Daily Info's recommended events for the week ahead, Thursday 22nd January - Wednesday 28th January
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No room for tim'rous beasties here! Burn's Night approaches and with it an EP of story, song, and a good jig or two...
Proud Scots, poetophiles and haggis-eaters unite! Your festival night is upon us. This Sunday is Burns Night, and to celebrate the birth of national bard Robert Burns there are a whole host of events, even this far south of the border.
If your heart whispers you to dance, White Horse Ceilidhs in Grove are hosting their winter ceilidh on Sat 31st, with Sunbird playing, and callers Jane Bird and Lucia Sing. There’s also a demo from step clog team Theale Tattoo at half time to give everyone else a breather.
If your heart whispers you to celebrate Burns’ writing first and foremost, head to the Story Museum. They also have a ceilidh (again the busy Sunbird are playing!) and Piper Richard Powell from Oxford Caledonian Pipes and Drums will accompany the Ode to the Haggis. Creation Theatre bring Burns’ poetry to life with dramatic readings in The Whispering Wood, and once you’re inspired you can write your own poetry in the Magic Common Room. There is food in the cafe and booze in the bar, and you can also explore the entirety of the museum after hours. But this evening is only for grown-ups: you must be age 16+.
If you’re here for the 80s, the puns (and the expats), head to The Star who are here to fete David Byrne and his Talking Heads. Sunday night, it’ll be Byrne’s bangers all night, with Scottish beer and a free shot for "big-ass oversized suits"!
And if it’s your stomach that whispers, prepare yourself for a maelstrom of haggis in some of Oxford’s top dining rooms. We recommend The Jericho, who offer a flight of whiskies (Glenfiddich 12YO, Glenmorangie 12YO and Johnnie Walker Black Label) to accompany a three course meal including Haggis, neeps and tatties, and Cranachan. Book a table this weekend and choose from the Burns Night menu. Browns Brasserie have a similar menu available this weekend, smoked salmon, haggis and cranachan, and suggested whisky pairings. Choose two (£26) or three (£32) courses, with suggested whiskies to accompany each course (£15). The Perch are doing a one-night-only Burns feast with venison and black pudding or salmon pate, haggis with oatcakes or chicken Balmoral or Cullen Skink fishcakes, and ginger steamed pudding or Atholl brose fool. You might almost think the chef is Scottish! (Spoiler, he is!) Two fancy-pants courses are £38, or three for £48. Our mouths are watering already.
Winter Ceilidh (Barn Dance): Grove Village Hall, Sat 31st Jan, 8 - 11.30pm. Tickets: £10 adults, £5 u16s.
Burns Night Adult Museum Late : The Story Museum, Sat 24th Jan, 7 - 10pm. Tickets: £26 (£15 students).
David Byrne’s Night : The Star (Rectory Road), Sun 25th Jan. Free entry.
This week is the perfect showcase of the city’s theatre scene, as we take in a classic, a musical, a high budget touring play, a student show with only the props you can fit in a suitcase. However you like your dram, it’s here for you.
Bobby is 35 and ready for change. How can he decide what to settle on? Acclaimed Oxford student company Fennec Fox stage Sondheim’s classic comedy Company, about growing up and settling down, and the cast includes Aaron Gelkoff who has already appeared in West End shows. It’ll get your toes tapping to some much-loved numbers, brought to you by actors themselves on the brink of change.
Something more spine-tingling is taking place at the Waterside in Aylesbury, courtesy of the queen of repressed chills, Patricia Highsmith. The Talented Mr. Ripley stars Ed McVey in the title role, a petty conman agreeing to bring home school chum Dickie from Italy. Instead Tom Ripley falls for the glamour of 1950s expat life, and obsession and deception follow, as the mission turns darker.
The drama of the beautiful game transfers from the pitch to the stage, in Dear England , starring David Sturzaker as Gareth Southgate. James Graham’s Olivier Award-winning play follows Southgate’s revolutionary style as England manager, turning around England’s fortunes with the help of team psychologist Pippa Grange (Samantha Womack). For more background on the play’s creation, see the four-part interview between Clare Balding and James Graham.
When the Quietude Bill limits every citizen to only 140 words per day, young couple Oliver and Bernadette find there are things you just can’t convey. Sam Steiner is a young playwright from Manchester and in his award-winning play, Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons, he explores free speech and communication, in democracy but also in the intimacy of relationships. A perfect play for the familiar confines of the BT.
Company: Oxford Playhouse, Wed 28th - Sat 31st Jan, 7.30pm & Sat matinee 2.30pm. Tickets: £15 - £25, student with ID £12.
