Best West End shows, musicals and plays you need to see in London

Plus, you can count on the RadioTimes.com team to select the top theatre shows to see. Our Going Out section is packed full of exciting things to do in London, from escape rooms and immersive experiences, to walking tours and experience gifts. So, if there's something new going on in the Big Smoke, we'll share it with you.

We even have recommendations for more timely activities, too. Whether you're in the capital for a family weekend with the kids, you're looking for a fun day out with friends or hoping to expand your cultural horizons, we've got you covered; we've got guides on everything from the best outdoor cinemas to the best kids' theatre shows.

The RadioTimes.com team also like to experience the plays we recommend, and you can read what we thought of various theatre productions in our Enemy of the People review, Standing at the Sky's Edge review and our Witness for the Prosecution review. Plus, we've put together a series of theatre guides so check out the longest-running West End shows, best musicals on tour and the best plays in London.

Jump to:

• Best West End shows and musicals in London at a glance
• Best West End shows to see in 2024
• Which of the best West End shows have we awarded 5/5 stars to?
• What time do West End shows start and finish
• What are the best seats in a theatre
• Can you get theatre gift vouchers for London?

Want to try something out of the ordinary? Here’s our pick of the best immersive experiences you should try in London this year, with events including Frameless and The Moonwalkers: A Journey with Tom Hanks taking place all throughout the upcoming months.

Like everything at the moment, the price of seeing a show is going up. However, the RadioTimes.com team specialises in helping you do the things you love for less, so we've written a guide for how to get cheap theatre tickets.

Best West End shows and musicals in London at a glance:

Awarded 4/5 stars or higher

• Fawlty Towers, from £17
• Why am I so Single?, from £23
• The Lehman Trilogy, from £25
• Stranger Things: The First Shadow, from £30

Limited time only West End shows

• Waiting for Godot, from £18
• The Duchess, from £20
• Operation Mincemeat, from £20
• Juno and the Paycock, from £25
• Oedipus, from £30

Best West End shows for families

• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, from £15.75
• Matilda the Musical, from £20
• The Lion King, from £46

Most popular West End shows

• The Book of Mormon, from £22
• Wicked, from £27.50
• Phantom of the Opera, from £31
• Les Misérables, from £31
• Hamilton, from £48

Best London musicals

• Back to the Future: The Musical, from £19.55
• Cabaret, from £30
• Mean Girls, from £28
• Moulin Rouge, from £30
• The Devil Wears Prada, from £31.25
• Oliver!, from £36

Last minute theatre tickets for London tonight

• Witness for the Prosecution, from £19
• TINA: The Tina Turner Musical, from £25
• Six the Musical, from £42

Best West End shows and London musicals to see in 2024

The Lehman Trilogy

This Digital Writer was lucky enough to experience this three-hour epic at the Gillian Lynne Theatre last week, and we can whole-heartedly recommend it as your next West End watch.

The Lehman Trilogy tells the story of the infamous Lehman brothers; it's a rags to riches to ruin tale which spans the mid 19th century to 2008, and it was adapted by Academy Award winning director Sam Mendes and Ben Power.

Buy The Lehman Trilogy tickets from £25 at London Theatre Direct

If you'd like to find out more information, head on over to our four-star The Lehman Trilogy review.

The Devil Wears Prada

A limited-time-only show with an all-star cast featuring on RadioTimes.com's best West End shows list? Ground-breaking!

Tony Award nominee Vanessa Williams (of Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives fame) will play the iconic role of Miranda Priestly, the Editor-in-Chief of Runway Magazine, alongside Olivier Award winner Matt Henry as Runway’s Creative Fashion Director, Nigel. With an original score by none other than Elton John, The Devil Wears Prada at London’s Dominion Theatre is sure to be a fantastic experience.

Buy The Devil Wears Prada tickets from £31.25 at LOVE Theatre

Gird your loins! Here's what Vanessa Williams and Elton John have said about the new The Devil Wears Prada musical.

