All Day

Hatshepsut: The Woman Who Would Be King

kanvas Dubai Unit 1, Al Khayat Art Avenue, 19th Street Al Quoz 1, Dubai

Actually, she was king (sort of). This "groundbreaking immersive show" covers the life of Hatshepsut (c. 1507–1458 BCE), the fifth Pharaoh of Egypt's Eighteenth Dynasty – ruling first as regent to her stepson Thutmose III, then as queen regnant. She dressed [... more]

AED 50

Hamilton: An American Musical

Etihad Arena Yas Island, Abu Dhabi

The multi award winning musical is making its Middle Eastern debut for an extended run at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena (to 11 February). Lin-Manuel Miranda’s book, music and lyrics have created something of a revolutionary moment in theatre – it’s [... more]

From AED 180

PLUMA

Festival City Mall Dubai

A circus experience (no animals!) under the big top, courtesy of Cirque du Liban. "Watch in amazement as our acrobats defy gravity, through the air with breathtaking precision"; the narrative, such as it is, concerns a girl (the titular Pluma) [... more]

From AED 95

Sharjah Light Festival

[various Sharjah locations]

Regular readers will know that magpie has always been a fan of the Sharjah Light Festival, the 13th edition of which runs 7 to 18 February. SLF is being joined by two more light festivals that have emerged in the [... more]

Free

André Butzer: Becoming Matisse

Carbon 12 Dubai

A solo show from one of Carbon 12's regulars. Butzer's style is characterised by "Disney figures painted by Munch": iconic characters, expressive language, deceptively careful use of colour, all done in "in honour of Henri Matisse" says the artrist. "Simultaneously [... more]

Free
Ongoing

Judit Böröcz, Bence György Pálinkás and Máté Szigeti: Singing Youth

Sharjah Institute of Theatrical Arts Calligraphy Square, Sharjah

The original Singing Youth is a larger-than-life memorial statue of three young people by Greek sculptor Memos Makris, a political refugee in Hungary. In 1953, the statue was installed in front of a sports stadium in Budapest; it still stands [... more]

Free

Paisan (Paisà): dir Roberto Rossellini (1946)

Manarat al Saadiyat Abu Dhabi

Rossellini’s follow-up to his breakout Rome Open City (Roma città aperta) is an ambitious and moving look at the final days of war in Italy and the confusion that follows in its wake. This classic of neo-realist cinema is presented [... more]

Free

Aakash Odedra & Aditi Mangaldas: Mehek

The Arts Center @ NYUAD NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

The second and final performance of the world premiere of a new dance piece, devised and performed by two of the pre-eminent South Asian dancers of their time – Aakash Odedra, well known to Abu Dhabi audiences from previous visits; [... more]

AED 105

Le Dîner de Cons

The Junction Unit H72, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

Francis Veber's highly successful modern French farce gets the Culture Emulsion treatment. Pierre Brochant is one of the Parisian businessmen who have a weekly 'idiots' dinner', where guests bring along a dimwit who can be ridiculed. Brochant finds an excellent [... more]

AED 150