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What to see in the arts this autumn
Posted by The Sheet in Architecture News on September 14, 2010
There's a double helping of the Dane, Wall Street returns, Wallace and Gromit take up presenting – and Robyn goes for broke. Our critics pick this autumn's hottest shows
Theatre
Hamlet
Prepare for the latest battle of the princes. John Simm is first in the field at the Sheffield Crucible; then Rory Kinnear enters the running in a Nicholas Hytner production for the National Theatre. It's not, of course, a contest – but comparisons will be inevitable. Crucible, Sheffield (0114-249 6000), from 16 September; and Olivier, London SE1 (020-7452 3000), from 7 October.
The Thrill of it All
Forced Entertainment continues the British experimental tradition with an evening of vaudevillian capers, Japanese lounge music and tarnished sequins. Nuffield, Lancaster (01524 594151), 12-13 October. Then touring.
Tribes
Nina Raine follows her impressive debut play, Rabbits, with a drama about an unconventional family that has its own private language and rules. At its centre is Billy, who is deaf and desperately wants to get a word in edgeways. There will be both captioned and sign-language performances. Royal Court, London SW1 (020-7565 5000), from 20 October.
Love Steals Us from Loneliness
Playwright Gary Owen grew up depressed and suicidal in Bridgend. Now he returns to the town that's seen more than 20 suicides in recent years, to explore what's gone wrong and what's going right. Hobo's Rock Club, Bridgend (029-2064 6900), 7-16 October.
The Lady from the Sea
David Eldridge unveils a new version of Ibsen's tale of watery passion. Sarah Frankcom directs a production the Royal Exchange calls "Anna Karenina meets The Piano". Royal Exchange, Manchester (0161-833 9833), 13 October to 6 November.
The Picture
Jacobean dramatist Philip Massinger's play revolves around a Bohemian knight who sets off to war with an enchanted image of his wife that changes colour according to her fidelity, or lack thereof. Philip Wilson transposes the action to the mid-19th century, at the time of the birth of photo-graphy. Playhouse, Salisbury (01722 320333), from 4 November.
King Lear
Derek Jacobi teams up again with director Michael Grandage for a King Lear that will both tour nationally and be broadcast to more than 20 countries. Donmar Warehouse, London WC2 (0844 871 7624), from 7 December.
Beasts and Beauties
This blissful take on fairytales, drawn from Carol Ann Duffy's poetry, was first seen at the Bristol Old Vic in 2004 and is now being remounted in Hampstead. Hampstead theatre, London NW3 (020-7722 9301), 10-31 December.
Film
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Just as the financial world goes into meltdown, Michael Douglas's Gordon Gekko is back with a sinister new plan to make more money and to destroy more lives. He's desperate to be reconciled to his environmentalist daughter, played by Carey Mulligan; she's engaged to a idealistic young Wall Street trader, Shia LaBeouf, who falls under Gekko's awful spell. Released on 6 October.
Eat, Pray, Love
Julia Roberts stars in this showy journey of personal growth, based on the bestselling memoir about a newly single woman finding herself. Reportedly, Roberts converted to Hinduism as a result of this film. Released on 24 September.
Made in Dagenham
Sally Hawkins stars in this real-life drama, based on the 1968 strike by women workers at the Ford Dagenham plant, who object to getting paid less than their male counterparts. A star-studded British cast includes Bob Hoskins, Rosamund Pike and Miranda Richardson as Barbara Castle. Released on 1 October.
The Kids Are All Right
This easy-going comedy has won hearts and minds across America. Julianne Moore and Annette Bening are a gay couple who have had children through artificial insemination – one each, from the same father. Now teenagers, these kids wish to contact their father; the parents have no choice but to agree. Released on 29 October.
Countdown to Zero
This terrifying documentary by British film-maker Lucy Walker assembles an impressive array of talking heads, including Gorbachev and Tony Blair, to talk about the real danger of a nuclear explosion by accident, or from committed terrorists. A cautionary tale for anyone who thinks that a nuclear catastrophe is something we don't need to worry about. Released on 12 November.
Architecture
RIBA Stirling prize 2010
The 15th instalment of British architecture's answer to Big Brother. A coterie of architects attends a gala dinner at London's Roundhouse (shown live on BBC2) to select the best building from a shortlist of six. The winner gets £20,000. Bookies' favourites are Zaha Hadid's Maxxi gallery in Rome and David Chipperfield's revamp of the Neues Museum in Berlin. 2 October. Details: architecture.com
World Architecture festival 2010
More than 1,000 architects from around the world will converge on Barcelona for this festival, at which an expert panel will name the world's best new building. Last year, the award went to the Mapungubwe Interpretation Centre, by Peter Rich Architects, which was built in South Africa on a confluence of the Shashe and Limpopo rivers. Barcelona, Spain, 3-5 November. Details: worldarchitecturefestival.com
Comedy
Tommy Tiernan
This is the first UK tour for the 1998 Perrier award winner since he got into hot water last year for Holocaust material in his native Ireland. (His Canadian tour was cancelled as a result.) A comic, said Tiernan in reply, has to be "reckless and irresponsible". Expect more saying of the unsayable, in a lyrical Donegal lilt. Sheffield Memorial Hall (0114-2789 789), 6 October. Then touring.
Tim Minchin
Having written his musical of Roald Dahl's Matilda for the RSC, which premieres in November, the shock-haired Australian troubadour Minchin returns to live comedy. His UK tour promises new songs, old favourites – and a 55-piece orchestra. Birmingham NIA (0121-780 4141), 8 December. Then touring.
Josie Long
Before this year's Edinburgh festival fringe, Josie Long's standup was big on crayons and kookiness but low on bite. Her fringe set retained the idealism but added sass, sharp teeth and a rousing call to political arms. Now she takes her message to the nation. The Stand, Edinburgh (0131-558 7272), tomorrow. Then touring.
Armstrong and Miller
Perrier nominees in 1996, Armstrong and Miller's TV fortunes were flatlining until they found mid-career success with their BBC1 sketch show. Now they take those popular primetime characters – including their toff-but-common RAF pilots – on the road. Bristol Hippodrome (0844 847 2325), 23 September. Then touring.
Dance
Nearly Ninety
Merce Cunningham created this, his final work, just months before his death last summer. For all the poignancy surrounding its UK premiere by his dance company, it's also a piece alive with invention, fusing dance, music, video and a futurist set. Barbican, London EC2 (020-7638 8891), 26-30 October.
Cinderella
A new staging of Prokofiev's fairytale score from Birmingham Royal Ballet mixes darker themes of loneliness and loss in among the tinsel. Hippodrome, Birmingham (0844 338 5000), 24 November to 12 December.
Iphigenie auf Tauris
In the months following Pina Bausch's death, her work has enjoyed a rich showing in the UK, culminating with this London premiere of Iphigenie auf Tauris, her 1973 staging of Gluck's opera. Sadler's Wells, London EC1 (0844 412 4300), 27–31 October.
The Nutcracker
English National Ballet celebrate their 60th anniversary with a fresh take on the Tchaikovsky classic. Where the last version had a cartoon-coloured tone, this will be Victorian picture-book pretty. Coliseum, London WC2 (0871 911 0200), 10-30 December. Then touring.
Classical/Opera
Promised End
English Touring Opera premieres what composer Alexander Goehr says will be his last opera: a Noh-style treatment of King Lear. Linbury, London WC2 (020-7304 4000), 9-16 October. Then touring.
Nine Rivers
Scotland's greatest living composer, James Dillon, finally gets proper recognition in his homeland with the first complete performance of his magnum opus. Rolf Gupta conducts the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. City Halls, Glasgow (0141-353 8000), 14 November.
Rebecca Saunders
The expat British composer is in residence at the Huddersfield Contemporary music festival, bringing with her a whole sheaf of UK premieres as part of the festival's rich spread of new music. Various venues, Huddersfield (01484 430 528), 19-28 November.
Tannhäuser
The Royal Opera's final new show of 2010 brings Wagner's "grand romantic opera" back to Covent Garden after more than 20 years, in a production by Tim Albery. Semyon Bychkov conducts. Royal Opera House, London WC2 (020-7304 4000), 11 December to 2 January 2011.
Visual arts
Brighton photo biennial 2010
This city-wide survey puts photo-graphers such as Robert Mapplethorpe alongside counterparts from across the globe.Venues around Brighton, 2 October to 14 November. Details: bpb.org.uk
Paul Gauguin
France's quintessential bohemian painter hasn't had a UK show this large in 50 years. This one leads us from Brittany to Polynesia, where Gauguin died in 1903. Tate Modern, London SE1 (020-7887 8888), 30 September to 16 January 2011.
British Art Show 7: In the Days of the Comet
The five-yearly whip through what's hip in art will be inspiring and annoying in equal measure. Venues around Nottingham, 23 October to 9 January 2011, then touring. Details: britishartshow.co.uk
Ai Weiwei in the Turbine Hall
The first non-western artist to take on the space, Weiwei is an outspoken critic of the Chinese government. How far will he go here? Tate Modern, London SE1 (020-7887 8888), from 12 October.
