Wednesday's top moments

Simon Pegg stars in Shaun of the Dead in cinemas across London
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PICK OF THE NIGHT

Great Women Poets
7.30pm, Purcell Room, South Bank, SE1. £8.50, £6 concs. Tube: Waterloo, Embankment
Carol Ann Duffy, arguably our finest female poet, reads from her impressive oeuvre and introduces some of the world's leading talents: Romanian Nina Cassian's majesterial work is richly layered and highly powerful, Elaine Feinstein has won universal acclaim for her tender biography of Marina Tsvetaeva, and her poetry won plaudits from Ted Hughes, while Scottish poet and playwright Liz Lochhead has a dazzling body of work. This promises to be a very special evening indeed.
020 7960 4242

FILM

Shaun of the Dead (15)
Across London Simon Pegg, Lucy Davis (Dawn from the Office) and Bill Nighy star in this "rom-zom-com", a slacker love story set in a suburb infested with the undead.

Carandiru (15)
Selected cinemas Hector Babenco's film, a huge hit in his native Brazil, charts the fortunes of a young doctor when he starts visiting Carandiru, an open prison with 8,000 inmates. An honest, appreciative and thrilling film.

SHOWS

Henri Oguike Dance Company
7.45pm, Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank, SE1. £10.40-£14. Tube: Waterloo, Embankment
The British-born choreographer is one of our most able crafters of dance, with a fresh, assured style and refined musical choices. Tonight sees a mixed bill of five pieces. Bewitching.
020 7960 4242

Democracy
7.30pm, Wyndham's Theatre, Charing Cross, WC2. £15-£39. Tube: Leicester Square
Michael Frayn's remarkable play charting the life of former German chancellor Willy Brandt has transferred from the NT to the West End. A fascinating portrait.
020 7369 1736

MUSIC

MTV Baselounge
8pm, CC Club, 13 Coventry Street (enter from Trocadero), W1. £14.50. Tube: Piccadilly Circus
Another of MTV's urban showcases, featuring Amp Fiddler's slick electronic soul, girl group The 411 - great British hip hop hopes - plus Mica Paris and Outlandish.
020 7845 9006

Amen
7.30pm, Electric Ballroom, Camden High Street, NW1. £10. Tube: Camden Town One of the most genuinely terrifying groups around - Casey Chaos leads his cohorts to London for a display of frantic metal punk.
020 7485 9006

Songs and Arias
7.30pm, St John's Smith Square, SW1. £10-£25. Tube: Westminster Dennis O'Neill and Ingrid Surgenor are among the performers in this programme of operatic works by Verdi, Puccini and others.
020 7222 1061

EVENTS

Piety, Passion and Progress
6.30pm, Auditorium, Tate Britain, Millbank, SW1. £7, £5 concs. Tube: Pimlico
Andrew Marr, the BBC's political hack who fought for Darwin's enshrinement as one of TV's Greatest Britons; A.N. Wilson, writer of The Victorians; and Michel Faber, author of the naughty Victorian pastiche The Crimson Petal and The White discuss the Victorian mindset.
020 7887 8888

Brilliant
Until 10pm, Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7. FREE!
Tube: South Kensington
This illuminating exhibition - to be switched off at the weekend - features nine installations by the world's best lighting designers, which range from the functional to the ostentatious.
020 7942 2000

COMEDY AND CABARET

Gavin & Gavin
8pm, Lowdown at the Albany, 240 Great Portland Street, W1. £6. Tube: Great Portland Street
The premise for the new show from sisters Lauretta and Sharon Gavin is that a documentary is being made to find out what it's really like being part of a little-known double act. Brilliant character comedy.
020 7387 5706

The Comedy Pit
9pm, The Roebuck, 50 Great Dover Street, SE1. £5. Tube: Borough
Three very different, but equally inspired comics are appearing at two clubs tonight. The Mark Knopflerand Bergerac-fixated Will Smith has a deft line in perniciously posh persiflage, veil-sporting Shazia Mirza has some razor-sharp Muslim gags, while Stefano Paolini is a sparkling impressionist, able to give Alastair McGowan a run for his money. They are also appearing at Silks and Spice, 11 Victoria Street, EC4, at 7pm.
020 7274 9951

... and for free

The Atheist's Tragedy
7.15pm, White Bear Theatre Club, 138 Kennington Park Road, SE11. £10, £8 concs, or FREE! Tube: Kennington
The belated London premiere of Cyril Tourneur's 1611 revenge tragedy. Action centres on the avaricious D'Amville, and in fine Jacobean tradition there's enough rape, greed and murder to fill a couple of series of Footballers' Wives. For free tickets, simply call the number below and quote Evening Standard Offer (limited to two tickets per caller).
020 7793 9193

If you would like your event to be listed, please email details to richard.godwin@standard.co.uk

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