More theatre reviews and previews

Golem, Trafalgar Studios, London

The company 1927 have now established their trademark style: the dark side of English whimsy, mixing live figures onstage with expressionist video animations and dark Weimar-cabaret-style music. Their latest piece, premiered at the Young Vic at the turn of the year and now transferring to the West End, is inspired by Gustav Meyrink's 1914 take on the Golem mythos. In a hyper-real modern city, protagonist Robert buys a human-shaped clay figure as a labour-saving device, but gradually it gains the upper hand until he and his family are the automata. It's a parable about the perils of passive techno-consumerism and the illusion of choice, but it makes its point in a manner that is both mordant and deliciously sly. You won't find a smarter piece of fun, whose grin contains an unsettling gleam of fang. Ian Shuttleworth

youngvic.org, 020 7922 2922, to May 22

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Love's Sacrifice, Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon

John Ford's dark, glittering plays are getting a bit of a run out at the moment. While the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse stages The Broken Heart in London, here the RSC tackles Love's Sacrifice - another 17th-century drama of poisonous jealousy and scheming. A complex love triangle leads to a revenge tragedy driven by unrequited love. Director Matthew Dunster is in charge of all the seething desires and suspicion on stage. Sarah Hemming

rsc.org.uk, 0844 800 1110, to June 24

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Who Cares, Royal Court, London

The National Health Service is one of the key subjects under debate in the run-up to next month's UK general election and here the Royal Court stages a verbatim play about the issues. Playwright Michael Wynne spent 18 months talking to nurses, doctors, policy makers, historians and politicians to compile the perspectives shared in this drama, which will be staged in secret places around the theatre. Audience members are led from one area to another to listen to testimony gathered from people connected to the NHS on every level. Debbie Hannan, Lucy Morrison and Hamish Pirie direct. SH

royalcourttheatre.com, 020 7565 5000, to May 16

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Ah, Wilderness!, Young Vic, London

Director Natalie Abrahami's last show here was a very fine production of Happy Days, starring Juliet Stevenson. Now she changes tack, directing a Eugene O'Neill play rarely seen in the UK and, even more rarely from this writer, a comedy. It's a warm and atmospheric family drama set in 1930s Connecticut and tracing teenager Richard Miller's experience of young love over Independence Day weekend. With Janie Dee and George MacKay. SH

youngvic.org, 020 7922 2922, to May 23

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Clarion, Arcola, London

Clare Higgins and Greg Hicks star as a power-crazed editor and washed-up foreign correspondent in a black comedy about life in the office of a terrible (fictitious) newspaper: the Daily Clarion. Mark Jagasia's play offers a withering look at the current state of Britain's media - and given that he has worked in several Fleet Street newspapers, it might prove uncomfortable viewing for some. SH

arcolatheatre.com, 020 7503 1646, to May 16

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Outside Mullingar, Ustinov Studio, Bath

Sam Yates directs a bittersweet romantic comedy by John Patrick Shanley set in rural Ireland in 2008. Two neighbouring families are trapped in a bitter feud over a strip of land that separates their farms. Owen McDonnell plays Anthony and Deirdre O'Kane plays Rosemary, obstinate individuals either side of the fence, who are gradually drawn towards one another. SH

theatreroyal.org.uk, 01225 448844, to May 16

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A Level Playing Field, Jermyn Street Theatre, London

A new play from Jonathan Lewis (who wrote Our Boys) about the pressures on teenagers to succeed academically and the way one group of 18-year-old characters respond. In Lewis's drama, an exam clash has led to the schoolboys being quarantined, away from their peers, for an hour, to avoid cheating. But when their supervising teacher doesn't turn up, they are faced with temptations. The cast of 11 teenagers portray the difficulties experienced by their own generation. SH

jermynstreettheatre.co.uk, 020 7287 2875, to May 9

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