Road review at the Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester — a bold, immersive revival of Jim Cartwright’s modern British classic. ★★★★★

★★★★★ The Glad Game is not simply a programming choice; it is an act of remembrance. Written and originally performed by Nottingham-born actor Phoebe Frances Brown, the piece chronicles her life following a diagnosis of an incurable brain tumour.

★★★★★ The Beekeeper of Aleppo, at Nottingham Playhouse, tackles one of the most urgent humanitarian issues of our time through intimate, character-driven storytelling. With striking performances and thoughtful staging, this production explores trauma, resilience, and hope. But with such a vital message at its core, does the production succeed as powerful and engaging theatre, or does the gravity of its subject turn it into a message-heavy TED talk with fabulous lighting?

★★★★★ There are some productions that remind you why theatre exists at all, not simply as entertainment, but as a deeply human act of shared storytelling. Lace Market Theatre’s production of Things I Know To Be True is exactly that kind of experience.

Tom Holloway’s stage adaptation of Double Indemnity brings James M. Cain’s crime novella out of the shadows and onto the stage, transporting audiences into a world of deception and ambition. With a bold visual style that nods to Billy Wilder’s legendary film while striving to forge its own theatrical identity, the production embraces the aesthetics of film noir.

★★★★★ Just when you think Mischief Theatre have scraped every last inch of material from the amateur dramatics barrel, they come bounding back with another festive offering in their ever-expanding Goes Wrong universe.

★★★☆☆ There’s something exciting about a ghost story staged just as the nights grow longer, and Francis Evelyn’s adaptation of The Signalman certainly leans into that allure.

★★★★☆ The Hunger Games: On Stage is not just a theatrical adaptation of Suzanne Collins’s dystopian blockbuster, but also a bold experiment in bringing a sprawling, cinematic narrative into an immersive live arena.

★★★☆☆ Single White Female offers a tense, thought-provoking evening that will only sharpen as the tour continues. If you’re looking for a psychological drama that’s slick, unsettling, and quietly entertaining, this is well worth seeing… imperfections and all.

★★★★☆ Lace Market Theatre opens its 2026 season with Steven Peros’s The Cat’s Meow, a glossy and unsettling play based on one of Hollywood’s most enduring unsolved scandals. As the first show of the year, it has clearly set a benchmark for what Lace Market hopes to achieve in the months ahead.

★★★★☆ 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.

★★★★★ 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.

★★☆☆☆ 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.

★★★★☆ Mary Whitehouse spent her life battling what she saw as filth on stage and screen, so what happens when she becomes the star of a play herself? The Last Stand of Mrs Mary Whitehouse asks whether this self-styled crusader is remembered as a beacon for decency or as a meddling censor whose grip on the arts destroyed creativity.

★★★★★ What if Hamlet swapped Denmark’s cold castles for a North Carolina backyard barbecue, complete with paper plates, smoky ribs, and a family reunion laced with secrets? Well that's Fat Ham

★★★☆☆ Closing out the 2025 season is Richard Harris’s psychological puzzle The Business of Murder. But the real question is: did the season go out with a bang… or a whimper?

★★★★☆ The Colin McIntyre Classic Thriller Season is back at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal, serving up a summer of suspense, intrigue and edge-of-your-seat drama. After opening with Death By Fatal Murder in week one, the company returned just days later with their second production, Ira Levin’s Deathtrap.

how has Giant achieved the status of being the best observational drama I’ve ever seen? What is it that keeps the audience eavesdropping on this private showdown?