Five star - Latest Top Rated Stage Reviews from the Guardian

Rachel Bloom review – contagious joy and brutal truths from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend star
The exhilarating comedian known for her hit Netflix series puts on an addictive night of comedy and song - Kate Wyver
Pam Tanowitz Dance: Four Quartets – review
Tanowitz’s distinctive choreography is a ravishing interpretation of TS Eliot’s poem - Sarah Crompton
Four Quartets review – TS Eliot's poems brilliantly danced
With unfussy, Cunningham-influenced movement alongside Kathleen Chalfont’s readings, Pam Tanowitz has distilled Eliot’s essence - Lyndsey Winship
Be My Baby review – poignant, powerful and still pertinent
Young mothers are forced to give up their babies for adoption - Clare Brennan
American Psycho the Musical review – slick, sexy and highly disturbing
A murderous romp that will have you snort laughing before it punches you in the gut - Nadine von Cohen
Present Laughter review – Andrew Scott dazzles in Coward's classic comedy
Scott is richly funny as a peacocking Peter Pan whose theatrical bohemia is threatened by outsiders - Michael Billington
Radio review – a dream voyage to the moon and back
Al Smith’s searching, sad play is revived to mark the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing - Miriam Gillinson
Greenwich + Docklands international festival review – an unreal takeover of the streets
Robotic alien puppets ran riot in south London to open a festival that tackled issues of gender, disability, race and Brexit - Kate Wyver
Blithe Spirit review – Richard Eyre's skilfully crafted revival
Jennifer Saunders stars as Madame Arcati in this touching production of the Coward classic - Clare Brennan
The Mother review – Natalia Osipova dances to hell and back
Osipova is elegantly wretched in Arthur Pita’s horror-tinged take on a Hans Christian Andersen tale in which Death claims the life of a baby - Lyndsey Winship
Three Sisters review – stunning Russian staging of Chekhov classic
Lev Dodin’s masterly production allows the actors to truly inhabit their roles and presents a familiar play afresh - Michael Billington
The Damned review – Ivo van Hove's Third Reich thriller is riveting
This adaptation of Luchino Visconti’s 1969 film, performed by the Comédie-Française, is full of startling set pieces - Michael Billington
Mari review – Georgia Parris' stirring drama about a pregnant dancer
Bobbi Jene Smith is excellent as a dancer attempting to reconcile motherhood, performance and family in this promising indie film - Mike McCahill
David Blaine review – astonishing spectacle is not for the squeamish
In Real or Magic? the bicep-piercing endurance artist demonstrates supernatural command of his body - Brian Logan
Strange Fruit review – Caryl Phillips’ immigrant family feel the heat
Nancy Medina directs a slow-burning story of a family caught between two cultures in 80s Britain - Michael Billington
While the Sun Shines review – fresh-as-paint Rattigan revival
Superb performances power the ingeniously plotted story of a young earl’s marriage to the daughter of an impoverished duke - Michael Billington
Conversations With Nick Cave review – intimate audience with a rock'n'roll rebel
Fans open their hearts as the singer shares his thoughts on stage fright, grief and God – and why koalas are so dangerous - Jude Rogers
Birmingham Royal Ballet: Unleashed review – ravishing risk-taking
The company branch out with contemporary moves and electronic music in an accomplished triple bill - Laura Joffre
Plenty review – David Hare's epic of despair has a Brexit echo
Rachael Stirling is excellent in Kate Hewitt’s invigorating production of a play about individual and national unease - Michael Billington
The Secret Life of Bees review – sweet, buzzy musical is one to watch
The latest from Spring Awakening’s Duncan Sheik is a lush and emotionally impactful production with a smart book from Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage - Alexis Soloski
The Pope review – Anton Lesser and Nicholas Woodeson's papal powerplay
Rivalry and shared guilt combine as Pope Benedict XVI meets his successor, Pope Francis, in Anthony McCarten’s drama - Michael Billington
