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Liz Thomson |

The Puppini Sisters brought their signature blend of close harmony singing to Islington’s Union Chapel on Friday, the opening night of a three-week UK tour marking their 20th birthday and the release of their seventh studio album, titled – naturally enough – The Birthday Party. There was nothing Pinteresque about the evening, just unalloyed joy onstage and off. 

aleks.sierz
Patriarchy is a trap for both men and women. This we know. But it’s not often that its takedown is as amazingly theatrical as this fabulous…
Demetrios Matheou
The aftermath of school massacres for those left behind, and the pros and cons of restorative justice have become two strong themes for drama in…
Rachel Halliburton
There has been a trend in productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in recent years to portray Athens as a sexually repressive regime in which Queen…

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Gary Naylor
Brecht implores us to see, think and act - before it's too late
Helen Hawkins
Sheridan Smith and Michael Sorcha prove a winning team in this unexpected treat
Guy Oddy
Drones and noise and mellow folkie flavours make for a fine weekend
Veronica Lee
Yorkshireman muses on life and stuff
Helen Hawkins
David Pearson's first play focuses on inadequate father-son relationships
Boyd Tonkin
Uplifting celebrations of musical kinship across cultures
James Saynor
A sleaze-free celebration of Michael Jackson before the fall
Robert Beale
Romantic cornerstones shine alongside Julia Wolfe’s document of trauma
David Nice
Berg's queasy setting of a visionary play as you never quite heard or saw it before
Nick Hasted
A fishing boat falls through time in Mark Jenkin's immersive, haunted tale
Kieron Tyler
Soul treasures from 1969 are made easily available for the first time
aleks.sierz
Life of Brian Epstein explored in new play which never really satisfies
Rachel Halliburton
Circa's acrobatics bracingly express a philosophical idea of the body
Katie Colombus
The Brooklyn four prove less is more
Bernard Hughes
Messiaen’s 'Turangalîla' well played, but overwhelmed by a trivialising animation
Jonathan Geddes
The singer has gone from tiny clubs to arenas in just three years
Robert Beale
A scenic journey through 20th and 21st century landscapes
aleks.sierz
Autobiographical show about the Middle East prefers utopian longing to political engagement
David Nice
Fiddly but felt, the interpretations of the ICO's Norwegian violinist-director always compel
Rachel Halliburton
A spiky depiction of the struggle between trade union leader Brenda Dean and Rupert Murdoch
Adam Sweeting
Charlotte Regan's genre-jumping drama defies categorisation
Boyd Tonkin
Tenderness, and terror, outshine majesty in Elgar's journey of the soul
Mark Kidel
Brilliant trio seamlessly combine composition and improvisation
Helen Hawkins
Well paced and excellently cast, this revival still needs more of a sense of danger

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