Ten things to see in Sussex, April 20-26

1. The Importance Of Being Earnest.

Tuesday to Saturday, April 24-28, £18-£25.50, 7.45pm (Wednesday and Saturday matinee 2.30pm), Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne, 01323 412000. National treasure Gwen Taylor stars as Lady Bracknell, alongside Susan Penhaligon as Miss Prism, in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance Of Being Earnest, presented by The Original Theatre Company. Gwen Taylor is best known for playing the title role in ITV sitcom Barbara, as well as Anne Foster in Coronation Street and Peggy Armstrong in Heartbeat. Oscar Wilde’s greatly admired and much loved comedy follows Jack Worthing’s endeavours to marry Algernon’s cousin, the beautiful Gwendolen. But first he must convince the fearsome Lady Bracknell of his respectability. Wilde’s classic play looks at the clash of town and country in a story of romance, identity, perambulators and capacious handbags.

2. Bill Bailey: Larks in Transit.

Friday, April 20. From £30.65, 8pm, Brighton Centre, 0844 8471515. Musical comedian Bill Bailey performs Larks In Transit at the Brighton Centre on Friday. The show is a compendium of travellers’ tales and the general shenanigans of 20 years as a travelling comedian. With music, surreal tangents and intelligence, Bill looks at politics, philosophy and the pursuit of happiness. He also fashions a symphony from a ringtone, tells the real story of Old McDonald and a re-imagines the Stars and Stripes.

3. Burgess Hill Choral Society.

Spring concert, Saturday, April 21, 7.30pm, £13 (£3 for under 18s), St Andrew’s Church, corner of Cants Lane and Junction Road, Burgess Hill. The choral society is performing Mendelssohn’s great oratorio Elijah. Spokeswoman and alto Frances Eales said: “It’s like one of those Hollywood biblical epics in glorious technicolor, with a bona fide prophet, a curse on the land, a battle between Jehovah and the local god Baal, an angry Queen, fire, famine and floods, with Elijah at the centre of everything. Written when Mendelssohn was at the height of his powers, Elijah was an immediate hit with contemporary audiences. Among its admirers were Queen Victoria and Prince Albert who knew the composer personally. It’s a huge sing, with rousing choruses, punctuated by the most beautiful quieter pieces such as ‘Lift Thine Eyes’, which many people will know. We’re all thoroughly enjoying singing it. The choir will be led by Michael Stefan Wood and accompanied by professional soloists and a full concert orchestra.” Tickets are available from members of BHCS, Burgess Hill Town Council’s Help Point (96 Church Walk), on the door, or on 07522 493966.

4. Russell Brand. Re:Birth.

Sunday, April 22, £29, 8pm, Brighton Dome, 01273 709709. What is real? Who are we? Where did this baby come from? Russell Brand wrestles with these questions while unravelling the matrix of modern media, fatherhood and death.

5. Present Laughter.

April 20 to May 12, Chichester Festival Theatre, 01243 781312, www.cft.org.uk. Actor Garry Essendine is at the height of his fame and he’s about to take his latest theatrical hit overseas. But he’s also in the middle of a mid-life crisis. This sparkling comedy about sex, fame and a man wrestling with his own self-image is widely regarded as Noël Coward’s most autobiographical play. Actor, comedian and presenter Rufus Hound plays Garry, returning to Chichester following Neville’s Island in 2013.

6. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds.

Top circular picture by Lawrence Watson. Sunday, April 22, £55.20, 6.30pm, Brighton Centre, 0844 8471515. Following the success of the North American tour, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds continue the huge Stranded On The Earth World Tour 2018-2019 this spring by bringing their rousing live show to arenas across the UK and Ireland. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds will also make a string of headline festival appearances this summer across the country. Who Built the Moon?, the third album from Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, was released in November 2017 on Sour Mash Records. It is gold certified and debuted at number one, making it a hat trick of number one solo records from Noel following 2011’s eponymous debut and 2015’s Chasing Yesterday.

7. The Winslow Boy.

Monday to Saturday, April 23-28, £14-£34, 7.45pm (Thursday and Saturday matinee 2.30pm), Theatre Royal, Brighton, 0844 871 7650. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Jeeves and Wooster and The Dresser, this is a major new revival of Terence Rattigan’s best-loved play. Having been expelled from the Royal Naval College for stealing a five-shilling postal order, cadet Ronnie Winslow’s family is pulled apart by the repercussions of this charge. Set against the values of 1910 Edwardian London, the Winslow family fight to clear his name.

8. Gomez.

Tuesday, April 24, 7pm, £29.50, Brighton Dome, Church Street, 01273 709709, brightondome.org. Indie rock band Gomez (bottom circular picture) return to Brighton Dome to perform their classic 1998 album Bring It On in full to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Visit www.gomeztheband.com.

9. Christian Garrick and The Budapest Cafe Orchestra.

Wednesday, April 25, £12-£15, 7.30pm, Komedia, 44-47 Gardner Street, Brighton, 0845 293 8480. Led by jazz violin superstar Christian Garrick, the Budapest Café Orchestra play folk and gypsy flavoured music from across the Balkans and Russia, offering mournful Klezmer melodies, raucous Romanian Doinas and Hungarian Czadas.

10. The Bootleg Beatles.

Wednesday, April 25, £29.50-£31, 7.30pm, Pavilion Theatre, Marine Parade, Worthing, 01903 206206. Formed from the original cast of the West End hit Beatlemania, The Bootleg Beatles have become an institution in their own right with their note-perfect recreation of hits from every era of the world’s most famous songbook. Every tiny detail is meticulously covered, from costumes to authentic period instruments. Find out more at www.bootlegbeatles.com.

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