Shallow Grave review – Danny Boyle’s Edinburgh noir debut is a triple-crossing treat
Obnoxious flatmates Ewan McGregor, Christopher Eccleston and Kerry Fox get way more than they bargained for with the arrival of enigmatic Keith Allen and a suitcase full of cash - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarThe Cherry Orchard review – Benedict Andrews brings Chekhov bang up to date
Nina Hoss stars in a kookily immersive production but the devastating hammer blow of the Russian tragicomedy is not lost in translation - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarOne Man, Two Guvnors review – this exemplary staging outdoes the original
A first-rate cast delight in controlled chaos of the highest order in Conrad Nelson’s seamless revival of Richard Bean’s hit play - Clare Brennan
starstarstarstarstarStereophonic review – dazzling 70s-set music saga is a Broadway triumph
The tale of a fictional British-American rock band trying to make an album makes for compelling and incisive drama - Gloria Oladipo
starstarstarstarstarBack 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
starstarstarstarstarManon review – Kenneth MacMillan’s 50-year-old masterpiece still bewitches
The Royal Ballet revisits the choreographer’s timeless rags-to-riches work, putting assorted casts through its finely tuned emotional wringer - Sarah Crompton
starstarstarstarstarNelken review – new generation restores the bloom of Pina Bausch’s classic
On a stage covered in thousands of silk carnations, a beguiling cast of 20 explore fear, fun, control, bunny-hopping and onions, ending ultimately in hope - David Jays
starstarstarstarstarThe Picture of Dorian Gray review – Sarah Snook plays 26 characters in dazzling, dangerous solo show
Aided by elaborate tech, multiple screens and an angelic wig, the Succession star gives a performance that is mischievous, swaggering and operatic - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarA Midsummer Night’s Dream review – characters mash, worlds invert and flames burst from fingers
Eleanor Rhode’s ravishing fusion of flamboyancy, surrealism and raucous fun rouses audiences in a youthful, energetic riot - Mark Lawson
starstarstarstarstarTill the Stars Come Down review – your invitation to the wedding of the year
Beth Steel’s new drama is dazzlingly performed and full of pain, joy and laughter in a deft production by Bijan Sheibani - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarDays of Heaven review – Malick’s early masterwork heralds a rarefied visionary
The director’s rereleased 1978 film revealed some of the authorial signatures that would underscore a film-making career punctuated by a two-decade disappearance - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarMacbeth review – David Tennant thrills in this high-concept production
The staging is imaginative and expressive, and the audience is immersed in the action by hearing everything through headphones - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarStranger Things: The First Shadow review – breathtaking theatre
This origin story has all the dark mystery of the Duffer Brothers’ Netflix series and delivers one coup de theatre after another - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarWonka review – Timothée Chalamet’s Chocolate Factory prequel is a superbly sweet treat
Timothée Chalamet leads a beguiling cast in a backstory that rinses away all sourness from Roald Dahl’s embittered chocolatier - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarOliver! review – tunes, glorious tunes and a thrillingly vivid production
James Brining’s exemplary staging solves every problem – the antisemitism, the coercive romance – that Lionel Bart’s joyous, beloved but difficult musical presents - Mark Lawson
starstarstarstarstarHamilton review – revolutionary musical hits the road with a blazing new cast
The new tour of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s blockbuster is delivered by an outstanding ensemble - Chris Wiegand
starstarstarstarstarHell’s Kitchen review – Alicia Keys jukebox musical is a marvel
The star helps craft a show-stopping semi-autobiographical off-Broadway musical that brings the house down - Lauren Mechling
starstarstarstarstarThe Black Saint and the Sinner Lady review – dancers take the audience with them on a wild jazz ride
The slinky grooves of Charles Mingus animate the expressive dancers of Clod Ensemble, who sweep up the crowd in a joyful celebration of movement - Lyndsey Winship
starstarstarstarstarThe Confessions review – dazzling drama drawn from a mother’s memories
Alexander Zeldin’s profoundly moving play grew from his parent’s reflections, which he uses to conjure an epic struggle for love and freedom - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarSong of Songs review – a wondrous tribute to Jewish dance heritage
