Curious, Soho Theatre review - a young playwright puts herself centre-stage

★★★ CURIOUS, SOHO THEATRE A young playwright puts herself centre-stage

Can a runaway slave help a black actress love the theatre more?

Jasmine Lee-Jones has a hard act to follow – namely, herself. Her award-winning 2019 debut play, seven methods of killing kylie jenner, announced the arrival at the Royal Court of a blistering writing talent whose two sparring women made the room crackle and pop.

Oliver Sacks: His Own Life review - a complex portrait of a complex man

★★★★ OLIVER SACKS: HIS OWN LIFE A complex portrait of a complex man

Occasionally reverential documentary about the British neurologist

It’s well worth tracking down one of the September 29 special cinema screenings of Ric Burns' lovingly made documentary portrait of the writer and neurologist Oliver Sacks, or seeking it out online.

Album: Lil Nas X - Montero

★★★ LIL NAS X - MONTERO Georgia-born star brings consistency to an extraordinary sound array

For better or worse, the Georgia-born star brings consistency to an extraordinary array of sound

Lil Nas X is good at being a pop star. Like, what could pop culture need more than a young, flamboyant, witty gay rapper from the deep south who can top the US country charts then just when it appeared he might not be able to live up to the success of “Old Town Road” lap dance Satan in the video for the Latin-tinged “Call me by Your Name” and storm to mega sales all over again?

Twelfth Night, Shakespeare's Globe review - foot-stompingly good fun

★★★★★ TWELFTH NIGHT, SHAKESPEARE'S GLOBE Foot-stompingly good fun

Michelle Terry is gunning for a second Olivier with her first Viola

The best version of Twelfth Night I’ve seen is not called Twelfth Night. For sheer knockabout entertainment, nothing beats the 2006 film She’s the Man. But Sean Holmes’ production for the Globe’s summer season, brimming with song and physical comedy, comes a worthy second.

Last Easter, Orange Tree Theatre review - over-performative and strangely off-putting

★★★ LAST EASTER, ORANGE TREE Over-performative and strangely off-putting

The lighting's gorgeous, but Bryony Lavery's drama about theatre friendships never quite clicks

Last Easter has become a lot more relatable since it was forced to postpone this run at the Orange Tree Theatre, originally scheduled for 2020.

Two of Us review - a lesbian love story with a difference

★★★★ TWO OF US A lesbian love story with a difference

Everybody needs good neighbours: director Filippo Meneghetti's brilliant debut

“Do you have a problem with old dykes?” demands Nina (the superbly ferocious Barbara Sukowa) of a bland, nervous young estate agent, halfway through this wonderfully original first feature from director Filippo Meneghetti. No, he stammers. “You see, no one gives a damn, except you, Mado,” she hisses at her secret lover Madeleine (Martine Chevallier).

Album: Mykki Blanco - Broken Hearts and Beauty Sleep

★★★ MYKKI BLANCO - BROKE HEARTS AND BEAUTY SLEEP Groundbreaking MC showcases increasing variety

Groundbreaking MC showcases increasing variety on their second album

Broken Hearts and Beauty Sleep has been five years coming. It’s only a mini-album but is spiced with a range of guests, and offers an array of musical styles, the whole sound ably built with alt-tronic producer FaltyDL. The press release tells us Blanco has recently come out of a calming three year relationship, but the album is neither morose nor studiedly reflective. It feels more like a sequel to the playful 2016 debut Mykki.

Kylie Whitehead: Absorbed review - boundary-blurry, darkly funny debut

★★★★ KYLIE WHITEHEAD: ABSORBED Boundary-blurry, darkly funny debut

Body horror portrait delves deep into questions of anxiety and identity

Absorbed meets Allison at the end of her relationship with Owen. They are at a New Year's Eve party when she realises that their 10-year partnership has wound down. So far, so normal. But even within this introduction, we are drawn into Allison's head, the promise clear that the anxieties she hears on a daily basis will become secondary characters to the plot itself.

Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation review - genius dogged by disappointment

★★★★ TRUMAN & TENNESSEE: AN INTIMATE CONVERSATION Empathic documentary honours two literary legends

Empathic documentary honours two literary legends

Kindred literary spirits who overlapped in any number of ways make for riveting stuff in Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation. Filmmaker Lisa Immordino Vreeland folds archival footage of the legendary writers together with recitations from their life and art spoken by Jim Parsons and Zachary Quinto.