This week we’re serving a Weekend Combo that includes apocalyptic cinema, lavatory theatre and abstract dancing. Just a standard weekend really.

Honey, the world is ending again
British auteur Alex Garland is the man responsible for 28 Days Later, The Beach and Ex Machina, and his latest offering Civil War sits comfortably in the middle of his genre-bending oeuvre. Set in a near-distant future, it’s a thought-provoking dystopian tale of a group of photojournalists attempting to navigate America during the outbreak of a Civil War, starring Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny and Nick Offerman.

Civil War is out in cinemas now. 

Portrait of a nation
Opening this weekend at Michael Hoppen’s new gallery space in Holland Park, a new group exhibition delves into the Japanese concept of ‘okashi’ – used throughout Japanese aesthetic history to refer to aspects that delight for their “strangeness, humour, or power to intrigue.” Compiling a comprehensive look at Japan’s visual identity through the work of some of its most prolific artists, the works range from the photography of Nobuyoshi Araki to Gen Ōtsuka’s compelling images of the Tokyo Ballet.

Okashi runs at Michael Hoppen Gallery until June 30th, more info here.

Five actors, fifty roles, one bathroom
Sam Grabiner’s audacious new play Boys on the Verge of Tears premieres at the Soho Theatre this weekend. Featuring a cast of five men who play fifty characters between them, the play takes place in a men’s toilet and is a brutal, tender exploration of what it is to be a man. Grabiner won the Verity Bargate Award for the play in 2022 and it is directed by James Macdonald who helmed the premieres of many of Sarah Kane’s plays when he was deputy director of the Royal Court.

Tickets for Boys on the Verge of Tears can be bought here.

Dance like nobody’s watching
Challenging perceptions around dance and age with works by iconic artists from around the world alongside London locals, Sadler’s Wells Elixir Festival is a two-week programme of performances, films, talks and workshops. Expect to see works from the likes of Germaine Acogny, Malou Airaudo, Louise Lecavalier and Ben Duke, penning compelling narratives through performance and dismantling preconceived ideas around dance.

Elixir Festival runs at Sadler’s Wells until April 20th, more info here. 

A Confession of My Sins
Rising to fame in the 1960s thanks to his figurative works, German painter, sculptor and graphic artist Georg Baselitz has since become one of the most prolific figures in contemporary art. Now in his 80s, Baselitz is reflecting upon a lifetime of artistic expression in his solo exhibition at Bermondsey’s White Cube, comprising a large body of new work created across a single year in his studio.

Georg Baselitz: A Confession of My Sins runs at White Cube Bermondsey until June 30th, more info here. 

Best looking sandwich ever
From the team behind TĀ TĀ Eatery and Solis, TÓU is the 1970s Japanese Americana-inspired sando bar serving up katsu sarnies. Taking up residency inside The Globe Tavern, the iconic Ibérico Pork Katsu Sando consists of Ibérico pork neck cutlet, cabbage, raspberry sauce and xo shallot sauce all beautifully arranged between lightly toasted slices of brioche – enjoy with a side of fries and finish up with a coffee and biscuits sundae.

TÓU is located at 8 Bedale Street, SE1 9AL, more info here.