The Independent Recommends: The Five Best Plays

Shockheaded Peter

(Lyric Hammersmith, London)

The deliciously sinister Struwwelpeter stories meet the macabre Tiger Lillies in a glorious, gorgeously gory evening of music theatre (right). To 10 Apr

Blue Heart

(The Pleasance, London)

Bracing comedy and a dark heart in Max Stafford-Clark's exemplary production of Caryl Churchill's playful double-bill. To 21 Mar

Vassa

(The Albery, London)

Sheila Hancock as the tight-fisted matriarch leads a triumphant cast in Gorky's comedy. To 27 Mar

The Dispute

(The Other Place, Stratford)

Marivaux's mordant 18th-century play about a sexual experiment is brought to life in this RSC/Lyric Hammersmith co-production. To 20 Mar

Buried Alive

(Northcott, Exeter)

Mike Alfreds' crack company, Method and Madness, in a new play by Philip Osment, specialist in matters of the heart. To 27 Mar

Owen Howells: From the UK to Australia and back again (and again!)

Owen Howells is a DJ/producer who grew up in Australia but was born in the UK. He came back to the U...

Brighton Fringe 2013 – Is everyone sitting uncomfortably?

Fancy seeing a play about serial killers? How about inviting a funeral director into your home for a...

The Fall ‘Darkness Visible’ – Series 1, episode 2

There are a good many moments in the second episode of this psychological thriller that deserve refl...

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