The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals returned to the AO Arena in Manchester tonight, 27 January 2025.
The star-studded evening included performances from musical theatre stars Michael Ball, Marisha Wallace, Layton Williams and Carrie Hope Fletcher.
The show was also attended by famous faces including Billy Porter, Marisha’s new co-star in Cabaret in the West End, Kimberley Walsh, Faye Tozer, Dean McCullough and Ore Oduba.
The full line-up for the show was announced earlier this month.
Hosted by comedian Jason Manford and with a special appearance from Daniel Mays, the evening featured sensational performances from West End and touring UK shows including Disney’s Hercules, Cabaret, Mean Girls, Dear Evan Hansen, Titanique, Chicago and more.
The annual show is a special thank you to National Lottery players who have helped support more than 20,000 theatre-related projects over the last 30 years.
The arena show will also be broadcast on BBC One, BBC Radio 2, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds in spring 2025, with exact dates to be announced.
Photos: Big Night of Musicals 2025 – Red Carpet
The spectacular evening saw some truly amazing performances from shows in the West End and touring musicals, including a breathtaking performance of ‘Maybe This Time’ by Marisha Wallace from Cabaret, which was introduced by her co-star Billy Porter, who also joined her on the red carpet earlier in the evening.
Fans were also treated to an exclusive preview of the brand-new Disney’s Hercules, which is coming to the West End this summer, with a spectacular performance of ‘Zero to Hero’ and ‘Go The Distance’.
West End superstar Michael Ball also made a special appearance during the night, singing ‘The Impossible Dream’ alongside National Lottery-funded charity Our Dementia Choir, founded by actress, producer and presenter Vicky McClure MBE (Line of Duty).
Other show-stopping performances came from the cast of Titanique, including Layton Williams, performed ‘I’m Alive’, ‘Taking Chances’ and ‘My Heart Will Go On’.
West End star Carrie Hope Fletcher sang a medley of the most popular songs from Calamity Jane, which is currently touring the UK and Ireland.
Also, Georgina Castle performed ‘World Burn’ from the smash hit West End musical Mean Girls The Musical; and there were performances from the current touring productions of Here & Now – The Steps Musical, Chicago, Dear Evan Hansen, and Mary Poppins, who took over the stage to sing ‘Supercalafragalistic’.
Rounding off the evening in true theatrical style, the cast of Jim Steinman’s Bat Out of Hell The Musical brought the curtain down with a brilliant medley of ‘Dead Ringer for Love’ and ‘Anything For Love’ from the hit show.
The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals celebrates 30 years of The National Lottery funding theatre and performing arts across the UK and serves to thank players who have helped support more than 20,000 theatre-related projects to the tune of £1.3BN. National Lottery funding has helped restore theatres as well as enabling hundreds of performing arts projects.
Book the shows! Check out booking details for all shows featured on Big Night of Musicals 2025
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