6 Of The Longest Running London Theatre Musicals
The London theatre scene is one that has been around for centuries
, with the general consensus being that the time of the English Reformation was when public theatrical productions began to become regular occurrences. This is reinstated by the fact that the first permanent playhouse was built in 1576 and this paved the way for many theatrical properties to be built that are now some of the most historic theatre buildings in the world.
With the theatres in London being home to a vast array of different plays and productions over the past several hundred years, these 6 musicals are regarded as being the longest running and most successful ever.
1. Les Miserables. The musical that has run in the London theatre world the longest, Les Miserables first began playing at The Barbican theatre on 8 October 1985. Changing stages twice since this time, first on 4 December 1985 to the Palace Theatre, which was its permanent home until 3 April 2004 when it moved the Queens Theatre, where it remains to this day.
2. The Phantom of the Opera. Starting officially on 9 October 1986 after having several preview productions since 27 September of the same year, the Phantom of the Opera has had a permanent residence in Her Majestys Theatre since it started. Whilst it may not hold the title of longest running musical in the West End, it does hold it for the Broadway production, where it has been playing continually since 26 January 1988.
3. Blood Brothers. In its 24th year of production, Blood Brothers first opened on 11 April 1983 at the Lyric Theatre, but closed for just under five years on 22 October 1988. Reopening at the Albery Theatre on 28 July 1988, Blood Brothers stayed in this London theatre for over three years until it moved to its permanent location, the Phoenix Theatre, on 21 November 1991, although it is currently in production in various theatres around the country.
4. Cats. One of the most popular musicals of all time, Cats opened on 11 May 1988 and stayed in the same theatre, the New London Theatre, for the full 21 years that it was in production. Whilst it is no longer possible to see a version of Cats in the London West End, it is now being produced in various different countries, include Australia, Brazil and Chile.
5. Starlight Express. Similar to Cats, the Starlight Express musical is one that was particularly popular and although it is not in production in London anymore (it stopped on 12 January 2002), it can still be seen in various countries around the world, most prominently Germany where it is considered to be their most popular musical.
Opening on 27 March1984, it achieved great success in the West End, with a considerable 7,461 performances, fairing a lot better than its New York Broadway counterpart, where the musical only received 761 performances.
6. Chicago. The newest musical on this list, Chicago did not start in the London West End until 18 November 1997, where it played at the Adelphi Theatre until 27 April 2006 when it moved to the Cambridge Theatre. Chicago features some of the most recongisable songs in musical history, with All That Jazz being a particular crowd pleaser, largely because of the version Liza Minnelli recorded in 1975, the year the musical first opened on Broadway.
by: Fred Ramsbottom
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