What To Do This Weekend 03.07.24
Get A Culture Fix
Slave Play
Jeremy O. Harris’ Slave Play, which has been nominated for more Tony awards (12) than any other play ever, landed in London last week. It transfers from Broadway to the West End with Robert O’Hara at the helm as director. For the London edition, Kit Harington (Game of Thrones), Olivia Washington (I’m A Virgo), Fisayo Akinade and Aaron Heffernan join James Cusati-Moyer, Chalia La Tour, Annie McNamara and Irene Sofia Lucio who are reprising their roles from the original NYC production. The play follows three interracial couples who try to reignite their relationships by signing up for a sexual performance therapy workshop, which involves role-playing being on a plantation. Critically lauded and loathed, the controversial play holds a mirror up to identity, race, sexuality and power in 21st century America.
Noël Coward Theatre, 85-88 St Martin’s Lane, West End, WC2N 4AP; until 21st September
Visit SlavePlayLondon.com
Get Feasting
The Chicago Roll At Hawksmoor
This week saw Hawksmoor open its second US restaurant in Chicago. To celebrate, the team has added a limited-edition Chicago Beef Roll to its menus. Made with dry-aged roast rump, topped with giardiniera (spicy pickled vegetables) and served with dipping gravy and lemon and rosemary fries, this messy mound of food sounds right up our streets. There will also be a pudding in the form of The Atomic Sundae, an homage to Chicago’s gravity-defying Atomic cake, which is a smash of three cakes, strawberries, custard, whipped cream, fudge sauce and roasted banana ice-cream. The Chicago Beef roll (£15 on its own or £25 with the Atomic Sundae and a drink) is available during Monday to Saturday lunchtime only.
Various locations; until 31st July
Visit TheHawksmoor.com
Explore A Hidden Spot
Eel Pie Island
Eel Pie Island is the small Twickenham mud-flat that was once a stomping ground for the likes of the Rolling Stones. The artists based there now are opening their doors to visitors this weekend – something they only do a couple of times a year. Entry is free to all; just walk across the footbridge to explore the island and see inside the workspaces of 26 artists, painters, sculptors and potters.
Eel Pie Boatyard, Eel Pie Island, Twickenham Embankment, Middlesex, TW1 3DY; 6th-7th July
Book Ahead
Batman Unmasked
This upcoming exhibition features a never-before-seen-in-the-UK collection of props, vehicles and costumes from Batman films spanning 1989 to 2022. Attendees can explore Gotham City-themed rooms and see the batsuits worn by Robert Pattinson, Christian Bale and Michael Keaton, along with the super-villain costumes of Uma Thurman’s Poison Ivy, Heath Ledger’s Joker and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Mr Freeze. Tickets start from £27.
45 Wellington Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 7BN; 6th September-3rd November
Visit FeverUp.com
Watch The Election
Cinnamon Club
Just a stone's throw from the eye of the storm, Westminster’s Cinnamon Club is hosting an All Night Election Party from 6pm on Thursday through to 11am the following morning. It’ll screen the results as they come in, with the kitchen open for dinner and midnight snacks, all the way through to breakfast. Of course, drinks will be on hand at the Library Bar for commiserations and celebrations.
The Old Westminster Library, Great Smith Street, Westminster SW1P 3BU
Visit CinnamonClub.com
Watch The Tennis
Ham Yard Hotel
The sport just keeps coming. Wimbledon started this week and there are some fun places to watch it around the capital. Our pick is the Wimbledon Terrace at Soho’s Ham Yard Hotel which is screening matches live from its courtyard for the first time. Amid some Wimbledon-inspired décor, guests can watch the action while enjoying afternoon tea served in picnic hampers alongside tennis-themed cocktails.
1 Ham Yard, Soho, W1D 7DT; until 14th July
Visit FirmdaleHotels.com
Try Something New
Crazy Boules
Following the success of Flight Club and Swingers, Crazy Boules is the latest innovation in urban gaming to hit the capital. A combination of boules and crazy golf, the site opens this Friday at Between The Bridges on the South Bank. Players will have to navigate their way through a custom-built, one-of-a-kind course, including ramps, jumps and other twists all in a quest to get their boule closest to the jack ball. Tacos, burgers, pizza and Thai dishes are available at Between The Bridges, plus it’ll be screening the England v. Switzerland game on Saturday.
The Queen’s Walk, South Bank, SE1 8XZ; from 5th July
Visit CrazyBoules.com
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