A Song for Ella Grey review – Orpheus casts a fateful spell over teenage dreamers
David Almond’s young adult novel is brought to life in a soulful production that weaves its mythical elements with imagination
October 2023
Mycelial review – underground community of sex workers fight for change
Stories from across the world intertwine through activism in an ambitious production, but the delicate threads never quite mesh
June 2023
I, Daniel Blake review – Kafkaesque benefits story rekindles righteous anger
Politicians’ glib statements frame the struggles of one man confounded by a bewildering welfare system, in an adaptation of the Ken Loach film that both moves and provokes
May 2023
‘Eat your gruel and be thankful for it’: why the hero of I, Daniel Blake is taking it to the stage
Protest review – schoolgirls unite with the power of dissent
February 2023
The City and the Town review – two brothers clash over the state of the nation
The family front room becomes a battleground in Anders Lustgarten’s play of ideas about class, politics and compassion
November 2022
The Jungle and the Sea review – Sri Lankan civil war drama lifts joy above trauma
Play by the creators of the Helpmann-winning Counting and Cracking shows people living and loving despite danger, but sometimes minimises the horrors
May 2022
Hannah Walker: ‘Gambling addiction has nothing to do with someone’s character’
The White Card review – the liberal art world’s blindness to privilege
The White Card review – a subtle debate about art and privilege
Footage of racist violence traumatises black children, says author
April 2022
Red Ellen review – Bettrys Jones gives towering performance in life of political pioneer
Caroline Bird’s play pays tribute to the leftwing firebrand Ellen Wilkinson, who led the Jarrow march and as a Labour minister introduced free school milk
February 2022
The Invisible Man review – therapy and sound effects in HG Wells update
The Invisible Man review – HG Wells in the psychiatrist’s room
December 2021
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice review – lively tale lacks hocus-focus
A lovable orphan at a low-rent Hogwarts makes her impostor syndrome disappear in a lively reimagining with fun theatrical illusions
October 2021
Road review – community spirit turns sour in Thatcher’s Britain
Little leavens the air of hopelessness in Jim Cartwright’s 1986 collage of awkwardly staged monologues
August 2021
Really Big and Really Loud review – fizzy children’s show with a wild twist
Chatterbox Charli is on a quest to find her voice and stay free in Phoebe Eclair-Powell’s warm and funny family play
February 2020
The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff review – songs and solidarity against fascism
The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff review – an extraordinary portrait of a working-class hero
December 2019
The 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
