SUSAN DARLINGTON appreciates a retelling of the Merlin myth that emphasises family and belonging
Campaigning and performing
LYNNE WALSH deplores how laudable commitments to battling discrimination have displaced the fight against women's sex-based oppression
Rebecca Hyde in The Last One by Zoe Alker, 2024
[Steve Gregson] 
JAN WOOLF is beguiled by the tempting notion that Freud psychoanalysed Hitler in a comedy that explores the vulnerability of a damaged individual
TONY BURKE reviews new releases from Cheikh Lo, Mishra & Deepa Shakthi, N’Faly Kouyate
Gin Lane by William Hogarth is a critique of 18th-century London’s growing funeral trade, posits DAN O’BRIEN
ANDY HEDGECOCK sees his scepticism lessened by a story is more complex and far-reaching than is initially apparent
MARK TURNER holds on tight for a mesmerising display of Neath-born ragtime virtuosity
Feminist Theatre Then & Now
Edited by Cheryl Robson
Aurora Metro, £16.99
MEMORIES of the heady days of women’s theatre in the ’70s and ’80s recall the provocative and edgy nature of the genre.
The clues are in the names of some of the troupes: Sensible Footwear, Cunning Stunts, Scarlet Harlots, Monstrous Regiment, Beryl and the Perils, Theatre of Black Women, Clean Break, Sadista Sisters, Lip Service, and The Chuffinelles. The latter included the late and truly great Linda Smith.
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LYNNE WALSH reports from the Women’s Declaration International conference on feminist struggles from Britain to the Far East
PAUL FOLEY recommends an extraordinary double bill that packs a punch and leaves you reeling
ALAN McGUIRE recommends an autobiography that is an intriguing mix of short stories and personal sketches