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London Living Large
The City Life Magazine | Reviews & Ratings.

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Summer Exhibition 2026 ★★★★ Royal Academy of Arts | Jun 16 - Aug 23, 2026

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The theme of the 258th Summer Exhibition, “Interconnectedness,” makes tracing links between the works on display both a fascinating and at times overwhelming experience. While this year’s works on view appear to contain less overt political commentary and fewer instances of humour than is often typical of such events, both are still present in striking moments. Tim Shaw’s powerful portrayal of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Pin It On Them (Associated Artwork From the Installation: Shut It Piggy) (555) can be juxtaposed with the playful absurdity of Joey Rutherford’s Pickle With a Pearl Earring (1110) , reminding viewers of the range of tones running through the exhibition. Alongside these, there are the usual charming animal representations, including our favourite, the highly realistic cat in Thus Regard Palmerston (793) , as well as the standard attempts to shock and provoke, such as Tracey Emin’s There Is An End To Everything (674) . The collection continues to move between cur...
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St. Martin in-the-fields: Lunchtime Concerts ★★★★ FREE

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Maybe the best musical value in London. The lunchtime concerts at St. Martin's are always a wonderful way to escape the hustle and bustle that is London and the sensory overload that is Trafalgar Square. This is a beautiful setting with great acoustics, and a church pew hard enough to make sure you don't nod off. Reviewed by J.C.  Our score:    ☆☆☆☆  WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE: Mon & Fri: 1 pm - 1:45 pm ( occasionally Tues & Thurs)  St. Martin in-the-fields, Trafalgar Square Nearest tube: Charing Cross https://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/whats-on
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The Misanthrope ★★★ National Theatre | Jun 16 - Aug 1, 2026

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Martin Crimp’s reimagining of The Misanthrope relocates Molière’s classic into a contemporary world of artists and intellectuals, centring on Alice, a feminist novelist who rails against what she sees as the hypocrisy of modern society. From the outset, Crimp signals his ambition to bridge two worlds: the formal, structured society of Molière’s Louis XIV court and the looser, more performative social codes of the present day. Yet this balancing act proves uneasy. The production never fully settles into either register. It is neither convincingly contemporary nor persuasively classical, instead hovering in an uncertain space where stylisation overwhelms dramatic credibility. The play opens with a lengthy exchange between Alice and her playwright friend John, in which her ideas are set out in carefully constructed speeches that feel less like dialogue than set pieces. Even among a cast of writers, actors and musicians, the conversations often do not seem natural, and the interactions ne...
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Hepworth in Colour ★★★★ The Courtauld Gallery | Jun 12 - Sep 6, 2026

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This exhibition is a thoughtful examination of an aspect of Barbara Hepworth's work that has long been under-appreciated. Bringing together twenty of Hepworth's abstract sculptures and thirty drawings, it focuses on her innovative use of colour to transform the internal spaces of her sculptures into expressive elements in their own right. As war broke out, Hepworth moved with her husband, Ben Nicholson, to Cornwall. With her preferred materials in short supply, she increasingly turned to plaster, using paint to animate and define the interior surfaces of her sculptures. Richly coloured interiors are often accentuated by strings of contrasting shades, creating a dynamic interplay between surface, space and line. Thirteen of the sixteen painted sculptures Hepworth created during the 1940s are displayed here, although the exhibition also extends into works produced during the 1950s and 1960s. The two-gallery presentation on Floor 3 is complemented by photographs of Hepworth and Ni...
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−320°F ★★★★ Sadler's Wells Theatre | July 2 - 11, 2026

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For anyone captivated by Hideki Noda's A Night at the Kabuki at Sadler's Wells in 2022, this is a joyous return. For everyone else, it will probably be unlike anything they have seen before. Noda gleefully takes Western myths and cultural touchstones, then hurls them into a wildly inventive Japanese theatrical landscape that leaves audiences laughing, pondering and frequently bewildered. The result is a banquet of spectacle, comedy and big ideas. Like any all-you-can-eat buffet, it is both irresistible and overwhelming. There is so much happening that following the plot becomes almost impossible. It stretches across the modern, medieval and ancient worlds, with a detour through the heavens for good measure. The action begins with God complaining to the angels that humanity has built the Tower of Babel in an attempt to reach him. From there, the play hurtles through the Faust legend and the tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, while weaving in a corporate power struggle that appe...
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Sinatra The Musical ★★★★ Aldwych Theatre | Until April 10, 2027

