IN MY role as a theatrical reviewer, I have been fortunate enough to have attended over 100 shows during 2025 – and sadly turned down the same number again. As an ancient thespian, though the mind aches for more, the body aches in protest.
The Bromsgrove Standard (which carries most of my reviews) certainly punches above its weight in covering the arts and theatres have been delighted at the high hit-rates our reviews of their shows have been getting read locally, nationally and internationally.
It has been such a packed year of triumphs that it’s difficult to leave shows out when compiling a personal top ten – but here goes!
Les Misérables at The Alex – BMOS were the Birmingham company chosen by Cameron Mackintosh to produce this epic musical’s first ‘amateur’ outing and they enlisted talent from Bilston Operatic, Bournville MTC and West Bromwich Operatic. It was the most enjoyable production I’d ever seen of ‘Les Mis’ and I’ve lost count of how many that is. As for the two actors playing the leads, as I said in my review, Wil Neale as Jean Valjean and Robbie Love as Javert both deserve bouquets of salutes and bravos! They admirably fill the shoes of the huge luminaries that have worn them over the past forty years.
Mary Poppins at The Hippodrome – it is brimming with utterly bedazzling FX and illusions from Paul Kieve and Jim Steinmeyer, sensational choreography from Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear, audaciously brilliant lighting design by Hugh Vanstone and perfect sound from Paul Gatehouse. Set and Costume Designer Bob Crowley has created a breathtaking visual world. The costuming is ostensively period with cheeky brash coloured additions, his dolls house set (adapted by Rosalind Coombes and Matt Kinley) unfolds into a double storey home complete with attic and below stairs kitchen. In a constantly moving kaleidoscope, settings and pieces glide and fly in a technical masterclass. Australian actress Stefanie Jones gives an Olivier-worthy performance as Mary Poppins – she has the charm, the wit, the poise and enough charisma to fill a bucket full of sugar, never mind a teaspoon. Jack Chambers is as delightful as he is energetic as wise cracking Bert and provides a show-grabbing sequence during his ‘Step In Time’.
Picture by Danny Kaan. s
Fiddler on the Roof at The Alex – Nothing has surpassed the original until perhaps now. This latest production really does reinvent the classic tale and well deserves all the awards and praise heaped upon it. It’s a witty and emotional phenomenon, which leaves you drained and making many comparisons with what is happening in the world today. The Fiddler of the title – a magical tour-de-force by Roman Lytwyniw – really does open the show by playing on the roof – in actuality, it is a cornfield as high above the stage as you can possibly get. His haunting notes on his fiddle make you hold your breath lest you break the spell. He then proceeds to play throughout the story popping up everywhere – unseen by the proud villagers of Anatevka, whilst acting as our personal guide. Matthew Woodyatt puts in a remarkable performance as Tevye. From the get-go he brings us into his world, he shares his thoughts, hopes and dreams and makes us feel his joy and pain as if we were him. It is a performance that is becoming as loved and famous as the original Topol’s – a name everyone remembers – and now Woodyatt’s is joining it in theatrical history.
Henry Vth – The Attic Theatre Stratford- on-Avon – Directed by the huge talent that is John Robert Partridge, this production reaches an audience of all ages – a completely accessible, sumptuous piece of theatre, superbly played by a high energy company. George Ormerod is quite extraordinary as Henry – there are times when you can literally read his thoughts. His soft, rich voice convinces utterly, I’d fight for him! It is a performance to savour from an actor worth following. In addition to directing, Partridge also plays quite a catalogue of roles from Chorus, our story narrator plus Fluellen, a cynical Welsh soldier, the plotting Cambridge plus the weary King of France. Each characterisation performed to absolute perfection with a glorious tugging of our emotions from a master of the craft.
Jesus Christ Superstar – Rarely do I give five stars to amateur musical productions – it must tick a lot of boxes not just for some stand out performances, but the direction, staging, choreography, music, sound balance and lighting design, must be theatre of ‘Michelin’ artistry standard. In November 2025, at the unlikely venue of Halesowen Town Hall, ‘Third From The Right Productions’ joined my exclusive ‘five star’ club. Luke Plimmer gave us a performance to remember for many a day as he seized the very soul of Jesus. Every mannerism, movement and word were theatrical gold. I have seen a few names play the role on the professional stage and Plimmer was up there with the best.
