Crucible, SheffieldAn improbable new musical about a postwar London charlady in love with haute couture works like a charm, with a transcendent performance from Clare BurtGive yourself whole…
Royal Shakespeare theatre, Stratford-upon-AvonThere is something of the Edinburgh fringe about this RSC production of one of Shakespeare's most complex playsWhat have we left of Shakespeare?…
Theatre Royal, BrightonSpymonkey clown around in an inventive production that turns Shakespeare's complete works into a fabulous bloodbathThe Complete Deaths is a new show created by the clo…
Northern Stage, Newcastle upon TyneImprobable's adaptation of Lauren Slater's study of psychological experiments doesn't quite make it off the page"Popular science has an element of art, eve…
Birmingham Rep Tom Wells's play about three very different characters coming together through music has freshness, charm and warmthWinnie likes a Guinness on a Friday night (she's Irish, aft…
Curve, LeicesterIshy Din's first world war drama adeptly tackles class, race and colonialism through the moving story of Khudadad KhanKhudadad Khan was the first Asian soldier to be awarded …
Craig Taylor's snapshots of everyday situations shouldn't work as drama but they do " and brilliantlyDid you ever have to do that experiment at school where you watched crystals form in a sa…
Royal & Derngate, Northampton; Royal Exchange, ManchesterMichael Pennington's powerful performance isn't helped by the period trappings, but Don Warrington's flummoxed king is a Lear to …
Theatre by the Lake, KeswickThis adaptation of James Rebanks's bestselling memoir conveys its central relationships powerfullyThe thing about nature in the UK is, most of it isn't natural. I…
When Sir Alan Ayckbourn says that "about 50% of the laughs" in his hysterically funny, heart-wrenchingly painful How the Other Half Loves are thanks to its "superimposed composite set", he's…
Scottish Storytelling Centre, EdinburghIgnorance of Gaelic proves no barrier to enjoying this fine adaptation of Tormod Caimbeul's seminal novelHave you ever seen a seagull by a cliff fly ag…
Derby theatre; Octagon theatre, BoltonJohn Osborne's working-class antihero struggles to find his target on the modern stage, but a female spin gives the character some fresh perspective"It …
Liverpool PlayhouseThe fascinating story of Thomas Aikenhead " the last person in Britain to be executed for blasphemy " is marred by a mix of theatrical stylesYoung Thomas Aikenhead was the…
Citizens, GlasgowDirector/designer Stewart Laing's production of The Maids is vividly theatrical (the stage curtain gets a round of applause). But its visual surprises and non-textual interv…
Theatre Royal, PlymouthThe extraordinary life of Screaming Lord Sutch told through music, comedy and drama sketches is highly entertaining " though ultimately a little too fragmentedScreamin…
Crucible, SheffieldLorraine Hansberry's landmark play about the struggles of an African American family in a Chicago slum is as relevant today as it was half a century agoLorraine Hansberry …
Royal Exchange, ManchesterMargaret Edson's award-winning play about a professor with aggressive cancer is thought-provoking " and very funny"Whilst my physicians by their love are grown/ Cos…
Home, Manchester; East Riding theatre, BeverleyA one-man exploration of crime caught the eye at Manchester's celebration of low-budget new work, while dinner party guests went ape in Yorkshi…
Royal Exchange, ManchesterSome ponderous writing fails to thwart a compelling vision of Stephen Sondheim's interlacing fairytalesLines that rhyme are fine " for a time. But, after a bit, the…
Everyman, LiverpoolThe long-running rock'n'roll panto delivers an inspiring heroine, magnificent mayhem and a soaking for the audienceSomeone is sitting in my place. He is smaller than me. W…
Crucible, Sheffield Daniel Evans's production of the 20th-century musical classic is unmissableThe star of Show Boat is, surely, the Mississippi river, its rolling presence famously extolled…
Octagon, BoltonPuppets, shadows, human beans and of course giants combine in a fabulously inventive retelling of the Roald Dahl classic. But one thing is lacking…What makes a Christmas sho…
Curve, LeicesterA dynamic production full of contrast, strong performances and brisk musical direction polish the classic musical to a shinePaul Kerryson's production cleverly plays with con…
Ustinov Studio, BathThis elegant, high-energy production is always amusing, though should trust the laughs to come naturallyPicture a vase on the edge of a shelf. A gust of wind, a curtain b…
Theatr Clwyd, MoldA cast of six work wonders in this clever adaptation of Caradoc Evans's caustic tales of life in rural Wales"The most hated man in Wales"; "the Welsh James Joyce". Opinions…