clARTS DIAR r A monthly selection of forthcoming events recommended

by The Spectator's regular critics

DANCE

Dutch National Ballet, Coliseum (071 836 3161), 9-13 July. Six performances of Rudi van Dantzig's production of Romeo and Juliet.

Ballet Nacional de Espana, Coliseum (071 836 3161), 16-27 July. First British visit by Spain's national dance company, directed by Jose Antonio.

Royal Ballet School (071 602 7856), Holland Park Theatre, 9-13 July; Covent Garden, 20 July. Annual school and graduation performances by students from White Lodge and Upper School. Talent-spotting time.

Deirdre McMahon

CINEMA

Thelma and Louise (Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon) are a housewife and a waitress who take off across beautiful Utah. The first feminist road movie is from Ridley Scott and shows men as double- crossing rats. American audiences have been cheering every time they are put down or blown up.

This year's Woody Allen-in- Manhattan-with-Mia-Farrow is called Mice. She is married to rich William Hurt, Joe Mantegna and Alec Baldwin are among the usual impressive support, and she has 'weird adventures' (down a rabbit hole?).

Topiary may seem a surprising theme for a Hollywood hit. Mad scientist Vincent Price invented Edward Scissorhands, who, like Freddy, has blades for fingers. This, however, is fantasy not horror and under the direction of boy wonder Tim (Batman) Burton, he prefers to cut hair and hedges. Mark Amory

OPERA

Don Giovanni, Lyceum, Sheffield (0742 769922), 2 July. Opera North launches yet another production of Mozart's ever-fascinating and problematic work, to be directed by Tim Albery and conducted by Paul Daniel.

Orfeo e Euridice, Covent Garden (071 240 1066), 5 July. Harry Kupfer's brutalist production of Gluck's opera returns, conducted by Hartmut Haenchen. The marvellous German counter-tenor Jochen Kowalski sings the title role: not to be missed by connoisseurs of the voice.

Salome, Mayflower Theatre, Southampton (0703 229771), 6 July; Palace Theatre, Manchester (061 236 9922), 9 and 12 July. Stephanie Sundine sings Oscar Wilde's heroine in Strauss's one-act masterpiece, atmospherically transferred to the Orient of the mid-19th century in Andre Engel's production for the Welsh National Opera. Rupert Christiansen

EXHIBITIONS

Virtue and Vision: Sculpture and Scotland 1540-1990, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, from 18 July. How sculpture changed in Scotland from the imported to home-grown.

Richard Long: Walking in Circles, Hayward Gallery. World's most famous artist-on-the-move brings great outdoors to the Hayward.

Magda Kozarzewska: Paintings 1976-91, Polish Cultural Institute, 34 Portland Place, WI. Figurative work by Polish artist who studied in England yet survived our art school isms.

'Zep', 1988, by Magda Kozarzewska Max Beerbohm, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Thirty original watercolour cartoons show why Max was the master. Giles Auty

GARDENS

Those who are bored with being told how lovely gardens are in the country will be cheered by the quality of a trio of gardens open in London in July. On 7 July (2-6), 32 Atney Road, SW15 offers a country house garden of mixed borders, terrace and woodland all squeezed into a 90-foot L-shaped space. On 14 July (10.30-5.30), Trumpeters House and Lodge, Old Palace Yard, Richmond will open to show off three acres of mixed garden on the site of the former Richmond Palace. An exceptionally fine plantsman's garden can be viewed behind 24 Grove Terrace, NW5 on 28 July (2-6) and shows what you can do with a long, thin plot — if you have the eye. Ursula Buchan

MUSIC

Festivals this month include Buxton (from 20 July); Cambridge (13-28); Cheltenham (6-21); Chester (20-27); Chichester (until 16); Dartington (from 27); Fishguard (20-27); Harrogate (from 26); King's Lynn (from 20); Lichfield (5-14); Llangollen (9-14; City of London (7-24); Ludlow (until 7); Warwick (3-14); York (5-14).

The Nash Ensemble are celebrating the centenary of the birth of Sir Arthur Bliss in the QEH and Purcell Room on 9, 11 and 14 July. Other composers represented

include Ravel, Stravinsky, Hoist, Bax, Vaughan Williams and Elgar. The Bliss works include his Viola Sonata, Ballads of the Four Seasons and Oboe Quintet.

The City of Birmingham SO continue their inaugural series in the new concert hall in Birmingham on 7, 13, 18 and 21 July. On 21 July they invite their audience to sing Handel's Messiah 'from scratch'.

Peter Phillips

POP MUSIC

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, touring, 1-20 July. Once notoriously gloomy electropop veterans who have bucked the usual trends by becoming more jolly and lightweight — and less good —as the years have gone by.

Bee Gees, Birmingham NEC, 6 July; London Wembley Arena, 7 July. Another long-serving act that seems to have lost its way of late. The Gibb brothers' last two or three albums have been unusually dull , but their old stuff still holds up well. You can tell by the way I use my walk that I'm a woman's man, no time to talk.... Marcus Berkmann

CRAFTS

Fine Words — Fine Books: Masterworks of Modern Calligraphy and Bookbinding, 9 July-31 August, Crypt of St Paul's Cathedral. Traditional and experimental work with a good catalogue. A must for bibliophiles.

Art in Action, Waterperry House, Nr Wheatley, Oxon, 18-21 July. I've never been to one of these annual hands-on events but they sound promising, with some excellent makers demonstrating.

Tableware by Sandy Brown, Vincent Gallery, Exeter, 9-27 July. Sandy Brown is a bit wild for your critic but her tableware is exciting and this is an excellent gallery showing the best West Country potters. Tanya Harrod

THEATRE

The Seagull, Barbican (071 638 4141), 11 July. Terry Hands's excellent production of Chekhov's great play transfers from Stratford to London. A fine cast includes Roger Allem, Susan Fleetwood and Simon Russell Beale.

Kiss Me Kate, Theatre Royal Plymouth (0752 267222), 8 July. Cole Porter's clever, funny and melodically inspired musical comedy opens here in a pre-tour run. An excellent cast includes Kate O'Mara in the lead.

The Coup, Cottesloe (071 928 2033), 18 July. A satirical new political play by Trinidad-born playwright Mustapha Matura. The plot turns upon events following a fictitious coup in Trinidad.

Christopher Edwards