Dido & Aeneus
The miniscule Teatro Goldoni is the setting for a Baroque opera this week, Henry Purcell's 'Dido and Aeneus', a chamber work written for the girls' boarding school where the English composer was music master. It tells the story of the thwarted love between Dido, Queen of Carthage and her lover Prince. Dido's final lament before she stabs herself must be one of the most moving moments in the history of opera. The production has been given an 'Arab-Oriental-Colonial' setting on the shores of the sea of Carthage.
Arab Strap
Shuffling Falkirk lo-fi indie heroes perform a rare Edinburgh gig, with 'very special guests' promised.
Basketball: Miami Heat vs Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz may be old but they keep on winning games. Twice they have come within a hairsbreadth of winning the championship, only to be denied by Michael Jordan's wizardry on the court. But team captain Karl Malone will not retire until he has that championship ring on his finger. Known as 'The Mailman' because he always delivers, Malone and his point guard John Stockton are two of the greatest players in the history of the game. Tonight, they go up against the Heat, which has thus far performed better than expected without their star centre Alonzo Mourning.
Ray Charles
'Living legend' is one of the most overused cliches in music writing. But with Ray Charles, it merits dusting off and recycling. What else can one say about the man who virtually single-handedly invented soul music having taught himself to play the piano after being struck blind by glaucoma? There isn't space here to do justice to the variety and breadth of his back catalogue, but if we get even a small sniff of it here, we'll come away happy.
De La Guarda
Acclaimed pop theatre troupe De La Guarda has taken up residency in Las Vegas, and already it's challenging the conflicted sensibilities of the city. Though some find the show to be 'too sexy', De La Guarda's high-energy, interactive and avant-garde experience is in perfect sync with the Vegas's new Cirque du Soliel/Blue Man Group demographic. In a rave-like setting, intellibeams pierce thick fog as electronica thumps throughout the warehouse-like showroom. Patrons stand during the performance to allow them room to interact, an experience in itself.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Through the cupboard door lies a parallel universe called Narnia, into which kids travelled for mythical adventures under the pen of CS Lewis. Lucy draws her siblings through the portal for action, adventure, metaphysics and morality tales. Theatreworks/USA has turned this epic for the youngsters into a musical. CS Lewis himself might have been more inclined to sing rousing Church of England hymns through the whole thing, but here you're more likely to get Broadway-style showtunes.
Bruce Lee Festival
'Fist of Fury' firmly catapulted Lee into the stratosphere in terms of celebrity status. He went on to make such classics as 'The Way Of The Dragon' and 'Enter The Dragon' as the world's leading martial arts star. His premature demise in 1973 prevented him conquering the world but made him a legend and Hong Kong's most famous son. Catch these and other of his films at this festival, along with an exhibition celebrating Lee's life and work.
Big River
Based on Mark Twain's timeless classic, 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn', this family musical sweeps audiences down the Mississippi River following the hilarious, suspenseful and heart-warming adventures of the irrepressible Huck and his friend Jim, an escaped slave. With music by the king of country music Roger Miller and book by William Hauptman, this celebration of pure Americana includes such familiar songs as 'Muddy Water' and 'Leaving's Not The Only Way to Go'. Conceived as a vehicle to showcase Miller's songwriting talent, the 1985 Broadway production won seven Tony Awards.
