Back to Back: Multiple Bad Things review – this provocative Australian ensemble is better than ever
The internationally lauded company made up of entirely neurodivergent and disabled actors returns with a hilarious, provocative work of profound complexity - Tim Byrne
starstarstarstarstarThe Crucible review – a deeply affecting take on Arthur Miller’s American classic
Director Anthony Lau brings his fiercely rigorous intellect to bear on this intensely felt love story, with standout performances from Simon Manyonda and Anoushka Lucas - Nick Ahad
starstarstarstarstarUncle Vanya review – Trevor Nunn triumphs with Chekhov’s tragicomedy
This chamber staging, movingly played by an immaculate ensemble, fits perfectly with the drama’s hothouse of disappointment - Mark Lawson
starstarstarstarstarThe Lonely Londoners review – supreme staging of Sam Selvon’s Windrush story
A tremendous cast capture the hope and despair of life in the ‘mother country’ in this powerful adaptation of the 1956 novel - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarCatherine Bohart: Again, With Feelings review – firecracker of an hour is her best yet
The Irish comedian refines gossip to a high art in a big-hitting show packed with whipsmart jokes about the panic of settling down in your 30s - Brian Logan
starstarstarstarstarYentl review – Australian theatre is so rarely this complex, or this moving
Malthouse Theatre, MelbourneThis transformative, contemporary production imagines religion not just existing alongside cultural progress but as a catalyst for it - Tim Byrne
starstarstarstarstarShechter II: From England With Love review – a crash course in how to be English
Hofesh Shechter’s young company are an international bunch but their slo-mo curves and sudden shocks deliver some startling home truths - Lyndsey Winship
starstarstarstarstarLove’s Labour’s Lost review – tech bros get swiped left in pitch perfect japes
Emily Burns’ modern-day romcom, set on a Pacific island retreat, ramps up the silliness and makes accessible the text’s cloud-parting power and wordplay - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarThe Girls of Slender Means review – Muriel Spark’s postwar tale told with zingy wit
Expertly adapted novel about young women beginning adult life in the wake of the second world war is shadowed by trauma but full of life and merriment - Mark Fisher
starstarstarstarstarElixir festival review – older dancers pushing against the void
The revered Malou Airaudo and Germaine Acogny kick off this year’s celebration of creative ageing, in a triple bill shared by Louise Lecavalier and Ben Duke - Sarah Crompton
starstarstarstarstarNo Pay? No Way! review – this 50-year-old cost-of-living satire is perfect for today’s Australia
Drama theatre, Sydney Opera HouseSet in the aftermath of a riot in a supermarket over skyrocketing prices, Marieke Hardy’s adaptation of Dario Fo is marvellously funny - Elissa Blake
starstarstarstarstarGunter review – strange tale of murder, witchcraft and football fizzes with fairground energy
Lydia Higman, Julia Grogan and Rachel Lemon’s play set around a 1604 witch trial is a vital and exciting piece of gig theatre full of improvisational spirit and creative virtuosity - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarSwan Lake; Danses Concertantes/Different Drummer/Requiem – review
The Royal Ballet’s long-running and rather cumbersome Swan Lake is elevated by the dancers’ artistry, while a fine Kenneth MacMillan triple bill deserves more performances - Sarah Crompton
starstarstarstarstarInto the Shimmering World review – Colin Friels and Kerry Armstrong star in a future Australian classic
Wharf 1, Sydney Theatre CompanyThe third part in Angus Cerini’s Australian gothic trilogy deftly explores Australian male insecurity, postcolonial soul-searching and global heating - Steve Dow
starstarstarstarstarThe Rocky Horror Show review – Jason Donovan is a fresh and flirty Frank-N-Furter
Theatre Royal, SydneyFifty years is a long time to be a rebel and this lovingly spoofy musical is a bit creaky these days – but this cast is fun enough to keep the audience cheering - Cassie Tongue
