The Biggest Musicals That Didn't Win the Best Musical Tony Award

With the Tony Awards safely behind us for another year, it is generally to the benefit of the show that takes the coveted Best Musical. I'm sure it will generate some extra buzz for Schmigadoon!. But not to worry, The Lost Boys! Many times, a show that doesn't win that award goes on to a lengthy, and profitable, run.

The Biggest Musicals That Didn't

Win the Best Musical Tony Award

There are currently 5 musicals running that have outrun their season's Best Musical. As of yesterday, June 14, 2026, here are the current performance numbers, the Best Musical of that season and their performance total, plus the current percentage of how much the runner-up surpassed the champ. (Percentage rounded to the nearest whole percent.)

• & Juliet - 1491 performances. 2023 Best Musical Kimberly Akimbo - 612 performances. 144% more and growing!
• MJ - 1797 performances. 2022 Best Musical A Strange Loop - 293 performances.  513% more and growing!
• Six - 1921 performances. 2022 Best Musical A Strange Loop - 293 performances.  556% more and growing!
• Aladdin - 4421 performances. 2014 Best Musical A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder - 905 performances. 389% more and growing!
• Wicked - 8795 performances. 2004 Best Musical Avenue Q - 2534 Broadway performances. 247% more and growing!

It is really interesting to look at the historical list of Broadway's Longest-Running Shows, and see how many shows bested their season's Best Musical. The highest ranking musical on the list that isn't eligible for this list is the pre-Tonys classic, Oklahoma! with a then unheard of run of 2212 performances! And of course, we aren't including revivals, even though several have outrun their original productions (Chess comfortably passed its original run recently!) But we'd be remiss not to mention Chicago which is the longest currently running show. Not only did they beat the performance total of their original production, but it also has surpassed the show that was the Best Musical of the original's season, A Chorus Line! (Sorry for the word salad there...)

Here are the 10 longest-running shows of all time that played more performances than their season's Best Musical:

10. The Magic Show (not even nominated for Best Musical!) - 1920 performances. 1975 Best Musical The Wiz - 1672 performances. 15% more!

9. Pippin - 1944 performances. 1973 Best Musical A Little Night Music - 601 performances. 223% more!

8. Smokey Joe's Cafe - 2036 performances. 1995 Best Musical Sunset Boulevard - 977 performances. 108% more!

7. Rock of Ages - 2328 performances. 2009 Best Musical Billy Elliot - 1312 performances. 77% more!

6. Beautiful: The Carole King Musical - 2416 performances. 2014 Best Musical  A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder - 905 performances. 167% more!

5. Mary Poppins - 2619 performances. 2007 Best Musical Spring Awakening - 859 performances. 205% more!

4. Grease - 3388 performances. 1972 Best Musical Two Gentlemen of Verona - 614 performances. 323% more!

3. Miss Saigon - 4092 performances. 1991 Best Musical The Will Rogers Follies - 981 performances. 317% more!

2. Beauty and the Beast - 5461 performances. 1994 Best Musical Passion - 280 performances. 1850% more!

1. Mamma Mia! - 5758 performances. 2002 Best Musical Thoroughly Modern Millie - 903 performances. 538% more!

Looks like Stephen Schwartz knows a thing or two about writing popular shows. Three of his shows outran the winners of their season! And there's A Gentleman's Guide, which may have won the big prize, but TWO of that year's shows outlasted it by a wide margin - one is still running!

The Tonys help, but don't guarantee a bigger hit. What does help is a show that develops a strong fan base no matter who is in it, and no matter what the critics may have to say. Mostly, you need a show that people will recommend and will see more than once. Will any of 2026's shows do as well? Time will tell.