Pitlochry festival theatreThis stripped-down show with a maudlin set of songs makes for the most reluctant of musicals, but this is a production that has the confidence to be silent or state…
Citizens theatre, GlasgowBased on her real observations of the civil uprising, Mariem Omari’s play looks at its humanitarian impactIn less volatile times, the memory of the Arab spring wou…
Royal Exchange, Manchester Rory Mullarkey’s play, expertly directed by James Macdonald, is a bold attempt to encapsulate a whole city in decisive events from across three centuriesThe them…
Live theatre, NewcastleIn Shelagh Stephenson’s spiky comedy, Virginia Woolf and Mary Astell become celestial companions, discussing religion, science and independenceMary Astell is not kno…
Royal Lyceum, EdinburghDawn Steele stars in Ron Ferguson’s warm-hearted tale of a town whose fortunes are tied to those of its coal mine and local teamBlack diamonds are what they used to …
Perth theatreAside from a brief pre-shoot ‘discussion’, this take on Billy Wilder’s classic 1950 film has little to offer – despite some fine performancesOver the past decade or so, …
Lowry, Salford The tale of a Burnley businessman who gives his town a financial leg-up overeggs the north-south cultural divide, but Pippa Cleary’s bright musical numbers propel the positi…
Everyman theatre, LiverpoolBeginning as a culture clash comedy with cups of tea and deadly intent, this two-hander becomes boldly arrestingIf you want someone to credit for the big laughs in…
Theatre Royal, York Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman’s story of high competition in a long family line of female stage tricksters loses its powers as it goes onSheila Gold, suppo…
Tron theatre, Glasgow Frances Poet’s music-driven drama reconstructs the Greenock dispute that saw 240 workers square up to bosses It was the early days of the Thatcher project. At the sta…
Royal Court theatre, LiverpoolWriter-actor Aron Julius captures the sparkling charm of Liverpudlian fighter John Conteh in a punch-by-punch account of his careerDon King is singing the prais…
Traverse theatre, EdinburghJess Brodie's monologue about life on the brink of parenthood is both witty and gripping There are few transitions in life more profound than becoming a parent. Ou…
Curve, LeicesterTwo prisoners escape their grim Buenos Aires jail into golden age fantasy sequences that elicit big belting showtunes from Anna-Jane Casey's baddie Kander and Ebb's early-90s…
It was the play that rocked a nation. The makers of the devastating drama, which transported theatre-goers from a Fife pub to a war zone, recall how it grew and grew Within six months of its…
New Vic theatre, Newcastle-under-LymeA residents' association fights to save its housing in Bob Eaton's jolly slice of social history, with a live band belting out the songs At some point in…
Dundee RepCumming and Forbes Masson revive their cult 1994 TV sitcom with brilliant songs and a Beano-esque plot as budget Air Scotia is threatened with takeover If someone tells you this mu…
Tron, GlasgowThe life-and-death choices that a stressed-out nurse faces on a short-staffed weekend are taken to gothic heights in this intense, atmospheric play The standard colour scheme fo…
Production based on 1993 novel opens at Theatre Royal Haymarket in London in July, with original songs co-written by the author It has been a book, a play and a film. It has also spawned thr…
Live theatre, Newcastle When Maeve becomes a sexagenarian she rethinks her identity " and her 40-year marriage " in this surprisingly breezy drama You can imagine a Victorian melodrama in wh…
Cast, DoncasterLaurie Sansom's bold decision to stage the literary classic with a cast of three pays off in parts thanks to compelling performances and an atmosphere of shadowy dread You mig…
Ã’ran Mór, GlasgowCovering friendship, addiction and death, this dark comedy from the team behind Dancing Shoes celebrates one man's life and his passion for film The title is ironic. …
Citizens theatre, GlasgowEven the safety curtain has a morbid air in Dominic Hill's post-apocalyptic staging of Beckett's classic Productions of Samuel Beckett's modernist classic often evok…
Ã’ran Mór, GlasgowAn anecdote about a trip to find Paul McCartney's Scottish retreat turns into a sweet-natured two-hander Milly Sweeney is a young writer gaining traction. Staged in P…
New Vic, Newcastle-under-Lyme The cast in this four-person capsule telling of the Conan Doyle thriller bring vigour and charm but it's hard to discern any point to the exercise To get the m…
Citizens, GlasgowNewcomer Mandipa Kabanda plays the Maid of Orleans from obscure teenager to army-commanding conqueror, tearing through dialogue with rare pace When George Bernard Shaw's pla…