THE FIVE BEST PLAYS IN LONDON

1

Good Donmar Warehouse

Starring Charles Dance, CP Taylor's play about accommodations with conscience is revived in an immaculate and sensitive production by Michael Grandage. To 22 May

2

Troilus and Cressida Olivier Theatre

This theatre and this Shakespeare play are made for each other, a fact proved, somewhat belatedly, by the masterly sweep of Trevor Nunn's gifted production. To 9 May

3

Mamma Mia Prince Edward Theatre

Designed to bring out the "Dancing Queen" in the straightest soul, this silly, ridiculously enjoyable compilation musical finds flagrant kitsch-in-time plot excuses for 27 Abba golden oldies. To Sept

4

The Colonel Bird The Gate Theatre

Amazingly timely comedy by Hristo Boytchev. A mad Bulgarian splinter group declares independence and tries to join Nato. The result: an exuberant satire on misplaced faith in Western institutions. Ends today

5

Gross Indecency Gielgud Theatre

The artfully fractured form of Moises Kaufman's compelling play about Oscar Wilde presents the writer - man and symbol - in all his complex contradictoriness. Booking to 5 Jun

... AND BEYOND

Volpone Swan Theatre, Stratford

Comedies don't come funnier or more astringent than Ben Jonson's brilliant dissection of avaricious, over-reaching egotism. To 9 Oct

2

Tales from Ovid Swan Theatre, Stratford

Ted Hughes's brilliant adaptation of the Metamorphoses get the Tim Supple treatment, vividly demonstrating the inherent theatricality of these myths. To 7 Oct

3

A Midsummer Night's Dream Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford

In Michael Boyd's beguiling staging, Josette Simon's Amazonian Titania is sex-on-very-long-legs and could devour Tina Turner for breakfast. To 9 Oct

4

The White Devil Haymarket Theatre, Leicester

A dab hand at playing women with a past, Gabrielle Drake is the imperious "White Devil" in Webster's lurid Jacobean tragedy. Ends today

5

Perpetua The Door, Birmingham Rep Theatre

Winner of the 996 Verity Bargate prize, Fraser Grace's play pits the laws of God against the laws of the land in a Florida all set to combust. Jonathan Lloyd directs. To 8 May