Brighton Year-Round

ACT Graduate Showcase

A fascinating showcase, featuring actors we shall see again.

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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.

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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.

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As You Like It

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

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Brief Encounter-Brighton Open Air Theatre

An unforgettable immersive theatrical experience-

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Circle Mirror Transformation

A Fringe must-see.

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Coming Clean

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

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Constellations

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

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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.

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Experiment With an Air Pump

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

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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.

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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

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Hangmen

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

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John & Thomas

A gem in the making.

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John Fowles adapted Mark Healy The French Lieutenant’s Woman

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

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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.

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Muswell Hill

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

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Picnic at Hanging Rock

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

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Stoppard The Real Inspector Hound; Bartlett Contractions

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

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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.

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The IT

A truly worthwhile production

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The Kite Runner

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

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The Sweet Science of Bruising

It should go to a prize-fight.

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The Vicar of Dibley

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

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The Woman in Black

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

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Vanya

This is the greatest one-man performance I’ve seen, said a Chekhov-immersed director of 45 years’ experience next to me. Yes.

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