Top 10 Best Plays in London 2026
The West End is synonymous with the bright lights, gripping plots and soaring melodies of the very best theatre shows in London, and if you're looking for intimate dramas, rib-tickling comedies and gripping whodunnits, there is nowhere we'd recommend more! Big names are a familiar sight in West End plays so you’ve even got the chance to see your favourite actor live on stage!
Major revivals, bold new work and magical book-to-stage adaptations make the best plays in London a bright and varied bunch no matter your tastes. If you’re not sure where to start, here are the shows we think will make your next trip to the theatre the best yet.
Picked your perfect play? Check out London plays, for the next 7 days for offers, the latest availability and discounts for shows in London over the next 7 days!
1. My Neighbour Totoro: Studio Ghibli magically realised on stage
Find your spirit with tickets to the "awe-inspiring" (Time Out) West End transfer of Studio Ghibli's beloved film on stage. This six-time Olivier Award winning play is a breathtaking triumph from the Royal Shakespeare Company and Joe Hisaishi that has already enjoyed two sold-out seasons at the Barbican Theatre. Now, it is one of the biggest theatre events for anyone who wants to escape into a world of whimsy, sisterhood and childhood imagination.
2. Stranger Things: phenomenal theatre in a new dimension
3. Ballet Shoes: The beloved children's novel uplifts on stage
This “playful, graceful” (The Standard) re-imagining of Noel Streatfeild’s beloved children's novel is the perfect heartwarming treat for the colder months. In 1930s London, three adopted sisters - Pauline, Petrova and Posy - grow up in a ramshackle house filled with fossils and dinosaur bones. Under the guidance of their quirky guardians Nana and Sylvia - along with some eccentric and unlikely lodgers - the three girls seek to find who they are, and who they want to be, in a world that makes it tough for girls to dream big.
4. The Mousetrap: still gripping after 70 years
5. The Play That Goes Wrong: the West End’s funniest show
6. Witness for the Prosecution: Agatha Christie's courtroom drama
7. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: the magic remains alive
8. All My Sons: Bryan Cranston stars in the Arthur Miller classic
American playwright Arthur Miller is one of the most-performed in the world, with classics including Broken Glass and Death of a Salesman exploring the crushing reality of the American Dream. In this major revival visionary director Ivo van Hove teams up with Hollywood actor Bryan Cranston for a heartbreaking new production of All My Sons. Set post-World War II, this tragic play follows one family as their patriarch must contend with the consequences of his wartime decisions. Joining Cranston are Marienne Jean-Baptiste and Paapa Essiedu.
