Britain’s favourite musical has been revealed, with the nation’s show-tune lovers belting out the soundtracks at home - in the shower or while doing the chores.Joseph Vaughan05:00, 05 Aug 2026Britain's favourite musical has finally been revealed – and Disney's The Lion King has roared to the top of the charts . Almost one in five Brits (18%) voted for the West End spectacular as the nation's number one musical, pipping long-time favourites Mamma Mia! (16%) and Grease (15%) to the title.‌The research, conducted by Marella Cruises, TUI's cruise line, ahead of the launch of its first-ever musical-themed voyage, Musical Med-leys, also saw The Sound of Music (11%), Wicked (10%) and Matilda (10%) feature prominently in the rankings.‌The Disney classic is also the most-watched musical as a quarter of Brits (25%) said they've watched Simba and his companions perform live on stage.‌When it comes to the nation's most cherished songs, however, ABBA steals the limelight. Dancing Queen (14%) topped the charts, closely followed by Mamma Mia (13%), Circle of Life (13%) and We Will Rock You (13%).Far from being a niche hobby, musicals have firmly embedded themselves into everyday British life. One in four people regularly listen to show soundtracks at home, while the same number admit to enthusiastically singing along while doing the housework.‌More than one in five (22%) belt them out in the shower, while others confess to having the same soundtrack on repeat for weeks on end (23%).Despite this passion, most Brits remain occasional theatre-goers, with nearly a quarter (23%) attending less than once a year. Just 7% manage to catch a musical every month.If given the chance to spend a year working in musical theatre, 15% said they'd opt to work behind the scenes, while 14% harbour dreams of becoming a West End leading performer. A further 14% would be more than happy joining the entertainment cast on board a cruise ship.‌It's that enduring love of musical theatre that inspired Marella Cruises to launch Musical Med-leys – the cruise line's first-ever sailing dedicated entirely to musicals.‌The five-night cruise aboard Marella Voyager will feature live performances and appearances from West End stars Zoe Birkett, Lee Mead and Jenna Lee-James, who will also take part in Q&A sessions with guests.The entertainment line-up already reflects Britain's favourite musicals. Frozen ranked seventh in the nation's favourite productions (10%), while Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (6%) and The Tina Turner Musical (5%) also featured in the rankings.Their signature songs proved just as popular too, with Let It Go named Britain's joint third favourite musical song (13%), while Any Dream Will Do and Proud Mary both made the nation's top 20.‌West End star Zoe Birkett said: "The magic of musical theatre is that it stays with you long after the curtain comes down.“The songs become part of your everyday life, the stories never leave you, and every audience shares something special together."It's wonderful to see just how passionate Britain remains about musical theatre, and I can't wait to help bring that same excitement to guests aboard Musical Med-leys."Article continues belowBritain's favourite musicalsThe Lion King – 18%Mamma Mia! – 16%Grease – 15%The Sound of Music – 11%Wicked – 10%Matilda – 10%We Will Rock You – 9%Mary Poppins – 9%Les Misérables – 8%The Phantom of the Opera – 8%Britain's favourite musical songsDancing Queen (Mamma Mia!) – 14%Mamma Mia (Mamma Mia!) – 13%Circle of Life (The Lion King) – 13%Let It Go (Frozen) – 13%We Will Rock You (We Will Rock You) – 13%Hakuna Matata (The Lion King) – 12%You're The One That I Want (Grease) – 12%The Winner Takes It All (Mamma Mia!) – 11%Time Warp (The Rocky Horror Show) – 9%Defying Gravity (Wicked) – 8%