The winners and nominees of the Off-West End Awards 2025 share the best shows they’ve seen at the theatre this year.
Thanks to all the talented performers in the UK and Ireland, there’s never a shortage of brilliant stage productions to see and enjoy. From theatre to musical theatre, on stages in the West End, Off-West End and other regional theatres, a good production will stay with you long after the final curtain falls.
As a performer, it’s vital to enjoy a balanced diet of different types of theatre, and at the Off-West End Awards 2025, we asked the winners and nominees about the best shows they’ve seen this year.
Here are the shows they recommend you go see the next time they’re playing on a stage near you:
The Years
Recommended by writer and performer Emily Woof.
Based on Nobel Prize winner Annie Ernaux’s book of the same name, The Years spans generations, and tells the story of a woman who is impacted by the ever-changing world around her. Previously on at the Almeida Theatre, with a sold-out run, and the Harold Pinter Theatre, this is definitely one to go see if it comes to a stage near you.
People Looking Up
Recommended by performer Ethan Reid.
This show was an experiment in the theatre and politics of space by Dovetail. Two strangers meet in a lift and discover two things: that they’ve each lost a loved one, and the lift is broken.
Written by George Rushton and directed by Ben Fleming, the show was only on for a short time, but is a great reminder to go see the productions created by smaller theatre companies too.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button the Musical
Recommended by performer Ben Howarth.
This Olivier Award-winning musical takes the classic short story by F. Scott Fitsgerald – in which a boy named Benjamin Button is born as an old man and gets younger with each passing day – and reimagines it in a Cornish fishing village with toe-tapping songs and an excellent cast. On at the Ambassadors Theatre until August 2025, don’t run out of time to see this smash hit.
Ballet Black: Shadows
Recommended by performer Sofia Engstrand.
Ballet Black are a professional ballet company for international dancers of black and Asian descent. Their latest double bill, Shadows, includes Chanel DaSilva’s abstract piece A Shadow Work and the company’s own adaptation of the bestselling novel, My Sister, The Serial Killer. Take a look at their upcoming tour dates for future performances and shows.
Miss I-Doll
Recommended by performer and singer Monica Salvia.
Produced by ZAVA Productions, and originally on at the Other Palace, this one-woman show follows Mia as she enters the Miss I-Doll competition in the hopes of becoming a global superstar. However, the show soon spirals into an explosion of passion, ruthlessness and outrageous satire. Spotlight member Daisy Steere has proven she’s one to watch after playing 12 different characters in this musical comedy.
Till the Stars Come Down
Recommended by performer Skye Hallam.
Following its acclaim at the National Theatre, Till the Stars Come Down is coming to Theatre Royal Haymarket for a limited 13-week run. Over the course of a hot summer’s day, a family gathers for a wedding. But as the vodka flows and dances are shared, passions boil over and the limits of love are tested.
Young performer and Spotlight member Maggie Livermore played ‘Sarah’ in the original National Theatre run of this show. Discover what her experience was like through her Diary of a Young Performer series.
A Letter to Lyndon B. Johnson Or God: Whoever Reads This First
Recommended by performer Sara Jane Harvey.
This latest show by the powerhouse team of Xhloe Rice and Natasha Roland had a short run at Soho Theatre, and will be on at the Edinburgh Fringe this August. It follows two Boy Scouts who just want their mums to see the big strong men they’ve become, and examines the idealised American childhood and the boys it left behind.
What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank
Recommended by artistic director and writer Madeleine Farnhill.
Adapted from Nathan Englander’s short story, this show made its debut at the Marylebone Theatre in Autumn 2024 and came back for a short time at the beginning of 2025 due to its success. Viciously funny and intelligently provocative, this play talks about family, friendship and faith. Let’s hope it makes another return to the Marylebone Theatre soon!
Overshare
Recommended by producer and company manager Helen Denning.
Previously named Sad-Vents, Overshare is a one-woman show about social media and mental health in today’s hectic world. It follows Eleanor as she spirals in and out of control of her life, sharing and venting too much of it live to the internet. The show is on at Greenwich Theatre until 25th May.
The Seagull
Recommended by writer and performer Arturo Luíz Soria.
The Seagull is a classic play by Anton Chekhov, which recently played at the Barbican. Starring Cate Blanchett as ‘Arkadina’ – a celebrated actress who finds herself caught in a storm of conflicting desires during a weekend at her family’s country estate. A gripping tale of vanity, power and sacrifice, there should definitely be future runs of The Seagull for you to experience.
Main Character Energy
Recommended by writer and performer Arturo Luíz Soria.
This autobiographical one-woman show stars Spotlight member Temi Wilkey as she’s forced to confront her insatiable need for attention. A camp cocktail of comedy and cabaret, this self-aware, self-indulgent parody is an uplifting celebration of embracing your most authentic self.
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