Gary Naylor - Page 13

Charles Dickens' novels are filled to the brim with characters who capture different elements of the human condition - evil and good and, crucially, plenty in-between. Perhaps the most fascinating of them all - at least she was to me when first I read Great Expectations in my mid-20s - is Estella, Pip's paramour who isn't, Miss Havisham's instrument of revenge on men and the high maintenance, intelligent, beautiful woman a certain kind of man is always going to fall for.

A splendid central performance illuminates a play full of humour that also smuggles in deeper considerations on the character of art in a changing world

Russell Thomas, Christopher Maltman and Hrachuhi Bassénz excel in an emotional and relevant production of Verdi's adaptation of Shakespeare's masterful study of jealousy, ruthlessness and much more.

The infamous Count explains his history to his prisoner and expands on his hatred of the British Empire

Gregory Doran brings the RSC's decade long History cycle to its conclusion with a worthy, if wordy, Richard III

Tom Ratcliffe's new play sets up some very interesting relationships in a fascinating environment, but doesn't solve the structural problems that arise as a consequence

Two splendid plays, performed with skill and verve, at the National Theatre's Connections Festival

Early staging of a song cycle that is a delight from start to finish - and can only get better still!

Funny, frightening and thought-provoking, The Southbury Child cannot quite keep all its plates spinning, but is bold in its ambition and execution

Clever (even a bit too clever at times) sequel that picks up Ibsen's action 15 years later in a world that has the intractable problems many of us have today.

The Royal Opera House's 2003 production gets a much-needed injection of Japanese authenticity while retaining, even enhancing, its moral of how men can abuse their power, as husbands and as colonial occupiers.

Harry Hill and Steve Brown pack plenty of laughs into the life of an ex-PM who only ever wanted to be Mick Jagger - until he spied the seductive allure of power

A new play on the disintegration of civil society is well-timed, but too bitty in its structure to engage fully with its material or its audience

Though flawed in its structure, this passionate new play has an important role to play in a scandal that continues to stain our city and our country

This new play brings the issue of mediating relationships in a changing, hybrid world to the fore without losing drama's essential components of character, plot and pace.

Vicki Berwick's new play has its roots in Classical Greece, but is gripping in its embrace of contemporary concerns

Satinder Chohan's new play has plenty of comedy and tragedy, but struggles to catch the right tone consistently, packing in more themes than its plot can comfortably sustain

Three actors take us on a whirlwind tour of aviation history with laughs and mystery on the way

Fraser Grace's new play examines the impact of PTSD on a soldier returning home after witnessing the horrors of the aftermath of the Russian Revolution

Brilliant acted play captures the London experience at that tipping point between the pursuit of youthful follies and the assumption of adult responsibilities. Let's see what BWW's critic had to say...