List of the longest-running West End shows

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. Eight currently running shows (two plays, six musicals) have more than 3,000 performances: The Mousetrap, Les Misérables, The Phantom Of The Opera, The Woman in Black, Mamma Mia!, The Lion King, Wicked, as well as Matilda.

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 were planned to run currently but were discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic are bolded.

# Title Genre Opening
date		 Closing
date		 Performances Comment
1 The Mousetrap P 25 November 1952 28,000[note 1] Currently discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic at the St. Martin's Theatre
  • 6 October 1952 – Production premiere at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham
  • 25 November 1952 – Opened in the West End at the New Ambassadors Theatre
  • 13 September 1957 – Longest-running West End play
  • 12 April 1958 – Longest-running West End show overall, 2239 performances
  • 9 December 1964 – 5,000 performances
  • 23 March 1974 – Closed for 2 days to transfer to the St. Martin's Theatre, retaining initial run status
  • 17 December 1976 – 10,000 performances
  • 16 December 2000 – 20,000 performances
  • 18 November 2012 - 25,000 performances
  • 1965 & 1999 – Sets, costumes and props replaced
2 Les Misérables M 8 October 1985 13,964 Currently discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic at the Sondheim Theatre
  • Opened at the Royal Shakespeare Company's Barbican Centre
  • Transferred to the Palace Theatre on the West End on 5 December 1985
  • Transferred to the Queen's Theatre in April 2004
  • The longest-running West End musical
  • The original production closed on 13 July 2019. It was replaced by a concert version at the Gielgud Theatre from 10 August 2019 until 2 December 2019 and subsequently a new staging at the refurbished Queen's Theatre (now Sondheim Theatre) from 16 January 2020
3 The Phantom of the Opera M 9 October 1986 13,629 Currently discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic at Her Majesty's Theatre [1]
4 The Woman in Black P 7 June 1989 12,326 Currently discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic at Fortune Theatre
5 Blood Brothers (revival) M 28 July 1988 10 November 2012 10,013 Opened at the Albery Theatre (now the Noël Coward Theatre)
  • Transferred to the Phoenix Theatre on 21 November 1991
  • The longest-running West End revival
  • Originally due to close on 27 October, its run was extended by 2 weeks before closing on 10 November 2012
6 Cats M 11 May 1981 11 May 2002 8,949 Opened in London at the New London Theatre (now the Gillian Lynne Theatre)
  • The show closed on its 21st anniversary, when it was broadcast in Covent Garden for those who could not acquire a ticket
  • It held the record for longest-running West End musical for 17 years before it was overtaken by Les Misérables, the current record holder.
7 Mamma Mia! M 6 April 1999 8,498 Currently discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic at Novello Theatre
8 The Lion King M 19 October 1999 8,258 Currently discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic 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 16 January 1987 6,761
11 Stomp D 25 September 2002 7 January 2018 6,512 Opened at the Vaudeville Theatre
12 Chicago (revival) M 18 October 1997 1 September 2012 6,187
13 Wicked M 27 September 2006 5,500[note 2] Currently discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic at Apollo Victoria 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 25 September 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 Oh! Calcutta! R 30 September 1970 2 February 1980[2] 3,918[3]
20 Jersey Boys M 18 March 2008 26 March 2017 3,787
21 The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) P 7 March 1996 3 April 2005 3,744
22 The 39 Steps P 14 September 2006 5 September 2015 3,731 [note 3]
23 Jesus Christ Superstar M 9 August 1972 23 August 1980 3,357
  • It held the record for longest-running West End musical before it was overtaken by Cats in 1989[note 4]
24 Me and My Girl M 12 February 1985 16 January 1993 3,303 This is a revival of the 1937 musical.
25 Matilda M 24 November 2011 3,228 Currently discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic at Cambridge Theatre
26 Evita M 21 June 1978 18 February 1986 3,182 [note 5]

See also

Notes
  1. As of 12 October 2019, per the show's official Facebook page.
  2. As of 14 October 2019, per BroadwayWorld UK.
  3. According to the show's official Facebook. Source
  4. Sternfeld, Jessica (2006). The Megamusical. Indiana University Press. p. 169. ISBN 978-0-253-34793-0.
  5. Exact number came from musicalheaven.com and This Is Theatre; 2900 given by Society of London Theatre is an estimate.

References


  1. "Phantom will be back - News". www.londontheatrereviews.co.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  2. "The Duchess Theatre, London", Thisistheatre.com, accessed 2 May 2020
  3. Tynan, Kenneth, The Diaries of Kenneth Tynan, A&C Black (2002), p. 76, footnote 1
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