Easter Events

From clubbing events that exploit this languishing, long, four-day weekend to romantic ballet and powerful drama there's something for everyone this Easter Weekend. Families can head out to the O2 Centre and catch the end of the infectious Afrika! Afrika! show that's taken the capital by storm, while art-lovers should split their time between the Queen's Gallery and the V & A.

Adventures in the Beetroot Field

Fabric, EC1M 3HN
20th March 2008

The Adventures experience combines brand new tech and electro dance music with classic festival bands - hence the odd mixture of music nerds, clubland fashionistas and cheery cider-drinkers in the crowd. One of the first bands at their clubs over two years ago were the Arctic Monkeys, so it's safe to say, they've got a good ear. You'll probably know (and love) many of the acts mentioned in the line-up, but the real fun here is the quality ones you've never heard of.

Room One:
Erol Alkan, The Presets (Live), Filthy Dukes, Thecocknbullkid (Live), Ladyhawke (Live), Ipso Facto (Live), Miss Odd Kid & Dekker (Live), Turbowolf (Live), Run Hide Survive, Small Saul, Nikniknik.

Room Two:
Neon Neon (Live), Four Tet, Chrome Hoof (Live), Fryars (Live), Gramme (Live), Heartbreak (Live), Youthmovies (Live), Casper C, Dissident DJs, Gino Ginelli (Lex Records), Playdead (Big In Japan).

Room Three:
George Pringle (Live), Allez Allez DJs, Crispin Dior, Young Turks, Sensible Sundays DJs

More info: Adventures in the Beetroot Field Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Afrika! Afrika!

The O2 (formerly The Millennium Dome), Tented Palaces, London, SE10 0PE
17th January 2008 - 28th March 2008

More than 100 artists, dancers, singers and musicians perform a celebration of Africa and all its vibrant colour, music and dance. The show was first shown in December 2005 and has since been seen by more than two million visitors including celebrities Nancy Dell-Olio, Kate Middleton and Vanessa Feltz who enjoyed its glittering O2 premiere. Curated by Andre Heller, Afrika! Afrika! features performers from 17 different African nations including Cameroon, Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, Algeria and Benin, speaking 23 different dialects. Look out for high wire artists from Tanzania defying gravity and making you hold your breath, the master contortionist, hip-hop break dancers and the South African Gumboot dance. All this is done at break-neck speed so you've always got something to keep you entertained.

More info: Afrika! Afrika! Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Amazing Rare Things

Queen's Gallery Buckingham Palace, SW1A 1AA
14th March 2008 - 28th September 2008

For many armchair explorers, Sir David Attenborough's dulcet tones bring the awe-inspiring forces of nature into their living rooms. His distinctive voiceovers for the BBC's flagship nature programmes can even make a cave full of bats' excrement sound exciting. Now the master commentator has collaborated with curators of the Royal Collection to create a wonderful exhibition that celebrates nature through the works of four artists. Leonardo da Vinci's detailed anatomy of a bear's foot, drawn around 1485 to 1490, is a fine example of the artist's fascination with natural history. Two hundred years later, Alexander Marshal's meticulous watercolour studies of flora and wildlife, part of the Royal Collection since the reign of King George IV, are indicative of the excitement felt as new species were being discovered and documented. With this exhibition Attenborough continues to do his best to help us appreciate our planet.

More info: Amazing Rare Things Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

China Design Now

Victoria and Albert (V & A) Museum, London, SW7 2RL
15th March 2008 - 13th July 2008

We can expect to see plenty of Chinese related exhibitions throughout the year as part of the China Now festival - go to www.chinanow.org.uk for full details. But this exhibition at the prestigious V & A promises one of the most thorough explorations of new design coming out of China. Starting with the 2008 Olympic stadium and going right through to the latest fashions and graphics, all aspects of design are included and the three cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen are given particular focus. China is certainly a force whose growing influence cannot be ignored; the V & A's Director, Mark Jones, is all too aware, citing China's unrivalled consumption of mobile phones and vast appetite for luxury consumer goods. For him, this exhibition is "a snapshot of the development of design in today's China". Through it, he hopes, we'll come to a better understanding of what is happening in China today.

CURATOR TALK - Friday 14th March 2008 (7pm-8pm)
Lauren Parker, co-curator of the exhibition gives a talk on Chinese contemporary design from fashion and film to photography and graphic design. At the Lecture Theatre - £12 (includes wine reception).