Pam Tanowitz’s heartfelt, thoughtful work, inspired by her late father, is delicate, mystical and timeless - Sarah Crompton
starstarstarstarstarThe White Factory review – Holocaust drama raises troubling questions about today’s tyrants
Set in a Polish ghetto, Dmitry Glukhovsky’s superb play explores the terrible choices made by people under occupation - Mark Lawson
starstarstarstarstarThe Australian Ballet: Swan Lake review – a beguiling triumph
David Hallberg’s unashamedly traditional production is laden with Regency splendour, psychological realism and a deep, soulful connection between the doomed lovers - Tim Byrne
starstarstarstarstarThat Face review – stunning revival will tear right through you
Revelatory performances fill this devastating production of Polly Stenham’s play about a family ripped apart by addiction and loneliness - Miriam Gillinson
starstarstarstarstarThe Architect review – Stephen Lawrence tribute is a deeply moving ride
Set aboard a double-decker as it journeys through London and back and forth in time, this is a poignant but uplifting immersive theatre piece about race, the city, and the legacy of the Black teen murdered at a bus stop 30 years ago - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarTJ & Dave review – long-form improv finds an endless fount of funny
As they craft their extended sketches off the cuff, TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi deliver laughs with a surprisingly moving emotional twist - Brian Logan
starstarstarstarstarBrave Space review – no false moves in this wondrous up-close circus
The US company Aloft invite audiences to assist them in an intimate and astonishing acrobatic show - Chris Wiegand
starstarstarstarstarAhir Shah: Ends review – superb show assails heartstrings and funny bone
Written in the shadow of grief and nominated for the Edinburgh comedy award, this barnstorming set takes in race, class and migration - Brian Logan
starstarstarstarstarAlvin Ailey American Dance Theater review – extraordinary soul-stirring dance
The American company brought Ailey’s legendary Revelations, still hugely powerful after 65 years, alongside modern pieces of precision and fire - Lyndsey Winship
starstarstarstarstarPhaedra/Minotaur review – gripping double bill scales the heights of emotion
Mezzo soprano Christine Rice is compelling in the first half while dancers in the dreamlike second part are a revelation in Deborah Warner’s simply staged show - Lyndsey Winship
starstarstarstarstarThe Last Show Before We Die review – heady, gut-wrenching final words
Using verbatim interviews, Ell Potter and Mary Higgins turn their attention to how relationships end – including their own - Kate Wyver
starstarstarstarstarJulia Masli: ha ha ha ha ha ha ha review – healing hilarity
A clown by trade, Masli here sets about tackling the audience’s problems. Her leftfield efforts to ease them are one of this fringe’s true tonics - Brian Logan
starstarstarstarstarMatthew Bourne’s Romeo + Juliet review – more compelling than ever
Set in an asylum, the choreographer’s bleak yet passionate adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragic romance triumphs in a newly honed revival - Sarah Crompton
starstarstarstarstarFrankie Thompson and Liv Ello: Body Show review – a total takedown of gendered expectations
Using snippets of pop culture, lip-syncing, video and clowning, the pair craft a rich exploration of eating disorders and gender dysphoria - Rachael Healy
starstarstarstarstarBill O’Neill: The Amazing Banana Brothers review – a bunch of brilliant gags
Plumbing the realms of the unexpected, O’Neill plays both parts of a clowning double act, masterfully testing the limits of freak-out comedy - Brian Logan
starstarstarstarstarTrojan Women review – Greek tragedy beautifully interwoven with Korean tradition
Ong Keng Sen’s high-octane production for the National Changgeuk Company of Korea is scintillating from start to finish - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarWoodhill review – astonishing portrait of Britain’s failing prison system
Matt Woodhead’s urgent drama focuses on the deaths of three real prisoners with mental health issues – and their families’ fight for justice - David Jays
starstarstarstarstarChriskirkpatrickmas: A Boy Band Christmas Musical review – goofy comedy gets ’NSync
This fantastically silly show by writer-actors Valen Shore and Alison Zatta reflects on the adrenalised rise to fame for young pop stars - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarDark Noon review – extraordinary outsider vision of American history
South African actors replay the brutal events of the US’s formation as a catalogue of poverty, struggle, violence and pain - Mark Fisher
starstarstarstarstarDruidO’Casey review – Seán O’Casey’s Dublin trilogy in a day is a revelation
