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One Stop Arts: One Step Ahead 04/06/2013

Always be One Step Ahead with the newsletter from OneStopArts.com, chock-full of recommendations of upcoming events across all of the arts and throughout London in an easy-to-digest fortnightly email!

The start of the summer season means galleries are throwing open their doors to culturally savvy tourists, and to Londoners looking to make the most of the good weather. The Royal Academy’s annual Summer Exhibition (now in its 254th year) is opening next Monday; you can also enjoy a warm summer’s breeze in the Serpentine’s outdoor pavilion, designed by award-winning Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto. We’ve just reviewed Tate Britain’s outstanding celebration of contemporary painters Gary Hume and Patrick Caulfield. Finally, don’t miss the Hayward Gallery’s summer exhibition, The Alternative Guide to the Universe, exploring the weird and wonderful world of self-taught and outsider artists – also featuring the travelling champion of outsider art, The Museum of Everything.

The big summer theatre openings are about to happen on the West End, but before that happens towards the end of this month, there’s plenty of exciting Off West End fare to whet the appetite. Belarus Free Theatre (supported by LIFT Festival) return to the Young Vic with Trash Cuisine, and in the Cockpit’s first homegrown work in quite some time, Charlotte Westenra considers the Blair era in Blair’s Children. It’s also all politics at Theatre503 with their Thatcher-inspired short plays Thatcherwrite, while the Park Theatre’s second show is the lighter The School for Scandal. And one West End summer opening that’s happening a mite early is Daniel Radcliffe’s turn as McDonagh’s The Cripple of Inishmaan - although good luck getting a ticket!

There’s still plenty to be excited about in classical music this month, including the latest instalment from The Rest is Noise at Southbank Centre – our highlight is Karim Said’s piano recital of music influenced by Arnold Schoenberg – and Yo-Yo Ma is visiting London too, joining the London Symphony Orchestra and Michael Tilson Thomas for a varied programme of 20th-century classics. Spitalfields Music Summer Festival is getting under way, and there’s much intriguing music and dance, old and new, to catch there. Opera Holland Park might be the perfect place to enjoy the rare British summer: this week is the classic double-bill of Italian verismo operas, Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci.

Outside of classical, it’s mainly about Southbank Centre’s Meltdown Festival this month, which is being curated by Yoko Ono. Music highlights include cult phenomenon Cibo Matto, reuniting after many years – though you’ll have to choose between them and Siouxie Sioux. In dance, Sadler’s Wells’ enterprising A String of Rites series draws to a close with RIOT Offspring, a double bill with the brand new National Youth Dance Company and choreographer Jasmin Vardimon. You can also catch ballet to the music of Monteverdi at Spitalfields Festival, courtesy of the Early Opera Company and East London Dance.

	The many faces of Rodney Graham at Lisson Gallery Embracing his usual erudite touch of humour, Rodney Graham presents new works at Lisson Gallery. Among the highlights are a series of huge chromogenic transparencies overlaid on light boxes, into which the artist casts his identity.
	*Defined by the single frame: Chimerica* at the Almeida Theatre** Joe Schofield is the photo-journalist who took the iconic photograph of a man with carrier bags confronting tanks in Tianenman Square in 1989. As he covers the 2012 US Presidential election he receives a tip-off as to the man's identity and he sets out to track him down.
	*UK première of Philip Glass' The Perfect American* at ENO** Philip Glass' new opera The Perfect American focuses on the last years of the life of Walt Disney, painting an unsympathetic portrait. But while Phelim McDermott and Improbable provided a vivid theatrical realisation for ENO, Glass' music did not sustain interest.
	Venice Biennale 2013: Highlights Like the seagulls swarming around St Mark's Basilica, the art world flocks to Venice every two years for the Biennale – the biggest exhibition of contemporary art in the world. Kate Mason reports on this year's highlights.
	Dark fairytale: Akram Khan's iTMOi at Sadler’s Wells A celebration of the centenary of The Rite of Spring, Akram Khan's iTMOi is a haunting inquiry on human creativity, exposing the darkest secrets of a genius' mind, with vivid images and stunning musical collaboration.
	London Contemporary Orchestra in Aldwych Underground Using the out-of-use Aldwych Underground station as a concert venue, London Contemporary Orchestra created a unique atmosphere for this evening of contemporary classical music.
LAST CHANCE TO SEE The Weir at Donmar Warehouse -- ends 8 June Gaiety is the Most Outstanding Feature of the Soviet Union at Saatchi -- ends 9 June George Bellows at the RA -- ends 9 June The Bride and the Bachelors at Barbican -- ends 9 June To Kill a Mockingbird at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre -- ends 15 June R.B. Kitaj: Obsessions at the Jewish Museum -- ends 16 June Untold Stories at the Duchess Theatre -- ends 15 June
COMPETITIONS Win tickets to London's greatest arts events and more! See our Competitions page for more information, and below are our competitions closing in the next two weeks: Win 2 tickets to The Alchemist at the Rose Bankside Win Two Tickets to Romeo and Juliet at the Old Red Lion!