Move: Choreographing You
Explores 50 years of interaction between art and dance. Could be fascinating. Hayward Gallery, London SE1 (0844 875 0073), 13 October to 9 January 2011.
Pop
Robyn
Swedish starlet Robyn is as fiercely individual as it's probably possible for an unabashed pop star to be. Her latest venture involves releasing three albums in one year (a reaction to touring her last record for five years). Expect the highlights, from foul-mouthed hip-hop to sparkling electropop. O2 ABC, Glasgow (0844 477 2000), 18 October. Then touring.
LCD Soundsystem and Hot Chip
Spectacularly good value: James Murphy's outfit on (apparently) their final lap, with Hot Chip, touring their career-best album One Life Stand. Cardiff International Arena, 12 November. Then touring. Details: livenation.co.uk
Vampire Weekend/Janelle Monáe
Vampire Weekend, whose bookish, Afro-influenced indie really comes to life on stage, make an intriguing choice of support for their final tour date: the year's breakout soul star. Alexandra Palace, London N22 (0844 277 4321), 3 December.
Suede
Briefly the Indie Band Most Likely To (before they were swept away by the less complex pleasures of Oasis), Suede parlay the momentum from their reunion concert for Teenage Cancer Trust earlier this year into a huge London show. O2 Arena, London (0844 811 0051), 7 December.
Arcade Fire
Arcade Fire's burgeoning success suits their music: what can sound a bit overinflated on record makes perfect sense booming around stadiums with crowds singing along en masse. LG Arena, Birmingham (0844 338 8000), 8 December. Then touring.
Television
The Special Relationship
Michael Sheen steps back into Tony Blair's shoes for the third time in a new feature-length drama from screenwriter Peter Morgan. These are Blair: The Action Buddy years, as he enters centre-left on the world stage to find Bill Clinton – his husky sincerity nailed by Dennis Quaid – waiting with open arms. BBC2, this Saturday.
Community
Joel McHale (host of E!'s sarky entertainment news show The Soup) plays a dodgy lawyer sent back to college to get the degree he's been pretending he's had for years. Viva, October.
Any Human Heart
This adaptation of William Boyd's novel promises to be one of the season's classiest offerings. Jim Broadbent, Matthew Macfadyen and Sam Claflin take turns to play writer Logan Mountstuart, who tumbles through the 20th century while crossing paths with Jackson Pollock, Virginia Woolf, James Joyce and a succession of lovers. Channel 4, November.
The Walking Dead
Andrew Lincoln (Egg from This Life) plays a police officer who wakes up after an accident to find himself in the middle of an undead apocalypse. Based on the cult graphic-novel series, The Walking Dead could be the moment zombies get a True Blood-style makeover. FX, November.
Wallace and Gromit's World of Invention
Well-loved duo try out TV presenting for this six-part series, celebrating the mothers and fathers of scientific invention – as well as quirkier projects that never got beyond the drawing board. BBC1, November.
World music and jazz
AfroCubism
The original idea for Buena Vista Social Club is revived, uniting Malian stars including Toumani Diabaté with Cuba's finest. Barbican, London EC2 (020-7638 8891), 21 November; Usher Hall, Edinburgh (0131-228 1155), 2 December.
Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares
This all-female Bulgarian choir return to the UK for the first time in more than a decade. Queen Elizabeth Hall, London SE1 (0844 875 0073), 2 November. Then touring.
Vandermark 5/Atomic
Chicago saxophonist Ken Vandermark references everything from Sun Ra to rock; the Norwegian/Swedish Atomic ensemble splices old and new with ferocious vivacity. Vortex, London N16 (020-7254 4097), 16 September. Then touring.
London jazz festival
Includes Herbie Hancock's Imagine Project and shows by Sonny Rollins and Brad Mehldau. Various venues, London, 12-21 November. Details: londonjazzfestival.org.uk
Books
Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen
Franzen's first novel since 2001's The Corrections is getting rave reviews. 23 September.
Jump! by Jilly Cooper
The bonkbuster queen returns to what she does best: sex among the horsy set. 16 September.
Conversations With Myself, by Nelson Mandela
Mandela's collection of private letters, diaries, doodles and conversations has a foreword by Barack Obama. 12 October.
Map of a Nation, by Rachel Hewitt
The story of the Ordnance Survey map, from the 18th-century adventurers who slogged up hill and down dale, right up to today's digital database. 7 October.
• Chosen by Michael Billington, Peter Bradshaw, Andrew Clements, Robin Denselow, Alison Flood, John Fordham, Lyn Gardner, Jonathan Glancey, Brian Logan, Judith Mackrell, Alexis Petridis, Adrian Searle and Richard Vine.
• This column was amended on 14 September 2010. The original gave the opening date for Hamlet at the Crucible, Sheffield as 22 September. This has been corrected.
Scientists to rebuild ‘Coronation Street’ house in lab to study energy use
Posted by The Sheet in Architecture News on May 28, 2010
Salford University staff to simulate life in terraced two-up, two-down in effort to make UK's housing stock greener
Energy-efficiency scientists are to study how people live by rebuilding an entire, redbrick Manchester terraced house inside a university laboratory's sealed testing chamber.
The two-up, two-down dwelling is identical to those portrayed in Coronation Street, television's oldest surviving soap, and to more than two million real-life homes.
It will be used for power-saving experiments in simulated climates featuring high winds, snow and Manchester's notorious rain.
The pre-first world war house is to be salvaged from a nearby demolition scheme. It will be dismantled within the next fortnight and rebuilt in the Energy Hub at Salford University.
Gas, water and electricity will be piped in and furniture installed, with staff from 13 academic departments taking turns to play the part of residents.
Life in this "Energy House" will be as busy as in any of the terraces which sprang up across the North of England to house those working in mines and mills, but focused on entirely modern concepts such as carbon-reduction equipment and smart-meter tests.
Psychologists will join engineers in a series of experiments to see if particular wall or carpet colours make people feel warmer and reduce the demand for heat. Home energy use accounts for 30% of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions.
"It's a house from the past, working for the future," said Dr Nigel Mellors, associate dean of science, engineering and technology at Salford and one of the team running a project aimed to last 20 years or more.
"But this one is only the beginning'" he said. "We reckon we'll know everything we need to about how to improve a terrace like this after about three years. Then we'll knock it down and build something different. Perhaps a typical 1960s house, to see how that can be improved."
The project is designed to parallel work on new-build energy-saving homes, recognising that many housebuyers prefer older properties for other reasons.
Dave Ritter, sustainability director at BDP architects, who are also involved with the scheme, said the sheer number of surviving terraces was proof of their appeal.
"They are in many ways an extremely successful design, with a particularly good sense of community and neighbourly links," he said.
"They are on a nice scale and sensibly laid-out inside. But energy-saving was not an issue at the time they were built, and this project is an imaginative and very practical way of putting that right."
Remodelled terraces have already proved a success in the Lancashire Pennine towns of Nelson and Colne and also in Salford, notably at Chimney Pot Park where the developers Urban Splash have "upended" the old model, giving 19th century terraces sleeping quarters downstairs and living rooms on the first floor.
Leeds has found a huge market as starter homes for its 40,000-plus back-to-back terraces, once condemned as slums for having inadequate ventilation but now, with three of their four walls comfortably sandwiched by other homes, praised for saving heat and economical use of space.
Green variations also include some Northern towns' policy of "alternate demolition", where the clearing of every other row of barrack-like terraces has doubled the gardens and open space of those left.
Larger scale demolition of traditional terraces by government housing renewal projects has caused anger in Liverpool, Manchester and Lancashire's former milltowns.
Professor Steve Donnelly from Salford's faculty of science said terraced houses had won their case for reprieve but now needed "ways of being more efficient, as they are going to house people for generations to come. That requires detailed and robust research, which the Energy House will provide".
Tony Juniper, former director of Friends of the Earth, said: "Domestic energy use accounts for a huge proportion of emissions which we have to reduce. The millions of real-life terrace houses like this one are going to play an important part."
John Alker, policy director at the UK Green Building Council, said: "This looks like a great piece of research and it will be particularly interesting to see the results on behaviour, where less has been done to date.
"But let's not forget that there is a hell of lot that we know already – the biggest barrier to low carbon home refurbishment going mainstream has tended to be the upfront cost to consumers, and that is set to be tackled by the Energy Bill in the form of 'Pay As You Save schemes'."
