THEATRE AND DANCE

Starting April with a throwback, remember TV’s The O.C.? Its girl-next-door lead Marissa Cooper, aka actress Mischa Barton, makes her UK stage debut in Double Indemnity at the Wycombe Swan from 7 – 11 Apr. Adapted from the same novel that inspired Billy Wilder’s film noir blockbuster, it’s a marvel of mystery and deceit with an edge of dangerous glamour. You’ll never look at life insurance in quite the same way again.

Craving more glitz and intrigue? High Society begins its UK tour at Wycombe Swan from (21–25 Apr) and it’s pure champagne energy, society wedding chaos and scandal in the wings. Helen George sparkles. Meanwhile Derren Brown is in the house at the end of the month (28 – 30 Apr) with mind-bending tricks and psychological wizardry in his new show, Only Human. Tickets will disappear before your very eyes — so grab one now.

Carlos Acosta Carmen Aylesbury — *Carmen*, photo: Cristina-Lanandez

Aylesbury Waterside Theatre is pirouetting into spring with a toe-tapping lineup this month. First there’s Honeycomb Festival from 7 – 10 Apr, showcasing dance and drama talent from a whopping 1000 young performers from Buckinghamshire and surrounding counties. Then there’s more spring flings in the form of Carlos Acosta’s Carmen (15 – 18 Apr). It’s all love, jealousy and Spanish heat, with Acosta’s Havana-based company bringing the fire.

And if you’ve not had your fill of simmering tension, Single White Female at MK Theatre from 21 – 25 Apr, ticks the dark humour plus suspense box. Starring Corrie’s Kym Marsh and actress and presenter Lisa Faulkner, the original thriller has been adapted for both the stage and modern times by journalist Rebecca Reid. Expect a gripping tale of ambition for the social media age.

We highly recommend that your RSVP ‘yes’ to Party Season at The North Wall from 28 Apr – 1 May. It’s a razor-sharp new comedy about privilege, party rings and the pressures of being a parent. All of the social niceties unravel over the course of three parties that take place during a single weekend, and it’s spicy and possibly searingly relatable stuff.

April’s theatrical finale is just as electic. Oxford’s Creation Theatre will transform the Ovada Gallery in the centre of the city into lamplit Victorian London for an electrifying adaptation of Jekyll & Hyde from 29 Apr – 17 May. As always, the dynamic theatre company places you in the heart of the action; it’ll be edge of your seat stuff.

EXHIBITIONS

Helena Clews The North Wall — *First Light, Inner Hope, Hope Cove* by Helena Clews

The blooms are out at the Iona Gallery in Woodstock. The gallery’s spring exhibition is running until 18 May and includes dreamy floral and landscape paintings by Cornwall’s Amanda Hoskin and bluebell and poppy adorned glasswork by Sussex based husband and wife artistic duo Vanda Zebrak and Peter Smyth. If the sun’s not shining outside, it is here.

Tranquility and treats for the eye are also promised at Turville Studios Open Day on 12 Apr. Admire the work of the six local resident artists spread across the barn, then pop by The Bull & Butcher pub opposite for a sensational Sunday roast or quick drink in the beautiful pub garden.

The walls of The North Wall in Oxford’s Summertown are all dressed up for spring. Mary Knowland: Lines of Enquiry, until 19 Apr, explores two different forms of drawing and painting: consciously created and free and easy. You can meet the artist at lunchtime on 15 Apr for tea, a talk and an informal tour of the exhibition (we’re all for taking your lunch break over here). Then Devon meets Oxfordshire in Helena Clews: From Seascape to Landscape from 21 Apr – 2 May. The award-winning artist is a former pupil of St Edward’s School, so she’s bringing it home.

MUSIC

Aaron Kavanagh Piano Icons — Aaron Kavanagh: Piano Icons

Have you watched Jessie’s Ware’s Ride music video? James Norton plays a sexy cowboy and it’s giving ‘disco western’. You can ride on down to the O2 Academy in Oxford on 7 Apr for Jessie’s full show – she’s touring her new album, Superbloom. If you’re more into indie rock, Scottish nineties/noughties band Idlewild are playing new songs and old favourites on 14 Apr. ‘In Remote Part/ Scottish Fiction’ always gives me the feels.

For strings that’ll stir you, iconic violinist Nicola Benedetti is playing Elgar with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra at The Sheldonian Theatre on 15 Apr in collaboration with Oxford Festival of the Arts. And for even more tingles, Radiohead Reimagined by Candlelight at Oxford Town Hall on 17 Apr arranges the Oxford band’s most loved songs in a whole new way. Think rich orchestral harmonies and raw emotion, all in the glow of candlelight. I’m not crying, you are.

Huey Morgan: An Evening of Music & Conversation at The Stables MK on 25 Apr promises a few more laughs and upbeat rap rock from the Fun Lovin’ Criminals frontman. It’s all going a bit galactic for the finale of the Amersham Festival of Music on the same evening. The chamber orchestra will play seven astronomic movements evoking the planets in St Mary’s Church. It’ll be conducted by the festival’s director Chris Hopkins, who won the Elton John Scholarship while studying at the Royal Academy of Music, among other accolades.

