This is a list of the longest-running shows (3,000 performances or more) in the West End, a well known professional theatre district in London. Nine currently running shows (two plays, seven musicals) have played more than 3,000 performances: The Mousetrap, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia!, The Lion King, Wicked, Matilda, The Book of Mormon, and The Play That Goes Wrong.
List
Unless otherwise stated, the number of performances listed is for the original West End production of the show. M denotes a musical, P denotes a straight play, R denotes a revue, D denotes a dance musical, and S denotes a special case. An asterisk indicates an announced closing date for a currently-running show. All shows that are currently running are bolded.
# | Title | Genre | Opening date |
Closing date |
Performances | Comment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Mousetrap | P | 25 November 1952 | 28,735 | Currently running at the St Martin's Theatre
| |
2 | Les Misérables | M | 8 October 1985 | 15,000 [note 1] | Currently running at the Sondheim Theatre (formerly the Queen's Theatre)
| |
3 | The Phantom of the Opera | M | 9 October 1986 | 14,255 | Currently running at His Majesty's Theatre
| |
4 | The Woman in Black | P | 11 January 1989 | 4 March 2023 | 13,232 | Premiered at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough on 12 December 1987
|
5 | Blood Brothers (revival) | M | 28 July 1988 | 10 November 2012 | 10,013 | Opened at the Albery Theatre (now the Noël Coward Theatre)
|
6 | Mamma Mia! | M | 6 April 1999 | 9,144 | Currently running at Novello Theatre
| |
7 | Cats | M | 11 May 1981 | 11 May 2002 | 8,949 | Opened in London at the New London Theatre (now the Gillian Lynne Theatre)
|
8 | The Lion King | M | 19 October 1999 | 8,897 | Currently running at Lyceum Theatre | |
9 | Starlight Express | M | 27 March 1984 | 12 January 2002 | 7,406 | |
10 | No Sex Please, We're British | P | 3 June 1971 | 5 September 1987 | 6,761 | Opened at the Strand Theatre, transferred to the Garrick and Duchess Theatres during the run. |
11 | Wicked | M | 27 September 2006 | 6,500 [note 2] | Currently running at Apollo Victoria Theatre | |
12 | Stomp | D | 25 September 2002 | 7 January 2018 | 6,512 | Opened at the Vaudeville Theatre
|
13 | Chicago (revival) | M | 18 October 1997 | 1 September 2012 | 6,187 | Opened at the Adelphi Theatre
|
14 | Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story | M | 12 October 1989 | 3 March 2002 | 5,140 | Opened at the Victoria Palace Theatre
|
15 | We Will Rock You | M | 14 May 2002 | 31 May 2014 | 4,659 | |
16 | Thriller - Live | R | 26 January 2009 | 15 March 2020 | 4,657 | |
17 | Billy Elliot the Musical | M | 11 May 2005 | 9 April 2016 | 4,566 | |
18 | Miss Saigon | M | 20 September 1989 | 30 October 1999 | 4,264 | |
19 | Matilda | M | 24 November 2011 | 4,000 [note 3] | Currently running at Cambridge Theatre | |
20 | Oh! Calcutta! | R | 30 September 1970 | 2 February 1980[1] | 3,918[2] | |
21 | Jersey Boys | M | 18 March 2008 | 26 March 2017 | 3,787 | |
22 | The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) | P | 7 March 1996 | 3 April 2005 | 3,744 | |
23 | The 39 Steps | P | 14 September 2006 | 5 September 2015 | 3,731 [note 4] | |
24 | The Book of Mormon | M | 21 March 2013 | 3,391[note 5] | Currently running at Prince of Wales Theatre | |
25 | Jesus Christ Superstar | M | 9 August 1972 | 23 August 1980 | 3,357 | |
26 | Me and My Girl | M | 12 February 1985 | 16 January 1993 | 3,303 | This is a revival of the 1937 musical. |
27 | Evita | M | 21 June 1978 | 18 February 1986 | 3,182 [note 7] | |
28 | The Play That Goes Wrong | P | 14 September 2014 | 3,000 [note 8] | Currently running at Duchess Theatre |
See also
Notes
- ↑ As of 28 September 2023, according to the show's official twitter. Source
- ↑ As of 10 September 2023, according to the show's official twitter. Source
- ↑ As of 24 November 2022, according to WhatsOnStage's official twitter. Source
- ↑ According to the show's official Facebook. Source
- ↑ As of 20 December 2022.
- ↑ Sternfeld, Jessica (2006). The Megamusical. Indiana University Press. p. 169. ISBN 978-0-253-34793-0.
- ↑ Exact number came from musicalheaven.com and This Is Theatre; 2900 given by Society of London Theatre is an estimate.
- ↑ According to the show's official website, which announced it was celebrating the 2,999th performance on 19 January 2023.
References
- "Longest running shows in West End history". Society of London Theatre. 5 July 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
- ↑ "The Duchess Theatre, London", Thisistheatre.com, accessed 2 May 2020
- ↑ Tynan, Kenneth, The Diaries of Kenneth Tynan, A&C Black (2002), p. 76, footnote 1