What’s on in London – July 2017

As the premier grass court tournament gets underway, the world of professional tennis is experiencing something of a flux. With Novak Djokovic’s form in free fall and Roger Federer entering the autumn of an illustrious career, Britain’s Andy Murray should be anticipating a long period of supremacy. However, just before the French Open, Murray, too, began to falter and although he pulled it together and got to the semi final, alarm bells have started to ring. Second tier names like Stan Wawrinka and Milos Raonic are sensing that this year’s Wimbledon is their chance to break into the top bracket.

In the ladies competition, the big thing is that the mighty Serena Williams has taken time out from global domination to have a baby. Because their isn’t a solid top four or five in women’s tennis, this year’s Wimbledon is as wide open as it will ever be. No one is really in the driver’s seat and only a few weeks ago, Jelena Ostapenko, a plucky 20 year old Latvian took the French Open by storm, sweeping past established stars and all the way to the title. Her incessant attacking style will be one of the highlights at SW19. www.wimbledon.com 

Less political than Chelsea, but bigger and therefore more accessible, the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show is organised by the same Royal Horticultural Society team which virtually guarantees excellence and innovation. Split into themes, the show makes full use of the massive palace grounds and enables visitors to really get up close and personal with the exhibits. There’s plenty of picnicking space and live music from a couple of bandstands.

The show focuses on the healing effect that plants have on the community which is all too important in these uncertain times. Mental health, Brownfield Conservation and Urban Renewal are all themes that the RHS have invited garden designers to address. They all rise to the occasion, crafting beautiful and moving displays that stimulate the heart as well as the senses. A great way to reach the exhibition is by river boat. Leisurely cruises embark from Richmond and stop right outside the show: you can’t get that at Chelsea. www.rhs.org.uk

When it comes to live music, don’t let the elegant surroundings of Somerset House mislead you. It has in the past, rather predictably, hosted chamber orchestras and opera divas but the curators have been keen to push the envelope in recent times. Eclecticism seems to be the watchword for this season’s series of boutique concerts. Jazz, country, electronica and world music forms are all scheduled via a collection of international performers: some well known and others on the edges of fame, but all ridiculously talented.

Norah Jones brings the soulful voice and a country/jazz flavour that won her a boatload of Grammys. Her set will feature her latest album plus some old favourites. Alison Goldfrapp seems like Jones’s alter ego as she fuses lo fi tech with glamrock. Damien Marley continually builds on the legacy created by his late, great father, Bob while Robert Glasper and his cohorts are busy dragging Jazz into the 21st Century. 

This is the festival that is designed for those whose discernment will enable them to regard the Kew Gardens location as an ally of music and not a cynical cash in for Gen Xers. The setting is indeed idyllic but the talent on show will be only marginally chilled out. James are a band whose looks and sound has improved vastly with age and they’ll be keen to reclaim some of cred that was lost when Chris Martin wanly covered their indie power anthem, “Sit Down”.

Razorlight, Bluetones and Reef have a raucous day all to themselves and Reef, in particular, will be eager to rouse the festival crowd with air punching guitar riffs from their nineties heyday. The event closes with diva levels turned full up to “badass”, as Mary J Blige takes to the stage. Blige is the first generation RnB superstar, the soulful link between Whitney’s fragile glamour and Beyonce’s Run The World confidence. The years have in no way diminished her attitude-laden delivery or ability to incorporate Hiphop beats into traditional soul tunes. Expect the full 411 ya’ll! 

When two comrades return from a revolutionary war, one of them (Claudio) is able to pick up his love life right from where he left by proposing to his one true love, Hero. Flushed with the excitement of her acceptance, he then plans for a double wedding by getting Benedick, his friend, hitched to Hero’s cousin, Beatrice. So far, so blissful, except there is one major snag: Benedick and Beatrice’s seemingly unvarnished contempt for each other.

Everyone suspects that their verbal sparring is just a cover up for true passion and they’re right of course, but in trying to trick them into each other’s arms, Claudio sets off a train of events that jeopardise his marriage and even his life. The soul of this play is unarguably the delightful friction between Benedick and Beatrice, a double act so engaging that Shakespeare even makes them fall out again near the end. As a feminist prototype, Beatrice is up their with Boudicca and Emily Pankhurst even though she’s totally fictional.

