arts byTim Lezard


Music > Dance Like It Never Happened Jonny and the Baptists Out now The new album by comedy duo Jonny Donahoe and Paddy Gervers tackles the unfunny topic of grief. You might recognise their hit single Farage or remember their funny, political tunes from the BBC’s The Now Show and the Infinite Monkey Cage; this album is a departure from that frivolity. Moving, personal and heartbreakingly witty at times, it is nonetheless an entertaining and surprisingly uplifting listen. Hear them perform the new album on tour in March and April. https://tinyurl.com/bdh5cncs


Various artists from Ireland February-April Ireland and London Ireland’s Music Network has announced a spring touring programme featuring traditional, classical and contemporary music. Its chief executive Sharon Rollston gushed: “Kicking 2022 off with four tours, three new commissions, two new collaborations and one brand new children’s music show that celebrates the power of staying curious at any age, there’s plenty to see us through the longer evenings until spring has well and truly sprung again.” https://tinyurl.com/ycknnddn


, Spotlight > Secret photographer


Vivian Maier – the photographer nanny – became famous only after her death when thousands of her negatives were discovered in a Chicago storage locker. Now the incredible story of her life is told for the


22 | theJournalist


first time in Ann Marks’ definitive biography. Maier worked as a nanny


for 40 years, secretly taking pictures on her days off and leaving behind a collection of more than 100,000 images when she died in 2009.


An exceptionally


private person who experienced difficulty forming relationships, she expressed herself through her photography, tirelessly advocating for the rights of workers, women, African people and Native Americans. She has been described as “a woman so creatively


gifted that her body of work would become one of the greatest photographic discoveries of the century”. This book, which


features 400 of Maier’s photos, many of which have never before been published, is a real treat. http://www. vivianmaier.com


interest. Better known as the first female speaker of the House of Commons, Betty Boothroyd performed in a high-kicking dance troupe, the Tiller Girls, before being elected to Parliament in 1973. The brilliant Maxine Peake (pictured below) has written – and will star in – this musical drama about her pre-politics days with the Dewsbury Players. https://tinyurl.com/4s3zks5n


Comedy> Friends: the Musical Parody On tour from February to May Friends never seems to be far from the news, whether it’s reunions or, in this case, a musical parody. Lovingly lampooning Chandler, Rachel, Ross, Monica, Phoebe, Joey and Gunther, this show celebrates our heroes’ work, life and love in 1990s Manhattan. https://tinyurl.com/yckvpbsc


Based on a true story, this new drama by multiple Bafta winner Jack Thorne explores the battle for disabled rights in the Britain of the 1990s. Featuring two disabled cabaret performers, it recounts how Barbara Lisicki and Alan Holdsworth met at a gig in 1989 and became part of the Direct Action Network, and the protests that put disabled rights into the spotlight.


And This is Me! Count Arthur Strong On tour After years on stage talking about others, the doyen of light entertainment, arts favourite Count Arthur Strong (played by Steve Delaney) has bowed to pubic [sic] demand and allowed himself to be talked into making a show about himself. I can’t wait. https://tinyurl.com/2s4kye48


Theatre > Betty! A Sort of Musical Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester December 2022-January 2023 This one’s already attracting a lot of


Peaky Blinders, The Rise Vanguard Theatre, Camden Summer 2022 Although not a big fan of Peaky Blinders, I am a big fan of immersive theatre, so might be tempted by this. This show promises to transport audiences back to the 1920s, joining gang boss Tommy Shelby and his family at familiar locations including the Small Heath betting shop, The Garrison and the bakery on Regent’s Canal. https://tinyurl.com/5xk2u2hc


Television > Then Barbara Met Alan BBC


Books > Marillion, Misadventures & Marathons: the Life and Times of Mad Jack Mark Kelly Written during 2021, keyboardist Mark Kelly’s autobiography charts the rise, fall and rise again of his rock band Marillion, and how they overcame the departure of singer Fish at the height of their powers. https://tinyurl.com/2p93zvnr


Exhibitions > The Art of Banksy


Exhibited in Miami, Sydney, Melbourne, Tel Aviv, Gothenburg, Toronto and Auckland, this unauthorised collection of privately owned canvasses, prints, sculptures and screenprints has come to London. Banksy is described as one of the most controversial and thought-provoking artists of our generation, and this provides a chance to see some of his famous pieces plus many lesser- known works on wood, paper and canvas. https://tinyurl.com/mry3xut9


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