In the style of Spotify Wrapped (which releases every December and presents users with statistics on their listening habits), here is my analogous ‘Theatre Wrapped’, where I pick out some of my favourite bits of theatre of the past year. Don’t worry – this hasn’t replaced my “Top 10 shows”, which will be posted tomorrow – instead this is just something a bit extra allowing me to name some specific theatrical moments that I think should be given particular attention, and also giving me opportunity to celebrate my blog with some stats.
The Stats
For the first time this year, I started giving star ratings to professional productions. Below is a breakdown of these ratings, with a clear cluster of shows scoring a middling 3 stars, whilst there are clearly more shows above this than below. And thirteen shows that I gave perfect 5s to, so not a bad year for theatre!
Next on to the most viewed posts on my site. The most popular show I reviewed this year was “Inside No. 9: Stage|Fright“, the limited run at the Wyndham’s Theatre meaning the review possibly attracted TV show viewers that missed out on tickets and were desperate to find out more about this stage production. The RSC’s “Hamlet” completely reworked the production to set it on the Titanic, and with a UK tour planned for next year, keen theatre-goers have been steadily looking up this review to help them make their decision on whether to purchase tickets or not. Amateur theatre took third and fifth place, with celebrations of Derby Youth Musical Theatre’s “Joseph and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat” and Nottingham University Hospital’s pantomime “Winter Draws On“, whilst fourth place was taken by Derby Theatre’s “The Winter’s Tale“, a controversial production that made my one star review a rather popular read!
Grouping productions by genre shows that ‘Drama’, including plays and thrillers, has proved to be my go-to this year, with various touring productions such as ‘Inspector Morse’, ‘Dear England’ and ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ adding to the numbers, whilst I’ve also seen a number of Shakespeare productions, including two versions of ‘The Winter’s Tale’ and my first ever trip to the Globe Theatre to see their wild west themed ‘Romeo and Juliet’.
Despite trips to a number of new venues for the first time this year, including the aforementioned Globe Theatre, Manchester Opera House and Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre, my most frequented venues are firmly East Midlands-based, with numerous visits to the Theatre Royal and the Playhouse in my home city of Nottingham, as well as trips further afield to the RSC, Derby Theatre and Leicester Curve. Amateur theatres such as The Lace Market in Notts and The Little Theatre in Leicester also occupied a lot of my time!
Before we get into the next section, a quick disclaimer: I haven’t seen every theatre show in the world, so these are my picks from things I have seen. And these are just my opinions – you are more than welcome to disagree, and if you do, let me know in the comments!
My favourites
FAVOURITE ACTOR – AISLING LOFTUS, GIRLS AND BOYS, NOTTINGHAM PLAYHOUSE
Aisling Loftus gave a stellar performance in Nottingham Playhouse’s “Girls and Boys“. This one-woman show began in the style of a stand-up routine, Loftus’s character telling us about her failed relationship with some comical anecdotes. Before long, this took a much darker turn, resulting in one of the most gut-wrenching scenes I have ever experienced in theatre. Thrilling stuff, and Loftus pulled off a mesmerising performance.
FAVOURITE MUSICAL PERFORMANCE – JACK CARR, BE MORE CHILL, OLD JOINT STOCK BIRMINGHAM
In the intimate setting of Birmingham’s Old Joint Stock Theatre, Jack Carr’s performance as Michael in “Be More Chill” resulted in quite simply one of the best musical performances I have seen for a long time. His rendition of “Michael in the Bathroom”, which sees Carr’s character lock himself in a bathroom at a party after having a panic attack, was incredibly moving and emotional, and as Carr reached the end of this devastating number, there was barely a dry eye in the house. Spine-tinglingly good.
FAVOURITE SET DESIGN – ANDRZEJ GOULDING, LOST ATOMS, FRANTIC ASSEMBLY
Andrzej Goulding’s set design for “Lost Atoms” makes for one of the most visually impressive productions of the year. A wall of filing cabinets, each containing hidden ‘memories’, and serving as a jungle gym for actors Hannah Sinclair Robinson and Joe Layton to haul themselves around, made for some fascinating physical transitions between scenes.