Mean Girls

Get in, losers, we're going to the West End! If you're a fan of the Mean Girls movie, starring Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams, you already know you're going to enjoy the musical. This prodction at the Savoy Theatre comes from an award-winning creative team, including Tina Fey (30 Rock), composer Jeff Richmond (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), lyricist Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde), plus director and choreographer Casey Nicholaw (The Book Of Mormon), so you can expect plenty of laughs and killer songs.

Buy Mean Girls tickets from £28 at TodayTix

Oedipus

We can't help but think of the Irvine Welsh line in The Acid House — something along the lines of, Aye Oedipus, yir complex right enough — when we see the word 'Oedipus', but 'complex right enough' this story is.

Starring Mark Strong (The Red Barn) in the eponymous role, and Lesley Manville (The Crown) as Jocasta, Oedipus at London’s Wyndham’s Theatre brings to life the classic Greek tale. This show is booking for a limited time only, from now until January 2025.

Buy Oedipus tickets from £30 at LOVE Theatre

Juno and the Paycock

We're huge fans of Mark Rylance here on the Going Out team — particularly in Luca Guadagnino's Bones and All — so we were thrilled to hear he was returning to the stage, alongside J. Smith-Cameron, in Juno and the Paycock.

With the tagline 'What can God do against the stupidity of men?', it'll come as no surprise that Juno and the Paycock is a black-humoured, tragi-comic, and the play reflects on a mother’s resilience during trying moments.

Buy Juno and the Paycock tickets from £25 at London Theatre Direct

Oliver!

Consider Yourself lucky— Oliver! is returning to London's West End. This beloved musical has been an instant classic since it first came to the stage in 1960. Its sensational soundtrack boasts timeless tracks like Food Glorious Food, Where is Love, Pick a Pocket or Two, As Long As He Needs Me, and many many more.

Now the adaptation of the Dickens tale is heading to the Gielgud Theatre from December 2024 until April 2025. Don't miss out!

Buy Oliver! tickets from £36 at LOVEtheatre

Did you know The World of Tim Burton tickets are now available for the only UK exhibition of this kind?

Waiting for Godot

There's a reason Waiting for Godot is so famous — Samuel Beckett's 1953 play shocked its audiences upon its premiere in Paris as it presented a new type of theatre, the Theatre of the Absurd. Waiting for Godot is the most well-known play from the Theatre of the Absurd movement, and now a landmark new production is coming to London starring Lucian Msamati (of Game of Thrones fame) and Ben Whishaw (who you'll recognise from films such as Paddington).

Buy Waiting for Godot tickets from £18 at LOVE Theatre

The Duchess

You already know the RadioTimes.com team are huge fans of Doctor Who, so we'd never pass on an opportunity to see a Doctor (past or present) in their other endeavours.

Returning to the stage for the first time in over a decade, Jodie Whittaker, will star in The Duchess: Zinnie Harris's contemporary adaptation of The Duchess of Malfi. The Duchess follows a widow who remarries beneath her class, and her brothers unleash a torrent of cruelty upon her for it.

The Duchess will be at the Trafalgar Theatre for 11 weeks only from October, so we'd recommend snapping up tickets soon!

Buy The Duchess tickets from £20 at TodayTix

If you're a Doctor Who fan, these are the best Doctor Who podcasts as recommended by the RadioTimes.com team.

Are you a fan of podcasts — true crime or otherwise? — then take a look at our best podcasts to listen to and best Doctor Who podcasts guides.

Cabaret

Cabaret is currently showing at the Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse in London's West End. A night at Cabaret promises to be an experience as well as a night out — guests are invited to immerse themselves in the club experience and can even drink and dine before diving into the world of inhibition-free Berlin.

The cast of Cabaret, like 2:22 A Ghost Story, is ever-changing, and to find out who is starring in the production you'll be going to see, read our guide on the current Cabaret London cast.

Buy Cabaret tickets from £30 at ATG Tickets

If you're a comedy fan — or maybe you just need a bit of a pick-me-up — be sure to take a look at the best London comedy shows.

