Things to do in London this week

Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z and Missy Elliott; boomboxes, turntables and iced-out chains: this exhibition provides an intimate look at the history of one of the last century’s biggest cultural phenomena: hip hop. Through the lens of three photographers, Jamel Shabazz, Joseph Rodriguez, and Gregory Bojorquez, it traverses East Coast, West Coast and beyond to show us the canonical moments, everyday scenes, beefs and friendships that shaped the movement we know today.

It’s to the credit of Suzie Miller that she cares so much about the issues explored in her smash Prima Facie that she’s come up with a follow-up. Inter Alia is another play about high-achieving female members of the legal profession, and Rosamund Pike treads the boards for the first time in years in the full-scale female role at its centre. It’s a breathless performance from Pike, who crests and surges from neuroticism to icy confidence as high court judge Jessica frenziedly girl bossing as she juggles her extremely high-powered job with a busy social life and being a mum to vulnerable teen Harry (Jasper Talbot). Like Prima Facie, Inter Alia concerns rape and the difficulty in securing a conviction for it. Miller is very good at exploring the ambiguity of rape cases. Inter Alia hits home thoughtfully and forcefully.

The latest addition to SE15’s substantial restaurant scene is Lai Rai: a new-school Vietnamese with an adamantly ‘no pho’ menu, it has local roots (it’s run by the same family as nearby Bánh Bánh) but is a snackier, share-ier proposition than its big bowl-proffering sibling. It’s the exact point where Saigon canteen culture meets the contents of Charli xcx’s Dropbox. Start with a mango-muddled picante complete with strands of potent red chilli. Then, a bowl of slow-braised pork belly pieces, sweet and sticky nugs of crispy, crunchy, and fatty flesh, could be kids’ cinema sweets, were they not pig. Lighter, but by no means less addictive, is the papaya jellyfish salad, another hefty ‘small plate’ is piled with fleshy beef tartare, and big plates include crispy chicken leg and mussels in coconut and lemongrass broth. Lai Rai has immediately marked itself out as one to visit very, very soon. 

This sparky indie musical about a lonely Irish schoolboy who forms a band to escape a drab ’80s Dublin adolescence is a charming affair that reunites the architects of offbeat musical smash Once, as playwright Enda Walsh again adapts a movie by Irish filmmaker John Carney. It’s all very breathless and winsome: Sheridan Townsley’s Conor is the right mix of cocky and vulnerable – just like a proper rock star! – and Hunter offers a poignant turn as Brendan, his younger brother’s damaged shadow. It’s a breezy paean to the ups and downs of adolescence. It also doesn’t try to compete with the spectacle of the big boy musicals. It’s a deeply likeable little musical. 

First Steps, the third and best go at the Fantastic Four (low bar), is set in what you might call the CDMCU (A Completely Different Marvel Cinematic Universe). We’re in the New York of Earth 828, a ’60s-coded metropolis of flying cars and stylish Mad Men aesthetics. Here, Earth’s mightiest heroes are space-age pioneers too: the pregnant Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), her scientist hubby Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), her headstrong brother Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn), and Reed’s best pal, hulking concrete-faced enforcer Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). There are no other superheroes to clutter up the scene, leaving the four to protect humanity together – when they’re not squabbling amicably in their gleaming HQ. 

You’ve probably heard of ‘Instagram face’. This summer, Somerset House is dedicating a whole exhibition to things like the internet’s inclination for everyone to look exactly the same. In Virtural Beauty, Somerset House will explore the impact of digital technologies on how we define beauty today. The show will display more than 20 artworks from the 'Post-Internet' era, an art movement concerned with the influence of the internet on art and culture. It will feature sculpture, photography, installation, video and performance art, with highlights including ORLAN’s Omniprésence (1993), a groundbreaking performance in which the artist live-streamed her own facial aesthetic surgery, and AI-generated portraits by Minnie Atairu, Ben Cullen Williams, and Isamaya Ffrench. 

The time is once again Nye, as Michael Sheen returns to the National Theatre to reprise firebrand politician and NHS founder, Aneurin Bevan, in Tim Price’s play, after it originally debuted last year. The state of the country’s health and that of Nye himself are intwined from the start, as we open to the bed-ridden deputy leader of the Labour Party. It’s July 1960. We’re here, it’s increasingly clear, for the end of his life. Plunging us into Nye’s unconscious, Price gives us a dream-like portrait of his life. Sheen is predictably great at combining Nye’s burning sense of belief in welfare for all and his irascibility within a single scene. This play is a rallying cry for the power of empathy and bloody-minded humanitarianism.         

