★★★★☆ Nottingham Playhouse's new play for 3- to 8-year-olds takes us beneath the waves to the home of Marina, a young mermaid eager to explore the world above the sea.

★★★★★ Tamworth SnowDome’s Winter Wonderland is a magical, snow-filled adventure that feels like stepping inside a festive dream. Celebrating its 20th year, this Winter Wonderland offers.

★★★★☆ Derby Theatre’s Christmas play takes us back to Dickensian times for Deborah McAndrew’s adaptation of “Oliver Twist”. Featuring a mix of nursery rhymes, Christmas carols, and original musical numbers, this heartwarming tale is brought to life by director Sarah Brigham and a talented cast of actor-musicians who take on multiple roles throughout the story. 

★★★☆☆ Sleeping Beauty is undeniably enjoyable. It’s colourful, cheerful, confidently performed, and family-friendly in the most accessible ways. Kids will adore it. Adults will find plenty to like, even if they find themselves wishing more of the jokes landed with the sharpness Playhouse pantos are known for.

There are few annual traditions as delightfully British as a Christmas pantomime, and Nottingham Theatre Royal’s Cinderella arrives with all the flourish, glitter, and nonsense an audience could hope for. But here’s the question: with such a media-saturated star at the helm, can this production deliver more than a celebrity cameo? Does this Cinderella truly sparkle, or does it rely too heavily on sequins and Strictly lingo?

★★★★☆ Every Christmas, Leicester’s Curve Theatre forgoes the glitter-drenched world of pantomime in favour of something a little warmer and more substantial: the annual Christmas musical.

★★★★☆ Lace Market Theatre brings Arthur Miller's The Crucible, an intricate tale of humanity and desperation, to life, as the accused discover the lengths they will go to survive.

★★★★★ There’s something undeniably refreshing about watching Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat performed by a company of young people who seem to understand its mischief, chaos, and charm better than many professional revivals.

As an adult, you see threads of emotion, of pain, of pure theatrical virtuosity. It transcends age, and each time you come back, you discover something new—and if you have the chance to see it, you absolutely should.

★★★★☆ If you’ve ever found yourself doing the Tragedy dance in your kitchen, harmonising to One for Sorrow, or secretly believe that glitter counts as an accessory, then Here & Now: The Steps Musical is the night out you’ve been waiting for. 

★★★★☆ Set in a liberal Californian private school that prides itself on tolerance, inclusivity, and community, Jonathan Spector’s Eureka Day has lost none of its relevance since its 2018 debut. Vaccines are still a hot topic, and misinformation, virtue signalling, and the search for moral high ground are certainly as prevalent as ever.

★★★☆☆ When Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? opened at the Curve Leicester, the anticipation in the theatre was palpable. This is one of Edward Albee’s most notorious works; a play so ferociously written, so cutting in its depiction of marriage, that it shocked audiences when it first premiered in 1962.

★★★★★ There are some nights in the theatre that remind you exactly why we do it. The audience leans in, the performers give everything, and for a few fleeting hours, an entire room of strangers feels completely united. The Idols’ Come From Away at Leicester Little Theatre was one of those nights

★★★★★ Following its phenomenal, sold-out run at London’s Wyndham’s Theatre (where it earned a glowing five-star review from us!) Inside Number 9: Stage/Fright has hit the road for a nationwide UK tour.

★★★★★ Based on Harper Lee's Classic Novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Aaron Sorkin’s stage adaptation transports us to 1930s Alabama, throwing us straight into the trial of Tom Robinson.

★★★☆☆ If Gatsby himself were staging this, I imagine he’d insist on a sea of glittering lights, crystal chandeliers, and a champagne fountain. Here at Derby Theatre, co-producing Elizabeth Newman’s adaptation to mark both Fitzgerald’s 100th anniversary and Derby Theatre’s 50th year, we get something slightly leaner—but still bursting with ambition. This Great Gatsby is a spirited and enjoyable ride, full of clever ideas and emotional peaks.

★★☆☆☆ Is this show all buzz and no substance? On paper, 13 Going on 30: The Musical has everything to be irresistible: a beloved rom-com cult film, a spirited cast, colourful design, a message of identity and authenticity, and the nostalgia of the early 2000s.

★★★★★ With 37 plays in rotation, the Royal Shakespeare Company is no stranger to reinventing the Bard, and their 2025 Measure for Measure is no exception. Emily Burns’ modern reimagining swaps out the comedy for a sharp exploration of power, hypocrisy, and consent, drawing bold parallels with today’s political climate.

★★☆☆☆ Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts is a thrilling new chapter for Morse fans, offering a new medium for the beloved character to flourish. With an original story written by Alma Cullen, House of Ghosts invites Inspector Morse to the stage with his beloved tropes and promises of twists. But does it bring enough depth for those who love Morse, or does its ambition falter? 

★★★☆☆ Frantic Assembly celebrates its 30th anniversary with Lost Atoms, a brand-new play written by award-winning playwright Anna Jordan.