What to see in summer 2010
Posted by The Sheet in Architecture News on May 24, 2010
Stevie Wonder hits the UK, Toy Story goes 3D, and it's the last ever Big Brother – our critics pick the unmissable events of the season
Pop
Stevie Wonder
Anyone who can't face braving Glastonbury to see the Motown legend's Sunday-night set can head to London's Hyde Park for this headlining show. It's likely to be heavy on the hits, but a little too heavy on the audience participation, if complaints from disgruntled punters at Wonder's recent shows are anything to go by. And be warned: Jamiroquai seems to have been enticed out of retirement to provide support. Hyde Park, London W2, 26 June. Box office: 020-7009 3484.
This beloved Scottish festival is prized as much for its atmosphere as its lineup. And they're certainly wheeling out the big hitters this year: Eminem, Muse, Kasabian, Jay-Z, Black Eyed Peas, Florence and the Machine, La Roux, Dizzee Rascal and Paolo Nutini, among others. Balado, Kinross-shire, 9-11 July. Box office: 0844 499 9990.
There are those who would argue that going to a festival with no camping doesn't strictly constitute going to a festival: equally, there are those who wouldn't countenance doing anything else. Either way, this year's Wireless lineup looks strong: it includes Pink, the Ting Tings, LCD Soundsystem, Lily Allen, Missy Elliott, Jay-Z, Plan B and Friendly Fires. Hyde Park, London W2, 2-4 July. Box office: 020-7009 3484.
If you're prepared to travel abroad for your festival jollies, Spain's Benicassim can offer things no British event can: a beach and guaranteed good weather. This year you can also catch Kasabian, Ray Davies, the Prodigy, Lily Allen, the Specials, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Vampire Weekend, PiL, Dizzee Rascal, Hot Chip, Goldfrapp and the intriguingly named Love of Lesbian. Benicassim, Spain, 15-18 July. Box office: tickets.fiberfib.com
Of all the boutique festivals, Green Man is the longest-established. This year's eclectic bill sees something of a shift away from its nu-folk roots – but they presumably know their audience well enough to know what they'll like. Doves, Joanna Newsom and Flaming Lips are among the headliners; also on the roster are Billy Bragg, Fuck Buttons, Wild Beasts and Steve Mason. The traditional end of things, meanwhile, is held up by the Unthanks and Alasdair Roberts. Brecon Beacons, 20-22 August. Box office: 0871 424 4444.
Film
Greenberg
An indie comedy from Noah Baumbach, creator of The Squid and the Whale. Ben Stiller is Roger Greenberg, an unfulfilled middle-aged guy who house-sits for his more successful brother Phillip in LA, and begins a relationship with Phillip's nervy assistant Florence, played by mumblecore star Greta Gerwig. Released on 11 June.
Inception
The Batman movies made Christopher Nolan one of Hollywood's biggest hitters; now, he raises the stakes with this non-superhero film. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Cobb, a guy with a unique gift in a strange dystopian future where corporate espionage has engendered an unsettling new technology. Released on 16 July.
Toy Story 3
The first two Toy Stories were sublime, so hopes are high for the third instalment. Woody, Buzz and his toy pals are facing the much-feared betrayal/abandonment issues hinted at in the previous film. Their owner has grown up, and they are headed for the charity bins, to be played with by kids who do not appreciate them. So the toys plan a daring escape. Released on 21 July.
Mother
This movie from South Korea has acquired cult status on the festival circuit, and makes a welcome appearance in the UK. Kim Hye-ja plays an elderly woman whose twentysomething son still lives with her. When he is charged with murder, it is up to her to right what she is convinced is a terrible wrong, and to track down the real killer. She is a formidable amateur sleuth. But what will she – and we – discover? Released on 20 August.
The Illusionist
Sylvain Chomet, the director of the hugely admired animation Les Triplettes de Belleville, has scored another hit by resurrecting an unproduced script by Jacques Tati and bringing it to life with complete fidelity to his spirit. It is a gentle, melancholy tale about an old-school vaudevillian magician and entertainer who finds that modern showbusiness is leaving him behind. But a young girl still thrills to his act. Released on 20 August.
Scott Pilgrim vs the World
Comic fans suffering from withdrawal after Kick-Ass can find comfort in this adventure. Based on the graphic novel by Brian Lee O'Malley and directed by Edgar Wright, this stars Michael Cera as the introspective rock musician Scott. He falls hard for Ramona Flowers, but discovers that he has to vanquish her seven ex-boyfriends before he can win her heart. Released on 6 August.
Books
Ghost Light by Joseph O'Connor
In Edwardian Dublin, a young actress begins an affair with JM Synge. This latest from historical novelist O'Connor, author of Star of the Sea and Redemption Falls, is loosely based on the real story of the great Irish playwright's affair with Molly Allgood, moving between 1907 Dublin and 1952 London. Harvill Secker, 3 June.
Imperial Bedrooms by Bret Easton Ellis
Twenty-five years after Ellis burst onto the scene with Less Than Zero comes this sequel to his story of disaffected LA teenager Clay and friends. Middle-aged Clay is now a screenwriter, returning to LA to cast a movie and catch up with ex-girlfriend Blair, childhood best friend Julian (now a recovering addict running an escort service) and their old dealer Rip. Picador, 2 July.
Faithful Place by Tana French
Every holiday needs a good crime novel and French's skilful thrillers are tailor-made to terrify. This follows the story of Frank Mackey, who planned to run away to London with his girlfriend Rosie, aged 19. She failed to turn up; 20 years later he's still in Dublin, working as an undercover policeman. And then Rosie's suitcase is found. Hodder, 19 August.
A Truth Universally Acknowledged: 33 Reasons Why We Can't Stop Reading Jane Austen
Authors from Jay McInerney to Fay Weldon, Alain de Botton and Susanna Clarke ponder Austen's enduring appeal in this collection, edited by Susannah Carson. Martin Amis, for one, dreams of a 20-page sex scene between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy, with Darcy "acquitting himself uncommonly well". Particular Books, 3 June.
Visual art
Francis Alÿs: A Story of Deception
Belgian artist Alÿs, now based in Mexico City, has pushed a block of ice through sweltering streets, had 500 volunteers move a Peruvian sand dune, and walked the 1948 Armistice line between Palestine and Israel, trailing green paint behind him. This will be the largest survey of his work ever held. Tate Modern, London SE1 (020-7887 8888), 15 June-15 September.
Martin Creed: Down Over Up
A mid-career survey show of the Turner Prize-winning artist who made the lights go on and off, filled galleries with balloons, and had runners sprinting through Tate Britain. Creed works increasingly with performance, both with his band Owada and with dancers. His art can be funny, touching and outrageous, all carried off with wit, charm and a lack of pretension. Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh (0131-225 2383), 30 July–31 October.
Alice Neel: Painted Truths
Alice Neel (1900-1984) was a tough, single-minded and wonderful American portraitist whose subjects included her family and art-world friends, such as Andy Warhol (whom she painted in bandages after he was shot). An artist's artist, her work is idiosyncratic and acute. Expect art schools to be filled with teenage mini-Neels next term. Whitechapel Gallery, London E1 (020-7522 7888), 8 July–17 September.
John Cage: Every Day Is a Good Day
Cage did much more than compose 4 minutes and 33 seconds of silence. The composer, writer, mushroom-hunter, unconventional artist and collaborator with Merce Cunningham and Jasper Johns is undergoing a major revival. This show is curated by artist, writer and long-time fan Jeremy Millar, and is organised according to Cage's ideas of chance and indeterminacy. Baltic, Gateshead (0191-478 1810) 19 June‑5 September.
Picasso: The Mediterranean Years (1945-1962)
Complementing Tate Liverpool's current Picasso show, this exhibition, curated by Picasso biographer John Richardson and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso, focuses on the artist's Mediterranean roots, with portraits, sculptures, ceramics and prints, mostly taken from Picasso's own collection. Gagosian Gallery, London WC1 (020-7784 9960), 4 June–28 August.
Wolfgang Tillmans
Based in London for 20 years, Tillmans takes his relationship with the city as the starting point for this show. Abstract photographs and snapshots, portraits and places, old things and new: Tillmans's subjects are as rich and varied, as surprising and askew as the world itself. Serpentine Gallery, London W2 (020-7402 6075), 10 July–17 October.
Close Examination: Fakes, Mistakes and Discoveries
An exhibition for anyone interested in the skulduggery of forgery; the mangling of old paintings to make them fit later taste; or in the science of restoration and CSI-type investigation. The show analyses work from the gallery's own collection. National Gallery, London WC2 (020-7747 2885), 30 June–12 September.
Theatre
Women, Power and Politics
Nine dramatists, including Bola Agbaje, Moira Buffini, Rebecca Lenkiewicz and Sue Townsend, join forces to create a two-part show exploring the role of women in British politics. Given that there are more Lib Dems than women in the current cabinet, it seems a timely venture. Tricycle Theatre, London NW6 (020-7328 1000), 4 June-17 July.
Morte d'Arthur
Having adapted The Canterbury Tales for the RSC, the writer-director team of Mike Poulton and Gregory Doran now give us a compressed version of Malory's epic on Arthurian legend. Expect the round table, the holy grail and the hot, adulterous passion of Lancelot and Guinevere. Courtyard, Stratford-upon-Avon (0844 800 1110), 11 June-28 August.
