Nick Payne's new play is amongst his best Change, we're often told, is the engine of drama: people end up somewhere markedly different from where they began. So the first thing to be said a…
This Verity Bargate Award-winning dramedy is both entertaining as well as thought provoking Niall is unwell. Very unwell. Very, very. There's a lot going on in his head. He can't really hol…
Kip Williams revises Genet, with little gained in the update except eye-popping visuals Jean Genet's 1947 play has been quite a clothes-horse over the years, at times a glamorous confection …
Katherine Moar returns with a Patty Hearst-inspired follow up to her debut hit Farm Hall Oh yes, I actually do remember Patty Hearst. She was the American publishing magnate William Randolp…
★ TROILUS AND CRESSIDA, GLOBE THEATRE Hard to understand and even harder to watch Raucous and carnivalesque, but also ugly and incomprehensible The Globe's authenticity is its U…
★★ CLARKSTON, TRAFALGAR THEATRE Star casting puts pounds on prices but adds little to moribund play  Netflix star, Joe Locke, is the selling point of a production that …
★★★ GHOST STORIES, PEACOCK THEATRE Resurrected horror show might be best left buried Impressive spectacle saves an ageing show in an unsuitable venue In the framing dev…
Åukasz Twarkowski's production dazzles without illuminating It's truly thrilling to see the Barbican embracing big concept long-form theatre again, seeking out productions that are as con…
Hiran Abeyeskera's childlike prince falls flat in a mixed production The National's latest production of Hamlet opens with a bang: a sureness of style, atmosphere and refreshing comedic effe…
★★★ LEE, PARK THEATRE Earnest treatment of a substantial artist lacks excitement Informative and interesting, the play's format limits its potential Like fellow New …
★★★★★ MEASURE FOR MEASURE, RSC STRATFORD Crystal clear storytelling in a (surely) landmark production Shakespeare, in this adaptation, is at his most percept…
West End transfer of National Theatre hit extravaganza stars Stephen Fry and Olly Alexander Star casting has, since the pandemic, done much to restore the fortunes of commercial theatre. An…
★★★★ GET DOWN TONIGHT, CHARING CROSS THEATRE KC and the Sunshine State If you love the songs of KC and the Sunshine Band, Please Do Go! In a fair few bars around t…
James Graham's play transfixes the audience at every stage For the first part of Punch it feels as if you're riding a roller coaster, watching the world speed and loop past as you see it fro…
Will Lord's promising debut burdens a fine cast with too much dialogue What would it be like to be driven by OCD urges into idolising Elon Musk and aspiring to be one of his tribe of tech b…
A visually virtuoso work with the feel of a gripping French TV drama So often the focus " in the coverage of a royal wedding " is the story of the woman wearing the bridal dress. While every…
★★★ 50 FIRST DATES: THE MUSICAL, THE OTHER PALACE Forgettable, but comforting Date movie about repeating dates inspires date musical About halfway through this world …
Lively star-led revival of Joe Orton's 1964 debut is fun, but raises uncomfortable questions Playwright Joe Orton was a merry prankster. His main work " such as Loot (1965) and What the B…
Indhu Rubasingham's tenure gets off to a bold, comic start The word "after" can be elastic when a modern writer is inspired by a classic. Nima Taleghani here stretches it to breaking point, …
★★★★★ THE HARDER THEY COME, STRATFORD EAST Great story, songs and performances Natey Jones and Madeline Charlemagne lead a perfectly realised adaptation of t…
Three outstanding performances in Conor McPherson's atmospheric five-hander Why are the Irish such good storytellers? The historical perspective is that the oral tradition goes way, way back…
Morgan Lloyd Malcolm's version puts Mina Harkness centre-stage If a classic story is going to be told for the umpteenth time, there is a good bet it will come with a novel spin on it. So it…
Simon Stone refashions Ibsen in his own high-octane image Like the lighting that crackles now and again to indicate an abrupt change of scene or mood, Simon Stone's version of The Lady from…
Tracie Bennett is outstanding as a ribald, riotous Tallulah Bankhead Hot on the heels of Goodnight, Oscar comes another fictional meeting of real entertainment giants in Los Angeles, this t…
★★★ REUNION, KILN THEATRE New play brings a family's old enmities to the surface Beautifully acted, but desperately grim drama If you ever wanted to know what a mash up…