★★★ GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY, OLD VIC Conor McPherson's smash hit is looking dated already Fragmented, cliched story rescued by tremendous acting, singing and music Well…
Muti revitalised by young musicians, and a three-year theatre project reaches completion Anyone seeking local genius in an international festival should look no further than the annual Raven…
Emma Pallant and Katherine Pearce are formidable opponents to Falstaff's buffoonery Shakespeare's Prince Hal may have rejected Sir John Falstaff as a symbol of his misspent youth, but the re…
Chloë Moss's latest play about the different lives of two sisters is deeply felt Near the start of Chloë Moss's latest play, Run Sister Run, one character tells his wife to "Calm your…
★★★ HERCULES, THEATRE ROYAL Show aimed at a family audience delivers enough, but no more Big West End crowdpleaser lacks punch and poignancy with join-the-dots plotting …
An early Lynn Nottage work gets a superb cast and production The corset is an unlikely star of the latest Lynn Nottage play to arrive at the Donmar Warehouse, 2003's Intimate Apparel. After …
★★ SHOWMANSHIP, HAMPSTEAD THEATRE Dickie Beau's one-man show is lost in too large a venue Technically accomplished production with Dickie Beau never settles into a coheren…
Sarah Kane's exceptionally groundbreaking play gets a nostalgic anniversary reboot Sarah Kane is the most celebrated new writer of the 1990s. Her work is provocative and innovative. So it s…
Chapters and scenes from 'Ulysses', 'Dubliners' and a children's story vividly done It amuses me that Dubliners dress up in Edwardian finery on 16 June. After all, this was the date in 1904 …
David Adjmi's clever and compelling hit play gets a crack London cast The tag "the most Tony-nominated play of all time" may mean less to London theatregoers than it does to New Yorkers, but…
★ NORTH BY NORTHWEST, ALEXANDRA PALACE Too small a show in too large a venue Emma Rice's storytelling at fault in misconceived production Older readers may recall the cobbled togeth…
Much-appreciated words of commendation from readers and the cultural community We are bowled over!Â
★★★★ HAMLET HAIL TO THE THIEF, RSC Music drives the prince to madness in spectacular show An innovative take on a familiar play succeeds far more often than it fails …
★★ THE KING OF PANGEA, KING'S HEAD THEATRE - Highly personal American musical fails to land in London Heart and soul proves insufficient in world premiere of therapeutic show The…
This Dream is a great night out, especially for Shakespeare first-timers It's a sign of the inroads that the term "immersive" has made in theatreland that it now gets jokily namedropped at t…
New play about loss, love, grief and gardening is humane, but flawed  The Bush Theatre is becoming a garden centre. Earlier this year, the venue staged Coral Wylie's Lavender, Hyaci…
This transfer from Regent's Park Open Air Theatre sustains its magic It's always a risk when a production changes venue. In the curious alchemy of live performance, no-one can be sure whethe…
Unspoken emotion flows through this late work Terence Rattigan's rehabilitation - some might almost say deification - as a leading Twentieth Century playwright is complete. As well as academ…
Sarah Ruhl turns her bond with a student into a lesson in how to love In 2012, the award-winning American writer Sarah Ruhl met a Yale playwriting student who became a special part of her li…
Story of self-discovery through playing the piano resounds in Anoushka Lucas's solo show This charmingly eloquent semi-autobiographical show " which first played at the Bush Theatre in 2022…
★★★ THIS IS MY FAMILY, SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE Play with music engenders a familiar warmth Relatable or stereotyped - that's for you to decide MOR. Twee. Unashamedly crowdpleas…
★★★ THE FROGS, SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE Pantomimeish adaptation of classic play Tone never settles, but Sondheim's genius carries the day As a regular theatregoer, you learn pre…
Shaw's once-shocking play pairs Imelda Staunton with her real-life daughter, Bessie Carter How do you make Bernard Shaw sear the stage anew? You can trim the text, as the director Dominic Co…
Ince's fidelity to the language allows every nuance to be exposed A society ruled by hysteria. Lurid lies that carry more currency than reality. There's no shortage of reasons that Arthur Mi…
David Ireland pits a sober AA sponsor against a livewire drinker, with engaging results The plays of David Ireland have a tendency to build to an explosion, after long stretches of caustic d…