A seamless Elton John link here, because his hits are on the setlist for the eclectic, high-energy Aaron Kavanagh: Piano Icons show at Chipping Norton Theatre on 30 Apr. When Aaron takes to the keys, the room’s electric, and he’s got charisma by the bucketload too. Expect to hear everything from Bowie to Freddie Mercury, and yes, he hits the high notes. It’s the perfect joyful finale to April.

COMEDY

Snigger into spring at The Stables MK: Sara Pascoe is bringing her funniest pals along for an evening of stand-up on 10 Apr, then one-liner whiz Milton Jones is accompanied by fellow comics Shaparak Khorsandi, Stuart Goldsmith and Joseph Emslie on 21 Apr.

April looks seriously entertaining at the New Theatre Oxford: take your pick from Ghosts star Bridget Christie: Jacket Potato Pizza on 5 Apr, Tom Davis: Spudgun on 9 Apr (there’s a definite tuber theme here), Russell Howard: Don’t Tell The Algorithm from 16 – 18 Apr and Josh Widdicombe: Not My Cup of Tea on 25 Apr. The Oxford Playhouse is also playing for laughs with Suzi Ruffell: The Juggle on 11 Apr and Ivo Graham: Orange Crush on 29 Apr.

Finally, that Chipping Norton Theatre piano is getting a lot of love this month. Master impressionist and accomplished pianist Alistair McGowan: 3 in 1 brings comedy and classical music to Chippy from 21 – 22 Apr. His album reached number one in the classical charts after it debuted and he published a book of poetry last year, titled Not What We Were Expecting. He’s pretty bang on there.

BOOKS AND CULTURE

High Wycombe’s giving Hollywood a run for its money from 16 Apr for the Fisheye Film Festival. See up-and-coming films created by local, UK and international filmmakers, pop along to talks and stay tuned for the competition winners. Previous cinematic gems have gone on to win BAFTAS, so you could watch the next big hit before anyone else.

The big hitters are hitting Soho Farmhouse later in the month for the fourth annual Soho Summit from 22 – 24 Apr. The red carpet will be rolled out over the Oxfordshire fields for the likes of Pamela Anderson, Salman Rushdie, the Rivals cast, Charlie Mackesy, Jo Malone CBE, Taika Waititi, Jack O’Connell and Hannah Waddingham. Even the hosts have celeb clout: Dermot O’Leary, Clara Amfo and Amol Rajan will all be on the mic. You need to be a member to nab a ticket: if there were ever a time to network and fork out, it’s now, because when else might you bump into Salman Rushdie and Pamela A in the same vicinity.

Save the date for 25 Apr, when the new, very slick Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities in Oxford is throwing an Open House. It’s an exciting taster of what the cultural and educational hub has to offer: there’s ZooNation’s vibrant excerpt of Alice in Wonderland’s The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party in the theatre, or the Scottish Ensemble in Rising Sound and Impulse: Music in Motion in the concert hall, all for free. Add circus from The Cocoa Butter Club, poetry and spoken word from Yomi Ṣode with special guests and physical theatre and dance from local company Justice in Motion, and your creative cup will be well and truly full.

OUTDOORS

Tulip in a Bottle Bampton — Tulip in a Bottle, Bampton

Spring walks are go, the daffodils are blooming and the bluebells are just getting started. Oh, and these 12 local stateleys are opening for the season too. That should keep you busy until the Tulip in a Bottle Show at Ham Court in Bampton on 18 Apr. Held at the very lovely Cotswolds country home of artist and President of the Bampton Gardening Club Matthew Rice, you can enter as many homegrown tulips as you fancy for £3 per sten. Guest judge Bunny Guinness will pick the best of the bunch. All entrants will receive a gorgeous certificate designed by Matthew, with prizes for the winners, and tulips will be taken to Rosebank Old Peoples’ Home in Bampton to brighten up the residents’ rooms at the end of the day. We hear the tea and cake game is strong too.

It’s less cake, more cardio over at Stowe Gardens near Buckingham on 19 Apr for the 5K colour run around the glorious gardens. It’ll be a rainbow of runners speeding through clouds of environmentally-friendly colour powder, all in aid of conversation of Stowe. Your fee includes access to the grounds afterwards so you can cool down gently, and kids aged 10+ are welcome to join the pack. For more sporty goings-on this spring, check out the local races to train for.

Do you know the county flower of Oxfordshire? One for a future pub quiz perhaps: it’s the vibrant purple fritillary. April is their month to shine and you can see swathes of them in their native glory at Waterperry Gardens near Oxford. You’ll find them in the wildflower meadow and along the river.

KIDS

There’s a bumper crop of ideas for what to do with the kids near you early in the month in our Easter holiday guide. Keep the tab open for teens and toddlers alike. The latter will enjoy Peppa Pig’s Big Family Show at Wycombe Swan on 4 – 5 Apr: here’s five reasons muddy puddle-loving littlies will love it.

