overnight reviews

A Midsummer Night's Dream, RSC, Barbican review - visually ravishing with an undercurrent of violence

★★★★ A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, RSC, BARBICAN Sci-fi-style alternate reality

This psychedelic mashup conveys a sci-fi-style alternate reality

Hermia is a headbutting punk with a tartan fetish, Oberon looks like Adam Ant and Lysander appears to have stumbled out of a Madness video. Yet Eleanor Rhode’s exuberant A Midsummer Night’s Dream – which has transferred from a triumphant run at Stratford-Upon-Avon – is no straightforward Eighties tribute, but a psychedelic mashup that’s as ravishing as it’s gritty.

The Devil Wears Prada, Dominion Theatre review - efficient but rarely inspired

★★★ THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, DOMINION THEATRE Efficient but rarely inspired

Relaunch of Elton John musical needs further tinkering still

It's second time only quasi-lucky for The Devil Wears Prada, the stage musical adaptation of the much-loved Meryl Streep film from 2006 that nosedived in Chicago a few summers ago and has resurfaced on the West End to see another day.

Refitted with a largely fresh creative team, the show ticks all the boxes that devotees of the movie will want and expect, while never really establishing a reason for being of its own, as Kinky Boots, from the same director (Jerry Mitchell), managed so triumphantly some while back.

L’étoile, RNCM, Manchester review - lavish and cheerful absurdity

L'ETOILE, RNCM, MANCHESTER Lavish absurdity in Chabrier's operatic comedy

Teamwork to the fore in a multi-credit operatic comedy

Emmanuel Chabrier’s L’étoile is not exactly a French farce, but it comes from a post-Offenbach era (1877 saw its premiere) when cheerful absurdity was certainly expected, especially at Offenbach’s old theatre, the Bouffes Parisiens.

Black Doves, Netflix review - Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw battle against the implausible

★★ BLACK DOVES, NETFLIX Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw battle against the implausible

Can anyone be trusted in Joe Barton's twisty London drama?

It’s rare to spot Keira Knightley in a TV series, and it’s no doubt a sign of changing times that she’s starring in this six-part spies-and-guns caper, penned by Joe Barton (of Giri/Haji and The Lazarus Project fame).

Vampire Weekend, OVO Hydro, Glasgow review - a mixture of brilliance and self-indulgence

The New Yorkers offered dancers, covers and great songs in a lengthy set

When Vampire Weekend arrived onstage they numbered only three and were bunched together at the front with a large curtain draped behind them, obscuring their backdrop. By the time this marathon set ended two and a half hours later, they’d more than doubled in number and had made full use of their surroundings, a shift which summed up a constantly changing, often contradictory show.

Ballet Shoes, Olivier Theatre review - reimagined classic with a lively contemporary feel

★★★★ BALLET SHOES, NATIONAL THEATRE Reimagined classic with a contemporary feel

The basics of Streatfield's original aren't lost in this bold, inventive production

Those with treasured battered copies of Noel Streatfield’s 1936 story of three young adopted sisters in pre-war London may have thrilled to the idea of a version coming to the National Theatre. But be warned: jolly though it is, it’s not the story of stagestruck pre-war Londoners you know.

Christmas with Connaught Brass, Milton Court review - delightful seasonal fare from Bach to Boulanger

Young quintet dazzle with their technical accomplishment and easy charm

Connaught Brass is a quintet of twenty-something players rapidly establishing an enviable reputation, and on the evidence of what I heard yesterday that reputation is fully deserved: they really are superbly good. A well-stuffed Milton Court spoke to their pulling power even in the face of terrible weather, and their easy stage manner and mostly successful repertoire choices made for an enjoyable evening hiding from the elements.

Cinderella, Royal Ballet review - inspiring dancing, but not quite casting the desired spell

★★★ CINDERELLA, ROYAL BALLET Inspiring dancing, but not quite casting the desired spell

A fairytale in need of a dramaturgical transformation

Romeo and Juliet or Cinderella? Prokofiev’s two great scores have provided the Royal Ballet with a pair of popular hits, though Macmillan’s R&J has probably been the bigger draw, its Capulets ball music sampled everywhere from TV commercials to Sunderland FC’s pre-match stadium anthem.

Nocturnes review - the sounds of the rainforest transport you a remote region of the Himalayas

Mansi spends her nights counting moths in North East India

If you suffer from lepidopterophobia, this film will either cure your fear of moths or push you over the edge. Warning: the screen is often filled with moths of every shape, size, colour and pattern while the sound of flapping, fluttering and girating wings fills the air to the point where you feel bombarded by the flying, furry creatures.