Menier Chocolate Factory, London Florian Zeller's follow-up to The Father and The Mother raises provocative questions that have long haunted French dramaAt what point does an act of homage t…
Crucible, Sheffield Jack O'Connell keeps his cool as a rising snooker star " even while playing a competitive match " in Bean's comedy about sport, class and corruptionI've rarely seen a pla…
Southwark Playhouse, LondonIs her adopted war orphan son a terrorist, or just a boy pushing boundaries? JC Lee's play makes tantalising capital out of guilty feelings and a climate of suspic…
Cottesloe Theatre, LondonHow do you follow a big hit? Just as Jez Butterworth succeeded Jerusalem with the more modest The River, so Lucy Prebble follows her spectacular Enron with an intima…
West Yorkshire Playhouse, LeedsAndrew Lancel captures Brian Clough's charm and cheek in this story of his stint as Leeds manager, but Red Ladder's show is probably for football fans onlyFoot…
Derby theatreOsborne's unflinching study of a failing marriage still grips " and is intelligently paired with a mono-drama about Jimmy Porter's modern female counterpartYou may go expecting …
Shaftesbury theatre, London The show's 50 songs are put across with plenty of pizzazz but this account of the music mogul's rags-to-riches story leaves the key questions unanswered Given tha…
Orange Tree, Richmond There are beautifully understated performances in this revival of Robert Holman's quiet play about life in 70s TeessideTime has lent an extra layer of poignancy to Robe…
Finborough, LondonThe family relationship in Alexandra Wood's two-hander is believable, less so the backdrop of the growing gulf between the world's rich and poorAlexandra Wood's 80-minute t…
The Swan, Stratford-upon-AvonIn the RSC's affectionate adaptation of the epic novel, the shaggy Threlfall is accompanied by Rufus Hound as a perfect Sancho PanzaAs the 400th anniversary of C…
Park Theatre, LondonFeaturing two strong central performances, this story of Philippe Pétain and Charles de Gaulle's relationship is fascinating but covers too much groundJonathan Lynn has …
Trafalgar Studios, LondonAduba, Zawe Ashton and Laura Carmichael star in Jamie Lloyd's highly impressive, deeply political productionWe largely ignore the work of Jean Genet, the celebrated …
Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, LondonThe outgoing Globe director's moving and intelligent take on Shakespeare's play has an excellent Prospero in Tim McMullanIt may be a myth that this is Shakespe…
How the true story of a murderous barber inspired the first modern dramaWhich version of Woyzeck do you prefer? Play or opera? Büchner or Berg? A bleeding dramatic torso or a tightly struct…
Dorfman, LondonLove is tested to its limits in a series of cruel experiments, in which the cumulative effect is numbing rather than redemptiveEven by her own standards, Sarah Kane's 1998 pla…
Duke of York's, LondonWith even a Tory attacking the "arrogant, posh boys" who run her party, now seems a good time to revive Laura Wade's 2010 play.It has undergone a good deal of revision …
Southwark Playhouse, LondonThe shape-shifting actor brings poetic wit to her swashbuckling hero, though this all-female staging of Glyn Maxwell's adaptation makes no sharp pointsReduced Edmo…
Watford Palace theatreDiane Samuels' play, set in an East End tailor's, about four characters in search of an identity, produces some fascinating arguments around feminismDiane Samuels, famo…
Barbican, LondonInspired by US photographer Loren McIntyre's experiences with Brazilian rainforest tribes, this transporting Complicite show is a triumph of sound designSimon McBurney is an …
Vaudeville, LondonRobert Askins's Broadway hit about a Bible belt teenager in thrall to a foul-mouthed puppet is merely crudeAmerican religious fervour inevitably breeds a reaction. Although…
Almeida, London Its setting in rural England is problematic, but Robert Icke's modernised version of Chekhov's masterpiece is rich in psychological detailRobert Icke seems on a personal miss…
Apollo, LondonJessica Swale's play about the orange-seller turned actor cannily mixes Carry On gags with an explicitly feminist messageIt is tricky to transfer a play from the noisily intera…
The Swan, Stratford-upon-AvonOliver Ryan and Sandy Grierson share the roles of the doctor and the demon in Maria Aberg's darkly inventive, richly psychological productionIt is fascinating to…
Playhouse, LondonThe actor best known as Chandler Bing returns to the London stage with a self-written confessional drama that feels like an extended sitcomMatthew Perry is a likable actor w…
Nottingham PlayhouseKefi Chadwick's play about an undercover police officer infiltrating a protest group is a powerful exploration of the corrosiveness of informingThe case of police spies f…