Do This Or Regret It: My Weekly Dose Of Capital Culture

Posted by Jessica on Nov 18, 2011 in Art & Craft | 0 comments

Another week of recommendations – from a blend of rock, pop and folk, to a 1920’s Tea Dance – for your delectation: enjoy!

THEATRE: The New World Order, Shoreditch Town Hall, 16th Nov – 11th Dec

Hydrocracker bring their astonishing production to London for the first time, following acclaimed performances at the Brighton Festival. Staged in a former municipal building, this immersive experience weaves together five of Harold Pinter’s celebrated shorts – Press Conference, One for the Road, Precisely, Mountain Language and The New World Order. A compelling and claustrophobic venture; as an audience member you are implicated, complicit in the action. Exhilarating theatrical experimentation at its finest.

FILM: Magic Trip, Curzon Soho, 20th, Nov

Who were the Merry Panksters and why does their journey across America represent one of the last gasps of anarchy in late 60s America? Alison Ellwood and Alex Gibney’s film, narrated by Stanley Tucci, tells the story of Ken’s Kesey and Babbs, who take a bus, a group of friends and a significant amount of hallucinogenic drugs, then set off across the US on a journey that has become the stuff of legend.

ART: RCA Secret, RCA, November 18th-26th

Fancy buying an Emin for £45? Well here’s your opportunity. The RCA’s annual exhibition features around 2,500 specially commissioned, postcard-sized works of art. Every piece is on sale – for the relatively reasonable sum of £45 – but the identities of the artists remain a mystery until the close of the exhibition. Created by a mix of young students and famous names (past participants include Peter Blake, Tracey Emin, Grayson Perry, Nick Park, Ron Arad and Yoko Ono) – test your eye and trust your intuition.

MUSIC: The Webb Sisters, Union Chapel, 19th Nov

The Kent-born siblings, who blend rock, pop and folk to such standards that even Leonard Cohen wanted them as part of his 2008 tour. Having won widespread acclaim on the Leonard Cohen tour, the duo will give audiences another chance to catch their adventurous, lyrical and emotionally enthralling performances this winter.

WILDCARD: Ragroof Tea Dance, Old Finsbury Town Hall, 18th Nov

If you have ever pictured yourself gliding elegantly around a gorgeous 19th Century Hall, to the sounds of the roaring 20’s ; then this is the tea dance for you. The folk at Ragroof Theatre will even show you how, with dance lessons running throughout the event. If the glamour is all a bit overwhelming – never fear! – there will be homemade cakes to calm the spirits and nourish the soul. In short: a perfect way to spend a Sunday.