Arts Depot, LondonThis magical immersive show has larger-than-life characters and lets its very young audience dip their hands into orange jelly and glitterLong before theatre made for adult…
St James, LondonThis entertaining trip boasts clever sets and inventive direction but is punctured by a Phileas Fogg without enough wit for an upper-class twitThere's a touch of Patrick Barl…
David Tennant reprises his Richard II, the London international mime festival begins and The 39 Steps goes out on a national tour from NorthamptonShelia Hancock and Jenna Russell star as Jac…
More than 1m British people have ballroom lessons. Some of them will appear in John Retallack's new work. By Lyn GardnerIn a musty ballroom under the White Rock Theatre, director and choreog…
This epic production drew together the people of Port Talbot and explored myriad ways of delivering theatre " from Twitter to whispered rumour. Has it changed the shape of participatory perf…
Martin McDonagh's play about the abolition of the death penalty in 1960s England hangs out to dry the idea that the country was a kinder, gentler placeIn Joe Orton's 1969 play, What the Butl…
Sometimes friends look at me with sympathy when they ask if I'm on the annual panto patrol. But it's a great art form that creates a special bond between performers and audience " and helps …
It looks a million dollars and has a great premise. But what's it about? Don't worry wonder.land, there's still time to make improvements"I knew who I was this morning, but I've changed a fe…
Swalec stadium, Cardiff This theatre-gig hybrid is impossible to dislike, but the average panto has rather more biteTake a pinch of psychedelia, a touch of manga, a dash of political fable a…
Trafalgar Studios 2, LondonMorgan Lloyd Malcolm weaves enjoyably nasty twists into the tale of a tormentor and her victim, reunited after 20 yearsWhen Heather was at school she had plaits, g…
The Almeida's enthralling Oresteia is singled out by Lyn Gardner who, in no set order, chooses her other essential productions of the yearMore on the best culture of 2015Some may have though…
Unity theatre, LiverpoolPantomime is perfectly suited to addressing political issues " even if, as in this case, it can make the story unwieldy and imperfect Panto may be primarily entertain…
Liverpool PlayhouseA young woman explores the ghostly recesses of a shape-shifting old house " and her own troubled mind " in this enjoyable Shirley Jackson adaptation"Houses aren't haunted.…
Royal Exchange, ManchesterMatthew Xia's revival of Stephen Sondheim's dark, grownup musical lacks the light touch needed to stop it straying into the preachyIn the darkness, a child cries at…
Oily Cart create a Land of Lights in London, Aidan Gillen reads Joyce's The Dead at Shakespeare's Globe, and there is acrobatic mayhem in BrightonThe interactive Christmas family adventure T…
Home, ManchesterThis take on Cornelia Funke's magical novel, in which book characters come to life, downplays the darkness to produce a vigorous, good-natured narrativeSince her mother myste…
Lyric Hammersmith, LondonGlass slippers become glittery Converses in a contemporary twist on the fairytale, with show-stopping scenes and lots of sparkleIn recent years, Hammersmith has been…
Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, LondonSam Yates's revival of Shakespeare's late play never shirks from its absurdity and gains high returns from its low comedy"Stagey trash of the lowest melodramat…
Noël Coward theatre, LondonPuppets and modern-day poignancy combine in Patrick Barlow's high-spirited adaptation of DickensHas there ever been a Scrooge quite as genial and cuddly as the …
Apollo, LondonIn this neat retread of the Play That Goes Wrong formula, Neverland is cleverly assailed by electric shocks and flying mishapsOver the years, I've seen plenty of Peter Pans goi…
A lack of resources can spur theatre companies on to greater creativity and engagement with different audiences Complicite's early shows evolved as much from a lack of resources as they did …
No Villian, Arthur Miller's previously unseen first play, opens; Rash Dash rework Snow White in Cambridge; new works by Rona Munro and Stephen Greenhorn arrive in EdinburghGet ready to be te…
Can you go wrong with Aladdin, Dick Whittington and Snow White? Oh no you can't…London has upped its panto game in recent years, with the Theatre Royal Stratford East, Hackney Empire and t…
The festive season doesn't just mean panto " how about Jim Broadbent as Scrooge, spine-chilling horror and a modern take on Sleeping Beauty?Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein's 1927 musical, …
Broadcasts of major productions are popular with audiences and deserve applause. Now we need proper research to determine their impact on live artsWhenever two or more arts writers are gathe…