Things to do in London this week

Ryan Calais Cameron’s fifties-set three-hander about a potentially commie actor has sharp suits, big pours of scotch and a haze of cigarette smoke. But to assume the play is a pastiche of a fast-patter period piece – is to underestimate Calais Cameron who smashed the West End with his beautiful play For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy. Because in walks Sidney Poitier, the guy who’d go on to become the first Black man to win an Oscar. He’s about to be cast in a big breakout role, but NBC’s lawyers want him to sign an oath that he’s not a communist. 

Mums are some of the hardest workers out there. It goes without saying that our mas and matriarchs deserve high praises year-round, but every March, Mothering Sunday gives us the ultimate opportunity to show them much we really appreciate everything they do. It can be easy to get caught off-guard and be left rushing out on your lunchbreak to post a naff card that you can only pray arrives in time. Not this year! Get organised and plan a proper celebration of your mother for Sunday March 30 2025 with our comprehensive guide.

Canal-side dining has long been an east-London failsafe, and Inis (which means ‘island’ in Irish) has now boldly entered the chat. Run by Lynsey Coughlan, the former director of Ginger Pig butchers, and her partner, Lindsay Lewis, it offers a warm, neighbourly embrace – everyone at Inis is greeted like an old friend. Irish flourishes decorate a menu of seasonal fare, with the occasional full-throttle modern Gaelic dish, such as a raucous starter of potato scallops (aka, massive thick cut wedges halfway between crisps and chips) accessorised with a pot of creamy curry sauce. Roast duck is the champion dish of the night. Community hubs are rarely this delicious. 

You can officially add a 30-year-old Latvian with a laptop to the list of the world’s most dazzlingly imaginative animators. Flow’s Gints Zilbalodis is now a Latvian with a laptop and an Oscar, and boy, is it deserved. His DIY animation, made partly with freely-available open-source software, is a survival epic full of mysteries and magic. Set in the aftermath of an inexorable, unexplained flood, it follows a small band of animals floating on a small sail boat towards an uncertain future. It’s been ages since anything articulated the wonder and spirituality of the natural world as breathtakingly as this. The perils are profound but nothing is over-dramatised, including the soothing score by Zilbalodis and his co-composer Rihards Zaļupe. The beguiling, magical realist ending lifts the soul without breaking the spell.

Costa Book Award-winning novelist Caleb Azumah Nelson, acclaimed music journalist Emma Warren and screenwriter Nathan Bryon are just a few of the names on the line-up for the latest edition of Deptford Literature Festival, a four-day bonanza celebrating the diversity and creativity of southeast London. Sponsored by Arts Council England, The Albany Theatre and Lewisham Council, this year’s programme features 48 separate events (45 of which are free to attend) ranging from talks and readings to creative workshops and walking tours. Look out for more details on the programme soon. 

José María Velasco is making big moves, even over 100 years since his death. The beloved Mexican artist is getting his first UK exhibition this year, in what is also the first display dedicated to a historical Latin-American artist at the National Gallery. In it, you’ll find Velasco’s sweeping portrayals of the Valley of Mexico and detailed panoramic views that bottle a moment in time for a country then moving towards industrialisation, while capturing the natural beauty that surrounded him in exquisite detail.

Playwright James Graham has updated his smash Gareth Southgate drama Dear England following the final tournament of his subject’s tenure as England men’s team manager. A new cast hasn’t radically changed the vibe either. Graham has written deeper and more important plays than Dear England. But the secret of its success is that – unlike the actual England men’s team – it is consistently, relentlessly entertaining. Taking a kaleidoscopic, broad-brush approach to depicting the England team themselves Goold’s kinetic production conjures the mania of the country in the grip of a national tournament: stupid songs, stupid mascots, embarrassing politicians. A third run for Dear England is an indulgence, but it’s a well earned one.

This one-of-a-kind performance will see J. Spaceman bringing his favourite Spiritualized record to the Barbican this March. The ’90s rocker’s second album may not have reached the cult status of its follow-up Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space, but that doesn’t make it any less of a worthy listen. Bridging the gap between rock and dance in the sort of fluidity way that only his band could, it’s no wonder they found fans in the likes of Aphex Twin who supported the band back in 1993 at Hackney Empire. Keep an eye out for him and other famous fans at one of these two shows. 

Barbican, EC2Y 8DS. Wed Mar 26 and Thur Mar 27, 7.30pm. From £40. 

Dive in and get your paws on vintage treasure at this popular market bringing more than 40 hand-picked traders together in Peckham’s bustling Copeland Park. Grab a bite to eat at one of the many local restaurants and keep an eye out for 20th-century furniture, salvaged French homeware, vintage clothing, kitschenalia and reclaimed industrial fixtures, perfect for giving your pad a fresh look on the cheap. 

