The best matinee shows in London

There’s no better feeling than booking in a matinee performance of a West End play or musical. It’s an extra treat to catch a show during the day (especially a weekday!), and it means you can chat about it with friends and family over dinner afterwards, or get back home easily without worrying about missing your last train. Happily, there are plenty of London matinee shows to choose from.

All the biggest productions have London weekday matinee shows, and also either London Saturday matinee shows or London Sunday matinee shows – sometimes both. These performances are frequently quieter than the evening ones, giving you a great choice of seats and often cheap ticket prices too, so they’re well worth a look.

You can find plenty of inspiration in our round-up of the best London shows, plus productions that are particularly good for young audiences in our best family shows piece, and below are some of the best matinee shows with help from our expert theatre critics. Choose an afternoon and plan your matinee trip now!

The Lion King, Lyceum Theatre 

In a nutshell: If you’re looking to entertain the whole family, The Lion King is the ideal choice. It connects with both young audiences and their parents thanks to its clever combination of accessible storytelling and jaw-dropping theatre magic. Julie Taymor’s award-winning production, which has been running in the West End for 25 years, features incredible puppets, while Elton John and Tim Rice’s catchy songs, including Circle of Life, Can You Feel the Love Tonight and Hakuna Matata, will send you out humming. Matinees are on Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday.

“It’s no surprise that each new generation keeps snapping up tickets to share this enchantment with their own cubs. This family-wowing musical remains the pride of the West End.” Read the full review

Booking until: Mar 30 2025

Les Miserables, Sondheim Theatre

In a nutshell: It’s never too early in the day to start a revolution! Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil’s epic musical follows the brave radicals in early 19th-century France who are fighting for their rights, and also features stirring stories around justice, imprisonment, love, redemption and faith. You’ll definitely know some of its breakout songs, like I Dreamed A Dream, Do You Hear the People Sing? and Bring Him Home, but it’s even better seeing them in context as these plucky warriors take to the barricades. Matinees are on Thursday and Saturday.

“In its density and epic ambition, its mixture of high-powered ideas and gut-wrenching emotions, it’s a show that feels lastingly revolutionary.” Read the full review of Les Miserables

Booking until: Mar 29 2025

In a nutshell: Part mismatched buddy comedy, part razor-sharp, utterly outrageous religious satire, this laugh-out-loud West End musical was a total leap of faith by its creators, South Park’s Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and the Tony- and Oscar-winning composer Robert Lopez (Frozen, Avenue Q), but it absolutely works. It follows two naive Mormon missionaries trying to convert suspicious villagers in Uganda – and their gun-toting warlord – and it balances shocking jokes with super-catchy songs and a sweet message of friendship. Matinees are on Friday and Saturday.

“This wild, thrilling, go-for-broke, genuinely hilarious musical comedy remains one of the funniest shows in the West End... I’m a believer!” Read the full review of The Book of Mormon

Booking until: Jan 4 2025

The Phantom of the Opera, Her Majesty’s Theatre

In a nutshell: An afternoon visit to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic musical is still just as spine-tingling, thanks to the lush, enveloping score and spectacular staging of this dramatic tale about a masked man who hides in the Paris sewers. He becomes singing teacher to a beautiful, promising young soprano, Christine, but she has another romantic prospect – who will win her over? Featuring songs like The Music of the Night, Think of Me, All I Ask of You, and the mighty title piece, and design like that famous chandelier, it’s a wonder. Matinees are on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.

“It’s the slew of coups de théâtre, the no-nonsense pacing and the gorgeous spectacles that make this tale of a disfigured man of musical genius lurking beneath the Paris Opera House so effective.” Read the full review of The Phantom of the Opera

Booking until: Sept 27 2025

In a nutshell: Now that the Wicked movie is finally hitting the big screen, starring Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey, it’s the perfect excuse to catch the spellbinding stage musical. It’s an alternative take on The Wizard of Oz, giving us the point of view of a green-skinned witch, Elphaba, and how she becomes friends with her polar opposite, the blonde Glinda. But love for the same boy, and the dark forces that threaten their world, soon come between them. With mighty anthems like Defying Gravity, it’s utterly bewitching. Matinees are on Wednesday and Saturday.

“Joe Mantello’s production has satisfyingly old-school bombast: instead of screens, its impact comes from the detailed, fabulously over-the-top steampunk design. The orchestra is the biggest in the West End – and it shows.” Read the full review of Wicked

Booking until: June 1 2025

Six, Vaudeville Theatre

In a nutshell: Get in a history (or “herstory”) lesson during your matinee show with this right royal British musical sensation. Henry VIII’s six wives flesh out their stories beyond that rhyming summary (“Divorced, beheaded, died”), and do so in the form of competing pop songs, channelling divas such as Beyoncé, Rihanna, Britney Spears and Alicia Keys. It’s a total blast, and brings this Tudor drama bang up to date, plus it’s a nice brisk running time so matinees, which are on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, start at either 3pm or 4pm.

“This infectiously fun production is packed with witty touches... A heart-warming, air-punching finale has everyone up on their feet. I expect these queens to rule the West End for years to come.” Read the full review of Six

Booking until: May 4 2025

In a nutshell: Have you solved the fiendish whodunit written by the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie? The Mousetrap is the longest-running play in the world thanks to its ingenious plotting, with millions of budding detectives still flocking to the West End, eager to match their wits against the best in the business. 

If you fancy a really satisfying murder mystery for your matinee show, book into the remote rural guesthouse where a number of strangers are trapped inside by a terrible snowstorm, and a cunning killer is hiding amongst them. Prepare for a classic Christie twist as everyone’s secrets are revealed. Matinees are on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

Booking until: Sept 27 2025

Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Piccadilly Theatre

In a nutshell: It’s simply spectacular! Baz Luhrmann’s fabulously decadent movie has become an even more sumptuous stage musical, and you’ll feel like you’re really in that Paris nightclub when you enter the Piccadilly Theatre. The Moulin Rouge windmill is in one of the boxes, as is a giant elephant, and the front stalls seating is completely immersed in the action. Get swept up in this bohemian love story as aspiring musician Christian courts the club’s sparkling diamond Satine, while performing more than 70 pop songs and thrilling dance numbers. Matinees are on Thursday and Saturday.

“The tireless company romps through Sonya Tayeh’s adrenaline and libido-fuelled choreography... This is beguilingly transporting, all-enveloping theatre.” Read the full review of Moulin Rouge!

Booking until: May 24 2025

Hamilton, Victoria Palace Theatre 

In a nutshell: Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hip-hop-meets-history phenomenon isn’t just about a group of people who changed the world, it also revolutionised musical theatre with its rap score and diverse casting. Meet America’s forgotten Founding Father, Alexander Hamilton, who becomes George Washington’s right-hand man, defeats the mighty England (as represented by a show-stealing King George), and navigates political rivalry, marriage, parenthood and grief. You just have to take your shot and be in the room where it happens. Matinees are on Thursday and Saturday.

“Lin-Manuel Miranda’s construction is just a marvel – one of the artistic wonders of the world... History is made to feel risky, uncertain and fresh: young people fumbling their way towards freedom.” Read the full review of Hamilton

Booking until: Sept 27 2025