Cinema
Casablanca Beats
Out now
A community leader, Anas (Moroccan actor and rapper Anas Basbousi) arrives at an arts centre in a difficult neighbourhood, where his attitude alienates his colleagues but endears him to his pupils, who appreciate the chance to express themselves in a conservative society. Acclaimed drama from director Nabil Ayouch.
We’re All Going to the World’s Fair
Out now
A teenager’s bedroom may not be the most original setting for a horror, but the hook here is that much of the action is playing out online, in a coming-of-ager with a twist. Anna Cobb (above) stars as Casey, a teen about to take the World’s Fair Challenge, “the internet’s scariest” role-playing game.
The Velvet Queen: Snow Leopard
Out now
This documentary sees novelist Sylvain Tesson join forces with wildlife photographer Vincent Munier on an adventure in the mountainous valleys of Tibet, hoping to track down one of the world’s most elusive and beautiful animals: the snow leopard. With a new score from Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.
Downton Abbey: A New Era
Out now
There’s more to be wrung from one’s cash cow, or so the producers of this second big-screen outing for the drama will be hoping. In the grand tradition of filmed versions of British TV properties, the Crawley family go abroad, to a villa in the south of France – and, as a sign of encroaching modernity, a film crew descends on the house. Catherine Bray
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Gigs
Denzel Curry
Olympia, Dublin, 1 May; Manchester Academy, 2 May; O2 Academy Brixton, London, 4 May
Released this March, Curry’s fifth and best album, Melt My Eyez See Your Future, saw the south Florida rapper (above) retool his sound, trading intensity for introspection. Perfect for some emotional wallowing, but expect the big live moment to be the gonzo Ricky, the highlight from 2019’s excellent ZUU.
Rebecca Black
6 to 13 May; tour starts London
Over a decade since she became an internet laughing stock via 2011’s viral “hit” Friday, Black has been reappraised via choice collaborations with hyperpop exponents such as 100 Gecs and Dorian Electra. The latter even appeared on last year’s delirious, utterly confounding Friday remix. Michael Cragg
Hermeto Pascoal
St George’s, Bristol, 2 May; Barbican Hall, London, 5 May
Pascoal, the Brazilian composer and visionary, tours new music with his own ensemble spliced into the UK’s National Youth Jazz Orchestra. Back home, they call the 85-year-old one-off O Bruxo – “the sorcerer”. Find out why. John Fordham
Claude Vivier
Southbank Centre, London, 6 to 8 May
Claude Vivier was murdered in 1983 at the age of 34. The importance of his works has increased steadily in the decades since his death, although they are still heard too rarely in the UK. A weekend of concerts at the Southbank Centre includes eight of them, beginning with perhaps Vivier’s greatest achievement, Lonely Child, sung by soprano Claire Booth with Ilan Volkov conducting. Andrew Clements
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Art
Reframed: The Woman in the Window
Dulwich Picture Gallery, London, 4 May to 4 September
Rembrandt’s Girl at a Window is a treasure of this gallery. Here the Dutch theme of women framed or lit by windows (also a favourite of Vermeer) is updated with works by Cindy Sherman, Rachel Whiteread and Ajarb Bernard Ategwa (work pictured, above). As Tom Hunter’s photograph Woman Reading Possession Order shows, the motif has many modern resonances.
Barbara Hepworth: Art & Life
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh, to 2 October
A retrospective of one of the most ambitious British modern artists, a woman who hammered her way into art history by taking on the heavyweight materials of sculpture. Hepworth’s carved and cast forms are like naturally eroded wonders, where the sea echoes through marble caves and abstract mermaids sing.
Radical Landscapes
Tate Liverpool, 5 May to 4 September
British art has had a love affair with landscape since the days of Turner and Constable. But forget that. This exhibition is not about pastoral escapism but land rights, climate crisis and protest, from Turner-nominated Ingrid Pollard’s images of belonging to Jeremy Deller’s green neon version of the Cerne Abbas giant.
Jeff Wall
White Cube Mason’s Yard, London, to 25 June
Fact and fiction artfully merge in Wall’s photographic works. Few have done as much to make us aware that a camera can lie just as well as a painting. Here he mixes reportage on mink-hunting in his native Vancouver with restaged memories from his childhood. Jonathan Jones
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Stage
The White Card
Northern Stage, Newcastle upon Tyne, to 14 May, then touring
The debut play (pictured, above) from poet Claudia Rankine asks: can society progress when whiteness remains invisible? Directed by Natalie Ibu.
Oklahoma!
