West End musicals that celebrate great musicians and pop music
Great musicians and composers have inspired countless theatrical productions over the years, from Beautiful: The Carole King Musical to the David Bowie show Lazarus. The best versions capture something innate about the artist's voice and how they connected to their fans, as well as celebrating their incredible back catalogue.
London's West End is currently home to several of those brilliant productions, including some exciting new entrants – from MJ The Musical to Just For One Day. Here's our pick of the best: tickets are on sale now.
Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Baz Luhrmann's spectacular 2001 movie, set in fin-de-siècle Paris, was bolstered by a revolutionary jukebox mash-up score, using dozens of pop songs to fuel its heightened, giddily romantic and hauntingly tragic drama.
The stage musical version goes even further, embracing a dizzying range of tracks (around 75 in total), from Adele, Beyoncé, Sia and Rihanna to Lady Gaga, Elton John, Bowie, the Rolling Stones – and more!
Book Moulin Rouge! The Musical tickets on London Theatre.
Standing at the Sky's Edge
This brilliant Olivier Award-winning new musical is a homegrown triumph, beginning in Sheffield and travelling to the West End via a hit run at the National Theatre. It follows several generations of residents at the titular housing estate, their stories wonderfully woven together by Chris Bush.
The show is also powered by the gorgeous songs of Sheffield's own Richard Hawley, beautifully arranged to capture the mood, the hopes and dreams, and the darker moments of these lives, as well as to draw audiences into them. The mighty title number, in particular, is an unforgettable ensemble effort.
Book Standing at the Sky's Edge tickets on London Theatre.
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
From humble beginnings in Nutbush, Tennessee, to her discovery by eventual husband and manager Ike Turner, and then escaping an abusive marriage in order to strike out on her own and become a rock star: Tina Turner's story is an extraordinary one.
This compelling bio-musical, scripted by Katori Hall and directed by Phyllida Lloyd, does full justice to it, plus you get to hear the incredible actresses playing Turner belt out indelible numbers like "A Fool in Love", "River Deep, Mountain High", "Proud Mary" and "The Best".
Book Tina: The Tina Turner Musical tickets on London Theatre.
MJ The Musical
The Broadway smash is moonwalking into London, along with its Tony Award-winning star, Myles Frost, who stars as the one and only Michael Jackson. This bio-musical about The King of Pop centres on his revolutionary 1992 Dangerous World Tour, while also looking back at his rise to fame.
The good news for MJ fans is that that means you get tons of his biggest hits, from his Jackson Five days through to his extraordinary solo work – so everything from "Billie Jean", "Beat It" and "Smooth Criminal" to the unforgettable "Thriller".
Book MJ The Musical tickets on London Theatre.
Just For One Day
This exciting new musical at the Old Vic transports us back to 13 July 1985, when music brought the whole world together. It's the ground-breaking charity concert Live Aid, a concert held to raise money for famine relief, which was watched by around 1.9 billion people.
Directed by Luke Sheppard, this show revisits the incredible event – and it's also an excuse to play music by some of the all-time greats, from David Bowie and Bob Dylan to Queen, Diana Ross and many more.
Book Just For One Day tickets on London Theatre.
Cruel Intentions: The '90s Musical
Nothing says 1990s quite like Cruel Intentions, the New York rich-kid update of Les Liaisons Dangereuses which starred Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Phillippe, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Selma Blair. Now the movie has become a deliciously scandalous stage musical.
Powering the story of the manipulative stepsiblings and their sex-capades is an oh-so-90s soundtrack: think The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony", R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion", Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn", Christina Aguilera's "Genie in a Bottle", and TLC's "No Scrubs".
Book Cruel Intentions: The '90s Musical tickets on London Theatre.
Mamma Mia!
This iconic long-running musical celebrates two of the all-time great songwriters: Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA. Their richly emotional work powers this tale of love, heartbreak, friendship and family.
The hits just keep coming in the show: "Super Trouper", "Dancing Queen", "Knowing Me, Knowing You", "Money, Money, Money", "Thank You for the Music", "The Winner Takes It All", and of course the title track.
Book Mamma Mia! tickets on London Theatre.
Originally published on