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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Entertainment
Charlotte O'Sullivan, David Smyth, Fiona Mountford, Bruce Dessau, Ben Luke, Emma Byrne

Things to do in London this spring: From Drake at the O2 to manga at the British Museum

Winter's in the rearview mirror, the days are getting longer and London's coming into full bloom — so there's no better time to get out and enjoy the very best the capital has to offer.

The biggest musician on the planet is playing a run of arena dates, a national treasure returns to the theatre stage and one of London's best-loved museums is getting a Japanese makeover.

Here are the hottest tickets in town this spring.

Theatre

Death of a Salesman

Marianne Elliott directs Arthur Miller’s crashingly powerful modern classic about the deceptions of work and family life, as seen this time via an African-American family. Wendell Pierce of The Wire stars as Willy Loman, with Sharon D Clarke as his wife Linda.

Young Vic, SE1. May 1-June 29, youngvic.org

A German Life

Maggie Smith returns to the stage — hooray — after a long absence to star in Christopher Hampton’s one-woman play about Joseph Goebbels’s secretary Brunhilde Pomsel.

Bridge, SE1. April 6-May 11, bridgetheatre.co.uk

Rutherford and Son

Githa Sowerby’s cracking early 20th-century classic about an overbearing patriarch and his children is revived by director Polly Findlay, starring Roger Allam and Justine Mitchell.

National, SE1. From May 16, nationaltheatre.org.uk

The Starry Messenger

Matthew Broderick makes his West End debut in this drama by Kenneth Lonergan, the Oscar-winning writer of Manchester by the Sea, about a New York astronomer struggling to find his place in the universe.

Wyndham's, WC2. May 16-August 10, starrymessengerplay.com

Sweet Charity

Josie Rourke bids farewell to the theatre she has run for the past seven years with a revival of the classic Simon/Coleman/Fields musical, starring Anne-Marie Duff as the romantically ill-fated heroine.

Donmar Warehouse, WC2. April 6-June 8, donmarwarehouse.com

Comedy

Ahir Shah

London-based stand-up reflects on life, death, his Indian ancestry and his Bohemian Rhapsody obsession in this insightful Edinburgh Comedy Award-nominated show.

Bloomsbury Theatre, WC1. April 4, thebloomsbury.com

Daniel Sloss

Prestigious West End gigs for the hard-grafting, hard-hitting Sloss, whose two Netflix specials have deservedly won him a whole new audience.

Palladium, W1. May 10-11, ticketmaster.co.uk

Larry Dean

Like Billy Connolly and Kevin Bridges before him, rising star Dean is another Glaswegian natural-born comic who makes storytelling seem effortless.

Soho Theatre, W1. May 20-June 1, sohotheatre.com

Emily Atack

On tour: Emily Atack embarks on her first stand-up run this year (Getty Images)

I’m A Celebrity... runner-up’s debut tour Talk Thirty To Me, mixing personal anecdotes with thoughts on how social media dominates our lives.

Clapham Grand, SW11. May 22-23, claphamgrand.com

Mae Martin

The wonderfully whimsical Canadian has just written a book about sexuality, but here she tries something different, improvising an entirely unique show every night.

Soho Theatre, W1. June 13-22, sohotheatre.com

Music

Drake

Rap icon: Drake is playing a series of huge London shows this April

A seven-night O2 stint for the Canadian superstar’s Assassination Vacation Tour, during which he’ll struggle to fit in all the hits that have made him a permanent chart fixture.

O2 Arena, SE10. April 1-11, the02.co.uk

Robyn

Eight years without an album hasn’t dented the Swedish dance pop singer’s popularity as a live act. Honey, her latest, is more downbeat but still full of killer songs.

Alexandra Palace, N22. April 12-13, alexandrapalace.com

Take That

Want you back: Gary Barlow will perform with Take That in May (PA)

The man band’s latest live spectacular will see them play their greatest hits eight times in London. Expect a huge cast of performers to bring the trio’s old favourites to life in new ways.

O2 Arena, SE10. May 2-10, the02.co.uk

Blackpink

This South Korean girl group are following the boys of BTS in taking the colour and style of K-pop to Western audiences. They’ve only been going since 2016 and are filling arenas.

SSE Arena, Wembley. May 22, ssearena.co.uk

All Points East

In its second year, the Hackney festival once again fills two successive weekends with appealing names. Headliners this time include Christine and the Queens, The Strokes, Bring Me the Horizon and Mumford & Sons.

