The Independent Recommends: The Five Best Plays

The Colour of Justice (Tricycle Theatre)

Potent re-enactment of the Stephen Lawrence inquiry, coinciding with the furore surrounding the fate of the policemen involved in the case. To 6 Feb

The Street of Crocodiles

(Queen's Theatre)

Triumphant revival of Theatre de Complicite's surreal and searing plunge into the imagination of Polish-Jewish writer Bruno Schulz. To 20 Feb

Oklahoma! (Lyceum Theatre)

Widely regarded as the best ever, Trevor Nunn's glorious production of the Rogers and Hammerstein classic fully deserves its West End transfer. To 26 Jun

The Winter's Tale (RSC, Stratford)

An amazingly rich and complex performance from Antony Sher in Gregory Doran's Romanov-style production (right). In rep to 4 Mar

Martin Guerre

(West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds)

It's third time lucky for this much-rewritten musical. In Conall Morrison's starkly involving production, it finally emerges as a tighter, magnificent show. To 13 Feb

Paul Taylor