Theatre
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12 West End musicals based on books
Your official West End reading list contains some surprises – and strangely doesn’t contain The Book of Mormon
We’ve had a run of fantastic film to stage adaptations landing in the West End over the past couple of years – Mean Girls, The Devil Wears Prada and Mrs. Doubtfire to name a few. But have you read the original novel The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger? And did you know that everyone’s favourite nanny actually comes from a 1987 children’s book by Anne Fine called Madame Doubtfire?
Literature and musical theatre have long had a close relationship, with some of the West End’s biggest and most enduring hits originating in classic novels and popular fiction. A recent exciting addition is The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, a brand-new musical adapted from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s celebrated short story. We’ve rounded up 12 musicals currently playing in the West End that all have literary origins – and some of them might surprise you…
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
The new musical at the Ambassador’s Theatre transports audiences to a fishing village on the Cornish coast, where they’ll witness the origins and adventures of Benjamin Button, a man with a very peculiar affliction. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s original short story, first published in Collier’s Magazine in 1922, tells the story of a man who lives his life in reverse, entering the world as an elderly man and aging backwards. The musical adaptation is playing at the Ambassador’s Theatre until 15 February, so there’s still plenty of time to catch it.
The Great Gatsby
This swinging adaptation has been a hit on Broadway and is now making its way to West End to continue the party. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Jazz Age classic is one of the foremost examples of the great American novel, and the stories of Nick Carraway, Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan have captivated audiences for years. Now, the mysterious millionaire throws open his gates to the people of London at the Coliseum, where the show opens 11 April 2025.
Matilda The Musical
Roald Dahl wasn’t short on hits but his most popular story might have to be that of Matilda Wormwood, an abnormally clever little girl who discovers that she has strange supernatural abilities. Originally published in 1988, Matilda resonated with kids around the globe, and her story has been delighting West End audiences at the Cambridge Theatre since 2011. You can see Tim Minchin and Dennis Kelly’s musical adaptation of Matilda now, with performances currently booking until May 2026.
The Devil Wears Prada
It was the film with Meryl Streep that turned the character of Miranda Priestly into a household name, but it was in Lauren Weisberger’s 2003 novel that she could first be found tormenting her assistants. The book got a lot of buzz at the time because of Weisberger’s own backstory – she’d previously worked as a personal assistant to Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. The musical adaptation opened on the West End this year, and is currently playing at the Dominion Theatre until May 2025.
Mrs. Doubtfire
Six years before Robin Williams charmed children around the world as cross-dressing nanny Euphegenia Doubtfire, Anne Fine’s 1987 children’s novel Madame Doubtfire hit shelves. The book was nominated for several children’s literature awards and the character of loving father Daniel Hilliard turned disguised nanny Mrs. Doubtfire proved so compelling that the film adaptation is remembered as one of the most beloved comedies of the 90s. Mrs. Doubtfire is currently playing at the Shaftesbury Theatre until April 2025.
The Phantom of the Opera
Almost four decades on the West End have made Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Phantom a classic in its own right, but the story of Christine and the Phantom dates much further back. The French novel Le Fantôme de l’Opéra by Gaston Leroux first appeared as a serialisation in 1909, before being released in its entirety in 1910. Leroux’s obsessions with Edgar Allen Poe and Arthur Conan Doyle were both big influences on the novel, as was a real life chandelier accident in the Palais Garnier. You can experience the magic and mystery of Phantom for yourself at His Majesty’s Theatre, where the musical is currently booking until September 2025.
101 Dalmatians
Most people will be familiar with the story of Pongo, Perdi and their extensive litter from the 1961 Disney film One Hundred And One Dalmatians. The animation is an adaptation of a children’s novel by Dodie Smith, which was originally serialised in Women’s Day as The Great Dog Robbery, before being published under the title The Hundred And One Dalmatians in 1956. A new musical adaptation by Douglas Hodge and Johnny McKnight is now coming to London this summer, playing a limited six-week run at the Eventim Apollo from 18 July 2025, so make sure to secure your spots now. (Yes, that was a pun. Sorry.)
A Christmas Carol (ish)
Ted Lesso’s Nick Mohammed steps into his alter ego Mr Swallow for a musical comedy retelling of Charles Dickens’ 1843 classic novella, alongside an all-singing, all-dancing star cast. When Santa unexpectedly cancels Christmas, it’s up to three visiting ghosts to help him see the error of his ways before it’s too late… A Christmas Carol (ish) will play @sohoplace until 31 December.
Cabaret
The unique staging of Cabaret at the Playhouse Theatre’s purpose-built Kit Kat Club made waves when it first opened in 2021. The production went on to become the most award-winning revival in Olivier history, honouring not only the original 1966 production but also Christopher Isherwood’s 1939 novel, Goodbye To Berlin, from which the musical is adapted. The book charts the disintegration of Berlin under Hitler’s growing power, based on people, places and events from Isherwood’s own life. You can book to experience the singular immersion of Cabaret until October 2025. The show currently stars Adam Gillen and Katherine Langford.
Les Misérables
One of the West End’s most beloved and longest-running shows, Les Mis has moved and delighted audiences for decades, bringing Victor Hugo’s epic to life on stage. The original novel, published in 1862, is considered to be one of the greatest novels of the 19th century, and paints a unique portrait of Paris in a fraught chapter of its history. The musical adaptation captures all the novel’s romance and tragedy, with an unforgettable score and the iconic revolving stage. Les Misérables is currently booking at the Sondheim Theatre until September 2025.
Oliver!
Yet more Dickens on the West End – there’s a reason he’s considered one of Britain’s greatest ever storytellers. Oliver Twist was only Dickens’ second novel, first published in 1938, exploring the criminal underbelly of London and the city’s heartless treatment of its most vulnerable. The musical adaptation first hit the West End in 1960, and returns reimagined this December to the Gielgud Theatre, where it is currently booking until September 2025.
Wicked
Much talked about lately thanks to the brand new film adaptation, Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman’s musical is one of the most popular productions ever to hit the West End, playing at the Apollo Victoria Theatre since 2006. The musical reimagines the backstories of characters from The Wizard Of Oz, itself a popular musical, film and book by L. Frank Baum, but Wicked itself is actually based on a novel by Gregory Maguire. Wicked: The Life And Times Of The Wicked Witch Of The West was published in 1995 and attempts to show one of literature and cinema’s most famous villains in a sympathetic light. Wicked is currently booking at the Apollo Victoria Theatre until January 2026.
Explore more West End shows here.
