Swan, Stratford-upon-Avon; Soho theatre, LondonMary Pix's forgotten 1700 play fills the stage with defiant energy, while Ali Taylor's remake of Cathy Come Home hits hardIs it a cluster,…
Young Vic; Battersea Arts Centre, LondonMatthew Lopez's seven-hour, Forster-inspired epic of New York gay life rewards patience. Plus, BAC's thrilling beatbox Mary Shelley remake"You can't a…
Almeida; Olivier, LondonPatsy Ferran shows her dramatic range in a Tennessee Williams revival, but Rory Kinnear's Macbeth is one-dimensionalSummer and Smoke must make Rebecca Frecknall's nam…
Old Vic, London; Gate, LondonPerceptions are challenged in a new Ingmar Bergman adaptation and a state-of-the-world addressShould the theatre reflect the outside world, or be a refuge from i…
Theatre Royal Haymarket, London; York Theatre RoyalA big week for Bryony Lavery sees a revival of her 1998 missing child play, Frozen, and the premiere of her fine Graham Greene adaptationTh…
Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, Royal Court; Donmar Warehouse, LondonAlone on stage for an hour and a half, Carey Mulligan is extraordinary in Dennis Kelly's gripping new play. Plus, a dream dou…
The Bridge; Young Vic, London; Hull Truck, HullNicholas Hytner's outstanding production reconfigures Julius Caesar in more ways than one. Plus, James Graham and Moonlight's Tarell Alvin McCr…
Dorfman; Vaudeville theatre, LondonTension builds subtly in Annie Baker's unmissable John at the National, while Kathy Burke has a hectic take on Oscar WildeWhat counts as action in the thea…
Harold Pinter theatre; Gate, London Harold Pinter's 'ravings' make perfect sense 60 years on in his seaside dreamscape, and one woman brings vivid life to 1992's LA riotsNearly 60 years ago,…
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, Royal Court, LondonThe naturally comic Patsy Ferran shines in Anoushka Warden's punchy autobiographical monologue about growing up the child of a cult followerAnous…
Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, Royal Court, LondonAfter all the controversy surrounding this revival of Andrea Dunbar's memorable play, it adds nothing that's newRita, Sue and Bob Too comes to …
Donmar Warehouse, LondonJames Norton and Imogen Poots paint an intense picture of a couple in a violent but entirely predictable marriage crisisDoors are battered, blood is spattered, a per…
Young Vic, LondonTestimony from Calais refugees makes vital drama in a compelling but unsentimental document of our timesThe Jungle is one of the most vital productions of the year. Desperat…
Victoria Palace, LondonLin-Manuel Miranda'a smash Broadway musical about one of America's founding fathers now breaks new ground in the West EndYes it is. Worth the wait. Yes it does. Speak …
National Theatre, LondonThe almost-real boy and adorably annoying cricket win hearts and minds in John Tiffany's skilful, subtle adaptationIt is easy to draw up a list of items that make Pin…
Swan, Stratford-upon-AvonRobert Harris's trilogy springs fully to life in Mike Poulton's two-part epic " but where are the meaty parts for women?There are, well, a legion of reasons for goin…
Almeida, LondonThe supernatural stories of the mid-20th century TV show have lost some of their bite in adaptation, but none of their deadpan charmCan irony and fear coexist in the theatre? …
Young Vic, LondonAn Edinburgh fringe hit, this spangled tale of the cross-dressing fifth marquis of Anglesey charms even as it cajolesI bet most of the audience in How to Win Against History…
Menier Chocolate Factory, LondonMarcus Brigstocke stars in a revival of the Broadway musical that brings the big top to fire-eating life, if not the showman himself"Humbug" at this time of y…
Hot-off-the-press plays thrust the personal and the political centre stage, while Bob Dylan had a moment' Observer critics' reviews of the year in fullWhat a terrific turnaround year. At the…
Apollo, LondonThere's wit and heart galore in Tom Macrae and Dan Gillespie's musical inspired by a teenage boy who wanted to dress in girls' clothesWho could resist Everybody's Talking About…
Young Vic, LondonAeschylus speaks directly to us in David Greig's electrifying adaptationFierce and crystal-clear, The Suppliant Women arrives in London like an arrow shot into the hear…
Wales Millennium Centre, CardiffCardiff's fabled docks are given the Les Mis treatment in a hulking, lacklustre new musical graced by some exceptional voicesIt is my favourite place name. Ti…
Minerva, ChichesterThis acute take on the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? cheating case looks set to be another West End transfer for the playwrightJames Graham's Quiz is an oblique look at t…
Lyttelton, LondonCranston is compelling as the TV anchorman-gone-rogue in Ivo Van Hove and Lee Hall's dazzling stage version of the 1976 filmFlesh and gizmo. Substance and reflections. Watch…