London’s Top 10 : West End Shows

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  1. Les Misérables

    Victor
    Hugo’s 1862 French classic novel was adapted for the stage by Trevor
    Nunn for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1985. With music by Alain
    Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, “Les Mis”
    tells the tale of downtrodden poor and the social and political
    struggles in revolutionary France. It is now at the Queens Theatre while
    its original home, the Palace Theatre, is undergoing renovation.

    • Queens Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue W1

    • 08444 825 160

  2. The Mousetrap

    Agatha Christie’s murder mystery, The Mousetrap,
    has been playing in London since 1952, and has been seen by 100 million
    people. A few bits of the original set remain. Christie herself
    predicted a run of only six months, and in 1955, after the 1,000th
    performance, a critic wrote: “The biggest mystery of the evening is why
    this play has run so long.”

    • St Martin’s Theatre, West Street WC2

    • 08444 991 515

  3. Chicago

    The longest-running Broadway musical to play the West End is this high-kicking tribute to Bob Fosse’s 1975 version.

    • Cambridge Theatre, Earlham Street WC2

    • 020 7834 6318

  4. Phantom of the Opera

    Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1986 hit musical, The Phantom of the Opera
    is based on Gaston Leroux’s novel of the same name and is set in the
    Paris Opera House. Perhaps it is Lloyd Webber’s most famous production.

    • Her Majesty’s Theatre, Haymarket SW1

    • 0870 264 3333




    Phantom of the Opera, Her Majesty’s Theater

  5. The Lion King

    Based
    on the 1994 animated film of the same name, this story is magically
    conjured up on stage. The animal costumes and special effects wow
    children and adults alike.

    • Lyceum Theatre, 21 Wellington Street WC2

    • 0844 243 9000




  6. The Woman in Black

    This
    production, staged in one of London’s smallest venues since 1989, has
    plenty of atmosphere and tells a classic ghost story. This is a story
    that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

    • Fortune Theatre, Russell Street WC2

    • 0870 060 6626

  7. Wicked

    Based
    on the novel by Gregory Maguire and touted as “the untold story of the
    witches of Oz”, this musical offers a prequel to the story told in The Wizard of Oz, leading up to the moment when Dorothy’s house falls on the Green Witch’s sister.

    • Apollo Victoria, Wilton Road SW1

    • 0844 826 8000

  8. Dirty Dancing

    As
    Baby turns into a woman with the help of a hip-swivelling dance
    instructor, expect plenty of rock and roll and some sexy moves in this
    raunchy version of an old favourite. Great fun.

    • Aldwych Theatre WC2

    • 0870 040 0046

  9. Priscilla Queen of the Desert

    Based on the Oscar®-winning movie The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
    (1994), it tells a hilarious yet heart-warming tale of three drag
    queens journeying across the Australian outback in search of love.
    Outrageously glamorous.

    • Palace Theatre W1

    • 0870 040 0046

  10. Blood Brothers

    The
    story revolves around twins separated at birth because their mother
    cannot afford to keep them both. One grows up with his poor, natural,
    mother, the other lives with her wealthy employer. The consequences when
    they eventually meet are a successful blend of comedy and tragedy.

    • Phoenix Theatre, Charing Cross Road WC2

    • 0870 060 6629