★★★ THE WINTER'S TALE, RSC, STRATFORD Bleak production that skewers male jealousy Strong women have the last laugh, but the play's bizarre structure overwhelms everything T…
★★★★ DON'T ROCK THE BOAT, THE MILL AT SONNING Sound of shared laughter excuses flaws Great fun, if more 20th century than 21st Now 45 years in the past, its dazzling …
★★★★ POOR CLARE, ORANGE TREE THEATRE Chira Atik's award-winning comedy packs a punch Funny and clever show illuminated by a dazzling debut from Arsema Thomas What am …
★★★ 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…
★★★ 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 …
★★ 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…
★ 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…
★★★★ 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 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…
★★★★★ THE GANG OF THREE, KING'S HEAD THEATRE The big beasts banter 50 years ago Beautifully written and equally well acted play resonates down the decades There…
★★ CONVERSATIONS AFTER SEX, PARK THEATRE Nudity, but nothing new in UK debut Award-winning Irish play fails to reach a memorable climax In Dublin, a city that has changed more th…
★★★★ MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, RSC, STRATFORD Medieval court's mores translates uncomfortably well to modern football Garish and gossipy, this new production packs a…
★★★★★ GHOSTS, LYRIC HAMMERSMITH - Ibsen screams into 2025 in this perfect reimagining Ten years on, Gary Owen and Rachel O'Riordan top their triumphant Iphigeni…
★ MIDNIGHT COWBOY, SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE Ambitious project overwhelmed by challenges Two misfits misfire in misconceived show It seems a bizarre idea. Take a pivotal film in America…
★★★★ THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING OSCAR, JERMYN STREET THEATRE One man play from 1960 given a compelling revival Alastair Whatley honours his subject in a quietly powerful…
★★★★ STILETTO, CHARING CROSS THEATRE Castrato finds comfort by the canals Quirky, operatic show won't please everyone, but will delight many That friend you have wh…
★★★ ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS - THE MUSICAL, THEATRE ROYAL BATH Ambitious new musical isn't slaying 'em in the aisles 1950s America feels a lot like 2020s America in…
★★★★ EDWARD II, SWAN THEATRE Rapid and racy adaptation draws on its writer's legend Putsch in the palace brings down a king who chose the wrong person to love "Do…
★★★★★ HAMLET, ROYAL SHAKESPEARE THEATRE Rupert Goold's staging lends a gnawing, troubling, transatlantic relevance The iceberg cometh The date, projected be…
★★★★★ THREE SISTERS, SAM WANAMAKER PLAYHOUSE Souls dissected in brilliantly conceived and executed production Russia - but also here, there and everywhere Russi…
★ MRS PRESIDENT, CHARING CROSS THEATRE A widow, a photographer but no soul Curious play that fails to mobilise theatre's unique ability to tell a story The phenomenal global success o…
★★★ SECOND BEST, RIVERSIDE STUDIOS First-class performance in a second-class play Martin is not Harry Potter in the movies, then might be in real life, but proves to be the…
★★★★★ PLAY ON!, LYRIC HAMMERSMITH The Bard and The Duke in perfect harmony! Super performances deliver magnificent entertainment If you saw Upstart Crow on tele…