Armadillo review – horribly captivating tale of guns and abduction
Michelle Fox is electric as a kidnapping survivor glued to the news in a twisted production with hints of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - Miriam Gillinson
Garry review – murder and sexual torment trigger stellar pub theatre
Sophie Treadwell’s long-lost tale of Freudian fear gets its first outing with a cast who foster high tension in an intimate venue - Michael Billington
The Diary of One Who Disappeared review – Ivo van Hove gives Janáček a maverick update
The 1919 song cycle of illicit love is brought into the modern day with a beautifully sung and acted performance - Tim Ashley
Hobson's Choice review – saris, acid house and a Salford Cinderella story
Relocating Harold Brighouse’s classic to Manchester’s Hindu community, Tanika Gupta finds some sharp political parallels and a very funny new cultural context - Mark Fisher
Force of Nature Natalia – fascinating study of the Royal Ballet's star dancer
Shy of breathless revelations, this documentary about the sylph of steel is a strong introduction into Natalia Osipova’s magic - Peter Bradshaw
Frank Skinner review – Mr Funny Bones reaps big laughs
The former king of lad comedy moseys through a delightfully meandering set about ageing, fading libido and ‘the Strictly curse’ - Brian Logan
Wife review – rousing look at 60 years of sexual identity
Samuel Adamson’s stimulating family saga revolves around Ibsen’s A Doll’s House and is inventively staged by Indhu Rubasingham - Michael Billington
San Francisco Ballet review – California dreaming and a Björk nightmare
A season of 10 UK premieres opens with a cold-hearted Edith Wharton tale, Soviet struggles with Shostakovich, and an X-rated artpop class - Lyndsey Winship
Black Teeth and a Brilliant Smile review – last orders for Andrea Dunbar
At the pub, the night before her untimely death, the acclaimed playwright spars with her younger self in this tender adaptation of Adelle Stripe’s novel - Catherine Love
Citysong review – Dublin shimmers in poetic celebration of the cycle of life
A versatile cast and evocative setting bring to life Dylan Coburn Gray’s award-winning script, which follows a taxi driver’s journey through an eclectic Dublin family - Helen Meany
Venice Preserved review – thrills, S&M sex and Restoration politics
Prasanna Puwanarajah’s edge-of-the-seat revival of Thomas Otway’s 1682 tragedy looks like Blade Runner but deals in age-old themes of hypocrisy, corruption and ego - Michael Billington
Cotton Fingers review – nuanced abortion drama
A young Northern Irish woman travels to Wales for a termination - Clare Brennan
Rutherford and Son review – Roger Allam is magnificent in Edwardian classic
Allam shines as the tyrannical capitalist patriarch at the heart of Githa Sowerby’s powerful story of a society in transition - Michael Billington
Edinburgh international children’s festival review – tricks of the light
Inventive stagings keep young minds enthralled as detectives test their bravery, dancers evolve and superheroes fall out - Mark Fisher
Does My Bomb Look Big in This? review – fierce, witty study of radicalisation
Nyla Levy’s play about London schoolfriends, divided when one goes to Syria, is savvy, streetwise and energetic - Arifa Akbar
Our Town review – Ellen McDougall's Wilder revival hits home with force
The classic snapshot of a community is given fresh life by a youthful production that stresses the story’s harsher moments - Michael Billington
He Takes Her By the Hand … review – desire and dread in Bausch's Macbeth
Pina Bausch merged the domestic and dream worlds in a dark but playful version of Shakespeare’s tragedy, revived for the first time in almost 30 years - Chris Wiegand
The Duchess (of Malfi) review – indictment of patriarchal power
Zinnie Harris reframes the tragedy to take in the consequences of male violence, as Kirsty Stuart’s duchess provides a defiant centre - Mark Fisher
The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil review – buoyant revival of a Scottish classic
John McGrath’s 1973 play uses ceilidhs and hoedowns to tell the shocking tale of the exploitation of Scotland’s natural resources - Michael Billington
