William Shakespeare | RSC, Stratford | Directed by Kimberley Sykes.

Rosalind, the banished lovesick cross-dresser in ‘As You Like It’, is one of the great female roles in Shakespeare. Lucy Phelps rises to the challenge, delivering an enchanting and love-affirming central performance in the latest production of this wonderfully strange romantic comedy to hit Stratford. More info

Robert Lopez & Jeff Marx | New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingam | Directed by Cressida Carre.

We’re a long way from Sesame Street in this most adult of musicals. Puppet sex. Casual racism. Porn. What’s not to love about the shocking hit comedy musical Avenue Q? More info

Joe Penhall | Birmingham Repertory Theatre | Directed by Daniel Bailey.

If any art form can poke people into exploring sensitive and difficult topics, it’s theatre. ‘Blue/Orange’, the curiously titled revival currently playing at The Rep in Birmingham, does just that. More info

Anton Chekhov | The Crescent Theatre, Birmingham | Directed by Andrew Brooks.

A complex tale of unrequited love, jealousy, regret and missed opportunities: themes as relevant in 2019 as they were when the play was first performed in 1896. More info

Tony Kushner | Playhouse Theatre, London | Directed by Michael Longhurst.

This powerful, surprising and unusual piece of musical theatre has all the political and personal complexity fans of his epic play ‘Angels in America’ will recognise. More info

Park Hall Academy, Castle Bromwich | Directed & written by Emilie Cullum-Kenyon.

Just when panto season seemed over for another year, Park Hall Academy performed Cinderella with a modern twist, brightening the dull final days of January with a musical fairy tale panto fusion. More info

Tennessee Williams | The Lace Market Theatre, Nottingham | Directed by Wayne Parkin.

This heavyweight play, regarded by many as one of the most influential of the twentieth century, rattles along powerfully and rises to the challenge with convincing central performances. More info

Mike Leigh | The Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham | Directed by Sarah Esdaile.

As the gin and tonics disappear, everything starts to happen: barely suppressed marital tensions rise, tempers flare and the veneer of respectability is peeled back to reveal the contradictions and pains of the aspiring middle classes. More info

Matthew Lopez | Noel Coward Theatre, London | Directed by Stephen Daldry.

Following proudly in the footsteps of Tony Kushner’s ‘Angels in America’, this epic two-part play explores the lives, loves, hopes, struggles and dreams of a gay couple and their friends living in New York in the lead up to the 2016 election. More info

L Frank Baum | The Rep, Birmingham | Directed by Liam Steel.

The Rep’s annual family production soars magically over the rainbow in a joyfully modernised production of this much-loved classic. It’s a gem. A sparkling emerald. More info