Podcast Summary: Was EVITA This Summer’s Only Hit? | A Comparison of the West End’s Last Two Summer Theatre Seasons

Podcast: MickeyJoTheatre
Host: Mickey Jo
Release Date: September 12, 2025
Runtime (main content): [00:58 – 25:58]

Overview

In this episode, Mickey Jo delivers an engaging, opinionated deep dive into the state of London’s summer theatre season, comparing the 2025 summer slate to 2024’s seemingly more thrilling and diverse offerings. Using the much-buzzed Jamie Lloyd revival of Evita as a touchstone, Mickey Jo analyzes trends in new British musicals, revivals, Broadway imports, and unique events, asking whether 2025’s West End and wider London season was truly underwhelming—or just overshadowed by one runaway hit.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Setting the Scene: Did Summer 2025 Theatre “Suck”?

Timestamp: [00:58 – 02:30]

• Mickey Jo candidly questions, “did this summer of theatre in London kind of suck?” before promising an honest comparison.
• Emphasizes how Evita dominated discussion, possibly overshadowing everything else:

  “This production was all anybody was talking about all summer long. But did that cast too great a shadow and make it impossible for other shows to live up?” ([01:23])

• Recalls friends traveling internationally just to see Evita—and struggling to fill out theatre schedules with other ‘must-see’ shows.

Comparative Categories Laid Out

[02:30 – 03:37]

• Mickey Jo announces a breakdown by:
  • New British musicals
  • Musical revivals
  • Broadway transfers
  • Returning/remounted productions

New British Musicals: From an “Embarrassment of Riches” to a Slump

[03:37 – 07:15]

Summer 2024 - A Standout Year

• Highlights a golden year with hits like:
  • Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York (now Broadway-bound)
  • Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder
  • Babies
  • Fangirls
• Even misfires (A Face in the Crowd, You’re Lying April, Cake) reflected a sense of creative abundance.
• On 2024’s “inventive” spirit:

  “There was abundant creativity… a real embarrassment of new musical theatre riches.” ([04:40])

Summer 2025 - Less Excitement, More Lukewarm

• Few impactful newcomers:
  • Saving Mozart (missed, poorly received)
  • Burlesque (divisive reception)
  • Hercules (“didn’t live up to Disney magic”)
  • Sing Street (Mickey Jo’s favorite, but “not a complete slam dunk”)
  • Fringe successes: Pop Off, Michelangelo, Lovestuck
• “Nothing really overwhelmingly exciting or shows that divided audiences and critics.” ([06:10])
• Notably reflects industry concerns:

  “It’s sad… to see new musical theatre having something of a slump.” ([07:00])

Musical Revivals: Was It Just “The Evita Show”?

[09:49 – 14:15]

Summer 2024: Pluralistic Brilliance

• Seven major revivals:
  • Kiss Me Kate, Hello Dolly, Fiddler on the Roof (record-breaking run), Starlight Express
  • A Chorus Line (Leicester Curve/Sadler’s Wells), Passing Strange, The Baker’s Wife
• Notable for both variety and acclaim:

  “Such a strong year… a real range of different musical theatre revivals for all tastes.” ([09:51])

Summer 2025: All About Evita (and Not Much Else)

• Evita by Jamie Lloyd:

  “A Jamie Lloyd revival is a revival with a capital R… reconceiving it, recontextualizing it, invigorating it with an exciting new life.” ([13:14])

• Outside of Evita: few alternatives (The Frogs, Brigadoon) and neither matched last year’s acclaim.
• No musical from Menier Chocolate Factory, Sadler’s Wells, Young Vic (dark due to transition).
• General sense of “comparatively starved of musicals.”

Plays: Possibly Brighter in 2025?

[14:30 – 15:50]

• 2024 saw solid titles but no megahits (Shifters, The Constituent, The Years, high-profile revivals but unevenly received).
• Summer 2025 yielded more buzz:
  • Foreplay
  • Mrs. Warren’s Profession (star casting: Imelda Staunton & Bessie Carter)
  • The Fifth Step (short but “decently talked about”)
  • Mischief Theatre’s ComedAbout Spies
  • Biggest hit: Inter Alia at the National with Rosamund Pike

    “Maybe the second or third hottest ticket of the entire summer.” ([16:33])

• “Maybe—just maybe—thanks to a couple of those, particularly Inter Alia… 2025 had the edge when it came to plays.” ([17:00])

Variety & Miscellaneous Intriguing Offerings

[15:50 – 17:00]

• 2024 praised for variety (Spirited Away)
• 2025 included immersive/experimental shows:
  • Oscar at the Crown (“it did a lot to quicken the pulse of the summer”)
  • Immersive Grease (Secret Cinema):

    “Truly… one of the highlights of the summer for me, which is as much a praise for that production as it is an indictment of the rest of the summer season.” ([18:22])

Transfers & Returning Productions: Which Summer Won?

