Southwark Playhouse, LondonTwo gigantic egos clash during an ill-fated production of Rhinoceros in a drama built from showbiz gossip and uninspired guessworkDramatists are entitled to distor…
This astonishing institution is an exhilarating combination of art and sport, beauty and speed, balletic skill and kitschBetween engagements at the Manchester international festival, I nippe…
Royal Exchange, ManchesterAspects of Caryl Churchill's 1994 collaborative fantasy remain obscure, but magnetic Peake and a 12-strong ensemble offer an intensely theatrical experiencePlays ch…
Palace Theatre, Manchester This bold and ambitious reimagining of Alice in Wonderland for the online age boasts a score from the Blur frontman " but ends up a little oversaturatedAlice in Wo…
Shakespeare's Globe, LondonDominic Dromgoole tackles Shakespeare's problem play and leaves us pondering the conflict between implacable justice and enlightened mercyShakespeare's play positi…
Vaudeville theatre, LondonDavid Suchet gives a magnificent, stage-filling performance as Lady Bracknell, played with as much impishness as ambition and hauteurThere is little doubt as to the…
Finborough, LondonLaura Jacqmin's risque and rueful comedy has a voyeuristic intimacy and is genuinely funny - not least during a game of Strip Harry Potter Trivia"In married life," says Osc…
Actor, writer and co-founder of 7:84, the touring company that left an indelible mark on British theatreElizabeth MacLennan, who has died of leukaemia aged 77, was an actor, writer and one o…
Young Vic, LondonIn a prestige production, Rory Kinnear is mesmerising as Josef K " but initial delight diminishes as his tribulations unfoldSomeone must have had it in for Michael B. He was…
Finborough theatre, LondonTed Whitehead's play is a painfully honest account of a deadlocked marriage, in which frustration explodes into violence Ted Whitehead's play caused a stir at the R…
Gielgud, LondonPeter Morgan struck box-office gold with his movie The Queen. He's likely to do so again with this play based on the private weekly audience given by the monarch to the prime …
Regent's Park Open Air theatre, LondonThe mood down on Peter Sorin's country estate is one of borderline hysteria in Torben Betts' violent version of the playwright's first great masterpiece…
Phoenix theatre, LondonA strong female cast, clever design and eclectic score make for a successful screen-to-stage transfer " but Gurinder Chadha still sidesteps the big issuesYou have to a…
Minerva, ChichesterDespite stumbling over a line, Henry ended the evening looking totally assured in a Willy Russell revival that proves Lashana Lynch's star potentialThis was one of the str…
Hampstead, LondonThere is a complex, moral debate at the heart of Rebecca Gilman's play which tackles child protection head onRebecca Gilman does not shy away from big issues. Having written…
Lyttelton, LondonRicardo Chavira, of Desperate Housewives fame, stars in Stephen Adly Guirgis's exuberant and astonishing New York dramaDon't be deterred by the title. This 2011 play by Step…
Royal Court, Londondebbie tucker green's play sits at the sharp end of the capital punishment question, but the drama would be heightened by a greater sense of moral doubt Related: Marianne …
NT Temporary theatre, LondonRashDash's show about the effects of pornography has strong points of view, but doesn't offer much room for debateWriter Alice Birch and theatre-makers Abbi Green…
Pit, Barbican, LondonPan Pan's recorded production of Samuel Beckett's 1957 play about a woman's trip to meet her husband off a train is a remarkable aural tapestry"It is a text written to c…
Royal Shakespeare theatre, Stratford-upon-AvonThe stereotype of the 'noble Moor' is dismantled in Iqbal Khan's shrewd, modern-dress production starring Hugh Quarshie and Lucian MsamatiIqbal …
Dorfman theatre, LondonMarber's dressing-room drama is a remarkable three-hander about a sport that he clearly knows intimately Football as a metaphor for life is not uncommon. It has inspir…
Olivier, LondonI missed this acclaimed piece of verbatim music-theatre when it opened at the Cottesloe last year. I was well aware that it was based on interviews with residents of a single …
Royal Court theatre, LondonA domestic minefield is beautifully set up, and acted, in Gary Owen's forceful play about abuse passed down through the generationsGary Owen has written a seriousl…
As much at home in Beckett as in Shakespeare, Ashcroft had imagination, industry and intelligence. She rose to the challenge of playing Queen Margaret in this mesmerising 1963 trilogyWhat do…
Almeida, London Robert Icke's bold and witty new version of Oresteia whets the appetite for the Almeida's season that reimagines the Greek canonPraise is due to Robert Icke for his boldness …