Year in review: Top West End theatre highlights of 2025

Discover the West End's most exciting moments from 2025, from Rachel Zegler's iconic Evita balcony scene to the West End arrival of a much-loved small bear.

Summary

• Find out about the year's theatre highlights from key moments at the Olivier Awards to stats and facts about the West End
• 45 shows opened in the West End and 3 transferred from Broadway
• Over 75 stars took to London's stages

Christmas is just around the corner, which means the theatre world can take a momentary collective breath and reflect on a year of incredible openings, Olivier Awards highlights, and West End milestones.

Stars such as Jonathan Bailey, Rachel Zegler, and Cate Blanchett graced the London stage, and long-running show The Mousetrap celebrated 30,000 incredible performances in the West End since its opening in 1952.

Now is your chance to look back on the highs of 2025 in the West End, with our round-up of the year's best moments.

And if you're already planning ahead for 2026 theatre, take a look at our recommendations.

2025 in the West End: Facts and stats

Find out some of the landmark numbers the West End achieved in 2025.

45 shows opened in the West End

In keeping with the West End's reputation, plays dominated in 2025, with 34 openings across the year. Highlights include the theatrical alchemy created by Paapa Essiedu, Bryan Cranston and Marianne Jean-Baptise in Ivo van Hove's production of All My Sons, which continues to run at Wyndham's Theatre, as well as John Lithgow's Olivier Award-winning performance in Mark Rosenblatt's Roald Dahl drama Giant.

There were also 11 musical openings, including Casey Nicholaw's stage adaptation of Disney's Hercules, Todrick Hall's buzzy summer musical Burlesque at the Savoy Theatre and, of course, the arrival of Paddington Bear at the same venue — marmalade sandwich in paw — this November.

3 shows transferred from Broadway to the West End

The path between Broadway and the West End is well-trodden, and shows frequently jump both sides of the pond (for example, hit plays Stranger Things: The First Shadow and the Sarah Snook-led The Picture of Dorian Gray both went stateside this year).

Broadway imports included the most Tony-nominated play of all time Stereophonic, about a band struggling to record their second album, the glitzy transfer of The Great Gatsby (here brought to life by a crack cast including Corbin Bleu, Amber Davies, Rachel Tucker, Frances Mayli McCann, and Jamie Muscato), and one of December's most exciting openings: Cole Escola's bonkers comedy Oh, Mary!, which showcases the former First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln as you've never seen her before.

Outside the West End, shows such as the corn-focused musical Shucked and the Sean Hayes-led Good Night, Oscar transferred to Regent's Park Open Air Theatre and the Barbican, respectively.

Over 75 stars took to the stage

There has been no shortage of stars on the London stage this year. Highlights include:

• Back-to-back bookings for One Day and This is Going to Hurt star Ambika Mod, as she took to the stage in Every Brilliant Thing at @sohoplace and Porn Play at the Royal Court.
• Brie Larson and Alicia Vikander both made their London stage debuts in classic plays given a fresh twist: for Larson, this was in Daniel Fish's reimagining of Greek play Elektra, while Vikander took on Ibsen in Simon Stone's The Lady from the Sea at the Bridge Theatre.
• Bridgerton stars Jonathan Bailey and Nicola Coughlan made triumphant stage returns in Richard II at the Bridge Theatre and The Playboy of the Western World, which continues to play at the National Theatre.
• Girls Aloud singer Nicola Roberts also returned to the stage: this time in Anaïs Mitchell’s mythic musical Hadestown.
• Stephen Fry is currently entertaining audiences as Lady Bracknell in Max Webster's bold production of Oscar Wilde’s peerless comedy The Importance of Being Earnest at the Noël Coward Theatre. The venue is just a stone's throw from Wyndham's Theatre, so for a short time Olly Alexander (playing Algernon Moncrieff) was neighbours with Ncuti Gatwa (during Born With Teeth's run), who played Moncrieff in the same production at the National in 2024.
• Rachel Zegler took theatre outside in Jamie Lloyd's Evita at the London Palladium, turning it into the most famous balcony in town. Earlier in the year, Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell had a pink confetti party in Lloyd's five-star hit production of Much Ado About Nothing.

The Olivier Awards 2025

Find out the full list of winners, as well as highlights from Olivier Awards ceremonies over the years.

Fiddler on the Roof ties with Hamilton for most Olivier Award nominations — and wins three

Fiddler on the Roof, which was revived by dream team director Jordan Fein and designer Tom Scutt at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre in 2024 and transferred to the Barbican this summer, had a record 13 nominations at this year's awards, winning Best Musical Revival, Best Sound Design, and Best Set Design. If reviews of their latest collaboration Into the Woods are anything to go by, perhaps the creative duo will have similar success at next year's Olivier Awards.

Beverley Knight teamed up with Billy Porter to host

Hannah Waddingham hosted the Olivier Awards in 2023 and 2024, but for 2025 the awards show opted for musical theatre star Beverley Knight (seen at the beginning of the year in Sister Act, and soon to star in Marie and Rosetta at @sohoplace) and Billy Porter, who recently played opposite Marisha Wallace in Cabaret.

Imelda Staunton picks up her fifth Olivier for Hello, Dolly!

National treasure Staunton already has Olivier Awards for performances in Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, Gypsy, and A Chorus of Disapproval / The Corn Is Green — but her latest trophy was for Dominic Cooke’s lavish revival of Jerry Herman and Michael Stewart’s Hello, Dolly!. Oh, and she also has another cool nine nominations under her belt.

