Arts & Culture
Originally published on Wednesday, 11th June 2008
24 hour Arty People
It’s mid-week, 5.45pm. The hour of liberation is at hand and the post-work quandary scheduled to begin. You say: “How’s about we catch that new exhibition? Oh wait,” you realize, “it closes at six”. He says: “Pub?” “Yeah, okay.”
Of course there are loads of things to do after work - hell, that’s what we write about - but if you’re not a student or retired (any day now) then opportunities for cultural dalliances with purer art forms are slim; there’s barely enough time to ingest a falafel before the curtain goes up. Fortunately for us, Boris has temporarily come to the rescue. His launch of “Lates ” has meant that institutions like the Royal Academy are throwing open their doors to the extra-curricular masses.
The Globe has also jumped on the nocturnal band-wagon with a series of midnight plays that test your standing stamina. Yet if these seasonal solutions aren’t enough to satiate your arts-needs, it was confirmed last week that the National Theatre has finally caught up with the rest of Southbank, and from September it will stage plays such as “Oedipus” with Ralph Fiennes on Sundays. I’d say that deserves a standing ovation, even if it is 2am/the day of rest.
Boris’ Lates until 4th July
The Globe “Midnight Matinees” 21st June, 4th July, 1st Aug
National Theatre open Sundays from 21st Sept
