‘Best Things I’ve Seen in Theater’: Readers’ Favorite Theater of 2025 | platform

Inside No. 9: Theater/Fear

Hull New Theatre

Advanced Course in Theatrical Innovation – Artistically groundbreaking, seamlessly blending live performance with complex pre-recorded media to blur the line between reality and fiction. The production expertly manipulated audience expectations, using weapons in the same kind of tropes that fans have come to expect. Ultimately, the genius of the show lies in its ending. Instead of a grim transformation, the doors to Terminal 9 closed with a defiant and exhilarating Hollywood musical routine. A joyful and unexpected celebration of the entertainment industry that cements the production’s status as a triumph of metatheatre. Phil Dukes, 56, Brighton

Rohtko

Barbican, London

I went to Łukasz Twarkowski’s Rohtko unsure about the four-hour commitment, but it left me amazed in the end. The production’s ever-changing, brilliantly designed sets and innovative live filming techniques were unlike anything I had seen on stage. The narrative – surreal, chaotic, and strangely poignant – drew me in completely, and the score soared every moment. It was a bold, immersive experience that held my attention from start to finish. Jill Osborne, 52, London

X-Men

Exeter Northcote Theatre

Ashley Pharaoh’s play is a perfect summation of the importance of regional theatre: a wonderfully written and brilliantly acted production that, although it carries a layer of appeal to those who know Exeter Chiefs Rugby Club, is still compelling to those from further afield. It’s enough exposition for outsiders without derailing the plot or distracting from the characters. Victorious. Owen, Bath

Fat ham

Swan Theater in Stratford-upon-Avon

I’m a playwright and novelist living in the beleaguered United States, and I attend the London theater annually. Fat Ham was delightful and cheerful. Having seen Andrew Scott as Hamlet, I feel I have seen the best of that play as well as the best rethinking of it. The final scene was shocking in a good way, brilliantly performed and exciting. Georgia B. Rhodes, Louisville, Kentucky, United States

Evita

London Palladium

It was the most moving show about tyranny I’ve ever seen, drawing the audience into the allure of power. Rachel Ziegler was a force of nature, enticing the audience outside from the balcony, even as she was taunting them inside. Diego Andres Rodriguez as Che paired with her in a classic love-hate relationship, like Fred and Ginger’s sadomasochistic relationship, which was both fierce and funny, even as Evita Ziegler used Juan Peron as a tool to achieve her ambitions. The front row has the perfect view too, and is on offer at £20-£25 for early bird booking. I will never forget this production. Steve, London

The lost Lear

Traverse, Edinburgh

A transcendent experience at the Edinburgh Festival. Undoubtedly, Venice Poe’s lead performance was the best thing I have ever seen on stage. When the play reached its ethereal conclusion and the lights finally went out, it looked as if the audience might fly through the ceiling, and they were so quick to get to their feet. Jack Brownridge-Kelly, 30, Newlyn, Cornwall

Candide

Wales Millennium Centre

Welsh National Opera performed Leonard Bernstein’s Candide earlier this year. The performances and theatrics, which included some great animated scenes, were fantastic. It was very special to share this experience with my mother, who has been visiting WNO since the early 1980s. Beth Charles, 52, Salford

Bright air

Old Vic, London

Great experience: The actors were incredibly good and the play was so interesting that it had me on the edge of my seat. The dialogues were witty and interesting, and some surprises in the plot made me think. But above all, I found the characters and their interactions really moving. The ending, where Billie goes back to what she said at the beginning, was also touching. Monica Dew, Germany

Hamlet Hail the thief

Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon

I don’t usually make the trip to the RSC, but as a huge Radiohead fan, I felt I had to see this release. I thought it was brilliant, as it perfectly combined the angry music with the themes of the play, often leaving me speechless. Taking such an iconic story and making it feel exciting and immersive (in a good way!) was a very pleasant surprise. Marco Planosa, Bracknell

Step five

@SoHoplace, London

An amazing script perfectly acted by Jack Lowden and Martin Freeman. There was tremendous chemistry between the actors. I also thought the use of the stage was great. Every seat seems to have a great vantage point, so the theater ratio for me is 10/10 as well. Alison Stapley, 68, London

He was born with teeth

Wyndham’s Theatre, London

This was a thrilling retelling of the relationship between Shakespeare and Marlowe, and although at its heart it was a gritty drama of espionage and political intrigue in Elizabethan England, it also contained plenty of humour, literary wordplay and a surprising amount of smut. Shakespeare’s framing as the shy, sensitive flower of Marlowe’s wandering city man is remarkably successful. Caitlin Farrell, 24, London

Small acts of love

Citizens Theater Glasgow

Small acts of love at Glasgow’s stunningly restored and reopened Citizens Theater have reduced the 63-year-old to a sore wreck. It was my first visit to ‘Citz’ and my first experience of a National Theater of Scotland production. It’s a play that deserves to go further and be shown online. Neil, 63, Glenluce, Dumfries And Galway