Travel bucket list idea:

West End Musicals

London, United Kingdom (UK)
Bucket List Experience

Last updated: 10 March, 2024

More than 40 large-scale, world-class theatres make up the ‘West End’, all crammed into a small, buzzy area of central London, around Leicester Square, Soho, Covent Garden and Shaftesbury Avenue. Theatres here have a heritage stretching back five centuries – several are home to shows that break world records for length of run and ticket sales, and many are elaborate listed buildings with beautifully-preserved Georgian or Victorian features.

While the West End is most famous for its blockbuster musicals, its theatres stage a wide variety of genres, including serious drama, comedy and avant-garde performance pieces.

Logistics

Price from: £45

Minimum age: Any

Age suitable: 8+

Frequency: daily

When: Daily

Duration: 2-3 hours

Getting there & doing it

Check Official London Theatre for dates and times of shows that are on when you’re in town.

Depending on the popularity and cast of the show, West End tickets can cost anything from £15 to £250, but the most common price range is £35-75 per ticket.

For discounted tickets, go to the half-price ticket booth in Leicester Square for late availability, or use the Today Tix app for great deals on last-minute tickets – you buy through the app, then collect your tickets from the TT rep outside the theatre shortly before the performance.

When to do it

Matinee and evening performances take place most days, matinees most commonly on Wednesdays and Saturdays. There is rarely a day when all theatres are ‘dark’. Most performances start at 2.30pm, 7.30pm or 8pm, but do check your ticket as this can vary.

Who to go with: organised tours

Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity

Wicked the Musical Theater Show

London

Viator

Get your tickets to Wicked the Musical Theater Show at Apollo Victoria Theatre in London. It tells the untold story of the legendary witches from Frank L Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. When Dorothy famously triumphed in Oz, only one side if the story was told. Now, Wicked brings to life the captivating and surprising story of how misunderstood, green girl named Elphaba became the Wicked Witch of the West.

Price £33

Min age 5

Rating 4.41 / 5 [278 ratings]

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The Lion King Theater Show London

London

Viator

The Academy-award winning Disney film 'The Lion King', is brought to life in spectacular fashion in London's West End! Disney's phenomenally successful 1994 animated feature has been transformed into a spectacular stage musical with outstanding music and lyrics by Tim Rice and Elton John. 'The Lion King' is the popular story of the young lion cub Simba, as he struggles to accept the responsibilities of adulthood and his destined role as king.

Price £47

Min age 5

Rating 4.55 / 5 [181 ratings]

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Phantom of the Opera Theater Show

London

Viator

The Phantom of The Opera is a haunting musical which traces the tragic love story of a beautiful young opera singer and a composer shamed by his physical appearance into a shadowy existence beneath the majestic Paris Opera House. The show received its world premiere at Her Majesty's Theatre in London on 9th October 1986 and has since been played out to over 9,500 audiences in the West End. A true theatre blockbuster that is not to be missed whilst in London! * Seats may have a slight restricted view of the stage *

Price £33

Min age 0

Rating 4.51 / 5 [179 ratings]

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Les Miserables Theater Show London

London

Viator

Les Miserables follows the pursuits of Jean Valjean, released on parole after 19 years on the chain gang and condemned as an outcast. Only the saintly Bishop of Digne treats him kindly but yet Valjean (embittered by years of hardship) repays him by stealing some silver. Valjean is caught and brought back by police, and is astonished when the Bishop lies to the police to save him. Valjean decides to start his life anew. But will fate allow him to?

Price £35

Min age 0

Rating 4.62 / 5 [173 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

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Tina Turner Theater Show Tickets

London

Viator

From humble beginnings in Nutbush, Tennessee, to her transformation into the global Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Tina Turner didn’t just break the rules, she rewrote them. This new stage musical, presented in association with Tina Turner herself, reveals the untold story of a woman who dared to defy the bounds of her age, gender and race.

Price £14

Min age 12

Rating 4.62 / 5 [169 ratings]

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