Pros: Astonishing performances and musicianship Cons: A little too long, and could use some variations in pace Arthur Whitney lies dead on the floor, in a house full of guests who wished him ill. It’s down to Officer Marcus to work out which of the many suspects, all played by Jeremy Legat, actually pulled the trigger. Getting to know this cast of characters, their backstory and relationship with the victim, takes a bit of time. So the first half hour ...

Pros: A wonderfully talented cast happily connecting with the audience. Cons: Multiple characters and minimal costume changes occasionally makes the action difficult to follow. The story of Burke and Hare has been regularly plundered for TV dramas, documentaries and two big screen versions, the most recent of which starred Andy Serkis and Simon Pegg. It’s not difficult to see why, as it remains a cracking yarn based on true events. The play tells of the titular characters that embarked on ...

You don’t have to be gay to be moved by this abiding tale of love and passion.

Pros: Rats is smart and hilarious, with excellent performances and a bitingly relevant script.  Cons: The ending is predictable, and some of the emotional moments feel under-explored. In 2016, Microsoft released Tay, a chatbot that could learn by interacting with people on the internet. Sadly, the chatbot had to be shut down after it began spouting Nazi slogans and sexually explicit messages. If machines can learn from humans, they can also learn our biases, our flaws, and our cruelty. We ...

Pros:  A funny and entertaining show with good performances from all concerned. Cons:  The points being made were accentuated unnecessarily.  The Museum of Comedy is an interesting place full of old posters, props, books and photographs. It is worth getting there a bit early to get a drink from the bar and have a good look around. The cosy theatre space smells a bit damp which is to be expected as it is in the basement space of a church. ...

A hilarious take on human foibles and the stories we tell ourselves about the world, Still No Idea will jolt you out of complacency just when you are crying with laughter.

The Bloomsbury Group was known for its wit and sparkle, both of which are sadly missing here.

Pros: This is a full-throttle production by a contemporary theatre company oozing with confidence. Cons: The action is distractingly far-fetched, to the point of total implausibility, while the characters are never developed much beyond surface-level. It’s also about 45 minutes too long. Shrödinger’s Dog, the second production from young theatre company Break the Verse, is presented as “a black comedy about the epidemic of male suicide with an LGBTQ+ twist”. It also features a cast of nine, and touches on ...

An enjoyable show that tries to address serious topics in the #MeToo era, but it's hard to judge how well that message is received.

Pros: It’s not often you can say that an office chair put in a sterling performance, but here it almost steals the whole show.  Cons:  Still very much a work in progress, and there is an imbalance that will need addressing. Roddy Frame’s ‘Loneliness and being alone don’t always mean the same’ has always been a song line that plays in my head regularly.  But it wasn’t a line I expected to come to mind whilst watching Jake, the debut show from ...