Romeo, an out-of-work single dad, falls for Julie, a top student who dreams of being an astrophysicist. We go behind the scenes at a Shakespeare update that swaps fair Verona for Splott in C…
Lyttelton theatre, LondonJanet McTeer plays a politician who falls for her dead lover's son, but even her strong performance cannot save a tonally unsure play The ancient Greek tragedy of a…
Gillian Lynne theatre, LondonHadley Fraser, Nigel Lindsay and Michael Balogun are astonishing as the 18th-century bankers who helped to define the American dream The Lehman Trilogy premiered…
Finborough theatre, LondonThis two-hander, translated from the French, has a hypnotic narrative power as it considers the refugees' dangerous journey Two men stand at opposite ends of the st…
Theatre Royal Stratford East, LondonKosovan refugee Dritan Kastrati looks back at the struggles of his arduous journey and his troubling experiences in London 'In my country" is an often rep…
Lyric theatre, LondonThe singer is convincing in the role (first played by Lily Allen) of a mother who hears spooky noises at night in Danny Robins' well-oiled, blackly comic chiller Since i…
Harold Pinter theatre, LondonJosie Rourke's West End revival of Sam Steiner's fringe hit really lifts when the show's starry duo drop their romcom routine Does a revival of Sam Steiner's 201…
Soho theatre, LondonThis intergalactic show about sexuality and religious homophobia boasts a charismatic star in Willy Hudson but tips into chaos Willy Hudson's "queer sci-fi epic" has an i…
Barbican, LondonThese four vignettes offer flashes of brilliance and smart stagecraft but feel too disconnected to truly hit home Is it too soon to see the funny side of the pandemic? A hosp…
Royal Court, LondonA plot to kill RuPaul for dragging drag into the mainstream, followed by song and dance numbers, fires up an exhilarating show with breathtaking costumes, radical politics…
Theatre503, LondonWhen two boys kiss at primary school, there's a furore on the parents' WhatsApp group and an intervention from fabulous supernatural forces Two couples thrash out their dif…
Park theatre, LondonGwithian Evans and Jon Osbaldeston star in a power struggle that keeps you guessing " but it's not enough to get under your skin Nicolas Billon's 2004 play sets itself up…
Riverside Studios, LondonJemma Kahn's show begins with a striptease, then ponders existential questions before ending with an orgiastic dinner party This peculiar and alluring act begins as …
Jermyn Street theatre, LondonMisha Levkov's dystopian debut examines migration, climate and community action but the drama is lost amid bland philosophical arguments It is 2025 and the world…
Ustinov Studio, BathThe humour is a little too clownish in Lindsay Posner's revival of Edward Albee's classic but the toxic power games are potent So much of Edward Albee's 1962 play about a…
Charing Cross theatre, LondonThe Star Trek actor appears in an epic story of Japanese Americans interned after Pearl Harbor but there is never enough emotional force This musical, inspired b…
Seven Dials Playhouse, LondonKeith Merrill's monologue about an agent who feels she should have found fame as an actor relies too heavily on backstory and hackneyed lines to realise the pote…
Almeida, LondonOne of the year's most hyped shows delivers with powerful performances from the Normal People star, Patsy Ferran and Anjana Vasan Two weeks into 2023 and we have already arriv…
Park theatre, LondonVernon Vanriel's extraordinary battles with addiction, poverty and the Home Office are brought to life in a big-hearted if overlong show This play enacts a boxer's real-l…
Donmar Warehouse, LondonPatricia Hodge stars in Hellman's play about a liberal American family confronted by war in Europe and the dangers of inaction Lillian Hellman's 1941 play looks like…
Available onlineThree monologues, told from a Black British perspective, tackle subjects ranging from distrust of the medical system to the gentrification of Brixton These three audio dramas…
Shakespeare's Globe, LondonHannah Khalil's lo-fi retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's 1844 story cleverly weaves in humour, carols and a contemporary lesson on woodland conservation When t…
Available onlineTony award-winning musical about an ageing TV star trying to revive his career has a slow-burn power that brings serious drama to the zinging comedy Buddy Young Jnr was once …
Watford Palace theatreThis lacklustre reframing of the fairytale as a talent show veers into a pantomime version of Phantom of the Opera This is not Beauty or the Beast as we know them: Bell…
In a superb year for the stage, our chief critic gives 10 shows an extra round of applause. Plus, Guardian theatre reviewers each pick their 2022 standout ' More of the best culture of 2022 …