starstarstarstarstarThe week in theatre: Opening Night; MJ the Musical – review
Sheridan Smith captivates, if the songs don’t quite, in Ivo van Hove and Rufus Wainwright’s new backstage musical - Kate Kellaway
starstarstarstarstarOpening Night review – Sheridan Smith’s boozy meltdown shakes up musical theatre
Smith plays a Broadway star in the midst of a mental crisis in Ivo van Hove and Rufus Wainwright’s glittering and extravagantly original musical adaptation of the Cassavetes film - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarWe’re Not Going Back review – perfectly pitched miners’ strike musical
Elvi Piper’s fine revival of Boff Whalley’s 2014 musical comedy about three sisters on a pit village frontline in 1984 is full of humour, drama and lived experience - Clare Brennan
starstarstarstarstarWest Side Story on Sydney Harbour review: like falling in love for the first time
Under a canopy of stars and a backdrop of water, this revival digs deep to uncover the musical’s beating heart - Cassie Tongue
starstarstarstarstarThe Long Shadow of Alois Brunner review – tense mystery of a missing writer and a Nazi fugitive
This story involving an SS officer who fled to Syria after the war is simply staged but slippery, intriguing and full of nuance - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarCalifornia Connections: Three Pioneering Women review – superb salute to trailblazing trio
Yorke Dance Project celebrate Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham and Bella Lewitzky in a mixed bill that offers a valuable lesson - Lyndsey Winship
starstarstarstarstarFaith Healer review – Brian Friel’s classic questions everything we believe
Rachel O’Riordan’s powerful production explores political, medical and religious faith with a wholly convincing cast - Mark Lawson
starstarstarstarstarRomeo and Juliet review – a fiery-footed, stunt-riding thriller
Freestyling cyclists serve around the cast in Lucy Cuthbertson’s shrewd production aimed at younger audiences - Chris Wiegand
starstarstarstarstarAn Enemy of the People review – Jeremy Strong impresses in timely Ibsen drama
The Succession star delivers a bravura central turn in a rousing adaptation of a story that carries a discomforting contemporary relevance - Adrian Horton
starstarstarstarstarGluttony review – an impressive play served up with an astonishing meal
The Lincoln Arms, MelbournePlaywright Nick Parr and chef Rob Kabboord have created a compelling drama, set in a restaurant where the audience sits and eats among the cast - Tim Byrne
starstarstarstarstarHolding the Man review – tragic love story makes space for queer joy … but bring tissues
Timothy Conigrave’s memoir about a love affair cut short by Aids finds new life – and light – in this emotionally potent production - Dee Jefferson
starstarstarstarstar37 review – this play about racism in AFL is terrific, thrilling – and a wake-up call
Nathan Maynard’s great footy play is physically intense, following two Aboriginal players in a country team during the Adam Goodes era - Tim Byrne
starstarstarstarstarNorthern Ballet: Romeo & Juliet review – iconic love story told in all its full-blooded glory
Prokofiev’s score takes flight as the warring clans go at it, while the lovers display all the tortured passion of their teenage tragedy in this innovative and explosive staging - Lyndsey Winship
starstarstarstarstarBen and Imo review – Mark Ravenhill races Benjamin Britten and Imogen Holst towards a coronation deadline
Samuel Barnett and Victoria Yeates as the composer and his ‘assistant’ test the limits of collaboration as they work towards the completion of Britten’s 1953 opera Gloriana - Clare Brennan
starstarstarstarstarNew York City Ballet review – iconic company returns to show the shape of modern ballet
NYCB’s first UK visit in 16 years brings a quadruple bill that looks to the past briefly, but mostly presents a very 21st-century vision - Lyndsey Winship
starstarstarstarstarJulie review – Rebecca Frecknall’s sensational take on Strindberg
