ARTS & CULTURE
Originally published on Wednesday, 03 June 2009
June
From open-air Shakespeare and future-thinking art to free ballet and enough musical entertainment to cause a meltdown, we simply can’t get through this sweltering June without…
…heading to the future. Tate Modern’s Futurism exhibition takes flight with Marinetti’s call for Modernism, and the barrage of speed and motion that followed – think of it as a manifesto for supersonic art. The White Blackbird are also getting in on the act with their Aerobanquet on the 19th, if you fancy a more debauched Futurist escapism.
Futurism at Tate Modern begins June 12, £12.20
The White Blackbird Aerobanquet, June 19, £80
… watching actors strut their stuff outdoors. Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre gets its first airing with perennial favourite, Much Ado About Nothing – the Bard’s cheeky comedy of mistaken identity and mayhem – with Samantha Spiro and Sean Campion in the leads.
Much Ado About Nothing, till June 27, £10-£42
See website for other performance details
… having a meltdown. The stalwart of the Southbank summer music scene is 16 this year, so it seems wise that this twitchy teenager is under the smooth guidance of free-jazzer Ornette Coleman. Musical gems include Yoko Ono’s Plastic Band, Moby, Robert Wyatt and The Roots. From June 12, see website for events & tickets
Meltdown at Southbank
… Mika’s mike. The perky mop-haired singer is back with an all acoustic European tour of his latest EP, Songs for Sorrow, accompanied by a book with work donated by artists and designers including Peter Blake, Paul Smith, Alber Elbaz and Walter Van Beirendonck.
Mika at Sadler’s Wells, June 8
…getting a numb bum. Trafalgar Square may not be the most peaceful place to enjoy world class ballet and opera from the ROH on the huge BP cinema screen. But, hello! It is free! The programme opens with Ondine, the story of a love-struck water nymph, to help you forget that you’re actually sitting on a pigeon splattered step.
