WILL STONE fact-checks the colourful life of Ozzy Osbourne
The case for sparing the rod
The Cane persuasively reflects on the malignant consequences of corporal punishment, says MARY CONWAY
Spectacular: Alun Armstrong and Maggie Steed
[Johan Persson] 
JAMES CROSSLEY applauds a lucid biography of the German radical preacher who reemerged as a hero in the GDR
Prizes all round: the Bard hands plaudits to the Miners Gala, OT&JC, Joe Solo, Black Sabbath’s frontman and the Lionesses
Star cartoonist JAMIE BRITTON is in awe of a graphic novel of epic proportions that explores class, religion and globalisation via the strange cultivation of Ginseng in the US Midwest
GUILLERMO THOMAS is intrigued by a history of the Middle East that demonstrates how promising post colonial beginnings were snuffed out by Western imperialist interests
MARIA DUARTE recommends the intricate study of a high-performance and highly dysfuntional German family
The Cane
Royal Court Theatre, London
INSPIRED in its subject matter and its stylised symbolism, Mark Ravenhill’s new play is clever and insightful, exhibiting a highly refreshing artistic freedom in a world dominated by the cliches of mainstream media.
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MARY CONWAY is blown away by a flawless production of Lynn Nottage’s exquisite tragedy
MARY CONWAY revels in the Irish American language and dense melancholy of O’Neill’s last and little-known play
MARY CONWAY recommends a play that some will find more discursive than eventful but one in which the characters glow
