Jazz hands at the ready… to celebrate a whopping 30 years of National Lottery funds helping theatre and performing arts projects across the UK, Big Night of Musicals 2025 returns to the AO Arena, Manchester, on Monday 27 January for a spectacular night featuring performances from some of the best musical theatre shows around.
Here’s what we know so far…
The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals 2025 release date
The event itself takes place on Monday, January 27 at the AO Arena Manchester, to be broadcast on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer at a later date. We’ll update here when we know more.
Who’s hosting Big Night of Musicals?
Pulling the whole thing together and making sure the night runs smoothly is actor, comedian and West End star Jason Manford, who fronts the show for the fourth time. "It's a real treat," he says. "It's a real honour to host this lovely show and I’m chuffed it’s in my hometown of Manchester for its fourth year. I'm an advocate of theatre, and I'm really proud that, with Big Night of Musicals, we're able to bring West End quality shows up to the northwest."
What's the atmosphere like in the AO Arena on the night?
"It’s absolutely incredible," says Jason. "You've got 12,000 people in there; kids with their parents and sometimes two or three generations of the same family. So it’s a really special night and it's free… and we know everyone loves a free night out!"
What musical performances can we expect to see?
Among the all-singing, all-dancing productions taking to the stage will be Mean Girls, Bat Out of Hell, Calamity Jane, Dear Evan Hansen, Disney’s Hercules and Here & Now: The Steps Musical, which Jason is particularly looking forward to catching a glimpse of.
"When it opened in Birmingham, I had lots of friends go and see it and tell me how good it was, so I'm interested to see that - but I’ll need to practise my 5,6,7,8," says Jason, who notes that there really is something for everyone.
"Big songs, camp and quirky songs, and some newer songs that people might not know but all our performances will give musical theatre lovers an insight into what shows they can potentially see. And it’s not just West End shows, it’s the touring shows as well - so there’s a chance a show you like will be coming to a town or city near you!"
Will Jason be performing himself?
A seasoned theatre performer, Big Night of Musicals just wouldn’t be the same without a star turn from the host with the most. And, once again, Jason has a little something up his sleeve. "We did a show called Something Rotten at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane over the summer and it was so much fun," he explains, "so hopefully we're going to do a number from that."
How are these theatre productions supported by The National Lottery?
They say ‘the show must go on’ but there are instances where that may not have been possible for some theatre productions without financial support from the National Lottery.
"To put £1.3 billion into theatre alone is amazing. Following the pandemic, a lot of these theatres wouldn't be open or these shows still in production, if it wasn't for National Lottery funding," says Jason, who can’t believe the national lottery has been running for 30 years. "It’s amazing, isn't it? I remember when it first started - but I've still only ever won a tenner!"
How can I get a ticket for The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals?
Big Night of Musicals serves as a special thank you to National Lottery players who have helped fund more than 20,000 theatre-related projects in the UK over the last 30 years. Free tickets to attend the musical spectacular are available NOW at bignightofmusicals.com Hurry, though, or you could miss out!
"These tickets will go fast, so good luck is all I'll say," says Jason. "Big Night of Musicals speaks for itself - The casts of all these musicals come up to Manchester on their night off to put on this spectacular show that you'll never see anywhere else and that’s all because of lottery funding. If you manage to bag a ticket, you’re very lucky."
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