Your guide to What's On this weekend

Your essential guide to What’s On in and around Exeter this weekend (6-8 April):

THEATRE

Oliver!
Friday & Saturday, Exeter Northcott
Let Exeter Musical Society take you on a musical adventure as you journey through Victorian England joining orphaned boy, Oliver Twist as he escapes the workhouse and travels through the underworld of London, meeting thieves and vagabonds on the way. https://exeternorthcott.co.uk/calendar/oliver/

Bedroom Farce
Friday & Saturday, Barnfield Theatre, Exeter
Bedroom Farce takes place in the bedrooms of three married couples during one, long Saturday night. Ernest and Delia are celebrating their wedding anniversary after many, many years of marriage; Mel and Kate are gearing up to host a party in their new ‘love nest’; while Nick and Jan are trying to cope with Nick’s recent back injury which has left him stuck in bed while Jan goes to Mel and Kate’s party without him. Each couple’s relationship has its problems but they are all tested when Trevor and Susannah’s dysfunctional, miserable marital issues are inflicted upon them….in their own bedrooms! Leaving a wave of destruction behind them as they lament on the state of their marriage, Trevor and Susannah ruffle beds, tempers, and routines to try and find their way back to each other. Hilarious, touching, and fast paced, Bedroom Farce is one Ayckbourn’s funniest plays. Tickets £13.50 (£12). Signed performance on Saturday.  http://www.barnfieldtheatre.org.uk/bedroom-farce/

The Snow Beast 
Sunday, 2.30pm,Exeter Phoenix
Scratchworks Theatre Company present The Snow Beast; a captivating family friendly collision of storytelling, with an original score and live science experiments that will inspire young audiences to engage with the beauty of the unknown and the magic of the everyday.   http://www.exeterphoenix.org.uk/events/the-snow-beast/ 

Andrew O’Neill
Sunday, Exeter Phoenix
Award-winning comedian off telly and radio, dabbles in the occult.
What happens when you invoke Mercury, trickster god of the spoken word? A show that’s ‘absolutely hilarious’ (Neil Gaiman). Highly anticipated return of a Fringe favourite. Off Buzzcocks, Saxondale and his own BBC Radio 4 show Pharmacist Baffler. Tickets £12 (£10).  www.exeterphoenix.org.uk

MUSIC

The Bohemians
Friday, Exmouth Pavilion
The Bohemians, established in 1996, re-enact the glory days of Queen including the Craziness of the 70's and the Magic of the 80's proving themselves to be the most dynamic and exciting Queen Tribute Band currently touring.  https://www.ledleisure.co.uk/exmouth-pavilion

Indie Club – Joana Serrat
Saturday, Exeter Cavern, Queen Street, Exeter
PDJS playing The Smiths, The Cure, Madness, Bastille, Klaxons, The Ting Tings and more. Doors 8pm-late. Plus Joana Serrat. Over 18s.   http://exetercavern.com
 
The Carpenters Story
Sunday, 7.30pm, Exeter Corn Exchange
This highly acclaimed concert-style production continues to captivate audiences across the UK with its spectacular re-creation of the classic songbook that made The Carpenters a legend in the world of popular music. Featuring all of the Carpenters hit songs including (They Long To Be) Close To You, Yesterday Once More, We’ve Only Just Begun, Superstar, A Song For You, Rainy Days & Mondays, and many more!   www.exetercornexchange.co.uk

EVENTS

Spring Quilt Festival
Friday, Saturday & Sunday, Westpoint, Clyst St Mary, Exeter
This show features a large display of quilts from all over the world as well as Patchwork and Quilting suppliers stands. Quilting enthusiasts and personalities will be on hand to show you how! Workshops available, and can only be booked at the show on a first come, first served basis. www.grosvenorshows.co.uk

Holiofest
Saturday, Exeter Phoenix
A one day festival of rock and metal music, poetry, spoken word, fire dancers and open mic in aid of MIND. Featuring performances from many of the South West’s heavy hitting touring bands and the stunning show that is Hellrazer! This is event features two rooms specifically to allow time for you to participate. Play something, read something, share something…this is your event. Noon-11pm, £10. www.exeterphoenix.org.uk

Easter Fun
Underground Passages, Paris Street, Exeter
Special Easter egg hunts every day throughout the Easter school holidays, until 15 April. https://exeter.gov.uk/passages/

Family Day
Sunday, Exeter Racecourse
Family day at Exeter Racecourse is free for kids and one the track's busiest and most action-packed days of the year. There's fantastic racing, including two pony races, and loads of FREE children's activities, not to mention characters from the film Ice Age - Sid and Scrat - making personal appearances at intervals throughout the day. http://exeter.thejockeyclub.co.uk

EXHIBITIONS

Branded: Fashion, Femininity and the Right to Vote
Killerton House, Broadclyst
To o mark 100 years since some women got the right to vote, this exhibition reflects the timeline of the campaign for women’s suffrage from 1866 until 1928 through the changing styles of fashion. The exhibition highlights the relationship between politics and dress and how this was exploited by the campaigners and supporters of women’s suffrage. Groups involved in the campaign used design and colour to identify themselves and to raise awareness and support for their cause. The exhibition runs until 4 November and entry is free, but normal admission charges apply for the venue. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/killerton

Dartmoor’s Hidden Depths
Dartmoor National Park Visitor Centre, Princetown
A new exhibition by two Dartmoor based artists, Dave Peake and Rosemary Bonney focusing on the influence of water on the Dartmoor landscape as well as providing a glimpse of what lies beneath! The exhibition runs until 15 April, admission free. 

Exeter’s Fine Art Collection: Modern
RAMM, Queen Street, Exeter
This exhibition includes two works by the British Pop Art movement artist Brian Rice, gifted through the Art Fund and on display for the first time. This diverse selection features Barbara Hepworth’s remarkable figurative drawing Preparation, Leighton Hall Woolatt’s Post Eleven Speaking and Patrick Heron’s Two Vermilions, Green and Purple in Red. RAMM’s fine art collection is on display until 29 April.  http://bit.ly/RAMMFineArt

A Curious Turn: Moving, mechanical sculpture
Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Dowell Street, Honiton
Automata are moving mechanical sculptures which are brought magically to life through a sequence of cogs, cams and levers. For centuries they have delighted and bewitched people. Visitors are able to turn, push and crank to see many of the pieces in action! A Curious Turn presents automata from the leading makers of the last 40 years, ranging from the humorous to the macabre and from the playful to the satirical. Works on show take a look at key automata makers such as Rowland Emett, famous for creating the elaborate inventions of Caractacus Potts in the 1968 film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The exhibition runs until 19 May. https://www.thelmahulbert.com