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The Producers: The Mel Brooks classic is delivered with taste-trampling gusto
The celebrated musical’s first London revival since the West End premiere run of 2004-2007 is a consummate guilty pleasure
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The Devil Wears Prada: Elton John’s so-so musical is no match for Meryl Streep
Generic songs, a derivative script and a daunting act to follow add up to a film-to-stage adaptation that’s shiny but skimpy
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Aladdin: A TikTokky jumble of gags for all generations – if you don’t mind the naff
It’s essentially a couple of hours of tinsel and yelling but the rough edges of Lyric Hammersmith’s panto amuse as much as they distract
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Twelfth Night: Part reverie, part soiree, this is an all-round, in the round pleasure
Featuring actors of the calibre of Jane Asher and Oliver Ford Davies, this beautiful staging crowns a superb year at the Orange Tree Theatre
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The Importance of Being Earnest: Ncuti Gatwa is a riot in this big bouncy castle of a show
Max Webster lands on Oscar Wilde’s glittering Victorian masterpiece – with the latest incumbent of the Tardis drawing the crowds
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Cinderella: Edinburgh’s big panto is full of glitz, glamour and Scottish humour
The Festival Theatre’s pitch-perfect panto is made all the more enjoyable thanks to the ad libbing of its tremendous double act
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Alice in Wonderland: Carroll enters the class wars in a desperately misconceived production
The cast do their very best, but Shakespeare North Playhouse’s new staging is essentially one poor decision after another
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All’s Well That Ends Well: one for Shakespeare completists only
The Sam Wanamaker’s intimate, candlelit staging of the Bard’s knotty problem play is rewarding but not quite essential
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A Christmas Carol, Old Vic: still a wonder, but John Simm is an underwhelming Scrooge
Jack Thorne’s festive adaptation is a terrific spectacle – yet the show’s customary stabbing potency doesn’t hit home soon enough
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Wolves on Road, Bush Theatre, review: pedestrian attempt to get a grip on the wild west of crypto
Beru Tessema’s ebullient new play about young east London entrepreneurs fails to sink its teeth into the mysterious world of digital gold
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The Red Shoes: lovely to look at – but this is no Matilda
Offering a winning mixture of live music, movement, dance and song, Nancy Harris’s take on Andersen’s tale nevertheless lacks the wow-factor
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Mary Poppins, Bristol Hippodrome: Practically perfect in every way
The stage-musical brings together the best of the beloved PL Travers book and the 1964 Disney film – a heaped spoonful of theatrical sugar
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Kenrex: Under Milk Wood meets Sergio Leone, with astonishing results
Jack Holden plays 11 characters in this extraordinary one-man show, based on the true story of a violent psychopath in small-town Missouri
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Summer 1954: this Rattigan double bill is a stirring examination of English repression
This pairing of one-act plays at Theatre Royal Bath offers an insight into a bygone age – and stars an astonishingly energetic Siân Phillips
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Barcelona: Lily Collins makes her theatrical debut – and proves she’s one to watch
The Emily in Paris star and Money Heist’s Álvaro Morte elevate a rather dated two-hander into something properly affecting
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Dr Strangelove: Steve Coogan steals the show but can’t save it
Sean Foley’s knockabout adaptation of Kubrick’s era-defining film is marked by a consistent refusal to take its subject seriously
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Reykjavik: This bravely old-fashioned play is one of Richard Bean’s best
This new play at the Hampstead Theatre, which superbly explores the Cod Wars during the Seventies, is a rare treat
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Romeo + Juliet, Broadway: rising British star Kit Connor is a knockout in this lively production
Starring opposite Rachel Zegler, the Heartstopper alumnus dazzles in Sam Gold’s new staging at the Circle in the Square, New York
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The Flea, at The Yard Theatre: A bold fringe venue tackles a sordid Victorian scandal
James Fritz’s thrilling curio is back for another bite of the cherry at a venue with real artistic vision
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Othello: the RSC’s gimmick-free staging lacks passion
It’s a rare treat to see Shakespeare’s text take centre stage, but this production has little fizz or urgency
