Metamorphosis
First seen back on 2006 (I'm just about used to not saying ldquo;last yearrdquo;), David Farr's stage production of Metamamorphosis is nothing if not saturated. Take one pinch of Kafkaian black humour, add a healthy dose of boundary-denting actor/director Giacute;sli Ouml;rn Gardarsson, and stir generously with a soundtrack created by the dark prince of rock, Nick Cave, and all-round oddball, Warren Ellis, and what do you have? Resurrecting itself for a new run at the Lyric, Metamorphosis is as deliciously dark and surreal as his royal Franzship could have ever wished.

The Art of Laughter
Veteran of the ever-changing Theatre de Complicite, Jos Houben knows a thing or two about what makes people tick. He's written, directed, consulted, and performed with countless comedy troupes and shows throughout the world, regularly making audiences giggle and snort out loud. Taking a break before touring Asia and the US in Peter Brook's 'Fragment', it is this last asset that he's exploring as, in three sessions at the Southbank, Houben demonstrates and explains with characteristic wit and performative panache just what it is that makes us crack up.