{"id":2220651,"date":"2026-01-03T06:10:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T06:10:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2220651"},"modified":"2026-01-03T06:10:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T06:10:14","slug":"from-song-sung-blue-to-theatre-picasso-your-complete-entertainment-guide-to-the-week-ahead-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/from-song-sung-blue-to-theatre-picasso-your-complete-entertainment-guide-to-the-week-ahead-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"From Song Sung Blue to Theatre Picasso: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead | Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Going out: Cinema<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Song Sung Blue<\/strong>
Out now<\/em>
In 2008, an inspirational documentary about Neil Diamond tribute band Lightning & Thunder warmed hearts with its unconventional love story about Mike and Claire Sardina. Now it\u2019s been adapted into this drama, with all Neil Diamond songs present and correct, and Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman in the lead roles.<\/p>\n

Peter Hujar\u2019s Day<\/strong>
Out now
<\/em>Ben Whishaw stars as the photographer and artist-activist of New York\u2019s gay liberation movement, who photographed figures such as Susan Sontag, Fran Lebowitz and John Waters. Set over the course of one day in 1974, this is an adaptation of the book by Linda Rosenkrantz, played here by Rebecca Hall.<\/p>\n

Menus-Plaisirs: Les Troisgros
<\/strong>Out now
<\/em>Frederick Wiseman, the godfather of durational documentary, is back with a four-hour epic, observing a Michelin-starred family restaurant in rural France. If your appetite for this kind of\u00a0thing is insatiable, the year is starting on a high note: the new film plays alongside the BFI\u2019s retrospective of Wiseman films, touring nationwide to 31 January.<\/p>\n

No Time For Goodbye
<\/strong>Out now
<\/em>Prolific short film director Don Ng writes and directs his first feature, a romance that takes place after the paths of two immigrants, fleeing their home nations, cross in the UK. Starring Yiu-Sing Lam, Tsz Wing Kitty Yu and Teddy Robin Kwan, it won the jury prize at the Global Nonviolent film festival. Catherine Bray<\/em><\/p>\n

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Going out: Gigs<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/svg><\/span>True believers \u2026 Biffy Clyro.<\/span> Photograph: Eva Pentel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Biffy Clyro
<\/strong>9 to 21 January; tour starts Belfast
<\/em>The Matt Cardle-enabling Scots rockers returned last year with their 10th album and fourth chart-topper in a row, Futique. Songs such as the pummelling Hunting Season and the tear-stained True Believer should go down a treat alongside setlist staples such as Many of Horror and Mountains on this lengthy arena jaunt. Michael Cragg<\/em><\/p>\n

Hilary Woods
<\/strong>Cafe Oto, London, 8 January
<\/em>Released last Halloween, experimental Irish artist Hilary Woods\u2019s Night CRI\u00da album may have been a return to more song-based structure, but the results were no less unsettling and atmospheric. With creaking feedback, ghostly vocals and a kids\u2019 choir, it should perfectly suit east London\u2019s sparse\u00a0Cafe Oto. MC<\/em><\/p>\n

National Youth Orchestra<\/strong>
<\/em>Barbican Hall, <\/em>London, 4 January; <\/em>Warwick Arts Centre, <\/em>Coventry, 5 January; <\/em>Royal Concert Hall, <\/em>Nottingham, 6 January
<\/em>Alexandre Bloch conducts the latest intake of this unfailingly extraordinary collection of teenage talents. As has become the norm in recent years, their programme mixes the new with established classics: here Debussy\u2019s Ib\u00e9ria and Ravel\u2019s Rapsodie Espagnole frame Karim Al-Zand\u2019s City Scenes, while Inbal Segev is the soloist in Anna Clyne\u2019s DANCE for cello and orchestra. Andrew Clements<\/em><\/p>\n

Scott Hamilton
<\/strong>Pizza Express Jazz Club, London, 3 January to 7 January; Freemasons Hall, Chichester, 9 January
<\/em>US tenor sax great Scott Hamilton not only shows how jazz styles can still evolve, but how long-honed improv friendships do too. He has plenty of those, not\u00a0least the trusty UK trio that will\u00a0follow his every move on this seasonal visit. John Fordham<\/em><\/p>\n

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Going out: Art<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/svg><\/span>Pablo Picasso\u2019s Nude Woman in a Red Armchair, 1932. <\/span> Photograph: Tate Photography\/Succession Picasso\/DACS London 2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Theatre Picasso
<\/strong>Tate Modern, London, to 12 April
<\/em>Kick your new year alive with the energy and freedom of the greatest modern artist. Picasso\u2019s Three Dancers howl and cavort at the heart of this show, ecstatic yet haunted by death \u2013 art\u2019s equivalent of an F Scott Fitzgerald novel. It also includes The\u00a0Acrobat, Weeping Woman and other bangers.<\/p>\n

