Broadway By the Numbers - The Longest Runners

With the news that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child just became the third longest-running play in Broadway history, I was curious about other long-running shows. I mean we all know about The Phantom of the Opera and the current revival of Chicago, but what about others?

Broadway By the Numbers:

The Longest Runners

The most surprising thing to me was the fact that over the years and thousands of productions there are only 127 shows that have played 1,000 performances or more!

NOTE: For the rest of these stats, I only considered the 100 longest-running shows as of August 31, 2025.

• The first Broadway show to reach 1,000 performances was a play from 1918 called Lightnin', which played a total of 1,291 shows.
• The bottom spot is currently a tie between the original production of Cabaret and & Juliet, both with 1,165 performances. (By the time you read this, & Juliet will be #99 and climbing, with Cabaret a solid #100.)
• Of the 100 productions: 5 are Musical Revivals, 21 are Plays, and 74 are Musicals.
• 42 won either the Best Play, Best Musical or Best Revival Tony Awards.
• 12 were not Tony Award eligible.

The 1910s - 1 Top 100

    Longest Running: #86: Lightnin' 1,291 performances (play)

The 1920s - 1 Top 100

    Longest Running: #34: Abie's Irish Rose 2,327 performances (play)

The 1930s - 3 Top 100

    Longest Running: #20: Life With Father 3,224 performances (play)

The 1940s - 7 Top 100

    Longest Running: #36: Oklahoma! 2,212 performances (musical)

The 1950s - 6 Top 100

    Longest Running: #23: My Fair Lady 2,717 performances (musical)

The 1960s - 14 Top 100

    Longest Running: #19: Fiddler on the Roof 3,242 performances (musical)

The 1970s - 18 Top 100

    Longest Running: #7: A Chorus Line 6,137 performances (musical)

The 1980s - 8 Top 100

    Longest Running: #1: The Phantom of the Opera 13,981 performances (musical)

The 1990s - 11 Top 100

    Longest Running: #6: Chicago 11,329 performances (musical revival)*

The 2000s - 15 Top 100

    Longest Running: #3: Wicked 8,490 performances (musical)*

The 2010s - 13 Top 100

    Longest Running: #11: The Book of Mormon 5,343 performances (musical)*

The 2020s - 3 Top 100

    Longest Running: #65: Six 1,618 performances (musical)*

* - still running

At This Theatre: The Majestic

At This Theatre:

The Majestic

Lately, the Majestic Theatre has been in the news lately. First, after more than three and a half decades, it lost its longest-running tenant, The Phantom of the Opera. Then it was in the headlines after it began a major refurbishment inside and out. Who'd have thought a new marquee, the sanding of exterior paints, and the repainting of its biggest sign from black to its former signature red would make headlines?!

Of course, when a theater has been open for 97 years (it turns 98 on March 28), there have been several headline-making shows there. For several years in the 1930s, the 44th Street theater was home to Gilbert and Sullivan revivals in repertory. Later, it was home to two Rodgers and Hart classics, On Your Toes and Babes in Arms. Perhaps this was the house that should have been re-named the Rodgers, because here was where Rogers and Hammerstein debuted Carousel, Allegro, Me and Juliet and South Pacific. Many of Broadway's greatest musicals played here (and a few legendary flops, too) like The Music Man, A Little Night Music, Golden Boy, Funny Girl, Anyone Can Whistle, Ballroom and the never opened Breakfast at Tiffany's.

    

For the last forty plus years, the Majestic has had just three tenants: a transfer of the original production of 42nd Street, The Phantom of the Opera and now, the hit revival of Gypsy. It's fun to think that many of today's most hardcore theater fans have only known the last two on the marquee in their lifetimes! It says, for better or for worse, a lot about my age that I've seen all three there... 42nd Street was my second Broadway show ever.

The Majestic Refurbished:

  

Number of Shows We've Seen There: 3

42nd Street, The Phantom of the Opera, Gypsy

      

42nd Street (March 30, 1981 - April 5, 1987) As I said, my second Broadway show ever, and it really made an impression. Big dance numbers, huge scenery, lavish costumes and classic songs played by a big orchestra - everything that defined a "musical." Today, I look back on it with nostalgia and respect. It was a living history lesson. My tastes have evolved, but it still remains a prime example of that type of show for me.

The Phantom of the Opera (January 26, 1988 - April 16, 2023) Over its three plus decade run, I saw the show there several times. It was, and still is, a show I respect more than love. The pinnacle of 80s mega musical excess, it sure checks all the boxes for that sub-genre. My favorite Phantom was Howard McGillin, but it was the last time I saw it that I really appreciated is artistry and influence. Turns out it was the final company, headed by Ben Crawford, whose gritty portrayal was actually frightening. What impressed me most was that it was a pristine production, as fresh as if it had opened that week.

Gypsy (December 19, 2024 - still running) Seems that every time I step foot in the Majestic, I'm witnessing history. Not only was the refurbishment a sight to see, but one of Broadway's greatest shows of all time arrived in a stunning, history-making revival headlined by the reigning queen of Broadway, Audra McDonald. Lavish, daring and brilliant as always, it is the perfect show to continue the grand tradition this venerable theater.

40 Years of Broadway: Big Trends: The Mega Musical Era

 40 Years of Broadway: Big Trends

The Mega Musical Era

I came upon the Broadway scene as the Mega Musical Era was just ramping up. While Evita was a harbinger for things to come a few years earlier, it was really Cats that got this particular ball rolling. It makes sense, really, that the 80s through mid-90s was the time for this. It was the Decade of Excess, after all. 

I'm referring to Cats (1982), Starlight Express (1987), Les Misérables (1987), The Phantom of the Opera (1988), Miss Saigon (1991), and Sunset Boulevard (1994).

Today, it seems quaint, passé and really kinda silly (depending on your feelings about these relics). I mean, singing cats? Trains that sing and dance on roller skates? But they were all the rage, trust me. Their hallmarks were mostly sung (even completely) scores with belt your face off power ballads, very presentational staging, huge sets that were characters in the show by themselves, and iconic set pieces that people left talking about (usually more than the show itself). Loud volume = brilliant music. People stopping dead in their tracks and singing in loud unison = standing ovation guarantee. Opulence = ticket price justification. As I write this, I am beginning to see some similarities between them and now...

  

  

These were the days before social media and internet searches. And yet, even people who knew nothing about theater knew these shows. I'm talking world-wide. They made their rounds on late night talk shows, and rarely on daytime TV (not like today), and, of course, they did the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. But what really got this out to the masses was their incredible word of mouth, punctuated by genius marketing and merchandising. Everyone instantly recognized their logo iconography, and I do mean everyone* knew what these symbols meant. (* = My dad, who never stepped foot in a professional theater not only knew about Phantom, he actually took us to see it as a family!) Wearing one of those show shirts around college campuses gained the wearer instant status. And it wasn't just shirts - posters, backpack buttons and coffee mugs permeated the suburbs from coast to coast. 

It also helped that, except for the train show, the national touring companies were nearly exact duplicates of Broadway, so you didn't have to live on a coast to see the real thing. 

So much of all of this continues to this day, and we have these shows to thank for it. (Again this may depend on how you feel about this kind of show today.) I still enjoy them, and have some very fond memories. And I still wrap myself up in my (now vintage) show shirts. I had them incorporated into a great quilt!

Where do you stand on the Mega Musical front? Love it? Hate it? Or does it depend on the show? More importantly, do you still have any original merch from these shows? Let us know!

Contest Question #10:

4 of the above Mega Musicals have music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Which two did not have music by him?