25 ways to survive the dark months

[Rosalee]

The festive season may be behind us but there are plenty of winter warmers to keep us entertained, from pre-Oscar big hitters in film to rising stars and old favourites in music and eagerly awaited returns to the stage...

1 Never Let Me Go
Film-makers Mark Romanek and Alex Garland use Kazuo Ishiguro's dystopian sci-fi novel to create a visually haunting, modern-day Brief Encounter. Quiet Kathy H (Carey Mulligan) has known passionate, mixed-up Tommy (Andrew Garfield) all her life. She almost loses him to the gamey Ruth (Keira Knightley) and there's more pain in store ... Some US reviewers have wondered why these characters never question their horrible destiny. Which is like asking why the toys in Toy Story never rise up against humans. Out February 11.

2 Beady Eye
Also known as Oasis without Noel Gallagher, Liam and his pals make their live debut promising to look to the future, so there'll be no Wonderwall here. What there will
be, if their first single, Bring the Light, is a fair indicator, is vintage rock'n'roll with plenty of pounding Jerry Lee Lewis piano. Troxy, E1 (020 7790 9000 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 020 7790 9000 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, troxy.co.uk) 9, 10 March.

3 The Children's Hour
How's this for starry casting? Keira Knightley, on stage this time, and the excellent Elisabeth Moss, best known as Mad Men's Peggy Olson, team up for Lillian Hellman's 1934 drama about two headmistresses of a New England boarding school undone by rumours of lesbianism. Comedy Theatre, SW1 (0844 871 7622 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 0844 871 7622 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, ambassadortickets.com/comedytheatre), Jan 22-April 2.

4 Anna Nicole
The media hounding of the glamorous Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith and the fatal overdose that ended her life might seem to offer an ideal operatic subject for composer Mark-Anthony Turnage's earthy urban realist style. Don't expect Madam Butterfly. Royal Opera House, WC2 (020 7304 4000 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 020 7304 4000 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, roh.org.uk) Feb 17-March 4.

5 True Grit
Another wry, good-looking Western from the Coen Brothers, (which owes more to the original Charles Portis novel than the 1969 film starring John Wayne). Jeff Bridges is drunk and disorderly law man Rooster Cogburn, and the much feted newcomer Hailee Steinfeld the feisty youngster who hires him to avenge her dad. They're gritty enough but Matt Damon's turn as a weak and wannabe seductive Texas Ranger is the ace in the pack. Out February 11.

6 British Art Show 7: In the Days of the Comet
The five-yearly survey of new British art arrives at the Hayward. Top names such as Wolfgang Tillmans and Sarah Lucas are shown alongside youngsters such as Phoebe Unwin and Tris Vonna-Michell, and painting and performance feature prominently. Hayward Gallery, SE1 (0844 8479912 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 0844 8479912 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, haywardgallery.org.uk). February 16–April 17.

7 Simon Rattle and the Berlin Phil
When the Berlin Phil and Simon Rattle come to London everybody wants a slice of the action. In an almost unprecedented collaboration the Southbank and Barbican Centres present the world-leading musicians in four concerts, two in each venue, featuring Schubert, Mahler and more. Southbank Centre, SE1 (0844 8479 915 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 0844 8479 915 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, southbankcentre.co.uk, Feb 20 & 23). Barbican Centre, EC2 (0845 120 7500 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 0845 120 7500 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, barbican.org.uk, Feb 21 & 22).

8 Susan Hiller
Major retrospective of the installation art pioneer. Hiller has long had an interest in the subconscious and the supernatural, and Witness (2000), in which dangling speakers emit tales of UFO experiences, and Psi Girls (1999), Hiller's mesmeric video montage of telekinetic moments on film, attest to her skill in addressing these themes. Tate Britain, SE1 (020 7887 8888 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 020 7887 8888 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, tate.org.uk). February 1–May 15.

9 Black Swan
The film everyone's talking about. Director Darren Aronofsky dazzled us with male masochists in The Wrestler. Here, we watch ladies bleed. Natalie Portman is a neurotic, virginal ballerina, desperate to stretch her wings in a sumptuous production of Swan Lake, Vincent Cassel the lecherous Svengali who unleashes her dark side. Drugs, lesbianism ... there's even room for Barbara Hershey (as an oppressive mom) and a
non-winsome Winona Ryder (as an ageing star; touché. Out on January 21.

10 Katy Perry
Don't expect Katy Perry's live return to be the moment she chooses to show her sensitive side. This technicolour cartoon character is as brash as they come, so there should be outfits to match the saucy lyrics and energetic tunes of recent hits Firework and Teenage Dream.
HMV Apollo Hammersmith, W6 (0870 400 0700 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 0870 400 0700 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, www.hammersmithapollo.net) March 17-19
11 Frankenstein
Danny Boyle takes time out from winning Oscars and thinking about the opening ceremony of the Olympics to direct a stage production starring man of the moment Benedict Cumberbatch, in Nick Dear's new adaptation of Mary Shelley. Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller will alternate as Frankenstein and the Creature. National Theatre's Olivier, SE1 (020 7452 3000 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 020 7452 3000 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, nationaltheatre.org.uk), Feb 5-April 17.
12 NEDS
In Peter Mullan's wrenching yet humorous hymn to Seventies Glasgow, a working-class golden boy, John McGill (newcomer Conor McCarron), finds his fate entwined with a gobby NED (non-educated delinquent). The cast are superb (McCarron won best actor at the San Sebastian festival), and Mullan himself is outstanding as the hero's brutal, tormented dad (he says barely five words to his son, but the words explode like bombs). Look out, too, for a magical cameo from Christ. Out on January 21.

