Monday
March
3
Fiddler
On The Roof
Paul
Nicholas promises an exuberant performance as the dairyman in
a Jewish village, doing his best to preserve tradition in a changing
Czarist Russia.
Tevye
dreams of riches and respect, but his traditional values come
under pressure when his daughters reject the matchmaker's advice,
and marry for love.
If
I Were A Rich Man and all the other songs of the original production
are there, and so is Jerome Robbins' dramatic choreography.
All
day long you'll deedle deedle dum...
Time:
7.30pm
Tickets: £7.50-£17.50
Venue: The Oxford Apollo
Until March 8
There's
a Time and Place
Younger
members of Chipping Norton Youth Theatre go through a working
day, using skills learned in their weekly drama sessions.
Time:
7.30pm
Tickets: £3.50 (concs £2)
Venue:
Chipping Norton Theatre
Tonight and Tuesday
Tuesday
March
4
Lady
Windermere's Fan
The
Oscar Wilde Society presents the Victorian wit's controversial
response to the traditional theatrical view of fallen women -
a social comedy that exposes the "dreadful irony" in
values of the age.
Time:
7.30pm (and 2.30pm Saturday)
Tickets: £8.50 (concs £6.50).
Venue: The Old Fire Station Theatre, Oxford
Until March 8
A
Foot in the Door
The
Mill at Sonning is the first theatre to stage this new comedy
by Richard Harris.
It revolves around an elderly widow named May who gets few calls
at home - except from people trying to sell her something.
Naturally,
she agrees to hear their sales pitch (sorry, that should read
"for a cuppa and a chinwag").
But
inviting them all round at the same time on the same night is
not what they're expecting.
The
dramatis personae include Jilly, who demonstrates electonic musical
keyboards, and a a decorator whose assistant, Angela, wears a
false moustache and hides behind him.
The ticket price includes a meal at The Mill's restaurant, with
the Thames flowing past your window. And no, you can't buy tickets
just for the show.
Time: evenings dine 6.30-7.15pm; performance 8.15pm. Matinees
(Sat and Sun) dine 12.30-1.15pm; performance at 2.15pm
Tickets: £26.50-£37.50 (includes meal/coffee)
Venue: The Mill at Sonning
Runs until April 6 (not Mondays)
Enter
A Free Man
Tom
Stoppard's comedy is the latest production from Thame Players,
in their recently-refurbished theatre.
Time:
7.45pm
Venue: Players Theatre, Nelson Street, Thame. Tel
01844 212012
Until March 8
Three
Fat Virgins
Ovidia Yu's play, set in Singapore, asks what it means to be a
woman in a rapidly modernising Asian society. 7.30pm.
Time:
7.45pm
Venue: Burton Taylor Theatre
Until March 8
Box
Square One Productions hunt for a quantum cat in a box of puppets
and people
Time:
9.30pm
Venue: Burton Taylor Theatre
Until March 8
Fiddler
On The Roof
A
Foot In The Door
There's
a Time and Place
Wednesday
March 5
La
Boheme
Oxford
City Opera and Oxford University Dramatic Society present "one
of the most popular operas ever written". Puccini's love
story is set in a bohemian world of passion, full of emotional
intensity.
Times:
2.30pm (Thurs and Sat), 7.30pm (Weds, Thurs and Sat) and 8pm (Friday)
Tickets: £8-£15 (concs £8-£13) - all performances
Venue: The Oxford Playhouse
Until March 8
Fiddler
On The Roof
A
Foot In The Door
Enter
A Free Man
Three
Fat Virgins
Box
La
Boheme
Thursday
March 6
Kemp's
Jig
Comic
actor Chris Harris presents his acclaimed account of the Nine
Daies Wonder - the morris dance between London and Norwich that
was performed in 1599 by the Shakespearean clown Will Kemp.
Kemp
was a bit of a thorn in the Bard's side, but nonetheless, he was
the one whose tomfoolery gave life to the characters of Dogberry
and Launcelot Gobbo.
Expect
a rumbustious evening of clowning and story-telling, and maybe
a morris dance if you're very, very good.
Time:
8pm
Tickets £10 (concs £8)
Venue: Chipping Norton Theatre
Fiddler
On The Roof
A
Foot In The Door
Enter
A Free Man
Three
Fat Virgins
Box
La
Boheme
Friday
March 7
Too
Hot to Handel
The characters and music of Handel's best-loved operas are brought
to smaller venues around the county.
They
include Semele, Acis & Galatea, Xerces, Judas Maccabeus, theodora
and Jepthta.
It's
all set in Rome - with a passing reference to Up Pompeii.
Time:
8pm
Tickets: £12.50(£10/£8)
Venue: Unicorn Theatre, Abingdon
Telephone:
01865 305305
Houriahh
London-based
Algerian singer Houria Niati comes to Oxford for this International
Women's Day event.
