The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Noel Coward Theatre review - Aidan Turner makes a magnetic West End debut

★★★★ THE LIEUTENANT OF INISHMORE, NOEL COWARD THEATRE Aidan Turner makes a magnetic West End debut

Martin McDonagh revival brings Poldark to the London stage, guns blazing

Aidan Turner may not reveal those famously bronzed pecs that have made TV's Poldark box office catnip in his West End debut. But what Michael Grandage's funny and fiery revival of The Lieutenant of Inishmore reveals in spades is the irresistible charisma and stage savvy of an actor fully at home in what can only be called Martin McDonagh-land.

Sophie Mackintosh: The Water Cure review - on the discipline of survival

Dystopian debut novel carves lyric from brutality

A body can be pushed to the brink, to the point where thoughts flatten to a line of light, and come back from death, but the heart is complex and the damage it wreaks barely controllable. For Grace, Lia and Sky, the three sisters of Sophie Mackintosh’s debut novel The Water Cure, living by a discipline which tames their bodies and emotions to strict rituals is more than a matter of self-control – it is a matter of survival.

Revenge - a blood-soaked joy

★★★★ REVENGE Never have desert landscapes and graphic self-surgery looked so good

Never have desert landscapes and graphic self-surgery looked so good

Deep in an unnamed desert, a violent and psychedelic retribution is sought. The aptly named Revenge is a brutally rewarding experience, bringing classic horror and exploitation tropes kicking and screaming into the 21st century.

Westworld, Series 2, Sky Atlantic review - big trouble in synthetic paradise

★★★★ WESTWORLD, SKY ATLANTIC Apocalypse looms as androids go on the rampage

Apocalypse looms as androids go on the rampage

Some critics complain that Westworld is too complicated for its own good, and you can see their point. Even on a basic level, it’s an exploration of the nature and potential of artificial intelligence, as it depicts the consequences of super-lifelike androids – or “synthetic humans”, if you will – acquiring higher knowledge and going on a terrifying killing rampage.

Stephen: The Murder That Changed A Nation, BBC One review - ‘He was a cool guy and everybody loved him’

★★★★★ STEPHEN: THE MURDER THAT CHANGED A NATION, BBC ONE New three-part documentary marks 25 years

New three part documentary marks 25 years since the murder of Stephen Lawrence

When doctors told Doreen Lawrence her son had died she thought, "That’s not true." Spending time with his body in the hospital, aside from a cut on his cheek, it seemed to her he was sleeping. The death of a child will always be strange, and in the aftermath Neville, his father and her husband, even wondered if he might have been struck by the Biblical curse of the loss of his first-born.

Far Cry 5 review – forget the story and just go with the flow

★★★ FAR CRY 5 Forget the story and just go with the flow

God, guns and the great outdoors

Civilisation is under threat from a bunch of religious rednecks, and it’s your job as the new Deputy Sheriff of fictional Hope County to right the wrongs of a year-long silent coup initiated by Eden’s Gate, a fanatical doomsday cult, intent on purging sinners and imposing their law on the land. There's a Brexit gag in there somewhere.

You Were Never Really Here review - a wild ride to the dark side

★★★★ YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE A wild ride to the dark side

An intimidating performance by Joaquin Phoenix as a remorseless lone avenger

The gripping paradox of Lynne Ramsay’s terse, brutal thriller is suggested in its title. Adapted from Jonathan Ames's novella, it’s a film distinguished by the force of its images and the compression of its narrative, and while its impact leaves you dazed, you can’t quite believe that what you’ve just seen ever happened.

Macbeth, Wilton's Music Hall review - incisive and thrilling dance theatre

★★★★ MACBETH, WILTON'S MUSIC HALL Incisive and thrilling dance theatre

Mark Bruce Company's wordless take on the Scottish Play is stunning

There’s more than a touch of vaunting ambition in the idea of turning the Scottish Play into dance theatre. Without spoken text, named scenes or even a printed synopsis, it falls to choreography and direction to speak for them all.

Frozen, Haymarket Theatre review - star cast explores the reality of evil

★★★★ FROZEN, HAYMARKET THEATRE Suranne Jones, Jason Watkins and Nina Sosanya examine human darkness

Suranne Jones, Jason Watkins and Nina Sosanya convincingly examine human darkness

Whatever the weather, this week is Frozen. On Broadway, the Disney musical of that name begins previews, but let’s let that go. In the West End, our Frozen has no Elsa, no Anna and no glittery gowns. Although it does have plenty of ice imagery. No, our Frozen is a much darker story; it’s a revival of Bryony Lavery’s 1998 award-winning play about a child killer – definitely no singing, no dancing, no hummable tunes.