The Pretender Agenda - TNT

Christopher Manoe's workmanlike new play may not break new ground, but it's certainly a salutary warning never to mix business with pleasure or to have an affair with the man who pays your wages. In fact, it casts a pretty negative light on human nature in general as a handful of 30 somethings gather together in boss James's bachelor pad to celebrate the success of his media company.

A cast crammed with TV regulars successfully differentiates the rather too sketchily drawn characters who work for him. One can sympathise with the frustration of Sue Devaney's Gina as Robert (her wimpish partner since teenage times) fails miserably to put off Emily Aston's socially inept Kate, a gatecrashing temp who proves to be not only an obnoxious misfit but also a devious eavesdropper with an unexpectedly malicious streak. And though James flaunts his genial hospitality and gratitude to his staff, there's a self-serving selfishness not far below the surface bonhomie.

Manoe, who also directs, comes up with a handful of arresting lines and some effective comedy moments. He doesn't quite pull it all off – there's not enough plot to get your teeth into, and the production lacks momentum - but it's a serviceable attempt which, one hopes, doesn't too accurately reflect his own office experiences or the personalities of his former colleagues.

New Players, The Arches, Villiers Street, WC2 (020-7478 0135). Until September 27. £12.50-£28.50

They're Playing Our Song - TNT

Neil Simon's comedies don't always transfer too happily from Broadway to London, and this bland revival of his 1979 musical collaboration with Carole Bayer Sager and Marvin Hamlisch illustrates why. Virtually a two-hander (though each character has three identically dressed alter-egos) it charts, semi-autobiographically and somewhat predictably, the romance between Sonia, a kooky lyricist with a major punctuality problem, and Vernon, a successful composer with a withering wit.

Fresh from The Sound Of Music, reality TV-show winner Connie Fisher has an attractive voice, dreadful wigs and an ex who won't go away, but it's left to impressionist Alistair McGowan to give their relationship more neurotic depth.

Menier Chocolate Factory, 53 Southwark St, SE1 (020-7907 7060). Until September 28. £25

Tory Boyz & Out of Me - TNT

Here's your annual chance to spot an up and coming star as the National Youth Theatre celebrates over 50 years of giving hopeful actors and backstage technicians the chance to show what they can do. You may not see a future Helen Mirren or Daniel Craig (both NYT alumni) but there's definitely a host of talent on display this year.

The London season kicks off promisingly with "Tory Boyz", set mainly behind the scenes in the present day House of Commons but flitting back to the 1950's to link the dilemma of dedicated gay researcher Sam with the restrained behaviour of Edward Heath (the famously unattached Conservative who became Prime Minister in 1970).

Questioning whether Sam can afford to openly acknowledge his sexuality and still climb the greasy political pole, James Graham's thoughtful, short new play offers some sparky dialogue and the young actors - especially Hamish McDougall's troubled Heath, recoiling from any feminine touch apart from his mother's, and Dan Ings' cocky Chief of Staff with a nasty, careerist streak – deliver them with commendably convincing assurance.

The girls get their turn in Jane Body's swift-paced "Out of Me" which begins with an arresting opening sequence showing four very different young women at the very moment their lives are about to change. Cheerful florist Alice (Rosie Sansom) finds herself flat on her back among the plants and sacks of seed; Antonia Thomas's aspirational Billie thinks (mistakenly) that she has everything under control; 16 year old bluestocking Ellen (Sita Thomas) gets uncharacteristically carried away at her university interview; and Charlie Russell's good time girl, Irish Eve, meets the man of her dreams – but only after she's become pregnant by someone else.

In short sharp, often overlapping scenes, their unwanted pregnancies progress from conception, through denial and the realisation that, one way or another, a choice has to be made. Funny, touching (and again performed to a very high standard) this new play with music – and its silent men hovering in the background - shows that even when abortion is legal, the decision to terminate is rarely an easy one.

Soho Theatre, Dean Street, W1 (020-7478 0100). In rep until Sep 13/ Sept 9. £20-£22.50

Her Naked Skin - TNT

It's shocking to realise that this is the first new play by a woman to occupy the Olivier, but far more so to witness the appalling indignities hunger-striking suffragettes endured in prison (including force-feeding by nasal tube) in their fight to obtain something that most of us now take for granted.

Playwright Rebecca Lenkiewicz brings together various individuals — a titled lady (Lesley Manville) who refuses to listen to the pleas of her perplexed husband to give up the cause, a working class machinist (Jemima Rooper) with whom she embarks on an affair, and Susan Engel's indomitable, elderly Flo who has devoted her life to gaining the vote — to convey with wit, sympathy and even-handed clarity the frustrated determination of being militant, disenfranchised and female in 1913.

Olivier, National Theatre, South Bank, SE1 (020-7452 3000; www.nationaltheatre.org.uk). Until September 24. £10-£30

Enduring Freedom - TNT

New playwright Anders Lustgarten is also a campaigning activist and the emotional aftermath of 9/11 provides fertile ground for him to examine both the personal and political implications of that horrific event as the McFarlanes wait in their New Jersey home for news of the son they will never see again.

Lustgarten movingly shows the various stages of their grief as Lisa Eichhorn's gentle Susan (a teacher) and Vincent Riotta's enraged Tom (a fire-fighter) try to come to terms with an unfathomable loss, their previously loving relationship torn apart not only by their different ways of coping but also by their political beliefs . And Fiz Marcus's Hanna brought tears to my eyes as, her own marriage abruptly ended by the collapse of the Twin Towers, she listens once again to the last missed message her husband would ever send.

