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Arifa Akbar

Arifa Akbar is the Guardian's chief theatre critic

August 2024

  • Sean Gilder and Jack Lowden in The Fifth Step

    The Fifth Step review – Jack Lowden excels as an alcoholic finding a sponsor

  • Stuffed by Ugly Bucket at the Pleasance Courtyard.

    Stuffed review – urgent warning about food poverty drowned out by clowning

  • Gráinne Dromgoole (left) and Maria Pointer in Deadheads at Assembly George Square.

    Deadheads review – the fraying of two sisters’ childhood bond

  • Emma Taylor in Man: A One Woman Show.

    Man: A One-Woman Show – compelling collage of toxic masculinity

  • It’s the Economy, Stupid! review – engaging account of maths, money and personal cost

  • Love Beyond review – powerful story of dementia plays out like a thriller

  • Nigamon/Tunai review – utterly unique, magnetic, beautiful and sad

  • Hamlet review – deconstructed take on the Danish prince centres people with Down’s syndrome

  • The Years review – Annie Ernaux’s faint-inducing masterpiece roars into devastating life

  • The Grapes of Wrath review – dark moments on a long jalopy ride through a shattered world

  • Eng-Er-Land review – why Lizzie the football fan wants to be thinner, prettier and whiter

July 2024

  • Astonishing … Paapa Essiedu as Delroy in Death of England: Delroy at @sohoplace, London.

    Death of England: The Plays review – Brexit-voting bailiff electrifies this post-Boris revamp

  • Richard Harrington as Nye Bevan and Reece Dinsdale as Herbert Morrison in The Promise at the Minerva theatre.

    The Promise review – high drama of Labour landslide collapses into argufying

  • Slowly stupendous … Chardaè Phillips, Jenny Wills and Lara Cowin in Please Right Back.

    Please Right Back review – exquisitely crafted hybrid of animation and performance

  • Aya Nakamura surrounded by dancers all dressed in gold

    Paris Olympics opening ceremony review – soaring ambition deflated by patchy delivery

  • Oliver! review – divine yet danger-averse revival could be renamed Fagin!

  • Fangirls review – sugar rush musical turns a teen crush criminal

  • Theatre can be a force for change – I went looking for it on the Italy/Slovenia border

    Arifa Akbar

  • Must the show go on? Theatre’s plucky motto may be out of step with our times

    Arifa Akbar

  • Edinburgh festival 2024: 20 theatre shows making a scene this summer

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