Traverse theatre, EdinburghPu Songling's weird stories are brought to life with a hit-and-miss mixture of cutting-edge video and live performance A demon with a paintbrush retouches the feat…
Trafalgar Studios, LondonA revival of the 1950s groundbreaking kitchen-sink drama resonates today " helped by bursts of songShelagh Delaney was just 19 when she wrote this. It debuted at the…
Playhouse; Almeida; Lyttelton, LondonGone is the big nose, while the fighting's a poetry slam in Martin Crimp's ingenious new rapping Cyrano. Plus, The Duchess of Malfi reimagined, and Three…
Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, LondonElla Hickson's Elizabeth I story vividly portrays her battles with men and a patriarchal system but doesn't make a strong case for contemporary parallels Ella …
Traverse, EdinburghDouglas Maxwell's two-hander teases and cajoles us with questions about how we see ourselves Jimmy says he doesn't want to be a story. An asylum seeker in Glasgow, he refu…
The Yard, LondonA seasonal revue from the drag king collective Pecs is filthy, funny, full of festive hits and wrapped in shiny hotpants Below a shimmering disco ball, four drag kings circle…
Actor who specialised in playing New York mobsters and other tough-guy rolesA former bouncer, baggage handler and trade unionist, the American actor Danny Aiello had years of playing pugnaci…
Belgrade theatre, CoventryCharacters including The Great Gatsby's Daisy round on a Greek god in this bewildering Christmas show The setting is a cabaret-style jazz club with saxophonist, dru…
Festival theatre, EdinburghChristopher Hampson's work gets crystalline performances but the imagination never leaps " it's more slush than sharp Scottish Ballet's The Snow Queen, created by …
Shoreditch Town Hall, LondonA missed opportunity to satirise modern politics, this show resorts to panto for its obvious parodies and easy laughs We get it: dictators are bad. Roughly assimi…
Donmar Warehouse, LondonMike Lew's American update of Shakespeare, directed by Michael Longhurst, captures the king's complexity Mike Lew's relocation of Richard III to a US high school is p…
Bush House, King's College LondonSimon Russell Beale, Mark Gatiss and Catherine Tate were on hilarious form in this new version of the state-of-the-nation comedy How is it possible that an a…
Storyhouse, ChesterSet against the never-never-land of present-day austerity, Gary Owen's production broadens the play's appeal JM Barrie's 1904 play about a boy who never ages gets older by…
Soho theatre, LondonEll Potter and Mary Higgins radically push on from previous show Hotter, in this fantastic, sexy, athletic examination of male identity Hilarious, sincere, sexy and bruta…
Playhouse, LiverpoolThe hard-working cast bring enough enthusiasm and gusto to this musical adaptation to disguise its weak score The word "believe" has been projected in big letters up St J…
Royal Court, London Race and relationships are the focus of Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti's deeply moving drama that presents an honest picture of multi-cultural Britain There's a great story by Dost…
London PalladiumJulian Clary, Paul O'Grady and Matt Baker vamp it up in this big-budget extravaganza yet it's a case of double the entendres and half the story Now in its fourth year, the Lo…
The Egg, BathTim Bell and Kate Cross's remarkable production mixes Bauhaus-style designs and jazz in an irresistible treat for under-fives Glitter, sequins and fake snow are the stock ingred…
National Theatre, LondonGaiman's novel turns into a dynamic and quirky stage spectacular, though at the expense of the more nuanced relationships There are some hair-raising monsters in The…
Old Fire Station, OxfordChris Bush's beautifully crafted show is comforting and uplifting with just enough kick for those who find festive theatre too saccharine Call me Scrooge, but I'm not…
Oxford PlayhouseAn empowered Belle leads an energetic cast in this song-packed extravaganza, featuring nifty shadow play, terrifying puppets and infectious 80s classics With the general elec…
Playwright and screenwriter best known for the 1980 film classic The Long Good FridayAlthough Barrie Keeffe, who has died aged 74, wrote a long list of stage plays that fed into, and off, ea…
Almeida, LondonLydia Wilson is riveting as the strong-willed duchess in Rebecca Frecknall's arresting update When The Duchess of Malfi was revived in 1945 after falling out of fashion for ce…
Lyttelton, LondonBuoyed by first-rate performances, this production transforms the Russian classic into an eye-opening account of the Biafran war Inua Ellams describes his new play, his firs…
Tramway, GlasgowTreating Carlo Collodi's allegory with the seriousness it deserves, this sincere and playful production draws a vulnerable boy into the tale's darkest corners Don't be taken …