London events in May

Super-director Jamie Lloyd is renowned for his powers of celebrity wrangling, but even by his standards this is quite the coup: his production of Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo & Juliet’ will star Tom Holland, aka Spider-Man himself, in his first stage role since a lengthy stint in ‘Billy Elliot’ as a child actor. Holland will, of course, be playing Romeo: there’s no word on any other casting, including Juliet, but further celebrities seem unlikely – Lloyd tends to assemble diverse, interesting casts that highlight up-and-coming talent. Stylistically, we can certainly expect a contemporary setting and stripped-back aesthetic, though last year’s peerless ‘Sunset Boulevard’ did see Lloyd get back to his more maximalist roots with its gargantuan video wall and copious use of gore – you’d think a bit of the ol’ claret has to be an option for Lloyd’s take on Shakespeare’s high-ish body-count romantic tragedy.

In partnership with Gucci, the V&A will be showcasing a stunning follow-up from the Tate Modern’s 2016 exhibition, ‘The Radical Eye’. Meandering through the decades from 1950 up until the present day, visitors will be presented with an unmatched collection of more than 300 rare prints by over 140 photographers, including Cindy Sherman, known for her striking self-portraits, and Robert Mapplethorpe, famed for his black and white still-life and nude studies. Each item is on loan from Sir Elton John and David Furnish’s private collection, marking their 30 years of collecting.

As the sun goes down this summer, join London Zoo after hours for an unmissable adult-only evening. From 6pm every Friday evening in June and July, you're invited to come and see the Zoo in a different light without the kids or the crowds. Explore a world of wildlife in the heart of the city with tours, talks and The Origin of the Faeces exhibition. Then when you’ve worked up an appetite, discover our Wild Bites street food market, serving up fantastic flavours from across the globe, with plenty of choice for herbivores and carnivores.

Stage-loving Studio Ghibli fans are being treated like never before at the moment: hot on the heels of the RSC’s hugely acclaimed ‘My Neighbour Totoro’, here comes this spectacular Japanese production of Hayao Miyazaki 2001 masterpiece ‘Spirited Away’. Adapted for the stage by John Caird – co-director of ‘Les Miserables’ – with puppets by Toby Olié, there’s so much Brit talent at the heart of the production that a transfer always seemed pretty much bolted on, and it’ll play a limited run at the vast London Coliseum as part of a wider international tour. ‘Spirited Away’ is perhaps the quintessential work by Ghibli head honcho Miyazaki, concerning Chihiro, a young girl who inadvertently crosses over into a world filled with strange spirits of varying friendliness. Presented in Japanese with English surtitles, it also features a live orchestra playing Joe Hisaishi’s score.

The human impact of conflict is a dimension of war that is often overlooked, but not in this springtime exhibition at the Imperial War Museum, which looks to shed light on people and their experiences of war through the work of celebrated humanitarian and photojournalist Tim Hetherington. Marking the 13th anniversary of his passing, it will explore Hetherington’s unconventional approach of creating ‘visual novels’, becoming ‘part of the platoon’ and his commitment to ‘closing the distance’ between his subjects and his audience, and includes work from his 2011 project on the Libyan Civil War, during which he was mortally wounded.

‘Fawlty Towers’ (the play) is absolutely not an attempt to boldly reinvent the adventures of Basil, Sybil, Manuel and co for the twenty-first century. Instead, the performance has stitched together content from three classic episodes: ‘The Hotel Inspector’, ‘The Germans’ and ‘Communication Problems’. It sounds like they’ll be woven into a single narrative with a new ending, but whether you’re a long-term fan or too young to have ever seen it, you’ll pretty much be getting ‘Fawlty Towers’ in its classic form.

Since his wife died, ex-cop Walter ‘Pops’ Washington has filled his palatial rent-controlled apartment in one of Manhattan’s most desirable areas with an oddball extended family of petty criminals. So now he’s besieged by the landlords, who want him out, the NYPD, who want him to settle his lawsuit against them, and the ladies from the local church, who want to save his soul. But Pops, calm at the eye of the storm, is going to do precisely what Pops wants to do…

While it is fairly nuts that leftfield European director Ivo van Hove has been allowed to plonk a leftfield European musical (which features absolutely no dance numbers, power ballads, lavish sets, or cute romantic storylines) in a big theatre in the middle of London, this play has a palpable warmth. ‘Opening Night’ is a stage adaptation of a classic arthouse film, which, under all the avant-garde bells and whistles, unquestionably has a heart, and features a wonderful performance by Sheridan Smith.

After celebrating its 75th anniversary last year, this multimedia exhibition at the Migration Museum in Lewisham delves into the history of the NHS, and to the thousands of dedicated non-British workers who have contributed to its delivery of healthcare. Through photography, artefacts, and a newly commissioned interactive music video installation, their stories are lovingly told. 

One of the best things about Denise Gough’s astounding performance in Duncan Macmillan’s addiction drama is how understated it is. For all the initial, broad black comedy, it’s a masterclass in nuance and subtlety. This is a play about the seduction of escaping reality, and it features a performance that burrows into the heart, the guts, the brain, the soul.

James Graham’s adaptation of Alan Bleasdale’s seminal ’80s drama follows five unemployed men trying to negotiate their way through Thatcher’s decade. It’s directed by Kate Wasserberg (artistic director of Theatr Clwyd in Wales) and will return to Liverpool for a run before a short transfer to the Olivier theatre for 21 performances, then heading straight back on to the West End’s Garrick Theatre.

After a seven-year hiatus, the World Press Photo Exhibition returns to London, taking place at Borough Yards throughout May. Presenting the results of the 2024 World Press Photo Contest, the annual exhibition showcases the best and most important photojournalism and documentary photography of the last year. The winners were chosen by an independent jury made of 31 professionals from around the world who reviewed more than 61,062 photographs were entered by 3,581 photographers from 130 countries.

As London’s galleries gear up for their big summer exhibitions, they’re closing the doors on their spring shows. Small gallery exhibitions like Nick Waplington’s amazing ‘Living Room’ jostled for space with major institutions’ exhibitions like the Hayward’s huge sculpture show ‘When Forms Come Alive’ and big in-depth historical extravaganzas like Raven Row’s Brazilian art rundown ‘Some May Work As Symbols’. There was photography, painting, sculpture, immersive installations, the whole shebang, so try and catch ‘em while you still can. 

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