The Album to Buy: Confessions II
Wherever you’re dancing, and whatever you’re wearing, Madonna’s 15th album Confessions II could be part of the soundtrack to your summer. Teased by a track with Sabrina Carpenter and a six-song internet-stopping promo, in a world of collective ADHD, she certainly got our attention... Now about that biopic…
![Confessions Ii (translucent Red Vinyl) [vinyl]](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4LCXgCDjboJhcuyU5NUMZN-1920-80.jpg.webp)
The Exhibition to See: A Year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts about Painting
Pay homage to David Hockney with his first-ever Serpentine show. Running till 23 August, A Year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts about Painting has posthumously become a moving celebration of his magic. It's free to enter and you can book, or join a short queue on the day to see some of his iPad works and a select few paintings in dialogue with the surrounding nature of Kensington Gardens. Even in the city, it’s a bucolic scene with which, as much as LA swimming pools, Hockney has become joyfully synonymous.
The Film to See: The Odyssey
After the summer of Barbenheimer led to his Oscars sweep, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey sails into in to cinemas. The cast is epic (Charlize Theron, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya) and the best place to appreciate the technical intricacies is the Imax. A BFI fellow and filmmaking God to many, Nolan’s new work has already broken their records for advance bookings. Soak it up and celebrate cinema from 17 July.
The Theatre to See: Oh Mary
Toast America 250 with irreverent presidential history at the Trafalgar Theatre in Whitehall. Oh Mary is the untold story of Abraham Lincoln’s misunderstood spouse Mary Todd Lincoln. Catherine Tate stars in the title role until 18 July. After that, the play’s creator and original Broadway star Cole Escola takes over for a four-week run, giving London audiences a great chance to see the show in its Tony winning form.
The Theatre to Book: Abigail’s Party
‘I like olives, Beverly, and I’m twenty five percent of the assembled company…’ See you there, for a brilliant revival of the Mike Leigh house party horror Abigail’s Party. After rave reviews on tour for Tamzin Outhwaite and Kevin Bishop, suburban meltdown shimmies into the West End at the Harold Pinter Theatre running from 12 August-19 September. This is new life for a cult classic and a guaranteed summer treat.
The Books to Read: The Correspondent & Frenzy
The Women’s Prize winner this year rewards the pleasure principle, celebrating the kind of compulsive literary novel not out of place in a beach bag, and that is a compliment. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans is a celebration of the written word, telling a life through its letters. Evans has struck a nerve with readers hankering for a world where news travelled slowly. Alternatively, short stories are made for time poor readers. Reach for Joyce Carol Oates' new collection Frenzy, in which each short story is as psychologically diverting as a novel.
The Collaboration to Look Out For: The Burberry Beach Club at Hotel Belles Rives
Hotel Belles Rives on the water in Juan Les Pins, once the villa where F Scott Fitzgerald wrote, is flawless in my opinion, but Burberry have styled the beach club of this still sleepy spot for the summer season. As a connoisseur of great shirts (and indeed an astute observer of the art of shopping) would Fitzgerald approve of the best of British style taking over? Think about it on your lounger or over a glass of rosé on the beautiful terrace.
The TV Show to Stream: Westies & Lucky
Anya Taylor Joy in Lucky
The World Cup all the way but also some stellar performances for TV too. JK Simmons is reason alone to watch The Westies (from 12 July MGM+) which draws on real Irish mob power play in 80s New York. Alternatively, from the creator of Your Friends and Neighbours, Jonathan Tropper, Lucky stars Anya Taylor-Joy, Annette Bening and Timothy Olyphant (from 15 July, Apple) It’s a high-style, high-octane heist drama set and filmed in contemporary LA.