This is a list of the longest-running shows in the West End, a well known professional theatre district in London. Nine currently running shows (two plays, seven musicals) have played more than 4,000 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. # Title Genre Openingdate Closingdate Performances Comment 1 The Mousetrap P 25 November 1952 30,000Currently 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, 2,239 performances 9 December 1964 – 5,000 performances 1965 & 1999 – Sets, costumes and props replaced 23 March 1974 – Closed for two 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 one year, two months and one day due to COVID-19 pandemic, re-opened 17 May 2021 19 March 2025 - 30,000 performances 2 Les Misérables M 8 October 1985 16,200 As of August 2026.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 Closed temporarily at the Queen's Theatre on 13 July 2019 to allow for theatre refurbishments Reopened on 16 January 2020 with the updated staging developed for the 25th anniversary production The longest-running West End musical 3 The Phantom of the Opera M 9 October 1986 15,237 Currently running at His Majesty's Theatre Suspended performances on 15 March 2020 due to the shutdown of West End theatres as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic Reopened on 27 July 2021 with a smaller orchestra and redesigned set 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 Opened at the Lyric Hammersmith Transferred to the Strand Theatre (now the Novello Theatre) on 15 February 1989 Transferred to the Playhouse Theatre on 19 April 1989 Transferred to the Fortune Theatre on 7 June 1989 5 Mamma Mia! M 6 April 1999 10,800 As of July 2026. Currently running at Novello Theatre 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 6 The Lion King M 19 October 1999 10,600 As of August 2026.Currently running at Lyceum Theatre 7 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 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 Wicked M 27 September 2006 7,500 As of January 2026. Currently running at Apollo Victoria Theatre 10 Starlight Express M 27 March 1984 12 January 2002 7,406 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 Moved to the Ambassadors Theatre on 27 September 2007 13 Chicago (revival) M 18 October 1997 1 September 2012 6,187Opened at the Adelphi Theatre Moved to the Cambridge Theatre in April 2006 Moved to the Garrick Theatre in November 2011 14MatildaM 24 November 2011 5,500 As of July 2026.Currently running at Cambridge Theatre 15 Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story M 12 October 1989 3 March 2002 5,140 Opened at the Victoria Palace Theatre Moved to the Strand Theatre (now the Novello Theatre) in October 1995 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 19The Book of Mormon M 21 March 2013 4,345Currently running at Prince of Wales Theatre 20 Miss Saigon M 20 September 1989 30 October 1999 4,26421The Play That Goes WrongP14 September 20144,001 According to What’s on StageCurrently running at Duchess Theatre 22 Oh! Calcutta! R 30 September 1970 2 February 1980"The Duchess Theatre, London", Thisistheatre.com, accessed 2 May 2020 3,918Tynan, Kenneth, The Diaries of Kenneth Tynan, A&C Black (2002), p. 76, footnote 1 23 Jersey Boys M 18 March 2008 26 March 2017 3,787 24 The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) P 7 March 1996 3 April 2005 3,744 25 The 39 Steps P 14 September 2006 5 September 2015 3,731 According to the show's official Facebook. Source 26 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 27 Me and My Girl M 12 February 1985 16 January 1993 3,303 This is a revival of the 1937 musical. 28Magic Mike Live R 10 November 2018 3,183 As of 23 September 2026 Currently running at Hippodrome, London 29Evita M 21 June 1978 18 February 1986 3,182 Exact number came from musicalheaven.com and This Is Theatre; 2,900 given by Society of London Theatre is an estimate. 30Six MJanuary 19th 2019 2,650 31Oliver! M 30 June 1960 10 September 1966 2,618
See also Long-running musical theatre productions Long-running plays (non-musicals) List of the longest-running Broadway shows
Notes
References