This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing review – terrific triplets
Jemima Levick revives this tale about three sisters coming of age with wit and charm - Mark Fisher
White Pearl review – a racist ad, and a bracingly funny corporate satire
Anchuli Felicia King’s Singapore-set drama brilliantly unpicks hypocrisy and the base values of the beauty business - Michael Billington
Birmingham Royal Ballet: [Un]leashed review – jangling textures and palpitating rhythms
Three dances with differing tones and temperament, including Jessica Lang’s Lyric Pieces and Ruth Brill’s Peter and the Wolf, make for an ambiguous show - Sanjoy Roy
After Dark review – a deliciously dank vision of Victorian London
Dion Boucicault’s convoluted melodrama is elevated by the earnestness and imagination of Phil Willmott’s canny revival - Michael Billington
Somnium review – Strictly's Katya and Neil salute their love with swagger
Katya and Neil Jones’ show is an old-fashioned crowdpleaser full of cheese, gimmickry and heart-bursting pride - Lyndsey Winship
Blithe Spirit review – Jennifer Saunders is spookily funny
Saunders is a fizzy delight as the medium in Richard Eyre’s revival of the Noël Coward comedy about a couple haunted by the ghost of the husband’s first wife - Arifa Akbar
The Light in the Piazza review – Fleming shines over feelgood musical
Full of lazy, hazy nostalgia for classic romantic encounters in Italy, this picturesque show is rescued from cliche by Renée Fleming’s soaring star quality - Erica Jeal
Ballet Cymru: Romeo a Juliet review – full-throttle fights in the valleys
This nimble company has scaled Shakespeare back to suit its 12 dancers, and in Danila Marzilli they have a knockout Juliet - Anna Winter
The Pope review – crisis at the heart of Catholicism
Unmissable performances save a creaky tale of differing approaches to God’s calling - Clare Brennan
Yellow Is the Colour of Sunshine review – bright young things
Children’s theatre company Tutti Frutti use physical playfulness and ingenuity to tell a story about the importance of communication and friendships - Catherine Love
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike review – Chekhovian comic curio
Strong performances buoy up a lightweight story about characters fated to fulfil the destinies of their fictional namesakes - Michael Billington
One Night in Miami review – Ali goes toe-to-toe with Malcolm X and Sam Cooke
Pitch-perfect performances enliven Kemp Powers’ impressive play, punchily debating racial tensions in 1960s America - Mark Lawson
The Last Word review – young artists speak truth to poetry
This festival gives voice to up-and-coming performers, from poetry slam winner Rakaya Esime Fetuga to the painfully funny Jack Rooke - Kate Wyver
Twelve Cabins Twelve Vacancies review – intimate take on Hitchcock’s Psycho
Chris Durnall fuses his own story with that of the classic thriller to create a lyrical study of grief and family - Gareth Llŷr Evans
Much Ado About Nothing review – all-black show is exuberant but muddled
Orange is the New Black’s Danielle Brooks excels in an uneven production that transports Shakespeare’s comedy to Atlanta - Alexis Soloski
A Midsummer Night's Dream review – join the fiesta with Gwendoline Christie
Festive fun, ear-nibbling and high-wire antics infuse Nicholas Hytner’s startling role-reversal production - Michael Billington
Michael Palin review – entertaining whistle-stop trip through history
Palin offers up a fascinating potted history of an ill-fated naval journey, then goes on an affable tour through his six-decade career - Brian Logan
Pictures of Dorian Gray review – too many perspectives
A role-swapping adaptation of Wilde’s novel is too tricksy for its own good - Clare Brennan
Thrones! The Musical Parody review – cathartic pisstake is much more fun than the finale
Packed with in-jokes and topical gags, the musical – which has been updated continuously since 2015 – takes on new responsibility in the show’s wake - Caitlin Welsh
Seann Walsh review – standup steps back into his Strictly scandal
