The Time Out London blog team

When Studio Ghibli/RSC stage team-up My Neighbour Totoro debuted at the Barbican in the autumn of 2022 it was to a storm of hype and delirious reviews: a phenomenon was born. At its zenith, the publicity images audaciously held back so much as a whisker of the gigantic puppets that represented benign, inscrutable forest spirit Totoro and the bizarre living transport the Catbus, their absence a promise of how impressive they were (they’re bloody spectacular). A transfer to the huge Gillian Lynne Theatre followed two lengthy sell-out Barbican runs, but all things must come to an end and the fact they actually started using images of Totoro on the ads a year or so ago was at least a harbinger of the end. There is also the matter of a limited number of theatres of size in London and a large amount of shows – many of them big-scale Broadway musicals – jostling for place. Photo: Manuel HarlanMy Neighbour Totoro, Gillian Lynne Theatre, 2026 So Totoro will be boarding the Catbus out of London: but not until next year, meaning if you haven’t seen it yet or would like to see it again, you have plenty of time to do so. Because demand has peaked, it’s relatively easy to get hold of good tickets, especially if you book far enough in advance. Let’s be clear: it remains a popular show, and they’re not going to start giving tickets away. But it’s worth checking out theatre sales and the like for its possible inclusion, and the cheapest tickets are less likely to be sold out. Regardless,...

Sea Containers, the glamorous five-star Thames-side hotel on the South Bank, has already cemented itself as a go-to cocktails spot in London thanks to its bar Lyaness, manned by Mr Lyan, aka Ryan Chetiyawardana, who is widely considered one of the best mixologists in the world.  But, while Sea Containers’ cocktail bar has made waves with its experimental menus and use of weird and wonderful ingredients (the current menu contains cocktails made with ‘tree caramel’ and ‘micro-organisms’) and has become the only London venue to achieve an esteemed three-pin rating from The Pinnacle Guide, over the corridor, the hotel’s ground-floor restaurant has never achieved the same notoriety. But could that be about to change?  The Sea Containers Restaurant has just announced a new partnership with famously foul-mouthed chef Gordon Ramsay, launching Gordon Ramsay at Sea Containers from autumn this year. Few details have been announced about the collaboration, but we do know that it will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner inspired by its riverside setting. It will also have a riverside terrace for alfresco dining.  Andy Wenlock, CEO of Gordon Ramsay Restaurants Global, has said that the new restaurant will capture ‘the vibrancy of the South Bank while upholding the standards of quality, atmosphere and hospitality that define our restaurants globally’. Until then, the restaurant will be open as usual if you want to enjoy sweeping panoramic views of the South Bank along with dinner. Did you...

It was announced earlier this year that rather than just cease all activities during its current period of closure and refurbishment, the tiny, historic Arts Theatre in the West End was going to try something a little different: it was going to build a temporary theatre that at 594 seats would be almost 250 seats bigger than the parent one. It would be next to Marble Arch, in roughly the spot where beloved London folly the Mound once stood. Well, that all seems to have gone very smoothly, and The Arts at Marble Arch (at one point it looked like it was going to be called Marble Arts) will open this summer. Photo: Pamela RaithSedona Sky, Esme Bowdler and Daisy Twells And the order of the day? Big musicals, it seems! It was announced today (May 15) that the venue will open in July with a return to London for Heathers (Jul 9-Aug 22), the much loved cult musical adapted from the Winona Ryder/Christian Slater black comedy that has played several seasons in London, mostly at The Other Palace. It hasn’t been around for a couple of years though and now it’ll christen TAAMA with a limited, 52-performance only run that will predate a UK tour. Following that will be the return of Burlesque (Sep 12-Jan 31 2027). The musical adaptation of the Christina Aguilera film has had a slightly peculiar journey to the West End that culminated in only a brief run last year (as it had to get out of the way for Paddington the Musical) but it’s booking a much longer stint here. I have to say I...