The 10 best things to do this week: Woyzeck and My Cousin Rachel

It’s the last two weeks to catch John Boyega’s on the stage as a soldier in 80s Berlin, while Rachel Weisz stars in a seductive, gothic thriller

Film

My Cousin Rachel
It’s summer! So no better time to watch Rachel Weisz and Sam Claflin have a gothic posh-off in this new adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s novel, with Weisz as the mysterious, possibly murderous titular seductress and Claflin her revenge-seeking cousin.
In cinemas now

Dispossession: The Great Housing Swindle
Maxine Peake narrates a doc that lays bare the UK’s housing crisis, focusing primarily on the council house deficit that has caused abject misery for thousands. Starting with Thatcher’s Right to Buy scheme, Paul Sng’s film tragically traces the ways Britain has spectacularly failed to house its citizens.
Various venues, to 20 August

Stage

Ignition dance festival 2017
Another highlight of the dance calendar, Ignition’s fourth edition will showcase new works from seven specially selected “mid-career” choreographers. You could very well spot a future Wayne McGregor or Sleep here, such as the duet from avant-garde cabaret show Thick and Tight – AKA Eleanor Perry and Daniel Hay-Gordon.
At Rose theatre, Kingston upon Thames, 16-17 June

Penn & Teller
Sometimes we all need a bit of magic (and ribald humour) and that’s a combo this Las Vegas duo have been trotting out for more than 40 years now. Catch them in Manchester and Glasgow.
At O2 Apollo Manchester, 10-11 June, then SEC Armadillo, Glasgow, 15-16 June

Woyzeck
Before he got to the Star Wars level of fame, John Boyega – as he revealed in a recent Guardian live Q&A – did everything from model in college brochures to give out free tasters at Victoria station. Now he’s a leading man – and on the stage, too, as currently proved by his star turn in Jack Thorne’s production of the revolutionary work Woyzeck, the tale of a young soldier and his girlfriend and daughter in 1980s Berlin, just before the wall comes crashing down. There’s just two weeks left to catch Boyega’s powerful showing as the tragic hero.
At the Old Vic, SE1, until 24 June

Room
Emma Donoghue’s moving book was adapted into a film in 2015 and won numerous awards for its sensitive portrayal of a mother and son locked in a purpose-built room with only their imaginations and each other for company. Now it’s a play, with additional songs by Kathryn Joseph and the play’s director, Cora Bissett.
At Dundee Rep, 13-17 June, then Abbey theatre, Dublin, 24 June to 22 July

Greenwich Dances 2017
Promising up-and-coming dance performances and workshops as part of Greenwich Dance’s new summer programme, including a show from Frauke Requardt about the slipperiness of motherhood; an evening of food and moves from Boy Blue Entertainment; and, on 27 June, a discussion with dance trio Nora about diversity in dance.
At various venues, 16 June to 7 July

Music

The Space Lady
The San Franciscan artist’s story is a truly oddball one: a busker who was discovered playing cosmic covers of popular rock songs on her Casiotone MT-40 keyboard in Haight Ashbury, complete with baffling Viking helmet. Now a celebrated outsider artist, she brings her eerie psychedelia to the UK.
Various venues, 15-20 June

Manchester With Love
Following last week’s benefit concert, musicians come together once again to raise funds for those killed and injured in the bomb attack at Ariana Grande’s Manchester gig. All proceeds from the upcoming Manchester With Love compilation album will go to the Red Cross and Manchester’s emergency fund, with more than 100 artists from the city taking part. Artists announced so far include Jane Weaver, A Certain Ratio, Illum Sphere, GoGo Penguin, Henge, Bipolar Sunshine, Matthew Halsall and Herron.
Available from 19 June via Bandcamp and Boomkat

Exhibitions

Cass Presents: Jake and Dinos Chapman
Instagram filters at the ready: sculpture enfants terribles the Chapman brothers have installed their three large-scale copper dinos in the gardens of Cass Sculpture Foundation near Goodwood, while inside there’s their Animal Farm-inspired display, Two Legs Bad, Four Legs Good.
At Cass Sculpture Foundation, West Sussex

Contributor

The Guide

The GuardianTramp

Related Content

Article image
The 10 best... things to do this week
From new Oasis documentary Supersonic to the Turner prize: your at-a-glance guide to the best in culture across the UK

The Guide

07, Oct, 2016 @8:00 AM

Article image
Whoopi Goldberg to Secret Cinema: top things to do in the UK this week
From the actor’s rarely seen character comedy to an immersive version of Moulin Rouge: your at-a-glance guide to the best in culture

The Guide

10, Feb, 2017 @9:00 AM

Article image
La La Land and the xx: top things to do this week in the UK
From the Oscars favourite to annual dance festival Resolution 2017: your at-a-glance guide to the best in culture across the UK

The Guide

06, Jan, 2017 @9:00 AM

Article image
The 10 best things… to do this week
From Shura’s lush, assured pop to Maxine Peake talking Shakespeare: your at-a-glance guide to the next seven days in culture across the UK

The Guide

27, May, 2016 @12:00 PM

Article image
The 10 best things to do this week: Kraftwerk and The Ferryman
Ralf Hütter’s electronic titans bring their spectacular 3D show to the UK, while Paddy Considine stars in an IRA-themed thriller directed by Sam Mendes

The Guide

16, Jun, 2017 @8:00 AM

Article image
The 10 best things to do this week: Raymond Briggs’ The Bear and the Turner prize
Top up on festive cheer with Pins and Needles’ enchanting production and catch 2017’s best contemporary art before the exhibition closes

The Guide

29, Dec, 2017 @9:00 AM

Article image
The 10 best things… to do this week
From Womad and The BFG to Billie Piper and Matt Smith treading the boards, it’s your cultural guide to the next seven days

22, Jul, 2016 @12:00 PM

Article image
The 10 best things to do this week, from Field Day to Grayson Perry's art
Aphex Twin brings skittish electro par excellence to the UK festival, while the artist unveils a new, cheekily titled exhibition

The Guide

02, Jun, 2017 @8:00 AM

Article image
The 10 best... things to do this week
From Miranda Sings on Netflix to the Feminist Avant-Garde Of The 1970s exhibition, here’s your at-a-glance guide to the best in culture across the UK

The Guide

14, Oct, 2016 @8:52 AM

Article image
The 10 best things to do this week: Syd, Russell Brand and I Am Not Your Negro
The R&B up-and-comer performs with the Internet, the erstwhile king of British comedy reclaims his throne and radical writer James Baldwin is remembered

The Guide

07, Apr, 2017 @8:00 AM