Director: Hannah Chissick
Musical Director: Nigel Lilley
2025 marks the 17th year of the Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year (SSSSPOTY), which was created to celebrate the works of the late Stephen Sondheim and to shine a spotlight on emerging talent from the UK’s drama schools. The event, as emphasised by Stephen Sondheim Society Chairman Craig Glenday in his opening speech, is also an opportunity to showcase the best of new creative talent from UK musical theatre writers through NEW UK MUSICALS, an initiative set up by Darren Clark to allow people to discover and access a wide catalogue of fresh work.
This year, SSSSPOTY attracted over 330 applicants, who were narrowed down to 12 finalists from nine schools. Hosted by Rosalie Craig (known for her performance as Bobby in Marianne Elliott’s 2018 production of Company), the finalists perform two songs, one by Sondheim and another from the UK NEW MUSICAL’s catalogue, to a panel of judges, who this year consisted of Jenna Russell (Chair), Darren Clark, Clare Foster, Nigel Harman, Catherine Jayes, and Laura Pitt-Pulford. Under the musical direction of Nigel Lilley, who is currently Musical Supervisor and Conductor on the UK premiere of Sondheim’s final musical Here We Are at the National Theatre, students demonstrate their range and technique through their performances.
A strong opening performance of The Ballad of Sweeney Todd from the finalists and reserves reveals the high standard of vocal capability offered by students in this year’s competition, which is maintained across the board throughout their solo numbers. Highlights from the performers include Georgie Lagden’s subtle and observant presentation of The Ladies Who Lunch from Company, Lotte Pearl’s characterful rendition of Everybody Lover Louis from Sunday in the Park with George, and Hudson Harden Scheel’s performance of Coming to Terms, which is taken from Then, Now & Next by Christopher Orten and Jon Robyns, and complements his chosen Sondheim number, Love, I Hear from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, with equal emotion and depth.
While the judges retire to deliberate, the audience is treated to a variety of performances. As is custom, the winner of the SSSSPOTY award in 2024, Madeleine Morgan sings her winning number, Moments in the Woods from Into the Woods. Guest performers Molly Lynch and Jade Oswald appear to deliver the world premiere of Prove Me Wrong, which is written by Cinco Paul for the third season of Schmigadoon!, which was planned to be titled Into the Schmoodsbut was shelved by Apple TV+ in 2024. Joining with previous SSSSPOTY alumni, Alex Cardell, Cassius Hackforth, and Madeleine Morgan are performers from the National Youth Musical Theatre ensemble, who had opened Act II with Take Me To The World from Evening Primrose, and finally, Rosalie Craig sings So Many People from Saturday Night, before inviting the finalists and judges to the stage for the results.
Taking the runner-up position is Rigby Edwards from Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, who had sung Old Friends/Like It Was from Merrily We Roll Along, with fantastic technique and characterisation, as well as Kill the Freak from Re-animator: A Zombie Musical by Ben Glasstone.
Declared this year’s winner for her performance of Losing My Mind from Follies was Georgia Blessitt from the Royal Academy of Music, who sang the number with incredible emotion and vulnerability that clearly demonstrated the combination of talent and hard work put into making the performance so memorable.
Concluding the event, Rosalie Craig assures that “the future of musical theatre is definitely in safe hands”, a sentiment echoed by Craig Glenday and the judges, and it is an exciting prospect for these new performers to enter the professional industry at such a high level of performance and start forging their careers.
Held on 8 June 2025
