Kebab - TNT

The Royal Court's International Playwrights season continues with this disappointing offering from Romania by Gianina Carbunariu. Its heart may be in the right place, but the narrative trajectory is far too predictable as it follows underage Madalina from Bucharest to Dublin where she joins her manipulative older boyfriend, Voicu. Needless to say, her low-waged job in a kebab shop doesn't last long and Voicu soon has other more lucrative plans to reap the rewards of living in the West. At first reluctantly - and then with distastefully eager compliance - he is helped by geeky post grad student Bogdan who, with his laptop and camera, sees in Madalina's on-line sexual violation a promising subject for his Visual Arts project.Matti Houghton's Madalina tolerates the sharing of her body with surprising equanimity, but Orla O'Loughlin's production blanches out such personality as Carbunariu invests in her characters and this account of disillusioned immigrants resorting to abusive exploitation proves creepy rather than convincing.
Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, Sloane Square, SW1 (020-7565 5000). Until November 3

Rhinoceros - TNT

Rhinoceroses take over the town in Romanian-born French playwright Eugene Ionesco's dark absurdist comedy which premiered in 1959. What begins with the sighting of a single animal on the rampage soon becomes a mass stampede as, one by one, friends and colleagues morph into horned pachyderms. Supposedly written in response to the rise of Fascism in the country of his birth, the light philosophical humour of the opening scene quickly gives way to something more alarming as an innocent cat becomes the first bloody victim of the invasion. Benedict Cumberbatch gives a suitably dishevelled performance as Ionesco's everyman figure, Berenger, who hasn't the willpower to stay off the booze but somehow musters the requisite self-respect to resist the encroaching ideological conformity. And Jasper Britton's fastidious Jean makes a disturbing transformation from dapper man to bellowing beast. But despite the witty translation, first-rate prosthetics and well-paced production, Ionesco takes longer than he needs to get his message across.
Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Sq, SW1 (020-7565 5000). £25-£10. In rep till December 15

Shadowlands - TNT

Be prepared for tears in this poignant account of a late-flowering love between CS Lewis and American poet Joy Gresham. Lewis (best remembered for his Chronicles Of Narnia books) is portrayed as a fusty bachelor, sharing his house with his brother and his evenings with fellow, and exclusively male, academics. But in the course of an exchange of letters and meetings, his feelings for the outspoken and intellectually astute Joy grow from an acknowledged friendship into something deeper that, until tragedy strikes, he cannot admit to either himself or to her. Originally staged in 1989, William Nicholson's script is witty, intelligent, funny and thoughtful. The play is brought to life by Charles Dance's Lewis, slowly realising how sterile his adult life has been, and by Janie Dee's courageous and determined Joy.
Wyndhams, Charing Cross Rd, WC2. (0870-950 0925). Until December 15. £45-£15

Present Laughter -TNT

Alex Jennings is perfect in Howard Davies' amusing revival of Noel Coward's comedy — and it's not his fault he's got more hair than the follicly-challenged playwright who created the semi-autobiographical role of matinee idol Gary Essendine. Nor can he be blamed for the fact that, more than 60 years since its premiere, audience patience with this lengthy account of a spoilt existence is likely to wear pretty thin, too. Wafting about in many dressing gowns, Jennings gives an eye-catching central performance, Sara Stewart is suitably businesslike as his ex (but still friendly) wife, and Sarah Woodward maximises the laughs as his purse-lipped, fond, down-to-earth secretary who doesn't bat an eyelid as yet another female admirer emerges from his over-used spare room.
Lyttelton at the National, South Bank, SE1 (020-7452 3000). Until January 9. £10- £39.50

Dealer's Choice - TNT

Even if you've never played poker in your life, you'll be caught up in the mounting tension of Samuel West's excellent revival of this fast-paced drama which has more than one psychological sting in its wittily amusing tail.Premiered in 1995, this was Patrick Marber's first play for the stage, written after he himself had spent a fair few nights glued to the tables. The superb performances match Tom Piper's realistic design which shifts from the clean kitchen and brightly mirrored dining room of an upmarket restaurant to its gloomy basement. Here, once a week after closing time, owner Stephen, his staff and his debt-ridden gambler son sit round the green baize table and risk a lot more than their wages on bluff, skill and the luck of the cards. Marber's sharp, edgy dialogue balances outright comedy (Mugsy the waiter's ludicrous plan to convert a Mile End Road toilet into an eatery) with darker insights which reveal the damage that compulsive behaviour can cause — and it's no laughing matter when a fortune can be thrown away on the toss of a single coin.
Menier Chocolate Factory, 53 Southwark St, SE1 (020 7907 7060) £22.50 (£15 Sat mats). Until November 17

