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Theatregoers may enjoy heading down to London’s Trafalgar Studios to see a production of Willy Russell’s Educating Rita, starring Tim Piggot-Smith and Laura Dos Santos.

If travellers make their way from their hotel in London to the arts venue, they will be treated to a fine two-actor play that first appeared in the West End in 1980.

At that time, Julie Walters starred as the titular Rita and went on to star in a film alongside Michael Caine in the 1983 film of the same name.

Her part has been taken on by Dos Santos, who acted alongside Bill Nighy in a recent radio play of the story and starred in Look Back in Anger at the Jermyn Street Theatre recently.

The plot sees hairdresser Rita enlist the help of disillusioned lecturer Frank – here played by Piggot-Smith – as she battles her way through an Open University course and picks up the academic’s spirits along the way.

It is an uplifting story that will amuse and intrigue, with the production going on until October 30th 2010 at various times of the week.

Jeremy Sams directs this version of Educating Rita, which lasts about 100 minutes.

Tickets start from £15 and go up £39.50.

For more information on this event visit the Visit London website or contact the venue on 0870 0606632.

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Jeff Goldblum stars in a new theatre production entitled The Prisoner of Second Avenue, which will be running at London’s Vaudeville Theatre until September 11th.

There is sure to be plenty of interest from hotel London guests thanks to the appearance of such a big name in the cast, but no doubt the show itself will be very entertaining as well.

The actor may be more famous for his Hollywood work in major hits such as The Fly, Jurassic Park and The Big Chill, but he will be treading the boards alongside Mercedes Ruehl in this black comedy.

In an interview with the Guardian, Goldblum was full of praise for his co-star, stating that she is a lovely person, as well as a “master actor”.

Although he may be better known in many circles, Ruehl is certainly no slouch, having won an Oscar, a Tony Award and an Academy Award for her film work, but this will be her London stage debut.

The story of The Prisoner of Second Avenue follows Mel (Goldblum) and Edna (Ruehl) living in New York city in the 1970s and looks at how their family support Mel when he is made redundant and has a nervous breakdown.

Performances take place at various times from Monday to Saturday, with tickets starting from £49.50.

For more information on this event visit the Vaudeville Theatre website or contact the venue on 0845 4349290.

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Movie buffs may be excited to hear about a programme of films showing near London hotels entitled Retro Season.

It is being run by the Screen on the Green cinema in the capital, with a whole host of great flicks being shown every Saturday night at 23:00 BST between Saturday July 17th and September 4th.

There are all sorts of movies being screened, so there is sure to be at least one old film that people would love to see played at the cinema.

For action junkies, there is the Arnold Schwarzenegger 1984 classic The Terminator and fighter pilot mayhem in Top Gun.

If people want to see something a little more comical, they can head to the venue for the showings of cult British flick Withnail & I or some quality quips from Bill Murray in the original Ghostbusters film.

Elsewhere, there is the mysterious Donnie Darko, the Tim Burton-directed Batman, vampire fun in The Lost Boys and Tarantino cool in Pulp Fiction, which is showing on August 28th.

The venue has suggested booking in advance as it anticipates significant demand, with standard tickets at the cinema costing £10.

People can find the Screen on the Green on Upper Street, which is a five-minute walk from Angel tube station.

For more information on this event visit the Screen on the Green website or contact the venue on 0203 145 0525.

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Tourists could take time out from relaxing at their London hotel to visit the National Portrait Gallery and see the BP Portrait Award 2010 exhibition.

It is free to get in and this year showcases 58 different pieces, all of which are portraits of people – as the title suggests.

The prize of £25,000 helps attract the very best artists to this contest and this year there were a record 2,177 entrants, according to the venue.

“From intimate and personal images of friends and family, to revealing portraits of celebrity sitters, the exhibition presents a variety of styles and approaches that together illustrate the vitality of contemporary portrait painting,” the organisers explained.

They highlighted how there are three shortlisted artists whose work is on display – David Eichenberg, Michael Gaskell and Daphne Todd, who won first prize for her Last Portrait of Mother picture.

This year sees the launch of the Next Generation initiative, which showcases pieces inspired by the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

One interesting feature which is always worth checking out is the BP Travel Award, with the work of 2009 winner Isobel Peachey being displayed at the art space.

Opening hours for the exhibition are 10:00 to 18:00 BST, except for Thursdays and Fridays, when the museum stays open until 21:00.

For more information on this event visit the National Portrait Gallery website or contact the venue on 020 7306 0055?.

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A fascinating yet comical exhibition has opened at London’s prestigious Tate Britain art space called Rude Britannia.

The show, which is running until September 5th, will allow visitors attending from their London hotel to discover all manner of saucy or rude artwork from the 1600s to the modern day.

Rude Britannia is split into several sections, with each room being curated by a different person, many of whom are well-known outside of the art world.

For instance, the Absurd room is curated by comedian Harry Hill, while cartoonists from the Viz have combined with Gerald Scarfe and Steve Bell to organise the display of items relating to politics and social satire.

“Gasp, cringe, or have a sly chuckle: Rude Britannia will certainly cause a reaction. See politicians brought down to size and the great and the good exposed,” noted the venue.

There are all sorts of pieces on show in this unique exhibition, ranging from postcards and photographs to sculptures and paintings.

While there is plenty to laugh at, there is also a more serious side, as the organisers intend to show visitors the power of comic art in terms of satirising politics and society.

Entrance costs £10, with the venue opening from 10:00 to 18:00 BST.

If people are interested in pursuing a similar topic they could even head along to the Comedy Art Forum on July 15th, with Harry Hill confirmed to appear.

For more information on this event visit the Tate Britain website or contact the venue on 020 7887 8888.

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