James Graham's play works like a big joke that a whole nation is in on It was interesting, in the same week that the England football team trounced Italy 3-1 in a Euros qualifier, to see Dea…
Haunted by the ghost of her brother, Alison Oliver's depressed Portia is on a path to self-destruction In 1994, the National Maternity Hospital in Dublin commissioned Marina Carr to write a …
Mustapha Matura's 1981 play set in modern Trinidad is superbly served up Mustapha Matura's 1981 play, Meetings, is still a knockout. Supply the characters with mobile phones and it could be…
★★★ THE FLEA, THE YARD THEATRE Hotchpotch of influences and tones derails production that exposes hypocrisy in high places Victorian scandal meets Ziggy Stardust with a…
Maggie O'Farrell's inventive retelling of the Shakespeares' love story needs a more inventive production The RSC apparently has a hit on its hands with its West End transfer of Hamnet. Box o…
An all-female spin on Stoker's classic horror from the National Theatre of Scotland dares to challenge stereotypes An all-female production of Bram Stoker's Dracula " well, kind of " that tr…
★★★★ DEAD DAD DOG, FINBOROUGH THEATRE Nostalgia rather than political satire drives charming revival A play that will speak to any middle-aged Londoner with roots…
Monsters and a demonic Nanny make for an eye-popping evening There were shrieks, gasps, and nervous laughter in the Nöel Coward Theatre during press night of a kind rarely heard in the thea…
Director Jamie Lloyd is at the height of his powers in this stark, sublime reinterpretation of a modern classic Jamie Lloyd has the gift that keeps on giving. Hot on the heels of recent prod…
Energetic new play about South Asian Muslim men challenges stereotypes Multiculturalism, according to the Home Secretary, has failed, so where does that leave British Black and Asian commun…
★★★ THE CHANGELING, SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE Wild ride proves too bumpy to land all its points An excess of gimmicks and uneven tone unbalance an innovative take on a Jacobean e…
Immigration madness given a panto makeover The starting point of this musical comedy " using a panto format to take a deep dive into the UK's immigration law " comes from such a good place …
Triumphant climax to Roy Williams and Clint Dyer's brilliant tetralogy about race It's closing time somewhere in the East End. Nah, not the pub, but at a small local shop. Inside, Denise is …
The Scottish independence referendum is just one of the strands that Peter Arnott attempts to weave together in an unconvincing Chekhovian drama The title of Peter Arnott's new play " a co-p…
A compelling character gets re-invented in Sinéad Rushe's fascinating production Shakespeare gives Iago over 1000 lines to implant the jealous rage in Othello, so there's plenty to of raw m…
Jenna Russell in career-defining form as the widow of the title Although based on the 1958 Paul Gallico novel Mrs 'Arris Goes To Paris, this musical adaptation arrived much later. With a bo…
John Mortimer creates a dazzling vehicle for a star, alongside one-dimensional supporting characters Like theatre itself, the law finds its voice in stories, performance and spectacle. Any …
Big-hearted and necessary play fails to deliver fully on its huge promise The Royal Court's collaboration with Access All Areas (AAA) may not be theatre's first explicit embrace of the neuro…
Big Broadway show with a pleasing British accent The Sondheim gala show Old Friends is a must for fans of the master, naturally, but its quality would knock anybody who loves musical theatre…
★★★ UNBELIEVABLE, CRITERION THEATRE Entertaining show, but short of a little magic in more senses than one Pantomime vibe undermines the unique frisson of the magicia…
Ben Elton has written an odd musical-documentary, part comic-strip, part lecture The Biba dresses are way too colourful, the shop's interior about 10 times too bright… and did anybody real…
★★ UNTITLED F*UCK M*SS S**GON PLAY, YOUNG VIC A gruelling watch, but message hits home Satirical comedy-drama labours its points across an uninterrupted two hours Seldom can a…
Ian McKellen and Roger Allam as the lonely men who bond over their dogs Two elderly men meet in the park while walking their dogs, and become friends. Even when friendship turns to love, the…
New play about the relations between humans and other life forms has profound depths How many hearts does an octopus have? Answer: three. This pub quiz clincher is just one of the many fasci…
 Austrian musical finally arrives in London to entertain, but not quite thrill There are times when it's best to know as little as possible before taking one's seat for a show " this new…