The helpless incomprehension of all three is palpable as friends and relatives rally round offering support which always seems inadequate and out of tune with their needs. But then, no matter where the blame lies, neither anger nor compassion can offer much solace to grieving parents who have only a tiny identifying scrap of their son's shoulder blade – the size of a quarter - returned to them to bury.

Finborough, Finborough Road, SW10 (0844-847 1652). Until August 30. Tickets £13 (£9 Tuesdays).

Under the Blue Sky- TNT

David Eldridge's loosely linked trilogy of half-hour plays looks at what three pairs of teachers get up to once the kids have gone home, portraying them as every bit as emotionally confused as their pupils.

After years of close friendship, Helen still can't accept Nick really doesn't want anything more; having been dumped yet again, slutty Michelle finds that things turn unexpectedly nasty when she drunkenly seduces wimpish, virginal Graham; and, most memorably, an older woman (Francesca Annis) tries to persuade Nigel Lindsay's comfortingly plump, but much younger Robert to discontinue their platonic holidays.

Comic, disturbing and ultimately heart-warming, these well-acted duets from 2000 touch on broader matters, but mainly show that those who teach still have a lot to learn.

Duke of York's Theatre, St Martin's Ln, WC2 (0870-060 6623). Until September 20. £15-£47.50

The Shadowmaster - TNT

Director Stephanie Sinclaire's adaptation of J.M. Barrie's "Dear Brutus" proves a slight, over-extended affair which reveals several of the recurring preoccupations of the famous creator of Peter Pan. Although short, it spends too much time on inconsequentialities and doesn't go far enough in developing the possibilities it raises.

Midsummer night brings together half a dozen individuals at a country house party hosted by the mysterious Lob (whom they never meet) and his trick-playing manservant. The long-standing marriage of one couple has been destroyed by loss and drink; a young husband flits between his wife and his mistress (who happens to be her closest friend); and nothing is good enough for a haughty aristocrat. But for a single night, the appearance of a magic wood gives the guests the chance to see what their lives would have been like had they followed different paths, before they return (perhaps a little wiser) to reality.

The scenes between the adults have a forced overemphasis, but the relationship of a father (Billy Geraghty) and his little daughter (who, like Peter Pan, will never grow up) has a convincing poignancy which promises deeper, more troubling insights than this charmingly designed production ultimately delivers.

Kings Head Theatre, Upper Street, NI (0870-890 0149). Until September 7. Tickets £15- £20

West Side Story - TNT

Even half a century after its premiere, the finger-snapping opening of this marvellous musical still has the power to thrill as rival gangs, the "Polack" Jets and Puerto Rican Sharks, clash over their patch in New York's Upper West Side. Inspired by Shakespeare's classic tale of doomed young love, Romeo and Juliet, Jerome Robbins' transposition across the Atlantic and into the '50s brought together some of the big creative names on Broadway, plus a then comparatively unknown but already brilliant lyricist, Stephen Sondheim.

Despite a couple of cavils (those lyrics, always worth listening to, weren't always clear, and, at the matinee I attended, a beautifully-voiced but uncharismatic Tony dulls the romantic passion) this 50th anniversary production is a powerful treat. The choreography (reproduced from the original) is excitingly high energy with the Puerto Rican girls (led by Oneika Phillips striking Anita) vibrantly sexy in "America" and the boys showing their mettle in "Cool." Elisa Cordova makes a sweet, operatic Maria (the innocent new immigrant, sister of Shark leader Bernardo, who makes the fatal mistake of falling for former Jet Tony) and Leonard Bernstein's glorious music provides drama, comedy, romance – and the backdrop for an eerily resonant fatal knife fight.

Sadler's Wells, Rosebery Avenue, EC1. (0870-060 6615). August 31. £60-£15. (£50-£10 Wednesday matinees)

Gone Too Far - TNT

The short runs in the Theatre Upstairs usually sell out fast, but this year the Royal Court has brought back a trio of the most popular shows and restaged them downstairs in the main auditorium. Bola Agjabe's first play is the last of these, an edgy, streetwise account of brooding black on black violence and identity conflict exposed through a series of encounters on a London estate.

Cleverly but simply staged by director Bijan Sheibani, with each scene separated by moody dance moves, it won a Laurence Olivier Award for outstanding achievement when it premiered last year as part of the Young Writers' Festival. For unaccustomed ears, the various speech patterns take a while to get used to, but it's well worth listening as belligerent, 16 year-old Yemi (Tobi Bakare) works his way to tolerance, understanding and pride in his heritage with the help of Ikudayisi (his 18 year old brother from Nigeria whose existence he's only recently found out about).

The acting is excellent – especially from Zawe Ashton's mouthy, mixed race Armani trying to stir up trouble among the boys, Bunmi Mojekwu as her sweet-natured sidekick Paris, and Tunji Lucas's likeable and culturally bemused Ikudayisi, attempting to keep the peace whilst working out where he fits into his new London home.

Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, SW1 (020-7565 5000). Until August 9 (then at The Albany, SE8 Aug 14-16 & Hackney Empire, August 19-23. Tickets £25- £10