Five of the best ... films

Vox Lux (15)

(Brady Corbet, 2018, US) 115 mins

Director Brady Corbet made a splash with his debut, prescient political fable The Childhood of a Leader. He follows it up with another ambitious, elegant parable, which takes in everything from school shootings to the music industry to international terrorism. Natalie Portman plays the older version of the central figure, a jaded singer trying to get her career back on track.

Eighth Grade (15)

(Bo Burnham, 2018, US) 94 mins

This much-admired film from YouTuber Bo Burnham has delivered a shot in the arm for the teen movie genre, currently drowning in Disneyfied Netflix landfill. Burnham has zeroed in on the anxieties surrounding the transfer to “adult” high school, and gets a great performance from his lead actor Elsie Fisher as vlogger Kayla, as she graduates from middle school.

Avengers: Endgame (12A)

(Joe and Anthony Russo, 2019, US) 181 mins

The second chunk of the Infinity War saga has already broken every box office record available to it, and it looks odds-on to overhaul Avatar as the world takings champ. Marvel has proved expert at stoking excitement for this winding-up of the current cycle of its cinematic universe, riding the wave of fan enthusiasm and blowback time after time and emerging stronger than ever. There is no stopping it.

The Curse of La Llorona (15)

(Michael Chaves, 2019, US) 93 mins

The boom in mainstream horror has gone slightly under the radar. This is the latest incarnation of The Conjuring and was a No 1 hit in the US. It’s a horror with a Mexican flavour, based on a south-of-the-border folk tale about a ghostly child-stealer who has transferred her attentions to a family in Los Angeles in the early 1970s, forcing a social worker to fend her off.

Loro (18)

(Paolo Sorrentino, 2018, It/Fr) 151 mins

Sorrentino’s fable of Italy’s recent political history provides a dynamic showcase for Toni Servillo, as Silvio Berlusconi in full “bunga bunga” mode – and also a scary blueprint for the rise of Trump and the mechanics of turning sleaze into power. Sorrentino oversaw this edit from his original two-part, 210-minute version.

AP

Five of the best ... rock & pop

Wu-Tang Clan, Public Enemy, De La Soul, DJ Premier

Normally, billing yourselves as “Gods of Rap” would feel somewhat excessive. But this package tour undeniably walks the walk too. While it remains to be seen how many members of the often-unpredictable Wu-Tang Clan will actually show up, this promises to be a whistlestop tour of some of the highest peaks of hip-hop’s golden age.
The SSE Arena, Wembley, Friday 10; touring to 12 May

Four Tet

On record, Kieran Hebden specialises in delightfully melodic trifles such as recent single Teenage Birdsong. But his live shows are excitingly varied, ranging from pulsing, slinky house to oddball electronica to surprisingly banging techno. There really is something for everyone, which presumably explains his ability to fill such a big room as Ally Pally for two nights.
Alexandra Palace, N22, Wednesday 8 & Thursday 9 May

Sounds from the Other City

This one-day fest started in 2005 and is now an annual fixture, boasting a shrewd selection of up-and-comers, all packed conveniently into a corner of Salford. Across the various venues, you will find the wonky post-punk of Black Midi, the joyous disco jangle of the Orielles, the psychedelia of Woven Skull, the sleek techno of Gabe Gurnsey and loads more.
Various venues, Salford, Sunday 5 May

Live at Leeds

If you are in the north of England, there isn’t much excuse not to spend your whole weekend at an urban music festival. This one manages a blend of reasonably well-established acts (this year Metronomy, Goat Girl and Kate Tempest) and promising locals (everyone lower down the bill). It’s a good mix, with guaranteed quality and the likelihood of a few new discoveries too.
Various venues, Leeds, Saturday 4 May

PH

The Bad Plus

The Bad Plus trio have won fans worldwide over two decades by celebrating and disrupting pop and classical anthems with ingenious jazz subversions. Although their co-founder Ethan Iverson quit in 2017, with exciting Philadelphia pianist Orrin Evans they open a new and different chapter. They’re a Sunday highlight of this bank holiday weekend’s ever-classy Cheltenham jazz festival.
St John’s Music Hall, E11, Saturday 4; Cheltenham jazz festival, Sunday 5 May

JF

Three of the best ... classical concerts

Tectonics

In the seven years since conductor Ilan Volkov dreamed up the idea of a weekend-long festival of new work – first in Reykjavík, then also in Glasgow – Tectonics has become a vital part of the British contemporary music calendar. With the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in residence, Volkov continues to curate the densely packed programme; this year’s event kicks off with Burdocks by veteran experimentalist Christian Wolff. Later concerts include world premieres from Martin Arnold, Mauro Lanza, Juliana Hodkinson and Saras Davachi.
City Halls, Glasgow, Saturday 4 & Sunday 5 May

Philip Glass: The Bowie Symphonies

Philip Glass’s Bowie symphonies provide one of the connecting threads through his vast output. The series began in 1992 with a work based upon David Bowie’s 1977 album Low; four years later, Glass used “Heroes” for his Fourth Symphony. He has now completed a Bowie trilogy: his 12th Symphony using music from Lodger. Conducted by Hugh Brunt and Robert Ames, the London Contemporary Orchestra give the 12th its European premiere, as part of the complete Bowie trilogy.
Royal Festival Hall, SE1, Thursday 9 May

Music from the Court of Louis XIII

Classical music ranks pretty low among the priorities at the Brighton festival these days. What little there is in this year’s programme begins with a visit from the French-based baroque specialists Ensemble Correspondances. They recreate the musical life around the lute-playing Louis XIII, with a programme of vocal and instrumental pieces, including extracts from the ballets performed at the king’s court.
Glyndebourne Opera House, Lewes, Sunday 5 May

