Cambridge Arts, then touringRebus fans will relish Ian Rankin and Simon Reade's play in which the spiky Scottish cop must solve a crime at a posh dinner party Ian Rankin gave his spiky but o…
Minerva theatre, ChichesterThis adaptation of the cold war spy thriller elegantly compresses the narrative and boasts star-making performances In John le Carré's 1963 name-making novel The …
Ustinov Studio, BathInviting macabre surrealism and terror by torchlight on to a brown 1950s set, Richard Jones leaves room for interpretation in Pinter's early play Harold Pinter's first fu…
Swan theatre, Stratford-upon-AvonTamara Harvey's first production as the Royal Shakespeare Company's co-artistic director highlights the play's sharp political intelligence For reasons of fa…
Regent's Park Open Air theatre, London Jordan Fein's revival, using its outdoor setting to sublime effect, stresses the musical's comedy while resonating with the current plight of refugees …
Minghella theatre, ReadingViewers may be well versed on the Horizon debacle, but this play offers a fresh perspective by focusing on one victim's story A stage set of a small Post Office bra…
Swan theatre, Stratford-upon-AvonStephen Kunken's Republican ringmaster narrates this account of the negotiation of the first international treaty on tackling climate change Key sections of …
Lyric Hammersmith, LondonRachel O'Riordan's powerful production explores political, medical and religious faith with a wholly convincing cast When Brian Friel's Faith Healer opened on Broadw…
Orange Tree theatre, LondonThis chamber staging, movingly played by an immaculate ensemble, fits perfectly with the drama's hothouse of disappointment At 84, Sir Trevor Nunn is making his fi…
Southwark Playhouse, LondonFraming the battle within a 1930s romance and a 2024 walking tour, Adam Lenson's production has big ballads, hip-hop-ish commentary and high camp Headline politica…
Royal Shakespeare theatre, Stratford-upon-AvonEleanor Rhode's ravishing fusion of flamboyancy, surrealism and raucous fun rouses audiences in a youthful, energetic riot Directors of Shakespe…
Ralph Fiennes and David Tennant are among the stars playing Shakespeare's Thane this year. Might the tragedy's current popularity have something to do with the Tory government? After killing…
Leeds PlayhouseJames Brining's exemplary staging solves every problem " the antisemitism, the coercive romance " that Oliver Bart's joyous, beloved but difficult musical presents With child …
Minerva theatre, ChichesterDespite fine acting, Harry Davies' political thriller about a contaminated water scandal fails to plumb the depths of its characters In two senses, this debut play…
The Everton FC chairman and hands-on producer of dozens of stage hits, who has died aged 78, ceaselessly radiated the bonhomie of the actor he originally was While he was primarily a theatri…
Jonathan Lynn's new play finds the political double act in their 80s, in a suitable final chapter to a magnificent comic project For Britons interested in politics, 25 February 1980 was a gr…
Marylebone theatre, LondonSet in a Polish ghetto, Dmitry Glukhovsky's superb play explores the terrible choices made by people under occupation Only the hardest heart would not feel advance …
Hampstead theatre, LondonLauren Gunderson's smart play finds a software engineer creating a digital version of a sister who has disappeared While screenwriters strike, partly over the threa…
It's a dream team: the creator of the 1982 BBC series and the writer of Sherwood. The pair meet in Liverpool to discuss putting Yosser and the lads on stage in a new era of economic desperat…
RSC, Stratford-upon-AvonBenefitting from a Scottish cast and a rewritten Porter's speech by Lee, Wils Wilson's production gets at the demonic drive of people desperate for power but hopeless…
Almeida, LondonSam Holcroft's drama delights in the theatrical trickery of dual identities and false realities to throw a final surprise punch Extending the long tail of works influenced by …
Shakespeare's Globe, LondonGender swapped roles shed new light on dark days in a production " complete with gruesome bodybags and references to fake news " that feels aptly aligned to our ti…
Watermill theatre, BerkshireA formidable cast journey through folk via Bollywood to pop " not to mention mountain treks and orc attacks " in a compressed revival of the 2007 musical As direc…
Dorfman theatre, LondonPiling up devastating detail, this play with a remarkable cast shockingly lays bare the abject failures behind this disaster During dramas about a national catastrophe…
Watermill theatre, NewburyKate Summerscale's Victorian potboiler is deftly condensed in a production that brings out the misogyny and class snobbery of the era The risk of a successful crim…