Operation Mincemeat

Theatre fans will be aware that The Woman in Black ended its 33-year stint on the West End last year; the terrifying play was performed at the Fortune Theatre in the heart of London's West End, and filling the boots of The Woman in Black is Operation Mincemeat. This sharp-witted comedy tells the real-life story of a WWII operation, and answers the question: how did a well-dressed corpse wrong-foot Hitler? If you're thinking that this musical sounds extremely bizarre, you'd be absolutely right.

A favourite of several members of the RadioTimes.com team, this musical is sure to have you humming its soundtrack for the weeks, months and maybe even years after heading to see it. God That's Brilliant.

Buy Operation Mincemeat tickets from £20 at ATG Tickets

If you love socialising but dislike how noisy it can be sometimes, take a look at our guide on how do Loop Earplugs work?

Six the Musical

If you watched the Platinum Jubilee concert, you would have caught a glimpse of this bizarre retelling of the lives of Henry VIII’s six wives. In the musical, each wife takes it in turns to share their story of how they were wronged by the Tudor King, and why that means they should be the lead singer of the wives’ pop group.

Buy Six the Musical West End tickets from £42 at London Theatre Direct

Originally debuting at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2017, Six is now touring the UK, with performances in Manchester, Oxford, Glasgow and more.

Buy Six the Musical UK tour tickets from £15 at ATG Tickets

For date inspiration in the capital city, take a look at best London art exhibitions, best London date ideas, and best London rooftop gardens.

Hamilton

As the winner of the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album, the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and 11 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Hamilton is a brilliant choice if you’re in London this winter and want to treat yourself to a West End show.

A blend of hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B and Broadway is the musical backdrop to this show, which tells the true(ish) story of Alexander Hamilton, one of America’s founding fathers and George Washington’s right-hand man.

Buy Hamilton tickets from £48 at London Theatre Direct

Want to experience the music from your favourite shows in a different light? Check out our guide to the best candlelight concerts around the UK.

Matilda the Musical

Adapted from Roald Dahl’s much-loved book of the same name, Matilda is taking bookings up to May 2025 for the Cambridge Theatre in London. You know exactly what you’re getting with this musical: wholesome, family-friendly fun.

There are also a handful of RSC £10 tickets available for 16-25 year olds, supported by TikTok.

Buy Matilda the Musical tickets from £20 at Matilda the Musical

For more day out inspiration in London and beyond, take a look at the best pottery experiences and best steam train experiences.

The Lion King

A story we all know and love. Based on the 1994 Walt Disney movie of the same name, The Lion King musical play features music from Elton John, actors in decadent animal costumes and giant hollow puppets. The show opened in the Lyceum Theatre over 20 years ago in 1999, and is still going strong after more than 7,500 performances.

It’s the top-earning title in box-office history, surpassing The Phantom of the Opera, and even the Royal Family have seen a performance of this much-loved story.

Buy The Lion King tickets from £46 at Fever

If you're a film fan (Disney or otherwise), here's how to get cheap cinema tickets and the best London luxury cinema experiences.

Plus, check out the top Disney Plus offers for this month.

Wicked

Wicked knows a thing or two about being ‘Popular’! This musical is the prequel to The Wizard of Oz, and it tells the story of Elphaba (the future Wicked Witch of the West) and her friendship with Glinda (the Good Witch of the South). It was nominated for six Tony awards, including Best Actress, and, honestly, we went to see the musical with our families, and it’s deserving of every single nomination.

Buy Wicked tickets from £27.50 at Ticketmaster

A Wicked UK tour is coming to a city near you! Read out article for everything you need to know, including how to bag tickets.

Back to the Future: The Musical

If the hugely enthusiastic description on From The Box Office is anything to go by, Back to the Future: The Musical will be a truly electrifying experience. The musical follows the plot of the blockbuster film: teenager Marty McFly is blasted back in time to the year 1955 by eccentric scientist Doc Brown and unwittingly changes the course of history.

If you watched Britain's Got Talent in 2022, you might have caught a sneak peek of Back to the Future: The Musical on Britain's Got Talent. Since its special appearance, the musical has kept extending its West End run so there's even more opportunities to go and see it.

