Catarina & the Beauty of Killing Fascists A provocative story of violence, complicity & resistance, with the most chilling bile delivered as polished, reasonable, popularist rhetoric Do previous disruptions mean the audience response could ever be spontaneous or just what we think is expected? 3/5

A Month in the Country at the Donmar, the classic story of wanting what you can't have, the fantasy of another life and the hope you cling to despite it all, plus a few gags, 3/5

Man to Man at the Royal Court. Phenomenal. 5/5 and right up there with the best I've seen this year. Tilda Swinton is incredible. A life, and an identity, completely transformed. Extraordinary

Don Giovanni at the Royal Ballet & Opera, what a rotter Loved the visual language: the projected names, the ghosts of the past haunting the back of the stage. Beautifully matched by the comic, seductive, dark and chilling singing Brilliant, 4/5

The Story at the National. Really enjoyed this. Fast-paced, stylish and thoughtful. Actions, consequences and outcomes, with plenty of untied loose ends that were never resolved. A solid 3/5

How the Other Half Loves at the Old Vic. Absolutely hilarious, a cracking night out. Three couples, one room, endless misunderstandings & some wonderfully horrendous relationships Superb staging: the timing, choreography & dinner party scene was perfection. Funny, clever & beautifully observed 4/5

Electra/Persona at the National was breathtaking. Brilliant acting and an extraordinary, stripped-back, intimate production. I loved the ambiguity, how identities gradually blurred to the point they merged.  Fascinating, unsettling and utterly absorbing 5/5 Best of the year, superb

Abigail's Party at the Pinter, love how the observations on social climbing and 'the done thing' has aged so well; and what a gorgeous set too

Magnificent acting and spectacular design, but the fractured timeline meant I spent so much time working out where, and when, that it left little space for the drama itself. A generous 2.5/5.

War Horse at the National, still an extraordinary piece of theatre. At times perhaps a little sentimental and one-dimensional, but visually and technically it was something else. 3/5

Pride at the National was one of the best of the year. Funny, moving, poignant, gloriously camp with feathers, sequins, glitter and fabulous costumes, superb 5/5

Pulp does PowerPoint interspersed with some music. Somehow it's 30 years since last seeing them

Super production of the Misanthrope at the National fascinating how the gender reversal brought a fresh perspective, loved thar slightly bonkers ending too, 3/5

The Guilty at the Donmar is incredible, beautiful lit and staged, that journey across the control spectrum and that ending! 5/5

loved tristan and isolde at the barbican last night. doing it as a concert performance without sets or costumes completely intensified the whole thing. the lso and the vocals brought all the imagery to life so beautifully. 4/5

Delightful production of La Fille du régiment at Covent Garden, the relationship between Marie and the Regiment, Marie's beautiful and haunting farewell and that gorgeous Act 2 tableau between them. A thing of beauty, 4/5

Absolutely loved Cyrano de Bergerac, such word play and rhetoric! The imagery - the young Cyrano and the missed opportunities & regret. The fractured tree and fractured relationships and the devastation as words fail and he's unable to say what he's been circling all this time, 4/5

Beautifully tender & exquisitely performed Venus & Adonis at the Barbican The imbalance of their relationship crystallised in the tiniest gestures, like Adonis banishing Venus’s hand with a slap as it moved up his thigh You feel her unrequited love and Simon Russell Beale's wonderful narration. 5/5

close enough to the action to see the glances, the cues, the laughter and the mischief. such a beautiful, joyful night at the Southbank Centre seeing yussef dayes plus minami kizuki and justin-lee

celine dessberg was so good on Saturday night. finding an amazing new artist you haven't seen before is the best part of going to gigs. loved the energy and vibe

under the shadow at the almeida was so good. that jump scare at the end of act 1 definitely caught me out. loved how they blurred the supernatural with the psychological, and the way the beautiful set slowly starts to feel so heavy, unstable and confining

the souvenirs at queen elizabeth hall were incredible. completely committed and fully living in the moment, contagious, youthful energy definitely a band to watch out for

rocheman at queen elizabeth hall delivered an aesthetic masterpiece of industrial, minimalist, monochrome theatre

such a polished performance from bar italia at the queen elizabeth hall

getdown services at meltdown went crazy. they told us “you’ve paid for a seat now sit down. do not stand up.” such a mix of a gig and performance art, but when we finally got told to stand and dance the energy was unmatched. just pure communal joy

seeing Kamasi Washington and the band this close up was unreal. their chemistry, the cues & smiles during the solos was beautiful. also the double bass player had the coolest vibe ever

High Society at the Barbican delivered. honestly such a fun show full of colour and good music. loved the vibes Whole cast were ace but Nigel Lindsay as Uncle Willie was hilarious

Banging, sweaty, electro punk chaos and it was completely unreal. Plus the label threw in a quality tote and vinyls Massive win

The Healing of Horses tonight sort of dark,glitchy, intense and completely gripping. Insane

Fantastic evening at the RFH with Simon Rattle & OAE's superb performance of Berlioz's Harold in Italy & Symphonie fantastique Loved the theatricality of Harold wandering through the stalls & orchestra and the ophicleide's menacing, distorted tones in the Witches' Sabbath. Just brilliant, 5/5