Warwick (warwick-castle.com), until May 26
FILM
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Nine years after the hellzapoppin’ spree of Max Mad: Fury Road, George Miller returns with a prequel about the fall of the world, and the snatching of Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) by an evil warlord’s crew. Cinemas
29 THEATRE
Boys from the Blackstuff
James Graham has adapted Alan Bleasdale’s era-defining Liverpudlian TV drama about a bunch of jobseeking workmen for the stage. Kate Wasserberg directs. Barry Sloane plays Yosser “gizza job” Hughes.
National’s Olivier Theatre, London SE1 (nationaltheatre.org.uk), to Jun 8
TV
Shardlake
CJ Sansom’s Tudor mystery novels get an overdue television adaptation, with Arthur Hughes playing the eponymous “crookback” sleuth and Sean Bean as Thomas Cromwell. Disney+, date TBC
30 TV
Eric
In Abi Morgan’s six-part thriller, Benedict Cumberbatch plays a puppeteer in 1980s New York whose life is devastated when his young son goes missing. The only person who can help? A 7ft furry purple monster called Eric.
Netflix
31 FILM
Young Woman and the Sea
Daisy Ridley stars in this Jerry Bruckheimer-produced biopic as the American Olympic swimmer Gertrude Ederle, who became the first woman to swim the English Channel in 1926.
Cinemas
POP
Eagles
They are calling it The Long Goodbye. A five-night arena residency in Manchester may be the last ever shows in the UK by the kings of country rock, a pristine groove and harmony machine led from the back by the drummer Don Henley. Take it to the limit one more time. Co-op Live, Manchester, until
June 8 (eagles.com)
FILM
The Beast
Léa Seydoux and George MacKay star in this Lynchian head-spinner from Bertrand Bonello, about a woman who encounters versions of the same strange man in the present, future and past.
Cinemas
CLASSICAL
The Hallé – Finale
There’ll be tears as Mark Elder conducts his last concert in Manchester as music director of the Hallé, in a premiere from James MacMillan and Mahler’s Fifth Symphony. Bridgewater
Hall, Manchester (bridgewater-hall. co.uk), and June 1
JUNE 1 POP
Liam Gallagher
A huge Britpop anniversary, as the last great British rock star celebrates 30 years of Oasis debut Definitely Maybe. Fresh off a jaunt with John Squire of the Stone Roses, these shows by the swaggeringly charismatic vocalist will be epic. Utilita Arena, Sheffield and touring (liamgallagher.com)
3 COMEDY
Jazz Emu: Knight Fever
The funky, freaky popstar alter ego of character comic Archie Henderson (and star of his own Radio 4 sitcom) – now has a full backing band at his disposal, for what promises to be an uproarious show.
Soho Theatre, London W1 (sohotheatre.com), until June 22
6 BOOKS
The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry
A tale of forbidden love and banditry in the alcohol-soaked Wild West? The first novel in five years from the Irish Goldsmiths-winner should be good, breathless fun. Canongate
DANCE
Les Rendezvous/The Dream/ Rhapsody
A particularly rich bill from the Royal Ballet of works by its genius founding choreographer Frederick Ashton, from 1933’s convivial delight Les Rendezvous, via his magical 1964 Shakespeare adaptation The Dream to the technical pyrotechnics of 1980’s Rhapsody. Royal Opera House, London WC2 (roh.org.uk), until June 19
ART
Zanele Muholi It’s hard to look away from the photographer’s monochrome pictures – graceful portraits of gay, lesbian and transgender people in South Africa that glow in black-and-white.
Tate Modern, London SE1 (tate.org. uk), until Jan 26
7 POP
Taylor Swift
It doesn’t get any bigger than this in modern pop. The Eras tour finally lands in Britain, expanded to include new album, The Tortured Poets Department (out April 19). The zeitgeist-riding US singer-songwriter’s UK stint includes an astonishing eight shows at Wembley Stadium. Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh and touring (taylorswift.com)
8 OPERA
Daughter of the Regiment Soprano Julia Sitkovetsky hits the high notes in Donizetti’s fizzy French comedy about the girl brought up by soldiers. John Doyle mounts this new production with Claire Levacher conducting. Grange Park Opera, West Horsley (grangeparkopera.co.uk), until
July 6
9 OPERA
The Merry Widow
A new staging of Franz Lehár’s lively 1905 comic operetta is a departure from the upmarket Glyndebourne repertory. The effervescent Danielle de Niese is ideally suited to the role of Hanna Glawari, and the talented John Wilson conducts the production by clever director Cal McCrystal. Glyndebourne, East Sussex (glyndebourne.com), until July 28
11 POP
P!nk
American superstar Alecia Moore has been getting the party started for 25 years, making mainstream pop with attitude that smashes together rock, hip hop and R’n’B. Her shows are a visual feast, with monster tunes to match the daring acrobatics.
Principality Stadium, Cardiff and touring (pinksummercarnival.com)
12 DANCE
Swan Lake in-the-round
First unveiled in 1997, Derek Deane’s site-specific Swan Lake – complete with no fewer than 60 swans – is anything but “authentic”. But it is spectacular, and English National Ballet dance it fabulously. Royal Albert Hall, London SW7 (ballet.org.uk), until June 23
12 COMEDY
Bristol Comedy Garden
This jaunty outdoor festival always attracts big names, and 2024’s lineup is no exception. The impressive bill includes such familiar faces as Sara Pascoe, Harry Hill, Dylan Moran, Tim Key, Stewart Lee and Fern Brady.