Buy Back to the Future: The Musical tickets from £19.55 at Ticketmaster

The Book of Mormon

From the creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, comes this comedy musical about two Latter-Day missionaries who are posted to a remote Ugandan village to preach the faith of the Church, and to convert its inhabitants to Mormonism.

It's all-singing, all-dancing and very much tongue-in-cheek, as you'd expect from the creators of South Park. Book tickets today – after all, Tomorrow Is A Latter Day.

Buy Book of Mormon tickets from £22 at Ticketmaster

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a two-part play written by Jack Thorne and based on J.K. Rowling’s original story. It follows Harry, Ron and Hermione 19 years after they saved the wizarding world, and they’re joined by a new generation of wizards and witches to stop mysterious evil forces for another time.

Buy Harry Potter and the Cursed Child tickets from £15.75 at The Ticket Factory

If you're a fan of Harry Potter, we've included two walking tours in our top London walking tours piece, and take a look at The Cauldron in London and the best UK Harry Potter experiences.

Les Misérables

Les Misérables is a musical that needs no introduction. What makes West End’s longest-running musical so magical is how immersive it is; with the backdrops of paintings by Victor Hugo, Les Misérables’ author, and the powerful performances from every single member of the cast, you feel like you’re at the heart of the action.

Buy Les Misérables tickets from £31 at London Theatre Direct

TINA: The Tina Turner Musical

Aldwych Theatre welcomes you to TINA. The musical includes all of the late great Tina Turner's much-loved songs, and follows her journey to stardom, from her humble beginnings in Tennessee to the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll — with her live performances selling more tickets than any other solo artist across the globe. It showcases all the ups and downs along Tina's way, and you'll leave the theatre feeling very motivated.

Buy TINA: The Tina Turner Musical tickets from £25 at London Theatre Direct

Witness for the Prosecution

Who doesn't love a good murder mystery? The genre has really made a comeback in recent years, especially with the likes of Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club books, and there's no better introduction to the genre than the queen of crime herself, Agatha Christie.

Trust us, the tale of Leonard Vole, accused of murdering a widow in cold blood, is sure to keep you guessing right up until the end. Want to find out more? Check out our five star Witness for the Prosecution review.

Buy Witness for the Prosecution tickets from £19 at London Theatre Direct

Here's how to get Inside No.9 Stage/Fright tickets.

Phantom of the Opera

It's one of the most popular theatre shows and one of the West End's most enduring love stories. Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera has been performing for over 30 years now, and shows no sign of slowing down.

If you aren't already familiar with the compelling plot, the show tells the story of the Phantom, who seeks to control the Paris Opera House. He finds a new student, a chorus girl called Christine, and trains her to sing the music of the night.

Buy Phantom of the Opera tickets from £31 at London Theatre Direct

Looking for something else a bit spooky? Here are the best Edinburgh ghost tours, best UK zombie experiences, best UK dungeons, and best York ghost tours.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow

We're huge Stranger Things fans here at RadioTimes.com, so trust us when we say this production is a must-see for any fans of the series. The play acts as a prequel to the series, and is filled with the same friendship and nostalgia that fans are familiar with from the screen.

Buy Stranger Things: The First Shadow tickets from £30 at ATG Tickets

Here's everything you need to know about Stranger Things season 5, as well as our review of Stranger Things: The First Shadow.

Moulin Rouge

One of our RadioTimes.com Digital Writers went to see this jukebox musical with their mum and sister, and the whole family loved it! They particularly liked that everyone got up out of their seats for the final song to sing and dance along.

Moulin Rouge follows the story of Christian, a young writer who meets and falls in love with cabaret dancer, Satine. The duo unfortunately can't be together, and this musical shows their love story filled with joy, heartbreak and despair.

Buy Moulin Rouge tickets from £30 at Headout

Looking for a plan in the Big Smoke in the next couple of days? Here's our recommendations of what to do in London this weekend.

Which of the best West End shows have we awarded 5/5 stars to?

