Things to do in London this week

Aussie director Benedict Andrews’s UK reputation is heavily based on his extraordinary 2012 production of Chekhov’s ‘Three Sisters’, which turned the melancholy masterpiece into a wild fin de siècle romp. Andrews has done it again with another all-time take. Clearly there is something about Chekhov’s large ensembles, bittersweet humour and tales of fading aristocrats that draw out the best in him. The play builds to a queasily brilliant climax, but it’s the journey that’s the joy. You wish it would last forever.

Slicing up the sandwich scene this spring is Sarnie Party, a sumptuous celebration of all things between bread. It’s set to take over Camden Town Brewery Bar with 20 chefs creating 20 unique sarnies. London heavyweights like Doms Subs and Mondo Sando as well as UK kitchens like Picnic Margate and Big Deal Bodega are on the bill, and your ticket will get you three servings plus a Camden Town beer on entry. Yum. 

Beyond bold flavours, rich spices, and hearty dishes, west African food reflects a culture steeped in tradition and innovation, from classic Nigerian jollof rice to Ghanaian banku. From bustling neighbourhood eateries in Peckham to upscale fine-dining establishments in Fitzrovia, and from sharing plates to high-end tasting menus, these restaurants showcase the diversity and vibrancy of west African cuisine in London. 

Turns out, not only does Harmony Korine make difficult obtuse films, he makes difficult obtuse paintings too. His show at Hauser & Wirth is full of psychedelic, violent, eye-searing paintings of scenes from his latest film, ‘Aggro Dr1ft’. The movie (starring Travis Scott and Jordi Molla) takes you on a dizzying, weird, fully infrared trip into the world of a masked assassin, patrolling deep undergrowth and lavish villas on a mission to kill a demonic crime lord. The paintings are full of that same tropical violence, 8-bit menace and throbbing, silent aggression.

Following unprecedented public demand, The Art of Banksy is extending its London run following hugely successful residencies in Covent Garden and Regent Street. Drawing critical acclaim, The Art of Banksy is the world’s largest collection of original and authenticated Banksy artworks showcasing more than 150 pieces. 

£9.95 tickets to The Art of Banksy only through Time Out offers 

Hayao Miyazaki’s animated masterpiece ‘Spirited Away’ is about a young girl, Chihiro, who enters a fantastical realm entirely populated with wild spirit beings, from an emo dragon-boy to a colossal overgrown baby. Bringing it to the stage is a huge ask technically. If the main challenge facing ‘Spirited Away’ is that a true transposition of the film would have to take your breath away constantly, then for three hours it at least does it frequently. 

The Tate Modern is combining two of our favourite things: beer and books. Newcastle-born Boy Parts author Eliza Clarke, Glasgow-based David Keenan (This is Memorial Device and For the Good Times) and Lucien Freud’s daughter Rose Boyt, author of Naked Portrait are some of the authors giving talks at this night for bookworms. Listen to them while supping on a can of limited edition beer from one of three craft breweries in attendance.

Chelsea’s annual floral art show is back, bringing luscious colour to King’s Road, Sloane Street and other iconic locations.  As ever, the streets and squares and more than 120 businesses of SW10 will be transformed with wonderful floral displays created by retailers in the borough, and you can even vote for your favourites from 5 pm on Monday May 20. This year’s theme is ‘Floral Feasts’, so expect high-class horticulture inspired by The Very Hungry Caterpillar (by the team at All For Love London), Willy Wonka (by Maison de Fleurs) along with The Lady and The Tramp on Sloane Street and a take on Winnie The Pooh on the Kings Road.

Part of New York’s fizzing post-punk scene, Lip Critic are a US import with widespread critical acclaim. Hailed by NME as ‘on their way to becoming the next great NYC band’, they have cult status for high-impact performances that exude pure punk energy. Their undeniably rowdy track ‘It’s The Magic’ conjures the image of a terror-sickened wasteland, with its industrial drones and malevolent shouting. Considering its history, The Windmill is a very suitable spot to catch them.  

The Windmill, SW2 5BZ. Wed May 15, 7.30pm. From £11.

