Uncle Vanya review – Toby Jones triumphs in perfect Chekhov
Ian Rickson’s exquisite production is enlivened with expertly weighted humour and a modern beat - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarOnegin review – Natalia Osipova thrills with ecstatic, lovestruck obsession
The Russian ballerina is exhilarating to watch in John Cranko’s 1965 take on Pushkin’s novel, partnered by Reece Clarke in the title role - Lyndsey Winship
starstarstarstarstarLes Misérables review – just hear these people sing!
With a cast that never misses a note, the West End’s longest-running musical proves a haunting and thrilling inspiration - Miriam Gillinson
starstarstarstarstarFamilie review – Milo Rau's soulful hymn to life on the brink of death
An acting family play the members of a family about to take their own lives in this unnerving and heartbreaking celebration of the ordinary - Mark Fisher
starstarstarstarstarThe Vote 2019 review – James Graham's polling-station stunner
Simon Russell Beale, Mark Gatiss and Catherine Tate were on hilarious form in this new version of the state-of-the-nation comedy - Mark Lawson
starstarstarstarstarSquirrel review – this small wonder is full of surprises
Tim Bell and Kate Cross’s remarkable production mixes Bauhaus-style designs and jazz in an irresistible treat for under-fives - Chris Wiegand
starstarstarstarstarExtraordinary Wall [of Silence] review – striking stories of deafness
Sign language, speech and physical storytelling come together to interrogate history – and theatre itself - Gareth Llŷr Evans
starstarstarstarstarChild review – scary scenes of untethered imagination
The final part of Peeping Tom’s trilogy surreally explores the innocence and danger of childhood – it’s definitely not for kids - Sanjoy Roy
starstarstarstarstarBeckett Triple Bill review – ticklish satire and quiet melancholy
David Threlfall, James Hayes, Niall Buggy and Lisa Dwan star in Trevor Nunn’s atmospheric productions of Krapp’s Last Tape, Eh Joe and The Old Tune - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarLe Corsaire; Resolution review – ridiculously entertaining
ENB delivers a bravura, gravity-defying Le Corsaire. At the Place, a faith-restoring showcase of new talent - Bidisha
starstarstarstarstarBran Nue Dae review: great Australian musical with vibrant cast resonates at Sydney festival
Playwright Jimmy Chi’s quintessentially Australian work is a blend of ironic wit and lacerating truths that still need to be heard today - Steve Dow
starstarstarstarstarThe Strange Tale of Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel review – a magical fantasia
A transatlantic voyage in 1910, with the silent stars onboard, is the basis of Told By An Idiot’s beguiling comedy - Brian Logan
starstarstarstarstarCirque du Soleil: Luzia review – sometimes bigger really is better
Royal Albert Hall, LondonThe Canadian company’s colourful Mexican-flavoured show is full of heart-stopping skill, dreamy lyricism and visual whimsy - Lyndsey Winship
starstarstarstarstarFlo & Joan review – comedy's squabbling sister act pack in songs and surprises
The charming musical misfits are funniest at their most absurd, serving up numbers that range from klezmer to folderol folk - Brian Logan
starstarstarstarstarCuttin' It review – tale of friendship and FGM still wields terrible power
Charlene James’s 2016 play about female genital mutilation combines a powerful social message with bursts of humour - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarAntigone review – a mesmerising tragedy with sisterhood at heart
Superb performances by Annabel Baldwin and Rachel Hosker capture the intimacy and grief of this fearlessly revisionist retelling of Sophocles’ drama - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarBlack Ties review – chaos, comedy and cultural clashes in a wedding gone wrong
Audience members become wedding guests in a play that goes beyond stereotypes to show just how much we have in common - Steve Dow
starstarstarstarstarThis Time review – a trapeze show light in touch but deep in meaning
Aerial theatre company Ockham’s Razor deftly and poignantly explore age and innocence - Lyndsey Winship
starstarstarstarstarSix review – Hamilton-style hit musical turns Henry VIII’s wives into pop group for the ages
The explosively joyous UK musical reclaims history for the beleaguered Queens: divorced, beheaded, live! - Cassie Tongue
starstarstarstarstarMessage from the Skies review – Edinburgh's heritage illuminated
Charlotte Runcie and Irvine Welsh are among the writers exploring Scotland’s maritime history in these evocative installations - Mark Fisher
starstarstarstarstarEdinburgh's Hogmanay review – 70,000 go wild at the ultimate New Year's Eve
Mark Ronson, Eddi Reader, Marc Almond and Dick and Dom battle with giant polar bears and splashing swimmers as the city celebrates the new year - Imogen Tilden
starstarstarstarstarCircus 1903 review – super-luxe vintage brilliance
A global cast of performers let their talents do the talking in this low-schmaltz, high-octane circus show - Sarah Donaldson
starstarstarstarstarMatthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes review – an enchanted evening