When the Proms stop being accessible, that’s the time that they should pull the plug. This is because, with digital technology on the increase, it’s hard enough getting kids to concentrate on musical instruments without the classical music world throwing up elitist barriers. Thank goodness that the BBC continually prove to be a safe pair of hands in this regard. Their annual music festival is chock full of master classes, interactive recitals and movie excerpts with not a turned up nose in sight.

Take for instance this year’s performance of Dvorak’s New World Symphony. This immediately recognisable piece is broken down instrument by instrument with graphic displays and informative explanations before the orchestra thrillingly launch into the main themes. Sampling is also recognised as a valid method of music expression as the Bang on a Can All-Stars push themselves to the limit with household percussion accompaniment, much to the approval of young classical enthusiasts. 

A commitment to public art is now a fairly reliable way of gauging how serious a city is about promoting inclusiveness and quality of life. Thankfully, London, after a sluggish start has really started to get with the programme and it’s no longer startling to one across street sculptures that are not connected to a public building. Art is for everyone and should provoke a reaction: good or bad and the people behind the Frieze Art Fair have been bold pioneers in this regard.

Their summer programme consists of a series of installations in Regents Park where the parkland backdrop can really give the pieces a sense of context. Styles range from abstract to ethnically inspired to deeply personal and come in all sizes and materials. Stand out pieces are Thomas J Price’s African portraits; Reza Aramesh’s fantasy animal shape and a show stopping artificial tree made of bronze and white enamel by Ugo Rondinone.  www.frieze.com

It’s easy to forget that access to The Queen’s London residence is a fairly new concept and even then it was seen as a tourist side show which could be tucked away down a side street. True, most of the palace is still off limits but as the responsibility for curating this venue has passed to a more modern mindset, the presentation has taken on a more imaginative look and even blasé Londoners will find things that interest and intrigue.

This year there will be an interactive commentary to go with the tour, featuring a voiceover from none other than HRH, The Prince of Wales himself: Great for amateur impressionists! The most striking thing about the rooms are the wide range of priceless art on show. The Dutch Masters are particularly well represented with paintings by the big three of Rembrandt, Rubens and Van Dyck. This is because Britain had a particularly close bond with their fellow Protestants in Holland. They even kindly supplied us with a king once! www.royalcollection.org.uk

As London’s cultural and creative nexus shifts eastwards, events and venues in the area have been quick to take up relatively cheap space and have also used the area’s industrial past to flavour the way art is presented. Art Night is an annual exposé of various contemporary works that are designed to challenge and inspire. Choosing the later hours is no accident. Curators want people to be able to linger, chat and contribute without having to negotiate the endless crocodiles of tourists and school kids.

Venues such as Whitechapel Gallery and Christ Church Spitalfields will be showing bold new works by some of today’s most globally celebrated contemporary artists. There will be complimentary drinks, DJ sets and interactive discussions and most exhibitions will be free. Book a babysitter and head East for a nocturnal feast of culture.

Notting Hill, Wimbledon and now Hampstead. It seems that big money romcoms set in London can only be made if the area has a boutique cinema and an artisan mobile crêperie nearby. Seriously though, Hampstead is a film set in NW3 and not a film about NW3 so the ‘authenticity police’ should look elsewhere for their fix. Based on the true story of a homeless man (Brendan Gleason) who faces down some cold-hearted property developers, the film follows his struggles that are turned around when he falls in love with a quirky American widow (Diane Keaton, natch).

Of course, Hampstead has a moral running through, together with a strange back-story involving a ukulele playing estate agent (not anyone we know!). The moral is that life and love are more important than property values and when you get that, you’ll understand why the middle-aged romance had to be tacked on to all the land grabbing shenanigans. In the end, just as in Notting Hill, we uptight Brits are taught to hang loose, smell the roses or shake it off by our apparently more self-aware American counterparts. www.view.co.uk