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It’s the one weekend of the year where musical theatre in London goes from ‘basically unaffordable’ to ‘free if you just want to hear the songs’. Here’s everything you need to know about this weekend’s West End Live.
What is West End Live?
West End Live is an annual free outdoor concert staged in Trafalgar Square in June, with a bill made up of live performances from West End musicals – basically all of them.
When is West End Live 2024?
West End Live takes play Saturday June 22 and Sunday June 23.
Do you need tickets?
No, it’s free and unticketed. It is usually very popular however so you’re advised to get down early if you’d like a good spot.
Can you watch the shows online?
You can’t watch them live but they will be uploaded to the OfficialLondonTheatre YouTube channel in short order so you won't miss much. You can see last year's show here.
Who will be appearing this year?
On the whole, the cast of every musical theatre show currently running in London will do a song or two, from old classics like ‘Les Misérables’ and ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ to newies like ‘MJ the Musical’ and ‘Standing at the Sky’s Edge’ to a taste of shows that aren’t on yet like ‘Why Am I So Single?‘ or ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’.
There are also a handful of performances not directly affiliated to a musical such as performances from musical theatre stars Mazz Murray and Carrie Hope Fletcher. Plus a ‘surprise show’ at 12.25pm on Sunday has people speculating about a major celebrity appearance or big new announcement. Note that a lot of the biggest name shows perform on Saturday between 11am and around 1.30pm - they’re getting their performances in before that day’s matinee.
What’s the West End Live 2024 lineup?
SATURDAY 22 JUNE
- 11am Frozen
- 11.05am A Chorus Line
- 11.15am Wicked
- 11.20am Operation Mincemeat
- 11.30am Babies the Musical
- 11.40am Kiss Me, Kate
- 11.45am Moulin Rouge, The Musical!
- 11.50am Mean Girls
- 12pm MJ the Musical
- 12.05pm Cabaret
- 12.10pm The Book of Mormon
- 12.15pm Sister Act
- 12.25pm Hamilton
- 12.40pm The Phantom of the Opera
- 12.55pm Les Misérables
- 1.05pm Back to the Future the Musical
- 1.15pm Matilda the Musical
- 1.20pm Tina – The Tina Turner Musical
- 1.25pm Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder!
- 1.35pm Next to Normal
- 1.45pm Mamma Mia!
- 1.55pm Emerald Storm
- 2.10pm The Choir of Man
- 2.20pm Six the Musical
- 2.35pm Why Am I So Single?
- 2.45pm Magic Mike Live
- 2.55pm Fangirls
- 3.05pm I Wish You Well: The Gwyneth Paltrow Ski Trial Musical
- 3.10pm 42 Balloons
- 3.25pm Your Lie In April
- 3.40pm Showstopper the Improvised Musical
- 4pm Queenz: Live in London!
- 4.10pm Roles We’ll Never Play
- 4.20pm Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World
- 4.30pm Westway Music Presents
- 4.50pm Mazz Murray
- 5pm ENDS
SUNDAY 23 JUNE
- 12pm The Lion King
- 12.10pm Heathers the Musical
- 12.25pm Surprise Show
- 12.30pm Closer to Heaven
- 12.40pm Standing at the Sky’s Edge
- 12.50pm Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
- 1pm I Wish My Life Were Like a Musical
- 1.10pm The Wizard of Oz
- 1.15pm Hadestown
- 1.25pm The Baker’s Wife
- 1.30pm Mrs Doubtfire
- 1.35pm Marie Curie
- 1.40pm The Wild Party
- 1.50pm Why am I So Single?
- 2.05pm The Barricade Boys
- 2.15pm Magic Mike Live
- 2.20pm Dorian: The Musical
- 2.25pm 42 Balloons
- 2.40pm The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- 3pm Overtures Piano Bar
- 3.15pm Shantify: The Show
- 3.20pm You, Me & the Rest of the World
- 3.25pm Frankie Goes to Bollywood
- 3.30pm Dive: Live from Hell
- 3.40pm A Night with Janis Joplin the Musical
- 3.50pm Queenz: Live in London
- 4pm Shamrock Tenors
- 4.10pm John Owen-Jones
- 4.25pm Carrie Hope Fletcher
- 4.35pm Westway Music Presents
- 5pm ENDS
West End Live is at Trafalgar Square, Jun 22 and 23.
The best new London theatre shows to book for in 2024.
Jonathan Bailey will play Richard II as the Bridge Theatre returns to normal programming.
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