Must-see: Hannah Gadsby, Woof!
Six years and two specials after the star-making Nanette, Hannah Gadsby is in town with a new set. Gadsby’s love of dogs is by now well-documented, but while Woof! might be in part be named for their barking, it’s also an onomatopoeic approximation of the noise audiences sometimes make on hearing some of Gadsby’s jokes (those that can’t, for instance, be published here). It’s a show about the contradictions and hypocrisies woven into life, and about Gadsby’s idiosyncratic reactions to these.
November 4-8, The Palladium, lwtheatres.co.uk
Art fix: Anastasia Samoylova, Adaptation
Russian-born American Anastasia Samoylova is known for her vivid, hyperreal photographs — very much an instance of life in vivid technicolour. See for instance, the picture at the top of this page. Recent works, especially those documentingthe2017 Miami floods, have seen her star rise and now, Adaptation marks the first major survey of her works. Curated by Taous R. Dahmani, the show is a careful choice of her most affecting work from five of her biggest series (Landscape Sublime, Image Cities, FloodZone, Floridas, and Breakfasts). Her work is a document of both our changing planet, and our response to that change. Take time with it.
November 5-January 20, 2025, Saatchi Gallery, saatchigallery.com
Hot table: Andanza
By virtue of when it opened — in November 2020 — Andanza, above, unfairly never got the attention it deserved. You may remember there was something else consuming the world’s attention. But recently this tapas bar in an old bookie’s has become the place to go, and rightly so: not only is it a looker, with all its clever details — hand-carved oak counter, a TV showing only shows from the Eighties — but the food is gorgeous too. Go for foie gras pintxo, great long octopus legs slung over crinkled potatoes, a faintly heroic cheesecake. Good wine list, as well.
66 Weston Street, SE1 3ST, andanza.co.uk
Screen gems
Film: Heretic
Perhaps you have seen the cruel gaze of Hugh Grant on the Tube lately. Those eerie posters are for an even eerier film: Heretic. Expect a claustrophobic watch — a suffocating one, even — as Grant shows his sinister side. He plays a man called Mr Reed, who invites into his home two young missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (played by Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East). He invites them in, and then refuses to let them leave. What plays out is a disquieting exploration of religion, of its meaning and purpose.
From November 1, in cinemas
TV: The Diplomat
Tightly-wound Kate Wyler returns to Netflix tonight for a second season of the Diplomat. Expect Wyler to be her infuriating, not-very-diplomatic-for-a-literal-diplomat self as she’s back on duty appeasing international tensions, avoiding foreign crises, and shouting at her husband. New to the show is Oscar winner Allison Janney, who gets a promotion from her days as chief of staff in the West Wing, here playing US vice president Grace Penn. Expect crackling political tension, plenty of black tie, and lots of shouting about divorce.
From October 31, Netflix
The big read: The Price of Victory, A Naval History of Britain, 1815 – 1945, N.A.M Rodger
Reads don’t come much bigger than a 900-plus page book about British naval history. Rodger, who writes from his ivory towers (literally — he is a fellow of Oxford’s All Souls College) has good claim to be Britain’s greatest living naval historian. This work covers a 130-year period in (surprisingly) thrilling detail. Out now
Listen: Chromakopia, Tyler, the Creator
Three years after his last release, Tyler Okonma — Tyler, the Creator to fans — is back and with him is Chromakopia, his eighth album. Okonma has immersed himself in it: he’s not only performing the album, he’s written, arranged and produced the entire thing. Some going. Prepare to be immersed in his journey of change, and in exploring in his inner self. It is, as the name suggests, a colourful listen.
Streaming now
Don’t miss: The Savoy Cocktail Book
A fortnight or so ago, the Savoy held two big bashes to celebrate its 135th birthday. The stars showed up and put in quite the shift. To keep the celebrations going, there’s a new edition of the Savoy Cocktail Book out, with recipes for all the bar’s most celebrated drinks from across its history. The snag? It’s a limited-edition collectors’ item, so be quick before it’s gone. Or just pop into the hotel to try them yourselves — preferably on a Wednesday night, when there’s live jazz in the Beaufort Bar.
Available now
Book now: the Ninth
Jun Tanaka’s French-Mediterranean restaurant on Charlotte Street,theNinth, might have a Michelin star but it remains curiously undertheradar, which is unjust as it’s an absolutely blinding spot. Next month, it turns nine and is celebrating with a menu ofthevery best dishes to have come out ofthekitchen since opening, as voted for by its regulars.The£105 offering looks worth every penny:there’s a langoustine ravioli; a lamb and truffle en croûte; cured scallops.
The menu runs November 18-23 only, and can be booked at theninthlondon.com
