All you need to know about the best plays & musicals currently running in London, classics and modern!
Full information, recommendations, and trusted tickets sites.
Going to a musical in London is a must! London musicals are always a feast for the eyes and a great culturally impressive experience.
Some of the musicals have been running for many years, like Les Miserables, which is running now for over 30 years or Moulin Rouge! which was released in the early 2000s.
I invite you to explore our list of some of the most classic and modern award-winning musical such as: The Book Of Mormon, Wicked, The Tina Turner Musical, etc.
If you are looking for a family experience, for the children as well as for yourselves, check out our family friendly shows: Back to The Future, The Lion King, Mamma Mia!, Matilda and many more.
What’s new?
We are expecting a few spectacular plays and musicals this 2023: Cher Show, The Spongebob Musical, Sylvia, The Rocky Horror Picture Show (back for a limited time!), A Little Life; to mention a few!
Below we have listed for you the shows we love most along with the ticket websites we highly recommend.
Introducing the most successful and recommended musicals that have been running for many years:
Les Miserables
It is nearly 40 years since the classic musical Les Miserables premiered; it is an award-winning and highly popular show which has been translated into over 20 languages.
I’ll highly recommend to go!
It is currently showing at the Sondheim Theatre.
Tickets can be found on sales at London Theatre Direct
Heads-up: The musical Les Miserables is recommended for over 14 years of age.
The musical runs for 2 hours and 50 minutes with a 20-minute intermission.
The Lion King the musical
“The Lion King” is an award-winning musical, based on Disney’s blockbuster animation film we all love. It is a great musical for the all family and can be good for non-English speakers, too.
It is currently showing at the West End Lyceum Theatre, located in the City of Westminster, central London.
Tickets can be found on sales at London Theatre Direct – LOVEthetre – ATG
Heads-up: The Lion King is recommended for children over 7 years old. Children under 3 are NOT allowed in. The musical runs for 2 hours and 40 minutes with a 15-minute intermission.
Mamma Mia! the musical
“Mamma Mia! The Musical” is a warm, feel-good musical and great for the ABBA lovers, featuring some of ABBA’s greatest hits like ‘Dancing Queen’, ‘The Winner Takes it All’ and many more!
The musical is currently running at the West End Novello Theatre, located in the City of Westminster, central London.
Tickets can be found in London Theatre Direct & LOVEtheatr and are currently on sale until May 2024
Heads-up: The recommended age is 5+. The musical runs for 2 hours 35 minutes with a 15 minute intermission.
If you want to complete your special experience with a great Greek meal to ABBA’s hits performed live at the O2 music venue, you should definitely check out Mama Mia! The Party!
Matilda
Award-winning musical with excellent reviews, inspired by the children’s book written by Roald Dahl.
The book was published over 30 years ago and was adapted into different media: radio, stage and film (Danny DeVito, remember?!).
Matilda is a witty musical telling the story of imaginative girl who chose to create her own destiny.
Great for children that understand good level of English as well as adults.
It is currently showing at the West End Cambridge Theatre in Covent Garden.
Tickets can be found in London Theatre Direct & LOVEtheatre, and are currently on sale until May 2024
Heads-up: The recommended age is 6+. 4 years old and under will NOT be allowed in.
The musical runs for 2 hours and 40 minutes including intermission.
Wicked
The musical Wicked has won over 100 awards, including Tony, Olivier Awards and a Grammy!
Wicked is telling the story we never got to hear of the ‘witches of Oz’, the alternate universe of ‘The wonderful Wizard of Oz’ written by L. Frank Baum
A spectacular show, with excellent reviews, great for teenagers as well as for adults!
It is currently showing at the West End Apollo Victoria Theatre, which has been its home for the last 17 years!
Tickets can be found in London Theatre Direct & LOVEtheatre, and are currently on sale until November 2023.
Heads-up: Wicked is recommended for over 7 years of age. 4 years old and under will NOT be allowed in.
The musical runs for 2 hours and 45 minutes including intermission.
The Book of Mormon
GO, just GO! I cannot recommend enough!
“The Book of Mormon” is one of the best musicals I’ve seen, and I wouldn’t expect anything else from the creators of South park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who wrote the play along with Robert Lopez.
It first premiered on Broadway in 2011 and came to London theatres in 2013.
Award-winning comedy takes a hilarious and cynical look at religion with some exceptionally catchy songs that will have you humming the tunes all the way home.
The musical is currently showing at the West End Prince of Wales Theatre, located in Coventry Street near Leicester Square, central London.
Tickets can be found in London Theatre Direct and currently on sale for shows until June 2023
Heads-up: All persons under the age of 16 who wish to see the performance must be accompanied by and sat next to an accompanying adult.