O’Casey’s three plays of working-class Dublin life encompass conflict, grief and the human spirit in Garry Hynes’s fine production - Clare Brennan
starstarstarstarstarVenice Dance Biennale: Simone Forti; Rachid Ouramdane: Variation(s) – review
This year’s Wayne McGregor-curated biennale pays tribute to Forti’s revolutionary work. Plus, a gorgeous double take from the French choreographer - Sarah Crompton
starstarstarstarstarGrenfell: In the Words of Survivors review – a masterpiece of forensic fury
Piling up devastating detail, this play with a remarkable cast shockingly lays bare the abject failures behind this disaster - Mark Lawson
starstarstarstarstarBenji Reid: Find Your Eyes review – powerful, wondrous ways of seeing
Three dancers are photographed by Reid in real time – and the beautiful still moments he extracts from their choreography form into a striking visual narrative before your eyes - Lyndsey Winship
starstarstarstarstarAll Right. Good Night. review – extraordinary show about dementia and a disappearing plane
This hugely eloquent show weaves together the awful mystery of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 with the tale of a father’s slide into dementia - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarBeauty and the Beast review – Disney’s Australian production soars on stage
Full of boisterous numbers and deeply felt emotion, Shubshri Kandiah and Brendan Xavier lead a wonderful ensemble through a tale as old as time - Cassie Tongue
starstarstarstarstarDo Not Go Gentle review – a profound exploration of ageing and dementia
Patricia Cornelius’s play co-opts Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s ill-fated expedition to the south pole to follow a band of adventurers who are actually in an aged care home - Steve Dow
starstarstarstarstarJohn Kearns review – hilarious oddball marvels at the beautiful banal
The standup delivers the finest set of his career – touching on fatherhood, bin bags and Van Gogh Lego - Brian Logan
starstarstarstarstarThe Second Woman review – Ruth Wilson’s spellbinding theatrical marathon
Over 24 hours, the star offers variations on the same scene with 100 different partners, including some famous faces – and the result is astonishing - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarDear Billy review – brilliant tribute to the Big Yin
Gary McNair delivers verbatim interviews and misremembered Connolly routines from ordinary people in this love letter - Mark Fisher
starstarstarstarstarAugust in England review – Lenny Henry’s remarkable one-man show about the Windrush scandal
The actor makes his debut as a playwright with a richly detailed character study, performing with warm humour and outrage at injustice - Chris Wiegand
starstarstarstarstarCymbeline review – Shakespeare’s knotty romance is a fabulous farewell for Doran
Departing artistic director Greg Doran reinvigorates this tale of a royal family in crisis with clarity and intelligence - Mark Lawson
starstarstarstarstarBreakin’ Convention review – vibrant hip-hop party is a triumph
The 20th edition of Jonzi D’s hip-hop theatre festival showcases new styles and old-school vibes with bags of personality - Lyndsey Winship
starstarstarstarstarWuthering Heights review – a deliciously dark Brontë with its jagged edges restored
Coal-black humour propels Brontë’s tale of murderous desire, animal torture and family abuse - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarBeyond Belief: The Life and Mission of John Hume review – profoundly affecting
This musical drama about the lives of Northern Ireland peacemakers gives a familiar story a new dimension - Clare Brennan
starstarstarstarstarFor Black Boys … review – a moving meditation on Black masculinity
Underneath the pain in Ryan Calais Cameron’s powerful play there is an abundance of light, as six Black men open up about the experiences and beliefs that have shaped them - Anya Ryan
starstarstarstarstarDrive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead review – a magnificent Complicité creation
Simon McBurney directs a toweringly innovative adaptation of the eco-thriller by Nobel-winner Olga Tokarczuk - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarThe Age of Innocence review – Scorsese’s brilliant tragedy of New York society manners
Daniel Day-Lewis and Michelle Pfeiffer are powerfully matched as guilty lovers in an Edith Wharton adaptation that bears comparison with Hollywood’s golden age classics - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarTurn it Out with Tiler Peck & Friends review – pure dance at its breathtaking best
A virtuoso lineup join the New York City Ballet principal for an eclectic programme celebrating the shared pleasure of music, rhythm and athleticism - Lyndsey Winship
