Prince Edward theatre, LondonThere are drop-dead gorgeous designs and the performances are full of life but this off-kilter escapade has scattershot gags and unmemorable songsHalloween has a…
Hit Iranian horror Under the Shadow conjured scares from the aftermath of the 1979 revolution. With Tehran once again under siege, a new theatrical version makes that story feel more relevan…
Orange Tree theatre, RichmondA stealing sculptor struggles to keep his visitors in the dark, while they lope and grope with the lights out, in Shaffer’s escalating slapstick showA regular …
Southwark Playhouse Borough, London Writer-performer Jordan Luke Gage delivers a charming, funny and devastating story of two gay men in 18th-century BristolQueer history is made up of bad n…
The smutty hockey show gets the Off-Broadway treatment with shirtless scenes, hilarious one-liners and a Liza Minnelli send-upWalking into the Culture Club in West Chelsea, New York, for a p…
Charing Cross theatre, LondonThe power and personality of its singers and music lift this Twilight-esque story into the realms of enjoyably ridiculousThe origins of this supernatural musical…
Royal Shakespeare theatre, Stratford-upon-AvonProspero is reimagined as a conductor in this superbly orchestrated version of Shakespeare’s tragicomedyKenneth Branagh is said to have played…
Sadler’s Wells, LondonThe late choreographer heightens Ophelia and Gertrude’s stories yet squanders some speeches in an intense hourWords, words, words. Can Hamlet retain its tragic forc…
Leicester Square theatre, LondonThe comic delivers gags about her life and neighbourhood with choice descriptions and brutal punchlines‘What comes out of here,” says Fatiha El-Ghorri, in…
Mercury theatre, ColchesterThis musical from the company behind The Play That Goes Wrong unearths the invention of acting in ancient Greece – and finds little has changedThe Mischief theat…
Tim Burton’s hit 1988 comedy horror is enjoying an all-singing, all-dancing afterlife on stage. After recent productions in the US and Australia, the musical opens in London this month. We…
The unsettling performance artist, who has made some electrifying stage shows in his time, is taking a leap into literature with an eye-opening book, In Pursuit of a Wonderful Nothing. A har…
From Drag Race to Eurovision to Strictly, La Voix is going stratospheric. And Chris Dennis, the man behind the crimson coiffure, is thrilled. He talks about his cruise ship highs, doing pant…
Leeds PlayhouseDash Arts’ community-inspired production finds warmth and urgency in the local pub – even if its theatrical elements don’t always cohereThe English pub is the perfect cr…
Having enjoyed breakout fame on Taskmaster and Last One Laughing, the subversive Australian comic has been handed the reins of his own, very strange sitcom. Get ready for feet animations and…
69 Humber Street, HullMarc Graham’s debut stretches from festival short to full-length play, tackling inheritance, class and familial resentment with plenty of theatrical confidenceThere a…
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…
Brixton House, LondonPaula Varjack’s kinetic play uses lip syncing and dance routines to show how prejudice turned a ‘wardrobe malfunction’ into a career disasterThe year is 2004 and t…
Soho Theatre Walthamstow, LondonThe Drag Race star brings nuance to the vocals and has a hoot with a frisky script but this bio-drama is too limited and ultimately cramps her styleDrag Race …
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…
Nottingham PlayhouseTeenage crushes, breakups, careers, kids, fallings out and unbreakable loyalty – Jane Upton gives us a sweeping story of two best matesImagine if One Day was set in Lon…
Arcola theatre, LondonThe 70s novel about the everyday grumbles of four office workers remains just as relevant, playfully staged by director Dominic DromgooleIt’s no wonder why Barbara Py…
A biography of the creative force behind Mrs Merton and The Royle Family focuses on the stories behind her workFrom the 1990s until her tragically early death in 2016, Caroline Aherne was a …
Packed with gossip and incident, this book is also a fascinating study in the gestation of geniusAmong the many great pleasures of Daniel Okrent’s new biography of Stephen Sondheim – a b…
Young Vic, LondonAlexander Zeldin’s devastating play depicts the gruelling loneliness and confusion of life in a care homeAlexander Zeldin’s characters often inhabit the margins, from ze…