Ashley Shaw makes a triumphant return as doomed ballerina Vicky Page - Sarah Crompton
starstarstarstarstarChristmas at the (Snow) Globe review – a marvellously messy festive medley
Sandi Toksvig hosts a knowingly slapdash evening of irony-charged singalongs that revels in the magic of its venue - Brian Logan
starstarstarstarstarThe Box of Delights review – an exquisite Christmas cabaret
2Faced Dance put on a reality-busting promenade performance featuring parkour, slapstick and a sit-down dinner - Sanjoy Roy
starstarstarstarstarPippi Longstocking review – Lindgren's rule-breaker is a delight
Astrid Lindgren’s nine-year-old rebel is suitably anarchic and altruistic in a festive musical show that leaves you chuckling - Michael Billington
starstarstarstarstarCurtains review – the arresting case of Kander and Ebb's musical whodunnit
Jason Manford is a charming, showtune-obsessed homicide cop in this fun companion to Chicago and Cabaret - Mark Lawson
starstarstarstarstarGuys and Dolls review – thrills and chaos in the giddy, gambling Big Apple
Against a spare backdrop, the cast generate energy, comedy and romance in spades in this revival of Frank Loesser’s New York musical - Catherine Love
starstarstarstarstarA Taste of Honey review – Shelagh Delaney’s debut gets jazzed up
A revival of the 1950s groundbreaking kitchen-sink drama resonates today – helped by bursts of song - Gregory Robinson
starstarstarstarstarI Can Go Anywhere review – asylum seeker's mod makeover
Douglas Maxwell’s two-hander teases and cajoles us with questions about how we see ourselves - Mark Fisher
starstarstarstarstarPecsmas review – celebrate Christmas with John Travulva
A seasonal revue from the drag king collective Pecs is filthy, funny, full of festive hits and wrapped in shiny hotpants - Ella Braidwood
starstarstarstarstarFitter review – a love letter to masculinity
Ell Potter and Mary Higgins radically push on from previous show Hotter, in this fantastic, sexy, athletic examination of male identity - Kate Wyver
starstarstarstarstarPeter Pan review – JM Barrie's adventure flies to modern-day Wales
Set against the never-never-land of present-day austerity, Gary Owen’s productionbroadens the play’s appeal - Mark Lawson
starstarstarstarstarA Kind of People review – uncompromising look at modern Britain
Race and relationships are the focus of Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti’s deeply moving drama that presents an honest picture of multi-cultural Britain - Michael Billington
starstarstarstarstarThe Ocean at the End of the Lane review – Neil Gaiman adaptation is all action
Gaiman’s novel turns into a dynamic and quirky stage spectacular, though at the expense of the more nuanced relationships - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarThe Last Noël review – carols, hope and regret capture the Christmas spirit
Chris Bush’s beautifully crafted show is comforting and uplifting with just enough kick for those who find festive theatre too saccharine - Miriam Gillinson
starstarstarstarstarThe Duchess of Malfi review – subterfuge and spying in the #MeToo age
Lydia Wilson is riveting as the strong-willed duchess in Rebecca Frecknall’s arresting update - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarThree Sisters review – Inua Ellams transfers Chekhov to Nigeria
Buoyed by first-rate performances, this production transforms the Russian classic into an eye-opening account of the Biafran war - Michael Billington
starstarstarstarstarPinocchio review – frightening delight in a post-puppet world
Treating Carlo Collodi’s allegory with the seriousness it deserves, this sincere and playful production draws a vulnerable boy into the tale’s darkest corners - Mark Fisher
starstarstarstarstarJoan of Leeds review – randy lesbian nun runs wild
Breach Theatre’s hilariously heretical satire of medieval mystery plays is a celebration of queer voices and a fine alternative Christmas show - Kate Wyver
starstarstarstarstarA Taste of Honey review – sweet songs and sour love
Jodie Prenger sings her heart out in an atmospheric revival of Shelagh Delaney’s classic play about an unlucky-in-love mother and daughter - Miriam Gillinson
starstarstarstarstarCyrano de Bergerac review – James McAvoy is fierce in radical reboot of romantic classic
Visual flummery and the famous nose are dispensed with in Martin Crimp’s modern take on Rostand’s proxy-wooing play - Michael Billington
starstarstarstarstarCoppélia review – Francesca Hayward captivates
Francesca Hayward gets things off to a flying start as Ninette de Valois’s comic ballet makes an overdue return - Sarah Crompton
starstarstarstarstarDrac & Jill review – a supercharged helping of festive filth
The cast sinks its teeth into this adult seasonal mashup of Dracula, Jack and Jill and The Sound of Music - Clare Brennan
starstarstarstarstarJagged Little Pill review – Alanis musical hits Broadway with a bang
Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody has brought Alanis Morissette’s music to the stage with a contrived yet hugely entertaining show - Alexis Soloski
starstarstarstarstarLittle Red Riding Hood review – my, what big imaginations they have!