AC

Five of the best ... exhibitions

Cy Twombly

This great American artist broke boundaries between painting and conceptual art, the contemporary and the past. These beautiful and thought-provoking works respond to the Natural History penned by the ancient Roman scientist and admiral Pliny the Elder, who died of extreme natural causes when he sailed straight into the AD79 eruption of Vesuvius.
Bastian, W1, to 15 June

Stanley Kubrick

The images that we remember from Stanley Kubrick’s films – the frozen form of Jack Nicholson in The Shining; the gently waltzing space station in 2001: A Space Odyssey; those majestic candlelit scenes in Barry Lyndon – have the stillness and sobriety of great art. Kubrick composed pictures in a way that makes this exhibition of his genius a must.
Design Museum, W8, to 15 September

Symbolist Prints

In the world of Odilon Redon, an eye can transform into a hot-air balloon. Redon is one of the late 19th-century symbolist artists shown in this encounter with one of the most original modern art movements. Decades before the surrealists, artists such as Paul Gauguin and Max Klinger were depicting mysterious dreams and fantasies. Klinger’s obsession with a woman’s glove produced one of the quirkiest print serials of all time.
British Museum, WC1, to 18 July

Peter Halley and Ugo Rondinone

Halley’s apparently abstract paintings of interlaced rectangles and linear labyrinths analyse the modern world as a sinister interconnected system. He has been seeing things this way since the 80s, but in the internet age his dark stylishness has never looked more contemporary. Here he collaborates with the surrealistic Swiss sculptor Rondinone, whose uncanny doors are reflected by maze-like paintings.
Modern Art, Vyner Street, E2, Saturday 4 May to 15 June

T Rex in Town

Dinosaurs have been culture stars ever since their discovery in the 19th century. Today’s most glamorous “terrible lizard” remains Tyrannosaurus rex, in spite of many new finds. This exhibition brings one of the most complete examples of its skeleton ever found to Glasgow. This is not a cast, animatronic model or digital creation; it’s the real thing.
The Hunterian: Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, to 31 July

JJ

Five of the best ... theatre shows

Death of a Salesman

Director Marianne Elliott is on a winning streak with revelatory reworkings of classic shows. First, she gender-flipped the central role in Stephen Sondheim’s musical Company. Now, co-directing with Miranda Cromwell, she is placing an African-American family at the heart of Arthur Miller’s American dream drama. The Wire’s Wendell Pierce, Sharon D Clarke and Arinzé Kene head a brilliant cast.
Young Vic, SE1, to 29 June

All My Sons

Hollywood has come to town! Sally Field and Bill Pullman have received glowing reviews for their performances in Jeremy Herrin’s solid take on Arthur Miller’s devastating drama set after the second world war. Field has just the right combination of steely resolve and raw vulnerability to make Miller’s play hit hard. Jenna Coleman and Colin Morgan provide support.
Old Vic, SE1, to 8 June

The Provoked Wife

Every comic actor in the UK has agreed to star in this Restoration comedy (only a slight exaggeration). Rufus Hound, Les Dennis and Caroline Quentin head a ridiculously sparky cast for John Vanbrugh’s play, which was performed to great outrage in the 17th century. It is about a terribly civilised lady who finds herself terribly bored and decides to spice things up with an affair. Sex, shock and scandal ensue.
Royal Shakespeare Theatre: Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, to 7 September

A Streetcar Named Desire

Irish director Emma Jordan tackles Tennessee Williams’s explosive drama about wilting southern beauty Blanche DuBois (played by Aoibhéann McCann) who runs away from her past, only to find herself trapped in a cramped apartment with her naive sister Stella and bruising brother-in-law Stanley. Ideas of consent and gender politics bubble strongly in this one, as well as social pressures around women and marriage.
Lyric Theatre, Belfast, Saturday 4 May to 8 June

Jude

Edward Hall completes his tenure as Hampstead Theatre’s artistic director with a new play from Howard Brenton. It all feels a tad predictable but hopefully Brenton’s loose reworking of Thomas Hardy’s novel Jude the Obscure will have real bite. The drama is set at Oxford University, where a young cleaner discovers she has a gift for languages and resolves to study at there, regardless of the class barriers that might lie in her way.
Hampstead Theatre, NW3, to 1 June

MG

Three of the best ... dance shows

Colin Dunne & Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui: Session

The latest in a series of duets by Belgian choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, collaborating with dancers from different cultural traditions. In this case it’s the talented and thoughtful Irish dancer Colin Dunne. Cherkaoui also has a new piece for the Royal Ballet, Medusa, in London this week.
Abbey Theatre, Dublin, Friday & 11 May

Breakin’ Convention

This annual festival showcases the best of global hip-hop theatre. Artistic director Jonzi D curates a broad programme including a piece taking on toxic masculinity, an all-girl popping crew and blisteringly talented dancers such as YouTube B-boy star Junior and 16-year-old B-girl Logistx.
Sadler’s Wells, EC1, Saturday to Sunday

Viviana Durante Company: Seven Deadly Sins

A rare revival of Kenneth MacMillan’s Seven Deadly Sins, based on the Brecht/Weill ballet chanté. The dual leading role is played by characterful performers: the Royal Ballet’s Laura Morera and cabaret singer Meow Meow.
Wilton’s Music Hall, E1, Wednesday 8 to 18 May

LW

Main composite image: Warner Bros; Rex/Shutterstock; Marvel Studios; Atsushi Nishijima/AP; Rubberlegz