starstarstarstarstarHubris & Humiliation review – this queer take on Jane Austen is startlingly good
Lewis Treston’s witty and polished play blends Regency language and Australian slang to deliver a dizzying amount of jokes and sizzling romantic tension - Cassie Tongue
starstarstarstarstarSound of the Underground review – magnificent explosion of mesmerising drag
A plot to kill RuPaul for dragging drag into the mainstream, followed by song and dance numbers, fires up an exhilarating show with breathtaking costumes, radical politics and filthy humour - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarSunday review – a masterful and moving portrait of a woman who railed against conformity
This world-class production anchored by superb central performances brings Sunday Reed back to shimmering, incandescent life - Tim Byrne
starstarstarstarstarOne Woman Show review – joke-packed Fleabag parody is perfectly pitched
Liz Kingsman’s slick, self-conscious ‘troubled woman’ show nests its complex jokes within jokes to tremendous effect - Rachael Healy
starstarstarstarstarDerren Brown: Showman review – a performance that will blow your mind
The veteran illusionist outdoes himself with an evening of bewildering trickery that holds a mirror to our deepest feelings - Brian Logan
starstarstarstarstarRuination review – you’ll laugh and cry at this ‘Christmas show’ Medea
Linbury theatre, Royal Opera House, LondonBen Duke brings fresh life to the classics again with deft movement between tragedy and comedy - Lyndsey Winship
starstarstarstarstarOrlando review – Emma Corrin is glorious in a giddy, heartfelt show
In Neil Bartlett’s adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s wild-goose chase through time, Corrin shines as the hero who falls asleep as a man and wakes as a woman - David Jays
starstarstarstarstarThe Nutcracker review – modernised magic
The final production from outgoing artistic director Tom Morris draws fresh weirdness from ETA Hoffmann’s source story - Clare Brennan
starstarstarstarstarIsrael Galván: La Consagración de la Primavera review – Stravinsky’s Rite reborn
The flamenco star reinvents Stravinsky’s 1913 ballet in a stunning solo show that seems to take over his entire body - Sarah Crompton
starstarstarstarstarIsrael Galván: La Consagración de la Primavera review – Stravinsky with a flamenco stamp
The maverick choreographer makes his mark on The Rite of Spring in this elementally austere exercise in anxiety and loose-cannon footwork - Sanjoy Roy
starstarstarstarstarPerfect Show for Rachel review – a total delight
From a control desk, director Rachel O’Mahony pushes buttons for songs, scenes and games in a fun, carefully crafted show staged by Zoo Co - Miriam Gillinson
starstarstarstarstarThings Hidden Since the Foundation of the World review – a theatrical revelation
Javaad Alipoor’s meditation on the grim fate of Iranian singer Fereydoun Farrokhzad develops into a thrilling investigation of the internet - Catherine Love
starstarstarstarstarShirley Valentine review – hilarious and heartrending revival of a romantic classic
Sally Reid is superbly deadpan in this devastating production of Willy Russell’s play about a woman who catches a glimpse of the life she could be living - Mark Fisher
starstarstarstarstarLight of Passage review – Crystal Pite’s magnificent dance of life
The Canadian choreographer has turned 2017’s acclaimed Flight Pattern into a full-length work that brims with massed energy and profound humanity - Sarah Crompton
starstarstarstarstarMy Neighbour Totoro review – dazzling staging of the Studio Ghibli classic
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s production has astonishing puppetry, magical music and huge emotional impact - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarThe Doctor review – a repeat prescription for acute intellectual stimulation
Robert Icke’s combative 2019 play about medical ethics, identity politics and antisemitism returns to the West End to divide and challenge audiences - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarIphigenia in Splott review – a shattering modern classic that distils all our troubles
Gary Owen’s magnificent one-woman monologue brings Greek tragedy to Cardiff and reveals the terrible emotional costs of our societal shortfalls - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarKim Noble: Lullaby for Scavengers review – strange, tender and endlessly funny
The notorious comic and performance artist explores loneliness and the human/animal divide in an intricately assembled scrapbook show - Brian Logan
starstarstarstarstarMuch Ado About Nothing review – hilarious, heartfelt show is everything
Daneka Etchells is the most compelling Beatrice you might ever see in an exceptional production of the romantic comedy - Nick Ahad
