$0 0 AR TS DIARY S' A monthly selection of

forthcoming events recommended by The Spectator's regular critics

THEATRE Married Love, Wyndhams (836 3028). Peter Luke's play about Marie Stopes — pioneer of birth control and the lover of Wells and Russell, amongst other things. Susan Hampshire takes the lead.

The Shaughraun, Olivier (928 2252). Dion Boucicault's hit 1874 comedy set in the west of Ireland. A strong cast includes Stephen Moore and Stephen Rea. Directed by Howard Davies.

The Merchant of Venice, Barbican (628 8795). London transfer of the RSC's powerful production starring Antony Sher as Shylock. Bill Alexander directs.

The Crucible, Belgrade, Coventry (0203 553055). Arthur Miller revivals continue with this production of perhaps his most celebrated piece, based upon the Salem witch trials of 1692. Christopher Edwards MUSIC

The Brighton Festival, 6-29 May (0273 676926), has Australia as its theme. There is a great deal of theatre and dance, and two large- scale operation productions: The Flying Dutchman and Janacek's Jenufa. The Australian Chamber Orchestra can be heard on 18 May in a programme of Schubert and Beethoven.

The Bath Festival, from 27 May (0225 63362), celebrates US culture in 80 different events. Paul Tortelier will play on the opening night in a duet recital with Geoffrey Pratley. More American fare will be available in the concert given by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra on 29 May, which features Aaron Copland's Clarinet Concerto and Stravinsky's Dumbarton Oaks Foncerto.

The Harrogate Spring Music Festival, 4-8 May, has the title 'Music from Vienna'. The main visitors will be the London Mozart Players under Jane Glover, who give concerts of Mozart and Strauss on 7 and 8 May. On 6 May the Academy of St Martin's Chamber Ensemble play music by Mozart and Schubert. All these concerts Will take place in the Royal Hall.

Peter Phillips DANCE Ondine, Royal Opera House (240 1066). The long-awaited revival of Ashton's three-act ballet, first performed in 1958 with Fonteyn in the title role and not seen since 1966. The score was specially commissioned from Hans Werner Henze and the designs are by Lila de Nobili. Deirdre McMahon CINEMA

On the Black 11111 (15). Andrew Grieve's fine adaptation of the Bruce Chatwin novel; identical twins grow up and grow old in the Welsh border country.

Ironweed (15). A chronicle of Irish American life: Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep play two wanderers who confront the ghosts of their pasts in Albany, 1938.

Wall Street (15). Oliver Stone's 'finance western'; Darryl Hannah, Charlie Sheen, and Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko, the man who had 'an ethical bypass at birth'.

Fireraiser is the controversial drama-doc about Sir Arthur (Bomber) Harris which was scheduled but not shown by Channel 4; it can be seen on 11 May as part of the Brighton Festival. Hilary Mantel CRAFTS Joanna Buxton: Intrepid Women — A Celebration of Women Travellers, Contemporary Textile Gallery, 10 Golden Square, W1 , 12 May-4 June. Magnificent, witty series of tapestries: Freya Stark, Gertrude Bell, Mary Kingsley etc.

Amelia Earhart tapestry by Joanna Buxton Mike Dodd: recent pots, Amalgam, 3 Barnes High Street, SW13, 13 May-1 June. Fine pots in the Leach tradition.

Iron in the Fire, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 10 May-19 June. Loan exhibition from Oriental Ceramic Society exploring the use of iron by Chinese potters. Tanya Harrod EXHIBITIONS Stories of Australian Art, Commonwealth Institute, Kensington High Street, W8. Major show of 19th- and 20th- century art from Down Under, over here till 29 May.

Dutch & Flemish Old Master Drawings, York City Art Gallery. Magnificent drawings largely from 16th and 17th centuries lent by University of Leiden.

Two Birmingham Painter Etchers, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. Works by distinguished local artists Raymond Cowern and Andrew Freeth.

Robert Herdman RSA 1829-88, National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh. Attractive large show to mark centenary of popular Scottish painter.

Festival Photographs, The Special Photographers Co., 21 Kensington Park Road, W11. One of the many original and attractive shows put on for the Portobello Festival.

Giles Auty OPERA Katya Kabanova, Glyndebourne, 19 May. First new production of this year's Festival, conducted by Andrew Davis, with Nancy Gustafson in the title role. In Czech, without Czech singers, but with surtitles.

Candide, Theatre Royal, Glasgow, 19 May. Jonathan Miller and John Wells direct a new production for Scottish Opera of Bernstein's operetta, conducted by John Mauceri.

Anna Bolena, Covent Garden, 30 May. Joan Sutherland returns to London to sing the title role in Richard Pascoe's new production of Donizetti's opera. Rodney 1V1ilnes POP MUSIC Van Morrison & The Chieftains (touring). Yes, it's Irish night, with grumpy Van's ethereal soul and the Chieftains' more demotic folk providing the year's most curious collaboration yet.

Fleetwood Mac, Wembley Arena, 18-25 May.Brilliant though Tango in the Night is, it will be interesting to see whether they can survive without the inspiration of guitarist/ producer Lindsey Buckingham.On stage, expect efficiency rather than

sparkle. Marcus Berkmann SALE-ROOMS The Moran Caplat Collection of designs from Glyndebourne (Christie's 11 May) is probably the most interesting sale this month. The only problem is that it clashes with the fancy evening sale, at Christie's in Monte Carlo, of Alfa Romeos, Ferraris and Maseratis. There are two auctions featuring doll's-houses (Christie's, 12 May, and Sotheby's, 19 May) and Phillips will be auctioning aircraft at Biggleswade on the 17th. Peter Watson GARDENS

The American artist George Olson has an exhibition of his plant studies and landscapes at the Museum of Garden History, St Mary-at-Lambeth, Lambeth Palace Road, London SE1, 6-27 May.

Exhibitions of works by 56 modern British artists on the theme of Kew, the British Garden will be held at the Botanic Gardens, Kew, and at CGA galleries in London, Bath, Farnham and Oxford, 12-31 May.A percentage of proceeds from the sales will go to the