The Time Out London blog team

The National Theatre knows how to pull out all the stops for its big Christmas show, and this year’s should be extra special. It’s a lavish new stage version of The Jungle Book – not a version of the Disney film, but one that sees playwright Anupama Chandrasekhar relocate the action to the mangrove swamps of eastern India, and turn direct to Rudyard Kipling’s original collection of short stories – many of which were untouched by the classic cartoon film – for her new stage version, which will be directed by National Theatre boss Indhu Rubasingham. The lead role of Mowgli the Man-Cub will be taken on by National Theatre regular Hiran Abeysekera (last seen playing Hamlet a couple of years back). But what of jungle-bound orphan Mowgli’s prodigious array of animal friends and foes? They will, naturally, be portrayed by spectacular puppets – designed and directed by Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell – and we’ve got your first look at them. First the above image, which shows Abeysekera’s Mowgli surrounded by practically the whole gang. And second, feast your eyes on an exclusive first look at this backstage video, voiced by Matt Baker and filmed right before the show’s first preview.  If that looks good then good news: you can see the real thing – The Jungle Book is in previews now, opens on November 30, and is with us well into the new year. The Jungle Book is at the National Theatre, Olivier, now until Feb 6 2027. Buy tickets here. The best new London theatre shows to book...

Fans of big boats and history buffs might remember the Galeón Andalucía, a hulking replica of a 17th-century Spanish ship that first sailed into London back in 2024. Now we’ve got good news, because the magnificent ship is coming back to the capital, and you can see it from this weekend.  The Galeón Andalucía is a full-sized recreation of a Spanish ship that traded ivory, spices, tea and textiles in the 1600s. It will dock in St Katharine Docks, near the Tower of London, from November 13 until the new year. Visitors can admire the great vessel from the shore, or pay to hop on board, where they will find six decks of historical exhibitions, including recreations of gun decks and sailors’ quarters and a crew in period costume.  At 55 metres long, the ship built by the Fundación Nao Victoria took almost five years to complete. It’s made of iroko and pine wood and has nearly 1,000 square metres of sails across several masts. Since its maiden voyage in 2010, the roaming museum ship has sailed more than 70,000 nautical miles and visited more than 100 ports.  Photograph: Kev Gregory / Shutterstock.comThe Galeon Andalucia Where is the Galeón Andalucía docked in London?  The boat is moored at St Katharine Docks, E1W 1LA. Dates The ship will be open to visitors every day (excluding Christmas Day) from November 14 until January 10 2027. How much are tickets? Adult tickets cost £12 and it’s £7 for children. You can book online here or buy tickets from the kiosk next to the ship. ...

You might think that plans to build a hotel on top of a nightclub is bad news for the club, but in new plans revealed by the Jazz Cafe, bosses have said that it could be the opposite.  The Columbo Group, which owns Jazz Cafe as well as the Blues Kitchen chain, Phonox and The Parakeet in Kentish Town, has applied for planning permission to turn the rooms above the Camden music venue into a hotel, Ham&High reported.  According to the documents, the hospitality group wants to renovate the upstairs rooms at 5-7 Parkway as well as the space at 9 Parkway next door, which was previously a restaurant. The Columbo Group bought 9 Parkway after the building’s owners were granted planning permission to redevelop the property in 2023. The plans would see a ‘part amalgamation of 5-7 and 9 Parkway at second to fourth floor levels’, creating the space for the hotel as well as new offices, a green room for artists and bigger coat check facilities.  If granted permission, the Columbo Group will add a mansard roof extension and five-storey rear extension to the building. The hotel entrance and reception would take over the ground floor of the number 9 building, with a coffee shop area open to the public that would feel like a ‘genuine, welcoming high-street use rather than a standard hotel lobby’. Photograph: Chris Lawrence Images / Shutterstock.comJazz Cafe, London A design statement by DGA Architects said that building the hotel above the venue could ‘safeguard the future’ of the Jazz...