Young Vic Theatre, London, to 25 June
Daniel Fish’s revival makes its UK premiere. Stripped back and sexy, immersive and politically charged, it stars Arthur Darvill and Anoushka Lucas. Miriam Gillinson
Matsena Productions/House of Absolute
Sadler’s Wells, EC1, 6 & 7 May
Political dance from Anthony and Kel Matsena in Shades of Blue, examining attitudes to the police in light of BLM; and stories of matriarchal power in Warrior Queens from Julia Cheng. Lyndsey Winship
Stand-Up Under the Stars
Brighton Open Air Theatre, 6 May & 17 June
Outdoor gigs aren’t just for lockdowns. May plays host to Reginald D Hunter, Suzi Ruffell and brassy newcomer Esther Manito, while Kerry Godliman and Felicity Ward perform in June. Rachel Aroesti
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Streaming
The Staircase
28 April, 9pm, Sky Atlantic & Now TV
Some true-crime cases spark only fleeting interest, while others weather years of exposure: the strange death of Kathleen Peterson belongs firmly in the latter category. Following an extensive docuseries, the story now gets the prestige drama treatment, with Colin Firth and Toni Collette (above) in the lead roles.
The Pentaverate
5 May, Netflix
Mike Myers’ Netflix-indulged passion project is here: this new series tells the full story of the illuminati-style conspiracy first mentioned in his 1993 film So I Married An Axe Murderer. Inevitably, the comedy stalwart bagsies most of the leads, but the supporting cast – Jennifer Saunders, Ken Jeong, Lydia West – is a draw in itself.
The Other One
6 May, 9.30pm, BBC One & iPlayer
Ellie White and Lauren Socha play chalk-and-cheese long-lost sisters in this odd-couple sitcom from Holly Walsh. Series two sees the pair discover their philandering dad has also blessed them with a brother: cue more soothingly silly plotting and brilliantly pitched performances.
Tehran
6 May, Apple TV+
Finding the news a bit too relaxing? This Emmy-winning Israeli drama – about a Mossad agent who goes undercover in Iran in order to disable a nuclear reactor – should get your heart rate up. It returns with added Glenn Close, who joins the cast as a fellow agent. RA
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Games
Nintendo Switch Sports
Nintendo Switch, out now
Remember bowling and playing tennis on the Nintendo Wii? This sports medley (above) brings controller-waving fun back to the living room.
Trek to Yomi
PC, PlayStation, Xbox, out 5 May
A black-and-white action game with an aesthetic ripped straight from Akira Kurosawa’s classic samurai films. Keza MacDonald
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Albums
Kelly Lee Owens – LP.8
Out now
Despite this being only her third album, the Welsh electronic artist and producer (above) has said she titled it LP.8 due to its conceptual links to completion and infinity. Created in Norway alongside the noise artist Lasse Marhaug, it showcases a more abrasive electronic sound.
Bloc Party – Alpha Games
Out now
Six years after their transitional last album, Hymns, the enduring indie outsiders – who swapped out two members in 2015 – settle into their rhythm on this Nick Launay (Idles, Yeah Yeah Yeahs) produced follow-up. Last November’s frantic lead single Traps is a case in point.
Kehlani – Blue Water Road
Out now
The Californian R&B practitioner returns with her Justin Bieber-assisted third studio album, the follow-up to 2020’s excellent It Was Good Until It Wasn’t. That album’s occasional producer Pop Wansel takes the executive producer reins here, giving it a cohesive, soulful sound that anchors tracks such as the lead single Altar.
Toro y Moi – Mahal
Out now
Chaz Bear flits between personas with lightning speed. After releasing an EP under his more dance-leaning Les Sins guise in 2020, the South Carolina native is back to channelling psych, hip-hop and funk via his latest album as Toro y Moi. His musicality is on full display on recent undulating, bass-heavy single Postman. MC
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Brain food
Oprahdemics
Podcast
Historians Kellie Carter Jackson and Leah Wright Rigueur host this incisive podcast examining the enduring cultural phenomenon that is Oprah Winfrey. Each week they analyse how Oprah’s talkshow episodes cannily reflected the zeitgeist of the time.
@samseats
TikTok & Instagram
Cooking tutorials are ubiquitous, but chef Sam Way has made them into a social media artform over the past two years. Combining mesmeric editing with complex recipes, his posts cover everything from duck to deep-dish pizza.
Our Lives: Born Deaf, Raised Hearing
6 May, 7.30pm, BBC One
Our Lives, a uniquely informative strand of documentaries exploring the extraordinary lives of everyday Britons, returns for a new series. The first instalment follows deaf actor Jonny Cotsen as he examines his identity in a majority-hearing world. Ammar Kalia
