Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - TNT

Luckily for him, he never got to sing Close Every Door, the farewell number on the TV show Any Dream Will Do which has guaranteed another money-spinning revival for Andrew Lloyd Webber's '60s musical. But now that the role — and the stage — are his, winner Lee Mead gets to sing it not once, but twice, in this joyous (if occasionally overly fussy) production which has a mechanical camel and rainbow sheep to match his technicolor coat. You'd have to have a heart of stone not to be swept along by this feel-good triumph with its clever pastiche music and witty lyrics. Mead sings well, exudes enthusiasm and looks good in a loin cloth and Joseph's brothers harmonise beautifully. You're guaranteed to leave humming a catchy tune and with a smile on your face.
Adelphi, Strand, WC2 (0870-895 5598; www.adelphi-theatre.com). Booking until June 2008. £33-£54

White Boy & 20 Cigarettes - TNT

The National Youth Theatre has been going strong for over 50 years, giving aspiring actors and backstage technicians the chance to work with established practitioners and show off their talents all over the UK. You may not spot a future Helen Mirren, Daniel Craig or Orlando Bloom (all NYT alumni) but the well-drilled and impressive cast of "White Boy" captures both the energy and confusion of late adolescence. In just over an hour, playwright Tanika Gupta addresses some of the problems which confront today's young people in a multicultural society, specifically concentrating on the tensions which explode around the school gates where troublemakers collide with pupils and disputes can escalate into fatal violence. The concept behind "20 Cigarettes" is appealing. Middle-aged Oscar who' trying to quit relives the most significant smokes of his life under the (unfortunately rather annoying) supervision of a psychotherapist who has her own issues to contend with. There's the occasional funny moment but, disappointingly, writer Marcy Kahan not only gives the biggest part to a mature actor (Simon Dutton originally joined the NYT in 1974!) but also fails to make much of the changing attitudes to smoking over the years or the events themselves. The cast performs with enthusiasm, but it's hard to care whether Oscar gives up or not.
Soho Theatre, Dean Street, W1 (0870-429 6883). Until September 1

Saint Joan -TNT

Splintered, dead tree trunks and atmospheric chanting evoke a medieval yet timeless world of the supernatural, as Anne-Marie Duff's Joan of Arc — with a soft Irish accent and a direct line to God — overcomes the scepticism of squires and soldiers to lead the French army into battle against the English.Guided by her "voices", she reclaims Orléans and places Paul Ready's reluctant Dauphin on the throne, yet she still falls foul of the Catholic authorities who are determined to save her soul but are less careful of her body. George Bernard Shaw's arguments between church and state come alive in Marianne Elliott's partially cut production — especially when Angus Wright's silky Earl of Warwick takes tea with Paterson Joseph's intelligent Bishop Cauchon, who ultimately proves no match for Oliver Ford Davies's wise Inquisitor.
Olivier at the National Theatre, South Bank, SE1 (020-7452 3000). Until September 25, part of the £10 Travelex season.

Louise Kingsley

CARMEN JONES - TNT

Bizet's rousing music just about overcomes some questionable staging decisions in Jude Kelly's revival of Oscar Hammerstein's perennially popular 'folk opera', here relocated to South America and with an entirely black cast. The recently refurbished Royal Festival Hall was custom built for concerts rather than musicals, and plonking the sizeable orchestra in the middle of the acting area does the production no favours. Acoustics and amplification are somewhat variable, too. That said, and although her accent is all over the place, Soweto-born Tsakane Valentine Maswanganyi, skimpily clad in a provocative red dress (and minus her matching knickers when she makes her entrance) makes a slinkily sexy Carmen, the factory girl who sets her cap at good guy G.I. Joe – until, that is, something more exciting comes along in the shape of a prize fighter. But, in an evening in which, overall, voices are far stronger than acting ability, it's Sherry Boone's Cindy Lou (Joe's loyal, forsaken sweetheart) who steals the show. When she sings, you can really feel the pain of her broken heart as, with tragic consequences, she loses her man to the capricious femme fatale.
Royal Festival Hall, South Bank Centre, Belvedere Road , SE1 (0871-663 2584). Until September 2. £14-£49

In the Club - TNT

You never know what to expect from playwright Richard Bean, but this time the plethora of doors leading from the plush Strasbourg hotel suite of corruptible Labour MEP Philip Wardrobe rather gives the game away. He certainly has his work cut out as he juggles the comings and goings of a Turkish would-be colleague armed with a case full of Euros, a randy French woman who's determined to bed him, and the imminent arrival of his long-term partner whose biological clock is ticking so fast that she's flying in for a carefully timed, baby-making shag, Bean rather overdoes it by adding even more sub-plots, and veers toward heavy-handed stereotyping as he swipes at all the obvious targets. But his witty one-liners often hit home, James Fleet's is suitably shambolic as Wardrobe (with Twiglets stuck between his toes to alleviate his athlete's foot and his trousers fluttering round his ankles) and, with a bit of tightening and trimming, this enjoyable if far-fetched farce could well be destined for a longer life.
Hampstead, Eton Avenue, NW3, 020-7722 9301. Until August 25

Louise Kingsley

The Hothouse - TNT

There's something sinister going on in this early play by Pinter, the master of subtle menace. Written in 1958, though not performed until 1980, it is set in a psychiatric institution and is both darkly comic and deeply disconcerting. One of the numbered but unnamed patients has just given birth and another has died — and Finbar Lynch's precise, dangerous underling is subtly pointing the finger of suspicion at Roote, the man in control (played with a vaguely deranged forgetfulness by Stephen Moore). Lia Williams brings a controlled sensuality to the role of the lone female on the staff who isn't above indulging in a bit of torture, Paul Ritter is louche as Lush, and Ian Rickson's excellent production creates a disturbing world in which the unseen, supposedly insane are at the mercy of those in charge who abuse their power.
Lyttelton at the National South Bank, SE1, 020-7452 3000. Until October 27. £10-39.50

The Agent - TNT

First time playwright Martin Wagner no longer has an agent — and he isn't very likely to get one after this short debut inspired by a less than satisfactory meeting regarding his own representation. This isn't just because of the standard of the writing - initially he generates several laughs and has successfully captured an office environment where those at the bottom of the list are never given 100 percent attention. But no-one would willingly place themselves in the uncomfortable position in which William Beck's deal-broking literary agent Alexander finds himself when nerdy, struggling author Stephen resorts to drastic measures to get his second book the publicity he thinks it deserves. It may be a cruel, money-motivated world in which commercial viability often outweighs merit, but, having set up a promising scenario, Wagner's plot twists peter out in too much self-pity and, as a result, this well-acted production fails to cash in on its potential.
Trafalgar Studios 2, Whitehall, SW1, 0870 060 6632. Until August 18