London Productions 2025 - A Year in Review

As in previous years, the selections listed here represent my personal favourites and are drawn from the 175+ productions which I reviewed during the course of 2025. For simplicity, entries have been placed into one of five categories: Opera, Dance, Shakespeare, Musicals, and the largest single category, Plays. Keen readers and lovers of West End theatre may discern some noticeable exclusions from the lists (e.g. All My Sons), but I would ask you to consider that an individual reviewer cannot possibly attend every opening at every theatre and due to the limitations sometimes imposed on PR company’s press ticket allocations, they aren’t always able to accede to every request.

OPERA

Photo by Mark Douet.

In an oddly uneven year in which there have been noticeably fewer stand-out productions, my top three are as follows:

• Dead Man Walking at ENO London Coliseum. The shocking true story of a murderer on death row seeking spiritual guidance, pulled no punches in its graphic depiction.
• Cinderella (La Cenerentola) at ENO London Coliseum. Rossini’s classic benefited from Canadian Mezzo Deepa Johnny’s coloratura embellishments in the lead.
• Jenůfa at Royal Opera House. The orchestra under Jakob Hrůša’s baton, thoroughly gorged itself on Janáček’s lilting lyricism.

DANCE

MATTHEW BOURNE'S THE MIDNIGHT BELL. Danny Reubens and Cordelia Braithwaite. Photo by Johan Persson

Three stand-out, fully realised dance productions eclipsed all others for me this year:

• The Midnight Bell at Sadler’s Wells. Matthew Bourne’s hugely ambitious production enticed Philip Hamilton's lonely, needy, confident, and shy characters to 1930s Soho.
• Figures in Extinction at Sadler’s Wells. Complicité’s collaboration with Crystal Pite and Nederlands Dans Theater was breathtaking, inventive, provoking, and mellifluous.
• Quadrophenia at Sadler’s Wells. Paul Robert’s choreography and Rob Ashford’s direction elevated Pete Townshend’s grimy 1973 seaside tale into something ethereal.

SHAKESPEARE

Hiran Abeysekera in Hamlet at the National Theatre. Photo by Sam Taylor

The Bard’s works continue to inspire dozens of productions to be staged in the capital each year and as a consequence, it is assigned individual category status here.

• Much Ado About Nothing at Theatre Royal Drury Lane. What a way to blow away New Year cobwebs! Tom Hiddleston in Jamie Lloyd’s production was revelatory.
• Othello at Theatre Royal Haymarket. A stylish re-telling which, through Toby Jones’ Iago, managed to unnervingly spotlight the sinister humour in the piece.
• Hamlet at Lyttelton National. Notable for its casting inclusivity and its deployment of lighter brush strokes in those moments we usually associate with grand soliloquising.

MUSICALS

Photo by Johan Persson.

From the sublime to the utterly ridiculous, London continues to provide a home to new musical theatre ventures and vital new re-tellings of old favourites.

• Shucked at Regent’s Park Open Air. Rustic, corny, and aww shucks, just about darned perfect, this wonderfully uplifting show deserves a West End transfer.
• Paddington the Musical at the Savoy Theatre. No one was more surprised than this reviewer at how utterly adorable and lovely this production turned out.
• Evita at London Palladium. Jamie Lloyd’s version was more of a rock concert than subtle storytelling, but what a powerhouse central performance by Rachel Zegler.

With honourable mention going to Brigadoon at Regent’s Park Open Air, Girl From the North Country at the Old Vic, and Sing Street at Lyric Hammersmith.

PLAYS

Jordan Stephens & Tamzin Outhwaite in Entertaining Mr Sloane at Young Vic. ©Ellie Kurttz.

The multiplicity of entries listed in this category, reflects the breathtaking number of revivals, re-stagings, adaptations and original works being produced in London this past year.

• A Good House at The Royal Court. South African writer Amy Jeptha's taut and nuanced play about race and belonging in a community delivered by a faultless cast.
• Kyoto at SohoPlace. A dazzlingly cerebral piece, detailing the behind-the-scenes diplomacy and pressure brought to bear on those charged with tackling climate change.
• Kenrex at Southwark Playhouse (and now at The Other Palace). Wunderkind Jack Holden embodied and brought to life an entire town plagued by a vicious criminal.
• Giant at Harold Pinter. Mark Rosenblatt’s multi-award winning play about Roald Dahl’s stubbornness in the face of accusations of anti-semitism.
• 1536 at Almeida. Ava Picket’s strongly female-centric Tudor tale was packed full of punchy modern parallels and bawdy naturalistic hilarity.
• Inter Alia at National Lyttelton. Rosamund Pike delivered a multi-faceted performance with vigour and élan in Suzie Miller’s legal family drama.
• The Estate at National Dorfman. Shaan Sahota’s play examined the potential opportunities that a Westminster scandal presents to a Sikh outsider.
• Assembled Parties at Hampstead. Richard Greenberg’s terrific ensemble piece set at an Upper West Side Jewish homestead, beautifully directed by Blanche McIntyre.
• Juniper Blood at Donmar Warehouse. Mike Bartlett’s back-to-nature farmstead drama spotlighted the economic challenges of idealistic eco pipe dreams.
• Entertaing Mr Sloane at Young Vic. Tamzin Outhwaite shone in Orton’s play, veering in a split second from coquettish pseudo-propriety to lascivious fervour.

With honourable mention going to Retrograde at Apollo, Born With Teeth at Wyndhams, The Lady from the Sea at Bridge Theatre, The Brightening Air at Old Vic, Every Beautiful Thing at SohoPlace, Punch at Apollo, The Gang of Three at King’s Head, Paranormal Activity at Ambassadors, The Gathered Leaves at Park, An Instinct at Old Red Lion, Miss Myrtle's Garden at Bush, Outlying Islands at Jermyn Street, The Line of Beauty at Almeida and The Seagull at Barbican.

The variety of productions staged at our smaller fringe venues around the capital, provides a vital pipeline for developing new creative talent. This has proved another dazzling year in terms of achievement, often despite unforgiving budgets. The Almeida in Islington had an exceptional year, as did The Bush in Shepherd’s Bush and Park Theatre in Finsbury Park. Soho Theatre, Jermyn Street Theatre, Southwark Playhouse, The King’s Head, Old Red Lion and the Arcola, all managed to deliver rock solid programming schedules throughout the year, serving their immediate local audiences as well as the wider London catchment.

With 2026 looming on the horizon, my reviewing schedule is already filling-up will exciting and intriguing productions due to open in the coming months.

Wishing you Happy Christmas an see you next year at the theatre.