For a country known for its elite cattle – the majestically marbled wagyu – there are far fewer Japanese steakhouses than sushi spots. Kanpai Classic laughs in the face of delicate nigiri and volleys back a robust barrage of meat. This place isn’t just about a serious slab of steak on your plate, but a whole wagyu experience. It has various cuts, all imported daily from Japan, displayed on a platter complete with name cards. But first, a series of wagyu-adjacent starters; a caviar-slathered hunk of beef tartate, wagyu gyoza and wagyu spring roll. Then, it’s time for the Jules Verne-worthy journey into wagyu. Each piece is cooked atop the mesh grill fitted into the table, then deftly flipped onto plates.

Looking for a wholesome, creative night out that doesn’t involve a hangover (unless you BYOB)? Token Studio in Tower Bridge offers relaxed, hands-on ceramics classes where you can spin, shape and decorate your own pottery piece. Whether you fancy throwing a pot on the wheel (£32) or painting a pre-made mug or plate (£23), it’s the perfect mix of fun, mindful and surprisingly therapeutic. And to top it all off, you can sip while you sculpt as it’s BYOB and super chill.

Enjoy your Token Studio session from just £23, only with Time Out Offers. 

Emily Kam Kngwarray, an Anmatyerr artist from the Sandover region in the Northern Territory of Australia, didn’t start making art until she was 70. Her prolific and vibrant output during the ensuing decade paved the way for Aboriginal artists, women artists and Australian artists – and is the subject of this, her first major solo exhibition in Europe. Expect monumental canvases adorned with batik and acrylic patterns whose networks of dots and lines are almost immersive.

Respectable theatre? Not tonight. Plied and Prejudice is Jane Austen gone off the rails — and we mean that in the best possible way. Think corsets, cocktails and chaotic costume changes as five actors tear through 20 roles with a wink, a wobble, and maybe a whisky or two. Expect scandal, silliness, and the wettest t-shirt contest Regency England never asked for. Whether you're Team Darcy or just here for the drama, this one's a riot.

From June 28 to August 2 at The Vaults, Waterloo

Buy a £19 ticket through Time Out Offers

First-time playwright Shaan Sahota does a decent job of spinning an In The Thick of It-style yarn about Angad (Adeel Akhtar), a very junior British Sikh shadow minister who suddenly finds himself in play for the leadership of what is implicitly the Tory Party. The opening scenes thrum with an energy similar to a previous National Theatre triumph, James Graham’s This House, as it plunges us into an amusingly compromised world of sweary spads, cocky whips and malleable MPs. Helena Wilson is scene-stealingly entertaining as the apparently humble Angad’s shark-like head of comms Petra. It’s fun.

Another year, another spectacular line-up of classical music. In 2025, the orchestral extravaganza will feature 86 concerts across eight weeks, with over 3,000 artists taking to the stage, with the majority of the action taking place inside the grand surroundings of London’s Royal Albert Hall. This week, look out for a special late-night prom to celebrate the 90th birthday of Arvo Pärt, ‘the father of Holy Minimalism’, and a soul prom with guest vocalists, a gospel choir and renowned Radio 2 presenter Trevor Nelson. 

In Mansfield, the wedding of the year is about to take place. Local girl Sylvia (Sinéad Matthews) is marrying Polish lad Marek (Julian Kostov). The ceremony plays out in real time at Beth Steel’s Till The Stars Come Down, now running in the West End after debuting at the National Theatre. Director Bijan Sheibani sucks you right into this world through fast-paced dialogue and artfully constructed tableaus. It is heady, hilarious and emotional; the wedding itself might be a car crash, but this imaginative production is anything but. 

Hidden somewhere between a theme park, an escape room and a real-life video game, Phantom Peak isn’t just your average day out. This open-world adventure based in Canada Water invites you to explore a fictional steampunk town at your own pace, chatting to quirky characters, uncovering mysteries and slowly piecing together your own story.

With 11 unique trails, a rotating calendar of seasonal storylines, and a cast of live actors guiding your experience, no two visits are ever the same.

Get discounted adult tickets exclusively through Time Out Offers

Popping up each summer on the steps where the Regent’s Canal passes Granary Square, Everyman’s Screen on the Canal is one of the city’s best-loved outdoor cinemas. This year’s pop-up will be looking more Instagrammable than ever before, thanks to designer and architect Yinka Ilori, who has created an eye-popping screen design. Head down on a sunny afternoon to catch live coverage from Wimbledon every day of the tournament, plus the usual mix of live sports, classic movies, family-friendly flicks and recent hits.