The 10 best shows of 2025

BarcelonaLike the best circus acts, Catalan theater has taken an even greater leap this year than last. The upward trend in audience numbers continues. It already registered record figures in 2024But by 2025 it has gone even higher, consolidating and surpassing the figure of more than three million viewers and simultaneously increasing revenue. Adding to the year's good news is the opening of a new theater in Barcelona, The Factory, and the birth of a new cycle of theater, Autumn Flashwhich has brought world-class productions to the Catalan capital. The 2025 program featured ambitious shows with well-told and well-performed stories by major companies (what a joy to see so many talented people on stage!), as well as monologues and small-format shows full of depth, featuring actors at their peak. Our theater experts have selected the 10 best shows that graced the program (and the five most important international productions of the year).

The story of Édouard Louis in relation to his father It already moved audiences in 2023 at the Temporada Alta festivalBut Pau Roca and Dafnis Balduz haven't been intimidated by that international production. From that sincere and devastating text, the Sixto Paz company has crafted an intimate monologue that powerfully and emotionally conveys the protagonist's feelings, with Dafnis Balduz in top form. The fact that the performance took place in the Heartbreak Hotel, with the audience and performer in close proximity, lends even more sensitivity to the show, which is also a much-needed cry for acceptance of difference.

Oriol Genís's acting talent is immense, and here Everything is geared towards the spectacle to embody a newsstand owner with a humdrum life that conceals a drama. The actor unfolds a monologue made up of seemingly banal details that recount his life, taking advantage of the patience of a roommate he met in the hospital. Following this minimalist story, and with the most elegant subtlety – Luisa Cunillé's trademark – I count every step I take on the earth It leaves a disturbing aftertaste of violence that is reinforced above all by Xavier Albertí's minimalist direction, focused on giving Genís all the space he needs to showcase his virtuosity and dramatic intuition.

Sometimes, to enjoy great theater, all you need is a couple of actors, a couple of spotlights, and a great script to ignite the mind and give the audience goosebumps. Here we have one of Erri de Luca's politically charged and highly literary novels, skillfully performed by Lluís Soler and Bernat Quintana, face to face, in an acting duel that also draws parallels with recent crime and legal cases. It's theater that soars above and prompts reflection on life's great conflicts: justice, the common good, loyalty, truth, and forgiveness.

It is rare to see so much evil concentrated in such a small area. The housekeeper It is a harrowing and violent tale that transforms into an equally wounding and agonizing story of resilience. Is he a victim or a perpetrator? Or perhaps both at once? With that precision and poise, Rosa Renom finds the right tone and serenity to deliver a text that delves into the deepest darkness. It is the viewer who must decide whether to blame or absolve this rural, savage character, written and directed by Josep Maria Miró.

Josep Maria Pou once again takes on one of those international texts that raise the great questions of our time and once again steps into the shoes of Captain Ahab. Here, instead of a whale, he has in his hands a true icon of contemporary literature, Roald Dahl, the author who wrote goals such as Matilda and Charlie and the Chocolate Factoryand also antisemitic articles which he defended with his fiery temper. A perfect showcase, yes, for a giant theatrical.

Cristina Clemente and Sergi Belbel have more than proven themselves that you can make a really good comedy about cancer without offending or causing pain, making people laugh and hitting hard in equal measure. Women of Radio It is, in the words of ARA critic Santi Fondevila, "like a punch with a velvet glove". Built through real storiesThe show tackles the emotional hurricane associated with the illness: from the difficulty of verbalizing the diagnosis to those around them to accepting one's own body after treatment and a mastectomy. And all of this is presented with a comedic touch! On stage, Àngels Gonyalons, Sara Espígul, and Sara Diego form a trio of actresses with excellent chemistry, essential to this magnificent performance.

It's impossible to leave a La Cubana show without smiling (and even singing), but this time the historic company goes even further. Without abandoning the playful aspect of the stage—which is inherent to their spirit—La Cubana pays a beautiful tribute to amateur theater with a frenetic, rhythmic show where everything is meticulously planned. From the marvelous sets that envelop the story to the fantastic costumes and musical numbers, The love that came in a taxi It is a beautiful display of love for the theatre and, at the same time, a sparkling and unbeatable show.

Since it is impossible – and surely unnecessary – to dance to the literature of Mercè Rodoreda, Marcos Morau and La Veronal have gone much further and have erected a fascinating altarpiece of Death and SpringThe show is brimming with references and images that haunt the audience: obviously, there is a lot of death, there are graves and earth from which a corpse emerges, there is a roaring river, tree trunks, thunder, and pipes that move the dancers, there are the mothers and their torment, there is the voice of Maria Ar. There are elements that we readily recognize in Veronal, but there are always new movements, dazzling ideas, more darkness than ever. More than a narrative, La Veronal has captured a mood, even a historical moment, even the drama of any war, and it has broken our hearts.

Victoria Szpunberg had already made history before reaching that point The third escapeWith this show, which premiered in April, she became the first woman to direct and write a play in the Sala Gran of the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya. She did so with a brilliant montage, intelligent and well-rounded, which dresses up Szpunberg's family history in fiction to talk about how roots and identity are sometimes marked by escape and violence. The third escape It perfectly combines depth and lightness, with a splendid company made up of renowned actors –Clara Segura headlined– and younger performers with equally memorable performances –Magalí Sare, we will remember your song–. A sensational show that cements Szpunberg's place as one of the best creators in our country.

It was risky for the Teatre Lliure to include in its program a seven-hour show with an almost entirely male cast, since The inheritance It tells the story of a group of gay men in 1980s New York. But the company, headed by Josep Maria Mestres, not only sold out tickets a few days after they went on sale, but also delivered a very well-crafted production that puts emotion front and center and It received a shower of Butaca Awards in its latest editionHis characters, especially Morgan by Carlos Martínez and Toby by Carlos Cuevas, have already become part of the lives of all those who knew them from the audience. The inheritance will return to the Teatre Lliure soon.