Victoria Park, E3. May 24-June 2, allpointseastfestival.com

Dance

Night of 100 Solos: A Centennial Event

On the night the legendary US choreographer Merce Cunningham would have turned 100, 25 leading British dancers will perform 100 of his solos.

Barbican, EC2. April 16, barbican.org.uk

Within the Golden Hour/New Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui/ Flight Pattern

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui creates his first piece for the Royal Ballet alongside favourites by Christopher Wheeldon and Crystal Pite.

Royal Opera House, WC2. May 8-21, roh.org.uk

McGregor/ Motin / Shechter

Rambert presents early works by Wayne McGregor and Hofesh Shechter as well as a new piece by edgy hip-hop choreographer Marion Motin.

Sadler's Wells EC1. May 14-18, sadlerswells.com

San Francisco Ballet spring season

One of America’s great ballet companies returns to the UK for the first time in seven years to showcase four thrilling mixed bills packed with British premieres.

Sadler's ​Wells, EC1. May 29-June 8, sadlerswells.com

The Mother

Arthur Pita’s latest work, inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s dark tale, features ballet superstar Natalia Osipova as a young mother battling to save her child, and Olivier-nominated Jonathan Goddard.

Queen Elizabeth Hall, SE1. June 20-22, southbankcentre.co.uk

Exhibitions

Hito Steyerl: Power Plants

Future proof: Hito Steyerl's new show runs at the Serpentine Sackler Gallery

The influential German artist creates a multi-part show, including augmented reality and an AI video installation, to explore unequal wealth distribution around the Serpentine.

Serpentine Sackler Gallery, W2. April 11-May 6, serpentinegalleries.org

Sea Star: Sean Scully at the National Gallery

Epic: Scully's latest exhibition is at the National Gallery this April

Inspired by J M W Turner’s The Evening Star, Scully creates a typically epic yet emotionally rich body of new work.

National Gallery, WC2. April 13-August 11, nationalgallery.org.uk

Manga

Revelation: the British Museum will welcome Manga fans in spring

The largest ever exhibition outside Japan of this phenomenon of graphic art and its animation equivalent, anime, should be revelatory.

British Museum, WC1. May 23-August 26, britishmuseum.org

Lee Krasner: Living Colour

For so long in the shadow of her husband Jackson Pollock, Krasner at last gets her moment in the sun; a first European retrospective in 50 years.

Barbican Art Gallery, EC2. May 30-September 1, barbican.org.uk

Frank Bowling

First major survey of this Guyanese-born artist who studied with Hockney and has since travelled between the London and New York and veered between abstraction and representation.

Tate Britain, SW1. May 31-August 26, tate.org.uk

Films

Avengers: Endgame

Avengers: Endgame trailer

The sequel to Infinity War is an even more exciting prospect now we’ve met Captain Marvel aka “the most powerful character in the MCU”. Should Brie Larson strike the winning blow in this last battle, millions of macho men are going to be epically peeved. Go, Brie!

In cinemas from April 25

Aladdin

Aladdin - Trailer

There’s as much trepidation as anticipation for Guy Ritchie’s live-action remake of the Disney cartoon. But one thing the internet seems to agree on is the casting of talented Marwan Kenzari, sexy and sensitive-looking, as the villainous Jafar.

In cinemas from May 22

Rocketman

Rocketman - Trailer

The second trailer for Dexter Fletcher’s brazenly surreal Elton John biopic suggests leading man Taron Egerton has delicious chemistry with Jamie Bell (as Bernie Taupin) and that Lee Hall’s script will be all kinds of funny. Intimacy hand in glove with excess. What a lovely thought.

In cinemas from May 24

Booksmart

At last: a queer-friendly, girl-centric teen sex comedy! Olivia Wilde’s directing debut plays like a cross between Superbad and Eighties TV series Square Pegs. Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein are sublime as geeky BFs. It couldn’t be more topical. You don’t need to be a genius to get into Ivy League schools... A*

In cinemas from May 27

Support The Girls

This sly ensemble comedy stars Regina Hill (Girls Trip) as the beleaguered manager of a “breastaurant” (the kind of sports-bar where waitresses are, metaphorically, served up on a platter). Indie legend Andrew Bujalski directs.

In cinemas from May 31

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