Musical Con 2025

Excel London

Great performers... but not so great experience for the price point. Every year, the experience seems to decrease. Is it for the fans or for their wallets?

I do not know what goes into putting these kinds of events on, the planning, the money or the staffing. This is all just how I felt about the experience and what I wish would change. I'm grateful to have been invited to review and to share a space with a large number of theatre lovers. I met some great people and saw some great work by small businesses. The performers and small businesses are so hardworking and deserve so much credit for their contributions.

I've been going to this experience for the last 3 years. The first time I ever went in 2023, I had the best time jumping from class to class, and I spent so much money to learn from hard-working performers. Don't get me wrong, there were flaws back then, but as the years go on, it just seems to get more and more empty. I wonder what it is like when you aren't a local to London and travelling for this event. Does it feel worth it? Have I been too often that it's lost its spark?

I was lucky enough to be gifted my ticket, and I had VIP, so I was closer to the stage. But the variety of performances this year didn't draw me to the stage. The map of the experience had minimised, the panels and performances lacked interest, and the bubbly, vibrant opening was filled with emotive songs. Don't get me wrong, the performers were incredible, but the whole concept of the convention is to unite fans and celebrate the colourful industry, and the opening was back-to-back performers singing solos. Layton Williams was the only performer who understood the brief and got the audience pumped up with 'You don't even know it' From Everybody's Talking About Jamie. Where was the unity and energy? That being said, it's an incredible experience for young performers and dreamers, because they can network with performers, get advice from drama schools and performers' colleges and get stuck in... if their parents can afford to pay for classes on top of the price of the tickets. I just feel like the fans above the age of 21 are not thought about, and you feel a bit old when most of the stalls are different arts institutions.

It's not Musical Con without a sprinkle of Heathers, Mamamia and a snippet of SIX. Every year it feels like the same classes, masterclasses and sometimes even performances. Don't get me wrong, of course, they are popular for a reason and people love them... but nothing more is added, if anything more is taken away each year. The performances were filled with talent, we had some showcases of new musicals: Jo the musical, Wild about you and even The Producers. But let's keep the main stage as performances to keep that energy going, and after the performance, have that Q&A at the panel stage to get footfall to the panels. It just decreases the vibrance after a performance when it's chair time... There were also some incredible performances from musicals like Bonnie and Clyde and Clueless, whilst these moments are listed as a 'surprise', it means people might miss out on something they want to see. What was listed in the set list was not exactly the most engaging, and it was very vague.

The classes have little space and are for ALL AGES. If you're interested in learning a sequence from Heathers, if you aren't between the ages of 12 and 18, you feel a little bit out of place and uncomfortable, considering the content is not always the most child-friendly. But would this make more adults interested in trying out the classes if there were age-range classes? Not to say the classes aren't fantastic, though, having the opportunity to learn sections of your favourite show is an incredible experience. It would make more people go if one or two classes were a part of the ticket package, maybe for VIPs or whole weekend ticket holders?  But the studios seem to get more crowded and smaller every year. You're lucky if you have space to turn.

Money definitely makes Musical Con go around. It would keep people inside the venue if there was more of a wider range of food, snacks and refreshments available in the convention. Whilst yes, it is London and everything costs money, there's only the choice of 3 food trucks and considering there are performers in attendance, more healthy options should be available! Also, let those small businesses have some space to breathe! All the stands were bunched together in one area, and people were crowding and pushing to be able to get around the stalls. These stalls must have been working HARD to sell and keep an eye on customers. Walking around the stalls was overwhelming and cramped... It was great that these incredibly hard-working businesses got the attention and influx of customers they truly deserve. There was so much space in the building to spread out, maybe get more chairs, fill out the gaps and get more staff for the convention, as those working there seemed very busy and few. Upon arrival, being amongst the excited crowds queuing and the buzz was so much fun. In the last few years, there have been performances by choirs and singing groups. Were there any this year? Once you get into the space, you see the gaps and lack of things to do and places to go, it isn't quite what you were expecting. As for access needs, I'm unsure how things have developed or what they were like, as my knowledge of this area is limited, and I hope that musical fans with any requirements had their feedback from previous years heard and that there was an improvement.

One thing that does get to me is the cost of meeting your favourite performers. I completely understand that this contributes towards their pay for attending, but whilst they have every right to have a wander, it's difficult when customers have paid £30-£60 to meet them and have a photo, when others can have a quick photo for free if they bump into them. Granted, this is only a small number of performers. Out of respect to those who have paid, they should at least not have photos with people who haven't paid, just whilst you're at the event. Whilst I appreciate they get a professional photo and 1 on 1 time, it seems like a lot of money when you can say Hi and have a quick picture on your phone for free with some of the performers. I wouldn't know if this is worth the money, as I haven't experienced this part of Musical Con myself. Plus, the photo ops from other shows this year, like Matilda and Hercules, were just a poster, and The Lion King was the only big show to put effort into their stand.

Basically, this year seems like the convention needs to listen to the fans and make the experience worth the price point. I appreciate and admire the hard-working people who put this together and the performers who bring so much value. There needs to be more care for the fans and more attention to detail with organising where things are going to be. Space out more, don't hide the panel stage behind a wall, because people won't get involved, as they can't see what's going on to join in, other than what's listed. The main stage was very loud this year and made the other areas of the experience hard to interact with. There's not enough entertainment, choice or difference. Every year it's the same, but less. Hopefully, next year, they can get it back on its feet and better. It's a fantastic convention that brings musical lovers together. We don't mind paying the price point if it feels worth it, but if what is offered is less than this year, it'll be difficult to return. Maybe I'm just not the target audience, but I thought it was for all the musical fans.