Theater in Central Florida during 2025 ran the gamut from big musicals like “Once” to intimate plays such as “Birds of North America.”

Here then is a list of productions, presented alphabetically, that I considered 2025’s best of the best. Three of these shows will be named Best Comedy, Best Drama and Best Musical in the annual Critic’s Picks, published online Dec. 22 at orlandosentinel.com/entertainment, and in print in the Dec. 28 Travel & Arts section.

In the Orlando Shakes production of “Anna in the Tropics,” Marela (Esther Olivo) works while Juan Julian (Eddie Gutiérrez) reads “Anna Karenina.” (Courtesy Tony Firriolo via Orlando Shakes)

‘Anna in the Tropics’

Orlando Shakes

In August, I wrote: The production is as down-to-earth as a sturdy tobacco plant, yet at times feels as ephemeral as a wisp of smoke curling from a cigar. It’s plainspoken yet poetic, rooted in history but resonating with contemporary urgency, concerned with the ordinary things of life while reminding us of the extraordinary things about life.

Son and father (Flynn Horne and Dustin Michael Russell) share a moment in the Theatre at St. Luke’s production of “Big Fish.” (Courtesy Howard Clifton via Theatre at St. Luke’s)

‘Big Fish’

Theatre at St. Luke’s

In August, I wrote: Everything, and I mean everything, works together in perfect harmony for this enchanting and thrilling production: Lights, sound, music, costumes, scenery, props, projections and performers. A moment among bright yellow daffodils takes the breath away. If you’re going to tell a theatrical whopper, this is how you do it.

A common hobby brings a daughter and father (Elaitheia Quinn and Allan Whitehead) closer together in Theater on the Edge’s “Birds of North America.” (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel)

‘Birds of North America’

Theater on the Edge

In May, I wrote: The theater’s penchant for finding plays that speak about humanity — and then casting them with actors who can say more than the words on the page — is still intact. The play’s beauty is in how it shows all of us the power of communication, and how life’s curveballs can change the way we relate to one another.

Anastasia Remoundos blazes across the stage as “the toast of Mayfair,” Sally Bowles, in the Orlando Shakes production of “Cabaret.” (Courtesy Tony Firriolo via Orlando Shakes)

‘Cabaret’

Orlando Shakes

In February, I wrote: The show wants to rattle your cage, to leer and sneer and dare you out of complacency. It’s a five-alarm warning about disengaging from politics and avoiding reality, whether welcome or not. … All of these potent moments ring true for Orlando Shakes … With its overall messaging and look, Orlando Shakes has outdone the latest buzzy but gimmicky New York revival.

Close-knit friends (Chase Shellee, Cynthia Beckert, Janine Papin, Rose Lamarre and Mayme Paul) find time for a group hug in Theater West End’s production of “Calendar Girls.” (Courtesy Mike Kitaif via Theater West End)

‘Calendar Girls’

Theater West End

In January, I wrote: The comedy originally came from the idea of “respectable” women eschewing British modesty to strip off, but today, it also hits the zeitgeist of refusing to be defined by others, expressing oneself freely and discovering one’s own self-worth.  All of this reads beautifully on the Theater West End stage. As “Calendar Girls” reminds us, laughter and that sense of camaraderie are the things that make life good. And they make for a great night at the theater.

Nyeshia Naomii (from left), Ayófèmi Jeriah Demps, Desiree Montes, Roberta Emerson, Bethany Hemmans, Patrece Bloomfield and Edmarie Montes star in the Theater West End production of “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf.” (Courtesy Mike Kitaif via Theater West End)

‘For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf’

Theater West End

In September, I wrote: The magic comes from the fact that there doesn’t seem to be any artifice at all. This particular piece appears to be deeply personal to these actors. One immediately senses that they aren’t just saying Ntozake Shange’s exquisitely chosen words; they aren’t even acting them. They are living them and living with them. And there’s immense power in seeing that play out onstage.

Nancy and Dr. Gottmundsdottir (Jessica Hamilton, left, and Jonna Kae Volz) have an awkward encounter in the Ensemble Company production of “Frozen.” (Courtesy Matthew MacDermid/The Ensemble Company)

‘Frozen’

The Ensemble Company

In May, I wrote: In a sterling production, “Frozen” tells a story so compelling you might find yourself forgetting to breathe. And while it has you in its grasp with its gripping tale of a murdered child, a grieving mother, a dogged but tortured criminal psychiatrist and a serial killer, “Frozen” is saying something profound about what it means to be human — both weak and strong. … This fascinating and thought-provoking play dwells on the human brain but explores the human heart as it reaches straight into a theatergoer’s soul.

The Duchess (Paige Mason) becomes entangled with an unsavory character (Nathan Olmeda), a decision she’ll live to regret in the Orlando Shakes production of “Henry VI, Part 2: She-Wolf of France.” (Courtesy Tony Firriolo via Orlando Shakes)

‘Henry VI, Part 2: She-Wolf of France’

Orlando Shakes

In January, I wrote: Orlando Shakes returns to England’s War of the Roses with “Henry VI, Part 2: She-Wolf of France,” and it’s a rip-roaring royal rebellion of a time. How lucky we all are to have a theater company able to bring Shakespeare to life so vividly.