The RadioTimes.com Going Out team are lucky enough to attend and review plays across London. From musicals to limited time only shows, our Digital Writers are across all of the new releases. Over the course of 2024, these are the shows we've awarded five stars. While not all of them are booking at the moment, we'll keep updating this list with our latest 5/5 recommendations.

Standing at the Sky's Edge

Set against the neon lights of I Love You Will U Marry Me, Standing at the Sky’s Edge told the story of three generations living on Sheffield’s Park Hill estate. Richard Hawley's beautiful musical explored themes of community, class struggle, immigration and belonging. While it isn't performing in London at the moment, we're sure this isn't the last you'll see of Standing at the Sky's Edge.

Read our Standing at the Sky's Edge review

We were lucky enough to chat to The Lehman Trilogy's John Heffernan ahead of his performance in Sam Mendes's epic.

For Black Boys

The trailblazing Olivier-nominated hit, whose full title is For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy, is another play which is absolutely deserving of its five star review. For Black Boys is a choreopoem: it blends dialogue with poetry, song, music, dance and movement to tell this important story. Writer Ryan Calais Cameron is a master of the tonal shift, with the tale shifting in a heartbeat from laugh-out-loud moments to lines that read like a gut punch.

Read our For Black Boys review

Witness for the Prosecution

Witness for the Prosecution is currently booking at London’s County Hall on the Southbank, and with 70 years of shows behind it, the Agatha Christie thriller shows no sign of slowing down. When this show made its West End debut in 1953, it would have been impossible for anyone to tell how long it would last. Yet, 70 years later, this thrilling tale of love, lies and of course, murder holds up as if no time has passed at all, and that's why we awarded it five stars in our review.

Buy Witness for the Prosecution tickets from £19 at London Theatre Direct

An Enemy of the People

If there ever was a one-line review which would have us racing to the ticketing office to purchase seats, it would be Louise Griffin's 'A huge risk pays off' for Enemy of the People. The cast were particularly spectacular in this play, we loved the chemistry between Matt Smith and Jessica Brown Findlay, while Paul Hilton stole the show throughout with his hilarious, yet ominous, portrayal of Peter Stockmann.

Read our An Enemy of the People review

Kiss Me, Kate

There's always room for a classic at London's West End, and the five-star production Kiss Me, Kate is proof of that. Kiss Me, Kate starred Line of Duty’s Adrian Dunbar and Broadway legend Stephanie J Block; the adaptation from director Bartlett Sher was lively, lavish and completely charming, and we liked how it brought some much-missed glamour and spectacle back to the London stage.

Read our Kiss Me, Kate review

Next to Normal

It's rare that we'd describe a five-star musical as 'like watching a car crash in slow motion', but that's exactly what Next to Normal is, and it's still absolutely deserving of its flowers. Regardless of your own backgrounds or experiences with mental health or grief, the story of an emotionally fraught family on the precipice of danger and longing for something normal (or even just Next to Normal) delivered an emotional gut punch.

Read our Next to Normal review

What time do West End shows start and finish?

Like with the price, this depends entirely on the show, and whether you've got a matinee or evening performance. Most shows run for two hours to two and a half hours, with a 15-minute interval. A matinee performance usually starts at 2:30pm, whereas the evening performances will begin around 7:30pm.

West End show weekend breaks and hotel stays

If you're travelling to London for a West End show, it makes sense to spend a few days in the city; especially if you're planning on seeing an evening performance which will have you leaving the theatre at around 10pm (that's our bedtime!).

There are a number of websites, like Holiday Extras, where you can book your theatre tickets and hotel in one go. You can choose which theatre show you'd love to see, then select how many nights you'll stay around your chosen date, and it'll suggest hotels just a stone's throw away from the theatre.

Plus, as it's a package deal — a theatre show and hotel combo — you'll save a couple of quid, too.

Book a West End show and hotel stay at Holiday Extras

What is the easiest way to get to the West End?

Travelling to the West End when you live outside of London can seem like a mean feat. But we're here to reassure you that it can be done with minimal faff and on a budget, too.

