Jonathan Harvey's (mostly) family-friendly script sparkles When Ian McKellen, one of our greatest Shakespearean actors, gave us his acclaimed Widow Twankey at the Old Vic in 2004, some wonde…
Hannah Khalil's playful retelling of the 1001 Nights puts women centre stage Do you remember how the 1001 Nights ends? You know how it starts: Scheherazade has been married to a king who ki…
The first home-grown offering at this impressive new space is a playful paean to theatre The scene is set onstage in the first minutes. And it remains a stage throughout this harmonious prod…
★★★ DOLLY PARTON'S SMOKY MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS CAROL, SOUTHBANK CENTRE Great songs, but a sanitised book declaws Yuletide parable Dolly and Dickens team up for dreams a…
Stephen Karam's 2011 award-winning play is a subtle exploration of suffering Pain is, at one and the same time, something to avoid, and also something you can use. Kahlil Gibran, the Lebanes…
Backflipping newsboys take on press barons in this hyper-energised UK premiere of the Broadway hit What do you mean you haven't heard of the newsboys' strike of 1899? It's a classic David an…
April De Angelis's latest has Fay Ripley, but precious little else Is British new writing in deep trouble? With the Arts Council defunding venues such as the Hampstead Theatre, the Donmar an…
Clint Dyer's new take makes Othello a victim of mob mentality Clint Dyer is the first black director of Othello at the National Theatre, a venue that once staged the piece with its actor …
This new musical about the early life of Nelson Mandela is a mawkish misfire As bio-musicals continue to have their heyday, it makes sense for the Young Vic to throw its hat in the ring and …
Jonathan Slinger commands the stage in this dark, funny monologue The American author of The Sarah Book, on which the monologue Sarah is based, is called Scott McClanahan, as is his main cha…
Victoria Hamilton-Barritt brings superstar quality and emotional depth to villainous ogre Hovering way, way above us, three aptly named high fairies, in voluminous chiffon, open a show that …
Charming performances in this watered-down version of Virginia Woolf's novel Identity is thorny business. This was the parting thought of Anna X, the play that marked Emma Corrin's West End …
James Graham play hits the West End on the way, presumably, to Broadway Opposition (and history) are the apparent mainstays of the ceaselessly busy James Graham, and he conjoins the two to …
Tania Nwachukwu creates a warm hour of music and memories with hidden bite The Bush studio space is proving a fruitful launch pad, not just for new writing but for new performers. It previo…
Absurdly romantic notions about love and war have never been funnier For his final bow as artistic director of the Orange Tree, Paul Miller has decided to go out with a bang, amid much gigg…
New play about an Iraqi exile and his daughter is strong if a bit messy What is the best way of talking about the Middle East? Should plays take a documentary or verbatim approach, all the b…
The play is stripped down to expose sinister undercurrents of nationalism and honour-culture It begins in darkness. All that can be heard is the sound of a human struggling painfully for bre…
★★★★ ELF, DOMINION THEATRE Plenty of presents for all the family in a spectacular show based on the much loved film Buddy the Elf charms everyone on either sid…
Frank McGuinness's new play about T S Eliot and Groucho Marx is a poetic puzzle The set at the Arcola for Frank McGuinness's Dinner with Groucho naturally features a table with two place set…
This annual rendering of the Dickens classic feels particularly resonant during the economic crisis It's been five years since I saw the Old Vic's first Christmas Carol, adapted by Jack T…
★★★★ A CHRISTMAS CAROL, RSC Old favourite finds contemporary relevance in sanitised staging The RSC Christmas show delivers exactly what it promises Life is full o…
Terry Johnson returns with a sex comedy that is neither sexy nor funny In the past, playwright Terry Johnson has mixed sex and comedy with hilarious results. His Freudian farce, Hysteria, a…
★ HERE, Southwark Playhouse Characters drown in a surfeit of issues The prestige of the Papatango Prize cannot rescue a play that fails to transcend its inexplicable limitations The k…
New play about a junior doctor on the edge is powerful and moving Every day there is bad news about the NHS " junior doctors are exhausted, nurses need foodbanks and the stats are hitting a…
Saying goodbye to the actor famous for saying hello Leslie Phillips would have known for half a century that at his death, which was announced yesterday, the obituaries would lead with one t…