What To Do, See & Buy: The Master and Margarita; Rob Ryan; Heal's wine glasses; Lisa Edoff; Hogmanay party; The Frozen Thames

Class act

When theatre company Complicite debuted their adaptation of The Master and Margarita, it stunned critics and promptly sold out. Now back at the Barbican, tickets are going fast. The show breathes spectacular life into Bulgakov’s hallucinatory vision of Satan descending on Stalinist Moscow, along with a talking cat and a flying pig. £16-£42, until 19 January, barbican.org.uk

Season's eatings

Rob Ryan’s paper-cut designs have made him famous not just because they are pleasing to the eye, but thanks to his wonderfully optimistic, poetic sayings – this set, one plate for each season, makes a lovely New Year gift. £24.95, grahamandgreen.co.uk

Goblets of fire

New Year’s Eve and you want a bit of festive colour and sophistication. By midnight it could all go wrong, so it’s perhaps not the best time to bring out your finest crystal. Why not invest in these Heal’s wine glasses – colourful and elegant, but not so pricey that you’ll mourn the one destroyed during the dance at midnight. £5.25 each, heals.co.uk

Carried away

The Swedish designer Lisa Edoff’s hand-drawn patterns come with healthy doses of Nordic eccentricity. Her big blonde Alice with the March Hare and a poodle, drawn on a Scandinavian birch tea tray, sums up her vibe nicely. £28, notonthehighstreet.com

Stirling work

While the tourists are taking the turning for Edinburgh, head to Stirling for Scotland’s other Hogmanay party. Guests the Proclaimers are guaranteed to rabble-rouse ahead of midnight, when fireworks above the historic ramparts of Stirling Castle make for a memorable start to the year. The only downside? You have to learn the words to “Auld Lang Syne” and “500 Miles”. £25, stirlinghogmanay.co.uk

Cold cover

We probably won’t see the Thames freeze over again but it used to happen often. The Canadian novelist Helen Humphreys’ 2007 book The Frozen Thames – 40 finely-spun vignettes from the river’s winter history – has been reissued in an illustrated full-colour edition. Smarter than your average coffee-table book. £12.99, union-books.co.uk