The British director of Cabaret and A Streetcar Named Desire makes a gripping debut with the acclaimed Dutch company - David Jays
starstarstarstarstarDoubt: A Parable review – Liev Schreiber and Amy Ryan electrify Broadway restaging
The award-winning John Patrick Shanley drama returns to Broadway for the first time with note-perfect performances and a discomfiting tone - Adrian Horton
starstarstarstarstarWork It Out review – keep fit drama delivers great results
In Eve Steele’s affecting comedy, mental health is explored through Jennifer Jackson’s inspired movement direction - Chris Wiegand
starstarstarstarstarBhangra Nation: A New Musical review – big, bright and bursting with energy
A university bhangra dance team is torn apart by cultural differences, seamlessly expressed through music and movement, in this zinger of a show - Clare Brennan
starstarstarstarstarThe Duchess of Malfi review – revenge tragedy goes hard on the humour
Toxic masculinity rears its head in Rachel Bagshaw’s Globe debut which proves less interested in horror effects than the characters’ emotional journeys - Emma John
starstarstarstarstarThe Hate Race review – Zahra Newman is brilliant in Maxine Beneba Clarke’s one-woman show
Newman – one of Australia’s best working actors – shows her impressive range in this moving adaptation of Beneba Clarke’s bestselling memoir - Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen
starstarstarstarstarNachtland review – a provocative plunge into art history
The discovery of what could be a painting by Hitler leads to a moral quagmire in Patrick Marber’s punchy staging of Marius von Mayenburg’s play - David Jays
starstarstarstarstarThe Ballad of Hattie and James review – a musical friendship comes back into tune
Sophie Thompson and Charles Edwards are delightful as the unlikely pair thrown together by a school production as teenagers and reunited late in life - Emma John
starstarstarstarstarLiberation Squares review – polemic comedy about state surveillance
Three unsuspecting teenagers find themselves under close observation in this satirical swipe at the government’s Prevent strategy - Mark Fisher
starstarstarstarstarLondon Tide review – Dickens and PJ Harvey team up for a melodrama as murky as the Thames
With its heavy mood and gnomic song lyrics, this updated reimagining of Our Mutual Friend is like a 19th-century noir - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarCheeky Little Brown review – raucous solo show about a splintering friendship
Nkenna Akunna’s monologue follows a young woman as she crashes her oldest friend’s 25th birthday party - Anya Ryan
starstarstarstarstarThe President review – Hugo Weaving satire verges on an endurance test
Sydney Theatre CompanyWeaving delivers a funny, commanding performance but this rarely performed 1975 Thomas Bernhard play feels neither relevant nor prescient - Steve Dow
starstarstarstarstarThe Comeuppance review – eloquence, tension and wit in a dysfunctional reunion drama
Five American friends gather to catch up in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ new play. It’s a portrait of midlife malaise, but also a subtle meditation on post-Covid life - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarThe Pull of the Stars review – Emma Donoghue adapts her Spanish flu novel for an all-female cast
Set in a 1918 maternity ward, the play offers moments of tenderness amid its commentary on political and social upheaval - Helen Meany
starstarstarstarstarAnarchy Dance Theatre: Second Body review – joltingly good cosmic shapeshifting
Tension between the organic, human-made and the digital permeates Chieh-hua Hsieh’s show as performer Ting-Ting Chao becomes an incredible vibrating energy force - Lyndsey Winship
starstarstarstarstarThe Outsiders review – 60s-set classic makes for a solid, if unspectacular, Broadway musical
SE Hinton’s novel, which was adapted by Francis Ford Coppola for film, makes for a competent yet forgettable stage show - Adrian Horton
starstarstarstarstarPlayer Kings review – Ian McKellen’s richly complex Falstaff is magnetic