Hannah McGinley Lemasters (from left), Monica Titus, Tesia Kwarteng and Rebecca Jo Lightfoot lift the material in the Winter Park Playhouse production of “Honky Tonk Angels Holiday Hoedown.” (Courtesy Michael Cairns via Winter Park Playhouse)

‘Honky Tonk Angels Holiday Hoedown’

 Winter Park Playhouse

In November, I wrote: This “Holiday Hoedown” rises far above standard. Those girl-group harmonies will give you chills faster than an icicle down your sweater. And let’s talk about those singers. It’s dream casting — each woman a powerhouse in her own right.  And each actor is generous in sharing the spotlight. It makes for a glorious feeling of camaraderie.

Timothy Williams (from left), Blake Croft and Philip Nolen star in the Orlando Shakes production of “The Hound of the Baskervilles.” (Courtesy Tony Firriolo via Orlando Shakes)

‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’

Orlando Shakes

In October, I wrote: If you’re looking for a silly escape from the troubles of the real world, delivered with comic panache, you’re barking up the right tree with “The Hound of the Baskervilles.” The show is a technical delight, yet the endeavor rests squarely on the shoulders of the actors, and this trio delivers magnificently. This “Hound” goes right for the funny bone and never lets go.

The all-woman cast of “Jerry’s Girls,” a salute to composer-lyricist Jerry Herman, for Winter Park Playhouse’s production includes (from left) Lizzie Wild, Desiree Montes, Samm Carroll, Laura Hodos, Jordan Grant, Patrece Bloomfield and Tay Anderson. (Courtesy Winter Park Playhouse)

‘Jerry’s Girls’

Winter Park Playhouse

In August, I wrote:  if you’re a fan of musical theater, or just a fan of talent, catchy tunes and well, smiling in general, you will want to find “Jerry’s Girls.” It’s one of those revues that has a solid foundation in the source material — and then the production lifts the enterprise above and beyond what’s on the page. Jerry Herman would be mighty proud of these ‘Girls.’

Seymour and Audrey (Brandon Roberts and Hannah McGinley Lemasters) share a moment in front of Audrey II, an unusual plant, in “Little Shop of Horrors” at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. (Courtesy Dr. Phillips Center)

‘Little Shop of Horrors’

Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

In October, I wrote: Why not lead “Little Shop” with a trio of Orlando’s best character actors? That would be Brandon Roberts, Hannah McGinley Lemasters and Alexander Mrazek — actors who create memorable characters no matter the size of the role, actors who know how to be quirky, how to be clever and most importantly here, how to be funny. Watching this show is watching pros at work. Clap, cheer and laugh — they deserve it — but remember, don’t feed the plant.

The actors are also the musicians in “Once,” onstage at Theater West End in Sanford. (Courtesy Jose Carlos Rivera via Theater West End)

‘Once’

Theater West End

In November, I wrote: On the days things seem bleakest, the musical seems to say, isn’t it an incredible boost to have a fellow human help shoulder the load and help show you the way. It’s a lovely message for our times. And all of this messaging comes through loud and clear in “Once” at Theater West End without hammering any of it home. You just feel the power of shared humanity as you watch the burgeoning relationship between Guy and Girl.

Juliana Smithton (Janine Papin) is giving a lecture when something starts going wrong in The Ensemble Company’s production of “The Other Place.” (Courtesy Matthew MacDermid, The Ensemble Company)

‘The Other Place’

The Ensemble Company

In November, I wrote:  Juliana Smithton is unraveling before our eyes. … The entertainment does not come from Smithton’s pain — for “The Other Place” is in many ways an exploration of emotional pain — but from trying to deduce the cause of Smithton’s distress and from guessing what will happen next in Sharr White’s twisty mystery. The minutes fly by as clues drop and playwright White cleverly makes the audience question the “facts” they think they knew. … There’s a lot in play in this clever show that’s simultaneously an exciting thriller and an introspective thinker:  Most poignantly, how do we find our way to the peace that is “the other place.”

The expressions on the faces of Christopher James Murray (from left), Keri Hollingsworth, Walter Riddle and Dayja Le’Chelle) tell you exactly how the dinner party in “Welcome to Matteson!” is going. Orlando Shakes is presenting the play. (Courtesy Tony Firriolo via Orlando Shakes)

‘Welcome to Matteson’

Orlando Shakes

In March, I wrote: The well-acted and consistently engrossing “Welcome to Matteson!” has both the couples and the dinner to provide plenty of food for thought about the state of America today. Frankly, it’s not a pretty picture. … Both the director and the actors do excellent work in keeping these characters real, even as they occasionally behave in ways it’s hard to imagine at such a gathering. Their actions might shock, which provides the dark humor, but at the core, these characters seem completely believable. They could be our neighbors.

Follow me at facebook.com/matthew.j.palm or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com. Find entertainment news and reviews at orlandosentinel.com/entertainment.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/12/19/best-orlando-theater-2025-top-productions/