Train timetables are usually released 12 weeks in advance, and train operators put cheap train tickets on sale shortly afterwards. The nearer your travel date, the more expensive the train tickets will be, so be sure to snap up tickets as soon as possible.

Railcards are also a great way to save a couple of quid on your travel — 1/3 of the total ticket fare to be precise. Find the right Railcard for you at Trainline.

If you live too far away from London to comfortably travel there and back in one day, and let's face it, a lot of us do, you may want to consider an overnight stay. Airbnb offers private rooms and entire homes all across London, so you're bound to find somewhere that fits your budget.

For more information, take a look at our West End tips and advice article.

What are the best seats in a theatre?

If money is no object, you might as well spend a bit more to get closer to the action at a West End show. However, with all the different parts of the auditorium, it can be tricky to know where to select seats which guarantee the best viewing experience; so we've done the difficult work for you.

Here's the breakdown of all the seats in a theatre, and where to sit for maximum viewing enhancement.

The Stalls are considered the best seats in the house as they're on the ground floor and closest to the stage. In a lot of West End theatres, there will be rows and rows of ground-floor seats, so you can choose to be on the front row, somewhere in the middle, or right at the back; the closer you are to the stage, the pricier your seats will be.

The Dress Circle, sometimes referred to as the Royal Circle, is the next level up from the ground floor. The Dress Circle gives audience members an advantage as they can see what's happening across the whole stage — something that people in the stalls might not be able to do, particularly for props or characters at the back of the stage.

Next up is the Upper Circle, also called the Grand Circle. This is another level up again, and will be one of the cheaper theatre tickets available (unless the theatre has a Balcony which not many of them do). You'll be able to see everything on the stage, however, you may miss finer details, such as an actor's facial expression.

The cheapest seats in the house are Restricted View. All theatres will sell tickets for what they deem a 'restricted view'. However, as we mentioned earlier, one of our RadioTimes.com team went to see Wicked with their mum, and the supposedly 'restricted' view was anything but. We can't guarantee this will be the case in all theatres, though, and you may find your view obstructed by a safety rail or a pillar.

Sitting in a box is an excellent way to make your trip to the theatre even more memorable. Typically located on the same level as the Dress Circle, a box can be hired out for just you and your party, which means you get perks like strangers not squeezing past you to go to the loo during a dramatic moment.

Can you get theatre gift vouchers for London?

Wondering what could be the perfect gift for your theatre-loving friend or family member? The obvious choice is to buy them theatre tickets, but with people's jam-packed schedules and with so many plays and musicals with a whole-host of genres to choose from, buying specific theatre tickets for a specific date might not be the easiest idea.

That's where a London theatre gift voucher comes in! Theatre gift cards are a great present idea for a loved one as you can use them on a range of theatre shows, such as Disney’s The Lion King, Cabaret, Wicked, and Moulin Rouge. The West End theatre gift cards are flexible, too, as a lot of them can be redeemed for up to 12-months from the time of purchasing.

So where can you buy these brilliant vouchers from? A lot of UK ticketing companies sell them, and to make matters simple, the Going Out team have put together a list for you below — you're welcome.

• Buy a West End gift voucher at LOVEtheatre
• Buy a theatre voucher at ATG Tickets
• Buy a London gift card at Fever
• Buy a theatre gift card at London Theatre Direct
• Buy a theatre gift experience at Virgin Experience Days

This next deal is perhaps out of a lot of people's budgets, however, despite the extravagant price tag, it does actually save you money in the long run. TodayTix is offering theatre lovers a ticket to every single show in the 2024 theatrical season with its All You Can Seat package. With All You Can Seat, you'll receive access to premium Band A tickets to all West End shows, and a personal concierge to assist with planning and booking. There are just 10 All You Can Seat tickets, and the packages are priced at £10,000.

• Find out more about All You Can Seat at TodayTix
• Browse West End shows at TodayTix

Head to our Going Out section for the latest releases, including our mammoth guide on what to do in London this weekend.

For more adventurous activities, check out our best London escape rooms, best UK driving experiences and best London VR experiences.