Queen Elizabeth Hall

Released just four months before his death from AIDS-related complications, at a time when his illness had left him partially blind and at times only able to see shades of blue, artist and filmmaker Derek Jarman’s 1993 film Blue is a powerful meditation on his impending death and the ravages of the virus on himself, his loved ones and wider society. Features a continuous shot of blue, the film is narrated from Jarman himself, alongside friends and collaborators Tilda Swinton, Nigel Terry and John Quentin. It is reimagined this December 1 by British director Neil Bartlett and actor Russell Tovey, in a special one-off performance to mark World AIDS Day. Featuring a new score by original composes Simon Fisher Turner and cellist Lucy Railton, it will star Tovey as the main narrator, alongside queer poets and performers Jay Bernard, Joelle Taylor and Travis Alabanza, and promises to be ‘a unique opportunity to reflect on the impact of the British AIDS epidemic’. 

Certified dance legend Carlos Acosta is putting on a Cuban take on the traditional Christmas ballet this winter. There will be no dancing snowflakes in this production, as we follow Clara as she gets ready to celebrate Christmas with her family in Havana. But don’t worry, there will still be a Nutcracker, Rat King and Sugarplum Fairy, just not as you’d usually expect it. The show will be set to a newly commissioned Cuban version of the original Tchaikovsky score. 

Non-millennials may very well be unaware of Tom Fletcher of the pop-rock band McFly, and non-parent millennials may be blissfully unaware of his success as a children’s author. But nonetheless: he’s a big deal in the pre-school world, his career beginning with eye-wateringly scatological picture books like The Dinosaur that Pooped Christmas and The Dinosaur that Pooped a Planet, and progressing to relatively more mature fair. The Creakers, from 2017, concerns Lucy, a young girl from the town of Whiffington who wakes up one day to discover that all the local parents have disappeared, leaving her and her fellow kids to run wild.  A version with songs was released in 2019, and for 2024 it’s been adapted into a small-scale musical that will run at the Queen Elizabeth Hall over the Christmas holidays. It’s directed by Tom Jackson Greaves, with a book by Miranda Larson. For ages six-plus.

There’s a new festival in town and it’s highlighting one of the more unsung parts of our favourite movies – the soundtracks. London Soundtrack Festival puts the scores front and centre in March 2025, with a series of screenings, talks and performances celebrating the musicians who make Hollywood sound so exciting, tense and emotional. Highlights include Hildur Guðnadóttir introducing the first and second ‘Joker' movies and, later in the programme, holding her own concert; David Cronenberg and Howard Shore in conversation, and screenings of ‘Modern Times’ and ‘Eighth Grade’ with live scores.