Never ending baskets of delicious dim sum. Need we say more? That means tucking into as many dumplings, rolls and buns as you can scoff down, all expertly put together by a Chinatown restaurant celebrating more than ten years of business. Taiwanese pork buns? Check. Pork and prawn soup dumplings? You betcha. ‘Supreme’ crab meat xiao long bao? Of course! And just to make sure you’re all set, Leong’s Legend is further furnishing your palate with a chilled glass of prosecco. Lovely bubbly.

Get 51% off bottomless dim sum at Leong's Legend only through Time Out Offers

Italian auteur, Luca Guadagino, delivers the equivalent of two terrific movies in one here. The first, a sports movie that will satisfy tennis fans in a way that, say, Wimbledon didn’t, examines the pressures of life as an elite athlete. The second, the one that draws you in deepest, is a satisfyingly murky relationship drama where viciousness and homoerotism bubble away beneath a stylish surface. On opposite sides of the net are Josh O’Connor’s Patrick Zweig and Mike Faist’s Art Donaldson. Watching on is Zendaya’s Tashi Duncan, a former wunderkind forced to retire by a knee injury. It amps up the stakes perfectly in a film that will leave you almost as breathless as its players.

Lightroom is back with another spectacle set to take your breath away. See this exciting Apollo Remastered collaboration with Tom Hanks, Christopher Riley and 59 Productions with an insight into the impending return of crewed surface missions by going behind the scenes of the Artemis programme, including interviews between Hanks and Artemis astronauts. With a musical score by Anne Nikitin, Lightroom’s powerful projection and audio technology will transport you to another world.

Get tickets to 'The Moonwalkers: A Journey with Tom Hanks' at Lightroom for £19, only through Time Out offers. 

Attention Billie stans! Ahead of the May 17 release of her highly anticipated third record Hit Me Hard And Soft, Eilish is hosting a series of one-night-only full-album listening parties that promise to utterly blow your wig off. This Thursday and Friday Londoners fans can get a first listen to the entire new record in an audio-visual spectacle at Coal Drops Yard’s Lightroom. The immersive venue will be transformed into a ‘vast and mysterious world’ created by Eilish to suit her new record’s ’diverse yet cohesive’ collection of tracks.

Greenwich peninsula’s raucous Urban Village Fete returns this summer, offering a stellar lineup of events and activities. Look out for headline DJ slots from the likes of Gilles Peterson and Jamz Supernova, cultural talks with BBC Radio London’s Robert Elms, an unmissable carnival workshop and procession, an Independent Traders Market with baked goods and handmade crafts, and a smörgasbord of street food. 

Looking for authentic Italian food and freshly made pasta? Officina 00 in Old Street and Fitzrovia are here to deliver Italian cuisine favourites made from rare regional recipes from Italy. Founded by friends Elia Sebregondi and Enzo Mirto who grew up together in Naples, these London hotspots offers a carefully curated menu of indulgent dishes. 

Get this three courses and a glass of house wine at Officina 00 for £29.50, only through Time Out offers. 

Lantana brings the Aussie sun to London, inviting you to savour great food, coffee and drinks all day, surrounded by friends, and looked after by people who care. Famous for freshness, quality, colour and of course, coffee, Australia’s cuisine and a healthy lifestyle is at the heart of Lantana. Enjoy menus that embrace seasonality and all the sustainable goodness that Mother Nature intended, from the BBQ Mushroom Hash and the Chicken Parmigiana to the Banoffee Banana Bread and Affogato.

Get a main dessert and a cocktail at Lantana for just £25, only through Time Out offers. 

There was a lot of love in the last years of Michelangelo Buonarotti’s life. Already hugely successful, the Renaissance master dedicated his final decades to loving his god, his family, his friends, and serving his pope. The proof of that love is all over the walls of this intimate little visual biography of the final years of his life, filled with his drawings and letters and paintings by his followers. We’ve had a lot of Michelangelo drawing shows in recent years, but the drawings in the last room of this show are incredible. They were never meant to be seen, they're frail, weak things, but they’re also an amazing vision of one of history’s greatest painters. 

Escape reality through maximum immersion and experience 42 masterpieces from 29 of the world’s most iconic artists, each reimagined through cutting-edge technology. Marble Arch’s high-tech Frameless gallery houses four unique exhibition spaces with hypnotic visuals reimaging work from the likes of Bosch, Dalí and more, all with an atmospheric score. Now get 90 minutes of eye-popping gallery time for just £20 through Time Out offers.

£20 tickets to Frameless immersive art experience only through Time Out offers