What not to miss in and around Newbury this week
Ian Hislop & Nick Newman’s The Autobiography of a Cad opens at The Watermill tomorrow (Friday).
A hilarious new adaptation of A.G. Macdonell’s satirical masterpiece, it chronicles the rise of self-proclaimed political titan Edward Percival Fox-Ingleby from Eton to Oxford and then on to Parliament. The Cad’s story contains all the hallmarks of success: university escapades with friends taking the blame, courageously signing up to be on the administrative frontline of the First World War effort and doing the decent thing and joining the Tory party in the 1920s.
Committed to ploughing his own way through life, righting the wrongs of his unforgivably liberal parents and armed with a universal disregard for the rules, the truth, and the women in his life, this is Edward Fox-Ingleby, a man who no-one loves as much as himself. This happily fictitious memoir about serving the nation bears absolutely no relation to any politicians past, present or future.
It runs at the Bagnor theatre until Saturday, March 22
Classic Ray Cooney farce
BOUNDARY Players’ Out of Order by farce-master Ray Cooney is running at the William Penney Theatre, Tadley, until Saturday. Written in the 1990s, it’s classic Cooney. When Richard Willey, a Government Junior Minister, plans to spend the evening with Jane Worthington, one of the Opposition’s typists, he does not anticipate finding a dead body trapped in the sash window of his room. Enlisting the help of his hapless private secretary George Pigden, things go from bad to worse with the arrival of his wife, Jane’s distraught husband, an unscrupulous waiter, a frustrated hotel manager, George’s mother’s nurse and a Spanish maid. This will be one night that Richard will wish he had actually been at the all-night debate in the House of Commons!
http://www.boundaryplayers.co.uk/
Kennet Opera
No wigs or wings – but the fairies come face to face with the Peers of the Realm in Gilbert and Sullivan's satirical opera 'Iolanthe'. When the hero, Strephon, is rejected as a suitor for Phyllis, a lovely Ward in Chancery, he calls on his fairy family for help. Kennet Opera brings this popular, fast-moving comedy to Shaw House’s Great Hall on Saturday (7.30pm) and Sunday (2pm). In themes as relevant today as they were in 1882, feminine power confronts the peers to denounce the privileges and attitudes of the upper classes. Iolanthe is music director Harry Stanton’s first production with Kennet Opera. Newbury-based, he brings a wealth of musical talent, experience and energy. Pianist Oliver Williams is, once again, brilliant in support of the soloists and chorus. Tickets at Shaw House Box Office 01635 279279 or online booking.westberks.gov.uk
Extreme sports films for adrenaline junkies
The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour is bringing a night of gripping adventure films to The Hexagon, Reading, on Tuesday (February 11) and on October 9. Starring skiing in Antarctica, wingsuit flying above Mont Blanc, climbing in Peru and more, the Banff Mountain Film Festival features extreme expeditions from remote corners of the planet. “Buckle up for a night of nail-biting adventure – from the comfort of a cinema seat!” says tour director Nell Teasdale. “Join the world’s top outdoor filmmakers and adventurers as they climb, ski, paddle, run and ride through the wildest corners of the planet.” For more information and to book tickets, see www.banff-uk.com
Yinka Shonibare exhibition
Yinka Shonibare CBE: Ritual Ecstasy of the Modern is showing at The Base Gallery, Greenham until Sunday, February 23. This vibrant exhibition, on loan from Cristea Roberts Gallery London, showcases Shonibare’s evolving printmaking practice over the past several years. The globally celebrated artist whose work examines race, class, and constructions of cultural identity, explores the tangled relationships between Africa and Europe. Woodblock prints will be unveiled alongside earlier works featuring the motif of the all-American cowboy and symbols of the British empire. Turner Prize nominee Shonibare has exhibited in some of the most notable collections internationally – don’t miss your chance to see his work in West Berkshire this spring! As you walk around the exhibition space, you can listen to Shonibare talk about his print practice in Cristea Roberts Gallery's 'Making A Mark' Podcast episode. Bring along a pair of headphones if you would like to have a listen! Visit https://thebasegreenham.co.uk/event/yinka-shonibare-ritual-ecstasy-of-the-modern for ticket prices and booking.
