Thomas Magill looks back on a glittering, gloriously camp year in London theatre
London theatre has delivered bigger laughs, bolder stories and more queer joy than ever this year, so it’s only right we let our resident luvvie, Thomas Magill, take us on a whistle-stop tour of his 2025 highlights. From off-beat gems at fringe venues to West End blockbusters and backstage gossip, Thomas has had quite the year. Strap in, theatre babes.
As we hurtle towards the end of this year, I thought I’d take some time out to reflect on my first year of writing for Gay London Life and all the wonderful shows I’ve seen and people I’ve met. Queer theatre really made its mark over the last 12 months with lots of successes, particularly for new shows like Stalled at the Kings Head and Midnight Cowboy at the Southwark Playhouse, both of which I loved from start to finish.
My year kicked off on a high at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern with queer reimagining of Tim Burton’s 1990 cult classic Edward Scissorhands called Scissorhands: A Musical Reinvented, which was co-produced by Michelle Visage. It was an absolute scream and truly celebrated those of us who dare to be different, alongside what can only be described as a killer soundtrack. 2025 was off to a cracking start!
It was a year full of firsts for many and I feel very lucky to have been a small part of some of them, even if it was from the stalls. There was a lot of chat and anticipation around Joe Locke ahead of his West-End debut in Clarkston. Although I didn’t love the show entirely, it confirmed that Joe, Ruaridh Mollica and Sophie Melville are all superb actors with real talent, and I predict three superstars of the future. I should also say that Clarkston’s aftershow party was by far the best in 2025, out-shining all others — even the Pantomime Awards in April, which takes the prize of campest night ever!
Thanks to the team at Thomas Hopkins Productions, we were lucky to have Billy Porter in town for not one, but two shows in 2025. In June, Porter directed This Bitter Earth, an intimate play about a young black writer and his white activist lover. Starring Omari Douglas and Alexander Lincoln, it told an important story about a very dangerous time in America’s recent history. Billy told me in an interview for BBC London that he felt Harrison David Rivers’ play was “necessary” and I can’t help feeling he hit the nail on the head.
It’s now December and my Christmas festivities kicked off super-early this year. By the middle of November, I’d already been to The Nutcracker in Havana at Stratford East and Elf at the Aldwych Theatre, two shows that couldn’t be any more different. Despite this, they are now both firm staples of the Christmas cycle of ‘must-see’ shows. I was lucky enough to grab five minutes with the amazing Carlos Acosta during the interval of The Nutcracker in Havana, which is now on tour. He thanked me and my friends for coming along before slowly mingling through the crowds in a very humble and down to earth fashion..
Elf had taken up residence at the Dominion Theatre for the last five years, but thanks to The Devil Wears Prada, it’s now moved to the much smaller Aldwych Theatre. For me, the experience was even better this year in its new, more intimate home. The energy levels are off the scale from Joel Montague who plays Elf spectacularly.The rest of the cast is wonderful as well, including Carrie Hope Fletcher and Aled Jones, who plays Elf’s grumpy old dad to perfection. There’s nothing bad to say about this uplifting, fun, camp, colourful Christmas musical, so go see if you get the chance.
Looking back on this wonderful year of theatre, it’s almost impossible to outline a favourite show or performance, mainly because there were so many. But also, I’m mindful of the thousands of people doing such hard work to bring all of us a busy, full and diverse range of theatre, day in and day out. So, with that in mind, I’d just say a massive thank-you to every one of them for doing exceptional work in tough circumstances. Keep up the good work. Merry Christmas!
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