Top 25 WhatsOnStage videos of 2023

We pride ourselves at WhatsOnStage on serving as a gateway between our valued followers and the top creatives and performers from across the industry. Of course, one of the main ways we can do this is through our extensive video output and 2023 has offered up ample filming opportunities to bring you a glimpse behind-the-scenes from the West End and beyond.

From red carpets and exclusive performances to awards coverage and high-profile interviews, we’ve chosen 25 in-house created videos from the past 12 months for your enjoyment!

Here’s a 2023 trip down a very stagey memory lane…

1. West End vs Broadway

Alongside our New York-based sister site TheaterMania, we continued pairing up actors from the West End and Broadway, who play the same role on either side of the pond (at the time of recording). In January, & Juliet‘s Oliver Tompsett and Stark Sands came face-to-face, with editions dedicated to The Play That Goes Wrong and Back to the Future: The Musical following later in the year.

2. The Sixty-Second Summary

In January, we also launched a brand-new feature on WhatsOnStage, giving cast members just 60 seconds to describe their show to you – in terms of both plot and production elements. We launched The Sixty Second Summary with Star Trek icon George Takei’s Allegiance, and later challenged cast members from Head Over Heels, Sylvia, Oklahoma!, The Great British Bake Off Musical, Bonnie and Clyde, and Groundhog Day.

3. Cheryl in 2:22 A Ghost Story

In February, we caught up with Girls Aloud favourite Cheryl alongside cast mates Jake Wood, Louise Ford and Scott Karim, as she made her professional stage debut in the WhatsOnStage Award-winning Best New Play 2:22 A Ghost Story.

4. Carrie Hope Fletcher and Jamie Muscato perform “Falling Slowly” from Once

Ahead of the WhatsOnStage Award-nominated Once – In Concert, we captured a special performance of “Falling Slowly” from the production’s leads, Carrie Hope Fletcher and Jamie Muscato.

5. 23rd Annual WhatsOnStage Awards

Of course, February also welcomed the 23rd Annual WhatsOnStage Awards at the West End’s Prince of Wales Theatre. You can watch the full highlights above or check out the winners’ messages, concert ceremony clips and Best Performer in a Play winner Jodie Comer’s exclusive interview. And we can’t wait to deliver you video content from the 24th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards from The London Palladium next February!

6. Ariana DeBose at The London Palladium

We caught up with Broadway and Hollywood superstar Ariana DeBose ahead of her WhatsOnStage Award-nominated concerts at The London Palladium, who gave us her own stagey retrospective from the iconic venue.

7. Guys and Dolls on opening night

The Bridge Theatre’s much-celebrated revival of Guys and Dolls received the highest number of WhatsOnStage Award nominations this year, with a total of 12 nods, and, luck be a lady, we were there on opening night last March! (You can check out the cast in rehearsals here as well!)

8. The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals 2023

Also in March, we took a trip up North to Manchester’s AO Arena for the National Lottery’s 2023 offering of Big Night of Musicals and caught up with all the stars backstage. You can also find out what these famed faces think Manchester is famous for here.

9. Olivier Awards 2023

April saw WhatsOnStage returning to the Royal Albert Hall for the Olivier Awards, where we greeted all the winners – from Paul Mescal and Jodie Comer to Beverley Knight. On the green carpet, we also posed the question: “Who wins the Olivier Award for the best performance you’ve seen in your life?” Check out the VIPs’ answers here!

10. Operation Mincemeat on opening night

In May, we headed down to the Fortune Theatre for the West End opening night of Operation Mincemeat – one of the top breakaway hits of the year and certainly one of the funniest!

11. Kyle Ramar Freeman performs “Inner White Girl” from A Strange Loop

In June, we were invited to the Barbican Theatre for a sneak preview of the Tony Award-winning Best Musical A Strange Loop! Check out Kyle Ramar Freeman’s rendition of “Inner White Girl” above and hear what the cast and writer Michael R Jackson have to say about the UK premiere here.

