Drama

THE SEAGULL

Oxford Playhouse

May 21-25, at 7.30pm (8pm Friday), Thursday and Saturday at 2.30pm.

Box office: 01865 305305 or oxfordplayhouse.com

Headlong returns to Oxford Playhouse with another innovative re-imagining of a classic text in this new version of Chekhov’s greatest, by hotly tipped writer John Donnelly. In The Seagull, Chekhov explores emotion, creativity and romantic conflict with the clarity of a doctor and the heart of a poet. Its young, tormented protagonist is determined to overthrow the old and find new forms of expression as he struggles with putting words on a page. This darkly comic tale is directed here by Blanche McIntyre, described by the Evening Standard as “a rising star”. The Daily Telegraph called this a “night of continuous guilty pleasure... a superb production.”

Exhibition

STRADIVARIUS

The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

June 13-August 11.

Box office: ashmolean.org or on the door

Stradivarius is the first major show devoted to the great violin maker’s work ever held in the UK. Antonio Stradivari (c.1644–1737) is the only maker of musical instruments whose name ranks alongside those of the great composers. While the details of his life are not as familiar as Vivaldi’s or Mozart’s, his name evokes a creative genius. This exhibition explores his life and work with 20 of the most important instruments in the world, some never seen in public. One gallery will recreate Stradivarius’s workshop, with his original tools, wooden models and patterns on loan from the Museo Stradivariano in Cremona. Recordings and interviews with leading musicians will give visitors the chance to hear Stradivarius’s instruments which are still being played. During the run of the exhibition, further workshops, shows and tours will offer people insights into the elements which have contributed to Stradivarius’s immortal reputation.

Musical theatre

THE SOUND OF MUSIC

The New Theatre, Oxford

May 28-June 1 n Box office: 0844 8713020. atgtickets.com/oxford

Oxford Operatic Society, whose recent successes have included The Producers, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast) returns to the New Theatre with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s favourite, with a cast of more than 50 talented county performers. With a score packed full of famous songs, including Do-Re-Mi, The Lonely Goatherd and Edelweiss, The Sound of Music will prove uplifting for the whole family.

Music

SONS OF KEMET

The North Wall, Summertown

Friday, May 3, 8pm

01865 319450, thenorthwall.com

If there’s a band that sums up how exciting the UK jazz scene is at present, it is Sons of Kemet. Headed by the BBC Radio 3 New Generation artist Shabaka Hutchings (saxes), with two mighty and intricate drummers Tom Skinner and Seb Rochford, the quartet’s unlikely final member is tuba star Oren Marshall. Previous collaborations of the band read like a modern lexicon of creative muic and includes Radiohead, Courtney Pine, Matthew Herbert, Zero 7, Polar Bear and the BBC Concert Orchestra. Expect idiosyncratic but danceable grooves, improvised twists and a passion and conviction. Jazzwise magazine described Sons of Kemet, with their blend of jazz, Jamaican and New Orleans street music, as “easily the most exciting band on the scene in the last year”.