He became ‘the most hated comedian in Britain’. Now Walsh is on tour with the most engaging show of his career - Brian Logan
The Knight of the Burning Pestle review – dimwit swordsman skewers theatre snobs
A pair of Lion King fans blunder into a highbrow drama in Declan Donnellan’s gallant update of the class-collision comedy - Michael Billington
Jess Robinson review – slick impressions and super-powered ballads
Big of voice and wide of smile, the Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalist fills the room with her singing and mimicry - Brian Logan
The Glass Menagerie review – bold and bewitching take on Tennessee Williams
Femi Elufowoju Jr’s engaging production puts an African American family at its centre but misses some of the play’s quietly heart-wringing moments - Arifa Akbar
The Audience review – Theresa May joins conveyor belt of PMs meeting the Queen
Updated to include Brexit, Peter Morgan’s 2013 drama about the Queen’s off-the-record conversations with her prime ministers seems underpowered - Arifa Akbar
Flinch review – Gen Z couple's fears, fights and restless ecstasy
Emma Hemingford’s promising debut gets under the skin of a troubled relationship and refuses to take sides - Michael Billington
Ricky Gervais review – anti-woke tittering over Liam Neeson and Louis CK
Casting himself as a taboo breaker for his Netflix show Supernature, the cacklesome comic delivers a squarely liberal-baiting set - Brian Logan
The Starry Messenger review – Broderick and McGovern face up to cosmic failures
Kenneth Lonergan’s tale of astronomy and midlife misery makes fine use of an A-list cast but never truly explodes into life - Michael Billington
Redcoats review – song-studded ode to the Butlin's empire
The DIY charm of Mikron Theatre and Nick Ahad’s new show is a good match for the resort’s brand of family fun - Catherine Love
All I See Is You review – smitten but bruised as love and law collide
Set in the 60s, the hidden histories of men up against repressive homosexuality laws have an intense emotional force in Kathrine Smith’s production - Catherine Love
Coral Browne: This F***ing Lady! review – wit and glamour of a stylish star
Known for her sharp tongue and love affairs, the eccentric Australian actor is celebrated in this entertaining one-woman show - Michael Billington
Blueprint Medea review – Euripides explodes in modern London
Julia Pascal’s dynamic production sees Medea reborn as a former fighter against Isis who finds Jason in the British capital - Arifa Akbar
Operation Mincemeat review – baggy burlesque of British secret service
An abundance of wit and one-liners can’t make up for the lack of directorial focus in SpitLip’s antiwar satire - Kate Wyver
Lazarus review – David Bowie's oblique jukebox musical fails to bring him back
Although technically impressive and with admirable performances, the experimental show falls a little flat - Simon Miraudo
549: Scots of the Spanish Civil War review – feisty time-hopping agitprop
Cutting between austerity-hit East Lothian today and the battlefields of the 1930s anti-fascist volunteers, this gutsy play reveals the complexity of righteous crusading - Mark Fisher
Lagrime di San Pietro review – Sellars adds little to Lassus's austerely beautiful madrigals
The Los Angeles Master Chorale’s performance is immaculate if sometimes self-consciously expressive in this staging by Peter Sellars of the Renaissance cycle - Andrew Clements
King Hedley II review – Lenny Henry and Aaron Pierre make a dynamic duo
August Wilson’s overheated story of an ex-con attempting to rebuild his life is buoyed by an energetic cast with meaty roles - Michael Billington
Emily Atack review – I'm a Celebrity star on her roaring 20s
The Inbetweeners’ actor gears up for her 30s with a look back at her regrets and a plea for us all to be nicer to one another - Hannah J Davies
Hoard review – emotional wreckage from a drive-by family visit
What Bim Adewunmi’s debut lacks in originality it makes for with a lively portrait of a British-Nigerian family with a dinner guest - Arifa Akbar
Anna review – lies and surveillance in communist East Berlin
Ella Hickson’s inventive thriller turns the audience into spies behind a glass wall, with fascinating but flawed results - Michael Billington