Six – The Musical
Imagine the Spice Girls meets history class!
The award-winning West End musical “SIX” is a pop musical telling the story of the six wives of Henry VIII.
The six wives are competing on who is the most miserable. Remember? Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived!
The musical received excellent reviews; many people would consider this to be the best musical in London.
It is currently showing at the West End Vaudeville Theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London.
Tickets can be found in London Theatre Direct & LOVEtheatre and are currently on sale until April 2024.
Heads-up: Six is recommended for over 10 years of age.
The musical runs for 1 hour and 15 minutes, with NO intermission.
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Tina is an award-winning musical written by Katori Hall. It is telling the story the Grammy award-winning and one of the best-selling record artist, Tina Turner; an American singer, dancer and actress who came from a humble life in Tennessee to become the Queen of Rock’n’roll.
The musical is featuring the songs we all treasure, receiving great reviews, so we highly recommend it!
It is currently showing at the West End Aldwych Theatre, located in Covent Garden, central London.
Tickets can be found in LondonTheatreDirect & LOVEtheatre and are currently on sale until September 2023.
Heads-up: The Tina Turner Musical is recommended for over 14 years of age. 5 years old and under will NOT be allowed in.
The musical runs for 2 hours and 45 minutes including intermission.
Hamilton
The musical Hamilton is a spectacular Broadway musical that made its off-Broadway debut in 2015 and received excellent reviews. The award-winning musical is telling the story of Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant born in the West Indies, assisting George Washington through the Revolutionary War and becoming the first United States secretary of the treasury.
It is currently showing at the West End Victoria Palace Theatre, located in the City of Westminster, central London.
Tickets can be found in London Theatre Direct and are currently on sale until March 2024.
Heads-up: Hamilton is recommended for over 10 years of age. 3 years old and under will NOT be allowed in.
The musical runs for 2 hours and 45 minutes, including intermission.
& Juliet
What if the story of Romeo & Juliet would have ended up differently…?
Well…when Juliet wakes up, she decided to go out with her girls!
& Juliet received great reviews and is currently running only until March 2023, so GO GO GO!!!
It is currently showing at the West End Shaftesbury Theatre, located in Camden, London.
Tickets can be found on sale at LondonTheatreDirect & LOVEtheatre
Heads-up: & Juliet is recommended for over 6 years of age.
The musical runs for 2 hours and 30 minutes, including intermission.
Phantom Of The Opera
It’s nearly 40 years since the love story Phantom of The Opera first debuted at the West End’s Her Majesty’s Theatre. It won over 70 awards and has always received terrific reviews from both the audience and critics. Phantom of The Opera is based on a novel written by Gaston Leroux.
It is currently showing at the West End’s Her Majesty’s Theatre, located in the City of Westminster, central London.
Tickets can be found in LondonTheatreDirect & LOVEtheatre and are currently on sale until September 2023.
Heads-up: recommended for over 10 years of age. 4 years old and under will NOT be allowed in.
The musical runs for 2 hours and 30 minutes, including intermission.
Pretty Woman The Musical
A Broadway musical adaptation of the 1990’s romantic comedy we all know and love which stared Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, Pretty woman.
The West End musical received great reviews and we recommend going as soon possible as it is currently running only until June 2023!
The musical is showing at the West End Savoy Theatre, located in the City of Westminster, central London.
Tickets can be found on sale at LondonTheatreDirect, LOVEtheatre & ATG
Heads-up: Pretty woman is recommended for over 12 years of age.
The musical runs for 2 hours and 10 minutes, including intermission.
Back to The Future The Musical
Back to the future is an award-winning musical based on the 1985 hit science-fiction film we all know and love which starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd & Lea Thompson.
Back to the future tells a story about a teenager, Marty McFly, who accidentally travels in time back to 1955. The musical received outstanding reviews; we recommend securing your seats!
It is currently showing at the West End Adelphi Theatre located in the City of Westminster, central London.
Tickets can be found in London Theatre Direct & LoveTheatre and are currently on sale until October 2023.
Heads-up: recommended for over 6 years of age. 4 years old and under will NOT be allowed in.
The musical runs for 2 hours and 40 minutes, including intermission.
Frozen The Musical
The West End Musical Frozen is based on the animated Disney film. It is a visual feast with special effects featuring all the songs which you can’t let go! (see what I did there?). This is an award-winning musical which received impressive reviews; we highly recommend to GO!
The musical is showing at the West End Theatre Royal Drury Lane located in the City of Westminster, central London.
Tickets can be found in London Theatre Direct & LW Theatres and are currently on sale until October 2023.
Heads-up: Frozen is recommended for over 6 years of age. 4 years old and under will NOT be allowed in.
