Simon Callow plays Jesus in Belfast, the National Theatre of Scotland's Black Watch marches back to Glasgow, and the Spill festival makes a splash in London
Scotland and Northern Ireland
The Buzzcuts festival continues over this weekend and is a superb way to catch a glimpse of the next generation of theatremakers. Some of them are likely to graduate to the Arches' Behaviour festival, which kicks off with Gary McNair's Donald Robertson Is Not a Stand-up Comedian. McNair did the brilliant Crunch, so expect something special. Also in Glasgow, the Tron hosts Viota, a show in which counter-culture meets the Bloomsbury set. Staying in Glasgow, I reckon it's worth going to the Citizens for the bonkers – but at times thrilling – update of Doctor Faustus. The SECC hosts the return of the National Theatre of Scotland's mega-hit Black Watch.
Heading over to Edinburgh, the Traverse has Quiz Show, the new show from Rob Drummond, who made last year's Edinburgh hit Bullet Catch. The RSC bring The Winter's Tale into Edinburgh Playhouse. At the Royal Lyceum, meanwhile, Takin' Over the Asylum is quirky fun. In Northern Ireland, the Lyric in Belfast premieres Matthew Hurt's The Man Jesus, with Simon Callow playing the son of God.
North
Tamasha and Circus Space's The Arrival, inspired by Shaun Tan's graphic novel, shouldn't be missed and it's at the Theatre Royal York next week. Head up to the Lakes for Theatre By the Lake's staging of Hugh Walpole's Borrowdale saga, Rogue Herries. Rutherford & Son continues to be a draw at West Yorkshire Playhouse, and Dark Horse's heartwarming Sing Something Simple stops off at the Stephen Joseph in Scarborough. In Liverpool from next Friday, you can catch Stephen Unwin's revival of Peter Nichols's play about raising a disabled child, A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, at the Playhouse, and for good fun check out the football-mad Beating Berlusconi! at the Epstein. In Manchester, Rory Mullarkey's Cannibals considers death, love and consumerism at the Royal Exchange.
Central and east
The recent hit, Piaf, returns briefly to the Curve in Leicester from Wednesday. I Was a Rat! continues to delight audiences of all ages at Nottingham Playhouse. The quietly lovely and playful Ockham's Razor show, Not Until We Are Lost, is at Malvern theatre from Wednesday. Howard Goodall's wonderful musical of rural life, The Hired Man, continues at the Mercury in Colchester before it heads north to the Curve, and Eastern Angles' John Clare show takes up residence at the Sir John Mills in Ipswich.
South
Forever House sounds as if it's a hit for the Drum in Plymouth. After a glorious Richard III, there's a change of gear for the Shakespeare season at the Tobacco Factory, which continues with a revival of Two Gentlemen of Verona. The murderous The Bloody Ballad, a mixture of music gig and theatre, stops off at Bristol Old Vic. Head to Bath's Theatre Royal for Noises Off, and a last chance to see Richard Greenberg's very fine The American Plan in the Ustinov. Will Adamsdale's tale of a blocked writer who finds a stranger living in his flat, The Victorian in the Wall, stops off at Brighton Dome, and Forest Forge's play about autism, The Boy at the Edge of the Room, is at the Capitol in Horsham and the Spring in Havant. Check the website for other dates.
London
The Spill festival begins on Wednesday. Shows to savour include the Famous Lauren Barri Holstein in Splat! at the Barbican, and Wendy Bevan and Temper Temper exploring The Pain of Desire at Toynbee Studios, with lots of discussions and workshops too. It's definitely worth your attention. Also take a look at the programme for the All Change festival at Theatre 503, which includes performances, workshops and conversations around new writing from across Europe. Kafka is pretty big this week, with the second part of Retz's immersive one-on-one version of The Trial opening across multiple venues in east London and a new take on In the Penal Colony being staged in a site-specific spectacle at Trinity Buoy Wharf.
Narrative, a new piece about telling stories, is Anthony Neilson's latest at the Royal Court, and previews from next Friday. At the Young Vic, Carrie Cracknell's explosive revival of A Doll's House, with Hattie Morahan as Nora, returns – and it is joined on Wednesday by Told By an Idiot's tale of strokes and King Lear, My Perfect Mind. The Finborough has a Caryl Churchill world premiere: The Hospital at the Time of the Revolution, written in 1972 but as yet unperformed, begins on Sunday and is inspired by the life and work of Frantz Fanon.
Brian Friel's beautiful Molly Sweeney is revived at the Print Room, and Imogen Stubbs and Amanda Daniels play warring sisters in Third Finger, Left Hand at Trafalgar Studios. Take a 20-minute train ride to Watford Palace for the latest from Tom Wells, who wrote the brilliant The Kitchen Sink. Jumpers for Goalposts is a tale of growing up and football. The Irish hit, The Life and Sort of Death of Eric Argyle, about a man who has barely lived enough to have regrets, is at Soho theatre from Tuesday. The one-woman The Billie Holiday Story opens at Charing Cross theatre, but if you want a one-woman show of raw emotional power and bravado then Peggy Shaw's Ruff at Chelsea theatre is my choice.
Several young companies are in action this week: Simple8 premieres its adaptation of Moby Dick at the Arcola, Little Soldier's physical comedy about old age and dementia, You and Me, is at the Blue Elephant, and Whole Hog's staging of Hayao Miyazaki's animated movie, Princess Mononoke, is at the New Diorama. It's really worth trying to wangle a ticket for Look Left Look Right's Above and Beyond at the Corinthia Hotel and Lundahl & Seitl's The Memory of WT Stead at Steinway Hall.
Have a happy Easter and do share with all of us which shows you are seeing and what you think of them.
Theatre
Royal Shakespeare Company
Simon Callow
West End
Festivals
Comedy
Franz Kafka
Lyn Gardner
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