Front Row - 12/06/2009

Arts news and reviews. Helen Mirren returns to the stage as the eponymous tragic heroine in Phedre at the National Theatre. Professor of Classics and Drama at Royal Holloway Edith Hall reviews the production, which is directed by Nicholas Hytner in a version of Racine's play written by Ted Hughes. After creating the kind of northern town that nightmares are made of, The League Of Gentlemen's Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton discuss the inspirations for their dark TV comedy, Psychoville. Following news that architect Lord Richard Rogers has lost the job of redesigning Chelsea Barracks, architectural critic Hugh Pearman discusses the role of signature building projects in a recession. The 50th anniversary of the founding of Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is being marked by jazz events at the British Film Institute, with screenings of archive TV programmes featuring jazz musicians including Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone (both filmed live at Ronnie's), John Dankworth, Humphrey Lyttleton, Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, Stan Tracey and Courtney Pine. John Dankworth talks about composing music for films and his friendship with Ronnie Scott.