starstarstarstarstarPhaedra and Minotaur review – Kim Brandstrup’s ravishing new work puts Ariadne centre stage
Brandstrup’s superbly danced reimagining of the Minotaur myth is paired with mezzo Christine Rice’s impassioned Phaedra in Britten’s cantata - Sarah Crompton
starstarstarstarstarLearning to Fly review – a riveting, remarkable hour of theatre
Consummate storyteller James Rowland revisits his childhood friendship with an elderly neighbour and shares heart-tugging experiences - Catherine Love
starstarstarstarstarMedea review – Adura Onashile exudes awesome authority in bloody tragedy
Liz Lochhead’s Scots verse spits wit and venom as male power meets female determination with operatic intensity, in this National Theatre of Scotland staging - Mark Fisher
starstarstarstarstarAge Is a Feeling review – an astonishing dive into the future
Haley McGee performs a funny and wistful solo show that chronicles turning 25 and explores the decades ahead - Mark Fisher
starstarstarstarstarJordan Gray review – a standup superhero
In her show Is It a Bird? the comic has the audience on their feet with a nuanced and deeply funny hour of music and jokes - Rachael Healy
starstarstarstarstarAll of Us review – Francesca Martinez’s urgent call for radical empathy
Personal, political and polemical, this intensely moving play about disability and austerity challenges preconceptions - David Jays
starstarstarstarstarWhistle Down the Wind review – outstanding production of the Lloyd Webber musical
Tom Jackson Greaves thrillingly fuses movement with music in his revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Louisiana-set take on the classic 60s film - Clare Brennan
starstarstarstarstarSing Yer Heart Out for the Lads review – a burning portrait of racism in Britain
Two decades since the debut of Roy Williams’s play set in a pub during an England v Germany World Cup qualifier, the script is as hot as ever - Anya Ryan
starstarstarstarstarBilly Elliot the Musical review – the boy who just wants to dance is back in an electric new production
Nikolai Foster’s new version is more like a play with dance and songs, giving ideas around love and loss, community and isolation, passion and violence room to breathe - Miriam Gillinson
starstarstarstarstarCrazy for You review – spine-tingling musical is a giddy thrill
Instantly infectious melodies, superb choreography and irresistible comedy are met with astonishing performances in this lovable show - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarTrajal Harrell: Porca Miseria review – a work of profound emotion
The American dance-maker brings the audience to tears with a highly textured ritual of remembrance for a dying person - Sarah Crompton
starstarstarstarstarKunstkamer review – this fiendishly complicated ballet is astonishing
Australian Ballet, Arts Centre, MelbourneLong lines of dancers jitter like marionettes and the principal artists shine in this bold Dutch work that thrums with a dark energy - Tim Byrne
starstarstarstarstarTwo Palestinians Go Dogging review – devastatingly human portrait of conflict sears itself on the mind
Set two decades into the future, in Palestinian territories that are still occupied, Sami Ibrahim’s play is a startlingly bold tragicomedy and a furious call to action - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarA Strange Loop review – Michael R Jackson’s thrilling Broadway triumph
The audacious and uproarious musical, which leads this year’s Tony nominations, is a meta masterpiece about a Black queer writer writing about a Black queer writer - Gloria Oladipo
starstarstarstarstarAge of Rage review – ancient Greek tragedy explodes into our times
While the emotional complexities remain, Van Hove’s high-octane makeover featuring unrelenting pyrotechnics and riveting performances is a visual epic - Arifa Akbar
starstarstarstarstarStephen Sondheim’s Old Friends review – a glorious all-star memorial service
Judi Dench, Rob Brydon, Imelda Staunton and Bernadette Peters joined the cast for this superb tribute to a genius - Mark Lawson
starstarstarstarstarScènes de ballet/A Month in the Country/ Rhapsody review – an outstanding Ashton triple bill
In a showcase of works from across their founding choreographer’s career, the Royal Ballet prove their mastery of his technical and dramatic complexity - Sarah Crompton
starstarstarstarstarHenry VI: Rebellion / Wars of the Roses review – thrilling games of thrones
With their portrait of a wobbling monarchy and egotistical leadership, these rare stagings are particularly topical - Mark Lawson
starstarstarstarstarThe Meaning of Zong review – a masterful meditation on the legacy of slavery
Giles Terera’s lyrical and inventive drama about a brutal episode in British history brims with urgency, pain and triumphant pride - Gareth Llŷr Evans
starstarstarstarstar