Picture by Graeme Braidwood Photography. s
‘Nora: A Doll’s House’ – Crescent Theatre Birmingham. In March 2025 I saw an exquisite reimagining of the Ibsen classic by Stef Smith – a stunner from a company in perfect synergy – it simmers, bubbles, finally exploding when it reaches its theatrical boiling point. The three principal women are dynamic, as solo actors and by feeding and supporting each other make a rare trilogy of perfection. Lydia White (refined yet rebellious Nora 1918), Chloe Potter (swinging 60s sexual revolutionary Nora 1968) and Vicky Youster (Potty mouthed borderline feminist Brummie Nora 2018). Additionally, they all also get to play Nora’s best friend Christine. It takes a skillful director to knit together this complex scenario and to hold the interest of an audience without an intermission – hats off to Steph Urquhart who not only has drawn top drawer performances from a talented company but makes the best use of studio space I have seen in an age. From every position you are totally immersed. Her sense of pace is what keeps us hanging on every word.
Sleeping Beauty – Wolverhampton Grand Theatre – The fourth wall is non-existent from the get-go with the audience feeling they are calling the shots. Stunning lighting design from Sam Hilditch, impeccable sound from Michael Riley, top drawer set and wardrobe from Davis Shields, exciting choreography from Natalie Bennyworth, magical music under the baton of Daniel Goodger – all knitted together masterfully by director David Janson. The wonderful actress and impressionist Debra Stephenson is enchanting as Sleeping Beauty’s mum, Queen Bertha of Bilstonia and her nemesis, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner, Danny Beard, is suitably dastardly, scary and the butt of all our boos as the dark entity that is Carabosse. Of course, the real judgment of a good panto is the atmosphere at the end – happily it was simply joyous, as even after a seemingly endless walkdown, the citizens still stayed and so did the cast for an impromptu sing-song.
Jack and the Beanstalk – Malvern Theatres – Written with a nod to the classic fable by the clever panto addict Tom Whalley and directed by the hugely talented Paul Milton, it has everything a good panto should have, glamour, glitz, sauciness and silliness, baddies, ghouls, ghosts, gasps and guffaws. Plus there’s BIG voices, cossies, dances and special effects – all packed into two hours thirty minutes of pure pleasure. Principals in this splendid company all break through that audience fourth wall with blissful aplomb – after all everyone’s here on a mission to go home with sore throats from shouting, wet eyes from crying and aching ribs from laughing – happily Jack and Co do not disappoint. Cheeky-chappy Mark James returns to see his Malvern mates (‘Here we are’) as Silly Billy to guide us through the nonsense with his Lancashire lilt. Tom Lister is back too as the dastardly-dashing Flashcreep, a high energy villain (special shout out for his mean Freddy Mercury impression). Also returning is Nick Wilton as Dame Dot Trott making the most of her shocking frocks and irascible innuendos.
The Night Watch – Crescent Theatre – adapted by Hattie Naylor from the novel by Sarah Walters and directed Michael Barry. I saw this one in July 2025. The play is set in London during the 1940s, starting in 1947 then going back to 1944 and concluding in 1941. It consists of a series of beautifully crafted vignettes covering a variety of mostly unrelated stories which finally form a tapestry. However, despite the reversed chronology it is left to our imaginations to colour in some of the conclusions. Personally, it left me thinking how far we have advanced as a society and that naivety does not excuse persecution. Andrew Cowie gives a masterful performance as Munday, his phrasing and expressions take you almost into his soul and his enchanting rendition of ‘A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square’ is as poignant as it is beautiful. My favourite performance by an actor has to be Rachel Maltby. This was in November 2025 where she played Lady M in the Crescent Theatre’s expressionist version of the Scottish play. Of which I said – simply joyous – Maltby glides rather than moves around the stage and seduces with a silken tongue. Her journey is impeccable, making the most of every word and gesture – and her demise, where she is scuttling on all fours like a terrified spider caught under a water glass, is a real tour-de-force.
That’s a wrap for 2025 – time to get back in the stalls for 2026.
4th Jun, 2026