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Sinatra The Musical offers a sleek, visually striking journey through the life and legend of Frank Sinatra, though it often seems more like a carefully curated scrapbook than a fully rounded portrait of its subject. This is very much a polished, expurgated version of Sinatra's life, one that prefers glamour and momentum over the more troubling or complex edges of Sinatra’s life. There are references to his mafia connections while his philandering, although a major part of the story, somehow feels sanitised. The show precedes the infamous Rat Pack years and centres on the teenage heartthrob who lost his fame and then made a comeback with the film From Here to Eternity . This is a production, like Sinatra himself, with an abundance of style. The visuals are consistently impressive, moving with cinematic fluidity between recording studios, Hollywood sets and various homes. The sheen of mid-century show business is captured with real flair, creating a world that is as seductive as it ...
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High Society - The Musical ★★★★ Barbican Centre | May 19 - Jul 11, 2026

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“It's delightful, it's delicious, it's de-lovely.” High Society is a dazzling, effervescent summer entertainment, brimming with glamour, wit and charm. Buoyed by Cole Porter's sublime score and a frothy romantic comedy plot adapted from The Philadelphia Story , this is a production that asks nothing of its audience except that they surrender to its considerable pleasures. Sit back and enjoy the glorious music, slick choreography and a steady stream of sparkling comic moments. There may be faint echoes of A Midsummer Night's Dream in its tangle of misplaced affections, but analysing this theatrical soufflé would rather miss the point. Its purpose is simple: to delight. We know from the outset that socialite Tracy Lord, played with engaging assurance by understudy Isabel Snaas on this occasion, will ultimately reunite with her reformed ex-husband Dexter Haven, portrayed with effortless sophistication by Julian Ovenden. Nor does the plot leave much doubt that Freddie...
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Sabrage ★★★★★ Lafayette London | Mar 15 - Jul 6, 2025

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If you haven't seen a cabaret/circus/burlesque show lately, this is the one to sign on for. And if you've never seen a cabaret/circus/burlesque show, then you definitely need to see this one! Sabrage is some of the wildest fun in London. The show sparkles just like the champagne that inspires it. Bubbly, rather naughty and just when you think it can't get much zanier, there is an act that is bound to astonish, shock or titillate. In fact, the art of burlesque which seemed to have become outmoded in this age of explicit erotica actually makes a delightful comeback in Sabrage 's sexy, silly version. Add to this, a sultry chanteuse, an awe inspiring foot juggler (Emma Phillips), some fancy roller skating plus two terrific aerialists (Flynn Miller and Kimberley Bargenquast), and you have a quite unforgettable experience. The show is hosted by two completely goofy emcees (Remi Martin and Spencer Novich) whose corny routines and predictable patter, nicely balance the product...
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Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait ★★★★ National Portrait Gallery | Until September 6, 2026

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To mark what would have been Marilyn Monroe’s 100th birthday, the National Portrait Gallery has mounted an exhibition exploring the actress’s enduring place in popular culture. While tracing the chronology of Monroe’s life, the exhibition interweaves her story with the ways in which artists and photographers have interpreted and presented this most elusive of icons. Photographs by Cecil Beaton, Richard Avedon and many others attempt to capture the fascination she exerted, while works by Willem de Kooning and Andy Warhol demonstrate how her image transcended Hollywood to become the raw material of modern art. Mesmerising clips from her films provide a reminder of the charisma that first made her a star. More than six decades after her death in 1962, Monroe remains a singular presence in the collective imagination. Other celebrities have enjoyed their moment in the spotlight and faded, but her allure endures. There is the classic rags-to-riches narrative, shadowed by an inability to find...
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Shear Madness ★★★★ The Mill at Sonning | Jun 25 - Aug 15, 2026

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Shear Madness is both a play and a theatrical phenomenon. Based on a 1963 German experimental drama, Bruce Jordan and Marilyn Abrams transformed it into a comedy set in a hair salon. Their adaptation premiered in a small village in upstate New York in 1976 before moving to Boston in 1980, where the show enjoyed an extraordinary forty-year run, finally closing in 2023. Since then, it has been translated into numerous languages and produced around the world, confirming its status as a cut above the average whodunit. The action takes place in a bustling hair salon where two stylists and four customers learn that the upstairs neighbour, a former concert pianist, has suffered the unkindest cut of all. When the police arrive, the audience is enlisted to comb through the evidence, cut through the misdirection, and tie up the loose ends. The first act is packed with sharp one-liners and an infectious energy that keeps events clipping along at a brisk pace. The cast is excellent, with standout...
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The City Life Magazine | Reviews & Ratings