Macbeth - TNT

This is Macbeth like you've never seen it before. From its opening scene, Rupert Goold's interpretation makes the familiar frightening as the three witches, here a trio of sinister nurses, kill off the injured soldier bringing news of battle.Then, knife-wielding and bloody, they are sinister servants in the white-tiled bunker which serves as military hospital, kitchen and banquet room. With its post-war Soviet references, this is an innovative and chilling account of Macbeth's ambition. In the title role, Patrick Stewart submits memorably to the troubled callousness that eventually overpowers him. He is well-matched by Kate Fleetwood as his equally treacherous spouse, scrubbing her hands clean of the psychological consequences of her crime. And Michael Feast's Macduff registers his grief with a prolonged silence that speaks volumes of despair.
Gielgud, Shaftesbury Ave, W1 (0870-950 0915). Until December 1. £49.50-£20

Moonlight and Magnolias - TNT

Ron Hutchinson's hilarious and witty new comedy goes behind the Hollywood scenes in 1939 to reconstruct the fraught creation of probably the biggest grossing movie ever, the Civil War epic Gone With The Wind,. The original director, George Cukor, has been fired three weeks into shooting, production has ground to a halt and a pile of potential screenplays have all been rejected. Faced with disaster, producer David O Selznick pulls a reluctant Victor Fleming off the set of the unfinished Wizard of Oz to direct what he is convinced will be a turkey, tempts former journalist Ben Hecht to leave his political conscience behind with a hefty fee and locks them in his office for five days, by which time Hecht (who not only has no respect for Fleming but also disliked the book so much that he never got past page one of Margaret Mitchell's 1000-plus page blockbuster) has to knock the screenplay into shape. Just in case there's anyone else out there who isn't familiar with the story of Rhett and Scarlett, Andy Nyman's hyper, driven Selznick and Steven Pacey's increasingly exhausted Fleming act out the plot for Duncan Bell's Hecht as he sits blearily at the typewriter trying to achieve, in less than a week, what 17 previous screenwriters had failed to accomplish.Selznick's secretary appears briefly — wading through the screwed up balls of paper to top up their supply of peanuts and bananas (the only 'brain' food her boss will permit), but this is virtually a three-hander that, so long as the excellent actors can sustain the exhausting pace, definitely deserves a West End transfer. Tricycle, Kilburn High Rd, NW6 (020-7328 1000). Until November 3

Fanny and Faggot/Stacy - TNT

Presented as a double bill, these two short works are tenuously linked by the theme of young people's actions getting seriously out of control. Inspired by the real-life case of 10-year-old child murderer Mary Bell, Fanny and Faggot is itself in two parts. The first depicts her intense, manipulative relationship with 13-year-old Norma (who was also tried) and draws on transcripts from their trial in 1968. The second, set almost a decade later, sees Mary when she briefly escapes from open prison to experience her first kiss on a stolen weekend in Blackpool. Playwright Jack Thorne fails to maximise the potential of his unusual and troubling source material, but he does succeed in conveying the underlying strangeness of a young woman who, despite her past, just wants to be considered normal.
His Stacy is more impressive as, in a low-key monologue punctuated by illustrative slide projections, Ralph Little's Rob explains why he is pacing the floor in such an agitated manner after an out-of-the-blue shag with his best mate. It's a convincing performance and Thorne both shocks and amuses as his explicit tale unfolds. Trafalgar Studios (2), Whitehall, SW1 (0870-060 6632). £22.50 (£15 Mondays). Until October 27

The Ugly One - TNT

In less than an hour — about the time it takes a TV reality show to make someone look 10 years younger or give them an extreme makeover — German playwright Marius von Mayenburg debunks the prevailing myth that beautiful is always best. The staging wittily reflects the value of content versus surface trappings, with Ramin Gray's fluid production being played out as though in rehearsal. A stage manager sits silently on the sidelines and the four excellent actors (three of whom flick seamlessly between multiple roles) are casually dressed. The focus is on Michael Gould's Lette, a married man who has always been oblivious to his ugly face until his boss refuses to let him make a public presentation on the grounds that his hideous appearance would be totally unacceptable. Lette goes under the knife, and the potential consequences of drastic plastic surgery are wittily explored to the point of absurdity in this clever, niftily constructed satire on the lure of superficial perfection and the drawbacks of physical conformity.
Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, Sloane Square, SW1 (020-7565 5000) £15, except Mondays £10. Until October 13

