Daily Info's recommended events for the week ahead, Thursday 16th April - Wednesday 22nd April
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Did you miss us? Now we're out of our post-chocolate fug, we're back with good books, local theatre, club classics and cowboys.
A friend said sagely that books were the most socially acceptable things to hoard, and if that vibes with you we have hoarding opportunities galore. First, for all books, maps and ephemera, from the rich and rare to the independent and surprising, head to Oxford Brookes where the PBFA Oxford Book Fair will be in residence. 75 booksellers will be offering anything and everything that’s been printed, from £2 - £20,000!
For discovering new books and delving deeper, book clubs are a great way to extend the private pleasure of reading into a sociable activity. For 8 - 12 year olds, the informal Junior Bookclub at Caper are going to read Popcorn by Rob Harrell, with local primary school teacher and librarian Chris Baker. You don’t have to read the book first (in fact the ticket price includes a copy) and as well as discussion there’s usually a crafty task too. Grownups have plenty of fun at Caper (https://caper.fun/grownup-events) as well, with regular book launches, discussion, music evenings and author interviews too. Or if you prefer la litérature de France you can join in with Alliance Francaise’s monthly meetup . You do have to read in advance for this, and the current book is Frappe-toi le coeur by Amélie Nothomb. AF’s website tells you more about this month’s narcissistic heroine, and about the club generally.
Two lovely events this Tuesday take the reader on antique journeys. In Blackwell’s, historian Dr. Jess Venner discusses her new book Lost Voices of Pompeii. She vividly recreates the final 24 hours of normal life in Pompeii, before the volcanic eruption buried the city in 79AD. Through the eyes of real residents, Venner brings the ancient streets to life, and explores these complex, diverse characters whose unique and genuine lives were cut short. Meanwhile in Woodstock, Carolyn Kirby’s talk Georgian Journey explores the travel writers whose accounts she used when researching her novel Ravenglass, set in 1745. Contemporary accounts, by writers such as Daniel Defoe, can give vital and specific background information about both places and people. There’s travel aplenty in Advolly Richmond's Short History of Flowers too, and the gardener, historian, presenter, and author discusses her book at the Ashmolean. Many flowers have surprising origins or historical uses, such as the lavish and exotic bougainvillea, collected by an 18th century female botanist disguised as a sailor. Richmond tells the tales, with rich botanical illustrations by Sarah Humphrey. The talk will be live online for anyone who can’t get to the Ashmolean, though that does mean you can’t buy the book afterwards quite as easily!
Oxford Book Fair: Oxford Brookes’ Sir Kenneth Wheare Hall (off Gipsy Lane), Sat 18th April, 12-6pm & Sun 19th, 10-4pm. Entry £2 or download a free ticket at the PBFA website.
Junior Book Club: Caper Bookshop (Magdalen Rd), Sat 18th April, 11am. Tickets £10 including copy of the book.
Alliance Francaise Book Club : Frappe-toi le coeur: St Margaret’s Institute, Sat 2nd May, 10.30am - 12pm. Tickets £12. Niveau intermédiaire-avancé, open to all.
Dr Jess Venner: The Lost Voices of Pompeii: Blackwells Bookshop, Tue 21st April, 5.30 - 6.30pm. Tickets: £6 entry alone / £22 entry plus book.
Carolyn Kirby: A Georgian Journey: St Hugh's Centre (Hensington Rd, Woodstock OX20 1JL), Tue 21st April, 8pm. Tickets: £10.
Advolley Richmond's Short History of Flowers Book Talk: Ashmolean Museum and Online via Zoom, Wed 29th April, 11am–12pm. Tickets: £8.
Serious theatre is afoot this week, with Oxford Theatre Guild staging T.S. Eliot in the Playhouse. Murder in the Cathedral explores the conflict between Church, State and shadowy forces. Thomas Becket might have been murdered in 1170 but Eliot was writing in the 1930s against a backdrop of the rise of fascism, and his masterpiece remains thought-provoking and relevant. OTG are an impressive amateur company and we anticipate a great production.
Altogether sillier, the Parry Brothers present Oscar Wilde’s classic comedy The Importance of Being Earnest at Pegasus. This homegrown theatre company take on Victorian mores, romance, alter egos, afternoon tea and the ever present threat of a haaaaandbag. Suitable for ages 12+, and with Pegasus’ modest pricing, a good classic to take a load of young people to.
If you want more control over your theatre experience, Kate Butch is offering a Choose Your Own Cabaret. She brings the trademark wit and impeccable dress sense, you bring the discernment to choose the best jokes, and together you can create a cabaret show with any of 8000 outcomes! Kate is a star of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, and her pet maestro extraordinaire is Jordan Paul Clarke. The evening show’s sold out, but afternoon tickets are still available.
And in that most intimate of spaces, the BT, Ned Blackburn introduces us to Johnny, an 18 year old in his last year at an all-boys boarding school, and invites us to view life through the lens of a young queer man. Johnny is in an intense relationship with rugby golden boy Harry, and navigating Grindr, hyper-masculinity and institutional shame. An Adequate Abridgement of Boarding School Life as a Homo includes strong language and partial nudity, as you might expect from the subject matter.
