What’s on this week’s entertainment hitlist?
VE Day Play
GREENHAM Tower Theatre Co truly is a community theatre company. Having performed a number of plays exploring local stories at the Control Tower over the past few years, they have now moved on to presenting plays on Kennet Radio. Their latest venture is Half-light which will be broadcast tomorrow (Friday) at 7pm. The play tells the story of how a man clearing out his mother’s attic discovers a box full of objects which, piece by piece, reveal a family history he never knew, and why VE Day 1945 was so significant for his mother. Originally written to be performed to commemorate the 75th anniversary of VE Day, the play wasn’t staged at the Control Tower until March 2022 due to Covid. Now, in time for the 80th anniversary, it has been adapted for radio. The play draws on careful research into local history to capture the sometimes humorous, and ultimately moving, effect of a momentous day in history on ordinary people. It also raises the question of just how much any of us really know about our parents’ lives before we came along.
Pang jazz
RENOWNED for his awesome technique and versatility, Simon Bates is as at home leading bands on TV shows as he is in a local jazz club – the reason that the Royal Marines asked him to become their Professor of Saxophone! Catch him at Pangbourne Jazz Club on Sunday (7.30pm).
He will be backed by the club’s rhythm section: Terry Hutchins (guitar), Andy Crowdy (double bass, Jim Pollard (piano) and Brian Greene (drums).
You’ll find Jazz@pangbourne every first Sunday of every month at the Rosewood Hall in Whitchurch Road – “a really nice venue in a beautiful setting, with club bar prices and ample public car parking”.
Piaf
BE drawn into the extraordinary world of Édith Piaf, at The Watermill, Bagnor, until May 17. Pam Gems’ play, starring Audrey Brisson, charts The Little Sparrow’s dramatic rise from the squalor of the streets of Paris to the glamour of international stardom. Piaf intertwines the great loves, losses and questionable decisions of this complex and fragile star with her raw, spellbinding songs, performed live by an ensemble cast of actor-musicians. Still revered as an icon, decades after her untimely death, she lived a life of no regrets. http://watermill.org.uk
Oscar Wild Tour
THERE’S a tour of the Reading Abbey Quarter on Saturday at 11am and an Oscar Wilde Tour at 2pm as part of the Walks & Talks series at Reading Museum, £10 a person, booking online at www.readingmuseum.org.uk
Strictly’s Giovanni
STRICTLY Come Dancing professional Giovanni Pernice stops off at Basingstoke with his tour, The Last Dance. The 2021 Strictly champion, BAFTA winner, and the Italian maestro of dance brings his company of world-class performers to the Anvil on Saturday in a mesmerising production. With a career rooted in passion, dedication, and unparalleled artistry, Giovanni has become a household name, captivating audiences worldwide with his electrifying performances and unmatched charisma. The show starts at 7.30pm. https://www.anvilarts.org.uk/events/giovanni
National Walking Month
IT’SNational Walking Month. Basildon Park offers guided woodland walks on Fridays, 11am-12noon. The hidden treasures of nature are unveiled in Basildon Park’s woodland and parkland on this guided walk, along with an insight into the rich history of the estate. Some areas may be muddy or have cattle grazing. No booking required. Normal admission cost, free walk.