There’s more gentle pre-school theatrics in Julia Donaldson’s Tales from Acorn Wood, which is popping up at The Mill in Banbury on 18 Apr and Chipping Norton Theatre from 24 – 25 Apr. Flyaway Katie at The North Wall in Summertown on 18 Apr will also delight little ones aged 2 – 7. It’s a colourful, mesmerising puppet show with a free stay and play session from 12 – 2pm with crafts, dress up and calm reading corners. And in the centre of the city, Hickory Dickory Dock at The Oxford Playhouse on 25 Apr is a slapstick glove puppet show worth wrangling kids aged 3 – 8 onto the Park and Ride bus for. Cover your ears from the squeals during the mouse chase scene.

Have a comic-mad child or teen in your clan? Take them along to Phoenixfest in Oxford on 25 – 26 April and you’ll be in their good (comic) books for the foreseeable. The itinerary is packed with workshops and shows for kids of all ages and they can have their favourite comic books signed by the original artists too. For slightly more serene scenes, head to the regular family painting and crafting mornings at Hughenden. Painting themes include ‘business bunny’ and ‘barn owls in flight’, so the cute creature quota is high.

Natural History Museum Oxford — Oxford Museum of Natural History, image credit: Ian Wallman

The creatures at An Epic Mammoth Day at Oxford Museum of Natural History on 25 Apr are, meanwhile, extinct. The fun is very much alive and well for kids aged 7 – 11 though: the free immersive event blends science and storytelling, and your gang will get to see a real-life baby mammoth tooth and meet a 6ft mammoth VIP. Epic indeed.

Discover Bucks Museum in Aylesbury is throwing it back too, 1300 years in fact. The Saxons is the headline exhibition until Nov, and looks at how Saxon people lived with a deep dig into three local burial sites. One was only recently uncovered during HS2 works in Wendover, so there’s a mediaeval exclusive on the bill.

FOOD

Ring the dinner bell for the local spring supper clubs! They’re just getting started across our counties but spots at those farm and woodland tables fly fast, so get in quick for one-off gourmet adventures.

The market and food festival scene is all abuzz too. Eynsham Easter Market on 2 Apr is the place to hit for a hot cross bun, simnel cake or iced ginger cookie, plus seasonal fruit and veg and cakes. Dine ‘n’ Devour on Broad Street Oxford from 3 – 5 Apr is a foodie’s paradise: stalls will be serving up a huge variety of delicious street food from 10am – 7pm each day and there’s music and entertainment as well as cocktails and coffee on tap. The North Bucks crowd will be well fed that weekend too: Willen Lake Flavour Fest on 4 – 5 Apr fuses family-friendly activities with street food from around the globe. Stop by Urban Spice Box for perfectly spiced Punjabi specials or The Lime Face or fresh and vibrant Malaysian rice bowls and bao buns. Rounding up the culinary celebrations is A Taste of Spring in Banbury on 12 Apr. Hop along for a quick bite from local producers and chow down to live music in the marketplace.

The Crazy Bear Stadhampton (2) — The Crazy Bear Stadhampton

For a pub quiz with glitz, mark Mon 13 April in your diary and head over to The Crazy Bear in Stadhampton. They’re intro’ing Cocktails & Quizzing every month from now on and it’ll elevate the format to luxe new heights. Giddy Heights in fact – that’s the host’s stage name, and she’s a hell of a lot of fun from what we hear. You can tuck into dinner from the English menu to fuel your grey matter while you’re at it, and those cocktails should lend you some Dutch courage for the music rounds.

Always save room for the cheese course? It’s the main event at The Cellar and The Creaming at The Plough Shiplake on 30 Apr. This isn’t just a hunk of cheddar washed down with some plonk; the culinary creations go beyond the cheese plate to bring you innovative and moreish dishes that put fromage well and truly in the frame. The wine pairings will be on point as well. And from cheese to choc, Coffee & Chocolate Tasting at Peterley Manor Farm near Great Missenden on 16 Apr unites experts from Origin Coffee with local chocolatiers Rumsey’s for a flavour-fest you’ll savour. You’ll be handed an espresso martini on arrival and leave with a box of Rumsey’s finest, so it’s a treat from start to finish.

Coffee and Choc Tasting at Peterley — Coffee & Chocolate Tasting at Peterley Manor Farm

Whenever a special occasion’s on the horizon, my family and I book in at Theo Randall’s Cucina Italiana at The Intercontinental Park Lane; the pappardelle con ragu is a strong death row meal contender. The chef himself is coming our way on 24 Fri as part of Bicester Village’s Dish & Tell supperclub series. He’ll be taking over La Tua Pasta to cook a soulful, bespoke set menu to big up the best seasonal Italian produce and deliver a masterclass in fresh pasta making. Heads up to save space for the Amalfi lemon tarts at the end.

Ending things on a delicious note, guest chef Mursal Saiq will be at the burners at Vaasu in Marlow on 29 April for A Taste of Kabul. She champions British-Afghan cuisine and grew up across Kabul, London and Mumbai so is a master of creating innovative fusion dishes that sing. It’s a five-course tasting menu that you won’t forget in a hurry. And with that, April’s out!

What’s on this April? 50 amazing things to do near you

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