The Best-Reviewed West End Shows Right Now (June 2026)

Star ratings in the West End cluster high, partly because shows that audiences do not love do not survive. Even so, the gap between a 4.6 and a 4.9 is real, and it is built on tens of thousands of verified ratings rather than critics' opinions. This is our ranking of the best-reviewed shows on sale for the week of 8 to 14 June 2026, drawn from our own audience scores. Where two shows share a rating, we have used the number of reviews behind it as the tie-breaker, because a 4.9 from ten thousand people is a sturdier thing than a 4.9 from a few hundred.

The 4.9 club: as good as it gets

Only two shows on sale this week hold a 4.9. The first is the one you would expect: Disney's The Lion King, which has banked more than 10,000 ratings at the Lyceum and still sits at the very top. That combination of volume and score is, frankly, unmatched anywhere in London. The second is the quieter triumph: My Neighbour Totoro, the Studio Ghibli adaptation at the Gillian Lynne, which matches the 4.9 on a smaller but devoted set of reviews. With Totoro now in its confirmed final West End run, this is the window to see why audiences rate it so highly.

The 4.8 tier: the modern classics

Just behind sit a cluster of 4.8 musicals, and this is arguably the strongest band on the list because of how consistent the scores are across large audiences. Moulin Rouge! The Musical leads the group with more than 3,000 ratings, followed by The Devil Wears Prada and the Tony and Olivier-winning Hadestown, whose folk-blues retelling of the Orpheus myth remains one of the most distinctive things in town. If you want a contemporary musical at the top of its craft, this is the tier to book from.

The 4.7 heavyweights: loved at scale

The 4.7 band is where the sheer weight of numbers becomes impressive. Mamma Mia! holds a 4.7 across more than 6,000 reviews, Les Misérables the same across over 5,000, and The Book of Mormon across nearly 4,000. Hamilton and Six round out the group. These are the shows that have turned hundreds of thousands of seats and kept audiences glowing, which is its own kind of recommendation.

The most-reviewed shows in London

There is a difference between the highest-rated show and the most-reviewed one, and it is worth drawing out. By volume, The Phantom of the Opera (4.6, nearly 7,000 ratings) and The Lion King are the two most-rated shows on sale, with Mamma Mia! close behind. If you take comfort in numbers, these three have been pressure-tested by more audiences than anything else in the West End. Wicked and Matilda The Musical, both at 4.6 across thousands of reviews, sit in the same reassuring company.

How to read these numbers

A rating is a starting point, not a verdict on whether a show is right for you. A 4.9 family musical and a 4.8 rock retelling of a Greek myth are both excellent and almost nothing alike. Use the scores to narrow the field, then let the subject matter and running time make the final call. Every figure here is pulled from the shows actually on sale this week, so it will shift as new productions open and audiences weigh in.

The best-reviewed plays on sale

Musicals dominate the very top of any ratings list, but the plays hold their own this week. Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club sits at 4.7, an immersive staging that turns the auditorium itself into a 1930s Berlin nightclub before a note is sung. Stranger Things: The First Shadow matches it at 4.7 on the strength of some of the most ambitious stagecraft in London. If your taste runs to drama over song, those are the two highest-rated dramatic tickets on sale right now.

A note on our method

Every score here is an average of verified audience ratings for the production currently on sale, not a historical figure or a critic's star count. We break ties using the number of reviews behind each score, because a 4.8 earned across thousands of audiences is a sturdier signal than the same number from a few dozen. And because the ratings move as new audiences book and attend, this ranking is a snapshot rather than a permanent table, which is exactly why we refresh it each week.

Frequently asked questions

What is the highest-rated West End show right now?

As of the week of 8 to 14 June 2026, The Lion King and My Neighbour Totoro share the top spot at 4.9 out of 5. The Lion King's rating is backed by more than 10,000 audience reviews, the largest review base of any show on sale.

Which West End musical has the most reviews?

The Phantom of the Opera and The Lion King are the two most-reviewed shows on sale, each with several thousand ratings, followed closely by Mamma Mia! with more than 6,000.

Are these ratings from critics or audiences?

These are audience ratings, drawn from verified reviews left by people who have booked and seen the show, rather than press reviews. That is why the volume of reviews behind each score matters when comparing shows.

Is My Neighbour Totoro worth seeing before it closes?

At 4.9 out of 5 it is one of the two best-reviewed shows in London, and it is now in its confirmed final West End run, so this is the period to see it if you have been waiting.

More for your week: see everything on in the West End this week, the best-value tickets right now, and theatre across the UK this week. You can also browse the full list of best-rated shows or read our deeper guides to The Lion King and Hadestown.