Pros: A bright script, with some sparkling one liners and an excellent cast, led by the redoubtable Maureen Lipman. Cons: Although it pays tribute to the strength and stoicism of women, the story doesn’t really pick up the equality issues to which it frequently alludes. Before watching My Mother Said I Never Should, ever the history buff, I was drawn to the programme notes and a timeline entitled ‘100 years of progress’. Major developments in women’s rights were listed, from the ...

There is real variety and some exciting talent on show in this tightly orchestrated evening.

A good production with plenty of wit, although the repetitiveness makes it lose some of its charm.

Sparky cast had to work hard to compensate for less than ideal setting, and unpolished script.

Pros: The set was absolutely mind-blowing. Cons: There was too much swearing in a script that otherwise flowed quite nicely. From the moment I entered the auditorium at the Arcola, I wished I could take a multi-sensorial picture of the mesmerising set into which I had been welcomed. Immersed in a cloud of incense-perfumed haze, a staircase led up to a red curtain, which was guarded on both sides by Chinese lanterns. Two golden doors and pillars with engraved logograms completed ...

This is one of Williams’ lesser produced works – you’ll probably need to be a fan of the writer, or of the theatrical epoch that the work typifies, to enjoy it.

Pros: Far from Fiction explores interesting themes and ideas, and contains some touching moments. Cons: At times the script drags, feeling underdeveloped and poorly edited, and this limits the power of the production. As I’ve mentioned before on this site, I have a personal and professional interest in mental health and its depiction on stage, so you would think Far from Fiction would be right up my street. This new play is an exploration of self-harm, in several of its ...

A superbly crafted study of contradiction and prejudice, confronting us all with uncomfortable truths.

A fresh and more humanised version of a timeless classic, good but not particularly memorable.

This is a must-see production: not only for its skill and artistry, but for its exploration of our culture.