3 hours ago
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Inside No 9: Stage/Fright
Hull New theatre
A masterclass in theatrical innovation – technically groundbreaking, seamlessly blending live performance with complex pre-recorded media to blur the line between reality and fiction. The production expertly toyed with audience expectations, weaponising the very genre tropes that fans have come to anticipate. Ultimately, the show’s genius lay in its finale. Rather than a grim twist, the doors of No 9 closed with a defiant, glitzy Hollywood musical high-kicking routine. A joyous, unexpected celebration of showbiz cementing the production’s status as a triumph of meta-theatre. Phil Dukes, 56, Brighton
Rohtko
Barbican, London
I went into Łukasz Twarkowski’s Rohtko unsure about the four-hour commitment, but it ultimately left me astonished. The production’s constantly shifting, ingeniously constructed sets and inventive live-filming techniques were unlike anything I’ve seen on stage. The narrative – by turns surreal, chaotic and strangely moving – pulled me in completely, and the score elevated every moment. It was an audacious, immersive experience that held my attention from start to finish. Jill Osborne, 52, London
Exe Men
Exeter Northcott theatre
Ashley Pharoah’s play is a perfect encapsulation of the importance of regional theatre: a superbly written and brilliantly acted production that, while holding a layer of appeal for those familiar with Exeter Chiefs rugby club, was still compelling for those from further afield. Enough exposition for the unfamiliar without derailing the plot or distracting from the characters. Triumphant. Owen, Bath
Fat Ham
Swan theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
I’m a playwright and novelist living in the beleaguered US, who attends London theatre annually. Fat Ham was exhilarating and delightful. Having seen Andrew Scott as Hamlet, I feel I’ve seen the best of that play as well as the best rethinking of it. The last scene was shocking in a good way, brilliantly performed and exciting. Georgia B Rhoades, Louisville, Kentucky, US
Evita
London Palladium
It was the most thrilling show about authoritarianism I’ve ever seen, drawing the audience into the allure of power. Rachel Zegler was a force of nature, seducing the audience outside from the balcony, even as she mocked them inside. Diego Andres Rodriguez as Che paired with her in a classic love-hate relationship, like a sadomasochistic Fred and Ginger, which was simultaneously fierce and funny, even as Zegler’s Evita used Juan Perón as a tool to realise her ambitions. The front row had a perfect view, too, and was offered as a £20-£25 bargain to early bookers. I’ll never forget this production. Steve, London
Lost Lear
Traverse, Edinburgh
A transcendent experience at the Edinburgh festival. Without a doubt, Venetia Bowe’s lead performance was the best thing I have ever witnessed on stage. When the play came to its ethereal end and the lights finally went down, it looked as if the audience might fly through the ceiling, they were so quick to get to their feet. Jack Brownridge-Kelly, 30, Newlyn, Cornwall
Candide
Wales Millennium Centre
The Welsh National Opera performed Leonard Bernstein’s Candide earlier this year. The performances and staging, which included some brilliant animation scenes, were fantastic. It was extra special to share the experience with my mum, who has been going to see the WNO since the early 80s. Beth Charles, 52, Salford
The Brightening Air
Old Vic, London
A great experience: the actors were incredibly good and the play was so intriguing that it had me on the edge of my seat. The dialogues were witty and suspenseful and some surprises in the plot got me thinking. But above all, I found the characters and their interaction really moving. The ending, where Billy came back to what she had said at the beginning, was touching too. Monika Diwo, Germany
Hamlet Hail to the Thief
Royal Shakespeare theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
I don’t usually make the trip to the RSC, but as a massive fan of Radiohead I felt I had to see this version. I thought it was fantastic, perfectly integrating the angsty music with the themes of the play, often leaving me speechless. To take such a well-known story and make it feel so exciting and overwhelming (in a good way!) was a very pleasant surprise. Marko Blanusa, Bracknell
The Fifth Step
@sohoplace, London
A stunning script perfectly acted by Jack Lowden and Martin Freeman. There was a tremendous chemistry between the two actors. I also thought the use of the stage was brilliant. It seems that every seat has a great vantage point so for me the theatre is 10/10 too. Alison Stapley, 68, London
Born With Teeth
Wyndham’s theatre, London
This was a thrilling fictionalisation of the relationship between Shakespeare and Marlowe, and although at its heart it was a gritty drama about spying and political intrigue in Elizabethan England, there was also a lot of humour and literary wordplay and a surprising amount of raunchiness. Framing Shakespeare as the shy, sensitive flower to Marlowe’s man-about-town worked strikingly well. Caitlin Farrell, 24, London
Small Acts of Love
Citizens theatre, Glasgow
Small Acts of Love at the stunningly restored and reopened Citizens theatre in Glasgow reduced this 63-year-old bloke to a blubbering wreck. It was my first visit to the “Citz” and my first experience of a National Theatre of Scotland production. It’s a play that deserved to go much further and to be shown online. Neil, 63, Glenluce, Dumfries and Galloway
