Courtyard, Stratford-upon-AvonIt is no exaggeration to say that this King Lear is long-awaited. Critics, in fact, have been waiting impatiently for nine weeks to get a glimpse of a productio…
Olivier, LondonIfans' performance shows he's ready for the big Shakespeare roles, though Ionesco's absurdist drama is considerably less compellingFor its first foray into the world of Eugèn…
Menier Chocolate Factory, London This fast-moving spoof of Lin-Manuel Miranda's hit musical seems torn between admiration and scepticismFor the past 36 years, Gerard Alessandrini has been sp…
Minerva, ChichesterCharlotte Jones's drama pitches a non-violent religious community on to the Napoleonic wars' spiritual frontlineCharlotte Jones is an unpredictable dramatist. In her most …
Royal Court, LondonRory Mullarkey's unfocused drama of a Britain collapsing in apocalyptic chaos is not helped by the production's aural and visual overkillI guess this new play by Rory Mull…
The Bridge theatre, LondonPatients' singalongs and Bennett's stinging wit light up a state-of-the-nation play set on a geriatric ward Hospitals make good theatre. Shortly after Alan Bennett …
Mother Clap's Molly HouseNational Theatre, London Rating: ****Mark Ravenhill clearly likes to have it both ways. In this wonderfully exuberant new musical play at the Lyttelton, he celebrat…
National Theatre, London· Picture gallery: images from the productionNothing is more tempting than the apparently impossible. But, although director Nicholas Hytner and his creative team …
Alan Bennett's new play is not just about history - it makes history. Michael Billington hails a masterpieceSchool shapes our ends - almost literally so in the case of the more sexually prom…
Old Vic, LondonSally Cookson delivers an exhilarating production of Patrick Ness's story about a lonely boy coping with grief, bullying and a monster in a yew treeSometimes it is good to go …
Adelphi, LondonDirected by Rupert Goold, this stage version of the film suffers from its caricatures, relentless jokiness and functional score ' Ford fiesta: Made in Dagenham musical opens i…
National, London"Only an artist can understand religion." So says the emperor Nero at the end of Howard Brenton's new play about Saint Paul.But, even if Nero's point is debatable, Brenton's …
Lyttelton, LondonThis engrossing play about the banking family provides a history of western capitalism and an acting masterclass from Simon Russell Beale, Ben Miles and Adam GodleyWhat an a…
Open Air theatre, Regent's Park, LondonOlivia Vinall and Edward Hogg light up a production whose pleasures outweigh its preachinessMax Webster's production of Shakespeare's comedy sets out w…
Charing Cross theatre, LondonThere are jaunty tunes and fine performances but this musical about mummification starts to decompose halfway throughThey seem to have a penchant for musicals ab…
Playhouse theatre, LondonThis vivid recreation of life in the sprawling refugee camp is a priceless piece of theatre that enlarges our understanding while appealing to our emotionsThis is th…
Finborough, LondonIn a wan year for new writing, Dawn King's play shines out like a beacon. Winner of the Papatango playwriting competition, it may display the influence of Arthur Miller's T…
Noël Coward theatre, LondonThe Poldark star gives an excellent performance in a first-rate revival of Martin McDonagh's brutally funny playPoldark fans turning up to see Aidan Turner in M…
Royal Court, LondonLaura Wade's new play is highly topical: it is about the sense of entitlement to power of a privileged, wealthy, public school and Oxbridge elite. But while I'm glad to se…
The Swan, Stratford-upon-AvonClare Burt passes on the trademark cap to six other actors who all share the role of the pioneering director in Sam Kenyon's engaging musical tributeAs a nomadic…
London PalladiumThe Broadway revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical comes to the West End with fine acting, handsome staging and inescapable overtones of western imperialismThis 1951 R…
The choreographer brought her classical training, dramatic eye and vitality to bear on hits such as Cats, Phantom of the Opera and Chitty Chitty Bang BangGillian Lynne, who has died aged 92,…
Jermyn Street theatre, London Boo Killebrew cleverly evokes the havoc of Hurricane Katrina through her doctor father's memories of the disaster and the imperilled characters they recallHow d…
Hampstead theatre, LondonA sparkling cast including Harry Enfield star in Jemma Kennedy's unwieldy play about the commercialisation of conceptionJemma Kennedy's play about the IVF industry s…
Young Vic, LondonThis adaptation of Alison Bechdel's graphic novel is a beautifully performed mix of memory-play and strip-cartoonOklahoma! this ain't. During his tenure at the Young Vic, ou…