Mutating from head criminal in a gothic thriller to slippery music hall entertainer, showman McKellen has centripetal force in Robert Icke’s slick, modern dress production - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarElixir festival review – the dance of life through older eyes
Works from veteran dancers Germaine Acogny, Malou Airaudo, Louise Lecavalier and Ben Duke challenge perceptions of age, with performances full of spirit and maturity - Sanjoy Roy
starstarstarstarstarJames V: Katherine review – romance and religion in the court of a volatile manchild
Catriona Faint’s witty performance as a pragmatist caught up in fanatical times is the heart of the latest historical drama from Rona Munro’s James Plays series - Mark Fisher
starstarstarstarstarKill Thy Neighbour review – dark secrets of the only family left in the village
Lucie Lovatt’s elaborate comedy exploring the housing crisis in rural Wales is provocative and conceptually ambitious yet still pleasingly entertaining - Gareth Llŷr Evans
starstarstarstarstarThe Promise review – a devastating story of dementia and death
Expressive performances and arresting effects heighten this mother-son tragedy, primarily told through British Sign Language - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarLove Steps review – a poetic guide to negotiating modern love
Anastasia Osei-Kuffour’s stylish debut gives an honest appraisal of the tricky world of apps and expectations, yet offers a note of hope for those on the long road to romance - Anya Ryan
starstarstarstarstarThe Odyssey: It’s a Really, Really, Really Long journey review – dynamic retelling of Homer for all ages
Breathtaking set design and transportive music drive a family-friendly musical of the epic Greek myth - Kit Buchan
starstarstarstarstarUnderdog: The Other Other Brontë review – modern mashup pits deceitful sister as a ruthless rival
A dislikable version of Charlotte, jockeying for prominence and yearning to be as immortal as Byron, is the surprising focus of this quick-witted drama - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarLong Day’s Journey Into Night review – Brian Cox upstaged by Patricia Clarkson’s morphine fiend
Wyndham’s theatre, LondonCox is thrilling as an overbearing patriarch but it’s Clarkson who steals the show in Eugene O’Neill’s agonising family drama - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarYannick review – Quentin Dupieux goes for laughs in absurdist theatre hijack comedy
Dupieux’s melancholic comedy sees a disillusioned audience member pull a gun before demanding a word processor to write the actors a better play - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarPower of Sail review – campus cancel culture drama ripe for a Netflix series
Paul Grellong’s gripping dialogue makes a brisk plot and unlikable characters immensely watchable as a Harvard professor invites a white supremacist for a debate - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarFrankenstein review – Imitating the Dog’s experiment never quite comes to life
The company’s trademark fusion of live performance and digital wizardry doesn’t quite hang together in a radical take on Mary Shelley - Clare Brennan
starstarstarstarstarThe Divine Mrs S review – larky and good-natured historical comedy
There are shades of Blackadder in April De Angelis’s play about the great tragedian of 18th-century British theatre - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarJungle Book review – Kipling’s man-cub tale as you’ve never seen it before
Avant garde director Robert Wilson’s adaptation of the classic tale prioritises surreal setups and atmosphere over family friendly narrative - Catherine Love
starstarstarstarstarThe Lover/The Collection review – Pinter plays psychological games
Bourgeois boredom is pervaded by fantasy and betrayal in these one-act plays with an astute cast including David Morrissey and Mathew Horne - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarThe Odyssey: It’s a Really Really Really Long Journey review – Behold, Telemachus the mummy’s boy!
