Ten of the biggest WhatsOnStage news stories of the year so far

Every single day (pretty much!) we publish news, reviews, features, interviews, and more across WhatsOnStage!

Covering the latest in theatre across the UK and beyond, it’s you, our readers, who shape the content that we create.

As we hit the mid-year point, here are the top ten articles that have gained the most traction in 2025!

10. WhatsOnStage Awards winners in full

We’re always committed to providing you all of the theatrical action as it happens, so it’s no wonder that two of our ‘updating live’ articles from awards shows made the list. The 25th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards in February and the Olivier Awards in April were both star-studded affairs, celebrating the very thing that we love to write about!

9. Giovanna and Tom Fletcher’s son Buzz joins Starlight Express

Buzz has become the latest Fletcher to find himself on stage! The son of Giovanna and Tom, and nephew to Carrie, took on the role of Control in the WhatsOnStage Award winning revival of Starlight Express.

8. The Greatest Showman musical announces world premiere on UK shores

This is the moment we’ve waited for! The long-awaited stage adaptation of The Greatest Showman will arrive in 2026 in a UK city. Plus, there was an open call for auditions…

7. New Cabaret casting announced

When the current West End Sally Bowles and Emcee were revealed, we saw a hive of activity on the site, and the excitement hasn’t died down! The pair, Hannah Dodd and Rob Madge, were also featured in May’s WhosOnTrend!

6. The Masked Singer winner revealed as West End legend

We always had our suspicions that we knew who Pufferfish was on the – slightly bonkers – TV talent show The Masked Singer. We were pleased to be proven correct. And being so committed to anti-spoilers, we won’t even reveal it here.

5. Lin-Manuel Miranda returns to the role of Alexander Hamilton with a twist

An SNL appearance saw Hamilton creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda rock the famous overcoat once more! In the skit, Miranda recreated the moment that the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, only to be interrupted by a time-travelling 47th President of the United States (played by James Austin Johnson), who had some opinions about how long he could stay in power.

4. York Theatre Royal asks audiences not to applaud Gary Oldman’s entrance

Earlier this year, Gary Oldman had a homecoming. Returning to York Theatre Royal in Krapp’s Last Tape, the theatre put out a message to audiences to discourage entrance applause. A more typical tradition across the pond on Broadway, it sees the show paused momentarily for a performer to receive the praise. However, the theatre requested silence to “enhance the audience experience.”

3. Jodie Comer to star in Prima Facie UK and Ireland tour

With a WhatsOnStage Award, Olivier Award, Tony Award, and many, many more on her mantelpiece, Jodie Comer has decided to reprise the role of Tessa once more and take Prima Facie on the road. It’s a massive deal for a star of her size to return to a production (bearing in mind the physical and emotional toll the solo piece bears), let alone deliver it to the regions, and it proves the vital power of the nation’s theatres.

2. BBC announces major season of musical broadcasts

The BBC revealed a series of dedicated musical broadcasts earlier this week, gearing up for the Big Night of Musicals (which also did big numbers on site!) Titles included Kiss Me, Kate,  Anything Goes, In the Heights, South Pacific, Porgy and Bess, and West Side Story, and the unforgettable and star-studded Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends. Fear not, we’ll always be trawling through the TV listings to spy any theatrical treats, and we will be sure to keep all of our readers updated!

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LISTEN TO THE WEST END CAST OF HERCULES IN ACTION! The show opens at Theatre Royal Drury Lane this summer – have a sneak peek 👀 #Hercules #WestEnd #Musical

♬ original sound – WhatsOnStage

1. Six to be shown in cinemas

The crowning glory of the list is the record-breaking release of Six in cinemas! Reuniting London’s original Queens: Jarnéia Richard-Noel as Catherine of Aragon, Millie O’Connell as Anne Boleyn, Natalie Paris as Jane Seymour, Alexia McIntosh as Anna of Cleves, Aimie Atkinson as Katherine Howard, and Maiya Quansah-Breed as Catherine Parr, the film was shot in the show’s West End home, the Vaudeville Theatre!