Nottingham PlayhouseIn an inspired updating, Fiona Buffini relocates Thomas Middleton's play about the abuse of power to a 1970s celebrity world of tight trousers and chest-wigsThomas Middle…
Royal Exchange, ManchesterThis charismatic portrayal of a giant intellect trapped by his inability to lie brings a fresh aspect of tragedy to the Alan Turing biography industryWhen Hugh Whit…
Wild Woods, BradfordThe gloomy basement of an abandoned Marks & Spencer hosts a sci-fi piece that comments on the current immigration crisisFreedom Studios is a Bradford theatre company …
Octagon, Bolton David Thacker's third stab at Shakespeare's late play reveals deep contemplation of its themes, with Leontes's agony soothed by heart-stopping tendernessThe wildly disparate …
Hull Truck theatreJanet Plater's play about the factory vessel that went missing in 1974 breaks like a wave of grief in a perfect stormIn theatrical terms, Hull's tenure as UK city of cultur…
Live theatre, Newcastle Tom Wells' play about three chronically uncool school-leavers who form a band treads a perfect line between gauche charm and whimsyFrom the unlikely theatrical hotspo…
York Theatre RoyalThe children's favourite is brought thrillingly up to date with a string of fairy lights, a handful of glitter and a healthy dose of imagination'I would definitely not want…
Everyman, LiverpoolNick Bagnall relocates Shakespeare's early comedy to a mind-altering mecca for mods, but the high decibels sometimes overwhelm the poetryNick Bagnall is developing a reput…
West Yorkshire Playhouse, LeedsAnthony Shaffer's meta-thriller is not so much an "ultimate game of cat-and-mouse" as an old mog prodding at its toy before settling down for a snoozeAnthony S…
Northern Stage, NewcastleA pair of belting performances power this energetic tale of two fans' desperate attempts to get into Newcastle UnitedWhen Jonathan Tulloch's novel about the efforts …
York Theatre RoyalNorthern Broadsides offer a surprisingly genial take on the tale of three couples whose silver wedding party descends into confusion When Barrie Rutter launched Northern Br…
Stephen Joseph theatre, ScarboroughNow three decades old, this play about a desperate father in a voyeuristic world may have lost some of its cutting edge, but its wistful tone is as strong …
Crucible, SheffieldThe cast offer a high-spirited depiction of male camaraderie in this play about the Sheffield blitz of 1940, but the show most impresses as a portrait of a cityKieran Know…
Theatre-by-the-Lake, KeswickJez Butterworth followed the advice of his hero in writing this curio, which is ultimately just a step on the road to JerusalemJez Butterworth credited Harold Pin…
As she stars in her second revival of A Taste of Honey, Rebecca Ryan talks about the enduring appeal of Delaney's contradictory Jo " and how growing up on Manchester's Chatsworth estate as D…
Stephen Joseph theatre, ScarboroughMelanie witnesses a murder plot over dinner " or is she hallucinating? Audiences enjoying a light meal enter the twilight zone in this appetising two-parte…
Grosvenor Park theatre, Chester Proteus and Valentine are demob-happy backpackers swapping sleepy Verona for metropolitan Milan in Alex Clifton's spirited open-air productionIn Tom Stoppard'…
York Theatre Royal Conan Doyle's hero stalks the moors in the company of travelling music-hall turns in an appealing family show that requires deductive powers to keep track of who's whoWhil…
The Royle Family star was jailed after the national construction workers' strike of 1972. As a satirical show about the 'Shrewsbury 24' arrives in Shropshire, he looks back on the controvers…
Stephen Joseph theatre, Scarborough The musicals of John Kander and Fred Ebb have brought us showstopping songs and great characters, from bored housewives to ageing shoplifters " all of who…
Grosvenor Park Open Air theatre, Chester A spirited ensemble make Shakespeare's comic journey into the forest a gleeful enterprise, even in the company of his least funny foolTouchstone must…
Stephen Joseph theatre, ScarboroughRudyard Kipling's famous bedtime tales are brought to life with a sink plunger, vacuum cleaner and, apparently, no actorsRudyard Kipling dreamed up the fan…
Grosvenor Park theatre, Chester Clive King's classic tale of a boy's friendship with a mysterious caveman is retold with panache, poignancy and rousing percussion in this absorbing adaptatio…
Stephen Joseph theatre, ScarboroughA seemingly second-rate improv troupe zips through dated scenarios " expecting full audience participation " in Ayckbourn's ridiculously funny spoof Who on…
Live Theatre, Newcastle upon TyneDavid Almond's story of a teenager encouraged to write about his troubled thoughts is a darkly compelling triumphNewcastle's most enterprising theatre has ju…