Alice
Playwright Laura Wade and director Lyndsey Turner have just had a hit with Posh at the Royal Court. Now things get curiouser as the pair collaborate on a new version of Lewis Carroll's novel, in which Wonderland looks suspiciously like Sheffield. Over-eights only. Crucible, Sheffield (0114-249 6000), 17 June-24 July.
Greenwich and Docklands International festival
This outdoor festival can hold its head up proudly among its European peers. French company Ilotopie return with a new show, Oxymer – and there is a dazzling array of work from Catalonia. All events are free. Various sites around London, 24 June-4 July.
The Critic/The Real Inspector Hound
Sheridan is matched with Stoppard in two of the funniest plays ever written about theatre. In the first, a ludicrous play about the Spanish Armada descends into chaos; in the second, two critics get caught up in a Christie-style whodunit. Jonathan Church, who has boldly restored Chichester's fortunes, directs. Minerva, Chichester (01243 781312), 2 July-28 August.
You Me Bum Bum Train
Two hundred performers and an audience of just one – you. This show has been six years in the making, and now gets a full-scale production courtesy of the Barbican's BITE programme. LEB Building, London E2 (0845 120 7511), 6-24 July.
Earthquakes in London
Rupert Goold directs a Mike Bartlett play promising a rollercoaster ride through London from 1968 to 2525. Themes include social breakdown, population explosion and paranoia: a chance for Goold to exercise the expressionist talents he used in Enron. Cottesloe, London SE1 (020-7452 3000), from 28 July.
The Gospel at Colonus
Classic Greek drama is given a twist by US director Lee Breuer, who relocates Sophocles's tragedy to modern America and throws in a gospel choir, Blind Boys of Alabama, to collectively play the role of Oedipus. Edinburgh Playhouse (0131-473 2000), 21-23 August.
Architecture
The Serpentine Gallery summer pavilion
The gallery's 10th summer pavilion is as red as a London double-decker. It's also Jean Nouvel's first building in Britain, but only just: the French architect, best known for the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, has nearly completed a controversial office block in the City of London. This boldly geometric pavilion will be home to a series of cultural events. Serpentine Gallery, London W2 (020-7402 6075), 10 July–17 October.
Venice Biennale
The 12th International Architecture Exhibition is curated this year by the Pritzker prize-winning Japanese architect Kazuyo Sejima. This is one of the most delightful places to encounter the latest ideas in architecture. Venice, 29 August–21 November. Details: labiennale.org
Television
Secret Diaries of Anne Lister
Anne Lister was a woman way ahead of her time. A Yorkshire industrialist, land-owner and traveller, she was also a lesbian and lived with her lover, long before lesbians officially existed. Best of all, she was an avid diarist, recording her life in great detail – and often in code. Maxine Peake stars as Lister in this one-off 90-minute drama, written by Jane English and directed by James Kent. BBC2, June
Big Brother
Love it or hate it, there's no denying BB's influence and impact on the first decade of the 21st century. Remember the chickens, and Nasty Nick? And how much nastier it got over subsequent series? This is the end – the last BB ever. (To be read in Marcus Bentley's Geordie voice: It's D-Day in the Big Brother house ...) Channel 4, June
Father & Son
A four-part thriller written by Frank Deasy (Prime Suspect: The Final Act and The Passion) about an ex-crim who returns to Britain from a quiet life in Ireland, to save his teenage son from prison. Starring Dougray Scott, Stephen Rea, Sophie Okonedo and Ian Hart. ITV, June
Vexed
A three-part comedy drama about a pair of cops (Toby Stephens and Lucy Punch) with a lot of chemistry between them, as well as issues at home. Written by Howard Overman, who penned the hit show Misfits for E4. BBC2, August
I Am Slave
A one-off drama from the people who created the feature film The Last King of Scotland, tackling the issue of slavery in contemporary Britain. Inspired by real events, it tells the story of a young woman's abduction from her home in Sudan to London, where she is enslaved. Channel 4, August
Classical and opera
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Bryn Terfel finally sings a role he was born to play – that of Hans Sachs, in Wagner's most life-affirming work. Welsh National Opera presents Richard Jones's new production in Cardiff and Birmingham, before bringing it to the Proms as a concert performance. Millennium Centre, Cardiff (029-2063 6464), 19 June-3 July; Hippodrome, Birmingham (0844 338 5000), 6 & 10 July; Royal Albert Hall, London SW7 (0845 401 5040), 17 July.
What are Years
The highlight of Pierre Boulez's first-ever appearance at the Aldeburgh festival promises to be the world premiere of 101-year-old Elliott Carter's Marianne Moore song cycle, with Boulez conducting soprano Claire Booth and Ensemble Intercontemporain. Snape Maltings Concert Hall (01728 687110), Aldeburgh, 26 June.
The Duchess of Malfi
English National Opera and the theatre company Punchdrunk join forces to take over a vacant site in London's Docklands for an "immersive" production of Torsten Rasch's new opera, based on John Webster's 17th-century revenge tragedy. Great Eastern Quay, London E16. Tickets are not yet on sale, but you can register your interest here" 13-24 July.
Bach Day
As usual, the Proms will mark most of the year's significant musical anniversaries – Schumann, Chopin, Scriabin, Mahler – and will devote an entire day to Bach. John Eliot Gardiner conducts the Brandenburg Concertos, David Briggs plays organ works and Andrew Litton takes on an evening of orchestral arrangements. Cadogan Hall & Royal Albert Hall, London SW7 (0845 401 5040), 14 August.
Montezuma
The European colonisation of the new world is the theme of this year's Edinburgh international festival – and Carl Heinrich Graun's rarely performed opera from 1754, with a libretto by Frederick the Great of Prussia, fits into it perfectly. A Mexican production team stages this story of the Spanish conquest of Mexico, with a cast drawn from both the old and new worlds. King's, Edinburgh (0131-473 2000), 14, 15 & 17 August.
East Neuk festival
Expect high-class chamber music at this Scottish event, with both the Belcea and Elias quartets in residence. Programmes range across more than three centuries, from Tallis to Britten. Various venues, Fife (0131-473 2000), 30 June to 4 July.
Jazz
Wynton Marsalis
Marsalis and the Lincoln Center orchestra celebrate 80 years of big-band jazz history with three big London concerts, as well as workshops and jams at the Vortex Club and elsewhere. The Hackney gigs feature both an afternoon family concert and evening show, while the Glasgow performance is part of the Glasgow international jazz festival. Barbican Hall, London E8 (0845 120 7500), 17-18 June; Hackney Empire, London E8 (020-8510 4500), 20 June; Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow (0141-353 8000), 27 June.
The Necks
Every performance by Australia's cult improv trio the Necks is different – though you can be sure that each will be a seamless episode of free improvisation. Hypnotic hooks emerge and fade from trance-like drones, jazz phrasing is touched on and abandoned, and drum sounds are both textural and rhythmic. It's a unique ensemble, with a big cult following. Tron Theatre, Glasgow (0141-552 4267), 22 June.
Pat Metheny Band
Guitar star Metheny came to Britain with his one-man-band Orchestrion project earlier in the year, but this show represents the Metheny his long-time fans know: the leader of an accessible quartet fusing Latin music, jazz themes and lyrical guitar. Regulars Lyle Mays (piano), Steve Rodby (bass) and dynamic drummer Antonio Sanchez complete the lineup. Barbican, London EC2 (0845 120 7500), 10 July.
Kurt Elling
Jazz singer and multi-award nominee Elling has it all – Sinatra's soaring sound and charismatic cool, a dazzling jazz-improv technique, and an intelligent audacity about picking unusual material. Ronnie Scott's, London W1 (020-7439 0747), 30 June-3 July.
World music
Womad
This festival can either be a miserable mudbath or an easy-going weekend in the Wiltshire countryside – but it's worth risking it for an impressive lineup. From Congo, Staff Benda Bilili play rousing rhumba-rock from their wheelchairs; and from Australia there's the soulful Aboriginal star Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu. Plus Nigeria's master drummer Tony Allen, the Kamkars from Kurdish Iran, and great American veteran Gil Scott-Heron. Charlton Park, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, 23-25 July. Box office: 0845 146 1735.
Cambridge Folk Festival
There are dozens of good UK folk festivals this summer – but Cambridge still has the highest profile, partly because it has become an international event with increasing emphasis on American stars. This year the line-up includes country legend Kris Kristofferson, the Carolina Chocolate Drops and the multilingual Pink Martini, along with Malian star Rokia Traoré. The British contingent includes the Unthanks and Seth Lakeman. Cherry Hinton Hall, 29 July to 1 August. Box office: 01223 357851.
