A loud, rocking, R&B-inflected guitar force history history Themes to history be reckoned with. Settlement Manchester Academy Themes htm htm Oxford Rd (0161-275 2930) WedCLASSICALAriodante David Alden has a controversial reputation but this production has been unusually well received. The Settlement Borderline, London Themes WC2 (0171-734 2095) Themes MonThe Tony Rich Project (above) The rising star of American R&B visits these shores to promote his latest album, Words. Settlement htm The history Themes Mound, Edinburgh, to 14 JulyPOPRon Sexsmith Moody, inward, Canadian yet Settlement htm strangely elegant songwriter without obvious precedent. Elvis Costello rates him, as does guitar history hero Richard Thompson who he supports at the Albert Hall on Settlement htm Wednesday. A new exhibition examines the work of the multi-media artist.

V&A, London SW7, to 1 SeptThe National Gallery of Scotland A selection of work on loan from Boston's Museum of Fine Arts reveals a tradition of watercolour painting from Mornan's 1870s Wyoming landscapes to Hopper's anthropomorphised houses of the 1920s. RSC, Stratford Upon Avon (01789 295 623) to 16 MayTartuffe Jonathan Kent's boisterous but trenchant production is a vitriolically entertaining account of one of the great French comedies. Almeida Theatre, London N1 (0171-359 4404) to 15 JunEXHIBITIONSEve Arnold: A Retrospective (above) A stylish portfolio of political and artistic celebrity from the grand old lady of photo-journalism. Barbican, Silk St, London EC2, to 18 AugWilliam Morris Designing fabric and pottery, Morris was the father of the arts and crafts movement and outfitter to the middle classes. Theatre Mold, Clwyd (01352 755114) to 25 MayMacbeth Director Tim Albery returns to the theatre after lots of fabulous opera Catch previews of his invigorating new production. Adapted from the novel by Daphne Du Maurier, Hitchcock's shadowy, gothic love story has Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine looking as gorgeously vexed as ever.

Judith Anderson as manipulative housekeeper Mrs Danvers steals the show.THEATREDeep Blue Sea (above) Charting the lacerating love affair between Hester Collyer and feckless ex-fighter pilot Freddie Page, Terrence Rattigan's play dips into the clipped, reserved love of the middle classes. CINEMA Richard III This powerful adaptation drags Shakespeare's history play into the 1930s. A dazzling cast includes Annette Bening, Maggie Smith and Ian McKellen, the cinema's most sinister smiling villain for some time. Safe Todd Haynes' disturbing enviro-horror stars Julianne Moore as a LA Valley housewife suffering from a mysterious millenial malaise.Rebecca (above) The latest in a spate of Hitchcock re-releases, this is a genuine classic. Fill in form R85, available from either the Inland Revenue or the bank or building society with which you take out the bond.Escalator bonds are ideal for those investors looking for a reliable income with no risk to their capital, but they are not the only products available with these features.Non-taxpayers should also look at National Savings Income bonds or, if they are old enough, National Savings Pension bonds, while 20 per cent taxpayers should consider National Savings First Option bonds.Banks and building societies offering escalator bonds include Abbey National, Bank of Ireland, Bank of Scotland, Barclays Bank, Birmingham Midshires Building Society, Coventry Building Society, Dunfermline Building Society, Halifax Building Society, Leopold Joseph, Portman Building Society, Royal Bank of Scotland, Sun Banking Corporation, TSB and Woolwich Building Society.. It is paying an annual income of 6 per cent, rising to 7 per cent and then 8.5 per cent in year three.