# 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. 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 | | 29,902 | 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 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 |
| 2 | Les Misérables | M | 8 October 1985 | | 15,527 | 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 | | 15,236 | 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 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 | | 10,200 | 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 | 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 | | 10,000 | 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 | | 7,054 | 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 Moved to the Ambassadors Theatre on 27 September 2007 |
| 13 | Chicago (revival) | M | 18 October 1997 | 1 September 2012 | 6,187 | Opened at the Adelphi Theatre Moved to the Cambridge Theatre in April 2006 Moved to the Garrick Theatre in November 2011 |
| 14 | 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 |
| 15 | Matilda | M | 24 November 2011 | | 4,874 | 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 | | 4,239 | Currently running at Prince of Wales Theatre |
| 21 | Oh! Calcutta! | R | 30 September 1970 | 2 February 1980 | 3,918 | |
| 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 | |
| 25 | The Play That Goes Wrong | P | 14 September 2014 | | 3,500 | Currently running at Duchess Theatre |
| 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. |
| 28 | Evita | M | 21 June 1978 | 18 February 1986 | 3,182 | |