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List of the longest-running West End shows

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See also: Long runs on the London stage since 1700

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

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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 15,000 [note 2] 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 Mamma Mia! M 6 April 1999 10,100 [note 3] Currently running at Novello Theatre
6 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
7 The Lion King M 19 October 1999 9,638 [note 4] Currently running at Lyceum Theatre
8 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.
9 Starlight Express M 27 March 1984 12 January 2002 7,406
10 Wicked M 27 September 2006 7,000 [note 5] 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 Matilda M 24 November 2011 4,670

[note 6]

Currently running at Cambridge Theatre
16 We Will Rock You M 14 May 2002 31 May 2014 4,659
17 Thriller - Live R 26 January 2009 15 March 2020 4,657
18 Billy Elliot the Musical M 11 May 2005 9 April 2016 4,566
19 Miss Saigon M 20 September 1989 30 October 1999 4,264
20 The Book of Mormon M 21 March 2013 4,000[note 7] Currently running at Prince of Wales Theatre
21 Oh! Calcutta! R 30 September 1970 2 February 1980[1] 3,918[2]
22 Jersey Boys M 18 March 2008 26 March 2017 3,787
23 The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) P 7 March 1996 3 April 2005 3,744
24 The 39 Steps P 14 September 2006 5 September 2015 3,731 [note 8]
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 9]
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 10]
28 The Play That Goes Wrong P 14 September 2014 3,000 [note 11] Currently running at Duchess Theatre

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ As of 28 September 2023, according to the show's official twitter. Source
  2. ^ As of 8 June 2024, according to the show's official twitter. Source
  3. ^ As of October 2024.
  4. ^ As of April 2024. Source
  5. ^ As of 15 November 2024. Source
  6. ^ As of 23 June 2024
  7. ^ As of 6 June 2024, according to the show's official twitter. Source
  8. ^ According to the show's official Facebook. Source
  9. ^ Sternfeld, Jessica (2006). The Megamusical. Indiana University Press. p. 169. ISBN 978-0-253-34793-0.
  10. ^ Exact number came from musicalheaven.com and This Is Theatre; 2900 given by Society of London Theatre is an estimate.
  11. ^ According to the show's official website, which announced it was celebrating the 2,999th performance on 19 January 2023.

References

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  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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