Dance
Pleasure's Progress
Will Tuckett visits the dark underbelly of 18th-century England, mixing dance and opera in this homage to William Hogarth. The cast includes the excellent Matthew Hart. Jerwood DanceHouse, Ipswich (01473 295230), 18-19 June, then touring.
Russian ballet in London
Heavyweight Moscow ballet giant the Bolshoi and the St Petersburg featherweight, the Mikhailovsky, fight it out for London's summer ballet audience. The Bolshoi have a new staging of Coppélia and Ratmansky's Russian Seasons, while the Mikhailovsky bring the classic Gorsky-Messerer Swan Lake, as well as Chabukiani's uber-Soviet ballet Laurencia. The Mikhailovsky are at the Coliseum, London WC2 (020-7632 8300) from 13 July; The Bolshoi are at the Royal Opera House, London WC2 (020-7304 4000), from 17 July.
Carlos Acosta
Acosta returns with his latest mixed programme – and his performances include debuts in the beautiful Russell Maliphant solo, Two, and Edwaard Liang's Sight Unseen, with Zenaida Yanowsky. Coliseum, London WC2 (020-7632 8300), from 28 July.
Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch: Agua
Following Bausch's death last year, her company opted to continue touring her work. Agua, seen here in the UK for the first time, is a tragicomic take on life played out against Brazilian landscapes. Playhouse, Edinburgh (0131 473 2000), 27-29 August.
Comedy
Penn and Teller
Stand aside, Derren Brown. Perform your disappearing act, Paul Daniels. Las Vegas magic act Penn and Teller are coming to town, for five nights in London this July. The duo's 30-year partnership has yielded multiple Emmy nominations, an appearance on The Simpsons – and, of course, their hit 1990s Channel 4 series, The Unpleasant World of Penn & Teller. This is their first live UK appearance in 16 years. Hammersmith Apollo, London W6 (0844 844 4748), 14-18 July.
Hans Teeuwen
Already confirmed for the Edinburgh fringe this year, the once-seen, never-forgotten Dutch comic Teeuwen unleashes his new show Smooth and Painful on an unsuspecting world. Even if you've seen the twisted cabaret of this demoniacal Nick Cave of comedy before, you've no idea what he'll come up with next. Pleasance Beyond, Edinburgh (0131-556 6550), 4-29 August.
My Name Is Sue
Winner of a Total Theatre award at last year's Edinburgh fringe, this frumpy cabaret once again unites the talents of composer/performer Dafydd James and director Ben Lewis, of the terrific Inspector Sands theatre group. James dons a blouse and skirt to play the titular housewife, who sits at a piano and whacks out the musical story of her unheralded life. Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff (029 2031 1050), 4 and 5 June. Then touring.
Emo Philips
A UK comedy favourite since the 1980s, Philips returns for the first time since 2006 to play – er, a tent in a field in Suffolk. Signing up the falsetto-voiced man-child is a real coup for Latitude: judging by his last British shows, age (he's now in his mid-50s) hasn't mellowed this relentless dispenser of disturbed one-liners. Latitude festival, July 18, then touring; at the Pleasance Cabaret Bar, Edinburgh (0131-556 6550), 5-29 August.
• Previews by Peter Bradshaw, Alexis Petridis, John Fordham, Michael Billington, Lyn Gardner, Robin Denselow, Brian Logan, Andrew Clements, Sam Wollaston, Judith Mackrell, Adrian Searle, Jonathan Glancey and Alison Flood
• This article/item was amended on 24 May 2010 to remove a box office
phone number at the request of ENO, as tickets must be registered for
online.
What to see in 2010
Posted by The Sheet in Architecture News on December 31, 2009
Can Martin Scorsese pull off a horror movie? Is Glasgow the new Venice? And what's Ricky Gervais up to in Reading? Our critics pick next year's hottest tickets
Film
Cemetery Junction
Having conquered Hollywood, Ricky Gervais is coming home. With his long-time collaborator Stephen Merchant, he has set out to create a British film in the tradition of Billy Liar and the Likely Lads – and of course his own masterpiece The Office – about three blokes working for the Prudential insurance company in Gervais's hometown of Reading. Released on 7 April.
A Single Man
The smart money says Colin Firth will be bringing home a certain gold, bald-headed statuette for his performance as a bereaved gay man in Los Angeles. Based on the 1964 novel by Christopher Isherwood, the movie – fashion designer Tom Ford's directorial debut – follows one day in the life of Firth's literature academic as he confronts his own mortality. Released on 12 February.
A Prophet
Tahar Rahim is Talik, a scared young Arab guy in jail who is made an offer he can't refuse by Corsican mobster César, played by Niels Arestrup: he must murder a supergrass, or be killed himself. A gripping prison movie from French director Jacques Audiard. Released on 22 January.
Shutter Island
Martin Scorsese's much-anticipated new movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio was originally slated to come for autumn; the delay was reportedly due to its promotional budget getting credit-crunched. Anyway, better late than never. It's a mystery thriller with a generous spoonful of horror – a new generic twist for this master director. Released on 12 March.
The Headless Woman
A wealthy woman accidentally hits something in her car. Was it a dog? A person? She slips into woozy confusion, and the movie mimics the woman's disorientation and denial as she attempts to carry on with her life. An arthouse cult classic from Argentinian director Lucrecia Martel. Released on 19 February.
Scott Pilgrim vs the World
Edgar Wright is the British director who struck gold with Shaun of the Dead. Now he tackles his first proper Hollywood project – a wacky comedy based on the Bryan Lee O'Malley comic-book series. Michael Cera plays bass guitarist Scott Pilgrim, who, having fallen in love with a woman, must now do battle with her seven former boyfriends. Released on 27 August.
Father of My Children
A discreetly directed and superbly acted drama based on the tragic life of the French film producer Humbert Balsan. Grégoire is a much-loved mover-and-shaker in world cinema whose finances are crumbling. The ensuing crisis is brilliantly portrayed. Released on 5 March.
Visual art
Glasgow international festival of contemporary art
A huge, budget-melting installation by Swiss artist Christoph Büchel in the vast Tramway; a major new film by Gerard Byrne; works by Fiona Tan, Douglas Gordon, Linder and many more spread around Scotland's liveliest city, in the UK's best annual visual arts festival. Forget Edinburgh, forget Liverpool: this is the one. Venues across Glasgow (0141-287 8994, glasgowinternational.org), 16 April-3 May.
The Real Van Gogh: the Artist and His Letters
Van Gogh was erudite, intelligent, a great artist and an inveterate writer of letters. But he also did that thing to his ear, drank too much absinthe and killed himself. This show looks at his art in the light of his letters, recently published in English in full. Royal Academy of Arts, London W1 (020-7300 8000), 23 January-18 April.
Chris Ofili
Manchester-born Chris Ofili has rolled joints from elephant dung, made paintings decorated with dung, and moved on to territory that brings together German expressionism, Trinidadian myth, lovers, prophets, gods and ghosts. Promises to be blasphemous and inspiring, elegiac and sexy. Tate Britain, London SW1 (020-7887 8888), 27 January-16 May.
Jenny Holzer
There's more to American artist Holzer's work than an endless tickertape of words spelled out in LED lights. There are billboards, benches, condom wrappers and paintings. This is poetry with a plug, light shows with literature, an art of anger and beauty. Baltic, Gateshead (0191-478 1810), 5 March-16 May.
Sixth Berlin Biennial
The Berlin Biennial for Contemporary Art is always fascinating, and sometimes great. In a city infested with artists and overshadowed by history, it attracts fewer wannabes, hangers-on, art-surfers and arrogant airheads than Venice. Berlin is serious, the food is a joke, the weather uncertain and the art at the time of writing a complete mystery. Go anyway. Venues across Berlin (00 49 [0] 302 434 5910, berlinbiennale.de), 11 June-8 August.
Gauguin
Paul Gauguin, stock-broker turned post-impressionist and symbolist painter and sculptor, mystified Van Gogh, with whom he shared a house for a while. What an odd couple. Gauguin died in French Polynesia in 1903 at the age of 54. His art, however, is a time bomb, still ticking in the 21st century; and this is the first major show in Britain for 50 years. Tate Modern, London SE1 (020-7887 8888), from 30 September.
Pop
Whitney Houston
Houston's misadventures during the last decade made the likelihood of her touring again seem nil. But here she is playing her first UK dates since 1998, rehabbed and in robust voice – although her ability to hit those power notes has diminished somewhat. Which may be a good thing. MEN Arena, Manchester (0844 847 8000), 8-9 April. Then touring.
Green Day
Here's a thing: an overtly political US band who are big enough to play stadiums. Mind you, if Green Day's views weren't complemented by radio-friendly rock, their two British summer dates would probably be somewhere cosier. Old Trafford (0871 2200 260), June 16; Wembley, London (020-7403 3331), June 19.
