The Shoe Horns

A sextet formed by students of Jazz School UK, who will play an eclectic selection of pieces by John Coltrane, Jimmy Heath, Thad Jones, Hank Mobley, Thelonius Monk, Jerry Mulligan, Charlie Parker, Oliver Nelson, Horace Silver and many more.

3-5 Hempstead road, Kings Langley, Wednesday, April 24, 8.15pm. Details: 01923 262982 kingslangleyjazz.co.uk

New Orleans Jazz Bandits

This band was Colin Kingwell’s Jazz Bandits until his retirement last year. As from 2017, the band continues as the New Orleans Jazz Bandits under the stewardship of Malc Murphy. Their New Orleans revival music, in the style of Kid Ory, Bunk Johnson and George Lewis, is always popular and this is not to be missed.

Colne River Room, Pump House Theatre, 5 Local Board Road, Watford, Thursday, April 26, 8.15pm. Details: 01923 467269 pumphouse.info

Jeff Williams Band

A respected stalwart of the international jazz circuit, American drummer Jeff Williams has most notably accompanied Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Lee Konitz, Dave Liebman, Randy Brecker, John Abercrombie and Joe Lovano. As an experienced leader at the kit, with an instinctive, deeply imbued jazz sensibility, Williams coaxes intelligent, colourful interplay from his colleagues. Like all masters of a genre, Jeff Williams has profoundly internalized the traditions of jazz without being tyrannized by its conventions. Fusing and remixing his influences into his own unique voice, he refuses to constrain himself to a single stylistic approach.

The Old Town Hall, High Street, Old Town, Hemel Hempstead, Thursday, April 26, 8pm. Details: 01442 228091 toth.dacorum.gov.uk

Brighton Rock

Fred is found dead – they deny it was murder. Rose is in love – they say she’s in danger. And that boy, Pinkie…. They say he’s evil – but what has he done? As two 17-year-olds, Pinkie and Rose, get embroiled in a vicious gang war in Brighton, one brutal murder leads to the next. The police are impassive, but the courageous and life embracing Ida Arnold wants the truth. Whatever the cost, she’ll see justice done. Pilot Theatre and York Theatre Royal are proud to bring the dark underworld of Graham Greene’s classic novel Brighton Rock to the stage in this new adaptation by acclaimed writer Bryony Lavery. An unmissable version of this gripping noir thriller.

Watford Palace Theatre, 20 Clarendon Road, Watford, Tuesday, April 24, to Saturday, April 28, various times. Details: 01923 225671 watfordpalacetheatre.co.uk

Ben Hur

The greatest Roman epic comedy spoof since The Life of Brian! A sensational, awe-inspiring and unforgettable staging of General Lew Wallace’s timeless classic Ben Hur including sea battles, chariot racing and leprosy. Watch in awe as only a handful of actors take on the might of Rome in a comedy of quick changes, over the top acting, sand dances, camels and the birth of Christ. You’ll gasp at the sight of Rome. You’ll stare in disbelief at the monumental sea battles, and you’ll cheer and be slightly nervous at the real life chariot racing.

Pump House Theatre, Local Board Road, Watford, Wednesday, April 25, to Saturday, April 28, various times. Details: 0333 666 3366 radlettplayers@gmail.com

Calamity Jane

Calamity Jane dresses like a man, totes a gun and drives the Deadwood City stagecoach. Well-meaning, but disaster-prone, she tries to help the local saloon proprietor out of a jam by promising to fetch a music-hall star from Chicago. A hilarious comedy, it nevertheless has many tender moments and some very famous numbers, including 'Secret Love', 'Black Hills Of Dakota, 'Deadwood Stage' and 'Windy City'.

Kings Langley Community Centre, The Nap, Kings Langley, Wednesday, April 25, to Friday, April 28, various times. Details: 01442 268839 klmtc.org.uk

War of the Worlds

‘No one would have believed in the last years of the 19th century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man's…’ And fewer would have believed in the first years of the 21st century that H. G. Wells’ science fiction classic would be performed live by just four actors with intelligences lesser than average. The critically-acclaimed Pantaloons invade the stage in this funny yet faithful new adaptation as they use musical instruments, puppetry and, um, enthusiasm to recreate deadly heat-rays, giant fighting-machines, squidgy tentacled Martians and interplanetary warfare on an epic scale.

