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West End shows that became movie musicals
Here are all the shows in the West End right now that have ended up on the silver screen
There’s plenty of beloved films popping up as West End shows – but what about West End shows that have inspired brilliant pieces of cinema? Plenty of London musicals – particularly those that have stuck around for decades – have been adapted for screen. Here are the shows that you can stream at home after you’ve left the theatre.
Evita
The story of Eva Perón first hit the stage in 1978, and over 20 years later came the film adaptation, starring Madonna as the most powerful woman in Argentina. Alan Parker’s 1996 adaptation made it through years of development hell and controversy over the portrayal of Eva, finally emerging from all of it with three Golden Globes. New addition to the soundtrack ‘You Must Love Me’ also won an Academy Award for Best Original Song – now, audiences can see Rachel Zegler sing the ballad each night at the London Palladium.
Les Misérables
The longest-running musical in the West End finally debuted on screen in 2012 with an all-star cast. The stacked list of names included Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen and Samantha Barks, all of whom were required to sing live on set. Regarded as one of the most successful movie musicals of the 21st century, the film remained pretty faithful to the stage show – although of course the best way to experience Les Misérables is still at the Sondheim Theatre.
MAMMA MIA!
First appearing onstage in the West End in 1999, the ABBA jukebox musical always seemed destined for the screen. Released in 2008, the film adaptation featured another ensemble cast of big names, led by Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried as mother-daughter pairing Donna and Sophie, and inspired countless dreams of running away to Greek islands. A sequel, entitled Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again was released in 2018. MAMMA MIA! is of course still running in the West End, playing at the Novello Theatre.
Hamilton
It’s not a film adaptation exactly (honestly, we can’t even begin to imagine how that would be done) but Lin Manuel Miranda’s hip hop retelling of the life of founding father Alexander Hamilton was released on Disney+ in 2020. The pro-shot features the original Broadway cast, including Miranda himself. Wonderful as it is, there’s nothing quite like seeing Hamilton live – you can catch it at the Victoria Palace Theatre.
Into The Woods
Before the Stephen Sondheim classic lands at the Bridge Theatre this December, it might be worth brushing up on Into The Woods – and its many characters – by watching the 2014 film adaptation. Starring a huge ensemble cast (notice a theme here?) including Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick and Chris Pine, Into The Woods presents your favourite fairytale characters as you’ve never seen them before and shows what happens when stories collide. The film adaptation doesn’t quite manage to contain every story that the musical spins – you’ll have to head to the Bridge Theatre for that.
Matilda the Musical
The Tim Minchin musical, based on the Roald Dahl children’s book, arrived on the big screen in 2022, over a decade since it first premiered in the West End. The film adaptation starred Alisha Weir as Matilda, Emma Thompson as Miss Trunchbull, and Lashana Lynch as Miss Honey, and is regarded as one of the best stage to screen efforts of the last few years. It’s hard to wholly capture the magic of Matilda the Musical away from the stage, however – make up your own mind at the Cambridge Theatre.
Oliver!
Lionel Bart’s 1960 stage musical has made a triumphant return to the West End, dazzling audiences at the Gielgud Theatre in Cameron Mackintosh’s reconceived production. However, if you’re interested in being immersed in the 60s version of the show, we might suggest checking out the 1968 film, which won six Academy Awards back in its day.
The Phantom of the Opera
The 1986 musical about an obsessive ghost lurking in an underground lair beneath the Paris Opera House is a West End staple, having run in London for almost forty years. If you’re a lover of Phantom, the 2004 film starring Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum is worth checking out – Rossum in particular won quite a few breakthrough awards for her performance as Christine Daaé. Phantom still sings on at His Majesty’s Theatre.
Wicked
Unless you yourself have been living in an underground lair, we fancy you’ve probably heard that Wicked has been adapted for the screen, with the first instalment arriving in 2024 and the second slated for 2025. Starring Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda, the film adaptation expands on the stage show, delving deeper into the backstories of both characters and remaining faithful to the original score. If you want to see the stage production before Wicked: For Good hits cinemas – and you should – then the show is playing now at the Victoria Apollo Theatre.
