Marylebone theatre, London Christine Lahti tells the story of family life, misunderstandings between mothers and daughters, and her career – but its focus is blurredChristine Lahti’s aut…
Town Hall theatre, GalwayA beautifully knit ensemble bring infectious, giddy fun to Dion Boucicault’s 1874 caper, finding a delicious balance between whimsy and sincerityDion Boucicault’…
Pitlochry Festival theatre Following its star through rehearsals and squabbles with her director, this is modelled on Cocteau’s La Voix Humaine but it’s no…
Chichester Festival theatreThe well-worn rags to riches story blossoms beyond its generic setup when Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins’ relationship develops an emotional truthFor the firs…
The Egg, BathThe beloved children’s perennial is the basis for a celebration of craft, creativity and the beauty of the natural world in this charming puppetry productionThe Egg theatre ce…
Birmingham RepWith tremendous singing from Ramin Karimloo and Meow Meow, Joe Murphy’s superb staging of the story is full of dark gothic humourStephen Sondheim was drawn to fairytales – …
Soho theatre, LondonJosh Radnor is a music executive whose life is upended by his wayward brother, in a play about masculinity, creativity, appropriation and traumaOn paper, writer Jonathan …
Bridge theatre, London Mary-Louise Parker gives a powerhouse performance in a three-part drama that cuts up Aeschylus’s chronology and adds shades of other playsAlthough writer-director Si…
Bush theatre, LondonFrancesca Amewudah-Rivers is a phenomenal presence in this queer thriller that leaves a little too much unexplainedThis strange and alluring two-hander was first performe…
Heartbreak Hotel draws on the wisdom of Céline Dion, Prince and Elvis, as well as a rich repository of literature about grief and broken heartsIn 1983, the Japanese doctor Hikaru Sato diagn…
The legendary composer warned theaters could soon meet the same fate as Hollywood’s ‘empty soundstages’Andrew Lloyd Webber has spoken out about the precarious state of Broadway in the …
The Kneebone Cadillac is about a sport in which community is fostered yet collisions are encouraged. Actors, audiences and drivers explain the rushLexi Crosbie was five days old when she wen…
Southwark Playhouse Borough, LondonA lesser-known selection from the composer and lyricist’s archive is full of heart and humour, swinging between cabaret blues and pop bangersHow do you m…
Da’ Gullah American Revolutionary Experience retells the revolutionary war from the perspective of former slavesA beam of white light illuminated actor Anita Singleton-Prather’s face. �…
Love’s Labour’s Lost offers a heady mix of passion and death – which makes the Spanish art form a perfect match, says director Indiana Lown-Collins. Our writer joins the theatre’s fl…
Tate Modern, LondonWith this work, the choreographer changed the course of dance – and on its 60th anniversary, viewed by babies, tourists and passers-by, it’s as beguiling and hypnotic …
In 2019 Eric Lampaert woke up unable to recognise his friends, his parents, even his own name. After decades of anxiety, abandonment and bullying, was his mind just trying to shield him from…
Royal Albert Hall, LondonShiny-suited and slick, the US standup fired off peppy and sometimes taboo-teasing gags about his cultural identity, married life and visits to a fertility clinicYou…
Nottingham PlayhouseThe camaraderie and eccentricities of some model railway enthusiasts make for an endearing group portrait in William Ivory’s well-gauged comedyBefore the play begins, a…
Royal Exchange, ManchesterA celebration of the cartoonist’s sexual awakening and queer identity as well as an investigation of darker family dynamics, this soulful show wears its heart on …
Braboeuf Manor, GuildfordElegantly stitching the plays into two parts of the same continuing story, Tom Littler’s sunny al fresco productions play every possible tragicomic noteTwo Shakesp…
Pitlochry Festival theatreMaureen Beattie leads a modern-dress version, which focuses on family dynamics rather than the decline of Shakespeare’s mighty rulerYou know when you walk into a …
The playwright has long been considered one of the country’s most famous exports, but not an ‘Irish writer’. An ambitious new season of plays explores his complex relationship with his…
Schwarzman Centre, OxfordHeadlong’s take on Karel Čapek’s 1920 tale of romance and robots is rife with timely debates about tech’s threat but at times the philosophical discussions dr…
The horny TV series has inspired a whopping four comedy shows this summer. Their makers explain why musical theatre and steamy action are such good bedfellows – and why there’s no rivalr…