Comedy

JULIAN CLARY

Oxford Playhouse

Thursday, May 2, 8pm

Call 01865 305305 or visit oxfordplayhouse.com

Julian Clary is looking for love and he’s not leaving town empty-handed . . . Position Vacant: Apply Within is Julian Clary’s inimitable night of camp comedy and his search for love . . . again. Climaxing with a marriage, live on stage, expect ruthless elimination games plus bridesmaids, clergymen, confetti and much more. Following a sold-out autumn tour, the UK’s best-loved purveyor of saucy innuendo’s back by public demand.

Illusion

DERREN BROWN: INFAMOUS

New Theatre, Oxford

April 22-27 at 8pm

Call 0844 871 3020 or visit atgtickets.com/oxford

Acknowledged master of psychological illusion will once again mesmerise, shock and entertain packed house audiences at the New Theatre. Derren is in a class of his own. For the past 12 years he has created TV and stage performances that have stunned audiences, debunked the paranormal, won copious awards and encouraged many to enhance their own mental abilities. Derren says: “I enjoy the stage shows more than anything else. Live on stage is the best place for what I do: it’s unpredictable, and the audience knows there is no possibility of judicious editing.” The show is recommended for ages 12+ only.

Music

KING CHARLES

O2 Academy, Oxford

, April 12, doors open 7pm

Call 0844 8717677 or atgtickets.com/aylesbury King Charles is an extraordinary man. He doesn’t look like anyone you know – except possibly Prince, whom he outranks by one degree – and he doesn’t think like anyone you know and he doesn’t make music like anyone you know. How often, in these days of near fatal over-saturation, can you say that? Born and raised in London’s leafier corners – Wandsworth, Dulwich, Barnes – King Charles now lives with his best friend in north-west London. King Charles spent his youth reading and listening, thinking and playing. His first gig was as part of a fully made-up Kiss tribute band when he was young (he was Paul Stanley – “no chest wig, sadly”). Now he has put a decent wodge of what he has learnt into an extraordinary record that draws influences from Afro-beat, rock and roll, glam, folk, hip-hop and country. This is his debut album LoveBlood out on May 7.

Art

PHILLIP JOLLEY AND ROSE WALLACE:  FRAGILITY & FAMILIARITY

The North Wall

April 24 to May 25

Free Craft Potters’ Association members, Phillip Jolley and Rose Wallace unite to explore the past, a theme embedded in their ceramic practice. This selling exhibition highlights the similarities and contrasts in their approach. Philip’s recent pieces have evolved from the use of layers and colour and he is still interested in hidden detail and surface quality. Rose is based at Magdalen Road Studios and references traditional mantelpiece ornaments; these ceramic figures are crafted from casts of contemporary packaging and domestic ephemera. She says: “Quietly narrative, they capture the minutiae of modern life.”