The xx
It's all about understatement and nuance with this indie band, earmarked just about everywhere as 2010's ones to watch. Don't expect fireworks or obvious "wow" moments on their first major headlining tour: they and their acclaimed self-titled album are very much insidious pleasures. Komedia, Brighton (0845 293 8480), 1 March. Then touring.
Lily Allen and Dizzee Rascal
Lily and Dizzee have more in common than you would think: they easily rank with 2009's most successful British musicians, and she's as influenced by Rascal's hip-hop milieu as he is by the pop world she inhabits. MEN Arena, Manchester (0844 847 8000), 5 March; 02 Arena, London (0844 856 0202), 7 March.
Glastonbury
The daddy of them all celebrates its 40th anniversary, and Glasto virgins U2 will be among those braving the mud to celebrate. Sold out, but returns go on sale in the new year. Worthy Farm, Somerset, 23-27 June.
Jazz and world music
Jerry Dammers Spatial AKA Orchestra
Specials and 2 Tone co-founder Dammers pays tribute to mystic free-jazz bandleader Sun Ra, who died in 1993, with a mix of jazz, funk, reggae, dub, hip-hop and rock. The all-star lineup includes Nathaniel Facey, Zoe Rahman and Jason Yarde. Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry (024-7652 4524), 4 March. Touring until 9 April.
Dan Berglund's Tonbrucket
Swedish pianist Esbjörn Svensson's death in 2008 wound up popular jazz trio EST, but bassist Dan Berglund and drummer Magnus Ostrom visit not only EST's music, but Pink Floyd, Arvo Pärt and more in their new quartet. Queen's Hall, Edinburgh (0131-668 2019), 13 March. Touring until 1 April.
Wynton Marsalis
The prolific Marsalis and his Lincoln Center Orchestra celebrate 80 years of big-band history in three major concerts, with jams all over London, including the Vortex. Barbican, London EC2 (0845 120 7550), 17 and 18 June; Hackney Empire, London E8 (020-8510 4500), 20 June.
African Soul Rebels
Mali's Oumou Sangaré, famed for her bravely outspoken views, is one of the stars of the sixth African Soul Rebels outing. She's joined by the rousing big band Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou, and the veteran South African experimental political band, Kalahari Surfers. Poole Lighthouse (0844 406 8666), 18 February. Then touring.
Ali and Toumani
The most eagerly awaited African album of the year, this is the final recording by the great Malian guitarist Ali Farka Touré, and the kora virtuoso Toumani Diabaté – recorded a few months before Touré's death. Out 22 February.
Dance
Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch
After the shock of Bausch's death this summer, her company has announced plans to continue under the joint direction of Dominique Mercy and Robert Sturm. In April, they come to London with Kontakthof, Bausch's 1978 meditation on love and human foibles. It will be performed by two radically different, alternating casts – one made up of senior citizens, the other of teenagers. Barbican, London EC2 (020-7638 8891), 1-4 April.
Mark Morris Dance Group
Morris made L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, an ecstatic embrace of a dance, more than 20 years ago; it still ranks as one of the great experiences in the repertory. Handel's score will be played and sung by members of English National Opera. Coliseum, London WC2 (0871-911 0200), 14-17 April.
Hofesh Shechter
The rise and rise of Shechter continues with Political Mother, a large ensemble piece that plays with definitions of shock and normality, and comes with Shechter's own score. Dome, Brighton (01273 709709), 20 and 21 May; Sadler's Wells, London EC1 (0844 412 4300), 14-17 July.
Merce Cunningham Dance Company
A posthumous season for the late, great Merce includes the UK premiere of the work he choreographed just months before he died. Nearly Ninety belies its title with a score including music by Sonic Youth. Barbican, London EC2 (020-7638 8891), 26-30 October.
Theatre
Arthur and George
David Edgar adapts Julian Barnes's gripping novel about a Birmingham solicitor who, after being convicted of a grisly crime, recruits the help of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Fact merges with fiction in a story that deals with race, innocence, guilt and spiritualism - with echoes of Sherlock Holmes. Rachel Kavanaugh directs what promises to be that rare thing: a necessary adaptation. Birmingham Rep (0121-236 4455), 19 March-10 April.
Peter Pan
David Greig relocates JM Barrie's masterpiece to a gas-lit Victorian Edinburgh. Director John Tiffany (Black Watch, The Bacchae) and designer Laura Hopkins are at the helm, so this Pan shouldn't simply fly, but soar. Kings, Glasgow (0844 871 7648), 23 April–8 May. Then touring.
Hamlet
Once again, it looks like we're set for a major battle of the princes. John Simm has first crack at the title in a Paul Miller production in the refurbished Sheffield Crucible. Then Rory Kinnear takes on the moody Dane, with Clare Higgins as Gertrude, directed by Nicholas Hytner at the National. Some people, recalling the very recent David Tennant-Jude Law clash, resent this duplication. I say: "Bring it on." Crucible Theatre, Sheffield (0114-249 6000), from September; Olivier theatre, London SE1 (020-7452 3000), from October.
Posh
Just in time for the general election, Laura Wade's new play deals with a group of Oxford hearties, all members of an elite student dining society. They hunt, booze, take illegal substances (possibly) and are, it seems, destined to rule over us. It's good to see Wade, who made a big impact with Breathing Corpses in 2005, resurrecting the class war in a topical Court production, directed by Lyndsey Turner. Royal Court, London SW1 (020-7565 5000), 9 April-22 May.
Oh! What a Lovely War
Joan Littlewood's timeless musical satire on the first world war gets its first major post-Iraq outing, with directors Erica Whyman and Sam Kenyon leading the troops over the top. Northern Stage, Newcastle (0191-230 5151), 6 March-27 March. Then touring.
The Persians
A Brecon military range becomes the setting for a site-responsive revival of Aeschylus's great play about war and defeat. Mike Pearson, who has been using found spaces with his legendary company Brith Gof long before it became fashionable, directs. Cilieni Village, Powys, Wales (01874 611622), 11-21 August.
Architecture
Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford
Dynamic reconstruction of the famous 1930s theatre. New work includes a 1,030-seat modern take on a 17th-century courtyard stage, a revamped art deco foyer, a rooftop restaurant and a bridging tower linking old and new spaces. November.
Folkwang Museum, Essen, Germany
Six rigorously geometrical new wings parade around four urban courtyards in this major extension by David Chipperfield of a fine museum devoted to 19th and 20th-century French and German art. The model of a modern building for a (hopefully) less wilfully ostentatious era. April.
Rolex Learning Centre, Lausanne, Switzerland
This exquisite Swiss building – a single, undulating floor boasting lake and mountain views – is a coming of age for Tokyo's Sanaa, designers of the 2009 Serpentine Pavilion. A science research centre that's as much landscape as architecture. February.
Television
Mad Men
The immaculately dressed alcoholic misogynists of the Sterling Cooper ad agency return to alternately horrify and entrance us. Nine months on, how is the company's merger with a London firm working out for boss Don, copywriter Peggy and co? And what state is Don's estranged wife Betty in? BBC4, from 27 January.
Glee
Nip/Tuck creator Ryan Murphy's new musical comedy-drama about a high-school choir (the "glee club" of the title) is huge in the US. The club's show tunes and chart hits have sold millions, while viewers and critics have embraced the cast of engaging misfits (Murphy has a sharp eye for school dynamics, as fans of his shortlived cheerleader show Popular will recall). E4, from 11 January.
Money
This two-part slice of 1980s nostalgia, based on Martin Amis's novel, should offer a thought-provoking look at the era of flash cash and queasy living. Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz, Shawn of the Dead) stars as anti-hero John Self in a cast that includes Mad Men's Pete (Vincent Kartheiser). BBC2, spring.
The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister
Maxine Peake (Shameless, Criminal Justice) plays a lesbian who keeps a coded journal of her love-life in a 19th-century Yorkshire village. Everything about this 90-minute drama screams "record", "hit" and "award-winning". BBC2, March/April.
Mistresses
Furtive hotel sex; frantic muffin-baking; guilty pinot grigio guzzling. This soapy drama about four Bristol thirtysomething women returns for a third series with some inspired new casting: Joanna Lumley joins as the bossy mother of muddle-headed doctor Katie, played by Sarah Parish. BBC1, late 2010.
Classical and opera
Mahler in Manchester
The most innovative celebration of Gustav Mahler's 150th birthday you'll hear all year: the Hallé and BBC Philharmonic's cycle of his symphonies, in which each symphony is paired with a new piece from an international line-up of composers, from Austrian surrealist Kurt Schwertsik to Parisian organist Olivier Latry. Bridgewater Hall, Manchester (0161-907 9000), 16 January-5 June.
Placido sings Handel
Whoever thought you'd see this at Covent Garden? Placido Domingo takes the composer's greatest tenor role, Bajazet, in Tamerlano, with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in the pit. Mouth-watering. Royal Opera House, London WC2 (020-7304 4000), 5-20 March.
