What's on in Watford this week, 18th to 22nd November, 2019

The Ronnie Scott’s All Stars

Direct from London’s world-famous jazz club and combining world class live jazz alongside rare archive photos and video footage, The Ronnie Scott’s All Stars, take you on a guided musical tour of this music institution. Life at Ronnie’s is evocatively re-imagined through tales of the club’s past visitors, from pop stars, film stars and politicians to comedians and royalty, but above all, the musicians. Featuring classic music from the jazz greats who have performed at Ronnie Scott’s, alongside projected images and footage, and tales of old Soho, miscreant musicians and police raids, this show is a glimpse into this unique world and its incredible history.

Watford Colosseum, Rickmansworth Road, Watford, Wednesday, November 20, 7.30pm. Details: 01923 571102 watfordcolosseum.co.uk

Rascals of Rhythm

The Rascals of Rhythm have a very distinctive sound and once heard become instantly recognisable. The band does not fall into any obvious category, which is one of its great strengths, and provides a refreshing visit to an era of swinging, carefree jazz with a repertoire drawn from Jelly Roll Morton and King Oliver to Fats Waller, Duke Ellington and the wonderful tunesmiths whose work makes up the Great American Songbook.

Pump House Theatre, 5 Local Board Road, Watford, Thursday, November 21, 8.15pm. Details: pumphouse.info

Endgame

After an unexplained apocalyptic event the once powerful and important (so he believes) Hamm is left blind and wheelchair-bound, looked after by his servant Clov who both adores and hates him. They share their small refuge with Nagg and Nell, Hamm's elderly and (literally) legless parents who reside in bins. These desperate characters live out the last days of mankind unwilling to give up but with no real reason to keep going.

Pump House Theatre, 5 Local Board Road, Watford, Monday, November 18, to Saturday, November 23. Details: pumphouse.info

High School Musical

It's the first day after winter break at East High. The Jocks, Brainiacs, Thespians and Skater Dudes find their cliques, recount their vacations, and look forward to the new year. Basketball team captain Troy discovers that the brainy Gabriella, a girl he met singing karaoke on his ski trip, has just enrolled at East High. They cause an upheaval when they decide to audition for the high school musical.

The Radlett Centre, 1 Aldenham Avenue, Radlett, Thursday, November 21, to Saturday, November 23, various times. Details: 01923859291 radlettcentre.co.uk

Sunset Boulevard

Award-winning amateur dramatics company Rickmansworth Players present Sunset Boulevard – a show based on Billy Wilder’s Oscar winning film. Alone except for her butler Max, faded movie star Norma Desmond resides in her mansion on Sunset Boulevard. Down on his luck screen writer Joe Gillis comes across Norma's mansion by chance, while trying to evade debt collectors, and gets drawn into her reclusive world. Winner of seven Tony Awards, Andrew Lloyd Webber's score is nothing short of a masterpiece.

Watersmeet Theatre, High Street, Rickmansworth, Wednesday, November 20, to Saturday, November 23, various times. Details: 01923 711063 watersmeet.co.uk

Bird Flight

Bird flight is a truly spectacular natural phenomenon, giving these creatures their obvious appeal and fascination. Who were the first birds? What adaptations enabled them to lift off the ground? What is the advantage of flying in flocks and can we learn anything from them that is useful in designing our own flying machines? These and other questions will form a flight packed evening. Dr Eastwood is a retired academic, who taught animal behaviour, bio-mechanics and neurophysiology.

The Florence Brown Hall, Chorleywood Free Church, Hillside Road, Chorleywood, Thursday, November 21, 8pm. Details: 01923 897885

The Mountbattens with Andrew Lownie

Welcome back the prize-winning and bestselling historian Andrew Lownie and his new book to mark the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Lord Mountbatten by the IRA. Two remarkable people: Dickie Mountbatten, Supreme Allied Commander of South East Asia during World War Two and the last Viceroy of India, marries Edwina Mountbatten, one of the richest women in Britain and a prominent socialite. The book draws on four years of research around the world and tells a story worthy of Hollywood with all the key figures of the era, including Churchill, Roosevelt, Eisenhower, the Queen, Prince Philip, Charlie Chaplin, Noel Coward, Salvador Dali, Fred Astaire, and Merle Oberon.

Chorleywood Library, Lower Road, Chorleywood, Tuesday, November 19, 7pm. Details: 01923 283566 chilternbookshops.co.uk