Theatre

THAT IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

Oxford Playhouse

Thursday September 5 n Box office: 01865 305305 oxfordplayhouse.com During the Second World War, the grounds of Bletchley Park housed some of Britain’s greatest minds. Alongside Alan Turing and Gordon Welchman, thousands of dynamic women lived and worked together. Decades later, as Bletchley’s secrets begin to be known, another group of groundbreaking volunteers gather to save the home of the Enigma code breakers. Using personal testimony, multimedia and inventive staging, this is an insightful, innovative and immersive celebration of the people whose hidden heroism changed the course of history. The Playhouse’s Associate Artists Idle Motion return to Oxford to share their critically acclaimed show with their home city. Don’t miss.

Music

KATE RUSBY

Wycombe Swan n September 28 at 7.30pm

Box office: 01494 512000wycombeswan.co.uk

Of all the stars in folk music’s firmament few shine as brightly as Yorkshire’s Kate Rusby. A remarkable interpretive singer, Kate’s soulful vocals resonate with the wistful beauty of an earthbound angel. Inhabiting a lyric with unforced conviction, she has that rare ability to transport her audience, touching them emotionally and making each tune live vividly within their experience and imagination. After 20 years in the music industry, Kate begins her autumn tour in mid September. Audiences are sure to be fully entertained by Kate’s choice of much-loved classics from her back catalogue. As ever, she will be joined on stage by the cream of British folk musicians who form her band — Damien O’Kane on guitar, tenor guitar and banjo, Duncan Lyall on double bass, Steve Byrne on guitar and bouzouki and Nick Cooke on melodeon.

Comedy

JASON MANFORD; FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS

New Theatre, Oxford

September 23 and 24 at 8pm n Box office: 0844 871 3020, atgtickets.com/oxford

Popular northern comedian Jason Manford is on the road with a new show that promises to feature a wealth of comedy anecdotes, comic misunder-standings and audience banter delivered with Jason’s likeable charm and intelligent wit. Jason’s opera-singing turn saw him emerge the winner on ITV’s Born To Shine. He then joined Alfie Boe on tour prior to a well-received run in the West End hit musical Sweeney Todd. But his comedy bones were not completely idle as he enjoyed appearan-ces on QI (BBC 2), Big Fat Quiz of the Year (Channel 4), and Comedy World Cup (Channel 4). Jason said: “Some of you might think I’ve had a career change what with all the opera and musical theatre I’ve been doing lately. Not a chance, I’m excited to be getting back to what I really love the most — stand up.”