Elegy for Young Lovers
English National Opera continues its part-time residency at the Young Vic with Hans Werner Henze's 1961 opera on crazed creative amorality in the Alps, with a libretto by WH Auden, and a production directed by Fiona Shaw. The only chance to see Henze, the greatest living opera composer, in the theatre in the UK this year. Young Vic, London SE1 (020-7922 2922), 24 April-8 May.
WNO's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
The operatic role of the year: Bryn Terfel sings Hans Sachs for the first time in Wagner's Meistersinger. It's a part he should play even more convincingly than the Wotan he sang in Covent Garden's Ring. This new staging by Richard Jones could be the one that cracks Wagner's complex comedy. Welsh National Opera, Cardiff (08700 40 2000), 19 June-10 July.
Total Immersion: Wolfgang Rihm
No composer alive has written as much music as Wolfgang Rihm; yet no major figure in new music is as shamingly unfamiliar to British audiences. With this two-day event, part of its Total Immersion series, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, with the help of the London Sinfonietta and the Arditti Quartet, put that right. Barbican, London EC2 (020-7638 8891), 12-13 March.
Comedy
Dara O'Briain
From Three Men in a Boat to one man on a stage, TV favourite O'Briain takes to the nation's concert halls for a 64-date tour. A civilised and smart standup long before TV fame came calling, this is the Mock the Week anchorman's first tour in two years. Regent, Stoke (0844 871 7649), 1 March. Then touring.
Laura Solon
With her latest show, Rabbit Faced Story Soup, the winner of the last-ever Perrier award has turned her talent for creating comic characters into a comedy play about an ailing publishing house and its missing star novelist. Now she's taking it on a national tour. Junction, Cambridge (01223 511 511), 29 January. Then touring.
Pappy's Fun Club
The fast-rising young quartet take to the road with their Edinburgh 2009 hit show World Record Attempt: 200 Sketches in an Hour. It's less Fast Show, more nonsense cabaret, supplying music, anarchy and good cheer. Komedia, Brighton (0845 293 8480), 21 January. Then touring.
Chosen by Judith Mackrell, Michael Billington, Caroline Sullivan, Lyn Gardner, Jonathan Glancey, Peter Bradshaw, Adrian Searle, John Fordham, Robin Denselow, Brian Logan and Tim Lusher
My decade: personal perspectives from key arts figures
Posted by The Sheet in Architecture News on December 10, 2009
Film-makers, musicians and more look back on their achievements and favourite works from the noughties
The following correction was printed in the Guardian's Corrections and clarifications column, Thursday 10 December 2009
In his contribution to the collection of brief reminiscences below, the dancer and choreographer Akram Khan recalled a Newcastle event at which a performance by Rosemary Lee was cancelled, leaving Mr Khan – who was performing next – to benefit from the attention of promoters who had come to watch her. Mr Khan would like to make clear that in fact he misremembered the incident: Rosemary Lee was not the artist involved
David Adjaye, architect
In 2000, I completed my first solo house, the Elektra House in London.
It was the beginning of a lot of press interest in me. There was a tendency to call me a "starchitect", but my work wasn't really about sensationalism; it was more about trying to work within a context than creating an object. The Idea Stores in Whitechapel were my breakthrough into public buildings. Then I won the Stephen Lawrence Centre, the Bernie Grant Centre and Rivington Place within the space of a year. Using architecture to make those institutions visible mirrored my own emergence. It's a sad thing: in European architecture, there are still few other architects of colour. Other big commissions: the Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver. We've also been involved in post-Katrina reconstruction in New Orleans. I realised how famous I was when the press reported my "downfall" earlier this year. There was the implication I'd gone bust. They tried to make out I was some entertainer who'd got his comeuppance. We had cashflow problems, but I don't know an architect in the world who hasn't refinanced.
Richard Rogers, architect
It's been a good decade. In fact, I've enjoyed the last third of my life much more than the first third. The Millennium Dome, from our point of view, was tremendously successful: on time, on budget. It only cost around £40m, but that does not include the contents, which we had nothing to do with. It's wonderful to see it now as the O2. Empty buildings are always horrible.
Other works: Terminal 4 Barajas Airport in Madrid; Terminal 5 at Heathrow; the Mossbourne Community Academy in Hackney; the National Assembly for Wales in Cardiff; and the London Maggie's Centre, which won this year's Stirling Prize. The Stirlings, the Pritzker, the Golden Lion, and
being made a Companion of Honour – it's very nice to have these awards, but one doesn't set out to achieve them. You do what you think is right, which means working with the people who are going to be using your buildings.
Low point? Chelsea Barracks. Unpleasant interference, unpleasant loss of a major scheme. More than 80 meetings were held over more than two years with community groups, statutory consultees and Westminster's planning committee steering group. The majority were in favour until Prince Charles introduced the concept that it's better to look backwards than forwards. I don't think that's symptomatic of the general climate in British architecture.
Kevin Macdonald, film director
Personally, it's been a fascinating decade. In the late 90s, I was struggling to make TV documentaries but work was drying up. I was a purist, with no interest in working with actors. I hated the idea of dramatic reconstructions because they look so cheesy. Then I worked with actors on Touching the Void and this led to dramatic features, though documentaries remain my first love.
The British film industry has always been about boom and bust. We start out with unrealistic optimism: "We're going to compete with Hollywood!" Then we have the collapse and the correction. We saw it with Alexander Korda in the 1930s, with Rank after the war, and with Gandhi in the 1980s. This decade it happened again.
The collapse of Film4 back in 2002 was part of this problem. We just can't take on Hollywood, because it ends up using our money and talent for its own ends. Maybe the lesson is sinking in.
Film of the decade: Darwin's Nightmare, directed by Hubert Sauper, for using reality to paint a nightmare.
Nitin Sawhney, musician
We saw a lot of Asian artists getting radio play: Talvin Singh, Cornershop, Asian Dub Foundation. But after 9/11, a lot got dropped. It could have been Islamophobia, or a wider culture of fear, or just record companies not wanting to take risks. AR Rahman's soundtrack to Slumdog Millionaire changed this to some degree in 2008.
I had an incredible 10 years. One of my best moments was meeting Nelson Mandela in 2001, when I was travelling round the world doing research for my album Prophesy. I recorded him saying, "We're free to be free", and included it on the album. I also had an amazing jam session one day: I was on piano, with Paul McCartney singing and David Gilmour playing the sax. I was looking at them thinking: "How did this happen?"
Album of the decade: Radiohead's In Rainbows. They're brilliant live, yet their album music also has energy and drive. Thom Yorke's voice has incredible emotional power.
Estelle, musician
I started my own label, Stellar Ents, in the noughties. I was 19, and everyone said I couldn't do it. But I released my first album, Diamond in the Rough, on it, and I'm proud of that. In fact, I'm prouder of that than I am of my Grammy award and my No 1 single – because in my head, they were always going to happen.
Being able to see Grace Jones perform was the musical high of my decade. I grew up watching her. Meeting her was like: "Wow, wow, wow!" She was poised, elegant, fresh, crazy. I met her at the 2008 Mobos. She presented me with an award [best song and best UK female] and said: "I love your music!" I said: "Aaaagh!" I hugged her for a good 30 seconds.
Albums of the decade: The Blueprint by Jay-Z; Mary, by Mary J Blige; The College Dropout, by Kanye West.
Christine Langan, Head of BBC Films
The films that grabbed me seemed to come from nowhere: Waltz With Bashir, City of God, The Orphanage, Downfall – all debuts that changed the landscape. In the US, the independent section was the strongest. Alexander Payne with About Schmidt and Sideways, Todd Haynes's Far From Heaven, and bigger films like There Will Be Blood. But the studios now think the economics of the specialty division don't stack up. So it's in limbo.
British cinema has had quite a healthy decade. I witnessed a lot of female directors making great films – Jane Campion, Andrea Arnold – as well as some brilliant directors who came through and went to the US, like Kevin Macdonald and Paul Greengrass.
I've had a big transition, going from TV to film, having started the decade doing Cold Feet. Producing The Queen was a phenomenal entrance to cinema. I had a lot of faith in it even if, in the UK, everyone thought it was a TV film. In the rest of the world, there was an instant appetite for it. Still, I never thought we'd end up going to the Oscars with it.
Film of the decade: Michel Gondry's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, for its sheer invention and exuberance, visual flair and great soundtrack.
Monica Mason, director of the Royal Ballet
In 2000, the Royal Ballet moved into the redeveloped Royal Opera House. Morale lifted immediately. In 2002, I was asked to be caretaker director. I discovered – though I was a little loath to admit it – that I loved being in the driving seat. By December I was appointed director.
I have two personal highlights: our first tour to Cuba last summer; and the first performance of Chroma by Wayne McGregor and DGV by Christopher Wheeldon in 2006. There was such a sense of competition – both choreographers really wanted to make their pieces work.