Queen Square, Bristol (bristol comedygarden.co.uk), until June 16
13 POP
Foo Fighters
Thirty years after the death of his former bandmate Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl’s ongoing resurrection from the ashes of Nirvana has been one of the most triumphantly uplifting tales in rock and roll. He has grappled with tragedy but makes defiantly entertaining American rock that draws on a huge array of retro sources but is stamped with his ebullient personality.
Old Trafford, Manchester and touring ( foofighters.com)
THEATRE
The Caretaker
New Chichester Festival Theatre artistic director Justin Audibert directs Pinter’s breakthrough play with Ian McDiarmid taking on the mantle of the territorial tramp who is inducted into the insalubrious orbit of Aston and his brother Mick (Adam Gillen and Jack Riddiford). Minerva Theatre, Chichester (cft. org.uk), until July 13
14 FILM
Inside Out 2
Yes, the untouchable 2015 Pixar one-off is getting a sequel: we’re nervous too, though teenage Riley’s new batch of live-in emotions (Anxiety, Embarrassment, Envy and Ennui) sound a comedically promising crop.
Cinemas
TV
Presumed Innocent
The small screen finally bags big Jake Gyllenhaal, as he takes on the role of Rusty Sabich, a US prosecutor accused of the murder of a colleague. Harrison Ford played the role in the 1990 movie.
Apple TV+
POP
Sting
A masterful songwriter, fantastic singer, virtuoso musician and charismatic frontman, Gordon Sumner has it all. He has been touring with a jazz-rock power trio, Sting 3.0, his most tautly compact band since his glory days with The Police. Delamere Forest, Cheshire and touring (sting.com)
16 OPERA
The Ring Cycle
Over the last few years, Longborough Festival has been mounting small-scale productions of Wagner’s Ring, and now unveils the full cycle. The hugely experienced Anthony Negus conducts Amy Lane’s production.
Longborough Festival Opera, Moreton-in-Marsh (lfo.org.uk), until July 14
18 THEATRE
Kiss Me, Kate
British TV star Adrian Dunbar (Line of Duty) and American stage stalwart Stephanie J Block join forces for Cole Porter’s backstage musical spin on Shakespeare’s sex-war comedy The Taming of the Shrew. Bartlett Sher directs.
Barbican Centre, London, EC2 (barbican.org.uk), until Sept 14
20 POP
Isle of Wight Festival
The Prodigy, Pet Shop Boys and Green Day are the big headliners on a festival that aims for solid crowd pleasers, with The Streets, Keane,
Simple Minds, Suede and Crowded House amongst the support. Seaclose Park, Newport, Isle of Wight (isleof wightfestival.com), until June 23
ART
Six Lives: The Stories of Henry VIII’s Queens
Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto has resurrected Henry VIII’s wives, lighting a set of Madame Tussauds waxworks in just the right way to mimic Holbein’s original paintings – shown alongside in this study of historic portraiture, and the afterlives of the six women.
National Portrait Gallery, London WC2 (npg.org.uk), until Sept 8
21 FILM
The Bikeriders
The spirit of vintage Scorsese crackles through Jeff Nichols’s crime thriller, about a 1960s Chicago biker gang. With Austin Butler, Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy. Cinemas
25 THEATRE
The Constituent
James Corden returns to the stage for the first time since his megasuccess with One Man, Two Guvnors (2011), playing “a man in crisis” who becomes an alarming presence in the constituency office of an opposition backbench MP (Anna Maxwell Martin).
Old Vic, London SE1 (oldvictheatre. com), until Aug 10
THEATRE
The Secret Garden
Frances Hodgson Burnett’s Edwardian classic of childhood discovery flowers again in the hands of Holly Robinson (writer) and Anna Himali Howard (director).
Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park London NW1 (openairtheatre.com), until July 20
TV
Rebus
Richard Rankin steps into the wellworn shoes of detective John Rebus in a fresh adaptation of Ian Rankin’s hit crime novels.
BBC One, date TBC
26 POP
Glastonbury Festival
It is by far the poppiest line-up for a Glastonbury festival in history, with UK superstar Dua Lipa, US future R’n’B star SZA, and singalong maestros Coldplay as main headliners, and country pop superstar Shania Twain threatening to ride a horse onstage.
Pilton, Somerset (glastonbury festivals.co.uk), until June 30
THEATRE
Next to Normal
The 2009 Broadway musical about a mother contending with bipolar disorder won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Michael Longhurst’s belated UK premiere – initially seen at the Donmar – has done it proud. Caissie Levy and Jamie Parker lead the cast.
Wyndham’s Theatre, London WC2 (nexttonormal.com), until Sept 21
28 FILM
A Quiet Place: Day One
“Hear how it all began”: the apocalypse that’s ancient history in the previous horror thrillers is explored in the present tense, with Michael (Pig) Sarnoski directing, and Lupita Nyong’o as our protagonist. Cinemas
FILM
Kinds of Kindness
Mere months after Poor Things, Yorgos Lanthimos is back already, with a surreal-sounding triptych of modern-day moral tales. Jesse Plemons stars alongside old hands Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe. Cinemas
30 THEATRE
Starlight Express
Forty years after its West End premiere and a generation after that first run ended, director Luke Sheppard revives Andrew Lloyd Webber’s wackiest musical, in which a child’s train set comes to life; a cast of 40 roller-skate their hearts out round an immersive auditorium.
Troubadour, Wembley Park, London, HA9 (starlightexpress london.com), previews from June 8; booking to Feb 16