entertainment
December 25, 2025
‘The best thing I have ever witnessed on stage’: readers’ favourite theatre of 2025
A transcendent new take on King Lear, a thrilling Evita and a show at Glasgow’s revamped Citizens that reduced one viewer to a ‘blubbering wreck’ are among your highlights More on the best culture of 2025
TL;DR
- "Inside No 9: Stage/Fright" at Hull New Theatre praised for blending live performance with pre-recorded media and a joyous finale.
- "Rohtko" at the Barbican, London, lauded for its four-hour immersive experience with shifting sets and inventive live-filming.
- "Exe Men" at Exeter Northcott theatre celebrated as a superbly written and brilliantly acted regional production.
- "Fat Ham" at Stratford-upon-Avon called exhilarating and delightful, offering a brilliant rethinking of Hamlet.
- "Evita" at London Palladium described as a thrilling show about authoritarianism with a standout performance from Rachel Zegler.
- "Lost Lear" at Traverse, Edinburgh, deemed a transcendent experience with Venetia Bowe's lead performance called the best ever witnessed on stage.
- "Candide" by Welsh National Opera at Wales Millennium Centre featured fantastic performances and staging with brilliant animation.
- "The Brightening Air" at Old Vic, London, was an intriguing play with witty dialogues, suspense, and moving characters.
- "Hamlet Hail to the Thief" at RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon, praised for perfectly integrating Radiohead's music with the play's themes.
- "The Fifth Step" at @sohoplace, London, featured a stunning script perfectly acted by Jack Lowden and Martin Freeman with tremendous chemistry.
- "Born With Teeth" at Wyndham's theatre, London, a thrilling fictionalisation of Shakespeare and Marlowe's relationship, noted for humour and wordplay.
- "Small Acts of Love" at Citizens theatre, Glasgow, reduced a viewer to tears and was described as deserving a wider audience.
Continue reading the original article