More info: China Design Now Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Eugene Onegin

Royal Opera House, WC2E 9DD
8th March 2008 - 7th April 2008

Jaded aristocrat Onegin ignores the advances of the naive Tatiana in favour of meaningless flirtation with her sister. The affair ends in tragedy, when he is forced to duel with and kill his friend Lensky. Meeting Tatiana years later, he falls in love with her, and is in turn rejected: she tears up his letter and orders him to leave forever.

Based on Pushkin's elegaic tale of Russian life, Tchaikovsky's opera is a delight, full of wistful, lyrical musical landscapes and the subtle use of music to define believable characters. Apart from the duel that forms the centre of the tale, there is none of the overripe pomp of most 19th-century opera. It's a genuine theatrical masterpiece, as well as a glorious piece of music.

First performed at the Royal Opera House in 2006, director Elaine Kidd guides a new cast through this 3-hour long, powerful narrative.

Performed in Russian with English surtitles.

PLEASE NOTE: Performances only on 8th, 10th, 14th, 20th and 26th March, 1st, 4th and 7th April 2008.

More info: Eugene Onegin Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Handel's Messiah

Royal Albert Hall, London, SW7 2AP
Good Friday, 21st March 2008

The Royal Choral Society has performed Handel's 'Messiah' on Good Friday in the Royal Albert Hall since 1878; a tradition which, for many people, marks the start of Easter. For those that find the year flat and empty between Prom seasons, these performances of Handel's choral masterwork may help in some way to fill the gap, offering a similar mixture of patriotism, good cheer and excellent performers.

Conductor - Richard Cooke
Soprano - Ditto Hogaard Anderson
Mezzo-Soprano - Wendy Dawn Thompson
Tenor -Benjamin Hulett
Bass - Grant Doyle
Royal Choral Society
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

More info: Handel's Messiah Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

The Harder They Come

Barbican Theatre, Barbican Centre, EC2Y 8DS
6th March 2008 - 5th April 2008

Ivanhoe Martin comes to Kingston an innocent country boy with dreams of being a star, but the corruption of the music industry and cruelty of Jamaican city life quickly push him onto the wrong side of the law. This musical adaptation of the brilliant 1972 Jimmy Cliff movie finally arrives at the Barbican Theatre after two sell-out runs at the Theatre Royal Stratford East. Some of the rougher edges have been smoothed off from the movie, and the patois is a bit less dense, but this is an authentic West Indian experience, where reggae and gospel music (performed here by a live band) are an organic part of the tale.

More info: The Harder They Come Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

The Last Dance

Turnmills, EC1M 5NP
Good Friday, 21st March 2008 - Easter Sunday, 23rd March 2008

Turnmills has reinvented itself so many times - as a house superclub, as the home of London's breakbeat scene, as the original 24-hour clubbing venue, as a place where indie and dance could happily mix - that we never really believed those rumours of closure. But this Easter Weekend is your last chance to hit the legendary dancefloors before yet another brilliant venue gets turned into yuppie flats. To mourn its passing, Turnmills plays host to the three finest club-nights of the Easter Weekend. Saturday has the starriest line-up, as Fatboy Slim is coaxed out of semi-retirement to host a massive multi-genre mash-up featuring Guilty Pleasure's Sean Rowley, and the Chemical Brothers. The Sunday brings together DJs from nearly two decades of Turnmills house parties, led by Frankie Knuckles and Danny Rampling. For our money, though, the Friday night is the place to be. The Gallery has been running for fourteen years now, attracting a group of passionate regulars and some of the biggest DJs in the business. When Taul Paul, Seb Fontaine, Judge Jules and Sister Bliss say goodbye, they're gonna rock the old place to its foundations. There's no official end-time for any of the nights, so we imagine they'll be pushing the club's 24-hour license to its limits.

More info: The Last Dance Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot

Almeida Theatre, London, N1 1TA
28th March 2008 - 10th May 2008

Mother Theresa, Sigmund Freud and Satan are among the witnesses, in a rough-and-tumble courtroom in downtown Purgatory, where Judas Iscariot is petitioning for a place in Heaven. Rupert Goold and his team raked in the awards for their recent production of Macbeth, and now they're bringing Stephen Adly Guirgis' metaphysical comedy to the Almeida. Reviewers of the New York production of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot praised the wit of its free-flowing, hip-hop tinged language, and found many brilliant moments, but felt that the play was perhaps a little overlong to be sustained by its daft central conceit. Goold is known for tight, pared-down productions, so hopefully the kinks will have been ironed out for this European premiere.