12. Ian McKellen and Roger Allam talk Frank and Percy

We sat down with stage royalty in Windsor last July in the form of Ian McKellen and Roger Allam, who not only discussed the new play Frank and Percy, but also offered interesting viewpoints on man’s best friend!

13. La Cage aux Folles at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

Arguably the most popular al fresco offering of the year was the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre five-star production of La Cage aux Folles and we were on hand to spend “The Best of Times” with Carl Mullaney, Billy Carter, Debbie Kurup and John Owen-Jones last August!

14. Next to Normal on opening night

Fifteen years after the show’s original staging, Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey’s acclaimed musical Next to Normal finally celebrated its UK premiere at the Donmar Warehouse, and we sat down with director Michael Longhurst and cast members Caissie Levy, Trevor Dion Nicholas, Jack Ofrecio, Jamie Parker, Jack Wolfe and Eleanor Worthington-Cox to get their thoughts on the momentous occasion.

15. The Lord of the Rings at the Watermill Theatre

One of the most high-profile regional offerings of the year came to us from the Watermill Theatre as The Lord of the Rings was revived for the very first time since its 2007 West End premiere. We took a trip to Middle-earth – well, actually to Bagnor near Newbury – in September to meet some of the cast and film a couple of outdoor scenes from the show itself.

16. Andrew Scott in VANYA

One of the hottest tickets of the year was Andrew Scott’s return to the stage in Simon Stephens’ solo show adaptation of Uncle Vanya. Check out what the popular performer had to say about taking on all the roles in the sold-out production!

17. Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends on opening night

In October, we revived an old video feature, where the VIP guests on the red carpet are the ones who pose the questions to the cast… and what better way to reignite the format than with Old Friends?! We also dedicated an edition to The Time Traveller’s Wife later in the year.

18. In rehearsals with To Wong Foo The Musical

Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre gave us the world premiere of To Wong Foo The Musical (based on the beloved 1995 film) this year and we got a sneak peek during the rehearsal process!

19. Jordan Luke Gage performs “Apology to a Cow” from Bat Boy

West End favourite Jordan Luke Gage treated us to a terrifyingly good rendition of “Apology to a Cow” ahead of the concert staging of Bat Boy at The London Palladium on Halloween! And if you’re into your macabre-themed musicals, why not check out these exclusive performances from the cast of Death Note (“They’re Only Human” and “Playing the Game“) as well?

20. Sunset Boulevard on opening night

With one look (and no less than nine WhatsOnStage Award nominations), Jamie Lloyd’s radical reimagining of Sunset Boulevard became a hot ticket this autumn and we were there on opening night to celebrate with Nicole Scherzinger, Tom Francis, Grace Hodgett Young, David Thaxton and more… “The Perfect Year”!

21. Dear England in the West End

The most-nominated play of the year for the upcoming WhatsOnStage Awards is the National Theatre’s production of Dear England, centering around a masterclass performance by Joseph Fiennes as Gareth Southgate. James Graham’s footie-infused, five-star affair quickly transferred to the West End, where we caught up with Fiennes, Graham and teammates after the final whistle.

22. I Should Be So Lucky on tour

In November, we headed up to the Manchester Opera House for the opening night of the official Stock Aitken Waterman musical, I Should Be So Lucky, where the audience partied in the aisles to the hits of Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Rick Astley, Banarama and more!

23. A sneak peek at Hadestown

We are all waiting with bated breath for the West End premiere of Hadestown, and to make the wait a little more endurable, here’s a look at the show’s recent press launch. You can also check out the performance of “Wedding Song” here.

24. 24th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards nominations reveal

This December, The Time Traveller’s Wife co-stars Hiba Elchikhe and Tim Mahendran announced the shortlist of nominees for the 24th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards from the stage of the West End’s Apollo Theatre.

25. Stranger Things comes to the West End

Finally, the West End welcomed the global phenomenon known as Stranger Things as its official stage prequel (The First Shadow) opened at the Phoenix Theatre. The lavish event was attended by creators The Duffer Brothers, as well as TV stars such as Matthew Modine and David Harbour and you can also get to know the world premiere cast a little better here.

Join us in 2024 as the WhatsOnStage cameras continue to roll…