Theatre
‘When you feel something, that’s what fuels you’: how a new generation of performers is reviving the theatre of protest
On stages across the UK this autumn, theatre companies are fighting social issues head-on, using clowns, choreography and even food donations from the audience. Maddy Costa reports
Culture
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Review of the Week: The Standard of Living at Theatre Royal Haymarket
Uniquely talented at turning political history into lively drama, the playwright James Graham’s soulful, timely portrait of economist John Maynard Keynes explores what it means to lead ‘a good life’, writes Dorian Lynskey
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‘We don't want just bums on seats’: how the Yard, London’s coolest theatre, was reborn
Created from scavenged scaffolding in a scrappy corner of Hackney in 2011, the venue became celebrated for innovation and talent spotting. Now reopened following a £7m rebuild, its artistic director Jay Miller intends to keep breaking boundaries. Interview by Fergus Morgan
Culture
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Review of the Week: Golden Boy at the Almeida theatre
A dazzling production, and Josh O’Connor’s star turn as a boxer grappling his way to the top, drag what could have been a faded period piece to the brink of greatness, writes Nerve theatre critic Dorian Lynskey
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Parlour games and real-life pain: the enduring, subversive power of Agatha Christie
As a season of Christie TV, theatre, books and events kicks off, Dorian Lynskey sees the author’s everlasting play The Mousetrap for the first time – and finds it far from what he was expecting
Culture
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Meera Syal: ‘The government is like a typical Asian parent. Art is seen as a waste of time’
The actor, novelist and star of Goodness Gracious Me talks to Tara Joshi about racism, growing up, and blazing a trail under the gaze of disapproving aunties
TV
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Review of the Week: Game of Thrones: The Mad King at the RSC
The stage version of George RR Martin’s blood-and-thunder saga is spectacular, serious, surprisingly empathetic – and could turn out to be a blockbuster, writes Nerve theatre critic Dorian Lynskey
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Review of the Week: Tao of Glass at Soho Place
Phelim McDermott’s passion-project tribute to, and collaboration with, the composer Philip Glass may not be for everyone, but its audacity and originality shine through, writes Nerve theatre critic Dorian Lynskey
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The 10 best things to see at Edinburgh festival 2026 – from chaotic monks and teen punks to Bigfoot hysteria
Four thousand shows, one month: how do you choose? Critic and dedicated festivalgoer Fergus Morgan offers a guide to the hottest tickets
Culture
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Review of the Week: Music, Fashion, Film by Charli xcx
The follow-up album to 2024’s zeitgeist-defining Brat is short, sharp and rocky – but also feels like it’s grasping for something that stays out of reach, writes Nerve music critic Kate Hutchinson
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Review of the Week: Glengarry Glen Ross at the Old Vic
Patrick Marber’s daring female reimagining of Mamet’s testosterone-soaked classic shows that capitalism can make a desperado of anyone, writes Dorian Lynskey
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Review of the Week: The Tempest at the RSC
Kenneth Branagh’s return to the RSC as Prospero, directed by the great Richard Eyre, might sound like a heritage piece – but this is a production that fizzes with invention, illusion and relevance, writes Claire Armitstead
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Review of the Week: Mass at the Donmar
Fran Kranz’s play, about two families’ long-delayed reckoning in the wake of a school shooting, is moving and superbly acted but not to be entered lightly, writes Nerve theatre critic Dorian Lynskey
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The Recommender: Romola Garai
The award-winning TV, film and theatre actor shares her latest cultural discoveries
Culture
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Review of the Week: Romeo and Juliet / Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Two inventive, high-profile openings pay striking testament to the dangerous power of love, writes Dorian Lynskey
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Review of the Week: Summerfolk at the National theatre
Maxim Gorky’s pre-revolutionary play about wealthy Russians on the brink of chaos is reborn in a five star, distinctly relevant revival, writes Nerve theatre critic Dorian Lynskey
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Review of the Week: Dracula at the Noel Coward theatre
Cynthia Erivo is a remarkable presence playing every character in this multimedia gothic revival – even if it feels more like watching an arena concert than a play, writes Nerve theatre critic Dorian Lynskey
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Review of the Week: Oh, Mary! at Trafalgar theatre
A huge hit on Broadway, Cole Escola’s history-busting comedy about Mary Todd Lincoln - Abraham’s wife - is wild, subversively queer and riotously funny, writes Dorian Lynskey
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Review of the Week: All My Sons
Ten years after his first triumph with an Arthur Miller play, director Ivo Van Hove has returned to the American dramatist and produced another masterpiece that feels startlingly current, writes Dorian Lynskey
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Review of the week: The Line of Beauty at the Almeida theatre
This adaptation of Alan Hollinghurst’s subtle Booker winner is broader than the novel, but still achieves an explosive payoff, writes Dorian Lynskey
Reviews
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‘She put food on all our tables’: Yvonne Brewster, a giant of Black theatre remembered
The trailblazing director’s death earlier this month was largely ignored by the British media. Here actors Adjoa Andoh and Doña Croll recall a mentor and “great encourager” who transformed the lives of African-Caribbean talent
Culture
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