Plays

Plays in London's West End

Musicals get the posters, but London's reputation as the world's greatest theatre city rests on its plays. On any given week the West End offers gripping thrillers, landmark dramas, laugh-out-loud comedies and large-scale theatrical spectacle, often with film and television stars on stage. Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap at St Martin's Theatre is the longest-running play in history, while Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Palace Theatre and Stranger Things: The First Shadow at the Phoenix Theatre have redefined how spectacular a play can be.

Thrillers, classics and comedies

If you like being kept on the edge of your seat, London's murder-mystery tradition runs deep: The Mousetrap has been keeping its secret since 1952. For classic drama, revivals arrive every season, from Cyrano de Bergerac at the Noël Coward Theatre to Shakespeare performed as it was meant to be seen at Shakespeare's Globe. If you would rather laugh all evening, The Play That Goes Wrong at the Duchess Theatre is the West End's most reliable comedy, and our comedy page collects the rest. Star-led limited seasons, like Grace Pervades at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, typically run for twelve to sixteen weeks only, so they are worth booking as soon as dates are announced.

Booking tickets for a play

Plays generally sell more gently than musicals, which makes them excellent value: top-price seats often cost less than the equivalent seat at a blockbuster musical, and midweek availability is usually good even at short notice. Limited-run, star-led productions are the exception and can sell out within days of going on sale. Browse what's on tonight for same-day ideas, or our under £30 page for budget-friendly options.