HEADS UP!

The Broadway smash hit, Master Class, has transferred to London for a limited time only. It’s an extraordinary portrait of the life and loves of Maria Callas, the iconic opera singer whose turbulent private life and fiery temperament were as astonishing as her formidable talents. This critically acclaimed new show, inspired by Callas’ master classes of the early 1970s, is a musically moving portrayal of the sacrifice and heartache behind the artist, the diva and the legend. Starring Tyne Daly as Callas, this production also marks the 60th anniversary of her professional debut and the
 35th anniversary of her death. At 7:30pm. 404 The Strand, London WC2. Tickets: £52.50-£12.50. Box Office: 0845 434 9290.

30 JANUARY – Genticorum has become one of the most sought-after exponents of Quebecois musical culture, having now performed and toured across North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania – more than 15 countries in all. Firmly rooted in the soil of their native land, this energetic and original power trio also incorporate the dynamism of contemporary North American and European folk cultures into their music. They weave precise and intricate fiddle and flute work, gorgeous vocal harmonies, energetic foot percussion, and guitar and bass accompaniment into a jubilant musical feast. Genticorum’s distinctive sound, sense of humour and stage presence make them a supreme crowd pleaser – though never at the expense of the music. Tonight in London from 7:30 until 11pm at the Slaughtered Lamb. 34-35 Great Sutton Street, Clerkenwell, London EC1. Tickets: £12. Tel: 020 7253 1516.

1 & 4 FEBRUARY – Canadian Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts a pair of concerts this month with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at Royal Festival Hall. The first, on February 1 at 7:30pm is the finale of the Prokofiev opus featuring his startling Fifth Symphony along with his Symphony No 1 and his Violin Concerto No2. Tickets: £65-£9. At 6:15pm, Nézet-Séguin also conducts an exploration of the role of the cello during Prokofiev’s life. Admission free. Three days later, on Febuary 4 at 7:30pm, Nézet-Séguin conducts the LPO and the London Philharmonic Choir in a Bruckner concert where Christine Brewer, soprano, Mihoko Fujimura, mezzo-soprano, Toby Spence, tenor and Franz-Josef Selig, bass participate in this survey of Bruckner’s work. It includes his Christus factus est; Symphony No 9 and Te Deum. Tickets: £65-£9. An informal discussion with Nézet-Séguin follows the Bruckner performance. Admission free. Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1. Box Office: 0844 847 9910. or www.southbankcentre.co.uk

4 FEBRUARY – As part of jubilee celebrations, Sixty Photographs of Her Majesty The Queen, including the work of leading press photographers of the past six decades, goes on display at Windsor Castle today. The exhibition presents a portrait of The Queen’s reign as captured in fleeting moments on both official occasions and at relaxed family gatherings. For centuries the formal painted portrait projected the public face of kings and queens but wit the advent of photography, the boundaries between the officially approved and the spontaneously captured image of the monarch were irreversibly blurred. Today the image of The Queen is familiar to millions around the world. Her reign has spanned the appointment of 12 British Prime Ministers and 12 Presidents of the United States all of which are documented here. Also included are photographs taken around the UK showing The Queen’s personal involvement in the life of the nation through her many regional visits. And there are colourful photographs documenting trips overseas, including a visit to Mexico in 1975, to the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu in 1982, India in 1983 and to Canada in 2010. For more information, tel: 0207 766 7304 or visit: www.royalcollection.org.uk

8 FEBRUARY – Adding to the celebrations is the V&A’s exhibition of Cecil Beaton’s Portraits of Her Majesty The Queen exploring the photographer’s long relationship with Queen Elizabeth II, who was a teenage princess when she first sat for him in 1942. On display will be around 100 photographs of Her Majesty taken over three decades in her roles as princess, monarch and mother, including wartime photographs of Princess Elizabeth with her family, the official portraits of her Coronation Day, as well as tender images of her with her young children. Archive film and radio footage set the photographs within their original context and excerpts from Beaton’s diaries and letters reveal an insight into the working practice of a royal sitting. Daily from 10am. Cromwell Road, London SW3. Tickets: 
£5. Tel: 0207 942 2211.


13 FEBRUARY – Say farewell to the Emmy, Tony and Grammy award-winning comic Jackie Mason on his last UK tour. Back in London with his new show Jackie Mason’s Fearless, this is the stand-up comedian’s goodbye to Britain and the last chance for audiences to see one of the greatest stand-ups of all time. Mason’s dry, irreverent and decidedly politically incorrect humour has won him sell-out runs in the West End and a record-breaking 23-year stint on Broadway. And with a merciless look at British politics, the US presidential race and an acerbic view of everyday life, Mason’s new show sees the influential comic at his very best. At Wyndham’s Theatre until 17 March at 3pm and 8pm. Charing Cross Road, London WC2. Tickets: £75-£20. Tel: 020 7369 1736.

28 FEBRUARY – One of the most influential Italian artists of the twentieth century, Alighiero Boetti (1940-1994), is the subject of a major exhibition at Tate Modern opening today. Alighiero Boetti: Game Plan is the first large-scale retrospective of Boetti’s work to be held outside Italy in over a decade. It highlights his often playful exploration of numeric, linguistic and classificatory systems, as well as his engagement with the people and politics of Afghanistan where, in 1971, he set up the One Hotel in Kabul and began to work with local craftswomen to create large embroideries, the most famous of which are the Mappa. These world maps, in which each country is coloured with its national flag, record political change across the globe from 1971 to 1994, charting the independence of African states and the break-up of the USSR. The exhibition also explores the ways in which Boetti worked with exiled Afghans to articulate their political ambitions during the years of the Soviet occupation. Daily from 10am. Bankside, London SE1. For tickets, visit: www.tate.org.uk/tickets or tel: 020 7887 8888.