More info: The Last Days of Judas Iscariot Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

New York City Ballet

The Coliseum, WC2N 4ES
12th March 2008 - Easter Saturday, 22nd March 2008

This illustrious ballet company hasn't graced the stages of London for over 25 years but its 90 (ish) dancers are making up for lost time by performing four programmes practically bursting at the seams with almost-revered choreography. The New York City Ballet has an unrivalled repertoire and the company has picked some real gems to showcase its world-class talent at the Coliseum, not least from the creative pool of choreographer and co-founder George Balanchine. The opening night will take the audience right back to the beginning and 1934 when Balanchine's first American ballet 'Serenade' was created. Born literally out of a ballet lesson, unexpected moments in rehearsal - like a dancer arriving late - are incorporated into the choreography. After this, great names of dance and music abound - Jerome Robbins, Christopher Wheeldon and Stravinsky, Tschaikovsky, Verdi - and a night at the ballet explodes onto the scene with all the vibrancy and dynamism of a company well-rehearsed in the art of wowing audiences.

More info: New York City Ballet Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Stuttgart Ballet - Romeo and Juliet

The Coliseum, WC2N 4ES
25th March 2008 - 30th March 2008

Romeo and Juliet's entourages have grown considerably since Shakespeare's day with all 70 dancers of the Stuttgart Ballet taking to the stage in John Cranko's acclaimed ballet adaptation of this most famous of love stories. We can therefore expect some breathtaking spectacles from this brilliant ensemble. Premiered in 1962, the production is a finely-tuned work of exuberant classical choreography and technical precision, both of which can be seen in the company's impressive Stuttgart lifts. Surely being able to fly through the air comes in handy for a balcony-climbing Romeo. The story of Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers lends itself perfectly to the ballet (falling in love, a masked ball, impending tragedy) with Sergei Prokofiev's soaring score conjuring up the heartbeat of Romeo and Juliet's plight and releasing the dancers into the medieval courts of Verona.

More info: Stuttgart Ballet - Romeo and Juliet Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

The Sleeping Beauty

Royal Opera House, WC2E 9DD
13th March 2008 - 6th May 2008

In 1946 the Vic-Wells Ballet, later named The Royal Ballet by Royal Charter, performed a glorious new production of 'The Sleeping Beauty' to mark its transference to the Royal Opera House, which had also been closed during the war. Traditionally this much-loved Tchaikovsky ballet has been performed at key moments in the company's history and in 2006 the original staging was revived for its 75th anniversary. Luckily we don't have to wait 75 years for another revival as it's taking to the stage hot off the ballet shoes of the 2006 production. Whilst retaining the classical beauty of Marius Petipa's original choreography, elements from Royal Ballet greats, past and present, including Ninette de Valois, Frederick Ashton and Christopher Wheeldon, have been incorporated into the show. Though this mix-and-match approach may offend purists, it has created a dazzling ballet that, like the fairytale it brings to life, will last through the ages. The set and costumes are based on the 1946 production and with the fusion of Tchaikovsky's melting score and the talent currently abounding within this brilliant company, The Sleeping Beauty is simply a must-see.

More info: The Sleeping Beauty Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Sylvia

Royal Opera House, WC2E 9DD
18th January 2008 - 31st March 2008

Frederick Ashton, who famously danced under the distinguished direction of Marie Rambert, revived this ballet in 1952. Sylvia was his second full-length work and, with Margot Fonteyn in the title role, he made the choreography a showcase for classical elegance and unique style, with contemporary touches paying tribute to his distinctive flair. When Christopher Newton restored this ballet to its former glory for The Royal Ballet in 2004, it was to become a popular addition to the company's repertoire. The story of Sylvia, which, in Ashton's own words, is "Boy loves girl, girl captured by bad man, girl restored to boy by god", is based on a Greek myth but the real brilliance lies in Leos Delibes' grand 19th-century score and Ashton's choreography, which includes the famous, dramatic pas de deux at the climax of the third act.

Photo: Bill Cooper

More info: Sylvia Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube