Thriller Live, the concert spectacular that was created to celebrate the career of Michael Jackson and The Jackson Five, has now become the 16th longest running musical in the West End. On 18 December the cast performed the 3,304th show at the Lyric Theatre, overtaking Me & My Girl which opened in 1985.
Thriller Live recently sold its 2 millionth West End ticket and has now been seen by over 4 milion people in 33 countries, and has played over 5,100 performances worldwide.
The current longest running musical is Les Misérables which opened in 1985 and has been performed over 12,884 times. The record for longest-running show in history is held by The Mousetrap which has been keeping audiences guessing since 1952.
To view the full list of longest-running shows visit the Society of London Theatre’s website.
West End’s Longest-Running Musicals:
1. Les Misérables, 1985 – still running, over 12,884 performances
2. The Phantom Of The Opera, 1986 – still running, over 12,552 performances
3. Blood Brothers, 1988 (closed, 10,013 performances)
4. Cats, 1981 (closed, 8,949 performances)
5. Mamma Mia!, 1999 – still running, over 7,409 performances
6. Starlight Express, 1984 (closed, 7,406 performances)
7. Disney’s The Lion King, 1999 – still running, over 7,175 performances
8. Chicago, 1997 revival (closed, 6,187 performances)
9. Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story, 1989 (closed, 5,140 performances)
10. We Will Rock You, 2002 – (closed, 4,659 performances)
11. Billy Elliot The Musical, 2005 – (closed, 4,566 performances)
12. Wicked, 2006 – still running, over 4,291 performances
13. Miss Saigon, 1989 (original 1989 production / closed – 4,264 performances)
14. Jersey Boys, 2008 – still running, over 3,657 performances
15. Jesus Christ Superstar, 1972 (original 1972 production / closed, 3,357 performances)
16. Thriller Live, 2009 – still running, over 3,304 performances
17. Me And My Girl, 1985 (1985 revival / closed – 3,303 performances)
18. Evita, 1978 (original 1978 production / closed – 2,900 performances)
19. Oliver!, 1960 (original 1960 production / closed – 2,618 performances)
20. Grease!, 1993 (1993 revival / closed – 2,529 performances)