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The Longest Running West End Shows that You Can Catch in London
Numerous shows debut at the West End every year, and hundreds of thousands of people come to watch these performances. Some remain for a short run while others may remain the entire season. Some special shows even keep coming back, especially holiday-oriented shows like Christmas pantomimes. But, there are only a handful of shows that remain a constant at the West End, entertaining audiences for decades. These longest-running West End shows are in a league of their own. So hurry and get your tickets to these shows, it’s an experience worth getting!
Mystery
The Mousetrap
- The Mousetrap opened at the West End on 25 November 1952 at the Ambassadors Theatre. On 23 March 1974, it transferred to St. Martin's Theatre.
- Ever since, the show has run continuously at the St. Martin's Theatre, only closing briefly in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It re-opened on 17 May 2021 and has been playing to date.
- The play is a murder mystery by Agatha Christie, which began as a radio play that Christie wrote as a birthday present for Queen Mary, the consort of King George V.
- It takes inspiration from the real-life story of Dennis O'Neill, who died after suffering from extreme abuse in foster care in 1945.
- For a mystery play to remain on stage for so many decades is quite a surprise, since every day the audiences get to know the identity of the murderer. But, famously, at the end of each run, the audiences are asked to keep the secret: it seems to work!
Drama
Les Misérables
- Les Misérables has been running in London since October 1985, opening in the Barbican Centre, London. It is the longest-running musical in the West End.
- The show transferred to the Palace Theatre on 4 December 1985 and then to Sondheim Theatre in 2004.
- Les Misérables celebrated its 30th anniversary in October 2015. The show had to be closed for a brief period during Covid but reopened in 2021 and has been running ever since.
- It is based on the 1862 novel by Victor Hugo and is a sung-through-musical depicting 19th Century France.
- Les Misérables follows Jean Valjean, a French peasant, who is unjustly imprisoned for 19 years for stealing bread for a starving child. It is a story of redemption with the revolutionary period in France as its backdrop.
The Phantom of the Opera
- Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera opened at Her Majesty's Theatre (Now His Majesty's Theatre) in London's West End on 9 October 1986.
- It is the second longest-running musical in the history of the West End, just behind Les Misérables.
- The musical celebrated its 30th anniversary on 10 October 2016. The event was widely celebrated and the original cast members appeared during the curtain call at the end of the day’s production.
- The Phantom of the Opera is based on the 1910 French novel of the same name by Gaston Leroux.
- It tells the story of Christine Daaé, a beautiful soprano. A masked musical genius, known as the Phantom and living beneath the Paris Opéra House, becomes obsessed with, causing her world to turn upside down.
Kids’ Shows
The Lion King
- The Lion King opened in the Lyceum Theatre at the West End on October 19, 1999, and is still running at the same place to date. It has had more than 8,500 performances.
- The show had to be closed due to the pandemic but returned to the theatre on July 29, 2021.
- The Lion King is based on the 1994 Walt Disney Animation Studios' film of the same name and has become a West End legend.
- Julie Taymor, who is also the director of The Lion King, won the Olivier Award for Best Costume Design for the musical in 2000.
- The Lion King is about Simba, a lion cub who becomes the heir to his home, Pride Rock. He faces great tragedy and runs away from his home. When he grows up, he must fight for his destiny as well as the future of his people.
Wicked
- Wicked the musical, which is based on the 1995 Gregory Maguire novel named Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, opened at the West End’s Apollo Victoria Theatre on September 27, 2006.
- In 2016, the musical celebrated its 10th anniversary with a special curtain call in which former members of the West End cast appeared for a celebration.
- The show has had more than 6000 runs and is the 9th longest-running show in West End’s history.
- Wicked is the story of Elphaba and Galinda and the unlikely friendship that blossoms between them at university, in spite of clashing views and romantic competition.
- This is the origin story about how Elphaba turns into the Wicked Witch of the West and Galinda becomes Glinda the Good.
Matilda the Musical
- Based on the 1988 novel, Matilda, by Roald Dahl, the musical opened at the Cambridge Theatre at the West End on 24 November 2011.
- Matilda won 7 Olivier Awards in 2012, which was an unprecedented event at the awards.
- On 12 November 2021, Matilda celebrated its 10th anniversary at the West End and around 42 previous Matildas were in attendance.
- The musical focuses on Matilda Wormwood, a 5-year-old voracious reader with telekinetic powers, who is ill-treated by her parents at home and the headmistress at school.
- Matilda has been staged all over the world, including Broadway, Australia, Canada, Japan, the Philippines and many other countries.
Comedy
The Book of Mormon
- The brilliant satirical musical comedy, The Book of Mormon, officially opened on 21 March 2013 at the Prince of Wales Theatre.
- In March 2020, the show had to cease runs due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but it resumed its performances in November 2021 at the Prince of Wales Theatre.
- The story is centred on two missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who go to a remote Ugandan village to teach the faith to the inhabitants.
- The musical won 4 Olivier Awards in 2014 and continues to play to packed audiences at the West End.
- The Book of Mormon uses scathing humour and sharp wit to present social commentaries on faith, religion, community, civilization, oppression and other such pertinent topics.
Mamma Mia!
- Mamma Mia!, the jukebox musical based on songs by the Swedish supergroup ABBA, premiered at the Prince Edward Theatre in the West End on 6 April 1999.
- Subsequently, it transferred to the Prince of Wales Theatre on June 9, 2004. The musical moved to the Novello Theatre in September 2012, where it stayed till Covid struck. On 25 August 2021, the musical reopened again.
- While Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, both ABBA members, were involved in the making of the show since its origin, singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad had financially invested in the production.
- Mamma Mia! chronicles the story of Sophie, who is looking for her father so that he can walk her down the aisle. Having never known her father, she takes a chance and calls 3 of her mother’s former lovers to her wedding in a bid to figure out who her father is.
Special Mentions:
Of course, some special mentions are important here. These West End shows have had massive runs, but have now suspended their runs. But, they are still on the list of the top 10 longest-running West End shows. The Woman in Black ran from 11 January 1989 to 4 March 2023 and is the 4th longest-running West End show. Blood Brothers (revival) is in the 5th position historically, having been around since 28 July 1988 till it closed on 10 November 2012. Cats ran from 11 May 1981 to 11 May 2002, spanning exactly 21 years. Starlight Express premiered on 27 March 1984 and closed on 12 January 2002 after over 7000 shows and No Sex Please, We're British was staged from 3 June 1971 to 5 September 1987.