[19:43 – 24:24]

Summer 2024

• The Wizard of Oz, Standing at the Sky’s Edge
• Death of England, Shrek, People, Places and Things, Next to Normal
• “Last summer was so very exciting.”

Summer 2025

• Fiddler on the Roof return, Every Brilliant Thing, Tilda Stars Come Down
• London Road remounted for National Theatre’s leadership celebration
• Just for One Day West End revival, 101 Dalmatians, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
• Many “fantastic productions, but maybe still not quite of the caliber that last summer offered us with the likes of Next to Normal and People Places and Things.” ([24:13])
• “I was thoroughly entertained by a lot of those pieces of theatre, but I didn’t feel like I needed therapy afterwards. And that’s the level that I want us to aspire to here.” ([24:19])

The Upward Trend: More Broadway Transfers to West End

[24:24 – 25:30]

• 2025 sees significant uptick in Broadway arrivals:
  • Goodnight Oscar
  • The Great Gatsby (big, immersive staging)
  • Sondheim’s Here We Are
  • Stereophonic, Shucked
• Industry context: “Broadway… has become more and more expensive”; American producers are investing in UK theatre.
• Anticipating even more notable transfers for 2026 and beyond.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Evita’s Outsize Shadow:

  “When you’ve got theatre people making their first trip to the UK in years and only the chance to see four shows, and one of them being the balcony at Evita… then I think we might have a little bit of a problem.” ([01:31])

• On London’s Musical Scene This Summer:

  “We’re comparatively starved of musicals.” ([13:58])

• On Theatre’s Emotional Impact:

  “I was thoroughly entertained… but I didn’t feel like I needed therapy afterwards. And that’s the level that I want us to aspire to here.” ([24:19])

• On Industry Pessimism & Hope:

  “This may not have been the most varied and extensive and exciting summer of London theatre that I can remember… [but] the few months which are approaching right now as we head towards the end of the year are incredibly exciting.” ([25:36])

Conclusion & What’s Next

[25:30 – End]

• Despite a seemingly “disappointing” summer—dominated by one headline-grabbing Evita—Mickey Jo ends on an optimistic note:
  • Huge shows coming soon: revival of Into the Woods, new musical Paddington, massive Hunger Games stage adaptation.
  • Broadway transfers show no sign of slowing.
• Encourages listeners/readers to share their own highlights and stay tuned for reviews of what promises to be “incredibly exciting” months ahead.

Quick Reference: Key Timestamps

• [01:23] – Evita as the summer’s dominant force
• [03:37–07:15] – New British musicals comparison (2024 vs. 2025)
• [09:49–14:15] – Musical revivals: “last summer vs. this summer”
• [14:30–15:50] – Plays discussion and this summer’s bright spots
• [15:50–17:00] – Variety/miscellaneous (“Oscar at the Crown”, immersive Grease)
• [19:43–24:24] – Transfers and returning productions
• [24:24–25:30] – Surge in Broadway-to-West End moves
• [25:36–End] – Optimism for the season ahead

Summary Table: Which Summer Won Each Category?

| Category | 2024 | 2025 | |---------------------------------|-------------|-------------| | New British Musicals | Clear win | Fewer hits | | Musical Revivals | Clear win | Only Evita| | Plays | Decent | Slight edge | | Variety/Miscellaneous | More varied | Some standouts| | Transfers/Returns | Strong | Entertaining, less iconic| | Broadway Transfers | Few | More, rising|

Final Takeaway

While Evita was a dazzling high point, 2025’s summer theatre season suffered from a lack of both breadth and breakout hits—especially when measured against the banner year that was 2024. Still, increasing Broadway imports and an exciting production slate on the horizon leave plenty of reason for London theatre hope.

Host sign-off:

“Let us all know the best show that you saw this summer in London in the comments section down below. As always, thank you for listening to my thoughts. I hope that everyone is staying safe and that you have a stagey day!” ([25:58])