An Interrogation, Hampstead Theatre review - police procedural based on true crime tale fails to ring true

 AN INTERROGATION, HAMPSTEAD THEATRE Detective gets her man, but at what cost?

Rosie Sheehy and Jamie Ballard shine in Edinburgh Festival import

In a dingy room with dilapidated furniture on a dismal Sunday evening, two detectives prepare for an interview. The old hand walks out, with just a little too much flattery hanging in the air, leaving the interrogation in the hands of the up-and-coming thruster, a young woman investigating the disappearance of a young woman. Alone, with just a camera for company (we get the video feed also from hidden cameras too) she awaits the suspect for the showdown.

Presumed Innocent, Apple TV+ review - you read the book and saw the movie...

★★★★ PRESUMED INNOCENT, APPLE TV+ You read the book and saw the movie...

Jake Gyllenhaal stars in absorbing TV adaptation of Scott Turow's legal thriller

Scott Turow published his cunningly-wrought legal thriller in 1987, and Alan J Pakula’s powerful movie version, starring Harrison Ford, appeared in 1990. Enough time has elapsed, perhaps, for Apple TV’s revised version of Presumed Innocent for the streaming age.

Fatal Attraction, Paramount+ review - Adrian Lyne's bunny-boiler blockbuster expanded onwards and outwards

★★★★ FATAL ATTRACTION, PARAMOUNT+  A fascinating series trips over its own ambitions

A fascinating series which sometimes trips over its own ambitions

Directed by Adrian Lyne, Fatal Attraction was the biggest-grossing film of 1987, and gave the world the term “bunny boiler”. Lyne isn’t aboard for Paramount’s new eight-part series, but the film’s screenwriter James Dearden is a major script contributor alongside the show’s creators Kevin J Hynes and Alexandra Cunningham.

Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial, Ambassadors Theatre review - courtroom drama hits the back of the net

★★★★ VARDY VS ROONEY: THE WAGATHA CHRISTIE TRIAL, AMBASSADORS THEATRE Courtroom drama hits the back of the net

Sparky adaptation of legal spat puts verbatim theatre in football context

“Wagatha Christie” – I salute the bright spark who coined the term – describes, for those who don't follow such fripperies, the social media spat between footballers' wives Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney (married to Jamie and Wayne respectively), which later became the subject of an multimillion-pound court case.

Legally Blonde, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre review - a joyous Gen-Z musical makeover

★★★★ LEGALLY BLONDE, REGENT'S PARK OPEN AIR THEATRE A joyous Gen-Z makeover

Lucy Moss puts the 'camp' into campus with her riotous, inclusive revival

The 2001 Reese Witherspoon-starring film Legally Blonde, upon which Heather Hach, Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin’s peppy Broadway musical is based, was something of a Trojan horse: a bubblegum-pink comedy with a feminist spine.

The Staircase, NOW review - addictive dramatisation of real-life murder investigation

★★★★ THE STAIRCASE, NOW Colin Firth visits the dark side as suspected killer Michael Peterson

Colin Firth visits the dark side as suspected killer Michael Peterson

The real-life case of Michael Peterson and the death of his wife Kathleen in 2001 has generated a steady stream of TV documentaries, though this new series from HBO Max (showing on NOW) is the first time anybody has actually dramatised the story. With Colin Firth as Michael and Toni Collette as Kathleen, it’s a compelling mix of conspiracy theory, forensic detective thriller and legal drama, bristling with false trails and tantalising clues.

Prima Facie, Harold Pinter Theatre review - Jodie Comer sears the stage

OLIVIER AWARDS 2023 - Jodie Comer, Best Actress in PRIMA FACIE, also Best New Play

'Killing Eve' star's stage debut is a triumph

National statistics tell us that, in the year ending September 2021, 41% of rape victims in England and Wales eventually withdrew their support for prosecution. That justice is not always blind may have something to do with this.

The Split, Series 3, BBC One review - the Defoes are back, more conflicted than ever

★★★★ THE SPLIT, SERIES 3, BBC ONE The Defoes are back, more conflicted than ever

Will Hannah and Nathan's marriage survive? Nicola Walker and Stephen Mangan star in Abi Morgan's legal drama

After two years away, Abi Morgan’s acclaimed legal drama/juicy soap The Split returns for its third series, reuniting us with the closely knit, or, you might say, incestuous, law firm of Noble Hale Defoe.

The Merchant of Venice, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse review - enormous empathy

★★★★ THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, SAM WANAMAKER PLAYHOUSE Enormous empathy

A supposed 'comedy' gives the moneylender Shylock pride of place

The Merchant of Venice is a comedy, you say? Shakespeare, as ever, refuses to be confined to convenient boxes, his best plays’ extraordinary pliability and longevity a testament to the piercing eye he cast towards the slings and arrows that assail humankind.

Witness for the Prosecution, London County Hall review - return of Agatha Christie's gripping courtroom drama

★★★ WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION, LONDON COUNTY HALL Return of Agatha Christie's gripping courtroom drama

This serpentine classic is perfectly placed in every sense

Lucy Bailey's production of Christie's Witness for the Prosecution, first staged at County Hall in 2017, has a few years to make up on The Mousetrap's near 70, but it has already proved its staying power, despite the hiatus of the lockdown months.