Romola Garai beats herself to win the supporting actress accolade

Romola Garai was not only up against Gina McKee for The Years and Sharon D Clarke for The Importance of Being Earnest, but also herself! She had a busy year in 2024, starring in Eline Arbo’s profound and shattering depiction of womanhood in The Years, as well as Rosenblatt's hit Giant. She ultimately won for The Years, but a win for either performance would have been richly deserved.

2025 theatre highlights

Find out the year's biggest theatre moments, from one furry friend meeting London's audiences for the first time, to some very special anniversaries.

Les Misérables turns 40!

Cameron Mackintosh's beloved production of Boublil and Schönberg's sung-through musical celebrated in style at the Sondheim Theatre with a gala night to beat all gala nights. Past performers including Carrie Hope Fletcher, Patti LuPone, Samantha Barks, Eva Noblezada, Matt Lucas, and Alfie Boe all returned to perform, and Bonnie Langford even did the splits.

Book Les Misérables tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

A small bear makes his big West End debut

Paddington The Musical, perhaps the most anticipated opening of the year, made its big entrance at the Savoy Theatre in November. With music and lyrics by McFly frontman Tom Fletcher, a book by Jessica Swale, and direction by Luke Sheppard, this musical was always destined for success. But the real stroke of genius came from puppet designer Tahra Zafar, who has created the cutest Peruvian bear imaginable.

Book Paddington The Musical tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Rachel Zegler brings Argyll Street to a standstill

Rachel Zegler swapped one balcony (in Romeo + Juliet on Broadway) for another in Jamie Lloyd's highly stylised production of Evita at the London Palladium. Theatre TikTok blew up as fans gathered daily to witness Zegler bring her unforgettable rendition of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" to the streets of London.

Families teamed up in the West End

It’s a family affair! Imelda Staunton and her real-life daughter Bessie Carter starred opposite one another in Mrs Warren's Profession, while Brian Cox and his wife Nicole Ansari-Cox stepped back into the 18th century in The Score at Theatre Royal Haymarket.

The Mousetrap celebrated 30,000 performances

Agatha Christie's whodunit has kept audiences guessing for over 70 years, and in March the show also reached the milestone of 30,000 performances in the West End. The cast celebrated with a photo opportunity in front of the wooden counter that proudly hangs in the foyer, and the production was presented with a certificate from Guinness World Records for the record title longest theatrical run.

Book The Mousetrap tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Hadestown welcomed back original Broadway cast members

Five of the original Broadway cast — Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada, André De Shields, Amber Gray and Patrick Page — reprised their lead performances for a special limited run at London’s Lyric Theatre in February. A proshot was filmed and we're all still eagerly waiting for its release. Carney and Noblezada are now performing as The Emcee and Sally Bowles in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club until January 2026.

London Theatre Magazine celebrated its second anniversary

London Theatre Magazine launched at the end of 2023 and has now celebrated two years — and 26 issues — of London theatre news, reviews, interviews, recommendations and more. Cover stars from the past year have included the original West End cast of Titanique, Hercules co-stars Luke Brady and Mae Ann Jorolan, Andy Nyman and Marc Antolin for The Producers, Oh, Mary!'s Mason Alexander Park, and the one and only Paddington Bear, as well as a special 40th anniversary issue for Les Misérables.

Pick up your copy of London Theatre Magazine.

The Japanese cast of SIX performed in London

Otanoshimini! Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss's musical about the six wives of King Henry VIII reclaiming their story has created a storm in Japan. So much so that, for one week only in November, the Japanese cast of SIX travelled to the West End to perform at the Vaudeville Theatre. The music took on a whole new power when performed in Japanese with English subtitles at the intimate West End venue.

Book SIX tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

David Harewood returns to the role of Othello 30 years on

In 1997, David Harewood became the first Black actor to perform as Othello at the National Theatre. Now, 30 years on, he is playing the role once again, this time in the West End alongside an all-star cast including Toby Jones, Caitlin FitzGerlad, Vinette Robinson, and Luke Treadaway. Speaking to LondonTheatre.co.uk, Harewood said of his return: “I have changed, so my relationship to the part and the lines has changed. It’s a lot more complex than I thought it was going to be because of that. I’m seeing a lot more in the text and the part, and obviously I don’t want to repeat what I did before.”

Book Othello tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Secret Cinema returns with Grease: The Immersive Movie Musical

Those summer nights came calling as Secret Cinema returned with a summer production of Grease: The Immersive Movie Musical at the transformed Evolution London. Creatives brought Rydell High to life with a giant fairground (complete with ferris wheel), drive-in, Frosty's Palace, and the iconic Greased Lightning car. We can't wait to see what the masters of immersive do next.

Wicked: For Good hit cinemas ahead of the London production's 20th anniversary in 2026

Wicked took over our newsfeeds, social media, and — let's be honest — all brain space for a second time with the release of Wicked: For Good, the next instalment of the movie musical based on Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel and the hit stage show, which continues to thrillify audiences on both sides of the pond. Jonathan Bailey, Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, and a host of West End stars satisfied every theatre kid's dreams with a second film as extravagant, lavish, and full of heart as the first. To see how it plays out on stage, you can watch the West End cast enchanting audiences at the Apollo Victoria.

Book Wicked tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Main photo credit: David Harewood in Othello, Airi Suzuki in SIX, Paddington Bear, Rachel Zegler in Evita, Jonathan Bailey in Richard II. (Courtesy of productions)