Going out: Cinema
The Wedding Banquet
Out now
A remake of the 1993 film, director Andrew Ahn’s romcom premiered at Sundance earlier this year, bringing together IVF, a green card marriage and a Korean wedding banquet for a comedy of errors starring Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone and Kelly Marie Tran.
Riefenstahl
Out now
Leni Riefenstahl is a rare female pioneer who is tough to celebrate. This documentary explores the question of whether the film-maker’s notable work bigging up the Nazi regime ought to eclipse her flair for aesthetics.
The Surfer
Out now
We’ve had toxic masculinity and wrestling in The Iron Claw, toxic masculinity and tennis in Challengers, now it’s toxic masculinity and surfing. Nicolas Cage stars as the man who returns to the fondly remembered beach of his childhood to surf with his son, only to find not everyone wants him to ride those waves.
The Extraordinary Miss Flower
Out now
From the talented film-making duo Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard (who created the idiosyncratic portrayal of Nick Cave, 20,000 Days on Earth), this distinctive performance documentary offers an offbeat reconstruction of the eponymous Miss Flower, through love letters sent to her in the 1960s and 1970s. With music from Emilíana Torrini. Catherine Bray
Going out: Gigs
Snapped Ankles
The Boileroom, Guildford, 10 May; touring to 17 May
Inspired by everything from morris dancing to Fela Kuti via messy warehouse parties, London’s artful post-punk rabble head out on tour in support of recent album, Hard Times Furious Dancing. CWith them camouflaged by their omnipresent ghillie suits, brace yourselves for a distinctly unique experience. MC
Kylie Minogue
16 May to 6 June; tour starts Glasgow
The Lights Camera Action hit-maker arrives in the UK for her first tour of cavernous arenas in seven years. After returning to the Top 10 with 2023’s viral phenomenon Padam Padam, expect a handful of dancefloor-focused newer songs alongside undeniable classics such as Confide in Me, Slow and Spinning Around. Michael Cragg
Gregory Porter
Manchester, 10 May; Glasgow, 11 May; Newcastle upon Tyne, 12 May; Bournemouth, 14 May; Cardiff, 15 May
If there can be such a thing as a jazz superstar, the Grammy-winning soul and gospel-rooted American singer unquestionably qualifies. Porter’s soaring baritone voice and deep absorption in African American musics are combined with an idiomatic openness that has brought him worldwide fans crossing generations and tastes. John Fordham
Jörg Widmann
BBC Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff, 15 May
Composer-conductor-clarinettist Jörg Widmann combines two of those roles as a guest with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. On the podium, he begins the concert with the overture to Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, and ends it with Mendelssohn’s Fifth Symphony, the Reformation, while in between he conducts the UK premiere of his Violin Concerto No 2, in which his sister, Carolin Widmann, will be the soloist. Andrew Clements
Going out: Art
The Way Forward
Gazelli Art House, London, to 28 June
A look back at tomorrow: that is, at the art of the 1960s with its optimistic belief that new freedoms were opening up in a world just getting better and better. The late Derek Boshier stars along with his contemporaries Peter Blake, David Hockney, Pauline Boty, Allen Jones and more.
C C Land: The Wonder of Art
The National Gallery, London, opens 10 May
Controversially sponsored by Chinese property firm C C Land, this is the full title given to the National Gallery’s new permanent displays, rethought, rehung, but hopefully still as complex and coherent as ever. There truly is plenty of wonder in a free collection that includes Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio, Artemisia Gentileschi and Van Gogh. A chance to discover great art’s joy.
To Improvise a Mountain
Leeds Art Gallery, 16 May to 5 October
Painter Lynette Yiadom-Boakye curates an exhibition that explores the influences and inspirations behind her literate, haunting work. She creates portraits and narrative scenes featuring highly realistic but fictional characters. Her affinities turn out to be as mysterious as these images, from Bas Jan Ader to Walter Sickert to Miles Davis.
Austen and Turner: A Country House Encounter
Harewood House, to 19 October
Two people with their faces on banknotes and big birthdays this year meet in the inevitable setting of an English country house. Jane Austen and JMW Turner were both born 250 years ago – but what else do they have in common? More than you might think, this show suggests. Jonathan Jones
Going out: Stage
Soho Theatre Walthamstow
This 1,000-seater north-east London outpost of the capital’s premier comedy hub has finally had its grand opening – and the lineup for month one is fittingly magnificent, with shows from Dara Ó Briain, Edinburgh prize winner Ahir Shah and US alt king John Early, plus a mixed bill featuring Sara Pascoe, Tom Davis and John Kearns. Rachel Aroesti
Dance International Glasgow
Various venues, to 24 May
This year’s DIG festival features an eclectic range of artists, from a rare appearance (in a talk and workshop) by the illustrious Michael Clark, to of-the-moment Scottish artists (Mele Broomes, Colette Sadler) and international performers (QDance from Nigeria, Omar Rajeh from Lebanon). There are film and family programmes, too. Lyndsey Winship
Positive
Southwark Playhouse, London, 13 to 17 May
Malachai is coming out of a toxic relationship. Ade is secretly in love with Malachai. Shortlisted for multiple awards, Temi Majekodunmi’s play challenges perceptions of HIV. Robert Awosusi directs this tender depiction of Black gay brotherhood. Kate Wyver
Dogs on the Metro
Live theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne, to 17 May
Emilie Robson’s people-watching adventure won the inaugural North East Playwriting award. Written in geordie dialect, it takes a seat with Jen and Dean on the Metro as they hurtle through shared memories. Responding to lost youth, with themes of consent and sexual violence, this is for ages 14+. KW
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Staying in: Streaming
Murderbot
Apple TV+, 16 May
AI gaining autonomy is not quite the nightmare it could be in this irreverent thriller, adapted from Martha Wells’s award-winning sci-fi novel series. A cyborg security guard (Alexander Skarsgård) hacks its own programming – but despite being unimpressed by humanity, this bot is more into introspection and trashy soaps than violent extermination.