Unicorn theatre, LondonEven a cyclops can get lonely, even a parent can make a mistake … this electric rendering of the classic is for all the family as Odysseus’s son takes centre stage - Kate Wyver
starstarstarstarstarCarmen review – stripped-back ballet focuses on the femicide
Given its UK premiere by English National Ballet, Johan Inger’s new version of the Bizet story cuts out cliche and embraces the bleakness – albeit at the expense of some passion - Lyndsey Winship
starstarstarstarstarSydney Dance Company: Ascent review – impressive triple bill brings fresh sparks of joy
Rafael Bonachela’s beautiful choreography and Paula Levis’ striking costumes stand out in pieces ranging from a gentle voyage to stark electro intensity - Lyndsey Winship
starstarstarstarstarPriscilla the Party! review – jukebox musical dances back to a desert of divas
The 90s movie The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is celebrated in a chaotic night that’s played for fun - Kate Wyver
starstarstarstarstarDon’t. Make. Tea. review – the disability benefits interview as Kafkaesque comic nightmare
A former police officer with muscular dystrophy fights a grotesquely bureaucratic system in this subversive satirical broadside - Mark Fisher
starstarstarstarstarAn Evening With The Fast Show review – chummy chat and catchphrase classics
Ted and Ralph, the ‘Suit you!’ tailors and the rest of the gang’s most fondly remembered characters reconvene for a 30th-anniversary greatest hits sketch show, interspersed with the cast’s reminiscences about their creation - Rachael Healy
starstarstarstarstarA Taste of Honey review – Shelagh Delaney’s grenade explodes again
Jill Halfpenny and Rowan Robinson star in a revival of the 1958 play, staged near its setting of Salford - Nick Ahad
starstarstarstarstarMonét X Change: Life Be Lifein’ review – Drag Race champ’s fabulous rise to fame
The star’s stage presence is impressive as she charts the journey from her religious upbringing to her first sexual encounters and becoming an adored icon - Brian Logan
starstarstarstarstarAssembly Hall review – medieval reenactors joust in a whirl of fantasy and mundanity
Beautiful choreography and a clever script create a shifting, unknowable world in Crystal Pite and Jonathon Young’s new show - Lyndsey Winship
starstarstarstarstarLeslie Liao review – heard the one about the Netflix staffer turned standup?
In a lively but disjointed show, the comedian – who used to work in HR for the streamer – delivers routines on office life, dating apps and 90s R&B - Brian Logan
starstarstarstarstarInstructions for a Teenage Armageddon review – Bridgerton’s Charithra Chandran glows and rages
Chandran is brilliantly bratty in Rosie Day’s one-woman story of vulnerability masked by sarcasm and bravado - Kate Wyver
starstarstarstarstarRichard, My Richard review – like a medieval version of The Crown
Historical novelist Philippa Gregory has fun reframing the notorious Richard III and the women in his life in her first play - Clare Brennan
starstarstarstarstarVincent Dance Theatre: Play review – rare choreography retrospective is both ominous and hopeful
Charlotte Vincent revisits her 30-year back catalogue with a focus on young performers, offering fascinating glimpes into the world she’s created - Lyndsey Winship
starstarstarstarstarThe Notebook review – hit romance lands on Broadway a little underwritten
The much-loved romantic drama, made into a hit movie in 2004, reaches Broadway with some parts intact but with others sorely missing - Gloria Oladipo
starstarstarstarstarRichard, My Richard review – less naked villainy, more realpolitik
In novelist Philippa Gregory’s telling, the much maligned king reveals a more human side amid rather too much exposition - Mark Fisher
starstarstarstarstarHarry Clarke review – Billy Crudup dives into ‘the deep end of sexy’ in tricksy tale
A timid midwesterner adopts a geezerish British persona in David Cale’s often shrewdly observed yet meandering monologue - Chris Wiegand
starstarstarstarstarRobby Hoffman review – New Yorker unleashes her nerd-jock shtick
Snarling at the audience and cracking cynical jokes, Hoffman’s intriguing faux-boorish persona wears thin, undermining her subversively funny riffs - Brian Logan
starstarstarstarstarLadies Down Under review – sisters redrawing life for themselves
Amanda Whittington’s sequel to Ladies’ Day sends her characters off to Australia for an enjoyable range of epiphanies - Mark Fisher
starstarstarstarstarJaney review – behind-the-scenes doc shows standup at her hilarious and heartfelt best
On tour with her daughter after her cancer diagnosis the Scottish national treasure opens up about her life and finds big laughs in the face of death - Cath Clarke
starstarstarstarstarThe Comedy Man review – manic gusto from Kenneth More’s 60s-style Withnail
