The West End Frame Show: Theatre News, Reviews & Chat

It's the final episode of the year! Join theatre and lifestyle blogger Rachel Agyekum and West End Frame Editor, Andrew Tomlins, as they round up their top shows of 2025.Thank you for sharing your top shows of the year – we included as many of your contributions as possible in this episode. Rachel founded Rachel Reviewed in 2022 and writes reviews for her website alongside creating reel reviews and other theatre-related content for Instagram and TikTok. She is also a reviewer for WhatsOnStage. Visit the Rachel Reviewed website www.rachelreviewed.com. You can also follow Rachel on Instagram via @rachelreviewed and @rachelagyefron. This podcast is hosted by Andrew Tomlins. @AndrewTomlins32 Thank you for listening to The West End Frame Show in 2025! We’re taking a little break in the New Year, but will be back in 2026 with lots more stagey catchups. Email: andrew@westendframe.co.ukVisit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts.  

Olivier nominee Emmanuel Akwafo (A Midsummer Night's Dream / For Black Boys) joins West End Frame Editor, Andrew Tomlins, for our first special end-of-year round-up episode!In this episode Andrew reveals his top five stage performances of 2025. Emmanuel shares his top shows and performance of the year, and they share submissions from West End Frame listeners too. Emmanuel is a producer, writer, director, award-winning actor and presenter. He originated the role of Pitch in For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy by Ryan Calais Cameron, performing the show at the New Diorama Theatre, Royal Court Theatre and Apollo Theatre. He received an Olivier Award nomination, along with his castmates, for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and won a Black British Theatre Award. This year Emmanuel starred as Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Bridge Theatre and won a Black British Theatre Award for his performance. His theatre credits also include Narrator in Sappho (Southwark Playhouse), Amiens in As You Like It (Globe Theatre), Mr Martin in The Bald Soprano (Leicester Square Theatre) and Jay in The Spalding Suite (Southbank Centre) as well as several pantomimes at the Lyric Hammersmith.Emmanuel's debut play Limp Wrist and the Iron First recently played a full run at Brixton House. He also directed and produced the show with his production company No Name Creatives. His producing projects have included the Black Print concert at the Phoenix Arts Club in London and Green Room 42 in New York. He also produced the Black Print panel at this year’s MusicalCon, as well as readings of some more of his plays. Follow Emmanuel on Instagram: @eman.akwafoThis podcast is hosted by Andrew Tomlins. @AndrewTomlins32 Thank you for listening to The West End Frame Show in 2025 and for sharing your top performances of the year - we included as many of your contributions as possible. We're back soon to round up our top shows of the year. Email: andrew@westendframe.co.ukVisit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts.  

Toyan Thomas-Browne (Top Hat / Shucked) returns to co-host The West End Frame Show! Andrew and Toyan discuss "Oh, Mary!" (Trafalgar Theatre), Top Hat (Southbank Centre) and SVN Live (Arts Theatre) as well as the latest news about Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey's rumoured production of Sunday in the Park with George, Titanique and Beaches' Broadway transfers, One Day casting and more.Toyan is currently part of the ensemble in Kathleen Marshall’s revival of Top Hat. Following a successful run in Chichester, the production is now in London, playing at the Southbank Centre as part of its UK tour, and will transfer to Paris next year. Toyan also serves as the second cover for the role of Jerry Travers.Earlier this year Toyan finished his run as Marlon Jackson in the original West End cast of MJ The Musical (Prince Edward Theatre). He also appeared in the workshop of Bliss (Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadler’s Wells) and over the summer Toyan covered Peanut in the UK premiere of Shucked (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre).Toyan’s theatre credits also include: Ain’t Too Proud (Prince Edward Theatre), Moulin Rogue (Piccadilly Theatre), Jack & The Beanstalk (Lyric Hammersmith), Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (UK tour), first cover Lola in Kinky Boots (UK & Ireland tour), Me and My Girl (Chichester Festival Theatre), Guys & Dolls (Royal Exchange, Manchester), Wonderland (UK tour), The Prince: A New Musical (Arts Theatre), Christmas On Ice (Spirit Productions, USA), We Will Rock You (Royal Caribbean) and The Wizard of Oz (Haymarket Theatre).Follow Toyan on Instagram: @toyantbThis podcast is hosted by Andrew Tomlins. @AndrewTomlins32 Thanks for listening!Email: andrew@westendframe.co.ukVisit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts.  

Shaun Kitchener (writer of Here And Now) returns to co-host The West End Frame Show!Andrew and Shaun discuss Daniel's Husband (Marylebone Theatre), Into The Woods (Bridge Theatre), Singin' in the Rain (Royal Exchange Manchester) and Freaky Friday The Musical (Home Manchester) as well as the latest news about the WhatsOnStage Awards nominations, Once on this Island, plus Mean Girls and Cabaret casting and lots more. Shaun is a playwright, screenwriter, journalist and DJ. His plays have included Positive which ran at the Waterloo East and Park Theatres and All That which ran at the King’s Head and was nominated for multiple Offie Awards including Best Play. For television he is a core writer for Hollyoaks. In addition to further work on stage and screen, Shaun regularly writes about pop culture for Metro and in his newsletter Absolutely! via Substack.Shaun is the book writer of the Steps musical Here And Now which premiered last year at the Birmingham Alexandra and is currently touring the UK & Ireland. He has just become a 2026 WhatsOnStage Award nominee, as Here And Now is nominated for Best New Musical.For more Here And Now tour dates and tickets, visit www.thestepsmusical.com.Follow Shaun on Instagram: @shaunkitchenerbentleyThis podcast is hosted by Andrew Tomlins. @AndrewTomlins32 Thanks for listening!Email: andrew@westendframe.co.ukVisit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts.  

