Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin start the new year with this unexpectedly appealing new play, written by Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson and developed by the RSC. The premise seems, if we’re honest, dry. It’s the 1997 Kyoto climate summit and our central figure, oil industry lobbyist Don Pearlman, stands in stubborn opposition to a 41-nation deal. But as bureaucratic as this all sounds, the RSC production manages intense drama; with the run in Stratfordupon-Avon described as “gripping” and “tense”, the London transfer isn’t to be missed.
Art fix: Francis Bacon, Human Presence
Quick! Time is running out to see this superb exhibition focusing on the portraits of one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. Featuring more than 50 works, this show looks at how Bacon challenged traditional portraiture and brought his own unique take on the form, in paintings that run from self-portrait to friends such as Lucian Freud.
Until January 19, National Portrait Gallery, npg.org.uk
Jackson Boxer, who’s just reimagined Orasay as Dove
Press Handout
Jackson Boxer is probably London’s most talked about chef right now. His restaurants Brunswick House and Henri charm, and he’s been busy at Selfridges too. Most restaurant closures feel like a full stop, but with Orasay closing at the end of last year, and Dove opening this week in the same space, this one feels more like a comma. Boxer promises Dovewill be more accessible, built for “today’s economy”. Read that as cheaper. Dishes look to include deep-fried taleggio and truffle lasagne slices, and lemon and ricotta dumplings with lobster cream.
Director RaMell Ross’s feature film debut, above, has opened in the UK to remarkable critical reception. Based on the Colson Whitehead novel of the same name, Nickel Boys is a historical fiction that tells the story of abuse in a reform school based on real-life accounts of Florida’s Dozier School for Boys. The first-person perspective thrusts the audience into the heart of the story, expanding on a style Ross first explored in his Oscar-nominated documentary Hale County This Morning, This Evening that he calls “epic-banal”. It’s enthralling, beguiling, essential viewing.
For fans of true crime dramas and shows like the BBC’s The Detectives: Taking Down an OCG, this will be enthralling stuff. Each weekly episode will follow a single 999 call in which Greater Manchester Police investigate the disappearance of a citizen. Episode one follows the story of a man who has been forcibly taken near Wigan.
Available now on Channel 4
The big read: How to Sleep Like a Caveman Merijn van de Laar
The unconscious life has never been more examined than it is today. Not thanks to Dr Freud and his ilk but because of our growing obsession with our own sleep. Are you getting enough? Are you getting the right kind? From fitness trackers and their “sleep scores” to apps, or scientific sounding recommendations, we’re surrounded by noise telling us we’re doing it wrong. This book is the antidote. Written by Merijn Van De Laar, who suffered from insomnia, it draws on evolution and prehistory for answers, like why you don’t really need eight hours.
SZA
PA Wire
Listen: SOS Deluxe, Lana, SZA
After a somewhat stuttering release — redeveloping tracks and re-records over the holidays — SZA’s latest is now a fully formed, if belated, gift. Despite the name, Lana isn’t a tack-on mixtape to 2022’s SOS, but rather a fabulous record in its own right, with light, flowing tracks that tap into the best of R&B and pop. The perfect salve for the January blues.
Don’t miss: The Neon Revue
Brighten the dark winter nights with this Soho revue from cabaret specialists Crowd Pleaser. One for strictly over-18s, expect a spectacular: dancers whirling on aerial wires, death-defying daredevils, circus in all its forms. Singers and burlesque stars are all set to appear in a show hosted by drag queen Lolo Brow, who herself is a specialist in fire and whips. The theme? The great lights of Soho. Grab a ticket before they sell out.
The title of this retelling, above, of a Shakespearean favourite is a dead giveaway. The setting for this Twelfth Night is the Forties jazz scene of New York’s Harlem as we meet Vy, a performer who is quick to learn that she’ll never make it in this male-dominated world. The setting lends itself naturally to the music of Duke Ellington which features throughout, as do constant parallel hints from the original text (“the Duke”, geddit?).
January 28 to February 22, Hammersmith Lyric, lyric.co.uk