By Bobbi Carsley, Arts Subeditor and Sofia Lambis, News Investigation Editor
Epigram's Bobbi Carsley and Sofia Lambis kick off the Art section's recommendations for events outside of Bristol that students should head to see while home for the holidays. Looking first to London to see what exhibitions, museums and plays are showing that are definitely worth visiting.
The Play That Goes Wrong - The Duchess Theatre
Brought to you by Mischief Theatre, the company behind 'Peter Pan Goes Wrong' and the BBC’s 'The Goes Wrong Show', 'The Play That Goes Wrong' gives audiences a play within a play - a delightful show that goes drastically off the rails. Full of callbacks, capers and collapsing sets, it drags everyone from audiences to crew members into the mix. The production I saw included a sign language interpreter, and they’d added an extra skit onto a scene between the interpreter and one of the characters to include her in the comedy, which was great to see. It’s the longest running comedy of the West End, showcasing a kind of chaos that must require absolute precision to successfully pull off. Originally titled 'The Murder Before Christmas', it’s the perfect winter watch!
The Mousetrap - St Martin’s Theatre
Agatha Christie’s Mousetrap remains the longest running show in the West End (in February 2024 it celebrated its 29,000th performance)! The play recently featured in the 2022 comedy ‘See How They Run’ and follows a detective trying to solve a murder in an old house on a winter’s night. The epitome of cosy crime, it’s a classic whodunnit that invites you to play along. Can you guess who did it before the killer is revealed?
The Natural History Museum Exhibitions
As well as a T-Rex in a festive jumper and Santa hat, this winter the Natural History Museum has a variety of interesting exhibitions that you can explore. One of these is Visions of Nature, where visitors can use a mixed reality headset to experience a possible future 100 years from now. Giving you the chance to interact with eight different ecosystems, it offers hope that scientific developments and human intervention can help habitats recover. Their visually stunning Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibit also takes you on an incredible journey through the natural world and is well worth a visit.
Fragile Beauty: Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection- Victoria & Albert Museum
The selection of photographs currently on display in the V&A South Kensington are a literal snapshot into some of the most famous and iconic images in photographic history. Extracted from Sir Elton John and David Furnish’s private collection, the exhibition informs the viewer about the collectors’ personal tastes and interests and passion for different genres of photography. It’s incredible to see the physical prints of photographs that have defined decades, moments of national trauma and become emblematic of fashion and Hollywood icons. To see the world immortalised through the lens. This exhibition closes on the 5th of January so be sure to hurry before it ends!
The British Library Exhibitions
If you’re looking to learn more about history, pop into one of the British Library’s exhibits. Discover the lives of Medieval Women like Julian of Norwich in an exhibition that showcases over 140 extraordinary items, including a lion skull and the earliest known example of Joan of Arc’s signature. Their other exhibition, A Silk Road Oasis: Life in Ancient Dunhuang provides a glimpse into the lives of people who lived in the bustling town that connected China and the Mediterranean over 1000 years ago.
Japan House London
Step off the streets of Kensington and into the heart of Japan by going through the doors of Japan House London. A Japanese cultural, artistic and historic centre, Japan House 'provides an authentic encounter with Japan.' This free to attend venue has an expansive range of exhibitions, screenings and lectures that showcase the variety of Japanese culture. The house also invites all to learn more about Japan through different avenues in its library, shop, cafe and travel information section. One of the most incredible cultural venues in London.
