Review: The Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer Of The Year 2026 (Sondheim Theatre)

Review by Daz Gale

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The Sondheim Theatre in the West End is no stranger to a successful musical, being the home to the longest-running musical in the world, Les Misérables, most days of the year. However, for one Sunday every June, it clears its stage to allow the opportunity to hear some different people sing with the return of the Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer Of The Year (or SSSSPOTY for short). Nurturing the next generation of talent, past winners and finalists have included Cynthia Erivo, Taron Egerton, Erin Doherty and Alex Young, so it’s fair to say their track record has been pretty impressive. What would this year’s competition bring?

Now in its 18th year, SSSSPOTY has grown since its inception, becoming known as one of the hottest contests in theatre. What started in a relatively low-key affair in 207 has grown to the level that it can now be staged in the theatre bearing Stephen Sondheim’s name, with more than 350 people applying to be one of the lucky finalists this year. This is the fourth consecutive year we have covered the event on All That Dazzles, and the third time I have attended myself. On a personal level, it has been a real joy to follow the careers of the talented students I have seen on stage, even seeing one of them back at the Sondheim in a leading role in Les Misérables.

The event captures the spirit of Stephen Sondheim beautifully with his commitment to championing the next generation. This is achieved through the students, of course, but also with the nature of their song selections. As well as each taking on one of Sondheim’s timeless numbers, they also pick a song from a shortlist of New UK Musicals, something Sondheim himself insisted on for the competition. What follows is a rich afternoon celebrating the variety of musical theatre, both old and new.

Twelve finalists competed to win the title of Student Performer Of The Year, and the talent this year was tougher than ever. Last year, it was easy to pick out the winner, despite the talents of all of the finalists. This year felt a lot more even across them all, with no shortage of knockout performances. This led to a much longer deliberation from the judges than usual, resulting in the show running out of guest musical performances and having to get creative to fill the time (also allowing for an impromptu performance from one of the reserves, Nicholas McKeown). Accompanied only by the hard-working Nigel Lilley on the piano, there are no bells, whistles or distractions of any kind - just their raw talent, and the confidence that alone is enough to fill the looming stage of the Sondheim Theatre.

Ultimately, it was Charlotte English who won the contest this year, with a stunning rendition of ‘I Read’ from Passion, full of emotion and acting through song. This was matched with her new musical pick, ‘The Sparrow’s Tale’ from The Wicker Husband. Second and third prizes went to Taziva-Faye Katsande and Rosie Sutton, respectively. Katsande delivered an exceptional ‘Last Midnight’ from Into The Woods, and I dare say her ‘Peace In The Puzzle’ from Turing: A Musical was even better. When it was announced that Sutton was performing ‘Getting Married Today’, there were audible gasps followed by murmurs across the audience. It is certainly a bold and audacious choice, but she absolutely nailed the performance through impeccable timing and a natural use of comedy.

The top three were all girls, and that was representative of the competition that was this year dominated by them. Other highlights among the amazing finalists were Ruby Decent for a brilliantly charismatic ‘By The Sea’ from Sweeney Todd, and Roisin Holland who was my personal standout of the night, first for a beautiful ‘Move On’ from Sunday In The Park With George, and then what I considered to be the strongest new musical number of the night with ‘The Girl Next Door’ from Lifeboats, a show I am longing to see and hear more from after that exquisite number.

The boys still managed to hold their own against these powerhouse performers, with Samuel Louis Bennett delivering a risky but ultimately rewarding rendition of ‘Waiter’s Song’ from Sondheim’s final musical, Here We Are. Another highlight was Freddy Thompson’s incredibly sweet and fabulously childlike rendition of ‘Giants In The Sky’ from Into The Woods, in one of the best uses of acting through song during the show. His ‘Anna’ from The Stationmaster was another standout, highlighting his versatility. That is what these two differing musical numbers should do, and is a great reminder that song choice can make or break the performance. When they were chosen correctly, the stars aligned to create musical theatre heaven.

It wasn’t just the contestants performing on the stage. We were also treated to a variety of guest performances. Last year’s winner, Georgia Blessitt, returned to the stage a year after being crowned the winner for an encore performance of her winning performance, ‘Losing My Mind’ from Follies, while 2019 winner Stuart Thompson showcased the competition’s desire to champion new works with a number from his most recent musical, FLYBY. Into The Woods may have wrapped up its run (ahead of its West End transfer later this year), but Gracie McGonigal reminded us all why she is a Red Riding Hood for the ages with a fantastic ‘I Know Things Now’. A great opening number of ‘Company’ from the 15 finalists and reserves, and a medley from West Side Story from the National Youth Musical Theatre Ensemble to kick off Act Two, solidified the great talent that awaits us lucky theatregoers in the next few years from these outstanding performers.

Due to be hosted by another past finalist, the always fabulous Oscar Conlon-Morrey, his indisposition meant Bella Browne had to step in at the last minute, and what a wonderful host she was. Fast proving herself to be one of the greatest talents in the West End after her time in Evita last year, it was her role as Rapunzel in Into The Woods that showcased her love for Sondheim, a passion that continued throughout the afternoon and culminating with her own performance of ‘Not A Day Goes By’ from Merrily We Roll Along (a show she commented nobody had sung anything from minutes later before being hastily and hilariously reminded of her own performance).

As well as leaving behind a vast legacy of incredible shows and classic songs, Stephen Sondheim’s legacy extends to how he championed new talent and encouraged the generations that followed him. Though he is very sadly no longer with us, his spirit is certainly felt in the annual Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer Of The Year, and 2026’s offering was perhaps the greatest one yet. It is admirable that these future stars are given a huge platform such as this West End stage, and with 30 performances throughout to enjoy in an incredible three hours, the future of musical theatre is certainly in safe hands. Expect to see many of the talents back on a West End stage in the years to come, perhaps even continuing to honour Stephen Sondheim with a revival of one of his works. Congratulations to not just all of the finalists, but to everyone at the Stephen Sondheim Society for continuing to invest in such a vital event - keeping Sondheim’s spirit alive in the most beautiful way possible. I’m already counting down the days until the 2027 competition.

The Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer Of The Year 2026 took place on 7th June 2026. Sign up to sondheim.org to join the Stephen Sondheim Society and find out more about all the work they do.

Photos by Ian Bowkett