Here's your guide to some of the best things to do in the week ahead:

 

  • Joni at 70: Ian Shaw Sings Joni Mitchell

Twice winner of the BBC Jazz Awards, UK singer, pianist, comic and broadcaster, Ian Shaw, will perform his highly acclaimed solo show which charts the stunning poetic and musically powerful output of this legendary and important force, from her early confessional collections to her later collaborations with Wayne Shorter and Jaco Pastorius.

ArtHouse, Tottenham Lane, Crouch End, Sunday, August 24, 7.30pm. Details: arthousecrouchend.co.uk

 

  • Thérèse Raquin

In a small dusty haberdasher’s shop in 1860s Paris, the young and beautiful Thérèse Raquin is trapped in a loveless marriage to her sickly cousin and spends her days confined behind the counter until one evening she meets the alluring Laurent and embarks on an illicit affair that leads to her abandoning all her inhibitions and loyalties. This is a radical new musical adaptation of Èmile Zola’s play about adultery and damnation.

Park Theatre, Clifton Terrace, Finsbury Park, until Sunday, August 24. Details: 020 7870 6876, parktheatre.co.uk

 

  • Top To Bottom, Karen Lodges Here By Matthew Pagett

Inspired by the ghostly Forty Hall tale of a young maid who fell pregnant by the lord of the manor, was locked in the cellar, died and is now said to haunt the main staircase, artist Matthew Pagett has ruminated on what became of her body and spirit of the maid. The graduate of the Royal College of Art has named her Karen Lodge and, informed by the field of forensic entomology, created finely-detailed drawings of the various insects that were attracted to her decomposing body, some drawn at an unnerving scale as reminders of the vagaries of the natural world surrounding Forty Hall and its human inhabitants.

Forty Hall., Forty Hill, Enfield, Until Sunday, November 2, free admission, Details: 020 8363 8196, fortyhallestate.co.uk

 

  • Tree Climbing

When was the last time you climbed a tree for fun? Come and join the great big fun, arboreal adventure and discovery in Ally Pally park.

Upper field by Deer Enclosure, Alexandra Palace Park, Alexandra Palace Way, until August 30. Details: 020 8365 2121, alexandrapalace.com

 

  • Camden Beach

Your summer just got better, as Roundhouse has brought in 150 tonnes of the finest sand, deckchairs, beach huts, ping pong, live music, tasty and ice-cold drinks to create north London’s very own free seaside resort. There’s also a season of new music.

Roundhouse (terrace), Chalk Farm Road, NW1 0EH, until Saturday, August 23, 12noon to 11pm (Mondays 5pm-11pm). Details: roundhouse.org.uk/camden-beach 

 

For a full list of events, see the Just the Ticket pages in this week's Independent Series newspapers in print or online here.