Arifa Akbar

Watching John Osborne’s fulminating Jimmy Porter feels curiously cold, while the same cast bring subtleties to Arnold Wesker’s classic

Rylance is entertainingly Chaplinesque as a dissolute husband in Seán O’Casey’s 1924 tragicomedy, but Succession’s J Smith-Cameron is its heart and soul as the long-suffering wife

Oscar winner makes London debut in Lindsey Ferrentino’s busy play that sometimes lacks intensity

A boy is bullied when he’s cast as Nancy in the school play – but bland songs and generic characters keep the story stuck in single gear

Opening in a campaign room on election night, Robert Icke’s modern retelling is riveting from beginning to end, the formidable leads supported by a stellar ensemble cast

Set in a family-run Jamaican eaterie, Daniel J Carver’s potent drama explores across three generations what it is to be a Black British man

Two sides of the same event are explored in Richard Bean’s drama – one haunting, one comedic – but they don’t really fit together

Adding a fourth role to Peter Sellers’ three turns in the classic film, the comic excels in a fun yet unadventurous adaptation

Sanaz Toossi’s intimate play follows a group of friends during the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and beyond as they get married, have children and experience loss

What would happen if our arts critics and sports writers swapped roles for a day? How does the English National Opera compare to the Premier League … or the NFL to a West End musical? Our experts found out last week