Hiccup theatre’s clever take on the fairytale is full of music, puppetry, surprising twists, witty dialogue and madcap energy - Miriam Gillinson
starstarstarstarstarStrange Tales review – a feast of eerie stories from Chinese folklore
From a man sneezing out frog-like creatures to a husband restored to life with the phlegm of a beggar, these supernatural fables are uncanny - Mark Fisher
starstarstarstarstarRosie Jones review – mischief, filth and poleaxing punchlines
The standup’s new show, Backward, dissects the pitfalls of fame but her joyfully undercutting humour hasn’t suffered - Brian Logan
starstarstarstarstarThe Welkin review – Maxine Peake leads Lucy Kirkwood's jury of matrons
Twelve bickering, bantering women must determine an accused murderer’s pregnancy claim in this admirable drama - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarFaces in the Crowd review – Valeria Luiselli adaptation is strikingly imaginative
Jimena Larraguivel stars in a clever and evocative but confusing version of Luiselli’s multi-stranded novel about a woman who feels unseen - Miriam Gillinson
starstarstarstarstarRaven review – roll up, roll up to the circus of modern parenting
In this acrobatic theatre show, the Berlin circus trio Still Hungry juggle roles and wrestle with all the anxieties and expectations that come with child-rearing - Lyndsey Winship
starstarstarstarstarThe Gift review – clever and complex vision of black Britons, then and now
The story of Sarah Bonetta Davies, given to Queen Victoria, is contrasted with a modern black British woman in Janice Okoh’s play - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarThe PappyShow: Boys review – 10-man team gets to grips with masculinity
Devised drama about relationships between young men moves from grim violence to understanding - Sanjoy Roy
starstarstarstarstarFrank Skinner: Showbiz review – statesman of standup shows no sign of stiffening
Garrick theatre, LondonHis scattergun style leaves little room for depth, but the veteran gagsmith is still wonderful company as he tackles middle age - Paul Fleckney
starstarstarstarstarRooman review – kangaroo love in dreamlike oddball tale
Fleur Elise Noble’s fantasy show at the London international mime festival is highly original and unsettling - Lyndsey Winship
starstarstarstarstarMaisie Adam review – hokey philosophy with a sucker punch
The Yorkshire comic’s endearing set about mistakes made in public roars into life with a final. extraordinary reveal - Brian Logan
starstarstarstarstarScrounger review – the surreal case of the broken wheelchair
Athena Stevens creates comedy and occasional danger from a real-life incident in this tricksy drama - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarEnglish National Ballet: Le Corsaire review – firecracker dancing
While its story of slavery and exotica is dubious, ENB’s virtuoso dancers sparkle as much as the fake jewels - Lyndsey Winship
starstarstarstarstarMagic Goes Wrong review – Penn & Teller mangle minds with Mischief Theatre
Stunts and tricks go entertainingly awry in this slapstick romp, though the running gag makes it hard to conjure any suspense - Brian Logan
starstarstarstarstarJoan Didion's The White Album review – kaleidoscopic view of the 60s brought to stage
Eerily beautiful show reveals frustrating fragmentation of writer’s classic essay - Brigid Delaney
starstarstarstarstarThe Tyler Sisters review – sibling love and loss across the decades
Alexandra Wood’s spirited story of modern womanhood reminds us that the blood-bond of sisterhood has hard edges - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarThe Pixie and the Pudding review – a warm slice of seasonal family cheer
Composer Barb Jungr and director Samantha Lane serve up a characterful take on a Scandinavian folktale, with lashings of puppetry and song - Chris Wiegand
starstarstarstarstarMe … review – Emma Dodd's plucky penguin waddles into the big world
A chick finds its feet in this gentle puppet adaptation of the popular book, aimed at children aged two to five - Chris Wiegand
starstarstarstarstarA Kind of People review – a fresh look at race and relationships
Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti’s engaging drama examines privilege and power in modern Britain - Gregory Robinson
starstarstarstarstarCircus 1903 review – Christmas offering oozes old-school charm
In a culture of special effects, it is the moments of connection, creativity and wonder that matter - Lyndsey Winship
starstarstarstarstarMiracle on 34th Street review – flawed fairytale of New York
A cracking score and an energetic cast can’t disguise an unconvincing romance in Gemma Bodinetz’s update of the seasonal classic - Clare Brennan
starstarstarstarstarSex Shells: XXXmas review – 'tis the season to be filthy
With repurposed classics such as 12 Gays of Christmas, this festive satirical show delivers big-hitting performances and cunning lyrics - Brian Logan
starstarstarstarstarSing Street review – hit film heads to the stage with something missing
An adaptation of the 2016 comedy is charming and well-performed but so slight that it fades from the memory fast - Alexis Soloski
starstarstarstarstarArthur Pita: Ten Sorry Tales review – six feet under and surreally shipwrecked
Pita’s adaptation of Mick Jackson’s children’s book mixes mime, acting, song and dance to pleasingly twisted effect - Sanjoy Roy
starstarstarstarstarSwive [Elizabeth] review – a not so modern queen fights for absolute power
Ella 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 - Michael Billington
starstarstarstarstarStrange Tales review – hi-tech theatre meets ancient Chinese storytelling
Pu Songling’s weird stories are brought to life in a hit-and-miss show - Clare Brennan
starstarstarstarstarTeenage Dick review – Daniel Monks is a dazzling high-school Richard III
Mike Lew’s American update of Shakespeare, directed by Michael Longhurst, captures the king’s complexity - Michael Billington
starstarstarstarstarScottish Ballet: The Snow Queen review – plenty of icy sparkle
Christopher Hampson’s work gets crystalline performances but the imagination never leaps – it’s more slush than sharp - Anna Winter
starstarstarstarstarMiracle on 34th Street review – brings the gift of wonder if not of song
The hard-working cast bring enough enthusiasm and gusto to this musical adaptation to disguise its weak score - Mark Fisher
starstarstarstarstarFiddler: A Miracle of Miracles review – story that raised the roof everywhere
Surprising revelations and praise from famous fans add to the appeal of this documentary about the world-conquering Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof - Leslie Felperin
starstarstarstarstarThe Tailor of Gloucester review – tabby triumphs in custom-made show
Brightly designed, this jaunty version of Beatrix Potter’s seasonal tale boasts a scene-stealing Simpkin the cat - Chris Wiegand
starstarstarstarstarI Wanna Be Yours review – a love story with heady chemistry
Ragevan Vasan and Emily Stott star as a couple pulled apart by their backgrounds in this play by slam poet Zia Ahmed - Claire Armitstead
starstarstarstarstarOne Million Tiny Plays About Britain review – a nation speaks
Craig Taylor’s jumble of micro-playlets – some just a few seconds long – coalesce into a layered, comic, moving portrait of everyday life in the UK - Miriam Gillinson
starstarstarstarstarSuzi Ruffell review – smear tests, domestic bliss and ‘lesbian accoutrements’
A cool crowd warms to the standup’s animated stories, daft moves and disarming candour in Dance Like Everyone’s Watching - Brian Logan
starstarstarstarstarAdam Kay review – lurid comedy, lyrical flair and blunt NHS humour
Doc-turned-comic Kay recalls Christmases spent in hospitals – with anecdotes about peanut butter, ill-used confectionery and a blast of Spandau Ballet - Brian Logan
starstarstarstarstarRadio & Juliet / Faun / McGregor + Mugler review – Radiohead, gangs and OTT dazzle
Edward Clug strips back Shakespeare, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui riffs on Nijinsky and Wayne McGregor teams up with Manfred Thierry Mugler in this rich Russian triple bill - Lyndsey Winship
starstarstarstarstarMidnight Movie review – pain relief in the demise of others
