★★★★☆ Human nature doesn’t change much over time, and this is strongly demonstrated in Patrick Marber’s adaptation of August Strindberg’s Miss Julie. The original play premiered in 1888, and Marber’s adaptation is set in the 1940s, played out in front of a 2019 audience, and yet the dynamics are instantly recognisable.

★★★★☆ Taken at face value, it’s hard to imagine that a play about three middle-aged men arguing over a very expensive painting could have universal appeal. However, ART manages to take what sounds like an elitist premise, and turn it into a warm and funny piece of theatre which looks at the nature and power dynamics of male friendship.

★★★★☆ The Old Fire Station always puts on a great Christmas show – heart-warming and festive, but without resorting to pantomime. This year’s Snowflake is no exception. Mike Bartlett has written a thoughtful family drama, politically engaged and unsentimental, with plenty of laughs (and a few tears).

★★★★☆ Poe’s story is of a man entrapped in a dark cell by his enemies. Tormented by the complete blackness of the cell, he decides to measure it out in paces to allow him some knowledge of his surroundings.