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 29,547 Currently running 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
  • 1965 & 1999 – Sets, costumes and props replaced
  • 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
  • 16 March 2020 – closed for 1 year, 2 months and 1 day due to COVID-19 pandemic, re-opened 17 May 2021
2 Les Misérables M 8 October 1985 15,000 [note 1] Currently running at the Sondheim Theatre (formerly the Queen's 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 14,255 Currently running at His Majesty's Theatre
  • The original production played its final performance on 15 March 2020, just before the shutdown of West End theatres as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. It was replaced in 2021 with an updated staging, which played its first performance on 27 July 2021.
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)
  • Transferred to the Phoenix Theatre on 21 November 1991
  • The longest-running West End revival
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)
  • 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.
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 Wicked M 27 September 2006 6,762 [note 2] Currently running at Apollo Victoria Theatre
11 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.
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 Matilda M 24 November 2011 4,538

[note 3]

Currently running at Cambridge Theatre
19 Miss Saigon M 20 September 1989 30 October 1999 4,264
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
  • It held the record for longest-running West End musical before it was overtaken by Cats in 1989[note 6]
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

  1. ^ As of 28 September 2023, according to the show's official twitter. Source
  2. ^ As of 24 April 2024. Source
  3. ^ As of 2 March 2024
  4. ^ According to the show's official Facebook. Source
  5. ^ As of 20 December 2022. [1]
  6. ^ Sternfeld, Jessica (2006). The Megamusical. Indiana University Press. p. 169. ISBN 978-0-253-34793-0.
  7. ^ Exact number came from musicalheaven.com and This Is Theatre; 2900 given by Society of London Theatre is an estimate.
  8. ^ According to the show's official website, which announced it was celebrating the 2,999th performance on 19 January 2023.

References

  1. ^ "The Duchess Theatre, London", Thisistheatre.com, accessed 2 May 2020
  2. ^ Tynan, Kenneth, The Diaries of Kenneth Tynan, A&C Black (2002), p. 76, footnote 1
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