List of the longest-running West End shows


This is a list of long running shows in the West End, a well known professional theatre district in London. Eight currently running shows 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 discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic are bolded.
#TitleGenreOpening
date		Closing
date		PerformancesComment
1The MousetrapP25 November 195228,000Currently 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
2Les MisérablesM8 October 198513,964Currently 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 from 16 January 2020
    • 3The Phantom of the OperaM9 October 198613,629Currently discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic at Her Majesty's Theatre
    4The Woman in BlackP7 June 198912,326Currently discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic at Fortune Theatre
    5Blood Brothers M28 July 198810 November 201210,013Opened at the Albery 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
    • 6CatsM11 May 198111 May 20028,949Opened in London at the New London 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.
    • 7Mamma Mia!M6 April 19998,498Currently discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic at Novello Theatre
  • This is the longest running jukebox musical
  • Opened at the Prince Edward Theatre
  • Moved to the Prince of Wales Theatre on 9 June 2004
  • Moved to Novello Theatre in September 2012
    • 8The Lion KingM19 October 19998,258Currently discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic at Lyceum Theatre
    9Starlight ExpressM27 March 198412 January 20027,406
    10No Sex Please, We're BritishP3 June 197116 January 19876,761
    11StompD25 September 20027 January 20186,512Opened at the Vaudeville Theatre
  • Moved to the Ambassadors Theatre on 27 September 2007
    • 12Chicago M18 October 19971 September 20126,187
  • Show opened at the Adelphi Theatre
  • Moved to the Cambridge Theatre in April 2006
  • Moved to the Garrick Theatre in November 2011
    • 13WickedM27 September 20065,500Currently discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic at Apollo Victoria Theatre
    14Buddy – The Buddy Holly StoryM12 October 19893 March 20025,140Opened at the Victoria Palace Theatre
  • Moved to the Strand Theatre in October 1995
    • 15We Will Rock YouM25 September 200231 May 20144,659
    16Thriller - LiveR26 January 200915 March 20204,657
    17Billy Elliot the MusicalM11 May 20059 April 20164,566
    18Miss SaigonM20 September 198930 October 19994,264
    19Oh! Calcutta!R30 September 19702 February 19803,918
    20Jersey BoysM18 March 200826 March 20173,787
    21The Complete Works of William Shakespeare P7 March 19963 April 20053,744
    22The 39 StepsP14 September 20065 September 20153,731
    23Jesus Christ SuperstarM9 August 197223 August 19803,357
  • It held the record for longest-running West End musical before it was overtaken by Cats in 1989
    • 24Me and My GirlM12 February 198516 January 19933,303This is a revival of the 1937 musical.
    25MatildaM24 November 20113,228Currently discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic at Cambridge Theatre
    26EvitaM21 June 197818 February 19863,176