The Bartered Bride review: INO’s cleverly compact opera is anchored in an infectious humour
Irish National Opera’s touring production updates the action in Smetana’s opera to Big Tom’s Ireland of the 1970s
By Michael Dungan
The Dead review: Joyce’s perfect story finds wonderfully playful expression in this Christmas gem
Theatre: Louise Lowe’s returning production honours Joyce without embalming him, letting his world breathe again
A Christmas Carol review: Gate’s imaginative, deeply spooky take works new magic on Dickens classic
Is this Christmas Carol suitable for smaller children? The tiny me would have savoured the horror as much as the joyful denouement
Cinderella review: Ballet Ireland’s entertainingly reimagined fairy tale features charming, genteel dancing
Loughlan Prior moves the tale to the 1950s, when the heroine leaves her family in Ireland to emigrate to New York
By Christie Seaver
The Nutcracker at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre review: A journey more whimsical and fantastical than most
State Ballet of Georgia’s colourful production remains tethered to the original narrative
By Christie Seaver
Amelia review: This play about the famous aviator is in love with flying
Susanne Colleary’s play features the most romantic depiction of expedition in any of Blue Raincoat’s plays about explorers
The Mirror Stage review: Unflinchingly real experiences of losing contact with reality
Theatre: Brokentalkers developed their illuminating work about psychosis with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Swan Lake review: Cork City Ballet’s triumphant production brings an exciting sense of newness
Katerina Petrova, Tsetso Ivanov, Francesc Saura and Shin Kurokawa shine under Alan Foley’s crisp direction
By Mary Leland
The Dolldrums review: Slick noir about a trans actor trapped inside a performance
Theatre: Liath Hannon is remarkable as a trans girl who masks her desperation for acceptance and experience with dark humour
Madama Butterfly review: Star soprano Celine Byrne is perfectly suited to this Cio-Cio-San
In Irish National Opera’s Puccini staging, Celine Byrne’s character is assured and forward-thinking rather than naive and vulnerable
By Michael Dungan
Denouement review: A wedding anniversary that’s the end of the world
Belfast International Arts Festival: Patrick O’Kane and Anna Healy star in John Morton’s dark comedy for the Lyric Theatre
Dancehall review: Luail’s dancers let loose as the music pulses through them
In Emma Martin’s restaging of her choreography, the dancers become one with Andrew Hamilton’s music
By Christie Seaver
Connie review: The deeply tragic life of an Irish actor who became a Hollywood star
Theatre: Pom Boyd stars in clever, entertaining portrayal of Constance Smith’s extraordinarily novelistic life
Delius’s The Magic Fountain, at Wexford, is unlikely to appeal to many beyond the already converted
Wexford Festival Opera 2025: Singers cope valiantly with composer’s awkward, meandering vocal lines
Handel’s fascinating, neglected Deidamia, at Wexford, features virtuoso performances
Wexford Festival Opera 2025: Bruno de Sá reaches heights few male singers can aspire to
Le Trouvère opera is strongly cast but struggles to convey the tensions of Verdi’s story
Wexford Festival Opera 2025: Ben Barnes directs the French-language version of Il Trovatore
The Leap, at Dublin Theatre Festival, is an imaginative dive into the emotional world of a preteen
Dublin Theatre Festival 2025: Gavin Kostick’s play is Fishamble’s first for young audiences
By Tara Brady
Pieces of a Woman, at Dublin Theatre Festival: Knockout performances anchor old-school melodrama
Dublin Theatre Festival 2025: Kata Wéber’s play for Poland’s TR Warszawa company features a magnificent cast
Three Sisters at Dublin Theatre Festival: Saoirse-Monica Jackson gives a sharp turn in a fresh take on Chekhov
Dublin Theatre Festival 2025 review: Ciara Elizabeth Smyth’s honed adaptation shifts towards surreal comedy
Caligula, at Dublin Theatre Festival, resonates as a meditation on tyranny and resistance
Dublin Theatre Festival 2025 review: This Ukrainian take on Camus’s play is a compelling political statement rather than convincing drama
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