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The Independent

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, BAC, London
They glide, they soar, they loop the loop – in a charming display of Twenties-style eccentric dance, Jo-jo Pickering and Aila Floyd combine two enthusiasms of the decade, the charleston and aviation. Wearing fringed flapper skirts with aviator helmets and scarves, they're a joyously comic duo who would have cheered up any vaudeville house in that period. The girls, however, are the opening act for an entertainment that is much more complicated, both technically and emotionally.

Financial Times

Edward Scissorhands, Sadler’s Wells, London
This is a decidedly uneven work with a bitty scenario and clunky changes of gear, writes Gerald Dowler

Big, loud, seasonal silliness
The show, traditional yet full of topical gags, cements the annual Hackney pantomime’s status as London’s finest – but this isn’t a genre to dissect, writes Ian Shuttleworth

Ruined, Goodman Theatre, Chicago
Brendan Lemon is glad for some relief to temper a shattering show

The Times UK

Standing ovation for Tennant replacement
Theatregoers gave Edward Bennett rave reviews after Doctor Who actor pulled out of Hamlet with bad back

Phantoms of the opera break silence
Long-dead stars crackle in Paris Opera from 24 pristine gramophone records that were locked away for posterity

Hamlet, Novello, London
Tennant's understudy, Edward Bennett, maybe deserved his standing ovation, for valour in the theatrical field

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh
This seasonal favourite goes for the family entertainment jugular: fast, furious and with tiptop individual performances

The Little Prince, Hampstead Theatre
The satire on power and business doesn't have much bite. Little Prince is more struck by the fox he befriends

The Guardian

Birtwistle freezes Orpheus in new work
Doyen of British music theatre, Sir Harrison Birtwistle, is to premiere a new work based on the Orpheus myth next year

Cracked cabaret: 1927's Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Take a peek at theatre company 1927's acclaimed stage show, which weaves together a series of vignettes inspired by fairy tales and silent cinema

Party like it's 1927
Creepy tales: How theatre company 1927 use RP accents to conjure up horror

Pick of the pantos
Photos: 'Tis the season to be jolly ... so take a look at this selection box of pantomimes from around the country - and see what our critics had to say about them

Scary Cinderella cleans up its act
There are one or two enjoyably gruesome bits in Melly Still and Ben Power's scary version of Cinderella

Young Vic defends Amazon Christmas
Critics don't like Amazonia but audiences do, says the theatre's artistic director

Hamlet, Novello, London
The play's the thing: a stand-in Hamlet and a masterly Patrick Stewart star in this ensemble triumph, says Michael Billington

Maria Friedman Rearranged, Trafalgar Studios, London
My personal preference is to see a full show rather than a cabaret, but there's much to admire here, says Lyn Gardner

Danny Champion of the World, Octagon, Bolton
This adaptation of Roald Dahl's story moves along at an impressive clip, thinks Alfred Hickling

Cinderella, King's Glasgow
Panto hero Gerard Kelly deserves a round of applause for his wholehearted upholding of tradition, says Mark Fisher

Daily Telegraph

Not a great Dane, but a plucky shot
Edward Bennett, who usually plays Laertes, attempts the impossible task of standing in for David Tennant as Hamlet.

Tennant disappoints theatre-goers
Theatre-goers have voiced their disappointment that David Tennant was forced to pull out of his leading role in Hamlet.

Understudy Ed Bennett replaces Tennant in Hamlet
As a young actor starting out in the business, Ed Bennett could count a walk-on part in television drama Silent Witness among his most notable roles.

Broadway hit by downturn
America's economic woes have taken a heavy toll on Broadway, where the final curtain is coming down on 15 shows in the next six weeks.

Whatsonstage.com

Review: Hamlet
There are some things even Time Lords can’t fix. So, the bad back that forced David Tennant to miss the previous night’s performance meant that he missed the press night too – and instant fame for Edward Bennett, the understudy catapulted into the sp...