Things to do this week in London: 9 to 15 March 2020

Things to do this week in London: 9 to 15 March 2020. Are you ready for a mammoth week, London? With so many new openings and goings-on, this promises to be a whopper of a week in London’s cultural calendar.

Handel in London

With the London Handel Festival in full baroque swing, it’s time to go for a walk around London and visit places with a Handelian connection. Join me (and the maestro) for a tour of London and follow in Handel’s foorsteps.

Tuesday 10 March

I didn’t enjoy this (at all), but as I am odds with many of the critics, I thought I would give you the heads up that you can catch James McAvoy in the NT Live transmission of “Cyrano de Bergerac”  in cinemas across the country. Check for venues here, and let me know what you think!

Wednesday 11 March

Travel through time for a contemporary re-imagining of H. G. Wells’ sci-fi classic at the London Library. Inspired by “The Time Machine,” Creation Theatre takes audiences on a journey through the labyrinth of the iconic London Library, to a world in which time travel has generated thousands of parallel universes. Small audience groups will be led by their very own Time Traveller through the Library – where H G Wells was a member for over 50 years. On until 5 April 2020. Book here.

Thursday 12 March

The Bright Young Things at Wilsford by Cecil Beaton, 1927. © The Cecil Beaton Studio Archive

Cecil Beaton’s portraits from a golden age will be brought together the first time in a major new exhibition opening at the National Portrait Gallery. Featuring around 150 works, many of which are rarely exhibited, Cecil Beaton’s “Bright Young Things” will explore the extravagant world of the glamorous and stylish in the twenties and thirties, seen through the eye of renowned British photographer. On until 7 June. Book here.

Debbie Harry, 1980, Private collection of Phyllis and Jerome Lyle Rappaport © The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts

Featuring over 100 works from across Andy Warhol’s remarkable career, a new show at Tate Modern will shed light on how Warhol’s experiences helped shape his unique take on 20th century culture, positioning him within the shifting creative and political landscape in which he worked. On until 6 September. Book here.

Historian, broadcaster and author Greg Jenner discusses his new publication “Dead Famous: An Unexpected History of Celebrity.” From the Bronze Age to Hollywood’s Golden Age, the book is a funny and fascinating exploration of both a bygone age and how we came to inhabit our modern, fame obsessed society. At Southwark Cathedral.

The Affordable Art Fair returns to Battersea. On until Sunday. Book here.

Friday 13 March

The chamber group, London Handel Players, reimagines an evening of royal domestic chamber music inspired by Philip Mercier’s “The Music Party,” 1733. They will perform at the Foundling Museum, with arias from Handel’s “L’Allegro” and “Comus,” as well as pieces by Leclair, who was later employed by Princess Anne, and Handel’s flute player, Charles Weideman. Book here.

The Steinway 2-Piano Festival returns to Pizza Express Live, in Soho, with a record number of pianists. On until 22 March. Book tickets here.

The Enchanted Interior at the Guildhall Art Gallery explores the recurring motif of female subjects in art as depicted in enclosed, ornate interiors. Works include a variety of artists from the high Victorian through to Art Nouveau, Aestheticism, Surrealism, as well as pieces by contemporary female artists who speak back to the historic tradition. Book here.

Saturday 14 March

Join Oscar Wilde as he interviews a leading celebrity of the Victorian era, recounts a story or two and invites his audience to get “Caught in the Act”! Actor Jonathan Goodwin plays the famed Victorian wit in a show packed with comedy, music and audience participation. At the Oso Arts Centre in Barnes. Book here.

Sunday 15 March

Celebrate St Patrick’s Day with the annual parade celebrating Irish arts, culture, food and music. It kicks off at Hyde Park Corner, travelling through Piccadilly, St James’s Street, Pall Mall, Cockspur Street and Whitehall, culminating in free performances in Trafalgar Square.

Booking Now

The Little Orchestra challenges the orchestral music scene in London with the aim of attracting a new, fresh, young audience to classical music, with little or no previous experience of the genre. The Beethoven 2020 Journey continues with performances in March, May and July (and throughout the autumn,) when conductor and Artist Director Nicholas Little introduces the audience to some of the stories and inspirations behind the music, with live orchestral demonstrations. There is then a chance to further relax into the evening with socialising, food and drinks, and the opportunity to mingle with the players and conductor.  Book here.

Image: Matthew Andrews

The London Festival of Baroque Music is back at the exquisite St John’s Smith Square for 21 concerts played over 15 days. The Festival opens on 9 May with Bach’s complete “48 Preludes” and “Fugues” with harpsichordist Steven Devine. The festival’s annual visit to Westminster Abbey on 19 May will feature Claudio Monteverdi’s dazzling “Vespro della Beata Vergine” given by the Choir of Westminster Abbey. Stephen Layton, The Holst Singers and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment draw the Festival to a close with a star-studded performance of Bach’s monumental Mass in B minor on 23^rd May at 7pm. Book here.

Image: Stuart Taylor

Book a Mother’s Day tour of The Charterhouse. Once a Carthusian monastery and grand Tudor mansion, (Elizabeth I spent the first days of her reign here), you can now tour the house and gardens on selected days. Book a ticket for yourself on 21 March on the 12pm or 2pm tours and mum goes for free! Book here and use code Freetourformum.

 “London’s like a forest … we shall be lost in it.” (Mary Elizabeth Braddon)

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