The Artefacts of Prediction
<\/strong>Manchester Museum, to 28 June
<\/em>What\u2019s in store? Human beings long to\u00a0know the future, from sombre economic analyses and weather forecasts to astrology and tarot cards. This exhibition dwells on the more supernatural and speculative side of prediction, in a survey of hocus pocus since 1900 and the bizarre and beautiful objects it inspires.<\/p>\n

Uncharted Territories
<\/strong>Modern One, Edinburgh, to 25 January
<\/em>Maps were once magical mystery tours of unknown places, populated by sea monsters and people with no heads. From the 1500s onwards western rationality made them factual and powerful instruments of conquest. Here artists including Mona Hatoum, David Shrigley and Grayson Perry restore the wonder to cartography in subversive ways.<\/p>\n

Secrets of the Thames
<\/strong>Museum of London Docklands, to 1 March
<\/em>The shores of London\u2019s river are crowded with relics of a city with a 2,000-year history. Tiles marked with paw prints of Roman dogs from ancient Londinium, clay pipes that may have been smoked by Shakespeare and 20th-century toys all abound as this survey of mudlarkers\u2019 finds reveals. Jonathan Jones<\/em><\/p>\n

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Going out: Stage<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/svg><\/span>Denise Gough and Billy Crudup in rehearsals for High Noon.<\/span> Photograph: Johan Persson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

High Noon
<\/strong>Harold Pinter theatre, London, to 6 March
<\/em>Screenwriter Eric Roth (Forrest Gump) adapts this gripping and Oscar-winning western. A gang of killers arrives on the train at high noon \u2013 but will Marshall Will Kane stand by his principles or his new wife? Billy Crudup and Denise Gough star. Miriam Gillinson<\/em><\/p>\n

Jack Rooke
<\/strong>Soho theatre, London, 6 to 10 January
<\/em>Before his brilliant, heartbreaking sitcom Big\u00a0Boys, Jack Rooke performed a one-man show about his father\u2019s death titled Good Grief. For its 10-year anniversary, the writer revisits his old material, riffs on his new \u201ctelly wanker\u201d status and reflects on his decision to artistically mine his loss. Rachel Aroesti<\/em><\/p>\n

Jack and the Beanstalk
<\/strong>Liverpool Everyman theatre, to 17 January
<\/em>The Everyman\u2019s rock\u2019n\u2019roll pantos are always a blast. This year\u2019s is written by Chloe Moss \u2013 with a group of actor-musicians bringing Jack\u2019s giant adventure to life. MG<\/em><\/p>\n

The Snow Queen<\/strong>
Theatre Royal, Glasgow, 3 to 17 January<\/em>
Scottish Ballet\u2019s winter offering is an icy tale that comes with the warmth of a circusey setting. It\u2019s a family ballet choreographed by\u00a0artistic director Christopher Hampson, based on the Hans Christian Andersen story \u2013 the same one that inspired Frozen. Designs are by the brilliant Lez Brotherston, music by Rimsky-Korsakov. Lyndsey Winship<\/em><\/p>\n

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Staying in: Streaming<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/svg><\/span>Dawn French and Mark Heap in Can You Keep A Secret?<\/span> Photograph: BBC\/Big Talk Studios\/Alistair Heap<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Can You Keep <\/strong>a Secret?<\/strong>
iPlayer & BBC One, 7 January, 9.30pm<\/em>
Dawn French rarely puts a comedic foot wrong, so this high-concept new\u00a0sitcom (above) about a controlling grandmother who pretends her husband (Spaced\u2019s Mark Heap) is dead in order to get a life insurance payout should be a dream vehicle for her talents \u2013 and a post-Christmas treat.<\/p>\n

Waiting <\/strong>for <\/strong>the Out
<\/strong>iPlayer & BBC One, 3 January, 9.30pm
<\/em>A stint teaching in a men\u2019s prison leads philosopher Dan (The Responder\u2019s Josh Finan) into crisis when his lessons dredge up memories of his traumatic upbringing and criminal family in this new drama from Dennis Kelly (Pulling, Utopia), one of our most underrated screenwriters.<\/p>\n

Bowie: The Final Act
<\/strong>Channel 4, 3 January, <\/em>10pm
<\/em>When Bowie died in 2016, he was universally lauded as one of the 20th century\u2019s most important artists. Yet\u00a0only a couple of decades earlier, he\u2019d been in the doldrums: critically mauled and creatively muddled. This documentary traces the stunning, strategic comeback that culminated in\u00a0his last masterpiece, Blackstar.<\/p>\n

