William ShakespeareDirected by Dominic Cooke★★★★ Pros: A wonderful cast and a fun, modern staging. Surprisingly emotional ending.  Cons: Not the funniest ever staging of the play, the set definitely dominates at times. Our Verdict: Plenty of laughs and plenty of reasons to go see it beyond the appeal of seeing Lenny Henry. Courtesy of Johan Persson for the Daily Telegraph It has been a while since I last queued at 7.30am for National Theatre tickets and I had almost forgotten ...

Richard NelsonDirected by Roger Michell★★★★ Pros: Fantastic cast who work excellently together and ticket prices for the Hampstead Theatre are brilliant. Cons: Underdeveloped ideas leave the audience wanting a bit more from the characters and the play. Our Verdict: Well worth a trip up to Swiss Cottage, ticket prices are very worthy for these top performances. Courtesy of Tristram Kenton for the Guardian Deep in the heart of North London lies the Hampstead Theatre. It is a modern and comfortable ...

Nicholas WrightDirected by Nicholas Hytner★★★ Pros: Interesting and light-hearted story, some good performances and a superb set design. Cons: A little silly in places, and quite hard to concentrate at first because of the accents.  Our Verdict: Not the National’s best, but still very good and worth a trip! Courtesy of Tristram Kenton for the Guardian As always, it remains our intention to see everything that the National has to offer. So as part of a mop up of shows ...

Francis Beckett Directed by Christine Kimberley ★★★★ Pros: A thought-provoking production with an intelligent and layered new script. Cons: The action comes across a little cliché at times. Our Verdict: Not for the politically apathetic. For anyone else, don’t miss out on this fascinating insight into recent world politics. Courtesy of Etcetera Theatre The Arab Spring was a movement which no-one expected. It all started with the self-immolation of a young, unemployed Tunisian graduate. Just 15 months later, no less ...

An enjoyable and entertaining evening which delivers its fair share of laughs.

Ödön von Horváth, in a new version by Duncan MacmillanDirected by Andrea Ferran★★★ Pros: Great venue delivering another solid production and offering great value for money; some strong performances too. Cons: Felt it lagged ever so slightly in the middle. Our Verdict: Quite an interesting piece of new writing to check out, and as usual the Finborough worth a trip. Courtesy of the Finborough Theatre The legendary character of Don Juan made his first appearance in the 17th century and ...

Peter ParnellDirected by Sam Miller★★★★★ Pros: Wonderful script and sublime performances, really London fringe theatre at its absolute best.  Cons: Slightly dragged at one point, but to be honest this is almost not worth mentioning. Our Verdict: Superb. Go and see it now, you haven’t got long! Courtesy of New Diorama Theatre Every now and again, you find a gem hidden away in the depths of London. This evening, I found two. Firstly, I discovered the New Diorama Theatre, tucked away ...

Aeschylus, translated by Ted HughesDirected by Anastasia Revi★★★ Pros: An engaging production of a Greek classic with some great imagery and stylisation. Will keep you entertained. Cons: Sometimes goes over the top and veers towards melodrama. Our Verdict: Worth the trip if your want to catch an entertaining version of a rarely-performed classic. Courtesy of Anna Soderblom A two and a half hour long production recounting the ins and outs of a three-generation-long family feud was never going to be ...

An uplifting, joyful show, set to run for a long time.

Chris GoodeDirected by Wendy Hubbard★★★★★ Pros: An incredibly intelligent and well-written show, excellently executed, genuinely fascinating and really makes you think.  Cons: Perhaps easy to zone out if one is in the wrong mindset, not for everyone. Our Verdict: If you want a thought-provoking show with a great script, then don’t miss this. Courtesy of Ovalhouse Theatre A discussion about the nature of God and the reality of religious experience isn’t necessarily my perfect idea of a Friday night out. ...