Going out: Cinema
Abigail
Out now
Very loosely based on the 1936 horror Dracula’s Daughter, this new spin on the material sees a little girl kidnapped by a group of criminals, in the hope of extracting a hefty ransom from her Russian underworld mobster father. Unfortunately for them, Abigail isn’t quite the young innocent that she seems.
Sometimes I Think About Dying
Out now
Somewhere on the Oregon coast, Fran (Daisy Ridley) works in an office, whiling her time away doing exactly what the title of the film suggests. Until, that is, a new co-worker (Dave Merheje) decides to try to coax her out of her shell. Romance directed by Rachel Lambert.
John Singer Sargent: Fashion & Swagger
Out now
Fashion is very much to the fore in this lavish presentation of the work of portrait artist John Singer Sargent, whose use of colour and evocation of texture leap off the screen. Tied to an exhibition of his work at Tate Britain in London, the screen version is perfect for those who’d rather sit comfortably and have the gallery come to them.
The Book of Clarence
Out now
Starring LaKeith Stanfield as the titular Clarence, this offbeat take on the biblical epic stars a host of familiar faces as Bible figures, from James McAvoy as Pontius Pilate to David Oyelowo as John the Baptist. Catherine Bray
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Going out: Gigs
Priya Ragu
24 to 26 April; tour starts Manchester
The Tamil Swiss genre experimentalist arrives for a whistlestop tour in support of last year’s debut album, Santhosam. Channelling the likes of Santigold, Lauryn Hill and Sade, it’s a heady mix that should come to life even more live. Michael Cragg
Boyz II Men
20 to 24 April; tour starts London
One of the biggest-selling bands of the 90s, the golden-larynxed Boyz II Men have a back catalogue stuffed with R&B classics, from the uber-balladry of End of the Road to the delicate electronic exploration of 4 Seasons of Loneliness. Get ready to lip-sync like you’ve never lip-synced before. MC
Larmes de Couteau/ Full Moon in March
Linbury theatre, London, 26 April to 4 May
Bohuslav Martinů’s surreal, jazzy one-acter, which went unstaged in the Czech composer’s lifetime, is paired with John Harbison’s adaptation of WB Yeats’s symbolist play in a double bill from the Royal Opera’s Jetta Parker Artist programme. Andrew Clements
Eastwood By Eastwood
Ronnie Scott’s, London, 24 to 27 April
Clint Eastwood loves jazz, and his musician son Kyle has developed that devotion as a skilful bassist, bandleader and composer. This gig presents music from Eastwood Jr’s Cinematic, celebrating soundtracks from his dad’s movies, with a fine UK quintet including saxophonist Brandon Allen. John Fordham
* * *
Going out: Art
Yinka Shonibare
Serpentine South Gallery, London, to 1 September
In his latest manifestation of radical pop art, Shonibare decolonises Winston Churchill by reimagining his statue from Parliament Square covered in colourful Dutch wax prints. The war leader is just one of the British imperial figures whose statues are appropriated and ironised here. Other works look at war and refugee sanctuaries.
Robert Rauschenberg
Thaddaeus Ropac, London, 24 April to 15 June
The fragmented yet emotional images of modern life that Robert Rauschenberg assembled, collaged and screenprinted are more resonant than ever in the 21st century. This prophetic artist also pioneered a more global and inclusive idea of art with his ROCI programme of cultural exchange, remembered and recreated by this show.
The Goddess, the Deity & the Cyborg
Murray Edwards College, Cambridge, to 8 September
“I would rather be a cyborg than a goddess,” wrote theorist Donna Haraway. Her ideas are contrasted with those of “goddess feminists” who have tried to recover lost female deities and their powers from prehistory in their art. Featuring the paintings of Monica Sjöö and photomontages of Mary Beth Edelson.
