Five must-sees in and around Newbury this week

Newbury Spring Festival

Two weeks of marvellous world-class music, Newbury Spring Festival, continues with its diverse programme of classical, choral, chamber, cabaret, dance, jazz, folk and world music in Newbury and its surrounding villages until May 25. A special orchestral concert in St Nics on Friday celebrates the 25th Anniversary the Newbury Spring Festival Chorus who will sing with Southbank Sinfonia and some of the leading soloists of their generation. Hilary Cronin made a remarkable Festival debut when she appeared in Kintbury Church in 2023, before receiving a standing ovation at Carnegie Hall as soprano soloist in the Monteverdi Choir’s recent US tour. Tonight she sings two of Handel’s most dazzling virtuoso arias for soprano and trumpet. Alex Ashworth then joins the chorus for Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs which culminate in the famous hymn tune Let all the world in every corner sing. Conducted by festival chorus master Tom Primrose, ends in a performance of one of the most popular works for chorus and orchestra, Haydn’s Nelson Mass, full of dazzling solos and rousing choruses. https://www.newburyspringfestival.org.uk

Open Studios

Open Studios artists continue to welcome guests to their studios and exhibitions across West Berkshire and North Hampshire. until May 27. 135 artists in 89 venues, seek them out and find out what they do. Painting, drawing, printmaking, ceramics, photography, jewellery, sculpture, textiles, millinery, woodworking and glass are all represented. The flagship exhibition Insight at Greenham’s Base showcases the artists and makers work and many visitors begin their open studios trail from this gallery.

Orton at Basingstoke

JOE Orton’s What The Butler Saw tours to The Haymarket, Basingstoke, from Tuesday 21 to Saturday 25 May. London Classic Theatre present Orton’s final, most ambitious play, manic farce and masterclass in fearless comic writing. No institution, political view or tradition is safe, as Orton focuses his wicked sense of humour on a range of targets, including the establishment, an ex-Prime Minister, cross-dressing, misogyny, and the medical profession. He brings together an array of distinctive characters, placing them in a series of improbable situations, unflinchingly exploring comic territory few playwrights before or since have dared to visit. During Joe Orton's short, dazzling career, he shocked, outraged, and delighted audiences with his riotous black comedies.Within the pristine walls of his private psychiatric clinic, Doctor Prentice is interviewing a new secretary. Geraldine wants the position but seems underqualified and uncertain about her parentage. Mrs Prentice appears, flushed and in urgent need of a drink, following an illicit encounter with Nick Beckett, blackmailer and bell boy at the Station Hotel.In the meantime, Doctor Rance, a Government Inspector and Sergeant Match, a policeman, arrive amidst increasing chaos with searching questions of their own. The production is suitable for ages 14 and over (contains strong language and subject matter which the playwright very much hoped audiences would find offensive). https://www.anvilarts.org.uk

Free shows at the Ashmolean

Li Jin with Roger Law: Simple Pleasures, Gallery 11 until November 17:

This new display celebrates the friendship between the British caricaturist behind Spitting Image, Roger Law (b. 1941), and Chinese painter Li Jin (b. 1958). Active since the 1980s, Li Jin is best known for his playful and witty work which subverts the classical themes of an ideal, elegant and serene life in Chinese literati painting. After producing Spitting Image for more than a decade, Roger Law moved to Australia in the late 1990s and discovered Li Jin's work, then travelled to China to meet him. They have since formed a lasting friendship. As the first solo show for Li Jin in the UK, this display introduces the artist’s signature subjects and style, featuring works recently presented to the Ashmolean by Roger Law. A selection of Roger Law’s drawings and ceramic works will also be displayed to highlight their shared sense of humour and artistic inspiration

National Treasures: The Wilton Diptych in Oxford, Gallery 41 until September 1:

One of the greatest treasures to have survived from the Middle Ages: the National Gallery’s Wilton Diptych is on display in Gallery 41, one of 12 simultaneous displays at museums and galleries around the country, all celebrating the National Gallery’s 200th anniversary. The Wilton Diptych in Oxford is showing in the Ashmolean’s England 400–1600 Gallery, setting the painting among the Museum’s English collections, offering a new context for this well-loved and famous masterpiece. This will be the first time the diptych has ever been lent by the National Gallery since the painting was acquired in 1929.

Wander Woman

MAY is National Walking Month and Wander Woman is travelling to Hungerford for an inspirational Talk on Walking and Mental Health on Wednesday. Bill Bryson calls the multi award-winning adventurer, presenter and photographer Phoebe Smith a ‘splendid writer and inspiring traveller’. Known for her hit podcast Wander Woman where she offers a behind-the-scenes look at different destinations as well as interviewing celebrities like Cerys Matthews and Levinson Wood, she has also penned 10 guides on walking and wild camping. Her latest book Wayfarer, however, is much more personal, and she will be visiting Hungerford to talk about it to host Rebecca Fletcher on May 22 in an event organised by Hungerford Bookshop. From losing her mother as a teenager to surviving toxic relationships, Phoebe offers an unflinchingly honest look at her battle with an eating disorder, depression, and the pitfalls of newfound singledom. Skilfully weaving together Phoebe’s own story with those of countless travellers past and present, Wayfarer reveals how nature and place can heal past wounds, offering a pathway to salvation she’d never thought existed.The talk, followed by a Q&A and book signing will be held at The Croft Hall, Hungerford, at 7pm. To book, visit hungerfordbookshop.co.uk