Timeless Musicals Still Running in the West End
London's West End is home to a number of musicals that have been running for many years and never cease to draw in the crowds.
London's longest running show of all time is the classic Les Miserables. Based off of Victor Hugo's classic novel of the same name, the musical is a tale of love and redemption set against the bloody and violent French Revolution. Famous songs include "I Dreamed a Dream" and "Can You Hear the People Sing." The show opened in 1985 and is currently in its twenty-fifth year.
Queen jukebox musical We Will Rock You is in its eighth year. The show is about Galileo, a young noncomformist who faces off against the corporate Killer Queen in a dystopian world that's set 300 years in the future. The popular musical is a fan favorite and features famous Queen songs like "We Are the Champions" and "Another One Bites the Dust."
The Phantom of the Opera is London's second-longest running show and opened just one year after Les Miserables. The musical is perhaps composer Andrew Lloyd Webber's most famous show and is based off of Gaston LeRoux's famous novel. The show tells the tale of a rising opera star and the tortured man who is obsessed with her. Andrew Lloyd Webber's score is a complicated blend of opera and rock and the show offers dazzling special effects in numbers like "The Point of No Return" and "Masquerade."
Disney's Lion King The Musical is in its eleventh year on the West End and is adapted from Disney's classic animated movie The Lion King. The show continuously thrills entire families with its stunning puppets and visuals along with a familiar score that includes Lion King favorites like "Hakuna Matata," "Circle of Life," and Elton John's classic "Can You Feel the Love Tonight."
Willy Russell's smash hit Blood Brothers holds the third-longest run in West End history with twenty-two years of continuous performances. The musical is about two twins who were separated at birth and raised in two completely different backgrounds. Blood Brothers has amassed a number of Olivier Awards, including one for Best New Musical in 1983.
Kander and Ebb's gritty musical Chicago is currently in its twelfth year on the West End. The show's plot revolves around Roxie Hart, a jailed murderess who dreams of a career in vaudeville. The musical is famous for its signature Bob Fosse choreography and classic numbers like "All That Jazz" and "Cell Block Tango."
Finally, Mamma Mia opened in 1999 and is famous for its score comprised entirely of songs from the Swedish pop group Abba. The plot revolves around a young girl, Sophie, who decides to invite all three of her potential fathers to her upcoming wedding. The musical features classic Abba hits like "Dancing Queen" and "Mamma Mia."
London's longest running show of all time is the classic Les Miserables. Based off of Victor Hugo's classic novel of the same name, the musical is a tale of love and redemption set against the bloody and violent French Revolution. Famous songs include "I Dreamed a Dream" and "Can You Hear the People Sing." The show opened in 1985 and is currently in its twenty-fifth year.
Queen jukebox musical We Will Rock You is in its eighth year. The show is about Galileo, a young noncomformist who faces off against the corporate Killer Queen in a dystopian world that's set 300 years in the future. The popular musical is a fan favorite and features famous Queen songs like "We Are the Champions" and "Another One Bites the Dust."
The Phantom of the Opera is London's second-longest running show and opened just one year after Les Miserables. The musical is perhaps composer Andrew Lloyd Webber's most famous show and is based off of Gaston LeRoux's famous novel. The show tells the tale of a rising opera star and the tortured man who is obsessed with her. Andrew Lloyd Webber's score is a complicated blend of opera and rock and the show offers dazzling special effects in numbers like "The Point of No Return" and "Masquerade."
Disney's Lion King The Musical is in its eleventh year on the West End and is adapted from Disney's classic animated movie The Lion King. The show continuously thrills entire families with its stunning puppets and visuals along with a familiar score that includes Lion King favorites like "Hakuna Matata," "Circle of Life," and Elton John's classic "Can You Feel the Love Tonight."
Willy Russell's smash hit Blood Brothers holds the third-longest run in West End history with twenty-two years of continuous performances. The musical is about two twins who were separated at birth and raised in two completely different backgrounds. Blood Brothers has amassed a number of Olivier Awards, including one for Best New Musical in 1983.
Kander and Ebb's gritty musical Chicago is currently in its twelfth year on the West End. The show's plot revolves around Roxie Hart, a jailed murderess who dreams of a career in vaudeville. The musical is famous for its signature Bob Fosse choreography and classic numbers like "All That Jazz" and "Cell Block Tango."
Finally, Mamma Mia opened in 1999 and is famous for its score comprised entirely of songs from the Swedish pop group Abba. The plot revolves around a young girl, Sophie, who decides to invite all three of her potential fathers to her upcoming wedding. The musical features classic Abba hits like "Dancing Queen" and "Mamma Mia."
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