Critics’ choices for the week ahead
The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? Thanks to an exemplary recent revival of his 1962 play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf ?, the late Edward Albee is again the toast of the West End. Now, Damian Lewis and Sophie Okonedo star in his 2002 tragicomedy about an architect who strays from his marriage… goat-wards. Ian Rickson directs. Theatre Royal Haymarket, SW1 (020 7930 8800), from Weds
Don Juan in Soho The West End surely affords no stranger sight this season than David Tennant gyrating away and baring almost all as the incorrigible lothario Don Juan in Patrick Marber’s rewrite of Molière. Somehow, the actor lends a certain gravitas to his character – a hot-limbed aristo with a cold-fish heart. Wyndham’s Theatre, W1 (0844 482 5120), until June 10
Julius Caesar/Antony and Cleopatra The first phalanx in a major sortie of “Roman” productions at the RSC, these two revivals trade on designs that drape the action in a very Hollywood notion of historical authenticity: togas, gleaming swords, rippling muscles. Josette Simon stands out as the capricious Egyptian queen, but the old-fashioned approach creates a distancing effect. Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratfordupon-Avon (01789 403493). ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ runs until Sept 7; ‘Julius Caesar’ until Sept 9
One Love: The Bob Marley Musical Concentrating on the years leading up to the reggae star’s seminal One Love Peace Concert in Kingston in 1978, Kwame Kwei-Armah’s ebullient new musical portrays Marley as a swaggering mix of political naivety, spiritual conviction and cruelty, notably towards his long suffering wife. Mitchell Brunings captures Marley’s voice perfectly. Birmingham Rep (0121 236 4455), until April 15
Gigs by Alice Vincent Sting The former Police frontman returns to the UK for his first solo appearance in five years as part of his global 57th & 9th Tour. Playing three nights, one in Manchester and two in London (on April 9 & 10), the line-up for these intimate club-style shows is quite minimalist: just Sting and a three-piece band, including guitarist Dominic Miller. Manchester O2 Apollo (ticketmaster. co.uk), Friday
Cinema by Tim Robey and Robbie Collin Free Fire The new film from director Ben Wheatley takes place almost entirely inside a warehouse in Boston, in 1978, where an IRA delegation are collecting a shipment of assault rifles from a South African gun-runner and his seamy associates. When the deal goes south, the film descends into a bloodbath, but one that retains excitement, tension and purpose. 15 cert, 91 min
Graduation An exposé of corruption in modern-day Romania, Graduation follows attempts by a father to persuade school officials to treat his daughter fairly after she is mugged on the eve of a crucial exam. Baleful and believable. 15 cert, 127 min
Ghost in the Shell This slinky, cyberpunk action flick makes its style the entire statement. The ghost of the title – derived from Japanese manga comics by Masamune Shirow – is the human consciousness of the heroine. Played by a black-cropped, fascinating Scarlett Johansson, she is physically a robot in all ways but the cerebral: the mind, and soul, of her old human form has been implanted into a cyborg shell. 12A cert, 107 min
Smurfs: The Lost Village Featuring double the number of Smurfs ever previously seen, thanks to the discovery of an all-female enclave somewhere deep in the woods, this third big-screen outing for the weird blue creatures is not radical or innovative. However, there is plenty to entertain under-eights. U cert, 90 min
Exhibitions by Mark Hudson Cerith Wyn Evans Hung from the ceiling of Tate Britain’s Duveen Galleries, Cerith Wyn Evans’s newly commissioned work, Forms In Space By Light (In Time), comprises of 1.2 miles of white neon tubing in apparently random explosions of curves, loops and straight lines. The impression is of walking through and beneath some vast, fizzing neon painting in space. As a purely physical experience, this is one of the most dynamic installations seen here for some years. Tate Britain, admission free, until Aug 20 Queer British Art On the 50th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in England, this show explores LGBT art from Sargent to Hockney and beyond. Tate Britain, SW1 (020 7887 8888), from Weds
The Studio and the Sea Tate St Ives reopens with an exhibition looking at a century of interaction between pottery and art. The seaside town has long been a key location for ceramicists, from early 20th-century St Ives master Bernard Leach to hip young clay-slingers Jesse Wine and Aaron Angell. Tate St Ives, Cornwall (01736 796226), until Sept 3
Classical & Opera by Ivan Hewett and Rupert Christiansen Handel’s Messiah Staging Britain’s best-loved oratorio is no mean feat. Tom Morris takes on the task with a fine cast of singers, including alto Catherine Wyn-Rogers and bass Brindley Sherratt. Harry Bicket directs the English Concert baroque orchestra. Bristol Old Vic (0117 987 7877), from Thurs
Carousel A semi-staged production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s warm-hearted and richly melodic musical. The cast is led by Alfie Boe as the hopeless Billy Bigelow and Katherine Jenkins as Julie Jordan, the woman who falls fatally in love with him. London Coliseum, WC2 (020 7845 9300), from Fri
Madama Butterfly This revival of Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser’s production of Puccini’s poignant opera boasts visual imagery of a spare, cool beauty and superlative conducting by Antonio Pappano, who gives the score a sharp, brilliant edge. Royal Opera, Covent Garden (020 7304 4000), until April 25