Two avatars get lost in the world of weird online videos - Gregory Robinson
starstarstarstarstarGypsy review – Sondheim staged with surprising tenderness
The classic musical about performance, in all its chaotic glory, gets a warm-hearted production from Jo Davies - Miriam Gillinson
starstarstarstarstarRavens: Spassky vs Fischer review – game of chess is a cold war thriller
Boris Spassky and Bobby Fischer’s 1972 match is a proxy war in this intriguing but overcomplicated chess drama - Michael Billington
starstarstarstarstarFairview review – a daring challenge to the white gaze
Directed by Nadia Latif, this Pulitzer prize-winning play by Jackie Sibblies Drury is definitely one to see – and argue over - Michael Billington
starstarstarstarstarPeter Pan review – Barrie classic staged with plenty of pixie dust
Making Wendy younger gives a different dynamic to Deborah McAndrew’s engaging adaptation, with Baker Mukasa’s spontaneous Peter - Mark Fisher
starstarstarstarstarMidnight Movie review – a striking look at online liberation
Saturating the senses with sound, light and sign language, this imaginative experience explores whether the web can free us from our ‘glitching’ bodies - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarAisha and Abhaya review – modern fairytale driven by dark techno
This experiment by film-maker Kibwe Tavares and choreographer Sharon Eyal brims with talent but is ultimately frustrating - Lyndsey Winship
starstarstarstarstarScenes With Girls review – boy banter satirises the Bechdel test
Miriam Battye’s play has some astute insights, but the friendship at its centre doesn’t seem worth fighting for - Kate Wyver
starstarstarstarstarThe Sunset Limited review – Cormac McCarthy two-hander is all talk
Gary Beadle and Jasper Britton are excellent in this static and plotless existential treatise, but still can’t transcend its dramatic limitations - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarFix review – the plumber, the witch and the washing machine
Julie Tsang’s modern gothic fairytale is full of ideas and has some creepy moments but it never quite delivers - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarTrygve Wakenshaw review – behold the one-man band of mime
The New Zealander’s minimalist Only Bones v1.4 combines the spellbinding and ridiculous but ultimately seems unsure what it wants to be - Brian Logan
starstarstarstarstarGiraffes Can’t Dance review – swing of the jungle
An adaptation of Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees’s bestseller loses some of the grace of the picturebook despite a moonlit acrobatic ending - Chris Wiegand
starstarstarstarstarRapunzel review – tangled tale of a bad hair day
Some scenes sparkle in Annie Siddons’ version of the fairytale but this unruly show is as long and knotty as the heroine’s locks - Chris Wiegand
starstarstarstarstarClub 2B review – get down with Zeus and Lady Godiva
Characters including The Great Gatsby’s Daisy round on a Greek god in this bewildering Christmas show - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarKneehigh's Ubu! A Singalong Satire review – karaoke hell
A missed opportunity to satirise modern politics, this show resorts to panto for its obvious parodies and easy laughs - Kate Wyver
starstarstarstarstarGoldilocks and the Three Bears review – barrage of innuendo from Clary and co
Julian 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 - Ryan Gilbey
starstarstarstarstarLittle Miss Burden review – trauma, whimsy and 90s girl-bands
Matilda Ibini’s autobiographical coming-of-age play mixes serious scenes with underpowered comedy sketches - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarThe Snow Queen review – rowdy show drowns out Andersen's wonder
Spectacle trumps subtlety as Hans Christian Andersen’s tale of lost innocence is stifled by a topical plot and noisy percussion - Mark Fisher
starstarstarstarstarJim Jefferies review – filthy comic leaves a nasty stench
Glimpses of wit float to the surface in this sex-and-excrement bonanza … but are quickly flushed away by tedious misogyny - Brian Logan
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