Five of the best - your entertainment options for the coming week

1 THEATRE

An Evening in Vienna, Wykham Theatre, Wykham Park Academy, Ruskin Road, Banbury, February 15 and 16

Banbury Operatic Society returns with an evening of well-known and much-loved musical numbers from the operettas of Strauss, Lehar, Offenbach and their friends. With songs such as The Merry Widow Waltz, The Radetzky March, The Laughing Song, Girls Were Made to Love and Kiss, and many more, the concert promises to transport audiences to the Viennese world of days gone by.

The music abounds in melodic waltzes, invigorating marches, stirring gypsy music and even the Can-Can. The production is fully costumed and choreographed, with a small ensemble of musicians. Stage director Janet Bishop is joined by Philip Shaw OBE FRSA as musical director and Alison Hallford as choreographer.

Details: banburyoperaticsociety.co.uk/tickets2 FAMILY

The Science of Power, British Motor Museum, Gaydon, February 16 to 24

Half-term at the British Motor Museum is all about exploring power and the science behind it. Find out about the museum’s jet powered cars, have a go at making a jet powered car and enjoy daily science shows with Professor Pickle and Doctor Pumpkin, who will bring the science of power to life with a bang.

Details: britishmotormuseum.co.uk/events/family-activities

3 FAMILY THEATRE

Tom Thumb, The Mill, Banbury, February 20

One night, tiny Tom overhears mum and dad talking – there’s nothing left to eat so they are going to leave him and his six brothers in the forest! Outwitting his parents (and an ogre), Tom shows everybody that even though he is small he is still mighty as he protects his brothers, finds the treasure and makes sure they’ll never be hungry again. Performed entirely on and under a kitchen table, this classic story is brought to life in a playful and fascinating show with feathery spinning birds, a flying house and a portable forest. Join tiny Tom on his very big adventure.

Details: themillartscentre.co.uk

4 THEATRE

Kinky Boots, New Theatre, Oxford, February 18 to 23

Kinky Boots, the winner of every major Best Musical award,
stomps into Oxford next week. Inspired by true events, Kinky Boots takes audiences from a gentlemen’s shoe factory in Northampton to the glamorous catwalks of Milan. Charlie Price is struggling to live up to his father’s expectations and continue the family business – and with the factory’s future hanging in the balance, help arrives in the unlikely but spectacular form of Lola, a fabulous performer in need of some sturdy new stilettos.

Details: atgtickets.com

5 THEATRE

Game Plan, The Mill, Banbury, until February 16

Banbury Cross Players present this Alan Ayckbourn comedy. Lynette finds herself a single parent with a dwindling lifestyle when her internet business collapses and her husband disappears. She reckons without teenage daughter Sorrel’s last-ditch attempt to save them both – aided and abetted by her less than worldly-wise school friend, Kelly. Prostitution, police questioning and media intrusion all feature in a play awash with twists, turns and surprises.

Details: themillartscentre.co.uk