Sadler's Wells theatre has made a real impact. But it's been a decade of loss as well as gain, and many wonderful people have died: Norman Morrice, Pamela May, Glen Tetley and, of course, Merce Cunningham and Pina Bausch.
Highlight: Earlier this year, a memorial to the founders of the Royal Ballet was unveiled in Poet's Corner, Westminster Abbey. It felt as if dance had come of age.
Arlene Phillips, choreographer
When Strictly Come Dancing started in 2004, we thought it would be a small affair: a rebirth of Come Dancing with a slightly new angle. Then in the first series, Natasha Kaplinsky and Brendan Cole did a paso doble that gave me goosebumps; that night I got so many messages from people who felt the same way.
Strictly reaches into the homes of millions. And when those people go out in search of dance, they come across different styles, different classes; but they also discover where to go and see dance. Suddenly dance was reaching everyone – through ballroom dance, of all things.
I've noticed a real explosion of street dance and hip-hop. It was big in the 70s and 80s, but then it seemed to die a death. Now it's back, and it's brilliant. I think we're open to a wider range of forms.
Being on Strictly, working on The Sound of Music, joining the board of Sadler's Wells – I've always been part of the wider world of dance. As I enter each new decade I think: oh, it'll slow down now. But it doesn't.
Highlight: a piece that comes back decade after decade – Alvin Ailey's Revelations. Each time I see it, it makes me fall in love with dance all over again.
Akram Khan, dancer/choreographer
In 2000, my producer Farooq Chaudhry saw a duet I did and asked to manage me. But he hadn't yet seen my own work, so I invited him to a festival in Newcastle, where I was due to go on after Rosemary Lee. At the last minute she cancelled, leaving a room full of promoters who were there for her. But afterwards there was a queue of them saying: how can I book this? From that one 10-minute solo, Farooq and I booked a year of touring.
After that, I was much more in the public eye. Everything was scrutinised. Even though Ma (2004) and in-I (2008, pictured left) were less well-received, they were pivotal for me because I put myself out of my depth. Ma was the first time I tried storytelling with words. With in-I, I had to let go of myself as a dancer; I was working with Juliette Binoche, who was a blank canvas in terms of dance technique.
I see a lot more collaborative work now: choreographers working with artists and composers. But contemporary dance is still marginalised. It's changing, through choreographers like Wayne McGregor, but it should be more in the mainstream.
Highlights: James Thiérrée's Raoul and Simon McBurney's Shun-kin. You forgot whether either was theatre or dance: what you were watching was magic.
John Eliot Gardiner, conductor
Two Proms in 2007 illustrated classical music's changing landscape: the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra under Gustavo Dudamel showed that the old institutions don't necessarily give the most exciting experiences; the other was a concert of Rameau I conducted with the English Baroque Soloists, the Monteverdi Choir and the South African group Buskaid Soweto String Project, with some French and South African dancers. The interaction was amazing. There was a bombshell of energy coming from a South African group – yet it played with the elegance and sophistication of a fully professional orchestra. As for composers, James MacMillan and Thomas Adès have come storming through, and György Kurtág is simply amazing. We've also seen, thankfully, the breakdown of the barriers that existed between the so-called "authentic" movement and the mainstream, and there are all sorts of exciting developments in music theatre.
Heroes: The trailblazers who go into schools and communities and foster a passion for classical music.
Villains: Those who hire fashionable or untested theatre and film directors who consider their interpretations of operas to be superior or more "relevant" than those whose work they often supplant and traduce.
Sarah Connolly, opera singer
Julius Caesar at Glyndebourne in 2005 was the show that put me on the map, as well as my co-star Danielle de Niese. Singing Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier at Scottish Opera in 2006 was a highlight, too. It's a role I wanted to sing first in German – a tough but rewarding experience. I made my Wagner debut this summer, as Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde at Glyndebourne, but my favourite moment has to be singing at this year's Last Night of the Proms. Something magical happened: I wasn't nervous. As for new operas, Harrison Birtwistle's Minotaur was one of the decade's best. It was an extraordinary exploration of fear, like watching a Greek passion play.
Hero: Director David McVicar, who puts his all into making the composer and librettist's vision come to life.
Villains: The marketing men at giant record companies. The way they package crossover music seems deliberately confusing. I'd never knock the Three Tenors – they were phenomenally talented, but they've spawned a load of inferior imitators.
Nicholas Hytner, artistic director of the National Theatre
The big story has been the removal of boundaries: between establishment and fringe, between different forms, between different generations and communities. Ten years ago, there was something like a traditional audience and an alternative audience; now, you feel there is no homogeneous audience. Everyone has been much more enthusiastic about venturing outside their comfort zones.
A theatre-maker like Punchdrunk's Felix Barrett, who might once have made exquisite little shows for the cognoscenti, has been able to make an enormous impact with Faust in a warehouse in east London, then come to the National and direct a play by Tom Stoppard. The barricades aren't manned any more.
I've spent most of the decade as director of the National: it's been all-consuming, but where did the rest of my life go? There is much that I'm proud of: broadening the repertoire; collaborating with people who make exciting theatre; and bringing down prices. The fact that we've done that has encouraged others: there are lots of theatres who could have charged more, but kept prices down because we all believed that was the right thing. It's meant that now, when times are harder, theatre is in really good shape.
Vicky Featherstone, director of the National Theatre of Scotland
In the 1990s, there was a group of theatre-makers in their late 20s who would look at the work happening in established theatres and say: "If I had the chance, and if I had that budget, theatre would be different." This decade, a lot of those people were given that chance. That was partly about real money from the arts council, but there was also a shift in theatre's sense of risk. New was no longer a dirty word, unmarketable and uninteresting.
It helped that the world was starting to take note: our playwrights would be invited to symposiums, and won international commissions. It gave them a much broader world view. The more international theatre can be, the better.
Theatre no longer feels like an academic secret: it demands to be owned by a greater group of people. I've felt that shift myself, setting up the National Theatre of Scotland. The model is quite radical for a national theatre, because it doesn't have a building – but all we're doing is continuing the journey we were already on, in terms of a philosophy of theatre being for everybody.
Sharon Horgan, writer and performer
Comedy on TV has been brilliant: it's moved on to a higher level. The traditional sitcom has come back, but riding alongside are programmes like Curb Your Enthusiasm, Peep Show, The Office, Getting On. Brass Eye and Nighty Night felt like a massive progression. We've seen the rise of the comedy writer/performer: they know exactly what they want to say and how they want it to look.
I tune into The X Factor like it's appointment TV. I Sky+ everything else, or watch box sets. How on earth could you possibly say you are going to be free to do something at 9pm otherwise? I suppose there's something about Saturday night TV – I've just started Twittering, and if someone has sung poorly or Simon's hair is extra shit, you can't help but want to tell a few thousand people about it.
I have been fanatical about The Sopranos and The Wire. Every episode was so good it could have been a cinema release. They made me want to be a better writer: all these incredible characters – and then a season later they were cut loose as if they were nothing.
Kevin Lygo, director of TV and content for Channel 4
Big Brother was unlike anything else and had a huge impact. It defined Channel 4 for about a decade, in many ways. I have no regrets about bringing it to an end, but I'm sure it will return one day. Sociologists will be studying those shows for decades to come.
I remember thinking 24 was an unmissable event, and hats off to the BBC. It felt like an unbelievable treat. There's also been the rise of the box set. I broke my leg so I had a week at home and watched 87 hours of The Wire (pictured below). I have never been so happy.
Ali G bursting on to the scene in Da Ali G Show was properly iconic. I can't think of another comic coming from a British TV series who went on to make the hit movies that Sacha Baron Cohen has.
It's easy to forget the one-off documentaries and drama. Everybody who watched The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off was moved. Afterwards, everybody started to make The Biggest Boy, The Fattest Man, but this was sensitively made and it was original. No one had ever seen a documentary narrated by someone who had died.
Richard Madeley, presenter
Commercial TV's licence to print money has expired, thanks to the internet and the rolling-out of endless new channels. Shows like our old vessel, This Morning, run on a fraction of the budgets they used to. But this isn't always a bad thing: ingenuity blossoms when money is tight.
I see nothing wrong with the idea of product placement financing programming, as long as it's transparent.
It was an era of cynicism, too. Viewers were outraged by scandals over phone-in competitions and "real" events that were staged. That culture had to change – and it has. Complaints that were once brushed off are now taken with the utmost seriousness. But it will be a long time before trust fully returns: note the cries of "Fix!" when talented Lucy was booted off The X Factor.
TV began to grasp the full potential of interactivity with its audience: that's been the profound change, and there is further to go. The price TV has to pay is seeing power shift from producers to the people; viewers realise they can drive events on screen. Katie Price was ruthlessly brought down on I'm a Celebrity. The public forced her to perform one gruesome challenge after another. Motive wasn't important. They did it because they could.
The decade also saw the end of the magazine series presented by that husband-and-wife team. What were they called? No matter.