Antony Gormley
Houghton Hall, near King’s Lynn, 21 April to 31 October
The grounds of this stately home built by Britain’s first – and most corrupt – prime minister Robert Walpole make an elegant and imaginative setting for contemporary art. Gormley has plenty of space to show his Cyberman statues and abstract meditations on time and space, among the lawns, follies and original ha-has. Jonathan Jones
Going out: Stage
Shelf
Soho theatre, London, 24 to 27 April; touring 5 to 31 May
Lots of comedians appeal to one’s inner child but few acts deliberately cater to actual kids. Shelf are one of them: the duo’s Kids’ Show has seen them diversify into family-friendly silliness while maintaining their queer-centred musical comedy (see latest show Teenage Men). They perform the latter in London, before taking both on a national tour. Rachel Aroesti
Swan Lake
His Majesty’s theatre, Aberdeen, 20 April; Eden Court, Inverness, 26 to 27 April
The most famous classic ballet story is staged in a sleekly stripped-back version by the choreographer David Dawson for Scottish Ballet. Dawson has a particular way of making dancers look gorgeous, with dramatically arched backs and long extended limbs. The look is moody minimalism, but the music (played live) is Tchaikovsky’s lush, romantic score. Lyndsey Winship
1884
Shoreditch Town Hall, London, to 27 April
The latest project from playwright Rhianna Ilube (Samuel Takes a Break) is an immersive collaboration with Bafta-winning game-makers Coney. 1884 explores the year’s Berlin Conference and its significant yet little known impact on Africa and the world. Kate Wyver
The Legend of Ned Ludd
Liverpool Everyman, 20 April to 11 May
Drawing inspiration from the Luddites’ rebellion against automation, Joe Ward Munrow’s daring play considers how we survive in a world where technology threatens to make us redundant. A machine will determine which of the the 256 possible versions of the play will be performed each night. KW
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Staying in: Streaming
The Big Door Prize
Apple TV+, 24 April
Chris O’Dowd’s supernatural drama about a small town rocked by the appearance of the mysterious Morpho machine – an arcade-style game that reveals its users’ true potential – returns for a second season. This time round, however, Morpho is shaking up psyches and relationships by producing a series of “visions” for our protagonists’ futures.
The Jinx: Part II
Sky Documentaries & Now, 22 April, 9pm
When The Jinx was broadcast in 2015, it helped usher in our age of true-crime mania. Compiled from hours of interviews with New York real-estate heir and multiple murder suspect Robert Durst, it ended up sealing his conviction for one of the killings. Now film-maker Andrew Jarecki returns with a chronicle of Durst’s life in the intervening years.
The Red King
Alibi, 24 April, 9pm
UKTV’s spin-off crime channel Alibi probably isn’t your first port of call when searching for a new drama obsession, but this folk horror-themed police procedural may change that. From Being Human creator Toby Whithouse, The Red King sees Anjli Mohindra (The Lazarus Project) play a cop exiled to a rural British island. Marc Warren, Jill Halfpenny and Adjoa Andoh co-star.
Them: The Scare
Prime Video, 25 April
After a 1950s-set first season, this Black-centred horror anthology series fast-forwards to 1991, when the LAPD’s Dawn Reeve (Deborah Ayorinde) is sent to investigate a particularly grisly murder. Is it the work of a serial killer? Or could some kind of supernatural evil be at play? RA
* * *
Staying in: Games
Sand Land
Out 26 April, PC, PS4/5, Xbox Series X/S
A game based on a manga series by the late, great Akira Toriyama, full of the playful energy and big-heartedness that defined his work. Accompany three contrasting characters on a quest to find water in a desert world.
Top Spin 2K25
Out 23 April, PC, PS4/5, Xbox Series X/S
It has been a while since we’ve had a serious tennis sim to play (13 years, to be exact). While its production values aren’t quite up there with EA FC, this plays beautifully, featuring tennis stars going back to the 90s as well as the opportunity to create your own. Keza MacDonald
* * *
Staying in: Albums
Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department
Out now
Another year, another album by Taylor Swift. Announced at the Grammys in February, during her acceptance speech for album of the year for 2022’s Midnights, and preceded by 2023’s double whammy of rerecorded versions of Speak Now and 1989, this latest opus features Post Malone and Florence Welch.
Local Natives – But I’ll Wait for You
Out now
A companion piece of sorts to last year’s Time Will Wait for No One, this sixth album from the California quintet focuses on their near 20-year bond as a band. While Alpharetta showcases their delicate harmonies, lead single April is a more typical slice of sun-kissed indie.
Slum Village – Fun
Out now
The influential Detroit hip-hop group, co-founded in 1996 by the late producer J Dilla, return with their first album in eight years. Now the work of rappers T3 and Young RJ, Fun includes the cinematic single Request, featuring Earlly Mac and Leeds-based ensemble the Abstract Orchestra.
Pearl Jam – Dark Matter
Out now
Seattle’s other era-defining rock band return with their 12th album. Completed with the assistance of super-producer Andrew Watt (Ozzy Osbourne, Miley Cyrus), it captures Eddie Vedder et al at their muscular best, racing through the appropriately titled Running and the heaving title track.MC
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Staying in: Brain food
Sakamoto: Art Is Long, Life Is Short
Radio 3, 21 April, 7.15pm
A year on from the death of influential Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, this detailed documentary analyses the scope of his music to find out why he garnered global attention, and how his work reflected a changing Japan.
Candy Ears
Podcast
Audio producer Emily Shaw hosts this ingenious series, presenting aural experiments that typically run under five minutes long and range from psychedelic sound baths to guided meditations and efforts to create pop songs only using AI software.
Prelinger Archives
Online
A digital collection of visual ephemera, including adverts and educational films, the real joy of the Prelinger Archives lies in its focus on amateur footage. Explore more than 30,000 home movies chronicling everything from earthquakes to holidays. Ammar Kalia
