1. The Great Gatsby
In cinemas from Thursday
This is clearly going to be a defining moment for modern cinema. Big stars, a revered source, 3D, hip-hop-swing mashups. This is either going to be incredible or terrible. Then again, why make a film about the most hubristic and wasteful of generations if it’s not equally as ambitious?
2. Lead Feathers
@BT Studio, 7:30pm Tuesday 14th
A piece of new writing that actually sounds good? Well, isn’t that a rarity! Set aside those awful two-man shows, those extended speeches on the brilliance of the writer. This production sounds like it may actually be atmospheric, personal and dramatic in a manner which is engaging rather than contrived. Coase and Grant (also responsible for Bluebeard) weave a tale of a family struggling to cope with the aftermath of the Great War.
3. Miles Kane
@O2 Academy, 6:30pm Saturday 11th
Miles Kane has finally come out from under the shadow of his friend and occasional collaborator, Alex Turner – his latest album, Don’t Forget Who You Are, looks to be a hit in the making, and his live prowess is legendary. With his “modern-mod”stylings and his sing-along choruses, this will be a gig to remember.
4. Brazil
@Magdalen Auditorium, 7:30pm Monday 13th
Terry Gilliam and Tom Stoppard’s classic tragicomic film is showing at the Magdalen Film Society. It’s like Kafka on acid, with Robert De Niro as a freelance ventialtion repairman, Jim Broadbent as a plastic surgeon, and one of the best endings in cinema history.
5. She Stoops to Conquer
@Master’s Garden, Univ, 7:30pm Wednesday 15th
This play’s run lasts until Saturday, but why not spend a lazy evening in the gardens at Univ, watching a classic 18th century play? If the spate of sunny weather continues, this celebration of romance, chicanery and class should be unmissable and unbeatable.
6. Reginald D Hunter
@New Theatre, 7:30pm Sunday 12th
You’ve seen him on Have I Got News For You, and now it’s time to see him live. The show is called In the Midst of Crackers, which, in Oxford, is both a good pun and a good bet.
7. Hay Fever
@Brasenose New Quad, 1pm Saturday 11th
Seduction, conflict, intrigue and charades… Must be Noel Coward! if you fancy an afternoon of witty repartee amongst the elegant upper classes (that only ever appear in fiction), then this is your best bet. We’ve heard good things so far…
8. Mahler’s 9th
@St Peter’s College Chapel, Monday 13th
The Oxford Sinfonietta will be performing in the UK premiere of Klaus Simon’s arrangement of Mahler’s 9th Symphony. the performance will be preceded by a lecture, given by Peter Franklin, an eminent Mahler scholar. One for anyone who’s really into their Mahler, or anyone who’s slightly interested in classical music!
9. Brookes Degree Show
@The Glass Tank and the Richard Hamilton Building Wednesday 15th
The finest of fine artists from Brookes have put their reputations and their degrees on the line, showcasing their work to the general public. It’s always interesting to see wht young artists have to say for themselves. Who knows, perhaps you may see the first mature work of the next Tracy Emin or Damian Hirst!
10. The Barber of Seville
@St. Peter’s College Chapel, 7:30pm Friday 10th
In the intervening years between the composition of Rossini’s comic masterpiece and today, it has lost none of its potency or humour. Catch it if you can.
11. Mud
In Cinemas from Friday
This is the latest in Matthew McConaughey’s attempts to be taken seriously as an actor (no more rom coms!). He plays a fugitive who must be protected by two teenagers, as he attempts to reunite with his lost love, Reese Witherspoon. Hopefully it’ll be more palatable than Killer Joe.
12. Port and Policy
@St Giles Church, 8:30pm Sunday 12th
Okay, so it may be a total cliché. It may be one of the more odious aspects of Oxford life, but surely everyone should experience it at least once. Half the people are only there for the port anyway.
