Dead Air, Pleasance Courtyard.Grief affects us in many ways. Imagine you didn’t come to see your dying father in the hospital – how can you ever overcome the regret? No problem, use the new AI Air Service tool to keep in touch with loved ones beyond the grave with their varied helpful subscription services! Alfrun Rose’s one-woman show retraces the steps of her problematic relationships with her mother, her mother’s new partner and her own on-off boyfriend. But when the only person who can really give the support she needs is dead – she just has to rely on this new big business model to maintain that relationship. It’s a beautifully, touchingly written play, full of light and shade, giving all the characters in Alfie’s story their own voice and perspective. It’s also full of irresistibly funny moments of dark comedy, mixed with powerful emotions. A superb tour-de-force that keeps you riveted throughout. Hugely entertaining. 5 stars.

Call Me Crazy, Greenside @ Riddles Court.Olivia attends yet another clinic, trying to put a number to her level of pain – but will the doctors even believe her if she does? This hard-hitting intense monologue charts Olivia’s young life from her early days where she tried so hard to become invisible, and succeeded to today where she needs to be seen again and discover an identity for herself and the cause for all her pain. A fascinating insight into a woman’s struggle with the medical profession and the formative memories that led her to where she is now. Sharply written and powerfully acted by Olivia Ormond. 4 stars.

Kanpur: 1857, Pleasance Courtyard.An Indian rebel is forced to tell their story before an audience before being strapped to a cannon as a punishment for their part in the Kanpur rebellion. But if they reveal the group’s secrets and the whereabouts of the rebel leader, they might go free. At first you think this will be a simply structured play, with the rebel telling their story – but when a British officer interrupts them and tries to direct their performance, things take a turn for the surreal. The unusual structure cleverly emphasises the imbalance of power, and it’s a powerful play, although it sometimes feels a little heavy and not always easy to follow. Perhaps lacking a sense of menace, it’s nevertheless well acted and includes an exquisite tabla performance by Sodhi. 3 stars.

The Unstoppable Rise of Ben Manager, Pleasance Courtyard.A supremely bizarre production – ostensibly, it’s a satire on generic management and asks the question, what do big successful managers do all day; and on the other hand it’s a fantasy idea allowed to run riot. A wannabe employee fakes an interview and blags an executive job – and then finds he has nothing to do all day, but at least he does it with pizzazz, so gets noticed and then gets continuously promoted beyond all his ability – not that he needs any ability to do nothing. It’s an interesting idea but it runs out of steam very quickly and becomes very repetitive and rather childish. Energetically performed, but that’s not enough to save it. Not for me. 2 stars.

Chloe Petts: Big Naturals, Pleasance Courtyard.There’s always an air of expectation at a Chloe Petts gig – she’s rapidly becoming a bit of a national treasure. Her latest show, Big Naturals, is named in honour of what she most likes in life – cue some delightful reminiscences about Page 3 Girls and the journalistic high notes set by the likes of the Sun and the Mirror. At the heart of the show is her affiliation with the lad culture of her formative years and the debt she owes Kasabian. Lots of deliciously clever callbacks and an abundance of laughs and comic observations. Chloe Petts can always be relied on to deliver fantastic material, and Big Naturals does exactly that. 4 stars.