Matt Mills (Joseph Jackson / Rob in MJ) co-hosts The West End Frame Show!Andrew and Matt discuss the cinema release of Merrily We Roll Along and Malinda Parris' final performance in Hercules as well as the latest news about High Society, one of the cut scenes in Wicked: For Good, Billy Elliot, Big Night of Musicals and more.Matt was in the original West End cast of MJ The Musical (Prince Edward Theatre) as Berry Gordy and Nick and has since taken over the leading role of Joseph Jackson and Rob. Matt starred as Curtis Taylor Jr. in the UK and Ireland tour of Dreamgirls. Some of his other theatre credits include: Richard Bullock / cover Ike in Tina The Musical (West End), ensemble / cover Berry Gordy in Motown The Musical (UK Tour), Drifters / ensemble in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (UK Tour), Newt Lee / Riley / Jim Conley in Parade (Hope Mill Theatre) and Nomax in Five Guys Named Moe (Edinburgh). Follow Matt on Instagram: @millzilla_MJ runs at the Prince Edward Theatre until 28th February 2026. This podcast is hosted by Andrew Tomlins. @AndrewTomlins32 Thanks for listening!Email: andrew@westendframe.co.ukVisit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts.  

Nikita Johal (Now That’s What I Call A Musical / The Taming of the Shrew) co-hosts The West End Frame Show!Andrew and Nikita discuss Paddington (Savoy Theatre), The Line Of Beauty (Almedia Theatre) and The Mousetrap's 73rd Birthday Performance (St Martins Theatre) as well as the latest news about Wicked spin-offs, Kimberly Akimbo's UK premiere, The Stage magazine, casting for American Psycho and lots more.Nikita is starring as Wendy in Peter Pan: A New Pantomime Adventure at the Greenwich Theatre. Last year she recorded an episode of In The Frame whilst playing Young Gemma in Now That’s What I Call A Musical on tour.Nikita's theatre credits include: Mandy and understudy Malika & Gold in Frankie Goes To Bollywood (UK Tour / Southbank Centre), Bianca/Curtis in The Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare In The Squares), The World Goes Round (Yvonne Arnaud Theatre), Princess Caraboo in Princess Caraboo (Finborough Theatre), Yonah in Children Of Eden (Union Theatre), Wendla inSpring Awakening (Hope Mill Theatre), Laputa in The Snow Queen (The Everyman, Liverpool), Selma Karamy in Broken Wings, (Theatre Royal Haymarket, The Other Palace & Beittidine Festival, Lebanon), Princess Aurora in Sleeping Beauty (Watford Palace Theatre), Princess Jasmine in Aladdin (Newbury Corn Exchange), Lily/Ladybird in What The Ladybird Heard (The Palace, West End & UK Tour), Understudy Neera/Bollywood Ensemble in Migrations (Welsh National Opera UK Tour), Asma/Kelly in The Wife Of Willesden (The Kiln & Boston/New York), Princess Katherine/Gower/Costable in Henry V & The Franklyn in The Canterbury Tales (Guildford Shakespeare Company), Maud in The Invincibles (Queens Theatre Hornchurch & The New Wolsey) and Fairy Sugarsnap in Jack & The Beanstalk (Evolution Pantomimes).Peter Pan: A New Pantomime Adventure runs at the Greenwich Theatre until 11th January 2026. Please visit www.greenwichtheatre.org.uk for info and tickets. Follow Nikita on Instagram: @nikitajohal This podcast is hosted by Andrew Tomlins. @AndrewTomlins32 Thanks for listening!Email: andrew@westendframe.co.ukVisit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts.  

West End Frame Editor, Andrew Tomlins, hosts a solo episode of The West End Frame Show!Andrew discusses Ride The Cyclone (Southwark Playhouse), Freaky Friday (Rehearsal Event) and Roam In Concert (Shaftesbury Theatre) as well as the latest news about Wicked For Good's box office records, Back To The Future, the Heathers tour, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Watermill and The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.This podcast is hosted by Andrew Tomlins. @AndrewTomlins32 Thanks for listening!Email: andrew@westendframe.co.ukVisit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts.  

It’s time for the third and final instalment of our Wicked: For Good takeover of The West End Frame Show!In this episode, Andrew Tomlins and Lisa Martland rave about Cynthia Erivo’s sensational performance of “No Good Deed.” They also talk about the ‘fight’ scene, the reveal of the mysterious figure on the horse and the added context surrounding Elphaba’s relationship with Chistery and the flying monkeys.The conversation continues as Andrew and Lisa unpack the film’s final section, including Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s emotional rendition of “For Good” and the power behind the characters’ highly emotional final moment together. They also explore the meaning and emotional impact of the movie’s closing shot.Finally, Andrew and Lisa reflect on their overall thoughts of Wicked: For Good, and why it will be forever part of movie musical history. Having spent many years at The Stage – including five years as Deputy Editor – Lisa Martland is a theatre journalist who has worked for theatrical publications such as Musical Stages, Musicals Magazine, Stage Faves and My Theatre Mates. She is the Founding Editor of www.MusicalTheatreReview.com.This podcast is hosted by Andrew Tomlins. @AndrewTomlins32 Thanks for listening!Email: andrew@westendframe.co.ukVisit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts.