From Jerusalem and Pretty Woman to a 70s Alan Bennett farce, unreconstructed attitudes and old-fashioned smut still permeate British theatre. And irony is not much of a defence If the theatr…
Turbine theatre, LondonJJ Green's play, in which he also stars, contrasts the struggles his autistic hero faces with the rich world of his imagination This debut play about a boy growing up …
Harold Pinter theatre, LondonEmilia Clarke and Indira Varma star in Jamie Lloyd's stripped-back West End production which asks probing questions about performance Chekhov's drama about love…
Available onlineA chilling portrayal of the tense encounter between the SS chief and Norbert Masur, a representative of the World Jewish Congress, works well on screen In the dying days of t…
Charing Cross theatre, LondonA meeting in a toilet between a republican teacher and the Queen is disappointingly amicable with few laughs Here's a comedy for those of us who hid from the acr…
Fenton Town Hall, Stoke-on-TrentWily upstart Denry Machin is played with picaresque charm in a witty adaptation of Arnold Bennett's novel, empowered by the big, vivid sound of a brass band D…
Royal Shakespeare theatre, Stratford-upon-AvonArthur Hughes is the scheming sociopath in a production of magisterial stagecraft that builds to a powerful climax Arthur Hughes is the first di…
Bush theatre, LondonThree generations of a working-class Muslim family clash in Ambreen Razia's meditation on the complexities of motherhood This lean multi-generational family drama explore…
Southwark Playhouse, LondonThe use of puppets to portray mob justice is not the only bad call in a play that rarely achieves enough dramatic tension A stranger arrives at a seaside town wit…
Having settled the 'sound wars' of their childhood, Ben and Max Ringham reveal how they went from drum'n'bass maestros to prolific theatrical duo Max and Ben Ringham had wildly clashing musi…
Theatre Royal Stratford East, LondonRousing children's musical provides a zippy guide to the great women of history that sets toes tapping and young minds alight "What's a suffragette?" asks…
Ambassadors, LondonTheresa Rebeck's play follows the relationship between a terminally ill father and a mentally unstable son Theresa Rebeck's play opens as a dysfunctional father-son drama …
The actor and campaigner came to Britain from Trinidad and Tobago in 1954 and rose to join Laurence Olivier's National Theatre company. Clint Dyer and others explain why we should remember h…
A group of queer, black friends, the Jewish experience, how a British Iraqi saw the Gulf War … as she unveils her radical programme, the artistic director talks about learning from the row…
Park theatre, LondonAny earnest intentions in this 80s-set coming-of-age tale are ruined by odious vulgarity and lazy, Benny Hill-esque humour This coming-of-age story, set in the kitchen of…
Tower Vaults, LondonA thrilling live adventure is marred by moments of bewildering VR in this immersive voyage back to 1605 It may set Harry Potter fans' hearts aflutter to know that Tom Fel…
Jermyn Street theatre, LondonFine acting and lively dialogue save this philosophical play from feeling static as it applies Athenian ideals to modern dilemmas Howard Brenton's play about th…
Arcola Outside, LondonSorcha Kennedy gives an astonishing performance as a cycle delivery rider with grand literary dreams Firstly the venue: what a delight this covered wood and corrugated …
Watermill theatre, NewburyThis fast-paced comedy mashup of the great Victorian novelist sends up Britishness with oodles of silliness Some may already know this ticklish literary comedy from…
Dictating to the Estate uses documentary evidence to tell a story of everyday heroism and scandalous political neglect While the nation commences its parties for the Queen's Jubilee this wee…
Lyric Hammersmith, LondonTimberlake Wertenbaker's take on Racine's version of ancient Rome is replete with power-crazed emperors, deadly poison and juicy family politics Rome might have teem…
Duke of York's theatre, LondonTennessee Williams's story of yearning, passion and despair never puts us under its spell in Jeremy Herrin's production Tennessee Williams's narrator begins by …
Ustinov Studio, BathA strong creative team featuring Lindsay Duncan and Hilton McRae cannot bring this dreary revival to life August Strindberg's 1900 drama of marital drudgery and torment h…
The Globe, LondonThe sexy makeover with dildos and inflatable testicles doesn't work and the text additions only highlight the disjointedness It is rare to see this history play get an out…
Kiln theatre, LondonFamily dynamics and toxic masculinity are explored in Marina Carr's riveting version of the story of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra The story of Clytemnestra is not quite as …