His & Hers
<\/strong>Netflix, 8 January
<\/em>Oscar-tipped Tessa Thompson stars opposite The Bear\u2019s Jon Bernthal in this adaptation of British author Alice Feeney\u2019s twisty 2020 novel about a newsreader and her detective ex-husband who become embroiled in a murder case \u2013 and increasingly suspicious of each other. RA<\/em><\/p>\n

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Staying in: Games<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/svg><\/span>Echoes of the End.<\/span> Photograph: Deep Silver<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Echoes of the End
<\/strong>PS5, XBox, PC; out now
<\/em>Since new releases are still as rare as red-nosed reindeer and January is at its most miserable, why not transport yourself to a couple of vivid \u2013 and decidely warmer \u2013 fantasy worlds that may have otherwise passed you by in 2025. This beautiful, narrative-driven hack\u2019n\u2019slash adventure sees you play as Ryn, a \u201cvestige\u201d imbued with all the magic powers she needs to save her lands and kidnapped brother and homeland from an evil invading empire (aren\u2019t they all?).<\/p>\n

Tainted Grail: Fall of\u00a0Avalon
<\/strong>PS5, XBox, PC; out now
<\/em>A janky yet plucky high-fantasy RPG which takes Arthurian legend to dark, bloody, monster-festooned extremes. \u201cInfluenced\u201d by Bethesda greats Skyrim\u00a0and Oblivion to\u00a0such an extent it\u2019s amazing no one was sued. Luke Holland<\/em><\/p>\n

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Staying in: Albums<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/svg><\/span>We\u2019re not Worthy \u2026 Olivia Rodrigo.<\/span> Photograph: Miles Leavitt Photo & Film<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Olivia Rodrigo \u2013 Live from Glastonbury (A BBC Recording)
<\/strong>Out now
<\/em>As Glastonbury takes a fallow year, relive one of last year\u2019s headliners via this 20-track live album. As well as featuring two songs with the Cure\u2019s Robert Smith, the prosaically titled Live from Glastonbury (A BBC Recording) also includes versions of Rodrigo\u2019s own chart-mauling hits.<\/p>\n

Daniel Lopatin \u2013 Marty Supreme (Original Soundtrack) <\/strong>
Out now<\/em>
The prolific US musician returns with this sprawling soundtrack to Josh Safdie\u2019s ping pong drama Marty Supreme. Lopatin previously worked with Safide, and his brother Benny, on 2019\u2019s claustrophobic Uncut Gems.<\/p>\n

Ulver \u2013 Neverland
<\/strong>Out now
<\/em>Having recently dabbled in the more traditional, Norwegian genre-hopping trio Ulver indulge their more experimental side on this largely instrumental 15th album. Billed as \u201clate-90s IDM [meets] the meandering structures of post-rock\u201d, single Weeping Stone moves at\u00a0a\u00a0beautifully glacial pace.<\/p>\n

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith \u2013 Thoughts on the Future
<\/strong>Out now
<\/em>While last year\u2019s kinetic Gush album ventured into dance music, LA synthesist, producer and visual artist Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith\u2019s new EP slows the pace right down. Featuring three lengthy instrumentals, opening track I Miss the Way You Swim \u2013 inspired by loss \u2013 warmly wraps itself around the listener. MC<\/em><\/p>\n

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Staying in: Brain food<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/svg><\/span>SEND in the Spotlight.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

S<\/a><\/strong>end in the Spotlight<\/a>
<\/strong>Podcast
<\/em>BBC Woman\u2019s Hour presenter Nuala McGovern delivers necessary insights into the world of\u00a0special educational needs and disabilities in this new series. Episodes feature parents navigating the Send system as well as analysis of planned reforms.<\/p>\n

Disney\u2019s Living Characters: A Broken Promise<\/a>
<\/strong>YouTube
<\/em>Running at more than\u00a0four hours, this exhaustive and deeply researched video essay is a fascinating examination of the Disney empire\u2019s approach to creativity and profitability, which has coalesced in the decades-long mission to\u00a0create robots.<\/p>\n

Discovery: What <\/strong>Is Quantum?
<\/strong>BBC World Service, 5 January, 8.32pm
<\/em>Quantum theory is notoriously confusing. Marnie Chesterton celebrates a century since its formulation in this engaging documentary, asking leading physicists to explain how quantum theory affects our everyday reality. Ammar\u00a0Kalia<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.theguardian.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Going out: Cinema Song Sung BlueOut nowIn 2008, an inspirational documentary about Neil Diamond tribute band Lightning & Thunder warmed hearts with its unconventional love story about Mike and Claire Sardina. Now it\u2019s been adapted into this drama, with all Neil Diamond songs present and correct, and Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman in the lead […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2220652,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2220651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/From-Song-Sung-Blue-to-Theatre-Picasso-your-complete-entertainment.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2220651","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2220651"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2220651\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2220653,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2220651\/revisions\/2220653"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2220652"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2220651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2220651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2220651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}