She
performers the
beautiful poetry of 9th Century Arab-Andalusian songs, accompanied
by oud player Keith Clouston - currently a composer at the Royal
Shakespeare Company.
Time:
8pm
Tickets: £7 (concs £4.50);
under 18s £2.50
Venue: Pegasus Theatre
Fiddler
On The Roof
A
Foot In The Door
Enter
A Free Man
Three
Fat Virgins
Box
La
Boheme
Saturday
March 8
The
Man Who Committed Thought
This
is story-telling with a distinctly African flavour, performed
in extravagant style by Patrice Naiambana - who's just finished
a run in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.
Patrice
plays all five characters in this tale of an English-educated
African lawyer, devoted to the Queen, and a peasant seeking justice
for a cherished cow that has been eaten by a greedy dictator.
We
are promised an evening of "passionate" theatre.
Time:
8pm
Tickets: £10 (concs £8)
Venue: Chipping Norton Theatre
Too
Hot to Handel
Entertaining
opera highlights - this time at Harwell. Click on the link for
more information.
Time:
7.30pm
Venue: Harwell Village Hall
Tickets from White Horse News, Harwell
Sid
Kipper - The
Parish Pump Show
One
of the best-loved comic performers on the national folk scene
comes to Sibford Gower with his dry wit and faintly absurd tales
of Norfolk life.
The
Parish Pump Show is presented as part of the Arts At Large rural
touring scheme.
Village
Hall, Sibford Gower, Oxfordshire 08/03/2003 Sid Kipper. 7.30pm.
Telephone:
Time:
7.30pm
Tickets: £6/£4
Venue: Village Hall, Sibford Gower, near Banbury Tel
01295
780025
Fiddler
On The Roof
A
Foot In The Door
Enter
A Free Man
Three
Fat Virgins
Box
La
Boheme
Sunday
March 9
A
Foot In The Door
Monday
March 10
Oxford
Gang Show
 |
| Expect
a colourful night at the annual Gang Show |
Another
edition of the enduring show that has a cultural significance
all of its own.
Members
of the Scouting and Guide movement from across the county - adults
too - do their stuff in a variety-style evening that's moved on
considerably from the days of the great gang show impresario,
Ralph Reader.
Inevitably,
some aspects of the evening will work less well than others, but
during any weaker moments you can marvel instead at the achievement
involved in pulling all this together.
Sadly,
you don't get your entertainer's badge just for turning up to
watch - but if you allow yourself to get caught up in the unique
spirit of the thing, you ought to enjoy yourself.
Time:
Mon-Fri 7.15pm; Sat 2pm and 7pm
Tickets: £2-£8
Venue: Apollo Theatre, Oxford
Until
March 15
Alice
in Wonderland
You're
halfway into Wonderland the moment you step inside Chippy's theatre,
with its fabulous pantomimic murals. The Storytellers Theatre
Company takes you the rest of the way there in this musical adaptation
of Lewis Carrroll's famous story.
The
performance is suitable for children aged three and upwards.
Time:
11am
Tickets £4
Venue: Chipping Norton Theatre
Dr
Faustus
If
you fancy a bit of a stroll with your theatre, then this ambitious
interpretation of the Elizabethan text is for you.
In-the-round
and promenade staging mean the audience is kept on the move, from
stage to stage.
It
features a female Mephistophiles, organ music, lascivious devils,
and a pope with a salami in his mouth.
Venue: Christ Church Cathedral
Time: 20:30
Prices: £11(£7/£5)
Tickets via Oxford Playhouse box office, Oxford 305305.
Tuesday
March 11
Moon
on a Rainbow Shawl
Errol
John's classic play is set in 50s Trinidad, where life if poor
but gossip rich.
The
various characters - some with aspirations, others struggling
to live - all live in apartments and share the same back yard.
A
theft in their neighbourhood shop places them all under suspicion,
and within a couple of days changes their lives forever.
This
is the first production involving Eclipse Theatre, a significant
UK-wide project designed to raise the profile of black acting.
The
cast includes Ram John Holder, known to TV viewers at Pork Pie
in the Desmond's series.
Time:
7.30pm (8pm on Friday); Thur and Sat mats 2.30pm
Tickets £8.50-£21.50
Venue: Oxford Playhouse
Until March 15
Loot
The
university theatre hosts Joe Orton's celebrated black farce, featuring
two thieves, a psychopathic policeman and a kinky nurse.
Time:
7.30pm
Tickets £5 (concs £4)
Venue: Burton Taylor Theatre
Until March 15
Sister
Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You
Christopher
Durang's topical and ruthlessly funny lampoon on Roman Catholicism
has been ranked as one of the most controversial American plays
of the last century.
Time:
9.30pm
Tickets £5 (concs £4)
Venue: Burton Taylor Theatre
Until March 15
1984
AGE
Productions presents an adaptation of George Orwell's prophetic
novel.
