Our top 25 WhatsOnStage videos of 2025

Well, hello there! As we prepare to ring out the old and bring in the new, we thought we’d look back on some of the many theatrical highlights of the year that we were able to capture with our trusty camera and WhatsOnStage microphone.

On behalf of the editorial team, I would just like to thank you for all your support on our YouTube channel, and we hope you’ll stick with us in 2026 as we bring you all the coverage from the West End and beyond.

But for now, take a trip down recent memory lane with us as we present our top 25…

In January, we celebrated the first official West End opening night of the year and, as you can tell from the video below, it turned out to be quite the riotous evening. All aboard Titanique!

We also considered ourselves at home at the Gielgud Theatre, as we made our way onto the stage to chat with Cameron Mackintosh and Matthew Bourne, alongside some of the principal cast of Oliver!, immediately after the curtain fell on press night.

It was all hands on deck in February, as we celebrated the silver anniversary of the WhatsOnStage Awards at The London Palladium! You can hear from all of this year’s winners (including Imelda Staunton, who collected her third WhatsOnStage trophy) in our full highlights video.

Jonathan Bailey returned to the silver screen in Wicked: For Good this year, once again capturing hearts worldwide as Fiyero, but in February, we caught up with the Bridgerton star at the Bridge Theatre for the opening night of Richard II!

Another Shakespearean juggernaut, which officially opened that month, was Jamie Lloyd’s take on Much Ado About Nothing at Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Check out all the highlights, including our chats with Marvel Cinematic Universe favourites Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell, below!

From Shakespeare to Chekhov! In March, we were fortunate enough to be granted an exclusive interview with two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, who was starring in The Seagull at the Barbican Theatre!

We also continued our “Getting to Know You” series with not one, not two, but six fresh faces, as we dedicated an episode to those fabulous queens of Six the Musical. And why not check out our videos with MJ‘s Jamaal Fields-Green, Hercules‘ Mae Ann Jorolan, and The Hunger Games‘ Mia Carragher too?

In April, The Great Gatsby brought all the glitz and glamour to the London Coliseum for its official opening night and we got the green light to film all the highlights!

In May, we took a trip up North, as A Knight’s Tale rode into the Manchester Opera House. From onstage jousting to chart-topping bangers, the jukebox musical’s official opening was certainly a (k)night to remember!

May also saw the late great Stephen Sondheim’s final musical, Here We Are, open at the National Theatre with a star-studded cast. Here you go…

Everyone’s favourite, mischievous comedy troupe were no strangers to the West End this year. You can check out the Mischief crew in The Comedy About Spies below and, more recently, in their festive offering of Christmas Carol Goes Wrong here.

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre launched its 2025 season (marking the first programme from the venue’s new artistic director Drew McOnie) with the UK premiere of Shucked. And if that’s not enough outdoor delights for you, then you can revisit Brigadoon here.

In June, the five-time Tony Award-winning play Stereophonic celebrated its official opening night in the West End, so it was time for us to visit the (onstage) recording studio…

Well, bless my soul! We also celebrated the West End premiere of Disney’s Hercules at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in June. Check out all the highlights of that heroic night with the cast below, and then if you’re still longing for more Disney magic, you can watch our exclusive chats with composer Alan Menken and director Casey Nicholaw, as well as the original voice of Meg, Susan Egan!

Oh, what a circus… Oh, what a show! In July, we celebrated with the one and only Rachel Zegler as Evita came to town and entertained the masses both inside and outside The London Palladium!

We also raised a glass to Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, as the production achieved the grand milestone of 2000 global performances with a slew of former Emcees and Sally Bowleses, including original cast member and WhatsOnStage Award winner Eddie Redmayne.

We also continued our “West End vs Broadway” series, pairing up two performers playing the same role at the same time in London and New York, with Operation Mincemeat (God That’s Brilliant!). You can also rewatch episodes devoted to The Great Gatsby, Mamma Mia! and Stranger Things: The First Shadow to get your transatlantic fill!

Popstar Christina Aguilera graced the red carpet at the Savoy Theatre in July as the West End cried: “Welcome to Burlesque!”

As the autumn months drew in, the West End continued to bring the heat in September as Heartstopper favourite and WhatsOnStage Award winner Joe Locke made his West End debut in Clarkston.

In October, we met the always faithful (and never treacherous) Stephen Fry as the National Theatre’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest celebrated its West End transfer with cucumber sandwiches and handbags galore.

In November, we invited musical theatre faves Carrie Hope Fletcher and Joel Montague to join us for a fun game of “Mr & Mrs” (which you can watch below) and followed it up with current Cabaret stars and newlyweds Eva Noblezada and Reeve Carney (which you can find here).

The odds were in our favour that month, as we took a trip to Panem (aka the Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre) to participate in The Hunger Games world premiere opening night!

Bryan Cranston returned to the London stage with director Ivo van Hove, so I naturally found myself at the afterparty of All My Sons with all my equipment.

The nation’s favourite bear made his West End debut at the Savoy Theatre in November and WhatsOnStage was fortunate enough to be granted the first video interview with the duo who bring Paddington himself to life. Watch Arti Shah and Jameed in the video below and then relive the wonder of Paddington The Musical‘s press night here.

And finally, just to get you all hyped for next year, Into the Woods stars Gracie McGonigal, Hana Ichijo and Gabrielle Lewis-Dodson announced the lucky nominees for the 26th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards earlier this month.