The Old Town Hall, High Street, Old Town, Hemel Hempstead, Wednesday, April 25, 8pm. Details: 01442 228091 toth.dacorum.gov.uk

Ballet Black Double Bill

Ballet Black celebrates dancers of black and Asian descent, showcasing technique, precision and grace in specially commissioned pieces. As part of Ballet Black’s latest double bill, Cathy Marston, renowned for her expressive and beautifully crafted work, choreographs a new narrative ballet based on Can Themba’s South African fable The Suit. Completing the evening is Arthur Pita’s A Dream Within a Midsummer Night’s Dream, a heady piece of dance-theatre for which the Portuguese choreographer earned an Olivier nomination following its premiere. The production mixes the classical and contemporary to distil the essence of Shakespeare’s comedy, unfolding to an eclectic soundtrack that includes Eartha Kitt, Barbra Streisand and Yma Sumac.

Weston Auditorium, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Thursday, April 26, 7.30pm. Details: 01707 281127 uharts.co.uk

Roy Chubby Brown

Chubby doesn't hold back from sharing his outlandish views, sailing so close to the mark, even the most seasoned fans will be left gobsmacked. As politically incorrect as ever this live performance is the only place to catch the flamboyant comedian.

The Radlett Centre, 1 Aldenham Avenue, Radlett, Thursday, April 26, 7.30pm. Details: 01923859291 radlettcentre.co.uk

The Post (12A)

A cover-up that spanned four US presidents pushed the country's first female newspaper publisher and a hard-driving editor to join an unprecedented battle between the press and the government.

Watersmeet Theatre, High Street, Rickmansworth, Wednesday, April 25, 2pm, 5pm and 8pm. Details: 01923 711063 watersmeet.co.uk

Friends of Watford Museum

A talk on Disraeli and Hughenden Manor by Graham Everett.

Watford Museum, 194 High Street, Watford, Thursday, April 26, 2pm. Details: 01923 232297 info@watfordmuseum.org.uk

David Starkey: Reformation 500 Years and Isis

It’s the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. But religious history isn’t just for the religious. It deals with one of the central strands in human experience. The Reformation was Europe’s Jihad: there was the same violence, the same literalism in the interpretation of scripture and the same principled destruction of works of art as idolatrous. It used the instruments of an earlier media revolution with printing and representational portraiture acting much as the social media and the selfie do today. And in England it led to the first Brexit as Henry VIII’s determination to divorce his first wife and marry Anne Boleyn turned the king from the Pope’s most loyal ally into his bitterest enemy. The parallels are disturbing and they are intended to be.

The Radlett Centre, 1 Aldenham Avenue, Radlett, Wednesday, April 25, 7.30pm. Details: 01923859291 radlettcentre.co.uk

An Evening with the BOSH! Boys

Veganism is on the rise and the demand for a truly tasty vegan cookbook has never been greater. Enter the Bosh Boys, Henry Firth and Ian Theasby. School friends from Sheffield and creators of the world’s biggest and fastest-growing plant-based platform, BOSH!, they are the new faces of the food revolution. Their online channels have well over 1.8 million fans and over 25 million views every month. Henry and Ian are constantly inspiring people to cook ultra-tasty and super simple recipes at home. Filled with healthy and delicious food, this is perfect for vegans, foodies or for those who want to reduce the amount of meat and dairy they consume. With over 140 easy, delicious and playful dishes, BOSH! will redefine the v-word and pioneer a new way of thinking about food.

The Junction, Christ Church, Chorleywood, Friday, April 27, 7.30pm. Details: 01923 283566 chilternbookshops.co.uk

Tea and Cake with AJ Pearce

London, 1941. Emmeline Lake and her best friend Bunty are trying to stay cheerful despite the Luftwaffe making life thoroughly annoying for everyone. Emmy dreams of becoming a Lady War Correspondent and when she spots a job advertisement in the newspaper she seizes her chance – but after a rather unfortunate misunderstanding, she finds herself typing letters for the formidable Henrietta Bird, the renowned agony aunt of Woman’s Friend magazine. Mrs Bird is very clear: letters containing any form of unpleasantness must go straight into the bin. But as Emmy reads the desperate pleas from women who may have Gone Too Far with the wrong man, or can’t bear to let their children be evacuated, she decides the only thing for it is to secretly write back. Join Chorleywood Bookshop and AJ Pearce for an irresistibly funny and enormously moving afternoon.

The Junction, Christ Church, Chorleywood, Tuesday, April 24, 2.30pm. Details: 01923 283566 chilternbookshops.co.uk