1,222 stories by "Arifa Akbar"
Almeida, LondonDespite some delightful clowning, Omar Elerian's version of this timely tale of conformity has too many ideas and lacks focus
Omar Elerian clearly has an aptitude, and appetit…
King's Head theatre, LondonA dysfunctional brood gather at a wedding-cum-funeral in actor-writer Rosie Day's dark comedy
A wedding is repurposed into a funeral in writer-actor Rosie Day's da…
Theatre Royal BathDespite its cleverly conceived monochrome set and some compelling songs, this series of stories from the master of suspense is a letdown
Alfred Hitchcock had confirmed his …
York Theatre RoyalFun, intelligent and powered by Rice's joyful whimsy, this playful take on the spy movie is a crowd-pleaser
Mistaken identity fires Alfred Hitchcock's Kafkaesque 1959 spy t…
Was the second wife of Henry VIII really guilty of the crimes she was beheaded for? Pickett's award-winning new play takes a sideways look at her downfall " by imagining its impact on everyd…
Orange Tree theatre, LondonCamaraderie, comedy and a love of the trade shine through in April De Angelis's group portrait of Nell Gwyn and the other female actors who were the first to be pe…
The Other Palace, LondonSarah Cameron-West's one-woman show switches between inner and outer voices to explore envy, anger and inadequacy
We are not given the name of the main character in t…
Menier Chocolate Factory, LondonAs a gym-bunny vampire channelling Frank-N-Furter, James Daly leads a superb cast in a gender and genre-inverting romp that lacks bite
Before they took on Bra…
Arcola theatre, LondonThis firecracker adaptation of the 1990 Johnny Depp film pokes fun at American conservative values in rockabilly songs bursting with biting ironies
This musical adaptat…
Trafalgar theatre, LondonAmy Heckerling adapts her own iconic screenplay for a lumbering production in need of more belters from composer KT Tunstall
What do you get if you cross a high-scho…
Yard theatre, London Jay Miller's production raises the ghosts of troubled memories with powerful intimacy in this final show before the venue gets a grand refit
Tennessee Williams' semi-aut…
Hampstead theatre, London A group of fantasy gamers begin to exorcise their struggles with grief and trauma in a drama with a brilliant set-up
Fantasy isn't factual but it's true, said Ursul…
Arcola theatre, LondonMadeleine Brettingham's play aims to unpick male friendships and send up criminal groupies, but it treats the subject of mental health too lightly to make it meaningful…
Barbican theatre, London Thomas Ostermeier's masterful staging has tremendous performances from a cast including Tom Burke, Emma Corrin and Kodi Smit-McPhee
Chekhov described his country-hou…
Park theatre, LondonCassie Bradley and Barney White are vulnerable, brittle and finally tender as Violet and Leonard, in Nick Payne's love story moving through decades
Writer Nick Payne exc…
Lyttelton theatre, LondonIn Michael Abbensetts' play, elegantly directed by Lynette Linton, characters work, dream, horse around and question the nature of home
This breezy comedy by the Guy…
Royal Court theatre, LondonA woman living in Gaza rehearses her evacuation drill, should an Israeli bomb fall on her family, in Khawla Ibraheem's scalding one-woman play
If you had five to 1…
Belgrade theatre, CoventryThere are ideas aplenty in this high-concept musical retelling of Shakespeare, but it gets off to a bumpy start
This telling of the age-old tragedy begins with mode…
The Other Palace, LondonA concussed contestant causes a stir with her unfiltered protest songs, in this caffeinated monologue performed by Daisy Steere
This musical satire of reality TV is a…
Donmar Warehouse, LondonGreig breathes compassion into her relation with self-absorbed parent Imrie but their exchanges swim across the decades incoherently
A mother lies dying in a hospital…
Storyhouse, ChesterA disgruntled child enters a parallel universe where he can select new parents. It has a spirited cast, but the songs are simplistic, stompy and uninspired
Who could blame…
Theatre Royal Drury Lane, LondonWith a chemistry that's as bright as the modern-day costumes in this weird and wonderful show, the actors turn Shakespeare into a giddy house party cum modern…
Bridge Theatre, LondonNicholas Hytner's production plays like a thriller, while Brigerton star Bailey glitters with feeling in a potently physical modern-dress production
Long before Bridger…
Theatre Royal Stratford EastYou believe in the animals completely in this bold adaptation, which, with its seemingly guileless Napoleon, resonates darkly in the here and now
Popular among th…
Finborough theatre, LondonA symbolic, stripped-down staging fails to plumb the chilling emotional depths of this story about a Jewish man trying to flee Germany in the 1930s
A wealthy Jewish…