Tim Bano

Jac Yarrow has only got better in this uber-theatrical production also starring Jason Donovan and Alexandra Burke that returns to administer a dose of joy to the West End

After repeated delays and a massive overspend, when Fairfield Halls reopened six months before Covid hit, it was unfinished. With the venue still virtually dormant, Tim Bano investigates how inexperience and mismanagement failed the community and plunged Croydon Council into crisis

Ian McKellen entertains and entrances as Hamlet in an otherwise confused and chaotic production

Immersive experience set in the Doctor Who universe features committed actors and an impressive set but lacks plot

Underpowered, live-streamed revival of Jonathan Harvey’s play at Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre

Audrey Brisson charms in this impressive actor-muso adaptation of the French film

Agatha Christie’s surprise success The Mousetrap clocked up 67 years in the West End before a pandemic finally ended its run. As the show reopens this month, producer Adam Spiegel and cast members tell Tim Bano about the whodunnit’s long history and why it continues to attract audiences

The Stage’s joint lead critic selects highlights from the productions opening in the West End and beyond this year

With holidays abroad increasingly expensive and subject to tight restrictions, UK resorts are making a comeback and, with them, their live shows. Managers and agents tell Tim Bano how they are kicking out kitsch, embracing digital formats – and central heating – and coping with social distancing

Luke Bateman and Michael Conley’s musical is a sharp and witty take on the Faust story