Murder in the Cathedral: Oxford Playhouse, Tue 21th - Sat 25th April, 7.30pm (plus Sat mat 2.30pm). Tickets £15 - £25 (+ £2.75 transaction fee).
The Importance of Being Earnest: Pegasus Theatre, Fri 17th - Sat 18th April, 2 & 7pm. Tickets: £10.
Kate Butch: Choose Your Own Cabaret: The Old Fire Station, Sat 18th April, 2.30pm (Meet & Greet afterwards). Tickets: Standard - £23, Meet & Greet - £35.
An Adequate Abridgement of Boarding School Life as a Homo: Burton Taylor Studio, Wed 22nd - Fri 24th April, 7.30pm. Tickets: £14/£12. Age rating 14+.
Bossaphonik are expanding your mind this Friday with the help of Afro-psychedelic sevensome Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness. BCUC's multilingual hip-hop and trance-infused rhythms carry with them the voices of South Africa’s diaspora in their hometown of Soweto, for performances that are both joyous and cathartic.
At the Library, One Foot in The Rave get the good vibrations going with drum ‘n’ bass, garage and hardcore galore for you to mosh to your heart’s content (although be careful, the venue’s a tight fit!). Sets from Andy the Strange, DJ Amateur Hour, Plain Old Matt and Rosie will keep your bpm up long into the night.
The Bullingdon treats us to two very different soundscapes next week. On Tuesday Divine Schism imports experimental symphonic rock straight from the Great White North as Earthball make their Oxford debut. Fresh off their winter release Outside Over There, the band’s chaotic and improvisational style makes each live show one-of-a-kind. They’ll be supported by freeform sonic artists Amberant and Pasteboard Masks. And things get electric on Thursday with Veridian, a night dedicated to house, techno and garage with wall-shaking sets from KAIJU and KD. Nightschool and Zelekta will also be on hand to spin some of their favourites, so whatever your preferred genre of EDM, you’ll find it here.
Bossaphonik - BCUC: Cowley Workers' Social Club, Fri 17th April, 8pm. Tickets £17 advance, £22 on the door.
One Foot in the Rave: The Library Pub, Sat 18th April, 8pm. Free.
Earthball, Amberant, Pasteboard Masks: The Bullingdon, Tue 21st Apr, 7pm. Tickets £8-12.
Veridian: The Bullingdon, Thurs 23rd Apr, 11pm. Tickets from £5.
We begin our flick picks with an ode to resilience, humanity and community in Rebuilding. When rancher Dusty is displaced by a wildfire, he begins forging bonds with fellow residents of a FEMA camp in Colorado, including his ex-wife and daughter. A compassionate and optimistic take on the modern Western, the film finds the softness behind Josh O’Connor’s rugged cowpoke.
Camus’ defining work of existentialism is put to screen in The Stranger, with Benjamin Voisin starring as the listless and disillusioned Meursault. When he is brought to trial for murder, Meursault finds himself contemplating the nature of life, death, and his relationship to the universe, in Francois Ozon’s adaptation of the French literary classic.
The Ultimate Picture Palace marks Record Store Day with a special showing of Stephen Frears’ High Fidelity, starring John Cusack as jilted music shop-owner Rob Gordon. Far more capable of understanding wax than women, Rob embarks on a journey through his ‘Top 5’ exes to figure out the cause of his romantic flops.
And lastly, are you prepared to face the terror of The Mummy? No, there’s no dashing Brendan Fraser in this one, but Lee Cronin’s The Mummy makes up for it with some chilling familial frights as a journalist’s young daughter miraculously returns after vanishing for eight years. Cronin’s already proven himself a pro at mixing domestic and supernatural horror in his instalment of the Evil Dead franchise, so we’re eagerly awaiting this premiere (while peeking between our fingers).
Rebuilding: Phoenix Picturehouse
The Stranger: Curzon Oxford, Phoenix Picturehouse
High Fidelity: Ultimate Picture Palace
Lee Cronin’s The Mummy: Oxford Cinema and Cafe, Vue Cinema
Our eyes are on Donnington for a couple of lovely community initiatives we want to spotlight - the first being Donnington Bridge’s Community Food Garden planting happening on Friday morning! Head on down between 10 and 12pm to plant a tasty selection of fruit, veg and herbs, with refreshments on hand from Donnington Doorstep’s community café.
And speaking of Donnington Doorstep, the team are offering help for local families in need with two local support workers, one for those with under 5s and one for one-to-one sessions with older children. They are also happy to offer donations, signposting and for- completing services, as well as free cooked food to take home (or they can deliver).
Interested in ways that YOU can help? Well, right now DD is looking for a sponsor to fund lidded cups in their drop in area, so parents and carers can enjoy hot drinks safely around young children. If you’re a local company interested in having your logo on the centre’s teas and coffees, get in touch with yarum.islam@donnington-doorstep.org.uk or text 07502 228088.
Image credits: Provincial Booksellers Fairs Association, Oxford Theatre Guild, Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness, Donnington Doorstep Family Centre
