ZEITGEIST

Watch

The multi award-winning master of mind control and psychological illusion, Derren Brown, is at his very best on stage. His oneman shows have received wide critical acclaim and more Olivier wins and nominations than any other in history.

Now with his first theatre show in six years, Derren Brown returns to astonish and amaze audiences up and down the country, arriving at the Bristol Hippodrome on 24 May for one week only. The content of Showman remains a closely-guarded secret, but if you’ve seen him before, you know you’re in for a powerhouse treat.

• atgtickets.com

Support

Bristol Beacon and Bozarts honour and support the people of Ukraine with a special event of folk, spoken word and classical music created by the Bozarts Band. Bozarts Band is a collective of Bristol's leading instrumentalists. With actress Patrycja Kujawska (Kneehigh Theatre) and soprano Katy Garden the programme takes the audience on a journey of happiness, sadness and recovery. The early evening performance includes music from different cultures, concluding with the audience joining to sing anthems of hope and the Ukrainian national anthem. All proceeds from the event and all further funds raised will be donated to the Disasters Emergency Committee.

5

Dance top things to do in May

Disco’s roots are firmly founded in the early Seventies, says James Taylor, producer of the hit touring concert show Lost in Music, which comes to the O2 Bristol Academy on 6 May. Backed by a talented live band, Lost in Music stars a cast boasting stunning vocals, which combines this with the extravagant dance moves and fabulous fashion of the era to bring the best the late Seventies had to offer live on stage.

“Audiences are taken on a musical journey straight to the heart of disco by a band that just wants to play in front of crazy fans,” promises James. “Concertgoers are encouraged to come dressed to impress and to get involved.”

Touring the UK with more than 200 dates in the diary for 2022, Lost in Music is coming to town. Tickets are on sale now.

• academymusicgroup.com/o2academybristol

Be Part Of Enjoy

Bristol's trailblazing international festival of contemporary performance Mayfest has a thrilling programme of performances, parties, film, and participatory artworks taking place between 13 –29 May. Festival highlights include the UK premieres of Austrian artist Doris Uhlich's naked dance party-come-durational choreography and Zurich-based Monika Truong's interactive performance Be Part Of.

In a first for Mayfest and in a move towards a more accessible and inclusive festival, each and every event will be priced on a Pay What You Can basis from a minimum of £1, with attendees encouraged to pay the price that feels right for them.

• mayfestbristol.co.uk

Laugh

Isy Suttie

The Wells Comedy Festival 2022 – a ‘weekend-long comedy jamboree’ (The Guardian) –is set to take place in Somerset from 27 – 29 May. Over the weekend, England’s smallest city will play host to 40 comedy shows at a variety of venues across the city, which will include four gala night performances, each with their own surprise line ups.

Isy Suttie, Reginald D Hunter, Spencer Jones, Aaron Simmonds, Olga Koch, Sean McLoughlin, Sunil Patel and Babatunde Aleshe will join Harry Hill, Phil Wang, Al Murray, Shaparak Khorsandi, Mark Watson, Mike Wozniak, and many more. Grab your tickets while you can.

Credit: MattCrockett