Top 5 theatre shows see to over Christmas and new year

Black Beauty – Southbank Centre, London

Created by Andy Manley, Andy Cannon and Shona Reppe, this show for ages five and over garnered numerous five-star reviews when it opened in Scotland. It runs until January 5.

Black Beauty review at Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh – ‘inventive’

A Christmas Carol – Theatr Clwyd, Mold

One of this winter’s very many stagings of Charles Dickens’ classic, the Theatr Clwyd version contains a promenade element, with scenes playing out through multiple rooms. It runs until January 5.

The Wind in the Willows – The Junction, Cambridge

This year’s Christmas show at the Junction is a joyous, whimsical and fantastically imagined take on Kenneth Grahame’s children’s classic by Figs in Wigs. It runs until January 5.

The Wind in the Willows review at Cambridge Junction – ‘lovably whimsical’

Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes – Sadler’s Wells, London

Premiering in 2016, Matthew Bourne’s dazzling adaptation of the Powell and Pressburger film returns to London. Starring Adam Cooper, it’s better than ever, according to our five-star review ( p22). It runs until January 19.

Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes review at Sadler’s Wells, London – ‘dazzling’

The Ocean at the End of the Lane – National Theatre, London

Adapted for the stage by Joel Horwood, Katy Rudd’s production of the popular novel by Neil Gaiman has had excellent reviews all round. It “casts a powerful spell” according to Tim Bano, and it’s on at the Dorfman until January 25.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane review at National Theatre, London – ‘makes you marvel at what theatre can do’