A generous-hearted jokesmith, Cryer created laughs for generations of comics, was a consummate performer and had a lifelong commitment to wit 'An honorary uncle to countless comics': Jack De…
Derby theatreUsing music hall and Broadway songs to tell the story of former MP Dennis Skinner's colourful Commons battles makes surprising sense Writers often say that content dictates form…
Ian McKellen and Sanjeev Bhaskar will also take to stage and solve a crime without rehearsal in starry fundraising drama at London theatre Actors have nightmares of going on in a play for wh…
Park Theatre, London Interweaving triple narratives of lovers, siblings and soldiers doesn't give enough space to explore the complexities of British rule The title of The 4th Country presum…
How does it feel to go back on stage night after night in a play that's been mauled by critics and deserted by audiences? Richard Eyre and other directors and actors relive their trauma Movi…
Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, LondonPablo Manzi's political scenes, which span several decades and are powerfully performed, could perhaps lead to a future epic Thirty years ago, the Royal C…
Young Vic, LondonDavid Harewood and Charles Edwards go head-to-head as William F Buckley Jr and Gore Vidal respectively in an enthralling play based on a 1968 TV debate James Graham speciali…
Birmingham Repertory theatreThe A-lister provided joyous shock on opening night, as Morecambe and Wise's screen routines return to the boards Regularly drawing TV audiences in the 1970s that…
The American composer and lyricist, who has died aged 91, shaped the musical artform with his wise, witty and extravagantly clever work Stephen Sondheim achieved such acclaim " for deepening…
Finborough theatre, LondonDavid Ireland's provocative, surreal, intensely brutal farce finds a former loyalist paramilitary seeking mediation from Eamonn Holmes for a dispute with his neighb…
North Wall, OxfordWill Howard and Kimberley Jarvis portray more than 20 characters with ease in this superb tale set against the 2001 disaster The new BBC Two documentary Blair and Brown: Th…
Bush theatre, LondonIgor Memic's prize-winning debut is an affecting if slightly uneven conflict romance brought to life by vivid detail Igor Memic, winner of the 2020 Papatango new writing …
Soho theatre, LondonThis play daringly switches tone as it follows three mothers and explores exhaustion, panic and feelings of inadequacy The title of Mum " a fertile-with-ideas play by Mor…
Minerva theatre, ChichesterDavid Storey's intense drama of cross-talking patients in an institution has gained fresh relevance from the pandemic Harry and Jack " distinguished-looking older …
Theatre Royal WindsorArtfully combining clumsiness with precision, McKellen's Firs is the highlight of a production marked by arresting gestures and modern parallels Having recently played …
Chichester Festival theatreTara Tijani and Llewella Gideon are superb in this unblinking portrait of dignity amid moral horror, which follows a Jamaican woman looking back on her life An add…
Caryl Churchill explores grief and loss with a study of a man facing different possible futures During the time it took Keir Starmer to deliver his party conference speech this week, Caryl C…
Menier Chocolate Factory, LondonSeven actors share 42 roles in Rebecca Taichman's stunning production of Paula Vogel's Tony award-winner about a controversial queer Yiddish play Contemporary…
Curve, LeicesterAn imaginative staging of Tennessee Williams' classic foregrounds the southern drama's roots in Greek tragedy One of the catchiest titles in the theatrical canon will always …
As the third part of her Thomas Cromwell trilogy hits the stage, the writer talks about the perils of political powerplay, fleeing Brexit to Ireland and setting her next novel in more recent…
The author of dark comic novels such as Divorcing Jack has written a play, Nutcase, drawing on his relationship with his teenage son After writing 34 books (including comedy crime novels suc…
Garden theatre, Stratford-upon-AvonThe Royal Shakespeare Company's outdoor production grabs every possible gag in this tale of twins and doppelgangers Even ITV's emotive DNA-reunion show Lo…
Chichester Festival theatreIt's a story bordered by violence and bigotry, but this vibrant production emphasises the anti-racist message of the 1949 Broadway hit Old shows often pass nervous…
Kiln theatre, LondonA US bank employee is captured in Pakistan in Indhu Rubasingham's pacy revival of Ayad Akhtar's chillingly ingenious play A frequent critique of financial markets " where…
Garrick theatre, LondonMichael McManus, a former aide to Edward Heath, takes us on a rollicking ride through the politician's clashes with Thatcher The Tory prime ministers elected in the 19…