The musical runs for 2 hours and 30 minutes, including intermission.
Moulin Rouge! The Musical
After a great success in Broadway, the musical Moulin Rouge arrived here in London!
Moulin Rouge! allow us into a world of Luxury, Bohemia and of course, romance. The musical received excellent reviews and is currently running only until July 2023, so we recommend reserving your tickets!
It is currently showing at the West End Piccadilly Theatre, located in the City of Westminster, central London.
Tickets can be found on sale at London Thetre Direct
Heads-up: Moulin Rouge! is recommended for over 12 years of age. 4 years old and under will NOT be allowed in.
The musical runs for 2 hours and 45 minutes.
London Theatre Plays
The Play That Goes Wrong
“The Play That Goes Wrong” debut took place at the Old Red Lion Theatre in London in 2012 and is now an award-winning play that reached the lofty heights of Broadway.
A 1920s murder mystery, BUT as you can understand… everything goes wrong. It is a great comedy, hilarious and disastrous. This play broke all the rules; I cannot recommend enough!!
It is currently showing at the West End Duchess Theatre, located in the City of Westminster, central London.
Tickets can be found in London Theatre Direct & LOVEtheatre and are currently on sale until April 2024.
Heads-up: recommended for over 8 years of age. 5 years old and under will NOT be allowed in.
The play runs for 2 hours and 5 minutes, including intermission.
The Mousetrap
The play, The Mousetrap, is currently running for 70 years, setting a world record! The play was written by Agatha Christie, also known as the “Queen of Crime”.
A group of seven strangers realize that there is a murderer among them. Who is the killer and who will be his next victim?
It is showing at the West End St Martins Theatre, located in the City of Westminster, central London.
Tickets can be found in LOVEtheatre & London Theatre Direct and are currently on sale until November 2023.
Heads-up: recommended for over 7 years of age. All persons under the age of 16 who wish to see the performance must be accompanied by an accompanying adult.
The play runs for 2 hours and 20 minutes, including intermission.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, The play
Harry Potter! Seven books, eight films and a great theatrical production!
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child begins where the last book left us off.
The play set a new record, winning nine out of its eleven West End Olivier Awards nominations.
Important! The play has two parts; be sure to buy tickets for both parts.
Part One: 2 hours and 40 minutes, including 20 minutes intermission.
Part Two: 2 hours and 35 minutes, including 20 minutes intermission.
It is currently showing at the West End Palace Theatre located in the City of Westminster, central London.
Tickets can be found in the Harry Potter’s theatre website and are currently on sale until October 2023.
Heads-up: recommended for over 10 years of age. All persons under the age of 15 who wish to see the performance must be accompanied by an accompanying adult.
We strongly recommend not to miss out on the Harry_Potter studio experience!
Witness for the Prosecution
Who doesn’t like a good courtroom drama!
“The Witness for the Prosecution” was a short story written and later on adapted to a play by Agatha Christie, one of the best-selling fiction authors of all time.
The story is about Leonard Vole who has been accused of murder; if he is guilty he will be hanged…It is a funny, highly recommended, top-rated play.
It is currently showing at the West End theatre, London County Hall, central London.
Tickets can be found in London Theatre Direct and are currently on sale, starting as cheap as £15 pounds.
Heads up: children under the age of 5 will NOT be allowed in.
The play is 2 hours and 25 minutes, including an interval.
For full information press here!
Immersive Theatre in London
The War of the Worlds – Theatre, technology and music.
Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds is a great immersive adventure combining theater, technology and music. In each room you will discover a small part of the story of the “War of the Worlds”. Some of the segments you’ll wear VR glasses and enjoy the impressive virtual reality they created, while others are performed by live actors. Amazing experience and a great way to build joint memories. We Loved it!
It is currently showing at the The Old Metal Exchange.
Running now, ticket available till September 2023.
Heads-up: recommended for over 10 years of age.
Secret Cinema
Secret Cinema turns our favourite films into an immersive 4D experience!
You will enjoy interacting with outstanding actors while taking part in a mission with your new identity.
You already watched the film, now you are in it.
Recommended Tickets Sites – Theatre
We highly recommend to buy your tickets online and in advance! You will secure better seats and it most likely will be cheaper!
Our favourite ticket websites are:
London Theatre Direct – Reliable and popular ticket website for musicals. We’ve listed for you the most common categories:
LOVETheatre – Excellent website for deals combining theatre/musicals AND dinner!
Additional reliable websites for good deals are: ATG Tickets, Expedia & Groupon UK
More information about trusted ticket sites can find on our page London Show and Concert Tickets.
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A list of London theatre performances currently running can be found on the website: https://aal.londontheatredirect.com/plays
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