Theatre

Annie the Musical
In a break from her usual bumbling, oops-I-fell-over type, comedy actor Miranda Hart will play spiteful orphanage owner Miss Hannigan in a new adaptation of the well-loved musical, which opens at London’s Piccadilly Theatre on Tuesday.
At Piccadilly Theatre, W1, 23 May to 6 January

Killology
Like Battle Royale, Westworld or The Hunger Games, this new three-hander deals in the apocalyptically awful notion that in the future we will be pitted against each other and rewarded for how brutally violent we are. Here, it’s a game in which players are rewarded for torturing victims. Things are obviously not what they seem, but expect a grim and gripping meditation on morality.
At Royal Court Theatre, SW1, 25 May to 24 June

Film

Spaceship
Out in cinemas now is this DayGlo-hued debut film by writer-director Alex Taylor, one for fans of Nicolas Winding Refn, Gregg Araki or Gaspar Noé. A hallucinatory headtrip and, in typical surrealist indie style, not easy to follow, it centres on teenage cyber-punks and goths in Hampshire who long to escape their dreary lives via unicorns, alien abductions and mind-altering drugs.
In cinemas now

Music

Mabel

Fans of 00s R&B and dancehall will find much to love in pop newb Mabel – daughter of Neneh Cherry – whose excellent new EP, Bedroom, is just out.
At Village Underground, EC2, 1 June

Comedy

Wells comedy festival
This Somerset gag-fest has drawn together a truly remarkable lineup. There’s a superb selection of hits (Stewart Lee’s Content Provider, Bridget Christie’s Because You Demanded It), but the work-in-progress events are often where the real gold is found. Look out for Aussie comic Sarah Kendall and the smart narrative sweeps of James Acaster.
At various venues, Wells, 26-28 May

Dance

Sgt Pepper at 50
Obviously one way of celebrating the half-century of the Beatles’ most celebrated album is to buy the reissue. But a far more interesting approach is the one taken by this questioning and tangential series of events taking place in Liverpool. What did it feel like to be a Beatle in 1967? Jeremy Deller ponders their ridiculous level of fame. Can things still be said to be Getting Better? Washington DC composer and producer DJ Spooky weighs the evidence. And can Pepperland be recreated on stage? The Mark Morris Dance Group has the answer.
At Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool, 25-27 May

Festivals

Hay festival
The usual glorious mixed bag at this celebration of all things lit, with highlights including Pussy Riot’s Nadezhda Tolokonnikova in conversation with human rights lawyer Philippe Sands; resolute remainer Nick Clegg talking to Matthew d’Ancona; Eddie Izzard live; Stephen Moss on writing about British wildlife; and BBC audio drama boss Alison Hindell on the art of the box set.
At Dairy Meadows, nr Hay-on-Wye, 25 May to 4 June

Exhibitions

Annette Messager
Last week for the artist’s London exhibition, a fun, feminist array of sculptures and acrylic works that appear to be smeared with blood.
Marian Goodman Gallery, W1, to 27 May

Picts and Pixels
A novel idea for an exhibition, blending old worlds with new, where visitors to the Perth Museum and Art Gallery will be able to explore the area’s Pict history through VR headsets and interactive 3D models of Pictish objects. Highlights include the cryptically inscribed Inchyra Stone and a facial reconstruction of the face of a Pict, alongside more traditional artefacts. The exhibition launched with an evening Museum Late yesterday (yup, it’s not just the Tate!); look out for more afterhours events before it finishes.
At Perth Museum & Art Gallery, 20 May to 12 August

California: Designing Freedom
The Design Museum’s new show, from 60s counterculture to Silicon Valley tech and imagery, suggests we’ve all turned into Cali-dudes.
At Design Museum, W8, 24 May to 15 October