The Talented Mr. Ripley: Aylesbury Waterside, Mon 26th - Sat 31st Jan, 7.30pm & matinees Thu and Sat 2.30pm. Tickets: £15 - £57.50 (plus booking fees).
Dear England: New Theatre, Tue 27th - Sat 31st Jan, 7.30pm & matinees Thu and Sat 2.30pm. Tickets: £15-£71.
Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons: Burton Taylor Studio, Tue 27th - Sat 31st Jan: 7.30pm. Tickets: £8 / £6 concessions.
We’ve got a divine selection of exhibitions for you this week - in some cases, literally. Heaven On Earth at West Ox Arts combines the work of WOA artists taking inspiration from six historic Oxfordshire churches. From initial sketches to full scale works, the spirituality of each place of worship is captured through the unique point of view of each artist.
Modern Art Oxford highlights the work of artists from Shadowlight Supported Studio, a collective platforming learning-disabled and neurodivergent creatives, with their new exhibit We’re Going To Need A Bigger Brush! This multimedia exhibit spans film, costume design, prop construction and more to explore the images and personas the world imposes on us, and the ones we create ourselves.
And for a truly unique gallery experience, Gallery JIB invites you to take tea and contemplate contemporary Korean art in their lived-in exhibition space. Cha Hwa Dam brings together artworks from Kim Seoul, Yang Sung Hoon, and Im Hyun Hee, allowing visitors to experience each piece in an intimate viewing environment that feels like home.
Heaven On Earth: West Ox Arts Gallery, until Sun 7th February, 11:30am - 4:30pm (2pm - 4pm Sundays). Free.
We’re Going to Need A Bigger Brush! : Modern Art Oxford, Fri 23rd Jan - Sun 22nd Mar, 11am - 6pm (4pm Sundays). Free.
Cha Hwa Dam : Gallery JIB, Mon 26th - Sat 31st Jan, 11am - 3pm (5pm Saturday). Free entry by appointment.
‘You Oughta Know’ what’s making its way to the Bullingdon this Friday. Armed with a full in-house band, A Night of Jagged Little Pill pays tribute to the seminal EP from pop-rock royalty Alanis Morrisette, now widely regarded as one of the 90s’ most influential albums. Show up for a heady buzz of 90s nostalgia - that’s some good advice you just have to take.
The Tap Social, meanwhile, brings together a triple bill of indie talent from right here in Oxfordshire. The Blue Almond Project performs soulful and moving compositions from cellist Lou Lyne, while Larkspur take us on a sonic tour of European folk tradition on strings and accordion. And we close with Brickwork Lizards’ unmatched combination of Arabic and pre-war swing influences.
Then we have one man, one keyboard and a whole night of hilarity with Jack McMinn’s debut work in progress at Curio Bookshop. The Musical Comedy award finalist and curator of the Oxford Comedy Archive tickles the ivories (well, the plastics) on such diverse topics as Irish passports, the famous Magdalen St. Tesco escalator and the probability of having a banana in his pocket.
And finally for those that love a good jazz standard, Oxford Classic Jazz honour the works of musical duo Rogers and Hart in Blue Moon , a retrospective on some of their greatest compositions. Including such favourites as ‘The Lady Is A Tramp’, ‘Bewitched’ and of course, the titular classic, this concert captures the timeless appeal of one of history’s most prolific songwriting teams.
A Night of Jagged Little Pill: The Bullingdon, Fri 23rd Jan, 7:30pm. Tickets £15.
Brickwork Lizards w/ Larkspur & Blue Almond Project: Tap Social Movement, Thurs 29th Jan, 7pm. Tickets £10.
An Evening of Musical Comedy With Jack McMinn: Curio Bookshop, Weds 28th Jan, 8:00pm. Tickets £5-6.
Blue Moon: West Oxford Community Centre, Sat 24th Jan, 11am - 1pm. Tickets £12 (£9 for WOCC members).
It's three weeks until Valentine's and Daily Info has a pair of prizes to give away for both lovebirds and Cupid-bashers. For those who want to treat their date to a night of music and candlelight, we have two tickets for the Valentine's edition of Candlelight Concerts . And for the more cynical hearts out there, we've two tickets to win for the Ultimate Picture Palace's Anti-Valentine's screening of Misery - because love means being your partner's number one fan. Both events take place on the big day itself.
To be in with a chance of winning all you need to do is send in a pro- or anti-Valentine's poem and Daily Info will pick our two favourite poems. Send your entry to valentines@dailyinfo.co.uk with your name and which prize takes your fancy. This competition will close at midday (GMT) on Tuesday 10th February with winners picked at random; check our competitions page for full T&Cs.
Image credits: Story Museum, ATG Entertainment, Shadowlight Artists (Film Oxford), Heartbreaker Photography, Mary Potter