More’s hopelessly vain out-of-work actor is joined by a blue chip cast in a zippy tale that does unfortunately rather show its age - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarRomeo and Juliet review – beatboxing lovers in full flow
A hip-hop take on the tragedy finds the feud blowing up on social media and the balcony scene remixed for FaceTime but it lacks pathos - Chris Wiegand
starstarstarstarstarGaslight review – Toby Schmitz and Geraldine Hakewill star in cinematic story of abuse
The themes of Patrick Hamilton’s 1938 play remain as relevant as ever – but while this adaptation has plenty to admire, it suffers from a lack of subtlety - Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen
starstarstarstarstarStarter for Ten review – sparky musical loses points for focus
Adaptation of David Nicholls’ novel about a student’s class-inflected coming of age scores for its songs but its energy becomes unhinged - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarNye review – Michael Sheen looks back at the difficult birth of the NHS
Sheen stars as Aneurin Bevan in Tim Price’s drama, unfolding in flashbacks from a hospital bed - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarLittle Shop of Horrors review – evergreen musical back for another bite
With its irresistible harmonies, this comedy about a blood-guzzling plant has plenty to savour but it lacks satirical punch and menace - Chris Wiegand
starstarstarstarstarAudrey or Sorrow review – darkly comic tale of ghosts and grief
The black humour gets grimmer in Marina Carr’s latest play as two parents grieve the sudden death of their baby and a disturbing family history emerges - Helen Meany
starstarstarstarstarThe Lehman Trilogy review – masterful performances animate a flawed project
Directed by Sam Mendes, this Tony-winning corporate thriller whirls through 164 years of capitalism – yet still feels incomplete - Dee Jefferson
starstarstarstarstarBen and Imo review – Britten and Holst’s collaboration slides into cruelty
Mark Ravenhill’s reimagining of the duo’s work on Gloriana exposes imbalances in the partnership but ultimately is a tragedy of thwarted ambition - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarSarah Keyworth: My Eyes Are Up Here review – top surgery becomes a family affair
With fine one-liners, the crowd-pleasing east Midlander traces their relationship with their parents in a touching show - Brian Logan
starstarstarstarstarBhangra Nation review – Punjabi dance powers a joyful high school musical
Soaring ballads and spirited movement abound in a charming show about teenage self-discovery - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarThe Cord review – daggers of judgment as a birth rocks a family
Therapists will love this drama about neonatal strains with all its flashbacks to childhood battles. Shame the focus is all on the father, leaving the women looking like harpies - Ryan Gilbey
starstarstarstarstarJames V: Katherine review – queer love in the time of the Scottish kings
The fifth of Rona Munro’s James plays fails to develop an interesting premise about a hidden romance - Clare Brennan
starstarstarstarstarAn Actor Convalescing in Devon review – long, lacklustre ride through life, loss and actorly love
Richard’s Nelson’s elegiac monologue feels like Paul Jesson is live-reading a novel and results in a sense of stagnation - Anya Ryan
starstarstarstarstarThe Death and Life of All of Us review – bumpy travels with a mysterious great aunt
Victor Esses’ reflections on his elusive Lebanese-Italian relative are told with easy, open warmth but never quite knit together - Kate Wyver
starstarstarstarstarMJ the Musical review – sterilised moonwalk through the King of Pop’s life
The jukebox musical has gravity defying dancing and all the megahits, but it’s hard to ignore the glaringly unpleasant biographical absence - Anya Ryan
starstarstarstarstarThe School for Scandal review – an overblown attempt at wit
Seán Aydon’s laboured attempts to shriek the play into life with overstated and almost unintelligible clowning only serves to flatten Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s comedy - Mark Fisher
starstarstarstarstarHow to Build a Universe review – sci-fi dance-theatre show aims high but lands low
Humans keep making the same mistakes as five survivors of an apocalyptic event try to build a new civilisation - Lyndsey Winship
starstarstarstarstarBrooklyn Laundry review – John Patrick Shanley’s sudsy drama is a washout
David Zayas and Cecily Strong try to breathe life into a small-scale tale but are betrayed by lackluster dialogue and a thin plot - Gloria Oladipo
starstarstarstarstarLeigh Francis: My First Time review – cacophonously unfunny with the emphasis on cack
The comic revives Avid Merrion, Keith Lemon and others in a scatological set of unimaginative jokes - Brian Logan
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