Richard Bean | The Little Theatre | Directed by Joshua J Knott

Despite tackling serious themes of sexual discrimination, power and politics this is a sweet-natured story delivered with plenty of heart. A highly recommended production. Picket for a ticket.

Paulus | The Old Joint Stock Theatre | Directed by Sarah-Louise Young

‘Looking For Me Friend: The Music of Victoria Wood’, written and performed by Paulus (cabaret star Paul Martin) and directed by Sarah-Louise Young, is a joyful and celebratory show which is a fitting tribute to the late, great Victoria in all her northern glory.

Isley Lynn | Warwick Arts Centre | Directed by Hamish MacDougall & Julian Spooner

Rhum and Clay Theatre Company’s ‘The War of the Worlds’ is a brilliantly executed examination of the nature of truth and the storytelling drive which has underpinned our attempts to understand the world around us for centuries.

James Williams | The Blue Orange Theatre | Directed by James Williams

The Wicked Lady, Birmingham’s own Woman in Black, opens in spine-chilling style at the Blue Orange Theatre.

Mark Farrelly | The Old Joint Stock Theatre | Directed by Joe Harmston

New play about the pained life of much-loved comedian Frankie Howerd is a moving, funny and poetic hit.

Oscar Wilde | Sutton Arts Theatre | Directed by Dexter Whitehead

Sutton Arts Theatre return with Wilde society comedy ‘An Ideal Husband’ in a production worth waiting for.

Ayub Khan Din | Birmingham Rep | Directed by Iqbal Khan

25th anniversary production of East is East at the Birmingham Rep is a triumph: uncomfortably funny, depressingly timely and beautifully performed.

Vanessa Oakes | Shop Front Theatre | Directed by Mark Evans

OCD is centre stage in a new play which delivers an emotionally powerful and moving insight into living with this most debilitating condition. It is the perfect post-pandemic piece to reopen this intimate gem of a space in a Coventry shopping centre.

Alan Ayckbourn | Sutton Arts Theatre | Directed by Barrie Atchison

First performed in 1972, this black comedy from the prolific Alan Ayckbourn (84 full length plays and counting) time travels across three years to chart the changing lives and fortunes of three married couples over three successive Christmas Eve parties. The playwright’s own insistence that this early 1970s period piece should include a note in the programme stating the era of the play to put it into context is telling: it is certainly of its time and although dated in many respects, still delivers laughs and was much enjoyed by the opening night audience.

Emilie Cullum-Kenyon | Park Hall Academy Theatre | Directed by Emily Cullum-Kenyon

School productions are a hit-and-miss affair. They can be tedious at best and plain awful at worst as much-loved but talentless children forget their lines and struggle to remember where they should be standing on stage. Thankfully there is no shortage of talent in the latest theatrical offering from Park Hall Academy. ‘Roald Dahl’s School of Adventure’, a new musical written and directed by Head of Performing Arts Emilie Cullum-Kenyon, is a gloriumptious hit.