There’s a determined effort to make Disney’s animated Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs feel modern in this live-action remake. The retooled version still begins with a young princess, Snow White (Rachel Zegler), confined to a life of servitude when the widowed king marries a wicked sorceress (Gal Godot). After the king disappears, the evil queen, jealous of Snow White’s beauty, casts her stepdaughter into the forest to die. Instead, she’s taken in by a group of seven strangers. From here, it tries to undo all the iffy outdated bits. Snow White is now a strong young woman who wants to reclaim her crown and lead her people, rather than a helpless naif who does housework for strangers. It’s cute and cheerful make that’s respectful to the original and relevant to a new audience.

From tattoo art to TikTok readings, in recent years tarot has infiltrated popular culture in ways that were previously unimaginable. In 2025, tarot is cool. And this is London’s first major deep-dive into its history. A small but mighty exhibition, Tarot – Origins & Afterlives looks at how the function of tarot has shifted over the centuries while showing how card designs have also evolved with the times. It offers up various theories as to tarot’s origins and how it became adopted by the occult, all through some truly gorgeous, intricate etchings and card drawings. 

It’s the dream of mums up and down the country to take on – and maybe even win – the Great British Bake-Off. Make your baking whiz of a mother’s wildest fantasies a reality by taking her down to The Big London Bake, a competitive baking event that’s as close as you can get to being judged by Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith. You and mum will have 90 minutes to bake and decorate your finest creation, and hopefully avoid any soggy bottoms or other disasters to be crowned the winning team.

The UK’s largest queer film event returns to the BFI Southbank (and to the BFI Player online) for its 39th edition. This year, the opening night gala boasts the international premiere of Andrew Ahn’s The Wedding Banquet, while the closing night gala will give Night Stage – the new erotic thriller from award-winning writer-directors Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon – its UK premiere. In between see the UK premiere of Shatara Michelle Ford’s Dreams In Nightmares, Divine Sung’s coming-of-age drama Summer’s Camera and Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s directorial adaptation of Deborah Levy’s bestseller Hot Milk. Elsewhere, cinephiles can expect a host of expanded-reality works, panels, Q&As and after-hours events.

‘Vogue: Inventing the Runway’ takes you on a journey through the evolution of fashion shows, from intimate salons to today’s epic, celebrity-filled spectacles. Step into the front row and backstage at some of fashion’s most iconic moments, all projected on Lightroom’s massive 360-degree walls. With immersive animations, a killer soundtrack, and jaw-dropping visuals, this exhibit celebrates the creativity and drama that turned runway shows into cultural milestones. Save up to 33% with student tickets at £10 and adult tickets at £19.

Get adult tickets for £19 (down from £25), or student tickets for just £10, only through Time Out Offers.

The Yard Theatre’s artistic director Jay Miller is not a man afraid to throw out a lot of ideas and see what sticks, and this revival of Tennessee Williams’ masterpiece eschews period detail in favour of a dreamy no-place chased by contemporary music. The ’30s-set 1944 drama tends to depict ageing Southern belle Amanda Wingfield as a suffocating force of nature whose overbearing love has ruined the lives of her children, Tom (probably gay) and Laura (probably disabled). Miller upends this. Sharon Small’s Amanda is ultimately a decent sort and the engine of the play is her relationship with her troubled son. It’s a beautifully humane read on this classic. 

Leeds is another planet in this exhibition from veteran British photographer Peter Mitchell. A Londoner who moved to Leeds in 1972 and never left, Mitchell’s photos in this small but transporting exhibition take us on a tour of the backstreets and alleys of his adopted city, mainly during the 1970s, giving us proud shopkeepers and aproned artisans standing in front of crumbling premises, many of which look more Victorian or Edwardian than late-twentieth-century. It’s odd to imagine now, but when Mitchell was taking these photos, colour photography was barely respected, Mitchell was breaking new ground. Now a retro appeal – a chance to transport yourself to a long gone time and place – but to his contemporaries, this was strange and radical work, strikingly modern and engaging.

Step into the grandeur of 17th and 18th-century France with Versailles: Science & Splendour, an enthralling exhibition now open at the Science Museum until April 2025. Discover how science played a pivotal role in shaping the magnificence of the Palace of Versailles, with stunning artefacts on display, many of which have never been seen in the UK before. Marvel at the intricate moon map by Jean-Dominique Cassini, a watch made for Marie Antoinette and learn about pioneering figures like Madame du Coudray, who transformed midwifery across France. 

Book Versailles: Science & Splendour at the Science Museum now for just £5.40, only with Time Out Offers.