Brighton Year-Round

1984

This is the fleetest most theatrical version I’ve seen for some time. Telegraphic in its conveying a nightmare world, it nevertheless does so by lightning strokes.

ACT Graduate Showcase

A fascinating showcase, featuring actors we shall see again.

ACT Playwriting Course

Mark Burgess and his students should feel immensely satisfied. And of course the students themselves divinely dissatisfied as they develop their craft.

And Then There Were None

This is the finest Christie production I can remember. If you’re not a Christie fan, do see this anyway: it’s far more than a whodunnit.

As You Like It

A first-rate outdoor revival, and easily rivalling what the Globe have to offer.

Brief Encounter-Brighton Open Air Theatre

An unforgettable immersive theatrical experience-

Circle Mirror Transformation

A Fringe must-see.

Coming Clean

A must-see for anyone interested in the theatre of the past 40-odd years.

Constellations

This superb revival suggests Constellations will certainly travel for a long time.

Drop the Dead Donkey: The Reawakening

This is as fresh as an AI paint set, and far more transgressive than the original. The fizziest, most outrageous assault on common decency since – I’ll leave it to the gibbons. A must-see.

Experiment With an Air Pump

One of the stand-out NVT productions of recent years. A must-see.

For Entertainment Purposes Only

Philip Ayckbourn’s songs are the heart of this collection. It’d be thrilling to see a full musical here; and staged in London. Enthusiastically recommended, there’s gems, with more of Ayckbourn’s elegiac sensibility than I’ve ever seen. More of this please.

Gareth Strachan Project M.E. The Rock Inn Pub

Strachan proves he can pull together serious talent who believe in his work. It’s a step up in all directions

Hangmen

Assured, idiomatic performances. And Martin McDonagh’s distinction resonates in a manner peculiar to him alone. A must-see for anyone in Sussex.

Helen Edmundson (adaptor) Anna Karenina

With Diane Robinson’s team there’s a vibrant retelling, superbly produced

John & Thomas

A gem in the making.

John Fowles adapted Mark Healy The French Lieutenant’s Woman

This is BLT. How they manage it might stupefy a newcomer. A must-see.

Macbeth

It’s a phenomenal feat and even if you know Macbeth, it’s still a must-see for how a quintessence can be dusted off.

Mixie

A revelatory premiere, consummately realised by Lewis’s team.

Muswell Hill

Cook and team have shown commendable disregard for comfortable options, sharing a rediscovery.

Picnic at Hanging Rock

Will haunt NVT’s Studio as much as it will you.

Salomé

Dramatically this is the most creative response I’ve seen live. Here, a director’s reach should exceed their grasp, or what’s a production for.

Savage in Limbo

A must-see for Brighton audiences.

Stoppard The Real Inspector Hound; Bartlett Contractions

As ever it’s a more worthwhile production than several professional ones we’re likely to see.

Taking Care of Baby

Exemplary performances and production: with Charly Sommers outstanding as a woman hollowed out by everyone she knows. An auspicious full-length debut for Neil Hadley.

The IT

A truly worthwhile production

The Kite Runner

Spellbindingly translated to the stage and here with more power even than before. Don’t miss it.

The Sweet Science of Bruising

It should go to a prize-fight.

The Vicar of Dibley

This is a must-see. If there’s a ticket, grab it.

The Welkin

The sheer acting catches fire: not a weak link. With their most ambitious production ID triumph. There’s nothing like them at full stretch.

The Woman in Black

As fine a touring production as you’re likely to see