Overcompensating
Prime Video, 15 May
Benito Skinner’s cheeky celebrity impersonations (the Kardashians, Timothée Chalamet) went viral during the pandemic; now the Instagram star is pursuing a more traditional comic trajectory with this new college-set series about a jock struggling to come out as gay. Kyle MacLachlan and Connie Britton co-star; Charli xcx cameos.
Alison Hammond’s Big Weekend
BBC One & iPlayer, 16 May, 8.30pm
Between stale chatshows and podcast domination, the celebrity TV interview isn’t thriving at present – can Hammond change that? In this new series, the exuberant presenter spends 48 hours with a star (the lineup includes Lenny Henry, Mel B and Jimmy Carr), for an undoubtedly uproarious – and potentially exposing – chronicle of their weekend together.
Inside Our ADHD Minds
BBC Two & iPlayer, 12 May, 9pm
In 2023, Chris Packham, who is himself autistic, presented an evocative, experimental documentary that attempted to capture the mindsets of a variety of autistic people on screen. Now, the presenter is using this approach to explore the ways in which ADHD and dyslexia can shape our perception of the world. RA
Staying in: Games
Doom: The Dark Ages
Out 15 May, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC
The blood-splattered veteran of the first-person shooter scene returns, this time in a prequel (above) to the 2016 reimagining of Doom. Main character Doom Slayer has been trapped in an ancient realm of castles and dragons and must batter his way out. With an emphasis on melee combat, it’s an intriguing break from the game’s bullet-riddled history.
Capcom Fighting Collection 216 May, PlayStation, Switch, Xbox, PC
A second compilation of Capcom fighting classics, this time taking in the glory years of 1998-2004 including the groundbreaking Capcom v SNK titles, which brought the two titans of the fight game together. Also here are the excellent Sega Dreamcast arena-based brawlers PowerStone 1 and 2. Keith Stuart
Staying in: Albums
Kali Uchis – Sincerely
Out now
The Grammy-winning US singer-songwriter follows up last year’s Spanish-language album, Orquídeas, with an album that attempts to distill the “complexities of life”. The beautiful, Lana Del Rey-esque ILYSMIH tries to find joy in love, but it’s Sunshine & Rain that better encapsulates the ups and downs of it all.
Mark Pritchard & Thom Yorke – Tall Tales
Out now
Electronic music pioneer Pritchard – who previously remixed Radiohead’s Bloom in 2011 – teams up with the band’s frontman, Thom Yorke, on this new collaborative album. The slippery Gangsters manipulates Yorke’s weary croon to sinister effect, while Back in the Game chugs along merrily before slowly disintegrating.
PinkPantheress – Fancy That
Out now
After landing a UK and US Top 3 single with Boy’s a Liar, pop experimentalist PinkPantheress’s debut album, Heaven Knows, felt like a minor letdown. This playful new mixtape – featuring the likes of the Dare, and samples of songs by Basement Jaxx and Jessica Simpson – arrives with less pressure.
Sleep Token – Even in Arcadia
Out now
This follow-up to the UK No 3 hit Take Me Back to Eden finds the British mask enthusiasts continuing to explore rock’s potential. After months of teasing via clues, codes and even a collaboration with a US weather channel, Even in Arcadia is finally ready to be immersed in. MC
Staying in: Brain food
What We Spend
Podcast
Hearing from people across the US and throughout the economic spectrum, this fascinating series provides an insight into a typical week’s spending for everyone from a retired social worker to the parent of a toddler.
Pamilya
shortoftheweek.com & Vimeo
Film-maker Miles Blacket’s short exploring the reality of domestic slavery in the UK is a confronting watch. We follow two Filipina women who have survived trafficking and are now determined to help their tight-knit community.
Unforgotten: The Bradford City Fire
BBC Two, 11 May, 9pm
Commemorating the 40th anniversary of the devastating fire at the Valley Parade football stadium that killed 56 people, this poignant film speaks to survivors and explores the effect the tragedy has had on safety at football matches. Ammar Kalia