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button review – folk musical beats the movie
A stunning cast sing, play and even puppeteer as the life-lived-backwards tale is relocated to Cornwall in ingenious style - John Lewis
The Rite of Spring review – dreamy and divine
Based on classical Indian dance forms, Seeta Patel’s interesting chamber version uncovers the lyricism in Stravinsky’s score - Lyndsey Winship
Julian Clary review – a past master of the scornful ad-lib
There may be a weary air to some of the obligatory scripted smut, but Clary’s affectionate put-downs remain acutely calibrated - Ryan Gilbey
Rambert: McGregor/ Motin/ Shechter review – back to the future
A new work by Marion Motin holds its own alongside two old favourites in this Rambert triple bill - Sarah Crompton
Ed Night review – woke joker with an easy swagger
Forthright and talented, Night doesn’t shirk the issues, from porn to social media, and he has the gags to boot - Paul Fleckney
Orpheus Descending review – Tennessee Williams’ melodrama back from the dead
Hattie Morahan and Seth Numrich help breathe new life into Williams’ strange and clumsy southern gothic - Michael Billington
Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell review – Soho boozer's pint-sized revival
Robert Bathurst stars in an hour-long production of the comedy, staged in the pub where Keith Waterhouse sought inspiration - Mark Lawson
Sam Jay review – SNL comic's contrarian takes on Trump and #MeToo
The Saturday Night Live writer has skill but hits bum notes and wanders into incoherence at the end - Brian Logan
Bitter Wheat review – Malkovich and Mamet's monstrous misfire
John Malkovich works overtime to squeeze depth into David Mamet’s predatory Hollywood tycoon Barney Fein - Michael Billington
Jimmy Carr review – a relentless wallow in grubbiness
Despite occasional glimmers of subversive wit, Carr continues to rely on dubious jokes about dwarves, fat women and FGM - Brian Logan
The Importance of Being Earnest review – Oscar's dazzler is wildly overdone
Despite the cast’s best efforts, Oscar Wilde’s comedy gets almost no laughs in a production that tries too hard to be funny - Mark Fisher
Kill Climate Deniers review – eco-warriors turn up the heat
David Finnigan’s bold play about protesters who take an environment minister hostage is stalled by metatheatrics - Arifa Akbar
The Merry Wives of Windsor review – love games need to crack the whip
Jealousy and lechery divert the idle rich in Elle While’s production of the Shakespeare romcom, but well-dressed schemings lack chemistry - Kate Wyver
Polunin Ink review – storm, stress and sweet torment
Ballet and B-movies collide as Sergei Polunin revives Russian villain Rasputin, suffers with Nijinsky, and tackles toxic masculinity with a pineapple - Sanjoy Roy
Sergei Polunin review – a blatant image recovery effort
The bad boy of ballet’s self-absorbed mixed bill is unlikely to win over his detractors - Sara Veale
Cotton Fingers review – abortion ban travelogue ends painfully
A Northern Irish teenager escaping to Wales for an abortion is played with huge empathy, lifting a script that is thin on drama - Helen Meany
The Duchess (of Malfi) review – critique without context
Zinnie Harris’s narrow reworking of Webster’s revenge tragedy fails to persuade - Clare Brennan
Reginald D Hunter review – a standup punching down
In Facing the Beast, the US comic offers an erratic hour of uncharitable observations and forced ‘edge’ - Hannah J Davies
Al Murray review – the ultimate Brexiteer remains on the fence
Murray’s Pub Landlord character, a patriotic little Englander, is well-placed to comment on our political moment, but Murray seems unwilling to take sides - Paul Fleckney
Happy Talk review – Susan Sarandon can't save Jesse Eisenberg's trite play
A reliably accomplished performance from the Oscar winner isn’t enough to add weight to an uneven tale with a thudding twist - Benjamin Lee
The Firm review – pub drama overflows with banter and rage
Zingy repartee and energetic performances fail to enliven Roy Williams’ tense tale about a criminal gang’s unresolved grievances - Arifa Akbar