3714 March 2020 THE WEEKThe ListShowingnow
Kimono: Kyoto toCatw alkis “anilluminating
look at the garment’s evolution”,tracing its
historyfrom17th centuryJapan to now, and
taking in ceremonial robes,hautecouture and
Star Warscostumes along the way(FT). Until
21 June, V&A, London SW7 (vam.ac.uk).
Northern Broadsides tours its“enjoyablyfrothy
andinventive production” of J.M. Barrie’s
period romcomQuality Street,with anod
to it sconfectionerynamesake(The Stage).
Liv erpool Playhouse17-21March,Northern
Stage, Newcastle 24-28 March,and on until
13 June (northern-broadsides.co.uk).
Book now
Salman Rushdie, Bernardine EvaristoandEdna
O’Brienareamong the big names atthis year’s
CharlestonFestival,inthe charminggrounds
of the BloomsburyGroup’sEast Sussexretreat.
Early booking advised. 15-25 May,Charleston,
Lewes(charleston.org.uk).
Martin McDonagh’s darkly disturbingplay
The Pillowmanmakes itsWest Enddebut,
with Aaron Taylor-Johnsoninone of thelead
roles. 24 July-17 October,TheDukeofYork’s
Theatre,London WC2 (atgtickets.com).Just out in paperback
Machines Like Meby IanMcEwan(Vintage
£8.99) imaginesa1982where Alan Turing’s AI
research has resulted in manufacturedhumans,
“Adams”.This is the“darkand subversive
McEwan ofhisearlier books”notthe “stiff
andself-consciousone ofSaturday”(Guardian).Danceto thePiperby
Ag nesdeMille ,1951(NYRB
£13.99).Aninvigorating,
carefree autobiography by
the genius choreographer
ofRodeo,Oklahoma!and
Carousel.It’s packed with
grea tcharacters,especially
MarthaGraham,whose advice
to artists is :ignoredoubt and
criticism,ifyou don’t create
what youuniquely can, it will
neverexist.
ADeadMan’s Memoirby
MikhailBulgakov,1937
(Penguin£10.99). Alsoknown
asBlackSnow,thissatire of
Soviet society isafictionalised
accountof theauthor’s
intoxicationwith thetheatre,
thefamousMoscow Arts, that
almostdestroyedhis play by
producing it. Stanislavski
appears as agenius buffoon.
Acidic, topical,hilarious.The Fifth Childby Doris
Lessing, 1988 (Harper
Perennial £6.99). Thisnovel
typifiesLessing’s enthralling
ability tolead youinto
unexpectedworlds.Who
or what is this menacing,
inarticulatechildwhobursts
early from thewomb and
overwhelms hiscontented
family?Acreaturefrom
another timeor planet?
Or is he justtooradically
“other”to be cherished by
his sensible parents?The SteppeandOther
Storiesby Anton Chekhov,
1888 (Everyman £10.99).Almost everything Chekhov
wrote is also thebest thinghe
ever wrote, includingThe
Steppe,arhapsodic, minutely
deta iled tale ofanine-year-old’s
journey across Tsarist Russia.
He meets kindliness and
disdain, merchants,peasants
and priests, tranquility and
tempest–all the ingredientsof
the life that lies aheadofhim.TheKingdomby Emmanuel
Carrère, 2017 (Penguin£9.99).
In imagining how it might
have beento be aChristian
beforethere wasChristianity,
Carrère describes,in robustly
confessional terms, how he
evolvedintotheman heis.
Adeeplyphysical,spiritual
travelogueofhis ownmind,
it’s unlikeanything else.Bestbooks... DavidLan
The theatre producerand former artisticdirectorofthe Young Vic chooses
his favourite books. His memoir,As if by Chance: Journeys,Theatres,Lives,
is outnow,publi shed by Faberat £20
The Week’s guide to what’s worth seeing and readingKimono: Kyoto to Catwalk at the V&ATelevision
Programmes
Belg raviaJuli an Fellowes
returns toDowntonterritory
for this much-anticipated six-
part period drama about the
rise of London’s monied
classes. Tamsin Greig and
Harriet Walter star. Sun
15 Mar, ITV1 21:00 (60mins).Miss World 1970: Beauty
Queens and Bedlam
Documentary using archive
footage and interviews to tell
the story of the infamous Miss
World contest brought to a
halt by protesters in 1970. Mon
16 Mar, BBC2 21:00 (60mins).Kate&KojiBrenda Blethyn
and Jimmy Akingbola star in a
new odd-couple sitcom about
acafé owner and an asylum-
seeking doctor. Wed 18 Mar,
ITV1 20:00 (30mins).Taki ng Control:The
DominicCummings Story
Emily Maitlis examines the
role of the Prime Minister’s
enigmatic chief adviser, with
testimonies from his political
friends and foes. Wed 18 Mar,
BBC2 21:00 (60mins).Feel GoodSemi-
autobiographical series written
by and starring Mae Martin,
with Lisa Kudrow.Ayoung
comedian in recovery from
addiction embarks on a
whirlwind romance. Wed
18 Mar, C4 22:00 (35mins).Films
AQuiet Place(2018)A
fami ly attempts to survive
in apost-apocalypticworld
whe re the slightest noise
attracts deadly predators. Sat
14 Mar, C4 21:00 (105mins).ThePlace B eyon dthe
Pines(2012) Ryan Gosling
playsastuntmanwho robs
banks to provide for his
family, with far-reaching
repercussions. Sat 14 Mar,
BBC2 22:55 (135mins).Titles in print are available from The Week Bookshop on 020-3176 3835. For out-of-print books visit biblio.co.ukNewto Sky
TheTrip toGreeceSteve
Coogan andRob Brydonare
“backonchortlingform” as
they eat andarguetheirway
around theGreek islands,in
the fourth andfinal series
(FT).OnSky One.MartinFreeman starsin
Breeders,anewparenting
comedy that’s“truthfuland
profane”(RadioTimes).
On SkyOne.The Archers:what happened last week
Kirsty tells Johnny there are rumours going around Grey Gables about Freddie. Ben is expecting
acar for his 18th birthday; Ruth tries to manage his expectations. Shula is sad to see Freddie move
out. Johnny tells Lynda the real reason she saw Freddie with pills; she feels bad and promises to
put things right. Kirsty is worried about how much Philip is working. Gavin and Emma meet for a
drink at The B’s grand opening, and have an awkward encounter with Ed. Later, Emma tells Ed it’s
time to move on and getadivorce. Tom panics after losing the ring Natasha gave him.Lynda tries
to apologise to Freddie but he doesn’t wantto hear it.Phili phas managed to maketime for hisand
Kirsty’s mini-break;he’s also foundawedding venue. Ruth tellsPip th ey can’t affordacar for Ben.
Kirsty asks Tom if he minds not being invited to her engagement party; in fact, he’s relieved.
Freddie is worried about losing his job afterabroken pipe closes Grey Gables’ kitchens, but Roy
reassures him. Philip tells Gavinhe’llbe fixing the pipe on Sunday; Philip will be on his mini-break.