13 Micky Flanagan
The television comedy boom has given deserved coverage to this ex-Billingsgate porter who has finally hit the big time in his forties. A natural storyteller with an eye for the perfect detail, Flanagan can turn a minor niggle in a shop or café into a major comedy anecdote. Hammersmith Apollo, W6 (0844 856 0202 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 0844 856 0202 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, ticketmaster.co.uk). 12 March.

14 Gabriel Orozco
Prepare to be dazzled by this retrospective of the Mexican polymath who, over 20 years, has consistently defied characterisation. Grounded in conceptualism, each artwork is completely different from the last, from a skull with a chequerboard pattern to his Ping Pond Table (1998) — a cross-shaped table tennis table with a lily pond at its heart. Tate Modern, SE1 (020 7887 8888 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 020 7887 8888 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, tate. org.uk). January 19–April 25.

15 Kylie
Her most recent album hardly set the world alight but when Kylie crams herself once more into a few ludicrously elaborate costumes and embarks on her grandly named Aphrodite — Les Folies tour, the nation will remember why she's a long-term treasure.
7, 8, 9, 11, 12 April, O2 Arena, SE10 (0871 984 0002 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 0871 984 0002 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, the02.co.uk)

16 The Fighter
David O Russell (responsible for brilliant post-Gulf War drama Three Kings, starring Mark Wahlberg) tells the story of real-life boxing hopeful “Irish” Micky Ward (Wahlberg again). Christian Bale is blistering as Dicky, Micky's whippet-thin half-brother, high on dreams and crack. He's a shoe-in for an Oscar nomination. Out next month.

17 Sergei Polunin in Giselle
The Ukrainian-born Royal Ballet star's debut is where he proves he's not just a virtuoso youngster but a true artist able to carry this most difficult of ballets. If the 21-year-old is convincing as the philandering then remorseful toff, all the raving will be justified, in which case start queuing now. Covent Garden, WC2 (roh.org.uk), Wednesday January 12 & Monday January 17.

18 Brighton Rock
A riveting turn from “it” girl Andrea Riseborough dominates Roland Joffe's new take on the Graham Greene classic. He's changed the dates (from the Thirties to the Sixties) yet keeps the focus on the romance between shy waitress Rose and ambitious thug Pinkie (Sam Riley, inset). Not to mention the horror it inspires in Rose's respectable boss, Ida (Helen Mirren). Why do good women love bad men? Answers on a seaside postcard. Out on February 4.

19 Twelfth Night
To celebrate the fact that he's 80 and still going strong, Sir Peter Hall directs daughter Rebecca as Viola in this sophisticated comedy of thwarted desires and mistaken identities. Simon Callow plays lovable drunkard Sir Toby Belch. National Theatre's Cottesloe, SE1 (020 7452 3000 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 020 7452 3000 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, nationaltheatre.org.uk). Jan 11-March 2.

20 Christopher Wheeldon's Alice
All are on tenterhooks for The Royal Ballet's first new story ballet for 15 years. Wisely, Christopher Wheeldon has avoided the legacy of Kenneth MacMillan, whose super-serious dance-dramas are titans of the rep, and created an Alice aimed at children. This could be the family ballet we've been waiting for. Covent Garden, WC2 (roh.org.uk), Gala special 28 Feb, main run starts March 2 and continues in rep until March 15.

21 Tangled 3D
Disney's CGI romp was originally “Rapunzel” but “Tangled” was felt to be more gender neutral, ie appealing to boys. Given that the “second most expensive film ever made” has already recouped its budget, perhaps the men in suits were right. Aside from the visuals — apparently inspired by the French artist Fragonard — the highlight is manipulative Mother Gothel (voiced by the veteran Donna Murphy). Pixar is more profound but Disney does the best witches. Out on January 28.

22 Esperanza Spalding
The rising star of US jazz and major hit of the recent London Jazz Festival — where her concert was sold out months in advance — Esperanza Spalding is a newcomer of startling talent. Everything she tries, even chamber music with a string quartet, is imbued with the quality of hipness. If you missed this outstanding bassist-singer-songwriter-bandleader in November, make extra sure you don't in April. Barbican Hall, EC2 (020 7638 4141 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 020 7638 4141 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, barbican.org.uk). April 8.

23 Miles Jupp
A few years ago Jupp, recently in BBC2's Rev, considered becoming a cricket reporter. Eventually he returned to stand-up, though not before bluffing his way onto the England team's Indian tour, which he recalls in this batty monologue about hanging with Beefy and Straussy.
January 27, Bloomsbury Theatre, WC1 (020 7388 8822 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 020 7388 8822 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, thebloomsbury.com)

24 The Battle of Balkan Brass
A hugely anticipated clash between two brass bands who've both been dubbed the greatest in the world — Serbia's Boban & Marko Markovic Orkestar and Romania's Fanfare Ciocarlia. Features the hottest pipework on the planet. Brighton Dome (01273 709709 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 01273 709709 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, brightondome.org), May 21. Koko Camden, NW1 (0870 4325527 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 0870 4325527 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, koko.uk.com), May 22.

25 Modern British Sculpture
A new take on 20th-century sculpture from Tate Britain director Penelope Curtis and artist Keith Wilson. Boldly, it largely ignores two major British sculptural moments — the existential angst of the Fifties, and the Eighties, when Gormley and Kapoor emerged. But Epstein, Moore, Hepworth, Caro and Hirst are spotlighted. Royal Academy, W1 (0844 209 0051 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 0844 209 0051 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, royal academy.org.uk). January 22–April 7.

@темы: Benedict Cumberbatch, news