WhatsOnStage Awards 2025

By Sam

This year marked the 25th Anniversary of the only major UK award ceremony both curated and voted for by the fans. The glitzy event took place at the iconic London Palladium and was attended by a packed-out crowd of theatre professionals and fans alike, all there to celebrate a fantastic year of theatre.

Leading the evenings festivities were sisters and West End royalty Mazz and Gina Murray. They were the perfect hostesses for this celebratory night, opening with a dazzling routine before jest-fully poking fun at the industry we all know and love. They were joined by numerous famous faces to hand out the prestigious awards, with highlights including Simon Lipkin being as witty as always with a hilarious introduction, and the new residents of Oz (Zizi Strallen and Emma Kingston) “holding space” for all the nominees. However it was the Lord himself who stole the night when Andrew Lloyd Webber declared that Starlight Express “may not be the best musical ever” in what can only be described as the most self aware and miss-timed joke all rolled into one.

Whilst Mean Girls finished the night by winning Best New Musical, the spotlight was firmly on Starlight Express who simply couldn’t be de-railed! They took home a whopping 7 awards matching Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard from last year. Macbeth was another show that had a bloody success, taking home 3 awards including best performer in a play. Other notable wins included Imelda Staunton for best performer in a musical, and Paule Constable who received a special recognition for her services to UK theatre.

The audience were treated to an array of performances from some of the nominated shows (and a few surprises too), some of which can be viewed right now across Stage Masters socials.

A huge congrats to all of this year’s nominees and winners!