Time:
7.30pm plus Sat mat 2.30pm
Venue: Old Fire Station
Theatre, Oxford
Until March 16
Jericho
Comedy Club
Featuring
Anvil Springstien (former human anvil) and support act Susan Murray.
Compere: Silky.
Venue: The Jericho, Oxford
Time: 20:30 for 21:00
Cost: no details. Booking strongly advised.
Oxford
Gang Show
A
Foot In The Door
Dr
Faustus
Wednesday
March 12
Oxford
Gang Show
Moon
on a Rainbow Shawl
Loot
Sister
Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You
A
Foot In The Door
1984
Dr
Faustus
Thursday
March 13
Fame
- The Musical
Let's see now... here we have a play about performing arts students,
performed by performing arts students. Well, that ought to cut
down on the challenges of getting inside the roles.
This
is, of course, the heady mix of music, drama and dance that became
a hit film and TV series in the 80s.
It
tells the story of students and teachers as they work through
the dramas and traumas of life at an infamous "fame school".
A
professional production was in Oxford only a few weeks ago, so
the two interpretations might make for interesting comparisons.
Time:
7.30pm; Sat man 2.30pm
Tickets: £5 (£4)
Venue:Oxford Brooks Theatre at Harcourt Hill Theatre (formerly
Westminster College), Oxford
Tel 01865
305305
Until March 15
Sky
Burial
Another
show in celebration of International Women's Day - but on a different
day to the other one (which was last Friday).
Gelede
Dance and the contemporary chorus group SoundArk perform in a
work that explores greed, death and betrayal.
Menelva
Harry's choreography was inspired by a recent trip to China, and
has a strong martial arts motif.
The
work has been commissioned by the Pegasus Theatre.
Gelede
Dance is a professional company that emerged from the youth dance
work at the Pegasus. The
evening also features Spin-Off, the Oxford Youth Theatre dance
group.
Time:
8pm
Tickets: £5.50 (concs £3.50)
Venue: Pegasus Theatre, Oxford
Until March 15
Oxford
Gang Show
Moon
on a Rainbow Shawl
Loot
Sister
Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You
A
Foot In The Door
1984
Dr
Faustus
Friday March 14
As
You Like It
Sphinx
theatre company presents William Shakespeare's sublime romantic
comedy.
This
vibrant new production combines story-telling with music, dance
and film, but also echoes a feature of Elizabethan theatre, with
boys playing girls and girls playing boys - just as Shakespeare
did like it, in fact.
Time:
8pm
Tickets: £10 (concs £8/students £5)
Venue: Chipping Norton Theatre
Tonight and tomorrow
The
Snowflake Princess
Fizz Theatre Co presents a magical tale set somewhere between
the lives of Pinocchio and the Snow Queen, complete with mime,
dance, life-size puppets and stilt-walkers.
The
show is part
of the Arts
At Large rural touring scheme and is suitable
for children aged four to seven.
Time:
7pm
Tickets £4/£2.50
Venue: Bloxham Jubilee Hall
Tel 01295
721908 for tickets
Puppets
In The Wild
Lempen
Puppet Theatre Company tells a funy and adventurous tale about
a film maker who delves, somewhat innocently, into the mysterious
realm of... yes, wild puppets.
You
didn't know that puppets roamed wild in some places? It's more
of a parallel universe actually - but this show can take you there
and watch them in their native habitat.
Then
you'll go home and want to set your own puppets free. They won't
leave.
The
show is presented under the Full House rural touring scheme.
Time:
7pm
Tickets: £2.50 adult, £2 child, £9 family (two
adults and two children)
Venue: Village Hall, Spelsbury
Tel 01608 813055
Fame
- The Musical
Oxford
Gang Show
Moon
on a Rainbow Shawl
Loot
Sister
Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You
A
Foot In The Door
1984
Sky
Burial
Dr
Faustus
Saturday
March 15
Too
Hot to Handel
Opera
Anywhere's touring show comes to Sunningwell, Abingdon (click
on the link for more information).
Time:
7.30pm
Tickets: £12.50(£10/£8)
Venue: Village Hall, Sunningwell, Abingdon
Tel 01865
305305
Laughter in the Villages
Bob
Jones tells entertaining stories of villages and village people
as part of the Arts At Large rural touring scheme. Suitable for
families with older children.
Time:
8pm
Tickes: £6/£4
Venue: Village Hall, Fringford, near Bicester.
Tel 01869
277722
As
You Like It
Fame
- The Musical
Oxford
Gang Show
Moon
on a Rainbow Shawl
Loot
Sister
Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You
A
Foot In The Door
1984
Sky
Burial
Sunday
March 16
The
Big Do
Renowned
cabaret acts from around the globe, and other places. Expect surreal
moments (and don't be late!)
Time:
entertainment starts around 8.30pm
Tickets: £3.50 on the door before 9pm
Venue: Upstairs at The Jericho, Oxford
1984
A
Foot In The Door
