Shortlist announced for West End Wilma Awards 2025

Hosted by Tim McArthur, 15 awards are up for grabs at this year's West End Awards, including new accolades for Best Swing, Best Lighting, Best Edinburgh Fringe Show, Best Backstage Dresser and more. Over 11,000 nominations of shows and people were submitted for this year's award ceremony.

The West End Wilma Awards is held in association with Free@Last TV Ltd and is sponsored by Theatrical Rights Worldwide Ltd and John Good Limited.

The awards will be held at the Leicester Square Theatre, where its been held for the last two years. 2023 winners included Jak Malone from Operation Mincemeat (and who has recently been nominated for a Tony!), Honey Joseph for Best Ensemble Performer (Moulin Rouge! The Musical), Jamie Muscato (The Great Gatsby) for Best Takeover in Moulin Rouge! The Musical and Six for Best Touring production.

Best New West End Musical (Sponsored by Concord Theatricals)

• Titanique, Criterion Theatre
• The Great Gatsby, London Coliseum
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Ambassadors Theatre

Best New West End Play (Sponsored by London Box Office)

• The Comedy About Spies, Noel Coward Theatre
• Giant, Harold Pinter Theatre
• Stereophonic, Duke Of York’s Theatre

Best Touring Production

• Bat Out Of Hell
• Dear Evan Hansen
• Kinky Boots

Best Off-West End Show

• Starlight Express, Troubadour Wembley
• The Lightning Thief, The Other Palace
• Dracula - A Comedy Of Terrors, Menier Chocolate Factory

Best Cabaret or Solo Performance

• Samantha Barks, Live At The London Palladium
• Eurovision (Your Decision), Royal Vauxhall Tavern
• Divas - Christina Bianco and the London Gay Big Band, Clapham Grand)

Best Edinburgh Fringe Show 2025

• I Wish My Life Were Like A Musical, Auditorium at Gilded Balloon at the Museum
• Footballers Wives The Musical, Music Hall at Assembly Rooms
• Song Society, Dexter at Underbelly, Bristo Square

Best Performer in a Touring Production (Sponsored by Mummy Wilma)

• Carrie Hope Fletcher, Calamity Jane
• Ryan Kopel, Dear Evan Hansen
• Johannes Radebe, Kinky Boots

Best Performer in a West End Show (Sponsored by The Room Where It Happens)

• Lauren Drew, Titanique
• Craig Ryder, Moulin Rouge
• Jamie Muscato, The Great Gatsby

Best West End Ensemble Performer

• Grace Swaby-Moore, Back To The Future
• Courtenay Brady, Burlesque
• Tara Yasmin, The Devil Wears Prada

Best Performer In An Off-West End Show

• Jeevan Braich, Starlight Express
• Paul Jacob French, Midnight Cowboy
• Georgia Pemberton, Starlight Express

Best Understudy (Sponsored by Healthy Tailz: Physio for Dogs)

• Lee Ormsby, Back To The Future
• Geri Allen, Operation Mincemeat
• Fergie Fraser, Mean Girls

Best Swing (Sponsored by R B Emerson Ltd)

• Jenna Bonner, Tina - The Tina Turner Musical
• Bryan Mottram, Back To The Future
• Fergie Fraser, Mean Girls

Rising Star

• Georgia Pemberton
• Astrid Harris
• Tom Major

Best Dresser (Sponsored by Molly Limpet's Costume Hire Ltd)

• Zoe Call, Back to the Future
• Zephyr Aspen, Starlight Express
• Erica Drew, The Devil Wears Prada

Best Lighting (Sponsored by White Light)

• Jon Clark, Evita
• Howard Hudson, Starlight Express
• Cory Pattak, The Great Gatsby

The winners will be announced at an event on 2 November 2025.