FAVOURITE LIGHTING DESIGN – BRADLEY KING, FAT HAM, RSC
The RSC’s “Fat Ham” involves a range of different types of scenes, yet is restricted by a static set. How can a vibrant backyard barbecue become foreboding and scary to signal the arrival of a ghost, or dark and sexy for Juicy’s moving musical numbers? Well, it’s all down to Bradley King’s superb lighting design – with the hit of a switch, the entire atmosphere changes in an instant, in an impressive display of technical prowess.
FAVOURITE SOUND DESIGN – GARETH OWEN, & JULIET, UK TOUR
You want something loud, exciting and in-your-face? Gareth Owen’s sound design for “& Juliet” is all of those things, with huge speakers rattling the entire auditorium as the cast belt out pop ballads including Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time” and Katy Perry’s “Roar”. And yet it is the softer moments that might stick with you longest, especially Jordan Broatch’s rendition of “I’m not a girl, not yet a woman”, which presents a new and interesting take on the subject of gender identity.
FAVOURITE EMOTIONAL MOMENT – “THIS DID NOT HAPPEN TO YOU, AND IT IS NOT HAPPENING NOW”, GIRLS AND BOYS, NOTTINGHAM PLAYHOUSE
I’ve seen a lot of emotional theatre this year – who could forget the climax of the first half of the RSC’s “Measure for Measure”, or the shocking telephone call made by Roald Dahl in “Giant”? And yet it is Nottingham Playhouse’s “Girls and Boys” that had the biggest effect on me. As Aisling Loftus turns to the audience and states, matter-of-factly, “If it gets difficult – and it will get difficult – I want you to remember two things: remember that this did not happen to you, and that it is not happening now”, you know you are in for a rollercoaster ride. The next 15 minutes of theatre are gripping, traumatising and horrific. I defy anyone to not be moved by this incredible piece of writing from Dennis Kelly.
FAVOURITE COMEDY MOMENT – “DO YOU KNOW THE MUFFIN MAN?”, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING… EARNEST?, SAY IT AGAIN SORRY PRODUCTIONS
Part improv, part scripted genius, “The Importance of Being… Earnest?” is a brave show, relying on members of the audience to take on well-known roles for the Oscar Wilde classic and hoping that comedy ensues. So congratulations to audience member Ian who delivered what was, for me, the comedic highlight of the year – a rendition of “Do you know the muffin man?”, given in a German accent, which had me in tears of laughter. Pure silliness.
FAVOURITE SPECIAL EFFECT – THE SHIPWRECK, STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW, PHOENIX THEATRE
This Christmas, millions of us will be sitting down to enjoy the final episodes of “Stranger Things”, but it is a moment at the beginning of the stage play that will live in my head long after the TV show’s credits have rolled. Opening on a container ship, the crew spot something out at sea – the stage is flooded with haze, the lights flicker and the set creaks. Next thing we know – there’s screaming, explosions, a huge ship careers towards us from the back of the stage, and out of the wreckage jumps the demogorgon. Cut to the Stranger Things opening theme, and an audience on their feet, cheering and whooping only five minutes in. It’s enough to turn the theatrical world upside down.
FAVOURITE CHOREOGRAPHY – CASEY NICHOLAW, THE BOOK OF MORMON, UK TOUR
Despite some questionable jokes, “The Book of Mormon” really is a love-letter to musical theatre, with a range of songs in different musical styles that are perfectly supported by some fantastic choreography courtesy of Casey Nicholaw. Perhaps the stand out moment is during the song “Turn It Off”, which sees the Mormons switch their conservative get-up for sequin jackets, just in time to perform a fab tap dancing number for us. By the end of the number, you’re sure to be tapping your feet along with them.
FAVOURITE AMATEUR SHOW – JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, DERBY YOUTH MUSICAL THEATRE
I’m a huge fan of amateur theatre, and I’ve seen excellent productions this year from the likes of Lace Market Theatre, Leicester Little Theatre and East Bridgford Drama Group. But it is Derby Youth Musical Theatre’s rendition of “Joseph…” that takes the top spot for my favourite from this year. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical is full of incredibly fun dance numbers, and the young performers from DYMT put on a fantastic performance that brought such a big smile to my face that when it came to picking my favourite am dram show, there really wasn’t any competition.
Check back tomorrow for my countdown of my top 10 favourite theatre shows of 2025. The above shows mentioned might give you some hints as to what might be there, but there’s sure to be some surprises too! See you tomorrow!
Tom Morley, December 2025
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