Plan your weekend: Top art and theatre to keep you entertained

We’re into the most congested part of the London cultural calendar, with top new art and theatre coming thick and fast. If you’re unsure how to approach your weekend, relax, we have you covered. 

THE POLTERGEIST 

The Poltergeist is a darkly comic story about Sasha, an art prodigy who had celebrities queuing up to buy his works but now lives in a rundown flat. What went wrong? Showing at one of London’s very best fringe theatres, this is a perfect way to celebrate spooky season in east London. 

• Arcola Theatre, until 29 October 

TRAINSPOTTING 

A new immersive version of Irvine Welsh novel Trainspotting has arrived. Strap in as Mark Renton and friends dive head first into the 1980s Edinburgh heroin scene. The production promises to make the audience “literally part of the show” including the infamous Worst Toilet in Scotland scene – presumably more fun that it sounds. 

• Riverside Studios, until 16 November 

I, JOAN 

This radical new version of the story of Joan of Arc won plaudits when it opened, partly for casting a trans person in the lead role. Our critic Adam Bloodworth said: “By putting a trans person in a leading role in a major production, The Globe has made history. It’s emotional, and let’s not understate this achievement. The hundreds of trans folk hugging one another on the South Bank certainly won’t.” It’s a brilliant show that ends soon, so go now. 

• The Globe, until 22 October 

THE DRIFTERS GIRL 

Another soon-to-close show, The Drifters Girl finishes this Saturday, so tomorrow is your last chance to catch this musical about the first ever African American music manager behind the famous musicians. 

• Garrick Theatre, until 15 October 

NEW AT THE TURBINE HALL 

Chilean artist Cecilia Vicuña brings her trademark “radical textile sculptures” to the world’s biggest art exhibition space, filling the height of the Turbine Hall with evocative, knotted fabric strips that pay tribute to her country’s indigenous history and culture. Her words are said to “explore the pressing concerns of ecology, community and social justice” – well worth checking out. 

• Tate Modern, until 16 April 2023 

DESIGNING SURREALISM 

One of our favourite London galleries, The Design Museum often flies slightly under the radar. This blockbuster exhibition will no doubt buck that trend. Artworks and objects from Man Ray, Salvador Dali, Marcel Duchamp and Leonora Carrington are displayed alongside pieces by contemporary giants including Sarah Lucas, Bjork, Tim Walker and Dior. The exhibition asks how the artistic movement impacted the design world, “from decorative arts and furniture to interiors, fashion, photography and film”. 

• Design Museum, until 19 Feb 2023 

REBEL, REBEL 

Iranian artist Soheila Sokhanvari takes over the Barbican’s installation space The Curve with a show that “explores the contradictions of Iranian women’s lives between 1925 and the 1979 revolution”. The space is hand-painted from floor to ceiling, with an original soundtrack. 

• Barbican, until 26 February 2023