Bad Girls: The Musical - TNT

When a successful TV series transfers to the stage, the best way to guarantee bums on seats is to include as many of the original cast members as possible. But this moderately enjoyable spin-off from the long-running prison soap (penned by its creators, with music and often gutsy lyrics by Kath Gotts) lacks pulling power, despite the presence of 'Bodybag' and Nicole Faraday's lifer. The tunes are derivative though varied, but there's a melodramatic plot involving a lesbian love affair, a smug rapist screw (David Burt) and a suicide — not to mention a riot, a hunger strike and a dramatic escape. And, as feisty gangster's wife Yvonne Atkins, Sally Dexter explodes onto the stage wearing tightly-belted red leather and with an attention-grabbing presence which makes audience, officers and inmates alike sit up and take notice.
Garrick, Charing Cross Rd, WC2 (0870-890 1104). Until March 1

Life After Scandal - TNT

Actor turned playwright Robin Soans has already proved himself highly adept at editing interviews into serious and informative theatre, but this time round he's turned his cutting and splicing technique to dealing with the no longer rich but still quite famous who have fallen from grace in very public circumstances. In a media-hungry culture, bad behaviour sometimes generates its own rewards, and former minister Neil Hamilton and his resilient wife Christine (played by Michael Mears and Caroline Quentin) loom large as they explain how they've grabbed every opportunity — panto appearances included — to promote themselves since the 'Cash for Questions' debacle (which, 13 years down the track, is now barely remembered). Jonathan Aitken, another ex-MP, describes how he's put his life back together again after serving a jail sentence, while Who Wants to be A Millionaire? competitor Major Charles Ingram is still bitter about the discreet coughing that ruined his career. Edwina Currie (who ditched the dirt on her affair with former prime minister John Major) revels in her revenge at being passed over for promotion, while an aging Lord Montagu (movingly portrayed by Tim Preece) recalls with sadness his sentencing at a time when homosexual acts were still illegal. Like his subjects' pasts, Soans's message may be somewhat suspect, but this is still a hugely entertaining compilation which is well-served by a clutch of cleverly delineated performances.
Hampstead Eton Ave, NW3 (020-7722 9301). £13-£22. Until October 20

The Member of the Wedding - TNT

Though awkwardly structured, the over-long first part of US novelist Carson McCullers' 1950 stage adaptation of her own novel successfully evokes the frustration of a hot, Deep South summer before exploding into the traumatic events that crowd the shorter post-interval section. Flora Spencer-Longhurst captures the tantrum-prone isolation of 12-year-old tomboy Frankie who doesn't seem to fit in and decides the solution is to tag along on her brother's honeymoon. Theo Stevenson proves himself a little scene-stealer as John, the cousin half her age who likes strutting around in fancy dress. But the real star is Portia, who gives a stabilising performance as Berenice, the much-married, black cook and surrogate mother who understands not only the emotions raging within her pubescent charge but also that their lives are on the verge of significant change.
Young Vic, The Cut, SE1 (020-7922 2922). Until October 20, £21.50-£24.50

Fragments - TNT

The work of two men who have been highly influential in 20th century European theatre comes together in this short bill of five brief pieces which range from the comic to the serious, with a touch of violence thrown in. Octogenarian director Peter Brook has joined forces with a skilled trio of former Complicite actors to reinterpret the work of the late Samuel Beckett on a virtually bare stage. In "Rough for Theatre", a wheelchair bound amputee (Jos Houben) seeks to befriend a blind musician (Marcello Magni), but, despite a certain interdependence, ends up treating him with callous cruelty. Then Kathryn Hunter, in head to toe black, poignantly intones the last thoughts of an old lady's final moments in "Rockaby." The men reappear in "Act Without Words," a cleverly mimed portrayal of two vastly different ways of greeting – and getting through - the day and, by implication, life. Magni surfaces from his huge white sack all grumpy pessimism to find everything an unrewarding chore; Houben emerges from his with smiling, eager optimism. "Neither," a brief prose piece, again features a melancholic Hunter. And finally, in "Come and go," all three don winter coats as a trio of old ladies sitting on a bench to reminisce and whisper ominous secrets. Brook takes liberties with Beckett's strict stage directions, but, almost two decades after the latter's death, these snippets still intrigue.
The Maria at the Young Vic, The Cut, SE1 (020-7922 2922) Until 6th October. Tickets £21.50 (under 26's £9.50)