Podcast Summary

Podcast: MickeyJoTheatre
Host: Mickey Jo
Episode: The Best Shows Mickey-Jo Saw in 2025 | Reviews of Plays and Musicals from the Last Year
Date: January 3, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Mickey Jo, an acclaimed theatre critic and YouTuber, delivers his annual roundup of the 15 best shows he experienced in 2025 across the West End, Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-West End, and the Edinburgh Fringe. Having seen between 200 and 300 productions across five countries and two continents, he shares excerpts from his reviews and passionate reflections on each selection. Mickey Jo emphasizes his love for celebrating excellent theatre, encourages listeners to share their favourites, and reveals his top choices in a dramatic countdown.

Key Discussion Points & Detailed Breakdown

Introduction: Criteria and Context

[01:49–04:27]

• Mickey Jo sets the stage, sharing that his list only includes five-star “new” productions (no repeats from previous years or substantially unchanged revivals).
• He clarifies that shows like Stereophonic, Shucked, and Operation Mincemeat in London were excluded due to previous inclusion.
• The episode focuses on “theatre that I love” and on sharing enthusiasm for the art form.

Top 15 Shows of 2025 (Presented in Countdown Order)

15. The Last Five Years – Reading Rep Theatre

[04:27–09:25]

• Why It Stands Out: Fresh, surprising staging of a familiar score. Standout first moments and creative partner work.
• Memorable Quote:
  “One of my favourite theatrical experiences to have is when material I know very well is done brilliantly in a way that can still surprise me.” (04:59)
• Praises Martha Kirby as Kathy, noting her rendition of “When You Come Home to Me.”
• Contrasts with the Broadway production, which he found disappointing.

14. HOLE – Edinburgh Festival Fringe

[09:25–11:38]

• Why It Stands Out:
  Outrageous, original two-person musical about a Utah religious community and “butt plugs as sin prevention.”
• Memorable Quote:
  “Book of Mormon walked so that HOLE could uncomfortably shuffle.” (11:05)
• Ingenious lyrics, live foley sounds, quirky design, and a queer love story.
• “I am manifesting a big return for HOLE in 2026. More HOLE in the future, please.” (11:34)

13. Oedipus – Studio 54, Broadway

[11:38–13:06]

• Mark Strong and Lesley Manville star in Robert Icke’s adaptation set during a contemporary election.
• Real-time countdown clock heightens dramatic irony.
• Memorable Quote:
  “The final few moments of the play…are particularly agonizing to watch.” (12:43)
• Believable characters and devastating inevitability.

12. Liberation – James Earl Jones Theatre, Broadway

[13:06–15:22]

• Discusses the intergenerational feminist framing device.
• Extended nudity scene described as honest, profound, and a privilege to witness.
• Emphasizes clarity and meaningful dialogue with the audience.
• Memorable Quote:
  “It felt like a real privilege as an audience member to have had the opportunity to bear witness to that level of emotional honesty.” (14:31)

11. Purpose – Hayes Theatre, Broadway

[15:22–16:49]

• Brandon Jacobs Jenkins’ family drama with “prestige, high-art soap opera” vibes.
• Nod to the classics (Miller, Williams), but uniquely modern.
• Strong metaphors (bees, the hive, purpose).
• Memorable Quote:
  “Any time spent in the company of Brandon Jacobs Jenkins’ writing is always remarkably satisfying.” (16:28)

10. Inter Alia – National Theatre, London

[16:49–18:43]

• Rosamund Pike stars; physically and emotionally intense.
• Final minutes left Mickey Jo “awestruck,” needing recovery time after the show.
• Notable use of props (iron as a phone), “whimsical yet philosophically challenging.”
• Memorable Moment:
  “I subsequently had to spend about 10 minutes just walking around the building of the National Theatre, just trying to return to my body.” (17:20)

9. Batboy – New York City Center

[18:43–20:54]

• Hilarious, unpredictable, “blood-drawingly funny” musical.
• Praise for Taylor Trensch and original cast member Kerry Butler (now playing Meredith).
• Quote:
  “Undeniably the best thing I’ve ever seen at New York City Centre, which is quite a high bar.” (20:36)

8. The Years – Almeida Theatre/West End

[20:54–23:48]

• Notorious for a graphic and harrowing scene depicting the implications of pre-contraception sexual agency.
• Highlights importance of sharing these historical realities.
• Direction and company praised for “startling flash of colour” and emotional impact.
• Quote:
  “This is a startling flash of colour and…a hugely necessary scene.” (22:30)

7. Cyrano de Bergerac – Royal Shakespeare Company

[25:27–26:59]

• Adrian Lester delivers a captivating, layered Cyrano.
• Praise for sword-fighting acrostic poem scene; balances humor, poetry, and heartbreak.
• “Who knew one of the best nights of theatre would arrive via a prosthetic nose and legitimate heartbreak?” (26:28)

6. Oliver! – Gielgud Theatre, West End

[26:59–29:30]

• A classic made bleaker, tenser, and more dramatic.
• Lighting design singled out as a reason to see it (“genuinely breathtaking”).
• Quote:
  “This is an Oliver filled with characters living in abject poverty and on the knife’s edge, as it were. From that arises this fearful quality in each of them.” (28:18)

Top 5 (The “Venn Diagram” of Personal Love & Craft)

5. Kyoto – Soho Place, London

[29:30–31:19]

• Climate crisis drama set during the 1997 Kyoto Protocol talks.
• Ingenious scene when interpreters leave, forcing characters into their native languages.
• Quote:
  “At the time, I think I called this the best direction that I had seen in years.” (30:11)
• Leaves audience “galvanized to action.”

4. Much Ado About Nothing – Theatre Royal Drury Lane

[31:19–35:03]

• Jamie Lloyd’s production is a vibrant, party-like antidote to his much-derided The Tempest and Romeo & Juliet.
• Audience interaction, ushers and disco music, “democratizes the theatrical experience.”
• Quote:
  “That gets wolf whistles, that gets cheers, that gets so much freaking laughter. It feels like this is really Shakespeare having a similar kind of a reaction in 2025 to what it would have had in the very late 16th century.” (33:41)

3. Paddington the Musical – Savoy Theatre, West End

[36:58–39:00]

• Called “the best big new British musical since Matilda.”
• Praises the “magic” of the Paddington puppet (blinking, breathing, moving).
• Quote:
  “For those two hours and 40 minutes, something bigger than musical theatre storytelling is happening. Everyone is a child again.” (38:22)
• Commends the show’s sociopolitical authenticity and broad appeal.

2. John Proctor is the Villain – Booth Theatre, Broadway

[39:00–41:44]

• Modern high school answer to The Crucible, speaking to the #MeToo era and cancel culture.
• “Slow boil” play that “sets fire to the kitchen.”
• Young audiences energized, “palpable buzz” among theatre youth.
• Quote:
  “If we aren’t creating work for young audiences, for the next generation of theatre–goers, what the hell are we doing?” (40:24)

1. All My Sons – Wyndham’s Theatre, West End (Favorite Show of the Year)

[41:44–45:57]

• Ivo van Hove’s new production called “easily the best thing I’d seen all year.”
• Describes the show as “uncesasing intensity,” with audience held in rapt tension.
• Stresses the play’s renewed relevance—post-war grief, betrayal of a generation.
• Quote:
  “It’s extraordinary to me that a nearly 80 year–old play could be fueled by Ivo van Hove to speak with such articulate, inescapable meaning about the exact times that we are living in.” (44:18)
• Urges all listeners to see it if possible; predicts possible transfer to Broadway.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I try and be pretty content with singular theatrical experiences … But that’s not the case for HOLE. I need HOLE to come back.” (11:30)
• "It just gets cumulatively and exponentially more exciting and engaging and the stakes get higher and higher and higher." — on John Proctor is the Villain (39:40)
• “You understand what it means when the contraceptive pill then comes in… The gravity of the whole thing is rooted in us having shared that incredibly painful and difficult moment with her.” — on The Years (23:12)
• “This is legitimately what I’ve been telling people … Do I need to go and see Oliver? You have to go see this lighting design, also the cast, but the lighting design, it’s so good.” (29:19)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |-------------------------------------------------------|-------------| | Opening & Criteria for the List | 01:49–04:27 | | #15–#14: Last Five Years, HOLE | 04:27–11:38 | | #13–#12: Oedipus, Liberation | 11:38–15:22 | | #11–#10: Purpose, Inter Alia | 15:22–18:43 | | #9–#8: Batboy, The Years | 18:43–23:48 | | #7: Cyrano de Bergerac | 25:27–26:59 | | #6: Oliver! | 26:59–29:30 | | #5: Kyoto | 29:30–31:19 | | #4: Much Ado About Nothing | 31:19–35:03 | | Top 3 Announcement | 36:58 | | #3: Paddington the Musical | 36:58–39:00 | | #2: John Proctor is the Villain | 39:00–41:44 | | #1: All My Sons | 41:44–45:57 | | Reflection & Outro | 45:57–47:28 |

Language and Tone

Mickey Jo’s tone is infectious, generous, and enthusiastic, peppered with personal anecdotes, self-deprecating asides, and theatrical in-jokes. He balances critical insight with a genuine love for the craft, uplifting shows for their artistry, impact, or sheer joy factor. Notably, he valorizes productions that create dialogue with contemporary issues and bring new audiences to theatre.

Conclusion

Mickey Jo’s 2025 favourites list offers a vibrant snapshot of contemporary theatre, from blockbuster musicals (Paddington the Musical) and revelatory revivals (All My Sons) to daring new writing (John Proctor is the Villain, HOLE). Each selection is illuminated by thoughtful reflection, context, and personal engagement, making this episode a must-listen for anyone invested in stagecraft or looking for their next unforgettable night out.