By Lynn Enright.

For Shakespeare aficionados...

NT Live: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Live 20 April, Encore 16 May)

If you loved the witty, wise words of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, you shouldn’t miss the impressively smart, brilliantly funny Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, live from London’s Old Vic Theatre. Written by Sir Tom Stoppard (Shakespeare in Love) in the 1960s, it imagines the offstage existence of two minor characters from Shakespeare’s most famous play, Hamlet. An investigation of life on the sidelines, the play crackles with wit, and this revival of the existential caper – which stars Daniel Radcliffe and Joshua McGuire in the title roles – has won much acclaim, confirming its position as one of the classics of 20th-century British theatre.

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For those bowled over by ideas and imagination...

NT Live: Obsession (Live 11 May, Encore May 30)

If you were taken by the idea-packed, bravely imaginative staging of Twelfth Night, you’ll want to catch Obsession, broadcast live from the Barbican, London. An adaptation of the cult 1943 film made by legendary Italian director Luchino Visconti, it’s a darkly passionate tale of lust, love and danger, starring Jude Law in the role of Gino. The story sees him embark on a violently passionate affair with Giovanna, and their love takes them to extreme places as they plot the murder of her husband. This is a totally new adaptation with electric casting, so no wonder it’s one of the most eagerly anticipated productions anywhere in the world this year.

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For anyone who wants to see acting at its finest...

NT Live: Yerma (Live 31 August, Encore 19 September)

If you marveled at Tamsin Grieg’s portrayal of Malvolia in Twelfth Night, you’ll appreciate Billie Piper’s very different but equally brilliant performance in Yerma. Piper received the Evening Standard Best Actress Award and is nominated for an Olivier Award for her devastating turn in the Young Vic’s hugely celebrated production. Lorca’s play tells the story of a woman in 1930s Spain as she struggles with the pain of infertility and this is a smart and provocative update by Australian director Simon Stone. Piper plays Yerma as a modern woman, successful and independent, but wracked by a sense of inadequacy as she struggles to conceive a child in a world that still expects her to become a mother. The show is stylish and fast-paced, and Piper’s performance marks her out as one of the UK’s finest actors.

Get times and tickets here.