Popular London Theatre Tickets

2023 is a huge year in Theatreland. Prestige, star-driven plays in London such as To Kill a Mockingbird, A Little Life with James Norton and Shirley Valentine with Sheridan Smith offer poignant evenings out while staple, crowd-pleasing West End musicals such as The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables and Wicked continue to delight huge audiences.

This year sees the long-awaited return of classic musicals in exciting new revivals such as Oklahoma! and Guys & Dolls as well as modern favourites Groundhog Day and the epic We Will Rock You.

Most West End shows start at 7.30pm for their evening performances and 2.30pm or 3pm for matinees. There are some exceptions to this, such as Matilda and Frozen, which start evening performances at 7pm. Shows aimed specifically at young children may adhere to even earlier showtimes. Always check showtimes thoroughly when booking London theatre tickets and planning your visit.

Yes, almost all West End shows have matinees. Most only perform matinees on certain days of the week. Wednesdays and Thursdays are popular days for matinees and most shows will have one matinee on weekends as well. If matinees are of interest to you, we let you filter to matinees only when booking West End tickets.

The majority of West End theatres are open on Sundays. However, not all of them are and many only perform matinees. Sunday matinees can be an excellent choice for children's theatre in London such as The Lion King or Frozen the Musical.

The West End is located in the Western region of Central London; West of the City of London and East of Mayfair. Many West End theatres can be found along major thoroughfares such as the Strand, Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road. Popular tourist areas such as Leicester Square and Covent Garden are part of the West End. Tube stations that are well located for West End theatres include Tottenham Court Road, Leicester Square and Covent Garden.

The theatre district is located in Central London, but just to the West of what is known as 'the City of London'; the commercial district surrounding tube stations such as Bank and Monument. In the early 19th Century, areas West of Charing Cross were highly fashionable and this is when the term 'the West End' became widely used. While the urban sprawl of London now extends much farther West than the theatre district, the majority of popular theatres are located in what was traditionally the Western end of the city, before it merged with the nearby city of Westminster to become the city recognisable today.

Many popular music streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music hold a wide selection of musical soundtracks from both the West End and Broadway. Original Cast Recordings are a fantastic way to enjoy songs from your favourite musicals even long after they have closed. Using data from Spotify, we have compiled the Ultimate Musicals Playlist for you to enjoy.