London this week: theatre revivals, free films and wisteria in bloom (27 April–3 May 2026)
London’s cultural calendar is packed this week, with major theatre openings, last-chance exhibitions, a free neighbourhood film festival and a notable pub comeback — all rolling into the early May bank holiday weekend.
On stage, Maxim Gorky’s Summerfolk returns in a new adaptation at the National Theatre, set in a Russian seaside resort in 1905 as tensions simmer among a group of privileged holidaymakers led by Varvara (until 29 April 2026).
At Soho Theatre, Dean Street, writer-performer Christopher Brett Bailey brings I Saw Satan at the 7-Eleven to London for its premiere run — a screwball monologue that blends romance and body horror as a nameless narrator meets a washed-up devil buying soy milk (until 2 May 2026).
Also in the West End, Avenue Q is back, serving racy musical numbers and deft puppetry in a revival running until 29 August. And Crescent Cell, Sickle Moon stages an Afrofuturist journey across venues — many of them in hospital settings — following Bro, in pain in A&E, and Sis, piloting the Starship Wellness to find him (until 8 May).
Cinemagoers can head south-east for the New Cross and Deptford Free Film Festival, where Buena Vista Social Club, Showgirls and Zootropolis 2 are among the headline screenings across local venues. Short films — including works by local filmmakers — also feature on the bill, and every screening is free (until 3 May 2026).
Art lovers have one final week to catch the National Portrait Gallery’s survey of Lucian Freud’s works on paper, shown alongside selected paintings, recent acquisitions and etchings from the artist’s estate (until 4 May 2026).
Food and drink options include Rotate by Jimmy, a South Bank summer staple this year built around rotisserie cooking — with golden chicken or cauliflower prepared in full view and served with seasonal sides and sharing dishes (throughout the summer). Meanwhile, London’s legendary queer bar the Mother Black Cap has reopened after an 11-year closure.
Dating back to 1751 and named for the so-called “witch” Mother Damnable, the venue became a cornerstone of LGBTQ meet-ups from the 1960s and is once again buzzing with drag, karaoke and comedy. Spring is also making itself known outdoors: wisteria is blooming across the city, offering photogenic bursts of purple on streets and in gardens.
Looking ahead, the early May bank holiday weekend runs from 2–4 May, a chance to join a walking tour, catch a screening at an independent cinema or settle into a pub garden or rooftop bar. The rest of May brings a lively mix of music festivals, dog shows, art fairs, puppetry, hat-themed happenings, and a raft of new exhibitions and theatre — with two bank holidays to make the most of it.