Top 7 Best Plays in London 2023-2024
The West End may be synonymous with the bright lights and soaring melodies of its hit musicals, but it’s also one of the best places to experience intimate dramas, rib-tickling comedies and gripping whodunnits. 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.
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.
1. The Play That Goes Wrong: the West End’s funniest show
Join the hopeless Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society as they perform a 1920s murder mystery where legs aren’t the only thing being broken! With sets collapsing and the cast going spectacularly off-script, this award-winning delight from Mischief Theatre follows in the hazardous footsteps of Noises Off and is perfect for fans of Britain's fine tradition of unpredictable slapstick comedy.
from £23.80
2. Dr Semmelweis: a masterful performance from Mark Rylance
Academy Award winner Mark Rylance is back where he belongs, on stage, in this captivating historical drama about the doctor who defied establishment beliefs to save thousands of lives. In 19th-century Vienna, women were dying in childbirth every day, and Semmelweis thought he knew why. This breathtaking show features an incredible lead performance by Rylance and and exquisite, haunting company of dancers.
3. The Mousetrap: still gripping after 70 years
With a surprise ending that’s been faithfully protected by audiences for 70 years, this West End institution is the ultimate murder mystery. Agatha Christie brings all the best tropes of the genre to this fantastic play: an unknown killer; an isolated country house; and enough twists and turns to have even the smartest amateur detectives second-guessing until the end.
from £29.80
4. 2:22 A Ghost Story: a star-studded supernatural thriller
This spine-tingling thriller is haunting another West End theatre! Starring Jaime Winstone and Ricky Champ, this edge-of-your-seat play about a dinner party that takes a turn for the supernatural is a critical and commercial hit. Are you brave enough to see it?
5. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: the magic remains alive in London
The magical world of Harry Potter is back in this fantastic two-part family show, which follows Harry, Ron, Hermione and their teenage children as they grapple with the weight of the past and dark forces threaten to return. Featuring dazzling special effects that will completely enchant old and new fans of the franchise, remember to #KeepTheSecrets of this landmark production!
6. Witness for the Prosecution: Agatha Christie's courtroom drama
Few shows are staged in a venue as unique as London County Hall, home of this gripping courtroom drama about a young man accused of murder. You will be completely immersed in all of the twists, turns and drama of Agatha Christie's play, with seats available right at the heart of the action - even on the jury benches.
from £14.30
7. Private Lives: Noel Coward’s comedy is still an utter treat
When a formerly married pair discovers they’re honeymooning with their new spouses in the same hotel, old feelings rise to the surface… but would their relationship be any different a second time around? Nigel Havers and Patricia Hodge are the perfect double act in this hilarious revival of a comedy classic that is just as fun 50 years after Coward died as it was when he first wrote it.
from £25.00
No fees
