The story is thin and slow to emerge but the actor-musicians and acrobats deliver the 1980 circus musical with gusto

Calum Finlay’s fast-moving comedy about the composer and her struggles to be recognised is pitch-perfectly performed

A formidable cast journey through folk via Bollywood to pop – not to mention mountain treks and orc attacks – in a compressed revival of the 2007 musical

Barney Norris’s revival radiates the pain of older parents trapped on deteriorating paths, while their son and end-of-life au pair struggle to find their own

A theatrical adaptation of the beloved 1995 book about the UK’s ‘public face and private parts’ is both an account of national identity and a tribute to a national treasure

An excellent cast animate Karla Marie Sweet’s adaptation with a drilled menace, while contemporary songs are employed to remarkable effect

Tom Jackson Greaves thrillingly fuses movement with music in his revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Louisiana-set take on the classic 60s film

This fast-paced comedy mashup of the great Victorian novelist sends up Britishness with oodles of silliness

Fast-paced portrait of Spike Milligan hurls us between the comic’s anarchic Goon Show sketches, cartoonish clashes with the BBC and the trauma of war

Looking for a jolly good trip to the theatre this winter? Here’s our pick’n’mix selection of musicals, pantos and festive spectaculars, featuring circus tricks, high kicks and puppet rodents

This polished production brings Rice’s innovative adaptation of the classic film to life, with an electric central partnership and personality to spare

As stage shows return, we pick the best post-lockdown offerings – featuring Egyptian gods, rebelling vicars, dancing youths ... and Ian McKellen playing the Dane at 82

Artistic directors at four venues look ahead to what challenges this year might bring